Digital Marketing – Brand Netizen

How To Create Social Media Ads That Actually Convert

July 3, 2024July 3, 2024 by Brand Netizen

Alright, social media mavens and digital dynamos, buckle up! We’re about to embark on a whirlwind tour of creating social media ads that don’t just look pretty, but actually convert. You know, like turning those likes and shares into cold, hard cash. Or warm, soft cash. Whatever floats your monetary boat.

First, let me tell you a little story. Picture this: It’s 2015, and I’m working with a client who sells… wait for it… artisanal, small-batch, organic cat food. (Yes, that’s a thing. No, I don’t know why.) We crafted what we thought was the perfect Facebook ad – beautiful images of sleek, healthy cats, witty copy about nine lives and gourmet tastes. We were so proud. We hit publish and waited for the orders to roll in.

Crickets. Tumbleweeds. The sound of one hand clapping.

Turns out, we’d created an ad that was great at getting likes and comments (mostly people tagging their cat-loving friends), but terrible at actually selling cat food. It was like throwing a party where everyone shows up, has a great time, and then leaves without buying anything from your totally-not-suspicious garage sale.

So, how do you create social media ads that don’t just get attention, but actually convert? Well, grab your favorite caffeinated beverage (or a glass of wine, I don’t judge), and let’s dive in!

1. Know Your Audience (No, Really Know Them)

First things first, you need to know your audience better than they know themselves. It’s like being a mind reader, but instead of guessing card numbers, you’re figuring out what makes people click “Buy Now.”

Start by creating detailed buyer personas. These are like imaginary friends, but instead of helping you blame mysterious messes on them, they help you understand your target audience.

Content Marketing 101: Crafting Valuable Content That Converts

July 4, 2024May 22, 2024 by Brand Netizen

Hey there, content enthusiasts and marketing mavens! Ready to dive into the world of content marketing? Grab your favorite note-taking tool, because we’re about to embark on a journey that’ll transform your marketing game.

Before we jump in, let me share a quick story. A couple of years ago, I was working with a small tech startup. The founder, let’s call him Alex, was brilliant at coding but struggled with marketing. “I’m not a writer,” he’d say, looking at me like I’d suggested he juggle flaming torches. Fast forward a year, and his blog was driving 60% of the company’s leads. How’d we do it? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to explore today.

What is Content Marketing, Anyway?

First things first, let’s break down what content marketing actually is. In simple terms, it’s the art of creating and sharing valuable, relevant content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

But here’s the kicker: it’s not about constantly pitching your products or services. It’s about providing genuinely helpful information to your audience. It’s like being the go-to friend who always has the best advice, instead of the pushy salesperson everyone avoids at parties.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 91% of B2B marketers use content marketing to reach customers. Why? Because it works. It costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3 times as many leads. Not too shabby, right?

Effective Marketing Strategies for Funeral Homes

May 3, 2024May 3, 2024 by Brand Netizen

Navigating the unique challenges and strategies in marketing funeral services, including digital versus traditional methods.

Marketing funeral services requires a delicate balance between sensitivity and strategic outreach. Unlike most businesses, funeral homes face the unique challenge of addressing a service that people naturally prefer not to think about until necessary.

However, funeral homes can reach families effectively and compassionately with thoughtful marketing strategies that respect the emotional nature of the business while leveraging both digital and traditional media.

Understanding the Market Dynamics

The Target Audience: The first step in any effective marketing strategy is understanding who your audience is. For funeral homes, the target market isn’t just the elderly but also includes middle-aged adults planning for their elderly parents or themselves as part of pre-planning efforts. Understanding this audience’s mindset—who are typically in a state of grief or pre-emptive planning—is crucial.

The Messaging: Your marketing campaigns’ tone and message should be compassionate and respectful. They should create content that provides value, whether it’s educational information about funeral planning or supportive resources that assist in the grieving process.

How Should a Landscape Designer Market Their Services?

July 25, 2024April 15, 2024 by Brand Netizen

Look, as a landscape architect, you pour your heart and soul into every project. Transforming blank canvases into living, breathing masterpieces that dazzle the eyes and soothe the soul. It’s what you live for!

But here’s the cold hard truth – unless you get those marketing muscles flexing, no one’s going to see your brilliant work. And in this digital age of short attention spans, you’ve got to get scrappy to stand out from the crowd.

So let me break it down for you with some real-world tips straight from my own landscape marketing trenches.

Optimize for Yo’ Neighborhood

While we’re on the digital grind, let’s talk local SEO. As landscape designers, we’ve got mad advantages working locally. We know every quirky microclimate and Homeowner’s Association rule like the back of our green thumbs.

That’s why it’s critical to optimize your whole online presence for localized keywords and location-specific content. This helps you stake your claim at the top of those coveted “near me” search results.

I can’t stress enough how much of a game-changer this was for my landscape biz. Like that time a couple in my city landed on my Google My Business listing after searching “backyard redesign Sydney”. They booked me right away because my complete profile and stellar reviews put them at ease.

Score one for the home team!

3 Actions That Will Ensure Your Keyword Selection Process Boosts Your SEO

April 16, 2024January 25, 2024 by Brand Netizen

For as long as Google and the other search engines have existed, the basis for how they produce results for each search is keywords. Whether a single word, two words or a complete phrase, we will refer to them all as ‘keywords”. These keywords are used to marry up the search being made by the person entering it and the website pages throughout the internet that Google deems to be the most relevant for them.

What this has resulted in is a huge effort by website owners, SEO experts and online marketing agencies to ensure that every website page is optimised for specific keywords so that when a search is entered, Google is aware that this page should be considered as relevant.

The process by which this is achieved has many elements to it, and unless each one is followed the chances of Google’s algorithm calculating that a page should be ranked on page 1 is extremely small. So, the question that follows is what can you do to make your keyword selection the best it can be? Well, here are three actions that form the basis for that being achieved.

Research Keywords Effectively

Above any other action, you can take, researching for keywords effectively will produce the best results. The irony of those who fail to do this is that all the information they need is available to them. Apart from Google’s keyword planner tool, numerous other keyword research tools can help you identify which keywords are the ones you should be optimising for.

This research will help you avoid those that will simply be too difficult to compete for or get next to no traffic whilst at the same time identifying keywords that are less competitive, but which attract a reasonable level of search volume and traffic. If you are unsure where to start, you can employ a local SEO agency that will have keyword research as one of its primary services.

Why Digital Brochures Are The Perfect Marketing Tool For Bridal Retailers

April 25, 2023January 11, 2023 by Brand Netizen

How many of you are bridal store owners that have a brochure which you make available to prospective clients and customers? Another question. How many of you who answered “Yes” assumed we meant the physical printed brochures that are made using glossy paper? We are certain that almost all of you did.

We did not ask this to try and trick you, but rather to raise a point that traditional printed brochures are not the only type of brochure that bridal stores can use. Better still, the alternative type of brochures we are going to discuss is perfect for bridal stores for several reasons.

We are talking about digital brochures, and are sure many of you may never have heard of the term before. Fear not, for we are going to explain exactly what a digital brochure is, and highlight how you can use them to market your bridal business and provide it with a huge advantage over your local competitors.

What Is A Digital Brochure?

The simplest explanation we can give you is that a digital brochure takes what can be seen and read in a traditional printed paper brochure, and makes it available in digital form. This way it can be accessed and consumed on devices such as a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

The simplest way this can be achieved is to request that the company which prints your physical brochures also send you it in a digital format such as a PDF. You then make that PDF available to anyone who would like a copy.

3 Ways To Outsource Your Digital Marketing

April 25, 2023November 3, 2022 by Brand Netizen

When embarking on a digital marketing campaign different business owners will view the project from a variety of perspectives. Some will love digital marketing and will relish carrying out all the necessary takes themselves. Others will dread the idea, have no clue how to start, and even if they did, will want no part in its implementation, meaning they will have to find a suitable digital agency to take on the task.

We are not here to state that either of these viewpoints is right or wrong. However, the fact that they exist means that many business owners need help with their digital marketing and that includes carrying out the planning and implementation of it. Invariably that will mean turning to outside sources.

Outsourcing can be done for a multitude of business tasks, and that includes digital marketing. There are also different ways in which it can be done, however, to keep matters as simple as possible we are going to explain just three options, each of which has its pros and cons, as you will discover.

Digital Marketing Consultant

Using a digital marketing consultant is where you hire someone for their expertise, knowledge, and experience to advise you on and create your digital marketing campaign, however, it is you who have the role of implementing that campaign.

5 Digital Marketing Channels That Enable Ambitious Divorce Lawyers To Expand Their Legal Practice

April 25, 2023September 14, 2022 by Brand Netizen

We believe that most divorce lawyers are ambitious, not just in terms of wanting to successfully represent their clients, but more specifically, that they wish to expand their law firm. That expansion could take the form of taking on more clients by employing more divorce lawyers or on a greater scale, being able to open additional offices in other towns and cities.

Whatever the level of ambition any divorce lawyer reading this might have, surely you at least want to have the means to attract new clients. For those whose ambition is at the other end of the scale in wanting multiple offices across the country, and those whose ambitions lie between those two extremes, there is one thing that you all have in common, and that is you must market your services.

With us being in the age of the internet, the primary marketing outlet is online, and it offers a multitude of ways in which divorce lawyers can promote themselves. However, rather than bamboozle you with dozens of different marketing tactics, we are going to make it much simpler and, instead, focus on five of the most effective digital marketing channels, all of which are 100% proven to work for divorce lawyers.

7 Essential Services That Professional Web Design Agencies Should Offer You

June 27, 2023January 19, 2022 by Brand Netizen

9 elements for small business marketing plan

When you are looking for a new website to be created or an existing website to be redesigned if you want it done professionally, then the obvious option is to employ a web design agency. With their experience and the number of professional experts they have working for them, plus the resources that will be at their disposal, your finished website should be of premium quality.

What often confuses business owners when looking for a web design agency is the array of different services that each of them offers. These may be provided as part of the design package or as additional services which complement web design. To try to allay some of the confusion we are going to highlight seven core services that we believe a professional web design should offer.

Some of these seven might not all be essential for every business’s needs, but for the vast majority, they can be assured that a web design agency offering all of these services will be at a higher level than those that do not offer them all.

Website Design Options: With this, we are talking about a web design agency not being a one-trick pony. In other words, not every business needs an eCommerce website but sadly, that is all some agencies offer. The best web design agencies have such an array of expertise that they can offer businesses a wide choice of custom web designs across a variety of website types.

SEO: Assuming you want your website to rank high on Google, it will need SEO. Top web design agencies will offer SEO services and the huge benefit you have there is that in creating your website, they will already have included many of the optimisations required for Google.

10 Digital Marketing Terms Every Business Owner Should Know

April 25, 2023September 10, 2021 by Brand Netizen

In any business niche, profession, hobby, sport, or pastime there will be terminology, terms, and jargon used which, for the most part, is known only to those who participate within them. That applies as much to digital marketing as it does to anything.

For example, ask a digital marketer what a Panenka penalty kick is, and they will shake their head. Ask a football player what A/B testing means, and you will see an equally puzzled look. Incidentally, a Panenka penalty kick is named after Antonin Panenka, the first player to score a penalty by chipping the ball into the middle of the goal as the goalkeeper dived to the side. Great if it works, hugely embarrassing if the goalkeeper does not move and takes an easy catch.

So, now that we have established that these niche-specific terms exist, here are 10 of them relating to digital marketing that the experts at Slinky Digital put together for us, and anyone who wishes to create a digital marketing campaign for their business should be aware of.

A/B Testing: Just in case anyone reading does not know what A/B testing is, it is setting up two variables and testing them at the same time to see which performs better. Examples are email subject lines, sales page headlines, calls to action. The process can continue so that each A/B test is continually improving the results.

Click-Through Rate (CTR): Whether from an email, a Google/Facebook ad, or a sales page, the click-through rate is the percentage of people who clicked the link in them. For example, if 500 people were sent an email and 50 of them clicked on the link within, the CTR would be 10%.

How to Market your Business in 2020

April 25, 2023July 13, 2020 by Brand Netizen

Did you know that there are literally tens of thousands of businesses out there? This means that if you are trying to launch a business, you will need to find a way to make your business more noticeable. One of the ways to do this is to market your business. Many potential and existing business owners know this, but they are staying away from marketing because they believe that this activity is expensive. The good thing is that they are wrong and that marketing can be inexpensive and effective.

As a matter of fact, there are many different methods of marketing and tactics that you can use in order to stand out from the crowd without affecting your budget. We are talking about low cost, highly effective marketing. Keep reading this guide if you want to find out more about this type of business marketing.

Stay connected

First and foremost, the basic objective is to ensure that your business message and your business in general stay in the minds of your potential customers. Let’s say that you are selling pet food. The main goal here is to make the customers think of your business whenever they need pet food. With a successful marketing campaign, they might think of the business you are running even when they have already chosen a pet food brand.

Social media marketing

Gone are the days when social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter were used just for small talks. Today, they have become great marketing tools for the businesses of all sizes regardless of the industries where they belong.

But, being present on these networks is not enough. On the other hand, spamming your followers and fans can result in a counter effect. That’s why you must build a solid social media marketing strategy. Don’t forget that a strategy like this includes free and paid activities. For instance, you have to be active on your page/account at 2-3 times a day by sharing new statuses. You should also respond to all your followers and fans. Furthermore, you can create a PPC (pay-per-click) campaign to attract more fans/followers on your website.

5 Effective Ways of Marketing a Product Online

May 6, 2023September 9, 2019 by Brand Netizen

You have a new product that is ready to meet the customers, but something is holding you back. You are not sure which creative ways of marketing a product are going to be effective enough. More importantly, you concerned that better marketing strategies are beyond your budget. You are worried that if you can’t generate enough buzz for your product, it will fail before it has a chance.

You are right to be worried, but don’t let that stop you from putting your new product out there. It is possible to effectively promote your product without breaking the bank.

In this post, you will learn low-cost and effective ways of marketing a product launch online.

Start a Blog

An online blog can be a vital resource for your product launch. It is an inexpensive way to educate your followers. You can provide details about the new product, why people need it, and what it can do. It is also an effective strategy for creating attention around your product launch.

Make sure to update your blog regularly with details about the product. You can share photos and information during the product’s development and allow people to know what stage you have reached. Don’t forget to share your blog posts with your social media followers, your mailing list, and key influencers in your industry.

10 Different Ways of Marketing a Product

May 6, 2023August 8, 2019 by Brand Netizen

Creating a new product for your store is challenging enough but if you want to promote your new creation and increase sales, you will need a better plan.

As an entrepreneur, you are doing everything, working with customers, creating products, building your online store, marketing, social following, and much more. This can be daunting and incredibly rewarding at the same time.

So, how can one effectively promote a product these days? Here are ten different ways of marketing a product.

#1:Share Your Product Socially

Whether your customers hand out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest, share posts about your product with customized content for each platform. Make your promotions as visual as possible so your fans get a quick sense of what they are purchasing.

#2: Run a Social Contest

If you want to promote your product on social media, consider running a social media contest to attract attention and spread awareness among your audience.

One great example is Encircled, women’s travel clothing company which ran a road trip contest to promote their leggings. To enter the contest, you could subscribe to their newsletter, follow them on social media or comment on their blog post. Each activity resulted in four winners. These ecommerce promotions are great because they involve customers describing the product in their own words.

3 Small Business Marketing Plan Examples

May 6, 2023June 6, 2019 by Brand Netizen

Having trouble writing your marketing plan? You don’t know where to start because you’ve never done this before.

We got you.

We’ve selected the best marketing plans to help you write your own small business marketing plan that is rooted in details and produces accurate results.

What is a Business Marketing Plan?

Marketing plan for small business is a strategic guide that businesses use to set, execute, and track their marketing strategies over a specific period of time. Business marketing plans can include marketing strategies for different teams across your company, however, the important thing is that all of them work toward the same goals.

How to Write a Marketing Plan?

Writing a small business marketing plan requires including your business’s mission, KPIs for the mission, buyer personas, content strategies, your plan’s omissions, marketing budget, competition, and your responsibilities.

Stating your mission is one of the most important parts. You need to be specific but not too much. Remember, you will have plenty of space in the plan to explain how you will acquire new customers and achieve your mission.

Next, you need to determine your KPIs or Key Performance Indicators. KPIs are individual metrics that measure the elements of your marketing campaign and can help you establish short and long-term goals within your mission.

Each buyer persona should be a reflection of your customers. It is important that business leaders agree on what your buyer persona is.

Your content strategy should include types of content you will create, how much content you will create, the goals you will use to track each type, The channels on which you will share the content, and paid ads that will take place on the channels.

The marketing plan explains what your team is going to focus on. If there are other aspects that aren’t serving in this plan, include them in your plan’s omissions section.

How to Market Your Small Business Online

May 6, 2023March 3, 2019 by Brand Netizen

Small businesses today have more places and ways than ever to market themselves. Deciding on a marketing method, especially when starting out with a small budget can be challenging. While social media marketing is free, it is time-consuming. Traditional advertising, on the other hand, can be expensive.

So how to market your small business online? Which channels are best to use? Dozens of successful small business owners and marketing pros share the following list of strategies for startups and small businesses.

Use Social Media
If your small business isn’t present on social media, it is time to be. Mike Volpe, CMO of HubSpot says that social media produces double the marketing leads of telemarketing, trade shows, and direct mail.

It is best to choose one social media platform that your prospects, customers, and industry leaders engage with the most and start building a stable presence there. Once you have set up an account, start connecting with your audience by joining discussions, sharing original content, etc. Keep your efforts frequent and relevant to your audience.

Post to Instagram and Pinterest
If you are selling an interesting and highly-visual product, you should be regularly posting photos on Instagram and Pinterest. Posting is free on both platforms.

Eric Elkins is SEO at WideFoc.us and according to him you can drive traffic to your website via Pinterest and there is no better platform to build audiences than Instagram.

Mindy McCarthy is the owner of MinMac and her favorite place to sell handmade jewelry is Instagram. This platform is the queen of virtual markets. Customers can scroll through your product collection and purchase directly.

9 Elements for Small Business Marketing Plan

May 6, 2023June 16, 2018 by Brand Netizen

Having a business marketing plan is very important for any business of the company in order to achieve organizational goals. The right marketing plan identifies who your target customers are, how you will get to them, and how you will retain your current customers so they always purchase from you.

When done properly, your small business marketing plan will the road map you follow to get customers and improve the success of your company. Here are 9 elements every successful business marketing plan should include.

Summary of the Business Model

The executive summary of the plan should define the details of what your business is all about including your goals and objectives.

The overall summary should be clear with the core values and positioning in the market. Also, it must explain how the brand will enter the market, first locally and then internationally. Further, it focuses on financial and generation resources.

Clear Strategy that Must be Followed

When it comes to your product strategy, you should be as clear as possible. You may survey the situation using details of your customers. For example, the product or company mission, resource availability, marketing and financial objectives, cash flow analysis, and competitive analysis.

Availability of Products/Services

Business owners should have an understanding of how their products will reach their potential customers.

Having high-quality products is just one part of the marketing plan for small business. You must make your products available in a cost-effective manner. This should be the ultimate goal of the entrepreneur and it can be accomplished by making the best use of promotional activities, team, advertising methods, and other tools used for communication.

5 Ways Your Website is Causing You to Lose Sales and How to Fix It

May 6, 2023February 22, 2017 by Brand Netizen

If you are running an e-commerce business and you know that you have an excellent product – whether it is an information product, eBook or physical good resale – but you lack sales or subscription conversions, the problem may be your website. Many internet entrepreneurs struggle with website efficiency and user experience effectiveness, and unfortunately website failure could be their sinking ship. Hopefully, I can help fix that and provide ideas to increase click-through rates and sales conversions on your website.

The first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one. After identifying the most common ways website designs cause sale problems, we will be able to solve those problems with some simple solutions. Always remember, on the internet, simplicity is king.

5 Most Common Problems with Website Sale Conversions

Too Many Steps to Convert – People want three things from the internet world – pretty, convenient, and safe (or the perception of safety). Satisfying these three steps will increase your sales exponentially, I guarantee it. Price is the fourth and is always important, but people would pay more for quality on the internet than low prices with shake interfaces and bad user experiences.

Simple, Colorful Interface – Standing out is important, but don’t be too loud. (I’ll tell you what that means later).

Captivate, Retain, and Remind – Attention span capacity of consumers continues to decline. Don’t lose potential sales by forgetting about customers.

Offer Every Option & Secure Storage – Amazon.com does not require a customer to enter financial information before every sale because this takes time and lowers the desire to buy. Always be closing!

Link Yourself to Social Media – Make your site organic and provide a community that links to your website personality and design. Provide a centralized brand with your proper message displayed all the time.