The 6 Most Effective Forms of Email Marketing

30Nov

Advertising, Content Creation, Email Marketing, Facebook, Local Marketing, Snapchat, Social Media

If the holiday season will teach you about anything, it will give you a crash course in email marketing. You most likely woke up today with dozens of ads trying to entice you to purchase an item. You might have rolled your eyes at one or two of them but chances are you actually were interested in a few of them.

Email marketing is helpful because it’s a direct punch to your audience. They have to acknowledge the email (especially if they want to get rid of that notification on their smartphone). But here’s the thing — your email has to be actually good enough for people to read it and become interested in what you’re marketing.

To win at the email marketing game (or at least get started), check out the following types of campaigns that will catch your reader’s eye:

1. Newsletters. If your brand has a lot to say, then a newsletter is a great way to share your recent news, events, and updates. Newsletters should have enticing articles about your industry and how your company is making an impact.

2. Personalized approach. You often see this type of marketing in industries that closely work alongside clients. Thanks to email marketing software, you insert their name and fashion the copy in a way that makes it sound like you’re actually talking to them- even though thousands received the same message. It can be a bit tricky, but it’s a great way to approach lead generation.

3. Sales / coupons. Widely considered the type of email marketing that has the highest click rate, coupons delivered via email will guide customers down the path of conversion quite quickly.

4. Event invitation. Do you have a big party coming up? Let everyone know via social media and reinforce your message through your email marketing. That’s the best part about email, it strengthens your other channels quite effectively.

5. Contests. There’s nothing easier than delivering a sweepstakes to someone’s inbox and in a few clicks, they have a chance to win a big prize.

6. eBooks and freebies. Offer a free piece of content through your website and social media. The only thing they have to do is enter their email and boom– free stuff digitally delivered in their inbox. Of course now they will receive everything else you send out, but that should be a good thing if they enjoyed your content.

Have you received a piece of email marketing in the timeframe it took you to read this article? If so, look at how that company takes on social media marketing and see if their angle can help out your business with the above ideas in mind.

The 7 Things Most Businesses Fail To Do On Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

26Oct

Social Media

Does your business have a social media presence? Chances are, the answer is yes. (Although if the answer is no, we need to talk.) But the real question is, do you have a GOOD social media presence? Once again, you may think the answer is yes. However, most businesses out there have quite a lot of room for improvement.

Many times we are approached by business owners who hire us to specifically clean up messes that were created unknowingly. Many times social media is delegated to interns or entry-level employees when they should be given to a qualified person or agency to execute. Social media requires a professional touch. With that in mind, here are seven of the most common things businesses fail to do on social media.

1. Interact with customers. Social media is a new form of customer communication. But what happens when your business doesn’t, well, communicate? It looks horrible when comments, reviews, or even tagging goes unanswered. Although you may have missed those notifications, it just looks like you are ignoring your audience. Hey – if the huge big box brands can do it, so can you.

2. Incorporate imagery. There should never be a piece of copy on your social media platforms that isn’t accompanied by some form of imagery, whether it be a GIF, picture, video, or something in between. You need something that will entice your audience to stop and engage with your content. Visuals are engaging.

3. Pay for advertising. The biggest misconception about social media marketing? It’s free. Sure, it’s free to sign up, but if you don’t create a budget for some well-strategized advertising, you’re going to have an issue. On Facebook alone, without advertising odds are none of your social media updates will be seen.

4. Update ALL accounts. Okay, so you’ve been doing great keeping your Facebook updated. You’ve been posting on a daily basis and even remembered your pictures. What about your Twitter? It hasn’t been updated since July? That’s a problem. Make sure you update all your accounts, even if you focus more of your attention on just one. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube and Pinterest are yearning for your attention! Oh yea, and don’t forget about your blog.

5. Update information. Did your business recently change hours? Do you have a new website? Maybe you rebranded? Make sure your social media reflects the most updated version of your business. Nothing is more shameful than wondering why you are not getting any phone calls when your phone number is wrong on every social account. And yes, I see this all the time.

6. Add informative content. To be successful on social media and stay competitive, you need to make sure that you don’t just share promo after promo. It’s a sure fire way to lose followers. Instead, incorporate content that your followers want such as articles, pro tips, recipes, quotes, freebies and more.

7. Join the community. One of the biggest goals of businesses on social media is to be seen. However, your goal should really be to be seen as an industry influencer or thought leader. You do that by interacting with others in your field, talking about hot topics and much more. Cultivate a following and engage with them regularly. Pro tip: join the global conversation by joining LinkedIn groups and really hit the ground running.

It’s easy to see how having a qualified person handling your social media marketing is important. The truth is that social media needs a team of professionals to deliver quality, creative, and analytical results. It’s up to you to find a way to make it happen, just never be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Professional agencies can help you get started much faster and will help you get results, and training, that you need to stay competitive in your marketplace.

How Creativity Can Boost A Social Media Marketing Strategy

By Dale Griffen

11Oct

Content Creation, Pinterest, SEO, Social Media

Imagine the social media landscape as a city — it most certainly has the population of one (actually a whole continent, for that matter). Just like any city, businesses both big and small are trying to get out their message in one way or another. While a real city uses billboards, posters, blimps, and sign twirlers, the social media city utilizes more effective tools such as optimized content, boosted posts, audience targeting, etc. However, similar to a marketing piece in New York or Los Angeles, your message may be lost in all the clutter and noise that surrounds it.

Do you want to get more attention? Of course you do!

Social media marketing has the ability to allow businesses of all shapes and sizes to harness the power of the internet to significantly raise brand recognition. Yet because so many people are using Facebook, Twitter, and the other platforms, it can be a challenge to truly strike it big with your audience. That’s why it is so essential to create unique content.

When we consult clients, one of the most common and significant problems I encounter is their inability to change. Thinking outside the box and generating innovative content is where the creative and analytical parts of your brain meet.

Here are a few suggestions that may help you create new, refreshing, and original posts:

1. Unique social experiences. It is social media after all. You want people to start talking! You can do this in the form of polls, quizzes, live video broadcasts, and many more innovative ways to invite your audience in to the conversation.

2. Add Video. Video works for multiple reasons. First of all, you are presenting the content in an enjoyable medium that consumers love. Secondly, most social media platforms give preference to video, especially on their mobile apps, which is where a majority of social media users go to. Finally, video allows for strategies that may prove to be undoable otherwise such as behind-the-scene tours, tutorials, and more.

3. Add new visuals with new colors. Sure, you want to stay consistent with your company’s branding, but the right graphic designer knows how to turn the pre-existing material into something new and exciting. Find a way to create new pictures, videos, live broadcasts, GIFs and more.

4. Incorporate podcasts and blogs. These two handy mediums can help you position yourself as a credible source of information in your industry through innovative forms of media. Blogging and podcasting are extremely popular methods that businesses share their story with an audience. The best part of all is that once you have the writing down for one, the other is essentially finished too.

The above four content ideas incorporate social, creative, and informational tools to allow your audience to get a new glimpse of your brand. This is the best part of social media – there are always new and exciting ways to engage your audience. Start creating today!

Creativity not your thing? No problem. At The Go! Agency, we have a team of creative copywriters, graphic designers, podcast editors, and many more professionals who are waiting to help you! Contact us today.

Why You Can’t Postpone Social Media Marketing Any Longer

By Dale Griffen

3Oct

Social Media

Autumn is such a great season. The air gets a tad cooler, football season has kicked off, and of course, pumpkin spice lattes have returned. (If you’re into that!) Yet for marketers, the coming of fall means Q4 is here, and the pressure is on in a big way.

You should have spent your summer ramping up and strategizing for the upcoming busy season. If you spent a little too much time at the beach and failed to prepare, don’t panic. You still have just enough to get started.

You may be asking why is it so important to act now? Social media isn’t going anywhere, right? Here are just a few reasons why you can’t postpone social media marketing any longer.

Your budget depends on it.

For many companies, the end of the year means restructuring budgets. Did your marketing team spend less than originally projected? Those leftover funds may cost you that same amount in 2019’s budget, thereby losing out on your chance to make your mark online in the future. To put it simply, if you don’t use it, you may lose it. On the other hand, if you’re planning your 2019 budget – have you included a social media budget? Do you know what that figure should be?

You might be wondering what exactly there is to pay for when it comes to social media marketing. After all, signing up and creating a page is free. Well because of social media’s effectivity and potential to reach your ideal audience, over 50 million other companies are already using these sites for marketing purposes. As you could imagine, some of those may be your competitors. Paid advertising options exist so you can have an advantage. Rising above in the sea of other companies on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites is essential to the success of your social media.

Additionally, your marketing efforts won’t get you very far without exceptional content. You will need stunning visuals, compelling copy, innovative video, and much more. As you can imagine, there is a cost for making the kind of content that stops your readers in their tracks and gets them interested in your brand. Whether you are spending money on material or outsourcing to a team of pros, your content deserves attention.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

The research is in. People flock to social media from mid-October to the end of January more than any other time of the year. Whether they are hunting for the best Black Friday deals or sending out their holiday wishes to friends and family, they are using the same location – social media platforms. This is why it is paramount that your business has a presence on these sites and your content is tailored to the right audience. Social media marketing can help you stand in the spotlight during this special season no matter if your target audience is down the road or all across the globe.

Get exactly what you asked for.

Every company makes their money in different ways. For example, some depend on website clicks while others require customers to visit their physical location. This is one of the most significant reasons as to why social media marketing works. Your strategy should be customized to meet exactly what your company needs. This is particularly helpful when the holiday season hits and you have sales your customers need to know about, or you have a new e-commerce site that is ready for things like the Cyber Monday rush, but you need to raise awareness. It’s up to you to choose how social media works.

End 2018 strong and begin 2019 with a bang!

I have talked to many business owners who say that a majority of their returning customers found them during the holiday rush. It may be thanks to a Black Friday doorbuster, a Small Business Saturday sale (yes, that exists, and social media has made it huge!), or a gift from a loved one that brought their attention to the brand, a lot of customers choose new companies to stick with for the new year. This is why raising brand awareness and online visibility cannot be overlooked during these following months.

Are you ready?

Social media marketing will help legitimize your brand and get people talking about your business online. There’s never a better time for it than the busiest season. Everyone is buzzing about, make sure your company isn’t left in the stone age!

Who Is On Your Social Media Marketing Team?

By Christopher Tompkins

Copy of Go! Blog Image Templates (900x350) (23)

25Jul

Social Media

When you are trying to market your business online, you are going to need some help. If you are reading this, you probably already know that. But in this instance, I do not necessarily mean advice on how to strategize or formulate your content. Instead, I am talking about members of your team.

A well-equipped social media marketing has a wide range of technically-minded workers and creatives that contribute to the overall goal of brand awareness, branding excellence, and online recognition. The following professionals should be members of your marketing team. You may find that some people will be able to don multiple hats and handle more than one of these responsibilities. However, I would not recommend only one employee handling all of this alone. As you will see, there’s quite a lot to do.

1. Manager. A social media manager is the heart and soul of a marketing campaign. These professionals post content at the appropriate time, watch current trends and guide creatives towards the right angle, and ensures everything is running smoothly. They optimize a company’s profiles on the separate platforms and does their best to raise engagement levels as high as possible.

2. Copywriter. The copywriters are in charge of the written portion of content creation. They write social media posts, blogs, Facebook notes, advertisement copy, and much more. These writers have a responsibility to keep the company’s voice consistent and to utilize visibility tools such as SEO, hashtags, Twitter handles, and more to ensure that they spread the word.

3. Graphic Designer. A graphic designer or visual artist is essential so all pictures, videos, GIFs, logos, cover images, and all forms of non-verbal branding is professional and consistent. You need to have a recognizable and unique look that speaks volumes about your company’s culture, message, work, and mission. A designer will be able to create original content on a regular basis and make sure it’s quality meets the expectation of your customer base.

4. Customer Service Representative. Speaking of customers, you will need a friendly, knowledgeable, and professional representative to speak to your followers. Whether they send you a message via Facebook’s Messenger app or shout at your brand through a tweet or two, they deserve a well-planned response. Customer service and communication are huge aspects of social media marketing, as more and more people are using these platform as avenues to get their queries answered.

5. Analyst. What is working and what isn’t? What content really struck a chord with your online audience? What advertisements are working? What demographics should you focus on? All of these questions and many, many more can be answered by an experienced social media analyst. This is where all-important data comes into play and can steer your other employees in the right direction.

6. Spy. Of course you don’t have an actual secret agent on your social media marketing team (although it would be pretty cool if you did). But you need someone to see what your competition is doing online. Do they have a larger following than you do? Is their content better? Or are you winning? Chances are, this essential responsibility will fall on your analyst or manager.

Who is on your social media team? Are they trained in the ways of social media and ready to take on anything the internet can throw at them?

How To Avoid Writing Clickbait

By Christopher Tompkins

26Apr

Content Creation, Copywriting, Marketing, Social Media

Ah, clickbait. We’ve all seen it, whether it’s part of an online marketing campaign or simply a scam lurking around the web. Most of us have fallen for its trap at least once. If you’re unfamiliar with the term clickbait, you’ve still experienced the practice without even knowing it. It’s essentially social media posts, news article headlines, and online advertisements, that entice the reader to click to learn more information. However, it’s often a veil for low-quality content. If you’re a social media copywriter, it’s a frowned upon practice that needs to be avoided at all costs.

The reason clickbait has such a stigma in the world of copywriting is that it’s disingenuous and frankly, a cheap trick to get engagement. It’s a way to get your audience’s attention and get some interaction with your profile or site, and while that sounds ideal for an online marketer, it makes your brand look illegitimate in the process.

Here are the top 3 signs that a piece of writing is clickbait. Are you copywriters guilty of them?

1. The Answer Lies Within

“You will never believe what Apple has in store for the new iPhone! Click here to find out.”

Yes, marketers want people to click and interact with their content. But the above example has no substance or “take away.” It’s simply a way to get people to visit your site for the answer. Often times, blogs and companies won’t even have the answer to the question they pose. They will instead utilize the keywords of a trending top, like “Apple” and “new iPhone” and extort it for clicks. While you should always try to incorporate appropriate trending topics, this kind of approach isn’t the best.

2. Explosive Vocabulary

“You’re MISSING OUT on this UNBELIEVABLE sale!”

One of the first rules of sales writing is to use strong verbiage – which makes complete sense if you want to present your brand or product in an appealing light. However, if you use words of such exaggerated magnitude that it looks like you’re a used car salesperson, then you’re going to look like a scam artist very quickly. When you use words like “unbelievable”, “amazing”, and “once in a lifetime”, you’re almost setting your brand up for failure because you’re putting it on a pedestal.

3. Unnecessary Suspense

“THIS is what happens if you don’t have your computer files backed up!”

If a cyber security company created a piece of content with the above sentence, they might get a few clicks from interested viewers. However, instead of luring readers to your website, simply present ideas, facts, and honestly up front. Your writing represents your brand’s code of ethics and as such, transparency is key.

While it’s true that clickbait has the power to create short bursts of engagement, your company will suffer from this type of marketing in the long run for the following reasons:

Overuse of these tactics will cause your audience to be annoyed and regular customers to question your legitimacy. Would a huge, established company use this type of advertising? Most likely not. Then neither should you!
Your bounce rate will go up. A lot of
clickbaitwill either lead viewers to an irrelevant website, or it will drag the reader down a rabbit hole of sketchy sites until they finally, maybe, get to the article, which will no doubt be riddled with ads and hard to navigate. Because of this, people will spend a VERY short amount of time on your website and then leave. As a result, SEO and social media efforts will suffer.
Clickbait has a tendency to attract the wrong audience. This is particularly the case if you “highjack” a trending topic on social media and try to take advantage of it by shoehorning your own content around it. Subtle, powerful, and clear writing is always the way to go.

To the core of every social media and online marketing strategy is writing. Make sure yours is worth reading and clicking! Even though a short and powerful burst brought on by clickbait may be enticing, clickbait will only hurt your marking efforts in the long run because it has a high chance of annoying and turning away customers who will actually turn into conversions.

Your brand deserves effective and professional copy. Contact us today to see what our copywriters can do for you!

Should My Business Use A Website Template Site Or Create A Custom Website?

By Christopher Tompkins

19Apr

Local Marketing, Marketing, Website Design

We’ve all seen the commercials for those websites that allow a business owner to make a website with just a few clicks of the button. They’re tempting, I know. Some of them even offer the whole service for free. It seems almost too good to be true right? Well, no surprise, those websites may not have the ability to perform in the same way a custom site can.

At The Go! Agency, we work with plenty of business owners who also saw those commercials and wonder “Why would I bother getting a custom-built site when I can get a free one?” As experts in this field, we can’t emphasize enough “You get what you pay for” enough. Here’s why:

1. “Free” isn’t free.

Many of these websites offer a free website. But the problem is that the “free version” is so extremely limited that you might as well not have any site at all. For example, if Ray’s AC Repair went with a free website and didn’t pay for a premium domain, it could be rayacrepair.freewebsiteco.com. Try fitting that on a business card! As you can see, that’s not only difficult for a customer to remember, it looks extremely unprofessional. Beyond domain names, these sites will continue to nickel and dime users by depriving them of necessary tools, features, and designs that are needed to have a decent site. By the end, users end up paying a ton of money for a subpar product.

2. Cookie Cutter Syndrome.

Free websites give companies what we call “Cookie Cutter Syndrome.” To be frank, it’s pretty obvious when a company uses one of these templates. There are common and boring designs you can find all over the internet. A customer may not notice, but the cookie cutter syndrome goes beyond a bland website. Many of these websites function the same and as a result, lack customization options. They lack features such as specialized e-commerce options, customer communications, and user interactions.

3. They work. Sort of.

When we create a website for a client, they get our full support. If something happens, we take care of it — period. We have the ability to go into our websites and fix any problem that may come up. With a template-based company, you will have to contact a tech support agent and hope they can fix it when they get the chance. These websites have a tendency to break more often because of their poor coding and interface.

4. Sure, the website is cheap, but so is the security.

The biggest problem of all with these “template” sites is their shoddy security. As you might guess, this is a huge deal. If your website’s security is compromised, so is your company’s private information. Needless to say, website security is not something you should be cheap with.

Are you looking to create a real website for your business? Contact us! We would be glad to build you a secure, professional, and fully-customized website that your customers will flock to!

At the Drawing Board: Deciding on a Marketing Strategy

By Christopher Tompkins

12Apr

Facebook, Facebook Advertising, Marketing

In our last post in the At the Drawing Board series, I discussed the very first stages of one of our marketing campaigns. Myself, Chris (our CEO) and Dale (our VP) met to discuss a goal for our campaign. In the end, we decided we wanted to promote our Facebook Ads service as we believe it’s something we excel at.

During the meeting, I took down all of our ideas and later tried to form them into a concrete plan.

To do this, I first wrote down:

The goal for our campaign. What we wanted from it. This we settled on as bringing more clients in for Facebook Ads Consultancy.
Who our campaign was going to be targeted to. In this case, local businesses seemed a good starting point as they would most benefit from using Facebook Ads.
How people would find out about our campaign. Such as on social media, through our emails or (mainly) through running Facebook Ads.
What options we had for turning potential clients into actual clients. Our blog, social media, email marketing and customer service.

Once these were written down, we could easily form a small funnel to visualize the bare bones of our campaign.

At the top of our funnel, people would become aware of us and our services. From there they would become a prospective client, which would eventually turn into a consultation.

Creating this diagram allowed us to think more about how we would turn people aware of our service into clients.

We already knew our first step, where we made people aware of our service would be done through the use of Facebook Ads. But how would we turn people that had seen our ads into clients?

Possible options were:

Create a drip fed email marketing campaign that would send emails automatically to people on a mailing list to build their trust, before pitching our services to them in an email.
Capture phone numbers of potential customers and call them up to work out whether they could use our services.
Pass people on to our website or social media in the hope they’ll start to follow us and eventually decide to use our services.
Capture physical addresses and send them marketing materials through the mail.

Chris and I decided a drip fed email campaign would be the best option, as it would mostly run itself once set up, it would keep us in contact with people in our sales funnel and allow us to market to them. This allowed us to change our diagram:

With this diagram in place, we had a strategy that we could work on, and our campaign was starting to take shape. This gave us some tasks that we would need to do next:

Think up a Facebook Ads campaign that allowed us to collect the email address of people interested in our service.
Write and create an email marketing campaign based around our theme of Facebook Ads consultation.
Plan a timeline for our campaign showing us when it would start and when the content would need to be created for.

In my next post, I’ll discuss the first stage of our funnel, the Facebook Ads campaign. How we expanded on our ideas to create something more substantial. Meeting with our Copywriters and Social Media Managers for input to create a campaign map.

5 Simple Steps For Attracting A Crowd On Twitter

By Christopher Tompkins

Copy of Go! Blog Image Templates (900x350) (22)

11Apr

Copywriting, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter

Twitter finds itself in the news a lot thanks to its reach and popularity. It seems anyone and everyone has an account and sends out ideas, opinions, sales, and visuals. From pop star celebrities to law firms, everyone has a place on Twitter.

But what about your company? Are you reaching new customers through Twitter?

How does your business use Twitter? What content does it tweet? When does it send out content? All of these questions are essential to your marketing strategy. Are you unable to answer any of these questions? Then we have some work to do.

Twitter is both a tool for content marketing and customer communication. How can your brand use it to reach new audiences and a broader reach? Follows these simple five steps that the biggest companies are already using.

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.

2. Promotions

Have a BOGO deal you want to tell people about? Maybe a holiday special? Get people talking about your business with the most traditional advertising content available – the good old sale. Twitter recently explained that “discount by the percentage” is the best way to push a sale on their site. We couldn’t agree more — it’s compact, simple, and gets people to take action quickly. “25% off all Easter supplies!” gets the message across in as little characters as possible, so change your promotions strategy accordingly.

3. Start the conversation

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.

4. Freebies

Marketers can never overestimate the power of “free.” There are multiple ways to give your followers something free. The two most effective ways are giveaways and free downloads.

To enter a giveaway, most companies ask customers to follow and retweet the post so their reach will expand in the process. A free download is usually an ebook or another form of informational media. Don’t think your industry is “ebook” worthy? Challenge accepted! Any industry can benefit from having an ebook in their marketing arsenal no matter their industry. Offering some good, free info is an excellent opportunity to gain your customers’ trust.

5. Go Live

As predicted, 2017 is turning out to be the year of live video. Twitter is no exception. But what does your brand have to show off on live video? Broadcast live feed to your followers and offer a behind-the-scenes look at your business, offer industry-related advice through a unique version of a Q&A, or even incorporate some of the above ideas like freebies and reveal the winner of a giveaway. Many businesses are already making live video a regular addition to their Twitter content.

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 content.

Get started on Twitter today by contacting us! Our team of social media experts is here to help your business soar.

At The Drawing Board: A New Facebook Ads Campaign

By Christopher Tompkins

Copy of Go! Blog Image Templates (900x350) (20)

5Apr

Advertising, Facebook, Social Media

Here at The Go! Agency, we’re experts in digital marketing. But the ironic thing is, we don’t do nearly enough marketing for ourselves.

I know, shocker.

We’ve got a good reputation with our clients, so new business arrives via word of mouth. Many people love us, so much that they want to share us with their friends and business connections! So far it’s been working out perfect for us.

Yet, we know how powerful Facebook Advertising can be, so we’d be crazy not to use it ourselves. Which is what we plan to do soon.

“Okay, why exactly are you telling me this?” is probably what you’re now thinking.

Well, we thought this would be a great opportunity for us to illustrate to our customers just what we do for them. While also helping those of you out there who are just starting out in Facebook Advertising make sense of the confusing landscape.

For that reason, we’ve decided to give you a “behind the scenes” look into our Facebook Ads Campaign. Taking you from our first meeting, where we set goals for the campaign. Through brainstorming different copy and ad ideas. To finally showing how our campaigns are created and implemented.

Before we get started though, I’d first like to introduce myself. My name is Daniel, and I’m the Marketing Assistant here at The Go! Agency. I help our CEO (Christopher) to implement our marketing strategy. Something you’ll find out about in the next section.

Our Monthly Marketing Meeting

Each month, on the 15th of the month, myself (Dan, the Marketing Assistant) Christopher (our CEO and Marketing Director) and Dale (our VP and Networking Maestro) meet up to discuss our marketing goals for the next month as well as how we’ve progressed from the previous month.

The meeting is important because each of us can give input from our point of view:

Christopher, as our Head of Marketing, has over 15 years of experience in digital marketing and has the expertise needed to help shape our marketing campaigns. At the same time, he is involved with most of our clients on setting up their projects, so knows what works and what doesn’t.
Dale, on the other hand, as our VP has an insight into our entire business as a whole. He can see where holes might form in our marketing processes and what might prevent them from being successful. He connects to our potential customers on a daily basis so knows what makes them tick.
Then there’s me, Dan. As the Marketing Assistant, I help to pull together all the brilliant ideas we have and try to make them a reality. I organize and create our marketing materials, working with other members of our agency to create content and ensure the content all works together.

Setting Goals

To begin our monthly marketing meeting, we go through our analytics from the previous month. This allows us to see what areas need improvement as well as giving us a chance to pat ourselves on the back for things we’ve done well.

This feeds into the next section of our meeting where we choose goals for the next month along with discussing where we’d like our marketing efforts to be focused.

If we’re not bringing in enough leads, do we need to create a campaign that will create more for us? If we’re offering a new service, should we focus on bringing in more business for that? Or do we think it’s worthwhile focusing the next month on driving specific types of business towards us?

Only through experience of the business and its direction can those questions be answered, which is why Dale and Chris’ presence at the meeting is so important. From their day to day running of the business, they already have a holistic view of everything, so have in mind what needs improvement.

Choosing a Focus

In March’s meeting, we decided we wanted to focus our attention for the next month on offering Facebook Ads as a full service. In the past, much of the focus of our agency has been on social media with Facebook Ads as an addendum to that. However many new clients are interested in what Facebook Ads can do for them.

But with Facebook Ads getting more popular, we want to build it up as another service option for clients and of course, potential clients too! (If you’re interested in finding out more about our Facebook Ads services, click here.)

With a goal decided on for the next month, we then spent the rest of the meeting discussing potential options for meeting our goal. Including how we would create a campaign around that goal using our various channels (social media, Facebook Ads, email marketing, our podcast, etc.)

This is basically a bit of a brainstorm session where I note down every idea we have, so I can later create a more coherent plan from them.

The most important thing we take away from our meeting is a goal. The meeting is just the first step for us in forming a marketing campaign.

In my next behind-the-scenes post, I’ll discuss our next step. Where Christopher and I pin down what exactly we want from our campaign and how we plan to implement it.