Marketing Archives – Page 6 of 8

December 14, 2018December 14, 2018

The Top 7 Things I’ve Learned About SEO This Year

2018 has been an eventful year for the SEO industry.

by Steven van Vessum at Search Engine Journal

1. This Year’s Google Updates Were Unparalleled (And No One Really Knows What Changed)

Search engines have been rolling out updates since the early days of the industry— nothing new there.

We’ve seen big updates such as the Panda and Penguin updates, which had a massive impact.

And yet still, the frequency and complexity of the Google algorithm updates we’ve seen this year are unparalleled.

2. It’s Google’s World – We Just Live in It

Everyday Google dictates the kind of SERP we see, and what it contains.

And we have to deal with that.

We’re all just test subjects in Google’s massive, continuously updating tests.

This article was borrowed from Search Engine Journal. To read the full article, click here!

3. Google’s Mobile-First Index Hasn’t Had Much of an Impact (Yet)

Over the course of the year [while content was the ruler of the land], the mobile-first index rolled out, and… actually nothing much happened.

Back in November 2016, Google said they’d roll out the mobile-first index slowly and monitor its impact closely —and that has turned out to be the case.

Even though the mobile-first index shift only changed how they gather their data, not how they rank sites, I still expected to see a lot more fluctuations.

4. SEO Pros Are Creatures of Habit & Dislike Change

Even though we’re part of a fast-moving industry, many SEO professionals are creatures of habit who dislike change.

They don’t like to change how they audit websites, the way they report, the tools they use, and so on.

I know, SEO pros are human, too — and humans generally don’t like change.

But if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to innovate.

This article was borrowed from Search Engine Journal. To read the full article, click here!

5. DuckDuckGo’s Growth Has Picked Up, by a Lot

While they’re still a small player in the world of search engines, DuckDuckGo’s growth has surprisingly picked up by a lot.

As of November 26, they’re processing 33.6 million direct queries per day, compared to 19.1 million a year before.

6. Search Intent Is Extremely Important

I think a lot of the Google updates we’ve seen recently help Google serve the right results for the right search intent.

Google has loads of user data, and they’re continuously testing whether searchers are happy with the results that they’re shown.

Never before has search intent been as important as it is now.

7. Google’s Far from Perfect

Google employs the smartest engineers and they’re using the most advanced algorithms to determine:

What your content is about.
What their users’ search intent is.
What results satisfy people’s complicated search queries.
And much more.

So, What Does 2019 Have in Store for Us?

Obviously, for the foreseeable future, Google will keep on dominating the lives of us SEOs. They’ll try to become even more dominant, possibly by leveraging AMPand the WordPress partnership.

This article was borrowed from Search Engine Journal. To read the full article, click here!

Read about SEO for your videos.

July 11, 2018

Networking and Answering “So, what do you do?”

Networking. How do you do it effectively; and “what is the importance of being able to answer the question, “So, what do you do?” in a concise and interesting way?” queries and answers the team at Shepa Learning Company.

“Here’s an example: you are at a company reception with your significant other (who is off talking to someone else) and the person next to you asks what your partner does for a living. You should be prepared, rather than fumbling around for an answer.

“She works at an analytics/data company. I don’t really understand exactly what she does. It’s complex, algorithms and all that.” This is not a good answer.

“Stephanie is a data scientist with Meto Technologies. She designs machine learning models. Major brands use her models to accurately predict a customer’s next purchase. She’s a math wizard.”

The latter answer makes you look smart too. :)” ~ Shepa Learning Company

Networking To Sell

Further, being clear with your messaging makes it easier to sell. If you can connect with the emotional relevance, you will have a much higher close rate with your prospects.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” ~ Simon Sinek

Networking with Cortex Marketing

Networking Is An Art

Networking is an art because it requires imagination. In-person interaction — not social networking, which is a chapter by itself and complementary to in-person networking — is an indisputably critical part in the hunt, and it’s easy to make mistakes.

“Building a network that works is both an art and a science. It is an art in that it requires basic human skills in communication, connection, authenticity and the ability to be ‘in the present’ and engaged with people and conversation. Building a network strategically requires an ongoing analysis and audit of the people within the network and a sustained curiosity around the levels of diversity and connectivity within the group. It’s about seeing the lines that connect people and ideas to create opportunity.” ~ Janine Garner, entrepreneur and Fortune 500 mentor and author

Networking With Me

I love making new connections. You can find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook… not to mention that I always ask people to connect with me outside social networks, or simply be bold and call me direct at 1-888-502-3523.

Cheers to your success!

July 3, 2018

Email Signatures That Drive Conversions

Email signatures can help you drive conversion — and yes, email not dead. An estimated 205 billion emails are sent and received daily, according to The Radicati Group Email Statistics Report.

Here are 4 email signatures that drive conversions and that can foster a personal relationship with prospective or current customers, partners, vendors, and industry influencers.

Email Signatures That Drive Conversions

1. Video

Video content is dominating the visual marketing sphere with 52% of marketers worldwide naming video as the type of content with the best ROI.

So it would only make sense that your email signature is adorned with an awesome promotional video, even one that shows your company’s culture. The purpose of a video is to offer the recipient more information about your brand – in the form of a campaign, an offer, event, etc. – in a more engaging way.

2. Share News

Got some news you’d like to share with your audience? Perhaps your company has been recognized for its accomplishments or received a nomination or industry award. Spread the good news! Add a tag on to your email signature the link to the news article, blog post, or press release in which highlights your company news or headline. It’s sure to spark interest and result in higher traffic to your website.

3. Include A Call To Action

One of the best capabilities of an email is that you can affix content that invites an actionable response. It’s clever and personable. For example, including a CTA to a case study, white paper, webinar or to schedule a consultation, tells your audience that you’re easily reachable, available, and ready to help them. Concurrently, you can get recipients to share your content.

4. Make It Look Social

While every email you send is an opportunity to acquire a new lead or customer, email signatures that drive conversions should never be without clickable social media icons. Being present (and active) on social media is no longer optional in today’s modern business world, so letting your audience know that you exist on various channels gives them the opportunity to connect with you on their favourite platform.

Email Signatures that drive conversions and Email That Is Not Dead Yet So you see, email is not dead – far from it. We are so fixated on writing the perfect message that we often forget about our signatures — they too can influence interactions, sometimes in a subtle way.

Ask me how you can email market to your target and get the results you desire from your marketing, You can also check out these other blogs about email marketing.

July 2, 2018

Choice Paralysis — How It Affects Your Conversion Rate

Choice paralysis; it is one of the most common mistakes businesses can make in the development of their marketing.

What Studies Have Shown.

Have you ever gone to a shoe store and been unsure which sneakers to buy? Have you ever debated with co-workers what you should eat for lunch? If so, you’ve experienced one of the most common and understudied phenomena impacting a consumer’s pathway to purchase: Choice Paralysis.

“Back in 2000, psychologists Mark Lepper and Sheena Iyengar were involved in a study where two tables of jam were presented to grocery-store customers. One had 24 choices; people who sampled from this table got a $1-off coupon. The other table only had six choices, yet people ended up buying more from the table with fewer choices!” ~ Mark Schenker

Choice Paralysis and the Jam-Study Results

Are More Choices Creating Choice Paralysis?

Needless to say, helping client’s fix choice paralysis is one of the cornerstone needs of almost every business I work with. From Landing Pages to Email Campaigns, you will always get a higher conversion rate the less you distract your target form doing what you want them to do.

“Choice can no longer be used to justify a marketing strategy in and of itself. More isn’t always better, either for the customer or for the retailer. Discovering how much assortment is warranted is a considerable empirical challenge. But companies that get the balance right will be amply rewarded.” ~ Harvard Business Review

While choice paralysis does not affect all brands or all types of people in the same way, based on an analysis of more than 200 social media conversations, the data showed:

A majority of consumer indecision is around products consumers use every day.
78% of choice paralysis conversations center around products consumers spend a moderate to a considerable amount of time within their everyday lives.
Fashion, gaming and mobile device purchase decisions showed the highest levels of choice paralysis, likely because they are directly tied to self-identity.
Nearly 1/3 of choice paralysis conversations were about products within the same brand.
Over 60 percent of choice paralysis occurs when a consumer must make a decision between one or two items. Most people know what they want, but have trouble pulling the trigger on a purchase.

The Choice Paralysis Analysis

Lastly, one concept that is often discussed when seeking solutions for overcoming the risk of choice paralysis is the concept of removing fuzzy messaging. Fuzzy Messaging tends to not speak to a clear choice adding to the paralysis. Read more about Conversion Rates and Scientific Marketing, and how we can now use methods and metrics to help us market more effectively!

June 28, 2018

Technology and the Customer Experience

Technology and the customer experience is ever expanding and 2018 is being called the transition year.

Technology in 2018

“2018 looks to be a year of change for technology, and customer service will need to evolve with the advancements it brings. 86% of customers will pay more for a better customer experience, so there’s no question about the benefits of using the smart technology that 2018 will offer you.” ~ Roxanne Abercrombie

That is an amazing prediction as we have made amazing discoveries over the past 10-years. We discovered that technology alone is cold — and since about 2008, we tech-driven marketers have been wrapping our heads around how we can bridge the gap between human and computer interaction.

Technology and Artificial intelligence — in its many forms — has in itself, opened up many doors of opportunity.

Within the expanded ability to develop and implement seamless technology is moving faster than anyone can keep up with and the biggest benefactor (and also the biggest need) is customer service. I am surely not saying that customer service will not still be “human”, it is just that the interface will get smoother in all capacities.

The Ubiquitous Use Of Technology

Did you know that 88% of website visitors are unlikely to return if they have a bad experience? These things get updated all the time, and candidly, I didn’t know that it was being measured at 88%. My point is that stats like these are cold, and they only tell half the picture. The other half is about the engagement… invisible engagement.

Ubiquitous Technology

But, how do you get that invisible engagement?

That is the challenge. We don’t think about the interface with humans, but we still think about every encounter with the A.I. we engage with. Is it getting better? Of course, it is and at a startlingly fast pace. (Are you interested in Artificial Intelligence?)

So, bottom line, if you want repeat traffic and return customers, you need to optimize your website for customer service — and today’s A.I. technology can help.

Some of the Technology to Engage and Optimize

Tools are available to help mitigate the “immediate engagement needs” of today’s visitor to your main online hub — your website.

Many third-party systems offer engagement options and, for the most part, can all be fine-tuned to fit your typical visitor’s profile. Options include; Time to engage with a pop-up message; overlay, engagements; exit engagements; and much more.

One that I like is Sumo® for site engagement layers/popups. Right out of the box, it is pretty powerful. I also like Olark® for a professional chat.

Category: Marketing