Copywriting: The 5 W's of Creating Engaging Content
Did you know that 55% of potential customers will only spend 15 seconds on your website. How do you make the most of a first impression? Our copywriter Lexi Engesath will walk you through the 5 W’s of creating engaging content to translate those 15 seconds into a customer.
Who are you?
“Create a narrative for your company. Who are you? What problems of mine are you going to solve?” Keep that message short and direct. Imagine explaining your organization to a good friend. Strike a balance between using the language of your industry and making content clear to any layperson who lands on your website. “Use a genial tone, share the most important details of your organization, establish your expertise and include a hook.”
What is the hook?
A hook is a call to action, it answers the question of what you want a potential customer to do next. “When posting content, engagement should be the priority. How is this going to draw people in? What are we asking them to do? Does this start a conversation?” Ask customers to subscribe, give a review, take a poll, answer a question. Another way to engage is to offer your expertise and advice tips that are unique to your business. Look at content as creating a conversation with customers, rather than shouting over the competition.
When to post?
While there is no perfect number for any company, regularly posting is important. “Creating social media posts once or twice a week, responding to reviews, promoting sales, highlighting products, and non-salesy posts for holidays or community happenings will show customers you are active, invested, and interesting.” As always, content is king. The more you post, the more content Google can comb, the higher you’ll move up in Google rankings.
Where is your content?
“The simple answer is, everywhere. Three places you don’t want to neglect are your website, your social media accounts, and anywhere reviews exist.” We already discussed the importance of responding to Google my Business Reviews but this is by no means the only site where customers are leaving reviews. Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, Tripadvisor, Better Business Bureau, and so many more. Respond to reviews, thank customers for their engagement, and be sure the tone of these responses are professional and kind. “Keep in mind keywords are pertinent for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Posts should include relevant content, popular keywords, and links to prove credibility to Google.”
Why bother?
It can seem like an overwhelming task, but online engagement and SEO are how customers find you. “Google is combing everything you post to figure out who you are to guide potential customers to you. If you want to rise to the top of the ranks, content shows credibility to Google. It’s a delicate balance to add keywords to satisfy Google, without alienating your reader with boring content.”
How can we help?
Does this all seem overwhelming? Let our team walk you through how to hone your voice, create engaging content, revamp your website, amp up your content for SEO, and help you make those 15 seconds count!
Marketing to Your 3 Client Bases
Some business owners make the mistake of focusing their attention only on prospecting for new customers. While prospecting for new clients is important, it’s not the only way for your company to get business. In fact, some argue it might not even be the best way for you to get and maintain business.
Read on to learn about your three client bases and how to make them work for you:
1. Nurture Past Clients
Let’s start by taking the words “past client” out of your vocabulary! If you treat previous clients like they’re never coming back for your services, that’s exactly what will happen. But if you shift this thinking and begin nurturing those contacts as if they’re your current clients again? Revolutionary. Regardless of whether a past client will ever need your service or product again, the odds are very good they know someone else who will. If you did your job right and provided them with quality product/services, they can be an incredible referral source to give you business in the future. Some effective ways to market to this client base is to reach out with personalized touches through email campaigns, birthday/anniversary cards or client appreciation events.
2. Retain Current Clients
Your current client base can also be an invaluable source of business for you! Much like your past clients, satisfied current clients are a quality link to new people. And often the leads you receive through a referral from a past or current client are stronger than new leads because there’s already an established trust. So, what’s the best way to market to your current clients to encourage customer attention, loyalty and those amazing referrals? One way to do this is to maintain a solid social media presence where you interact with clients regularly! Social media is a great way to meet clients where they are and give them those personalized, low-pressure interactions you need to keep them engaged. Post consistent content that shows your business is an expert in your field, and hit the reply button on comments from clients — it’s that simple. Another great customer marketing tactic is to share customer success stories and quality reviews. Don’t be afraid to ask happy customers to share their stories. More than likely, they’ll be happy to share, and these stories are a powerhouse for your marketing strategy!
3. Acquire New Clients
There are several different options for marketing to client prospects, but here are a few that we’ve found to be the most effective:
Programmatic Display Ads - These targeted digital ads are displayed to a specific type of customer in a specific context or location. You can decide on your ideal client, and these ads will be delivered to them through apps and websites, such as when they’re checking the weather or scrolling through a news article.
Traditional Media Ads - Traditional media continues to be the giant of the marketing world — sending more potential clients to your website and digital/social presence than any other method! It’s essential for a business to have a direct mail presence to compete in today’s market and reach new customers.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - If a new client searches for your products or services on Google or another search engine, where are you showing up in the rankings? If you’re too low on the list, your business is likely to be missed. SEO improves online visibility to attract new customers to your website.
How are you marketing to your three client groups? Is there room for improvement? We hope this gives you some food for thought as you continue building and adjusting your marketing strategies for 2022!
Postcards, Simplified!
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again — traditional media is the dominating force in the marketing world. And one rock star of the traditional media world is postcards! Sending a postcard inside or alongside Local Fare Magazine is an incredible (and affordable!) way to reach your ideal client and create brand awareness.
Here’s how it works:
1. Choose your ideal mailing area
Decide which area you’d like to target most: Zone A, Zone B or both!
Zone A includes 35,000 households in:
- North Chattanooga
- Signal Mountain
- Lookout Mountain TN/GA
- Elder Mountain
- Black Creek
- St. Elmo
- Southside
- Hixson
- Soddy Daisy
- Missionary Ridge
Zone B includes 35,000 households in:
- Ooltewah
- Collegedale
- Harrison
- HWY 58
- McDonald
- Apison
- Council Fire
- Windstone Neighborhood in Georgia
- East Brainerd
2. Choose Postcard Size and Placement
We offer two postcard mailing options that are delivered with Local Fare Magazine and the wrap.
1. DAL Card — DAL stands for Detached Address Label postcard. This allows for the postcard to be mailed outside of the wrap. This full color glossy card stock option is the stand out choice.
Cost: 10,000 minimum mailing, 9'X6," $0.29 cents each
20,000 mailing, 9"X6," $0.25 cents each
2. Insert Postcard — This type of postcard mails inside Local Fare Magazine.
Cost: 10,000 minimum mailing, 9'X6," $0.23 cents each
20,000 mailing, 9"X6,” $0.18 cents each
With this co-op mailing opportunity with Local Fare, the postage and printing costs to send a postcard are significantly lower than what you would spend to send it yourself alone!
3. We Design and Mail
Work with our talented team of marketing professionals to create your dream postcard! You can have as little or as much involvement in the process as you want, but either way we’ll be there to help from concept to copywriting to design. Once it’s finished, we’ll mail for you — all you have to do is sit back and enjoy as brand awareness for your business grows!
The Marketing Triangle: Small Business Advertising That WORKS
When we talk to local businesses about their advertising strategies, more often than not we hear the same answer — Facebook boosted posts.
What many people don’t know is that with the new restrictions on Facebook and collecting user data, it is almost impossible for a small business owner to target their ideal customer through boosted posts. In addition, almost every business now is on Facebook, so that marketing strategy alone isn’t enough to make your business stand out from the crowd!
In order to be a real competitor in today’s market, your business needs to reach your ideal audience through more than one medium. And if you want to not only be competitive but to dominate the competition, we recommend utilizing our three-pronged approach through The Marketing Triangle.
1. Social Media
Using carefully curated demographic data and working through the backend of Facebook/Instagram to serve social media ads (not ineffective boosted posts!) that pinpointed your target customer
2. Traditional Media
Creating and presenting your print ads in Local Fare Magazine to our deeply loyal direct mail audience of 70,000+ homes to create an awareness for your brand that can only come from this traditional source.
Did you know one of the best drivers for social media search is traditional media? Traditional media is the dominating force in the marketing world — sending more potential clients to your website and digital/social presence than any other method!
3. Digital Media
Leaving your digital footprint through targeted programmatic ads that are sent to a specific type of customer in a specific context or location. This type of marketing leverages the power of the right message, to the right person, at the right time.
Is your marketing plan ready for 2022? We can help!
Help Your Business Finish Strong In 2021
We all know how it happens. Spring so quickly turns into summer and then summer into fall — then pretty soon it’s Christmas, and you’re wondering where the year went!
The work you’re doing NOW is going to determine whether or not your business meets your end of year goals or even exceeds them. This is the perfect time to partner with our caring team of experts here at Local Fare to freshen up your marketing strategy with programmatic display.
We have a proven track record of success, and we would love to help you get started!
So, what is programmatic display?
Programmatic marketing is automated bidding on advertising inventory to display a targeted ad to a specific type of customer in a specific context or location. This type of marketing leverages the power of the right message, to the right person, at the right time.
How does it work?
Programmatic marketing retargets likely buyers who have visited your website, searched relevant keywords, read certain articles or content, or went to a specific location.
Our programmatic marketing here at Local Fare uses specific customized tactics to make sure we’re targeting your ideal customer every. single. time.
What are the unique tactics used in programmatic advertising?
Geo-Fencing – Precisely retarget customers at a specific location. This can include businesses near yours, businesses with a similar clientele as yours or even your competition!
Geo-Targeting – Retarget them based on location and demographic data. We have access to data that can help us specifically target your ideal client.
Keyword Retargeting – Retarget them based on keywords they searched. We can create a list of keywords that are relevant to your business, track when people are searching those and retarget them to your website.
Site Retargeting – Retarget them once they have visited your website. Once a potential client has clicked through to your website, we can use their device ID and show your ads to them to remind them to go back to your website and finish their purchase, set their appointment, etc.!
Event Targeting – Geo-Fence at a specific location and time of event. If there is an event where your ideal customer will be, we can draw a circle around that event and show your ads directly to those potential customers there.
Conversion Zone – Track those who saw your ad and walked through your door. We can actually track who saw your ads and where, and also if they came to your location!
Audience Curation - Curate the perfect audience for your campaigns. We can send your ads to users and devices at the household level and push those ads three times a day to make sure your ideal client receives your messaging.
Why is it better than other digital advertising methods?
Unlike the small business owner’s average boosted Facebook post, the technological capabilities behind programmatic marketing are unmatched.
We can target your ideal consumer by showing them your ads on various apps and websites depending on their interests. For example, we can serve ads while they are checking the weather, keeping up with the latest news or reading about their favorite teams.
Not only that, but as your full-service marketing team, Local Fare can help create a series of eye-catching ads for you that are built and optimized specifically for each platform (web, phone, iPad, etc.).
