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- 22 Jul
Instagram for Business: 27 Expert Tips to Market Your Business with Social Photos & Videos
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Instagram might be worth 1,000 new customers for your small business. The social media platform lets you easily share photos and videos with your followers and interact with their photos of your business. With an Instagram for Business account, you can also advertise and promote posts on the platform. Then you even get detailed metrics on how you’re engaging with customers.With 500 million monthly active users—and growing—there are a lot of potential customers on Instagram. Yet most small business owners are missing out. According to a Manta poll, only 24% of small business owners include Instagram in their social media marketing, and of those who do use the platform, only 20% pay to promote posts or place ads. Unfortunately, the biggest hurdle is that 39% of business owners say they simply don’t know how to use Instagram.
How can Instagram help your business get more customers?
As with any social media effort, a smart marketing plan is essential. So to help you out, here is some great advice from social media and marketing experts. To read what 27 Expert Tips to Market Your Business with Social Photos & Videos have to say, see the full article at Manta.com. It may help you use Instagram for Business to connect with customers and grow sales for your small business.
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- 15 Jul
6 Free Resources for Industry-Specific Marketing Benchmarks
Being a marketer has many challenges. But one of the hardest among them all is reporting and proving your success to higher-ups. You’re often met with questions like, “Well, how is Competitor X doing?” or “How do these numbers compare with industry standards?”Questions. Questions. So Many Questions.
Now, sadly, it is still illegal to hack into your competitors’ marketing reports. However, there are several tools and resources available that provide data for your specific vertical.
Whether you’re a marketer in retail, hospitality, technology, or non-profit, these resources will help you understand how you compare to your competitors without breaking any laws. You can Check out 6 free industry resources for marketing benchmarking statistics you use to prove (or disprove) your success at WordStream.com
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- 12 Jul
Seven Content Types That Will Increase Leads and Conversions
So, you are deep into your content marketing. But, it doesn’t seem to be working as you had planned. Could it be that your customers and potential customers think of your content more as annoying advertisement? Are they seeing it less as valuable, useful, or enjoyable marketing, a change may be needed? You may need to rethink your content strategy.Different Strokes for Different Folks
It is important to know that various content methods generate leads. Visual and interactive content, in particular, can increase not only click-through rates (CTR) but also conversion rates for many marketing campaigns. That is true whether you’re trying to get email signups, clicks on links, or sales of your product.
To help you better understand how this can work, here are seven proven methods to help you increase your leads and optimize conversion rates at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A Free Registration pop up opens on this site. Free MarketingProfs Registration is required to read the article.
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- 06 Jul
How to Generate Online B2B Sales Leads That Convert
by Bob Bly
The problem with online B2B lead generation today is that many marketers who do it are not, in fact, generating sales leads — they are just generating inquiries and giving away free whitepapers and other content to everyone who asks for it.What’s the difference?
An inquiry is a request for free information from virtually anyone on the planet. A sales lead, by comparison, is an inquiry from a qualified prospect — someone who has the money, authority and desire to buy your product. Now, anyone can generate an inquiry or response by giving away free stuff. After all, people love free stuff and they don’t have to make any type of commitment.
So to learn How to Generate Online B2B Sales Leads That Convert, read the full article at Target Marketing.com
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- 15 Jun
Three Ways You Need to Use Social Insights for #MarketingSuccess
by Jen Handley
Research tells us that nearly two-thirds of American adults use social networking sites on a daily basis. Additionally, the quantity of comments online is increasing at an exponential pace. Usually, customers head to social media sites as a first stop on the road to evaluating a purchase of any kind. And, it seems that 66% of people trust opinions posted online. And that is even when posted by total strangers, according to Nielsen.If it is Important, Why Can’t I See it?
Social media’s importance in the sales/marketing funnel is by now undisputed. But visibility into the insights each platform can provide is often clouded by meaningless metrics. With the overwhelming amount of data pouring in from dashboards, it can be confusing. Key customer and marketing insights can be missed. And you may not even know where to look for actionable data?
Here are three ways your team should be using social insights to guide major marketing decisions at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A Free Registration pop up opens on this site. Registration is not required to read the article.
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- 09 Jun
How to Implement a Hyperlocal Social Media Strategy
by
As a small business, you have an advantage over larger firms or even mega-box-stores. You’re part of the local community. So it’s important that you take advantage of strategies that will get the most bang for your buck by leveraging your key advantage.One innovative way is to use hyperlocal social media marketing.
What the Heck is Hyperlocal Social Media?
Hyperlocal social media marketing gives you the opportunity to reach highly relevant audiences in a way that fosters trust and affinity. It’s different from other forms of online marketing because it positions your company as a local expert in its industry. And that is appealing to consumers who are tired of batting away irrelevant, insincere marketing messages.
To learn how to implementing Hyperlocal, read the full article at ChiefMarketer.com
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- 02 Jun
How to Succeed at Tradeshows
By Dan Hoff
Trade shows are great places to network with new clients, meet potential partners and check out what the competition is up to. Tradeshows can be as simple as a large meeting room in a hotel with rows of booths, but some can be more elaborate, expansive and expensive.Tradeshow Success Isn’t Easy . . . But it Shouldn’t be Impossible Either
So, before you sign up to attend a tradeshow, you need to do some research. You need to determine exactly what you are getting yourself into, what it will cost and what you can expect in return.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself and your team to determine which show is right for your business:
- Will your ideal audience be in attendance?
- Will you get a list of the attendees?
- Can your business be named in the program?
- Are there extra opportunities to sponsor at the event?
- How many attendees have they had in the past?
- And, what will it all cost?
Want to learning more?
We help companies succeed at tradeshows. And we may be able to help you as well. So take a look at some of our free resources to get you started on the right path to Tradeshow Success.
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- 27 May
How to Get Started With Paid Search
All too often, companies, especially small businesses, think that if they just pay to be on a search engine, there is noting more they need to do. They think that once they are there, they don’t have to invest time and resources in search engine optimization to rank higher organically. But, nothing could be further from the truth.How to Use Paid Search – The Right Way
It’s important to make clear that paid search is not a replacement for anything. But it should, instead, be used to complement other inbound marketing strategies. Paid online advertising takes a lot of time and effort. And done right, it takes a lot of resources, and a lot of management. And it’s something you really need to invest in.
To help you get started the right way, we’re breaking down the basics of how to use paid search the people at HubSpot have put together some great advices. So, let’s take a look at some of the useful things you can do with paid search at HubSpot.com
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- 27 May
Outsourcing: The Not-So-Secret Weapon Of Successful Entrepreneurs
from JeffBullas.com
Outsourcing is the not-so-secret weapon of many successful entrepreneurs and companies.Many use it to decrease their costs. The can do this by allotting a portion of their work to an outside, third party. For some, it is a means to access skill sets they simply do not have internally. And for others, it is a way to quickly scale up to meet customer or production demand.
When done properly, outsourcing can lower your bottom line.
And, it can even raise your productivity. But it needs to be done right.
So, do you think you want to learn more about outsourcing? But you haven’t really got a handle on how it can help you. Read on to learn how you can exploit this growth hack at JeffBullas.com
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- 24 May
Generate Quality Content Without Breaking the Bank
Content is the foundation of a broad range of digital marketing opportunities in today’s world. And, for small businesses, it represents a way to build and sustain your market.
The challenge of course for small businesses is time and resources.
Of all the things small business owners must do to grow their business, creating content could be the hardest of all. What topics will attract the best visitors? How long should my post be? What images should I use? Should the style be academic or conversational? Or, what about using humor? How do I optimize it for search? And most importantly, where do I start?
To find out, read the full article at GetRocketship.com
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- 25 Apr
The Biggest Mistakes Small Businesses Make With Their Websites
by Ayaz Nanji
Consumers say there are some big mistakes a small business can make with its website that are deal-breakers. One, is to include outdated contact information. This, according to recent research from Vistaprint Digital.So, What Exactly Turns Visitors Away?
It seems that some 49.7% of respondents say outdated contact information on a small business website leaves a bad impression. And other major mistakes include failing to post an address and hours (41.5% say this leaves a bad impression). Or, not including product information (34.3%). And having an unprofessional design (26.2%) all lead the list.
To see all of the Biggest Mistakes Small Businesses Make With Their Websites, read the full article at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A Free Registration pop up opens on this site. Registration is not required to read the article.
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- 20 Apr
How to Write a Business Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide
Not all business ideas are good ones. A lot of people have business ideas. It’s whether these ideas are any good that really matters. That’s precisely why, if you intend to actually build a business from your idea, it’s helpful to create a business plan so you can build out your concept in detail. And then prove that it can really work, both logistically and financially.What is a Business Plan?
A business plan is a living document that maps out the details of your business. At its core, a business plan helps you prove to yourself and others whether or not your business idea is worth pursuing. It’s the best way to take a step back, look at your idea holistically. And it can useful to solve issues years down the road. Even before you start getting into the weeds.
Now. to find some very useful tips for writing a business plan, and see an outline of what to include and business plan examples, read the full article at HubSpot.com.
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- 11 Apr
Quality Drives Decisions to Buy Local
from MarketingCharts.com
A majority of US adults claim to buy local at least half the time they shop for products. And one-quarter of those adults say they buy local most or all of the time. This was according to an AYTM survey of 1,000 US respondents. Perceived quality of goods was the top reason for choosing to shop local. That was followed by convenience and economic impact. Of note, economic impact seems to be of greater importance than environmental impact.Local Market? Need a Business Driver? Project High Quality
The perception of quality is the biggest driver of people seeking locally sourced ingredients. Indeed, 69% believe that buying local gives them access to more quality products. Convenience and economic impact are also consistently important factors, with economic impact counting a bit more when it comes to food. And while the vast majority of respondents agree that buying local can help the economy, far fewer said they are willing to pay a bit more for it.
To see all of the data, charts and additional insights, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
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- 23 Mar
Are Most Tech Startups Destined to Fail
by Dan Hoff
There are only two sources of wisdom. One can learn from those who applied wisdom and succeeded or from those who ignored wisdom and failed. – Plato
Depending upon who you happen to listen to, the failure rate for technology startups is anywhere between 90% and 63%. And that is typically within the first 4 years of their founding. Even on the low end, this makes you wonder. Why anyone would consider going out on their own to start their own business.However, if you’re going to do it and you know that the odds are against you, wouldn’t you want to know what are the reasons for such a high failure rate?
And, wouldn’t it put you a bit ahead of the game if you knew what could be done to reduce the risk and improve the odds of success?
The answer to these questions are fairly simple. To see what they are, read the full article right here on Dan Hoff Marketing
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- 15 Mar
Email Marketing Benchmarks: 4Q16 Average Open, Click, and Bounce Rates
by Ayaz Nanji
So, how did email marketing perform last year? To answer that question, Experian asked their marketing clients, comparing 4Q15 and 3Q16 key metrics. What they found was that the volume of email sent by marketers in the fourth quarter of 2016 rose 14% compared with the fourth quarter of 2015.Size Matters, . . . for Some but Not Others
Though email volume grew across the board, the size of the increase varied significantly by industry. For example, travel brands sent 29.6% more emails in 4Q16 than in 4Q15, on average, whereas business products/services firms sent only 2.7% more emails.
For more of the data and insights, read the full article at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A Free Registration pop up opens on this site. Registration is not required to read the article.
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- 13 Mar
The Beginner’s Guide to Small Business Marketing Online
According to Forbes, 80-90% of consumers research purchases online before buying. That means whether you’re launching a new business or already have one, having an strong online presence for your brand is extremely important.Digital Marketing is Critical to Success
Today, digital marketing is no longer a luxury. It is now a must-have. And it is central for promoting your products or services and has become critical to your business’ overall success.
However if you’re a small business owner with little experience in online marketing, this whole “online marketing” marketing thing might sound like a foreign language. But, have no fear. In this post, you can learn how to build and optimize your marketing strategy using inbound marketing, setting you up to attract new clients and ultimately grow your business at HubSpot.com
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- 27 Mar
If You Need the Right Answer Then Ask the Right Question
by Dan Hoff
Do you want more business? Do you need to increase sales and get more selling opportunities?
Now those may sound like pretty silly questions. Of course you want more business. After all, who doesn’t?
We deal with just these types of questions on behalf of our clients every single day and through that, we have discovered that the challenge isn’t in the question of IF you need more business. The challenge is in answering the question of HOW.
How can you make your business grow? That’s the tough question.
- 1+360 303 1585
- info@DanLHoff.com
