How to Maximize Your Email Marketing Campaign Strategy

/0 Comments/in , /by

Have you tried email marketing and had bad luck?  Let’s see if we can fix it.  This post will help you maximize your email marketing strategy get you more conversions!

Send to Qualified Leads

Make sure you’re sending your emails to the most qualified leads you have. Cold emailing is a brutal way to get your email read.  You can purchase qualified leads list or collect them via your website & social media channels.  But once you make the decision to send an email – getting opens is much easier with qualified leads.

Split Test Your Emails

Split testing is a way to test your email before you send it to the whole list.  This becomes a HUGE strategy when your lists grows.  Subject lines are a common testing element.  One thing to do is test colors too – you can send 50% of your list one color – 50% the other and see where a better click through rate is at.  Leveraging the email layout, wording and fonts are great variations that make a big difference.

Create a Catchy Subject Line

A catchy subject line should draw people in and actually get them to click on your email. It is hard and takes time – but once you start to see what works, it gets easier.  Once they’ve clicked on the email, you want them to click through to your website. Make sure the subject line gives an idea of what to expect in the email, but still leaves an element of mystery.

Include a Clear Call to Action

A clear call to action is a must if you want anybody to click through to your site. Do you want them to take advantage of an offer you have? Tell them and make it clear.  Some people just need to be told.

Monitor Their Progress

Monitor the progress of your emails to see how well they are doing. Make note of click through rates and other elements so you can decide where you need to improve.

email

image source

Don’t Make it Too Complicated

Making the email too complicated isn’t a good idea. People will probably read it in their lunch hour or where they are supposed to be working, and it’s unlikely they have that much time. Keep things as simple as you can. You don’t want to confuse anybody or make things more difficult than they need to be – look for ways to keep it simple.

Be Professional

Above all else, it’s important that you’re professional. Emails can be kept and looked back on, so you don’t want to say anything that can be used against you or your business. Always bear professionalism in mind to get the best results.

These tips will always help you to get the most from your email marketing campaign, so use as many of them as possible and make a note of how much more successful they are. Leave a comment here with your thoughts too!

6 Tips To Write An Attractive Email for a Better Response

/0 Comments/in , /by

If I had $1 each time someone declared email to be dead, I would be rich.  The fact is – email is a great way to keep in touch with your fans, customers and users.  Why?  Because it works.  When you write an email for a better sesponse – most times you are looking for the receiver to reply.  There are a few tips and tricks you can use to get better response – here are some ideas to help stop the cold or no-response emails and get the reply you want.

6 Tips on Email for a Better Response

Tip #1: Use catchy subjects and sub-headings in your emails

The subject line is the thing people look at to see if they will open the email – so it must catch the viewer’s eye.  This means it must have an attractive and appealing title or subject.  Worse – if you put no subject on your email it will be pushed right into the [SPAM] folder. That is what we want to avoid.

Using a great email subject line and adding breaks in your message with sub-headings – people will engage with your email better.  Subheadings in the email make it easy for people to scan the email quickly.

Note: Writing deceptive subject lines is a bad idea and makes the reader distrust you.  Bad idea.  The reader cannot feel had or cheated in any way. Keep your email subject sensible, yet captivating.  It will make the titles and subheadings in the email stand out.

Tip #2: Keep Length of the email in Check

The length can be a factor in email read-ability.  With all things internet – you will find many opinions.  Some will say short emails are the key and some will tell you the longer the better.

The “Keep it short Crowd”:
There is no point of sending one-line emails which do not convey anything. The content of your email should deliver what you are trying to say and at the same time it should not jar or annoy the reader with excessive length.

One should not over pack emails with loads of unnecessary information which the readers may not like. In such cases, the recipients may end up deleting your email without even scrolling through it completely. So, what would a perfect email for a better response look like? A proper or effective email will have maximum two paragraphs which comprehensively describe the content of the mail succinctly.

The Camp of Long Sales Letter:

People will close or delete the email when they stop reading – or better yet…click through.  So why not have a nice, long message for anyone who wants to keep reading.

With a longer your email you need to have mid-sized paragraphs with space between sections.  Font color and bolding will help make special point stand out and get people to your calls to action.  Pictures are an option – but know many email accounts will block them, so don’t count on images for the big messaging.

Tip #3: Use names in Email for a Better Response

If you have the recipient’s name, use it.  Please like to read their own name.  Its a psychological catch – but they add relevance when they see their own name.

People are busy. They need to be motivated to read the message.  How many times have you deleted emails which addressed you as “Dear Client” or “Dear Webmaster”?  Think about it.  Look at recent emails you have clicked on – why did you click it?

Tip #4: An appealing first paragraph

The beginning is always most important.  Start your email off like a pro – its your best chance that the reader will stay engaged.  Reserve the first paragraph for user profiling. Details about users can easily be mined from social networking websites – take time to do this and you will use email for a better response.

This kind of work will build a better rapport with the reader.  They will be more impressed with your work and see time went into the crafting of the message.

Tip #5: The Second Paragraph – Just Say It

Get to it.  They know you want something.  The reader knows you want something. The second paragraph is a jump to the reason behind why you are emailing.

Keep tone profound and convey everything you planned. Do not beat around the bush – sharing the information.

Tip #6: Sleek Ending Note

The ending note is your last chance to “get the sale”.  So ask – directly.  Crisp and short – sum it up right there.  Use style to end your email for a better response.

*******

Looking to buy a new computer – check out our Chromebook reviews – or, if Google OS is not your thing…take a peek at the netbooks we recommend.

How to Revamp Your Social Media Strategy

/in , /by

No marketing professional in this day and age would ignore social media. To do would be to sound the death knell for the business. Social Media has come a long way and is now vital tool to drive web traffic, improve brand reputation and visibility, and connect with customers and prospects.

If your social media strategy hasn’t been paying dividends lately, there could be a number of reasons for this. For example, if you use social media to get leads, drive sales, gather data, target ads and for customer service, it can be said that your business has matured digitally and you no longer have any low-hanging fruit to pluck. To succeed in future, you need to overhaul your social marketing with the right social marketing tools at hand.

The Linkage between Social Media and SEO

Let’s begin by taking a look at how social media and SEO complement each other. There are many misconceptions and outright falsehoods regarding the impact of social media on organic search ranking. The big question has been whether social signals have any effect on search rankings. None other than Matt Cutts, the former Google staffer, has said that social signals do not feature in Google’s ranking algorithm. This was back in 2014 and Google confirmed this again in 2016 via Gary Illyes.

However, despite this statement from Google, there is no doubt that there are a number of other ways that social media marketing can impact SEO. For example;

  • Social media profiles and content often show up in Google search results. For example, Google+, Facebook and Twitter content and posts often get indexed.
  • Mentions and social media activity accelerate organic search queries. For example, when something starts trending on Twitter, people quickly perform search engine queries to find out more about the trending topic. This “buzz” can quickly deliver visitors to your website.

The moral is that while social media signals are not ranking factors in the Google algorithm, they do have an impact on SEO by directly influencing other factors which are used in the ranking algorithm.

Where Does Your Social Audience Hang Out?

To revamp your social media strategy, you need to ask yourself where your audience hangs out. A lot of times, you may find your marketing budget being stretched thin because your campaigns are all over the place yet your audience may only be active on one or two social networks. For example;

  • B2Bs are likely to have a captive audience on LinkedIn.
  • For businesses selling a product, Facebook is most likely the platform.
  • For the fashion industry, Instagram appears to be the social media network of choice.
  • If you are targeting teenagers and millennials under 25, then you definitely want to be on Snap.
  • If your main audience in women, you can ignore Pinterest.

If you aren’t sure where your audience hangs out, there is a lot of research and data on this from research organizations like Nielsen and Pew Research Center.

However, social media isn’t ideal for all types of businesses. You may be in some obscure industry where a trade show or other forum may be a more appropriate marketing and PR strategy.

After refining your social media targets, the next thing is to test and retest. Test both paid and organic content and based on the results, refine your targeting. Also, acquaint yourself with how the social media network indexes its content and how it shows up when searched by users.

Combine Social Media Data with Other Marketing Channels

Marketing elements are rarely stand-alone, they co-exist with several other elements within the same ecosystem. To create a more unifying experience for your audience, you need to use data across all marketing channels. There are five ways to do this:

  • Gain content ideas from social media activity, for example, from complaints and suggestions in posts.
  • Gain content ideas from social communities, comments, and most engaging posts.
  • Gain remarking audiences from the site cookies
  • Use ad results to target better
  • Get link magnet ideas from trending topics

Conclusion

Social media marketing is akin to fishing. You need the right bait and you must cast your net where there is fish. Social media is just one cog of the overall marketing strategy. You must combine with other marketing channels for the best results.

Revamping your social media strategy is actually about understanding your social media helps you reach and engage with your target market better. Once you figure this out, you are home and dry.

 

The 3-Point Plan For Building Your Brand

/in , /by

patio-desk-morning

Image Source

One of the most vital aspects of running a small business is building the brand. There is often much confusion about this, about what brand-building is and how to do it well. In all honesty, there is not so much to it as is often made out. But that is not to say that it is a walk in the park. Like anything worth doing, it takes time and dedication to get right. But there are some tried and tested methods for making your brand a successful one, and it is worth learning them. Ultimately, building a brand is a simple matter of deciding what it is that your company is trying to say – and then saying it. Let’s take a look at the basic process in a little more detail.

Proper Placement

For any brand to be received well by the general public, it needs to be accessible. By this we simply mean that it makes immediate sense to people. To achieve this, it is first necessary to properly identify your brand. You need to know what it is, what it looks like, what it stands for. To get this right, there are some simple steps you can take. One common piece of advice at this stage is to think of your brand as a person. Treat it like you would a personality. How would you describe it to someone who doesn’t know it yet? Practicing this simple exercise can really help you to get a clear idea of what your brand is like. This part of the job is also made easier if you already have a clear vision in place for your business. In this instance, your brand might well be a mirroring of that vision. Once you can identify your brand with ease – and describe it well – you are in a good position to place it. All this means is that you know where it belongs in your target market.

tablet-desktop

Image Source

Consistent Communication

When it comes to the question of how to actually build your brand, communication is the key. For a brand to grow, you need to expose it to lots of people. But more than that, you need to communicate consistently with those people. This is where the hard work really happens. The communication with the public is the actual brand-building in action. There are many tools and tricks to achieve that consistency you are looking for. Many business owners find that it is worthwhile hiring the services of a pr company. If you outsource your communications in this way, you can be sure of the professional consistency your brand needs.

Extra Expansion

Provided that the above has been carried out properly, you already have a brand on its way to full growth. The next question you will face is how to ensure its continued growth. The answer is quite simple: you need to approach more and more people. A brand only grows if there are more people to become aware of it. For that reason, it is at this stage that your marketing campaign really needs to take an upturn. You should, at this point, be approaching a wider and wider range of the general public. So long as you continue to do this – and as long as you remain consistent – your brand is likely to grow. And that is pretty much the name of the game.

success-tree

Image Source

How To Ace Your Next Business Trade Show

/in , /by

meetup

Image Source

Have you tried embracing industry trade shows for your business? They are a great way to get your name out there, whatever line of work you do, and whatever industry you serve. Whether you want new leads, more sales, or just want to get more brand exposure, you can get it all – and more – at a trade show. But, given the costs you will incur, you have to get it right if you want to make the most of your investment. Here are a few pointers that will help you ace your day at your next trade show.

Pick the right event

It sounds obvious, but picking the right event for your product or service is vital. Most people – I would hope – would choose a trade fair that is compatible with their business, of course. But, not all trade shows in your industry will be right for your business. The biggest shows are often crammed full of major players, and if you want a stall, you will pay through the nose. Plus, you will often find that smaller companies are often shunted into the corners. So, be realistic about your business’s place at the table, and choose the right show for your size. Regional shows can often work better for smaller companies, for example.

trade_show_car

Image Source

 

Have clear goals

Never turn up at a trade show without any idea of what you should be doing. A clear plan and excellent strategy is an absolute must, and you will struggle without one in place. Ask yourself what you want to get out of the trade show, and make every facet of your plan about achieving those goals. Look at the other businesses that are bringing stalls, too, and see what the competition is offering. You may even spot a business that is compatible with yours, who you could strike a deal or two with. The main thing to remember is that trade shows are an excellent networking opportunity. So, bring your friendly faces, and be prepared to put yourself about a little.

Invest in a great stand

People at trade shows are attracted to awesome-looking stands. There’s no getting around it – you just have to make an effort. Ensure that you have a suitable budget arranged at an early stage so that you can order and create your stand as soon as possible. Custom designs might your best bet, according to industry specialists Infinity Exhibits. However, you can also pick up second-hand stalls and create some eye-catching graphics.  

trade_show_tv

Image Source

Bring lots of marketing materials

People also love free stuff – and it’s a great way to remind them of your business when they go home. Trade shows can be overwhelming, and they are exceptionally busy with many stalls vying for attention. But, give something useful to your booth visitors with your name and contact number all on it and they might just remember you.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about if you want a trade show to work for you. Get the right plan in place, and there’s no reason you can’t get the success you need. All the best!