Tag Archives: Marketing

Are you a SEO Cheat? Tips to Use Search Engine Marketing to Target the Right People, Rather than All the People

Posted in Inbound Marketing, Search Engine Marketing by

Target Prospects SEO TipsDo you remember in elementary school how there was always that one kid who looked over the shoulder of another kid to get the answers? Typically, he usually got caught because he was either not smooth enough about it, or he chose the wrong kid to cheat off resulting in the wrong answers. I loved when that happened. I really don’t like cheaters.

Being a SEO cheater isn’t much different. In today’s digital marketing world there are many businesses findings ways to “cheat” the system. I am telling you that it doesn’t pay and here is why.

The Obvious Reason:

Search engines are smarter than you think. Google has developed algorithms and fancy backend “stuff” to prevent keyword stuffing, corrupt back linking, and useless content. You may be tempted to use these techniques; but it won’t get you to the top of Google. (Beware of Panda)

The Not-So-Obvious Reason:

Sure, wanting to drive as much traffic as possible to your site is understandable, but you need to ask yourself “are you driving the right traffic?” Having thousands (or tens of thousands) viewers is great, but if you aren’t converting those views into leads or worse yet, your bounce rate is astronomical, then what have you really accomplished.

Here Are A Few Tips On Reaching Your Target Audience:

  • Think of who would most likely benefit by reading each web page on your site, and how she would search for that content in their words. Identify a few keywords for each page using Google Keyword Tool, which is completely free. Then use those words in the headline, sub-headline, and lead paragraph in a natural writing context.  Don’t be afraid to string words together, which are referred to as ‘long tail.’ If you are selling garden wagons, you may try ‘red metal garden wagons.’
  • Content is still king. If you want to attract and convert prospects into leads, then create and share content the audience needs. Have a content plan in place, so that you are adding new and useful content to your site often.
  • Don’t forget your images, videos, and PDFs. Search engines don’t recognize the content in these types of files, so be sure to add alternative copy in your backend to help decipher the content accordingly.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach out to other “like” websites that may be interested in linking to your content. If your content is useful and the other site owner feels his audience would benefit, then he may be willing to link. This takes time, but creating fake backlinks isn’t going to accomplish what you really need, which is qualified leads.
  • Use your social channels to share content to a larger audience. You may not be a big fan of Facebook or Twitter, but using LinkedIn to share relevant content, especially in the B2B world, is a great way to drive traffic back to your website.
  • Monitor your progress using Google Analytics, which is also free, and adjust accordingly. By coding each web page on your site with the Google code, you can see how many views that page is getting, from where those views are generating from, how long the visit lasts and what your bounce rate is, among other things. (Bounce rate tells you if someone hit your site and immediately left because it wasn’t what they were looking for. You want a low bounce rate.) Analyzing this data will tell you what words are working, what is driving your views, and whether the view is converting the way you want it.

I hope you found these tips helpful and as always, I would love to hear from you.

How to Identify Your Best Value Customer

Posted in Business Tips, Strategic Marketing, Uncategorized by

Sometime back, I was attending an online event when someone asked me who my ideal customer would be and sadly, I couldn’t answer the question. I know, not what you would expect from a highly experienced marketer. The truth was that I was so busy trying to keep my head above water, that I would work for anyone. Big mistake, as I quickly realized I was a marketing ho.

I joke, but I had to take steps to really identify my target audience. I knew that if I focused my efforts, it would help me dramatically because I could solidify my messaging, target my efforts, and dig deeper into knowing my audience. Although it feels like I am minimizing my opportunities, I really wasn’t.  

I believe I am not much different than most small business owners, as in trying to serve everyone and not really focusing on the sweet spot. So how do you find that sweet spot? The sweet spot for me was a client that is easy going to work with, had a great product/service to market, brings me repeat business, and is rich in revenue potential. Now, how do you figure out your own sweet spot.

I recommend starting with your current/past customer base. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Which customers did you enjoy working with the most and why did you like working with them?
  2. Who was profitable and brought you repeat business?
  3. Did you have clients/customers that were singing your praise and referring you to friends/families/peers?
  4. What customers were easy to work with and extremely satisfied with your product/service?
  5. Which customer problems do you feel you can easily satisfy because of your knowledge, product/services, or past experience?
  6. Were their customers that were high maintenance and took too much time (setting revenue aside)?

Once you have gathered these answers, look for similarities. You want to look for the customers that were not only profitable, but also fairly easy to satisfy. Sure, you might have a customer who brought you a ton of business to you, but if you spent twice as long working with that client because the client was hard to satisfied, then the time spent may out way the money.

Let me give you an example from my own customer base. I had a customer last year, I have since fired them, that wanted every project done fast, I mean really fast. As I would get about three-fourths through the project, the scope and direction would completely change. “Oh, I know you have worked on this, but now our strategy has changed, and I need you to work on this instead.” Sure, I could bill him for my hours, but it became frustrating because he didn’t have a clear strategy and focus for his business, it impacted the work I could complete with measurable results. Over the four months I worked with this company, I had nothing to show for my efforts, but a lot of half-finished projects. On top of that, he always paid invoices late. Yes, I was making money from this client; however, it wasn’t worth the frustration of dealing with a high maintenance leader.

Once you have a clear idea of what your ideal customer would look like, start putting on papers. Don’t forget to ask yourself where you want to move your business, as this will help determine your target audience.

OUCH! That Hurt. Overcoming Customer Acquisition Failures with Content

Posted in Content Writing by

customer acquisition contentWe can agree that in every business, customers are crucial. How you reach and talk to your potential customers is crucial to your success. There isn’t a magical answer to follow to gain more customers. Sometimes marketing is trial and error. Hopefully at the end of the day your wins overcome your mistakes.

When you pour your heart into something, like your business, it can sting when a customer chooses another product/service over yours. Sure many seasoned business owners are used to hearing rejection. It is all part of the game. However, for a rookie, it can sting.

Overcoming the rejection is important. Whether your intention is to move to the next project, not make the mistake again or try it again with a particular customer/group, it is important to learn from our mistakes. Before you move forward, quickly figure out what went right and what went wrong.

Earlier this week, I wrote an introductory proposal letter to a potential client. I did it quick and was multitasking at the time. I ended up not getting the project, but what hurt was the way I was rejected. The potential customer was rude in his response back to me, literally tearing me apart for my opening salutation. This may seem silly, but he is right. Though it stung a bit, I should have written a better opening that addressed his needs.

Writing Content for your Audience
• Identify who you are really targeting – it is incredibly important to write your content specific to your audience, no matter what media you use. Not identifying specific target audiences and understanding how they tick will take away from your efforts.
• Understand your media – how does your audience uses a certain channel – as internet, email, social outlets, mail, etc. Are they heavy users of the medium? Many companies are diving into social media, for instance, but may not know how their target audience uses social media and why.
• Know your audience’s needs and wants – identifying why a customer may want to use your product is an important step before you write your content. What problems do you solve and how can you make your customer’s life easier.
• Personalize your messaging will resonate with your audience – I get very aggravated when I get an email or direct mail piece that is either addressed to the wrong name or when the product they are selling has nothing to do with me or my family.
• Interesting content retains audience’s attention – you can entertain or stick to the facts, whatever your style, make sure your audience finds it interesting.
• Write to your audience’s level – You may be question this with a “duh,” but it is worth mentioning. Write your content at the audience’s reading level and level of understanding a particular topic.
• Always check your facts and grammar – nothing more to say on this point.

The biggest take away is testing your content. You may not have the time or expertise to test your headlines or content against a second version, but you do know when something is working or not working. If your content isn’t doing the job it was designed to do, then step back and reevaluate your efforts.

Content Writing is About Customer Benefits and Not You – Don’t be a Rooster

Posted in Content Writing by

content writing customer benefits

You think you know it all. In reality you may, but no one cares. When searching for new customers, your priority should be the customer. Period. Bombarding the conversation will not win new customers and here is an example.

As a marketing consultant, I read many marketing and business blogs. This helps me stay on top of my craft, but also shows me how others are succeeding. A few months ago, I happen across a marketing agency and I signed up for email updates. It looked interesting after I read a couple blog posts.

It turns out that every email starts with “Let me tell you why I am great and you are not.” It doesn’t actually say that, but it is how I felt after reading a few emails. For instance, the agency offered a webinar on “how to write like me.” Really!?! To me this is horribly cocky. Every week, I receive several emails stating why they are so great. Maybe it is professional ego, but this company turns me off.

Here is my point. Your customers need to know you know what you are doing. However, your customers aren’t dummies. So when writing for your audience, don’t blow yourself up to appear bigger than you really are. It isn’t about you, but rather how you can help your customer with his problem.

Frustrated and Stumped. Why many businesses don’t write what readers want.

Posted in Blog, How To Tips by

Don't leave your readers frustrated and stumped. Photo by Suzie Tremmel via Flickr Common Creative

I am frustrated and a bit stumped.

My new pet peeve is a blog that doesn’t say anything and here is why.

As marketing is an ever changing entity, I spend much of my time reading blogs on different strategies and tactics. Reading what other people are doing and finding successful helps me generate new and fresh ideas for my clients. Where many years ago, we turned to books and encyclopedias to research topics, we now turn to the Internet.

Recently, I posted an article on why short copy isn’t always better. I addressed how our attention spans have greatly reduced and what impact that has on the information delivered to us. With good intentions, many companies reduce the number of words shared through collateral, newsletters, or other media knowing darn well that they only have a very short amount of you attention. The thought is not to bore you with lots of details, but just get you interested so you will call them. This same philosophy is mimicked through many corporate blogs.

Many companies think they should start a blog, but aren’t really sure how to truly deliver meaningful content. Falling short by only covering a very high level can leave the reader wondering or needing more information. This happens to me every day. As I research topics, my search engine results give me lots of options, but as I click on the links, I find the information I link to falls short.

Trust me when I say, you do not want your customers to feel the same way. The point of blogging is to share valuable information with your audience in a near instant medium while allowing the reader to engage by sharing their point-of-view or ask questions. Engagement is a two-way conversation and blogging allows that two way conversation with your prospects or customers.

With that said, failing to deliver detailed content that is thought provoking or entices someone to take action, is useless. I think as business leaders there is a fine line between sharing too much and not sharing enough.

One of my favorite quotes is by Ben Franklin. It reads:

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.”

I just love Ben. He was an amazing leader. I share this with you so that as you develop a blog for your company, you will remember these words. If it isn’t worth reading, don’t write it. If you aren’t going to truly share your insight and your company with your reader, don’t start a blog. You will be wasting your readers’ time as well as your own.