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!
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 usto 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.
Fine-tune your buyer personas.
Identify valuable content.
Set goals.
Determine distribution channels.
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.
In today’s post, we’re taking a look at what’s trending in the world of online marketing. We’re well into 2021 now, and since we didn’t kick off the new year with trend predictions, we’re going to look at what’s trending mid-year.
Businesses around the world have endured a major hit in the past year and half. Consequently, people have changed the way they shop. Even with the recent shift back towards how things used to be, customers are effectively shopping online, and numerous organizations have gone online to reach their customers.
With a considerable increase in online shopping, competition between organizations is high. Businesses that lacked online marketing strategies before are rushing to catch up. In turn, digital marketers have been creative in finding the best ways to improve online exposure for clients – some strategies are new while others are tried and true.
Let’s dive in!
1.) In-Email Purchases
A newer digital marketing trend is in-email purchases. Email marketing isn’t new to the scene, but the ability to make a purchase without ever leaving your inbox is. Consumers will have the option to make a purchase right inside an emailed marketing campaign. Plus, campaigns are now offering more of an app-like experience with more interactivity like embedded video.
Some email marketing services offer their users access to more data which in turn will allow them to do highly sophisticated targeting. This data might include a person’s search history, most visited websites, most-used apps, and more. Businesses will be able to target a very specific audience with a very specific product.
In-email purchasing is a trend that is likely to stick around. After all, many organizations could benefit from this type of scalability.
2.) Repurposing Content Across Channels
Instead of coming up with new content, marketers are taking what has worked in the past and optimizing it for the present. Businesses that already have high-quality content should focus on making it more accessible across platforms, and more up to date.
Up to date, engaging content far outweighs old work that lacks keyword relevancy and features old links or data. Taking existing content and repurposing it for a new blog post, marketing campaign, or webinar is an efficient way to keep it relevant in search engines. Repurposing content doesn’t necessarily mean copy and paste, it means take the parts that worked and performed well and reuse them in a fresh way.
3.) Voice Search
It’s no surprise voice search made it on this list. Using voice search gives users an immediate answer without having to scroll through the various options that come up with a search. When typing a query, we tend to scroll through search results, but with voice, most of us go with the first thing that pops up.
With voice search growing even more popular, that top spot will be the most sought after. Showing up even in the top five will no longer be enough. Fine-tuning digital marketing strategies is essential in order to have a chance at that coveted spot.
4.) Chatbot Features
Did you know that more than half of buyers expect a response within 10 minutes to any marketing, sales, or customer service inquiry? It’s safe to say this isn’t humanly possible – this is where chatbots come in handy.
Chatbots enable companies to engage in conversations with their customers leading to better customer relationships and an increase in sales.
To piggyback off the last trend, conversational marketing is all about creating a dialogue with the customer. Brands are diving deeper and actually listening to their customers’ problems. Conversational marketing is highly effective with the use of chatbots as brands are able to resolve customer problems on an individual basis. As a result, customers feel heard which leads to an overall improved customer experience.
The idea of conversational marketing is that while the customer goes on this journey of trying to figure out what they want or need, the chatbot assistant will know when to turn the conversation in the direction of getting the customer to make a purchase.
The goal: convert leads via dialogue-driven strategies.
The Takeaway
We certainly didn’t cover every online marketing trend happening in 2021, but we covered some of the major ones. Many companies are slowly applying these changes to their existing marketing efforts. It won’t be long before many of these trends become the new standard.
We’re curious, which of these trends has piqued your curiosity?
As always, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information. We’re here to answer all of your digital marketing-related questions and guide you in the right direction!
Here we are; the third and final installment of our mini blog series on the book Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. This section discusses how businesses can implement the SB7 framework and transform their company culture.
Let’s take a look at some key points made in these final chapters, and we’ll close out with a few helpful tips to grow your business!
Improve Your Website
Before diving into how the SB7 framework can be used to improve your website, it’s important to note that your brand story should be consistent across all marketing platforms; your website, e-mail campaigns, sales scripts, elevator pitch, and more.
“The more you execute, the more clearly you’ll communicate and the more your brand will stand out.” Page 145
When it comes to implementing your brand story, your website is a good place to start. A website may not be the only tool needed to motivate buyers, but it’s the one that does the “heavy lifting” as Miller puts it. Whether your customers hear about you through word of mouth or social media, they’ll most likely visit your website to learn more before doing business with you.
When potential customers visit your website, they’re looking for confirmation – they need to be convinced you have the solutions to their problems.
Here are five items your website should include:
A Headline Offer. In other words, an “above the fold” offer. This is a clear statement featured in a spot that’s hard to miss. It stands out for a reason; it tells your customers exactly what you can do for them. This way, they immediately know whether or not you can help them.
An Obvious Call to Action. Most people scan a website before they actually do any reading. Positioning your call to action buttons in obvious places ensures your viewers won’t miss them. Some of these spots include at the top of your website and in the middle of the home page.
Images that Portray Success. You’ve heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” What do the images on your website say about your business? You want to feature images that depict happiness, success, and fulfillment. Images of smiling customers engaging your brand will communicate a sense of satisfaction and well-being. In addition to images of your business, products, and staff, be sure to add images that represent what your customers are looking for.
A Brief Overview of Your Revenue Streams. As challenging as it might be, Miller advises businesses to “find an overall umbrella message that unifies your various streams.” Be direct in your message. Breaking down your divisions in a clear, defined way allows your customers to “choose their own adventure without getting lost.”
Less is More. When it comes to your marketing copy, less is more. You want your content to be incisive and relevant to your customers.
Transform Your Company Culture
In addition to transforming customer engagement, the SB7 framework can transform employee engagement. Have you ever stopped to check if your employees are all on the same page? Do they know your mission?
Make sure your company’s mission is repeated to your employees regularly. From onboarding and training to career development, your employees must be reminded of the why behind your company.
Your team should be working toward a common goal. If they aren’t on the same page, your customers won’t be on the same page. After all, your customers communicate with your employees. When everyone is on the same page, company culture is improved. Clarify your brand message and make sure your employees understand it.
How the StoryBrand framework can be used to transform company culture (Page 168):
Create a BrandScript with your leadership team.
Audit the existing beliefs and ideas that drive employee behavior and employment.
Create an implementation plan.
Optimize internal communications to support the plan.
Establish a self-sustained team to strengthen the culture.
“When the story of the customer and the story of the company align with the story of the team, we get an alchemy that is not only profitable, it’s healing.” Page 170
Tips to Grow Your Business
Miller ends the book with five tips to grow your business. Rather than going too in-depth on each tip, we’re going to note the most critical points made in this section (Page 172):
Create a “one-liner” or single statement you can use to grow your business. Memorize this statement and teach it to your staff. Feature it on your website, business cards, and e-mail signatures. Tell your customers how you can make their life better in this one statement – this alone can be enough to make your customers want to engage your brand.
Create a “lead generator”. This can be a downloadable PDF, webinar, or e-course. Lead generators will show qualified buyers how you can solve their problems before fully engaging your brand. Most importantly, lead generators establish trust and position you as someone with authority.
Collect e-mail addresses and create e-mail campaigns. This is a great way to increase brand awareness and boost customer engagement.
Tell stories of transformation. Share with your audience how you’ve helped your customers transform. People are more likely to engage your brand seeing the positive experience customers have had with you.
Find a way to generate referrals. Turning potential customers into actual customers is great, but the work doesn’t stop there. Invite happy customers to share their experience with others and send business your way.
This book forces its readers to think about their current marketing strategy in a whole new light. With that said, we’ll leave you with one final question: Do you like the story your brand tells? If not, now is the time to do something about it!
We hope you enjoyed this small three-part blog series. For more in-depth information and insight on content development and brand strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you for spending time with us today and stay tuned for future posts!
We left off the last blog post with a small introduction to the StoryBrand framework. In today’s post, we’re diving into the foundation of Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand and what makes the SB7 framework so successful. This section is the meat and potatoes of the book, so you’re not going to want to skip this!
Let’s break it down.
Topics of Discussion
Principle One: You’re not the hero, your customer is.
Principle Two: Companies sell solutions to external problems, but customers buy solutions to internal problems.
Principle Three: Your customers aren’t looking for a hero; they’re looking for a guide.
Principle Four: Customers trust a guide with a plan.
Principle Five: Customers don’t take action unless they’re called to action – like a hero.
Principle Six: We’re all trying to avoid a tragic ending.
Principle Seven: Never assume your customers understand how your brand can change their lives; you have to tell them.
Principle One: You’re not the hero, your customer is.
Every good story has a hero. Who is the hero in your brand’s story? Your company? If so, you could be turning away potential customers.
Most stories begin with a hero who wants something. Without knowing what the hero wants, the audience cares little about the hero’s fate. Screenwriters have to define the hero’s ambition quickly in order to keep the audience engaged. Similarly, brands have to define what their customers want to keep their audience engaged.
Ask yourself the following questions: First, can you define what your customers want? Second, do your customers know how you can help them? Defining the what and how for your customers makes it easy for them to determine whether or not you can help them.
“When you define something your customer wants, the customer is invited to alter their story in your direction. If they see your brand as a trustworthy and reliable guide, they will likely engage.” Page 47
A key point made in the book is to pare down what your customers want to a single focus. Even though you can help your customers in more ways than one, cluttering a story dilutes the hero’s desire. Focus on one major desire your customers have and weave that desire throughout your story. As you create campaigns for each division of your company, you can then identify other ways you can help your customers.
Customer desires might include anything from saving time or money to gaining status. Whatever it is for your customers, pin it down and build your story around it.
Remember, your customer is the hero. Define what your customers want, and lay the groundwork for how you’re going to help them achieve what they want. The third principle of the StoryBrand framework discusses the role your brand plays in your story.
Principle Two: Companies sell solutions to external problems, but customers buy solutions to internal problems.
Being able to identify your customers’ problems deepens their interest in the story you’re telling. Think of the main problem you want to identify as the “hook” of your story. Without a hook, stories fall flat.
“The more we talk about the problems our customers experience, the more interest they will have in our brand.” Page 58
Continually talking about the problems your customers face doesn’t seem nice, but it’s what ultimately leads them to take action. Just like when a hero is repeatedly confronted with a problem that must be solved, they always end up doing something about it.
There are different problems we all face – external, internal, and even philosophical. It’s important to look at what initiates these problems in the first place. This chapter of the book mentions that “every good story needs a villain.” In order to get your customers’ ears to perk up, you should position your products and services as weapons that can be used to defeat the villain, which in turn helps solve their problems.
“What is the chief source of conflict that your products and services defeat? Talk about this villain. The more you talk about the villain, the more people will want a tool to help them defeat the villain.” Page 60
The villain your customers face should be a root source, relatable, singular, and real. Miller stresses that you should never make something up to scare your customers. Be real. Be relatable.
As previously stated, you might be selling a solution to an external problem, but your customers are buying a solution to an internal problem. After all, external problems manifest internal problems, and that internal frustration is what motivates your customers to call you.
In order to satisfy your customers, offer them more that just products and services; offer them a solution to their problems. Remind them that their frustration will not go away without action. They must take action, like a hero, to achieve what they want.
Miller gives the following example on page 70:
Edward Jones Financial Planning:
Villain: Financial firms that don’t listen to their customers.
External: I need investment help.
Internal: I’m confused about how to do this (especially with all the tech-driven resources out there).
Philosophical: If I’m going to invest my money, I deserve an advisor who will thoughtfully explain things in person.
Remember, your story is built around your customers; your brand is an instrument in helping your customers overcome not only external problems but internal problems as well.
Principle Three: Your customers aren’t looking for a hero; they’re looking for a guide.
In every story with a hero, the hero has a guide. If a hero solves his own problem, the audience will lose interest. And a hero who can solve his own problem wouldn’t be in trouble in the first place.
The third principle in the StoryBrand framework is designed around making your customer the hero and your brand the guide. Miller notes that it’s tempting to position your own brand as the hero, especially since heroes are “strong and capable and the center of attention.” However, guides are the ones with the most authority; this is why heroes get connected with them in the first place.
In order for a brand to position themselves as the guide, they must communicate two things: empathy and authority.
“When we empathize with our customers’ dilemma, we create a bond of trust. People trust those who understand them, and they trust brands that understand them too.” Page 79
As the guide, you position yourself as the one with authority. Miller stresses the importance of not coming off as a know-it-all. Your customers don’t want to be preached at – they want guidance. Brands that “lord their expertise over the masses” tend to turn people away.
As customers view your marketing material, they just want to know that you have authority in your field and that you can help them.
Some items that add just the right amount of authority include:
Testimonials
Statistics
Awards
Logos
Show your customers the right amount of authority to build their confidence in you without turning them off, and you’ll quickly become the guide they’ve been looking for.
Principle Four: Customers trust a guide with a plan.
Even with marketing material that clearly expresses authority and empathizes with your customers, without a plan – you’ll lose. Having a plan creates clarity. An effective plan clarifies how people can do business with you, or at the very least, removes the sense of risk they might have about investing in your products or services.
Remember – if you confuse, you lose. Not having a plan is a surefire way to confuse your customers and ultimately lose them.
Clearly define the steps a customer needs to take to buy your products or services. Then, define what they can expect post-purchase. Make sure you’ve also established an agreement plan; a list of agreements that will alleviate any fears your customers might have. This way, your customers will sense that you’ve thought of everything, right down to their smallest concern. Forming this type of relationship with your customers helps to build and maintain trust.
Principle Five: Customers don’t take action unless they’re called to action – like a hero.
The power of the “buy now” button should not be underestimated. An obvious button, whether telling customers to buy, schedule, or call now, is an invitation to take a journey with you.
“The reality is when we try to sell passively, we communicate a lack of belief in our product.” Page 98
The StoryBrand framework recommends two types of calls to action: direct calls to action and transitional calls to action. A direct call to action will be your “buy now” or “schedule an appointment” requests. Transitional calls to action include anything you’re offering your customers for free. For example, inviting people to download a PDF or watch a webinar video are both types of transitional calls to action.
As a brand, it’s your responsibility to pursue your customers. You have to invite them to do business with you – you can’t sit back and expect them to pursue you.
Principle Six: We’re all trying to avoid a tragic ending.
When it comes to the concept of story, it’s important to recognize that a story without stakes usually isn’t interesting. You have to remind people why they need your help. What are the costs of not doing business with you?
There are several ways to feature the potential pitfalls of not working with you – blog subjects, bullet points on your website, email content, etc. The goal isn’t to scare your customers into doing business with you, but to create a sense of urgency when it comes to your products and services. Remember, we’re all trying to avoid a ‘tragic ending’ – be it losing money, time, making a mistake, you name it.
Miller features a list of questions that can help brands get an idea of what they’re helping their customers avoid (Page 113):
What negative consequences are you helping customers avoid?
Could customers lose money?
Are there health risks if they avoid your services?
What about opportunity costs?
Could they make or save more money with you than they can with a competitor?
Could their quality of life decline if they pass you by?
What’s the cost of not doing business with you?
Once you’ve defined the stakes, your customers will be that much more motivated to work with you.
Principle Seven: Never assume your customers understand how your brand can change their lives; you have to tell them.
“Successful brands, like successful leaders, make it clear what life will look like if somebody engages their products or services.” Page 118
Your customers won’t know where you’re taking them unless you tell them. And unfortunately, brands without a clearly defined vision are more likely to perish. Miller reminds his readers that stories aren’t supposed to be vague; they should be “about specific things happening to specific people.” People don’t find themselves in stories that lack direction and clarity.
The book features a great tool created by Ryan Deiss at DigitalMarketer. This tool is formatted like a grid in the book and asks brands to define what life looks like for customers before and after engaging their brand. The following questions are listed:
What do they have?
What are they feeling?
What’s an average day like?
What is their status?
Part of what makes the StoryBrand framework so successful is the emphasis on keeping things simple. Stick to basic answers – the moment you veer off course is the moment you confuse and lose. If you keep it simple, honest, and clear, your customers will believe in the story you’re telling and want to be a part of it. In section 3, we’re going to talk about how brands can implement the StoryBrand framework into their marketing material. Stay tuned!
Today’s blog post is a little different. Instead of covering the latest marketing trends, we’re going to talk about a bookcalled Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. This book focuses on one facet of marketing in particular: content. The whole purpose of the book is to help business owners clarify their message so that they’re seen, heard, and understood.
This book is broken up into three sections – the first of which we’ll be talking about today.
Let’s dive in!
The Key to Being Heard
Donald kicks off the first chapter with an important message: pretty websites don’t sell things – words do. The problem is, customers won’t listen to an unclear message.
But clarifying a message isn’t always easy. For some, it’s like trying to read the label from inside the bottle. The main focus of these first chapters is to bring an awareness to business owners about their brand. You’re forced to hold up a mirror to your brand’s message. Is it clear? Are you actually being heard?
The concept of story is introduced in the first few chapters. Initially, when we think of stories, we think of fictional books and our favorite rom-coms. But when it comes to your business and your brand, there is a story to tell. And just like any good story, there are key features to focus on – everything else gets cut. We’ll get into these key features later on.
Unfortunately, customers don’t actually care about your story, unless it speaks to them. They’re more focused on their own story. So, instead of filling your website with a bunch of technical content, using jargon that only an expert in your field would understand, find a way to tell your customers how your product or service fits into their life and their story. Your customers want to find themselves in your content – alter your story to speak to them and throw out anything else.
“The human brain, no matter what region of the world it comes from, is drawn toward clarity and away from confusion.” Page 5
These first chapters really force you to think about your current approach to content marketing. Donald points out that we’re not only in a race to get our products or services to market, but we’re also in a race to communicate to our customers why they need our products. You may have the best product on the market, but you’ll lose to an inferior product if your competitor is able to communicate their offer more clearly.
In the quote above, it states that humans are drawn toward clarity; simple, predictable communication is easier for the brain to digest. This is where the ‘story’ concept comes into play. In Donald’s words, “story helps because it is a sense-making mechanism…it puts everything in order so the brain doesn’t have to work to understand what’s going on.” In section 2 of the book, Donald breaks down his process of building a StoryBrand, which we’ll cover in the next blog post.
Content Mistakes
As human beings, we have problems. That’s usually what leads us to needing products and services in the first place. A big mistake businesses make when creating content is not addressing these problems.
“The first mistake brands make is they fail to focus on the aspects of their offer that will help people survive and thrive.” Page 7
Good stories are about survival – whether that be physical, emotional, or even spiritual. A story with any other premise won’t work to captivate an audience. This is why we should position our products and services as an aid in helping people not only survive but thrive as well.
So, what are people looking for? Two things: brands that help them survive and thrive, and simple communication.
These two things are why the StoryBrand framework has proven to be so successful. Make your company’s message about how you help your customers survive and do so in such a way that is simple and to the point, without all the extra fluff.
As previously stated, story is a sense-making device. It requires a necessary ambition, challenges getting in the way of achieving that ambition, and a plan to overcome those challenges. So, when assessing your company’s message, ask yourself the following questions:
What do my customers want?
What problem are we helping them solve?
What will life look like after they engage our products and services?
If you can identify what your customers want, what’s in their way, and how you can help them get what they want – you’re golden.
Finally, The StoryBrand Framework
The SB7 framework is laid out exactly how you’d expect a book or movie to be – it encompasses everything needed for a good story.
A Character
Has a Problem
And Meets a Guide
Who Gives Them a Plan
And Calls Them to Action
That Ends in a Success
That Helps Them Avoid Failure
The SB7 approach has helped countless businesses establish their brand and stick to it. In the next blog post, we’re going to break down each step and discuss how you can apply your business to the framework.
Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for Building a StoryBrand: Section 2!
