Video Marketing, the Most Powerful Way to Connect with Potential Customers

You may have heard the phrase “content is king” and it is true that quality content drives engagement and website traffic. But there is a kind of content that gives you supercharged SEO rankings and the ability to inform but more importantly the ability to inspire and evoke emotion that can turn prospects into customers. The golden ticket is video marketing. By 2019, experts predict that online content will be 80% video marketing because it is uniquely effective. For example, 90% of consumers say that product videos directly impact purchase decisions and companies using video marketing have 41% more website traffic from search engines compared to those who do not use it. The oldest Millennials came of age as YouTube…
is SEM better than SEO?

SEO vs SEM: Which do I use?

Online marketing is gradually becoming the most efficient and effective way to advertise/market products, services, and brands. Think about it? We spend almost of our waking hours on our phones and computers. You’d probably see an online ad before you notice a billboard erected in your bedroom. Just as Advertising and Marketing are two words that many use interchangeably and don’t really understand, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search engine Marketing) are two abbreviations that are used in each other’s stead but without a really clear understanding of what they mean. Today we will delve into Internet marketing and understand these two acronyms. SEO and SEM initially were confused as the same thing and were thus used in marketing…
Connect on Social Media

Here’s the 6 Facebook Changes You Need to Know About … And What They Mean for Your Business

Facebook has evolved quite a bit since its launch in 2004 …for better or worse. When it comes to your business, you may lean closer to the “worse” category considering how hard it’s getting to reach your audiences without paying for ads. On the bright side, there are more options than ever for connecting organically to your audiences in effective ways. For instance, Facebook’s emphasis on live video can create a quick path to engagement since the platform eagerly notifies people when a Page or person they follow goes live. Facebook messenger is also exploding in popularity, giving businesses the opportunity to create chatbots or personalized social support through chat channels. So what exact changes should your business take note…

5 Reasons Why You Should Add Content Writing to Your Social Media Product Line

As social media marketing has taken off, many agencies have made a substantial living from specializing in social media management, monitoring, and social advertising. These agencies could scale their operations and expand their profitability even further if they add on content writing services to the packages they offer.   Why? Because putting content marketing and social media services together makes perfect sense. They’re both an incredibly important component to the digital face of a brand. They both have a goal of building audiences, shaping perception, and generating awareness. They both intuitively lead towards key stages of a brand’s marketing funnel.   And, perhaps most importantly, they both take a ton of time and effort to handle! The most tempting add-on…

The Blogging Guide Every Start-Up Needs

  Why start a business blog? What elements does your blog need to be effective? How can you capitalize most effectively on the marketing opportunities a blog creates?   We’ll answer all of these questions in our relatively brief but comprehensive content marketing and business blogging guide for start-ups below. You’ll learn some of the most important markers of quality for an effective blog, how to develop a content marketing strategy that translates blog traffic into real leads, and what factors promote your search ranking (SEO) success.   So, without further ado, let’s get started!   1. Why Bother With a Business Blog for Your Start-Up? Simply put: a business blog is an effective tool for achieving all of your…

Are You Making These 7 Mistakes When Writing Blogs?

Blog writing can be an incredibly effective digital marketing strategy when the creator pays close attention to all the markers of quality. These markers include both technical and artistic elements as well as the context your blog plays within your overall marketing funnel.   Ignoring any part of this equation will leave you with a less-than-satisfactory result. Your audience will either disregard your content outright or any audiences you successfully build will fail to enter your marketing funnel as intended.   Luckily, plenty of companies out there are doing it right. 78% of B2C companies using content marketing say they are “moderately” to “extremely” successful with their content marketing efforts. 2 out of every 3 also say that their performance…

Social Media And Content Marketing Trends You Want to be Using

As competing for user attention with content and social media marketing gets more challenging, keeping up with the latest trends is essential for achieving ROI on your campaigns.   According to a recent survey of 344 social media managers, almost 80% of businesses use social media to post original content. Yet, just a little over half (52%) say that they achieve revenue growth through their social efforts.   What is this half doing right? They pay close attention not just to social’s role in their marketing funnel strategy, but they also track emerging trends to stay on the cusp of social relevance. By reading the signs of the times, they can adjust their strategy to keep their social media marketing…

10 Experts to Follow for Growing a Small Business Using Digital Marketing

Sometimes, all you need to achieve breakthroughs in business is a good mentor. The path to growing a small business using digital marketing is never easy nor obvious. Yet, by following the guidance and advice of others, it can quickly become more clear. Business owners these days have more advantages than ever when it comes to finding great marketing insights online. Whereas a few decades ago you’d have to buy books and attend talks in person, now mind-blowingly great advice is just a few clicks away. To help you find the information and inspiration your small business needs to achieve greatness through digital marketing, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the best digital marketing experts worth following. Their content…

6 Huge Advantages Hiring a Content Writing Agency Can Have for Your Business

When weighing your options for creating content marketing pieces, don’t overlook the significant benefits outsourcing your workload to an agency can have. While onboarding content writing staff or working directly with a freelancer can both be viable options, they barely scratch the surface of what a content marketing agency can offer. When working with an agency, you have the ability to dramatically upscale the quality, quantity and overall reach of the content created for your digital marketing campaigns. For instance, a content writing services provider can give you a set cost for creating a high-quality asset like an eBook that includes all the services you need like graphics and a paid social media promotion budget. When managing such a campaign…

5 Ways to Revamp Your Social Media Strategy in 2018

With just a few improvements, your social media profiles could become the crown jewel of your digital marketing strategy in 2018. By switching up your approach and committing to a higher level of quality, you could soon be generating more leads, revenue, and interest in your company with minimal effort. The great thing about social media marketing is that it doesn’t have to take a lot of your time to work wonders. If you plan ahead and use social media to reinforce your other marketing activities, you can achieve huge ROI through both organic and paid social campaigns. So, to inspire you to improve your social presence and go beyond expectations, try implementing the following five highly effective social media…

Thinking About Hiring a Blog Writer? Watch Out for These 6 Common Mistakes

Few business owners have both the time and skill with words needed to do their company blog justice. Business blogs need to look polished and represent the brand well, yet learning to write professionally is a trial-and-error process. Considering all these personal limitations and high expectations, outsourcing blog writing makes perfect sense. But there is a right way and a wrong way to hire a writer. Many business owners commit hefty mistakes when offering someone the chance to take the reins on their business blog. Here are six of the biggest of those mistakes. Watch out for them when hiring a blog writer to avoid frustrating setbacks and to ensure your blog is as great as it deserves to be.…

How to Write Headlines Your Customers Can’t Resist Clicking

In many ways, the headline is the most important part of a blog post or article. Headlines spark action. They can make people click. An eye-catching headline on social media can draw tons of comments — many from people reacting off the headline alone. Headlines can also shape how people digest the message of a blog by creating context and expectations — all through a strong first impression. But, most importantly, headlines tell us what we need to know in order to get invested. With so many distractions and options for reading content online, we need information that helps us choose how to spend our limited time. The best headlines therefore serve as a promise to the reader about what…

Is Your Company Blog Not Working? Here’s 5 Reasons Why That May Be

Content marketing and blogging have proven to be effective digital marketing methods. Done right, they can generate leads and convert people to the next stage of your marketing funnel. Yet, plenty of company blogs completely struggle to meet their content marketing goals. For one reason or another, they fail to find the right audience — or, for some, any audience at all. Other blogs earn plenty of traffic but lackluster conversion numbers. Still others have myriad issues of their own related to various mistakes in strategy, positioning, site design and more. To help you pinpoint where your issues may lie and how you can improve your blog performance, we have come up with five reasons why your current blog may…

The Best Digital Marketing New Year’s Resolution for Crushing It in 2018

After the last echoes of ringing in the New Year subside, everyone reflects on how to make 2018 better through their own actions. If you’re a digital marketer, this time marks the perfect opportunity to set ambitious goals and pledge to cut out bad habits. To help inspire you to do better in the New Year and meet success head on, here are our 5 top recommended digital marketing New Year’s resolutions for 2018. Make More Video We’ve hammered this point home plenty of times, but just to reiterate: video is the direction that the internet’s going. Cisco studies predict that 69% of total internet traffic over 2017 will have come from video views. By 2021, they expect that portion…

Boost Blog Traffic Using These Techniques for Promoting Your Posts on Facebook

Promoting your blog posts on Facebook is one of the most cost-effective, efficient and smart strategies you can use to drive traffic back to your blog. First of all, Facebook audiences are huge! 68% of Americans use a Facebook account regularly, which equals nearly 220 million people. Facebook also remains the most-used mobile app. 81% of devices have it installed. And, since the majority of internet traffic is now mobile and the majority of mobile time is spent in-app, Facebook represents one of the best chances you have at getting views, shares, likes and new followers for your business. If you’re a business owner wondering how to drive traffic to your blog using Facebook, here are eight airtight strategies you…
Types of Blog Posts

Eight Types of Blog Posts Every Business Should Use

So you sit down to come up with topics for your next couple of blog posts and…nothing. You draw a total blank. Sometimes business blog post ideas come hard and fast like a heavy rain. Other times you have a total mental drought on what to write about next. Don’t sweat it! There are a couple of blog formats that can work well for just about any subject. Adding them to your repertoire can make coming up with your next blog post topics as easy as falling off a unicycle. In fact, you can use this list to plan your blog strategy for months in advance. If you make some of these blog post types a recurring monthly series, for…
offline and online

Why Offline Marketing Is Important for Complementing Online Strategies

If you run a local business, you must have an online marketing strategy. Statistics show that 81 percent of consumers engage in online research prior to large purchases, so this should be enough to prove online marketing’s importance. Offline marketing, however, must not be overlooked. Your online marketing agency can sometimes provide tips, or you could try out your own luck. Regardless of your method, offline marketing will definitely complement your online strategy.   Reaches Consumers that Online Marketing Can’t   No matter how hard you try, some people will never see your online marketing. This stems from the fact that 13 percent of U.S. citizens still do not utilize the web. People in rural areas and older generations are…
running out of time

Marketing Tips for Those with No Time to Market

It’s impossible for a business to be successful without marketing, but sadly, budding entrepreneurs don’t always have time to promote their company. After all, building a successful business rarely leaves time for posting regularly to social media. Fortunately, there are a variety of marketing tips that business owners with no time can utilize.   Get Customers to Market for You   You might not have time to get online and promote your business, but your customers likely do. You can offer incentives to your patrons – such as discounts or free items – for leaving honest reviews about your company on sites like Yelp and Google. And since over 80 percent of people say honest reviews are the most credible…
competition

3 Local Marketing Mistakes that Can Hurt Your Company

Even as consumers have the ability to purchase items from around the globe, much of their money is still spent locally. In fact, figures show that upwards of 50 percent of all search queries have local intent. While this proves how important location-specific marketing is, the following local marketing mistakes could seriously hurt a company.   Failing to Stake Out the Competition   A business owner might think their local marketing strategy should focus solely on their company. In reality, they should also be focused on their competition. If they’re not paying attention to what is and isn’t working for their competitors, they’re putting themselves at a disadvantage. In all likelihood, their competition is keeping an eye on them in…

3 Tips for Marketing Local Businesses on Television

Many marketers will say that television commercials are outdated. Indeed, 2017 is the year that experts predict digital marketing spending will outpace television advertisements. Of course, this doesn’t make it a waste of money. Depending on your targeted demographic, televised ads could remain profitable. If you fall into this group, here are a few tips to improve your television marketing.   Don’t Skimp on Price Have you ever been watching local commercials at a comfortable volume and then, out of nowhere, you’re blasted by the high volume of a different commercial? That’s because the business erred too far on the side of frugality. If you’re going to create a TV ad, do it right. Use an actual production team, or…