There’s a ton of advice about using Instagram as an effective online marketing tool, but it can be challenging to scale your e-commerce brand on Instagram if you are a new brand without many followers yet.
New accounts often have low engagement rates, which can be disheartening, but there are ways to navigate this period strategically.
Let’s talk about why Instagram as a marketing tool matters, how it can help you grow your business, and look at effective strategies to grow your e-commerce brand—even when you have no followers.
To do this, you have to understand what makes Instagram a powerful e-commerce tool.
Research shows we remember more of what we see through photos and videos than what we read through plain text. This makes visually-oriented platforms like Instagram a prime tool for marketing.
Instagram lets you upload product photos, share demo videos, launch partnerships with influencers, connect with engaged followers, and boost your ROI.
Engaging with users takes mere minutes but has the potential to boost your revenue significantly.
Here’s how to get started.
Turn on notifications for all comments.
Respond to every comment you receive, be it positive or negative. This will help increase engagement on your posts.
Review feedback and see if there are areas you can improve in.
Thank users for taking the time to interact with your posts.
Avoid starting fights in your comment sections, even if you disagree with a user’s perspective. This will help you maintain a positive impression online.
Research Competitors
If you’re not sure about how to get started, look at what your competitors are doing.
Your competitors have already done a ton of the heavy lifting and collected a huge base of engaged followers. You can use this to your advantage.
All you have to do to attract your own following is to head to the Instagram profiles of your competitors and steal their audience.
You should already have a pretty good idea of who your competitors are. If you don’t, try using Instagram’s discover tool to find popular accounts in your industry.
You can also search for keywords and hashtags that relate to your brand to get started. The top accounts relating to that keyword should appear.
They typically say, “like this post and tag a friend to win a free product, but that strategy might not be the most effective way to gain real followers.
Giveaways often attract people who want free stuff and are willing to like your images to get it.
Instead, ask users to upload Instagram photos about your e-commerce brand or follow your page. If you ask users to post content, be sure to share a branded hashtag to get discovered by more users.
To start, announce your contest with an Instagram post. Include the rules in the description section so people will know how to enter.
If you need help coming up with giveaway ideas, try out a tool like Woobox. The tool helps brands of all types and sizes create social media contests that drive sales, increase followers, and collect leads.
Consider offering your own products for free instead of prizes unrelated to your niche or brand, like a free iPad. Otherwise, people may only follow you for the prize rather than their interest in your brand.
Post User-Generated Content (UGC)
If you want to drive engagement, make a habit of posting user-generated content. This can be as simple as asking users to review your product in exchange for a free sample.
You can also choose to host bigger UGC contests where dozens (or hundreds) of users share their experiences related to your product and industry. This can help you reach new users you wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Customize and Optimize Your Shop
Giveaways and hashtags might be easier than a customized, well-optimized shop, but they aren’t more important.
Here are a few ways to customize and optimize your Instagram e-commerce store for maximum visibility.
Offer promotions right in the photo or the first line of the description, so users don’t scroll past it.
Add shoppable links to your photos so customers can buy your product directly.
Keep your descriptions simple, clean, and easy to understand so new users can quickly get an idea about what your Instagram e-commerce brand stands for.
Add links to your store on other channels, including your Instagram description (or bio), website, other social media pages, and email signature.
Create a Branded Hashtag
A simple way to keep track of who is talking about your e-commerce store on Instagram is to create a branded hashtag. You can use your business name, an existing slogan, or another creative phrase.
Then, let your customers know what the tag is by adding it to your bio and encouraging followers to use it in their posts.
Later, you can search for your hashtag to find and quickly share user-generated content. You should also add these tags to your images to remind your followers about it.
For instance, when you search the tag “#topshop,” millions of photo results show popular UGC related to the brand.
User-generated images don’t just give your brand more exposure; they also give other Instagram users exposure so they can gain more followers, too. It’s a win-win situation.
Prioritize Customer Experience
Sometimes you can do all the right things and still not get satisfactory results. You used all the right hashtags, engaged with your customers, and created tons of user-generated content, but you’re still not getting many sales.
Are you making it easy for Instagram users to find your website or buy your products? Is your storefront easy to navigate? Do you have alt-text for your images? Do you offer a prompt response to questions?
These may seem like trivial things, but a good customer experience can go a long way in helping you find lifelong customers.
Partner With Influencers in Your Niche
Instagram influencers are users with a large number of followers and a great engagement rate.
Why do they matter for your Instagram e-commerce business?
They can help you expand your brand’s reach. These individuals have hundreds, thousands, sometimes millions of followers interested in hearing what these influencers have to say.
So if they recommend your product on their account, you are likely to see an uptick in sales.
Find influencers and large accounts in your niche. For example, if you’re a beauty company, reach out to beauty bloggers and ask them for a product post.
If a user puts an email address on their profile or says something like “DM for business inquiries,” it typically means they’re interested in sharing sponsored posts.
Email or DM these accounts and ask what their standard pricing is for sponsored posts. Try and establish a relationship with these users.
If they’re willing to work with your competitor, they may be willing to work with you.
Then, make a spreadsheet comparing each account’s followers, cost per post, CPM, average likes per post, and followers divided by the average likes per post.
Pick the account(s) with the biggest payoff and lowest price.
If you’re selling an original or unique product, it may be better to ask for a review instead of a product post.
Don’t think you have to go for the big names. Sometimes micro-influencers with just a few thousand followers have a better ROI because they have a more targeted audience.
Use Product Tags
Another way to increase customer convenience is to use product tags to amplify your Instagram e-commerce sales.
This makes it easier for them to purchase, especially if they are browsing on the go (like most of us.)
Create Product Collections
Instagram has been working hard to create user-friendly shop interfaces to increase e-commerce activity.
Along with handy features like product tags, Instagram launched product collections, where users can browse through products from a similar category.
This image from the Instagram business blog shows that product collections make it straightforward to find what you want while scrolling through attractive pictures of the products.
Instagram E-Commerce FAQs
Do I have to pay for an Instagram e-commerce shop?
Creating an Instagram account highlighting your products is free, but you may have to spend money on advertising, shipping, taxes, transaction fees, and other tools to make a sale.
How to know if I’m eligible for an Instagram e-commerce shop?
Instagram has posted official eligibility guidelines on their help page. These include having a legal product, being located in a supporting market, and providing accurate information about your business, among other rules.
How many followers do you need to get Instagram shopping?
Unlike the 10,000-follower rule for the swipe-up feature on Instagram Stories, anybody can access Instagram e-commerce features as long as they meet the eligibility criteria.
Do you need a website to sell on Instagram?
Yes, Instagram’s e-commerce rules state that your business must own a website domain from which you intend to sell your products to qualify for an Instagram shop.
What separates the heavyweights of the search engine rankings from everyone else? That’s a question every good SEO constantly asks themselves as they look to outrank sites that seem to dominate Google for every relevant keyword (like Wikipedia or WebMD).
Unsurprisingly, these sites have more than a few things in common. It’s not just their age or authority either—factors that other sites can’t hope to match. There are plenty of similar qualities that help top sites stand apart from their competitors that you can copy and improve today.
Let’s review five of the most important and surprising factors and explain what you can learn from them and how you can use that to improve your own site.
1. Backlinks Reign Supreme
Let’s get the least surprising commonality out of the way first. The top-ranked sites on Google all have a serious number of backlinks. As we all know, high-quality backlinks almost always mean high rankings.
Research from Backlinko finds the first result on Google has an average of 3.8 times as many backlinks as the rest of the results on the first page.
The big boys have it made when it comes to acquiring more backlinks, too. They continue to get more backlinks over time as a result of their position in Google.
Research by Ahrefs finds that the top three results generate more new referring domains than the rest of the pages on Google. Pages ranked first and second get significantly more new referring domains. Those pages ranking first get between backlinks at a faster rate of between five percent and 14.5 percent per month.
It’s not just a large number of backlinks that are important. They need to be high quality, too. What does a quality backlink look like? It comes from an authoritative domain, is placed within its content, and has topical relevance to your website.
Let’s say you have a car blog. A link from another high-ranking car blog carries more weight and is of higher quality than a link from a major health website because it’s much more relevant to your niche.
You shouldn’t discount internal links, either. The biggest websites (and news outlets in particular) almost always put a lot of effort into making sure every new piece of content links back to several previous posts.
Great internal linking makes it significantly easier for Google to crawl your website and index your information. The easier your site is to crawl, the more likely Google will find and rank your content. They may not have the same power as backlinks, but internal links can still result in higher rankings.
All this is to say that you need to build backlinks in a scalable way if you want your site to compete with the biggest brands in your industry.
2. Provide High-Quality Content
Most top-ranking websites are well known for the quality of their content. Okay, some major sites don’t publish high-quality content all of the time, but every high-ranking site does produce exceptional content, at least some of the time.
Don’t forget, high-quality content doesn’t necessarily mean it’s longer or more detailed than everyone else’s. It might contain unique research that other companies can’t hope to copy. Or it could break a story. Or it could be designed better. Or it could go viral. There are lots of ways to create amazing content.
Doing so matters when it comes to SEO because high-quality content helps boost several ranking factors. It’s a magnet for backlinks, it reduces your bounce rate, and it should result in a higher clickthrough rate (CTR).
The top-ranked sites don’t just rely on the objective quality of their content, though. They also take steps to optimize it to perform better in Google. That means including keywords in header tags, throughout the content, in the page title, and in the URL.
Creating high-quality content isn’t easy, especially when there’s no objective way to determine how good your content is. That’s the job of your users. That being said, there are still steps you can take to make it more likely your users think highly of your content.
The first is to make sure it’s written by an expert. This is a pretty simple task for some top-ranking sites like media outlets. Journalists, by default, are experts on certain topics. However, there’s nothing stopping you from writing about your expertise or hiring expert writers, either.
You could even use a strategy adopted by some health websites, where content is written by a professional writer and then fact-checked by a medical professional. Doing so has the double benefit of having content written by an excellent writer while also being medically accurate.
3. Focus on User Experience
Top-ranking sites on Google put a premium on the user experience and do everything they can to keep customers coming back. This means having a great design, high-quality content as discussed above, an intuitive layout, and a great browsing experience in general. Yes, some of the highest-ranking sites may serve up ads on their pages, but they don’t ruin your browsing experience with them or use intrusive popup ads, either.
A great user experience is one of the reasons these sites are top of Google, after all. Google announced that user experience metrics would be used to rank sites, beginning in 2021. How your site loads, what it looks like, and how users interact with it contribute to your rankings, along with other factors like HTTPS, safe browsing, mobile friendliness, and the presence of interstitials.
Google puts such a big emphasis on your site’s user experience because it aligns with its goal of giving customers the best possible browsing experience. The search giant finds over half (52 percent) of users will be less likely to engage with a brand after a bad mobile experience. So why would it rank you if you have a high bounce rate?
Improving your site’s user experience and aligning it with the experiences provided by the top-ranking sites won’t just improve your rankings; it also makes commercial sense. Ad network Ezoic generated a 186 percent increase in earnings per 1000 visitors by improving the UX of a publisher.
4. Make Sure Your Page Speed Is Competitive
You’ve never had to wait for the New York Times to load, have you? That’s because top-ranking sites know the importance of delivering content as fast as possible. Page load speed has been a ranking factor for desktop searches since 2010, and Google announced it was also a ranking factor for mobile searches back in 2018.
Say it with me: A slower site means lower rankings.
You need to optimize for page speed if you want to mix it with the highest-ranking sites. It’s not so much about getting the edge over your competitors and making your site 0.1 seconds faster, however. It’s about having a site that’s fast enough to not impact the user experience negatively.
Research by Google finds over half (53 percent) of visitors abandon a mobile site if it doesn’t load in three seconds.
If you have a slow site, you won’t just get penalized for a poor load time. You’ll also get penalized for having a high bounce rate as users get fed up with waiting and choose a different site instead.
The easiest way to check your page speed is by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. It will let you know how fast your site is, give it a score out of 100, and suggest improvements.
Have you noticed how some top-ranking sites have several pieces of content that all seem to approach the same topic from a slightly different angle? That’s because they understand the power of user intent and the value Google places on it.
Google wants to serve up the best and most appropriate content for each query. A big part of that is understanding what the user is trying to achieve from their search. Are they trying to learn something? Research a topic? Make a purchase? Google delivers different results for each intent.
For instance, Google shows e-commerce pages where it thinks the user is trying to make a purchase, but it serves up blog articles for information-related queries.
Knowing what type of content Google thinks users want to see is key to becoming a top-ranked site, because you’re much more likely to get ranked if you create content that matches the user intent for each target keyword. This is why so many top-ranking sites have similar content targeting the same topics: to catch every user intent.
It’s not simply a matter of informational vs. commercial, either. There are dozens of types of informative content that users may want to access. In some cases, it’s a listicle. For other queries, a video may be more appropriate.
Taking time to understand the user intent for each keyword or topic you’re targeting can yield serious results. Marketing SaaS CoSchedule saw a 594 percent increase in search traffic when they aligned content with user intent.
Top Ranked Sites: FAQs
What do the top-ranking sites have in common?
They all have a lot of high-quality backlinks, great content, an excellent user experience, a fast-loading website, and content that matches the user’s intent.
Why do the top sites have so many more backlinks?
This is partly because of the quality of content but also due to the fact that they sit at the top of Google. This makes them an easy target for people trying to link to an authoritative source.
How can better content improve my rankings?
Better content can improve your rankings in several ways. High-quality content attracts more backlinks, but Google also rewards in-depth content and results in users spending a long time on the page.
Why does user experience matter?
Google wants to provide the best experience to its users. Part of that means sending them to sites that are easy to browse. It’s why user experience factors are now ranking factors.
Google the keyword you want to rank for and look at the pages that appear in the results. If all of the content has the same format, that’s the type of content you should create.
Conclusion: What You Can Learn From the Top Ranked Sites
You can’t turn your website into a top-ranking site overnight. However, you can learn a lot from them and implement tactics they use to improve your site’s Google ranking. There are more than a few things they do in common, as you’ve learned.
Make sure you have a scalable system for generating backlinks, create high-quality content, focus on the user experience, ensure your site loads fast, and consider user intent when you create content.
Do these five things, and you could be well on your way to having a top-ranked site in the future.
Building The Perfect Business Credit Portfolio with Starter Vendors for Business Credit
A perfect business credit portfolio means working with starter vendors for business credit. Starting with vendor credit accounts is a proven way to start building business credit. But we don’t include vendors just because they report to the business credit reporting agencies. We include them and we talk about them because they have quality products that you can use, and great customer service. They are not just a means to an end!
Vendor Credit Cards
Vendor credit cards will kick off business credit building for your business. First, add payment experiences from three vendors. Then they must report to business CRAs like Dun & Bradstreet. And then you can start qualifying for store credit, and fleet credit as well. Make sure business credit cards don’t report on your personal credit.
Every step and every credit provider works to help your business. The idea is to help you qualify for business credit cards that you will actually use. This isn’t building for the sake of building, and it isn’t just to increase a number. These credit providers are going to have what your business needs to succeed.
Business Credit with Starter Vendors for Business Credit
Keep in mind, business credit is independent of personal. Applying for it won’t harm your personal credit scores. Building this asset can only help your business. You can help your future business right now.
Business credit doesn’t just happen. You have to actively build it. It all starts with starter vendors. They will approve your business for credit with little fuss.
Use your credit. Pay on time, just like you should with personal credit. These vendors will report to the business credit reporting agencies. And you’ll build a good business credit score.
How to Build Business Credit
Having an EIN doesn’t mean you have established credit. If you go to a bank to try and get bank credit cards using your EIN with no credit established, you’ll get denials. That is unless you have good personal credit and use it to get approvals while supplying your personal guarantee. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
You can’t start with high limits. First you must build starter trade lines that report (vendor credit). Then you’ll have an established credit profile. Then you’ll get a business credit score. With an established business credit profile and score you can start getting high credit limits.
These trade lines are creditors who will give you initial credit when you have none now. These vendors typically offer terms such as Net 30, instead of revolving. So if you get approval for $1,000 in vendor credit and use it all, you must pay that money back in a set term. That is, within 30 days on a Net 30 account. But there are some revolving accounts which we still consider to be starter vendors.
You must pay net 30 accounts in full within 30 days. And you must pay net 60 accounts in full within 60 days. Unlike with revolving accounts, you have a set time when you must pay back what you borrowed or the credit you used.
Getting Started
To start your business credit profile the RIGHT way, get approval for vendor accounts that report to business CRAs. Once accomplished, you can then use the credit. Pay back what you used, and the account is on report to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, or Equifax.
Once reported, then you have trade lines, an established credit profile, and an established credit score. Using a newly established business credit profile and score, you can then get approval for more credit under your EIN. For vendor credit, you can leave your SSN off the application. Then the credit issuer then pulls your EIN credit, sees a solid profile and score. They can then approve you for more credit.
Building Business Credit – What You Really Need to Know
Not ALL retailers will approve you just because of your credit profile and score. Some sources can also have a time in business requirement. You may need to be in business 1-3 years to get credit not requiring a personal guarantee. Some sources might require you meet certain revenue requirements for as well. But many starter vendors will approve you without these requirements.
But Keep in Mind
You won’t get a Visa or a MasterCard (bank credit cards) right away. And you need to have credit to get more credit. You need to start building trade lines to get the big payoff. Getting initial credit is the hardest part. Over 97% of trade vendors who issue credit don’t report it to the business reporting agencies. So, you MUST find sources which actually report.
There are Benefits to Starter Vendors for Business Credit
Vendor credit is an important step in building business credit. Vendor credit is easier to get than retail or fleet credit. It can lead to more retail and fleet credit. Establishing credit will lead to lenders approving you. And best of all, this process is PROVEN to work! Just like for all credit, be responsible and pay on time.
More Benefits of Starter Vendors for Business Credit
You MUST have 3 or more vendor accounts reporting to move onto retail credit, and more are even better. It will take 30-90 days for those accounts to report. It’s 60 days on average. Do NOT apply for retail credit without having 3 or more accounts first.
Getting Starter Vendors for Business Credit to Pull Credit Under your EIN
There is no Social Security requirement for starter vendor credit. This is unlike bank loans and bank cards. So leave the field blank. Don’t fill in any other number, as that’s a violation of two Federal laws. A blank field will force them to pull your business credit under your EIN. Also, if there is a credit check, then it is perfectly permissible to provide the company’s EIN. You can use an EIN, rather than your Social Security Number and date of birth.
Using Business Credit
Check out FOUR of our favorite starter vendors for business credit:
Grainger
Uline
Marathon
Supply Works
Grainger Industrial Supply
They sell hardware, power tools, pumps and more. They also do fleet maintenance
Grainger will report to Dun and Bradstreet. If a business doesn’t have established credit, they will want to see more documents. These include accounts payable, income statement, balance sheets, etc. Terms are Net 30, Net 45, Net 60, or Net 90.
Qualifying for Grainger Industrial Supply
You need:
Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Business License (if applicable)
Business Bank account
And your business must be registered to Secretary of State (SOS) for at least 60 days
Apply online or over the phone.
Uline
They sell shipping, packing and industrial supplies. They report to Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. You MUST create an account with Uline before starting to build business credit with them. Terms are Net 30.
Qualifying for Uline
You need:
Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Business License (if applicable)
Business Bank account
And a business phone number listed in 411
You must have a D&B PAYDEX score of 80 or better
Application may get approval for net 30 at time of order. Upon final review, Credit Department may change to a few prepaid orders, before granting Net 30.
Marathon Petroleum Company provides transportation fuels, asphalt, and specialty products throughout the United States. Their product line supports commercial, industrial, and retail operations. This card reports to Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. Before applying for more than one account with WEX Fleet cards, make sure to have enough time between applying. This is so they don’t red-flag your account for fraud.
Qualifying for Marathon
You need:
Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere.
D-U-N-S number
Business license (if applicable)
And a business bank account
Business phone number listed on 411
Your SSN is necessary for informational purposes. If concerned they will pull your personal credit talk to their credit department before applying. You can give a $500 deposit instead of using a personal guarantee, if in business less than a year. Apply online or over the phone. Terms are Net 15.
Supply Works
Supply Works is a part of Home Depot. They offer integrated facility maintenance supplies. But they will not accept virtual addresses. They will report to Experian. Terms are Net 30. Apply online or over the phone.
Qualifying for Supply Works
You need:
Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Business License (if applicable)
Business Bank account
Trade/Bank references
There is no minimal time in business requirement
Extra BONUS Vendor: Wex Fleet
They report to Experian and D&B. They offer universal fleet cards, heavy truck cards, and universally accepted business fleet cards. Their cards have features supporting a small business. This includes a rewards program. Before applying for more than one account with WEX Fleet cards, make sure to have enough time between applying. This is so they don’t red flag your account for fraud.
If you don’t get an approval on the basis of business credit history, or been in business 1 year, then a $500 deposit is necessary or a Personal Guarantee. You can apply online or over the phone. Terms are Net 15 (Wex Fleet Card), Net 22, or revolving (Wex FlexCard).
Qualifying for Wex Fleet
You need:
Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Business License (if applicable)
Business Bank account
And a Business Phone Number Listed in 411
Starter Vendors for Business Credit: Takeaways
Starter vendors are a PROVEN way to get the business credit ball rolling. They will approve you with minimal fuss. Certain requirements repeat. These include needing to have EIN and D-U-N-S numbers. And having proper licensing (if your industry requires that). Hence getting those details squared away is a smart step to take first. Want more help with building business credit? Ask us how we can help you – including our access to literally HUNDREDS of vendors. Let’s take the next steps together
Your business won’t succeed by doing the same thing as everyone else.
Content marketing is powerful, but it’s also hugely competitive. If you’re just rehashing the same points as everyone else, you won’t get anywhere.
Your business is unique and so is your audience. If you want to make the most of content marketing, you need to produce content that is helpful, detailed, and different.
Below, we’ll cover 30 content marketing strategies that will help your brand stand out, but first, let’s cover why content marketing matters in 2021.
Why Is Content Marketing Important in 2021?
What brings people to your business in 2021?
In many cases, it starts with a question and they come to your website for a solution. They expect your business to solve their issue, but it’s not just your product they’re looking for.
They want information.
In many cases, content is the moment when your relationship with the customer begins, and that content is going to be with them through every step of the customer journey.
Your content marketing tactics are as important in 2021 as ever because the modern consumer craves an experience. It’s not just about your products or service, it’s about how people interact with your business—and your content plays a huge part in this.
Content marketing ticks nearly every box for your business. It helps:
bring people to your website
engage customers by offering value
generate leads
move people through the customer journey
drive sales
provide post-sale care
Content marketing isn’t just good for customers; it drives profits. In fact, the yearly ROI for a successful content marketing campaign is $984,000.
How to Choose Which Content Marketing Strategies Are Right for Your Brand
Every business is unique, and each one will use different content marketing tactics. What works for one website might not necessarily work for another, so what’s important is that you find the blend that works for you.
When it comes to content marketing, you’ll want to be particularly aware of your brand voice. For example, if you’re a highly respected law firm that people look to for advice, strategy number 22, “Be a little weird,” might not be the best option.
This is where it pays to sit down and brainstorm before you create your content marketing strategy. Understand what your brand stands for, how you want to convey your values, and the goals you want to achieve.
Once you’ve worked out these details, it’s much easier to pick and choose which content marketing tactics will work for your brand.
30 Content Marketing Tactics That’ll Skyrocket Your Search Traffic
I’ve experienced the power of content marketing first hand. It’s what my entire business is based on, and I want you to achieve the same kind of success through your content. Over the years, I’ve tried out lots of different content marketing tactics, some of which have paid off big time, others that have crashed and burned.
By trying new things and not being afraid to get creative with content, I’ve narrowed my list down to 30 content marketing tactics that’ll skyrocket your search traffic.
1. Build More Targeted Landing Pages
My search traffic almost tripled when I created advanced guides for SEO and several other internet marketing topics. Each of those advanced guides has a separate landing page, optimized for the applicable keywords.
Mailshake, a comprehensive email outreach platform, had success with this, repackaging its cold email masterclass into an eight-part email series. This allowed them to create targeted landing pages and offer user-specific content that matched their place in the customer journey.
Or, take a look at Copyblogger Media. Copyblogger has dozens of landing pages, each aimed at a keyword that the target audience is passionate about. That’s a lesson for you when developing a sound content marketing strategy: when creating more landing pages, think strategically about keywords and build your content around the right ones.
The easiest way to start creating high-quality landing pages is to use templates.
There are plenty to choose from, but I like Unbounce and Instapage. Both are paid platforms, but they’re a great way to create effective landing pages quickly.
2. Segment Audience to Increase Engagement
Smart content marketers know they need to segment their audiences based on product need. Segmentation is crucial for one simple reason: some of your blog readers aren’t buyers, but others are.
Simply put, your content can’t suit everyone because people are at different phases of the buying cycle. So, for example, content designed to create awareness with new customers is wasted on loyal repeat customers.
Make the most of your marketing efforts by segmenting customers based on their personas. Remember, a buyer persona is a fully fleshed-out profile of one segment of your audience. It enables you to develop content that speaks to each segment more effectively.
Here’s an example of one in action:
Segmenting your target audience is difficult on your blog or website (though not impossible with content personalization), but email segmentation is pretty simple.
Email list segmentation is a must if you want to get the most from your list. According to Campaign Monitor, marketers who used segmented campaigns saw a 760 percent increase in revenue. Not too bad!
3. Know Your Audience, and Give Them What They Want
Before you can create successful, engaging, and overall great content, you’ve got to know your audience very well. The first step is to perform keyword research to discover what your ideal customers are looking for.
Start by getting a better idea of the existing demand for your topic through Google Trends. Just type your main keyword into the search box to learn how many searches it received within a specified period.
For instance, here’s the Trends graph showing the popularity of the keyword “content marketing:”
This will give you a rough overview of how people are searching for your keywords, but for more detailed information, you should look at Ubersuggest.
Follow these simple steps to gain access to hundreds of keyword opportunities you can use to build engaging content.
enter a keyword and see related keywords with search volumes
Remember, the more you know about your readers, the more precisely you can base your content creation on them, and the more effective your whole content marketing strategy will be.
Sometimes, you need to personally verify results or data through experimentation. What was true five years ago, or even last year, may no longer apply.
Results are relative. You may experiment and get a different result. Through observation, brainstorming, and A/B testing, you can come up with a new concept that others can learn from.
That is how you become a content marketing expert; not just following the rest of the crowd.
5. Target Millennials and Gen Z With Adaptive Content
Millennials and Gen Z now make up a huge segment of the U.S. population.
There’s a good chance these groups make up a large chunk of your target audience, so your content should speak to their needs and values.
Both of these groups grew up with technology as a big part of their lives, and so they have high expectations for how businesses use technology. They also value experience above almost anything else, and this plays right into content marketing.
While both groups have similarities, you need to target each of them in a slightly different way. Find out more about how to market to Millennials, and target Gen Z.
Adaptive content is one way to go. Adaptive content is simply the content that supports meaningful interactions across different platforms. Think of it like water—whatever you pour it into; it takes the shape of that container.
For example, you might use their name at the top of a booking site or suggest content based on their past interactions with your brand.
Your readers should be able to access your content on a desktop computer, then continue where they left off using their smartphone or complete their purchases through your mobile app, with absolutely no hassles at all.
6. Leverage the Hedgehog Content Model
A hedgehog is a small mammal with stiff spines and a small, pointed snout. What does a small mammal have to do with content creation and your marketing strategy? (There’s a point, I promise!)
The hedgehog concept is based on an old parable about a hedgehog and a fox. The fox knows lots of things—he’s constantly trying new ways to best the hedgehog. The hedgehog, however, stays focused on one big idea.
What does this mean for your content strategy?
It simply means you should start where you are and stay focused. Why worry about the fact your blog isn’t generating 1,000 monthly visits yet? Instead, create content consistently and use a content marketing strategy to reach your goals.
Instead of obsessing over reaching 1,000 monthly visitors, for example, focus on 100 each month. Just make sure that your goal is realistic and measurable.
If you’re able to hit that smaller goal, the hedgehog model says to treat them well and deliver great content they’ll share with their friends across their social media channels.
Apply the same technique to your email list. Focus on getting three to five subscribers every single day, instead of your first 100 subscribers. By the end of the month, you’ll have 90 to 150 email subscribers.
7. Consistently Run A/B Tests
Are you consistent at split testing? A study by AdPushUp showed conversion rates typically range from one to three percent. A/B split testing helps you drive that rate up, and even a single additional percentage point in your conversion rate can be significant.
Whether you’re on a team of B2B marketers or you’re a small business owner, running A/B split tests is crucial to know for certain which headlines, calls-to-action, and types of content work best for your readers. Once you know what strategies work, your work becomes much more effective and your overall content marketing strategy much clearer.
You can split-test just about anything. Since you’re concerned about search traffic, however, you should focus on the elements that impact search performance, such as headlines, site speed, visuals, landing pages, CTA, and so on.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all philosophy, create multiple landing pages for the same call to action to suit the user’s preferences.
A/B split testing can send more targeted buyers to your product pages, as well. For example, Lyyti.com, an online event management software company, ran a split test on their product pages. They set up a product page variation and tested it against the control.
At the end of the testing, the variation page performed better. It clearly showed the features offered in each plan, while the original design wasn’t quite clear enough. Implementing the results of this test increased visits to their “Free Trial” sign-up page by 93.71 percent.
You can’t afford to run A/B split tests solely on desktop users. If you’re experimenting with mobile testing, look at any key user behavior, especially behaviors related to conversions, such as email opt-in form and landing page preferences.
8. Learn From Topic Training Modules
Content marketing is a lot easier these days, considering all the statistics, data, and content that can be accessed for free.
This is good news for content marketers because with online learning platforms like Udemy and LinkedIn Learning, you can benefit from all that useful content provided in their courses and modules.
Essentially, you can pick the brains of experts in different industries to create top-notch content for your target audience. There’s no longer any need to waste tons of time researching your topic because someone with better training, resources, and time has done all that for you.
So, let’s say you want to create an in-depth article about link building. Here’s how to research your topic using Udemy:
Step #1: Go to Udemy.com. Type your main keyword (e.g., link building SEO) into the search box. Hit the enter button on your keyboard.
Step #2: Analyze the courses. From the top results, choose one that suits your keyword, then click on it to see the modules.
Step #3: Extract ideas from the module. You can find the module for that particular topic when you scroll down.
Note: Most courses at Udemy will typically cost you between $15–$199, although there are free courses available. If you have the budget for it, you can buy the course. Here, however, we’re just looking for ideas to organize your blog post from module titles, so there’s no need to sign up for the course itself.
From the highlighted module above, I can create five unique and high-converting headlines for my next blog post.
11 Traffic-Generating Links and Where To Get Them
How to Use Broken Link Building to Create Links Google Will Love
Traffic-Generating Links: Where to Get Them and Improve Search Traffic
How to Get Traffic Generating Links with Help from Your Competitors
The Best Way to Develop a Traffic-Generating Link Building Strategy
Spending just 10 to 20 minutes each week studying Udemy course modules will give you lots of ideas to write about and expand your analytical skills and give you a more thorough understanding of your industry and your target audience.
Overall, it’ll enhance your content marketing strategy and inform your content creation.
Just remember, the goal is inspiration; don’t copy other people’s work.
9. Craft Content Based on Your Core Values
Core values are the building blocks of every human being—and every business (or other organization).
Personal core values guide an individual’s behavior and choices. The same is true for your business’s values, as well.
For example, if you believe your target audience will benefit from the information you share, then you’ll research extensively and craft the best content possible.
Take the time to articulate your values in writing, just as Google and Buffer have. Google believes in putting users first. Buffer believes in showing gratitude, which helps make their social media management tool so valuable for content marketers.
There is no single rule for defining your core values. Just make sure each value originates from your deeply-held beliefs. When you start to write content based on what you truly believe in, you bridge the gap between your message and your readers’ expectations. Solid content creation will flow from there.
Storytelling can also help bridge that gap. From personal experience, I can tell you that it’s much easier to tell stories based on what I know and believe, instead of what someone else says or believes. Such a marketing effort will feel, well, effortless to your readers.
10. Use Native Ads, But Don’t Be Deceptive
Native advertising is a form of online marketing in which the “ad” content matches the platform where it’s published.
Although we’re very accustomed to seeing this form of advertising, many people believe native ads are deceptive because they don’t “look like ads.”
It doesn’t have to be that way. Native ads can still offer value as something more than just a promotional piece.
Whatever you may think about it, there’s no question that native advertising works. For example, Newscred regularly paid for sponsored content on LinkedIn, with an ROI of $17 for every $1 spent. That’s almost six times the ROI you can expect from Google Ads.
Although the stats point to native ads being an important content marketing tactic.
Copyblogger Media shared 12 examples of native ads and why they work—ideally, as an integrated part of content marketing.
A study by Forbes found that people pay 53 percent more attention to native ads than banner ads. Plus, they view native ads 53 percent more frequently than they view banner ads.
According to Pardot, “Native advertising is actually a form of content marketing.” This means that it should offer some form of unique and useful information to the target audience.
According to eMarketer, native ad spend more than doubled between 2018 and 2020 and is expected to increase by 21 percent in the next year. If you want to join the trend as part of your content marketing tactics, make sure your ad is consistent with your other content.
Above all, native ads should meet the needs of your readers and engage the audience, just like your other content does.
Bottom line: Native ads work and will continue to work. The best practice is to approach it with your content marketing mindset and ensure that you use only high-quality content.
For example, if you decide to do sponsored posts or paid tweets, make sure that your landing page is well-designed and your content is crafted to welcome visitors and convert them into email subscribers or buyers.
Content marketing is always changing because the way we interact online is always changing.
You should be willing to change and adapt to the latest developments in your industry. That might mean enrolling in a content marketing course to further your education, or, it might simply mean reading extensively to stay on top of trends.
Business models evolve, and the only way to stay competitive is to always work with the most current information. Never be caught unaware.
As the business and content marketing world constantly evolves, you’ve got to keep your business viable. For example, you should keep abreast of Google’s algorithm updates if you want to keep generating sufficient search traffic.
I’m always ready to change what I’m doing if I find it’s no longer yielding significant results. I don’t throw in the towel and quit. Rather, I stay flexible and continually adjust.
You can do the same. Be prepared to satisfy your customers no matter what the economic situation or new government policy might be. It’s your responsibility to evolve for the sake of your target audience.
12. Conduct a Competitor Analysis and Work With the Data
Competitor analysis isn’t optional these days. You can effectively spy on your competitors to know exactly what they’re doing and find ways to outsmart them.
Industry experts agree that competitor analysis is an integral part of search marketing success. When its results are integrated into your strategy, competitor analysis can improve many aspects of your marketing, including your conversion rate.
The easiest way to know what your competitors are doing, in terms of where they’re getting backlinks and how many quality links they have, is to use the right automated tools.
First and foremost, you’ll want to find out who your strongest competitors are. You can use Google to search for your main keyword (e.g., beginners guide to blogging), then check which sites are competing with you.
Another way to perform competitor analysis is with Ubersuggest. Select competitive analysis from the left sidebar and then enter your domain.
You will then see a list of websites that compete for similar keywords. You can dig deeper into each competitor to find out which specific keywords you are competing for by clicking “view all.”
This provides an immediate picture of who you are competing with and what keywords you should target.
13. Get on the Local Platform
Not every visitor to your website is as valuable as the next. For example, if you’re a local brick-and-mortar business in Florida, getting thousands of web visitors from California doesn’t do much good.
Your content is a great opportunity to drive your local SEO. Create valuable information for people in your target area and make sure you’re focusing on local keywords (use Ubersuggest to discover local keyword opportunities).
Competing for big national keywords in competitive industries may not be possible, but it could be a realistic goal in your local area. Use my guide to local SEO to make sure you’re ranking for those important local keywords.
14. Use Emotional Keywords in Headlines
The best way to create magnetic headlines is to target emotional keywords. Doing so will supercharge your content. People will not only read it; they’ll be inspired to share it on social media and beyond as well.
For example, if you were trying to lose weight, you’d probably go to Google and search for keywords like the following:
lose 10 pounds quickly
fastest way to burn extra fat
drop 20 pounds in 2 weeks
Here are more variations to the three search terms above:
In our example, if you found an article or video targeting any of the keywords above, you’d respond positively. That’s because those keywords mirror what you deeply desire.
The same is true for your target audience. When they’re searching for keywords, and you notice a hint of immediacy, you know that those keywords will convert into clicks, visits, and sales when you eventually rank in Google.
Let’s assume you help companies and digital businesses to grow revenue. Here are some of the keywords you can use to create powerful headlines to grow your search traffic and rankings:
From the screenshot above, you can see the “emotional keywords.” I call them “emotional” because searchers are already pre-sold on the idea of increasing revenue. They’re just waiting for a nudge to take action.
To make your headlines high-converting, include numbers—especially odd numbers because some studies show odd numbers outperform even numbers.
Let’s craft some headlines based on those emotional keywords:
7 Powerful Revenue Generating Ideas You Can Use Today
9 Revenue Generating Ideas to Help Your Business Soar
6 Steps to Increase Your Sales Right Now
How to Increase Sales in Your Small Business
Better yet, you could turn the emotional keywords into data-driven headlines to share your experiments and results:
How To Increase Sales: An Experiment On How I Generated $25,000
Case Study: How To Increase Sales as an Ecommerce Beginner
13 Revenue Generating Ideas That Yielded $10,837 Sales and 2,636 Email Subscribers
15. Create High-Quality Content
Worried you aren’t a great writer? You’re not alone. According to research statistics from Teach Taught, “fewer than 50 percent of college seniors feel their writing improved during college.”
You can change that, starting today. It begins with fueling your passion for writing. After all, if you’re passionate about what you do, there is nothing in this world that can stop you. Success requires consistent effort, and it’s a whole lot easier to be consistent when you’re passionate about the thing you’re doing.
This simple formula shows you how to find your passion:
With time, you’ll find something you never believed you could do at all may become pretty easy.
Blogging and business require creativity, but it doesn’t necessarily have to come from your writing (it’s just not for everybody). It can also come from the way you manage other people. Modern technology has made it incredibly easy to work with freelancers around the world, and this can make a huge difference in your content marketing.
I never started as an expert. There was a time when I couldn’t put together a 500-word blog post. I had to continually learn and fuel my passion for writing. Eventually, I got better, learned more, and became the expert I wanted to be. You can follow this path and write your content, but you may have just as much success working with freelance writers.
Listen up: Successful content marketers don’t know it all. They’ve struggled to get things done, too. Because they’ve developed thick skins, they can meet the challenge and come out stronger and more influential.
16. Give Your Audience a Behind-the-Scenes Experience
If you want to attract a loyal audience and boost your site traffic, pre-sell your content and product. For example, if you are going to release a new post next week, tell your readers about the process of writing it before you publish it.
I do this a lot when I write content. I’ve even started doing it when I reply to comments as well, by telling my readers that I’ll be publishing a new post that will more thoroughly address their questions.
Another example of a “behind-the-scenes” experience is when Michael Hyatt asked his blog readers to help him choose the best cover for Living Forward, a book he co-authored with Daniel Harkavy.
Of course, this is also a type of pre-selling, because the customers and loyal readers now know the book’s title, and will look forward to its launch. Now, the majority of them are ready to buy.
Before they buy, they’ll tweet the page, cite it in their blog posts, recommend it to others on their other social media platforms, and follow the updates. This will increase referral traffic to Michael’s blog and his search performance will likely improve as a result of social signals.
17. Curate Content Like a Pro
The internet is full of brilliant content.
You don’t always need to create fresh content from scratch because there are lots of other people out there who are also doing a great job at it. This is where content curation comes in.
It allows you to find the best content and bring it together in one place. Moz does this extremely well with its weekly round-up of SEO content.
Your goal is to bring people the best possible information, but it doesn’t mean you have to write it. As long as you’re crediting the content owners, you can use content curation to engage your audience and help solve their pain points.
This content marketing tactic is a great way to add to your content production, but consider what businesses you are linking to. Make sure you’re only sending your audience the highest-quality information, and be careful about sending people to your competitors.
A few tips to help you drive more traffic and leads from content curation:
Research extensively for authority blog content. Don’t curate content from low-quality sites.
Stay relevant. Every content page you curate into your list must be relevant to the topic.
Design for user experience first, then optimize for the right keywords (but don’t stuff).
Reach out to bloggers whose content you’ve curated and notify them. Most of them will share it if they believe their target audience will benefit from it.
Social media is one of the best ways to reach your audience today. If you’re not marketing yourself on social media, you could be missing out on a huge portion of your audience.
It’s not just about building out your profiles and engaging people through the platform, though; it’s also about what action you want followers to take. One of your goals with social media should always be to bring people to your own space.
You have more control over your blog and email list than any social media profile or platform. No matter how successful you are on social; you don’t own that connection. Make sure you’re not abandoning your blog audience for social followers.
Grow your social media presence, but make sure you’re using it to bring people to a medium you control. From here, you can control the customer journey, build your email list and nurture your subscribers.
19. Create an Editorial Calendar
An editorial calendar helps make your content marketing strategy low-stress and rewarding. Unfortunately, most people never take the time to craft a plan for creating content, marketing it, and tracking its effectiveness.
The importance of an editorial calendar can’t be overemphasized. You need to develop yours as quickly as possible and use software to guide your process:
know your audience and the content type they’re interested in
research your topic thoroughly
create content and measure its effectiveness
Remember to keep a steady flow of content going out. That’s the way to generate more leads and indexed pages and improve organic traffic.
20. Get Maximum Mileage Out of Your Content
Blogging can help you reach more of your target audience, particularly if your blogs are frequently shared across social media channels. How do you get more referral traffic from your content, though?
You’ve got to think outside the box. Inbound marketing works, but you’ve got to diversify your efforts if you want to get outstanding results. The majority of your target audience hasn’t visited your blog yet. They are, however, on Slideshare, YouTube, and other content platforms.
You’ve got to be everywhere they are. Your content should make a mark online. If you’ve spent your precious time creating great content, don’t let it sit there in oblivion.
This content marketing tactic helps you make the most of your content by using it in different formats.
For example, you could take an article, convert it into a PDF report and offer it as an e-book. You could also create PowerPoint presentations and upload them to Slideshare or create an infographic out of a case study.
Be very careful to repurpose only your high-quality content that produced measurable results the first time around. Not every piece of content will work for this purpose.
21. Invest in Learning About Your Audience
The web is a virtual university. You can learn just about anything online if you know where to look. Content marketing will continually produce high ROI when you give it time and consistently work to upgrade your knowledge and skills.
The bad news is that your competition will continue to get more intense. The good news is that we’ve never had so many effective and affordable tools and knowledge resources from which to learn.
Using the right marketing tools, developing your skill sets, and networking smartly will get you to the top. If you want to succeed and reap huge dividends, channel your learning efforts towards better understanding your target audience.
22. Be a Little Weird
Everyone loves a company that is willing to go against the grain. There is something about a healthy dose of irreverence and tasteful humor that increases the likability of brands.
It also makes you stand out from your competitors.
Tons of businesses send out the same message, which means consumers notice funny or weird marketing campaigns. They’re a breath of fresh air in a world of cloned marketing tactics.
Dollar Shave Club creates weird, creative, and outright bizarre content. I’ll bet you can’t help but laugh when watching this video.
If you think this video is funny, but that it couldn’t possibly increase revenue or help business, I understand, but that’s simply not the case.
Dollar Shave Club spent $4,500 to create the video, but they more than made that money back. The video has 24 million views on YouTube. They gained 23,000 followers on Twitter and 76,000 Facebook fans from the campaign, and most importantly, they attracted 12,000 new customers in two days.
It turns out that being funny, weird, and irreverent can pay off.
Dollar Shave Club continues that unique brand identity with its Bathroom Minutes articles, and their customers love it.
Similarly, Denny’s uses its blog to put out content in the same style as Dollar Shave Club. Its content is unconventional as this image of a married couple pulling a morning breakfast with their car shows.
Snickers tapped into the weird trend as well, creating its “You’re not you when you’re hungry” marketing campaign.
People like it when your brand does something different. Don’t be afraid to mix it up and see what happens.
Nothing risked, nothing gained; so get out there and do something weird.
23. Respond to Twitter Mentions
I can’t overstate the power of responding to people who are talking about your brand.
Why?
Because responding to real people’s questions, comments, and concerns humanizes your brand. It tells people that your company isn’t just some inhuman entity. Rather, you’re a company that cares about its customers.
Twitter makes this particularly easy, notifying you whenever someone mentions your company’s name.
If you quickly and consistently respond to your customers’ comments and concerns, this shows a level of dedication that will impress your followers.
That’s good news for your business. Responding to people regularly shows you care.
24. Inspire People to Share Your Product
The more people tell their friends about your product, the more products you’re likely to sell—and the more successful your business will be.
When a friend recommends a product, they mean it.
By thinking creatively about your product and doing something that no one has ever done before, your product is more shareworthy. Coca-Cola did a good job with this with their Share a Coke campaign.
They put individual names on each bottle of Coke, personalizing the experience for their customer base. They then encouraged people to share a Coke with a friend and post a photo using the hashtag #ShareaCoke.
In the end, the campaign generated 998 million impressions on Twitter and 235,000 tweets with the hashtag. They sold more than 150 million bottles of Coke, too.
When the experience is unique, consumers want to participate, and they want to share it with their friends.
By collaborating with Google, Burberry allowed people to send each other “kisses” with digital messages. Since it was new and different, consumers couldn’t help but try it out. Every time someone sent a kiss to a friend, that person saw the Burberry logo, which increased Burberry’s brand awareness and engagement.
When people share your product, more people buy your product. It’s that simple.
25. Pay Attention to Upcoming Tech
Technology moves fast. The newest piece of revolutionary tech seems to hit the market every week. If you pay attention to these interesting innovations, you can hijack their attention.
The New York Times did this when they created NYTVR (New York Times Virtual Reality). The marketing campaign required users to have Google Cardboard and the free New York Times app.
Users could then experience the world in a different and fun way with a 360-degree view of a video. By leveraging upcoming technology, the New York Times positioned itself as relevant and edgy.
Campaigns with modern tech show consumers that you’re listening to trends and keeping up with the times.
Most people want to feel confident about buying your product. They don’t want to be the first one to try it. They need to know that other people like it before they take the leap.
By listening to the stories your customers tell about your product and creating content around those stories, you’ll inspire confidence in your brand. Microsoft does just that with its “Story Labs.”
This blog tells the stories of people who buy their products, make their products, and inspire their products. By sharing these engaging stories, Microsoft is positioning itself as a trusted business and convinces consumers its products are worth buying.
Eventually, first-time buyers will step up to the plate and try out Microsoft’s goods because of this.
27. Encourage User-Generated Content
For some businesses, user-generated content is their content marketing bread and butter.
When companies encourage customers to create content for their brands, it’s a double win: the company saves time and money, and they distribute compelling content.
GoPro does a good job of encouraging and posting user-generated content. Consider this video made by an avid “Go-Proer.” Start watching at 1:28 and cringe a few seconds after as you see what happens.
This video has over 13 million views, and it generated a ton of brand awareness for GoPro. All of that was at no cost to the business. Since the user created the content, the business simply stood by and watched while their product was marketed for them.
26. Use Your Product in a New Way
Can you dream up a new way of playing with your product?
It isn’t always easy, but it can be an effective marketing strategy. Take Blendtec, a company that sells blenders, as an example.
They were unsure how to market their blender and stand apart from the hundreds of other options. Then, they came up with a brilliant idea. They started a show called, “Will It Blend?” where they blended everything from marbles to iPhones.
Don’t believe me? See for yourself here:
And here:
By thinking about the blender in a creative and interesting way, Blendtec became one of the leading sellers of blenders and appealed to consumers all around the globe. Millions of people have watched their videos. That last video has over 4.5 million views alone!
If they can do it with a blender, the chances are you can do it with whatever product you sell.
28. Educate Your Customers
Creating educational content around your product might not seem like the best idea.
Do people really care about how your product works? Do they want to know the ins and outs of how you created it?
It turns out that a lot of times, they do.
It depends on your target market, but people are always interested in learning more about how a device functions. Remember: people love to know stuff that their friends don’t know. It makes them look smart, and they’ll usually share their newfound knowledge.
Magnolia used customer education to its advantage.
Unsure of how to market their products on a low advertising budget, they decided to create a blog. The blog discusses what electronic products to look for when making a purchase, what to watch out for, how electronics work, and how amazing they are.
As it turns out, few companies were taking the time to educate their customers about electronics. Magnolia took a leap and went in a different direction and made a massive amount of money from it.
Your customers want you to educate them, especially if there aren’t a lot of people teaching them about a certain product or industry.
29. Be More Transparent About Your Products
Transparency is scary for individuals and businesses alike. What if people respond poorly to who you are or what your business is?
I won’t lie to you: when you tell people about the real you, there’s a chance they won’t like it. I guarantee that some people won’t like it. You can’t please everyone, but I also guarantee that some people will.
It won’t just make you more likable. It will allow you to address your customers’ concerns and create a bond they will remember.
McDonald’s is a company that’s undergone a lot of scrutiny for its food’s quality. They decided to increase their brand’s transparency with their bold, “Our Food. Your Questions.” campaign where they answer questions customers have about their food. This campaign gave them the chance to debunk particularly heinous rumors about their food.
One rumor, for example, was about “pink goop” in McNuggets. In response, McDonald’s eradicated the myth by creating this video that shows how they make their McNuggets.
When you take the time to listen to and answer customers’ questions honestly, people will trust your company. Rumors spread about every brand; creating content around frequently asked questions is a great way to debunk revenue-killing myths.
30. Hijack Trending Topics
There is always something trending online, and you can use trending topics to your marketing advantage.
How?
By creating content that plays off of them.
Hootsuite made the video “Game of Social Thrones.” That’s right, a social media tool used Game of Thrones.
How did they do this? It got creative and found a way to connect the trending topic to its brand.
While “Game of Thrones” is popular, it isn’t always the talk of the town. Other topics often are at the forefront of consumers’ minds so how do you figure out what topics to talk about?
Glance through the topics on the homepage. These are topics that are currently getting a lot of search traffic on Google.
Use Google Trends to find trending topics to hijack with your content marketing strategy. Doing so can give your content the same appeal as the trending topic.
It’s always important to remember your brand image, though. There are certain topics you don’t want to be associated with your brand, so make sure you’re hijacking the right trends.
Content Marketing Tactics FAQs
Is content marketing still important?
Yes. Your content walks the customer through their pain points and gives them actionable advice on how to fix their problems. In short, it’s the moment where your relationship with the customer begins, making it crucial to a successful online marketing strategy.
Which content marketing tactics will work for my business?
Every business is unique. What works for one website might not necessarily work for another, so what’s important is that you find the blend that works for you. Focus on creating high-quality content, then test these strategies to see what works for your audience.
Should I be A/B testing my content?
Running A/B split tests is crucial if you want to know which headlines, calls-to-action, and types of content work best for your readers. Once you know what strategies work best for you, your overall content marketing strategy becomes far more effective.
Do I need an editorial calendar?
Yes, you need an editorial calendar to make your content marketing strategy low-stress and rewarding. Taking the time to create a calendar keeps your content production consistent and more effective.
Content Marketing Tactics Conclusion
If you’re not seeing the results you want from your content marketing, then there are lots of different tactics you can use. Not every tactic will suit your business, so test to see which ones work best to engage your audience.
I’ve grown my brand off the back of content marketing. Using these content marketing tactics will help you do the same thing.
A strong business credit score does not just appear at the end of the rainbow. There are a lot of myths out there. So many so, that it can be difficult to separate reality from fiction. Don’t fall for these 5 credit score myths.
Don’t Believe These 5 Credit Score Myths When it Comes to Your Business
Most of the confusion comes from a lack of understanding about business credit scores. Many do not even know what it is, how you build it, or even that it exists. Let’s take a look at each of these common 5 myths about credit scores and clear up a few things.
5 Credit Score Myths: If You Have Business Debt, You Have a Business Credit Score
This may well be the most common of these 5 myths about credit score. A lot of business owners have some vague idea that a credit score for their business is a thing, but they totally miss the boat on how it actually works. They know they have a personal credit score because they have personal debt. They know that their credit score depends on how well they handle that personal debt, and how much they have. As a result, most believe business credit builds the same way. This could not be further from the truth.
Building Business Credit
You do not automatically have a business credit profile. You have to intentionally set up your business properly to establish a business credit profile. Then, your business credit accounts do not automatically report your payments to the business credit reporting agencies. That means, you do not necessarily have accounts reporting positive payment history, even if you are handling your business credit responsibly. You have to seek out accounts that will report.
This makes building a strong business credit score a little trickier than building a strong personal credit score. A business credit expert is a great resource to help you make sure your business is set up properly, establish your business credit profile, and find accounts that will report your on-time, consistent payments. Don’t leave it to luck. It won’t happen.
5 Credit Score Myths: If Your Personal Credit Score is Good, You Do Not Need a Business Credit Score
Because you can get a business loan with a good personal credit score, a lot of business owners think they don’t need to worry about their business credit score. However, there are a number of reasons to work on building a strong business credit profile regardless of your personal credit report. For example:
Having separate business credit keeps some business accounts from affecting your personal credit report. This can keep you from running into trouble buying a home or car if your business struggles.
Separate business credit opens more funding opportunities so that you can access more money for your business.
Even when lenders rely on your personal credit score, a strong business credit score can help you get better rates and terms than you would otherwise.
While it is possible to fund a business totally on the merits of a good personal credit history, it is not efficient or wise, and it will lower your personal credit score.
5 Credit Score Myths: Personal Credit Score Doesn’t Affect Business Credit Score
Your business credit profile, if set up properly, is all together separate from your personal credit profile. Handled the right way, business accounts do not show up on or affect your personal credit report. However, the reverse is not necessarily true.
5 Credit Score Myths: You Can Monitor Business Credit for Free
It makes sense. I mean, you can get a free copy of your business credit report. There are a ton of free apps that let you peek at your personal score throughout the year. Why wouldn’t you be able to do this with business credit?
5 Credit Score Myths: You Don’t Need Anyone to Help You Build Your Business Credit Score
Credit repair companies are abundant when it comes to personal credit. Many of them are simply trying to make a buck. It’s almost always a scam. The only sure fire way to fix your personal credit score without ending up worse off in the long run is to pay your bills consistently on-time.
This is not necessarily true when it comes to your business credit score. A business credit expert can help you in a number of ways. They have relationships with vendors, lenders, and other knowledge that can be extremely valuable as you work to establish and build a strong business credit profile.
Analyze Fundability
A business credit expert can help you analyze and assess the overall fundability of your business. While it may technically be possible to do this yourself, it is a huge job. It takes a lot of time, and there are so many factors to consider it can be easy to miss something. Furthermore, it can be difficult to access some of the information. A business credit expert will have the contacts and expertise necessary to talk to the right people at the right place to get things done.
As mentioned earlier, your business has to be set up properly before you can even establish a business credit profile, let alone build a business credit score. A business credit expert can work with you to determine if your business foundation is set up as it needs to be. If not, they can help you fix that.
Get Accounts Reporting
Even with a business credit profile, there is no credit score until you have accounts reporting. The thing is, not all business accounts report payments to the business credit reporting agencies. In fact, very few of them do. What’s worse, is most companies do not make it clear to customers whether or not they report payments.
A business credit expert has relationships with specific vendors that they know report payments. You don’t have to rely on trial and error. Doing that, you could go months thinking you are building your credit score and really, nothing at all is happening. Working with an expert ensures you get on the right track and head down it as quickly as possible.
Your Business Credit Score is Not Found at the End of the Rainbow
When it comes to building strong fundability with the best business credit profile and highest business credit score possible, strategy trumps luck every time. You have to be intentional and follow the process. Once business owners know this, most are willing. The problem is, it is difficult to navigate these waters alone. Lenders and vendors do not always offer up the information needed easily. Also, few average Joe business owners know where to look or what to look for to evaluate fundability. This is where a business credit expert is priceless. They have the knowledge and skills needed to speed up the process exponentially. This not only saves time, but in the long term it also saves money. Get your free consultation with a Credit Suite business credit expert today.
Thinking of throwing in the towel, as it looks like the US slides further and further into a recession? Don’t! This can be a great time to regroup and get your business set up for even more success down the line. Building business credit should be on your to-do list. So, find out the best way to build business credit in a recession.
Learn the Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession
We can show you the best way to build business credit in a recession! Get the kind of business funding that can take your business to new heights! And it can happen no matter what goes on with the economy.
Economic Downturns and Company Funding
The United States’s economy has been through any variety of changes throughout the years. Our financial fortunes can depend upon developments in technology, diplomatic ties (or cutting those ties), the weather, and also more. Business credit, fortunately, is an asset which you can develop even during financial slumps. Nonetheless, you may need to get a little creative with it, and with various other forms of business funding.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – But What’s Business Credit, Anyway?
Small business credit is credit in a business’s name. It doesn’t link to a business owner’s personal credit, not even if the owner is a sole proprietor and the sole employee of the small business.
Accordingly, a business owner’s business and individual credit scores can be very different.
The Benefits
Because business credit is distinct from consumer, it helps to secure a business owner’s personal assets, in the event of a lawsuit or business bankruptcy.
Also, with two separate credit scores, a business owner can get two different cards from the same merchant. This effectively doubles buying power.
Another benefit is that even start-ups can do this. Heading to a bank for a business loan can be a recipe for frustration. But building company credit, when done the right way, is a plan for success.
Individual credit scores rely on payments but also various other factors like credit usage percentages.
But for company credit, the scores actually just hinge on whether a company pays its debts on a timely basis.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – The Process
Building business credit is a process, and it does not occur automatically. A business will need to actively work to build company credit.
Nonetheless, it can be done easily and quickly, and it is much speedier than building consumer credit scores.
Merchants are a big aspect of this process.
Undertaking the steps out of order will lead to repetitive rejections. Nobody can start at the top with business credit. For example, you can’t start with retail or cash credit from your bank. If you do, you’ll get a denial 100% of the time.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Enhancing Company Fundability
A company must be fundable to credit issuers and vendors.
Therefore, a company will need a professional-looking web site and email address. And it needs to have site hosting bought from a vendor like GoDaddy.
Also, business telephone numbers must have a listing on ListYourself.net.
Also, the business telephone number should be toll-free (800 exchange or comparable).
A business will also need a bank account dedicated strictly to it, and it needs to have all of the licenses essential for operation.
Licenses
These licenses all have to be in the exact, appropriate name of the company. And they need to have the same business address and telephone numbers.
So bear in mind, that this means not just state licenses, but possibly also city licenses.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Working with the IRS
Visit the Internal Revenue Service website and get an EIN for the company. They’re free of charge. Select a business entity such as corporation, LLC, etc.
A company may begin as a sole proprietor. But they absolutely need to change to a type of corporation or an LLC.
This is to limit risk. And it will make the most of tax benefits.
A business entity matters when it concerns tax obligations and liability in case of a lawsuit. A sole proprietorship means the owner is it when it comes to liability and taxes. Nobody else is responsible.
The best thing to do is to incorporate. You should only look at a DBA as an interim step on the way to incorporation.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Starting Off the Business Credit Reporting Process
Begin at the D&B website and obtain a cost-free D-U-N-S number. A D-U-N-S number is how D&B gets a small business into their system, to produce a PAYDEX score. If there is no D-U-N-S number, then there is no record and no PAYDEX score.
Once in D&B’s system, search Equifax and Experian’s web sites for the business. You can do this at www.creditsuite.com/reports. If there is a record with them, check it for correctness and completeness. If there are no records with them, go to the next step in the process.
By doing this, Experian and Equifax will have something to report on.
Starter Vendor Credit
First you should establish tradelines that report. Then you’ll have an established credit profile, and you’ll get a business credit score.
And with an established business credit profile and score you can start to get credit for numerous purposes, and from all sorts of places.
These kinds of accounts have the tendency to be for things bought all the time, like marketing materials, shipping boxes, outdoor workwear, ink and toner, and office furniture.
But first off, what is trade credit? These trade lines are credit issuers who give you starter credit when you have none now. Terms are usually Net 30, instead of revolving.
Therefore, if you get an approval for $1,000 in vendor credit and use all of it, you need to pay that money back in a set term, like within 30 days on a Net 30 account.
Details
Net 30 accounts have to be paid in full within 30 days. 60 accounts have to be paid in full within 60 days. Unlike revolving accounts, you have a set time when you have to pay back what you borrowed or the credit you used.
To launch your business credit profile the right way, you should get approval for vendor accounts that report to the business credit reporting bureaus. As soon as that’s done, you can then make use of the credit.
Then repay what you used, and the account is on report to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, or Equifax.
Vendor Credit – It Makes Sense
Not every vendor can help in the same way true starter credit can. These are vendors that grant approval with very little effort. You also want them to be reporting to one or more of the big three CRAs: Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian.
Uline is a true starter vendor. You can find them online at www.uline.com. They sell shipping, packing, and industrial supplies, and they report to Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. You MUST have a D-U-N-S number and an EIN before starting with them. They will ask for your business bank information. Your company address must be uniform everywhere. You need for an order to be $50 or more before they’ll report it. Your first few orders may need to be prepaid initially so your company can get approval for Net 30 terms.
How to apply with them:
Add an item to your shopping cart
Go to checkout
Select to Open an Account
Select to be invoiced
Quill
Quill is another true starter vendor. You can find them online at www.quill.com. They sell office, packaging, and cleaning supplies. And they also sell toner, office furniture, and even shipping and school supplies. They report to Dun and Bradstreet every quarter.
To apply, you MUST have a D&B PAYDEX score. If not given a Net 30 they will ask you to do prepaid orders of $100.00. Normally any prepaid order won’t report but you would need them to have given you a Net 30 account. Net 30 accounts require $50.00 purchase to report.
New business or businesses with no credit history may need to prepay purchases until Net 30 approval. Terms are Net 30.
Here’s how to qualify:
Your business entity must be in good standing with the applicable Secretary of State
You must have an EIN and a D-U-N-S number
Business address (it has to match everywhere)
Business license (if applicable)
A corporate bank account
Apply online or over the phone.
Grainger Industrial Supply
Grainger Industrial Supply is also a true starter vendor. You can find them online at www.grainger.com. They sell hardware, power tools, pumps and more. They also do fleet maintenance. And they report to D&B. You need a business license, EIN, and a D-U-N-S number.
To qualify, you need the following:
A business license (if applicable)
An EIN number
A business address matching everywhere
A corporate bank account
A D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet
Your corporate entity must be in good standing with the applicable Secretary of State. If your company does not have established credit, they will require additional documents. So, these are items like accounts payable, income statement, balance sheets, and the like.
Apply online or over the phone.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Accounts That Do Not Report
Non-reporting trade accounts can also be helpful. While you do want trade accounts to report to a minimum of one of the CRAs, a trade account which does not report can still be of some worth.
You can always ask non-reporting accounts for trade references. Additionally, credit accounts of any sort should help you to better even out business expenses, consequently making budgeting less complicated.
Store Credit
Store credit comes from a variety of retail companies.
You must use your Social Security Number and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use the small business’s EIN on these credit applications.
Fleet Credit
Fleet credit is from companies where you can buy fuel, and fix and maintain vehicles. You must use your Social Security Number and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, make sure to apply using the business’s EIN.
These are businesses such as Visa and MasterCard. You must use your SSN and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use your EIN instead.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Monitor Your Business Credit
Know what is happening with your credit. Make certain it is being reported and deal with any inaccuracies ASAP. Get in the habit of taking a look at credit reports and digging into the specifics, and not just the scores.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Fix Your Business Credit
So, what’s all this monitoring for? It’s to challenge any inaccuracies in your records. Mistakes in your credit report(s) can be taken care of. But the CRAs normally want you to dispute in a particular way.
Disputing credit report inaccuracies generally means you mail a paper letter with duplicates of any proof of payment with it. These are documents like receipts and cancelled checks. Never mail the original copies. Always send copies and keep the original copies.
Fixing credit report inaccuracies also means you precisely itemize any charges you dispute. Make your dispute letter as clear as possible. Be specific about the concerns with your report. Use certified mail so that you will have proof that you mailed in your dispute.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – A Word about Building Business Credit
Always use credit smartly! Don’t borrow more than what you can pay off. Monitor balances and deadlines for payments. Paying promptly and in full will do more to raise business credit scores than nearly anything else.
Building company credit pays. Good business credit scores help a small business get loans. Your credit issuer knows the small business can pay its financial obligations. They recognize the small business is bona fide.
The business’s EIN links to high scores and lenders won’t feel the need to ask for a personal guarantee.
The Best Way to Build Business Credit in a Recession – Takeaways
Business credit is an asset which can help your company for many years to come. The recession will not last forever.
You know, the kind of idea that makes you want to grab strangers by the shoulders and explain the whole thing in a rush. For the next few hours or even days, you find yourself revved up in high gear, eager to turn your big idea into reality.
It’s an awesome feeling.
There’s only one problem: what comes up must go down, and sometimes big ideas do just that – they flop, hard.
You could shrug it off and say that failure is really a learning experience, but wouldn’t you rather learn how to avoid those product flops so you can save yourself time, money, and heartache?
I know I would.
Here are seven warning signs your big product idea is about to flop — and seven ways to avoid landing with a splat:
1. You Keep Changing Your Mind
You’re burning through your project and you’re totally jazzed. Everything’s going great! It’s such an awesome idea.
But it would be even better if you add this one element.
Wait, no – maybe you should do this instead. That’d be awesome.
Or maybe you should change that – it would make your project even better! It’ll crush all of the products in the niche!
Sound familiar?
Business old-schoolers call it “scope change,” and it can seriously hamper your progress. The more you push the boundaries and keep adding to your project, the more it becomes a time-consuming, cost-heavy monster that never ends.
Risks go up, your schedule gets trashed, deadlines get blown and quality goes down.
The solution?
Give yourself a set amount of time to do research and plan the scope of your project before you start. Take a few days, weeks, or months to really think things through. It’s okay to waffle then because no one else is watching, and you don’t have to backtrack.
But once that time has expired, stop, make the decisions you need to make, and move forward. Look at it as a deadline. You can change your mind up until a certain day on the calendar, and then after that, you stick with the plan until you’re finished.
2. You Haven’t Figured Out the Price
Most people don’t bother to figure out what their business idea will cost them, not only in terms of money, but also time and opportunity costs. They just latch on, run with their idea, and work like mad for weeks, investing their time and money blindly.
Then six months after launch they wonder why they’re broke, exhausted, and feeling trapped.
Before you undertake a project, figure out what it’ll cost you:
Overhead Costs: Will you need office space? Employees? Equipment? Will you have to pay travel expenses? What are the total hard costs?
Salary Costs: What will you pay yourself? Even if you’re living on savings, it’s still an expense. Write it down.
Opportunity Costs: What opportunities will you have to give up? How much will that cost you in both the short-term and long-term?
Time Costs: When are you going to work on it? Also, what are you currently doing in those other hours that you’ll have to cut out? Will you sacrifice sleep? Time with your family? Overtime at work?
Once you’ve calculated the true cost, ask yourself if it’s a price you’re willing to pay. Your idea might be fantastic, but if you don’t know what it’s going to cost you, chances are you’ll never finish.
Before starting a project, make sure you know exactly what it will cost you.
3. You Think All You Need is Time
You’ve done the math and decided that there’s no major financial investment involved, just your time. Maybe a few weeks of hard labor, maybe a few months. You just have to buckle down and do it.
But here’s the big question: who’s paying the bills in the meantime?
Every hour you spend working on Project X is an hour less you can work on other income sources. If your time is worth $100 an hour, do you really want to invest 1,000 free hours into a project that might make you $5,000?
If you do, you’re essentially investing $100,000 for a $5,000 return. Not smart.
The reality is, you might lose money — and that isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, becoming a multi-millionaire can require losing money, as I’ve mentioned before.
But if you aren’t considering the cost of your time, you could end up with a flop.
If you want to be successful, figure out your hourly rate, and then delegate or outsource any tasks below that rate. Sometimes, you’ll be better off working for someone else and funneling that income into paying freelancers than quitting all of your projects and cutting off all of your income streams.
Smart business people invest their time wherever they’re getting the best return.
4. No One Seems to “Get” The Concept
This is one of the biggest red flags that your product is going to flop. Sadly, most people get so excited about their big idea that they don’t see the forest for the trees.
It goes like this:
You excitedly explain your product to a few people, but they don’t seem to get it. You explain even more. They seem unsure. They ask questions. You answer, but they hesitate. So you slow down and try to explain it as simply as possible, but you still can’t seem to get through.
Maybe they aren’t as smart as you. Or maybe they just don’t get it. Maybe they aren’t in your target audience.
But here’s why it matters: if your customer doesn’t understand the idea, it doesn’t matter how brilliant it is. It’s going to flop.
So, pay attention to people’s reactions. At which point in the explanation do they seem to get confused? What part don’t they understand? Where are you losing them?
These are the places you need to clarify. There’s a missing link somewhere, and you need to find it now, not later.
Or maybe you just need to get a new idea.
5. They Get It, but No One Seems Interested
Sometimes, people get your idea, but they shrug their shoulders and say, “So what?”
Maybe they point out that someone else has done it already, or maybe they don’t see the problem you’re addressing, or maybe they think it’s just plain boring.
They’re polite and they listen to your idea, but not for long – their phone or their email is far more interesting.
Watch out for that lack of interest, because no enthusiasm means no sales. You know you’re on track when:
They say, “I’ve been dealing with that for years. Can you really fix it?”
They laugh, cry, or get angry. The stronger the emotional response, the better the idea.
Their eyebrows go up, and ask, “Is that really possible? That would be great!”
They bring your idea up again the next time you see them. It shows they’ve been thinking about it, which is exactly what you want your prospective customers to do.
If you don’t get one of those responses, find out why. What do people really want? What do they need? What’s missing?
You might be able to adapt your big idea to fulfill that demand.
6. You Don’t Really Believe in Yourself
You might really, really want to get your big idea off the ground, and you believe it will succeed, but you secretly wonder whether or not you can pull it off.
Maybe you’re an engineer, and you don’t have any confidence in your ability to sell. Or maybe you are a digital marketer, and you struggle with keeping accurate financial records for investors and bankers. Or maybe you’ve never managed anyone before, and the idea of hiring and leading a staff scares you.
You’ve tried to stay positive, but deep down, you doubt yourself. You hope you can do it, but when you talk to other people about your idea, you can feel your insecurity bleeding through.
The truth?
If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will either. People have a sixth sense for uncertainty, and they’ll pick up on every signal of self-doubt you’re sending out. It can kill even the best ideas.
No one expects you to be perfect, but getting any idea off the ground requires leadership, and people expect leaders to be confident. So work on it.
The best way to build self-confidence is to start small and get some early wins.
If you are worried about sales, start generating leads you are certain will convert into sales, and approach those first. If you’re worried about financials, get example reports, and then start with the ones you understand. If you’re worried about managing people, start by hiring smart, ambitious people who don’t need much handholding.
Make it easy for yourself, and grow into the person you need to become.
7. You Can’t Seem To Find the Time for Your Idea
This is probably the most common sign of an impending product flop: you know your project will be a success — yet you can’t seem to find the time to work on it.
You keep pushing your idea aside. Other work comes up. Something else is more urgent. You’re busy. You push back your own deadlines and keep setting your big idea on the back burner.
It’s probably because you’re scared.
Maybe you’re afraid your big idea won’t succeed (even if you’re pretty sure it will). Or that it actually might succeed, and you won’t know how to handle it. Or that you’ll make mistakes and get laughed at, losing the respect of the people you admire.
Whatever the reason, if you find yourself procrastinating, sit down for a little introspection session. Think about why you’re not working on that big idea. Ask yourself:
What life changes you think would happen if you complete it?
What do those changes mean to you?
Why do you want to avoid them?
Are they realistic concerns?
What is the worst-case scenario?
Be honest with yourself. Often, reality is far different (and easier!) from what we imagine.
Maybe after some introspection, you realize the big idea isn’t going to be good for you. Sometimes our gut instinct sends warning messages that we should pay attention to – just because a project will be successful doesn’t mean it’s the right success for us.
And if that’s the case, then there are plenty of other – better – ideas for you to pursue. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s this:
The next big idea is always right around the corner.
Conclusion
Not all great ideas are destined to be big hits. However, many of the largest companies in the world started as just one good idea. Review the warning signs above and make sure you are in the best possible position to move forward.
Then, it’s time to start digging in. Start by getting to know who your audience really is and do some market research. Create a business plan and don’t forget to consider outsourcing tasks that you don’t have the time — or the knowledge — to tackle.
University student Should Have A Student Credit Card Pupil credit scores cards are additionally referred to as university credit rating cards, we will certainly utilize the identifier, trainee credit score card in this details launch. Generally, for a lot of university pupils, their trainee credit score card is their very first credit rating card and …
University student Should Have A Student Credit Card Pupil credit scores cards are additionally referred to as university credit rating cards, we will certainly utilize the identifier, trainee credit score card in this details launch. Generally, for a lot of university pupils, their trainee credit score card is their very first credit rating card and …
Creating a customer journey map is enough to make even the best marketer freeze in their tracks and realize how little they really know about their prospects.
If this sounds like you, don’t worry.
Even if you’ve never created a buyer persona before, I’ll help you make sense of the process by giving you a sort of “map” to help you better understand who your customers are and what they want.
Let’s take a closer look.
Starting Fresh: The Basics of the Customer Journey Map
A customer journey map is a diagram that illustrates each step in the buyer journey, including who the customer is, what their needs are, and what objections they face.
This map makes it easier for sales, marketing, and executives to make more informed decisions and humanize your audience.
The very first step in a customer journey map is the core demographic information about your customers, such as:
Gender
Age range
Job title
Job responsibilities
Salary
Region
Company size
You’ll likely find most of this data in your CRM. If not, a survey can give you a clear picture of who your audience is and what they do.
I also recommend “humanizing” the persona by giving them a name and image. This brings out more of our emotional, empathetic side, versus looking at the potential customer as a number to slot somewhere in a sales funnel like a puzzle piece.
Now that you have the basics let’s look at an example of a customer journey.
A Customer Journey Map Example
For our example here, we’ve chosen to work with Lucy, a marketing director in her late 40s.
Her job primarily entails lead generation, sales management, and gathering competitive intelligence.
She organizes and prioritizes campaigns. She’s a pro at gathering competitive intelligence and uses it wisely to reinforce the brand while cementing customer loyalty in a very competitive marketplace.
Because of the huge growth in social media, Lucy’s looking to streamline the interaction process on social media without losing the “personability” of the brand.
She’s in the market for a solution and wants to make a confident decision quickly.
So with this in mind, our persona map is going to look something like this so far:
To stick with the map concept, this is our starting point. Next, it’s time to look at the journey.
Our first stop along the map is the buyer’s needs.
She has the basic research to know what’s out there. If we were looking at this from a traditional sales funnel point of view, she’s at the “comparison shopping” stage.
She’ll be looking to make a decision soon.
Understanding the Buyer’s Needs
Buyers are eager to tell you what they need. All you have to do is ask.
Basic lead follow-up and nurturing questions can reveal quite a bit. Simple polls and surveys can often reveal a great deal about where the buyer actually is in the process (and whether they have an urgent need for your product or service versus basic curiosity).
Even if we don’t know specifically what they need, we can make a few general statements that apply them to our persona.
What would someone in this job typically need from our solution?
For starters, the buyer likely needs the product to be well documented. She’ll be managing dozens, perhaps hundreds of staff members – some of whom (based on age) may be more technically savvy than she is.
Some of the staff may pick it up quickly; others may need more time. We’ll add the needs and the persona’s place in the decision-making process (one persona can have multiple roles in the decision process — they can be a user and initiator, for example)
There’s also the fact that whatever solution needs to be adaptive and flexible to accommodate existing platforms and tools.
The company likely has certain procedures and requirements that will be added to the mix, like cloud-based access and specific security protocols.
These factors can influence and even conflict with what the primary buyer wants. The committee often makes decisions like these, which lengthens the time needed and the requested features.
Dealing with Common Objections in Customer Journey Maps
Like all maps, there will be roadblocks that prevent your customer from taking action. You’ll want to outline those in your customer journey map.
There are constraints and concerns, frustrations, and issues that will affect their decision. You can brainstorm these obstacles and add them to your customer journey map to ensure that sales know how to address the most common objections before becoming major pain points.
You also have to decide where this buyer falls on the scale of decision-making.
Will they be using the product? Influencing the decision-maker? Initiating contact with the company? A mix of all of these?
Make a note of these objections and the buyer persona’s place in the decision-making cycle on your map.
Following our example, we end up with something like this:
Here, we’ve managed to discover (and brainstorm) the buyer’s potential:
Needs
Concerns
Frustrations
Urgency/Timeframe to Buy
Place in the buying cycle
Requirements
All the kinds of sales-propelling information needed to acknowledge objections, concerns, and frustrations while concentrating on needs, requirements, and urgency.
We’ve learned core demographics about our buyer and key information that may be preventing them from taking action or details that could move a sale into the next stage.
Our customer journey map is less of a neatly-organized, bulleted list, and more like a mind-map that’s always being adjusted and revised. It may not be as tidy, but our customer journey map is closer to the actual customer experience — and therefore far more useful.
Think about the last time your company made a major purchase. It’s seldom a “beginning to end” one-time shot, right?
There are many details to hammer out, presentations to sit through, and suggestions and sign-offs to gather.
It’s a big process, and a fancy list of bullets just doesn’t cut it anymore – not in today’s two-way communication world.
Create a Customer Journey Map for Each Type of Customer
Now, you need to go through this entire process with every type of buyer your company encounters. Each type of customer will have a different buyer path, objections, and challenges.
For example, if retail, you’ve got suppliers, wholesalers, resellers, and a whole avalanche of personas out there. Each buyer you have must be addressed individually.
Conclusion
Don’t panic, prioritize. Focus on your most profitable customers first and find the unifying threads that tie them together, then build on that persona. Once you have those down, start working down the list until you have all your customer journies mapped.
And remember that buyers are multi-faceted human beings.
Sometimes they make decisions that go against the grain of even the most well-developed persona. It happens.
Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination, and the easier you make that journey, the more receptive the buyer will be to taking the action you want them to take.
Are you planning to create a customer journey map? What is holding you back?
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Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.