Searchers
Searchers find you because search engines love fresh content. Search engine optimization does not produce fresh content.
The 40% of companies that blog are getting 97% more search engine juice and 73% more leads than those that don’t. Companies producing little ongoing content continue to sell fewer services.
Researchers
50% of leads aren’t ready to buy your service yet. Keep them interested with frequent updates.
Local experts establish credibility by engaging them several times per month with fresh, original content – branded effectively and coupled with lead capture forms. Many businesses push out content as little as once per quarter, and rely on bare claims of expertise.
Visitors
With most visitors, you need to demonstrate tangible differentiators in 8 seconds or less.
Even if your industry is made up of lots of similar businesses, specific market differentiators triumph over fluff. Many businesses operate as if technology and sales pitch motivates prospects, when in fact it de-motivates.
Followers
Followers refer your business to others, using the tools they’re already in all day.
Social media is the most important resource for locating business referrals. Companies that participate in the social web have increased by 75%. Businesses that are integrated with social media get the leads, businesses that are isolated don’t. Repeat Clients (fans) will often refer others by social sharing.
THE DILEMMA: Your Content Strategy
Only a tiny fraction of businesses get most of the leads. The rest ignore these lead types & don’t recoup their investment. In other words, by not segmenting your marketing strategy by the types of leads you’re targeting, you shoot like a shotgun blast at everyone and hit nothing.
| For Re/Searchers: | For Visitors: | For Followers: |
| Consistently Produce Original Content | Differentiate from Competition | Connect with the Social Web |
THE WHY: Trial & Error
The frustrating solutions that you’ve tried that don’t work, are usually due to them being a) gimmicks, b) random/haphazard, and c) build it and hope. In short, they’re your best guess of what might help you reach your audience, but they aren’t strategic enough to turn a guess into a safe bet. You’re all over the map, doing seemingly random things to grow your business, and it’s built on a mountain of fluff and hypothesis. Where do you really need to put your effort?
THE SO WHAT: You Can Do it Differently
If you plan an invasion with achievable goals, an exit strategy, and a clear definition of victory (not just ‘hopefully more clients’), you can and will succeed. Maybe not *every* initiative will do the trick, but more often than not, they will. Strategy isn’t kneejerk – it isn’t more meetings around the conference table, and more ‘input’. Those things can hamper your marketing more than help. Digital marketing strategy is a *process* of turning business goals into actionable marketing steps you can implement and measurable tests for success. So think about your audience, segment it, and strategize to reach it effectively.
MadPipe focuses on what works to grow your business & sustain your reputation, not gimmicks that hurt you in the long run. As your brand partner & marketing consultant, Madpipe speaks plain English, not jargon. We say what we really think, even if you take your business elsewhere. Discouraged? Don’t be. Contact MadPipe to start making your efforts pay off.
