Category: Digital Branding

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Do Press Releases Still Work for Startups and Online Businesses in 2021?

Steven on October 1, 2020

Press releases are among the most commonly used public relations tools that companies can apply to their effective PR campaigns. Anyone who has created a press release or has had one written up for them knows that they are many benefits to press releases, like contributing to improving the recognition, reliability, image, reputation, prestige, revenues, and visibility of brands companies.

They are just one of the first steps in an effective PR campaign; from there, they can provide backlinks and many other benefits to a company.

In this article, we will look at:

1) What are press releases?

2) How do Press Releases Help SEO?

3) Are Press Releases Still Worth it?

4) Advantages of a press release

5) How to make Press Releases effective

1) What are Press Releases?

Nowadays, press releases can be created in written, audio, or video format. It is a way of getting the word out there, distributing, and announcing events to media outlets about any important event that is happening or about to happen.

It can be hard to get the media’s attention, and it is even more challenging of media outlets. After all, they need to filter all the information they are getting sent because they want to publish only the best, more exciting news. That is why platforms like Pressfarm exist so that it makes it easier to find media outlets through their databases.

2) How Do Press Releases Help SEO?

Having any information posted about a company or event on heavy traffic news sites is beneficial for a company’s brand and SEO.

The way that companies can achieve SEO is through backlinks. When media outlets start spreading the word about a company, they will not only get backlinks from those new sites, but they can also receive a high number of backlinks from people who will read the news.

Backlinks are fundamental to SEO. On a basic level, the more sites that link a company’s information, the more authority Google awards the site. Backlinks are considered to be a proxy for authority since more popular and authoritative sites will have more sites linking into them. Building backlinks can be one of the most difficult tasks for SEO and building high-quality ones are even harder, but combining methods like obtaining them naturally, buying them, or possibly using tricks like PBNs can be considered the best link building method available because it helps companies build links rather quickly, they are all completely natural and won’t result in any penalties if done right.

There are many press release tactics that can be quite effective, but companies and individuals quickly realized that it was easier to get links from the press releases themselves instead of from news publishers. A reason for that is press release spam because instead of creating high-quality news stories to improve their business, companies distribute as many press releases as possible to as many platforms as possible “spamming” media outlets, which decrease the importance of the press release on certain sites.

So, in order to maintain high-quality backlinks and interest up, companies should not just post a press release for the sake of getting a backlink, but post it actually to attract the attention of media outlets.

3) Are Press Releases still worth it?

Publishers will always be in need of news topics, so no matter what, as long as companies have news, press releases will always be useful. Press Releases can be effective not only with backlinks, but also with social media likes, shares, and comments.

The question that does get asked though, is why press releases seem to be less popular than before. As mentioned before, it is because of press release SPAM. As the Internet and SEO became more popular, media outlets received many pieces of information, so they need to start filtering news stories that can make press releases a less effective SEO strategy and how accessible it is.

However, again as mentioned before, if companies focus on the right things, which can improve the business, services, or products and create an effective press release that is focused on getting the media’s attention instead of just trying to grab backlinks, press releases are more than worth it.

4) Advantages of press releases

Press releases can give any business amazing results regardless of its size, profit margin, profile, and industry. Here are some of the main benefits of press releases.

Instant Exposure

When it comes to press releases, the two things that are the most important are content and distribution. Each type of content plays a significant role in an effective strategy; landing pages help companies introduce their brand and goods to the world and convert leads into customers. Blog posts allow companies to establish a personal connection with readers by answering essential questions, offering advice, and sharing insight with audiences. While landing pages and blog posts will help, press releases allow companies to build trust and authority on different fronts; it will enable media outlets to cover the store and prospects a new reason to visit the brand through websites or landing pages.

Increased Sales Potential

Press releases not only bring credibility and allow companies to stay in the public eye, but it also increases a company’s profit margins. Writing and distributing press releases for different occasions and highlighting key benefits and features of products can position the company’s merchandise on top of any others currently available on the market.

Chance to boost the effectiveness of marketing plan

Press releases represent an affordable marketing addition that companies can add to their campaign. There is no way that companies can go wrong with these tools because they are designed to be controlled by their creators in terms of targeted audience and message.

Opportunity to brand yourself as an industry expert

As mentioned before, press releases are a great way to build trust and credibility in any industry. If a company has a great PR campaign, it will offer them a chance to brand themselves as a high-authority business owner and show off their products’ unique attributes.

Increased traffic to website

People are now flocking to the Internet, looking for unique insights and exclusive stories. Companies need to try and use any PR tactic to push their feature to the top of a potential client’s newsfeeds and boost exposure. Using press releases and including a few links to organic content can guide potential readers to other platforms to promote and sell their goods.

Companies can boost their website traffic through press releases by optimizing key elements, including keywords, headlines, videos, photos, hashtags, and descriptions.

Important SEO benefits

Press releases that are published on different media outlets can offer companies valuable backlinks to their website. By optimizing content, companies can also increase visibility online and make their content searchable on the Internet, which allows them to unlock instant SEO benefits.

Ultimately, the company needs that one media outlet on a renowned site, and things will fall into place. If they target individual reporters, there is a higher chance of getting featured. They do not need to use press release platforms to make a press release useful, they might need to email media outlets personally or message them on their social media profiles.

If companies and individuals opt to use platforms to create an effective press release, they can use press release agencies like Pressfarm to help them with any public relations needs. Some services they provide include templates for companies to create their press releases and press kits, a media outlet database for companies to find the appropriate media outlets for their business, and packages for companies that need assistance in creating an effective public relations strategy.

The packages that Pressfarm provides include; the Starter package, the Launch package, the Campaign package, and the Enterprise package. The Starter package is a great start for small teams looking for the fundamentals to take their communications to the next level, the Launch package is ideal for growing companies to increase press coverage, improve effectiveness and personal communication with the media, the Campaign package is for businesses to gain full control of their company and stay consistent across the globe, and finally, the Enterprise package also allows companies to gain full control of their brand and stay consistent and is ideal for companies preparing for a big product launch or multiple stories to pitch, but need a PR expert to help them reach leading press contacts.

Within the packages, some of the services provided include a professionally designed press/media kit, press release proofreading and review by PR Experts, a personalized PR action plan on strategies and PR industry trade secrets to maximize press coverage, a tailor-made PR media list of 500+ contacts by Account Executive for initial PR outreach, access to startup directories and review websites to improve SEO and gain exposure suitable for all companies, access to PR contact per month of media outlets and influencers for a full year, and finally priority email support. When it comes to press releases and SEO, Pressfarm also helps increase release visibility in relevant search results across major search engines.

A press release, especially when managed by a PR company, is way more than just writing a piece about company news and publishing it on a newswire service. It is just one element of an effective PR and media strategy. A professional PR agency should align its client’s PR strategy with its commercial, operational, and business strategies. It enables the agency to plan when and what they are going to release to the media. A good PR strategy will develop an interesting angle on the information given to them and turn it into something exciting and original.

They will then publish it onto any newswire service with no SEO benefit, but they will use their knowledge of media strategies to get the press release, and other information picked up by media outlets as a news story because this is where the real value is. A good PR company can turn a press release into an actual piece of news written up by journalists through practical outreach work. The press release is no longer what it started being; it has now become an article in a publication and media outlets will often include a backlink in the articles.

Something to remember is that backlinks are usually “follow” (they pass on link equity to the site) because there is no reason to make them “no-follow.” The reason behind it is because the article had to go through an editorial process to get published, it means that it is not low-quality link spam. When it has been published, the client’s site gets a direct SEO benefit, which is really great for SEO and is a great example of how PR and SEO work well together.

Some things that companies need to understand is that not every press release that gets picked up by media outlets and written into an article will include a backlink, and even if there is one, sometimes it will be “no follow” but PR professionals know that companies will get more backlinks in this instance because it reduces the most risks of penalty. Which means that when managed effectively through a PR service, press releases can still provide a lot of SEO benefit.

Conclusion

As long as press release distribution is not abused, it will always be useful for SEO. Just one press release to a high traffic site could bring in tremendous results. Companies need to create innovative, original, and exciting content, something that will set them apart from the rest of the competition. Employing PR agencies can take the stress out of it and also yield great results. PR agencies also know the right people and the format of presenting content to various media outlets within the company’s niche to focus on the right outlets and target audience.

Digital Branding

Creating A Web Design That Narrates Your Brand’s Story

Steven on September 22, 2020

Every brand has a unique story, which is something that the audience wants to know before becoming customers and loyalists.

Being able to narrate it well enough is the key to engaging them and winning their trust. The design of your business website serves as the best storytelling platform because this is where most of the potential buyers are bound to come.

However, storytelling through web design takes a lot of creativity, strategy, and clever thinking.

Right from choosing the colors, visual elements, content, and navigation, you need to nail everything to create an impactful storyline. Here are some measures you can implement to do it effectively.

Focus on their problems rather than your company

Although you will be tempted to talk about your offerings, it is far more important to focus on customers’ problems when you weave a story for your brand. Their pain points will have them hooked to your story, which subtly draws them to explore more and know you better.

Take them towards a solution and they will buy it. Moreover, the problem-solution approach shows your interest in customers’ well-being and wins their trust and loyalty without much work.

Accentuate your USP and core values

Before you start designing your website, you need to identify the USP and core values you want to highlight. They should reflect everywhere, specifically the home page where the user lands and gets the first impression. The “About Us” page is another part of the site that needs to accentuate these elements. Everything else has to detail around the USP and core values because you would want them to be the heroes throughout the user journey.

Be consistent with the brand narrative

Your web presence is just one element of your brand because it appears at a lot of other places- print ads, billboards, media ads, product packaging, and more. It is vital to be consistent with the narrative everywhere. Amazingly, you can create your own website for free and share your story just as it is everywhere. No one knows your brand better than you, so go ahead and say it all on your website. Make sure that you follow the same visuals as well, right from your logo to colors and font styles. Similarly, pay attention to the tone of voice and content.

Create navigation for the story

When it comes to storytelling through web design, creating navigation is extremely important. Give the visitor a route to the next piece of information as they would want the narrative to unfold naturally and subtly.

It doesn’t make sense to paste all the information on one page, rather let them explore the site to pick their interest and make them stay. The placement of call-to-action buttons can act as navigational cues. Consider creating a roadmap that makes the journey easy for them and drives them effortlessly towards engagement.

Finally, keep the design simple and human-centered so that the audience connect with it emotionally. The modern website users are savvy and only exemplary designs can impress them, so make genuine efforts to engage them with authentic storytelling.

Digital Branding

Make Your Company Mean Something: The Importance of Instilling Company Core Values

Steven on September 20, 2020

Here’s a quick question: what does your company stand for?

If you’re anything like most small business owners, you didn’t see that question coming. Not only that, but you probably also don’t have an answer. After all, you’re in business to make a profit, right?

Well, that’s true, but it’s important that your small business also stands for something. Company core values can make a big difference in the performance of your business. And these values shouldn’t just be on paper. Everyone in the organization should know, embrace, and practice them.

Continue reading to learn about the importance of instilling core values across your organization.

Image by Neypomuk-Studios on Pixabay

Creates a Company Identity in the Marketplace

In the modern marketplace, only companies with a clear identity have a good chance of standing out from the competition.

There are a number of factors that come together to help form a unique identity for your brand, and one of those is your company’s core values. If you think about some of your favorite brands, you’ll certainly realize that they stand out because of more than just the products they offer.

For example, think about Nike.

The company’s shoes and apparel come to mind first. But it’s also impossible not to think of the company’s dedication to helping athletes, and pretty much everyone else, do what they love without fear. Their “just do it” campaign no doubt ushers consumers into one of the company’s core values.

As a business owner, your company’s core values will help shape its identity. If you’re big on environmental conservation and your company has sustainable practices, your consumers will think of the planet every time they interact with your brand.

Photo Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Attract Customers

In one survey, 62 percent of customers said they consider a company’s ethical values and authenticity before making a purchase.

If your company stands for something that resonates with your target market, you’ll be in a better position to attract customers easily. If your target audience is highly environmentally conscious, for instance, they’ll be more likely to buy from you if one of your company’s core values is environmental conservation.

And like Nike’s campaign, you can also let your customers know about your core values through strategic brand messaging.

Attract the Best Talent

If you thought it’s just customers who care about your company’s core values, you couldn’t be more wrong. Turns out your current and prospective employees care about your organization’s core values as well.

Don’t buy that?

A 2019 survey established that a whopping 77 percent of professionals consider a company’s mission and workplace culture before applying for a job.

Your company’s mission spells out your core values. It’s these values that define your workplace culture.

If your company doesn’t have any recognizable values, it’s clear you’re missing out on the best talent. Even your current employers can jump ship when they realize that your company doesn’t stand for anything.

Company Core Values Will Drive You to Success

As a small business owner, it’s understandable that your primary goal is to turn a profit. However, consumer behavior is changing. The modern consumer cares more about company core values than your product. So do your employees.

You now know how instilling company values can boost your business.

Keep reading our blog for more branding tips and insights.

Digital Branding

Get Connected! How To Write a Business Email in 7 Simple Steps

Steven on September 20, 2020

How many times have you sent an email to your colleagues without the email attached?

Have you ever responded casually to an email only to realize later that the CEO was on the email

Business emails seem like they should be so simple to write. But, often they are not.

Professional emails are legal documents. You should not write them the same way you write emails to your family and friends.

If you want to know how to write a business email, here are 7 tips to help your emails look and sound more professional.

Photo by Germann Altmann at Pixabay

1. What Do You Expect From Your Email?

First, know what the purpose of your email is. Are you looking to make a sale, network with a new client, or solve a problem with a new product? Do you want to remind a colleague of an upcoming deadline or thank your team for their hard work?

Let the recipient know what you expect from them and include everything they need to accomplish it.

For example, if you need someone to analyze the cost projections for a quarter, make sure there is a link to the projections or they are attached. Explain what they need to review and how the analysis will be used. Clearly state the deadline for them to complete the task and get back to you.

Photo by Gerd Altmann at Pixabay

2. Know Your Audience

Make sure the tone and style of your email are appropriate for your recipient.

If you’re writing to an executive in your company or a prospective client, your email should be more formal and polished.

If you’re writing to a colleague or someone you have an established working relationship with, you can be friendlier and less formal.

When you’re following up on a meeting, you may want to include detailed notes to recap everything that was said and make sure everyone knows their action items.

On the other hand, if you’re asking your colleague for a report, you can usually just ask the question without going into all the reasons why you need it.

3.“Brevity is the Soul of Wit”

This popular quote from William Shakespeare is one of the best professional email writing tips you will ever receive.

Most people receive too many emails in a day. Knowing how to draft a professional email that gets right to the point will be greatly appreciated by your recipient.

Keep your emails brief, concise, and focused. Limit the topics within an email to one or two subjects at most. Use direct, simple sentences. Don’t include filler words or information that doesn’t relate to the topic.

Photo by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

4. Know How to Write A Business Email in the Proper Format

There are many different types of business email writing tips and templates you can use and follow. But almost all of them will include the following items: Subject, Greeting, Body, and Signature.

Subject Line

Keep your subject line brief so your recipient can read it all on any device. Even the best email app for mac or pc has a limited number of characters it shows in the subject line.

Write a subject that clearly describes what the message is about. Use regular capitalization – don’t write your subject all in capital letters.

Greeting

Use a brief friendly greeting that addresses the recipient by name when you know it.

If you’re addressing someone you know well, you can use an informal greeting like “Hi” or “Hello” followed by their first name.

More formal greetings will use last names and titles. For instance, “Dear Mr. Jones” or “Greetings Dr. Johnson”.

When you don’t know the name of the recipient, traditional greetings such as “To Whom It May Concern” are also acceptable.

All words in a greeting should start with a capital letter. Every greeting ends with a comma.

Body

State your reason and the main point of the email right away. Include any supporting information the recipient needs to know.

A block style with single-space paragraphs is usually the easiest and cleanest format. Include line breaks between the greeting, body, closing, and signature.

Try not to use bold, italics, or color fonts unless it’s necessary for emphasis. Use easy to read fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial.

Closing and Signature

In a formal email or with a new contact, keep things more formal with closings such as “Kind regards”, “Thank you” or “Sincerely”.

Follow-up emails, internal communications, and people you are more familiar with can use more casual conclusions such as “Thanks” and “Best”.

Your email signature should include your name, title or position, and contact information. You may also include a company logo, name, address, and website link.

5. Proofread your email

The last step of how to write a professional email includes proofreading. It’s very easy to be in a rush, type an email quickly, and hit send, but you should avoid that as much as possible.

Always take an extra moment to review what you wrote. Check for spelling and grammar errors. Confirm that your facts are correct and that you have included all the necessary links or attachments.

Read the full email back to yourself, aloud if you can. Always consider your email from the other person’s point of view. How will they read it? You may realize that the tone isn’t as professional as you need it to be. Or, you may realize you’re being too formal in a situation that needs to be more casual and friendly.

6. Remember to Follow-up

It is appropriate and expected for you to follow-up on your email.

If you haven’t received a response in a couple of days, you should reach out again with a friendly follow-up to see if they need more information or had any questions.

7. Email Etiquette

You want to make sure everyone who needs the information receives it. Be cautious of overusing the CC field. If someone doesn’t need the information, don’t include him or her.

Consider the timing of your email. When possible, avoid sending an email after-hours or when you know someone is on vacation.

Know How to Draft a Business Email

Business emails have a specific style and structure to create effective and efficient communication. Knowing how to write a business email properly will greatly impact the impression your writing gives others.

Explore our website to learn more about business communication and branding.

Digital Branding

Understanding a Digital Marketing Agency

Steven on September 2, 2020

At present, marketing has noticeably evolved. The resources of any reputed digital marketing agency are now among the sought-after marketing solutions for all businesses, regardless of the industry. Digital marketing involves increased use of the internet, not just plain radio ads, television commercials, and posters. The entire marketing spectrum has transformed into more advanced and efficient methods of enticing people.

Marketing in the past could predict where the company was headed to, but not anymore. Conventional ways no longer reach the target market as they used to. Even back in the day, a well-thought-out traditional marketing campaign might not be effective; now, this approach seldom works to attract leads. Thus, firms have to adapt to the change in buying behavior.

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

As technology has made consumers’ buying behavior more complex, minor and major companies are opting for something that can adapt to the transition–digital marketing. Not only does this method work at present, but it will be the most feasible solution in the foreseeable future.

Hiring an experienced digital marketing agency to promoting the business is no longer a new business move. Some owners may still be apprehensive, but it only takes an in-depth understanding of how it works to see their long-term benefits. One of the many advantages is that it allows businesses to stay connected with their customers 24/7.

Digital Marketing Defined

Digital marketing primarily relies on technology to disseminate information and promote the brand to a target audience. Apart from the internet, it uses podcasts, mobile applications, and other digital media avenues to materialize all the relevant data needed to convert leads to paying customers. As time progresses, digital campaigns have proven their efficacy and continue to overpower offline marketing strategies. A seasoned digital marketing agency can strengthen the companies’ presence online quickly.

The Roles of a Digital Marketing Agency

Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash

Unlike a conventional marketing agency, a digital marketing agency specializes in results-based marketing strategies on the internet. Their success can be seen in the company’s return on investment (ROI) through measurable marketing tactics.

An experienced digital marketing agency no longer depends on TV commercials, radio, or magazine ads as they are not as interactive as digital methods. With the team’s help, including digital marketing consultants, web developers, strategists, and content writers, they can bring the brand to a whole new level in the digital world and acquire a significant number of leads for the company.

Improving the Business

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

When hiring a digital marketing firm, it basically means handing over all the marketing tasks to them. Initially, digital marketers will assess the brand’s status and come up with a reliable technique that will maximize the profit margin. The staff will collaborate with the firm to develop productivity and efficiency. Through their inputs, the company can have more defined objectives and identify measurable goals.

Besides, the concentration on gathering information and targeting the traffic necessitates having a clear understanding of the target market, which is usually more precise than firms currently have in them. Through thorough research, the company will recognize a select group of buyers and analyze their buying attitude. Digital marketing agencies perform rigorous research in sorting customers that are best for every company they handle.

Determining the target audience will help draft a message and benefits program tailored for them. The distinct selling proposal that perfectly aligns with every target customer will create a stable connection and eventually transform them into loyal consumers.

Maximize the Company’s Reputation Online

While working on the firm’s online presence, the digital marketing agency will also exploit every marketing tool to develop its online hub. A buyer-focused website provides the opportunity to showcase the brand in the digital world effectively. The agency will help identify the appropriate platforms and mediums to be utilized to reach out to the target audience.

Furthermore, the agency helps position the firm to be a market leader by drafting online content that will strengthen the brand reputation. A seasoned digital marketing agency is capable of implementing highly-effective content techniques to present optimum organic search rankings.

Designing and applying constructive social media marketing tactics will improve the marketing ROI better than the conventional marketing strategies used in the past. Social media marketing has proven its success and continues to deliver promising results to any company regardless of the industry.

Introduce Cheaper Marketing Strategies

Photo by Le Buzz on Unsplash

Conventional marketing techniques can cost a fortune. Billboards, radio, and television commercials are expensive and take time to produce before they go live. Hiring a digital marketing agent will introduce marketing tools with scalability and filter according to the firm’s target customers. Hence, these strategies can be more cost-efficient.

Digital Branding Personal Branding

How to Leverage Your Instagram Account for Marketing Campaigns?

Steven on August 28, 2020

Year after year, social media see a subtle increase in the number of users, especially Instagram, which now has more than one billion users. It’s not a surprise that many companies turn to this popular social media channel to carry on their marketing activities.

In fact, brands are doing a great job on Instagram; almost 90% of Instagrammers follow a brand on Instagram.

So, if you run a business and want to promote it on Instagram, you need to have a clear marketing strategy, because the virtual world is wholly different from traditional marketing.

In the following, I’m going to show you how to employ Instagram to its full potential and promote your marketing campaigns based on the goals you wish to achieve. Here’s a graphic to cast a glance at:

Why is Instagram Perfect for Running a Marketing Campaign?

Instagram tools are free
Instagram marketing campaigns can be easily measured
You have unlimited access to potential customers all over the world
It is suitable for any business
Instagrammers love to consume products and services they find on Instagram

Top Marketing Campaign Goals that you Can Achieve Using Instagram

You may have many reasons to run an Instagram campaign, from announcing your new product to establish a better relationship with your potential customers. The good news is, no matter what your goal is, Instagram can help you achieve it.

#1 Marketing Campaign Goal on Instagram: Increase Your Brand Awareness

Although many businesses use their page only to sell their product and services, Instagram can be incredibly helpful for enhancing brand awareness.

How can you make your brand more visible on Instagram? Easy; start gaining more followers and start engaging with them.

You may hire an Instagram manager or use Instagram management apps to cut the expenses. If you don’t have any experience using these managing apps, you can try using those that offer Instagram followers trial to see if it meets your expectations.

#2 Marketing Campaign Goal on Instagram: Increase sale

Instagram Shoppable was a revolutionary feature that the company introduced. If your marketing goal is to increase your sale on Instagram, a combination of Instagram Shop and Instagram Ads can be immensely helpful.

Instagrammers can access to shops in their Explore page and pay for the items on the app, which makes the shopping so much easier. Moreover, you can use Instagram ads to attract specific customers based on age, location, and gender.

To have an Instagram Shop, you need to have a business account and a Facebook catalog. Don’t forget that you can only sell goods on Instagram Shop, and not services.

#3 Marketing Campaign Goal on Instagram: Introduce New Products or Services

You can use Instagram tools such as feed posts, IGTV, Live, and especially Stories, to introduce your new products and services.

Instagram Stories can be handy as they enable you to be more flexible and funny. You can use a wide range of tools available on Stories, such as a countdown sticker, to gain your followers’ attention for the upcoming products’ announcement.

#4 Marketing Campaign Goal on Instagram: Target New Customers

With Instagram, you can focus on finding specific customers. For example, if you want to attract local customers, you can use geotags and locations hashtags that contain your city or neighborhood name.

Another great way to target a specific audience is to use influencers. Usually, influencers’ followers come from particular demographics. For example, a beauty influencer might have more teenage and young women in her audience.

By investing in specific influencers for promoting your less-common products that might have a particular audience, you can save the budget and avoid mass advertisements.

Just be careful about fake influencers! These people use fake likes and followers to show you they have a high level of engagement. Want to spot them? Read this.

#5 Marketing Campaign Goal on Instagram: Improve Customer Relationships

Want to engage your customers with your brand, make them loyal, and even gain the trust of other followers? What is better than running an Instagram user-generated content campaign to do that?

Besides the fact that user-generated content is authentic and considered a free advertisement for your brand on the platform, it can significantly help you with the time-consuming process of content creation.

Many major brands, such as @gopro and @airbnb, constantly run Instagram UGC campaigns to maintain and enhance their engagement with the customers.

Another great way to improve your relationship with customers on Instagram is by responding to them promptly on the platform. When you publish a post on Instagram, many (potential) customers ask questions about their purchases, new products, or even complaints about an issue they experienced with your brand. It is crucial to answering these queries quickly and with the right language.

Don’t forget that people are more impatient on social media. They expect a reply in less than one hour!

Final words

An active Instagram marketing can make a massive difference for your business. If managed correctly, the Instagram campaign can help you enter new markets, grow market share, and even improve stakeholder relations.

About the author

I’m Rezvan, a freelance copywriter at SocialPros where I write about Instagram marketing. I’m a Potterhead, resistant to caffeine overdose, and love old songs.

Digital Branding Legal Branding Local Branding Personal Branding

17 Tips for Starting and Succeeding in Your Own Offline Marketing Business

Steven on August 25, 2020

How to start your own business in offline marketing when online is dominating? You have to show potential customers the benefits of using offline tools. According to Statista, almost 40% of marketers worldwide consider offline campaigns important.

Here are 17 tips for starting your own business in offline marketing. Besides offline, start-ups, the hints can help marketing specialists to promote a brand beyond the online realm.

1. Newspaper Ads

Newspaper ads are rather cost-effective. Many people are still buying them. For example, universities and schools always have some. You can post an ad there if it’s the place where your target audience exists. All in all, it’s a good advertising tool when starting a business.

2. Media Giveaways

The media is always eager to take some free products or gift certificates as prizes. TV shows and radio regularly host competitions. They will distribute your samples or gift certificates as prizes. In return, customers will have a chance to try a product or service.

3. Free Publicity

Some media are looking for stories to write. You can use this to promote a brand if you are starting a business with no money. All you have to do is to find relevant media and share your story with them.

4. Free Samples

Giveaways are always a good idea. It’s a working way to attract customers, promote brand awareness, and let potential clients try out your product or service. You can give samples for free or launch a competition and reward the winners.

5. Networking

Connections matter. Especially if you are looking for ways to minimize costs. Joining local clubs, business communities, etc., opens new horizons. You can learn valuable insights and acquire new connections. All this will help to run the business cheaper.

6. Educational Workshops

We live in an era of meaningful connections. Customers look for value. They want to see more than just a product to use. That’s why educational workshops are an excellent idea to attract such an audience. By the way, sharing knowledge is probably the cheapest business to start.

7. Handouts

Who hasn’t heard about flyers, coupons, and handouts? It’s an ever-working cheap marketing tool. All you have to do is to print a lot of flyers and hand them out in a crowded place. Keep in mind: you should distribute them within an area where your target audience exists. Online companies like Lasting Trend agency can work to a wide audience. But in offline marketing, this is not permissible.

8. Trade Shows

Trade shows help to promote your brand in a niche. Usually, it’s a narrow-filed event, where you will find predominantly your target audience. Although usually participation is paid, the fee isn’t high. Especially if we are speaking about local events.

9. Direct Mail

Direct mail allows businesses to target specific geographic markets. It’s cost-effective: you may pay about 50 cents per piece only. Moreover, it’s an amazing way to stand out in the era of digital.

10. Banners

Banners are an ever-lasting offline marketing tool that keeps proving its efficiency. Many companies like Fortunavisual considered them as the basis when starting offline marketing business campaign. However, it requires a specific approach and professional equipment.

11. Cross Promotions

Although cross-promotions are widespread in retail, you can turn to them regarding the industry. Basically, it’s a situation when companies with related services or products promote each other. This is usually done for free, considering a mutually-beneficial effect.

12. Business Cards

Business cards are an element of branding. They are compact yet comprise all the main data. Therefore, they are ideal for cheap offline marketing strategies. Distribute them everywhere your potential clients may be.

13. Gift Certificates

Offer your potential and existing clients gift certificates. If a person doesn’t know you, it’s a way to let him try you out. If he deals with you, it’ll enhance his loyalty.

14. Cold Calls

To create a business plan, you need to think through ways how to attract clients. One of the traditional ways is cold calls. You will have to cover relatively small costs.

15. Host a Party

Who doesn’t like parties? You can host one devoted to your grand opening or anniversary. Many people are likely to come if you offer an entertaining program.

16. Sponsorship

You can become a sponsor of a local event or a sports team. In return, you will gain access to all the visitors or fans. It’s a good way to make the world hear your name.

17. Interviews

Interviews in local magazines or newspapers are a working tool for promoting an offline business. Radio and TV shows are also a good opportunity to increase your brand awareness among existing and potential customers. Just stay honest and open.

Here are 17 ideas for offline marketing. Do you consider offline ads performing? Please, share your opinion with us!

Digital Branding

The Basics of SEO Audit Services You Need to Understand

Steven on August 21, 2020

Experts estimate that by 2040, 95% of all purchases in the US will be through eCommerce. This is the reason why many small and medium-sized enterprises are taking their businesses online.

Companies hire SEO experts to ensure that their website has quality content and visibility on the web. But, to make sure that your web pages are error-free, you need the best SEO services in the USA for proven results.

Why is SEO Necessary?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) assists in increasing the traffic to your website. If you practice effective techniques, you can improve the user experience and usability of your website.

SEO helps in building the trust of the users towards a website. When they search for some information, and your page frequently ranks on the top of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), it develops a sense of reliability that intrigues the customers to make purchases from your website.

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What is an SEO Audit?

An SEO audit is an evaluation of various factors that affect your website’s performance. It helps in understanding why your website is ranked lower or why it is not searchable. In short, it will give you solutions to improve your website’s functionality and drive more traffic.

SEO audits are crucial to understand where you stand in the market. Every online business must conduct an SEO audit at the beginning of a new project or a new quarter. It will determine which areas need improvement and how you can rectify those issues in a given time.

Let’s have a look at what is covered in the SEO audit.

Technical SEO Errors

The very first thing you need to search for are the technical issues on your website. The technical analysis determines why your website is underperforming. It helps us to understand two things: accessibility and indexability.

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Accessibility: If Google and search engines cannot find your website, you will never enjoy a good traffic rush. It indirectly affects the user’s ability to access your website. Amazon, the online retail giant, works more on updating its content frequently to drive more traffic to its web pages.

Almost 59% of the US population prefers to make purchases on Amazon. It is one of the reasons that make Amazon the biggest online retailer in the world. Accessibility, user experience, and search go hand-in-hand.

Indexability: It is necessary to make your pages searchable by the web crawlers and present it to the end-user once it is accessed. For simplifying your website search by Google, blend it with good accessibility and indexability features. Google penalizes the website that lacks these features. If your site has too many pages, the ranking dips down. The web crawlers and robots may not even show your page.

As a result, you may receive a notification regarding the reason for the penalty in your Webmaster’s tool account. All you have to do is locate the issue, rectify it, and request reconsideration from Google. The technical errors can be dealt with ease if you hire the best SEO services in the USA for your assistance.

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Website Layout Issues

About 61.72% of the US population use Google Chrome as their web browser, 15.23% use Safari for surfing the net, and the others use Internet Explorer or Opera. The layout of your website plays a vital role in the loading of the pages in these browsers. If your website’s loading time goes beyond 0.80 seconds, then the chances of bounce rate increases by 85%.

Poor or outdated visual design, lack of quality images, clutter, and hidden details are critical website layout issues that hinder your website’s ranking process.

On-Page Problems and Keyword Issues

The content on your webpage has to be in line with your products and services. Conflicting data and blogs will not push you to a higher rank. Various companies hire bloggers to write content for their website, but most of the content is plagiarized, and this duplication affects the ranking statistics.

Similar keywords from different websites confuse the algorithms, and then Google acknowledges only the strongest ones. As a result, the SEO of your site suffers severely, and the reachability also declines.

Off-Page Issues

The off-page ranking factors determine how accessible your webpage is and if people link your page in their articles or is your website trustworthy. Google runs several algorithms that study which page is linked more, and how frequently it is searched.

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In the US, YouTube and Wikipedia are the most searched websites as of 2020. So, to join their league and ensure your trustworthiness in the online marketplace, you must adhere to the Google webmaster’s guidelines.

You must also keep your website updated with fresh and relevant content to stay popular among the readers and the bloggers. The increase in popularity among the users will keep you on a higher rank in SERP.

To make sure your site is working right and maximize sales dollars, consider having an SEO audit today.

Digital Branding

What You Need To Know As A Beginner Buying Wholesale Jewelry Online

Steven on August 12, 2020

People wear jewelry on a daily basis, it has just become part of their daily routines. Considering the fact that the vast majority of luxury jewelry on the market is created with precious metals and stones, that tends to make it more attractive to those who wear it. Over the years there has been a growing demand among individuals looking to buy and sell precious jewelry. Regardless of the fact, one of the best ways to begin the process is through wholesale jewelry. In fact, it is one of the best deals around.

When buying wholesale jewelry, it simply comes down to finding the best and most reliable wholesale supplier. There are many potential suppliers who can be found on the internet. In fact, there is a growing number of reliable dealers who are found solely online. They offer quality merchandise at very competitive prices. One must understand that online jewelry stores and online wholesale companies are two very different entities.

An online jewelry store is going to offer pieces lower than a retail store, however, they will not be as cheap as that from a wholesale operation. In addition, it is very important to choose the right dealer due to the fact that the term “wholesale” is thrown around and misused quite often online.

Searching For A Reliable Supplier

When planning to purchase jewelry from an online wholesaler, there are several factors that one should be aware of. When a wholesale company is selling actual sets at wholesale prices, this is going to mean two simple facts. The company is only interested in providing individuals with minimum and bulk orders. Additionally, a genuine wholesalers will likely request a tax ID or reseller permit.

While many people are looking to find reliable wholesalers, many wholesalers are looking to find reputable and solid buyers who have a legit business. The following tips from www.Elf925Wholesale.com are designed to help you seek out and find a wholesaler who is reliable, trustworthy and able to provide you with quality merchandise at low prices.

Searching For Legitimate Products

Ensuring that a dealer is legit, is only one part of the process. One must also be sure that they are purchasing authentic material and products. Jewelry can be rather expensive and purchasing fakes is one of the best ways to lose a lot of cash and reputation in the business. Most online companies will say all of their products are authentic, however, it is up to you to validate those claims and search through all the fine print and sales copy.

Some words that should always be on your radar include “realistic” and “gold plated“, simply stating in not so obvious terms that they are not real. Many online sellers try to be very careful in the way they word things in sales copy, by paying attention can really help pick out the obvious fakes and scammers.

There are also a wide number of websites that have online directories available, but they are not all the same level of quality. Many times, a search engine is the best way to narrow down your list of retailers. Google and other search engines use a unique criteria that will pull up the best and most relevant listing in their directory based upon their specific algorithms.

Some of the best keywords to use when searching on Google include “wholesale only” as well as “wholesale jewelry provider”. This is going to reduce the number of sites that show up in the listing. You also want to find a company that offers a decent refund or exchange policy. Furthermore, a company that has a 100% money back guarantee is the safest form of online transaction.

Be careful with any seller that will only provide transaction if they are placed on bulk. These types of deals are usually shady and people lose a lot of money over poor quality merchandise and junk. eBay is a potentially great place to get started with wholesale jewelry online. Simply look over the sellers ratings and feedback to ensure they do not scam. If you do buy any type of online wholesale jewelry, always try to use a form of an escrow service to better protect yourself.

Digital Branding Legal Branding Local Branding Personal Branding

The Only Way Ahead: E-Commerce Business

Steven on August 10, 2020

Many entrepreneurs have consistently emphasized the importance of E-Commerce tools to grow any kind of business in order to succeed in this cut-throat competition. The fascinating part of the whole plot is that the spread of the virus has led people to believe the fact that taking your business ahead digitally is not an option anymore. If you want to survive, you ought to have a digital presence alongside your traditional ways of running a business.

The pandemic situation has urged the requirement to the next level as people have no option but to buy everything online. This signifies the value of the E-Commerce business market that was not taken seriously before. The way that the stocks of E-Commerce retailers and businesses have had a huge increase in the last few months is the perfect evidence of its position in the business world. For example, LivePerson and Pitney Bowes are the companies that develop AI software that is used by companies to build their presence online on different digital platforms. These are one of the topmost companies when it comes to a rise in the stock prices during the pandemic. Evidence and data suggest that such companies have flourished on every level because people have totally shifted towards online platforms for their business to survive and thrive.

On a local level, public speakers, gym instructors, dieticians, etc., have started YouTube channels, social media pages on apps like Facebook and Instagram, and have persistently been trying to know what it takes to grow their presence using SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Alongside being safe, people need to earn to survive this harsh reality that is currently going on. There are so many sites that support all kinds of business ventures with easy accessibility online so that people do not feel alien to the digital side of their own business.

People are looking at the biggest stock gainers today with keen interest. Certain businesses are really growing in pandemic times. Many investors want to know what stocks are growing and what ones are staying behind.

The worst part of the current scenario in the world is that so many businesses have been closed down all over the world, impacting millions of people as they have nothing to do. A food vendor on a street who is not registered with an app that supports delivery to people who can order food online or some other technological gadget goes out of business because there are no people on the streets at this point in time. The amount of cash flow that is required to continue the business is not an easy thing to maintain as most of the business owners already know. There are other factors that restrict your business to grow if you don’t have a website or an app or a collaboration with some of the top-tier companies that help you grow your business:

Mobility
Pre-existing loans
Production waste
Shortage of capital

Just after a month or so into the lockdown, America witnessed a rapid growth in online grocery shopping as people needed groceries to cook at home. Sale and revenue numbers were huge as in just seven days, the industry observed a 79% rise in the total consumers buying online groceries. The downside of this was felt in the tourism industry as well as the rental car industry, not to forget the airline industry that has suffered the highest losses. The best industry to measure the difference in sales within that same industry is the food business. Sale of restaurants and fast-food chains that don’t have an online presence and delivery system or collabs with famous delivery companies have suffered heavy losses while at the same time, those who have met all the above-mentioned requirements have succeeded and made good profits even during such adverse times which again highlights the crucial role of E-Commerce if we consider situations like the current scenario.

The way experts see it and through conclusive evidence which made the truth even more visible to the larger audience during these tough times, it is feasible to understand that the E-Commerce business model is the only way to go ahead irrespective of what scenario we might face. Emphasis should be laid on this practice because that is how businesses will survive and prosper. Believing that only traditional practices will work is vague and illogical.