4 Tips For Filling Your Agency Sales Pipeline Before Summer Posted on May 29, 2019 by Jessica Lunk It’s almost that magical time of year. It’s time for surf, sand, and fun all day. It’s time for the kids to run free and parents to cash in that hard-earned PTO. It’s time to spend three months slacking off, not thinking at all about business. Wait a second. There’s room for surf, sand, and business around here. Unfortunately, creative agencies can see a bit of a summertime slump as companies spend less time marketing and more time juggling tasks while key administrators head out to catch some rays. So, what can you do to avoid summertime sadness hitting your agency? Let’s plan early and fill the pipeline now. Here are a few techniques to try to get the sales flowing before those lazy summer days take hold. 1. Host or speak at smaller, niche events Speaking at a large trade show can be thrilling, but it isn’t the best place to make meaningful connections. If your area has an event or workshop aimed at your target audience, it’s time to get involved. Your agency can not only show their expertise and inspire businesses to check the pulse of their marketing efforts, but at smaller events, you’re approachable for deep conversations that can lead to big sales leads. If there aren’t any events that speak to your ideal buyer in your area, maybe your agency should start one! It can be as simple as a marketing panel at a brewery, library, convention center – you get the idea. If you inspire your audience to think about their marketing needs, there’s a good chance they’ll want to talk with you about how they can go even further. If an in-person event isn’t your jam, or if you don’t tend to do business locally, consider creating an online event. Whichever way you choose, these kinds of engagements are an excellent way to build rapport with the small business community. 2. Online engagement Social media, blogs, leaving comments on other company’s articles — this is the type of engagement we often recommend to our clients. How is your company’s social profile looking? Are you writing and creating engaging content that is educational to your potential customers? Are you commenting on their blogs and posts in meaningful ways? Just as you would lead your clients to build an online persona, your agency needs to be just as (if not more so!) engaged. Many agencies, in the mad panic of daily business, let their online engagement fall to the wayside. Don’t get slack with this. Engage with potential customers and assist them with their problems in meaningful ways. Another creative way to engage with potential customers online is to add a chatbot to your website. You can automate part of the conversation to engage visitors and send qualified prospects to a live person. 3. Follow-up on supposedly “stale” leads So, last year this potential client just didn’t have marketing as a priority in their budget, or perhaps you met someone at a tradeshow that you had a great connection with, but they were already working with a competitor. It never hurts to give these companies a call again after about 6 months or so. Instead of making it a sales call, just frame it as a friendly check-in. Find out how things are going in their marketing department, if they’re happy with the competitor, or if there are any opportunities for you to work together. Even if there’s not, maybe they can refer you to another company they know! 4. Ask for business This one may seem like an obvious tip. Of course, we ask for business, you’re thinking, that’s how we make a living. While you may be asking for business, are you asking from your ideal clients? With the approach of a potential slump, this slower time could be a great moment to do some research and take more of an ABM approach. Pick 5 to 10 companies that you think are ideal for your agency in terms of size, income, and goals. You’ll want to be sure this is a company that you believe you can genuinely deliver astounding results for. Take time to craft an astounding proposal. Be sincere when you email it to them, no stock sales letters allowed! While it isn’t feasible to spend time crafting this level of detailed proposal for most clients, during slow times, this can be the perfect time to pull out the stops and net a big fish. Your pocketbook doesn’t have to fear the summertime slump. While it can be a trying time for many agencies, try to look at it in a positive light. A slower time is time to develop tactics to go after bigger and better companies, forge meaningful connections within your community, and follow-up with clients that you may have lost in the daily fray. At the end of the day, the best advice anyone can give you is to simply act. The more involved in your professional community you are, the more engaged with your clients you are, and the more meaningful your communication methods are, the better off your agency will be. After all, we all like to do business with people that we trust.
Should You Publish Your Agency Rates on Your Website? Posted on May 28, 2019December 15, 2022 by Katie Culp No business ever, in the entire history of pizza, has failed to have a set price for their goods. Pizza? Let’s back up. If you run a pizza shop, you have to charge your customers something for your ingredients. There are multiple factors involved, like the size of the pizza you’re buying, the toppings, and your overhead costs. Marketing agencies are no different. You have a slew of factors that contribute to your pricing strategy. But one thing is different: while it’s essential for pizza shops to put their pricing front and center, public pricing isn’t such a hot strategy for marketers or ad agencies. In fact, secrecy may be better (at first). If that sounds like a strange approach to take when you’re trying to win over clients, it is. But it might still be the right approach for your agency. Agencies have differing views on the topic, but there’s definitely a trend toward ditching listed rates. Let’s take a deeper dive into the subject and find out whether publishing your rates online is right for your business. What Do Your Clients Want? If someone is looking at your agency’s website, there’s a chance that they’re looking to hire you. Unfortunately, it’s only a chance. Visitors check out websites like yours for various reasons, including: They’re trying to get a feel for what an agency like yours offers They’re shopping around, trying to find the agency that best matches their specific needs They’re competitors trying to size your agency up and compare your offerings to their own They’ve decided to hire you and are about to make contact They’re trying to gauge how much their marketing needs will cost You’ll occasionally see visitors who have other reasons for visiting your site, but these are some of the big ones. Most of the reasons have to do with gathering information, and a lot of that information deals with the services your agency offers. Even though cost does play a part in some visits, it’s far from the main reason that most visitors will wind up on your website. Don’t Your Clients Need Rate Information? Obviously, potential clients need to know how much your services cost before they hire you. Publishing rate information on your website is one way to accomplish this. But it may not be the best way, and depending on the sort of work your agency does, it may not even be a good way. Custom services and individual client needs can significantly affect how much things cost. That price shift can be hard to showcase on a website, so a lot of agencies direct their rate inquiries to the sales team instead. Why? One-on-one contact can help make connections that will eventually lead to a sale, and the sales team can also provide rate information that’s specifically tailored to the client’s needs. Studies have shown that 58% of potential customers want to talk about costs on the very first call, so this gives your sales team a strong conversation point. Benefits of Publishing Agency Rates Some agencies do publish their rates online, and there are some benefits to doing so. Though the specific benefits may vary depending on how your agency runs, your target industries, regional location, and other agency-specific factors, here are a few reasons that you might want to publish: Publishing rates gives potential clients an idea of what to expect in costs before making contact. Published rates may help potential clients design a marketing wish list to fit their budgets. Having rates published on your website may help some potential clients choose your agency instead of competitors who haven’t published their rates. Publishing rates creates more transparency, which some clients appreciate. Listing rates in a range of prices helps ensure that potential clients who contact you are aware of what your services may cost, avoiding sticker shock during the call. Why to Avoid Publishing Rates Even though there are some clear benefits to publishing rates on your agency’s website, many marketing agencies still don’t post their rates online. They have their reasons, including: Publishing rates can turn off some potential clients, killing the sale before it ever reaches the sales department. Published rates, even those within a range of prices, don’t accurately represent the cost of custom services and unique marketing campaigns. Putting prices on your website can help competitors who are looking to undercut your rates. Having your rates on your agency’s site makes it harder to sell clients on value instead of cost. For many agencies, creating a rate list is difficult because each client’s needs are evaluated individually, and there is no “typical” client case. Should Your Agency Publish Rate Information? Determining whether or not to publish your agency’s rates on your website isn’t a straightforward decision. There are pros and cons to going public with your agency’s fees, and there is a definite trend away from publishing rates. But don’t let trends dictate your decisions. Choose the option that best fits the way your agency actually does its business — and focus on serving your client. At the end of the day, if you’re providing a killer solution, it shouldn’t matter too much where and how you present your pricing.
7 Tips for Staying the Course When Entrepreneurship Gets Tough Posted on May 24, 2019 by Jonathan Herrick Sure, it’s exhilarating to be your own boss and take an idea from a passion project to a real business, but sometimes, there are rough days that can weaken your resolve. Maybe the client who seemed great when you first met has turned into Attila the Hun. The investor you thought was really interested in making a deal is suddenly blowing you off. Or that great new employee has ghosted. So how do you stay strong and keep the faith? Here are some battle-tested ways to steel yourself against the ups and downs. Put a new spin on the gratitude journal. Take time once a day to jot down at least one thing you love about running your business—the favorite clients, the amazing victories, the places it takes you. As the ideas start flowing, you’ll probably find it hard to choose just one, not matter how tough a day you’ve had. Taking stock of the good things your business has brought you can be a great way to get your eyes back on the prize. Train your brain. If you’re not taking any time each week to practice a discipline that encourages mindfulness, put it on your schedule. Whether you fire up Headspace every morning and meditate for 10 minutes, take a yoga class or listen to classical music, any discipline that helps you to train your mind to be less reactive to the situations going on around you will help you in business. Mindfulness will give you the perspective you need to weather the inevitable ups and downs. Work out regularly. There’s no better way to release pent up stress than through a physical activity you love. Whether it’s power walking, CrossFit, running, cycling, rowing or a trendy new fitness class, finding a way to release pent up energy is great way to push the re-set button in your life. Ideally, pick an activity that’s so vigorous you can’t think about the office when you’re doing it. By stepping away from your desk and taking care of your body, you’ll have the stamina you need to weather whatever happens at your business. Hit the library. Check out a book on your favorite great entrepreneur. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Phil Knight and other famous names achieved great things despite many setbacks. So can you—as long as you don’t give up. Make time for friends who have nothing to do with your business. There’s a big world outside of your office, but it’s easy to forget that. Spending time with your pals and finding out what’s going on for them is a great distraction from anything that’s getting you down at work. Plan something fun, whether it’s an early morning hike, the latest action movie or a night at a comedy club. And make a resolution to talk about something other than your business, so you can clear your mind for one evening. Turn to a trusted mentor. Sometimes, if a business problem is really serious and you’re in over your head, distracting yourself from it isn’t the best idea. When times get really tough, reach out to a trusted mentor (or two) early. Your mentor may have weathered something similar and may be able to give you really good advice or help you make a connection who can help you. There are few problems in business that are so unique that no one has ever experienced them before. Don’t have a mentor? Get some free advice at your local Small Business Development Center, run by the U.S. Small Business Administration, or reach out to SCORE, where you can get advice from seasoned business executives. Why struggle alone when there are many people out there who can help you? Seek community. Being around other entrepreneurs can be a great antidote to the alienation and isolation that can set in when you’re experiencing a low moment in your business. Try attending a tech or entrepreneurship Meetup you’ve never been to before. Simply being in a room full of entrepreneurial energy may be just what you need to push re-set on your mindset and start tomorrow with a fresh outlook.
6 of the Best Ways to Source Blog Topic Ideas Posted on May 23, 2019 by Allie Wolff Are you a content manager or business writer looking for new blog ideas? Are you a freelancer with deadlines to meet but an unfortunate case of writer’s block? One of the most challenging aspects of blogging regularly is coming up with topics — especially if you are running your own business. If writing and marketing are an addition to your other management work, you may feel stuck when it comes time to hammer out a new post for your audience. So what can we do to make the process of finding good content ideas easier? If you’re looking for guidance on beefing up your process of mining for topics, you’ve come to the right (write? Ugh, we’re sorry) place! Use a Generator Did you know that there are online topic generators? Some will ask only for a noun, others allow you to input a series of words into their engine. The generator will then spit you out a topic idea immediately. Hooray for AI! If, for example, you input “content marketing” into Portent’s Content Generator, it might give you a creative headline idea like “The Only Content Marketing Resources You Will Ever Need.” Hit the refresh button, and you get another option: “Why The World Would End Without Content Marketing.” Not happy with what Portent suggests? Here are some other popular topic generators: The Blog Post Idea Generator from Build Your Own Blog post, which is “ready to serve when your brain is out of service.” The Headline Analyzer from CoSchedule, which aims to give you more clickable headlines through constructive feedback. Some more elaborate choices also include Buzzsumo and Content Strategy Helper, which operate in spreadsheet-like fashion to help you make the most popular and click-worthy headline. Read Similar Blogs One way to brainstorm new ideas and stay on top of what’s trending is to consistently check out your competition. Make a habit of scanning other blogs in your industry to see what they are talking about. To help, there are services like Feedly that will help you manage and subscribe to a list of bloggers who write about the same topic that you do. This will allow you to think about what unique angle or spin you have for a particular topic and can jump-start your creative process. On any given day, you may see more than one idea that appeals to you. Write them all down! This will give you material to work with on another day. Keep an “Ideas” File Keep a running “ideas file” in a convenient place. Even if it’s just a list on your phone, get in the habit of writing down blog ideas when they come to you or when you’re reading competitors’ blogs (promising yourself you’ll remember it later is a recipe for disaster). The items on this list can be as simple as single words, which you can then put in a title generator, or can be more complex thoughts. You can even incorporate tools like Evernote to record audio files and other notes on the go. We know you’re busy with multiple projects and jobs, and writing down what you’re thinking about can help you avoid that terrible feeling that you did have a great idea — except now you can’t remember it! Crowdsource Your Ideas There’s no faster way to please your audience than by simply asking them what they’d like to read about. You may be an expert, but you will always benefit from feedback and engagement with your audience. There are several ways to crowdsource topic ideas: Look in the comments section on your blog or Twitter. What are people asking about? How can you reply to those queries? Look in the comments section of related blogs. This works for the same reason. Can you find a way to offer more to those who are already interested in your topic? Ask directly. Run a poll on your blog or Facebook, ask your customers and colleagues or put out a tweet asking for feedback. Analyze Your Most Popular Posts, Then Write More Like Them If you’ve been blogging for any amount of time, you’ll have analytics on what your most viewed and most popular posts are. This is a big hint for what really resonates with your audience. Look at your site, or the sites you write for, and see what the most popular topics are. Then follow the above steps to see how you might expand on those ideas. Look for ways to either get more granular in your analysis and break down big ideas, or go bigger and look for new approaches to your topic. Once you’ve done the above, remember to link your related blog posts! Add a clickable link to the end of one post to lead an interested reader to another piece they might enjoy — this is a great way to encourage further reading. Consider Guest Bloggers If you’re really looking for a break from the blogging grind, or you’d like some more diverse opinions on your site, consider asking guests to contribute. Reach out to experts in your field, business owners with similar interests, or professionals with expertise related to the topic of your blog. Often, people will be interested in the experience and exposure that they might get from your blog. Even if they don’t care to write the whole piece themselves, you can use them for rough content and ideas, and then just do the editing! So the next time you are staring blankly at your computer screen, consider putting some of these ideas into play. In no time, you’ll be creating new content that ultimately brings you more traffic, engagement, and business.
The Benefits of Hiring a Marketing Automation Consultant Posted on May 22, 2019 by Jessica Lunk Chances are you use marketing automation, or are planning on using marketing automation in the near future. Emailmonday’s Ultimate Marketing Automation Stats found that, on average, 51% of companies are currently using marketing automation, with more than half of B2B companies (58%) planning to adopt the technology. While the advantages of marketing automation are clear (more personalized outreach, seamless follow-up, shorter sales cycles and more), there can be hurdles to getting marketing automation to work for you. Mapping out your sales and marketing process, creating enough content to feed your automation engine, and keeping communication personal at scale are all challenges. You may be investing in marketing automation, but are you optimizing your ROI? Hiring a marketing automation consultant can help your business squeeze every penny from this powerful tool. What Is a Marketing Automation Consultant? A marketing automation consultant is someone you bring in to help you set up and manage your automation software. Though the service offering may vary depending on the consultant you hire, most marketing automation consultants will: Integrate marketing tools into the CRM platform of your choice, or find alternative solutions if direct integration isn’t possible Work with you to develop automation strategies based on your sales and marketing process. Set up data reporting systems and other forms of tracking to make it clear which automated workflows are performing well and which need adjustment Provide expert advice on best practices so you’ll have a better idea of how your automated services should run Make recommendations as needed regarding automated services or specialized pieces of automation software With experience in implementing marketing automation across different businesses and industries, your marketing automation consultant will also have a significant amount of insight into how your marketing automation platform integrates with other parts of your business. For instance, they may have advice on the best payment processing software to use, or the best support ticketing system to integrate with. Comparing Automation Platforms If you don’t currently have a marketing automation solution in place, your consultant can be integral in choosing the best platform for your business. They’ll know which platforms have the appropriate feature set for your business, as well as which platforms will work the most seamlessly with other tools you want to connect to. Streamlining Automation Already have marketing automation in place? Hiring a marketing automation consultant can help you to streamline any existing automation you have in place. This can save both time and money as your existing automated workflows may not be as efficient or targeted as they really need to be. Streamlined automation means more precise timing, better targeting of different audience segments and overall better marketing performance. This makes all of your marketing efforts more effective, which in turn provides a solid benefit to your bottom line. Cross-Channel Integration If you have multiple sales channels to manage, your marketing automation consultant should be able to provide you with solutions that help you automate functions across all of them. Cross-channel marketing provides you with sales opportunities you might not have if you focus on each channel as a distinct entity. By integrating cross-channel options into your automated email campaigns and other marketing strategies, you can increase customer exposure across all of your channels. Increased Opens and Click-Throughs Email marketing, in particular, can be difficult if you don’t have experience with email campaigns. Upgrading from email marketing to marketing automation software can help somewhat in this regard, but bringing in a professional can really help you take your email efforts to a higher level. A marketing automation consultant will not only assist you in setting up your automated campaigns but will also ensure that those campaigns are crafted to get the greatest possible number of opens and click-throughs. Choosing the Best Consultant The big question that a lot of people have when it comes to hiring a marketing automation consultant is, “How can I be sure I hire the right person?” While different consultants may bring different things to the table, the most important factor that you should look at when choosing a consultant is how well they can back up their claims. Don’t be afraid to ask for references or sample metrics to show how they’ve increased sales and performance for other clients in the past. Most consultants will gladly provide hard data to show their effectiveness, giving you the information you need to compare different consultants’ offerings and choose the one that’s best for your business. Ready to start your search? Connect with a Hatchbuck certified marketing consultant to assess your marketing automation needs.
How to Optimize Your Webpage for Semantic Search Posted on May 20, 2019 by Guest Author Gone are the days of “if you build it, the search engine (and rankings) will come.” The fact is, search engines such as Google have been in a constant state of flux, evolving how information is found, categorized, and ultimately “ranked” given a specific search query. At inception, search engines primarily looked at optimization for singular keywords and phrases such as “best CRM system.” Those times have since passed, and businesses that relied on “keyword stuffing” and over-optimization have felt Google’s wrath in the form of decreased rankings, and in some cases, even a penalty. Today, Google is now capable of interpreting the context of those keywords, with search becoming more intent driven, conversational and interactive. As Google continues this trend towards semantic search, SEO so too must adapt to keep pace. What is Semantic Search? Semantic search aims to enhance the user experience by providing an individualized set of search results for a query based on the contextual meaning and “intent” behind that query. In layman’s terms, “semantic” refers to the words’ meaning. As it relates to search, such as on Google, semantic search looks at the words on a page, their use, organization, context and underlying logic with each other to determine what the page is about and the “intent” which it might fulfill. A few basic elements Google uses to determine this include: GEO location Trends data Synonyms Contextually relevant keywords and topics discussed Types of vernacular Natural language elements and more In this article we’ll dig into semantic search, what it means for you as a marketer, SEO specialist or agency, and how you can leverage the use of semantic relevancy and optimization on your webpages to outrank, outpace and outperform the competition. Strategies for Optimizing your Webpage for Semantic Search 1. Semantic Markup In part, semantic search relies on a network of related entities such as contextually related concepts, ideas, people, places and things. One way to capitalize on this is through the use of structured markup. When search engines crawl your pages, structured markup can help those crawlers to better understand the concepts and context of the content on those pages. The most widely adopted formats for markup are microdata: RDFa and JSON-LD. We suggest Schema.org as a good starting point for learning how to implement this tactic. 2. Keyword and Conceptual Tiers A primary focus when optimizing webpages for semantic search should be on context. Consider breaking up your keywords into the following tiers: Core Keywords These keywords represent a tight cluster of words that don’t deviate much from your primary keyword or keyword phrase. They likely include synonyms as well as those provided by Google’s own “related searches” feature. Thematic Keywords These keywords are not direct derivatives of your primary keyword but are categorically related. For example, if your primary keyword was “Digital Marketing,” thematic keywords may include: social media, search engine optimization, web design, pay per click, and so on. Stem Keywords Stem keywords are those secondary keywords that serve the purpose of answering the question behind the “intent” of the search query. Let’s use the “Digital Marketing” keyword example, stem keywords may include: digital marketing cost, digital marketing ROI, types of digital marketing, and so on. 3. Audience Profiling While considering your audience seems like a “no brainer,” there are elements that many marketers often leave out of the actual content itself- factors that could improve semantic optimization on-page. Aspects of your audience that are understood or uncovered should be strategically incorporated into page content when and where relevant. To understand your target audience, first start with the following: Industry/Niche B2B or B2C Customer Avatar – demographics such as gender, age, income, and so on. Geography – where do they live and what areas will you serve Sentiment – both towards the industry as well as your brand and products/services Once you have completed the above, it’s time to dig deeper with psychographics (i.e., those elements that help business owners and marketers understand the needs, wants, desires, and motivating factors behind customers’ decisions). Data gathered should include that on: Values and beliefs Lifestyle and habits Personality types Online and offline behavior Interests and hobbies All these elements and more should weave into the fabric of your content. 4. Intent-Driven Content According to Alexa, 80% of online searches are conducted by individuals looking for an answer. With the remainder comprised of 10% in search of a specific product and services and another 10% in search of a particular website or brand. Given that 80% of all searches seek an answer, your goal should be to position your content as the best answer on the web for that particular inquiry. Providing the best answer can be done by: Creating long-form content over 1000 words (ideally 1500+) Using questions as meta tags on a page Providing clear, concise and valuable information Thoroughly covering all aspects of the subject and addressing potential follow-up issues to the core question 5. Leverage Internal Linking Internal linking is a tried and true method of indicating to search engines the conceptual nature and topical relevancy of a page, as well as for supporting a positive user experience as they navigate your site. Strategies to optimize for semantic search include: Identification of thematically relevant pages for inter-linking opportunities Reference to important pages in main navigation and footer Reference to important pages in HTML and/or XML sitemap Inclusion of contextual links within pages linking to other categorically relevant pages Remember to link to end-state canonical URL and not the URL with a parameter Remember to fix any 3XX and 4XX errors that may exist 6. External Links Similarly to “internal” linking, those links earned from external sources can also enhance the semantic optimization of your pages also known as backlinks. While strategies on earning links is a much too broad topic for this particular guide, below are a few tips on the types of links you should focus. Best Practices for external links relative to semantic optimization: Links from categorically similar sites matter more than non-relevant websites Anchor text should utilize semantically relevant keywords from the three “conceptual keyword tiers” discussed earlier Links should provide value to the user/reader Closing Thoughts For decades SEO optimization specialists have spent countless resources on earning Google’s favor. With hundreds of micro-algorithm updates and a few significant updates every year, keeping up has been no easy task. As Google and other search engines become better at understanding context and intent, so too must those in charge of SEO adapt to give both the users and search engines what they want. Closing Thoughts By implementing the tactics in this article, agencies and business owners can take a clear and impactful step towards improving the semantic optimization of their webpages, earning them higher rankings, targeted traffic, visibility and growth. —- Anthony Atkins is a seasoned and growth-minded digital marketer and entrepreneur – a purpose-driven leader with a proven track record for translating dreams and visions into practical concepts. He has managed and motivated interdisciplinary teams, both as a manager and CEO of his inbound marketing agency, CixxFive. Anthony enjoys the struggles in business and considers them as “challenge accepted.” He has helped build and manage brands from the ground up.
Everything You Need to Know About Advertising on Bing Posted on May 17, 2019May 17, 2019 by Jessica Lunk Everyone knows Google dominates the search marketplace. Bing is the #2 search engine and can help you reach 1 in 3 people who search on the internet. With more than a billion unique monthly global visitors, Bing holds about 3 percent of the search market share. According to Statista, Bing’s audience is comprised mainly of older internet users. These people are from 45 – 54 years old, and earn an annual income of more than $100,000. That’s definitely an audience worth pursuing so this article will take a deep dive into everything you need to know about advertising on Bing. What Is Bing Ads? Bing Ads is the platform used to advertise on the Bing network, which includes the Aol.com, Bing.com and Yahoo.com search engines. Bing powers search results for Amazon’s Kindle, Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana. Bing is also the default search engine for all PCs. That means Bing is in more places than you might have realized: including when you ask Alexa or Siri a question. Like Google, the search engine marketing basics are about the same. Bing Ads is a pay-per-click, or PPC advertising, model. It works using a bidding system that should be familiar to Google advertisers. If you outbid your competition, you’re more likely to get your ad to show for a particular term. You only pay if someone clicks your ad, and you’ll set a daily budget. This way, you won’t get any surprises when the bill comes due. To start, Bing’s dashboard shows you how many people saw your ad. You’ll see how many clicks you got for each ad along with the cost per click, and more. All these features are a huge advantage over traditional media. Offline advertising can be it’s much more difficult—if not impossible—to determine how many people engaged with your ad. Less Competition Means More Potential Customers Are you already advertising on Bing? The odds are, your competitors aren’t advertising there either. This relatively low competition means your ad position is likely to be higher since there are fewer advertisers there. There are fewer advertisers on Bing than on Google. So, those who do advertise on Bing typically enjoy higher click-through rates than those on Google. And, there’s a better return on investment. The average bid on Bing can be about half the price of what Google advertising costs. If you’re already experiencing success with Google PPC campaigns, it’s likely that Bing can help you achieve your goals. Bing Ads Offers More Granular Control There are many ways in which Bing Ads targeting is superior to Google. Here are some examples, in no particular order: Bing allows you to assign different time zones to different campaigns. This makes complex ad scheduling strategies easier to manage in Bing, especially if your campaigns are targeted internationally. With Google, you set your network, location, ad scheduling, language, and ad rotation settings at the campaign level. Ad groups are restricted to their corresponding campaign-level settings. Bing Ads expands these options at the ad group level. You can adjust a setting for a particular ad group without having to create a new campaign. Bing Ads users can adjust their bids for mobile devices, including tablets—and can opt out of desktop searches. Bing advertisers can currently exclude desktop and tablet traffic from their campaigns. However, Bing plans to remove some targeting options early in 2019. You can adjust your bid for tablet users from -20% to +300%. Bing advertisers have the flexibility of targeting just Bing and Yahoo, just search partners, or both, at the ad group level. On the other hand, Google only offers two choices: Google search or Google search partners. Synchronize with Your AdWords Account One of Bing Ads’ most helpful features is its ability to import Google AdWords campaigns. There are also automated options that synchronize Bing and Google campaigns regularly. Bing Data Scientists Share Industry Insights The Bing Ads SlideShare channel on LinkedIn helps Bing advertisers get the most from search data. There, the team shares industry vertical-focused insights that support marketers in making the best possible decisions. Better Extensions Ad extensions appear under your ads. They’re links that help direct people to your social accounts, your phone number, product pricing, and more. With Bing, you can add extensions to include your company’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. These extensions help your audience engage directly with you and join conversations with your brand. Bing Automated Dynamic Product Extensions let you automatically showcase product offerings with their prices alongside your search ad. We can’t cover every single aspect of Bing ads in a single blog post. However, we hope you have enough information to help you decide whether it’s worth it to give Bing Ads a try.
6 Elements of a Perfect Elevator Pitch for Entrepreneurs and SMBs Posted on May 16, 2019 by Jonathan Herrick “So, what do you do?” When it comes to your startup or fledgling small business, this seems like it should be an easy question to answer. But summarizing your life’s work into a statement that is concise, compelling, and effective can be difficult, especially if you’re coming up with it off the cuff. Let’s be real for a moment — most of us are too close to our businesses just to be able to produce a perfect pitch without any extraneous ramblings. We know too much. It’s hard to summarize the best bits right away. So, let’s back up for a second and talk about the concept of the “elevator pitch.” The idea is pretty simple, create a 20-30 second blurb (so, about the length of an elevator ride) about your business that you can whip out in those quick networking moments, like at industry events or with potential investors. Let’s make those 30 seconds count with a few elements to make your elevator pitch one to remember. 1. Key information To begin your elevator pitch, you’ll want to identify the basic information that any prospect is going to want to know about you. This information should include: Your business name What problem you solve Your value proposition How you stand out from competitors A simplified version of your business model That seems like a lot to cover in 30 seconds, but it can be done if you keep your language concise. An example could be something like this, “We are a marketing agency that helps small businesses better communicate with their customers. We do this by not only providing marketing solutions but also coaching our customers to improve their in-house communication in person and on social media. We tend to work with most clients on a monthly retainer. You should stop by and chat with us about how we can get you better connected with your clients.” 2. Accessible language The best elevator pitches can be understood by anyone, whether they work in your field or not. While it is easy to fall back on technical jargon, try to find ways to explain what you do in layman’s terms. For example, if you’re a web developer, you wouldn’t want to say: “I’m a front-end designer and developer that executes HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, AJAX, and other web 2.0 technologies to make scalable web applications.” It would be better to tone down the jargon and say something a little simpler, like: “I’m a front-end designer and developer. I create beautiful online customer experiences using web applications.” 3. Call to action Conversations are initiated for a reason. No one just gives their elevator pitch for fun. At the end of the day, you’re hoping to bag a new client, connection, or investor. With that in mind, don’t forget to seal your elevator pitch with a quick call to action. Be direct and ready to hand over a business card. Your call to action should be simple and easy to act upon. For example, you could say: “Would you like to sit down next week and discuss how we could improve your web presence?” 4. Concise Distilling your company into 20 or 30 seconds can be absolutely excruciating. There’s so much passion in your work that you just want to get out. Maybe you want to tell them about a fantastic project you just finished or perhaps there’s more to your business than you can simply fit into a tiny pitch — whatever the case, don’t let it all out. An elevator pitch can quickly turn from a simple spiel to a rambling nightmare. What you may think is an interesting anecdote could derail the conversation entirely. If this business relationship is one that will last, you’ll have time to share with this client as you get to know one another. Don’t give all your secrets away. Allow the potential client time to breathe and take in the conversation. There will be time for more conversations later. 5. Diversified Once you have your elevator pitch sorted out, think about the different clients you’ll meet. Investors, customers, potential business partners — each one has different needs. Take some time to modify your elevator pitch for each of these possible people, so you’re never caught off guard. 6. Polished, but still human Finally, you’ll want to practice your elevator pitch a few times. While it’s important to know what you’re going to say, don’t memorize it word-for-word. Remember, when you give your elevator pitch, you want to be in the moment. Genuinely engage with the person you’re speaking to; don’t just automatically blurt out a rehearsed script. Your elevator speech should sound natural. Memorize your key information and practice a few calls to action for the different types of people you’ll meet. Then, the best way to practice is to simply get out there. Practice using your pitch in conversations and tweak it as you go. Soon, you’ll be pitching just like the networking pros.
5 Tips for Growing Your Social Channels Organically Posted on May 15, 2019May 15, 2019 by Allie Wolff Running your business’ social media pages is no easy task. Sure, it seems simple from the outside, right? Just slap some cool images up there, write a funny blurb, and boom! The followers will just come flooding in. If only that were the case. Sometimes seeking organic reach can be frustrating. It can be so tempting just to pump money into a sponsored ad and call it a day. But before you do that, let’s talk about a few tried and true methods of growing your organic reach. Resist the urge to hard sell. Most social media users are exhausted from the constant inundation of branded content on their feed. Sponsored ads assault their relaxing scroll through their curated feeds, causing grumbles and frustration heard throughout the internet. On social media, people are looking for authentic personalities. They crave interaction. Likes and follows are what drive your views on social media. Instead of the hard sell, try the human approach. Add a little relatability, humanity, and levity to your posts. Build a voice and a persona, not a brand. One mistake that many small business users make is using their Facebook page to solely talk about their brand. Their posts tend to be about what their business offers, when they’re open, and not much more. Take some time to reflect on who your brand is. Make a list of human characteristics that your brand embodies. Maybe you’re a fashion brand with the mind of a sassy best friend. Perhaps you’re a non-profit with a heart of gold. Find the person within your brand and post as them. Identify that voice and keep it consistent among all social media channels. No matter what you’re posting, even a business update, should be done consistently and with purposeful personality. Teach your followers something. If you’ve been on Facebook or Instagram for five minutes, you’ve probably seen a recipe video fly across your feed. These overhead-style videos are engaging, shareable, and accessible with their distinct overhead view and lack of dialogue. The success of these videos corroborates data provided by the 2018 Sprout Social Index—59% of consumers are interested in posts that teach them something. If you’re a food brand, recipes could be a great way to go. If your brand offers a unique perspective on an industry, give us a look behind the scenes. If your brand has a social cause, use large text over compelling imagery to draw us in. Lesson videos have the best shareability and engagement when they can be enjoyed with or without sound and ideally are no longer than two minutes. Pinterest is also a great place to create learning content. Your Pinterest board could include tall and engaging infographics or simple image-based tutorials. Share content and experiences from your users. Human experiences are what make social media go ‘round. What better way to engage your audience and gain new followers than by featuring the people that your brand has touched? On Instagram and Facebook, get permission from followers who have used your brand in photos for some cross-promotion. Feature your employees or former clients in testimonials or photographs. Instead of stock or posed photography, potential followers want to see actual people engaging with your brand. Stand out with stories and live videos. Facebook and Instagram both feature stories and live video features. Live videos allow you to show fun, in-the-moment and unscripted content. Stories allow you to feed images, video clips, and even clickable links (on Instagram) directly to your users at the top of their feed. Stories and live videos are a fantastic way to cover events that your brand attends, show humanizing behind-the-scenes footage or even host informational question and answer sessions. Engage users with giveaways and contests Giveaways and contests have been a tried and true method used by marketers since the beginning of our industry. Who can argue with their success? No one can deny that people love to receive free stuff. Giveaways and contests can lead to high post engagement by requiring comments and sharing to enter. If the prize is compelling enough, your post will be flying onto newsfeeds. As you can see, the most essential part of growing your social channels is engagement. The end goal should always be to get customers clicking on your posts, responding to them, and sharing. Social media is primarily stacked against marketers. It’s set up this way to protect their users. Only a minuscule amount of your followers will see a boosted post on most social media channels. The algorithm is set up to show social media users’ content that interests them and their friends. If you create a human, compelling social media presence, your potential customers will build a relationship with your brand and welcome your posts among those coveted few that they seek out.