Building a Keyword Strategy

Is it more important to post content frequently or to post content about the right topics?  Creating content with targeted keywords and phrases is vital for companies.  Below are two important steps to ensure that you can do that successfully.

Identifying the Right Keywords
The first step in identifying the right keywords involves answering the question, “What should I create content about?”

Oftentimes, we look internally for those answers.  What do I want to write about?  What am I passionate about?  While those questions are important, we need to always consider the overall goal.  Typically, that is to build an audience and to drive traffic to our website.

Thus, we must ensure that the topics that we want to create content about also match up to the interests and passions of our target audience.

At that point, we should find a way to build a list of the words and phrases that are associated to those topics.  These items do not need to be stored in a fancy, complex system — you could simply keep them in a document or spreadsheet!  But the bottom line is, make the list!  Do not rely on yourself to try to remember the words and phrases that you should use when creating content.

Promoting and Sharing the Words and Strategy
The list of keywords must certainly have a big presence within the walls of a marketing department (whether those walls are physical or virtual).  But they also should be shared among employees from all departments.  Why?

Well, more and more, people from all walks of life and backgrounds are creating profiles on social networks. Perhaps they primarily use their accounts to talk about personal topics.  But if they occasionally interact with a customer or prospect on those channels, or if they link to your company’s website, or simply list its name in their bio, they are representing your brand.

By sharing the list, you will be creating opportunities for all employees to build awareness of your company’s products and services.

Oftentimes, there may be an employee that wants to contribute to the online conversation about your business, but they are just not sure what to say. Sharing the list can be the spark that ignites more conversations about the topics that are vital to you and your audience.

Not Your Average Business Card

Are you looking for the finest Business Cards that instantly stand out? Not average Business Cards, then you are at the right place! Our Business Cards are customized and branded as unique as you. Choose a finishing that best complements your work either classic designs or high gloss for an eye-catching shine.

What Size Is Appropriate For My Business Cards?

The standard size of a Business Card is: 3.5″ x 2″ U.S. However, the most common non-standard sizes printed is 3.5″ x 1.5″ which is a mini-square Business Card.

 

How Do I Know What Size Is Right For Me?

The right size for your Business Card shall be revealed after printing out a PDF proof on an inkjet or laser printer prior to approval. By printing the proof and cutting it out you’ll get a feel for what the card feels like in real life.

 

What Will Make My Business Card Unique?

The sole purpose of Business Cards is to air out your image or brand in regard to your profession or work. Most creative Business Cards are for persons who are in the skilled or art-related fields; musicians, graphic designers, photography and the likes. These professions allow you to break the Business Cards rules when it comes to style and size.

What are the cost implications?

Business Cards are no longer printed and charged according to the sizes. That means that generally there is no difference in cost to print a card with different dimensions. All of the Business Cards (mini inclusive), are cut using a hydraulic cutter. This has helped reduce the cost of custom-made Business Cards.

Can I Make Cross Media Marketing Cost Effective?

Since the cost of large-scale radio, television and print advertising is out of reach financially for many small businesses, you might have given up hope on ever being able to afford an effective cross-media marketing campaign. Plus, advertising via social media and your website is quick, easy and inexpensive, which is why it’s so easy to get stuck in the digital advertising rut and stay there. If you’ve been wanting to break out into other forms of advertising in addition to digital advertising, but don’t think you can afford it, consider this.

The number one factor that determines whether or not your marketing campaign is worth the dough you’ve invested is your return on investment. The more people that you can turn into customers with your campaign, the greater your ROI will be. To boost your ROI, be sure to put your advertising dollars where they will have the most effect by tailoring your campaign to your market.  ROI can also be boosted by limiting your investment to only relevant and cost-effective communication mediums that you’re confident will be reach your target audience.

For example, instead of sending out mailers to everyone in your community, do some research so you can send mailers out to residents who will be most interested in your services. Also, purchase advertising space  in relevant publications to your target audience and don’t spend unnecessary money “just to get word out.”  Make sure your communications and targeted and relevant.

Keep in mind that it’s not so much about how much advertising you’re doing as it is about when and where you’re doing it. Five thousand brochures given to the wrong people will do little for your business. However, if you hand those brochures out at a community event where attendees are interested in your products and services, you will gain new customers.

Narrowing your audience allows you to spend less money on advertising while improving your ROI, which will make your cross-media campaign much more cost effective.

How Do I Track Direct Marketing

When starting a marketing campaign for your business or company, the first thing you want to establish is a way to track the success of your campaigns. This will help you figure out what is working for your company and what’s not working. By establishing clear cut ways to track your marketing efforts, you can determine where your ideal audience is viewing your marketing efforts and if they are responding to it.

Traceable Codes

There are 2 main ways you can use traceable codes in your marketing campaign as a way to measure their success. If you are sending out mailers that indicate a special sale or promotion that you are having, use a specific code on the mailers that the users have to enter in order to access the discount. When the promotion or sale is over, you will be able to determine if customers found the sale via the mailers and unique code you used and how effective the mailers were. The other way traceable codes can be used is by adding them to your coupons that you offer. You may choose to offer coupons to your newsletter subscribers and a lesser coupon to all of your other potential costumers. With 2 unique coupon codes, you will be able to trace which coupons were the most effective.

Sales Campaigns with Unique URL

When sending out mailers or a newsletter to your customers, you can include a specific, special URL that the potential customer has to type in or click on in order to get to the offer or discount. This way, you will be able to track how many people accessed the discount via the specific URL.

Offer a Gift with Specific Purchase

A great way to track a marketing campaign is to offer a small, free gift with the purchase of an item. You can offer this free gift when the item is purchased with a specific code, through a specific URL, or during a short time frame. You will then be able to check how many customers redeemed the free gift offer.

Why Bother Personalizing Your Marketing?

You want to get your company’s name out there, so it’s easy to think that all you need is as many touchpoints as possible. Radio, television, print: you’re using repetition so that people will think of you the next time they need your service. However, you need to think a little bit further than just repeating your name over and over again. You want to find a way to condense all of the amazing and different things that you do so that your marketing becomes more personalized to your business.

Let’s say you run a bakery, and if you look at other people’s website you find that they all start to sound like carbon copies of one another. Fresh ingredients, great taste, custom ordering are all far too generic for people to get any real sense of why they should pick them over other people. It’s gotten to the point where everyone checks Yelp before they even think about going to a website because it’s too difficult to get any real sense of the truth. When you approach your marketing the same way you approach your business, you can start to unravel where it is you distinguish yourself from your direct competitors. You can only fool people for so long, so start by being as upfront as possible. In this way, your marketing becomes personalized to you. Then you can start driving that home through the many different mediums available to you.

No matter how you set yourself apart, stay true to your original message so people can expect consistency from you. You can always offer new services or discounts, but don’t look desperate or imply that you’re skimping on quality. Real marketing takes time, so stick with it and don’t be discouraged.

How Print Materials can Spread Your Company’s Message

From screen printed T-shirts to high gloss posters, your company can reach out to the public for increased visibility. Soon people will recognize your colors, logo, and connect your brand image with your company when you use print materials on a wide scale. Depending on your marketing budget plan, you may want to have materials printed large enough for bus stop enclosures or print materials suitable for mounting on fencing or on stadium or sports field walls. People love the look and texture of a high gloss multicolored post card or pamphlet, plus it finds its way into their office or home to be picked up again as a reminder. Below are some ideas to consider!

 

1) Try making wall calendars and refrigerator magnets, as they have taken the place of bookmarks. Laminated place mats have replaced disposable ones in restaurants and coffee mugs are something that will always keep your company on your customer’s minds.

2) Make creative water bottles, customizing messages for conferences, seminars, and community events, to show that you have innovative ideas!

3) Magnetic signs for car doors and other vehicles can be specialized and are a great way to spread your company’s name. Upload a picture of your business card on the magnet and make sure it has an enlarged phone number people can punch into their cell phones is efficient and creative!

4) Stand out! Colorful ad campaigns used for package inserts that can also be included with a customer receipt as a handout can offer a valuable incentive for next time purchases.

 

Imagery Over Wording Print Work

Get print messages out in short, bite sized phrases to satisfy the short attention span of today’s purchases and decision makers. Make your print more visual with images and little text. Printed packaging that makes the customer or client want to re-use it for something, is a successful engagement and memorable experience. Print companies are constantly printing on every media imaginable, for non-profits and small businesses to corporate accounts, using experiential booths at festivals and conferences, sporting events, job fairs, and conventions, providing necessary visible recognition. Unusual packaging shapes, sizes and materials can be printed with intuitive designs and company logos, making a lasting impression on your customers. 

Is Integrated Marketing Appropriate for All Industries?

Business owners want to use a well-coordinated marketing plan using different promotional methods with consistent brand messaging that reaches across non-traditional as well as traditional marketing channels. Print materials and online visuals alike, must have the same recognizable elements of color, visual stimuli, and Brand representation across paid advertising, public relations, social media, owned assets, and promotional items. You want to relate to your prospects and customers in a consistent manner whenever you contact them. High-level marketers will develop your marketing plan and direct your investment toward:

opportunities for added value and bonus
singular/synchronized brand voice and experiences
creative and productive design and cost efficiency
If your company is experiencing limited connectivity – shift your marketing strategy to pervasive connected-ness. Your marketing partnership should provide you with high accountability in market spend, specialized media engagement, and a quick move from traditional marketing systems into interactive digital marketing with integrated campaigns that all incorporate the same launch and end phases. You need to select a few strong e-commerce methods to begin increasing your online presence. Develop your SEO, (search engine optimization), SEM, (search engine marketing), mobile marketing, email campaigns, blogs, articles, and other forms of consistent content marketing, plus regular posts on your chosen channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Facebook and Google+.

Integrated Marketing Beyond Print and Internet

Have promotional opportunities like contests, coupon giveaways, freebies, premiums, rebate news releases, and special events. Take part in related trade shows using advertorial company booths, product demonstrations, and glossy handouts at the exit. Become and active participant in your business locality. Join in on volunteering opportunities, with your staff decked out in identifiable T-shirts, water bottles and baseball caps.

Weaving an effective integrated marketing campaign together successfully means you have leveraged every communication channel available to your company to achieve engagement with your target audience having a noteworthy effect. With familiarity, your potential clients will examine communications according to the brands’ perspective, a “one sight, one-sound” approach that directs consumer responses and loyalty.

Creative Presentation Kits – Why They Are Useful To Have

When it comes to creating awareness for your brand, promoting your company goes a long way. Companies are starting to hire marketing firms to help grow their company and earn them more public recognition. One of the main things that marketing firms are doing is telling the company that they are representing to have customized promotional products made for their company.

 

Why should you have custom made Promotional Products?

Below are some reasons explaining why your company should have customized products.

 

#1. One of the main purposes of having custom kits is to help enhance your company’s look and become professional. By having a professional name or logo, current and potential customers will take you more seriously, helping to build a better relationship. Having a unique and professional look is also very important because you want to attract new clients and make sure that they know you are a trustworthy and reliable company.

 

#2. It is a great way to gain publicity for your company. Today, almost every company has some custom products that they give away to customers and prospective clients. Some give away pens, cups, or shirts with the company name on them while others give away binders and key chains. The bottom line is that this is an effective way to advertise your business and increase your brand recognition.

 

In What Types of Situations Can Custom Presentation Kits Be Useful?

As previously mentioned, custom presentation kits are a great way to expand your brand recognition and are useful in situations where you can reach a lot of people at the same time. Some of which include:

 

#1. Trade Fairs: Trade fairs are a great opportunity to do some advertising for your business because they are usually attended by large crowds. The only problem with trade fairs is that the other companies that are present also recognize that it is a great opportunity to increase their brand recognition as well, so when you go to trade fairs, you should try to make your custom kit stand out above the rest. This will help you to differentiate your company from the others and become memorable.

 

#2. Presentations: when you are trying to make a sales pitch to a potential client, having custom kits can be beneficial in a couple of ways; it helps your business look more professional, and they can also be given as gifts to members of the team that you are making the pitch to. It may also help them keep your company in mind when making their final decision.

 

#3. Promoting Your Company Image: If you want to generate some goodwill for your company, nothing beats giving away free stuff because who doesn’t like free stuff? One of the best ways to buy that positive image for your company is to give away free custom kits to people, regardless if they are prospective clients or not.

 

By following these tips above, your company will be on its way to becoming a successful, professional, and reliable business.

Benefits of Incorporating Direct Mail and Email in the Same Marketing Campaign

According to Karl Dukes, a UK marketing executive, when combined with email marketing, print mail campaigns produce more conversions than either medium used alone. In order to leverage these two mediums, you must know how to use them together effectively. Although most firms are investing in digital marketing, half of all consumers delete email messages as soon as they receive them.

As an advertiser, your challenge is figuring out how to combine the effectiveness of direct mail with the efficiency of email to increase your marketing campaign response rates. Almost three-fourths of all consumers who receive a direct mail piece open and review the mailer. In contrast, this percentage drops to one-third of email recipients. Most consumers enjoy receiving mail and are even disappointed when their mailbox is empty and, rather than discarding a marketing piece immediately, will keep the mailer for later review.

You can effectively increase consumer engagement by combining direct mail and email marketing in your advertising campaigns. Direct mail pieces make a consumer feel important and are more effective at gaining a consumer’s attention than email alone; over twice as many consumers that receive a direct mail piece, versus an email alone, will remember your brand message. Adding direct mail to your email campaign increases advertising effectiveness. A mail piece encourages consumers to consider your offering and helps them form an opinion of your brand. A follow-up email communication allows you to increase your brand strength in the consumer’s mind, divulge more information about your offering and lead your consumers to conversion.

Direct mail and email used together can help move consumers through the sales process and increase your consumers’ lifespan with your firm. Marketing campaigns that combine direct mail and email see a response rate five times higher than email marketing used alone. Using these two mediums together can give your marketing campaigns a response boost that will greatly increase your firm’s profits.

The Importance of Maintaining Marketing Lists

Marketing yourself or your business isn’t just about gaining new clients, although this is a vital aspect of the process. This part of marketing also includes keeping your old clients up to date with your business and making sure you’re continuously reaching out to these individuals about the specials you’re running and anything that may appeal to them enough that they want to maintain a business relationship with you.

Every six months or so you should go through your list and remove people who are no longer interested in your business. These are the individuals who no longer respond, show up to important events, open your emails or purchase your products. There’s no reason to focus on people who aren’t interested in you and your business anymore. Keep your focus on the people who have continuously made an effort to keep up with your business. You may want to reach out to the people who you don’t feel are following your emails anymore and inquire if they would like to remain on your list. You’ll also want to remove bad emails and anyone’s that bounce back to you. Cleaning out your list is important since you don’t want to focus your energy on people who aren’t interested in what you have to offer.

Another important aspect of managing your marketing list is to make sure your addresses are up to date. When you’re sending to addresses that are no longer valid, you’re not doing yourself or your business any favors. This is why you need to make sure people update their email with you.

In some instance, the unopened emails might be costing you. Let’s say you send out an email to a large number of people and some of them never open them. If the payment you make to your marketing agent revolves around the number of contacts you have, you’re paying for the people who aren’t opening your emails.