Content is key no matter what marketing materials you are working on. Stuffing websites and posts with key words use to increase your search rankings, but in today’s world that is not going to cut it. Search engines are not only looking for the quantity, but the quality of content. They are seeing if all your links match appropriately and are relevant to the content you are writing. If you haven’t taken a look at your content in a while, I suggest you do so. Below are some tactics on how you can provide the right content to get ranked higher on searches.

Make sure you know your audience before you start writing. 

Before creating content, you need to determine your target audience. Writing content with your target audience in mind will do much better on the social networking sites and search engines. Also, other websites will be able to easily find you and add a link to your website. Make sure to take some time out and do research before putting pen to paper.

Images speak a million words; so don’t forget to use them. 

You should add meaningful images to the content to improve the clarity and retain the interest of the readers in the content. Many researches have shown that text-only content often does not produce the desired results because posts without images are less likely to be read or shared on the web. There are many free editing tools out on the Internet you can use to revise images and videos to post on your website or social sites.

Always double-check your work for grammatical and spelling errors. 

Low quality content may cause your potential customers to ignore your efforts and go with your competitors. Make sure that your content is understandable and readable. Your copy should not sound like a sales pitch. It should explain how your product or service will help solve the person’s problem and make their life easier. As I stated before, your content should be free of grammatical and spelling errors.

These may all seem like common sense, but when we have tight deadlines and are hurry to get a piece of writing out we tend to forget the tactics above. Make sure to give yourself enough time to write quality content. It’s better that it gets pushed back a few days, then putting something out that no one wants to read and is full of errors. What other content tactics would you add to the list above?

Photo courtesy of flickr

This is the time of year where everyone likes to talk about what they are going to change and how it’s all going to workout. And most of these goals never get met because people only get as far as talking about them. If you are serious about your business goals for 2012, then you need to write them down, create strategies on how you will reach them, and how you will measure your success. Below are some other tactics to help you stay on track and achieve your business goals for 2012.

• Make your goals specific and attainable. Just saying you want your company to grow is not enough. You need to specify how you want it to grow, what the new numbers will look like and ways you will reach those goals.
• Create your own unique goals. Seeing what your competitors are doing is smart, but do not base your goals off what they are doing or wanting to achieve.
• Share your goals with your team. Show them how your goals are going to affect them and the company. Express to them how you need their support in order to achieve these goals. Make them feel apart of a team!
• Turn your goals into steps. Break each goal down and plan out the steps necessary to attain them, who will be in charge, and when it needs completed.
• Monitor your progress regularly. Share your progress with your team on a monthly basis. Talk up the things they are doing well and then brainstorm on how they can improve the process so that you stay on track and attain your goals.

Buyers are starting to do research online before making purchasing decisions. Therefore it is important for companies to understand that the content that they put out on the web must create value in order to get noticed and win over the prospect. In many cases, companies already have great content, but they are not using it to their advantage. Below are some tactics to get the most out of your marketing content online.

Add social sharing buttons on your website, blog, and other social platforms. Studies have proven that social sharing, or even the possibility of social sharing, creates perceived value in the content. The proximity of a “Share This” button within or next to your collateral may carry the implication that the content is worth sharing.

Get a mobile friendly site. People are starting to use their mobile phones more often than desktop computers to do research. It’s easier and they can get the information they are looking for immediately. If you’re site is not mobile friendly and buyers are having trouble reading and finding things, they are more likely to go to another website.

Add audio and videos to your sites. B2B buyers find that marketing information which includes embedded audio and video adds to the perceived influence of the content. Buyers are more likely to watch or listen to something than take 5 minutes to read an article. Get creative and use these tools to show off your company’s skills.

Highlight your whitepapers, webinars, podcasts, e-books and other content on your website so people can easily find it. Websites are still the number one places people go to do research about a company and it’s products. It’s important that your website is easy to navigate through and that the valuable information is easy to find.

Since content marketing is playing such a huge role in the B2B marketing sales cycle, it’s essential to provide useful, relevant content that addresses buyers’ issues and helps solve their problems. These are the things that will set you apart from your competitors and help you gain credibility. How many of these tactics are you currently implementing?

Photo courtesy of flickr

Are you starting to use videos to help market your business, but not sure exactly what to do? Many times companies have great videos, but because they don’t know what to do with the videos they never get the full benefit from having them. Below are 5 very helpful tips to improve your video marketing and ideas on the best ways to get your videos the most exposure.

1. Find your company’s best representative. This is going to be the person who is always smiling, has a positive attitude that attracts everyone, and is not shy in front of the camera. Your marketing and sales professionals are not always the most likely candidates so make sure to consider everyone.
2. Publish videos regularly. If you are new, start with shorter 1- to 3-minute videos that educate your audience, then as you get more comfortable, you can make them longer videos and worry about all the editing.
3. Be yourself. Try not to read from a script and be as natural as possible. People will be more interested if they are seeing an authentic person they can relate to opposed to someone just reading off a script.
4. Add other people in your videos. Mixing it up is a great idea to keep your audience from getting bored. Interview different people at your company or various colleagues in the industry. A great place to do this is trade shows because you have many of the industry leaders all in one place, so it’s easy to do.
5. Create a series of videos. This will keep your target audience coming back for more. If you decide to use this strategy make sure that you deliver the different videos in a timely manner, so that people don’t forget about what you are doing.

Are you unsure how to make your social media efforts pay off? This is a concern that I see a lot of people writing about. They  are great at getting people to engage and then don’t know what to do with the prospects from there. The whole point of social media is to build relationships and turn them into long lasting customers. It’s a great way for people to see the human side of your company. If you feel like you have written all that you can and need some more tactics to increase engagement read the tips below for some new ideas:

• Provide objective information. Nothing turns people away more than direct selling. This method is specifically called content marketing. It helps build trust since you are providing your customers with objective information that can help them with big decisions. And it also brings your company to top of mind when they are making a decision.
• Ask your audience the type of content they would like to see. The more you are able to provide relevant information the more likely they are to engage and also recommend you to their peers.
• Be a solution provider. Find out what issues your target audience is facing the most and address those issues head on. A great way to do this is via a blog post and then you can promote it on Facebook,LinkedIn, and Twitter.

The one thing common among all three tactics are they do not include any form of  selling. Hard selling is not wanted on any social media platform. Think of social media as a place where you are going to give more than you receive. But by doing this you are creating credibility, building trust, and gaining exposure. What other tactics would you add to the ones above?

Graphic courtesy of flickr

Have you sent out an email lately, but didn’t get the response rate you were hoping to receive? There can be many reasons why the email didn’t produce results you wanted, such as it got caught in spam, it didn’t have any value for the people receiving it or the wrong target audience received it. There are plenty of other things that could have gone wrong; it all just depends on the specific case. When preparing an email there are many aspects that must be taken into consideration. Below are 3 tips to creating emails that will definitely help deliver the results that you want.

Create colorful headlines that are fascinating. You want to grab the readers attention immediately, so don’t fall into the trap of just relying on the header. The copy is just as important! Many people make the mistake of leaving the headline until last and just writing something quick that isn’t very creative. Definitely give your headline some thought because it’s the part that will get people to read the rest of your email.

Always have pictures in your emails. It has been proven that messages with images have higher readability than those without by eye-tracking lab studies that have measured how people visually interact with emails. Keep in mind that it’s just as important to find images even if you are selling more of a service than a product. People tend to emotionally connect with images more than words therefore they are more likely to read the content that goes with the image.

Leave some white space. Many times people feel compelled to fill every inch of the email with something, which is a big mistake. Send the reader something that is easy on the eyes and easy to follow. White space is a great way of breaking up content that may not flow perfectly together. It also keeps the email from looking overwhelming so people won’t just delete it after one glance.

What other tips would you add to create an email that delivers results?

Photo courtesy of flickr

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you see the image to the right?

Apple, is right! They have done a great job with branding. The definition of brand can be very hard to define. If you ask a group of people to define what brand means, you will get several different answers. Some say it is a promise of product performance, an assurance of quality or service. Others say it’s the perception of value or satisfaction through association with a company or product. Many people hesitate to invest in their branding because they question if it’s really a source of having a competitive advantage? To keep it pretty simple brand is the image or perception people have of your product or company. We know that dealing with branding can get overwhelming so we have listed the different aspects that you should definitely focus on while working on your brand:

•  Spend time on naming and the logo. Make sure the process is thought through carefully. This is going to be how people recognize your company. Make sure to have a variety of people, such as, a creative person, marketing strategist, company decision maker, etc., in the process so you can create the best outcome.
• Loyal customers also known as brand loyalty customers are very important to remember. These are people who are going to always pick your brand over competitors no matter what. They not only purchase your products, but encourage others to do so as well.
• Branding goes further than just advertising. A brand is about how someone else perceives you or your company, so it’s important to make sure that you have guidelines for your company. For example, let’s say in your tagline there is something about being the smartest in the industry. And then when people call your customer service department they never get their questions answered, then people are going to perceive your company by how their interaction was, not your tagline. Therefore it’s important to train everyone in the company and make sure that their actions back up the words you are promoting.

As you can see branding has a lot of different aspects to it so, it is definitely worth spending your time upfront on. It’s not something that can be changed quickly or easily. What questions do you have about branding that we can address?

Once a sales person turns a prospect into a customer there are many directions the relationship can go. It’s important to teach the proper tactics so that each customer has a greater potential of becoming a long term customer. You have to handle each relationship carefully because one small mistake could make your customer go elsewhere. We realize that there are so many different approaches people use to attain customers and it varies from person to person. But there are some common mistakes that can be traced among all these different approaches. Below are 3 relationship mistakes you will want to read and think about when dealing with customers.

1. Not following up in a timely manner. This can come off like you don’t care and that the person is just another sales call. Come up with a system so that you don’t forget to reach your customer via an automated email or a calendar reminder to make a call. Also, remind them that if they need anything to call you. Make them feel like you are their go to person for any of their needs.
2. Not knowing when the lead is dead. Pay attention to what your customers are saying through their actions. Study how they are responding to different forms of communication. Are they clicking through on your emails or just opening them and deleting them? Take a deep breath and let them do some of the talking. Listen for what their needs really are and assess if it’s something you can provide. If not, then move on to someone you can help.
3. Not asking for referrals. If you have a customer that knows your products and services are valuable, and they have a certain level of trust, then you need to take advantage of that. There are a few ways to go about doing this. You can ask your customers to make referrals during your regular calls or visits or you can create a referral program. The referral program may be more effective since the customer will be getting some benefit out of referring people.

The most important thing in any relationship is building trust, which takes time. Remind your sales team to give each lead or customer the attention it needs. One missed follow up can be a huge missed opportunity. What other tips do you have to add?

Photo courtesy of flickr

The definition of customer loyalty can vary from company to company. That’s why measuring it can be a bit challenging. Many times companies forget that they need to take a step back and figure out what customer loyalty means. Is it someone who only shops with you for that specific need or is it someone who uses you frequently but may use other vendors if there is a special? Before you try measuring loyalty rates it’s important to figure your definition of what customer loyalty is first. Below are some ideas to help you get started in the right direction:

• Research how often your customer buys the products or service that you are offering them. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean just from you, but from your competitors as well.
• Find out of they are buying from your competitors and how often.
• If they are buying from other vendors find out why they are buying from them. What more can you do to keep that business?
• What makes a customer loyal? Right down the exact definition so you have something solid to work from when you are creating programs and monitoring your customer loyalty.
• Remember, it’s not all about you. Sometimes people just like to shop around and there is nothing more you can do besides continue giving them exceptional service in hopes that they stop shopping around and only use your company.

In many cases studies are showing that it can be more cost effective to maintain loyal customers than trying to gain new customers. If you are trying to increase your loyal customers look into starting a loyalty program and reward them for partnering with your company. The more customers feel appreciated and valued, the more likely they are to continue doing business with you and recommending you to other people.

How do you measure customer loyalty?

Photo courtesy of flickr

How does your customer view your company? Do you have a distant relationship or are you very close? This can vary depending on the client and the type of business you are dealing with. In economic times like these, it’s very important to make sure that each relationship is very strong, so that you can have security that your customers are going to stay with your company. If you do a little analysis and realize your relationships are not as strong as you would like them to be, below are 3 simple ways to strengthen the relationship and secure their business.

1. Listen. Listening goes well beyond using social listening tools to actually having conversations with customers. Be able to repeat back to the customer what they are saying to you and show them how you can fix their problem and some.
2. Identify. Find customers that are influencers. Once those customers are discovered, encourage them to speak on panels and participate in webinars. Some might be socially active, but they might need acknowledgement and opportunity. This will help not only help them gain exposure, but you will also gain exposure for your company.
3. Educate. For B2B clients, provide case studies, webinars, videos, and speaking opportunities. B2C customers can offer testimonials, product reviews, and user-generated videos; and they can become acknowledged experts in your community forum.

The common thread among these 3 tools are they all show you are interested in your customers’ best interests. When people feel like they are being taken care of, they feel more secure and are more likely to continue working with you. The less emotional connection they have, the more likely they are to do business elsewhere if a better looking opportunity comes up. How do you strengthen your relationships with customers?

Photo courtesy of flickr