Today’s blog post is a little different. We’re still talking strategy but instead of taking a general approach, we’re honing in on a particular industry – construction companies.

There’s no shortage of marketing strategies out there. When it comes to construction companies, tactics like email marketing and paid advertising just make sense. They’re the kind of tools that offer tangible results that are easy to measure. After all, practically everyone uses tools like these. Plus, it’s easy to justify a tool that your competitors are using on a daily basis. But what about other marketing tactics?

One marketing strategy your construction company may not be using is content marketing.

Don’t stop reading just yet.

Content marketing is a strategic marketing tactic focused on creating and distributing relevant, valuable, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. It may sound like a lot of work, but it’s actually one of the most effective digital marketing tools you could use. Not to mention, one of the most affordable!

If you aren’t familiar with content marketing, check out these 5 reasons content marketing is exactly what your construction company needs.

1. To Get Your Name on the First Page of Google Search Results

If you want to see your construction company on the first page of Google, content marketing is the way to go. Content focused on relevant keywords is the most effective way to boost your website’s SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings.

2. To Get More Qualified Leads

Without a doubt, content marketing draws in organic traffic, and organic traffic equals leads.

With a strategic content marketing plan built to help you rank well for keywords that are relevant to your ideal customer’s most common searches and questions, you’ll start to draw in qualified leads. This is a great way to reach ideal buyers who have an actual interest in the types of projects you want to bid on.

Let’s say, for example, you want to build more apartment buildings. You would want your content marketing strategy to be focused on topics related to those types of projects. Content about things like new apartment construction and what permits to pull will draw in leads who are interested in those topics.

3. To Stand Out in the Industry

The construction industry is competitive, and since you’re likely restricted to a particular service area, there’s only so much work to compete for.

Quality content marketing can be the thing that makes you stand out in a crowded market. Not only will it position you well on search engines, generating more qualified leads, but it also helps you build authority in your market. And the more authority you have, the higher you’ll rank for any topic related to your construction company.

When we say authority, what we mean is the more helpful and comprehensive your content is and the more your content answers common questions, the more authority your website will have. Top results on search engines are seen as the ones with the most authority, and a solid content marketing strategy will get you there.

4. Answer Questions Online, Instead of Over the Phone or in Person

Your sales team is most likely answering the same questions over and over, right? When you create content that answers those questions, you’ll save your team some time while also boosting your SEO game.

Any questions your team gets asked on the regular are the same questions getting typed into search engines. Creating helpful, relevant content around those common questions will save your staff the headache and draw in the qualified traffic you’re looking for.

5. To Shorten Your Sales Cycle

Content marketing is a must for digital lead generation, but it’s also essential in nurturing leads for you. Today, consumers do majority of their research online before talking to an actual salesperson.

For construction-related projects, consumers are going to research the top companies in the area, getting an idea of the type of work you do, and checking out your past projects before ever picking up the phone. If you have quality content ready for them, you’re already a step ahead of that sales cycle.

Set your sales team up for success with content that answers common consumer questions, showcases your best work, helps prospects get a good idea of how long their project will take, and what they need to get a quality bid from you.

Utilizing content marketing tools like email workflows, automated sales emails, and content offers, you’ll be able to nurture leads without your sales team having to step in. This way, you’re still working hard to pull prospects through your sales cycle quicker while lessening the load for your sales team. That’s what content marketing does – it goes to work for you.

If your construction company is looking to boost your digital presence, draw in more qualified leads, and get ahead of the competition, content marketing is a must.

Our team is ready to set up a successful content marketing plan for your construction company when you’re ready – all you have to do is contact us!

A strong, recognizable brand identity can make all the difference in terms of brand awareness and growth. So, what is brand identity and why is it so important?

What is Brand Identity?

Your brand identity is what separates you from every other Tom, Dick, and Harry on the block. Everything from your logo and website to signage and business cards is what makes up your brand identity.

When talking about brand identity, we’re looking at all of the visual elements that could be used to promote a business. For example:

• Business Cards
• Stationary
• Signage
• Product Packaging
• Print Materials (flyers, brochures, etc.)
• Apparel
• Website
• Logo

The Customer Experience

When it comes to building and strengthening a brand, a consistent and professional brand identity is key. Forming and preserving a brand identity is not an easy feat – it requires your entire team to be on the same page across all channels of media. Whether a customer visits your website, your Facebook page, or your storefront, you want them to have the same experience; a great experience that is unique to your brand. Once you’ve curated your brand identity, a great way to ensure cohesiveness across the entire front is through the use of guidelines. A brand identity guideline acts as a manual for your staff to reference when joining your team and becoming part of your brand’s voice.

Let’s dive into the 5 reasons a solid brand identity is crucial for your business.

1. Personality

Your brand identity is essentially the visual representation of your business’s personality. The design you go with sets the tone of your brand. Did you know colors, words, and other visual elements can be used to evoke specific feelings in people? All of this should be taken into consideration when looking at the design of your brand. Additionally, your brand identity should promote your business goals and clearly communicate your company’s overall message.

2. Brand Awareness

There’s no denying that a solid brand identity will increase brand awareness. With a focus on brand awareness, it’s important to create an identity package that has your brand at the forefront of all marketing materials. The more places your brand is featured, the more it will be seen by consumers, and the more memorable it will be.

3. Consistency

Establishing a brand identity allows you to create a consistent message across all platforms. From font choice and colors to choice in wording, each piece should feature the same style and design elements in order to create a cohesive branding package.

4. Separates You From the Competition

Differentiating yourself from the competition is an obvious reason to establish a clear brand identity. A professional, distinguishable brand design will help you reach potential customers in your market and not get lost in the mix.

5. Trust & Loyalty

This is arguably one of the most important reasons to have a clear brand identity, if not the most important. Consumer trust and loyalty are earned not only by exceptional products and services but also through an established brand identity. It allows consumers to make a connection between a product and the company. You might have a great product or service but without a clear brand identity across major platforms like your website and social media, it may be difficult for consumers to find you, connect with you, and lead others to you.

There you have it. Brand identity is crucial in establishing anything mentioned above. If you’re looking to create or revamp your brand identity, get in touch with us! We work with clients to establish a brand design that accurately reflects them and their business. From logo design to website development, and everything in between, we can help! Contact us today.

Are you taking advantage of user-generated content (UGC)? If not, it’s time to start. Read on to learn more about UGC and how to take advantage of it.

What is User-Generated Content?

User-generated content is any content – text, images, videos, reviews, etc. – created by individuals rather than brands.

If you’ve ever taken a picture of a latte from your favorite coffee shop, uploaded it to social media and tagged the coffee shop, you’ve created UGC.

Consumers are promoting a brand through original content rather than the brand promoting themselves. Taking advantage of the right opportunities lets consumers do most of the work for you – creating conversation, generating product interest, and even revenue.

How does this happen?

Because consumers trust original, user-generated content more than traditional advertising. Put simply, your audience would rather hear from your customers than you.

After all, 37% of consumers trust social networks for their pre-purchase research making user-generated content invaluable at winning over prospects.

People Trust People, Not Brands

This isn’t to say your audience won’t eventually trust you. The difference is that with brands, trust is earned. With people, trust is pretty automatic.

Check out these stats:

• Around 80% of people say user-generated content has an impact on their purchasing decisions.
• 84% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations over all other sources of advertising.
• UGC ranks higher than other forms of marketing content like promotional emails.
• 64% of Gen Z and 60% of Millennials stated they didn’t buy from an e-commerce store because the site didn’t feature customer reviews, testimonials, or images.

There are plenty more stats that could be listed, but you get the point. People trust people.

So, what are the types of user-generated content you should be taking advantage of?

1. Photos and Videos

Visual content tends to pack a bigger punch than written content because it shows potential customers what they can expect without physically inspecting it themselves.

2. Testimonials

If you’re already collecting customer testimonials, you’re halfway there! No matter the product or service you’re selling, testimonials from actual customers can go a long way in reaching potential buyers and boosting sales.

How do you get testimonials if you aren’t already?

• Reach out to past customers who are happy with your brand. Ask for a short paragraph on how your product or service has helped them.
• Send customer feedback forms after every purchase.
• Check out the comment sections on social platforms. Take screenshots of comments favoring or complimenting your business and ask permission to share them.

3. Reviews

Encouraging reviews is a great way to take advantage of UGC. Reviews are similar to testimonials but are shared on directories like Trip Advisor or Facebook business pages.

89% of customers read reviews before making a purchase. With that said, utilizing reviews is a great way to increase trust, authenticity, and sales.

Motivate Your Audience

Since UGC comes from your customers, you need to find ways to motivate and incentivize them in order to collect the content you need. You can do this in several ways, including:

• Add a share or tweet button on your after checkout page.
• Encourage customers to take a screenshot and share it to their social media and tag you.
• Share a call to action, brand hashtags, and social media handles.
• Reach out to customers a few days after purchase asking them to write a review.
• Send out feedback forms.
• Incentivize customers with a prize.

Once you have user-generated content to work with, share it in places where people are more likely to interact with your brand.

• Social media posts
• On your website
• At your physical location
• On product packaging

Start encouraging and taking advantage of user-generated content, and remember, always ask permission and credit the original creator. As always, if you have any questions or aren’t sure how to approach UGC, don’t hesitate to reach out. That’s what we’re here for!

In this new digital age, brands that neglect to take advantage of social media are missing out on a key digital channel for consumer engagement. When you consider the reach and influence social media has, it’s easy to see the value in it. Social media can offer an impressive return on investment (ROI) by helping brands gain valuable consumer insights and boosting other marketing efforts.

Now that we’ve established the importance of social media, how do you know which platforms are right for you? If you aren’t sure, keep reading!

Check out our 3-step guide to determine which social media platforms work best for your business.

Step 1: Identify Your Target Audience

The first step (and one you cannot skip) is identifying your target audience. When doing so, you want to be as specific as possible. Consider the following questions:

• What age groups are you trying to reach?
• Are your customers typically men or women?
• What is the income level of your audience?
• What type of occupations do they have?
• What is your audience interested in outside of your product or service?
• Where are they located?

Answering these questions will help you build a profile of the type of consumer you’re trying to reach.

Don’t be afraid to dive deeper! Consider some of the more personal characteristics of your buyers, such as their behavior, lifestyle, values, and personality – doing so will help you further define your ideal customer.

Quick Note: You can have more than one target audience. You can have a different marketing message tailored to a different audience for each niche.

Step 2: Define Your Goals

Once you’ve pinned down your audience, it’s time to define your goals. As a business owner, your main goal is most likely to drive sales by attracting new customers, and while there is nothing wrong with that, there are other creative goals to consider. Some businesses use social media to increase brand awareness while others use it to develop relationships with potential buyers or to offer customer support.

You can approach social media with a singular goal or get as creative as you want. Before committing to anything, try brainstorming a list of ways you’d like to use social media for your brand. And if you find yourself overwhelmed by the brainstorming process, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Step 3: Find Your Audience & Choose Your Platforms

When you find your audience, you’ve most likely found your platforms. Sounds simple enough, but finding your audience takes time and requires an understanding of all the major social media platforms out there.

Quick Note: It’s important to note that you don’t need to hop on every platform you find target consumers on. You’ll want to look at where the majority of your audience is and how they use that platform.

To start, you’ll need to look at the demographics of the users on each social platform. You’ll also want to look at how active your audience is on that platform. For example, while young Facebook users may have profiles, you’re more likely to find them over on Instagram or TikTok. Besides demographics and engagement, you’ll also want to consider how people use the platform.

Below is a guide that goes into detail on some of the major social media platforms out there. Understanding these platforms better will help you find your audience.

FACEBOOK

Facebook currently has roughly 2.9 billion active users each month. That’s double the population of China. The majority of people use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and build relationships. This makes Facebook an excellent platform for building loyalty with your existing customers.

Some of the tools Facebook has to offer:

• Paid Ads: Right now, the average cost per click (CPC) on Facebook is less than a dollar. A low CPC creates opportunities for branding and driving traffic.
• Messenger: Facebook messenger is a great way to offer customer service and support. A Facebook survey found that more than 80% of U.S. consumers message a business to ask about products or services and about 76% do so to get support for a product or service.
• Closed Groups: Create a community and drive engagement with your audience.

TWITTER

Twitter is a great platform for increasing brand awareness. Twitter is especially known for the use of hashtags, which facilitate conversations around a single word or phrase. Searching hashtags will allow you to see what people are talking about and make it easier for you to create tweets that take part in the conversation. Twitter is also a great way to update your customers in real time. Special event coming up? Let your audience know on Twitter!

Some of the tools Twitter has to offer:

• Live Tweets: Branded hashtags can be used to share news, updates, and sales with your audience.
• Conversation: By using a branded hashtag, you can start conversations with your audience.
• Customer Service: By using direct messages, customers are able to communicate with brands to address concerns about a product or service without it reaching the public.

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is becoming increasingly popular, especially among the younger generations. Instagram is different in that it relies on photos and videos for conversation. This makes Instagram a great platform for virtual-based businesses, like food, retail, beauty, and art. With half as many users as Facebook, Instagram doesn’t have as much noise making it a great platform for generating leads.

Some of the tools Instagram has to offer:

• Stories: Using Instagram stories is a great way to reach your target audience and engage with them in a new way.
• Storytelling: High-quality photos and interesting captions make this channel excellent for telling your brand’s story.
• Less is More: All you need is one quality post a day, whereas other platforms, like Twitter, require several posts a day.

LINKEDIN

LinkedIn is known for drawing in older audiences. In fact, it boasts the largest group of users among ages 30-49. What also makes LinkedIn unique is its narrow focus on professional networking and job hunting. This makes LinkedIn a great option for B2B lead generation, networking, and recruiting employees.

Some of the tools LinkedIn has to offer:

• InMail Messages: Reach out and advertise to users who may find the need for your products or services.
• Sharing Blogs: Get acknowledged as an industry expert by writing blog posts that share your expertise.
• B2B: LinkedIn is the ideal platform for connecting with other brands.

Other major social platforms include TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest, but the ones we touched on are the most popular for brand development and marketing for the majority of businesses.

Following this 3-step guide will help you choose which social channels are the best fit for you. But if you still aren’t sure where your business fits into the world of social media, get in touch with us. We can help you identify your target audience, define your social media goals, and ultimately find the right social channels for your business.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you meet your short- and long-term social marketing goals.

You read that right. How is it already 2022? Don’t ask us. But it’s here, and it’s time to talk about what’s trending in terms of marketing. While quite a bit has changed in the last few years, much has stayed the same, including some of the trends we’ll be talking about today.

Since time is moving at a supersonic speed, we won’t waste any more of it. Let’s jump in!

1. Content Marketing Still Reigns Supreme

Quality content has always mattered. And with more people online than ever before, it’s even more important. When considering content, remember these key points:

· Your content is often someone’s first impression of your business.

· Your content can make or break turning a lead into a customer.

· Your content must clearly state who you are, what you do, and how you can help.

Your content should be more about the person reading it and less about you. After all, people are coming to you for help with a problem they have. It’s up to you to tell them not only why you’re the one who can solve their problem but also that you understand their problem.

Another thing to consider is adding a blog to your website. Well-written blog posts can be the crème de la crème of a good content marketing strategy. Think of blogs as a way to directly connect with your audience in a casual, relaxed manner. No pressure. No selling. Just sharing valuable content with your audience.

2. Less is More

This one piggybacks off content marketing because not only does it apply to your entire digital marketing strategy, it also applies to your content.

In terms of content, quality always trumps quantity. While your website should still have a decent amount of content, it shouldn’t be filled with keyword-stuffed, meaningless jargon. Make sure you have well-written, enticing content with thoughtfully used keywords.

And when it comes to your entire marketing strategy, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin across too many channels. This usually leads to low performance or a poor return on investment. Instead, you should focus on doing fewer things better. Give more to less. Marketing experts can help determine which channels make the most sense for your unique strategy.

3. Short-Form Video Marketing is a Must

We’re seeing consumers become increasingly interested in short-form video content. This is likely from the well-known social app, TikTok, exploding in popularity in the past few years. If you haven’t been utilizing short videos in your marketing strategy, now is the time.

Long videos are a great way to explain more in-depth information, but if you’re looking to boost brand awareness and expand your reach, shorter videos are the ticket. Short-form videos will get the attention of your audience and keep them engaged longer.

In order to maximize your reach, we recommend both professional, short-form videos used for SEO purposes as well as laid-back social media video content.

Ask us about our short-form video marketing services.

4. Branch Out on Social Media

It’s 2022, and most of the world is on social media. It’s a great way to reach new audiences and keep your customers engaged – that is if you’re using it right. Posting to your Facebook page once a month with a ‘TGIF’ post just won’t cut it. From Facebook stories and giveaways to Instagram lives, there are plenty of new things for you to try this year.

5. Take Advantage of User-Generated Content

Not familiar with user-generated content? UGC is any form of content, such as text, images, videos, and audio that has been posted by users on online platforms like social media. It’s one of the most effective social media marketing tactics you can use to engage your audience. This is, in large part, because people love to feel heard, especially when talking about a brand they admire.

User-generated content helps your brand seem relatable to people. More so, it helps people understand why existing customers love your brand so much.

Invite customers to talk about your brand on their personal pages, and reach out to those who have tagged you in posts. Always request permission to share others’ content on your page before doing so. User-generated content is an easy way to get content for your brand and also lets your customers know that their experiences matter. Be sure to encourage and utilize customer reviews too!

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Ready to pull in more leads this year? We’re ready to help! Online marketing is kind of our thing, and we’re always ready to talk strategy. Contact us today to kick off the new year with a dynamite online marketing plan.

We’re rounding the corner to another new year, and with each new year comes new goals, ideas, and plans. As a small business owner, now is the time to look at your current marketing strategy – is it working? If your company’s marketing strategy isn’t working like you had hoped or hasn’t been touched in years, it’s time for a change.

Where to Begin

When thinking about your current marketing strategy, you’ll want to look at things like your website, social media, SEO, and ads. If you find that your website looks exactly like it did when you opened your doors, then it’s time for a refresh. If you aren’t as active on your social media as you’d like to be, it may be time to consider the help of marketing experts. And if you aren’t familiar with the term SEO or haven’t run any ads for your company, now is absolutely the time to see what a digital marketing agency can do for you.

No-Cost, No-Obligation Digital Marketing Analysis

We’ve talked about this before on the blog, but we’d be remiss not to mention it again. First off, we know that most people are wondering what the catch is with words like no-cost and no-obligation. Well, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. There. Is. No. Catch. Never has been and never will be.

As we mentioned in our first blog post, online marketing is fickle, and not everyone is able to keep up with the latest marketing trends and strategies. Many business owners think their marketing efforts are paying off, when in fact they’re not. We’re in this business because we want to see small businesses succeed. We want to see their hard-earned money pay off when it comes to marketing efforts. But in order to do this, we first have to show businesses what their current marketing strategy is or isn’t doing for them. How do we do this? Through a no-cost, no-obligation digital marketing analysis.

What’s Included?

An analysis report, listings scan, and website audit.

• The analysis report includes an overview of keyword searches related to your business and how often you show up with each search in your local area.
• The listings scan outlines how accurate your business information is listed across 100+ directories.
• The website audit summarizes your website’s current SEO strategies and their performance, as well as how well you rank on search engines.

After meeting with a consultant to go over these reports, you’re more than welcome to keep a copy. This information is yours for the taking. We do these analysis meetings to offer you real time information. And our only hope is that you’ll take action if action is needed. After all, you deserve to know that your hard-earned money is paying off when it comes to your marketing strategy.

Without a doubt, people are searching online for what you have to offer. Wouldn’t you want to know if your business shows up? Aren’t you curious how you stack up against your competitors? We can tell you that and so much more. With no strings attached.

Why Not?

There’s nothing to lose by agreeing to a no-cost, no-obligation analysis. You either walk away with free, valuable information about your current marketing efforts or you choose to pursue professional digital marketing services. Either way, you can feel confident in knowing what’s best for your company.

If you’re ready to set up a digital marketing analysis, click here. All we need from you is your business name, address, and contact information. And if you’d like to learn more but don’t want to meet with a consultant just yet, click here. You can run your own listings scan – just like the one we’d prepare for you. This scan will give you a glimpse of what would be discussed during an analysis meeting.

We’re ready to talk when you are! Contact us to learn more.

What does brand awareness establish? A loyal following? Consumer trust? A competitive edge?

The answer is: all of the above and so much more.

Brand awareness can do so much for a brand. Once you’ve embedded your brand into the lifestyles and purchase habits of your audience, they won’t have to think twice about becoming a customer – or should we say, repeat customer.

This simple guide will help you gain a better understanding of brand awareness and help you establish it among your audience.

Let’s get started!

What is Brand Awareness?

Brand awareness is a term used to describe how familiar consumers are with a brand and its products. Simply put, brand awareness indicates how memorable and recognizable a brand is to its audience. Establishing brand awareness is an effective marketing strategy that can lead consumers to developing a preference towards your brand.

We understand brand awareness is somewhat of a vague concept. And for those of you who like to gauge success with numbers that can be perfectly determined, brand awareness may not be appealing as a metric tool. But, it’s important to remember that brand awareness is an invaluable tool in the overall success of a business.

Food for Thought

When it comes to brand awareness, words to keep in mind are memorable, recognizable, and consistent. What makes your brand these things? Are your current marketing efforts helping you establish brand awareness, or hindering it?

Why is Brand Awareness So Important?

Brand awareness creates trust.

It may take a little time, research, and others’ opinions for a consumer to make a purchase. But once consumers bond to your brand, they are more likely to be repeat customers. That is where trust and loyalty are established. And in order to get someone to bond to your brand, you have to focus on brand awareness. Insert your brand into their life and purchasing habits, and boom, you have their attention.

Trust is a meaningful thing. Make sure your audience knows that your brand, your face, and your story, is one they can trust.

Brand awareness establishes loyalty.

Where there is trust, there is loyalty. As we previously stated, once a consumer not only makes a purchase with your brand but bonds to your brand, they are more likely to be a repeat costumer. And not only that, they’re going to convince others to do the same. Why do you think companies like Apple and Nike have such loyal followings? Because they’ve built brand awareness. People are familiar with their brands, know what they’re all about, and trust them. That’s how you build loyalty.

Brand awareness gives you a competitive edge.

Once trust and loyalty are established, you automatically have a competitive edge. With higher brand awareness, you’ll have higher brand equity, which results in consumers choosing your brand over other well-known brands.

How Can You Establish Brand Awareness?

There are many ways to build brand awareness, but we’re going to list some of the more important ones.

1. Don’t just be a company, be a person.

People relate to people. Promote your brand as someone your consumers can relate to, not just a company that sells stuff. After all, there are real people behind every brand. Focus on the humanity of your company; things like passions, likes, and hobbies. This is how you’ll leave a lasting impact on your audience.

2. Be social.

If you only attempt to socialize when trying to make a sale, you’ll quickly build the reputation of a business with a singular intention. You need to connect with your audience outside of trying to sell them something. One great way of doing this is by posting to your social media about things unrelated to your business. Asking questions, commenting on posts, and re-sharing content are just a few ways of socializing with your audience.

3. Tell a story.

Storytelling is a powerful marketing strategy. When it comes to telling your brand’s story, don’t forget why you’re telling it in the first place. The goal is to attract people to your brand and gain loyal customers. You can’t do this if your story doesn’t speak to them. Your audience needs to find themselves in your story in order to latch onto it.

Many businesses struggle with finding the right way to tell their story without making it all about them – it has to be about your customers too. Digital marketing agencies, like WebLocal, know how to tell brand stories in a way that builds and maintains brand awareness.

4. Be consistent.

Make sure your brand is consistent across all platforms and marketing efforts. From your logo, imagery, language, and story, all the way down to font choice; remember, consistency is key. It’s how you quickly build familiarity with your brand – to the point where people will recognize your brand with little to no effort.

That’s a Wrap

Needless to say, brand awareness is a powerful concept that can greatly impact consumer perception, marketing efforts, and the revenue of a business. While building brand awareness can be achieved with a few simple changes, maintaining brand awareness is a bit more complex. That’s where a digital marketing team comes into play.

If you’d like help building and maintaining brand awareness, don’t hesitate to reach out!

The term ‘optimization’ might make you think of search engine optimization (SEO) and things like restrictive keyword requirements, rigidity, and a lack of creativity in your marketing.

However, when it comes to social media, optimization looks a little different. While the majority of businesses are on board with social media, many fail to make the necessary changes that could significantly boost their performance.

The good news: optimizing your social media presence does not mean you have to sacrifice your brand’s voice, message, and creativity.

In today’s post, we’re going to discuss 5 simple optimization strategies for brands big and small, and everyone in between.

What’s the point?

Social media optimization keeps businesses sharp and forces them to analyze, audit, and adjust regularly. Setting up an account is step one. Continuously adjusting and adapting that account to what’s working in the world of marketing is how you stay optimized.

Although many brands make it look easy, the highest performing accounts pay attention to the fine details of social media optimization. For example, content, visibility, engagement, and ROI all require equal attention and effort.

1. Profile Optimization

Before focusing on anything else, make sure your social media accounts align with your company’s brand, message, and goals. A general audit of all your social profiles with a focus on branding and marketing messaging will help you determine areas in need of improvement.

Details to consider:

• Make sure branding and creative visuals are consistent with your business’s online presence; this includes things like logos, fonts, taglines, and hashtags.
• Make sure to consistently use an appropriate link or call-to-action that sends visitors to the proper landing page.
• Make sure your marketing message is consistent across platforms and matches your current promotions.

Social media can be seen as a gateway to your brand and what you have to offer. If this is someone’s first encounter with your business, consistency is key in keeping customers engaged and not confusing them.

2. Searchability Optimization

Optimizing your social profiles is great and all but won’t do you any good if nobody can find you. Social profiles are starting to pop up in Google searches, especially after recent updates to social platform search features. Brands need to pay attention to how they use keywords across their profiles and posts.

This doesn’t mean you have to keyword stuff your posts. It just means that regularly performing keyword research for brand-specific keywords and adding those keywords to your posts will work to improve visibility and keep your content relevant.

When it comes to social media, you get to be creative in how keywords are used. For example, relevant keywords can be used in the form of a #hashtag or even used in your social bios.

3. Use High-Quality, Creative Content

Whether you’re optimizing ad campaigns or basic posts, you want to be posting high-quality creative content.

Creative content, whether it’s images, videos, or copy, is the core of successful social media advertising. Think about all the ads you see on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more – which ones stop you when scrolling? Which ones do you click on?

Ads that are eye-catching, creative, and clearly have thought behind them, are the attention-grabbing ones. It’s these types of ads that you want to strive for when optimizing social media ads and content.

Creative content is unique, original, and different – it’s not doing the same thing over and over again.

4. Individual Post Optimization

Once you’ve established a big-picture content strategy, it’s time to hone in on individual posts. Each post can be optimized differently, depending on what your goal is with that post. For example, posts that are part of a marketing campaign will be more refined than a meme or simple morning greeting.

For those posts that require more attention, you’ll want to make sure things like captions, hashtags, keywords, and calls-to-action are appropriate and reflect your current promotions and initiatives. Finding that balance between personality and promotion isn’t always easy, but it’s critical in maintaining a distinct brand voice throughout your posts and campaigns.

Building and maintaining brand awareness across platforms is key when it comes to social media optimization and is something digital marketing experts are well-versed in. Working with someone who has experience in creating and optimizing content for social media can make the difference between you and your competitors.

5. Maximize Social Media Ad Campaign Budgets

There are many ways to budget social media ad campaigns, which is why it’s always a good idea to do your research and learn where your money is going. Even if you’re working with a digital marketing company that does the research for you, you should still know where your money is going.

When considering your social media ad campaign budget, remember the following:

• Don’t be afraid to spend money. Especially if you work in a competitive industry. If you don’t put enough money into social media ads, don’t expect to get much out of them.
• Be wise in how you spend. Don’t just put your money anywhere. When planning out your budget, make sure you know exactly where your money is going.
• Target your audience. You don’t want to put time, money, and effort into getting an ad just right only to target the wrong audience. Having your audience dialed in is a great way to save on social media ad campaigns because you’ve narrowed in on a group of people who are most likely to convert.
• Watch your analytics. This is a step you don’t want to miss, and it’s one that digital marketing experts won’t let you skip. You’ll want to let your ads run for awhile to see how they perform. Checking in often lets you see how your budget is being spent, how fast, and what results are coming from it.

Working with a digital marketing company like WebLocal means you’ll have a team of experts monitoring all of this for you while ensuring your money is spent wisely.

How should your business approach social media optimization?

It’s simple; think of the strategies above as steps and start with the first one. The more you do, the better – even if it’s only optimizing your profile bios to begin with. These strategies coupled with a resource like WebLocal is your best bet at getting the most out of your social media marketing efforts.

Whether you’re unsure how to get started with social media optimization or would simply like to learn more, you know what to do: contact us today.

If there is one thing we can all agree is dominating modern society, it’s social media. Whether you have Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you’re likely checking your feed several times a day. Guess what? So are your customers.

This doesn’t mean you should throw money at every social platform out there. You should however consider the one social network marketers can’t seem to ignore: Facebook.

Makes sense, right? With Facebook, you have the ability to target specific people with specific messages all while tracking every move a user makes – something you don’t get with other platforms.

Still not convinced you need to advertise on Facebook? Check out these 5 reasons why you should:

1. Your Customers Are On Facebook

This year, roughly 2.89 billion people have logged into Facebook making it the largest social network worldwide. In fact, Facebook was the first social platform to surpass one billion users back in 2012. To give you perspective, the amount of people on Facebook is double the population of China. Needless to say, your audience is on there. With the number of users and the 22 billion ad clicks per year, Facebook is providing small businesses with the largest advertising platform since search.

2. Facebook Ads Are Inexpensive

Facebook advertising costs can vary depending on your industry, target audience, ad placement, and more. With Facebook, it’s less about cost and more about ROI or how far your money will go. A recent Wordstream study found the average cost per click (CPC) for Facebook ads is $1.72 across all industries. Typically, you can expect your Facebook ads to cost anywhere between $0.50 and $2.00 per click; a fraction of what other online channels cost. Worth it? Absolutely.

3. Highly Specific Targeting

You can dig deep with Facebook’s targeting capabilities. From a person’s interests to their location, age, and gender, you have the capability to laser in on the exact person you want to target.

Targeting can include:

• Location
• Age
• Gender
• Personal Interests
• Relationship Status
• Education
• Work
• Behaviors

You can even create ads that target people who have visited your website. And if that isn’t enough, you can also utilize Lookalike Audiences. This is a great way to reach new people who are similar to audiences you have already targeted and would likely be interested in your business. Facebook has made it nearly impossible to not reach your target audience.

4. You Can Track Everything

From the number of people who viewed your ad to the people who saw it, clicked on it, and purchased your product, you can track everything. Other forms of advertising like TV or radio ads don’t offer the same tracking capabilities.

With Facebook, you have a range of analytics, including reach, number of clicks, cost per click, and cost per conversion. Just like with Facebook’s targeting, the tracking capabilities are endless and highly beneficial for small business owners.

5. Gain An Edge Over The Competition

You might be surprised at how many small business owners are new to the concept of advertising on Facebook; they still think it’s just a platform for sharing photos and life updates. These business owners are more likely to opt for traditional methods of advertising like radio, TV, or newspaper. While each form of advertising has its place, there’s no question that Facebook is the leader in social platform advertising.

The Takeaway

Small business owners who decide to advertise on Facebook will undoubtedly see a return on their investment and gain an advantage over their competition. As we said, you can target a highly specific message to a highly specific audience all while tracking each and every move.

It’s important to note that if you go at Facebook ads blindly, you could lose money. That’s why it’s best to talk with professional marketers who have experience with Facebook ads and will know the best approach for your business.

Have a question? We have an answer. Don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more. And as always, thanks for stopping by!

As a small business owner, content marketing is a strategy you may want to start considering to help grow your audience and increase brand awareness.

First of all, what is content marketing?

Content marketing refers to the creation and distribution of online marketing material with the goal of driving traffic to your website. This could be anything from blogs and videos to podcasts and social posts. Content marketing is considered a “pull” technique because the purpose is to attract new business by drawing customers to you. Whereas tactics like email campaigns and paid advertising are considered “push” strategies because you’re pushing your brand in front of your audience.

In today’s post, we’re going to discuss five tips every business owner should undertake to create a successful content marketing strategy.

Tip #1: Start Blogging

Not only is blogging a free way to market your business, it also makes you more approachable to your audience. A blog gives you a platform to connect with your audience through relatable content, while establishing yourself as an industry expert at the same time.

• Marketers who blog can generate up to 67% more leads than marketers who don’t.
• Marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI.
• Publishing 21-54 blog posts can increase traffic to your website by 30%.

Blogging is not only a great way to drive traffic to your website, it can also boost your SEO rankings, increase brand awareness, establish trust with your customers, and increase lead conversions. There’s no question that blogging is a highly effective content marketing tactic.

For help getting started on your blog, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re here to give your brand a voice and establish your business as the go-to industry expert.

Tip #2: Focus Your Social Media Presence

Don’t just build your social media presence anywhere – look at where your audience is and build there. These days, simply existing on social media isn’t enough. You need to be actively engaging with your target audience on the social media platforms they use. There are several strategies you can use to determine where your target audience is most active, including:

• Survey your customers.
• Visit your competitors’ social profiles and see who they’re appealing to.
• Use tools like Google Analytics to gauge consumer online behavior.

Find out where your target audience is most active on social media and start delivering content to them.

Tip #3: Mine Consumer Reviews & Testimonials

Did you know 97% of consumers read online reviews when searching for local services? For any small, local business owner, your reviews are driving your business. Make sure those reviews are working for you and not against you.

Bring positive reviews to life through social posts and testimonials on your website to help establish trust. Did you know it takes someone an average of seven reviews before trusting a local business? The more reviews and testimonials you share, the more likely you are to turn leads into customers.

You can tell your audience all day long why they should do business with you and still may not have them convinced. By sharing actual customer experiences, you stay out of the conversation – let your existing or past customers do the convincing for you.

Sharing customer feedback with your audience is essentially consumer-generated marketing that speaks for itself – it’s a great tactic!

Tip #4: Create Variety

A content marketing strategy doesn’t have to consist of one type of content. In fact, when it comes to content, variety will reach the most people. Look at your existing content and your competitors’ content and see what resonates with people. Once you determine what’s working, you can attempt to replicate that with future content.

This is where you can get creative and introduce variety. If you have a blog post that performed well, recreate that information as a video or infographic. Take whatever content that has worked and retell the same story in a new way.

When it comes to content creation, the options are limitless!

Tip #5: Establish a Content Calendar

While creating and delivering content to your audience is important, doing so in a cadenced fashion is what will get you results. Building monthly calendars that include blog posts, social posts, email newsletters, and any other content will keep you organized and get your audience comfortable with scheduled content.

This approach to content marketing will allow your customers to build continued trust and familiarity with your brand. After all, this is the primary goal with content marketing – reach your audience, build trust, and watch leads turn into customers.

How to Get Started

When getting started on your content marketing strategy, make sure you’re working with a marketing team that understands your brand and goals.

1. Fine-tune your buyer personas.
2. Identify valuable content.
3. Set goals.
4. Determine distribution channels.
5. Establish a schedule.

To get started on building your brand’s content marketing strategy, contact one of our local consultants today! We’ll answer your questions and work directly with you to fine-tune your target audience and business goals.

Thanks for stopping by!