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    Tag: content marketing

    3 Things to Consider for An International Digital Marketing Strategy

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    Are you looking for the right information to scale your digital marketing strategy to an international level? While traffic and profitability are given attributes that will validate your company’s potential to grow across waters, some elements may need to be tweaked to increase your popularity as you grow. That’s why you should analyze the following three components to help you reach your business goals. 

    Use the right marketing methods

    When it comes to investing in your digital marketing strategy, one of the most important things you can do is spend time selecting the most effective and appropriate advertising methods. While some are simply fundamental, others will depend on the type of business you’re running. Let’s discuss some advantageous digital marketing tools that could be favorable for more international opportunities.

    These two are a must, regardless of the type of business you’re operating: 

    • Search engine optimization: allows you to embellish your online presence. While working to achieve a highly searchable ranking is your main objective, it’s also about putting information out there about your business, products, and services. 
    • Social media marketing: is another digital business fundamental that plays a huge role within the consumer market. Since so many people use their social accounts daily, you should be taking this as an opportunity to deliver your marketing messages. 

    Here are some tools that can be added to your digital marketing strategy as your business prospers and grows: 

    • Content marketing: allows businesses to post publishable content that promotes brand awareness, supports search engine optimization keywords, and asserts them as a leader in their industry. The best part is that content comes in an assortment of mediums including, blog articles, videos, memes, images and even diversified text across their website. 
    • Email marketing: is sending marketing materials through email. This can include promotions, informative resources or product information/newsletter. 

    Since all digital marketing methods are time-consuming, consider hiring an agency to handle the campaigns for you. 

    Build relationships

    If you’re hoping to build your company on an international scale then you need to ensure that you’re taking the time to make your customers feel appreciated. These connections can be harder to make when you don’t have the opportunity for intimate, in-person experiences with those who support your business and its products or services. So, the question is, how can you make your customers feel special? A great way to start is by answering their inquiries professionally and promptly. This is because addressing complaints and questions in a timely fashion shows that you have a sense of interest in your business deals and reassures potential or returning shoppers that you’re focused on their needs. After all, first impressions create lasting relationships and contribute to successful business ownership. 

    Monitor and evaluate business decisions 

    Success in international waters is very reliant on measuring the performance of your digital marketing strategy, monitoring your campaigns and evaluating your next course of action. That’s why it’s important to always be updated on what’s happening with your business and to record your progress so that you can make sure that you’re spending your money on the right digital marketing efforts. After all, what you put into your digital marketing strategy should result in increased brand awareness and a bump in sales over time. 

    Do you have any other tips that may help entrepreneurs with their international digital marketing strategies? Drop a comment below to share.

    How can your business benefit through the use of graphics?

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    digital influence of social media

    One of the powerful things about being socially connected is that you’re able to gain an original insight from the sensory information you’ve obtained in your physical environment, while also processing insightful information that you have received based on your online perceptions. While all our senses — sound, touch, smell, sight and taste — work together to form our understanding of the world, our visual sense is where we get most of our information from. After all, the digital influence of social media is vast, so it can be very advantageous for marketers to use an assortment of visual materials to carry out their strategies.

    Is your content strategy visual?

    Graphics should be the main feature of your content strategy and depending on the type of e-commerce business that you operate, these visuals may even be needed alongside defined text in order to really grab the attention of browsers and interested shoppers.

    When you’re branding your business, there is no better way to connect to your audience than through channels available in the social media marketing model. Finding leads, funneling sales and demonstrating your company’s expertise are a few reasons to share content across your social channels, but visuals are harder to ignore when potential customers are scrolling through their feeds. This is why graphics have the power to influence your digital strategy in a way that gets you noticed.

    What types of visual content can you share?

    Having a graphic designer contrive a few original graphics or illustrations is incredibly beneficial for your business because the average user’s social feeds are constantly flooded with tailored content. In order to help your digital ads stand out, you’ll need to try extra hard to pull the customers in using enticing visuals. The more unique the content is, the better position you will be in to establish a connection. This means that your designs need to support the tone of your business while also dabbling in a variety of colours and an array of typography styles.

    Photos and videos are another great way to show your audience what goes on behind the scenes of your business. Not only does this little insight make an excellent addition to your Instagram story, but this visual content also tends to receive more engagements within the sphere of social media.

    Also, if you’re wanting the digital influence of social media to excel your business, quotes and screenshots are other visual elements that draw customers towards your e-commerce website. This is because they’re relatable, shareable and reflect the values of your company, establishing your brand’s values without the need for any long, boring descriptions or informative posts.

    How do you use the digital influence of social media to weigh your marketing strategy? Drop a comment below to start a conversation.

    Why great websites should include an SEO plan

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    search engine optimization

    You can have a beautifully designed website and a stellar marketing team backing up your products and services on social media but if your businesses website is lacking search engine optimization it won’t be getting the attention that it deserves. Needless to say, if you understand the importance of SEO implementation, you’re well on your way to creating the right traction to get noticed in your niche industry.

    Why do so many e-commerce businesses lack SEO?

    There are many reasons that a startup e-commerce business may lack an SEO strategy:

    • They don’t have the extra income: There are a lot of costs that go with operating an online business and it’s possible that when a company is just getting off the ground, they won’t have the extra funds that are needed for search engine optimization.
    • They don’t have the time: While this point is only applicable if they’re doing their own in-house SEO, if you’re a business owner who is juggling multiple tasks it’s possible that SEO is something that can and will be forgotten.
    • It’s hard to keep up with the progression: An SEO specialist has the incentive to follow what’s changing in the landscape of the industry, whereas a business owner may find it hard to know all the grooves of search engine optimization.
    • You don’t have the resources: Small businesses aren’t able to invest enough into the tools that may be needed, such as better analytics, keyword research, reporting tools and conversion optimization tools. 

    Design your website with SEO in mind

    Regardless of whether you already have a fully functioning web design or if you’re in the process of starting one from scratch, just keep in mind that there are always ways you can keep your design SEO-oriented. That being said, the most important thing you can do is to build a plan for how your target audience is going to notice you. Creating brand awareness should be an essential part of growing your business and your SEO strategy is crucial when it comes to generating leads. So, if you want your website to flourish, considering content marketing. Content marketing entails many digital marketing elements, such as blogging, creating videos and sharing social posts across your channels. Consider using this as an opportunity to flaunt your SEO knowledge and use industry keywords within all of your content to increase your chances of being ranked organically on various search engines.  

    So, why should you invest in SEO?

    You already know that there are tons of companies out there that are competing with you that also have products just as innovative and budget-friendly as yours are, so, why wouldn’t you want to invest in the opportunity to stand out from the competition? SEO allows you to design and create content using industry-specific keywords. Then you’re able to start attracting traffic from people who are already interested in what you’re selling. After all, they typed in a particular set of words and BAM there was your site conveniently awaiting their future click. So, now instead of only being an information portal, your website is a place where people can come to find exactly what they’re looking for.

    Do you have any positive experiences with search engine optimization? How has it changed the ranking of your business? Tell us in the comments section below.

    Tune into these inspiring 4 marketing podcasters

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    marketing podcasts

    Staying involved in your niche can prove to be a challenging task when your time is already split up between other business ventures and commitments. However, if you’re on the hunt to up your marketing game or in need of some help understanding new, trending strategies, then they’re some innovative marketing podcasts out there that will allow your team to gain some further insights into the world of marketing and business developments. 

    Moreover, for those of you who may not be technologically savvy, a podcast is a collection of digital audio files that are made available for listening or downloading to your computer or mobile device. They are personalized series that feature regular installments about a wide range of interesting topics. Now, that you’re in touch with the lingo, let’s take a look at some marketing podcasts that you absolutely must keep up with.

    Call to Action

    This marketing podcast focuses on highlighting online marketing success stories and how these real-life achievements can be de-constructed and used on your own marketing campaigns. The weekly show consists of candid interviews with digital marketing professionals and leaders and features tips for improving your conversion rates, optimization, content marketing and more.

    Social Media Marketing Podcast

    As the title of the podcast suggests this podcast helps you learn to engage with your customers through the use of social media profiles. There’s a lot to learn about social media marketing and this talk show podcast breaks down the barriers of the marketing genre and makes it easy for you to listen on-the-go to success stories and interviews as well as some in-depth insight from industry pros.

    Marketing Over Coffee

    Just like the title of this marketing podcast suggests, it’s best to tune into this ingenious discussion and get your creative juices flowing with your morning coffee. After all, the host of the show does. That being said, the show primarily likes to focus on traditional marketing methods that work as a good foundation for your marketing strategy and branch off to other topics such as rebranding.

    Copyblogger FM

    If you’re an aspiring copywriter, an entrepreneur or even a digital marketing manager, you would be able to benefit from this particular marketing podcast. The show analyzes the trends of digital marketing and talks about the challenge of changing practices in content marketing, copywriting, email marketing, conversion optimization and so much more.

    If you need help developing your digital marketing strategy, Trek, alongside these amazing marketing podcasts, can help get you on the path to increase your brand’s recognition.

    Are there any other marketing podcasts that you enjoy? Drop their details below to share with our readers.

    How do you create a social listening strategy?

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    social listening

    Social media has the power to influence the world around us. Whether it’s our every day relationships, longstanding education or our enhanced shopping experiences, for the most part, we solidify these social connections by the way we choose to communicate through our social channels. But, before the widespread fame of social media, marketers heavily relied on television, radio stations or billboard advertising to get the word out about the benefits and advantages of their products and services. With the steady progress of technology and the hands-on accessibility of the internet, social media has drastically changed our world and the world of marketing. So, if you’re seeking a better way to understand your customers or simply want to engage, then perhaps you should consider diving in and creating a social listening strategy.

    What is social listening?

    Social listening is the process of listening to the online conversations of customers and potential buyers. Primarily done through the use of social media, this practice allows a business owner, or digital marketing firm, to be able to collect valuable data revolving around specific topics related to their industry niche, and even brands, services and products.

    How does social listening differ from monitoring?

    Since these two terms are often compared in the digital marketing sphere, we thought that we would break down the barriers that differ between them.

    While, you’re somewhat familiar with social listening, social monitoring is simply the process of watching for @mentions and comments that pour into your social media channels, mobile apps and blogs. Although it’s important to be aware that not all the conversations are relevant to your brand will appear within your notifications, so you’ll need to be diligent with your digging.

    On the other hand, social listening dives much deeper by tracking relevant keywords, phrases, events and organizations that are implemented within your social strategy in order to actively find all the relevant conversations that are able to provide insight, meaning or context to your brand and niche.

    What are some advantages of social listening?

    Let’s consider the data that social listening has the ability to provide you with.

    Social measurement: Successful social media marketing involves a little bit of trial and error. In order to drive your success, you must first determine the tactics that work for your company. Social listening can help point you in the right direction so that not too much time will be wasted determining tactics that are already working in your niche.

    Content marketing: Most of your success as a business owner will rely on your ability to deliver content to your consumers. Whether it’s your scholarly product descriptions or some guided insights into your service, powerful words can really resonate with your audience. Social listening can provide further insight into what topics your consumers are discussing, which allows your to deliver content that outlines points, concerns and questions before even having to be asked.

    Generates leads: Social listening allows you to boost your lead generation because your organization is constantly tracking relevant industry conversations. Once your team has executed their social listening strategy effectively, they have the potential to uncover new clients through the use of these interactions.

    Competitive analysis: Social listening allows you to gain perspective on the insights on your own company, while also allowing you to maintain tabs on the competition around you. Find out what your competitors are doing well and make a plan to executive it even better.

    Customer service: If you have a person who is in charge of your social listening maintenance, then your organization will constantly be on top of its customer service. Tracking conversations allows you to provide incredible customer service by combating problems in a timely, appropriate manner and offering helpful responses to your customer’s questions. This helps build trust and loyalty that extends far beyond your brand and has the ability to assert your position as a leader in your industry.

    How do you get started?

    It sounds super easy, right? Well, here’s how you can get started on your social listening strategy.

    • Define your goals
    • Develop a keyword strategy
    • Invest in the right tools
    • Take action

    If you need a better understanding of social listening or need any help get started, contact a professional digital marketing agency to help point you in the right direction or simply handle all the elements on your behalf.

    Do you have any other questions about social listening? Ask us in the comments section below.

     

    The ultimate guide to holiday marketing

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    holiday marketing

    In the world of business, the holiday season is probably the craziest time of year for sales. Naturally, that means that marketing to potential online shoppers becomes essential from October through to the New Year. With the rise in online shopping most e-commerce business owners take advantage of holiday marketing which can make it very difficult to stand out from your competitors. That being said, as a online retailer you need to strengthen your marketing strategies this time of year in order to make yourself noticed during the holiday rush, boost your sales and meet the expectations of your consumers. Here are a few helpful ways that you can make that happen.

    Offer free or discounted shipping

    Advertising free or discounted shipping is very good method to use when you’re trying to attract shoppers. The holidays can be daunting for many consumers, especially when it comes to fitting their shopping needs into a particular budget. Offering them free shipping is a very good way to encourage them to carry through with a purchase, while discounted shipping, if they live far away, can also seem like a reasonable exchange for a buy-worthy product.

    Start marketing for the holidays as soon as you can

    Most experienced e-commerce business owners have already started holiday marketing, but for those of you who are just starting to get the ball rolling ensure that you are dedicated to advertising your products or services in the coming weeks. Pre-plan and schedule your social media on all your channels, start pumping out newsletters outlining your sales and holiday gift suggestions and keep your blog up-to-date and informative for shoppers that want a little read while passing through.

    Bombard the social world

    Pre-planning and scheduling on your social channels are a good start, but bombarding the social world is much more effective when it comes to increasing your online sales. Many shoppers wait until the absolute last minute to make their holiday purchases which can be beneficial for last minute marketing strategies. Highlight on social media why your product or service would make a great gift, make a meme about last minute shopping deals or simply share some photos of your products gift wrapped and ready to ship. Image-worthy content has the ability to draw in shoppers who can see themselves handing off your product to their loved ones on Christmas morning.

    Drive shoppers to click-through to checkout

    Send a personalized email to shoppers that added products to an online shopping cart but abandoned it prior to purchase. This holiday marketing tactic will remind shoppers about the items that they were interested in buying and also gives you a chance to issue further price reductions if they carry through with their purchase within a certain time-frame. This gentle reminder may help your customers make a purchase.

    Are there any other last-minute methods you use to market your business around the holidays? Tell us in the comments section below.

    How do you market a pet business?

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    marketing a niche business

    As an e-commerce business owner you’ve probably learnt a lot about the everyday struggles, advantages and disadvantages of certain marketing techniques, but have you gained any insight into marketing a niche business? Like many niche businesses, pet e-commerce websites have their own set of marketing strategies, content techniques and a range of business decisions that have the ability to benefit and grow their business. That being said, since there are never enough hours in the day, we’ve crafted a few helpful suggestions to help you with marketing your pet business.

    Review and update your webpage

    When was the last time that you scrolled through your website and refreshed the information available on it? Sometimes a simply rewrite of your biography, a couple new photos and an update to your personal information will go a long way in attracting new, prospective customers.

    Review your marketing strategy

    Creating an effective marketing strategy for a pet business doesn’t need to be a tedious task… all it takes is a little imagination, a few set-in-stone goals and the attitude to see it through. Start by figuring out a few achievable goals to focus your energy on. Next, figure out how to reach your ideal audience — maybe you’re not on the right social media network? Lastly, figure out your business strengths and focus on how you can use them to capitalize the revenue of your pet business.

    Pre-schedule your social media posts

    Social media has the power to reach a vast group of people in a very short period of time. So, it would be silly not to utilizate as many platforms as you can manage when you’re marketing a niche business. Promote your business using a combination of memes, videos, pictures, quotes and customized texts that promote sales or special offers. Then pre-schedule it to ensure that you keep an active presence online without allowing social media to take over your probably already busy business schedule.

    Encourage customer reviews

    Testimonials have the ability to skyrocket the success of any e-commerce business. When pet parents are deciding where they want to make their purchases, they will often read customer reviews to find out more about a product or service. Since trust is one of the most important factors, especially for a pet service provider, a glowing review on your webpage or social media channels will really help potential customers find their way to your online shopping cart checkout.

    Try sending newsletters

    Email marketing is one of the best ways to use your marketing budget. Sending out newsletters allows you to promote new products and sales, stay in touch with your customers and offer your supporters special, exclusive promotions. Regular, bi-monthly newsletters that are well-written, catchy and concise will show your customers that you’re dedicated to providing them great service.

    If you need help with any of the marketing techniques above, it’s best to contact a professional that can get you started on your marketing journey.

    Do you have any other questions about marketing a niche business? Let us know all about it in the comments section below.

    How do you create a content game plan for your business?

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    content marketing

    Content marketing has become an important integral part of a successful business. Sharing high quality, relevant information has the ability to help your brand develop a relationship with your audience by establishing authority in your industry. Once you determine who you are communicating with and how, then you will be able to effectively distribute your message across your social media platforms.

    What is content marketing?

    This type of marketing strategy is all about creating and sharing online material to promote your brand, as well as stimulating interest with your audience. Content marketing can include:

    • YouTube videos
    • Blog posts (either curated from other websites or managed by your social team)
    • Pictures (either curated from subscriptions or custom created using editing tools)
    • Quotes
    • Academic articles
    • Fun Facts
    • Memes
    • Infographics

    Keep in mind that your content can be repurposed and used across all your social media channels.

    What does content marketing do for your business?

    Content marketing has the potential to increase the sales of your business and create a relationship with your target consumer market. This type of marketing game plan is not just another opportunity to push your product or service on your customer, but simply about finding a relation to your customers by providing them with relevant, enriching information. Although your agenda is still the same, to sell your business, content marketing strategically drives customer purchasing by providing a more focused, valuable approach. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a good meme or some fun facts to start their day off?

    How do you come up with a content marketing game plan?

    This game plan intertwines directly with a much larger plan, your social media strategy. However, like any plan, brainstorming ideas and setting goals is the first step towards successfully launching a one that will work for your growing business.

    Step 1: Figure out who your target audience is.

    Step 2: Set goals that you hope to achieve within a certain timeline.

    Step 3: Establish a voice for your brand.

    Step 4: Find out which social media platforms will work best for your growing company.

    Step 5: Build a content calendar to manage what will be posted at specific times.

    Step 6: Decide who will be in charge of managing your social media. Don’t have the time? Have someone from our team do it for you!

    Do you have any other tips for developing a content marketing game plan? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.

    Coming up with content marketing ideas

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    content marketing ideas

    Coming up with fresh content marketing ideas can sometimes be a tedious task. Needless to say, a fantastic idea is the driving force behind any business.

    Traditional marketing has become less effective over the years because audiences have learnt to tune it out. People are getting tired of being bombarded with new products and services. Instead, try providing your audience with relevant and useful information.

    What is content marketing?

    Content marketing takes a more educational, rather than promotional, approach. Stop always trying to sell your product and try telling a story.

    Although marketing aims to create brand awareness, content marketing isn’t just about the brand, products or services your company provides. It’s about your audience and their needs.

    Create content marketing ideas that consist of a variety of educational articles, videos, memes and even post conversations that answer popular consumer questions. This provides your audience with a wide array of content that is focused on your niche and is hard to find anywhere else. It’s also a good way to show that your product or brand is authentic, therefore making it more desirable.

    Providing this kind of content to your audience will allow you to develop credibility, which in turn, makes you an authoritative resource for your customers. This will gradually strengthen your consumer relationships with your brand.

    So where do you find ideas for the month of July?

    Ask yourself, “what’s trending in the month of July?” Well, summer is in full force and people are more interested in camping and road trips, rather than spending time cooped up indoors. Focus your energy on creating relevant content that contains information they can use.

    Try taking a look at any holidays or special events that take place in July. If any of them resonate with your brand, start by creating a blog or even a video relating to that festivity. For example, July is national grilling month, Canada’s birthday and has a dedicated day just to celebrating ice cream and all of its glory. Use these ideas to create informative content for your business.

    Successful content marketing can…

    • Build an engaged audience
    • Allow you to acquire new customers
    • Increase revenue with existing customers

    Are you new to content marketing? Take a look at our services page to find out about how we can help you with your content marketing strategy.

    How do you get creative and find ideas for content marketing? Tell us in the comments section below.

     

    Blog topic ideas for your e-commerce business

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    blog topic ideas

    You’ve built your e-commerce site, linked to all your social media pages and set up a “subscribe” button for news and sales alerts. So that should be everything right? It may be enough for some businesses, however, a blog is a vital marketing tool that shouldn’t be overlooked. Consider the following blog topic ideas for developing a deeper connection with your audience and increasing interest for future sales.

    What inspires you

    Consumers love knowing any behind the scenes stories as well as what inspires people to create their products and services. Whether you dedicate a particular date for these types of posts (every Monday or mid-month etc.), or do them randomly, share insights and moments that influence your craft. If you’re a distributor or a reseller write about your own thoughts regarding the products — how do they inspire you or reflect your own passions. Treat these posts like virtual coffee and tea with your target audience. Businesses that blog evoke 67% to 88% more leads per month than companies that don’t, meaning readers are responding.

    Specific products

    Utilize the same process of writing product descriptions that entice customers, and create longer posts about specific categories or products within those groups. Choose items that relate to holidays, seasons, back-to-school, or other notable search terms that may be prominent at that given time. Remember to include technical details, suggestions for use, photos and also links to coordinating products in order to make a subtle yet effective CTA.

    Industry news

    Most likely you’re constantly paying attention to industry-related news, so why not share that with your readers? Report on events and conferences you attend, or bookmark important news links as part of the blog topic ideas that reflect your place within the field. Express your opinions, and encourage readers to engage in the discussion.

    Special events, promotions and pre-orders

    Echo email and social media special announcements through their own blog posts! Nightmare Toys, a novelty retail client of ours, includes posts about items available for pre-order to get consumers excited about upcoming collectibles. These posts are terrific to share and act as a key method of organically generating brand awareness and purchasing potential.

    Lists

    In addition to using your company’s history and FAQs as popular blog ideas for e-commerce business, see what lists you can also create from that info. If the company has been family owned and operated for generations, spin that and create a blog entitled “5 reasons company name is better than big box retailers.” Or take your mention of donating a percentage of proceeds and include it with a post about, “Top 3 ways your purchase makes a difference.” You can make lists for any topic or product!

    Are you looking for more expert advice about producing a successful blog? Find out how our copywriting and SEO marketing services will benefit your e-commerce site!