Archives for April 2017
2017 Digital Marketing Changes to Watch
Itâs probably no surprise that major platforms are changing the way they do things in 2017. Evolution is the name of the game for digital marketing.
With the flurry of updates and conversions, itâs difficult to know which digital marketing changes are important and which you donât have to worry about.
Hereâs what we think are some of the major shifts top players are making.
Google is now penalizing mobile sites using what theyâve termed âintrusive interstitialsâ (or pop-up ads) by pushing these sites lower in the rankings. Google wants an uncluttered experience for mobile users, so youâll have to weigh whether that pop-up ad is worth it anymore. Theyâre also responding to Amazonâs Echo (see Voice Search) product with Google Assistant, which will make purchases on behalf of consumers.
Content is moving more and more toward the dynamic format of videoâand Instagram is getting on board with its live video feature. Instagramâs popular âStoriesâ feature will now allow advertisements as well.
Facebook is responding to LinkedIn by now allowing users to apply for jobs directly from their site. LinkedIn makes about double what Facebook does per client, so the social network is upping its game to challenge the competition. Theyâre also responding to critics who say that their ad info is misleading. For example, Facebook is adopting more consistent standards for informing advertisers how many users saw their ad.
The social media site devoted to professionals is doing an overhaul of its website. The goal is to put a greater focus on content while also making LinkedIn more mobile friendly.
AdWords
AdWords is introducing a âcrawl budgetâ feature, which makes obtaining a strong crawl rate on Google a bit more sophisticated. Theyâll also be changing how they count cross-device conversion rates to account for the common mobile-to-desktop conversion process many customers follow.
Snapchat
Popular with millennials and generation X, Snapchat is always pushing the envelope to make its experience better for users and became the-most-used app for twice as many users in 2016. This year, Snapchat will roll out components that should be popular among advertisers, including allowing for deep links and auto-fill lead generation forms.
The social media site dedicated to visual media is adding a visual search option in 2017. This means youâll be able to search using a photo instead of text and immediately see pins related to your photo.
If you want to stay ahead with digital marketing in 2017, itâs crucial to efficiently use all the platforms above. Creating a strong online presence with an optimized experience for mobile users is the goal. Companies that are able to keep pace with the myriad changes in digital marketing will be well-positioned for success moving forward.
Copyright 2017 Viral Solutions
Queen of the Machine for Viral Solutions LLC
“If a brand genuinely wants to make a social contribution, it should start with who they are, not what they do. For only when a brand has defined itself and its core values can it identify causes or social responsibility initiatives that are in alignment with its authentic brand story.” ~ Simon Mainwaring
B2B Marketing Strategy | Time to put that into Hyperdrive
Hereâs the truth: Content marketing leaders experience eight times as much traffic as non-leaders. Think about what you could do with all those new leads! Unfortunately, converting your business into a content marketing leader is no easy task.
Developing a clear B2B marketing strategy isnât easy, but it is worthwhile.
Itâs the best way to ensure your business maintains a robust online presence.
Storytelling
Video content is huge right now in digital marketing. But itâs not because people inherently prefer video over other mediums. Instead, itâs because of videoâs storytelling power. When done right, it provides an efficient, sophisticated way to express your companyâs story. Just like with B2C marketing, you need to create an emotional connection with potential customers and highlight your companyâs unique selling point. Even if your company is in a less-sexy industryâletâs say logisticsâyou want to create that bond with decision-makers so they choose you over the other guys.
Pursue industry influencers
If you run a start-up, you need help from established players. The B2B market is all about trustâno one wants to put their business at risk. Businesses donât want to outsource work to a newer, less-established outfit because theyâre inherently less reliable than the competition. Thatâs where the support of key influencers comes inâit creates instant credibility and can provide a key in with potential customers.
Stats donât lie
One advantage of marketing in 2017 is that you can track pretty much everything. Google Analytics is one program that allows you to see everything from click and conversion rates to average time spent on a page. Itâs an ideal way to see what youâre getting in terms of ROI. Successful B2B marketers are constantly adjusting their strategies based on results. Complacency is a killer in the world of digital marketingâand your organization needs to learn what works and what doesnât.
Be goal-oriented
Before you create any content, ask yourself, why does this content need to exist? What is its purpose? In the age we live in, where itâs simpler and cheaper than ever to bombard customers with promotion, successful digital marketers know they have to justify their contentâs existence. Go back to your companyâs mission and values to see how the content fits in. If it doesnât, itâs time to go back to the drawing board.
Provide information
This is especially crucial in B2B marketing. If your company can become a reliable source for industry information, it gives you stronger credibility. Highlighting your companyâs expertise means that business owners will be more likely to check in with you and more likely to hire you.
Crafting a B2B digital marketing strategy means you have to consider the needs of other business owners. Developing content thatâs relevant and helpful for business owners should be one way youâre engaging potential clients.
Copyright 2017 Viral Solutions LLC
Prior to joining Viral Solutions, Christine held executive leadership roles at some of the largest small business consulting firms in the USA. Her experience includes leading direct reports of over 130 remote sales agents who generated $38mm in annual revenue. She obtained her Marketing degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Bring her C-Suite experience to your small business. Although our company is virtual, and we can work with you wherever you are located, she is located in Denver, Colorado and owns a second home in Vancouver, BC Canada.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner and an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant.
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves, so business can be fun again.
Why Arenât You Setting Goals? Those that do earn 10x
Does this sound familiar to you?
You know goal setting is importantâŠ
You believe you should do itâŠ
You tried it beforeâŠ
But you just didnât stick with it.
Not to worry. If this sounds like you, you arenât alone…
ONLY 1% of entrepreneurs think about, write down and regularly review their goals…Â
And they earn 10 TIMES MORE than everyone elseâŠ
Without goal settingâŠ
- You donât know where you are on your path to successâŠ
- You donât even have a clear picture of what success looks like for youâŠ
- You donât get the feedback you need to measure your progress and make improvements in your daily actions…
You end up spinning your wheelsâ year after year hoping that someday youâll guess right, actually experience some success and get what you wantâŠ
So why is it that only 1% of us write and review goals regularly?
The reason is most of us, find traditional goal setting to be boring, corporate and uninspiring…
So, thereâs a problem hereâŠ
We know goal setting is important and it will help us, but we donât do itâŠ
We solved this problem with a FUN, NEW, CREATIVE way to set goals using a Business Vision Board…
Incorporating a Vision Board with Goal Setting accomplishes a few important things right awayâŠ
- Youâll have a clear and compelling vision of what you want to achieve right in front of you every day that inspires you to keep moving forwardâŠ
- Youâll be able to break your dreams down into goals and the action steps you want to take every day so your days are much more productive because youâre proactive instead reactiveâŠ
- And youâll be able to easily see and track your progress…
But that isnât enoughâŠ
We want you to stick with it, have more fun and get more meaning and value from your goal settingâŠ
So, we incorporated CREATIVITY into goal setting and making your Business Vision Board.
When you are thinking about your goals & writing them down, youâre using the left hemisphere of your brain.
Adding creativity to goal setting engages the right side of your brain and takes your goals and fuels them with imagination, intuition and insight.
âCreativity embeds knowledge so that it can become practice. We move what weâre learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands. Creativity is the ultimate act of integration.â ~ Brene Brown (Author, Speaker, Researcher)
Creativity helps you become better at risk taking, and it will keep you from procrastinating because it curbs your need for perfectionism.
Creativity is also a catalyst for developing solutions. It gives you the fuel to have more âa-haâ moments, and it makes you more resilient.
And adding creativity to goal setting accomplishes one more important thing tooâŠ
It makes goal setting MORE FUN!
Some would say thatâs enough⊠(but not us!)
We want to give you every advantage possible to make your dreams and goals a realityâŠ
So weâve added Fun, New, and yes Creative Lessons to our Business Vision Board Workshop, so achieving your goals will be easier than ever.
We believe YOU are the greatest untapped resource in your business, and that your business will never outgrow you…
This means for your business to grow; you must grow and develop as a person FIRST…
This also means you and your business have UNLIMITED POTENTIAL, and weâve developed creative lessons to unlock your full potential one easy to follow step at a timeâŠ
These creative lessons are waiting for you in the Business Vision Board Workshop.
Click on this link to find out more about the Business Vision Board Workshop and sign up today!
By Maritza Parra and Joe Vilardo
Maritza Parra discovered the power and leverage of online list building because of her passion for Spanish Horses and a type of horse riding called dressage. She built a list around this obscure niche and profited by $29,746 when she made her first offer to her âhorse listâ (which at the -me had not reached 800 subscribers). What youâll learn from Maritza works in all kinds of industries. Her subscribers, clients and students have had amazing success, with more prospects, profits and visibility â theyâve been featured on the Jimmy Kimmel show, Town & Country, Huffington Post & Cosmopolitan magazines to name a few (all while building very profitable businesses they love!)
Key Marketing Trends Series | Separating the noise from the signals
Increasing conversions means increasing the touch, getting personal with segmentation and deepening the customer connection. In order to exceed customer expectations and increase the user experience we see the trend moving rapidly towards personalization.
In this series, we begin a discussion on Key Marketing Trends. Our objective is to bring forth ideas that empower you to fully realize the potential of today's 360 degree marketing efforts.Â
The challenge is that prospects and customers expect you to know their needs, their wants, their pain, their problem more than ever. They expect your online business to cater to their needs, preferences and likes with every interaction.
With all the new devices, widgets, gadgets, sensors and big data it is no wonder marketers within organizations feel overwhelmed. It is getting harder and harder to separate the noise from the signals. Many of us spent the past several years adapting our digital assets to the mobile device by optimizing for both speed and page design response. Those of us with a human sales force have spent the last decade coaching our team how to morph from the pitch to the answer guy or gal. As technology evolves, so do our customers.
Here's an example of huge shifts. Today's brick-and-mortar retailer is having to compete with the online behemoth. Retailers like target offer a beacon to their app for in-store guests to gain specials unavailable anywhere else. “In a smartphone dominated world, 80% of millennials use their phone in-store and 74% claim to be willing to receive location-based mobile alerts. For an organization with an optimized mobile strategy, capturing customers in-store through digital techniques will provide an effective means of conversion.” ~ Digital Marketing Institute
In this series we will share our thoughts on the key marketing trends and help you stay ahead of the curve as the road shifts rapidly and the industry continues to reshape itself and its deliverables to meet consumer demands. We will discuss cross channel marketing, new tactical technologies and how to revise your strategy to meet your customers wants and likes. Realizing marketing's potential to deepen connections between your staff and your customer.
The amount of time our clients have spent on adapting to mobile over the last few years will pale in comparison to the changes we see coming. In five years, sales and marketing as we currently see it will no longer exist. Don't believe it? Well last year mobile apps accounted for 4 Billion downloads and five years ago those barely existed. Two out of every three adults use social media as their primary form of communication and to keep up with the news, enter Facebook Messenger over SMS – that did not exist five years ago. SnapChat now doubles the video views of Facebook and they declined a buyout offer from Facebook for $3 Billion! [Resource HubSpot]
Because of the changes in where the consumer gathers information all marketers have to move their content and adapt accordingly. Where the consumer has moved their buying habits to, we now have to sell their too. As consumers become savvier and more tuned into their digital surroundings, they have a greater desire to connect with brands and follow their stories. As social media consumption continues to rise and the big players are monopolizing the market, we can expect significant changes in social from next year and beyond.
“One big digital marketing trend that is expected to blow up in the world of social media comes in the form expiring content. Expiring digital content offers brands and businesses a means of cutting through the noise and clutter, and gaining the attention of their target audience without spending massive amounts of capital.” ~ Digital Marketing Institute
Join us as we share our thoughts on key marketing trends. How ready is your business?
Thomas von Ahn
Chief Elephant Slayer for Viral Solutions LLC
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“Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful
men and women keep moving. They make mistakes but they
donât quit.” — Conrad Hilton
Let's Chat! Set up an appointment with me HERE.
SMO Series: Getting the Most Out of Photos and Videos
The ultimate goal of social media optimization (SMO) is creating more visibility for your brand and turning your new followers into new customers. In todayâs social media world, there is no better way of attracting attention than the use of visual media like photos and videos.
Numerous studies have identified that photos and videos are by far the two types of content that generate the most engagement on social networks, much more so than text and link posts.
Of course, achieving new engagement milestones isnât as easy as sharing photos all day â the content you share must, as always, be of a high quality, and it must be part of your overall digital marketing strategy.
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of the visual media you use and share on your social networks:
- Create custom covers and profile photos: A custom Facebook cover, for example, makes your brand look far more professional and adds a more âfinishedâ appearance to your profile. Facebook cover photos measure 851 x 315 pixels and give you space to promote your business or a new offering, or to simply build on your brand.
- Share data via infographics: If you have some particularly interesting data or research findings you would like to share with your audience, consider summing up that research in the form of an infographic. These images are designed to present complex information clearly and efficiently. They generate a lot of engagement because of their simplicity and effectiveness. People are much more likely to stop scrolling to check out an infographic than they are to click through and read a full 75-page research report.
- Use only high-quality photos: When sharing photos, they should always be high-resolution, high-quality images. It shouldnât look like youâre sharing a photo taken on someoneâs flip phone from 2005.
- Overlay text on top of images: You donât always have to do this, but there are some situations in which overlaying text on top of an image can help it gain some viral traction. For example, people love to share quotes, but are much more likely to share a quote on top of a great photo of the person who said it than they are to share a simple text post with the quote.
- Have a good balance of unique and curated content: This is a good general rule of thumb to have with all types of social media posts, but is especially true of visual content. If the majority of your timeline makes it look like all you do is share other peopleâs images or videos, this looks spammy and unprofessional. A good benchmark is to create at least a third of the visual content you share, and to have that visual content make up no more than two thirds (or less, depending on your type of company) of what you are posting.
- Include calls to action in videos: Video content gives you more room to experiment and get creative. At the end of each video, however, you should include some sort of call to action to get people to visit your website and either make a purchase or learn more about a specific product or service. A simple call to action is a tremendous help in driving more engagement.
- Ask for engagement: You can get even more engagement out of your visual posts by simply asking for it. Ask your audience to caption photos, for example, or to share with friends.
- See what the competition posts: Look at competitor pages to see the kinds of visual content that draw the most engagement. This will give you some insight into what types of posts are likely to be successful on your own page.
Photos and videos are crucial elements of successful social media optimization campaigns in 2017. Use them wisely and you will see your social engagement increase.
Copyright Viral Solutions 2017
Marisa Fritzemeier
Angel of Innovative Artistry and Design for Viral Solutions LLC