DO: Decide If You Really Need It

Is an email newsletter really the right decision? To start off, look into your industry. Are other companies sending them and are they successful? Look at your business goals. Good goals that this strategy can potentially help with include increasing leads and generating better quality, more targeted leads. Assessing your resources is also crucial. Can you pull it off on your budget and time constraints? Will you have any help? Answering these questions can help you decide if an email newsletter is right for you.

DON’T: Take On Too Much

Avoid jumping into an email newsletter without a set plan in place. This includes content, frequency and a landing page to encourage subscription. You also need to schedule time into your busy workdays to create, edit and send test copies out prior to deployment.

DO: Balance Your Content

A good rule of thumb for email newsletters is to stick to mainly educational content with a few promotions thrown in. While your products and services are important, useful and relevant information is much better received than constant self promotion. In this case, less is more when it comes to talking about yourself.

DON’T: Use Vague or Misleading Subject Lines

When it comes to the headlines, get creative. A great way to encourage readers to click, opt for engaging, humourous and attention-grabbing over more vague and repetitive options. Choose something different for each email. Keep it short and sweet and let the recipient know what’s in it for them if they click.

DO: Mobile Optimize

Mobile is getting bigger by the day and Google’s recent changes can attest to that. Many individuals use their smartphones to check their email, whether it’s during a meeting, while commuting or during downtime watching television. Optimizing your email newsletter for mobile is a great way to increase your readership. Click here for more tips.

DON’T: Send Without Doing a Test Run

Sending an email newsletter out to a subscriber base without first sending out a test email within your business is a disaster waiting to happen. A test deployment lets you in on any little issues that need to be fixed, from typos to broken images and links, defunct formatting, colour and design discrepancies and more. When in doubt, test and test again!

When it comes to email newsletters, these 6 dos and don’ts will help get, and keep, your company on the right track! To learn more, check out HubSpot’s round-up of 15 fantastic examples. Do you subscribe to any email newsletters? What are your likes and dislikes?

A big industry buzzword, native advertising is being adopted by today’s Web giants at a staggering pace. Unlike more traditional forms of online advertising, such as display and banner ads, native ads are non-disruptive and, most importantly, relevant (think pastry tips for baking aficionados). They fit into the UX seamlessly and offer value, arguably the most important aspect of content marketing.

Seen on websites like Buzzfeed, Twitter, YouTube and more, let’s take a closer look at the example shown above. If you look closely at the article entitled “Ad of the Day: Coke Designs A Friendly Bottle That Can Only Be Opened By Another Bottle” you’ll see that it is presented by adweek.com on Buzzfeed. A clever example of native advertising, it fits right into the layout of the homepage, distinguished only by the immediate background colour. The topic suits the site’s typical content stream; it flows seamlessly and provides value on the basis of unique, interesting information – don’t you want to see this cool new bottle?

Native advertising is the new “it” thing because it offers what traditional advertising does not. According to Dedicated Media, it generates an 82% increase in brand lift and purchase intent is 53% higher for native ads. Viewed over 50% more than banner ads, native ads are read for nearly as much time as editorial content – 1.2 and 1 second respectively, according to Sharethrough. The icing on the advertising cake? Click-through rates for traditional display ads dropped significantly in recent years, from 9% in 2000 to 0.2% in 2012.

Native social advertising revenues are predicted by BIA Kelsey to grow to $4.6 billion by 2017 and it’s time to hop on board. The case in favour is strong and knowing the basics is the first step in a new direction.

1. Know Your Audience

Relevant, targeted copy speaks to a specific audience. Who is your dream customer and what do they do (for work and fun)? What is their likely age bracket, what’s important to them and what products and services do they use on a regular basis? More importantly, which products and services do they need? The better you know who you’re communicating with (not at), the more of an impact the copy will have.

2. Impact Those Emotions

Great copywriting compels readers via a distinctly emotional experience. Capitalize on emotions already present in a given scenario instead of attempting to create a certain feeling. For example, if you’re writing Web copy for a product that solves a problem for a niche group such as web professionals, speak to the frustrated developer who’s just run into the same issue again. Making a reader truly feel something communicates productively and on a human level.

3. Write a Killer Headline

A killer headline is what draws readers in. According to Copyblogger, an average of 8 out of 10 people will read a headline while only 2 of them will read the remaining copy. Making a great first impression improves your odds of gaining wider exposure. We’re a fan of the 4 U’s Formula; turn a good headline into a great one by making it urgent, unique, useful and ultra-specific.

To use an obvious example, compare the headlines “How to Make Good Copywriting Better” and “5 Tips to Make Good Copywriting Great.” Which are you more likely to click on? Let readers know exactly what they’re getting into when they click through to the copy and offer a time-sensitive, compelling benefit – stand out from the crowd!

4. Be Clear and Concise

Great copywriting is, at its core, persuasive. Striving for clarity in your copy is a great way to both achieve this and avoid confusing readers. Bypass the technical jargon and buzzwords in favour of simple, accessible terms and never assume the reader’s level of knowledge. Forego long sentences and paragraphs for short, punchy, easy-to-read phrases. Use verbs to stay on point and convey energy and excitement without rambling on

5. Read it Out Loud

A time-tested trick, a useful way to evaluate your writing is to read it out loud. A conversational tone is a great way to reach users through copy and hearing the words, instead of just reading them, helps to distinguish any awkward or vague phrasing. When in doubt, have a colleague or friend do the same; they might hear something you don’t.

Knowing your audience and impacting their emotions, drawing readers in with a great headline, being clear and concise and reading aloud are 5 ways to make good copywriting even better. If you’d like to learn more, check out our previous posts comparing copywriting and content marketing (hint: they work together!) and discussing brand copywriting.

Image Credits: Klenske Ink & Business 2 Community

1. It Gets You Found 

Simply put, SEO is a great way to get your business found on the world wide Web. Your website is often your first point of contact with users but, if no one knows you exist, it’s difficult for them to find you in the first place. Why wouldn’t you want to rank high in the search results? Simply being visible on Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines gets your name out there, contributes positively to traffic and lead generation, and attracts potential business of all kinds.

2. It Offers a Measurable Return on Investment

Proper SEO is an investment. It may seem costly and complicated right off the bat, and it doesn’t happen overnight, but the ROI is more than worth it. The higher your company appears in the search results, the more likely users are to click on the link that takes them to your website. The higher the number of visitors, the higher the number of conversions – which means more business for you. Good things come to those who wait.

3. On-Page is Great Advertising

Title tags and meta descriptions are the blurbs that accompany your website link in search engine results. Can’t picture it in your head? Type Yabsta Digital, or another company name, into Google and hit enter. The title tag is situated directly above the link itself and reads “Yabsta Digital: Digital Solutions, Web Marketing & Design.” The meta description below reads “Yabsta is a full digital marketing agency offering needs-based web presence solutions for individuals, businesses and organizations of any size.” SEO allows you to strategically craft this information to not only advertise what your business offers but also include relevant, important keywords. This lets users know what you’re all about before they click and, even if they don’t, they might remember you next time.

4. It Builds Trust and Authority

Take a second to think about the links that appear in the pages of search results. While it stands to reason that there are thousands of great companies online for any given industry, the ones that appear in the first few pages of results are viewed as more authoritative, credible and trustworthy. Not only that but, done right, the title tags and meta descriptions mentioned in number 3 communicate your brand and marketing concept directly to users searching for products, services and information related to your industry niche. Not convinced? According to Search Engine Watch, when it comes to the average search, the top position in Google gets 33% of all search traffic, with the first page of results getting 92% of all traffic. That right there is reason enough to embark on the SEO journey.

So if you’ve been wondering why SEO is beneficial, the proof’s in the pudding. A crucial component of online marketing, it allows Google to understand and work with your business. Search engine optimization offers an incredible ROI, which includes driving traffic, advertising your goods to potential customers and boosting your brand via measures of trust and authority. With Google seeing over 100 billion searches per month, 12 billion of which are local, you simply can’t afford to ignore it.

Image Credits: Hi 5 Web Designs & Website Garage

Pay-Per-Click

Pay-per-click or PPC is one of the most popular forms of Internet advertising. In PPC, marketers pay their publisher only when a user clicks on their ad. Commonly done through search engines, PPC allows you to target your audience through keywords that relate to your small business. Ideally, this kind of advertising places a link to your company’s website in front of people who are looking for what you have to offer. The beauty of PPC is that, even though you’re only paying for people who are actually interested, you can still reach a sizeable audience. You can also get a bigger bang for your buck, and increase your conversion rate, by sending “clickers” to a specialized landing page offering a free related resource, such as an eBook. An easy-to-navigate PPC option is Google AdWords.

Local Listings

Local listings are a simple, effective, often free way to guarantee that your small business is showing up on the Web. Establishing, maintaining and expanding local business listings makes it much more likely your company will appear in related search results. Resources such as Google’s Places for Business, the Yellow Pages online, Yahoo Local, Bing Local and Yabsta’s own jurisdictional platform allow you to advertise to customers in your area. Some even let you add photos, videos and current promotions, all things that attract and engage potential customers. Reach an even wider audience by optimizing your listings for a relevant keyword, such as “Toronto digital agency.”

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is another incredibly useful tool for small businesses (is there anything blogging can’t do?). This low-cost technique involves crafting valuable, interesting posts and submitting them to relevant websites within your industry niche. Aim to build trust and credibility – you want to position yourself as an industry leader. Avoid blatant self-promotion and instead focus on content that relates to your services and products. Utilize guest blogging to forge partnerships with other companies and get your name out there. Always remember to return the favour on your website.

In today’s digital world, business communication doesn’t need to be expensive to be effective. Pay-per-click campaigns, local listings and guest blogging are three ways to be seen by users without breaking the bank, which is especially important if you’re just starting out. If you’d like to learn more about advertising for small businesses, check out our posts on banner ad design and integrating popular print and Web tactics.

Image Credit: Morningstar Multimedia

Social Media

One of the most obvious ways to get noticed is to promote, promote, promote. Social networking sites, namely Facebook and Twitter, are essential to marketing your small business. Establish a consistent visual identity through profile, cover and background images that match your website, and provide prominent links to your site on your profiles – this may seem like a no brainer, but it’s easy to overlook. Foster genuine, personal discussion with users through a combination of self-promotional posts and links to industry-relevant, interesting articles. Positive Facebook and Twitter interactions lead to shares, likes and retweets, expanding your company’s reach and the likelihood of lead generation. If you’re offering a special sale or promotion, and you should be, create a Facebook event or hashtag campaign directing users to your website for more information. While spamming your followers comes across as self-absorbed, authenticity and honesty are highly valued.

Search Engine Optimization

Attracting Google’s attention via well-executed search engine optimization is another way to get your business recognized. On-page SEO involves researching a set of keywords that, ideally, have both global search volume and relatively low competition. Localization is great – for example, you have a much higher likelihood of ranking for the keyword “Toronto digital agency” than “Ontario digital agency.” Optimize each page of your website for a single relevant keyword, which should be placed in strategic places, such as within the body text and heading. When it comes to off-page SEO, aim for backlinks from authoritative, relevant websites and remember that quality trumps quantity. Appearing in the first few pages of Google’s search results means a higher likelihood of searchers choosing your website.

Google also monitors how Web users interact with your site – if you have a high bounce rate, they know (is there anything they don’t?). Your site will rank higher and gain more attention if it is optimized to provide visitors with a positive experience. User optimization involves simple, straightforward navigation – ensure that they can find the information they’re looking for quickly and easily. In turn, Internet-goers are more likely to spread the word about your small business, leading to increased exposure and more traffic.

Content

Creating and posting fresh, engaging content is a tried and true inbound marketing tactic for appealing to audiences. Genuinely valuable articles, blog posts and eBooks draw people in; if you’re posting useful stuff, they notice. Conveniently, content, SEO and social media all work together – everything’s connected! Remember how important promotion is? Promoting your content on Facebook, Twitter and other networks is a great way to get the word out about your business while still providing something of value (people love that). Content also boosts SEO and business blogging is a great example of this. Each blog post adds a brand new, indexable page to your website, and each of these pages can be optimized for a different keyword. The more indexable pages your website has, the more likely it is to rank in the search engines and get noticed.

Getting your business noticed online means utilizing some of the top digital marketing tools available. Social media, search engine optimization and content are a few of the best ways to bring your site to the attention of Web users, be it on your Facebook page, Twitter feed or as a search result on Google. Our digital experts are available to discuss devising and implementing a marketing strategy that meets your needs. Contact us here.

Image Credit: Level 343