Category: Lead Generation

How Digital Marketing is Changing Business

Post author By Kim Mays
Post date July 28, 2023

Although you may not realize it, you are experiencing how digital marketing can change your business everyday. Just look around. How many marketing emails arrive in your inbox, social media ads are seen on your profiles daily, digital billboard displays, blogs and other online content are all examples of digital marketing.

What is Digital Marketing and How Can My Business Leverage it?

To over simplify it, digital marketing is an ever evolving online presence that involves providing quality, useful information to consumers or B2B.

Take this blog for instance. We are writing it to provide our readers with information about what digital marketing is and how it can be used to change business, increase sales and connect with customers.

What’s in it for you as a business you ask? Well, think about it. You are searching online using google search or one of the other search engines and type in “how can digital marketing help my business?”. The search engine then searches for any content that matches your criteria, and ranks them according to relevance to your search. And, BOOM! There we are, looking like the experts that we are, all because we wrote a blog about how digital marketing is changing business!

Is It Really That Easy?

Unfortunately, no it isn’t. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into ranking for search engines, but the benefits of digital marketing and how it can change your business is worth the effort.

Can Digital Marketing Really Impact My Business that Much?

Digital marketing has revolutionized the way businesses connect with their perfect target audience, promote their products or services, and drive growth. By leveraging the power of digital channels, businesses can adapt to evolving consumer behavior, stay relevant in the digital age, and unlock new opportunities for success.

Here are some key ways that digital marketing is changing business:

Increased Reach: Digital marketing helps businesses to reach a global audience easily, which can mean increased visibility and sales. With the internet and various online platforms, businesses can connect with potential customers from different geographic locations, expanding their reach beyond physical boundaries.
Targeted Advertising: Unlike traditional marketing methods, digital marketing enables businesses to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors of

their target audience. This targeted approach helps in delivering personalized and relevant messages to potential customers, increasing the chances of conversion. It can also save you significant advertising costs because it is directed to the right audience at the right time.

3. Cost-Effective: Digital marketing is often a more cost-effective solution compared to traditional marketing methods. Online advertising channels, such as social media, search engine marketing, and email marketing, typically have lower costs and can be optimized for maximum return on investment (ROI). Additionally, some of these channels offer free options, making them perfect for start ups or those on a tight budget.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making: Digital marketing provides businesses with valuable data and insights about customer behavior, preferences, and engagement. Through analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, businesses can gather information about website traffic, conversion rates, customer demographics, and more. This data can be used to make informed decisions, optimize marketing campaigns, and improve overall business strategies. You can’t get this with traditional marketing because it is “blanket advertising” solution designed to reach the masses. It isn’t designed to track conversion, or determine what was effective and what wasn’t.

5. Improved Customer Engagement: Digital marketing provides multiple channels for businesses to engage and interact with their customers. Social media platforms, email marketing, live chats, and online communities allow businesses to have real-time conversations with their target audience. This helps in building relationships, addressing customer concerns, and fostering customer loyalty. Today’s consumers aren’t interested in a sales pitch. They are all about building relationships with real and authentic businesses. Customer interaction is one way digital marketing is changing business.

6. Enhanced Brand Awareness: With the sheer magnitude of digital channels, businesses can significantly increase their brand visibility just by building an online presence. By creating compelling content, utilizing search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, and leveraging social media platforms, businesses can improve and increase brand awareness.

7. Flexible Marketing Strategies: Digital marketing offers flexibility in implementing marketing strategies. Unlike traditional marketing methods, digital marketing allows businesses to quickly adapt and modify campaigns based on real-time feedback and data. This enables businesses to respond quickly to competitor activity, changes in the marketplace and consumer preferences..

8. Integration with Offline Channels: Just because digital marketing can change your business, doesn’t mean you should abandon traditional marketing completely. Using Digital and Traditional marketing together can provide your business with seamless integration to create a cohesive customer experience. For example, businesses can drive customers from online platforms to physical stores using location-based targeting or utilize QR codes in their traditional marketing to bridge the gap between digital and physical marketing efforts.

Looking for more tips to help grow your business in this digital age? Read our blog, Know Your Business, Know Your Value.

Tags content marketing, digital marketing, marketing strategy, SEO

Content Marketing Digital Marketing Lead Generation Marketing Strategy SEO

How To Plan Your Marketing For 2023 Now!

Post author By Christy Falkenberg
Post date January 13, 2023

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If you’ve been avoiding taking the time to plan your marketing for 2023, then this is your sign. It’s time to take the plunge.

Studies have shown that businesses that plan their marketing strategies in advance are more likely to achieve greater success than those that do not. By taking the time to plan your marketing strategy for 2023 now, you can set yourself up for success in the coming years.

1: Identify Your Goals

As you begin planning your business’s marketing strategy for 2023, it is important to first identify your organization’s goals. Think about what you want to achieve in the upcoming year and how successful marketing can help you get there. Consider both long-term and short-term goals, and make sure they are realistic yet inspiring. Knowing the direction you want to take your business in will help you create an effective marketing plan that sets you up for success in 2023.

Don't Forget to Identify Your Target Market

Once you have identified your business’s goals, the next step is to figure out who you are targeting. This involves understanding your customer base and understanding their needs. Most small business owners feel like they don’t know how to do this, but it’s easy.

Write a list of your top 10 favourite AND most profitable existing clients. Then list what makes each one the most profitable… (their buying patterns) and what makes them your favourite. When you’re done, compile all of the traits, characteristics, and behaviours into one list and there you have it… Your “perfect client” profile and your target market!

Once you have this information, it is easier to create a marketing strategy that speaks directly to them.

2: Create a marketing strategy

Creating an effective marketing strategy for the year 2023 is essential for any business. A successful plan will involve a thorough understanding of your target audience, the market landscape, and the most effective methods of reaching your customers. It’s important to research relevant trends and technologies to ensure your strategy remains up-to-date with the times. Additionally, setting SMART goals (goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) will help you measure progress and stay organized. Finally, regularly evaluating and adjusting your plan as needed is key for achieving desired results. With a well-thought-out marketing strategy in place, businesses can set themselves up for success in 2023.

Not Sure Where to Start Planning Your Marketing for 2023?

Building the strategy is easier than you think, but it can often feel a little overwhelming. To help you get started, we’ve included an outline and included short descriptions of what should be included in each section of your strategy.

Remember, keep it simple. All you have to do is pull what you know, out of your head and into the strategy. What’s more, what you don’t know, you can Google… you’ll find another great blog like this one to help you along the way!

By taking the time to plan out these critical elements, you can ensure that you can communicate your marketing strategy and share the work with your team to make 2023 your most successful year yet.

Marketing Strategy Outline

I. Executive Summary: A brief overview of the purpose of the strategy, target audience, and expected goals.
II. Market Analysis: A comprehensive analysis of the target market and competitors, including demographics, needs and wants, and purchasing behavior.
III. Target Audience: A detailed description of the target audience, including age, gender, income, interests, and buying habits.
IV. Objectives: Clear and measurable goals of the strategy, such as increased sales or brand awareness.
V. Strategies and Tactics: A list of strategies and tactics to be used to reach the desired objectives.
VI. Budget and Timeline: A detailed budget and timeline for implementation of the strategy.
VII. Evaluation and Adjustment: A plan for monitoring and evaluating the strategy, and adjusting tactics as needed.

3: Choose the Right Business and Marketing Tools when Planning Your Marketing for 2023

When planning your marketing for 2023, it is important to choose the right business and marketing tools that will help you reach your goals. To do this, you should research and understand the various types of tools available, such as social media platforms, email marketing, SEO optimization and more. You should also consider the budget you have for these tools and what type of return on investment you expect. Taking the time to select the right tools for your business can make a big difference in your results.

4: Plan Your Marketing Activities

To ensure your marketing plan for 2023 is successful, it is important to assign tasks to yourself and your team with specific deadlines. By doing this, it will help keep you, and your team on track and motivated to reach the goals outlined in the plan.

Additionally, assigning tasks with deadlines will help hold yourself and your team accountable, as each task can be measured and tracked to determine progress. It’s essential that you set realistic timelines for each task so that you and your team can work within those parameters to reach your goals.

5: Analyze Results

Analyzing your current marketing results is an important step when planning for the future. It’s essential to review your successes, failures, and opportunities for improvement if you want to create a better plan for 2023. Examining your data from previous years can help you identify trends in customer behavior and preferences, which can inform your decisions as you move forward. Additionally, reviewing the effectiveness of different strategies, platforms, and campaigns can provide valuable insights into what works best for your organization. Don’t forget to Google it!

Ultimately, taking the time to analyze your current results can help you create a successful marketing plan for the upcoming year.

6: Adjust Strategies as Needed

Be flexible and adjust your approach as needed. Be sure to assess your goals regularly, and make adjustments if they are not being met. Additionally, you should consider any external factors that could influence your strategies, such as changes in the economy or the emergence of new technologies. By regularly assessing and adjusting your strategies, you can ensure that your 2023 marketing efforts are maximized for success.

7: Track Progress and Evaluate Results

Tracking progress and evaluating results is an important part of any successful marketing plan. Keeping track of the results of your marketing initiatives can help you to identify areas for improvement and make any necessary adjustments to ensure you are achieving the desired outcomes. Evaluating the success of your marketing campaigns can also provide valuable insights into what is working and what isn’t, allowing you to make more informed decisions as you plan your marketing for 2023. By tracking progress and evaluating results, you can ensure that your marketing strategy is on track for success.

8: Stay Focused on Long-Term Goals while Planning Your Marketing for 2023

When planning your marketing strategy for 2023, it is important to focus on the long-term goals that you have set out for your business. Long-term goals give you an idea of where you want to be in the future and allow you to plan for the necessary steps to get there. This can help you create a comprehensive marketing plan that will help your business grow and succeed in the future. By taking a long-term approach to marketing, you will be able to stay focused on achieving your goals and ensure that your business remains successful in the years to come.

Conclusion

Planning your marketing for 2023 will help you reach your goals and grow your business. By following these steps, you can ensure that you are making the most of your time and resources.

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Tags content marketing, digital marketing, marketing, marketing strategy, SEO

Content Marketing Digital Marketing Lead Generation Marketing Strategy Social Media

Holiday Greetings Posts: Why They’re Important For Social Media Marketing

Post author By Cecilia Manuel
Post date December 9, 2022

Holiday greetings just feel different, it’s not just New Year’s or Valentine’s Day anymore, each holiday has its own significance in the calendar. The holiday season is a time of great celebration for family and friends. But it’s also the time to remember those who have helped us in our lives and to show our appreciation with social media posts.

Creating holiday posts has become a necessity for almost every business. With the increasing popularity of social media marketing, including personalized messages in your holiday postings will help you take advantage of the holiday spirit and increase your brand exposure and boost engagement on those fun personalized holiday posts.

If you have been thinking about why your business should post messages on social media, you’re in luck.

Here are the 3 Reasons Why Holiday Posts Are Important In Social Media Marketing:

1.) Opportunity to Connect with Clients Online

Social media is a great way to connect with your audience, and it’s no secret that many businesses have started using social media as a primary marketing strategy. For example, if you sell products online, use your social media channels to promote sales during the holidays by sharing discounts and offers. If you have a blog or newsletter, publish content around important dates like Thanksgiving and Christmas that lets readers know when they can expect new content from you.

It’s important for businesses to stay connected with their clients during this time of year.

2.) Holiday Social Media Posts that are Shareable can Increase Engagement and Brand Awareness

When it comes to marketing on social media, people love sharing and connecting with others. Social media posts are easy to share and like, which means that they can be shared by people who don’t follow your business page. This is a great way to increase exposure and reach new people who may not know about you yet. You’re not only letting them know about your brand and what you do, but you’re also creating content that will stick with them long after the holiday season has passed.

Businesses can engage more with their users, grow their followers and likes and encourage online conversations about their products or services using social media.

One way to engage and interact with your audience is by using Holiday-themed polls, questions, engaging stories, and pictures. For example, you may ask them which gift is better or ask about their holiday traditions or do holiday trivia. You can also post your question as an image and use the caption to ask your followers to comment below.

While keeping it interesting and entertaining, this is a great opportunity to learn more about your target audience’s habits, needs, and pain points.

3.) Expressing Gratitude to your clients or viewers

The holidays are a time for friends and family, so express your gratitude with some holiday-themed posts. By creating posts around these holidays, you can show gratitude for their business or encourage them to use your products or services in some way.

It’s your opportunity to thank clients, partners, and others. For example: “We wanted to let everyone know how thankful we are for all the support throughout the year. Thank you for helping us grow our business”.

Most people post holiday greetings on social media in order to express their best wishes, gratitude, and love to their followers from all around the world. Regular posts will help you spread the voice of your company even wider. It’s not just about a good-looking text, it’s about the visual appearance of your posts as well – choose only images that inspire positive emotions in people!

Social Media is a powerful and effective marketing medium. When people see that their views matter to you, they’ll keep coming back for more.

So, don’t run out of time at the end of the year. Remember to post a Christmas greeting for your clients and viewers this holiday season. Not only can it be effective for your social media marketing, but it will also help you connect with your perfect client.

Content Marketing Digital Marketing Lead Generation Marketing Strategy SEO

5 Things I’ve Learned While Marketing for Startups

Post author By Sebastian Alamillo-Falkenberg
Post date August 24, 2020

I have been a part of many startups including a production company, a real estate website, and a tech company innovating a new type of battery. In that time, I have seen patterns emerge that lead to success and I have seen the red flags of failure over and over again. I want to share the top 5 things that I’ve learned while marketing for startups so that you can see the success you can achieve, as well as some dangerous potholes in an already bumpy road.

1. Build, then market.

Before you even start to think about marketing your brand, you need to build it. The excitement of your new startup might motivate you to start running for new connections, but it is so much harder to run before you’ve even put your shoes on. Some key infrastructures that need to be in place are:

Logo/brand image: Can people tell who you are at a glance?
Uniform social media platforms: Will people feel the same way when visiting your Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and website?
One message: Is there a strong “why” behind your startup that people can grab onto?

2. Become or Hire a Generalist.

SEO, social media, lead generation, content creation, data analysis. There are so many factors to marketing in today’s world. Big firms will tell you that you need to get a SEO specialist to ensure that your website gets the right exposure, or that a social media expert is needed to make sure that you connect with your consumer base.

All aspects of marketing are equally as important to startups in their early stages. Hiring a specialist or only learning how to do one thing well may bring you success for that one aspect of your business, but this will hurt you in the long run because have neglected everything else.

Give your business a strong foundation by generalizing. Doing everything well is important to make sure that when you grow you will be ready to bring on specialists.

3. You Will (Probably) Need to Spend Money.

A lot of marketing can be done for free; SEO, content building, developing a social media presence. But you should not be afraid to spend money on it. If people don’t know about your new product or service, who’s going to be your client?

Designating some of your budget for ad spend is just as important as hiring that new part-time developer because if you don’t have a client base, you won’t have a startup for much longer.

4. Don’t Sell, Engage.

If what you are doing is completely new, people probably won’t even know why they need your product or service. At such an early stage, you have the ability to engage your consumer base and share your central “why” behind what you do.

Help them understand why they need your product or service by explaining the future you are creating. You can do this with:

a promotional video;
blog posts; or
responsive communications on social media.

5. Do Not Underestimate the Importance of Your Community.

Being a part of your local community or the community of your peers makes a big difference to your startup. If you scratch their back, they will do the same for you.

Sponsoring a community event can be a great way to gain exposure and to network with people you may need to know further on in your development. When you are involved in the community of your industry peers who are more established than you, you may be able to learn from their mistakes and seek help or advice from them. Don’t forget that networking is an essential part of marketing.

Tags budget, Communication, community, startups

Content Marketing Digital Marketing Lead Generation Marketing Strategy

Digital Marketing Tactics vs. Strategy

Post author By Christy Falkenberg
Post date August 24, 2020

Wishing your phone would ring?

As a business owner myself, I am often (almost daily) informed about some new way to advertise my business or some new online tool that is going to revolutionize my business. These tools could be super useful, and the advertising method may attract attention and maybe even clients.

However, the reality is often that the new advertising method or tool doesn’t result in new clients, and business owners like us are left feeling like we threw our money away.

Here are a few questions every business owner should be asking themselves when it comes to their advertising and marketing opportunities:

If I’m attracting attention, what do I have in place to make sure it’s the right kind of attention?
Do I have tools working for me that ensure I achieve the maximum benefit of the attention I get?
The buying cycle is about the client’s decision-making process, so how am I helping the clients inform their process and move them closer towards trusting my business?
If I’m getting attention, and maybe even phone calls and opportunities to create clients from the attention, am I properly positioned to do so? Can I handle the work?

This is where the advertisers and marketers calling you with a new way to market run into trouble. They tell you about all the reach you are going to get because you bought into the advertising opportunity. What they don’t do is help you make sure you are set up to create and receive clients from your advertising and marketing efforts.

Back to Basics

Before developing a marketing strategy complete with tactics, a business must consider some basic business and marketing plan essentials. Think about these elements of your business:

Who or what is my business?
What do we do? Why or how are we better than the competition?
Who are my clients?
What problem do we solve for clients?
Where do my clients come from? How do I find them?
Who is my favourite client? Where did I find them?
Who are my competitors? Who do my favourite clients think are my competitors? Who does google say my competitors are?
If I receive more phone calls or sell more products, can I handle that? Do I have a growth strategy?
What’s the true lifetime value of a client? How do I know if my marketing dollars made a return?
Does my pricing structure support the cost of growth?

It’s only after we back up a little and ensure that these essentials have been considered that we can write a marketing plan that includes a social media and digital marketing strategy for your business.

The Magic Potion of Digital Marketing

Anyone can post an ad on Google or Facebook; the tools are relatively easy to use. You can push out the message easily, just like running a radio ad. Yes, people will hear about you for sure. They may even mention the ad if they become a client. But what they don’t share is the journey they took to decide to become your client and that it wasn’t the ad itself that led them to their decision. Just like the radio.

An ad without a strategy does not create a client. It may help people know your business name. But that’s about all it does.

Your digital strategy itself must include a plan for nurturing your perfect client along through the buying cycle of your business, whether the buying cycle is a 15 minute, an 8 week, or even a 1-year cycle. This part of the strategy is the magic potion of a digital marketing and simply running an ad or putting up a website will not help you with this.

At Stone City Digital Inc., this magic potion is our differentiator. Our unique 4 stage marketing process, takes our clients back to the essentials, creates clarity around your brand and your product and builds a wholistic strategy to connect you with your perfect clients at every stage of the buying decision. This magic potion recipe is different for every business, and we are committed to discovering yours with you.

The Client Journey

When you’ve got the ingredients right, a great nurture sequence, and you are reaching people who are exactly like your perfect clients, the client journey goes a little like this:

Stage 1: Initial contact

The potential client heard the radio ad, received a piece of direct mail, saw an ad online while reading their morning news, or even saw a billboard ad they pass by every day. Soon after, they looked up your business on Google, by name. Maybe they even went to your website to check out your brand and your pricing. Perhaps they noticed your Google reviews. Two were 5–star reviews but there was a 2-star review there too. Finally, they also checked out your competitors, by searching for your keywords on google and decided to hold off a bit, they couldn’t decide on following through.

Stage 2: Reminder but no need and no follow through

A few weeks later an ad popped up on Facebook and caught their attention. They took no action, it wasn’t the right time. A few days later, while on YouTube, a quick 6 second commercial popped up while they were watching a funny video AND their favourite vlog. They hit “skip ad” and kept watching their video. Still no action.

Stage 3: The need arises

The need for your product or service truly arises, and the potential client realizes they shouldn’t delay the purchase anymore, so they return to your website either searching your business name or typing in your keyword. You’re #3 on a list of 10 or 11, but they know your brand so they click yours first.

When they land on your website they notice an article titled “10 Questions you don’t know you should ask us before you buy from us.” They have to add their email address to read the whole thing but you’ve peaked their interest, they give you their email address and go ahead and read. They visit your competitors sites too, but they don’t have an article and your prospective client is out of time today… they’ll finish this later.

In the meanwhile they get an email thanking them for being well informed customers and provides a few details that weren’t in the article or listed on the website. The email also asks them a few questions about what they might be most interested in or if they have any more questions… From here they are treated to a scheduled group of emails based on their answers to the questions in their first e-mail Every contact with them being meaningful and helpful, never pushy. From time to time a coupon for extreme savings is included but mostly it’s great information.

Stage 4: It’s time to buy

Finally, the time has come. The prospective client awakes in the morning and knows they must finally buy your product or service and they remember that they have a coupon in their e-mail in box, they didn’t delete it. They decide they’ll reach out to you to complete the purchase with you today. Your phone rings and your sales team does everything right. When your team asks “how did you find out about us?” they answer, “from Google”.

Stage 5: After the sale

The sale is finalized and in true professional form, your new client gets a welcome message and enters into an email sequence written to ensure that your client feels welcome and confident in the quality of their purchase. What’s more, your post sale e-mails confirm that once they buy they are still important to you. So, when they need to buy again, they’ll buy with you.

Connecting with your perfect client

Great marketing is more than running an ad or posting on social media. It’s a process of meeting your perfect client before they need you and then being available to them at every stage of the journey. The results are indisputable. You know your marketing works, when your perfect clients are coming to you first because they already trust you before they’re ready to buy.

There’s no silver bullet to any marketing. Yes, we use tactics and some commonly used tools that anyone else can use. However, Stone City Digital Inc. critically addresses the essential questions listed above by ensuring that you have a marketing and digital marketing strategy that includes a plan for nurturing your perfect client through the entire buying cycle of your business.

The next time you consider an advertising opportunity, ask yourself, “Is this tactic going to bring me my perfect client and get them into my buying cycle so I can nurture my relationship with them? “

If your answer is “no” or even “I don’t know,” call us. We can help.

Tags advertising, business essentials, buying cycle, strategy, tactics