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Top 8 Tips for an Unforgettable Email Marketing Campaign

Email Marketing

Email marketing is such a valuable tool for businesses and organizations alike. Email marketing campaigns provide you, as a business owner, the opportunity to send direct and personalized communication to targeted audiences with measurable results.

We know – with overflowing inboxes these days, you may think email marketing is just a shot in the dark. However, email campaigns still have a place in the toolbox and are significant in helping return on investment when used correctly.

When creating email marketing campaigns, it’s important to remember to include several items to make sure you are maximizing your potential for building long-term relationships with customers and prospects.

We suggest the following 8 tips to create an unforgettable email marketing campaign:

  1. Send Emails to People Who Want to Hear from You.

    Have customers opt-in to your email list, or at least target those with whom you have a business relationship. Readers are more likely to engage with your business when they’ve given permission for contact. Plus, when you send emails that are merely deleted or left unopened, your domain reputation can suffer.

  2. Have a Clear Goal Outlined in Your Message.

    Define your goal, so you can communicate it to your recipients. Do you want them to fill out a form, follow a hyperlink, or use a promo code? Make it as easy as possible for readers to respond to your call-to-action. No specific goal? Don’t send an email just for the sake of it – people may get a little overwhelmed from multiple messages without a point. Make it worth their while to open your messages, and your consumers will reward you with their engagement.

  3. Personalize Your Messages.

    Emails generate higher response rates when sent to an actual name (rather than “Dear Customer.”) However, everyone is concerned about online privacy, so just stick to recipient name or company name. You may be targeting your audience with specific data, but you don’t want to scare them off with your in-depth knowledge.

  4. Be Personal on Your End, too.

    Engagement is higher when email marketing messages are sent from an actual person or company email address, rather than a “no-reply” account. You want your customers to reply (see #2).

  5. Pay Attention to Unengaged Subscribers.

    Suppress messages to those whose email providers start sending them to spam boxes. Even customers who have opted-in to your list may ignore or send your messages to spam, especially if they feel overwhelmed.

  6. Check Your Analytics.

    If you notice an extremely high rate of unopened emails, you’ll need to take inventory. Are you sending too many emails or failing to meet customer expectations? Perhaps you need more creative material or compelling calls-to-action.

  7. Vary the Days of the Week When Hitting “Send.”

    Depending on your audience, you will need to tailor the time and days of the week you send your messages. For example, if your primary audience is health care workers that don’t spend a lot of time near their computer, you will want to choose an optimal day and time to ensure a higher open rate.

  8. Write Strong Subject Lines & Avoid Clickbait-style Headings.

    When people open your email and find less-than-authentic communications, you risk losing them forever. Consumers appreciate authenticity and typically turn away from cliché marketing messages.

Email marketing can be a great complement with other communication tools and techniques for consumer attention. It’s effective when done correctly, but requires creativity, trial and error, and diligent attention to the analytics of clickthrough rates and response.

If this all sounds overwhelming, don’t worry! Ligon Marketing has experience implementing and measuring effective email marketing campaigns, and we can help you identify appropriate opportunities as part of your overall marketing strategy. Need help with that strategy? Let’s meet for coffee and talk.

 

Building a Website Together: Unveiling the Power of Online Presence

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Building a Website

In today’s world, connecting with customers has become both effortless and intricate. The modern consumer, be it a patient, client, or buyer, expects to discover information about almost anything online. Before making a call or visiting a physical store, most of us turn to the web to search for products and services. Therefore, your company’s website serves as the cornerstone of a successful marketing strategy.

So, have you taken a moment to explore your own website recently?

  • Is it user-friendly, with easy navigation and readily available key information?
  • Do you address the most common questions customers ask in a clear and easily accessible manner on your site?
  • Have you checked how your website performs on mobile devices, ensuring vital information remains readily available?
  • How well does your website rank in comparison to your competitors in search engine results?

Once you have established a strong foundation, you’ll need to add the necessary elements to your online structure, much like constructing a building requires bricks, mortar, and tools. Just like maintaining your home, your website also requires ongoing attention and care. By incorporating new photos, blogs, and updated designs, you can keep your online presence fresh and appealing to your customers. Websites were never meant to be static; they are the dynamic building blocks of effective marketing plans.

While you wouldn’t expect a chef to build your house, it makes sense to turn to professionals for the development of your website and marketing strategy. You excel in your orthodontic practice, using cutting-edge tools, but are you familiar with the tools of marketing and their potential impact on your business? Beyond the website, think about the significance of signage, print ads and collateral, video production, and leveraging social media platforms.

You have a deep understanding of agronomics and golf courses, but do you truly have the time and expertise to write engaging blogs, create compelling scripts, or design proposals that will entice your target audience to visit your site?

Moreover, you may be adept at analyzing complex financial statements, but are you aware of how to use the data available about your online visitors to enhance your online presence and foster business growth?

At Ligon Marketing, we possess the tools and a team of specialists to develop a strong foundation for your website and marketing endeavors. We are dedicated to assisting you in not only establishing your online presence but also fostering its growth and success.

Marketing Your Health-Related Practice

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Doctors, dentists, and other health care professionals spend years learning and passing intense exams to practice in their respective fields. Once the shingle has been hung, professional service providers face the challenge of attracting clients to their doors. All those years of medical education may not have included principles of business management or the value of professional marketing in driving business success.

For those starting out as independent practitioners who are looking for a fresh marketing approach, Ligon Marketing can offer you a few tips. We have worked with several types of professional medical practices, and have focused on both launching a private practice and expanding an established practice with new branding. We’ve assisted our clients in expanding clinic locations and patient volume, and we can do the same for you.

BRANDING

Do you have a logo or need one? A memorable and effective logo gives a strong visual impression of who you are. Establishing your brand is more than having a logo. It’s a process of reinforcing that image and concept of your business in all of your marketing materials.

WEBSITE

In today’s market, your website is not just a marketing machine but an expected part of doing business. Your website should meet several goals:

  • Attract new patients or referrals.
  • Provide needed information and forms to existing patients.
  • Serve as an educational resource related to your specialty, whether it’s dentistry, dermatology, or anything in between.
  • Host a patient portal for communicating electronically to your patients, in compliance with HIPAA.

Developing a website is more than buying a domain name and following a DIY template. (Many professions have industry-specific template providers, but keep in mind that a template site looks like every other template-based site. Bottom line – yours won’t stand out.) As a professional, you need a professional site, managed by someone who can keep it visible in the digital sphere. That requires strong visuals, useful and well-written copy, and frequent content updates for search engine optimization (SEO). Design matters. Potential consumers want to see photos of you and your team, as part of building a relationship. They want to hear “your voice” in the content. Must-haves are:

  • An attractive home page
  • An About Us page, with photos and bios
  • Contact information
  • Services provided

Your site should also be mobile-responsive, as today’s audience relies more and more on their smart phones. They should be able to find key information from your website quickly and easily on their phones.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

Facebook and Instagram have become required for most providers, as well. Your medical or dental practice’s visibility depends on active engagement, which is difficult for most busy practices to handle alone. These platforms drive potential patients to your website and ultimately, to your door. Ligon Marketing manages content posting and scheduling for most of our clients, and we can help you, too. 

In addition, your staff members are probably active on social media. It’s vital for health-related professionals to have a strong policy for employees in their online activities as they relate to your business reputation. This policy should address HIPAA compliance, as well as professional behavior, while respecting the team’s free speech rights. We have experience with this, too.

BUSINESS TO BUSINESS (B2B) AND REFERRAL NETWORKS

Most professional practices depend on and benefit from strong referral relationships with other businesses, practices, and professionals. Don’t overlook the opportunity to engage in networking and relationship-building opportunities. Not in your comfort zone? Ligon Marketing can coach you and your team on easy-to-implement strategies to increase your professional visibility.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Being treated well is a top priority for patient retention. Do you have standards for answering the phone, responding to questions and concerns, and handling billing or insurance problems? Does your team value and show respect for your patients the way you do? Our owner, Cora Ligon, has led customer-service training for numerous organizations, both in her own management roles and as a consultant. She can help you customize and implement training and policies if your office has a need.

COLLATERAL MATERIALS

Signs, business cards, forms, brochures, referral cards, prescription forms, patient packets….the list can seem endless. All these materials fill vital roles in a professional health-related practice. Each one represents your brand, and there is value in presenting a consistent look (logo, colors, type fonts, etc.). A professional marketing agency will ensure that consistency.

At Ligon Marketing, we’re not just marketers; we’re problem solvers. Our goal is to build long-term relationships with our clients, through listening, creating, implementing, and providing top-notch customer service. We’ve successfully helped other health-related practices grow, and we can use that expertise for you. (Of course, we’ll never compete with like-practices within a market area!) Give us a call today to explore your options!

 

A Guide to Online Fundraising for Political Organizations

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Thank you to Tiara Stephan of Qgiv for this spotlight blog.

When it comes to political campaigns, studies show that whoever spends the most money usually sees the most success. But to spend money, you need to make money, and online fundraising is one of the best ways to do that.

How does political fundraising work?

From individual grassroots donations to political action committee contributions, there are a variety of ways to raise money for political purposes. If you are fundraising for a political organization like a political party, special interest group, or non-governmental organization, it’s important to stick to the Federal Election Commission’s rules and regulations for raising money.

Why do campaigns have to raise money?

When you raise money for your campaign, you’re also raising awareness of your message and gaining exposure. From paying for traditional marketing advertisements to creating merchandise, raising money can help you rally support and increase your likelihood of political success. Campaigns are also powered by people, and fundraising helps you hire vital staff members and consultants that can help you take your campaign to new heights.

Overall, raising money is a vital part of the success of every political organization, and online fundraising has made it easier than ever to solicit donations and connect with your donors. Here is our list of tips for online fundraising for your political organization.

Identify a fundraising goal

Before you start any sort of online fundraising campaign, it’s essential to establish a fundraising goal. If you’re raising money on behalf of a federal candidate, research how much successful political candidates and organizations have raised in the past to win similar campaigns. Use that information as a guideline when you’re determining what is realistic for your campaign.

It’s also vital to understand your donor base as you raise money. You represent a community of people, so while you may understand what they need from an elected representative or advocacy group, it’s also important to know what their preferred giving and communication methods are for fundraising. For example, Baby Boomers prefer to give offline, Generation X is more likely to be moved by social media appeals to donate, and about 29% of Generation Z most like to donate via text message. By keeping track of these trends, you’ll quickly learn how to best reach out to your supporters for donation appeals.

Make your website easy to navigate

Your website will often be the main resource for people trying to learn more about your campaign and what you stand for. If your donors can’t easily navigate your website, they won’t know why they should donate to your campaign and will likely leave without donating. To avoid losing out on that valuable support, make sure you have a well-designed website.

A big part of having a well-designed website is making sure that it’s optimized for online visitors who are coming to your site via their mobile devices. Mobile-responsive donation pages yield 34% more donations, and about 26% of all online giving is processed on mobile devices. So if your website is difficult to explore on a phone, you could be missing out on a lot of potential donations.

You also want to ensure that any website visitors can easily find your donation form so they can support your mission. Place your “Donate” button somewhere obvious like the top right-hand corner of your website. Use a bold accent color to draw people’s attention to it without detracting from the cohesiveness of your website’s design.

Choose the right online fundraising platform

Your online fundraising platform will power your fundraising efforts whether you’re hosting an event or simply collecting online donations, making it one of your most important fundraising tools. When it comes to choosing the right platform for your campaign, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.

If you currently use a customer relationship management software, it can be extremely helpful to have a fundraising platform with integration features for your CRM database. With integrations, your database can be automatically updated with information every time one of your supporters donates. You’ll be able to keep track of giving histories, event attendance, and essential communication information without needing to complete manual updates.

Some fundraising platforms also offer tandem fundraising support. If you’re closely aligned with another organization’s mission, you can conduct tandem fundraising campaigns where donations can be split between you and your fellow changemakers. Tandem fundraising campaigns are a great option for gaining more exposure and expanding your reach.

Above all, the online fundraising platform you choose should benefit both you and your donors. Your platform should provide your supporters with a great user experience and make it easy for your campaign to raise money and keep organized. With the right online fundraising platform, you’ll see a boost in your donations and the support you receive.

Design an effective online donation form

Your online donation form is one of the most important tools to have for online fundraising. With an effective online donation form, you can collect donations quickly and easily from anyone who visits your website.

A great feature to have for your online donation form is recurring donation prompts. These prompts will pop up whenever someone donates and ask donors if they’d like to upgrade their one-time donation into a recurring donation. With recurring donations, you’ll end up spending less time on fundraising and can focus more on campaigning.

However, when you’re building out your donation form, it’s best to steer clear of manipulative patterns like using pre-checked recurring donation options on your form. Misleading your donors into making recurring donations when they’re not even aware of what they’re agreeing to will lead to a breakdown in trust between you and your supporters.

Other great donation form features to include are using suggested gift amounts with images, GiftAssist options, and conditional fields to collect relevant information from your donors. You should also brand your donation forms to link your donation form to your campaign. Prominently display your logo on your donation form and use your campaign colors on your form. This will increase trust with your donors and reassure them that they’re donating to your campaign.

When you’re soliciting donations on an online donation form, it’s important to place a legal disclaimer on your form in accordance with campaign finance laws. An example of contribution rules that your donors must acknowledge when making a donation may include the following:

  1. I am a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident (i.e., green card holder).
  2. This contribution is made from my own funds, and funds are not being provided to me by another person or entity for the purpose of making this contribution.
  3. I am at least eighteen years old.
  4. I am not a federal contractor.
  5. I am making this contribution with my own personal credit card and not with a corporate or business credit card or a card issued to another person.

As your donation form is considered public communication, it should also include a legal disclaimer stating who authorized and financed the donation form (e.g., “Paid for by the XYZ Committee and authorized by the John Smith for Congress Committee.”).

Create a marketing plan

Marketing is essential to a campaign’s success. It’s best to start by getting to know your donors and using a multi-channel marketing approach to expand your reach across all demographics. From direct mail, email, social media, and text donation appeals, you should aim to reach out to a variety of potential supporters to increase awareness of your campaign and your message. Then, segment your donors to deliver personalized appeals and better connect with them. With social sharing buttons you can make it easy for your supporters to share their own support with their personal networks and help you expand your reach.

Visual storytelling is one of your best tools when connecting with your donors. Share pictures of your organization in action in emails and highlight staff members and volunteers on your social media channels, asking them to share why they support your campaign.

Plan a variety of fundraisers

When you fundraise, it’s best to plan a variety of fundraisers to keep your supporters engaged. When you’re in your planning process, look at your donor base and your supporters’ event attendance history to determine what your contributors would be interested in participating in.

From text-to-give drives to virtual campaign events, you can encourage your donors to support your campaign with fundraisers they can get excited about. Selling campaign merchandise in an online store is also a great way to raise money and give your donors the opportunity to express their support and raise awareness of your platform. However you choose to fundraise, just make sure you’re engaging your donors with campaigns and events they’ll enjoy.

Thank your supporters

After you receive a donation from a supporter or finish an event, always remember to express your gratitude. Send thank-you emails after every donation and event to all your donors and volunteers. Explain the impact of their support by describing how their donation was used and how many people your volunteers were able to reach because of their work. Adding personal touches by handwriting your letters can make a supporter feel extra special, helping you to retain support from your donors. Continue with follow-up communications to strengthen your connections with your supporters and cultivate long-term relationships.

Final thoughts

Fundraising for your political organization takes hard work and effort, but online fundraising has made it easier than ever to connect with your donors and raise money no matter where your donors are and when they want to donate. If you’re searching for more help with fundraising, download this annual fundraising plan template to start setting goals and raising money!

Tiara is a Content Marketing Specialist at Qgiv, a company that’s dedicated to building powerful fundraising tools that empower nonprofits to achieve their mission. She’s a writer by trade and a passionate supporter of nonprofits by nature. When she’s not typing away at her keyboard for hours, you can find her dancing (if you can call it that) at concerts, drinking copious amounts of English Breakfast Tea, and daydreaming about traveling the world.

Digital Advertising Part III: All About Google Ads

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Welcome to part three in our running blog series about digital advertising. So far, we’ve discussed what digital advertising is and the pros and cons of each type of digital ad. If you’ve made it this far, we hope you’re putting some serious thought into how paid search and other forms of digital advertising could positively impact your business.

No discussion on digital advertising is complete without talking about the largest driver of paid search campaigns in the U.S.: Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords). While there are many types of ad campaigns you can run on Google Ads – display, video, app, shopping, etc. – this article will focus on pay-per-click (PPC) search engine advertising.

PPC, google ads, paid search advertising, pay per click

You likely see a paid search ad every time you run a query through Google – paid ads occupy the prime, top-of-page real estate on search engine results pages (SERPs). In the world of digital advertising, Google Ads boasts an impressive ROI, promotes top-of-page brand awareness, and puts your products/services directly in front of your target audience.

 

Is Google Ads Really That Effective?

 

Google sites are the most visited among popular, multi-platform web properties in the U.S., with approximately 269 million unique visitors from mobile and desktop connections. Google processes 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide.

In conclusion…..yes. Google Ads is quite effective.

 

How Much Does Google Ads Cost?

 

The truest (and most frustrating) answer to the question posed above: it depends. Advertising on Google isn’t cheap, but it doesn’t have to break the bank for small to medium sized businesses lacking thousands of ad dollars to spare.

One common misconception is that advertisers with the largest budgets score the highest rankings and exert more influence over paid search. But Google is not strictly pay-to-play. The platform wants to show visitors useful and relevant advertising to preserve its own credibility and trustworthiness as a search engine. That means ad quality and relevance matter when Google determines ad rankings, a factor that evens the playing field for advertisers of all budgets.

Ad quality and relevance matter when Google determines ad rankings, a factor that evens the playing field for advertisers of all budgets.

Google gives complete control over setting an ad budget and determining how much you’re willing to pay for ad performance. Investing more money into Google Ads helps, but you can still run successful paid search campaigns on a smaller budget.

Google Ads pricing is different for every ad. To understand why, keep reading to learn how the ad auction works.

 

How Google Determines Ad Ranking

 

Welcome to the auction. Google uses a bidding system to select placement and ranking for ads competing for the same keyword. Google processes millions of split-second ad auctions a day – an auction occurs every time a visitor lands on a SERP where ads are displayed.

There are two primary factors that determine ad positioning on a SERP.

  1. Maximum bid.

    The maximum bid is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the maximum amount of money you’re willing to pay for a click on your ad. Your maximum bid doesn’t necessarily determine the actual amount you’ll end up spending per click. It only sets a limit on what you’re willing to spend. The actual cost-per-click (CPC) could end up being less than what you bid for it. While CPCs vary by industry, the average CPC on Google Ads is between $1-2.

But Google Ads isn’t a pay-to-play platform, you don’t have to devote a huge budget to rank well on SERPs. Google wants to give its visitors a great experience, meaning they reward quality, relevant ads that are more likely to engage visitors and increase clicks. Their second ranking factor is heavily weighted to reward quality advertisements.

  1. Quality Score.

    The Quality Score is determined by the overall quality and user relevance of your ad, keywords, and landing page. Google also turns a critical eye on the expected click-through-rate (CTR) as a scoring factor. The more people who see your ad and click it, the more Google assumes the ad is relevant and helpful. You can also improve your Quality Score by including ad extensions that provide visitors with additional information (like site links, a phone number, a location, etc.) and drive more clicks.

Here’s what it boils down to: low-bid, high-quality advertisements will rank better than high-bid, low-quality advertisements. Along with higher rankings, Google rewards stellar ad quality with lower costs-per-click (CPC).

Let’s repeat that one more time: a higher Quality Score results in a higher ranking at lower costs.

 

5 Components of an Effective Ad Campaign

 

Let’s get into the meat of Google Ads: creating a successful ad campaign. Here are five important components to help guide the ad creation process.

 

  1. A clear ad goal.

    Advertising without a goal in mind is a wasted effort – and a wasted budget, too. Google Ads offers several campaign goals to choose from, including generating leads, driving traffic to your website, making a sale, or spreading brand awareness. Having a well-defined goal helps your team target the right audience, choose an effective bidding strategy and budget, and create a compelling ad that drives interest. Additionally, having a results-oriented goal helps your team more effectively analyze success and ROI upon campaign completion.

 

  1. Relevant, targeted keywords.

    Successful Google ad campaigns are built on targeting and bidding for the right keywords. There are several free and paid tools your business can use to conduct keyword research. Here are some factors to keep in mind during the research phase.

  • Who is your target audience and how are they searching for your products/services? What words and phrases are they using?
  • What keywords are worth bidding on? For every potential keyword, analyze the search volume, average CPC, and competitiveness to decide which words and phrases are worth your money. Keyword research can become very tricky when you’re balancing a keyword’s value within your target industry against the likeliness of outbidding competitors and staying within budget.
  • What is the user intent? Ads targeting customers in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey are more likely to drive direct conversions and sales. Research shows that 65% of Google Ads clicks are for ads that include buyer-intent keywords like “Buy,” “Shop,” “Get,” and “Purchase.”

 

  1. A defined audience.

    Make sure your ad lands in front of the people most likely to take an action on it. Google Ads offers a plethora of targeting options for you to hand-select your ideal consumer base. Build an audience based on location, demographics (age, education level, marital status, etc.), interests, lifestyle, habits, routines, and behaviors. Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to audience building – the clearer and more defined your audience is, the more likely you are to reach action-ready consumers.

 

  1. A compelling ad.

    Once you have the right keywords, incorporate them into compelling text ads that drive clicks and conversions. Persuasive and engaging ads that excite and entice consumers use dynamic, active language and speak to the user’s end goals and personal needs.

 

  1. A clean landing page.

    Remember that an engaging user experience continues after an ad click – make sure you optimize your landing pages for speed, quality, and attractiveness to keep consumers moving through the conversion cycle.

 

Google Analytics

 

google analytics, google adsHopefully, you’re already using Google Analytics to track and analyze your website traffic. Google’s powerful web analytics service helps you keep track of the audience demographics landing on your website, the actions they’re taking, and where they’re spending the most time. The metric and analyzation tools on Google Analytics can (and should) help guide your business’s digital marketing strategies.

It’s a simple task to link your Google Ads account to your Google Analytics account, and the resulting value is immeasurable. Ad analytics can (and should) help guide your paid ad strategies. Google Analytics allows you to follow ad clicks beyond the ads – you’ll be able to see the keywords and ad creatives that drive traffic to your website, the actions visitors take, and on-site engagement. You can use these valuable insights to improve future ad campaigns.

 

How Do I Get Started With Google Ads?

 

While you can set up a Google Ads account on your own, running successful paid search campaigns is a complex task to undertake if you’re new to the ad game. That’s why we highly recommend seeking help from an experienced digital advertising and PPC marketing services company like Ligon Marketing. From start to finish, our team will help you create and launch an ad strategy that helps you achieve your digital advertising and ROI goals. Call us today at 863-838-5475 or drop us a message online.

5 Ways to Keep Your Business Afloat During a Crisis

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The coronavirus pandemic is forcing businesses to rethink everything from their structures to their advertising. Most people are staying home to prevent themselves from getting sick with COVID-19. This poses a challenge for businesses, especially those that rely on face-to-face interaction with customers. People are less likely to buy things in turbulent times. Small businesses can have trouble staying afloat as their cash flow gets smaller. With the right strategies, though, small businesses can thrive in hard times. The key to survival is for a small business to engage with its community. There are many creative ways that a small business can accomplish that goal.

Work with Small Business Groups

The Small Business Association (SBA) has many resources available at https://www.sba.gov. A section of its site is devoted to information about COVID-19 and how to handle business without spreading the coronavirus. The SBA also has special debt relief options in place for small businesses who are struggling in these difficult economic times. If you’re just starting out, the SBA also helps entrepreneurs launch, plan, and grow their businesses. Your state Department of Economic Opportunity can also help you find local resources. Some states also provide loans specifically for small businesses, like the Florida Bridge Loan Program. Don’t be afraid to ask these groups for help! With the right resources, you can start a successful business even in an economic downturn. Small businesses are the backbones of many communities, and people rely on them just as much as big businesses. Small business groups understand this, and many people in those groups have experience with businesses of their own.

Collaborate with Other Businesses

Competition is a big part of business. During an uncertain time like the coronavirus outbreak, though, businesses can survive by working together. Unlike the Great Depression, completely remote businesses now exist. Collaboration is easier than ever across state and international borders. It’s possible to have meetings with a hundred people without worrying about any of them getting sick from COVID-19. Try contacting other small businesses who do similar things or make similar products. If one business is having trouble with shipping, perhaps the other business can solve the problem with its products or connections. Combining products or marketing could help both businesses prevent layoffs. Creativity is key to collaboration between businesses. Collaboration doesn’t mean that businesses must merge and lose their individual identity, either. Business can collaborate to strengthen their own brands and to help each other at the same time. They’re used to working against each other, but working together can inspire more stability, more customer confidence, and new innovations.

Innovate

Innovation is all about making your business better. Look at your difficulties with the coronavirus pandemic as areas where you can improve your business. If you’re worried about many of your employees getting sick from COVID-19, invest in a remote work program. Is there a possibility that your servers can’t handle a surge in customers caused by stay at home orders? Research and invest in some new hardware that’s better than your competition. Don’t forget to be creative! Is there something that your customers need that you’re not providing? Has someone had an amazing idea for a new service? Don’t be afraid to take some creative risks during this time. If you tap into a new market or create a product that no one else is offering, your business could quickly reach new levels of success. Many people think of the coronavirus as a temporary problem until we get back to normal. There’s no reason that “normal” must be the same as it was. Small business can innovate to create a new, better normal. Use the uncertainty and stress of this difficult time to make something better!

Advertise

Since people don’t usually buy as much when times are tough, it’s easy to think that small businesses should cut their advertising budgets. Instead, small businesses should increase their advertising as much as they can. This goes double if they’ve created something new and exciting that consumers would be interested in while dealing with the coronavirus. Many people are afraid of COVID-19 right now, and a fun distraction with a product they like could be just what they need. Reach out to potential customers with digital marketing. Use lots of SEO, and try to repeat your message as often as possible. People don’t often buy a product the first time they see it, so you need to convince them. Find creative ways to make your product appealing. Tap into new technology or write an app. Tailor your marketing to the people who need your product most and focus on them. Some companies even sell products at a loss if it helps them get the word out to people who need them.

Give Back

It’s easy for businesses of any size to forget about giving back in a time of crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. That’s just what many small businesses are doing now, though. Some are donating medical supplies to fight COVID-19, others are helping raise awareness, and still more are donating to people in need. From a business perspective, you can think of these actions as positive advertising. It’s a good investment with a high rate of return. Successful businesses know, however, that there’s more to it than money and numbers. Businesses of all sizes rely on customers to keep afloat, so giving back is a way to thank them and make their lives better in return. Helping out is important because running a successful business isn’t just about money. It’s about making the world a better place by providing people with something they need.

Never Stop Marketing

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Marketing during an economic recession or downturn is a necessity that many businesses may squander. 

By nature, the first reaction people have to any major fiscal threat is to hoard and cut many so called “non-essential” services (marketing for instance) that cost them additional money.  While it is true that certain budget cuts might have to be made in dire times, many businesses end up making the wrong type of cuts — including eliminating their marketing department. Instead of helping their cause, this actually sets their business up for failure; dooming their business’ chance at an opportunity that seldom presents itself: to be heard above their competitors. Merely reacting to a negative situation is not a sound business strategy; instead you should carefully consider the future and where you’d like to be, especially when the present crisis has ended. 

“A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time”  -Henry Ford

Since ancient times, the market square, where people gathered, was the only place for entrepreneurs to sell their goods and services. If you wanted to be noticed above all the thousand other people in the market square, you had to do something different to stand out.  After all there were probably dozens of businesses just like yours and they all sold the same thing. Having bright colors hanging near your stall, or a sign above your booth would be a good start. But if you wanted even more exposure, you would need to reach directly into your customers heads: through their ears.  You would need to get out there and proclaim your wares or services in a loud voice. And if you were too busy to do it yourself you would hire someone to be that “Loud Voice Guy” for you. That “Loud Voice Guy” would be the birth of your marketing company. 

 

Think about it this way: if less people were buying because of an economic crisis, you wouldn’t want to stop your “Loud Voice Guy” from working, or even worse, fire him. Instead, to get one step above your competitors, you would want to hire another “Loud Voice Guy” or two for that matter, expanding your reach to let more people know about your amazing product. That way even though there may be less people buying, you are the one getting more exposure and all the while the same amount or possibly even more customers.  Yes, it’s true you’d be paying for additional marketing, but if your business is to survive you would need it.  And if you fired all your “Loud Voice Guys” you might have more money in the short run, but you would lose all those potential sales you could have gotten as well as the new customers you might have attained in the future.  

To put it simply, marketing is about getting your name out to the people who want what you are selling. There are people out there just waiting to spend their money but have no idea who you are or where you are located.  Your marketing company is your “Loud Voice Guy.” You need them to keep your customers coming. If you cut your marketing as you make cuts to every other part of your business, then you might as well say, “Goodbye it was nice knowing you,” to your customers. Because two things will happen: your present customers will forget about you, and (should the recession end) you will no longer have a voice that can be heard above your competitors. The latter means you are delegated to the back of the race for customers with all your competitors, (especially those who had a marketing team when you didn’t) erasing years of hard work.  

Marketing is about psychology.  The marketer (“Loud Voice Guy”) knows that people require different ways to be inspired to buy a product or service.  He will do his research and find out what people are thinking. He will then take this research and bring it back to his particular business and present it, after which finding the best way to proceed.  Marketing takes time, just like anything you are building. Arbitrarily cutting your marketing because of a gut reaction of fear due to economic setback is like burning your building down because of a rat infestation. 

Did you know that most of the businesses that survived the Great Depression acted as if there wasn’t a Great Depression at all?

This attitude reflected an idea that a business would create demand even if demand wasn’t there.  In other words, business owners did not play victim to whatever was happening around them. Innovation is key to survival in any situation that occurs, whether positive or negative.  Your marketing company serves as a pioneer for your business and is your best hope for weathering tough times, along with your positive mindset. You need your marketing company — keep this part of your team. In fact, turn them loose and let them innovate and grow your business, especially now. 

 

Ligon Marketing is a full-service marketing, advertising and public relations agency based in Lakeland, FL. Ligon Marketing works with several businesses of all sizes to collaborate with and identify the most effective ways to present unique stories to target audiences. Utilizing digital solutions, practical business strategies, advertising, events, media buying, public relations, social media and more, our end goal is to help businesses grow, thrive, and improve their financial performance through effective and compelling branding and marketing campaigns. 

Ligon Marketing is owned and operated by Cora Ligon, who was born in the United States but spent her childhood in Papua New Guinea with her linguist parents. Her cross-cultural experiences and multilingual background give her deep insight to communication between different groups and types of people. Alongside Cora, Ligon Marketing has a dedicated and experienced team of experts that have a passion for helping companies flourish. For more information about Ligon Marketing and the extensive list of services the agency provides, visit www.LigonMarketing.com, or call 863-838-5475. You can also follow Ligon Marketing on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Influencer Marketing. Influencers Say it Works!

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What do you think of when you hear “influencer marketing?”  If you’re like most people, you might think “celebrity endorsement.”  And, while you wouldn’t be far from correct, you’d still be, well…wrong.

 

Two reasons. One, an influencer is not necessarily a celebrity and, two, an influencer is not necessarily seen as an endorser. Hubspot defines influencer marketing as the “employment of leading, niche content creators to improve brand awareness, increase traffic, and drive your brand’s message to your target audience.”   Given the above, perhaps influencer marketing is a marketing tactic that isn’t as daunting as you may have thought.

 

So, what then, is an influencer? An influencer is an individual who, through building their own personal brand via social media, has established a reputation as an “expert” in a particular industry.  What makes them influential is the following they have built on the web, primarily through various – if not all – social media channels. An influencer can be, for example, a consultant/former banker in the financial industry who regularly posts subject matter expert articles on industry sites, within industry-related LinkedIn groups, and in and on well-regarded industry publications  and websites.  

 

Influencer marketing has taken on a new importance recently.  This importance has been a long time coming. After all, traditional marketing, i.e., advertising, along with more traditional tactics, such as out of home and broadcast,  have been going the way of the dinosaur for quite a while and, in their place, are tactics and channels that offer brands the opportunity to build and maintain relationships. The emphasis in today’s marketing arena is on building connections and trust, not sales.  Build connections and trust, sales will follow.

 

Does it really work?

So, what proof is there that this “influencer marketing” thing really works?  As the old saying goes, numbers never lie, and influencermarketing.com lays it out like this:

 

  • 80% of marketers say influencer marketing is effective, and 89% say it works just as well (if not better) than other marketing channels.
  • 71% of marketers say the quality of customers and traffic from influencer marketing is better than other sources.
  • 49% of consumers today depend on influencer recommendations for their purchase decisions, while 60% say they’ve been influenced by a recommendation when shopping in-store.
  • Google searches for “influencer marketing” grew 1500% in the last three years.
  • 48% of marketers working with influencers say audience relationship is the most valuable factor when considering which influencer to collaborate with.
  • Influencer marketing strategies focused on branding or engagements generate 8x ROI.
  • The top three goals of influencer marketing for businesses include increasing brand awareness (85%), reaching new audiences (71%), and generating sales and conversions (64%).

 

How do you find the right influencer?

Google 

The most straightforward way to go about an influencer search is with the help of Google (or any search engine). Remember, an influencer is already creating content relevant to your industry and reaching your target audience. So, a Google search for industry-related terms and keywords will surface experts in those areas.

 

Social Media

Search various social media platforms. Influencers often have an online profile that will tell you a great deal about them.

 

Blogs

Look for influencers on social media who regularly post content that’s compatible with your brand image, as well as the products/services you offer.  Make note not just of the author’s name but the names of any sources cited.

 

Talent Agencies

If you’re looking to hire a specific celebrity influencer, you can find them… but, you’ll probably need to go through their agent. 

 

Seek Professional Help

Like any marketing tactic or platform, Influencer marketing is an investment.  It takes time and money to seek out and secure a relationship with the right influencer for your brand and product. In order to make certain that your time, and money, are well spent, you might consider engaging a professional marketing agency that can assist you in building a social media marketing strategy; one that includes influencers.

 

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