While at first glance social media and SEO might not seem like the world’s next power couple, as the years go by it’s becoming more and more apparent that the two topics have much more in common than we first realized.
Just like Brad and Angelina, this couple has taken the world by surprise… but we’re not exactly upset about the match either!
So let’s start with a little exercise.
What’s the first 5 things you think of when you think of social media? Here are mine:
How many of you can say “You’ve got mail” without putting on the AOL computer voice? I know – what memories! Sitting there, impatiently waiting for your dial up to connect, and then tada! Mail!
It was unbelievably exciting.
But, if you were anything like me, most of your mail was spam. Actually, my first decade of email experience was tainted by spam. I even had to create a special email address just to send all the spam to! And I know I wasn’t the only one. In fact, I didn’t start to take email seriously until I was in my first year of college which was in… 2007!
But, this was a problem, and as technology grows, it’s a problem that we’ve – for the most part – solved. Now, our inboxes are smart enough to fish out spam and send it straight to our junk mail, without us ever having to lay our busy little eyes on it!
And when we do get mail that we don’t like, it’s just a matter of clicks before we never have to see it again!
While in these days it’s much less common to get notifications for every email we receive, and instead social media that reigns supreme in that department, that doesn’t mean that email has become any less important. In fact, our email inboxes have become somewhat of a place for solitude for us. Unlike social media – where the content that pops up on your feeds can be sporadic and oftentimes, overwhelming – email is where we receive messages that we’ve carefully chosen to receive.
That’s why, if you’ve been in the marketing world for any length of time, you’ll have heard the amazing value that email can provide businesses and marketers with when it comes to communicating with their customers. But, while email marketing is an amazing vessel for business’ marketing messages, it’s one of those tricky tools that not every knows how use.
So, in an attempt to right that wrong, let’s get started…
The hustle and bustle of a Mexican marketplace fills my ears. Spicy incense and exotic scents tingle my nose. Colorful walls, bright bunting, patterned ponchos, and animated faces crowd my vision. All along the side of the street, different stalls have been erected, with their products prominently on display for passer-byes to admire.
This is a Mexican street market.
As I squeeze through a local family of 3 generations, who have no doubt come to this very market every Sunday for the past 100 years or so, I realize that every one of these stalls’ vendors have their sights set on me.
Me, and every other pale-skinned, short-wearing (it’s April, and everyone else is wearing jeans) and big eyed tourists that roam these narrow streets.
We are their target audience. We are their subsistence.
And they have work to do.
When marketers want to make a big impact on their marketing, they often focus on going after a big project. You know the kind: a big email campaign, or a huge website redesigns or a big social media project!
But while big projects can have big payoffs (as long as they’re executed smartly), it’s undeniable that they can also be very time consuming. And we all know that you’re already struggling enough keeping up with these 3 minute meetings, scarfing lunches down while listening to podcast proofs, before rushing off to your next meeting.
But not to worry – there are ways to make a big impact without having to run a big project. Instead, small tweaks can often make a world of difference. Especially when they’re on your call-to-actions (CTAs).
Do you ever see a marketing campaign and your first thought is “what in the world were they thinking?” Yes, we’ve all been there. Sometimes these things go viral, and sometimes they just go unnoticed because they were plain crappy.
Businesses are trying to navigate a very noisy world, and getting their marketing messages heard has become increasingly difficult. But there is a fine line between genius and insanity, and while most businesses navigate this line effectively, there are certain ones that seem to ignore it completely.
In fact, they went so far past the line they can’t even see the line!
The line is just a dot to them! (And yes, I just stole that line from Friends).
Anyways, here are 15 of the absolute worst marketing campaigns from 2014. Read about them, learn from them, and above all – don’t copy them!
Creating great content, having a stellar website, building relationships and working on your social media game are all factors that work to generate interest or leads in your business.
But at what point does this interest become profitable?
Lead nurturing is the process of bridging the gap between non-sales ready leads, and sales-ready leads, through providing highly relevant educational content that helps build brand and product preference long before the prospect is ready to buy.
I work remotely, which means that I have to keep myself motivated so that I don’t end up looking at cat memes all day. It’s tough, and I’ve had more than one encounter with someone who’ll admit that they’d never be up to the task. Heck, I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to do it!
You’ve probably come across the term “online advertising” before in some form or another. It’s sometimes referred to as Search Engine Marketing (SEM), paid channel marketing, or pay-per-click (PPC) marketing. The terms are often used interchangeably to describe what is essentially the same concept – purchased or “rented” traffic through online ads.
Online advertisement is a billion dollar industry, with digital ad spending worldwide hitting $137.53 billion in 2014 and accounting for one-quarter of total media spending.
I know, it’s crazy money, right? But the question is, is it effective?
(Source for statistics: Wishpond)
Clearly, paid advertising can be effective.
It’s easy for me to write about how great inbound marketing is.
It’s great! It’s wonderful! It’s cost efficient! Your business will grow!
See? Easy!
But are you really convinced? If you answered “yes” then please feel free to mosey on over to our pricing page to choose a package, so we can help you get you started with your inbound marketing strategy!
However, if you’re not convinced (I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’re not?), then just hold on to your horses because I’m about to change your mind for good.
How?
With proof. With real business, just like yours, who have been built and who have grown using inbound marketing. Yes, that’s businesses that have used email, social media, SEO, their website and content marketing to help build and grow their businesses.
These aren’t cases of inbound marketing “kinda helped us, a little bit, maybe…”, but real-life proof that businesses – just like your one – can and do grow with inbound marketing.
Businesses built on inbound marketing are very possible – so here’s a few examples of businesses who’ve succeeded!
First up is the app that’s taking the world by storm recently – French Girls.
In part 5, A Guide To Off-Page SEO, we discussed social signals and how they can improve your search engine marketing game. This week we’re going to dedicate some time looking at social media marketing in more detail.
Social media marketing (SMM) is a form of internet marketing that uses social networking sites as a marketing tool. Social media marketing usually involves businesses producing content that users will engage with and share with their friends, with the aim of driving traffic to that business’ website, increasing brand exposure and extending customer reach.
