Blog

How to Create Content for Your Business That’s Worth Sharing… 101

We all know that content marketing is the name of the game for businesses large and small. Content is king and all that. But how does a small business create enough good content to reach their marketing goals? That’s the question.

The answer, as it turns out, is easy. All you need is a primer with ideas that you can use in multiple ways to create content. That’s what I’ll do here -- break down simple content ideas that you can use (and reuse) to grow your business. 

FAQ  

Let’s start with content that comes from a section you probably already have on your website: Frequently Asked Questions.

If you’re like most companies, you have FAQs with short, snappy answers. I’m willing to bet that in most cases, you could flesh those questions out with additional information and suggestions to provide detailed and actionable content for your clients.

I suggest reviewing...

Your 90 Day Post Covid Marketing Roadmap

The first quarter of 2020 brought us an unprecedented situation with a global pandemic that shut down parts of the country and created economic uncertainty and record unemployment. For a lot of businesses, that meant taking a new approach to marketing.

Now, more than eight months into the pandemic, the road ahead is clearer than it was then. With multiple new vaccines announced and an end in sight, we still have a rough road ahead in many ways.

So… the big questions are:

• What will businesses be doing to get back on track?
• What will the new normal look like?
• What are the ideal first steps (in the next 90 days) to set your business up for success?

With that in mind, I have some thoughts on what you can and should do in the next 90 days to get (and keep) your business on track for success.

Audit Your Marketing Plan

The first thing I suggest is a thorough audit of your marketing plan. A lot of companies hit the pause button -- or...

How to Elevate Your Social Media in 2021

The world of social media marketing is noisy these days. Getting your content to the people who are most likely to buy your products or use your services is akin to trying to flag down a car going 90 miles an hour on a six-lane highway -- when you’re in a building on the side of the road. It’s tough going.

The only way to succeed is to make sure that your social media posts stand out in a crowded playing field. You need to create content that’s compelling and irresistible if you want to grab attention from your competitors -- or, let’s face it, from your followers’ friends and family.

Here are some things that can help your Facebook posts and Tweets stand out in 2021.

Up Your Emoji Game  

You might not think of emoji as professional but the bottom line is that internet users love them. Incorporating them into your social media content can help your posts stand out.

Go to GetEmoji.com and you’ll find a...

What Will Digital Marketing Look Like in 2021?

As 2020 winds down in the next couple of months there are still a lot of questions that we can’t answer. 

How soon until there’s a vaccine for Covid-19?  

When will the pandemic end? 

When will we return to business as usual?

For small business owners, that last question looms large. With COVID cases spiking across the country and the probability that we’ll be back to only essential businesses opening their doors to the public, it’s crucial to take a long view of the marketing landscape.

Because there are so many unanswered questions, the marketing trends for 2021 have a slightly different focus than might be the case in a typical year. Here’s what’s on the horizon.

Focus on Customer Retention 

I’ve talked a lot before about how much less it costs to retain customers than to win new customers. In 2021, it’s going to make a lot of sense to put your marketing budget into...

Holiday Promotional Ideas to Consider During a Pandemic

The 2020 holiday shopping season promises to be unlike any other. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment rates are high, and consumers may be reluctant to do their shopping in person.

But don’t worry! Not all the news is bad. In fact, most experts are predicting a robust holiday shopping season that might not look like previous seasons. Here are some promotional ideas to help you bolster your holiday sales.

Make Online Shopping Easy  

The first thing you’ll need to do – and need is the right word – is to make online shopping an option for your customers. Even if you don’t have an eCommerce store already, you need one now. A lot of small businesses have already pivoted to include online purchases. Forecasts anticipate 34% growth in online sales this year.

If you already have an online store, you may want to consider creating a special tag or tab for holiday specials. That way, visitors...

7 Content Marketing Tactics Every Small Business Should Steal

Ad campaigns are still effective, but the truth is they’re not as effective as content marketing. Bill Gates proclaimed “Content is king” back in 1996 and his words have proven to be remarkably prescient. Web users expect top-notch content from the companies they follow.

Easier said than done, right? Well… maybe. There are lots of great tactics you can use to create the kind of content that your followers want. If you handle it properly, the content you post on your website and social media can turn casual visitors into leads and leads into customers.

Here are 7 content marketing tactics that you should steal.

#1: Content Diversification 

What kind of content are you creating? If you’re only creating blog posts or Instagram stories, then you may be missing out on marketing opportunities by not diversifying your content.

The bottom line is that there are three types of content: written,...

Getting Back to Basics: Facebook Marketing 101 

You’re probably already marketing your business on Facebook. If you’re not, you should be – but it’s not just a question of having a Facebook page and using it. You’ve got to use it wisely if you want to get great results.

It’s not uncommon for small business owners to dive into Facebook marketing without really knowing what they’re doing at first.  I mean come on, at some point you just have to dive in, right?  You may even have some decent results but I’m willing to bet they’re not as good as they could be.

So… let’s get back to basics. What do you need to know to earn a big return on your Facebook investment? Let me break it down for you.

Create Your Page. 

If you don’t already have a Facebook page for your business, the first step is creating one. To do it, click the plus sign at the top right-hand side of your page once you’re logged...

How to Increase Customer Retention with Email

New customers are great. There’s something undeniably exciting about attracting someone to your business who might not have found it otherwise. That’s the reason that new customer marketing gets all the attention. It’s the glitziest way to grow a business.

But guess what? It’s not a very cost-effective way to grow a business, which is why it never ceases to amaze me that more local businesses ignore customer retention as a growth strategy.

If you’re wondering the best way to increase your customer retention, look no further. Email is the answer.

Onboard New Customers and Subscribers

Your plan to retain customers should kick-off at the beginning of your relationship. A lot of businesses make the mistake of ignoring customer retention until people are at the point of leaving. We’ll talk about that later, but for now, let’s talk about what you can do after someone buys from you for the first time...

Try These 7 Growth Hacks to Help Your Small Business Soar

Wouldn’t it be great to find some simple tricks that would help you leap ahead of your competitors and see your small business soar to new heights?

Well, I’ve got good news for you. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about growth hacks – little tricks you can use to fast-track your growth and increase your sales and profits. By definition, a hack is meant to be simple – something you can do right away. Sometimes hacks are clever and weird things but sometimes, they’re well-documented things that small business owners overlook.

Let’s focus on the latter because I’m willing to bet you’re not doing some of these things. Here are 7 growth hacks that I think you need to start using – today.

#1: Use Content Upgrades to Grow Your List 

You know what an upgrade is. It’s something that allows you to increase the value or utility of something you’ve already...

Why SMS Marketing Should Be in Your Mix Right Now

Marketing is always changing and the changes in 2020 have been profound, mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve all had to adjust our work and home lives as a result.

With more consumers working from home and budgetary concerns at the forefront for most people, you might be thinking that mobile marketing isn’t as important as it used to be. After all, people aren’t spending as much time out and a lot of the advantages of mobile marketing don’t apply in the same way.

But guess what? I’m here to tell you that mobile marketing is more important than it ever has been – and you need to make room for SMS marketing in your budget right now. Here’s why.

SMS Marketing Statistics

You might not be convinced that SMS marketing is worthwhile, so let’s look at some statistics to give you an idea of just how popular, effective, and expected it is for companies to reach out to their customers...