Everything You Need to Know about SEO for Voice Search Posted on October 8, 2019September 8, 2022 by Allie Wolff Being a marketer today is tough. You have to constantly evolve your skill set to encompass new technologies and best practices, and you have to always try to stay one step ahead of what your competitors are doing. But while these factors do make marketing more difficult, they also make it more exciting — at least for those of us who love a good challenge. There are seemingly endless ways to tout your brand and reach new customers. It’s up to you to not only take advantage of them, but to optimize your message so you stretch your efforts as far as they can go. One area where there’s still a lot to be done: voice search. Voice search has been around since 2011, but it’s only been in the past handful of years that it’s become a necessary focus of successful online marketing. Now, SEO for voice search is as important as SEO for written content, with exponential growth still to come. It’s expected that by 2020, 50% of all online searches will be done via voice on devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa, and that by 2021 42.4% of internet users will be using voice assistants. Clearly, you can’t afford to opt out of optimizing for voice. So how do you do it? Here are four things you need to know to make sure your voice SEO is as strong as your written SEO. Know the Difference Between Voice Queries and Text Queries SEO for voice and SEO for text are different not just because of their mediums, but because of nuances in how they’re phrased. Voice searches tend to be a lot more conversational, unlike text queries which may be strung together words and phrases. Voice searches are also longer. When Windows first rolled out their desktop voice assistant Cortana, they found that while text searches averaged around two words, voice searches were coming in at an average of three or more words. Perhaps that’s because voice searches also tend to be broader. So while someone may text “sneaker prices,” the same person may query “what are the best sneakers on a budget?” when using voice search. All of this plays into your keyword strategy. Instead of focusing on snippets of a query, focus on the query itself. For example, “the most beautiful snorkeling spots in the Dominican Republic” instead of “snorkeling Dominican Republic,” and “where to get my nails done in New York City” vs. “nail salon NYC.” The defining difference? Think like a real person, not like an algorithm. Know Your Trigger Words Trigger words are words that appear most often in voice search queries. And they’re important to know because they can tell you a lot about how people are searching with their voice assistants and what they’re searching for. Just 25 keywords are responsible for triggering 20% of all voice searches. “How” comes in at #1, suggesting that creating content centered around how to do things is key for ranking in voice marketing. Other big players: “best,” “easy,” “home,” “free,” and “recipe.” This isn’t to say that you need to overhaul your content strategy to only include voice search’s most active triggers. But you should absolutely be taking them into consideration when deciding how you want to phrase your keywords and what types of content you want to be ranking for. Know Your Local Audience Voice search is overwhelmingly local-focused. 76% of voice search users perform local searches each week, and 53% do so every day. If your business has local reach — so for example, if you’re marketing for an accounting firm, print shop, marketing agency, etc. — you need to understand the SEO specifics around your local market, and you need to take a deep dive into how this audience is searching. In addition to optimizing with your local audience in mind, be sure to update and maintain a Google My Business listing. This makes it more likely that your business will be one of the responses that shows up when someone is searching for what you do, and also makes it easier for customers to get the information they need to know before investing more of their time. Know How to Place in the Featured Snippet All hail the holy grail of the Featured Snippet box on Google. Landing your page here is tantamount to getting first place in the SERP race, and it’s also crucial for voice search. That’s because Google often goes for the Featured Snippet — i.e. Position Zero — as its go-to response to a voice query. Fortunately, a lot of the things that guide voice search in general are also well suited to nailing that top spot, such as addressing queries and not just single keywords, and fitting in those trigger words. Working your way to the top benefits both text and voice search, so put in the work and you’ll have a lot to gain. As you do for standard SEO, make sure to stay up to date on best practices for voice search. That way if a change does happen, you’ll be one of the first to know about it.
5 Revenue-Boosting Ideas for Agencies Looking to Do More For Their SMB Clients Posted on October 4, 2019December 21, 2020 by Katie Culp As a marketing agency hired by an SMB, it makes sense that you would want to do your best to help them grow both brand awareness and revenue. More revenue is a sign to your client that you’re doing an exceptional job for them. It’s also a strong indicator to other clients that you know what you’re doing, and a good value marker for those who are considering hiring you. Of course, there is no golden ticket revenue driver. (And if there was, everyone would already be doing it!) But there are marketing strategies that you can employ that are specifically geared toward creating new streams of revenue and making more money for your clients. Here are five of them. 1. Webinars & Seminars If your SMB client is an authority on what they do, then why not capitalize on it by hosting pay-to-attend webinars and seminars? If they truly have some great insight to offer, then you should have no trouble justifying the price tag. The key to generating revenue through this type of activity is to price it smartly and market it heavily. Find a sweet spot between charging too much and charging too little, and base the associated marketing campaign around really establishing your client as a leader with information worth knowing about. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to market these events. The more buzz you can create, the more revenue you can bring in. 2. Online or Print Directories Depending on your client’s field, they may be able to offer paid directory opportunities either online or in print — a lucrative undertaking when done correctly. Each directory listing is essentially a paid ad, with additional features like sponsored articles that companies can choose to pay for if they’re interested. Listings should be related to your client but not directly in competition with them. The end result is a niche publication — free to consumers or other businesses — that focuses in on leading companies within a specific area. If your client is a dog sitting service, for example, it may be a directory of local groomers and vets. If they’re a software company, it may be a directory of local tech support companies. Don’t worry if your client isn’t in publishing themselves. The goal is to create a marketing material that can drive new revenue, regardless of whether it’s the type of content your client has created before. 3. Subscription Services The best revenue streams are the ones that happen consistently. Enter subscription services, which can be used to generate regular sales or services without the need for additional lead nurturing. Your client’s customers might not care much about spending an extra $10 a month for access to a subscriber-only section of a website or $15 a month for a 10 minute monthly consultancy web check-in, but these numbers will add up fast. Think about a product or service that your client can offer month to month, and put a price on it. Then shop it around as a small additional fee on top of what your client’s customers are already paying. 4. Expand Their Reach Is your SMB client a local company? Why not stretch their impact (and their bottom line) by expanding their reach nationally—or even globally? Each additional level that your client hits means more revenue, and most companies can easily translate beyond the local market, provided their services don’t require physical contact. If your client is open to it, explore ideas to grow your marketing reach and build brand awareness outside of their standard market. The more people you market to, the more potential customers for your client. 5. Create Merchandise Even small- and mid-sized companies can make some extra money by selling branded merchandise. Think tote bags, tee shirts, mugs, and other low-priced items that your client can put their logo on for a bit of profit. To maximize the revenue potential of merchandise, start small. Don’t order a bunch of stuff in the hopes of selling it; design the products, add an ecommerce platform to your client’s site, and evaluate your needs from there. You may need to order a set amount of each product, or you might be able to just create each product on demand. Just be sure to get creative with your branded materials while also staying true to your client’s voice. Today’s marketing agencies need to do more than just spread the word about their clients. Get creative, expanding on existing revenue streams and developing new ones that can offer tangible results where it matters most. Your client will be happy, and you’ll build up your portfolio in ways that are sure to bring more business your way.
Have Your Best Q4 Yet with These Important B2B Marketing Statistics for 2019 Posted on October 3, 2019October 3, 2019 by Jessica Lunk Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to information that can help you market better, stronger, and more effectively. The marketing industry is constantly in flux. What works one day may not work the next, and vice versa. Staying ahead of the game is necessary if you want to keep up – and one of the best ways to ensure that your team is focusing their time and resources in the right places. When it comes to better marketing, you need to start with the facts. Look industry wide to see what’s working and what’s not, and what you can learn from both. The more you know about where things are now, the more you can anticipate what’s to come. So what’s driving marketing success today? Here are 32 B2B marketing statistics for 2019 that will help guide you through Q4 — and beyond. Content Marketing is Still King 96% of marketing decision makers say content marketing is effective for their brand. (Zazzle) 89% of B2B marketers tie their content marketing strategy into larger business goals. (Zazzle) 70% of marketers are having more success with content marketing than they did in 2017. (Impact) 62% of B2B buyers say they can make a business decision based on content alone. (Blue Corona) 58% of B2B marketers have used content marketing to successfully nurture their audience in the past 12 months. (Content Marketing Institute) 56% of B2B marketers increased spending on content creation in the past 12 months and 37% increased spending on their content marketing staff. (Content Marketing Institute) 47% of consumers view 3-5 pieces of content from a brand before talking to one of their sales staff. (Junto) The top two methods used to nurture leads are email campaigns (87%) and educational content (77%), followed by clear calls to actions (62%) and in-person events (61%). (Content Marketing Institute) More than 50% of B2B marketers increased their use of audio and visual content, text-based digital content, and image-driven content in the past 12 months. (Content Marketing Institute) 54% of all consumers (and 65% of consumers aged 18-24) want to see more video content from brands and businesses they support. (HubSpot) SEO or Bust 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine. (Junto) 71% of B2B researchers begin their search on Google. (Blue Corona) 65% of B2B marketers use keyword research to guide their content. (Content Marketing Institute) 61% of B2B marketers report changes to SEO and search engine algorithms as being a top concern driving their 2019 marketing strategy. (Content Marketing Institute) 57% of B2B marketers say that SEO generates more leads for their business than any other marketing initiative. (Junto) Building Credibility and Awareness 96% of successful B2B content marketers say that their audience views their company as a trusted resource. (Content Marketing Institute) 90% of top performing B2B marketers put their customers’ informational needs ahead of their company’s sales and promotional messages. (Content Marketing Institute) 76% of B2B marketers say that building brand awareness is a key goal of their marketing efforts. (Zazzle) 73% of B2B content marketers are planning to use customer personas to create more useful and targeted messages. (Content Marketing Institute) 68% of B2B marketers say they’ve successfully used content marketing to build credibility with their audience. (Content Marketing Institute) 42% of B2B marketers communicate directly with their audience through customer conversations and panels as a means of marketing research. (Content Marketing Institute) Prioritizing Personalization 3 out of 4 B2B content marketers uses sales feedback and website analytics to research their audience. (Content Marketing Institute) Among B2B markets, 51% report that the ability to segment their email lists is their most effective personalization tactic, while 50% say it’s their ability to individualize email campaign messaging. (Instapage) Personalized emails deliver 6x higher transaction rates than non-personalized emails. (Instapage) 71% of B2B buyers say they want B2C-like experiences like faster response times and 24/7 availability. (Blue Corona) 57% of consumers are okay with providing personal information to brands if it’s for their benefit and used in a responsible way. (Instapage) 51% of consumers expect that by 2020 companies will anticipate their needs and make relevant suggestions—even before they make contact. (Instapage) 45% of consumers are looking for personalized content portals. (Blue Corona) Social Media Matters — to a Point 79% of brands distribute content on Twitter, while 75% use Facebook, 72% use LinkedIn, 57% use Instagram, and 52% use YouTube. (Zazzle) 75% of B2B buyers use social media to support purchasing decisions. (Blue Corona) 61% of Internet users are on social media. (Impact) 31% of brands report generating measurable sales directly from social media marketing. (Zazzle) The B2B statistics above aren’t a guarantee of what will or won’t work for your brand, but they are incredibly useful for seeing what others in the industry are doing — and what they’re succeeding with. Some major takeaways? Put content, SEO, and personalization first, and don’t neglect social media but don’t over-prioritize it either. Here’s to a great Q4!
How to Fire Employees with Kindness and Empathy Posted on October 2, 2019 by Jonathan Herrick When your business reaches a point that you can start hiring employees, it can be an exciting time. But what happens when one of those team members isn’t quite working out? Many small business owners struggle with the task of letting someone go. Agonizing over it. Feeling guilty. Often putting it off for weeks or even months. The good news is, terminating an employee doesn’t have to be something negative or nasty. Sure, it’s not the most pleasant experience, but there are ways you can do so with grace and empathy. Here’s how. Don’t blindside them. Oftentimes an employee who is underperforming doesn’t even realize that’s the case. Finding out they’re being let go due to poor performance can be shocking and send them reeling. This can all be avoided by providing regular and ongoing feedback. In many instances, you may even be able to help the struggling employee turn things around if you just take the time to provide support and guidance. If you’ve got an underperformer on your hands, here’s how you can help: Examine yourself and your processes to see if that’s part of the problem. Open the lines of communication. Ask them what you can do to help them reach their fullest potential. Take action based on their answer. If you’ve done all of these things and the employee in question is still not producing, letting them go shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, which will make the conversation less charged. Help them find another opportunity. Another way to ease your conscience when firing someone is to take proactive measures to help them transition to another gig (hopefully one that’s a better fit). If you’ve worked with the employee for a while, you probably know his or her strengths. Offer to assist them in finding a company or position in which they’ll be able to use those strengths to excel. Taking that extra effort may pay off in more ways than one. For instance, the employee might move on to another company and, because of the positive experience and kindness you showed, may recommend your business to the new company (if you are B2B) or to his or her friends and family (if you are B2C). In other words, not burning bridges and going the extra mile could result in more business for you down the road. Help them save face. One major reason a termination can go south is embarrassment. This is especially the case with smaller companies where word travels fast. To diffuse the situation, consider offering to help with the narrative a little. In other words, position the firing as something mutual so your employee can save face with his or her peers. Obviously, this won’t work if the employee has committed a serious offense, but if he or she is leaving on relatively good terms and it just didn’t work out, there’s no reason you can’t put a more positive spin on it for the sake of their pride. Firing someone is never fun, but it’s par for the course – especially as your business grows. Applying the above strategies and changing your approach can help you make the best out of an unpleasant situation, both for yourself as well as your employee.
The Real Cost of Skipping SEO Posted on October 1, 2019November 18, 2022 by Allie Wolff Search engine optimization. It’s a simple phrase with a complex meaning, and too often, it’s misunderstood by B2B companies who are (understandably) more focused on the product or service they’re selling than the media content on their website. The value of SEO is not relegated to B2C brands and publishers. In the B2B world, where direct outreach and network connections are key, businesses need to optimize for search engines if they want to compete. And it makes sense, because if you’re not focusing on SEO you’re not ranking high in the search engines — and if you’re not ranking high, you’re not getting your name in front of new leads. Here’s the thing: 93% of all online experiences start at a search engine. It’s where people go when they’re looking for a solution to a problem, as well as where they go to discover they even have a problem in the first place. As a B2B business, you’re selling the solution to that problem — whatever it may be — and it’s crucial that you get on a prospect’s radar before your competitors do. And with 75% of searchers never scrolling past the first page of results, it’s hard to overstate the importance of SEO for driving growth in your business. Where SEO Matters Think of SEO as having two distinct purposes: (1) Building general brand awareness online (2) Matching your customers’ intent so that it’s as easy as possible for them to find you The internet is a vast ecosystem. Search engines provide a helpful service, aggregating and prioritizing billions of pieces of content so that when someone types words into a search bar, they actually find what they’re looking for. Your job as a business operating in this limitless digital space is to be that piece of content that gets designated as relevant and authoritative to a certain search word or phrase, and that’s where SEO comes in. SEO matters anywhere that you’re trying to attract visitors, including (but not necessarily limited to): Your website (product pages, blog posts, “about us” pages, contact pages, etc.) Your social media pages Your ads Your titles and meta descriptions Your videos and images It may be a lot of work to optimize all of these areas, but 57% of marketers say that SEO generates more leads than any of their other marketing initiatives. Making SEO Count Speaking in a live Q&A a couple of years ago, Andrey Lipattsev, Partner Development Management at Google and former Search Quality Senior Strategist noted that there are two primary boxes you have to check off if you want to rank at the top: your content must be high quality, and you need to have a strong foundation of link building. Google is notoriously secretive about how they rank websites, so this nugget of information from Lipattsev shouldn’t be ignored. SEO has 20 times more traffic opportunity than PPC, and even small changes have a big impact. Focus on targeted keyword research to bulk up your web presence, and devise a robust link building strategy to build on your site’s authority. Keep in mind that SEO isn’t stagnant. The rules are constantly changing, and search engines are getting smarter all the time. If you previously implemented SEO, it’s worth taking a look back and seeing if you can optimize better. The Risk of Not Prioritizing SEO Among all marketers, 61% say that improving their SEO is a top inbound marketing priority. And trust us, you don’t want to be one of the other 49%. Failure to implement SEO means: Less traffic Fewer leads Lower lead quality These aren’t exactly areas where B2B businesses can afford to fall behind. SEO is one of the most cost effective marketing tools at your disposal. Small, medium, or large, all B2B businesses have the resources that they need to bolster up their SEO efforts and start ranking higher — even if those resources are limited. One of the biggest mistakes that you can make as a B2B business is to under-prioritize SEO. Effective search engine optimization is necessary not just for the metrics above but also for improved customer experiences and brand-customer relationships. It’s as much an investment in your overall company identity as it is a concerted marketing strategy, and an integral part of securing long-term growth potential. B2B sales will always be people-centric at the top of the funnel, but more and more the bottom part of the funnel is happening online, with or without your direct interaction. Driving more traffic to your site and ensuring that the content searchers find there meets their expectations is the bread and butter of SEO, and the more you can meet the mark the better chance you have of expanding your lead base and increasing your sales.
10 Best Email Marketing Tools for Small Business Posted on September 27, 2019March 21, 2025 by Jessica Lunk Small businesses have a lot to focus on – without the budget and resources of a midsize or enterprise company. The decisions they make around tech tools and software suites are often more important than a bigger company, because they need tools that inherently make it easier to run a quality business with less. There are no shortage of email marketing tools for small businesses, which is totally logical: Email marketing remains a really powerful tool for small businesses, in part because they have more flexibility with their brand and image. And it’s valuable in no small part because while it may be hot to have a cool Instagram page right now, IG is still driven by an algorithm; emails go right into a prospect’s inbox, which means a formula isn’t deciding who sees your best stuff. Email marketing is a tremendous relationship-building channel. But with so many possible options to choose from, what is the best email marketing tool for your small business? What Features Should I Look for in an Email Marketing Tool? Today’s email marketing platforms do more than just send email to your list. There are many features and capabilities you’ll want to consider and evaluate before choosing the best email marketing tool for your small business. Drag & Drop Builder Creating eye-catching HTML emails is essential for small businesses for getting newsletters and promos read in the inbox. These emails include elements outside of simple plain text, including images, colors, different font-styles and more. The tricky part is that email clients (inboxes like Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, iPhone mobile, and the multitude of others) don’t follow the same rules when it comes to displaying HTML emails. A drag & drop email builder is essential for small businesses that want to send well-designed emails that look great in any email client. Drag & drop email builders do double duty for small businesses. They make it super simple to create email layouts, add text and pull in images – without the need to know any HTML code. And, they are designed to render your HTML email flawlessly in most ever email client. While you are doing a trial of an email tool, spend a little bit of time in their drag and drop builder to evaluate ease-of-use. You may also want to try a few test sends to the email clients you send to the most and make sure you get the results you expect. Admin Tools Even small businesses can be organized in complex ways, and your email marketing tool should help you work efficiently. You may need the ability to create sub-accounts if you want to treat communication channels differently in different departments. Small businesses that have clients, such as business coaches, consultants and marketing agencies, may require a way to share email templates across client accounts. As your email marketing efforts grow, so do your lists of contacts. As everyone knows, there’s money in your lists – and you don’t want a rogue client or employee to take off with your proprietary data. If security is a concert for your small business, you’ll want to evaluate your options for protecting your lists. Deliverability Tools The cold hard truth of email marketing today is that not every email will make it to the inbox. However, there are steps you can take to protect your sender reputation and ensure you’re delivering as many emails as possible. As you compare platforms, take note of deliverability help they provide. Email verification, spam checkers, whitelabel IP, and DKIM authentication can all give your business a boost in the battle for the inbox. List Building Small businesses can have a giant reach as they grow their email list. List building tools, like online forms, surveys and polls can help you capture a wider audience. As you test out new email marketing platforms, take a look at their list building tools. Do they have forms? Will they embed seamlessly with your website? Understand if you’ll need a technical resource or not to take advantage of any list building tools an email marketing platform offers. List Segmentation As an email marketing best practice, you want to send the most relevant message to everyone on your list. That’s where segmentation comes in. Your customer’s inbox is a competitive place to reach, and sending a generic message to your whole list is rarely a recipe for getting noticed. Pulling a list of contacts who opened a certain email or clicked a specific link can help small businesses refine their message and improve engagement with their contacts. As you compare email tools, make sure you have an easy way to slice and dice your contact data and get the right message into the right hands with every send. Automation Speaking of sending the right message at the right time, automation is helping small businesses scale their email marketing efforts. Email automation can help you send one-to-one emails to a large list of contacts. An email automation is a series of triggers and actions that fire automatically. Triggers can be signals such as a contact getting added to a list, opening an email, or clicking a link. Meanwhile, actions can be steps like sending a specific email or removing a contact from a list. Even just a few triggers and actions put together can create powerful workflows for small businesses. For instance, an automation can send a special offer to a contact who fills out an offer form. More complex automations can including sending a reminder email to a contact who has put an item in their shopping cart, but has not bought it yet. Automations can vary from platform to platform, so get a handle on the scope of automation actions and triggers before you make your final decision. A/B Testing Digital buying behavior is changing all of the time. A subject line that may have gotten noticed a year ago may feel stale today. Testing subject lines and email copy can set your email marketing efforts apart from the pack. A/B testing features can be simple or complex. It’s definitely a feature that can help you improve engagement – as long as it’s easy to use for your business. Reporting Measuring the success of email marketing is simple with good reporting tools. If there are metrics you want to track that go beyond the basics of open and click-through rates, make sure you can get to the data you need with your email marketing tool. 10 Email Marketing Tools to Evaluate Ready to find the right email marketing platform at the right price for your small business? Here’s a shortlist of the best email marketing tools serving small business customers today. Benchmark Not only is Benchmark’s email marketing suite incredibly powerful, but it’s also free. While most tools offer free trials or very limited features in their freemium plans, Benchmark gives you (almost) all the bells and whistles of their paid plans. Along with their ridiculously simple drag and drop builder, light automations and reporting tools, they also offer more advanced features like Google Analytics tracking, heatmapping and social media integration – all for free! For SMBs, Benchmark’s email tool is the perfect place to start and the perfect tool to grow alongside your business. Flodesk Flodesk is an email marketing tool that lets small businesses design beautiful emails easily. The layout builder lets you design custom graphics, removing the need for a design tool like Canva. Flodesk also offers sign-up forms to build your list faster and various workflow automations. It’s easy to use, and there are templates to help you get started. There is a 30-day free trial to test drive all the features. Best of all, it’s a fixed price service: $38/month flat for unlimited subscribers, and unlimited email sends. Image courtesy of Constant Contact Constant Contact Constant Contact is growing fast among the full slate of email marketing tools. Many email marketing platforms offer automation, A/B testing, surveys, and the like; Constant Contact has all of that. The platform also boasts intuitive forms – to make it easier to build a list – and offers online trainings and webinars among a generally-high level of support (live chat, email, phone, and more). Pricing-wise, they have a 60-day free trial (no credit card required). After that, their pricing starts at $20/month. Mailchimp What small business owner hasn’t heard of Mailchimp? Long-known as one of the best email tools on the market, they’ve recently expanded their platform to be more of an all-in-one solution. One of their advantages for small businesses is Mailchimp’s pricing structure; ; you can start at a Free level ($0 per month) or move up to Essentials (A/B, custom branding, and more support) or Standard (automation series, retargeting ads) all the way up to Premium (multivariate testing, advanced automation, phone support). Whatever your business needs and wherever it currently is operating, they have a plan for you. BenchmarkONE BenchmarkONE was specifically designed with small businesses in mind. The overall email marketing suite includes an intuitive drag and drop builder, professionally pre-designed email templates, and with a CRM included in one platform, they offer the ability to build your email list like a boss with responsive forms and automations. The Core pricing for BenchmarkONE is $79/month (although you can choose a smaller Lite package at $39/month). The Core package gives you five users, 500 contacts (although you can get more with an increased price), and 2,500 email sends. Image courtesy of ConvertKit ConvertKit ConvertKit is a great service if the backbone of your business is blogging; it’s ideal for professional bloggers and creators. Their pricing plans are based on subscribers, but up to 3,000 subscribers is only $49/month. With their simple signup forms, ConvertKit allows you to easily send enticing offers and incentives. It also comes with easy to manage auto-responders allowing you to send drip emails. Image courtesy of AWeber AWeber AWeber is one of the longest-tenured email marketing tools for small businesses, and one of the bigger advantages of their platform is that you get expert access regardless of the paid package you’re on. They also have a strong blog for those just getting started with email marketing, and offer ideas around pre-built email campaigns and more, allowing email marketing beginners to have a solid starting point. Image courtesy of Substack Substack Substack is a newer place in this space; you’d need to work up to their core offerings. But, after you build a list, they make it very easy to publish and monetize that list based on your number of subscribers. If you’re a content-driven business or a visually-driven business and can send out beautiful emails, you can make money directly from your list. In most email marketing, there will be Calls-To-Action, but a lot of the revenue comes from the ultimate relationship-building. With Substack, the paid plans allow the revenue to be directly from the email subscribers. It’s a different model but worth exploring — but you need to start by building the list and the list’s trust in your offerings. GetResponse GetResponse comes with beautiful responsive forms, landing pages, A/B testing, tracking, and autoresponders. Like many of the other tools on this list, they integrate with a variety of third-party tools like OptinMonster, SalesForce, Google Docs, ZenDesk, etc. Their basic plan starts at $15/month for 1,000 subscribers. Image courtesy of Drip Drip Drip is great for e-commerce shops, in part because their intelligent e-commerce automation is high-level but also intuitive for new users to navigate. Their basic plan is only $49/month for 2,500 users with unlimited email sends and 24/7 support. Some of their larger customers include LiveNation and Trivago. The bottom line Most of these email marketing tools for small businesses will give you the same set of basic (and advanced) features, including list-building, A/B testing, intelligent automation, segmenting, and a wide array of templates. Some will be better than others in terms of the feature set of offerings; what really distinguishes most of these email marketing tools is their level of support. Ask previous colleagues what they thought of different platforms; post on LinkedIn and other platforms to determine. Your email marketing tool won’t be perfect; things will come up that need fixing. Support is crucial! But don’t get scared off by the potential option overload of all these email marketing tools. You need email marketing to build relationships, sell, and grow. Do your research, and you’ll find the best option for you.
The 7 Best Live Chat Tools for Marketing Agencies Posted on September 26, 2019December 8, 2022 by Erin Posey Think about the last time you were at the store and couldn’t find what you were looking for. Now, if this was a big box store, there probably wasn’t a sales associate in sight. You look around, grumble, sigh, keep hunting and sometimes just plain give up. Now, imagine a potential customer, clicking around on your agency’s website. They have questions as they’re reading about your services, but maybe not so much so that they’re driven to send an email. They’re interested, but in our world of instant gratification, that interest may not last long. We’ve all been there. The last thing you want is for a potential client to bounce. Live chat tools on your website are amazing tools to stay connected with new and potential customers. They give your clients a quick and easy way to ask questions or connect with you instantly. So, what sets one chat tool apart from the rest? It’s time to compare six of the best and see for yourselves. Zendesk Image courtesy of Zendesk Zendesk is an extremely well-known name in the customer support industry. They are mostly known for their help ticket service, but they also operate an awesome live chat tool. Setup only requires adding a simple widget to your website and downloading a client on your computer. Some of its best features are triggers that let you open a chat box automatically when a customer performs an action and AI-powered chatbots that can handle simple tasks automatically. Zendesk is made for companies big and small, so their system is scalable, too. It can be managed by a single member of your administrative staff or a whole team of chat-dedicated professionals. Zendesk Chat starts for free for the lite version and scales up to $59/per agent, per month. Freshdesk Image courtesy of Freshdesk Freshdesk, much like ZenDesk, is a help support software to manage website support and ticket requests. Unlike ZenDesk, Freshdesk’s live support chat is built directly into their support software and is not available solo. Freshdesk’s chat platform integrates well within their ticketing service. It allows you to see if that customer has a help ticket open and their history with the company easily. So, if your company wants a full-service support system, FreshDesk is worth looking into. Freshdesk’s live chat feature is only available with the omnichannel add-on for their Blossom package and up. Pricing starts at $15/per agent, per month and scales to $109/per agent, per month. Help Scout Image courtesy of Help Scout Help Scout is a customer support software that is extremely customer focused. This live chat service also features a ticketing service and help documentation builder. The great thing about Help Scout is how all these services work together. When a customer messages in, their previous tickets are shown to the agent, along with relevant FAQ entries. Another nice feature, though not related to the chat function, is that their ticketing system feels more like a friendly email client than help tickets. It gives your support system a kind and personal touch. Help Scout starts at $20/per user, per month and scales up based on users from there. Intercom Image courtesy of Intercom Intercom is great for collaborative sales forces. This live chat software features detailed customer profiles, easy customer routing, and the ability to share chats with multiple agents. Their smart, AI-chat also allows you to create custom sales and support bots to answer simple questions or book meetings without having to wait for an agent to be on-hand. Intercom offers a start-up service at $49/per month for teams of 5 or less and scales up from there. Olark Image courtesy of Olark Olark offers attractive, custom-branded chat boxes with standard features like customer tracking, performance monitoring, and automated functions. Where Olark really shines is its featured powerups. With add-ons, their chat box can support co-browsing your site with visitors, live translations, and visitor data insights. Olark is free for 1 agent at 20 chats per month. For the powerup features, more users, or more chats, Olark starts at $12/month when billed every two years. Podium Webchat Podium is a little different than their competitors. While they offer a live chat service, their main difference is the chat takes place on customer’s cellphones through SMS. This allows you to easily collect lead’s phone numbers and build a more personal relationship with the potential client. Not only that, but it means that neither of you is tied to a computer! While customers can easily bounce on most live chats, you can message a device right on their person. Now that is powerful. Podium doesn’t publish their pricing online, but you can request a demo on their website. LiveAgent LiveAgent is a customer support software with a major focus on flexibility and convenience. This solution can handle every important customer service channel, including email, live chat, call center, social media, customer portal, and even messaging apps. The great thing about LiveAgent is that it unifies all of the communication into one convenient ticketing system with a hybrid ticket stream. That way, agents can see previous customer communication regardless of the channel the customer chose. LiveAgent has one of the fastest live chat widgets on the market, the support of WhatsApp as a customer service channel, and free 24/7 customer support for each client. It’s also very fast and easy to implement. LiveAgent starts at $15/per agent per month and scales up based on users and features. Live chat software can be a real lifesaver when you’re trying to seal the deal with a new client or solve problems they’re experiencing. These services are inexpensive, easy to set up, and customer-focused. But, before you decide on one, it’s good to test drive a few. Most of these platforms offer free demos, so gather up some willing tributes in your office and give them a whirl to see how a live chat software can benefit your business.
Where to Look When Your Creative Blog Ideas Dry Up Posted on September 25, 2019 by Allie Wolff Sometimes, it feels like you have to be a content machine to keep your blog filled with a steady stream of shareable articles. Even if you’re an expert in your field, there’s only so much you can write about before you feel like the well has just run dry. The internet is a crowded place, afterall, and no one needs more noise. First, remember, writing a blog is hard work so you don’t want to waste your time writing the same stale content as your competitors. Second, let’s start this brainstorm session with a little piece of advice: very few people read every post on your business’s blog. Most likely, they’re landing on your blog from suggested articles through your site, affiliates, emails, or social media reach. So, naturally, they just aren’t clicking through your entire site’s catalog of content. This little tidbit is actually quite freeing. Remember that each time you write an blog, you are writing to the same general audience, not a specific person. Before you get frustrated at your lack of ideas, think about the posts you’ve created so far. Are they worthwhile enough to be repurposed, expounded upon, or updated new, relevant information? Think evergreen content. That’s a great place to start. But, getting stuck is an unfortunate part of the content marketing process. So, what else can you do to get those valuable ideas flowing? Look to the hashtags Social media is a goldmine of information (not always truth, but certainly plenty of ideas). Try searching for general keywords related to your business in Twitter hashtags. The idea isn’t to see what your customers are saying; it’s actually to get outside of their scope. See what the industry is saying in real-time. So, if you own an advertising agency, for example, try searching for #digitalmarketing or #advertisingtips. You’ll often find up-to-the-minute social trends or stories that can spark your next headline in no time. Reflect on your frustrations Every industry has their pet peeves. Try channeling industry sticking points into a helpful blog post. So, let’s say for example, that you’re writing a blog on email marketing. A frustration point could be that you see a lot of large corporations that don’t know how to create responsive email designs that render well among the vast array of devices used in today’s market. So, you’d create a blog post that features tricks and tools to help with that issue. Change your timeframe or scope Maybe you’re just thinking too big. It’s easy to get caught up in the industry overall when you’re writing your blog. Instead of talking about, say, for example, the most notable trends in modern advertising, scale it back. Instead, talk about the most notable trends this year or this month. The same can be said for scope. The most notable trends in modern advertising, even when you put the time frame down to a month, can be a huge undertaking. Split that topic up! You could instead focus on the most notable trends in PPC ads—or, even better, the most notable trends in PPC ads this month. Write about what interests you Sometimes, it’s just hard to get those blog post ideas flowing because you find them dry or boring. It’s okay to admit it. Blogging isn’t always a glamorous job. If you work in the industry you’re writing for, why not take some time to talk about an aspect of it that genuinely interests you? For example, if you’re part of a graphic design agency, talk about famous designers or inspiration that get your mind buzzing. The article you produce will most likely be passionate and engaging because you’re putting a lot of your own self into it. Flip to an opposing viewpoint Take a look at the blog posts you have on your site so far. Do you see a trend? You likely tend to skew to one particular viewpoint—normally positive. If you see a lot of articles that inform the audience on what to do or what is best, try to flip it. Write some articles that focus on what not to do or what doesn’t quite work and why. Try a seasonal approach Establish some blog posts that you always write on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis. These posts can be something like a monthly round-up or an annual review. They can take the form of best of lists, overall evaluations, or insight on trends throughout the year. Articles that feature a dedicated topic at a dedicated time are excellent to have on the schedule because, well, they’re always there! You don’t have to think too hard about the topic, you can just get straight to the research. Besides, topics like annual reviews or quarterly lists are helpful for your clients who might not see industry trends daily as you do. Are the creative juices flowing yet? Take a second to hop up from your chair and get the blood flowing, stretch your hands, and prepare for the ideas to flow. You know your topic and your audience, now you just have to get to writing.
5 Digital Marketing Trends Your Business Can’t Afford to Ignore in 2019 Posted on September 20, 2019September 2, 2022 by Jonathan Herrick The words digital and disruption go hand in hand. In fact, it seems there are new digital trends disrupting the marketing world on an almost daily basis. Remember back in 2006, when Facebook first took the stage? Today, social media is a key marketing initiative for businesses across the globe and in just about every industry. In 2019, the digital landscape is still evolving. In order for your business to remain competitive, you will need to understand and adapt to these changes. To get you started, here are five digital marketing trends to keep an eye on. Micro-Moments The term micro-moments was coined by Google to further analyze and understand consumer behavior. There are basically for micro-moments, or instances in which people act on a certain need, as follows: I want to KNOW moments – Consumers are just exploring; not necessarily interested in buying. I want to GO moments – Consumers are looking for a local business with intent to buy. I want to DO moments – Consumers intend to learn or complete a task. I want to BUY moments – Consumers are searching for a product/service with clear intent to buy. By focusing your digital marketing strategy on these four key moments, providing the right information to the right audience at the right time, you will improve the likelihood of conversion. Voice Search According to a recent study by Bright Local, 58% of consumers say they have used voice search to find information about a local business. The study also revealed that 76% of people who own smart speakers (like Amazon Alexa) perform local searches via voice command at least weekly and 53% do it daily. And since recent data indicates that some 57.8 million Americans own at least one smart speaker, the audience is pretty significant. Tailoring your marketing strategy to make it voice-search-friendly can dramatically improve your SEO performance. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) By 2022, the market for augmented and virtual reality is expected to reach an eye-popping $209.2 billion. Both of these technologies have the potential to redefine how consumers engage with businesses and vice versa. In fact, some brands are already jumping on the AR/VR bandwagon and leveraging these advanced technologies to their advantage. Take furniture retailer Ikea, for example, which created an AR app that enables customers to experience 3-D renderings of products right from the comfort of their own homes. Greater Personalization 98% of marketers believe that personalization helps enhance customer relationships. Furthermore, 88% say their prospects and customers not only desire but expect personalized experiences. Simply put, the more you can customize the experience for your customers, the more trust and loyalty you’ll generate, which will ultimately lead to a better bottom line. Just look at Starbucks. The global coffee brand created a rewards app that uses data like location and purchase history to offer a more personalized shopping experience. That one initiative alone boosted their revenue by $2.65 billion! Authentic Content In addition to more personalization, today’s consumers also want the brands they do business with to produce and share authentic content. In fact, 86% say authenticity plays a role in their decision to choose one brand over another. For millennials that number is even higher (90%). One of the easiest and most effective ways to generate authenticity is to utilize user-generated content (UGC). A great way to get started with this is to launch a social media campaign encouraging users to share photos or videos of themselves using your product or service and including a branded hashtag you create. The digital landscape is ever-changing. The only way to remain profitable in today’s world is to follow these trends and adapt your approach accordingly. By incorporating one or more of the above into your marketing strategy, you will position your business for ongoing success.