marketing agency

Why Hiring a Marketing Agency Would Benefit your Company

Marketing your business is critical to not just achieving growth, but to simply surviving. If you’re a small to mid-sized company, then marketing is absolutely essential to generating awareness of your business. However, effective marketing can be very challenging without experience, not to mention that it can be very time consuming as well. Businesses that attempt to develop marketing strategies on their own often find themselves stretched thin. As a result, they have little time to focus on their core business. Because of this, you should strongly consider hiring a marketing agency.

Reasons To Hire A Marketing Agency

For many, hiring a marketing agency requires some convincing. After all, some businesses believe that paying for marketing services is an unnecessary expenditure. However, working with a marketing agency can be incredibly beneficial. The following are a few key reasons that a reputable marketing agency is worth the cost:

  • Cheaper than an in-house team

Marketing a business not only takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of specializedwork. Marketing teams typically consist of a marketing coordinator, a marketing director, a social media manager, a content strategist, a marketing manager, and more. The cost of hiring these positions full-time is rarely something that smaller businesses can afford. When you hire a marketing agency, you pay a set fee. This set fee provides you with access to all of the marketing specialists you need.

  • Scale as your company grows

As your company grows, it will become increasingly difficult to scale your marketing efforts. The bigger your company gets, the more time and effort you will need to dedicate to your marketing. A marketing agency like STEVENS & TATE MARKETING will be able to keep up with your growing marketing needs.

  • Take advantage of marketing expertise

When you work with a marketing agency, you’ll have access to a team of experts with vast experience. They will know what works and what doesn’t. They will also work closely with you to tailor a marketing strategy that suits your needs. Inexperienced companies that don’t use an agency often end up developing a marketing strategy through trial and error. Relying on trial and error to improve your marketing efforts is not cost-effective.

  • Have access to the latest marketing tools

Marketing agencies invest in all of the latest marketing tools and technology. Smaller companies can rarely afford these tools on their own. Fortunately, marketing agencies will use all of their high-end marketing tools when working with you.

How To Choose The Right Marketing Agency

Not all marketing agencies are of the same quality. Nor do they all offer the same services or charge the same fees. As such, hiring the right marketing agency can be difficult. The following are some tips to help you choose a marketing agency that will fit your unique needs:

  • Have a goal

You’re not going to know if the agency can offer what you need if you don’t have a marketing goal in mind. You need to figure out exactly what you’re trying to achieve. For example, maybe you want to build a successful website or you’re trying to increase your leads. Ask the agency how they’ll go about helping you achieve your specific goal.

  • Find out about their services

Some marketing agencies specialize in specific services, such as SEO. Others offer more broad services, such as digital marketing. Find out what services they offer to determine if they are a good fit for your company’s needs.

  • Ask for references

Speak with the agency’s current clients. A reputable marketing agency should have no trouble providing you with references. You should also ask how many existing clients they currently have and for how long they’ve had them. The longer the clients have been with them, the more you can assume that they must be doing a good job. High client turnover is usually a bad sign.

  • Look at previous work

Good references don’t always indicate good work. Take a look at the marketing strategies that were implemented for previous clients. Look at their websites, their social presence, their content, and more. If you don’t think they’re of high quality, then that’s a big red flag.

  • Look for a good cultural fit

You need a marketing agency that’s willing to work with you to tailor a strategy to meet your needs. To achieve this, your team has to get along with their team. A good cultural fit is essential. When speaking with an agency, pay attention to how well they communicate with you. You should also get along well with them. Finally, try to find an agency that shares the same values as your company.

Begin Working With A Marketing Agency Today

At first glance, handling your own marketing efforts might seem more cost-effective. However, that’s simply not the case. Not only are you likely to save money long-term, but your marketing strategy is more likely to succeed if you work with a reputable marketing agency. With that in mind, you should strongly consider hiring a marketing agency to oversee your company’s marketing strategy.

 

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50 Most Powerful Call-to-Action Phrases

Are you looking to increase your conversion rate? Call-to-Actions are an essential part of the conversion process, but what kinds of Call-to-Actions should you put on your website? CTAs should be simple yet effective, and should catch the attention of your visitors. The formula for a successful CTA page title consists of combining such sales buzzwords as “free,” “discount,” “offer,” “gift,” “guarantee,” with action-oriented words like “click,” “download,” “request,” and “send.” Listed below are 50 powerful Call-to-Action phrases that visitors can’t resist clicking on.

50 Powerful Call-to-Action Phrases

  1. Download now
  2. Click here
  3. Join now
  4. Download here
  5. Start now
  6. Click here for details
  7. I urge you to…
  8. Get a free…
  9. Talk to an expert
  10. Immediate download
  11. While supplies last
  12. Money back guarantee
  13. Money back guarantee, no questions asked
  14. Get it now!
  15. Act quickly
  16. Free shipping
  17. Shipping discount
  18. Come in for a free consultation
  19. Come see us today
  20. Reserve your spot now
  21. Come in today
  22. Start your trial
  23. Start your free trial
  24. Offer expires…
  25. Satisfaction guaranteed
  26. We’d like to hear from you
  27. I can’t wait to hear from you
  28. Limited availability
  29. Limited time offer
  30. Best value
  31. For more details call…
  32. Please don’t hesitate to call
  33. We’re waiting for your call!
  34. Send for our free brochure
  35. Send for our free catalog
  36. Subscribe to our email list
  37. Subscribe to our newsletter
  38. Send in your application today!
  39. Apply here
  40. Order now and receive a free gift
  41. Tell us what you think
  42. Take our quiz!
  43. Sign up online at…
  44. Get started today
  45. Request your FREE quote today
  46. Just reach for your phone
  47. Members only/Subscribers only
  48. Contact us
  49. It’s important that you respond promptly
  50. Download our eBook for more information

Click here to learn more about powerful CTA phrases that increase clicks!

Now that you know what attention-grabbing Call-to-Actions look like, you can implement your own. Don’t just copy and paste the CTA phrases from the list above. Tweak the CTA phrases so that they apply specifically to your company and your products and/or services. For example, instead of just saying, “Start your free trial,” you can say “Start your free trial with (insert company name here) so your CTA is more personalized. Use these phrases/Quotes as a template for your website’s CTAs, sit back, and watch the clicks roll in!

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lead nurturing

Soft Sell Advertising: What it is, Why it works, and How to Execute

When it comes to advertising, businesses as a whole tend to be aggressive. They let you know exactly who they are, what they do, and why you should buy from them. Even in inbound marketing, companies will try to tie the topic of conversation in with their products or services in some way. However, this isn’t the only course of action. You can also reach your target audience and successfully engage them by advertising in a more subtle manner. Such a strategy is known as soft-sell advertising.

What Is Soft-Sell Advertising?

Soft-sell advertising is a more subtle form of advertising. The goal behind soft-sell advertising is to evoke a positive emotional response. The idea is that the customer will then subconsciously connect the response they had to the brand that invoked it. Businesses that implement soft-selling marketing will often create ads that are warm or humorous, as these tend to be the ads that invoke the most positive feelings.

The History of Soft-Selling

The idea of soft-selling first emerged in 1914, when Theodore MacManus published an ad that would become the model for the soft-sell. The ad was essentially an essay on the burden of being the best in one’s field. The ad was for Cadillac, yet Cadillac wasn’t mentioned a single time. Nor was there an illustration that ran with the ad. Yet the ad was incredibly successful.

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The Benefits Of Soft-Sell Advertising

The following are some of the reasons why you should incorporate soft-selling advertising into your marketing strategy:

  • Less pressure on customers – Because soft-sell ads don’t push products or services, customers will feel less pressure to buy. The pressure is apparent in hard-sell ads, and it’s often off-putting. Using soft-selling ads, you give your audience the ability to discover your brand and make a purchasing decision on their own time.
  • Increase brand awareness – Even though you’re not pushing your brand into their faces, audiences will be more likely to share your content. The reason? People don’t share ads, they share content. When you create a soft-sell ad, you have to focus on the quality of the content and not on the sale. If you are able to create high-quality content that invokes a positive emotion, your audience will share that content. People will share content that elicits a positive reaction to their friends, thereby increasing your brand awareness.
  • Build more trust – Another result of having to focus on content quality is that you’ll build more trust. You’re basically offering your audience something of quality without asking for something in return. This shows them that you care about more than just sales. As a result, they’ll be more likely to explore your brand further. Not to mention that building trust is essential to building long-lasting relationships.

Examples of Soft Sell Advertising

Soft sell advertising has grown in popularity, both in regards to inbound marketing and outbound marketing. The following are a few examples of effective soft-selling ads:

  • Yeti – Yeti is a company that sells coolers and outdoor accessories. They filmed an entire series of videos called Hungry Life showing a well-known chef spending time in nature, where he picks plants, goes fishing, and prepares his meals outdoors. Although Yeti’s coolers do make an appearance, they are never showcased or talked about. Yeti is obviously targeting a specific audience by showcasing a specific lifestyle. That audience will then make an emotional connection between that lifestyle and the Yeti brand.
  • Burt’s Bees – Burt’s Bees uses their founder as the spokesperson. This is perfect because he essentially represents their main buyer persona. The Nature of Burt video introduces Burt, who explains who he is. He’s likable and funny, and their target audience can relate to him. What makes the video so effective is that it builds an emotional connection between the viewer and Burt, all without ever promoting the brand or its products.

Implement a Soft-Sell Advertising Strategy Today

Because many companies focus many of their marketing efforts on generating brand awareness, they tend to be overly aggressive. However, soft-sell marketing can be incredibly effective in terms of engaging your audience and building trust. As such, you should be sure to include soft-sell marketing tactics in your inbound marketing strategy.

social media marketing
call to action phrases

Why Call To Action Phrases Are So Important In Inbound Marketing?

Call to action phrases seem so innocuous. They are just a few words on a link or a button. Yet, CTAs are some of the most powerful and important elements on your website to support your Inbound Marketing efforts. Without them, your conversion rate is not going to be anywhere close to where it should be. Here’s why.

The Simple Truth About Conversions and CTAs

A conversion happens when you get someone to respond in a desired way. Let’s say you want a website visitor to sign up for a newsletter. When you get an anonymous visitor to provide a name and email address in exchange for the newsletter, you have converted that person into a lead. That person has just entered your sales funnel.

How do you get the anonymous visitor to sign up for the newsletter? With a successful call-to-action, that’s how.

CTAs come in so many different forms. Most are phrases printed on a button that is easy to tap or click. Here are a few call-to-action phrases that might be familiar:

  • “Read More”
  • “Get Our Newsletter”
  • “Share on Twitter”
  • “Add to Cart”
  • “Subscribe”
  • “Download Immediately”

50 Powerful Call-to-Action Phrases

Ensuring Your Calls-to-Action Receive Attention

Calls-to-action are critical for conversion success. But, not every CTA is a success. In fact, many aren’t really that noticeable, so visitors just skim right past them. For your calls-to-action to be successful, they must be noticeable, enticing and well-defined.

Placement is critical for a successful CTA.

  • Put more than one on a page. Putting a single CTA on a page means lost opportunities for conversion. Multiple CTAs offer more chances to get a visitor to convert. But, don’t put too many or the visitor will get choice paralysis.
  • Be sure to have CTAs on every page. Your website is a critical part of your marketing and you need to give visitors as many chances as possible to convert.
  • Make your CTAs count. Most users skim a page from top to bottom. They will glance from left to right at the top and maybe once again about half way down the page. Your CTAs need to be somewhere in this visual path to grab attention.

Design is another item to consider for a successful CTA:

  • Make sure your CTA is recognizable. If it just blends into the background or uses generic language, your visitor will skim right past it. Choosing well-worded call-to-action phrases makes all the difference.
  • Make it jump out visually. You need to have negative space around your CTA. You need to select a color that pops out. Orange and red are popular. But, the real secret is contrast.
  • Make it very clear. Generic call-to-action phrases like “Next” do not give a reader any clue as to what is happening next. “Finish Subscribing to Our Newsletter” gives the reader a clear picture of what clicking on that CTA will actually do.

When you optimize the calls-to-action on your website, you will start to see your conversion rates rise. Keep tweaking and you can get even more.

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