social media marketing Archives | Page 8 of 16

Are you prepared to boost your sales this Boxing Day?

Posted on December 8, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

Did your e-commerce business underperform this past Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend? While this holiday spectacle is a great time for businesses to attract new customers, boost their sales, and increase overall traffic and conversions, it’s also one of the most competitive times of the year for online shopping. Nevertheless, it’s important to become familiar with the hype, as consumers expect deals and likely won’t be motivated to shop if you aren’t keeping up with the competition. Thankfully for you, Boxing Day is fastly approaching and there are a variety of strategic ways that you can gear up for this annual shopping event!

Plan your deals well

Since Boxing Day is one of the largest online shopping days of the year, the most important thing you can do is carefully craft and orchestrate the deals that you’re going to offer, with enough time to let your audience know that a promotion is headed their way.

Here are some steps that we recommend that will help you to plan your Boxing Day offer(s):

Make a list of the products that you want to put on sale.
Estimate your revenue goals for the promotion and how much traffic you will need to meet them.
Determine how much you want to spend on your advertisements, professional copywriting tasks, email marketing management, and more.
Analyze your profit margins. Be sure to add the product price against each of your items to make these calculations easier.

Doing all of the above will help you to decide how much wiggle room you have so that’s easy to determine how much of a discount you can offer. Remember to set realistic goals that can be fulfilled without disappointment and be mindful of overspending on inventory.

Use strong social proof

The term social proof is a psychological and social phenomenon wherein consumers copy the actions of those around them in an attempt to engage in the stereotypical behaviours of a given situation. For example, if shoppers click through to your website and can see that others like themselves have already purchased a particular item, they are more likely to also make that purchase.

Since there are different types of social proof that you can use to attract leads and promote conversions, it’s best to do a bit of research to see which methods would be most effective in your industry. One of the most popular approaches that shoppers trust is user-generated content. This could include genuine reviews or images of satisfied customers using your products or services. You can also create a sense of urgency to shop by counting down the days to buy through a social media post or some professional copywriting on your blog. The above efforts have the power to trigger a fear of missing out (FOMO), encouraging users to take action quickly to grab hold of the opportunity you have presented them with, which in turn correlates to the entire concept of social proof as a psychological phenomenon!

Create striking images

You don’t need to have a lot of skill or knowledge to create images that will help to advertise your promotions. In fact, there are a variety of free tools that you can use to create striking graphics that can be used in your emails or shared within your social media channels.

Pexels is a great source for free stock imagery. Simply type out what you’re looking for in the search tab and peruse through a vibrant selection of professional styled graphics. For those who are keen on learning to design custom images but have never been able to master photoshop, we recommend testing out Canva and selecting from their variety of aesthetically pleasing templates.

Optimize your checkout process

Whether you have some web development experience or you work alongside a professional tech team, your checkout process must be optimized before Boxing Day shopping commences. After all, there’s no point offering your customers amazing offers if the people taking advantage of the discount can’t complete their purchases due to a faulty checkout process.

Do you need help with plugins, graphic design, and other website development features? We highly recommend Numinix Web Development Inc. for any web development service, big or small!

Did any of the above information motivate you to plan something big this Boxing Day? Drop a comment below to share your experiences.

Alex Wilks

Alex Wilks has been working as a copywriter and digital marketing strategist since 2018, with added specialties in social media and email marketing. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Communication, she is a natural content writer with the ability to connect well with her target audience.

Digital marketing techniques that hold the most value for business owners

Posted on December 1, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

Your online presence is essential, regardless of whether you’re starting a new e-commerce business or simply taking over from a previous owner. While the 2020 year has brought about a lot of changes, the only change to online shopping is that it has become more important than ever before, as more customers are flocking to the web to make their essential purchases. We’re in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s your job to keep on top of your digital marketing efforts to ensure that you prosper in the years to come. Here are some techniques that we recommend.

Understanding your audience

As a growing, e-commerce business owner, one of the most important aspects of operation resides in knowing who your customers are. An engaged audience is key, regardless of whether you’re a startup business or you’ve been in the industry for years. For those who are hoping to better relate to your audience, this would require narrowing your content to meet the needs of that demographic, which as a result, will allow you to cater your digital marketing efforts towards campaigns that understand their pains, problems, and priorities. It could be as simple as communicating a compelling message that encourages a prospecting customer to purchase your product. However, it often involves digging a little deeper into the shopping habits of your target audience.

If you’re looking for professional digital marketing services that satisfy the above objectives, have a word with a member of the Trek Marketing team to get started.

Email marketing is booming

One of the most cost-efficient, professional digital marketing services available is email marketing. Why is this? It’s because this type of digital service bridges the gap between generations. Pretty much everyone nowadays has an email, aside from using them to communicate with loved ones, most enjoy receiving special discounts from the online businesses they subscribe to. After all, who doesn’t love a good deal? However, the best part about email marketing is a quicker return-on-investment (ROI). While many professional digital marketing services take time to generate revenue, business owners can see the money that’s being made from a good email right away! Emails also help to create brand awareness, which translates to more valuable traffic leads down the road.

Search engine optimization helps to increase your ranking

Even if you have the most aesthetically-pleasing website, if you aren’t able to increase your search ranking, shoppers will have a hard time finding your online business. So, while there are many e-commerce entrepreneurs that don’t understand SEO, most invest in this content creating, link-building service! Since SEO involves a variety of crucial tactics, such as an initial audit, ongoing research, on-page optimization, and link building, it’s far easier to hire a professional to help you achieve your search result goals!

Don’t forget to be socially involved

Social media marketing has become an integral part of professional digital marketing strategies for businesses. Its importance is huge in helping e-commerce companies expand their following, as many small businesses start gaining traction through positive reviews and customer word-of-mouth. Needless to say, building your brand involves consistency and relevance in the quality of content you publish. That’s why many e-commerce business owners seek professional digital marketing to help utilize tools that are available on social platforms, create a vibrant posting schedule, and cross-share their content.

Blogging adds value too

While many e-commerce business owners often overlook blogging, we believe that it holds great value in the expansion of your reach to potential customers. Blogging allows you to establish credibility for your business, inputting regular entries that offer insightful information, as well as take a sales-based approach. Keeping in mind that it’s essential that you create a regular posting schedule (once a week is ideal), unless you’re full of industry ideas, many look to professional resources to create ongoing website content.

Can you think of other digital marketing techniques that have added major value to your online business? Drop a comment below to share.

Alex Wilks

Common digital marketing mistakes to avoid as an entrepreneur

Posted on November 10, 2020February 28, 2022 by Alex Wilks

Since it’s difficult to guarantee which investments will generate a consistent return, e-commerce business owners will often face marketing hurdles where they will struggle to see profitable results. So, whether you’re looking for help with various digital marketing activities or simply want assurance that you’re on the road to success, an assortment of digital marketing services are available at your fingertips. But first, here are some common mistakes you should avoid!

Didn’t formulate a digital strategy

While it would be silly to not utilize the power of social media for marketing purposes, most business owners use their channels to publish a stream of over-promotional content that generates little engagement, which is not beneficial for the time that it takes to perform the task. Any form of return in digital marketing requires the development of a coherent strategy that will underpin business objectives and push forward likable, inviting content. Focusing on posts that highlight keywords via pay-per-click advertising or only crafting brand-related content won’t get you the results that you’re looking for. This is why the best thing you can do is to take the time to understand your target audience and research how they engage with the channels you’re using because this will help you to narrow your focus and avoid wasn’t money by moving forward with no strategy in place.

There are digital marketing services that can offer you help with all of the above and what’s even better is that hiring a social media manager is a cost-effective way to combine research and content creation with the added bonus of customer service.

Don’t cut your spend, move it around

There are a lot of opportunities for growth in digital marketing, and as a result, common issues are faced by business owners. There’s a belief that return-on-investment (ROI) should come immediately after the trial of a small Google ad or a one-time SEO campaign, but often these investments take time to make money. So, instead of swiftly cutting your spend, consider moving it around to another digital platform that may produce more return. The best thing to do is evaluate your marketing budget, see what is and isn’t working, and increase in the areas where you’re seeing conversions.

Consult with a member of the Trek Marketing team to determine which digital marketing services would offer the best ROI for your e-commerce business.

Keep pace with the digital marketing trends

E-commerce businesses have ramped up the use of trending features such as more video content and Chatbots, and have also increased their presence on platforms like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. So, if you want to remain competitive in your industry, you will need to keep on track of what’s engaging your target audience. The best way to implement and manage an effective digital marketing strategy is to constantly evaluate what’s working, allowing you to make positive changes and push forward in the areas that will generate a higher return. It’s also important to learn from your competition, remain focused on your growth, and keep in mind that building your business will be a long-term game of trial and error.

Not Knowing Your Target Market

One of the most effective strategies in marketing your products or services is profoundly understanding your customer’s pain points and what type of person is more likely to be interested in what you’re trying to offer. Formulating a buyer persona is an excellent strategy used by professional marketers to streamline their target and know what type of people they are trying to aim.

Knowing your target market is as important as anything else, especially in advancing technology today. Social algorithms already have much more data than ever before about their users’ interests, hobbies, and even buying behavior. Therefore, having a deeper understanding of your target market allows you to maximize your campaign’s efficiency and even take advantage of sophisticated digital tools in today’s online business world.

Failure to Track Measurable Goals and Milestones to Hit

Many entrepreneurs have been successful in their business in the digital space but staying successful is a whole different conversation. In most cases, even a thriving business at its early stages could quickly lose track of its progress because of failing to track its progress and setting goals to target.

The e-commerce business is continuously ramping up, meaning you also have to step up your game and never lose sight of your improving your business as a whole to stay relevant to the market. Tracking your progress through statistical analytics by digital services allows you to have a leg up on your competition and gradually improve your online business over time.

Not Flexible Enough to Try and Test Different Strategies

There is no shortage of digital marketing strategies that effectively ramp up your engagement, traffic, or even sales almost instantly. While there’s a value in staying consistent about your current method that has already been working for you, being open to other opportunities would open up so many doors for your business, especially in a constantly evolving world.

An Entrepreneur’s ability to do trial and error, whether through specific marketing campaigns, trying out new digital strategies, or other things, is a massive advantage for taking advantage of opportunities ahead of you. It is likely that an effective digital marketing strategy from just six months ago now could no longer be relevant today. That is why it’s best to keep being updated and allow yourself to try out new things that might or might not work for the sake of the business. This is a common trait for thriving businesses in today’s world.

Focused on blending in instead of standing out amongst your competition

Another common mistake for up-and-coming entrepreneurs trying to find their success in the digital space is focusing too much on blending in instead of finding ways to stand out. The reason behind this is to remind you that you’re in the business of offering products/services that are distinctly unique from what the market already has to offer.

Unrealistic Overnight Success Expectations

Setting goals and targets are excellent, but expecting unrealistic results over a short amount of time is detrimental and could hold your online business success even further down the line. There is nothing wrong with high-ambitions and having the confidence that your product or service online would do well. However, patience is a huge thing, especially when entering a highly competitive market.

Understand that you’re not the only one who’s trying to get a fair share of the market and that you’ll have to earn it gradually with patience and wit if you want your business to thrive. A good rule of thumb when it comes to setting expectations is to set goals that are hard enough to keep you going but aren’t too challenging and leave you in a slump. Small wins, whether in sales, engagements, followers, or any progress in your digital marketing pursuit, get you going and are much more effective for sustainable growth instead of unrealistic expectations.

Failure to Adapt to New and Updated Strategies

Keeping an eye on and constantly updating your digital marketing strategies is a huge plus for your e-commerce store to stay relevant to your chosen niche market. Many factors may impact how well a particular digital system might or might not work, so it’s always best to keep open and flexible for future adjustments.

Undervaluing the Power of Customer Reviews and Feedback

Online Reviews and Customer Feedback is an excellent social proof and way to get more traction on your e-commerce business. However, not many entrepreneurs understand the value of having honest feedback from customers, whether good or bad and how it could impact your business as a whole.

Genuinely listening to what your customers like about your products and what they dislike gives you ideas on improving your business. Businesses that listen to their customers will likely have their way to building their community and engagement over time.

What did you learn from the above blog submission? Drop a comment in the section below to converse with other readers.

Alex Wilks

How to market your website’s Cyber Monday sale

Posted on November 3, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

Every business wants to capitalize on holidays that have a crazy shopping demand, which is why the weeks leading up to Cyber Monday and the holiday season are where many e-commerce companies see an influx in purchases. While it’s never too late to re-work your holiday digital marketing strategy, the sooner you start making changes, the sooner you will be able to see the results.

Send out emails to create a buzz of interest

If your business is planning to host a Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday sale, we recommend sending a couple of emails for each of your outreach sequences. Often subscribers will see new promotions show up in their inboxes, but it may take some different type of copy to entice them to click over another potential shopper. So, if email one doesn’t do the trick, there’s further opportunity throughout your promotion to reach your target audience.

What are some ways that you can get a higher response to your sales email?

Write a strong subject line
Avoid using spammy words such as “final” or “reminder”
Include relevant copy in the body
Add a call-to-action (CTA) in the closing copy
Include a professional signature and/or logo

Update your social profiles to notify followers

While posting a custom image on your social feeds the week before your promotion is a good incentive for followers to engage, if you really want to notify your target audience that a big sale is approaching, consider developing a holiday digital marketing strategy which would include a lengthy countdown to the big event. So, in terms of BF, SBS, and CM, you should start advertising for this weekend-long sale by November 20th, but preparing your materials now.

Here are some effective ways to drive up your sales using social media:

Use a variety of social channels
Create content that isn’t too salesy or pushy
Make it easy to purchase right from your social posts
Create a sense of brand awareness by pre-posting about your promotions
Utilize channel specialties (I.e. Instagram stories and shoppable posts)

Strengthen your SEO to increase organic traffic

Search engine optimization (SEO) should be an essential element in your holiday digital marketing strategy. Since the majority of consumers are using search engines like Google to find new brands, products, and services, it’s very important for small business owners to invest in the tools that can improve their ranking. Since there are many different factors to consider when climbing the organic ladder, improving your ranking (especially in a short period of time) can be a challenging task.

Use the following tips to improve your reach online:

Use clever keywords
Write thought-provoking content
Grow your reach with social media
Utilize your local environment to gain traction
Optimize for mobile traffic
Professionally manage your reputation
Develop and integrate a strategy that will keep you on track

Since there are only a few weeks left before the craze of holiday shopping commences, have a word with our team to see how we can help launch a holiday digital marketing strategy for your business.

Which of the above suggestions does your business need more help with? Compare it with other readers in the comments section below.

Alex Wilks

Is Facebook advertising right for your business?

Posted on October 27, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

While many elements of your digital marketing strategy will consist of trial and error when it comes to effective online advertising, no platform is more powerful and underutilized as Facebook! While many e-commerce business owners tend to shy away from Facebook ads as their primary investment, it’s one of the best ways to get the word out about your company, especially if you’re also looking to reach prospective customers. As a social platform with more than a billion users, it would be silly to not include it in your ongoing advertising campaign strategy.

Facebook ads work for most businesses

It’s reassuring to know that most industries and brands benefit from Facebook advertising before even contacting a professional digital marketing agency! This is partly because of Facebook’s popularity, with people from all over the world and different walks of life visiting the social platform to communicate, browse, and yes, shop. However, if you’ve already tried to use Facebook to increase your conversions, reach your target audience, and engage through product advertising, it may be the type of ad or marketing that you’re doing, rather than the platform itself. Even if your user doesn’t use Facebook often, you may be surprised at how they will still find their way to your website with the right ad coming their way. Plus, even if they miss it, their loved ones might share it!

Start with a goal in mind

Why is Facebook such a great platform to carry out your professional digital marketing goals? It’s because it has the potential to put you in touch with a range of consumers quicker and more efficiently. Not to mention Facebook ads are relatively affordable, giving ample opportunity to adjust your campaign strategy as needed.

So, when you’re looking at investing in your social strategy on Facebook, start the process with a clear goal in mind. Make sure to write down your short-term and long-term goals so that you can govern advertising decisions. Maybe you want new customers? If so, how many? And is your primary goal to increase visits, conversions, account registration, or all of the above? Be sure to keep your goals as specific as possible so that you can work alongside a professional digital marketer to tailor your ads, track your progress, and tweak your strategy as the layout of your industry shifts.

Understand KPIs

Finding success with Facebook advertisements is strongly dependent on your knowledge of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). This allows you to focus on the actual net profits made through your Facebook ads, and then you can further pinpoint ways to drive down your cost per action on advertising engagements. Money is money in the business world and if able to heighten your sales without lowering profits, it makes the most sense to run cost-effective campaigns that generate higher revenue for your business.

Rotate types of Facebook ads

Before you dive deeper into the world of Facebook ad campaigns, remember that you will need to create more than a single advertisement to have an effective campaign strategy. So, as a rule of thumb, be sure to develop at least three ads with the same targeted interests and goals, and rotate them within the campaign that you’re running. By doing this you’re better able to gather consumer information and compare each ad based on their CTRs (click-through rates). This will allow you to keep your focus on winner ads versus those that are underperforming.

Are you ready to speak with a professional digital marketing team about adding Facebook ads to your current social media marketing strategy? Let Trek Marketing start things off by connecting you to your target audience using Facebook!

Have you had any positive experiences using Facebook for advertising? Drop a comment below to share among our readers.

Alex Wilks

Tapping into success: Which offers the best ROI? Google or Facebook ads?

Posted on October 20, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

Google Ads and Facebook Ads have a longstanding rivalry and when it comes down to your return on investment (ROI), it’s essential to invest in the right platform that will generate ad revenue. A professional digital marketing agency would easily be able to determine which platform would work best for your business, but for those who have been in the game for a while, you may possess enough knowledge to kick things off yourself. Continue reading to learn the differences between these two advertising platforms.

Google Ads versus Facebook Ads

While you were probably drawn to this blog submission looking for a definitive answer, we’re here to tell you that there really isn’t a “best” option, because both platforms perform differently from one another, bringing unique benefits to the table for online businesses.

Instead, try asking yourself the following questions before you invest money into either digital marketing effort:

What is my budget for digital advertising?
Which platform would better reach my target audience?
What stage of the consumer’s buying journey am I trying to make a profit on?

Since most internet users regularly utilize both of the following platforms, it’s more important to channel your pay-per-click advertising services towards efforts that focus on the age, income range, and lifestyle of your audience. Thus, to increase your ROI it’s important to break down what makes each platform unique before you make your final decision towards rolling with one or both.

A breakdown of Google advertising

As businesses grow and transition to the online realm, customers have more choices now than ever before on where to make their purchases. Although, to be a successful business owner, one must deliver and retain customer interest at every stage of their browsing experience. Thus, many e-commerce companies rely on Google!

What types of campaigns can you run using the Google platform?

Search network campaigns
Display network campaigns
Google Shopping Ads
Video campaigns
App campaigns

Facilitating purchases is one of the many perks of the Google platform, and through pay-per-click advertising services, business owners have been able to approach their audience with the use of industry keywords within their content, only paying for the service when their ad is clicked by the consumer. This technique is an efficient method that’s super popular for those looking to expand their digital marketing efforts.

A breakdown of Facebook advertising

While Google Ads focus on paid searching, Facebook Ads are all about paid social, targeting audience behaviors and patterns to make each advertisement effective and personal.

Below are some formats of ads that can be done through Facebook:

Video advertising
Photo advertising
Slideshow advertising
Carousel advertising
Dynamic product advertising
Lead form advertising

What are the ROI benefits of each platform?

While both platforms work as channels to utilize pay-per-click advertising services, they also offer different benefits to the business owner.

Benefits of Google Ads:

You can bid on a number of keywords and get your ads to rank higher, reach new people, and increase your exposure.
You’re able to earn higher SERP (search engine results page) rankings by creating relevant ads.
The search and display networks help you to create ads that will appear in search results and generate more leads.

Benefits of Facebook Ads:

Consumers are always sharing information about themselves on Facebook (interests, beliefs, hobbies, etc.) and you can use this to collect data on your target audience.
Once you have collected a database of people that are likely to be interested in your products or services, you can import it into Facebook and target those people using your ad campaigns.
Earn sign-ups, sales, subscriptions, follows, and leads.

Which platform are you most excited about? Drop a comment below to compare with other readers.

Alex Wilks

Social media marketing vs. brand community marketing

Posted on October 13, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

As much as today’s consumers seek individuality, they also have a very instinctual nature to want to find a sense of belonging with the purchases they make. This is why creating brand loyalists through online presence and word-of-mouth has become one of the largest growing forms of client retention. Naturally, social media platforms have tapped into this by offering people the chance to engage with their favorite brands and build upon these relationships by engaging with other like-minded shoppers. But have you ever heard of the term, “brand community marketing” and how it works alongside social media marketing?

What’s the difference between social media marketing and brand community marketing?

Social media marketing involves the utilization of an assortment of social platforms and websites to promote the sale of a product or service. Otherwise known as a form of e-marketing or digital marketing, the development of a social media marketing strategy helps business owners to connect with their online audience, build larger brand awareness, increase their conversion rates, and drive more traffic to their website.

On the other hand, a recent development in the realm of digital marketing is brand community marketing, which is when a community is formed based on attachment to a product or service. In fact, connecting to consumer behaviour is one of the most important elements of digital marketing, allowing there to be a communicative relationship between brand, individual identities, and culture.

How are they connected?

The arrival of the digital age has facilitated an opportunity for two-way conversations between brand and consumer, and while this online media landscape has expanded over the years, audiences are being swamped with information daily and it has become more complex to navigate.

Forging a strong, meaningful and long-last bond with the consumer lies within the brand community — those who have an affinity towards the brand after engaging with their product and now share a sense of purpose, passion, and values that are inspiring them to constantly seek connections through interactions both online and offline.

Starting a quickfire conversation about your brand can be challenging, but with community members recommending products and swapping stories, much of your social media marketing content can be showing off your community’s support and managing this emotion-building engagement rather than creating it all from scratch. After all, brand community marketing offers a wealth of insight that can be repurposed to boost customer appreciation of your brand and ensure that they keep coming back for more.

How do brand communities assist your social media marketing strategy?

If a community thrives through the empowerment of your products or services, it means that you possess a great advantage to better target and connect with your audience. Consider the fact that most members that are showing their attitude towards a certain brand are likely digital natives who have grown up with access to the internet and social media available at their fingertips (ages 16 to 25). However, while this age group is likely the best demographic to set up within your brand community, retention focus can be achieved among other groups with the help of early access to price promotions, special offers, and sales, especially as more and more users venture within the realm of social media and online shopping.

So, if you’re an e-commerce business whose primary focus is to build up your brand loyalty rather than simply focusing on driving sales transactions, it’s time to transform your social media marketing strategy using the roots of brand community marketing!

Did you find the above topic to be a refreshing addition to our weekly submissions? Drop a comment below and let us know your thoughts and if you can think of a topic we haven’t addressed, include that as well!

Alex Wilks

How to properly plan for your Halloween marketing promotions

Posted on October 6, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

The spooky season is in full swing and with All Hallow’s Eve approaching, you should be orchestrating a digital marketing strategy that embellishes all the chills and thrills of your business. While this autumnal holiday doesn’t involve gifting presents, consumers love a company that decorates their websites with festive charm, and even better, plans some ghoulish promotions to show off their holiday spirit! Below are some ideas that you can use to spiff up your online marketing.

Send out a spook-tacular newsletter

For those of you who are equipped with an email list and customizable template, now is the time to use newsletters as a means for showing off your Halloween spirit. Whether you decide to slot in some products that embellish a ghoulish charm or you simply host a seasonal promotion with access to an exclusive coupon code or discount, whatever you’re offering should encourage shoppers to carry out purchases and skillfully align with the season.

If you’re unsure of how to get started consider hire a digital marketing professional to carefully craft your Halloween email. If you don’t possess a list or an email design, it’s likely too last minute to have this task completed by Halloween, but you can look to other upcoming holidays and have a web development professional ensure that you’re sorted with everything your website needs.

Host a chilling contest on Facebook or Instagram

While there are tons of opportunities for your business to utilize social media to gain consumer attention, Facebook and Instagram are great channels for visual promotions. So, as one of the best ways to engage with your audience, we recommend hosting a contest to sanction the start of the spooky season. This could include elements where you ask your customers to submit photos of their favourite Halloween-related activities, carved jack-o-lanterns, or party foods and the chosen winner would receive a special discount code to use towards their next purchase. Be sure to include rules such as, “must follow all of our social media accounts”, “must like this post”, and “must share this post” for bonus ways of gaining traction.

If you need help coordinating a contest promotion as part of your October digital marketing strategy, speak with a social media expert to get started!

Are there other ways to expand on your digital marketing strategy for Halloween?

Since our favourite grim holiday is only 25 days away, we wouldn’t recommend making too many changes to the development details of your website. However, there are some small transformations that would make it rather eerie-sistable.

Offer treats with each order: Whether the treat you offer is a bag of candy or a small gift bag of sample products, shoppers love receiving seasonal goodies with their purchases.
Live stream your haunted shop: If you’re one of the many e-commerce business owners who also possesses a brick and mortar store, be sure to decorate for Halloween and live stream what it looks like on your social channels.
Get spooky with your product or service names: This change, while subtle, makes a world of difference to potential and recurring customers when they’re perusing your website.

What other ways in the past have you marketed your business for Halloween? Drop a comment below to share with our readers.

Alex Wilks

Mistakes to avoid when writing your own web copy

Posted on September 22, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

One of the most effective ways to reach a new or prospective audience is by putting words to screen or paper. Aside from capturing consumer interest, copywriting is an artful way to deliver important messages that will appeal to the reader’s needs and desires. Although it may seem rather simple to effectively communicate professionalism and intrigue, there are so many ways in which sentences can be read and without a marketing professional on your team, who knows what mistakes you could be presented with.

Writing for everyone instead of targeting your copy

Our individual needs and interests are unique to our personalities and since we’re all attracted to a variety of products and services, it’s important as business owners to orchestrate website and advertisement copy that will translate to the audience that you’re hoping to target. The primary goal of copywriting is to render essential communication that appeals to a mass audience. This could include offers, discounts, and promotions, industry-relevant news, or company updates. However, while the transmission of the information is necessary, it’s more significant that it resonates with its targeted crowd and sparks a positive reaction that motivates the prospective shopper to take action. So, instead of writing a generic paragraph to appeal to everyone that could potentially read it, write for those who’re already well-immersed in your market.

Focusing too much on the promotion of products

While you should use both online and offline spaces to market your business’s products, it’s one of the biggest pitfalls that business owners get consumed by. Yes, good copy should capture the attention of potential customers, but focusing too much on the “thing” you’re selling isn’t as aspiring as the emotional connection to your brand that your audience craves. That’s why you should remember to use writing as a way to attract attention to the aspirations of your company, including the products and services, versus just listing their attributes.

Impressing yourself rather than the audience

One of the many drawbacks of writing your own copy is remembering to take a step back and look at your product or service from a different vantage point. You obviously already love, admire, and believe in it, or else you wouldn’t have invested the time and effort into your company’s operation. So, it’s key to focus on speaking the language of the consumer, investing the time and resources into listening to their questions and concerns, and know what they’re looking for on their buying journey when you’re crafting compelling copy.

Trying to do it all yourself

Unless you’re a trained expert, one of the biggest mistakes that business owners make is trying to write everything themselves. Professional copywriting is a skill that takes time and practice, and even after many years of application writers will still split up their tasks and have others review and edit their work. This is because we tend to oversee our mistakes, and with timelines and pressing delivery schedules rushing writing assignments, it’s very easy for inaccuracy.

What’s the best way to combat an oversight in your e-commerce marketing? Hiring a professional to craft high-class copywriting that can communicate the values of your business, of course! Working with a writer has never been easier, and many are happy to lay out a content-plan and clearly communicate what their future writing strategy will convey.

Are you ready to talk about content strategy? Drop your email below to start a conversation.

Alex Wilks

How Black Friday and Cyber Monday will change amid coronavirus pandemic

Posted on September 1, 2020September 21, 2021 by Alex Wilks

While shopping holidays like Black Friday/Cyber Monday may look a little different this year, it doesn’t mean that you can’t utilize the months leading up to the infamous weekend to properly prepare your business to meet the demands of consumers during the pandemic. After all, this new normal has been great e-commerce business traffic and online conversions!

What impact has COVID-19 had on businesses?

At the start of the shutdown, many small to large-scale businesses were forced to conduct mass layoffs and dig deep into their pockets due to their financial fragility. Since then, the economic impact of COVID-19 has only grown, leading to company closures as the take-up rates and fear of contracting the virus have kept consumers out of their stores and saving for a future rainy day. This major economic shock, even with the help of government aid, has devastated the retail sector, alongside arts and entertainment, personal services, food services, and hospitality. While it has been a few months since, remaining businesses are still feeling the aftermath amid this global crisis, and the uncertainty of when or if their operations will be able to return to the normalcy of pre-coronavirus is still unknown.

What are the consumer’s expectations?

While the famous saying, “business as usual”, is merely a form of marketing designed to assure customers that operations will be conducted the same as they always have, amid the pandemic, this marketing phrase has undergone some re-thinking to not strike the wrong tone with consumers.

Right now, while purchasing products and services for personal use or gifting is still shoppers want, they also want a company that aligns with their current values. This means that prospective customers and returning shoppers expect you to regularly update your business procedures for upkeeping provincial/state regulations and maintain your communication with them by providing comforting words to encourage them that shopping can be continued safely.

Are you doing your part but need the help of a professional digital marketing agency to do more?

Here are some suggestions on what they can assist you with to meet your consumer’s expectations:

Educate the public using brand authority.
Highlight more sales and ways to obtain discounted products.
Bring people together on your social channels to help bridge the gap that has been imposed through physical distancing.

More shopping will be done online

Some big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, Kohls, and Target have already decided that they will remain closed this year during the annual shopping weekend with many more to follow as the greenlight for high-traffic, in-store shopping remains on hold. However, while you can’t bank on brick and mortar shops to shop the deals of Black Friday/Cyber Monday, you can be sure that online retailers will be stepping up their game to make this year’s shopping experience one to remember.

If you’re the owner of an e-commerce business, here are some ways that you can reap the rewards of Black Friday and Cyber Monday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Start building a cohesive search engine optimization strategy (SEO) to improve your search rankings.
Attract buyers by hyping up your sales event using company social channels.
Run pay-per-click ads based on messaging that proved high-performance and appealed to your target audience in the past.
Send out a vibrant email to your subscription list to ensure that they know what type of promotion you will have and which item(s) and service(s) will be on sale.

For those who need assistance getting off the ground and running or simply prefer the expertise for such an important e-commerce shopping weekend, it’s worth hiring a professional digital marketing agency to handle your online affairs and set the groundwork for some successful conversions.

How does your brand plan to keep up with the new normal? Drop a comment below to share with other entrepreneurs.

Alex Wilks

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