Branding Strategies
Any individual or internet marketing agency who provides digital marketing solutions will talk to you about developing branding strategies. Most of us have a vague idea of what a “branding strategy” is, but on the other hand, maybe we should think about this a little.
Every person, place and thing has a “brand,” a collection of ideas and images that come to mind when we hear it mentioned. Among animals, we know that lions are branded as brave and fierce, owls are wise, eagles are noble and soaring, and foxes are cunning and tricky. You can probably think of a person who shares one of these “brands.”
In the commercial world, some businesses or professional practices strike us as “very professional,” “cheap,” “expensive,” “sloppy,” or “exclusive.” The brands, “Walmart” and “Rolex” are both very successful, even though they evoke very different concepts and ideas. Both have identified a market niche and developed a very effective plan to compete in that place. They both have effective branding strategies, long term schemes to associate themselves with certain customers, clients, needs and expectations.
Doing nothing is a common branding strategy for some small businesses, service providers or professional practices. They do not ever sit down and think about the market they want to serve, how to do it, or how to reach out to those customers, clients or patrons. The first step in building branding strategies is to ask yourself where you want your business or professional practice to go. You do not need the help of an internet marketing agency or professional search engine optimization service to do this. You know your business or profession far better than they do!
To keep this article brief, we are going to assume that you have already done (or will do) this. If you are an attorney, you must decide on an area of the law, domestic, family, criminal, corporate, etc. If you have entered the carpet cleaning business, do you want to concentrate on small, residential jobs or on commercial customers? You may have decided on a highly-specialized niche, say marketing financial services to seniors.
That is the direction you want to go, and now you should develop that long-term plan to identify, reach out to and connect with the individuals who need your product or service. This is the time when a professional internet marketing agency, one with expert local SEO services can help you reach your goals. For a small, local business or a professional practice, these local search engine optimization services are invaluable. A professional internet marketing agency has the resources needed to identify the target audience for your branding strategies. A firm like Axiom Administrative Services can isolate that group, tell you what Facebook pages or YouTube channels they frequent, target them with direct mail advertising and social media posts.
A lot of branding strategy development must fall to the business or professional persons themselves. They must decide that they are aiming to be the dentist for seniors, the overnight carpet miracle workers or the legal tax expert. After that, the services of an expert internet marketing agency like Axiom can be invaluable. If you are struggling to find digital marketing solutions that work and branding strategies that make your business stand out, turn to Axiom.
Your business deserves more than a cheap web design, and Axiom is more than an internet marketing agency. Axiom Administrative Services has the professional skill and small business SEO skills needed to get your web presence the ranking it deserves. Our business marketing team can combine traditional marketing tools like direct mail advertising with local SEO services to build your branding strategy. Please visit Axiom’s small business services page or call Axiom at 800-888-6348.
About Facebook
Last week, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, spent several days testifying before Congress (both the Senate and the House of Representatives). At the same time, celebrities, politicians, knowledgeable and clueless ‘experts’ began to chime in with their opinions ranging from doom to “who cares.”
Take a moment to think over the history of Facebook. Ten years ago, Facebook hardly existed. Six months ago, people were predicting that Facebook, Google and YouTube would come to rule the world. Last week, Facebook was under attack by almost everyone concerned (including Mr. Zuckerberg). Some of those people announced that Facebook would follow MySpace into the digital graveyard.
There is no doubt that Facebook has suffered a big black eye from the Cambridge Analytics fiasco, but let’s not rush to the conclusion that it is going into headlong decline. The users that Facebook has lost in the last few days are expressing concerns over their personal data being insecure. That is a real and legitimate concern, but it probably does not affect small business, professional practice or service provider sites. To begin with, those types of Facebook users want their data shared! They want potential customers, clients, patrons or contributors to know their address, phone numbers, business abilities, etc. That is why they are on Facebook, Google +, YouTube or Pinterest!
The indirect effect that the Cambridge Analytics affair may have is that fewer people will be going to Facebook for sharing of personal experiences and information. That may spill over into a somewhat smaller audience to see your products, services, created content or branding strategy on Facebook. It should not change the digital marketing solutions that are working for you. The users that do abandon Facebook are not going to take up newspaper reading or going to local libraries to get information about the best dentist, hair stylist or auto mechanic. They are going to stay on their mobile devices transmitting or looking for information of all types.
If you don’t believe this, take a look at any of the press photos of Zuckerberg while he testifies. Behind him is a row of earnest people, all bent over and looking intently at their mobile device of some type. If Facebook comes under some form of government regulation, it is likely to rebuild consumer confidence by adhering to personal privacy guidelines. This will not change the importance of creating digital marketing solutions that involve social media. SEO techniques, SEO link building and local SEO services directed at the local market are still going to be the keys to success. This too shall pass!
Meanwhile, if you are struggling to find digital marketing solutions that work and branding strategies that make your business stand out, turn to Axiom. Axiom Administrative Services is more than an internet marketing agency. Axiom has the professional and small business SEO skills needed to get your web presence the ranking it deserves. Our business marketing team can combine traditional marketing tools like direct mail advertising with local SEO services to build your branding strategy. Please visit Axiom’s small business services page or call Axiom at 800-888-6348.
What is “CLICKBAIT”?
Clickbait is a common method used on websites to attract attention, to hold the viewer on the website and lead him or her down a path of webpages. If this sounds a little vague, think about it and you will realize that you have probably been lured into some clickbait’s path a few times yourself.
Imagine that you are on the homepage of a national news organization’s website. As you scroll down, you will start to see banners or large icons with text messages like, “Best States for Veterans” or “Ten Best Investments for Today.” Sooner or later, one of these clickbait tags is going to make you curious enough to click on it. You start to go through a series of slides or webpages hoping to get to the interesting part, but along the way you are going to see several commercial messages about real estate, mutual funds or other vaguely related subjects. That is how many people perceive “click-on-me” advertising.
The term, “clickbait” has a negative reputation, but it is sometimes undeserved. There are legitimate, above-board ways to use this tactic. At Axiom we believe that branding strategies, SEO techniques and digital marketing solutions should all be straight forward, honest and objective. There are ways to utilize the clickbait tactic to build branding strategies, and maximize a small business Search Engine Optimization program while still being above-board. Let’s consider an example.
You operate a small business that does exterior and interior painting. Your website is devoted to your business essentials (name, address, location etc.), qualifications and experience. Those are essential elements for a good business website, but probably not enough to engage the viewer. Engagement is a key element in building branding strategy. You want the web viewer to associate your business with house painting in your city.
To accomplish this, you can place several links that lead the browser down specific paths. For example, one could start a slide show that answers the question “Water or Oil-Based Paint?” Another could be titled, “How to Prep a House.” Putting these on your website keeps the potential customer or client engaged with your company and its branding strategy giving you the opportunity to convert the curious browser into a customer or client.
In summary, click baiting is legitimate as long as the inviting banner, text, icon or other link-object is not deceptive and the material provided is relevant to the needs of the user. This material should –
- Stay on the topic suggested by the banner and end with a ‘Call To Action’ like, “Contact Us Now for a Free Estimate.”
- Be helpful to the customer or viewer, even if they do not convert.
- Fit into your digital marketing solutions plan and SEO strategy.
Unfortunately, click baiting has earned a bad reputation because of the many deceptive or suggestive examples seen (even on nationally known webpages). People click away to find the “Top 10 Quarterbacks Ever” only to wind up on a magazine subscription page. If you are going to use this tactic, make sure you do it with the viewer’s best interest in mind.
At Axiom, we always keep the client’s best interest in mind. We know that creating content is difficult and time consuming. If you are struggling to find digital marketing solutions that work and branding strategies that make your business stand out, turn to Axiom. Your business deserves more than a cheap web design, and Axiom is more than an internet marketing agency. Axiom Administrative Services has the professional skill and small business SEO skills needed to get your web presence the ranking it deserves.
Our business marketing team can combine traditional marketing tools like direct mail advertising with local SEO services to build your branding strategy. Please visit Axiom’s small business services page or call Axiom at 800-888-6348.
Should You Use Google Analytics?
Digital marketing solutions and professional SEO services count on gathering accurate statistics about web traffic. Both amateur webmasters and professional SEO services measure their website’s performance using data that is available from Google Analytics. For a professional web developer, an internet marketing agency or a local SEO services provider, these statistics about page views, visitor location and many other topics, are an invaluable resource.
Without getting too technical, here are some questions Google Analytic data can answer –
- How many people visit my website?
- Where do they live?
- How many “convert” into leads, email listings or customers?
- What other websites send traffic to me (SEO link building)?
- What blog or other content do visitors like most?
- What is my website’s speed?
You can create a Google Analytics account by going to “analytics.google.com” and following the setup instructions. Learning to use Google Analytics can seem overwhelming, and it is time consuming. If your website has a serious social purpose or an economic motive (like making money), it is worthwhile to learn this skill. On the other hand, if you have a WordPress or Wix template-based site devoted to your grandchildren or to your cat pictures (there are many), then analytics of any type will just bore you.
For serious websites, data from Google Analytics can help you develop your branding strategy, digital marketing solutions, SEO strategy and SEO link building. The ultimate aim is to drive more web traffic to your site and to increase the conversion rate of viewers to customers. That is a great point –for most people, the purpose of a website is not to be technically excellent, it is to get more clients, patients or customers.
Rarely, there are small-businesses or professional people who can do this on their own. Others turn to cheap web design or settle for a static webpage constructed from a template. This is fine for private, limited use, but if you are on the web for professional reasons, it is wise to turn to skilled developers and professional SEO services.
If you want digital marketing solutions that work and branding strategies that develop and keep clients, customers and patrons, turn to Axiom. Axiom delivers more than a cheap web design, and Axiom is more than an internet marketing agency. Axiom Administrative Services has the professional skill and small business SEO skills needed to get your web presence the ranking it needs and the market position your enterprise deserves.
If you are curious about Google Analytics, the YouTube service is full of lessons and demonstrations. While you are there, check out the AXIOM YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Our business marketing team can combine traditional marketing tools like direct mail advertising with local SEO services to build your branding strategy. Please visit Axiom’s small business services page or call Axiom at 800-888-6348.
