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Introduction
This week in the Entrepreneurs Newsletter
As business owners and entrepreneurs we're always working on some aspect of our business.
This week you'll find articles that cover brand development and finding the strategies for building your brand. Whether it's through paid advertising and SEO or lead generating options.
Whether you're DIY'ing it as an SMB or an agency with a client that you're trying to convey best practices to. Having examples that you can reference and share can make a difference.
Thinking through adjustments that you can make for the betterment of your brand is an ongoing process. Consumers and brands evolve over time. Each getting more educated on topics. Raising the expectation levels for what can be accomplished.
As always... Operate with strategy and purpose to get the results that you need for your business.
For those that like to skim for relevant articles of interest. Here is a list of what you can expect to see.
- Intent-Based SEO & PPC: 5 Ways to Build Incremental Benefit
- Instagram is Removing Swipe-Up Links for Stories, Replacing the Function with Link Stickers
- Brand Voice Study: Should Your Content Be Authoritative or Agreeable?
- Is your brand facing an identity crisis?
- 6 Steps to Reduce Your Bounce Rate [+ Platform-Specific Tips]
- 18 Compelling Above the Fold Content Examples to Inspire Your Own
- 18 Impressive Product Demo Videos You'll Want to Copy
- 9 Examples of Ebooks that Convert Like Crazy
- Truth or Dare: How to Use Statistics in Your Content
- Google confirms it changed how it creates titles for search result listings
- 10 Top SEO Scams & Cons (Plus How to Avoid Them)
If you have questions or struggles that you'd like to see covered. Simply reply to the email and submit. I'll do my best to address them.
Advertising Tips
Intent-Based SEO & PPC: 5 Ways to Build Incremental Benefit
Learn how to maximize revenue by combining SEO and PPC to build intent-based content marketing strategies. Intent-based marketing takes into account the motivations and driving needs of the consumer, so you can be the best answer at that moment.
Why I care: Closing out the year strong and gathering learnings is where you can make leaps and bounds as a business. Q4 is seen as the buying season for a lot of industries.
Where a lot of businesses miss the mark is going into it blind and hoping for the best. Instead of making the most of the season with a marketing mix that maximizes the opportunity. This is the season for strategy...
Instagram is Removing Swipe-Up Links for Stories, Replacing the Function with Link Stickers | Social Media Today
As part of its ongoing effort to improve Stories interaction, Instagram is making a change to the way that external links are shared within Stories frames, with the current 'Swipe up' links to be removed from the process entirely, and replaced by its new 'Link' sticker option instead.
Why I care: The investment to switch over to visual links instead of swipe up. Can increase click-through rates and engagement.
A visual link that a viewer can click on that is positioned by the content provider is a much better user experience. It also leaves room for more creativity in how it's used to drive clicks to assorted landing pages and next steps.
Brand Building Strategies
Brand Voice Study: Should Your Content Be Authoritative or Agreeable?
Ask a marketer to describe the ideal brand voice, and you’re bound to hear one word: conversational. Judging by our research, that’s causing a problem.
For the record, using clear, colloquial language in your work is good. It makes content accessible and helps audiences understand what you’re trying to convey. But marketers may be conflating conversational and agreeable, which is leading to blander stories that lack in-depth advice. This is especially crucial in financial services where people make life-changing decisions with their money.
Why I care: When a consumer finds themselves with an issue. They're looking for an authoritative resource that can answer their questions. Agreeable is not a necessity it is a nicety. As much as a consumer wants someone friendly. They prefer someone that can create trust and deliver the results needed.
The more closely you work with consumers. The more you understand there's a segment that simply doesn't know what they don't know. What they're paying for is expertise. Which is where authoritative content can benefit the consumer.
Speaking to the issue, the solution, and the results that they can provide with a level of certainty. That is where consumers can and pay for the value of having fewer worries and more confidence in getting what they paid for.
Is your brand facing an identity crisis?
People want to go where somebody knows their name. Identity makes it happen for brands, and getting it right drives personalization and trust.
People shop in stores and on websites that recognize them and welcome them back. They like offers that match their interests and are delighted by great experiences. Sometimes they want to be fully known, at other times, they want their privacy maintained. To make this happen brands must constantly keep track of the known and pseudonymous information about people. This process requires identity. It should be the core of your madtech stack.
Why I care: The customer experience is going to dictate repeat business as well as loss of business. Which side you land on depends on how well you know your customers.
Personalization to accommodate the customer's shopping habits and method is a powerful strategy. One that tells them you didn't just hear them but you were listening. Listening well enough to make changes based on their preferences. That is a win in the user experience column.
Helpful Tips
6 Steps to Reduce Your Bounce Rate [+ Platform-Specific Tips]
Are website visitors quick to leave your site? Learn how to decrease your bounce rate on your website, blog, Shopify store, and even email.
How sticky is your website? If visitors bounce, it suggests they either didn't find what they were looking for, or the page wasn't user-friendly. A high bounce rate also means visitors aren’t looking for more content on your site, clicking on your calls-to-action, or converting into contacts.
Why I care: You've made the investment in your website. Now the work begins. That sounds ominous but this is where you can gain or lose ground with your business.
This is an opportunity to gain a better understanding of your target audience and fine-tune their user experience. A high bounce is a great indicator of whether or not you should be using specific landing pages for marketing campaigns.
18 Compelling Above the Fold Content Examples to Inspire Your Own
The content above the fold directly impacts user engagement on your website. Discover above-the-fold content examples and learn how to improve yours.
The human attention span is short. This means that your website’s content has to inspire, delight, and engage your target audience in mere seconds.
Maybe your content is performing well on social media. It's resonating with audiences and earning engagement. But it's possible that when you look at website metrics, there's a different story being told.
Why I care: Understanding the importance of not only the website layout but content layout matters. When you check your analytics what story does it tell?
What is the time on site? Page sessions are something to keep an eye on. You'll be able to gauge what is resonating and what isn't. If you notice the time on pages is low. It may be time to re-evaluate the content structure. You could benefit from A/B testing.
Products & Services
18 Impressive Product Demo Videos You'll Want to Copy
Get inspired by these incredible product demo videos and find out how to create your own demo videos from concept to promotion.
Why I care: Product demos are a key motivator in purchases. Ease of use and a look behind the wrapping of the product help build trust in the purchase.
Understanding how to craft a proper demo video can save the marketing budget. Allowing a marketer to keep the work in-house. But also get a clear understanding of what goes into it and the costs attached. Useful information whether you're keeping in-house or outsourcing. It's always better to understand the process so that you can gauge reasonable pricing quotes.
Marketing Strategies
9 Examples of Ebooks that Convert Like Crazy
Is your inbox full of ebooks and other downloads you swore you needed but never read?
The truth is, lots of brands know the value of using ebooks and other lead magnets to generate leads, but not as many do it well.
We’ve curated 9 awesome ebook examples that demonstrate how brands can not only offer downloadable content but make it convert like crazy. Let’s check them out . . .
Why I care: eBooks serve as a useful ongoing lead generation tool. This gated content is a conversation starter. An opportunity for you and the reader to learn more about whether or not you'd be a great fit for helping them with issues and concerns.
Truth or Dare: How to Use Statistics in Your Content
Statistics in content marketing? Isn’t the whole goal of content to not be boring?
That’s true, but what if we told you that statistics actually have the power to make your content more engaging and compelling? When you use them the right way, statistics can help you tell an even better story than you could with words alone.
Why I care: Backing up your content with statistics adds credibility. Providing something gives your strategies, takes, and insights more weight matters.
Where people don't always remember and digest every word you're saying. The numbers help make sure your content resonates with your audience. By providing statistics that paint a clearer picture.
Search Engine Optimization/SEO
Google confirms it changed how it creates titles for search result listings
Google no longer uses the query to generate these titles but still uses HTML title tags 80% of the time.
What changed. Previously, Google often used the query the searcher entered into the search box when formulating the title of the search result snippets. But now, Google said, “generally” it “will no longer” use the query when making these titles. Instead, Google has a new system to generate these titles that the company claims “describe[s] what they care about, regardless of the particular query.”
Why I care: This change is something to keep on your radar and monitor for changes in your engagement. There are businesses that have seen a change in their click-through rate (CTR).
While the goal is to generate more readable and accessible titles for pages. The changes can affect the way that you're constructing written content based on the tweaks added.
10 Top SEO Scams & Cons (Plus How to Avoid Them)
SEO scams are as old as search engine optimization itself. Learn the top scams, how to spot them, and what you need to know to steer clear.
If you own a website, you have undoubtedly encountered one or more of the many SEO scams this article will review.
And if you own a digital agency of any sort, you will no doubt remember these greatest hits from when your client forwarded them to you, asking why they were paying you so much.
Without further ado, here are the top SEO scams and how to recognize them a mile away.
Why I care: I consider this a useful share for both individual businesses and digital agencies. Despite being an agency listing SEO as a service. I still get daily emails with businesses pitching things that I know better than to invest in pursuing.
When you know what to look out for you can quickly gauge who's wasting your time. The tricks and tips aren't just something to use as a partnership guide.
It's also something to make sure that agencies owners can share with prospects and clients. An opportunity to show what differentiates you from the ner-do-wells who pop up in their inbox looking to poach your client.
Consultation
Do you have any question or need help?
You're not in it alone. If you have follow-up questions or feel like you need help. Shoot your shot. You can book a free consultation by heading over to my profile.