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- 11 Apr
8 Offline Social Skills You Should Carry Into Your Social Media Efforts
by Neil Patel
It’s obvious that your social media presence and your in-person presence are two very different things. When you engage online, you can curate your posts, time your interactions, edit your photos, and create the experience that you want. And even though the online you and the offline you are different, there is still a lot of overlap. There are basic social skills and habits that you should carry into your social media efforts.
As social media occupies more of a prominent role in our personal interactions, it’s important that we accurately reflect who we are. More importantly, it’s important to remember that the web is social, and the way we interact online is the way that we will be perceived, judged, treated, and approached by others.
Here are 8 Offline Social Skills You Should Carry Into Your Social Media Efforts. Read the entire article on KISSmetrics.com
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- 11 Apr
5 Quick Tips for Using Periscope
by Jessica Webb
In the last month or so, there’s been a big surge in live video broadcasting. For example, a friend of mine recently used Periscope to livestream an iPhone video of her walking her dog. She shared a link to the live stream on Twitter, and a few of her followers clicked through and watched her walk her dog in real time. Kind of weird, but at the same time, kind of cool.
So, why are we writing about live streaming dog-walking videos on a marketing blog? Because video broadcasting apps like Periscope (and its slightly older competitor, Meerkat) aren’t just good for silly, just-for-fun clips like that one. It’s a new tool that has a lot of potential uses for marketing.
Here are 5 Quick Tips for Using Periscope for your marketing.
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- 11 Apr
Attention, Interest, Desire, Action: Using AIDA for Social Media
by Sarah Green
Most brands today have learned that a social media presence is a key asset of a successful inbound marketing strategy and that targeted cross-channel content distribution brings a better online visibility.
We see, however, that posting more content doesn’t necessarily lead to more engagement. Some 60% of small businesses don’t see any return on investment from their engagement online. So, here is how to attract attention, interest, desire and action by using AIDA for Social Media.
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- 11 Apr
7 Mistakes That Will Make People Unfollow You on Twitter
by Neil Patel
The Twitter crowd is fickle. They’re going to unfollow you if you violate any of their preconceived notions of what you should (or shouldn’t) be doing on Twitter.
On Twitter, or any social media for that matter, yu don’t want to alienate users unnecessarily. You very well may be losing followers for all the wrong reasons. This quick guide will walk you through the big mistakes that might cost you traffic, and explain how you can hang on to your followers.
Here are the 7 mistakes that will make people unfollow you on Twitter.
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- 11 Apr
A Simple Guide to Using Hashtags on Twitter
I have a love-hate relationship with hashtags on Twitter.On the one hand, they’re a useful way to tie different conversations into one stream. When it comes to following a news item, entering a contest, or figuring out out what’s going on in your favorite sports game, they can be super helpful — and sometimes even fun.
On the other hand, their misuse drives me crazy. Like when #people #hashtag #every #word #of #their #tweet. And don’t get me started on #FollowFriday. When used properly, though, hashtags can be a powerful marketing tool in helping drive brand recognition, boost conversions, and positively impact customer loyalty. So, here is a Simple Guide to Using Hashtags on Twitter.
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- 10 Apr
Three Elements of a Successful Integrated Mobile Strategy
by Vivek Patel
Got a mobile strategy worked out for your business? You should. A whopping 91% of mobile users have their devices within arm’s reach 24/7. So, if you don’t have a strong mobile presence, you are saying goodbye to this audience.
Moreover, mobile search is set to surpass desktop search this year. If your brand’s online presence isn’t scoring top position in mobile SERPs of your target audience, you’ll find your brand awareness spiraling downwards. It’s like your worst nightmare coming true.
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- 10 Apr
9 Tips to Make Online Reviews Work for Your Business
by Sean Hoff
Have you checked what people have said in online reviews about your business in the last month? In the past 6 months? How about in the last year?
If you are not actively engaging with the online reviews of your business, you are missing out on an incredible opportunity to draw in new business.
Just how incredible is the opportunity for you? The influence that these reviews wield may surprise you.
Read the entire article right here on Dan Hoff Marketing
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- 09 Apr
5+ Power Words and Techniques for Writing More Persuasive Landing Pages
by Dan Shewan
Whether you’re looking to generate leads or increase sales, having your Pay Per Click [PPC] ads direct visitors to persuasive landing pages is an excellent way to grow your business. However, genuinely persuasive copywriting is challenging, and it takes a great deal of nuance and subtlety to spur your prospects into action.
Here are the 5-Plus Power Words and Techniques for Writing More Persuasive Landing Pages and what makes them so effective, and how you can use these tactics to make your prospects do what you want them to.
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- 09 Apr
How Often Do Americans Shop Online?
by Ayaz Nanji
Nearly one-fourth of online shoppers in the United States say they make a Web purchase at least once a week, according to a recent report from Bronto Software.
The report was based on data from a survey conducted in January 2015 of 1,012 consumers in the United States who had bought online within the previous 12 months. (Respondents who had not made a purchase online in the previous year were not included in the analysis.)Some 24% of respondents say they are “frequent shoppers” (going online at least once per week, on average, to make a purchase); 36% are “occasional shoppers” (once a month, on average); 40% are “infrequent shoppers” (once a year, on average).
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- 08 Apr
B2B Buying: Millennials vs. Gen X and Baby Boomers
by Ayaz Nanji
Millennials B2B buyers want to interact directly with vendors’ representatives far more than Gen X or Baby Boomers buyers when researching products and services, according to a recent report from IBM.
The report was based on data from a survey of 704 people who influence or are responsible for B2B purchasing decisions of $10,000 or more for their company. Respondents came from 12 countries and 6 industries.
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- 08 Apr
Three Deceptively Simple but Powerful Tips for Writing Persuasive Landing Page Copy
Does the following sound familiar? You’re struck with inspiration and you write what you think is killer landing page copy. All the essential elements are there: social proof, your unique value proposition, a detailed list of benefits, and a clear headline. You’ve also brushed up on your psychology to make your argument more persuasive, and you employ all the best-practices you know.
But then you check your analytics… and in spite of all your hard work, your conversion rate sucks. What gives? Here are Three Deceptively Simple but Powerful Tips for Writing Persuasive Landing Page Copy.
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- 07 Apr
Mobile Email Benchmarks: YOY Click, Purchase, and Design Trends
by Ayaz Nanji
Mobile clicks accounted for 40% of all marketing email clicks in the fourth quarter of 2014, a 10% year-over-year increase, according to a recent report from Yesmail.
The report was based on data from 4Q14 and 4Q13 marketing emails sent via Yesmail’s campaign management platform. The researchers examined year-over-year changes for key metrics such as click-to-open rate (CTO), desktop-to-mobile purchase ratio, average order value, and conversion rate. Average mobile CTO increased 20% between 4Q13 and 4Q14, and average desktop CTO increased 6%, the analysis found.
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- 07 Apr
4 Ways Local Businesses Can Get More Out of Google
The image of a local mom and pop shop always brings a smile to my face. Seriously, who doesn’t love local storefronts? If you’re anything like me, you have each tiny store located in your hometown engraved into your brain. If one disappears, you’re shocked! “Chuck’s Cupcakes closed?! How could they do that?” we find our adult selves whining to our unfazed parents. Living in downtown Boston and commuting to work on foot, through one of the main shopping strips in the city, I tend to stay pretty up-to-date on new store openings. But not everyone has this benefit. Many people commute to work on freeways, without ever getting a glimpse of new store openings.
Of course, there are streets and locations in close proximity to my apartment where I never venture, so I’d never stumble across those businesses UNLESS I happen to find them online. Perhaps I read an article on Bostinno, one of Boston’s local news sites, or (the more likely scenario) I find the storefront on Google. This is one of the many reasons all local businesses need a strategy to appear in Google’s search results.
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- 06 Apr
10 Tips to Ensure Your Emails Resonate in the Inbox
by Len Shneyder
An email marketer should have one goal in mind: capturing readers’ attention so they respond to the email’s call to action. Many companies, however, instead send out massive amounts of impersonal, irrelevant emails that come across as spam and don’t engage recipients.
All too often, marketers cast a wide net and simply hope their customers will bite. That approach is not only annoying but also time-consuming, expensive, and potentially harmful to the brand. Personalization and relevance need to be at the core of every outbound message if it’s to succeed in today’s email-saturated world. With that in mind, I’ve highlighted 10 tips for companies that want to improve customer engagement with their email marketing campaigns.
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- 06 Apr
Why You Might Already Be in Ecommerce
by Tom Schwab
Most companies don’t think of themselves as ecommerce, but if you’re using your website to sell a product, you are in ecommerce! Adding the high-volume and fast sales cycle ecommerce business to any existing website can allow you to learn more about your customers, learn it faster, and make money as you do. Here’s a quick crash course in how to make the most of your ecommerce capabilities — from what you can sell to how to start selling, and how to set yourself up for ecommerce success.
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- 04 Apr
How to Revive a Dying Social Media Presence
by Neil Patel
There are times when it may seem like your social media is dying a slow and painful death. There’s zero interaction. Zero creativity. Zero inspiration. Zero anything. It’s like your social media has no reason for existing. What do you do?
First off, don’t bury it yet. Seeming death can happen with social media. What started as a frenzy of creativity and excitement can easily fizzle into a drudgery of disappointment. The shiny and new has turned into the sad and boring. Why does it happen? Why does social media go from excitement to ennui? Burnout. Disillusionment. Cluelessness. Misunderstanding. Lack of engagement is a big one. Regardless of the cause, there is a solution. Follow these steps, and your social media efforts will begin to revive.
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- 04 Apr
4 Ways to Healthcare Marketers Should Utilize Social Media
by Mandy King
Social media is no longer a marketing afterthought for companies and organizations. Every major brand is present across the major social media platforms, and they are actively planning strategic campaigns around social activity. Companies from every industry have made the leap into social media, but healthcare has lagged behind. Why is this?
Part of it is a lack of understanding about what social media is and how it integrates with current healthcare marketing efforts. Part of it is a fear of how it affects patient privacy and compliance with regulations such as HIPAA. What many healthcare organizations don’t realize is that these obstacles are all easily overcome and shouldn’t stand in the way of building up social media strategies.
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- 03 Apr
10 Myths About Lead Quality: Busted
by Alex Dunner
Your leads are the driver of your business. To grow and to gain customers you need to have quality leads that are actively engaged in your organization’s offerings—leads that are a fit for organizations strategy.
While every organization has a unique approach to categorizing its leads, there are several myths associated with lead quality many organizations fall to. Lets take a look at 10 lead quality myths and debunk them using facts derived from industry data.
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- 03 Apr
Don’t Kill Your Sales! Top 3 Shopping Cart Turnoffs
You’ve spent time and money designing the perfect marketing campaign. You’ve designed a flawless strategy to drive customers to your awesome sales page and you know it will convert. You’ve thought of everything… Except your shopping cart process.
When you design a marketing campaign, you’re focused on selling a solution or understanding the motivation for buying a product. You’re thinking about what makes someone click on the “buy” button. But until the last “confirm order” is clicked, the sale is in jeopardy. Shopping cart abandonment can be as high as 75%! At any point in the checkout process, customers might get turned off; they’ll then simply click away from the site. In short, your checkout process is just as important as your marketing strategy.
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- 02 Apr
Curating Content: A Few Principles and Tools to Guide Your Efforts
by Greg Shuey
The concept of content marketing is not new, but it has certainly been spreading like wildfire. While the awareness and implementation of content marketing continue to rise, the need for curating content becomes even more apparent.
When you begin any content marketing initiative, you’ll quickly realize how difficult it is to churn out incredible content regularly. How do you solve that conundrum? The solution is content curation.