Lead Generation – Marketing Digest https://marketingdigest.com Tue, 29 Dec 2020 19:53:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 5 Top Traffic Generation Tips You Can Use Today https://marketingdigest.com/5-top-traffic-generation-tips-can-use-today/ Tue, 05 Sep 2017 19:10:46 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=8985 Ask any business owner or online marketer what they’d like most in the world, and they’ll more than likely say “more customers”. What’s next on their wish list? To generate traffic to their website or landing page. Traffic is the lifeblood of all businesses today and you need to implement multiple strategies to bring new […]

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2015.05.08 Daemon Rutledge - 5 Easy Ways To Attract More Social Traffic

Ask any business owner or online marketer what they’d like most in the world, and they’ll more than likely say “more customers”. What’s next on their wish list? To generate traffic to their website or landing page. Traffic is the lifeblood of all businesses today and you need to implement multiple strategies to bring new visitors to your website and keep current ones engaged with your content. Following are 5 top traffic generation tips that will do just that and you can use them today.

Facebook

80% of marketers are actively using Facebook to generate traffic. The easiest way to generate loyalty and engagement (you need both for traffic generation) on Facebook to share compelling (shareable) content via relevant news, tips, high-quality photos of your products or services, video demonstrations, etc., on your Facebook Business page. This needs to happen several times a week. It’s also important to include links to a post specific landing page, a page on your website, a blog post, etc. You should also have a clear call to action on the page that makes it easy for visitors to click-through to your website.

When promoting a URL in your Facebook post or ads, be sure you use relevant web pages that have been designed for conversion. For instance, if you’re promoting a new product, link visitors directly to the product’s page and make it easy for visitors to buy. Don’t send them to a generic homepage which will just end up frustrating them.

Facebook Ads are another highly effective way to generate traffic, appearing as large, clickable images in Facebook’s News Feeds on mobile devices and desktop computers. These ads are optimized to drive more users to your site with special offers, exclusive content, etc.

Twitter

Building relationships on Twitter is essential if you want to build traffic, however, this will only happen if you’ve established a good, engaging Twitter community. Several strategies come into play, including creating a balance between your own unique, quality tweets and explicitly mentioning other users and tweets that don’t. You can take it a step further by adding your own comments to the tweet to stimulate a rewarding conversation with your followers regarding the subject covered in the tweet or article link that you’ve included.

When it comes to Twitter, follow the 80/20 rule – have 80% of your tweets highlight the content of other users, and 20% promote your own content. Once your target audience and fellow Twitter users in your network become accustomed to you sharing worthwhile content sourced from your online community, they’ll be more likely to interact with your own content when you tweet it.

Use hashtags in your tweets as well because tweets with hashtags get two times more engagement than tweets without hashtags. And the more engagement you tweets generate, the more visibility they’ll get and the more clicks throughs your links will receive.

YouTube

Video is a necessity these days and YouTube is something marketers need to focus on. YouTube is an untapped traffic generation source that you should definitely take advantage of. The average person watches approximately 200 online videos a month. By including video content as an online marketing strategy, you’ll be able to attract a substantial amount of website traffic.

The average person’s attention span is less than 8 seconds online. What’s troublesome is that a high bounce rate can hurt your website’s SERP ranking. Worse, visitors who leave the platform after just a second or two are lost sales. So, what’s the best way you can keep visitors engaged? Present them with relevant, interesting video. Just like content, the videos you use on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc., Need to be good enough to be liked, commented on, shared, favorited to gain an SEO advantage. The more this takes place, the better the chances they’ll rank high in both Google and YouTube.

Here are a few tips for generating traffic on YouTube.

  • Use the text overlays or the annotations feature with your URL.
  • Come up with a contest and direct visitors back to your website to enter.
  • Place your website URL in the first few characters of the description.
  • Create a teaser themed video, mentioning an intriguing article and direct them to your description for the link.

Blog

Companies that blog generate 55% more traffic so if you’re not blogging already, it’s time to start. Begin by generating regularly created, free, downloadable content. The key to getting the right kind of leads with free content is to create content that will attract your target audience base. It’s a waste of time to capture just any old subscriber.  Focus on capturing relevant visitors who will want to learn more about your services or products.

There are a number of areas on a blog that can introduce targeted traffic to a call to action.  Examples include a free consultation, free trial, or a simple opt-in form for your mailing list. These sections include the header area, sidebar, on your about page, in the footer or the end of your blog posts,

Posting as a guest on a reputable site can increase traffic as well and help build your brand at the same time. It’s important to note however that standards for guest blogging today aren’t as laid back as they used to be, so using spammy tactics could lead to stiff penalties.

Networking

Social networking is must for businesses because it helps increase visibility and presents the opportunity to attract more visitors to your website, blog or landing pages. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and yes YouTube are an offshoot of sorts of your website and have become just as important.

Besides marketing to a region or worldwide, connecting with consumers locally has its advantages. People are frequently more prone to connect with a business if they’re local and you’ll have a chance to have a “face to face” meeting if that appeals to you. Also, building a reliable network locally can help establish quality connections that you can build on later.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is also a “must have” marketing strategy for businesses. Besides SEO increasing website traffic, it helps you establish a network for your business.

People are what make online marketing efforts successful. Achieving a specific goal, like traffic generation, takes consistent, proactive action with your target audience.  It’s not enough to produce great content and wait for people to find it. The 5 tips listed here will help you get generate traffic and you can start using them right away.

If you do not want to do this all yourself, Reputation Media TV – a division of Circle Consulting Agency – has a traffic building service customized specifically for any business.

Check out the video below to see an example case study for traffic generation.

 

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Content Marketing Insights: Generating Leads Effectively via Content https://marketingdigest.com/content-marketing-insights-generating-leads-effectively-via-content/ Mon, 05 Oct 2015 09:44:44 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=8137 Decades ago, businesses relied heavily on traditional marketing tactics, like direct mail, radio ads, and cold calling, to generate leads. With improved information accessibility and rapid progress in technology, however, these marketing tactics have become outdated over time. B2B consumers now have technologies to let them screen the information that reach them e.g. spam filters, internet radio and do-not-call lists. As such, marketers and business owners should find other smarter ways to get around such ‘blockages’.

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Content Marketing Insights Generating Leads Effectively via Content

 

Content Marketing Insights: Generating Leads Effectively via Content

Decades ago, businesses relied heavily on traditional marketing tactics, like direct mail, radio ads, and cold calling, to generate leads. With improved information accessibility and rapid progress in technology, however, these marketing tactics have become outdated over time. B2B consumers now have technologies to let them screen the information that reach them e.g. spam filters, internet radio and do-not-call lists. As such, marketers and business owners should find other smarter ways to get around such ‘blockages’.

The average B2B consumer these days -studies product information through industry news and blogs. Content marketing news show that, essentially, the kind of marketing that works today effectively disguises selling as teaching via content. If you want to keep your B2B consumers glued, therefore, you have to steer clear from antiquated tactics and redirect your budget instead to building a solid content marketing strategy. Below are tips to help you garner leads through content marketing:

  1. Create a buyer profile. You can’t effectively craft your content unless you identify your target. A Salesforce.com (@Salesforce) article suggests building a buyer persona, which includes the following information:
  • age
  • education
  • income
  • work industry
  • life stage
  • job title
  • values
  • goals
  • information gathering behavior
  • challenges

By deciding who to relay your message to, you’ll be able to create content that will appeal to their interests.

  1. Develop your content mix. Once your buyer persona is clear, you can now decide what content types to offer your target audience. Note that even if your audience is fond of a particular content type, you should keep your mix as diverse as possible to broaden your reach and avoid content rut. Here are formats HubSpot.com (@HubSpot) recommends:
  • Cheat sheets
  • Checklists
  • Contests
  • Tutorials
  • Product demo
  • Ebooks
  • Email series
  • Subscriptions
  • Guides
  • Interviews
  • Content kits
  • Industry data
  • Slideshare
  • Podcasts
  • Templates
  • Tickets
  • Tools
  • Trials
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • Whitepapers
  • Worksheet
  • Zip files
  1. Map your content strategy according to lead stage. Generally, leads are divided into 3 categories:
  •  Research (75%)— the lead has a problem and is searching for a solution
  • Evaluation (20%)— the lead is comparing its vendor options
  • Purchase (5%)— the lead is set to buy your product

 

Determining at which stage your leads are will help you decide the nature of topics and content types you should put more effort on.

Consistently creating new opportunities for lead generation is vital to your business. Content marketing is a tested and proven tactic for building a steady lead pipeline. Does a great part of your marketing strategy still involve radio ads and cold calling? It might be time to take note of the above tips to implement new methods more effectively and efficiently. For more content marketing insights, check out resources like Marketing Digest.

 

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Web Design News: Don’t Forget to Improve Your Website’s Navigation https://marketingdigest.com/web-design-news-dont-forget-to-improve-your-websites-navigation/ Thu, 01 Oct 2015 14:21:20 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=8121 Often, many website redesign projects for companies tend to just deal with the physical aspects of the site. Too many online marketers urge their web designers to focus on the design, completely forgetting about navigation in the process. This is most likely because that part of the website is hidden away under all the design elements and content.

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Web Design News Don’t Forget to Improve Your Website’s Navigation - Marketing Digest

Web Design News: Don’t Forget to Improve Your Website’s Navigation

Often, many website redesign projects for companies tend to just deal with the physical aspects of the site. Too many online marketers urge their web designers to focus on the design, completely forgetting about navigation in the process. This is most likely because that part of the website is hidden away under all the design elements and content.

According to Kissmetric’s (@Kissmetrics) latest web design news article titled “Are You Making These Common Website Navigation Mistakes?”, navigation has a more significant effect on the success of a website than any other factor. Plenty of things can go wrong if you don’t pay attention to navigation. Here are a few tips to help you avoid that.

Don’t Overcrowd Your Navigation

You think having fifteen-plus navigation items is good? You might want to reconsider, as this defeats the purpose of being organized. If you have too many navigation links, you will confuse not only your customers but the search engines as well. With each extra link from the home page to the interior pages, your authority decreases, which would make search engines conclude that your website is not trustworthy.

Set Up a Custom Search Bar

If you have tons of products on your website, navigation will be a nightmare for your customers without a custom search engine. A custom search bar is useful for the users who already know what they’re looking for when they go to your site.

Get Your Content Layout Organized

In his “11 Common Web Design Mistakes (Blunder)” article, Hongkiat’s (@hongkiat) Brujo Owoh says that how your content is structured will affect its success. The first thing you should do is make sure that your navigation will not be confusing for the users. Put the navigation bar where visitors will expect to find it: at the top or vertically to the left side. Don’t forget about the headings, sub-headings, keywords, and other similar elements; make sure they are relevant to your business and are labeled accordingly.

Be Consistent with Your Design

A little creativity is good so long as you don’t overdo it. It’s important that your site maintains a sense of uniformity even with creative elements. If the layout changes on every page, it’s just going to confuse and annoy your users.

Website navigation is all about simplicity and ease of use. If you need some more helpful web design insights and tips, look to online resources like Marketing Digest.

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PPC Insights: Top Metrics to Measure Progress in Paid Search Campaigns https://marketingdigest.com/ppc-insights-top-metrics-to-measure-progress-in-paid-search-campaigns/ Fri, 25 Sep 2015 08:30:56 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=8077 If you currently manage a Google AdWords account as a means of complementing your other online marketing efforts, especially SEO, then you’re probably aware of the numerous metrics at your disposal to track and analyze. Sometimes, the process can get rather confusing as well as overwhelming. It’s a bit difficult to pinpoint which actual metrics you need to focus on, and also which ones are effective and provide the most returns when boosted.

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PPC Insights Top Metrics to Measure Progress in Paid Search Campaigns 

PPC Insights: Top Metrics to Measure Progress in Paid Search Campaigns

If you currently manage a Google AdWords account as a means of complementing your other online marketing efforts, especially SEO, then you’re probably aware of the numerous metrics at your disposal to track and analyze. Sometimes, the process can get rather confusing as well as overwhelming. It’s a bit difficult to pinpoint which actual metrics you need to focus on, and also which ones are effective and provide the most returns when boosted.

Since bandwidth is often limited, it would be a good idea to thin out the herd into a concise list of key metrics that actually provide meaningful PPC insights into what’s really working and what isn’t regarding your paid search campaigns.

According to a featured article on the Unbounce (@unbounce) website, there are three broad categories of PPC metrics that actually matter: Good, Better, and Best. Good metrics focus on traffic generation and direction. Of course this is a very crucial factor to consider in measuring the success of any ad campaign as the click-through rates (CTR) and cost per clicks usually underline one of the core functions of PPC, however, remember that profit generation is the actual aim of any business.

Better metrics focus on conversion rates as a means of tracking the progress of ads. Popular platforms like Bing Ads and Google AdWords allow for conversion tracking to be set up and run concurrently. This is better than mere traffic generation because it tells you how your ads have actually converted visitors into potential buyers of your product or service. What it doesn’t tell you though, is how many of them become actual paying customers.

The Best metrics are those that place much emphasis on return on investment (ROI). This tells you how effective your campaign is in achieving actual sales. This statistic is further corroborated by Koozai’s (@Koozai) blog post titled “What’s Your PPC Goal? Find Out Your Ideal Metric” that provides the recommended formula for calculating ROI as:

ROI = (Revenue – Cost of goods sold) / Cost of goods sold. Take for instance that your product sells for $150, but takes only $75 to produce. If you advertise on AdWords at a cost of say $50, and are able to sell 5 of these products, your total sales then amount to $500. Your investment returns will be calculated as $(750 – (375 + 50) / (375 + 50).

Trends in online marketing tend to change over time and it has become absolutely necessary to be able to stay informed on the latest PPC news, SEO strategies, and content development updates, among others. Reliable news sources like Marketing Digest can furnish you with all relevant information to help lead you to a better decision when it comes to your internet marketing endeavors.

 

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Content Marketing Tips: 3 Qualities That Top Brands in YouTube Share https://marketingdigest.com/content-marketing-tips-3-qualities-that-top-brands-in-youtube-share/ Thu, 24 Sep 2015 06:44:28 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=8074 Though the amount of content available online has grown immensely, the attention spans of audiences have shrunk significantly. In a world of ever decreasing attention spans, how can marketers engage, nurture, and convert more leads? The answer—according to the most up-to-date content marketing news—is branded video content.

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Content Marketing Tips 3 Qualities That Top Brands in YouTube Share 

Content Marketing Tips: 3 Qualities That Top Brands in YouTube Share

Though the amount of content available online has grown immensely, the attention spans of audiences have shrunk significantly. In a world of ever decreasing attention spans, how can marketers engage, nurture, and convert more leads? The answer—according to the most up-to-date content marketing news—is branded video content.

According to an article published on the Content Standard by Skyword (@Skyword), branded video views hit 2.9 billion in Q3 2014—the highest figure up until then (data from Visible Measures). Moreover, 70% of marketers say that video converts better than any other medium—a trend that is partially fueled by the rise in smartphone usage and mobile online browsing.

Being the third most popular website in the world, YouTube is a major destination for audiences looking for branded video content. YouTube videos from the top brands, on average, garner around 60% of its views three weeks from launching. Compare this to content posted on other channels, like social networking sites, which tend to “lose their fire” within a few hours or days. According to Google, four of the top ten trending YouTube videos in 2014 were branded videos, and more and more viewers are subscribing to brand channels too, with an average annual increase rate of 47%.

While there’s more to video marketing than YouTube, creating a channel on that platform can add value to your brand in the long run, considering YouTube’s viewership dominance. Listed below are some characteristics top brands in YouTube share:

  1. They focus on interesting topics. YouTube isn’t just a place for 30-second TV commercials, as top brands are becoming more creative on YouTube with the aim of reaching a wider audience. Take for instance, General Electric (@generalelectric). GE does not only produce compelling and in-depth videos featuring its products and services, but also explores thought-provoking scientific topics—like “How Will We Live Forever?” or “How Will Robots Evolve?”.
  1. They share how-to info. Viewership of YouTube how-to videos are up by 70% year-over-year, and top brands are jumping on the bandwagon. For instance, Gillette (@Gillette) provides instructional videos about shaving, including “How to Shave with Sensitive Skin.” Outdoor gear supplier REI (@REI) shares tips, like “Backpacking Tips: How to Pack a Backpack”.
  1. They consistently update content. To build an audience base, savvy brands update their content regularly. A good example is the YouTube sensation Grace Helbig (@gracehelbig) who, after uploading more than a thousand videos since 2008, has garnered more than 2.1 million subscribers. More than half of her viewers are subscribers who look forward to her thrice-a-week uploads.

A good video marketing strategy helps brands create stories that leave a lasting impression on audiences, compelling them to search for more content. Do you have a YouTube channel? How often do you upload marketing videos on your channel? For more content marketing tips, check out Marketing Digest.

 

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Web Design News: Benefits of Customer-Centric Web Design for Business https://marketingdigest.com/web-design-news-benefits-of-customer-centric-web-design-for-business/ Sat, 19 Sep 2015 08:30:27 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=8038 Perhaps the term “web design” is a misnomer. It’s not just about design and aesthetic appeal, as many have been led to believe, but is also about enhancing user experience. A site might look flashy, but if visitors find it hard to use, then it will fail to gain steady traffic, page views, and conversions. Consumer-centric web design aims to address these challenges.

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Web Design News Benefits of Customer-Centric Web Design for Business - Marketing Digest

Web Design News: Benefits of Customer-Centric Web Design for Business

Perhaps the term “web design” is a misnomer. It’s not just about design and aesthetic appeal, as many have been led to believe, but is also about enhancing user experience. A site might look flashy, but if visitors find it hard to use, then it will fail to gain steady traffic, page views, and conversions. Consumer-centric web design aims to address these challenges.

The latest web design news from a Chron (@HoustonChron) article, entitled “Importance of Customer Centric Web Design,” states that putting you customers’ needs first could be very advantageous for your business. Listed below are some of the benefits:

Enhanced User Experience

You’ll want your customers to stay a while, browsing your website for products or services they might like. That would not happen if your site is a topsy-turvy mess. Utilizing customer-centric web design resolves navigation problems by organizing the elements by category, and putting easy-to-find links or buttons on each page. Don’t know where to start? According to the Business 2 Community (Business2Community.com) article, “What is Customer-Centric Web Design?,” you could let your customers tell you what they want through polls and surveys. This way, you will get a real sense of the challenges they encounter when using your site.

Increased Leads and Sales

Nothing gets potential customers clicking like websites that are not only visually appealing, but highly responsive as well. Think of your website as a valuable selling tool or your own virtual salesperson. By organizing the information about your products or services (including accurate descriptions, photos, videos, and other multimedia), you can boost conversions and sales.

Better Customer Service

Sure, you can take care of your customers when they show up in your store, but it’s a different story when they visit your website. Chron suggests that you add features like a “Frequently Asked Questions” section, a “Contact Us” link, or a “Support” page for your site visitors’/customers’ convenience. These features could dramatically improve your customer service. Moreover, adding feedback forms or live chat options can give you an opportunity to interact with your potential and existing customers on a deeper level.

Customer-centric web design ensures that your customers leave satisfied. If you are thinking about doing a major redesign, seek out online resources like Marketing Digest for other useful web design tips.

 

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Great SEO Insights: Rankings are Old-School; Focus on Leads and Sales https://marketingdigest.com/great-seo-insights-rankings-are-old-school-focus-on-leads-and-sales/ Mon, 24 Aug 2015 10:00:00 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=7791 While there are numerous blog posts and articles sounding the death knell for SEO (claiming that it’s time has passed and marketers need to look to other strategies to drive their marketing campaigns), the truth is that SEO continues to lead businesses to success. One thing has changed for SEO, though: it’s not solely about ranking on search results for specific keywords anymore, as it’s also about generating traffic and sales for businesses.

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SEO Insights - Focus on Leads and Sales - Marketing Digest 

Great SEO Insights: Rankings are Old-School; Focus on Leads and Sales

While there are numerous blog posts and articles sounding the death knell for SEO (claiming that it’s time has passed and marketers need to look to other strategies to drive their marketing campaigns), the truth is that SEO continues to lead businesses to success. One thing has changed for SEO, though: it’s not solely about ranking on search results for specific keywords anymore, as it’s also about generating traffic and sales for businesses.

SEO is still very much tied to content marketing, as the main goal of Google is to deliver relevant, high-quality search results (i.e. high-quality content) to users when they perform queries. Moreover, when it comes to SEO campaigns, it takes time before the desired results are achieved, so exercising a lot of effort and patience can go a long way.

If you want to dig deeper into the topic, then consider these actionable SEO insights:

Shift Your Focus to Generating Sales and Traffic

In his article for Forbes (@Forbes), entitled “What CMOs Need To Know About SEO,” Josh Steimle pointed out that rankings on the search results no longer work like they did before, now that Google is increasingly customizing its search results based on the users’ location, device, and context. In other words, search results are no longer uniform; hence, ranking on search results for highly desired keywords does not drive the same results.

Steimle suggests that marketers today do away with their focus on rankings as a primary metric for their SEO success, and instead veer their attention to generating more leads and sales. This can be achieved by adopting a holistic view of SEO overlapping with other forms of digital marketing—like social media, content marketing, and conversion rate optimization.

How Long Until SEO Starts to Work?

As SEO continues to evolve, the main question marketers should be asking is, “How long until SEO works to generate leads and sales?” In another article for Forbes, entitled “How Long Does SEO Take To Start Working?” Steimle says that the answer to this pressing question depends on several factors, including how long a website has been around, how much SEO has been done on it, how much useful content it contains, and what shape it’s in. Steimle does point out that four to six months is the general time frame to see SEO’s beneficial results.

To stay updated with the latest SEO news and developments, make sure to subscribe to websites like Marketing Digest.

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Optimize Lead Generation & Conversion with These Social Marketing Tips https://marketingdigest.com/optimize-lead-generation-conversion-with-these-social-marketing-tips/ Sun, 16 Aug 2015 08:30:18 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=7746 Today, amidst technological complexities and market uncertainties, growing a business has become a specialized art that only a few have mastered. A key attribute of these experts is their uncanny ability to put their ears to the ground and LISTEN closely to their target audience/market. One of the best mediums for achieving this is social media marketing.

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Optimize Lead Generation & Conversion with These Social Marketing Tips - Marketing Digest 

Optimize Lead Generation & Conversion with These Social Marketing Tips

Today, amidst technological complexities and market uncertainties, growing a business has become a specialized art that only a few have mastered. A key attribute of these experts is their uncanny ability to put their ears to the ground and LISTEN closely to their target audience/market. One of the best mediums for achieving this is social media marketing.

Indeed, social media has transformed into a viable platform for active engagement and interaction between companies/brands and leads/customers on a more personal level. Smart entrepreneurs and marketers know this, and have been taking advantage of some of the most popular social media platforms to gain an edge over the competition. According to a recent Marketo article (@marketo), on average, about 58% of marketers who’ve used social media for three years or longer report a significant boost in sales,

Nevertheless, sales aren’t the sole benefit of engaging in social media marketing, as it can also be harnessed for lead generation.

When it comes to the generation and conversion of leads, a Business 2 Community (@B2Community) feature, entitled “7 Ways Social Media Can Help to Generate Leads,” provides a couple of social marketing tips that can be utilized for optimum results. Listed below are some of them:

  1. Generate leads by creating visually stimulating content – When producing content for social media, it’s imperative to include visually stimulating content that will appeal to existing and prospective customers alike. They’ll be more inclined to share or retweet your business posts this way. That said, platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are great channels for visual imagery.
  2. Pick the right social media channels – The beauty of social media is that you don’t need to be represented in all the platforms. Simply select a few that you’re familiar with, and begin interacting with your online visitors. The more interested they are in your page, the higher your chances of converting them into actual customers will be.
  3. Don’t be too salesy – After deciding what content to publish, you have to make sure it’s not too pitchy. Unlike other marketing tools, lead generation and conversion are achieved on social media through relationship-building, not hard selling. Of course there’s nothing wrong with promoting your brand, but the focus should be on creating content that people would easily relate to and will keep them actively engaged.

Above all, keep your ears to the ground by staying abreast of social marketing news. Informative websites like Marketing Digest deliver the latest news and developments in the digital marketing industry for your reading pleasure.

 

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Online Marketing News: 4 Lessons from Aptean’s Rebranding Strategy https://marketingdigest.com/online-marketing-news-4-lessons-from-apteans-rebranding-strategy/ Wed, 05 Aug 2015 09:41:28 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=7679 One of the main challenges for mergers and acquisitions is creating a single, clear brand identity for the restructured organization. Especially now that most marketing efforts are directed in the digital world, how can a restructured organization rebrand itself, yet still maintain a strong lead in the playing field?

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Online Marketing News 4 Lessons from Aptean’s Rebranding Strategy - Marketing Digest 

Online Marketing News: 4 Lessons from Aptean’s Rebranding Strategy

One of the main challenges for mergers and acquisitions is creating a single, clear brand identity for the restructured organization. Especially now that most marketing efforts are directed in the digital world, how can a restructured organization rebrand itself, yet still maintain a strong lead in the playing field?

MarketingSherpa’s (@MarketingSherpa) case study on Aptean (@Aptean), highlighted in their article “Brand Marketing: Rebranding effort puts $21 million in sales pipeline,” provides some online marketing insights on how a global company formed via acquisition was able to generate a $21 million sales pipeline through its rebranding endeavors. Listed below are some strategies to which the software giant attributes its success:

  1. Website redesign. After mapping the old site, Aptean found 800 pages of products and companies that had accumulated on the website over the years. To make it more manageable, Aptean evaluated what products to feature and redesigned the site to make it more convenient and dynamic for visitors from the different industries it serves. The redesign process also factored in the current websites of six of its direct competitors.
  1. Search engine marketing. Aptean first researched keywords for ERP, CRM, and supply chain industries, targeting long-tail keywords because of the highly competitive industry it’s in. It created optimized content to enhance SEO performance with titles such as “What is CRM in food manufacturing?” This tactic was further supported by FAQs pages, leading visitors browsing the company’s website to more industry-relevant content. To further compensate for the anticipated drop in SEO ranking, paid search was utilized for specific products and industries, as well as for new product launches.
  1. Public relations. Announcing the launch of the new brand and the company’s new direction through press releases spread the news faster. Part of Aptean’s PR strategy included building connections with the media and analysts, as well as having some of its customers and internal experts talk about industry ventures during the event’s user conference.
  1. Lead generation. Aptean implemented aggressive lead generation tactics. These included providing webinars to build leads from existing and new customers, building a complaint management tool, using media relations to create noise around products, utilizing search engine marketing to drive traffic to the product’s microsite, and placing bylines and case studies in industry publications, as well as using premium content (like industry-specific newsletters) to sustain momentum and interest.

Aptean’s strategies led to a yearly increase in website traffic of 36.62% and a 52.28% increase in organic search traffic. On the other hand, its drip marketing was able to generate 200 leads, while its media relations resulted in 32 placements of interviews and bylined articles. For more information on e-commerce and branding strategies, visit online marketing news websites like Marketing Digest.

 

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Turn Web Visitors into Actual Customers with these E-commerce Tips https://marketingdigest.com/turn-web-visitors-into-actual-customers-with-these-e-commerce-tips/ Mon, 06 Jul 2015 09:46:17 +0000 https://marketingdigest.com/?p=7507 Imagine this: you own a local grocery store. A potential customer enters your store and picks up a bunch of goodies—cookies, milk, cereals, bath soap, toilet paper (you get the idea). Your potential customer acts as if she’s ready to go to the cashier and complete the purchase, but suddenly she leaves, abandoning her cart.

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2015.07.03 (Mini-FA L1) Tips to Effectively Turn Web Visitors to Actual Customers DA

 

Not Getting Enough Customers? Turn Online Visitors into Actual Buyers with these E-commerce Tips

Imagine this: you own a local grocery store. A potential customer enters your store and picks up a bunch of goodies—cookies, milk, cereals, bath soap, toilet paper (you get the idea). Your potential customer acts as if she’s ready to go to the cashier and complete the purchase, but suddenly she leaves, abandoning her cart.

Whatever her reason was (perhaps the line was too long, or your products were too pricey), one fact remains: you lost out on a potential sale.

Tips to Stop E-commerce Window Shopping

Online stores face the same challenge of converting visitors into buying customers. In fact, online marketers know that the massive traffic they’re getting doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t result in an increase in sales and ROI.

As a marketer, how do you go about turning your web visitors into promising leads? How do you avoid falling victim to e-commerce window shopping? Here are a few tips from Marketo (@marketo) to help guide you in the right direction:

  • Keep your product page simple yet informational

You don’t need to impress your visitors with extravagant features and complex design on your product page. Visitors would feel overwhelmed if too many things were going on in your product page. Instead, keep your product page simple, including only the necessary features and information. Also, keep your “add to shopping cart” buttons prominently displayed and accessible. To further increase customer retention rates, you may consider using a co-browsing walk-through tool, such as Toonimo (@toonimo), to visually guide visitors.

  • Adjust to the needs of your customers to avoid cart abandonment

According to the latest statistics from Baymard Institute (@Baymard), the average online shopping cart abandonment rate is 69%. Compiling data from 31 different studies containing statistics on cart abandonment, Baymard revealed that the lowest abandonment rate is 65%. The highest? An alarming 80%. This means that out of every 10 online visitors, only two are actually completing the check-out process.

Marketo cited four reasons why the abandonment rate is this high:

  1. Too many options. There are just too many e-commerce options available these days. Shoppers might get bored, abandon a cart, and toggle to a competitor’s site later on when they finally feel like completing a purchase.
  2. High prices. Keep your pricing competitive. Review your competitors’ pricing, and as much as possible, make sure that yours is a bit cheaper, if not similar to theirs.
  3. Expensive shipping costs. Offer low shipping costs, or even free shipping to incentivize shoppers to complete their purchases.
  4. Lengthy check-out processes. Keep your check-out process seamless by following some simple guidelines, such as asking for minimal personal data, keeping fewer pages for customers to click through, and not obliging them to set-up a new account while completing the transaction.
  • Go for mobile-friendly web design

Everybody knows how important maintaining a mobile-friendly website is for businesses today. Many Internet users are using devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to search for information or find products online. Your potential customers expect to be able to buy products from your site using their mobile phones. Thus, to turbocharge your conversions, you need to cater to the growing number of mobile users and optimize your site for all devices.

There are other helpful online resources that offer effective tips on turning your site visitors into customers, like this blog article from Shopify (@Shopify). Evidently, there’s no magic formula to stop visitors from abandoning your product site in a snap, but you could gradually lessen the numbers by following these tips.

Are there any tips you’d like to add to this list? Hit us up with a comment!

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