Five Inbound Marketing Resources Every Marketer Should Know

Perfect Your Inbound Marketing Strategy With Lead Nurturing

July 23, 2024/in Articles, Directors, Inbound Marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Nuturing /by Dan Gartlan

When it comes to marketing, many businesses focus on trying to attract as big of an audience as possible. The more awareness you generate, the more potential customers you’ll have, after all. However, it’s crucial that you don’t skip a step when it comes to generating leads. Just because your marketing efforts have successfully attracted new leads doesn’t mean that they’ll automatically convert into sales. Most of the leads you generate will need to be nurtured before they’ll convert into customers. As such, no inbound marketing campaign is going to be complete if you don’t implement a comprehensive lead nurturing strategy.

What Is Lead Nurturing?

People who discover your brand are going to be doing so at various points of the sales funnel. Everyone is going to be in a different place. For instance, some leads will be in the awareness stage, which means that they are still doing research about their problem. Others may be in the consideration stage, which means that they are looking for solutions to their problem. Then there are those that are in the decision stage, which means that they are comparing solutions from various brands and are in the process of making a purchasing decision.

Lead nurturing is all about meeting the needs of your leads. The goal is to present them with the information and guidance that they need to move through the sales funnel. However, lead nurturing is also about building a relationship through your marketing and communication efforts that not only educates leads and builds trust with your brand, thereby creating a connection that lasts beyond the first sale.

Also Read: Lead nurturing is an important aspect of marketing

The Benefits Of Lead Nurturing

It’s not just about moving your leads through the sales funnel so that you can close a sale. The following are a few of the additional benefits of a strong lead nurturing strategy:

Increase ROI of marketing efforts – Leads that are nurtured are more likely to make a purchase. As such, your marketing efforts are going to result in a greater return if you implement a lead nurturing strategy.
Build brand authority – By presenting content that addresses the needs of your leads at every stage of the sales funnel, you’ll establish yourself as a brand authority, which will boost your brand reputation and trust.
Generate loyalty – Customers that were nurtured throughout the sales process are going to have a deeper connection with your brand than those that weren’t. As such, they’ll be more likely to remain loyal and may even refer your business to others as a result.

Ways To Nurture Your Leads

The following are a few tips on how you can successfully nurture your leads through the sales funnel:

Develop buyer personas – Your leads all have different needs and motivations. To be able to build relationships with your leads, you will need to understand who your audience is. Develop buyer personas so that you can target every part of your audience.
Create high-quality content – Avoid over-promotional content. Instead, focus on creating content that educates your leads. Make sure that you create content that not only addresses every stage of the sales funnel, but that also targets each one of your buyer personas.
Personalize emails – Email marketing is a great way to nurture your leads since it allows you to directly send them content that can nurture them. However, it’s essential that you make sure your emails are relevant. You can do this by personalizing them. For instance, segment your email list using the information you’ve gathered on every lead (such as the data provided in your opt-in forms and from their purchasing history).
Use email drip campaigns – Email drip campaigns can nurture leads that you’ve captured over a specific period of time. They are designed to slowly nurture leads through the sales funnel by sending emails over a few weeks to encourage leads to make a purchase.
Implement lead scoring – Using a lead scoring tool allows you to track at which point in the sales funnel your leads are. This is incredibly useful as it gives you the opportunity to engage your leads at the right time so that you can successfully nurture them through to the next stage.

Implement A Lead Nurturing Strategy Today

Effective lead nurturing is the best way to increase your chances of converting new leads into customers. It’s also important to note that it is essential to building long-term relationships with your customers. The more time and effort you put into developing leads, the more likely they’ll be to return as repeat customers.

6 Email Marketing Tips (Expert’s Advice)

July 19, 2024/in Articles, Direct Marketing, Directors, Inbound Marketing /by Nicole Wagner

Millions of people have email accounts. Email marketing is a popular form of marketing still today. When sending emails, it is important to make sure it looks good. It is important because people receive many emails a day. In order to have your email opened and read, it needs to stand out. Here are 6 email marketing tips.

Email Marketing Tips

1) Right person, right time

Before sending an email, it is important to determine who the audience is of the email. Segment your contacts by buyer personas. This way you know who each group of your contacts is and what emails they should be receiving. Make sure you are sending out your emails at the right time. It is best to determine what time the people you are reaching are most likely to check their emails.

2) Content

Content is highly important and has so much value. If an email doesn’t have value then it shouldn’t be sent to people. A good way to determine if your email has value is to ask the question, “Would I be excited to read this email?” If the answer is yes, then the email has value.

3) Lead nurturing

Lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with prospects with the goal of earning their business when they are ready. This process involves a series of emails. With lead nurturing, the goal is to turn a lead into a customer. Email marketing is a great way to nurture leads.

The Right Lead Nurturing Strategy Can Help You Stay Top of Mind

4) Title

The title is what the people are going to read first. Usually, if the title is interesting and eye catching, the email will be opened up. If the title is boring, it will be passed over and not opened. Therefore, the title needs to be attention grabbing and interesting so that the email will be opened.

5) Personalization

Make sure each email you send it personalized. By personalized I mean at the beginning of the body of the paragraph, include “hello” followed by the person’s name who is receiving the email. What this does is that instead of the person being on an email list and just another name getting an email, it is directed specifically to that person and that person will most likely be more pleased with the email they are receiving.

6) CTA

Emails are a great place to include a CTA or call to action. By including a call to action with a link to relevant information regarding the email, you are providing a link back to your company website.

Also Read: 6 Effective Call To Action Examples

As you can see, these are just a few tips to help emails. These tips can help you execute some great emails to those people you are trying to reach. Something to remember, whenever you receive an email, think, “What is good and bad about this email?” That way you can evaluate emails.

Factors That Influence Consumer Purchasing Decisions: Rethinking the Marketing Funnel

May 24, 2024/in Articles, Behavioral Marketing, Directors, Inbound Marketing, Lead Nuturing /by Dan Gartlan

In order to continue attracting your target audience, it’s crucial to firstly understand “what is a consumer need?” Then, must keep up with the wants and needs of customers. Consumer behavior is influenced by many things, such as price, product features, brand image, and recommendations from friends or family. These all playing a vital role in what people decide to purchase. This can be a real challenge if you don’t understand the factors that influence consumer purchasing decisions. Those factors are a lot different than what they used to be. This means that the customer journey has changed a lot as well. This updated journey is referred to by many as the consumer decision journey (CDJ). What makes the CDJ so different than traditional marketing funnels is that each consumer’s CDJ is unique. Keeping that in mind, the following are three of the biggest factors that influence consumer purchasing decisions in today’s digital age:

Factors That Influence Consumer Purchasing Decisions

Product/Service Reviews

Very few consumers are going to blindly buy a product or service based on the content they’ve come across on your website. It doesn’t matter how effective you say it is, how clear your demonstration videos are, or what kind of accolades you’ve received. Customers are going to look up reviews first. Many consumers aren’t going to feel comfortable buying a product or service unless it has good reviews. Fortunately, online reviews are easy to find.

There are tons of different websites where customers leave reviews. In fact, a company having reviews on their website has now become so commonplace that not having the option to leave or see reviews can leave a bad taste in consumers’ mouths. Reviews are not always only about one specific product or service. Angi, Yelp, and Amazon all allow customers to leave feedback on products and services, as well as overall customer experiences. Reviews come in many forms. Gone are the days of a simple, written review. Now, many companies give consumers the option to upload pictures and even videos with their review.

In addition to consumer reviews, consumers also seek out professional reviews. For example, Consumer Reports provides professional reviews of certain products. They offer comparisons between different products as well.

Encouraging customers, as well as professionals, to review your products and services can be hugely beneficial. Doing so (as long as the reviews are mostly positive) can help improve your reputation and build trust with consumers who are in the evaluation stage of their journey.

Peer Recommendations

More often than not, consumers will initially become aware of brands or their products and services through peer recommendations. They may ask someone in person for a recommendation or ask online, via social media, online chat, or email. It’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to continue targeting existing customers. The journey doesn’t end when someone makes a purchase. You want to continue marketing to those customers to turn them into repeat customers. This allows you to build brand loyalty, which will turn them into brand ambassadors. Brand ambassadors will recommend your products or services to their peers.

Having a social media presence is incredibly important because so many consumers will turn to social media as a way to do research. They’ll look up brands, ask them direct questions, and ask their social groups about their thoughts on your products or services. They also look at your social interactions in general. This means that they will look at how you engage with your followers, as well as with users in general, to get a sense of how you carry yourself. They also do this to see if they can relate to you. A brand with no social presence is not going to make as good of an impression on consumers. Nor will one that doesn’t regularly engage with the community.

It’s important not to become over-reliant on the traditional marketing funnel. Consumers have so much power when it comes to doing their own research about different brands and their products and services, that it’s important to understand how unique the CDJ is. These are three very important factors that influence consumer purchasing decisions in this day and age that you need to make sure you address.

25 Website Must Haves For Driving Traffic, Leads & Sales

How to Have a Successful Blog (Expert Tips)

May 16, 2024/in Articles, Blog, Directors, Inbound Marketing /by Nicole Wagner

Blogging has become a great way for companies to write about content that relates to what they do. This can include tips and advice on anything the company is an authority on. Topics for blogging can range from “What a Good Landing Page Looks Like” to “How to Start Your Own Business in 10 Easy Steps.” Blogs can also strengthen online marketing efforts.

You might be wondering, how can my company have a successful blog? Here are 6 expert tips to help you out.

Tips for creating a successful blog

1. Choose a Topic People Care About

The first step to having a successful blog is to write about a topic that people want to read about. Make the topic interesting, and something worth reading. Once you choose a topic, research it to make sure you are providing reliable information to your readers. Then you can begin writing your blog.

2. Make the Formatting Easy To Read

When formatting your blog, it is better to have many short paragraphs rather than a few long paragraphs. A blog is something that people want to be able to read easily. Short paragraphs are more easily digestible than long paragraphs. When writing a blog for your company, make sure to include offers and promote other blog posts as well.

3. Have an Attention Grabbing Title

As you are reviewing your blog, go back to the title. The title is important and needs to be clear and specific. Most importantly, the title needs to be attention grabbing. Titles should be between 50 and 60 characters. If it goes over 60, the end of the title will be cut off in the search engine results.

4. Pictures Are Fun to Look At

A blog without pictures can be boring. Add a picture or two to your blog to make it more visually appealing. These pictures can be relevant to your topic, and they can also just be a part of your blog as long as they fit. For example, if your blog is directed towards an audience of readers who are business people, you could include a picture of someone wearing a suit. Pictures are a nice addition to a blog. Do not forget to cite the pictures you use if they are not yours.

5. Links and CTA’s

There are many reasons a successful blog includes links to other relevant articles. Successful blogs also include a CTA (call-to-action). You can offer downloadable resources like ebooks, checklists, or templates related to your blog post topic in your CTA.

Also Read: 50 Most Powerful Call-to-Action Phrases

Once you have written your blog, it is time to share it. You can share your blog through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.

7. Be Consistent and Frequent

The most important things to remember are consistency and frequency. Blogging is more than one post. Instead, it is multiple consistent posts over time. When you are in charge of blogging for your company, it is best to post a minimum of two blogs a week.

Blogging can be fun. Follow the above tips for creating a successful blog for your company.

How to Conduct a Thorough Website Audit for Improved Performance

April 18, 2024/in Articles, Direct Marketing, Directors, Inbound Marketing, Website Design, Website Growth Driven Design /by Terry Becker

Conducting a website audit is an essential task if you’re looking to enhance your online presence. A comprehensive audit helps you understand key areas of improvement and optimization across various aspects of your website. From user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO) to conversion rate optimization (CRO), each element plays a significant role in how effective your website is in achieving your business goals. In this article, we’ll explore how to audit a website effectively by focusing on these major components.

UX: Enhancing User Friendliness

User experience (UX) is critical because it determines how easily visitors can interact with your site. A positive UX increases engagement, reduces bounce rates, and improves overall satisfaction. Here are key metrics to evaluate:

Navigation Ease: How quickly can users find what they need? Assessing navigation involves examining site structure and menu layouts to ensure information is logical and easily accessible, which helps in reducing user frustration and increasing retention.
Page Load Time: Faster pages provide a better experience. Quick loading times are essential for keeping user interest. Optimize images, streamline code, and leverage browser caching to enhance speed and prevent potential visitors from leaving in annoyance.
Mobile Responsiveness: Is your site easy to use on all devices? A mobile-responsive website automatically adjusts to the screen size and orientation of the device it is being viewed on, providing a seamless experience for smartphone and tablet users.
Visual Appeal: Does your design attract and keep attention? Effective visual design not only draws visitors in but also plays a crucial role in creating a positive first impression. Ensure your site uses compelling layouts, appropriate colors, and readable fonts to enhance user engagement.

Assessing these areas will help you understand how user-friendly your site is, which is the first step in learning how to audit a website.

SEO: Boosting Visibility

Search engine optimization (SEO) is about increasing your site’s visibility and driving the right kind of traffic to your website. Key aspects to focus on include:

Keyword Optimization: Are you using the right keywords that your target audience is searching for? Proper keyword optimization ensures your content appears in relevant searches, boosting visibility and driving targeted traffic to your website.
Content Quality: Is your content relevant, useful, and well-written? High-quality content is crucial for engaging readers and encouraging them to interact with your site. It should be informative, easy to read, and directly address the needs of your visitors.
Meta Tags and Descriptions: Do they effectively describe and promote your content? Meta tags and descriptions play a key role in search engine ranking and user click-through rates. They should be concise, include targeted keywords, and accurately summarize the page content.
Link Health: Are your links functional and do they contribute to your authority? Maintaining healthy links is essential for SEO. Ensure all internal and external links are functional, relevant, and use proper anchor text to boost your site’s credibility and authority.

Improving these areas will help ensure that the right users find your site, a crucial component of how to audit a website.

CRO: Converting Visitors into Customers

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) focuses on what users do once they visit your site. The goal here is to maximize the percentage of visitors who complete desired actions, whether it’s subscribing to a newsletter or making a purchase. Evaluate these elements:

Call to Action (CTA): Are your CTAs clear and compelling? Effective CTAs guide users towards desired actions with clear, urgent language. Ensure they stand out visually and are placed strategically across your site to maximize engagement as well as conversion rates.
User Pathways: Is it easy for users to convert? Simplify the user journey to enhance conversions. Analyze the flow from initial contact to final action to identify and remove obstacles, ensuring a smooth, straightforward path that facilitates user progression in addition to increasing the likelihood of conversion.
A/B Testing: Are you continually testing and optimizing user pathways? Implement regular A/B testing to compare different versions of your site elements, from headlines to CTAs, to determine which variations perform the best, thereby continuously refining user experience and increasing conversion efficiency.
Checkout Process: Is it streamlined and secure for users? A streamlined checkout process reduces cart abandonment and enhances user trust. Ensure the process is quick, requires minimal steps, and employs robust security measures like SSL encryption to protect user data.

By focusing on these points, you can ensure that your site not only attracts visitors but also encourages them to take action.

Integrating Advanced Tools and Strategies

To effectively audit and enhance your website, employing advanced tools and strategies is pivotal. Utilizing a website redesign analytics tool can provide insights into how changes to your site can influence user behavior and SEO performance. Additionally, understanding why a content audit is important will guide you in refining your content strategy to meet the expectations of your audience. Moreover, implementing essential website updates for senior living communities can significantly enhance user engagement and satisfaction in targeted demographics such as seniors.

Steps to a Successful Audit

Here are some practical steps to follow when auditing your website:

Initial Review: Start with an overall review to understand the site’s current state.
Detailed Analysis: Dive deep into UX, SEO, and CRO elements.
Tool Integration: Utilize specialized tools to gather data and insights.
Action Plan Development: Based on your findings, develop a strategy to address weaknesses and capitalize on strengths.
Implementation and Monitoring: Apply changes and closely monitor impacts to ensure desired improvements are achieved.

Enhancing Your Website’s Effectiveness

Understanding how to audit a website involves a detailed examination of its UX, SEO, and CRO elements. By assessing these areas thoroughly and integrating strategic tools, you can significantly enhance your site’s effectiveness, ultimately leading to better user engagement, improved search engine rankings, and increased conversions. Remember, a successful website audit is not a one-time activity but a continuous improvement process to keep your site performing at its best.

Why Are Buyer Personas So Important?

April 17, 2024/in Articles, Attraction Marketing, Inbound Marketing /by Nicole Wagner

Creating buyer personas is an important part of an effective inbound marketing strategy. This is because buyer personas help you define your target audience and then help you tailor your advertising towards that audience. When developing content, consistently referring back to the attributes of the buyer persona will help ensure that the content resonates with that audience. Buyer personas are an important part to attraction marketing.

Establishing a buyer persona can be a creative process as well, as it encourages marketers to think back to their childhood mindset and generate imaginary people. Of course these imaginary thoughts are far more sophisticated now, and are used to create what an individual that represents your target audience.

Innovative Video Strategies to Transform Your Senior Living Marketing

April 15, 2024/in Articles, Creative & Messaging, Direct Marketing, Directors, Hubspot, Inbound Marketing, Senior Living Marketing, Video Marketing /by Dan Gartlan

When determining how to market senior living communities, you should be aware that the advent of digital technology has offered unprecedented opportunities to connect with potential residents and their families in meaningful ways. Video content is a particularly potent tool. It offers a dynamic and engaging way to showcase your community’s amenities, lifestyle, and values. With seniors increasingly embracing digital platforms, using video strategies to market senior living communities effectively is more crucial than ever.

The Power of Video in Senior Living Marketing

Video content has the unique ability to convey messages in a more engaging and memorable manner than text alone. For senior living communities, this means the opportunity to truly showcase what makes your community stand out. Creating video content is just the beginning. To truly optimize these efforts and ensure they reach your target audience, strategic planning and execution are essential.

Engagement Through Authentic Stories

Leveraging the power of storytelling, videos that capture real-life experiences and testimonials from current residents can significantly impact potential residents and their families. By showcasing these authentic stories, your community can forge a deeper emotional connection, making it feel more inviting and relatable. These stories can highlight the day-to-day joys, sense of belonging, and supportive environment your community offers, providing a genuine glimpse into the quality of life that awaits future residents. This kind of content engages viewers. It also builds trust and confidence in your community as a place where their loved ones can thrive.

Educational Content

In the decision-making process for senior living options, seniors and their families often have numerous questions and concerns. These can range from financial planning and health care services to lifestyle and activity offerings. By creating and providing educational video content that addresses these topics, your community can position itself as a knowledgeable and trusted resource. This approach not only informs viewers but also alleviates concerns, making the transition to senior living seem less daunting. Informative videos can cover a wide range of subjects, including the benefits of senior living, how to prepare for the move, and what new residents can expect. This empowers families with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

Virtual Tours

In today’s digital age, the initial exploration of senior living options often takes place online. This makes virtual tours a critical component of your marketing strategy. Virtual tours offer potential residents and their families the ability to explore your facilities, amenities, and living spaces from the comfort of their homes. They provide a convenient and comprehensive view of what your community has to offer. These tours can highlight the unique features of your community, such as dining options, fitness centers, outdoor spaces, and social areas. This allows viewers to visualize themselves or their loved ones living there. By providing a virtual walkthrough, you can engage interested individuals early in their search process. This will make your community a frontrunner in their selection process.

Leveraging Key Digital Strategies in Video Marketing

To ensure your video content reaches and resonates with your intended audience, consider incorporating the following digital strategies:

Optimize for SEO: Including relevant keywords, such as “how to market senior living communities,” in your video titles and descriptions can enhance your content’s visibility on search engines and platforms like YouTube.
Utilize Platforms like YouTube: YouTube for senior marketing is an invaluable channel for reaching potential residents and their families. It has a vast audience and offers a platform for your videos to be easily found and shared.
Update Your Website: Integrating video content into your website not only makes it more engaging but also helps with SEO. Ensuring your site incorporates essential website updates for senior living can improve user experience and support your marketing efforts.

Five Video Ideas to Enhance Your Senior Living Marketing

To help you get started, here are five video ideas that can effectively communicate your community’s unique offerings and values:

Virtual Tours: Virtual tours offer an immersive experience, allowing potential residents and their families to explore your community from anywhere. These tours showcase your facilities and highlight amenities. They also give viewers a taste of the daily social activities, making your community an attractive option.
Resident Testimonials: Videos featuring resident testimonials provide a personal look at the quality of life within your community. Hearing directly from residents about their experiences fosters trust and showcases the strong sense of community you offer.
Staff Introductions: Introducing your staff through video humanizes your community. Highlighting their expertise, dedication, and compassionate approach to care reassures families that their loved ones will be in good hands.
FAQs Answered: A video series that answers frequently asked questions helps demystify the process of moving to and living in a senior community. It addresses common concerns about senior living options, financial planning, and lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle Highlights: Share videos of social events, hobbies, and activities available within your community. They will demonstrate the vibrant, engaging lifestyle that residents enjoy. It invites potential residents to imagine being part of your active community.

For more inspiration and guidance on creating engaging video content, exploring video marketing ideas can offer valuable insights and strategies tailored to the senior living market.

Embracing the Digital Age in Senior Living Marketing

Digital platforms are becoming increasingly integral to our daily lives. Therefore, senior living communities must adapt and innovate to meet their audiences where they are. You should effectively utilize video content, optimized for both search engines and user engagement. This will allow you to significantly enhance your marketing efforts, reaching potential residents and their families in a way that is both informative and touching.

Ready to take your senior living marketing to the next level with optimized video content? Contact Us for a free consultation. Let’s explore how we can help you connect with your audience and showcase the best of what your community has to offer.

6 Reasons You Should Leverage Long Form Video Marketing

April 9, 2024/in Articles, Direct Marketing, Directors, Inbound Marketing, Video Marketing /by Terry Becker

Video marketing has long been accepted as one of the most effective forms of content marketing. Video content is easy for people to consume on any device. It’s also arguably the best way to deliver a message in an engaging way and to establish an emotional connection. However, there’s been a misconception that short-form video content is the best way to go. After all, people generally have shorter attention spans these days. Not to mention that many social platforms, such as Snapchat and TikTok, encourage shorter video content. Yet there should also be a place for long-form video content in your video marketing strategy.

Let’s understand first what is long for video content?

Long-form video content offers a deeper and more extensive exploration of the topic, providing a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

6 Reasons To Leverage Long Form Video Marketing

The following are six reasons why you should be using long-form video marketing:

1. Deliver More Value

There’s very little time to provide useful information to viewers in a 30-second to two-minute clip. You basically have just enough time to deliver a simple message. As such, there’s not a whole lot of value in short-form videos. The only thing you can really achieve is to generate brand awareness. Long-form videos are much more effective when it comes to trying to provide value to your audience. For example, it’s difficult to create a how-to video that’s less than a couple minutes long. However, you can create a detailed, step-by-step how-to video in the long-form format.

2. Create A More Engaging Experience

Although more short-form videos are consumed than long-form videos, long-form videos drive more engagement. A video marketing study published in 2017 revealed that although 80 percent of videos are under five minutes, those videos drove less than 33 percent of overall video engagement. On top of that, 8 percent of the videos that were over 15 minutes long drove half of all audience engagement. As long as the quality of your video content is high, a long-form video is going to be more engaging. After all, it’s going to keep viewers on your site (or social channel) much longer than a 30-second video would. Not to mention that the actual content you’re delivering will be more engaging since you’re able to provide more information that’s useful to your audience.

3. Improve Your SEO

Short-form videos may get shares on social media, especially if they go viral due to their humor. However, short-form videos don’t tend to earn many backlinks. Websites are more likely to link back to your videos if they provide exceptional value, which they are more likely to do if they are on the longer side. By earning more backlinks, your long-form videos will help boost your SEO.

Similar Article: Six Types of Real Estate Video Marketing Ideas For Homebuilders

4. YouTube Favors Longer Videos

YouTube is the major video platform. Not only is it the top video hosting platform, but it’s also the second biggest search engine behind Google as well as a social media platform in itself. Long-form videos do much better on YouTube than short-form videos. There’s a reason for this: YouTube’s algorithm is built around favoring long-form content. The reason why they built their algorithm this way is that longer videos allow more room for ads. Videos have to be at least 10 minutes long before ads can be run in the middle of the video, which is why many YouTube creators do everything they can to reach that 10-minute mark.

5. Build Your Brand Authority

While shorter videos may get more views, they don’t generally help much in the way of building your brand authority. This is simply because shorter videos are limited in the amount of useful information they can convey. BY creating long-form videos, you can go into way more depth about a subject. The more in-depth your video subject matter is, the more you’ll be able to showcase your authority. This will help to boost your brand’s authority within your industry, which can help to build more brand trust as a direct result.

5 Types Of Marketing Videos You Should Think About Using

6. Convert More Leads

Building your brand authority is certainly going to play a part in converting leads. When viewers develop trust in your brand by watching your long-form videos, they’ll be more willing to convert. However, this isn’t the only reason why long-form videos convert more than short-form videos. The people who are watching long-form videos tend to be near the bottom of the sales funnel, while people who are watching short-form videos are probably still near the top of the funnel. As such, many long-form video viewers are already ready to convert.

Shorter videos are a good way to generate more brand awareness. However, long-form video content tends to be much more effective overall when it comes to nurturing leads and building brand authority and trust. As such, you should make sure to implement a long-form video content strategy if you haven’t done so already.

5 Types of Landing Pages To Increase Your Lead Conversion Rate

April 5, 2024/in Articles, Content Marketing, Directors, Inbound Marketing /by Nicole Wagner

Are your company website’s landing pages converting as many visitors to leads as you’d like? If you have a low lead conversion rate, one problem may be that you are not using the right kinds of landing pages. Landing pages have several purposes: to collect important information from visitors, to begin building a relationship with visitors, and, ultimately, to convert visitors to leads. Some companies only have one or two types of landing pages, and as a result, their lead conversion rates suffer.

Before exploring types of landing pages, let’s first understand what a landing page is.

What Is a Landing Page?

A landing page is a standalone web page designed with a specific purpose in mind. The purpose is typically to convert visitors into leads or customers. Unlike a general website page, landing pages have one clear goal. There are many goals landing pages can be created to achieve, such as prompting signup for a newsletter, downloading an eBook, making a purchase, and many more.

5 Types of Landing Pages To Increase Conversion Rate

Here are 5 different types of landing pages that are sure to increase your lead conversion rate.

1. Email List Opt-In Landing Page:

It’s proven that the most effective place to put your email opt-in form is on it’s own dedicated landing page. An email list opt-in landing page gives you more room to tell visitors exactly how they stand to benefit from filling out your form with their personal information. By removing pesky distractions, like navigation, a landing page urges your visitors make a decision: opt-in or miss out on quality content and offers.

2. Product Detail Landing Page:

A product detail landing page is common in the retail industry. It serves as dedicated space on the company’s website to showcase information about a specific product. Product detail landing pages are positioned within the website’s navigation. They contain information regarding the product for sale such as features and specifications. Product detail landing pages also contain customer reviews. A benefit of product detail landing pages is that there is no extra work or cost required when it comes to creating a separate page. An additional benefit of this type of landing page is that it applies to visitors who are in the awareness or the consideration stage.

Read more on Driving Website Conversions During Each Stage Of The Buyer’s Journey

You can apply this type of landing page to every type of traffic that your website generates. Most likely, any landing pages attached to your social media accounts bring visitors to your home page. This is a start, but it’s not the best option. You should make your landing page more customized and personal. A good social network landing page addresses where the visitor is coming from. It also provides information that the visitor is probably looking for. This can be information like background about the company. It can also be information about how to get in touch with the company, such as an email address, phone number, etc.

4. Content Guide Landing Page:

Inbound marketing revolves around the creation and distribution of content. If your company actively blogs, you have the opportunity to extend the reach of your blog content by organizing it with its own landing page. While the blog page on your website is useful, it probably only shows your most recent blog content. By creating topic-specific content landing pages, you can curate your blog content and showcase your best quality work to your site’s visitors. Topic-specific content landing pages engage your audience at different stages of their journey. Structuring your content like this optimizes user engagement. Additionally, it bolster’s your brand’s authority and relevance within your industry.

5. Lead Capture Landing Pages

Marketers often refer to lead capture landing pages as “squeeze” pages. The goal of squeeze pages is to capture leads without distractions. Lead capture landing pages don’t contain any exit paths or distractions such as links or navigation tools. This type of landing page should include one thing: a prominent call-to-action (CTA) button that takes visitors to a form where they are encouraged to submit their personal data. In order to coax visitors into filling out the form, you should offer an incentive. Incentives can be eBooks, whitepapers, or webinars. This strategy boosts lead generation and builds trust with potential customers. Additionally, it enhances engagement.

Use these five types of landing pages to increase your lead conversion rate.

Website Redesign: Key Strategies For Revitalizing Your Digital Front Door in 2024

March 20, 2024/in Articles, B2B Marketing, Directors, Inbound Marketing, Website Design, Website Growth Driven Design /by Terry Becker

Website redesign can be a pivotal step in refreshing your brand’s online presence. As you plan your redesign in 2024, keep these best practices and trends in mind to ensure your website is both modern and effective.

1. Learn from Your Current Website

Before starting a website redesign, it’s crucial not to disregard the wealth of insights your current site holds. Analyzing existing user data and feedback serves as a foundational step that uncovers the strengths and weaknesses of your website. This will effectively inform your redesign strategy. Delving into analytics to examine user interactions and behaviors is key. Metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and conversion paths shed light on what aspects of your site engage users and which areas need enhancement. Additionally, reflecting on past design decisions that may have fallen short is essential. Recognizing and learning from these mistakes ensures they are not repeated. This sets the stage for a more informed and successful redesign. This approach not only preserves valuable elements but also transforms insights into actionable strategies for improvement.

2. Understand Your Audience’s Website Needs

Investigate the reasons people visit your site: Understanding why users come to your site is crucial. Are they looking for information, a specific product, or service? Tailoring your redesign to meet these needs can enhance user satisfaction and engagement.
Ensure your redesign meets visitor needs and removes obstacles: Your redesign should focus on streamlining the user experience. Identify any existing barriers to conversion and address them. A user-friendly design encourages longer visits and more interactions.
Use the LIFT model: This model helps refine your website’s value proposition by focusing on clarity, reducing user anxiety, minimizing distractions, and adding urgency where appropriate. Applying these principles can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your redesign.

3. Focus on Customer-Centric Website Design

When designing, it’s important to prioritize the needs and preferences of your target audience over the temptation to solely highlight product features or technological capabilities. An overly product-centric approach can lead to designs that don’t fully resonate with users. To avoid overlooking crucial elements that matter to your audience, actively engage with them through surveys, interviews, and other feedback mechanisms. This direct interaction uncovers what users genuinely value and expect from your site. Incorporating insights gained from these engagements into your redesign ensures that the outcome is not only aesthetically pleasing but also functionally in tune with what your audience seeks. This user-centered approach to design makes for a more effective and satisfying user experience.

4. Integrate Copy and Design from the Start

Avoid a design-first approach: Integrating copywriting and design from the outset ensures coherence between your message and visual elements. This collaboration can lead to a more cohesive and compelling user experience.
Engage copywriters early: Involve content creators early in the redesign process to ensure the textual content aligns with design elements, enhancing the overall narrative and user journey on your site.
Ensure the copy is persuasive and complements the design: The right words can elevate a good design to a great one. Ensure your copy is compelling, clear, and effectively guides users toward desired actions or conversions.

5. Be Cautious with Metrics

When considering metrics, it’s essential to select those that meaningfully signify success. Instead of relying on superficial indicators like bounce rates, it’s beneficial to delve into metrics that truly mirror user engagement and satisfaction. Metrics such as conversion rates, average session duration, and user feedback are more indicative of the overall user experience. They can provide a clearer picture of how well a site meets its users’ needs. Prioritizing these metrics, which closely align with business objectives and user satisfaction, can offer valuable insights into the redesign’s effectiveness and its return on investment. This focused approach ensures that the metrics used are not just numbers but valuable tools in assessing and enhancing the website’s impact and performance.

6. Clean Up SEO and Enhance Accessibility During Your Website Redesign

Use the redesign as an opportunity to improve SEO and website accessibility: A redesign is the perfect time to audit and enhance your site’s SEO and accessibility. This ensures your site is discoverable and usable by a wider audience, including those with disabilities.
Consolidate content and use clear, keyword-rich URLs: Streamlining your content and optimizing URLs can boost your SEO efforts. It makes your site more navigable for users and search engines alike.
Ensure the website is accessible to all users: Compliance with accessibility standards is not only ethical but also expands your audience reach. An accessible site provides a better experience for all users, including those using assistive technologies.

7. Manage Tech Changes Carefully

If you’re thinking about making changes to both the design and underlying technology of your platform, proceed with caution. Undertaking changes in both areas simultaneously can result in user confusion or technical complications, potentially disrupting the user experience. To ensure a seamless transition, it’s important to maintain continuity in user-facing elements so they transition smoothly into the new environment. These user-facing elements include login credentials and personal preferences. To further mitigate risks, you might want to separate the implementation of design updates from changes to the backend or platform technology. This staggered approach allows for the isolation of issues, making them easier to identify and resolve, thereby minimizing the impact on users and enhancing the overall update process.

8. Prioritize User Research

Grounding your redesign in thorough user research rather than merely chasing the latest trends ensures that your website aligns with the real needs and preferences of your target audience. By letting user feedback and research insights steer your redesign efforts, you can tailor your site to meet the specific requirements of your audience. This focus on what truly resonates with your users can lead to a significant boost in engagement and satisfaction, making your site not just aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional and user-centric.

9. Avoid Overhauling Everything at Once

Focus on the redesign without making drastic changes to other aspects of your digital presence: A focused approach allows you to monitor the impact of your redesign more accurately without the noise of other simultaneous changes.
Allow time to establish a new baseline: After implementing your redesign, give it time to settle. Monitor key metrics to establish a new performance baseline, which can then inform further optimization and updates.

Elevating Your Online Presence

As you embark on redesigning your website in 2024, remember the importance of building on past insights, prioritizing your audience’s needs, and integrating content and design harmoniously. By focusing on meaningful metrics and making informed changes, you can elevate your online presence and better serve your visitors.