The Most Valuable Brand Asset Is…

Your Online Reputation is the most valuable asset of today's brands (those both large and small) so it makes sense to take steps to manage it correctly.

BrightLocal recently released its 2016 Local Consumer Review Survey and found a noticeable shift in how consumers are searching for local businesses online and the role that reviews-eg: online reputation plays in the purcahsing process.

The survey revealed that 90 percent of consumers read just 10 reviews or fewer before they feel that they can trust a business (vs. 87 percent in 2015), while 32 percent of consumers form an opinion by reading one to three reviews and 68 percent of consumers form an opinion by reading one to six reviews. 

BrightLocal's survey also indicated that:   

+ 68 percent of people say positive customer reviews make them more likely to use a local business.
+ 83 percent of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation - if they meet their requirements (vs. 80 percent in 2015).
+ 54 percent of consumers will visit the business's website (48 percent in 2015) after reading a positive review.

There is a bigger takeaway, however, than that reviews are important. All the data in the world does not matter if your business doesn't have reviews and those reviews don't influence users in a positive way. The best way to get reviews? Ask.

70 percent of consumers according to the BrightLocal survey indicated they have been asked by a buiness to leave a review, and 50 percent of consumer respondents have been asked to leave a review about a business and actually done it.

Visit http://assetreputationmarketing.com/ to explode your brand today!

Via: The Most Valuable Brand Asset Is…

 

Internal Website Search: How to Make Content Searchable on Your Website

A corporate Website Design is chock full of compelling, relevant and searchable information about a company – from product descriptions to location pages to blog posts. Many times companies place an emphasis on their Google search results rankings but tend to overlook the importance of internal search capabilities within their own websites. The ability to internally search a company's website offers a better overall user experience, key insights on content and feedback on optimal site organization.

How easily can visitors find information on your website? As a website grows larger with more resources, content and blog posts, it becomes harder for visitors to find the content most relevant to them. For example, a financial brokerage firm can post a large amount of content in the form of resource articles, eBooks, white papers and blog posts on different aspects of the financial industry. How can customers find the specific topic or resource article they are looking for without scrolling through an entire library of content? The answer is simple. Customers can effortlessly find content on your site using a customizable internal search tool.

Benefits of Internal Website Search

When a prospective customer is searching within your website, their intent is different than when they conduct an external Google search. Because they are spending time on your site they are further along their buyer's journey and offer you clues into what specific product or service they are interested in. Internal website search offers both navigational and informational benefits:

• 
  Navigational: Internal website search allows the visitor to immediately go to a particular page they have in mind. It puts the potential customer where they want to be on your website as they look for a specific service, product or contact and support information. Prospective customers are also more apt to use an internal site search to help them find solutions to their business problems.


• 
  Informational: By analyzing how and what visitors are searching for via your internal search tool, you can determine what new content you can offer, update your keyword strategies for organic search or even alter your site structure to present the most searched on topics first. Further, if existing customers are looking for specific information that you don't yet have available, you can create new site pages, blogs, eBooks and case studies that are targeted to them. Utilizing search analytics will also help pinpoint website navigational or site structure issues. By correcting these issues, customers can get to the content they need most, including key transactional pages like forms and contact pages.

Internal Search Leaders

We're often asked to recommend the best internal search tools. Typically, we recommed either Google Custom Search or Swiftype.

Google Custom Search

The most common internal search tool is Google Custom Search. This is a search bar that can be added to a company's website to help visitors find information without navigating through the entire website. It is based on Google's core search technology and serves up the most relevant search query results within your website. The search bar can be customized to the design of the website. You can also configure a variety of other options like multilingual search or image search with the Google search bar. Searches through Google Custom Search are also trackable with Google Analytics.

 

Google Custom Search also lets you define how your results are presented. Most major website development platforms like WordPress or Hubspot have plug-ins and instructions on how to install internal search tools on their websites. Google also offers help to website developers through their custom search tutorial. There are step-by-step instructions to put the code onto the site and on how to enhance and track search results.

Swiftype

Swiftype is another internal search tool that lets you enhance a user's internal search experience by allowing you to filter search results by content type, date, author, pricing, and even synonyms. Swiftype's technology will auto complete queries to provide content suggestions. You can even customize search results based on real-time queries. If visitors are searching for a specific financial tip via internal search, a content suggestion can be moved higher in the search results. An example of this would be the ACM Gold blog. We redesigned the ACM Gold website on the Hubspot platform and included Swiftype so customers can easily find business facts and financial and trading information.

Internal Search Best Practices

Internal search functionality will add value to your website and make it easier for your customers to find information they want exactly when they need it. Here are some best practices to consider when adding internal search:

• The search bar is usually found at the top of a website page or close to the the navigational bar or on a side bar for blogs.


• The search bar should be noticeable and contain a call to action button. The buttons should use terms like “Go”, “Find” or “Search Now.”


• The internal search tool should be set up to search the entire website including interior pages, blog posts, landing pages and forms. You never can be sure what type of information will encourage a prospect to call you or convert to a lead.


• On the internal search results page, bold the search query keywords so the user can easily identify those keywords in the content of your website. Swiftype, for example, allows autocomplete in the search results to offer more suggestions for content within your website.

Enhance Your Website with an Internal Search Engine

Consider adding an internal search tool to your website during your website redesign. A website can house a huge amount of information and internal search tools make it easy for your prospects, leads and existing customers to find what they are looking for and result in higher conversion rates and more satisfied website visitors.

Click here for more information.

Via: http://www.business2community.com/web-design/internal-website-search-make-content-searchable-website-01581831#CRKhtyXLMXVgIBHi.97

How small brands can act like big businesses through email marketing

 

Be small and smart. As a small business, you may not be able to match the access to staff, time and resources that big brands enjoy, but that doesn't mean you can't match the results.

Email Marketing is a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes, and it can be especially useful for small brands looking to keep up with big players in their industries.

The right email marketing strategies can help you overcome budget and staff restraints, allowing you to better connect with consumers despite functioning on a smaller scale. With the tips below, you can level the playing field by maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns:

Get Personal.

Big brands often have access to large email lists, giving them a leg up when it comes to reaching potential customers. Your list may be smaller, but that doesn't mean it can't be just as impactful. Personalized emails deliver six times higher transaction rates than non-personalized emails, making them a must for small businesses looking to compete with the sending power of the big guys.

To be most effective, personalization should go beyond simply inserting a customer's name at the top of the email. Instead, use data you've collected from your consumer interactions, whether that's from their purchase habits, email click history or one-on-one communications, to send a campaign that speaks with the consumer about something they care about. Do not send the same thing to everyone. Try changing images and content as needed to tailor your message.

Take Hofstra Law School, for example. When talking to prospective students at law fairs, the school uses iPads and digitally collects data like name, campus, year in school, etc., then uses that information to segment their audience and personalize follow up emails. Sophomores receive messages letting them know when Hofstra will return to their campus, while seniors receive application information. The more targeted and relevant your emails are to your consumers, the more effective they'll be at sparking engagement.

Automate it. 

Personalization is key, but without a large marketing team, it may seem daunting for one person. That's where automation comes in. Email marketing automation monitors how your audience interacts with your emails, segments them based upon preset parameters (i.e. did they open the email? did they click the “shop now” button?) and tailors future emails to each segment. Instead of manually monitoring click-thru rates and sending customized responses, the workflow does it for you. These automation workflows should feel like a logical conversation you've sketched on a whiteboard beforehand - giving you confidence when sending out personalized campaigns.

Keep in mind that email marketing automation doesn't mean, “Set it and forget it.” You may not have to monitor it on a daily basis, but it's important to continually check the progress of your campaigns to ensure your workflows are effective. Use workflows as a powerful foundation that you continually tweak so your audience gets relevant content and your business gets results.  

Measure It. 

Analyzing campaign success and determining ROI is incredibly important in email marketing. In small and big companies alike, the analysis of previous campaigns will help shape future strategies and tactics. However, the struggle for small businesses lies in finding the time to compare reports from a variety of tools to truly see the effectiveness of a campaign. To save time, find an email service provider that integrates with a variety of easy-to-use measurement tools.

My company, iContact, integrates your email campaign with Google Analytics, giving you a comprehensive view of the customer's path from email to conversion. Instead of comparing opens and link clicks to the total number of site visits and drawing indirect conclusions, integrations show the conversions that are a direct result of your email campaign. You don't need a full staff to analyze ROI if you let smarter tools tell the story for you. 

Look the part.

You can compete with anyone online. The digital revolution has allowed disruptor startups to compete with mainstream brands. Take Badass Beard Care, the organic beard and hair-care line that operates with just a 10-person staff but is currently stealing market share from well-known boutique brands. The truth is that businesses and nonprofit organizations of any size can send polished email messages to reel in the “big fish.” You can do this, too, and your secret weapons will always be professional-looking landing pages, responsive email templates and dynamic sign-up forms incorporated into your website.

Email marketing lets you learn from the big companies and move with the determined agility that defines small business.

Click here for more information.

Via: http://www.smartbrief.com/original/2016/06/how-small-brands-can-act-big-businesses-through-email-marketing?utm_source=brief

7 Steps to Follow When Executing a Web Design Project

 

Website Design is vocabulary that even children in elementary school might be able to explain nowadays. This is because Internet technology has taken over the world and this is one of the most lucrative businesses today. People are starting Web design companies all over the world, and even with all the competition, they are not lacking clients because there is always a new client who wants to launch a website. The quality of services that you will get when you hire a website design company is heavily dependent on the company that you choose to work with.

Selecting a Web design agency is not an easy task owing to the fact that there are so many to choose from. You will be totally spoilt for choice when it comes to picking one to work with. Secondly, some of these companies will charge you an arm and leg for the services that they provide. However, that should not worry you because this article will guide you on the steps that you should take when you are hiring a Web design service provider. There are some website designers who are great in designing certain types of websites but not some other types. This is where you should start.

STEP 1: WHAT KIND OF SITE DO YOU WANT?

There are people who want a fashion blog while others want to create online auction businesses. Websites vary in their design because of their nature. There is not a single day that a fashion blog will resemble a finance blog. Mixing up the design scheme is one of the best ways to make sure that your site fails. Your audience will be confused and have a hard time using your site even if all the buttons are right there. Users won't be able to accomplish their goals if the website design is not fitting of its industry and the services offered.

STEP 2: GOALS OF YOUR SITE

What is it that you would like to achieve with your site or the Internet marketing activities that you engage in? Different types of sites have different targets to be achieved. Take, for instance, an e-commerce website. The focus of such a site is going to be conversion of sales, return on investment and growth and maintenance of a customer base. This is different from when you are launching a company and you have created a website for it. In such a case, the target will be to provide information concerning the services and/or products. Having a clear focus is very important.

STEP 3: BUDGET

This is the first thing that many people consider, and why not? With Web design services being ridiculously costly, it is important to create the budget that you will use for the project. One reason many small businesses end up spending more than they ought to spend on Web design is because of failing to budget.

It is not only about budgeting but rather the need for you to understand the difference between cost and value. You might spend a lot of money and get poor quality, which is just another way of saying that you will get no value for your money. The best way to make sure that you get value for your money is to consult with several companies concerning the value that they deliver and how that fits into the amount of money you are willing to spend (or can spend).

STEP 4: CHOOSE THE RIGHT COMPANY

You are probably wondering why this was not the first step. This is the fourth simply because it is made easier by the first three. When you know what you are looking for and you have a budget, then you should have a grand time selecting the right company to work with. Always go for a company with a proven track record. If it is a new company, you can ask to see samples of the work that they will do for you. Choosing the right company will make it possible for you to fulfill the first three steps.

STEP 5: KEEP COMMUNICATION OPEN

Hiring a Web design agency is not similar to placing an order for curtains to be made for your home. You need to keep the communication lines open at all times. The first thing to do is to ask as many questions before the project starts and then tell the designer what it is that you are looking for. Once this is done, the designer is supposed to get in touch with you every once in a while to notify you of the progress of the work you have given him. If there are modifications that they would like to make or alterations to the original plan that need to be carried out then it will be easier to do that when communication is open.

STEP 6: CONTENT VERSUS ART

This will come in somewhere in the first steps as well as while you are planning your website building project. A majority of sites fail to perform well simply because they do not have the content that many people are looking for. Take, for instance, someone who visits a site looking primarily for the contacts page but then it is lacking. They will definitely not be coming back to that site.

When you select a company that places value on art rather than content of your site's design then you should know that you are working with the wrong people. It is hard to hide an ornament behind decoration. This is just like manicuring a hen's nails, completely pointless.

STEP 7: MAINTENANCE

Once the site is up and running, you will need to maintain it at its best. Maintenance of your investment is important to ensure that you get that return you are looking for from it. A good web design agency is going to be of great help in this step assisting you with things like analytic reporting and even publishing of content.

MAY THE BEST COMPANY WIN

Hiring a website design agency is not such a simple job. There are several of them providing these services but the best will definitely be that one that helps you to meet your goals. There is something that you have in mind concerning your site, make sure that you get to achieve it and the site's design is the one that will help that happen.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2016/04/28/7-steps-to-follow-when-executing-a-web-design-project.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Is the Homepage Dead? 3 Reasons Not to Ignore It.

In Website Design the homepage was once a valued, integral website asset – the gateway to a company's brand and a driver of customer engagement. It was so important, there used to be employees whose sole job was to manage a brand's homepage.

Then came search and social.

For the past 10 years, the way content gets discovered has evolved dramatically. The rise of Google, and then social media, has created entirely new paths for website visitors to find content without ever navigating to a brand's homepage.

In 2014, leaked data from The New York Times showed a plunge in its homepage visitorsinstigating the now commonly accepted belief that this digital real estate has lost its value.

Based on internal customer data, just five percent of website visitors enter through the homepage. The other 95 percent are “side-door traffic” visitors, who land on a company's website via search or social media postings that direct users to a specific page. As a result, marketers are rightfully focusing their efforts on those channels, but should be wary of ignoring the homepage for their Web or mobile experiences. In many ways, the homepage is like the preferred customer experience found at hotel chains. While those customers make up a small percentage of the overall audience, it's an extremely valuable segment.

Here are three reasons not to ignore the homepage:

1. HOMEPAGE VISITORS SPEND MORE TIME ON YOUR WEBSITE.

Entrance through the homepage is a sign of loyalty. Based on our data, while only five percent of visitors come through the homepage, they account for 50 percent of page views.

Visitors who enter from search and social only view an average of three and 1.8 pages respectively per session. On the other hand, visitors who enter from the homepage are more likely to view 10 to 30 pages per session. Longer engagement with a brand's content leads to higher conversion rates, larger purchases and increased loyalty.

Brands are beginning to realize that the homepage offers an opportunity to improve engagement and convert occasional visitors to loyal users. The homepage can be easily personalized to provide visitors with content that will encourage more clickthroughs, based on their interests. First and third-party data can help develop visitors' profiles and allow marketers to showcase targeted content.

For example, if a consumer is a devout hockey fan who is constantly following the NHL, the homepage of her favorite sports news website can serve her more hockey-related content. That one-to-one experience will keep her coming back for more, while also broadening the scope of content available to her.

2. HOMEPAGE VISITORS HAVE A WIDER LATITUDE OF INTERESTS WITHIN A PARTICULAR TOPIC.

Visitors who enter a brand's website via social media or search are there for just one thing: that viral article their college friend shared on Facebook with a catchy title. Thirty seconds after perusing the article, the reader is gone.

When readers enter through the homepage, they may be looking for a number of articles pertaining to a particular topic. They have a wider scope of interests, which makes it easier for brands to showcase their content. While viral content shared on social media platforms is likely to be clicked because of compelling headlines, articles on the homepage are likely to be clicked because of their subject matter.

Publishers like ESPN are beginning to acknowledge the homepage as a largely untapped resource. Curated content featured on a homepage serves as an opportunity for businesses to provide readers with the most relevant articles, presented in a way that is tailored just for them.

Personalization should be elastic and adaptable, which is easier to deliver on the home page. For example, if a consumer is looking for a pair of running shoes, he may go directly to a specific brand's website because he likes those shoes. While on the brand's homepage, he sees relevant content from the blog, a video about new running shoes coming out in a month and a special promotion for returning visitors. Search can deliver a consumer to a brand's site, but a compelling homepage can nurture an ongoing customer relationship.

3. HOMEPAGE TRAFFIC IS A GOOD INDICATOR OF YOUR MARKETING SUCCESSES.

Publishers are focused on three things when it comes to their websites: audience development, acquiring new users and existing user engagement.

Today, one of the most difficult challenges for publishers is getting one-time visitors, also known as “flybys,” to come back to the website for more after stumbling upon a viral article they found on Twitter. Whether or not side-door visitors end up on the homepage is a good indicator of how well search and social campaigns are performing.

Investing in the homepage is good business. It may not pull the traffic numbers brands are looking for, but its value can be measured in other, long-term benefits that search and social can't produce. By personalizing a user's homepage experience, brands can make an extraordinary impact on user engagement, driving longer sessions and developing loyalty among visitors.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2016/04/28/is-the-homepage-dead-three-reasons-not-to-ignore-it.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

9 Tips for Sharing Videos on Social Media

If you have a business, and you aren't using videos to promote your business on social media, what are you waiting for?

You are missing out on a big thing, and if your competition is using video, you are going to lose business to them. Many people think that they have to spend a lot of money in order to have great social video content. While this may have been the case at one time, today, anyone can create awesome video content without having to spend much at all. Once you have your videos ready, it is time to share them on social media. Here are nine tips to get you started in Video Marketing.

1. BUILD MOMENTUM

The most important part of a social video campaign is the beginning. You need to build momentum right from the start, and keep people hooked. This takes time and energy, but it is worth it in the long run. Promote it to the hilt, and make sure that it gets shared over and over again.

2. USE SEO

The metadata and descriptions of your video content should include keywords that people are searching for. You want people to be able to find your videos easily, and this is one of the best ways to do it. Remember, even YouTube is a search engine. In fact, it is the second largest search engine, next to Google and benefits from being owned by Google to ensure sophisticated algorirthms.

3. USE EXPLAINER VIDEOS

People like to watch videos that help them to learn something. You can use Powtoon to create awesome explainer videos that are interesting and captivating. This tool is a cloud-based SaaS for creating animated videos. Biteable and RawShorts are other tools that can be leveraged to create explainer videos as well.

4. OFFER A MISSION STATEMENT

For each video platform you have, there is going to be a different audience. Therefore, it is important to make sure that each platform has its own mission statement. This is going to help to keep you focused, and it will help to make your video even more shareable and effective.

5. KEEP IT SHORT

People are busy, and often in a hurry. They don't want to waste a lot of time watching long videos. They want you to get right to the point. Look at creating videos that range from 10 to 60 seconds in length. You would be surprised at how much you can pack into such a short video.

6. START OUT STRONG

If viewers aren't hooked in the first 30 seconds of a video, they are probably going to move on to the next thing. You need to be able to hook your audience right away. The sooner you hook them, the easier it will be to reel them in and keep them.

7. ENGAGE YOUR CUSTOMERS

Even though your brand is what you want to promote, do it in a way that makes your customers think it is they who are being promoted. Make your customers the heroes in your stories. Your videos should invoke a feeling of familiarity, with viewers seeing themselves in the story. The more involved they feel, the more likely they will be to share on social.

8. TELL A GREAT STORY

People come to social media networks to be engaged.

Every story needs certain elements to make it compelling: a beginning, a middle, an end, a conflict of some sort, a good plot, and a hero. Take advantage of tried and true story structures, because this is what people are used to seeing and what they expect, especially on social networks.

9. MAKE SURE IT IS SHAREABLE

Before you create a video, ask yourself why people will share it. The best way to get the answer is to look at what your social media followers like. Check out the videos that they are sharing, and use these videos as inspiration for your own successful videos. Not only will your followers share your videos, you won't be wasting time on videos they aren't interested in.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2016/04/27/9-tips-for-sharing-videos-on-social-media.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

 

 

 

 

How does Curated Content differ from Duplicate Content?

Even though it's been addressed by a lot of professional SEO experts, including Google's Matt Cutts, this is still a Content Marketing question we get a lot. So let's review it in detail.

What is duplicate content?

Content is duplicated when similar content exists on 2 or more different URLs.

This can happen on your own site with only original content if your Content Management System (CMS) isn't configured in the right way and creates artificially new URLs for existing content. For instance if a blog post can be found through 2 different URL paths – something that can be addressed by using canonical URLS as explained by Google.

Another example – this time across domains – is when you syndicate content as Google will see 2 or more exact same posts at different locations. For instance, if you have an industry website syndicate all of your content through its RSS feed or if you republish your own post on Medium or LinkedIn.

Note that in both cases, we're talking about duplicating a significant part or the entire content to another web page or to another site. It's like saying: “I don't care what this content is but it seems to work so let's copy and paste it to our blog.” That's not what content curation is as we'll see below. But first, let's look at why Google doesn't like duplicate content and what it does with it.

Is duplicate content bad?

Not necessarily, says Google. As Matt Cutts explains: “It's important to realize that if you look at content on the web, something like 25 or 30 percent of all of the web's content is duplicate content. … People will quote a paragraph of a blog and then link to the blog, that sort of thing. So it's not the case that every single time there's duplicate content it's spam.”

Spam.

That's the important word here: the point Matt Cutts makes is that Google's objective is NOT to prevent one website from quoting another one – a practice which has been going on since the invention of the World Wide Web and which is at its core through the hyperlink. But, he adds, “It's certainly the case that if you do nothing but duplicate content, and you are doing in an abusive, deceptive, malicious, or a manipulative way, we do reserve the right to take action on spam.” So if you're doing nothing but that (if you've automated the process without applying any curation) and you're doing it to deceive Google, you're in trouble. And should be.

So Google recommends to syndicate carefully. In our own experience republishing to Medium, LinkedIn and other sites, we had great results in Google Search but we used different titles for each destination.

How is Content Curation different?

Though content discovery can be automated (and should be as it's time consuming), Content Curators apply judgement before selecting what they publish. They also add context by adding value to their audience by telling them what it means for them. It's like saying “Oh! I've read this piece of content and it's really interesting for my prospects because it answers a question they often have in our commercial discussions.”

Let's make this visual through a slide of our guide of content curation benefits for SEO:

So not only is the intent completely different (spamming vs educating) but the implementation is also very different – an implementation which is built in if you use a professional content curation platform like Scoop.it where all the above elements of a good curated post will be built-in: source attribution and link, short snippet (our system for instance limits it to a few words or the first sentence) and the ability to add an insight, one of our signature features that enables you to add context and value to your audience. But more fundamentally, you can see that in the above curated post, the original content is not duplicated: a sentence or two can be quoted but the original content has not been copied / pasted to create the new post.

Content Curation benefits for SEO

The above differences explain not only why content curation different than duplicate content but also how it helps bloggers, content marketers and great curators rank high in search results. Examples such as John Gruber's Daring Fireball or Upworthy show that large audiences can be built relying 100% on curation with great, well-deserved results in Google search. To add data to these examples, the Bruce Clay experimentdemonstrated how curated content with annotation ranked #1 for their target sentence. On the Scoop.it platform, we have data that goes beyond anecdotical evidence: Scoop.it traffic – which cumulates in hundreds of millions of visits – originates for about 40% from Google Search on average since we launched (and closer to 45% if we take the last 90 days).

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://blog.scoop.it/2015/03/10/how-does-curated-content-differ-from-duplicate-content/?

 

 

 

4 ways to convey urgency in your next email

Email Marketing

Chances are, your subscribers don't love making decisions (to buy, to attend an event, to try out a new restaurant, etc.) on the fly. And that isn't too surprising – who does? We all love mulling things over, debating options, making lists of the pros and cons… basically, delaying the decision-making process as long as humanly possible.

But marketers are a naturally impatient species – we all want our audience to do what we're asking them to do right away. After all, a delayed conversion is oftentimes a lost conversion, so it's important that you get them to act now rather than later.

That's why you need to convey a sense of urgency in your emails. Your subscribers are busy, distracted, and faced with an endless amount of options, so it's important to light a fire under them they can only put out if they act right away (figuratively speaking, of course). Here are four elements of your email you can inject with a sense of urgency to ignite your audience into action.

 

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Your subject lines

Used sparingly and in the right context, subject lines packed with urgency can do wonders for getting your audience to open your emails. A couple of methods you should consider trying:

1. Pick a deadline. Urgency relies on the sense that time is running out, so deadlines are the perfect way to increase the urgency of whatever special offer you're promoting. Times, dates, and phrases like “hours left” and “ending soon” do the trick. In this subject line, for instance, Minted makes great use of the phrase “expires tonight!” to compel subscribers to make use of a limited-time discount offer.

 

 

2. Use words in your Email Marketing that invoke (some) anxiety. Think “hurry,” “now,” “go,” and “final.” We're programed to get stressed out when faced with this sort of language; it tells us that we need to do a task right away and that waiting around isn't an option. And setting apart each word with a period (like in this example from Ann Taylor) amps up the urgency even more.

 

 

 

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Your CTA

This one might seem obvious, especially since the purpose of a call to action is… well, to call your audience to act. But you should pay special attention to the copy you use in your CTAs. Many marketers still turn to phrases like the dreaded “Click here.” (Remember: Over half of your audience won't be clicking anything, they'll be tapping on their phones.) Instead, keep your copy urgent and specific, like in these CTA examples from OrderUp and Loft.

 

 

 

 

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Your email copy

The body of your email is a great place to include all sorts of urgent phrases – “final hours,” “ending soon,” “last chance,” and so on. Make those phrases the star of the show, and keep the supplemental copy to a minimum. It'll take focus away from what you're trying to get your audience to do and potentially distract them from taking action. That's why in these examples, Express and West Elm keep the focus on big, bold phrases like “Final hours!” and “Gone in a flash.”

 

 

 

 

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Your imagery and design

GIFs are a great way to inspire action – after all, we all feel a little itch when we look at a countdown timer or a ticking clock. Images speak louder than words, so allowing your audience to see the time slip away right before their eyes is one of the most effective ways to convey an overwhelming sense of urgency to them. We're big fans of the stress-inducing GIFs utilized in these emails from Snow + Rock, Ann Taylor, and Boden – just looking at them had us wanting to act immediately!

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://myemma.com/content-hub?utm_source=4WaysToConveyUrgency&utm_medium=Nurture&utm_content=PrimaryNurturing&utm_campaign=4WaysToConveyUrgency-Nurture-PrimaryNurturing-4WaysToConveyUrgency&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWXpnMU0yUm1ZamM1TjJZMiIsInQiOiJFSjRtSEQxbWpEZzM1YnMrbnkxcU16M1lUelwvaHVYc3BKdk5DQnRhSUhyTVFkVkRtVzZXWUh0RDNDNXkrM3RKOXBPd2gwYmtVZWhNREhySlVuNVFvZ0swXC9MWUNUQ015TWdHc2RhV1BoWTZNPSJ9#ufh-i-245127157-4-ways-to-convey-urgency-in-your-next-email

 

Marine Hardware Experts Talk Substrate in Your Fish Tank

Marine Hardware-Fish Tank Talk

Marine Hardware experts discuss substrate in your fish tank


What the heck is "Substrate", you inquire? Effectively, basically your substrate is the product that you have on the base of your aquarium. You can have sand, gravel, tiny stones, or fairly substantially just about anything definitely. Fifty percent of the entertaining of possessing fish is enterprise the inside decoration of your tank. Make it possible for your creativeness operate wild, but make totally guaranteed that you use sources that are protected and audio for your fish.

The most usual substrate is gravel. You have acquired seen individuals people today luggage in your close by pet preserve they get there in just about each individual color of the rainbow. You can also go to any hardware store and get all-purely natural gravel if you are most likely for a significantly fewer synthetic research. Just make beneficial that you rinse no matter what you use just prior to you location it into your tank and just take absent any bits that are unusually sharp.

Gravel provides your tank a superior aesthetic charm even though also anchoring your crops and encouraging you generate the biological filter inside of your tank. It is really also the most clear-cut substrate to cleanse when you are making use of your gravel vac as a result of your h2o alterations. Gravel is large adequate to resist being siphoned out of the tank, ut mild a lot more than plenty of to swirl all around and release all squander that has develop into sediment.  It is also quite minimal-cost, significantly if you acquired a big bag from the components preserve.

Heaps of hobbyists, generally cichlid proprietors, favor to use sand. If you are holding fish that sift sand searching for food items, heading with a single matter finer than gravel is the ONLY way to go. Like gravel, you can find it in numerous several shades, although it is harder to find out than gravel most pet stores carry only white and black, and the black is quite dear. Ideal here also, you can uncover a additional price-efficient alternative down at your close by components retail store.

Most stores have luggage of sand promoted as "engage in-sand". These sands are frequently used to fill children's sandboxes and as this sort of, are risk-free and audio and well prepared to go. They're going to simply call for a outstanding present of pre-washing just in advance of you set them into your tank even although, given that of the dust that they include, but they are attractive to use and instead affordable. Some much larger sized suppliers might potentially in fact have some coloured sands, but they are much more demanding to find and will almost certainly entail a unique invest in. Avoid "silica" sands as they have sharp edges that can slice your fish.

Sand is a great deal more challenging to clean up even so, mainly simply because of its mild excessive weight. You are unable to plunge your gravel vac into the sand with out sucking it up with your waste h2o. You have to be a fantastic offer added mindful even while siphoning, and periodically make time to stir the sand by hand to launch trapped pockets of squander and organic and natural make a variance. If you want basic to retain, sand is not for you.

You can also get baggage of crushed shell or limestone. These are effective if you are positioning with each individual other a maritime tank or an African cichlid tank as they are made up of calcium carbonate and this tends to improve the consuming h2o hardness and pH, which the two of these sorts of fish will delight in. This is surely a quite poor choice for fish from sensitive drinking drinking water, incredibly reduced pH environments like a lot of river fish from South and Central The united states of america.

What ever substrate you selected, it will include occasional upkeep. Normally not substantially much more than executing a quick stir and a minimal redecorating when your fish shift it all all over, but your substrate will earlier just about for very good, so opt for just one that you can continue to be with.

Click Here for more info on Marine Hardware.

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6 Key Areas of a Comprehensive Website Audit

Let's face it. If you have a website, chances are you've done some sort of audit to see how well it's performing.

From speed to rankings, you've probably put your Website Design to the test at some point. However, a true website audit encompasses more than one type of audit. As a robust and essential part of your business, your website deserves a comprehensive audit that factors in all major key performance indicators of your online presence.

So what should a real website audit really look like? There are six major areas to a well-rounded website audit.

1. SEO & ORGANIC REACH AUDIT

How well your website fares in organic searches is a major part of a website audit. Understanding the total traffic to your site, your rankings and keywords bringing traffic to your site is critical for making improvements not only from a strategy perspective but also finding opportunities. An audit of your online presence should give you a pretty good idea of drivers of traffic and total traffic expectations. This can help you plan for further growth.

2. PAID VISIBILITY AUDIT

Most organic and paid campaigns are usually run completely isolated from each other. That's why a paid visibility audit is crucial to understanding if your ad spend is going to the right keywords. An audit of your website's paid campaign provides insight into what keywords are generating visits and the cost for those visits.

3. TECHNICAL AUDIT

Your website's usability and functionality matter more today than ever before. On one hand, users are becoming Web savvy and demanding better performance from your website. On the other, search engines are taking this to heart and giving preference to websites that are technically sound. That includes a variety of technical elements including load speed, image optimization, content to code ratio and more. Reviewing the technical foundation of your website is doubled when you consider both a desktop and mobile experience.

4. BACKLINK PROFILE AUDIT

Understanding the health of your backlink profile is an often forgotten part of a website audit. The quality and origin of links to your website are important for establishing your own website's authority. No wonder Google has put so much emphasis on a website's link profile as part of their ranking algorithm. It's also no surprise that acquiring quality, authoritative backlinks has become more difficult over time. Understanding where your own links are coming from can truly give you a perspective of how authoritative your website is in the eyes of search engines.

5. COMPETITOR AUDIT

Without having something to compare to, an audit is just a report. A comprehensive website audit should include a competitive audit that allows you to compare your website among competitors. A competitor audit may provide insight into online competitors of which you may not have been aware or a better view as to how well you compare among your competitors. Understanding how strong their organic presence is and how wide their paid campaigns can stretch can offer a better big picture view of your own website.

6. LOCAL AUDIT

Accurate business information is important for anyone. For local businesses that depend on foot traffic, accurate business information is vital. A wrong phone number, an old address or incorrect hours of operation can lead to a lost customer. A local audit provides a full view of existing local profiles giving you the opportunity to identify any problems that may be potentially turning customers away.

A website is an integral part of any business. Whether B2B or B2C, a website is an influential element in acquiring and retaining customers. A comprehensive website audit can ensure your website performs well in critical areas and help you drive your business forward.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2016/04/22/6-key-areas-of-a-comprehensive-website-audit.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

 

Finding LSI Keywords

For some time now, lin regard to Content Marketing latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords have played a crucial part of on-page optimization. As such, every blogger should pay extra attention to them if he or she wishes to rank for a particular phrase.

It is no longer possible to reach highest position in Google by simply spamming a keyword over and over again. Due to Hummingbird algorithm, copywriter has to create natural sounding articles that will, not only allow him to be found, but also provide valuable information to the end-user.

WHAT ARE LSI KEYWORDS?

Simply put, LSI keywords symbolize all the words and phrases that are semantically related to the main keyword we wish to rank for. This includes synonyms as well as the keywords that are in some way related and are likely to be present in an article (e.g., chocolate and milk).

What is the point of the LSI concept? Back in the day, Google ranked articles based on number of keyword repetition in comparison to length of the content (otherwise known as “keyword density”). So, if you were able to increase percentage of a keyword within the article (otherwise known as “keyword stuffing”), you were able to easily get into top 10 results. At one point, this flaw became so serious that Google had to take actions in order to save its SERP. This led tointroduction of semantic search.

Unlike previous algorithms, semantic search ranks articles based on text meaning. In other words, it uses LSI keywords to find connections and establish what your article is all about. Based on this, it allows article to compete with other top competitors. Have in mind that this system is much fairer. You are unable to rank solely on your on-page optimization and some cheap tricks. In fact, by using LSI keywords, you are only ensuring that your article is visible to Google and that it can be properly presented to end-users when they type certain phrases. With this in mind, there is more emphasis on off-page optimization and how other people perceive your article.

Like any other system, there are certain pros and cons. Obviously, Hummingbird algorithm forces copywriters to create high-quality articles. This benefits readers as it gives them valuable information and improves their Internet experience. On the other hand, due to semantic search, articles will rank not only for the targeted main keyword, but also all other related phrases and synonyms. This can be seen as both positive and negative thing as it can lead to monopoly on certain phrases and related terms.

FINDING LSI KEYWORDS

So, how do we find all latent semantic indexing keywords? No matter what you think, getting to LSIs is pretty easy. You do not have to be an SEO expert to recognize that these words should be an inseparable part of your copy. In fact, any blogger can use them without even thinking.

As previously mentioned, LSI keywords represent all the related terms and synonyms which should naturally be introduced into the text. So, as long as you are writing an organic text for your visitors, you will most likely add them no matter what. I recommend introducing them after finishing your article just so that you can add certain phrases that might have slipped through the cracks.

One of the best tools for finding LSI keywords is Google search engine. Whatever you type in Google's search box, you will always receive additional suggestions, which may help you finish your query. The thing most people do not realize is that these words can also be considered as LSI keywords.

Let's start from the top. When you start typing a phrase in Google search bar, program will give you 10 additional suggestions (Google instant search) which can help you out, as well as some popular websites that include this word or phrase. Just create a simple excel file and add LSIs starting with the 10 instant search suggestions.

By default Google shows 10 results per page. At the bottom of each results page you will be able to find the so-called “searches related to” words and phrases. They are always eight of them. Make sure you add them to the already existing excel file as they are the next stop in your LSI keyword research. You already have 18 great latent semantic indexing keywords.

Have in mind that this is usually not enough. These suggestions can be helpful but they only give limited lists based on entered root words. They cannot provide you with other semantically related phrases and synonyms. On the other hand, Google also bolds LSI keywords within META description (text positioned bellow URL). Again, this can give you some insight what are some of the LSI keywords used in text. Nevertheless, this is not a definitive list and you will have to use some other LSI tools that are specialized for this.

Nowadays, there are numerous SEO tools that can be used for generating LSI keywords. Among the most popular ones are: Ubersuggest, LSIGraph, Keys4up (my personal favorite), SEMrush related keywords and the SEOPressor plugin for WordPress.

Now, the great thing about LSI generators is that they are really easy to use. Most of them are pretty straightforward. In fact, in most of the cases, you will just have to enter URL of the website and directly type in your keyword which if usually in the center of the page. The tool will then generate a long list of closely related suggestions which you can use in your copy whenever it makes sense.

Remember, different tools will give you different results. In that regard, it is perhaps better to try out different generators until you find just the thing that will do the job for you.

LSI PITFALLS

No matter what, LSI was implemented so that certain SEO malpractices could be avoided. In general, as long as you are writing meaningful and lengthy content, with end-users in mind, you should stand a good chance to rank better in Google. Even with all the tools mentioned in this article at your disposal, you should always rely on your logic and common sense as your main resource.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2016/05/03/finding-lsi-keywords.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

How to Gain Customer Insights in Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing does not focus on selling products but rather on bringing to light a solution that address customer needs. This is the golden rule of marketing and you have probably heard several variations of the same.

As digital marketing evolves, you, as a marketer, have an added ability other than simply conveying your solutions to customers, acquiring valuable insights into the behaviors of your customers. This insight can help you refine your digital marketing strategy, your products and services while at the same time help you better anticipate the needs of customers. But how exactly do you do this?

IDENTIFY SPECIFIC GOALS

To gain insight from the customers, you have to start by identifying a specific goal. For example, wanting to learn something new about your customers is not a goal; it is too general. You have to identify a more focused goal or else you will miss valuable and actionable information. To identify a specific goal, you ought to ask yourself this question; what do you wish to learn from your target customers and why?

If you recently started offering a new service, your goal could be getting customer response by looking at who likes it and who dislikes it. Alternatively, you may want to learn how you can improve the product. In this case, your goal will be looking at the issues that customers have and what they wish changed.

The goal could even be more complicated such as identifying how customers interact with different marketing materials. For example, you may want to know why more buyers opt to purchase certain items in stores rather than e-commerce sites.

IDENTIFY THE 'WHO'

To gain insight from your customers, you have to identify specifically who you want to learn from. For example, you may want to learn more about customers in a certain geo-location. You may also be targeting customers who consumed a specific product and have not come back for more. The 'who' will be influenced by your goal.

The next step is to evaluate your digital marketing strategy. Your marketing efforts may include:

• Online reviews

• Website

• SMS programs

• Social media channels

• Email marketing campaigns

• Push notifications

• PPC/display advertising

You have to identify which of your marketing strategies your target audience uses the most. Focus on the relevant channels.

MAKE KEEN OBSERVATIONS

The key to success when identifying searching for customer insight is to be objective in your observations. Look at the numbers on the standard metrics on various marketing channels. In the case of emails, focus on the number of opens, clicks as well as top-clicked content. With social media channels, you can look at which posts or tweets were shared the most and the type of comments your audience left. What is the ratio of positive to negative reviews?

The goal here is to look at the number of responses from your target audience. How many positive comments do you have and what are customers bitter about?

ANALYZE

The aforementioned tips will help you know what your numbers are in relation to customer satisfaction. Once you have these numbers, it is time to focus on what they really mean. If certain social media posts received the most likes, what does that say about the audience?

Your audience's responses will let you know how digital strategies are faring against traditional marketing strategies. The goal here is to identify if you can spot a correlation pattern between your marketing materials and the behavior of consumers.

TEST OFTEN

What if you run both X and Y strategies together, will the results be better than running strategy Z independently? The best way of answering this question is to test your strategies early and do so often.

Your tests should follow the A/B testing procedure. What this means is that by doing step A, this will happen to B. You have to run the test keenly until you have sufficient data to determine which option is the best. Testing is an ongoing process.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO START SOMETHING NEW

The fear that most people have when it comes to digital marketing is the fear of failing. This should not stop you especially considering that most of the methods you try will not bear as good results as projected.

You should run small pilot programs to limit your losses. Do this when testing new marketing strategies. Do not put too much faith in an untested strategy.

DON'T STOP ASKING QUESTIONS

One simple fact you ought to understand and remember at all times is that customer needs keep on changing. You cannot expect to ask questions just once and act on them to achieve your dream goals. It is imperative that you constantly search for trends and behaviors. You also need to listen to your audiences' conversations. You never know when you may come across an insight that will change the way you reach out to your customers.

The best thing about listening to your customers is that you will be able to gain insight that will help make your business better. For example, you can learn more about the response of customers to your service as well as what they wish to see in your future products.

There is a lot more that goes into digital marketing. The most important thing is to keep an eye out for new developments in the market. Consumer needs keep on changing and your failure to change with their needs can cost you valuable business. Simply put, you ought to keep listening to your customers and never stop asking 'why?'

Digital marketing is dynamic. Most of the strategies that were considered invaluable a few years ago are, today, completely impractical. It is up to you to keep up with the trends, keep testing your strategies, learn from the experts and always listen to your audience in order to refine your marketing strategies accordingly. The points discussed in this post will help you get started on the right foot and help you learn more about your audience.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via; http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2016/05/02/how-to-gain-customer-insights-in-digital-marketing.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

 

The Secret to Serving Clients Well

Get a martini or two in me, ask me why my second marriage ended in failure, and I will say three words: “Lack of trust.”

When I began in this business at http://virtualfocusedmarketing.com, I didn't think much about trust; I thought instead of the work. To me, and to the other people who shared my view, there is an unwavering belief that the only thing that really matters is the work.

Great work makes everyone want to be a part of the agency. Great work commands a price premium. Great work wins business.

If you do great work, everything else will take care of itself, including the relationships they build with clients. When I joined the advertising business as an account person, that's pretty much what I thought.

There's just one problem with this view: it's wrong.

Great work does not shield you or your agency from client loss. You can do great work and still get fired.

My former agency, Ammirati & Puris, did great work for BMW. The agency wrote the line, “The ultimate driving machine,” which endures to this day. BMW kept the line, but they didn't keep the agency.

Ammirati & Puris is not alone. TBWA/Chiat Day did great work for Taco Bell. It's no longer Taco Bell's agency. Deutsch did great work for Ikea. It's no longer working with Ikea. BBDO did great work for Charles Schwab. It's no longer Schwab's agency.

You can make your own list. It will probably be longer than mine. So what went wrong? We know it wasn't the work. The work was great.

Then I thought about all the agencies whose work fell short of the mark yet somehow managed to hold on to the business. One of the best examples is Fallon and United Airlines.

After Fallon won the United business, it launched the “Rising” campaign. Wrong message, wrong time. People knew travel was hell; they were tired of the empty promises most airlines made. Yet the “Rising” ads clung to notions of romanticism that every savvy traveler knew to be false.

Not surprisingly, the campaign met uniform criticism. Fallon is a terrific agency, but this was bad advertising.

So bad, in fact, that you would think United would have gone searching for another agency. But they didn't. They stayed with Fallon until Fallon got it right.

Why was that? One report claimed that the close personal relationship between Pat Fallon and United's chairman kept the agency in good graces, even when its work was far from stellar.

What went right? We know that it wasn't the work.

I used to think that great work would lead to a great relationship. Now I think the opposite: a great relationship leads to great work. The reason is pretty simple.

Great work entails risk. Most clients do not want to take risks; they prefer a safe retreat into the world of the merely good or, worse, the dismissively average. Still, if they are going to take that risk, they are much more likely to do so with agency people they trust. And trust is the very foundation of a great relationship. And that's why I say a great relationship leads to great work.

Think of it as a perfect three-legged stool, or what my colleague Elizabeth Furze - she's managing partner at New York agency AKA - calls “the trust triangle”:

My colleague Tim Pantello says account people “need to be second best at everything they do,” meaning they need to be nearly as good as the specialists in addressing client and colleague concerns.

It means your job, if you're in account management, is a bit harder and a whole lot more important than it used to be. There are no suits, no bag carriers, and no order takers. Instead, there are problem solvers, idea generators, and client-relationship builders.

As things grow more complex, with needs evolving and business mutating in ways impossible to predict, account management is not less important and marginal; it is more important and essential. Agencies need it, and colleagues - writers, art directors, planners, project managers, production people - depend on it. Clients demand it, and the reality is, you can't build great work without first building a great relationship with them.

Our mission must be to clearly define our role, execute better, communicate better, generate more ideas, and manage client expectations wisely. If we do these things well, we will build enduring, trust-based relationships with our clients. Relationships built on trust will lead to the best possible work. And that is what drives and inspires all of us every day.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://blog.hubspot.com/agency/serving-clients-well?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=29198074#sm.0000bngau1fa9fkuv531v4dzy6xbt

 

Customers Are Not Commodities. Why Does Advertising Treat Them Like They Are?

Technology has been transforming the business enterprise for several decades. First it was the finance department, when paper ledgers were replaced by digital spreadsheets and databases. In manufacturing, we had supply chain management. Human resources and payroll were automated and data-based. Customer service functions were transformed by call center management software, then CRM. Sales organizations were supported by sales force automation systems, then CRM as well.

Finally, technology is starting to transform Search Engine Marketing, starting with how enterprises talk to consumers. We have websites, ecommerce, email and mobile apps. It's so much easier for customers and marketers to proactively connect than ever before.

On the advertising front, we have display ads, search ads, email ads, app ads, social ads. And all of the other ad channels, from TV to radio to direct mail, are now being measured by digital systems.

Now that we have all of these digital touch-points and databases, marketers and their corporate information officers and finance officers are looking for models to organize and manage all of these marketing and advertising activities. And, quite naturally, they are looking for guidance to models that worked on other parts of their business. Not surprisingly, many have focused on what has worked for their supply chain and have tried to apply supply chain-oriented models to their “demand chain.”

I believe that treating marketing – and the creation of customers – with supply-chain models is short-sighted and will be damaging for businesses and their customers. Why? Because is likens acquiring customers to buying commodity raw materials. It assumes that marketing is only a cost, and that customers are commodities. It doesn't assume that customers are organic assets that can grow. As Wenda Millard famously warned us almost a decade ago at an IAB meeting, trading advertising like “pork bellies” will be damaging to our industry.

Wenda is and was right. Media should not be bought and sold like pork bellies, and not just because much of what makes media special can't be captured in a real-time-bidded world, but because customers are not commodities, and treating them as such can only hurt businesses that do.

Marketers need customers to choose them. Choice abounds. Diesel fuel and toilet paper can't choose its purchaser. Most consumer businesses today can't choose their customers. Customers today choose their brands and retail outlets.

Rather than looking to the corporate supply chain for the best technology model to apply to marketing, I would look at the department that marketing will most likely evolve to look like: human resources. The functions, focus and mindset in recruiting, training and retaining talent is not unlike the creation and growth of customers and fans - much more so than marketing is like buying diesel fuel and toilet paper.

Could HR software and systems be the future of marketing? Quite possibly. What do you think?

 Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/275225/customers-are-not-commodities-why-does-advertisin.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=more&utm_campaign=92725

 

How Top Sites Structure their URLs

Does the format of your URL really impact where a site ranks on the search engine result pages?

While opinions vary, ultimately it's most likely a combination of factors where the URL can play a part – although it remains difficult to determine how much.

Couple that with personalized search results and the real-time nature of search (as well as the Web) in general and it's really difficult to know the right way to approach page naming and URL structure for the purpose of search marketing and search engine optimization.

For example a descriptive (keyword-rich) title tag, an informative URL structure and keywords in the actual page name, when combined, has been shown time and again to perform far better on average than by those site not following the best practices. That's reason enough for SEOs to concentrate on their site-wide naming conventions – at least to some degree.

This all leads us to the overwhelming question: what's the best way to structure a URL? To find the answer it is imperative to determine how other Search Engine Optimization companies are building their URLs.

Today's search results are far different than in years past, and the best way to understand how search engines are using this variable is to head right on over to the search results and determine how others are engaging in the development of this possible variable.

A search for “grow tomatoes in a raised bed”, for example, shows a variety of methods employed by those sites that are returned. For example, three of the top ten organic listings used nearly the exact phrase in their page naming and another three had a portion of the search term (“raised bed”) within their URL structure. Nearly every site (nine out of ten with the sole exception being YouTube) included keywords somewhere in the complete URL – be it in the domain name itself, a folder or sub-folder, or a variation of the keyword phrase somewhere in the page name.

The quality of the content and the quantity of relevant links of course (and the manner in which other sites provide a citation) is still going to be a stronger signal for the search engines, but if you're looking for an edge, it may very well start with the way in which URLs are structured and what's included within them.

Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/pages/how-top-sites-structure-their-urls.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

 

10 Powerful Visuals That Will Pump Up Your Content Marketing

 

Do you want your visual content to touch the hearts of people far and wide?

Of course you do. Who wouldn't want something they put up to get liked and shared within hours?

But it takes more than simply uploading and crossing your fingers. It's about sharing images that make people care. Images that showcase what you and your business stand for.

Don't worry if you're not a professional graphic artist. I'm not either – far from it, actually. As long as you understand what makes people tick, you can use visuals that get shared and promoted by your audience.

Let's get started.

Are you using any of these 10 visual strategies in your business right now?

1. Motivate using people in action

There's more to an image than simply picking one that looks nice.

If you want people to feel or act a certain way, you need to pick an image that will influence them to do so.

Want people to cooperate with others? Show an image of people connecting. Photos affect how people behave in a subtle, yet powerful manner.

I shared a post on Elite Daily recently about how I become productive in the mornings. Elite Daily typically uses a high quality photograph at the beginning of each post, and this was no exception.

Notice how the image sets the stage for the rest of the article?

A person concentrating intensely on her laptop with a cup of coffee in her hand lets readers know it's time for business.

Depending on what you're writing about or trying to promote, use an image where your advice is being put into use.

2. Simplify with charts

Sometimes it's difficult to explain a concept clearly with words. Visuals, however, can cut through the clutter and instantly make a strong impression.

Since 40 percent of people respond better to visual information than plain text, it makes sense to supplement explanations using graphs or charts.

On the Mirasee blog, I wrote about the process of finding your ideal client in order to save time and increase revenue. While I could have spent a long time describing in detail what steps to take, a chart simplified the whole concept by showing the key takeaways of my message.

See? You don't have to be a professional artist to make charts and graphs. I'll share some tools to make it easier for you to create professional-looking images later in this post, though.

The point is that if you have a concept that is difficult to explain, consider including a chart to help others understand.

3. Maintain a theme

In your business, visuals should share a similar vibe. Do you want your brand to be known as friendly and approachable? How about edgy and rebellious?

Whatever it is, the images you share on your social media accounts should have a similar format so that your brand is consistent. When people see your profile, they should know what type of message to expect.

Wistia presents itself as fun and friendly. Its Instagram profile shows smiling employees enjoying themselves, alongside a mascot that's the epitome of warmth: an office dog!

Every time I use Wistia, seeing their tutorial videos with Lenny makes me smile.

4. Create funny brand-related memes

A lot of marketing sites use boring and lackluster photos in their posts (Jeff Bullas' site being an exception, of course!). But you can stand out from the sea of blandness by using images that are funny and memorable.

One of the most effective ways of doing so is by creating memes. That's right. Memes have long been used to present humorous, yet true statements. Applying the concept to your business makes people see you as personable and unique.

Kevin Duncan makes good use of memes on Be A Better Blogger when he shares advice on making a post memorable. His meme definitely made me laugh.

Memes are easy and quick to make. By using a meme generator such as Imgflip, you simply need to find the right picture (or upload your own), and type in the top and bottom text.

5. Celebrate your off-work moments

Let loose and have fun. In a world of solemn corporations and grey suits, a company with a bit of spontaneity and goofiness is like a breath of fresh air. Pulling back the curtains and letting your followers see you having fun helps them connect with you more.

Taco Bell is known online for their fun, quirky sense of humor. Their Instagram features bright colors, cheerfulness, and good times all around.

Whoever is behind Taco Bell's social media deserves a gold star. Or maybe the whole enchilada.

6. Hop onto the selfie trend

There's no denying that selfies are one of the most popular trends to hit social media. As we speak, there are nearly 300 million Instagram photos tagged with the selfie label. Love 'em or hate 'em, there is reason to the madness.

It's been said that selfies are a way of projecting an identity of ourselves onto others, whether we want to be seen as glamorous, fun, adventurous, or any other characteristics.

Selfies can also help you become more popular on Instagram. Researchers have found that pictures with human faces are 38 percent more likely to receive likes than photos without faces.

Before you think that selfies are used only by self-obsessed teens and celebs, check this out. John Kerry snapped a selfie with an orphaned elephant while he was in Kenya learning about conservation efforts. Even the coldest heart would thaw a little.

7. Reference pop culture

Pop culture is exactly that: popular. And what better image is there than one that's instantly recognizable?

Besides being familiar, shots from hit movies or TV shows increase the chance that your blog will show up when people are searching for images.

I wrote up a post on the psychology behind why we don't follow through on our goals. In the post, I included a shot from the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. The image wasn't completely related to my post, but I thought it would be a fun touch.

Surprisingly, readers have found my site through the image.

While an image and the article are not always a close match, people online get sidetracked easily. This can be a good thing because they get drawn to an image they recognize, and then end up discovering your content this way.

You just might be able to catch a fan for life.

8. Show off your original drawings

Putting up images or pictures that you created is a strong way to stand out from everyone else. Followers come to associate you with the type of images you put up and can remember your work more.

Sometimes I see the same stock photography being used over and over, so a brand new image draws my attention and makes me more attentive to the message.

There are a lot of great illustrators out there who create amazing designs, but like I said, you can make unique visuals at any skill level.

If you are going to create original visuals to share, make them consistent no matter what your style is. The aim is for people to see your illustration and know immediately where it's from.

9. Break it down with infographics

Explaining a concept to readers by using large chunks of text can be overwhelming and time-consuming.

Infographics, on the other hand, are the perfect blend between visual information and supporting text. They're fun to look at and are often valuable enough to stand on their own, making them easy to share.

You can make one on your own with colorful templates from Piktochart, which I enjoyed using. I made an infographic about the lead conversion funnel and shared it on Duct Tape Marketing.

10. Whisk 'em away with beautiful landscapes

Beautiful images enhance our mood. When people see pictures of exotic locales and scenery at their desks, it feels almost as if they're traveling there.

Not all landscapes are the same, though. Depending on the colors and brightness, your followers can be left with feelings of excitement, serenity, pensiveness, or wonder.

What emotions do you want to evoke? Look at a picture and reflect on how you feel. See how those emotions align with your message.

This one makes me feel adventurous and optimistic. You too?

Go forth and visualize

While these images have worked well for other businesses, there isn't a one size fits all.

It's up to you to decide what type of images work well with your vision. After all, you're ultimately in charge of the direction that your business takes.

Are you ready to promote yourself and make an impact? Then start by letting me know what type of images give you the best results.

More info at- http://virtualfocusedmarketing.com/content-marketing/

Via: 10 Powerful Visuals That Will Pump Up Your Content Marketing

How to Better Engage Email Subscribers

One of the biggest challenges facing marketers is how to engage with email subscribers. With so many email marketing companies competing for readers' attention, it may seem nearly impossible to have someone read an email from start to finish. But, like Bill Gates famously said in 1996, “content is king.”

If an email contains compelling content throughout, it will drive subscribers to a higher level of engagement. Below are ways marketers can create and incorporate engaging content in an email campaign, from attention-grabbing subject lines to videos and interactive content.

Start with the subject line.

If a marketer wants to grab subscribers' attention amid a sea of other marketing emails, they need to craft a great subject line. The majority of people read emails on a mobile device, and most mobile phone displays truncate subject lines at roughly 35 characters, so the subject line must be brief. Avoid redundancy, for example, including “June Newsletter” in your headline is a wasted subject line.

A subscriber receiving the newsletter already knows that it's a newsletter, and that it arrived in June. The best approach is to use the subject line to highlight a few items from the newsletter and separate them with a vertical bar. For example, “2016 Email Marketing Tips | Social Media News.” The character cutoff also means marketers must put the most important information first. So, instead of saying “Purchase our newest products 50% off,” try “50% off our newest products.”

Write content that gets noticed

The body of the email is just as important as the subject line, so be sure the content lives up to the hype of the subject line. In addition to abiding by the basic grammar rules, here are some tips for writing engaging content:

• Don't forget details. Assuming most people skim emails, including relevant details in the opening sentence is key to keep subscribers reading.

• Be concise. Similar to the subject line, it's important to keep the body of the email concise. No one wants to spend a lot of time reading through an email.

• Include a call-to-action. Informing readers about a new product or whitepaper is great, but telling them to purchase the product or to download the whitepaper is even better.

• Keep it casual. A conversational tone is almost always the best choice for marketing emails. If you're not sure how to write in a conversational tone, the easiest way to get started is to read your writing aloud. If you sound like a robot or a college professor, the tone is too formal. The best way to achieve a conversational tone is to use contractions and write short sentences.

• Get a second pair of eyes. Always ask someone else to read your work. Pick someone who can proof for grammatical errors and who's not afraid to say, “This is boring.” Then use that feedback to write something better.

Mix it up

Adding a variety of content in emails enables marketers to connect with a broader audience. Here are some tips on how to best use different types of content:

• VIDEOS

How-to and tutorial videos are great ways to find a new audience, but there are many other ways marketers can use videos. Videos allow companies to humanize themselves and ultimately better connect with their audience. Videos showing employees engaging in some fun activity around the office or explaining their culture and corporate values are great examples.

• SURVEYS

Surveys are particularly useful in B2B marketing, especially if the majority of a company's subscribers operate within the same industry. For example, marketers could conduct a survey about challenges in the service industry and share the results with those who participated.

• INFOGRAPHICS

Infographics are perhaps the most versatile type of content, because the format works well in newsletters, on social media and on company websites. Infographics also allow marketers to present statistics and survey results in an appealing, concise manner.

• GUIDES

Consumers are sometimes faced with an overwhelming number of product choices, and buying guides can help them compare and contrast products without conducting multiple Internet searches. Include a link in the email to a guide on your website, and this can help keep a potential customer on your website, rather than leaving to find better information.

Creating engaging content takes time. Successful email marketers not only listen to feedback from their peers, but also monitor how their subscribers respond to the content, and are willing to make changes accordingly. Contact Virtual Focused Marketing for more information.

 Via: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2016/04/22/how-to-better-engage-email-subscribers.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter