Posted on Fri, Aug 24, 2012 @ 07:51 AM
[By Fred Strahl]
Attention! Attention! All companies that aren’t using social media are not following the most up to date marketing strategies. In fact, you are losing SEO from dragging your feet on this one. I’m also referring to those who have pages but haven’t posted anything on it in months. In fact, all businesses should be paying specific attention to any updates made by Google. The newest Google search algorithm updates have put more of an emphasis on how companies are interacting with their customers. This should be the standard for all good businesses today.
When Google releases an update, every business should be paying attention. The newest update has integrated social media as a part of search rankings, especially Google+. Google has made having a Google+ page important in their search ranking algorithm.
Google has recognized that the companies involved in Social Media would be the best for the searcher. Why? Well, it shows that the company is keeping up with the current business world, the company is active, and the company likes to interact with their customers. This is the standard today. However, if you missed the train on this one, you still have time to get on board. Pay more attention to your pages and update them more often. Keep in touch with your target audience and they will want to keep in touch with you.
At this point you should be set up with at least:
Facebook Page
Twitter Account
LinkedIN Account
Google+ Page
Here is a list of tips for keeping active with your Social Media Pages
Post updates at least once a week
If the host of the social media page doesn’t stay involved with the page, than why would anyone else?! Keep the posts coming, don’t flood everyone’s twitter feed, but make sure you stay active.
Provide engaging content
One of the main goals is to drive your customers to react to your post. Get them to engage in the content to find out what they are talking about. This could help you find out what your target audience feels is important when they are looking for products like the one you offer.
Encourage staff involvement
Urge your staff to make some posts, have them post some comments. Sometimes showing that people are commenting helps your audience to interact. A lot of people are a little skittish when it comes to making the first comment on new content.
Set goals for your Social Media Strategy
Do you want more likes? More tweets? More shares? If so, set a number and see if you reach it. If not, you may want to alter your strategy.
Pay close attention to comments
See what is being talked about in the comments and engage with the customers. See if they have any questions or need more information. This is another way to use Social Media to get more leads and it shows you are there to help.
Find out how well you are doing with your social media strategy by using our social media checklist!
Posted on Thu, Aug 16, 2012 @ 01:53 PM
[By Fred Strahl]
Inbound Marketing is an amazing concept. Business owners had only dreamed of a world where the customer would come to them. No more time wasted on cold calls, no more money wasted on direct mailers, no more hoping for those orders to magically land on their desk. That dream has become a reality with Inbound. One may think, “But how do I know Inbound is right for my business?” Well you need to meet two specific qualifications. The first is that you must have a business that runs on the sale of some sort of product or service. The second is that you are the type of person that likes to see their business make more sales. If you meet these qualifications, than Inbound will work for you.
I know what you’re thinking, “Wait a minute…every business would meet those qualifications.” That’s right, because Inbound can work for everyone. Inbound has no niche, Inbound has no qualifications, and Inbound does not discriminate. It is an option for every business and every business should be using it. It is The Marketing Strategy of the future; it uses the newest technology to reach out to your target audience. SEO and calls to action are the most important tools in marketing today. If you use SEO and calls to action correctly, than you will see amazing results. I’ll explain…
We live in a world in which people generally call on Google to solve many of their problems. In fact, there are 91,000,000 Google searches every day. It is the research tool of the future. In the past, consumers would have to open a phone book to find a number of someone that could help them with their questions…now they simply use Google. When consumers needed to purchase a product, they would have to shop all day driving store to store to find the best price and the best product …now they use Google. We have become an extremely fast moving society in which instant gratification reigns. We don’t have the time to spend on flipping through a phone book or spending a day shopping and comparing prices. We want a way to solve any problem we may be facing quickly and easily. Google and other search engines are the tools of the future to solve all of our problems.
This is why Inbound is so important and why SEO is the most important marketing tool today. If Google is the way to reach your target audience, you NEED to keep your SEO in check and up to date at all times. Ensure that you are keeping up with your competition, ensure that you come up in search engines for the terms you want to be found for, research your target audience to see what they would type into a search engine, etc. By doing this, you will make it easier for your customer to find you and be there to address their concerns.
Whenever you wanted to reach your target audience you always had to reach out to them, right? Well now it is completely different. The customer comes to you, but the question is… “Will you be there when they come looking?"
To learn more about improving your SEO, contact us today!!
Photo by 100SEOtips.com
Posted on Fri, Aug 03, 2012 @ 09:47 AM
[By Fred Strahl]
So you’ve joined HubSpot and the leads are flying in. More leads than you have ever seen from cold calling, direct mailing, or conventions combined. That’s great…but now what? Unfortunately, more leads do not always lead to more revenue. Generating leads is only the beginning.
You have to see each lead as a seed. If you want to reap the benefits of this seed, you have to nurture it. Lead-nurturing emails can only do so much and at some point you have to pick up the phone and make contact. Here is a list of tips to keep in mind while cultivating your leads.
- Qualify each and every lead - Find out if the lead is worth your time. Are you talking to the decision maker or an influencer? Can this company fit your product in their budget? Finding out the answers to these questions can save you a lot of time.
- Have Positive Results Ready - Show off your success! Success stories and testimonials prove that your product has worked before. Leads want to see this. Showing exactly how your product has benefitted others will make it easier to explain to your lead why it will also benefit them.
- Know how to deal with a “No” - Know how to roll with the punches. No sales call ever goes as planned so make sure you are ready to face any obstacles you may encounter. You can prepare for these “No’s” by having backup questions to ask the lead. By doing so, you have a better shot at hitting the customer’s points of pain. For example: Lead: No, I do not have the money to change my current strategy. You: I understand sir, however, what if a change of strategy could save you money and increase your cash flow?
- Build Rapport - Rapport must be built between the lead and the salesman. If the lead doesn’t trust you, than why would they believe that your product can help them? You can do this by asking questions that inquire about their personal business. For example “Tell me more about your business”, “Were you always interested in this field?”, “How did you become so successful?”, etc. This shows that you are interested in them as a person and not just as a potential source of revenue.
- Approach every lead as a problem solver NOT as a salesman - This is the most important tip. If you come off as a salesman, you will be stereotyped as a person with one goal: to sell something and make a profit. You NEED to show that you are different. You are a problem solver. The main goal should be to solve whatever problem the potential customer is having. If you show this, you will build the rapport needed to gain trust from the lead and ultimately increase your chances of closing the sale.
To learn more about sales and using inbound marketing to increase leads, contact us today!