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21 Powerful Content Strategies for Local Business Growth

21 Powerful Content Strategies for Local Business Growth

by | Apr 7, 2023 | Content Marketing, Digital Marketing

As a local business owner, creating valuable content can help you connect with potential customers and build brand awareness. However, coming up with fresh and engaging content ideas can be a challenge. We put together 21 inspiring content ideas for a local business, including tips on how to execute each idea effectively. If you’re feeling stuck for ideas, this will help.

Whether you’re looking to create educational content, engage with your audience on social media, or share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business, these ideas will help you create valuable content that resonates with your target audience. So, let’s dive in and get some inspiration!

21 Content Marketing Ideas

  1. Create a “how-to” guide related to your business or industry. A how-to guide can be a valuable resource for potential customers who are searching for information on a specific topic. For example, a local bakery could create a how-to guide on baking bread at home, with tips and tricks for getting the perfect loaf.
  2. Showcase a customer success story or case study. Sharing customer success stories is a great way to build trust and credibility with potential customers. For example, a local gym could feature a client who lost weight and achieved their fitness goals through their services.
  3. Share a behind-the-scenes look at your business operations. Sharing a behind-the-scenes look can help customers feel more connected to your business and give them a better understanding of how you operate. For example, a local brewery could share a video of their brewing process or give a virtual tour of their facilities.
  4. Publish a list of your top tips or tricks related to your business. Sharing valuable tips or tricks related to your business can position you as an authority in your industry and provide value to potential customers. For example, a local landscaping company could share their top tips for maintaining a healthy lawn.
  5. Host a Q&A session on social media or your website. Hosting a Q&A session is a great way to engage with your audience and answer any questions they may have. For example, a local bookstore could host a Q&A with an author, allowing customers to ask questions about their latest book.
  6. Share a funny or heartwarming story related to your business. Sharing a funny or heartwarming story can help customers feel more connected to your business and create a positive brand image. For example, a local coffee shop could share a story about a regular customer who always orders the same drink, and the barista who remembers their order by heart.
  7. Write a blog post about the history of your business or industry. Sharing the history of your business or industry can help customers understand your values and mission. For example, a local museum could share the history of the building they’re housed in, or a local restaurant could share the story of how they got started.
  8. Create a video tour of your business. A video tour can give potential customers a better sense of your business and what you offer. For example, a local spa could create a video tour of their facilities and services.
  9. Share a series of educational posts on a topic related to your business. Sharing educational content can position you as an authority in your industry and provide value to potential customers. For example, a local accounting firm could share a series of posts on tax planning tips for small businesses.
  10. Host a giveaway or contest on social media. Hosting a giveaway or contest is a great way to engage with your audience and attract new followers. For example, a local clothing boutique could host a giveaway for a gift card or a free outfit.
  11. Share a recipe or DIY project related to your business or industry. Sharing a recipe or DIY project can provide value to potential customers and create a positive brand image. For example, a local hardware store could share a DIY project for building a bookshelf using their tools and supplies.
  12. Collaborate with a local influencer or blogger to promote your business. Collaborating with a local influencer or blogger can help increase your brand visibility and reach new audiences. For example, a local brewery could collaborate with a beer blogger to review their latest beer release.
  13. Share a list of your favorite local businesses and why you love them. Sharing a list of your favorite local businesses can help build community and show support for other small businesses
  14. Highlight a charitable cause or community event that your business supports. Sharing information about charitable causes or community events that your business supports can help build goodwill and demonstrate your commitment to the local community. For example, a local restaurant could share information about a fundraiser they’re hosting for a local food bank.
  15. Create a “day in the life” video or blog post about a typical day at your business. Creating a “day in the life” video or blog post can give potential customers a better understanding of what it’s like to do business with you and help build trust. For example, a local hair salon could create a video showcasing a typical day in the salon, from opening to closing.
  16. Share a list of your favorite books, podcasts, or other resources related to your business or industry. Sharing a list of your favorite resources can help position you as an authority in your industry and provide value to potential customers. For example, a local marketing agency could share a list of their favorite marketing podcasts or books.
  17. Interview an expert in your industry or a related field. Interviewing an expert can help you provide valuable insights to your audience and showcase your expertise. For example, a local real estate agent could interview an interior designer to get tips on how to stage homes for sale.
  18. Share a seasonal or holiday-themed post related to your business. Sharing seasonal or holiday-themed content can help you stay relevant and engage with your audience throughout the year. For example, a local gift shop could share a list of Valentine’s Day gift ideas.
  19. Host a live or virtual event related to your business. Hosting an event can help you engage with your audience and provide value to potential customers. For example, a local yoga studio could host a virtual yoga class for beginners.
  20. Share a list of frequently asked questions related to your business. Sharing a list of frequently asked questions can help potential customers find answers to their questions and position you as a helpful resource. For example, a local law firm could share a list of frequently asked questions about divorce law.
  21. Create a meme or humorous post related to your business or industry. Sharing a funny or humorous post can help you create a positive brand image and engage with your audience in a lighthearted way. For example, a local pet store could share a meme about the joys of being a dog owner.

Need help with your content marketing? Get in touch for a free consultation.

The Power of B2B Marketing Automation – How it works…

The Power of B2B Marketing Automation – How it works…

by | Jan 11, 2023 | Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Technology, Web Design, Website Design

Technology is changing so fast in today’s world and marketing is one area that can be extremely complex, time-consuming and costly. It can be overwhelming for small and medium sized businesses so companies are looking for ways to streamline their processes but still grow their business.

If you’re looking for ways to improve and streamline your marketing efforts then marketing automation might just be the unicorn you’re looking for. It will take some planning and effort to get started but once it is performing you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.

Marketing automation is the use of software and technology to automate marketing tasks and processes, such as email campaigns, social media management, and lead generation. It allows businesses to target, engage, and convert their audience more efficiently, freeing up time and resources that can be used for other tasks.

Here are some marketing automation statistics gathered by StartupBonsai:

B2B Marketing automation statistics

A lack of clear instructions makes building an online presence challenging for B2B companies. To be successful online, your business must have clear goals and understand how online marketing works.

This post will give you some clarity and help you decide whether automation is what you need.

There are several benefits of marketing automation for businesses of all sizes:

  1. Increased efficiency and productivity: It saves time and effort by automating repetitive tasks, such as sending emails and social media posts. This allows marketers to focus on high-value tasks, such as analyzing data and creating strategic campaigns.
  2. Improved targeting and personalization: Marketing automation allows businesses to segment their audience and create targeted campaigns based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This level of personalization can help increase engagement and conversion rates.
  3. Enhanced lead generation and nurturing: It can help businesses generate and nurture leads through targeted campaigns, such as email drip campaigns and lead-scoring programs.
  4. Better analysis and measurement: Detailed analytics and reporting are a big benefit of automation software. This allows businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

The ROI of a successful marketing automation campaign can be significant. According to a survey by the Data & Marketing Association, businesses that use marketing automation see an average ROI of around 300%. This is because the automation allows businesses to reach their audience more effectively, resulting in higher conversion rates and increased revenue.

To get the most out of it, it is important to have a clear strategy in place and to use the right tools and technology.

When it’s done wrong, a campaign can also fail miserably. Do testing on a small scale first and then scale it when you have it fine tuned. It is also important to continuously test and optimize campaigns to ensure that they are delivering the desired results. With a well-executed campaign, businesses can achieve significant growth and success.

What does marketing automation actually do?

By automating and streamline marketing tasks, companies can find more time to put into actually closing deals and building relationships. Automated tasks can include a wide range of activities, such as email marketing, social media management, lead generation, and customer segmentation.

Some specific tasks that automation can perform include:

  1. Email marketing: It can send targeted and personalized emails to specific segments of a business’s audience. This can include newsletters, promotional emails, and automated drip campaigns.
  2. Social media management: Marketing automation can help businesses schedule and publish social media posts, as well as track and analyze the performance of these posts.
  3. Lead generation: Marketing automation can help businesses generate leads through targeted campaigns, such as lead-scoring programs and landing page optimization.
  4. Customer segmentation: Automation can segment a business’s audience based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This allows businesses to create targeted campaigns that are more relevant and effective.

How does marketing automation work?

Marketing automation works by using software and technology to automate and streamline marketing tasks and processes. Here is a general overview of how automation works:

  1. Set up: The first step is setting up the software and defining the goals and strategy for the campaign. This includes selecting the appropriate tools and technology, such as email marketing software or social media management platforms.
  2. Audience segmentation: Marketing automation allows businesses to segment their audience based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This allows businesses to create targeted campaigns that are more relevant and effective.
  3. Campaign creation: Set up email drip campaigns and social media posts. These campaigns can be triggered by specific actions, such as filling out a form or making a purchase.
  4. Delivery and tracking: Delivers the campaigns to the appropriate segments of the audience and tracks the performance of the campaigns. This includes measuring metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
  5. Analysis and optimization: The detailed analytics and reporting, allows businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions. This includes identifying what is working well and what can be improved upon.

What does marketing automation mean for the customer journey?

Automation can have a significant impact on the customer journey, as it allows businesses to deliver personalized and relevant experiences to their customers throughout the entire customer journey.

Here are a few ways in which marketing automation can enhance the customer journey:

  1. Lead generation and nurturing: Marketing automation can help businesses generate and nurture leads through targeted campaigns, such as email drip campaigns and lead-scoring programs. This can help businesses guide potential customers through the sales funnel and convert them into paying customers.
  2. Personalization: Marketing automation allows businesses to segment their audience and create targeted campaigns based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This level of personalization can help increase engagement and conversion rates.
  3. Customer segmentation: Marketing automation can segment a business’s audience based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This allows businesses to create targeted campaigns that are more relevant and effective, improving the overall customer experience.
  4. Customer service: Marketing automation can also be used to provide customer service, such as answering frequently asked questions or providing personalized recommendations. This can help businesses improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

By following these best practices, businesses can ensure that their marketing automation campaigns are successful and deliver the desired results.

What are common problems that marketing automation can solve?

Automation can help businesses solve a variety of problems, including:

  1. Lack of time and resources: Aave time and effort by automating repetitive tasks, such as sending emails and social media posts. This allows businesses to focus on high-value tasks, such as analyzing data and creating strategic campaigns.
  2. Lack of personalization: Businesses can segment their audience and create targeted campaigns based on specific criteria, such as location, demographics, and behavior. This level of personalization can help increase engagement and conversion rates.
  3. Inefficient lead generation and nurturing: It helps businesses generate and nurture leads through targeted campaigns, such as email drip campaigns and lead-scoring programs. This can help businesses convert more leads into paying customers.
  4. Difficulty measuring and analyzing campaigns: Marketing automation provides detailed analytics and reporting, allowing businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions. This can help businesses identify what is working well and what can be improved upon.

 

When asked why they think they’re not utilizing their tools properly, marketers identified the following barriers:

  • 39% of respondents said they lacked the training to fully utilize marketing automation software.
  • 32% said they did not have the resources to manage the automation process.
  • 31% of respondents reported that maintaining their tools was beyond their budget.
  • 25% of respondents cited a difficult setup process as the issue.

According to another study, respondents identified several challenges when implementing marketing automation:

33% of surveyed companies identified a lack of expertise as the biggest obstacle

33% of surveyed companies identified a lack of expertise as the biggest obstacle preventing them from implementing marketing automation.

Overall, marketing automation can help businesses solve a variety of problems by streamlining repetitive tasks and allowing marketers to focus on high-value activities, such as analyzing data and creating strategic campaigns. It also helps businesses reach their audience more effectively and increase conversion rates, leading to increased revenue and growth.

At OCEANONE Design our marketing platform of choice is VBOUT. It’s a comprehensive online marketing application that really has no limitations since it can easily integrate with all other modern applications that use an API. For instance, if our client likes to use the popular  Hubspot CRM, we can easily connect to it so that leads from Facebook, email or any other campaigns will be sent directly to the their CRM. We can also alert them via text message if they prefer.

Many clients tell us that the high cost of software and complexity are the barriers that hold them back from going all-in with automation. If that’s the case for you, we can help. We can set you up using our software to run the campaigns and connect to your free CRM. That way there is no software cost to you. As you grow, you can invest in your own system and hire staff to run it.

Don’t get left behind, contact us anytime for a free consultation.

Effective Online Marketing Strategies for Manufacturers

Effective Online Marketing Strategies for Manufacturers

by | Apr 26, 2022 | Lead Generation, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO, Website Design

Manufacturers and distributors have very different marketing strategy challenges than B2C companies. Ultimately, your goal is to convince other businesses to work with you and marketing efforts fail if you cannot accomplish this goal.

The time have changed and using the internet to contact more companies and grow your business has never been easier. If you’re looking for modern, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturer marketing strategies, look no further.

The following industrial marketing solutions have been compiled to help you reach more potential partners online. Even if you don’t have much experience with digital marketing, you can follow these steps written in plain English.

Let me explain to you why internet marketing is so successful for manufacturers and other B2B businesses.

The Internet made it easier for retailers to conduct research on potential distributors and their products. Within seconds, they were able to view detailed photos or specs, read reviews, and view customer feedback from a larger number of companies and products.

Due to this change in preference, your marketing must adapt as well. You’re likely missing most of your potential customers if you don’t use the Internet to reach them. Fortunately, you can use this to your advantage. The ROI is much, much easier to track with online marketing than with traditional marketing methods.

Moreover, because online marketing costs are relatively low, manufacturers or distributors are able to experiment more freely, with little or no risk to their business.

With a wide range of options, you can try things and fail without worrying about losing a great deal of money or damaging your reputation. Actually, testing is not only recommended, it’s an important part of the overall strategy as you will soon see.

Here are ways to you can use online marketing to reach more potential customers

Let’s talk about some of the tactics you should try now that you know why digital channels are so beneficial for manufacturer marketing strategies. Here are some of the best marketing strategies we’ve used to reach more potential customers at the lowest cost possible for manufacturers and distributors.

1. Make your website rank for the right keywords

Taking steps to ensure that your manufacturer or distributor website can be found easily by potential customers – and outranks your competitors – should be the first step in your marketing strategy. In search engine optimization – also known as SEO – this is accomplished.

Here’s a quick explanation for those unfamiliar with SEO. When someone types in a keyword related to your business into a search engine, SEO is one of several methods to make your website more likely to show up and rank highly. Choosing the right keywords to target is key.

The easiest way to get started with SEO is to brainstorm words or phrases potential customers would associate with your business. It can be as simple as a phrase or a single word. If you manufacture hardwood flooring, for instance, you might consider everything from “hardwood flooring” to “how to choose hardwood flooring”.

IMPORTANT – DON’T DO THIS…

This is where we see other marketing companies giving bad advice. Let’s stay with the “hardwood flooring” example. If you manufacture hardwood flooring, and try to rank # 1 in Google, you will be in direct competition with every large retailer like Home Depot and Lowes. It will cost a fortune and it won’t help with sales unless you sell directly to consumers.

It is extremely important to understand search intent. Google is all about providing the best results for the assumed intent of keyword search. If someone searches for “hardwood flooring”, Google assumes someone is looking to buy hardwood flooring and wants to see choices. Sure enough, if you do search “hardwood flooring”, all the top results will be from flooring retailers.

As a manufacturer, you should focus on optimizing your site to rank for site search terms that retailers and distributors would use to find your products. Target keywords like “hardwood flooring manufacturer” and “what is the best hardwood flooring”, “wholesale hardwood flooring”.

Take time to brainstorm terms for your industry, and then create content that is optimized to rank high for those terms. We won’t go into an SEO tutorial here but once you understand keyword intent, you can move forward with a successful SEO strategy.

2. Advertise using pay-per-click

Manufacturers also use advertising as one of their top marketing strategies, but not the kind of advertising you’d expect. A pay-per-click ad is one that appears on search engines results pages (SERPs) and other websites.

Manufacturers or distributors can achieve very high returns on investment with PPC ads, which are generally inexpensive. You only pay for them when they are clicked – not when they are viewed – and they contain just a sentence or two of copy with a link to your website. Even if people don’t click on your ad, you are still getting brand exposure for free.

The use of PPC ads, which allow you to control the amount of money you spend to appear in search engine results, can be a tremendous benefit to your brand if you are not ranking highly in search engines. The reports are a huge benefit because they will detail what people are actually searching for and you can do a lot of testing to find out what works best for your company.

Results from PPC are instantaneous, which is one of the major benefits. You can start sending targeted traffic to your website and attract qualified leads as soon as you click to go live with your ads. You will be able to generate leads quickly without exhausting your budget.

3. Find out what converts on your website

We mentioned earlier that online marketing gives you room to try out different methods and to fail if necessary. The conversion rate optimization method, also known as CRO, encourages testing and failure with the goal of increasing conversions and ultimately revenue for your company.

CRO is based on a very simple premise where you test changes on your website and discover what changes provide more conversions. Whether your successful conversion is measured as a phone call or request for quote, a simple change of wording like  “Contact Us” to “Get Started” or “Learn More” on a button can sometimes be the answer to significantly boosting your conversion rate. You can try different Headings, images, color schemes etc. The challenge is not to implement this permanently and risk losing all your leads if your gut feeling turns out to be incorrect. With CRO, you can test ideas without losing all your leads.

A/B testing is a method that is implemented to show version “A” of your landing page to one group of website visitors. Then a “B” version of the page is set up to show a different group of visitors. Once the winner is discovered you stick with that page. An experiment can be made safer this way since a drop in conversions in the “B” version immediately causes the test to be dropped. If you make a substantial leap, you can reap immediate benefits and more profit!

4. Develop engaging media and content that ranks well

When retailers search online for products to carry in their stores, they may be seeking photos, videos, or more detailed information than what they might get from a basic summary. Create engaging content and ensure that it ranks highly in search results to capitalize on this desire – and attract more potential B2B customers to your content.

Links to websites are no longer the only result in search engine results. In addition to receiving search results for any query, the searcher can also receive videos, images, locations, and shopping results. Good engaging content that you can get ranked is likely to attract visitors to your website where they can learn more about your products.

Here are some content suggestions and ideas for manufacturers:

  1. Are there any products you would like a video of in action? Host the video on YouTube (with a link to your website in the description) with a keyword-rich title and description.
  2. The images on your website should have relevant keywords in their filenames and alt text explaining what is in the image. This can increase the chances of them ranking high in Google Image search for those keywords and lead viewers to your website when they click on it.
  3. Provide answers to customer questions in your content, like blog posts and videos. Having answers to these questions are likely to rank well on search engines, causing potential customers to read them, then peruse your website for more information. Answer questions on Quora.
  4. Repurpose existing content. Content repurposing is very effective when you take good quality content and repurpose its structure and message to get more use from your valuable information. You might turn a video into blog posts or slide presentations. Create downloadable cheat sheets or ebooks and use them to build an email list.
  5. Use surveys to find out what people think about your products and gain insights so you can make improvements to existing products or get ideas for new ones.

5. Establish a strong social media presence

Social media marketing can be slow to take off among B2B companies. For manufacturers, however, social media marketing is a very effective tool. Create a social media profile and your manufacturing company will be exposed to decision-makers and engage with potential clients.

Manufacturers can increase their brand recognition and make meaningful connections through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

As well as sharing product photos, setting up competitions, and creating brand ambassadors, social media can be used for many other things.

YouTube can be a great marketing tool for B2B companies. It’s an excellent opportunity to showcase products and distribute informative content using video.

Social media can also be utilized by manufacturers during product development to get feedback and ideas.

Your marketing strategy can be adjusted based on customer feedback using social media listening tools. Additionally, product forums can be used to discover what customers think about your product.

6. Make it easy to contact you

Last but not least, we suggest making it extremely easy for potential clients to get in touch with you. A simple way to achieve this is to have your phone number prominently displayed on your website, add a dedicated contact form, or utilize social media.  Here are some examples of excellent industrial websites.

It may seem obvious but some sites make customers has make it a hassle just to find the contact email or phone number. Take a look at your website and make sure it is very easy to get in touch with your company.

If you want people to call, keep the phone number visible at all times while they are on your website.

You will get more leads. Also, being active on social media can increase your chances of getting in touch with them, as many will reach out to you with questions there so be prepared with answers.

Would you like help with your  manufacturer marketing strategy?

Manufacturers often find it challenging to develop and implement marketing plans in-house. Every need is different, and every method must be just right. If you’re struggling to balance your marketing efforts with the demands of running your business, we can help!

We have been working with manufacturing businesses since 2000. Every business is unique and we have the experience to look at the big picture, figure out ways to reach your ideal customers and build a strategy to meet your goals.

Also check out our post on “The Power of B2B Marketing Automation – How does it work?“

8 Tips To Develop A Marketing Strategy That Will Get Your Business Noticed

8 Tips To Develop A Marketing Strategy That Will Get Your Business Noticed

by | May 9, 2022 | Content Marketing, Lead Generation, Digital Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO, Social Media

Have you ever been wondering how businesses get so much attention every single day? You see them out there marketing their businesses, and all of a sudden, you start seeing their ad after ad on social media, at work, and everywhere else. So how do they get so many eyeballs on their marketing every day?

The answer is simple — they know how to develop a marketing strategy that will get them noticed. In this article, you are going to learn how to develop a marketing strategy that will get your business noticed.

Whether you are a business owner, an entrepreneur, or just getting started and  looking to get your foot into the door of business, this information is for you. It’s important that your company has a marketing strategy in place, no matter what size of business currently is.

The reason for this is because a marketing strategy will help you convert your prospects into customers, and potential customers into long-term customers. In other words, a marketing strategy will help you get your business out to the people who will be most interested in it.

Let’s look at what’s involved in developing an effective marketing strategy.

An Effective Marketing Strategy is Important for any Business

A marketing strategy is essential for any business when it comes to getting their business out there. The problem with this is that many people think they can get by without one. They might believe that they have a great product, service, or idea and all they need to do is advertise it publicly and people will find them.

Well, the truth is that’s not true at all. When someone thinks in this way, they are setting themselves up for failure because there are millions of other businesses doing the same thing, which means no one will notice them.

Define Your Audience

When developing a marketing strategy, it is imperative that you first define your audience. Your marketing strategy should be tailored to them and their needs. If you are an author, for instance, your target audience may be people who enjoy reading.

This means that when creating your marketing campaign, you will want to use images of books and quotes from famous authors in order to attract these specific people. If your business is a construction company and the audience is made up of professionals in the construction industry, then you will want to place images of construction sites and building materials on your site in order to draw attention to those interested in this field.

The point here is that the more specific you are with your defined audience, the better chance you have of getting their attention.

Develop A Solid Content Marketing Strategy

An important first step for long-term growth is to develop a content marketing strategy. In order to get your business noticed, you are going to have to create a lot of content that people will want to read and share. The best way to do this is by finding content that is relevant to the people in your target demographic and then providing even more valuable information on top of it.

For example, if your business sells healthy kale chips, you could provide healthy recipes for dips other food items that are complementary to yours.  By taking the time and effort to put out valuable information, you will be able to draw in readers who are interested in what you have to say.

Always Be Updating

One great way to get people looking at your marketing is by updating it. This will show prospects that you are confident in what you have to offer, and that you are constantly trying new ways to keep them interested.

For example, you might update your social media posts every day with new information about your products or services. Or, you may post a video of a new experience that is coming soon on your website. Whatever the case may be, updating your content often will get people talking about it.

Always Be Consistent

One of the biggest mistakes that a lot of businesses make with their marketing is that they are not consistent. You need to be consistent in your marketing if you want it to be effective. You need to put out content on a regular basis, whether it be once or twice per day.

You also need to use social media daily and have ads running on Facebook and other sites on a regular basis as well. The more you do this, the better chance you have of building a following and gaining trust among your target audience. One of the best ways to stay consistent is by using an editorial calendar.

An editorial calendar can help you plan ahead and know what you’re going to post when without having to think about it.

Always Be Testing

The first thing that you need to think about in your marketing strategy is how you are going to test what works and what doesn’t. In other words, you want to try different strategies to see which ones work better than others.

For instance, if you are advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, then you will want to test out different ads with different types of images and copy.

If you are doing PPC advertising then this should be pretty easy for you because you can get results very quickly. Testing both Social advertising and PPC ads is great way for you to figure out what strategy will work best for your company.

By running A/B tests and tracking the metrics like views and conversions you’ll be able to determine what method will give you the best ROI. Then you can optimize your campaigns over time so that they produce the the best ongoing results possible.

You want to always be testing so that you can find the right formula that works best for your business — there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to marketing strategies!

Always Be Watching For Trends

One of the first things that you can do to develop a marketing strategy that will get you noticed is to always be watching for trends. You never know when something might explode, and if you are not paying attention when it does, then you could end up missing out on a lot of potential customers who would have been very interested in your business.

For example, one way that people use social media is by following hashtags. When you post to Instagram use hashtags relevant to your business. If you sell custom furniture you might use hashtags like #customfurniture, #customcoffeetable, and #customchairs etc. If someone who follows these trends happens to come across your business and they see that your company offers custom chairs or custom coffee tables, they may end up contacting you and becoming a customer because they did not know that these products were available before and they live close enough to pick them up.

Look For Opportunities

Always look for opportunities to get noticed. For example, if you are the owner of a clothing boutique, the opportunity to get noticed could be as simple as placing your promotions in a high-traffic area whether it’s online or offline. This will ensure that people have an easier time finding your store.

You also need to think about other ways to get noticed, such as creating pop-up shops or even sponsorship deals for events in your area. Look at that activities of other businesses related to yours and see if there are ways to work together to benefit each other. There are plenty of opportunities for you to get noticed, but it all starts with looking for them.

Conclusion

So you’ve got your business plan complete and now you are ready to develop a marketing strategy that will get you noticed. You may be wondering where to start and all the steps that need to be followed in order to create a successful marketing strategy. The 8 tips outlined above will help you develop a strategy that will get you noticed and establish your business as the go-to in your industry.

Outsourcing Graphic Design for Your Marketing Needs

Outsourcing Graphic Design for Your Marketing Needs

by | Apr 25, 2022 | Graphic Design, Design

Today, there’s an intense and growing demand for quality marketing content. Many companies are overwhelmed with the time that’s required to produce their own content, and are looking for a more cost-effective way to get the job done.

Outsourcing graphic design is an effective way to leverage the power of attention-grabbing visuals and keep up with the demands to compete online and offline.

If you find your company in this position, we’ve gathered some ideas to help you stay ahead of the curve and decide if outsourcing your graphic design needs makes sense for your company.

Leverage the Expertise of Experienced Designers That Are Too Expensive to Hire Full-time

If you don’t have design experts in-house, you should consider outsourcing your graphic design needs.

Try outsourcing a single project and compare it to what gets done in-house. You might be amazed at the difference. Then again, you might not be but it’s a good due diligence strategy to help you analyze and assess the quality level of your in-house marketing assets.

Getting multiple iterations of a design project will help you by getting you to stand back and take a good look. See the possibilities and make an informed decision by publishing multiple versions and see which designs get more attention and engagement.

Getting a Fresh Perspective Can Be An Eye Opener

There’s a lot of thought and skill that goes into designing a strong marketing asset like a brochure. And it’s important to have someone who understands the importance of marketing materials in order to create designs that resonate with your target audience.

For example, when creating a brochure for an audience in the fitness industry, you may want the design to reflect movement and athleticism.

This is something a graphic designer will be able to do for you because they understand what it takes to create the sense of motion in a printed piece.

The Design Thinking Approach

A trained modern designer uses Design Thinking, an approach that seeks to understand the problem(s) before looking for solutions. By doing so, a designer looks at the problems that the consumer faces and researches to gain an understanding of what they go through and the other things they may have tried.

This helps to deliver a more powerful design solution that communicates a message that evokes emotion and connection to the solution you are offering.

Focus on Marketing Strategy and Outsource the Creative

Marketing must be a strategic process that aligns with your business goals. Yes, you want your marketing to look good, but you need it to be functional and effective, too.

You can outsource the visual design of your marketing materials by hiring a professional graphic designer.

However, it’s important to remember that you should still have control over how this person works on the project.

For example, if you want to create a new marketing campaign for social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, ask for the designer’s recommendations first.

They should suggest creative ideas and offer tips on what will work best in an online environment. Then, you can provide feedback and request revisions as needed until you’re satisfied with the final product.

Get an Outsider’s Perspective of your Business

One of the best advantages of outsourcing your design or marketing is that you can instantly get a fresh perspective from an outsider who is an expert. The new ideas that come can lead to remarkable changes to the company’s brand and growth.

Focus on what you do best and outsource the rest and you not only feel less pressure but you’ll get results that would not have been possible otherwise.

Your business needs all of its employees working towards one goal: growth. It’s hard for companies to find people who are skilled in all aspects of marketing when they will likely only need one or two people who are skilled in the specific area they want focused on.

Segmenting your team can help them become more productive and efficient—and it can also help you afford their services!

Finally, you can save money by outsourcing your design or marketing your company will be able to benefit from the expertise of talented designers without any long-term commitments.

Many organizations have a Director of Marketing but outsource the creative production. This as a great model for many companies because they have one key person who is focused developing effective marketing strategies and then they outsource the creative and technical tasks.

This helps by tapping into expert help on an as needed basis.

If you run a few ongoing marketing campaigns in a year, it doesn’t make sense to hire full-time graphic designers or CRO specialists and the like.

They might just sit around doing nothing a lot of the time if you don’t have projects for them. You won’t like that and neither will they.

Outsourcing these tasks will be far more effective because you will get experts who will do top-notch work and likely over-deliver because they will want to impress you so that you will hire them again. It’s a win-win situation.

Build Your Brand Consistently

It’s important to develop a strong, unified brand that your target audience can recognize. When you use outsourcing as your go-to graphic design resource, it allows you to create a consistent branding strategy for all of your marketing materials.

Your brand is the foundation for everything you do in marketing. It’s what draws people in and builds credibility over time.

One way to ensure that your brand remains consistent is by designating one company or individual to take on the responsibility of overseeing your marketing collateral.

By outsourcing graphic design needs, you have an opportunity to build and keep your brand fresh and up-to-date.

When you outsource graphic design content, you open yourself up to a larger pool of potential designers. This can lead to increased creativity when it comes to designing new designs for your company’s content.

This is because the more options you have, the greater chance there is of coming up with something truly unique.

With outsourcing, businesses experience higher levels of creativity while also being able to maintain their unified branding strategy through consistency across all marketing channels.

Outsource the Skills That You Don’t Have In-house

One of the best ways to leverage the power of content marketing is by presenting your company as an authority in its field. To do this, you need quality visuals that will convey the message you want to send.

Hiring a full-time professional graphic designer to create these images is expensive, time-consuming and difficult. Not only do graphic designers need time to research your industry and design concepts for your website, they also need time to create all the different versions of your logo, flyers and social media banners. This can take weeks or months before you have any tangible outputs.

If you don’t have a staff member with these skills or are unwilling or unable to outsource these services in-house, it might be worth considering outsourcing graphic design externally. It will help to produce marketing content more efficiently and effectively.

Conclusion

Graphic design is an essential part of marketing. It sets the tone for all of your marketing collateral and is the first impression for many people. But hiring a full-time designer can be expensive, and you may not have the bandwidth to handle all of your design needs.

There are many reasons to outsource your graphic design needs, but most importantly it frees up your time to focus on your marketing strategy and creates consistency across your brand.

It’s always a good idea to get a few quotes so you know whether you are getting a good price. You’ll also want to see if you connect on a personal level so be sure to reach out to a few Web Design Companies.

By outsourcing to a reliable company you’ll be able to take advantage of the expertise of experienced designers that are very expensive to hire full-time. Graphic designers are responsible for designing marketing materials like logos, banners, brochures, business cards, social graphics, email marketing templates and more.

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OCEANONE Design has been delivering quality graphic design services to some clients for over 10 years. Clients know they can count on us to deliver every single time.

We guarantee your satisfaction. Try us out for free!