by Marketing Manager | Analytics, How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips, tools, Trends
One of the things that modern consumers want from digital marketing is personalization, as long as it’s done right (see the title above for an example of how NOT to do it). This can be overwhelming at times, especially for small business owners who believe they don’t have the resources needed to personalize. In reality, technology has made it easy for businesses of all sizes and types to personalize their marketing strategy. The following are some of the simplest and most effective methods that small businesses can use to personalize their digital marketing: 1. Gather Data The first step to personalizing your digital marketing is to gather as much data about your customers as you can. You will use this to segment your audience and help with the personalization. The more data you have, the better. While getting clients to fill out a survey is a convenient way to gather data, your clients likely won’t want to. You can offer them an incentive to do so or ask for bits and pieces of information over time. 2. Use Buyer Personas Once you have enough data, take some time to create buyer personas. These are representations of your typical target audience. They should include information like gender, age, other demographics, goals, and why they want your product. Create as many buyer personas as you need to fully represent your audience. For example, if you are a small business selling jewelry, two buyer personas maybe someone who buys the jewelry for themselves and someone who buys it for someone else. As you create your...
by Marketing Manager | Analytics, Content Marketing, Customers, How To's & Info you can use, Internet Marketing, Lead Generation, Marketing Tips
Whether you’re a Star Wars fan or not, you’ve probably heard the term Jedi Mind Trick. Maybe you’ve wished it were a real thing that you could harness – for good, of course – and use in your marketing. I’ve got great news for you. While the Jedi aren’t real, it is possible to use mind tricks – also known as cognitive biases – to get people to engage with your content and buy your products. All you need is an understanding of how the human brain works. What Are Cognitive Biases? A cognitive bias is an innate flaw in reasoning. What’s useful about cognitive biases is that they are something we all share. We are all susceptible to them and that’s what makes them effective for marketing. What’s especially interesting about cognitive biases is that they can work on us even if we understand what they are and are on guard against them. It is possible to avoid them, but it takes work and a real commitment to seeking out alternate points of view to do so. There’s a field of marketing known as neuromarketing that is designed to use psychology to “hack” buyers’ brains. Keep reading to learn about some of the cognitive biases that can be useful in marketing and tips on how to use them to grow your audience. The Bandwagon Effect The Bandwagon Effect has historical roots. Originally, the bandwagon was a parade float where a band played, and spectators would be encouraged to jump on the bandwagon. The implication was that the people on the bandwagon were having more fun than those...
by Marketing Manager | Analytics, Content Curation, Content Marketing, Google Tools, How To's & Info you can use, Internet Marketing, Marketing Tips, Search Engine, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Trends
Every website wants some love from Google. A high rank on Google’s SERP can mean the difference between getting organic traffic every day and never seeing a single visitor on your site that you didn’t pay for. The catch? Google’s playing hard to get – or it might be if you are making some common mistakes that send signals that your website isn’t the authoritative, worthwhile destination you want it to be. The good news is that these mistakes are easy to correct. Here are 7 things that Google hates and some quick ways to stop doing them and start getting the organic traffic you need. #1: Poor User Experience When Google’s algorithms return a list of search results, the company’s goal is always to deliver an optimal experience for any user who clicks on your website. If your page is slow to load or difficult to navigate, Google hates it and will likely relegate your site to oblivion on the second or third (or lower) page of search results. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix. Start by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights to ensure your page has a speed of 80 or higher. You should access the Core Web Vitals Report on your Google Search Console to identify additional problems. Finally, make sure to optimize your images by using the smallest file size that delivers the results you want and minimize redirects both internally and in your outgoing links. #2: Lack of Quality Backlinks You already know that high-quality backlinks are an essential element of SEO. If authority domains are not linking back to your site, it can negatively...
by Marketing Manager | Analytics, How To's & Info you can use, tools, Trends
We’ve all had the experience of looking for something and not being able to find it. It’s frustrating and time consuming and can feel like a pointless exercise if we’re forced to keep at it for long. For a business owner, there’s nothing more frustrating than knowing there’s an audience for your product or service and not knowing who they are – or where to find them. In this article, I’ll break down the process to help you first identify and then locate your audience, so you can fine-tune your marketing and get the leads you need. Identifying Your Audience We can look to social media for some guidance in how to identify an audience. If you have an existing customer base, you can begin by analyzing it using two categories of information: demographics and psychographics. From there, you can use information about the problems your product or service solves to narrow your search. Demographics Demographics are easy, so let’s start there. Demographics are facts about your customers (and your target audience) that can help you identify them. They include: Age Gender Geographical location Education level Income level Marital status Employment/industry Having basic information about who your customers are can help you identify the right target audience for your services or products. Psychographics Psychographics illustrate your target audience’s interests and preferences. For example, if you run a gym, some interests to consider might include the following. Health Fitness Weight loss Running You could also consider pop culture interests. If you own a clothing boutique, you might target people who watch fashion shows such as Project Runway or Say Yes...
by Marketing Manager | Analytics, Trends
If you want to distinguish yourself from the competition, it’s important to identify and develop your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Put simply, your USP is a summary of what is unique about your business and how your business adds value to your current or potential customers. Your USP can also help you identify and narrow monthly or yearly goals. When you understand how you’re different (and hopefully better) than the competition, you can establish goals and marketing initiatives that help you grow. Your USP: Why It’s Necessary Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Sometimes there are too many choices, making it difficult for you to know who to trust with your hard-earned money. Do you choose the first option to pop up on your Google search? Or, when doing your research, do you choose the company that will add value that its competitors can’t add? Understandably, your business’s USP is vital because it shows the customer why you’re the right company to choose and in what ways you’re different and better than the competition. #1 Conceptualize Your Business and the Competition Before you can develop a USP, you’ll need to spend some time brainstorming. Ask yourself — and then write down — what makes your company unique, what your ideal customer’s pain points are, and how your product or service addresses those problems. If you’re struggling to figure out what makes your company, product, or service unique, just throw down ideas whether or not you assume them to be “good” ideas. You might find that your business is unique for some seemingly insignificant reason, like the way...
by Marketing Manager | Analytics, How To's & Info you can use, Trends
Geofencing is one of those things that can sound intimidating if you don’t understand it. That happens with any new technology. It’s unknown and sounds vaguely expensive, and you might think that you need a lot of experience to figure out how to incorporate it into your marketing. I get it. But geofencing is a strategy that I think small business owners should be using — and you can’t use it if you don’t understand how it works and have resources to help you implement it. With that in mind, here’s the breakdown of what geofencing is, how people use it, and the resources you need to grow your business with it. What is Geofencing? Geofencing is technology that draws a virtual fence around your business. You can specify the fenced area, which may be the shopping center where your store is located, a parking lot or garage, or even a larger radius around your store. When customers enter the perimeter, they’ll receive a notification that provides an incentive to visit your store. Geofencing is an enormously effective marketing tool. To give you an idea of just how big of a difference it can make, here are a few stats to chew on: 80% of shoppers say they are willing to receive location-based messages. Over 50% of consumers who receive a location-based notification from a store will visit the store. 72% of people who open the notification will follow through with a purchase if a CTA is included. That last statistic is interesting because it indicates that you can benefit from geofencing even if you...
