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    Tag: web development

    2 Halloween-inspired marketing ideas to boost your online sales

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    Since Halloween continues to be a popular annual tradition, your digital marketing efforts should mirror the same tricks and treats. Similar to the spending habits that are exhibited during the holiday season, customers enjoy shopping throughout the spooky season, even if it isn’t for terrifying props and knick-knacks. Even if your e-commerce business doesn’t sell products or services that are specific to the season, we recommend utilizing Halloween digital marketing ideas to get into the spirit and embellish your brand’s creativity. Here are some suggestions.

    Advertise a bone-chilling sale

    You don’t need to be selling costumes or candy to host a Halloween sale. In fact, all you need to do is organize a discount or special promo around October 31st and ensure that your advertising efforts are Halloween-inspired. That way your business gets a bit of the action. Be sure to change up your verbiage to align with the holiday as well. It’s not easy to stand out from the competition, but seasonal offers are a great way to try!

    Ex. “This Halloween Our Prices Are Being Slashed By 15%”

    It’s not easy to stand out from the competition, but seasonal offers are a great way to try! Be sure to offer some grim and dramatic explanations of your products and/or services as well.

    Give your website, emails, and social media posts a spooky look

    It’s important that you take every effort to boost your sales and conversions at given opportunities, which is why it’s time to gear up and make your Halloween digital marketing ideas come to life. 

    For starters, overhaul the design of your site’s homepage to include colors and images that embellish Halloween festivities. Even if you aren’t hosting a sale or some sort of promotion, decorating your website according to the season offers great incentives for business owners, as customers who love the look and feel of the website tend to purchase twice as much as they need due to satisfaction.

    Be sure to mirror these efforts in your e-newsletters and social media posts. Not only will this offer consistency across all of your business platforms but these services offer a huge outreach to your target audience, which will be happy you chose to do something spooky to celebrate the season. Since today’s customers prefer personalization, utilize your company’s email by luring clicks through creep-tastic antics. We also recommend decorating your social profiles to create strong messaging for Halloween and sprucing them up with visuals, GIFs, and videos. 

    *Note: The web development company that we work with offers an exciting design, development, and marketing asset package that includes a custom homepage design, newsletter image, and Facebook promo so that you can advertise your Halloween sale across all of your desired platforms. Learn more here.

    Which digital marketing effort will you be focusing your attention on this Halloween? Drop a comment below to share with our readers. 

    How does content work to improve your conversion rate?

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    Those who own an online business are no strangers to writing content, especially if they have yet to collaborate with a professional digital marketing team. Whether writing copy for pages on the website, updating product information, or delving deep into industry news using a creative blogging platform, content marketing is a crucial part of building brand awareness. That said, your brand’s impression heavily depends on increasing conversion rates to your website, and to do that, you must first understand how conversion rates work to improve visibility, traffic, and sales. 

    What is a conversion rate?

    A conversion rate is a general term that refers to the recorded percentage of users who have completed a desired action or site goal. The rate is calculated by taking the total number of users who convert—actions and goals come in many shapes and sizes (examples, clicking on an ad or completing a purchase)—dividing it by the overall size of the audience, and converting that figure into a percentage. 

    What is conversion rate optimization? 

    Known as CRO in its short form, conversion rate optimization is the systematic process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take your desired action or complete your site goal—be that subscribing to a newsletter. CRO also involves understanding how users utilize your website, what actions they take, and what work needs to be done before their complete your actions and goals.

    Search engine optimization and how it works to improve conversion rates

    You could write as much content as you want, but if your copy isn’t following the right search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, potential customers won’t find it on the web. You will simply possess a low-traffic website that has tons of copy. This is because the CRO is closely related to SEO. By writing SEO-friendly content through the use of industry-researched keywords, pages can increase their visibility on popular search engines where customers have the chance to find them and click. There is also an opportunity to improve and generate lead growth by writing bulkier content and answering questions to improve click-through rates, which also assists in improved conversion rates

    What are some ways that you can improve your content to help with conversion rates?

    While content should be written with a clear vision of what needs to be conveyed to the consumer, it can also be crafted to build an emotional connection with the reader. 

    Listed below are actions your business should take to improve your content:

    • Include a call-to-action: Weak or nonexistent call-to-actions (CTAs) give customers zero incentive to engage with your content. Be sure to utilize this part of your copy to offer something truly valuable so that your copy doesn’t become buried over time. 
    • User-friendly development and design: Aside from having a website that functions well and transitions quickly, you should also ensure that it’s mobile-friendly and your information forms are short and sweet. Signups or checkouts that required too many fields or pages often lead to users abandoning before the desired action is complete. 
    • Clear contact page: Customers shouldn’t have to scour your website to find a phone number or email address. 
    • Use high-quality images: Stock images are great when you’re first starting out, but if you want to further establish your brand, we recommend adding photos of the staff, facilities, products, and services to better connect with your customers. 

    What methods have you used in the past to increase your website’s conversion rate? Please share them with our audience in the comments section below.

    Marketing tips for St. Patrick’s Day procrastinators

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    Has so much gone on in the past year that St. Patrick’s Day opportunities have slipped your mind? Yup, the holiday season is tomorrow and this reminder could be your four-leaf clover, and an incentive to get your gears moving. Don’t drown this missed business moment in a pint of green beer, but instead, skim the marketing ideas below which are intended to inspire the ultimate procrastinator. That’s right! We’re more than a Vancouver digital marketing agency; Trek Marketing is downright festive every lucky chance we get!

    Offer your customers the green light with an intriguing discount 

    The beauty of being an e-commerce business owner is that you can change your website’s prices at the click of a button, while also promoting immediate attention via your engaging social media channels. So, just because tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, doesn’t mean you can’t catch the attention of your target audience by putting together a last-minute sale. Also, be sure to let your customers know that they’re lucky to be a part of your thriving brand with a personable email about this fun holiday, including some highlighted products or services that are a part of your festive sale. 

    Play up the greenness 

    Whether you work alongside a Vancouver digital marketing agency or all of your efforts are completed in-house, one of the best ways you can showcase your spirit for St. Patrick’s Day is by playing up the greenness. While it would be ideal to have a web developer add a graphic or two to your business page, if you let time slip away and are wanting to do something last-minute, the best thing you can get on board with are some custom designs. The best part is that the same image can be used across your social media channels and if you’re set up with an email marketing framework, a simple announcement about your sale with some call-to-action buttons is all you need to bring in some shoppers. 

    Note: Just because the colour green is symbolic of St. Patrick’s Day, doesn’t mean you need to have a leprechaun and a pot of gold on your image. Instead, you could use the colour green to cast attention on the holiday, while also promoting your businesses’ eco-conscious (green) efforts. 

    It’s always good to do things a little differently

    Although the season is known for shamrocks and leprechauns, you can be different by leaving these elements out of your marketing material. In fact, consider doing a little research on the history of St. Patrick’s Day and use your digital marketing services to pass on your knowledge to your customers. It’s way less salesy, and even though it might not bring in a whole of conversions right away, this type of promotion is aimed at creating a connection with your audience, which you may find to be more “pot o’ gold” effective in the long-run than a traditional sale. 

    What other ways do you or your Vancouver digital marketing agency implement last-minute, seasonal promotions? Drop a comment below to share your expertise with our readers.

    Digital marketing strategies that could remain post-COVID

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    The digital age has immensely changed the way we live our lives, similarly to how the pandemic has paved way for a new set of guidelines. Businesses, big and small, have continued to operate under modified restrictions, but with such a huge growth in the online sector, there is an upward trajectory for many practices to continue long-term, even when the post-COVID era hits. If you are wondering which trends may find their way into our continued new normal, dive into the article below to explore the digital marketing strategies that we think are likely to stick around. 

    Businesses will continue to utilize the lower costs of paid advertising

    The last year has widened the horizons of digital marketing, with a huge increase globally to online traffic bringing online storefronts a much wider audience. With these changes brings the slots for paid advertising have increased, and the costs to the business owner have decreased, making 2021 the golden opportunity for small brands and startups to opt for the option of paid advertising. While this trend could see an increase in cost as the months go on, our professional digital marketing agency believes now is a great time to utilize the low-cost of paid advertising. 

    Email marketing, social media marketing, and blogging will still hold their value 

    Not only do all of the above professional digital marketing services allow you to spread brand awareness and connect with your customers but if they perform well, it will allow you to attract a larger audience to your products and services. Be sure to include personalization to allow your business to thrive. For example, when the pandemic first time, many businesses ensured their customers that business operations would continue with safer working conditions, and even went as far as to explain how they would consider COVID safety in the workplace. Now, you still have online posts and emails showing subjects wearing masks and gloves to show how well marketing has adapted to the current state of the world. So, even when some sense of our past normalcy returns, we recommend that you remain involved with global affairs and continue to adapt your strategies to offer the best digital marketing in an age where we prefer to connect online. 

    Brands will maintain a variety of payment options

    With more shoppers rushing online in 2020, business owners quickly realized that the more payment options that were offered, the more likely they were to appeal to a wider audience. Convenience is the epitome of e-commerce shopping and when it is easy to make a purchase from your website, the higher the chances are for more purchases and returning shoppers. Aside from offering typical options such as VISA, Mastercard, and American Express, consider others like Square, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay to broaden your availability. Also, if you are able to set up a payment plan system, we recommend offering this option to your customers, giving them the freedom to buy now with a small sum and pay later or in smaller installments. 

    What has been your experience dealing with the changes in your industry? Drop a comment below to compare with other business owners. 

    An in-depth technical SEO audit is more complicated then you think

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    The primary goal of search engine optimization (SEO) is to add value to your website by improving your site’s rankings in search results. But beyond that, the purpose is to attract more traffic and convert those potential customers into leads. That’s why conducting a technical SEO audit is a major deal! The following blog offers a little insight into what Trek Marketing may do during your technical SEO audit, as well as some suggestions for those who’re experienced enough to orchestrate one themselves. 

    What’s a technical SEO audit? 

    This form of digital marketing analysis is the process in which all of the technical aspects of your website’s SEO are checked to determine which fixes and improvements will allow search engine bots to better find your pages and website. Since search algorithms and online technologies are frequently changing, it’s a good business practice to perform a technical SEO audit every four to five months to ensure that you aren’t losing traffic to your competitors. 

    When should a technical SEO audit be performed? 

    Ideally, businesses should perform two to three in-depth SEO audits a year, with mini-audits in between, to guarantee that they’re able to reap the benefits of their SEO strategy. So, since a technical SEO audit is important for your user’s experience and website rankings, it’s important that your website is functioning properly and sending positive signals to Google to attract traffic. 

    While there are several technical SEO elements that you can check on during your audit, the first thing you should do when performing this time-consuming task is to ask yourself the following questions: 

    1. What are my overall business objectives? 
    2. Who is my target audience?
    3. Do I/will I have any business partnerships?
    4. How often is my website being updated? Do I have a web development company working on this?
    5. Will I be working with an SEO consultant? Will I need the SEO work done for me?

    After the above questions are answered, you will have a better understanding of your business goals and will be able to hire a professional or dive into performing your own technical SEO audit.

    What’s included in Trek Marketing’s technical SEO audit service?

    Our SEO specialists work on both on-site and off-site to meet the SEO needs of our clients. This included page layout optimizations, finding and fixing broken links, public relations, and innovative content creation. That being said, a technical SEO audit must first be conducted before we’re able to determine where your paid hours would best be spent. 

    Audits are bucketed into three separate categories:

    • Technical aspects: Crawl errors, indexing, and hosting
    • Content: Keyword research, competitor analysis, content maps, and metadata
    • Links: Backlink profile analysis and growth tactics

    To complete the above process, the client must provide a list of passwords and vendors to allow the SEO specialist access to third-party analytics tools, webmaster tools, website backend access, social media accounts, and more. 

    Are you experience enough to perform a technical SEO audit or would you prefer the assistance of a professional? Drop your opinion below to start a conversation.

    How Should Your Company Be Preparing for Black Friday?

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    If you’re stumped on how to market for the holidays, you’ll want to purpose the following tips to easily plan out your seasonal marketing campaigns. After all, Black Friday success is best measured on the culmination of creative, strategic audience development and how well you can carry out your efforts leading up to the big Thanksgiving Day long weekend. So, it’s time that you opened your mind to some digital marketing options that’s pretty much guaranteed to heighten your conversion rates. 

    Prepare as early as possible

    As silly as it sounds, large-scale, e-commerce brands start their holiday preparations at the end of August because as soon as Halloween is over, the following two months are jam-packed with sales, promotions, and social media and email campaigns. So, if you want to start cashing in and taking full advantage of how to market for the holiday season, you’ll want to get a head-start next year by mapping out your plans for American Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Hanukkah, Christmas, Boxing Day, and Kwanzaa. Keep in mind that some of these celebratory days can be combined into one marketing campaign, such as “Thanksgiving Blowout Sale, all weekend long” because the days are inconsequential order one after another. 

    Build up your audience

    Black Friday shopping is all about zeroing in on your target audience to get them hyped up for the holidays, so, obviously, we suggest that weeks prior to your sale you work on building your customer list. People are less likely to make a purchase, even if you have a killer sale if they’re unfamiliar with your brand. That’s why it’s super important to extend your trust to savvy shoppers and cultivate their interest using social media marketing, email marketing and even blogging. This will give you a more direct line of communication and is a relatively inexpensive way to ensure that your messages are reaching the right people. 

    The key to whisking your audience away using social media and emails is to carry out campaigns and plan ahead to see how well your customers respond to your digital marketing efforts. If done skillfully, you’re able to extract value from the above tactics including repeat sales, word-of-mouth referrals, and an engaged audience. However, if you’re looking to get started on an email list or wanting to branch out to unknown social media channels, a professional digital marketing agency can ensure that you’re marketing content that your clientele will enjoy! 

    Have a simplistic checkout experience 

    While this digital development needs to be coded well in advance to ensure that it will be functional, we do recommend improving the checkout experience before you think of promoting a Boxing Day sale next month. When a user is convinced to click on your website, they’re already driven to make a purchase, however, even great prices aren’t enough to keep them from abandoning their checkout process. That’s why it’s essential to reduce the amount of time that’s needed to check out a customer cart, creating a simplistic experience that will translate to a higher conversion rate. 

    Will your business be running any year-end, holiday sales? Drop a comment below if you’re wanting some assistance with your upcoming campaigns.

    4 ways to improve on your email marketing

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    email marketing

    Email marketing is one of the most influential digital marketing techniques available in terms of receiving wide-spread reach and engagement. Maybe it’s because emails are often a less intrusive form of advertising or perhaps it’s because they’re packed full of exclusive promotions that customers are able to take advantage of. Regardless of how we break down the significance of email marketing, it’s important that it be made a part of your digital marketing strategy. Because, whether you’re in need of an extra push to get yourself started or you’re simply looking at ways that can revamp your strategies, here are a few ideas that you can use to start improving enticing more clicks.

    Be goal oriented

    In every aspect of your life goals help to motivate and keep you on track, so, why should running your e-commerce business be any different? If you hope to have a successful email marketing campaign, it helps to define and lay out what you’re hoping to achieve and when you’re hoping to achieve it.

    That being said, if you’re just starting out with email marketing, you need to ask yourself what you’re expecting? Then again, if you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, before you begin your campaigns, you’ll need to determine the purpose and then craft or hiring someone to complete the work. Is it a welcome email or an engagement email? Are you nurturing an ongoing campaign or simply wanting to boost traffic to your page? All these questions and more can really help to define and drive your emails in the right direction.

    Define your target audience

    When you are able to determine the gender, age and overall demographics of your audience before launching an email campaign it can drastically affect your open rates. Because let’s face it if the people you’re reaching out to aren’t all that interested in your products or services, why would they bother to click and buy? So, once you’ve created a subscription list it may be worth segmenting your clientele into smaller lists that allow you to send re-engagement emails to your regulars.

    Make your emails personal

    It’s important to personalize all the emails that your company sends. Why do you ask? Well, not only can this build a sense of trust with your email subscribers, but it can also increase your chances of receiving a higher open rate. So, we recommend that each email be coded by a professional programmer to include personalized features, like a customer subscriber’s name in the headline. Something as simple as this configuration has the power to make your regular customers feel more appreciated and also allow new, potential customers feel an added element of professionalism.

    Create some automated emails

    Many of our digital marketing clients rave about automated emails. Not only does this allow you to promote your business at every monumental turn, but it also gives you more time for other tasks. So, before you launch your email marketing campaign it’s important to have automated emails, such as a basic customer complaint reply email, a welcome email and possibly even some a few emails that can promote changes on your site (ex. a blog is posted). This allows your customers to have more opportunities to engage.

    Are there other ways that you’ve worked on improving your email marketing strategy? Drop a comment below to share with our readers.  

    Why is digital marketing important for hotel sales?

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    hotel digital marketing

    Both vacationing and traveling for work are done a little differently in 2019. At one time a physical advertisement would have been enough to attract the attention of potential guests, but those traditions are quickly losing their ability to make meaningful impacts. This is why we’re promoting and strongly emphasizing on growing your company through the use of a digital connection. In fact, more than ever before, businessmen and women, families, couples and solo travelers are booking their flights, accommodation and even travel excursions online; almost as if the entire customer lifecycle has switched over to a more digital world. So, if you’re a medium-sized hotel chain that’s looking to heighten the reach of your target market or a small Bed and Breakfast that’s looking to gain some recognizable traction, then you’ll want to learn how digital media can significantly boost your booking numbers.

    So many people spend time in the digital world

    The modern-day traveler is accustomed to being connected to technology. So, naturally, that means that there is an influx in people taking the time to scan through their social media channels for travel inspiration. Wouldn’t it be great if a revelation sprang to their minds after they saw your company’s digital advertisement?

    Keeping that in mind, it was reported in 2018 that 57% of hotel bookings occurred online, half of which were processed through the use of a smartphone. Further, this means that Gen Z, Millennials, Generation Xers and even possibly Baby Boomers are slowly catching onto this sophisticated way of travel booking. So, if you’re aren’t developing or constantly tweaking your digital marketing strategy, you run the risk of losing reach to these prospecting guests.

    Digital media is an easier method for booking

    Your hotel chain absolutely needs an easy-to-use, eye-catching booking system that makes the customer feel both comfortable giving out their credit card credentials, while also excited at your choice of visual design and photo features. After all, it’s your responsibility to get your guests excited about their experience.

    That being said, it’s important to understand that when someone selects a destination as their vacation hotspot, they have many choices in terms of accommodation. So, why should they go with you? By making your booking process an enticingly fun, care-free experience, you’re locking in your guest’s approval and potentially even encouraging them to spread the word about their stay. Keep in mind that your hotel digital marketing strategy should accelerate your guest’s experience, so, think carefully about how your website is built and how your social media channels are curated — consider engaging information that entices prospecting travelers to make a booking.

    Digital media is a great space to flaunt your brand

    Hotel digital marketing is the perfect opportunity for you to express what your brand is all about. There are many social media platforms where you can spread the word about your hotel, allowing you to connect with current or past guests and even effectively attract new clients. Just keep in mind that formulating a digital marketing strategy takes a lot of time, brainstorming and patience and might require the help of a social media or digital media manager embellish unique branded content. Remember, this is a creative space where you should feel comfortable sharing beautiful images, engaging photos and even thought-provoking stories. Hire someone who understands your image and your undying need to put your hotel on the map.

    It’s time to take advantage of digital media and communication with your audience, share historic insights, write interesting content, take incredible photos and encourage a connective memory that your guests will never forget.

    Can you think of an example of a hotel digital marketing strategy? Share with our readers below.