4 Ways to Know Your Audience Better

When developing your marketing strategy, it is critical to pinpoint your company’s target audience. If you don’t know who you are marketing to how do you know where to start? Knowing your audience means understanding your customer profile. It means picturing the kind of person who is going to buy your product or use your service. No matter what your business is, it is extremely valuable to take a moment and picture the customer you are trying to reach. At Branding Plus Marketing Group we want to help you get to know your audience better so your marketing strategy can thrive. 

Know Clients Personally

Once your company has been established and you have a few customers, you can begin to know them one-on-one. Take note of their demographics and what makes them different. What concerns do they have? What makes them excited about your product? The more customers you get to know the more overlap you will see and data you can use towards your marketing strategy. 

Conduct Surveys

Along the same idea of getting to know your clients personally, you should also consider conducting surveys. This is easily the most direct way of finding out exactly what your audience wants. Asking clients and potential clients to fill out a survey is not as difficult as it used to be. With technology creating a survey is easier than ever. Just create then send to your email subscribers and social media followers. 

Monitor Social Media

One of the best places to gather information is by reading comments and engagements on your, and competitor’s, social media platforms. Pay attention to how people are receiving your content and how they are responding. Use this data to discover what types of messages, values, or topics appeal or don’t appeal to them. You will start to notice trends that you can use towards your marketing strategy. 

Research

If you do not know who your target audience is this is a great place to start. The more research you do the more you will find niches and groups with common demographics and interests. This will help you to create content to market directly to that group and will allow you to find new ways to connect with them. Also look at the data collected and see if there is a demographic you didn’t realize was interested in your product or service. You may find a new group of clients to market to! 

With almost every business there will be groups of people who need or want your product or service and groups of people who do not. When you waste time and resources marketing to the wrong audience you are not effectively growing your business long-term. Focusing your marketing efforts on reaching the correct audience is vital to expanding your business in the right direction.  

How to Improve Your Company's Website

Your company’s website is often your chance to make a first impression on a potential client. Having a strategically developed website is crucial in achieving the best results. Here are 6 ways to improve your website’s experience: 

Mission Statement

Clients like to know what you and your company are about. By including your mission statement on your website you are letting others know why you do what you do. If a potential client sees that your values line up with theirs, they are much more likely to entertain the idea of doing business with your company. 

Contact Information

While this may seem obvious, many companies do not have their contact information properly displayed on their websites. You need to have your business address correctly and clearly stated as well as a tap-to-dial phone number. If a potential client wants to reach out to you, they should be able to do so at the click of a button. 

Testimonials

What better way to introduce your company than with happy customers! The best way to include testimonials on your website is to spread them out, have one or two on each page. If you keep them all on a “testimonial” page, potential clients are much less likely to see them. 

Mobile-Friendly

In today’s world your website must be mobile friendly. So many people use their smart phones to track down information. Mobile users should have no issue navigating your website from their phone and the layout and content should immediately adapt to the size of screen it is being viewed on.

Internal Links

It is important to include internal links throughout your website so potential clients do not hit a dead end. Internal links keep them moving throughout your website, so they continue to learn more about your company and what you sell. For example, your home page should have links to your services while your services page should have a link to a contact form. 

Clear Language

A potential client may not spend very much time on your website. You need to be sure your company and services are clearly explained. Think about the issues your potential clients may be facing and how your company is uniquely positioned to solve them. If you want to include more information, great! However, additional information may be included on sub-pages.  

At Branding Plus Marketing Group we believe that your electronic strategy is more important today than it has ever been and that it will be even more important tomorrow. We will work with you to create convergence with your traditional and electronic strategies. We will use metrics to constantly evaluate performance and create improvement. There is no one right answer to the interactive opportunity. At Branding Plus Marketing Group, Results Matter. 

6 Ways to Increase Your Social Media Effectiveness

Social media is everywhere, and odds are your business already has some social media accounts in place. Whether that be Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc., but are you utilizing your social media accounts to their biggest potential? Generating thoughtful, high-quality content should be a top priority for businesses of all sizes. Implementing a strategic social media marketing plan can go a long way in improving the visibility of the content you are producing. Following our tips can help maximize the reach of your social media efforts.

Learn Your Audience

At this point, you should know the demographic you are most trying to market your business to. However, social media attracts many different people from all backgrounds. Use social referrals to your website, monitoring software, and question-and-answer sites to learn more about the traffic your accounts attract.

Be Relatable

Many businesses today come across on social media as having no personality and are, essentially, faceless. In a world of transparency, people don’t want to see the faceless business, they want to know the personal side. Interact with your followers and react to their comments like you were speaking to a friend.

Utilize an Editorial Calendar

An editorial calendar is an effective way to get your content ideas written down, decide on what content needs to be created, and how best to promote the content. You do not have to think of content the week before, you already know what is coming up and your business’s plan to tackle it.

Do Not Oversell

Ultimately you are selling a product. However, your social media content should not be focused on selling your product. Focus on answering your followers’ questions. If you are willing to find solutions to your consumer’s problems you are showing integrity and could potentially earn a permanent customer.

Use Pictures & Videos

Customers enjoy media. If content contains a picture of video, it is much more likely to be seen and receive engagement. You do not have to use overly fancy videos. Use photos from business events, customers, behind the scenes, team photos, quotes, infographics, or media clips.

Quality Over Quantity

While it is important to post frequently on social media, you should not do it at the expense of the quality of content. Take the time to create intentional, thoughtful content that closely ties in with your brand. If you post too frequently consumers may be irritated with seeing your content and end up unfollowing or muting your page.

Branding Plus Marketing Group will work with you to create convergence with your traditional and electronic media strategies. We use metrics to constantly revaluate performance and create improvement. There is no one right answer to the interactive opportunity. Our historical experience, pragmatic thinking, and creative execution will insure that your strategic endeavors are successful.

3 Reasons to Implement a Digital Marketing Strategy

The internet has revolutionized the future. Many consumers have a favorite brand, but have never set foot in their brick and mortar store. Therefore, does not it make sense that interacting with your consumers digitally should become a priority? A major mistake you and your business could make is not including digital marketing as a key factor in your overall marketing efforts. If it is not included you are missing out on interacting with a large group of prospective consumers.

Build Brand Recognition

First, building your online brand and establishing your digital marketing plan is vital to building your brand recognition. A business without an active online presence tends to face challenges with building trust and credibility with consumers, especially new ones. Having a well-established online presence is an effective way to keep your current clients engaged with your brand and build trust with prospective clients.

Quantifiable

Since everything related to digital marketing and online presence is digitally based, every engagement with your digital brand leaves a trail you can follow. You can use your digital marketing analytics to easily quantify your clicks and interactions. This gives you great data that your digital brand can utilize to improve and tweak your digital marketing plan to maximize how effective your online presence is. Over time, you will be able to compile this data and use it to plan your next campaign. By implementing a data-backed review process of your efforts, you can be more intentional about every marketing dollar you spend.

Cost-Effective

One of the best parts about digital marketing is that it does not have to be expensive. If you are worried about cost, start small. Merely invest your time. Start by creating business profiles on the social media channels your target consumer spends the most time on. What you are looking for is quality over quantity. It is better for you to have one business account that you are active on than be on four platforms that you only check half of the time. Next, you are explore social media advertising, pay-per-click, and search engine optimization. Digital marketing can be an effective strategy for any resource-strapped business.

Digital marketing helps to build brand recognition, is easily quantifiable, and cost-effective. Why wouldn’t you implement it for your brand?

At Branding Plus Marketing Group, we specialize in creating response driven marketing plans for clients that simultaneously brand their business while generating a specific response to their ads. Every action you take will have an impact on your brand and success of your company. At Branding Plus Marketing Group we will guide you through the strategic planning process and be with you every step of the way because here, at Branding Plus Marketing Group, Results Matter.

5 Ways to Utilize an Editorial Calendar

As we get closer to 2020 planning for the new year has already begun. A fantastic way for your business to stay organized is to utilize an editorial calendar. An editorial calendar is an effective way to get your content ideas written down, decide on what content needs to be created, and how best to promote the content. 

Planning Strategically 

An editorial calendar allows you to strategically plan your content. You don’t have to think of content the week before, you already know what is coming up and your business’s plan to tackle it. Valentines is coming up, utilizing an editorial calendar allows you to plan your valentines content now. 

Organize Outlets

Do you know when and where your content is being promoted? By utilizing an editorial calendar you know exactly what content is planned for each website, blog, social media outlet, etc. This allows you to avoid overlap and stay organized. 

Consistency

If you already have the plan for your content in place (which you would with an editorial calendar), you aren’t constantly having to think of “spur of the moment” ideas. This way when you have something unexpected come up you are able to more easily stay on track. This also helps you to be sure content is published regularly and on time. 

Guest Content

When you already have an editorial calendar in place, you know exactly what dates are free and when you are available to accept content from guest contributors. 

Big Picture

Perhaps most importantly, utilizing an editorial calendar allows you to see the big picture when it comes to your content. This allows you to spread out similar content and see where there are holes that need to be filled. 

In conclusion, if your business is not already utilizing an editorial calendar, why not? 

At Branding Plus Marketing Group we believe that your electronic strategy is more important today than it has ever been and that it will be even more important tomorrow. At Branding Plus Marketing Group, Results Matter. 

5 Principles for Advertising

For many businesses advertising is a money pit. Over the years, clients have spent billions of dollars on programs that were complete failures. At Branding Plus Marketing Group we believe that there are advertising principles that, if ignored or not executed properly, will bring your advertising program to failure. 

Simple

A simple advertisement is much easier to read and understand than a complex one. If you include too much information or too many graphics consumers may get overwhelmed and move on quickly from your advertisement. 

Consistency 

Consistency is key when it comes to consumers remembering your product. You should always strive to use consistent visuals within your advertising, consistent phrasing or slogans, and consistent positioning of your product or brand.

Choose a Selling Point 

Choose one thing about your product that you believe best showcases its benefits and sells it. That is the one thing you are trying to sell to consumers, so be sure that is to focal point of your advertisement. 

Advertising Length

It is important to establish the length of an advertising campaign up front. In order for a consumer to remember your advertisement, you will need to run it for a period of time. However, if you choose to run your advertisement for too long consumers will start to gloss over it and lose interest. 

Stand Out

The last thing you want is for your advertisement to be so generic that consumers lump it in with all the other advertisements around it. There are so many avenues to utilize to make your advertisement unique. Think about the graphics and typography. Make sure yours it unique. 

At Branding Plus Marketing Group we specialize in developing programs that produce incremental and measurable results for our clients. If you’ve got a good product and you aren’t getting the results that you expect and need from your current marketing endeavors, we would love to talk to you. Because at Branding Plus Marketing Group, Results Matter.  

4 DON'Ts in Marketing

Do you ever worry about what NOT to do when marketing your business? We are here to set you in the right direction. Here are 4 DON’Ts when marketing your company or business:

Ignoring Customers Online

Now that the world is so much more accessible online, it is important that your business accounts for that. You do not want to let a customer’s response go unacknowledged. Listen if they have questions or comments, and do not just send them to your website. If you receive a poor review, respond and use it to better your business.

Forgetting Your Market

If you are in business, we are assuming you are an expert in your company’s demographics, industry and competition, so don’t forget about it. When you lose focus on who you are marketing to, or what you are marketing, you start to hurt your business’s marketing strategy.

Forgetting Emails

Email marketing is essentially free. If you are not utilizing it, you absolutely should be. However, when utilizing email it is imperative you use a list your business has created and not purchase one. Customers are more likely to write you off when utilizing a purchased email list.

Inconsistent Messages

When you are using several different platforms for marketing it is essential you remain consistent in your message of what you are trying to convey. Inconsistency builds mistrust among consumers.

At Branding Plus Marketing Group, we specialize in creating response driven marketing plans for clients that simultaneously brand their business while generating a specific response to their ads. Every action you take will have an impact on your brand and success of your company or business. At Branding Plus Marketing Group we will guide you through the strategic planning process and be with you every step of the way because here, at Branding Plus Marketing Group, Results Matter.

5 Ways to Ensure a Successful Logo

Your brand’s logo is an integral part of your marketing strategy. At Branding Plus Marketing Group we believe that everything you do should address your Strategic Marketing Statement. So what makes a great logo? 

Makes Sense

The first thing a good logo does is make sense for your brand. If you are a paper company, you would not want your logo to insinuate you were anything else. If you are an engineering firm, you would not want to use childish colors or fonts. However, if you are a children’s clothing or toy store that would be appropriate. 

Stands the Test of Time

It is important to think about a logo’s lasting effect. You want your logo to last, potentially forever. Sure, over time you may want to tweak your logo and bring it up to date, but the goal is to create a logo that can be adapted while still being instantly recognizable. You do not want to have a logo designed, just to spend the money on redesigning a year or two later. 

Recognizable

That brings us to the importance of a logo being recognizable. If you think about brands such as Starbucks, FedEx, or Target you can easily identify them just by seeing their logo. This is what you want for your brand and your logo. 

Simple

Simplicity is key when designing a logo. When a logo gets to be too complicated it is no longer easy to look at, making it less memorable, and increasing the chances of you having it redesigned. 

Adaptable

Logos need to be adaptable. You never know what you might be putting your logo on. You may need to put your logo on a dark surface, so you will need your logo to be light on a dark background. You may need your logo to be printed in one color. What if your logo needs to be printed small or large? Will it be able to adapt? 

Your brand’s logo should make sense for your industry, stand the test of time, be recognizable, be simple, and be adaptable. If your logo meets these requirements, great! If not, you may want to revisit the drawing board. If you’re looking to have a logo designed that will drive results for your brand, contact us at Branding Plus Marketing Group! We look forward to working with you. 

6 Ways Print Production Can Benefit You

When print production is done well it can save you time and money. At Branding Plus Marketing Group we manage print production campaigns for our clients from conception to fulfillment. We know printing can be old school, but if done correctly printing can move your company to the next level. 

Budget Friendly

Print media comes at all budget levels. Whether you are looking at brochures, magazines, product labels, or just custom pocket folders, there are varying prices in materials and products to fit your company’s budget. 

Receptive Readers

Now that we are in the digital age most people choose to spend their time on their phones, tablets, or computers. These readers are multitasking and therefore not absorbing as much information as they could be. When people are reading print they aren’t multitasking are able to take in more of the information. 

Longer Life Span

If you are on the internet you are more likely to move past an ad or article and may never see it again. If your company is in print, whether that be a magazine or other form of print publication, it could be on display in doctors’ offices, salons, or other companies for a while. 

Website Clicks

By having your webpage URL as a part of your print publication you are encouraging readers to visit you online. This generates more clicks and traffic to your webpage. 

Increased Visibility 

Since print advertising has been decreasing in recent years, there are fewer advertisements within publications. This makes your print ad more visible since it is no longer competing with other advertisements. 

Less Intrusive 

Everyone is annoyed by pop-ups when they are surfing the internet. By utilizing print media you aren’t throwing an unwanted pop-up in someone’s face. They see your media on their own and the likeliness of immediate dismissal decreases. 

We have printed and distributed millions of catalogs, brochures, and collaterals for many clients. Let us work with you on your print production needs because at Branding Plus Marketing Group, Results Matter. 

Is Broadcast Media for You?

Have you ever thought about advertising on TV or the radio? In today’s world, there are no rules when it comes to marketing, so it’s important to evaluate whether or not utilizing broadcast media for your business is the right fit. Most media sales people are not properly trained to work with anything other than the big traditional agency. That’s why you need us, Branding Plus Marketing Group, on your side to negotiate and advocate for you and your business. Let’s look at why broadcast media may be a good fit for you: 

Specific Audiences

If you are attempting to market to a specific audience, TV advertising is a great fit. If you are attempting to reach children you want to advertise during cartoons. If you are trying to reach a “sport” audience, you may want to advertise during a football or basketball game. 

Consumer Comfort

Consumers are more likely to purchase from a business they trust. When consumers see your advertisements in multiple avenues they see your business as stable and are more likely to purchase from you. When you advertise on TV or radio consumers are consistently exposed to your brand. Every time they hear about you, you gain credibility in their eyes. 

Secondary Technology

Many consumers use their smartphones or tablets while watching TV, therefore it is simple for them to look up your product or website. If your advertisement catches their eye, they are able to connect with you immediately. 

At Branding Plus Marketing Group, we specialize in creating response driven marketing plans for clients that simultaneously brand their business while generating a specific response to their ads. Every action you take will have an impact on your brand and success of your company. At Branding Plus Marketing Group we will guide you through the strategic planning process and be with you every step of the way because here, at Branding Plus Marketing Group, Results Matter. 

5 Common Website Mistakes to Avoid

When creating or editing the website for your business, it’s worth being aware of some common mistakes you’ll want to avoid. As basic guidance, less is more. Focus your message and your branding to what is representative of your business to ensure website visitors want to engage with your business.

Busy Homepage

Every visit to your website should be considered an engagement opportunity. A busy homepage cluttered with tons of content will only overwhelm new visitors and push them away rather than encouraging them to explore.

Complex Navigation

Navigation that’s easy to understand will help ensure that visitors to your website will have an easy time navigating to the information they’re looking for. Keep all of your tabs and subtabs simple and easy to understand and limit drop-down menus only to what is necessary. They should be as straight forward as possible and capture the content within each of the tabs as clearly as possible.

No Social Engagement

Not embedding social media links within your website is a missed opportunity. With so many users visiting your website via mobile, giving them the opportunity to connect with you across various channels is a smart move and a great way to build brand engagement organically.

Burying Content

Many companies have incredibly valuable content created but they bury it deep within their website where visitors are unlikely to find it. Use one of your main pages (or your home page) as the location for hosting your most valuable content. Hooking a visitor from the outset will also serve to improve the time spent on site.

Poor Stock Photography

Even if you can’t afford to have custom photos taken, that’s no excuse for using generic stock photos. Market demand in the past few years has created opportunity for incredible, on-brand, stock photography.

The underlying thread connecting all of these common mistakes is a commitment to simplicity to ensure clarity for visitors.

Crafting an Effective Call-to-action Button

Being intentional when crafting a call-to-action button can have a considerable impact on effectiveness and engagement from prospective customers. We’ve outlined a few suggestions that, though they make take some time to develop, are well worth the investment.

No Obligation Copy

Your call-to-action should never aim to pressure prospects to act, it should inspire them to want to learn more about your offerings. By offering them free access to a case study, template, or white paper that drives value, your business is effectively building trust with a prospect. Some suggestions for no obligation copy that is clear include “Learn More,” “Download Free Template” and “Subscribe Today.” Each of these simple and concise suggestions aim to effectively direct audience action in a way that’s clear.

Great Design

Design matters when creating you call-to-action so don’t let it become an after thought. Your call-to-action should be the appropriate size. Not too small that a first time visitor is unlikely to see it but also large that it’s glaringly noticeable when scrolling through a page.

Placement

The truth is, most website visitors are unlikely to scroll through every landing page on your website. Be aware of that when determining appropriate placement for your call-to-action. Placing it “above the fold” assumes that a website visitor may not scroll past the top half of the page.

Remember that your call-to-action doesn’t have to be static. With so many variables that can impact engagement, you run some tests to collect information on what types of content your audience engages what and the call-to-action most likely to appeal to your prospective client. Some simple testing of two varitiations can provide you data-backed insights you can leverage when developing your next call-to-action. When crafted appropriately, your CTA buttons can help generate leads, fuel sales and boost the bottom line for your business.

How to Effectively Refine Your Social Media Strategy

Social media marketing remains a strong force when it comes to connecting with prospective and existing customers for business of all sizes. Taking some time to refine your social media strategy with our three suggestions may make 2019 the year you maximize the networks you’ve established on your social media networks. 

Boost Responsiveness 

Effective social media marketing doesn’t end once you hit that publish button. In fact, this first step is just the beginning. Keep responsiveness at the forefront of your strategy and be sure to respond to any comments or questions followers are posing. Remember, the reach of these posts extends far beyond just the individuals you are engaging with. Timely, professional responses can go a long way in developing meaninful relationships between your brand and prospects, while laying the foundation for trust in your company.

Personalized Content

Gone are the days of blanketed content with wide applicability. With unprecedented levels of data available online, companies are dialing in on prospect intelligence more accurately than ever before. Leverage the insights you’re collecting to customize the content you’re producing. Targetting your ads by demographic or location is a great first step to personalizing the content you’re publishing on social media platforms.

Leverage Influencers

While an endorsement by Kim Kardashian is likely not in your marketing budget for the year, that doesn’t mean your brand can’t benefit from the value of leveraging influencer relationships. Do some due diligence to identify influencers, or even micro-influencers with a dedicated following that would be relevant to your businesses. A smaller network of followers means that micro-influencers are highly engaged with their follows and thus usually have a very loyal following. 

One thing is certain when it comes to social media marketing, it’s fast-paced nature means that brands succeeding on platforms are adapting as social media evolves. Refining your social media strategy may be the tool that enables you to connect and convert followers into new customers. 

3 Creative Services Worth Investing In

Whether you’re the owner of a brick-and-mortar store, a B2B service, or an Ecommerce site, there are certain creative services that are hands-down simply worth investing in. The team at Branding Plus has identified three creative services that are well worth budgeting for.

Photography

If you’re a business selling a product or a service, the value of professional photography simply cannot be overstated. While it may be tempting to pad the budget by using photos shot on your phone, know that a professional photographer brings far more than just better quality pictures. They offer a refined expertise in presentation and branding. A true professional will give consideration to lighting, cohesiveness in the final shots selected, editing and the ability to capture the true essence of your product or service.

Brand Strategy

Developing an intentional brand strategy extends far beyond nailing down a name and creating a logo. It includes in-depth research related to your target customer, the refinement of a messaging strategy, and development of a content marketing strategy, to start. Done right, your brand can become one of your most valuable assets. Don’t let the marketplace define your brand, get it aligned with your business objectives from the outset.

Digital Marketing

Email marketing, social media account management, and search engine marketing, each of these represents just one component of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. Assuming that you’ll have the capacity to respond to every comment across your social media accounts, send well-crafted emails, and develop ad campaigns while simultaneously growing your business is simply put, a recipe for disaster. Leave the digital marketing to a professional so that you can focus your efforts on strategic initiatives.

Investing in creative services can do wonders for supporting your growth objectives and refreshing your client-facing efforts.

Why Clients Turn to Our Advertising Solutions

Results matter. 

As a guiding principle for the team here at Branding Plus, we live by this principle in all of our marketing solutions, which extends into the advertising solutions we offer to clients large and small. By successfully generating interest and brand awareness, our advertising solutions have proven successful in driving conversions with prospective clients while supporting strategic business growth. 

Proper Execution 

A brilliant advertising concept that isn't properly executed has an unbelievably high likelihood of failing! Successful execution of an advertising strategy doesn't end with ad placement and the development of a creative ad campaign. It extends far beyond the involved creative journey to dive into the analytical process of determining ad placement frequency, selecting an appropriate media mix, defining and targeting demographics, and measuring results, to name a few.  

Measurable Results 

Our clients have a right to accountability when it comes to driving advertising results. Through proven performance with a range of clients across a variety of industries, we know that we can do the same for your business. Through structured tracking systems and involved processes in place, we can provide valuable insights on how our efforts are prompting response and driving interaction from existing and prospective clients. 

Objectives-Oriented 

Ultimately, we consider our role to be supporting you in reaching your business goals. It is why we invest time in truly understanding your business and it's objectives. This knowledge helps inform our advertising solutions strategy to ensure our efforts are working to support the growth of your business. 
The versatility we offer as an agency means that we have the flexibility to offer you a range of services as advertising solutions are just one component of a comprehensive marketing strategy. Reach out to us today to learn more about how our advertising solutions and marketing services can support the growth of your business. 

Moving the Needle with Marketing Trends of 2019

With the new year just around the corner, marketing trends from 2018 continue to evolve while new trends are developing. By keeping a pulse on the ever-changing world of marketing, you can ensure that your brand is doing everything it can to most effectively develop relationships with prospects and customers.

Influencer Marketing

Far from being new on the scene, influencer marketing will continue making a splash as an effective way to reach potential customers. If you’re a small-to-medium sized business, focus on partnering with a local influencer whose brand resonates with your own. This relationship can be especially powerful as the following an influencer has amassed has a high level of trust in the influencer and the brands he or she partners with.

Artificial Intelligence

There’s no doubt that you’ve heard the word AI uttered time and again over the past few years. Harnessing the power of AI as a part of their marketing efforts is a savvy move companies are using for a range of normally time-consuming tasks, such as finding and identifying prospects. Now is the time to start getting your feet wet in the AI pool.

Power of Video

Still reigning supreme among the varying types of content marketing, video is a very effective platform from which to connect with consumers, release products, and answer questions. Creating video content doesn’t have to be cost-prohibitive. Use the live video feature on Instagram, Facebook, or Periscope to remove another barrier to your customers and connect on a deep, authentic level.

Content Marketing

Speaking of content marketing, content marketing continues to be an effective way to education and inform prospects, establish authenticity, and build long-lasting relationships with your audience. By consistently creating credible content that creates value, your company is more likely to attract your target customer.

As you move into 2019, give consideration to your marketing priorities and whether you should include one or more of the marketing trends anticipated for 2019.

Key Tips for Effective Small Business Holiday Marketing

As you ramp up your marketing efforts during one of the busiest times of the year, consider whether you’re being as effective as possible. The team at Branding Plus pulled together a few key points to keep in mind when marketing your small business over the holidays to make this your best season yet!

Drive Value

As with all marketing initiatives, keep driving value at the forefront of your marketing efforts. Ask yourself, do you have a product or service offering that your customers value most? If so, consider offering a limited time discount or coupon code during part of the holiday season. Boost the reach of your discount by encouraging your customers to share it with their network!

Be Strategic

Keep in mind that your customers and prospects will have tons of communications coming at them from all of their favorite brands during the holiday season. You’ll have to be strategic to differentiate yourself from all of the other brands communicating with them. Be sure that your strategy is implemented across a number of marketing channels, such as email newsletters, direct mail, and social media. Your plan should have a sense of cohesion across all of the assets you create, whether their digital or physical.

Timing is Everything

Start early, timing is everything when marketing your small business during the holidays. Take advantage of slower times to prepare for the busy season ahead. Be sure to develop an automated and optimized email series in advance so that you have all of your ducks in a row when the time comes.

Express Gratitude

This is the optimal time of year to express appreciation for your customers. Amidst all of the noise clogging up their inbox, they’re likely to appreciate a thoughtful and heartfelt thank you for their role in building your business. Taking a moment to express gratitude is a simple yet impactful way to make your customer feel special.

Our four simple key points are sure to help you boost sales through your holiday marketing efforts while thanking your customers for their role in your success!

4 Powerful Elements of Modern Website Design

Consider your website to be a platform for telling your company story. Once a prospect has cracked the book to the first page, your homepage, how can you keep them reading? There are a few elements to modern website design that will help nudge your prospects along to learn more about the solutions you offer.

Quality Imagery

One of the first things any visitor to your website will notice is your imagery. In addition to being high resolution, your hero images should be large and mobile responsive. Designing a responsive website will go a long way in managing a positive user experience. With a large hero image, visitors will be inspired to scroll down, to see what you have to offer below the fold. Leveraging the power of hero images will also take pressure off of relying on copy to get your message across.

Consistent Branding, Including Typography!

As you establish brand guidelines, don’t forget about typography. Often times this valuable element is an afterthought. Take some time to select a typography that expresses your brand but make sure that it’s supported across browsers. Font size plays into this as well, determine what size your headers, sub-headers and main body copy will be. Your color palette should be strong but limited, with plenty of white space.

Short Videos

Including brief videos that feature your product or service is an effective way to communicate the solution you are presenting to prospective clients. Videos have been proven influential in a prospects decision to buy a product or service.

Clear Calls-to-Action

Every visitor to your website is a prospective customer. Your website is intended to not only tell your story but also to build relationships with these visitors. As you create valuable content to offer your visitors, be sure to include strategic, clear calls-to-action. Any opportunity you have to capture visitor contact information should be taken so that you can continue building relationships with these prospects once they leave your website.

There you have it! Four elements to consider when designing your modern website.

The Vital Importance of an Editorial Calendar

Developing a content strategy should be a priority for businesses of all sizes, and we’re not just talking about over the next two weeks. Maintaining an editorial calendar is an effective way to get ideas on paper, decide on what content will be created and determine how to best promote it. Regardless of what type of content is being created, an unrelenting commitment to high quality work should be evident throughout.

Content Consistency

Ensuring content consistency is especially relevant when you have a multi-person team. It goes without saying, the larger a team grows the harder it is to stay on the same page. An editorial calendar will help advance this goal by ensuring that a range of topics are covered.

Staying on Schedule

An editorial calendar can be planned weeks, months, or even years ahead. By encouraging accountability, it helps ensures that content is being published on a regular basis. While clear deadlines and a schedule will help things stay on track, things won’t always going according to The editorial calendar will serve as a central place to reflect these timelines tweaks as they come in.

Monitoring Metrics

A content strategy can always be improved upon but in order to know what to improve, the effectiveness of your current efforts needs to be measured. Be sure to closely monitor the statistics from our efforts to help determine what is driving ROI and what is not. Remember, the editorial calendar is not intended to be a stagnant piece, but rather a tool that is refined over time to most effectively accomplish your goals.

The team strategized about content, scheduled it for publication within the editorial calendar, drafted it and posted it, now what? Be sure to clearly outline who is responsible for audience interaction. Any comments you receive on a social media or blog post are open doors to interacting with your audience, each of them should be responded to thoughtfully.

What Social Media Platforms are Right for Your Brand?

When it comes to telling people about your brand, you likely want to shout about it from the rooftops for all to hear. While that would certainly garner some attention in the neighborhood, having an active business presence on social media is a far more effective way to reach, and target, your target audience. With limited time and manpower on your hands though, how do you determine which social media channel is right for your brand?

Pinterest

Undoubtedly, Pinterest is a powerhouse when it comes to marketing to women. The Pinterest buy button makes it easier than ever to sell a product by redirecting users to your website. Products in the home décor, food, or fashion space are but a few examples of the kinds of content that thrives on Pinterest.

Facebook

At a bare minimum, your company should have a basic presence on Facebook, via creation of a company page. Even if you elect not to invest precious marketing dollars and time in posting regularly, you can still list your contact information, website url, hours of operation, and other basic but pertinent information relevant to your business. With some strategy behind your efforts, Facebook has proven to be an effective way to target consumers in the 25-54 age bracket.

Instagram

With the introduction of an algorithm, the content users see on Instagram has shifted away from the chronological order of the past. While this change may make it harder to execute on your Instagram strategy, it shouldn’t keep you from exploring whether the platform is the right fit for your brand. Having reached 1 billion active monthly users this year, it can make for an effective way to build a brand.

Rather than clocking in hours in an effort to capitalize on many of the social media platforms, a best practice is to focus on just a couple platforms. Consider which social media channel your target user spends the most time and concentrate your efforts there to maximize results.