Posted on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 @ 02:00 PM
[By Koleen Singerline]
Grass Roots Marketing, Inc., an inbound marketing company that specializes in staffing industry marketing, recently announced the results of a case study called “Inbound Marketing for Staffing Agencies”. The case study examines the current usage of effective, online marketing tactics for U.S. staffing agencies by comparing typical staffing firms with the top companies in the field.
If you’re unfamiliar with the methodology, inbound marketing is based on attracting qualified leads to an optimized website, the hub of your marketing and sales efforts. Using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, social media, blogging, email marketing and public relations to collectively support your content-rich website will help increase brand awareness and drive sales.
The study specifically looks at the website grades and social media platform activity (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and blogging) of approximately 250 staffing firms; 233 staffing firms identified as members of the American Staffing Association (ASA) as well as 25 of the largest staffing firms in the U.S. as identified through research and Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). Results showed that in nearly all of the analyzed categories, the top 25 staffing firms ranked better than their 233 staffing firm counterparts in inbound marketing usage. While many of the companies had a decent handle on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, there is still a greater need to them to leverage the power of social media.
Our study falls in line with current trends of companies using inbound marketing strategies to substantiate their marketing campaigns and extend public reach to generate business. A recent 2010 study analyzing the Internet habits of U.S. citizens found that 78% of all U.S. Internet users say that they use the Internet to research products, indicating a continuous, upward trend. In its 2010 Staffing Company Survey, Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) analyzed the highest bang-to-buck marketing & sales tactics for staffing firms. Survey results showed that six of the eight marketing tactics that were said to be the most effective in generating sales were internet-related:
The key takeaway of this research is that typical staffing firms can increase their sales by investing more resources into inbound marketing tools. Technology and software has made it possible for these smaller companies to be just as effective as the top 25 staffing firms.
It is important that this industry grows through the use of productive inbound marketing strategies that help staffing agencies improve their online presence to attract clients and talent. While this research is industry specific, the principles of inbound marketing can be applied to any type of business in any industry.
“Inbound Marketing for Staffing Agencies” discusses the case study in greater depth, as well as provides insight and tips for how any type of company can use inbound marketing strategies for their business. The study provides insight into the practices of the industry and how to create sales by using inbound marketing strategies. Click here to get your FREE copy!
About Grass Roots Marketing, Inc. (GRM)
GRM’s HubSpot Certified professionals provide inbound marketing programs for the staffing industry. Enhance brand awareness and drive your sales by attracting qualified leads to your website through search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, email marketing, public Relations, social media and blogging. GRM is recognized as the first company in the nation with HubSpot Certified professionals to serve the staffing field. For more information about GRM, please visit www.grmwebsite.com or call 732-380-8400.
Posted on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 @ 10:11 AM
[By Sarah Faglio]
Ever since its creation, online marketing has been competing with the traditional nuances of print advertising. However, 2012 is expected to be the year that marketers spend more on online advertising than print. This would be the first year that online marketing spend is greater than print advertising, such as magazines and newspapers.
According to a recent study from eMarketer, online advertising is expected to generate $39.5 billion in sales this year (a 23.3% increase from 2011), while spend on print is expected to reach only $33.8 billion. Research projects online ad revenues to continue growing and is expected to reach $62 billion by 2016.
U.S. online ad spending ($39.5 billion) is expected to continue rapid growth and exceed spend on print magazines and newspapers ($33.8 billion) for the first time in 2012. As online advertising spend increases, the total spent on print is expected to decrease. Marketers are expected to spend less ($32.3 billion) on print advertising in 2016, which is 10% less than what they spent in 2011.
U.S. marketers are expected to spend $72 billion in TV advertising in 2016, which is an 18.6% increase from 2011. TV advertising seems to be unaffected by the rise of spend on internet advertising, continuing to rise higher than online. While online ad spending is expected to reach $62 billion in 2016, TV ad spending is projected to reach $72 billion in 2016, which is $10 billion more than online spend.
Overall, total media ad spending is expected to grow 6.7% to $169.5 billion in 2012 and reach nearly $200 billion by 2016. Online advertising is a major part of their growth, representing 1/3 of total media ad spending. Online advertising can be achieved a multitude of ways, such as e-mail marketing, public relations, social media, blogging and website optimization.
Posted on Wed, Jan 25, 2012 @ 11:41 AM
[By Andrew Gerbehy]
It is clear that the cell phone landscape is going through a dramatic change. No longer can you just have a simple flip phone to make a call or send a simple text message. Instead you have to have an Iphone, Droid or any other Smartphone to be able to take you all over the Web whenever you desire. Almost 43% of the US cell phone market is Smartphone’s and it is expected to be well over 50% by the end of 2012. It is clear to see exactly where the market is headed and gives inbound marketers an opportunity to be found through mobile marketing.
We have all seen or been that person who bumps in a wall, pole or person because they are too busy walking and glued to their phone. People are spending more time talking, texting and surfing the web on their cell phones than ever before. This is why mobile marketing is now becoming a critical part to a company’s success. Mobile marketing efforts allow a company to draw more customers in using a variety of cell phone applications. Here are some mobile marketing tools that can help your company:
Reminders - Setting reminders and sending them to customers is a great tool for your company. Whether you’re reminding them of an appointment, sale or cancelation, it is a great way to make a customer feel connected with your business.
Accessibility - Your business needs to get found on the go in such a fast paced world. Consumers, when looking up your company, need to be able to find you at any given moment. With applications like “Around Me” where you can see what type of restaurants or clothing stores are around you. Your company needs to make sure they can be found when being searched for. Double check to make sure you are listed on search and directory sites like Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp and more.
Instagram - Now-a-days peoples Smartphone’s have just as many megapixels as any camera. Instagram is a application that is linked with social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter that allows you to share photos. This allows your business to give customers a firsthand look at what is going on at your company through photos.
“Checking In” - Location based services such as Foursquare, Facebook Places, or Google Maps allow people with a Smartphone to “Check In” the places they go on their social media pages. This is good and easy advertising for your company showing that people are going to your business.
Posted on Thu, Jan 19, 2012 @ 07:49 AM
[By Sarah Faglio]
Blogging is important to a company's marketing strategy in attracting users who have the potential to be qualified leads and subsequently paying customers. 57% of businesses have admitted that they have acquired a customer through their company blog. Blogs drive traffic to your website and can have the potential to increase the number of leads and sales your company attains. However, in order to produce a successful blog, there are some mistakes that companies need to avoid.
Top 10 Blogging Blunders That Your Company Needs To Avoid
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Your Blog's Not Integrated With Your Website. To assist with website SEO, your blog could be added to your website as a sub-domain (i.e. http://blog.website.com) or in a folder of your website (i.e. http://website.com/blog).
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It's Focused Too Much On The Company. Write for your target audience so your blog can become a place where they can learn about your industry instead of a place filled with advertising or self-promotion.
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You Publish Information Infrequently/Inconsistently. Update posts at least 2-3 times a week.
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Your Blog's Not Optimized For Search. Placing keywords at the beginning of the title and throughout the post helps it get indexed and ranked higher by search engines.
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You Are Not Using Social Media. Promoting your blog updates on your other social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+) alerts your followers, people interested in your company or industry, therefore increasing readership.
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You're Not Optimizing for Lead Generation. Incorporating links throughout your blog post to call-to-action landing pages as a way to develop a list of qualified leads who you can nurture into customers.
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Your Blog Is Not Paying Attention To Blog Analytics. By looking at the analytics behind your blog, you are able to determine which posts got the most traffic and are therefore the most popular topics among your readers.
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Your Blog Doesn't Have A Closing Comment Box. This allows readers the opportunity to give feedback and ask questions, allowing you to reply with suggestions or solutions to their problems (that possibly your product or service could provide).
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You Post New Entries At Night. Research shows that the best times to share new content is in the morning, since that is when many people go to read blogs.
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The Blog's Content Is Unprofessional. Avoid trash talking competition, clients etc. and make your blog posts as professional and relevant to your industry as possible.
It is important to avoid these 10 blogging blunders if you want your company to get the most out of your blog. Recent research from HubSpot found that companies that blog have far better marketing results, such as 55% more visitors, 97% more inbound links and 434% more indexed pages. These significant improvements show that it is worthwhile for a company to maintain a blog.
Posted on Thu, Jan 05, 2012 @ 10:10 AM
[By Sarah Faglio]
Happy New Year 2012! Have you made your new year's resolution yet? According to recent data, the top new year's resolutions of 2012 include losing weight, getting organized and staying fit and healthy. While these are all good intentioned, as a marketer, you want more for your new year such as higher profits and greater success. The resolutions that you'd be more interested in would be to spend less, save more and learn something exciting.
Top 10 Must-Haves for Your 2012 Marketing Campaigns to bring business and customers to your company in the new year:
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Facebook - Facebook pages allow you to update posts and other content regularly with industry or company news relative to users who like your page. Resolve to provide content of interest to followers in order to develop a following and interaction on the page.
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Twitter - Twitter profiles are used to micro-blog (140 characters or less) important news of interest to your followers to retweet or be directed to your website. Tweets should be short and frequent.
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LinkedIn - LinkedIn profiles establish your company in a professional setting, allowing you the opportunity to network and connect with other professionals and provide news updates to your followers. Your profile should also include a brief description of your company as well as office location and contact information.
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Blogging - Blog at least once a week on industry topics of interest to your target audience establishes you as a subject matter expert. In addition to providing timely updates to your website, blogs contribute to SEO and increased traffic brought on by general interest in your posts.
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E-mail Marketing - After website visitors voluntarily provide their e-mail addresses, you should send lead generation e-mails filled with information of interest to them such as product or service offers. This campaign will nurture a potential customer in buying decisions and and solve conflicts you offer solutions to.
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Newsletters - Send timely newsletters and news of interest straight to a potential customer's (or customer's) e-mail inbox to keep them updated on the industry and company.
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Webinars - Webinar sessions and videos allow your potential customer to learn more about your product or industry first-hand from a professional in your company. During live sessions, this opens the door to verbal discussion.
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Case Studies or White Papers - By providing easily downloadable reference material on your industry or product/service positions your company as a subject matter expert in their field of work. Regularly publish new content to your website.
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Public Relations - Having a credible public relations strategy allows you to establish yourself in the marketplace and introduce important company updates or news to the public.
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Analytics - By looking at what blog or social media update topics generate the most traffic you can learn what is most interesting to your readers/followers when developing new posts. Use analytics to strategize for the future and fix mistakes.
It is important to stay up-to-date with the latest marketing strategies. Implementing these strategies through your marketing campaigns will help you broaden your company's reach in the new year. Good luck and for further guidance don't hesitate to contact us. Happy New Year, let it be a prosperous and productive new year for all!