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PROPEL MARKETING • GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IN 2016
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PROPEL MARKETING • GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IN 2016
O U R G IFT TO YOU!
The success of your business is
as important to us as it is to you.
For that reason, we have handpicked our 10 most helpful,
informative blog posts from the
past year and packaged them
together in this e-book. Together,
we can grow your business
in 2016!
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PROPEL MARKETING • GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IN 2016
C O N TENTS
04 It’s Mobilegeddon! Google’s Algorithm Update Takes Effect
Daniel Weidel
06 7 Questions to Ask Your SEM Firm (to sound like an expert!)
Kevin Dunn
10 Death of the Click-Through Rate
Helen Coyne
13 The Future of Facebook Advertising: Clicks to Website
Chelsea Rader
15 4 Very Brady Reasons You Need a Website
Greg McCullough
17 6 Ways You’re Using Social Media Wrong
Alexander Cincotta
19 Discover More with Digital
Elizabeth Vincent
20 3 Tips to Maximize Your Email Marketing ROI
Kevin Dunn
23 Working on Your (Site) Fitness for SEO Results
Julie Curd
25 Turn Your Followers into Brand Advocates
Kristin Ennis
27 Contributors
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BACK TO CONTENTS
IT ’ S M O B I LE G E D DO N!
GOOGLE’S ALGORITHM UPDATE TAKES EFFECT
Daniel Weidel
Since Google first announced that it would be
releasing a mobile algorithm update back on
February 28th business owners and marketers
have had mobile on their mind, some for the first
time.
The April 21st rollout has been deemed
mobilegeddon and mobilepocalypse due to the
significant impact the update is expected to have
on mobile search results and rankings across the
globe.
If you have an SEO expert on your team, chances
are your website has already been optimized
for mobile and is in good shape. But business
owners and marketing managers that have been
intimidated by creating a mobile presence may
have just gotten a big wakeup call.
WHY IS MOBILE GETTING SO MUCH
ATTENTION?
Consider the numbers:
• 94% of people with smartphones search for
local information
• 77% of mobile searches occur at home or
in the office
• Mobile users will surpass desktop users by
over 200 million in 2015
• 72% who search for local info on their
smartphone visited a store within 5 miles
• 50% who search for local info on their
smartphone visited a store within a day
WHAT IS CHANGING WITH
MOBILEGEDDON?
Google is seeking to improve the mobile search
experience for users. This update does not impact
paid search or desktop organic search performance
rankings, but is expected to significantly impact
mobile search results on smartphones and tablets.
Here are the major changes, in a nutshell:
• Organic search results will now be based on
popularity as well as mobile compatibility
• Google will now label mobile-friendly sites in
search results
• The algorithm updates in real time, rewarding
sites as mobile compatibility improves
• This algorithm will analyze the mobile
compatibility of individual pages, rather than a
site-wide analysis
• Information from mobile application indexing
will also be a factor in ranking (exclusive to sites
that have Android Apps associated with them)
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IT’S MOBILEGEDDON! GOOGLE’S ALGORITHM UPDATE TAKES EFFECT
(CONTINUED)
TAKING ON MOBILEGEDDON
Developing and implementing a mobile strategy
may be intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be.
Here are a few ways to get started:
1. Determine if your site is mobile friendly. If
needed, come up with a game plan to migrate
from a traditional website to a responsive
site, which will automatically adapt based on
screen size.
2. Utilize Google Webmaster tools to analyze
performance and site security.
3. Implement Google Analytics on your website
to acquire data about site traffic for mobile
and desktop users.
4. Establish KPIs and track trends to identify
opportunities to better serve consumers on
mobile platforms.
After your site is optimized for mobile users,
commit to analyzing your mobile presence on a
regular basis. Use Google Analytics to uncover
how consumers are interacting with your mobile
site and make sure mobile content is relevant.
Google Analytics can provide meaningful insight
on site traffic data by page and device and is a
great place to start.
While analyzing the data, consider how your
customer makes purchasing decisions and how
that may be driving mobile site traffic, even if
the sale is not made on the mobile device. For
instance, many online shoppers will browse items
on a mobile device and then purchase them on
their desktop computers.
CHANGING YOUR DIGITAL FOCUS &
DEVELOPING A MOBILE PRESENCE
Recognizing the importance of a mobile presence
is one thing, but developing a user-focused
mentality and mobile strategy can be difficult.
Business leaders must first have a willingness to
adapt the way they communicate with consumers
and aim to become as user-friendly as possible.
Fighting the evolution of digital communication on
mobile is a losing battle. This focus on improving
the user experience was the driving force behind
Google’s investment in this update and is an
approach that translates across businesses.
HOW WILL THE MOBILE ALGORITHM
UPDATE IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS?
Many local business owners are concerned
about the potential impact this update will have
on future sales. The impact of this update on
your company’s mobile search rankings will vary
based on how much of your web traffic comes
from devices like smartphones and tablets. If very
little traffic comes from those devices, you won’t
see much of a difference. On the other hand, if a
significant amount of your site visitors come from
mobile devices, you’ll certainly see an impact.
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BACK TO CONTENTS
7 Q U EST I ON S TO A SK YO U R SEM FIRM
(TO SOUND LIKE AN EXPERT!)
Kevin Dunn
It’s no secret that Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
can be an effective digital marketing tool. The
effectiveness and the ROI of a well-managed SEM
campaign is substantial, and can strengthen when
you bring in an SEM firm or expert.
Think about it: the day-to-day optimizations and
campaign adjustments can be time consuming.
With an outsourced pro, you can spend your time
actually running your business, not worrying about Google AdWords and the Yahoo
Bing Network.
However, while you may want to bring in another company to help steer the wheel, it’s
important to ask the right questions to make sure you’re staying on track.
Here are some conversation points and questions to help ensure your campaign runs
smoothly and reaches its absolute maximum potential. Our goal? To have you talking and sounding - like a true SEM expert.
1. WHAT IS OUR KEYWORD RESEARCH PROCESS?
Your SEM firm probably uses the keyword planner and diagnosis tools provided by
Google, but how are they building out the keyword list for your campaign? What goes
into their selection process from the data Google makes available?
It can be helpful to ask for a full keyword list to review prior to actually going live.
This confirms a few things: understanding how extensive your list is, and what sort of
keyword match types you have incorporated. Here is a quick cheat-sheet on match
types:
• Phrase Match: Your ad shows when someone searches for your exact keyword or
your exact keyword with additional words before or after it. By targeting “women’s
hats”, your ad will show up for the phrase “buy women’s hats.”
• Exact Match: Appear only when someone searches for your exact keyword, without
any other terms in the search. By targeting [women’s hats], your ad will ONLY show
up for the phrase “women’s hats” and not for “buy women’s hats.”
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7 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEM FIRM (TO SOUND LIKE AN EXPERT!)
(CONTINUED)
• Broad Match: Your ad may show if a search
term contains your keyword terms in any
order, and possibly along with other terms.
Your ads can also show for close variations of
your keywords. By targeting “women’s hats,”
your ad could show up for “women’s hats”,
“buy ladies hats”, “womens caps”, etc.
The idea is to select a keyword list that brings
the most qualified traffic to your website. Are all
of your services included? Does the list include
typos? Understanding your keyword research
also brings us to our next question...
look at, but determining the ROI may take you
deeper into the analysis.
Phone call tracking can be an effective tool,
especially for measuring lead generation and
new business. You can also ask your SEM team
about conversion and e-commerce tracking - if
applicable - so you can directly attribute sales (or
email captures, or newsletter signups) to your
campaign.
Understand the tracking and analysis available
to your team to help direct you towards a more
transparent campaign.
2. WHAT ARE WE USING FOR NEGATIVE
KEYWORDS?
4. WHAT IS OUR AD SCHEDULING?
Negative keywords are a way to identify
keywords or phrases that you do NOT want your
ad to show up for. Incorporating negatives helps
eliminate unqualified and unrelated traffic, and
ensures you are targeting only the most relevant
users and traffic.
Ad scheduling, or ad delivery, is an important
component of any SEM campaign. Understanding
the difference in ad delivery methods - and which
strategy aligns best with your campaign - helps
determine how long your budget lasts, and in turn,
when and how your ad serves impressions.
For example, if you are an HVAC company, it
makes sense to build a list of “heating” and “air
conditioning” keywords. However, because your
company provides residential HVAC installation
and repair, you want to make sure your SEM
expert includes all “auto” and “vehicle” HVAC
terms as negatives so you don’t waste your
budget on searches you can’t service.
Your ad scheduling strategy can fall into two
buckets: “standard” or “accelerated” delivery - and
the main difference is how quickly your ads are
shown.
3. HOW SHOULD WE BE MEASURING
SUCCESS?
There are a significant amount of metrics that
surround SEM campaigns, so it’s important to
work with your SEM team to determine what
makes the most sense for you to help measure
“success”. Clicks, impressions, and click-through
rate are the most common data points that teams
For standard delivery, the AdWords platform
evenly distributes your daily budget across the
entire day. This means that while you may not
see your ad every time you look for it, you will
receive impressions in the morning, afternoon,
and evening. This is also known as “day-parting.”
For accelerated delivery, your ads show at the
top of the morning and display more frequently
until your budget is up. This could mean a busy
morning, but if you exhaust your daily budget,
you’re done until the next day.
Both strategies have their benefits, but this is
definitely something worth discussing with your
SEM firm to determine a course of action.
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7 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEM FIRM (TO SOUND LIKE AN EXPERT!)
(CONTINUED)
5. WHERE ARE WE LINKING?
Yes, keywords and ad copy are important, but the landing page(s)
themselves will have more influence on conversions and campaign
performance. Where do your ads click through to? Where are we
directing traffic? If you have service- or product-specific ad groups (think
“Residential”, “Commercial”, etc.), you will want to ask your firm if you are
currently deep linking the campaign.
Deep links are destination URL’s (also known as “landing pages” or “clickthroughs”) that go beyond your homepage. Deep links bring your users
directly to the dedicated page that aligns with the subject of that ad.
Your deep links can be critical as they bring users immediately to the
specific information they searched for. This can improve engagement
as well as convert them into a customer with more efficiency than your
homepage may have.
6. ARE WE BIDDING ON BRAND NAMES? COMPETITORS?
You know your business better than anyone, including variations of your
company name and, more importantly, your competitors. Your ability to
identify other advertisers in your space can be an advantageous tool in
your arsenal for SEM. If you are in a digitally competitive industry, you
can incorporate your brand name and competitors’ names into your
keyword strategy.
This can (obviously) be beneficial in a number of different ways. For one,
you can place your ad - and your stronger call-to-action - above your
competitor’s organic result. Also, clicks for these terms are typically
cheaper than the more general industry terms. By bidding on your
competitors’ names, you can boost your results (and gain a competitive
edge) for a fraction of your SEM budget.
7. CAN WE SYNC UP WITH MY GOOGLE ANALYTICS?
First off, if you are not using Google Analytics on your website - you
should! Analytics help provide key metrics and web traffic data of your
website to help determine site health, site effectiveness, and user
behavior. You can also link this Analytics data directly to your SEM
campaign.
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Your deep
links can
be critical
as they
bring users
immediately
to the
specific
information
they
searched
for.
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7 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEM FIRM (TO SOUND LIKE AN EXPERT!)
(CONTINUED)
Making this connection between Analytics and
AdWords - which can be done easily through
your SEM team - helps attribute lead generation
to your campaign as well as benchmark user
activity. How does the engagement of SEMreferred traffic contrast to your organic site
visitors?
Clicks and click-through rate are key metrics in
SEM, but what are the users doing on your site
once they click? How does the bounce rate, timeon-site and pages-per-visit stand up to the rest of
your site traffic?
It’s important not to feel pressured to run your
own SEM campaign. Similar to car tune-ups, there
is a reason why experts exist to change your oil,
replace your filter, and top off your fluids. You
feel more comfortable with an expert handling
and managing unfamiliar processes to make sure
they’re done properly and take the hassle off
your hands.
With that said, once you bring in an SEM team
for your business, follow these tips - and ask
these questions - to both sound like an expert and
ensure your campaign is fully optimized.
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03
BACK TO CONTENTS
DE AT H O F T H E C LICK-THRO U G H RATE
Helen Coyne
WHY CLICK-THROUGH RATES ARE NOT
RELEVANT
Discouraged? Don’t be. Today we know that there
is a fundamental problem with this measurement
for the objective of most digital display campaigns
(the exception being campaigns where the
objective is to get the customer to fill out a lead
form).
P
According to eMarketer, digital ad spending
will total $58.61 billion this year.
As consumers increasingly reach for multiple
devices to research and buy products and
services, more businesses are wisely turning
to digital advertising. And they want to measure
the results. Why is this such a challenge?
When ad agencies first began selling digital ads,
they sold them by touting the ability to measure
their success more accurately than TV, print,
radio, or billboards. They sold impressions as a
measurement of how many people saw the ad,
and click-through rates as a measurement of
how many people were interested in the offer.
Campaigns should be measured based on what
you want to achieve, and display advertising is
primarily about educating people about your
brand. It’s about creating awareness that you exist,
and starting to move people through the purchase
funnel.
AWARENESS
CONSIDERATION
Clients liked what they heard and they bought.
And of course, they focused heavily on clickthrough rates, for which the industry average is
a paltry .1%. This is the equivalent of 1 click for
every 1,000 impressions, not exactly exciting
numbers.
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INTENT
PURCHASE
LOYALTY
Create interest or need
via mass media. Exposure
for brand measured in
impressions.
Increase in SEO searches.
Read reviews, research/
comparative shopping.
Increase in page views
& time spent on site.
Complete lead form/
request more info.
Increase in offline &
online sales.
Repeat purchases,
recommend to others.
Favorable reviews, social
media mentions.
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11
DEATH OF THE CLICK-THROUGH RATE
(CONTINUED)
In contrast, click-through rates are about measuring conversions
– people who are ready to buy from you – the very last step in the
purchase funnel. Because display advertising is about building awareness
and consideration, and click-through rates are about measuring
conversions (purchases or filling out lead forms), click-through rates
aren’t the right metric to accurately measure the success of your display
campaign.
In fact, according to an online study by comScore, clicking on ads had
the lowest correlation with conversions. An analysis of 263 million
impressions revealed that click-through rates consistently underperformed other metrics such as impressions and ad hovers.
This doesn’t mean that your campaign isn’t driving new customers or
increasing sales. It just means that whether your ads are clicked has
little to do with whether your display campaign is meeting its objectives.
Not surprisingly, that same study also found that simply viewing an ad
does correlate strongly with conversions, indicating that seeing an ad is
enough to lead someone to eventually buy from you.
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS FOR A DISPLAY
CAMPAIGN?
So, if click-through rates don’t define success, what does?
Let’s look at some of the metrics that are available, and more meaningful,
for evaluating a display campaign. To best gauge performance, review
these metrics when your display ads aren’t running, and again when they
are. Google Analytics is your friend here.
1. Delivery / Reach – The number of ad impressions delivered. More
impressions increase awareness of your brand.
2. Branded Search – A lift in the number of searches for your company
or products on Google or other search engines.
3. Website Traffic – An increase in visitors who typed in your company
name to find you.
4. Time Spent on Website - Visitors spending more time on your
website indicates your brand is being considered.
5. Decreased Bounce Rates - A decrease in the rate of visitors who
leave your site after viewing only one page means they are more
engaged with your brand.
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Simply
viewing
an ad does
correlate
strongly
with
conversions,
indicating
that seeing
an ad is
enough
to lead
someone to
eventually
buy from
you.
PROPEL MARKETING • GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IN 2016
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DEATH OF THE CLICK-THROUGH RATE
(CONTINUED)
6. Change in Attitude – Monitor social media mentions for insights into the general sentiment
about your brand.
7. Brand Recall – An increase in the number of people who are aware of your company or products,
usually measured with online surveys.
8. Increase in Offline/Online Sales - A lift in sales means your customers are spending more with
you, or that you have converted new customers.
All of these activities strongly indicate that your display campaign is working as designed, and your
message is getting out there. You are moving people through the purchase funnel: People know who
you are, and are considering your brand for purchase.
With all of the choices available to customers today, this is a huge win for any brand.
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BACK TO CONTENTS
T H E FU T UR E OF FACEBO O K
ADV ERT I S I N G : C LI CKS TO WEBSITE
Chelsea Rader
As businesses grow their digital
footprint, they continue to embrace a
necessary presence on social media.
Business owners have, slowly but
surely, come to realize managing a
brand on social media is where they
can develop their voice, set themselves
apart from top competitors, and reach
current customers as well as potential
ones with immediacy.
Advertising on social media platforms is a logical next step in building out a social brand.
But how do you do it? Why type of advertising is best?
TIME TO PAY-TO-PLAY
Using Facebook as an advertising medium has quickly become the most cost-effective
platform in recent years. Reaching fans organically is in the past. The term “pay to play”
embodies the strategy needed to succeed on Facebook for businesses across the board.
Facebook ads have evolved from a simple “like” campaign or promoted content, to
allowing businesses to track website conversions or promote their mobile app.
With multiple objectives to choose from, businesses are more inclined to put their dollars
into Facebook Advertising. And with the advertising platform allowing businesses to drive
digital traffic further and further each day, it has pushed their social presence to a new
level. Businesses are able to connect their Facebook page to their website in a seamless
manner with Clicks-to-Website ads.
FROM FACEBOOK TO YOUR WEBSITE, IN A CLICK
With ads no longer being focused on the business’ Facebook page, Clicks-to-Website
advertisements are becoming a clear objective above others. With ads strategically placed
in the desktop news feed, desktop right-hand side, or the mobile news feed, users are able
to click on the ad, allowing it to open in a new tab and never leaving the comfort of the
Facebook timeline.
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THE FUTURE OF FACEBOOK ADVERTISING: CLICKS TO WEBSITE
(CONTINUED)
3 ADVANTAGES OF CLICKS-TO-WEBSITE
ADS
• Creates a synergy between a business’
Facebook page and a website, again
reiterating that a Facebook page should be a
reflection or an extension of the company’s
website. The ad creates a direct path to
the website while also driving traffic to the
Facebook page and therefore boosting
fans and engagement. Each part of the ad is
designed to take the user directly to the site
no matter where they click.
With Clicks-to-Website ads, the image is still the
most emphasized feature of the ad. Users are
responsive to copy that is short, concise, and to
the point. The ad should let users know exactly
what they will find when they click to the website.
Prompting users with a question and a call to
action can be effective.
Here’s Facebook’s own example of a great ad,
highlighting a vibrant, attractive image and
concise text:
• Ability to retarget - Businesses are more
likely to capture or gain an actual lead with a
new customer on their second or third visit to
the website. With only a 2% conversion rate
for first-time website visitors, businesses are
able to remind customers of their product and
give them inclination to revisit, resulting in a
lead or a sale.
• At a low Cost-per-click (CPC), businesses are
able to drive traffic to their website without
having to pay a fortune. Facebook offers one
the lowest cost-per-click platforms in digital
marketing!
As the Facebook advertising platform continues
to evolve, customer leads are becoming more
accessible for businesses.
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4 VER Y B R A DY R EASO NS YO U
NEED A W E B S I T E
Greg McCullough
Don’t have a website for your business?
Well, surprisingly, you’re not alone. And, as Peter
Brady so awkwardly sang, it’s time to change.
A huge advantage of having a website is that it
is still working even when you’re not. By making
information about your business available 24/7,
you’re providing extra visibility for your business,
as well as convenience for your customers by
allowing them to do research at their leisure.
DON’T GET LOST
Let’s face it; it’s easy to get lost in this world. And,
if you do, how do you expect to be found? You
could leave a trail of popcorn, but then what?
Hope that a Hawaiian tour guide tips off your
parents that you and your brothers snuck off to
return a miniature tiki statue in an ancient burial
ground? Hopefully they show up just in time to
save you from the hands of Vincent Price.
Sure, that’s one way. But how do you get found if
you’re a small business? Start by having a website.
Even going back to a 2012 study published by
Yelp, 85% of consumers used the Internet to
find local businesses. That number can only have
increased since then. A website is a fantastic way
to be found by any potential customer searching
for a product or service in your area.
smartphones. You certainly don’t want your
business to be lost with Kitty Karry All in Tiger’s
dog house. Imagine if information about your
business was as difficult to find as Mr. Brady’s
sketches in an amusement park? Most likely,
potential customers will not be as resilient as the
Brady’s were when searching for those sketches.
So why not make it easy for them to find you?
LESS PHONE TIME
Mike Brady had to resort to the extreme and
install a pay phone in his family’s living room
when his kids were spending too much time on
the phone and it was costing them a lot of money.
Granted, you may pay a flat monthly fee for your
business line and perhaps you don’t make many
outgoing calls, but without a website you could be
spending a lot more of your precious time on the
phone than you need to.
Remember when people used to let their fingers
do the walking through the yellow pages? Well,
everyone’s fingers are still doing the walking
but now it’s across keyboards, tablets, and
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4 VERY BRADY REASONS YOU NEED A WEBSITE
(CONTINUED)
A website is the perfect place to answer many
of the frequently asked questions you hear from
your customers every day:
•
•
•
•
What are your business hours?
Do you do removal as well as installation?
What is your return policy?
Do you sell Kitty Karry-All dolls?
Providing the answers to your most frequently
asked questions on your website will cut down
on the amount of time you’ll be spending on the
phone answering them from customers, and let
them find the information they need whenever
they need it without picking up a phone. This
allows you to spend more time either with the
customers in front of you or doing the work that
matters.
JOHNNY BRAVO, BUILDING CRED
Having a website makes you legit, it gives you
credibility. You know how Greg Brady became
Johnny Bravo? He fit the suit! As soon as he put
the jacket on, BAM! Instant credibility as Johnny
Bravo. As customers research businesses, many
will do a quick online search to see if a company
they’re considering doing business with has a
website. Those that have one see more action
than Johnny Bravo. In fact, 50% of local searchers
are more likely to visit your store, and online
searches are more than twice as likely to result in
a sale! Your website is your Johnny Bravo suit.
Without a website, your business could end
up being as big of a mystery as George Glass...
without the legacy.
MARCIA, MARCIA, MARCIA! LIVING IN A
COMPETITOR’S SHADOW
The famous cry from Jan after she’d completely
had it with living in her more popular, prettier,
older sister’s shadow. There’s probably been one
time or another where you felt like you may have
been living in a competitor’s shadow. So why not
make yourself stand out a little more? You can
tailor your image and make the impression that
you know you’re capable of to the general public
on your website. After all, you have a successful
business with happy customers and a great
product. Why not tell people about it?
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BACK TO CONTENTS
6 WAYS YO U’ R E USING SO CIA L
M ED I A WRON G
Alexander Cincotta
Social Media is a balancing act: you need to
maintain a proper mix of fun, informative, and
your own personality to squeeze the most
marketing value out of those Facebook posts.
When done properly, social media allows your
customers to gain insight into the people behind
the business and the “personality” of your brand.
This can be an invaluable marketing tool, but
only if you’re doing it the right way. After all, the best hammer in the world is a terrible
screwdriver - make sure you’re using your social media hammer properly!
Here are 6 ways you might be failing to use your social media pages to their full potential:
1. YOU’RE NOT PUTTING ANY EFFORT INTO MAKING A PLAN
Successful users of social media in the business world are successful because their pages
carry a consistent and deliberate “voice.” This requires planning. Yes, real life “sit down
with some paper and your team” planning. Consider your other marketing materials to get
an idea of the general voice you want your social media posts to speak with to represent
your business. The perfect balance is different for every brand, as each will have a different
customer base with different expectations. Create some general guidelines as to the type
of content you want to share, writing style, response style, etc.
2. YOU DON’T THINK YOU HAVE THE TIME
For many local businesses, it’s just not an option to sit down and generate content to keep
social media pages fresh and interesting. Sure, it would be great to be fun and witty off the
cuff on Twitter like Taco Bell, but the reality is Taco Bell is throwing plenty of money and
effort into these campaigns. For most people running a business, they think they simply
don’t have the time or the extra money to hire someone. That’s why you should plan a
general post schedule, and schedule posts in advance so you don’t have to worry about it
on a daily basis! Spend an hour once in a while and let the content roll.
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6 WAYS YOU’RE USING SOCIAL MEDIA WRONG
(CONTINUED)
3. YOUR POSTS ARE NEVER
SPONTANEOUS, AND ARE ALWAYS
SCHEDULED
Scheduling is great, and an efficient way to run
your social channels. But balance applies here
too! You can schedule posts in advance, but you
never want to rely exclusively on posts you’ve
already created and slated to go out weeks down
the road. What happens if important news breaks
or something fun happens by surprise? Get used
to the idea of scheduling your more involved
posts (links to blogs, photo albums, etc.) and try
to keep social media in the back of your mind
as you go through the day. Post funny quotes,
pictures of things happening around the business,
even pets in the office! This spontaneity doesn’t
have to be related to what you do as a business, it
simply gives you a ”digital pulse” and shows your
customers that there are humans behind the
brand.
4. YOU AREN’T BEING FUN ENOUGH
Facebook is all about passive advertisement. It’s
not always the place for special offers or BOGO
coupons. Keep it conversational, informative, and
funny. Remember the context your posts will be
seen in; customers following your business will
see your posts in a newsfeed full of their friends’
posts and groups they’ve joined. If you can
blend into that stream of entertaining content,
without appearing to be in it for the sale, you’re
leveraging social media properly.
5. YOU’RE NOT EXPRESSING YOUR OWN
PERSONALITY
Social media networks are the ultimate place to
let your customers know more about the people
behind the products/services they use and
the company culture they’re supporting. Post
glimpses into the day-to-day processes that
make your business tick. Have a bakery? Throw
up pictures of bread rising or of a tasty new recipe
being tested. Have an office pet? Post some cute
pictures on Twitter or Instagram. It doesn’t matter
that you’re an auto body repair shop - you’ll get
loads of engagement!
6. YOU’RE NOT LOOKING AT THE
NUMBERS
At the end of the day, you really won’t know for
sure what you’re doing right on social media until
you look at the data behind your posts. Until
recently, getting all this aggregate data was tricky,
but now Facebook has the “insights” tab built
right into your business page. This allows you to
see trends in your posts, and even export data in
excel format for further analysis. Take a look at
what posts were most shared or Liked, and when
they were posted. Simply looking at which posts
got most engagement can provide key insight
into what to post in the future and what days and
times your followers are most active. Learn from
successes and failures, and post accordingly!
Social media is new platform for everybody, and
it’s okay to be a bit clueless on how to properly
make it work for your business. It can be tempting
to ignore it altogether for that reason. But, if you
follow the guidelines above, and keep at it, you’ll
see the benefit of adding social media to your bag
of digital marketing tricks!
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07
BACK TO CONTENTS
DIS C OVE R MO R E WI TH DI G ITA L
Elizabeth Vincent
Like the great explorer
in whose name we
celebrate today’s
national holiday, you
can explore the foreign
and wondrous lands of
digital marketing.
Christopher Columbus set out to find India, but
instead discovered a whole New World. Likewise,
you may set out to find customers and discover
an entirely new audience sector you never knew
you had, or a new way of reaching and engaging
with customers you’d never explored before.
SET A NEW COURSE IN YOUR
MARKETING PLAN; DISCOVER MORE
WITH DIGITAL!
• Reach more customers
You know your demographic. Your customers
primarily fall in a certain age range, in a
certain area - maybe they’re homeowners
between 35-50 years old in your county.
But are there more of them than you’re
currently reaching? Try a new Search Engine
Marketing or Display Advertising campaign.
With advanced targeting tools, these
marketing techniques can help more people
in your core customer group find you when
they’re perusing the web!
• Discover a different audience
Are you limiting your business to one group
when you could be popular with an entirely
different demographic? Trying out a different
marketing approach is an excellent way to
discover new audiences that are interested
in your business. Take a new tack with Social
Media - either new channels (Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, etc.) or a new campaign
- to find your client base.
• Learn more with analytics
Have you looked at your website analytics
lately? You can bet that there are some
important insights there to inform and improve
your marketing tactics! Where are your
customers coming from to find your website?
How is your site’s content performing? Use
the information wisely to make data-driven
decisions about how to change the navigation,
organization, and information provided in
your site.
• Remind customers about your business
Once you’ve found your customers - or they’ve
found you - how do you keep them coming
back? Retargeting is the perfect tool for
reminding customers that they discovered
you, bringing them back time and again to their
new favorite business when they’re ready to
make a purchase.
There’s much to discover when you start to
explore digital marketing techniques. From
LinkedIn and Pinterest to Pay-Per-Click
campaigns and Video Ads, there are always new
tools and tricks for finding new customers and
helping customers find you.
Try a new marketing technique a find new
customers, new data, and a new world you would
never have found without it. What will you discover
with digital?
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PROPEL MARKETING • GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IN 2016
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BACK TO CONTENTS
3 T I P S TO M A X I MI ZE YO U R EM A I L
M A RK E T I N G ROI
Kevin Dunn
Email marketing does not have to be difficult.
The idea itself can sound daunting - especially if
you aren’t a “wordsmith” or a copywriter.
Marketing jargon aside, email marketing is
nothing more than sharing an actionable item
with a group of users who should know about it.
Constructing this message - and this actionable item - comes down to three basic questions:
why, how, and who:
1. Why am I sending an email?
2. How do I get your attention?
3. Who is my target audience?
If you can answer these three questions, you will be in great position to have an effective email
marketing campaign.
WHY AM I SENDING AN EMAIL?
Please do not overthink this. Figuring out why you are sending an email is (probably) the most
important question to answer, but not the most difficult.
In some types of digital media, you’re recommended to steer clear of being too “salesy” in your
communication. However, with direct emails, it can be encouraged. People understand direct
emails: their sole purpose is to communicate a promotional message. 7 in 10 people say they
made use of a coupon or discount from a marketing email the week prior.
For ideas, direct emails could be sent out for:
• Announcement of a savings/promotional weekend
• Introduction of a new product or line
• Share a special offer or incentivized price-point
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PROPEL MARKETING • GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IN 2016
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21
3 TIPS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR EMAIL MARKETING ROI
(CONTINUED)
Once this focus is determined, make sure it’s everywhere! Have
this action loud and clear all over your email copy. Use bold links and
clearly-labeled buttons for the user to immediately act.
• View Our Inventory!
• Redeem This Offer!
• Get a Free Quote!
Whatever your action is, make sure you have a coordinated message on
the landing page as well. For the actionable item promoted via email,
have the landing page (where they click through to) align with your
message or purpose. That is, when they click within your email, make
sure they’re sent directly to your website’s page about that product,
offer, or appointment request. If you make it easy, the conversions will
happen.
HOW DO I GET YOUR ATTENTION?
Obviously, users cannot take advantage of your incentive unless they
read it. Ensure your direct emails get opened by incorporating an
attention-grabbing subject line. Be sure your headline is quick, punchy,
and straight-to-the-point. You can’t overstate the importance of a quality
headline, as 33% of email recipients open emails based on the subject
line alone.
• Exclusive Deal For Our Favorite Customers
• Save 30% off MSRP - This Weekend Only
• How to Insulate Your Home at Half the Cost
It’s important to note: while crafting your exciting, concise subject line,
there are certain words to avoid. Some phrases can trigger spam filters,
sending your email straight to the Junk Folder and losing a potential
view, click, and conversion.
Words to skip?
• Free, Cash, $$$, Bargain, Price, Profit, !
• Avoid, Leave, Lose, Never, Remove, Success
Once you write your subject line - one that aligns with your message and
call-to-action - you are almost ready to click send! You have an actionable
incentive and you have a subject line to grab attention. Now it’s time to
determine who to send it to.
617-249-2600 | propelmarketing.com
Ensure
your direct
emails get
opened by
incorporating
an attentiongrabbing
subject line.
PROPEL MARKETING • GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IN 2016
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3 TIPS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR EMAIL MARKETING ROI
(CONTINUED)
WHO IS MY TARGET AUDIENCE?
The audience for any email campaign can be narrowed down to two key segments: existing customers
and new customers. Where targeting existing customers is reliant on your own CRM or database,
targeting a new set of potential customers typically comes down to a purchased list.
Determining which path to go down (existing vs. new) goes back to our first question - why am
I sending an email? Am I looking to secure repeat business or am I hoping to find a new group of
customers?
For direct emails being sent to recipients NOT in your customer database, the lists available to use
can be very pointed and targeted. Similar to other marketing efforts, audience can be identified by a
number of different factors:
• Geographic (your city, county, state, country)
• Demographic (gender, age range, household income, ethnicity)
• Behavior (interests, purchasing intentions)
Are you a store selling tools and power equipment with a promotional weekend coming up? You could
build a list of email recipients in a 25-mile radius around your location, who are male and over 30,
with interests in yard/house maintenance and have shown an intent to purchase a new lawn mower.
Yup - it can be that specific!
Work with your digital marketing team to determine what lists - and what filters - are available
to your business and goals. Sending the right message to the right inboxes can ensure a highly
successful campaign.
IS EMAIL MARKETING RIGHT FOR ME?
A quality email marketing campaign comes down to three basic questions: why am I sending an email,
how do I plan to grab attention, and whose attention should I be trying to reach?
If you’re on the fence about sending a direct email - don’t be! There is plenty of data to back up this
tried and true marketing tool and show the ROI potential.
• People who buy products marketed through email spend 138% more than people that do not
receive email offers
• More than 60% of businesses say they plan to increase their email marketing budget in 2015
• For every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return is $44.25
See you in my inbox!
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09
BACK TO CONTENTS
W ORK I N G ON YO U R ( SI TE) FI TNESS
FOR S E O R E S U LT S
Julie Curd
Let’s be realistic.
It used to be enough to stuff a web page full
of industry-centric keywords and “Black Hat”
tactics to improve your site’s rankings in search
results. But now, to no one’s surprise, Google has
wisened up and tightened the reins once more.
So what does that mean for your Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) campaign?
It means that now, more than ever, it is imperative
that your SEO campaign focuses on overall
site health. It means that your campaign can no
longer rely on keywords alone to get you to the
top spot on Google or any other search engine.
Instead, you must strive for a campaign that will
give you a lasting return on your investment one with far-reaching implications for your web
properties and visitors, rather than just your
keyword rankings. Because while keywords are,
undoubtedly, a crucial part of your campaign’s
foundation, “where they rank is no more
important than site traffic, bounce rate, time on
site and pages visited” as recognized by SEO
manager David Estey and Google at large.
THERE’S NO CRASH DIETING IN DIGITAL.
Think of your campaign as you would your fitness
routine- you must put good in to get good out. If
you expect extreme results, but work too quickly
or carelessly to achieve them, you could end up
doing more harm than good.
A successful campaign requires long-term thinking,
a realistic timeline, and unwavering trust in your
SEO specialist or “trainer.” If you’re focused solely
on troubleshooting your site’s short-term problem
areas and not on the bigger picture, you’ll never
gain the optimal results you desire (and deserve!)
Consider this more of a long distance run than a
sprint.
WARM IT UP AND STRETCH IT OUT
Take the time to set realistic goals from the start,
then continue to work towards them even after the
campaign has ended. As with your own personal
fitness, it is better to focus on small, attainable
goals rather than trying to succeed with a single
herculean effort.
• Start by formulating a plan of action that
includes both short- and long-term strategies.
Work with your SEO specialist for an initial
site audit that will evaluate what is working,
and where there are opportunities for
improvement.
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WORKING ON YOUR (SITE) FITNESS FOR SEO RESULTS
(CONTINUED)
• Give the people what they want (to hear)
by discussing your customers’ interests and
aligning these with your campaign goals. Add
pages that speak to your profitable areas of
business and convince visitors to become
customers. Aim for a balance between
necessary and relevant content- inviting
guests to engage with your site, while still
providing them with the answers to their
questions and search queries.
• Take advice from the pros and implement the
on-site recommendations your SEO specialist
provides you. It is from here, rather than the
day you sign your contact, that the campaign
actually “begins.”
THE FINISH LINE IS NEAR-ISH, BUT YOU
CAN’T STOP THERE!
You wouldn’t drop the dumbbells and step off
them treadmill as soon as you saw results in the
gym, would you? No, you would continue training
and maintaining your good health.
Treat your campaign the same way! Continue to
focus on your overall site “fitness” by optimizing
and updating your site regularly - even after the
official campaign has ended. Aim for results that
can be sustained over time, and you will continue
to reap the rewards. Healthy site, happy... Google.
• Feel the Burn and recognize that these things
take time (and patience) especially after
implementing major site changes. Do not
expect your rankings to change drastically
overnight - or even in the first few months.
Instead, expect to see results gradually over
the course of the 6 to 12 month campaign.
• Jog Blog it out and reap the Google rewards.
Adding a blog and updating it regularly with
interesting, share-worthy posts is a great way
to engage visitors with your newly-optimized
site. If done correctly, this can help enhance
your SEO efforts.
• Get a new scale to measure the success
of your campaign. Rather than focusing
entirely on your rankings, look for growth
in Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such
as organic web traffic, pages viewed, tasks
completed, etc. By recognizing the gradual
success in these areas, you will gain a better
understanding and appreciation for your
campaign’s progress.
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T U RN YO UR F O LLO WERS INTO
BR A ND A DVOC ATES
Kristin Ennis
Your loyal customer base is following you on
social media because they want to connect
with you as a brand. Make sure you provide
opportunities for your followers to connect
with you.
1. Encourage your followers to share special
moments. This will inspire user-generated
content you can use in your own promotion by
retweeting, reposting, and sharing.
Take REI for example.
They have been running
a promotion, asking
their followers to share
special moments using the
hashtag #REI1440Project
to show their love of the
outdoors.
Today’s word of mouth marketing doesn’t always
come directly from one’s lips – it often comes
through a Facebook post or a Tweet! Are you
utilizing your most active, engaged followers?
It’s time to turn your social media followers into
brand advocates.
Whether on Facebook, Yelp, Google+, or simply a
tweet or Instagram post, online customer reviews
and recommendations are far more powerful
than anything your business can put out on its
own.
How powerful?
• 84% of consumers say their friends and
family are their trusted resources
• The average satisfied customer will influence
42 friends on social media
• Those influencers can contribute to 20-50%
of sales!
Fans can submit their
photos through the
website, on Instagram,
or through other social
media channels. REI then
compiles them on their #REI1440Project website
and shares the best, most inspiring images on their
social channels. This type of sharing builds brand
loyalty, brings their community together, and
creates killer content at the same time.
2. Ask questions that will evoke engagement
and sharing. Ask people to share a picture
of themselves using your product or service.
Asking something relevant to your community
will encourage them to interact and share.
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TURN YOUR FOLLOWERS INTO BRAND ADVOCATES
(CONTINUED)
3. Ask your followers to write a review. Sometimes, all you need to do
is ask!
4. Offer benefits to your followers. Special discounts, offers, and
coupons offered to your social followers will provide yet another
reason for customers to follow your brand and will encourage sharing
(so their friends can get in on the goods, too).
5. Join the conversation. Getting your fans to engage is half the
battle. Show that you care and are listening by joining in on the
conversation! It’s also a good idea to acknowledge your brand
advocates publically, which will lead to continued contribution,
increased loyalty, and will inspire others to jump on your brand’s
bandwagon (hopefully by becoming advocates themselves)!
6. Ask your employees to be advocates. Employees have the inside
scoop and can help advocate for your business and spread the word.
They can also curate some great content by sharing their experiences
at the company in words or images. Followers love to see what it’s
like on the inside!
A small amount of advocates can have a huge impact. These enthusiastic
customers will go beyond a “Like” to sharing reviews and talking about
your brand with other potential customers. This type of new-age word of
mouth marketing is something your business simply cannot buy.
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Advocates
will go
beyond a
“Like” to
sharing
reviews
and talking
about your
brand
with other
potential
customers.
PROPEL MARKETING • GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IN 2016
C O N TRIBU TORS
Daniel Weidel
Kevin Dunn
Helen Coyne
Chelsea Rader
Greg McCullough
Alexander Cincotta
Elizabeth Vincent
Julie Curd
Kristin Ennis
Like what you see? Let Propel help your
business grow in 2016! For more information
contact Propel Marketing at 800-767-1520.
SHARE THIS E- B O O K!
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