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So I’m sharing with you some of the strongest posts. These blogs are good to follow if you work in marketing, but they are especially useful for small business marketing. The topics range from content strategy to social media to emails and conversion.
First up: Your Content Strategy by David Meerman Scott, courtesy of WebInkNow. David is a content marketing powerhouse and the author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR (highly recommended reading).
In this post he talks about the importance of thinking through your strategy before creating your marketing tactics. It all starts with your goals and your audience.
The post includes a nice web strategy map and you can also download a free template to help think through your content strategy.
Toby, Adam, and I all realized that most of the implementation challenges that people describe involve the shift from focusing on products and services to the more effective approach of focusing on buyer personas and information that helps solve buyers’ problems. read more at webinknow.com
Toby, Adam, and I all realized that most of the implementation challenges that people describe involve the shift from focusing on products and services to the more effective approach of focusing on buyer personas and information that helps solve buyers’ problems. Second up: 1 Word You Absolutely Must Remove From Your Marketing by Jim Connolly, courtesy of Jim’s Marketing Blog. Jim runs one of the most popular marketing blogs in the world, and a lot of his writing is about small business marketing.
In this post, Jim rightly calls out vague marketing language. He pushes us to be more specific about what we offer since too many businesses talk in fuzzy terms.
If you feel like it’s difficult to explain to people what you do, read Jim’s post and incorporate his feedback.
Look for the core reason why a prospective client should hire you, rather than a competitor. Then, communicate that reason in a compelling way. It’s far more powerful than claiming to offer a non-specific “solution” and a rambling list of benefits. read more at jimsmarketingblog.com
Look for the core reason why a prospective client should hire you, rather than a competitor. Then, communicate that reason in a compelling way. It’s far more powerful than claiming to offer a non-specific “solution” and a rambling list of benefits. Third up: 8 Important Questions Your Social Media Marketing Strategy Must Answer by Caitlin Burgess, courtesy of TopRank Marketing Blog. TopRank Marketing is an agency founded by Lee Odden, and their blog has become one of the most recognized in the industry. They specialize in digital marketing and PR and are a good resource to add to your list.
Caitlin’s post lays out a series of critical questions you should ask yourself if you want to build an effective social media strategy. They’ll help you think through your objectives, audience, channels, content types and timing.
Adding more channels and tactics to your strategy isn’t sustainable, let alone the key to getting the growth, engagement and ROI you’re looking for. The real key is crafting a social media marketing strategy that strikes a balance between your audience’s needs and your brand’s unique business goals. read more at toprankblog.com
Adding more channels and tactics to your strategy isn’t sustainable, let alone the key to getting the growth, engagement and ROI you’re looking for. The real key is crafting a social media marketing strategy that strikes a balance between your audience’s needs and your brand’s unique business goals. Fourth up: The 24 Best Email Marketing Tools by Tom Pick, courtesy of Webbiquity. Webbiquity is a B2B marketing blog that covers a range of topic from SEO to social to content marketing. They are currently running a Best Online Business Tools series, of which this post belongs.
While email has been around a while, it remains one of the most effective and important marketing tools. Tom runs down some of the best tools for email list-building, delivery and automation. Many are especially good for small business marketing and the list includes sample reviews and pricing for each service.
I’ve had success with both MailChimp and Boomerang, both of which are on Tom’s list.
The potential payoff for effective email marketing is substantial; email messages are more likely to be seen and acted upon by decision makers than online content, social media, or advertising. read more at webbiquity.com
The potential payoff for effective email marketing is substantial; email messages are more likely to be seen and acted upon by decision makers than online content, social media, or advertising. Last but not least: The 12 Best Landing Page and Form Builders for Conversion Rate Optimization, also by Tom Pick, courtesy of Webbiquity. This final post is also part of Webbiquity’s Best Online Business Tools series.
When someone visits your site, you want to create opportunities for action and engagement. You may also want to capture information (e.g., email) that will help you deliver even more value for those that are interested.
The tools on this list will help you create landing pages, surveys, pop-ups, forms, and help increase your conversion rates.
Once you’ve attracted the right visitors to your site—by crafting compelling content and optimizing it for search—you need them to take action! You might also like:
- Ultimate Guide to Writing a Brand Positioning Statement
- A Powerful Sales Presentation Outline
- 6 Questions to Optimize Your Marketing Funnel (with template)
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Images from webinknow.com, jimsmarketingblog.com, toprankblog.com, webbiquity.com.
Kevin Namaky is CEO at the Gurulocity Brand Management Institute, a marketing education company that trains and consults for notable brand teams including Kimberly-Clark, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Bolthouse Farms and Gorilla Brands. Kevin is a featured instructor for the American Marketing Association, lectures at the IU Kelley School of business, and has been featured in Ad Age, Forbes, Fast Company and the CMO Council. Previously Kevin worked for 20 years in the corporate and agency world growing notable brands. Follow/connect with Kevin on LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.