How to Improve Your Google Ads Quality Score
The best way to generate revenue for your business from day 1 is by using pay per click (PPC) advertising. Your ad campaigns will get you paid each time someone clicks on them to visit your site. If you are considering PPC, then the best place to start is the biggest platform, Google Ads.
Because there is so much opportunity, there is also that much competition. If you aren’t sure of what you are doing, you may lose lots of money. But, if you start to develop your skills for advertising, then you can make lots of profit with PPC even in the first phase.
One of the biggest keys to a successful Google Ads campaign is understanding your quality score and making it as high as you can.
Our team has compiled a helpful list of tips to raise your Google Ads quality score.
Why is having a high Google Ads quality score so important?
Before we jump into the tactics to help you improve your quality score, it’s important to understand why it is important in the first place. If you don’t know why a good score is crucial, you won’t be investing enough in it, and that is a huge mistake.
Anytime a person searches a specific term in Google, some ads may show above and to the side of the search results. These ads will only be shown if advertisers are interested in bidding on the phrase or word in the search term.
Ads are put in order based on their ad rank, which is important in all aspects of PPC campaigns. This is composed of two factors: how much you bid and your quality score.
The quality score points to how useful your page for the person searching a specific term, so basically, ad relevance. Depending on the specific keyword being searched, your landing page is going to receive an individual quality score for every keyword in your campaign. Usually, they are around one specific number (1 to 10), but sometimes you may see a variation in the scores. These scores affect many things in your campaign, so you must work to keep them high.
#1 – Quality score affects your CPC
Because ad rank is determined by a specific formula that involves multiplying the quality score by CPC, that means you can only decrease your CPC by improving your quality score.
A page with higher landing page quality will shop up higher on the ad spots, and these have a higher click-through rate along with an overall lower cost. The ads in the higher group have better quality scores than those campaigns that are in the ad group on the right part of the search engine.
If you want to drive traffic to a bad landing page with a high bounce rate, you will need to pay much more per click. This also applies to the opposite.
#2 – You can get lower bid estimates
Once you set up an advertising campaign on Google Ads, you will start to get bid estimates. These are the amounts that Google itself recommends to bid if you want to appear in the top ad spots when a relevant phrase is searched. It isn’t always super accurate, since there are a bunch of factors that go into when an ad campaign appears, but it’s a good guide. If you have a consistently good quality score, Google will factor this into your bid estimates. That means you will be able to set an accurate maximum bid right from the start.
#3 – A higher quality score means a better ad position
This is directly connected to the first reason, so we won’t get too detailed.
Once you start to improve the quality score during an advertising campaign, you will notice that your average ad rank starts to gradually
improve as well.
This is because of the ad rank formula. The higher your quality score is, the better your ad rank becomes.
#4 - Many extensions require high-quality scores
A great way to get a better click-through rate on your ads is by using ad extensions.
These are features that will make your ad campaign stand out to a potential customer, and will generate a higher CTR.
There are some common extensions:
- Locations
- Business contact info
- Star ratings
- Sitelinks (links to different parts of your site)
Some of these are automatically added by Google, but some have to be set up by you. In order for these extensions to appear, you need a high enough quality score and ad rank. If your score is very low, it will be difficult to get them to show, since your ad rank will also be low. You are going to have to pay tons per click, and it isn’t going to be worth it.
How to increase your ad quality score
Step #1: Know what a quality score really means
So, now that you know the basics of a quality score is, let’s get a little more advanced. To fully understand how your quality score will be calculated, you first must understand the context of how it formed.
Quality score is always calculated on exact match keywords: When you start a campaign on Google Ads, you must make ad groups and then select keywords to target within them.
There are three types of keywords that you are able to specify:
- Exact – If you enter a keyword in square brackets (e.g. ), your ad will only appear for that exact search.
- Phrase – If you enter a keyword in quotes (e.g., “digital marketing agencies”), your ad will show up for any search that contains the phrase (like “best digital marketing agencies”)
- Broad – If you just enter a keyword (e.g., digital marketing agency), your ad will appear for any search with those words in any order, including any synonyms (like marketing agencies for digital companies)
You will usually want to start off with exact keywords to make sure your ads are relevant. That’s how you will be able to cut down on showing up for unprofitable and irrelevant searches. If the search volume seems too low, you can also use the phrase match. It’s important to note that your quality score will only be based on how well your ad is performing for exact match keywords.
Quality score is calculated by keywords: When you start running your campaign, you will see that there is a column section in the keywords reports for your keyword quality score. You will notice that the same ad group can get different quality scores for each keyword.
To calculate your score, Google will look at a number of things, including how other advertiser’s ads are performing.
Google won’t just look at isolated factors, since they change based on the keywords. For example, keywords with buying intent may have a higher CTR than other keywords.
If your ad and landing page is performing better than other advertisers, your quality score is going be higher than the rest, and the opposite also applies.
Quality score is calculated by your account: Lastly, Google also factors in the performance of your ad campaigns and currents ads too. If you are consistently creating good advertising campaigns, Google will know that. You will get the benefit of the doubt, so they will be assuming that your next one will also be great. You will also have an easier time getting a high-quality score.
Step #2: Factors that may tell Google that your ad is good
Google bases their perception of quality on how they think the searcher experience will be. The highest quality search will leave people completely satisfied and make it easy to find results. This is based on specific metrics, such as the click-through rate of your ad.
So, if many people are clicking on your ad, then they are finding it relevant and interesting. A good CTR is going to raise your quality score.
CTR Factor 1 – The headline: The one thing that stands out most in an ad is the headline. If you mess up the headline, it won’t matter how great the rest of the ad is. You won’t be getting a good CTR or building a high bounce rate. Remember, you only have 25 characters to convert a viewer to a customer, so you have to make it count. A rule of thumb is to include the keywords in your headline. Then, you will have used up 50-75% of your characters already. Use the rest of the words to make a good offer or statement to attract clicks and increase conversion rates.
CTR Factor 2 – The description: Another major aspect of your ad that will impact your CTR is your description of the ad text.
Your headline is going to attract attention, but sometimes searchers will need some extra convincing in order to click.
To create a description that forms a high CTR, there are some different approaches that you should try:
- List features and benefits
- Point out your potential customer (e.g., “perfect for new businesses”)
- Add a call to action (e.g., “call us today for an appointment”)
For this step, try to test out different types of descriptions in the ad to see which works best. But in the end, it comes down to fully knowing your potential customers.
In general, features usually perform worse than benefits. This is because most people are more interested in the results they will get from the product rather than the technical aspects. Although, if your customers are more professional and sophisticated, you should opt for listing the features instead.
CTR Factor 3 – The keyword targeting: Lastly, your CTR will also be heavily impacted by specific keywords you are going to be targeting from searches.
Researchers will be looking for their specific keywords, so you must include these in each main section (headline and description).
On top of that, stay away from comparing CTRs of different keywords, as this is just going to stress you out for no reason. You shouldn’t be wondering why the CTR for certain keywords is lower than the rest. It may also be because that searchers of those keywords click more or less often.
For example, someone searching “buy dinner table” is likely to click on lots of results to see what’s out there. So, CTRs will be on the higher side for all advertisers, but so will the bounce rate.
But, if someone is searching for something with a smaller variety, they might be satisfied with only the first result. For example, someone looking up “emergency repairman” won’t too worried about comparing various services; they just need the fastest one they can get. So, they may pick the ad campaign with the highest quality score along with ad rank.
If you have a high-quality score, but a lower CTR, don’t fret too much. This only means that your CTR is better than all the competing advertisers for the specific keyword.
Hire a professional internet marketing company to help you conduct keyword research for your business.
Conclusion
If you’re going to try out using Google Ads, which we think is a great way to generate traction and diversify your sources of traffic, you must focus on getting a high-quality score.
This is essential to generating cheaper traffic, but also usually goes along with great keyword targeting and well-made landing pages. So, this leads to the most profitable campaigns, also having a good quality score. While these two steps may seem not enough, they truly are. A lot of work goes into doing these two steps well, so you must be ready to invest your time and energy.
At first, it isn’t going to be easy, and you will surely get frustrated at how the system works, but it truly is worth continuing until you reach your goals. If you have any issues concerning raising your quality score, you can contact our professional digital marketing team for expert help.
7 Benefits of Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency
Online marketing is one of the most important things for every company to pay attention to. Today, social media platforms are giving a massive amount of opportunities. If your company doesn’t have accounts on social media platforms, then you are losing a lot. Social media opens many doors and helps companies to move forward. Believe us, you will be behind everything if you are not present online. And most importantly, your competitors will always be one step ahead of you. That is why, today, many companies are considering hiring digital marketing agencies.
The top 7 benefits of hiring a digital marketing agency
There are many Los Angeles digital marketing agencies. And sometimes it is tough to choose between them. You have probably faced a situation when you want to hire a digital marketing agency, but you are not sure whether the cost is worth it. It is essential to get the most out of the budget which you spent. And that is the main reason that you should be careful about hiring a digital marketing agency.
If you are already thinking about working with a digital marketing agency, this article is for you! We understand that in the beginning, there may be a lot of questions for you. And you may doubt whether it is beneficial for you to hire a digital marketing agency or not. We will try to make everything clear for you and give answers to your questions. Below you will find seven most important reasons why you should hire an online marketing agency.
1. You Will Always Be Aware of All the New Trends
The trends and algorithms of online platforms change at a very fast pace. In order to have a successful online marketing strategy, you should be aware of every new trend and change. Following all these trends can be hard and time-consuming. Of course, you may not be able to do that with your daily work. It takes some time to be aware of all the new tactics and, if you are not from the digital marketing sphere, it may be difficult for you.
Online marketing is a large topic, and there are so many things that you need to know for a successful strategy. SEO, social media, content marketing, email marketing are both exciting and extensive topics.
So as you may have already understood, that it can be hard for you to follow the trends alone. That is why you need to hire a digital marketing agency. Every professional agency’s job is to be aware of all the trends. And the greatest agencies try to apply these tactics for their clients. If the agency is not aware of all the trends, they will not be able to provide the best result.
For Mirdon Production, it is essential always to learn and grow. We try to learn every day in order to provide the best outcome for our clients. So before hiring a digital marketing agency, you need to make sure that they are always learning and are aware of new trends.
2. You Will Have Time to Grow and Develop Your Company
One of the advantages of hiring a Los Angeles digital marketing agency is that you will have more time to grow your company. This means that you will not be obliged to do online marketing by yourself. Digital agencies will do all the job instead of you, and hence, you will focus on the company’s growth. If you are sure that you have a team of excellent marketers, you can be more relaxed. And in addition to this, you can develop other parts of your company and grow it. Imagine that all day you are spending your time on your company’s online marketing. Of course, you will not have time to do other work. As a result, you may lose your control over the company and forget about other relevant issues.
Daily online marketing work can be time-consuming if you want to have a good result. As we have already mentioned above, you should know everything about online marketing. Being aware of everything is hard. And this may disturb you from focusing on growing your business. So it will be really beneficial for you to spend your time on other aspects of your company. But at the same time, of course, try to be aware of everything that the digital marketing agency does.
Mirdon production will take care of your company’s online marketing. You need to choose a company which will have enough knowledge about online marketing. Hence you will be sure that the online marketing of your company is in the right hands.
3. You Will Gain Reliable and Accountable Partner
If you find a professional and great Los Angeles digital marketing agency, then you can be sure of reliability. This means that you can call up your planner and have a discussion about what’s new with your numbers. Also, you can get some information about refreshing your present strategy. It implies that you can trust and depend on them and know that they are ready to help you in any situation. They help you to use the best strategies most effectively. It is essential to know that you can provide inside information to your agency. It is necessary for the strategy
On the other side, you have somebody responsible for the procedure and the numbers behind it. In case you’re losing your position, for example, it’s a digital marketing agency that should respond with regards to what is going on. For example, if you paid for a campaign and did not gain any results, the agency should be responsible for it. That is why try to find an agency that will be professional and accountable. Otherwise, you will lose a lot of nerves and money.
We know many cases when clients gave a lot of money to a particular agency but didn’t receive any result. This is a common issue because sometimes clients can’t choose between hundreds of agencies. So make sure to select the right agency in order not to be fooled at the end.
4. A Great Opportunity to Extend Your Team
Of course, you may already have a reliable internal team. This is great, but consider the benefits of having an internal team as well. Firstly you will have more connections. These agencies usually work with different companies. This can be helpful for you. They will share experiences with you and give valuable advice. Secondly, these people will bring new and exciting ideas for your company. As they are fresh minds, this will be very beneficial for you. Consider hiring an agency with a lot of experience that can give you many advantages.
Small businesses sometimes don’t want to hire a separate specialist for online marketing and SEO. It is logical because hiring multiple specialists can be very costly for a business. And especially in the beginning businesses don’t want to have too many expenses. Hence it is beneficial to hire external specialists. In addition to this, there are different people for every aspect of digital marketing. So, of course, you would like to hire a digital marketing agency, rather than a couple of various specialists. Agency will give you a full package of services that they are going to provide. So be sure that you will receive everything that your company needs for growth and development.
5. You are Going to Gain a Lot of Knowledge About Various Tools and Insights
There are a lot of great tools for businesses. Los Angeles digital marketing agencies are providing many useful tools to get the most valuable insights. This will help your company to gain information about your customers and performance. You will understand how different strategies are working and which one is more appropriate for you. Each next time, your campaigns will be better because you have more information and insights. This is maybe one of the most critical parts of any successful marketing campaign. So try to make sure that you are getting the most out of every marketing tool.
Of course, you may think that these tools are available on the internet, and you can get them yourself. Yes, you can, but there are a couple of aspects that you should know. Firstly, it can be costly. You may need different tools for every aspect of online marketing. For example, there is a separate tool that will monitor your online reputation. Secondly, understanding these tools can be hard. And digital marketing agencies are experts in analyzing the result that these tools give.
At first, it may seem that digital marketing rates are very high. But before getting afraid of the price, know that agencies are providing so many services and tools. And eventually, the results will be worth it. So don’t be afraid to hire a digital marketing agency. The tools that they provide are one of the most effective ways to plan and understand strategies.
6. You Gain Stable and Concrete Objective
As the head of the business, you have a lot of responsibilities. You should take care of the most critical decisions and steps. Hence one of your main jobs is to make sure that everything is running smoothly. This means that you need to build a structure that will help you to grow the company. When there is a professional agency that takes care of your marketing, it is easier to develop it. You know that they are looking in the same direction as you do, and hence they are working towards your objective.
Concentrating on the objectives helps you to have a steady plan. With the help of it, you will be aware of how to develop your company. Otherwise, there will be a mess in your head, and you will lose control.
It is essential to know that no one can grow a big company alone. You need people who have excellent knowledge and can contribute to your company’s objective. Mirdon Production always makes sure to be on the same page with the client. This is important for the purpose of the company. And eventually, you will notice how your company is moving forward and growing day-by-day.
7. You Will Control Your Budget More Wisely
As I have already mentioned above, digital marketing rates may seem a little bit high. But believe us hiring a digital marketing agency is more cost-effective than anything else. First of all, agencies always give you the package fee in advance. It means that you will know what you are going to pay for. Secondly, you will continuously track your expenses and budget. Knowing which campaign is more effective will not waste your money and time on ineffective campaigns. Agencies always provide you with the most useful information.
Professional digital marketing agencies are making sure to manage your budget most effectively. They try to do their best so that you get the most out of every campaign. All the jobs that you have to do are set the budget and expectation; agencies will do the rest.
Conclusion
Of course, there are different situations for every business, but hiring a marketing agency can be wise. Although it may seem a little bit expensive, if you hire the right agency, then the results will amaze you. So don’t make a rapid decision. As I have mentioned above, a professional marketing agency can help you to grow your company. If your business is small and in the beginning stages, then agencies can help you a lot. Consider all the advantages mentioned above and hire a digital marketing agency.
The most important part of the process is to choose the right digital marketing agency. Don’t just choose the first one. Do some research and read reviews. But the essential part is to conduct meetings with agencies. This will help you understand whether the agency is on the same line as you and your company. Mirdon Production is always there to discuss every aspect to have a successful partnership. So start searching and hire the best digital marketing agency for your business.
10 Digital Marketing Ideas to Consider During the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Since the Coronavirus pandemic began in the world, people face a lot of challenges. Unfortunately, the disease takes away a lot of lives. And in many countries, the numbers are very high. Many businesses are struggling with the loss of customers, and some of these businesses are closing. Although there are businesses that are doing great during a pandemic, such as pharmacies, the hospitality industry was hit the hardests and is in one of the worst positions. Restaurants and cafes have been empty for a couple of months, which is a massive loss. Although cafes are already operating anyway, it will take some time for them to recover from all the damages.
In such situations, the business should consider different strategies in order to survive hard times. Each company should be flexible enough to be able to come up with new and creative solutions. Online marketing is one of the critical parts that every business should pay attention to. People spend most of their time at home and use the internet all the time. So you should transfer your business to an online platform. Los Angeles, digital marketing agencies are working day and night to have the right strategies for your business during COVID-19.
Why is Digital Marketing Important During Coronavirus?
Coronavirus has changed almost everyone’s life in the world. Businesses who built their company through years and with a great struggle are now closing. If you want to survive, this means you need to be present online. There are industries that are entirely dying. For example, the future of travel agents is very uncertain. But other aspects can survive if they work hard and get creative. For example, if you have a cafe or restaurant, then you can start to develop your social media accounts. So you can show the restaurant’s foods on your page and offer delivery services. People stay at home most of the time, and they may want to eat restaurants’ food. So as a CEO, you should take steps and immediately. And one of the first steps is to take your business to an online platform. Below you will find ten digital marketing ideas to consider during Coronavirus.
1. Connect with Your Customers Through Social Media Platforms
Because we spend most of our time at home, as a result, we spend more time on social media platforms. The negative information and news are too much on the internet, and people need some positivity. And in addition to this, there are people who are in a terrible situation because of the pandemic. Some lost their jobs; others are fighting for their life and the life of their loved ones. You can use this time and try to connect with your customers on a deeper level. People need more empathy nowadays, so they will appreciate it if your company shows compassion to them. For example, you can execute different campaigns that may help people who are ill with Coronavirus. Or you can connect with various businesses and help with food for the ones who need it. Then you can talk about your steps on your social media accounts. Your customers will pay attention to your actions and perceive you as an optimistic company.
2. Make Sure that People Can Find Your Business Online
Most probably, you have already understood the importance of social media platforms. Los Angeles marketing agencies are professionals who promote social media accounts. Their main job is to help your business have a strong position on online platforms. Most of the professionals have a huge amount of knowledge and information, and they learn every day. Each company has a professional who knows everything about SEO. Believe us, SEO is what you may need right now. It will help you to make your company visible and so that your potential customers can find you easily. We understand that you may not have time to explore everything connected with SEO. So we highly recommend you to not do online marketing alone and contact Los Angeles marketing agencies.
3. Start to Use Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Of course, during Coronavirus, every business needs to spend more wisely because the sales are decreasing. Pay-Per-Click marketing will help you to spend less on your advertising and get a better result. So we highly recommend you to examine PPC marketing and try to gain the most out of it. You can learn more about Pay-Per-Click marketing by clicking the mentioned link.
4. Be One Step Ahead of Your Competitors
In the case of the proper implementation of SEO, you will notice an increase in the traffic of your website. This will help you to win the competition. When customers search keywords connected with your business, your page will be the first one to pop up. Hence the consumers will prefer your product over others’. It takes time to be on top of the Google search results, and of course, a lot of knowledge. This is a significant part of online marketing, which needs to be carefully examined.
Not implementing SEO strategies for your business will be one of the biggest mistakes. You will lose customers because people will not be able to find you. Hence your revenue will decrease, and you will have a decline in sales. This is a critical aspect of every business, so you should hire people who will take care of SEO. Or cooperate with Los Angeles marketing agencies, which are professionals, and know everything about it.
5. Prepare Your Business for Better Times After Coronavirus
We should be positive and believe that after some time, the world will come back to an everyday life. This means that consumers will start to spend normally, and they will go back to their old habits. You should keep in mind that SEO and online marketing strategies are for a very long time. And the results that they give are long term. So all the strategies that you implement during Coronavirus will prepare your business’s strong position during better times. This means that after Coronavirus, you should not stop your campaigns. You should use this time to learn the most about online marketing, then continue implementing strategies. Los Angeles marketing agencies will help you to make a strategy for your desired period of time. To continue implementing all the online marketing strategies even after the Coronavirus.
6. Try to Provide Special Offers to Your Customers
CEOs of companies need to be very flexible and think creatively during such kinds of difficult times. During such uncertain times, you can provide special offers to your customers. This way, you will show your support to them, and they will feel that you understand their situation and want to make their lives better during hard times. For example, you can offer special discounts or different giveaways. This will not only make your revenue increase but also you will make a good connection with your customers. Many people who stay at home are all the time on the internet, and they are looking for discounts. They want to shop because they have a lot of spare time. But also they want to save money, so discounts are a great way to do so. Moreover, this is a great way to have more or less steady revenue.
7. Develop Your Local SEO
As people are staying at home, boosting local SEO is critical for your company. People are not traveling, and the movement is minimized. So they want to find convenience and find shops which are in the city and near to them. People will mostly do “near me” searches, so you need to boost your local SEO for them to easily find your website. If your business is near to customers, then they will prefer it over the competitors.
Also, don’t forget about reviews and, most importantly, positive ones. It is critical to keep your online reputation to high levels. This is important because people are reading reviews before buying something. If you provide great products and services to your target customers, then most probably people will leave a good review for your company. So work on the quality and develop your online marketing, and good reviews will come very fast.
8. Be Ready to Be Flexible and Tell Your Customers About Changes
As the situation in the world is fluid, this means that your business should be ready to be flexible and be ready for changes. This is a perfect time to explore new aspects and things. And maybe you will find something new which may open new doors for you. For example, if you are in a restaurant business, then you should consider having a delivery service. Restaurants are closed during Coronavirus, so you will have a lot of losses and a decrease in revenue. So you should have a great system of delivery service, and market it so that people want to use your service. And your customers will want to order your restaurant’s food
Another example is the gyms. All the gyms are closed, but there are different options to not lose customers and have a source of revenue. For instance, you can offer online workouts and get creative with new offers. So as you can notice, hard times can help you to find new aspects and eventually gain from the situations.
9. Don’t Panic and Get The Most Out of the Situation.
Remember to keep the situation under control and try not to panic. Every hard situation has a solution, so this means that if you work hard, then you will exit the situation in the best way. That is why you need to have a strong online marketing strategy. As a result, when others panic, you will be one step ahead from them and implement the strategy from the beginning to the end. You should not make a panic move, and you should just implement smart strategies. Panic never ends well, and it is the main reason why most businesses fail during hard situations. There are many examples when businesses don’t have enough competency to survive during different hard situations. That is why, during good times, you should collect resources in order to end well during bad times.
10. Complete Everything Connected With Your Online Marketing Strategy
This is a great time to finish everything which you couldn’t do for a long time because of the lack of time. Every business has things which seem not very important to do in the first place. During this time, you should pay a huge attention to it and finally finish everything on your to-do list. For example, if you were planning to create a website for a long time, now it is time to finally do it. As you may already know, websites are very important for sales, so it is time to finally create a dream website for your business. Or, if you already have a website, it may be the time to give a fresh look to it.
Another important aspect is that this is a perfect time to learn something new and improve your skills. As a CEO, you may always be full of tasks and not have enough time to dedicate it to your self-improvement. Try to use this time for your own good and learn something important. It is very important because every CEO should always learn new things. Otherwise, it will be hard for you to lead your team. So this is a great time to learn new skills.
Conclusion
It is not a secret that 2020 brought a lot of unexpected and difficult surprises. A lot of unpleasant things happened, which created difficult and harsh situations for many. The most essential thing is to stay strong and remember that everything will pass soon. Such times help us to value good times and work harder. Implement online marketing strategies and try to make smart moves in order to win in such hard times. Eventually, you will have a strong position and be ready for any kind of situation which happens.
How to Promote your Business in 2020
Running any business is challenging, whether it be big or small. There are so many roles you have to take on and so much to calculate without knowing whether it will be effective or not. Running a business is already a big risk in itself, so you must be ready to go all out on promoting your business. As a company that runs their own business in Los Angeles, the hub of all things digital and social media-related, we have learned a few tricks on how to make things work. Read below to find out some of the tips on how to promote your business in the modern-day from some of the highest-rated marketing agencies in Los Angeles.
1. Know your audience to Promote your Business
In order to figure out where you should promote and how you must know your target audience. Your customers are what your business is based on, and they are essential to the success of your business. If you don’t know who your promotion is aimed at, it will basically become a giant waste of money. Before you decide anything, you must first find your target market.
How to find your target?
Start finding your target audience by asking yourself what problems your company’s product or service solve. Generally, this means understanding why your products exist and why people need it. Your product should have a purpose, which will be portrayed in your promotion. You must also research who your current customers are. It is important that you categorize your customers into segments according to needs, budget, age, location, and other factors. Your competition is also something you should be up to date on. Research their websites and the “About” sections to find out who your competition really is and what they are doing with their business. It is really easy to find your competitors; all it takes is a simple keyword search that has to do with your industry. Now that you have your current customers and competition down, you must try to understand what you must do so that these customers choose you and not the others. What will they gain by choosing you instead of anyone else on the market? Try to find your advantages and the features that put you above the rest and focus your promotion on that. A quick trick that top marketing agencies in Los Angeles would recommend doing is building marketing personas. These personas should include the people you hope to reach with your products, their age, location, budget, hobbies, and so on. Building a few marketing personas will help you in the future when building your promotion strategy. Try to also accept the feedback from your current customers in the form of comments or survey responses, to understand if you are achieving what you hoped you would.
2. Social Media Content Marketing
Chances are, you don’t know anyone who doesn’t use at least one social media platform. One in every two people in the entire world has at least one social media account, and many new accounts are opened every day. Many marketing agencies in Los Angeles would tell you that it is nearly impossible to have a successful online marketing campaign without the social media aspect of it. But, this does not mean you must be on every single platform out there. It is better to choose the social media platforms most used by your target audience and focus on keeping that account active, instead of having a bland and mediocre page on all platforms. Invest some time and money into market research, or find some research online on what the age and budget group of your customers tends to use more. Once you have your platforms ready, you must produce high-quality content. Content includes photos, memes, videos, blog posts, and more, depending on what platform you are using. Your content must be engaging, interesting, and should promote your product, but not too much. If every single post you make links to your products and presents like an ad, customers will get bored or annoyed and will unfollow. A tip from a top marketing agency in Los Angeles is to use the 80-20 rule. 80% of your content should be content that doesn’t directly promote your products, and 20% should be an ad and should directly link to your products. A great idea is to produce a “how-to” video that will show how to use your products but will not look like a blatant ad. Generally, opening a YouTube account for your company, where you can make instructional videos about your products, answer any frequently asked questions, and where you can hop on the latest trends while also being witty and showing your products is a great way to promote your business.
– Interactive content
In a whole world of constant content, it is important that you produce content that will engage your audience. Content that requires participation from the customer will surely have your customers stay on your page for a long time, and it will also be memorable and stay in their minds. Los Angeles marketing agencies highly recommend interactive content, as that is what stands out among everything else. On Instagram, a poll can be made on your story, where the user will get the opportunity to choose their option, or a live Q&A type option. Interactive content is new, fun, and different, so it should definitely be in your social media marketing strategy.
– Follow up
Another important step in social media marketing is the analysis that comes after. By reviewing the statistics gathered, you will start to understand whether you are going in the right direction or not. This analysis will show you whether you are reaching your target audience or not, how effective your posts are, and if you are making revenue from them or not. According to these results, you can start to tweak your strategy so that you reach the audience you want or embrace the audience you have gathered. There are many online analytics tools you can use to gather the information you need.
3. Shoppable Posts
Social media platforms are one of the biggest forms of digital marketing, and usually the most effective if done right. One marketing agency in Los Angeles reports that 72% of Instagram users have purchased at least one product from Instagram. 70% of users on Pinterest, specifically to search for new and innovative products to purchase. This means social media is a big opportunity to gain new customers. These platforms have made social media marketing very easy, with updated marketing features every day. Instagram has the “swipe up” feature on stories and posts if you are a business account with more than 10 000 followers. This means you won’t have to convince people to exit the post and click the link in the bio but will make the process of accessing your website so much quicker and easier. You can also tag your products on your own pictures, so one click will show the product name and price, and if clicked again will go straight to your website. Another cool feature on Instagram is when announcing a new launch, customers can also click on the countdown to set a reminder on their account so they will know when they can purchase these new products. Facebook, Pinterest, and other platforms all have their own social media marketing options, and you should select the one that you think best fits your brand and target audience requirements.
Call-To-Actions
Remember, people usually don’t have a lot of time on their hands. Marketing agencies in Los Angeles noted that the average person on social media only spends around 2 seconds on each post as they are scrolling. If they like something they see, they want to be led to the purchasing or related products immediately. If your links and forwarding buttons are hidden, you are going to be losing customers. No one is going to use their time to find your website or product, and the time they could be spending on your website will be taken up by a competitor. That’s why it is important that your call-to-actions are visible and easy to access. Place them in your bios, under the posts, in email signatures, and so on.
4. Make your customers feel special
Personalization
2020 is the year where personalized marketing is going to make it big. People can now easily tell that an ad is generic and doesn’t have any connection to them. So, traditional advertising formats are becoming less and less effective when it comes to promotion. According to a survey conducted by a marketing agency in Los Angeles, 90% of surveyed people found personalization highly appealing. 80% admitted they would rather spend their time and money on a business that offered them a personalized experience, as opposed to a business with a generic one size fits all ads. So you must create targeted ads that will fit your target audiences’ needs and likes, and this is where your marketing personas will really come in handy. For example, if your business sends out email lists, then try to segment these lists according to customer needs and personalize the email content being sent. This way, it will catch the attention of a customer and make them feel noticed by the company. Personalization is a great opportunity to really connect with your audience, so don’t miss out.
Customer Service
Customer service must become one of your top priorities as a company. Even if your product is the only one in the world and works perfectly, if your customer service is iffy, then customers will not come to you. You will have to do everything in your power to make your customers feel valued and special. If they have any problems, don’t ignore or block them. This can lead to them posting about it or telling all their friends, and not only will you lose potential and existing customers, but you will also earn a bad reputation. Instead, reply as quick as possible and help them through their problems. Even if they are dissatisfied with the product, they will surely come back if they are treated well, and their issues are resolved. Their comments and feedback is also a good opportunity for you to see where your business is lacking and has space to improve. Instead of spending tons of money on market research, you can just read your comments!
Answer any and all questions that you receive, even if they seem repetitive or irrelevant. When answering messages or comments, try to reply with “Dear and the name they have on social media” to make your conversation seem more personal and less formal. Your customers may indirectly become brand ambassadors because they will recommend your business to other potential customers, increasing your exposure and revenue. A trick many Los Angeles marketing agencies recommend is sending your new or loyal customers some samples of your product or coupon for your service. This will surely make them feel highly appreciated, and if they like it, they are very likely to purchase more and recommend to their friends.
Keep in mind that these are only tips to help you promote your business.
There is really no formula for a business promotion that works for everyone. Every business, target audience, and product is different, and every promotion strategy will also be different. Never be afraid to experiment with different platforms and ads to find what works best for you. It is important that you analyze the results after trying something new, to see who you are reaching and how effective your method is. If it isn’t getting the results you want, then change it up and keep moving forward. If it works, then use it as a starting point and develop and improve your strategy. Finding the perfect promotion method for your target audience is going to take some time, but once you find it, you will only need to maintain it for the long-term, and everything will become much less stressful.
7 Signs Your Website Needs an Update: Digital Marketing
Websites are essentially your face on the internet. It is the first thing that people will find when they search your name, and it will either have them hooked or put them off. It is a marketing tool that should help you gain more business and clients, and should always be updated. Without a good website, your online marketing and advertising will be pointless. There are new features being released every day that you should take advantage of to make your site seem more professional. Here are some signs that you should update your website according to top marketing agencies in Los Angeles.
1. Your website doesn’t make a good first impression
“First impressions last.” When someone visits your website, you only have 3-4 seconds to make a good first impression. Usually, the attention span of a new customer is very short, so if they don’t stay during the first few seconds, most likely they are not going to come back. Even if your product or service is known to be the best, yet your website leaves a wrong first impression, a customer will prefer to go to the competitor. Try entering the headspace of a new website visitor and look at your website to see what it looks like. You can also try to ask friends and family what comes to mind first when they look at the homepage of your website.
2. Your website isn’t memorable
“Almost everyone will make a good first impression, but only a few will make a good lasting impression.” Once you got a good first impression, you must work towards keeping the customers interested in your website. Everyone around your area will most likely have the same type of site, so you must stand out and be memorable. A website with a fresh and new look can help you to create a good lasting impression. Nothing says “trendy, successful and professional” more than a well-made website with new features and updated content. In order to beat your competition and stay ahead of the game, you must give your clients and new visitors a reason to use your website and to talk about it later. Mix it up by using new colors, fonts, and new content.
Marketing agencies in Los Angeles always experiment with risky features and colors, so you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things. Nowadays everything is the same and people are tired of it and are always on the lookout, something that’s different. Take the time to recall some websites that have had a lasting impression on you, and try to figure out which features contributed to this good impression and incorporate something similar to your website.
3. Your website doesn’t reflect your brand
As a business owner, how you see yourself and your products and how the audience sees you is your brand. Finding and building your brand may sound complicated, but it isn’t very difficult. Firstly, you must discover how you see yourself and your company and then how others see you. Gather some information from friends and family by surveys or something similar to find out how others see you. Now, combine these two descriptions and voila you have your brand. It is essential that you portray your brand through your website as it is what people should notice and think of first. Your brand should include your objectives, morals, and goals, and those should somehow come across when someone views your website.
- You have undergone a rebranding
Of course, no one expects your brand to stay the same forever. Just as people change, so do companies, and their brands should change alongside them. A rebranding can mean new logo design, tagline, new colors, and fonts, or even a completely new brand guideline. Your website should be a big part of your online marketing strategy, so just as your brand changes, so should your website. It will seem unprofessional and highly off-putting if you have changed the whole “look” of your company, yet your website still reflects your old beliefs and designs. It will also confuse any newcomers who know of your new brand and try to look up more information about you.
4. Your website is outdated
This is the point that can really make or break the experience of a visitor on your website.
The saying “Old school is cool” shouldn’t be applicable to the functionality of your website. The internet, digital media, and online marketing are ever-evolving tools and go through many changes and shifts each year. The standards for websites customers have in their heads change alongside the development of new tools and technologies. The potential clients’ likes, dislikes, and preferences change just as fast, and what was trendy and popular, may become outdated tomorrow. If you want your website to be effective and bring in revenue, you need to become agile with your strategy and website. If your website was built 1-2 years ago or even later, then it is very likely very behind in terms of design and functionality. The code is probably outdated and is slowing down the loading speed. There may also be new browsers that have requirements that your website doesn’t meet, so it is incompatible with the newer websites clients are using. Just because the content is updated and fresh, does not necessarily mean the website is. Even if you feel sentimental and attached to your old website design, it is time to upgrade it to increase clients and revenue.
- Non-mobile-friendly websites
This is one of the gravest mistakes you can make as a company when it comes to a website. 50% of internet users use their mobile phones for access. Imagine if someone is walking down the street and notices your company name and wants to check it out while they’re on the bus. Or if a friend recommended your company in a text message, and the person doesn’t want to go get their laptop. So many potential customers will be lost if your website is not mobile-friendly. Even if you have top-notch design and content, if a website isn’t responsive on the phone, many customers will turn away from your company. Marketing agencies in Los Angeles have concluded that over 60% of all website traffic is conducted by mobile devices. Chances are most of your customers are in that 60% who want to access your website on their phone. You can be very sure that at some point, the rest of the customers will want to use your website on their phone too. It is also highly likely that the first interaction a potential customer will have with your website is on a mobile phone if they discover you through social media such as Instagram or Twitter. Mobile phone traffic isn’t going away anytime soon, and your website shouldn’t either. With may new website templates, you can choose to show or hide specific page blocks only on a mobile device, to optimize and engage the user more with your site. You will be surprised how many more customers you will attract with a fresh website with al the new features and a mobile-accessible option.
5. Ineffective Pathway
When a customer enters your page, there should be a logical pathway they follow. For effective website design, you will need an effective menu. This menu should be attractive to click on and should include all your pages. Aside from the menu, all your pages should encourage the customer to stay on your website and should lead them to the next page on your website. If your website includes a whole variety of content, a great tool to include on your site is a search bar. If a customer has come onto your website searching for something specific, they should be able to find it using the search bar. But as I mentioned above, you should also find a way to make them stay, with a “recommended” section or something similar to help them find other things you offer.
- “Call to Action” missing
If you’re wondering what a call-to-action is, then this is your first mistake. Everyone knows a website should have a contact me page, but most customers do not have time to look for it or to fill out their contact details. A call-to-action is simply a button or an area of your website that encourages action such as “sign-up now” or “get started today.” This is not just a button, or you can add randomly here and there. It must be placed strategically in order to keep the customer’s interest and offer them the opportunity to see more content and keep up with your website. You must never your potential customers wondering what their next step to see more content is. It must be subtle and intuitive but easy-to-find.
6. You have a high bounce rate
This is a very important factor for your website. If you have been spending time and money on an SEO and a marketing strategy, chances are you are successively bringing a lot of traffic to your website. But, right as they access the homepage of your website, the bounce right off, that means you have a big problem. You are losing clients and potential customers.
Your bounce rate defines the percentage of visitors to your website who exit the website after only viewing one page. A high bounce rate means that something you are doing is wrong; it has to do with either the content, the navigation, or the overall design of your website. Generally, a 40-60% bounce rate is considered to be normal, but this can vary according to the industry. You can check the bounce rate of your website using Google Analytics. Log in and then access the Acquisition >> Overview tab. Your end goal of a website should be to make your bounce rate as low as possible. Having a low bounce rate shows that visitors find your website to be worth their time. So, the lower your bounce rate is, the more opportunities there are to increase sales. Experiment with new designs, fonts, colors, and content. After some time, use an analytics site to see if the bounce rate has changed. If it has lowered, this means customers are liking this new look and stick around longer on your website. If the bounce rate has stayed the same or has gone higher, then try out other new features and designs to see if those will change the rate. The bounce rate of your website is one of the key clues into how your website is doing with customers, so take advantage of this and use it to its fullest potential. Many marketing agencies in Los Angeles would consider the bounce rate one of the most important tools in a website designer toolbox.
7. Your website is too slow: website update is needed
The target loading time of your website should be under 5 seconds. If you aren’t sure how fast your website loads, you can use tools like GTmetrix or Pingdom to check how long it takes for your site to open, along with which files are causing it to be slow. Remember to test everything, as it may be fast on Internet Explorer, but slow on Google Chrome. You must always keep in mind that you only have 4 seconds to make a good impression on a potential client. If 3 of those 4 seconds are spent on loading your website, then this will cause a big problem, because the visitor will exit your website before they even see the design you spent so much time on. Don’t miss out on opportunities by making a fresh design but having no one around to see it.
A few more words about website update.
If you went through this list and found it relatable to your website, then take this as a sign from the universe that you need to update it! Remember that your website, not a liability, and it is there to promote your work and help new customers discover your brand, so treat it like an asset. Any marketing agency in Los Angeles will tell you that no harm can be done with a website update, so what are you waiting for, get to redesigning
