A New Business’s Guide to SEO Success

A New Business’s Guide to SEO Success

Search engine optimization (SEO) is not a new tactic anymore. Indeed, companies and organizations have been looking for ways to improve their visibility on search engines for over twenty years now. Yet, that doesn’t mean achieving SEO success is easy today. The reality is that the digital landscape is more crowded and competitive than ever. With that in mind, here are four tips that all new business owners should keep in mind when rolling out a new SEO plan:

Identify Relevant Keywords

Though search engines have become more sophisticated with time, keywords still play a massive role in determining user intent and query results. As such, companies need to understand which keywords resonate with their audience. Some may be obvious; others, though, may be specific to an industry. There’s a big difference between regular plastic barricades and jersey barricades, for instance. That’s why conducting in-depth keyword research is essential to eventual SEO progress.

Create Compelling Content

There is no substitute for quality content. At the end of the day, companies that enjoy high rankings on search engine results pages have lots of excellent content on their site. Note, this includes, but is not limited to, blog posts. Yes, blog posts are still a mainstay of most SEO-based strategies. But there’s also something to be said for product or service pages that contain lots of useful information. Also, pillar pages can be an effective way to consolidate a single page around several pertinent keywords.

Expand Your Reach

SEO is all about visibility. Still, boosting your own site with on-site SEO methods isn’t the only way to attract more visitors to your company. On the contrary, writing guest posts on sites related to yours can help expand your message and allow it to reach new people. Picking up quality backlinks from respected websites in your field is one of the most efficient ways to propel your site up search-engine rankings. Just be careful not to engage in any black-hat SEO tactics if you pursue a link-building program.

Stay Patient

Choosing a path forward for a new business can be a complex decision. Sometimes, a business leader may not be certain about how to go about implementing an SEO strategy –– or if they should forego SEO entirely in favor of practices like paid advertising. However, it’s important to remember that SEO tactics are a part of a long-term strategy. It might be months before the full effects of SEO efforts are seen or appreciated. So don’t be concerned or discouraged by disappointing returns during the first few weeks of a new SEO strategy. Patience is a virtue that will serve you well here.

The Benefits Which Your Business Can Count On After Implementing SEO

The Benefits Which Your Business Can Count On After Implementing SEO

If you are looking at taking your business to the next level then digital marketing is very much the way forward and through a strategy such as SEO you will be able to reach whichever goals you have for your company’s success. I have long been a fan of digital marketing for my online business but it wasn’t until I invested with LDSeoSydney, that I unlocked the power and capability of a smart optimization campaign, and I have been reaping the rewards ever since.

If you aren’t aware, SEO stands for search engine optimization and it is a strategy which helps customers to find your business organically by bumping your business up the search rankings for keywords which pertain to your business. I wanted to talk to you a little today about just some of the benefits which you can count on after implementing a successful SEO campaign.

Brand Growth

For many business owners simply making more money year on year is not enough and these men and women are in fact looking to create a strong brand. We can see by looking at customer trends over the last decade that loyalty to brands is hard to come by and in order to gain true loyalty and success as a result, a strong brand image must be created. SEO greatly helps in promoting you as a brand as well as a business and thanks to the additional exposure you will have, you can count on more and more consumers knowing who you are and what you are about.

The Competition

Regardless of whether you have a business on the high street or online, and regardless of which industry or sector it falls into, you will have competition. When it comes to SEO, if your competition are investing in this and you are not then you will be handing them the chance to eat up more market share, if they are not investing in it then this presents you with the perfect opportunity to grab that share of the market for yourself. Whether keeping up with the competition or stepping ahead of them, search engine optimization is the perfect approach for both.

Profits

The number one reason why any of us invest in marketing for our company is of course to increase sales, something which SEO has been proven to do time and time again. Search engine optimization will increase visibility of your business when consumers are searching for a product or service like yours, not only does SEO help to bring people to your business rather than reaching out for them. You can also count on these customers having already committed to making a purchase, as they will have showed intent from the outset when they hit the search engine. Organic leads which ultimately result in a chance of purchase and increased loyalty for the future, this is what you can count on with a smart SEO strategy.

There are many other benefits of this kind of marketing including the high return on investment which you can count on, to take your business to the next level, search engine optimization is where you should be looking.

10 Metrics Every Email Marketer Needs To Track

10 Metrics Every Email Marketer Needs To Track

 

When it comes to marketing and advertising it can be a daunting task to find the perfect way to make sure you get to your target audience. Between taking out ads on various websites, billboards and TV commercials all the way to email marketing, how do you know which is the best for you and your business? Did you know that less and less people are watching TV today, and even fewer pay attention to billboard ads? This makes email marketing a great idea when targeting specific customer bases. But which metrics will help identify the success of a campaign? Here are ten metrics every email marketer needs to track.

Email Open Rate

This is key to know just how many people bother to open your email and take a look at it. There’s no point sending an email to someone who won’t read it, right?

Click Through Rate

This measures how many people actually click on the links in the email and follow the links to services or products. Key to know so you know the marketing is working.

Bounce Rate

This is a metric to look out for to ensure that emails are being sent to “live” addresses. After all, there’s no point emailing addresses that are no longer in use!

Conversions

This metric measures the amount of people who clicked links and followed through with an action laid out in the email – either signing up for something, purchasing an item or service, etc.

Unsubscribers

This metric will show you the people who unsubscribed to your email marketing campaign. Key to understand its impact on potential customers as well as the relevance to your email list.

Forwards/Shares

This is a metric that can help you get an idea of potential word of mouth shares/new customers.

Spam Reporting

This, like unsubscribers and forwards/shares shows you the level of email addresses which are reporting your campaign as spam. This helps remove those emails which may not realise they’re subscribed. After all, you don’t want to continue sending mail to uninterested parties.

Return On Investment

Return on investment helps track how many conversions (ie: Sales) you had through a campaign to determine if you managed to break even or make a profit off the cost of the campaign.

Engagement Over Time

This metric will help you determine if your email list is reading your emails, understanding your services and products and ultimately purchasing them. Engagement is key to creating high conversions and keeping your customer base relevant and interested. So there you have several key metrics that are important to know about when creating email marketing campaigns and why they’re important to track. Good luck!

BUSINESS 101 – TRADE SHOW POP-UPS

BUSINESS 101 – TRADE SHOW POP-UPS

What can be done with some bright graphics and crisp photos that demand attention. It’ll make your customers run for that product. It can give you the power to recapture the attention of people who passes by and bring them back when they’re ready to buy. In short, they help you in keeping your brand in front of your customers.

Trade shows are all about capturing attention, drawing foot traffic and making impressions that turn those in attendance into clients and customers. Trade show displays typically include a header graphic with your logo and tag line, and several supporting graphics to showcase your products and services emphasizing the features that differentiate your offering. You can get a complete portable trade show display booth created, produce pop up booth graphics for your existing display, or provide accessories like banner stands and easel signs.

Here are some trade show display exhibiting options to choose from which will help you in making your next event a huge success.

  • Tension Fabric Displays

This consist of knit-polyester graphic sheets that wrap around and zip shut over metal frames, which can be assembled and disassembled in a few easy steps. They’re easy to clean, fold and carry, and they’re inexpensive to replace or modify.

  • Modular Truss Exhibits

The modern, striking, state-of-the-art appearance of the modular truss style of trade show displays is popular among vendors who wish to stand out on the floor at trade show events. It can be set up quickly and easily by hand. Any type of display can be assembled with simple twist-and-lock motions — no tools are needed.

  • Pop Up Displays

A collapsible set of panels that can be propped as one of the lighter weight display types, the pop can easily be carted around, set up at trade shows and other public events. It comes up with bold graphics and logos that are designed to boost brand recognition among trade show attendees.

  • Banner Stands

Everything you need consists of roughly the same weight and travel space as a poster tube. The concept behind banner stands is one of compactness, where the graphic sheets roll out from a tube and hang by a stand, then roll back in to be transported to the next event.

  • Flags display

Flags are another option suited for the outdoors, particularly among vendors who prefer to make things simple yet eye-catching. You can have a line of flag displays produced in the different shapes.

  • Hanging Displays

Displays that hang from above like chandeliers or overhead lights. Made from extruded aluminum and available in a variety of shapes, hanging displays present the colors, symbols and logos most prominently.

Watch your bottom line grow

Trade show displays don’t end with the contents of a given kit. Since, numerous things can be added from the above list to make a hybrid that makes your display even more alluring to consumers and investors. Ergo, pull in your best-selling products and generate thousands of different ad sizes that display across the fair. This will recapture lost sales in the background, while you focus on other parts of your business.

4 Tips for Making the Perfect Whiteboard Animation Video Your Business Needs

4 Tips for Making the Perfect Whiteboard Animation Video Your Business Needs

We all have an important message we want other people to hear.

It might be a product or service your company provides. Or a bit of content you feel is particularly awesome and wish more people would engage with. Maybe it is simply a cause, one that you feel passionate about and want to bring awareness to.

Whatever your message is, you probably already know that whiteboard animation is the ideal way to convey it effectively. Otherwise, why would you be reading tips on how to do it right?

So, instead of boring you with the details of why they are so compelling, let’s dive right into it and inspect 4 essential bases you need to cover to make that amazing whiteboard animation video your business needs.

1 – The Script

Before we start, let me just say that this subject can get really complex, very quickly. And others have already covered it in greater detail than I can allow myself in this brief piece.

So, instead of just echoing, I would rather give you a useful checklist. A recipe, if you will, of all the marks you should be aiming to hit when working on your video’s script. Keep in mind that the script is where it all starts. It works as the skeleton for the whole project. Fudge the script, and the rest falls apart.

Take your time, and make sure the script is top-notch before moving on to later stages of the process.

Now, onto that recipe:

  • Structured:Whether we’re talking Citizen Kane, or Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, most stories can be analyzed under the three-act structure prism. Design your script in a way that covers the “What” at the beginning, that is, the issue you are addressing. Then move on to the “How”, which is the way your product/content relates to that issue. And finally, cover the “Why” they should choose your brand above all the others tugging at their attention.
  • Short: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” The shorter your video is while still conveying your message, the more effective it’ll be. For marketing content, any script requiring more than three minutes to play might be too long.
  • Clear: Avoid making much ado about nothing. Make sure whatever content remains in your script is absolutely essential for your message to get across. Cut out anything that doesn’t fall into this category.
  • Purposeful: Lastly, as you work on your script keep in mind what you want your audience to do once the video is over. Strong reasons make strong actions, so make sure to craft a powerful Call-to-action by its end to increase the likelihood of the outcome you are after.

Keep these four aspects in mind as you develop your video’s script and you’ll have no problems moving on to stage two, the storyboard.

2 – The Storyboard

If the script represents the skeleton of your whiteboard animation video, the storyboard represents its soul. It takes the content you’ve refined on your script and elevates it.

These types of videos work as marketing tools because they make complex subjects rather approachable, and a lot of that starts with the storyboard.

Effectively using the clean, cartoony-style graphics that have come to be synonymous with this type of content is essential for a good video. The storyboard is where you experiment to get them right.

The goal of the storyboard is to create a sort of comic strip detailing the graphics you are going to flesh out as your video’s visual content. It forms the basis of your visual guideline for later on.

Now, this type of animation has a few conventions that should be kept in mind as you work on your storyboard. The whole appeal of whiteboard videos is to give the sense that someone is drawing the graphics as they tell you the story, so digital panning and transitions should be used sparingly at the most.

The imagery content is paramount, as you need pictures that both, illustrate the script content as well as entertain visually.

Lastly, try to condense camera actions, drawing animation details, and the script in single unit blocks so the whole thing is easy to follow and understand. Making the whole process easier later.

Once you have the perfect script and its refined storyboard, you have the two most important elements to create that animation. However, before you leave, I’d also like to briefly touch upon two other elements that can turn a good animation video, into an amazing one.

3 – The Viewer

Whether you want to showcase a new product, or simply explain a complex service your company provides, the ultimate goal of a whiteboard animation explainer video is to convert viewers.

Maybe you want them to follow your brand on social media, subscribe to a channel, or lead them to your online content. Whatever it is you’re after, knowing who your target audience is, and understanding what they want is essential to get the results you want.

Sit down and work on a short profile for your ideal viewer/customer.

Try to get a sense of who they are and don’t limit yourself as you describe them. Age, demographics, education, income, location, preferences, hobbies, etc. Don’t be afraid to get too specific here.

The idea is that you build a fairly clear picture of the type of customer you are after, and let that imaginary person inform the rest of the process.

Use that customer profile as you work on your script’s word choice, on your storyboard imagery and on your animations selections. It will synergize with other elements and take the final product from great, to amazingly effective.

4 – The Length

Lastly, let’s talk about length.

It is definitely one of the most prominent FAQs I see in the industry. After all, even though you might not know the right length for your type of video, everyone knows that length can make or break any type of content.

Spend five minutes on the internet looking up the subject and you’ll encounter a lot of – fairly varied, sometimes contradicting – information. Some suggest 2 minutes, others, 30 seconds. Some focus on the first 8 to 15 seconds, citing is where you convince the viewers to see the whole thing.

As much as I’d like to give you a definitive answer, the truth is there isn’t one. It really depends on a variety of factors. From the type of viewer you’re after, to the type of information you want to showcase.

Now, even though I can’t give you a definitive answer, I can certainly give you a few guidelines that will make choosing the length of your video a lot easier:

  • No matter what, whiteboard animation videos work best under 3 minutes in length.
  • If you are after social media shares, brand awareness buildup, and your topic is simple to understand, 30-second videos are ideal.
  • For more involved narratives, entertaining explanations, and higher chances of keeping the viewer watching till the end, anywhere under 90 seconds should do it.
  • For those business ideas that are more complex, need to cover in-depth features, and are mainly informative in nature, it’s ok to go over 90 seconds.

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into making that perfect whiteboard animation video your company wants. But following the points detailed here makes the whole process much more manageable and effective.

Keep in mind that the quality of your video directly reflects that of your product and brand, and there are plenty of professional video production companies online that can take care of the process for you to ensure a flawless result. Allowing you to focus on steering the project’s general direction and quality, without getting bogged down by the details.

Whatever route you take, rest assured that these types of videos are the ideal way to convey information to your audience, and you chose well by going with them.

4 Ways Social Media Can Help Your Business

4 Ways Social Media Can Help Your Business

Source

Social media platforms are big business, and when you have people like President Trump with many millions of followers on Twitter, it is not likely that its use will diminish in the foreseeable future. Facebook has passed 2 billion active users, and LinkedIn has over 380,000 professional users. That is without all the other social media platforms such as Instagram, WeChat, YouTube and Pinterest.

Businesses cannot afford to ignore social media any longer, but it needs to be handled carefully for them to feel the benefit.

Getting Your Brand Known

Social media is a great way to get your brand name known. As long as you do not bombard people with lots of written content about your products, they will see your name again and again. Images and videos are better because users are more likely to stop and look at them rather than just scroll past. Also, you should interact with people. That is how you will build up a following, and then every time you like a post or comment on one, your brand name will show.

Turning Views into Conversions

The way the human mind works, generally if they want to buy something it will be from a friend rather than a stranger. You may be a Facebook friend, but that doesn’t matter. If you sell a product they want, a friend is a friend and they are more likely to buy from you than a competitor. It is good to have a ‘View Site” button on your social media page, so that they very easily can move to your website to see the whole range of products you sell. This can be particularly useful is there is news you want to tell on your blog, either about the industry you are in or perhaps some new laws that will affect your products.

Creating a Good Customer Service

No business wants to have to man a customer service desk that is open 24 hours a day, but with social media that is exactly what you have. People can write good comments, complain or ask queries any time of day or night. Replying with positive answers is the key because then you will build trust with the viewers following the thread.

Even if someone is not saying good things about your product, there is always some way of you reacting in a positive manner. In fact, a positive reply to a bad post can do wonders for your credibility.

Analytics

If you advertise on TV, radio or in print, you have no real way of knowing how many people have seen it. With social media, there are analytical tools that can record for you who has seen what, the times of day your posts were viewed and lots of other information that can help you to target the right audience.

These are just 4 of the many ways that social media can help your business. Having an online presence is vital for all businesses to succeed, and social media platforms are a brilliant way of achieving that goal.

4 Methods to Make Your Business Website Stand Out

4 Methods to Make Your Business Website Stand Out

Some people call it the “it factor”: the idea that the most compelling people, places, and things have an ineffable charm and an intrinsic quality that simply can’t be recreated. Unfortunately, there’s no way to measure, collate, analyze, or reproduce “it” –– whatever “it” is. However, in the world of business, professionals need to deal with tangibles; they have no use for fanciful musings or unsupported theories. Instead, when designing a professional website, business owners should have a well-developed plan on how they’re going to separate themselves from the competition. To that end, here are four concrete ways to make your company’s website stand out from the pack:

Make Everything Easy

This shouldn’t come as a revelation: customers love convenience. So when you’re creating your website you should work to ensure that everything about it is intuitive and easy to understand. You don’t want your leads struggling to find products or services buried deep within your website. Furthermore, streamline your online store to promote easy use and mitigate against consumers exiting your site at the last possible second.

Avoid Gimmicks

Websites that utilize gimmicks and give into fads just look tacky and unprofessional. Remember that it’s okay show some personality and be lighthearted, but at the end of the day your website should focus on serving your customers. If you’re sacrificing functionality for something inessential, then rethink your priorities.

Optimize Products and Services

Companies that don’t bother writing appropriate headlines and meta descriptions for their website are always going to struggle to make progress in a crowded marketplace. Rather than sticking with the generic back-end settings, give proper weight to keywords and phrases that actually explain what you do –– and label your pages accordingly. Chances are people on search engines will go looking for specific products and services, instead of your company’s moniker. Note that whatever it is your company specializes in –– from vintage guitars to doctor loans –– your emphasis should first and foremost be on the product or service you provide. 

Use Original Visuals

Companies that use original visuals tend to stand out more than those that stick to stock images or videos. When used on your site or on social media, visuals can tell a story and help build trust with your brand. In addition to photos, the use of visuals like custom infographics, gifs, or animations will really set you apart. If you are serious about your branding, there is nothing more effective for storytelling than video. Learn about video production processes and formulate your own story that you can use to help sell products, establish your brand, or showcase customer testimonials, all on your website.

Answer Tough Questions

Consumers value a website that provides valuable insight. Plain and simple, if you’re able to deliver cogent content consistently, you’ll likely attract qualified leads to your site. Pertinent and timely blogs, smart videos, and the occasional guest post will go a long way toward helping differentiate your site from the competition. Don’t flatter to deceive on your site; rather, get down to brass tacks and give your visitors the information they’re looking for. Odds are, you’ll see the rewards of that effort sooner rather than later.

Joe Cianciotto – Just a Few Reasons Why You Must Invest in Online Marketing

Joe Cianciotto – Just a Few Reasons Why You Must Invest in Online Marketing

As someone who works with many businesses, especially those that fall under the SME umbrella, I am always astounded to learn that owners do not have some kind of digital marketing strategy in place. My job in this situation is to motivate them to see the light and invest something, be it time or money, into an online marketing plan.

Just last week in fact I was speaking with marketing mastermind Joe Ciancotto, who like me is regularly bemused by the amount of businesses that fail to see the power of online marketing. And so, whether you run a shipping company in Arkansas or a clothes shop in New York, here is just a few points that should motivate you to change your mind about digital marketing.

The Internet Is Here To Stay

The internet is not a technological flash in the pan, it is not something that is seasonal, in fact, it is very much permanent and here to stay for a very long time. The internet outshines any media outlet, is overshadows traditional marketing forms and its growth has been, and will continue to be, widely exponential. This means that investing in this form of marketing, is going to be like a gift that keeps on giving.

Targeting

A billboard, a radio ad or a local TV commercial may very will give you enhanced visibility, but there is no telling who will see these ads about your company. This means that you could very well invest money on traditional marketing techniques, which will end up being directed at the wrong people. With online marketing, this simply is not the case and you can target your precise demographic of customer to ensure maximise visibility and maximum sales.

Reach

Let’s assume you have a billboard on the freeway that celebrates your company, now, perhaps 50,000 may drive past that each day, whether they see it or not is unclear. Over the course of a month, you may have around 1.5 million impressions, not bad going. Post an ad online however, let’s say n Facebook, and invest the same amount of money in the online ad as you would have paid for a billboard, and you can probably hit 1.5 million impressions in the space of 48 hours. The reach of the internet is incredible and in the click of a button, you can showcase your business to a gargantuan number of people.

Speed

The speed with which you can turn your marketing investment into actual functioning marketing strategies, is almost instantaneous when you do so online. With online marketing there are no barriers to overcome, there is no negotiation table to sit down at, nor is there any kind of time to wait around for you advert to go live. When you market online, you an count on blistering speed and in turn, highly productive results.

Don’t wait any longer, get marketing, and do it online.

How imagery influences website engagement

How imagery influences website engagement

If your website isn’t encouraging visitors to interact, share, click, register, visit, or buy, it’s not doing its job. The strategic purpose of investing in a quality website is to connect with potential clients, customers, or fans, build brand recognition, and convert visitors to engaged followers or customers.

The right imagery can support grabbing, holding, and encouraging the attention of visitors. It’s a main element in creating shareable content and a web experience with which visitors will happily engage. If you have a substantial budget, a skilled photographer and a talented graphic designer can supply content-specific imagery, but if that’s out of reach, you can easily access images from stock image sites, from which you can download free here.

If you want to create a strategy that maximizes website engagement, there are five types of visual content you should consider:

Banners and wallpaper

Banners and wallpaper imagery help you to craft a consistent, appealing brand experience on your website. Create a unified feel across the site by using a limited palette of colors or by choosing images with thematic similarities. Current trends in website design often feature a single large photo or design at the top of each page or post that supports or extends the topic of the content. A good banner communicates that a brand is up to date and professional and is worth attention. Wallpaper graphics add visual interest to backgrounds or fill an entire screen for a graphics-first experience, with text layered on top or following when users scroll down. This design trend feels fresh and immersive and can help your brand feel more likable and engaging to visitors.

Photographs

While banners and wallpaper may be photograph or graphic based, using photographs in-line with content can also be a good strategy. Break up large blocks of text with photos to hold interest and make information more enjoyable and easy to scan through for visitors. Use photography to illustrate or extend ideas from the text where possible. Good photographs can encourage content sharing, boosting your organic reach via social media. Be cautious with stacking or cluttering the space with too many photos, though. Remember to include ample white space and follow layout best practices. If you sell products, custom photos of the products are a necessity.

Vector Graphics

Vector graphics are a fun alternative to photography and may suit your brand or offer more flexibility in portraying an idea or accompanying a topic. Illustrations and vector graphics may be placed in a sidebar location or alternated with text like photos. Vector graphics are ideal because they can scale up or down to suit the space without losing resolution. Draw from the enormous pool of premade graphics in a good stock image store, or commission custom graphics to suit pages and articles if you prefer. Graphics are a useful way to illustrate services since stock photos for professionals could seem cheesy in that context.

Video

Video is preferred in search and on social media, which is a huge opportunity for your website and brand. Keep videos short for best results. You can embed them on pages to accompany things like products, services, and informational content, as well as using them in content marketing campaigns on social media. Good stock imagery sites offer stock video that you can adjust with custom text and/or voiceovers. If you’re finding your website and social media efforts aren’t getting the traction you want, adding or switching to video content can give you an instant boost in visibility and sharing.

Infographics

Make the most of your content with infographics. These combine graphics or illustrations with informational content to visually show the data or convey an idea at a glance. They are excellent for engagement and sharing because visitors can scan them and get a snapshot of what you’re trying to communicate at a glance.

Boost engagement and make the most of your website and social media efforts with the correct use of high-quality graphics. Photos or illustrations are great for creating appealing layouts, page headers, and breaking up content. For e-retailers, crisp, attractive photos of products are a must, while service providers may have more success with illustrations or vector graphics.

Infographics are highly shareable at-a-glance snapshots of information and ideas. Video keeps visitors on the page longer, can convey more information and strengthen your brand reputation, and improves search rankings and social media sharing and visibility. You can work with specialist creators for custom content or draw on the deep pool of creative content provided by good stock imagery providers to craft an engaging site that regularly converts visits in

How to Make Your Business More Likeable

How to Make Your Business More Likeable

Brand loyalty and brand recognition are arguably the hardest parts of constructing a business image. That means starting from scratch and reaching out to customers that have yet to form an emotional connection with your brand. After all, brands that allow an emotional connection to form with their customers are twice as likely to keep them.

Easier said than done, because not every brand and company has an image that is ingrained in to our daily life, and those that do have cultivated and nurtured that image for a long time.

But that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible for a new brand to instantly connect to its customers. There are plenty of example of brands that have done just that, and have made it seem as if they were here since forever. It’s possible for every brand to achieve this while following a few tips and tricks.

Social media

Being active on social media is a must. Hiring a social media specialist is definitely worth it, and if your budget allows it, then definitely hire one, because social media is highly important in gaining a foothold in the market. Companies that are active on social media platforms consistently perform better than companies that do not, especially smaller ones.

Be constantly available

Not only on social media, but through live voice and video chat. This means to be available to people either for customer support or simply to bring them up to speed on the latest development of your brand and company. This can either be done through the website of the company or through a service an app. Customers always like it more when a company has a direct interest in what they have to say, especially if a human face is the one showing an interest.

Personify your brand

Be always in control of what your brand is where it’s shown, and then present it in the best light possible. The most important thing is to never forget the distinct identity your brand has, and to always know what your customers need from it.

Consistency

As it is with many aspects of life, it’s the same with branding – consistency is key. That means to only be constantly available, but to keep your word as a brand and your quality standards to a high level. Communicating this consistency is an important factor as well, and there are plenty of channels for that.

Reaching out

Reaching out can take many forms. It’s the basis of online advertising, whether it’s a standard marketing strategy, gmail advertising, social media marketing, or simply traditional marketing methods, it doesn’t matter. It’s important to make the extra mile and connect with customers to find out more about their preferences, needs, and wants.

After your business grows and becomes liked and respected, of course your sales numbers will grow, but that means that no matter the growth, efforts have to be genuine. Only then, the customers will come to a realisation that your brand is worthwhile, and they will find themselves loyal customers that will elevate your brand head and shoulders above the rest.