Month: June 2020

Digital BrandingPersonal Branding

How Ad Agencies Adapted to the COVID-19 World

Over the years, advertising agencies have generally figured out what works best for their industry, and have done a good job in structuring their business procedure around that concept. With the current COVID-19 pandemic that is impacting businesses and consumers worldwide, ad agencies are being forced to adapt in order to keep up with the changing workplace environment. Where before the outbreak agencies could rely on a large team coming together and accomplishing tasks – such as writing and filming a new television commercial – many ad agencies now are being forced to adapt to a workforce that is unable to congregate in a single location for such a job.

Remote operation is something that works to a different extent depending on the industry that a company is in. In some cases, an employee can easily transfer their work from an office environment to the home office. Other jobs, such as a good number of ad agency positions, could struggle with having to stop working in groups that share office space and collaborative meetings. 

Without the typical team atmosphere created by people working together sharing the same space, ad agencies have come to rely on cloud integration services to keep operating during the pandemic. Cloud integration software makes it easier for teams to work together virtually, even when they are physically apart. Document sharing, video conferencing, and other collaboration tools are just a few of the ways in which teams that are working apart are able to still work together in order to accomplish their goals.

As an example of how some ad agencies have adapted to the unique challenges that they are presented with by the COVID-19 virus pandemic, agencies have been forced to get creative in how they go about creating the various new commercials and advertisements that their clients need them to produce. Since they are currently unable to use their usual methods of putting together a team of people that can shoot the footage necessary for a typical television commercial, agencies are instead having to fall back on previously recorded footage they have in the archives from previous recording sessions that took place before the outbreak. This previous footage must be reworked and reedited in order to put together a coherent message that is both accurate and relevant to the current time.

However, while there have clearly been many varied and significant changes in the workings of the professional world as a result of COVID-19, there are also more subtle changes that have taken place as a direct result of the impact that the pandemic has had on people’s individual lives. With so many people staying at home instead of going to work, the amount of digital content being consumed by individuals on a given day has dramatically increased. 

Should this trend continue in the future, this may spark a shift in the goals and plans of an advertising agency’s typical client. Where they might have once wanted a television commercial, they may now want to have a series of short clips that could be used for internet ads or videos that can be promoted through online platforms in order to reach their customers where they are spending their time. At the end of the day, ad agencies are being forced to adapt to a changing business climate, facing new challenges and reaching for new goals as a result.

Personal Branding

5 Branding Tips for Architectural Firms

Branding is how you portray your business. Every organization should keep branding in mind, including architectural firms. Your brand should let people know the tone of your company, and it will help establish a clear identity. However, you may not know how to brand your architectural firm properly. Here are five branding tips for architectural firms.

1. Show Your Work

The best way to explain your brand is to show people what you do. Do you focus on one particular niche, or do you tackle all sorts of projects? Showcase plenty of cool pictures of both finished projects and projects under construction. You may even consider getting a professional photographer to make your work look as striking as possible. Put the pictures on your website, on social media, and on your different promotional communications. This will also show people exactly what your firm can do for clients.

2. Highlight the Talent

An architectural firm is all about the architects doing the work. You need to inform people about the architects. Let people know if they earned their architectural degree from a prestigious university. You should also talk about their experience and even aspects of their personal lives. People like to know something about the people who will be doing the work. Plus, these are the people who are the face of the company. Make sure all bios follow the tone of your brand.

3. Visit Appropriate Trade Shows

Trade shows are places for people to come together to talk business. It’s a place to make connections, and it’s a way to spread your brand. Use exceptional visuals with your logo, company colors, and examples of your work. You also want to wear merchandise with your logo on it as well. When you talk to someone who might need your services, give them our business card. You may even ask for their card.

4. Write a Blog

The different architects in the firm should take turns writing blogs on different topics related to architecture. The blogs should cover new topics or attack common topics with a new perspective. The articles should also be easy to skim. You can do this by using headers, bullet points, and short paragraphs. Be consistent and put the blog out once a week. These blogs will help establish your firm as experts in architecture. People who read your blogs will remember the firm when they need your services, especially if the blogs were well-written and informative.

5. Consider Your Audience

While branding your customer, you need to consider your audience. First, think about who your customer is. What demographics are you targeting? What would appeal to your customer? What will get their attention? What will make them want to buy? Base your branding strategy with these things in mind, and you will set yourself up for success.

Your company has a personality. You need to breathe life into this personality. Make sure it shows in every aspect of your marketing from your logo, your signage in your store, and your digital presence. When you establish your brand, people will know you and know what to expect from you.

Legal BrandingPersonal Branding

Estimate Templates for Smaller Businesses

Flowers are invariably in high demand. Survey says that flower stores are expanding exponentially in the country. Not only flower shops but with it the number of designing houses are also thriving. People are more interested in beautifying spaces. So, industries with aesthetic sensibilities are on a high rise. Every little thing that is associated with your business represents your firm. To maintain its reputation the company however small it may be, needs to look professional. So, the firm should oversee all the business aspects in a methodical manner. When you send an estimate to a prospective client that too represents you. The design of the estimate and the logo will count to a conscious consumer. No matter how creative and inspirational, you approach to life is, when it comes to business it is always required to keep a level head and composed output. So, let us discuss now how one can improve the estimated requirements of a smaller business. 

What is estimate template?

Estimates are formal documents that are required to be approved by both parties when they are in business jointly. Suppose, you want to buy sunflowers in bulk from a dealer and you agreed on a price. You need supplies in multiple locations for several outlets of yours and you want them to be delivered at a specific time. You may have a very good bond with this vendor and you trust him fully. But you need to have a document written in black and white. So, the bargain remains clear between both parties. This designing of estimate might turn out to be a hectic job. So, instead, you can visit aynax.com free online estimate template.  Here you can browse through a different type of archetype of estimate templates. 

Why is it helpful?

A business template takes time to formulate. With each changing deal of trade, the templates need to alter. So, to create all these different templates can be quite a hassle. Instead, you can browse through the online prototypes and get the job done. There is a customization option that will allow you to design the estimate template in your own unique way. The process is easy and straightforward. This form of templates will definitely make your business look sharper and give it a skilled touch. 

Why does the presentation matter?

This is an age of show and tell. People put a lot of energy and effort to make their products and services look aesthetically presentable and beautiful. If you run a business that deals with flowers and design, it is more so important for you to be careful about every single detail. Customers that come to you are most definitely interested in design values. So, your presentation should matter. The documents that you provide should matter to you as it is a part of your design. 

Why is an estimate important for the client?

An estimated statement is a legal paper that holds real value. It is valuable to you as well as to the client. Maybe a team of event management buys flowers for an event. They will need all the legal papers to be submitted to the individual who employed them to do the task. If they can’t produce records, it is going to cause them troubles. If you can’t provide them with official documents nobody is going to do any sort of business with you. And if the estimate you furnish is amateurish then also people are going to avoid your shop; regardless of the quality of your delivery of product or services. 

In the end, it can be said that instead of investing in expensive software to construct your own estimate, you can take the full benefit of the free services provided online.

Tech stack
Digital Branding

The 5 Things You Must Keep In Mind When Choosing The Tech Stack For Your Startup

When it comes to developing a top-notch software product, what do you think is the most important thing to consider? Those who don’t have a tech background, they face quite a lot of issues when they have to choose a tech stack for their product. If you’ve been facing such issues, know that you aren’t alone, and almost every single person with a startup and a non-technical background comes across this issue.

What exactly is a tech stack? Simply put, it is a combination of frameworks and tools that are used in software development of web and mobile applications. In simpler words, a technology stack is all those frameworks, tools, programming languages, software packages, and servers needed for the client-side and server-side of your business, or the “ front-end” and “back-end.” This infrastructure or data ecosystem will vary according to your needs. Some businesses are built on Ruby on Rails, Django, HTML, or Cascading Style Sheets. The Facebook app, for example,  is built on JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP, and ReactJS.

If you are new to all this, there are two things that you need to do. First, you need to opt for the devsdata software consulting services, and the next thing is to know how to choose the right tech stack. If you end up choosing the wrong tech stack, you can end up with several unwanted issues like extra expenses, and sooner or later, that particular stack will become unsustainable for you.

Tech stack

Image by Olalekan Oladipupo from Pixabay

Choosing a Tech Stack for Your Business

To assist you in this process, today we are here with the five main things that you should keep in your mind when choosing a tech stack for your startup;

1- Consider the stage of your business

Your technology stack is going to play an important role in all stages of your business. If you are in the beginning phase, your main focus should be to launch an MVP as soon as you can. If you don’t have any heavy programming knowledge, then just like others, you should opt for WordPress. It goes without saying that WordPress is one of the easiest and the simplest platforms if you are building a landing page or a website.

Software code

Image by James Osborne from Pixabay

2- Project requirement

The second important thing to do is to understand the requirements of your project. Do you want to add some kind of real functionality to your application? Do you want to add the feature of live chat in it? For such a purpose, you should go for the tech stack that’s best with concurrency, and this is where you need to consider “Node”. If you are a blogger working on developing a functional site for increased conversions, then Drupal and WordPress will be the right options for you.

3- The available resources

One of the most influential factors that define the tech stack of your company is the availability of developers who will work on creating your product. You need to consider it if your developers are ready to work with the tech stack you have or not. If you don’t want to face issues in this, then always choose a dynamic developer community tech stack.

4- The cost of maintenance and development

The technology stack you choose directly impacts the cost of development and maintenance. Two things to consider in this case are the maintenance cost and the cost of the developer. Especially if it’s a startup, you’d want to keep the expenses as low as possible. This is why you should do some homework first and then choose the stack that brings you as less added expenses as possible.

Navigation app

Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay

5- Time to market

The quicker you develop and launch your app, the better it will be for your business and the more exposure you’ll get. When choosing a suitable and reliable tech stack, focus on third party integration, testing, and the developing ability of the developer who is working for you.

Conclusion

With these five things in mind, it will be easier for you to choose a suitable tech stack for your business. To make things simpler, just opt for the consulting services of an experienced company, and you’ll see how things fall into place for you.

Digital Branding

Why Listening Matters in Marketing

Listening and Empathy are Essential to Your Marketing Strategy

Have you ever attended a social event and found yourself talking to someone who only seems interested in what they’re about to say, rather than what you’re saying to them? In the marketing word, it’s not uncommon for brands to do the same thing to their customers. So much information is being yelled at consumers, but a truly successful brand needs to learn the importance of listening to their fans.

Take for example TV ads. While they can be an effective way to reach a large audience base, many find themselves leaving the room or fast forwarding through them to get back to their TV show. Why? It’s simple. People don’t like feeling like they’re being talked at and TV ads have a funny way of making customers feel like that is happening. As marketing has evolved and become more sophisticated, marketers have found new ways to get their information out that takes a more subtle approach.

Social Media for Social Listening

Social media gives brands a voice and customers too, making it one of the best ways to get the conversation started with your audience. These advertising channels create a sense of community, and make it possible for people with similar interests and views to congregate and discuss. Users like pages from brands they care about, and brands can use this to their advantage.

The one disadvantage of this however, is that social media can be like preaching to the choir. This is especially true when it comes to organic social media, since these users have basically “opted in” already to receive your updates. So sending out news updates has to be done tactfully, so they don’t lose interest and feel like your brand is infiltrating their newsfeed too much. Instead, use conversations to your advantage by:

  • Take Feedback from Customer Reviews – We all want to see the positive reviews roll in, but sometimes the negative ones can provide us with the most insight. Whether it’s a product or service problem, or a customer service issue, keep your cool with a negative comment and find ways to fix your customer’s experience. Negative product or service reviews can help you fix shortfalls in your products to enhance the customer experience.
  • Listen to Competitors – Another advantage of taking the time to listen is that you can see what competitors are doing well, and what pain points their customers are speaking out against on social media.
  • Find Relevant Audiences – Looking to your current customers can be a great way to acquire new ones. Taking a step beyond organic, using your audience members and their interests can be a great basis to bring your paid social media strategy off of. Facebook allows you to target users based on their interests. By understanding your audience, you can find new potential customers with similar attributes.
  • Keep the Conversation Going – Social media inspires conversations among groups of people, and your brand should be joining in as well. Engaging with customers on social media is a great way to build trust, answer questions, and education customers when applicable.

Conclusion

The invention of social media and popularity of blogs, whitepapers, and infographics that can be shared on social channels has created a new culture surrounded around starting conversations. Brands who can hone in on these conversations to understand their customers thoughts and feelings about their products, or even their company as a whole have a unique opportunity. By cooperation listening into your social strategy, you can truly see the pain points of your customers and find new ways to address them, leading to happier, more engaged customers.

Digital BrandingPersonal Branding

How to Know the Ideal Word Count for Ranking High in a Search Result?

Content is at the center of SEO and is all powerful in driving the campaign towards success. Content connects the brand with the audience and must be of good quality. It generates interest among the targeted audience by being relevant and useful while helping the audiences gain some value from it. Another vital factor to consider when creating content is its length. What should be the ideal length of content or copy that helps to rank in the first place? Is there any optimum word count to achieve the goal? These are questions that every SEO consultant faces when advising clients about the need to enhance the pages with better content. Often, the content length acquires more importance over other considerations like the detail it needs to contain and the audience for whom it is meant.

The notion that longer content ranks better prevails in the SEO circles because there is a feeling that more words demonstrate authoritativeness to search engines and dramatically improves ranking. However, there is yet no firm data available to support the point, and it is more of a myth. But then why is there a general feeling that longer copy can push up the ranking of pages?

Misinterpreted studies

Numerous studies have been conducted to understand the relation between the copy length or word count and ranking. One such study by Baclinko in April 2020 showed that 1447 word was the average copy length for the results that appear on the first page of Google search result. Most people conclude that it is the ideal content length, whereas the result shows the correlation between content length and ranking. The study establishes the correlation only and not the cause.

What is the best copy length (word count) for SEO?

Many factors influence the ideal length of copy or word count, and all these cannot get linked to ranking. The length of the copy must please humans and not search bots. It must be long as needed to help the user achieve their goals on the page – whether providing an in-depth explanation of a topic or subject, quickly identifying an answer to a question, or simply demonstrating the product specifications. The need for users and how to satisfy it should be the top priority when creating content instead of focusing on the word count, and Barrie SEO Services can help you improve your strategy.

Is there any ideal word count?

You would still like to know what would be the best word count to excel with SEO. There is no fixed answer to this because it depends on what you want to achieve with the content for satisfying the needs of the target audience. The goal should be to fulfill the searcher’s query because search engines rank pages according to the content’s ability to resonate with the audience by meeting their expectations.  Never does Google consider the content length for ranking but instead emphasize its ability to satisfy the user query. The quality of content and how well it answers the user query is critical for search engines in determining the ranking. Never is the content length of any consideration to determine the content quality. Moreover, there is no reason to draw a comparison with the top-ranking pages and consider it to the ideal for earning the top rank.

The issue of correlation and causation

When trying to understand word count, most people cannot differentiate between correlation and causation that drives them in the wrong direction. When you look at the top 5 results on the SERP for any specific search term, you might surmise that replicating the copy length of that content could help you to earn similar ranks. But this is not the case because besides word count that Google considers many other factors for ranking pages. Word count might only be an indirect factor for ranking. The chances are that longer content is more link-worthy because it is more shareable, as revealed in a Hub Spot study in 2015. Longer pages might contain more comprehensive answers that pushed up the ranking. The correlation is more important than causation. Trying to conclude that content length alone influences ranking is a mistake.

What should be the copy length?

It will be wrong to believe that longer content performs well always and, therefore, the best.  The focus must be on creating content that is factually correct, comprehensive, and written, as mentioned in Google’s starter guides. Do not make the mistake of equating comprehensive with long content. Aim for including everything in the content to make it complete without restricting its length, but avoiding making it too long can dilute it or make users lose their patience. Provide exhaustive information that the user wants to know, and the type of query determines how long the answer should be. Searches for historical or scientific knowledge would lead to longer content than searches for the best sports shoes near me. 

Factors that influence the content length

Do not have any preconceived notion about content length and try to understand the ideal word count for content. Consider what will help to rank well, focus on the purpose of the page, user intent, and conversion, which will automatically calibrate the content length or word count.

The purpose of a page – How well a page ranks depends on how well you know the purpose for which you are creating the page. Do you want to create an informational page or want the page to act like a signpost that leads visitors to another page? Is it a transactional page? The purpose will determine how much copy would suffice. 

User intent – Knowing what the user wants is the best way to figure out what content length would be appropriate. Once you know what the user wants from the landing page, you can make it comprehensive enough to meet those needs instead of making it long just for its sake. 

Conversion – Since the content should help users complete an action or facilitate the conversion, the content length must suit the user’s needs.  

A longer copy is welcome in many cases, but not the only reason the page ranks well. Aiming to meet user needs is the best way to arrive at the correct word count.

Digital BrandingPersonal Branding

Marketing Your Start-Up

Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and throw yourself into starting your own business, getting media attention is a fairly big hurdle to overcome. Being new to the market you have to establish credibility and become visible to the media. Exposure is how you gain publicity and a reputation.

Coverage

When you are confident that your branding, company message and content is clear and concise, it’s time to get your message heard. The point of using media is to communicate who you are and what your values are. There are a few different ways to achieve that goal. Utilizing SEO copywriting services will help your business be seen when people are searching the internet for services they are looking to give their business to.  

The biggest reason startups fail is because of the lack of exposure. It lends to reason being successful will be difficult if no one knows who you are or what you can do. Start by telling people what makes your product or service unique. Get the backing of those who are happy with your product; happy customers can’t wait to tell anyone who will listen to why they are so satisfied. Word of mouth advertising is invaluable because it’s organic and people trust other people who’ve had positive experiences. 

Pay attention to social media. Notice who gets the most attention and align yourself with them. Engage their posts and make your presence known. If these influencers feel confident about who you are or what your business promotes, they will happily post about what you have to offer. Keep in mind, influencing others on social media directly reflects on the one promoting it; if they stand behind a business that is less than worthy of their attention, they will lose credibility.

Platform

Knowing how big of a role social media plays in marketing, you have to be sure you tailor your content to line up with where you are trying to gain exposure. Promoting your business on social media is not a one size fits all. Meaning, you can’t post the same content on every platform you use, you have to tailor the posts to align with the outlet you are using. For example, knowing if the outlet you are using is driven by graphics as opposed to written content, your contribution should be in the format that coincides with the site’s norms; otherwise, it will not be effective. 

Think about why social media is so popular. Is it because of the hard sale or the stories that evoke emotion and sentiment? Don’t be afraid to appeal to human nature. Everyone wants to experience something that makes them feel good; tug at the heartstrings and win your audience over with sentiment and forego the hard sale. 

You have a story to tell, don’t be afraid to tell it. Let people learn who you are through your experiences and show them how you are making a difference. Once you get people interested in your stories, they will actively seek out more. They will want to learn more about you, your company and the impact you’re making. Once you’ve established rapport and interest, then you can safely sell.

Educate and Compete

Why not take advantage of a captive audience by also educating your targeted audience on what you bring to the table? Knowledge is powerful if used correctly. Don’t discount the appeal of engagement. Hold competitions that appeal to your target and solicit involvement. Not only are you gaining more exposure, but potential customers. 

Marketing is as effective as the product or service you are offering. In order to be successful, you need both to be good.

Digital BrandingLegal BrandingPersonal Branding

Everything You Need to Know about Online Brands’ Path to Profitability

There is a common mistake the vast majority of brands make today — they acquire the funds but have no plan for profitability.

When you start a small business website, you should know that following the practices that most other entrepreneurs follow actually leaves you with a narrow window of success. Operating deep in the red and using that as a sacrifice for quick growth is one of the bigger reasons why many new businesses fail.

If you’d like to know what you need to do to become a profitable business in a reasonable amount of time, keep reading.

Place your focus on margins

Getting to figure out the way to profitability fast begins with knowing the cost variables on an income statement and how you can have them tweaked.

These variables include manufacturing, transportation, employee salaries, office rent, shipping, and marketing. Do know that the most expensive variable for digital brands is usually marketing.

When looking at each unit sold, as a brand, you should find out the total cost of operations and production and compare that figure to what is left. For example, if a brand spends $100 to produce a watch and sells it for $300, its gross profit per product would be $200 and the product margin would amount to 66%.

In order to build a sustainable business, the unit economics on day one should be positive. This is the revenue and cost per item sold. As companies scale, margins usually increase and can vary widely depending on the product type.

For example, apparel brands see margins between 40 and 60 percent. Hence, they need to structure themselves differently than companies selling accessories or prestige beauty where margins can top 80 percent.

Consider hiring a business coach

At this stage, it would be great if you could hire a professional business coach. Sometimes you really need a business mentor you can trust and turn to for advice. It is important to have support coming from a great coach.

This will give you some space to work out challenges that are slowing your confidence down. It is really important in situations where you have to deal with crises or conflicts.

On top of that, a good coach will help you see the forest, not the trees. In other words, a good business coach will always have an objective point of view and the ability to quickly identify problem areas that you couldn’t see.

A good coach will also be able to offer solutions or strategies you might have not considered or push you out of your comfort zone so that you can take your business to the next level.

Finally, experienced coaches are good at helping you triage risks and decide which challenges are worth fighting today and which ones are not worth worrying about until later.

If you are new to the world of business, you should definitely consider having this kind of support along your side.

Do not overspend on marketing

It is easy to get lost when spending on customer acquisition. To be precise, many spend too much on Facebook ads, paid search results, and promoted posts. Unfortunately, that kind of behavior tends to eat up a huge part of the product margin.

As a business owner, you shouldn’t scale unless you are quite confident that you will continue to attract customers without spending irrational amounts on advertising.

Some companies ended in hot waters when it comes to their finances. Various subscription-based services faced this problem when old customers started dropping out, finding new customers became harder to acquire.

So, if you are yet to hit the main growth phase, be very disciplined. Projections for future profitability can be distorted by an unexpected competitor entering the market or by a tweak to an Instagram or Facebook algorithm that raises advertising costs.

Try your best to find a customer acquisition model where you are positive on the first order. That may be difficult, but it is a safe way to play things out.

Your plan should begin with digital ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. It is easy to experiment with different messages and formats to figure out what works. Once you build a strong community, the ad game becomes easy.

Reduce the number of failed payments

Unfortunate things happen. A customer can have their credit card stolen, their bank can decline a payment due to a network error or exceeded limit. 

However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to reduce the churn. You should focus not only on the voluntary churn but on involuntary churn as well. This happens when a customer doesn’t intend to stop using your services and wiring money to your business.

Start tracking involuntary churn and get a sense of your overall monthly churn. This will allow you to determine what portion of it is involuntary and how you should start the failed payment recovery process.

See how many of your customers canceled their subscriptions and see how many stopped paying due to credit card declines.

To find out, even more, take a look at their decline codes. This way you can isolate whether the primary issue is:

  • Expired card
  • Outdated billing info
  • Spendy customers who exceeded the card limits
  • Something else

The more data you gather, the better your results will be when it comes to reducing this type of churn.

Infographic created by Fiserv

 

Take good care of your supply chain

Do not get surprised by unexpected surges in purchases. If you have your own production line, be careful not to underestimate the need for your products.

When there is a spike in demand, it is time to profit. However, if you fail to handle all purchase orders, you might get the whole positive trend to backfire.

So, try to be as flexible as possible. Stock up on your products and keep an eye on the statistics. Be prepared in case a spike in demand occurs.

Try to have the best possible control over the supply chain. This will also contribute to the speed of scaling, which enables your company to meet demand and ensure that all customers are happy.

Do your best to react to demand in real-time and control costs. If you manage to do that, you will only contribute to profitability.

Final thoughts

The journey to profitability is unique for every entrepreneur. As the person in charge, you have to balance your investments in growth with efforts to generate cash flow.

However, it all boils down to one basic thing — the quality of your product or service. A product that makes sense and proves to be useful is generally a guarantee for a bright future.

Lead generation graphic
Digital Branding

5 Things To Consider While Choosing The Lead Generation Company

Choosing the right lead generation company can be a daunting task, especially if this is the first time that you are looking for one. On the other hand, it’s an undeniable fact that generating qualified business leads is imperative for every business out there. Whether you run a small scale business or a large scale business, at some point, you’d have to work on lead generation, and the wiser thing to do is to hire experts for it.

We’ll be honest with you on this one: leads generation is a difficult task. If you are thinking about doing it yourself, you need to be ready to invest proper time in it as you’ll have to do a lot of research. But if you hire some agency for it, things will get easier for you and you’ll get quicker results.

One of the most common challenges that businesses face is hiring a lead generation company while keeping the cost as minimum as possible. Well, it’s true that the cost does play an important role, but there are other factors too that you should consider when hiring a team of experts to boost your business.

Lead generation graphic

1- Look for an experienced lead generation company

As said earlier, lead generation isn’t something you can do within a day or two. This process requires time, and above that, it requires a lot of experience. Before you choose a company to work on your project, you need to ensure that they do have the right amount of experience in this field. This is the very first question that you should ask at the first meetup. At least hire someone with an experience of 3 to 4 years in this field.

2- Ask about the delivery of results and the quality of the lead source

There are several different types of leads, and there are different strategies that companies use to generate quality leads. This is why you should first ask some basic questions to know how the company works. To understand their workings, you should ask about the delivery of results. If they present all the processes to you in a crystal clear way, then yes, you should proceed with them. However, if you see any red flags in their strategies, you should move on and find another agency.

Lead technology

3- What technology do they use to reach out to the potential clients

We are lucky that nowadays, there are a variety of different tools and technologies available for lead generation. But only an expert can tell which tool or technology is going to be effective. One of the most common things companies do is that they opt for internet marketing to generate leads for a business. If some agency tells you the same that they will be using the internet to boost your business, then ask them the strategy they’ll be using. Internet marketing is quite vast, so you should know the platform that’ll be used for lead generation.

4- Cost

Of course, the cost matters whether you are running a huge business or a small startup. You want the expenses to be as minimum as possible so when you are hiring a company, ask about their pricing policy and what they’ll be charging you. If it’s in accordance with their services, then yes, you should hire them. If not, and if you think there is some margin that you can get cheaper rates, then look for other such companies.

5- Online reviews

Online reviews can tell you a lot about a company’s performance and reputation. Use the internet for maximum benefit and read what people have to say about a particular agency and its result delivery. These reviews can tell you a lot about an agency and whether they are worth your time or not.

selecting a lead generation company

Conclusion

With the help of these five considerations, you can end up with the right lead generation company that will take your business to new heights of success.

Legal Branding

Legal Branding Issues: Social Media Mistakes That Could Land You in Hot Water

From Facebook to Twitter, businesses brand themselves by using social media sites and digital marketing. While social media may seem like all fun and games and can be on a personal level, it can land you in hot water when you’re branding a business. Hot water that could land you in court with legal issues. If you’re having legal issues with branding, then turning to a firm like Cory Briggs small business attorney can help, and it’s best to have a lawyer on retainer before you run into trouble. In this blog, however, you’ll find a few of the top social media mistakes that can land you with a ton of legal issues you don’t want to deal with. 

Not Understanding Copyright Laws

From photographs to articles, there are many copyright laws that are easily violated when branding a business. For example, who owns that photograph you’re using? Even more, who is the person in the photograph and will they sue you for using it without permission? You always need to have the proper licenses to a photograph you post on social media. The best way to do this is by only using photographs you take yourself. However, since that’s not always possible, a good attorney will help you determine what can and can’t be done in this department. 

Improper Formatting of Sponsored Posts

You would think that sponsored posts would be easy to share, brand, and post. However, the FTC has buckled down on the improper formatting of sponsored posts, and doing it the wrong way could land you in court these days. If the posts contain numerous hashtags, links, or tags, then you must make sure to separate each legal disclosure. It can be quite confusing, so if you’re in doubt, contact your small business lawyer to ask for legal advice before you format any sponsored posts for your brand. 

Putting Up Fake Testimonials

Customer testimonials can do wonders for your product, service, and branding, as long as those testimonials are true. There are regulators that watch out for fake testimonials on social media sites and you can land in a world of trouble if yours are proven to be fake. This is known as astroturfing and State Attorney Generals are cracking down and enforcing these laws, so you want everything you do to be above board. Just remember, influencer marketing can have serious legal ramifications, and cost you a ton if it’s done improperly. Make sure you do your research and consult with your attorney if in doubt as to whether a testimonial you put on social media could be seen as fake or not. 

Not Reading a Social Media Site’s Terms of Service Carefully

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that all social media sites have the same rules. What’s okay for Facebook might not be okay for Instagram, and can get you in legal trouble for violating their terms of service. For example, some terms of service (TOS) state that you can only post images that you have the right to, while others are completely different. Read every site’s TOS before you start posting, just to be on the safe side and in accordance with their specific rules. 

While this post isn’t meant to scare you away from using social media when branding your business, it’s important to note that it’s not all carefree posting and having fun. There are very real legal ramifications if you make the above mistakes when branding your business on social media. Just be aware of them and avoid them at all costs.