You’ve decided to give up on being a generalist marketing agency.
You’ve seen that generalist agencies have a hard time differentiating themselves in a competitive market.
And you’re ready to stand out with your specialties, attract more quality clients, and increase revenue for your business.
Now, you’re left with one big question.
What digital marketing services should your business focus on?
There are a few ways to approach this question.
You could choose to focus on services that offer higher profit margins or jump on the latest trends and prioritize services that have a sudden boom in popularity.
Maybe you think you should focus on essential services like web design, email marketing, or SEO, which are always in demand.
It all comes down to your skill set.
Earlier this year, we got some excellent advice from Ann Handley of MarketingProfs:
Do less of things that feel like you ‘should’ do them, but your heart (or your audience) isn’t in it. And double-down on the things that connect to your strategy, tell your bigger story, and grow your audience.
Let these words guide your strategy as you start prioritizing your services. Find the sweet spot between your interests and your clients’ interests to identify the services that matter most to your business.
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind:
- Start with your core services
Identify one to three core services that are in constant demand. These are tried and true channels that both you and your clients are interested in, like web design, email marketing, SEO, and PPC.
- Look to layer your services
Once you identify your core services, look for natural ways to build on your core services with logical adjacent services.
For example, if you offer web design services, the next step could be to offer services that will boost website traffic for your clients — like email marketing, SEO, or PPC.
By layering services, and weaving them into a singular story, you can offer multiple services without diluting your brand specialty.
- Lead with your most profitable services
Many marketing agencies do excellent marketing for their clients, then skimp on marketing their own businesses.
Make sure you’re regularly reviewing which services generating the most revenue and that you’re promoting these services throughout your own channels.
Which services will you prioritize?
Don’t try to do everything all at once. Start with the core services that interest both you and your clients and review your numbers to make sure you’re on the right track.
You can always tweak your priorities once you have some data on what’s working best for your business.
Looking to attract more of the right clients to your agency?
At Constant Contact, we help marketing agencies get in front of new clients that are looking for your area of expertise.
You’ll get a dedicated Account Manager, access to professional marketing tools and training, and increased exposure for your agency.
For many businesses, reaching new customers is a top priority.
You’re eager to expand your audience, make new connections, and ultimately, grow your business.
But once you gain new customers, how many of them actually come back to shop with you again? How much are you thinking about current customer satisfaction and customer retention?
Relationships don’t happen overnight.
While a great first impression is an important step towards a long-lasting relationship, you need to go a step further to show your existing customers how important they are to you and gain their loyalty.
And with loyal repeat customers spending about 300 percent more than new customers, you need to know how to retain customers and drive repeat business.
Investing in customer relationships and staying in touch with them through email marketing, reinforces how important your customers are to you. And when you invest in these relationships, they’ll return the favor by shopping with you again and again.
Wondering how to retain customers at your business? Follow these seven easy steps.
1. Encourage new customers to join your email list
Did you know that 91 percent of U.S. adults like to receive promotional emails from the companies they do business with?
Email marketing is one of the best ways to stay in touch with new customers and a vital part of many retention strategies. But first you have to ask them to join your email list.
While for that long-term relationship can seem a little intimidating at first, the most important thing to do is to articulate the value of signing up.
Rather than simply asking if your customers would like to join your email list, provide an incentive they can’t refuse — like an introductory coupon, getting started guide, or timely updates from your business.
Use this simple script to ask your current customers for their email addresses effectively.
Brand new to email marketing? You can test Constant Contact free for 60 days.
2. Give your email subscribers a warm welcome
Keep the momentum going with your new customers by sending a Welcome Email.
Constant Contact makes it easy for you to customize your Welcome Email with your own branding and content. Then, each time a new contact joins your list, they’ll hear from you right away.
Consider incorporating these four elements in your Welcome Email:
- A warm and friendly introduction
- Summary of what to expect in future mailings
- A guarantee of data privacy and security
- Personal signature with contact details
Tip: Here’s everything you need to know to create a great welcome email.
3. Invite your current customers to connect with you on social media
Is your business active on any social media channels? After sending your initial Welcome Email, follow up with by inviting your new subscribers to connect with you on social media, as well.
By connecting with new customers on multiple online channels, your new customers will quickly get to know your business better so you can build customer loyalty. Over time, as they get to know, like, and trust your business they’ll refer you to their friends, family, and peers.
Promote your social media channels as part of your automated welcome series and be sure to include social media buttons in the footer of every email you send out.
4. Get to know new contacts with a survey or poll
Now that your new and existing customers are getting to know you better, it’s time for you to learn more about them.
Consider adding a poll or survey to your email to learn more about what your customers’ behavior and interests.
Adding a poll to your email not only increases engagement, it shows new customers that you value their opinion and are committed to offering them a great experience and great customer service.
5. Organize your contacts in targeted email lists
As you learn more about your new customers and what they’re looking for, use this information to send messages that are relevant to them.
For example, if you own a pet shop, you can survey your customers to see if they have a cat or dog. Then, create new emails lists for “Cat Lovers” and “Dog Lovers,” so you can reach these people with product deals and information that’s tailored to their specific needs.
Tip: Here are four ways you can segment your email list to get the right message to the right people.
6. Entice new customers back with an event
If your new customer has stayed away for a while, a tempting event can offer a great new customer experience and is a perfect motivator to bring them back to your business.
Even better, your customer is likely to want to bring a friend to your event as well — introducing your business to a brand new group of potential customers.
Break out your calendar and start thinking about what unique and timely event your business could organize.
Whether you decide to host an open house, bring in a guest speaker, or partner with your favorite nonprofit for an event with a cause, make sure your new customers are in the know by sending an event announcement, reminder, and last chance message.
Giving customers the option to register in advance will also increase the likelihood that they show up on the big day.
7. Re-engage with an irresistible offer
No matter how much your new customer likes your business, people are busy. As much as they might like to return to your business, maybe they haven’t had a chance.
Don’t let unengaged customers slip through the cracks! Keep track of the contacts who have not opened your last few email campaigns and re-engage them with a special offer they can’t refuse to boost your customer retention rates and customer lifetime value.
You can make the intention of your email clear right within your email subject line by writing something like “Because we missed you…” This shows customers that you care about their interest and you’re making an effort to get them to re-engage with you.
Now you know how to retain customers and develop long-lasting relationships.
You’re ready to persuade new customers to stay connected with you through email marketing and follow-up with engaging messages that build long term success for your business.
Want to send business-generating emails in no time? Our 5-step Approach to Successful Email Marketing guide will show you how!
What’s the hardest part of using social media for your business or organization?
If you’re like most small business owners, coming up with content is at the top of your list.
Whether it’s finding the time to create content, or just figuring out what to post on social media on a day-to-day basis — it’s easy to let coming up with content ideas slow you down.
Creating consistent and valuable content is no small feat. But as with many challenges, your best option could be to take things one day at a time (and picking the right social networks to focus on!)
Welcome to our 30-Day Social Media Content Challenge
Knowing how hard it can be to come up with social media content to fill the seemingly never-ending social media feeds, our marketing experts at Constant Contact have brainstormed a list of 30 content ideas for you to try on your different social media platforms.
And don’t worry or be intimidated. Most of these can be completed in a matter of minutes. We’ve also included helpful examples from other successful small businesses and organizations to get your creative juices flowing!
Not sure where to start with marketing? That’s why we created The Download.
The Download is the ultimate practical, step-by-step guide to online marketing. In this free guide, we’ll show you how people find you online and how to set yourself up for success to meet your business or nonprofit goals.
What to post on Social Media
You can try all 30 or pick and choose from the list. If you find one type of content you really like, don’t be afraid to try it twice.
As you get started, pay attention to what works well and what your audience engages with the most. The more you know about your audience, the easier it will be to create great content!
Ready to get started? Here are 30 ideas for you to try out:
1. Take a picture of your workspace
Giving people a look behind the scenes allows them to get to know your business and build the trust you need to turn them into a customer.
Tip: Instagram is a great tool for editing photos on your phone and posting them easily to your different social media channels, like Facebook or Twitter.
Recommended networks: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
2. Answer a question
You’re answering questions from customers every single day. Chances are a lot of the people who follow your updates on sites like Facebook and Twitter will have the same questions! Pick one question and answer it today.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn
3. Introduce your newest employees on social media
People love to see the people who make your business or organization great. Use social media to introduce new employees and make a more human connection.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn
4. Share something popular
If something is popular at your store or on your website, chances are it will be popular on social media too. Look to highlight your most popular assets on your different social networks. And, if they are really popular, consider boosting them with Facebook and Instagram advertising.
Tip: Even if you’ve posted a link before, there’s a good chance a lot of people missed it the first time. This is especially true on a high volume site like Twitter. You can link to popular blog posts or webpage multiple times to drive traffic to your website.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram
5. Interview a customer
People do business with people that they know, like, and trust. One of the best ways to build that trust is to show real people using or talking about your products or services.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (video)
6. Post a fill-in-the-blank
Remember fill in the blank questions from when you were taking tests back in school? Those types of questions are a lot more fun on social media. This is a great way to encourage customers to engage with you and share their ideas. One thing to be on the watch for, however, is ‘engagement-baiting.’ In recent years, Facebook and other platforms have cracked down on some types of posts like this.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
7. Share something about a community event you’re looking forward to
Small businesses play an important role in the community. If your business speaks to a local clientele, look for opportunities to connect with your surroundings and be part of the local conversation. And don’t forget to use things like Facebook’s events calendar to drive virality around these types of events (and your own events!)
Recommend networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
8. Share something funny
Entertainment is a big part of why people go on social media in the first place. Look for opportunities to have fun with fans and followers — just be sure to stay true to your brand.
Oscar and Trixie are very sweet… and very flexible ????#AdoptDontShop #adoptable pic.twitter.com/5aVs6VHLvI
— Gifford Cat Shelter (@GiffordCats) December 15, 2016
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
9. Share your story
Every business and organization has a story — some longer than others. Look for opportunities to share pieces of that story and let people know why you do what you do.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn
10. Share someone else’s content
Here’s some good news: You do not have to create every piece of content from scratch.
In fact, sharing other people’s content is a great way to build relationships for your business and can also help position you as a source of helpful information.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn
11. Share a #TBT
“Throwback Thursday” is a trend on social media where users share an older image on Thursdays as a look back to an earlier time.
You can post an image on any social network and add the hashtag #TBT. Throwback Thursdays are especially popular on Instagram and are a great way to make a personal connection with your followers.
Recommended networks: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest
12. Post something seasonal
Adjust your social media posting schedule to reflect the changing seasons. If it’s a hot summer day, offer a way to cool off. If you’re looking forward to the fall, give some advice for heading back to school.
This is a great way to make a more personal connection with your fans and followers, even if you’re still talking about your products.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
13. Share some inspiration
What inspires you? It could be a picture of your team, an article you read online, or just a quote that you think your audience would connect with.
If you’re a nonprofit, sharing inspiration could be something simple like an update on your progress for the year or a milestone worth celebrating.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
14. Highlight a customer of the month
Don’t just show your customers talking about you; talk about your customers! Once a month, pick one special customer or supporter and celebrate them.
If they are a fan or a follower, you can easily tag them and they will receive a notification that you’re featuring them!
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
15. Share something about an event that you recently attended
Hopefully you have time to get out of your store or office occasionally and attend an event. Did you take notes or snap any pictures? Have you seen any articles or blog posts about the event that you think your audience would be interested in? Share it and let people see what you’ve been up to.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Tip: Even if it isn’t an event directly related to your business, sharing something about a local event can be a great way to connect with your community. Pay attention to what worked well at that event and think about how your business or organization could host something successful as well.
16. Share an attention-grabbing statistic
Have you read an interesting statistic or new study that relates to your industry? Share it! Stats catch people’s attention and are a great form of shareable content.
#Emailmarketing gets you real business results – for every $1 you spend, you get an average return of $38 https://t.co/ElaFnOjRaW pic.twitter.com/z8hazQoo5O
— Constant Contact ✉️ (@ConstantContact) May 23, 2017
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
17. Ask your audience a multiple choice question
Let fans offer their input with a multiple choice question. This is a great way to boost engagement and also gives your audience the chance to share their ideas. Twitter and Facebook even offer poll features you can utilize.
Tip: You can use multiple choice questions a lot of different ways. Ask fans for feedback about what service qualities are most important to them, what their favorite product is, or even something fun like which award show performance they most enjoyed!
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
18. Create a video, featuring people or products from your business
Creating and sharing videos has never been easier, thanks to social media. With a smartphone, you can snap a quick video and automatically share it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and more.
Use Instagram’s video feature to create a shareable video from your store or office. Or try Facebook Live to livestream video from wherever you are. Facebook gives you the option to share the video to your page, where fans can find it long after the livestream ends.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
19. Do a repeat of something that worked well
Take a look at some of the content you’ve shared in the past. Was there a particular Facebook post that generated a bunch of shares, or a photo on Instagram that saw a ton of comments? Each platform offers insights and analytics sections that you should be frequent to garner information about your audience.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Look to create something similar and try sharing it again.
When it comes to #socialmedia marketing, it’s now very much a pay-to-play world.
— Constant Contact (@ConstantContact) April 18, 2019
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
20. Share your latest email newsletter or announcement
Does your business send email newsletters or announcements on a regular basis? If so, you’ve already done the work to create great content. Share your latest email on social media and show fans and followers what they’re missing out on.
Check out my latest newsletter No More Pants on Fire https://t.co/XJPkpWh68X pic.twitter.com/HjbpaiJbRx
— Traci Brown (@TraciBrown37) March 1, 2017
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
21. Link to an infographic you think your audience will enjoy
These days, you can find an infographic about anything. Don’t believe me? Log on to Twitter and search for your industry and the word infographic (Example: restaurant infographic).
Chances are you’ll see a ton of infographics related yo your industry. Share one you think your audience will enjoy — just be sure to cite the original source.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest
22. Edit and share an image
You can make an image stand out by editing it online. Facebook and Instagram have built-in editing features. Or try tools like PicMonkey, Canva, or Adobe Spark to edit images by adding text, filters, or overlays in a matter of minutes.
You can also add new designs to images or resize them to fit the dimensions of each social network.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
23. Correct a common misconception that relates to your industry
Education is a powerful tool for building relationships online. Try to teach your audience something they didn’t know, or even misunderstood, about your industry. This is an easy way to share your expertise and hopefully spark a conversation with fans and followers.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
24. Share your favorite book or playlist
Have you read or listened to something good lately? Talk about it on social media. This is a great way to connect with fans and followers beyond talking about the products you sell or the services you offer.
Tip: Consider creating a reading list or Spotify playlist you think your audience would enjoy. These lists are easy to create and you can always ask your staff and customers to add to the list!
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest
25. Give a shout out to another local business or organization
Picking up lunch at a local restaurant? Snap a picture and share it with your audience.
Are you following other local organizations on Facebook or Twitter? Share one of their posts and show some support.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
26. Show off your expertise with a helpful tip
Chances are you know a ton of tips and tricks your audience would love. Write down a list of helpful tips related to a particular product or service you provide. You may even have tips from customers. Share them and make sure to mention the customer in your post.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
27. Post something in celebration of a company milestone, birthday, or little-known holiday
There’s a reason why the people who like your Facebook page are called fans. These people really do care about your success and want to be there to celebrate it. Let them in on the celebration by talking about it on your different social networks.
Tip: Who doesn’t love a celebration? Invite your customers to celebrate with you by creating a special offer for them to take advantage of.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
28. Cross-promote your social networks
Have you gotten started on a new social network lately? Sharing content across your social networks is a great way to bring your social media audiences together.
Click the link to our Facebook page and see a new post on the curriculum for this week, focusing on Johannah Jelks! https://t.co/PcByKikVQg pic.twitter.com/uU0WDgwxqx
— SWSG (@SWSG_Tweets) March 1, 2017
Tip: If you’re on Pinterest, you can easily share a link to a board on other social networks like Facebook or Twitter. This is a great way to promote multiple pieces of content at once.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
29. Ask people to join your mailing list
Posting to social media is a great way to keep people up-to-date and build an online community. If you want to reach your audience even more effectively, encourage them to join your mailing list. Be clear about what and how often you send, so they know what they’re signing up for.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
30. Thank your customers for their support
Here’s an easy one — say thanks!
It’s never a bad idea to let your customers know how much they mean to you. Tell them what they mean to you and they’ll show you the same with their continued business.
Recommended networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
There you have it: 30 ideas, 30 ways to reach your audience and build your online community.
If you commit to making it all the way through, you’ll have a lot of information about what your audience likes. You’ll also be able to see how much you can accomplish in just a few minutes a day.
Good luck!
Looking for more marketing tips? Sign up for our newsletter! Our Hints & Tips newsletter delivers our best marketing resources straight to your inbox — twice each month.
According to Econsultancy, only 22 percent of businesses are satisfied with their conversion rate numbers.
Which means the remaining 78 percent of us need to work on our conversion efforts.
One of the major problems that B2B marketers face is a lack of strategy when it comes to both generating leads and nurturing them toward the sale.
You need a sound strategy to attract prospects, gain their trust, and persuade them to make a purchase.
Here are some techniques that can help you improve your current conversion rates and increase revenue for your business.
1. Don’t skimp on customer research
Do you feel like your products or services aren’t resonating with people as well as you’d like?
When was the last time you surveyed your existing customers to hear about what attracted them to your business?
You need to have proper information about your customers’ behavior and interests to help you understand the value they find in your products or services.
Get answers to questions like:
- What are your customers’ biggest needs and challenges?
- What are their hesitations before making a purchase?
- Where do they go for information? Who do they go to when they need advice?
- What value do they expect from businesses they work with?
Remember, your prospective customers have different motivations and are situated at different stages of the funnel. Some may be ready to buy your product or service directly, while others may want to see a product demo first.
Once you get a better feel for your audience and the process they go through before deciding to buy from you, create resources (blog posts, whitepapers, webinars, etc.) for each step of the process.
2. Make your buying process smooth
On average, 69 percent of online shoppers abandon their cart after visiting an e-commerce store.
Shoppers often abandon their carts when obstacles present themselves on your website. A number of things like mandatory login details, slow page load times, too many distracting images and links, etc. are common culprits.
Regularly test your buying process and make efforts to make the process simpler. Making the web experience clean and quick — with just a few steps — can really increase conversion rates.
Try A/B testing the buying process to find the best setup. Here are some things to test:
- Form length – Too many fields can be distracting. Remove a few fields and see how it helps you with conversions.
- Calls to action – CTAs play a major role in decision making. Test a few options to see what works well for you.
- Trust elements – Try adding testimonials to your website. Experiment with different placements on the page to find the best option.
3. Invest in your lead nurturing system
63 percent of people requesting information on your company today will not purchase for at least three months. And a whopping 20 percent will take more than 12 months to buy.
One of the best ways to nurture new leads is to use an automated welcome series. An automated welcome email series ensures that you strike when the iron’s hot and deliver information to new prospects when they’re highly engaged.
Once a new prospect visits your site, get their attention by offering a high-value whitepaper or resource. Encourage them to provide their email address to receive the resource, then follow up with a couple additional marketing emails within the next two weeks.
Automating your lead management is a smart way to keep your leads warm and improve your bottom line without costing you invaluable time and resources.
Learn More: How to Nurture Your Prospects Toward The Sale
4. Develop a system for your team to follow
The lead conversion process needs to have active collaboration between your sales and marketing teams.
If you have multiple team members talking to prospective clients, it’s very important that your prospects are getting a similar experience each step of the way.
Businesses face complex problems; you need to offer solutions that are reliable, trustworthy, and consistent.
Be sure to regularly get feedback from any team members that regularly work with prospects to make sure the process is working smoothly at every stage.
Ready to increase conversion rates at your business?
With a little extra planning, your business can effectively attract new business, keep prospects engaged, and get them to convert.
Follow these four steps and measure your success to see if you can increase client conversion and propel your business with more happy customers.
Looking for more marketing tips? Sign up for our newsletter! Our Hints & Tips newsletter delivers our best marketing resources straight to your inbox — twice each month.
About the author: Sanket Patel is Founder & Director of Blurbpointmedia.com, a digital marketing company. His passion for helping people in all aspects of online marketing flows through in the expert industry coverage he provides. He is an expert in Web marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Affiliate Marketing, B2B Marketing, Online Advertisement of Google, Yahoo and MSN.