As we’re now in the second half of 2021, we’ve seen many events occur that affect consumers and brands alike. That’s especially the case when it comes to the Digital Marketing industry. This makes improving your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts that much important going forward.
Today, we’ll discuss a few website optimization tips that will help increase your search engine rankings. In the end, you’ll gain a better idea of how your brand can compete in a fast-evolving online world.
Improve Your Site Speed
Site speed is a key factor that determines the success of brands online. With every second it takes for your page to load, the number of people bouncing from your page increases too. This will cause your overall page ranking to suffer a drastic drop.
For this reason, you’ll want to make addressing your page speed a top priority. To test your site speed, there are free online services that can help you optimize your page. Below are some great examples of these types of services.
Google Page Speed Insights
GT Metrix
Pingdom Tools
WebPage Tests
With a faster website speed, you’ll stand to gain more visitors and increase your overall page rankings.
Make Sure Your Site Is Readable And To The Point
Always keep your audience in mind when writing website content. Strive to write it in a way most people understand. To attract their interest, make your key points right at the beginning. Use headings and subheadings to explain the topic without having to read further. This helps guide readers into reading information that’s most essential to their research.
Another writing tactic you should use is what’s called the Inverted Pyramid Method for best SEO results. To attract the interest of readers, make your key points right at the beginning. This helps entice the readers to read more about what you have to offer. If they can find value by scanning the text, they’ll be more likely to consider your brand.
It’s also best to use transition words like “less than” to compare and “thus” to conclude. This will help you make your points while bringing clarity to your audience.
Utilize Top Quality Outbound Links
Outbound links are another crucial SEO factor to keep in mind. When making claims, it’s always a great idea to back them up. For that reason, make sure that you link your claims to trustworthy sites. Here are two great tips to follow when using outbound links.
Make sure the target site is of high authority.
Use facts that have been published within the past 12 months.
By taking these steps, you’ll be able to gain credibility with your audience.
Use The Right Keywords For Your Website
Gone are the days where you could pick any random keyword, write a 500-word article, and rank for that keyword the next day. SEO has since gone through so many changes due to many algorithm updates by search engines.
That’s why researching the intent of your target audience has become a crucial need. This will help you determine which long-tail keywords work best at bringing those people to your website. Here are some examples of keyword research tools that can help assist you in your keyword research.
Ubersuggest
Moz
SEMRush
Ahrefs
The key here is to think about how your audience would search for a keyword. Also, think about what kinds of content they seek to find on a page. When using these tools, start by typing in a broad keyword. They’ll provide you with a list of keyword suggestions you can use to attract a specific audience.
Repeat this step over again as you create more website content. Aim to write top-quality articles that provide others with as much information on the topic as possible.
Use The E-A-T Method
Another great way to ensure you’re developing high-quality content is to use the E-A-T method. This stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
Expertise
Expertise refers to the high knowledge and skills a content creator has in a particular field. For YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics, formal expertise is a must. An example of this type of topic is providing medical advice to others.
As for Non-YMYL topics, it all comes down to one’s everyday expertise. For example, someone on a support page sharing their experience of recovering from an injury counts as that. Expertise is a crucial part of developing content that provides value to others.
Authoritativeness
This refers to the reputation of the content creator. When others see a website or an individual as their go-to source for information, that is authority. A great example of this is people searching for symptoms on WebMD. Due to WebMD’s credibility over time, people see them as their primary source for medical information.
Raters check authority through independent sources like reviews, expert recommendations, and references. As you create content, you always want to make authoritativeness a key part of your plans.
Trustworthiness
What this talks about is the legitimacy and transparency of the content creator. Raters look at three main things as they evaluate trustworthiness.
Content accuracy
Content information
Proper citation of trustworthy sources
These three pieces are crucial as you create content for your website. After all, trust is a major factor in helping you attract your ideal audience.
The E-A-T method goes a long way in helping build your online presence and growing your search engine rankings. It also helps you avoid any surprises that may come from any Google Core Updates.
Show Users And Search Engines Your Website Is Secure And Consistent
Website security and consistency are both major page ranking factors you’ll need to take note of. That’s why it’s crucial to follow these steps to ensure the best results.
Maintain Consistent Contact Data
Ensuring consistent contact data across local directory sites helps build trust with your audience. When using Google My Business (GMB), always include your name, address, and phone number (NAP). You should also check to make sure your business listings are consistent with your GMB listings. This helps go a long way in helping you rank high in the maps section of the search results.
Stay Up To Date With Security Updates
You always want to stay up to date with security updates. This fixes loopholes in systems to ensure secure site data. It also keeps your site from being exploited.
If you must delay any updates, make sure to set up a time that works best for you. Just be sure to perform the updates as soon as possible.
Use HTTPS
Utilizing HTTPS can also help keep your website secure. It uses the SSL/TLS protocol to protect data so that attackers can’t compromise it. This helps make HTTPS-protected sites more trustworthy in the eyes of a user.
When you demonstrate consistency and solid security practices, search engines will reward you for it.
People Focused Website Practices Lead You To The Best Results
Website optimization strategies that focus on giving your audience a top-tier experience will drive the best SEO results. It’s also important to make your information quick and easy for them to find. That way, you’ll be able to advance your cause positively and increase your search engine rankings ten-fold.
What else do you feel is key to helping increase search engine rankings over time? How do you feel these tips will help translate towards growth for brands? Questions? Comments? Please feel free to share this blog post and share your thoughts below.
When it comes to social media, it plays a huge role in helping grow your online presence. It is one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience. In fact, 78% of consumers have said that they will visit the physical retail store of a brand they follow according to Sprout. This just comes to show you the importance of having a top tier social media strategy.
Social media is not just about gaining the most followers. It is all about giving your audience an excellent experience and giving them what they’re looking for. These four tips will go a long way in helping you achieve just that. Let’s take a look at them, shall we?
Engage In Social Listening
One key tip that helps you have a top tier social media strategy is what we call social listening.Social listening is the practice of tracking, analyzing, and responding to conversations across the Internet. Social media is not just for posting pictures and life updates. It is also a powerful listening tool.
A great way to use social listening is to keep an eye out for mentions and conversations about all aspects of your brand. This can help you find new leads about new product ideas or features for existing products. On top of that, social listening can also help you differentiate your brand from the competition. Offering people something that is unique and gives them value is how you set yourself apart from others.
Know How To Measure Success
A key aspect of success for your brand via social media is knowing how to measure success. For that, you need to set the appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). KPIs are quantifiable measures that are used to determine the success of a brand in meeting performance goals. One thing to be careful of is to not fall for vanity metrics. For example, getting likes on your Facebook page doesn’t necessarily mean that you will make more money.
Setting KPIs all depends on your business goals. There are four possible social media KPIs to use when measuring success. Here they are below:
Reach
If your goal is to increase your online presence, then setting KPIs based on reach is the way to go. Key things to watch for are follower count, impressions, mentions, and share of voice. These four things are key to measuring the success of your outreach strategy.
Engagement
If your goal is to get your audience to engage with you on social media, then you’ll need to set engagement KPIs. Things to watch out for are likes/favorites, comments, shares, retweets, ratings/reviews, and inbound website links. All these metrics are important when it comes to measuring your success with engagement strategies.
Return On Investment (ROI)
To check if your campaign is bringing you money, you’ll need to set KPIs based on Return On Investment (ROI). Key metrics to watch for are direct sales revenue, lead conversions, support costs-per-customer, and lifetime value. These things will help tell you which campaigns are earning you money and which need to be evaluated.
Retention And Loyalty
To check if you are attracting repeat customers or getting referrals, then you should set Retention & Loyalty KPIs. Key metrics to watch out for are reviews/ratings, issues resolved, service-level agreements (SLAs), time to resolution, customer satisfaction, and sentiment. All this helps you determine if you’re doing your part to satisfy customers and gaining referrals along the way.
For every type of KPI, make sure to revisit them every 6-12 months. This will help you determine whether your efforts are working or if they need to be adjusted.
Set Your Brand’s Voice And Tone To Make It Be More Human
In today’s world, people want to do business with brands that are more human as opposed to acting all boring. With that said, making your brand more human is a must. A voice and a tone are two things your brand must have in order to be more human.
A brand’s voice is the distinct personality or style of your brand. This helps give your customers a clear picture of what your brand feels like. For instance, HubSpot’s clear and inclusive voice helps them appear helpful and supportive in the minds of others.
A brand’s tone refers to the moods of specific content pieces. This can change based on the channel, situation, and audience. When choosing your brand’s tone and voice, ask yourself these questions below:
What purpose does my content bring?
Who am I addressing?
How does my audience feel?
What message should I convey to my audience?
Which tone of voice should I use?
By answering them, you’ll know what kind of content you should create for others in an appropriate tone and voice.
Provide Top-Notch Social Customer Service
A crucial aspect of having a top-notch social media strategy is providing your audience with top-notch social customer service. 49% of consumers say that they’ll unfollow brands that bring them poor customer service. 90% of consumers rate an immediate response important when they have a customer question. These reasons alone are why brands need to make social customer service a top priority in their social media plans.
Customers these days expect quick responses to their questions. Timely responses not only help problems get resolved faster, it also helps make customers more loyal to your brand. Even pointing your customers in the right direction gets your customers to think highly of your brand. All this makes it more likely for customers to stick with your brand in the long run.
A People-First Approach Leads To Success
No doubt that great social listening, great social customer service, and making your brand more human brings your brand success. It’s also crucial to set the right goals in order to help your brand get where you want to be. With these four great tips, your social media game shall lead your brand to great successes and long-lasting customer relations.
What do you feel is key in using social media to help bring your brand success? What are your thoughts on how social media helps build great customer relationships? Please feel free to share this blog post and share your thoughts below.
When it comes to today’s online consumers, many of them are looking towards brands that address their needs and offer viable solutions to those needs. It has become increasingly important for brands to dig deep in researching the intents of their target audience. That way, they’ll have a better idea on how to plan out their Digital Marketing strategies that will help attract their ideal consumers. This is especially important when it comes to paid search efforts such as PPC Marketing.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the process of obtaining traffic to your website via paid channels. Websites only get charged when a searcher clicks on the link to their site. They would also see their website traffic increase overnight as opposed to the SEO route where you must put in long-term commitment in seeing strategic results. PPC is most commonly used by businesses who seek high intent customers who are looking for immediate needs such as an emergency plumber. PPC is also used by brands who offer unique or specific types of goods that customers wouldn’t be able to obtain at regular stores.
When it comes to PPC Marketing, bidding a higher Cost-Per-Click (CPC) amount doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get the top ad position in the paid search results. There are other factors that determine the ad position of PPC ads. Like with organic search results, it’s also important to research the exact intents of your target audience in order to properly plan out your PPC campaign as you would with an SEO campaign. With that being said, there are three keys to success to PPC Marketing that will help your brand stand out at the lowest cost.
A great first step in ensuring success for your PPC Marketing campaign is to make sure that your ads are relevant towards your cause. One common mistake brands make is targeting their ads towards keywords that are not relevant towards their cause at all. This type of mistake will not attract the right audience and will end up wasting valuable advertising dollars that could be going to bigger and better things. In order to avoid these mistakes and work towards a successful PPC campaign, it is crucial to first research the intents of your target audience. That way, you’ll have a better understanding of how to plan your campaign in accordance to the exact needs of your target audience.
Relevance is a big part in the minds of the online consumer when it comes to making their decision of whether to buy from a brand or not. Definitely work towards PPC campaigns that target ideal consumers who are searching for relevant products or services that you offer. By making your PPC ads relevant, you’ll save some valuable advertising dollars and will be on your way towards success in your PPC campaign.
When it comes to brands, what online consumers want out of them is consistency. With PPC Marketing campaigns, this is indeed the case. Not only must your PPC ads be of relevance to your target audience but they also must be consistent throughout all phases of your campaign. This is especially important when it comes to your landing pages since that will be the first page that your audience visits upon clicking your ad. You definitely don’t want your PPC ad to say one thing and then have your landing page talk about something that’s not relevant to what your audience is looking for. That would be a great way to lose out on prospective customers. Not only must we work towards attracting your ideal audience via PPC ads but also improve the landing page experience for them once they’ve arrived on your page.
There are three steps that you can take in order to ensure that your landing page is consistent with your PPC ads:
Match your ad text to at least one of your keywords.
Match your ad to the appropriate landing page where customers can do what you promised.
Make sure your landing page is relevant to your ad text and to your keywords.
By following these three critical steps, you’ll have the framework in setting your potential customers up for a consistent and excellent user experience on your website making it more likely that they’ll convert into customers.
Having talked about the importance of relevancy and consistency when it comes to PPC ads, no doubt that those two areas are important when it comes to attracting your ideal target audience. That being said, there is still one crucial piece of the puzzle left in ensuring success for your PPC ads. That most important piece is Quality. When I mean Quality, I mean give them a reason to convert with you. Online consumers are looking towards brands that offer solutions towards the issues that they face. In other words, offer them something that is of value to them that your competitors don’t.
A great way to accomplish that is to create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for your brand. A USP basically talks about what your business stands for and what makes your unique compared to other brands. By researching the issues that your ideal target audience faces, you’ll be able to gain a better insight on how to come up with a USP that will resonate with your audience. The best way to come up with a USP is to be known for something specific or be known for your expertise in serving a specific audience. For example, you could say something like “Best & Affordable PPC Marketing Services For Small Businesses” to appeal to small businesses who may not have the same marketing budget as larger companies do. USPs are a huge part of how brands like Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Zappos, Amazon and many other big name brands are where they’re at today.
Once you’ve come up with a USP, now comes time to actually incorporate it into your PPC ads along with your landing pages. A great place to do just that is in your ad extensions. By making your USP visible towards your audience via your ad extensions and then following that promise up on your landing page, you’ll be well on your way towards turning those online users into your customers.
There’s no doubt PPC Marketing is a great way for brands to stand out to their ideal consumer in a unique way. It all comes down to planning your PPC campaign in accordance to what you learned about your target audience and offering a USP towards them. When you stay true to your audience via the Three K’s to PPC Marketing, you’ll have no problem appealing to your ideal audience. In today’s competitive online world, staying true to relevancy, consistency and quality is what online consumers value the most. By valuing your online consumers, you’ll be on your way towards becoming the next big brand while saving yourself valuable advertising dollars.
What do you feel is key in using PPC Marketing in helping your brand stand out in today’s competitive online world? How do you feel about using USPs in your PPC campaigns in order to appeal to specific audiences? Questions? Comments? Feel free to share this article & don’t be afraid to share your thoughts below.
There is no question that the nature of today’s online world is shifting towards more consumer-centered ideals. What that means is that online consumers want to hear less from brands about what they’re selling and more from brands about how they relate to them and their needs. In other words, authenticity is the name of the game when it comes to building relationships with online consumers. This is a big reason why Influencer Marketing is on the rise and is a great way to get ahead in today’s online world. In this article, we’ll go over the top reasons why Influencer Marketing is important and how one can use it to get ahead in today’s competitive online world.
It Has Become The New Norm
There’s no doubt that Influencer Marketing has basically become the new norm. In fact, 92 percent of consumers around the world have stated that they trust earned media like recommendations from friends and family over traditional corporate advertising according to a study done by Nielson. People these days can’t stand brands that attempt to shove sales jargon down their throats. What they want to hear from brands is how they can help them solve the problems that they face. In other words, online consumers are into brands that resonate with them and are caring about the ordinary people. This is a big reason why Influencer Marketing has become ever so popular today and isn’t going anywhere too soon.
Finding The Right Influencer
When it comes to trying to use Influencer Marketing to get ahead in the game, we must first know what we’re looking for in an influencer to potentially work with. We must do some research and ask these three questions:
Will they fit in with a brand and the vision that it has?
What role will they play in helping a brand accomplish their objective? Will they fit in with a brand and the vision that it has?
Will this potential influencer resonate with the brand’s target audience?
By answering these three questions, you’ll have a better picture on how to plan out your online marketing strategies. When it comes to influencers, there are three types of influencers listed below and what they’re best described as:
Mega-Influencers- Typically have at least 1 million followers and tend to be celebrities like Beyoncé, Chicharito and Alex Morgan for example.
Macro-Influencers-Typically have somewhere in between 10K to 1 million followers and tend to be journalists, bloggers and other people who share their passions with the world.
Micro-Influencers-Typically have less than 10K followers and tend to be ordinary people like you and me.
Now when it comes to selecting the appropriate influencer to reach out to, it all depends on who you are, what type and size of business you are and what you’re looking to accomplish. Corporations with room to “splash-the-cash” like Gatorade for example tend to go for those Mega-Influencers like they to Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade for example.
For small businesses, especially those who are more limited on advertising cash, you might be better off investing in either Macro or Micro-Influencers. They’re less costly and are much more likely to resonate with your brand as they’re viewed by online consumers as a more trustworthy source. One thing that every type of influencer has in common is that they’re more likely to respond to you if you show interest in what they do and offer something of value to them. Always important to keep in mind to always reach out to them in a professional manner and ensure that it’s a win-win situation for both sides in order to lay the foundation towards long-lasting relationships with potential business partners.
Putting Your Influencer Marketing Strategies To Work
Now when it comes to actually putting your influencer strategy to work, we must work to connect with online consumers in an authentic manner. The way we go by doing that is to obviously know who your target audience is first. Once you’ve figured that out, find out what the passions and interests of your target audience are and work to tap into their passions. A great example of that is when Nike partnered up with Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT to run a commercial inspiring women to strive for their aspirations and to shatter glass ceilings in order to advance women’s rights in this country.
Nike without a doubt built inspiration among women and all those who are passionate in wanting to see women succeed everywhere including myself. Another important note to remember is to consider the feelings of how your target audience would react. It’s always recommended that you don’t try to relate your Influencer Marketing campaigns to controversial topics. If you must, proceed with caution and analyze your target audience to ensure that your current and potential consumers don’t get offended. Strongly recommended that you always focus more on the passions of your target audience.
Another great way to up your game in Influencer Marketing is to feature your influencers in consumer testimonials. A great example of that is when Dove featured an actual consumer in Molly Burke on how their products gave her a positive new experience as she faced blindness.
This is definitely a great way of using Micro-Influencers like Molly to showcase how their products can give them that totally new feeling that one never experienced before. As mentioned earlier, when an ordinary consumer like Molly has this kind of positive experience, they’re more likely to be trusted by potential consumers more than traditional advertising would. Without a doubt, Influencer Marketing campaigns like these two can go a long way in advancing your brand or cause in a positive way.
Influencer Marketing For The Win
With the increase of Influencer Marketing in today’s online world, there’s no question that businesses from small to big need to get onboard as the future of advertising will depend on Influencer Marketing. Always important to remember the kind of target audience you plan to reach out to, figure out which types of influencers would resonate with your target audience and work to capture their attention by tapping into their passions, interests and emotions. With this type of formula in planning out your Influencer Marketing strategies, you’ll no doubt have great successes in making your brand stand out in an authentic way and lay the foundation towards long-lasting relationships with your current and potential consumers.
What do you feel is key in using Influencer Marketing in advancing your brand and/or cause? How has Influencer Marketing influenced your decision to consider a brand? Questions? Comments? Feel free to share this article & don’t be afraid to share your thoughts below.
There’s no doubt that Digital Marketing is evolving rapidly and a big part of why that’s the case is due to Video Marketing. In today’s online world, video is more than a channel where one can watch past clips of their favorite shows like Family Guy or Game Of Thrones. It’s also a valuable method of marketing where companies can inform and showcase to their potential consumers of their products and services.It can even be useful to promote upcoming events that are happening in your area. Videos can go a long way in helping drive up engagement, and if planned out correctly, it will eventually drive up conversions. In this article, we will explore why Video Marketing is important and the proper ways you can use Video Marketing to stand out in today’s online world.
Why Video Marketing?
Video Marketing is no doubt important in 2019 as consumer demand of videos is at an all-time high. In fact, a recent study by HubSpot reported that 54% of potential consumers preferred to see video from brands more than any other type of content. On top of that, 85% of all internet users in the United States watched online video content on a monthly basis on all devices according to Statista. No doubt that video content is vital in helping online marketers and brands stand out in a positive way towards online-oriented consumers. Potential consumers are more than likely to retain the information by watching videos than they would via other marketing methods. Video is a great way to help build up your brand awareness about what you have to offer to potential consumers. With that being said, the key to success when it comes to video marketing is authenticity. In this next section, I will discuss in detail the creative ways one can use Video Marketing in helping build brand awareness and connecting with customers in an authentic way.
The DOs & DON’Ts To Video Marketing
When it comes to Video Marketing, there are many creative ways to stand out when it comes to using video. There are, however, things that we must avoid when it comes to Video Marketing so I will start by covering the DON’Ts first.
The DON’Ts
Don’t Act Salesy
Nothing turns off customers than using sales jargon in an attempt to win them over. Today’s consumers are not impressed with those tricks and will quickly tune you out in the first few seconds of a video.
2. Don’t Post Videos That Are Too Long
Reason being is that longer videos cause the speed of a website to slow down and in Digital Marketing, every second counts when it comes to consumers decided to stay or leave the page.
3. Don’t Make It All About You
Another big mistake is talking about how great you are instead of trying to connect with your audience in a unique way. Self-promotion is a big turnoff towards potential consumers and offers nothing of value towards them.
4. Don’t Use The “One Size Fits All” Approach When Posting Videos To Different Social Media Platforms
Don’t assume that the same kinds of videos that you use on Instagram will also work on LinkedIn. The target audiences are different on each social media platform so please tailor your videos to fit the needs of the target audience on each platform.
Now that we’ve covered the DON’Ts when it comes to Video Marketing. Now we move on to the DOs in how one can be creative when it comes to standing out in a positive way via Video Marketing.
The DOs
Plan Before You Film
Always plan what content you’re going to include in your video and the exact sequence it would appear on the actual video. A great way to do that would be to use storyboards which is where you would sketch out each scene like a comic strip and sketch out the story accordingly. That way you’ll be better prepared for when it comes time to actually film your video content.
2. Strive For Authenticity
As Larry Weber once said, “People don’t want to be sold. What people do want is news and information about the things they care about.” In other words, use video to talk about the needs and problems facing your target audience and how what you can do to help them. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and tailor your video campaign to fit their needs in order to give them an outstanding personalized experience they won’t forget.
3. Keep Videos On Websites Short But Sweet
The attention span of your target audience shortens the longer your video is especially if you’re new to video marketing. Putting shorter videos on your website would also help your site speed. After all, speed is everything when it comes to your audience deciding whether to stay or leave your site. That being said, if you’re a well-established brand or a well-known influencer like Neil Patel, you have the brand authority to have more lengthy videos. Should you decide on producing longer video content, make sure to include a shorter version of that video on your site and then refer your audience to a video platform like YouTube or IGTV to view the full video.
4. Strive For Creativity When Producing Videos
A great way to get the attention of your target audience is with infographic videos. Videos that contain texts and images relevant to your brand or cause you’re trying to promote with a call-to-action at the end will go a long way in increasing your brand awareness. It will also help those viewers retain the information that they see. This would especially be useful if someone is hearing impaired. Here’s a good example of that here.
In the video above, Biteable uses appropriate text to inform viewers about the workplace safety stats as well as relevant stats and a call-to-action at the end to advocate for more conversation about how to prevent workplace accidents. In the video above,
5. Keep In Mind About The Target Audience On Each Social Media Platform
Referring back to the 4th point about the DON’Ts to Video Marketing, each social media platform has different types of audiences looking for different types of content. For more formal and professional-looking content, LinkedIn would be the place for that. For informal content, places like Snapchat and Instagram would be a great fit for that type of information.
6. Strive To Use Videos To Tell A Story About Your Brand
In today’s online world, people crave success stories. Using video marketing to tell your success story about your brand while relating to the needs of your target audience would be a great way to get their attention. To really go the extra mile, include testimonials from consumers who had a great experience with your products. A great example of that is when Dove included an actual consumer in their testimonial video.
Including an ordinary consumer like Molly in a testimonial video would be an excellent way to get your target audience engaged and they’ll eventually become interested in what you have to offer.
Recapping The Importance Of Video Marketing
“More than 150 million people view videos online every year, most of them ripe to hear your business’s pitch if you produce and market your video effectively.” – Vern Marker
There’s no doubt about the importance of Video Marketing in today’s fast-evolving online world. Now that you have a basic idea on how to and how to not run a video marketing campaign, always remember that the key to success is to know your target audience. Knowing every detail about them is key to success in any marketing campaign and even more important when it comes to Video Marketing. Never be afraid to ask them for feedback. Doing just that will help know which areas in your Video Marketing campaign needs work and you can use that feedback to get better with each Video Marketing campaign. Always keep them in mind and be authentic when reaching out to them via Video Marketing campaigns. If you do these things, you will no doubt increase your brand awareness and have many successes in today’s competitive online world.
What do you feel is key to success in Video Marketing?Questions? Comments? Feel free to share this article & don’t be afraid to post your thoughts below.
Another exciting time is upon us in theaters this week as another exciting movie release date is upon us. That moment arrives this Friday as another popular movie in Toy Story 4 is finally released for us to enjoy in theaters. It promises to be an exciting movie as were the previous three Toy Story movies. No doubt that each character has their own qualities that make the movie exciting. What is overlooked is that their qualities can be applied in the world of business, especially when it comes to the fast-evolving world that is Digital Marketing. Whether you are a newcomer to Digital Marketing like myself or an experienced Digital Marketer like Neil Patel, it’s important that we know the exact qualities that we must have in order to be successful in today’s online world. In this special edition blog, I will describe how the qualities of each Toy Story character relates to the qualities that we must possess as Digital Marketers.
Rex
“You Just Need To Believe In Yourself!”
Ahhh! I present to you the Ferocious Green Rex who eats Force Field Dogs as Andy would say. 😉 Despite his insecurities about his roar, Rex’s biggest quality is being someone who is eager and enthusiastic about everything. His enthusiasm was on display big time in Toy Story 2 when he couldn’t stop talking about defeating Zurg to Utility Belt Buzz. Heck, he even caused the toy car to crash into the can of bouncing balls because of his eagerness to show everyone the book on how to defeat Zurg.
In Digital Marketing, it would be of huge help to possess eagerness and enthusiasm when it comes to dealing with clients. These Rex-like qualities prove that you’re committed to the success of your client’s online advertising campaign and also using your enthusiasm towards looking for a solution in helping your clients stand out online against their industry’s competitors similar to how Rex helped Utility Belt Buzz defeat Zurg.
Bullseye
“Jessie loves critters, but none more than her best pal, Bullseye!”
One of Woody’s most loyal companions is his horse Bullseye. Alongside his loyalty towards Woody, perhaps Bullseye’s best quality is his agility when it comes to helping the Toy Story gang confront a challenge. When Jessie was in danger of being flown to Japan against her will, Bullseye used his agility to help Woody and Buzz catch up to the plane and help save Jessie in the most clutch moment just as the plane was about to take off.
Digital Marketing also requires agility via Agile Marketing. What that means is that we as Digital Marketers must be willing to respond to industry changes or sudden industry news quickly and plan according as those trends occur. This could mean the difference of getting ahead of the game or falling behind when it comes in regards to your competition. In other words, we must be up to speed in today’s fast-evolving online world.
Hamm
“I knew there was something I didn’t like about that chicken.”
Ahhh! If it isn’t the piggy bank that Andy calls “Evil Doctor Porkchop”. Alongside his ability to switch channels at super fast speeds via remote control, Hamm seems to be knowledgeable of what goes on in both his immediate neighborhood and around town. For example, he knew why Sid came home from summer camp early and figured out that Al The Chicken Man was the same guy that kidnapped Woody from the Garage Sale. It’s that kind of knowledge and research which helped saved the day for the Toy Story game.
This is the exact kind of knowledge that Digital Marketers must possess in order to help their clients have success in the competitive online world. In other words, we must be able to research every single behavior of your target market and the industry challenges that they face in order to gain knowledge on how to plan an effective strategy that will best help them navigate this fast-changing online world. In other words, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH and you’ll have great success just like Hamm did in helping the Toy Story gang in saving the day
Slinky
“I knew you were right all along, Woody. Never doubted you for a second.”
We now arrive at the toy that Andy calls “The Force Field Dog” that shields the bad guys from Sheriff Woody. Slinky The Dog is best known for his flexibility to stretch out his body to help get the Toy Story gang from Point A to Point B. For example, Slinky used his flexibility to help get the Toy Story gang from Andy’s window to the ground on their way to Al’s Toy Barn and also to help get them across the dumpster outside of Sunnyside.
Flexibility is also important when it comes to Digital Marketing. I don’t mean stretch out your body. I mean stretch out your skills and knowledge. It will help big time when it comes time to help clients solve big time challenges. Also, it’s even more important to be flexible to change especially in this fast-evolving Digital Marketing industry. Trust me. With the recent Google updates making a huge emphasis on mobile-friendly websites that provide quality content, you’ll be glad that you are always open to Slinky-style flexibility that helps your clients get from Point A to Point B.
Mr. And Mrs. Potato Head
Oh It’s So Nice To Have A Big, Strong Spud Around The House.
Well Well Well. If it isn’t the bandits that were protected by the Force Field Dog. The Potato Heads are a pivotal part of the Toy Story gang. While Mr. Potato Head may be at times rude towards Woody while even“Tossing Him Overboard” that one time, Mr. Potato Head has a heart of gold when it comes time to save the day. He even took one for the team twice when he got put into the box by Big Baby in order to buy Woody & Slinky time to execute the first part of the plan to escape Sunnyside while also defending his wife from Lotso. Mrs. Potato Head also possesses the same caring and good-hearted qualities that her husband does. She even used her motherly-figure instincts when she told Buzz and the crew who were headed to Al’s Toy Barn to don’t talk to any toy you don’t know. Of course, let’s not forget that her caring qualities were a big part of why she decided to adopt the Three Little Aliens.
It’s no surprise why the Potato Heads are madly in love with each other and need to be kept together as Andy said to Bonnie. It’s these kinds of generous and caring qualities that Digital Marketers must possess. Always find a way to use your generous qualities by giving back to the community. For example, take part in an issue that your potential target market deeply cares about like start a donation drive for the homeless. Doing these kinds of generous things for the community will help make your potential target market view you positively and they would more likely do business with you. If you be of good heart to the community like Mr. Potato Head is towards the Toy Story gang, good things are bound to happen to you.
Little Green Men
OOOO! Strangers from the outside.
Now I bring you the adopted children of the Potato Heads who are obsessed with “The Claw”. The number one quality that the Little Green Men possess is that they have a curious mind when it comes to seeing and then learning about other people. That was especially true when they met Woody, Buzz and the crew during Toy Story 1 and 2.
The same kind of curiosity can be applied to Digital Marketing when it comes to researching your target market. Always important for Digital Marketers to display that curiosity in not only knowing your target market but also going the extra length to knowing the exact needs of what they’re looking for while being prepared to plan for upcoming changes in industry trends and consumer preferences. These kind of LGM-style curiosity will pay off in a big way when it comes time to help your clients plan out a successful online advertising strategy.
Bo Peep
“You’re cute when you care.”
The woman who has her flock of sheep by her side and also who many would call “Woody’s Girlfriend”. Bo Peep is an important player when it comes to the Toy Story Crew. Her best qualities that make her a valuable part of the Toy Story crew is that she is loyal and supportive especially of Woody and Buzz. When Buzz and the crew were off to rescue Woody from Al, Bo Peep gave Buzz a kiss on the cheek as a sign of encouragement to never rest until Woody is found. She also is always there to cheer up Woody when he’s feeling down including that time when he couldn’t find his cowboy hat.
These are huge qualities to possess as Digital Marketers. You always want to be there for your online audience and offer them something special for their loyalty in following your brand such as offering them a special promotion as a thanks for being a returning customer. Of course, we must always be there for our clients when they face challenges and support them in any way they can throughout any challenge that they face. These kinds of Bo Peep qualities are key to building long-lasting relationships.
Jessie
“Yo-De-Lay-Hee-Hoo!”
Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl is a key player in the Toy Story crew. Her best qualities that make her that pivotal player are that she’s fun-loving, energetic and brave. From opening Andy’s bedroom door to help Buster the Dog go outside to helping the Toy Story gang take on Lotso and his henchmen, Jessie is never afraid to take on a challenge big or small. Her qualities are what make her one of the toughest members of the Toy Story crew. It’s no wonder Buzz is absolutely “WOWed” by her.
These kinds of high-energy qualities are what is needed in a Digital Marketer. The more high-energy and fun-loving that you are, the more that energy will spread to others which will be a catalyst in helping build relationships with your target market. It’s also important to be brave in the face of a fast-evolving Digital Marketing industry and be prepared to plan accordingly in order to face it head on. With these Jessie-style qualities, you will see great results in your relationship-building and planning ahead in facing the incoming industry challenges.
Buzz Lightyear
“To Infinity And Beyond!”
Buzz Buzz Buzz Lightyear To The Rescue! We now arrive with that Space Ranger sent to protect us from the Evil Emperor Zurg and also Woody’s best friend. While Buzz is known for his physical toughness from when he opened the gate out of Sunnyside in his Spanish mode, he is best known for his mental toughness and determination. When he was on the quest along with some of the Toy Story crew to go save Woody, Buzz never backed down even though the crew was exhausted and was determined to not rest until Woody was safe back in Andy’s room. It’s almost as if Buzz possesses Texas Tech Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Beard’s “4 To 1” Mentality that he installs into his team. What that means is to be more mentally tough than physically tough and that’s the kind of qualities that make Buzz a powerful part of the Toy Story crew.
In Digital Marketing, we must always show that kind of commitment when it comes to helping your clients succeed in helping guide them through the challenges that they face. When things look tough, always dig deep into your inner self and look for ways to complete the objective on hand. Showing self-determination in helping your clients succeed while being willing to find unique ways to solve the complex challenges that we as Digital Marketers face in today’s changing landscape will go a long way in leading us all to success. When faced with a situation where our backs are against the wall, think of what Buzz Lightyear would do in similar situations and then put his self-determination qualities to work.
Woody
“Reach For The Sky!”
Finally, we arrive to meet the rootinest tootinest cowboy in the Wild Wild West that is Sheriff Woody who just happens to be Andy’s favorite toy and later become Bonnie’s favorite toy. Woody perhaps is the most powerful of the whole Toy Story crew. While he may be known for his loyalty towards Andy throughout the first three Toy Story movies, the quality that makes him the most powerful and influential member of the Toy Story crew is his leadership. When the rest of the crew was left behind at Sunnyside, the team fell apart without him. After all, it was Woody who knew from the very beginning that Andy was putting the toys in the attic. Most importantly, what makes Woody a true leader is that he puts his crew first and knew that he had to go back to Sunnyside in order to help his beloved crew escape from Lotso and his henchmen. Knowing the challenges that he would face from Lotso, Woody returned anyway to help his friends plan their escape. That right there is a great example of what a good leader would do.
This is perhaps the most important trait a Digital Marketer must possess. It doesn’t mean that you have to be in a Senior role or a CEO of a top Digital Marketing agency. Leaders can come from any level of employment including newcomers to Digital Marketing. For example, if you notice that a client has an under-performing online marketing campaign that no one else has noticed, this would be a great way to prove your leadership skills by not only pointing the problem out but also finding the appropriate solution that will best address the problem. True leaders take proactive stances in situations like this and are always one step ahead of the game in working towards solutions. As USA Link System CEO Ally Spinu recently said, “Always Over-Deliver.” This will help potential clients think highly of you and would more likely be willing to do business with you. Possessing leadership qualities similar to that of Woody will go a long way in helping you achieve success in today’s online world.
Recapping The Qualities & Putting It All Together As A Team
“The important thing is that we stick together.” —Buzz Lightyear
No doubt that all these qualities that we learned from all these Toy Story characters will be a big part in helping you step up your game in the Digital Marketing industry. That being said, it’s important to put all these qualities together to complement each other by working together as a team just like the Toy Story characters did during their numerous adventures in the first three Toy Story movies. No doubt that each character played an important role with their unique qualities in each adventure but no other quality worked more than by working together as a team. Same thing goes for Digital Marketing. Each team member knows their role but it’s also important to collaborate and communicate with each other in order to overcome any potential challenges that come your way. Teamwork always makes Dream Work. If you can do all these things, you will no doubt have great success in the Digital Marketing industry for Infinity and Beyond.
I hope everyone goes out to the theaters on Friday and enjoy yet another exciting movie in Toy Story 4. It promises to be big as were the previous three Toy Story movies. I know I’ll be there for sure and you’ll always “Have A Friend In Me”.
What do you feel are great qualities to possess as a Digital Marketer? What Digital Marketing lessons has Toy Story taught you? Questions? Comments? Feel free to share this article & don’t be afraid to share your thoughts below.
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