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Choosing the Right Channels to Reach the Right Market

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Choosing the right channels to reach your target market is a crucial decision. It is important that you know where your prospects and customers are spending their time online.

With Twitter, Instagram and Facebook leading the pack, most businesses are tempted to use more channels and to have a presence on multiple social media platforms. Of course, the more social media sites you use, the more customers you can reach. But it also increases cost. If building presence in multiple channels does not bring about extra sales, then you’ll end up spending more for little or no benefit.

Here’s a quick set of considerations as you select the right social networks to reach the right market.

Twitter

You should use this channel if are looking to reach younger men and women. Since Twitter appeals to information junkies, it is also a great choice if your business lends itself to the provision of timely insights or topic-based news.  It is also a two-way platform wherein you can engage and interact with your followers.

LinkedIn

If you are seeking to make business connections or are in B2B and you wish to provide useful insights to people thinking about their work, then LinkedIn is right for you.

It is optimal for industry-specific information and peer networking since most users are in work mode on LinkedIn. Given the educational levels and high income of the average LinkedIn users, this channel offers a distinct audience worth targeting.

Facebook

If you are looking to reach as broad a network as possible or wish to build a community presence, then Facebook is right for you.

Despite the introduction of new social media sites, Facebook is still one of the most popular sites, with more than 70% of online adults actively participating. However, since most people use this platform to connect with their family and friends, it may not be the best channel to reach your target market.

Instagram

If you have a visual aspect to what you do and what your customers are interested in, then Instagram is the right channel for you. Given its popularity among urbanites and its appeal to specific ethnic segments, Instagram can also be a good choice for certain market targets.

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Content Marketing: Tips for Generating Fresh and Relevant Content

BIMS blogYou only have a few seconds to capture the attention of your target audience. Think about the books you’ve began and the articles you’ve read in the past. Through the first few sentences, people will decide whether they want to spend more time to read your content. With so much articles posted on the web, you can’t expect people to invest so much of their time trying to overcome a tepid introduction.

Despite the intense competition, some people were able to generate thousands of laser-targeted visitors to their sites. If you’ve ever wondered how they did that, then you’re in for a real treat.

Here are some tips to help you generate fresh content and increase the popularity of your site.

Find other blogs to read

Set aside 10 minutes of your time browsing through other blogs in the same niche. This will help ensure that you have fresh content ideas when you’re ready to sit down and create new contents for your site. Take what you find and make it even better.

Don’t be afraid to dedicate more time everyday to read other’s blog posts. Mind you, the best writers spend majority of their time reading and learning how to inject different voices into their work.

Pinterest

If you’ll be hanging out on the same platforms as your competitors, there’s a good chance that you’ll be writing the same old stuff.

Pinterest actually drives more traffic as compared to Youtube, LinkedIn and Google+. So, focus there and use it for content mining.

Pinterest pins are ranked according to likes, comments and repins. So, keep an eye out for topics with the most number of repins.

Check the comments section

If you have an active community on your blog, then make it a point to read the comments.

Your site should focus on your visitor’s interest and address the question of what’s in it for them. By listening to what others have to say, you’ll be able to pick up some ideas to write for your next blog post.

However, if no one is commenting on your posts, we suggest reading the comments on other blogs within the industry.

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Tips to Improve Your Search Engine Ranking

Search Engine Optimization - Magnifying GlassWhen it comes to achieving online marketing success, getting found is probably one of the biggest determining factors. Unless your site shows up on Google and other popular search engines, you’ll definitely have a hard time improving your web traffic, getting your content out and reaching out to people who might be interested in the products and services you offer.

In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to improve your search engine ranking. Read on and get your website well ranked in search engines.

Tweak your title tags

Your title tags are a supremely important way of providing search engines with relevant information about your website’s purpose and content. So don’t make the mistake of leaving the default “Home Page” title in the title tags. Otherwise, your site will only show up in search results when someone keys in the word “Home Page”.

Have high quality content

The best way to encourage people to visit your site is by consistently providing them with unique interesting and relevant contents.

Write articles about your industry, products or services and current market information that will be of interest to your target audience. Also, make sure that your texts are original. Or else, you might get punished for stealing others contents.

Optimize the right keywords

Find the most relevant and widely used keywords that relate to your business and incorporate them into your texts. Make sure to insert these keywords as seamlessly as possible.

Before deciding on a set of keywords, it would be a good idea to use Google Adwords to check how competitive your keywords are. Using broader keywords is also a good option.

Get help

If you’re managing a big site, we suggest hiring someone who really knows what they’re doing. A little knowledge may be helpful, but you may end up getting your site penalized or banned from search engines. Leave your site’s ranking in the hands of the experts.

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4 Ways to Enhance Customer Relationship with Social Media

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Your prospective and current customers are already online, and most of them are spending a few hours a day on social media. If your business is not active on social media, now is the right time to build a solid online presence.

Social media enables you to engage with your customer as never before. So, instead of relying solely on phone communication or email, consider reaching out to your target audience and existing customers through social media.

Here are a few tips on how to use social media to enhance client relationships, put smiles on customer’s faces and lead your business to growth.

Connect with your customers

If you are looking to build a social media presence, it is important to connect with your customers and make sure that you are having a two-way conversation with them.

Run polls. Ask questions. Turn your social media from a one-way channel into a two-way channel.

Encourage participation

Instead of supplying the information all the time, it would be a good idea to encourage your customers to share their photos and stories. As a way of saying thank you, take the time to come up with genuine individualized responses. This way, your customers will fee that you are truly interested in their experiences and are appreciative of their contributions.

Own your mistakes

Even big corporations are not immune to mistakes. So, when an unhappy customer tweets about a late order, take their complaints seriously, acknowledge the mistake and work on solving the problem fast.

Sincerity and humility goes a long way in social media in showing your customers that you respect and value them. While it is acceptable to make mistakes, owning up to your mistakes and saying “we’re sorry” is the best way to handle complaints.

Reward loyal customers

Highlight customers who take the time to consistently engage with your brand. Give them free merchandize or say thank you with simple personalized responses. By doing so, you can show them how much you appreciate and value their support. Mind you, that emotional component could turn a customer into a promoter.

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Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

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Email marketing isn’t dead. In fact customer acquisition has quadrupled over the past 4 years. This goes to show how effective email marketing is for small businesses. That’s great news, provided that your emails are being read by the recipients.

In order to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your marketing efforts, you have to focus on what’s killing your open rates and find a way to fix them. While some mistakes are harmless, the following mistakes could be costly.

Poor frequency

While a flood of emails may distance the customer you’re trying to attract, the same reaction can also be expected if you send emails on an inconsistent basis.

Have a consistent enough cadence that your subscribers would be thrilled to receive an email from you, yet relaxed enough that they don’t wonder whether or not you’re still sleeping at night.

Forgetting to send emails at important events

The introduction of new products or services, promotions and events your business will be holding are some examples of email worthy announcements. If you have an important event to cover, make it a point to create a multi-email campaign around it.

Poor subject lines

Subject lines are your first impression to every email recipient. They have to be clear enough that people know why you’re sending an email, short enough that they fit the screen of tablets and smartphones and enticing enough not to give away the entire email. Also, be cautious about using words and phrases that could mark your email as SPAM.

Unreliable email list

Whether you’re emailing inactive subscribers, not removing hard bounces or collecting bad data, having an unreliable email list can affect your open rates.

The key to a successful email campaigns is clean data. Make sure that all customer information is valid and up to date. Hard bounces should also be removed from your database.

Additionally, 43% of email recipients click the spam button based on the sender email address and name. So, it’s extremely important that the recipient knows who you are and are expecting to receive emails from you.

 

 

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Reasons Why You Should Use Infographics in Your Content Marketing

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Living in the digital world, there seems to be a surplus of information on the web. On average, we create 1.5 billion pieces of content, 2 million videos and 140 million tweets every day. The web is cluttered and the competition is tough.

If you are a digital marketer or a business owner, it is very easy for your content to get lost in the jungle, making it extremely difficult for your target audience to find you. If you want to break through the clutter and capture the attention of your target audience, you’ll have to create contents that are memorable, attractive and of high quality.

Here are some of the reasons why you should include infographics in your content marketing.

Easier to process

Visual content is a great way to make your content stand out online. This is because our brain processes visual content 60,000 times faster as compared to the time it takes to decode written contents. Plus, people are more likely to retain information that is presented in infographics.

Attention-grabbing

Humans are visual creatures. We are easily attracted to visual contents, facts and stats. Infographics presents a lot of contents, and these facts are attention-grabbing. In fact, views can jump up by as much as 48% if contents include photos and videos.

By combining well-written texts with visual elements, it can be a powerful tool that will help your content cut through the noise and into the brains of your target audience.

Positions you as an expert

Infographics are often presented in charts, graphs and tables to present the content in an easily understandable manner. A great deal of research has to be done before compiling the information into a one-page document. This highlights how knowledgeable the creator is in this particular niche.

By publishing useful and relevant infographics that educate and offer value to your target audience, it positions you as an expert in your niche.

Increase brand awareness

Infographics should include relevant information about the creator like company logo, email address, and website URL. This helps brand your business, and if used properly, it can increase your traffic by at least 12%.

 

 

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Choosing the Right Cover Photo for Your Business Page

COver Photo

In social media, first impression means everything. Your cover photo provides a great opportunity for your business to connect with prospective customers. Within seconds, clients and customers will decide if they do have a good feeling about your company or brand, based on these images.

Being the focal point of your Facebook page, it is extremely important to choose an image that would best represent your brand. Create a stellar first impression by following the tips below and use them as an inspiration as you redesign your cover photo.

Promotional

Your cover photo is considered as a space to showcase an area of your business. So, use it well to attract your fans to learn more about your business.

Use it to advertise new products, talk about a contest you’re holding or promote upcoming events. Remember, this is the first thing your fans will see. So, if you are promoting something, get the message across through your cover photo. The best part is you can swap out the photo as often as you want.

Call to action

Facebook has a 20% text rule, and we suggest that you take advantage of it. If you want people to visit your website, purchase a product or like your page, go ahead and add it as a call to action. Make the most out of the 20% text rule and let your audience know exactly what you want them to do.

Show it off

If a potential customer visits your page for the first time, draw them in with an impressive cover display. If you have recently received an award, feel free to put it on display. After all, you have every reason to boast about it.

User submitted photo

This is a great choice for service oriented business. Customer recommendations have the biggest impact on a person’s buying decision. So, go ahead and place a photo that showcases just how much your customers enjoy your business. Plus, it encourages user engagement by featuring photos from real customers.

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Social Media Facts Every Marketer Should Know

Social Media Facts

Social media is more than just a place where you can meet new friends and interact with people. Today, it is also considered an essential tool for marketers.

Most companies recognize the power of social media and understand that it’s not just a passing fad. As a marketer, you have to keep in mind that social media platforms are constantly changing and growing. So, it’s important to keep up with the facts and statistics in order to get the most out of your social media marketing.

In this article, we have compiled some important facts every marketer should know. Read on and keep these things in mind while planning your social media strategies.

Timing is important

Most companies use social media to reach out to consumers. If you want to reach more people, you have to plan and schedule your posts. Facebook posts that are published after working hours, specifically between 5 pm to 1 am, get the highest engagement.

People are spending more time on their smartphones as compared to other devices

Armed with this information, it is important to make sure that all the content you post on social media are mobile optimized. If not, then you’re losing a lot of prospective clients.

Facebook continues to be the champion of all social media websites

Despite the increasing number of social media platforms today, Facebook still remains to be the most popular choice. In fact, if Facebook were a country, it would have the 3rd highest population, next to India and China. Also, 67% of American internet users across all age groups use Facebook.

Consumer’s buying decisions are influenced by social media

According to a study that was conducted by a digital marketing agency, 74% of consumers rely on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to guide them with their purchase decisions. Meanwhile, only 17% of consumers trust advertisements.

 

 

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Secrets to Growing Your Business Using Social Media

GrowingwithSM

Social media has been so popular nowadays that is has entered the rare stratosphere of recognition and fame that is usually reserved for Presidents and rock stars. Ironically, rock stars of this generation bow to the power of social media.

You’ve probably heard that social media provides business owners an amazing opportunity to market and grow their business. So, how can you use its dominance on the world scene to grow your business? Here are a few tips.

Keep it short

Unlike the text written on your web page, your social media posts must be kept short. Considering that most social media sites allow users to type only 140 characters, you should strive to be concise with every post. Remember, your customers are more likely to remember short and focused messages as compared to long and incoherent ones.

Instead of trying to say everything at once, you should focus on one key message per post. Also, it would be a good idea to schedule your posts over the course of a day or a week.

Keep it fresh

With a continuous stream of new content, old posts rapidly recede. To make your posts stand out, you should post timely and eye-catching content and post regularly. Use videos and images whenever possible.

By creating fresh content, there’s a great chance that your followers will visit your page or site, purchase your products or avail your services.

It requires dedication

If you believe that a few random status updates, blog posts and a healthy number of likes and followers are enough to grow your business, you are wrong!

Social media marketing requires planning and dedication. In order to harness the power of social media, you need to listen to your audience, come up with high quality content and encourage others to share your content.

Whether you’re small or large business owner, social media marketing can be least expensive and most powerful marketing tool in your arsenal that will help you build authority and trust. Ultimately, it can help you grow your business exponentially.

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