BEFORE YOU HIT ‘SEND’… 13 STEPS TO EMAILS THAT DON’T SUCK

On the surface, email marketing seems straightforward. Mainly because the people on your list have asked to receive your messages. (You are using an opt-in list, right ? I hope so.)  You have the privilege of interacting with a person in the relatively intimate setting of the recipient’s inbox. It may seem that all you need to do is create a compelling message. However, there are multiple parts in the process of sending an effective email to your audience that won’t get ‘unsubscribed’ immediately. Here’s a checklist to follow.

Entrepreneur, January 2015. Article by Ann Handley

1. SPEND AS MUCH TIME ON THE SUBJECT LINE AS ON THE BODY OF THE EMAIL
The subject line is to the email what the headline is to an article or blog post. The most enticing offer isn’t going to do you a smidge of good if no one opens the email.  The few words in the subject line are the most important words in the message. “The best subject lines use a mix of clear value to the recipient – concise language that’s not too dull or too clever, and an impetus to act,” says Hunter Boyle of AWeber. “What can you say that grabs their interest in mere seconds?”
It helps to think of a problem that your offer or email resolves, then craft the subject line around that. The key to any good content is this: Make it specific enough to be relevant, but universal enough to be relatable.

2.  KEEP IT BRIEF
Emails with subject lines of six to ten words have the highest open rates, yet most of those sent by marketers have subject lines of 11 to 15 words.
“All of us need to challenge ourselves to be brief and pack more power into fewer words,” Boyle says.

3. MAKE IT SMART-PHONE FRIENDLY
Don’t do anything that might render in a strange way on a small screen. The key here is that whatever email provider you use should rely on responsive design .

4. USE SUBHEADLINES
The seven to 10 words in a preview pane at the top of an HTML email are what the recipient will likely see first. Make sure you tailor the language of this subhead to expand on the subject line or explain it a bit further. Use copy here to support your compelling subject line.” says Boyle.

5. BE A REAL PERSON
Write with a point of view-from an actual person to an actual person. I don’t mean this literally: The ‘from’ line might still be your company’s name, but the content should feel as if it comes from a human being,  speaking in the first person (using “I” or “we” and addressing the recipient as “you”), with natural-sounding language.

6. SPECIFY A CALL TO ACTION
Make it as specific as you can-and say it twice within the email body. So instead of a generic “get in touch,” try “get a free 15 minute consult” or “grab your own copy”.
I like how Joanna Wiebe of Victoria, British Columbia-based Copy Hackers described this approach during the Authority Intensive event last year in Denver: “Don”t amplify the act of proceeding, amplify the value of it.”

7. USE COMPELLING IMAGES
Avoid boring, impersonal stock images in favor of unique ones that don’t look like they could appear anywhere else-including a competitor’s newsletter. Sources for stock images that don’t suck include Mountain View, Calif. -based Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that enables digital sharing through free (and Legal!) tools . It’s search function is from numerous free sources-including Flickr, Google Images, and Pixabay-all in one place.
Other image sources: Compfight, Dreamstime, Photo Pin, Freeimages, Public Domain Pictures, Fotolia, Ancestry Images (old and antique prints, maps and portraits) and MorgueFile (gratis if you give credit to the photographer)
In all cases make sure you read the fine print, because there are some restrictions on commercial use.

8. OR USE ANIMATED IMAGES OR A THUMBNAIL/VIDEO LINK
If a picture is worth a thousand words, animated images or videos are even more valuable. You can embed a static thumbnail video image in an email that links to a video on a landing page, or you could create an animated GIF and embed it directly into the email. Various tools allow you to create GIFs-GIFMaker.me, MakeGIF. com – while GIFDeck allows you to turn a SlideShare into a cool, embeddable GIF that’s more compelling than a static page.

9. INCLUDE A P.S.
A post script after the main body can restate an offer, create a sense of urgency or add a bonus. Additionally, a P.S. is a chance to underscore your human, personal approach.
Boyle says, “since the P.S. is the end of the line, use it as a call to action that supports your primary offer rather than introducing an entirely new one. This way , people who skim and scroll right to the bottom still know what the big deal is-and they can act on it. ”

10. INCLUDE FEEDBACK AND FORWARD MECHANISMS
Give your subscribers a way to share the email as well as get in touch-via share, forward-to-a-friend, blog comments, or simple reply.

11. BE SURE YOUR AREN’T TALKING ABOVE YOUR AUDIENCE
Some email providers include a grading or assessment option. You could also use a service such as The Readability Test Tool (read-able.com) which provides document -readability statistics, such as the grade level at which it’s written and how many passive sentiences it contains.

12. VERIFY YOUR LINKS
Click them to be sure they work and go where you want them to.

13. BEFORE PULLING THE TRIGGER, SEND IT TO YOURSELF
The marketing cliche’ “Always be testing” isn’t just for conversion optimization-“it’s a must for your email process”, Boyle says. “We all make mistakes, but having an experienced set of eyes proofreading every send makes a huge difference. Minimizing typos and , even worse, those dreaded ‘oops’ emails, builds confidence in your brand, so make the time!”

NEED ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR COMPANY’S EMAIL MARKETING OR WEBSITE DESIGN?
Creative Instinct can help! Contact gwen@creativeinstinct.biz. Visit our website at www.creativeinstinct.biz.

(Ann Handley’s bestselling new book is Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide To Creating Ridiculously Good Content. @marketingprofs

10 MOST OVERUSED FONTS THAT CAN DAMAGE YOUR BRAND

The lack of brand discipline is something we notice often when we work with small businesses. It can be very damaging. Exposure of a consistent brand is essential to building name recognition. To achieve it, companies need image guidelines that all of their employees follow; these must include a company font to be used on all communications, presentations, etc. That font will speak to your brand forever. To make sure it has strength, here are 10 fonts to avoid at all costs:

1. Comic Sans

No one is surprised that this is No. 1. Comic Sans may have been cute and playful once upon a time, but everyone and their mother has used it for homemade signs and logos, so avoid it like the plague. It should never be used in corporate settings.

2. Papyrus

You might think this has a “natural, beachy” feel, but it doesn’t. That has been worn off with overuse. It now appears stale and used up.

3. Copperplate

You think it’s strong and professional, and it’s just perfect for your law firm/accounting agency/serious business. If you want to look like everyone else in your industry, have at it.

4. Curlz

Going for the cute and perky look is not a bad thing for certain industries, but doing it with the same font ad nauseam does nothing but destroy your uniqueness.

5. Mistral

This one saddens me because, once upon a time, it was stunning and fresh. Sadly, like all of the other fonts listed, it has been beaten to death. Don’t be tempted; Mistral is like John Mayer—once deeply attractive but now totally overexposed. Keep looking.

6. Yearbook

Unless you are working at an athletic department circa 1945, run for the hills. Not every single high school on the planet has to use the same font.

7. Brush Script

Like Mistral, many think Brush Script has just the right amount of pizzazz; it doesn’t. At best, it was a pale imitation of Mistral.

8. Bradley Hand

With all of the “hand drawn”-looking fonts, I don’t understand why we’ve settled on employing only a few of them. Sadly, Bradley Hand has become Generic Hand.

9. Cooper

I am sure this was the coolest font ever, in 1970 or 1920 (when it was designed by Oswald Bruce Cooper). But it isn’t cool and edgy now anymore.

10. Kristen

This font may be cute for school posters and youth events, but no font is effective for branding when it’s as beaten to death as this one.

It may seem like I’m making a big deal out of something small, but for branding just as for everything else, the devil is in the details. Logos cost money because good designers don’t just rely on fonts to create an image that will speak to your brand and stick with your customer. No matter how cool the latest (or oldest) font may be, it’s totally uncool for your brand to use tired imagery.

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Need help with your branding? Call on us!

When you create a powerful business brand, you’ll attract the clients, projects, and referrals that you want. Deliver your branding message consistently, and your reward will be consistent profit growth. Let Gwen Canfield with Creative Instinct guide you through the process. We promise, it will be painless.

To see logos we’ve designed for other small and mid size companies, click here.

Call Creative Instinct now at 501-244-0573 for a free quote on branding for your business, including: logo design, brochure design, website design and much more. Or, send an email to Gwen at gwen@creativeinstinct.biz. To see samples of our work, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz.

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This article is an edited excerpt from Ragan’s PR Daily. Written by Amy Tobin.
Link to original article:  http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/28b25e07-44f5-4496-a3cf-0bb5c04326ae.aspx#

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WHAT COMES NEXT? SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS

Article by Ryan Holmes

When your mom friended you on on Facebook, you wondered if social media was going mainstream. When your grandmother did, you knew it was.

Today, teens, parents and grandparents alike are on social media and the numbers back it up: 72 percent of all adult internet users in the U.S. are active on at least one social network, a remarkable surge from just 8 percent in 2005.

Since founding social media company HootSuite five years ago, I’ve been lucky to have a front-row seat to this sweeping change. Recently, I sat down with some of the top social media minds I know to forecast what lies ahead. Here are our best predictions for what to expect in 2014:

1. Social media that disappears. In 2014, we will see the rise of “ephemeral” social networks like Snapchat:

Regardless of whether or not you think Snapchat is worth the $3 billion Facebook offered it, one thing is clear: There’s an appetite out there for so-called ephemeral networks, where content literally vanishes seconds after being received. And, contrary to popular perception, this isn’t just about sexting and X-rated selfies (though it definitely is about that, too). As content on the major networks becomes more corporate and commodified, Snapchat and services like it restore some of the fun and spontaneity to social media.

Just like a real-life interaction—where ideas flow freely and you generally don’t worry about everything being recorded for posterity and broadcast to the world—SnapChat and networks like it offer a channel for genuine, unfiltered exchange. And the kids really like it. While Facebook’s own CFO officially acknowledged last month that teen use of his network is declining, the number of teens on SnapChat—at least anecdotally—is exploding.

2. “Hey, what’d you score on your Twitter exam?” In 2014, schools will recognize social media as an asset, rather than liability:

As social media has gone mainstream, it’s become a major factor in how people are evaluated in the real-world—for jobs, educational opportunities, and much more. A recent survey by Kaplan Test Prep, for example, showed that nearly one-third of college admissions officers now look at applicants’ social media profiles to learn more about them

The good news is forward-thinking educators have begun taking note of these trends and are bringing social media into the classroom—even at the high school level. History and journalism teacher David Cutler at Palmer Trinity School in Florida, for example, conducts classroom discussions on online etiquette and teaches his students how to politely navigate an increasingly digital world. In 2014, we will see more schools recognize social media as an asset, teaching social media and digital skills to better equip their students for our changing world.

3. Don Draper, eat your heart out. In 2014, social media ads will challenge old ways of advertising.

Mad Men might be on its last legs but social media definitely is not. As such, advertising on major social networks like Facebook and Twitter—called social advertising, or native advertising—is seriously taking off. It’s an industry already worth billions and accelerating fast, expected to hit $11 in revenues by 2017.

So what’s behind the growing success of social ads? For one, they’re proving to be a lot more effective than some traditional forms of advertising, like banner ads. While online banner ads are now pretty much ignored (clicked on 0.2 percent of the time), Promoted Tweets show engagement of one to three percent— up to 15 times better.

Social ads have another big—but easily overlooked—virtue: They work better on mobile devices than traditional ads because they take up less space and fit small screens better. By the end of 2013, there will be 1.4 billion smartphones on earth, one for every nine people. Collectively, that’s a ton of new real estate that advertisers are just beginning to reach.

4. Trash the TV Guide. In 2014, millennials will help fuel a major trend in video sharing on the web.

Did you know that currently, 1 in 3 millennials watch less TV than they do online videos, or no TV at all?

It makes sense. Many millennials—those born roughly from the late 1980s to 2000s—grew up on a steady diet of viral content via sites like YouTube: cat fails, hot new music videos, comedy mashups, etc. As a result, this demographic is incredibly comfortable with the medium of online video and consume it collaboratively, sharing choice clips with their friends on social networks.

In 2013, we saw Instagram—now the 2nd most popular social network amongst teens—play into this rising trend, with the launch of its new video capabilities. (Sorry, Vine.) Add to this the emergence of Snapchat, which lets users share short video clips (along with text or images) that only last for a few seconds.

By 2020, millennials will comprise half of the US workforce so it’ll be interesting to see how this type of immediately accessible, free content further evolves as more and more digital-savvy, video-loving workers begin to take up the reins in businesses.

Need professional help?

Does your company need assistance with creating and maintaining your social media presence? Perhaps you have tried to do it yourself, but just can’t find the time. We can help! To learn more about our social media services and pricing, contact gwen@creativeinstinct.biz. Visit our website at www.creativeinstinct.biz.

ARE PRINT MATERIALS OBSOLETE?

(Article by Forbes)
Is print dead?  This is a question that has been buzzing around the marketing world since the rapid surge of the Internet and social media. While many businesses have completely migrated their advertising efforts to the web because of its cost effectiveness, exposure potential and convenience, print still maintains its stance as a powerful and necessary component of an ad campaign. Let’s take a closer look at print media and some advantages it has over its digital counterparts.

Tangibility

A print piece is a physical thing. Magazines and newspapers can stay in houses or offices for months or years, while Internet ads can disappear into cyber space instantaneously.

Credibility

There is something about print that gives a sense of legitimacy. The saturation of popups and banner ads on the web can be overwhelming and the fear of spam and viruses is enough make people weary of clicking. There is no imminent danger in a print ad.

Branding

Print ads are excellent for solidifying your brand identity. Your ads should have a consistent aesthetic in terms of fonts, colors and types of images to establish brand recognition.

Target Marketing

Placing ads in publications such as specialty magazines can effectively reach niche audiences that may be more difficult to target online.

More Engaging

Consumers are more engaged when reading printed material, unlike websites, which are often skimmed in as little as a 15 second visit. A study shows that people read digital screen text 20% – 30% slower than printed paper. (Alshaali & Varshney, 2005)

Less Print Ads

With more and more businesses relying solely on the Internet for their advertising needs, the decline of print publication can actually be used as a marketing advantage. The publications are less crowded, allowing more room for your ad to shine, and possibly even cheaper prices for that ad space.

QR Codes

Placing QR codes on printed pieces is an excellent way to bridge the gap between print and web. When scanned with a smartphone, the QR code will take you to a homepage or a special offer page that lives on the web.

The best way to market your business is to utilize as many channels as possible to reach every corner of your target demographic; this should not exclude print. Although it is likely that most emphasis, in terms of advertising, will be executed online, there still exist those who revel in the glory of the printed page and it’s important to reach them. Finding the right balance between various media will ensure a steady revenue flow, an increase in sales and new customers.

Need some help with your marketing?

Need some help with your company brochure or other marketing collateral? Call Creative Instinct at 501-244-0573 to arrange for a free consultation.  Not only can we create an appealing page-turning design for your brochure, we can bring in an talented copywriter to craft the perfect verbiage that will make the sale. Email Gwen Canfield: gwen@creativeinstinct.biz. To see collateral designs we’ve created for our clients, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz.

10 TIPS FOR A GREAT E-NEWSLETTER

Email newsletters are great tools for small businesses and nonprofits because they are so much cheaper to produce and distribute than print newsletters. The only problem is that they can be deleted in an instant or trapped forever in spam filters. And even when they are opened, they are often too *yawn* boring to grab the readers’ attention and move them to action.

Use these ten tips to increase the likelihood that your clients and prospects will read your email newsletter and act on what they see in it.

1. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE, ASK WHAT THEY WANT, AND DELIVER IT.

Even though your newsletter readers may be incredibly generous individuals, it’s helpful to think of them as very self-centered, selfish people when they are reading your email newsletter. Here’s why: if the content isn’t immediately relevant and valuable to them as individual human beings, they’ll delete it in an instant. We know what’s in it for you, but what’s in it for them?

As you write your newsletter articles, keep asking yourself these questions: How will this article make our readers feel? How will it make their lives easier or better? Does this article show our readers how important they are to us?

2. SEND FREQUENTLY – IF YOU HAVE GOOD CONTENT 

How often should you send your email newsletter? In general, I recommend no more than once a week and no less than every six weeks. You want people to remember you and look forward to receiving your newsletter, but you don’t want to drive them crazy either. Your email schedule should be determined by how often you have great content to send.

If you are providing on-target, valuable information each and every time (or darn close), your readers won’t feel bugged by frequent mailings. If you don’t have enough content for a newsletter every two months, you either don’t know your readers or aren’t thinking creatively about ways to talk about your work.

Here’s a sweeping generalization: most businesses send e-newsletters too infrequently. If you aren’t sure whether to step up your publishing schedule or not, I’d say go for it. If your unsubscribe rate goes up, ask why people are leaving your list and if frequency is the problem, back off.

3. MAKE IT PERSONAL 

People support certain businesses for highly subjective reasons. Your supporters get something deeply personal out of their affiliation with your organization. So why would your response back to these passionate people be institutional, monolithic, and completely objective?

Make it more personal. I’m not suggesting that you turn your newsletter into a vehicle for personal rambling or try to elevate your executive director to cult status. But you should consider ways to make your newsletter sound as though it is written by one staff person speaking directly to one client. Do articles talk about the staff involved in the work? Do the articles have bylines? Are the articles written in a conversational style, even if they aren’t bylined? Have you included some headshots or other people photos? If someone hits “reply” to the newsletter, will a real person see it and respond, or will the reader get an auto-reply about that email address not being checked?

4. MAKE THE NEXT STEP AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.  

Once your supporters read your newsletter, what’s next? Do you have a call to action? Do you want them to call or email, register, tell a friend, learn more, or what? Include specific calls to action and links that make following through as simple as possible. Make it, as Katya Andresen says, a “filmable moment.” Could you film your clients following through on your call to action? If it is clear and simple enough, your clients and prospects should be able to easily visualize themselves and others doing it.

5. PUT AN UNMISTAKABLE NAME IN THE “FROM” FIELD 

For most busineses, this will be your organization’s name or a well-known initiative. Don’t use a staff person’s name unless at least 80% of the people on your mailing list will recognize it. If you decide to use a person’s name (it is more personal after all – see #3 above), I recommend including your acronym or other identifier after the name. This should not change from issue to issue; you want to build up reader recognition.

6. USE A SPECIFIC, BENEFIT-LADEN “SUBJECT” LINE.

The busier your clients are, the more likely they are to look at your email subject line and nothing else before deciding whether to read it or delete it. Pack your subject lines with details about what’s inside, emphasizing the benefits to the reader of taking a few extra seconds to see what’s in the body of the message. That’s a tall order for 50-60 characters, which is the rule of thumb for subject line length. Do your best and track which newsletters have the best open rates to see which subject lines seem to appeal most to your readers.

Your subject line should change with every edition. Don’t waste space with dates, edition numbers, sender info, etc. The only exception would be if you have a very short, memorable, and meaningful newsletter title. You can put the title first, often in brackets like this: [E-News Title] Subject Line Specific to This Email’s Content.

7. DESIGN A SIMPLE, CLEAN NEWSLETTER

People expect to read email, which means they are looking for words. They don’t expect the same visual stimulation that they do when they visit a web page. It’s important to say something timely, interesting, or valuable than it is to produce a newsletter that’s visually stunning. At the same time, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use a stylish design and photos. Just make sure that the text gets top billing and wraps cleanly around any graphic elements. A design firm like Creative Instinct can help design a newsletter template that is simple, effective and visually captivating.

8. WRITE AND DESIGN FOR THE PREVIEW PANE.

Most people don’t actually open each email message. Instead, they use the preview pane to view them. That means you’ve got a fairly small space in which to impress your reader enough to make them either scroll through your email or open it fully.

It’s important to use an eye-catching banner at the top of your email, including your company’s logo. But try to keep it simple so as not to fill up the whole preview pane.  Be sure that you have plenty of compelling text near the top of the newsletter so that even if images are turned off, the reader still sees some interesting text.

Never send an all-image email newsletter. You’ve seen those emails where the entire preview pane is filled with a big red-X box. They are trying to send you a pretty email by including all the text in a graphic. The problem is that some email programs don’t show images by default. Therefore, you see nothing but the box. I automatically delete emails like this.

9. APPEAL TO SKIMMERS: USE LOTS OF HEADLINES, SUBHEADINGS, AND SHORT CHUNKS OF TEXT

People scan and skim email before they read it. Short paragraphs and sentences are easier to skim. Descriptive headlines and subheads with active verbs and vivid nouns will grab your viewers’ attention and nudge them into actually reading the text.

10. USE AN EMAIL NEWSLETTER SERVICE.

If you have more than 20 people on your mailing list and you want that list to grow, you need to use an email newsletter service provider or ESP.  You can use companies that specialize in email marketing, (like Creative Instinct). These providers can automate many functions that you shouldn’t be wasting time on, including managing subscribes, unsubscribes, and bounces. They also help you comply with the CAN-SPAM law; strongly encourage you to use best-practice, double opt-in procedures; give you the code for an email newsletter sign-up box for your website; and offer great tracking tools that are nearly impossible for you to implement on your own. The cost of using an email newsletter service is minimal and the benefits are huge.

While these tips are solid advice that will work in most cases, what’s most important is what works for you and your audience. Test what you do and make adjustments accordingly.

Need Help with Your Newsletter?

Need some help with your e-newsletter, email marketing, or other marketing collateral? Contact Gwen Canfield — Creative Instinct for a free consultation, http://www.creativeinstinct.biz, or email gwen@creativeinstinct.biz..  Not only can we create an effective design for your e-newsletter, we can set up the entire email platform for you online. Our e-newsletter program makes composing and sending emails a snap. And, you can easily view the results of your email campaigns and manage your recipients. Don’t have time to create and deploy your email campaigns? We can help with that too.  To see newsletters we’ve created for our clients, visit www.creativeinstinct.biz/portfolio.

(Newsletter pictured at top of article was designed by Creative Instinct.)

Article written by Kivi Leroux Miller.  Link to article: http://www.fundraising123.org/article/bring-your-e-newsletter-snoring-soaring#.UQg3a-im6bE

5 REASONS YOUR COMPANY SHOULD BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Article By: Hayden Hamilton

Social media has completely changed the way that people connect, communicate and share information. It’s more important than ever to implement social media into your marketing mix! Not convinced? Here are the top 5 reasons that your business should be going SOCIAL…

1. Engagement- Social media increases engagement not only between a company and your customers, but your target market as well. It is a two way street and allows for feedback and personal interaction. Social media makes it easier to determine what your customers like, dislike, and what they would like more information on.
2. Cost Effective- Let’s face it, advertising and marketing can be complex and expensive and a large percentage of your target market is sitting in front of their computer screens on social media. Social networking is one of the most cost effective ways to promote your business to a large audience!  When done correctly, social media will greatly improve your visibility and presence in your industry.
3. Increase SEO- SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. This is insuring that your business has a top spot when searched by key words on Google or any other search engine. Most studies estimate that the first result on Google gets around 20% of the clicks. Social media plays an important factor in the rankings of your SEO and greatly affects your Google rankings!
4. Feedback- Social allows customers to give feedback to your business quickly and easily without filling out a form or waiting on the phone. Feedback on specific products or ideas can be measured by likes, comments, re-tweets, replies, shares and so on. Social can be used to get a feel of what your target market will enjoy and want more of, as well as what you may be missing out on and where you may be lacking. Think of your social media sites as a quick and easy way to survey your customers!
5. Builds Loyalty- Social media marketing builds and maintains relationships. Customers are able to see into the culture of your company through pictures, statuses, tweets and even the posts of your employees. It is important for your customers to get to know and trust your brand. Loyalty on social sites results in loyal customers!

If these 5 reasons to use social media are not enough, according to Pew Internet and American Life Project over 72% of online adults are social networking users. It is easy to dismiss social media, but if you’re looking for a smart, well developed marketing plan, social marketing should be at the top of your list!

Need professional help?

Does your company need assistance with creating and maintaining your social media presence? Perhaps you have tried to do it yourself, but just can’t find the time. We can help! To learn more about our social media services and pricing, contact gwen@creativeinstinct.biz. Visit our website at www.creativeinstinct.biz.

Below: Social Media Explained by Dogs. Enjoy!

YOU CAN’T BE ALL THINGS TO ALL CUSTOMERS

It’s an important lesson that all business owners must eventually learn. You cannot be all things to all customers. If you try, your business will suffer.

“You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.”

— Les Brown, motivational speaker and author

Ah… focus. Such an elusive thing—not only for people with ADD, but for everyone these days. Not only are those pesky “electronics” distracting us at every turn, but the economy is definitely on the upswing, and there are many business opportunities out there; some profitable and some unprofitable. Budding entrepreneurs, startup companies, overworked company owners/managers who were reduced to bare bones staff during the recession and are now scrambling to outsource. There are many opportunities to expand your company’s services. But please proceed with caution.

We were inspired by the article below published by The Entrepreneur Mind, and the quote within by Apple’s cofounder, Steve Jobs, as CEO to turn the company around in the 1990’s:

“People think focus means saying “yes” to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying ‘no’ to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done.”

We hope you enjoy the article below as much as we did. Remain focused on your way to greatness, my friends.

You Can’t Be All Things to All Customers  |  Link to original article: http://theentrepreneurmind.com/?p=440

Just a few weeks after being hired, Adam, my vice president of marketing and sales, popped his head into my office through a cracked door and said, “I think we have a problem.” After I invited him in, he continued with an easygoing tone that belied the seriousness of his warning, saying, “I think we sell too many things. I find that sales are suffering because we confuse prospects with so many options, and therefore people are less likely to buy.” I didn’t respond for a few seconds, as I let the veracity of his observations sink in. He was right. My company needed to change; we needed to focus on what we did best instead of trying to be all things to all people.

That day, my company was on the verge of celebrating its ten-year anniversary. The company had come a long way since its founding on a small college campus. In the beginning days of the company, the focus was on building top-notch web applications and offering great value. However, ten years later we had grown to include numerous products and services under the umbrella of a holding company. Consequently, we developed a we-do-it-all mentality and pitch. Our marketing materials, which included pages of options and beautiful examples of our work, were expansive. When it came to media and marketing, if you needed it, we sold it.

Somehow over the ten years of existence, my company lost focus and with it the potential for true greatness. We subscribed to the common idea that expanding our line of products and services was a sure path to more success. It wasn’t. As a result, the company wallowed in mediocrity, trying to chase every market possible. Specifically, the quality of our products and services declined, employee morale suffered, resources were wasted, sales leveled off, and confusion abounded. We commoditized ourselves, and we were happy because that’s what we thought we were supposed to do.

This idea not only debilitates small and medium-sized businesses, but also large multinational companies. For example, during the 1990s, Apple suffered from an expansive product line that almost led it to bankruptcy. You probably know the story. It took the return of Apple’s cofounder, Steve Jobs, as CEO to turn the company around. How did he do it? Jobs eliminated nonessential product lines of the company, keeping only four. Some of his eliminations were profitable lines. Due in large part to its limited focus, Apple is now the most valuable company in the world. When discussing the amazing turnaround in a 2008 interview, Jobs said, “People think focus means saying “yes” to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying ‘no’ to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done.”

Likewise, Pepsi-Cola stopped trying to be all things to all people in order to compete with its rival Coca-Cola. In their book, The 21 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Al Ries and Jack Trout discuss Pepsi-Cola’s amazing growth during the 1980s when it changed its focus to reaching the teenage market. Consequently, Pepsi-Cola went from being outsold by Coca-Cola in the late 1950s by five to one to being only 10 percent behind in total sales in the United States. Ries and Trout wrote, “There seems to be an almost religious belief that the wider net catches more customers, in spite of many examples to the contrary.”

When my vice president came into my office to tell me that we needed to cut some of our businesses, I quickly reflected on my various entrepreneurial endeavors. At that time I had started fifteen different businesses. All of them had made money at some point, but only a handful were profitable. I realized that I needed to return to my start-up days when my focus was laser-like. That day I learned to say no, as Jobs would have recommended. I cut unnecessary businesses.  Since then, my company has enjoyed an invigorating rebirth and growth period that can only be attributed to our willingness to say yes to saying no.

– End of article. Posted August 22, 2013 by Kevin D. Johnson

NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP?
Does your company need assistance with graphic design, marketing or website design. Perhaps you have tried to do it yourself, but just can’t find the time. We can help! To learn more about our services, contact gwen@creativeinstinct.biz, or visit our website at www.creativeinstinct.biz.

SOCIAL MEDIA – A VALUABLE MARKETING TOOL

Social media has become a valuable marketing tool for companies to stay in touch with clients, make new business connections, post news and specials, and to share photos of your products, business, staff and happy customers.

Lost When It Comes to Social Media?

Don’t fret. Leave it to us! Creative Instinct can set up your company’s essential social media accounts — Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Our social media setup package includes accounts setup, custom designed elements for your profile and/or header banner including your logo and branding colors. Creating a look that is consistent with your company’s brand enhances your professional image and social media presence.

Now, in order for your social media efforts to be effective in attracting clients, you must post information and updates to your account on a regular basis. At least weekly is a good rule of thumb. No time to do it? We can help with that too. Included in our social media services is 1-2 updates per week that we will post into your accounts on your behalf. Simply, provide us with company news and/or photos to post, or we can find news specific to your industry to post on a weekly basis.

IMPORTANT TIP:  Always, always include a link to your website in every post. (This increases your company’s website SEO!)  Social media should not take the place of your company’s webiste, and driving traffic to your site is very important. It’s where your potential customers will go to confirm that you are a legitimate business and learn more about your services. Through our social media services, we make it a practice to always include a link to our clients’ websites with every social media post.

Tips for Social Media Fodder
There are 4 main types of posts you can make on social media:

1. Text only Posts (statuses) – This is the most basic type of post you can make to your page — and probably makes up the majority of all posts in social media. Text only posts are quick & easy — which is why they’re so common.
2. Link Posts – A “link post” happens when you paste a url in the status box and Facebook generates a thumbnail, title and description for the story.
3. Photo Posts – Posting a photo along with your update or news is a great way to catch attention in a newsfeed. We encourage you to do so whenever possible!
4. Video Posts – Videos are a great way to capture the attention of your viewers. Video needs to be informative, your original work (uploading something you don’t own could get you deleted), and compelling.

DID YOU KNOW?

Incorporating your social media accounts into your website greatly increases your site’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization), making your site rank higher in search engines. Want more information on how to do that? Contact us!

Need professional help?
Does your company need assistance with creating and maintaining your social media presence? Perhaps you have tried to do it yourself, but just can’t find the time. We can
help! To learn more about our social media services and pricing, contact gwen@creativeinstinct.biz. Visit our website at www.creativeinstinct.biz.

7 REASONS WHY EMAIL NEWSLETTERS STILL WORK

Marketing tactics for small businesses seem to fall in and out of favor. Some tactics stay tried-and-true, however. And email marketing is near the top of that list. Especially the use of email newsletters.

If e-newsletter marketing has fallen out of favor at your organization, overshadowed by other marketing initiatives, here are seven reasons to give e-newsletters another look.

1. Different People, Different Channels

Some portion of your audience will turn to Facebook or Twitter for your latest news. Others will want your info delivered to their inbox because email newsletters remain their first choice for communications from you. E-newsletters keep you communicating with different people via different channels. In fact, your newsletter can be sent out via email, then archived on your website with tweets and Facebook links pointing to it. That approach meets everyone’s need!

2. Nurturing From Prospect to Customer

The e-newsletter remains an effective way to build a relationship with a prospect, nurturing them along until they become a customer. They obviously like you enough to sign up for your e-newsletter. Now keep moving things along in the inbox, kindly and noncommittally, in a way only the soft approach of a newsletter can do.

3. Staying Top of Mind

When someone buys from you, that’s only the beginning of the potential purchases that lie ahead, as long as you keep nurturing the relationship along. Email marketing newsletters can do that, nonchalantly keeping you top of mind until it’s time for another—or different—purchase.

4. Social Media Sharing

What do people share? Content! Whether they tweet it, link to it , blog on it or share it, people spread the word about content they like, whether it’s your writing, pictures or video. And your newsletter can be a mix of all three. As long as it’s great content people will want to share, the format matters less than the share-ability.

5. Serving an SEO Purpose (Search engine optimization)

Even in an age dominated by Facebook, the search engines are still major players in any online marketing efforts. Getting found by people who don’t yet know about you is key, and, in many cases, SEO is how that happens. You give your SEO a boost every time you add content to your website…which archiving your newsletter automatically does. Easy to do, easy to benefit from.

6. Content Marketing

Content marketing is still a hot topic, and an easy one for you to address if an e-newsletter is already part of your marketing arsenal. After all, what is a newsletter but content?

7. Repurposing Content

Content has value. And the more use you can get out of it, the more value it has. A newsletter can be repurposed content from your blog, whitepaper or Facebook commentary. Or it can be the fodder for any of those. Think “write once, use repeatedly,” and you’ll find your newsletter content is both fed by and feeds several other sources.

There you have it. Seven reasons why e-newsletters are still newsworthy…and still have a place in your online marketing strategy. Not only are they an effective way to stay in touch and top-of-mind, they are very cost-effective as well!

Article by Marco Marini. See original article: http://emailcritic.com/2012/04/email-newsletter-marketing/

SEO: DEFINITION & HOW TO DO IT RIGHT

Unfortunately, there is no magic SEO button for Search Engine Optimization. But here are some basic steps you can take today to make your website rank higher in search engines like Google.

What Is Search Engine Optimization?

SEO stands for “search engine optimization”. Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the visibility of your website in search results. In other words, SEO is the technique of making the content of your website more legible and attractive to search engines, so that they can both find and rank your site higher than the millions of other sites in response to a search query.

Good SEO results in a high page rank in search results for your name, business, or keywords connected to services you offer. However, keywords are a competitive market and SEO requires a long-term outlook and commitment.

Top companies spend thousands of dollars to ensure their keywords come up top. Wix guarantees that all of the text and meta tags on your site are being scanned by search engines, however we cannot guarantee that Google will choose to rank your website highly, this part is up to you.

One thing you can do to immediately improve your SEO is to connect your own domain name to your website. Purchase a domain, go to GoDaddy, Register.com, Domain.com, or other registrar company.

Planning and organizing your website content with SEO in mind

Be aware that it can take anywhere from 1 to 3 months for Google to update its database and for your new website to be indexed. Finding your site using your relevant keywords may take even more time.

Therefore it’s a good idea to plan and organize your website’s content with SEO in mind ahead of aesthetics.

The steps on this page should help you get started.

Choose and own the right domain name

Often overlooked as an important consideration in connection to SEO, but both owning and choosing the right domain name is something that you need to give forethought to.

Remember, you want the domain name of your website to appeal, not just to your human visitors, but to the crawl bots as well.

• Consider the following:

  • Unless your company name is an acronym, avoid using them

  For instance, if your company name is Best’s Sushi Tokyo, don’t abbreviate it to bst.com when BestsSushiTokyo.com is both:

  a) Not too long to remember – which make humans happy.
  b) Includes the entire business name – which makes search engines happy.

  • Be wary of using hyphens

  Contrary to what you might think, hyphens between keywords in your domain do not make them easier for search engine bots to read. In fact, too many can damage your domain names credibility, not to mention how difficult they make your domain to type.

  • Avoid Copyright Infringement

  Sounds obvious enough, but you would be surprised how often this mistake is made. Check that the domain name you wish to use isn’t going to lead you straight to court. Visit copyright.gov before you register.

  • Consider adding keywords

  Your domain name is a great place for a keyword or two, but again, provided that it doesn’t make the domain name too long. If your company name is slightly abstract and doesn’t actually tell you anything about what you do, consider adding one of your keywords i.e. company name is Big Corp, the domain name could be BigCorpBuilders.com.

  Once you’ve chosen your domain name, register it! As mentioned above, you can do this through GoDaddy.com, Register.com, Domain.com or other registrar. (There are lots of them out there. Fees are generally anywhere from $10-$30 per year for a domain name.)

  Think Keywords

  Keywords: words or (groups of words) entered into search engines in order to get matching and relevant results.

  Brainstorm and make a list of keywords to focus on when you begin adding content to your website. Try and imagine what users would type into Google, to find your type of product or service. Each “keyword” can be 1-4 words long.

  These keywords are what you want search engines, like Google, to recognize as being important in connection to your website. For example, if you are a car dealership, just having the keyword ‘jaguar’ would be lost as there are so many alternatives. Instead, consider using ‘jaguar cars’, ‘jaguar parts’, etc.
  Check out the Wix Blog post on the topic here.

  Check out the competition

  Remember, there are literally millions and millions of website out there, all competing for recognition from search engines. It’s good to know what you’re up against!

  There are also several tools that can help you determine the best keywords for your particular website. Google’s Keyword Tool is free, while WordTracker requires pay. These tools take into account the popularity and competition of your keywords, so you’re not wasting time and effort competing for a keyword that is so popular you simply will not rank the highest for.

  Local Optimization

  Who is your target market? Are you planning on selling your services locally or globally? These are all things that need to be considered when optimizing your website.

  If your services are localised, then mentioning your geographic location or listing the areas you provide service for is advisable. The more search engines understand about who your customers are, the more likely you are to appear in the right search results, in the right locations.

  Also, check out what local online business directories you can subscribe to. These local directories can provide you with valuable backlinks to your website.

  Finally, a free listing on Google Maps makes it easy for them to find you. Use Google Places to create your free listing via the following link. When potential customers search Maps for local information, they’ll find your business: your address, hours of operation, even photos of your storefront or products.

  Quality over Quantity

  How many times have you heard this: It’s not the size that matters, but what you do with it. Well, when it comes to the relationship between SEO and your websites content, this happens to be true.

  Text quantity is the number of words appearing on your webpage. The minimum recommended number of words on your homepage is approximately 400 – so make them count! The text needs to be of quality, not just in terms of the distribution of keywords, but also for informative and useful to your visitors. It’s a fine balancing act.

  Take the time to write the homepage content on a Word doc and use their word count tool to keep track of how much text you are planning to add.

  Finally, keep an eye on your keyword density!

  Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page compared to the total number of words on the page. Many experts recommend that your keywords density be roughly 3%, more than that and search engines might consider your text to be ‘spammy’. Too little, and the keywords can become lost within the text. It’s a bit of a balancing act. Luckily, there are several tools you can use to keep track of this: GoRank is one.

  Create a Site Plan

  You know what your keywords are and you know who the market is. It’s time to structure this information into a Site Plan, before you start creating your website. A good Site Plan will not only save you time when updating your content and make the website easier for visitors to use, but it will help you organize how you would like to optimize each of your websites pages.

  Draw up an idea of what Headings you want and a rough idea how much text you want on each page.

• 

  Need help with your website?

  In today’s business climate, websites have to be more than pretty or functional, they must be BOTH. Your website needs to offer cutting edge design, layout, content, graphics and search engine optimization (SEO). When combined, all of these attributes contribute to the success of your website. This is why we offer the best in design, layout, content, and graphics, as well as optimizing your site for strong search engine rankings during the development process, not after your site is deployed.

  Let Creative Instinct help ensure you’re getting the most out of your website. Call us at 501-244-0573, or send an email to Gwen Canfield at gwen@creativeinstinct.biz. To see websites we’ve designed for other companies – view our portfolio at www.creativeinstinct.biz.

  Article by Wix, original link: http://www.wix.com/support/main/html5/stats-seo/getting-started-seo