by Justin Mayhall | Jan 13, 2023 | Business Development, Digital Marketing, General Marketing, Startup
A virtual Chief Marketing Officer (vCMO) is a professional who offers marketing expertise to companies on a contract or project basis. They are typically experienced marketing executives who have held C-level positions in the past, and have a wealth of knowledge and skills that they can bring to your business.
The role of a vCMO is to help companies develop and implement effective marketing strategies. This includes conducting market research, identifying target audiences, and developing campaigns that will reach those audiences. They also work closely with other departments within a company, such as sales and product development, to ensure that all marketing efforts are aligned with overall business goals.
One of the main benefits of using a vCMO is that they can bring a fresh perspective to your marketing efforts. They are not tied to the day-to-day operations of your company and can therefore take a step back and see the bigger picture. This allows them to identify new opportunities and areas for growth that might have been overlooked by in-house marketing teams.
Another advantage of working with a vCMO is that they can provide specialized expertise. Many vCMOs have experience in specific industries or marketing channels, such as digital marketing or event planning. This means that they can provide valuable insights and strategies that are tailored to your business and its unique needs.
One of the most important functions of a vCMO is to create a comprehensive marketing plan. This plan should include a detailed analysis of your target audience, your competition, and your company’s unique selling points. It should also outline specific goals and objectives for your marketing efforts, as well as the tactics and strategies that will be used to achieve them.
A vCMO will also help you to develop a brand strategy which will help you to define your company’s brand and position it in the market place. This will involve creating a consistent message and visual identity that will be used across all marketing channels. This includes developing a brand voice and tone, as well as creating guidelines for the use of your company’s logo and other visual elements.
Aside from branding, a vCMO can also assist you to develop a digital marketing strategy. This will involve identifying the best channels for reaching your target audience, such as social media, email marketing, or search engine optimization. They will also help you to create and execute campaigns that will drive traffic to your website and increase conversions.
Another key function of a vCMO is to help you to measure and analyze the success of your marketing efforts. This includes setting up tracking systems to monitor website traffic, conversion rates, and other metrics. A vCMO can also help you to analyze the data and make adjustments to your marketing strategy as needed.
In addition to these specific functions, a vCMO can also provide a wide range of other services. This can include things like event planning, public relations, and crisis management. They can also help you to develop and manage partnerships with other companies and organizations.
In conclusion, a virtual Chief Marketing Officer (vCMO) is a valuable resource for companies that want to improve their marketing efforts. They can provide specialized expertise, a fresh perspective, and a wealth of knowledge and skills that can help to drive business growth. Whether you are a small startup or a large corporation, working with a vCMO can help you to achieve your marketing goals and achieve success in the marketplace.
by Justin Mayhall | Jan 13, 2023 | Branding, Startup
Establishing a brand can be a daunting task, but it is an essential step in building a successful business. A strong brand can help differentiate your business from competitors, build trust with customers, and increase customer loyalty. In this blog post, we’ll cover the key steps you need to take to establish a brand for your business.
- Define your brand’s purpose and values.
The first step in establishing a brand is to define the purpose and values of your business. What does your business stand for? What values do you want to convey to your customers? This will help you create a brand that is authentic and meaningful to your target audience.
- Conduct market research.
Once you have a clear understanding of your brand’s purpose and values, it’s important to conduct market research to understand your target audience. This will help you identify their needs, preferences, and pain points, and tailor your branding efforts to speak directly to them.
- Develop a unique brand voice and visual identity.
Your brand’s voice and visual identity should be unique and memorable. This includes things like your logo, colors, font, and imagery. These elements should all work together to convey your brand’s personality and values.
- Communicate your brand consistently.
Once you have established your brand’s voice and visual identity, it’s important to communicate them consistently across all touchpoints, including your website, social media, marketing materials, and customer service. This will help to build brand recognition and trust with your target audience.
- Foster customer loyalty.
A key part of establishing a brand is fostering customer loyalty. This can be achieved by providing excellent customer service, consistently delivering high-quality products or services, and building a community of loyal customers through social media and other marketing efforts.
- Continuously evaluate and adapt.
Establishing a brand is an ongoing process, and it’s important to continuously evaluate and adapt your branding efforts as your business grows and evolves. This includes regularly conducting market research and customer surveys, and making changes as necessary to ensure that your brand stays relevant and resonates with your target audience.
In summary, establishing a brand is a crucial step in building a successful business. It involves defining your brand’s purpose and values, conducting market research, developing a unique brand voice and visual identity, communicating your brand consistently, fostering customer loyalty, and continuously evaluating and adapting your branding efforts. By following these steps, you can create a brand that is authentic, meaningful, and resonates with your target audience.
by Justin Mayhall | Jan 13, 2023 | Uncategorized
Product marketing and demand generation are two closely related but distinct areas of marketing that are crucial for the success of any business. They both involve creating and communicating the value of a product or service to potential customers, but they differ in their focus and approach.
Product marketing is the process of creating and communicating the value of a product or service to potential customers in order to drive sales. This includes researching and understanding the target market, developing positioning and messaging, creating marketing materials, and working with sales teams to ensure that the product is effectively communicated to potential customers. Product marketers are responsible for ensuring that the product is meeting the needs of the market and that it is being communicated effectively to potential customers.
Demand generation, on the other hand, is the process of creating interest and desire for a product or service among potential customers. This includes activities such as lead generation, lead nurturing, and lead conversion. The goal of demand generation is to create a steady stream of leads that can be passed on to sales teams for conversion into paying customers. Demand generation activities typically include things like email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and social media marketing.
While product marketing and demand generation are closely related, they do have some key differences. Product marketing is focused on creating and communicating the value of the product or service, while demand generation is focused on creating interest and desire for the product or service. Product marketing is typically focused on the product itself, while demand generation is focused on the customer and their needs. Product marketing is typically a more long-term strategy, while demand generation is focused on the short-term goal of generating leads.
Another key difference between product marketing and demand generation is the role of the marketing team. Product marketing is typically led by the product marketing team, while demand generation is typically led by the demand generation team. The product marketing team is responsible for creating and communicating the value of the product or service, while the demand generation team is responsible for creating interest and desire for the product or service. The two teams often work closely together, with the product marketing team providing the messaging and positioning for the product, and the demand generation team using that messaging to generate leads.
In order to be successful, businesses need to effectively implement both product marketing and demand generation strategies. Product marketing is crucial for ensuring that the product or service is meeting the needs of the market and that it is being communicated effectively to potential customers. Demand generation is crucial for creating a steady stream of leads that can be passed on to sales teams for conversion into paying customers. Both product marketing and demand generation are necessary for driving sales and growing a business.
In conclusion, product marketing and demand generation are two closely related but distinct areas of marketing that are crucial for the success of any business. Product marketing is focused on creating and communicating the value of a product or service to potential customers, while demand generation is focused on creating interest and desire for a product or service among potential customers. Both product marketing and demand generation are necessary for driving sales and growing a business, and the two teams often work closely together to achieve their goals.
It’s important for businesses to understand the difference between these two areas of marketing and to use both strategies in order to be successful. By focusing on product marketing to ensure that the product or service is meeting the needs of the market and communicating effectively and on demand generation to generate leads and drive sales, a business can achieve success in the long-term.
by Justin Mayhall | Jan 13, 2023 | Website
Building a successful eCommerce website can be a challenging task, but with the right approach and tools, it can be done. Here are some key elements to consider when building an eCommerce website that is designed to convert visitors into customers and drive sales.
- Start with a clear strategy: Before you start building your eCommerce website, it is important to have a clear strategy in place. This should include your target audience, the products or services you will be offering, and your overall business goals. This will help you to make informed decisions throughout the development process and ensure that your website is tailored to the needs of your customers.
- Focus on user experience: User experience (UX) is key to the success of any eCommerce website. Your website should be easy to navigate, with a clear and intuitive layout. Make sure that your website is mobile-friendly, as more and more people are shopping online using their mobile devices. Additionally, your website should be fast and responsive, as users are unlikely to stick around if it takes too long to load.
- Optimize for search engines: Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving traffic to your eCommerce website. Make sure that your website is optimized for the keywords related to your products and services, and that your website is structured in a way that makes it easy for search engines to crawl and index your content. This will help to improve your search engine rankings, making it more likely that your website will appear at the top of the search results when people search for the products or services you offer.
- Use high-quality product images: High-quality product images can make a huge difference when it comes to converting visitors into customers. Make sure that your product images are clear and detailed, and that they are optimized for web use. This will help to give your customers a good sense of what they can expect when they purchase your products.
- Make use of social proof: Social proof is a powerful tool that can help to build trust and credibility with your customers. Make use of customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials to showcase the positive experiences that others have had with your products and services. This will help to build trust with your customers and increase the likelihood that they will make a purchase.
- Offer various payment options: Offer a variety of payment options to make it easy for your customers to complete their purchase. This includes credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, and other options that are popular in your region.
- Have a good customer service: Your eCommerce website should have a clear and easy-to-find customer service page. It should include a detailed FAQ section, a contact form or email address, and a phone number if possible. Good customer service can make a big difference when it comes to building trust and loyalty with your customers.
- Invest in marketing: Investing in marketing will help to drive traffic to your website and increase sales. Consider using paid advertising, such as Google AdWords or Facebook Ads, to reach new customers. You can also use email marketing to keep in touch with your customers and promote new products or sales.
- Analyze and improve: Finally, it is important to analyze the performance of your eCommerce website and make improvements as necessary. Use web analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to track your website’s traffic, conversion rates, and other key metrics. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and make changes to your website to improve its performance.
In conclusion, building a successful eCommerce website requires a clear strategy, a focus on user experience, and a commitment to ongoing optimization and improvement. By following the tips outlined above, you can create an eCommerce website that will turn visitors into repeat customers
by Lindsay Mayhall | Dec 29, 2022 | Digital Marketing
Psychology in marketing is a vital aspect for businesses to understand in order to effectively target and engage with their audience. By understanding how decisions are made, businesses can tailor their marketing strategies and campaigns to appeal to their customers on a deeper level.
One of the key psychological principles in marketing is the concept of cognition, or the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, and storing information. This includes attention, perception, memory, and decision-making. In order to make a purchase, customers must first be aware of a product or service, then perceive it as valuable or useful, and finally remember it when they are ready to make a decision.
Attention is the first step in the process of cognition. In order for a marketing message to be effective, it must first capture the attention of the audience. This can be achieved through various techniques, such as using eye-catching visuals or creating a sense of urgency.
Perception is the process of interpreting and organizing sensory information in order to understand and make sense of the environment. In marketing, this involves creating a positive perception of a product or service in the mind of the customer. This can be achieved through various techniques, such as highlighting the benefits or features of the product, or using social proof (such as customer testimonials) to show that others have had a positive experience with the product.
Memory is an important aspect of cognition as it allows us to retain information over time. In marketing, this can be used to create brand recognition and loyalty. By consistently presenting a clear and cohesive brand message, businesses can increase the chances of customers remembering their brand and returning to make future purchases.
Decision-making is the final step in the process of cognition, and is influenced by various factors such as personal values, beliefs, and past experiences. In marketing, understanding these factors can help businesses tailor their marketing messages and campaigns to appeal to the specific needs and desires of their target audience.
One psychological concept that is particularly relevant to decision-making is the concept of motivation. Motivation refers to the internal and external factors that drive an individual to take action. In marketing, understanding what motivates a customer can help businesses tailor their marketing messages to appeal to these motivations and increase the chances of making a sale.
Another important psychological concept in marketing is the concept of emotions. Emotions play a significant role in decision-making and can greatly influence whether or not a customer decides to make a purchase. By creating an emotional connection with their audience, businesses can increase the chances of making a sale. This can be achieved through various techniques, such as storytelling or creating a sense of nostalgia.
In addition to cognition and motivation, psychology in marketing also includes the study of consumer behavior. Consumer behavior refers to the actions and decisions made by individuals when purchasing a product or service. By understanding consumer behavior, businesses can better understand what drives their customers to make a purchase and tailor their marketing strategies accordingly.
One key aspect of consumer behavior is the concept of personality. Personality refers to the unique characteristics that define an individual, including their values, beliefs, and attitudes. In marketing, understanding the personality of a customer can help businesses tailor their marketing messages to appeal to their specific personality traits.
Another important aspect of consumer behavior is the concept of attitudes. Attitudes are a person’s overall evaluation of a product or service, and can be either positive or negative. In marketing, understanding a customer’s attitudes towards a product can help businesses tailor their marketing messages to appeal to their specific attitudes and increase the chances of making a sale.
In conclusion, psychology in marketing is a vital aspect for businesses to understand in order to effectively target and engage with their audience.
by Justin Mayhall | Dec 29, 2022 | Digital Marketing, Website
Your website is your most important digital marketing asset. It’s where you present yourself to the world, it’s what people will see when they search for you online and it’s the first place they should go when they want to learn more about what you do.
Your website is also one of the most cost-effective ways to reach new customers. It’s easy to create a great website and promote it through SEO, social media and blogging. As a result, it’s no wonder that so many businesses are focusing on their websites as an effective way to grow their business.
Here are some key reasons why everyone should have a website:
Your Website is Your First Impression
Much like when you first walk into a store, your website gives you the opportunity to impress your visitors and showcase exactly what you have to offer. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve seen multi-million dollar companies that have websites that look like they were built in the ‘90s! If a website isn’t mobile friendly, only has a few basic pages or doesn’t effectively communicate your value propositions, then you are definitely leaving money on the table.
The worst part is that when I see websites that are in dire need of a revamp, people normally don’t even know how many customers they are losing because they don’t have the most basic website tracking capabilities.
The truth is, even if you have a physical location where customers can visit your store, most likely they are visiting your website long before they step foot in your store, and if you offer goods and/or services without a customer-facing location then your website without a doubt needs to function as a business tool that converts visitors into customers.
Your Website is Your Salesperson
Long gone are the days of websites simply providing basic information on what your business does. In today’s digital age, a website must be capable of leading visitors through several (if not all) stages of the customer journey.
When a potential customer arrives at your website, it must first answer the basic questions that they are looking to solve. After that, it should lead them down a path that explains exactly why they should choose your business to solve the problem they are facing.
This is accomplished by a strategic use of text, images, videos, infographics, statistics, testimonials, customer success stories, case studies and a multitude of other tactics all while providing a visually appealing and easy to navigate site for your visitors.
Your website is an opportunity to establish yourself as an expert in your industry or niche by providing valuable content such as case studies and tutorials for others who want to learn from your experience.
Build Trust with Potential Customers: A well-designed website will help build trust with potential customers because it shows them how professional you are by displaying your logo and other branding elements that represent who you are as a business.
You Website can be a Powerful Marketing Tool
Marketing can be expensive. Whether it’s SEM, PPC, PPL, email or any other form of digital marketing, there is no shortage of ways to spend your money driving traffic to your website. However, as I’ve highlighted in other posts, this money can easily be wasted if you don’t have a website that converts visitors into customers.
The most important metric you can understand when it comes to your website is its conversion rate. How many visitors come to your site versus how many take the action you want them to take. Once you have a firm grasp on that number you can begin to understand the journey your visitors are taking on your site and where and when they may be leaving.
This is where content comes into play. Not only can you begin to create more engaging content to help convert visitors into customers, but also your content can help drive more traffic organically through SEO.
The key is quality over quantity. So many companies charge exorbitant fees to help you rank your website on web searches. At the end of the day just make sure your website is providing authentic and informational content to your visitors on a consistent basis.
The Takeaway
Potential clients will look at your website and make a judgment on your professionalism and industry knowledge. So make sure you’re providing an up-to-date site that looks good, is easy to navigate, mobile friendly and informative.
That’s it.
by Justin Mayhall | May 24, 2021 | Content
We get the question all the time, “How much should we spend on our digital marketing budget?” So, we’ve put together an answer that will work for small companies and large corporations alike, based on actual data that is easily obtained, and goals you want to achieve. We’ve outlined the exact steps to take to easily figure out the digital marketing budget you’ll need in order to see the results you want.
Figure Out the Website Conversion Rate
In order to effectively create a budget you first need to understand your website conversion ratio. This is the comparison of users that visit your website versus the number of visitors that take the action you are seeking (i.e. fill out a contact form, request a demo, complete a sale, etc.). This number will be imperative in establishing your overall budget because it will let you know how much web traffic you need to drive to your site in order to hit your goals.
For example, let’s say you have a website that sells headphones, and for every 100 people that visit your website 5 people purchase at least one pair. This means that you have a 5% conversion rate (please know that conversion rates vary widely based off of industries, products, and many other factors, and there isn’t a “ideal” conversion rate but you should always be testing ways to improve this metric).
(It’s also important to take into consideration that if you have a website that current customers visit, for instance to get support, you want to make sure you separate the traffic that exhibits current customer behavior from those that don’t, in order to truly understand your conversion rate. Also, monitor this metric on a fairly regular basis since it can change often.)
Establish Marketing Goals
Once you understand how effectively your website converts visitors, you can set more realistic goals and better understand just how much traffic you need to drive to your site each month. Using the example above, let’s say you sell headphones for $100.00, and you want to make $10,000/month. This means that you need to sell 100 pair of headphones, so you need to drive 2,000 people to your site every month to reach this goal (Web Traffic x Conversion Rate x Price = Total Sales).
Keep in mind this number can fluctuate if customers typically buy more than one product, but for illustration purposes we’ll just keep it simple here.
Research Marketing Channel Costs
There are quite a few ways for you to spend your marketing dollars online, and understanding where to put your money should involve an understanding of your target audience, their demographics and psychographics, and how you can use this information to target effectively (we’ll cover this topic in an upcoming article).
For now, let’s assume that you’ve chosen to use Google Search ads as your only channel of digital advertising and you want your ad to appear anytime someone searches for the keyword “headphones.”
The first thing you’ll need to do is set up a Google Ads account. From here you can research the keywords that you select and identify the cost-per-click (CPC). This is how much you will be charged by Google every time someone clicks on the ad that you set up for that particular keyword. To go along with the example we’ve been using, we’ll say that every time someone clicks on your ad for the “headphones” keyword, Google will charge you $1.00.
Set Your Digital Marketing Budget
Now that you have the data you need to make an informed decision on how much you should spend on digital marketing, it’s time to come up with the budget. You know that you need to drive 2,000 people per month to your website in order to sell 100 headphones. At $1.00 per visitor, you would need to spend $2,000 per month in Google Ads.
What Do I Do If Your Can’t Afford to Drive the Traffic You Need to Meet Your Goals
Many times when performing the research to set your digital marketing budget, people quickly realize that they need to spend more money that makes sense, or then they are willing to, in order to hit their targets. Below are some things you can do to help reduce the amount of money you need to spend.
- Improve your website conversion rate
- Quite simply the better your conversion rate is the less traffic you need to meet your goals. This is best accomplished by looking to see where people are exiting your site, how long they are staying on each page, and a/b testing.
- Research different platforms
- Maybe Google Ads are too expensive, but ads on a social media platform could still work for you.
- Think about using retargeting campaigns. These types of campaigns target people who have already been to your website but didn’t convert. They are useful in getting people who were already somewhat interested in your company back to your site for another shot at converting them.
- Begin building your own email marketing distribution list
- Try using interesting content, newsletters, or coupon codes and get visitors to input their email address in order to receive the discount or information. This way you can also connect with them via email campaigns.
Key Take-Aways
Digital marketing is a great way to drive website traffic, but understanding how much traffic you need in order to hit your goals is a key factor in setting your online marketing budget. Keep in mind that there are many ways to drive traffic to your site, some more expensive than others. Finally, above all else, constantly be evaluating and testing things you can do in order for your website to convert visitors to leads or better yet, customers!
It is vitally important to understand these basic concepts early on if you are planning on incorporating any sort of digital marketing into your business. This will help you factor in how much you should charge in order to make your desired profit margin.
by Justin Mayhall | May 16, 2021 | Content
Every business knows that a strong presence on social media can be a powerful tool to enhance brand awareness, boost sales and improve overall business performance. What’s lesser known, however, is how to build and implement an effective social media strategy. This is especially true for a lot of small businesses or marketing teams with limited resources. That’s why we want to share with you an easy and practical way to boost your social media presence by using what we call, “The 4 Es of Social Media Strategy.”
Entertain
The first and most important goal of your social media strategy should be to make sure that a portion of the content you post is entertaining to your audience. For the most part, perhaps with the exception of LinkedIn, people go on social media for enjoyment. They spend hours scrolling through the posts because they are following people and brands that post things they are interested in. Let me assure you that if you are only posting content that promotes your business you are missing out on a huge opportunity to grow your following and your business.
So what exactly do entertaining social posts look like? Below are some examples:
- Memes & GIFs
- Posting funny or cute content related to your industry is a great way to get shares and gain followers.
- Posts featuring staff members or customers
- This also adds a touch of humanization to your page and can make followers feel more connected with your brand.
- Holiday Posts
- Think outside the box on this one. Try searching for random/weird holidays like National Science Fiction Day, which is January 2nd by the way. Bonus points if you can somehow spin the holiday to apply to your business.
- Historical Events
- These can range from commonly known to more obscure events.
Educate
Another great way to bolster your social media is to be a source of information for people to let them know that your business is an expert in the industry. For these types of posts, try to mix up the length and medium of the content. For example, mix in articles, videos, text-based images, etc. Here’s some more specific post types to help you out:
- News Articles and Blog Posts
- Share recent industry related news with a link to the article or blog.
- How-To Videos
- Video content typically performs very well across all social platforms.
- Tips & Tricks
- Short , easy to digest content that people can easily remember works great.
- FAQs
- You’re already answering these questions all the time anyway. Might as well put them to good use.
Engage
Interacting with your followers is perhaps the best way to convert them to customers if they aren’t already and build brand loyalty for current customers. Not only should your social media strategy include posts that encourage your followers to engage with you but you should also make sure you’re responding to anyone that comments on your posts. Of course we’ve got some ideas to help you out with getting engagement:
- AMA (Ask Me Anything)
- This is very popular, especially on Reddit, and can be particularly successful if you can get a senior level team member to participate.
- Questions & Surveys
- Not only is this a great way to get follower engagement but this can be a very effective tool for conducting market research.
- Tag a Friend
- This is one way to increase brand awareness on all channels and remember if you want your followers to take an action (like subscribing or liking content) make sure you ask them directly.
- Photo in the Comments
- What better way to interact with your followers than to have them post pictures they’ve taken.
Endorse
Technically this should probably be labeled “Promote,” but that doesn’t start with an “E” and “The 3 Es and a P of Social Media Strategy” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. That being said, this is the strategy that most businesses seem to have down. However, that doesn’t mean that this has to be boring. As a matter of fact, this can be a very powerful tool to gain followers and new customers. Take a look at some of the post types you can use to your advantage:
- Testimonials
- Don’t tell people how awesome you are, let someone else do it for you.
- Product Give Away
- Do you have some samples you can give away, or how about a free consultation? If not, offer some gift cards for coffee or something. Just make sure the prize matches the effort of what you are asking people to do.
- Exclusive Deals for Followers
- Why not reward the people who follow you? If you do this often enough word will start to get out and you’ll see a nice spike in followers and customers.
- Co-Marketing
- If you can find another business in the same general industry, team up to cross promote each other. This will put your business in front of their followers and visa versa. Just make sure you both have a similar number of followers so it’s fair to both parties.
Final Thoughts
With each of the 4 Es it is always better to post your own content, if you can. That being said, most people who run social media accounts for small businesses wear multiple hats and don’t always have the luxury of curating original content on a regular basis. To help with this, set up some Google Alerts to help you easily find interesting articles to share and don’t be afraid to repost from other people and businesses you follow.
Another thing to keep in mind is that consistency is the key to success with social media and marketing in general. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will have time or remember to post everyday. Layout a social media calendar and stick to it. It also helps if you can schedule posts out in advance.
Finally, get creative and bring it all together. Believe it or not, building a social media following can actually be a lot of fun. Don’t think that you have to just stick to one type of post mentioned above either. You can hit multiple categories in a single post. For example, ask your followers to post pictures of their dogs on National Dog Day.
by Justin Mayhall | Mar 2, 2017 | Uncategorized
Blogging. We’ve all heard about it, but for many people the word brings up images of posh fashionistas or techy brother-in-laws, and honestly it sounds more like a hobby than a legitimate business development tool. What value could blogging actually bring to an established business? Well, the answer is a lot. A strong web presence is invaluable, and while that starts with a conversion oriented website, blogging keeps content current which in turn helps your business in many ways. While there are plenty of reasons you should have an active blog on your site, I’ll touch on two that I think are the most important.
Be Seen by Blogging
Search Engine Optimization aka SEO. This has become such a buzzword I cringe every time I use it, but the reality is if you aren’t popping up near the top on searches then you aren’t relevant on the web. The first thing you need to understand when talking about the value of a well-kept blog is how it can affect your page ranking in search engines. In a nutshell, search engines, like Google and Bing, want to make sure they are delivering the best results for people who are using their services to search for information on the web.
In order to keep up to date with the ever-changing content on the Internet, search engines frequently send out crawlers to analyze all of the information. These crawlers are looking for specific pieces of information and the more information they find on your site pertaining to particular search terms the higher your site will show up when those search terms are entered into the search bar.
One thing that particularly pleases these crawlers is new content. The reason being is the folks that designed them understand that information is constantly changing and thus put particular importance on new content. So what’s the best way to ensure your site has a steady stream of new content for these crawlers to discover? You guessed it… blogs.
By consistently publishing new content to your site you are able to increase your page ranking by providing the web crawlers just what they are looking for. Careful though, if you learn too many of these tips you’re going to have to stop paying that high priced web developer of yours all that money for SEO.
You’re An Expert, Prove It
Think about how you got to where you are. Chances are there was a good amount of hard work involved, maybe there was a little luck, but really you are where you are because you know things others don’t. Whether you embrace it or not you are an expert in your industry, and that is just what potential customers are looking for. So show ‘em what you’ve got.
Now, I’m not saying to go out and share all of the secrets that set you apart from your competition, but definitely let people know that you know what you’re doing and how it can benefit them.
This technique is part of what is known as “content marketing” and it has taken the Internet by storm over the past several years. The next time you’re on a social media site check out some of the articles you see. Are they really there to offer advice, or are they demonstrating that the company understands their industry? It’s a great indirect sales pitch, and guess what? It works. That’s why you see it repeated so often.
The bottom line is that blogging can positively affect your bottom line. If you do it right, you can increase your SEO (cringe) and help potential customers/clients see that you understand the in-depth workings of you industry. Not to mention it can serve as a great base for social media or email marketing campaigns, but that’s an entirely different blog topic.
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