6 Ways to Boost Your Holiday Marketing Campaign

It seems like the holidays come earlier and earlier every year. Holidays can be a very profitable time, as long as you market your company’s service and product offerings correctly.

Is your company ready to take advantage of the season ahead? Consider these 6 tips to make sure your holiday marketing program doesn’t miss the boat!

1. Target the right people. Do your homework and make sure you are reaching the right people, with the right message at the right time. While some prospects may not be ready to convert until the very last minute, there are still ways to gain their attention along the way – using social media and email. If your market research identifies high quality prospects, target them more frequently with customized promotions.
2. Use time sensitive offers. Using messages like “Last chance!” or “Sale Ends at Midnight!” will l create a sense of urgency among your prospects. Having a limited time to act on something will often cause them to “buy now.” When there isn’t a time restriction however, prospects may put the offer in the back of their mind and ultimately forget. A time sensitive offer makes the process move swiftly.
3. Utilize social media. Become more active on your social media accounts. Prospects will appreciate if you are able to quickly and conveniently answer their questions via your social channels. Shoppers also love giveaways and contests – tap into this movement. This type of activity will put your company on their radar, making shoppers more likely to add you to their holiday research.
4. Analyze social media. Don’t just use social media – analyze it! Prospects often express their shopping concerns on social media, and are likely to write reviews on companies and products. Take advantage of this information. By sorting through this information you can target what your prospects want and be able to convert them into satisfied customers.
5. Send out an email. Email Marketing has become more popular each year. With so many companies using this marketing tactic however, you must be able to differentiate yourself from competitors. An eye-catching subject line is a great way to attract the attention of a potential customer – however avoid using special characters like dollar and percentage signs, which might land your mail in a spam or junk folder. Personalizing your emails is another great way to show your dedication, and make your company stand out.
6. Show you care. The holidays are a time of giving. Don’t let all of the chaos let you or your prospects forget that. Many people like when companies give back to their community or partner with a non-profit organization. Showing your prospects that you care by donating money or time to a cause that is important to them can drive sales even further.

Take these tips and guide your business to the next level when planning your 2015 holiday marketing program!

For holiday marketing and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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5 Ways to Generate “Click-Worthy” Content

If you stay up to date on marketing trends, chances are you have heard about content marketing and how it is taking the industry by storm.

90% of organizations are using content marketing as part of their business approach¹, and as a result it is becoming more and more difficult for your content to stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, with such expansive reach generated by the Internet and social media, it’s important that you produce only quality content. But what is quality content you may wonder?

Good question! These 5 tips explain how to create “click-worthy” and compelling content.

Be a Story-Teller. Most people would choose to read a story book versus a text book, right? So use this analogy as a reason to turn your content into a story and allow your audience to become engaged with what you have to say.

Educate People. By offering readers with a source to become educated, you give them information that they can take with them and use in the future. Frequent readers turn into loyal followers, so keep them coming back by providing educational, data-driven content.

Use Real World Examples. It’s common for people to write in a manner that conveys positivity and insinuates that everything always ‘works out.’ This is unrealistic however and can turn readers off from believing in your content. Strive to make your content authentic and relatable by providing examples of common problems that your readers may face and how to solve them.

Surprise You Readers. Say something that will capture readers’ attention – something they wouldn’t expect. This sparks the readers’ interest and keeps them coming back.  People that keep coming back are loyal followers, which can lead to advocacy for your brand.

Be Your Brand. Make sure you know who you are as a brand, and incorporate this into all of your content. When your writing is consistent, people will know it is your brand without even looking at your name. Figure out who your audience is and write for them!

Don’t get left behind. Make sure your content is creative and above average. Otherwise, your efforts will get left behind, collecting dust with other “click-less” content attempts.

For content marketing and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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Join Sagefrog Marketing Group at Rock ‘N’ Rescue to Support Big Dog Rescue

Sagefrog Marketing Group invites you to attend the 4^th annual Rock ‘N’ Rescue event to benefit the Emily Ayre Fund for Big Dog Rescue. Founding sponsor, Sagefrog helped establish the benefit and is proud to support this event for the fourth year in a row.

When:
Friday, November 6^th, 2015

7:00PM

Where:

“The Barn”

3168 N Sugan Road

Solebury, PA 18938

Join us for a fun-filled evening including food, raffles and silent auctions, live music by Grammy-nominated and winner of The Voice, Jermaine Paul, and don’t forget to BYOB!

About the Emily Ayre FundEmily Ayre was a middle school guidance counselor, a great friend, and above all else an avid dog lover. She rescued a giant mix breed dog named Dover, who became a major part of Emily’s life. Dover remained by Emily’s side when she passed away at the young age of 27.

The Animal Alliance has created the Emily Ayre Fund for Big Dog Rescue in memory of Emily and the bond she shared with her beloved dog, Dover. All of the proceeds donated to this rescue are used for veterinary care related to illness or injury in dogs over 35 pounds associated with the Animal Alliance. All contributions are tax deductible.

For more information, please call 215-601-3534.

Join Sagefrog in helping to care for big dogs in need. We hope to see you there!

Turn Social Media Likes and Follows into Leads and Customers

Establishing your brand’s online presence is imperative, but encouraging people to engage with your brand is also vital. Creating an alluring brand image is the first step for getting noticed, but engaging with your audience through content on social media is essential.

So how do you get people to engage with your brand online? And how do you convert these engagements such as “likes” and “follows” into leads, and ultimately customers?

Use these tips to help transform the likes and follows you receive on social media into leads and customers:

Be Inviting: Your customers need a reason to follow you.  The content you share on social media should be on topics your audience is interested in.  Content that keeps your audience interested is more likely to be shared, which results in higher visibility.  Also, when posting content, make sure to mix it up.  Posting different types of content such as articles, industry news, and photos, will keep your audience entertained. 

Find your Audience: When planning your social media, make sure you understand the different platforms and know which ones your audience is active on.  Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are each unique.  Twitter is great for quick updates and interesting articles.  LinkedIn is primarily used for sharing industry news.  Facebook allows for longer updates so companies can stay connected with their customers. 

Create a Call to Action: When you run promotions on social media, make sure to use a Call-to-Action (CTA). A clear CTA is crucial (“Learn More.”, “Click Here”). Once the visitor clicks on the CTA, make sure they are directed to a clear and easy to understand landing page. Entice visitors to learn more or download information when they register, enabling you to capture qualified leads and nurture them into customers.

Social media is a powerful tool to connect with your current customers and attract new ones. Follow these tips to help create a successful social media strategy.

Interested in learning more? For social media and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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Tips for Using Email Marketing to Generate Leads

The way marketers use email can make or break effectiveness for generating leads. 

Avoid mistakes by utilizing these tips:

Think about frequency. “Overmailing” can come off as too aggressive, but “undermailing” can lead to missed opportunities, so you need to find a balance. Be consistent enough to hold the interest of your audience, but don’t overwhelm them. Make sure your messages are useful for your recipients - if they aren’t, you may experience complaints and unsubscribes.

Consider timing. Know your audience and when they’re most engaged. Then, plan your emails accordingly. Response rates will vary daily and hourly, so be sure to do your research before sending out your message.

Personalize. People like to feel important, and there’s no easier way to make your customers feel valued than by personalizing their email messages. Use the recipients’ names and cater your message to their specific demographic.

Optimize. The amount of mobile email clicks are quickly surpassing desktop clicks, so it’s important that your emails are optimized accordingly. If an email doesn’t display properly on mobile, people most likely won’t click through.

Think about what you’re trying to promote. The product or service you’re offering itself can influence how you market it. Always keep your end goal in mind, and think about when your audience is most likely to take the step and complete it. This will help ensure your email’s message and timing are effective.

For email marketing and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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Content Tips from the Three Most Popular Blogs

Blogs come in all different shapes and sizes and can range from a personal web page updated by one person to a website updated by multiple authors. The key? Blogs are written in an “informal or conversational style.”  To learn from the best, we’ve selected eBiz’s Top 15 Most Popular Blogs for July 2015: The Huffington Post, TMZ, and Business Insider.

So what are their secrets?

Find and publish the best content.

Take The Huffington Post for example – they post viral articles, but not all of these articles are their own. Sure, The Huffington Post has plenty of people writing content for them, but they also have employees who look for content that other people write online. By publishing both types of content, The Huffington Post is able to achieve massive amounts of shares, which increases their popularity.

While this technique may not work for your blog, you can apply similar tactics. For example, you can promote your content to third-party websites, or even invite guests to write for your blog. These tactics will increase your blog’s visibility, while simultaneously generating more traffic.

Keep them curious.

TMZ’s celebrity news output generates more than 30 million visitors monthly. But why? We like to watch celebrities, and we’re generally curious about their lavish and often scandalous lifestyles. TMZ is known for their compelling headlines that generate clicks by leaving readers wanting more detail.

You can apply this to your blog as well – get your readers engaged by piquing their interest with a headline that leaves them dying to know more. Providing exclusive or inside information is an easy way to feed into this curiosity and generate more interaction.

Know your audience inside and out.

Business Insider has a thorough understanding of their target audience; most of their readers are young, business-focused men who consume content during the workday. Knowing this, Business Insider is able to generate content that is specifically tailored to their audience, and keep them coming back for more.

The style in which you write, the content you produce, and the amount of promotion you do is all dependent on your audience. Defining your target market is an important step for planning your blog’s content – you can’t be successful without doing so.

For content marketing and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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Tips for Gaining a Large and Loyal Twitter Following

Twitter can be extremely effective tool for promoting your brand and generating leads. How can you maximize your content exposure and increase your following? There isn’t one simple answer, but there are several changes you can implement to help you reach your goals.

First and foremost, make sure you’re setting realistic expectations. Aiming for 50,000 new followers in 3 months may be a bit of a stretch, so be reasonable and start small. Think about who you want to reach and how you plan on doing so. Segmenting your market is the best way to reach people who will follow you long-term, not just for a few days. 

Secondly, you need to engage with followers, hashtags, and trending topics. You can’t expect to increase your following without tweeting, or interacting with anyone. Posting regularly and responding to retweets and mentions are the easiest ways to stay active on Twitter, and the more active you are, the better!

Managing your followers and the accounts you follow is also a must. Using follower trackers such as Crowdfire or Followerwonk enable you to easily view new followers and followers you’ve lost. This technique helps you build a follower / following base that is long-term; you’re able to “weed out” spam accounts while focusing on users within your target market.

Scheduling tweets is a great way to remain consistent. Using auto-scheduling tools such as Hootsuite allows you to schedule posts for specific dates and times, which takes the pressure off of remembering to post regularly. Utilizing these tools keeps your account active even if you’re unable to live tweet.

If you choose to pay for Twitter’s “Promote” option, you can increase your account exposure to reach more potential followers. Tell users exactly why they should follow you, and what you have to offer.

Lastly, be sure you’re using tracking and analytics tools to measure your successes and failures. You don’t want your hard work to go to waste, so measure what worked, what didn’t, and adjust your strategies accordingly to optimize performance.

For social media and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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Five Tips for Building Customer Relationships

“The customer is always right.”

This cliché has been preached to business owners for years, but is it true? Sure, building meaningful relationships with your customers is important, but how can you build these relationships to benefit both parties? Take a step back and put yourself in their shoes, and then adjust accordingly.

Differentiate and specialize. What makes your business better than your competitors? If you’re able to offer a unique product or service, you are given more power within your field. Customers will also have more of an incentive to go to you for what they need, simply because not many other people are providing it. This makes the customer feel as if you’re more attentive to their specific needs, which is a huge plus.

Give the people what they want. Customers want to see results. If you make a promise, they expect just that. Your customers have a certain expectation of your product or service, so you want to make sure you live up to that expectation and if possible, surpass it.

Be accountable. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to please everyone. If something doesn’t go as anticipated, you need to be held accountable for your actions. You want your customers to have a positive impression of your business, even if they’re thrown a curveball. Blaming the customer will only strain your relationship.

Value their input. The only way to get inside your customers’ heads is to ask. Have them fill out surveys rating their experience with your business, or ask them for testimonials. The only way to improve your relationship is to know what needs to be changed or improved upon.

Price needs to equal value. What you charge for your products or services needs to be equivalent to the value that your customers will associate it with. Keep your pricing consistent with the perceived value of your product or service to avoid over/under charging your customers.

To improve the relationships with your customers and for other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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Modernize Your Company’s PR Strategy

Media itself has changed drastically in the past few years, so it comes as no surprise that the way we consume it has changed as well.  In the past, media was predictive; people read newspapers, listened to the radio, and tuned into the news at specified times. Today, the internet makes these lines a bit more blurry.

Since the way we consume media has transformed from word-of-mouth to 24/7 live feeds, PR has taken on a whole new meaning. If your PR strategy is stuck in the ways of the past, you may be falling behind when it comes to driving awareness, and ultimately delivering results.

Don’t worry – we’ve got a few suggestions to revamp your outdated PR strategy.

Share your own news. Don’t rely entirely on journalists. They may take a different approach to your press release than you anticipated, or may not get to your press release at all. However, if and when you do use a journalist, be sure to create a draft press release for them to work off of. Taking matters into your own hands mitigates these issues and allows you to create your own narrative.

Create a press page. Journalists are busy people, so do them a favor and make their job a bit easier by creating a press page on your website with your media relations contact info, company statistics, and recent news coverage. Having an “About Us” page and including profiles of your top executives are also helpful since reporters will most likely need this information from you anyway. Additionally, do your best to stay relevant – journalists are more likely to pursue companies that they’ve heard of, or that are newsworthy.

Build relationships with the media. In order to do this, you need to understand that journalists are NOT intended to sell your product or promote your brand; their job is to report relevant news in a factual and unbiased manner. Monitor how and when reporters are talking about topics relevant to your industry, and respond with your own helpful content. Demonstrate genuine interest and personalize all interactions you have with journalists.

For public relations and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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5 Social Media Mistakes You're Making Right Now

With consumers monitoring your every move, it’s imperative to micromanage all of your social media platforms. One social media mishap has the potential to severely damage your brand, which means perfecting your social media marketing strategy is a must. Here are 5 social media mistakes you’re unknowingly making right now, and what you can do to avoid them.

Sharing the wrong content.

You want to make sure that everything you post or share is relevant to your brand, and more importantly, to your audience. Be sure to read articles thoroughly before passing them along – you don’t want to share anything of poor quality, or anything that could be offensive or controversial. Additionally, make sure everything you post is appropriate for each individual channel; if people follow you on multiple networks, they don’t want to see the same thing over and over again.

Failing to regularly update your accounts.

Creating social media platforms is the first step; however, if you’re neglecting to update them, they serve no purpose. Be sure to remain consistent with your updates, and don’t over post. Stay up-to-date with news and trending topics to ensure you’re staying relevant within your industry.

Ignoring your audience.

Generic, automated updates come off as boring and uninteresting. Be charming, relatable, and more importantly, yourself. The way you are perceived on social media is HUGE. Interact with your audience regularly, and start conversations with them. Be sure to respond to your audience members in a timely manner – especially if it involves a complaint, or something that could negatively impact your brand.

Overselling.

Your brand is more than just YOU. Over promoting yourself gets old, and makes you seem egocentric. Share content produced by other people in addition to your own. When posting original content, avoid making it all about selling yourself. If you’re going to talk about your brand, don’t just say what you can do – prove it with results and testimonials.

Not implementing goals or measuring success.

Before implementing a social media marketing strategy, be sure to establish specific goals that you want to accomplish. These goals should be measurable – you want to make sure you can analyze how successful your efforts were in the end. This way, you can re-strategize and plan for ways to optimize in the future.

For social media marketing and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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5 Ways to Optimize Your Content Marketing

Is your content marketing strategy falling short, or not living up to your expectations? It may be time to optimize. Creating valuable content is a good start, but there are other aspects to consider. Planning the ins and outs of both your current and future content marketing strategy is the only way to ensure success.

Sound overwhelming? Don’t panic – here are a few simple tips to consider.

Switch it up. Don’t get stuck in a rut –producing diverse content is the easiest way to keep your audience active and engaged. Exploring new ways to format and present your content also keeps you current and interesting in the eyes of your audience. Step outside of your comfort zone – don’t be afraid to try something new.

Produce quality over quantity. Mass producing content may seem like a great way to generate clicks, but in the end, people will see right through you. Practicing thought leadership and strategic planning makes your content more credible.

Put yourself in their shoes. Take a walk in the shoes of your target audience and use social listening techniques to keep current about what they are saying. The best way to understand what they’re looking for is to view your content through their eyes and have a clear understanding of their thoughts and opinions.

Take it up a notch. In the world of content marketing, you’re always competing with someone. In order to stand out, you need to make an impression on your audience – and sometimes this includes paying for a service such as paid search or advertising. Consider multiple options for promoting your content – the possibilities are endless!

Think about user experience. The format in which you present your content is just as important as the content itself. The experience users have while viewing your content is crucial – if they aren’t impressed, they may not return. Design accordingly.

For content marketing and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

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Drive Consumers To Your Brand

Consumers like excitement, and as marketers, it’s our job to stimulate that excitement within every aspect of our brand. We’re constantly implementing new techniques to improve our social media, advertisements, and overall messaging to get people talking.

Here’s the thing we often forget – consumers don’t always know what they want – in fact, many people rely on what someone or something tells them first before forming their own opinion.

In a marketer’s ideal world, new customers would come to us because they’re actively seeking our product or service. Obviously, this is not always the case. Customers tend to seek out brands based on second-hand information; they “heard” it was popular, expensive, high-quality, etc.

So how can you make sure your brand is intriguing the type of customers you’re looking for? Simple: understand the customer decision making process:

1. Customers aren’t experts. You know your brand inside and out, but not all of your customers do. So how do they formulate educated opinions? If your brand gets people talking and has a lot of positive feedback, new customers are more likely to explore what you have to offer. Maintaining a positive, memorable public perception of your brand could be the difference between making it big and falling short.
2. Money talks. Brands are associated with value. For example, in the customer’s mind, high quality = high price and low quality = low price, even though this isn’t necessarily true. It’s important to price your brand accordingly – you don’t want customers to under/overvalue what you have to offer, and you don’t want to target the wrong market.
3. Words, Words, Words. They go a long way, and more importantly they stick. Potential customers will associate your brand with words you use in your slogans and advertisements, so choose wisely! You want people to remember positive words and phrases, not negative ones.

Creating and maintaining a successful brand is a lot of work, but by understanding what goes into your customers’ decisions, you’re able to better tailor your image.

For branding and other integrated marketing services, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215.230.9024 or visit www.sagefrog.com.

*Source: BrandingStrategyInsider.com

Sagefrog is Growing! We’re Hiring!

Are you ready to be a frog? We only take the best.

Headquartered in Doylestown, PA, Sagefrog Marketing Group offers an open, casual and collaborative, high-performance team environment. We offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive compensation package with benefits including a 401k program with company matching, profit sharing, and financial planning; plus paid health insurance with vision and dental. We strive to be among the area's "best places to work", including happy hours, birthday celebrations, holiday parties and more. Sagefrogs possess these attributes: Passion, Proactive, Process-driven, Productive, Problem-solver, Positive and Professional. Think you have what it takes? We are looking to fill the following positions:

• SEM SPECIALIST – PAID SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING
• SEO SPECIALIST – ORGANIC SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING
• WEB DEVELOPER – HTML
• COPYWRITER – HEALTHCARE, TECHNOLOGY & SERVICES
• MEDIA PLANNER – PRINT ADVERTISING (PT)
• PAID MARKETING INTERNSHIP

Learn more at www.sagefrog.com/careers

If Sagefrog Marketing Group sounds like a good match for you, please submit your resume to us at careers@sagefrog.com.

You can check out our back story here: The Sagefrog Story.