by tocpr | Oct 21, 2021 | General Marketing
Newsletter marketing is when companies send informational and product-focused content via email to a subscriber list that comprises potential and existing customers. You might not think that email marketing is beneficial for your business, but trust us, it is! According to Statista, in 2020, the number of global email users amounted to four billion and is set to grow to 4.6 billion users in 2025. Therefore, your business needs to have an outlet like email marketing that quickly and effectively gets the word out on new products, services, or deals that you offer. Newsletters can also direct your readers over to blogs or web pages that provide them with more detail about your business.
Newsletter marketing is essential because it keeps brands on top of consumers’ minds, establishing authority and notifying readers of products that may interest them. If you’re not using email marketing, you are missing out on significant opportunities for your business.
It is so important to have additional ways of communicating with your target audience. Of course, social media is the most effective way to keep your customers engaged with your business, but what happens if suddenly you don’t have access to it? We saw this happen recently on October 4th, 2021. Without warning, Instagram and Facebook shut down altogether. If these two platforms were the only way to connect with your audience and attract clients, you would be in trouble.
The most effective way to counter this issue is to start building your email list. You might have a list of subscribers that love what you do but don’t hear from you enough, or maybe you have tried to build a list of subscribers but failed. Don’t be worried; we can help you out. Start making that email list today, no matter how difficult or time-consuming it might be. Next, find the most simple yet effective way to set up and grow your list. It can be as easy as going on social media and directing your audience to subscribe to your newsletter or creating a pop-up on your website that gives viewers an option to enter their email addresses for the newsletter. Consistency is vital when it comes to creating an email list for newsletter marketing.
What We Use to Write Our Newsletters
The easiest way to write an effective newsletter is by utilizing an online platform. Our personal favorite and the one we found most customizable is Mailchimp! Some other great platforms are Constant Contact, Mailerlite, and Campaign Monitor. Online platforms are easy to use and allow you to create newsletters that reflect your client’s brands. You can also easily manage your subscriber list and utilize segments to create different groups of subscribers.
What to Include in Your Newsletters
Whether you use MailChimp or not, here are five things you should always include in your newsletters to make them as successful as possible:
Creative Headlines
Subject lines should both persuade the reader to open the email and correctly represent the contents of the email.
Consistent schedule
Information in the newsletter should be specific to the business and target audience and sent out in scheduled time intervals. Frequency truly depends on the brand. For example, we send ours out once a week, while some clients send it out once a month. Find the right frequency for your brand, but remember to be consistent.
Call-to-action
Newsletters should always have a desire to be performed by the reader. Therefore, we like to include buttons or links that redirect our readers to blog posts or web pages related to the content in the newsletter.
clean format
Readers need to enjoy the email visually. If the email looks scattered and uncoordinated, the reader is less likely to read the email and more likely to unsubscribe. Also, keep the information minimal. Share a snippet of your blog or content with a call to action to “read more” if applicable. We are in a day and age of short time spans; we don’t want to lose readers to too much text.
optimize newsletters for mobile
Readers are more likely to open the newsletters on their mobile phones. Therefore, you must make sure that your newsletters are optimized for smartphones and tablets. Many email marketing platforms have customizable mobile styles that take effect when someone reads the email on their phone or tablet. The default styles include font size and line-height settings that work well on a smaller screen.
Newsletter marketing allows businesses to demonstrate authority and expertise on the subject of their services and products. We make sure our newsletter marketing strategies are always attractive and informative to our subscribers so that there is a level of trust placed between us. Newsletters are imperative in taking your brand marketing to the next level.
Subscribe to our newsletter below!
by tocpr | Sep 11, 2021 | Business Marketing, General Marketing
A brand strategy is the single most important part of building and maintaining a successful business.
From choosing a unique name to curating a meaningful logo, strengthening marketing efforts, recruiting the best team, and generating a set of core values… these are all imperative elements needed to build a successful business.
A client or customer should never have to guess the value or type of work your organization performs if the branding is executed properly.
“Branding is critical to a business because of the overall impact it makes on your company. Branding can change how people perceive your brand, it can drive new business, and increase brand value – but it can also do the opposite if done wrongly or not at all.”
Branding Mag
One common misconception is that branding is only for corporations or “big businesses” and that it’s too expensive; this is FALSE.
Every business, large or small, should have a brand strategy that can lead to more sales, new clients, and customers.
Today we’re here to assist you in creating your brand identity, which gives you the power to control your businesses’ reputation. Follow these five tips to get started!
Choose a unique name
With millions of businesses across the globe and thousands of businesses in your exact sector, choosing a name that is unique and meaningful to your product or services is crucial.
Think of how many businesses we come across on a daily? A lot, right? But, how many of them do we remember by name? This is why choosing a name that is memorable and telling of your business is imperative.
“A company’s name is most important by far. Logos change and CEOs come and go, but the name that you choose will matter the most. Particularly powerful for behavioral consumer business models such as ours is the potential to verb your business as Google does. Plus, you’ll have easier access to Web domains!”
Yahoo Small Business
Curate a meaningful logo
Creating a lasting impression is essential to your business, and this can be accomplished, in part, with a strong logo.
Think of a logo as a visual reference to your brand. The logo should demonstrate and be telling of who your business is and what services you offer.
Many businesses and organizations fail to realize that curating a meaningful logo is a way to subconsciously connect with clients and customers.
“As things stand, companies have about 2 seconds to convince potential customers that their products are worth any consideration. A logo can quickly grab viewers’ attention and communicate a company’s core values interestingly. That short attention span you know, the one that causes consumers to judge your business by its appearance can work to your advantage, if you have a solid logo to speak for your company.”
Tailor Brands
Strengthen Marketing Efforts
Essentially, marketing is what drives sales and increases clients by attracting consumers in an over-crowded marketplace.
This is where you can get creative with promoting your business, product, services, or events. Marketing is just one component of branding. It is one of the most critical functions, as it informs the public, engages your audience, builds reputation, sells products or services, and helps grow your business.
Using marketing through social media, newsletters, advertisements, commercials, etc., is a way to inform your audience and make it clear why they should choose your business over a competitor or other similar business.
“Marketing keeps your business in people’s minds after a transaction is over and before they need you again. Social Media is a great place to start. After following a brand on social media, 91 percent of followers visit the brand’s website or app. And a startling 89 percent will buy from that brand. Sending post-purchase follow-up emails and mailing out postcards with special offers or information on new services are just a few more ways that marketing can help you stay in touch with your target audience..”
Deluxe
Recruit the best team
Recruiting the right team is crucial to the longevity of your business, and it starts at the top.
Creating a workplace culture rooted in inclusiveness and passion is essential to elevate the reputation of your business and recruit the top talent in your industry.
When recruiting, never settle. Do not ever hire someone just to fill a position as soon as possible. In the long run, it’ll probably lead to an unproductive team and cost you money when they leave or when you have to fire them.
“By having the right team you’ll retain Your Customers. Your customers remain at the core of your business. Delivering a high standard of services with the right employees will help your client retention and overall brand.”
Empire Accountants
Generate core-values
Heard of mission, vision, values? This is a standard by which your business operates. It ties into branding because every aspect of your values is reflected in your business name, logo, marketing efforts, and team.
The values you choose to reflect your business can also assist you in recruiting the RIGHT team, especially in a day and age where people want to work for companies that align with their core values.
When creating or strengthening your brand strategy, develop a set of core values and refer to them often, as they can be implemented into every aspect of your business.
“This is just as true for an organization as it is in peoples’ personal lives. 63 percent of consumers say they want to buy products and services from companies that have a purpose that resonates with their values and belief systems. They will even go out of their way to avoid companies that don’t mesh with what they believe which goes to show that a company’s values have both internal and external implications.”
Forbes
by tocpr | Jul 1, 2021 | General Marketing, Media Relations
Public speaking is a critical part of both public relations and public affairs. Being confident, understanding your audience, organization, and conveying communicative messages in a succinct manner all play an important role in public speaking.
Here’s a fun fact, did you know most people would rather die than having to speak in public?
“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
Jerry Seinfeld
Now, it’s likely that your position within public speaking is not that dramatic, and you only need a few pointers on how to strengthen your delivery and presentation to benefit your agency, organization or business.
Take note that public speaking has the power to help us influence decisions, formulate connections and generate change, but there are many mistakes we see in this space that we want you to be aware of and avoid.
Not tailoring your message to its intended audience is a mistake we see far too often; while on the technical side of things…dumping too much data at once and rushing through the content are other public speaking tendencies that should be eliminated ASAP.
Now, here are some tips, tactics, and tricks to assist you in efficiently delivering a public message, now and in the future!
Build your confidence
Public speaking can be terrifying, we understand. But know that the more you do it, the easier it will become.
It’s important to understand that if you want to come off as confident when delivering your message, be sure to truly understand the material at hand. Sometimes our nervousness comes from the fear of the unknown, and questions in our head arise that suggest that we may be asked something we do not have the answer to; the more you practice, research, and learn about the topic, the easier it will be to deliver the message, confidently. Writing down the talking points and reading them out loud is a great way to build comfortability when public speaking.
Also, when delivering your message, remember, your audience does not know what you’re going to say. So if you miss or skip a point, don’t worry, keep going and come back to it as soon as you wrap up your current point.
Try not to read from a script, unless you have to. There is no one better to share this communication than yourself. Remember that.
Be sure to make eye contact with your audience and refrain from holding a piece of paper, because if you are indeed nervous, your paper will start to flutter from your shaking; it becomes more evident when an object is in your hand.
Who is your audience?
Defining your audience is a key component when speaking in public. Have you ever attended a speaking engagement or press conference and did not understand a single word that was shared? Yes…we’ve been there too. Avoid all jargon.
When delivering a public speech, before even drafting your talking point, ask yourself, “Who is my audience?” Is your audience the general public, law enforcement agency professionals, entrepreneurs, fire captains, college students, or members of a legal association? Always be sure to write your talking points according to your audience. Put yourself in their shoes, if you had their background, would you understand the material?
“Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.”
Harvard Division of Continuing Education
Organize talking points
Always remember to organize your talking points. Could you imagine if a public figure or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company stood up in front of an audience and just started talking, jumping from the middle, back to the beginning, before landing at the end? It would sound like a mess.
Be sure to place the most important talking points at the beginning of your speech. A majority of the attention placed on your message will be at the beginning, before people’s attention span wears out.
“Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.”
Harvard Division of Continuing Education
A startling piece of data or findings have the power to generate an attention grabbing introduction and will set you up for a dynamic ending.
Keep it concise
Anytime you speak publicly, we cannot stress the need to keep your message succinct. Eliminating any filler words or information that is not directly related to the topic, get rid of it…if a member of the media or public is interested in additional information, have them contact you via phone to learn more.
Staying on topic and reinforcing the focal point when delivering a public speech will ensure that your audience is following along, listening, and understanding all the way through. Of course, when public speaking the context should be as long as it needs to be so you can get all your points across, share data, examples, and visuals, but no longer than that.
Remember, sometimes visuals implemented into your public speaking engagement can be distracting to your audience, so be strategic with graphics and images and use them only when discussing that specific topic or point, then get rid of them, as people may be distracted with visuals, which will take away from the message.
Be concise all the way through, from beginning to end with all talking points, visuals, and nonverbal communication.
by tocpr | Jun 3, 2021 | General Marketing, Marketing
Determining if a podcast is the right fit for you and your business relies heavily upon the amount of time you’re willing to take to create and promote content. The outcome of doing such effectively would be forging a tighter relationship with your clients, professional network, and the general public.
Podcasts offer so much value if they’re done right and are one of the newest, most cost-efficient ways to grow your audience and possibly turn your listeners into clients or customers.
Offering free, valuable information through your podcast by sharing insight into a specific topic and guest interviews could easily create a new audience for you and your business.
“According to Edison Research, the number of Americans listening to a podcast each week has grown 120 percent over the past four years, and 90 million Americans listen to a podcast every month. As the audience for podcasts continues to grow, there has never been a better time to start a podcast for your business, brand, or a personal hobby.”
BuzzSprout
With so much of the everyday population turning to podcasts daily to learn, network, and connect with others, now may be the time for you to get started!
Implementing a podcast for your business will require you to brand it, choose a niche that will resonate with your audience, name your show, produce each episode with compelling content (most importantly), purchase equipment, and much more.
Although this small piece of marketing may seem like a lot of work, a podcast’s return on investment can be quite high as it’s a super cost-efficient way to spread awareness of your business and brand identity.
Here’s our insight on how to determine if a podcast is right for your business, along with some tips to get you started!
Will it be beneficial to my business?
Will a podcast be beneficial to my business? It’s a question you need to ask yourself because the last thing you want to do is waste your time, energy, and money. We believe that a podcast can be an excellent opportunity for any business as long as you hone in on a specific niche that you’re passionate about and relates to your business in a way that will strengthen overall brand awareness.
Creating a list of goals and objectives may help you determine whether this medium is right for you. Ask yourself, “What do I want for my business to get out of this podcast?”
Is your goal to gain more clients for your business, strengthen brand awareness, create a tighter relationship with current clients, or use it as a tool to network with other professionals in your field? Once your figure out your “why,” it’ll be crystal clear to you about whether or not you move forward with the podcast.
Another major point in determining if a podcast is a space you want your business to navigate towards is allocating yourself enough time to execute it. It will take time to brainstorm, produce, record, edit and distribute; it’s not impossible, but understand you’re going to have to put some effort into it if you expect it to help you achieve your business goals.
Finally, a podcast can be a very beneficial way to market your business. It’s an excellent way to cross-promote by linking your podcast’s audience directly to your business’s website and social media pages. At the beginning or end of every podcast, you can reference your website and socials by stating that the listener can find the link in the description below. Pro tip – a podcast is a great way to repurpose content by cutting teaser videos and audio files, then sharing them on social media and your website.
Our final thoughts; a podcast is a multifaceted tool where you can link it to your social media channels, your website, and vice versa. Podcasts truly are the new blog.
Side note, before we move on: collaborating with others podcasters who share the same niche as you is a solid way to build your following and overall engagement.
How to start a podcast
Starting a podcast is a lot easier than you may think! Once you’ve decided to move forward with the podcast, it’s time to hit the ground running.
At this point, you’ve decided to move forward and have identified your goals and objectives. Now is the time to name your podcast. It’s important to put some thought and effort into naming your show, so brainstorm. Choosing a name that is telling of your content while being abstract at the same time will generate more interest than a generic name or a replicated business name.
Next, create a concept. Choosing a concept/niche is singlehandedly one of the most important steps in creating a podcast. We cannot tell you how many podcasts we’ve seen fail over time due to not having a specific theme or topic.
Remember, people want to know the type of content they’re getting without surprises. A listener is much more inclined to subscribe to your podcast if you have a specific niche that fully aligns with their interest; do not try to appeal to everyone. Usually, when a podcaster tries to appeal to everyone, they appeal to no one.
Now you’re going to want to hone in on the format of your show. Will you be the host? Will one of your employees be the host? Will there be a co-host? Will this be an audio only podcast? Or will it be audio and video?
You also have the opportunity to decide whether or not you want the podcast to be scripted, simply following a run of show or an improvisation. During this brainstorming session, you want to decide the length of your podcast and create a publishing schedule to create consistency between the podcast, audience, and business. Once you nail down all of this, you’re ready to purchase equipment and create collateral for the podcast.
Some equipment you will need to purchase to start a legit podcast includes a microphone(s), a camera (if you plan to go the visual route), video and audio editing software, a video-telephony software program, a laptop, and a backdrop if you do not have a visually appealing space to record in (for audio and visual podcasts only).
Finally, you will need to create collateral for your forthcoming podcast. Creating a graphic for every outlet your podcast will be published on is key, along with designing graphics for all social media sites to strengthen visibility, brand awareness, and identity.
Most of all, remember to have fun!
Pros and cons
At this point, you may have created a list in your head of all the pros and cons regarding starting a podcast for your business. Although we find there to be far more pros in using a podcast as a marketing strategy, there are still some cons you may want to take into consideration.
“Americans listen to approximately 21,117,000 hours of podcast audio every day. Podcasts also have an intimate relationship with listeners. Listeners invite podcasters into their earbuds during workouts, commutes, and other private spaces. That close relationship has many businesses wondering whether to add podcasting to their content marketing mix.”
Shift
Is a podcast the right fit for your business? Let’s weigh the pros and cons.
Pros
- Build a loyal base of listeners/clients
- Forge connections with customers and clients outside of your network
- Network with other professionals in your industry
- Be recognized as an industry leader
- Strengthen relationship with current clients
- Strengthen brand identity and awareness
- A cost-efficient way to market and cross-promote content
Cons
- Time consuming
- Podcasts do not appear in the initial search engine results pages
- Requires the willingness and ability to edit
- Can tarnish brand reputation if it comes across as unprofessional
We believe that the pros of a podcast heavily outweigh the cons and are confident you will succeed in your quest to implement one into your marketing strategy should you follow the tips and recommendations we have shared with you. Now…go get started!
by tocpr | Apr 22, 2021 | General Marketing
In late 2020, Apple released its most controversial (to-date) iOS update, which heavily affects advertisers, marketing professionals, and the general public.
iOS 14’s most notable update has affected some of the ability for targeted advertising…especially for tech giants such as Facebook and Google, whose revenue relies heavily on advertisements from businesses and the public.
Apple seems to be on a spree of strengthening its privacy on its devices to increase security and limit data collection to protect its users.
With tech giants being affected by this swift update, this even means that many local businesses and mid-size enterprises are being affected. A lot of them use the platform of Facebook and Google for advertising.
If you have ever utilized Facebook or Google to run an advertisement, you are probably aware of having the ability to tailor a specific advertisement to an audience based on interests, location, age, gender, and more; but with the iOS 14 update, targeting an audience is more difficult than ever, due to the lack of data tracking.
Although this update makes the job of a marketing professional a bit more difficult, there are ways to pivot, and we’ll show you how.
How does the privacy update work?
When an apple device user updates to iOS 14, they will begin to receive a pop-up asking if they would like to share tracking data across apps and websites owned by other companies, specifically when downloading an app.
With this pop-up, the user will have the option to ask the app not to track activity or to allow the app to track activity. It has been noted by several studies that when an iPhone user has the option to choose to allow or decline tracking, a majority of people are going to decline it, thus making targeted advertising even more difficult.
“While it’s difficult to quantify the impact to content creators and publishers at this point with so many unknowns, in testing, we’ve seen publishers experience more than a 50% drop in revenue when personalization was removed from mobile app ad install campaigns. Publishers and developers have clearly taken notice.”
Facebook
Many are unaware that Apple’s iPhone users have always had the option to turn off tracking; it’s not necessarily new, but it didn’t use to be front and center when downloading an app. For those operating off of an older version of iOS, simply open your settings > Privacy and click the button to limit ad tracking, if you wish.
How to pivot through this update
Let’s face it; there will be many updates over the years that affect us and the way we market to the public…the answer? We pivot.
While platforms like Facebook and Google continue to address the flaw presented to them by Apple, and they seek to strengthen more in house data-collection methods, we have a couple of solutions that you can utilize to maximize the viewership of your advertisements in the meantime:
- Collect. More. Emails. Collecting more emails will allow you to generate your very own lists of clients to target with advertisements tailored to them. One way you can integrate the email strategy into your marketing efforts is through a digital newsletter. Host the digital newsletter on your website and share it across socials, with the only sign-up requirement being the collection of name and email address. This method will protect your marketing efforts and self-sufficiency through the next iOS privacy update.
- Create better advertisements. As we used to have a more comprehensive way of targeting, businesses could distribute mediocre advertisements and still generate interest because it was already reaching a specific audience. Focusing on creating better advertisements by strengthening copywriting, implementing ad psychology into messaging, and developing stronger visuals/graphics.
Remember, you still have the ability to target audiences, very broadly, of course. So from here on out, it’s essential to take matters into your own hands to create the most effective advertisements by collecting your own emails from clients and generating stronger advertisements.
To learn more on how to respond to Apple’s iOS 14 Privacy Update, click here.
by tocpr | Apr 19, 2021 | General Marketing, Law Firms, Media Relations, Social Media Marketing
How are you marketing your law firm? Do you have an intuitive website? Do you have a relationship with the media? Are you optimizing social media? Have you implemented a digital newsletter into your marketing strategy? All of these are questions you should be asking yourself to maximize client engagement through law firm marketing.
A survey found that 54 percent of law firms actively market to find new clients, and 65 percent of law firms commit over 50 percent of their marketing budget to online marketing activities. If your firm isn’t paying attention to digital marketing and social media, you really should.
Whether it’s Google Reviews, a well designed website, or engaging social media profiles, it’s important to take full advantage of marketing tools the internet has to offer because the value opportunity it brings to your clients is substantial.
Below are four ways to effectively market your law firm to stand out from the crowd and strengthen your relationship with clients.
Have A Well Designed Website
Think of your website as a first impression. If your website is difficult to navigate, has repetitive content, or isn’t user-friendly, people will exit quickly. When building your website, be sure to keep it clean, simple, and the messaging must be succinct.
If potential clients have to click more than three times to locate an item, odds are they aren’t going to keep looking. Keep in mind that the average time a person spends on any website is only 45 seconds; first impressions are everything, it’s crucial to build a simple yet intuitive site.
When it comes to being user-friendly, it’s essential to make your website accessible through mobile optimization. A recent survey showed that 71 percent of people said they used mobile phones to search for a lawyer, so when a potential client visits your website through a mobile device, you want it to look good!
Check out one of our client’s websites, Silver & Wright Attorneys At Law, for reference.
Media Relations
Do you have a relationship with news publications, reporters, and the community? Having all three of the listed media relations are vital to the success of your law firm marketing. Media relationships pose the opportunity to greatly expand your audience reach that pertains to your communications, press releases, and features.
From writing the press release to talking with the media at the press conference, media relations are among the most crucial aspects of marketing your firm.
Building your reputation with the media will give you an advantage as you build trust with them and have the opportunity to share your side of the story. When a controversial case rolls around, you’ll already have strong relationships with the media.
A big part of marketing and public relations is being proactive and not reactive. Building trust with those you represent and the media will make it easier for your firm to stand strong in the eyes of the public during a controversial case. With a strong relationship, the media will begin to provide your firm advantage in terms of coverage somewhere down the line.
Social Media
Social media has taken the front row seat when it comes to brand awareness and effective marketing. If your firm isn’t on social media, they need to be. You not only need to be on social media, but you also need to be active on social media. What good does it serve to have a public social media account that offers zero value? It’s basically just existing and taking up space.
Social media allows you to create and strengthen your brand while showing the public what your firm is truly about by being transparent. This is where you get to control the narrative.
You have the potential to share parts of your firm that the website can not. Maybe it’s a behind the scenes look into your day to day law firm life, an attorney highlight, or a successful case highlight that will generate interest for months, even after it’s initially published.
These are all strategies that will draw in potential clients by keeping them connected to your firm. A great way to market your social media platforms is to have them linked on your website and vice versa. Be sure to utilize the link in bio space across all social media platforms with the link to your website.
Finally, it’s important to remember that social media is constantly changing and evolving; optimization is key. Be creative, take risks and have fun when creating content.
Digital Newsletter
A digital newsletter is one of the most modern and effective tools used to market a law firm.
The value that a newsletter can offer clients is one that often helps retain clients and strengthens the relationship between firm and client. Think of it this way: with a digital newsletter, you are essentially providing clients or potential clients free information, thus adding value to their lives.
“Email marketing is a key component of any successful marketing strategy — in fact, email marketing provides companies with a potential ROI of $44 for every $1 spent. In particular, email newsletters are an essential way for your business to keep your subscribers up-to-date with relevant information, and ultimately drive more leads. Newsletters give marketers the ability to capture email sign-ups through form submissions, and nurture leads.”
Hubspot
Click here to familiarize yourself with some of the top-rated digital newsletter platforms!
There are so many law firms in California that it can seem overwhelming. We live in a digital age and see that the ones who make the strongest impression online will get the client. Word of mouth marketing quickly turns into looking the firm up on the internet. Make sure your firm’s brand is on point to draw prospective clients in.
For more information on how to market your law firm, check out the services we offer.