Five 2023 Marketing Trends To Grow Your Business

With so many changes coming with digital marketing, along with changes in spending and inflation in 2023, consider some 2023 Marketing Trends that may improve your Marketing Plan. Now is the right time to reallocate your budget to work assertively to get more from your marketing efforts.

Trend 1: Privacy Settings and changes will phase out 3rd party advertising tracking and cookies by 2024. This change means that you only have 2023 to benefit from cookies. In addition, it is imperative that you set up your Privacy rules into your website as well as identify Cookie use. Take some time to update your website with the necessary credentials. Also use 2023 to encourage first party sign-ups and connections so that your marketing in 2023 is not dependent on 3rd party cookies.

Trend 2: Add Podcast or Short Video Marketing to your marketing mix.  Most major advertisers are adding short video content and podcasts to their content marketing as many consumers are connecting with their social feeds throughout the day. By having content that you can share throughout your social media, website and blog, you will create very usable and easy-to-promote media to your marketing mix. You can also integrate your content into the advertising options within podcasting and video platforms for an inexpensive and targeted marketing tool.

Trend 3: Customer Retention is key in 2023. As inflation and costs go up, customers become more price sensitive. However, happy customers tend to stick with their favorites and unhappy customers shop around. This is the year to make Customer Satisfaction a priority. Consider sending a poll or survey asking your past customers what you can do to improve your products or services this year. Use that information to improve your relationship with your customers. Don’t forget to send quarterly Thank You’s and customer appreciation discounts, coupons or advice with your monthly newsletter.

Trend 4: The importance of Omnichannel Marketing.  Given the many ways that today’s consumers connect with companies, it is key that you use all the tools that your customers use to connect with businesses or organizations like yours. Consider reviewing your current marketing tools to see if you are maximizing the platforms you are on and ensuring that your marketing efforts are consistent on each platform. Also review your stats to see if your customers are using the platforms you support or if they have moved to other tools. Integrate your online and offline experiences by consistently connecting your traditional media, online media and social media. Also use those tools to get first party contact information as much as possible to help with Trend 1 above.

Trend 5: Content Marketing is delivering a more targeted and personal result.  Developing the right content at the right time means that you have a plan to provide the right content to your past customers and the right content to potential customers. This means targeting the audience before designing your content and making sure it is seen by the right group and others that are similar to that market. Content comes in all shapes and sizes, ranging from your blog or article content to short videos to podcasts to webinars and events, etc. Whatever you are designing, make sure there is a follow-up, a link or a download that provides your contact with the answers they need in order to connect. Make sure there is a natural Next Step for your followers, fans and subscribers.

Find The Right Media Mix To Achieve Your Growth Goals

If you want to expedite your Thank You’s using email marketing tools, consider using a template-based, user-friendly application that tracks and adds contacts to your CMS and Email Marketing database automatically; click here to try Constant Contact which provides trackable Email Marketing, Landing Page creation, SMS Text Marketing, Social Posting and simple Website Pages. If you need help with your marketing strategy or setting up your marketing plan, contact Tailor-Made Advertising here or call them at 310-791-6300 to keep your organization thriving.

Liz Harsch is the owner of Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, CA. Her firm provides marketing, training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. As an experienced Marketing Director, Media Planner, Liz has trained small business owners for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities, MWD and County outreach partners plus many Chambers of Commerce for over 25 years. She can be reached at her Torrance, CA, office at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also see her upcoming training workshops calendar at http://bit.ly/workshopscal .

5 Tips To Grow Your Business With Thank You’s

It is that time again. December is a month of Thanks & Planning for your business or organization. But did you also know that Thank You emails, cards and promotions can help you achieve more sales or fundraising? Try these tips to use Thank You’s for customer retention and to grow your positive reputation online. Whether your business is service, retail or non-profit, Thank You’s  let your customers and potential clients and donors know that you are grateful for their referrals, while also being thankful for the business or organization growth that they have helped you achieve.

Tip 1: Send out a Thank You early in December to let your past and potential customers and donors know that you recognize their contributions to your company’s or organization’s success this year.  Connect on a personal level by recognizing their contribution to your success and that you value their support and loyalty. Remember that competitors will be reaching out to them during the holidays hoping to lure them away from your business. Thank you’s are a great way to protect your contacts from being poached.

Tip 2: Use a Thank You offer.  One of the most successful promotions that companies use is providing a coupon or incentive offer right after a customer purchases something. Strategize a promotion or event where you are giving back to your clients with a special offer that is only available to them. Consider adding a coupon or special offer they can choose to forward to their friends as a gift. Consider starting a customer loyalty program where past customers can gain benefits as they increase their purchases with your company. Make sure to show that they are receiving this offer as a Thank You for their loyalty and support.

Tip 3: Send a Thank You email that doubles as market research. Thank your customers and show that you are aware that they have a choice of service providers and that you want to do all you can to earn their business. Ask them to take a poll or survey to show how you can better help them in the future. Ask about products or services they would like to see added to your company’s offerings. Then add a link where they can review your company online using the review site you prefer (Google, Yelp, Facebook or other website review sites). Make sure to provide the link where they can easily review your organization.

Tip 4: Before you design a Thank You promotion, talk to your staff about the best gifts or incentives to keep your customers and contacts happy.  Your front desk and sales team know the most about what gets your customers excited. Then, create a special promotion for your past customers and donors. Offer them something that says, “You’re special to us,” something you do not offer new contacts. Create an exclusive Thank You for that target group alone and be sure to track those who take advantage of the offer. Analytics will show you if the promotion is working or needs tweaking.

Tip 5: Give your staff and administration freedom to brainstorm with you about what to do in December to build on what you did last year, and to create a unique experience that is a step above what your competition is doing.  Again, be sure to use a Thank You format and offer free gift wrapping, a holiday card (online or by mail), free shipping or an additional bonus gift for multiple purchases or achieving a certain purchase size. Also remember to thank your staff and admins since they are the reputation of your organization. It is important to recognize their contributions and to ensure they are your biggest fans. See what you can do to make their holidays brighter.

Find The Right Media Mix To Achieve Your Growth Goals

If you want to expedite your Thank You’s using email marketing tools, consider using a template-based, user-friendly application that tracks and adds contacts to your CMS and Email Marketing database automatically, click here to try Constant Contact which provides trackable Email Marketing, Landing Page creation, SMS Text Marketing, Social Posting and simple Website Pages. If you need help with your marketing strategy or setting up your marketing plan, contact Tailor-Made Advertising here or call them at 310-791-6300 to keep your organization thriving.

Liz Harsch is the owner of Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, CA. Her firm provides marketing, training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. As an experienced Marketing Director, Media Planner, Liz has trained small business owners for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities, MWD and County outreach partners plus many Chambers of Commerce for over 25 years. She can be reached at her Torrance, CA, office at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also see her upcoming training workshops calendar at http://bit.ly/workshopscal .

10 Tips To Landing Page Success

A landing page is a strategically designed, one-page website that attracts your target market and provides information that drives customers, contacts, subscribers and sign-ups to take action and conversions. There are also different types of landing pages that work best to achieve your marketing goals.

Lead generation landing pages are designed to collect visitor information in exchange for a promotion, tips or guide,  or a similar incentive like a coupon or how to video.

Sign-up landing pages are designed to get customers and leads to sign-up to get specific content or ongoing information they are interested in receiving.

Shoppable landing pages are designed to highlight specific products or services and make it simple to select what you are interested in purchasing with a direct link to a shopping cart page where you can buy the product or service directly.

Whenever you design a Digital Media campaign it is key to design a custom landing page that connects your advertising effort to a measurable response and encourages connection. Here are 10 Tips to ensure your landing page is effective:

1. It is key to customize your landing page with your logo, headline, phone number and incentive description. This will help the reader recognize you and continue with their interest.
2. Your fill-in form details should be kept simple and only require First Name and Email contact as mandatory. While it is okay to ask for more, (like a zip code or phone number) do not make it mandatory or it may limit your registration.
3. A good landing page is simple and easy to read and take action.  This is a short conversation with the viewer’s interests primary. The best performing landing pages have a limited offer or provide new and relevant content
4. Each landing page needs to  incite a specific call-to-action such as RSVPs, download a coupons, enter a contests or giveaways, subscribe to receive information or downloadable content, or registration for an event.The best performing landing pages have a limited offer or provide timely relevant content to encourage immediate viewing.
5. Your landing page is your opportunity to sell the viewer on the benefit of taking the next action. So be sure to name the benefit of participation and remove any concerns that may stop a person from taking the next action.
6. All digital marketing must be measurable.  Design your landing page to be trackable, identifying unique page visitors, number of contacts generated, and conversion to sales or increasing your list or sales. Most landing page apps do this.
7. Content is key to landing page success from before and after images to specific shopping cart items.  It is important to design your landing page to drive traffic where you want it—to your website, registration or fundraising or shop pages.
8. Set up an automated email series to stay connected with new leads using content that appeals to the target market.
9. Provide a link to your latest blog or newsletter with tips or downloads that would impress the recipient.  Blogs can help your website Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
10. Once designed, remember to promote your landing page on your website, monthly email, social channels and digital advertising platforms as well as Google map pages. Cross-pollinate your content with targeted posts and SMS text and your social media platforms and digital advertising (boosts or paid ads).

Find The Right Media Mix To Achieve Your Growth Goals

Are you looking for a template based, user friendly landing page application that tracks and adds contacts to your CMS and Email Marketing database automatically, click here to try Constant Contact which provides trackable Landing Pages, Email Marketing, SMS Text Marketing, Social Posting and simple Website Pages. If you need help with your marketing strategy or setting up your marketing plan, contact Tailor-Made Advertising here or call them at 310-791-6300 to keep your organization thriving.

Liz Harsch is the owner of Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, CA. Her firm provides marketing, training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. As an experienced Marketing Director, Media Planner, Liz has trained small business owners for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities, MWD and County outreach partners plus many Chambers of Commerce for over 25 years. She can be reached at her Torrance, CA, office at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also see her upcoming training workshops calendar at http://bit.ly/workshopscal .

Successful SMS Text Marketing

SMS marketing may seem like text messaging, but it is more similar to email marketing using text. SMS is an acronym for Short Message Service. Messages are limited to 160 characters and cannot contain images. These constraints mean that marketers need to bring their “optimization game” to designing their SMS text to motivate recipients to take an action directly from the message. There is also specific content that must be included in the message in order to allow the recipient to opt out. That leaves you very few characters for your message and your link (if you add one).

Why bother with SMS? Because SMS marketing offers high open rates, timeliness, and delivery to a very receptive audience (because the only people who opt into your SMS feed are people who want to receive their messages in this format). Because this medium offers you specific targeting to your interested leads and/or customers, the SMS marketing industry is expected to grow into a $12.6 billion industry by the year 2025.

Strategize A System For Your SMS Audience

So why would someone sign up to receive your SMS? That is a question your marketing team needs to answer. SMS offers you a format with less competition than email marketing, and it offers you a media mix where you can use email marketing for your monthly “long format” content, while highlighting your specials with SMS to give your company an omnichannel option to keep your subscribers informed. SMS is dependent on you to provide messaging that encourages your audience to feel you are not marketing to them, rather, that you are providing them with content they are interested in receiving. Keep in mind that much like an email opt in scenario, if your audience feels your SMS content is irrelevant, they will opt out.

Focus On Relevance And Helpfulness

Potential and loyal customers are looking for information that is relevant to their lives. If you have SMS marketing set up, ask yourself if you received this message, would you feel it is worth your time? Good content is something that provides the recipient the opportunity to save time, save money or receive information they would find helpful as they go about their lives. Brainstorm with your marketing and sales team to create SMS messaging that will impact your audience (SMS opt ins) in the most positive way. The key question is, “What do they want to receive?”

Content Is The Key To Success

Like an email marketing campaign, your SMS campaign should be scheduled only as often as you feel your audience will want to hear from you. If they signed up for your SMS marketing to get regular specials and tips, make sure you are giving them the right content. Typically, that means a link to something they want; for example, a coupon, a tips document download, event tickets, etc. It is key to ask yourself, “Is this particular communication worth a SMS message?” If the answer is yes, what do we want the recipient to do when they receive it? An effective marketing communication must include an action the recipient takes that provides them with a benefit, and thereby helps you gauge that communication’s success.

Brevity Leads To Successful SMS

Keep your messages at a minimum length and remember that for any SMS service, you are limited to characters including your link and/or call to action. A few ideas of what you can do:

• Provide a link to your latest blog that has tips or downloads that would impress the recipient.
• Use acronyms whenever possible to save characters.
• Shorten your links as much as possible to save characters.
• Use vernacular that the target market is comfortable receiving.
• A friendly tone is a good way to keep subscribers.
• Be accurate. Don’t promise something just to get the recipient to take an action or it may lead to unsubscribing.

Best Practices For SMS Marketing

• Limit SMS marketing message delivery to normal 9-5 office hours so you don’t lose subscribers.
• Limit your SMS messaging frequency to once or twice a month unless you have compelling content they want more often.
• SMS must include an opt-out option which ensures that your subscribers understand that they can unsubscribe at any time. They typically will only unsubscribe if your frequency is too often or your content is irrelevant.
• Your SMS content represents your company so make sure it is professional and follows your company’s communications and ethics policies.
• To set up an SMS account with most reputable service providers, you will need to verify your company and have a privacy policy in place.
• Cross-pollinate your content between email marketing, SMS and social media platforms.

Find The Right Media Mix To Achieve Your Growth Goals

If you need help designing or setting up your marketing plan or SMS program, contact Tailor-Made Advertising here or call them at 310-791-6300 to keep your organization thriving.

Liz Harsch is the owner of Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, CA. Her firm provides marketing, training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. As an experienced Marketing Director, Media Planner, Liz has trained small business owners for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities, MWD and County outreach partners plus many Chambers of Commerce for over 25 years. She can be reached at her Torrance, CA, office at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also see her upcoming training workshops calendar at http://bit.ly/workshopscal .

2022 Tips To Design Or Update Your Logo

Branding is key to a company’s success. It helps your company stay on “top of mind” with customers and ensures that your advertising and marketing efforts are easily remembered while visually connecting your company to all your media tools. A good logo and branding send a consistent message with an image that directly resonates with your target market. When it’s time to design or update your logo and branding, consider these tips to optimize the process.

Hire A Designer Who Asks Questions

Before you hire an artist to get creative, make sure they understand what your company stands for and what differentiates it from the competition. A good logo comes to mind when you are looking for a product or service. Consumers often search their neighborhoods and the internet for a solution, to fill a need. A unique, attractive and memorable logo has a distinct marketing advantage over the competition. That’s why a good logo designer starts with strategy and will ask you about your target market, your industry and your competition. They will also review your preferred style, colors and images that reflect both your company and your industry. This all happens before any layouts begin, so the artist understands your marketing goals and advantages on which to base their creative solutions.

Your Logo Needs To Make A Statement

Your logo should make a unique statement about your company’s mission objective. It is also key that you confirm that the designer is creating original art for your logo and does not provide you with a cookie-cutter solution using a design they created for someone else while replacing your company’s name in its place. Yes, this really happens! So, make sure your logo design contract states that you are getting an original logo solution.

A Well-Designed Logo Is Simple And Readable

Less really is more, especially today with the average attention span measured in seconds. Your logo has to compete with a lot of noise. Therefore, it’s important that you have a logo that stands out wherever it goes, from a small social media profile to a business card or signage. Keep in mind some simple design facts:

• Less is more. Keep your logo simple.
• Use easy-to-read fonts similar to Helvetica, Times New Roman or Arial, which are legible in any size.
• Avoid outlines, shadows, gradients or highlights which reduce readability in monochrome.
• Simple shapes make the strongest logos. Your logo should not be complex or too detailed.

Create A Timeless And Professional Logo

A good logo should last decades, but it doesn’t always. There are many reasons to update your logo, particularly if over time it has become outdated. Be sure to avoid using current trends or styles that are unique to current times. Remember that your logo will appear not only on your website but also in print, video, letterhead, business cards and promotional items, as well as on your proposals and invoices. It must be scalable and readable in every possible setting.

Prioritize Your Customer And Their Needs

Your product or service has a unique target market. Make sure you keep your customer’s needs in mind as you evaluate the logo designs you consider. Review your customer list and consider what tastes, styles and history they share. Make sure your logo appeals to that demographic group. While companies are always looking for new customers, your branding must connect with your best customers today. This is especially key for a logo redesign. Be sure to update your image without sacrificing your appeal to your loyal customers.

If you need help designing or improving your logo or branding, contact Liz Harsch by email or call Tailor-Made Advertising at 310-791-6300 to keep your organization thriving in 2022.

Liz Harsch is the owner of Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, CA. Her firm provides marketing, training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. As an experienced Marketing Director, Media Planner, Liz has trained small business owners for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities, MWD and County outreach partners plus many Chambers of Commerce for over 25 years. She can be reached at her Torrance, CA, office at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also see her upcoming training workshops calendar at http://bit.ly/workshopscal .

Social Selling Tips—Socialize To Sales Success!

Social Selling starts with socializing and connecting — not selling. Did you know that sales teams that incorporate Social Selling on average outperform traditional sales teams by over 30%?  However, there are a few rules you may want to incorporate to help your sales team reap the benefits of social selling success.

Determine Your Starting Point

Start by determining what you want to accomplish using social media before you plan your strategy. Here are a few options:

• Meet and connect
• Establish your expertise and/or set out to be a thought leader
• Engage other thought leaders
• Expand your contacts list
• Share content like how-to videos or product applications
• Provide the public or a target market with your FAQs
• Get new sign-ups for your content
• Encourage others to share your brands and/or testimonials
• Overcome hurdles to a sale with content that demonstrates your niche in the market

Identify the Prospects

Start by determining your target market: those folks that are most likely to purchase or require your business or nonprofit. Work with your team to identify the typical customer profile along with any other players who contribute to growing your business. Review your customer and lead list and consider any other important players in growing your business, such as vendors, distributers, referral sites and more.

Expand Your List

The object here is to create a large list of contacts that can help grow your brand awareness and support your sales referrals. Remember to join groups and connect with more people similar to those who purchase your product and services. Consider creating social media filters using keywords and phrases to identify who is discussing products like your products or services. Seek prospects who have negatively reviewed your competitors’ products or services, and those who take the time to provide a positive review about yours.

Profile Your Leads

After casting a wide net, you need to separate the qualified from the unqualified list. Simply getting a social media handle or profile is only the beginning of the process. The next step is to create an extended profile for each lead, wherever possible, and tag them in your CRM (Contact Relationship Management) system. The more information you can attribute to a contact, the better you can segment and target your leads. Social media provides lots of information about your leads, including what interests they share, to help you further profile your best customers and identify more people like them.

Track Your Contacts and Their Concerns

By being able to connect with prospects on social media, you can better track lead behavior patterns. What do they talk about? What hashtags do they use most? Focus on understanding the segmentation and targeting, so your content can address their common concerns. Providing content that matters is key to connecting and moving on to the sales funnel.

Identify the Best Prospects and Follow Through

Once you have identified and analyzed the targets, how do you identify and follow up with your best prospects? Start by providing content they are interested in and use it as a landing page with that content. Drip email marketing systems can help you score your lead’s highest interest when they click (or don’t click) on your content. It is also key to note the attributes on your lead’s profiles (demographic and behavioral attributes by measuring their posts, tweets and hashtags). Don’t forget that if you can add a chatbot to your social platform, you can encourage sign-ups to get more information or to post their opinions and suggestions.

Engage Authentically and Be Helpful (But Not Predatory)

Keep in mind that people can sniff out any sales driven content so make sure that your team accessing your social media are focused on being helpful to each contact. Instead of jumping into conversations with selling, make sure to ask questions about their concerns and top priorities. For example, if someone posts that they are remodeling their home, ask questions about their design choices and styles instead of moving right into suggesting products or services you provide. Consider developing and providing a downloadable checklist or estimating spreadsheet for remodeling projects that they can fill in or use, before providing them with an estimate for your part in the project.

Nurturing Prospects on Social Platforms and Email Marketing Tools

Step 1

Similar to traditional drip marketing campaigns, you should set up drip campaigns on social channels to nurture the leads once you have started conversations or identified potential prospects. Manually or through a social relationship intelligence platform (chatbot and other apps), personalize the context to the furthest extent possible.

Step 2

Once you have responded and connected, move leads to your social sales team to nurture and qualify for the next steps. This is where you can use past emails or landing page content to help support the sales funnel. Track insights gathered over the entire journey, including segments and tags to help your sales team understand the contact’s past concerns to develop a helpful and more successful follow-up.

Analyze Revenue and Results

Social selling has replaced some in-person methods of meet-and-greet and follow-up. The goal of social selling is to provide your sales team with another platform to drive sales and results. However, the process is similar. Once you create sales leads through social connections, leads should be captured and followed on social channels and then tagged on your Contact Relationship Management system to track their progress through the entire sales funnel. This will help identify revenue success from your social efforts as well as tweaking your social selling strategies to attract more qualified leads.

If you need help designing or improving your marketing efforts, contact Liz Harsch by email or call Tailor-Made Advertising at 310-791-6300 to keep your organization thriving in 2023.

Liz Harsch is the owner of Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, CA. Her firm provides marketing, training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. As an experienced Marketing Director, Media Planner, Liz has trained small business owners for Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities, MWD and County outreach partners plus many Chambers of Commerce for over 25 years. She can be reached at her Torrance, CA, office at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also see her upcoming training workshops calendar at http://bit.ly/workshopscal .