by Marketing Manager | Content Creation, Content Marketing, How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips, Social Media
Social media marketing isn’t the new kid on the block anymore. Things that felt fresh and exciting just a few years ago are now old hat and that means we’ve all got to find ways to take our Facebook and Instagram marketing to the next level. Fortunately, there are still lots of things you can do to “level up” your social media marketing. Here are some suggestions to help you stay ahead of the pack in 2021. Poll Your Followers Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all allow users to create polls for the followers to respond to. In most cases, we’re talking simple polls with just two or three potential responses. That said, even a simple poll can be useful as a way to collect information from your followers. Because polls are interactive, they encourage engagement. In many cases, respondents won’t even need to leave their feed. They can respond by clicking their choice. If you want to take it to the next step, you can try using a poll as a quick form of split testing. Include links to two different versions of your landing page or home page and ask people to vote on their favorite. Engage in Social Listening You’ve probably seen at least one brand make a critical mistake on social media by responding in a tone-deaf way to something in the news. Does that mean you should never respond to anything topical? No – but it does mean you need to be careful. The best way to avoid missteps is to engage in social listening. Before you post, scroll through relevant hashtags, and...
by Marketing Manager | Content Marketing, How To's & Info you can use, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Tips
If there is one thing that the pandemic clearly proved, it’s that every business should have the ability to take online orders. Customers are shopping online more now than ever before, and there is no sign that the trend will slow down even as the pandemic does. Whether you are selling exclusively to local customers, or you’re ready to expand your reach to customers around the globe, now is the time to grow your online sales. Here are 12 strategies to get it done. Write Optimized Product Descriptions Take another look at your product descriptions, even if you are already confident in them. You want to make sure that they clearly convey why customers need your products. If you are savvy, you may also want to include some important keywords in the descriptions, as this will make your items easier to find. Take Great Product Photos While you evaluate your product descriptions, look at the photos as well. You want clear photos that make it easy to see your product and any details that customers may want to know. Your images should feature your actual product and have thumbnails. For even better results, include both photos and videos. Make Landing Pages You want to start incorporating SEO strategies into your website to help boost your rankings on search engines. A convenient and useful way to do this is via landing pages. You can make landing pages for categories of products, subscriptions, or any other goal you have. Just be sure that your landing page is consistent with the keywords and search intent...
by Marketing Manager | Content Marketing, How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips
When a business is pinching pennies, the marketing budget is often the first thing to go. For many business owners, it’s more important to continue paying employees and to pay utilities than it is to try to attract new customers. However, eliminating your marketing altogether is a mistake that can cost you in the long run – and there’s no need to do it. Here are 7 ways that you can continue to market even if your budget is tiny. #1: Make Cold Calls There’s no way to attract new customers or clients without having a “first touch” that introduces them to your brand and lets them know what you can do for them. That’s where cold calling comes in. Some companies pay for cold calling services but it’s something you can do in house if you’re willing. For the best results, do as much preliminary screening as you can and prepare a cold calling script for callers to use. It’s also a good idea to think about what time of day people will be most receptive to hearing from you. #2: Start (or Optimize) Your Referral Program Referral marketing is one of the least expensive and most effective ways to get new clients for your business. A referral can come from an existing customer or from another referral source such as a professional colleague or local business owner. You’ll have the best luck with referrals if you incentivize people to refer their friends, family, or customers to you. One idea might be to offer rewards where people get a free product or service if they refer a...
by Marketing Manager | Blogging, Content Marketing, E-Mail Marketing, Marketing Tips, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Video Marketing
Digital marketing isn’t optional. The fact remains, though, that only 84% of businesses have a content marketing strategy as of early 2021. 16% don’t. If you’re one of the people who has put off digital marketing or done it haphazardly, it’s time to get serious about it. You may have claimed your Google My Business listing – and that counts as digital marketing. It’s also the bare minimum you can do. So, with that in mind, let’s talk about why every small business – including yours – needs digital marketing, and which marketing strategies we recommend. What is Digital Marketing? Some small business owners don’t understand what digital marketing is and that’s part of the problem, so, let’s start with a definition. Digital marketing is the sum of any efforts you make to promote your business online. It may include: Email marketing Blogging Search engine advertising (PPC) Social media posting Social media advertising Business listings SEO Video marketing The key to making the most of digital marketing is choosing the strategies that are most likely to deliver the results you want. Target Local Keywords The first thing you need to recognize is that in the world of digital marketing, everything is local. If you try to compete for the same keywords used by big corporations with huge marketing budgets, you’re going to lose. You’ll get far more bang for your buck if you think local. Local keywords should be a combination of industry-specific words that identify what your business does and local words that let people know where you are. For example, a dentist in Minneapolis might target words...
by Marketing Manager | Content Creation, Content Curation, Content Marketing, How To's & Info you can use, Social Media
There are only two ways to increase profitability — to increase sales, or to cut expenses. Some strategies for increasing sales are huge undertakings. A new product line or a major marketing campaign cost major time and money. But without a major investment, you can increase your sales by improving your conversion rate — the percentage of users on a website or social media platform that completes a desired action. The action could be making a purchase. Or it could lead users further into your sales funnel by signing up for an email list, creating an account, or scheduling a call. By focusing on conversion rate, you’re working with what you already have — the people who you’re currently reaching with your marketing. With decent web traffic, even a moderate increase in conversion rate can result in real dollars. So here’s how you can start optimizing your conversion rate — without spending a penny. How to Track Your Conversion Rate To improve your conversion rate, first you have to establish your baseline. Start by calculating your current conversion rate with this basic equation: # of times a user completes a goal action / your site traffic = conversion rate This could be for a PPC campaign, a Facebook ad, or your general website’s performance. For your overall website, you must decide how you plan to track certain goals. For example, you could create a specific URL that customers are redirected to after they take an action. That action could include downloading a lead magnet or signing up for your email list. Every view...
by Marketing Manager | Content Marketing, Facebook, Marketing Tips, Social Media
Did you know that the average Facebook user clicks on 12 ads per month? It’s true – and it illustrates why Facebook ads are still one of the most cost-effective ways to connect with your target audience and promote your business. If only you weren’t messing them up. Look, we can’t say whether your Facebook ads are perfect. Maybe they are. But the truth is that most people do mess them up – and the mistakes they make cause their ad campaigns to be more expensive (and less effective) than they should be. Fortunately, there’s a quick fix. Once you understand the 3 most common mistakes people make, you can stop making them – and starting to get the results you deserve. Here they are. #1: Targeting Ads to People Who Aren’t Already Fans This first mistake can be a real head scratcher for small business owners. Aren’t you supposed to use Facebook ads to grow your audience? The short answer is no, not really. You can – and we’re not saying that you should never run an ad that targets new customers. But you’ll get more engagement and more clicks if you target the people who already like your company. If you think about it, it should make sense. The people who follow you on Facebook are qualified leads. Some may have already bought from you but all of them are people who had enough interest in your company to click that Follow button. Running ads that appear only to followers is a great way to nurture leads, encourage repeat business, and let your followers know that you...
