HOW CONTENT MARKETING HAS EMERGED AS THE TRUE NORTH OF LEAD GENERATION

If you're not careful, your content marketing compass will start running amok rather than orienting towards true north. That's because the rules of the inbound marketing lead generation game are continuously in flux, and successful business owners don't have time to keep up.

A poor performing website translates to diminished user experience (UX), which leads to decreased lead generation. In an era when lead generation happens largely through websites, optimized landing pages, blogs, and social media engagement, this is bad news. 

Above and beyond the need for a high performing SEO powered, mobile friendly website, businesses looking for inbound leads also need to have a content rich blog and interactive social media posting. 

Successful Lead Generation Requires Implementing Savvy Content Marketing Strategies 

If you're content marketing compass is headed due north: 

1    You have an optimized website. The majority of online searches take place on mobile gadgets now. If your site isn't attractive and navigable across the mobile device spectrum, you're missing out on valuable leads. Other important optimizations include a balance of graphics, videos, text and white space. It should be designed to take visitors from Point A, to Point C, to Qualified Lead with a minimal amount of clicks. 

2    SEO is Relevant. SEO is still in play, but the rules have changed. It's not about how many keywords or phrases you use, it's about how relevant, niche-worthy and topic-specific they are. Content rich blogging and keyword specific social media posting has emerged as top winners in the SEO race in generating new leads and keeping the critical lines of communication open with current clients and customers. 

3    It's focused on high-quality content. These days, the quality of your content is much more valuable than the quantity of keywords and phrases you use.  Delivering relevant information that your potential clients and customers are looking from you as an expert in your area of business is far more critical than flashy advertising. As Google says, "The amount of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) that a webpage/website/blog has is very important." 

Ready to get your lead generation marketing plan back on track? Contact our expert team at Compass Crossing to benefit from inbound lead generation marketing strategies that get results!

Reputation Intelligence: The New Critical Compass for Small Business...

 

Have you heard the saying, "You know you've made it when you've got haters." Sad to say, though it may seem like a flippant remark, there is definitely some truth to it.  It seems like the more you succeed, the more detractors you'll encounter. For small business owners, these detractors can range from online trolls to direct competitors.

In this digital marketing age, businesses need to recognize that reputation intelligence has become the new critical compass needed to redirect their marketing plan, proactively, as a preventative strategy.  

Many businesses are so focused on advertising and promotion that they don't pay enough attention to negative reviews, incorrect online listings, or unclaimed business profiles that small business owners may not even be aware exist out there, and which could be easily claimed by online identity thieves.

 

Why Unclaimed Business Listings and Negative Reviews Matter

 

While most small businesses are committed to ethical practices online and offline, unfortunately there are those who would not think twice about doing a little unethical backstabbing, as it is harder for that kind of bad behaviour to get “caught” online.

 

Someone could create negative reviews that a business may not even notice, which could cause damage to their online reputation, without them even knowing. Or worse, someone could claim one of your unclaimed business listings, and even commit fraud under your business name, if you are not on watch and taking preventative measures against online identity theft.

 

While we understand that there is not enough time in the day to keep your business humming and deal with all the digital chatter online, whether it be positive or negative, you also must understand how critical it is to closely monitor the online reputation of your business if you want to retain control of its image.

 

Realistically, it isn't practical to do this all by yourself, not when you have other aspects of your business to take care of, for even if you devoted yourself to taking care of this full time, it would take months to scour the internet to respond to every negative review and unclaimed business listing.

 

Reputation Intelligence DIY Software Saves the Day

 

Not to worry, that’s where Compass Crossing comes in. Our state-of-the-art reputation intelligence software is designed to search the internet for you and help you claim and correct online listings, alert you in real time to all reviews, whether real or fake, and overall help you manage your online reputation.

 

So do yourself a favour and don't wait until it's too late. Let our expert team at Compass Crossing help you take control of your digital footprint! Now that you know we’ve got your back in helping you with your reputation intelligence  -- you can sit back and relax and focus on spending your time doing what you do best -- growing your business!

WHY FACEBOOK ADS ARE SINKING TITANIC PPC CAMPAIGNS

In the past several years, businesses have turned to PPC Ad campaigns to promote their products and services to their targeted audiences. But now, Facebook Ads are starting to rock the boat. 

According to online statistics portal Statista, the social media giant Facebook has 1.6 billion active users, roughly the equivalent of 22 percent of the current world population. With those kind of outrageous percentages, it's easy to see how far your advertising reach could extend on a social media site like Facebook, to jumpstart your next big lead generation marketing plan.

But beyond the edge of having such a high number of users, Facebook has begun to sink titanic PPC Ad campaigns for even more reasons: 

1    Big Returns on Small Spends -- You can advertise your business on Facebook for as low as 1 USD per Ad set, per day. An even on that low of a shoestring advertising budget, your Ads would still have potential to reach the site's massive user base. And if your Ads are interesting enough, people would likely share them with their Facebook friends and then the domino effect would begin to occur. Your content could start out as a paid Ad, but then end up spreading all over Facebook organically, literally overnight! 

2    Attract, then Engage -- Marketing on Facebook naturally enables businesses to engage audiences because that is the way the site was originally designed to be used among personal friends. That means your Facebook Ads would be able to generate Likes, Reactions, and Shares. People may also choose to start discussions in the comments section. That factor alone is far more effective than any PPC Ad campaign, which is not interactive and only allows people to click on links that directly bring them to your website. 

3    Fine-Grained Controls -- Facebook Ads are highly targeted. You have a lot more criteria to choose from to customize your Ads according to age, gender, location, and other available parameters with Facebook than you would with a PPC Campaign. Another perk is that you could fine tune your target marketing strategies, based on behavior and life events. Or take it one step further with lookalike audiences, which is like having a collective buyer persona on Facebook. The reasons why Facebook Ads are so powerful go on and on… 

We’ve only tapped the tip of the iceberg on the seemingly endless marketing opportunities that open up when you choose to use Facebook Ads to promote your business.  

Are you starting to get just a glimpse now of why Facebook Ads are blowing PPC Ads out of the water, and looking more and more like the new “unsinkable” Titanic platform for online advertising?  

Wouldn’t you say it’s time you gave it try!  Our digital marketing team at Compass Crossing provides full service Facebook Ad Campaigns for small business owners, as well as offering you DIY options, with mastery courses if you would like to spend the time becoming your own expert. Whatever you do, don’t wait for your competitor to set sail and jumpstart the inevitable Facebook Ad race to “capture” your local clients, before you do!

NAVIGATING THE WATERS OF ORGANIC SEO

Odds are pretty good that if you’ve got a website, that you hopefully also have a basic grasp of SEO (search engine optimization). However, because changes happen so rapidly in the digital marketing world these days, you should go back and check the following aspects of your SEO efforts once in a while -- think of it as looking at a map -- to make sure that you’re staying on the right course.  

1 Make Sure You’re Using Relevant Keywords 

Your keywords are like your compass -- they help you find the right leads, to convert into clients. Keywords that aren’t relevant are going to attract low-quality leads, and keywords that are too broad won't rank high on search engines. Extensive keyword research is an essential to ensure your business is set up for high quality lead generation. It’s also wise to check the keyword use of your competition to get an idea of where you stand. 

2 Make Sure Your Website Is Properly Optimized 

Think of your website as your ship. If it’s not properly optimized -- then it’s not properly equipped -- and it’s not going to get your business to where it needs to go. Be sure to have your website analyzed to ensure all pages and content are optimized using relevant keywords and powerful links. 

3 Make Sure Your Content Is Compelling 

If you website is your online business ship, then your content is the cargo of that ship. It doesn’t matter how amazing your keywords are or how well put together your website is, if your content is poor quality, it could potentially sink your ship. Your content has to be relevant to your target audience, and it has to be personable, informative and engaging to generate leads of the highest caliber. 

At Compass Crossing, we know that navigating the waters of organic SEO can be challenging.  That’s why we offer SEO audits using our state-of-the-art software, as well as expert analysis, so you can first determine your baseline.   

Then, depending on what your unique SEO needs happen to be, we provide customized solutions that are designed as a perfect fit for your business. It’s time to take the helm of your online ship and steer it into clear sailing waters, where you can spread your SEO net to catch the next lead!

 

TIPS FROM 3 TOPSAIL BRANDS WINNING THE SOCIAL MEDIA RACE

Back in the dark ages of online history, when MySpace was the law of the land (and sea), very few could have predicted that social media would evolve into a social force that would require a full-time staff for a small business to manage. 

For businesses owners who would much rather focus on adding more products and services, and streamlining their operations to flow more efficiently, social media can almost feel like a nuisance that takes away from the important day-to-day tasks. 

However, whether you are annoyed or thrilled by it, Social Media Marketing, otherwise known as SMM or SMO (Social Media Optimization) is here to stay. In fact, it has launched out into the deep, set sail and caught the winds of success to literally overtake many forms of traditional and even digital marketing strategies in an astoundingly short amount of time. 

The reason it is so successful, is because it is personable and engaging, with an almost limitless reach, while allowing open communication between businesses and clients to interact in new and powerful way with the potential to go viral.  

So whether you are a start up or well established small business, it is the new critical “must have” included in your hybrid traditional and online marketing plan.  Case in point, let’s take a peek at some insider tips from the following house-hold-name brand companies who have embraced social media marketing, harnessing its power for good, all the while turning likes, shares and retweets into cold, hard cash.  

1         Denny's 

While you might not be personally following Denny's on social media, plenty of people are and for good reason. Instead of only pushing specials, they post whatever random tidbits they find weird and interesting. Their posts are totally entertaining and share worthy, which brings their brand to top of mind and keeps their customers laughing, sharing, retweeting and bringing in more business. 

2         Charmin 

Another unsuspecting brand winning the social media race is Charmin, who have cornered the bathroom market by being real about their product. Toilet paper isn't glamorous. It isn't even that interesting, but they have cleverly used humour to turn a boring product into a Twitter phenomenon simply by getting us all to admit that we are most likely posting from the bathroom stall.  

3         GoPro 

While GoPro may be a more naturally social media friendly brand, they have done a great job of capitalizing on their various profiles and encouraging customer participation. GoPro engages with users by asking them to post their favorite pictures and videos. Everyone loves to have their day in the limelight, so this social media marketing technique has definitely worked in GoPro’s favour!

These are only a handful of examples.  Trust us, the list of top brands using social media -- to optimize not only their online presence, but their bottom line -- is very long and growing!  If you are not yet using social media to market your business, let our expert team at Compass Crossing help you launch a dynamic social media marketing action plan now, before your competitor beats you to it! There are no hard and fast rules. In the end, creativity is what drives success. Take your tips from the most successful brands and have a little fun with social media, while increasing your marketing reach, brand awareness and profit!