Times are changing and so is the way your customers and prospects surf your website. Today’s website user does not want to be sold. They want to be informed. So your website needs to provide the information your prospects are looking for to make their purchasing decisions. Your website needs to sell in a way that the reader does not realize they are being sold to. Provide information that is simple to read, quick to understand and fast to find.
Tags: challenger brands, online marketing, SEO, web design
NO COMMENTS
It’s not news that Google is constantly tweaking its ranking algorithm. But, from time to time, the search engine giant does a full-scale overhaul, the latest being the Panda Update.
Newsletters are a very popular marketing tool. They can be incredibly effective if done right. Unfortunately, most company’s efforts end up in the circular file before anyone has read a word. Why? Because they committed too many newsletter no-no’s. If you are the editor-in-chief of your company’s newsletter, be mindful to avoid these very common mistakes.
Online and social media marketing to your customers and prospects has proven to be a very cost-effective and powerful strategy to build brand loyalty and sales. As you know, getting your customers and prospects to follow you on Twitter and Facebook, or to opt-in to your email messages can be extremely challenging for many companies.
In today’s fast-moving world of social media, having a “presence” is simply not good enough anymore. What you need to do is engage your customers and prospects online in such a way that they get a benefit out of spending their online time with you.
A prospective buyer visits your website, spends a minute or two investigating and then drifts away. You want them to revisit your site, but how do you make that happen? The answer is simple: retargeting! Challenger Brands know that retargeting can provide them with a cost-effective competitive advantage. Challenger Brands recognize that retargeting allows them to create the impression that they have a substantial market presence. A recent study demonstrated that 70 percent of marketers have never used retargeting, but 43 percent of those marketers thought that retargeting was the “most underutilized marketing strategy.” Recent technological advances have placed retargeting technology well within the reach of Challenger Brands’ budgets. Earlier this year, Google also began offering retargeting advertising capabilities through its AdWords service. Of course, retargeting is not without controversy and, in some cases, can even backfire if not well executed. But Challenger Brands are not timid. They do not back away from a little controversy. Challenger Brands know how to properly capitalize on resources that provide them with a competitive advantage. Retargeting is one of those resources. Are you a Challenger Brand?
Ordinary companies have bought into the belief that you can’t reach C-level executives through online communications. Challenger Brands know that there is simply no truth to that common misperception, but they welcome the opportunities it provides them. In a recent study by Forbes Insight in cooperation with Google entitled “The Rise of the Digital C-Suite: How Executives Locate and Filter Business Information,” it was discovered that senior-level executives considered the web to be their most valuable resource for gathering business information. The results of the study indicated that the web far outpaced other sources, including personal networks, trade publications, seminars and trade shows. Challenger Brands know that, contrary to common belief, C-level executives are far more involved online than are other members of the management team. And Challenger Brands also know that the younger generation of C-level executives who have grown up in the era of the web are bringing about monumental changes to the manner in which market and product and/or service research is conducted. Challenger Brands know of these things instinctively as well as intellectually. Are you a Challenger Brand?
| Challenger Brands recognize that regardless of what their company offers, there are dozens if not hundreds of forums or message boards that are germane to them, and participation is critical. At the bare minimum, monitoring the exchange of ideas on those outlets is essential for Challenger Brands to ensure that they are not receiving any undue criticism that goes unanswered. More importantly, Challenger Brands have information of value to those forum participants, whether they are active or passive readers. Challenger Brands recognize maintaining credibility as a knowledge source is critical and that selling is taboo. Adding value is the name of the game for Challenger Brands. They realize that when you have properly positioned your company as an authoritative source, participants will want your advice. Challenger Brands realize that participants will know the name of the company they represent, so before that advice crosses over into what would be deemed blatant selling, Challenger Brands take those conversations offline and engage in a direct email communication. And Challenger Brands are not afraid to state to the forum that that is what they are doing. It goes a long way toward maintaining credibility as a reliable source of unbiased information. Challenger Brands know that active participation pays enormous dividends when they are regarded as rightful members of the online community. Are you a Challenger Brand? |
Video can be a very powerful way to communicate with your audience. Just imagine the success you would have if you could have face-to-face conversations with every prospect interested in your company, twenty-four hours a day. Obviously, this is not possible, so video messaging can offer the next best option for effectively connecting with your audience.
A recent study conducted by the Poynter Institute set out to take a scientific look at how most people go about reading news content, and to learn if there was a significant difference in the way they read content online versus in a printed format.