Marketing Strategy Tips We L-O-V-E

Love is in the air, and to show our readers how much we love ‘em, we’re singing our favorite marketing strategy tips to the tune of a Valentine’s Day favorite! (Feel free to sing along!)

L is for the way you generate LEADS… 

A marketing strategy without lead generation is like a cupcake without icing—not nearly as enticing! One of the best ways to find leads who are actually interested in your brand and products is to create lead generating content. 

Lead generating content is engaging content that meets customers where they are in the buyer's journey. It should be interesting, useful, and speak to customer’s pain points. Often embedded in lead generating content is a lead magnet—a free item or service that is given away for the purpose of gathering contact details. 

Here are 3 types of lead generating content you can create: 

1. Blogs: Write blogs that answer customer questions or speak to their pain points. This shows your expertise and leads them back to your products and services. Every new piece of content is another opportunity for someone to find you via organic search. (Here are 9 types of blogs you can start with.)
   
   
2. Downloadable eBook: This type of lead generating content is often helpful for customers in the middle of the sales funnel—those who have passed the “awareness” phase and are now in the “interest” or “decision” phases. Downloadable eBooks offer more comprehensive help than blogs, are heavy on visuals, and include links to resources. (Here’s an eBook of our own!)
   
   
3. Free Webinar: A webinar is an online presentation that can facilitate a real-time conversation from anywhere in the world. Try hosting a webinar in which you promise to teach attendees something of value, for free. Those who sign up and attend are all leads that your sales team can follow up on!

O is OPTIMIZE So Search Engines Can See...

It can be helpful to think of marketing like dating. For example, if you want to find “The One,” you need to get into the dating scene. In marketing terms, “The One” means the perfect customer, and “the dating scene,” means the internet!

But just like dating, you want to make yourself appear as attractive as possible for the type of person (or prospect) you’re looking for. That’s where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in. 

Google’s algorithm is constantly working to deliver helpful content to searchers. When you optimize your content, you’re making sure it checks off all the necessary boxes so that Google’s bots determine your content as being “helpful.”

Here are 3 ways you can optimize your content for search engines: 

1. Keyword Research: Using tools like Mangool’s Keyword Finder, you can find which topic-related keywords people are searching for online. Your blogs and social media content should focus on a main keyword, and can also include supporting keywords.
   
   
2. Format for the Featured Snippet: You might have noticed that search engine results pages (SERPs) now include a section toward the top of the first page that has more space. That’s the Featured Snippet, or a short snippet of text that answers a searcher’s query. You can format your content so that it’s more likely to be used in the featured snippet by writing clear definitions within your blogs or making helpful lists. 
   
   
3. Organize Content Based on Topics: When planning out your blogging strategy, make a list of broad topics that are related to your business. These broad topics should be discussed in depth using something Hubspot calls a “pillar page.” Then make a list of subtopics for each. Those topics should be discussed in blogs that link back to their appropriate pillar page (and the pillar page should link to all the subtopics). This organization strategy helps Google see and categorize your topics, improving your SEO.

V is VERY, very, extra MOBILE FRIENDLY...

Did you know, over 300 million people use dating apps worldwide? Hardly surprising when you consider that, as of 2022, there were roughly 6.65 billion smartphone users. 

That means 86% of the population stares at their smartphones on a regular basis. If your website isn’t mobile friendly yet, what are you waiting for??

Being mobile friendly simply means that your website displays different versions depending on what device visitors are using. If you don’t optimize your website for mobile use, you could lose customers simply because your website doesn’t load quickly or because it “looks weird.” 

Here are 3 ways to make your website more mobile friendly: 

1. Responsive Design: A responsive website design will scale itself to fit whatever device it’s being viewed on, adjusting to different screen sizes. A responsive website can also improve your SEO, because Google prioritizes mobile friendly websites. When designing your website, choose a mobile-responsive theme, or add the viewport meta tag to your existing website. 
   
   
2. Optimize Website Speed: Did you know that a website that loads in one second has a conversion rate that’s 3x higher than a site that loads in 5 seconds? To improve your website’s speed, first you’ll want to analyze it using Google PageSpeed Insights to see what needs work. Then you can employ some easy solutions like reducing your redirects, caching your webpages, and compressing images to make your site faster.
   
   
3. Minimalistic Website Design:  Too many page elements will make your site appear cluttered on a smartphone screen. This can confuse your visitors. Include only the critical information and calls to action on a webpage, incorporate lots of white space, and opt for a small menu that opens to a larger menu when clicked. All of these tips will make your website more mobile friendly!

E is EARN more money, if you have a great BRAND STORY!

Have you ever been on a date where the other person only talked about themselves? How boring was that? We bet you couldn’t wait to get the check! Now here’s the kicker: that’s how prospects feel when they visit a website or see an ad that’s only focused on selling. 

To attract and inspire your prospects, you need to become a great storyteller. If your brand has a great story, your company will be more likable, memorable, and more successful than your competition. That’s why our team at Wild Fig Marketing are big fans of the StoryBrand Framework.

The StoryBrand Framework is a content creation framework that helps businesses simplify their message using a story-based approach. It places customers at the center of the hero's journey, and characterizes you as their knowledgeable guide. This framework can help you create brand content that you can use and reuse in multiple different ways, from your website, to your social media platforms, to paid advertisements. 

At Wild Fig Marketing, not only are we StoryBrand Certified, but we’re also hosting a FREE online webinar on February 9th. Attendees will learn how to talk about your business so that prospects will actually listen, and will get a bunch of free downloadable goodies, too! Sign up for the free webinar here! 

Does Your Marketing Strategy Need a Little TLC?

If you want to know how we can create a marketing strategy your prospects will LOVE, reach out and schedule a 15 minute exploratory call. Our experienced team can build you a marketing strategy that generates leads, optimizes content, and tells your unique brand story. From the team at Wild Fig, Happy Valentine’s Day!