In today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s easy to get swept up in the latest trends and shiny new marketing tactics. But are traditional marketing tactics becoming obsolete? Do old-school marketing fundamentals still have a place in today’s digital landscape?
To find out, tune in to the latest episode of For The Creatives Podcast, where host Elisha Taderera interviews marketing expert David Lee-Schneider. As the founder of Done Digital, a digital marketing agency based in Brisbane, David is a seasoned professional who understands the ins and outs of marketing in today’s digital age.
In this episode, David shares his insights on the importance of building a strong foundation for your marketing, the difference between branding and marketing, and the struggles that creators, businesses, and entrepreneurs face in today’s digital world. Whether you’re a seasoned marketing professional or just starting out in the world of marketing, David provides valuable insights and practical tips that you can use to improve your marketing strategy.
So, what are you waiting for? Tune in to For The Creatives Podcast today to hear David Lee-Schneider’s thoughts on the future of marketing and how you can build a successful marketing strategy that stands the test of time.
https://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/for-the-creatives-podcast-elisha-taderera-david-leeschneider-marketing.jpg10671600David Lee-Schneiderhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngDavid Lee-Schneider2023-04-16 14:22:132023-04-16 15:11:40Beyond Vanity Metrics: David Lee-Schneider and Elisha Taderera Talk Marketing on The ‘For The Creatives’ Podcast
So, what exactly is Brand Identity Development and why is it so crucial for business growth? Well, in simple terms, brand identity is the way your business presents itself to the world. It’s your company’s personality, values, and visual elements that make it unique and recognisable. And developing a strong and consistent brand identity is essential to standing out in a crowded market and building a loyal customer base.
But it’s not just about having a cool logo or catchy slogan. Strong brand identity encompasses everything from your brand’s mission and values to the way you communicate with customers and the experiences they have when interacting with your business. It’s about creating a cohesive and memorable brand experience that connects with people on an emotional level and fosters trust and loyalty.
Here are a few reasons why brand identity development is so important for business growth:
Differentiation
In a sea of competitors, having a distinct and recognisable brand identity sets you apart from the crowd. It helps customers identify your business and choose it over others because they feel a connection to your brand’s values and personality. But how do you go about developing a strong brand identity?
It starts with understanding your business’s unique value proposition and what sets you apart from competitors. Strong brand identity also involves consistent messaging and visual branding across all platforms, from your website and social media channels to your physical location and product packaging. By creating a cohesive brand experience for customers, you’re reinforcing their connection to your brand and increasing the likelihood of repeat business.
Credibility
A strong brand identity instils trust in customers. It shows that you’re serious about your business and have put in the effort to create a professional and polished image.
Of course, a strong brand identity alone won’t guarantee customer trust – you also need to deliver on your promises and provide excellent customer service. But having a strong brand identity can help set the foundation for building trust and establishing a positive reputation in your industry. By investing in your brand identity, you’re investing in the future success of your business.
Consistency
Creating a strong brand identity is not a task that can be achieved overnight. It requires careful planning, strategising, and execution to ensure that your brand is well-received by your target audience. One of the most important aspects of building a successful brand identity is consistency. Consistency in your messaging, imagery, and tone across all channels is crucial for establishing a recognisable and trustworthy brand.|
When your customers see your brand consistently represented in the same way across all touchpoints, whether it be on your website, social media, or print materials, they begin to develop a sense of familiarity and reliability. This builds trust and encourages repeat business, as customers come to know and expect a certain level of quality from your brand.
Long-Term Growth
Building a strong brand identity is not just a one-time investment but a long-term strategy that can help drive business growth and success. By investing in your brand early on, you’re creating a solid foundation that can support your business in the long run.
A strong brand identity helps you to establish your unique value proposition and differentiate yourself from your competitors. This allows you to connect with your target audience on a deeper level, building a sense of trust and loyalty. As your business evolves and grows, your brand can evolve with it, adapting to changes in the market and keeping up with new trends.
Brand Loyalty
The emotional connection that a strong brand identity development creates with customers is a powerful tool that can help businesses foster long-term relationships and drive sustainable growth.
Customers who feel like they are part of a brand’s community are more likely to become loyal advocates who champion the brand and its values. A strong brand identity goes beyond just the products or services a business offers; it encompasses the values, personality, and culture of the brand. When a business is able to effectively communicate these elements to its customers, it creates a sense of belonging and shared values that resonates deeply with them.
Expansion opportunities
A well-planned brand identity development not only helps businesses establish a strong presence in their existing markets but also creates a platform for expansion into new markets or product lines. By leveraging the trust and recognition that a strong brand identity provides, businesses can more easily enter new spaces and win over new customers.
Expanding into new markets or product lines can be a daunting prospect for businesses, particularly those that are well-established in their existing space. However, a strong brand identity can help to mitigate some of the risks associated with expansion by providing a foundation of trust and recognition that can be leveraged in new spaces. Moreover, a well-developed brand identity can help businesses expand into new product lines.
Employee engagement
Brand identity development not only attracts and retains customers but also plays a crucial role in attracting and retaining talented employees. A business’s brand identity communicates its values, culture, and purpose, which are factors that are becoming increasingly important to employees in their career choices.
When a business has a clear and compelling brand identity, employees feel a sense of connection to the work they do and are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their roles. Furthermore, a strong brand identity can help businesses stand out in a crowded job market. With so many businesses competing for top talent, having a distinctive brand identity can make a business more attractive to job seekers who are looking for a company that aligns with their values and offers a compelling mission.
With that in mind, brand identity development is a crucial component of business growth. By creating a strong and consistent brand identity that resonates with customers, you can differentiate yourself from the competition, build trust and credibility, and lay the foundation for long-term success. So, don’t underestimate the power of a well-developed brand identity – it could be the key to taking your business to the next level!
If you haven’t already invested in developing your brand identity, now would be the perfect time to get started! At Done Digital, we help businesses elevate their brand and cut through the noise.
https://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hbuwvlcytna.jpg10671600Kryzel Fernandezhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngKryzel Fernandez2023-04-05 16:49:022023-04-05 19:40:57The Role of Brand Identity Development in Business Growth
Creating a Content Marketing Strategy can be a daunting task, but with a little creativity and determination, it can be a lot of fun. One of the biggest challenges our clients face when it comes to marketing is knowing where to start. In this article, we will walk you through the exact process we use at Done Digital to take your business from zero to hero. So, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s get started on creating a content marketing strategy that delivers results!
Define your Target Audience
When it comes to creating a successful content marketing strategy, understanding your audience is key. After all, your content should be tailored to their interests, needs, pain points, and desires if you want to engage and convert more customers. That’s why taking the time to research your audience is a critical first step.
Start by asking your existing customers for feedback on what they like and dislike about your brand. This can help you understand what’s working and what needs improvement. Additionally, using tools like Answer The Public are great to get into your customers’ heads. Browsing social media platforms where your target audience is active can also provide valuable insights into their interests. By understanding your audience, you’ll be able to create content that truly speaks to their needs and wants.
Set Clear Goals
Next up, let’s talk about setting clear goals. Picture this: you’re about to embark on a road trip, but you have no idea where you’re going. How will you know when you’ve arrived? The same goes for content marketing. You need to have a destination in mind, a goal that you’re working towards. Do you want to increase website traffic? Generate leads? Boost brand awareness? We’re guessing it’s probably a combination of those. Having a clear goal in mind will help you shape your content and make sure you’re moving in the right direction. It’s also worth noting that your goals may evolve over time as your business grows and changes. That’s why it’s important to regularly revisit your content marketing strategy and make adjustments as needed. By staying flexible and adaptable, you can ensure that your content marketing efforts continue to drive results for your business.
Create Valuable Content
Now, it’s time to get creative! Think about the type of content your audience would enjoy. Would they prefer informative blog posts, engaging social media content, or helpful how-to videos? Whatever it is, make sure your content is not all about your business but provides value to your audience. Answer their questions and solve their problems to keep them engaged with your brand. In addition to evolving your goals and strategies, it’s also important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in content marketing. This can involve experimenting with new formats or platforms, such as video or social media, and optimising your content for search engines and user experience.
Content Marketing Strategy: Creating valuable and informative content that resonates with your target audience, increases your brand’s visibility and credibility.
Be Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to content marketing. Think of it like a workout routine. You can’t expect to see results if you only exercise once a month, right? The same goes for content marketing. Develop a content calendar and stick to it. Consistently producing high-quality content will help build trust with your audience and keep them coming back for more. Consistency can also help you build momentum over time. As you continue to produce high-quality content and engage with your audience, you’ll start to see increased traffic, engagement, and ultimately, conversions. This can help you establish a virtuous cycle of success, where each piece of content you produce drives more and more results for your business.
Optimise for Search
Optimising your content for search engines is crucial for getting your content in front of the right people. But let’s be real, SEO can be a bit of a snooze fest. So, spice it up a bit! Conduct keyword research, but don’t be afraid to throw in some fun and quirky keywords too. It will make your content stand out and keep your audience engaged. Of course, it’s important to balance creativity with effectiveness. You still want to make sure that your content is optimised for the right keywords and is easily discoverable by search engines. But by injecting a little bit of personality and creativity into your content, you can help set it apart from the competition and keep your audience engaged, which is equally as important as the keywords you choose.
Promote your Content
Creating great content is only half the battle. You need to promote it too! One way to promote your content is by sharing it on social media. Whether you’re posting updates on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, social media provides a powerful platform for promoting your content and engaging with your audience.
But social media isn’t the only channel for content promotion. You can also leverage email newsletters, paid advertising, influencer marketing, and other channels to get your content in front of the right people. Ultimately, effective content promotion is all about finding the right mix of channels, tactics, and engagement strategies that work best for your brand and your audience.
Measure and Adjust
Finally, it’s crucial to track your content marketing efforts and measure their success over time. By monitoring key metrics like website traffic, engagement rates, and lead generation, you can identify what’s working well and what needs improvement in your content marketing strategy.
But let’s be honest, tracking metrics can be a bit dry and boring. So why not spice it up with some friendly competition among colleagues? Setting goals and seeing who can achieve them first can be a fun and effective way to keep everyone on your team motivated and engaged in the content marketing process.
To wrap things up, creating a content marketing strategy can be a bit of work, but it can also be a lot of fun and a worthwhile endeavour. By getting to know your audience, setting clear goals, creating valuable content, being consistent, optimising for search, promoting your content, and measuring your success, you can take your business from zero to hero!
Want to grow your business with a content marketing strategy that delivers results? Book a free strategy call with the team at Done Digital today. We’ll help you understand your business needs and provide personalised recommendations to grow your business faster and more effectively.
https://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/5fnmwej4taa.jpg10681600Kryzel Fernandezhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngKryzel Fernandez2023-04-05 16:17:072023-04-05 19:35:12From Zero to Hero: How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy That Delivers Results
Now you know that you need an email list and have started to build one, the next step is to build the relationship that will make the list profitable. In this article, we list 9 tips to help you get that process started.
1. Unsubscribers Are Good.
The only way that you will not get unsubscribes to your list is to never send them emails. Not everyone will like your personality or writing style. Those that don’t, will never follow your recommendations, so it isn’t a great loss when they unsubscribe.
2. Be Yourself
Let your personality come through to your list. People will buy from you because they trust you. Try to be something you are not and it will come through to your list and you will never develop that trust.
3. Be Informative
Make sure that you are supplying quality information to your list. Even if you are presenting a product for sale make sure that you are also supplying information. Create the problem and your product as a solution but also let your subscribers learn something about the topic even if they aren’t interested in the product.
4. Stay On Topic
If your list is about desserts, that should be the topic of your email. Now, don’t send tips on marketing automation to your dessert list or desserts recipes to your marketing tips list. Yes, there may be a few that have interests in both (I am one and have both types of lists), but the person signed up for a specific topic and you are violating that trust you have worked so hard to create if you don’t keep your promise of what you said you’d send them.
5. Limit Content in Emails
Sending multiple items to your list can be extremely confusing to them and never get you the action you are looking to get. Make sure that you have a clear call to action in every email. Never leave your subscriber wondering what you wanted them to do.
6. Always Have a Reason
This tends to go with number 5. Make sure that there is a reason for the email that you sent. If you have a purpose then people will tend to keep reading. If they have no idea what your reason is for your email then they will quickly stop reading all of your emails. There are some great Email automation tools, like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, that allow you to send the right message at the right time, which makes your emails more relevant to your audience.
7. Track What Works
Tracking is the only way you will know which of your emails works and which don’t. Measuring the right KPIs will allow you to improve your emails to your list. Do remember that the only purpose of your email is to create the click through to a sales page. If it does that it is successful whether you sell a product or not. The sale of the product is dependent on the sales page.
8. Use Contact Information
You are building a relationship and that is based on trust. Let people know who you are and how to reach you.
9. Be Responsive
If you receive an email from a subscriber, answer it. That goes a long way to building the trust that is necessary to create a customer. People buy from those that they trust.
These tips will go a long way towards helping you to build the relationships that are necessary to build a profitable list.
https://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/email-marketing-digital-agency-brisbane-flysocial.jpg10671600David Lee-Schneiderhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngDavid Lee-Schneider2021-11-12 00:55:042022-06-01 13:33:349 Tips For Building A Strong Relationship With Your Email Marketing List
The answer, however, isn’t always so obvious. Most business owners I speak to have a very different idea of what marketing really is. For some, it’s simply advertising (in print or online). For others, it’s Social Media, PR or even just ‘word of mouth’.
Everyone’s got a different idea of what marketing means and how to best market their business. Here’s how I put it.
“Marketing is everything you do to GAIN and RETAIN customers.”
So, when I think of marketing, I think of it as a lot more than just running ads or posting on your Facebook page. If you’ve watched some of my videos or visited my marketing blog before, you would have probably already heard me talk about the 3 pillars of business success.
1. Attract 2. Convert 3. Deliver
In this blog post, I will give you a list of marketing strategies you can do within each of these pillars to grow your business, increase sales and leverage your time better.
Attraction – How to attract more potential customers
Attracting new customers is a crucial element of any business. It’s what fuels business growth and something that many business owners struggle with. Here are ten ways that will help you attract new potential customers continuously. You should be using a combination of these things in your business.
1. Have a great website
Seems obvious, right? The truth is though that many businesses don’t utilise their website enough. In most cases, it’s an online brochure that merely talks about them, when your website can be so much more (here are some examples). There are certain elements every business website needs in order to convert visitors into leads and actual buyers. You can find a checklist of these 17 crucial elements here.
2. Be on Social Media
Again, this seems like an obvious one, however, many business owners don’t explore social media to it’s full potential. When I say be on social, I don’t just mean go create an account for your business on Facebook and Instagram. You need to be active and use these platforms to drive potential customers away from social and back to your website (where you are not competing with cat videos).
The problem with social media is that, if done well, it can be incredibly time-consuming. The answer to this problem is automation. Luckily, these days we have the tools and technology to allow for a hands-off social media strategy that allows us to post as often as we choose to on autopilot. Here’s a complete guide to automating your social media posts so you never have to worry about what to post ever again.
Social media is an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to engaging with your customers. Don’t dismiss it and use it to your advantage.
3. Run print ads
Even though I’m a digital marketer, I still believe print ads have their place. But it depends on your business, the audience you are trying to attract and what print media you have available in your particular market. The key to making advertising work is to track your success. The key to making advertising work is to track your success. Yes, I just said that twice.
Don’t just have your logo and a little blurb printed in a generic magazine or newspaper. Make sure you have a clear call-to-action (CTA) for readers to follow. Coupons work great in most cases, as they will allow you to track the success of your ads and calculate the exact return on investment.
Know your numbers:
How much does the ad cost you?
How many leads (i.e. coupons) did you receive as a result?
How many of these leads actually purchased?
What was the total revenue generated from the ad?
Example:
Say you invest in an ad that costs you $300. Your ad results in 100 enquiries, meaning your cost per lead is $3. If out of these 100 enquiries, 3 people end up buying (3% conversion rate) with a value of $200 per transaction, you generated total sales of $600. That’s a 100% return on your investment.
These numbers will, of course, vary depending on the type of business you’re in. In most cases, even if you just break even, it’s still worth advertising in the long run, as you will be building your list of potential buyers, which is the biggest asset in any business.
4. Run online ads (Google, Facebook, YouTube)
Even though online ads are very similar to print ads, I like to list them separately. The great thing about online ads is that you can be so much more specific with your targeting and only put your ad in front of people that are highly relevant. This will help you reduce ad costs and increase your conversion rates.
Say, you own a beauty salon in Sydney and decide to invest in a print ad in a local magazine. Now you are paying for the number of readers the magazine tells you they reach. However, out of everyone who reads it, only a very small fraction of readers will actually be based in your area. Out of the people in your area, only a fraction will actually be potential customers (not everyone needs a beautician). And out of those potential customers, only a fraction will actually notice your ad and even less will take you up on whatever offer you presented them with.
In comparison, a Facebook ad will allow you to run a much more targeted campaign. Going with the above example of a beauty business, you could choose to only put your ad in front of women between the ages of 30-50, who live in your local area and also have shown an interest in beauty businesses. Even though your audience is now much smaller, it is also a lot more targeted, meaning you will reduce your ad costs significantly and increase your conversion rates.
Again, print and online ads can both be great ways to attract new customers. The important thing is that you track your success and never invest in advertising that can’t be measured. Oh, and did I mention, never invest in advertising that can’t be measured? (you may want to write this one down)
5. Partner with other businesses
Business partnerships – also called joint ventures – are one of the fastest ways to grow your business and are heavily under-utilised. It’s important to understand though that not all business partnerships are worth your time. Try to only focus on businesses that will have a significant impact on your marketing.
I recently helped two of my clients join forces, who are based in the same city. One is a local café with a huge customer database of over 10,000 people; the other is a massage business that had only started out a year earlier. Most massage business owners would go around putting flyers in local cafes and other places, which is incredibly time-consuming and will get you little or no results.
But instead, we wanted to leverage the huge database of people the cafe already had, so we sat down with the owner and explained that we would like to send a complimentary $25 massage voucher to every single customer on their list. And to put the focus on them, we wanted to make it look like it’s coming from them as a gift to their customers. They look good for spoiling their customers and the owner of the massage place was putting her business right under the nose of 10,000 locals.
All we had to do was write one email that went out to 10,000 people. And to take things even further, we even made this email a part of the café’s automated email marketing. That means that the gift card did not only go out to everyone on the list at that time but every future customer will receive it, too!
As a business owner, make sure you value your time and only focus on marketing strategies that have the biggest impact on your bottom line. Business partnerships are one of the best forms of leveraging your time and resources.
6. Write a blog
Ok, this one probably sounds boring to most business owners and, at first, you may not see the value in doing it. Let me try to change the way you look at blogging.
As business owners, we have conversations with customers daily. They ask us questions about our products and services, they voice their worries, hopes and fears. They want to feel heard and we want to show them that we know our stuff. A blog allows you to do all of that at the same time and in a much more leveraged way.
Use short articles to answer your customers’ burning questions, help them to understand what you do and how it will help them in their own life or business. Even with just one good article, you can attract plenty of traffic by sharing it on social media, on other websites, in your email marketing, and even in your ads. Everywhere!
Your customers are already looking for the information they need online, so you might as well be the one giving it to them and position yourself as the expert in your industry.
I like to compare blogging to renting vs. owning real estate. You can pay for traffic each month (renting) or you can provide value on your website that people come back for (owning real estate). Every article you put on your website becomes a timeless asset you can use to generate traffic for years to come. I call this Evergreen Marketing and it’s what all my clients’ success is built on.
Tip:Hire a writer to help you come up with and write 12 quality articles to put on your website. Then share these articles on social media each month and link to them in your email marketing. You’ll see your traffic increase significantly (and improve your search engine rankings as a result)!
7. Optimise your website for search engines like Google & Bing (SEO)
Despite what many business owners think, SEO (search engine optimisation) is not dead. Search engines just have gotten a whole lot smarter!
SEO is no longer just about having a bunch of keywords on your website that your customers are searching for. These days, search engines like Google scan your website for a lot more, such as readability, quality of content, how long visitors spend on your site, which pages are shared frequently on social media, the list goes on.
So, how do you take care of all this yourself? Simple. Focus on quality content on your site that people actually want to read, watch and share. That’s why the previous point (blog posts) is so important. Engaging videos are also a great way to connect with your visitors and keep them on your site longer.
There are plenty of resources on how to do great SEO out there. If you have a WordPress website, be sure to install the Yoast SEO plugin to help you optimise each page and article for search engines.
8. Run a competition or giveaway
Giveaways are a great way to reach new potential customers, and they are a lot cheaper to run than other forms of marketing.
The idea of a giveaway is to ask people to enter their details for a chance to win a prize. This is a fast way to build a list. You want to make sure that the prize actually attracts potential customers and not those who are just in for the freebies and who were never going to buy from you.
I see many business owners make the mistake to give away an iPad or similar as a prize. That’s way too generic. Anyone who wants an iPad will enter, which is not what we want. You want to use your give-away specific to your product or service in order to attract the right kind of people.
If you are an accountant who focuses on Xero, for example, don’t give away a free Netflix subscription. Instead, consider the prize to be a free Xero Setup and Consultation to streamline your accounting (valued at $495). That way you are only attracting business owners who would actually be a good fit.
The mistake I see many business owners make ist that they run the giveaway simply for the engagement. But engagement doesn’t equal sales. The whole purpose of a marketing activity like this, especially if you invest the time to set it up properly, is to build a list of qualified leads that you can reach out to afterwards. So don’t stop at the giveaway – think about the offer you can send to all those who entered but didn’t win. This is where you really turn your giveaway into profit.
9. Run a survey or quiz
A quiz or survey is another great way to build a list fast and gain valuable insights about the needs of our customers. You’ll want to come up with a set of questions that helps you improve your product or service and identify what may be missing.
If you don’t have an audience at the moment that you can send your survey too, consider partnering with a business that shares your target market and could also benefit from the data generated. You could incentives the survey, which may help to increase responses but could also result in lower quality leads and dishonest answers from people who just took the survey for the prize.
If you would like to learn more about how to use surveys effectively, I highly recommend reading the book ASK by Ryan Levesque. You can download a free copy here.
10. Send a press release to media outlets
A press release can get you lots of free publicity in major newspapers, magazines and news websites. Once you discover this magical strategy, you’ll never want to pay for print advertising again! How much would a full-page article in a major newspaper be worth to you? Exactly? And it’s so much more powerful and memorable than any ad you paid hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars for.
The key is to have a good story that journalists can pick up and elaborate on. Before you write a press release about a new product you launched or a sale you have going, put yourself in the shoes of a journalist. What would their readers want to read about? Tell stories that are not directly about you, but in which you or your business play a role somehow.
Which story would you rather read?
Local roofing company launches new website and is open for business
Local roofer helps the homeless have a roof over their head for Christmas by handing out free tents
There is no way a journalist would pick up the first headline. Because, frankly, nobody cares. The second story is something they can actually work with. Be strategic about the story you want to tell. The first rule of writing a press release is to NEVER SELL your business or products. Focus on helping the journalists to find the story they are so desperately looking for to hit their quota of articles they need to write each week.
If you want to accelerate your email list growth, a lead magnet is your friend. A lead magnet is anything you can offer your subscribers for free in return for signing up. This could be:
a discount or value voucher
an ebook
a checklist
a template or time-saver
a helpful video
a free trial
or anything else of value to your audience.
The key is, it needs to be highly valuable to your ideal target audience and it needs to be free. It should be a first step people can take into the transformation your offer them.
12. Use email automation to educate and engage with your audience
To this day, email marketing has remained one of the most profitable marketing activities out there. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your audience and create sales opportunities. But let’s be honest… who has time to sit down to send out weekly newsletters anymore?
That’s where automated email sequences come in handy. Rather than growing your list to send out the occasional email blast, think of email marketing as taking your subscribers on a journey. From the day they join your list, you can map out an entire sequence of emails, each designed with a specific purpose in mind.
You could include emails that ask questions to learn more about your customers’ needs, showcase your testimonials, answer frequently asked questions, invite them to leave a review, make them aware of other channels you’re on, like social media, and so much more.
This is one of the best ways to leverage your time and frequently engage with potential customers to connect, educate and move them closer to the sale.
13. Use a chatbot to help people find what they are looking for faster
Chatbots have become a lot more common in recent years and they’re a fantastic tool to help you streamline customer enquiries. You can program a chatbot to directly answer specific questions, such as pricing, location, or opening hours, or to direct people to relevant pages on your website for example.
If someone starts a chat and asks if you have appointments available this week, you could direct them to your booking page where they can check availability and book themselves in, all without the need to interrupt your day.
You can think of a chatbot much like a phone options menu, where when you call are asked to press certain numbers for different types of enquiries. Except a bot allows us to design a much more natural conversation and flow.
Some chatbot software providers I have personally used and love are Chatfuel and ManyChat. Both integrate with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, but there are many other tools out there that let you integrate your bot directly with your website and other platforms.
14. Create a strong offer people can’t refuse
Sometimes, the difference between failure and success in business is the way you structure your offer. Just like McDonald’s did when they went from selling individual items to selling packaged meals. The famous line “would you like fries with that” added billions to their bottom line.
Could you add something to your offer for added value?
15. Run retargeting ads
Running ads online is a great way to increase brand awareness and attract new customers. However, it can be difficult to convert an audience at the first point of contact. A retargeting campaign allows us to follow those around that have expressed interest in our business before. Retargeting ads are also a great way to reactivate past clients or target specific segments of your audience.
If you have a webinar funnel, for example, you could show ads only to those who have previously watched your webinar. If you run workshops, you could target only those who have attended a previous workshop of yours. With a little creativity, the possibilities with retargeting ads are endless.
16. Find a way to help more people (when you do that, you will naturally sell more)
Seems like an obvious one, but sometimes simply by shifting our mindset we can create opportunities on a whole new level.
I like to do a little thought experiment and ask myself what I’d do if I had to help ten times more people than I currently am.
Could you change your business model and shift from selling 1-to-1 to 1-to-many? Could you offer a DIY option to serve more people at the same time?
Thinking about 10Xing your business can bring up some important questions that will put your business on the path of growth:
Where would you find 10 times more customers?
Would you have to change your processes to accommodate that growth?
Would you have to hire new people to help you?
What impact would you have on the world by helping more people?
What impact would it have on your personal life?
To get you thinking about these things, I can highly recommend the book “The 10X Rule” by Grant Cardone. It will open your mind up to new possibilities.
17. Run ‘limited time only’ offers
Creating offers that are only available for a limited time can be effective in creating a sense of urgency and temporarily increasing sales. If your business operates in retail or e-commerce, you could purchase a small batch of a new product and promote it as ‘limited time only’ to increase sales over a short period of time.
It’s also a great way to test the market response to a new product before adding it to your regular offering. A café, for instance, could offer a new product for a limited time to measure its popularity and collect customer feedback. Then, if it performs well, make it part of their regular menu.
18. Be easy to do business with (I had to add this one)
It always surprises me how difficult some businesses make it to do business with them. As business owners, we should be focused on reducing as much friction as possible.
Make it easy for customers to pay using their preferred payment method. If it makes the decision for them easier, consider offering a payment plan or AfterPay.
Make it easy for customers to get in contact with you using their preferred contact method – whether it’s by phone, text message, social media, email, or through a contact form on your website.
Make the process easy and fun. You’ll be surprised how much impact ‘being easy’ can have on your bottom line.
19. Get to know your customers better and understand exactly what they REALLY need, want, and do not want
Never assume that what you have to offer (no matter how awesome it is) is what your customers need and want right now. Listen to their needs. Every customer is different and comes to you for a different reason.
Find out what their underlying motivation is for coming to you and try to meet their unique needs. Listening attentively can go a long way. And if you feel like your offer isn’t a good fit for you, don’t be afraid to let them know. The reality is, most people will respect you more for your honesty than for trying to make the sale at all costs.
Maybe they need something else first?
20. Make sure your website has all the right elements (just a page online won’t cut it)
Many business owners treat their website much like an online brochure. A little blurb about how long they’ve been in business, a contact page, some generic description about their products or services, and maybe a pricing page.
But your website can be so much more than that! Try looking at your website as your piece of real estate online. A well-designed website will:
Establish your business as an industry leader
Attract new potential customers
Capture leads
Book appointments
Help sell your services or products
Showcase your competence
Educate your audience and answer pre-sale questions
Act as a valuable resource
Delivery – Ways to grow your business during and after the sale
21. Provide great customer service
This should be a given, however, it’s astonishing how many businesses neglect this part of their business. Providing excellent service is a great way to build repeat business and increase “word of mouth”.
When you impress your customers, they are also much more likely to leave a positive review on Facebook or Google, which in turn will result in more organic traffic and a better reputation, helping you stand out from the competition.
22. Ensure people only buy something they actually need
As a business owner, it’s tempting to try and sell your product or service to anyone coming your way. However, selling to the wrong person can impact your business negatively. Make sure you only sell to people who will genuinely benefit from your product or service.
Similar to the previous point, this will only strengthen relationships with your customers, increase trust, and result in more referrals.
While it may benefit you in the short term, selling to the wrong kind of customers may result in an increase in refunds, mediocre reviews and decreased customer loyalty.
23. Offer good quality products and services (you want people to rave about it, not complain about it)
24. Overdeliver and exceed your customer’s expectations by offering something extra
25. Follow-up with your customers after the sale to see how they are going
26. Invite customers to leave positive reviews on Facebook, Google, TripAdvisor etc.
27. Add customer testimonials to your website
28. Send a thank-you note after the sale
29. Offer upsells and cross-sells
30. Consider offering a subscription/membership type product
This list is far from complete and you could certainly write a book about each point. But I hope that it will spark some ideas for what you can focus on in your business to grow and take it to the next level.
The biggest challenge most business owners face is finding the time to do marketing well. I can say from experience that this is only possible when automating the majority of your marketing processes. To help you do that, I have created a free step-by-step guide on how to completely automate your Social Media posts, as this is often one aspect my clients struggle with the most.
https://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/04x1yp9hnh8.jpg10671600David Lee-Schneiderhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngDavid Lee-Schneider2019-07-25 10:15:082023-01-10 09:22:27How To Do Marketing – 30 Ways To Grow Your Business
In essence, there are only three ways to increase your sales:
Increase the number of customers
Increase your customers’ purchase frequency, and
Increase your average transaction value
However, there are a number of not so obvious ways to grow your business and increase profitability. Here are four ideas to help you scale without putting the focus on sales. Ready? Then let’s dive in!
1. Automate processes to increase efficiency and reduce cost
Today, there are thousands of tools out there to help you automate repetitive business processes. Simply automating a few things can help you significantly reduce wages and free up valuable time. When looking for ways to grow our business, we often overlook areas that don’t directly contribute to your profit. Here are a few things you can automate quickly and easily that could put money back in your pocket.
Tools like Zapier and Make can help you connect various services and software platforms to make processes even more efficient.
Some examples:
When you have a new lead -> automatically add a contact to a list in your email marketing software -> then send a follow-up sequence until they take the desired action
After a customer makes a purchase for the second time -> send them an invitation to write a Google review
When a purchase is made on your website -> automatically raise an invoice in Xero to match with the imported trasnaction
These are just some basic examples, but the possibilities are endless, and so is the time you will safe by automating these tasks!
2. Launch a re-targeting ad campaign
Many business owners already use ads to attract new customers and generate new business. However, if you only run direct ads, you are missing out on a huge chunk of potential customers by ignoring this simple strategy. Re-targeting ads are a powerful tool that allows you to show specific ads to people who have already interacted with your content in the past, adding continuity to your customer experience and significantly increasing the chances of turning them into customers.
Se if you can offer them something of value in relation to certain pages or blog posts they have visited on your website.
Example: A yoga studio might show a re-targeting ad for a free yoga pass to people in their area who have read blog posts on the benefits of yoga on their website. When people see the ad, they can enter their email address to claim the free yoga pass and automatically be subscribed to an evergreen campaign. (See next point)
3. Stop focusing on once-off promos and develop an “evergreen” marketing strategy instead
The majority of business owners think of marketing and promotions in terms of once-off activities. It might look something like this:
January -> Promotion #1
February -> Promotion #2
March -> Promotion #3
While this might work well, it also requires you to constantly come up with new promotions, which can be exhausting and feel like you’re never quite catching up.
Instead, focus on implementing an evergreen marketing strategy that sends new leads or customers a series of pre-designed offers from the moment they join your list. Then keep adding new offers to that sequence. Over time, this strategy allows you to develop a marketing machine that continuously produces sales without ever having to worry about what your next promotion is going to be. You just need to make sure that offers in that sequence are timeless and not seasonal.
All you need is a good email automation tool, like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, and there are many more options available.
4. Make Partnerships evergreen, too
Partnerships and joint ventures with other businesses that complement yours is a powerful strategy. You might have already partnered with another business in the past to run a one-off campaign promoting your products or services. Maybe you’ve asked the other business to hand out vouchers to all their customers.
See if you can turn this strategy into an evergreen campaign, too, like in the previous example. Look for businesses that already have an evergreen funnel and see if they are happy to plug your offer right into it, while you can do the same for them.
Example: One of my clients owns a massage clinic, while another owned a yoga studio. I got both of them to add an email to their existing evergreen sequences promoting the other business. Now, everyone who receives a massage at the massage clinic also receives a complimentary gift card for a yoga class, while everyone who joins the yoga studio receives a voucher for a massage a a few weeks later.
It’s a win-win and once implemented, this strategy will continue to work for years to come.
There you have it. Four (not so obvious) ways to grow your business. All four strategies are what I call “set and forget” strategies that you only have to set up once and will benefit from forever.
Have you automated any processes in your business? What marketing strategies have worked well for you? Let me know in the comments below!
00David Lee-Schneiderhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngDavid Lee-Schneider2019-01-07 18:54:222023-01-07 23:08:114 Smart (Not So Obvious) Ways To Grow Your Business
The biggest challenge most of my clients face is knowing what to focus on in their marketing. It can be incredibly overwhelming with all the different options and tools out there – social media platforms, advertising platforms (print and digital), search engines, autoresponders, tech tools, productivity tools – the list goes on and on. How do we know what’s right for us, and at the stage, we’re currently in?
The big mistake many business owners make is that they focus on lead generation BEFORE getting their conversions right, only to realise that they’re spending way too much money and time on marketing without getting the results they’re after.
In my 90-Day Marketing Transformation, we follow a clear marketing roadmap to help you focus on your marketing activities in the right order, so you can maximise results while minimising cost and effort. It’s divided into three pillars.
ATTRACTION
CONVERSION
AMPLIFICATION
The order in which you focus on your marketing activities is crucial. As you will agree, it doesn’t make sense to launch an ad campaign (amplification pillar) before knowing that you can actually convert these people. It would be like increasing the amount of fuel you pour into a car that only has 2 wheels. More fuel won’t make it go any faster unless you have a working vehicle.
The Marketing Roadmap – 3 Ways To Grow Your Business in 2024
First things first. Most business owners would like to jump straight in and throw money at ads (either print or online) before having laid a solid marketing foundation. You wouldn’t start building a house before having a solid plan and foundation to build on. In the same way, you need to address your marketing activities in the right order. Here are 3 things you need to focus on BEFORE spending a single cent on advertising or other costly marketing activities.
1. Create a Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is a tool to help you build a list of potential customers. It’s something of value to your target audience that you can send them for free but in return for their name and email address. This is a crucial part of any marketing strategy and should be the very first thing to decide on, as it gives people a way to connect with your business even before they’re ready to buy. Here are some examples of lead magnets you could use in your business.
Free guide or ebook
Free video or tutorial
Discount code or value voucher
Free checklist or time-saving template
Free report with information that’s highly relevant to your customers
I – for example – offer a free 17-point website checklist, as that is something most of my clients struggle with. You may also find these free downloads helpful as examples for strategic lead magnets.
2. CRM & Email Automation
Once you decided on your lead magnet, the second step is to choose a CRM (Customer Relationship Management Software) and an email marketing provider that you will use to build your list. Some CRM’s already have email automation built-in. There are loads of options out there, some very basic and some with more advanced marketing automation features that you probably won’t need at the start. The important thing is to just get started.
When starting out, a free service like Mailchimp may suffice (they offer a free plan until you reach a certain number of subscribers). Here are two options that I personally recommend for small businesses and which I have used myself.
Once a potential customer opted in for your free lead magnet, what are the next steps you want them to take? What information will they be looking for before they are ready to become your customer? It’s important not to treat every person as if they are ready to buy from you right now. Instead, focus on building a relationship with them first, so that when they are ready to buy your product or service, your business becomes their natural first choice.
Here’s what that customer journey looks like in one of my other businesses (a yoga studio).
Step 1: Claim a FREE Yoga Pass
Step 2: Send Introductory Offer
Step 3: Upgrade to 10-Class Pass or Membership
Step 5: Offer Workshops & Retreats
For most people, it’s too much of a stretch to go from never having tried yoga before to committing to a membership or a yoga retreat. But a free yoga pass will help them get started and move towards that goal.
This is a natural progression that eases people into their journey of becoming long-term customers, slowly moving them from free to higher-priced products. Timing is a crucial element in marketing. Make sure that the messages you send people are relevant to the stage they’re currently in. This can be automated using email automation software (see the previous point) or using a messaging bot.
The key is – always focus on educating and connecting with your customers more than you focus on selling.
00David Lee-Schneiderhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngDavid Lee-Schneider2019-01-04 23:12:212019-01-04 23:12:213 Things Your Business Needs BEFORE Spending A Single Cent On Ads
Today, it’s easier than ever to collect vast amounts of data in our business. There are many low-cost POS (point of sale) systems out there with some fantastic reporting features that you can take advantage of to help you grow your business and make better management decisions.
And if you think data and metrics are boring, I want to encourage you to reconsider. Because once we know what to look for, these numbers can become very exciting!
For small business owners, every dollar counts, which is why it’s so important to track our progress and keep an eye on various metrics. Of course, there are countless metrics we can measure, some more important than others depending on the type of business you are operating.
But let’s keep it simple for now with these three metrics that have the power to completely transform your business. If you know you could do better when it comes to numbers, they will provide a great starting point.
Average Transaction Value (ATV)
The average transaction value (ATV) is pretty self-explanatory. It gives you the average of how much your customers spent per transaction on average. Simply by focusing on increasing our ATV, we can change the entire course of our business.
How to calculate Average Transaction Value
Simply divide your total sales on any given day by the total number of transactions on the same day.
Upsells (“Would you like to make that a large?”) and
Cross-sells (“Would you like a camera bag to protect your new camera?”
No matter what business you’re in, there is always something extra you can offer your customers. Let’s take the above example and assume we trade for 340 days per year. If we increased our ATV by just 5% (i.e. by $2.50), our daily turnover would go from $5000 to $5250.
Doesn’t sound like much, right? Well, by the end of 340 trading days, we would have increased our turnover by $85,000. Not a bad result with a few upsells.
What upsells, cross-sells and package deals could you offer in your business?
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
The Customer Lifetime Value indicates how much the average customer is worth to our business over the course of their patronage. It’s a simple metric with big implications and one that’s often overlooked by small business owners.
Knowing the lifetime value of a customer is a crucial part of understanding how much is reasonable to spend on acquiring a new customer. Measuring CLV is also a good way to determine whether your business is taking full advantage of its customer relationships.
In many, if not most cases, it costs less money to increase revenue from existing customers than it does to acquire new ones. Still, most business owners are more focused on acquisition than retention.
How to calculate Customer Lifetime Value
CLV = Average Transaction Value * Customer Frequency * Average Customer Lifespan
Example: $50 Average Transaction Value * 1 purchase per month * 12 months average retention = $600 CLV
Your CLV will determine how much we can afford to spend on acquiring a new customer and subsequently, which marketing channels make sense for our business.
How much is a customer worth to you? How much do they spend each time? How often do they visit? And how long do they stay your customer? Improving each of these 3 variables will have a huge impact on your bottom line.
Cost of Customer Acquisition (CAC)
What does it cost you to acquire a new customer? While the importance of knowing the cost of acquiring a new customer is obvious, surprisingly a lot of business owners don’t pay as much attention to this metric as you’d expect them to. Keeping customer acquisition costs top of mind can benefit your business in numerous ways.
For starters, many companies spend more than they estimate on customer acquisition, and in many cases, they continue to invest in marketing channels that make little sense given the lifetime value of their customers.
How to calculate Cost of Customer Acquisition
CAC = Total Ad Spend / Number of New Customers
Example: $500 Facebook Ad Spend / 50 New Customers = $10
If our Customer Lifetime Value is $600, it makes sense to spend $10 to acquire a new customer. However, if our CLV would only be $20 we might need to look for a new strategy to acquire new customers or first focus on increasing your Average Transaction Value, Purchase Frequency and Retention Rate.
What metrics have you tracked that have helped you grow your business and make better decisions in your marketing?
00David Lee-Schneiderhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngDavid Lee-Schneider2019-01-03 13:51:212019-01-03 13:51:213 Simple Metrics With The Power To Transform Your Business (And How To Track Them)
In order for your business to succeed, you need a clever marketing strategy. Unfortunately, most companies hold some marketing assumptions that can restrict their ability to promote their services and products in a cutthroat marketplace. The idea of marketing is quite obscure because marketing is the base for various methods of business promotion. Therefore, it is easy to confuse the real purpose of marketing with the concept of it. There are many reasons why companies seem to think marketing is not the right move for them. If you do not work in the profession, marketing can seem expensive and exotic, with creatives whose aim seems to be to throw money at different projects. Marketing is actually crucial to a number of strategic initiatives. If you have growth goals for your business, be it for market expansion, an extension of your product line, or diversification, then you need to have a proper understanding of what marketing can do for you.
7 Common Marketing Assumptions:
Listed below are the assumptions that can restrict the efficiency of your market plan causing you to miss out on sales opportunities.
1. Small Businesses Do Not Require a Marketing Plan
A marketing plan gives you a master plan for how you will introduce your business to the market. It helps you outline your target audience, budget, offers, tactics, channels, and messages. If you do not have a cohesive, integrated plan, you may be wasting your prospects money if not confusing them. Any business, no matter how big or small, should plan its marketing to ensure the best return on investment.
2. Running Ads is the Only Marketing Plan You Need
Even though an advertising campaign can be relevant as a marketing tactic, it is only but a tactic. Ads are just one of the various ways you can convey your message to your target audience. You should have an integrated plan spelling out different tactics and how they will work harmoniously to help you achieve, sales, lead generation, and awareness.
3. You Already Know What Your Customers Think
People similar to your current customers are your ideal prospects so you need to understand the customer completely. You can gain insight on your customers by conducting customer research courtesy of a professional, independent resource.
4. There is No Need to Market to Your Customers
You should never assume that just because you have customers they are yours for the keeping. Your customers need to be reminded constantly of why they should keep buying from you and not your competitors. Promote to your customers and your prospects too.
5. That Marketing Channel is Too Costly for You
Marketers usually make wrong assumptions about the cost of marketing avenues like direct mail or advertising. You should not cross out a channel because you assume it is too costly. Explore all your options intensively and you might discover that you can access channels that you thought were unaffordable.
6. You Do Not Need Social Media
Regardless of what you sell, the one thing you can be sure of is that your competitors, prospects, and customers are using social media actively. If you do not participate, you will be left out of conversations that could be shaping your marketplace.
7. You Need to Cut Your Marketing Budget because Sales are Down
This is one of the marketing assumptions business owners usually do. They say tough times call for tough decisions but cutting your marketing budget should not be one of these tough decisions. Effective marketing may actually help you come out of a slump with your sales so if you do not continue engaging with prospects and customers, one of your competitors will be ready to take your place.
00David Lee-Schneiderhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngDavid Lee-Schneider2018-06-12 11:16:322018-06-12 11:16:32Seven Marketing Assumptions That Can Hurt Your Business
Some common reasons why your marketing isn’t working are probably less obvious than you might think. Marketing, when not done right, can easily fail to produce the desired results. Many times, I have seen business owners sit down to come up with their own marketing strategy, only to end up with great disappointment. However, this is all part of being in business. When we fail, we pick ourselves up and go again.
Nevertheless, I have identified a few common mistakes when it comes to marketing and outlined some strategies for how to fix these problems.
Here are 5 common reasons why your marketing isn’t working
1. Trying to be everything to everyone
Many businesses fail to send out a clear message that is targeted at their ideal customer (Avatar). Instead they try to keep their message as broad as possible. This approach results in generic messaging that doesn’t work. Instead, be very clear about your purpose, what your product or service is about and who exactly it is for. Identify who your ideal customers are and craft copy that speaks directly to them. The clearer your message and targeting, the better your sales will be.
2. Competing on price
One approach many businesses take when competition moves in is to lower their price. In some industries, this has led to a war on price between competitors leaving little to none for anyone. Rather than lowering your prices, try to find ways to add more value to your customers. This won’t just leave you better off financially, but also position you as the expert amongst your competitors. Ever seen Apple run a sale?
3. Limiting Marketing to Just One Platform
Businesses have to consider more than one marketing platform. Digital marketing offers countless tools to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your campaigns and proactively increase your sales when you choose to. Social media is just one platform. Email marketing is another. Traditional forms of marketing are also worth testing, especially when targeting customers who are yet to embrace the digital era. Muti-channel marketing also allows you to identify where your best customers are coming from and where to spend most of your budget in order to get the best return.
4. Lack of Strategy
Without a strategy, marketing fails. This is one of the most common reasons why your marketing isn’t working. In marketing, strategy is everything. In fact, the right strategy produces stunning, hitherto unimagined results. Develop a marketing plan and stick to it. Test what’s working, repeat what does, discard what doesn’t. Numbers don’t lie.
5. Dead Techniques
Dead marketing techniques kill businesses faster than ever before. Don’t get stuck in the old ways. If it’s not working, change it. Replace it with something that works. Tweak it if necessary. There’s no need of staying loyal to ideas that cost a lot of money yet have nothing to show for all that investment. Even if it once was your best strategy.
Do you currently have a strategy that allows you to get new customers “on tap”? If not, I might be able to help. As an independent marketing consultant, I help business owners in the retail and hospitality industries to design and implement automated marketing strategies that take their business to a whole new level. When you’re ready, let’s have a chat about your business.
00David Lee-Schneiderhttps://donedigital.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/done-digital-marketing-brisbane-logo-white-1030x175.pngDavid Lee-Schneider2018-06-08 15:24:042018-06-08 15:24:045 Common Reasons Why Your Marketing isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)
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