 Last week I talked about SEO, and how it can make you available when and where your target audience needs you most. The goal of SEO is to let Google and other search engines know that you are who you say you are, and that you will give the answer the searcher is looking for. Search engines look at lots of factors like proximity, relevance, and authority. Today, I am going to write about a shortcut that can get you there faster. For most local businesses, this is the very first place you should start. You should be considering a layered, or omni-channel marketing strategy—but it can get costly. So, if you are a traditional business with competitors in your local market, you can get results quickly by using Paid Search Advertising. Sometimes called PPC, SEM, or as I call it, Paid Search. Two Advertising Approaches: Active Search vs Passive Discovery Active Search There are two ways people will come across your brand. The first is through active search. In the days of phone books, we would open the phone book and look alphabetically for businesses. For me, that was usually pizza delivery. Today, that type of lookup is primarily done on Google and other search engines. This is why I call these types of customers Low Hanging Fruit. This group knows what they want, and they are actively looking for an answer or solution. You want to make sure you show up when they are looking. SEO is a good way to be near the top of search results organically—meaning not paid, but it still usually costs money to get it done right. It’s important, but results can take a while. The Shortcut is to purchase search engine ads to ensure you show up at the top, or near it, at least some of the time. You can buy ads with Google to make sure you are found when someone is searching. Done properly, you can see results almost immediately. Passive Discovery When someone isn’t aware of your company or product, you need to help them discover you. This is where other forms of advertising come in handy. Social media, video ads, and magazine ads are all ways you can help people learn about products that they may not have searched for because maybe they didn’t realize it existed. This is called passive discovery, and it’s also where your creativity can be most valuable. The better you are at capturing attention quickly with your ads, the more effective they will be. A good example of this is Poo-Pourri. I don’t think anyone knew they might want to mask the smell of going to the bathroom until Poo-Pourri was invented, and then most of us knew we wanted it. “Do Not Go In There!” is now a thing of the past with this clever product. Their creative ads took the world by storm. I encourage you to test which would be the best way to get people to know about your product or service. One way is to analyze the traffic happening in your market. Use that as a guide for determining whether Paid Search (PPC) is worth your investment. Conduct a Keyword and Traffic analysis, or have your marketing person help you. We are great at figuring these things out, just let me know if you would like a free assessment. If you have something unique or slightly off from what the mainstream is doing, you should focus on passive discovery types of advertising. In another example, as you may already know, I own a RoofMaxx Dealership with my son who runs it. It is a great business in a very competitive market. Roofing companies are a dime a dozen in almost every market. Roof-related searches are big in most markets, and many roofing companies are spending thousands of dollars to show up on top. Because Roof Maxx is a unique product that can be sprayed on old roofs to make them last longer, we want to be discovered by people who are concerned about aging roofs. However, if we show up when people are searching for replacement options, it is often too late. If a roof is too far gone, it won’t allow Roof Maxx to work properly. This means we would pay big bucks to show up at the wrong time. Instead, we need to help people discover our spray-on treatment before it is too late. This is why this product falls into the passive discovery category. Therefore, we use print magazine ads, online videos, and social media ads to help our customers discover who we are. Now that you understand these two different approaches to advertising, this next section will show you how to take the shortcut that will make sure you show up at the top of search results when people are actively searching for you. Tips for Running a Successful Paid Search or PPC Campaign Paid Search or Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be an incredibly effective way to drive targeted traffic to your website, and increase your online visibility. So, first things first, make sure your website operates well. Be sure it is designed to capture a potential customer’s information, so you can capture that lead. This is massively important. If your site isn’t working properly, let’s fix it first. Assuming your website is good, let’s go over how to run a successful PPC campaign. It requires more than just setting up a few ads, and waiting for the clicks to roll in.
Second, define your WHY. Why do customers like you? What do you do that is uniquely amazing? Knowing that makes your content creation so much easier. Who are your ideal customers? What are their pain points and challenges? What motivates them to make a purchase? Use this information to create ad copy and landing pages that speak directly to your target audience. Thirdly, set your campaign goals. What do you want to achieve with your campaign? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? 2. Choose the Right Keywords Choosing the right keywords is vital. The right keywords are key to the success of your PPC campaign. Conduct keyword research to identify the terms and phrases being searched for by your target audience. Use keyword research tools to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords to help you reach your target audience. Again, if you need help with this research, it is something we do really well. Once you’ve identified your keywords, organize them into ad groups based on their relevance to your products or services. This will help you create targeted ads that are more likely to convert because they will be delivered to the right people, at the right time. 3. Nail the Creative Your ads should be compelling, relevant, and highly targeted to your audience. Remember you have about 3 seconds to capture a viewer’s attention. Use your target audience and keyword research to create ads that speak directly to your potential customers. Use attention-grabbing headlines and titles, compelling ad copy, and strong calls to action to encourage clicks and conversions. Use this link full of awesome words you can use to capture emotion in your titles. Make sure your landing pages are highly relevant to your ads. Your landing pages should provide a seamless user experience that matches the messaging and branding of your ads. Don’t just send people to your main website hoping they find what they were looking for. Customize landing pages and give them what they want as conveniently as possible. 4. Monitor and Optimize Your Campaign Once your campaign is up and running, it’s important to monitor and optimize your performance. Use the data provided by your PPC platform to track your performance, identify areas for improvement, and adjust your strategy as needed. Google will even give you optimization suggestions. Use them if they make sense. Otherwise, look at what’s happening in the market. Eliminate Keywords that don’t, or shouldn’t, apply. Add new ones suggested by the system that might apply to you. To optimize your campaign for maximum results, test different ad copy, landing pages, and targeting options. Use this type of A/B testing to test different ad variations and landing pages to see what works best for your audience. A/B testing is simply using two versions of an ad, image, video, title, or some different variable and measuring which version works best. I recently ran two ads on Facebook for the live seminars I offer. I was surprised to see which ad performed better. I assumed the video would do best. Actually, the click-throughs were higher on the static image, not the video however, I did get one more share of the video. Here are the different ads. Which one would grab your attention?
5. Focus on Quality Score
Quality Score is a metric PPC platforms use to evaluate the quality and relevance of your ads and landing pages. The higher your Quality Score, the lower your cost-per-click (CPC), resulting in higher ad rank. It is worth the extra effort to get things right, so your ad spend will be most effective. To improve your Quality Score, focus on creating highly relevant ads and landing pages that provide a great user experience. Make sure your landing pages load quickly, are mobile-friendly, and provide high-quality content that matches the messaging of your ads. Running a successful PPC campaign requires careful planning, research, and optimization. By defining your WHO, WHY, and goals, choosing the right keywords, creating compelling ads with killer headlines or titles, monitoring your performance, and adjusting as you go, you can achieve your marketing goals and drive targeted traffic to your website. When done right, marketing is an investment, not an expense. There are people looking for you. We can help them find you with the right tools. Let us know if you would like to discuss driving more traffic your way. As always, we are here to help. Book a call here, if you want to get into the specifics or just want some advice. We are happy to help.
0 Comments
 Learn how to outrank your competitors and show up when your potential customers need you most—when they are looking for you.
If you were to get lost in the woods and come across a fruit-bearing tree, you would be so excited to find food. Since you are likely starving, you would likely immediately start picking fruit and eating. Would you climb to the top of the tree and try for the fruit hanging far above the path, or would you start with those delicious fruits hanging from the bottom branches which are easily accessible? I would start with the easiest first. Using SEO and SEM are the marketing equivalent of capturing the easiest-to-get business first. There are people searching for your product or service right now. If you don’t show up when they are looking for you, they will go to your competitors. It depends on your business as to how many people are looking for you on search engines, but it could be a significant number. Even if it is only a few, you need to show up where people search, when they are searching. There are two ways to do this. The first is SEO which is covered in this blog post today, and the second is SEM (Search Engine Management) which will be covered next month. Both work but think of SEO as the long-term play where SEM is quicker and can generate leads as soon as tomorrow. We offer both at Connection Media Co. Let us know if you need more leads. I have had 3 clients recently tell me that our paid search efforts are their number 1 source of leads. This is important, don’t underestimate how this could help your business. Search Engine Optimization or SEO in simple terms, is convincing Google or other search engines that you are relevant to the person conducting the search. Google understands its role is to give us what we want when we search and that we are happy with what we find so we come back and ask them again next time. If I was looking for a mortgage and it brought up a loan officer in Colorado, I wouldn’t trust Google results very much. Again, Google wants to give us what we want, so we trust them and continue to use them. For local SEO, search engines look at a lot of factors, but here are some of the primary factors. #1 Proximity-- Are you located near where the person is searching? Map apps on our phones are becoming the number one search engine for local searches. People aren’t going to websites anymore, they are just going to the map, searching for what they want and either clicking the phone number or clicking for directions. This makes managing Google google and Apple Maps of the utmost importance. That is why we added that specific product to our lineup last year because we wanted to meet customers where they are looking. Let us know if you want help with maps. #2 Authority--Do you actually do what someone is looking for? Are you trusted in your industry? Does your website contain proof of your expertise? One of the best ways to do this is by blogging about your expertise, and by understanding and using keywords to make sure search engines like Google and Bing can see that you are an authority in the industry. We can also help you get consistent blogging information on your site. We have 5 on-staff writers who are excellent at this. #3 Relevance--Do people get what they were after when they do find you? This is why when many people “bounce” or immediately leave your website it can hurt your SEO. It tells the search engine that they didn’t find what they were looking for on your site. They are also looking for new content. If your content is 10 years old, they don’t know if you are even still in business, or if your site is just still hanging around. #4 Technically Correct--There are some things that Google asks us to do to make sure your website will work well and feed their engines’ information well. Here are some examples of their requirements.
Maps SEO is a little different. This requires some of the same efforts, but it is also heavily tied to your Google My Business profile and category selections. Maps don’t use keywords, they use broader categories and are heavily influenced by reviews. We can help with this, too. With either of these approaches, you must make the effort continually. If you don’t, you will be impacted by competitors who are making more effort than you are. You might rank well right now, and then two to three competitors come in and do a better job of showing their relevance, and suddenly you are outranked. Making this an ongoing investment is a wise choice. Ranking well in local search results will attract nearby customers. Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) must be consistent. Consistent NAP data across the web boost local search rankings. This means not only on your site, but also directories, linking websites, and anywhere else you might be listed. Consistency is key. Reputation Management is also crucial to online success. What are people saying about you? Again, Google wants people to get what they are looking for, so they will weigh the sites and listings of companies that treat their customers well. There are many solutions out there to help with reputation management, and we can also help you here. The best piece of advice I have for you with regards to your reputation is to answer negative feedback. When you messed up, admit it, apologize, and tell the person, publicly, how you are going to do better going forward. When you get incorrect or unjustified negative feedback, don’t get into an argument. Just say you’re sorry they had a bad experience, and that you are going to adjust something or simply that you are aware of the situation. No one expects you to be perfect. They want to know that you care though. Never let a bad review just hang out there with no response. Say something, and keep it civil. If they are combative, be the bigger person. Keep calm and type with a smile. Backlinking: Backlinks are just outside websites that link back to your website. Here is why those links are important as generated by ChatGPT.
Media companies have large audiences. If you can get media – free or paid media spotlights on TV, Radio, Blogs, Podcasts, Newspapers, and Magazines—all are great sources of media coverage. Linking that coverage back to your website, or social media, also adds a ton of credibility to your site and you. Often media coverage can also be a powerful marketing tool that is perceived as content, not just advertising. When I have spots on TV it is usually my use of the piece afterward that is more valuable than the piece itself. It shows relevancy and personalizes me as a business person. Plus, it only shows up in the media once, if I repost it on my website and social media, it lives for a long time. It can influence a future customer even years down the road. This will also help your website’s SEO. Your social media can lead people to your website with the right strategy, further boosting your relevancy and traffic. When you have a business, I find you usually have time or money, not typically both. If you have time you can do these things on your own; if you have money, you can hire someone to do it for you. We would love to be your marketing company. We have so many great solutions and we are happy to talk about your goals and challenges. We'll do our best to help you rock and roll! Please forward this email to anyone you know who would benefit from learning about these ideas. You can subscribe here. The world is moving at the speed of light, and the greatest need business owners have in marketing is not just about selling products or services anymore. It's about crafting a narrative, fostering relationships, and maneuvering through an ever-evolving community and digital landscape. So where should you focus your efforts?
The greatest need I see that business owners have in marketing is establishing an effective strategy. This involves understanding your WHO, defining their WHY, and then employing the right marketing to the right channels. Then you need to be consistent with your messaging. Your WHO Today's consumers are not just passive receivers; they're active participants. So a successful marketing strategy begins with a clear understanding of your target audience. From demographics to psychographics, understanding your customer is key. Do they prefer reading long-form blogs or are they more inclined towards quick video content? Are they more active on Instagram or LinkedIn? These are the questions that need answering. Research is key to each step here. The better your research, the more successful your marketing will be. Choosing the Right Marketing Channels There are an overwhelming number of channels at a business owner's disposal. Social media, email marketing, SEO to PPC or SEM advertising, Print, Video, geo-targeted, keyword targeted, the options are many. The challenge lies in picking the right channels that will reach the right target audience effectively. Creating Compelling Content We're living in the age of content overload. Cutting through the noise and grabbing the consumer's attention is one of the biggest challenges that businesses face. That's where the importance of creating compelling, engaging, and unique content comes in. It actually starts with your titles or your hooks. The same video was posted to YouTube several years ago. One has currently received 27 million views, while the other is at 7,700 views. The only difference is the title or HOOK on these videos. Here they are to demonstrate the difference. Which one would you click on? 7,700 views 96 Million Black Balls delivered to make LA First Floating Cover 27 million views LA throws 96 million 'shade balls' at its water shortage — and it's mesmerizing If you learn how to make great titles or hooks, you can make your business thrive! Compelling content must also follow, but the hook is most important. Think about the title of this article, did it make you want to read it? Titles matter. Consistency in Messaging No matter the channel, consistency in messaging is crucial. It's about creating a brand voice that resonates with your audience and sticks in their minds. Consistency leads to familiarity, and familiarity breeds trust. Whatever you advertise and wherever you do it, do it for the long term and be consistent. The Digital Revolution and Business Marketing The digital age has transformed how businesses market their products or services. It's no longer enough to simply advertise that you are open for business. The key is to leverage digital platforms to engage with consumers and create memorable experiences. Become part of the content they love to consume. When you become content, it doesn’t seem like ads. Social media has emerged as a platform for you to publish your content. Instagram stories, Twitter threads, Facebook groups, LinkedIn posts, and more, businesses can interact directly with their consumers like never before. Use these channels to tell your story over and over again. The Importance of SEO Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a vital tool in your business's digital marketing. There are people looking for you right now. They might not find you if you aren’t doing SEO. Consumers turn to Google for every little query, businesses that master SEO can ensure they're always in sight and never out of mind. Email Marketing - A Tried and Tested Strategy Despite the influx of numerous digital marketing channels, email marketing remains a steadfast strategy. It's a direct line to the customer and when executed correctly, can result in high engagement rates. Video Marketing - The growing giant If you are not using video in your marketing you are missing out. Video consumption is up over 250%. People are spending more time on their devices watching videos. To get in front of them, you must do video. Lots of ways to use video, but first you need a content creation plan and then implement video ASAP. Print - Oldy but a Goody Print is not dead, it has just changed. Science is still in favor of print. If your WHO reads your ad or sees it on paper, you will have had a greater impact on their ability to remember your brand and know what you do. Print does it better than anything else. The key is to find out if your target audience is reading the print publication you are advertising in. FAQs: The Greatest Need in Business Marketing What is the greatest need business owners have in marketing?
Why is understanding your WHO or target audience crucial in marketing?
How can a business create compelling content?
Why is SEO important in digital marketing?
Is email marketing still effective?
How can consistency in messaging benefit a business?
So, in answer to the question, "What is the greatest need business owners have in marketing?" - In a constantly shifting community and digital landscape, business owners must stay abreast of trends, understand their customers, and communicate effectively. We would love to help you if you need it. Connection Publishing is rebranding to Connection Media Co. Please let us know if you need help with any of these topics. We are the local specialists in Ogden/ Weber, Layton/ Davis, and Brigham City/ Box Elder communities. When advertising, you need to use the right words to capture attention. People's attention spans are shrinking and currently it is estimated that we only have 3 seconds to grab someones attention in ads. That means if you are advertising, you better use words that trigger emotion in your title. In internet terms, it is called your hook. Here are some words you can use to drive attention in your advertising. Remember this formula; Emotion + Relevancy = Attention  Here are some words you can use and the different emotions they trigger. Let me know if I am missing any great emotion triggering words. When you use emotion, make sure it is relevant to your WHO, and your ads will get attention.
When I started selling advertising, I pretty much left it up to the client to decide what they wanted to advertise. Most of that advertising was very much along the conformity end of the marketing continuum. There was not much creativity and often the advertiser wouldn’t decide what they wanted to put in their ads until I asked them what the plan was. There was little forethought or planning. This post will help you change that, if that is how you handle your advertising. Firstly, understand that you must move away from conformity to get attention. Greatness happens at the edge of controversy. To help you understand what I mean, think of this example: Conformity is a plumber stating that he or she clears clogged drains (we sure hope so when we need them! But we can also assume that they do). Controversy would be a real estate agent losing their license or getting fined by publishing private info that is not allowed in their marketing by their governing body. Controversy might also be taking a social stand that is unpopular with your target audience. You do not want to advertise at either end of this spectrum. However, at the edge of controversy is where advertising stands out the most. It doesn’t break any laws, but it might break a few unwritten rules or simply stand out from the typical.   In order to achieve this, you must have a plan and then analyze and adjust that plan as you go. I have had clients who have had plans and some that didn't. One of my favorite examples was the owner of Timeless Medical Spa. She put together an annual calendar with a chosen theme for each month, and a listing of her specials. She aligned most of her specials with discounts that came from her product manufacturers because she would pass those savings on to her customers. I loved her approach because she didn’t have to think about her advertising for the month each time I came in—she would just pull out the plan. It was already done. This advanced planning was a big inspiration for me when I put together and wrote the Marketing Playbook. You can get a free copy here if you would like. I grabbed theme ideas for each month and included them in the book. This gives you an easy approach to coming up with themes. You can also apply multiple themes if you are posting to social media or something more frequently. Use this tool to give you a foundation for your annual marketing plan. You can use the free Annual Marketing Theme Planner I created here. I also put together this full-month planner for your organic social media. There are 12 types of social media posts that you can spread out to get the most variety. Find it here as well. You can make Promotional Posts, Educational Posts, Engagement Posts, UGC or User Generated Content/Testimonials, Behind the Scenes, Company News or Updates, Industry News, Motivational or Inspirational, Success Stories or Customer Satisfaction stories, Special Occasions, Live Stream/ Videos, and Infographics. Spread them out and use this sheet to organize your plan, then rinse and repeat. Marketing Plan Tools Here are some key points to making your content plan. First of all, as I always say, KNOW YOUR WHO! Who are you talking to? What is important to them? What things do they like that you can make associations with to inspire curiosity or emotion? I am a fly fisherman, I love to spend time on the water. When I get marketing about my fly fishing addiction, it is always a picture of a trout being drawn out of the water at the end of a line or the picture of a guy standing knee deep in a river in a very picturesque scene. These images are exactly why I love fly fishing and they always pull me in, just like my fly hopefully pulls in a monster trout! Use this formula to help come up with ad ideas that capture attention. Emotion + Relevancy = Attention. Using the right tools, channels, words, and images to engage your potential customer is key to advertising that works. For example, if you sell fishing gear, your clients will also likely be interested in camping and outdoor activities or outdoor scenes, they will also like the visual concept of your product in action, catching a fish. Your imagery should speak to your audience to capture their attention. Find some time to sit down and brainstorm content ideas in advance. Use the research you did in Step 3 about keywords, questions customers ask, and your understanding of your WHO and their WHY to make decisions. In my book there is a list of emotion triggering words, but I have published it here for easy access. Bookmark it and use these words to capture attention. Also, think of the marketing channels you plan to use. If you are going to put it in a magazine, make sure the imagery is eye-catching and that you have a powerful hook or title. If you’re posting on social media, what image will capture attention quickly and get people to pause? Social media is much faster moving than a print ad. If you are going to use a billboard, it needs to be super, super simple, and generate enough curiosity so people will remember you and look you up later. Customize your imagery and your hook according to the marketing channel you are using. If you are going to make videos for your content plan, what will the messaging be? In the video world, you have about 3 seconds to grab someones attention, so what will be the very first line of your video? How can you keep people listening? People don’t want to watch 30 seconds of boring! If your videos can infotain, they will be much more effective. Once you have a plan, schedule when each piece of media will run, and make a detailed plan for what the ads will look like. Here is an Ad Planner you can use to break down the individual parts of your ad so it is highly effective. Keep track of how different visuals, titles, and plans work out, so you can make more educated decisions on future advertising campaigns. If your budget is limited, and you need to be wise with your marketing spend, this step will be highly valuable to you. Use the tools we have provided for free but keep track and make adjustments as you go. Know that Connection Media Co—our new name, which will be fully legal by the end of July—offers done-for-you options as well. We are currently building out our new website, but here is a preview of what we will be offering in the done for you category. We will continue to give you the tools so you can do it yourself, but if you want help, our team is here for you too. More details will soon follow, stay-tuned. Next week we will talk about Analyzing and Adjusting your advertising plan and your ads. |
AuthorRyan Spelts Archives
September 2023
Categories |
RSS Feed