Month: January 2017

You have heard it before: don’t put all your traffic eggs in one basket. By diversifying (and not relying on Google), you can grow your audience.

Read the full article at: www.problogger.net

 

Join us on Wednesday, January 18th, for a live Twitter Chat with author, business consultant, and dynamic keynote speaker, Pamela Slim. Pamela will be sharing practical advice about the many things you can do to refresh your approach to running your business… AND get a jump on start making 2017 your best year ever!

Pam will cover topics such as what technologies can significantly change the way you work and where to turn for motivation when you get stuck. Don’t miss this live Twitter event. Join us at: #LoveYourCRM.

 

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At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

Discover why Copyblogger is getting back to basics and how we can all improve our digital marketing and content efforts — together.

Read the full article at: www.copyblogger.com

Impression share may not be the ultimate measure of paid search success, but columnist Jacob Baadsgaard shows how tracking this metric can lead to paid search improvements that can really boost your bottom line.

Read the full article at: searchengineland.com

Running a small business is anything but a small effort. It takes lots of hard work and dedication, and when you have limited resources and staff, you’re often pulled in several directions at once just to close a deal. Instead of spreading yourself too thin, set yourself – and your business – up for success in 2017 with tools that increase productivity and improve efficiency without breaking the bank.

Keep track of everything customer-related

Using a customer relationship management (CRM) tool helps streamline your business and improve the customer’s experience with your company – ultimately leading to more revenue and growth. From initial lead management and customer communication to invoicing and customer payment, a CRM keeps track of where your customers are in the sales and marketing funnel, and helps you stay on top of sales processes at every step.

Stay on top of your numbers

You know it’s essential to keep track of your numbers, especially during tax season. QuickBooks Online manages your accounting needs without the hassle of software licensing on your desktop. One of the best features: you can access your files from anywhere there’s an internet connection, so you never need to worry about forgetting to reconcile your receipts again. It can also integrate with CRM systems, allowing you to view customers’ payment status and history within the tool.

Xero, another online accounting software, is designed specifically for small businesses. With the solution, your bank statements are automatically imported and categorized, letting you see cash flow in real time.

Stay on the same page with day-to-day takes

Project management apps that streamline workflow and centralize communication can give your team the chance to focus on your goals, rather than spending time figuring out what everyone needs to do. Trello is a project management tool that allows you to create boards, lists, and cards for any workflow setup. Create boards, share boards with various staff members, and collaborate using cards on the boards.

Manage documents

In today’s digital age, it’s important for businesses to have file sharing and file backup protection. Dropbox offers affordable plans, you can choose the storage space that best fits your needs and upgrades are available at any time. With free automation tools like IFTTT and Zapier, you can even set email attachments to save to Dropbox, saving time and protecting your files.

PandaDoc can also help with managing and creating files while closing deals faster. With this tool, you can create templates, plug in client-specific information and digitally deliver proposals. Additionally, with PandaDoc’s e-signature functionality, document analytics and in-line comments, prospects can request specific changes to the proposal and execute the contract from their desktop computers or mobile devices.

Email your customers seamlessly

Everyone needs to unplug occasionally, but let’s say you have an email that absolutely needs to go out while you’re on the move. The Boomerang extension for Gmail allows you to schedule emails. You can also set reminders for yourself to follow up on important emails, and keep a cleaner inbox.

When it comes to connecting with customers on a personal level, email is a critical tool for organizations of every size. This is where MailChimp – a free email marketing platform – comes in. Create and manage one or more email marketing lists, keep track of who’s opened your emails, etc. Emails can be personalized and automated, and sent at any time. By integrating MailChimp with your CRM, you can also share contacts and cut repetition while analyzing data to constantly improve your campaigns.

Want more tips for success in 2017? Join our Twitter chat at @InsightlyApp on January 18 at 11:00 a.m. PT.

 

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At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

“If you build it, they will come.” B2B content marketers who believe this mantra do so at their own peril. That line may have worked for Kevin Costner’s character Ray in the Field of Dreams, but such advice can prove dangerous for real-world marketers striving to meet their KPIs.

In the oversaturated digital world that we live in, it’s no longer enough to publish content on your site and expect your target audience to find it. You need to provide browsers with a powerful reason to stop what they’re doing and read, watch or listen to your content.

B2B Content Marketing is on the Rise, but with Varying Degrees of Success

While 93% of B2B marketers used content marketing last year, according to the Content Marketing Institute, only 48% said they felt successful in their efforts. These staggering figures show that while the vast majority of B2B brands have embraced content marketing over traditional advertising methods they are struggling to reap the benefits of this approach.

There are several reasons why B2B businesses struggle to see results from their content marketing efforts, but arguably the two most impactful are failing to make effective use of social media and not developing a sustainable keyword strategy. Read on to learn time-tested methods that you can implement today to start driving qualified traffic to your B2B site.

Use Social Media as Your Megaphone

Social media is an unparalleled content promotion tool that can drive quality traffic and leads to your B2B site. The best part? If you develop a social media strategy centred on directing organic traffic to your site you can do so at no additional cost to your business.

When marketing on social media it’s important to follow the four R’s. The four R’s are all about getting the right message, in front of the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

Avoid making easily preventable mistakes such as posting on platforms your audience doesn’t use or publishing in the wrong time zones for your audience by doing the proper research on your ideal customer. Then, once you’re fully equipped with this data, you can feel confident that your posts will be seen and you can watch the traffic roll in.  

Recommended actions:

• Develop a detailed buyer persona for your target customer(s) that you can use to tailor your social media strategy.
• For every new piece of content you create, write 5-10 different social media posts to share on your social media feeds that link back to your content on your site.
• Keep posts fresh and varied by writing posts with multiple headlines. Also try sharing interesting statistics or quotes from your content and adapting any written content into unique branded visuals or infographics.

If you’re stuck for ideas on how to make your B2B content more engaging, then read this great post on that subject from Expert Market.

Make Traffic Rain with a Keyword Strategy

It takes 29% of marketers in the United States and Canada at least two to three hours to write a blog post for their brand according to new data. That’s a lot of time, especially if you’re writing posts every week.

For such a large investment of time and energy, it’s surprising how few B2B brands develop a sustainable SEO keyword strategy to help people find their content on search engines.

When done right, a good keyword strategy can send hundreds of visitors to your blog posts for free. The great thing about this approach compared to other types of traffic generation activities is that it is sustainable.

Unlike on social media where the lifespan of a post ranges from a few seconds to a few days on average, the strategic use of keywords can land your blog post onto the first page of Google and generate traffic for months at a time.

Despite common myths around search engine optimization, you don’t need to be a SEO wizard to rank on page one of Google. If you focus your efforts on targeting niche keywords that are relevant to your business instead of generic, highly competitive terms then you are far more likely to reap the results of your SEO efforts.

Meet Anne, A B2B Content Marketer

Imagine Anne, a marketer in your team, decides to write a piece on “famous entrepreneurs.” Anne has done her homework and come up with a list of amazing entrepreneurs that she wants to profile. A little digging would find that there are 4.3k-6.5k Americans that search for this term every month.

Good, right?

Not necessarily.

Focusing on the keyword “famous entrepreneurs” means taking on internet giants like Inc.com, Wikipedia, and Forbes who have previously written on this exact subject, as well taking on niche sites dedicated exclusively to profiling famous entrepreneurs. Ranking for “famous entrepreneurs” could prove really difficult, especially if Anne works for a young B2B brand.

A more strategic approach would be for Anne to write on a topic that is related to “famous entrepreneurs”, but is more specific such as “famous black entrepreneurs.” With 100-200 Americans searching for this term each month, there’s a clear appetite for blog posts that share inspirational stories about successful black entrepreneurs. Moreover, since none of the major media sites have written on this subject previously, there’s a good chance that you could snag a page one spot in the search engine results.

On average, 33% of all traffic for a search term goes to whoever is in top spot in the SERPs, which means that aiming to rank number one for a niche keyword will prove far more valuable for brands then being on page eight for a keyword with a greater search volume.

Recommended actions:

• When planning your content calendar for the next quarter, dedicate at least 15-20 minutes to conducting basic keyword research around each of your blog post title ideas.

• Use tools like Moz Keyword Explorer and Google’s Keyword Planner to find angles or topics that haven’t been covered before but are related to your initial idea to increase your chances of bringing in traffic from search engines.

Creating original, enticing content that real people want to read while meeting your marketing objectives is what any industry expert would call a SEO win-win. For help optimizing your blog posts for Google, check out this great post from Yoast on how to write awesome, SEO-friendly content.

 

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At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

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Karla is a content and social media marketer at Expert Market within their London office. Karla is passionate about helping small businesses grow through content marketing and strategic planning, having founded her own marketing consultancy prior to joining Expert Market which serviced start-ups worldwide.

Likes on social media are great, but what we’re all ultimately after is more customers.

Read the full article at: www.inc.com

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Welcome to Turn It Up Tuesday, where we bring you 4 weekly tips—a tip on running your business, a tip on using Insightly CRM, a tip on improving your sales, and a tip on improving your life. Enjoy this week’s tips!

 

	Take Your To-do List With You
	It’s easy to get stuff done while seated at your desk. Emails, voicemails, and proposals are just a few of the many things you deal with while in the office. But, what about when you’re on the go? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a presorted list of things that require your attention – but don’t require the full office environment? Whether waiting for your car to get new tires or standing in line at the BMV, there always seem to be moments when you could squeeze out a bit more productivity. Insightly can help you achieve this goal of enhanced non-desk output. To get started, follow these steps: Download the Insightly smartphone app here and open it. Tap on the “Tasks” option from the app’s menu to view all of your pending to-dos. (If you’ve never created an Insightly task, there’s never a better moment than now!) For additional filtering, consider setting up an Insightly “Project” called “Away” or “Brainstorm.” Link your new project to tasks that could be completed outside the office. (Note: Tasks can be linked to more than one project.) Now, any time you’re on the go, you have access to a list of to-dos that can easily become “to-done.” Important Note: Obviously, distracted driving is never a good idea. Wait until you get to the BMV before using this feature.
	Get More Involved with Blogging
	Your marketing manager is always pestering you to get more involved in the company’s content production. Like anything else, you’re a busy person and have little room for new projects. As has been well documented, blogging is a very effective way to generate traffic to your organization’s website. Search engines love it when you provide helpful, engaging information online. And, unlike paid advertising, a single article can generate leads for years after it has been published. So, how can you get more involved with blogging – without draining too much of your time? Here are a few ideas: Look in your “sent” email box for customer exchanges that could be repurposed into articles. When talking to satisfied clients, ask if they would let your marketing team do a brief interview. Record voice notes while on the go and forward them to your marketing manager for transcription and further cultivation. If you use a support ticketing system, look for common questions and answers to reuse. Forward sales and support documentation to your marketing team to spin into lead-generating content. Ask your vendors or other industry partners if they would like to submit articles. As you can see, in many cases, you won’t even have to do the writing yourself. Your staff is simply looking for help to get the ball rolling. Take a more proactive role in your company’s content marketing today – and reap the benefits in the future!
	Boost Your Motivation with Small Victories
	We’ve all been there. It’s Tuesday, and you’re not feeling much more motivated than you did on Monday. Despite your best efforts, nothing on your to-do list seems to really stand out as particularly interesting. What should you do? On days like this, it can sometimes help to look for small victories. For example, let’s say you really need to get started on a big presentation. It’s due by the close of business, but you just can’t get moving on it. Rather than staring at a blank presentation deck for thirty minutes, put the project aside and find something “bite-sized” to do. Examples on your task list might include: Sending an invoice Answering a customer’s email Pulling a report from Insightly Following up with a colleague on a project’s status Reviewing the day’s new leads Finishing your expense report By checking a few easy things off your list, you might get the momentum you need to tackle a much more complex project.
	Automate Your Sales Teams Monthly Tasks
	Effective sales reps do whatever it takes to make the deal happen. For this reason, many business owners give their sales teams significant latitude in defining their own work schedules. There’s nothing wrong with providing a flexible work environment. However, you also have to ensure basic responsibilities are being met. As a business owner, how can you strike this balance? Using recurring tasks can be a nonintrusive way to remind sales staff of their ongoing duties. Here are a few common examples you might enable for you sales staff: Turn in Expense Reports – Sales reps do more traveling than most employees. As a result, your accounting department may exert considerable effort simply reminding sales staff to submit timely expense reports. Automate this process by assigning a monthly reminder for each rep. Confirm Revenue Projections & Probability – Your forecast is only as good as your pipeline’s accuracy. Expected revenue is typically based on opportunity value and probability, so having your sales reps regularly confirm data integrity can be worthwhile. Circle Back to Stale Clients – Deals go cold for a variety of reasons. Some are no longer interested, but others might just be playing hard to get. Set a task so that your team allocates adequate time to stale opportunities. Do Outbound Cold Calling – If your organization does cold calling, it’s wise to prompt your reps to make time for it. The natural tendency is to focus on “hot leads” rather than sludge through a list of hang ups and rejections. A friendly reminder can ease this tension.

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Would you like to share your tips with Insightly customers? Send them to us! If we use one in our weekly feature we’ll send you a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or send us an email.

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About the author: Matt Keener is a marketing consultant and President of Keener Marketing Solutions, LLC. Matt specializes in content marketing and strategic planning, having helped numerous Saas (software as a service) companies and other small businesses worldwide. Read more of Matt’s work, check out his book, or connect with him on Linkedin.