by Francois Muscat | Aug 12, 2019 | Content Marketing
Few things could be more deadly to your marketing campaign – on any platform – than a lack of planning. You can’t just throw out blogs, social media posts and ads at random, and then hope for the best. You need to take a strategic and methodical approach and execute your plan with precision. The most challenging part is developing the plan; once that is in place, the rest of the process is relatively easy. So, how do you create a good content plan? Follow these steps:
Set Your Goals
What do you want to achieve from your marketing campaign? Are you looking to increase your subscriber base, boost your sales? By how much? In what timeline? Use the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based) principle to create goals that you and your team can aim for. It will make the next steps that much easier.
Identify Your Audience
“But I already know my audience”, you might be saying. Never assume that this is the case. You may have a good idea about your established audience, but your target market for this particular campaign might be different. Perhaps you want to focus on a specific subset of your overall market. For example, maybe this one is aimed at the women in your audience, or at its younger members. Or perhaps you want to target people outside of your established audience to bring them into the fold. Do your research and think carefully about who you are talking to, as this will determine the platforms, tools and tone you use going forward.
Choose the Right Media
Having decided on your goals and identified your target audience, now you need to pick the right tools for the job. Is this going to be a concentrated social media campaign? If so, on which platforms? Or maybe this is something that will require a targeted email funnel. Perhaps a bit of both, or something else. You can best answer these questions by having gone through the previous step. Once you know your target market, you can work out the best way to reach them.
Craft Your Message
Okay, so now you have established to whom you are talking and on which platform. Now you need to work out what you’re going to say. You already know the basics of what you need to communicate, so now it’s a question of tailoring the message to the audience and medium. You and your team should already have the raw creative power to do this – let your chosen media guide your creativity.
Schedule and Track Your Content
Now it’s time to get your content out there. Carefully plan how you are going to release it. Let your posts tell a progressive story, from your campaign’s introduction to its conclusion. Use apps such as Hootsuite or Buffer to time your posts and monitor the response to them.
Measure the Results
It’s vital that you take stock during and after the campaign to measure your success – or lack thereof. This will help you to see how well you’ve done on this campaign, as well as honing and improving your strategy for future ones.
Contact WSI for more guidance in devising and executing effective online marketing campaigns.
by Francois Muscat | Aug 6, 2019 | Blogging
Blogging is easy, right? All you have to do is pick a topic, throw together a paragraph or two and the job’s done. Well, that seems to be a common perception – but it’s quite far from the truth. Effective blogging is a specialised marketing skill. A good blog has the potential to make your brand a household name, while a bad one can see you relegated to cyber-obscurity. Fully conscious of the irony in blogging about blogging (call it meta-blogging, if you like), we are going to go through the five most common mistakes that bloggers make, why they should be avoided and how you can steer clear of them.
Formal tone and content
A blog needs to be a quick, easy read, written in a conversational tone. If you make it too stiff or fill it with jargon, your readers are likely to click elsewhere before they even get past the first paragraph. Relax, think as if you’re chatting to a friend and then say what you want to say in the simplest, most informative way possible.
Too Broad or Vague Topics
Nothing annoys a reader more than clicking on a link only to find a blog that doesn’t deliver the information it promises or offers too little substance. This is often the result of a topic that is too broad, tries to cover too much ground or offers only basic, general knowledge on the subject. Once you have chosen your subject, zoom in and pick a very specific aspect of it, then address that with a sharp, narrow focus. Try to ensure that the reader sees your topic from a different angle.
Plagiarism
This is probably the most common sin in the blogosphere. Keep your content original, use your own voice and viewpoint and never copy and paste. There are only so many ideas under the sun and it’s often necessary to draw on the ideas of your colleagues, but should you need to do so, make sure you cite your sources clearly.
Random Posting
No matter how good your blog is, it will have a diminished impact if you just post at random, writing on whatever idea comes to mind and not following a schedule. A reader can spot this randomness a mile away and it flags you as sloppy or unprofessional. Before you start writing, develop a content plan that serves your marketing goals. Then execute that plan according to a carefully drawn-up content calendar.
Not Substantiating Your Argument
Just because a blog is informal, that doesn’t mean that you can make statements without backing them up. It may not be an academic essay, but you still need to show proof for your conclusions or at least demonstrate your grounding in your industry’s norms, standards and news. Make sure that you use data and quote sources where necessary. Aside from covering your bases, it will also add gravitas and credibility to your work.
Luckily, if content generation isn’t your forte, or if you need a guiding hand, there are always experts to help. Contact WSI to discuss your marketing content and planning needs.
by Francois Muscat | Aug 5, 2019 | Website Design
If you are reading this article, you have probably been tasked with briefing a web design company for your brand-new website or the redesign of your existing website. Here are a few ideas of what you need to include in the brief:
Web designers will need to know a bit about your company. Include a few paragraphs about the business and your industry, the products you sell, the services you offer, how many people are employed and who your target audience is.
Chances are good that you already have a website. In the brief, include what you like about the website and what you don’t like (such as dated designs or old colour schemes). Let the web designers know when it was designed, by whom and how much traffic you receive each month.
List the goals of your website. Are you trying to sell products online? Or, are you trying to increase brand awareness, for example? Include the demographics of your ideal buyers, the unique selling points of your products and services and a few of your competitors’ websites. List all of the features that you would like on the website, including but not limited to a search box, social media sharing buttons, e-commerce functionalities, galleries, forms, newsletters, a private members section and integration into existing CRM systems.
To guide the designers on the type of design you want, give them any graphics that you want on the site as well as font, style, colours and icons that you want to include. Feel free to include websites that you like with a description of what you like about them. Also consider whether the design should be professional or personal, traditional or contemporary or serious versus lighthearted, for example.
This is just a starting point to get your website project going. If you need web design services, contact WSI OMS today.
by Francois Muscat | Jul 19, 2019 | Digital Media Marketing
If you are anything like most other people, you have probably watched a video in the past few days, if not today. The reason is that the video has become part of the mainstream content on the Internet. Video excites and engages individuals whether they are consuming news, sports, entertainment or branded messages. Videos have the power to engage people, to unite them as well as to educate them. It can even create cultural conversations. Today, savvy digital marketers understand just how crucial it is to use video marketing. In any case, Cisco Systems foresees that video is going to comprise about 82 percent of the traffic on the Internet within the U.S. in some few years to come. So, let us look at why the future in digital marketing is going to be video.
Video Content Increases Conversions and Sales
Using video can make you some serious money. When you add a product video on landing pages, it can increase your conversions substantially. Studies also indicate that 74 percent of people who viewed an explainer-video about one or the other product eventually bought it; this obviously means that videos can directly increase sales. Most of the information that’s transmitted to the brain is visual. If still pictures can enhance engagement, just imagine the power of moving pictures!
According to Wyzowl statistics, about 63 percent of brands are now using video content marketing, and out of those brands, 82 percent feel that video marketing is a very important component of their marketing strategy.
Video Yields Great ROI
Businesses that use video content see an increase in return on investment. Although video production isn’t that easy or cheap, it pays off in a big way when used appropriately. Today, there are many online video editing tools that brands can use to create videos for their brands and products at an affordable price. Your video doesn’t have to be perfect, what matters most is the content in it. Studies show that most users are put off by a video that does not explain a brand, product or service in a clear way.
Videos Build Trust
The basis of conversions and sales is trust. However, building trust doesn’t come easily. You need to create long-term relationships with customers. The good news is that content marketing works pretty well in achieving that. You need to stop selling. Rather, allow people to reach out to you because you provide them with useful information.
Today, there is a focus on igniting audiences and not just the content or traffic. Video creates that focus you need, it engages people and ignites their emotions. For example, YouTubers are some of the most powerful and influential people in social media. They can help to promote your brand. Promotional videos are able to foster trust because they present products in a conversational way that creates the personalisation of a brand. This is why 57 percent of consumers say videos have given them more confidence when purchasing online.
Google Loves Videos
Using videos allows brands to increase the time visitors spend on their site. In turn, the longer exposure helps to build trust. And, it hints to search engines that your site contains good, useful and informative content. Your brand is 53 times more likely to appear on top of SERPs in Google if you have embedded videos on your site. Because Google, the biggest search engine, owns YouTube, there is a considerable increase in how videos impact on search engine ranking. Brands need to optimise their videos on social channels like Facebook and YouTube for search engine optimisation by writing interesting descriptions and titles as well as by adding a backlink.
Videos Appeal to Mobile Users
It’s estimated that 90 percent of consumers view videos on their mobile devices. So, video and mobile tend to go hand-in-hand. Mobile video consumption has been increasing by 100 percent every year according to YouTube. Since the number of mobile phone users is increasing and people like watching videos, it means that the video audience of brands will keep on getting bigger and bigger. Brands have to remain sensitive to the personal experiences individuals will have on their mobile devices. For example, brands should give mobile phone audiences a better choice in video content consumed.
With the increasing popularity of video, it means that much of the content appearing on the top of the funnel needs to be in video format. Videos will bring more conversions and generate more leads and sales. Many potential buyers are unwilling to talk to a salesperson, and that is why they would prefer consumer videos to understand more about a brand or product or service.
If you need help with video content creation, contact WSI OMS today!
by Francois Muscat | Jul 15, 2019 | Copywriting
Creating content is the foundation of your marketing strategy. It’s the content that will sell your brand, and if you cannot produce a killer piece, you are wasting your time. You have heard of bloggers who have spent years creating content, but they are unable to gain traction. Their audience is always running away! But why? Probably because the content is boring, and the reason could be that they are not confident when creating it. To write content you don’t have to be the most creative person or even a wordsmith; however, the way you schedule your time and how you approach your content writing can make a difference. Here are ways to remain alert when writing content and doing content marketing:
Stop Becoming Disoriented by the Internet
It’s easy to get lost on the internet because you are distracted. Copywriters spend a lot of their time online. And, considering that there are so many things happening on the internet, if you are not careful, you will be lost and won’t be attentive when creating your content. There are so many things you come across while doing your research – like funny videos you can watch on Facebook, Youtube or Instagram – that can really eat up your hours. So, the best advice is that you need to put a lid on the multitude of distractions you face on the internet. For example, you can use browser plugins that keep the distractions away. You also need to have a list of your to-dos and your priorities.
Have a Phone-Free Workspace
Your workspace zone should be free of phones. The amount of time you spend picking up the phone can make your productivity take a plunge. If you are going to be successful and remain alert when writing, you have to do away with your phone. Not that copywriting is too involved or that it requires a lot of focus, but because the biggest distraction to copywriters is a ringing cell phone. When you stop to check some texts that have just come in or if you answer a buddy’s phone call while in the midst of writing or coming up with a title or researching a particular topic, it becomes difficult to pick up from where you left off. In the end, you will have sub-par content that has taken all your time.
Have a Daily To-Do List
Having a planner containing the content that you have to create (a to-do list) will help you to keep track and on top of what has been accomplished and what is remaining. A planner not only keeps you organised but also prevents you from forgetting assignments. It also prevents you from skipping past your due dates. Research conducted at California’s Dominican University by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor, shows that people who write down their goals are 42 percent more likely to accomplish them.
Take Frequent Breaks
Among the most effective productivity hacks is taking a moment from being productive. It may seem counterintuitive that instead of being productive, you take time and get out of work. Frequent breaks are an effective way to stay sharp and remain driven throughout the day. When you step away from your desk, it reduces eye fatigue, especially if you are working on computers. People who have two minutes of frequent breaks are 11,15 percent more productive than those who don’t. When you feel like you have started being bogged down or getting distracted, take a break. You can even set an alarm so that you have the breaks at a regular interval.
Batch-Check Things
In a world taken up by push notifications, inboxes, alerts and text messages, it is unlikely that you can focus on one thing only. With time, you will experience mental burnout and a rise in stress levels. To help reduce the time you spend on other things other than creating content, you can batch-check the virtual communications like emails, alerts, SMS’s and push notifications. Define two times in a day when you will check your voicemails, emails, text messages, alerts and social media notifications and limit it to that.
When you observe these tips, you will be able to remain organised, alert and productive while creating content and doing content marketing. And, you will also ensure that you produce quality content that audiences will love and will probably want to share with their peers.
At WSI OMS, we can help you to create not only content that is interesting and informative to the reader, but that is also SEO optimised. Contact us today for more information.
