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Website Marketing
March 19, 2019

Staying on Top of Google’s Algorithm

Keeping up with Google’s frequent changes to its search algorithm is challenging, but critical for your online presence. Nobody knows the exact weight Google applies to each factor it considers, but it is known that Google takes into account the quality of the website, the freshness of content, keywords used on the site, and hundreds of other factors.

How to stay on top with google

Google explains on its website that “these ranking systems are made up of a series of algorithms that analyze what it is you are looking for and what information to return to you. And as we’ve evolved search to make it more useful, we’ve refined our algorithms to assess your searches and the results in finer detail to make our services work better for you.” But these refinements can certainly pose a conundrum for marketers. Here are some useful tips for tackling Google!

Use Algorithm Tracking Tools

There are many online tools available that will alert you to changes in the algorithm. Sign up for an email alert and be sure to adjust your SEO in a timely manner whenever an important alert comes through. There are also volatility indexes that can show the impact of whatever changes were made by Google. The higher the index, the more important it may be to look into the algorithm updates.

Monitor Google Itself

Why its important to use Google webmaster tools

The Google Webmaster blog is a good place to start monitoring to stay in the know. Major updates are sometimes posted to the site, which is located at http://webmasters.googleblog.com Although this is a reliable source of major changes, Google often rolls through changes to their algorithm with no notice.

Google Changes to Have on Your Radar

In early February this year, Google rolled out a major update the SEO industry jokingly named “FRED.” The updated targeted link quality and is also believed to have made changes regarding content quality. Another change to look out for soon is mobile indexing. Mobile readiness should be a high priority for all companies. If your site is not mobile ready, the time to update is now. Ignoring the changes to come could negatively impact your business.

Hire an Expert

Keeping up to date on SEO is a full-time project, so if you are unable to dedicate someone full time to the process, outsource to someone who can. Hiring an SEO agency can help you focus on your core business competencies. At Blackstone Agency we are dedicated to your SEO success and always stay up to date on the latest SEO trends. Contact us at bmgcreative.net for more information on how we can improve your online presence.

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Uncategorized
March 19, 2019

Social Media for Business to Business Marketing

Since studies show that 69% of business to business buyers are using social networks for business development and networking, social media for business cannot be ignored. B2B businesses need to ensure they are involved in social networks and communities where customers are already engaging. With social media marketing, it is possible to share knowledge, engage prospects, build brand recognition and loyalty and increase sales. If you’re new to social media, here are a few helpful tips to remember as you begin using social media for business to business marketing.

The Value of a Facebook “Like”

How to make Facebook marketing work for your business

Facebook, currently the largest social media site, brings in millions of people each day. Since Facebook currently dominates in social media, using Facebook as a party of your social media marketing campaign is essential. With a quality Facebook page, you can create conversations with business buyers via status updates, images, videos and more.

The value of a facebook like

One of the ways businesses can engage with other businesses is to create content that encourages a “like.” Studies show that Facebook “likes” vary in value, but for many companies, a “like” results in higher profits. One study done on Best Buy showed that someone liking the brand not only spend more than $200 more money each year than people who didn’t like the brand, but those individuals were more likely to recommend the brand to other people as well.

Twitter – How and When to Use It

How to make twitter work for your business

Business today use Twitter for many reasons, including for customer service, brand recognition, and marketing. Business users on Twitter want new information, products, ideas, and opportunities. Twitter is all about interacting with other people or businesses, making it a valuable tool for B2B businesses.

For the best Twitter results, start following people that are involved in your field, connect with relevant users and use the people you follow and those following you to give your business credibility. Make sure you offer more than information on products, discounts, and sales. Include engaging tweets, such as pictures and videos, and retweet positive tweets from happy customers.

Don’t Forget YouTube

how to make youtube work for your brand

When companies engage in social media for business to business marketing, they often forget about YouTube – a big mistake! YouTube happens to be the 2nd largest search engine and the main social media site for video content. Video content is a powerful marketing tool and statistics show that a huge percentage of internet users watch videos online. YouTube has millions of users that visit regularly, so if you don’t use YouTube, you’re missing out on a lot of marketing potential. Create helpful, how-to style videos and add them to the appropriate categories on YouTube. You can even set up a brand channel for your company.

Using LinkedIn for Marketing

Linkedin Marketing and how to make it work for your business

Since LinkedIn is a social media site for professionals, it’s an excellent channel to use for social media marketing. LinkedIn offers LinkedIn Groups, an excellent venue that allows you to create dialog with other businesses involved in similar industries. Current business clients have the ability to provide your business with recommendations on your company profile, which increases credibility for your business. LinkedIn also has a “Questions” area, which businesses can browse, offering answers to gain the trust of other users.

Google+ Continues to Grow

Google+ continues to grow, setting itself up as a competitor to Facebook. It offers similar features to Facebook but offers some unique features as well. Not only can you upload links, photos, videos and more, but you can use the Google Hangout Feature to host how-to or informational sessions. Since you can create Google+ circles, it is possible to create unique circles where you can share special offers and discounts.

Social media for business to business marketing offers a unique way for businesses to build their brand and engage with their business customers. Keep these important tips in mind to maximize the benefits social media has to offer.

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Uncategorized
March 19, 2019

The Rules of Content Marketing Success Have Changed – Are You Ready?

Content is king. How many times have you heard or read this phrase and cringed? Although it’s a hugely overused cliché, that doesn’t change the fact that it is true. Online marketing has become increasingly competitive in recent years, and maintaining a simple blog with a splash of social media is no longer enough. Larger companies dedicate whole teams to online content marketing, so is it realistic to expect that you can achieve worthwhile results with the little time that you have on top of running your business?

Obviously, the answer is no. To make it with today’s digital marketers and still remain competitive, you need a structured approach with some qualified support. At this point you may be thinking, perhaps it would be OK if I don’t focus on a content marketing strategy and let my brand develop organically. Do not get caught up in this line of thinking. No matter how good your products or services are, if you can’t compete online, you’re throwing away a huge potential market, and this will hurt your business.

Increasing numbers of people are turning to online search to find local businesses. With the high penetration rate of smartphones, it is now possible for consumers to research your brand and your competitors from anywhere they have an internet connection, at any time. If you aren’t content marketing, then you’re essentially out of the game. What’s the solution? A dedicated marketing team that can achieve results. The good news for you is that this team doesn’t even have to come from within your own business, and outsourcing to a content marketing agency could even prove to be more cost-effective, with better results.

Effective Management Keeps a Project on Track

Effective Management Keeps a Project on Track

The four key elements of an effective content marketing strategy are effective management, outstanding content, compelling visuals, and relevant data. Management is key because no matter how well each process is performed, without the right vision, the end goal may not be achieved. Effective leaders are able to create a roadmap for any strategy. They can identify opportunities for promotions, key dates to release content and what that content needs to communicate. With effective oversight, they can also ensure that the content and graphic design elements of the marketing strategy are in line with what is needed to compete in the market. To understand what is needed, leaders take data from their analysts. Data shows how the content is performing and identify areas for improvement.

Superior Content Drives Engagement and Solidifies Brand Reputation

We come back to content is king. Without effective content, you don’t have a marketing strategy. Content can include concise marketing copy, authority-building blog posts, relevant social media, informative video scripts and direct engagement with an audience through forums and other platforms. You need strong writers, and they need to be able to communicate your brand and your message in a way that is engaging, informative and persuasive. The best writers will understand your brand, and they will understand the bigger picture, such as where your company is going and the goals you have.

Graphic Design Ensures Content is Front and Center

Content marketing needs to have substance, but it must also be visually compelling. This is especially true when you consider that many of your efforts will be on platforms where users have limited time for interactivity and relatively short exposure times. Powerful graphics, strong company logo branding, and well-designed layouts will make sure your content is seen. Modern graphic artists will understand that text is as visual as any image. The way content is presented will determine whether your audience chooses to read it or not. The right artists will understand the subtleties of a good layout for any platform, whether it’s your blog, your product pages or your social media posts.

Analysis Tells You What You’re Doing Right And Where You Need to Improve

Analysis Tells You What You’re Doing Right And Where You Need to Improve

Numbers are critical. How many people are reading your content? How engaged is your social media audience? Did your last campaign attract the right people, and was your investment in marketing rewarded with quantifiable leads and conversions? Without this data, you will run a blind strategy with success or failure determined by sheer luck.

Does a Content Marketing Agency Make More Sense?

Knowing all of this, it’s clear that your marketing strategy requires leadership and highly talented professionals. Most small to medium-sized businesses don’t have the expertise to build a marketing team from scratch or even the resources to manage the process from end to end. A content marketing agency can provide all of the areas of expertise that define an effective marketing team, with the added benefit that you reduce your own overhead and the time investment that is required for marketing.
A content marketing agency will give you access to the best writers and graphic designers, along with analytics that provides you with real campaign and growth track.

More than 61 percent of consumers search online to find information about products and brands. Are you ready for them, and more importantly, do you have the content strategy to ensure that they will find you?
At Blackstone Agency we have a deep understanding of content with more than 20 years of content marketing and management experience. We know what it takes to succeed in modern content marketing. We were producing content and developing strategies even before e-commerce and internet marketing were part of the mainstream. In short, we know exactly what it takes to get your brand noticed while building a responsive audience. With a talented team of full-time marketers, we can ensure that your content marketing strategy translates to sales success and real business growth.

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Marketing
March 19, 2019

Timing is Everything

As a small company, you might think advertising is going to cost a vast amount of money. The truth is that today, the best and most cost effective advertising in the world is social media marketing. Whether you’re paying a marketing company to do formal social media or you’re doing it yourself, over time there are a few things that you should know about social media. What you write and when you release it to make a big difference.

Most people visit and view social media during lunch time and at or just after dinner time. You’ll get more views if you pay attention to when most people comment on your social media and time your releases to those time slots. You’ll have more people viewing it when it is fresh, and that may direct more traffic to your home page or products page.

The same goes for email marketing and direct mail. Days of the weeks, weeks of the month all play a strategic part in the most effective time to send a campaign. Of course there are general statistics and best practices but the real optimal time is discovered by really digging into your analytics and what your followers trends are. There may be a lot of missed opportunities and more so sales you are missing because they are missing you.

Start off your new year right and look really dig into the last 12 months of marketing data to know where you should be focusing on. If you need help analyzing your data and when is the best time to do what let us know. We are here to serve.

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Business Development
March 19, 2019

Videos Boost Brand Awareness

Video content can help take your website to the next level. With either online video advertising or through the use of YouTube, you can generate more traffic and boost your search engine rankings. It is estimated that in the United States alone 1.2 billion online videos are watched each day, yet only 24% of all national brands use online videos as a marketing tool.

Videos boost brand awareness. When they are combined with elements that create a viral video, they can draw in interested consumers and multiply your efforts. The videos don’t have to be very long. They can be as simple as a short Vine or several minutes long if you prefer. Just make sure the content is interesting and inspires people to click and share.

Look at our clients IN3 Aviation, they incorporated video into their website as the main feature: in3aviation.com

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Website Design
March 19, 2019

Website Design for New Businesses: Never Look Small

New businesses are creating an online presence for their company on a daily basis, collectively launching thousands of new business websites. These businesses are all vying for online attention, each using various marketing tools to draw traffic to their sites. According to an October 2014 web survey hosted by Netcraft, there were over 1 billion websites online, with new sites constantly being added daily. With so many businesses promoting and marketing their websites, it’s imperative for any new business to stand out from its competition. Before addressing the digital marketing needs of the company with issues such as fresh SEO content and fast page loads, the website first needs to fulfill its initial job of clearly communicating what the business is and how it is relevant or provides value to its target audience.

Create a Functional Design

The foundation for any thriving online business begins with a thorough, comprehensive website design. Of course, the site should be appealing and attract visitors, but it should also be functional and easy to navigate. And because all businesses grow and develop at different speeds, a business’ website needs the flexibility to do the same so as not to lose traffic or customers over time. This is why quality website design and setup should be a priority for any new business.

Research studies report that over 94 percent of online users cite poor website design as the main reason they distrust certain brands. The goal of any new business is to gain traffic and convert potential customers; therefore, it is imperative that the site is strategically developed, highly functional and customized to the intricacies of the individual business’ consumer needs.

Avoid Templates

Businesses that are just starting out often go the route of using website template designs in an attempt to offset startup expenses and accelerate the site’s launch. While this may seemingly work at the outset, this route could easily interrupt web sales, damage brand reputation and possibly increase the business’ future web design costs.

Website templates are generally cookie cutter programs designed as “one size fits all” and offer very little (if any) customization built into their programs. Website design is an integral part of a business and is not an area where using template themes or designs and generic plugins are advised. These non-customized tools are built for the masses and are more susceptible to viruses and targeted hacks that can harm network systems and interrupt business operations.
Existing templates, widgets, and plugins can also become more costly and cumbersome to work with because of the need to constantly keep them updated and current as continuing developments take place. Also, if your site uses plugins or widgets that become discontinued, your new business website can suffer from unpredictable downtime, links or pages that become inoperable, not to mention traffic loss to the site as a result.

Customize for Growth

Businesses should build their web presence based on their desired status rather than their current state. This means customizing the site, its pages and content using the business plan and projected growth figures as a guide. It should also allow you, the website owner, the ability to make minimal changes as required while your business grows and develops over time. To achieve these fine points, it’s important to define a strategic blueprint for your business’ web design and online strategy, employing customizable and scalable solutions in lieu of website templates and one-size-fits-all programs.

In conclusion, a custom built website for your new business is the most cost-effective solution, saving both time and money in the long run. Custom web design will enable the site to easily scale as the new business grows and expands its product and service offering. Creating a unique brand presence online over a template used by thousands, assists with differentiating your brand from competitors and gives your new business the appearance of big brand appeal and credibility.

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Digital Marketing
March 19, 2019

What are Micro-moments and How do They Impact Digital Marketing?

The reality of digital advertising today is that you have just a few seconds to capture a consumer’s attention. People are increasingly attached to their phones, checking them constantly and going online in short bursts. Google’s Content Marketing team, Think with Google, decided on a term to describe this phenomenon. In 2015 they defined these as “Micro-moments.” A micro-moment describes those precise moments of intent when a consumer gets on their smartphone to make a decision. Today, with the proliferation of mobile use, these micro-moments have become more and more critical to marketers. Mobile media use is up more than 1 hour from 2013, seeing steady increases every year1.

What does this shift towards Micro-moments mean for Marketers?

This means as a marketer, you have just seconds to deliver a clear, concise message. If your message is too elaborate, consumers are on to the next big thing.

The Urgency of Mobile

Google’s VP, Lisa Gevelber, said that “In many ways, the micro-moments conversation has provided a reset and a roadmap for companies who sought a simple mental model for how to approach the otherwise daunting force that is mobile. It helped marketers think about which moments mattered most, and it created urgency.” Below are some key insights from Google’s recommendations regarding mico-moments for advertisers. 2

How to Capitalize

  1. Speed up Your Site – Make sure your website loads fast, or you’ll lose customers. Today’s consumer doesn’t want to sit around waiting for a site to load and doesn’t need to. If your page loads faster than 2.9 seconds, it is loading faster than most sites, and many sources believe an ideal load time to be less than 1.5 seconds. 3
  2. Keep Things Short – Reading long-form content can be daunting on a mobile browser. Break things up with bulleted lists and keep it easy to read.
  3. Eliminate Steps – Put calls-to-actions in a prominent location and not behind a maze of a menu. Your prospective customer shouldn’t have to spend a great deal of time trying to find where to make a purchase, or act.
  4. Ascertain Your Customers “Key Moments” – Google’s team categorizes these moments as times when a customer wants to learn, buy, go and do. These are moments in time when a customer is researching products, ready to buy, searching for local businesses, or learning how to do something. What are these moments to your customer?

The Stats Back it Up

Why focus on Google? Recent research shows that 96% of mobile searches begin on Google! 4 Furthermore, consumers spend 5 hours a day on their mobile devices! 5

Final Thoughts

Adapting to behavioral changes due to mobile is a must in today’s digital landscape. Be useful to your customer when they most need it! In a world of “I need it now,” timing matters.

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Advertising
March 19, 2019

Why Small Businesses Need Local Advertising

Many small businesses or single party sellers believe that a website is an expense that they don’t need and that advertising or SEO is a service which won’t assist them in increasing their sales.

Local vs Global-Can SEO Really Help?

One of the most common myths about the small or mid-sized business is that because they are only doing business in a small local area, that online advertising is not necessary or desirable. The small business owner is often taken in by this myth and doesn’t promote the website or use local SEO or SEM to locally market their business. This is detrimental to the business owner in that they are not well branded and it is detrimental to their bottom line as well. In this climate, who can afford to give away sales?

How People Find New Vendors

Whether you are local or global, people are looking for you. Most of those people, statistically are looking for you online. Consider how you and your family may search. If you’re looking for a new product or service, chances are that you’re using local search online to find that product.

Even something as small as a pizza restaurant is being searched in local areas more than a thousand times a day. Many searches take place while people are on the road actively ready to spend money on a local business.

Making sure that you’re online and able to be found means making sure that part of that business comes to you and your company.

Why Advertise Online?

Local people have the idea that the internet is global in nature and local businesses are overlooked. In fact, if you are using the right text and the right keywords local advertising will increase their business in a big way. Very often searches take the form of –for example–“Omaha fast food.” Your competition is–by and large–online and working to attain that local traffic and to edge out their competition.

Statistics from the marketing industry, specifically from Marketing Land tell us that:

  • The retail industry will spend more than 9 billion dollars on digital advertising this year.
  • Most of that advertising and targeting will take place online.
  • More than 60% of people look for a business online, even if that business is locally owned and operated.
  • If you’re not online, you are leaving nearly sixty percent of the new business on the table.
  • Local SEO is necessary in order to compete with the other businesses in your area.
  • Local business marketing brings in more than 25 billion dollars in new businesses per year

How much of that business can you afford to pass up before your business is overshadowed by those who are using online and digital advertising?

Advertising Methods

Local SEO and local business marketing using your own website, social media venues such as Facebook, Twitter, Wooxie.com and Pinterest are going to help to improve your visibility and to brand your business.

More than one method of advertising is necessary for your business growth. This is true even if you own and operate a very small business. Your competition is marketing to the local area. The trend is to advertise locally and that is a trend that can be expected to continue and to grow. The internet, social media marketing and online marketing is the wave of the present and certainly of the future. Those of us who are in business today either ride the wave or sink.

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Digital Marketing
March 19, 2019

Write Engaging Content

Write Engaging Content

Content is king. Your marketing needs to include a fair portion of the content, but the content isn’t for the search engines; it’s for your customers. The average customer knows when content is written for keyword use by search engines. You need to use those keywords but don’t let them drive your content.

The content that appears on your site needs to add real value and bring in not only the search engines but also your customers. Give them something new, something interesting and something they don’t know. Articles can draw in the search engines while also engaging your customers. Make sure they begin in an interesting way and don’t leave your customers hanging.

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Branding, Business Development
March 7, 2019

Creating Your Corporate Identity

Businesses should be very careful when setting up a new business image or redesigning an existing one because they realize they’re creating an overall experience. That’s what happens when a business decides to form a corporate image or identity. The choice of everything including images, colors, words, patterns and more all become a part of that experience and one that they use to translate their business intentions to customers.

Creating a corporate identity focuses on several key areas the business uses to express the brand’s image. It is largely a multi-sensory experience that’s generally not affected by the business’ financial performance and can include areas like:

4 Key Areas To Express Company Brand Image:

  1. General branding: names, logos, mottos, slogans, images, colors.
  2. Physical communication methods: business cards, websites, corporate letters, brochures, logos.
  3. Marketing style: via website, blogs, advertising, forums.
  4. Physical branding: locations, uniforms, buildings, furniture, decor.

Taking all of these areas into account, it is possible to have a brand that accomplishes the business’ objectives. Everything the company portrays outwardly should work together in cohesion and match the company’s message. For instance, if the business is something trendy and upscale, the uniforms should reflect that as well and be something that appeals to that market. This would include things that are fashionably stylish and nothing “dated.” Also, the office furniture, the website and any marketing or advertising should reflect cutting edge, trendy colors, designs and logos that would appeal to that market. Yes, the task of building a corporate identity should be carefully considered in all areas because it will be the first and lasting impression that the company makes with the customer.

What to consider when creating a corporate identity

What’s the best determining method to brand a business and establish a solid corporate identity? Should the business go with methods that have already been tried and proven? Or, should it be completely creative and take a design or communication risk? Determining the best method to convey a brand depends on the message and the style that’s desired as an end result.

A business entity should focus on several key areas in order to build a professional, all-encompassing, firm corporate identity and can include:

Creating a positive reputation in that respective industry.
The consumer market is generally curious as to how/where corporations stand on certain issues, and portraying that early on sets the tone for how they’re viewed by others.

Establishing credibility.
This is in direct line with the reputation but also includes being coherent with the brand’s message and marketing communications. Everything that the brand does, says, conveys and portrays establishes its credibility.

Becoming and staying relevant to the industry’s demands.
Launch processes that will survey the target market, ask questions and get a feel for what’s needed. When businesses are connected to their industry, they are better equipped to answer those demands because they know what the industry wants and desires.

Marketplace differentiation.
Corporations need to ensure that what they’re doing and saying is different or at least unique from others like them in the same industry. Will the difference be a business move or one in politics? Can the corporation establish a unique branding identity by offering something that their competitors are not?

Business identity is more than just a logo or a picture. It’s an overall synopsis of how that corporate structure is viewed, what it represents with its products and services and ultimately how customers and clients interact with them.

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