August 2021 - Broad World Business

Monthly Archives: August 2021

Marketing Goals 101: Know your ‘why’ for better results

The first question we always ask our clients is: what’s the goal? It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how often businesses pump out content, throw massive events, or take on other marketing initiatives just for the heck of it.

“Everyone else is doing it” isn’t a good enough reason to pour money into a new initiative, and not all initiatives NEED to equal a sale. But they do need to have ROI attached, whether that be brand awareness, loyalty, monetary, or just attracting more eyeballs to your business.

Knowing your ‘why’ will also help you narrow in on the copywriting and call-to-action that will get you there. Let’s talk through different goals for your marketing and how to achieve them.

*TLDR? Watch the video!*

Marketing Goals 101

Traffic: Basically, sending people to a website, landing page, or events page. Getting your audience to land in these places means they’re actually reading what you have to say. Increased traffic also increases your SEO.

Brand awareness: This is how we introduce your brand to the world. It’s difficult to track ROI when it comes to brand awareness but that’s totally okay. The story behind what you do is just as important.

Lead capture: This is the first step in the sales process — the moment where your audience says, “Okay, tell me more.” Remember, you wouldn’t marry someone on a first date — so why expect your audience to buy as soon as they meet you?

Lead nurturing: This is what happens after you capture a lead — the relationship-building with your business and its audience. Keep in mind, it takes an average 11 impressions of a brand for someone to make a purchase. At this point we want to share bits and pieces of our brand with a potential customer, and tweak as needed. Did they click through on that ad you sent them? Great, keep doing what you’re doing. Are you getting no traction at all? Maybe it’s time to pivot.

Education: This is SO important in trust-building. People are more likely to engage with a business that they’re confident knows what it’s talking about. It makes the purchase feel secure and solid. So as a business, it’s your job to equip your audience with the knowledge they need to make that jump.

Engagement: There is so much power behind shares, saves, comments, and direct messages. Not only will you build a loyal audience that will boost your message to other people in their network, but social media platforms will start to favour you in the algorithm. The goal here is ultimately relationship-building.

Re-engagement: This is when we re-open communication with people who have already purchased from you (or have thought about it). Whether it’s asking them for feedback on their experience, a product review, or shooting them an email when they abandon their cart — it’s all about keeping your brand top of mind. This gives you the opportunity to fix any blips your customer experienced along the way and build long-term loyalty.

Purchase or Hire (Conversion): Of course, a customer making a purchase or hiring your business is the ultimate goal, but everything you’ve done until this point matters! When it comes time to ask your customer to buy, we want to make sure the call to action is appropriate to their customer journey.

Marketing goals are never one-size-fits-all. While some businesses entice their audience to make a $3 coffee purchase every day, others try to sell something major like a car or a dream home. This is why your goal is so important. Your marketing strategy will COMPLETELY shift depending on your goal and the customer journey that’s needed to get there.

So start with your goal and work backward. Need help finding your ‘why’? Reach out to us here.

For more marketing and branding tips and tutorials, visit our blog page.

The FAQ 2021 Edit: Your top digital marketing questions answered

There are a few questions that keep popping up with our clients no matter what industry they’re in. The world of marketing and branding can be so big and confusing. So let’s break it down and demystify it together with the answers to the marketing FAQs we get from our clients and followers.

Does email marketing still work?

YES. It’s a direct and effective way to consistently re-engage with your audience — especially with your superfans who are following along your business journey with you. Most EDM platforms allow you to really narrow your messaging and create journeys based on each individual’s interactions with your content.

Email marketing has insane ROI attached. On average, every $1 you invest on email marketing yields a $42 return. Yup, you read that right.

Do I need to hire a marketing team?

You don’t necessarily need to have an internal team to take care of all your marketing. But there is a point in your business growth where it makes sense to hand stuff off to someone else. Maybe it’s an intern to take care of pesky tasks like social media scheduling or writing alt text. Or perhaps a strategist to put together an overarching plan to ensure your marketing is working cohesively. Maybe you’re not exactly sure what you need and opt to hire an agency like Broad World Consulting *wink, wink* to help you nail your business goals. Stay mindful of your workload and know when it’s time to ask for a helping hand.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is just marketing jargon for online categorization. Basically, all of the words you write online (on your social media accounts, website, blog, etc.) tell search engines like Google what your content is about — and who it’s important to. Search engines then take that information and index it. So when someone searches for keywords online, Google can show them relevant information. If you’ve used keywords and alt text strategically, this will help you get your business in front of the right audience.

What is brand voice?

Imagine your business was a person. How would they speak? That’s your brand voice. Just like your company has a personality through visuals like your logo and font, your brand voice tells the world who you are. It’s important to meet your audience with the correct vocabulary, tone, and level of professionalism.

Can my company benefit from digital marketing?

Yes. Every kind of business can benefit from digital marketing. Online platforms help you find your audience in online spaces and draw them in. Whether your audience is searching for a service on Google, scrolling Instagram, or even browsing what’s new to their neighborhood on Maps — having a presence in these online spaces gives your business a better chance to be discovered.

How often should I update my website?

This depends on your business and what you’re selling. If you’re a clothing brand, you’ll definitely want to update your website with every new drop and season. But if your offering stays consistent, you may not need to update as frequently. What’s most important is that your website is up to brand standards, doesn’t look outdated, and shows up as impressively as you do in person.

What pages do I need on my website?

It depends, but let’s go through a few of the basics:

Homepage – An absolute necessity. With a single glance, your homepage should tell your audience exactly who you are, and what value you provide.
Contact – Another crucial piece. Keep it simple and clear to make it easy for people to get in touch and hire you.
About – You may also want an about page to humanize your brand and flaunt your credentials and your why.
Services/Products – This can be helpful to outline your offering and price point within the market.

Do I need a blog?

Probably. A blog can significantly strengthen your website’s SEO and get your content in front of the right people. Putting out strong content positions you as a thought leader in your industry and helps your business build trust with your audience. It’s also an effective way to repurpose that content into social media posts that add real value for your audience.

Does my business need to be on social media?

Yes. Again, it’s really important to build your online presence. But you don’t need to be on ALL platforms — just the ones that are relevant to your audience. So if you’ve got a product that’s fun and flashy, it makes sense to jump on Instagram or TikTok. But if you’ve got a professional and information-based brand, LinkedIn might be more your jam.

Do I need to constantly be creating new content?

Yes and no. Try to strike a balance between evergreen content while also staying ahead of trends with faster-moving thought leadership pieces. That way you can add long-term value for your customers and get SEO on your side.

Is it okay to repurpose your content?

Absolutely! Less than 20% of your following on social media or email will see your content. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Be sure to update things like stats and pricing to stay accurate. This is also a fantastic way to expand your content across multiple channels, simply tweak for the user behaviour on that specific platform. Read our full guide on how to make the most of your content.

How do you create effective content?

This answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Not all platforms are built the same so your goals should be tailored to each one. Really focus on nailing down your goal for each platform so you can determine what success looks like. That way you can match your copywriting and calls to action to support your goal.

What is lead generation?

Lead generation is the process of attracting potential customers and converting them into customers. This process depends on your goals, platforms, and how long a lead needs to be nurtured before they convert. Generating a lead could be collecting someone’s email address, getting them to an event, or delivering a series of emails to push them through your sales funnel.

Remember, on average it takes 11 exposures of a brand for someone to make a purchase.

What is remarketing?

Remarketing is the process of reaching out to people who have already been familiarized with your brand. Whether they’ve made a purchase before or simply looked at some products on your website, remarketing keeps your business top of mind and gets you closer to a sale.

How can Broad World Biz help me achieve my marketing goals?

We offer every kind of marketing service, from digital marketing, to strategy, to PR events, and full website design and construction. We know marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all, which is why we personalize all of our packages. We’d love to help you streamline your marketing plan to make it effective for YOUR business.

Book a free consultation.

Did we miss anything in our marketing FAQs video or in this post that you want and need to know? Pop us a comment below or contact us.

Six creative ways to use carousels for your social media strategy

While Instagram is focused on becoming a video-first platform, carousel posts still see the highest engagement! Carousel posts are one of the best ways to get creative with your Instagram and Facebook content, and engage your audience.

Don’t believe us? The engagement numbers don’t lie:

Videos: 1.45%
Still images: 1.74%
Carousels: 1.92%

That last number actually jumps to over 2% when all 10 carousel slides are used! Not only are they super engaging, but they give businesses and personal brands a chance to get creative.

Here are six of our favourite ways to utilize carousel posts:

*Don’t feel like reading? Watch the video!*

Consolidate images

Rather than spamming your followers with 10 feed pictures of the same event or product, put it all together in one post. Think of it as a storytelling tool: a swipe-through post can make your audience feel like they’re actually there with you in whatever you’re doing. This is also way more reliable than posting individual pictures — and crossing your fingers that the algorithm pushes them to the right people.

Repurpose blog content

If you’ve got a content marketing strategy, chances are you’re putting a good amount of effort into your blog content. So milk it with carousel posts.

Let’s say your latest blog post has five main points. Break those points into five images or graphics and toss them in a carousel post. It’s quick to read, highly shareable, and enticing to save — all of which boost your place in the algorithm. The best part is, if your audience enjoyed it, they’re likely to go read the original blog post. All of these things build more trust and communication with your audience, which equals more loyalty over time.

Show off your products

If you run an e-commerce shop, carousels are an awesome way to show off your products. Imagine you’re a clothing store with a new line dropping — a carousel can get that message across in a cohesive way.

Be sure to connect your shop to Facebook and Instagram beforehand for best results.

Storytelling

We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. And well, every brand has a story to tell. Imagery is one of the best ways to say a lot without actually saying much.

Use this space to communicate your brand feel. Tell your audience about your values. Share mood boards. Show off the process of creating your new logo. The possibilities are truly endless.

Aesthetic Management

Do you have a photo you want to share but it doesn’t exactly fit in your feed? Carousels help you maintain your aesthetics. Start with a branded post that fits into the overall look of your feed, then follow with the image that doesn’t “fit”.

This is a great tip for industries that aren’t exactly sexy. Let’s say you’re a plumber who wants to show off a bathroom piping job. Start with a related image — like your truck or some staff — that draws your audience in, then move onto the practical stuff.

Before and afters

B&As are used in a ton of industries to show off talent: interior design, home renos, organization services, hair salons, you name it. They’re really effective at showing your audience what their life can look like if they use your service — so use carousels to humbly brag about your fantastic work.

We suggest starting with the after shot to maintain a cleaner feed and show off your talent right off the bat, then move into the before. Or, use Stef’s favourite technique from tip #5: start with a branded post, show us the before, and end strong with the after.

That’s the beauty of carousels — they’re versatile, so use them in a way that works for YOUR brand and YOUR industry.

How are you incorporating carousel posts into your social media strategy? We’d love to hear from you in the comments! For more marketing and branding tips visit the blog.