Network Security in Digital Marketing: 5 Tips to Keep Your Marketers and Customers Safe

Network Security in Digital Marketing

Your marketers are not cybersecurity experts, nor should you treat them as such. However, that doesn’t mean that cybersecurity is detached from digital marketing, or that your marketers shouldn’t understand the basics of online security for the sake of their privacy, your customers’ security, and your brand’s image. In fact, given the number of tools, devices, and accounts your marketers use on a daily basis for work purposes, it’s safe to say that your digital marketing department is filled with potential security weaknesses that hackers and scammers can try to exploit.

Of course, you can’t allow any sensitive data to end up in the wrong hands if you are to preserve your brand’s reputation, which is why you need to invest in everything from blog security to social media security and beyond. With that said, let’s take a closer look at the most effective ways to improve cybersecurity in digital marketing in order to keep your marketers and customers safe.

Monitor social media activity for security threats

Social media marketing is one of the biggest parts of any modern digital marketing strategy, but not many businesses stop to consider the potential security threats that it brings. The pursuit of social media visibility, awareness, and success in general can often cloud our judgement and lull us into a false sense of security, which is when we start missing potential warning signs.

In reality, there are many potential threats that may lie in wait in the social media realm, and your marketers need to be able to spot them. They also need to handle sensitive data with vigilance, meaning that they should check and then double-check all social media communication with customers for any signs of phishing or potential cyber-attacks. Make sure to educate your employees on proper user authentication on social media to avoid giving sensitive information to the wrong person, and help them internalize the methods for safe communication on social media in general.

Retain full control of your company’s network

 

No matter how much you educate your marketers on safe data handling and communication online, there is no guarantee that they won’t give our sensitive information inadvertently. Scammers and hackers are becoming more proficient in their trades every day, and one of your marketers might inadvertently download a malicious piece of software without ever realizing – and by then it can be too late.

To prevent a downright PR disaster that would ensue after a successful data breach, consider integrating a web monitoring tool into your organization and especially in your marketing department. This is one of those essential tools you can use to keep your employees safe by monitoring the network activity, restricting access to dubious websites, and reacting to potential security threats that your employees might have missed.

Combine software and hardware firewalls

company and your marketing department should be protected by a strong software firewall. Now, your cloud provider should give you a software solution that will address the specific needs of your marketing department in order to keep them safe online. That said, a software firewall is one side of the security coin.

The other important side is your firewall hardware solution that acts as a physical barrier between your network and the outside world, one that allows you to monitor all traffic, spot threats quickly, and is able to cover your entire network even when the system is down. Combining software and hardware firewalls is a great way to build a comprehensive security system that will keep your marketers and customers’ user accounts safe at all times.

Educate employees on email security

 

Another security loophole that your marketers need to be constantly aware of is email communication. Many a time, scammers and hackers will try to gain access to your system and extract sensitive information via malicious emails, and while you do need to integrate a tool that allows you to monitor email communication, you should also educate your employees on email security threats. Be sure to conduct a few workshops on email security where you will underline the best practices for avoiding scams and handling all data in a safe way.

Improve the security of all user accounts

 

Last but not least, you need to make sure that all customer data is safely stored on your servers, and that your marketers are doing everything it takes to keep the customers safe. When managing user accounts, make sure that none are compromised, which is you can usually see if the account has too many access requests and failed logins, sudden changes in account information, logins from unknown locations, and the like. This will ensure that the users on your site are protected, which will allow you to preserve your brand’s image and trust factors in the competitive online world.

Wrapping up

 

Digital marketing is the driving force behind long-term business growth, but it can also be your biggest weakness if you don’t invest in cybersecurity. By following these steps and integrating the right security measures, you will be able to safeguard your marketers and your customers in 2020 and beyond.


Raul Harman - Technivorz

Author Bio:

Lauren is a regular Bizzmark Blog author that has many articles published with the main focus on clients who want their brands to grow in the fast-changing and demanding market. Her personal favorites are successes of small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs. She goes through life with one strong moto – Kindness, always.

 


How Your Digital Agency Can Leverage Client Reports to Prove Value

How Your Digital Agency Can Leverage Client Reports to Prove Value

This is a guest post written by Raul Harman.

Agency-client relationships are very important, and those relationships must be meaningful, frequently somewhat more personal, and maintained at all times. After all, the success of your digital agency depends on client satisfaction.

The relationships with your clients are pretty straightforward; clients expect results and you deliver. However, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. In many cases, it’s difficult for clients to see value even when you provide them with viable results.

Client expectations can be quite overwhelming for digital agencies, mainly because clients don’t really understand how it all works.

Marketing campaigns take time to develop, and results are often small in scale. In time, the results will become more significant, and the value will increase, but that’s the part that’s difficult to communicate to the majority of clients.

Still, difficult doesn’t mean impossible, which is why you have to find a way to portray value to your clients. This is where client reports come into play. With that in mind, here’s how to leverage client reports to prove value.

Understand your clients

The first step towards creating exceptional client-centric reports is to understand your clients well. Understanding your clients’ needs is vital not only for the success of the marketing campaign but also for maintaining a good relationship with them.

The best way to learn what your clients need is to ask them directly. Undoubtedly, you’ve had a chance to negotiate with a client by now. Those negotiations are a perfect time to ask relevant questions regarding their needs and expectations.

The more information you manage to extract, the easier it will be to create reports everyone can understand and prove the value of your actions to them. That said, it’s important to discover to whom you’ll be reporting to.

Reporting to the CEO of the company or the head of the marketing department are two completely different things. In most cases, CEOs are concerned about the company’s profitability, while marketing experts tend to go into details about various tactics and strategies.

Leverage the best tools

The days of sending out chaotic Excel spreadsheets are long behind us. When it comes to client reporting, especially when you have to prove value, you can’t allow yourself to treat a client report as just another document.

The report should be an understandable data-driven presentation that you’ll present to your clients. For that to happen, you should consider leveraging the best digital marketing reporting tools you can find.

A good tool will allow you to extract valuable data from your campaigns and highlight the value of each action you’ve taken during the course of the campaign.

You can also combine results from various strategies, such as SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay-Per-Click) and social media marketing to show clients how it all comes together to produce viable results and how those results bring value to the company.

Choose the right metrics and KPIs

Creating client reports comes down to extracting insightful data from relevant metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). As you may already know, metrics show your campaign’s progress and activities while KPIs show the value of your efforts and progress towards achieving business objectives.

That said, KPIs should always be aligned with specific business goals. For example, KPIs can be tied to objectives, such as an increase in sales, improvements in ROI (Return On Investment), improvements in customer service etc. That’s why it’s important to draft client reports based on client’s goals and objectives. Here are a few examples of relevant metrics and KPIs agencies should track.

Metrics to track:
KPIs to track:

Of course, which metrics and KPI you should track, depends on specific marketing strategies, campaigns, tactics and client goals. Each scenario is unique, and you must assess the situation before deciding what to track so that you can show value to clients.

Make it simple yet effective

Creating a client report is more than just adding a bunch of words and numbers on a spreadsheet and sending it via email. You have to make sure that a report is insightful, above else.

Moreover, you have to ensure that it’s understandable even by those who aren’t savvy in the marketing jargon and statistical analysis.

Therefore, you should focus on the design of your report. That said, make your reports simple. Here are some of the issues of presenting too much data in your report:

  • It can overwhelm your clients
  • Data may not be understood at all
  • If you’re not there to speak about it, the data may not stand on its own
  • Excess information can be distracting
  • Clients will make their own biased analysis of your data

So, to make things more engaging and to highlight the value of your actions, consider including visuals in your reports. Visuals are more memorable and easy to comprehend. Furthermore, visuals are well-suited for any audience, whether it’s a CEO or a marketing professional.

Be transparent

Portraying and proving value to clients is oftentimes very difficult. Clients can’t always understand what it is that you do or why. For example, a bounce rate of 40% or lower is actually considered good, but your client won’t be able to understand why such high numbers are good, to begin with.

That said, transparency is the key to portraying value and justifying your actions to your clients. Therefore, your reports should consist of more relevant information than just plain-old data. Here are a few examples of being transparent in your reports:

  • Show clients where and why their money is being spent
  • Explain the value of your actions and efforts but be simple about it
  • Include recommendations and advice for future developments for the campaign
  • Prioritize both weekly and monthly reports so that clients are updated regularly
  • Engage in some storytelling to help clients understand your report and the value, of course

Leveraging client reports to prove value is oftentimes mandatory. For digital agencies to remain competitive and relevant, they must ensure client satisfaction and one of the best ways to do so is to craft client-centric reports that will help clients understand the context and the value of your strategies.

Are you currently utilizing reports for your clients?


Raul Harman - Technivorz

Author Bio:

My name is Raul and I am editor in chief at Technivorz blog. I have a lot to say about innovations in all aspects of digital technology and online marketing. Please take a minute to connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

 


 

30 Best Free Digital Marketing Courses for Beginners to Try

free digital marketing courses for beginners

This is a guest post written by Amos Onwukwe.

The best free digital marketing courses for beginners will help you grow as a digital nomad or marketer. With 4.39 billion internet users and counting, marketers are increasingly going digital to market their products and services. Hence, online marketing is the new gold rush.

Facebook alone has more than 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram over 1 billion monthly active users, making them prime destinations for millions of businesses seeking to grow their following and engage with customers who now spend much of their time online.

Social media marketing is just one arm of digital marketing. By fully engaging other digital marketing channels, businesses can achieve more in terms of brand awareness, publicity, lead acquisition and nurturing, traffic generation, conversion and sales, etc. This is possible with these best free digital marketing courses for beginners.

In this article, we’ll be looking at what is digital marketing, the importance of digital marketing and lastly, some of the best free digital marketing courses for beginners you can check out, but first…

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing refers to marketing activities carried out using digital channels like search engines, websites, social media, email, mobile, apps, etc. With billions of daily active internet users, the internet has become the biggest global marketplace where buyers and sellers can meet and do business virtually.

With the right digital marketing strategy in place, businesses can reach more customers, gain market share and scale at a scale never before imagined. Hence, cultivating the right digital marketing skills set has become a key pursuit for smart marketers and business owners.

In this post, we’ll highlight 30 best free digital marketing courses for beginners to help you gain the right digital marketing skills to succeed in your business, even as a starter.

But before that, let’s see…

The Importance of Digital Marketing in 2019

  1. Accessibility (24/7 access via multiple channels and devices)
  2. Global Reach (reach customers anywhere with internet access)
  3. Access to Global Markets (cross-border and multilingual markets)
  4. Foreign Exchange (earn foreign exchange from international clients)
  5. Instant Execution (digital orders are speedily executed)
  6. Cost Effectiveness (cheaper ads, no rent, outsourcing, etc)
  7. Automation (lead acquisition, nurturing and conversion are possible with sales funnels)
  8. Analytics/Insight (your actions are measurable, you know what works and what doesn’t)
  9. Tracking/Measurement (you can see your performance in numbers, percentages and other measurable metrics)
  10.  Scalability (limitless growth and expansion)

These are some of the benefits of digital marketing for your business.

Now here are 30 best free digital marketing courses for beginners.

30 Best Free Digital Marketing Courses for Beginners 

  1. Inbound Marketing Certification – HubSpot Academy
  2. Content Strategy Course – HubSpot Academy
  3. SEO Training Course – HubSpot Academy
  4. Content Marketing Certification – HubSpot Academy
  5. Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content – Coursera
  6. The Strategy of Content Marketing – Coursera
  7. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing – Google Digital Garage
  8. SMstudy® Digital Marketing Associate certification Course -Udemy
  9. Social Media Certification – HubSpot Academy
  10. Content Marketing for B2B Enterprises – Udemy
  11. Strategic Social Media Marketing – edX
  12. Diploma in Web Business Development and Marketing – Alison
  13. Social Marketing Training – Hootsuite
  14. Diploma in E-Business – Alison
  15. Social Media Analytics – Quintly
  16. Instagram Marketing: 3 Tips To Get Real Instagram Followers – Udemy
  17. SEO Training Course by Moz – Udemy
  18. Online Marketing For Your Local Business Made Simple – Udemy
  19. Email Marketing Certification – HubSpot Academy
  20. Digital Marketing Basics Course – Udemy
  21. PPC 101 – Wordstream
  22. Make a Website – CodeAcademy
  23. Learn to Code Awesome Websites – General Assembly
  24. Content Marketing: A 7 Day Mini Challenge To Get More Sales – Udemy
  25. Digital Marketing Training – LinkedIn Learning
  26. Introduction to HTML – CodeAcademy
  27. SEO Tutorial for Beginners – Udemy
  28. Facebook Blueprint – Facebook
  29. Internet Marketing for Smart People – Copyblogger.
  30. YouTube Marketing Course: Successful Strategies to Grow and Optimize Your YouTube Channel in 2019 – HubSpot Academy.

Summary of the 30 Best Free Digital Marketing Courses for Beginners

DIGITAL MARKETING COURSE FEATURES
Inbound Marketing Certification

HubSpot Academy

●      Free Certification Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 1.54 hours.

●      Languages: English.

Content Strategy Course

HubSpot Academy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 3.30 hours.

●      Languages: English.

SEO Training Course

HubSpot Academy

 

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 1.47 hours.

●      Languages: English.

Content Marketing Certification

HubSpot Academy

●      Free Certification Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 6.20 hours.

●      Languages: English.

Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content

Coursera

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.7 stars.

●      Duration: 6 hours.

●      Languages: English.

●      Flexible deadlines.

The Strategy of Content Marketing

Coursera

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.5 stars.

●      Duration: 7 hours.

●      Languages: English.

●      Flexible deadlines.

Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

Google Digital Garage

●      Free Certification Course.

●      Review Ratings: N/A.

●      Duration: 40 hours.

●      Languages: English.

●      Self-paced learning.

●      Video tutorials.

●      Unlimited access.

●      Recognised certification.

SMstudy® Digital Marketing Associate certification Course

Udemy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.2 stars.

●      Duration: 2.5 hours on-demand video.

●      Languages: English.

●      Full lifetime access.

●      Access on mobile and TV.

●      Certificate of Completion.

Social Media Certification

HubSpot Academy

●      Free Certification Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 4.39 hours.

●      Languages: English.

Content Marketing for B2B Enterprises

Udemy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.1 stars.

●      Duration: 37 minutes on-demand video.

●      Languages: English.

●      Full lifetime access.

●      Access on mobile and TV.

●      Certificate of Completion.

Strategic Social Media Marketing

edX

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 6 weeks.

●      Languages: English.

●      Paid certification.

Diploma in Web Business Development and Marketing

Alison

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.1 stars.

●       Duration: 10-15 hours.

●      Languages: English.

●      Certification of completion.

Social Marketing Training

Hootsuite

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 6 hours.

●      Languages: English.

●      Certificate of completion.

Diploma in E-Business

Alison

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.1 stars.

●      Duration: 6-10 hours.

●      Languages: English.

●      Certification.

Social Media Analytics Course

Quintly

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: N/A.

●      Languages: English.

Instagram Marketing: 3 Tips To Get Real Instagram Followers

Udemy

●      Frees Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.3 stars.

●      Duration: 1 hour on-demand video.

●      Languages: English.

●      Full lifetime access.

●      Access on mobile and TV.

●      Certificate of Completion.

SEO Training Course by Moz

Udemy

●      Free Certification Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.3 stars.

●      Duration: 3.5 hours on-demand video.

●      Languages: English.

●      Full lifetime access.

●      Access on mobile and TV.

Online Marketing For Your Local Business Made Simple

Udemy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.3 stars.

●      Duration: 4.5 hours on-demand video.

●      Languages: English.

●      Full lifetime access.

●      Access on mobile and TV.

●      Certificate of Completion.

Email Marketing Certification

HubSpot Academy

●      Free Certification Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A

●      Duration: 3.17 hours.

●      Languages: English.

Digital Marketing Basics Course

Udemy

●      Free Certification Course.

●      Review Rating: 4. 1 stars.

●      Duration: 6 hours on-demand video.

●      Languages: English.

●      Full time life access.

●      Access on mobile and TV.

PPC 101

Wordstream

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: N/A

●      Languages: English.

●      Downloadable whitepapers and webinars.

Make a Website

CodeAcademy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 9 hours.

●      Languages: English.

Learn to Code Awesome Websites

General Assembly

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: N/A

●      Languages: English.

Content Marketing: A 7 Day Mini Challenge To Get More Sales

Udemy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 3.5 stars.

●      Duration: 1hour on-demand video.

●      Languages: English.

●      Full lifetime access.

●      Access on mobile and TV.

●      Certificate of Completion.

Digital Marketing Training

LinkedIn Learning

●      First month free trial.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 18 hours.

●      Languages: English.

●      Badge of completion.

Introduction to HTML

CodeAcademy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: 9 hours.

●      Languages: English

SEO Tutorial for Beginners

Udemy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: 4.3 stars.

●      Duration: 44 minutes on-demand video.

●      Languages: English.

●      Full lifetime access.

●      Access on mobile and TV.

●      Certificate of Completion.

Facebook Blueprint

Facebook

●      Free Courses.

●      Review Ratings: N/A

●      Duration: Self paced.

●      Languages: English.

●      Paid recognized certification.

Internet Marketing for Smart People

Copyblogger

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A.

●      Duration: N/A.

●      Languages: English.

●      16 high-impact eBooks.

●      20 instalment email course.

YouTube Marketing Course: Successful Strategies to Grow and Optimize Your YouTube Channel in 2019

HubSpot Academy

●      Free Course.

●      Review Rating: N/A

●      3hrs 30 minutes completion time.

●      Languages: English

 

Conclusion

You can fuel the success and growth of your business by joining and staying at the top of digital marketing trends and technologies with these best free digital marketing courses for beginners.

Author Bio

Amos Onwukwe is an AWAI trained Business and Ecommerce Copywriter featured in Huffington Post, Dumb Little Man, Self-Growth, Ecommerce Nation, eCommerce Insights, Understanding Ecommerce, Result First, Floship, WeCan, Grow Map, Small Biz Club among others.

 

 

Have you tried any of these free digital marketing courses?

Your Online Business Can Work For You (Even While Away on Vacation)

Online Business Can Work For You

When I started my Internet Marketing journey in 2007, probably the most appealing aspect of running an online business was the location and time-freedom it could potentially provide.

I loved the idea of being able to work from wherever I wanted to and when I wanted to.

This for many people, including myself, is incredibly liberating.

The Internet has opened up so many opportunities for everyday people looking to start a side hustle or even go full-time with an online business.

Whether you want to start a blog, YouTube channel, e-commerce store etc, these can all be worked on in your spare time and from the location you please.

The reason for this post today is because I just got back from vacation and I’m always so grateful and impressed with how fluently I’m able to run my business away from home.

Now of course things are never 100% passive or automatic so it’s important to be transparent about this.

In fact, I had to check in/respond to various emails and I even scheduled two coaching/consulting calls (which was my choice).

Nonetheless I only spent a few hours running my business throughout the almost week long vacation I took.

This to me is absolutely priceless and if you love your business like I do, it doesn’t feel like work anyways.

We are very fortunate to live in this age of the Internet.

And starting/running a type of business like this that offers complete flexibility is incredibly possible!

Set Up an Online Business That Provides Flexibility

You want to try to set up a business for yourself that does not require all of your time and effort each and every day.

Strive for more flexibility.

Part of the reason why I love blogging combined with proper search engine optimization (SEO) is because my website in a lot of cases does the work for me.

(Disclaimer: Like in any business of course there is work involved to keep my blog running smoothly like writing/publishing consistent content, answering emails/blog comments, performing necessary website updates, implementing SEO, crafting YouTube content etc.)

My blog is constantly generating targeted traffic from the search engines (and other sources), capturing email leads, making product/affiliate sales and generating new coaching clients.

And this can all happen while I’m away from my computer.

I look at every one of my published blog articles as online assets that work for me 24/7.

I think taking a break from my normal routine and getting away on a vacation really put things into perspective and helped me appreciate the true power behind running an online business that provides flexibility.

Hence why I wanted to write this short post!

Wrapping Up

No matter what your goals and desires are, it’s important to know that starting a side hustle could be one of the best decisions you ever make.

Whether it’s successful or not, it will be a valuable learning experience you cannot get answer else.

Have you started your online business yet?

If so, does it provide you with enough flexibility?

Keep Putting Out High-Quality Content – Be A Content Producing Machine!

Quality of Content

In order to start establishing a following for yourself, it’s essential that you produce quality content on a consistent basis.

This is how you build a loyal readership/viewership and eventually a customer base.

However, I’d like to emphasize the word quality here, as there’s no point in publishing loads of mediocre or sub par content.

Do NOT sacrifice quality for quantity.

For example, you are much better off publishing 4 highly valuable blog posts per month compared to 30 below average posts.

Although you want to be consistent in your content generation strategy, you need to combine this with quality work.

With that being said, here are a few strategies that I’ve been successfully using to push out lots of quality content.

Blog Posts

My blog is really my main hub and where I eventually try to direct all of my traffic to. I generally publish 1 high-quality article to my website per week (4 per month). These articles are normally about Internet Marketing tactics, blogging, SEO, traffic generation, my overall journey and a lot more. I try to make these as informational as I can for both new and returning visitors of my website (how to guides, tutorials, personal failures/successes etc.). Many times these will be long-form style blog posts of 1,000 words or longer to really try to help people as much as I possibly can. For one these types of articles tend to rank well in Google and two they allow you to really go in deep on the topic you’re writing about. A blog is a great platform to produce quality content on a constant basis.

YouTube Videos

I try to use the same schedule as my blog posts above for my YouTube channel as well, 1 high-quality video per week uploaded to YouTube (4 per month). Since there is so much traffic “hanging out” on YouTube nowadays, this is a platform that I believe every marketer should be utilizing. I like to publish videos based on the blog posts I am writing for that given week. Again these are designed to be both in-depth and helpful to my viewers. For example, if I write a blog post on “4 Tips to Generate More Organic Traffic For Your Blog”, I will generally publish a video to YouTube on the same topic. I will also embed my video in the blog post itself and add the blog post link to my YouTube video description. This gets people navigating both to my blog and YouTube channel for maximum exposure. I will also do one off videos on separate topics from my blog posts as not all of my articles require a supplemental video.  The key takeaway here is 4 high-quality videos published to my channel per month.

Forum Posting

I am a member of a handful of authoritative and popular forums in my niche and try to post on them a couple of times a week. But for this example, let’s just say I publish 2 times per week to my favorite Internet Marketing forum WarriorForum.com. That comes out to around 8 forum posts per month. And these aren’t low-quality comments. Just like my blog posts and YouTube videos, I try to make my forum posts as informative as possible. When you provide value like this, people are intrigued to learn more from you. Forums are an excellent way to answer people’s questions and position yourself as an expert in your niche. You are generally allowed a link in your forum signature which can generate additional traffic to your website…see screenshot below:

 

High Quality Content

Conclusion

If we total all this content up (blog posts + YouTube videos + forum posts) it comes out to 16 high-quality pieces of content each and every month. That’s a lot of valuable content and a great way to build a loyal and engaged following. Of course there’s dozens of other ways to generate content that I did not mention in this particular post, but these are just some of the strategies I’ve seen success with lately. Test them out for yourself and for a prolonged period of time to collect some data. Remember, it’s a combination of consistency and quality!

What content generation tactics are working for you?

Marketing To Millennials – Tips for 2019

Marketing to Millenials Tips

This is a guest post written by Evelyn Lopez.

Every business wants to win over the millennial market, but the hard part is figuring out how to do it. Experts know that traditional television, magazine, and radio advertising platforms no longer reach the youth market. Before you spend time scouring the internet for ideas to help you reach this coveted age group, you might want to continue reading as we’ll uncover useful strategies on how to market towards millennials.

Millennials trust strangers’ opinions

A recent study shows that 73% of millennials say they seek others’ opinions online when purchasing a product. They seek out online reviews, blogs, and websites that seem to offer authentic views about products and services. The reviews resonate with them even more if they seem to come from a person they view as peers. Millennials trust genuine opinions and spot phony advertising a mile away.

Millennials appreciate in-bound marketing campaigns

Instead of responding to pop-up ads on the internet or sleek magazine spreads, millennials seek out information and knowledge from ebooks, whitepapers, and videos. This type of content is called inbound marketing. For example, the cosmetic industry is embracing this type of marketing, by producing YouTube videos on how to use their products. Millennials pin these to their Pinterest boards and share them with their peers. This creates a lot of awareness and exposure around certain products.

Millennials want to interact with a real person from your company, and they don’t want to wait for an answer

These twenty-somethings will reach out to companies through their Twitter or Instagram pages and will expect a quick response. Companies who are quick to interact with their customers on social media report that they experience increased sales. Because of this, companies are hiring more employees as social media experts to interact with potential customers.

Millennials pay attention to key social media influencers

View the top YouTube stars to determine who is speaking to this generation. While some of these influencers have an international following, look for those who are active from your own community. Contact local celebrities who are active on social media and work out a deal to have them use your product or visit your business. For example, if you own a restaurant, reach out to your area’s favorite food bloggers or reviewers and invite them to try your signature dish.

Millennials have a fear of missing out

If millennials see their peers Tweeting or Snapchatting about a specific experience they had at a business, they will want to have that experience too. After all, they don’t want to be the only one out of their friends who hasn’t gone to the new local ax throwing place or who hasn’t eaten ice cream that allows you to breathe like a dragon. Encourage your customers to post about their experiences at your business. Create a backdrop where they can take photos of themselves enjoying your product or service.

Millennials embrace risk-taking

Understanding that millennials love trying new things may help you market to them easier. For example, in the food industry, Millenials are always looking for new and diverse flavors and new experiences in ethnic foods.

Target your specific customer

More than ever before, we are able to target products to not only an age group, but we can target marketing campaigns towards specific people within an age group. Learn who buys your product or service and look for other people like them.

Support a charity

Millennials are willing to spend more money on a product if they know that part of the proceeds will go to help a cause they support. This lesson can be learned from Toms, the shoe company that gives away a pair of their shoes for each shoe that is sold.

Create an app

Millennials use their smartphones for everything. Companies who optimize the mobile phone experience enjoy a younger customer base.

Know how millennials use media

While 85 percent of millennials have smartphones, only 27% of those 65 years and older do.

Millennials are the least likely age group to read magazines or newspapers. They also watch the least amount of television each day and listen to the least amount of radio.

Eighty-nine percent of millennials use social media. Of those who use social media, 82 percent of them interact with their favorite brands or retailers online. Forty-nine percent follow their favorite brands or retailers on social media.

Take the time to think about how your company spends their marketing dollars. If you want to appeal to a younger audience, you may want to think about hiring a social media expert to help increase your appeal.



5 Crucial Steps to Take when Starting Off as a Digital Nomad

Becoming a Digital Nomad

The digital nomad vocation has become immensely popular in recent years. With the unprecedented expansion of seamless global connectivity and the fact that you can latch on to a stable Wi-Fi network almost anywhere in the world, it’s no wonder why this interests so many people. As a digital nomad, you’re the entrepreneur, the leader, and the growth guru of your company. Your work environment is wherever the road may take you, and the possibilities for success are as endless as the road ahead.

That said, it’s important to understand that entrepreneurial superstardom in the digital nomad world doesn’t come easy, as there are numerous notable competitors you will have to outpace, and a myriad of hurdles you will have to overcome along the way. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the five crucial steps you need to take in order to ensure a bright future as a digital nomad.

Resolve outstanding financial obligations

Financial ties can not only hinder your success, but they can also prevent you from starting this next chapter in your life. Besides, can you imagine leaving the country for God knows how long while having outstanding debts with the tax service, your bank, and the likes? You’re either not going to be able to leave, or your debtors are going to be very unhappy with you when you come back.

This is thin financial ice you’re treading on, so the first thing you should do before you make travel arrangements is to settle all of your debts. A good way to do this is to sell your belongings. While the idea of selling your home might not appeal to you at first, understand that this is the quickest way to a large sum of cash you can use to organize your finances, settle debts, and plan for the travels ahead.

Create a budget and a viable revenue plan

Meticulous finance management will be the key to sustainability and long-term success in the digital nomad world, so don’t take the task lightly no matter how much money you have in the bank. Unless you’re the heir to the throne of Brunei, you will need to allocate your resources, and adopt a frugal mindset, at least until your blog and other online endeavors start making money.

How do you make money as a blogger and a digital nomad? There are a number of ways, and you should use all of them to your advantage. Firstly, you can sell ad space to companies who want to advertise on your website. Additionally, you can create your own products, build a responsive email list, sell affiliate products and much more. Consider writing for other companies as well, and don’t shy away from selling your own writing skills to others.

Get insured against every liability

The biggest threat to a digital nomad can be health issues, personal safety, and long-term financial stability for themselves and their loved ones. There is no telling what could happen to you on your travels, and if you’re serious about making this your profession, you should take these problems very seriously. This is especially important if you’re travelling to other continents for the first time, such as from Asia to Africa and beyond.

For example, Asian digital nomads are advised to obtain comprehensive travel and life insurance. This is why long-term universal life insurance in Singapore has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, and it’s why you should follow the same mindset and get adequate coverage yourself before you set sail. Travel insurance will ensure you get medical attention no matter where you are, and life insurance will provide coverage to your family and loved ones should anything happen to you.

Don’t risk it, this is an unpredictable path you’re about to take after all, so make sure you’re protected against all liabilities.

Declutter your life and organize your luggage

Moving on to lighter subjects, there is a need to declutter your life thoroughly and organize your belongings for maximum comfort and efficiency while traveling. Contrary to what you might think, you really don’t need to bring your entire wardrobe with you, as you will undoubtedly buy more stuff on the road, and per the occasion.

You can start decluttering by throwing away or giving away everything you know you don’t need. To make some extra cash you can also sell your stuff online. Once you’re don’t to the bare essentials, you can start packing for your first journey. Organize your clothes and equipment according to the destination. Check weather conditions, cultural and legal circumstances, and any other factor that might influence your choice of wardrobe and conduct.

Be rigorous, be dedicated, and work hard

Being a digital nomad is hard work. Sometimes, it can feel as if you’re not making any progress at all, but the most important thing to do is to stick to your guns. Never waver and always create quality content on a regular basis, adopt the right SEO and marketing strategies, and you will inevitably build a loyal following. It just takes time and persistence. Stick to a schedule, be dedicated, and build your brand.

To travel the world and get paid for it is one hell of a dream, and it sure beats any nine-to-five job. Before you start this next chapter of your life, be sure to take these vital steps in order to mitigate risk and pave the road to a thriving future as a digital nomad.

Author Bio:
Lauren Wiseman

Lauren Wiseman is an entrepreneur, currently based in Melbourne and a regular contributor to bizzmarkblog.com. She assists clients in growing their personal and professional brands in a fast-changing and demanding market environment. Covering finance and investment topics, Lauren strongly believes in holistic approach to business.

Does this type of lifestyle interest you?

5 Actionable Tips to Increase Your Conversion Rates

How To Increase Conversion Rates

A business runs on sales. It’s one thing to have a website that generates high volumes of traffic and leads, but unless those visits convert into sales, all your efforts are useless.

The conversion rate is also important because it allows your business to grow. Without a steady revenue stream, you can’t invest and scale the company. You won’t be able to support your day-to-day operations, as the business starts spending more money than it brings in.

Luckily, there are ways you can avoid that scenario, and it all starts with improving conversions. And to help you do just that, here are five tips you can use to boost your conversion rates right away.

1. Determine Current Conversion

First off, you will need to calculate the current conversion rate of your business venture. Use analytics tools to find out how much traffic flow passes through your channels, and compare them to overall sales and marketing spending.

Once you have calculated the conversion rate of each channel, you can evaluate them and see what works and where there is room to improve your efforts. It is a good starting point to have, which allows you to monitor the performance of all future strategies.

2. Focus on the Customer

Next, it’s time to check the approval ratings, or what customers think about your brand, products, and services. This an important step to attract leads and convert them into sales, because you also find out where you can improve and give customers what they really want.

Despite the popularity of the inbound marketing methodology, companies still remarkably fail at making their customers the center of their businesses and continue doing the opposite. Listen to your customers, send out evaluation forms and surveys, interview customers and let them review your business.

Once you hear what they have to say, you can make changes to any aspect of the business process most of your customers see as a major deal breaker. However, this doesn’t mean you should neglect your achievements.

3. Promote Success

People want to associate themselves with success. Consumers are wired to buy from exclusive brands, because they are attracted to their success, and believe that by simply owning a product or using a service some of that success will rub off on them.

In fact, a business coach suggests that amplifying business results leads to an increase in sales, but also allows you to scale your operations. So, if you want to increase conversion, a good strategy is to make your leads aware of achievements and success stories from inside the company.

4. Create Customer Incentives

Incentivize, incentivize, incentivize. Time and time again, companies fail to motivate their customers to buy from them. You can have the best products or services in the world, but if you don’t present it as a good deal that adds value (and money in the pocket) your competitors will close more sales.

Strategic incentive programs, like seasonal and holiday sales, two-for-one and bundle offers, discounts and other deals can all help you generate more profit and increase conversion rates. Additionally, think about giveaways, coupons, or include free gifts with every purchase. In all likelihood, it will spark a wildfire of word-of-mouth, which will spread and encourage people to buy.

5. Fine Tune Design and Copy

Design and sales copy are the lethal weapons of marketing. Each one operates on psychology to triggers that target the desires and ambitions of the consumer. You will need to polish, test, and improve both if you are to boost conversion.

Hire an in-house designer and copywriter, or use the services of an experienced creative agency to engineer a clean, concise and appealing brand image across all channels of communication. Then, test your purchase. Use A/B testing to determine what works, disregard what doesn’t, and start over.

In time, you will have the winning design and copy on everything from your website and social media networks, to newsletters and ads.

Take Action

At the end of the day, how the company manages conversion is all up to you. Use these simple, but highly effective tips to improve the process and increase the rate of conversion. As time goes by, you will notice one sale, then a spike in the quarter, until finally, your business becomes the next big success story.

Author Bio:

Lauren Wiseman

Lauren Wiseman is an entrepreneur, currently based in Melbourne and a regular contributor to bizzmarkblog.com. She assists clients in growing their personal and professional brands in a fast-changing and demanding market environment. Covering finance and investment topics, Lauren strongly believes in holistic approach to business.

 

What strategies are you currently using to increase your conversion rates?

Unlock the Full Potential of Your Digital Marketing Strategy

examples of digital marketing strategy

Digital marketing is not an option but a must these days, however if you want to make it work, you need a well-crafted and seamlessly executed strategy based on informed decisions. All this will prevent the need for a series of hit-and-miss attempts and help you focus on attracting the attention of the right audience. In order for your digital marketing strategy to be effective, it’s essential to align all your digital channels and track their performance to see what works and what doesn’t. However, the ability to change and adopt the latest trends is essential for succeeding in today’s competitive marketing landscape.

It’s all about user experience

All digital marketing efforts should be directed not only towards attracting your target audience but also towards keeping them and building meaningful relationships. All this won’t be possible without superb customer experience, which means that your website should be easily navigated, intuitive, fast, and visually appealing. A survey has shown that 46.1% of participants perceived well-designed websites as credible and trustworthy. An increasing number of websites feature chatbots in order to help their visitors get the best customer support, and these applications can significantly increase retention. According to Gartner, by 2020 customers will handle 85% of their relationships with companies without interacting with a human, so leveraging chatbots will be mandatory.

Automate your email marketing

This digital marketing strategy boasts the highest ROI in the industry – for every $1 you invest you’ll earn $38. Still, these amazing results can be achieved only if you make the most of your email marketing strategy and automate it. Any effective automation tool will allow you to segment your audience according to various parameters in order to deliver tailored content, as well as to schedule your outreach and subsequent follow-ups. Still, it can’t be denied that in many cases the best thing to do is pick up the phone and call your prospects. This will most definitely capture their attention as there’s no doubt that this approach is much more direct and interactive than email messaging. Another way to earn the attention is to merge print and digital in your marketing strategy. Consulting professionals from the industry, such as Carbon8, can be an excellent idea for keeping your pipeline packed with qualified leads.

Use retargeting

One of the benefits of using digital marketing is its ability to retarget visitors who don’t convert and make them change their mind. If we bear in mind that only 2% of people make their purchasing decision during their first visit to your website, it’s good to know that you can actually track that 98% who bounced off with the help of the retargeting pixel, a tiny, invisible code integrated into your website, which drops an anonymous browser cookie whenever a new visitor comes along. If the visitor leaves the site without converting, this cookie triggers your ads which are being displayed to them while they browse the internet. This method works best when it’s supported by content and social media marketing, and it’s important to stress that it can’t drive traffic to your website or generate new leads.

Tap into the power of SEO

Search engine optimization is an indispensable part of any successful digital marketing strategy because it can drive tons of qualified traffic to your website, and if it’s paired with high-quality content, it can also help you turn these visitors into paying customers. Using relevant, highly-targeted keywords and building relevant, high-authority links are crucial elements of this strategy, but if you really want to boost your Google rankings you need to go mobile. Namely, the mobile-first indexing is closer than ever, and if your website isn’t optimized for mobile, your rankings will plunge, because Google’s new algorithm will primarily use the mobile version of a website in order to index and rank it. But, it’s not only the search engine giant that you have to think about. Given that approximately 60% of searches come from mobile devices, it’s clear that visitors won’t tolerate sites that aren’t mobile-friendly.

Leverage social media

Social media platforms play an increasingly important role as they allow you get in touch with your target audience directly, interact with them, and build relationships based on loyalty. In other words, it’s not enough to use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram only for the promotion of your brand. Instead of that, use these channels to listen to what your customers have to say, and ask them for their feedback in order to improve your products or services. Social media networks are also excellent for providing customer support, so make sure to reduce your response time and keep it under 60 minutes as 42% of consumers expect a reply within that interval.

An effective digital marketing strategy requires an aligned, multi-channel approach that will cater to all consumers’ needs. Its primary focus shouldn’t be only on customer acquisition but on retention too.

Author Bio:

Lauren Wiseman

Lauren Wiseman is a contributor to bizzmarkblog.com a marketing specialist and an entrepreneur. She helps clients grow their personal and professional brands in fast-changing and demanding markets, strongly believing in a holistic approach to business.

 

 

Please leave your questions in the comment section below!

ClickMagick Review- Click Tracking & Link Tracking Tool

Click Tracking

Today I wanted to take the time to write a ClickMagick review, especially since it is such a big part of my overall tracking process for a few different online businesses…And also because I have so much confidence and respect for the tool and features it provides.

The great thing about ClickMagick is that it can be used universally for tracking all of your marketing efforts.

You can also sign up for a 14 day free trial here to test the waters before making a decision.

However, once you experience all that ClickMagick has to offer, you will most likely become a dedicated member.

Without accurate click tracking, bot monitoring, link organization/rotation, detailed campaign reports etc., I simply wouldn’t be able to run my businesses to the extent that I do today.

ClickMagick is such a critical tool and I like using it in my email marketing, tracking clicks on my website, YouTube campaigns, social media and much more.

ClickMagick Review

Again, ClickMagick is ideal for any type of marketing, link tracking and click tracking…In fact it is one of my top recommended tools for any Internet marketer.

Let’s take a look at some of the key features of ClickMagick:

ClickMagick Review & Features

The growing list of quality features that ClickMagick provides is a big reason why numerous marketers use it religiously in their businesses…This is also a reason why it is the top choice in terms of click/link tracking tools.

There is not another click tracking tool that offers nearly the amount of diversity, customizability, and quality that ClickMagick does.

For example, take a look at some of the key features you’ll receive by being a ClickMagick member:

  • Link Cloaking
  • 24/7 Link Uptime Monitoring
  • Automatic Bot Filtering
  • Click Fraud Monitoring & Traffic Quality Analysis
  • Custom Tracking Domains (Unlimited)
  • Advanced Geotargeting & Mobile Optimization
  • Effortless Conversion Tracking
  • A/B Split Testing w/ Automated Winner Alerts
  • Multi-Mode Link Rotators
  • Add 4 Types Of Pop Ups To Any Link
  • Add Content & Notification Bars To Any Link
  • Add A Countdown Timer To Any Link Or Page
  • Add Retargeting Pixels To Any Link
  • Dynamic Affiliate Links
  • Advanced Postback URL Tracking
  • Dynamic Ad Network Token & Sub-ID Passing
  • Facebook Sharing – Custom Title, Description & Image
  • True Real-Time Stats
  • Google Analytics Compatible
  • Lightning-Fast Link Redirects
  • Easy-To-Navigate Detailed In-Depth Stats
  • Public Stats Sharing
  • Import & Export Your Data & Stats
  • New Features Monthly Based On User Feedback
  • Growing Tutorial & Training Video Library
  • Fanatical US-Based Support Team

These features are from the ClickMagick website, please go here to take a look and sign up for a free trial.

Simply put, there really isn’t anything you can’t do with ClickMagick…and they also have extremely helpful training videos should you ever get stuck using their tools.

Another important point to touch upon is the ClickMagick support team…This really separates them from the crowd, in my opinion.

Whenever I have a question or issue, I submit a ticket to the ClickMagick support system and within 24 hours I always receive a thorough and helpful response back.

I don’t know many other companies that can respond to support tickets that quickly (and especially since ClickMagick is such a popular service)…They offer really top-notch customer service which is one of the main things I look for when buying any type of marketing tool.

ClickMagick Pricing

The flexibility offered by ClickMagick in terms of pricing allows any level marketer to join.

You can select the package that works best for your situation and business.

All are extremely affordable and allow you to enter at the level you feel comfortable with.

The best part is, you can sign up for a 14 day free trial here in order test the tools of the ClickMagick system first.

This is a game-changer for anyone who may be on the fence or just wants to get more familiar with the tools to start.

Affordable pricing, exceptional features and top-notch customer service, it’s no wonder why so many people both trust and use ClickMagick in their online businesses.

Being a member for over 2 years at the time of writing this post, I have nothing but great things to say about this serve and highly recommend you check it out for yourself.

My last recommendation would be to NOT use a free click tracking platform….These are generally unreliable and extremely limited (compared to ClickMagick) in terms of features.

If you are at all serious about your business and marketing online, you will want to invest in something like ClickMagick as it will save you time and money in the long-term.

 

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