SEO for Amateurs: What, How, and Why

16Jul

If your brand has a website, you have probably heard of SEO. This concept is frequently mentioned, but rarely discussed in lay terms. What is it? How does it work? Why should you care? We’re here to break it down and help you understand how to make it work for you.

The What

Search Engine Optimization (a.k.a., SEO) is the process of optimizing the content of your website for search engines (shocking, we know). People rarely look past the first few pages of search engine (let’s be honest, of Google) results, so the closer your website is to the top of that first page , the better. SEO is considered “organic,” in that you are not paying a search engine for your rank.

The How

Ask yourself how much you really want to know about SEO, because there is a lot of information to unpack here. At first glance, SEO might appear to be an ice berg: small on the surface, gargantuan beneath the waves. In reality, SEO is more like an ant hill: it looks simple enough above ground, but that unassuming mound of dirt hides an extensive and intricate network of tunnels guarded by hordes of zealous soldiers.

What we’re trying to say is this: SEO is surprisingly complicated. Here is a very brief, very broad overview of SEO mechanics.

Search engines (almost all of them, anyway) index sites using crawlers, computer programs that continually browse the internet. As crawlers travel the world wide web, they index and catalog all of the information they find. The search engine’s algorithm then sorts the findings according to two criteria: relevance and popularity. Relevance is influenced by myriad factors, including external links, meta data, and citations. Popularity is a factor because the algorithm–much like middle school students–assumes that popularity is a good indicator of value. (Generally, that holds true.)

You optimize your search engine rankings by incorporating keywords and key phrases into your website and content. How do you know which words are key? Well, what are the most common search terms used by your customers? What do people type into the search bar when they’re looking for your industry, product, or service? Some of this seems like it would be common sense (for example, a gluten-free bakery would use keywords and phrases like “gluten-free,” “gluten-free ingredients,” “celiac,” et cetera), but there are other aspects that you might miss (e.g., there is often an overlap between gluten sensitivity and other dietary restrictions). Most people use keyword research tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner or Keyword Explorer from Moz. SEO is more than stuffing your website with keywords and calling it a day. You must carefully integrate keywords into your content.

By the way, remember the ant metaphor? Much like the angry soldier ants who fiercely protect their queen and kin, Google doesn’t play. If there are indications that you’re gaming the system (keyword stuffing, manipulating back links, or any other black hat nonsense), you will be penalized. The algorithm won’t literally attack you, but you’ll lose rank. There is no appeals process, either: the only way to regain your standing is to reform your SEO practices.

The Why

There is no logical reason to abstain from SEO. A well-designed website is using at least a few keywords anyway–the process of SEO just ensures that the best keywords are being used. A brand has no excuse to avoid this powerful tool.

Need help with your SEO? Yeah, you do. Contact us today for a free consultation!

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The GDPR: What You Need to Know

By Christopher Tompkins

5Jul

Copywriting, Email Marketing

Have you noticed more pop-ups in the last few weeks? Does it seem like every website is reminding you of its terms of service or cookies policy? You can thank the European Union and the GDPR for this slightly annoying–and highly important–development. Here’s a quick overview of this new regulation and how it may impact your business.

What is it?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires companies to protect the personal data of EU citizens and residents in a much more stringent way, and to be more transparent regarding the personal data that they collect.

What specifically does it regulate?

This law regulates the processing of personal data belonging to an individual in the EU by an individual, a company, or an organization. If a website requires users to sign in before they can access premium content, if a merchant accepts credit card information from a customer, if an organization collects email addresses for its newsletter mailing list–all of these actions would fall under the purview of the GDPR.

Who or what does it affect?

• Any natural person who is residing or located within the European Union.

• Companies, organizations, and other legal entities located within the EU.

• Companies, organizations, and other legal entities located outside of the EU, but that process or otherwise handle the data of individuals who reside or are located within the EU.

Who or what does it not affect?

• EU citizens who are outside of the EU, including EU citizens who are studying or working abroad, EU citizens who are traveling abroad, any EU citizen who resides outside of the EU but maintains his/her EU citizenship.

• Deceased individuals.

• Legal entities (e.g., the data of corporations).

What is the scope of the GDPR?

Global, to put it bluntly. It applies to personal data belonging to any individual who resides or is located in the EU, any organization that is based in the EU or has an office in the EU, and any organization not based in the EU that deals with personal data of EU residents. Here are a few examples.

Hernan’s Gafas is an premium sunglasses retailer located in Madrid, but has customers all over the globe. John, a Jamaican citizen and resident, buys a pair online. Hernan’s Gafas will have to act in accordance with the GDPR when handling John’s data, even though John does not reside in the EU.

Mariah is a visiting professor at the Sorbonne and an American citizen. She wants to order a birthday gift for her daughter, Tilda, back in New York, and decides to get Tilda’s favorite bakery to deliver a dozen cupcakes to her office as a surprise. Mariah arranged for everything online, including a credit card payment. Because Mariah was located in the EU at the time of her order, the bakery must act in accordance with the GDPR.

If at least one individual or entity involved in a business or other professional interaction resides or is located the European Union, then the GDPR will apply. Note that this will not apply for any business-to-business transactions or activities.

What does it mean by “processing”?

The EU defines “processing” as the

collection, recording, [organization], structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction of personal data.

This covers both automated and non-automated means. Processing includes accessing or keeping a database of potential clients’ personal information, sending promotional emails, and storing IP addresses just to name a few.

Do you need help navigating the world of digital marketing? Do you want to amp up your social media marketing strategy? Do you want to get the most out of your brand’s online presence? The Go! Agency can help!

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The Easy Way to Feature Videos on Your Facebook Page

By Christopher Tompkins

28May

Business, Content Creation, Facebook, Live Video, Local Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Posting your videos on Facebook is by no means a new idea. In fact it has been around nearly since the inception of the site years ago. What we want to focus on here is a Facebook enhancement that helps you present your videos in a more professional and engaging way to your audience.

This feature has benefits for both power and casual users alike. It’s imperative that you have at least one branded video on your social media channels. This video should be one that showcases your company and mission while bringing your brand to life.

Let’s get started going through these elements. Go to your Facebook Page and in the navigational tab directly underneath your cover image, you will see either the VIDEO tab or the MORE tab. If it is the VIDEO tab, click on it and meet us at the next step. If you see the MORE tab, click on it and choose VIDEO from the dropdown menu.

Now you will be on the Video screen. The first option that you have is to Create a Featured video. This is beneficial for those with many videos as well as those with just one. Choose the best video that represents your company (especially when viewed by new customers) and set this as your Featured Video. The Featured Video will now show up at the top of the Video page.

The second feature is more interesting to those power users who post tons of videos (or have more than 10 videos posted already): organize your videos into playlists to help people find what they’re interested in.

This is excellent as now your visitors won’t be blinded by an endless stream of videos while they try to make a decision as to what suits their interests best, they can go through the categories and dig into the ones that interest them with more immediacy. So those videos that you love, but are never viewed, will have a better opportunity to shine.

These video features on Facebook give you the opportunity to enhance your uploaded videos and provide a better way of showcasing your content. Whether you have 2 videos or 52, these features will help you organize and present your content in a more professional manner.

Start organizing! If you have any questions, we’re here to help!

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5 Engagement Tips For Small Businesses

By Christopher Tompkins

2May

Advertising, Business, Facebook, Facebook Advertising, Instagram, Local Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter

Running a small business can be a daunting task. When you add marketing to your other duties, it almost seems impossible, right? Whether you’re trying to create a business empire from scratch or just trying to maintain the day-to-day, being in charge of a company is not easy!

There’s a good chance that if you’re running your own business, you’re probably trying to maintain your social media accounts on top of everything else. If this is the case, you might not have the time, energy, or resources to promote yourself in the right way. Who has time to bother with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? As tough as it can be to fit social media into a packed schedule, it’s essential for any business to grow. Social media marketing has the strength to bring even a small local shop increased online visibility. How do you start? Check out these steps:

1. Invest in update management software. A busy business owner can’t be bothered with spending several hours crafting content, posting, sharing, and liking. You will need help! A variety of programs are available to help you master social media marketing. Whether it’s Hootsuite, Buffer, or Onlypult, the right software can make social media management easier.

2. Engaging content. You need social media marketing, but you need GOOD social media marketing. The right content will attract customers to your page, but the wrong content will repel them.

Find out how you can get your customers to create engaging content for you here.

3. Moderate promotions. Small businesses can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms for many different reasons, but you want to make sure to promote specials, happy hours, sales, events, etc. That being said, don’t forget to add other content into the mix. Don’t make your social media marketing presence solely about sales!

4. Promote in real life. Make sure people know about your online presence when they visit your store. Whether you run a restaurant, retail shop, or another small business, have “Follow Us!” signs up and offer exclusives that can’t be found anywhere other than Facebook, Twitter, etc.

5. Advertising. The biggest disadvantage a small business has is, well, it’s small. Because of this, it might be a little harder to get the word out about your brand than say, Coca-Cola or Chevrolet. That’s why it’s important that your message stands above the rest by investing some money into Facebook and Twitter advertising. Advertising has become an absolute must for companies trying to increase brand awareness and online visibility. The results are quickly visible, but a thought-out strategy is necessary.

Today’s small businesses have a special edge with social media marketing. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can help strengthen your online presence, professional status, and customer relations.

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5 Ways To Find The Perfect Customer Online

By Christopher Tompkins

30Apr

Social Media

Are you trying to promote your business through Facebook advertising? Do you want to increase brand awareness on a local or global scale? Do you want a VERY specific group of people to see your ad? Maybe you want anyone and everyone to see you? It’s all possible, but you need a pro’s help.

When we work on Facebook advertising for our clients, we are fully aware that we’re in for a task. Each business is an entirely separate entity and as such, requires a unique approach. Why? Because Facebook gives us so many options and avenues to visibility that we have to carefully craft a strategy for every advertisement.

What are the best ways to fully utilize Facebook strategies? How should YOUR business use them? Below are five of the most effective options that you can take advantage of when trying to market your brand.

1. Location. When we’re looking at these options, we have to ask ourselves “Who do we want to click this ad?” Obviously, the answer should correspond with who your target customer is. Does your brand appeal to customers in your hometown or all across the U.S.?

For example, the law office of Payne & Price wants to reach out to more potential clients. However, they only handle cases in Atlanta. Obviously, there wouldn’t be any point for them to pay for a national reach. People in non-relevant areas would see the ad and move on, and they would do so fast. Narrowing your geographical reach is important, especially if you are trying to appeal to a particular area.

2. Age and Gender. We have bunched these two together because many times they go hand-in-hand. Age and gender are important options that need to be specified in any campaign. Whether you know it or not, your product’s appeal has an age range. Often, it will also appeal to male or female audiences as well.

Safe Haven Nursing, an in-home caregiving facility typically for seniors, is trying to raise their brand awareness on Facebook. Their target audience is not the elders themselves, but rather their adult children. They should target the ages of 40-55 in their specified area. Since studies show that the children who make decisions about their aging parents’ healthcare are often daughters, they may also want to choose a female audience.

On the contrary, My Cali, an eager startup clothing line that is aimed at Millennials, will want to target those between 18-35 to match their desired clientele. They can also make separate ads that feature male and female apparel.

3. Life Events. Are you a wedding planner? Baby clothes retailer? Marketer for a college? This one is for you. People celebrate milestones in their life on Facebook quite often and as a result, you can offer them targets to compliment this time.

The marketing team at Hampton Ridge, a beautiful event venue in the Pocono Mountains, is trying to reach out to engaged couples looking for places to spend their special day. With Facebook marketing, they can target couples in the area who have been engaged for 3 months and 6 months. They won’t bother with those who have been engaged for over 12 months because those couples are typically ready to walk down the aisle. With Facebook advertising, you can be that specific.

4. Income. To be frank, what is the sense of marketing to a crowd that can’t afford your product? Or, you may want to reach out to a more or less wealthy clientele. Either way, you have the ability to target those in a specific financial bracket or those with a particular household income.

The folks at Everclean Housekeeping were tired of being rejected after giving quotes for their services. Instead of lowering their rates, they decided to use Facebook marketing to target those with incomes $100K or above. They quickly saw a different demographic start calling in, and business improved.

5. Interests and Values. When I say interests, I don’t necessarily mean you should target people who like to play basketball or go hiking (although you could do that). Facebook has the ability to look at the Pages people have liked as well as tap into their profile information so users see promotional content they are actually interested in.

This goes beyond hobbies or passions. Perhaps your product appeals to a more conservative or liberal audience? Maybe you want to reach out to the Christian, Jewish, or Muslim communities in your area? Or maybe you just want to promote your products to those who support your local football team. Whether it’s a personal interest or something that your target market values, it’s possible to connect with people with that shared commonality.

As you can imagine, of all of these strategies this one takes some finesse. I would suggest you take a step back and look at your “typical” customer. What do you imagine them doing or participating in when they aren’t in your business?

Banyan Tree Tutoring was trying to reach out to parents in the Chattanooga, TN area. When they began their advertising journey, they chose to add several elements from above. First, they wanted to reach those who were interested in the local schools, Facebook pages about parenting and home-owning, and local sports teams. Then, because they are considered a premium service, they chose a specific income. Next, they chose the age range of the typical parents with school children, 28-50. Finally, they decided to stick within 20 miles of the Chattanooga city limits. Through these efforts, Banyan Tree Tutoring and thousands of other businesses are drumming up more business in ways they didn’t expect.

Are you excited yet? You should be! But you need to face facts, Facebook advertising is intense. It takes time, effort, and strategy. However, once you have it down, you will have an advantage over the competition and reach an audience you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

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5 Big Brand Social Media Secrets For Small Businesses

By Christopher Tompkins

25Apr

Social Media

Earlier this week we published a blog showcasing five of today’s biggest brands and their unique approaches to social media marketing. We closely looked at how their creativity improved their relationships with their customers in the process. Today, we are going to further dive into how huge brands, ones that we all know and love, find success on social.

But before we dive into these strategies, you should know something. When we say a “big-brand approach” to social media, it is worth noting that even the smallest LLC can accomplish this kind of online traction. It’s all about strategy and positioning your brand as a viable resource online.

So how can a small business that is just finding its footing on the web increase its visibility? After all, big brands such as Burger King or Hulu already have an international reputation to utilize. How could someone like Mari Events in Allentown, PA hope to go viral? It happens every day, and here’s how.

If you want to generate big brand levels of engagement, you need a big brand approach– despite your size. Try these five suggestions and see where it takes your brand.

1. Make good original content. Go on any social media account of a major brand and you will see a steady stream of original content. High-quality pictures, videos, and copy pack a powerful punch. Do not underestimate your followers – they know good content when they see it. Make sure yours stands tall on the web.

2. Spend money to make money. Here’s the hard truth – you are going to need to invest into some social media advertising, whether it is on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The good news is that you can quickly see its impact on engagement as promoted and advertised content has the potential to reach a large number of prospective customers.

3. Come in with an attitude. What’s the voice of your brand? Whatever it is, keep it consistent. In our previous blog, we spoke about Wendy’s sarcastic, witty, and brazen voice on Twitter which not only attracts millions of followers, but it put its brand in a unique light against its several competitors. While your business may not want to adopt such a spitfire dialogue, you should create a unique approach that is all your own.

4. Understand what the people want. Take a step back and see what people respond to the most. Is it videos? Maybe Q&As? Maybe your audience is a sucker for memes? Whatever your audience responds the best to, develop it and you’ll continue to grow a following.

5. Have a soul. While all brands have the common goal of making money and creating engagement, a bit of humanity can go a lot further than a promotional post ever could. Showcase an employee, contribute to a charity, show support for the people that make your brand great.

Social media is an amazing opportunity for brands to present themselves in a professional and attractive light. If you are trying to go for the gold and reach big brand levels, try these five strategies.

We can give the big-brand treatment to your brand. Contact us today to get started!

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5 Big Brand Marketing Strategies That Broke the Internet

By Christopher Tompkins

23Apr

Business, Content Creation, Live Video, Marketing, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter

Social media itself is an innovative and cutting-edge approach to customer service. With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the other amazing social media platforms, you can build relationships and connect with customers like never before. But if you add an expert team behind your strategy, it’s a business owner’s dream.

The best part? You will be able to see very quickly if your strategy works or not. Some top brands, such as the ones we will discuss below, raised the bar in terms of social media customer engagement.

As social media marketers ourselves, our team at The Go! Agency loves these brands’ approach to social media:

1. Wendy’s. The fast food chain has become notorious for sending out hilarious Tweets, often times addressing their biggest competitor, McDonald’s. But what’s really impressive about Wendy’s online marketing is how their audience engages, and the brand follows up with their comments. Below is a great tweet that shows how Wendy’s made a customer’s day while maintaining tone and message. It may downplay one of their own rules, but as you can see my the number of retweets, comments, and likes, it was well worth it.

2. Netflix. Netflix will often create trending campaigns that are funny and relatable. These usually tend to align with trending titles that are on their streaming service like Stranger Things or a Disney title, but they have also been known to tap into subject matter that their audience really relates to. And they do it well. A great example is their Netflix cheating campaign, where they “raised awareness” of the epidemic of partners watching episodes of TV shows without their partner– a heinous offense. Not only did it hit home for a lot of their audience, it was just tongue-in-cheek enough for it to go viral for quite some time.

3. DoSomething.org. Clocking in with an astounding 811,000 Twitter followers, DoSomething.org has achieved something that not many businesses have been able to– create real conversations with the members of their audience. DoSomething.org helps activists stand up for causes they believe in. You can see in the snapshot below that they not only respond to the members of their growing community, they continue the conversation and encourage responses.

4. Apple. Apple is a little odd when it comes to social media. If you’ve ever visited their Twitter account they have never Tweeted– EVER. They will change their cover photo to the latest product imagery, but they never say a word . It’s a very odd strategy. But where they DO shine is on @AppleSupport, where they have a dedicated channel just for customer support. They respond ultra-fast and offer tips and tricks for all their devices.

5. Funko. Funko is the maker of vinyl collectibles and pop culture memorabilia.

If they didn’t utilize social media, however, they wouldn’t be able to reach the online success they have. There are two facets to their social media success– contests and Q&As.

Multiple times a day, @OriginalFunko will post contests on their Facebook and Twitter. The prize is usually one or two of their collectible Pop! figures. The only thing people have to do to enter is follow the page and RT or comment. Then, they ask the contest winners to post a pic of their prize when they receive it in the mail, and the conversation continues.

Speaking of conversations, Funko shares weekly #AskFunko sessions, in which their huge fan base can tweet questions to them. Despite getting hit with thousands of questions, the Seattle-based team does their best to answer as many as possible for at least 30 minutes straight.

These five brands are proud of their marketing strategies, and rightfully so. Each one has created communities that reach the thousands and their brand awareness is through the roof. Do yourself a favor and check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts and get ready to be inspired!

Did you know that our team at The Go! Agency, has years of experience in creating effective social media marketing strategies for our clients?

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4 Steps To Improve Twitter Customer Communication

By Christopher Tompkins

18Apr

Social Media, Twitter

We all know about Twitter by now. Public figures and celebrities are always using this amazing platform to sound out messages, for better or for worse, to the masses. But millions of brands are using Twitter to reach out to their customers through social media marketing. The best way to do this? Offer innovative customer service solutions.

A major part of any social media marketing strategy is to employ a successful customer service strategy by using the platforms billions of people prefer. One of the most popular platforms for customer service has become Twitter. In fact over 58% of small businesses are on Twitter and use it for customer service.

Here are the best ways to use Twitter for better customer communication:

1. Offer open communication

Twitter is a great way to deliver top-notch customer service in a quick and convenient fashion. If someone sends a message or mentions your brand, you need to respond and quickly. Some businesses even have a specific Twitter account just for “support” communication, which is a great service to offer your customers because they’ll know exactly where to go when they have questions. We highly recommend this method, as it will also categorize customer service and content marketing tweets separately.

2. Response

If someone tweets at your brand, you better prepare a professional response and send it out quickly. It’s important to show that you care about your customers. The best part about this is that, when paired with a customer-support-exclusive Twitter account, the answers to common questions and concerns can be publicly displayed in your feed. Of course, many people will go the “private message” route. These messages should receive a professional, friendly, and fast response as well.

3. Start the conversation

Another important way to open up Twitter to better customer service is to open the floor to open communication. Let’s face it — Twitter is all about people talking. Turn your Twitter page into a social gathering by giving people a reason to begin a conversation. Ask your audience what their favorite product is, ask for feedback about a new service, or even offer a Q&A session.

4. Go Live

As predicted, live video continues to rock social media and Twitter is no exception. When it comes to customer service, there’s nothing better than instant answers, and live video gives your customers just that. By providing answers in real time, you’re not only helping the person who asked the question, but you could also be answering questions that other people have. We’ve used this method here at The Go! Agency and have started many rewarding conversations with customers this way.

Twitter is easy to learn, but it takes time to master. With over 320 million people flying around the platform, your ideal audience is already there, waiting for your awesome customer service stupport.

Get started on Twitter today by contacting us! Our team of social media experts is here to help your business soar. Click here to learn more: http://ow.ly/PPeb30jtS06

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4 Ways To Add A Human Element To Social Media Marketing

By Christopher Tompkins

16Apr

Social Media

Here’s one of the biggest secrets of the social media marketing world — people like to speak with other people. The human element of our work is what makes it stand out from any other form of content marketing. Brands can connect with customers and build lasting, long-term relationships like never before. But how do you add a healthy dose of humanity to your content strategy?

We recently spoke with Todd, the marketing manager of a fast-growing app company. While being firmly set in the tech world, Todd had a hard time grasping social media marketing , especially when we told him the content he had been publishing lacked a bit of the human touch. These are the suggestions we offered Todd:

1. A casual tone. Yes, you want your brand to come off as professional. However, you also want your brand to have an approachable position. Your copy should be written in a way that your followers feel comfortable enough to interact with it. Ask questions, invite comments, and have some enthusiasm in your content.

2. Showcase your favorite people. Do you have great customer stories to share? Send them out and do so often! Share testimonials, reviews, and customer feedback. This will make your customers smile because it shows how much you listen to your audience.

3. Offer a “behind the scenes” look. What better way to make your organization look more human than to show the humans that run it? Speak with your employees and share their story on social media. Explore your office with Facebook Live broadcasts. Host Q&As with various different members of your staff and address your audience head-on. It’s a proven method to get people talking!

4. Chatbots. Wait, chatbots? Yes! Chatbots may seem to be the opposite of human, but if you have a well-developed chatbot, the experience will capture your brand’s tone, message, and mission ; all while seeming conversational. You can capture a human tone through your responses and push the envelope on customer service in the process.

It’s important to show the human side of your business on social media. If you try to approach this type of marketing without considering the, well, social side, you will fail to generate the right level of engagement. The good news is that if you follow the above steps, your brand will have an approachable and effective content strategy.

Click here to learn how we can help your brand perfect its tone on social media! http://ow.ly/ngnZ30jtNvO

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4 Steps To Writing A Professional “Away” Message

By Christopher Tompkins

12Apr

Copywriting

Customer service is one of the main reasons why Facebook Messenger has risen above most other messaging apps. With its connection to Facebook itself, users can contact brands on Facebook easier than ever before. But what happens when a customer sends over a message at 5:01p.m. and your team leaves at 5:00? If you have a great customer service team, you may have reps who are willing to stay a few minutes to respond to that message. But what happens if your company receives a message at 3:00 a.m.?

The best answer to this is to create an away message for your Facebook Messenger. It will automatically reply during your off hours, which you or your social media marketer can set up in Facebook’s settings. Your message should be well thought out and informative.

Here are four simple steps to take so you can create a message like this:

1. Friendly and professional tone. First, you need to set the tone. Obviously, this isn’t the message that your customers thought they would see, so make sure this surprise is positive, friendly, and professional. Apologize that you missed them, ensure that their message is important, and that you will get back to them as soon as possible.

2. Offer information. Before they become upset that you’re not at the office, make sure you include your hours of operation. This will help them gain a better understanding of your business, and also when to expect a response. Additionally, add your phone number and other basic info. This may answer their question without any further steps, but whether their question is answered or not, you should still reply when you return to the office.

3. Offer resources. You may not be able to help them in real time, but you can still be a resource. Provide a link to the F.A.Q. page on your website or links to pages that answer some common questions that your customers ask. These links should be helpful and be very easy to navigate.

4. Gratitude and a promise. The whole goal of this message is to make sure that the customer understands that their message didn’t fall down some virtual rabbit hole and itwill never be received. So making sure they feel appreciated and heard is key.

Here is an example of a well-executed auto-reply away message:

Hey [name], thank you so much for reaching out to Green Logic, LLC. Our hours of operations are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. We’re sorry we missed you today, but we assure you that we will see your message as soon we log back in! In the meantime, be sure to visit our F.A.Q. page here for some quick answers. We promise we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!

We can’t all have a team ready to respond 24/7. For those times that your office is empty and your team’s smartphones are off, an away message is important. The above steps can help you make a message that will make your customers smile.

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Tag : digital marketing