Last week I got the latest research on SEO from trusted brand SEM Rush. You can download and read their report Ranking Factors 2017 in SEO.
Ranking Factors 2017 report from SEMRush
Creative Agency Secrets has read the whole report and below are 5 SEO tasks you can initiate immediately for your own website or ecommerce store.
The report has a number of chapters each of which is followed by “What this means to you as a marketer” Read these pages for the SEMRush interpretation of their research findings.
5 SEO actions for 2017
Check you have a secure (https) website. Get a SSL Certificate installed if your url begins http://. See Secure websites below
Find websites which can link back to you. Clients, Suppliers, News / Magazines, Directories. See Referring Domains below
Get ideas for your SEO and your content creation from Answer the Public research tool
Use more keywords on your “cornerstone” content pages. See Keywords below.
Plan the visitor pathway through your site especially with a view to reducing bounce rate.
The Detailed insights
Note these are paraphrased from the SEMRush report including some verbatim quotes. All the ACTION FOR YOU tasks are recommendations by us for your website or ecommerce store. The page numbers are the actual page number in the report NOT the number top RHS.
If you want help, Creative Agency Secrets offers 2 services – we can do it for you; we can teach you how to do it yourself.
Secure websites – page 6. The higher the page position in search, the higher the keyword search volume most sites are secure https domains. We interpret this that websites with SSL are trusted and are gaining over plain www and http sites.
Referring domains – page 10. The pages that rank higher have more backlinks from unique domains. Websites that appear on SERPs for high-volume keywords have significantly more backlinks than ones that appear for low-volume keywords — almost 10 times more. ACTION FOR YOU the competition for high-volume keywords is vicious, and those websites are invincible. But for low-volume keywords the competition is not so tough, so some link building could bring tremendous results.
Content length – page 18. What we saw first was that there is generally more content on the pages that rank higher for all search volume intervals. There is more content on the pages with long-tail keywords than on those with short-head keywords. ACTION FOR YOU pick your “cornerstone” content pages and work them HARD for SEO goodness. Content length is important for your page’s success as long as it is valuable, well-written, and optimised, especially if you target high volume keywords.
Keywords – page 23. In the high volume keyword group. the majority of the pages add a keyword to their title, meta and body copy but the occurrence of the keyword in the meta description does not influence the page rankings. Pages that rank for long-tail keywords repeat those keywords less often than pages that rank for short-head keywords. The pages on the first positions (for both longtails and short-heads) have noticeably more keywords than all other pages. ACTION FOR YOU If you plan to rank by long tail keywords, having an exact-match keyword in your on-page SEO elements is not crucial. In fact, it is more important to diversify the semantic core of your text and make it relevant to the target keyword rather than copying it. The presence of a video didn’t show a significant influence on page rankings, so we came to the conclusion that video itself is not a silver bullet. However, in certain niches clients expect video content, so it makes sense to provide it. Consider your audience’s demands, and if they include visual support, use video.
Volume of visitors – page 33. Not a strong correlation to page rank here especially if your search phrases are low(er) volume searches. For the low-volume keyword group, the trend is flat, indicating that a page’s position does not strongly correlate with its number of total monthly visits. For high-volume popular keywords, the number of page visits gets noticeably smaller for sites that rank below the 12th position. ACTION FOR YOU this means organic search is not the only thing you should be concentrating on. Drive a strong traffic from direct and social media linked visits by pushing brand awareness on these platforms and also through newsletters.
Bounce Rate – page 37. The higher a page’s position is, the lower its bounce rate. The user navigates through three to three-and-a-half pages per website, per visit. As your site moves towards the top of the SERP, there are more pages per session for every domain. ACTION FOR YOU firstly ensure you have strong internal page linking. Think about what you want the visitor to do next on every page.Connect with Cornerstone content discussed above. Also analyse your rivals (How to compare my site to a competitor’s) Inside Google Analytics, check your queries performance and lastly, find low ranking pages for Bounce and improve them to reduce bounce rate and page rank.
SEMRush custom offer at the end of the report
And a cunning end-point which is a marketing “trick” I’ve used a lot for clients – on the very, very last page is an offer. A really good one. SEMRush will do a niche study for your industry if you write to ask. We did (for a client) and they said they’d been overwhelmed and would put it on the list…. but still. This is a fabulous reward for the people who do read all the way to the end. #TopTip
Ready to rock with some improvements on your business SEO? Let’s get started together!
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/RAnking-Factors-SEM-RUsh.png8601230Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2017-07-05 13:58:062020-01-24 01:45:01What's new in SEO? 5 actions to do today
It’s really easy to find a specialist supplier. It’s really difficult to find out if they are any good at that specialism. Especially when it is in an area that you know nothing about.
What is an Expert? Image Credit: Workcabincommunications.ca
Giving a keynote speech to an industry group recently I was stunned to find how many felt that they did not have the confidence to hire a website designer. This motivated me to write this short guide.
How to hire an expert (when you don’t know)
Are you a business owner who feels that they got mis-sold or ripped off by a website design project?
Did you pay a lot of money and find that the website you got did not deliver what was promised?
This is my tried and tested technique that will help you to find a supplier who is both an expert and will work well with your project situation.
Start with the outcome you want. Can you describe in plain English what you want to happen by the end of the project? Use this to explain what you want to buy. So you could say I need a website that will showcase my products to customers living in Australian cities who buy mens fashion. That is much clearer than “I want a website that will put me on page one of Google”. [By the way, that’s impossible to promise – so don’t trust anyone who says they can do this for you.] When we work with clients seeking websites, read the descriptions we write about their projects.
Ask good questions. By gaining detail from questions, you can discover the depth of expertise in each business you talk to. Let’s say you have a written quote from a web developer explaining how they’d achieve your outcome. You can ask them questions like “What’s the best way to achieve my outcome?” and “How will you go about doing that?”. So if they say that on-page SEO is the best way to achieve search results for customers living in Australian cities who buy mens fashion, ask them to show you HOW they’ll do it. Step. By. Step. Yes, I’d ask them to explain in this level of detail. If they can’t do it, or do not appear consistent, or are unwilling that’s a big red flag that they may not have a robust process methodology.
Know the language they use and understand it. Write down the words they use in written submissions and in conversation. Go away and look them up. What is on-page SEO? How do UTM Tags work? There is no shame in research and increasing YOUR knowledge. And afterwards, you can follow up and get them to explain more about the phrase they used once you understand what it is. So that’s back to Step 2 – ask good questions.
Run tests when you are face to face. Any skilled operator should be able to show you real live work jobs that they have done or are currently working on that will be using the same techniques as your project. So when you meet your expert – get them to SHOW you what they mean. Open up Google Analytics for YOUR website live in the meeting on your laptop. Ask them for their views on your recent traffic history. Watch how they browse inside Google Analytics – do they know the sub-menus, can they navigate confidently to the answer they’re talking about, do they explain something which you hadn’t noticed? Nobody who works in marketing should be ignorant of GA. Including YOU. So if they don’t or can’t use it. Run away fast. Another test you can run is to show them a problem you have and ask how they’d fix it. Then ask them “How will I know that this problem is fixed?” so that they show you the proof that they are an expert and good at their job and can prove it as well.
Think hard before hiring a friend. Many business people like to recommend other businesses. Nothing wrong with this. But in my experience, your friend or your friend’s friend is probably not the only person who can help you. Do interview the friend, but also go and look for other supplier experts and compare them fairly. You want the best value for your business, after all, don’t you?
Now you’ve got a good core set of skills to start your expert hiring process. Be courageous and keep good records – you won’t regret it.
And if you want a website built, or some direct response copywriting, or a video made and overall effective marketing done that brings in sales – get in touch with us. We will either teach you how to do it yourself or we can do it for you. Easy!
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Hire-an-Expert.png7461442Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2017-07-02 09:00:372020-01-24 01:44:57How to hire any expert e.g. a website developer
After the success of our last SEO event, Creative Agency Secrets has teamed with KOR Creative to bring you Unlocked: SEO and Video Secrets!
With more customers reaching for businesses that utilise digital channels, it pays to invest in a good online strategy. SEO can help your website gain more traffic and leads, whilst video provides a visual appeal. Video and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) are two key elements to increase your search engine ranking.
Rebecca Caroe and Steve Wallace have prepared a breakfast seminar where you can learn how to attract quality traffic to your website, through SEO and Video.
You will also have the opportunity to network with local business owners while feasting on a breakfast of your choice at this exclusive CAS and KOR event!
There are a limited amount of seats, so be sure to get in quick.
Enter the code BIZDOJO2017 for a 50% discount at the checkout!
https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_577535434-1.jpg6671000Creative Agency Secrets Teamhttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgCreative Agency Secrets Team2017-06-24 10:02:182017-06-23 17:39:51You are invited to... UNLOCKED: SEO and Video Secrets
You want to run an event for your business promotion, but are unsure how to promote it and get attendees. This playbook of tips encourages cross-publicity from offline to online and helps to build up an email mailing list which will also help with future promotions.
Starting with a focus on Social Media
1 – Creating excellent content about your event speaker(s). This should be original so ask for an interview and video them as they talk to you.
2 – Edit their interview into 90 seconds long videos. Include a start and end “card” with the event logo and your business URL. Add sub-titles so the Facebook feed will play them and the watcher can understand. Start to publish on Facebook and LinkedIn and link to the video on other relevant channels (local newspapers, Neighbourly, Chamber of Commerce etc)
3 – Publish the video to your Website blog
4 – Make a picture of the presenter and include a quotation from their 2017 speech. Also share this on Facebook and on your blog. On the picture, always have your URL
5 – Follow the presenter’s personal blog / websites. This is so you can do curated content.
6 – Every Friday send an email to your mailing list with a link to the video you published that week. Also include links to the other articles written by the speaker(s) from your list in 5 above.
Here is a good example of a preview video from a conference
https://vimeo.com/156510830
7 – Encourage readers to add comments to the videos as you share them. What questions does this raise for you? How would you solve this? Does this match with your experience?
8 – On the website, add a prominent signup to news form either by lightbox or on the page header – explain what people get when they sign up (Fridaynews with new educational video content and links to expert articles)
9 – Also publish the newsletter on the blog every week
10 – As the event gets closer, add in more publicity for the speakers on the theme of the event itself – you can do this by asking the speaking team to allow you to interview them by Hangout or Skype video chat. Your interview should be 3 questions only.
11 – Get your video edited down to 90 seconds as in 2 above.
12 – Make a still image of the person with a quote from the video (just like above)
13 – Share on social, add to the newsletter, encourage people to comment or ask questions. Ask the speakers to also share the video onto their website and social channels.
14 – Continue weekly until you release the tickets for the event. By this time you should have a good mailing list of prospects and this will help early bird ticket sales.
The Webstock conference in Wellington each February is a very good example o this methodology – join their mailing list to see how it can be done. Note their newsletter also shares jobs and event listings which is a very nice way to enable them to stay relevant in the year between conferences.
Go rock your event… and don’t forget to video it and release the video afterwards so the people who didn’t come realise what they missed!
There will always be debate when it comes to marketing a business using digital and traditional marketing methods, and while there are no right or wrong ways when it comes to marketing a business, you’ll find a lot of business owners prefer one of the routes rather than both. Some marketers prefer traditional marketing because their target audience is local, whereas others prefer digital marketing because they’re trying to target an audience on a global scale.
Traditional and Digital Marketing ImageCredit: LinkedIn
However, both techniques are a lot more similar than people think and here are a few points that would suggest this.
Both Techniques Offer Cost-Effective Marketing Strategies
The great benefit of both techniques is that while the cost in marketing can vary a lot depending on the methods used, both techniques still offer free or very affordable marketing strategies. Take digital marketing, for example, where there are no costs involved when it comes to social media marketing unless a business wants to take advantage of one of the advertising platforms available. The same also goes for a traditional marketing method such as leaflet distribution – leaflets cost very little to print and paying someone to distribute them is affordable.
If you’re looking to market a business but you’re unsure of what route to take, consider obtaining a master in marketing online using an online MSM program, as that will give you the knowledge you need to take your business forward.
Each Marketing Strategy Can Target a Specific Demographic
With the help of social media platforms, it’s now very easy to get insight on demographics so you can target a specific age range or country, which makes digital marketing very easy. The same goes for traditional marketing methods such as leaflet distribution – you can easily target family homes or specific age ranges thanks to local/online records and user statistics.
Excellent Chance of Success
Whether you opt for the traditional marketing route, digital marketing, or even both, you can be sure that both techniques offer a brilliant chance of success if the correct marketing strategies are deployed. There is no higher chance of success rate for either technique as each offers different prospects depending on the type of business and audience you’re targeting – so taking advantage of both techniques could prove to be successful.
Techniques Can Be Used Together
The benefit of both marketing techniques is that they can be used together. If your business is new, you can always opt for a digital marketing strategy using social media to keep costs at a minimum, but there’s nothing wrong with using both techniques together as your business starts to grow. Most businesses will advertise locally using postcards and leaflets, but then they will also start a social media marketing campaign around the same time to get more exposure.
Both marketing techniques offer a variety of benefits depending on the business that implements them. However, even though they are completely different techniques in terms of the work involved in marketing, the above suggests that they are, in fact, quite similar after all.
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Are you looking to build a loyal following among your customers? Great marketing strategies brought them to you, but now it’s your job to keep them. Marketing can only do so much and it is important to understand that there is nothing more effective than customer care when seeking to grow your market. Poor customer service is one of the leading reasons why so many consumers hop from one company to the next, and if you want to keep your current customer base while adding new customers along the way, it would pay to focus on making improvements to customer retentions skills.
Here are 3 of the most important to begin with.
1. Stop Talking and Start Listening
Sometimes it’s hard to stop talking about the products or services you are promoting because you, personally, know what they can do and how effective they are. Unfortunately, all the benefits you might be talking about may not be what the customer is looking for. Instead of giving them a sales pitch, why don’t you listen to exactly what it is they are looking for? What brought them to you may not be what they need, but by listening to them you may be able to provide them with an alternative solution. Consumers are literally fed up with high powered sales techniques and above all, they want to be heard!
2. When You MUST Talk – Give Them Something of Value
Sometimes you don’t need to say very much at all if you can point your customers in the direction of where they can find the information they are seeking.
For example, you are explaining a new electronic device your company just launched and a very important feature is the amazing circuitry on the printed circuit board or PCB. Many consumers are technologically challenged, so why not provide an extensive FAQ on your website? Give them information on exactly what a printed circuit board is and why its design is a critical element in your device. Perhaps any safeguards you’ve built in against hardware Trojans can be mentioned so they will know that you care about their security as well as making the almighty buck!
And Air New Zealand helps its customers work out what sort of holiday they prefer using a simple quiz. This groups customers into segments which will affect future messaging and content served to them. Gamifying customer segments increases engagement and helps customers to self-identify as different to the brand.
3. Improve Your Own Knowledge
It’s important at this point to know the difference between a consumer who knows little about electronics, for example, and a consumer who is market savvy. Just because they don’t know what a PCB is or how its design can impact the device you are promoting, doesn’t mean they can tell the difference between a salesman and a tech-savvy associate! If you want to retain customers, it pays to learn as much as you can about the products and/or services you offer. You never know when that one answer to an important question a customer comes back with next week is the main reason they stay with your company for future sales.
In the end, it’s all about hearing what your customers are saying so that you can give them well-informed answers to any questions which might arise. If they can believe in you, the person they are communicating with, they can believe in your company. Salesforce says that as many as 70% of customers look for that all-important connection. Do you want to retain customers you’ve sold? Listen to what they are saying! Sometimes, it’s as simple as that.
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Working with a client who makes animated explainer videos – Case Study of how to grow referrals. We discuss three ways they can get more referral business.
Image by NWeSource
1.Innovations in your specialism
Every market changes over time – fads pass, new ideas surface. So write about what’s happening in your market. Consider writing about styles, techniques, innovations to be added onto an explainer video (if that’s your business). So which new styles are coming about? Where did each one come from – background and timeline of the evolution.
In the writing analyse the change, what are the component parts, which elements stand out. You could add in new uses for explainer videos – for example in a PitchPack video brochure.
The goal:
Give the reader the education and tools to make an analysis themselves of whether their archive of explainer videos is getting dated
Show your opinion as a market leader on what’s good, what’s new and what’s to be avoided
Create content which you can share with past clients and encourage them to update their videos and re-buy from you. [This is referring back to prior clients, not new ones.]
2. Create a Call list
You need to speak to people if you sell in Business to Business (B2B). The best way to start a dialogue is with Open Questions. These encourage a longer response from the other person and give you insight into their views on a topic. Any insight enables you to position your services as a solution to issues they raise.
Here’s an example of a call prompt (not really a script).
“Hello, Rebecca. I sent you our article about new styles in explainer videos. I just wanted to get your opinion on it. What did you think?”
Can you imagine how the call will develop into a discussion?
Yes, so can I.
Whether you get a new job immediately or not, you stand a good chance of doing some good things
Checking your contact database is still current – add new names in if you can
Finding out the current situation in the client business with regard to your service offering
Reminding them that you exist and have been trusted with work in the past
Updating your CRM with lead status (cold, warm, hot)
Possibly opening new opportunities for new business.
Create this call list from a list of all your clients from the past 3 years (more if you’ve been in business longer). Also add to the list from your Linked In connections and those from your co-workers. Goal to have 100 people on the list to call.
Plan on making 3 calls per week, per person in your team. Yes, new business development requires discipline and is hard. We can teach you how…
3. Getting Referrals
Start to build a referral marketing engine into your daily project work as well. We find what works best is to connect with them early in the project.
Start with a “Happy call” when you ring asking for feedback on how the job is going.
Then build on this with a similar call just after the project has been delivered. Remind them of what they said on the earlier call. This is the moment to ask for a testimonial for the project team.
After getting this, I usually wrap up by asking
Do you know anyone else who might like to meet us?
My goal is to get two names of people as an introduction. My big tip to make this successful is to ask the question and then to stay silent until the other person has come up with a name…. stay silent as they “ummm” and say “maybe”, “well”, “I’m not sure” and still stay silent and they will 80% of the time come up with a name. If they firmly say no, you can prompt with – maybe a co-worker in a different team or maybe someone from your previous job and see if that can deliver a name.
How to use the introduction….. write an email to BOTH people. This is my template email that works.
Subject: NAME OF THE INTRODUCER
Hi Alex,
Our AGENCY NAME has just completed a job for INTRODUCER and s/he suggested you as someone who might like to get to know us.
We completed an explainer video (link) for INTRODUCER.
I took a look at your website and [something helpful here which they can use immediately].
Looking forward to connecting.
Lots of love from Rebecca (only joking… use an appropriate sign off).
I always cc the introducer in this message so they know what I said.
In the email you could tell them about the customer satisfaction scores or Net Promoter Score which your team has acquired over time. Or link to TrustPilot Reviews or your Google My Business Review score.
The follow up call is just a friendly get to know you call. No selling. But if you feel it’s gone well you can follow up with an email linking to a helpful resource from your website. Here’s one I use frequently.
This is an example of the type of helpful marketing tips which Creative Agency Secrets writes in our newsletter and blog.We want to enable you to buy web services as an informed consumer (and we don’t build websites, we help our clients to use them actively to win new client business).
Cute eh?
Then you have to put them onto a stay-in-touch programme or ask if they will allow you to stay in touch with a newsletter subscription. Either way, one call won’t win you business but a dedicated process to provide utility (usefulness) to them, will ensure you are remembered and they take your calls in future.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/referral-NWeSource.png420596Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2017-06-08 17:13:202022-12-19 11:57:24Case Study: Three ways to increase referrals
Online reviews are a cornerstone of how consumers make decisions whether to buy a product or not.If you see a product that you want, you will read through the reviews to make sure that you are going to be getting what you need from the product.If the product website does not have reviews, the odds are good that you are searching online for one that does have them.But what if you are the business that is getting reviewed?There is a certain level of expectation that you are not going to have 100% positive reviews, right?Here we discuss some ways that you can handle negative reviews online.
The Site Does Not Matter
It does not matter if the review was posted on a very well-known site or one that you might have never heard of, people will find it online.That means you have to take all of them seriously and get a plan in order so that you can defend your business against them.The first time that you see a negative online review about your business you are probably wishing that you had an online public relations degree.Build a plan and stick to it and then reviews will eventually get taken care of on all the sites they are posted to.
Contact the Review Site First
Depending on the review site where you found the negative review, you might be able to contact them about it.Take a minute and search through the site to see if you can find contact information relevant to your review and how to handle it properly.If you think the review was added by a competitor, you may have a leg to stand on to get it removed, but the process will have to be fool proof.
Join In and Engage The Reviewer
If the website that you find the negative reviews on allows you to respond to them, take a minute and do just that.Being able to explain the situation to them and possibly clear up the reasons they left the review is the first step to repairing your reputation.There is not really any need to hire a public relations expert for this, but an intern working towards an online masters in public relations might not be a bad place to start looking for help.
Always Encourage Positive Reviews from Customers
In many cases, and to keep things fair, you might find that negative reviews are not going to disappear from the internet.If that is the case, you can combat them by asking your future customers to leave positive reviews if they are satisfied with your business.There is nothing wrong with asking for some help if they are truly happy with your services.Over time, this will push the negative reviews and bring your overall average rating up, helping your business.
Take a minute to take a look at your business and if there is anything that might cause a negative review.There could be a few easy fixes that you can do to keep the negative reviews to a minimum.Good luck!
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Every good business owner and marketer knows that standing out from the crowd is important when it comes to attracting the interest of potential customers. However, when millions of companies around the world are all competing for the top spots and the most customers, standing out from the crowd can often feel impossible. Yet, some companies manage to do it, so it’s entirely possible to get both existing and potential customers to take notice of you, rather than your competition. Here are some of the best ways to encourage this.
#1. Novelty Marketing Methods:
When it comes to marketing efforts, today’s customers are used to it. Nobody is going to be wowed by Facebook banner ads, website pop-ups or being added to an email marketing list – it’s all fairly standard today, and being bombarded with advertisements has become the norm for anybody opening up their laptop or picking up their smartphone to go online. So, think outside of the box when it comes to marketing. Old-fashioned methods such as sending postcards, for example, are rarely used today. Therefore, you have an opportunity to take advantage of the gap and stand out from the crowd. Check out these great postcard design ideas for inspiration.
#2. Become an Authority:
Becoming an online ‘authority’ is trickier than it may sound, especially today when the web is filled with new content on an hourly basis. Standing out in your niche is even more difficult when you lack in knowledge, however, as your customers will expect brands to be knowledgeable about not just their own products and/or services, but also about the niche itself. Today, brands must be prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to providing their customers with information. Your audience will expect informational posts, videos, graphics, and a high level of customer engagement from your team to help them with any industry-related queries. Provide this through a highly-interactive, authority business blog or social media profile.
#3. Connect with the Audience:
The days of marketing being all about how great a product is and why you should spend your money on it are quickly dying out. Today, customers aren’t as bothered when it comes to learning about a product; the amount of competition available means that they can probably buy it or something similar elsewhere. When it comes to price, they know that a quick Google search will likely give them all the information that they need on where to find the best deals. So, what are they looking for in a brand? Today, customers want to shop with brands that they feel relate to them on a more personal, individual level. A strong level of customer service, prioritizing the online user experience and offering additional support, advice and information to your customers to help provide solutions to their industry-related problems all come under your brand’s ‘voice’, to connect with your audience on a human level.
Did these tips help? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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What’s new in SEO? 5 actions to do today
/2 Comments/in B2B, B2C, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Data, Digital media, Marketing, Marketing ideas, SEO /by Rebecca CaroeLast week I got the latest research on SEO from trusted brand SEM Rush. You can download and read their report Ranking Factors 2017 in SEO.
Ranking Factors 2017 report from SEMRush
Creative Agency Secrets has read the whole report and below are 5 SEO tasks you can initiate immediately for your own website or ecommerce store.
The report has a number of chapters each of which is followed by “What this means to you as a marketer” Read these pages for the SEMRush interpretation of their research findings.
5 SEO actions for 2017
The Detailed insights
Note these are paraphrased from the SEMRush report including some verbatim quotes. All the ACTION FOR YOU tasks are recommendations by us for your website or ecommerce store. The page numbers are the actual page number in the report NOT the number top RHS.
If you want help, Creative Agency Secrets offers 2 services – we can do it for you; we can teach you how to do it yourself.
SEMRush custom offer at the end of the report
And a cunning end-point which is a marketing “trick” I’ve used a lot for clients – on the very, very last page is an offer. A really good one. SEMRush will do a niche study for your industry if you write to ask. We did (for a client) and they said they’d been overwhelmed and would put it on the list…. but still. This is a fabulous reward for the people who do read all the way to the end. #TopTip
Ready to rock with some improvements on your business SEO? Let’s get started together!
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How to hire any expert e.g. a website developer
/0 Comments/in B2B, B2C, Golden Question, Pitching /by Rebecca CaroeIt’s really easy to find a specialist supplier. It’s really difficult to find out if they are any good at that specialism. Especially when it is in an area that you know nothing about.
What is an Expert? Image Credit: Workcabincommunications.ca
Giving a keynote speech to an industry group recently I was stunned to find how many felt that they did not have the confidence to hire a website designer. This motivated me to write this short guide.
How to hire an expert (when you don’t know)
Are you a business owner who feels that they got mis-sold or ripped off by a website design project?
Did you pay a lot of money and find that the website you got did not deliver what was promised?
This is my tried and tested technique that will help you to find a supplier who is both an expert and will work well with your project situation.
Now you’ve got a good core set of skills to start your expert hiring process. Be courageous and keep good records – you won’t regret it.
And if you want a website built, or some direct response copywriting, or a video made and overall effective marketing done that brings in sales – get in touch with us. We will either teach you how to do it yourself or we can do it for you. Easy!
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You are invited to… UNLOCKED: SEO and Video Secrets
/0 Comments/in Marketing /by Creative Agency Secrets TeamDon’t be a Digital Caveman!
After the success of our last SEO event, Creative Agency Secrets has teamed with KOR Creative to bring you Unlocked: SEO and Video Secrets!
With more customers reaching for businesses that utilise digital channels, it pays to invest in a good online strategy. SEO can help your website gain more traffic and leads, whilst video provides a visual appeal. Video and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) are two key elements to increase your search engine ranking.
Rebecca Caroe and Steve Wallace have prepared a breakfast seminar where you can learn how to attract quality traffic to your website, through SEO and Video.
For one of our clients, we helped to boost their website from the second page of Google search to the second link on the first page! Click here to see how SEO helped Baucher Consulting get to the top of the search list!
You will also have the opportunity to network with local business owners while feasting on a breakfast of your choice at this exclusive CAS and KOR event!
There are a limited amount of seats, so be sure to get in quick.
Enter the code BIZDOJO2017 for a 50% discount at the checkout!
Reserve your space here!
Steve Wallace (KOR Creative)
Rebecca Caroe (Creative Agency Secrets)
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The Event Promotion Playbook
/0 Comments/in Marketing /by Rebecca CaroeStarting with a focus on Social Media
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4 Points That Suggest Traditional and Digital Marketing Methods are Similar
/0 Comments/in Marketing /by Rebecca CaroeThere will always be debate when it comes to marketing a business using digital and traditional marketing methods, and while there are no right or wrong ways when it comes to marketing a business, you’ll find a lot of business owners prefer one of the routes rather than both. Some marketers prefer traditional marketing because their target audience is local, whereas others prefer digital marketing because they’re trying to target an audience on a global scale.
Traditional and Digital Marketing ImageCredit: LinkedIn
However, both techniques are a lot more similar than people think and here are a few points that would suggest this.
Both Techniques Offer Cost-Effective Marketing Strategies
The great benefit of both techniques is that while the cost in marketing can vary a lot depending on the methods used, both techniques still offer free or very affordable marketing strategies. Take digital marketing, for example, where there are no costs involved when it comes to social media marketing unless a business wants to take advantage of one of the advertising platforms available. The same also goes for a traditional marketing method such as leaflet distribution – leaflets cost very little to print and paying someone to distribute them is affordable.
If you’re looking to market a business but you’re unsure of what route to take, consider obtaining a master in marketing online using an online MSM program, as that will give you the knowledge you need to take your business forward.
Each Marketing Strategy Can Target a Specific Demographic
With the help of social media platforms, it’s now very easy to get insight on demographics so you can target a specific age range or country, which makes digital marketing very easy. The same goes for traditional marketing methods such as leaflet distribution – you can easily target family homes or specific age ranges thanks to local/online records and user statistics.
Excellent Chance of Success
Whether you opt for the traditional marketing route, digital marketing, or even both, you can be sure that both techniques offer a brilliant chance of success if the correct marketing strategies are deployed. There is no higher chance of success rate for either technique as each offers different prospects depending on the type of business and audience you’re targeting – so taking advantage of both techniques could prove to be successful.
Techniques Can Be Used Together
The benefit of both marketing techniques is that they can be used together. If your business is new, you can always opt for a digital marketing strategy using social media to keep costs at a minimum, but there’s nothing wrong with using both techniques together as your business starts to grow. Most businesses will advertise locally using postcards and leaflets, but then they will also start a social media marketing campaign around the same time to get more exposure.
Both marketing techniques offer a variety of benefits depending on the business that implements them. However, even though they are completely different techniques in terms of the work involved in marketing, the above suggests that they are, in fact, quite similar after all.
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3 Ways to Improve Customer Retention
/0 Comments/in Marketing /by Sudip MuttAre you looking to build a loyal following among your customers? Great marketing strategies brought them to you, but now it’s your job to keep them. Marketing can only do so much and it is important to understand that there is nothing more effective than customer care when seeking to grow your market. Poor customer service is one of the leading reasons why so many consumers hop from one company to the next, and if you want to keep your current customer base while adding new customers along the way, it would pay to focus on making improvements to customer retentions skills.
Here are 3 of the most important to begin with.
1. Stop Talking and Start Listening
Sometimes it’s hard to stop talking about the products or services you are promoting because you, personally, know what they can do and how effective they are. Unfortunately, all the benefits you might be talking about may not be what the customer is looking for. Instead of giving them a sales pitch, why don’t you listen to exactly what it is they are looking for? What brought them to you may not be what they need, but by listening to them you may be able to provide them with an alternative solution. Consumers are literally fed up with high powered sales techniques and above all, they want to be heard!
2. When You MUST Talk – Give Them Something of Value
Sometimes you don’t need to say very much at all if you can point your customers in the direction of where they can find the information they are seeking.
For example, you are explaining a new electronic device your company just launched and a very important feature is the amazing circuitry on the printed circuit board or PCB. Many consumers are technologically challenged, so why not provide an extensive FAQ on your website? Give them information on exactly what a printed circuit board is and why its design is a critical element in your device. Perhaps any safeguards you’ve built in against hardware Trojans can be mentioned so they will know that you care about their security as well as making the almighty buck!
And Air New Zealand helps its customers work out what sort of holiday they prefer using a simple quiz. This groups customers into segments which will affect future messaging and content served to them. Gamifying customer segments increases engagement and helps customers to self-identify as different to the brand.
3. Improve Your Own Knowledge
It’s important at this point to know the difference between a consumer who knows little about electronics, for example, and a consumer who is market savvy. Just because they don’t know what a PCB is or how its design can impact the device you are promoting, doesn’t mean they can tell the difference between a salesman and a tech-savvy associate! If you want to retain customers, it pays
to learn as much as you can about the products and/or services you offer. You never know when that one answer to an important question a customer comes back with next week is the main reason they stay with your company for future sales.
In the end, it’s all about hearing what your customers are saying so that you can give them well-informed answers to any questions which might arise. If they can believe in you, the person they are communicating with, they can believe in your company. Salesforce says that as many as 70% of customers look for that all-important connection. Do you want to retain customers you’ve sold? Listen to what they are saying! Sometimes, it’s as simple as that.
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Case Study: Three ways to increase referrals
/0 Comments/in B2B, Case Studies, Content Marketing, Marketing, Marketing ideas, Sales /by Rebecca CaroeWorking with a client who makes animated explainer videos – Case Study of how to grow referrals. We discuss three ways they can get more referral business.
Image by NWeSource
1. Innovations in your specialism
Every market changes over time – fads pass, new ideas surface. So write about what’s happening in your market. Consider writing about styles, techniques, innovations to be added onto an explainer video (if that’s your business). So which new styles are coming about? Where did each one come from – background and timeline of the evolution.
In the writing analyse the change, what are the component parts, which elements stand out. You could add in new uses for explainer videos – for example in a PitchPack video brochure.
The goal:
2. Create a Call list
You need to speak to people if you sell in Business to Business (B2B). The best way to start a dialogue is with Open Questions. These encourage a longer response from the other person and give you insight into their views on a topic. Any insight enables you to position your services as a solution to issues they raise.
Here’s an example of a call prompt (not really a script).
Can you imagine how the call will develop into a discussion?
Yes, so can I.
Whether you get a new job immediately or not, you stand a good chance of doing some good things
Create this call list from a list of all your clients from the past 3 years (more if you’ve been in business longer). Also add to the list from your Linked In connections and those from your co-workers. Goal to have 100 people on the list to call.
Plan on making 3 calls per week, per person in your team. Yes, new business development requires discipline and is hard. We can teach you how…
3. Getting Referrals
Start to build a referral marketing engine into your daily project work as well. We find what works best is to connect with them early in the project.
Start with a “Happy call” when you ring asking for feedback on how the job is going.
Then build on this with a similar call just after the project has been delivered. Remind them of what they said on the earlier call. This is the moment to ask for a testimonial for the project team.
After getting this, I usually wrap up by asking
My goal is to get two names of people as an introduction. My big tip to make this successful is to ask the question and then to stay silent until the other person has come up with a name…. stay silent as they “ummm” and say “maybe”, “well”, “I’m not sure” and still stay silent and they will 80% of the time come up with a name. If they firmly say no, you can prompt with – maybe a co-worker in a different team or maybe someone from your previous job and see if that can deliver a name.
How to use the introduction….. write an email to BOTH people. This is my template email that works.
Subject: NAME OF THE INTRODUCER
Hi Alex,
Our AGENCY NAME has just completed a job for INTRODUCER and s/he suggested you as someone who might like to get to know us.
We completed an explainer video (link) for INTRODUCER.
I took a look at your website and [something helpful here which they can use immediately].
Looking forward to connecting.
Lots of love from Rebecca (only joking… use an appropriate sign off).
I always cc the introducer in this message so they know what I said.
In the email you could tell them about the customer satisfaction scores or Net Promoter Score which your team has acquired over time. Or link to TrustPilot Reviews or your Google My Business Review score.
The follow up call is just a friendly get to know you call. No selling. But if you feel it’s gone well you can follow up with an email linking to a helpful resource from your website. Here’s one I use frequently.
Cute eh?
Then you have to put them onto a stay-in-touch programme or ask if they will allow you to stay in touch with a newsletter subscription. Either way, one call won’t win you business but a dedicated process to provide utility (usefulness) to them, will ensure you are remembered and they take your calls in future.
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How to Deal with Negative Online Reviews
/0 Comments/in Marketing /by Rebecca CaroeOnline reviews are a cornerstone of how consumers make decisions whether to buy a product or not. If you see a product that you want, you will read through the reviews to make sure that you are going to be getting what you need from the product. If the product website does not have reviews, the odds are good that you are searching online for one that does have them. But what if you are the business that is getting reviewed? There is a certain level of expectation that you are not going to have 100% positive reviews, right? Here we discuss some ways that you can handle negative reviews online.
The Site Does Not Matter
It does not matter if the review was posted on a very well-known site or one that you might have never heard of, people will find it online. That means you have to take all of them seriously and get a plan in order so that you can defend your business against them. The first time that you see a negative online review about your business you are probably wishing that you had an online public relations degree. Build a plan and stick to it and then reviews will eventually get taken care of on all the sites they are posted to.
Contact the Review Site First
Depending on the review site where you found the negative review, you might be able to contact them about it. Take a minute and search through the site to see if you can find contact information relevant to your review and how to handle it properly. If you think the review was added by a competitor, you may have a leg to stand on to get it removed, but the process will have to be fool proof.
Join In and Engage The Reviewer
If the website that you find the negative reviews on allows you to respond to them, take a minute and do just that. Being able to explain the situation to them and possibly clear up the reasons they left the review is the first step to repairing your reputation. There is not really any need to hire a public relations expert for this, but an intern working towards an online masters in public relations might not be a bad place to start looking for help.
Always Encourage Positive Reviews from Customers
In many cases, and to keep things fair, you might find that negative reviews are not going to disappear from the internet. If that is the case, you can combat them by asking your future customers to leave positive reviews if they are satisfied with your business. There is nothing wrong with asking for some help if they are truly happy with your services. Over time, this will push the negative reviews and bring your overall average rating up, helping your business.
Take a minute to take a look at your business and if there is anything that might cause a negative review. There could be a few easy fixes that you can do to keep the negative reviews to a minimum. Good luck!
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3 Marketing Tips to Stand Out to Your Customers
/0 Comments/in Marketing /by Rebecca CaroeEvery good business owner and marketer knows that standing out from the crowd is important when it comes to attracting the interest of potential customers. However, when millions of companies around the world are all competing for the top spots and the most customers, standing out from the crowd can often feel impossible. Yet, some companies manage to do it, so it’s entirely possible to get both existing and potential customers to take notice of you, rather than your competition. Here are some of the best ways to encourage this.
#1. Novelty Marketing Methods:
When it comes to marketing efforts, today’s customers are used to it. Nobody is going to be wowed by Facebook banner ads, website pop-ups or being added to an email marketing list – it’s all fairly standard today, and being bombarded with advertisements has become the norm for anybody opening up their laptop or picking up their smartphone to go online. So, think outside of the box when it comes to marketing. Old-fashioned methods such as sending postcards, for example, are rarely used today. Therefore, you have an opportunity to take advantage of the gap and stand out from the crowd. Check out these great postcard design ideas for inspiration.
#2. Become an Authority:
Becoming an online ‘authority’ is trickier than it may sound, especially today when the web is filled with new content on an hourly basis. Standing out in your niche is even more difficult when you lack in knowledge, however, as your customers will expect brands to be knowledgeable about not just their own products and/or services, but also about the niche itself. Today, brands must be prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to providing their customers with information. Your audience will expect informational posts, videos, graphics, and a high level of customer engagement from your team to help them with any industry-related queries. Provide this through a highly-interactive, authority business blog or social media profile.
#3. Connect with the Audience:
The days of marketing being all about how great a product is and why you should spend your money on it are quickly dying out. Today, customers aren’t as bothered when it comes to learning about a product; the amount of competition available means that they can probably buy it or something similar elsewhere. When it comes to price, they know that a quick Google search will likely give them all the information that they need on where to find the best deals. So, what are they looking for in a brand? Today, customers want to shop with brands that they feel relate to them on a more personal, individual level. A strong level of customer service, prioritizing the online user experience and offering additional support, advice and information to your customers to help provide solutions to their industry-related problems all come under your brand’s ‘voice’, to connect with your audience on a human level.
Did these tips help? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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