The Rise Of Video Marketing (And How It Benefits Small Businesses)
Let’s take a minute and think about the video ads you’ve seen recently. Whether you get most of your video content on Facebook or YouTube, it’s safe to assume that most of the video ads you’ve seen represent huge brands. You can think about that from two different angles. First, those big companies are winning this “king of the hill” battle for ad space because they have the budget for it. Second, they are fighting for that ad space because it’s so valuable. Small businesses can learn a lot from international corporations. Of course, you won’t be able to replicate their marketing strategies. (Production value and market penetration are often locked behind budget limitations.) But what you can do is look for ways to scale down their strategies, fine tune a few of the details, and then turn it into a resource that does fit your unique company. Video marketing is one of the areas where you can still receive the benefits without trying to match the budget of Apple, Google, or Coca-Cola. And since video marketing generates 66% more qualified leads (as well as a 54% increase in brand awareness), you really can’t afford to not take advantage of this channel — especially as a small business. A Value Proposition For Video Ads At face value, it’s easy to be intimidated by the thought of video creation. You can watch top ads from last year and get caught up in the famous actors, the expensive equipment, and the need for a full production team. But all of those things are completely scalable to your budget. Making good video content means taking advantage of the tools available to small businesses. That might mean using an online resource (like a shot list template) instead of hiring a production assistant. Or maybe you use an online video editing site to avoid paying for high-end software. These sort of tools can help you get that big-budget feel without, you know, a big budget. Because the truth is that video content is in high demand, no matter your industry. Let’s look at four video marketing-centric stats from HubSpot: People spend one-third of their “online time” watching video content. Two-thirds of people are more likely to buy something after seeing a video about it. 90% of customers list product videos as a major influencer in their buying habits. One-third of all online ad spend goes toward video ads. Those numbers build up a pretty clear narrative. People watch a lot of video content. And the videos they watch play a major role in the sort of products they buy and businesses they support. As a result, a big chunk of the global advertising budget goes toward video ads. And really, that value proposition really solidifies the worth of video marketing for your business. Building A Video Marketing Strategy Now that you can see just how valuable video marketing is, the next step is figuring out how to fit that into your existing strategy for 2021 and beyond. A huge part of that is understanding what goes into video production and how you can streamline and simplify that process. Which means looking for affordable (and often multi-purpose) online apps or services that will make video marketing a realistic goal for your business. Thankfully, you can...
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The Perfect Paid Search Advertising Campaign
How can you get more out of paid search advertising? Let’s discuss ad conception, creation & how that ties in with your landing page. The Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Model Pay-Per-Click, or PPC for short, is the model used by Google and other advertising services. The model charges the user’s account for every click on an ad. The amount charged is dependent on the competition for a specific keyword and the user’s budget for the ad campaign. You can gauge competition for a keyword by using the Google Ads Keyword Planner. Make sure you have a Google account so you can use the feature. If you have a Gmail account, you can link that to any other Google services. The keyword “digital marketing” has average monthly searches of 1K to 10K and medium competition. At the time of writing the top of page bid low range is R9.55 and the high range is R41.81. What this means is to be guaranteed of outbidding the competition for the keyword, you need to bid R42 or higher. Generally, the bidding process is fair by giving all bids within the low and high range a fair chance. The number of impressions your ad receives will depend on your budget. Please note the information above pertains to the South African market. Targeting different territories will impact on the competitiveness, search volume, and cost. Keyword research is the cornerstone of any copywriting. If you find a keyword with a high search volume and low competition, you’re well on your way to success. Creating The Paid Search Advertising Campaign Okay, you have the perfect keyword. What now? Decide on your budget, both Google ads and Microsoft Advertising allows different ways to set your budget. The most common method is setting a daily budget. Both engines will then aim to keep your spend within your daily limit. For this article, we’ll be focusing more on Google Adsense. Choose a budget of at least R100 a day. If your daily budget is too low, you might only get one click per day. That makes it hard to gauge success. You can set up a maximum cost-per-click (CPC). Setting up a maximum CPC will help you gauge over time whether your bid is sufficient for your industry. Great, you have a budget in mind. Consider Your Goal Placing your first ad is a lot like starting a new blog. Be prepared to make some mistakes and don’t expect overnight success. Since the platforms allow for various ad types, you’ll have to consider your end-goal. Some of the types of campaigns to consider are: Generating sales Leads Website traffic Product and brand consideration Brand awareness and reach App promotion Whatever you decide on, remember the benefits of split testing or A/B testing. You may want to generate sales, but you can run the same ad to get website traffic. Sometimes one ad type will outperform the other. The most experienced digital marketers know this, and they always split test. It’s essential for blog headlines, email subject lines, and ads. In time you will get better at it. The simplest and most common in the beginning is targeting website traffic with search-based ads. Continue Creating Your Campaign Name your campaign (for example, men’s watches) and continue setting up. You’ll need to choose...
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Online Reputation Management – What Can You Do?
Online reputation management (ORM) is a concern for any business with a growing online presence. Digital marketing requires constant effort. Managing negative publicity is just another part of the puzzle. Despite the best intentions and all the SEO know-how in the world, your brand could be suffering from negative publicity. You may stumble upon a negative review or a complaint which you need to manage to avert long-term damage. Let’s explore how you can detect, prevent, and take action against brand-harm. Online Reputation Management – Prevention is Better Than Cure While not all-encompassing, preventing negative publicity should be your first order of business. Businesses with noble intentions and good ethics will mitigate most damage. The key is keeping track of information given by the company. Make sure it’s factual. Make sure to keep tabs on staff and how they conduct themselves online and respond to queries in a timeous fashion. How to Detect Reputational Damage Apart from social media, you can set up Google Alerts for brand-specific keywords or keyphrases. Google will alert you daily of any new content that pops up online mentioning your brand. This way, you’re sure to be kept abreast of other people mentioning your brand online. Of course, you want to keep an eye on all the major social media channels and hashtags or @mentions. Not only are these good ways to detect reputational damage, but they can help you engage with your customers. You’ll also be able to see good things written about your business or brand. It’s much better than Googling your keyword every once in a while. It may even help you present new solutions to existing problems. Tools you can use to monitor your online presence include: Awario Reputology Go Fish Digital Complaint Search SEO Spyglass Grade.us Brandwatch ReviewTrackers Furthermore, there are tools to outsource or automate social media monitoring: Radian6 Meltwater Buzz Sysomos Heartbeat If you follow this procedure religiously, it’s unlikely something will slip under the radar. Taking Action Against Negative Publicity Once you’ve identified anything that causes your business or brand reputational harm, it’s time to take action. Some things to look out for could be defamation, fake news, brand abuse, or abuse of trademarks or copyrights. Should you find any of these on a web page, you may attempt to have it removed. While it may not be easy to have a page removed without concrete evidence of incorrect information, you can attempt removal based on the following: Laws (both local and international) ISP terms Search engine terms and quality guidelines Hosting site terms of use You may need to look at precedent as well and the author of the content’s motivations. Businesses have legal avenues to pursue in case of libel, such as consulting an experienced defamation lawyer. Sometimes it’s better to try and bury the defamatory content by creating pages that rank higher for the search term. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) can be used to file what is known as a DMCA take-down. It’s one avenue a business can use to fight copyright infringement by sending a notice to the web host or ISP. If the DMCA notice doesn’t work, the company has other legal resources to consider. The appropriate action will depend on the laws of the land and may require...
read moreSocial Media Marketing Image Size Best Practices
To be effective in digital marketing and social media marketing, you’ll want to use the correct image sizes when posting to these platforms. Here at WSI OMS, we’ve researched the optimal image sizes for all the major social media platforms. Follow this guide to get the most out of your social media marketing efforts. The Social Media Platforms Covered In This Article Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest Snapchat Twitter YouTube Facebook – The Social Media Marketing Behemoth Facebook is the world’s largest social media platform with well over 2 billion active users in any given month. This number is fast approaching 3 billion. What’s important to remember is that these are the recommended image sizes. Anything smaller and Facebook will scale your images, making them look poor! Facebook Cover Image The recommended dimensions for the cover image is 820 x 312 pixels. Remember, if you’re using a logo, it’s always preferable to use Portable Network Graphic (PNG) images. While JPEG is fine for photos, their lossy compression is not suitable for flat graphics with steep transitions between colours. PNG images give you the added benefit of transparent backgrounds – so keep that in mind. Facebook Profile Image The profile image will scale differently depending on the device from which you’re viewing. This image must be at least 180 x 180 pixels and will render at 170 x 170 on your desktop, 128 x 128 on smartphones, and 36 x 36 on feature phones. Facebook Event Cover Image Event cover images are stock-standard 1980 x 1080 pixels in dimension. They will display as 470 x 174 in your feed. Facebook Highlighted Image Your upload size here should be 1200 x 717 pixels. It’s going to display at 843 x 504 pixels in your feed. Facebook Shared Image The recommended size for Facebook shared images is 1200 x 630 even though they will scale to a 1:1 aspect ratio. They will display at a max width of 470 pixels in your feed and 504 pixels on a page. Facebook Shared Link Image Similar (but not identical) in size to the shared image, you’ll want to aim for 1200 x 628 pixels when uploading. Not coincidentally, this is the recommended featured image size for WordPress blog posts. The shared link image minimum for square images in feed is 154 x 154 pixels and 116 x 116 for your page. Rectangular images have minimum display sizes of 470 x 246 in feed and 484 x 252 on a page. Instagram Visual and effective at communicating your brand, Instagram is a great digital marketing medium for connecting with your followers. Instagram Stories Image Upload a minimum resolution image of 600 x 1067 pixels. It’s advisable, however, to use 1080 x 1920 pixel images instead. All Other Instagram Images Instagram portrait image: 1080 x 1350 pixels. Instagram square image: 1080 x 1080 pixels. Instagram landscape image: 1080 x 566 pixels. Instagram profile image: 110 x 100 pixels. Instagram thumbnail image: 161 x 161 pixels. LinkedIn – Digital Marketing Targetted at Professionals Social media marketing via LinkedIn can be a rewarding exercise. Due to the professional nature of the platform, conversion rates are often higher than on other social platforms. At 6.1% for ads, there’s no reason to believe standard digital marketing results are not equally...
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How to Use LinkedIn for Social Media Marketing
How do you get your social media marketing to work for you on LinkedIn in 2020? Times are uncertain across the world at the moment and LinkedIn has recently published a guide on how to reassess your business’s digital marketing strategy in the midst of Covid-19. The greatest concern marketers are facing at the moment, has been found to be budget cuts. So, let’s look at an optimised inbound marketing strategy that will decrease your spend and allow you to take advantage of connecting with the estimated 700 million users on LinkedIn. LinkedIn social media marketing strategy in 2020 Post visually appealing content As with any marketing strategy, rich content is a distinguishing factor. But good visuals become great visuals when there is useful and engaging information attached to it. (Also, LinkedIn says that visual content can increase comments by up to 98%). Optimise your page Ensure your LinkedIn has all of your details and that it reflects your brand story. Impress people who are visiting your page. Don’t disregard the LinkedIn “search” feature Apply filters in the advanced search section to find specific influential people or companies to target in your marketing Engage in LinkedIn Groups This is an opportunity to interact with others in your sector and to get onto the radar of your target audience. Think about what other professionals might be interested in reading or hearing from you, and post relevant content. Be sure to participate in discussions and to be interactive. Time your posts wisely Just as with other social media platforms, LinkedIn also has suggested times for peak performance of your posts. If social media marketing budget cuts are not a concern LinkedIn Ads Look at sponsored content, sponsored InMail, or Text Ads. Sponsored content could be a good way to capitalise on content that is already performing well. The sponsored InMail option delivers your ad directly to your targeted audience’s inbox, resembling a message. Text Ads are more traditional, appearing to the side of a user’s news feed. Lastly, if you have a company page and you’re one of the admins, remember to take advantage of LinkedIn Analytics. Here you can assess your page performance and keep track of post metrics to see what content is resonating with your audience. Need help with your social media marketing strategy? WSI OMS is the perfect digital marketing agency for you! For more information, contact us...
read moreWhy You Need To Start Using Pillar Content Marketing Strategies
The way we search for things on search engines like Google has changed and seemingly, the world of content marketing has changed too. We ask our machines human questions and we expect a human reply. For example, it’s considered normal to ask your computer: “where should I go for dinner tonight?” and we expect our computer to reply to us in a people-friendly manner. This is the future of search and it will continue to evolve. This means we will have to adapt to the new world of digital marketing with human-like machines. What Is Pillar Content? Pillar content is substantive and informative content on a specific topic that can be broken into different sections. Guides and reports are good examples of pillar content. Pillar content needs a pillar page and cluster topics. Your pillar page unites all the topics that belong to your central theme. Topic clusters focus on narrow topics found on your pillar page. For example, your pillar page could discuss digital marketing and that same page contains a link to a cluster article that discusses email marketing as a digital marketing technique. Topic cluster content helps Google realise you’re an authority on a particular subject matter. Hence, the more you write about a single topic on your website, the higher Google will rank you for that topic. Pillar content can be thought of as an ebook with many hyperlinks. Why Should You Use Pillar Content? Google has become more people-friendly and this means your digital marketing strategy should also evolve. The way people search for things has evolved and people’s questions have grown more complex in nature. We’ve also gotten used to asking our search engines questions that are conversational – we speak to Google as if it’s a human. So it is no surprise that the way we think about content creation and the way we structure content needs to change. Pillar content also increases the level of organisation in your content – people can navigate easily through your website, blogs, infographics and videos – a legitimate SEO benefit. You can also include a download option at the top of your pillar content so that you can turn your visitors into leads. The information you gain from the visitor who chooses to download your content can be used for further content marketing. In addition, creating a comprehensive guide or infographic that is educational and useful will also sell the content itself. In order to do this, you need to identify your target audience and what they want to read about. You also need to consider what questions they will ask and what problem they are trying to solve. Pillar content can act as a multi-purpose, traffic-driving and lead-converting content marketing tool. There is no escaping the future of search so it would be a wise decision to start reading comprehensive guides on pillar content now – see what I did...
read moreA Guide on How To Do Keyword Research For SEO
Keywords are the key to increasing traffic to your website and improving your SEO ranking. If you don’t include terms that people are using in their searches, then no one will visit your website. Keyword research is a key component of any successful content marketing strategy. Here’s a quick guide on keywords and SEO. What Are Keywords? Keywords are terms people commonly type into search engines like Google. Using keywords is a clever digital marketing strategy because it can lead to increased website engagement, more time spent on your website and sales leads. What Is Keyword Research? Keyword research involves researching the words that potential consumers and customers are going to use when they use search engines. This also means that you need to compare and choose the best keywords to use. Keyword research ensures that your content is relevant and marketable. How To Do Keyword Research Firstly, you need to identify the seed keywords of your content. You can do this by using keyword tools. For example, Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword tool and it can be used for both advertising and SEO. You can also identify keywords by thinking about what potential customers would type into Google when searching for your product or service. Secondly, you need to investigate what keywords your competitors rank for. You can do this by typing in your list of seed keywords into Google and checking who ranks on the front page. If you don’t know who your competitors are, then a bit of market research is needed before doing this. Next, you need to know your target market – their problems and questions. Industry forums, groups and Q&A sites are good places to look, as potential customers usually express their concerns and questions on these platforms. Your customers offer great insight into what specific keywords you need to include. Here are other ways to determine keywords: Chat with your customers face to face Go through past emails with customers and look for commonly used words Look through customer support tickets Think about the questions that were asked in past conversations So there you have it – a complete guide on how to do keyword research to improve your SEO ranking. It’s never too late to do your research, so start...
read moreContent Marketing: Write Better Meta Descriptions Or Make Improvements
Meta descriptions are important for content marketing because when customers or consumers type your brand name into Google, they are getting an impression of your company whether you like it or not. In this way, you can use meta descriptions as a digital marketing tool. A good meta description will also increase your SEO rankings on search engines like Google. A meta description can be thought of as the first impression you make during an interview – it can either make or break you. How To Write A Good Meta Description Ever hear how marketers go on about using storytelling as a content marketing tool? The same goes for meta descriptions. You need to make your customer the hero of the story. This means that your digital marketing strategy needs to focus on the customer and their needs and wants. Another way to ensure your meta description is successful is by making sure that it matches your brand image and brand message. The description should also make sense when used on different content marketing platforms. Lastly, meta descriptions should just sound good and make potential customers feel good, while also maintaining your brand’s identity. Three Important Factors To Consider When Writing Meta Descriptions Your customer’s problem You need to show your customers that you are aware of and understand their problems – their pain. You can do this by describing the specific challenges that your customers face. Showing emotion and offering a solution to their problem are also effective ways to show that you care. If you are unsure about your customer’s needs then you need to ask them, so that your content marketing strategy can really pull at their heartstrings. Your business’ solution This is your opportunity to state how your products or services can alleviate their pain and problems. The outcome – both in results and emotion This final step will act as the differentiator between a good and great meta description. It’s important to show your customers the result of your solution, including how it will feel and what their life will look like. It’s a great idea to use emotion and discuss your brand’s beliefs when doing this. Even though meta descriptions are just a few characters, they make a huge difference to your SEO rankings. They show your customers that you are caring and relatable; while also making a great first impression. Meta descriptions are a great digital marketing tool and if you can spend hours writing blogs for your brand’s content marketing strategy, then a short meta description won’t...
read moreTips for Local SEO in 2020
During a pandemic, creating a community is important. Local SEO does just that. It connects people to what they want when they need it; with businesses like pharmacies that are open late at night and local restaurants that deliver food being some examples of what people are looking for during current times. However, SEO is a concept that is constantly changing, both through the different ways people connect to resources, and how they go from curiously researching on their phones to ending up at a business’s virtual doorstep. How does a business owner keep up with the constant change of SEO patterns? The State of Local SEO Industry Report 2020 is a great reference to start with. US software company Moz surveyed more than one thousand marketing professionals to get a clear understanding of local SEO, both before and during the pandemic. SEO insights and takeaways for 2020 COVID-19 is forcing companies to adapt to the change in how we interact with each other. Digital interaction/marketing and search engine optimization are steadily growing, but with organic assets/items thriving, businesses are in a position where they can get their goods and services to reach people through organic search. Here are some data-based tips for businesses owners to stay on top of this constantly evolving industry: Optimise for client interests and goals Whether it’s potential customers checking out your business online or in person, optimising for customers is a must. Thanks to Google’s BERT algorithm update that upgraded the user experience and put the focus on search intent, it’s clear that customer engagement is more than using all of the right keywords in content and a Google My Business profile. Write content that addresses their specific issues and leads them to a solution. Keep your company accessible through multiple channels, and keep consistent with content along with your brand voice as it leads to trust from your audience and creates potential clients. Employ a diverse team of experts Management of SEO requires the right people with the right expertise, including web developers, content writers, PPC advertisers and marketing staff. A successful local SEO campaign needs a joint effort from all parties which bring their own set of skills to the table. You also don’t need a team full of SEO professionals; just a team full of diverse creative minds that will create a melting pot of fresh ideas. Keep offline marketing strategies in mind Although digital marketing is a major player in marketing now, offline marketing still plays a role. A study by Quantcast found that 39% of global direct brand marketers think that offline campaigns are vital for their overall marketing efforts. Do your research into how people interact with your brand both online and offline and use those insights to establish strategies for both online and offline marketing which will result in customers that feel seen and heard. Generate positive customer reviews A whopping 90% of survey respondents believe that reviews impact Google’s local rankings. It’s most certainly true that they do impact brand reputation, conversion and sales; and can be a determining factor on whether or not a potential client seeks your company out further than the ratings they come across. Think about how your customers are addressing their negative reviews and what you can do to effectively...
read moreWhat to Do If Your Target Audience Isn’t on Social Media
Social media marketing is the most popular way to reach potential clients since everyone has a smartphone in their hands. What do you do when your target audience isn’t on social media, though? Although social media is at the forefront of marketing, there are other ways to reach your target audience without social media marketing. Here are some useful tips that will help you connect to potential clients: Keep your social media accounts active Even if your target audience isn’t on social media, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should abandon your social media platforms altogether. Once somebody has heard of you, they will usually check out your company’s social media platforms to make sure that your company is legit. Hold their interest and establish your company as an authoritative figure by constantly sharing relevant content that lets them know you are passionate and knowledgeable about your field. Standout by establishing yourself as an industry expert Establishing yourself as an expert in your field will allow for more potential customers to come across your brand when doing their research. To do this, you need to create helpful resources for your target audience to use. A great example would be a blog that discusses the core issues and questions people may have when using your product or service. HappyFox is a useful example of the above. Start a podcast Podcasts are a great way to share knowledge and connect with your audience. With millions of people tuning in weekly to listen to podcasts, you are sure to tap into your target market at some point. Providing a podcast that is both informative and entertaining will ensure that listeners keep coming back for more, as it’s both helpful and a great way to keep people entertained on their way to work, or even at work. Check out the Marketing Speak podcast as a good reference in terms of how you can approach it. Conduct research and compile white papers By conducting original research on your industry and putting together an in-depth report on a key topic, you will easily manage to connect with and inform your target audience. Giving people useful statistics and data will help you establish your brand as an industry leader and you will, in turn, be quoted by other key individuals and organisations. You can also provide the information via a white paper, which highlights the problem and gives solutions. Contact WSI OMS for help with social media marketing By trying out the above-mentioned methods as a way of connecting with your target audience, you will be able to easily connect with them in a user-friendly way, without having to break the bank either on fancy marketing tools. Looking for some extra help with your social media marketing? Contact WSI OMS...
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