Fast Marketing Minute

What can you do to keep your visitors on your website longer? Find out in this #FastMarketingMinute.

Every marketer wants visitors to stay on their website longer. How do you do that? Check out these tips to help keep people check out your products and services, so you can lead them to buy.

4 Marketing Tips to Keep Your Visitors on Your Website

* Lists bring order to your web page. They also help readers quickly understand the information you’re presenting. They can be numbered or bulleted, but you want to make sure that they’re easy to read. It’s helpful to keep items the same length so one doesn’t overpower the other.

* 2. Use visuals to highlight important information. Graphs and charts help us understand data quickly. Breaking down your content this way will help readers process complex information with just a glance. You also want your visuals to stand out by using color.

* Make your website mobile friendly. It seems like a no brainer, but have you ever looked at one that wasn’t? It’s not pretty and Google hates it. If your mobile visitors don’t have a good experience when they land on your site, you’re driving customers away. Design your website so it includes the same content and information on any device, but changes the way it’s displayed based on the size of the screen.

* Divide your website into sections. Seems obvious, but otherwise, information can get buried. You’ll also lose visitors before they read more than two lines of copy. Use headers to make a webpage more digestible and easier to read. If you don’t use headers, you’ll definitely have a higher bounce rate.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Are you looking for ways to up level your brand? Tell me what you’re looking to do. Email me directly at [email protected]. Talk tomorrow!

Want some Instagram Live tips?

Video marketing is hot and so is Instagram. So, if you’re going to be going Live, you want to look good and make sure the experience for your viewers is top notch.

5 Marketing Tips for Instagram Live for Business

* Make sure you practice first. Set up a dummy account and run through your broadcast a couple of times to get more comfortable in front of the camera. This is also a great time to check your lighting and make sure your voice is coming through crystal clear.

* Prep your broadcast beforehand. If you're using slides for a presentation or being joined by a guest, make sure you have everything you need at hand, and are ready to go. Hey, I was a Girl Scout so I know firsthand, ‘be prepared,’ Plan ahead to help you avoid technical errors or delays while trying to get everything just right.

* Give viewers a reason to tune in. This can be as simple as having a compelling guest host a Q&A, offering a limited number of spots, or creating an offer only available to those who tune in.  You want to create FOMO. Fear of missing out

* Promote your broadcast ahead of time. Viewers can't tune-in if they don't know about what you’re doing.  Let them know exactly when to tune-in and why they should. Promote on Instagram or other social channels where your audience hangs.

* Finally, put your phone on “Do Not Disturb.” Nothing is more annoying than having a call come in during your live broadcast. Viewers also won’t be too happy if you give them motion sickness. Mount your phone or use a tripod. It makes all the difference in the world.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Instagram live isn’t for everyone, but it could be right if that’s where your target market is. Not sure how to reach your customers? Let’s schedule a zoom call and find out. I’m at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

Are you working IN your business and not ON your business? How about building a rockstar marketing team?

Let’s look at the big picture of building a marketing team. Who do you need on your team and what kind of roles could they fill?

How to Build a Rockstar Marketing Team 

Social media marketers are on the frontlines. They connect with your audience on all social media platforms. There are lots of roles under this umbrella. Your team’s size will depend on the size of your business and your budget. You can do this yourself, but plan your time and energy.

Your SEO Team drives traffic to your website. Their role is to use keywords to increase your visibility on web search rankings. Hire people who have strong technical skills and know how to write. Right now, you’ll find experienced freelancers who are qualified and want to work.

Your acquisition team should be customer-obsessed. They’re the ones who introduce your brand so they need to understand how to make a strong first impression. You’ll need people who have excellent customer service skills and pay attention to detail.

Product marketers promote your product. They drive the key features and benefits of your product or service to your customers. They need to understand all marketing functions and be strong in research, strategic planning and program solving.

Content creators tell your story. Your content marketing team needs to be strong writers because they’re the ones making sure you have enough copy for all of your marketing ideas. Make sure they also know how to write in your voice, edit, and proof. One editing pass is not enough.

Web designers maintain your website. They’re responsible for everything dot.com including helping customers who have problems with your website. They live on the backend. Please just be sure they’re responsive. A dead website might mean dead sales. Who wants that?

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. I’ve just given you five marketing roles, and you may be in charge of some of them or all of them. You don’t have to be. Let me show you how to build a virtual team that works on your behalf. Email me at [email protected]. Talk tomorrow!

Want some marketing tips for reaching journalists? Earned media is a great way to build your business.

Earned media or getting free PR and publicity that you don’t pay for is worth its weight in gold. You can share it with your prospects, clients, colleagues, industry associations -- and all of it helps to promote your brand and expertise.

4 Marketing Tips to Reach Journalists and Get Free Press

* Find the right journalist. Don’t just throw your press release out there and hope someone will pick it up. Look for journalists who’ve already written something on your topic. A simple Google search will bring up recent articles. If you have the budget, you can also use media databases like Cision or Muckrack.

* Get correct contact details. That’s not as easy as it might sound, though. You’ll have to do some digging. Again, a Google search is a good way to start. Social media can also be incredibly helpful. And sites like Buzzsumo, which is available as a freemium and a premium will also be useful.

* Get straight to the point. Journalists receive hundreds of pitches each day. They’ll notice yours if you keep it brief, and it’s well written. So, don’t waste their time. Tell your story in as few words as possible, but make it compelling. Also, personalize your pitch. Think about building a relationship with the reporter instead of hitting them with a release and expecting instant coverage.

* Craft an irresistible subject line. Keep it short and unique. And make it super-specific. Remember that timing is everything. Also think about the day and time you hit the “send” button because certain days work better than others. Typically, Tuesdays and Wednesdays work best; stay away from weekends and if you’re a night owl like me, not at midnight.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Getting free press has really helped me build my business and brand. Want to learn how to get media attention? Get in touch at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

Ready for new clients? Listen for 5 ways to Master Client Attraction.

We’re all in this together and doing business in the New Normal. You might be scratching your head thinking, how can I bring in clients or sell my products and services right now? Depending on your business, here are some helpful hints to make attraction marketing work.

5 Ways to Master Attraction Marketing 

* Build a relationship with your audience. That means engaging real time. Reply to Facebook comments. Pop in and add your thoughts in LinkedIn forums that make sense for your brand. People do business with people they like, know, and trust -- and believe.

* Keep to the facts. Transparency is really important when it comes to building trust. Be accurate when explaining what your product does, and what it doesn’t do. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. You’ll build a bad reputation, and it’s hard to come back.

* Be real. Customers pay for brands that have authenticity without batting an eye. Think about Nike, Amazon and Apple. They’re all trusted to deliver what they promise. Switch your focus from selling to providing solutions. It’s not always about the products.

* Be a person not a marketer. Let your customers know that your product is something that’s making their life easier. Let’s say you have a product that helps with lead generation. Include a story about what a pain it used to be, until your product came along, and now your customer’s life is so much easier. People can’t buy unless they know!

* Choose the right marketing channels. Find one or two channels that make it easy to connect with your audience and prospects, and use them. Twitter or Instagram won’t work for long stories, but they’re perfect platforms if you use graphics and video to tell your story. Just be sure to match your audience to the platform. Twitter’s not for everyone.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Want a virtual presentation about Marketing in the New Normal for your business or association? Let me know. Reach out at [email protected].  Talk tomorrow!

Think there are no marketing opportunities if you’re in quarantine? Think again.

If you’re worried that you don’t have any opportunities to market your business right now, please reconsider your mindset and keep listening. There is always a silver lining in every crisis, and opportunities abound.

So, what some marketing opportunities you can take advantage of?

4 Top Marketing Opportunities During Quarantine

* Create videos of your FAQs. Come up with at least 50-100 questions you hear most often and create a unique video answering each one. Programs like StreamYard, Soapbox, and Restream can help you create and edit your video and also broadcast it to a wide variety of social media platforms.

* Maximize the heck out of your video. Transcribe the content so you can repurpose it as a blog or article. One tool to do that is Rev.com . It's an inexpensive way to have the audio on your video converted to text. Just make sure to edit the transcription so it’s easy to read. It may look a little funky.

*  Get your work out there. If you’re an expert, you’ve done so much. Share your content and your awesomeness.  Think about starting a podcast. High-authority sites like Buzzsprout and Libsyn will take care of all of your syndicating. Also, don’t forget to publish both your video and your written copy on your own website and other places, like here on YouTube. This might seem like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised by how many people forget to do this.

* Add an interactive platform to your website. Include a collection of questions, answers, articles, guides, and videos. Think of it as a searchable FAQ page on steroids. Take a look at Hubspot’s knowledge base platform for an example of a really effective one.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. There are a million marketing ideas but they won’t all work for you, so stop wasting time and money trying to make them all work. Get clear on where you are and where you want to go. Get in touch at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

Are you a consultant wondering how you’re going to get back business you lost or that’s on hold?  Consultants rely on businesses to hire them and everyone down the line has been hit by the health crisis. What are some of the top marketing strategies to get work?

Here are 3 Marketing Tips for Consultants During and Post Pandemic

* Lead by example. Share how you’re doing business. How have things changed for you? Include tools you’re using to work remotely or describe how your workflow had to adapt to changes, especially in your business practices. Use real-life examples of co-working, sharing materials, brainstorming and video-conferencing. People want to know what the experts are doing.

* Be flexible in your pricing. If you can do something to help a customer in any way, do it. A little pro bono work now might pay huge dividends later. This doesn’t mean flooding social media with a list of all of the fantastic things you’re doing around the world. Just think about your company’s core values and show clients that you are really there for them when they need you most.

* Remember that less is more. Avoid the temptation to overwhelm people with too many social media posts, too many blogs or endless email updates. Now, more than ever, people value quality over quantity. Instead of just throwing stuff out there because you think you need to stay in touch, pick out a few high-quality pieces that provide genuine insights into the challenges your customers are facing. They don’t need a constant stream of half-baked ideas.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. I’m a consultant so I get it. I’ve recorded a podcast on How to Lead When Fear Takes Over and will feature more content on my blog about marketing during the pandemic. Have a question? Email me. I’m at [email protected]. Talk tomorrow!

Ready for a chatbot to help in your online marketing?

You see chatbots everywhere, but are you wondering if they’re right for your business? Before you answer yes or no, let’s look at how to use a chatbot and what they're good for.

Here are 4 Ins and Outs of Bot Marketing

* Know Your FAQs. The best way to learn what people are asking is by checking in with your team. Talk to your customer service people, your social media manager or your sales and marketing group to build a set of Frequently Asked Questions.

* It seems obvious, but create clear, concise questions for your bot to answer. Plan a flowchart, beginning with hello and leading them down each path the conversation could take. Planning tools like Lucidcharts and Whimsical are great for creating easy flowcharts. Avoid open-ended conversations, which could leave your bot confused -- and your customer.

* Add a live chat feature for a human touch. Let people know that a customer service rep is only a step away. You can build this into the bot’s welcome message so your customer feels secure knowing that if the bot can’t help them, a live person will.

* Track your bot’s success. You can do this by using a unique coupon code (like BOTSAVE25). You can also have your bot introduce itself by a name you give it and also refer to your customer by name. A bot can be trained to show items based on their purchasing history as well to make reordering easy. When you program your bot, just make sure to always use conversational language (and understand spelling errors).

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Bots aren’t for everyone but consider them to increase productivity and help the customer on his or her buyer’s journey. For other ideas on how to bring in business, visit my website at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

Are you a marketer working from home and about to go crazy? Or are you already there? I get it! Kids, pets, school work, and the Amazon Delivery driver, they all want your attention.

4 Steps for Marketers to Be More Productive #WFH

* Set clear expectations. Let the kids know when you need uninterrupted time so they don’t come screaming into the room while you’re on a conference call. Check in with them right before the call starts and let them know who they should go to if they need anything while you’re busy.

* Create a schedule and stick to your word. If you have a partner, negotiate your schedules together. Who’s going to work, when? Who’s going to drive the kids to soccer practice? Put it all in writing so you’re all on the same page. Be as productive as you can be during your scheduled work time, and then shut the computer down when you say you're going to be done.

* Give yourself some slack. Be realistic about what you can accomplish. And be honest with your coworkers about how much work you can do and when you’re available. Block out family time on shared calendars so coworkers know when to expect slower responses during that time. You don’t work 24/7.

* Lastly, separate your workspace from the rest of the house. Find non-verbal ways of letting everyone know you’re not available. A closed door means “emergencies only.” If you have to work in a common area, wear headphones so you can still stay focused.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Need some marketing ideas? Keep listening to these podcasts and also check out my blog, Robin’s Rainmakers. You’ll get tons of free advice on how to grow your business. It’s at RobinSamora.com/blog. Talk tomorrow!

Thinking of ways to get outside the B2B box?

Instagram might not be the first social media platform that comes to mind when you think B2B, but companies are using it to showcase the human side of their brand. With a billion users, Instagram is too big to be ignored

Reddit used to be a little bit like the wild west, but they’ve grown up and now they’re the 7th most visited website in the world. Hunt around for a sub-topic that suits your brand and loosen up. Be fun and creative. Reddit’s content is voted up or down based on what users like and dislike. So be careful.

Snapchat is back! After losing market share to Instagram, Snapchat has started to recover and grow again. This is another platform where you can show off, have some fun, behind-the-scenes part of your brand. Keep your messaging upbeat.

Twitch came out of the gaming community so its audience is largely male and made up of Millennials and GenZers. In a way, it’s lively, like broadcast TV. If this is your audience, Think about using Twitch for video podcasts and webinars.

Right now, TikTok has 800 million users worldwide. About 41% of its users are between 16 - 24. It’s all about short, funny videos and it’s growing like crazy. Highlight your brand’s funny side to reach this younger audience.

Finally, Facebook is launching a new virtual reality site. It’s too soon to see how this will pan out, but it’s worth keeping your eyes on.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. If you like these podcasts, I’d love a review. Go to https://FastMarketingMinute.com/review and write yours there. Thanks and talk tomorrow!