Category: Marketing

  • Optimize for Maximum Gold Online This March

    We are all guilty of spreading our efforts too thin at times. It’s St. Patty’s Day and everyone will be busy gearing up for parties, making corned beef and cabbage, while still carrying out their daily routines. Unfortunately, there are no leprechauns to make life any easier. In the marketing world, it’s easy to try everything at once to get your business off to a running start (or perhaps you need a fresh face to your ads). However, this can prove to be very exhausting, discouraging, and ultimately ineffective. You may be lacking some very key ideas in order to save yourself some heartache and effectively advertise at the same time.

    Where to Market Online?

    It would be easy to say your marketing campaign should stretch from one corner of the web to the next. However, this wouldn’t necessarily be effective marketing. It is true that social media is the next big key to marketing success, but putting a business’s ads on irrelevant sites does not mean more business. A company is much more likely to receive new and continued business if you are sharing your web presence on related sites.

    How to Market Online?

    No one said it was going to be easy. A business that does their research will be a profitable one. If you can research and find all types of sites that fit within your area of expertise you will have an entire network to build upon. Once you have found relevant sites, communities, blogs, and all types of social media, market to them all. Build a campaign that encompasses and includes as many mediums as possible.

    Marketing Campaigns

    Plan out exactly what you want to accomplish by reaching out to your audience. Effective marketing campaigns are simple and concise. Include an easy to understand call-to-action that intrigues customers and makes them want to share, comment, and like. Make sure that it is easily accessible for them to do so. No one wants to fill out a giant form in order to participate. Catch people’s attention by thinking outside of the box and doing something you maybe wouldn’t normally do.

    Social Media Planning Apps

    Once you have created a “network” the best possible thing to do is stay organized. Daily interaction is what keeps marketing tools fresh in the consumer’s minds. Use every possible tool at your disposal to your advantage. Schedule time each day to reach out to the community on each one of your social media apps and/or make sure to write a comment on a relevant blog. Any kind of daily community involvement is always beneficial to your business. There are many different project managing apps available to keep it all straight.

  • How to Meet Your Lead Generation Goals

    A recent study by 360Leads concluded that only approximately 17% of companies from six continents meet their lead generation goals, despite many of the companies’ participation in lead generation programs. While it is important for any individual company to analyze why their lead generation efforts aren’t gaining momentum, it is equally important to look at possible solutions or changes that can be made to a lead generation campaign in order to make it more successful.

    Make Yourself Credible

    Another thing that lead generation campaigns can benefit greatly from is increasing a business’ credibility. Make yourself known in the industry. Don’t be shy, spread the word about your company (in a non-spammy way), and engage with competitors in discussions and roundtables. By gaining credibility or spreading information about awards or interviews published regarding your business, you can help influence prospective customers’ view of you. Credibility will make you seem authentic, and that can greatly impact the success of your lead generation campaigns.

    Embrace Mobile

    It cannot be reiterated enough: mobile is important for any type of marketing plan. If your marketing or lead generation strategy does not include mobile, then you are doing it wrong. Today’s world is mobile. There is no going around it. To succeed in a mobile world, it will require you to embrace mobile to some degree or another. A majority of individuals use mobile to search for products, and a majority of individuals make purchases over their phones or at least make contact with businesses by going from mobile search to direct calls.

    Focus on Relationships

    Stop focusing on the numbers aspect of your goals. Yes, they are important. But they are not the only important thing. Relationships have the potential to make or break a business. Focus on fostering relationships within your industry and focus on growing relationships with potential customers (as well as current customers). The success of your lead generation can greatly benefit from cultivating relationships with prospects and showing people that these relationships are cherished.

    Engage the Community

    This ties in with focusing on relationships, but the target here is to engage with the community in a personal sense. A lead generation campaign can profit from a company’s presence. By engaging with the community at a personal level, you have the potential to garner a customer’s attention. Let them know your interests (outside of your business interests and wanting them as potential prospects). Not only does this make you more credible, but people will see you as genuine, and this can help show how independent your business is from similar companies.

    Meeting any goal can be hard, especially in a difficult industry. It is important to constantly evaluate how you operate and how effective these strategies are. Given the right tools, more and more lead generation campaign goals can be met.

  • Why Performance Marketing is Just Like Professional Sports

    With the Super Bowl just finished, the National Hockey League continuing for the next few months into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Major League Baseball Spring Training starting up, most people will be settling in to see their favorite sports teams win (or lose) their respective games. But what about their businesses? For any business, Q1 can be an important time. It is the time of year that business owners and managers set budgets, present yearly goals, and set the tone for the rest of the year, just like any sports team’s conditioning sets them up for the season. In many ways, performance marketing and professional sports are very similar, both in methods and goals.

    Offensive and Defensive Strategies are Used to See Results

    Both sports and businesses using performance marketing want to see one thing: results. Every sport has offensive strategies and defensive strategies, used in conjunction with each other to create a balanced strategy that results in more wins than losses. Businesses in the performance marketing space do the same. Performance marketing is a form of interactive advertising that is used to generate results. The performance marketing space is more than just affiliate networks. In sports, using only an offensive or only a defensive strategy often times will not result in a win. The same can be said for performance marketing. Exploring your options and having a broad and balanced strategy can be beneficial for results.

    Analysis is an Important Part of a Good Game Plan

    Sports are not just about performance. Sports require preparedness and studying. Any good coach will tell you that they review their competitor’s games/tapes in order to evaluate what they are up against and to discover any tweaks that may need to be implemented in their game plan before the big day. The same goes for businesses. If your performance marketing strategy is not getting you the results you want but your competitor’s strategy is flourishing with success, evaluate what differences exist and what you can do to compete with them in the future. After your analysis, make the necessary changes if possible.

    Each Take a Commitment to Hard Work

    “You need three things to win: discipline, hard work and, before everything maybe, commitment. No one will make it without those three. Sport teaches you that.” Haile Gebrselassie, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. Any professional athlete or coach will tell you that commitment and hard work are import if you want to see results. For performance marketing, results will require hard work and time. Expectations should follow a form of thinking that adopts dedication, especially in order to see progress throughout the year.

    While sports and performance marketing may seem quite different, there are strong similarities between the requirements needed for success. Each requires a broad and balanced strategy, a commitment and dedication to hard work, and the ability to adapt and adopt changes in their game plan.

  • What Type Of Marketer Are you?


     

  • Lead Generation To-Dos in the New Year

    Performance marketing has taken over the marketing world. It is rare that you would find a business that does not utilize some form of performance marketing. Lead generation is one of these useful performance marketing tactics. Lead generation is the formation of consumer interest about the products and services of a particular business. Lead generation can then be used in a multitude of ways depending on your marketing motivations. Creating lists for emails or online magazines, generating a compilation of potential sales leads, or building a rewards/loyalty program are just some of the ways lead generation can be used. The following is a list of important to-dos to keep in the back of your mind for the New Year.

    Genuineness and Transparency

    Customers want two things from businesses. 1.) To know exactly how the business operates and what type of service they should expect. And 2.) for marketing to feel genuine. No one likes shady business and marketing tactics. When businesses are transparent, they are extending an arm of trust to the consumer. Customers would rather have a genuine interaction with marketers and ads, and have the ability to get information or quick answers. Being transparent and genuine is vital for lead generation for creating consumer interest.

    Efficiency and Communication

    When you have inbound leads it is important to respond and connect with them quickly. Today’s world moves at a quick pace. It is no longer acceptable to try your hardest or be as quick as you can. Customers expect efficiency, and when businesses don’t deliver the end result could be a poor recommendation or a negative online review on Glassdoor. Communicating with the customer efficiently is something that should be practiced by every business, especially in the lead generation industry.

    Content and Engagement

    Content is still king. It has been shown time and time again that people want information. Basic and pamphlet type sites will not generate consumer interest. By providing quality content for potential customers, businesses are engaging with their audience. Social media has proven that people expect businesses and brands to engage with them (just look at the increasing popularity of AMAs). Content and engagement can be very beneficial for lead generation.

    Lead generation is not going away. Not yet. Lead generation can be a powerful tool for your business if done correctly. Make sure you aren’t depriving your marketing strategy of potential successes and keep up on new strategies and tactics in the coming year.

  • Important Things for Performance Marketing in 2015

    Performance marketing and affiliate marketing has been a rapidly growing in the past several years, making the use of search engine marketing more important than ever. Content and social media are great mediums that must be used in the coming year, and it is more important than ever to have a mobile optimized and efficient site.

    Distribution of Content:

    Having great and plentiful content is one thing, but consumers need to see it. Furthermore, the right people need to see your content. Content is meant to provide value. If your content is not being distributed or seen by the appropriate audience, it will do you no good. Any good marketing campaigns should address this. Most pay per call marketers can help businesses distribute their content.

    Social Media:

    Social media has been taking over the web and is changing how businesses operate. Not only does a social medium impact your search results, but social media can influence recommendations, and you now have the opportunity to promote your business through Facebook and StumbleUpon Advertising or Promoted Tweets on Twitter. Social shares and influence relate to social signals, which are slowly appearing as ranking factors.

    Mobile Marketing:

    The mobile phone industry has been booming. Just look at Apple’s iPhone 6 sales. This is indicative of what consumers use to access business information and contacts. Your marketing campaign should include mobile optimized plans in order for potential customers to contact you by phone. Ease of access can translate into quick wins, while difficult user experiences can lead to negative reviews and high bounce rates (where users spend short periods of time spent on your website and leave almost immediately).

    Efficiency:

    Do you have a 404’d page on your site? Does your site take more than a few seconds to load? It is absolutely vital to make sure your website functions correctly and helps to provide a smooth user experience. Checking your website speeds and updating your software regularly is a great practice. Metrics such as unique vs. repeat visitors, bounce rates, and landing page conversions can help you to determine what might need fixing on your site.

    2015 is here.  Now is the time to make sure your marketing campaign and online strategy is enhanced to ensure your business has the best year yet.

  • Reasons to Attend an Affiliate or Performance Marketing Conference

    In any industry, interaction and participation are keys to success. Without some method of interaction, becoming knowledgeable of industry changes, meeting people, and growing your business would be difficult. This is why people go to conferences. Conferences have solutions. The following list includes some of the best reasons to attend an affiliate conference.

    Gurus and Technology

    Conferences are places where all of the experts come together in one location. Many gurus give seminars on internet marketing and other aspects that can include best practices or new methods of success. Often times, these experts will stay after their presentations to meet with guests and answer additional questions. Furthermore, experts on new technologies are available, giving you more access to tools that could help your business operate more effectively.

    Other Affiliates and Performance Marketers plus Vendors

    It is highly probable that you will run into other affiliates and marketers at these conferences. These opportunities are perfect for meeting affiliates in your region or area, and connecting with any local groups that could help you gain and master internet marketing skills. Additionally, there will be plenty of vendor contacts and instances in which to compare tools.

    Information

    This is one of the most important benefits you gain going to an affiliate conference. With everything going on, the most relevant information for internet marketers will be available to you.  Any and all information is useful to everybody, from beginning performance marketers to seasoned marketers.

    A Great Time

    Who says you can’t work and play at the same time. Between the giveaways, prizes, and parties, affiliate and performance marketing conferences are a blast. The social nature of conferences create atmospheres perfect for meeting new friends and building quality, professional relationships.

    It is important for all affiliate and performance marketers to reap the benefits of a conference at least once. These conferences provide you with the knowledge and means to have a flourishing internet marketing business. Below is a list of several of the affiliate marketing conferences happening in 2015.

    -Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas, January 18-20

    -ICOM 2015, February 17-18, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    -IEG 2015, March 15-18, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

    -DIGIMARCON WEST, March 19-20, Vail, Colorado, U.S.

    -World Social Marketing Conference, April 19-21, Sydney, Australia

    -Social Media Marketing World, March 25-27, San Diego, California, U.S.

    -INBOUND, September 8-11, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

    -AMA’s Annual Marketing Conference, September 9-11, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

  • How Pay Per Call Performance Marketing Really Works

    Pay per call performance marketing is a relatively new advertising strategy. While many people know what pay per click advertising is and how it works, few truly understand the concept of pay per call. The importance of pay per call marketing has steadily been increasing amidst the growing relevance of the mobile phone to our society. More consumers than ever have data driven mobile devices, which makes pay per call a worthwhile avenue for business success. So, how does pay per call performance marketing actually work? Take a look at the following chart:

    marketing

    First, an advertiser or business decides to run a marketing campaign. The advertiser/business then creates a pay per call campaign and determines what the pay per call requirements are with the publisher. The publisher then applies the client’s designated phone number to specific marketing campaigns. Potential prospects for the client search for the services the advertiser provides. Prospects see the publisher’s ad and call the designated phone number. The publisher tracks the call and the phone call is forwarded to the client (aka: the advertiser or business). The client then pays the publisher for all qualified phone calls. The pay per call process is meaningful information for marketers and business individuals to know. Pay per call can be yet another tool in an advertising arsenal.

  • Maximize Your Marketing Efforts

    Maximize Your Marketing Efforts

    Marketing is a funny animal, especially when it is in the form of content marketing. It is certainly not the most difficult concept in the world by any stretch of the imagination and yet it is not such an exact science that business gurus are mastering it the way they would master something like the art of selling or ad copy. There is a significant amount of trial and error when it comes to content marketing and often times it can be the errors that help us the most.

    Content marketing is something that works a little bit differently for everyone. But the end game for any content marketer, however, is to maximize your marketing efforts in order to increase brand awareness, website visits, and ultimately click-throughs and sales and there are steps you can take to do that.

    Develop a Strategy

    In order to realistically expect any success from your content marketing efforts you need to specify what it is you will be doing and how you’re going to do it. Too many marketers take a random or “shotgun” approach in which they put out a bunch of blog posts, tweets, and email blasts thinking they’ve done their job in generating brand awareness. But while this may generate some results, it will not maximize you efforts. There are specific things you need to understand about your target audience or demographic such as what they care about, what compels them to make a purchase, and what the “buyer journey” looks like for them. When you are able to gather as much information about your audience as possible you can better tailor your content to them and establish a regimented schedule for doling it out to them.

    Use Concrete Information Rather Than Speculation To Make Decisions

    Content marketers tend to be more right-brained than left-brained which is to say they are more creative than analytical. This tendency can often lead them to make speculative decisions about the whats, hows, and whens of their content marketing efforts. They go with their gut more often than using metrics in order to strategize their marketing plan which can end up working against them in the long run (and in the short run if they’re really not careful). Analyzing what has worked well in the past versus what hasn’t and building future campaigns and strategies based on that information may require a little more effort than guessing but it is always worth it as it is a surefire way to see the results you want.

    Learn by Doing

    There is something to be said for having a thoroughly thought-out plan and creating a solid content marketing strategy but without actual execution, none of that other stuff really amounts to much beyond wasted time and effort. There is something called “analysis paralysis” which is essentially getting so caught up in the data that you drown yourself in it trying to come up with the perfect content marketing strategy. Strategy is important as we noted earlier but so is temperance. It is important to strike a balance so that you are not over-planning and under-executing.

  • Scalability Will Make or Break Your Campaign

    Scalability Will Make or Break Your Campaign

    History is filled with stories of people who have had a great idea for a product or service, but have been unable to create or find a large enough market to make their idea a smashing success, or have been unable to handle the demand once their idea finally became popularized. One of the products currently in the process of finding a market is the all-electric Tesla model vehicles. Though there is undoubtedly plenty of public interest in the cars, currently their price, coupled with the concept’s relative newness, has prevented the company from scaling production and sales upward. For most businesses which are destined to undergo meteoric growth, scalability is an essential factor.

    Your Market Must Include Sufficient Prospects

    Look at your product or service and your marketing techniques and try to determine just how scalable your overall plan really is. Ask yourself if your niche market contains enough prospects for you to really make it big. For example, if you are marketing tee shirts to Star Trek fans who graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1963, you may find that your overall market is simply too small to allow you to grow your business significantly. In order to make your company or your marketing efforts scalable, you would likely need to expand your market to include more prospects.

    Your Advertising Medium Must Reach Sufficient Prospects

    Another factor involved in scalability is your advertising medium. For example, if you have been making a living advertising in a local newspaper with a circulation of about 5000, it is possible that a similar ad would work in a much larger newspaper – allowing you to scale up significantly. However, it may be that such an ad would be simply lost in a larger paper and may not yield proportional results. The same goes for online and practically all forms of marketing. In order to scale up your sales, not only do you need to ensure that there are sufficient prospects to purchase increased quantities of your product or service, but you also need to ensure that simply duplicating your current marketing efforts, on a larger scale, will produce proportionate results. If you must significantly or completely change your marketing efforts, the scalability of your plan is low, and the risks of loss increase significantly.

    You Must Have Sufficient Product and Delivery Capabilities

    In order to successfully scale up your business you must be able to meet the demand generated by your increased at marketing efforts. For example, if your company sells baked goods, in order to scale up and sell far more pastries you will need to ensure that you have sufficient supplies of flour, sugar, eggs and milk, and a place to bake it all. Meeting to obtain sufficient product is a problem many performance marketers would never run into, as digital downloads and products of that sort essentially never run out. However, performance marketers do need to ensure that their servers and technological solutions are able to handle the demand.

    You Must Have Sufficient Customer Service

    When building a company which will last you must ensure that you continue to serve your customers after the initial sale. This means answering questions, handling returns in refunds, and generally keeping in touch with previous customers. In order to successfully scale up performance marketers must ensure that their customer service operations are able to meet the challenges of an influx of new customer service requests.