Category Archives for "General Business"

Finding the Right Local Influencer for Your Business

Influencer marketing is a 6.5 billion dollar industry and the best marketing tool for businesses today.

As this online marketing strategy evolves, businesses are foregoing celebrity endorsements in favor of collaborating with local influencers in their community. Here’s why.

Increases brand awareness

First and foremost, local influencers bring the names of businesses to the attention of people who were previously unaware of their existence.

Obviously, all types of influencers do this, but local influencers are more effective and successful for businesses in specific geographic areas.

Plus local businesses can turn their favorite customers into their own personal influencers for fairly low cost by offering small incentives, like food & drink or merchandise.

Increased Engagement

Local influencers tend to have a deeper, more genuine connection with their followers than macro and celebrity influencers. They are more likely to know and connect with their followers on a more personal level.

Influencers with 100k or fewer followers, tend to make time for thoughtful responses and engagement.

According to research, influencers with 1,000 followers have the highest engagement ratio so don’t count them out because the ratio of engagement to followers is more important than the number of followers!

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri is considering removing ‘likes' from the social media platform entirely.

“We want people to worry a little bit less about how many likes they’re getting on Instagram and spend a bit more time connecting with the people that they care about.”

This potential evolution will make engagement an even more potent tool in the world of influencers.

Less Expensive

Contrary to what you may think, local influencers do not need to be paid thousands of dollars to endorse your business. Many people are willing to be influencers in exchange for smaller incentives.

“When I post a photo for taco Tuesday, I get free queso? Please sign me up!” Giving people the opportunity to try your product and share it with their friends and family is a great way to generate repeat business. It's a win-win situation for both parties.

Influencers gain credibility for their recommendation, businesses gain new customers, and both gain exposure.

Gives You Access to New Followers

Local influencers are ideal for small businesses because the majority of their followers will live in the same area who have never heard of your brand.

This means an influencer collaboration will allow you to reach a larger market of people who are close to your business but have never heard of our brand!

No matter how fantastic a local pizza joint is, it's unlikely that someone will fly across the country to try it unless they're already in town.

Maybe, unless they really love pizza, have a lot of spare cash, and are dying to go on a world's best pizza tour. I mean come on… Never, ever say never, right?

However, if someone local is scrolling through Instagram and sees a friend raving about it, they may decide to check it out on their next date night or if visitors from out of town see rave reviews about how delicious your pizza is while searching for food on Google, they are likely to want to see for themselves.

Enhances authenticity

Marketing professionals have long recognized that word-of-mouth marketing is the most effective form of marketing. Local influencers do this without making it appear as if the company is bragging about itself.

It's not salesy or gimmicky; it's just a person sharing something they enjoy with the people in their network. As a result, people are much more likely to respond to a sponsored post from a business page or influencer with a million followers.

Generates Fresh Content

Giving up some control and allowing an influencer to create their own content promoting your business accomplishes two important things.

#1: It reduces the workload on marketing campaigns. The business can provide guidelines (such as their unique hashtag) or suggestions, but it is up to the influencer to figure out how to communicate with their target audience. After all, they are the ones who are most familiar with them.

#2: Allowing local influencers to create their own content provides the business with new insight into the voice of the target audience.

Paying attention to what influencers say and how their followers respond is an excellent way to learn about your target audience.

Followers Can Trust You

When it comes to influencer marketing, savvy consumers are wary of celebrity endorsements.

Have you ever seen a celebrity in a skincare commercial claim that their secret to looking young is some miraculous anti-aging eye cream? I'm sure I'm not the only one who laughs at these commercials and immediately dismisses them.

But if a friend recommends a new restaurant that just opened up in my town, I am much more likely to try it than if a celebrity I don't know recommends it or I see a TV commercial about it.

Local influencers' human aspect is the future of internet marketing. Consider the importance of quality above quantity. Even if they don't have a large number of followers, they have a significantly better chance of reaching your target demographic.

Where Can I find a Local Influencer

Some of the most effective methods include:

1. Look at your current social media following.

Whether or not your business has a strong social presence, you may be shocked to find that some local or micro-influencers are already following you on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. If they match your brand and are relevant to your product or service, they may be someone with whom you should explore forming a connection.

2. Research Local Hashtags for Your Area

A local hashtag search on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms is a wonderful approach to locate relevant local or micro-influencers. Of course, you can use Google to perform a local hashtag search and see what results it returns. You may also utilize the hashtag to see popular posts that include it, which may lead you to trending material generated by the local influencers you're looking for.

3. Find Out Who’s Talking About Your Business – both favorable and negative mentions.

It's far easier to locate and work with influencers if they already know about your business – and are likely delighted with your product or service since they're already talking about it. The rationale is simple: they're more inclined to promote your brand with enthusiasm.

4. Or use online tools like: Local Influence or Insense

What does it cost?

Prices and fees vary widely, from the micro-est of micro local influencers who are happy to trade a post for products & merchandise from more established influencers depending on their followers you can expect to pay $.01 to $.025 per follower or more. If you use tools or an agency that cost can go up even more.

Wrapping Up

No matter how many followers they have, local influencers can help you grow your business's social reach, improve your brand image, engage your audience, and attract new consumers. So, what do you have to lose? Now you’re armed with the information you need to pick the right local influencer for your business!

How to Deal with Negative Comments on Social Media Like a Pro

Social media has undoubtedly become a powerful communication and marketing tool. Not only does it allow businesses to connect with their customers on a more personal level, but it also gives customers a voice to share their thoughts and experiences about a company or product.

While this two-way communication channel is beneficial for businesses, it can also be challenging. Negative comments are bound to happen, and when they do, you should handle them in a way that won’t damage your brand or reputation.

Let’s discuss how to deal with negative comments on social media like a pro.

Make Sure You Respond

Although dealing with negative comments can be difficult, it’s important to remember that ignoring them is not an option. When customers take the time to reach out to you with a complaint or concern, they expect (and deserve) a response.

Not only will a reply show the customer that you care about their experience, but it also shows others that you’re willing to listen to feedback and address any issues.

Of course, it’s not always possible to respond to every negative comment. But if a comment is public and could potentially damage your reputation, take the time to craft a thoughtful response.

Handle Issues Promptly

In addition to responding to negative comments, quickly take care of the issue that caused the comment in the first place. This may involve refunding their purchase, exchanging an item, or simply apologizing for any inconvenience they may have experienced.

Whatever the matter may be, it’s important to take care of it promptly and efficiently. Customers appreciate it when companies own up to their mistakes and try to correct them.

If you take too long, customers may think you don’t care about their issue or that you’re sweeping it under the rug. Delaying will only damage your reputation further, so it’s crucial to nip the problem in the bud as soon as possible.

Be Professional

Although it may be tempting to lash out, remember that what you say can be used against you. Therefore, always err on the side of caution and keep your responses professional.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t defend yourself or your business – but you should do so in a respectful way that doesn’t make the situation worse.

Try saying things like:

• “We’re sorry to hear that you had a negative experience. We appreciate your feedback and would like to make this right with you.”
• “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We take these issues seriously and would like to look into this further. Please DM us your contact information and order number so we can investigate.”

Taking the Conversation Offline

In some cases, it may be best to take the conversation offline. This is usually the case when a customer is angry or upset or if the situation could escalate if only addressed publicly.

When you take the conversation offline, you’ll have a chance to diffuse the situation without worrying about making it worse. You can reply to the comment publicly and let the customer know that you’d like to discuss their concerns further in a private message or over the phone.

This shows that you’re willing to listen and help resolve the issue in a way that is considerate of their privacy.

Address the Issue Directly

When responding to a negative comment, address the issue directly. A straightforward response shows the customer (and anyone else reading) that you take their concerns seriously and are willing to resolve the problem.

For example, if a customer is unhappy with your product, you might say something like:

“Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that you’re disappointed with our product. Can you please provide more information about what you didn’t like? We’d like to pass your feedback along to our team and see if there’s anything we can do to improve the product.”

This response shows that you care about the customer’s experience and want to help resolve the issue. It also gives you an opportunity to learn more about what the customer didn’t like so that you can make improvements in the future.

Don’t Be Afraid to Apologize

In some cases, the best way to deal with a negative comment is to simply apologize. An apology shows the customer that you understand their frustration and want to make things right.

Of course, you shouldn’t apologize for something that wasn’t your fault. But if there was a mistake on your part, or if the customer had a valid complaint, an apology would go a long way in diffusing the situation.

Some people just want to feel like they’re heard and that their concerns are taken seriously. In these cases, a simple apology may be enough to resolve the issue.

Use Positive Language

It’s essential to use positive language when responding to negative comments. However, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore the problem or act like everything is fine. Instead, focus on finding a resolution rather than dwelling on the negative.

For example, instead of saying, “We’re sorry that you had a bad experience,” you could say, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We want to do everything we can to ensure your next experience is better.”

This response shows that you’re committed to resolving the issue while also setting a positive tone for the rest of the conversation.

Don’t Scrub Your Social Media Page of Negative Comments

While it’s tempting to delete negative comments or hide them from your feed, this is usually a bad idea. Not only does it make you look deceitful, but it also makes it seem like you don’t care about your customers’ concerns.

It’s okay to delete comments that are abusive or that don’t add anything to the conversation. But in most cases, it’s best to leave the comment up and respond directly. These comments show that you’re willing to listen to feedback, even if it’s negative.

Use Negative Comments to Improve Your Business

Finally, it’s important to remember that negative comments can actually be a good thing. They provide you with an opportunity to improve your products or services and show your customers that you care about their experience.

As a business owner, you should always look for ways to improve. So, if you’re getting a lot of negative feedback about a certain aspect of your business, use it as a chance to make positive changes.

So next time you get a negative comment on social media, don’t panic. Instead, just follow these tips, and you’ll be able to handle it like a pro.

10 Most Common Mistakes Small Businesses Make on Social Media (and How to Fix It)

As a small business, social media is your secret weapon for marketing. It's essential to use social media to reach new customers and connect with existing ones. Whether you're just getting started or already running a highly successful campaign, there's always room for improvement. In this article, we'll explore the top social media mistakes small businesses make and how to fix them, including our own tips on improving your social media marketing strategy.

Not Posting Regularly Enough

One of the most common social media mistakes small businesses make is not posting regularly enough. This can be for a variety of reasons, from lack of time to simply forgetting. If you're not posting regularly, your audience will quickly lose interest and move on to other brands that are more active on social media.

The fix: Set aside some time each week to plan and schedule your social media posts. If you can, designate someone on your team to be responsible for social media and make sure they have the time and resources they need to succeed.

Some popular social media planners include Hootsuite, Later, and Buffer all with free to paid plans.

Posting Too Much

On the opposite end, some businesses post a little too much. This can be overwhelming for your followers and turn them off from your brand. It's important to strike a balance between posting too little and too much.

The fix: Take a step back and analyze how often you're posting on each social media platform. If you're posting multiple times a day on any platform, try scaling back to once a day or a couple of times a week. Experiment with different posting frequencies and see what works best for your audience. Remember that each industry is different, so what frequency is too much in one niche is perfectly fine in another.

Not Posting Relevant Content

Another common mistake is posting content that isn't relevant to your audience or industry. This can happen if you're trying to be too general in your social media marketing or if you're not sure who your target audience is. As a result, your posts will fall flat and fail to engage your audience.

The fix: Take some time to research your target audience and what kinds of content they're interested in. Once you know who you're talking to, you can start creating content that resonates with them.

If you're struggling to come up with ideas, try looking at what other businesses in your industry are doing on social media. Use social listening tools to track relevant keywords and see what kind of content is being shared the most. Then, adapt and improve upon it for your own audience.

Not Engaging with Your Followers

Another mistake small businesses make on social media is failing to engage with their followers. This means more than just responding to comments and @ mentions (although that's important, too). It also means liking, sharing, and commenting on other people's content.

The fix: Spend some time each day engaging with your followers and other people in your industry. Like and comment on their posts, share their content, and start conversations. Not only will this help you build relationships, but it will also make your brand more visible to new potential customers.

There are many tools that can help you organize and consolidate all your social media profile into one dashboard. These listening tools can single handedly change the game if you’re trying to increase your engagement across all social media platforms.

Sprout Social, Salesforce’s Service Cloud, and Reputation are the best at this. On a budget? Try Hootsuite.

Not Measuring Your Results

Measuring your results is essential. This is important for any marketing campaign, but it's especially important on social media. With so much noise, it can be easy to get lost and not know if your efforts are actually paying off.

The fix: Use social media analytics tools to track your progress and measure your results. These tools will help you see how many people are engaging with your content, what kind of impact you're making, and where you can improve.

Without measuring your results, it's impossible to know if your social media marketing is actually working.

Many platforms will have these tools built in, but addition services like Sprout Social, Buffer Analyze, Hootsuite, and Social Report, can give you deeper insights about your customer base and what resonates with them.

Not Having a Strategy

One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make on social media is not having a strategy. They might post randomly or without any purpose, which can lead to wasted time and effort.

The fix: Having a social media plan in place will guarantee that your efforts are more successful and are working to assist your company's broader objectives. When you're coming up with a strategy, it's critical to keep in mind these goals so that you can create material that supports them.

Additionally, figure out what your social media goals are, what you want to get out of it, and make sure to track them with analytic software (mentioned above) to ensure that your work is paying off. When developing a plan, remember who your target audience is and create content that speaks to them that aligns with your goals.

It is essential to take some time to develop a strategy since it's easy to get lost in the sea of social media and fail to accomplish anything without it.

Not using social media to its full potential

Social media is a powerful marketing tool, but many small businesses don't use it to its full potential. They might not take advantage of all the features available, or they might not use them to reach their target audience.

The fix: Make sure you're using all the features available on each social media platform. For example, on Facebook, you can use groups, events, and Messenger to reach more people. On Twitter, you can use hashtags and lists to organize your followers. And on Instagram, you can use Stories, Live Video, and IGTV to engage with your audience.

Take some time to learn about all the features of each social media platform and how you can use them to reach your target audience. Then, start using them to your advantage.

Not Promoting Your Content

Not promoting your content can be a big mistake, especially if you're a small business with limited resources. If you're not promoting your content, it's unlikely that anyone will see it.

The fix: Promote your content on social media and other channels. Use paid advertising, share it with influencers, and post it in relevant groups and forums.

Don't make the mistake of not promoting your content. Make sure you're doing everything you can to get it in front of as many people as possible.

Not taking advantage of social media trends

Trends are everywhere and they're easy to pick up if you use social media in both a private and work setting. Taking advantage of a trend can make your post go viral, especially if it's curated to your audience. Ignoring trends will make you miss countless free promotion opportunities.

The fix: Use social media trends to your advantage. If you see a trend that's relevant to your business, jump on it and use it to promote your content. Not only will this help you reach more people, but it will also make your brand more visible and relevant.

If you're not sure where to start, check out some influencers in your industry and see what they're doing to get eyes on their posts. Use can also use free websites like Google Trends, TweetDeck, and BrandMentions to track trends.

Ignoring negative feedback

It's inevitable that you'll receive some negative feedback at some point. And while it's not pleasant, it's important to take it in stride and use it as an opportunity to improve your business.

The fix: Don't ignore negative feedback. Respond to it in a constructive way and use it to make your business better. Negative feedback can be painful, but it's important to listen to it and use it to improve your business.

Bonus tip: Remaining in your comfort zone can kill your social media marketing efforts

If you're not comfortable with change, you'll never be able to take advantage of new opportunities or reach your full potential.

The fix: Be open to change and willing to try new things. Social media is constantly changing, so you need to be too.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the most common mistakes small businesses make on social media. By avoiding these mistakes, you'll be well on your way to social media success.

Local SEO Tweaks That Can Boost Your Rankings

When it comes to running a business in your local area, search engine optimization (SEO) is essential.  If you aren’t sitting pretty in the top rankings on page one, it makes potential customers wonder one thing – how good are you REALLY?

With that in mind, if your business doesn’t have the search engine rankings you need, you might want to consider using some of these local SEO tweaks to give your rankings a boost.

Local SEO tweaks to your advantage today

Creating more internal website links

The first place we recommend you start for improved local SEO is more internal links. Internal links are links that take the user from one page of your website to the next. So, if you own a website where you provide various handyman services, such as drywall installation, tile laying plastering and painting, or you would find ways to link to each of your services across various pages.

Example: Applying plaster takes patience and experience.  If you rush the process, you will likely end up with sub-par results.  So if you don’t have the extra time needed then Painting the area will be your best option.

Internal links should be built around relevant keywords used across your website. It is a great way to ensure traffic is more evenly distributed across each page, improving your overall traffic level.

Answer the common questions found on Google

Another key to local SEO is to make sure you have the answers to the common questions locals have. If you do a search for the product/service(s) your business offers, you will most likely find a list of commonly asked questions on Google. These questions are a great place to start to ensure you have answers to these common questions on your website.

There’s 2 ways you can accomplish this.

1. By creating an FAQ page that lists all these commonly asked questions in one place, with your answers to each question below but the best way to handle this is to…
2. Create a blog around these questions.  For example, if you run a car detailing service, and one of your most frequently asked might be…. “Is it better to clean with steam or soap & water?”  So now you have an opportunity to go into more detail about why it’s better to clean with steam VS soap and water and all the benefits your car will receive because of it.

Create local directory listings 

From Google My Business to business directories in your local region, you should be creating as many of these little profiles as you can.  Also referred to as citations. Yelp.com, YellowPages.com, BBB.org, Manta.com, Angi.com, are all examples of business directories also called citations.  Each one creates another link back to your website.  Which is exactly what you want – Useful external links coming from relevant sources.

At the same time, though, these websites provide you a directory listing that helps people to find your business. So not only can you get an SEO benefit, you will also get traffic coming directly from these sites.

Local directories are useful, but make sure you’ve got a Google My Business page. It’s the “Grand Pumba” of all citations. Technically it’s now referred to as your Google Business Profile, but it is the same thing – and it is free to create, so why not benefit from the potential it provides?

Turn your current content into new opportunities.

If one of your main problems is coming up with new content and ideas all the time, that’s totally relatable.  One great way to get the most out of your content is to repurpose what you already have. By taking a blog post and turning it into social media snippets, or an explainer video, you can stretch the content you already have and maximize its impact.

Do not ignore your user experience (UX) rating

In 2021, Google released a new search engine update that focuses on the quality of the user experience. Specifically, how fast is your website loading? How stable is your website – does it crash often? And how responsive is your website? Does it work well on all devices and browsers?

Working with your web developer to improve these elements of your layout, design, and back-end should be a priority. Google and other search engines will value your website higher if it meets its higher UX rating. Make this a local SEO priority!

Make the most of Google Discover

One of the best local SEO tweaks we can suggest you try out would be to use Google Discover. This is an AI-managed news aggregator that is created by Google. Essentially, it looks to pair people up with content and platforms the AI feels are relevant based on their previous activities.

Getting people to like your content on social media and on your website – such as leaving comments, sharing links, etc. – can ensure you are more likely to appear in this powerful news aggregator. You’ll need to create high-quality content that encourages engagement, this is a high bar to reach for.

Take your old content and improve it

As time goes on, it is inevitable that new information is discovered and your expertise in your business niche will grow. Is it time to go back to your older content and refresh it?  Are there new details you could add now that were not available back when you first wrote that content?

Going back and updating old content is a great way to refresh the traffic volume and squeeze more juice out of what you have already done.

Okay listen, it’s a busy world. If you don't have time to implement all of the SEO tips listed above, that's fine. Start with one or two that seem to be the easiest and begin there. Businesses who succeed at SEO are the ones who take action, so anything is better than nothing.  Once you see your rankings increase you’ll know it’s worth the effort!

10 Most Common Digital Marketing Mistakes & How to fix them!

We are currently living in the internet age, which means your business needs to evolve along with it. Digital marketing can help you promote your company, brand, and products or services.

There is an audience to be reached online, as well as a reputation to be established. However, there is more effective and less effective ways to approach digital marketing. Check out these common mistakes to ensure you're doing it right!

Bad Performing Website Design

A digital marketing-focused website should include a call to action and a well-optimized landing page. Any promos or discounts should also be prominently displayed. In order to convert visitors into successful leads, you must have an informative and engaging website.

Not Having a Blog

Remember that you are not only marketing your business, but also yourself as a trusted industry leader. Publishing blog content that is valuable, informed, and easily accessible will establish you as a trustworthy voice. Furthermore, each blog post is another indexed page for your site, and more indexed pages mean your site will appear higher in Google search results.

It is not enough to simply create a blog; it should also be interactive. To get responses, submit questions in the comments section. Include guest posts or interviews with researchers or other successful individuals in your field, as well. Use this blog post writing guide to consistently produce the most important and relevant blog posts you can.

Failure to Convert Website Traffic into Customers

Visitors to your website who do not convert into customers are pretty much worthless unless they generate leads for you through word-of-mouth recommendations. The first goal is to get visitors to your site, but the second goal is to convert them into customers. Create a plan for converting online visitors into sales and a referral program that encourages people to recommend your business.

Didn’t Optimize for Mobile Users

Mobile browsing accounts for over half of all web traffic globally. So, if you're optimizing your site, don't forget to optimize it for mobile users as well, so that the load time is as quick as it is on desktop. Make sure the design of your site is also mobile-friendly.

Not utilizing Social Media

You might think you can get away with not using social media. I’m sorry to tell you that you’re wrong! It’s an essential way to turn leads into customers. Spreading your content, reaching your audience, and engaging with users will help you promote your business online. But don’t try to do it all yourself; learn how a social media manager can help.

Providing Lack Luster Customer Service

If a visitor who has never done business with you before decides to become a customer, they are taking a risk. Having good customer service is vital for lowering that risk because 70% of consumers will continue to do business with you if they have a good experience.

Help should be easy to find on your site so that people know they can get it. This could be a Contact Us page, a virtual chat, a helpline, or other options. Just make sure that if someone visits your site, they can easily get help if they need it.

Not Offering Deals

According to a Retail Me Not poll, two-thirds of buyers made an unplanned purchase purely due to a discount. Online discount coupons or limited-time deals are excellent pop-ups for your site, particularly on the landing page or when visitors are about to abandon their cart.

Sleeping on your Competition

It's possible that someone else is doing the same thing you are. Instead of pretending they don't exist, find a way to stand out. Identify what makes your business unique and showcase it on your website and social media channels. You should make it abundantly clear how your business stands apart from the crowd.

Lack of Social Proof

It's a known fact that showcasing your happy customers increases conversions. If you want potential customers to purchase with confidence, use testimonials, case studies, and success stories to demonstrate what your customers are experiencing. This will give potential customers that are on the fence peace of mind and help to avoid any buyer’s remorse.

Not Keeping Track of Your Leads

Keywords, email blasts, referring links, social media, and other traffic sources can all generate online leads. One of those sources may be generating leads that rarely convert into customers, but another may be routinely generating them. This is critical information to have so that you may update your strategy based on the data you know.

The Influence of Digital Marketing

To succeed, your business needs the right marketing tools and strategies. By adjusting your digital marketing approach, concentrating on the right leads, and building an optimized website, you can grow your business to its fullest potential.

Email Marketing Vs Sms Marketing – What’s Best For Your Business?

For decades, email has been the preferred method for sending and receiving mass messages and reaching audiences. Text (or SMS) marketing, on the other hand, is a quick, cost-effective way to share promotions and updates with customers. So, which reigns supreme?

SMS or email marketing?

In order to figure out which strategy is right for your business you need to consider factors like: cost, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, level of engagement, open rate, and ROI – just to name a few.

In this article, we will breakdown the differences between SMS marketing and email marketing. We'll explain each strategy and demonstrate how they work, their benefits and drawbacks, when to use them, and whether you should hire the services of a digital agency for help

So What Exactly Is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is mass-sending emails to people (leads or customers) on your e-mail list. The people on your list have chosen to be there. You send emails to inform current and prospective customers about new products, services, discounts, and special offers. Consider it a direct method of communicating with your customers in which you have their permission to send them promotional information. Your email list should be one of your most valuable business assets.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Email Marketing

Every day, approximately 125 billion emails are sent. Email marketing is an important part of any business, and it works best for delivering more detailed information. It also has a much higher ROI than many other marketing channels and is quite versatile. In fact, an email campaign can be used for product updates, subscriptions, and promotions.

Here's why you should use email marketing:

It is reasonably priced – With a $40 profit for for every $1 spent on email marketing it’s still the best ROI in the game for over 2 decades.

Emails have the ability to be personalized to the recipient –Any reputable email marketing expert will tell you that this feature enables you to connect with your audience, thereby increasing the email marketing conversion rate.

The versatility of email is unlike any other marketing tool –You can use emails to provide detailed product information, make brief announcements, send reminders, welcome new customers, announce special offers, follow up with leads, or simply say hello to your target audience.

It plays on user habits and intent – 44% of consumers check their emails at least once per day. People open emails with specific intentions, such as looking for updates, product information, customer service, and so on. This is why email marketing is so important.

Emails are an excellent way to increase traffic to your website – You can increase the number of website site visitors looking for your products or services by using targeted email marketing services. Using targeted traffic increases the ROI of email marketing.

The Cons of Email Marketing

A crowded inbox makes it difficult to capture the attention of your consumer – Every day, we all receive approximately 121 emails. When consumers sort through those emails on a daily basis, it's easy to put everything in the spam folder. In many cases your emails will end up in the same folder as spam.

Emails can be prevented from inboxing – Email servers now have sophisticated filters. If your email appears to be spammy, it may be blocked from reaching your recipient's inbox. Any reputable digital agency can assist you in crafting emails that are more likely to reach your target audience's inbox.

People can easily delete or unsubscribe from emails – People may delete your emails or unsubscribe from your list for any reason like if they see messed up graphics, poorly written headlines, unreadable text, or blocked images or content that isn’t relatable to them

What Exactly Is SMS Marketing?

SMS marketing is the use of text messages to communicate with customers. SMS, like email marketing, is used to inform your audience about promotions, campaigns, updates, news, and more.

Before sending any promotional information, both SMS and email marketing ask for your audience's permission. The CAN-SPAM Act and the Consumer Protection Act are the primary laws that protect consumers from unsolicited SMS (TCPA). These rules and guidelines are followed by all good SMS marketing examples.

SMS and email marketing are both owned channels. This means you can choose who receives your emails or text messages.  It also means you have control over the type of user experience your customers will have.

You can send the SMS marketing examples listed below:

1. Promotional SMS: These are SMS messages that are intended to raise brand awareness, promote products or services, and boost sales.

2. Transactional SMS: These are text messages that contain information that your customers require, such as delivery updates, product specifications, and order information.

SMS Marketing's Benefits and Drawbacks

When comparing SMS marketing to email marketing, SMS has the advantage of capturing the recipient's attention right away. When you receive a text message, your phone alerts you, capturing your full and undivided attention right then and there. This is why the open rate for SMS marketing is higher than the open rate for email marketing.

This sense of urgency created by the alert is both a benefit and a disadvantage for SMS marketing. On the one hand, it may compel your customers to act immediately in response to your promotion. However, if sent at the wrong time, these texts can turn off users, who will either ignore or delete them.

Let's go over the specific benefits and drawbacks of SMS marketing.

Pros and Cons of SMS Marketing

Here are some of the benefits of SMS marketing:

Your customers do not require internet – It's worth noting that 15% of Americans (52 million people) today have little or no internet access. This is a massive market that is beyond the scope of any email campaign.

It has a better response rate -On average, text messages are read in three minutes. That's a response rate of up to 209 percent when compared to social media, email, or even phone calls.

It has a high level of engagement – SMS, like email marketing, is a marketing channel with higher levels of engagement than other lead generation strategies. higher engagement levels suggests a higher SMS open rate.

Here are some of the drawbacks of SMS marketing:

It has a limited amount of content space – You have only 160 characters to work with. D elivering powerful messages that short while still packing a punch requires a pretty big vocabulary.

It's more expensive -The cost of running an SMS campaign is higher than the cost of running an email campaign.

It may erode customer trust – Customers can easily lose trust with businesses that send them unwanted text messages or SMS that are poorly structured. Customers may become irritated if you send text messages at inconvenient or inappropriate times and It may also cause them to opt out.

What Is the Difference Between SMS and Email Marketing?

Which is better: SMS marketing or email marketing? Think about the following:

Insert the table here from the bottom of the article Chris.

One of the first things marketers notice is that the ROI of email marketing is higher than that of SMS marketing. This suggests that the conversion rate for email marketing is also higher.

These are the figures that email marketing companies will provide you with. The lower email marketing open rate, on the other hand, proves the case for SMS marketing. Text messages also have a significantly higher CTR and response rate.

The Answer: Omnichannel Marketing

Omnichannel marketing is the use of multiple marketing channels to increase your bottom line. Your business has unique needs, so balancing SMS and email marketing is recommended for better results. You have a better chance of capturing your audience's attention if you develop a marketing strategy that uses both in tandem.

When should SMS marketing be used?  It should be used to respond to customer questions, solicit feedback, promote one of your products, and collect signups for your programs. Keeping track of its usage allows you to stay within your marketing budget.

Email marketing, on the other hand, is better suited to promoting multiple products due to its lower cost. It can be used for company updates, newsletters, and a variety of marketing emails.

Working With a Seasoned Digital Marketing Agency

Finding the right balance between SMS and email marketing can be difficult, especially if you haven't had much success with either.  If you are looking to improve your SMS and email marketing results, connect with us today. We can help you create a customized omnichannel plan based on your budget and goals. Connect with us to learn more!

Help your business survive the recession with these 5 expert strategies!

If you’ve watched any tv news broadcast lately, it’s no secret that the economic future is clouded by uncertainties, with the COVID-19 epidemic still persisting, the ongoing crisis in Ukraine putting additional pressure on soaring interest rates, and Chinese lockdowns potentially affecting supply lines.

Economists predict that the United States will enter a recession by late next year or early 2024 as inflation ripples through the global economy. With a recession on the horizon, businesses and industry leaders are in uncharted territory.

Is digital marketing a good approach during an economic downturn?

To put it simply, Yes!

People will continue to look for products and services online even if overall demand has reduced, therefore your digital marketing efforts should not be shut down during a recession.

In fact, this is likely the most useful marketing expenditure you can make during an economic slump since it allows you to reach people who are actively looking for what you have to offer or who most closely match your target audience.

Experts agree that a strong internet marketing strategy is the smartest long-term investment you can make to safeguard your company during a downturn in the economy. Recession-proof business marketing methods are more important today than ever.

It's Time to Prepare Your Business for a Recession

If there is one thing that separates recession-proof businesses from the competition, it's the fact that they take action sooner, and start business planning for a recession before their competitors do.

Have you started making plans for a recession in your business? Follow these digital marketing tips to better prepare your business for a recession and safeguard your brand:

1. Improve Your Online Presence

Building and maintaining a strong online presence regardless of the economy is one of the foundations of recession-proof companies. Maintaining a strong digital presence enables you to capture a larger portion of the market if and when a recession occurs.

To stay top of mind with your target audience, invest in market research, create a mobile-friendly website, hire a expert to help you with your search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) marketing.

With a recession on the horizon, establishing a stronger digital presence is even more important in staying on potential clients' radars online.

2. Do not reduce your marketing budget

During a recession, business owners must decide whether to reduce their marketing budget, suspend marketing efforts, or double down on their digital marketing campaigns.

It may seem sensible to some to suspend marketing during a recession. Spending a lot of money on digital marketing may seem counterproductive when revenues are down. Consider what took place in 2020. Spending on digital marketing campaigns fell about the same time that 255 million full-time jobs were lost globally. Due to lower ad earnings during the COVID-19 epidemic, even Google had to cut its marketing budget by half.

So, why should you keep working on your digital marketing strategy and investing in digital marketing services?

Businesses that continue to market throughout a recession are more likely to survive, according to studies. During an economic downturn, many businesses reduce their advertising budget. This is a opportunity to show that your business is stable even when things are hard. So continue your digital marketing campaign efforts or, at the absolute least, dial them back slightly, but never fully suspend them.

To keep business flowing, have a digital marketing strategy in place. If you decide to discontinue your marketing efforts just know that it will be that much easier for your competitors to take a bigger slice of your customer pie.

3. It's Time to Optimize Your Website… Now!

Check out your website. Is it generating leads for your company 24 hours a day, or is there room for improvement? If you're not sure which parts of your website should be improved or updated, consult with a reputable digital agency – it's what they do!

Agencies normally will employ In-house conversion rate optimization (CRO) specialists who perform in-depth website audits to evaluate your website's interactions and discover areas you need to optimize to meet your goals.

Conversion rate optimization helps you make the most of your traffic by examining the data from your website to improve the consumer experience.

You will learn what pages are visited the most, where visitors spend the most time, which pages receive the least engagement, cart abandonment, and overall customer behavior.

Gather this info to create a data-driven strategy. That way, you'll know that any changes you make to your website are more likely to affect your bottom line.

4. Maintain Your Social Media Efforts

During an economic downturn, many people prefer to stay at home in order to spend less and save more. This also implies that potential customers spend more time on their mobile devices. This is an ideal time to use social media marketing to attract new consumers and nurture leads via your sales funnel.

Continuing your social media marketing during this time also ensures that your audience is aware that your business is still present and active online. Whether you reduce the number of posts sent per week or your advertising budget, a little can still go a long way to attracting new/existing customers.

5. Create Compelling Video Content

Certain web marketing approaches pay off tenfold due to their cost-effective, creative approach to audience involvement. Video marketing is one such example.

Video marketing is still one of the most engaging ways to connect with your target audience and deliver valuable information. It fosters trust and confidence in ways that text alone simply cannot.

Consider creating video content that is evergreen (always relative) and will continue to be useful content for years to come. This ensures that your dollar goes further as opposed to spending more on campaign-specific content.”

Share videos on your social media platforms. Request that customers create video testimonials for you to use on your website. Allow followers to communicate with your brand and ask questions in real time by live-streaming on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

During a difficult time, Americans are more inclined to spend time online keeping up with friends and current events. Video marketing is a wonderful way to engage with your target audience where they spend the majority of their time and grow your customer base.

When done correctly, video marketing can be one of the most effective digital marketing ideas for maintaining revenue during a slump.

Optimize Your Marketing Budget and Choose Your Priorities Wisely

Digital marketing is not like a light switch.  You can't just turn it on or off, it is a continuous process.

Even though the economy is struggling right now, you owe it to your team, organization, customers, and community to figure out how to source, sell, and optimize your business to get through these uncertain times.

As a result, it is crucial that you begin improving your digital presence and investing in new digital marketing methods that produce positive long-term benefits for your business.

Why is page speed so significant?

When it comes to the performance of your website, page speed is vital.

Your web pages must load quickly and seamlessly in order to lower your bounce rate and boost visitor engagement.

In this article, we'll explain why it's important, and show you how to measure it.

According to Google research, every second counts when it comes to page loading speed. Increasing loading times from one to three seconds increases the likelihood of a bounce (the visitor leaving immediately) by 32%.

A shocking 90% of visitors will leave a site if it takes longer than five seconds to load.

The speed of a website has a significant impact on user experience, SEO, and conversion rates. Improving website performance is critical for attracting visitors and keeping them engaged. Here are some steps that you can take with your developer to make your website load faster:

Run a website performance test

Website speed tests determine how well a website performs. Testing a website on a regular basis can help developers identify some or all of the areas that are slowing down website performance, as well as areas for improvement.

There are numerous high-quality site speed tests for measuring performance, many of which are free, such as Pingdom.com.

Google also provides PageSpeed” Insights for more in-depth performance testing while Google Chrome “DevTools” can also assist developers in evaluating the performance of their website.

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) (content delivery network)

CDNs increase website speed by caching content in multiple locations around the world. CDN caching servers are usually closer to end users than the host, or origin server. Requests for content are routed to a CDN server rather than the hosting server, which may be thousands of miles away and spread across multiple autonomous networks from the user. Using a CDN can significantly reduce page load times.

Image Optimization

Images account for a large portion of Internet traffic, and they frequently take the longest to load on a website because image files are larger in size than HTML and CSS files. Image optimization, fortunately, can reduce image load time. Image optimization typically entails lowering the resolution, compressing the files, and shrinking their dimensions, and many image optimizers and image compressors are freely available online.

Lower the number of HTTP requests, if you can.

Most webpages will necessitate multiple HTTP requests from browsers for various assets on the page, such as images, scripts, and CSS files. Indeed, many webpages will necessitate dozens of these requests. Each request necessitates a round trip to and from the server hosting the resource, which can increase the overall load time of a webpage. Furthermore, because the resources are loaded from multiple providers, a problem with one of the hosts may impact the webpage's ability to load quickly, or at all.

Because of these potential issues, the total number of assets that must be loaded by each page should be kept to a minimum. A speed test should also help identify which HTTP requests are taking the longest. For example, if images are slowing down a page's load time, developers can look for a faster image hosting solution (such as a CDN).

Cache your website's pages.

Caching is one of the most effective methods for speeding up your website. Caching saves copies of your website's files, reducing the amount of work required by the server to generate and serve a web page to a visitor's browser.

By requiring the server to use fewer resources to load a page, caching your web pages can help reduce Time to First Byte (TTFB).

There are several methods for caching your web pages. This can be done at the server level, which means your host will handle it for you.

Another option is to use a caching plugin, such as W3 Total Cache, a free WordPress plugin that makes caching web pages simple. After you've installed and activated it, go to General Settings > Page Cache and check the Enable box.

Reduce the use of external scripts.

Any scripted webpage elements loaded from elsewhere, such as external commenting systems, CTA buttons, or lead-generation popups, must be loaded each time a page is loaded. Depending on the size of the script, this can cause a webpage to slow down or not load all at once (this is known as ‘content jumping' or ‘layout shifting,' and it can be especially aggravating for mobile users).

Avoid using redirects at times if possible.

A redirect occurs when visitors to one website are forwarded to another. Redirects increase page load time by a few fractions of a second, or even whole seconds in some cases. Every second counts when developing a website that is optimized for performance. Redirects are sometimes unavoidable, but they should be avoided if possible.

Remember that every second your website takes to load increases the likelihood that your visitors will leave. If your website is running slow, how long can you keep running your business while losing leads?  Is it time to speed things up?

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