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3 Reasons People Aren’t Stopping By (or Staying On) Your Website

You made a website. Now what? There was a time when that effort alone would have been enough to make you look shiny and new to consumers. Those days are long gone, however, and if your visitors are bouncing away as soon as they arrive — or worse, they’re not arriving at all — you’re probably committing one of the cardinal sins of web design and content creation.

Here are a few reasons your site may be sending people in the opposite direction:

1. Your Site’s Confusing. Flashy pages, cluttered sites, and confusing navigation will lead people away long before they learn anything about you. Keep it clean and easy.

2. You Talk About Yourself Too Much. Your website needs to tout your amazingness, and your content does, too, but you have to find the line between boasting and bringing value. People don’t so much care how great you are; they care how you can help them. Make sure you’re offering tips, tricks, and reasons your consumers should learn more about you. Don’t forget to engage in shares and retweets from others knowledgeable in your industry!

3. You Don’t Know What’s Not Working. You can’t just put stuff out to the world and expect it to make online magic happen. Content procurement is an ongoing process, filled with testing, analytics, and re-vamps. Once you know what works well — or what’s not working at all — you can optimize your strategy.

Need a little help creating an attractive website that draws visitors in? Zebra Marketing Solutions has you covered! Our website design services will keep customers coming your way! Reach out to us to learn how we can help you!

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Strategies, Plans, and Schedules: What Do These Marketing Phrases Mean?

When it comes to marketing, there are three words you may hear more than anything else: strategies, plans, and schedules. Seeing as how these words appear so many times over the course of a marketer’s endeavors, they must be important. But, what exactly do they mean, and how do they impact your success as you try to grow your business?

Strategies

Your marketing strategy should help you achieve your revenue goals by implementing elements such as:

  • Online advertising
  • Lead capture and nurture
  • Social Media
  • Overarching marketing goals and

Plans

Knowing what you’re going to talk about — and who you’re going to talk to — can mean the difference between success and just-like-everybody-else. A solid content plan will help you understand your audience and address their needs appropriately.

If you’re struggling with writer’s block, consider these tips:

  • Record yourself as you talk about your business, then play it back and take notes of important details your content should cover.
  • Answer questions your customers ask you on a regular basis.
  • Tell the story behind a testimonial or outstanding review.

Schedules

Content calendars can make your world so much easier. A content calendar is the perfect way to ensure you’re supplying blog posts, social media contributions, and email campaigns to your audience at relevant times.

Marketing can be a full-time job for even the smallest of businesses. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by everything your marketing calendar encompasses, it’s time to seek the help of an expert! Book your free Strategy Session with our Zebra Marketing Solutions team today!

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Pitch-Perfect: Putting the Right Amount of Personalization into Your Sales Strategy

When you enter a sales meeting of any sort — be it online, on the phone, or in person — your expectation is to walk out with a win. After all, you wouldn’t go through the pain of preparing if you weren’t sure you can meet your clients’ ultimate needs, right?

Unfortunately, the sales funnel isn’t very forgiving. If you want your pitch to resonate with potential customers, you have to personalize your message such that it speaks to your audience. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Put Professional Online Stalking to Work. LinkedIn and Twitter can be your best friends when you’re trying to learn more about your prospective customers. Search social media sources to learn what your prospects talk about, what language or tone they use, and which word choices might work best. The more you know about your consumer, the better you can position your brand.

2. Put Out the Right Attitude. Are you working with someone who’s laid back and has no worries, or are you dealing with a corporate executive who’s spent 35 years on his or her career journey? You can send the same message two very different ways, depending on the recipient. It’s important to know who you’re talking to.

3. Respond Accordingly. Read your respondents’ behaviors. Do they need a friendly, enthusiastic follow-up, or will they react better to conservative approaches?

Need help bolstering your marketing strategies to new levels? Book your free Strategy Session with our Zebra Marketing Solutions team today!

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Are you Left-Brained, Right-Brained, or RankBrained?

When it comes to finding your place in the world, some people argue you’re either a left-brained (analytical) or right-brained (creative) personality type. While science can support or debunk positions on either case, Google has stepped in to create a whole new argument: the RankBrain.

Before you try to digest everything that comprises the Google universe, it’s important to understand that’s impossible. Once you’re okay with that, you can take in small tidbits of information and make them work for your own unique needs.

Meet RankBrain

RankBrain is Google’s newest invention. It’s a machine learning system that facilitates Google’s search processes, helping consumers find the right results. Machine learning, by definition, means the tool gets smarter each time it’s used, helping users gain more valuable information while you find yourself in front of people who are most likely to love your business.

Make Friends with RankBrain

Because you’re not dealing with a human-based interface, you’ll need to look at RankBrain a bit differently.

  • Test & Tweak. You can no longer put things out to the universe and hope they work out. Optimize your content strategy by employing tools that help you perform proper A/B testing before you publish.
  • Hone-In on Your Focus. RankBrain expects you to speak to specific audiences. In order to do so, you have to tighten up your content such that it speaks to the people you’re trying to reach.

Every successful business needs a little outside expertise once in a while. If Google’s algorithms have got you down, it’s time to turn to our team at Zebra Marketing Solutions! Book your complimentary Strategy Session today, and let’s get started improving your rankings!

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How to Win With Facebook Ads

A winning marketing mix incorporates a perfect blend of varying strategies, each of which is a single component to the entire revenue picture. Paid ads helped pave the way for companies to boost their revenue streams online, and they’ve been around for a long time for one very good reason: they work.

Facebook is obviously no stranger to social-savvy interactions. This space of familiar faces and similar interests takes on new meaning when the social sphere brings business and pleasure together. The thing is, Facebook knows how to make money off its popularity, but it also knows how to make you money by offering paid ads that head right to your target audience.

Facebook’s business pages are pretty locked down; in fact, only 5 to 8% of the people who have liked your page will actually see your regular posts. If you want to get in front of the people who can make a difference to your business, you now have to pay for ads.

What You Need to Do

It’s important to have a consistent ad strategy. Spend time honing in on your target market so your ads are laser-focused. Your efforts will mean your money is well spent, and you’ll be advertising to people who actually care about your brand and messaging.

What Facebook Ads Do

Paid Facebook ads are a great way to get likes on your page, even if — or particularly if — you’re just starting out. There are two particular types of Facebook ads:

  • Traffic ads send people to a destination on Facebook or elsewhere, such as a website, app, or Messenger conversation.
  • Engagement ads are designed to get your audience’s attention by way of page likes, event responses, or offer claims.

This combo has a tendency to generate page likes, which can lead to higher ranks on the social-savvy scale for smart business owners.

What Doesn’t Work

Our agency hears one statement over and over again: “I’ve tried Facebook ads; they just didn’t work.” The truth is, they do work, but you have to know how to work them first. Typically, Facebook ads fail because the back-end of the campaign — or the sales funnel — isn’t set up properly. If an interested person clicks on an ad and gets sent into an abyss of all things internet, they’ll leave long before they can learn more about you.

Set yourself up for success by creating a lead-capture campaign that puts a system in place to capture contact details so you can push people further down your sales funnel. The following tools, when executed correctly, can be great weapons to have in your contact-capturing arsenal:

  • A clean, yet enticing, landing page
  • A well-written call-to-action
  • A valuable offer at no cost (free reports, ebooks, or video training sessions)

Once you’ve captured your leads, you can nurture your relationships with products best suited for your customers’ particular needs.

Are you ready to put paid ads to work for you? Reach out to our Zebra Marketing Solutions team to book your complimentary Strategy Session today!

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Setting Yourself Up for Social Media Success

Social media once started as a means to, well, socialize. It’s where you kept up with friends and stayed in touch with family. These days, though, it’s gone beyond the bounds of a fun place to chat with others. For businesses, it’s an imperative part of the marketing mix. That said, if you’re not social media savvy, the idea of tweeting, following, and sharing can simply be overwhelming. To help you de-stress from this madness, we have a few tips:

1. Target Top Industry Influencers

There are plenty of companies and individuals who have tens of thousands of followers. Find them, follow them, engage with their posts, mention them in your own feeds. A positive relationship could yield you dozens of new leads.

2. Invest in Up-Front Visibility

Paid ads, in conjunction with great SEO efforts, are a perfect marriage for long-term social media strategies; they particularly work well if you’re looking to boost your revenue or traffic when you’re new to the social media scene. You’ll be promoted to an audience that’s most likely to be interested in the products or services you’re offering, and as long as the rest of your content is valuable, you’ll likely achieve a few happy followers as a result of your efforts.

Paid ads tend to be a misunderstood animal in the digital marketing world. Stay tuned for our upcoming paid ads exposé!

3. Engage with Your People

If someone takes the time to mention you on social media — good or bad — respond! Customers are receptive to companies that respect their time and feedback.

If you enjoyed this post, increase your social media presence by tweeting us @ZebraMarketSIns!

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The 80/20 Rule: What Does Your Content Say About You?

In many ways, marketing is like dating. Think of it this way — nobody wants to be on a date with someone who only talks about themselves. If a woman is sitting across the table from a man who talks about himself 100% of the time, she’s 100% likely to turn around and run the first chance she gets. Same goes for men, of course. Dating should be a two-way street. You talk about yourself a little bit, but you spend a lot of time asking about the other person so you can keep the conversation rolling and engage your dating partner.

This same idea holds true in marketing. You see, there are plenty of companies that spend all of their time talking about themselves. In truth, nobody wants to follow a business that only creates self-promoting content.

What Is the 80/20 Rule of Content Creation?

If you really want to build an audience that pays attention to what you have to say, you’ll spend 80% of the time sharing information that’s useful to your customers and only dedicate 20% of your posts to self-promotion. Thus, you’ll embrace the 80/20 Rule of Content Creation.

How Can You Embrace the 80/20 Rule?

1. Share Other Companies’ Social Media Posts. If it will be helpful to your consumers, don’t withhold secrets! Your content needs to be valuable to your customers, and sometimes, other businesses have great things to say. Not only that, but the share will build goodwill with companies who might return the favor and share your stuff someday.

2. Focus on your FAQs. Learn from the questions your customers ask you, and use those questions to build a solid base of valuable, useful content they’ll find helpful (and shareable.)

At Zebra Marketing Solutions, we’re 80/20 Rule experts. Shoot us a line; we promise to spend 80% of the time learning about your needs. We only need 20% of the conversation to tell you how we can help you grow your business!

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So You Got a Bad Review. Now What?

Online reviews and testimonials can be the bread and butter for businesses. Naturally, you want five stars and raving compliments that showcase your amazing products and services. Unfortunately, there may come a time when someone rates you on the other side of the scale, potentially leaving a scathing remark or unpleasant comment about their interaction with your organization.

In today’s world, reputation management is major, but many companies simply don’t realize they need to act on feedback (both positive and negative!) If you’ve received a bad review, here are some things you can do:

Change Your Frame of Mind

First things first — Not every negative review is necessarily a bad thing. As your business grows, you’ll interact with more and more people, and, as the old saying goes, you can’t please everyone.

Your company won’t be a great fit for every single customer, and that’s okay. It’s important to keep this in mind, rather than letting negative reviews eat you alive. You should also bear in mind that many people stay silent after a bad experience and simply don’t come back. Those customers who take the time to leave you negative reviews are giving you the gift of opportunity so you can see things from their perspective, respond compassionately and make appropriate adjustments.

Acknowledge Mistakes

If your business made a blunder, don’t let the bad review ride without commenting. Apologize for the mistake, and offer your contact information by way of a public reply. This will show other consumers that you’re serious about customer service and willing to go the extra mile to remedy a negative situation.

Don’t Get Defensive

If a review angers you, walk away for a while! It’s probably not going anywhere. Publicly respond to all comments – positive and negative — but don’t employ shaming or defense tactics. Instead, utilize empathy, understanding, and sensitivity to approach the situation.

A great reputation is an excellent start to successful inbound marketing. Zebra Marketing Solutions can help you build a foundation that keeps clients coming to your door. Check out our services, and give us a call when you’re ready to learn more!

For more information on social media and digital marketing, please contact us at www.zebramarketingsolutions.com/contact or book a Complimentary 30 minute Strategy Session by clicking here! You can also like us on Facebook and Twitter for more useful marketing tips!

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3 Ways to Attract Your Dream Client

You’re a small business owner. You have a go-getter attitude and a ruthless work ethic. You are ready to get out there and conquer the universe. After all, the world is your oyster, and you’re ready to tell everyone how amazing your business is.

Now that we’ve established that, let’s back up a little.

You see, the world really is your oyster, but you’re not looking for seashells; you’re searching for pearls. There will be passersby and brief visits from folks who were sent to you from the great powers of the search engines, but these people aren’t your people. Your dream clients make up your target market. They’re the people who will love you, be loyal to you, send you referrals, and keep the cash coming in. Of course, you want to cast a wide net, but it’s important to place the right bait so your dream clients can find you.

1. Focus.

When it comes to marketing, if you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one. You need to be clear about the types of customers you want to attract so you can define your target market and understand who your dream client truly is.

2. Filter.

Don’t be afraid to alienate people. The truth is, you will only alienate the people who wouldn’t boost your bottom line anyway. When you filter out the people who aren’t in your target market, you’re free to speak to the people who are the right fit for you and your business.

3. Feel.

Buying is an emotional experience. No matter what you do, or which industry you work in, your customers want to say, “Yes! I’m in the right place!” as soon as they speak to you. Hone your marketing efforts towards the people you want to attract, and those people will get your good vibrations.

Feeling inspired? So are we! Schedule your free strategy session with our Zebra Marketing team today!

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How to Become a Lead Generation Machine!

Being a small business owner comes with huge responsibilities. You often have to wear more hats than you could fit into a closet. Sometimes, it seems like you’re running in a hamster wheel, doing everything you can to keep your company moving forward while still staying stuck in the weeds in terms of bringing in new business. When this happens, it’s because you’re not making lead generation work for you.

What is Lead Generation?

It’s a jungle out there, and to be successful, you must be better than your competition. If you feel like you’re spending all your time looking for new customers, but just not getting as many leads as you’d like to boost your bottom line, you may be missing out on the power of great inbound marketing.

In short, lead generation turns you from being the hunter into being the hunted. You’re no longer ruthlessly wandering the consumer jungle in search of anyone who might happen to take your bait; instead, you’re attracting people who are ready to listen, thus ensuring they’re more likely to pay attention to the products and services you offer.

Why is Lead Generation Important?

In the inbound marketing mix, leads are generated by first capturing an interested person’s contact information online (or in person), and then enticing them with quality content and tidbits that add value to their lives. By giving people a “taste” of what you offer, you’re more likely to convert these passers-by into actual paying customers.

Cashing in on Data Collection

It’s important to know as much about your consumers as possible, to hone future messaging to ensure more fruitful leads. Landing pages, contact forms, social media follows, and newsletter sign-ups all allow you to gather insights and data about your consumers’ behavior that you can use to provide relevant messaging and content going forward, to build relationships that turn your leads into customers, and your customers into raving fans!

Intrigued? Book your free strategy session with Zebra Marketing Solutions to learn more about lead generation, and find out how the right strategies can bring consumers directly to you!