Archives for February 2017
Social Media Mastery Certification Powered by Digital Marketer
As a Platinum Certified Partner with Digital Marketer, we at Viral Solutions are able to help our clients and employees achieve important digital marketing certifications in a number of areas. One course we provide is Social Media Mastery Certification , which gives you all the tools and knowledge you need to make the most effective possible use of social media for your business.
The Social & Community Mastery class is an advanced, 5 module, 62 lesson online course. At the end of each module you will be asked to take a short quiz prior to moving on to the next module. Once you have completed the entire course, you can then sit for the final certification exam, and after passing this exam you will earn the “Certified Social & Community Manager designation, complete with displayable badge and printable certificate (suitable for framing).
Even if you already have a social media campaign in place, thereâs a good chance that, like most businesses, you are not achieving your maximum social media potential.
You must have plans in place to listen to what your social media audience is saying, influence your followers in a positive way, network with other influential brands and individuals and ultimately sell more products and services without coming off as overly promotional or spammy.
This course prepares you to be a Certified Social and Community Manager. In this master class, you will learn a wide variety of important lessons and processes. Hereâs a small portion of what you can expect:
- An overview of the âsocial success cycleâ which provides insight into the four categories of social media marketing activities, and the category in which you should get started
- How to create a customer avatar to help guide the development of your social media strategy
- A â10-Minute Social Media Auditâ that quickly pinpoints any gaps that exist in your social media marketing so you know exactly where your weaknesses lie and how you should address them
- An overview of the âfeedback loopâ process that dramatically increases the impact your social media marketing will have on the development of products and services, as well as customer service and content marketing
- A number of blog post templates to help you create better, more shareworthy content
- Several methods to building stronger connections on social media networks
- Keyword research tips and instructions for the various social media networks your company is likely to use
- An overview of the âvalue firstâ strategy and various âvalue firstâ offers you can provide to your audience
- How to employ âcontent segmentationâ, social advertising and social media
- How to use long tail media outreach to help generate more traffic and to build more links and authority
These are just a few of the many elements included in this certification course. For more information, we encourage you to reach out to us today at Viral Solutions.
Common eCommerce Mistakes | Not investing in paid marketing channels – Part #6
Paid channel marketing is on fire and cannot be ignored. The online marketing environment is now almost entirely paid-to-play. Unfortunately, many ecommerce businesses are too scared to take the plunge and do not view online advertising (pay-per-click, search engine marketing, etc.) as an investment.
In 2016 digital marketing agencies reported that 44% of their clients were increasing budgets and 7% were decreasing their investment in paid channel marketing.
Forrester Research reports that by 2019, marketing leaders will spend more than $103 billion on search marketing, display advertising, social media marketing, and email marketing â more than they will on broadcast and cable television advertising combined.Â
In 2016, the average firm was expected to allocate 30% of their marketing budget to online. Nearly 60% of companies increased their expenditures on email marketing, social media marketing, online display marketing and mobile marketing. Conversely many companies have reduced allocations to print advertising, trade shows, radio and direct mail.
What is the #1 goal of paid channel advertising?
The number one objective of paid channel marketing is to drive traffic to your optimized landing page on your website. In order to gain conversions on your ecommerce website you need to broker attention in the form of page hits, also known as traffic. That traffic can come organically (they searched for you online), it can come directly (you gave out your website url during a speech) or you can pay digital media comes to drive their audience to you.
Common mistakes are derived from a lack of understanding
The most common mistake we see ecommerce websites make is that they view paid traffic as an unnecessary expense. Those who do invest in paid traffic are not investing enough in the channels that drive the most value to their business. Furthermore, most businesses that do invest in paid traffic do not give new channels a chance to deliver revenue growth.
A lack of trust can also breed contempt for paid marketing channels.
There are numerous factors that can undermine results. Competition for advertising budgets are tough. Managing those budgets is even more difficult. The skills needed are highly technical and change rapidly.  Not unlike the days in the yellow pages, bids are being made for position, keyword(s) and the latest and greatest channel that claims to hold your buyer persona.
What should you do?
As with all marketing activities you are not likely to have new initiatives convert at a high rate in the early going. It takes time to accumulate enough data to know what is working and what is not. Testing of various channels and words will help you make decisions and limit your downside risk.
Typically your first exposure to paid traffic should be for lead generation. This will help you improve the quality of your admirers, before you ask them to buy from you.
Always be connecting. Build your network and contact lists. Replenish your list to account for those who no longer favor you. It is an endless cycle.
Learn the terminology. Paid marketing channels are things like social media advertising and banner ads. Shared media are things like your unpaid social media postings and referrals. Owned media are things like your website and blogs. Earned media are things like influencer relations, media relations, etc.
Once you determine your winning channel through testing that channel should receive two-thirds (65%) of your paid marketing channel budget. However a small portion (15%) of your budget should be allocated for testing newer platforms where your avatar hangs out but you have a smaller footprint. The remaining portion o your budget should be kept when it is appropriate to throw gas on the fire. This is when you have a paid channel or a specific offer receiving a higher conversion rate then normal.
In our next article we will discuss how a great SEO strategy must include the an in depth understanding of your competition.
Copyright 2017 Viral Solutions LLC
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant and a Google Partner – Certified in AdWords.
Common eCommerce Mistakes | Not investing in paid marketing channels – Part #6
Paid channel marketing is on fire and cannot be ignored. The online marketing environment is now almost entirely paid-to-play. Unfortunately, many ecommerce businesses are too scared to take the plunge and do not view online advertising (pay-per-click, search engine marketing, etc.) as an investment.
In 2016 digital marketing agencies reported that 44% of their clients were increasing budgets and 7% were decreasing their investment in paid channel marketing.
Forrester Research reports that by 2019, marketing leaders will spend more than $103 billion on search marketing, display advertising, social media marketing, and email marketing â more than they will on broadcast and cable television advertising combined.Â
In 2016, the average firm was expected to allocate 30% of their marketing budget to online. Nearly 60% of companies increased their expenditures on email marketing, social media marketing, online display marketing and mobile marketing. Conversely many companies have reduced allocations to print advertising, trade shows, radio and direct mail.
What is the #1 goal of paid channel advertising?
The number one objective of paid channel marketing is to drive traffic to your optimized landing page on your website. In order to gain conversions on your ecommerce website you need to broker attention in the form of page hits, also known as traffic. That traffic can come organically (they searched for you online), it can come directly (you gave out your website url during a speech) or you can pay digital media comes to drive their audience to you.
Common mistakes are derived from a lack of understanding
The most common mistake we see ecommerce websites make is that they view paid traffic as an unnecessary expense. Those who do invest in paid traffic are not investing enough in the channels that drive the most value to their business. Furthermore, most businesses that do invest in paid traffic do not give new channels a chance to deliver revenue growth.
A lack of trust can also breed contempt for paid marketing channels.
There are numerous factors that can undermine results. Competition for advertising budgets are tough. Managing those budgets is even more difficult. The skills needed are highly technical and change rapidly.  Not unlike the days in the yellow pages, bids are being made for position, keyword(s) and the latest and greatest channel that claims to hold your buyer persona.
What should you do?
As with all marketing activities you are not likely to have new initiatives convert at a high rate in the early going. It takes time to accumulate enough data to know what is working and what is not. Testing of various channels and words will help you make decisions and limit your downside risk.
Typically your first exposure to paid traffic should be for lead generation. This will help you improve the quality of your admirers, before you ask them to buy from you.
Always be connecting. Build your network and contact lists. Replenish your list to account for those who no longer favor you. It is an endless cycle.
Learn the terminology. Paid marketing channels are things like social media advertising and banner ads. Shared media are things like your unpaid social media postings and referrals. Owned media are things like your website and blogs. Earned media are things like influencer relations, media relations, etc.
Once you determine your winning channel through testing that channel should receive two-thirds (65%) of your paid marketing channel budget. However a small portion (15%) of your budget should be allocated for testing newer platforms where your avatar hangs out but you have a smaller footprint. The remaining portion o your budget should be kept when it is appropriate to throw gas on the fire. This is when you have a paid channel or a specific offer receiving a higher conversion rate then normal.
In our next article we will discuss how a great SEO strategy must include the an in depth understanding of your competition.
Copyright 2017 Viral Solutions LLC
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant and a Google Partner – Certified in AdWords.
Certified Content Marketing Specialist | Get the course!
Among the various certification courses available through Digital Marketer is Content Marketing Mastery, which allows you to become a certified content marketing specialist. Youâll learn how to drive quality traffic from platforms like Google, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and more!
Certified Content Marketing Specialist Powered by Digital Marketer. This course gives you a step-by-step plan for turning your content into free, organic, sustainable traffic for your website.
No longer is it enough to just have a blog for your website. If you are going to continually generate new traffic, you need to do more and be more proactive with your content marketing campaigns.
When you successfully complete this course you will be issued a certificate along with this badge to display proudly on your website, with your email signature or wherever you want to show it off! Let your colleagues, competitors, prospects and clients know you are certified to help them with all things content marketing!
Through high-quality content marketing, you will build more authority and credibility for your brand, engage and nurture prospects and customers alike by providing more value, and spread your message out to brand new audiences for free. Rather than trusting someone who does content marketing as a side job, get certified in content marketing best practices yourself to give your company an edge over the competition.
During the Content Marketing Mastery Course, you will learn:
- The Content Lifecycle: You will be able to create outstanding content for all three stages of a content marketing funnel. This will help you attract more unique visitors to your site and ultimately convert more sales.
- The types of content technology: There are eight types of technology you must have if you are going to succeed with your businessâs content marketing strategy. The course provides recommendations for each technology to make sure it fulfills your needs.
- Blog marketing mastery: There are 12 key aspects of creating a successful blog, and this course covers all of them. Learn the types of posts you should focus on, how to write high-quality content and a whole lot more.
- Better content distribution: Learn how to better distribute your content to the masses, increasing your brandâs exposure and improving your search engine optimization.
If you are interested in learning more about the Content Marketing Mastery certification course, contact us today at Viral Solutions and weâll be happy to speak to you.
Ready to take the course? Click here to purchase and get started now!
Certified Content Marketing Specialist | Get the course!
Among the various certification courses available through Digital Marketer is Content Marketing Mastery, which allows you to become a certified content marketing specialist. Youâll learn how to drive quality traffic from platforms like Google, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and more!
Certified Content Marketing Specialist Powered by Digital Marketer. This course gives you a step-by-step plan for turning your content into free, organic, sustainable traffic for your website.
No longer is it enough to just have a blog for your website. If you are going to continually generate new traffic, you need to do more and be more proactive with your content marketing campaigns.
When you successfully complete this course you will be issued a certificate along with this badge to display proudly on your website, with your email signature or wherever you want to show it off! Let your colleagues, competitors, prospects and clients know you are certified to help them with all things content marketing!
Through high-quality content marketing, you will build more authority and credibility for your brand, engage and nurture prospects and customers alike by providing more value, and spread your message out to brand new audiences for free. Rather than trusting someone who does content marketing as a side job, get certified in content marketing best practices yourself to give your company an edge over the competition.
During the Content Marketing Mastery Course, you will learn:
- The Content Lifecycle: You will be able to create outstanding content for all three stages of a content marketing funnel. This will help you attract more unique visitors to your site and ultimately convert more sales.
- The types of content technology: There are eight types of technology you must have if you are going to succeed with your businessâs content marketing strategy. The course provides recommendations for each technology to make sure it fulfills your needs.
- Blog marketing mastery: There are 12 key aspects of creating a successful blog, and this course covers all of them. Learn the types of posts you should focus on, how to write high-quality content and a whole lot more.
- Better content distribution: Learn how to better distribute your content to the masses, increasing your brandâs exposure and improving your search engine optimization.
If you are interested in learning more about the Content Marketing Mastery certification course, contact us today at Viral Solutions and weâll be happy to speak to you.
Ready to take the course? Click here to purchase and get started now!