Category Archives: Content Marketing

The Massive Rise of E-commerce During COVID-19

Content Marketing, E-Commerce

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly defined much of the year 2020 thus far, and it looks to continue to do so for the rest of the year as well. While it is difficult to make estimations and assumptions about what we will look back on and remember decades from now, there are some implications of the pandemic that are undeniable, even now. From shifting business practices to shifting personal practices, there is clearly a “new normal” that seems to be here to stay.

Businesses of all sizes, in all industries, have had to grapple with how to best handle this situation. Losing customers, losing employees, and losing profitability is heartbreaking, but some companies have actually been able to benefit from these changes. E-commerce is an industry that has benefitted from online shopping and bulk buying in numbers never seen before. Consumers have forced the hand of e-commerce, holding them accountable to meet new expectations.

In the United States, the e-commerce sector has grown rapidly for years now. The pandemic, however, gave new meaning to the term “rapid”. Scrambling to meet consumer needs means adjusting to changing shopping behaviors, supply chains, personnel shifts, and more. Keeping up is no easy task and while e-commerce companies have surely enjoyed this new wave of business, some have simply been unable to maintain.

COVID-19 has generated a consumer base that has new demands and expectations, and a workforce that is scrambling to catch up to them. Today, we look at e-commerce and its importance in a COVID world.

E-Commerce Must Carry Its COVID Weight

E-commerce seems to be at the center of the universe right now. While consumers know nothing of the behind-the-scenes struggle, many retailers have had to comb through operational issues, personnel problems, and marketing hiccups, all while serving their customer base as seamlessly as possible. While other industries may roll their eyes at these challenges (revenue growth for online retailers is at an all-time high), the issues must be addressed nonetheless.

As online retailers work to adjust to this new normal, one thing has become abundantly clear: the world needs e-commerce to operate smoothly today, and likely each day after. Quarantining made people rely on online shopping in new and ground-breaking ways. This has not only shifted the e-commerce industry, but has permanently impacted how consumers spend money. Their inclination to embrace e-commerce has showcased just how important this sector has become.

The following are some of the strongest reasons why e-commerce is so important today:

  • E-commerce has helped to lessen impact of retail closures across the country. With the ability to stay afloat with online sales, companies have been leaning on e-commerce revenue to sustain their business. Loyal and local customers have played a huge role in helping small businesses keep their doors open.
  • Subscription-based industries, like wine and coffee, have seen massive growth in their direct-to-consumers online orders.
  • While physical stores have struggled to keep shelves stocked lately, online shopping has filled that void and allowed for consumers to continue their buying patterns.
  • Companies have been introduced to the power of convenience as it relates to satisfying their customers. For instance, the ability to order online and pick up in store has given brick-and-mortar stores flexibility and reach to a new customer base.
  • A new connection to prospects and customers has emerged as e-commerce flourishes. Companies are recognizing the weight communication in facilitating sales and keeping their customer base happy and informed.

Online sales have skyrocketed and the information aftermath is vital. E-commerce companies are now armed with massive amounts of data. The ability to analyze this data to determine who is buying your products/services, what platform they are using to do so, and what communication tactics worked best is extremely valuable.

COVID-19 has certainly brought with it more harm than good, but e-commerce is a shining example of turning something negative into a positive. The aftermath of the post-pandemic e-commerce industry seems poised to remain strong and stable well into the future.

9 Digital Marketing Strategies for Startups

Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, SEO, Social Media Marketing

 

There’s nothing quite like a startup – palpable energy, exhilarating uncertainty, and all of the hope in the world. Anyone who has worked in a startup environment can attest to the fact that it is a beautiful, chaotic world to live in. Having a “big idea” is fantastic. Unfortunately, however, there is a considerable distance between idea and execution.

Some of the best ideas have fallen flat due to a lack of execution. Those failures come in a lot of different packages, often budget-related, but almost always due (in at least some part) to a lack of marketing. Digital marketing services is paramount to success for a company in any industry. Digital marketing for a startup company, on the other hand, is a distinctive beast.

Building a digital marketing strategy for a startup means taking into account a wide range of knowns and unknowns. And since the large majority of startups fail within the first 5 years, getting your marketing strategy right the first time around is critical. This will take a strategic combination of creativity and resources that will showcase your new company in the best light possible to the widest net of potential customers.

Entrepreneurs often fail to think through digital marketing in the early days of their company. While worrying about building a team, securing funds, and cultivating your idea is undoubtedly important, marketing should be mentioned among those key factors. Today, we will spend some time breaking down some unique and useful methods for startups to properly market their new ideas.

Startups Should Focus on These Digital Marketing Strategies

From determining a winning marketing message to choosing the right channels to distribute that message, there are a lot of decisions that must be made early on in the marketing game. Startups are typically strapped for cash and that means these decisions must be made as accurately as possible the first time around. Most startups do not have the luxury of trial and error, so the goal must be to focus on what is most likely to resonate with your target audience.

So, what is the best course of action for startups looking to strategically market their new brand? How can entrepreneurs take advantage of reasonably priced digital marketing channels without spreading themselves too thin? The answer is both complex and simple. Starting with big picture goals and then mapping out how small objectives can help to achieve them.

The following are some of the most important digital marketing strategies for startups:

  1. Identify who you are as a brand – create a persona
  2. Identify who your target audience is – create a buyer persona
  3. Build a beautiful, yet forthright website that is properly optimized with content built for both the reader and search engines
  4. Commit to building out regular content for your website that adds value to your industry
  5. Launch an email marketing strategy that connects, engages, and entices your audience to take action
  6. Invest in social media marketing – both in regular posting and commenting and running paid ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
  7. Consider influencer marketing to achieve a massive reach quickly and efficiently
  8. Launch a referral program and let your customers do the work for you
  9. Track everything – with the right analytic tools in place you can make smart marketing decisions

Digital marketing and startup companies are a match made in heaven. With inexpensive options and a wide net of prospective customers to reach, startups are able to take advantage of digital opportunities that will showcase their brand strategically.

Big Customer Network builds impressive digital marketing for companies both large and small. With years of experience in working with startups, we look forward to the opportunity to apply our expertise to grow your brand!

The Key Differences Between Content Marketing and Copywriting

Content Marketing, Digital Marketing

 

Content marketing has spent a lot of time in the limelight over the last couple of decades. As search engine optimization and digital marketing strategy has grown dramatically, content creation has continually been at the forefront of that growth. The terms content writing and copywriting are often used interchangeably, but the reality is that they are not the same.

In the early days of SEO, marketing agencies often labeled all of their content creators “copywriters”, but this is a mislabel dependent upon their particular duties. While both content writing and copywriting are critical to any successful, well-rounded content marketing strategy today, knowing the difference between the two writing methods is critical.

From intent to style and from SEO to utilization, putting pen to paper (well, putting fingers to keyboards) requires a deep understanding of purpose. Without underscoring the variations between content writing and copywriting, a content marketing plan is destined to suffer.

Content Writing Basics

When it comes to content marketing, most people think that content writing simply means creating content. While that is certainly part of it, content writing goes far beyond the straightforward concept of writing words to be digested online. Today, beneficial content writing means creating high-quality content pieces that add value to a subject matter. Value typically comes in two forms: entertainment or education.

While content writing may indirectly facilitate sales that is not its main purpose. Instead, content writing serves to build a company’s reputation, engage customers and prospects, and entertain those interested in the subject matter. Some of the most common forms of content writing include:

  • Blog Posts
  • Case Studies
  • E-books
  • Email Blasts
  • Evergreen Articles
  • News Articles
  • Social Media Posts
  • Tutorials
  • White Papers

The above forms of content writing are typically long-form and can generate leads, drastically improve search rankings, create a devoted fan base, and eventually drive sales.

Copywriting Basics

Copywriting, on the other hand, serves a much different purpose. In fact, the essence of copywriting is to persuade, not to entertain or educate. While there are instances that copywriting can both entertain and educate, the intent behind the words is to get the reader to take a specific action. As a result, copywriting plays a critical role in the sales process. When a company is running an ad or creating a sales pitch of any kind, copywriting lays the foundation for communicating with prospects.

A copywriter must maintain a finger on the pulse of what makes prospects take action. Things like understanding what type of trigger words to use and how to best formulate phrases that elicit emotion is key. Some of the most common forms of copywriting include:

  • CPM Ads (Cost-Per-Mille)
  • PPC Ads (Pay-Per-Click)
  • PPC Landing Pages
  • Product Pages
  • Sales Emails
  • SMS Ads
  • Social Media Ads
  • Website Sales Copy

The above forms of copywriting are typically short-form and are an essential component in the sales process for companies employing any kind of digital marketing strategy.

The Value of Writing

Whether using content writing to engage an audience or copywriting to convert them to customers, there is an undeniable value in written words in the content marketing world. The intention behind those words is what differentiates copywriting and content writing, but both forms of content creation are extremely important today.

A comprehensive digital marketing strategy must include content marketing, and that means launching a range of initiatives to properly promote a brand. As such, an incredible article may rank organically on Google, thus piquing the interest of a prospect. Then, that same prospect may see a Facebook ad whose copywriting is so compelling, they decide to make a purchase. In both cases, content is at the heart of the marketing plan.

At first glance, the differences between content writing and copywriting may seem nuanced. However, a deeper dive reveals the important differences between the two. While one is no more important than the other, marketers must understand the difference to successfully deploy a content marketing strategy.

5 Savvy Ways to Combine Traditional and Digital Marketing

Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing,

Marketing, in any capacity, is an essential component of business success. Organizations of all kinds realize that promoting their value to a particular audience is paramount to generating leads and making money. This realization is nothing new. The Egyptians knew that they could use papyrus to craft sales messaging. Marketing is both an art and a science, making it one of the most complex and dynamic practices around.

Traditional marketing laid the foundation for digital marketing’s triumph. And today, many business owners have abandoned traditional methods of advertising. Some have shied away from billboards to give Google ads their attention, others have removed all magazine ads to run Facebook campaigns or even their television spots to establish and grow their YouTube presence.

As new and shiny technologies emerge, it can be very tempting to ditch all traditional ways of communicating with prospects. But is this the way to go? Has digital media overtaken traditional media in such a way that it makes sense to dedicate all dollars to the former?

While there is certainly much to be said about the power of digital marketing in 2020 and beyond, it is worth noting that traditional marketing tactics still have power too. What if combining the two strategically was the winning ticket?

Today, we explore some of the shrewdest ways to make digital and traditional to work together, creating the opportunity to cast a wider net of prospects.

Merging Traditional and Digital Marketing for Business Wins

Digital marketing can live in a lot of places – your phone, your inbox, the websites you frequent, and so on and so forth. And while our lives are overwhelming digital, there are still a number of places that website code and internet access cannot reach. Digital marketing cannot have a conversation with a prospect during a networking event, it cannot be sent to the front door of a home, and it cannot target hundreds of thousands of people driving along a highway.

So, how can you utilize both digital tactics and traditional methods to reach your target audience everywhere? Let’s dive in.

1.      Direct Mail and Email

The ability to reach people in their mailbox is still powerful. Sure, some will immediately throw away a flyer or a coupon book, but what if that flyer or coupon book came from the same company that sent an email earlier that day? Brand recognition goes a long way in generating leads and coordinating direct mail with email marketing campaigns can have a major influence on consumers.

2.      Billboards and Geotargeting

Location is huge in marketing, that’s why billboards still live on the sides of the road worldwide. Geotargeting is also hugely important for companies looking to corner a specific zip code or neighborhood. Combining these efforts can prove to be enormously successful, especially if data-collecting via geotargeting is then applied to the billboard location.

3.      Cold Calling and Prospect Data

Cold calling may seem like the most antiquated play in the book, but what if you were cold calling someone who took an action indicating they had an interest in your product/service? This is the power of combining cold calling and prospect data. Using data to identify intent, you can reach out to people who have expressed interest based on their online activity.

4.      Newspapers and Digital Ads

Newspapers have certainly taken a hit in recent years, but many people still like to start their day with a black and white paper. Running an ad in a newspaper and then following up with digital ads targeted by location can be a great way to hit people twice in one day. Plus, with readership dwindling the cost of newspaper ads has gotten a lot more competitive.

5.      Local Events and Social Media Marketing

Hosting a local event is a great way to engage current clients and attract new ones. Pairing this with a social media campaign can be very effective. This may mean giving a discount for social media check-ins or even featuring attendees on your social pages. Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign was a major success. Fans were encouraged to purchase a personalized bottle and this boosted online sales. Plus, countless people posted photos of their Cokes on social media, further promoting the campaign.

Lessons from Diversification in Marketing

Most marketers can attest to the fact that putting all of your eggs in one basket is a big mistake. Running only Google ads will inevitably leave out segments in your target market. Putting all of your money behind a billboard on a major highway will only work with supplemental digital activity. As we shift more and more digital as a society, it is tempting to forgo all traditional methods of marketing. However, those who can combine both digital and traditional marketing strategies will find themselves winning big with their audience.

Could your company benefit from the combination of both traditional and digital marketing? At Big Customer Network, we have mastered the art of finding the perfect combination for our clients. Call us today to learn more.

The Dos and Don’ts of Communication During COVID-19

Content Marketing, Digital Marketing

Effective Communication

Businesses both large and small are navigating uncharted territory right now when it comes to communicating with clients and marketing to prospects. Is it insensitive to be advertising for your company right now? Does promoting your brand during these times come off as exploiting a health crisis? COVID-19 has unearthed a number of important aspects of running and marketing a business that may have never been considered before. The reality is that companies must come up with a plan to keep business afloat and, like any good business plan, marketing is an essential component.

Your marketing strategy and communication does not have to shut down during this pandemic, but it does need to take into account our current situation. This is not a time to be tone-deaf because prospects and clients, even your most loyal clients, will take notice. With this in mind, it’s time to start considering how to best market your business without offending anyone. The answer? Provide value and, more importantly, be helpful.

COVID-19 Marketing Strategies for Timely Communication

Actively communicating with clients and prospects during the pandemic is absolutely acceptable. The manner in which you do so, however, is the potential cause for concern. This is where companies are either receiving major praise or taking major flak. For instance, sending a promotional email that fails to address the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in can rub people the wrong way. On the contrary, running that same promotion with a helpful tone that recognizes these crazy times can go a long way in keeping current clients and drawing in new ones.

Stay Relevant

DO: continue to communicate your brand’s value by offering promotions and other incentives that may help your target audience during these times.

DON’T: put your current marketing strategy on hold.

Strategically Promote Your Content

DO: take advantage of the uptick in people’s media consumption by promoting timely, useful content.

DON’T: post random content just to take advantage of a steady audience.

Providing Value

DO: take into account how the coronavirus is impacting your target audience and offer useful guidance as it relates to your brand.

DON’T: distribute content that serves no immediate value to your audience during these times.

Maintain an Online Presence

DO: make sure that your store hours and accessibility is readily available on your local listings. Be proactive in informing your audience about company status.

DON’T: assume your customers and prospects know how your brand is handling COVID-19.

Differentiating Your Brand

DO: get creative in how you sell your product and/or services right now. People are more engaged online than ever before and now is the time to separate yourself from the competition.

DON’T: get lost in the shuffle of similar brand messages that all of your competitors are pushing.

Riding the Wave of Uncertainty

The roadmap for the next few weeks and months is laced with ambiguity and giant question marks. It’s hard to navigate these uncharted territories without having a few missteps here and there. Nevertheless, the biggest mistake companies are making right now is not necessarily saying the wrong this, but not saying anything at all. Communication has never been more essential.

Simply put, your clients have no idea what is going on with your brand unless you tell them. Get your team together, brainstorm a sensible strategy, and take action. Together, think through the best way to communicate with your audience and be sure to avoid making costly mistakes. In the end, the brands who handle themselves with compassion and strategy will cross the pandemic finish line stronger than ever.

Are you looking for some guidance in communicating with your clients and prospects? At Big Customer Network, we specialize in communication and marketing with strategy. You can probably use our help now more than ever, so contact us today to learn more!

Are You Avoiding These Digital Marketing Mistakes?

Blog, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, SEO, Social Media Marketing,

A quick Google search will reveal countless digital marketing tips, guidelines, and “must-have” insider information. The internet is flooded with marketing formulas that are guaranteed to transform your company’s online presence. But what about what doesn’t work? With so much information about what to do, who is focusing on what not to do? How can you take failed digital marketing experiments and turn them into valuable guidelines for the future?

Digital marketing and data go hand-in-hand. Today, we find ourselves in a data-driven world, dictating decisions in nearly every industry, and on a global scale. This means that there is an abundance of facts and figures to shape decisions and guide new initiatives. In marketing, data lays the foundation for action.

While all digital marketing mistakes are avoidable, some of the more commonly seen blunders are certainly preventable. Having a dynamic approach to every digital marketing initiative is crucial to online success.

Have you given any thought to the mistakes that your organization has made? If not, it’s time to start digging in.

Digital Marketing Mistakes To Dodge

The enormity of digital marketing options can be paralyzing. Some companies are so overwhelmed with where to begin, they fail to get started at all. The fear of making a mistake is certainly daunting, but the beauty lies in the lessons taken from those mistakes, all made possible by the nature of digital information.

Making changes to a marketing strategy is far more complex than it may appear. So to say that one can address digital marketing mistakes with “the click of a button” is an oversimplification. However, since proper research and due diligence can set up any organization to succeed digitally, starting by pinpointing preventable mistakes is key.

The following are some of the most frequently seen digital marketing mistakes:

  1. Refusing to be dynamic. Trends change faster today than ever before, and this means not only being on the cutting-edge of those changes but having the flexibility to act accordingly.
  2. Failing to clearing state and write down marketing objectives. This is one of the most commonly seen errors today. People are so eager to get started, they fail to take a step back and determine where they want to go.
  3. Missing the mark on targeting the right audience. Digital marketing options today mean that you can create campaigns to speak to a very specific set of individuals. Ignoring the power of reaching a targeted audience, with the right message, can be disastrous for any campaign.
  4. Approaching social media marketing with a “post and pray” attitude. It’s easy to feel like simply posting on social is enough to engage an audience and remain top-of-mind. But without a strategy, your posts will fall on deaf ears.
  5. Ignoring the opportunity to test. A/B testing is extremely powerful in gauging the right approach to the audience, the medium, and so on. It’s easy to jump to a conclusion about a campaign without properly assessing its performance, but no assessment is complete without some form of testing.
  6. Spending minimal time with analytics. Falling into the trap of sending a monthly report is all too common. Are you spending time with the numbers to truly understand what they mean? Analytics provide a goldmine for marketers looking to make the most out of their digital campaigns.

We could go on and on about the mistakes digital marketers make, but the above six mark the most impactful issues to date. You will inevitably make mistakes in your efforts to dominate your competition online, but approaching these mistakes as opportunities to learn and evolve will set you up to avoid failure in the future.

At Big Customer Network, we approach mistakes with open arms in our quest to perfect our clients’ digital marketing strategies. Are you ready to take your company to the next level? Contact us today to get started.

Content Marketing’s Value for Your Business

Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, SEO,

Digital marketing strategies have seen a variety of shifts in the last decade or so, but one constant has remained unchanged: content. In fact, two-thirds of all marketers create at least one piece of content every single day. Why? It’s simple; content marketing is essential for businesses to:

  1. Maintain a strong digital presence
  2. Successfully communicate with prospects
  3. Position themselves to stay competitive in the marketplace

Search engine optimization (SEO) is said to have been born in the early 1990s. And since that time, effectively marketing a company online has meant a lot of different things. Throughout SEO’s evolution, the content has (and will continue) to play a vital role in establishing even the smallest of companies as thought-leaders and, in turn, legitimate organizations.

So, if the content is such an integral part of the marketing mix, why do businesses continually fail to dedicate their resources to its fruition? The answer is that they fail to recognize its value and, in doing so, drastically impede their ability to succeed on the web.

Today, companies who are competing and winning online in their respective industries all share a respect for content marketing’s role in their digital marketing campaigns.

The Secret Sauce of Content Marketing

Content marketing in 2020 and beyond means building a strategy that is harnessed by internal objectives and industry trends. This means creating a content plan that highlights how your business is an expert in your field, why prospective clients would benefit from working with you, and how your competition can learn from the content you produce. These elements combine to generate an online force that builds your brand and drives sales.

Content marketing can be defined as a strategic marketing plan created to drive specific results. Those results vary depending upon the specific organization behind the plan, but all outcomes are centered on an ability to execute. From research to writing, from planning to optimizing, and from measuring to analyzing, every component of a content marketing plan must be performed with strategy.

The benefits linked to content marketing are widespread. When properly implemented, content can transform a website, rehabilitate a brand image, and open the door to an entirely new audience. The following are some of the most notable advantages linked to content marketing:

  • Generate new (and more) leads
  • Improve search rankings and SEO as a whole
  • Develop a brand reputation
  • Increase profitability
  • Position your company as an expert thought-leader
  • Increase conversion rates in a cost-effective manner
  • Set your company apart from the competition
  • Serve as a method to educate customers
  • Target specific audiences
  • Increase online authority and credibility
  • Strategically move prospects along the buyer’s journey
  • Establishes a personal connection with prospects and customers
  • Allows for greater online engagement
  • Lays the foundation for a strong social media presence

While the list could go on and on, these are the most prominent benefits of developing and implementing a content marketing strategy. These benefits are powerful in the ever-changing competitive market. As such, it is a critical aspect of the marketing mix for companies competing online.

Content Marketing with Big Customer Network

At Big Customer Network, we have years of experience in building and executing successful content marketing strategies for our clients. From building strategic landing pages to nurturing full-scope digital marketing strategies, our proven system breeds success from the inside out.

Big Customer Network is the internet muscle you need to conquer your competition. Contact us today to learn more!