Blog

Everyone's prone to blunders… 

That includes even the world-class multinational brands that we believe can never ever be off the mark.

Well, mistakes in general are a sign of growth but marketing mistakes have a different meaning altogether.

The less they happen the better because one ill-conceived ad and everyone's on your case.

Boycotts, media trials, SM trends… you know all that.

So, marketing your business in this vigilant, politically correct society where choice is so open is a REAL tough job.

Many of the world's leading brands have failed in this job over the years.

Let's have a look at SIX global brands that made embarrassing marketing goofs that still haunt their legacy today. 

 

[read more]

The Covid 19 pandemic has affected all factions of our society. Livelihoods changed as people had to deal with job loss.

Economies and businesses were especially hard hit. For many, the long-awaited vaccinations are to look forward to as things slowly start going back to normal.

The majority of brick-and-mortar businesses have seen an especially difficult time with the pandemic. They have had to devise new ways to re-engage with customers.

One trend that seems to gain traction is video marketing. According to experts, it is expected to comprise up to 82% of all marketing strategies by 2022.

Don’t be left out. Let’s discover how you can make use of video marketing strategies to grab customer attention.

[read more]

It's not enough to have your brand ably represented on social media. There are millions of brands already there, but what separates you from the lot is your unique voice that's also audible enough to come out of the noise.

Your unique voice should be reflected in all your posts, tweets, images, and videos as you go about your routine on social media.

It should also reflect the values your brand holds to high esteem, and its unique selfless culture. And again, it's rowdy on social media so you have to be audible which starts by amplifying your voice with some of the tips that will be shared in this post.

Get your voice amplified with the tips below.

You might have done this on your website, but you need to bring it down to s

[read more]

Yelp has been around for a long time. It is over two and a half decades old, having been founded in 2004. The platform has done well to connect people to local businesses.

Customers can join a waiting list, make a reservation and purchase their desired goods and services. Let’s discover some interesting Yelp statistics to find out if it's still relevant in the modern business world.

Okay granted, Google takes the lead when it comes to searing for online reviews. The average star rating on Google is 4.3 compared to Yelp 3.7. The main reason why Google is ahead of Yelp is that most people are on Google and it is extremely simple to use.

To be able to stand out among the co

[read more]

Think about that time you sat down to read an interesting book or listen to a highly engaging podcast. Chances are you were so drawn into it that your brain simply lost all consciousness of your surroundings. Only by hearing a sudden noise or someone bulging into your space and calling your name did you finally snap back into reality.

That’s the power of storytelling. It draws you into this other world and grabs your constant and undivided attention. Imagine if you could use this power in your business marketing campaign to grab the undivided attention of potential customers.

Guess what… you certainly can!

And this is how.

One way that you can use storytelling in your marketing campaigns is

[read more]

Many site owners want to be more visible to online shoppers than their competitions. For this, they spend a considerable amount of their investment on SEO.

But there is plenty one can do to help rank their site without having to spend too much money.

That is what we are going to look at in our post…how to maximize organic traffic in the most efficient way.

Let’s discover!

Very often site owners will optimize for SEO to rank as high as possible on search engines.

However, remember who you are creating content for…your readers. Instead, focus on creating something that the readers will find useful, and naturally, your SEO will improve.

To create content that is helpful to readers, star

[read more]

Regardless of your marketing campaign whether it is running Facebook ads or creating a message for your homepage, the message needs to resonate with people and do so in a powerful way. Only then can you gain an edge in compelling people to purchase your products.

However, this is often something that is more said than done to many businesses. They fail to create powerful and impactful messages and instead create messages that are too generic which then fails to grab attention. Eventually, the business will fail to match up to its competitors and eventually go under.

So how do you ensure that this doesn’t happen to your business?

The first thing is to understand who you are marketing to? What are their problems, wants, and need

[read more]

When live chat first came out, it revolutionized service delivery. It was now easy for customers to get an agent and receive support and the customers felt heard. Because of this, they reported higher levels of satisfaction.

This is the power of a conversation. The great thing is that it is also being utilized in other areas of marketing.

But what is it?

Conversational marketing encompasses all methods used to engage with the customers in a dialogue or conversation. This can include live chat, SMS messaging, and live video call on social media.

There are some key advantages to conversational marketing that goes over and above the more traditional marketin

[read more]

This month's blog will be focusing on email marketing.

You can imagine my excitement when I saw an email come through from my friends at H2H Consulting talking about Email Marketing as well, specifically Email Marketing Trends for 2021. 

Check out their blog post about Email Marketing Trends that you should know about.

[read more]

I am thrilled to be posting about another one of my colleagues. 

Hillary Norfleet is a Freelance Contract Web Developer and owner of On Time Web Development. Let's hear from her in her own words.

---

Over the past 20 years, I’ve built, maintained, and optimized well over 300 websites. This experience translates into polished, sophisticated websites that load quickly, perform reliably, and instantly connect with visitors.

One thing that sets me apart from other developers is that I’m a Google Certified Expert. Using search engine optimization and tools like Google My Business, Google Search C

[read more]

I'm proud to have Dawn Verbrigghe of Jottful talk a bit about her company and how they help small businesses with developing websites. 

---

There are really three ways to get a website for your business. 

The first option is to hire someone to build the website for you. 

With a website built from scratch by a designer or agency, you can ensure it reflects your brand exactly as you wish. Many websites created by designers are built on the WordPress platform, giving your business access to all the plug-ins available in that software.

The d

[read more]

If the answer is yes, then check out my blog, 4 DIY WEBSITE BUILDERS FOR STARTING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS WEBSITE. 

If the thought of building your own website sends shivers down your spine, then I have a solution for you…

OUTSOURCE!

This week I'll be highlighting 3 outsourcing options:

    • McArdle Media
    • Jottful
    • On Time Web Development

Today I'll talk about what McArdle Media can do for you.

If you are looking to create a basic website, your typical 5 page site with a home page, about page, contact me, et

[read more]

Creating a website can seem like a daunting task. And it can be if you don’t have the right tools. The good news is, with the right tools, you do not have to be a coder or know anything about coding.

Here are some DIY website tools that you can use to create your own website.

WordPress

WordPress offers 2 different options: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. These options are different, so before you create a WordPress site, you need to know the differences. One main difference is that a .org site will need to be hosted and maintained by you. The .com option hosts the site for you.

WordPress is a great DIY option, but it does have a bit of a learning curve. You are a

[read more]

A website is crucial to today's businesses. Many people rely on the internet to make their buying decisions. Here are 5 reasons your business needs a website.

When your customers are searching for your and your products and services, they expect that you will have a website. Having a website lends credibility to your business. If they cannot find you online, it is possible that they may move on to the next product/service provider.

When you are closed, your website is OPEN! You are able to display information about your business, your products, and your services even when you are not available.

This is also a great way to generate new leads.

The other thing to

[read more]

Studies have shown that using emojis in your social media posts can increase your engagement.

What emojis should you use? When should you use them?

Check out this HubSpot article by Daria Marmer, "​Emojis Can Increase Click-Through Rates, According to New Data."

[read more]

June is DIY (Do It Yourself) Marketing Month. If you are a small business owner, every month is probably DIY Marketing month.

Many small businesses want to do their own marketing, but may not know where to start.

Susan Solovic's article, "21 Easy Marketing Ideas to Cap Off DIY Marketing Month" from Constant Contact gives some great ideas to get you started.

https://blogs.constantcontact.com/marketing-ideas-for-small-businesses/ [read more]