Maintain Positive Customer Engagement With Email Marketing
Email marketing is simple, costs very little and its results are easily tracked. It is a convenient way to inform your customers of new products and services or share current events in your business and industry. Keeping your customers engaged and interested can, however, be a challenge. How to Keep Subscribers Engaged Hands up, if you have been tickled pink by a company and you, therefore, happily subscribed to their newsletter. However, fast-forward to a couple of months later, and your inbox is overflowing with newsletters you haven’t even opened, and your enthusiasm has waned considerably. As with all types of marketing, success is not guaranteed when it comes to email marketing. Spam traps, unsubscribes and ignored messages are just some of the stumbling blocks to the success of your campaign. So, how do you keep your subscribers hooked and interested with your email newsletter design? Here are a hand full of tips: Know Who the Message Is Aimed at All the platforms available for automating your email marketing include the necessary tools to keep your business GDPR compliant, to keep your records accurate and up to date and to filter or segment your database according to your subscribers’ interests and needs. Getting your email to the right contacts increases your conversions – and keeps your readers wanting more. Keep it Short and Sweet Ask anyone how they are, and ten-to-one they’ll reply “Busy!” Bear that in mind as you design your email and make it easy for your readers to scan the content so as to get your message across in minimal time. Cut unnecessary noise and focus on only one message you want your readers to remember. Share Your Personality Simple formats are the easiest to read. But that doesn’t mean that you need to be boring. Add some personality to your emails to reflect you, your company and your message with originality. Be Bossy At each pause, make sure that it is crystal clear to your readers what your call to action is. Email Marketing Might Be a Great Customer Engagement Tool for Your Business Visit our website to find out how we can help you with email marketing, content marketing, marketing automation and...
read more
Your SEO Guide to Going Local
Businesses and service providers who offer products or services on a local basis can benefit greatly from ranking in local SEO, showing up for the customers who need them when they need them. That is the most important difference between local SEO and organic SEO (which often doesn’t include the geographical element that local SEO focuses on). This guide to local SEO will provide you with the information you need to optimise your website for local searches that will, in turn, help you to attract local customers. Your Local SEO Guide: Google My Business First and foremost, you need to appease Google to rank in their search engine rankings pages. So, you’ll have to claim your “Google My Business” listing. There are many simple tutorials to follow to claim your GMB listing, which should enable you to do it without any problems. Claiming your GMB listing will help Google to give accurate information to potential customers when they search for your types of products and services. In addition, it will help you to rank locally because Google has access to the information in a format they prefer. Different Rankings Confused about snack pack and organic rankings? It can most certainly become overwhelming to understand all the different rankings. But, the most important thing to remember is that all these rankings work with best practices for SEO. And, keep in mind, ranking in local SEO will help you to show up in both snack pack and organic rankings. Organic Rankings Organic rankings are the regular Google results rankings that we’re all familiar with (you can find many different resources on our blogs to help you understand organic SEO). Snack Pack Rankings The snack pack results appear when doing a local search. The top three ranked results for that specific search query will be arranged at the top of the page in a blocked out area just underneath a local map. Content Quality content will remain an important factor in SEO. So, if you create content that is not only of high quality, but also locally relevant, you’ll be taking important steps to improve your local SEO ratings. When creating your content, remember to add internal backlinks that point to important pages and content on your website. These will give Google a good indication of how useful your site may be to local users. If you cover local topics in your content, you may also see a jump in your rankings as long as Google can see that you are providing your readers with quality content that will be relevant to their searches. Keywords Ranking in local SEO depends on your use of relevant local keywords. By using a keyword research tool like Serpstat, you can find keywords related to your business that rank in local searches. With Google’s keyword planner you can even research your competitors’ keyword rankings and base your own keywords off of this information. Pick keywords based on your industry terms, by using modifiers (words that describe events, products and services to refine the main keyword into a more specific term). You should also research trending local terms and competitor keywords. This type of keyword research will enable you to pick keywords you can rank for locally. Backlinks and Reviews Both of these elements will further prove...
read more
Why Is Data Important in Digital Marketing?
Analysing data is an important aspect of digital marketing. The analysed data can help you to understand your customers – how they buy, what they buy, what their needs are and where they come from. This information can guide the content and social media marketing strategy for your business, with the aim to improve the return on investment (ROI). There are various tools and platforms to establish what is and what is not working. Digital Marketing Analytics Tools from Google The platforms you use each have their own built-in tools to gather the data that you can convert into usable information to boost your marketing campaigns. Below we investigate a couple: Analysing Website Traffic With Google Google is such a household name that it has become a verb! This makes their analysis tools particularly powerful. It does require commitment, though, as Google Analytics is known for its thoroughness, not its user-friendliness. Top Tip! Once you have added your Google Analytics code to every page template on your site, go to the “Audience” section, and from there “Demographics.” Here you will learn who visits your site, for instance: Age and gender, The types of content that they browse online, and The types of products or services that your customer base is also in the market for. Online Advertisements With Google Ads Hand-in-hand with Google Analytics is Google Ads. Used to track campaign statistics or view specific data for ad groups, ads or keywords, Google Ads breaks the data into finer sub-sections. Top Tip! To get the best indication of what is or is not working, import a Google Analytics view into Google Ads and examine these data columns: Bounce Rate, Pages/visit, Average visit duration, and % of new visits. Digital Marketing Analytics Tools from Other Sources Bing Ads Intelligence This is a powerful keyword research tool that allows customers to build and expand on their keyword lists using the Excel interface. Customers can easily gauge the performance of relevant keywords and apply those insights to improve their keyword selection and campaign performance. Facebook Audience Insights This gives you aggregated information about two groups of people – people connected to your Page and people on Facebook – so you can create content that resonates and easily find more people like the ones in your current audience. Understand Your Customers With Digital Marketing For more information on innovative solutions for your digital marketing, social media marketing and content marketing, contact us...
read moreWhy Use Instagram to Market Your Business?
Instagram is a social media marketing must-have, as it’s a great platform to visually present the services or products of your business. With a focus on images, including video, it allows your business to make connections and share posts across multiple social platforms. For instance, according to Instagram, more than 200 million users visit at least one business profile daily. Below, we discuss what else Instagram offers as well as how to set up your account. Instagram Is Mobile-First, With Shoppable Posts The vast scope of Instagram is just the tip of the iceberg. Here is what else is offered: One of the more noticeable aspects of Instagram posts is the use of #hashtags – keywords that summarize what is being said in your post. This makes it easy for you to not only to be found, but also to be recognisable. Because it was created in 2010, Instagram is truly mobile-first. This means that you can be in the pocket of your prospects and customers – increasing your engagement with them through high-quality photos, local hashtags and even by uniting with other brands. Instagram recently launched Instagram Shoppable Posts that allows users to tag and shop products directly from organic Instagram posts. Simply add tags to the products in your photos with links that include the product description, price and the ability to “shop now”, which will lead the user to your online store. How to Set up Your Instagram for Business Account Follow these easy steps to set up your Instagram business account: Start by setting up a business Instagram account or converting a personal account to business. Decide on an appropriate social media marketing campaign, bearing the following in mind: Who you are marketing to? What stage of the customer journey are you targeting? Is it the awareness, engagement, conversion or the customer? Why you are marketing? What are your goals? How will you measure marketing success? What is your timeframe? When you will be posting? (Keep in mind that a regular posting schedule is imperative.) Optimize your profile for the best results. Test and measure using Instagram Insights. We Offer Solutions for Your Social Media Marketing Strategy For more information on our digital marketing, social media marketing and online reputation management solutions, contact us...
read moreCreate the Best Search Experience for Your Customers
The digital marketing focus of every small business should include creating the best search experience for customers. Google also deems this important, as they want people to return and use their search engine again. To achieve this, Google will find the best search match for their users and display that on their search engine results pages (SERPs). In the world of digital marketing, having a high Google ranking is always a primary goal. Why Are Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) Important? When a user; whether it is a researcher or a potential mega-spending client; types in a keyword or a phrase for Google to search, the position in which your website is listed in the search engine result pages (SERPs) is called your Google keyword ranking. Because most search results show ten listings per page, a ranking of 1 means you are at the top of the list, while a ranking of 11 means you are on the second page. The higher your position on a SERP, the more organic traffic your website should get, which is why SEO has been such a mainstay of small business marketing. Although Google’s algorithms change regularly, you can up your ranking by following our three tips below. Loading Speed Matters When using Google, Bing and so on, the loading speed of your pages is estimated by search engine “spiders” based on the HTML code of your site. Chrome user data adds to the accuracy when Chrome is the search engine of choice. The faster, the better. Content Must Be up to Date The old adage that “content is king” still holds true as there are no shortcuts and appropriate content will always be Google’s friend. However, keeping your content up to date is important as the indexing infrastructure, Google Caffeine, values recently published content. Also, remember to regard your images as a type of content. By optimising them with their file name, alt text, title, description and captions, you are sending relevancy signals to Google’s bots. Keywords Must Be in the First Sentence According to Google’s John Mueller, “Having a keyword that appears in the first 100 words of a page’s content is correlated to first page Google rankings, and having your keyword(s) appear as a subheading tag in HTML help us to understand the structure of the page.” But, don’t be tempted to over stuff your content with keywords! In this regard, revisit the point above. We Can Create the Best Search Experience for Your Customers For more information on all types of digital marketing – from SEO and email marketing to social media marketing and more, contact us...
read moreYour How-To Guide to B2B Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is no longer only for brands that sell directly to consumers. B2B brands have been making waves on social media, stepping into the territory that has traditionally been dominated by B2C brands. Here is a guide to creating a successful social media marketing campaign for B2B brands. Social Media Marketing Guide for B2B Brands: Your Audience Should Be Your Top Priority B2B brands need to dig deeper when coming up with strategies to market themselves on social media. If your industry is not as flashy as fashion and cosmetics, you’ll need to shift your focus to your audience. Research is key to understanding what your audience wants, what they will respond to and how they will perceive your efforts. Audience research should be the first piece in the B2B social media marketing puzzle. It will lay the foundation for the rest of your strategy. Take a look at successful B2B campaigns, make a note of how competitors are marketing on social media and use these examples to understand what audiences react to. Goals and Measurements Understanding your audience will not only enable you to set realistic and strategic goals to build your brand on social media, but it will also help you to find the correct ways to measure whether you are indeed reaching those goals. If you are focussing on bringing in new customers and increasing revenue, you’ll want to set a goal related to lead generation that can be measured in clicks and conversions. This will give you an indication of the following: How well is your audience responding to your messaging, and How many potential new customer relationships are being created by your campaign. If your main focus will be building the brand reputation, you should be focussing on reach which can be measured in impressions, engagement and follower count. This will provide an overview of how your audience is growing, which kinds of content they like to interact with and how your audience is connecting with your messaging. Form a Strategy When your audience research and goals are in place, you need to write down a plan of action to follow through on your intentions. Your strategy needs to provide for the following: Outline your target audience, Clarify your goals, Clarify how you will measure progress, Confirm the platforms you’ll be working on, and Confirm the types of content you’ll be creating for each platform. Your strategy can also include details on how these steps will be executed and show research on your competitors. It needn’t be an overwhelming and complicated document. Rather, aim for a simple roadmap that can be followed to reach your end destination. It should be clear, concise and easy for anyone to consult when doubt arises. Create a Personality Another important part of your social media marketing plan is the brand personality that will be used when interacting and engaging on social media. The personality should already be quite clear in the brand’s marketing efforts, and can be used to steer interactions on social media. Many B2B companies are overly professional and even a little stiff on social media. That is often a huge turn off for audiences. There’s a difference between being boring and being professional, and you’ll need to find your brand’s personality sweet-spot to...
read more6 Local SEO Tips to Make Your Small Business Visible
Local search engine optimization (SEO) helps your small business to be visible to consumers searching online for products and services in their local area. Working with a digital marketing company will make your business appear in local search results. And, as a small business owner, bang for your buck is essential. Here are 6 tips to boost your local online marketing with sound SEO practices: Provide Top-quality, Pertinent Information The definitive way to keep Google, as well as other search engines for that matter, happy is to deliver authoritative, evergreen content. It will improve your search engine optimization because Google looks for pages that contain top-quality, pertinent information about the searcher’s query. The bonus is that quality content is what your current and future customers are going to share Consider the Best Way to Use Google’s RankBrain Google’s RankBrain is part of the algorithm which infers how users find pages that do not have the exact words that they searched for. Using compound, multi-word keywords (long- and medium-tail keywords) helps RankBrain link you to thousands of similar keywords. Target a Core Term for Keyword Optimization Using your keyword list in your site’s content needs to be done properly. Ideally, each webpage should target a core term and a collection of related terms. However, for the sake of a better user experience (which in turn leads to longer time spent on your pages and increased social sharing and links to you), the content needs to flow naturally. One-Minute Videos Are Easy to Watch Digital marketing involves charming existing clients and new leads so that you can develop faithful relationships with them. Video ticks both these boxes for the following reasons: Video content makes for good user engagement. It shows you value their time – a one-minute video is far easier to absorb than a 300-word article. Bonus: Video is a great SEO tool when you integrate them into the rest of your content, use titles and descriptions to make them searchable and enhance their audio and visual quality. Consider a Google My Business Listing How people perceive your business can make or break you. A well-optimized Google My Business listing gives you a measure of control in managing your online reputation, while at the same time increases your chances of appearing in Google features like the Local Pack and Maps Key Information Must Be Clear Make sure that key information is clearly marked and easy to find: Tell page visitors how they should go about doing business with you. For instance, do you want them to call, pop in or email for additional info? Display your location and operating hours. Offer a phone number, email, social media messaging options, and/or live chat. We Can Help Your Small Business Appear in Local Search Results Are you interested in digital marketing methods and strategies to boost your status and help you generate new leads? We offer a range of internet marketing techniques, including local SEO and local leads solutions that can be customized for your business. For more information, contact us...
read moreDefining Your Website Design Is Time Well Spent
Giving definition to your website design will be one of the most important things you do. Taking time to decide what your goals, deadlines, budget and expectations are, will contribute to the best responsive web design the experts can give you. Here are four guidelines for you to follow. Define What You Want to Say About Your Business For your website to accurately represent your brand, include in your brief the answers to these questions: Overview: What does your company do? What are your offerings (products and/or services)? How long you have been around? How big or small is your business? Image: What is your vision for the future of your brand? How would you like to be perceived in the marketplace? Others: Describe your ideal customers. Who are your top three competitors? Define the Details of Your Website This is the meat of the brief. If you aren’t sure of the terminology, write it out or include a screenshot. These questions will help you to cover all the bases: General: What prompted you to get a new website? What do and don’t you like about your existing website? What does your ideal website look like? What metrics will determine the success of the website? Practical: What sections will your website require? What features and functions do you require (for example, a search box, blog, e-commerce, forms, Google maps, and so on)? Design: Is the website going to be contemporary or traditional, serious or light-hearted, personal or professional? What colours, fonts, graphics and icons make up its style? Define Your Target Market Who is your website meant for? Which age group, gender, location, language, role (such as the public, in-house teams, learners, professionals) are you targeting? What is the above-mentioned person using your website for? Define Your Budget and Timeline Your budget and timeline are important elements of the website design brief. The Website Design Company That Can Help You Are you interested in digital marketing methods and strategies to boost your status and help you generate new leads? We offer a range of internet marketing techniques, including responsive web design and local solutions that can be customized for your business. For more information, contact us...
read moreWhat Lawyers Need to Know About Content Marketing
Content marketing is all about giving people the educational solutions or answers that they are looking for to make a decision. People looking for legal services should be able to find information about their particular issue and how your team of lawyers will assist them. Content Marketing Drives Results Not only do small law practices who have blogs on their websites show a 126% higher lead growth than those that don’t, content marketing results in conversion rates six times higher than other marketing methods. When looking for a lawyer, people want authority and authenticity. Your prospects want to feel connected to your firm before they commit. Well-crafted content shapes you as a go-to source for fresh insights, innovative solutions and legal trends in your clients’ industries. While search engine optimization and keyword research have tremendous value, content marketing pays long-term dividends, and therefore quality trumps SEO. Legalese is what puts regular folk off the law. Share your knowledge, processes and history in a way that is understandable by the layman, interesting and, where possible, constructed as a story. Online Reputation Management No matter how great a lawyer you are, how you and your firm are perceived carries more weight than your track record. Social media has given a voice to anyone who wants to say anything about you, and positive and negative reviews, comments and conversations about your business abound. It is essential that you control and improve how your firm is regarded by others by encouraging feedback, constant monitoring, having a response plan ready, handling negative comments skilfully and following through. Digital Marketing Services for Your Law Firm Are you in the legal field and interested in digital marketing methods and strategies to boost your status and help you generate new leads? We offer a range of internet marketing techniques, including lead generation, online reputation management and Google reviews that can be customized for your firm. For more information, contact us...
read moreWeb Design: How to Choose a Web Hosting Service
Once your web design is completed, you’ll need to focus on choosing a web hosting service to house your website. For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of four key aspects you’ll need to consider when choosing a web host. How to Choose a Web Hosting Service to House Your Web Design: There are plenty of web hosting services to choose from. Settling on the correct one extends beyond picking a host simply because they have the cheapest plans. Think about the kind of website you have designed and compare the different web hosting services based on these aspects: Security Will the host be able to protect your website against cyber-attacks and server crashes? Reputable web hosting services offer multiple layers of security to protect their clients against attacks from hackers and, therefore, this should be the first aspect you research. If your website is not secure, attackers can gain access to client information, spread malware to visitors and cause your website to crash. With the increased awareness of the potential risks of an unsecured website, many governing bodies require a certain degree of security from businesses relating to their websites. If your website causes a security breach, you may even be liable for a fine or penalty. Client Service and Technical Support Another important aspect to consider is the type and level of support the web host provides. You are not only looking for prompt service from the customer liaison team to get quick replies on your queries, but also a knowledgeable technical team to give you guidance when you are experiencing issues. Does the web host offer support on different channels such as email, chat and phone calls? Is the web host situated locally or will a time-zone difference delay communication? The questions to these answers will help you to determine which web host is right for you. Speed and Downtime A slow website can be the downfall of your business. So, you want a web host that allows multiple users to access your website simultaneously without delay. The bandwidth (or the amount of data uploaded or downloaded from a website) that a host provides may depend on the plan you choose from the specific web host. It is, therefore, important to pay close attention to the difference in bandwidth allowance for each plan on offer. You also need to consider the amount of downtime for your web host. If the host has an uptime percentage over 95%, you should not experience many issues with the server for your website being down and your website being inaccessible. Flexibility Many web hosts offer flexible plans to accommodate growing websites. You’ll need to understand how far your web host and chosen plan can grow with your business before you’ll need to upgrade your plan to accommodate more visitors to your site. The last thing you want to do when your business experiences a growth spurt is to have to spend time looking for a new web host and then transfer your website files to the new host. Take time to research potential web hosting services, read online reviews from existing clients and compare all the available options in your price range to find the best web host to house your website. If you need a digital marketing agency to...
read more