Tag Archives: digital marketing

Targeting Your Ideal Client with Facebook Ads to Grow Website Leads

Targeting Your Ideal Client with Facebook Ads to Grow Website Leads

Successful inbound marketing is knowing who your customers are, and targeting them carefully so that you get maximum ROI for your digital marketing spending. Sounds great, but once you know who you want to reach, there’s still the small matter of figuring out how.

Fortunately for everyone, there are online tools designed for just this purpose, and Facebook’s laser targeted ad services are one of the very best.

What Are Facebook Ads?

Facebook ads range from those that show up in your news feed, and look like posts from friends, to those in the sidebar and elsewhere. Some look like ads, while others (usually called boosted posts) are actual posts that have been “sponsored” to show up in news feeds.

How Do Facebook Ads Work?

Facebook ads work (basically at least) like most PPC ad types. You set up the ad, set a budget, and pay per click or action. There’s a dashboard, where you can see what’s happening with your ad set, and you can have more than one at a time.

How Much Do They Cost?

Like most PPC advertising systems, there’s a cost per click or action for your Facebook ads, but since you can also set a total or per day budget, you can control your spending at a granular level.

So far, so good. Now, here’s how you really get more from Facebook ads.

Facebook Ad Targeting Tools

The thing that sets Facebook apart from most other advertising systems is the targeting options available. Because Facebook knows so much about their users, there are almost endless options you could choose, to reach only the people you want.

Choose geographical areas, languages, gender, and age. Then select from thousands of interests. Make your choices broad or very specific. Then choose when your ads will run, and where. Exclude people who already like your page, or add a tracking pixel, to track actions on your site.

In most cases, it’s best to start your Facebook ads a little broader, and then narrow it down over time, so that you spend less for clicks, views, and actions.

Creating Great Ads

The final step in Facebook ad success is the ad itself, and while targeting is very important, it’s the ad itself that will be driving traffic to your page or website.

Make sure that the image is relevant and interesting, and that you have rights to use it! Choose a clear, simple image, and remember that Facebook doesn’t like loads of overlaid text, so keep it simple. Write a great hook, and add an action button.

If you’ve chosen the right target audience, and crafted a great ad, you should soon see traffic to your site, blog or page spike.

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New Google Rules for Popup Forms

New Google Rules for Popup Forms

Let’s be completely honest here: a lot of people have been overusing pop-ups in their marketing efforts, and they can be annoying. However, while all blinking, flashing pop-ups are definitely a no-no for any website, an elegant, well-placed and understated pop-up has been proven to improve list building.

Unfortunately, the former has caused a backlash against the latter, and the latest fallout in the battle of the pop-ups comes in the form of a Google penalty.

While that may send you into a panic, it’s not all doom and gloom. Here’s what you need to know:

1. You Have Time

Google has announced that it will be penalizing sites for certain types of pop-ups, but they won’t be doing it immediately. In fact, the changes are due to come into effect in 2017. Which is a lot more warning than we’ve had for most of the big Google changes so far!

2. It’s Not Universal

The king of all search engines isn’t penalizing all sites for pop-ups. They’ve decided to make this a mobile specific change and only sites that use pop-ups on mobile are being targeted. This means that if you disable pop-ups for your mobile site, you still keep your mobile friendly tag, which is, admittedly, a big deal for search rankings.

3. It’s Broader Than Pop Ups

The truth is, this change is not only about pop-ups. Google is trying to improve the mobile user experience all round, so they’re targeting all sites that use interruption marketing, or use the area above the fold purely for email gathering purposes.

If you don’t put list building ahead of customer experience on your site, you’ll probably be fine.

4. Allowed Within Reason

Google understands that the internet is a major marketing arena for most companies, and they’re not unreasonable. Which means that you won’t be penalized for all above the fold marketing. As long as your marketing doesn’t take over the page, you’re in good shape!

5. Mobile Friendly Sites Are the Future

Since Google added the mobile friendly tag to search results, more than 85% of all sites have opted to change their design to keep up with the times. This is more proof that mobile friendliness is here to stay. So while the mobile friendly tag may be disappearing soon, it doesn’t mean it will disappear as a ranking factor.

Make sure that your website works for mobile users, and put their needs ahead of your desire to gather marketing data. It really is that simple.

4 Tips for a Better Digital Marketing Strategy

4 Tips for a Better Digital Marketing Strategy

As a small business owner, you know how important digital marketing is to you and the growth of your company. Digital marketing is the use of tech for promotional purposes. If you want to establish a thriving, recognizable brand, then making use of these techniques is a must.

Today, it’s almost impossible to find a company not using photographs, social media, and websites to spread the word about their brand. However, even though you use these digital strategies, you may not have the results other, more successful businesses get.

The question is, what are you doing wrong?

Maybe nothing.

In many cases, success is only a matter of redefining and tweaking your strategy. Use the tips to enhance the digital marketing strategies you have in place:

1. Define Your Goals

The problem of visible results may relate to the goals you have for your digital marketing strategy.

There are three key elements to an effective strategy:

  • Make sure you’re realistic.
  • Make sure you’re specific.
  • Keep an optimistic outlook.

While the mission statement of your business may read “keep growing the business effectively,” you need goals that are better defined. The goals you set can relate to reaching a certain number in sales for a quarter or to increase traffic to your website.

2. Put a Priority on Mobile Optimization

If you have yet to recognize the importance of a mobile website, it’s in your best interest to hop on board right away.

The number of mobile devices has increased steadily over the past few years. As a result, the number of mobile sales has surpassed that of desktops. If you don’t have a site that’s mobile friendly, you’re basically asking your customers to go to your competition.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to invest large amounts of money into this effort, but it’s a good idea to guarantee your website is mobile friendly/responsive.

3. Make Sure Your Business is Social

Even if you have made the decision not to engage on social media platforms personally, your business still needs a presence. The fact is, tons of potential customers are using social sites. Facebook alone has 1.49 billion users.

Make sure you take some time to figure out where your audience is. For example, interior designers likely want to target sites such as Pinterest and Facebook, while those selling business outreach services may find better results on LinkedIn.

4. Track Website Analytics to See What Works

You can’t determine the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts by looking at ROI alone.

Some of the other factors you must consider include:

  • The traffic – has it increased or decreased?
  • What percentage of traffic is organic vs. referral based?
  • How long do visitors stay on your landing/blog/video pages?
  • How many shares or views does your content have?
  • How many calls-to-action and clicks does your site receive?

When you take the time to create a digital marketing strategy that implements these tips, you’ll find success for your business. Consistency and creating a clear plan is essential.

6 Ways to Use Instagram Stories for Business

6 Ways to Use Instagram Stories for Business

When you think about the ways to use social media for your business, Instagram may not be the first channel that comes to mind. However, with the new feature offered by this platform called “Stories,” more and more businesses are hopping on the Instagram bandwagon.

“Stories” provides you the ability to create a string of videos and images that join together and then disappear after 24 hours. This offers you an effective and wide-reaching way to spread a message. Here are some specific ways “Stories” can be used for your brand:

Build Buzz and Create New Content Teasers

Instagram Stories offer a smart way to take your followers or customers behind the scenes and provide them a sneak peek of what’s coming in the future. Let them take a look at what is going on that is new or different in your company or take them on a journey to meet the staff in your office.

These small peeks into your business will not only help to strengthen your relationship, but also help to build buzz for new campaigns.

Create Short Term Contests and Games

If you want to provide a reward for your followers who remain engaged and active, consider creating a quick contest with Instagram Stories. These represent the ideal way to keep your followers interested and coming back for more. Since the Stories feature only lasts for 24 hours, they have to participate now or risk missing out altogether.

Increase Awareness and Traffic to Other Campaigns

Are you planning to host a Facebook Live Video spot? Do you need a few more people to register for your webinar? Instagram Stories can be used as a tool to remind your followers there is something exciting going on today, and they have one more chance to join in.

Creating an engaging image or short video can drive last minute sign-ups and help you get some additional traffic on other social media platforms.

Offer a Special Promo Code

If you are looking for even more ways to reward your active Instagram followers, consider offering them a coupon or discount code that they will only receive if they open your Instagram Story. The fact that the promotion will end in just 24 hours may be the thing that will encourage them to buy now, rather than waiting.

Flood Your Instagram with New Followers

You may wonder how you can gain new followers with Instagram Stories. With this unique feature, you’ll have Instagram exclusive content, which is an added bonus for anyone who is following you.

Announce rules for contests and let followers know this is the only way they’ll get this information. To get the information on an ongoing basis, they’ll have to follow you.

Set Engaging Content Apart from all the Rest

Instagram allows you to see what parts of your Stories generate the highest number of views. If you notice that specific content from the story is more engaging than other parts, you can post it on your Instagram feed for all of your followers to see.

This latest Instagram update has a number of fun ways and new opportunities for brands to engage customers and followers while sharing industry related information. With a bit of creativity and innovation, chances are you can think of a few new ways to promote what your business has to offer.

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Best Practices for Lead Generation Using Sweepstakes

Best Practices for Lead Generation Using Sweepstakes

People like free stuff.  They do!

Whether it’s as simple as movie tickets to the latest blockbuster or as grand as an all-expense paid trip to the Caribbean. It’s for this reason why sweepstakes have always been a go-to method for marketers when it comes to generating buzz.

There’s nothing quite like a giveaway to get people engaged, make them click on like, write a comment, share a post, follow a page, subscribe to a newsletter, and sometimes even create their own content.

But it isn’t only a buzz that sweepstakes can generate. Contests generate leads as well, which isn’t a surprise considering the lengths people are willing to go to just nab an interesting prize.

Of course, the big question is whether you’ll get relevant leads that end in conversions — and not just casual passersby hoping to win (and with no intention of coming back again).

To make sure you get high-quality leads here are some best practices for lead generation using sweepstakes:

Give Away a Gift Certificate for your Products or Services

A cash prize will get lots of signups via your opt-in form. You can bet that most of them will unsubscribe once the contest is over. People are always interested in money even if they’re not interested in your business. By giving away a gift certificate for your products or services, those who’ll join are interested in what your business can offer.

Keep your Prizes Reasonable

If it’s too good to be true, then people will think your contest is a scam designed to harvest personal information for malicious purposes. Even if you can afford to give away a huge freebie, make your prizes tempting yet still believable. Like a $50 voucher to be used for your products or services.

Save the grand prizes for special occasions, like your business’s milestone anniversary.

Make Participants Work for it a Bit

Most sweepstakes just ask for a name and email address. Aside from being no fun at all, this can turn away great leads. They may think they don’t stand a chance to win (and can’t be bothered to join at all).

To get genuinely interested participants, make people exert a bit of effort before they can join. Ask them to fill out a survey or give a creative answer to a question. You’ll be able to filter out the non-relevant leads, and also get information from relevant leads. Just make sure your prize is worth the extra effort.

Allow Social Sharing for More Chances of Winning

People will be willing to share your sweepstakes with their networks if you give them referral incentives. Such as additional entries for every signup they get through their referral link.

Without this option, participants might not tell others about your contest in an attempt to keep the competition pool small. Fewer joiners mean higher chances of winning, after all. But with the assurance of added entries per share, they’ll have a reason to spread the word.

When it comes to sweepstakes for lead generation, everyone’s a winner — your business included. As long as you know how to do it right.  Plan your contests well and you may come out with the top prize of high-quality leads.

5 Ways to Get the Most Submissions on Your Survey

5 Ways to Get the Most Submissions on Your Survey
What do business owners use surveys for? They’re a great indicator of what your customers think of your business, your product/service, and how well you’re running your operation. It helps you get the pulse from the people that matter most. We’ve got 5 tips to get the most submissions on your survey.

Trying to figure out where your business could improve? Is your growth stagnate and want to know what your customer base wants to see from you next? Consider sending out an online customer survey to get direct feedback from your people quickly and easily.

Putting together a survey that asks all of the questions you want the answers to, sending it to your email list and promoting it on your website and social media platforms is fairly straightforward.

How do you get people to fill out your survey and send in their responses?

1. Create your survey online.

A whopping 9 out of 10 people prefer to fill out survey forms online.  You could get a 90% better return rate simply by moving things online rather than via the postal service.

2. Offer an incentive.

It’s simply a fact of life; people always want to know, “What’s in it for me?” The results of this survey are extremely important to your business. Offer an incentive (such as a small freebie or a discount) to take the survey. If you make it a discount, it’s worth it for your customers, but also generates you a profit.

3. Keep it short and sweet.

Most email signup forms consist of one submission: email address. That’s because the more blanks there are to fill out, the less likely someone is going to fill it out. Even if the only extra blank is for a name.

Keep your survey short and to the point. Ask exactly what you need to know and nothing more. Create checkboxes or buttons to make it easy for people to take the survey.  Users fill out more when it is quick and easy to answer versus requiring them to write responses.

4. Create clear questions.

You don’t want there to be any room for error or confusion in your survey responses. If need be, run your survey by someone who doesn’t know your business to make sure that every question makes sense and can’t be misinterpreted. An unclear question could lead to unreliable data, so don’t risk it.

5. Test different survey methods.

The best way to get the most submissions on your survey is by sending a few surveys. Not to the same people, of course. You don’t want to bombard your audience.

For example, you could create an online form to send to your email list. You could also create a feedback box on your website. Or personally, reach out to any clients that you’ve worked with or are working with now.

The best way to guarantee you get the most bang for your buck, or in this case, get the most submission on your survey, is to keep things simple, easy, and beneficial to your customer base. Unless they’re loyal customers, no one is going to spend too much time filling your survey. Think about the customer, and what they have time for.

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5 Tips to make your Opt-in Form Stand Out

5 Tips to make your Opt-in Form Stand Out

To make sales, you need a customer base. A great way to build your customer base is by adding an opt-in form to your website. After all, an email campaign is more effective when your audience has already expressed interest in your business, instead of a group of strangers who don’t have an idea about your business before hearing from you.

If you want to be successful, you can’t just add an opt-in form and wait for the subscriptions to pour in. Online marketing is so competitive that everything about your website, including the opt-in form, needs to stand out. Gone are the days when you had to stick to a standard form that couldn’t be customized. Now, you can make your opt-in form exactly the way you want.

Though there’s no clear formula, the following guidelines can help you decide the direction you want your opt-in form to take:

  • Make an offer visitors can’t refuse.

    A strong call to action marked by a sense of urgency will get people to move faster. Let’s say you’re a reseller of designer labels, and you have a sale going on. You can use that sale to entice readers to subscribe. “Up to 50% off on luxury brands this summer only! Shop online now!” is more enticing than “Subscribe to our newsletter for sales announcements.”

  • Pique visitors’ interest with a bit of drama.

    Clickbait titles can be annoying, but they’re irresistible. You can apply the same principle to your opt-in form by creating a bit of a teaser. For example, you’re a financial advisor offering your services. Skip the boring text and go with something like “If money doesn’t grow on trees, where does it grow? Find out!” Most people know money grows when you invest it, but the way the question is presented like riddle makes it hard for folks not to be curious.

  • Give visitors a glimpse of what they can expect when they subscribe.

    It’s hard to convince people to sign up if they don’t see the value of subscribing, so why not offer a small taste? If you’re running a fitness site and you want people to subscribe to get access to your exercise programs and meal plans, add a tip to your opt-in form. “Half an hour of brisk walking can burn 150 calories” is a short yet useful tip. You can have the tips change each time the page is refreshed for added variety.

  • Make it entertaining for your visitors.

    Filling out an opt-in form takes time and effort, however minimal. That’s why many people don’t bother. But make it feel less like a chore and more fun. Let’s say you have a bakery and you want to market your cakes and pastries. A picture quiz like “Which dessert speaks to you?” is quick and light. After clicking, visitors can be redirected to a discount coupon they receive when they subscribe.

  • Highlight what visitors would be missing.

    Don’t just put a nondescript “No, thanks” button for people who want to opt out. Put something there that can make them think twice. If you’re running a travel agency, your opt-out button can say “I like to miss out on flight and tour discounts” or “I don’t like to save money on travel.”

Regardless of your niche, these 5 tips will help you design an opt-in form that stands out. To get the best results with the strongest impact, partner your copy with interesting visuals.

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5 Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Site Using Facebook

5 Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Site Using Facebook

Facebook is a valuable marketing tool with the vast number of monthly active users well over 1.5 billion.  As well, the time spent by users per day is now averaging 40+ minutes! However, Facebook is changing and what worked before for marketers is not the same as a few months ago!

In particular, you should be concerned with Facebook’s news feed algorithm changes. Recently Facebook announced that it’s de-emphasizing the reach Facebook Business Pages will have in the News Feed. Why? Because many Pages tend to be more or less static, and they don’t offer new content. Facebook wants to keep users engaged and they see users engage with content from friends.  In particular, Facebook has identified that users like video and images, and so businesses need to be aware and make shifts!

5 Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Site Using Facebook

1. Keep up a Steady Stream of Relevant Updates on Facebook

On your Facebook Page feed, regular updates are precisely the kind of fresh content that social media seems to favor these days. The sum effect is that Facebook will rate your Page higher in your visitors’ feeds if you’re posting good content regularly or semi-regularly. As noted, Facebook wants to see more video and Live Video.  By incorporating these type of posts in your weekly routine you can increase your reach.

2. Use Facebook’s Ad System

This may not be the news you want to know, but it’s important to hear.  You can get in front of the right people on Facebook, but to do so well you need to pay to get in front of them. Do not be put off by this.  Facebook Ads are affordable and it is a great way to reach your ideal target audience and drive traffic to key content and lead capture options on your website.

3. Pay Attention to the Elements of Your Content

Use best practices to maximize the reach of your content. For example – always use larger images, at least 1200×630. Vibrant images capture the attention more easily and fill the news feed space. People are always seemingly pressed for time, so keep your character count short while still conveying the full message – get to the meat quickly.

And when you can manage it (and when it makes sense), include a link to more content on your website to drive traffic to a specific page with a soft lead capture option.

4. Make Sure to Hyperlink to Your Best Web Pages

This is one of the most important ways to create more engagement. Facebook’s algorithm judges your social platform, in part, on how many people click through to your website. This means you have to catch their attention and make them want to read the rest.

5. Share Snippets of Your Blog Posts

This works if your blog posts are worth reading. Sharing a snippet doesn’t necessarily mean sharing text. It could be a snippet you share via a video you made. But only give them a sneak peak so that they’re compelled to finish the rest of it on your website.

It’s a fact that Facebook can be a driver of traffic if you stay current and use the latest techniques.  Once you drive traffic to your site, be sure to have a clear call-to-action to invite visitors to sign-up for your email list in exchange for some offer of value.  Your email marketing is a great next-step to nurture the fan into a customer!

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Using Google Ads to Drive Lead Generation

Using Google Ads to Drive Lead Generation

Using Google Ads to Drive Lead Generation

Entrepreneurs are embracing social media to promote their website content and generate sales leads.

Nevertheless, welcoming the new doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to the old items that work. Online advertising in the form of pay-per-click (PPC) ads are still effective provided you know how to use them right.

There are a few PPC ad programs that you can choose from, but Google Ads remain a top choice for driving lead generation among the options. Google is still the go-to search engine, with around 65-70% of all monthly searches done on that search engine, so it makes sense why advertising on it is financially sound.

However, Google Ads are not necessarily cheap. To get a good ROI, here’s what you can do:

  • Design a Dedicated Landing Page for Each Campaign

    Aside from giving the impression of customized service, a dedicated landing page also cuts to the chase and gives your target market exactly what they want. Let’s say you’re a travel agency and you launched a campaign for luxury trips retirees can make. Retirees visiting your page wants to be directed right away to these trips, and not a generic homepage.  Yes, Waftio offers landing page options!

  • Think of Mobile Platforms

    According to Statista, 4.61 billion people are using mobile phones in 2016. That number will go up in the next few years, reaching 4.93 billion in 2018. This means more and more people will be surfing the internet on their handheld gadgets. If your site doesn’t display and respond well on a smaller screen, you’ll frustrate your potential customers.

  • Find Out What your Quality Score Is

    Before paying for keywords, are you sure they’re relevant to your landing page and ad? Or are there better (and maybe cheaper) keywords to use? The last thing you need is to pay for pricey keywords that won’t attract the right target market. Luckily, Google lets you check your quality score before you begin so you don’t waste money.

  • Check out Successful Competitors

    Want to know what makes their ad campaigns tick? With Spyfu, you can find out easily. Spyfu lets you search for any domain and see all their Adword keywords including ad variations. These findings will help you decide what keywords your competitor dominates, and what keywords are underrated yet profitable.

  • Use Online Chat to Engage Visitors

    Getting people’s attention is a crucial step, converting them to buyers/subscribers is another one. After a visitor clicks an ad and is on your page, give them a reason to stay by offering support. Online chat is a good option because visitors don’t have to leave the page to contact you. If they have questions, they can quickly send you a message and get the answer they need right away.

  • Don’t Hesitate to Remarket

    A lot of people don’t take action when they first visit your site. They’re there to look around. They leave, with the intention to return (but forget to do so) or with no intention at all. It’s your task to remind them about you. Don’t be afraid to use a remarketing campaign and target your site visitors. Maybe 2nd or 3rd time’s the charm.

With these tips, you’ll help your leads turn into conversions when using Google Ads. Partner it with social media remarketing ads to get better results.

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How to Use Waftio for a Survey

How to Use Waftio for a Survey

Surveys have always been a useful tool for the modern marketer. With the explosion of apps, they are now easy and efficient to use online for any business. When you use Waftio for a survey, you’ll get a two-fold benefit. Presenting surveys to your audience show that you value their opinion, and the answers can serve as invaluable, direct analytics. You’ll learn what they’re truly interested in and willing to pay for!

How do you leverage your customers to your mutual benefit? Use Waftio for a survey. A survey-oriented app like Waftio comes with the processes built in so you can take advantage of these attributes. Some options to consider include:

Find Out What Your Customers Want

Market analysis to improve a business is challenging. By offering surveys, you tap directly into what the consumer wants. All your questions should be about the product or service so you can identify key points and use them to tailor future offerings to your audience.  Use multiple choice or check boxes to get consistent data back.

Customer Service Performance

Another attribute of surveys is their ability to keep you and your staff on their toes, in a sense. Surveys should be short and to the point, and aim to discover the notable aspects of customer service. You’ve probably experienced call-backs with other companies, asking you how they did. It produces results, so use it to your advantage.

Detailed Customer Follow-Up

Send your customers a longer survey for feedback. Or shortly after an initial purchase, a shorter survey. The pricier the item, the more useful this survey can be. Be sure to include how valuable their business is to you.

Discover the Demographics

Time to get a bit more personal.

Using the tools that Waftio provides, you can get your demographics by inquiring into their lives. Don’t be hesitant to go beyond the direct business. Discover their challenges and desires will help you forge better services for them in the future. This kind of information is invaluable in forming future products and services that keep customers coming back and tied to your business.

Make Customers a Part of the Company

This crowdsourcing aspect is especially important in the age of social media. There’s never been an easier time for a company to engage with their customers. Include your customer base in business decisions, such as creating or choosing the name of a new product, or running contests to determine the best logo from a selection of images. You can use this to find out services they’d like you to offer in the future.

The specific survey you use can skyrocket customer engagement. When you use Waftio for a survey, the option to take a survey is available on every page, so you don’t lose potential respondents. Take Waftio and the Survey App for a test spin with a 14-day free trial!

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