It should come as no surprise to even the novice marketer that digital marketing and branding growth have outpaced traditional media. From Google replacing the phone book to online restaurant ordering, nearly all modern transactions carry with them some kind of digital component. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this trend.

For most businesses, at the core of this new reality resides one vital element of the marketing funnel: a website.

That’s probably not a revelation. Your website is great for profiling past work, culture, comm defining Culture and facilitating communication.

Which leads us to the topic of this article: websites. Branding Iron has designed, developed, and deployed hundreds of them in the last eleven years. We’ve pretty much seen it all when it comes to the web.

Here, we outline our philosophy, which we take all new website customers through at the start of each web design project.

1. Websites are never done

Even Dwight knows websites are never completely finished.

That’s kind of the point of them. They’re an interactive marketing tool, meaning they’re always changing. These aren’t print ads we’re talking about here, people. They’re living, breathing things that are constantly in need of updating, optimization, and upgrading.

We ask that our clients prepare themselves to continually invest effort in their website.

2. Build for the future

“I give you: iPhone.”

Just think back to 2007, before the iPhone launched: ask someone about a “mobile” website back then, and you’d probably get a deer-in-the-headlights stare. Today, mobile has surpassed desktop access, and a great mobile experience is a minimum expectation in the modern e-commerce world.

3. Design based on data

Either firsthand or found, good data can be very counterintuitive—and illuminating.

As it turns out asking users to scroll is actually a fairly low-cost behavior request if your content is quality. 

The savviest interactive designers are striving for simpler, more intuitive solutions. 

The lesson: the best solutions are intuitive, and designing based on data—rather than subjective preference or “gut”—will lead us all to better-performing web experiences. 

Know where your traffic is coming from. How much time is spent on your site? What path would a potential client use to be able to take advantage of your offering? These answers are absolutely non-negotiable when planning your next website revisions. 

4. Content drives design, and never the other way around

Technology makes amazing things possible. But don’t let that get in the way of your content.

Interactive design has entered into an exciting new era. The device you’re reading this article on likely has considerably more computing power than those available to assist with the Apollo 11 moon landing. It’s making some really cool web experiences possible. Which is awesome, except that there’s plenty of evidence out there to demonstrate that flashy interactive features can actually distract users from your intended goals when browsing a website.

So what do you do? Well, the answer is simple: allow the content to drive design, and never the other way around.

We always keep the content strategy in mind when designing a website. You have business objectives and your users have needs; your design should resolve the tension between those two objectives. We should get users from point A to point B as quickly and seamlessly as possible. And where design can support and facilitate those goals, we employ it.

What we don’t do is force content into a preconceived aesthetic, structure, or interactive device. That’s the kind of thinking that leads to poor metrics and ultimately, a website that fails to meet your expectations.

5. When in doubt, steal

Amazon’s checkout page: ugly, but effective.

We’ve all seen various versions of the old saying, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” It’s unclear who first spouted this minor brilliance, but in keeping with the spirit of the quote, we’re stealing it and applying it to website design.

Think about it: most of the sites we design are not wholly new concepts. Almost all of the problems we may face during the design process have already been solved by bigger organizations with more manpower, bigger budgets, and better resources.

Take Amazon, for example. Amazon employs hundreds of web engineers who work every day to see if they can improve the website’s conversion rates by fractions of a percent.

And while we may not be able to peak under the hood of the Amazon research machine, we can certainly see the results of their efforts: They are right in front of us. Is there any use in trying to top Amazon as far as check-out experience? (Hint: probably not.)

The world of the web is changing daily. But if that creativity isn’t paired with sound strategy, you can be left with a pretty website that doesn’t work as well as it should.

And before long, you’ll find yourself doing it all over again. Not exactly a recipe for reaching your happy space. If you want it done right the first time, Branding Iron can help. We’re usually more affordable than your other options and we always deliver a site you can be pleased to call your www.home.

Marketing your business as the economy recovers is a challenge. Everywhere you turn it appears there is an opportunity you can’t miss. But which one is right for your business? It’s important to come up with solutions that allow you to generate measurable sales and revenue.

How can you effectively market to consumers who may have limited access to regularly frequented businesses? How do you market to businesses when everyone is working from home? Companies have started to adapt and overcome these obstacles. Here are four ways you can get started:

Remain Customer-focused

A customer-focused marketing strategy is a winning marketing strategy. Your marketing efforts should be less focused on what makes your company great and more focused on how your company is helping your customers. What about your product or service can directly benefit them at this very moment? Instead of focusing on the features of your products, focus on the benefits to them.

Stay Front and Center

Continue to stay in front of consumers, because when they’re ready to buy, you want it to be from you. Ride out the waves. Focus on the future possibilities and partnerships. There are still consumers and businesses who need your services. Don’t make them find you. Lead them to you. As more continue to open up for business, they will need you.

Have A Compelling Story

Storytelling is a compelling way to connect with your audience and gain exposure. Tell relevant, authentic stories about how your company is contributing to ease the pain of the pandemic. Do something that stands out. Is your company supporting those who need it most right now? Tell the world and remain humble in your messaging.

Be Authentic

When is the last time you reviewed value propositions? What about your customer experience? This crisis has reminded us how important a brand’s authenticity is. Use good taste in your message and approach, and people will be more receptive to hearing what you have to say. You need to speak less about yourself and more about your customers.

Creating a customer experience that builds trust, loyalty, and confidence in your brand is crucial. While this isn’t new, we’re forced to rethink our current strategies. These tips can help make your marketing strategy during this pandemic a time of growing rather than a time of shrinking. It won’t be easy, but it can and will be done if you stay positive, stay calm and be tenacious in your efforts.

For help with your strategic planning or any other tips to improve your marketing, call Branding Iron today.

A new survey by Adzooma found 55.7% of people would unfollow a brand because of the way they spoke online. The research tried to show what customers actually feel about brands with strong personalities and how it would influence their purchasing decisions.  

Businesses portray their personalities through the way their brand speaks, its visuals, and even in their customer service policies. It is important because it helps the brand to clearly define its personality in order to resonate with its consumers.  

With the surge in online buying in the wake of COVID-19, brands are more important than ever. This is where Branding Iron Management comes in. Besides seeing a boom in local buying, around a third of households say they have also increased their digital spending. One of the main drivers here is that customers are buying more emotionally these days by aligning with brands they have a sentimental attachment with.

A strong brand personality is a great way for a business to get noticed online. In fact, 57.5% of customers would buy from brands with strong personalities. A further 51.2% of consumers have purchased from a brand because of the way they spoke online. Only a third (29.9%) have admitted they wouldn’t be swayed by either brand or personality.

What Kind of Brand Personalities Do Customers Want?

• 13.1% of people prefer a professional tone
• 13.1% of people preferred a fun or ‘quirky’ tone
• 2.4% of people preferred a sarcastic tone
• 21.4% of people prefer a mixture of all

Why friendly brand personalities matter: Businesses need to give their brand a friendly face. This is because it helps ease communications and engagement with customers. A brand personality helps customers to relate to the characteristics at a human level based on shared ideals.

A friendly personality helps customers become more loyal and make them feel they can trust a brand. Come to the experts at Branding Iron Management to learn how to mix business and personal in the best way. 

We provide our clients with top notch social media management services. Branding Iron knows how to promote your brand your way. Contact us today to learn more about how we can transform your social media presence.

Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms in the world, and it attracts numerous businesses and marketers who want to market their products to Facebook’s massive user base.

Facebook is a massive user base that no marketer can choose to ignore. So, if you’re not yet marketing on Facebook, the cost of missing this opportunity is just too high. And even if you are already marketing on Facebook, it is not easy to compete with other marketers. Because there is no shortage of businesses trying to attract the same audience that you are.

That’s where these expert Facebook marketing tips can help you. Branding Iron has 3 actionable tips that can help you stand out among your competitors and effectively target your intended audience.

Tip #1. Create a Facebook Business Page and Optimize it

If you want to promote your business on Facebook, the first thing that you need is a business page. You can’t just promote your business from a personal profile. Moreover, a Facebook business page has its own set of advantages that can help you promote your business. It not only represents your brand but also provides a way for your audience to like and follow your page. Then they can receive updates from your page in their news feeds.

Having a business page also gives you access to Facebook advanced analytics tools, which you can leverage to track your performance. Once you’ve created a page, you need to modify the URL to make it easy to remember, so that people can easily find your page. The next step is to optimize your Facebook business page to get maximum visibility and engagement.

Here are some ways you can do so:

• Provide accurate and up-to-date information on your profile, especially the contact details.
• Use a high-quality and relevant profile and cover photo.
• Use relevant keywords throughout your page content.
• Use the “About Us” section to tell your story and provide all necessary information about your business.

Your Facebook business page is like a second homepage for you and often gives people the first impression of your brand. So, make it relevant and engaging.

Tip #2. Use Facebook Advertising

If you’re not using Facebook ads yet, then you are missing out on a huge marketing opportunity. Facebook ads provide very precise audience targeting options and can help you reach your intended audience with ease.

For Facebook ads, like any other ads, you will need to target relevant keywords and audiences. To get keyword suggestions, you can use a tool like SpyFu. It can help you find and select the best keywords for your ad campaigns.

To help you target the right audiences, Facebook provides advanced ad targeting options. Here are two such targeting tactics that you can use to run successful ads and beat your competitors:

Lookalike Audiences

This is a useful feature that allows you to target an audience that exactly mirrors the demographics and psychographics of a source audience. So, the trick is to select a high-intent conversion page like your shopping cart confirmation page as your source audience. You can also use your existing customer lists to create your source audience.

Once you enter the source audience just add a location and create a lookalike audience that mirrors the source audience. Facebook will immediately tell you the audience size for this lookalike audience.

Target Competitors’ Audience

Another way to target the most relevant audience for your Facebook ads is to use interest-based targeting. Since interest is usually determined by the type of pages liked on Facebook, you can add a filter to target people who like your competitors’ pages.

If these people are interested in your competitors’ pages, they will most likely be relevant for you as well. And, you can further refine your selection by selecting geography on top of interest-based targeting.

Tip #3. Post at the Right Times

Every social media platform has certain times when their users are most active. Knowing the right times and days to post can play an important role in deciding how much engagement you get. According to a study by Sprout Social, the best time to post on Facebook is between 9am and 3pm on weekdays.

Surprisingly enough, people spend more time on Facebook during the weekdays than they do on weekends. And the highest engagement rates are seen on Wednesday and Thursday during the above-mentioned (9am to 3pm) time period. So, leverage these insights and share your Facebook posts at the right times, to get the maximum engagement.

These are some of the most effective Facebook marketing tips that you can start using right now. Leverage these tips to ace your Facebook marketing and beat your competitors. Branding Iron Management is here to be your Facebook experts. To learn more about how Facebook optimization can positively impact your business, contact us today. 

When I talk to people about Pay Per Click (PPC), I get three reactions:

Who-sa-What is it? 

People just don’t know about it. This is causing businesses to lose revenue DAILYto their competition.

PPC stands for pay-per-click, internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked on. Essentially, it’s a way of buying visits to your site, rather than attempting to “earn” those visits organically. It allows advertisers to bid for ad placement in a search engine’s sponsored links when someone searches a keyword that is related to their business offering.

You can measure everything, but most importantly, how many leads are generated and cost per lead. This allows you to decide, in Superman style speed, if this type of marketing is right for you. Let’s say your average sale is $200. What is a fair price for you to spend earning a new customer? For argument’s sake, let’s say $30 is a fair cost for every new person that walks through your door. As a business owner, that’s easy math. I’ll spend $30 all day long to make a $200 sale. That’s PPC.

Tried it, and it didn’t work for me 

Let’s say you just purchased a new car. You drive it for a few days, and love it, but one day you get in and it won’t start. You immediately call the dealer to take it back. When the dealer takes a look at your car, he discovers the reason it wouldn’t start: it had run out of gas. It wasn’t the car, it was you.

If you just throw together a quick PPC campaign, fire it up, and let it run by itself, it will likely fail. Just like your car, your PPC campaign needs regular maintenance. There has to be someone regularly monitoring, adjusting, and maintaining PPC campaigns in order for them to work properly.

PPC campaigns usually fail for one of 3 reasons: careless setup, not enough time to manage it properly, or (most frequently) set it & forget it. Like all things worthwhile, it takes time and effort to maintain.

Doing it, and it works 

Here’s where the proof comes in. 

To use a fishing analogy, you get what you bait for. If you bait for catfish, you catch catfish. If you bait for bass, you catch bass. What’s great about PPC is we can dial it in to target ONLY the customers you want to reach. You want dog owners that like to travel and eat BBQ, or moms who live less than 5 miles from your store, that drive a minivan, have kids and like Disney? PPC has them. It’s that precise. PPC can target your client, and only your client, so there’s no waste in your advertising investment. This gets your cost per lead down, which translates to a more efficient advertising campaign. Branding Iron can target the exact clients that make your business profitable, with very little waste.  

Using this tool, clients’ lead generation increase by adding PPC where it wasn’t being used before. We can conquer your competition by targeting their key business. We can command a sector of your business where your offering is stronger. We can take a larger market share by making sure you aren’t missing search volume. 

To do that you have to get started. Call Branding Iron Management today to learn more. 

Thought to take with you: Facebook estimated that 2.2 billion people use Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, or Messenger each day. If you are not taking advantage of social media marketing, you are letting potential business slip through your fingers that you could take to the bank.

1. Users who are 65 years and older are the fastest-growing group on Facebook
2. Fewer teens are using Facebook now than in previous years
3. 74% of Facebook users are high-income earners and even surpasses LinkedIn, which reaches just 49% of users making more than $75,000
4. 88% of Facebook users are on the platform to stay in contact with friends and family
5. Highest traffic occurs mid-day Wednesday and Thursday, so the best time to post on social media platforms is between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m
6. Americans consume at a higher rate, bringing the national daily time average spent on Facebook to almost 4 hours
7. 94% of Facebook Ad revenue is from mobile, while only 6% is desktop related
8. The average price for Facebook Ads decreased 6% in 2019. This is mainly due to the increase in available ad inventory because people spend more time online than ever before
9. The average cost per click for a Facebook Ad is $1.72 according to a study by Wordstream
10. Mobile-friendly graphics generate higher engagement
11. Users watch 85% of Facebook videos without sound, making it extremely important to focus on eye-catching imagery
12. Square Facebook videos get 35% more views than landscape videos

A major theme this year is the continued growth of Facebook Ads and the emphasis of video graphics on the platform. Knowing Facebook statistics and trends can help you modify your marketing strategy so that you can increase engagement, reach your audience, and meet your goals.

How will these statistics shape your 2021 Facebook marketing strategy? Let us at Branding Iron Management help you grow your business with a strategic social media plan.

With over one billion active users per month, Instagram is a great outlet to advertise your brand; if you know how to do it. Branding Iron is here to provide tips and tricks for getting your account active and noticed on the app.

Where do I start?

First things first, you need to download the Instagram app and create an account. You then will have the option to make it a “business account” which allows you to measure post interactions. With this feature you can also add a “contact” button which will allow consumers to contact you with questions directly through the app. Finally, add a descriptive bio explaining your business and a profile picture and you are ready to start posting!

What do I post?

The great thing about Instagram is there are many different ways you can post about your business. Like Branding Iron, you can post pictures or videos of products and services, post about giveaways using the story-feature, post reviews from consumers or repost content from other followers! It is important to post relevant and compelling content to keep consumers engaged.

When do I post?

Users are active at different times throughout the day, so it is a good idea to post multiple times a week at different times. Posting about 2-3 times per week allows that you don’t post so much that you are flooding your followers’ news feed, but you are able to stay relevant. An extra tip is that many users are most active in the evenings (when they get off work) so it is a great time to get a little extra engagement on weekdays. Branding Iron keeps up with trends of when users are active to ensure better post engagement.

How do I make my posts noticeable?

Instagram has several different features to help you differentiate your posts from other users including filters and hashtags. Picking one filter and sticking to it for the majority of your posts helps you keep a consistent look for your posts and can help you stand out. Hashtags are helpful for reaching a bigger audience because when people search that term, your posts will show up. Finally, include pictures of people and friendly faces in your posts. With Branding Iron, users know they are interacting with other people and not just a business.

Branding Iron Management can help you start posting on Instagram. Let us amplify your social media marketing, show off your brand, and help you reach a larger audience!

During the pandemic brands of all sizes struggled to adapt to changing consumer needs. After a tough year, many small businesses have begun prioritizing making genuine and lasting connections online. Whether they’re doing this by ramping up their social media presence or adding remote services to their list of offerings — brands are finding a way to stay visible and relevant to their customers, even from a distance.

How do these efforts translate to social media in the new year? Today we’ll walk you through the key video marketing predictions small businesses should keep in mind this year.

1. Community is key – and yours may be on Instagram Reels.

This year, Reels could continue to be the best way for brands to grow organically on Instagram. It’s all about experimenting on the platform to see what boosts engagement most. By using Reels consistently in your content strategy, you can build a more engaged community with relatable, educational, and entertaining content.

2. Video is not a one-and-done strategy.

During the pandemic, brands that got the best ROI for their video marketing were the ones that used video consistently and across various social & traditional platforms. As the cost of production of video continues to get more affordable, we’re going to see an influx of videos on social media, so standing out will mean creating a strategy for continuous video creation, and setting specific goals for each month to stay on task.

3. Live video and real-time shopping are on the rise.

We’re seeing a surge in live video coupled with real-time shopping on both Facebook and Instagram. The feature is already available to a limited number of creators, but will be rolling out to more users. Instagram alluded that the real-time shopping with live video is not just for online retailers of physical products; the company is also working on ways to help all types of businesses as well.

4. Telling your story with video helps humanize your brand.

People are literally aching for connection with other people, not just a talking head. Brands that use more interactive, snack-sized videos to share their stories and show their value will have a much shorter sales cycle than the ones that don’t.

5. Simple gets traction.

Brands are getting more value from lightweight, bite-sized content. So, repurpose existing assets to create new content. For content that draws your viewers in: take your text-based content and create social videos, or take a long-form video and create several shorter, social-friendly pieces of content.

6. Organic video content fosters genuine connection with your customer.

Video will absolutely be a top of mind element in everyone’s marketing and content marketing strategy. A big video trend for this year will be, “simpler productions” as we are filming livestream content remotely or from our homes and using scaled-down studios and equipment to create content that connects with our audience and customer.

How you can apply the latest trends to your video marketing strategy:

Now that you know what works, it’s time to start creating. One helpful way to get started is with a weekly or monthly plan. Not sure what to create? No problem. Contact Branding Iron and we’ll help you line out a plan for very affordable video creation and social media marketing investments.

Your first video is on us! Call us before the end of the month and we’ll create an original video for your business and show you how to use it most efficiently. 

How much should you spend on advertising your business? The price to promote your company can escalate quickly — newspaper ads, banners, radio spots, direct mail, online marketing, telemarketing. It all adds up. Here are the top four methods for setting an advertising budget used by the most successful independent businesses:

1. Fixed percentage of sales. There are two fixed percentage methods a business owner can use. A larger percentage of net sales or a smaller percentage of gross sales. 

Gross sales – Start with last year’s total gross sales or average sales for the past few years, then allocate a specific percentage of that figure for advertising. Most businesses set aside between 4% and 6% of annual revenues for advertising. So if your annual sales are $300,000 then spend $12,000 to $18,000 on advertising.

Net sales – Start with last year’s net sales profit after all expenses. We like this method better if you are going to use the fixed percentage method because it accounts for keeping your total spend in the black. We don’t like it when businesses go into debt to advertise their products or services. Most businesses set aside 10-12% of net sales profit for advertising. So if your annual profit is $150,000 then spend $15,000 to $18,000. When you find a happy place where Gross sales and net sales numbers intersect you have a good foundation for percentage based ad investment.

·        Pros: It’s easy to understand and be safe: Rather than predict the future, you’re dealing with a known amount. If you’re in a stable, predictable industry, this method is sound. This strategy keeps your budget in relation to sales volume — the very thing advertising is attempting to affect.

·        Cons: The budget is based on past performance. You may lose the opportunity to capitalize on shifts in the business climate or customer trends. This method also assumes that sales are directly related to advertising, which isn’t always the case. Numerous other factors affect sales. A pandemic might impact your business regardless of how much advertising you purchase. 

2. Comparable to the competition. Adopt the industry average for ad budgets for your company. Many trade associations and industry publications can provide the average amount or percentage companies spend on advertising. 

·        Pros: This is an easy approach for companies with predictable sales patterns.

·        Cons: It assumes that the industry average applies to all businesses in the marketplace. Companies may ignore local market forces — and miss opportunities to increase market share — if they stick rigidly to this figure rather than boost spending.

3. Objective and task-based. Begin by setting specific marketing objectives and deciding on the tasks required to meet those objectives. (Example: Increase out-of-state clients by 5% using online promotions.) Then determine your budget by estimating the costs of carrying out those tasks. You need the ability to identify cost per new client conversion. But if you can gather that information you can pinpoint what you need to invest to grow by specific margins. If you can’t afford to fund all your ideas, rank them and focus on the top few.

·        Pros: It’s an accurate method: It ties the use of funds directly to the tasks you want to accomplish. If properly executed, the advertising becomes an investment, not an expense. By spending whatever is needed, the company may grow at a faster rate.

·        Cons: If the advertising campaign flops, it can be pricey. You may not recoup costs on a bad promotion.

4. The maximum amount. Lots of fast-growing businesses put their faith in this strategy, which advocates setting aside just enough money to sustain the business — and your family — then spending the rest on advertising. 

·        Pros: Like most aggressive methods, it offers the reward of rapid growth.

·        Cons: It’s risky. Unless you have a solid reserve to operate your business, you may run it into the ground if your advertising fails. To make this stretch you will want a professional to help you plan this investment effectively. 

Whichever method you choose, planning your budget in advance is a must. If you’d like help in this area. Give Branding Iron a call today. 

It is time to turn your attention to creating a winning formula for sales success. Your sales performance in the New Year will hinge upon the strategic plan that you prepare, so it is critical to develop a systematic plan of attack. Below are 7 ways to jump start your sales in the new year!

1. Set your goals and incentivize yourself to attain them. 

Take some time to sit down and write down your specific goals for the year. One way to do this is to create a two column table. On the left hand side, list your professional goals. On the right hand side, list a reward or incentive that you will give to your team as you achieve each goal. Make sure that your goals are challenging, yet attainable.

2. Make proactive customer outreach your top New Year’s resolution. 

A proactive approach is one of the most underutilized elements of the marketing process. But you will need to go beyond simply stating this as your New Year’s resolution. Identify key steps that you will take to become more proactive in your approach. Examples may include distributing a client newsletter with helpful tips and using scheduling reminders to follow up with customers 10 days after each sale.

3. Create a mentor program. 

A mentor program is a great solution for organizations that are seeking to add talented new members representatives to their team. Even if you operate as an independent, you can energize your performance by mentoring an intern or assistant. You may end up hiring the person you are mentoring and far exceeding your new goals.

4. Take advantage of training and personal development opportunities. 

“I am either getting better or worse. Nothing stays the same.” It is imperative that we are constantly learning and growing. Achieving your goals in an increasingly competitive environment will be difficult if you do not stay on top of the latest cutting-edge techniques and products. Make sure that you actively participate in any continuing education opportunities and take advantage of free training opportunities or seminars in your area.

5. Identify and target emerging markets for your industry. 

Tapping into under-served markets is a great way to grow your sales.

6. Keep a watchful eye on other successful sales professionals in your industry. 

You can monitor your competition through involvement in industry associations and events. Remember, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! In many cases there may be opportunities to partner and further develop your skills and sales. Surround yourself with successful people.

7. Survey existing customers to find out your strengths and weaknesses. 

Your ability to increase your revenue depends upon your ability to capitalize on your strengths and address your weaknesses. Obtaining customer feedback is the best way to assess your performance and can be achieved by distributing a short questionnaire. Be sure to ask customers what you can do to improve the customer experience. Let them know that both positive and constructive feedback will be warmly received. If they had a positive experience, this can also be a great time to ask for testimonials or referrals.

BONUS TIP: The start of the New Year is an exciting time to unveil a new product, program or service. Use online marketing to start building anticipation as early as possible so your customers will be interested in exploring a purchase as soon as it is available.

By incorporating these specific strategies into your business plan, you will position yourself to have a fabulous year. Let’s connect! We can help game plan and build a strategy to help you set and reach goals you never knew you could achieve.