Marketing Archives - Page 2 of 6

5 Tips for a Successful Landing Page

by Jack Smith | Feb 6, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Digital Publishing, Marketing, Marketing Strategy

Creating landing pages is easy. Getting them right, though? That takes a bit more work.

A great landing page can make all the difference in the effectiveness of your marketing campaign. It’s also essential for making a good impression and following through on the promises you made in your ad or social media post.

Here are five smart and savvy landing page tips so you can be sure yours, well, lands:

1. Include a clear connection to your ad.

Whatever got someone to your landing page is what’s going to hold their interest once they get there. Stay focused and concise, and ensure your content gives a direct callback to its associated ad.

2. Place your call to action at the top.

Assume visitors have a short attention span and provide them with need-to-know info upfront. For performance purposes, this should include the action that you want them to take, which should be clear, obvious, and above the fold.

3. Create simple forms.

The simpler your forms, the more likely it is people will actually fill them out. You’ll have plenty of time to get more info after you’ve got a new lead, so aim for the basics now and fill in any blanks later.

4. Make it responsive.

Landing pages need to be optimized for both desktop and mobile. Make sure your page looks great on both types of devices and that your CTA stands out just as much on a small screen as it does on a big one.

5. Remove competing links.

A landing page has one goal — everything else is just superfluous. Remove any competing links (including unrelated internal links) and keep the entire page focused on achieving the action associated with your campaign.

For more marketing best practices, get in touch, and let’s chat.

Make the Most of Your Downtime

by Jack Smith | Jan 16, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Market Research, Marketing, Marketing Awareness

January and February might seem slow compared to the nonstop frenzy of the holiday season, but that doesn’t mean you should curtail your marketing efforts.

Instead, it’s the perfect time to set new goals, take stock of what’s been working, and indulge in a little more creativity.

Here are four tips for post-holiday marketing strategies and ideas:

1. Think Ahead

Whether you already have a marketing plan for the new year or you’re just getting started, now is a great time to consider your long-term objectives for 2023. Keep in mind things you’d like to do differently (and the same) as last year, then let those be your guide as you come up with strategies and ideas for the months ahead.

2. Pick Out Past Winners

If you’re stuck on what to do, some old favorites could lead the way. Dive into your data to see what’s been working with your audience, then use the same format with a timely topic. For example, if you had a ton of success with user-generated content during the holidays, keep it going with a new theme. This could be a great time to exercise a little more creativity, too.

3. Give Your SEO Some TLC

SEO often falls by the wayside during the holidays in favor of promotions and social media engagement. You can ramp it back up in the new year — put some effort into getting new content out there and update any old content that isn’t performing as well as you’d like it to.

4. Remarket and Retarget

Holiday marketing usually leads to a lot of interest in a company’s products or services, but it doesn’t all turn into sales. Now that things have calmed down, look into remarketing and retargeting to the customers that didn’t pull the trigger and see if you can keep the relationship going.

Need more guidance? Get in touch.

5 Last-Minute Holiday Marketing Ideas

by Jack Smith | Nov 8, 2022 | Marketing, Marketing Awareness, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy

The holidays have a way of creeping up on us but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to catch up. We’re sharing five of our favorite last-minute holiday marketing tips, all tied up in a pretty bow and ready to help boost your seasonal sales.

Ready to start? Check out these simple, seasonal marketing ideas that you can add to your calendar right now.

#1: Create a Festive Gift Guide
Showcase your most present-worthy products in a gift guide. Share it via email and on your site, as well as on social media — it’s sure to give your customers some inspiration for their shopping list.

#2: Offer Free Shipping
With so much spending around the holidays, shoppers are looking to save money wherever possible. Offer and promote free shipping on your products to sweeten the deal and incentivize more purchases.

#3: Hold a Giveaway
Speaking of free stuff, the holidays are as good of an excuse as any to host a giveaway. Make it on theme, and use it as an opportunity to grow your email list while also garnering interest in your brand.

#4: Partner With an Influencer
Influencer marketing is a great way to make a big impact in a short time. Partner with an influencer who aligns with your brand and help them put together a holiday campaign featuring your product or service.

#5: Tack on a Free Gift With a Purchase
Since people are shopping anyway, why not give a little gift of your own by adding a free gift or sample(s) to their purchase? It’s a nice gesture, and it also helps with customer retention and loyalty.

The holidays will be here before you know it. For additional support with seasonal marketing, branding, and web development or SEO get in touch, and we can help.

How (and Why) to Write Better Alt Text

by Jack Smith | Sep 8, 2022 | Copywriting, Marketing

Are you using alt text correctly?

Alt text (aka “alternative text,” “alt attributes” or “alt descriptions”) is beneficial for both accessibility and SEO. But a lot of brands aren’t using it right, which can lead to issues with user experience and search engine performance.

Make sure you meet the mark. Learn more about the role of alt text and how to write it well:

What Is Alt Text?

Alt text is written copy that corresponds with the images on your website. Unlike captions, alt text offers a literal explanation of what each image contains, and is not immediately visible to most users.

Major benefits include:

Accessibility: Alt text provides a description that can be read aloud by a screen reader, thus providing a cohesive experience for users with visual impairments or those who cannot get images to load.
SEO: Alt text allows search engine crawlers to index your web pages more effectively and boosts your ranking potential.

How to Write Good Alt Text

In order for alt text to serve its purpose, it has to follow a few simple rules:

Keep it concise. Be as succinct and to the point as possible. This is not the time for fluff or flowery language.
Avoid keyword stuffing. It’s good to add a keyword or two, but don’t overdo it or try to stuff in keywords where they don’t fit.
Skip decorative images. If a graphic isn’t relevant for users (i.e., stylistic border images), forgo alt text there since it will interrupt the flow of the page.

Other Resources

Want to learn more? Here are some additional resources that may be helpful to you:

The A11Y Project
Codecademy, What is Digital Accessibility?
Digital.gov, An Introduction to Accessibility

For any other questions, get in touch, and let’s chat!

How to Write Your Brand Story

by Jack Smith | Aug 22, 2022 | Brand Story, Digital Publishing, Marketing

Are you telling the right story about your brand?

Your business’s narrative plays a huge role in how customers perceive it. It’s essential that the story you tell is well-aligned with your values, your objectives and your overall brand mission — and it’s important to be the one controlling this narrative. Here’s what a good brand story can do, plus tips for making yours a success.

What Is a Brand Story?

A brand story is the narrative that exists around your company. It includes your origin story, of course, but also goes deeper to encapsulate things like your values and priorities, as well as what you’re trying to achieve with your product or service.

Ultimately, this story helps humanize your brand and gives your customers something to connect to, trust and empathize with. It also serves as a cornerstone of your brand identity and a thread of connection tying together all of your marketing channels.

Elements of a Good Brand Story

All brand stories are not created equal. Some elements that separate the good stories from the not-so-good stories include:

Authenticity
Credibility
Personability
Consistency

Also key is to make sure that your story has a human element since audiences are more likely to connect with people than corporations.

Tips for Writing Your Brand Story

Whether you’re starting from scratch or making improvements, here are some quick tips for making your brand story shine.

Have a well-defined message. A brand story isn’t just a timeline of events. Your story should have a real purpose behind it and should be rooted in establishing and sustaining a solid brand identity.
Highlight adversity. All good stories have some sort of conflict in them. Be true to real events, but do incorporate an example of how your brand faced — and overcame — adversity.
Keep it simple. Your audience doesn’t have time to read a novel about your brand. Keep things simple and succinct.

Need more advice on building a killer brand? Get in touch.

Is it time to market in the metaverse?

by Jack Smith | Aug 4, 2022 | Marketing, Metaverse

Any new social media platform offers marketing potential to brands. And the metaverse, touted by some as the future of the internet, is no different. However, that doesn’t mean it’s worth investing in just yet.

Here’s your quick guide to the metaverse — including why you can probably hold off on your metaverse marketing strategy (for now, at least).

What Is the Metaverse?

The metaverse exists at the intersection of virtual reality and social media. Users engage as avatars in a fully digital world that mirrors the physical world, complete with shared virtual spaces and the ability to shop and engage with brands.

No one really knows how the metaverse will evolve, but there are already some pretty obvious pros and cons for marketers. Advantages include widespread reach and the ability to build stronger and more personable connections with an online audience. As for drawbacks, there are some (warranted) concerns about privacy and security, as well as the fact that we don’t know yet how popular it will eventually get.

Marketing in the Metaverse

Brands interested in virtual and augmented reality will likely have a ton of opportunities waiting for them in the metaverse. Marketing in the space will be interactive, community-based and highly personalized, with a strong influencer focus and lots of new ways to weave in social commerce.

So, Should You Get Started?

It’s probably not that important right now. For most brands, the metaverse has the potential to be something big, but it’s not there yet. So keep an eye on it but don’t feel like you’re behind if you haven’t gotten involved yet. That being said: If the metaverse excites you or seems like a natural fit for your brand, it never hurts to explore the metaverse.

Have more questions? Let’s chat.

5 Tips for a Successful Landing Page

Make the Most of Your Downtime

5 Last-Minute Holiday Marketing Ideas

How (and Why) to Write Better Alt Text

How to Write Your Brand Story

Is it time to market in the metaverse?

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