Strategic Marketing Tips for 2018
2018 is the year to become more strategic in your marketing efforts. You are going to encounter stiffer competition than before because the population of both online and offline businesses is growing dramatically. As a result, only the most creative, innovative and resilient business will make it. Although you are not going to reinvent the wheel in terms of marketing, it is important to remember these 8 critical marketing tips to help you stay ahead.
1. Strategic alliance
A strategic alliance can be defined as a formal arrangement between two companies. This is used to develop the strengths and meet the business needs of the companies involved. For instance, a graphic design company can partner with a digital marketing company to enhance customer the needs of the customers. This also leads to more sales as a result of cross referrals.
2. Develop apps
Develop an app if your business can benefit from them. For instance, Uber has an app that makes it easy for customers to find a taxi and make reservations. Apps are very useful for the business and the customer.
3. Reach out to influencers
Make a list of key influencers in your local community and target market and send them a discount or free sample for your services. E.g if you own a store that deals with spare parts, you could target garages and send them free samples or offer discounts for your products. Your generosity will get them talking.
4. Video is a powerful new marketing tool
Be proactive in your marketing. Film yourself offering tips, strategies and showing someone how to do something. Make explainer videos about your products and services and share on social media. We create memorable experiences through video. Click here and see how can you engage your company using video as a marketing tool.---> Video Production and Design on Demand
Local Advertising
5. Use local leader newspaper
While you wouldn’t be betting that you will get a return on investment on those little local ads in local newspaper, they could be good for some businesses such as motor vehicles and apartments.
6. In-store signage
Use in-store banners and posters to promote your products and services or announce your value proposition. You could close a lot of sales using this method if you are getting a lot of people who are making inquiries or right in the edge of buying something.
7. Street banners
A small business on a popular highway can use a street banner to market a product. You can attract a lot of attention from people walking on the street and develop a connection with you potential customers.
8. Online Directory Listings
There are many online directories for Australian business to consider. They can also help you to be found in search engines.
Examples of online directories in Australia include:
Directory
White Pages
Sensis
Yellow Pages
True Local
Business Listings
Local
9. Establish processes that are customer friendly
Take a great look at your processes and structures and try to find if there are structures that are too rigid and which can be potential customer service roadblocks and eliminate them. Establish your company as one that is easy to deal with.
Why Online Marketing is Essential for Your Business
Online Marketing is Essential for Your Business
Are you thinking that the business world has become so competitive that it has almost reached the limit of competition? The bad news is that it is not about to. You are still going to witness more rival business set-ups opening operations and more websites designed to sell the product you are selling being created. Just imagine that whatever line of business you are; whatever industry you are in, there are thousands, sometimes millions of others offering the same product as you are. What do you think will make a customer to choose you over others offering the same services or products? In this century, it is suicidal for any business owner not to have an online presence. It is part of the strategies of remaining relevant and being competitive, as well as attracting new customers, globally.
Why Being Online Matters
It doesn't matter whether you have been in business for the last five decades or you are just starting out. The internet has actually leveled the playing ground for both the big boys and the small fish; in other words, when a customer is looking for a product online, it doesn't matter who is selling the product. What matters is whether the customer is able to find your site and can trust you. Essentially, those businesses which are not yet online are in for a big trouble because sooner than later, they will be out of business if at all they aren't already.
You need to get noticed through Search Engine Optimization
If you are online, the biggest headache is getting noticed. You cannot afford to be ignored if you want to make a fortune online. As they say, creating a website is the easiest part-the hardest part is pushing your site as far up the search engines as possible. Remember, for very niche, there are millions of other individuals, and businesses who are scrambling to get noticed in the search engines.
That is why you need a professional marketing company to help you reach your potential customers. Search Engine Optimization companies are doing a wonderful job to assist businesses undercut competition by pushing their sites up the search engines. Otherwise, if you just create a site and sit back and relax, you are not going to see substantial number of unique page views from your site. Does this explain why many people who created blogs and website with anticipation of carrying home a fat AdSense check are left disappointed?
Optimizing your site isn't a simple-one-day-event as some optimists think. It requires skills, dedication, professionalism and patience for you to succeed at it. Therefore, it is important that you get a professional SEO company to pull your site out of the murk and make it recognizable in the local or global search engines. It is time to let a SEO expert company perform search engine optimization for you as you concentrate on your core business.
Of course there are many other marketing strategies you can apply to grab the attention of the potential customers such as social media, email marketing, pay per click marketing, among others. For optimum results, you ought to apply all the available marketing strategies, depending on where your target customer base is located.
Quick Website, social media and Blog Marketing Tips
One of the easiest ways to grow your social media community the whole day is to post consistently. Studies show that different audiences react to different posting frequencies, so you need to make sure that you have tested the optimal frequency with your own audience and look at the engagement levels in comparison with your other audience. The minimum post frequency on Facebook should be once a day and 4-6 times a day on Twitter. Also be mindful of the time of the day you post to increase engagement. You can automate the process by using tools like Buffer and Sway.
Use Images When Posting to Facebook
Including photos in your Facebook and Twitter posts will generate more engagement. According to various studies, posts with relevant images generate 50% more likes than the average text post. When you want to post about an offer or an announcement, include an image. This will significantly increase click-through rates.
Increase Exposure of your Communities With Social Buttons
Embed social media share buttons within your site and within your marketing communication to increase engagement. Does your blog have social sharing button displayed prominently within the posts to encourage leaders to share the article. Some of the places you need to consider include:
- Footer of the website or blog
- Header of the website or blog
- In your newsletter
- In your email signature
- Within your blog posts
Run a Launch Rock Campaign
What is a Launch rock?
A Lauch rock is a free service for gathering email addresses of people who want to get an early access to the launch of a new product, service, app or really anything. A lauch rock can be an effective marketing tool because it encourages word of mouth. One can integrate social buttons within the subscription process which is a very powerful component when it comes to turning a campaign into a viral marketing channel.
Here is an example of a launch rock:
The idea is to offer a free give-away or some other offer which works on friend-bring-a-friend model. Make sure the message has a powerful incentive.
Invest on infographic
Over the last few years, infographics have become very popular. A professionally designed infographic is a very potent traffic generator. A professionally designed infographic can cost you anywhere between $100 and $2,000 but will be worth the investment.
Write amazing headlines
The headline of a blog post carries a lot more weight than what many people think. No matter the quality of your content, a bad headline can drive away visitors. Here are some tips for optimizing your blog titles:
- Use every day, simple language
- Keep it short and catchy. Leverage common psychological traits like fear, urgency, desire, etc.
- Use negatives such as Never Do This, Don’t, Avoid, etc.
Create Micro Content
Many people are now suffering from information overload, which means that they have less time and patience to consume content. A growing trend which Australian marketers and business owners should consider is the creation of micro content for easy consumption. A great service that has mostly been used is the Vine and SoundCloud.
Host a Twitter Q&A sessions
One way to keep your social media fans engaged is hosting a periodic Twitter Q&A sessions. The idea is to encourage your community to ask questions and seek clarifications concerning your product, industry or business. You can provide answers, take their feedback and even create a blog post from that. Over time, more people will begin to take part and slowly your brand and audience will grow.
The Marketer’s Creed: 3 Qualities of Great Marketers
Marketing is the engine of any business. Whether you are a small business owner or the Chief Marketing officer of a big corporation, you need to have the right mix of traits to stay successful. The foundation of responsibility is no doubt the most important component of any success in business. In this article, I am going to talk about some touch points around this necessary quality in your life in order to help you achieve your business goals.
- Get motivated
The renowned author and speaker Zig Ziglar said that motivation, just like taking a bath, doesn’t last. One should constantly recharge their batteries of motivation to stay motivated. That is why it is recommended that you stay motivated on a daily basis.
The only way to keep your momentum is to stay motivated. This is like a muscle that needs to be exercised daily if you want to stay on top of your game. Of course there are days you wake up and feel like you would rather stay in bed and abscond your obligations. So many people give in to the temptation and end up wasting a lot of time.
One way to build motivation is to form daily rituals where you perform certain set of actions, every day, which get you ‘in the zone’. If you establish a routine that puts you in the path to maximum productivity early in the day, your body and mind will learn that it is time to get going.
For instance, if you are a runner, you may choose to wake up, put on your shoes and start running every time you wake up from bed. In the office, the ritual could be visualization, meditation before going for a meeting or making a sales presentation.
Our bodies and minds are like engines, they must be kept in optimum working conditions to function correctly. The engine must first be fired before it can start working. Get yourself motivated first thing before you start doing what you planned.
- Assume responsibility
If anything is to be, it is up to you. There are no accidents. Responsibility is the hallmark of successful entrepreneurs and is a way of being, not just what you do. When you are truly responsible, you accept the fact that success or failure is in your hands no matter what. Blaming outside forces or people for your failures shows that you are irresponsible.
Great leaders claim responsibility even when things go wrong not just when they are buzzing. Being responsible means not blaming anyone or anything for the things that go wrong. Being responsible means taking an introspection approach and looking at what you could have done differently to produce better results.
You should be aware at all times the impact you are creating around you and the examples you are setting for others. You have the power to create the circumstances you want. No one prevents you from creating the business you desire.
- Accept no excuses
If you are personally accountable to your business or quality of life, you should be honest with yourself; you should face realty and accept no excuses. Acknowledge where you have done mistakes in the past and commit to improving things in the future.
You really need to be honest with yourself about where you are slaking and resolve to honor your commitments. Do not break promises. Every time you break a commitment or a promise to yourself, your self-worth is eroded and eventually, your inner self’s worth is destroyed.
As a serious entrepreneur, you should choose accountability as your minimum standard in everything you do. If you do so, you will find that your business will have more meaning and you will experience more success.
Webhosting Secrets Every Web Site Owner Should know
If you are serious about your business, make sure that your website is in good hands. Choosing the right web site host is the best decision you can make. Any server downtime can greatly ruin your business and limit your chances of growing your customer base. Sometimes, hosting a website can be such a confusing experience for web site owners, especially for the first timers. If this is your first time dealing with web hosting, it can seem like a maze of jargon floating around in the technical world. Be it as it may, I have gathered 10 simple secretes that you need to arm yourself with.
- You Get What You Pay for
With web hosting, what you pay for is exactly what you get in most cases. If you go for a cheap host, you’re most likely to get cheap services which include poor customer support, low bandwidth, and servers that crash more often than your PC.
Cheap is expensive. Beware of all the catch phrases in that advertisement banner. If you are serious about your business, you must also be serious about the host who is going to host your website. It is not difficult for people to fall prey to a bunch of spammers who will extract your private information, force advertisement banners on your pages, and extract your customers’ information, in the name of cheap web hosting offers.
It is quite unfortunate that many business people often care too much about the dollar side of web hosting services at the expense of quality, and professionalism. Choosing a web hosting service that will ensure your privacy, efficiency, and availability should be a priority of any web site owner. However, it is still possible to get a web hosting company that offers great services at a cheap price.
The following is a list of top ten web hosting companies and their prices.
2. Understand the "Free Domain" Gimmick
Buying a domain name independently Vs using a free domain offered by the web hosting provider is one of the toughest decisions you may have to deal with. It is critical that you understand how this works out before committing yourself to either of the options. The idea of getting a free domain name from your web hosting provider sounds great but there are things you need to into consideration:
● How long do you plan to use the domain name?
● Who will own the domain name?
● How much will it cost for subsequent renewals
Unless you are planning to use the domain name for a short campaign period, and you don’t intend to renew it afterwards, it is not advisable to go for the free domain name being offered by the web hosting company. Here is why: you may find yourself in unforeseen difficulties if you decide to change your hosting company in future as you may not be able to access the domain registration information. That means that the domain name is ‘free’ for you to use, but the ownership of the domain name remains with the web hosting company.
Essentially, you’ll find yourself in a situation where you are stuck with the web hosting company forever, or you are forced to pay a hefty fee to buy back the domain name.
3. Understand Domain Name Registration
Many people underestimate the concept of domain name registration. As a matter of fact, a domain name entails many things that will affect you in a number of ways in the future. Just like the web hosting services provide you with many options, a domain name also provides you with different features.
Therefore, not all domain registration companies have the same features. So, beware of those registrars that entice you with cheap prices because you may find that they lack some features. A good domain name should come with the following features at no extra costs.
● Should include your own control panel
● URL Redirection – It should make it possible for you to forward your domain name to another web address
● Email Forwarding for multiple addresses
● Full DNS control
● Sub domains
● Registrar Lock
If you buy a cheap domain name, chances are that you will have to folk out extra cash for the above features whenever you need them.
4. Differentiate Between Domain Name and Hosting
If you are new on this, it may get confusing. Nonetheless, the difference between the two has already been hinted above. All we are saying here is that it is not necessary that your web hosting company should also sell (or freely offer) you a domain name as well. You have the option of buying a domain name separately and forward it to your web hosting provider.
That domain names don’t have to be registered at the same web hosting company does not mean you cannot do it. All we are saying is that you need to do a comprehensive research into the whole thing so that you understand what you are getting out of it. Remember a domain name is your only online identity, and that is why you need to do more home work on it. In fact, it is the most irreplaceable online asset you can ever have.
Web hosting companies will naturally urge their customers to register their domain name with them, but you should also not forget that it is profitable for them. Therefore, you should find out whether it will be convenient for you to do that. For example, are your prepared to lose your domain name if the web hosting company goes down or you decide to migrate to another web hosting company?
5. Understand the Different Web Hosting Options Available
Before you buy a product, you must understand its features and know whether it is going to satisfy your needs. In the same way, the type of web hosting services you choose depends on your unique needs, which includes things like the size of your web site’s files, the number of visitors your expect, your preferred operating system and the nature of web site you intend to put up.
In that case, it would be great if you understood the different web hosting options available before signing up for one. There are 5 types of web hosting services available:
a. Free Web Hoisting
Well, free web hosting is free. This type of hosting is normally provided by web hosting companies as a way of giving their customers opportunities to taste their services. Otherwise, free web hosting services are suitable for those people who don’t anticipate a lot of traffic to their site.
Free web hosting services are best suited for non-commercial sites such as personal journals, photography, and so on. You expect to find the following features in a free web host:
● Low connection speed
● Limited storage space
● Frequent website downtime
● Advertisement appearing on your pages
● Limited technical support
● Low security options
● Limited software and apps options
● Limited number of pages
● You cannot use AdSense
● Limited database and statistics support
While some companies would require you to purchase a domain name in order to use their services, most of them will let you use a subdomain name under them.
b. Shared/Virtual Hosting
With shared hosting, server space and other resources are shared with other web sites. Shared web hosting is one of the cheapest web hosting services and one of the most commonly used.
The only disadvantage with it is that you are bound to experience web site downtime especially if you share with gambling or pornographic web sites. The following are some of its features:
● Low cost
● Own domain usage
● Good technical support
● Frequent web site downtime
● Multiple software usage option
● Limited security due to sharing server with many sites
● Limited database support
● Best for small business with not so huge traffic
- Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is the opposite of Shared hosting, here, you have a server dedicated to yourself. It is one of the most expensive web hosting services, but with it you can be assured of maximum security and efficiency.
However, with dedicated server, you are responsible for its maintenance and cost of operation. It is best suited for web sites that require many resources as well as those with high traffic.
The following are the features of dedicated web hosting service:
- Good for large business with high traffic such as Amazon, EBay, e.t.c
- Multiple domain name options
- Powerful email solutions
- Great database support
- Unlimited software support
- High security
- High cost
- Requires expert skills
- Collocated Hosting
In this type of hosting, one purchases a server, and have it hosted at a web host’s facilities. Here, you have full control of your server, and you can decide to do anything with it such as installing applications you need, add more ram and disk space, install a better perfuming CPU, and so on.
- The following are features of collocated hosting:
- High Bandwidth
- High cost
- Requires expert skills
- Great database support
- Unlimited software support
- Harder to configure and debug
- High security
Reseller web hosting is for web masters and online entrepreneurs who want to resell their own web hosting services to those who need them. Those who have many websites can also take this option as it will enable them manage many websites from one central location.
Having looked at that, it is best to look at the features being offered by the type of web host you want to sign up with. For example, you need to take into consideration your budget, type of business you are engaged in and the bandwidth (as well as disk space) you need.
Once you have selected a given type of web hosting you need, you can compare different offers from different companies. Suppose you decide that you want to deal with shared web hosting, you will realize that there are different companies offering that type of web hosting services. Therefore it is good you understand the features being offered.
Aside from that, you might also find the following suggestions invaluable when dealing with web hosting services
- Don’t go for long term contracts. Unless you are 100% sure what you will be doing in 5 years, it is advisable to go for short term contracts like one year rather unless you trust the web host. In most cases, you’ll be given ridiculously high discounts for longer periods like 2 years, 3 years, 5 years…
- Consider the Payment method. Most people prefer PayPal as a means of payment rather than credit cards as it is more convenient and safer. But if you trust the company, you don’t have any reason to worry.
- Always Back-up your files. You definitely can’t rely on your web host 100%. It can be considered unwise to fail to back up your online files in other places such as your PC. You never can tell what will happen in future.
Why and How to Use Social Media for Local Business
Whether you are an individual entrepreneur, or part of a small, medium or giant business set-up, you certainly know that your customers are using social media. Therefore, there is no reason why you shouldn’t use it too if you want to reach them.
The good news is that it costs almost nothing to use social media, and it is easy to get started, yet it has the potential of having an enormous financial impact on your business. Another reason why you need to establish an online presence through social media is that it is a timely way of obtaining feedback from customers.
Social media is also used to market the business’ brand and products, as well as build relationship with customers. If used well, social media can also help in SEO performance of your site. A research conducted by Pan African University provided the following interesting statistics:
- 88% of fortune 100 companies use twitter daily to connect to their customers and 85% of companies worldwide use twitter at any stage of their recruitment process.
- Facebook has over 500,000,000 users worldwide (although this figure could be more because many people have since signed up).
- 45 billion of content is uploaded daily on Facebook.
- Twitter has over 156 million users.
- YouTube is the 2nd most searched site after Google.
Moreover, In an Altimeter Group survey of 700 executives and social strategists in 2012 found that 100 percent of participating enterprise organizations run to varying extents an active social media strategy.
How: Strategy and Tactics
As you can see, social media presents a fertile ground for you to register your business presence online. The next thing is to learn how to launch your social media presence. The truth of the matter is that it is difficult to succeed in social media without using strategy and tactics.
Strategy and tactics are inseparable here. You can’t design a successful online presence through social media without deep, firsthand knowledge of the tactics you’ll be using. Strategy will guide you on how to implement the strategies. Otherwise, aimless actions might not yield much. Here is how to go about it.
Know the Market: some market research will be critical. This will help you to understand the market, where your target audience is, as well as understanding the competition. Once you know the market, you can now begin penetrating it with the right messages.
Time and Quality Updates: Providing your audience with good updates, engaging contents, and timely news will enable your media presence to grow to unprecedented level. The more regular your updates are the better; don’t give updates every month. You also have to make a schedule so that you are consistent. For instance, you can issue updates twice a day, once a day, and so forth.
Social Media Tools: learn how to use a variety of tools to make your social media campaign an easy and effective way of reaching your audience. For example, you can use micro blogging tool to simultaneously your messages to the masses. A number of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn apps are available. If you have a website, remember to include your social media comment/like/follow tools.
7 Ways to Increase Your Social ROI
William S. Woodside and David J. Reibstein (Professors of Marketing at The Wharton School) boldly claimed that “If an ad doesn’t increase brand awareness, it's not doing its job”. Any CEO, marketing executive, and business owner knows very well that marketing is the integral part of any organization/business set-up. Without it, there is no business.
Ridiculously, in times of economic difficulties, the marketing budget is normally among the first culprits of cost-cutting strategies. In other words, if your marketing budget is not bringing in the returns, its importance will diminish. With the social media here with us, marketers are utilizing the social media platform to drive up their brand awareness, and advertising. Trust me, businesses spend lots of dollars in social marketing. But how do you ensure that each dollar spent in social media marketing plays a part in bringing in customers or create brand awareness?
Here are 7 ways to increase your social ROI:
- Make it a Team Effort
It is tempting to imagine that advertising on social media is a piece of cake. Behind every Facebook like; every YouTube view; every twitter follower, there is an effort or cash expended. This can’t be done by one person, nor can you depend on your ads alone to do the job, you must ensure that every person in the organization is contributing towards the campaign. A survey conducted by openforum.com shows that about 53% of people engage in social media marketing campaign alone. If you are a small business owner, make sure that your employee, suppliers, distributers (and family members if possible) are contributing.
- Be Authentic
This is what Sid Shuman, who runs social media for Sony PlayStation had to say “You can't fake it online; they can smell that a mile away." You can’t hide behind your monitor and run a marketing campaign you don’t believe in. you might dismiss this as a ‘pastor’s sermon in church’ but is the truth simply because it has been tried and tested. Before you spend your cash in social media campaign, you’ve got to be part of it; you’ve got to believe in what it is you are selling to them. Only by doing so will you be able to answer your fans’ questions and engage with them.
- Put Your House in Order
Make sure your social profiles are in shape. Make sure they look professional and attractive. Your social profile is your social shop-front. Don’t expect customers to jump through muck just to come and listen to you. Also, make consistent list of the tasks you’d like to accomplish on a periodic basis. For instance, you can draft a list of twitter updates to send every 6 hours, each day. You can re-tweet interesting updates, share interesting photos, or descent jokes. Sometimes, it doesn’t have to a serious stuff.
- Target. Target. Target
Your time is very precious. Your followers/fans’ time is precious too. Don’t waste any of it by engaging in nihilities. There is no way you are going to realize a ROI in your social marketing activities if the message is not reaching the targeted people at the right time and place. Poor advertisement strategy is like a boy winking to a girl in the darkness.
- Engage
Don’t just listen to the audience, engage with them. Treat their feedback seriously and let them know that their views are being integrated in the process. Organizations can use social media tools to improve their services and products. In fact, social media is now an important too in brand development. It starts with listening to the customers’ complains/complements/suggestion through intelligence gathering, analyzing the information, implementing where necessary and appreciating them for the contribution.
- Identify influencers
Social media is about trust; whether you are talking about casual chat or business marketing. Invest in research that will determine what customers appreciate and trust. You’ll reap better fruits if your produce a product that your customers have endorsed. It is important to pay heed to what the customers are saying, what their fears are, what makes them happy, what annoys them, and so on. Your team of marketers need to extremely alert to changes in market trends and customer psychology. Rather than being reactive, being proactive is the safest road to success.
- Know Your Budget
If you don’t know your budget, how else will you be effective in what you do? Knowing your budget will enable you to plan, improvise, cut unnecessary expenses, and concentrate only on useful activities. If you don’t know your budget, you might find yourself spending a lot of money and time on non-essential things at the expense of the essential ones. You will also be in a better position to know whether your social media activities are producing the right rate on investment.
Mjrvisuals can help you increase your reach out of that content in your website through our expertise. ROI is definitely going to scale up if you invest on this kind of marketing for your business, We run the gambit of visual imagination including video production, digital marketing, video editing, print design, advertising, graphic design, graphic animation, motion graphic and media design. Be part of our portfolio of clients and let us tell your story to the world. Click here to visit our website: mjrvisuals.com/