5 Ways to Engage Customers on Instagram – That Work!

5 Ways to Engage Customers on Instagram – That Work!

Social Media Marketing

Is your Instagram feed bringing in leads or has it turned into another marketing effort that just doesn’t deliver a good return on the time and money you put into it?

If it’s the latter, it’s time to get serious about customer engagement on Instagram. Instagram, like all social media sites, is constantly changing its algorithms. The latest change is that Likes – which used to be the gold standard of customer engagement – will no longer be displayed on your feed.

DON’T PANIC. You’ll still be able to see your Likes in your analytics, but the new reality signals a sea change in the world of Instagram engagement. Here are 5 things you can do to engage your customers that go far beyond a simple Like.

#1: Organize Your Stories into Highlights

Instagram Stories can be a terrific marketing tool, but they only stick around for 24 hours – or do they?

One of my favorite tips for Instagram Stories is to feature them as highlights on your profile page. Your stories can provide new subscribers with an overview of who you are and what you do. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Log in to your Instagram account
  2. Navigate to your profile page and tap Story Highlights (underneath your name and bio)
  3. Tap the plus sign to add a Story to your Highlights
  4. Tap to choose the Instagram Story you want to feature
  5. Tap Edit Cover
  6. Choose a cover photo for your Highlight
  7. Tap Done

Once you have added an Instagram Story to your highlights, it will remain there until you remove it. This simple move gives new life to your Stories and increases engagement by giving new followers something substantial to view when they visit your profile.

#2: Use Geotags for Local Engagement

For local business owners, the Holy Grail of Instagram marketing is attracting local followers. After all, these are the people who are most likely to patronize your business and turn into loyal customers. One local follower is worth hundreds of followers who only look at your photos and never buy from you.

One of the easiest ways to amp up your local engagement is to use geotags when you post on Instagram. You can create a Geotag specifically for your business, but you can also use state, city, and even neighborhood geotags to pinpoint your location.

As a bonus, geotags can have their own Stories on Instagram. If you use a geotag for your city, your posts will become part of that day’s Story, making it that much easier for local customers to find you and your business.

#3: Post Videos to Get More Comments

In their 2018 Instagram Engagement Report, Mention revealed that videos on Instagram receive 46% of all Likes. Since there are far more photos posted on Instagram than videos, these numbers show that videos are engagement superstars on Instagram.

With the importance of Likes on the decline thanks to the new algorithm changes, it’s also interesting to note that videos get more comments than photographs as a rule. If you haven’t already started posting videos on Instagram, 2020 is the year to start.

The current rules for Instagram video are as follows:

  1. Up to 60 seconds for videos posted on your feed
  2. Up to 15 seconds for videos posted as part of an Instagram Story
  3. Up to 60 minutes for Instagram Live video
  4. Up to 60 minutes for IGTV video

Posting more videos can help you grab your audience’s attention and hold it.

#4: Create More Savable Posts

One of the things about Instagram is that it’s easy to miss posts or to gloss over them. But what if there was a way to keep your audience engaged by getting them to revisit a post frequently?

There is! More brands are recognizing the importance of creating posts that their followers will want to save and return to. That’s unlikely to happen with a simple photograph, but there are ways to create content that’s suitable for Instagram and provide ongoing value to your followers. Here are a couple of ideas:

  1. Create carousel-style posts with multiple images organized around a theme. For example, a boutique that sells clothing could do a “Back to School” carousel or a “Holiday Party” carousel.
  2. Create mini-blog posts that provide information that your followers can use, such as a checklist or packing list.

The key is to think about what your target audience will find valuable and provide it to them, Instagram-style.

#5: Add Instagram Stickers to Your Stories 

Instagram Stories are great for engagement, especially if you let your followers now how you want them to engage with you. One of my favorite ways to boost Story engagement is by using Instagram Stickers.

Instagram Stickers appear on Stories and offer your customers an easy way to interact with you. The options available include:

  1. Question stickers: Ask your followers a question, such as which products they’d like to see from you. The question sticker is a great way to collect valuable information from your followers.
  2. Quiz stickers: Offer your followers a multiple choice question to boost engagement.
  3. Countdown stickers: Add a countdown to your Story to build excitement for a new product launch or a big announcement.
Here are the steps to add a sticker to your Instagram Story:

  1. Add a picture to your story
  2. Click the peeling smiley face icon to bring up your sticker options
  3. Tap to add the sticker you like
  4. Rearrange it on the page – you can make it bigger or smaller and choose where to place it and add a question or countdown

Engaging customers on Instagram isn’t just a numbers game and the new algorithm changes mean that Likes are only the tip of the iceberg. The five engagement tips here will help you take advantage of the updates and make 2020 your best year ever on Instagram.

Top Marketing Tools to Check Out in 2020

Top Marketing Tools to Check Out in 2020

Content Marketing, Website Design

The world of marketing is constantly evolving. What worked in the past may not be effective now – and if you never update your methods and tools, the chances are good that you’re missing out on opportunities to engage your audience and grow your business.

Since we’re at the beginning of a new year, this is the perfect time to update your marketing toolbox and add some new tools to the mix.

Without further ado, here are my picks for the top marketing tools that should be in your toolbox for 2020.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is my first pick. It’s a terrific tool that allows marketers and local business owners to understand how people find their businesses on Google.

This is a free tool that you can access via your Google account. The only preliminary step you must take is to verify that you’re the owner of your website. Once you’re verified, you can:

  1. View the keywords that visitors use to find your site
  2. Check out your most popular pages
  3. Check your backlinks
  4. Submit sitemaps to Google
  5. Track clicks on your site and links
  6. Understand how Google “sees” your page
  7. Check your site’s mobile usability
In other words, the Google Search Console is a versatile analytics toolbox that gives you a way to understand and improve the way Google (and your target audience) see your website. If you pick only one new tool to try out in 2020, make it this one!

Revive by Animalz

One of the biggest threats to your online visibility and viability is stale content. If you’ve been blogging for a while – or if your site hasn’t been updated in a few years – you probably have some content on your site that’s languishing from a lack of attention.

Revive by Animalz is a tool that’s designed to help you address the issue of stale content. Without it, you’d need to review every post on your site to determine which posts are outdated and in need of a refresh.

With it, you can simply plug in the URL of your website and let Revive do the rest. It will crawl your site and identify posts that are in a state of decay. (That sounds awful but really it just means pages and posts that are trending in the wrong direction.)

Revive is a free tool. To get your report, you’ll need to provide access to your Google Analytics account. In return, you’ll get a report that identifies the pages, blog posts, and other content that’s in need of an update. You can then use it as a roadmap to refresh your site and attract more traffic than ever before.

Spyfu

Have you ever wondered what your competitors are doing online? If the answer’s yes – and it should be! – then SpyFu is a marketing tool you should know about.

SpyFu allows you to “spy” on your competitors’ keywords and determine which ones are the most lucrative. You can use it to:

  1. Search for all domains and see where they show up on Google
  2. See every keyword your competitors have bought on Google AdWords
  3. See their organic search rank for each keyword
  4. View ads and ad variations for the past 13 years
You can also use it to track your own keywords and keyword rankings, making SpyFu an invaluable marketing tool for 2020.

SpyFu is a paid tool with pricing starting at $33 per month. The basic plan should be plenty for most businesses.

Hustle

Hustle is a WordPress plugin that allows you to capture email address quickly and efficiently. It allows you to design pop-ups, slide-ins, email opt-ins and social following bars.

What I like about Hustle is that it’s fully integrated with just about every email marketing service. (I use a combination of Mailchimp for newsletters and InfusionSoft  for nicely passed follow-ups to opt-ins.)

As a bonus, Hustle includes exit-intent, which displays a pop-up or slide-in when a visitor is about to leave your page, and Google ReCAPTCHA to prevent spam. Best of all, it’s totally free.

Proof

Proof is a tool that makes it easy to display your – you guessed it! – social proof on your website. To install it, all you need to do is copy and paste their pixel onto your site page.

Once you have installed the pixel, it will integrate with your site or your CRM and show your targeted customers:

  1. Customer reviews
  2. Video testimonials
  3. Social media posts
  4. Hot streak notifications
  5. Live visitor counts

I especially like the hot streak notifications which Proof says are their top driver of conversions. You’ve probably seen these notifications when you check out an online product and see pop-ups letting you know whenever someone buys the product.

Pricing for Proof starts at $29 for the basic plan. They offer a free demo as well!

Flashyapp

Flashyapp is a marketing automation platform that can help you improve your conversion rate in a variety of ways. You can use it to:

  1. Add smart pop-ups
  2. Manage your email marketing
  3. Manage your SMS (text message) marketing
  4. Send push notifications

It even has tools to help you manage retargeting ads by specifying what to do based on a customer’s actions. For example, you can offer different coupons based on the value of what a customer adds to their cart.

If you want to try it out, the Starter Plan is available for just $7 a month and the professional plan is $40 per month.

Tailwind

Tailwind is a scheduling tool that’s designed specifically for Instagram and Pinterest. It will walk you through creating an optimal posting schedule based on your audience engagement, traffic, and virality. Then, it will re-post content for your according to your schedule.

If your business is active on Pinterest, I think Tailwind is a must. It’s just as useful for Instagram. They offer a free trial that allows you to schedule up to 100 posts or Pins without a time limit. After that, the pricing is separate for Instagram and Pinterest, coming in at $9.99 per month for each platform.

Honorable Mentions

Here are a few honorable mentions that I think deserve some love in 2020:

  1. Canva is a free tool with hundreds of design templates. If you don’t have the money to hire a professional designer, you can use Canva to create beautiful newsletters, presentations, and social media posts. Their basic plan is free, or you can upgrade to the Pro plan for $12.95/month.
  2. Hemingway is a readability tool that you can use for free online or download to your desktop for just $9.99. I like it because it helps eliminate complicated sentences that might deter readers.
  3. Pexels is a site with a decent collection of free stock photos. You can use them without attribution. Their selection isn’t huge but if you don’t have the budget to pay for photos, this is a great option.

With the right tools in your marketing toolbox, there’s no reason that 2020 shouldn’t be your best year yet!

10 Marketing Ideas You Can Implement for Free

10 Marketing Ideas You Can Implement for Free

Social Media Marketing

Is your marketing budget tiny – or non-existent? It’s a common problem with local businesses who put everything they make into inventory and payroll.

If you don’t have much to spend on marketing, you might wonder how you can ever grow your business. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to attract new customers without spending a dime.

I’ve compiled 10 of my favorite free marketing ideas for you to try.

#1: Facebook Live Video

You might think of video marketing as expensive, and it certainly can be if you hire a professional videographer. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend that money – especially when you look at Facebook Live Video, which is free to anybody who wants to use it.

Because these videos are live, they’re usually held to a lower standard in terms of quality. You don’t need to be scripted – in fact, it’s better if you’re not. You can use Facebook Live to shoot how-to videos, give a behind the scenes tour, or answer questions from your followers. Then, you can edit and post the video to your blog or YouTube channel.

#2: Become a Hashtag Expert

Hashtags are like social media signposts. They’re free to use and they point potential clients in the direction of your content. The key is to choose and use the best hashtags – the ones that are most likely to attract people who’ll buy your products.

One option is to focus on community hashtags such as #ThrowbackThursday or #givingback. Just make sure to use them appropriately. You can also create your own hashtags that incorporate your business name or most popular product, along with locational tags that will help you reach a local audience.

#3: Blog Regularly

Blogging for business is hardly a groundbreaking marketing strategy, but it’s one that you can do for free. Blog posts can be short or long and if they’re relevant to your business, they’re a great way to attract new people to your website.

The key is to choose blog topics that are highly useful to the people you want to attract. For example, you can do a series of blog posts answering common questions about your product or service. Add some relevant images and tags and you’ll be sure to attract some traffic – without spending money.

#4: Cross-Post Everything 

A lot of small businesses making the mistake of creating content for one outlet and not reusing it. That’s not ideal because it limits your scope and means you need to spend more time and money creating content.

Instead, come up with a cross-posting strategy that makes sense. For example, you might:

  1. Share blog posts on Facebook with an image that contains a pull quote from the blog
  2. Share visual content from Pinterest on Instagram
  3. Put pull quotes on images and share to Twitter with a shortened URL
  4. Create a Pinterest board with your most liked images from Instagram

There are dozens of ways to re purpose your social media content and share it elsewhere. The most important thing to remember is to keep the platform where you’re posting in mind. You won’t need hashtags on Facebook, but you will on Twitter and Instagram.

#5: Create Free Graphics

You’ve probably noticed that infographics and other graphic images are popular on social media. While you could hire a designer to create images for you, there are also plenty of tools you can use to create them for free.

One of the best free tools is Canva, which has a ton of templates and tools to create social media posts, infographics and more. You may also want to check out Venngage to make infographics.

#6: Encourage and Respond to Reviews

You already know that online reviews are important. Most people read reviews before purchasing products. You can use reviews to your advantage without spending any money.

First, you can encourage your existing customers to leave reviews of your business by asking them in person or in an email. You can also link to your review pages from your website. Once people post reviews, make sure to reply to all reviews, positive and negative, to show reviewers that you care about their opinions.

#7: Film or Write Customer Testimonials 

A customer testimonial can do the same work as a review in a slightly more formal way. People are happy to be asked their opinion and many of your customers may be eager to help you out by filming or writing a testimonial.

Testimonials can be shared on your website, blog, or social media pages once they’re completed. They serve to inform people about your business and demonstrate what you can do for people who buy your products.

#8: Publish a Newsletter

Email marketing is easy and affordable. If you have a small list, you can manage it using a free version of autoresponder software – and a newsletter is a great way to keep people informed about your business.

Newsletter articles can be very short, even as short as 100 or 150 words. Your goal should be to keep people updated on what’s happening with your business. You can also use it to preview new products and services.

#9: Pair Up with Other Business Owners

Whatever your business does, the chances are good that you know other business owners who sell products or services that complement yours. For example, perhaps you sell furniture and there’s a boutique in your area that sells artwork and decorative items.

Identify business that mesh well with yours and cross-promote each other’s products and services. You can do this for free. You can even offer joint packages or deals to attract more customers.

#10: Get Involved in Local Events

Finally, one of the best ways for local businesses to attract new customers is to get involved in local events. Does your town have an annual tree lighting or charity ball? Participating can help raise your profile and earn you some goodwill from the people who are most likely to buy from you.

You may also decide to:

  1. Sponsor a Little League or soccer team
  2. Raise money for a local charity
  3. Help with a local street fair

The key is to find things you can do that won’t cost you anything. If you decide you can spend a little bit, then do it wisely and in a way that’ll help to attract new customers to your business.

Marketing doesn’t need to cost a fortune – or anything at all. The 10 free ideas here will help you kick-start your marketing even if your budget is non-existent.

How to Bring Your Social Media Presence Back from the Dead

How to Bring Your Social Media Presence Back from the Dead

Social Media Marketing, Website Design

How long has it been since you did anything with your company Facebook page (or Twitter or Instagram)?

If it’s been a long time, then you might feel stuck. How can you resurrect your social media presence? Is it possible? Should you bother?

The short answer is yes, it’s possible. You’ll need to be methodical and persistent. Here’s what you’ll need to do.

Update Your Page

The first step is to update your page. Look at your profile and make sure that it includes:

  1. The full name of your business
  2. Your address
  3. Your telephone number
  4. The URL of your website
  5. Your email address

You should also update any additional information that’s outdated. For example, if you’ve changed your logo then you should add your new one. Have a new sign in front of your store? Take a new picture and post it.

Decide on Social Media Goals

The next step is to set some reachable goals for your social media marketing. Marketing is most effective when you have a clearly defined goals – something you want to achieve with your social media presence. Here are some examples:

  1. Increase your social media following and build your brand
  2. Get more readers for your blog
  3. Increase your views on YouTube
  4. Build your list

By articulating your goals, you’ll be able to steer your social media pages in the direction you want to go.

Create Original Content

If you’re going to reach any marketing goal using social media, you need original content to do it. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on content creation, but you do need to keep your brand and goals in mind.

Original content can take many forms, including:

  1. Facebook status updates
  2. Written content (blogs, articles, white pages, etc.)
  3. Photographs
  4. Graphic content, including illustrations, infographics and cartoons)
  5. Video content
  6. Memes

Your content should always speak to your brand and the way you want your audience to think of you. In other words, it’s not a good idea to create cat memes unless cats are relevant to your brand.

Keep in mind that you can create original content on your own or hire someone to do it for you. For example, you can hire a freelance writer for your blog or commission a graphic designer to make infographics for you.

You should intersperse original content with curated content that you get from relevant websites and publications. Always be sure to put your own spin on the curated content you share.

Create a Content Posting Schedule

Social media marketing is about consistency – and that means you’ll need a schedule to follow when you post social media content. The good news is that there are lots of tools that can help you set up and stick to a schedule.

Facebook has built-in scheduling tools that you can use to set up posts ahead of time. The one thing I don’t like about it is that you can’t share posts from other pages on a schedule. You’ll need to open and copy the link to use the scheduling tool.

If you’ve got a social media presence on more than one site – say Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest – then you may want to consider using a paid social media scheduling tool to help you keep track of everything. I like Hootsuite because it allows you to schedule posts and track their performance.

Speaking of scheduling, it’s a good idea to think about your posting frequency as well as your content. You should post:

  1. 1 or 2 times a day to Facebook
  2. 5-10 times a day to Twitter
  3. 1 to 2 times a day to Instagram
  4. 5-30 times a day to Pinterest
  5. 20 times per month (once per business day) to Linked In
  6. 2 or 3 times a week to YouTube

That might seem like a lot but check out the next step for tips on how to keep your social media marketing work manageable.

Eliminate Pages Based on Performance

What if you don’t have time to manage a Facebook page, an Instagram feed and a YouTube channel for your business?

I’ve got good news for you: you don’t need to. You are perfectly within your rights to choose to focus on just a few social media sites and let the rest go. If you have pages set up on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn and only your Facebook and Instagram pages are generating significant income, you can (and should) simply deactivate your other accounts.

Why? Because a dormant or inactive page is worse than no page at all. If people find you on YouTube and see what you haven’t posted a new video in years, it’s not going to impress them. There’s no rule saying you must be active on every social media site – so don’t be. Pick the sites that give you the biggest ROI and let the rest go.

Focus on Engagement

Engagement is what happens when someone comments on your post, shares it with their followers, or clicks on a link. In the world of social media marketing, nothing else matters.

Here are some pointers to help you engage with your social media followers:

  1. Ask questions and respond when people answer
  2. Monitor your social media mentions and engage with people who talk about your company
  3. Use hashtags wisely – for example, getting involved in social media community tags such as #ThrowbackThursday can help attract new followers
  4. Encourage participation by holding contests or requesting user-generated content

The more you can get people to interact with your content, the more organic traffic you’ll get.

Track Your Results

Finally, you should track your results on social media and refine your strategy based on what you learn. For example, you might notice that when you post a video on Facebook, it gets 10 times the engagement of your written content. That’s useful information because it tells you that it’s a good investment to make more videos.

Metrics can also tell you:

  1. What times of day and days of the week your followers are online
  2. What topics your audience wants to hear about
  3. Which social media pages get you the most traffic and sales

Using that information, you can refine and update your overall social media strategy and your marketing goals to give you the best possible chance of success.

The bottom line is that it’s never too late to bring your social media presence back from the dead. The key is to be practical, methodical and realistic – and to listen to your audience!

How to Target Local Customers Using Geolocation Marketing

How to Target Local Customers Using Geolocation Marketing

Local Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Local businesses have special marketing challenges. Namely, it’s your job as a business owner to make sure that the people who are most likely to patronize your business – the people who live in your service area – know what you have to offer and where to find you.

One way to accomplish that goal is to use geolocation marketing. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Geolocation Marketing?

Let’s start with the basics. Geolocation marketing is a type of marketing that’s location specific. By that, I mean that you can connect with potential customers who are near your business and target them directly with offers and ads.

The benefits of geolocation marketing are clear:

  1. You’ll have access to a highly targeted audience of people who are likely to frequent your business
  2. You can attract new customers by reaching out to them with offers that appeal directly to them
  3. You can learn about the shopping habits and preferences of your existing customers and use what you learn to grow your business
  4. You can reward your most loyal customers with special content and offers designed to turn them into brand ambassadors

In other words, geolocation marketing can help you to tap into a resource base of your existing customers and potential customers in your area, allowing you to connect with them and market your business in a way that’s likely to yield a high return on your investment.

Tools to Use for Geolocation Marketing for Your Business

There are three kinds of geolocation marketing that you can use depending upon your needs. They are:

  1. Geotargeting is the broadest form of geolocation marketing. It uses the IP addresses of your customers’ web browsers. In practical terms, you can’t use geotargeting for precise target audiences because it can’t pinpoint your audience’s location exactly. It’s best suited for marketing to general regions, cities, or states.
  2. Geofencing is more precise than geotargeting, allowing you to target specific neighborhoods and even streets. Don’t think that limits you, though – it can also be used for entire towns or cities. Geofencing uses mobile devices’ GPS locations instead of IP addresses. That means you can track your customers’ locations even if they move. It’s ideal for attracting foot traffic but not as effective for tailoring specific marketing campaigns to your target audience.
  3. Beacons are by far the most specific option for geolocation marketing. A beacon is a small device that you’ll put inside or near your business. It collects data from Bluetooth signals in smartphones. They’re ideal for use in places with poor Wi-Fi reception because they’re used for close communication. The Bluetooth technology allows you to send messages and offers directly to customers who are in range.

The type of geolocation marketing you choose depends on what you hope to accomplish with it. If your business is highly dependent upon foot traffic, you may decide that geofencing is the most cost-effective and useful form of geolocation marketing.

Tips for Using Geolocation Marketing

Now, let’s talk about some specific tips to help you make the most of geolocation marketing and grow your business. There are lots of ways you can use this technology. Here are some suggestions.

  1. Target people in a venue or at an event. If yours is the type of business that relies on foot traffic and you’re near a popular event venue, such as a stadium or theater, you can set up a geofence to target people who are at the place you specify. For example, a bar could target concertgoers at a nearby theater. You can also use this option to target office complexes and neighborhoods.
  2. Set up a geofence in your delivery area. If you own a business that delivers – whether you’re delivering Thai food or furniture – you can easily use geofencing to target the people who live in the area you service. Those people are the most likely to buy from you and they may not know about your business – until you use geolocation marketing to tell them what you have to offer.
  3. Use geotargeting to map out your audience based on where they are. While geotargeting is a more “big picture” type of geolocation marketing, it can be extremely useful to help you find people who are nearby. For example, if you sell a luxury product, you can use geotargeting to get your message to people who live in upscale neighborhoods.
  4. Use a beacon to attract foot traffic to your store. What if you own a retail store or restaurant that relies heavily on foot traffic? You can set up a beacon to ping your customers when they’re in range and then target them with specific offers. For example, if you own a restaurant near a busy downtown area or office park, you can send out an offer about your happy hour, including information about special deals on appetizers and drinks.
  5. Speaking of beacons, you can also use them to send you an alert when a repeat or loyal customer is in your store. Imagine how flattered and grateful your customers will be when you show up at the door to greet them by name and show them what you’ve got to offer! This is a terrific tool for personalized marketing that can turn loyal customers into brand ambassadors.
  6. Use geolocation marketing to learn about your target audience’s buying habits. For example, you might have a nearby competitor and use geotargeting to provide potential customers with an incentive to visit your business.

The bottom line here is that geolocation marketing allows local businesses to use GPS technology to connect directly with the customers – and potential customers – who are most likely to frequent their stores.

The key with geolocation marketing is to determine which method will deliver the returns you want. That means defining your marketing goals and choosing the tech that’ll allow you to achieve them, whether it’s a beacon or a geofence.

The Top Content Marketing Tools You Should Consider Using Right Now

The Top Content Marketing Tools You Should Consider Using Right Now

Content Marketing

Content marketing is all about content. That’s obvious. What isn’t obvious to many local business owners is that they don’t need to be the ones to create every piece of content they share.

The term for using content created by someone else for marketing purposes is called “content curation.” The word ‘curation’ is a clue to what it involves. It’s not about throwing up any old piece of content on your Instagram or Facebook feed and hoping for the best.

Instead, it’s your job to sort through content online, choose the things that are most likely to appeal to your target audience, and then put your own spin on them – providing real value to your followers while building your authority.

It might sound complicated, but there are tools and resources that can help.

Pocket

Pocket is an app and a great organizational tool for content marketing. If you’re like me, you might have a ton of favorites bookmarked on your browser with the idea that you’ll come back to them later. I’m willing to bet that many of them are now outdated – and you’ve never used them.

Pocket can change that. It keeps track of articles, images and videos you want to use in one convenient place. It also integrates with more than 500 other apps, so you can use it in a way that suits your needs.

Twitter Lists

Tweets come and go quickly and even if you check your Twitter feed throughout the day, it can be easy to miss worthwhile content. The solution? Twitter Lists.

Twitter Lists allows you to organize the people and companies you follow into categories. Then, you can easily access their Tweets and links using the app. It also integrates perfectly with Pocket!

Scoop.it

Scoop.it is a paid tool that costs $67 per month, but it’s worth the price if you do a lot of content creation and need some help doing it. The tool scours the internet and grabs content related to the topics you choose, presenting it in one easy place for you to select what you want to post and put your spin on it.

What I like about Scoop.it is that it sorts articles and links by relevance. It will also suggest other Scoop.it users for you to follow, all of which makes the job of content curation very easy.

Sniply

Sniply is also a paid tool. It won’t help you find content to curate, but it will help you automatically add a call to action to any curated content you choose to share with your followers.

If you know anything at all about online marketing, you know that including a call to action is a must. It’s what tells your followers (and potential customers) what they need to do next. The right call to action will make a huge difference in your conversion rate and ROI – and that makes the low price of this tool one that’s worth paying.

Quuu

Quuu is another free tool that I recommend because it will pull suggested curated content based on the parameters you set. You can then browse through the recommendations and choose the content you want to share with your followers.

It gets better. In addition to finding and recommending content to you, Quuu also integrates with most social media scheduling tools. That means that after you find content using Quuu,  you can also use this tool to schedule your Tweets and Facebook updates.

Facebook Pages Feed

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention something that’s built into Facebook and can be used, free, with any Facebook business page. To find it, simply:

  1. Click on “Pages Feed” on the menu on the right-hand side of your Facebook page
  2. Type in the name of a page, publication or business you want to follow
  3. Click the follow button
Going forward, posts from the pages you follow will appear when you click the Pages Feed. From there, it’s easy to share posts and add your own commentary and call to action. The one thing I don’t like about the Pages Feed is that you can’t schedule posts from it, you can only share them. However, if you open the link in a new tab and copy the URL, you can schedule it at your convenience.

Feedly

Feedly won’t find content for you, but it will help you aggregate the websites and accounts you follow in one convenient RSS feed that you can access from anywhere.

Once you’ve added a website or social media page to your Feedly account, you’ll be able to view the content on your feed from your computer or mobile device.

Curata

Curata is a high-powered content curation tool that takes finding content to a new level. It uses a combination of keywords, bookmarked sites, and other tools to scour the web, identifying the content that is most likely to appeal to your target audience.

Because Curata’s algorithms offer a service that goes above and beyond what some of the other tools on this list do, it costs more. Pricing is based upon your usage and you’ll need to contact the company for a free demo and a quote.

Publish This

Publish This is like Curata in that it uses a sophisticated algorithm to identify, aggregate, and suggest content for you to share.

In addition to curating content, Publish This can also be used to:

  1. Sharing original content that you create
  2. Sharing curated content that you find on Publish This or on your own
  3. Tracking analytics for the content you share, both original and curated
In other words, Publish This goes beyond the other tools here to allow you to share and track the content it finds.

Curating content can be time-consuming if you try to do it one link at a time. Fortunately, there are tools to make the job easier. The ones I’ve listed here are some of my favorites – and they can help you round out your social media presence, attract new followers, and grow your business.

How your business can benefit from Chatbots

How your business can benefit from Chatbots

Email Marketing

2019 has been the year of the chatbot. Businesses who have adopted the chatbot trend have been able to support and scale their business operations by offering convenient and efficient communication to their customers. Implementing chatbots has also helped businesses increase their sales, by providing 24/7 chat support to customers who need questions answered before they buy. So, what is a chatbot and how can your business benefit from one? Sit tight! We’re about to unpack everything you need to know. 

What is a chatbot? 

A chatbot is an automated messaging system or computer program that interacts with your customers on your behalf. Chatbots are integrated into the back end of your website and pop up as a chatbox on the front when a visitor reaches your website.

Welcome to the future! 

In 2001, A.I. might have spurred images of a young Haley Joel Osment. Jump forward 18 years and A.I. (artificial intelligence) is at the heart of modern-day advertising and marketing. In marketing, the role of artificial intelligence is to anticipate the customers’ needs and provide the information or resources they need to make a purchase decision. 

If you’re trying to get your head around how artificial intelligence is used in marketing today and how you can leverage it in your business, start with understanding and using your own chatbot. 

How does it know what to say? Chat

Your chatbot is prepopulated with a series of questions, answers and resources to help your customers through their purchase journey. Think of it like a smarter, more engaging FAQ channel. The prepopulated list of questions and answers is meticulously mapped out and tells your chatbot how to behave or respond when certain actions are taken, or questions are asked. 

More advanced chatbots and virtual assistants can be customized to do a lot more than handle customer queries. They can be integrated with booking systems and other communication platforms enabling people to make reservations and purchases.

Chatbots for the hospitality industry (hotels and restaurants) 

20 years ago, you might have found Trudy or Kenneth at a desk answering the phone and taking reservations in a dusty old reservation book. In 2019, you’ll find Trudy and Kenneth enjoying the finer things in life while their chatbot takes care of bookings and reservations for them. 

Benefits of chatbots for hotels and restaurants

Here’s what you can expect from effectively implementing a chatbot on your hotel or restaurant’s website:

  1. An increase in direct bookings. Visit Skyscanner or booking.com to see their reservation tool in action.
  2. Reduction in office hours. A chatbot can handle many questions and activities that would otherwise be managed by a receptionist.
  3. A better understanding of the different profiles of guests and travellers and appropriate offers based on their profiles.
  4. Better customer experience. Guests can opt-in for information on things to see and do in the area, helping them get the most out of their stay.
  5. Better customer service. Guests can get the support they need 24/7.
  6. Better customer satisfaction. The ease of booking through a chatbot is unbeatable!
  7. An increase in reviews. Emails requesting reviews get lost in a busy inbox. A chatbot prompts reviews which are quick and easy to submit.

Best chatbots for the hospitality industry

Our recommendations for chatbots in this industry are Trilyo, HiJiffy and LivePerson.

Chatbots for the retail industry

Simplicity makes sales. If retail brands make it easy for their customers to buy from them, they will! Chatbots help retailers make more sales by providing customer support and customized suggestions to shoppers, increasing the chance of a sale. 

Benefits of chatbots for the retail industry

In retail, some of the benefits of implementing a chatbot include:

  1. Less abandoned carts. We’ve all added items to a cart and failed to check out (for whatever reason). A chatbot reminds you to checkout, encourages you to complete your purchase or offers you a discount if you check out within a certain timeframe.
  2. Enhanced and smoother customer service. Chatbots are available 24/7/365 to answer any concerns a visitor might have about a product. Knowing everything you need to know about the product increases the likelihood of you making a purchase.
  3. Customized post-sale offers. Chatbots can send custom offers and information to customers based on their previous purchases.
  4. Increase in conversion rates. Lack of sales on an Ecomm website is often as a result of a poorly designed conversion funnel. Chatbots make the purchase journey super simple helping increase conversions.
  5. Driving sales! All these benefits combined naturally drive sales.

Best chatbots for the retail industry

IBM Watson Assistant, Bold 360 and LivePerson.

Top 3 best chatbots in 2019 and 2020?

There are hundreds of chatbots available to you. Some paid, some free. Some basic, some customizable. Here are our top picks for chatbots in 2019 and 2020.

LivePerson

The thing we love most about LivePerson is that it is suitable for all industries. Text messaging, Google Rich Business Messaging, Apple Business Chat, Line, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Google AdLingo can all be integrated into the chatbot.

Inbenta

Designed for the needs of enterprise brands Inbenta has a simplistic interface and can handle simple demands with a high level of intelligence. The best feature Inbenta has to offer is the ability to detect when the conversation needs a human to step in.

IBM Watson Assistant

Suitable for big brands and businesses, Watson Assistant has been designed by IBM, the leader in A.I. solutions. This chatbot is a lot more advanced and recommended for larger businesses who require more extensive support and chatbot capabilities.

Regardless of your personal views on talking to a robot, customers set the demands and don’t really have a preference when it comes to dealing with a robot or a human, as long as they get what they need*. Your business could very well be a chatbot away from better customer support, happier customers and more sales. So, what have you got to lose?

8 Smart Ways to Power Your Business with Automation

8 Smart Ways to Power Your Business with Automation

Email Marketing

Before automation was possible, people had to do everything by hand. It took a long time – and once we realized that we could automate repetitive tasks, we never looked back.

So, the question I have for you about automating your business is a simple one:

What are you waiting for?

The numbers don’t lie. Here’s what we know about automation:

  1. 60% of all occupations could save 30% of their time with automation
  2. It’s estimated that the average CEO spends 20% of their time on tasks that could be automated
  3. Businesses lose an estimated 20% to 30% of their profits due to inefficient processes
You can see that there’s time (and money) to be saved with automation. Here are 8 ways to power your business with automation – and boost your bottom line.

#1: Marketing Emails

This one’s obvious, but I’m always shocked at how many small businesses don’t have an active email list. Since one of the biggest excuses business owners make is a lack of time – and believe me, I get it – there’s no excuse not to embrace email automation.

The beauty of email automation is that it’s truly a “set it and forget it” proposition when it comes to new subscribers. Unless you make major changes in your business, your introductory email sequence will work for years. And adding new emails is a snap.

#2: Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing only works if it’s consistent. You can easily use automation to streamline your lead nurturing process and ensure that nobody falls through the cracks.

For example, automation can:

  1. Remind you to make phone calls
  2. Make a record of your outgoing phone calls
  3. Send automated emails to follow up on voice mails

You’re busy and you might miss something if you try to handle your lead nurturing without automation. With the right tools, you can automate most of the process and turn more of your leads into paying customers.

#3: Repeat Sales

If you have customers who order from you regularly, it’s essential to stay on top of those orders and send reminders as needed. One of the beauties of automation is that you can use it to set reminders and send your clients prompts to place their regular order.

Automation can also be useful for other parts of repeat sales, including creating invoices and sending collection reminders. These things will ensure that you most loyal customers know you care about them and value their business.

On a related note, you can use automation to remind customers when they abandon items in their shopping cart.

#4: Client Appreciation 

Once you attract a new client, it’s important to let them know that you value their business.  But as you know, it’s all too easy to get distracted in the course of a busy day and forget to touch base with your existing clients.

With automation, you can create a welcome series of emails to ensure that new clients feel appreciated and valued. You can also set reminders to follow up regularly, thus minimizing the risk of losing a client because they think you’ve forgotten about them. You can even use automation to remind you of clients’ birthdays, so you can send them a card or email wishing them a happy birthday.

#5: Customer Support

We live in a service economy and that means that customer service is hugely important when it comes to attracting and retaining customers. Automation can help you do the best possible job of serving your customers and giving them what they need.

For example, setting up a customer service chatbot is easier than ever before. Chatbots can handle simple customer service requests such as password resets and address changes. They can also, if programmed properly, make product suggestions and redirect customers to self-service options when it’s appropriate.

#6: Scheduling

Scheduling (and remembering) appointments can be a real hassle when you’re busy – and most business owners are! Automation can help you by automatically adding events and appointments to your calendar. Then, it can send you reminders before your appointments.

The same is true of appointments with clients. You can use automation to schedule the meeting and then, use it before the meeting to confirm the appointment and minimize the chances that anybody will forget to show up.

#7: Collect Customer Data

Collecting information about your customers can help you do a variety of important things, including:

  1. Create a content marketing strategy that provides them with the answers they want
  2. Address problems with your existing products and services
  3. Target your marketing and advertising to the people who are most likely to buy from you
  4. Learn how to improve your customer service

Automated surveys, which you can send out via email or link to on social media, are a good way to get data from your customers. With automation, you can tally the results and analyze them – leaving you free to focus on what to do with the information you collect.

#8: Build a Referral Database

Referral business is valuable because the leads you get from referrals are likely to be highly targeted and relevant to your business. It’s a must to build a referral database that allows you to track your referral sources and make good on any incentives you’re offering to encourage referrals.

For example, you can assign referral codes for online referrals and track them as you receive calls or emails. Then, you can use automation to thank your referral sources and in your lead nurturing as well. You can also automate the referral process by making it simple for your existing clients or local business partners to direct potential customers to your website.

Automation is here to stay – there’s no question about that. The question is what will you do with it? While there are many potential answers, I think the 8 suggestions here are the best ways to use automation to your advantage, attract new clients, and make your business both efficient and profitable.

Why Your Free Consultation Offer Sucks (And How To Fix It!)

Why Your Free Consultation Offer Sucks (And How To Fix It!)

Local Marketing

When deciding what type of lead magnet will attract the most signups (leads) for your business it’s natural to want to go right to your best offer – the thing that’ll convince first-time visitors to your site to dive right in and hire you, retain your services you or purchase your product.

There’s just one problem with that – it’s not enough. And if your primary (or only) lead magnet is a free consultation, there are some things I’m willing to bet you’re doing wrong.

If your free consultation offer isn’t blowing up your calendar, there are things you can do to get it on track.

Why Offer a Free Consultation? 

Why offer a free consultation at all? The short answer is that if you are someone who’s an expert in your field, time spent talking to you is valuable. People will want to take you up on your offer.

Some business are naturals for the free consultation offer. I’m talking about:

  1. Marketing firms
  2. Life coaches
  3. Plastic surgeons
  4. Dentists
  5. Wedding planners
If your business is based on your deep knowledge of a topic or a long career, then you probably have something to offer as a free consultation.

The main reason to offer a free consultation is that it gives you an opportunity to connect one-on-one with your prospects. You’ll have the chance to build a personal connection and demonstrate what you can do to help them.

What Should Your Offer Look Like? 

Let’s start with what your free consultation offer should look like. One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is not defining what their free consultation is. Here are some examples:

  1. Your call to action is too simple: “Click here for your free consultation”
  2. Your call to action is too vague: “Click here to schedule a time to talk to me about your business”

What I’m getting at is this: your offer must be specific and offer clear value. In other words, instead of the two examples above, you might try:

  1. Click here for a free, 30-minute consultation where we’ll discuss the best marketing strategies for your particular business.
  2. Click here for a consultation with me. We’ll talk about your challenges and map out a treatment plan
  3. Click here for your free consultation, where I’ll show you the three best ways to grow your business

You get the idea, I hope. Each of these calls to action has a clear value proposition where the person clicking  understands exactly what they’ll get if they make room in their calendar for a consultation with you.

Should the Consultation Be Your Only Lead Magnet?

The next thing to consider is if your free consultation should be your only lead magnet. You might be thinking that since it’s the most valuable thing you have to offer, it should be enough to capture every lead. But think again.

A consultation requires personal contact and a big mental commitment to you and your business. Some of the prospects who visit your site may not be ready for that kind of commitment. They may need to be romanced a little bit, first.

I suggest offering tiers of lead magnets. For example, you might offer:

  1. A tips or resource sheet
  2. An eBook or case study
  3. A consultation
Someone who’s only casually interested in your business may be willing to give up their email address in return for a tip sheet or eBook. Then, you can use a lead nurturing sequence to convince them to schedule a free consultation with you.

Build Your Authority

There’s a scene in The Princess Bride where Westley explains the theory behind taking the name of the Dread Pirate Roberts. As he puts it, “Nobody would surrender to the Dread Pirate Westley.”

My question for you is this: Are you as well-known as the Dread Pirate Roberts or are you more of a Westley?

If you’re a Westley, then you’ve got to work to increase your authority and name recognition to make your free consultation offer something that people will respond to. You can do that by:

  1. Guest blogging
  2. Maintaining an active presence on social media
  3. Attending events and networking
The more known you are, the more likely it is that people will be eager to grab a free consultation with you and learn about your business.

Structure Your Consultations 

Let’s say you’ve got people signing up for your free consultations. That’s great news – but it’ll only help you if you make the consultation worthwhile for them. Here are some pointers.

  1. Decide ahead of time how long the consultation will be and stick to it. Your time is valuable and so is your prospect’s time. You should have a clear roadmap of what you’ll cover and avoid getting derailed by distractions.
  2. Create a basic structure for what you want to accomplish during the consultation. That means knowing what you’ll say and how you’ll say it – and how to move seamlessly from one topic to the next.
  3. Deliver on your promises. If you promised to give the prospect three marketing strategies to try, make sure to announce them like this: “The first marketing strategy you should try is creating a soap opera sequence to promote your new product; second, you should start making marketing videos; and third, you should fine-tune your social media targeting.”
  4. Follow through on the consultation. When you wrap it up, make it clear what the next step is. Perhaps you’ll follow up with an email, or maybe it’s the prospect’s job to complete your application. Whatever it is, make sure they understand. And then, make sure to follow up regularly.
These four steps will ensure that your free consultation isn’t a waste of time. The time you spend speaking to prospects will be targeted, productive, and specifically designed to get them to take the next step and buy your product or sign up for your service.

I truly believe that offering a free consultation is one of the best ways to attract new clients – if you do it right. The information here will help you to avoid mistakes and convert like crazy!

How to Create Killer Local Content for Your Business

How to Create Killer Local Content for Your Business

Content Marketing, Local Marketing, Small Business

In the days before the internet, local marketing was simple. You paid for a listing in your local Yellow Pages, printed flyers, and maybe took out an ad in the local paper. People knew who you were and where you were.

Then web marketing came along and changed everything. At first, the recommendation was to focus on general keywords. But over the years, Google and other search engines have changed their algorithms. Now, they prioritize local search over everything else.

What does that mean? In short, it means that creating compelling local content isn’t optional. It’s as necessary as oxygen. You’ve got to show potential customers that you’re part of a community – and that means that you’ve got to think about more than giving out your address.

The Basics of Local Marketing

I’ve already written a lot about local marketing, but I think it’s important to include a summary of how to optimize your website and content for local search. Keep these pointers in mind:

  1. Choose local keywords that are highly relevant to your business and have a high search volume. The best local search words include the name of your city, state or neighborhood as well as keywords that are relevant to your business.
  2. Optimize for local voice search and “near me” searches.
  3. Optimize for mobile search and make sure your site looks great on mobile devices.
  4. Use your local keywords in important places on your website, including in title tags, image tags, meta descriptions, anchor text for links, H1 tags, and in your content.
  5. Use rich snippets to add essential geographical information to your Google search results.
  6. Get important local sites to link back to your site. Remember, when it comes to building links, quality is more important than quantity. Focus on local business guides, the Chamber of Commerce, and related local businesses to build your local SEO “cred.”
  7. Encourage your customers to leave reviews and link your site to your review pages. Customer testimonials, which go into a bit more depth than reviews, are also essential.

Following these tips will set you up for success – but you’ve still got to create the kind of compelling local content that will attract customers.

Tips for Creating Local Content

Once your site is optimized for local searches, it’s time to focus on creating local content. That means more than simply putting your local keywords into general content. You’ll need to show casual visitors to your site that you’re a part of a local community.

Here are some pointers to get you started.

  1. Blog about local events. Every community, from small rural towns to huge cities, has local events that are a big deal. As a business owner, you should be aware of these events and find a way to write about them that ties back to your business. It’ll be easy if you’re planning to sponsor a booth at your local street fair. But local charity events and holiday celebrations offer the opportunity for you to talk about your community and why you love it.
  2. Talk about local news. Did your local Little League team make the playoffs? Did a high school student win a contest? Is there a new business coming to town? Any of these things could be turned into blog posts and they’re especially effective if you can find an organic way to relate the story to your business.
  3. Develop case studies that are relevant to local prospects. You might serve a variety of neighborhoods or more than one town in your area. If that’s the case, it’s your job to show that you care about all the places in your service area. One way to do it is to develop case studies that demonstrate your knowledge of the area and of any special circumstances that might be unique to where you are. For example, a landscaper in Southern California might talk about the risk of wildfires or offer tips on how to get rid of black widow spiders.
  4. Find out what your audience is interested in and then write about it. Of course, you don’t want to stray too far from your business, but there’s nothing wrong with getting excited about the things your audience cares about. For example, you might write about an upcoming holiday or the year’s first big storm.

A good way to get ideas for your local content is to stay plugged in to your community online. You might follow you local Chamber of Commerce on Facebook, subscribe to your local paper, and stop into the library to see what new flyers have been added to the bulletin board.

What is the Intent of Your Content?

One of the most important things to remember when you’re creating local content is that every blog post or social media update you write should have a clear intention that’s related to your business.

What do I mean by that? Simply that you can’t waste time blogging about things if you don’t understand why you’re writing about them. Sometimes the intent will be clear. You own a hardware store and blogging about predicted winter snowfall might help you sell some shovels and snowblowers, or at least some Ice Melt.

At other times, though, the intention may be a bit harder to pin down. There’s nothing wrong with that but make sure you don’t skip this step. If you’re creative enough, you should be able to find a way to tie any piece of content you create back to your business.

For example, say you want to blog about a local charity event, but you can’t figure out a way to connect it to your business organically. Instead of giving up, you might consider donating a portion of your sales to the charity or collaborating with other local business owners on a fundraising effort.

The key here is to make your local content relevant to your business and to your target audience. You can still share general content, too, but local content is a must if you want your business to grow.