Companies are Turning to Video Marketing Campaigns to Get Customers

Posted on June 7, 2013 by admin

9980346_sVideo Marketing is a relatively new platform many are using to launch their businesses. Take Audi’s “Spock vs. Spock” commercial, for example. This article talks about how such a popular commercial isn’t reaching potential customers on their televisions but on their computers, smart phones or other mobile devices. The reason is the German car company intentionally deployed the commercial over the Internet only.

This video marketing campaign is a triumphant effort in saturating a captive audience, not to mention potential customer base. Expert marketers are recognizing video’s ability to play an important role no matter your budget. You can easily use video marketing to inform, entertain, capture leads and drive revenue.

To have an effective campaign, however, you will need to get feedback, create unique experiences, and support the program through an organized campaign.

After you’ve posted your video, start tracking and analyzing how well it is received. Vidyard, a video marketing company, has been able to tap into the ultimate way to measure a video’s success. For instance, they are able to tell when a viewer closes your video after 10 seconds or stays on to watch it until the end. You can imagine which scenario is better for your business.

The data helps companies understand where they need to take their video marketing plan in terms of creating unique material. Once you’ve established where your strong suits are, build a customer-centric view based on that video content. This is the best way to offer innovative and effective content to drive customers to your site and into a steady revenue stream.

Once you’ve opened the door to user-level knowledge, it can’t end there. You need to bridge the gap between what customers know and what they want to know. You can produce a video marketing plan that incorporates more videos to tap into concepts that engage the viewer.

Until now, operating such an intense form of marketing has been the most difficult thing. Even if you could see how well it performed or engaged the audience, establishing how it plays into your ROI was another story. You will need to incorporate that video data into your other sales and marketing tools.

The video marketing information gives your sales staff the leverage they need when making contact with customers. It offers a unique insight into what interests them. The video analytics transfer well into marketing automation platforms and customer relationship management platforms. It’s a seamless integration of usable information about each and every customer.

If you’re looking for a partner to get the ball rolling on your next video marketing campaign, give us a call. Videos will continue to provide customers with the information they seek and businesses like yours with the data to sell them so let us help make the content the best it can be.

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Optimize Your Marketing Plan With Quick Results

Posted on June 6, 2013 by admin

18583694_sWhen you are running a business you want immediate results. Your marketing strategy is no different. But as you know, there’s a lot of hurry up and wait. A recent Social Media Today article talks about six easy ways to optimize your marketing plan.

Start off by expanding socially. Too many of us tend to stick with what we know how to use. To stay in business you’re going to have to shoot from the hip and learn about new social networks. Potential customers aren’t just on Facebook and Twitter. More and more people are creating profiles on Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr so it might be in your best interest to cater to those platforms.

Keep abreast on these networks and create your own profile. The trick is to find a balance between all of them by keeping any content you provide fresh and relevant to that specific channel.

Secondly, you will need to listen and respond to your customers. Plan on spending time on social media reading what your customers think and offer your own insight. A majority of customers will write a review, make a comment or even send you correspondence. Read it over and see if there is any room for improvement. The truth is, there almost always is some area that could be better.

If nothing else, your feedback can nurture the communication between you and your customer. A simple “thank you!” can keep a dozen customers coming back. It’s that personal connection that customers are looking for so don’t alienate that little something extra.

Sharing content is another way to engage customers. Simply retweeting or posting videos or information that relates to your business’s products and services is a great tool to optimize your marketing concepts.

You could take it a step further and invite the customer in for a closer look. Sharing an informational video about your company with a light-hearted tour around the office or even a quick photo of a meeting on Instagram is enough. It offers a personal side to the business and does offer an intimate angle between you and your customers. It’s an easy way to boost transparency without neglecting other content, which should really be the bulk of your site.

Let us help you review how to best optimize your marketing plan. We have a variety of tools and resources to boost results now.

 

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Every Business Should Take Advantage of Search Engine Optimization Services

Posted on June 4, 2013 by admin

11359623_sA majority of customers don’t accidentally land on a company’s website.  A recent article highlights why it is important to implement search engine optimization into your marketing strategy when creating your site. There are search engine optimization services out there that help develop the key words necessary to connect you and potential customers looking for the services your business provides.

During the web design phase, search engine optimization is one feature you don’t want to overlook. Every business should take full advantage of Internet marketing tools to connect with new customers, this is one of them. Getting those potential buyers on your page not only increases communication but profits, too.
The most important thing to keep in mind is keywords. Start by looking at your service offerings and what common terminology customers are most likely using to describe them. Once you know what those common words are, make sure they appear regularly throughout your website.

Keep these keywords at the forefront of the search engine optimization process when developing your site. They are literally the key to getting more traffic flowing to your page as soon as it is launched. Search engine optimization services can also keep you ahead of your competitors by appealing to the customer’s five senses. By creating several profiles you can establish your business on the market. You should make each page exciting and interactive in order to compete with the other top guy in your industry.

These services can also help you connect with your old customers and track search engine optimization results. You know the old saying, “the customer is always right.” Well, they are. In this case, call on those established customers to review products and services for you. New customers will want reviews and old customers can provide that.

From day one, you should be able to track the Internet traffic you’re getting from any paid search engine optimization services. These companies usually offer some of the best tracking tools to see what your business has gained since its implementation. Take advantage of any tools available to you.

If you’re looking for real search engine optimization services, let us help you develop and launch a successful Internet marketing plan. Our services can be a huge benefit to you and your business.  Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions can not only help you figure out what those keywords should be, but help you design a website that puts them to good use and drives Internet traffic.

 

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Monday Morning Coffee with the Allied Arts Council

Posted on June 3, 2013 by admin

artArt is big business.

In fact, a recent report says nonprofit arts and culture are a $10.9 million industry in Buchanan County—one that supports 489 full-time equivalent jobs and generates $889,000 in local and state government revenue.

The Allied Arts Council of St. Joseph, Mo., is demonstrating this with successful programs, events and initiatives throughout the year that not only make a solid impact on the region’s economy, they provide countless impressions to plant seeds of creativity, beauty and inspiration — across every generation and walk of life.

Founded in 1963, the Allied Arts Council represents several member agencies with a common goal: bringing arts and people together. Not only does the non-profit organization stand out for it longevity in a smaller city, but it’s also reaching out to the community and connecting with an impressive base of more than 2000 volunteers.

Core activities of the Allied Arts Council provide a sense of tradition and meaning to the region, including Trails West!®, the annual arts, music and cultural festival drawing thousands to St. Joseph, Mo., each August. The organization has taken a fun approach to promoting and branding this unique event, including a pub crawl to announce the festival’s headliner acts and a Patron’s Party, where guests get a behind-the-scenes celebration just before the festival begins. A large social media following also helps give the event a sense of urgency and connects it to area (and regional) music and art fans.

Arts education is another important way this group draws in a larger audience. Art programs in the schools are held year-round, and some at the historic and beautiful Missouri Theater by Allied Arts Council member agencies. A popular and successful event is the summer ArtScape program, essentially a multi-media art camp for school-aged kids, held in cooperation with the local university and other artist groups. Many of the children who attend likely decide to pursue a form of art in school, or as adults—creating a new base of advocates for the Allied Arts Council.

Leaders of the group and Board members are actively working year-round to advocate for the impact of art, demonstrating  the numbers behind how art connects people to the community and produces a solid revenue stream. An Arts Advocacy Kit is offered online, giving the community a tool to start with as they get behind these efforts. Fundraising, naturally, extends from these efforts as well, including the annual Arts Fund campaign that creatively draws in donors with events like mini-concerts and art events across town, as well as a neighborhood beer walk.

Marketing for the member agencies is also spearheaded by the Allied Arts Council, believing that together, the message of the importance (and the love) of art is more powerful. Organizations can promote their events across the agency’s website, social media, calendars, and newsletters. Most local displays of public art, art in businesses and art in health care centers can be connected to the work of this organization, including recent artistic additions to the historic downtown streetscape in St. Joseph, Mo.

Art is indeed big business, and it’s critically important. It requires a bold vision, a willingness to continually reach out and a desire to engage others in the joy of art. If the past 50 years are any indication, the Allied Arts Council of St. Joseph will continue to connect and inspire  –  and today Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions says  “thank you.”

 

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Getting the Best ROI From Your Social Media Tools

Posted on May 31, 2013 by admin

8052477_sIn today’s marketing world, it’s easy for businesses to indulge in social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are all viable tools to market your site to not only get your message out but build brand awareness and increase customers. The problem is, no matter how many tweets, likes, and shares, you never really know how much revenue it’s all bringing in. You need to have a sure fire way to ensure followers talk about your company and do business with your company.

There are some important steps you can take to be productive with social media tools and get out from your ROI quandary. Start off by giving more than you receive. This lesson is two-fold because it not only earns respect and recommendations but makes you more human than corporation. It’s an easy way to position yourself as a thought leader. Focus on praising others including retweeting posts, recommending colleagues and sharing information from others in your field. Doing this will earn respect and recommendations.

To make money using social media tools you have to win over your customers. You can do this by establishing a personal relationship with them by losing the corporate tone. When interacting with consumers, take it down a notch and use an authentic voice. All of us have that ability to switch our tones, or as experts call it, “code-switching”.

Along with your tone, you should be thoughtful and engaging. The best of your social media tools is your attention to detail. You will get the most ROI from checking your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn consistently and invest time interacting with fellow professionals. Social media doesn’t take a vacation.

You need to understand that quality is just as important as quantity. Yes, it’s important to deliver fresh content on a regular basis but it should be meaningful content. Your input and comments should be more than just a retweet or like, it should be genuine feedback. Taking that extra second in your day to add to a conversation can be more beneficial than you know.

Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions can help you take your social media tools a step further. We can help you not only interact with your potential consumers but figure out who your target audience is.

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Branding Strategies and How to Avoid Common Mistakes

Posted on May 30, 2013 by admin

17860213_sBuilding a brand is like meeting new people. If you don’t nail that first impression you may not get that customer back. You need to have a branding strategy in place to avoid making some of these common mistakes.

To start off with, you need to make sure everyone is on the same page. A common mistake many companies do is assign their marketing and advertising teams with the task of branding strategies. No matter how good their ideas are, or how well their plan is laid out, it is bound to fail if the receptionist doesn’t know how to portray the business to the public.

In order to get to this point, you need to quickly establish your identity. Two of the biggest mistakes you can make with any branding strategy is not differentiating yourself from your competitors and confusing the consumer.

Don’t follow in a leaders footsteps and don’t be afraid to be bold and make a name for yourself. You don’t want potential customers to confuse you with your competitor. No matter what you may have in common with the other guy, be different.

Having said that, don’t confuse different with difficult by choosing a bad company name. This is an opportunity to stand out but remember, you want to develop a brand. Your name should be something that is not only easy to spell but easy to say. But they shouldn’t be too easy. Jane’s Design Studio is pretty boring and even less memorable.

Branding is how your customers recognize you from your competitors. Once you’ve established who you are, make sure every single employee gets the memo and executes it.

As a small business owner, you can’t afford to bail on your customers. Remember to keep your promises and cater to a wide consumer base. According to the Washington Post, people hold businesses accountable for any claims they have as part of their branding. Jimmy John’s, for example, has poised themselves as having “speedy, fast delivery”. A hungry customer will expect this and your customers will be no different if you brand yourself in a particular fashion.

It’s hard to come back once you’ve disappointed a single customer. This is why it is also important to cater to the masses. Fads and trends will fade so make sure your business isn’t thriving on just one of them and your brand isn’t reflecting that.

At Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions we can help you develop the branding strategies you need to avoid making these common mistakes.

 

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Build Brand Awareness With the Top Content Marketing Strategies

Posted on May 29, 2013 by admin

8037439_sContent marketing strategies aren’t limited to niche companies on the cusp of greatness. In fact, big brands like Red Bull and Colgate are realizing it’s a great way to gain customers and make them loyal ones.

Just like fishing, if you have something good on the hook . . . the fish will bite, right? Companies need to have something to draw the consumer in. It could be humor and storytelling or it can be motivation and informational. Southwest Airlines went the comical route with their blog: Nuts About Southwest.

Sometimes finding the irony in your product can resonate with the very consumers you are trying to reach. If you have already done the research on your target audience then you know what content marketing strategies to focus on. For the airline, it was humor. The company incorporates peanut graphics on the homepage as well as hilarious videos and employee spotlights. Now that they have them coming back for the fun stuff, they can also help the reader by adding travel tips, corporate community outreach and sustainability, in a nutty format of course.

While Southwest Airlines may have conquered their audience with humor, Red Bull is tapping into their followers’ interests with storytelling and Colgate is keeping customers by using the basics.

The energy specialists at Red Bull have somehow mastered content marketing strategies that build a lifestyle around the brand. They do this by using entertainment and motivation. They have coupled who their consumers are – adrenaline junkies and thrill-seekers – with the appropriate content. Spending a little bit of time on their blog will make you question if customers come there because of the drink or because of the action.

Colgate on the other hand has molded themselves as the credible source for oral health care and hygiene, one of the most ingenious content marketing strategies out there. They haven’t tried to entice with fancy graphics, witty blogs or events but rather all the health information possible. It is a resource for their customers and many depend on it.

Target has taken that concept and kicked it up a notch. They are using “A Bull’s Eye View” blog to give customers that unexpected content about many of the store’s products. A lot of people find it interesting to learn about the designer behind their favorite tee or celebrity. It’s simple but intriguing for their targeted audience.

Now Kraft, on the other hand, has literally combined everything you could imagine about content marketing strategies and built their empire on it. Kraftfoods.com was launched in 1992 so you can imagine why they are experts at giving their customers what their looking for. The website offers cooking tips, recipes, an interactive community, and money-saving ideas.

Because the company has focused so much time and energy on their content marketing strategies, the site has now become a serious money maker.

So let us at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions be your guide through all the top content marketing strategies. We can take you, step by step, through the process of incorporating a variety of theses techniques into your unique content marketing plan.

 

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How Effective is Your Content Marketing Plan?

Posted on May 28, 2013 by admin

13498651_sIt’s no secret that traditional marketing budgets are making a shift and are more often favoring digital content over print. It’s a digital fast-paced world out there, and a fly-by-night content marketing plan is not going to cut it. With so many changes constantly taking place in the online scene, where do you start? It’s essential to have a plan as to how your brand is going to keep the momentum alive.

This Brafton blog on the subject indicates that marketers are updating their online content at least three times a week. Having a solid content marketing plan will help ensure that fresh content is regularly funneled to fans so they don’t get bored and disengage. A study originating from the Custom Content Council shows that now, more than ever, companies are focusing on custom content creation, which represents nearly 40 percent of the overall content marketing plan.

However, there’s more to the story than just standard articles and blogs. The research indicates that, in the near future, a little less than half of those surveyed plan to increase funding for Internet updates, social media and SEO tactics. Per Lori Rosen who serves as the Custom Content Council’s Executive Director, custom content updates are coming in the form of participatory social media efforts and video marketing.

Developing a content marketing plan geared to specific social settings is a great way to encourage customer interaction and direct traffic to the brand’s main site. For instance, eMarketer relays that buyer reviews at social sites have become extremely influential for those who are in the market to purchase a new vehicle.

Additionally, video content marketing is gaining momentum. Over 60 percent of those surveyed advised that video is an integral part of their content marketing plan. There’s a reason for that – in March of this year alone, consumers watched nearly 40 billion videos. The bottom line is that content consumption is evolving – are you?

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Monday Morning Coffee with Drum Monkey Percussion

Posted on May 27, 2013 by admin

What happens to those who just want to bang on the drum all day, so to speak? They become the visionaries of Drum Monkey Percussion, bringing nearly 40 years of experience to northwest Missouri and showing kids (and adults) that percussion is fun, creative and incredibly worthwhile.

drummonkey Capture2

Drum Monkey Percussion has recently returned to St. Joseph, Mo., with a mission that’s straightforward: To promote and educate. The whimsical (and somewhat nostalgic) name resonates well with students. The bold storefront displays and signage match perfectly with the funky logo and snappy website. These are all pieces of building a brand for Drum Monkey, but they are also helping draw attention to the art of percussion and its benefits.

The website highlights the mission across several key areas, including a section with extensive bios on the staff  – Steve Haskey and Kyle Milligan. The photos are trendy, and they match – a little thing that creates a cohesive, clean look but is overlooked by many website development plans. In fact, all the elements of the website layout are consistent and easy to navigate, using the same color scheme, giving the viewer the quick feeling that these guys aren’t messing around. Reading about their experience, you learn that Steve has been at this nearly 40 years and has shared his gift across the community. He loves this, and it’s evident. It’s the same for Kyle, who share his passion for composing and his dedication for teaching the art of music in his bio. The other team members – Jonathan and Brian  — also provide interesting and useful information in their write-up, so you feel like you know this team (or would want to).

Another important element to note:  the new brand look of Drum Monkey Percussion is further enhanced by including not just the standard “About Us” tab. The team has added the sections “The Story” and “The Idea” – helping readers to see that these fellows care about the big picture of educating and sharing a love for percussion, both historically and in modern formats. A Featured Product of the Month is a nice way to share their expertise with a drum-loving audience, as well as an impressive list of brands scrolling across that they either offer or service.

Connecting with the local audience is another marketing truth Drum Monkey hasn’t overlooked. They’re  hosting Stampede Drumlines with area MINK wooden-bat baseball team The St. Joseph Mustangs, which allows them to gain brand leverage from the popularity of the Mustangs team.

Today Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions recognizes the ways Drum Monkey Percussion is sticking to its mission across its branding efforts, creating a story instead of just a website. That’s something to make some noise about.

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