Your brand is not merely your logo, your color palette, or your typography. Your brand is how your audience perceives your business as a whole. Through careful evaluation, strategic color combination, smart design elements, and consistent tone of voice, your brand will start materializing.
4 Essential Digital Marketing Elements That Your Business Needs
1. Branding:
This is so important because it shows your customers how you’re going to accommodate them. Your brand is your business name, logo, tagline, personality and more! Most popular brands evolve by adjusting to the times. This allows them to meet the ever-changing needs and expectations of the clients and customers. If nothing else, you need a brand name, a target audience, and an idea of how your brand personality is going to connect with your target audience.
(1971)
(2022)
This is a good example of brand evolution. Starbucks is continuously updating their brand and services, presenting a fresh take on a company we’ve known for decades.
2. Website:
If you’re a newbie, you probably don’t have a huge website budget yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome website. Ideally, your site should be simple and easy to navigate. Fast load times are also vital, or you might be losing people before they even see your site!
You will also want to make sure that your website is mobile-optimized, meaning that if someone wants to visit your site from a phone or tablet, they’ll still get a great browsing experience.
3. Content
Content covers all the things. Anything that educates your customers about your business is content. Potential clients are going to visit your website to see if and how your content is relates to them and their needs. The best content should be non-intrusive and inspire your customers to come to you.
4. Advertising:
A strategically planned-out ad can help your business grow substantially. And the best part? You don’t need a ton of money to get started! Advertising is key- don’t forget it!
If you are just getting started, my suggestion to you is re-marketing to people who have already visited your website. They’ve already shown interest, and all you need to do is seal the deal! Digital advertising is a great way to drive traffic to your site and convert prospects into customers.
There you have it! Four essential digital marketing elements that every business needs to have in order to set you up for success!
If you wish to have more traffic, leads or sales, then it’s time we talk!
Mobile-Friendly Websites: A Necessity Suppose I told you that seven out of 10 prospects and customers in your field can’t find your company. That would
4 Essential Digital Marketing Elements That Your Business Needs 1. Branding: This is so important because it shows your customers how you’re going to accommodate
Coming up with a cyber-recovery plan to safeguard your company’s digital assets – including your website – should be your number one priority. This will allow you to get your website back up and running quickly in the event of a cyberattack. You’ll want to establish a proposed timeline with your preferred “deadlines” for system recovery, as well as details about which programs and applications will have to be addressed in order to execute recovery. Finally, make note of who will be responsible for conducting each task included in your recovery plan.
Develop Educational Content
Sure, your website is a sales and marketing platform – but it can also serve as a vehicle for customer education. Whether your typical customer is another small business, a nonprofit organization, or an individual consumer in your area, you can establish your website as a place that visitors can turn to for up-to-date resources on everything from product use cases to new developments in your industry.
Have you ever had an unpleasant experience while browsing a particular website? Maybe you found it difficult to find the particular page you were looking for. Perhaps you tried to use the search function to find an important piece of content, but it didn’t deliver accurate results. Or, maybe you were seeking contact information so that you could get in touch with a customer support specialist – but no matter how hard you looked, you didn’t see any contact forms, email addresses, or phone numbers.
Crafting an enjoyable user experience should be at the heart of your website design and management approach. But, how can you go the extra mile to make sure that your customers can easily navigate your website and make the best use of all its features? Rock Content recommends designing a clear menu that allows your customers to visit key sections of your website with one click, including an easy-to-find contact form.
In addition, it’s also essential to make sure that your overall site layout looks attractive – after all, visually appealing content might prompt visitors to stay on your website longer (and the longer visitors stay on your site, the more likely they are to take action, such as making a purchase or booking an appointment). If you can’t find a theme that you like with your current content management system, you might consider enlisting the services of a professional web design and development firm that can create a custom layout for your site.
Local SEO: How to Get Found Online by Customers in Your Area
You might be acquainted with the basic principles of search engine optimization (SEO), and perhaps you’ve even been incorporating some useful keywords into your website content already. But have you taken the time to focus on local SEO? By emphasizing local SEO in your website strategy, you can specifically target customers in your area who are seeking products and services like those that you offer.
What can you do to reach customers nearby using SEO tactics? BrainChild Studios recommends putting your city and state on your homepage, adding your city to your page title tags (including the local schema code in your website pages), claiming your Google Business Profile listing, and including your business in local online directories.
Boost Your Conversion Rate
The ultimate goal of your business’s website is to convert visitors into paying customers. Therefore, you need to find ways to boost conversion rates with your website. While implementing user-friendly website design principles can help in this area, there are also some other steps you can take.
A/B testing is key to increasing conversions – you can run tests to analyze your conversion rates with your current site features. Then, as you implement new features like headlines, calls to action, or contact forms, you can run additional tests to compare their effectiveness. By conducting multiple A/B tests at once, you won’t have to wait until a new feature has been thoroughly tested to analyze the impact of another.
Speed Up Your Website
The ultimate goal of your business’s website is to convert visitors into paying customers. Therefore, you need to find ways to boost conversion rates with your website. While implementing user-friendly website design principles can help in this area, there are also some other steps you can take.
A/B testing is key to increasing conversions – you can run tests to analyze your conversion rates with your current site features. Then, as you implement new features like headlines, calls to action, or contact forms, you can run additional tests to compare their effectiveness. By conducting multiple A/B tests at once, you won’t have to wait until a new feature has been thoroughly tested to analyze the impact of another.
Final Thoughts
Your website doesn’t exist just so your company will show up in search engines. In reality, your website might be an unrealized tool for your business’s growth. If you haven’t prioritized growing your business by maximizing your website’s potential, you can get started by integrating some of these recommendations.
If you need help with optimizing your existing website, creating a new website from scratch, boosting your SEO for greater discoverability in Google searches, or any other aspect of your digital marketing, you don’t have to go it alone! HighClick Media is here to help! Contact us today at 252.814.2150 or drop us a line here to see how we can help #elevateyourbrand!
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Guest blogger Cody McBride’s love for computers stems from high school when he built his own computer. Today he is a trained IT technician and knows how the inner workings of computers can be confusing to most. He is the creator of TechDeck.info where he offers easy-to-understand, tech-related advice and troubleshooting tips.
Mobile-Friendly Websites: A Necessity Suppose I told you that seven out of 10 prospects and customers in your field can’t find your company. That would
4 Essential Digital Marketing Elements That Your Business Needs 1. Branding: This is so important because it shows your customers how you’re going to accommodate
Is your business is curious about how to make a YouTube video? How many times have you seen a competitor on Facebook Video and thought “we should have done that“?
2016 saw the rise of video content marketing to promote or market brands, products, or services. With each passing year, video marketing integrated deeper into a digital strategy for content marketers until it became a must-have for businesses.
Video marketing relies on creating and distributing valuable and consistent video content to your target audience to attract, engage, and connect qualified leads.
54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support. On top of that, researchers say that by 2022, 82% of global internet traffic will come from video streaming and downloads.
All of this is great seeing as 88% of video marketers are satisfied with the ROI of their video marketing.
Video content gives a booster shot to your search engine optimization, as well as creating engaging content for your clients to interact with on social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook, or in an email blast. Wherever your target audience can be found!
The production process and how you get the message of your brand across is what matters, and in this blog post, we’ll guide you through each step on how to make a video and give you tips and tricks to rev up your video marketing campaigns.
Here’s your 5 Step Guide to Video Production!
First point: Conception.
Conception happens when you decide you want to include video marketing into your business strategy. This is the stage where you figure out your target audience and campaign goals. These set the foundation of every successful marketing campaign, and as such are needed in video marketing. A campaign with no foundation will gain no elevation.
After that, it’s time to figure out how exactly you want to build upon that foundation with a wide variety of types of videos to choose from!
From Company Commercials & Trailers, Client Testimonials, Employee Spotlights, Demos, How-To videos with your products, or even videos that showcase the culture of the company.
Video Marketing is only limited by your imagination.
Just don’t hurt yourself in the process
Next, ask yourself whether you’ll do it in house, or if you’ll hire out. If you want to produce videos internally, you’ll need to research the equipment and editing programs necessary to produce the content. There are cameras, mics, and lighting set up for any budget. However, you get the quality you pay for, so be mindful of that!
Do you have the staff power and capability to do so? Do you have the time to manage every step of the process? Creating video content can be a time-consuming ordeal, so be sure you’re prepared to take it on!
If you want to hire out, do your research on the agencies, freelancers, and production companies in your area (like us, for instance). Reach out and meet with companies that you feel would capture your video marketing the best. Once you seal the deal, it’s time to start pre-production.
Second point: Pre-Production
..or as I like to call it “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” So you have the goals in place, now it’s time to film!
In reality, it’s time to plan the production. It’s not as simple as “have an idea, now Lights. Camera. Action!” Pre-production is VITAL to the success of your campaign.
There is a method to the video marketing madness. You have the foundation, but you need the skeleton of the video.
We’re talking the:
Who is going to be in it What equipment, permits, props, scripts, etc you need Where is it going to be filmed When is it going to be filmed
and finally
How is it going to be filmed
A script is developed either internally or externally in conjunction with the goals, target audience, and company branding. As the script is created and edited, a storyboard is worked on to help focus the director’s vision.
A storyboard is a frame by frame shot list attached with the script so the director, cameraman, and post-production know exactly what goes where and when that frame happens. Not everyone will use a storyboard – but it does help with shoots that have multiple locations and angles.
Speaking of locations, this is where filming logistics will need to happen if they did not already happen before pre-production.
If you’re filming outside, have you checked the weather for the week and set up rain delays? If you’re filming in a city or residential area, do you have the right permits to avoid fines? What location scouting has been done? Who will be in the video – employees of the company or paid actors? Have they been contacted ahead of time and worked into the filming schedule?
There is a lot of planning that must happen with each production – so to help out, we’ve created a downloadable file for you to use! It’s a guide and checklist for each part of pre-production to help keep yourself organized.
The Third Point: Filming.
The purpose of pre-production is to make Filming easier. It’s the day of the shoot, and everyone is prepared. Fantastic!
Film multiple takes to have more to work with and give yourself more than enough time to film. Even the best-trained actors stumble, and equipment problems can pop up.
Make sure to film the right thing
When filming, try to grab B-roll footage, which is supplemental or alternative footage inter-cut with the main shot. It’s the footage that shows what a person is talking about, shots of the location area, maybe interaction between two people.
B-Roll footage blends in with the video to create a cohesive story that is visually appealing outside of the main footage. Integrate B-roll footage into your pre-production planning.
Fourth Point: Post Production
Post Production is where all the editing magic of visual and sound effects happen. If filming was organized and efficient, then post-production will be smoother. All the footage captured is edited to the script and storyboards.
Any planned voice-overs are captured, and if needed, a sound editor works on adding music and sound mixing; making sure to obtain a high-quality sound mix to go along with the high-quality visuals an audience is seeing.
Visual effects, like utilizing a green screen, color correction or other video graphics, are added and managed. When selecting the visual effects to add to your video, keep in mind your company brand image. What colors and fonts do you have set for your brand, and what sort of visual styles does your company present?
Imagine the Instagram pictures from Middle Earth
With post-production, you’ll be given a lot of footage that needs to be cleaned up and trimmed down to the desired length.
If you’re working with an agency, once the first edit is done, it’s sent to you for revisions and suggested edits. You may want to add more or trim some lines. Maybe the colors are off or you don’t like transitions in some places.
This is where you need to remind yourself of the Target Audience, Campaign Goals, and most importantly your Brand. Does this video represent your brand well? If not send it back with notes for the editors! Be specific with timestamps!
The Final Fifth Point: Launch the video!
Once you’re happy with the video, it’s time to release it.
Will you host it on your website, or released on platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook? It could be a part of your marketing campaign or internal training videos. The choice is up to you!
Where the video is going and who it’s for was determined back in step 1. Be specific with where you release and promote your video. Focus on the copy and keywords to take advantage of SEO. It doesn’t hurt to review the video one more time before you click upload for any textual typos or edits that escaped the post-production team.
Once you’re happy with it, then let the world know all about it!
Here at HighClick Media, we follow each of these steps in our video marketing process. We have our target audience and campaign goals that we keep in mind with each of the videos we produce. For our brand, we create videos to help educate our community and clients on digital marketing, and we sneak in some company culture here and there.
We work as a team in each step of the process to produce content we’re proud of, while at the same time pushing ourselves to improve the product, our skills, and capabilities. We saw video marketing as where we want to be, and together we’re elevating HighClick to new heights!
Video branding and online video are taking the entire digital marketing frontier like a storm, and it’s time for your company to jump in before it’s blown away.
If you’re interested in how video marketing can help your business, give HighClick Media a call! Together we’ll elevate your brand to new heights.
Marketing Agency vs. In-House Team: Which Should You Choose? Like most business owners, you know you need to effectively market your business in order to
So, we’re seven days deep in November, but most stores have had Christmas decor and a Holiday Marketing plan in place since before Halloween! If you’re one of the ones grumbling about “premature Christmas decorating” or rolling your eyes at the sight of twinkling lights, glitter, and PURE CHRISTMAS JOY- First of all, shame on you. It’s never too early to get into the Holiday spirit! Secondly, keep reading.
In the wild world of retail, the Holiday season doesn’t wait until after Thanksgiving to kick off. In fact, it starts way earlier.
You see, Holiday marketing is really no different than everyday marketing. Your brand should not exist to sell a product. Your brand should exist to solve your customers’ problems.
People don’t care about your business. They care about their problems. Be the solution that they’re looking for.
Consumers start Christmas shopping as soon as Fall hits- some even sooner! So to make the most out of your Holiday marketing, you need to be ready way before Black Friday rolls around.
So, do you know what it takes to get your Holiday marketing plan working in time to capitalize on the Holiday rush? I’m going to discuss how to approach your target audience and craft campaigns that show them that your brand has the solution to their problems!
Understand your audience
Like any marketing campaign, the key to a successful Holiday marketing plan is knowing what you have to offer to the audience you’re selling to. And I’m not talking about the products you’re trying to sell. I’m talking about the thing that makes your brand the most desirable: value proposition.
Are your products or services more cost-effective than your competitors’? Higher quality? Do you offer more options? Is your brand socially aware? More consistent?
An effective value proposition will:
Be brief and easy to understand
Tell others what you do
Allow your brand to be easily found in an online search
Explain how your product solves customers’ problems
Answer the question: “As your target customer, why should I give my business to you instead of your competitors?”
Specific value propositions attract specific consumers, so understanding what your value proposition is will help you identify your target audience.
In digital marketing, the competition is only a click, swipe, or tap away, so it’s vital that you pitch your brand to the right people in the right ways. Understanding who your value proposition attracts and why will give you the confidence to create a compelling Holiday marketing plan that consumers can’t resist.
Win them over
While knowing your unique value proposition is beneficial, Holiday marketing is an intense game, and standing out from the competition is typically more difficult during the most wonderful time of the year.
Whether it’s your needy Aunt Nancy or a stressed-out salesman, the appetite for your attention during the holidays is insatiable. And while it’s nice to be wanted, it gets exhausting.
For your brand to stand out in the midst of the madness, customers attention has to be earned, not demanded.
If you can give customers a campaign they actually enjoy, you can break through the Holiday marketing fatigue and create an experience that customers love. Try not to frustrate or overwhelm them. Create content that will warm their heart or make them laugh or smile. They’ll be grateful to your brand for evoking positive emotions and be more eager to buy from you.
Send a message that perfectly fits the needs of your target audience, and gives them an experience that will make their lives easier.
Think ahead. Build brand loyalty
In the holiday rush, it’s hard to think ahead. The nature of the season can easily attract first-time customers, which is great, no doubt, but the goal is to keep ’em coming back in the first quarter of the new year.
To build your base during the season, strive to make sure customers have a smooth experience. Often times, a spike in store traffic can also mean a spike in technical issues or customer confusion. Backtrack to last year and take note of any issues that can be solved ahead of time this year. Create a customer service plan specifically for the Christmas season.
When you take care of your customers, you’re building brand loyalty.
Another way to keep customers loyal is to invite them to connect with your website, email list, and social media channels. Post a balanced mix of engaging, entertaining, and informative content throughout the season and once the season ends. To put things simply, withstand the urge to ONLY promote in November and December. Your customers want a relationship with your brand all year long.
So, next time you walk into a store that is decked out in all things Christmas, don’t roll your eyes. Use it as a reminder that it’s time to get your butt in gear, and get to work on your Holiday marketing plan!
Why You Should Audit Your Digital Marketing Strategy Why You Should Audit Your Digital Marketing Strategy In online marketing, we all want to be the most
Is your business is curious about how to make a YouTube video? How many times have you seen a competitor on Facebook Video and thought “we should have done that“?
2016 saw the rise of video content marketing to promote or market brands, products, or services. With each passing year, video marketing integrated deeper into a digital strategy for content marketers until it became a must-have for businesses.
Video marketing relies on creating and distributing valuable and consistent video content to your target audience to attract, engage, and connect qualified leads.
54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support. On top of that, researchers say that by 2022, 82% of global internet traffic will come from video streaming and downloads.
All of this is great seeing as 88% of video marketers are satisfied with the ROI of their video marketing.
Video content gives a booster shot to your search engine optimization, as well as creating engaging content for your clients to interact with on social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook, or in an email blast. Wherever your target audience can be found!
The production process and how you get the message of your brand across is what matters, and in this blog post, we’ll guide you through each step on how to make a video and give you tips and tricks to rev up your video marketing campaigns.
Here’s your 5 Step Guide to Video Production!
First point: Conception.
Conception happens when you decide you want to include video marketing into your business strategy. This is the stage where you figure out your target audience and campaign goals. These set the foundation of every successful marketing campaign, and as such are needed in video marketing. A campaign with no foundation will gain no elevation.
After that, it’s time to figure out how exactly you want to build upon that foundation with a wide variety of types of videos to choose from!
From Company Commercials & Trailers, Client Testimonials, Employee Spotlights, Demos, How-To videos with your products, or even videos that showcase the culture of the company.
Video Marketing is only limited by your imagination.
Just don’t hurt yourself in the process
Next, ask yourself whether you’ll do it in house, or if you’ll hire out. If you want to produce videos internally, you’ll need to research the equipment and editing programs necessary to produce the content. There are cameras, mics, and lighting set up for any budget. However, you get the quality you pay for, so be mindful of that!
Do you have the staff power and capability to do so? Do you have the time to manage every step of the process? Creating video content can be a time-consuming ordeal, so be sure you’re prepared to take it on!
If you want to hire out, do your research on the agencies, freelancers, and production companies in your area (like us, for instance). Reach out and meet with companies that you feel would capture your video marketing the best. Once you seal the deal, it’s time to start pre-production.
Second point: Pre-Production
..or as I like to call it “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” So you have the goals in place, now it’s time to film!
In reality, it’s time to plan the production. It’s not as simple as “have an idea, now Lights. Camera. Action!” Pre-production is VITAL to the success of your campaign.
There is a method to the video marketing madness. You have the foundation, but you need the skeleton of the video.
We’re talking the:
Who is going to be in it What equipment, permits, props, scripts, etc you need Where is it going to be filmed When is it going to be filmed
and finally
How is it going to be filmed
A script is developed either internally or externally in conjunction with the goals, target audience, and company branding. As the script is created and edited, a storyboard is worked on to help focus the director’s vision.
A storyboard is a frame by frame shot list attached with the script so the director, cameraman, and post-production know exactly what goes where and when that frame happens. Not everyone will use a storyboard – but it does help with shoots that have multiple locations and angles.
Speaking of locations, this is where filming logistics will need to happen if they did not already happen before pre-production.
If you’re filming outside, have you checked the weather for the week and set up rain delays? If you’re filming in a city or residential area, do you have the right permits to avoid fines? What location scouting has been done? Who will be in the video – employees of the company or paid actors? Have they been contacted ahead of time and worked into the filming schedule?
There is a lot of planning that must happen with each production – so to help out, we’ve created a downloadable file for you to use! It’s a guide and checklist for each part of pre-production to help keep yourself organized.
The Third Point: Filming.
The purpose of pre-production is to make Filming easier. It’s the day of the shoot, and everyone is prepared. Fantastic!
Film multiple takes to have more to work with and give yourself more than enough time to film. Even the best-trained actors stumble, and equipment problems can pop up.
Make sure to film the right thing
When filming, try to grab B-roll footage, which is supplemental or alternative footage inter-cut with the main shot. It’s the footage that shows what a person is talking about, shots of the location area, maybe interaction between two people.
B-Roll footage blends in with the video to create a cohesive story that is visually appealing outside of the main footage. Integrate B-roll footage into your pre-production planning.
Fourth Point: Post Production
Post Production is where all the editing magic of visual and sound effects happen. If filming was organized and efficient, then post-production will be smoother. All the footage captured is edited to the script and storyboards.
Any planned voice-overs are captured, and if needed, a sound editor works on adding music and sound mixing; making sure to obtain a high-quality sound mix to go along with the high-quality visuals an audience is seeing.
Visual effects, like utilizing a green screen, color correction or other video graphics, are added and managed. When selecting the visual effects to add to your video, keep in mind your company brand image. What colors and fonts do you have set for your brand, and what sort of visual styles does your company present?
Imagine the Instagram pictures from Middle Earth
With post-production, you’ll be given a lot of footage that needs to be cleaned up and trimmed down to the desired length.
If you’re working with an agency, once the first edit is done, it’s sent to you for revisions and suggested edits. You may want to add more or trim some lines. Maybe the colors are off or you don’t like transitions in some places.
This is where you need to remind yourself of the Target Audience, Campaign Goals, and most importantly your Brand. Does this video represent your brand well? If not send it back with notes for the editors! Be specific with timestamps!
The Final Fifth Point: Launch the video!
Once you’re happy with the video, it’s time to release it.
Will you host it on your website, or released on platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook? It could be a part of your marketing campaign or internal training videos. The choice is up to you!
Where the video is going and who it’s for was determined back in step 1. Be specific with where you release and promote your video. Focus on the copy and keywords to take advantage of SEO. It doesn’t hurt to review the video one more time before you click upload for any textual typos or edits that escaped the post-production team.
Once you’re happy with it, then let the world know all about it!
Here at HighClick Media, we follow each of these steps in our video marketing process. We have our target audience and campaign goals that we keep in mind with each of the videos we produce. For our brand, we create videos to help educate our community and clients on digital marketing, and we sneak in some company culture here and there.
We work as a team in each step of the process to produce content we’re proud of, while at the same time pushing ourselves to improve the product, our skills, and capabilities. We saw video marketing as where we want to be, and together we’re elevating HighClick to new heights!
Video branding and online video are taking the entire digital marketing frontier like a storm, and it’s time for your company to jump in before it’s blown away.
If you’re interested in how video marketing can help your business, give HighClick Media a call! Together we’ll elevate your brand to new heights
Why You Should Audit Your Digital Marketing Strategy Why You Should Audit Your Digital Marketing Strategy In online marketing, we all want to be the most
You may be wondering where in the world HighClick Media came from. Sure, we recently developed this alternative identity, but this isn’t our first rodeo.
In 2001, Joe Thigpen created Datagroup Technologies Inc. Offering web design and IT solutions, Joe began as a one man show. The following year, DTI built its own data center to provide high quality hosting. Since then, we’ve designed nearly 1,000 websites for a diverse range of businesses. As we continued to grow, we realized the need for digital marketing and began providing solutions to select clients. As of now, we have a team of 7 programmers, graphic designers, and web and marketing strategists providing services to clients in Eastern NC.
Our local brand is known as a regional IT provider, but we like to think big. We needed a new national identity. That’s when we established our new digital marketing component, HighClick Media, offering our premium services to the world. The name says it all. We are committed to helping our clients receive the highest number of clicks or visitors to create the highest return on investment.
HighClick offers Web Development, Pay Per Click Advertising, SEO, Creative, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, and so much more! With our seasoned team and in-house high-tech data center, we are confident in providing better results for our clients’ marketing.
How to Grow Your Business By Optimizing Your Website Prioritize Creating a Data Recovery Plan Unfortunately, business owners too often minimize the importance of cybersecurity
How to Grow Your Business By Optimizing Your Website Today, practically every business has a dedicated website – but are these businesses utilizing their websites
Okay, business owners, I know what you’re thinking. “Why would I add one more thing to my already overloaded plate?” I feel for you, I really do, because social media can be super time consuming! But, before you write it off, let’s discuss the significant role it can play in getting you significant results.
1. Everyone Uses Social Media. Seriously, everyone! From my 13-year-old nephew to my 88-year-old grandma! From Facebook to Instagram to Twitter to aaallllll the other platforms, social media plays such a prominent role in our daily lives – and friend, it’s here to stay. Statistics show that 81% percent of the U.S. population has at least one social media account. Let me say that louder for the people in the back: EIGHTY. ONE. PERCENT!
2. Accessibility. Think about how easily accessible social media is. It’s literally right at our fingertips, all day every day. Social media makes it ridiculously easy to share updates, post pictures and videos, discuss products, sales, specials, and so much more! Think of it this way – your business’s social media presence is in the pocket, purse, and hands of your potential customers!
3. Competition. I have a confession: I’m a stalker, but not in a hiding-in-your-bushes kind of way! I’m a certified social media stalker through and through. Watching my competitors’ activities keeps me up to speed on what they’re doing and gives me extra insight into how I can advance. Monitoring competitors does much more than tell you what you’re up against. It can help you to formulate your own stellar marketing strategy. Keep your friends close and your enemies’ competitors closer.
4. Increase Brand Loyalty. Effective communication can take your business to infinity, and beyond! The convenience and open communication social media provides allows the business to build deeper relationships with the audience. When people have an opportunity to respond to a business or provide feedback, it makes them feel like they have a voice, and when the business responds to the customer promptly and professionally, customer loyalty is boosted.
5. Increase Traffic and Conversions on Your Website. Each time you link a social media post back to your website, you’re creating new entrances for viewers to get to your site. I’ll use HighClick as an example. I’ve been writing blogs and sharing them to our Facebook page. These posts get shared among HighClick’s Facebook followers, leading more people to click on our site to read the blog! More traffic = more opportunities for conversions. The more opportunities you have, the more closed business you get! It’s simple.
To sum it up, social media is an essential key to growing your business. It does take time to effectively operate a social media account, especially if you’re starting from scratch, but the results make it totally worth it. Try it, you’ll like it! Don’t hesitate to ask for help, that’s what we’re here for.
Marketing Agency vs. In-House Team: Which Should You Choose? Like most business owners, you know you need to effectively market your business in order to
5 Reasons You Absolutely Need a Professional Website Design
First impressions matter! Fun fact: It takes only about 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about your website design. That’s 0.05 seconds for your potential customers to decide if your site, and ultimately – your business, is worth sticking around for or not.
Seriously, friends– 88% of consumers research a product online before making their purchase. 88% of your potential customers will visit your website (and probably your competitors) before deciding if they’ll visit your business. Does your website do a good job of representing your business?
If it’s not obvious yet, I’ll go ahead and tell you: Your business *needs* a website.
No, not just any website; your business needs a professional website design. Because a website that’s boring or cluttered, takes forever to load, and doesn’t include critical info your potential customers are seeking, will hurt your business rather than help it. The appearance and usability of your website can make or break your business.
Here are 5 compelling reasons why your business NEEDS a professional website:
1. Credibility.
Again, about 9 out of 10 people are going to search for their solutions online before they visit your store. If you don’t have a website at all, chances are one of your competitors do. Where do you think the potential customer is most likely to go?
Having a website says “I care about my business, and I’m here to stay”.
I don’t recommend using a free website building platform, but it’s better than no website at all. However, if you have a DIY freebie website that you built yourself, ask yourself, is it providing you with the image you envisioned for your brand? Please don’t be that business owner that has a website online that says “Hey look, I used a free website builder!” 10/10 Very unprofessional. I’m telling you this because I love you.
With mindful planning, designed efficiently, with your customers’ (and potential customers’) needs in mind, your website will offer a professional image and a great experience when visited.
2. Information.
In its most elementary form, imagine a website to be an online brochure that can be updated at any time.
A website is an effective way of reaching your customers to announce new services, products, upcoming events or special promotions. Some other forms of advertising can quickly become outdated, but your website can provide current information and news.
A website goes so much further than being an online brochure though. We have endless media outlets to showcase our skills, smarts and products. Not to mention integrating social media so you can share info on your site across numerous other channels, reaching an even wider audience.
3. Accessibility.
A website is open 24/7, 365! A website gives you the ability to provide the convenience of seeing your products or services when your physical business is closed.
Also, with so many add-on’s available, website visitors can contact you, schedule appointments and, if you’d like, purchase directly through your website.
We live in a crazy busy world. Convenience is such an awesome selling point!
4. Customer Service.
A website can improve customer service, which improves loyalty, which guarantees your customers will keep coming back to you when they need your products or services.
It doesn’t matter what you sell, consumers love a personal touch. Sharing tips and advice to customers regarding your products or services can be a huge asset to your customer service. If you’re selling hair products, you could provide styling tips that line up with each product. If you’re offering insurance, you could offer advice on how to choose the right insurance policy based on their needs.
Last but not least, including a FAQ page allows you to address a lot of your customers’ questions before they even ask. Talk about customer service!
5. Ownership and Control.
With a professional, self-hosted website, you own everything contained within your online space. If you ever decide to move to a different web-host, you can take everything with you.
With free DIY websites, you’re not always able to take your content with you (at least not easily) when you’re ready to move on. Starting from scratch isn’t appealing in this case.
If you’re serious about the long-term prospects of your business, a professional website design is the way to go. Professionally designed websites look better, work better, and are easier for business owners to deal with.
And to be frank, a cheap pre-made template looks like a cheap pre-made template, and it doesn’t have much room for improvement.
A professional website design requires tons of fine-tuning and technical knowledge. But the impact it has on your digital marketing? Priceless.
If you’re ready to discuss building a website that thrives, let us know! We’re happy to help.
Marketing Agency vs. In-House Team: Which Should You Choose? Like most business owners, you know you need to effectively market your business in order to
4 Essential Digital Marketing Elements That Your Business Needs
Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been in business for a while (but you’re not getting the traction that you had hoped for), we’re going to teach you how to get on the right track!
The 4 Essential Digital Marketing Elements That Your Business Needs
1. Branding:
This is so important because it shows your customers how you’re going to accommodate them. Your brand is your business name, logo, tagline, personality and more! Most popular brands evolve by adjusting to the times. This allows them to meet the ever-changing needs and expectations of the clients and customers. If nothing else, you need a brand name, a target audience, and an idea of how your brand personality is going to connect with your target audience.
This is a good example of brand evolution. Starbucks is continuously updating their brand and services, presenting a fresh take on a company we’ve known for decades.
2. Website:
If you’re a newbie, you probably don’t have a huge website budget yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome website. Ideally, your site should be simple and easy to navigate. Fast load times are also vital, or you might be losing people before they even see your site!
You will also want to make sure that your website is mobile-optimized, meaning that if someone wants to visit your site from a phone or tablet, they’ll still get a great browsing experience.
A mobile-optimized website is beyond important. Not having a mobile-optimized site can frustrate mobile users and hinder your business.
3. Content:
Content covers all the things. Anything that educates your customers about your business is content. Potential clients are going to visit your website to see if and how your content is relates to them and their needs. The best content should be non-intrusive and inspire your customers to come to you. For a crash course that will give you a better understanding of Content Marketing, click here.
4. Advertising:
A strategically planned-out ad can help your business grow substantially. And the best part? You don’t need a ton of money to get started! Advertising is key- don’t forget it!
If you are just getting started, my suggestion to you is re-marketing to people who have already visited your website. They’ve already shown interest, and all you need to do is seal the deal! Digital advertising is a great way to drive traffic to your site and convert prospects into customers.
There you have it! Four essential digital marketing elements that every business needs to have in order to set you up for success!
If you wish to have more traffic, leads or sales, then it’s time we talk!
Marketing Agency vs. In-House Team: Which Should You Choose? Like most business owners, you know you need to effectively market your business in order to
SMM. SEO. Branding. Copywriting. When people find out the type of work that I do, they will undoubtedly ask all the questions about what it actually entails. Look – as a digital marketer, I could take you down the rabbit hole at any given time trying to explain what goes into it, but it would take hours… days… YEARS! Maybe not years, but you catch my drift. My goal for this blog as a whole is to help you get your feet wet, and inform you of the importance of digital marketing, little by little, without totally overwhelming you.
Well, I’m delighted you asked! Like most digital marketing terms, branding means more than just one thing, and typically, it means different things to different people. Some see branding as good public relations, and some believe it to be a simple logo or slogan. Branding can include both of these things and so much more. For me, your brand represents your business’s identity, enhances your culture, and extends your value proposition. Your brand is your personality, your story – a story that cultivates your vision, influencing your mission. The strongest, most successful brands use distinct direction and a powerful message to guide the creative and visual aspects of their brand.
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” – Seth Godin
Mr. Godin is totally onto something here. You must communicate your story clearly so that your audience can pick up what you’re putting down. The goal is for your audience to develop a positive feeling and a grasped concept regarding your brand. Your brand is your foundation. It is the fundamental ground that upholds your values, message, mindset, and more.
When Evaluating Your Brand, Keep These Tips in Mind:
Invest in Discovery: Conducting a brand audit is the only way to review where your company’s brand stands today. Check out the past history of your brand. What’s working and what’s not?
Be Confident in Your Direction: Ensure that your employees (especially those with leadership roles) have a firm grasp on the vision and mission for the company. This may not be fully mapped out before you begin a branding process, but having some sort of concept in mind is beneficial.
Keep an Open Mind: Release your preconceived notions and restrictions, as they may be holding you back from brand growth and direction. Immerse yourself in any and all ideas, even if in the end, the reigns are pulled back. Being open-minded will allow you to reach and exceed your creative potential.
Work with a ThirdParty: Branding or rebranding is difficult for any company. Sometimes you’re just too close to your own brand, and an outsider’s perspective can give you fresh insight you didn’t even realize you needed.
Enjoy Yourself: Branding is important stuff, and falling into a state of constant stress and worry is easy to do during this process. But if you have fun with it and work with a proven agency or consultant to guide you through the madness, your journey will be all the more positive and exciting!
So, are your wheels turning yet? Do you know what your brand stands for? How well are you communicating your story? Is your brand strategy aligned with your marketing plan? If you’re unable to answer these questions, or you think it may be time to revisit your strategy, we’re here for you!
Marketing Agency vs. In-House Team: Which Should You Choose? Like most business owners, you know you need to effectively market your business in order to
