Tag: branding

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Digital Branding

Topic: The Role of Brand Trust in Converting Leads Online

on July 29, 2024

There is a crucial role of brand trust in converting leads online. Brand trust is the consumers’ confidence in a brand’s reliability and integrity. This trust is fundamental in distinguishing a brand and has a direct impact on online conversion rates. 

Trusted brands enjoy higher purchase rates, recommendations, and customer loyalty.

How Digital Marketing Relates to Brand Trust

Digital marketing is integral to establishing and maintaining brand trust. Effective digital marketing strategies ensure a consistent and trustworthy brand image through user-friendly interfaces, engaging social media presence, and valuable content.

  • User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)

A well-designed website or app enhances trust. Key elements include intuitive navigation, fast load times, and mobile-friendliness, which ensure a positive user experience. A professional, user-friendly digital presence fosters reliability and encourages visitors to convert into leads and customers. 

Our experience helping SMEs in Singapore as a digital marketing agency demonstrates this.

  • Branded Messaging on Social Media and Online Platforms

Tailored messaging on social media and online platforms humanizes a brand and builds trust. Engaging with the audience authentically shows the brand’s commitment to its customers, creating a strong foundation of trust.

How to Build and Maintain Brand Trust Online

  • Authenticity and Values Alignment

Authenticity can be a key to building trust. Brands need to align their messaging with the values of their target audience. 

This alignment demonstrates that the brand understands and cares about what is important to its customers. 

Authentic brands that are transparent and genuine, which helps establish a strong connection with the audience.

  • Effective Communication and Personalization

Tailored messaging and personalized interactions strengthen trust by making customers feel valued and understood. 

Personalized emails, targeted content, and relevant recommendations demonstrate that the brand pays attention to individual preferences and needs, which significantly enhances trust. 

  • Content Marketing and Value Proposition

Valuable, educational content is instrumental in establishing authority and trust with potential customers. 

Providing insights, solving problems, and offering useful information positions brands as experts in their field. This approach attracts potential customers and builds long-term trust. 

  • Online Customer Experience 

Exceptional customer service and support are crucial for enhancing brand trust. Providing prompt, helpful, and friendly service demonstrates that the brand values its customers’ business and is dedicated to resolving any issues they may encounter. 

This commitment to excellent service can be shown through various channels, such as live chat, social media, and email support. When customers feel heard and cared for, their positive experiences transform them into loyal advocates for the brand. 

More often than not many brands ignore online customer experience and are only looking at media or traffic generation. Our SEO experts consulting Singaporean enterprises commonly feedback that businesses tend to ignore brand experience for traffic generation.

Measuring Brand Trust: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

To measure brand trust, businesses can use various KPIs such as customer loyalty, sentiment analysis, and engagement metrics. These indicators provide insights into how customers perceive the brand and their level of trust.

  • Conversion Rates for Lead Generation

Conversion rates is a quantifiable KPI used by our lead generation services for Singapore enterprises.

Conversion rates for lead generation are a direct KPI for measuring the effectiveness of your brand trust strategies. This metric shows the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as filling out a form or signing up for a newsletter. 

  • Customer Feedback and Net Promoter Score

Gathering and analyzing customer feedback is essential for assessing trust levels. 

Tools like Net Promoter Score (NPS) gauge customer satisfaction and loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend the brand to others. This feedback is invaluable for identifying areas of improvement and strengthening trust.

Conclusion

To conclude, prioritize exceptional customer service, employ effective digital marketing strategies, and deliver authentic value based messaging to ensure lead conversion rates and foster long-term brand loyalty and advocacy.

Branding
Digital Branding

8 Reasons More Brands are Choosing to Work With  Influencers 

on November 15, 2022

For years, brands have reached out to celebrities and other high-profile figures to gain exposure and curry favor with consumers. However, a new marketing strategy has arisen over the past few years – working with influencers. And it’s easy to see why; influencers are relatable, trustworthy, and often more influential than traditional forms of advertising. Here are eight reasons more brands are choosing to work with influencers. 

1. They’re More Relatable 

Consumers are bombarded with marketing messages daily, becoming savvier and more skeptical of traditional advertising. In contrast, influencers are perceived as more relatable and trustworthy. Because they’re not directly affiliated with a brand, their endorsements carry more weight. 

This is especially true for younger consumers, who are likelier to follow influencers than celebrities. They are also more likely to purchase based on an influencer’s recommendation because they see them as friends or peers.

2. They Create Brand Awareness 

Introducing a form of influencer marketing for brand awareness, in your marketing strategy is an efficient way to reach a wide audience in little time. And because influencers often have a large and engaged following, they can help spread the word about your brand to a whole new audience. It’s also worth noting that people are more likely to remember information when an influencer presents it. 

3. They Have a Large and Engaged Audience 

One of the most attractive things about working with an influencer is their large and engaged audience. Influencers have spent years cultivating their following, and as a result, they have a highly engaged group of fans. 

This is valuable for brands because it gives them access to a large group of potential customers who are already interested in the type of products or services that they offer. And because these audiences are so engaged, they’re more likely to convert into paying customers. 

4. They’re Cost-Effective 

Working with an influencer is often more cost-effective than traditional forms of advertising, such as television or print. This is because influencers typically charge less than celebrities and have a lower barrier to entry. Additionally, working with multiple influencers can be more affordable than just one. 

An influencer’s fee will depend on their reach, engagement, and project scope. However, brands can expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars per post.

5. They Offer Flexibility 

Another advantage of working with influencers is that they offer brands more flexibility than traditional forms of advertising. For example, brands can work with influencers to create sponsored posts, product reviews, giveaways, or even entire campaigns. 

This flexibility allows brands to tailor their marketing efforts to fit their specific goals and objectives. And because influencers are often more agile than celebrities, they can quickly adapt to campaign or target audience changes. 

6. They’re Measurable 

Working with an influencer allows brands to measure their efforts’ results. This is because most influencers use some form of social media, which provides a wealth of data that can be used to track the campaign’s performance. 

This data can be used to assess an influencer’s reach, engagement, and even conversion rate. Additionally, it can help brands optimize their campaigns for maximum impact. 

7. They’re Versatile

Busy bloggers

In addition to being more cost-effective and flexible than traditional advertising, working with an influencer also allows brands to tap into a versatile group of individuals. Influencers come in all shapes and sizes, each with a unique audience. 

For example, some influencers focus on fashion, while others focus on food or travel. As a result, brands can work with an influencer who specializes in their industry or target market. This allows them to create a more customized and effective campaign. 

8. They’re Here to Stay 

Finally, it’s important to note that influencers are here to stay. Recently, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of people considered influencers. And as social media continues to grow and evolve, we can only expect this trend to continue. 

This is good news for brands because they have a stable and reliable group of individuals to work with. Additionally, it allows them to build long-term relationships with influencers who can help them achieve their marketing goals. 

Conclusion 

These are just a few reasons why more brands work with influencers. If you’re looking for a cost-effective, flexible, and measurable way to reach your target audience, then working with an influencer is an excellent option. Just be sure to research to find the right fit for your brand.

Brand
Legal Branding

6 Reasons Brand Image is Important for Your Business

on July 19, 2022

Forbes indicates that business branding is more important than you might think. Business branding is more than your company logos, name, and colors. It includes everything that gives identity to your business, making it distinct from competitors. Your business brand image brings out what your enterprise stands for. In today’s business environment, a positive brand image is a more crucial component of business than ever. Proper branding based on the technology will give your company an edge in the competitive business environment.

Below are reasons why the brand image is important for your business.

1. Improves Recognition of Your Business

Among the reasons to create a brand image for your business is to make it recognized. Therefore, if your business branding is positive and strong, customers will notice it more. Solid branding makes your business remain in peoples’ minds longer.

So, your business should possess visual elements like a distinct logo to make it unforgettable to your customers. You can also use customized embossed stationery to make an enduring impression on your customers. You can use it on; thank you notes for special occasions like when appreciating your loyal customers. Embossing is a stylish way to present your business name or logo, leaving a lasting impression.

2. Helps to Create Trust

A reputable brand image will generate a lot of trust among your clients. A trusted brand will create a good perception amongst customers and the public in general. Consequently, your brand will earn a positive reputation making your brand to be robust.

Nevertheless, your branding should not only strike a healthy level of trust between your company and its stakeholders but also maintain it. You can attain this if you can set realistic promises that strategically position your brand in the market and then deliver on the promises.

Once the promise is delivered, trust automatically builds in your clients’ thoughts. Indeed, trust will distinguish your brand and give your company a competitive advantage in the crowded market.

3. Motivates Your Employees

Every employee takes pride in working for a company with a strong brand name. The satisfaction that comes with working in such a company is a strong motivating factor. Nothing is as fulfilling for an employee as working for a reputable brand. It gives job satisfaction and makes working for such a company both pleasant and fulfilling.

More importantly, your employees are part of the stakeholders of your brand image. They form the first line of communication for your brand hence the first ambassadors. If your employees associate well with your brand, they will disseminate it to customers and other strategic partners. Remember! Your employees interact more frequently with company partners.

4. Branding Brings New Customers

One of the benefits of a good brand is to increase referral business. When your company has a strong brand image, it creates a positive impression on clients. Customers like a familiar and dependable company based on the brand’s trust. Consequently, they will likely engage in business because of your company’s good name.

All that counts is establishing a good perception of your brand in the market. What follows is the influx of new customers. So, a positive reputation will drive a chain of new clients to your brand leading to more purchases.

5. Branding Boosts Business Value

advertising-brand-branding

Branding is crucial if you are focused on generating future business ventures. If your brand is solid, it can boost your business value by giving your company extra leverage over competitors. Eventually, your company becomes an attractive investment vehicle since it is well grounded in the market.

When your brand earns a good reputation, its rise in value will be consummated. So, a robust standing is equivalent to a strong brand, in turn, rendering into great value. Apart from being an asset, a business brand holds fiscal value. Hence, it increases the general worth of your company.

6. Supports Your Advertising Efforts

Advertising is one of the most vital elements of your brand image. You should stage a comprehensive promotion of your brand if you are to expand. If you want to create a good brand image, you must focus. Subsequently, you will be able to create a lasting positive impression of your company in clients’ minds.

Concluding Remarks

The concept of branding is an ever-evolving subject. It encompasses several areas of expertise, such as marketing, business management, and psychology. While the brand image is not the same as marketing, the two are subordinate to one another.

If the idea of building a brand name from scratch sounds daunting to you and would prefer to start a business with an already established & trusted brand name for a low fee you should consider opening a franchise business. You can find the best franchises available in the United Kingdom at a website called www.franchise-uk.co.uk.

 

Guest post contributed by Tracie Johnson

Legal Branding

Ways to Inspire Company Culture Even Remotely

on January 17, 2022

It takes a lot of effort to build a workplace culture. Even as companies continue to embrace a hybrid working model that is a blend of remote working and office-based work, it should not be a factor to dilute your corporate culture. 

Maintaining workplace culture in a hybrid work setting should seek to establish a virtual environment that enables members to feel connected and protected. Your team needs to feel that they are all working hard and staying productive and that their opinions matter. 

Maintaining corporate culture when people aren’t actually in the office can be a real challenge. You might find it difficult to conduct the usual team-building and collaborative activities, and connections among employees might weaken.

The Importance of Maintaining a Company Culture While Working Remotely

Purpose

Working from home is a brand new way of doing things. Whether your team is working remotely or not, chances are your customers are working from home. Maintaining company culture establishes an environment that keeps you connected with your customers. 

Employees who feel disconnected at work tend to have lower performance, lower productivity, and can even quit. Work culture creates opportunities for everyone to feel connected and work with happy and productive teams.

Your remote team needs the motivation to stay productive. A company culture maintains trust among teams and leads to motivation. Motivated employees are highly adaptable to change, have a positive work attitude, and are free to approach you with any work-related problem. 

Maintaining corporate culture ensures that your team knows what to do and when to do it. Leading a remote team comes with challenges. However, company culture can help you manage expectations and equip you with the battle gears to navigate change. 

There are many ways to encourage this culture, such as:

1. Focus on the Culture You Want to Keep

Your company culture is a combination of your business’s values, mission, and goals. Define behaviors that can support company values to enable your team to live the culture you want to keep. Instil culture into your management team because managers are responsible for creating and communicating a consistent company culture.

2. Trust Your Employees

emotion

When you treat your employees with respect, you get it back. Trusted employees feel valued and feel obliged to be engaged in their work. Don’t over-monitor your team because without trust there will be less innovation, less collaboration, and less creative thinking.

Use tools such as project management apps to interact with your remote team efficiently. A project management app comes with the feature to help you plan projects with your team effectively, manage available resources, respond to problems, and keep all stakeholders involved.

3. Embrace Transparency

Community

Transparency is essential for business success when working with remote teams. It ensures visibility into the performance of your team and guarantees a seamless workflow. Make your employees your friends, offer a platform for feedback, and allow them to speak to you openly. 

Let your team know that they can trust you because it’s easy for the remote teams to veer off track and fail to keep up the punctuality and efficiency you expect from them. Instilling transparency in remote working ensures smooth communication and enables you to stay on top of everything.

4. Enhance Flexibility

Flexibility can make your team versatile, resilient, and responsive to change. Flexibility means the ability to adapt to changes such as sudden surges in work or urgent problems. Create organization within your team and ensure that employees do not overwork themselves. 

Flexibility is also good for you as a leader. Be in a position to modify your style of leadership and revise your plan to incorporate innovations and overcome challenges. Recognize situations in which your old way of doing things isn’t working and adopt new behaviors for the current success. 

5. Address Mental Health Issues

Consistency

Remote teams are likely to experience negative mental health impacts which include isolation, loneliness, feeling left out in company conversations, and finding it difficult to get away from work at the end of the day. Make your employee’s mental health a top priority to create a great employee experience. 

Encourage strategic discussions on managing anxiety and depression in dedicated avenues such as a group chat channel. Create an environment where your team can easily talk about their mental health and support mental health leave days. 

Inspire Your Team to Succeed

Value

Despite the flexibility that comes with the work from anywhere model, employees still experience downsides of this approach such as feeling alone, isolated, and left out of important company organizations. To help your remote team stay connected, consider keeping communication going, encourage informal meetings, synchronize work schedules, celebrate important dates and milestones, and rethink your collaboration methods, and tools. 

 

Monetize a digital brand with these strategies!
Legal Branding

How to Set up Quality Lighting Fixtures at Your Home

on January 11, 2022

If you are thinking of making your home as attractive as possible, you should make sure that you choose the right lighting fixtures for your home. Remember that your choice of lighting fixtures will really affect how your overall home design turns out. Here are some of the best light fixtures that you should use. 

1. Choose Lighting Fixtures According To Your Home

When choosing your lighting fixtures, it is important that you choose your lighting fixtures according to your home. Remember that your home has a specific style, and you should make sure that you use the right lighting that will fit your home’s overall aesthetic.

Before you choose your lighting fixture, you should take the time to check out your home. What part of your home do you add lights to? What parts need further illuminating? How will you be able to enhance your home’s overall aesthetic with lights? By being discerning of your lighting choice, you will be able to choose the best lighting options possible.

2. Choose The Right Lighting Fixture For Every Room

When you choose your lighting for a specific room, it is important that you use the right lighting. Remember that you will need to make all of your lighting fixtures work for every room.

For example, the room that you need to light up is the living room. If you are going to light up your living room, you should choose lighting options such as ceiling lamps for chandeliers. They cover more space, especially if you put them at the center of the room.

3.Utilize The Right Lighting Colors

Aside from the type of lighting fixtures, it is imperative that you choose the right lighting colors. Remember that your choice of lighting colors will affect how your overall lighting effect will turn up. For example, you want your home’s overall ambiance to be as cozy as possible. This means you should avoid lights that are too bright or glaring. You could also invest in lights that are easier on the eyes.

4. Be Consistent With Your Lighting Concepts

If you choose a lighting design for your home, it is important that you stay consistent with your lighting concept. Remember that you should aim for a certain aesthetic for your home. If you choose a lighting design, you should make sure to stay consistent with the design. For example, you are going to create a cozy ambiance for your home. You could achieve this in many ways. You could use low lighting, punctuated by warm-colored bulbs that will accentuate your home’s cozy feeling. You could also use hidden lights behind your mirrors, to create a sense of closeness in your home. Whatever you choose though, what’s important is that you stay true to your overall lighting strategies.

5. Choose A Good Lighting Provider

An important factor when it comes to choosing to light for your home is your choice of lighting provider. Remember that your choice of lighting provider will affect how your lights will function in the long run.

If you want to use a good quality addressable led strip for your home, you should try out Elstar. The company is more than capable of creating beautiful lighting options for your home.

If you want even further led import from china, you should try out Matchsourcing. The company is more than capable of providing you with other great lighting options at the best prices possible.

6. Choose A Great Focal Point For Your Lighting

If you want your lighting to be as efficient and as aesthetically pleasing as possible, you should make sure that you choose the right focal point for your lighting. Don’t just install lights all over your home. You will need to be strategic. Take the time to check your home. Choose which parts look good enough to highlight. After choosing, you could utilize your lights to shine the spotlight on these spots.

7. Think Outside Of The Box For Your Lighting

When you set up your lighting for your home, it is important that you think outside the box. While you should follow a set concept for yourself, this does not mean that you should follow cliche designs for your home. Be adventurous when it comes to your lighting options. Try various lighting combinations. You could even mix and match certain lighting fixtures such as fairy lights and lanterns. What’s important is that you think up new lighting concepts and that you are adventurous to try these concepts out. Just remember to wear rubber gloves when you install your lighting features.

Conclusion

If you want to make your home as beautiful as possible, it is important that you choose the right lighting fixtures for your home. Remember that the better your lighting options, the better.  Here are some key tips for setting up lighting fixtures at your home.

Digital Branding

B2B Brand Recognition Tips to Consider in 2021

on June 29, 2021

Brand awareness creates brand recognition, and brand recognition builds customer loyalty.  When a business customer identifies with another company, they not only buy that company’s products, refusing to ever consider their competitors’ products, but they will also buy their products repeatedly.

If the product lasts a long time, then a business will buy other products that the company makes. Buying that company’s products has become a part of their operation. They rely on that B2B relationship the same way they rely on their board of directors.

With that said, it all starts with establishing excellent brand recognition. While there’s less pressure on B2B enterprises to invest heavily in their brand, that doesn’t mean they’re off the hook. Establishing an identity within the industry remains as essential as doing the same in the consumer market. 

This quick guide will help you increase your understanding of building your company’s B2B brand. Let’s dive in.

Tip #1: Build an Impressive Website  

The first step to building B2B brand awareness is creating a great website that attracts attention and engages visitors. Besides the skillful use of graphics and copy-written content, it should be easy for visitors to understand what service the business offers.   

Take, for instance, the brand recognition needs by a global payroll solutions company. Its homepage should explain its unique selling proposition in the first fold. That way, potential customers can immediately understand how international payroll services can cost-effectively manage the entire payroll of a large organization.  Doing so makes it possible to quickly and accurately compensate employees working in multiple locations.  

Tip #2: Focus on Creating a Good First Impression  

Your advertising materials include brochures, business cards, and stationary.

If these are not well-designed, your company will lose business. You will not impress clients or attract new business partners. That’s why it’s important to search for professional graphic design companies to help create these materials. 

High-quality marketing collateral shows that a business is professional. So, use the best color combinations, card quality, and professional descriptions. 

Also, evaluate the quality of other branding elements to create an excellent first impression. For instance, see if your logos, slogans, and signage align with your brand image. 

Tip #3: Engage in Social Media 

Besides setting up a profile on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, research any other social media platforms your target audience frequents. Social media allows you to engage with prospects, clients, and future business partners. Stay active on these platforms, with regular posts, providing content that shares your expertise. Hire a team to manage your social media presence, ranging from social media managers to graphic designers and writers. 

Tip #4: Publish in Industry Magazines 

Prospects looking for business services often read these for industry news and to discover new products or services. Consider publishing guest posts in these magazines, offering invaluable advice on business-building strategies. 

It might also be possible to arrange an interview for your company. Speak to the editor about what makes your company unique and share the founder’s story. If you can intrigue the editor, they might send a staff writer over to interview the top executives in the company. Additionally, advertise your services because your target audience will be reading them.  

Tip #5: Create an Email Newsletter  

Despite the growing number of new marketing methods available online, email marketing remains one of the best ways to build a business-to-business relationship. While other marketing trends rise and fall, email continues to help build relationships between companies and their clients.

Here are a few ways to get your emails read rather than ignored when they arrive in your subscribers’ inboxes: 

* Offer great value, providing information that will help your readers to improve their business. 

* Since readers are quick to discern sales pitches pretending to impart information, offer accurate information that makes a difference. 

* It’s okay to make sales pitches, but do it with discernment, rather than trying to get the reader to buy your product at every opportunity. 

* Hire an email copywriting professional to write your email sequences. 

Brand awareness sets your company apart from your competitors. Differentiate what makes your company unique and explain how this uniqueness positions your company to get things done better and faster.

How Webinars Can Benefit Nonprofit Branding? Free Tips & Advice.
Digital Branding

Should Your Business Start a Branded Podcast?

on June 19, 2021

You’ve probably listened to some of the popular business-sponsored podcasts out there. Filled with valuable tips and insights, you might even give their company a try when in need of their products or services. But is creating a podcast worth the time and effort? Will it pay off in additional revenue for your company?

 

Edison Research released The Infinite Dial report, indicating around 78% of Americans are familiar with podcasting. The number represents a 10 million person increase in a short twelve-month window. Approximately 57% say they’ve listened to a podcast recently.

Benefits of a Branded Podcast

You’ll discover many benefits to starting a branded podcast and tying it into your business. You’ve likely heard a similar model on local radio stations on your AM dial. A garden center starts a show on Saturday mornings and answers questions about the best plants for the area. A real estate agent answers questions about buying and selling real estate.

 

Some of the benefits of a branded podcast include:

 

  • Greater name recognition
  • Free advertising
  • Establishing yourself as an authority in your industry
  • Reaching new listeners you otherwise wouldn’t have reached
  • Engaging your current audience

 

Ready to dip your toes into the water of a broad listening audience? Here are some things to keep in mind as you create your branded podcast for your business.

1. Choose a Topic

First, you must select a topic related to your industry. You don’t want the focus to be too narrow or too broad. For example, if you run a plumbing company, you don’t want to choose a narrow subject like PVC pipe, but you also don’t want to choose water. Instead, you might go with an issue such as solving home plumbing problems.

 

See what other podcasts cover similar issues and find a unique angle for your show. What do you want to be known for? Whatever your specializations and areas of expertise, you can likely turn your knowledge into a show.

2. Invest in Equipment

Unless you want your show to sound like you recorded it in your mother’s basement, you need a few pieces of equipment. Find a small space where the sound doesn’t reverberate, such as an enclosed office or small utility room. Add coverings on the floors and walls to reduce the echo.

 

Acoustic panels can limit reverberation, and noise absorption materials improve overall sound quality and reduce background noise. You can take almost any space and boost the sound quality by 50% or more with the right mix of materials.

 

You’ll also need a high-quality microphone. There are numerous ones on the market. Choose the one you feel comfortable with, read reviews carefully and make the investment in something you can use long-term for your podcast.

3. Collect Great Stories

The last thing you want is a boring podcast. If you solely rely on callers, you may have a show where no one phones in. If you just share facts, people will quickly grow disinterested. Instead, think about stories that illustrate your main points for each show.

 

The plumbing company might share a particularly complex problem one of its customers faced. They’d explain the age of the home, the issue they dealt with and how they solved it. After sharing the story, the audience is ready to hear tips to solve their problems.

4. Research Your Audience

Your ideal audience is the same people who buy your product or services. Do some market research on them to see what their greatest needs might be. Once you fully understand their pain points, you can address them in your podcasts.

 

After you’ve gained a few listeners, you can survey them to find out what topics they want you to cover. Send out a survey and allow room for customized feedback. You’ll learn a lot by tapping into your audience.

5. Market Your Show

According to Podcast Insights, there are around two million podcasts. The number varies from year to year, but you have a ton of competition. People can choose to spend their time listening to any show they desire. Why should they listen to yours?

 

You must market your podcast. Announce it on social media, list it on podcast repositories, make sure it’s in enough formats to attract a wide audience. On your show, ask people to tell others about you. Building your audience won’t happen overnight, but you’ll start gaining momentum if you offer consistent quality.

6. Don’t Spam Your Listeners

When you think of a branded podcast, you might think you should mention your show as often as possible. Unfortunately, too much self-promotion is a real turn-off to listeners and may have the opposite effect of them feeling spammed.

 

Instead, keep your mentions of your business light. You can announce who you are and your company when you introduce yourself. It’s okay to share personal experiences throughout the show but word it generically.

 

For example, you might say, “We once had a customer who needed pipes run for a new build, but no one could get into the house due to a huge snake we were all scared of.” Such wording indicates you have experience and you own a business but isn’t as spammy as saying, “ABC Plumbing once had a customer…”

 

It is also appropriate to mention your company at the end of your podcast and let listeners know you’re there for all their needs in your industry. People don’t mind you doing some light advertising.

Invest in Your Podcast

Podcasting isn’t a fast way to build leads, but it is a steady method that adds to your authority in the field. Anything you invest in your efforts today pays off in the future. You may want to consult with experts on podcasting, hire someone to do editing and market more than you initially intended. A little effort on the front-end pays off in a bigger audience on the back-end.

 

 

 

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.

 

 

SaaS Branding

5 Subscription Services and Why They’re So Successful

on June 10, 2021

These days you can get a subscription service for just about anything. But, not all of them stand the test of time or are worth the consumer’s money, and they’re quick to realize it. There are, however, many that are not only successful, but they’re also positively exploding. Let’s take a look at what they are and why they’re doing so well. 

Beauty and Grooming Subscriptions

If you’re into beauty products, you may not be into actually shopping in-store for these items. Whether you’ve been matched so off-color that you walked out looking like a clown, or you just can’t stomach the strong perfume smells of these types of stores, services like Ipsy or Birchbox are godsent. If you’re more particular about your products like you only use vegan cruelty-free – you guessed it, there’s a box for that. These types of services have even upped their game in some instances and branched out to include health & wellness, apparel, and home decor in their subscriptions like FabFitFun. With a reasonable sign-on price and often promotions for first-time subscribers, these brands’ sales are soaring. Bonus, they all make cancellation a breeze. 

Coffee and Drink Subscriptions 

Maybe you’re the type that wants the perfect pour over coffee every time. Or you need your coffee to be of a single origin. There are subscriptions for that. If you’re a wannabe wine aficionado, there are subscriptions that not only introduce you but educate you on what you’re drinking. Once you figure out your favorites, your subscriptions can be easily tailored to your interests. There are even subscriptions for single-serve bottles of wine, as the subscription Usual. You can customize your monthly shipments from as little as six bottles to as many as 24. One such subscription that’s a splurge but so worth it is the Fat Cork. At $199 a month, the party never stops with a quarterly shipment of Champagne.

Book Subscriptions

Even though a book to read the next day is just a click away nowadays, or the fact that you can read so much of what you want for free online anyway, book subscriptions not only exist, but they’re thriving. If you wish to go the route of The Book of the Month or you’re shopping for children who can’t even read yet, there are subscriptions for them. Books are an appealing subscription for so many people because it does the filtering for you. You tell these subscriptions what interests you and what doesn’t, then voila! You get arrivals that keep you well-read, have things to contribute conversationally, and it’s all worry-free—saving you even more time to curl up with a good book. 

Toy & Game Subscriptions

Maybe you picked up a puzzle addiction during a lockdown or perhaps you just want to make sure your children are getting more time away from their screens, especially since they’ve been schooling virtually all year. Either way, there are subscriptions for those too. The best part is, like most things nowadays, they’re so easy to customize. You can control if the child’s subscription will be more Montessori style or if you want them building things from kits. As far as your more adult toys, you can customize that too. And if you’re looking for a subscription to actual “adult” toys from an adult toy store, those exist too. These are successful for a myriad of reasons, the least of which isn’t the fact that even though we’re all constantly connected to technology, it feels rewarded to be offline and just enjoy games as we did in our youth.

Food Subscriptions

Everyone’s a foodie these days, am I right? Seriously, joking aside – what’s the one thing that brings us all together? The love of food! Not only do food subscriptions make a fabulous gift for nearly every adult in your life, but they’re an excellent present for yourself as well. You can literally get any type of food subscription too. Whether you’re shopping for someone who eats Whole Foods Plant-Based to a straight-up monthly cheese box for yourself (no judgment here), they exist. This market exploded and will continue to do so because, let’s face it, we all need it, and the more options, the better. Having it delivered straight to your door? The best.

SaaS Branding

5 Ways for Companies to Appeal to Younger Customers

on May 27, 2021

Businesses worked hard to appeal to baby boomers because they were the biggest block of consumers for a long time. That’s no longer the case. Millennials and younger are some of the biggest blocks of consumers now. The following are five ways to appeal to younger customers so that your business has a chance to grow.

  1. Social Media Platforms Make a Difference

If you want to reach younger customers and drive them to your website, it’s essential to get on social media platforms. Everyone is online, including older folks, but none are more active than younger customers. You want to get on every social media platform you can get on and be active. It’s important to show some care with these platforms. You have to invest in the pictures and videos you post because quality matters. Be sure to share meaningful posts. All of this matters to the younger consumer, and it will help you in the long run.

  1. Eco-Consciousness Matters

Another way to appeal to younger consumers is to focus on sustainability. Millennials and younger care about the environment and want the companies they visit to care about it, too. Do everything you can to show that you care. For example, you can install an EV charging station in the customer parking lot as a way to welcome young consumers who are driving electric cars. Even if they aren’t your customers yet, they might become interested if they need the charger. Make other changes to your business, like going paperless to be green.

  1. Socio-Consciousness is Important

Being eco-conscious is one thing, but your business should also be socio-conscious. Being a good corporate citizen is a good thing because it shows that you care about what’s going on in your community. The way you do this is up to you. For example, you can show your support for LGBTQ+ rights, or you can simply make sure everyone in your community knows that your business sponsors the local football team. Both of these make you look good, but one of them is a little more controversial than the other. You should honest about what you support, and make sure you do so because people do care.

  1. Being Authentic Really Wins

The next thing you want to consider doing is working on your transparency. Younger generations want to feel like they know you and what your company stands for. They want to feel like they can find out everything about you and that you’re always going to be honest with them. You’re going to have to work on transparency, and there’s a lot of ways to show transparency. For example, you can introduce a traceability feature. This feature allows customers to trace back the products you offer to their origin to make sure your products were made fairly and everyone was paid well. Authenticity also means owning up to mistakes before you’re exposed.

  1. Start Hiring Them and Listen

It’s important to hire some of these young folks. The more young people you have working for you, the more you’ll learn about them. Be open-minded about what they have to teach you even if you’re used to doing things in a certain way. Try to hire some of them to help you reach younger generations. The reality is older generations usually have a hard time connecting with younger ones. They have trouble speaking their language, often coming off as fake, and that’s not what you want. Do your best to be open to their suggestions. The more diverse your workplace is, the better things will be for you.

These are some things you could do to try to reach that young block, but there’s always more you can do. Consider hiring a marketing team that’s had some success reaching younger customers if you want this to work.

Work balance
SaaS Branding

Basic Pre-Launch Checklist: 5 Things to Double Check Before Going Live

on May 15, 2021

Before you land your first service contract or take your first product order, you owe it to the longevity of your business to double-check your pre-launch plans before even thinking about going live.  While it is true, a soft launch can help iron out a lot of the wrinkles, it’s still a good idea to review certain business details to make sure all the kinks are sorted before going official.

Launching a business is a serious commitment. It’s best to prepare for business success than miss details that could ultimately lead to setbacks or failure before you even get your business off the ground.  Here are a few basic to-do’s you may want to check before moving forward with opening, launching, and going live with your business.

Re-Check Your Business Name: This may seem like the most obvious advice in the book, but you might be surprised how many businesses crumble when they realize their business name, website domain, or business slogan is infringing on the preexisting presence of another business identity. You’ve likely done your due diligence and researched to ensure you’re not stepping on any existing business title-holder’s toes. But do yourself a favor and double-check your business name is clear of any competing conflicts before going live.

Get a Second Opinion on Branding: Too often an entrepreneur is so in love with their message or brand, they lose all objectivity. This could lead to big misconceptions from the public and bigger problems after going live. It happens to the biggest moguls in business. For example, Kentucky Fried Chicken once botched its famous bi-line, “finger-licking good” by mistakenly translating it in Chinese to read, “eat your fingers off.” Save yourself the embarrassment and costly mistakes by getting additional opinions about your logo, brand, message, and motto before going live.

Confirm You Are Compliant: Are you sure you’re licensed to sell your products in Alaska as well as Nepal? What about taxes, are you charging the right percentages? If you’ve hired employees, do you have proper OSHA certification for your business and the safety of your staff? You get the idea. Double-check your business is compliant with city, state, national and international standards before launching. There’s nothing worse than tasting the success of a business only to have it shut down due to noncompliance.

Review Your Business Website: If you’re like most trending startups these days, a huge amount of your visibility (and liability) comes directly through your online presence. That means it’s crucial to sandbox your business website to confirm everything is in tip-top working order.  Double-check your online order forms. Do testing to make sure the shopping cart works and payment transactions go through successfully. Check your contact page and confirm customers can message you easily to the correct email address.  Run a grammar check on all your landing pages. It might seem innocuous, but a sales page with even the slightest typos or grammatical errors can leave a bad impression which could mean the difference between a sale or a click out of your website. Have a neutral party do an audit on your business website so you can rest assured you are making the best online impression possible.

Check Your Backup Plans: Speaking of your business website, make sure you have proper backup systems in place. If you experience a surge of online customers during your grand opening, make sure your site host can accommodate a hefty amount of online traffic to your website.  Have a backup server or an external hard drive to back up all your online data so if systems go down, you have everything saved without missing a beat. If you have employees, make sure you have clear instructional manuals available showing them what to do and where to go in case of failures or emergencies.  Also, make sure you have financial preventative plans in the event of unexpected overdrafts, and always take measures to prevent cyber hacking with your financial practices as well as your online business transactions. 

All of these double-checking tips may seem like no-brainer tactics. That may be true, but you know how the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  When you take the time to double-check these business basics before you expose yourself (and your reputation) to the public, you can save your business a ton of time, money, and headaches in the long run.

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