As far as marketing agencies are concerned, the world of professional communications is no stranger to change. What was once very much a field built upon yellow legal pads and ink pens is currently digital in every facet of its existence.
As a direct byproduct of such a change, public relations—and the innumerable specialists and managers who work in said field—have had to adapt their communicative tactics to account for the transformation.
Long gone are the days when traditional reporters, direct mail and simple phone pitches earned proper media placement. Interested in a few more of the specifics? Take a look at the following infographic to see what’s presently going down in the world of PR:
Both inside and outside of Utah, content marketing, more than just about any other advertorial practice, has gained a great deal of respect with both advertisers and consumers. Focused largely on the needs of consumers and providing them with helpful information, content marketing differs from traditional advertising with its genuine focus on audiences, as opposed to the force-feeding of intrusive material.
While traditional marketing and its tactics still exist, more marketers than ever before are finally opening their minds to the idea of using top-tier websites, social media and digital public relations—all practices firmly built upon the generic foundation of content marketing—to build rapport with their respective target demographics. Are you looking to make the switch? If so, take a moment or two to see how the world’s most modern companies are using content marketing to their advantage:
To be honest, coming to fully understand Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is difficult enough as it is without having to take worry about the differences between white-hat and black-hat SEO techniques. That being said, there’s a reason for which the distinctions between the two are of the utmost importance: Google’s lead search algorithm.
Both here in Utah and elsewhere, if confidence is to digitally be built with the Wide World Web’s top search engines—namely Google, truthfully—Organic SEO tactics will need to be used. As is the case with most things in life, corners can’t be cut if real SEO results are to be produced. With all of this in mind, what is Organic SEO and how can it help you and your brand? Fortunately, we’ve got just the infographic to help:
These days, from Utah to the most remote of locations out on America’s East Coast, there are few digital marketing trends as big as SEO. While the practice might be seen as a bit of a pseudoscience by those of a more traditional marketing background, SEO is here to stay. Simply put, as long as search engine continue to be used by consumers, the industry promises to remain a constant for professional product and service pushers.
However, seeing as how the Internet is an ever-changing changing entity, so too must the SEO practices with which experts arm themselves. Currently, long-tail SEO takes the proverbial cake as being of the utmost importance for brands hoping to build rapport with Google’s mysterious search algorithm.
At a loss for what long-tail SEO is and how you can use it? Take a look at the infographic below to better understand what your company desperately needs for complete and total dominance out on the World Wide Web:
Professionally, just about everything is sales. Regardless of your field of interest or money-making niche, if success is to come about, you’ve got to be able to understand what consumers want and help them understand how your product or service helps them accomplish such a desire. Likewise, when creating a reputable website and its design, it’s important to consider what target audiences want more than just about anything else.
While it’s true that each industry carries with it a specific set of differentiating factors, generally speaking, when digital interfaces are involved, there are a handful of factors that any and all visitors will hope to find. The following infographic presents five things that any successful website, especially in today’s digital age of communication, will have present. How well does your current site stack up?
Whether it be here in Utah or elsewhere, in recent years, content marketing has become the poster child for innovative product and service pushing. With a current digital focus, nearly all successful content marketers are set on providing engaging, meaningful information to consumers without bombarding them with cumbersome buzzwords, calls to action and—worst of all—clickbait.
However, with content marketing constantly being thrust into the limelight of advertorial genius, the so-called “rules” of the practice have lost their formative roots amidst the clamor of wannabe advertisers hoping to solidify themselves as “industry experts.” Needless to say, we’re tired of it and are ready to set the record straight. Take a moment or two to look over the following infographic to know what really brings about successful content marketing:
More than likely, ever since you were first able to open a Word document on your own, you’ve taken the time to examine the innumerable font types that Microsoft makes readily available for its users. While many of them are practical and have their rightful place in meaningful document creation, truthfully, there are quite a few that—outside of lemonade stands and birthday party invitations—have no place being used.
Drag digital marketing and web development into the mix and it becomes even more paramount that proper font selection be taken seriously. Still confused? No need to worry; the following infographic presents the eight most unacceptable fonts for those serious about their website design and development:
When it comes to assessing one’s digital marketing strategy, most companies look almost exclusively to their PageRank to gauge success. Has their site moved up in Google’s search results? Then things are going well.
However, many marketing agencies would be quick to note that while PageRank is of extremely high value in the digital age, there are other factors that should also be taken into consideration. After all, having a high PageRank is great, but without other signs of success, it’s not as useful as one might think.
A successful digital marketing campaign produces quality content that not only improves PageRank, but also draws in new visitors to the site and keeps them coming back for more. Quality content provides site visitors with valued information or entertainment, which also results in more time being spent on the site and positive word-of-mouth that can bring in new visitors as well. As more time is spent on the site and the number of new visitors increases, Google recognizes the page as a source of quality information, and SEO continues to improve.
Of course, the ultimate measure of success for marketing agencies and their clients is an increase in sales leads generated by a digital marketing campaign. Ideally, digital marketing efforts will combine an SEO and conversion-friendly website, engaging content marketing and other methods with this end goal in mind. An increase in sales (or sales leads, depending on one’s business model) is perhaps the greatest measure of success.
Successful marketing agencies across the nation know that these factors are what ultimately contribute to a successful digital marketing campaign. As a company’s PageRank, number of visitors and sales leads increase, they can rest assured that their advertising efforts are getting the job done.
Asking people for money is not just uncomfortable—it doesn’t always go well either. People usually don’t donate just for the sake of giving away money; they need a purpose. Although many crowdfunding campaigns have a good purpose, it is not always clear to the public.
Using advertising can help spread the purpose behind crowdfunding campaigns out to the general public. This way they won’t just see a company asking for money, they will see an opportunity to contribute to a great cause.
There are specific advertising techniques that showcase crowdfunding at its best. It’s finding those techniques that can often be a struggle for an agency. Below are some tips for specific types of advertising to use in your next crowdfunding campaign.
Start With Social Media Advertising
This is a free and easy way to kick start your campaign. However, make sure to not use every social media channel out there. Hone in on a select few based on the audience at hand and dominate those outlets.
Social media also provides a chance for an agency to not only advertise, but interact with the public. People are much more likely to support a cause when they feel part of it. Asking questions, requesting opinions and seeking out stories can turn originally uninterested people into loyal donators.
Make sure to customize the promotion so that it reflects a common purpose across each social media outlet. This is a personalized way to bring the purpose of a campaign to an audience’s attention.
Target a Specific Public
While it may seem more logical to advertise a campaign to the entire world since that would provide more donating hands, it is not the best way to get donations. Choosing one or a few specific key publics to reach out to is a much more successful technique for any agency.
When choosing the publics, make sure that they are either already a supporter of your brand or have a reason to be interested in the campaign’s purpose. Who would be most likely to donate? Who would care about the cause at hand?
Think about these things and choose a few publics to target. You may be surprised that this type of advertising receives more response than general advertising.
Create a Personal Connection
Once you have found the best audience for your advertising, try and build a personal connection with them. This means using those social media channels for frequent communication. It also means giving the company a face. Introduce team members who truly believe in the crowdfunding cause.
Integrate both personality and humor into a campaign for increased success. Using the team as part of a campaign or funny advertising stunt will pull in more interested donators. People feel connected to people. That is a large motivator for donations.
Wait a While to Ask For Money
With that connection in mind, don’t ask for money right away. This will make people second guess your intentions and feel pressured. Simply create a connection with important publics and let them know about the crowdfunding cause.
From there, donations will naturally occur as people begin to feel a sense of duty to an agency and want to be a part of their efforts. Make sure the public can see how the money from the campaign will be used upfront. This way they know that although they may not get their money back, it is beingused for something they support.
Use Video In Advertising
Another technique that will ensure those donations keep coming is to use video. This goes back to the connection principle because people are more stimulated by video rather than text. Use this to your advantage by creating a connection with a video that plainly portrays the purpose behind the campaign.
This not only builds trust between the public and an agency, but it is an advertising technique that is known for catching the eye of the public and keeping it there.
Start Big
Any agency that receives money during the first three days of a campaign is more likely to reach their target goal than those that don’t. This means that a big start is a big part of any crowdfunding campaign. Don’t shyly put the word out there and hope that maybe someone cares. Plan out advertising techniques ahead of time and launch them loudly with the start of a new campaign.
Using all of these advertising techniques can be the thing that makes crowdfunding go from an impossible attempt to an easy way to raise money for an agency. Remember to keep a connection with a select audience and build trust from there. Donations will follow.
Search engine optimization (SEO) can seem like a foreign language, especially to those who are first diving into building a website. The trick is to get down the basics of SEO construction. Once all the right foundation blocks are in place, the rest can quickly be built from there.
There are two separate types of SEO to understand before attempting to optimize a website.The first are on-page factors. These will be the content or keywords that are built into the website and are under the direct control of the publisher.
Once that is established, the off-page factors come next. Those are the elements that are influenced by other readers, visitors and publishers from around the world. Smaller building blocks within these two structures will ultimately build a site that is SEO ready.
On-Page: Content
The first place where SEO can be built in for maximum optimization is the content. This may seem obvious, but there are certain elements that must be included for content to be successful. The pages must all be full of quality content—things that will interest the right audience.
Once you’re sure that the content has purpose and intrigue, use research to find keywords that will most likely be searched by your target audience. Google AdWords is a great tool that can make this process quick and easy.
Make sure the researched keywords match up with the words you hopeyour website will be searched for. They must match up with the purpose of the website. If not, the keywords will be obvious and out of place.
From there, tweak content to make it engaging, in line with trending topics and full of actual substance. No one wants to read something they already know about. Don’t forget to also minimize ads, especially “above the fold” where most viewers hang out on the webpage.
On-Page: HTML
Once content is created, HTML comes next to display it all on the website. However, don’t just develop HTML without considering how SEO can play a part. Use geo-qualifiers with your HTML to draw in locals, or use other words that will seek out larger target audiences. Make sure to include these types of keywords in the title, description and headers on your webpage. That being said, beware of keyword stuffing. When keywords are used in abundance, it’s likely that a digital penalty be issued. As a result, PageRank suffers.
Finally, make sure the pages are structured in a way with data that will enhance listings. Incorporate all of these techniques into your HTML, and you will find that the site’s ranking significantly goes up.
On-Page: Architecture
Everything that is built needs some sort of architecture. It is the mechanics that make a house—or in this instance, a website—function.Although the audience can’t see it, they will notice if the architecture is lagging.
Incorporate SEO into this architecture to make sure viewers are unaware of any “bugs.” The first way to do this is by ensuring that search engines can easily crawl pages on your site. Most people, regardless of where they come from, use search engines for andy and all web browsing.
Duplicate content can also be a common issue. How does the site manage this duplicate content? Make sure it is optimized for a quick fix. It is also important to make sure the site loads quickly—on mobile devices and computers. Viewers will not stick around past three seconds, so this aspect of SEO is vital.
Steer clear of “cloaking” pages to show up differently to search engines and humans. People want what they think they are going to get. Finally, make sure URLs are short and include keywords. This will take architecture to the next level.
Off-Page: Links
On the flip side, off-page factors are still important, although they may not be directly influenced by the publisher. Start by making sure links are from trusted sources. This will persuade more viewers to trust enough to give your link a click. Don’t forget to include in the text of links important SEO keywords for optimization. Also, it is a good idea to ensure links on other websites point back to yours.
Off-Page: Trust
Dive down deeper into the trust aspect ofyour links. People want to know they can trust what they read. Only use links that have authority or a good history already established. That way being associated with that source will enhance your site’s own authority.
Take it a step farther and use sources that can stamp your site with a trusted identity. Meanwhile, keep in mind that being flagged for piracy will never reflect well for your SEO optimization. Keep it honest and trusted with legitimate links.
Off-Page: Social
Never forget to incorporate social media into your SEO strategy. This is extremely important nowadays with millennials who spend most of their days on such sites. Use social media influencers within your target audience’s social circle to promote your site. It is also a good idea to engage with your audience on social media to influence more shares and spread the word faster about your site.
Off-Page: Personal
After a website is built with the aforementioned foundational blocks, circle back with analytics. Find out who is visiting your site and learn more about your target audience to increase their viewership. Consider things like where in audience is coming from, if users have visited the site before and if you are tapping into their influencers for help. SEO should never be left out of website development.
Needless to say, using these building blocks can take an unsuccessful attempt at constructing a website and transform it into an easy way to spread the word about your product or service. Don’t take any chances—incorporate SEO.
