Content Strategy: Why Content Isn't Just a Trend

It's not at all surprising that content is the most important factor in your content strategy. The reason content has become more important in terms of marketing as of late is because it will always be an effective tool. 

Others disagree. Due to the undeniable buzz that content marketing has created, they see content as a trend. To them, content creation will be outdated in a few years just like the old SEO tactics. 

Out of all the qualities you can use to describe content, trendy definitely isn't one of them. According to this Forbes article, content is, and always will be important in a marketing context: 

"Some content experts moan that there is too much content out there. Or is there? Content, often referred to as “king” is so essential to digital marketing that it can’t be dismissed as a “trend.” While individual publishers may be overextending themselves by publishing too much, there will always be content. It will always be important."

First, you need to understand the purpose and function of content. What makes it such an important component of online marketing? Is it because it enhances your SEO and increases your page rank?

While these are certainly two possible outcomes of content creation, they're not the goal. The real reason you create and post content is to inform and engage prospective customers. 

In addition to keeping your website current, you also need to establish a brand identity and explain why your business is relevant to current events. Creating content is way more important than improving your technical marketing efforts. 

If you want your content strategy to be effective, you have to believe in content as a viable long-term component of your marketing efforts. Once you do that, you'll be able to engage your target audience. 

To talk more about your content strategy, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks. 

4 Communications Tips for Business Growth

Having a strong communications strategy is the way to truly thrive in business. You have to know how to effectively communicate to the public to see results. This post will discuss four simple things you can do with communications for business growth.

Convey a Message through Design

You don’t always need words to get a message across. Working with a professional graphic designer is a wise investment as they are able to beautifully craft the design of your website and other marketing materials to say what you want your brand to say. If you want the company’s message to say that the image is daring, adventurous, and confident, then aim for bold colors and sharp designs. Have the image reflect your brand’s stance.

Be Personal

Through it all, cater to the needs and desires of each individual customer. Treat them the way a person and not just a customer deserves to be treated. Giving your company a personal side also helps establish a greater trust and likeability. Don’t be afraid to give your company the face of a person.

Make it Stick

When you communicate with the public, you don’t just want to advertise your products or services. Say things in between that. Use social media to post insightful quotes that are reflective of your company’s interests and share heart-felt stories of human kindness. Appeal to the emotional side of people. When you do this, they will be more likely to share it across their social media platforms.

Keep it Consistent

Everything from your graphic designs to your tagline needs to be consistent. Consistency helps people remember things better. It also makes it easier to create brand awareness. 

For more information, please contact us today.

Outside Factors Affecting Your Product Positioning

Positioning your product isn't easy, but it's an essential step in your marketing process. In your marketing strategy, make sure you account for these three factors affecting your product positioning:

Emotions

How consumers connect to your brand emotionally can have a big impact on your product positioning. We recommend businesses to research the way consumers perceive their brand so they're aware of this factor. 

According to a recent MM&M Magazine article, businesses can use several market research methods to discover how consumers relate to their brand and product emotionally: 

"Uncover emotional connections to your brand. You can use various types of market research methods, such as personification, psychographic and ethnographic research among current and potential customers to uncover underlying emotional issues related to a brand and to gain insight into the subconscious perception of your product."

Competing products

Effective product positioning requires some amount of game theory. You have to analyze competing products in the industry and anticipate how your competitors will react to your strategy. 

Many businesses fail at this step. Since they don't take their competitors' reactions into account, they're left with no favorable options at the next step of the game. This can have a negative impact on your product positioning. 

Your target market's preferences 

Moreover, it's important to know your target market's preferences before you start planning your positioning strategy. In addition to their emotional connection to your brand, you should also be aware of common needs and wants among your target market. This will help you improve your positioning strategy and gain an edge over your competitors. 

Although other areas like product development are important, many businesses fail to give positioning its due credit. As a result, they don't always put themselves in the best position to market their product effectively. 

To talk more about product positioning, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks. 

How to Use LinkedIn Groups for Lead Generation

The great thing about online marketing is that there are several different platforms, each of them having its own advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to lead generation, LinkedIn is king. In this blog we'll explain how you can generate leads with LinkedIn Groups. 

LinkedIn has a completely different atmosphere as opposed to other sites like Facebook and Twitter. It's definitely more professional, but there are also other elements present which are missing on other platforms. 

Users are more focused and motivated on LinkedIn. When they log into their accounts, they're not looking to waste time by reading status updates. They're looking to get things done. 

LinkedIn Groups helps your business segment your market based on users' interests, preferences, and wants. According to a recent CIO article, you can use this platform for effective lead generation: 

"LinkedIn Groups are another source of leads. Join Groups most relevant to your business, or where you are most likely to find people interested in your product, service or expertise. Then “participate in Group discussions by being a resource, sharing best practices and knowledge gained from experience,” says Lydia Sugarman, president, Venntive, which provides a digital marketing platform." 

The trick is to be informative rather than promotional when you're on LinkedIn Groups. People there are interested in learning more about certain topics and products. They don't want to read a disguised advertisement that only talks about your company's product. 

If you can find the balance where you inform people and get them excited about your product, however, then you'll be able to generate leads.  We recommend using LinkedIn in accordance with other social sites so you can maximize your lead generation. If you have the time to compare your sites, then see if you're more successful at generating leads on LinkedIn. 

To talk more about lead generation, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.

3 Do's and Don'ts of PowerPoint Design

The interesting thing about PowerPoint design is that there are no set rules or standards. Regardless, we've seen some practices be more effective than others and decided to write down some Do's and Don'ts of PowerPoint design. We'll start with the Do's:

Create continuity

Your PowerPoint shouldn't change its tone with every other slide. You should have one general theme that creates continuity in your presentation. A great way to do this is to choose an appropriate color scheme and stick with it. 

Include several elements

The great thing about PowerPoint is that you can add several different design elements. Consider adding videos and pictures to give your audience a break from written content. 

Aim for a minimalist design

We'll get to this point later with some of the Don'ts of PowerPoint design, but we really can't stress it enough: keep things simple and organized. A minimalist PowerPoint design helps keep your thoughts clear and understandable. 

Now, let's talk about some of the Don'ts of PowerPoint design:

(Don't) Go overboard on effects

There's nothing worse than ruining an otherwise great presentation by overloading your PowerPoint with bells and whistles. Not to sound rude, but nobody cares if your headlines and pictures spin or fade in. 

(Don't) Use a distracting color scheme

There's a reason why PowerPoint offers built-in color schemes. That doesn't mean you have to use them, but you should at least take a page out of their book. Don't use a color scheme that features an all black background with yellow text. 

(Don't) Do anything that takes away from your content

This point is a little more general, but it should always be present when you design your PowerPoint. You've got great information, so don't do anything that's going to take away from it. The only thing your PowerPoint design should do is help your audience understand your train of thought and argument. 

To talk more about PowerPoint design, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.