With the year 2020 right around the corner, you’re probably wondering “How much more can online marketing really evolve?” While of course there’s no definitive answer to this, you know from my latest blog, “Blast from The Past: A Look at the Digital World 10 Years Ago“, that online marketing is only going to continue to grow in value as the years go on. But where exactly? Here are my thoughts.
A Breakthrough of Content
If you think you’ve seen an increase of content in 2019, just wait until 2020. And no, I’m not talking about a few more YouTube videos here and there. I’m talking about businesses truly using online content to empower their sales.
This includes an influx of user-generated content, live video, and of course more of a presence on popular social media platforms. I’d even say that many businesses will pay closer attention to the non-traditional side of the search engine world, AKA voice search. It’s predicted that 50% of all online searches will be voice searches by 2020.
So, why do I say all of this?
One word: engagement. Businesses have now caught onto the fact that online marketing is a must, and in 2020 it will be no different. In order for them to reach their customers and engage with them, they’ll need to prioritize creating relevant and quality content.
Also, let’s not forget about advertising! After all, it’s predicted that mobile ad spending will represent 43% of the total media ad spending within the U.S. While this doesn’t mean the immediate downfall of T.V. ads, it sure does put things into perspective. Brands aren’t going to continue spending money on platforms where their consumers don’t live.
A New Vehicle to Share Content
So, where are brands going to spend their money in 2020? On influencer marketing! You’ve seen a million influencers online this past year; those people with thousands or millions of followers and subscribers. They’re considered to be knowledgeable in their field and have a large, loyal audience.
With that being said, businesses will use these influencer-audience relationships to their advantage. By working out brand deals and sponsorships with relevant influencers, even the largest of corporations will take the chance to share their products or services with an extremely targeted audience.
But that’s not even the best part. Influencer marketing content is found to deliver 11 times higher ROI than traditional forms of marketing. Talk about a great way to promote your brand and actually make an investment! I can’t see businesses saying no to that.
A Bonus for Consumers
With all of these predictions for what online marketing will look like in 2020, I can only see these changes benefiting both businesses and consumers. Not only will businesses get the exposure they need, but consumers will have greater access to what they need. Businesses will no longer have to guess what their target audience needs and how they can promote it to them; through the power of content and influencer marketing, businesses will be able to connect with their audience in a new and convenient way.
So, what are your online marketing predictions for 2020? Share in the comments below!
Since then, we’ve moved away from the traditional sales and marketing strategy that most of us cut our teeth on. You remember: pagers and pay phones, faxes, and lots of one-on-one meetings. Now instead of having to tell two people, and they tell two people, we are finally able to just tell hundreds of people at once. As a result, this allows us to be in many places at once.
Before these changes, it really was a ghost town. There were pockets of people and groups doing it right and being consistent, but they were few and far between. Restaurants, bars, and big brands took pretty well to social media. But with both Chris and I coming from a professional background, clients we had lots of experience with (those in the healthcare, finance, legal, and other more formal industries) wanted nothing to do with this crazy new medium.
Soon after, the ‘sheriff’ arrived in town and brought along rules, hashtags, and order. Then everyone started asking about best practices: “Should I use images?” “How many characters can I use?” “When is the best time to post?” “What’s an online marketing plan?” “Do I really need to do more than just create a page, hoping that people will want to do business with me?” “Should I ‘buy followers’?” And of course, lots more.
Fast forward to 2019. Now we can now pinpoint our clients’ target audience(s) to a city block, a specific income, their age, interests, job titles – all allowing them to spend smarter and get maximum bang for their buck. We’ve seen major platforms come and go (MySpace, Google+, Vine). We’ve seen platforms that have been #1, but then have dipped in popularity (LinkedIn, Snapchat) and been overshadowed by Instagram and YouTube.
It’s been a wild ride – but I’m so proud to say that The Go! Agency has anticipated the twists and turns, and flourished. Why? I really think it’s for a few good reasons. First, integrity. We truly put our clients first. Second, transparency. We don’t think of ourselves as ‘experts.’ We’re way too humble for that…AND, the rules still change daily. We’re merely specialists – continually learning. Lastly, it comes down to investments. In our team, in their education, treating them like family, giving them a really nice place to work, and always being open to suggestions from them. Plus, our Go! Agents are awesome.
What do the next ten years hold with digital marketing? Although no one really knows, I think it will be pretty amazing. And you can be sure that The Go! Agency will be involved, as we’re constantly keeping our eyes open for anything that will help our clients’ digital marketing campaigns succeed. “There’s a saying among prospectors: ‘Go out looking for one thing, and that’s all you’ll ever find.'” – Robert J. Flaherty
If you’ve been a client of ours in the last ten years; thank you. If you are a future client (or know someone to refer) we can’t wait to work with you!
Remember what the digital world was like in 2009? It might not feel that long ago, but 10 years have passed! With all of the forward-thinking technology that’s made its way into our lives and the constant changes of the online marketing landscape, there’s a lot to reflect on.
So, where do we start?
Let’s dive right in and take a look back at some of the biggest trends and predictions from 2009.
Apps, Androids, and More
There’s no doubt that 2009 was the year that the tech world was booming—and for good reasons. For starters, Apple was paving their own way with the rising popularity of the App Store, which first came to life in 2008. With the release of the iPhone 3GS, mobile users were also introduced to in-app purchases which allow developers to still offer their app for free.
And let’s not forget the steady competition that Apple now faced with Android. Mobile devices with this operating system were—and in some ways, still are—cheaper alternatives to the Apple products. Users also got to experience Google’s own version of the app store.
But…which app really made a difference in peoples’ lives?
Would you be shocked if I told you that it was turn-by-turn auto navigation? Yep—the iPhone started to give GPS companies a run for their money by providing mobile users an app offered by TomTom. The catch was that you needed to pay $100 for the app, which if you think about it, isn’t awful considering you would be paying that same price or higher for a GPS device on its own. Although, in the distance, you could hear Android users rejoice at the fact that a similar software was being offered on their phones for free.
In addition to the new wave of smartphones and apps came the steady rise in sales of netbooks, Amazon’s Kindle, and tons of other tech products that seemed to make life just a little bit easier.
Predictions For the Future of Digital and Online Marketing
You’re probably thinking, “Wow, we’ve sure come a long way in the past 10 years.” And, you know what, you’re right! At the time, these technological advances were no doubt next-level. Even though consumers had access to the best products yet, there was still hope that both the tech and online worlds would evolve into something even better when 2010 came around. That’s where a few key predictions were made.
Both online video advertising and video streams were thought to increase in the next year along with the rise of digital ad spending. In addition, it was predicted that many brands would start utilizing more targeted ads in the future to really aim themselves at the right customer; although, more consumers were predicted to utilize ad-blocking software.
With the rise of mobile usage and apps, it’s no surprise that many social networking sites and apps were predicted to only get bigger and better in 2010. For example, Twitter was thought to continue building its audience as one of the “newer” social media channels. Spotify had also just begun to climb the ladder as an audio streaming service, and Netflix was teaming up with electronic companies to bring video streaming straight to consumers’ TVs. Many believed that streaming services like these would become dominant within the average home.
Flash forward to 2019, and many of these predictions have come to life. It’s no secret that as time goes on, the tech world continues to evolve and improve. Reflecting on everything that’s been accomplished in 2009—and now in 2019—makes me excited to see what’s next in the future!
What do you think the next trends will be in the future? Let me know in the comments below!
It is really unbelievable to think that 10 years ago this month The Go! Agency was born with one client, two employees (myself and co-owner Dale Griffen), and a bucketload of dreams for the future.
Flash forward 10 years to today, we have a full roster of clients, talented staff, beautiful offices, and a future pipeline filled to the brim.
Dale and I never thought about what the future would hold when we started The Go! Agency. If you can’t remember what the online world was like back then, let me remind you. While email marketing, blogging, search engine optimization (SEO), and online advertising were fairly proven mediums, social media was the wild west packed with snake oil salespeople. Companies large and small were jumping at the chance to try out this new medium, setting aside large portions of their marketing budgets to give it a whirl. And there were ample “experts”, “gurus”, and the like popping up all over ready to take advantage of that.
At the time, the difference between The Go! Agency and these so-called “gurus” was that we never confessed to be 100% experts. Why? In the constantly changing landscape of social media marketing, we were, and remain merely specialists, as we are continually in learning mode. Other big differences are that we have solid marketing, public relations, and online experience—all keys to being a success. Plus, it was beneficial to have a desire to learn, be agile, and understand that you wouldn’t always get the results you wanted. Some concepts and strategies might have worked amazingly one day, but the next day would be killed and replaced with features that didn’t work and would make you go back to the drawing board. We wanted to approach our prospective and current clients with a holistic approach and offer organic campaigns that would be able to change on a dime and focus on the client’s needs; we were never focused on pushing buttons and cashing checks. Our focus was on client’s success—that was our win. Not making millions of dollars in a matter of months and then fading away.
Fun Fact: One of our biggest direct competitors at the time was highly visible and took on LOTS of business very quickly. That agency lasted only a few years, and two years ago their CEO responded to a job listing I put up for an entry-level Social Media Account Executive. True story.
We wanted our agency to be built differently than others we had observed throughout our professional careers. We wanted ours to be honest, transparent, results driven, and have an intense focus on the client experience. Our desire was to have a roster of clients that were a pleasure to work with, who were invested in success and growth, and that would help us create that almighty win-win-win scenario. Triple wins are my favorite.
When it came to staff, we wanted to hire talented individuals that were interested in creative growth, were engaged with their work, and were focused on their clients. We also wanted to create an environment where there were no office politics, no drama. And if there was, the environment would move these individuals out of the organization organically.
Sitting here today, we’re pleased to say that all of this was achieved. Our current roster of clients is not only diverse, but includes one of the largest international athletic brands (Under Armour) that organically found us based on reputation alone. We will drop everything to help a client on a moment’s notice and the focus is always on them, which is so amazing to see.
Our team is a team. We work together through stressful times and quieter times. Just last month we all went on a company cruise in the Caribbean to blow off steam, bond a little, relax, and zip line! And you know what? Everyone enjoyed one another, no one was avoiding one another—it was relaxing and refreshing.
So is there anything we would change looking back over the last 10 years?
No. Nothing.
Every situation that may have been negative brought forth contemplation and experience that helped us grow stronger as a company. Every employee who didn’t work out, every client that we had to fire, and even those times when the wi-fi didn’t work during an important client meeting…these moments all brought forth a great amount of experience that we are able to now share with our clients.
We’re now in such a sweet position. We’re surrounded by a team of wonderful individuals that we consider not only our team, but also our family. We look out for one another. We work together to get the best results for clients. We are emotionally attached to the work. And to top it all off, we have a roster of clients that respect our team, understand our value, and collaborate with us on taking their success to the next level. See, I really can’t complain.
So where do we go next? Our team and our roster of clients will always evolve, ebb and flow. But our goal is to continue to grow from our vast experience working with clients, one another, and in the marketing industry as a whole to build an even stronger agency that will last for another ten years, and much longer beyond that.
And we will continue to add services as and when we see the need across the board. This year alone we have added a few new services that our clients were eager for that immediately brought them great levels of success and results. So expect much more of that in the future.
Overall, The Go! Agency is about working with companies to provide global solutions that will help them market and sell their businesses with less cost, less time, and more efficiency.
This is why our consulting services are currently one of our fastest-growing services, which I am personally fulfilling. Throughout the last ten years, I was able to really identify where my passion areas were: working strategically within a team, creating marketing and sales scenarios that create proven success, problem solving on a dime, motivating marketing professionals that are overwhelmed, and many more.
Above all, I have identified that one of my true passions is working with individuals and companies collaboratively to solve their problems, work out the kinks in their strategy, and help them reach their true potential. I began offering this here and there to clients as consulting and over the past few years I have been very lucky to worth with hundreds of different companies in this arena…and enjoyed every minute of it. Some call it coaching, others consulting. I call it real talk—and I love being able to help with my direct and honest approach. It brings me lots of joy.
But I digress. The Go! Agency is our heart and soul, and Dale and I couldn’t be prouder of what we as a company have achieved during the last decade. Sitting here and trying to remember all of the many events that we have lived through (recessions, hurricanes, changing political climates) it brings joy to my heart to see that as an agency we have been resilient, stuck to our values, and never altered our ethics for a paycheck. We continue to do work that we believe in, creating amazing results and ROI for clients that believe in us. I think this is a good place to be in, don’t you agree?
So, do you feel like an official YouTuber yet? You’ve been consistently filming new videos, are checking your analytics every now and then, and are even sharing your content on your other social media platforms—go you! But let’s not forget about one thing: The work doesn’t stop here. A YouTube channel doesn’t get successful overnight, and it won’t continue to be successful if it’s not given the TLC it needs. So, how can you ensure you’ll keep a steady trend of growth on your channel? By making sure you hit these checkpoints every month:
1. Formulate a new content strategy. No one watches the same video over and over again forever, so why would you keep your content strategy the same every month? It’s always best to switch things up! But let’s get one thing clear—you shouldn’t switch up your content strategy “just because”. Don’t throw some adorable puppies into your video “just because” it’s popular on YouTube. Think back to your analytics; see what your audience is responding to and how you can get them to keep coming back.
For example, if my company, The Go! Agency, was going to upload a new video, I would consider what my audience is already responding to. If my “3 Steps for Successful Copywriting” video was a hit last month, I might consider breaking that down into an entire series. It all depends on what my audience is engaging with.
Furthermore, when it comes to creating a content strategy, it’s important to actually block out some time where you’ll be able to get creative. Add the exact date and time to your Google calendar, write it down in your notebook, or do whatever else you find will help you remember to come up with a strategy for the month.
2. Curate relevant content. Remember how I mentioned that it’s a good idea to curate videos from other channels to add to your playlists (so long as they suit your overall brand)? Well, curating this content shouldn’t just be done on a whim—there should be a strategy for how you select videos for each playlist.
First, you’ll need to start by subscribing to other channels that create similar content to yours. From here, you might want to set aside an hour or two at the beginning of each week where you watch a few of these videos and then select the best ones to add to your playlists. Remember not to check this task off of your list too quickly—you’ll want to take your time curating only the best content.
3. Engage with your subscribers. Your audience doesn’t just want you to talk TO them; they want you to talk WITH them. People want to feel like they are a part of an online community. So, help them experience this! Engage with your subscribers by asking them what video content they want to see next, liking and responding to their comments, and giving them shout-outs in your videos when necessary. The more they feel like they know your brand, the more they’ll want to stick around.
4. Engage with other YouTube channels. Yes, the main group of people that you want to engage with are the ones watching your videos. However, it’s important to pay attention to what else your audience is watching. What other YouTube channels are they interested in? Whatever those are, make it a point to like their videos and comment with positive feedback. By doing this, their audience members will be more inclined to engage with your channel since it provides similar content.
5. Spy on your competition. Keep an eye on perfect content! Look at what your competition is doing right, and get inspired to create similar content for your own channel. While you should NEVER copy anyone else’s idea to a T, you should always try to put your own spin on content that has received a lot of engagement.
Also, it’s crucial that you take a look at how your competition is engaging with their audience. How are they responding to comments? What are they doing that’s different from your current strategy?
6. Pre-film enough videos. Feeling like you’ll soon need a break from content creation? While you never want to film videos to the point of burnout, you also can’t leave your audience hanging. Every month, make it a point to film 3 to 4 extra videos that you know can be uploaded in case you’re unable to create “new” content. Make sure that these videos are evergreen, as you’ll want to be able to post these at any time.
7. Stick to a regular upload schedule. Do you ever see those YouTubers whose upload schedules are all over the place? If it annoys you, it definitely annoys the rest of their audience. That’s why you need to stick with a regular upload schedule! But don’t just pull days and times out of thin air; remember to look at your analytics and see when your audience responds to videos best.
Are you hitting a wall when it comes to producing new video content? This is typical for many businesses. At the end of the day, producing quality videos takes time – and you need to focus on running your business! So what do you do when you don’t have enough time to create regular video content to keep your YouTube channel engaging for your subscribers?
Let me introduce you to YouTube playlists and the secret to curated video content!
What are YouTube playlists and why are they beneficial? Playlists are a way of organizing videos on your channel around a specific topic, keyword, service, product, and much more – whichever works best for your brand. For example, if you are in charge of a restaurant’s YouTube channel, you might have your videos organized into the following playlists: How-To’s, Today’s Special, Chef’s Kitchen, and Quick Recipe Tips.
Just think about it. You share content on your various social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and many times you are sharing articles or content that you found online which is from another source. The reason you share it is that not only will your audience enjoy the content and engage with it, but it also helps you keep up with consistently posting to your social media channels.
My top tip is that when looking for videos to curate and add to your playlists, you make sure that these videos already have a high level of engagement and views. This illustrates there is already a proven audience for the video and it may bring a bit more shine to your own channel. The more regularly that you execute this process, the more alive your channel will look. It is the perfect go-to when you don’t have the time to produce your own original content.
The only catch? While you can easily find videos that look like they are suitable for your playlists at first blush, make sure that you watch them from start to finish. They need to be on brand and have a message that dovetails nicely to your own branded voice. Sometimes even the most seemingly perfect video could have some negatives lurking somewhere in the middle or end.
Ok – let’s get you started!
How do you create a YouTube playlist? Now that you’re aware of all of the benefits of YouTube playlists, it’s time to learn how to put one together. Here’s the breakdown in 3 easy steps:
1. Plan the perfect playlist and name it! For example, if I was going to do one for our company, The Go! Agency, as we are a digital marketing agency I may focus on the following playlists: Social Media Tips, Website Design Hacks, Organization Tips, Copywriting Handbook, etc. Naming your YouTube playlist “How-to’s” is a fine start, but it’s just not strong enough. Think of how users would find your videos. What topics would they search for? You need to make sure that your playlist name is keyword-rich. Therefore “How-to’s: Cake Decorating” could be a stronger choice.
2. Seek and find suitable, and proven, content. It’s time to start filling those playlists. Search YouTube for videos that are suitable for the playlists (new or old). For example, if I am going to add a video to the Copywriting Handbook playlist, I would use the search term “copywriting secrets” or “copywriting tips”. Then I would look through the results and choose the videos with the most engagement/views and watch them. If they fit my brand, I would then click the “add to” button underneath the video, and either add it to an existing playlist, or choose “Create new playlist.” Name your playlist accordingly – and you are ready to go and find your next video!
3. Keep it up kid!
So you have logged into YouTube, curated some videos, added them to playlists (or created new playlists), and you are….eh….done? Nope! You need to do this on a regular basis! I would suggest adding this curation process to your regular marketing schedule and add a specific number of videos to your playlists every week. Only do what you can handle. Be realistic as always. Biting off more than you can chew will definitely cause early burnout!
Curating video content is a great shortcut when it comes to brightening up your YouTube channel. While this does not excuse you from creating your own original content 100%, it gives you a little bit of a buffer to create a more cohesive content mix as well as share content that your audience will be eager to watch and engage with!
Does your advertising routine feel a little stale?
I find that clients who are only advertising on one platform tend to get pretty sub-par results. Sure, advertising anywhere is much better than no advertising, but it’s definitely worth the investment to expand your efforts every now and then.
I’ve written a lot on the benefits of Facebook ads, but I realized that I haven’t really delved into the power of YouTube advertising. Let’s fix that!
Reaching Your Audience With over 1 billion users, YouTube is sure to have viewers from your target audience. Obviously you don’t want your local business to market to tweens in Taiwan, which is why YouTube’s targeting options make it easy to get your ad in front of the right audience.
YouTube lets you place your ads based on demographics, location, interests, and viewing device, which gives you a lot of room to get creative. One noteworthy filter is that you can set the times that your ad runs. That means that if my first video ad is getting a lot of traction at 10:00pm and nothing at 6:00am, I know that my next ad needs to run in the evening and not early in the morning. These are the kind of campaign alterations that make YouTube’s targeting so valuable!
And this isn’t even to talk about YouTube’s advanced targeting options. YouTube allows you to create custom affinity audiences, which are audiences made of people who have already shown an interest in your kind of product/service. For example, if you were selling clothes for young women, you’d normally only be able to get as specific as “18-25 year old women making $X per year, etc.” Custom affinity audiences let you zero into the specifics that really make a sale, and you could target that same audience, but this time you could show your ad only to young women who like floral dresses. Yes, it gets that specific, and yes, you should be using it!
Saving Adspend Budget YouTube is also a great platform for stretching your adspend dollar. While other platforms generally have you pay per click, YouTube only charges you when someone clicks on your ad or watches the entire thing (i.e. doesn’t hit the “skip” button). That means that you’re only paying to put your money in front of people who are engaged with your content and want to see more!
This is especially helpful when it comes to targeting. Yes, YouTube has great targeting options, but getting it 100% right is tricky, especially if you’re not a professional marketer. With these ads, though, even if you accidentally reach a few people who aren’t in your target audience, you won’t end up paying for that view since they’ll just skip your ad and save you the money!
Influencing Buyers YouTube is one of the most effective platforms for convincing users to make purchases. One YouTube Insights report showed that 66% of beauty product purchasers, 72% of auto-vehicle purchasers, and 62% of smartphone purchasers were influenced by what they saw on YouTube. Why? It helped them “visualize how products fit into their lives.” That’s not something that you can easily replicate on another platform, people!
Compelling copy and engaging visuals are great—nobody is doubting that. But there’s something about seeing a product or service in action for yourself that makes it much more appealing. And sure, other platforms let you advertise with video, but why wouldn’t you skip the middle man and just advertise on the world’s second most popular website?
Add YouTube Ads I know that nobody is excited by the idea of spending more money, but remember that when YouTube ads are done well, they earn you much more than you spend. So stop waiting! Make a move and use this untapped resource!
I get a lot of questions about Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., but everyone seems strangely quiet on YouTube marketing and I can’t figure out why. It’s the second largest search engine, so why wouldn’t you want to put your brand on there for some easy reach and engagement?
My best guess is that people just don’t realize what a massive impact YouTube can have on their social media marketing, so I’m going to fix that! For all of you who need convincing, here’s why YouTube can add a ton of marketing value to your campaigns!
Building Brand Awareness Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just funny content that succeeds on YouTube. Your content has to be engaging, but you can see real results with videos that are informational rather than comedic. That means that how-to videos and other informational content are great ways to build your online following!
Going Viral YouTube first became famous as the home of viral videos. When a video gets millions of views, it’s a safe bet that YouTube is the platform earning it all of that attention. YouTube also integrates well with sites like Facebook and Instagram, so you can post branded videos then easily promote them across platforms. Directing people to your YouTube video is one of the most effective ways to take advantage of YouTube’s massive audience while utilizing your existing social channels!
Tracking Metrics While you can track video metrics on Facebook and Instagram, YouTube certainly gives you many more options. Where you can normally only view metrics such as likes, comments, etc., YouTube tracks when people stopped watching your videos, which can be invaluable when looking to improve your online content. That isn’t even to mention the specific demographic information, traffic sources, and a lot more!
Boosting SEO Since Google bought YouTube in 2006, YouTube has enjoyed a high ranking with Google’s SEO that makes video content on the platform more likely to land on Google’s front page. But this isn’t just about coasting ahead of your competitors—it’s about staying relevant. Projections show that by 2021, 80% of all internet traffic will be video. If you’re not starting now and working out the kinks, you’re going to fall behind!
Saving Marketing Budget YouTube doesn’t charge a dime to post as many videos as you want—that’s an opportunity worth taking advantage of! Traditional ad campaigns can be costly, but this is a way to get your video content in front of millions without wasting money on boosting your videos. Don’t misunderstand me though. This is not an excuse to treat YouTube like a cheap side project, and the money you save should be going back into increasing your video production quality!
Earning ROI Don’t think that these just sound good in theory, either. Like any marketing venture, YouTube is only worth it if you can see a positive ROI. Good news: 78% of marketers get good ROI from video marketing. And as a marketer, I can confidently say that the other 22% aren’t doing it right!
Give YouTube the Attention It Deserves I know it’s a popular opinion that YouTube marketing is optional, but the data just doesn’t support that conclusion. It’s time to take a serious look at what your business stands to gain with YouTube marketing. Make a move now, before your competitors beat you to the punch!
Facebook groups are the hottest new trend in Facebook marketing. But why? What can they do that posting to your Facebook page can’t?
That’s what I’m going to show you.
Here’s everything you need to know about why Facebook groups are the new must-haves for your Facebook marketing strategy.
Better Organic Reach Facebook has been killing business’ organic reach for years. Your posts just aren’t seen by as many people anymore; that’s where Facebook groups come in.
These present a new opportunity to engage with people interested in your industry. You get a new platform to share blogs, link to your website, and share industry tips. For example, if your company sells cosmetics, it’s in your best interest to start a makeup-lovers group where you can connect with people who care about your products.
And Facebook groups are free, people! There’s simply no reason to pass up on organic reach. Even if it’s a little more time put into your marketing strategy, it’s going to pay off when you’ve got a thriving group of potential customers who are taking cues from your brand.
Increased Brand Authority The key to any good Facebook group is engaging conversation. But who starts that conversation? Most often that falls to the group owner, which in this case will be your business.
When you’re guiding the conversation, people will look to you for new topics about your industry: trends, best practices, etc. And that’s GREAT for your business!
You want people to look to your brand as an authority. It not only means that they’ll trust your brand, but they’ll trust your products/services, too. They’ll be more likely to make purchases from your business, recommend you to friends, etc. It pays to have people trust your brand’s expertise!
Free, Round-the-Clock Advertising The benefit of groups isn’t just that you can talk to people who join—groups give businesses free advertising.
When someone is in a group, they’ll get suggestions for other groups based on their interests and what groups their friends are participating in. That means that your brand’s group is going to come across newsfeeds all the time without you paying a dime! And since these recommendations are targeted, you’re likely to grow your Facebook group without ever asking people to join.
New Prospects Your Facebook group can be a great tool for growing your prospect list. Just post an opt-in offering (an ebook, a newsletter, etc.) and ask people to submit their email addresses. You’ll be able to email them all of your offerings and track them as they move through your marketing funnel.
While you could theoretically do this with your regular Facebook updates, experience has shown me that this tactic is much more effective in active Facebook groups. If you’ve got a spot where people are engaging with your brand and having conversations about your industry, then you should absolutely use that to pick up a few new prospects!
Receptive Audience for Offerings When you post a new product, service, or deal onto your Facebook page, you might be a little disappointed by the lackluster reaction. While your Facebook page is sure to have people in your target demographic, they might not be terribly engaged with your business.
Whereas in a Facebook group, people are commenting on your posts and asking you questions. As a marketer, I can’t imagine a better audience for rolling out an announcement. So when you’ve got something new to show off, your Facebook group will be filled with people who can’t wait to try out this new offer!
Don’t Wait Facebook groups have a ton of benefits for your business to take advantage of, but who knows how long they’ll be there? The time to act is now, so roll up your sleeves and start making your business’ Facebook group!
Now that spring is here, you’ve probably seen a lot of tips and tricks for cleaning out your home. But what about your digital marketing?
Spring cleaning isn’t just for basements anymore! Regular updates to your digital marketing infrastructure are important to keep things optimized and running smoothly. After all, the marketing standards have heavily shifted over the past 5 years, so why would you want a website that hasn’t been updated in 5 years?
Like in your home, an in-depth digital marketing clean is harder than most people realize. That’s why I’m going to share the 5 things you need to do to spring clean your digital marketing.
1. Freshen Up Your Lists If you’ve been practicing effective digital marketing, then you’ve almost certainly got a few lists lying around. Potential customers, email lists, etc. But when was the last time you looked at these lists to make sure that none of those names or email addresses had lost their relevancy?
For this part of spring cleaning, you’ll want to review your lists and take off any expired emails, addresses, people who can no longer be considered potential customers, etc. A simple way to do this for your email marketing list is to send out an email blast asking users to verify that their information is correct or needs to be updated.
2. Take Out Your Website’s Trash If you’ve been updating your website over the past year (or more if you haven’t done any site cleaning before), then there’s probably some content that has expired. This can look like: non-functional links, missing images, or pages that your website just doesn’t need anymore.
Now is the perfect time to clear out this digital junk. If you see any pages that are irrelevant, have links that don’t work, etc., then salvage what you can and scrap the rest. Finding a lot of issues across the board is a major sign that your entire website could use an overhaul.
3. Edit Your Email Strategy You’ve been keeping up with your email marketing, but what results are you actually seeing? I often see that people start email marketing with good intentions, but before long it becomes a chore and is given the least amount of attention possible.
Make sure that your email marketing is performing well by looking at your results and comparing what you’re getting with what you’re aiming for. If there’s a disparity, that’s your sign that you need to give more attention to your email design, copy, or delivery system.
4. Track Your Social Do you know what sites your business is on? Maybe you tried Pinterest for a few months before losing interest. Look around every social media platform and see if you have any presence that might have fallen to the wayside.
If you do find any old accounts, you’ll have a choice to make for the account. If you can show that it’s boosting your SEO, then by all means, leave it standing. But if the page looks unprofessional and isn’t doing anything to benefit your business, then scrap it ASAP or put in the work to make it work toward your business goals.
5. Brush Off Your Branding When was the last time you worked on your branding? Without a devoted marketing and branding team, there’s a good chance it got lost in the stress of day-to-day operations. Take some time to reflect on what you want your company to emphasize in its public image, then compare that to what messages you’re actually sending.
Some questions to ask during this process:
Does your logo reflect your brand identity?
Are you maintaining consistent branding in your visuals and promotional materials?
Does your social content mix advance or contradict your brand’s values?
If your answers are showing anything but a consistent brand image, then you need to redouble your branding efforts or find a team that will handle those concerns for you.
Start the Cleanup While you’re spring cleaning around the house, you may as well keep the ball rolling and extend that cleanup to your digital marketing. It’s a lot of work, but you’ll be glad that you took the time to focus on digital marketing when you’re seeing increased traffic to your business and engagement with your brand!
