THAT AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING FRAMEWORK

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1 FREE COURSE websites THAT A RESOURCE AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING FRAMEWORK

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3 INTRODUCTION websites THAT Whether you own a small business, lead a nonprofit organization, or you're in charge of marketing for your company, this course is designed to show you the most important steps to take to improve your website and digital marketing. Over the years, I've had many clients ask me what they should be doing to promote their business or organization online. They ask me questions like: How should I use Facebook and other Social Media for my business? How do I get on the first page of Google searches? What's the best way to communicate what we do on our website? I have multiple audiences on my site, what's the best way to reach and communicate with each of them? Should I be sending newsletters to clients or prospective clients? There's so much noise out there about SEO and marketing that it can be overwhelming. So, in 9 short sessions, we ll break down the most important strategies to implement on your website and in your digital marketing. The first 3 sessions focus on understanding your audience and adding essential homepage elements. The next 3 sessions explain how to establish your local online credibility, and the final 3 sessions are an introduction to implementing effective digital marketing. I hope this course brings you more business and gives you a path to follow for your website and digital marketing. Joel Eschenbach NOTION Design Group

4 INTRODUCTION Websites That Work, Apply The Marketing Framework CUSTOMER CONTENT CREDIBILITY COMMUNICATION Understand Your Audience Focus on Your Website First Reduce Risk and Get Reviews Setup Social and SEO Strategy The Marketing Megaphone represents 4 key focus areas that will be our framework for discussing the most important marketing strategies and how to implement them. CUSTOMER: Understand Your Audience CONTENT: Focus on Your Website First CREDIBILITY: Reduce Risk and Get Reviews COMMUNICATION: Setup A Social Media & SEO Strategy Here s the problem Almost everyone will tell you to start with #4. SEO experts will harp about how it doesn t matter what your website looks like or says if no one can find it. But, I would argue that you ve got to start with #1! A million people could visit your site, but if they can t figure out what you do and how your product or service will benefit them, or you don t give them an easy way to do business with you, they ll leave. Get your messaging and website right first before you drive traffic there. So, the first step is to go back to your website and review it through your potential customers eyes.

5 1 CUSTOMER CONTENT CREDIBILITY COMMUNICATION Understand Your Audience Focus on Your Website First Reduce Risk and Get Reviews Setup Social and SEO Strategy 1 CUSTOMER Understand Your Audience

6 INTRODUCTION SESSION 1 Websites That Work, Understand Their Audience. Summary & Main Point: The 3 things every potential customer is looking for before they ll do business with you: 1. A GUIDE to help them 2. A SOLUTION to their problem 3. A PLAN to follow Every hero needs a guide, but so many businesses and nonprofits immediately establish themselves as the hero of the story.

7 Key Takeaways: SESSION 1 A GUIDE The customer that comes to your website or considers working with your business or nonprofit, is the hero of the story. They don t want to work with another hero, they re looking for a guide. In your website and marketing content, position yourself and your organization as the guide that can solve your customer s problems and help them complete their journey. A SOLUTION Every hero comes to a guide looking for help and a solution to their external and internal problems. They have a problem of some sort that has disrupted their life. Most companies focus on solving the external problem only, when many times there s also an internal problem that needs to be solved. If you can offer a solution to the internal problem, then the hero (your potential customer) is much more likely to hire you. A PLAN After your potential customer sees you as a guide, and you ve told them that you re going to solve their external and internal problems, you need to give them a little bit of information of HOW you re going to solve their problems and make their life better with a plan. Action Steps: Review your website and marketing content to see if your presenting yourself as the hero instead of the guide. Consider starting with how you can help your customer before establishing your authority/credibility. Session Resources: Buy and Read the book, Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller. You probably already know your customers External Problems, so brainstorm and write down 2-3 Internal Problems your customer might be facing. Think through the plan that you want your potential customer to follow. We will discuss this further in The Process section in Session 2.

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9 CUSTOMER CONTENT CREDIBILITY COMMUNICATION Understand Your Audience Focus on Your Website First Reduce Risk and Get Reviews Setup Social and SEO Strategy 2 CONTENT Focus on Your Website First

10 SESSION 2 Websites That Work, Have An Effective Homepage. Summary & Main Point: You've only got 7 seconds to get the attention of a website visitor. Make sure your homepage includes these 3 essential elements: 1. Simple Homepage Headline 2. Your Process 3. Call-to-Action If what you do isn t crystal clear on your website, people move on and you could miss a potential sale.

11 Key Takeaways: SESSION 2 1. Simple Homepage Headline Get right to the point. State exactly what you do in simple language at the top of your website s homepage. Write one short headline and a sub headline, 10 WORDS or LESS. State exactly what you do in simple, easy-to-understand language. Solve an external and internal problem. If possible, position yourself as the guide. 2. Your Process Give potential customers a snapshot of exactly how you plan to help them. It goes a long way to reduce the risk before they choose to work with you. You already have a plan or process whether you realize it or not. Just simplify it and add it to your homepage. This can be done a number of ways, but it s usually best as a simple 3-5 step overview of your process or plan. 3. Call-to-Action Place an easy to understand Call-To-Action button in multiple places on your website. Preferably in the upper right corner. Get creative, don t just say contact us. Think through what you want the visitor to do. Do you want them to fill out a contact form, call you, etc. If you want them to call, offer a free consultation or say take the next steps, or get started. Action Steps: Review your homepage to see if you are making use of all 3 of these elements. Re-write your Homepage Headline to state what you do in simple language and solve an internal problem. Session Resources: Buy and Read the book, Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller. Ask someone who knows nothing about your business or nonprofit to glance at your website for 7 seconds and see if they can explain what you do right away. Write your process as 3-4 simple steps and add it to your homepage.

12 SESSION 3 Websites That Work, Appeal to Each DISC Personality. Summary & Main Point: DISC is a personality model with 4 primary descriptors: Dominant, Inspiring, Supportive and Cautious. All 4 types of personalities are visiting your website so consider implementing elements and features that appeal to each. Setup your website to appeal to the 4 major DISC personality types.

13 Key Takeaways: Helpful features for a D personality type: Simple homepage headline Call-to-action Pricing Pertinent information Helpful features for a I personality type: Testimonials Reviews Brag Bar Stories Connect with internal/external problems Helpful features for a S personality type: Reviews FAQs Guide Resources Chat Helpful features for a C personality type: FAQs Resources Plan / Process As much info as possible Guarantees SESSION 3 Session Resources: Learn more about Empowering Small Business, Dave Kauffman, or you can buy his book here: Take the DISC Assessment here: Action Steps: Review your website to see which of the above features/elements you ve included. Determine if your business or nonprofit appeals to one DISC personality type more than another. If so, add the applicable features/elements to your site. Take the DISC assessment to see what your own personality profile/behavioral style is.

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15 CUSTOMER CONTENT CREDIBILITY COMMUNICATION Understand Your Audience Focus on Your Website First Reduce Risk and Get Reviews Setup Social and SEO Strategy 3 CREDIBILITY Reduce Risk and Get Reviews

16 SESSION 4 Websites That Work, Display Positive, Public Reviews. Summary & Main Point: 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family! Getting reviews is probably one of the most important and effective ways to reduce the risk for potential clients and a huge step in getting more business and more leads. 93% of people now read online reviews, Google ranks businesses with reviews higher, and potential customers love reviews.

17 Key Takeaways: SESSION 4 Review Statistics 93% of consumers now read online reviews vs. 88% in % trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, vs. 83% in Unhappy customers tell 24 people about their experience; happy ones tell 15 people. 90% of typical U.S. consumers read online reviews; 6% write them. 3 Reasons Customers Don t Write Reviews: 1. Writing reviews is too tedious and complicated, so make the process easier. 2. I never even thought about it, so ask for reviews. 3. I forgot to write the review, so regularly remind customers to write reviews. Buy The Review Funnel The Review Management Platform makes getting reviews simple and easy for only $65/mo. (with a 10-Day Free Trial) by using the discount code: 65MONTH Session Resources: Claim Your Google My Business Listing Claim and setup your Google My Business page by going to: Try The Review Funnel Software If you re interested, go to to learn more about the Review Funnel software, see a demo, and sign up if you're interested. Use the discount code: 65MONTH Get A FREE Review Scan Get a FREE review scan here: Action Steps: Get a completely FREE Review Scan to see how your business is doing on local review sites. Ask your satisfied customers to leave a review on Google and/or Facebook. OR Try the Review Funnel for a month to easily get more public, positive reviews.

18 SESSION 5 Websites That Work, Eliminate Your Customer s Risk. Summary & Main Point: Selling your product or service is all about eliminating the risk. Whether we're hiring a lawn service or purchasing a new dishwasher, we all want to be sure that we're getting the best return on our investment. The fact is, we are more likely to buy or even donate to a cause when there s less perceived risk. You can provide the best service in town or have the most quality product in your market space, but it s all for nothing if your potential buyers have any doubts. Doubt creates hesitation. Hesitation kills sales.

19 Key Takeaways: SESSION 5 1. Reduce perceived risk by offering a risk-eliminating guarantee A guarantee can simply be an honest promise about your product or service that you can stand behind. The only time you really run a risk of getting ripped off is when you offer low quality products. Offer great products and service, and your results will speak for themselves. NONPROFITS: Consider running a donation campaign where you can "guarantee" exactly where your donor's money will go. OR Offer a simple guarantee about a benefit that will be provided if a specific financial goal is reached. 2. Show off your badges, certifications, and seals People are more likely to make a purchase from a website or hire your company if they have both high levels of trust and low levels of perceived risk. Displaying security seals, trust badges, and certifications are yet another way to reduce the perceived risk. Action Steps: Check out the following guarantee ideas and create a risk-reducing guarantee for your organization: Determine what badges, seals, or certifications can be added to your website, find the correct image files, and post them on your website with a link to the associated website. Watch the Session 5 Case Study. Then, put yourself in the shoes of your customer and search for your service, product, or nonprofit via a Google search to determine the path that potential customers might take to find you online.

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21 1 2 3 CUSTOMER CONTENT CREDIBILITY 4 COMMUNICATION Understand Your Audience Focus on Your Website First Reduce Risk and Get Reviews Setup Social and SEO Strategy 4 COMMUNICATION Setup Social and SEO Strategy

22 SESSION 6 Websites That Work, Show Up In Local Google Searches. Summary & Main Point: Search Engine Optimization is not an exact science! It changes all the time as Google algorithms change and there s not a one size fits all approach. Every industry, town, and market is different. However, there s a few major things to implement that make a huge difference. Showing up in local Google searches and in Google Map results is essential for local small businesses & nonprofits.

23 Key Takeaways: SESSION 6 1. Add Page Titles & Meta Descriptions Write titles and descriptions as mini ads for each page that are concise, relevant, and in easy-to-understand language. Rather than stuffing them with keywords or key-phrases, include 1 or 2 keywords or phrases for that particular page in the title and description. 2. Add Schema Schema is a framework for formatting your website content that produces the most effective search results. Schema can be implemented on most websites (such as WordPress and Joomla) using a 3rd party plugin or component. 3. Update Citations If you are a local business with a physical address and want to be found in Google Maps and local search results, then it s very important to make sure your information is submitted correctly to the most popular and most used directories and aggregators. Aggregators supply information to major search engines and have built massive business databases from valuable listing sources. Google uses these citations to help establish your local online authority. Session Resources: Review Your Website s Titles & Descriptions View every Page Title and Meta Description on your website by typing site:yourdomainhere into your web browser address bar. SERP Preview Tool This tool shows you how your titles and descriptions will display in search results and how many characters are allowed in each: Schema Testing Test to see if your website has Schema here: search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool Action Steps: Review your website s Page Titles & Meta Descriptions to be sure they are written well and include the relevant keywords for each page. Test your website to see if you have Schema. If not, implement it using a 3rd party component or contact us for help. Google your business name with the city your business is in. If you see variances, then your citation is not consistent.

24 SESSION 7 Websites That Work, Use Social Media Effectively. Summary & Main Point: For most small businesses and nonprofits, Facebook is the first choice because of it s overwhelming reach and impressive targeting capabilities. Time and resources for every small business is limited. If you have to choose one channel, choose Facebook hands down. Your business' Social Media presence should be more than just an afterthought. Post effective, high-value content that offers solutions to your customer's problems or educates them on things that they care about.

25 Key Takeaways: SESSION 7 What Should You Post? FOLLOW COMPETITORS: Look at competitors or similar industries and see what they have success with. HIGH VALUE CONTENT: Think about ways you can be the guide and share information that helps people or solves a problem. If you have an FAQ page on your website, consider turning some of those questions into helpful Facebook posts. BLOG POSTS: Do you have a blog? Do you push every blog out to your social channels? This reinforces your blog and adds social signals which benefit your SEO. VIDEOS & IMAGES: Facebook Live, video is king, images are crucial. HAVE A PLAN: Think through your content ahead of time and setup a monthly content calendar spreadsheet. Schedule posts ahead of time. Repost content in different ways. Setup Your Facebook Page Completely Complete Your Page s Profile Get Facebook Verified Add Call-to-Action Button Respond Quickly Know Your Numbers Reporting Tools: Every social channel has reporting and there are many tools that can automate this process for you. Reach & Engagement: Keep track of your numbers on a weekly or monthly basis to see if you re improving. If not, change your content and try different approaches. Setup conversions in Analytics: Setup Goals in Google Analytics to track leads and successes. Action Steps: Research and follow your top 3 competitors on Social Media. Pay attention to what channels they use and what content they post. Follow the Key Takeaways above and implement them as thoroughly as possible. Session Resources: 4 Google Analytics Goal Types That Are Critical To Your Business: critical-goal-types/

26 SESSION 8 Websites That Work, Maximize Your Digital Advertising. Summary & Main Point: If you have any size advertising budget, Facebook and Google Ads can be extremely effective for bringing in new business or raising awareness for your brand, but make sure your website is setup correctly first. Paid traffic provides the best placement in Google search results and in Facebook news feeds.

27 Key Takeaways: SESSION 8 1. Decide on a Channel: Facebook vs. Google What Is Your Budget? It s easier to decide on a channel once you determine your budget. What is the goal? Google is ideal for direct purchases or services, Facebook is better suited for affordable products, brand awareness, and generating leads. What is the intent of buyer? If your potential customer is more likely to do a direct Google search to find your product or service, then Google is the way to go. If you want to reach a wider audience that might not even know about you, then Facebook puts that information directly in front of them without them having to search for it. 2. Set Up Conversion Tracking Set up your website to measure conversions: Lead people back to your website so you can track conversions. Create Analytics Goals and Call Tracking: Set up Goals in Google Analytics to track leads and successes. Call Tracking is also an effective way to track leads that come from ads. Calculate your ROI: Determine your cost per lead or cost per sale. This is referred to as your Lead Acquisition Cost. 3. Set Up Conversion Tracking One-time Setup: Retargeting just requires adding a snippet of code (or pixel) to your website one-time that can be used indefinitely. Define Audiences: Setup a custom audience in Facebook or Google based upon visitors to your website or a whole host of other factors. Display Advertising: Display ads, also known as banner ads, are a form of pay-per-click advertising. They can come in the form of a banner, but have a variety of sizes. Session Resources: Action Steps: If you haven t already, setup Google Analytics Goals on your website. Setup your Facebook Pixel and install it on your website. Run a campaign or contact us for assistance. 4 Google Analytics Goal Types That Are Critical To Your Business: critical-goal-types/ Recommended Call Tracking: or contact us for better pricing.

28 SESSION 9 Websites That Work, Use To Reach Customers. Summary & Main Point: More things are sold via than any other method, including Google or Social Media. is the best way to get a message directly to someone. marketing is not dead, it s still the number one way to sell products, promote events, and build an audience online.

29 Key Takeaways: 5 Tips to Improve Your s: SESSION 9 1. Use Plain Text: People are much more likely to read plain text s. 2. Keep it Short: Keep text to 200 words or less. 3. Break up Paragraphs: Break up your paragraphs into 1-3 sentences. 4. Offer a Call-to-Action: Can be a link, button, or P.S. 5. Use Conversational Language: is very personal, keep it that way. 4 Effective Campaign Types: Free Content Campaign Offer something for free in exchange for a potential customer s address, then followup with a series of automated s. Post-Purchase Campaign Educate or inform your customers immediately after they ve purchased your product or have attended an event. Educational Campaign Targeted to existing clients, this campaign educates them about services you offer or a subject matter that you have an expertise in. Pre-Event Campaign Send a series of automated s leading up to an major event or product launch date. 3 Common Myths: 1. People will think my s are spam! There s always going to be someone that thinks your s are SPAM, let them unsubscribe. Deliver valuable content and people will stay. 2. It s a bad thing when people unsubscribe. Don t worry about unsubscribes, they narrow down your list to an accurate audience. 3. I shouldn t send s very often. People get s all the time, so if you only show up in their inbox every once in a while, you ll get lost. People buy when they are ready to buy, not necessarily when you're ready to sell. 2 Platforms: 1. MailChimp: It s free for the longest amount of time, offers every feature you need, and it integrates with everything. 2. Active Campaign: It has a really easy interface for design and automated sequences/sales funnels, and it s also a pretty good CRM too. 1 Content Creation Strategy: Come up with 5 subjects that will educate and add value to your audience. Write words on each subject. Break those 5 subjects up into 10 different s. Edit & Repurpose that content in different ways. If you re not a writer, hire a copywriter. Action Steps: The most important step with this and any other subject in the past 9 sessions is to GET STARTED!

30 A RESOURCE Thanks! Thanks for taking the time to go through this course. We hope that the content we ve provided will give you a jumpstart on your marketing and will help you continue to have a Website That Works for your business or nonprofit! If you have any questions, suggestions, or need help with anything we ve gone over, feel free to contact us. DESIGN GROUP