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How to Create Call to Actions That Convert (Including Real Life Examples)

How to Create Call to Actions That Convert (Including Real Life Examples)

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A call to action (CTA) is a vital element of your content that directs visitors towards taking a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter or purchasing a product. A unique CTA can differentiate a website from its competitors, increase engagement, and drive more sales. Here are some tips on how to create unique CTAs and why they are important to sales funnels, along with three examples.

Know Your Audience

A unique CTA should appeal to your target audience’s wants and needs. Consider what problem your product or service solves and how it can benefit your customers. Use language and design that resonates with them. For example, a skincare brand could use a CTA like “Get glowing skin today” to appeal to those looking to improve their skin’s appearance.

Make Your Call to Action Visually Appealing

The design of your CTA can make a significant impact on its effectiveness. Use colours and typography that stand out and grab attention. Consider using buttons instead of hyperlinks to make it more obvious that the visitor should click. For example, a travel website could use a CTA with a bright yellow button that says “Book your dream vacation now.”

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Use Action-oriented Language

The language you use in your CTA should be action-oriented and specific. Use verbs that clearly communicate what action the visitor should take, such as “Buy now” or “Sign up for free.” For example, a fitness app could use a CTA like “Start your free trial today” to encourage visitors to sign up and try the app.

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Why a Unique Call to Action Are Important to Sales Funnels

Unique CTAs are essential to guiding visitors through the sales funnel. They help visitors move from one stage to the next and ultimately convert them into customers. A well-designed and compelling CTA can increase engagement and encourage visitors to take action. When a visitor takes action, they become more invested in the brand and more likely to make a purchase. Here are five examples of unique CTAS:

Examples of Call to Actions

Slack: “Get Started for Free” – This CTA is simple, action-oriented, and visually appealing. The bright green button stands out on the white background, and the language is clear and specific. It appeals to those who want to try the product without committing to a paid plan.

slack

Dropbox: “Sign up for free” – This CTA uses action-oriented language and a bright blue button that stands out on the page. The language is straightforward, and the use of the word “free” encourages visitors to sign up and try the product.

Update: Dropbox currently has a huge offer on their website which means they have updated their call to action to “Get 50% off” to focus their marketing efforts on their premium features.

dropbox

HelloFresh: “Get started” – This CTA uses a unique design that stands out from traditional button shapes. The language is action-oriented, and the use of the word “started” implies that there is a process to follow, making the visitor feel more invested in the brand. It also appeals to those who want to try the product without committing to a subscription.

Update: HelloFresh has optimised their call to action to “View our boxes” which emphasises the variety and selections customers have – it’s very likely they changed this due to results were higher for this call to action on their homepage. Pretty cool, right?

hello fresh

Skype: “Go Premium” – This CTA is a straightforward, clear design that aims to focus on just the call to action. With their minimalist branding, the use of the word “paid” encourages visitors to explore what premium is all about and try the premium version of a free product they are familiar with.

Update: Skype’s homepage now features the “Download Skype” call to action. It could be that Microsoft feedback from customers that the main pain point was locating the link to download Skype, therefore the best course of action is to improve the customer experience and one element of that is reworking their call to actions on the homepage!

skype

Sony: “Step Closer to Reality” – This CTA is powerful and paired with visual imagery that gives this call to action language more meaning. The placement of the CTA is placed above the folder, which means it’s highly visible and attracts visitors more than any other placement. More importantly, it redirects the visitor to a purchase page with a brighter, more targeted CTA that says “Buy”.

Update: Sony have stripped it down to the basics to a “Learn More” CTA featuring a new vlog camera. Just like the previous call to action, it’s all about the visual content for Sony. The standard CTA can work very well if the other elements are high quality, relevant, and tell a story without the need for too many words.

sony

Call to Actions Are Always Changing, for the Better

Remember, businesses change their call-to-actions (CTAs) on their websites for several reasons. Firstly, they may want to optimise their CTAs to improve conversion rates and drive specific actions from their website visitors. By testing different CTAs and analysing the data, businesses can refine their messaging and design to better align with their audience’s preferences and motivations. In fact, by the time I finished writing this article, most of their CTAs had changed!

Secondly, businesses often adapt their CTAs to match their evolving marketing objectives and campaigns. As their business goals change, they may need to shift the focus of their CTAs to promote new products or services, highlight limited-time offers, or drive engagement with specific content or promotions. By adjusting their CTAs accordingly, businesses can better align their website messaging with their current marketing strategies, increasing the effectiveness of their calls to action and maximising their desired outcomes.

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In a nutshell…

Creating unique CTAs can differentiate a website, increase engagement, and drive more sales. By knowing your audience, making it visually appealing, and using action-oriented language, you can create CTAs that guide visitors through the sales funnel and convert them into customers.

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk or if you’d like to talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

Best,
Eve Scragg
Fan The Flames Marketing & Design
https://fantheflames.co.uk
Eve Scragg Founder Fan the Flames Marketing and Design
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Increase Your Website Traffic with These 10 SEO Tips

Increase Your Website Traffic with These 10 SEO Tips

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Search engine optimisation (SEO) is critical for small businesses that want to stand out in a crowded online marketplace. SEO techniques can help improve your website’s search engine rankings, increase visibility, and drive more traffic to your site.

In this article, we’ll explore 10 different SEO techniques that small businesses can use to boost their search engine rankings and get more customers.

1. Conduct Keyword Research to Increase Search Engine Results

Keyword research is the process of identifying the keywords and phrases that people use to search for products or services in your industry, such as “Marketing Agency Bristol”. By including these keywords in your website’s content, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). There are several keyword research tools available online, such as Google’s Keyword Planner and SEMrush, which can help you identify relevant keywords for your business.

2. Optimise Website Content for Better SEO

Once you have identified your target keywords, such as “digital Marketing Bristol”, the next step is to optimise your website’s content. This includes creating high-quality, engaging content that incorporates your target keywords naturally. Additionally, you should optimise your website’s meta titles and descriptions, headings, and images to ensure they include your target keywords. By doing so, you can increase your website’s visibility and improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

3. Improve Your Website Speed

Website speed is an essential ranking factor, and slow-loading websites can negatively impact your search engine rankings, especially for competitive keywords like “Digital Marketing Bristol”. To improve your website’s speed and ensure it is optimised for such keywords, you can compress images, use a content delivery network (CDN), and minify your website’s code. By doing so, you can improve the user experience of your website visitors, reduce bounce rates, and increase the chances of your website ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for “Digital Marketing Bristol” and related terms.

Just remember, if you’re not a digital marketing agency in Bristol, you probably don’t want to be using those keywords on your website – you’d have a specific list of keywords that’s related to YOUR business!

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4. Build High Quality Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites to your site, and they are a critical ranking factor for search engines, especially when it comes to competitive keywords like “Marketing Agency Bristol”. Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites in your industry, such as a leading marketing publication that covers the Bristol region, can help improve your search engine rankings for this keyword. You can build backlinks by creating high-quality content, guest posting on other websites, and participating in industry forums. By regularly building high-quality backlinks, you can establish your website as a trusted authority in your industry and increase its chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for “Marketing Agency Bristol” and related terms.

Before I move on to the next SEO tip, building links is all about authority so you want as many backlinks as possible to be from high traffic websites that are related to your business. If the website that you use for a backlink doesn’t offer you a backlink in return, that’s what we call a nofollow backlink… It’s not a bad thing, but follow backlinks are much better for full SEO benefits and as a marketing agency, that’s what we’re all about!

5. Use Social Media Marketing

Social media can help drive traffic to your website and improve your search engine rankings. By sharing your website’s content on social media, you can increase your website’s visibility and attract more visitors. Additionally, social media signals are a ranking factor for search engines, so having an active social media presence can help improve your rankings.

For example, one of our keywords is Digital Marketing Bristol – which means our content is all about digital marketing! We make sure we use location hashtags, join local groups in Bristol, and other things so we’re changing the algorithm to show our content in the Bristol area. Pretty cool, right?

6. Use Location SEO Techniques

If you’re a local business in Bristol like us, using local SEO techniques that use the word “Bristol” can help improve your search engine rankings, especially for competitive keywords like “Marketing Agency Bristol” – if you’re a marketing agency that is! This includes optimising your Google My Business listing by adding accurate business information, photos, and customer reviews, as well as creating local content that includes location-specific keywords and topics, such as “Top Marketing Agencies in Bristol” and “Marketing Trends in Bristol”.

Additionally, building local citations from directories and local websites, such as Bristol City Council’s business directory and Visit Bristol’s tourism website, can also help establish your business’s credibility and relevance in the local area. By implementing these local SEO techniques, you can increase your website’s visibility and improve its chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for “Marketing Agency Bristol” and other relevant keywords.

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7. Optimise for Mobile Devices

Mobile optimisation is essential for any website, as more than 60% of searches are now conducted on mobile devices. This could be more or less depending on your industry and audience demographics! So this means that if your website is not optimised for mobile devices, you could be missing out on a significant amount of traffic and potential customers. To ensure that your website is optimised for mobile devices, there are several steps you can take.

First and foremost, you should ensure that your website is responsive. A responsive website is designed to adapt to different screen sizes and resolutions, so that it looks and works great on any device, whether it’s a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. This means that your website’s layout, content, and images should all be optimised for smaller screens, and should be easy to navigate using touch-based gestures.

In addition to being responsive, your website should also use large fonts and buttons, as well as clear and concise messaging. This is especially important on mobile devices, where users may be browsing your website on a small screen and may have less patience for scrolling and zooming in and out. By using larger fonts and buttons, you can make it easier for users to read and interact with your website, and by using clear and concise messaging, you can ensure that your message is communicated effectively.

8. Create Video Content

Video content is becoming increasingly popular, and incorporating video content into your website can help improve your search engine rankings. By creating high-quality, engaging video content, you can increase your website’s visibility and attract more visitors. In fact, studies have shown that websites with video content are more likely to appear on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs) than websites without video content.

When creating video content, it’s important to keep your target audience in mind. Your videos should be relevant, informative, and engaging, and should provide value to your audience. You can create a variety of different types of video content, such as product demos, how-to videos, customer testimonials, and more.

To make sure that your video content is optimised for search engines, you should include relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags. You should also optimise your video file names and use video sitemaps to help search engines discover and index your video content.

In addition to optimising your video content for search engines, you should also make sure that your videos are optimised for viewing on different devices and platforms. This means making sure that your videos are compatible with different browsers, operating systems, and devices, and that they load quickly and smoothly.

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9. Use Analytics to Measure Results

In addition to tracking your website’s traffic and user behaviour, analytics tools can also help you identify the keywords and phrases that are driving traffic to your site. This information can be used to refine your SEO strategy and target keywords that are more likely to drive conversions and revenue. For example, if you notice that “Digital Marketing Bristol” is driving a significant amount of traffic to your site, you may want to focus your SEO efforts on optimising your content and website for this keyword. By using analytics tools to track your website’s performance and measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts, you can stay ahead of the competition and achieve better results over time.

10. Hire a Marketing Agency

SEO can be complex and time-consuming, and small business owners may not have the expertise or resources to manage their SEO strategy effectively. Hiring a marketing agency can help small businesses in Bristol improve their search engine rankings and attract more customers. A marketing agency can provide a range of services, including keyword research, content creation, link building, and analytics tracking, helping small businesses achieve their SEO goals.

By partnering with a marketing agency that specialises in digital marketing in Bristol, small businesses can take advantage of the latest SEO trends and techniques, and stay ahead of the competition in the digital landscape.

In a nutshell…

SEO is a critical aspect of digital marketing for small businesses. By implementing these 10 SEO techniques, small businesses can improve their search engine rankings, attract more visitors, and increase sales.

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk or if you’d like to talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

Best,
Eve Scragg
Fan The Flames Marketing & Design
https://fantheflames.co.uk
Eve Scragg Founder Fan the Flames Marketing and Design
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Getting the Most Out of Outsourcing Social Media – Avoid These Red Flags

Getting the Most Out of Outsourcing Social Media – Avoid These Red Flags

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As a small business owner, staying on top of your social media presence can be an overwhelming task. Turning to outsourcing as a solution can seem like the perfect way to save time and money, but that’s only if you take the right approach and find the right partner to help! 

In this article, we’ll provide some red flags to look out for when considering finding help with your social media strategy, so you can make sure you’re getting the best value, and most importantly, results..

Whether you’re just starting out or have an existing digital presence, there are a few red flags everyone should pay attention to when it comes to outsourced social media management. Don’t miss out on opportunities just because of mistakes from vetted partners; read on for our insider tips!

1. What to Look for in a Potential Outsourcing Partner

Let’s speak about communication.

Communication is critical when outsourcing social media management. You need to be able to communicate frequently and efficiently with your partner to ensure that your social media campaigns are aligned with your goals and objectives. They should be easy to reach and respond promptly to your enquiries and concerns.

When choosing an outsourcing partner for social media management, it is essential to assess the degree of communication they can provide. A successful relationship between you and an outsourced provider depends on effective communication. You should look for a potential partner that provides clear, frequent, and honest communication with them throughout the entirety of the project. 

They also need to be available when you need to communicate with them, which is a problem we often hear of when hiring overseas VAs to work on projects (though other  social media VAs are excellent in this respect).

The ability to have open conversations about any potential issues is key to any successful outsourcing partnership. This means that you should look for a potential partner in social media management that is willing to listen to your needs and feedback, as well as being open and transparent about any problems or concerns that arise during the course of the project.

By maintaining open dialogue with your outsourced social media partner from the start, clients can ensure that issues are addressed quickly and efficiently, leading to a more successful outcome.

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2. What to Avoid When Choosing an Outsourcing Partner

Let’s talk about pricing and what to avoid.

You need to consider the pricing and services that your outsourcing partner offers. If there’s hidden or surprising ‘add-ons’ you weren’t aware of early on, then my advice would be to run the other way. They should provide a range of services that fit your budget, such as content creation, account management, and paid advertising. They should be flexible in their pricing and provide transparent pricing models.

Some outsourcing partners charge a high fee for setup or onboarding services. These fees can quickly add up and should be avoided if possible by agreeing upon a flat fee before any work commences. Furthermore, make sure you understand what exactly is included in the onboarding process as well as any additional charges that may arise throughout the project.

Another common hidden cost involves software licences or subscription fees. Some outsourcing partners require their clients to purchase specific tools or software in order to access certain features or capabilities offered by their service. Always ask about any such fees upfront and ensure you understand all of the associated costs with them before signing on the dotted line.

Finally, many outsourcing partners don’t provide a clear breakdown of their pricing structure and may not offer details on exactly how much certain tasks will cost until after they have been completed. To avoid this issue it’s best to ask for an itemised list of all associated costs up front so you know exactly how much each task will cost before any work begins.

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3. Red Flags That Indicate You Should Pass on a Service Provider

Let’s touch on the importance of experience and expertise, and why you want your outsourcing partner to have plenty of both!

Your social media outsourcing partner should be knowledgeable about different social media platforms and have experience in implementing social media strategies. They should have a proven track record of helping other small businesses grow their social media presence. Additionally, they should be familiar with the latest trends and developments in social media, such as algorithm changes, new features, and best practices.

When teaming up with an outsourced social media partner, business owners should look for a few red flags that could indicate that the service provider is not the best fit. One of the most important signs that trouble is ahead is when a social media agency doesn’t offer any kind of track record or case studies. Experience and expertise are paramount when it comes to social media, as there are many nuances associated with platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 

Working with an inexperienced service provider could lead to costly mistakes and improper execution of your strategy. Additionally, be wary of any provider who promises unrealistic results without providing a comprehensive plan on how they will achieve them.

It’s also important to pay attention to customer reviews and feedback. A good outsourced partner will have solid references from reputable organisations and individuals in their field, along with positive customer experiences shared online. If a company does not have any customer feedback or reviews available, this could be a warning sign that they are either too new or lack credibility to take on your project.

If a social media agency does not understand your product or target audience, it’s likely that they are not well-versed enough to provide value through their services. 

Look for social media agencies that specialise in working with businesses similar to yours, as this could indicate their ability to better understand your needs and develop effective solutions accordingly!

4. Typical Social Media Mistakes to Avoid When Outsourcing

Let’s discuss content and quality!

The quality of the content that your social media outsourcing partner produces is crucial. The content should be well-written, engaging, and consistent across all platforms. You should be able to review and approve every piece of content that they produce, and they should be open to feedback and suggestions.

When outsourcing social media management, it is important for business owners to focus on the quality of the content produced by their partner. Poor quality content can lead to damaging the reputation of a brand, limiting its reach and losing potential customers

Posting outdated or inaccurate information: It’s important that your outsourced social media manager keeps up with industry trends and news in order to post current and relevant content. Inaccuracies can make your business look unprofessional and out of touch, potentially turning away customers.

Over-promoting products or services: Too much promotion can be turn off for followers and could result in an influx of unfollows or negative comments. Keep promotional posts limited and use other types of content such as educational posts, fun facts, or engaging questions to keep followers engaged. 

Ignoring customer enquiries: If a customer leaves a comment or direct message on any one of your company’s platforms, it is important that it gets answered in a timely fashion – ideally within 24 hours – even if it’s just an acknowledgement that the issue will be looked into further later on. Ignoring customer enquiries reflects badly on your business as it suggests lack of attention to detail and not valuing customer feedback. 

Poorly written copy: Grammatical errors have been known to ruin a businesses online presence in an instant, giving potential customers a bad perception of the brand before they even interact with them properly. Make sure you review all copy before it goes live on any platform – automating posts should also be done carefully so that sentences read correctly and without any typos or errors in punctuation or spelling. 

Rehashing existing content: Reposting the same thing over and over again makes your social media feeds look stale and risks annoying followers who may feel they are getting bombarded with the same stuff day in and day out. Your outsourced social media partner should come up with creative fresh ideas regularly to keep things interesting for your audience while still staying true to the core messages you want to send out about your brand.

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5. How to Measure the Effectiveness of Your Outsourced Marketing Campaigns

Let’s focus on reporting and insights.

Your outsourcing partner should provide you with regular reports and analytics on your social media campaigns. This will allow you to track your progress, identify areas for improvement, and adjust your strategies as needed. They should be transparent about their methods, results, and outcomes.

Measuring the effectiveness of social media campaigns can be a complicated task, but it is essential for business owners who rely on social media to build relationships with customers and promote their brand. It’s important to have a clear understanding of how successful your campaigns are, even when you’re outsourcing social media, so you can improve your social media marketing efforts and maximise return on investment. Here are some tips to measure the effectiveness of your outsourced campaigns: 

Track Engagement: Keeping track of how many engagements (likes, comments, shares etc.) each post receives is a great way to measure the success of your campaigns. This will allow you to compare posts and see which ones are garnering the most attention from users. If something isn’t resonating with your audience, you can adjust and try something else until you find what works best for them. 

Monitor Reach: Another key metric when analysing the success of any campaign is reach – that is, how many people are seeing each post? Monitoring your reach will give you an idea of who is interacting with your content and if it’s being seen by the right audience. You can also use this data to inform future targeting efforts so that you’re reaching an even broader or more defined group depending on what makes sense for your campaign objectives.

Analyse Conversions: Finally, it’s important to track conversions from social media campaigns – whether that’s leads generated, products purchased or website traffic driven directly from a post or ad – so that you can better understand which tactics and messages drive results for your business. If something isn’t resulting in conversions, consider pivoting and trying something new – or dig into analytics insights to better understand why it isn’t performing as well as expected compared to other variations tested.

6. Tips and Tricks for Working with Your Outsource Team Effectively

Let’s talk about flexibility and adaptability.

Social media is an ever-evolving landscape, and your outsourcing partner should be able to adapt to changes in trends and algorithms quickly. Look for partners who offer flexible contracts and are willing to tweak their strategy as needed for your business’s success. You want your outsourcing partner to be flexible to your business needs and excited to take your ideas on if there’s merit to them!

Establish clear objectives from the outset: Prior to beginning any collaboration, it’s important to ensure that all parties involved understand what the goals of the social media campaign are. Doing so will help ensure everyone is on the same page, and that expectations are realistic and achievable. 

You’ll want to make sure there is a timeline for delivery and a good social media agency will facilitate you with timelines, if you don’t have one! A timeline should be created that outlines when important milestones must be completed throughout the course of the project. This helps to keep everyone accountable and ensures progress can be monitored along the way. 

We touched on this previously, but it’s an important one! Open communication between your team and the outsourced social media partner in order to ensure everything is running smoothly and meeting expectations. Regular check-ins should take place in order to make sure no details fall through the cracks and deadlines are being met effectively. 

Most importantly, both you and the agency you’ve chosen to outsource your social media business accounts should show flexibility toward changes. These could be social media trends that change quickly, so it’s important for both sides to remain flexible as new strategies or changes arise during or after a campaign begins. A successful campaign requires constant adaptation, so having an outsourced partner who is willing and able to adjust their approach if needed can be invaluable for your business.

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In a nutshell…

Outsourcing your social media management can be a wise decision for small business owners who don’t have the time or expertise to handle it themselves. However, selecting the right outsourcing partner is crucial for success. Your outsourcing partner should have experience, expertise, and a proven track record in social media management.

They should produce high-quality and engaging content, communicate efficiently, provide regular reports and analytics, and offer flexible pricing and services. By evaluating potential outsourcing partners based on these qualities, you’ll be well on your way to achieving a successful social media presence.

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk or if you’d like to talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

Best,
Eve Scragg
Fan The Flames Marketing & Design
https://fantheflames.co.uk
Eve Scragg Founder Fan the Flames Marketing and Design
Why Small Businesses Without Paid Ads Are Missing Out 1

Why Small Businesses Without Paid Ads Are Missing Out

Why Small Businesses Without Paid Ads Are Missing Out

Why Small Businesses Without Paid Ads Are Missing Out 1

No matter what your level of experience with paid ads is, you can start today and utilise ad platforms to reach a wider audience online and promote your business. But without expertise in paid ads, you may find you are targeting the wrong people, paying more than you budgeted, and perhaps still not get the qualified leads you want. Behind successful paid ads campaigns, there is creative and technical knowledge, and understanding of marketing strategy. 

These are the six key reasons why small businesses without paid ads or poor paid ads don’t reach their potential online:

1. They’re not using the right keywords
2. They’re not bidding on the right keywords
3. They have poor ad copy
4. They have a poor website design or user experience
5. They’re not using retargeting 
6. They don’t have a solid overall marketing strategy

If you can avoid these pitfalls, you’ll be well on your way to success with your paid advertising campaigns! Let’s take a closer look at each one.

1. They’re Not Using The Right Keywords

One of the most important aspects of any effective pay-per-click campaign is keyword research. You need to target the right keywords in order to attract the right kind of leads – those that are actually interested in what you have to offer and are more likely to convert into customers or clients. Without proper keyword research, you’ll be wasting your time and money on ads that no one will ever see!

2. They’re not bidding on the right keywords

In addition to targeting the right keywords, you also need to make sure you’re bidding on them correctly. If you’re not familiar with how pay-per-click bidding works, it’s essentially an auction where you compete against other advertisers for placement on the search engine results page (SERP). The higher your bid, the more likely it is that your ad will be displayed when someone searches for one of your targeted keywords – but that doesn’t mean you should just go with the highest possible bid! You also need to consider your quality score, which is a measure of how relevant and useful your ad is considered to be by Google (or whichever search engine you’re using). A higher quality score means a lower cost-per-click (CPC), so it’s important to focus on creating high-quality ads as well as bidding strategically.

3. They have poor ad copy

An effective pay-per-click ad is more than just a few sentences cobbled together – it needs to be well-written, persuasive, and relevant to the keyword it’s targeting. Your ad copy is what’s going to convince searchers to click through to your website, so it needs to be compelling! If you’re not sure how to write effective PPC ad copy, there are plenty of resources out there to help you learn (including this blog post).

4. They have a poor website design or user experience

Once someone clicks on your ad, they’ll be taken to your website – so it needs to be up to scratch! A poorly designed website or bad user experience will quickly turn searchers away, resulting in a high rate of ‘bounce backs’ (people who leave your site almost immediately after arriving). Make sure your website is easy to navigate and contains relevant, targeted content that furthers whatever goal you’re hoping to achieve with your PPC campaign – whether that’s selling products/services or generating leads.

5. They’re not using retargeting

Retargeting (also known as remarketing) is a powerful tool that allows you to keep your brand front and centre for people who have already visited your website but didn’t convert into customers or clients. With retargeting methods,  you can show them targeted ads featuring products/services they viewed on your site or lead capture forms they didn’t fill out – essentially giving them another chance at conversion. If you’re not using retargeting as part of your PPC campaigns, you’re missing out on a great opportunity!

6. They don’t have a solid overall marketing strategy

Finally, it’s important to remember that paid advertising should never exist in a vacuum – it should always be part of a larger marketing strategy that includes other elements like SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, etc. 

Working all of these channels together in a joined-up campaign will help amplify your message and reach more people than any one channel could do on its own – but only if they’re working together cohesively as part of an overarching strategy. 

If you’re not sure how all these pieces fit together, we can help! Just contact us today for a free consultation.

In a nutshell…

Paid advertising can be an extremely effective way to reach more people online and promote your small business – but only if it’s done correctly! Avoid these six common errors and set yourself up for success. If you need our expertise in paid ads, whether you’re a beginner looking at trying ads for the first time, or already running ads but not getting the conversion rates you need, we can help you maximise your paid ads!

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk. And if you’d like to get some expert help or talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in for a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

Best,
Eve Scragg
Fan The Flames Marketing & Design
https://fantheflames.co.uk
Eve Scragg Founder Fan the Flames Marketing and Design
3 Compelling Reasons to Use Email Marketing Now 1

3 Compelling Reasons to Use Email Marketing Now

3 Compelling Reasons to Use Email Marketing Now

3 Compelling Reasons to Use Email Marketing Now 1

Entrepreneurs and small business owners often wear many hats and have to be strategic with their time. Marketing efforts can sometimes take a backseat to more pressing tasks, like keeping the lights on and ensuring there is product to sell. Although it may be tempting to cut corners in your marketing budget, there are certain marketing efforts that are worth the time and investment – email marketing is one of them. 

Email marketing can provide a major boost to your marketing efforts and help you connect with your customers in a way that is personal and relevant. Here are three compelling reasons why you should start using email marketing today:

1. You can incentivise your audience into giving you their email addresses
2. Relevance is key
3. Email marketing provides an opportunity for personalisation

1. You can incentivise your audience into giving you their email addresses

One of the most common objections to starting an email marketing campaign is collecting email addresses. However, this does not have to be a difficult task. There are many ways you can incentivise your users into giving you their email addresses, such as offering a discount on their first purchase or providing access to exclusive content.

2. Relevance is key

Another objection to email marketing is that it can be perceived as spammy. This is only the case if you are sending irrelevant emails to your users. Keep your emails contextual by only sending messages that will be of interest to your audience. segmenting your list so you can send targeted messages that address specific concerns will also help ensure relevance.

3. Email marketing provides an opportunity for personalisation

When done correctly, email marketing provides an opportunity for you to connect with your customers on a personal level. You can address them by name, include relevant data points about their past interactions with your company, and even customise the message based on their individual needs and interests. Taking the time to personalise your emails will show your customers that you value them as individuals and not just another number on your list.

So what should I use email marketing for?

To interact with your audience and promote your brand and boost sales, take advantage of email marketing in your marketing strategy. Why? Emails can be used for a variety of purposes, including selling products, sharing news, lowering cart abandonment rates. But, they also tell a story and can be part of your automation journey for your customers. This delivers personalised emails to engage your contact list about your goods or services, without hard selling, over a period of time. You can introduce loyal programmes and advertise your promotions, but you can also share inspiring news and create engaging content that’s educational or fun.  Additionally, it may be leveraged for lead nurturing and lead generation, which are effective ways to strengthen connections and improve your long-term marketing plan. So if you value the relationship with your customers and want to tell your story, email marketing is the perfect option.

In summary

Email marketing provides a major boost to your marketing efforts by helping you connect with customers in a personal and relevant way. When done correctly, it can be an incredibly effective tool for driving sales, growing your customer base, and fostering loyalty among your existing customers. If you’re not using email marketing yet, now is the time to start!

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk. And if you’d like to get some expert help or talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in for a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

Best,
Eve Scragg
Fan The Flames Marketing & Design
https://fantheflames.co.uk
Eve Scragg Founder Fan the Flames Marketing and Design
5 Reasons Why Awards Are Good for Business List of Business Awards You Can Enter 1

5 Reasons Why Awards Are Good for Business (+ List of Business Awards You Can Enter)

5 Reasons Why Awards Are Good for Business (+ List of Business Awards You Can Enter)

5 Reasons Why Awards Are Good for Business List of Business Awards You Can Enter 1

You may have seen award ceremonies on TV or read about them online, but have you ever considered entering your business into one? Whether it’s a local, national or international award, there are many benefits to be gained from entering your business into an awards ceremony. 

We have been lucky enough to win seven industry awards in the last two years, and the effect it has had on our business has been massive. Because of this, we enter many of the businesses we work with into different awards all the time, and if you’re not doing the same for your business already, now’s the time to start! We have included in this article a useful list of business awards you can enter today to get you started and help potentially transform your brand image… 

But first, here are five reasons why entering awards are good business:

1. Marketing
2. Benchmarking
3. Networking
4. Credibility
5. Brand differentiation

Here’s my list for why business awards are a good way to boost your marketing strategy.

1. Marketing

Most importantly, entering your business into an awards ceremony is great for marketing and PR purposes. Winning an award provides many opportunities shout about your business, and the provider of the awards will help by providing support to promote your business and award in press releases, on your website, social media, email and other places. Awards offer marketing assets, such as badges and graphics, which can help your business gain brand exposure at a very low expense. In terms of competitors, it can help your business stand out from the competition. Sounds good so far?

2. Benchmarking

Entering your business to win an award can help you to identify your weaknesses and strengths of your offerings as it forces you to look at your competition. So entering is not just about winning the award, but you can better your business to showcase everything that makes your business stand out against the competition. 

It challenges your business to look at things differently and set new goals, which can help refine your business strategy and help you become an even better business!

3. Networking

You will know and potentially meet other businesses and professionals, which can open the doors for partnership or business opportunities. Your business will have the opportunity to network with people in and outside of your industry – helping you to build relationships with important figures! So just by entering awards that will help you network more effectively, build stronger client relationships, and possibly even elevate your leadership within your industry.

4. Credibility

Boost your business by creating an awards strategy that can help you break into new markets, or even make your presence in your current market stronger! Even if you don’t win, entering awards and getting nominated or shortlisted will help you establish your credibility and authority. This helps your customers think highly of the products and services you provide, because it serves as a third-party endorsement of your business and acts similar to a sales pitch. When a prestigious third party supports your business, your customers will recognise, respect, and value you.

5. Brand differentiation

Want to be recognised for your efforts or values for good causes? Whether it’s your green initiatives or giving back to your community, you can enter awards with the goal of brand differentiation, so you are highlighting your business for its goodwill contributions and showing your business is different from the competition. You can gain extra cred and kudos for creating an awards strategy for your business and give you a competitive edge that really impresses your customers.

List of Awards Your Business Can Enter

Entering awards is a great way to gain recognition for your business, regardless of whether you win or not. By entering these competitions, you are able to promote your business to a wider audience and get your name out there. Here’s a few to get you started for your awards strategy:

The UK Business & Innovation Awards by Awards International

https://ukbizawards.com/home

This award has 18 award categories to choose from, such as Best New Business, Best Website or App, Best Employee Experience, Diversity and Inclusion, Best Green Business, Best Marketing and more!

Application is open for 2023

Chamber Business Awards

https://hwchamber.co.uk/

Based in the Herefordshire or Worcestershire area? This award is open to local businesses but 2023 application is not yet released. However, sponsor opportunities are now open for your business.

Application for 2023 to be released soon

Growing Business Awards

https://growingbusinessawards.co.uk/

This award recognises fast growing SMEs with over 25 categories to choose from, such as B2B Business of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Family-owned Business of the Year, Micro Business or the Year, Triumph Over Adversity Award and more!

Applications not yet released for 2023

Women in Business Award

https://womensbusiness.club/

Are you a woman in business? This award is great for acknowledging professional achievements from women in business. There’s over 20 different categories to choose from, such as Sustainability Award, Startup of the Year, Woman in STEM, Businesswoman of the Year, Employer of the Year and more!

Applications for 2022 are still open

BQF UK Brilliance Awards

https://www.bqf.org.uk/

There’s 17 different categories to choose from, such as Excellent People Doing Excellent Things, Best Team, Living Your Values, Innovation, Customer Experience, CI Culture, Collaboration and more!

Applications for 2023 not yet open

Don’t forget…

Remember, you need to work out an awards strategy to get the most out of applying for awards. And if you’re not sure where to start, we can help you build an awards strategy for your business that will boost your marketing efforts tenfold.

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk. And if you’d like to get some expert help or talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in for a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

Best,
Eve Scragg
Fan The Flames Marketing & Design
https://fantheflames.co.uk
strengthen brand

A Helpful Guide on How To Strengthen Your Brand’s Online Presence

A Helpful Guide on How To Strengthen Your Brand’s Online Presence

strengthen brand

We continually advance into an era where digital technology is ingrained in everyone’s lives, including businesses. It’s no surprise that your online presence could make or break your brand’s position in the industry.

How does one gain interest from potential consumers? There is no set formula for this as marketing strategies vary from business to business. Brands tend to focus their plans based on their goals. Whether you want to be known for your awesome web design or attract consumers through your content, building a strong web presence has its advantages. Create effective marketing strategies to include in your 2022 business plans to strengthen your online presence by applying these tips.

1. Make a lasting impression through your web design.

As much as social media helps spread the word about your brand, having a website that contains comprehensive details about your products or services changes things. An impressive website should be easy on the eyes, user-friendly, and can drive conversion results. Let your consumers experience a pleasant engagement through your excellent web design.

2. Your social media strategy matters more than you think.

Almost every person who has access to the Internet uses social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and many more. Keep in mind that your social media strategy focus should not end with just being active on your accounts. Pay attention to posting times, content calendars, SEO, etc., which are factors to consider to ensure a better online presence.

3. Put extra effort into media production.

Social media these days, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, are media-driven. Therefore, it is important to incorporate strong media visual production into your strategies. In addition, consumers tend to be intrigued with strong video, photo, or graphic design content.

4. Step up your marketing strategies through paid ads.

With the help of online advertising, possibilities for marketing have become endless. A strong online presence could be your first step but engaging with paid advertising to grow your brand’s visibility is a game-changer.

5. A good SEO strategy never fails.

Search engine results affect both consumers and marketers. Consumers turn to relevant results when they need help in looking up something. Meanwhile, a higher ranking in the search results is what every business is aiming for. SEO is a technique to make it happen. A reliable SEO strategy can online presence and make your website rank better in searches to result in more traffic and driving in sales.

These tips may be general but remember that every business is unique. Sometimes it works; other times, it doesn’t. In building your online presence using these pointers to work, align it properly with your business objectives and goals.

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk. And if you’d like to get some expert help or talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in for a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

Best,
Eve Scragg
Fan The Flames Marketing & Design
https://fantheflames.co.uk

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Phone: +44 (0) 7747 740 760
Email: eve@fantheflames.co.uk
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