On the snowy, northeastern Christmas of my 11th year, our parents gathered all five kids around the kitchen table to deliver the news.
We were moving to San Antonio, Texas.
I was devastated. Texas? I imagined what our new home would look like.
We’d be miles from any neighbors — who would all look like they walked straight off the “Hee Haw” set — with a dusty, rock-filled front yard punctuated by the occasional tumbleweed rolling by.
If only I had access to online content back in those days, I wouldn’t have been terrified at all by the silly stereotypes I believed to be true.
But every day, the internet makes it easier to inform and educate them so we can bust through stereotypes and really connect.
Their false assumptions don’t stand a chance when you use the three techniques below to create a remarkable message that engages your prospects.
1. Showcase your product
Video is ideal for showing exactly how your product works and why it’s the best on the market.
One company that does this well is OtterBox, whose YouTube channel features lighthearted product demos and user-submitted stories that show customers putting OtterBox technology cases to the test.
Your video doesn’t have to be fancy. It’s more important to:
Edit carefully so your video comes in under three minutes — bonus points if it’s under two
If you sell a service, video can also make your offerings come to life. Interview customers who’ve gotten good results. Show all the benefits of your service by filming before and after videos. And build interest by aiming your camera at the end result, showing prospects what they can expect.
2. Share your reality
People enjoy doing business with actual people, not faceless corporations.
Show prospects you’re just like them by sharing a little about yourself on social media (once you discover where your customers are hanging out), on your blog, and in your email newsletter.
Keep it light, tie it in with a topic you know your audience is interested in, and include them in the conversation the first chance you get.
If your business is large, you can make your company more approachable by allowing employees to share personal details on your website or company blog.
Let them post photos, share their hobbies, or post short videos that show them outside of work.
Any time you share some of your own reality, your two-dimensional internet presence becomes more three dimensional, and that makes your company — and its offerings — more appealing to prospects.
3. Shatter your stereotypes
You may be in a business that people tend to stereotype:
All graphic designers are flaky, artsy types who can’t meet their deadlines.
All engineers are nerdy and use pocket protectors.
All web developers spend long days in windowless rooms and don’t know how to hold up their end of a conversation.
All writers are broke and have no business sense.
All accountants think about numbers all day.
Of course, none of these clichés are true.
If your business is typecast a certain way, accept it and set the record straight online.
If you’re a graphic designer, post an infographic showing how often you meet or exceed your clients’ deadlines.
If you own an engineering firm, post photos of the cool hobbies your employees spend time on outside of work.
If you’re a web developer, host a pool party and invite your best clients, then post a video on your website.
Content creation is such a huge slice of the Internet marketing pie. Ever had someone cut a piece of a pie, and then joke that the rest of it is their piece? When content creation does that, it's not joking.
Google updates its algorithms all the time, This isn't news, but the changes aren't complicated to understand, either. Basically, it's all about providing value to site visitors. And what do site visitors want? Quality content. BAM! Just like that, you understand it.
And in today's day and age of digital media, it's not all about written articles. Multimedia content opens a whole world of possibility to marketers and audiences. If you do it right, you can score viral levels of attention for your website with video content.
Not convinced? Check this out...
The Benefits of Video Content
There are SO MANY benefits to using video content, but here are the top three to be aware of:
1. You Can Target Multimedia Search Engines Like YouTube
When we hear "search engine," the names that come to mind are Google, Bing, or Yahoo. It's true that people find videos through those means, but more often than not, people bypass these search engines to search directly in the likes of YouTube or Vimeo.
If you don't have anything to show for their search, you're missing out on some potential traffic. You can see just how much you'd be missing out on in this snippet of an infographic from a Marketing Tech Blog post:
As you can see, YouTube is the second-biggest search engine (after Google) with more than 4 billion views per day. It's another way for people to find you, so why not take advantage of that?
2. People TRUST Video Advertisements and Recommendations
Yep, that second half of the infographic snippet above is bang on, too. Whether it's because they don't think scammers and spammers would bother with video production, or it's the human element that the visuals and audio can give to video content, consumers trust it.
Videos starring yourself (or a friend, if you're a little camera shy) can be the easiest of all to make, and the most endearing to an audience. Got a webcam? Or a phone with video capability? Then you're most of the way there! More about that in the "how to" section below...
3. It's Just Way More Interesting
People need to be entertained. They're fussy. Even when they want some boring information about a boring product, they want it to stand out and entertain them. Some brands are fantastic at it.
Here are two boring products with fantastic interesting videos to draw attention to their product and brand:
"Purina Friskies" Cat Food:
"PooPourri" Air Freshener:
Two boring products, cat food and air freshener, but I have seen these videos passed around friends just for entertainment. That's lot of exposure to people who weren't even searching for those products, but might need them either now or in the future. And that kind of video stays with you for a lot longer than a boring ad.
With the Internet constantly at people's finger tips, they're like a lazy emperor sitting on a throne, waving his hand absent-mindedly as he commands some poor visiting performer, "Entertain me, or I will cut off your head and move on without a second thought."
You need to catch consumers' attention as they watch videos on their iPads, sitting on their "thrones." So the next question is: How?
How to Create Video Content People Actually Want to Watch
The best way to tell you how to do it is to answer four basic questions about video content production.
1. Where Do I Start?
Everything must start with a concept! For some, this is the most fun part. For others, it's a dreaded mission akin to getting that dastardly ring to Mordor. Either way, the best advice I can give you is to look around for inspiration.
YouTube Searches for Concept Research:
Funny ads
Your niche name
Your product type (e.g., cat food)
Your product type reviews
"How-to" videos related to your niche
See what comes up, and just watch the videos that naturally stand out to you, not the ones that are boring. What makes them interesting? Do they still have enough information about the product? Think about what you would ideally like to create.
Obviously it doesn't have to just be a narrative video. You might want to just review a product, or create a how-to, but this research should still give you ideas for how you could add an interesting touch to your videos.
2. What Do I Use to Record my Own Video?
You basically have 4 main options for filming your own videos. They vary in quality and cost but they're all great options to get some video content going.
Webcam
Great for product reviews, or for how-to's if your webcam is portable, like a laptop cam.
Phone camera
Super portable, great for filming in any location without hassle, especially for short clips or "vines."
Your own camera
Own your own camera already? Great! Get some use out of it, play around with what you can do around the house or neighborhood...
Hire a videographer for a more professional video
This is obviously the most expensive option (unless you invest in a professional-grade camera of your own), but if you're already making some cold hard cash, it can be worth investing in this to get one or two key brand-promoting videos in circulation on the web.
Video production doesn't have to be hard or complicated. You just need to play around with a little trial and error to get your head around what you're filming.
After all, I hear that Albert Einstein was a pretty smart dude, and he said himself, "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." It's not about being Steven Spielberg straight away: it's about giving it a go and finding your groove over time, and having some fun along the way.
3. To Stock Footage or Not to Stock Footage? That is the Question...
If you don't want to do any of your own filming, you can always use some stock footage. I need to warn you though, that stock footage can look really, really bad... If it's too obvious, then you're losing a lot of the genuine nature that video content can bring to your brand as it starts to look outright fake and boring.
I'm not saying you can't use stock footage, I'm just saying I want you to do it right. Make sure that it's high quality... While perusing the Interwebs, as the kids these days call it, I came across this stock footage video:
This video was made by the stock footage site dissolve.com, which makes it another great example of entertaining brand promotion.
The footage itself is fantastic and beautiful, and you could use similar stock footage with amusing and obvious narration to make a point about your brand and why it's awesome.
I think the ultimate rule with stock footage is to not use it too seriously. If you are using it in a light or comical way, or even an inspiring story (being careful not to be cheesy or cliché) then it can be really great.
The bonus with stock footage is that you only have to do the audio. For this you have three main options:
Record it yourself: Again, a phone or webcam mic will do in a pinch.
Hire a voice actor to do it: You can find them on sites like Fiverr.
Use royalty-free music and subtitles for the message you want, either throughout, or just a title at the end to make your point.
Once again, be careful not to be too cheesy or cliché.
It's a good idea to use royalty-free music in the background of narration too, not just when using subtitles.
You can find royalty-free music by searching for it in Google, but you'll either have to pay for it, or hunt around to find something that's free AND good, which can take a little while... I know because I've done it myself!
4. What Do I Use to Edit my Videos?
Video editing can be the most daunting part for some people. I use Adobe Premier Pro personally, but that requires a bit of money and effort to get and learn to use properly. If you want something simple that won't break the bank, here are two great options for you:
Alternatively, you can hire a video editor to do this for you. A cheaper option would be to use a freelancer, once again from a website like Fiverr.
If you have a little more spending money to play with and you're after something really professional, even if you filmed the footage yourself on your phone, use a service like Candidio. These guys are really friendly. They gave me a Skype tour of what they have to offer, and I have to say it looks pretty darn good!
Any of the above options are fine. None of them are "right" or "wrong"; it all just depends on your budget and preferences.
The No. 1 Tip for Video Creation
I want to leave you with my own personal number one tip for creating great videos...
Just have fun!
It sounds silly, I know, but I can't stress this enough. Not only will it keep you motivated to keep working on your videos; it'll keep your videos interesting. If you find it boring, chances are others will too. If you have fun with it, chances are that will show through in the final product.
Life is too short to make bad videos. So have fun, and make great ones instead. Get some friends to help you out with ideas. Make a day of filming, and do some bloopers for you and your friends to watch with a cold beer or two at the end of the day.
Interview someone who's passionate about the topic of your niche. There's likely someone in your local community who will have a job that aligns with your niche topic, or some students who study it.
Whatever you do, just give it a go, get something up, and see if you can't get some nice new traffic opportunities for yourself.
A quick final note: Just like with your written content, it pays to do a little keyword research for your title to make sure that people can find it easily in YouTube or even via Google. You can easily do that using the keyword research tool in AffiloTools here. If you're not very familiar with keyword research yet, or it's something you struggle with, there's a free lesson for you here.
And of course, feel free to comment below if you have any tips for video content that I haven't covered. We'd love to hear 'em!
If you’re trying to build your mailing list, chances are good that you’ve considered implementing an opt-in bonus, offering your site visitors a discount or free trial, for example, in exchange for their email address.
The web is awash in these kinds of offers, but they may not be the most effective way to get potential customers in your sales funnel. Here are some new, creative options and savvy strategies for email opt-ins, courtesy of Jennifer Bourn, creative director and strategist at full service design agency Bourn Creative.
Be specific
“Back in 2008 when we started really getting into opt-in offers, an email newsletter was something special, and then it became less special because everybody was jumping on that bandwagon,” Bourn recalls.
As people’s inboxes become overloaded, they’re less likely to opt-in to a newsletter they don’t see as incredibly useful and valuable. Narrowing your focus is the antidote, so try discovering very specific problems and helping your readers solve them in your email newsletter. This will also help increase the percentage of opt-ins that convert to paying clients.
In contrast, very broad or general newsletters that try to appeal to too many people or try to solve too many problems can lower both your opt-in and conversion rates. “The more general your marketing, the more you’re trying to hit everyone, the more you’re going to struggle, and the harder it’s going to be,” warns Bourn. In contrast, “the more niche, highly focused and targeted you can get, the more success you’re going to have, and the easier your marketing is going to be.”
Try these options to help boost your email opt-ins:
Option#1: Video
Bourn has noticed that highly targeted video series or webinars do very well. Three 10-minute webinars or three short videos targeting a very specific topic or solving a specific problem are quick and easy to consume.
For example, Kendall SummerHawk offers a webinar that Bourn reports is converting at almost 80 percent. SummerHawk’s content has descriptive titles, is high quality and outlines the specific benefits, which has contributed to her success.
Option #2: Mini-courses
Rosetta Thurman, founder and CEO of Happy Black Woman, offers an entire mini-course, including a workbook and audio. She guides readers through taking action rather than leaving them on their own. “She gets a lot of referrals directly to that opt-in from people who have downloaded it and gotten a lot of clarity from the resource,” Bourn says.
Option #3: Recipes
If your clients or prospects are always looking for recipes, a digital cookbook may be a great opt-in gift. Conscious Cleanse has offered just that. The 70-page PDF has recipes for great-tasting and simple meals along with nutrition facts, and those who opt-in are likely to turn into paying clients who buy the book or sign up for the cleanse program.
Option #4: The reverse opt-in
Some businesses are eschewing the quid pro quo of giving something for an email address and instead coming up with creative ways to get customer contact info. For example, Maya Smart has no opt-in but offers readers the opportunity to ask a question she can answer in an email or on her blog.
Whether this will work for you depends on the specific audience you’re trying to reach. Those with questions about the basics will respond best to opt-in incentives. “The more higher-end your market is, the less appropriate an opt-in offer becomes,” says Bourn. That’s because busier people don’t have as much time to figure something out on their own, but would rather your business help them reach their goal faster. Always ensure your subscriber realizes they are signing up to receive something from you to maintain a strong relationship and avoid any complaints or unsubscribes.
An opt-in is just the beginning
Building your list and converting prospects into customers will require some effort and a bit of marketing oomph. So remember: Even the best opt-in strategy is just one piece of your marketing puzzle.
Have any clever opt-in strategies of your own? Share with us!
Attaining popularity on social media platforms is an absolute must for businesses these days.
More and more marketers have started seeing social media as an indispensable tool for marketing, as well as lead generation.
How do we know that? Well, the Google trends graph tell us for one.
Social media is essential for brand building and connecting with your target audience. So, if you are just using it for likes, shares and comments, then you are late to the party.
By now, your competitors probably already have a social media marketing strategy.
As Jacquelyn Smith explains in Forbes, “You can really get to know the customers needs through social listening. It’s a great way to research a market and initiate a conversation leading to a sale.”
According to Business 2 community, the share of marketing budgets spent on social media is expected to be more than double over the next five years, from 11% today to 24% by 2020.
Therefore, it’s high time you make proper use of its potential.
In this article, we’ll discuss ways in which you can use channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram to gain quality leads from social media for your business.
First, let’s talk about what lead generation means in today’s world
The definition of lead generation, according to Google, is “the action or process of identifying and cultivating potential customers for a business’s products or services.”
Therefore it is not simply about selling your product but also gathering information about your customers including their interests, their pain points, their likes or dislikes, and what will make them spend on your product.
Before the internet, marketers used to send direct mail-outs or give away forms in newspapers or magazines to collect information from potential buyers.
Today, social media has made it much easier for marketers to reach their target audience. With almost all of their information already online, all marketers need to focus on is how to maintain the attention of the target audience and convert them into leads.
Here is a step-by-step guide to help you maximize your use of social media marketing.
Facebook
With over 86 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the best platforms for marketing as well as sales. Businesses can share links, videos, images and posts on their Facebook pages to reflect their personality and style as well as reach new customers.
Have a look at these example Facebook ads.
Simple, but effective. Plus, there is a lot more you can do to capture the attention of people on Facebook.
For instance, people love contests. They’re fun! They demand engagement!
You have probably come across companies giving away prizes such as a new iPad or a $500 gift voucher. Perhaps you don’t need to be told that the company easily earns the money back through clicks, likes and conversions.
But here’s another angle to consider: people willingly provide their personal details to participate in such contests, which means you have an opportunity to obtain whatever information you are seeking from your target audience and improve your business.
Better yet, contests are a great way of increasing your email database.
Another great way to add value to your Facebook page is to create customised Facebook tabs. The ‘tabs’ feature allows companies to promote something distinctive and unique.
Take, for example, Coca-Cola’s House Rules tab on its Facebook page. Here, the company asks its fans to commend, post or share whatever they feel about the brand.
Also, don’t forget to keep your company’s logo as a big part of your profile or header image so that Facebook users know and remember it.
Always treat your Facebook page like a website and continually add new content. Create a schedule and make sure there is a good mix of photos, videos and compelling posts to generate more traffic.
Twitter
A while back, nobody knew how to track leads through Twitter. However, today most marketers use Twitter for widening their reach and turning their followers into customers.
According to this article in Business 2 community, around 79% of users recommend brands that they follow. A further 85% of users feel more connected to businesses after following them. Tweak your tweets a little and see what effect it has on your profits!
There are a few more quick ways to gain leads on Twitter, including Twitter Cards.
Twitter Cards are a lead generation tool which help in capturing attention as well engaging your audience. They work directly within your promoted tweet to collect users’ contact information in exchange for your offer, and increase your odds of conversion.
Furthermore, they are concise, don’t require much work and are definitely worthwhile. You can post many different types of cards including summary cards, photo cards, gallery cards and more.
Here is an example of an amazing gallery card on Twitter.
Also, never miss out on your brand mentions. An article in eMarketer reveals that 83% of consumers say online reviews influence their perceptions about companies, and 80% report that negative online comments affect their purchasing decisions.
Therefore, it is crucial that you monitor what people are saying about your business online.
You should respond immediately, or as soon as possible, if someone has mentioned the name of your brand on Twitter.
See how one of the most influential brands on Twitter – JetBlue – respond to some tweets by their customers.
You can also host virtual events or start a campaign on Twitter to further engage your followers and generate leads. It could be anything from having a live discussion on a particular day, to answering questions in a company Q and A.
The trick is not to initiate a conversation directly about your company, but rather the industry that surrounds it.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn has almost limitless power when it comes to generating leads. In my view, LinkedIn is the social media platform to rule them all and the main one that you should focus your energy on.
LinkedIn has more than 400 million members worldwide. You can expand your network by signing up to LinkedIn Premium, which offers a one-month free trial.
Premium gives brands, individuals and companies on LinkedIn a unique opportunity to expand their reach by providing the user with facilities such as sending 15 InMail messages a day to potential leads/clients, seeing who’s viewed your profile in the past 90 days, and finding connections faster with the option of Advanced Search.
Choose a Premium account if you haven’t already to increase your presence on this powerful social media platform, then familiarise yourself with LinkedIn Publishing.
LinkedIn’s publishing platform is a great tool for marketers to share their thoughts as industry experts.
They can also use this platform to post important information or insights that might help job seekers.
Over time, publishing timely and relevant content is a surefire way to generate more leads.
According to Hootsuite’s blog, countless professionals are now using LinkedIn as a blogging tool, and gaining an opportunity to engage a new audience for their business. See an example of how you can post on it below.
Instagram
The last of the social media titans, but not the least!
Instagram is relatively new, yet one of the fastest growing social media channels in today’s digital landscape. In its short life span of just six years, it has amassed over 500 million users.
Can you afford not to reach them? Nope, of course not!
Until recently, people primarily used Instagram for sharing photos, getting likes, and adding followers. However, in 2015, things got a shake-up after Instagram introduced paid advertising.
Using this advertising platform, businesses can now generate leads by holding quizzes, training or just sharing a photo of their brand. Plus, it’s super easy to connect your Instagram account up with your Facebook and Twitter accounts to cross-promote content.
Certain companies such as Mercedes Benz are brilliant at integrating their Instagram content on Facebook. Take a look at this example.
Once again, it’s simple but effective marketing. On that note, always remember to respond to comments on your Instagram posts!
While it’s cool to get thousands of likes and shares on a photo, it’s equally important to keep a tab on the comments people leave for you.
You don’t have to have long conversations… but if someone comments on your post or tags your brand, respond to them. This will help you expand your community and build relationships.
See a great example of how to keep communications short but sweet below.
One of the other major benefits to using Instagram is its video sharing feature. This provides a unique opportunity for marketers to share brief video clips about their products or services.
Videos are an engaging, interesting and informative way of communicating with your target audience as well as a neat way to showcase the benefits of your offering in under two minutes.
Lastly, be sure to use relevant #hashtags with everything you post.
Hashtags are the hallmark of Instagram. Finding leads isn’t easy in such a large community so adding popular or distinctive hashtags to your photos will help you find leads in a more organized way.
For instance, if you’re offering matrimonial services, you could post photos along with hashtags like #matchmaking or #findtheone to reach a larger audience seeking help in this regard.
You could also create a brand-specific hashtag for a contest or promotion. For instance, Dry Soda used the hashtag #fridayDRYday to distinguish their post.
Also, see the general use of a hashtag below by a coffee shop owner.
Wrapping up
The list of how to connect with your potential leads on social media platforms is endless. These are just a few pointers on how you can use social media to generate leads, and most of them can even be used across each platform!
Social media is integral to raising awareness of your brand and generating more leads for you. It is woven into almost every nook and cranny of our personal and business lives so use it to amplify your content creations as people discover and share them.
If you recently launched a startup or small business, you may not have enough funds to invest in expensive advertising and marketing campaigns like your larger competitors. But don’t worry, there are plenty of simple and effective marketing techniques with a modest budget that can help you promote your small business. Below are some of the most effective marketing strategies for the business on a budget.
Curate Remarkable Content
Content marketing has become an essential and affordable marketing technique for any business, big or small. You can expand your customer base by creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to your target audience through various channels. This helps you to drive traffic to your website and attract new customers. You should continuously monitor the performance of your content through (free) tools like Google Analytics. In addition, you should review and update your content based on its past performance and focus only on creating content that generates more views. To do this, you need to understand the likes and dislikes of your target audience and know what types of content they are looking for. A best practice is to create different types of content, including e-books, blogs, websites, brochures, and social media pages. Based on a survey conducted by the Content Marketing Institute in 2016, 86% of B2B marketers and 77% of B2C marketers use content marketing to promote their business.
Mint is an example of a small business that grew to more than 2 million customers in the span of 3 years with the use of content marketing. They created custom infographics specifically designed to speak to their target customers and then used the power of social media to distribute it.
Another success story is that of Yale Appliance, an appliance store based out of Boston, that grew its business by 40% through effective content marketing. They focused on creating blog posts that provided genuinely useful information to their readers, helping them in the buyer decision process.
Create Informational Videos
Another creative technique to market your business is to produce informative videos that explain your product or service in a helpful manner. In general, users prefer to watch videos over reading long articles. Hence, you can create a YouTube channel for your business and post informative, as well as entertaining, videos on a regular basis.
An impressive example of this marketing technique is Anyoption’s daily market analysis videos published on their YouTube channel. These short videos are really helpful for newbie investors and binary options traders. Anyoption’s YouTube channel was watched by more than 95,000 unique visitors in 1 year. Assuming a conversion rate of just 1%, they would have acquired 950 new customers through their video marketing.
Dollar Shave Club is another great example of successful video marketing. This company spent $4,500 on a video ad that was posted on YouTube and, subsequently, got more than 10 million views, 76,000 Facebook fans and 23,000 Twitter followers. This helped them get more than 12,000 new customers, in 2 days and they went on to raise $10.8 million in financing.
Participate in Social Media Groups and Online Forums
Social media has proven to be a versatile tool for any business trying to connect with a wide audience. Social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus, allow companies to market their brand extensively through the inbound techniques mentioned earlier. Other forums, like LinkedIn groups, Quora questions, and Reddit pages, allow you to reach already-interested users through topic-related content. You can use these techniques to share your company’s insights and expertise by advising others. As a result, you will build an online reputation for your brand and improve its credibility. Engaging in social media conversations will also help you build an online network and drive business growth.
To illustrate, Kagome, a Japanese food brand, achieved a 25X increase in orders and subscriptions and a 4X increase in conversion rate after running Facebook ads along with newspaper pamphlets.
Similarly, a watch company named MVMT Watches used Twitter to share product deals during the holiday season. The company increased their website traffic by 189% and Black Friday sales by 353% through these Twitter campaigns.
Produce Compelling Emails
Another simple yet effective technique to market your small business is through e-mail marketing campaigns. E-mails are an easy way to share content that is relevant to your target customers. An email campaign is not just about featuring your products, it should centre around educating your subscribers about new technologies, upcoming trends and business insights. If done right, these campaigns will help you build a referral network and nurture strong relationships with your clients.
Research has found that e-mail marketing is the most cost-effective marketing technique. For every $1 spent on email marketing; you can expect returns as high as $38. Since e-mails are more personal, delivered directly to the inbox of the customer, they are more effective and guarantee better reach compared to other techniques.
An email success story is that of Danny’s Meat & Catering. This small business used email marketing to attract new customers by advertising “free steaks on your birthday”. They were able to increase their sales by 15% in just 6 months. During this time, they also accrued 2,400 new email subscribers.
Conclusion: These marketing best practices can help you compete with big-budget companies and stand out in the sea of small businesses, even with a tight budget. Ideally, your company would execute all four marketing techniques, but picking just one (and perfecting it) will go a long way!
Wrapping up
