Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’
Five Best Tips for a Marketing Website
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on October 20th, 2011
There has been a great discussion going on in one of my favorite LinkedIn groups recently – What are your five best tips for a marketing website?
I saw some great viewpoints, strategies, and suggestions that I agree with 100%! But there were also vital points missed in the discussion, as a lot of people focused on the technical aspects only. So here’s my two cents on tips for a great marketing website:
- Be clear about who you serve. Is your business trying to be everything to everyone? Who do you help the most with their problems? A lot of businesses fear that having a niche will limit their exposure or lessen the opportunity for more clients, but it is the opposite. When you know your audience you know what their exact needs are. You are the expert, the go-to person for that specific client base in your industry.
- Be clear about what you do. When people go to your website, do they know what it is that you do? Is it spelled out that you have the exact, unique solution your clients are looking for? Upon the first viewing of your home page there should be no doubt in your prospective clients’ minds how you can help them.
- Have a call to action. People need to be told what to do next. Does your marketing message start out strong and fizzle at the end? Have you given your customers a wonderful appetizer but failed to tell them how to get the whole feast? Or maybe you’ve given the whole smorgasbord on your website and they have no reason to contact you for more. There is a balance of providing helpful information without giving away all your services – does your website reflect that balance?
- Be interactive. Give your audience a chance to express their needs, viewpoints and opinions. Your customers and clients want to be the star of your business – it’s imperative that you provide a place for them to do so. Make it easy to find your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social networking links so they can easily join the conversation.
- Simplify. The times have changed. Complicated, fluffy marketing websites that are laid out like a brochure are no longer relevant. Your website should be clean and simple, with clear-cut navigation and a prominent call to action. Less is more is the mantra of today’s market.
What about you? How do you make your marketing website stand out? Let us know by commenting below or sharing it on Facebook.
5 Ways to Make Your Blog Stand Out
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on October 12th, 2011
According to Wikipedia, as of 16 February 2011, there were over 156 million public blogs in existence. How do you make yours stand out above the rest? Here are some tips:
Keep it simple. Gone are the days of designing a website that has every possible factoid about your company in a complicated brochure format. Make your design clean and simple so that people will know what you’re offering in the first three seconds.
Deliver consistent content. Starting a blog with award-winning posts won’t matter if you let it go stale. Pick a frequency to post and create a loose editorial calendar for your topics and then stick to it. There is no faster way to lose your audience than to become inactive.
Use visual aids. Photos break up the text in your blog posts, as well as offer a way to connect with your readers through emotions and sometimes even humor. Also remember that in today’s information overload society people scan articles rather than read them. You are at a disadvantage if you are relying solely on your content to keep people interested.
Be a resource. It’s tempting to talk about your latest news, services, and products, but if you deliver free, helpful information about everything related to your specialty, you will keep your readers coming back for more.
Don’t write a term paper. Businesses are often afraid to express their unique voice and opinions in blogs, fearing they will look less professional. The reality is that anyone can deliver information. It’s your expert spin on what’s going on in your market that people are truly interested in.
What about you? How do you make your blog stand out? Let us know by commenting below or posting on our Facebook page!
Affluents Right at Home in the Digital World
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Demographics, Marketing on September 27th, 2011
In a recent survey about lifestyles and attitudes, 79% of affluents shared that in the last decade their lives have become quite intertwined with technology, including digital advertising. Almost 60% said they took action as a result of seeing a digital ad, including clicking, searching for more information, buying the product online, or going to a retail store to purchase.
Agencies have traditionally felt this group was the hardest to reach through any media, especially TV and radio. However, they are actually the heaviest users of digital media, spending at least six hours more a week than the general population.
What does this mean?
The paradigm has shifted; you can expect affluents to respond to digital advertising and even share information about them so they can have a more personal online experience.
They still seek clever and attractive ads that entertain, but affluents look for balance and relevancy, as long as it is on their terms and they are not repeatedly interrupted with ads that demand immediate action.
5 Reasons Newspapers Aren’t Dead
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing on September 21st, 2011
This is the digital age. Print is dead. Newspapers are long gone. Get with the program.
We disagree.
Sure, we specialize in websites, effective social media campaigns and eMedia. But that doesn’t mean we’ve abandoned our roots – it’s not that black and white. There are lots of reasons to balance traditional and new media in your marketing plan; here are 5 reasons you shouldn’t necessarily cut newspapers from your budget:
Content isn’t always free. The popular consensus is that you shouldn’t have to buy a paper when you can read everything online. Here’s what you don’t realize – many online newspaper sites give you a teaser excerpt to an article and then make you pay a subscription to read the rest.
If a newspaper’s website isn’t mobile-friendly, forget it. Many people today access email and websites through their Smartphone. If you think it’s hard to scroll down 10 pages to read an article from a monitor, try reading top news from your blackberry or iPhone. Do you have the patience?
You can still read a newspaper in more places than you can your laptop. Think about how many places you can tuck a newspaper and tote it along for convenient reading. ‘Nuff said.
Reading the Sunday paper over coffee isn’t the same digitally. It’s Sunday morning. There’s a fresh pot of coffee brewing and you decide to enjoy the Fall weather on your back porch. Do you bring your laptop and log on to your favorite newspaper’s website? That doesn’t exactly paint the serene scene you first envisioned.
Digital coupons haven’t quite caught up. We know there are some of you out there that still like to spread out the pages of coupons from the paper and clip away. There are some establishments that are now accepting mobile coupons, but it’s going to be a while before it is widely accepted and stores and restaurants have the capability to go 100% digital like that.
Do you think newspapers are obsolete? Do you still read them?
Why Your Blog Makes People Go Away
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on September 20th, 2011
There’s one web design mistake that is a death sentence for your blog… clutter!
Do you have tons of widgets, plugins, social media profiles, links, badges, ads, and more clogging up your sidebars? As if this weren’t enough of a confusing turn-off, do you have one of those rude pop-up windows that crawls across the screen while your readers are halfway through a compelling post? OY!
It’s the same thing we tell our clients that have just bought a billboard: LESS IS MORE.
What do you absolutely NEED visitors to do to grow your business? Do they need to see your whole Twitter feed running down the side of your blog in order to decide to call you or sign up for your services?
In most cases, you need visitors to subscribe to your email list, so that’s what you should focus on. Kick the rest of the baggage to the curb! Clutter-free sidebars will outperform their busy counterparts every time.
What should be in your sidebar?
You should have an opt-in form for you newsletter, links to popular articles, and a list of resource pages, which are sort of “advice” pages that highlight your best content around your expertise. Within these pages, they should link to several of your best articles on the topic you’re addressing to help people get the exact information they are looking for.
Why a resource page? Your articles are your most popular pages. When people are done reading them, they often look for what they can do next. People who visit these pages are now warmer leads and are more likely to sign up for updates from you: a.k.a. a captured lead.
What about you? Does your blog offer way too many distractions? Do people leave before exploring your class-A content? Do you convert readers to list subscribers or do they abandon ship?
Try cleaning house and let us know how it works!
How Do You Keep Your Readers from Jumping Ship?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on September 13th, 2011
Most social media and email marketers are obsessed with how large their followers, fans, and email lists 
are. It’s a numbers game to them, but are they truly speaking to the right people?
Growing your list is imperative to your business, but so is nurturing the loyal subscribers you already have. How are you rewarding them for following you? Do you engage them or simply focus on the percentage of increase each month?
For real estate, you’ve heard that location is everything; for new media marketing it’s targeting. I’d reference sounding like a broken record, but iPods don’t get stuck : )
By targeting your audience, you have a chance to really connect with them, to find out who they are and what really matters to them.
When you do write to this targeted group, be sure and let your personality show. Marketing is no longer talking “at” your subscribers, rather conversing “with” them.
Is your content relevant?
Even if you spend time refining and targeting your readers and tweeters, if your content is not relevant to them they will delete you or unsubscribe faster than you can say, “Sign up for my free report”.
Always remember to put yourself in the reader’s shoes when you create updates and newsletters. Its not about what matters to YOU, its about what’s important to THEM.
8 Things You Must Know About Your Perfect Client
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Demographics, Marketing, Social Media on September 7th, 2011
Do you want to really reach your audience with your marketing message? It doesn’t matter if you are using
traditional print or new media campaigns, if you don’t know who your buyer is you won’t get anywhere. Make sure these questions have CLEAR and SPECIFIC answer:
Who is my ideal client?
What is their demographic profile? (age, location, income, etc.)
What do my perfect clients believe?
What do they like?
What are they worried about?
What is their biggest pain or source of discomfort right now?
What do they want from me online?
What amazing benefit will I give my client to make it worth their time to care about me and my product or service?
It is still tempting to focus on what you want from your customers, much like you did when the market demanded experience, awards, and accreditation. Today you’re setting yourself up for failure if you focus on yourself first.
You do something that people need or your business goes away.
Do you need help defining your perfect client and answering these questions for your business? We can help!
Are You Getting Traffic from Social Media?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on September 6th, 2011
You may have steadily increasing followers and ‘likers’ each week. Are they buying from you or just lurking? Content is king, but content alone won’t turn your fans into leads.
Where are the opportunities to convert them?
RSS vs. Email Subscriptions
RSS has become one of the most popular and convenient ways for readers to subscribe to your blog. You may score brownie points with your audience for allowing them to peruse on their own time, but with an RSS only subscription your only point of contact with the subscriber is when you post a new article.
Using email as your primary blog subscription vehicle allows you to capture leads while keep your subscribers up to date. Once the user has opted-in to receive updates you can now cultivate and nurture that contact into a qualified lead.
Calls to Action on your Blog Posts
Many companies lack a call to action on their entire blog or website. What about your blog posts? Are you preaching to your audience in a one-sided conversation or encouraging comments? Do you offer a next step that is relevant to your blog topic?
Make sure it is a light call to action so you don’t turn off first-time visitors with a sales pitch, yet make it easy for them find out more.
Smart Landing Pages
Once someone has clicked through your call to action, do they go to a wishy-washy landing page? Does it go on forever using fluffy marketing terms or get to the crux of your readers’ problems?
Keep it simple and short: offer a few key questions that make your reader identify and relate to you and confirm that you have the right solution for them.
How do you convert your leads? Is your blog optimized to capture them?
Gen Xers are Online the Most
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Demographics, Marketing, Real Estate Trends on September 1st, 2011
It’s not the Millennials that are the most savvy in the digital world. Generation X—the first generation to grow up with PCs—are the ones plugged in the most. These 34- to 45-year-old consumers are heavy users of digital tools, but they also watch more TV than any other age segment.
A new eMarketer report, “Gen X: Demographic Profile and Marketing Approaches” indicates that this group is as comfortable with digital as with traditional media. “To effectively engage with Gen X, brands need a strategy that incorporates multiple channels—including mobile, social and online video—with authentic, relevant messaging,” the report notes.
Since this demographic actively loves TV along with their digital conveniences, video marketing is a smart choice to reach them.
eMarketer forecasts that 74.2.% of Gen X internet users will watch online video at least monthly in 2011, and that percentage is expected to grow to 80% by 2015.
It’s their shopping habits that speak the loudest of this generation. They are more likely than the general population to visit online retail stores mobile retail sites.
Some common characteristics of Gen X
Generation X came of age in an era of two-income families and rising divorce rates. Women joined the workforce in large numbers, spawning an age of “latch-key” children. As a result, Generation X is independent, resourceful and self-sufficient.
The first generation to grow up with computers, Gen Xers are comfortable using smartphones, e-mail, laptops, GPS, iPads, and more.
Many Gen Xers lived through tough economic times in the 1980s and saw their workaholic parents lose hard-earned positions. Because of this, they are less committed to one employer and more willing to change jobs to get ahead than previous generations. They adapt well to change and are tolerant of alternative lifestyles.
Tell us how you market to this audience – do you employ different strategies or use the same message and discipline for all your potential clients?
Why Do You Need Testimonials?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on August 30th, 2011
Word of mouth is the oldest and most tried-and-true form of advertising. Why? Because it works! A potential client hears positive reviews about your services from someone they trust and they will even cast aside inconveniences to hire you. Unfortunately, word-of-mouth advertising reaches a very limited set of people. How do you broaden your reach and get your message out there?
Enter the testimonial.
Think about your purchasing habits – do you still blindly buy products and services or do you read reviews, ask your Facebook and Twitter network, or put a post in a forum or LinkedIn group asking if anyone has ever used them before?
Testimonials work because they nurture trust. Potential clients know that you’re only going to say positive things about your products and services. They want to be convinced by hearing from someone who has actually tried them. Prospective clients and customers have no reason to trust you, but they do trust their peers. This is called “social proof”.
Make sure your testimonial is believable! A testimonial that sounds fake will destroy trust rather than build it.
Testimonials must be real and valid. This is non-negotiable if you want to be authentic in your business. If you can, include the full name, location and a photo of the person giving the testimonial. Include their business or organization if it is relevant.
Also be sure your testimonial specifically answers any objections, doubts and fears your potential client may have before they have a chance to voice them.
How do you get testimonials?
Keep your ears and eyes open: write down any fleeting comments from a happy client as soon as possible after hearing them. Grab quotes from emails your clients send you, and make sure you ask permission to publish it from the sender.
Ask clients for feedback; it sounds like you want honest comments rather than sugary, fluffy praise.
What do you do with them?
Testimonials can be placed on your website, on your quotes and invoices, in print ads, sales letters, direct mail, or on your Blog. You can even highlight a “success” story of one of your satisfied clients and make them the star of your post!
How do you personally use testimonials in your purchasing decisions? Where do they fall in your decision-making process?
