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 | How To's & Info you can use, Marketing Tips, Online ads, Trends
Just how robust is your online presence? Are there plenty of channels that lead possible customers right to your website? Or are you “making do” with a basic Facebook page and a website that looks like it hasn’t been updated since hit counters were all the rage? “Online presence” is a blanket term for both how easy it is to find your products and services online, and how you present your brand. This includes any owned platforms like your website, your social media profiles, and any other sites you use to share your products or branding, like an Amazon product listing or a Medium blog. Put simply — your online presence is how you show up on the internet. While this may seem too broad to approach, an improvement in your overall online presence can help you find more leads, improve your connection with your audience, and earn more sales A rising tide lifts all boats! By working on some of these core tactics, you can improve your visibility across the entire internet. #1 Improve your page speed Site speed has always been an important ranking factor for websites. But with Google’s new Core Web Vitals rolling out later this year, it’s going to be more important than ever. These ranking factors make up the “page experience,” and they’ll be getting more weight than before. The speed measurement is called Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). This metric refers to how long it takes a page to load. You can check an individual page on Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool, or go to your Google Search Console...
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 | How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips, Trends
After the year we’ve all had, seeing a much brighter economic forecast for the year ahead is music to our ears. Now is the time to make sure you’re ready to take advantage of it! Here are 8 things you can do today to make the most of your opportunities in the year ahead. Target Trigger Events in Your Marketing In just about every sales process, there are trigger events that drive prospects to consider your products and services. In B2B businesses, an example would be the opening of a new location. In the case of B2C, an example could be if most conversions come from people who just bought a new house. Identify the trigger events that drive sales opportunities and target your marketing message, channels, and timing to ensure that your company is top of mind as these trigger events happen. Follow Up Faster (and More!) The stats don’t lie: we aren’t following up fast enough or nearly as much as we should! Check out these stats from a blog post by CRM developer Pipedrive: According to a survey commissioned by the Harvard Business Review, salespeople see a 400% increase in lead response when contacting a lead within the first five minutes. A study in the UK also found that only 2% of deals are concluded when the two parties meet for the first time, while 80% of sales take five follow up calls to close. But over 50% of salespeople give up after just one follow up call!. Automate as Much as Possible How do you follow up faster...
by Marketing Manager | How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips, Trends
The COVID19 pandemic has had a drastic impact on every industry. The retail industry was among those hit the hardest. As venturing outside quite literally became the difference between life and death, retail outlets were forced to shut down as governments across the globe struggled to get a grip on the virus. Even businesses that had a robust online presence before the pandemic hit struggled. As millions of people lost their jobs and faced economic uncertainty, they significantly cut back on personal spending in an effort to weather the storm. Small businesses were particularly at a disadvantage. A study conducted by MIT found that small business revenue in the United States dropped by almost 40% in March 2020 compared to a year earlier. These economic considerations ultimately forced governments to try and strike a balance between the urgent need to support businesses and the public health measures required to control the spread. A year later, things are finally looking up. Multiple COVID vaccines have been approved by regulators and millions of people, particularly those extremely vulnerable, have already received the jabs. Economic experts are now of the view that rapidly vaccinating the population is key for a return to a more “normal” economy. This is echoed by health professionals including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States’ leading authority on infectious diseases who believes that the early stages of herd immunity can be achieved by late spring or the summer if the vaccination drive continues at pace. The post-COVID business environment is going to be a lot different. Businesses will need to adapt to...
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...
