5 Online Marketing Basics Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know

Entrepreneurs spend a considerable amount of time learning how to boost their businesses. Marketing is key to the success of a business and online marketing is ever so important. According to Constant Contact,  84 percent of people say that the biggest difference in small businesses between now and five years ago is the use of more online marketing tools.

Every entrepreneur needs to be familiar with this five concepts to maximize online marketing results.

1. Upselling and customer loyalty are profitable.

The standard online campaign is expected to sell products profitably. This is also referred to as "single sale campaigns" because each sale is meant to be profitable. These campaigns can turn out to be unprofitable due to rising advertising costs and price wars. One solution is to make it profitable with upsells and the life time value of a newly acquired customer.

It is much easier to sell to existing customers than to acquire a new one. Consequently, create a strategy that increases the amount of items or services they order once they have come to trust you.

2. Look-alike audiences do work.

Let someone else do the heavy lifting. By installing a few pixels you can allow advertising platforms to collect data about your customers and learn more about their online behaviors. These pixels will then work as a targeting tool and help the advertising platforms to find additional users with similar online behaviors with the goal to increase your online sales.

Typical examples are the Google Display Select Targeting and Facebook Lookalike Audiences. Google Display Select targets people who are similar to the ones that visit your site through the search campaigns. It works best if your campaigns have had traffic and conversions for a couple of months.

Facebook Lookalike Audiences target either people who are similar to those who already like your page or profiles similar to the profiles of your existing customers.

3. Social media is good media.

Many businesses worry social media might be not a good advertising tool. However, social media offer so many targeting methods that it has become a good advertising platform for most businesses.

Social media can work better for some businesses than others. As a rule of thumb, test Linkedin when marketing to businesses and Facebook when marketing to consumers, though many B2B businesses have been successful with Facebook advertising. Try Twitter Video Ads, Stumble Upon’s Paid Discovery, Promoted Pins, +Post Ads for Google+ and more to reach your target audience.

4. Testing is not immediately profitable.

Testing new advertising channels might not be profitable at first but that doesn’t mean that you should pause it right away. You should expect to have new advertising channels converting up to 50 percent more than existing ones. 

This implies that they have potential and simply require tune ups or optimizations before scaling up the budget. Testing is especially advantageous for accounts that are successful but require more traffic volume to boost sales.

5. Expand campaigns based on what you learn.

Using a platform such as Google Analytics is a must for collecting data such as what pages people visit, what products they bought after their first purchase, how much time they spend on certain pages, what pages they visit after, age, gender, geographical area of your customers and more. The trick in using Google Analytics is to take this data and use it across platforms to scale up results.

For instance, generate traffic through Facebook, find out what portion of this traffic is behaving well on your site and show ads to only this portion via the Google Search Network. A concrete example would be to find out what services or products people who came from Facebook Ads bought. Step two would then be to make a list of the people who spent the most and show ads to those people on Google with a traditional Google Search Network Campaign.

by Matthew Goulart, Founder if Ignite Digital

The 7 Tenets of Branding

In today’s competitive marketplace, entrepreneurs—tasked with raising capital, attracting talent and getting their businesses off the ground—are up against a staggering statistical fail rate. But by following some basic principles related to design, marketing and user experience—tenets of some of the most powerful businesses out there—you can increase your odds of starting and maintaining a successful brand.

1. Simplicity

While it’s tempting to try to be everything to everyone, one of the most impactful ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace is to do one thing well. Vrai & Oro is a jewelry line that shucked the categorical norm of creating marked-up, seasonal items, focusing instead on a limited line of classic, timeless pieces—no gimmicks. The brand name translates to “truth and gold,” and that’s exactly what consumers get—streamlined offerings that are pure and unadulterated, with a simplicity that cuts through the clutter of competitors’ offerings. Even the straightforward web design and ordering process are a seamless extension of the company’s dedication to transparency. 

2. Disruption

Strategies that break from norms can force an entire category to reevaluate its behavior. Having grown up in a family of pharmacists, TJ Parker was frustrated by the complexity of the business. His company, PillPack, is the first online pharmacy designed to help people take the right medication at the right time. The Somerville, Mass.-based service prepacks medications and delivers them to customers in convenient time-stamped packets, ensuring that there are no gaps in care. The company’s design, from its medication-scheduling system to its user interface, packaging and website—is simple, intuitive and human, challenging the confusing and alien design language of traditional pharmaceuticals. Rather than just improving on its competition, PillPack has reinvented a category and infused humanity back into a sector that had lost touch with it.

3. Original Expression 

A bold statement or expression can establish a new narrative and original attitude. Tina Roth Eisenberg was inspired to start Brooklyn-based Tattly after her daughter came home from a birthday party with an unsightly temporary tattoo. As a designer, she was more upset than many would be by the offending clip art, but from this she unlocked an opportunity. Tattly is now a profitable business of “designy temporary tattoos” with a cult following and retail partnerships with Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, J.Crew and the Museum of Modern Art. It’s a niche industry, but Tattly is making an impact in a bold way.

4. Big Ideas 

A groundbreaking idea that evokes emotion can generate brand loyalty in unexpected and lasting ways. Spirits company Johnnie Walker sponsored Future, a gallery of “artwork not yet created.” Ten artists displayed blank canvases, promising to produce incredible work upon them, and challenged buyers to buy the pieces in advance, taking a chance on talent. The auction sold triple the amount expected. 

While Johnnie Walker is not known for art, Future was a physical manifestation of the brand’s personality, showcasing the company’s “belief in people’s potential, transforming the way art collectors buy pieces of art and changing how new artists start their career.” By stepping out of its comfort zone with a big idea, Johnnie Walker humanized its brand while supporting and inspiring a section of its core demographic.

5. Symbolism 

Powerful symbols transcend words to trigger emotions and create a meaningful impression. Lego’s business is built on child’s play, yet the brand captures the fancy of pretty much everyone, regardless of age. More than just elemental colored bricks, the iconic Lego blocks inspire creativity in a way that can resonate with adults—from artist Nathan Sawaya’s Lego sculptures to the award-winning The Lego Movie,whose humor spanned generations. The Lego brand symbolizes more than toys; it represents a world of possibility.

6. Meaning

Commit to making a genuine connection with your audience, and you better your chances of evoking an emotional response. The founders of New York City-based Warby Parker aimed to provide consumers with stylish, affordable eyewear that is also mission-driven. For every pair of glasses Warby Parker sells, it makes a donation that enables optical training in developing countries. Aside from the disruptive stance of challenging a long-stagnant category, the social-impact dimension of the business model was a novel approach that set an example for many companies to follow. By rooting the brand in something meaningful, Warby Parker passes on that meaning to its consumers, making them feel empowered by a purchase that not only looks amazing without breaking the bank, but also contributes to the greater good.

7. Depth 

Layers of meaning and purity of purpose create a sense of warmth and emotion around a brand. When San Francisco-based Airbnb introduced its new logo last year, it wasn’t to the greatest of fanfare. But while the new identity may have fallen flat, what the brand did around the redesign process was powerful. In a live webcast reveal, the company walked viewers through the redesign strategy, outlining the brand’s many facets, identifying core values and objectives and reinforcing the dedication to an honest user experience. While the intention of the webcast was to reveal the new logo, those 45 minutes became a deeper experience, forging a sense of community, home and culture.

Airbnb continues to build out its brand in a deep and emotive way, updating security measures with full transparency and regularly communicating with customers through curated offerings and multifaceted messaging.

from Entrepreneur Magazine

The First Step to Starting Anything Is Getting Over Your Perfectionism

Oh, the joy and pain of starting something new. When Jared Easley,host of Starve the Doubts podcast, asked me if I planned to attend this year’s Podcast Movement conference I couldn’t say “no” fast enough. Jared didn’t take it personally, even though he’s one of the co-founders for the conference. He knew I wasn’t podcasting and had never expressed any desire to create a podcast, he just thought I “should” be getting into the podcast space.  

Of course, I went. Partly because I was curious and partly because I knew he was right -- podcasting is showing itself to be a vehicle for reaching people and touching lives. I would be short sighted to ignore it.

It was easier to decide to attend Podcast Movement than it was to admit to myself, or anyone else, why I’d resisted. I was scared. 

First, I have had some clinical issues with my voice and what was once a well-trained emotive instrument sometimes lets me down after only  a couple of hours of work.

Second, I have a love-hate relationship with technology; I love it, it hates me. So embarking on an enterprise that is tech-dependent seemed a tad risky.

But, third, there was the real fear, the one I don’t like to talk about. Perfectionism. I wasn’t scared I wouldn’t be perfect. I knew I wouldn’t be perfect. I was scared about what it would mean to not be perfect.

So I said “yes” to Jared. I even said “yes” to a podcast. I started getting excited about using a podcast as a way to collaborate with my life partner. But under the excitement was the fear. Not fear of failure. But fear of being less than I wanted to be. Fear of not being perfect.

My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions. The conference was exceptionally well structured, the staff and attendees were helpful. While there was a lot of tech talk floating around, there was none of the tech elite attitude I had expected. I started to think maybe I could do this thing.

Then we attended Jeff Brown’s session; “How to Prepare, Polish and Execute Great Interviews Every Time (i.e. How not to Suck at Interviewing.)”

Jeff is the guy behind the Read to Lead podcast, he teaches all things podcasting through his Podcaster Academy, and he’s been at the mic in radio for more than 26 years. Plus, this topic was one I feel strongly about, having been on the guest side of the interview equation for many enjoyable, and not so enjoyable, interviews. If there was any part of podcasting I wanted to be perfect at, this was it.

Jeff had barely gotten started when he shattered my excuses, and invalidated my fears. He opened with two points about starting a podcast, or anything else:

One, excellence comes from preparation. Athletes spend 90 percent of their effort in preparing for the game and 10 percent playing the game. If we used that ratio of 90 percent preparation to 10 percent performance we would achieve excellence.

Two, perfection is a moving target. But excellence is within reach.

Two simple and inarguable truths. Excellence comes from consistent improvement. Dedication to preparation and practice yields increased excellence. Perfection cannot even be defined, let alone achieved.

At that moment, sitting in the back of that packed room, I let go of my fear. I won’t be perfect, I might not even be excellent when I begin. But I know how to achieve excellence and that is as close to perfect as I ever need to be.

At the end of the conference I was introduced to Jeff Brown by a mutual friend. During our brief chat he mentioned that the point he made about excellence was inspired by a comment on a Facebook post. A comment that I had written on a post by one of his friends. I didn't remember writing it, but he still had the screen shot of the comment. He was kind enough to send to me. Here’s a part of what I had posted:

“Perfection is a moving target designed to prevent launch. Excellence is just a way of saying ‘this is how I approach anything that matters to me.’ Basically, be better, do better, but don’t let fears of not having done well enough keep you from doing anything.”

What is the quest for perfection keeping you from launching? How can you aim for excellence instead?

by Dixie Gillaspie

Stimulate Creative Juices in Short Amount of Time!

What’s the secret to jarring an organization from being a slow-moving giant to a nimble idea machine?

Give folks a ridiculously short amount of time — we’re talking less than 24 hours — to solve a major problem.

It might sound crazy in this city more accustomed to bureaucracy and gridlock, but it’s one of the lessons officials learned at D.C.’s Sibley Memorial Hospital last year. A year ago, they launched the Sibley Innovation Hub, a place to encourage employees come up with ideas to improve health care.

“We don’t want to ramrod ideas. We don’t want to be a bull in a china shop. But it gets you past that past hurdle where people get stuck,” said Nick Dawson, the Hub’s executive director about the tactic. “In 24 hours, you can say, ‘There’s an idea here. We have something.’”

I caught up with officials this week to talk about some of the lessons from The Innovation Hub, which they say resulted in new inventions, improved safety, better patient satisfaction scores and a design-driven culture when it comes to problem-solving.

What are some of the other lessons for the Johns Hopkins Health System hospital? Here's what officals said:

1. Try to understand what really different industries are doing: After seeing a spike in accidental needle sticks last year — likely due to improved reporting, officials said — Sibley decided to hold one of its 24-hour "sprint" events around the serious and costly health care problem. Officials started by talking to the surgical nurses. "We brought them bagels and said, 'Show us everything you can about how needle sticks happen in surgery,'" Dawson said. Before long, nurses were acting out the scenarios in the operating room for them.

Armed with the information, the Hub team raced to a local Chipotle to see how workers avoided hurting themselves as they quickly cut meat for burritos. An employee showed them a chain-mail glove used to protect their hands. The nurses balked at the idea. There was no way they could sacrifice that dexterity in their hands during surgery, they said. So dressed in their work attire, the Hub team headed through throngs of tourists to the Smithsonian National Zoo. "We cornered a reptile room worker and said, 'How do you protect yourselves?'" Dawson said.

The secret, the Hub team learned, was not in protecting the zoo workers' hands. It was in “neutralizing” the snake’s fangs by covering their teeth. The reptile team also used a call-and-response process to increase communication while handling the snakes, Dawson said.

Time ticking down, the team raced back to the hospital and — borrowing an idea from the Apple iPad cover — created specially magnetized needles that would land point side down when dropped on an array of magnets. It was a rudimentary prototype. But it was something. “When the nurses saw that, they said, ‘That could work,’” Dawson said. Sibley’s team filed for a patent the next day.

2. Discuss some terrible ideas: Back in January, the hub began a one-month project at the request of Sibley’s Chief Nursing Officer Joanne Miller to find ways to improve the hospital discharge process.

It's a difficult problem across health care as patients — anxious and still healing — forget their most important questions as they head home from the hospital. “People have been trying to take a swing with this bat for years,” said Sibley’s Chief Medical Director Lawrence Rammuno. “I’m not sure anyone has gotten it quite right yet.” The Hub team started with an idea to create a Candy Land-inspired game where patients "follow the journey" to discharge. The idea was not well-received. "People said 'That's really childish,'" Dawson said. "But sometimes you have to throw out these sacrificial ideas and say, 'Just react. We'll start there.'"

They tested having individual “discharge ambassadors” as each patient left the hospital. It worked in theory, but was totally unsustainable, Dawson said. Finally, the team examined some of the ways hotels improve guest satisfaction. Many have small questionnaire cards in their rooms, asking for feedback with suggested prompts to help guests remember specific issues they want addressed.

It inspired what was dubbed the “Ready to Go" card at Sibley. Nurses began giving a small sheet of card stock to every patient prompting them to mark which questions they had before they were discharged.

“We thought it was just a first step along the way,” Dawson said about the idea. Instead, they saw a notable jump in internally reported patient satisfaction data, not yet publicly available. Between March and May, for instance, the hospital's patient satisfaction score regarding its discharges rose to the 66th percentile of all hospitals, up from 47 in the quarter between December and February.

They are working to further improve the process, Dawson said.

3. Give a serious deadline — then g et out of the way."Sprint" challenges don't replace longer-term projects. But they create serious energy and buzz, Dawson said. They force those in problem-solving mode to consider possible solutions when they might usually find 100 reasons why it wouldn't work.

"Speed forces people to clear their minds and focus," Rammuno said. It also helps creates a safe environment where failure is a learning tool. That may be cliche in Silicon Valley — but it's still pretty new in the health care world. I asked Rammuno what it was like in the room during the needle-stick challenge. He couldn't tell me because he stayed out of the way once health workers got into problem-solving mode. “The last thing senior leadership should do is go in the room and say 'What's going on?'" Rammuno said. "We're trying to break down that hierarchy. We want them to know it's OK to try something."

Be More Productive with These Tech Tips!

It seems every day brings more e-mails, more data, more information to sort through. Your workload increases but you can’t add more hours to the day. How can you push back?

Use these innovations to reduce overwork, streamline communication and increase productivity. Take advantage of technology. Make it work for you instead of driving your life.

1. Rein in e-mails. A leading report says businessmen and women receive an average of 121 e-mails a day. And that number will keep growing. Create a system to avoid being buried in the deluge. Allot only a certain amount of time to scan your emails each day. Find a system of deleting, saving, and acting on them that works for you.
   Consider reducing the number of emails you send out. Who really needs to be CC’d on them? Do you need to “reply all”? At times you can accomplish the work of a dozen e-mails by picking up the phone and speaking directly with the other person.
   
2. Streamline paperwork. Instead of stacks of paper on your desk, try stacks of files in programs that allow you to share with your team. Use Evernote to keep your thought, drafts, and research under control. Collect group files accessible to all team members in Dropbox.
   
3. Reduce travel time. Time is money. Instead of spending hours and days in airports, flying or driving, use technology to shorten the distance. Skype or Google Hangout allow up to 10 people to see each other and converse. WebEx and GoToMeeting are great for screen sharing. These techniques will provide efficient use of your time.
   
4. Contact information. Many people keep contact information in their smartphone making the data dial-ready. Another option is Jibber Jobber. Here you store more than phone numbers or other contact information. You can keep notes about your power lunch, log in relationships and tie the contact to other people or companies.
   
5. Unplug. Use the ever-present technology to help you take a break and unplug. Look for a parent control apps to limit the time you spend on your phone. Of course, you’ll have the passcode to let you over-ride the cut-off time. But it helps you see how much time you’re spending and insures you unplug for a while.

Break Time (Mac) or Workrave (Windows) can assist with taking breaks and managing your schedule on your computer.

Also consider turning off e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, and other notifications. The constant dings divert your attention from work. When you have periods of no technology, you allow your brain to think more deeply and find better solutions.

Technology simplifies our lives in many ways — we scan and digitally file material, we research easier with Google search, and our smartphones with their multitude of applications can speed up work. Rather than have technology encroach into our lives, chose the best parts to streamline your communications. Then free up your time for your most productive work.

by Joel Garfinkel

Why Modern SEO Requires Almost No Technical Expertise

The Internet is complicated. If you think about the innumerable calculations that go into every Google search just to bring you the perfect information for your request, it can almost be overwhelming. Trying to appeal to every line of code in Google’s core algorithm to rank higher would be virtually impossible, even for the most advanced programmer.

Fortunately, you’re not a Google engineer, and you don’t need to be in order to rank higher in search engines. Because the early days of SEO leaned on backend coding tactics and deceptive tricks to get sites ranking higher, there’s a modern-day misconception that SEO success can only be achieved through a combination of technical proficiency and extensive experience. This simply isn’t true.

While there are some architectural strategies and coding tactics that you should employ as part of your strategy, for the most part, modern SEO can be implemented without any prior experience, and without any technical knowledge of how websites -- or Google’s algorithm -- work.

As an illustration of why technical expertise is no longer an absolute necessity, consider this: Google’s search algorithm is completely undisclosed. No search marketer, now or ever (save for a handful of former Google engineers, perhaps), has ever had access to the actual lines of code that determine which businesses rank where.

All our combined knowledge of SEO, from offsite to onsite and from 2000 until now, has come either as the result of an experiment or as a result of Google telling us what its algorithm looks for. These are non-technical inferences, and are often boiled down to generalities, such as “write quality content” or “reduce your bounce rate.”

Ultimately, there’s only one motivation that drives Google: the experience of its users. It wants its users to be happy so they’ll keep coming back to Google. So Google favors sites that make their visitors happy in turn. Ignore all the technical terms, all the details of execution and all your preconceived notions for a moment and focus on this: the happier your users are when they visit your site, the higher you’re going to rank.

Modern SEO really is that simple. That being said, there are a few key ways you’ll need to make your users happy.

1. Offering a good onsite experience

This includes a number of different factors, but none of them require much familiarity with web design or development. Make your purpose known. Make your site aesthetically pleasing. Make it easy for your users to find exactly what they’re looking for. Make your site fast, and optimized for any device (this one you may need a coder’s help for, admittedly). Make your navigation simple. These principles are basic, and if you follow them, your users will have a better time.

2. Writing good content

Content has been a major pillar for SEO for the past decade or so, but you no longer need to pay attention to the keyword phrases you include or how often you include them, nor do you need to present your content in a specific way. You just need to make sure you’re choosing interesting, relevant topics, and writing about them in an original, informative way (free from error, of course). An English degree might help you write more eloquently, but as long as you’re writing high-quality material that’s relevant for your industry and adds significant value for your readers, you’ll be in good shape.

3. Getting others to acknowledge you as an authority

Google looks to outside sources to determine how much of an authority you are in your respective space. In the old days, taking advantage of this meant sneaking in links to as many sources as possible. Today, there’s no need for such tactics. Instead, it’s about building relationships, person to person, which anybody can do with enough time and patience. Build relationships with outside blogs and other publishers, and eventually they’ll help you get published. Write enough quality content, and other sites will link to yours naturally. Make your site a magnet for inbound links, which Google sees as “votes” for your site’s credibility, trust and authority.

4. Rising in social popularity

Your popularity on social media also plays a role in how you rank in organic search results. For example, correlation studies have consistently shown that if you have 1,000 highly active followers on Twitter, you’ll rank higher than if you have no Twitter account at all. While correlation doesn’t equal causation, there’s certainly no harm that can come from building your brand in social media channels. In fact, there are only major benefits.

Social media marketing is a bit of a science, but the fundamentals are clear and easy to understand: establish a presence, engage with people often and syndicate great content whenever you can. Eventually, the audience will come to you naturally. For more insights on social media marketing, grab my ebook, The Definitive Guide to Social Media Marketing.

5. Earning local relevance

It’s also important to be reviewed well on third-party sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor, especially if you’re shooting to build your relevance as a local business. But this, too, requires little to no technical expertise.

Claim your profile on as many of these sites as you can (the setup process is relatively simple), then let your customers do the rest of the work for you. Make your presence on these sites known, and people will start filling out reviews on their own. All you have to do is give them the greatest in-person experience you can and learn from any constructive criticism you receive in the meantime.

Modern CMS systems

It’s also worth mentioning that most modern content management systems (CMS) have been created or modified with the intention to streamline the SEO process. Most important backend configurations are automatic, and most other code-specific entries are presented in an interface that’s easy to understand and even easier to update. As long as you’re following a modern system of web development, the technical side of SEO is easier to understand than ever before.

Ultimately, modern-day SEO can be boiled down to one principle: make your users happy. If users come to your site, get what they’re looking for and have a good time doing it, Google will take notice, you’ll rise in rank, and if more users have the same experience, the whole process will continue. Technical proficiency helps, but the common-sense style approach to content marketing and user experience optimization often performs just as well in increasing your overall rank.

by Jayson Demers, Founder and CEO, AudienceBloom

12 Hacks to Keep Visitors on Your Pages Longer

Conventional wisdom suggests that a “good” bounce rate (aka, the number of visitors who check out a single page on your site and then leave) falls between 30 to 50 percent. But if you ask me, anything over 25 to 30 percent represents an opportunity to reach more potential customers through the implementation of design and user-experience hacks that keep visitors on your pages longer.

Here are 12 to start with today:

1. Declutter your design.

This isn’t 1996. Geocities is dead. So if your site is still packed full of animated images, excess design features and other modern no-no’s, it’s time for a redesign. According to Tony Haile, the CEO of Chartbeat, you have just 15 seconds (or less) to convince new visitors to stay through the power of your site’s design alone.

2. Cut your number of fonts.

One immediate signal to readers that your site -- and, by extension, your company -- is out-of-date? The number of fonts you’ve used. If you’ve got more than two or three on your homepage, trim them down to create a more modern look.

3. Try a larger font size.

On a related note, the size of your fonts may also be affecting your site’s “stickiness.” An article published in Smashing Magazine suggests that anything less than 16 pixels could impair your site’s readability.

4. Apply visual breaks to your content.

Font size is important but big blocks of unbroken text are unacceptable in any circumstance. Quickly improve your site’s readability by adding headings, sub headings, bulleted lists and numbered lists to break your content into easily-digested segments.

5. Add images of people.

Medelia Art conducted an A/B test that pitted homepage images of artists’ paintings against photos of the artists themselves. The result? Aconversion rate increase of more than 95 percent when the artists’ faces were shown. The bottom line is this: people like to look at faces and they trust them more than stock graphics. Add them to your site today.

6. Upgrade your images.

Of course, faces aren’t appropriate in all places but that doesn’t mean the rest of your site has to rely on cheesy stock photography. Tools likeCanva and PicMonkey make it easy to customize your images, and the impact can be significant. One Brafton client saw a 14.3 percent decrease in bounce rate just by adding custom visuals to their blog posts.

7. Add statistics.

A funny thing happens when you add statistics to your site’s content: people trust it more, regardless of what the data says. And that makes this an easy way to beef up your content quickly in a way that’ll reduce your bounce rate at the same time.

8. Use comment-provoking questions.

Encouraging visitors to leave comments is an easy way to improve your bounce rate, as the act of leaving a comment typically causes visitors to be redirected to another page or triggers a page refresh -- both of which count as multiple page views. Get the conversation flowing by ending every post on your blog with a probing question that prompts comments.

9. Leave two to three internal links in your body content.

Many bounces occur after readers get the information they need from their landing page and then hit the “back” button. Prevent these bounces by including two to three internal links in the body content of all your pages and blog posts to encourage these would-be bouncers to stick around and engage with more of your work.

10. Open external links in new windows.

Having external links open in the same windows takes visitors away from your site -- something that’s counterproductive to keeping them on your site longer. Keep their attention on your content by setting all your external links to open in new windows.

11. Use exit intent technology.

If none of the above hacks work to keep readers on your site, consider an exit intent program that’ll trigger an offer pop-up as viewers move their mice towards the “back” button. One daily deals website use this type of technology to increase conversion rates by 13 percent.

12. Tell a story.

If all else fails, use the oldest trick in the marketing book - tell a great story. Not only does story-based content differentiate your site from your competitors (giving your visitors something intriguing to hold their attention), it helps break through the mental barriers we all have against being sold to. And in an era where we receive roughly 5,000 marketing messages a day, this is critically important when it comes to reducing your bounce rate.

by Alex Basinsky, copfounder of Picreel

A Business Name vs. a Trademark: Do You Know the Diffference?

As an entrepreneur, you understand the importance of protecting your business name. Think of the sales you might lose if another company opened up using your same name. If you’re building a brand, investing in advertising and hoping customers can find you, you’ll want to make sure you’ve properly protected your business name so no one else can use it.

But what exactly is the best way to do that? 

Oftentimes, new business owners are confused about the difference between registering their business name with the state and filing for a trademark. Here, we’ll break down the differences so you can determine which approach is right for your business.

1. Registering a business name with the state

When you apply to be a corporation or an LLC, the secretary of state’s office is going to check to make sure that your proposed business name isn’t already in use by another company in your state. 

Every state has its own laws about just how different a name must be from other business names. For example, some states will allow “Mandi’s Florist” when there’s already a “Mandy’s Flowers” registered. Other states will reject it and consider “Mandi’s Florist” deceptively similar. 

Once your LLC or corporation application is approved, your name is protected in the state: No other business will be able to form an LLC or corporation with the same name in that state. However, there’s nothing to stop a business that operates as a sole proprietorship or partnership from using your name in the state. It just won’t be able to register as an LLC or corporation with that name.

In addition, registering your name with the state has no impact on what happens in the other 49 states. If you incorporated your business in New York, another business can use your same name in New Jersey or Connecticut. And, it can even incorporate or form an LLC in other states with with the same name.

Depending on your business type and model, brand protection at the state level might be sufficient. For example, if you are opening a local restaurant or other establishment, you might not mind if another business uses your name in a completely different state. There’s little chance that a customer will confuse the two. 

However, if you plan on expanding nationwide, selling your products/services across the country, or are just concerned that a partnership might use your name, then you should protect your name on a federal level with a trademark. 

2. Filing for federal trademark protection

A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design (or a combination of any of these) that identifies the source of a product or service and distinguishes it from competitors'. Trademarks can be granted on distinctive names, logos and slogans. 

Trademarks are granted at the federal level by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The owner of a trademark has exclusive rights to the trademark and can prevent anyone else from using it. And these rights are protected at the state and federal levels.

When applying for a trademark, expect to pay $275 per class (a little more if you have an expert prepare the paperwork for you). Processing time can take upwards of six to 12 months with the USPTO. The process is more expensive and involved than registering a business name, but it provides you with exclusive rights in all 50 states. And, unlike copyrights or patents, trademarks have an unlimited lifespan so long as you comply with the renewal requirements. 

If you do choose to apply for a trademark, you should conduct a free basic search to make sure no one has a pending application with the USPTO for your proposed trademark (or something close to it) in a similar capacity. The next step is to conduct a comprehensive name search to check if someone is using your proposed name at the state or county level. 

Why search beforehand? If you apply and your proposed name is already in use, your application will be rejected and you’ll lose your application fee and the time spent preparing the application.

Final thoughts

Some businesses are sufficiently protected by registering their name with the state; others need exclusive rights in every state. As you’re building out your business, think about your particular brand protection needs. Then take the right legal steps to enforce them.

By Nellie Akalp

4 Easy-to-Use Tips to Get People to Click on Your Headlines

It’s a shame that writing great copy doesn’t necessarily translate to page views. In fact, writing great copy in and of itself will rarely take you far. If people aren’t "buying" the headline, they won’t click: You may have written War and Peace, but your copy will simply languish in digital purgatory, unless you give it a headline with a whole lot of bite. 

Trust me: This is a problem that a lot of businesses face. About 70 percent of businesses that come to me are struggling with getting their websites read. And in most cases, the problem lies with how poorly crafted their headlines are.

If yours is one of these companies, don’t worry because I’ve included below a few short tips to get you started on writing great headlines. I always give these tips to clients, and as a result, they've improved their headlines and increased their chances of seeing a spike in click-through rates (CTR).

Here are the tips:

1. It’s a numbers game.

Using numbers in your headline isn’t a revolutionary idea, but is, without a doubt, worth mentioning. Numbers are rated as highly effective by seasoned marketers, in terms of drawing in readers. For example, I’m pretty sure that what led me to click the article I read a few minutes ago about neighborhoods in Honolulu was the headline: “Top 15 Upscale Neighborhoods in Honolulu.” Why: because it had a number in it that made the topic more descriptive. Also, “Top” suggested that the site had listed nothing but the bestneighborhoods. So, along with numbers, a punchy adjective will encourage readers to read a post. 

2. Create a sense of mystery.

You need to make sure your readers can’t sleep at night without reading your articles. I don't write this to be mean. Stimulating your visitors’ curiosity is a powerful tool to increase your CTR because it compels visitors to investigate further. Here are some examples, just off the top of my head:

1. "This One Marketing Method Shot Her Conversion Rate Off the Roof!"
2.  "You’ll Never Eat Ice Cream Again after Watching This"

3. State your reader's problem.

It doesn’t get more descriptive than that. We all know that when most people consume content, they do so in the hopes of getting their problems solved. In short, they have a problem, and they’re hoping to uncover the solution by reading a relevant article about it online. 

The technique I'm describing has two elements: First, state the reader’s problem, then state the possible result, once it’s solved. The first element tells your readers off the bat whether your content is what they’re looking for. The second element tells them the positive outcome, and makes seeking the solution that much more necessary.

Here are some examples.

1. "No Website Traffic? Triple Your Website Visitors Now Using These Easy-to-Use Techniques"
2. "Not Enough Email Subscribers? These Time-Tested Strategies Will Double Your Sign-ups in 2 Months"

4. Take note of "the trifecta."

Easy. Simple. Free. The mental picture that these words creates is obvious: convenience. I think we can generalize, and say that everybody loves convenience. That explains, for instance, why there is a proliferation of apps for almost everything we can think of, and why the app-creation industry is in such a boom. Convenience enhances our lives because it gives us more time for other things. 

As you may have noticed, this is a technique I used in my headline, “Easy-to-Use.” Couple that with a benefit that’s very specific (“Click on Your Headlines”), and you’ve got a winner. That you clicked on my headline is proof that the headline worked.

The trick to a powerful headline, then, is to engage the reader’s curiosity and to create a sense of convenience. It isn’t rocket science, which is precisely why you should be engineering your headlines with these tips, to win immediate increases in CTR.

by MATEI GAVRIL

CONTRIBUTOR

President and CEO of PrMediaOnline.com

8 Overlooked Ways to Market Your Business

Entrepreneurs typically operate with lean budgets and aggressive goals. So they should never pass up an opportunity to educate, build awareness or provide an offer to a potential customer. Sales should always be "up front and center." 

Knowing this, my clients are always looking for creative ways to capture the attention of customers but not come across as aggressive. While they appreciate the old model of “push marketing” (selling, engaging in repetitive advertising and repeatedly calling customers), their focus today is more on “pull marketing.” This entails positioning and reputation building (branding) in order to put businesses in front of customers when they are ready to buy.

Here are nine overlooked ways to market your business:

1. Luggage tags and backpacks 

A colleague of mine always appears at business events toting an attractive and functional backpack. Emblazoned on the front pouch is her company logo and tagline. And the strategy works: She tells me she is often stopped by people in airports or office buildings asking what her company does.

So I’ve started doing the same: attaching branded luggage tags to my purse and carry-on luggage. People ask me what the tagline means and where I work. Free advertising! 

2. iPad, laptop "skin" 

As someone who regularly gives speeches, I often use my laptop and iPad to house my presentation. Early on I noticed that the back of my laptop, which faces the audience, advertises “Apple” instead of "LIDA360." So I ordered a custom LIDA360  laptop “skin” that does the advertising for me -- while I’m speaking! I also put a skin on my iPad and cell phone, lest anyone miss a chance to know what I do. Because of this, people on airplanes and in airports have asked me about my business. What a great conversation starter!

3. Desktop screen

When setting up my speaking presentation, I'm often on my laptop in front of a crowded room. Instead of my desktop screen showing a photo of my kids on vacation or my adorable golden retrievers, I have posted there the cover of my latest book, with a caption. This is what the audience sees as I launch or close my presentation.

4. Social media

Sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube offer a lot of space to say who you are and what you do. Even if you use these social platforms for personal use only, why miss the opportunity to remind your friends and family what you offer? On your profile headers, add photos of you at work, your company logo or your recent book jacket, instead of a photo of your dog or a pretty sunset.

5. Social events

Getting out of your comfort zone sometimes means getting out of your current networking circles. Attending high-profile events where media and decision-makers are mingling can earn you free publicity and build your profile as someone who is involved in notable areas of influence.

6. Giveaways on social media

Social media offers the opportunity to share information and resources and also sell your services or product. Instead of traditional coupon or sales campaigns, consider giveaways. Yes, free stuff! Offer your product or service for free (for a limited time) to generate awareness. And create a separate landing page or phone number to track the direct response from this campaign. Then repeat as necessary, to keep the momentum going.

7. Online reviews 

Every review a customer or visitor to your store leaves should be responded to, not just the negative ones. Responding to positive reviews with genuine appreciation shows you are paying attention to your customers. Responding to negative reviews shows that you care and feel bad for letting a customer down. Don’t use your response as an opportunity to sell; just respond to reinforce your company’s values. This is great marketing!

8. Video

The use of video is growing every minute. In a recent research study, Invodo found that almost 75 percent of current online traffic will come from video within the next two years. This means that traditional forms of marketing, such as direct mail and email marketing, will need to focus on video to grab the attention of users online.

YouTube hosts videos that have high-production quality and videos that look self-made. With good reason: Companies that are successfully using video to showcase their teams at work and play, highlight product demonstration or give virtual tours of their offices are seeing a high ROI.

High-quality videos certainly have a home on YouTube, but so do the organic “real world” videos that cost a lot less and pack a lot of punch.

In sum, the mantra for all sales used to say, "Always Be Selling." But, today, savvy businesses focus on reputation management, positioning and marketing to get in front of potential buyers. Along with clever uses of their logos.

by Lida Citroën