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Figure out how to be the most efficient, effective marketer you can be as just a one-man shop.... ... It’s easy to get into the "if only" mindset when you’re the only marketer at your company, but if you want to grow your business, it’s important to shake it off and get solution-oriented. Instead of having an all-or-nothing attitude, try to focus on getting the most bang for your buck from every marketing activity you can muster the time and resources to execute. That means recognizing that not all marketing tactics are equal -- some may take you forever to execute and have little reward, while others, with a small tweak, could have a huge payout. To help you get on the path of agile marketing for your business, we’ve compiled eight incredibly important marketing activities that a one-man or one-woman team can and should execute that will also start moving key metrics. No more dilly dallying around with things that don’t move the needle....
Inbound marketing – or combining different online marketing processes such as SEO, content marketing, social media and conversions – has been one of the most effective ways to hit a site’s various business goals in one go, like driving more specifically targeted traffic, improving revenue and/or building a stronger brand mind share. Aside from involving practices that is measurable, utilizing inbound marketing as an approach to reach a business’ target audience (without disrupting their online activities) has proven itself to be very effective in terms of scaling and growing businesses in a shorter span of time. Some of the most known advantages of implementing these practices as a whole are: -Processes involved are cost-efficient and can be implemented in-house. -It works on almost any size of site/business and on almost any industry. -Can help cumulatively achieve business goals (like constantly generating traffic, leads, conversions), through all the past and current efforts done to improve the brand/site. There are so many tactics that you can choose inside the inbound marketing realm that can really help your business grow. Although, in this post, I’ve chosen to highlight a few strategies which I believe can really grow both traffic and conversions when implemented continuously....
They're on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. But that's not necessarily where they make purchasing decisions.... When we set our social media strategy we didn't ignore Twitter and Facebook, but we focused our time, content strategy, and community building in the specific networks where people congregate to discuss stocks. By concentrating our efforts and key performance metrics on these networks, we free ourselves from vanity metrics such as "Likes" and "Followers," focusing on what really matters: customer acquisition.
Excerpted from article on HubSpot:
"Marketing Pilgrim published a great blog post by Michael Lieberman called "10 Ways Inbound Marketing Drives Results This Month."
The best inbound marketers do, indeed, play a good long game, but you can use inbound marketing tactics and strategies to move the needle immediately, too. So to add to Lieberman's already stellar list, here are ten more ways you can borrow from inbound marketing to see immediate positive changes in your marketing.
Michael Lieberman's 10 Ways for Inbound Marketing to Drive Results This Month [http://bit.ly/10cQwj9 ]
To catch you up to speed, here's an abbreviated version of Lieberman's recommendations.
- Make sure your website has the right messaging to help visitors pass the blink test.
- Add visual calls-to-action to your site.
- Add offers to your website that appeal to visitors and leads in all stages of the funnel.
- Start blogging, and strive for a frequency of three to four times a week.
- Share your blog content with social media followers.
- Share educational content with relevant LinkedIn Groups.
- Create dedicated, conversion-optimized landing pages.
- Nurture leads with campaigns that bring them further down the funnel.
- Share educational content on sites your target audience frequents.
- Track and test all of your activities so you can get a more accurate gauge of what's working.
10 More Ways Inbound Marketing Drives Results This Month (by Hubspot)
1) A/B Test Elements of Your Email Marketing Campaigns;
2) Implement a List Re-Engagement Campaign;
3) Identify a Long-Tail Keyword Phrase With High Search Volume;
4) Newsjack;
5) Invest in a Social Media Ad Campaign;
6) Build a Free Tool;
7) Respond to HARO;
8) Start Using Tracking Tokens;
9) Create a Blog Subscription Landing Page;
10) Create Social Media Visual Content."
Each way mentioned by Hubspot is analyzed with more information. Read full article here: http://blog.hubspot.com/get-instant-results-with-inbound-marketing
In addition, check out also full article on Marketing Pilgrims: http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2013/03/10-ways-inbound-marketing-drives-results-this-month.html
Via Giuseppe Mauriello
One of the earliest questions considered by any business investing in video marketing will certainly be, “Should I have a YouTube channel? ...If your customers, or the influencers of your customers are watching videos on YouTube related to your industry, then you should have a YouTube channel. Every company has something to be gained from building their brand, notoriety, and reputation. YouTube can be a fantastic channel to help achieve that goal, but only if you have a great idea for content that a specific brand-agnostic user group will genuinely value. If you’re doing paid search, YouTube can be valuable addition to an integrated campaign; if you’re doing PR, YouTube can help you get to the top of the pile on a journalist’s desk; and if you’re engaging with users through social media, YouTube can help to boost the engagements with your posts and campaigns.
Sports are an inherently social activity, so brands like Nike are a natural fit when it comes to social media marketing. To find out how the sports giant makes the most of this opportunity, I thought it would be interesting to see how it uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. This post is the latest in a series of blogs that have taken a similar look at major brands including ASOS, Tesco, Red Bull, Cadbury and McDonalds...
... As marketers, we often get caught up in defining our unique value proposition, distilling it into an elevator pitch, and shouting it in as many ways as we can to a target audience. The problem is that when people are targeted, they take evasive action. And besides, most people really don’t care what you’re trying to sell or why it’s so much better than everything else out there. They just need to like you. Here, I’ll offer tips on how you can create and use branded content to convey the personality of your company — the people who work there; the ideas you live by; the sense of fun and vitality you bring to work; your core values. In addition, I’ll share some examples of how companies, from giants like IBM to much smaller companies (like my own) have used culture-related brand content to compete successfully in the market....
A well maintained social media presence is like a fine wine; it develops more character as it ages. As you invest more time in to social media, joining additional networks and using new tools, your presence gains different characteristics that it did not have before. However, just as certain wine characteristics mesh well together, others simply do not. Certain wines will pair well with certain foods and enhance the experience, while others conflict and compete. So it is with different social networks. Some are natural fits, enhancing each other and creating synergy. Others are so vastly different in scope and purpose that using them together can actually weaken the total effort. So how do you know which networks jive well together, and which just don’t? Well, I reached out to several brilliant professionals whose experiences in social media give them a unique perspective on which networks work great together. They are, for all intents and purposes, Social Media Sommeliers, pairing different networks together to create an experience greater than the sum of its parts. So, what networks do they believe hold the greatest power for synergy?...
For many small businesses, a landing page is more than adequate as a digital footprint. When Jon Goldman would get on the phone with potential customers, often the first thing they'd ask is, "So what is it you do?" even after they had visited his website. He discovered a solution with a new web tool called Pitch Site, which allows him to sum up his business in a "much more visually attractive and concise way." Goldman has generated 3,900 leads since putting his business on Pitch Site. The formulaic single page website answers 99% of the questions people will have about how his business works — fundraising for sports teams — so during the phone call he can focus on benefits rather than explaining the "how."...
The whole point of social media is to encourage interaction and communication. If used effectively, it can increase brand awareness... ...Social media isn’t just about marketing. As social media continues to grow, it is really important for businesses to accept the fact that consumers will turn to online channels to either complain about service issues and in many cases praise you. It’s very easy for your customers to go elsewhere if you fail here, so unless you get this point of your customer journey right whatever you achieve with your social media marketing can be damaged by your lack of care. If you aren’t listening and responding to your customers then how do you expect continued loyalty for your business?
Want to get a mobile presence but not sure where to start? Check out the mobile decision tree and find your path. It’s go time. Your business has finally decided to jump into the world of mobile apps. But, where do you start? There are so many decisions to make. Do you develop “native” apps for iOS and Android? What is this mobile Web thing that people keep talking about? What the heck is an API anyway? Creating a mobile strategy is a matter of both knowing your business and knowing your app options...
Brands that use content marketing to drive premium leads likely rely on email, but now they must also embrace mobile content.... . While many businesses are still undecided about branded apps for mobile users, there’s no denying that rising smartphone and tablet use requires marketers to consider how on-the-go users can access web content and other outreach efforts. Email marketing, for example, is a top mobile web activity. Without developing a whole new campaigns, brands can leverage well-written digital content and target consumers’ inboxes, offering up-to-date news, coupons and genuine B2C or B2B interaction. However, digital marketers say mobile technology remains a major obstacle in their email marketing campaigns as they have yet to define the best method of engaging audiences via their smartphones and tablet devices. According to a survey from MarketingSherpa, 58 percent of surveyed professionals say that mobile will impact their email plans over the next 12 months. Forty-two percent of respondents say they will design email content to render differently on smaller screens. Email marketing has been around for many years and some professionals went as far as saying that the practice passed its prime. The evolution of mobile technology and the persistent usage of email channels has led to its second coming, and brands have begun to reallocate their budgets to account for the promotional channel....
The Drum catches up with a selection of industry experts to ask their views on some of the big issues affecting the social media sector, such as video and data. 11 experts share their thoughts on video in social media...
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Friday fun. This app can get you free bacon..? Rashers, "North America's Only Bacon Sandwich Shop," is a small business based in Toronto, with one location and a no-frills, bacon-only menu. Founders John Clark and Richard Mulleny have adopted all the usual social media gimmicks: daily Twitter and Facebook updates from the store advertise promotions in which customers can answer trivia questions for in-store discounts. And they have a knowing logo (that's the helvetica typeface, much favored by hipsters, in case you didn't know). It's Rashers' mobile strategy, however, that really brings home the bacon....
Think you’ve got the social media thing down at your business? Think you’re squeezing every last bit of benefit by utilizing online marketing across a variety of social platforms? Think again. Because there’s no way you’re getting the most bang for your social media buck if you’re only using it for marketing. Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes tells Fast Company that according to a McKinsey report, social technologies have an untapped business value of $1.3 trillion. “And most of that comes from improved office productivity,” says Holmes. “In the year ahead, expect enterprises to embrace social media tools – including internal networks, real-time chats and wikis – for uses that go way beyond the familiar applications for marketing and community building.” How can you tap into some of that value? Here are a few of the departments besides marketing that could be making good use of social networks...
Quick! Name a corporate brand that does amazing content aggregation! Hmm ... wait. I can't think of any, either. Okay, let's try this: Name a brand that creates amazing original content. I can think of a dozen. Red Bull, Gilt Groupe, GE, BirchBox ... the list of memorable branded content campaigns surely goes on. As the deluge of content that gushes from our screens intensifies, the odds of a brand standing out get dimmer all the time. Couple that with the storm of brands now starting to do content -- whether for native advertising, as owned media or for social-media flow -- and the noise is only going to get worse....
Here's the thing. Search works, but only if, as a brand, you know what it's worth to you. Too often brands allow outside influences (competitors, corporate vanity of presence, top-line revenue) to shape their buying strategy. Just as damaging is taking what eBay has published as anything more than one unique company taking a curious public position around corporate buying choices. It's not dissimilar from GM's declaration of Facebook failing it. Brands need to understand what search is worth to them. Accepting this study as gospel is no more palatable than accepting the long-standing Google view that if it's delivering, you should just keep writing checks. There's a proper brand point of investment in search for any company, just like any other media channel....
Disclosure is probably not the first thing content producers think about, but trust and transparency with the audience are key to success. Here are 6 considerations on the latest FTC disclosure rules... Given these colossal changes, those who produce marketing content now need to think about disclosure not only in the context of the post or web page that it is displayed on, but also in content-promotion messages posted on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Don’t worry — disclosure doesn’t need to be complicated or take away from your marketing message. However, it does need to be clear, conspicuous, and unavoidable, so that the content you produce communicates transparently with your audience....
There is a blind spot for most retailers and it involves their loyal customers. These loyal customers are talking about a brand, on social media, but on a local level. Most brands are not well-equipped to monitor it, however. In fact, 88 percent of local consumer feedback and content is missed by major retail brands and by independent businesses. Consumer Engagement grows by over 500% In 2012, VenueLabs reports that location-based consumer engagement grew by over 500%, and that trend continues to accelerate....
With the rise of Klout and other personal influence measurement tools, much of the talk around influence marketing has focused on how to best target and engage high-ranking influencers. But new research is showing that a focus on mid-level influencers is actually far more effective when it comes to engagement and driving earned media, and at a much more efficient cost than working with “professional” A-list influencers. This is the conclusion from a SocialChorus analysis of over 200 social word-of-mouth campaigns, which shows that large-scale social engagement is increasingly driven by a group of influencers the company refers to as the “Power Middle.” These influencers typically have a smaller but very loyal audience (2,500 to 25,000+ unique monthly visitors to their blog or other social networks). Because their communities are so loyal, these Power Middle influencers drive an average of 16x higher engagement rates than paid media and owned alternatives–and at a much lower individual cost than professional influencers....
Are you looking for the best content curation resources on the web. Look no further as I provide 30 of the best content curation resources I use every day. Today, there are so many options available and we each have to find a way to find, filter, consume and share the information that is relevant for us. I use email alerts from RSS feeds, Twitter lists and a few key websites I visit every day to make sure I can stay on top of the latest trends and news in business and marketing. So here, I have curated my own list of the top sites of business and marketing information – some of which are great examples of content curation themselves. I invite you to visit these content curation resources, subscribe to their RSS feeds or follow them on twitter. I’ve also created a twitter list of these resources and other influential bloggers that you can also subscribe to…
We placed ads on AdWords, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and StumbleUpon. Which service provided the best ROI? The results will surprise you. Social media sites already offer free advertising in the form of tweets and Facebook posts, but these tools can only take your brand so far. The next step involves paying for social media ads, and if you're considering this option, you're probably most concerned with one big question: What will my return actually be? Will spending money on an ad on Twitter or Facebook bring more customers to my business than the same amount spent on Google AdWords? I put that question to the test by setting up experimental ads across five services: Google AdWords, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and StumbleUpon. I wanted to see exactly how these tools benefited my own content-creation and corporate blogging business. Indeed, Null Media is exactly the kind of small business that could benefit from social media ads—in theory....
Content Marketing specialist Rachel Parker talks strategy and implementation and shares some great tips about email newsletters Content marketing can loosely be defined as creating and publishing content in order to acquire customers. Rachel and I discuss the variety of forms we as business owners can use to market our services online including newsletters, video, ebooks, infographics,how-to’s, Q&A’s, photos, etc. If you’re new to content marketing and aren’t sure how to get started then this is the show for you as Rachel outlines her own strategic approach and talks in depth about the benefits of email newsletters and the positive affect this has had on her business....
There’s social, and then there’s ice cream social. Ben & Jerry’s excels in both. The brand that says “we make the best possible ice cream in the nicest way possible,” has translated their strong sense of community to the digital sphere. They’ve cultivated an impressive social presence on several large networks by way of continuous enthusiasm, strategic campaigns and of course – drool-inducing products. However, for those of us unable to market items such as “Chunky Monkey” and “Caramel Coffee Buzz,” there are still plenty of takeaways from this brands social success (they just include less chocolate). The ice cream brand is especially active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as further examined below....
... But what about Instagram? The popular social media platform, acquired by Facebook in April 2012, has continually seen its use by B2B companies increase. It’s hard to imagine a social media marketing tool that has on average 40 million photos being uploaded every day and over 90 million monthly active users, not receiving any consideration as part of more companies’ social media marketing strategies. More B2B companies are making the most out of their company’s Instagram accounts by giving users exactly what they want — fresh, consistent content that visually engages their customers and prospects. They’ve made sure their content, images with short messages, is perfectly aligned with their brand’s attributes and that each new photo uploaded tells a story. As a result, they’ve utilized a new channel to engage with customers and attract new ones. Here’s a look at 3 B2B companies that are effectively utilizing Instagram as a component of their social media marketing efforts...
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Really good tips on how to become an agile marketer.