Content Marketing

The concept of tracking calls actually started with traditional advertising. Print ads, direct mail, and billboards generated leads through phone numbers. Marketers assigned a phone number extension to particular publications, mediums, or campaigns. Then, they reviewed the calls on that extension. This helped marketers understand how many leads and sales each advertisement generated.  Benefits of Call Tracking With digital marketing, new methods of tracking developed. Users click on links, including payment buttons or email addresses. Analytics tracks those interactions. However, many digital strategies forget to account for calls coming from online sources. This leaves you with only part of data. [...]

Influencing prospective customers starts with content marketing. As part of your inbound marketing strategy, you can: generate more traffic convert more leads and create more customers This is why 28% of marketers have reduced their digital advertising budgets to produce more company-specific content. They understand that influencing prospective customers requires a focus on content marketing. When your customers get advice from you during their buying process they begin to trust your brand. This positions your small business as the top choice when your target customer is ready to purchase. How Content Marketing Works Creating a content marketing strategy requires an [...]

Are you sure which pay-per-click (PPC) ad will work best for your campaign? This article compares the big three: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google. Each platform requires experience to get the best return on investment (ROI). In this article, I discuss when to use LinkedIn Ads, Facebook Ads, and Google Ads. LinkedIn Ads Summary: These are super-niche audiences. Do your research. LinkedIn ads promote your content to a specific audience — working professionals. The platform focuses on networking. Users identify their work history, professional skills, and current role in their profile. Target your ads according to those interests. Ad Types Dynamic [...]

In this guide, I lay out the steps to create your own content marketing strategy. Broken down into these clear activities, it's a manageable process for any small business. Essentially, you start by setting a goal. Then, you create an offer and implement it with a content marketing mindset. Want to create a perfect strategy? Follow the 7 steps below. 1. Set Your Lead Generation Goal You probably have a general goal of generating leads through a content marketing strategy. A specific number will help you track the success of your campaign. Also, tracking can reveal opportunities to improve your [...]

One of my favorite writing events, National Novel Writing Month (NANOWRIMO), divides participants into two groups: planners and pantsers. The planners map out all of their writing for the whole month weeks in advance. The pantsers sit down on day one and stare at the blank page — waiting for ideas. These two groups remind me of my retail clients. Some plan out their campaigns months in advance. Others are searching for ideas days before they want to boost sales. No matter which group you fall into, the list below offers inspiration. Each of these marketing campaigns focus on a [...]

The old methods just don’t work. In the past, customers were grouped by age. Then, generalizations about their values and habits were extracted for the whole group. Marketers have been trying to target these young adults for several years. One thing is clear. We can’t generalize for this age group. Instead, we must track the individual behavior of this game-changing generation — customer by customer. That's the trick for marketing to millennials. Marketing to Millennials Young adults wield great influence and buying power. First, they have matured as the older millennials are now in their early thirties. They have reached [...]

Open rates vary by industry. Engagement varies by organization. But, effectiveness starts with understanding what makes an eBlast worth your time.

The biggest benefit of digital marketing is that it is build around this information search behavior.

Salt. It’s one of those objects whose presence you simply assume (even though it’s slowly disappearing from restaurants). You probably picture it in a salt shaker which you refill from a little blue canister. However, that little canister didn’t exist until a brilliant businessman filled a market problem complete with an eye-catching tutorial. He had a solid strategy to attract new business. Before 1911, salt came in large barrels that often hardened from moisture. Then, Joy Morton developed a free-running salt that he put in a paper cylinder with an aluminum spout. His cute slogan, “When it rains, it pours” accompanied a pleasant [...]