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Direct Mail Directly Connects You to Customers and Clients

©2018, Colleen Eakins Design

When you are putting all of the pieces together for a successful marketing strategy, you want to consider all the various options that are available to you.

With the push to digital marketing, sometimes it’s easy to overlook how offline marketing tactics such as direct mail can contribute to a well-rounded advertising campaign. A finely-tuned digital marketing campaign and direct mail campaign can be an unbelievable combination when it comes to marketing success.

Connect with Clients in Their Mailbox

According to data provided by statista.com, the marketing spends on direct mail marketing in the United States was 46 billion dollars in 2014. Statistics for previous years going back to 2009 indicate that the spend on direct mail had increased over these years. 2009 had the lowest spend at 43.8 Billion and climbed to 46 billion by 2014.

Direct mail is straightforward, customizable, and something that recipients can hold in their hand. As a physical piece of marketing material, people are more likely to hang on to this marketing piece than they are an email which is quickly deleted and forgotten.

Further, when implementing a direct mail campaign, you get the opportunity to select and adjust your target audience to demographics who are most likely to respond to your offer. Depending on your offer, direct mail can be sent to marketing lists based on existing customer lists, zip code, public records, or other vital criteria that help match you with your ideal customer.

Existing Customer List – It should come as no great surprise that the most lucrative direct mailing list you’re likely to own is the one you’ve built from your existing client list. By sending an occasional postcard or a special offer for events like birthdays and anniversaries, you help keep your brand fresh in your client’s mind. Plus, it’s thoughtful! If you maintain an accurate CRM that’s complete with all of your customer data, this is a bounteous resource to tap into when direct mailing.

Targeting by Zip Code – Do you want to reach out to a general population? Targeting by zip code is the way to do it! This type of direct mail campaign is helpful for restaurants, shops, realtors, home repair and renovation businesses, landscapers, and other companies that only operate in a specific geographical area to connect with potential clients.

Public Records – Depending on the nature of your business, public records can be a helpful resource for building your direct marketing campaign. For instance, someone who sells insurance could use public records to find new homeowners who might be in need of additional insurance coverage or a review of their existing policies. Since public records document the names of all new homebuyers, this is an advantageous way to open up communication with the new family in the neighborhood.

Other Vital Criteria – For companies who sell digital products or services or don’t limit their sales area to any one geographic area other vital criteria can get used for producing a lucrative direct mailing campaign.

Direct Mail Design and Printing Services

With all of the technology available to companies, direct mail advertisers don’t have to settle for the mundane when arranging a campaign. Regardless of whether you send postcards or do printed inserts, direct mail solutions are strategic and can get carefully crafted with coupons, offers, QR codes, and other pertinent information.

Direct mail doesn’t face some of the obstacles that email does, such as opt-ins, opt-outs, unsubscribes, bounce messages, stringent email filters, and spam complaints. For this reason, it is ideal for reaching broad audiences who may or may not be familiar with your products, services, or brand. When delivered directly through the mail, your message is more potent. Out of habit, people have to look at it! Postcards and inserts sent directly to recipient’s physical mailbox could get instant responses or get put aside to respond later at a more convenient time.

As with any marketing campaign, you’ll want to assure that design of your piece is clear, concise, and professional. By using all available print space in an eye-catching way while providing all pertinent details including corresponding website URLs, contact phone numbers and coupon codes.

Tracking Results

Another significant advantage of using a direct mail campaign is that you can use these advertisements to track your return on investment for the ads accurately. For instance, if you are offering a coupon, you can use a special code that people must use to redeem the offer. Provided this ‘special’ code isn’t used in any other ad campaigns, you’ll know that anyone who used the unique coupon code came directly from the published ad.

For business owners with a traditional ‘brick and mortar’ storefront, you can gauge response rates based on physical coupon redemptions and other beacons that indicate the customer made a purchase based on a direct mail promotion or offer.

Other ways to track the results of a direct mail program is by setting up special phone numbers for people to call for more information. Generally, this type of market segmentation is conducted by larger marketing companies who may be testing new markets, tracking target demographics, or wanting to offer a local number in multiple markets.

Conversions and call volume could help when deciding what markets are most lucrative, and therefore deserve a higher ad budget spend. Additionally, specially allocated phone numbers can be used in other types of marketing campaigns including radio, different types of print advertising, as well as digital campaigns.

Designing A Direct Mail Marketing Piece That Works

Would you like to learn more about how a direct mail marketing campaign can help propel your business to the next level? If you answered ‘yes’ to this question, be sure to contact the experts at Colleen Eakins Design! With years of experience helping businesses with their design and marketing needs, you can rely on the team to boost your visibility and improve your results.

Direct Mail Directly Connects You to Customers and Clients is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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5 Direct Mail Marketing Ideas [ infographic ]

5 Direct Mail Ideas

Direct Mail as a marketing avenue is still relevant and useful in today’s technology driven society. Sometimes this ‘old school’ method can have a greater impact than email marketing strategies, because…you can’t unsubscribe from them.

1. Tracking Results

Use a special offer code that people must use to redeem the offer. You’ll be able to track the effectiveness of the campaign by who redeemed the coupon code.

2. Helpful Tips

Mix things up by creating a postcard piece that contains helpful tips that the consumer would want to keep handy. You can provide helpful tips related to your industry (ex. Car winterization/home winterization tips). Make sure to prominently display your branding and contact information!

3. Recipe Postcards

Recipe postcard mailers are always a great hit with consumers. Who wouldn’t enjoy receiving food inspiration for tonight’s dinner in the mail? Pull out that not so secret recipe from grandma and share with your consumer base.

4. Freebies

Get them in the door by offering a freebie that can only be redeemed by visiting your store/business. Like most freebies, those that redeem the gift, may make a purchase that’s worth more than the gift you gave them!

5. Calendars

Everyone needs a calendar! Send your consumers calendars for the year, school and sports calendars for their geographic location. If your budget allows for it, you can get really creative and send special calendars with cut-out shapes and pop-ups.

5 Direct Mail Marketing Ideas [ infographic ] is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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What Is Integrated Marketing and Why Do I Need It?

As technology and the use of the Internet changes and evolves, it’s critical to stay on top of trends to remain competitive. It should come as no surprise that the conversations surrounding marketing and the internet have expanded in response to these developments. No longer is it enough just to do search engine optimization or link building. An integrated marketing strategy is needed.

The broad adoption of mobile devices for internet access in combination with the use of social media and mobile apps require businesses to expand upon marketing efforts on these platforms.

From this, the term “Integrated Marketing” was coined. Integrated marketing is the use of multiple channels to reach target demographics using email, search engine optimization, social media platforms, content marketing, paid advertisements, mobile app support, direct mail, and listing services.

Companies who implement an integrated marketing strategy are more likely to see results than a company that only focuses only on SEO tactics or PPC advertising to drive traffic to their website.

Here we’ll explore some of the different options available for expanding your integrated marketing efforts.

Email Marketing – Email marketing remains a classic method for business owners to keep in touch with prospects and customers. Techniques to build your email list include offering newsletter signup on your website, collecting email addresses at your physical business, adding a content locker to premium or exclusive content. Your email list, especially when it is well-managed, is a valuable tool in your integrated marketing toolbox.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Search engine optimization has always been viewed as a pillar of all marketing efforts. Proper SEO is somewhat of a technical and detail-oriented aspect of marketing. SEO includes tracking pixel installations, keyword selection, making sure that all meta data, descriptions, keyword density, calls to action, and other technical ‘best practices’ are followed when publishing a web page or new blog post. Other related tasks associated with formal SEO include assuring the site has TLS/SSL protection and is mobile-friendly, notably since Google announced they are switching to a ‘Mobile First’ search index. This switch gives preference to websites that cater to mobile site traffic and devalues the importance of websites that do not meet their new standards.

Social Media – Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and others offer business owners the chance to connect with their target audience. Not only can you connect with fans and friends who are using their desktop computer, but you also bridge to a broader segment of people using mobile apps to use these platforms. By sharing funny, helpful, or just content of general interest, you can increase the number of meaningful relationships you build with existing or potential clients. Anytime your friends, fans, and family share your posts, this helps raise awareness about your company with the potential to expand your social network even further.

Content Marketing – One of the longstanding principles in the digital marketing industry is that ‘Content is King.’ By creating compelling, value-added content on a consistent basis, you amass digital assets that can be shared on Social Media Channels or be used as marketing materials. Adding helpful blog posts can assist in building organic (free) search traffic to your website. Ideally, you want your website visitors to share your content in their networks, so you’ll want to be sure that you offer Social Sharing tools on all pages of your blog or site to make the process easier. Fresh content that engages with your visitors helps build your reputation, trust, and loyalty.

Paid Advertisements – No integrated marketing campaign is complete without a paid advertising component. After all, how will people know you have an offer if you don’t make one? Depending on the nature of your business, you might consider using ad programs available on Facebook, Bing, or Google. With multiple types of ad modules available, you or your marketing team can design a campaign that helps you meet your business objectives, whatever they are. Other creative forms of paid advertising include print advertisements, local sponsorships, and even vehicle wraps! The goal is to get your brand in front of as many people as possible. Don’t be afraid to get creative.

Mobile Apps – Mobile Apps offer business owners the opportunity to connect with their clients directly on their mobile phone, without the need to read email, visit a website, or search for them on social media. An investment in a mobile app is helpful for sending push notifications, managing loyalty rewards programs, making special offers, or offering a text club. For food service businesses, additional functionality such as the ability to place orders online offset development and management expenses.

Direct Mail – Direct mail remains a trusted and legitimate method to connect with potential customers and clients in your desired target demographics. Printed mail pieces including postcards, inserts, and flyers are cost-effective and offer a longer shelf-life than it’s electronic contemporary, email. Further, they can be customized with unique URLs, Coupon Codes, and Phone Numbers to track the return on investment accurately.

Listing Services – When you want to make sure that your company or brand is seen by the right audience, listing services are helpful. References and links from authority sites such as Google, Bing, Yelp, Manta, Yellow Pages, Angie’s List, the Better Business Bureau, your local Chamber of Commerce, align you with your preferred audience. These links back are valuable citations to your company! (Pro Tip: If you haven’t given much thought to the importance of listing citations, you should start checking for inclusion and accuracy as soon as possible.) Depending on the organization, the addition to their directory may be free, upgraded, or paid. Free listing services typically offer business owners a basic listing that contains minimal information. Upgraded or paid inclusion listing services often offer business owners more features or value-added functionality from their listing, so be sure to have marketing funds set aside to cover the costs of these listings.

As you can see, there are a lot of working parts when forming an Integrated Marketing campaign. Need help putting all of the pieces together? Get in touch with Colleen Eakins Design today!

What Is Integrated Marketing and Why Do I Need It? is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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The Brand Experience?

One of the newer buzzword phrases introduced to the advertising and marketing vernacular is “Brand Experience.” What is the Brand Experience, you ask? In plain language, the Brand Experience is the sensory response to stimuli when consumers see a brand. These reactions include emotions, sensations, and behavioral activity. It is not uncommon for stimuli to be embedded in the brand logo, brand story and messaging, design, packaging, and supporting digital assets.

Color Psychology and the Brand Experience

When choosing color palettes for your brand, don’t overlook the importance of color psychology when establishing your brand elements. Not surprisingly, and somewhat controversially, colors give rise to specific emotions when used in marketing.

Yellow – The use of the color yellow is good for optimism. Yellow evokes feelings of warmth and clarity. Brands that use yellow in their branding include Subway, McDonald’s, Pennzoil, Sprint, Hertz, and Denny’s.

Orange – Orange is a welcoming and friendly color. It conjures up feelings of warmth, sunshine, and safety. Name brands that utilize the color orange in their branding elements include Payless Shoesource, Hooters, Amazon, Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, and Boost Mobile.

Red – Red is a color that imbues excitement! It’s bold, bright, and bursting with passion. You can find red as a leading color in branding from Target, Ace Hardware, Kentucky Fried Chicken, YouTube, Virgin, Coca-Cola, and Frito-Lay.

Purple – Purple is a color resonates creativity, imagination, wisdom, and luxury. Examples of companies that have implemented purple into their logos and branding elements include Purple Carrot, Cadbury, Yahoo, Hallmark, Astrazeneca, Taco Bell, and Curves.

Blue – Blue is an ideal color to select when you want your brand to get trusted. It represents strength and dependability. A sampling of companies with blue logos and branding include Facebook, Blue Nile, Ford, Blue Bunny, United States Postal Service, Walmart, IBM, and Intel.

Green – Green is a perfect hue when you want to instill feelings of growth, good health, vitality, and positivity. Companies that use green in their branding include John Deere, Tropicana, BP, Starbucks, Holiday Inn, Whole Foods Market, and TD Ameritrade.

Black and White – There is nothing more clear and concise than the use of black, white, and shades of gray for simplicity sake. Companies that use Grayscale (or Black and White) imagery include Apple, Honda, Puma, Adidas, and Nike.

The ultimate goal of the brand experience is to build lasting and meaningful relationships with your target audience. When people see your logo, you want them to recognize it. When they choose to do business with you, your customer service is an extension of your brand. Every interaction that you have with a customer helps define your level of excellence as an organization and contributes to your customer’s brand experience with your company.

Optimize Your Brand Online

The internet remains one of the biggest arenas for businesses of all sizes to connect with their ideal customer. Digital marketing that includes precision website development, social media marketing, email, SMS messaging, and search engine optimization all work together to build visibility and awareness.

Depending on your business and industry, your website may serve as a hub for your audience’s overall brand experience, so precision website development is essential to support marketing and sales initiatives. Investing in website development assures that no technical-oriented detail – of which there are tons – inadvertently gets forgotten or neglected. Fine points to consider include tracking pixel installation, sitemap submission, search engine webmaster tools, analytics, email opt-ins, and a mobile first responsive design.

Email is highly effective at connecting with your customers directly in their inboxes. Depending on the nature of your business, you might also find SMS messaging to be quite useful in communicating with your clients. According to statistics, it takes an average of 90 seconds for people to respond to text messages, as compared to hours or even days waiting for an email response.

An on-point social media strategy is helpful for connecting and engaging with your audience of followers, thought leaders, and peers, raise awareness and interest in your products, services, and events. Regular updates to your status lines combined with an advertising budget for display ads is a cost-effective way to extend your business network.

While most ad networks are relatively easy to use, always be sure to refresh yourself on best practices first. For instance, you’ll want to be sure you have installed a Facebook Pixel on your site before running paid ad campaigns to measure conversions and sales results accurately. Failure to do so could result in inaccurate or incomplete statistics, as well as make it more difficult for retargeting ads to work.

By employing white-hat search engine optimization tactics, you can take steps to align your company with success in Organic search engine results by carefully selecting relevant keywords and keyword combinations. The more visibility and coverage your brand capture in top search results, in conjunction with the right offer, the better your overall conversions and results are likely to be.

Think of your brand’s identity and experience as a big puzzle. It’s made up of many individual pieces. Each piece is essential to complete the whole. When all the parts snap together, you have a perfect picture. One missing piece throws everything off!

If you would like some help in putting the visual pieces of the puzzle together, contact the team at Colleen Eakins Design today! Our team of branding experts are here to help with all aspects of your brand’s identity and experience.

The Brand Experience? is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Why Digital Branding Matters

In 2018, businesses of all sizes recognized how a brand offers empowerment when competing in consumer markets. Digital branding is key to reaching your target market through both online and offline methods.

With the record expansion in use of mobile phones, tablets, and other personal devices, this offers businesses the opportunity to connect and engage with users or customers in a variety of ways. Mobile apps, SMS messaging, email, social media platforms, and websites all provide a robust mainframe for your digital branding and marketing campaigns. All of these methods are credible ways to communicate your brand message with fans, friends, followers, and subscribers.

Starting Digital Branding from the Ground Up

Pinpointing your target market, as well as establishing cohesiveness in branding and marketing are cornerstones of a successful business plan. When working on your business plan, many factors must be considered to build your digital branding from the ground up.

The Size of Your Target Market – A “Target Market” is defined by a set of demographic information on your ideal customer. Understanding the size of this market, as well as the predicted growth rate of this market can help determine your overreaching marketing plan. Knowing your product and service line and who these goods and services are most likely to be used by is the first step in identifying your target market. For instance, if you sell customized baby products, expectant/new mothers and grandparents are likely to be a sound choice as a broad demographic category. Regardless of whether you decide to cater to a very niche market or you offer goods and services with a more general appeal, the more you know about the person you are selling to, the better.

What’s Your Story – Unless you are planning on launching a product or service in a brand new category, the chances are good that consumers can buy similar products and services from other vendors. Telling the story behind your brand helps differentiate you from others who are selling in the same demographic space. By sharing the inspiration or reason for your business, you are building an emotional connection with your intended audience. This leads to higher sales and conversions with this concentrated audience. It is also helpful to constitute an internal code that applies to incoming and outgoing communications with contacts.

Getting the Competitive Edge – When tackling any market segment, it is always advantageous to have and use as many tools as possible in your entrepreneurial toolbox. A long-term digital branding and marketing strategy is likely to include ongoing content creation (blog content, video, images, white papers, email copy, and other digital assets) to establish authority and build trust with potential clients. These digital assets are valuable materials for sharing your brand messaging creatively and openly.

Logos, Taglines and Copy – Your logo, taglines, and copy serve as a foundation for all marketing and branding efforts that follow. After all, these are the symbols that represent the creative force behind your business. Your logo may be used on social media platforms, print collateral, advertising, merchandise, and more.

Putting Everything Together

It’s worth noting that a successful digital branding and marketing campaign is more of a marathon than a sprint, so entrepreneurs and business owners should be comfortable in assuming the risk, responsibility, and committing to see the project through. Taking the time to develop and integrate all various marketing pieces from the beginning helps leverage your launch, as well as support your ongoing operations.

Newly launched businesses should allow time to build up their digital marketing assets including their SMS messaging contact list, mobile app user base, opt-in email list, as well as adding fans and followers on social media platforms. In many cases, establishing a timeline for your project, as well as assigning milestones for development, are helpful for tracking the progress and results of the project. It can always be adjusted, if needed, to account for unexpected changes.

If you are not meeting the digital branding goals within the stated deadline of this timeframe, you can assess what is causing these delays and make moves to rectify these issues and fix the problems. By using a multifaceted approach, you will connect with your audience using their preferred method of communication.

By taking steps to cater to the preferences of your audience, it is easier to stay in front of them and make offers that appeal to their wants, needs, and desires.

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

Depending on the nature of your business, you might find that one form of digital branding and marketing works better for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a few different options to see if you get a better return on your investment.

Don’t Overlook the Technical Details

As the saying goes, ‘the devil is in the details.’ Not surprisingly, getting all the technical details done right is also an essential part of your digital branding and marketing efforts. If you are following a general timeline for your project, this should prove helpful for keeping all aspects on track and schedule.

While every marketing asset works independently, they all work together to assist in selling your goods and services. Since your website is most likely to serve as a ‘hub’ for all your marketing materials, you’ll want to be sure that it is search engine friendly and features a responsive mobile first design, so it formats optimally on the screens of all website visitors.

Are you thinking about offering a mobile app as part of your digital branding and marketing efforts? If so, be sure to check that your app meets all of the requirements for acceptance in popular app stores to increase the likelihood of acceptance.

We hope this article is helpful in explaining why digital branding matters in today’s day and age. If you would like to learn more or you’d like help with launching your branding campaign, be sure to contact the professionals at Colleen Eakins Design today!

Why Digital Branding Matters is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Increase Brand Awareness [ infographic ]

Increase Brand Awareness

With Design

Ensure your design, colors, logo, slogan, symbols and tone of voice are consistent across all marketing. This will stick in the minds of people and connect with your core user demographic.

With Content

Content marketing campaigns work better than individual articles or infographics. Content should be high-quality, educational, and thought-leading. It does not need to self-promote. Shareability is key. Posting content on other websites can be just as valuable as on your own.

With Social Media

A loyal follower-base can turn each follower into a brand evangelist. Determine who you want to talk to. Define a message that appeals to your target audience. Target audience + emotion + danger/risk = increased social reach.

With Public Relations

Little details matter. Success can be measured by something as simple as not appearing in the media at certain times, or through the number of invitations received to work with local businesses. It isn’t all about pulling off big stunts!

Source:

https://colleeneakns.me/2pLjXhC

Increase Brand Awareness [ infographic ] is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Do You Have A Buyer Persona? If Not, You Need One!

As a small or medium-sized business owner the more data and information that you have regarding your operations, the better. Especially if you are working to establish a cohesive branding message to appeal to a specific type of consumer.

With the widespread use of technology, companies of all sizes have developed content strategies to build loyalty, trust, and authority within their selected niche

The most significant part of this marketing strategy is fine-tuning your content, whether it is blog content, social media shares, or email messaging to meet the needs and wants of the buyer persona – or ideal customer – you are seeking to attract or retain.

What is a Buyer Persona?

What exactly is a buyer persona, you ask? Typically, a buyer persona gets constructed using interviews with real buyers. People who are interviewed give real-world answers to what prospective customers might be thinking and doing when evaluating consumer options. This data provides valuable insights into the concerns, attitudes, and other criteria potential customers use to help them make a buying decision.

As you can imagine, knowing the motivations that fuel your ideal customer is beneficial for numerous reasons.

Gives you a greater understanding of the language buyers use.

Aligns your messaging to improve company communications with clients.

Helps you streamline your marketing campaigns to appeal to your preferred audience.

Luckily, it isn’t as hard as you might think to establish a buyer persona to define your preferred market sector more effectively.

Who Is Your Customer?

The first step in setting up a buyer persona is envisioning the person in your mind and giving them a name. This imaginary person should broadly represent the demographics of your ideal customer. Be sure to outline the habits, hobbies, interests, values, and other indicators that help drive his or her consumer decisions.

If you already have an existing customer base, you may already have a substantial amount of information available from platforms including Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, internal tracking, Facebook Insights, and Facebook Analytics to learn more about the type of people who are already engaging with your content, products, or services. These comprehensive reporting platforms contain a treasure trove of data regarding your website visitor profiles and your social media audience and reach. Some of the core demographic data provided include location, gender, age, general interests, affinity groups, relationship status, buying habits, and more.

Business owners who have a presence as a ‘brick and mortar’ operation may also use tools like transaction history, customer questionnaires, or feedback forms to gather more invaluable information about their customer base to define the buyer personas of their business better.

For this example, let’s use Sienna the Salon Owner. Whenever someone comes in for services, she gathers information to serve her clients better. The type of information she collects includes the customer’s name, contact information, age, birthdate, how frequently the client visits, what services they have purchased, if other family or friends are customers, the amount of money they spend on average, if they add-on services while at the salon, and if or how often related products get purchased.

Digital Solutions for Real World Business

Using a CRM (customer relationship manager), she saves this information for future use, as well as integrates it with her email marketing software for appointment follow-ups, special offers, promotional offers, and birthday greetings. To streamline her operations, she synchronized appointment setting software that allows customers to book or cancel appointments from the convenience of their smartphone or computer.

When each client leaves, she asks them to fill out a questionnaire or feedback form on that day’s visit. Sienna makes a note of their feedback in her CRM for reference. If a pattern of complaints arises, she is in the first line of defense to handle them.

This information can help detect issues and provide a better customer service experience. If someone had a bad experience, this issue can be resolved quickly and in a professional manner. A prompt and courteous resolution is always better than letting the client leave without saying a word to you and writing bad reviews or comments on social media platforms instead.

Keep the Conversation Going!

Asking what clients think is essential to connecting with them on a deeper level. Many of Sienna’s customers share their thoughts and concerns about beauty, offering an opportunity for her and her staff members to provide their expertise. (Or product and service recommendations!)

Let Data Be Your Guide!

On an aggregate level, Sienna can get a broader overview of her entire customer base. She can figure out, on average, what each client spends at the salon, the frequency of visits, and other data that helps improve the bottom line of the company.

These buyer habits play a critical role in her buyer persona. Knowing this, she can then aim to attract other new clients like her existing ones.

In addition to operating her physical location, she makes sure to maintain the company presence on social media platforms to engage with clients, as well as promote her salon.

She takes the time to ask her clients to leave a review of the salon on her business page, as it helps build trust and authority in the area she serves, which is good for business! By evaluating her insights and stats programs, she can learn more about her audience, so she’s able to adjust her content and share to appeal to them. Since her business has everything to do with image, she learns that pictures and videos always outperform other types of shares. By sharing more photos and videos, she is appealing to her core audience to get more shares, likes, and comments.

Her website plays a significant role in providing more useful visitor data including conversion rates, time spent on the site, the total number of page views, and ecommerce sales.

If you haven’t already established your preferred buyer persona, be sure to contact the branding experts at Colleen Eakins Design for more information today!

Do You Have A Buyer Persona? If Not, You Need One! is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Fresh Content Marketing Ideas [ infographic ]

Fresh Content Marketing Ideas

A few ideas to spark some of your creative ingenuity in your marketing endeavors.

Publish a Powerful Case Study

All kinds of companies, especially in the B2B market, create case studies to articulately communicate how they’ve brought success. When making a purchasing decision, businesses of all sizes look to results found in case studies.

Compile a Top Ten Resource List

Find websites devoted to publishing lists. Determine which tools, tips or topics you can turn into a top ten list this month

Create a Beginners Guide

A beginner’s guide teaches people when they need it most: in the beginning! Most industries can incorporate this type of content into their strategy

Source: info.builderfunnel.com/inbound-marketing-agency-blog/63-content-marketing-ideas

Fresh Content Marketing Ideas [ infographic ] is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Have Fun with this Social Media Marketing Challenge

So, you are excited about the benefits that social media marketing offers your business. Now you’re looking to launch a winning campaign that will help people find your brand. Great. The only thing left to do is to create compelling content that will attract shares and likes. Luckily for you, fantastic content doesn’t take long to construct.

Let’s take a look at a stress-free plan to create two weeks’ worth of lovable sharing ideas to help attract your ideal clientele. This strategy combines using common sense and a small bit of digital effort to help convey your brand message to an online audience.

#1 | Show People Who You Are and How You Work

People love images, especially ones that show people engaged in work that stokes their passions. That means coming up with the perfect share could be as simple as snapping a pic at work. Plainly you see pictures like this all the time, and there’s a logical explanation for that. Consumers need to trust your organization, and one way to help them do that is by showing them who you are and what you do on a daily basis.

#2 | Put a Customer or Vendor in the Spotlight

Interview a vendor or one of your customers to gain their insight and to share online. Adding a fresh, secondary perspective makes your content even more accessible. Communication with key personalities in your brand’s value chain will open doors. A loyal customer will probably love appearing on your profiles and will know that you value their opinion. Vendors bring industry-specific expertise to bear that enhance your corporate image.

#3 | Answer a Pressing Question

Fielding questions and relating comprehensive answers is another beneficial way to spread the word about your business. Potential clients want to know they’re dealing with an expert or experienced professional. Rather than tell them how amazing you are, why not show them instead? You can write a blog post or make a video on Facebook or Instagram that covers a common question for your industry. People who are searching for new vendors will often have these sorts of queries in mind, so you get a chance to introduce yourself to them quickly.

#4 | Introduce New Workers

Do you have any new employees? If so, now would be an ideal time to share the news. A smiling face could help start a conversation on the social networks that assist you in beginning a business relationship. Never forget that it’s always about people, so projecting a warm, friendly persona goes a long way towards brand acceptance.

#5 | Add Your Take to a Trending Topic

Now and then a trending, non-controversial topic will closely relate to your industry or you personally. When it does, share the issue with your audience and add relevant commentary.  Since the subject is fresh in people’s minds, your post will get more attention, which also draws eyes towards your brand.

#6 | Tickle Their Funny Bones

Believe it or not, funny cat images are still incredibly powerful! Occasionally sharing pictures or videos that you find amusing is a quick way to gain popularity.

#7 | Fill-In-The-Blanks Are Fun and Engaging

Making a Fill-In-The-Blank is a fun way to engage your digital audience. Any topic can work, but you may as well relate it to your industry and organization for maximum impact.

#8 | Tell the World Your Story

Tell your brand’s story whenever possible, in the most natural way possible. Explain how your company operates and detail your mission. Help others to become passionate about dealing with your company because they share your values.

#9 | Inspire Your Audience

Who doesn’t benefit from reading or hearing something inspirational? Depending on the nature of your business or organization, this could include progress reports on current projects, charitable work you’re involved in, or looking back on how far you’ve come.

#10 | Broadcast Live Video

Are you hosting an event or just having an awesome day at work? Consider doing a Live Video broadcast on Facebook or other Platforms to connect with your audience with the power of video. Ideas could include product demonstrations, client interviews, or broadcasting your event.

#11 | Recognize Another Business

As they say, ‘sharing is caring!’ If you stop by a local company or business, consider sharing a picture is a great way to recognize other companies and share the love!

#12 | Share an Interesting Fact

Almost everyone will agree that it’s refreshing to learn little-known facts. Infographics are particularly compelling for sharing statistics and other structured data.

#13 | Repurpose Like A Boss

Don’t overlook the body of work you already have at your fingertips. Instead of creating something entirely new from scratch, use a photo or other digital asset differently. (Think image filters, text, etc.)

#14 | Celebrate The Season

Join the crowd and help your followers celebrate the season – whatever the season may be! Commonly celebrated Spring holidays include Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter. Summer holidays include Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. Autumn holidays include Halloween and Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas when winter arrives.

#15 | Share Your Newsletter Content in Your Social Circles

The chances are good that not everyone you interact with online gets your email newsletter. These days, most commercial email providers make it easy for you to share your email newsletter to your social media platforms. This feature empowers you to offer your friends and fans access to your newsletters from their favorite platform.

#16 | Do a Poll to Increase Engagement

One of the most fun ways to engage with your fans, and followers is by making a poll. People love to give their opinions and feedback, so this is an ideal way to energize and promote interactions with your audience.

#17 | Join New Platforms and Establish Your Online Presence

These days, there is always a new online platform to explore and establish your online presence. Embrace the opportunity to join and use these platforms to connect with people you may not know!

We hope that you find this post helpful for spicing things up on your social media marketing channels for the next two weeks!

Have Fun with this Social Media Marketing Challenge is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Creative Ways to Share Social Media Content [infographic]

Creative Ways to Share Social Media Content

Go Live

Live videos are a great way to increase your organic reach and drive engagement.

Create a Video

Live videos are a great way to increase your organic reach and drive engagement.

Do a Social Swap

In a social swap, two companies exchange relevant content regularly and share the other company’s content on their own social media accounts.

Attach a GIF

Instead of sharing an image with a blog post, choose a relevant or funny GIF to go alongside the blog post.

Do a Live Interview

Record an interview with a colleague, customer, or industry expert and upload it directly to Facebook.

Partner with Another Brand

Help grow your social media following by sharing your work on a piece of content with a partner. You could both share or re-share each other’s social media post about the content.

Source:  http://colleeneakns.me/2DhZWby

Creative Ways to Share Social Media Content [infographic] is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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How to Boost Engagement and Sales on Facebook

The best thing about Facebook is getting the opportunity to use their thriving platform to keep in touch with your fans, friends, and customers. With over 1 billion daily users, Facebook offers business owners of all sizes the chance to connect with individuals from around the world and engage with them.

Here are some tips to boost engagement and sales on your Facebook Business Page:

Boost Engagement with Interesting Updates

Always remember, the more interesting and relevant your post updates are, the more likely your audience is to engage with these posts. If your company has news to share, Facebook is an excellent place to make an announcement. Alternatively, you might consider sharing related content in your niche or industry which your audience would find useful.

For best results, keep your post copy short, sweet, and fun! The use of videos and striking images also help capture the attention of your fanbase.

Manage Your Time Better By Scheduling Posts

If you are managing your own business, the chances are good that you run a tight schedule. Facebook offers users the ability to schedule posts that will publish automatically at the time and date you set. Undoubtedly, this is advantageous for increasing productivity. Scheduling allows you to release updates at times when you might not typically be online, such as late at night or after business hours. You can streamline the time you spend sharing by setting aside a window of time to schedule all of your posts for the week.

Use The Facebook Pages Manager App

Do you take your business on the road? If so, the Facebook Pages Manager app provides the tools to publish updates, even if you are “on the go!” This app works on both iOS and Android devices and empowers you to share images, videos, and updates at the same time! Are you participating in or hosting a live event? You can take pictures and share them instantly with your audience, which could influence them to join you at the venue.

Boost Engagement with Facebook Live

Want to share the energy of your small business with your fans on Facebook? Facebook Live allows you to broadcast directly from your store or location, as things happen! Share special moments and special events with your audience who are unable to attend. If by chance, you have an online store, you might also use Facebook Live to showcase or demonstrate products to anyone watching the live stream. By doing so, you are helping to create awareness of how the products or services you sell make people’s lives better. With a convenient checkout button, anyone who decides that they want to purchase your goods can do so quickly and easily.

Extend Special Offers To Your Audience

Want to let your audience know that you have a sale, promotion, or a special offer? Be sure to make a post about it! Alternatively, you might announce and invite customers to events, publicize the addition of new products and services, and to share these with friends, increasing the reach of your posts. Coupons and free offers are a great incentive to help you start building a new customer list!

Make Use Of The Pinned Post Feature

The Pinned Post feature is perfect for setting a keystone post to get prominently displayed at the top of your page. Additionally, you can embed this post on your third-party website, so when someone visits your site, your Pinned Post is conveniently displayed there, as well.

Boost Your Posts To Reach A Broader Audience

When you want more people to see your update, the way to do it is by boosting your post. Luckily, promoting a post is pretty easy to do. Just add the post to your timeline. Once published, click on the button that says “Boost Post” and follow the instructions provided to complete the promotion. Boosted posts are a form of paid advertising, so publishers get more tools to control who sees the update. You can fine-tune your demographics for people who already like your page or friends of those who like your page. Alternatively, you can establish a brand new demographic by selecting your ideal customer by location, age, interest, and other metrics.

When working with your Facebook Page, just remember that everything is a progression. It can take time to see results from your efforts. Make a few changes using these tips and give them time to take root. If you aren’t seeing any changes in your metrics after a few months, make a few more changes and wait a few more months to see if you see a difference.

The biggest key is consistency. Whatever efforts you do, be consistent with doing them and you will surely see results. If you try any of these tips, we would love to hear from you and the type of results you had. Leave a comment below and let us know your results!

How to Boost Engagement and Sales on Facebook is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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6 Social Media Content Ideas [infographic]

6 Social Media Content Ideas

Just about everything you could possibly post on social media.

Quotes

Humorous, inspiring or motivational quotes always perform well.

Polls

Even though Facebook offers polling capability, manual polling engages customers more.

Statistics or Data

Share new, relevant industry statistics that can work great in terms of retweets and shares.

Questions

Pose simple, basic questions that your followers can  quickly answer.

Infographics

Find an infographic your followers would appreciate. Check out Daily Infographic for ideas, or better yet, create your own.

Link to A Guest Post

Share (or re-share) a link to a post you contributed to another site.

Source:  http://colleeneakns.me/2CcsGxC

6 Social Media Content Ideas [infographic] is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Email Marketing Best Practices

Email Marketing Best Practices

Find the perfect combination of subject line, content, and call to action with the following tips:

1. Optimize for mobile

Over 36% of consumers view emails more on mobile devices than on desktops. Test your content on both phone and computer for font size.  Redesign your layout to work well both vertically and horizontally.

2. Make sure your email starts with a personal subject line

Personalized subject lines are  22.2% more likely to be opened.

3. Automate your post-purchase messages

This is when you should double your efforts to capture consumer attention to encourage repeat purchases.  Businesses that send automated emails are 133% more likely to send relevant messages that correspond with their customer’s purchase cycle.

4. Use incentives to increase open rates

Including incentives in your subject lines can increase open rates by as much as 50%. If the customer knows what they stand to gain by opening and engaging with your email, they’re much more likely to click through rather than deleting it unread.

5. Keep it simple stupid

Clutter is a big deterring factor when it comes to conversions in email marketing. Limit use to no more than 2–3 typefaces, consistent colors, and imagery.

Source:  http://colleeneakns.me/2Cim582

Email Marketing Best Practices is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Don’t Overlook the Importance Of Email Marketing In 2018!

As a small or medium-sized business, having effective and affordable marketing campaigns is your secret weapon for increasing sales and profits.

One of the most potent marketing mechanisms that business owners can use to tap into their customer base is Email.

While you might think that Email marketing isn’t useful, the truth is quite the opposite. Currently, there are over 1 Billion Gmail users worldwide, with predictions that this could catapult to over 3 billion users by the year 2020

Looking forward to 2018, here are some Email marketing tips to help you improve your metrics, conversions, and sales.

Refine Your Mailing List

If you have been collecting Email addresses from a variety of sources such as newsletter opt-ins, website signups, recent customers, or offline signups, it’s worth taking the time to segment these lists. By doing so, you can incorporate very targeted Email messages (campaigns) to increase engagement with ‘stale’ clients and active customers

Have a Defined “Call To Action” In Every Message

Sending out an Email message without giving recipients a clear “Call To Action,” also know as a CTA, is ineffectual for you and the person who gets the message. After all, if you don’t know what action you want the recipient to take when they open the mail, how would they?

Depending on the objective of your message, there are several goals you can consider. These goals might include responding to a digital offer, requesting more information on a product or service, or downloading marketing assets. If you are making a sales offer, you might consider giving recipients a promo code and a link to your ecommerce website or direct checkout to take advantage of the deal.

Other objectives include sending visitors to blog posts or encouraging them to interact with you on major social media platforms.

Regardless of what CTA you choose, just be sure that you offer something for your Email readers to take your desired action.

Don’t Forget to Personalize!

Email personalization is something that doesn’t cost extra and can significantly improve the metrics and results you get from your campaign

By merely adding a recipient’s name in the subject field or the Email opening, you can increase the engagement – and ideally – the results you get from the communication

Send From a Legitimate Email Address

Think about the Email messages you get when you check your Inbox. How interested are you when you get a message that originates from a “no reply” Email address? The answer is probably ‘not very.’ The same idea applies when you send to your Email list.

As a best practice, don’t send emails from a “no-reply” email account. By offering a legitimate reply-to Email address, if potential customers have a question, all they need to do is reply to the message to contact a representative immediately.

Try Sending On Different Days and Times

Have you ever felt like there is a pattern to your Email sending schedule? Perhaps you send every Tuesday at 12:30 PM? It’s no secret that the middle of the week is when most businesses send their Email, so you – along with everyone else – is trying to capture the attention of readers. Instead, try posting on a Monday, a Friday, or even a Saturday.

Before mailing to your entire list, always be sure to send a test message to yourself first. Double check that all of your links are formatted correctly to avoid missed opportunities from bad links.

You might find you get exceptional results just by trying a different approach.

Undeliverables Are Unavoidable

When evaluating the results from your Email marketing campaigns, there is always going to be some amount of natural churn and shrinkage on your list. People’s tastes, needs, and interests are constantly changing. It’s natural for some people to unsubscribe. They could have moved away from the area or no longer want to get offers from you. Perhaps they aren’t interested in the services or products any longer.

Other types of undeliverable Emails include sending to inboxes that are full or getting sent to a suspended or non-existent Email address.

While none of these situations are ideal, they are part of the Email marketing game. To keep your sender reputation in high regards, follow best practices to suppress and manage undeliverable and unsubscribed Email.

Choose A Compelling Subject Line

There is an art to writing compelling Email subject lines. You want to use this part of your Email copy to capture the attention of readers and compel them to open the Email to find out more.

You want these topic lines to be honest and straightforward, without sounding – or being – clickbait. While clickbait titles might be excellent for getting people to open, if they find a discrepancy between the subject line and the body of the message, this negatively affects your click-through rates and probably your business reputation.

To get the best result, craft a message that is personalized and to the point. Always be sure to read subject lines out loud before you send it. Does it read OK? Would it make you want to click and open it?

When you vary the times and days that you Email, you’re opening up the chance that you’ll connect with someone who is interested in what you have to offer and takes advantage of it.

Consistency Matters

The most critical thing to keep in mind is that Email is a dynamic way to build trust and rapport with new, existing, and potential clients.

By maintaining your Email list and contacting them with relevant offers, your clients know that you are still out there providing products and services if they need them.

Additionally, by Emailing regularly, you keep your company or brand fresh in the mind of the people who are interested the most.

The best part is that you don’t even need to wait until 2018 to start implementing these best practices to fine-tune and extract more value from your engaged Email lists.

Don’t Overlook the Importance Of Email Marketing In 2018! is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Killer Customer Service Phrases…and Their Alternative Solutions

Killer Customer Service Phrases

…and their alternative solutions

Phrase:  Calm down!

Solution:  Offer the customer a solution that provides a clear plan of action

Phrase:  Sorry, that’s our policy

Solution:  Be willing to make special exceptions rather than lose a customer

Phrase:  No problem!

Solution:  If a customer praises you for resolving a problem, be sure to reciprocate with “you’re welcome!” or “my pleasure!”

Phrase:  Yes, But…

Solution:  Yes, but…is considered a two-stage no.  Keep your responses positive.

Phrase:  What’s your name again?

Solution:  Asking the customer to repeat their name suggests inattentiveness on your part.  Offer your name first before asking them to repeat theirs.

Phrase:  Our computers are slow.

Solution:  Sharing negative information about the company can cloud the customer’s perception of its ability to resolve issues.  Let them know there is a momentary delay.

Source:

http://colleeneakns.me/2jtezzV

Killer Customer Service Phrases…and Their Alternative Solutions is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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5 CSR Phrases That Every Customer Service Agent Needs To Use

Customer service representatives (CSR) need to be trained to handle a variety of situations when dealing with client inquiries or complaints. Words are a powerful thing and when used correctly, expressions and phrases can help resolve disputes and misunderstandings amicably.

The way that things are worded is everything!

For example, in 2016 Facebook made a very not so subtle change to help users improve their experience. Posts previously features a “Hide or Mark as Spam” link. This link was re-worded to say “I don’t want to see this.” This resulted in a significant increase in the number of people who responded and gave feedback on the posts that appeared on their Newsfeed.

All just because of a simple linguistic change.

Coaching and training your CSR’s on similar changes in their response phrases, can help improve your customer experience with your representatives.

In this article, let’s explore a few new phrases you can implement into your CSR program to improve communications and deliver outstanding customer service. By doing so, you’re laying the foundation to build stronger, ongoing, customer relationships.

“Let me look into that or find out for you.”

One of the most reassuring things that a CSR can do for a customer is being polite and respectful while patiently answering any questions the customer has. In highly competitive or saturated markets, prompt and professional customer service keeps your customer happy, so they don’t have to seek out alternative vendors to patronize.

Providing stellar customer service means that you’re willing to go the extra mile to assure that the customer is satisfied with their interaction and transaction.

The more seamless you can make your sales and service processes, the better!

“I apologize for any inconvenience.”

When someone is having an unsatisfactory experience with your company, an apology can go a long way. A sincere apology that exhibits understanding and empathy, can help to form a positive outcome from the interaction.

Chances are good that the reason the person is upset, is (hopefully) by something other than the CSR they are speaking with. Being genuinely sorry for their inconvenience/confusion/insert reason here, lets the customer know that you care.

“It is my pleasure to help!”

Just with many other things in life, your attitude can determine your altitude. Keeping a positive and upbeat attitude helps shape your reality.

When speaking or corresponding with customers, positive words go a long way. The use of positive words supports positive reactions and lets the customer know that you’re excited to help them with whatever they need.

Let’s say that you sent a company you do business with an Email. You can get two different responses. A bland one with a simple answer like ‘I’ll check it out for you” or one that says “It would be my pleasure to help.” Which reaction would you prefer to get back?

I’m guessing you – like many others – would prefer the latter.

“I will update you as soon as possible.”

The primary goal of customer service is to help the customer solve their issues, regardless of their concern or reason for inquiry. When a client has to “follow-up” to get a status report on their open issue, this could indicate that there’s been a failure somewhere in your business processes.

To avoid the frustration and miscommunication, review your CSR process and ensure that all customers with open tickets get proactive status updates. Also be sure to communicate with your customer an expected ETA on their inquiry. If you are unable to deliver the solution within this estimated timeframe, alert the customer to the delay and be understanding of the situation.

“Thanks for letting us know!”

If a customer has an unpleasant experience, finding out about the problem helps your company preemptively curtail the problem right away.

Recent studies found that for every single customer who takes the time to make a complaint, there is an average of 26 others who don’t say a word. What this means for you is one customer complaint could represent dozens of other people having the same problem but aren’t taking steps to let you know.

Having gratitude and appreciation for clients is key to building a stronger relationship. A simple ‘thank you’ always goes a long way.

If your customer buys from you, thank them for their purchase. Should they report a bug, let them know you appreciate their input and feedback. If they leave a positive review on your social media page(s), thank them on your profile or via a direct message.

Always be sure to add, something like “please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with” so your client knows that they can reach out to you anytime.

One thing to keep in mind at all times is that every customer service engagement is an opportunity to build a stronger relationship with your existing – or a potential new client. By offering an exceptional CSR experience, you can learn more about your customers and possibly come up with additional products and services to solve their problems, whatever they may be

Thanks for taking the time to read this article, we appreciate your time and your interest! We hope this article is helpful with achieving all of your customer service goals and objectives.

5 CSR Phrases That Every Customer Service Agent Needs To Use is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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Start Link Building Like a PR Pro [infographic]

Start Link Building Like a PR Pro

Five Ways to Build Links Using Time-Worn Media Relations Techniques

#1: Influencers

Use the law of reciprocity – if you do something for an influencer, he will feel a need to help you out.  Send influencers helpful articles that have nothing to do with your site. When the time is right, they’ll be more apt to link to what you want them to, even if it’s not quite a fit.

#2: Opportunities

When a news story that affects your niche hits, be ready. Offer expert commentary. Expert commentary almost always comes with a mention and a link.

#3: Press Release

Like you, influencers are monitoring for new stories. If you use the right keywords, they will see your press release.  If you have news that you really want a link from, send the press release before it goes live.  Influencers love breaking a story!

#4: HARO

Help a Reporter Out is a resource founded to provide reporters with news worthy stories compiled from an email list. This is a veritable linking gold mine you won’t want to overlook.

#5: Subject Matter

Become a subject matter expert in the client’s industry. Be proficient enough to identify linking opportunities when they arise. If your niche is wide, try to narrow it. The more you can narrow it, the easier it is to be perceived as an expert.

Start Link Building Like a PR Pro [infographic] is a post from the Colleen Eakins Design Blog | Freelance Graphic Designer

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