Increasing ROI with Refreshed, Refurbished Content

 Any successful business owner knows that high-quality content is vital to any marketing plan.  And any seasoned marketing professional knows this original content is essential to a successful search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.  Sometimes it’s hard to create content and once you do, it is often published and forgotten about, growing stale and outdated. 

Just like with plastics, glass and metal, recycling is a good thing.  Refreshing an
d updating content allows you to work smarter rather than harder.  With a bit of planning, you can revamp, repurpose and refurbish your content to bring you more traffic and a higher return on investment (ROI).

1. Update Current Content Regularly

The older a blog post or article, the more page authority it can build on the search engine results page (SERP).  That’s great, but you don’t want to drive traffic to information that’s outdated or no longer accurate.

Make a plan to revisit your content every six months to a year and regularly update your current content. During this process, you can check that all links are still working, all data is still accurate, and all facts are still relevant and up to date. In some cases, you may just have to make a few tweaks to statistics.  In others, you may need to add a new intro, summary or just a paragraph to provide updates.  This is much better than having to start from scratch!

2. Create useful downloads and templates.

Everyone understands that blogs are a great source of content and a great way to increase your SEO.  But you shouldn’t limit yourself to only publishing written blogs and articles. 

Explore additional content types such as downloads, infographics and templates that are relevant to your audience and to the written content you provide. If you sell skin care products, for example, you could create a branded checklist of how to care for your skin or obtain video testimonials from customers that are willing to share their positive results.

3. Tease content through videos.

Think about what grabs your attention more.  If you see a post leading with a graphic or video, are you more likely to click on it than if you just see text?  You’re not alone!  Videos help grab our attention and can add context to topics, particularly for highly technical or how-to type pieces. 

Teaser videos can serve as a preview that entices your audience to click through and read the post that you’re promoting. Reuse the teaser video in your email marketing, on your website and via social media.  In today’s age, you don’t need a professional videographer.  Save money and do it yourself or hire an intern using budget-friendly platforms like Adobe Spark or WeVideo. 

4. Consider Offering “Locked” Content

Asking for an email before someone can download your whitepaper, webinar or how-to piece has been called into question by some.  However, when these readers enter their email address for access, they are giving you permission to add them to your email list (provided they check the opt-in box you will put on the sign in form).  This gives you a great opportunity for follow-up, targeted marketing. 

This process is known as gating.  Gating content means the piece is “locked” and requires someone’s contact info to unlock it, such as their phone number and name or their email address.  If you choose this route, it is recommended to create a unique landing page for the content you are locking.  Promoting the unique URL will improve the click thru rates and will boost downloads.

5. Promote new content through digital advertising

Creating online ads is another great way to boost your ROI using your content. Got exclusive data from a recent survey? Planning a webinar on a hot-button industry topic? Share that information directly to your target audience.  Yes, there is a cost.  But it’s called ROI for a reason.  If done right, you will see a positive return on your investment.

It’s important to research where your target audience gets their information before you agree to a spend.  For instance, a tattoo parlor will probably get a better return using Instagram or Facebook than LinkedIn.  But a medical device company who wants to grab the attention of physicians and buying agents will probably do better utilizing LinkedIn ads. But, again, make sure you understand where your target audience obtains their information and that the cost of the ad is worth your investment.

6. Create a newsletter that features your content.

If you don’t have a monthly or bi-monthly newsletter yet – start one today.  These email missives can be used to share your latest blog, news from your organization or an original thought piece.

Along with optimizing your content and promoting it via organic social media posts, an email newsletter is a great way to get your content marketing more exposure. It meets people where they already are and gives you an opportunity to drive more traffic to your website while keeping your brand top of mind on a regular basis.

Just make sure your newsletter is less than the equivalent of 2 pages long.  Nobody wants to read an entire book in an email.

Summary

When it comes to content, it’s about quality and quantity. But you don’t have to have a large team of writers to pull off a content marketing plan that brings in good results. 

As long as you make sure that what you publish is up to date and accurate, well-executed and promoted properly you can improve your search engine ranks.  If done correctly, your refreshed content can help save you time and money while delivering fantastic results. 

Need help creating a content recycling plan?  Contact us today!

How’s Your Branding and Marketing Working For You?

We’re more than a month into 2020, which is a good time to take a look at your marketing and branding efforts. Is it still relevant or does it need revising? Are you spending what you should or are you spending too much/too little?  Is your messaging clear and consistent?  Are you utilizing the right marketing channels to effectively reach your target audiences?

You could spend thousands of your marketing dollars on advertising placements, media outreach, and marketing efforts, but if you’re not delivering effective messages in effective ways, that money, time, and energy is all for nothing. Is your branding and messaging resonating, effective, and helping your organization meet key objectives? Is it reaching your primary audiences? Does your brand convey your company’s mission?

So many questions!  But, to ensure your company stays innovative and agile as it grows and thrives, take time to review messaging and consider revising or rebranding based on what you discover.

Check for consistency: Are your language and visuals consistent across multiple platforms of message delivery? All of your messaging should sound like one, consistent voice that speaks to the same key points. If language is inconsistent or unclear, your messages can be confusing to your audiences, thus far less likely to be understood and retained.

Take an internal audit: How do your employees view your messaging? Is there employee buy-in? Do they feel comfortable and able to communicate your company’s story, mission, and messages with clarity? What are they hearing from customers, partners and other key audiences? Do they think it’s clear and concise or are they hearing otherwise? This is a great opportunity to involve your team, collect feedback, see if anything pertinent has changed, and make revisions where necessary.

Survey target customers: Go right to the source! Create a brief survey to ask customers how your messaging appeals to them. This is a great opportunity for an additional touchpoint with your customers. Ask open-ended questions to gauge what customers’ takeaways are and invite suggestions.

Analyze social media metrics and feedback: Which campaigns or messages have generated the most engagement? A look through social media analytics can help identify a direct correlation between types of news or posts that initiate a higher volume of responses. Determine what language, topics, and other information is resonating well and what needs to be changed or eliminated based on the popularity of particular types of posts. Pay attention to what types of images impact engagement, as well.

Review web analytics: It is a good idea to have some type of website analytics set up (e.g., Google Analytics) to track and monitor web traffic, bounce rates, visitors, etc. This information is valuable to understanding how certain pages affect certain behaviors. You can also look at the overall picture – what promotions are you doing to drive people to the most viewed pages, etc.

Conduct a competitive analysis: No need for an extensive 25-page report, but it is important to review the competitive landscape and assess where your company stands in the marketplace. Do you know who your top competitors are? What language and visuals are they using? Are they getting significant attention or media coverage? Do you clearly convey what sets your company apart from the competition?

Your company’s branding and messaging should stand out from competitors, resonate with key audiences, inspire new business, and create repeat customer transactions. Your brand should you’re your target audiences feel something.  It should tell a compelling story that inspires them to take action. Perform a truthful assessment and revise and implement accordingly.  After all, if you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got.  

If your branding and messaging aren’t producing results now is the time to make a change!

There IS a Difference Between Branding and Marketing

When we tell small business owners that we are branding and marketing specialists, we get one or more of the following reactions:

• ·         There’s a difference?
• ·         So, what does that mean?
• ·         You do promotional products too?
• ·         That just means you design logos and websites, right?

No. We do not do promotional products (but we can recommend a fantastic promotional product business).  Yes.  We do logos and websites.  But, we won’t do the latter if a brand is not in place.

We help individuals and businesses discover their brand.  They’re ‘why’.  Their solution to consumers’ problems.  THEN we help them promote their ‘why’ – why they do what they do and why consumers should choose them.  You shouldn’t have a marketing plan in place if you don’t know your brand.  After all, if you don’t know your brand, nobody else will.

What’s the difference between branding and marketing?

1. Marketing is your message. Your brand is who you are.

Authentic brands don’t emerge from marketing cubicles or advertising agencies. They emanate from everything the company does.

When done right, your brand is your reason for being. It is the unique, authentic, singular value you offer to your customers. It permeates the culture of your company, and it is communicated to your customers every time they see, feel, touch, or experience your brand—not just when they experience a marketing message.

2. Branding comes first, marketing second.

If you have a logo, a package design, or a slogan, you may think you have a brand. What you actually have are a set of marketing materials and messages.

Whether they forget or purposely neglect it, many blow off step one of the branding process.

What’s step one? You must determine and define your brand value in the marketplace. Only then should you move on to developing a brand strategy—followed, last of all, by crafting a marketing campaign.

3. You own your marketing; your consumers own your brand.

Compared to branding, marketing is easier to control and to comprehend. You write the headlines, you choose the art, you post the Tweets. You measure conversions or awareness, and determine whether your marketing is a success or a failure.

When your customers take action and buy into your marketing efforts, there’s a reason.  That’s branding.  Many things influence your brand, you cannot manufacture brand value yourself.

Essentially, if you are authentic.  If your services provide a value.  If you have a clear understanding of the need you fill.  If you believe in your product or services and have a passion for it, potential customers will see that your brand is here to stay.

You must know the difference between branding and marketing, and don’t confuse your tactics. Marketing is storytelling. The most powerful branding happens when you listen, not when you talk. Your consumers will tell you what your brand is—or what they need it to be—because they alone know.

The strongest brands use their understanding of the difference between branding and marketing to build marketing campaigns that work hand in hand with their brand positioning strategy. They listen to their customers, and let their values, hopes, and desires define the brand’s position—then craft marketing campaigns to communicate that value through simple, creative, show-stopping executions.

If you do not see a return on your investment with your marketing efforts, it could be your brand!  Never fear – we’re here to help!  We can help you discover your story, your why and find that core element that sets your brand and your business above the competition.  Contact SK Consulting today! 

Small businesses have small budgets.  We get it.  But, don’t limit your creativity or your marketing strategies because of it.  

There are a lot of things you can do to promote your business without spending a lot of money. You don’t necessarily need to go big – go small and intimate! 

1. Get personal.

Customers love the opportunity to make something their own. Studies have shown that the majority of consumers said receiving a personalized incentive would improve consideration of the brand.  If there’s a way for you to allow customer customization, give it a try and see how your audience responds. Not sure how to add a personal touch to your business? Anything that gets your customer’s name on your product works -- using frosting to write the order name on your donuts, or offering free monograming on your inventory of purses or apparel.

2. Promote customer engagement.

In today’s social world, whatever you can do to make your small business more shareable is good for marketing. What is something you could implement that your customers would find Insta-worthy? Create an opportunity for photo ops and increase your social reach without spending a cent. Try a selfie campaign, Facebook Live, a contest for the most creative slogan.  Add a prize component to entice people to use your custom hashtag or tag your business in their posts.

3. Say thanks.

How often do you let your customers know that you appreciate them? You’d be surprised the power a simple “thank you” can have on creating customer loyalty. Everyone likes to feel appreciated. While a card can often be effort enough, let’s try to remember that we’re thinking outside the proverbial box and go for something bigger. How about hosting a special event where guests can sample new menu items, or you highlight one of your customer’s businesses?. Try utilizing Meetup.com or another event website that can gain the attention of new customers as well as current ones.

4. Develop a loyalty program.

If you’re losing customers, you need to establish a way to cultivate repeat business. If your target audience is Generation Z – you’re LUCKY!  They are more willing than any other generation to sign up for loyalty cards in exchange for deals or discounts. Your loyalty program can be as basic as a punch card or as elaborate as a membership that rewards customers based on how often they visit or even how much they spend.  

5. Utilize LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a frequently skipped social media networks for small businesses. But why? While not the most exciting platform, it does provide unique opportunities for marketing your business. Without even spending any money, you can connect with people in your community by creating a group, joining existing groups and reaching out to other small business owners and potential customers in your area.  This platform is geared toward the more professional audience.  EVERYONE has a Facebook page.  But, show other business professionals that you and your business mean business by using LinkedIn.

6. Survey your current customers.

If you’re not sure what types of marketing or promotions your customers will respond to best, ask them. A simple survey can provide endless insight into what you’re doing right and wrong, and what you’re not doing that you should be. Include a raffle-like component, where one participant will win a prize (such as a $100 credit to your business) to encourage your audience to take part.  Your customers are your best PR tool.  If they respond that they love this or that, ask them for a testimonial on this or that.

Small business owners fight an uphill battle every day.  There are corporations that offer some of the services you do and have spent the big money promoting it.  The small mom and pop store down the street from a WalMart struggles.  But, don’t brush aside everyone’s inherent need to feel special.  Nobody wants to be an account number, a credit card number, a client number.  Customers will come back (and probably be willing to spend a little more) for authentic, genuine, person-to-person customer service. 

That’s something us true small business owners can hang our hat on.  If you need help finding your strengths and being the David against the Goliath, contact SK Consulting today!

What is Your Branding Story? Part 2

Tell Your Story

Buyers love to connect with brands they trust via social media and video. They love to hear stories about not only your company but the other buyers who are using your products and services successfully. They’ll share the stories with their friends and family, thus helping expand your brand through story telling.

To tell a good story you’ll need to delve deeply into your why. Why does your business exist? Why are you passionate about your product or service? If you’re not sure how to develop your story, you can use social media to distribute surveys to the customers you have that already exist if you’re collecting (and you should be) their information. In addition you can brainstorm with employees and contractors, ask them why they’re here. Ask them why they come to work each day. Also, never overlook searching the web for what people are saying about your business.

Fill out your profiles on the “About Us” area of your websites, blogs and social media. If you guest post for others ensure that your author’s bio is succinct in telling your story. Create videos or ask your clients to create videos that tell your story. Even your contractors and employers can help tell your story via their LinkedIn.com profiles, or social media profiles that mention your company and what they do for your company.

Place photos of your products or important components of customer testimonials that showcase all the positives of your services on your website and social media sites in a prominent location. People want to know what is behind the products and services in a way that shows them that you care, and that you are dedicated to solving their problems. That’s right, all successful products and services solve a problem. If you’re not sure what problem you solve, it’s time to research and figure it out.

Your blog is a terrific place to start talking about your why for being. Create posts, and ask for guests posts from service providers, contractors, employees, customers and clients that show in their words how important your why is to the world. Be open and transparent in your discussion of why you exist. If you’ve done your home work, your story will resonate with your clients and potential clients and make them proud to do business with you.

Spreading the Word on Social Media

Social media offers a tremendous opportunity to brand your business. In the old days we only had TV, Radio, Newspapers, Billboards and the cocktail party. Today, the world is truly open for businesses who see the value in using technology to expand their reach.

The best way to enjoy the advantages of what social media can offer is to realize exactly what you can do with social media. Yes, still go to local events, and live events, but never underestimate the importance of being part of the online conversation about your industry.

You can use social media to:

• Study your market

• Network

• Share important information

• Announce new products and services

• Tell people about sales

• Expand your brand

Some ways to do the above are:

Facebook — Use Facebook to build a community and participate daily. Answer questions professionally, and interact with others in your community. It’s important to give your customers a reason to talk about you. Ask them to create a videos or showcase them on a live video describing how they used your product or service and what kind of success they enjoyed due to it.

Twitter — Share new content with followers, comment on their shares, and participate in the conversation your followers are having. Share coupons, sales, brand news, answer questions, share how-to’s and interviews that you’ve done. Consumers love getting coupons and freebies, so ensure that you offer them.

Google and YouTube — While other social networks remain at the top, Google+ remains a place to engage in collections and communities, share your posts, and gather the latest news from influencers in your industry. Images and video work well here — especially with YouTube’s integration where you can grow your brand audience through pre-recorded video or live video.

LinkedIn — This is a more serious business networking social network in which you can join professional groups, share your latest blog posts, and network with influencers in your niche. With the simple publishing features it is a great place to attract more visitors to your website for free.

Instagram and Pinterest — Create compelling image or video that showcase the inner workings of your brand including your products and services, and customer testimonials. This type of visual social media will expand your brand in many ways and could even go viral. Pinterest is especially important to retail businesses as well as bloggers who would like to grow their readership.

On any of the popular social media avenues today it’s possible to search keywords that describe your audience, product or service including competitors to keep up with what is happening in your industry. It doesn’t matter if you have an online business or offline business. Using social media to further your brand is an essential component of any branding effort today.

Before you get started take a look at your mission statement, and remind yourself of who your target audience is. Keep the same visual brand throughout all your social media networks. In fact, your online visual brand, the logos, the graphics, colors, tag lines — they should remain the same across all marketing channels.

Before joining the conversation, create full and compelling social media profiles using your other marketing collateral as a start. Don’t reinvent the wheel. You’ve already developed a brand offline, and that brand should stay the same. The idea is to expand your brand, not replace it. While your brand is more than just your photo, there is no point in confusing your audience. You want current customers who find you on social media to share you with others and they will if they recognize you immediately.

All businesses need to use social media to promote their business today. But, many business owners don’t realize that their actions on social media comprise an extension of their brand. To expand your brand it’s important to use social media in a strategic way that aligns with your core business values. How you promote your business with social media depends on what kind of business you have.

If you’re a speaker, author, life coach or your business is completely about you, you will handle your branding through social media differently than if your business is about a product or service. If you have products and services it’s important that you develop a brand for those in addition to your personal brand by creating accounts for each business component. Your @JaneSmith Twitter account should be used differently from your @ProductorServices business account.

On your personal social media accounts it’s important to be yourself and be transparent. Admitting mistakes, showing your personality, engaging with others, sharing information is important in branding yourself. On your business account you should also be a real person, share, engage your audience, and try to be compelling and interesting. However you slice it, social media is an excellent way to increase your brand.

Using social media can increase brand awareness quickly. Whether you like it or not, people will be talking about your business via social media. If you’re not invested in social media the conversation goes on without you. Not only do you want to be part of that conversation, you also want to be in control of the conversation.

In order to be in control of the conversation regardless of which social media you use, start the conversation. Create excellent content on your websites. Write excellent guest posts for other people’s websites. Share compelling information that other people have shared. Comment in a meaningful way on content that you enjoy, or even content that you disagree with. Always be respectful, but showing each audience your expertise will increase your authority, even if it’s controversial.

Never, ever delete critical information that you find, whether it’s a comment on your blog, or a complaint you discovered on Facebook. Instead, publicly deal with the comment in a professional way. Of course, delete offensive comments riddled with swear words, but don’t delete genuine critical comments or complaints. How you deal with these issues will speak volumes to your target audience who sees them.

Use social media to promote the things that your company does and is involved in. Every blog post you make, every new product you create, every new service you offer should be worthy of the same promotion as the next.

Remember, branding is more than a logo or pretty picture. It’s really about the perception your target audience has about your business’ culture. It’s a compilation of your name, logos, tagline, mission statement and the messaging that leaves your office. Without knowing your story and conveying a compelling story to the marketplace, many people will miss out on enjoying your products and services.

If you need help developing or telling your story, contact SK Consulting today!

Better Your Business By Blogging

If you run a small business, chances are you are wondering if blogging is worth the time and effort. The short answer is a resounding YES! Blogging on a frequent basis is a relatively easy, inexpensive way to enhance your inbound marketing efforts, drive traffic to your site, and attract more perspective customers.

Once you attract them, it’s important to engage with your consumers online.  Consumers are learning about services and products through social media and search. Your online marketing and brand strategy cannot rest on logo and trademark alone. Regular blogging about relevant issues in your field will increase your visibility. Once someone relates to a blog you have written, it can go viral increasing your audience and potential consumers.

Blogging also allows you to put forth a more authentic voice behind your logo, trademark or website. In a blog you can provide analysis on the specific benefits of your products. Also, including the latest research or cutting-edge matters in your field will distinguish you from your competition and will build your credibility as an expert.

Still Not Convinced?

Here are some of the most important benefits of having a blog for your business (multi-level marketers and agents within a business too):

1. Boost Search Engine Optimization-Search engines love fresh content. What better way to provide frequent content than with blog posts. By blogging consistently, you give Google and other search engines new content to index and you create opportunities to plug in those all-important keywords to increase your visibility on search engine results pages (SERPS).
   
   
2. Develop Relationships with Potential and Existing Customers-Blogging allows you to connect with your site visitors. This can be accomplished by asking your readers questions at the end of your posts to get the conversation going or by simply allowing comments and feedback. By reviewing and responding to readers’ comments, you can create a rapport with your audience, build trust, and gain valuable insight into what your customers are looking for.
   
   
3. Establish Your Business as an Industry Leader-No matter how small your business is, you can build trust and clout within your industry by providing valuable, expert information in your blog posts. Over time, you become a “go to” resource for helpful, informative content, which can ultimately lead to higher customer conversion rates. This is especially important for small businesses looking to gain credibility to compete with larger companies.
   
   
4. Connect People to Your Brand-Blog posting allows you to show a personal side of your business that perspective and current customers won’t see through outbound marketing techniques. Blogging gives others a sense of the corporate standards, vision, and personality of your company.
   
   
5. Create Opportunities for Sharing-Every time you blog, you create an opportunity for your audience to share your blog with others. Whether they link to your blog post, tweet it, or email it to others, it’s free marketing and it further validates you as a credible business.
   
   

From a practical standpoint, blogging just makes sense. With minimal effort and expense, you can build credibility, boost search engine rankings, increase website traffic, and foster relationships with potential and current customers. This is an opportunity no small business or individual agent should pass up.

If your writing isn’t stellar or you’re not sure where to start or what to write about, we can help!  Don’t just write to write.  Write to educate.  Write to inspire.  Write to drive business. If this is not your cup of tea – it’s okay to hire the experts!  www.stonekingconsulting.com