3 Things your Business is Not Doing to Win this Holiday Season

Everybody wants to take advantage of the holiday season for business growth and sales, but are you really doing all that you can? Just last year people spent $6.6 billion on Cyber Monday and $2.4 billion on Small Business Saturday. Here’s a list of 3 things your business probably isn’t doing – but should start – in order to win this holiday season.

Focus on Retention

It’s great to hit peak sales during the holiday season but what’s even better is turning holiday shoppers into year-round customers. If you only focus on generating a quick holiday sale you will be missing out on the opportunity to expand your reach and current clientele. One way of doing this is by getting their contact information. Inform them that by giving you their email or phone number you will be able to let them know about more promotions, sales, and new products and services. Also, try to direct them to your social media accounts.

Pay attention to your unhappy customers. Customers who didn’t have a great experience with your company can teach you a lot. Encourage feedback from all customers. By doing this your attention will be called to a problem you probably didn’t know you had and it gives you the opportunity to fix it. Moving forward you won’t run into any more unsatisfied customers with that same issue and you might have even turned the unhappy customer into a regular by taking the time to fix the problem.

Detail how your product/service is relevant

Everybody is promoting sales during the holiday season, but you want your company/brand to stand out from the rest. A good way to do this is by detailing how your product is relevant to the holiday season. Aside from a good deal, why is this product something people should purchase during this season? You need to inform your audience on why it is important for them to get the product right now and how that product will be able to solve a problem for them.

Invest in your brand

Yes, you want to generate revenue during this holiday season and that is the goal, but you also need to think about investing in your brand. When is the last time you’ve updated your company’s software? When is the last time you’ve brought new technology? The holiday season is the perfect time to make sure you are advancing your brand and business. You want to make sure you have the latest software and technology, related to your respective field, in order to efficiently cater to your customers. Having to deal with outdated versions can increase the risk of having malfunctions and can add extra stress. The holiday season is busy and fast-paced, don’t let your business fall behind.

Need 1-on-1 Help? Read Below

Don’t know where to start? Plan your social media + email marketing like a pro, click here to grab the Holiday Sales and Marketing Boost Bundle!

Written by Winer Intern Loryn Hairston

5 Things You Should Do to Prepare your

Business for Holiday Sales

The biggest shopping days of the year are around the corner and the holiday shoppers have started making their rounds. This is the perfect season to grow your business and gain increased revenue. Preparation is key when dealing with the holiday season, so we’ve compiled a list of 5 things you should be doing to prepare for this fast approaching holiday season.

Enhance your  service experience

Focusing on customer experience is key. A quick way to lose holiday sales is terrible customer service. Everything should be designed with the customer in mind. If you have a physical store make sure you have enough employees to cater to holiday foot-traffic. You want to make sure you bring people on your team who will internalize your company’s goals and mission. Make sure you have enough time to train new employees so that they are knowledgeable about the product and company policies.  If your business is based solely online make sure all policies are detailed clear online and make sure there is updated contact information accessible to customers. Also, ensure that someone is monitoring the contact lines. Answer all phone calls and reply to emails in a timely manner.

Plan promotions

Holiday shoppers favorite part about the season are all the sales and promotions.  Develop a strategic plan to help you determine what promotions will be offered. Try scheduling your promotions around important days; you want to take advantage of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday. You also want to develop a unique selling proposition to tie into your promotions. This is going to be what sets your business apart from the rest – free holiday shipping, gift with purchase, extended return policy.

These promotions and discounts will definitely send the holiday shoppers in your direction.

Optimize your website

Each year the percentage of online holiday shoppers has been steadily increasing. You don’t want your business to be counted out because your website wasn’t up to date.

Approach this with you in mind. You wouldn’t want to shop on a website that has slow load times, wasn’t organized, or hard to navigate. Neither does your customer.

Websites should aide in easier holiday shopping, not add hassle.

• Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
• Make sure your search function is efficient
• Clearly state customer service and contact information
• Load test your website – make sure it still functions during high traffic periods

Start preparing for the holiday season by making sure your business’s website is updated and optimized.

Create an advertising strategy

What good is a deal if no one knows it’s going on? How do customers know what you have to offer? Creating an advertising campaign is important for the holiday season because you need to put your business on the map. In order to take advantage of the potential holiday sales, shoppers have to know that you exist. The way to do this is effective marketing. Take time out before the holiday season to determine how you will market and promote your brand to your target. Social media is a great way to start, and email marketing has also proven to be effective. Whichever route you choose to go make sure you have a plan.

Ask yourself:  

• What do I want to promote?
• How do I want the public to view it?
• Which channels will I use to promote it?

Get into the holiday spirit

Whether you have a storefront or your business is strictly online, make sure the holiday spirit shines through. Make sure you are decorating for the holiday season. You can do one holiday at a time or do one big holiday theme. Whatever you choose make sure you do something. Decorating makes shoppers more attracted to your business and more inclined to shop with you. Businesses that take the time to spread a little holiday cheer and decorate make you feel more welcomed during the holiday season. If your business is based online make sure you have some holiday graphics and sayings visible as customers browse through your website. Decorating makes for a better environment for your customers and employees alike, so add some holiday cheer to your business this year.

Need 1-on-1 Help? Read Below

Don’t know where to start? Plan your social media + email marketing like a pro, click here to grab the Holiday Sales and Marketing Boost Bundle!

Written by Winer Intern Loryn Hairston

How to Boost Engagement Using Hashtag Optimization

#Instagood, #VSCO, #followme…

Are you guilty of using these #hashtags? Generic hashtags (like the ones mentioned above) often attract bots and spammers to your profile, which can lead to a host of random emojis and “Follow for Follow?” comments under your posts. For entrepreneurs, this can be counterproductive to what your social media platform is used for—marketing to your target audience or colleagues that work in the same industry as you. To circumvent bots and spammers from flocking to your comments, consider implementing an effective hashtag strategy! Here are 3 tips to boost engagement by using Hashtag optimization:

1. 30 is the New Black: A little-known fact about Instagram is that users can post up to 30 hashtags per post. We HIGHLY recommend adhering to this rule. Remember—a high number of hashtags equals a high number of views to your posts!
2. Be More Specific: As you’re brainstorming which 30 hashtags to use, consider implementing niche and industry hashtags! Niche and industry hashtags will attract the attention of potential colleagues and clients. Ex: If you’re a digital publicist, you’ll want to use #publicrelations or #brandconsultant underneath your posts!
3. Use the Hashtag Formula: Strategy is key when it comes to proper hashtag placement, so consider using the Hashtag formula:

• 5-7 Hashtags with 100k-500k uses
• 5-7 Hashtags with 10k-100k uses
• 3-5 niche-specific hashtags
• 1-3 brand-specific hashtags

Please note that if you have a following of under 10k, you’ll want to adhere to using hashtags with 10k-100k uses! You don’t want your posts to be overlooked by those who have a higher following.

Use these tips as you brainstorm hashtags for your next posts. Happy Digital Marketing!

Written by Summer Intern Kyra White

4 Tips to Drive Traffic from Instagram to Website

Struggling to turn double-taps into website clicks? Here are 4 tips to drive more traffic from your Instagram to your website!

1. Lead Offers: Create an exclusive piece of content that your audience can only access by subscribing to your mailing list! Then, create a landing page where they can access the content—be sure that your landing page is mobile-device friendly! Lastly, post it on the ‘Gram! Here a few things to keep in mind:

• Your graphic should match the content you’re offering
• The copy (or caption) should thoroughly explain why this content will benefit those who sign-up
• Use an eye-catching Call-to-Action that will direct your followers to click the link in your bio

2. Shoppable Posts: Instagram’s Shoppable posts feature has made purchasing products directly from their feed a breeze! If you’re a product-based business, shoppable posts are a great way to turn double-taps into website clicks and sales! Take this Fenty Beauty post for example (see image below). Customers can view the price of their desired product, then click on the “price tag” to view more information about the product. The “price tag” leads them to a page that displays a general overview of the product, including the link to the website to make a purchase.

3. Instagram Stories: Consider promoting your lead offers through the Stories feature on the ‘Gram! While the Feed post should look professional and aesthetically pleasing, the Story Promotion should appear more personalized and authentic.

4. Influencer Marketing: Your eye-catching graphics and clever Call-to-Actions are missing something—your followers’ Fave! Your audience may love the content you generate, but they may need an extra ‘push’ to follow-through with visiting your website! Research your audience to find out who they are influenced by and consider reaching out to those influencers to see if they’re interested in marketing your products/website!

Use these tips for your next launch. Happy Digital Marketing!

Written by Summer Intern Kyra White

7 Tips to Powerful Social Media Call-to-Actions

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Have you ever wondered how your favorite companies convince you to buy their products? They have mastered the art of Call-to-Actions! Call-to-Actions are phrases that direct your target audience to access valuable information within a time-sensitive manner. It’s imperative that your Call-to-Action is clear, concise, and eye-catching! If you’re struggling to develop a CTA or enhance the one you already have, here are 7 tips to get you on track!

1. 1. ACTION! Use actionable language to generate more traffic/views to your blog or website! Words like “Scroll”, “Call”, or “Hurry!” tell your audience how to find the resources being offered to them. For instance, if you’re offering a free webinar on maximizing IGTV to boost engagement, you would phrase your CTA like so: Click here to register for my FREE Webinar on Maximizing IGTV for Your Business!

   2. If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late: Behind every great CTA is a sense of urgency! One way of doing this is to tap into FOMO, or in layman’s term “Fear of Missing Out”. This is where time-sensitivity comes into play! You want your target audience to read that informative blog post or snag deals with that 50% off sitewide sale, and you want them to feel as if they only have a short amount of time to do so.  Use words like “Today”, “Now”, or “Soon”! Let’s take the previous statement up a notch, shall we? Click here to register for my FREE Webinar NOW! Hurry, this offer ends soon!

   3. Make it POP! Your CTA must catch the attention of your target audience! The CTA button should be BIG, BOLD, and hard to miss. Consider using eye-catching colors, like Red or Yellow.

   4. Make it CLICK! Your CTA button should give the appearance of something that is “clickable” or interactive, not flat and hiding in plain sight.

   5. The Numbers Game: Consider using numbers in your CTA! This is great for my product-based businesses looking to generate more sells! Consumers are more likely to click an ad if they see an incentive coupled with numbers. Let’s convert the example in #2 into a CTA: Click HERE to receive 50% off! Hurry—offer ends at MIDNIGHT!

   6. Client Highlights: While this involves a bit more legwork, give a shout to continuing clients by incorporating them within your CTA. The language is slightly different, but the intention is still the same—generating more traffic!  Here’s an example: Michael Babb loved his Instagram Facelift! Your IG can be transformed as well—Click HERE to access your Profile Makeover. Hurry—there’s a special offer inside!

   7. Testing, Testing, Testing! Our final tip is to make sure that you’re constantly testing the efficiency of your CTA! This will help you figure out if the clicks are being directed to the correct page(s) or if the page is lagging as it loads.

We hope these tips will help as you brainstorm your next Call-to-Action. Happy Digital Marketing!

Written by Summer Intern Kyra White

What to do When Instagram-friendly Tools like Linktree Stop Working?

Linktree has become commonplace among various Instagrammers, especially the entrepreneurial and creative side of the platform. This is due to its ease of use and versatility. You can compile multiple pages into an “all-inclusive” link; this reduces the hassle of having to switch out the “Website” link each time you update your blog/website!  While Linktree has its pros, one recent incident spotlighted a costly con (see image below).

Last week, Instagram users encountered an error when trying to access Linktree links in bios stating that Linktree was against its “community standards”. This error caused headaches and costed several business and brand owners to miss out on optimizing their Instagram traffic, as the Linktree motto promises. So, what can be done in the event something like this happens again? Create a D-I-Y Links Page!

To start, build a page on your website that will host various links, like the format of Linktree. You can put this link in your bio next time Linktree goes down OR replace the current Link in your bio! Also, consider drafting a brief intro on your Links page to inform visitors about what each link offers. This will help you gage the “click rate” and see how well your links are performing.

Happy Digital Marketing!

Written by Summer Intern Kyra White

How to Hack your IG Stories to Boost your Business

Instagram’s Story Feature has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2016. In fact, it has surpassed the success of Snapchat, the forerunner of capturing moments in 15 seconds or less. As mentioned in our previous live training, many entrepreneurs have utilized the Stories feature to give their customers a “Behind the Scenes” look of their business, which is a plus! Are you wondering how to maximize IG Stories to grow your business? Follow these “hacks!”

1. Hash-tagging: Implementing branded or industry hashtags (like #digitalmarketing) can increase organic viewership of your IG Stories! However, IG Stories have a limit of adding up to 10 hashtags, so as always, be strategic! Wondering how to reach followers in your city? Consider Geotagging your stories to boost local engagement! Lastly, avoid cluttering your screen with hashtags by shrinking them!

2. Sneak Peeks: Let’s revisit the idea of sharing sneak peeks for a bit! Users have shared “sneaks” of their IG stories by taking a screenshot and sharing it to their IG feed. While this is a great way to generate views of your IG story, up the ante by implementing color-blocking. In this sense, color-blocking is the process of partially shading your picture to create a sense of discretion (refer to image below as a visual aid). This hack is ideal for product-based businesses, especially if you’re beta-testing a new product before a big launch! Also, you can entice your viewers by giving them something to anticipate!
   

Use these hacks to boost your IG stories. Happy Digital Marketing!

Written by Summer Intern Kyra White

Personal Branding 101: Tips to Maximizing your Potential

What is personal branding? It’s the art of making you, you. This includes your working skills and life experiences. It’s what people say about you when you are not in the room. Your goal?  Make sure what they are saying is GOOD. We created an e-course in K&R Communications’ Resource Center to help you effectively navigate this, but first, we want to provide you with these quick tips to maximize your potential.

1. Be Intentional: First, define your personal brand. Questions such as “What impression am I trying to make?” or “Who is my target audience?” should be taken into careful consideration during the developmental stages of brand building. Also, be intentional about your mission statement, another integral piece to the puzzle.
2. Perform a Digital Audit: Your online presence is crucial when it comes to personal branding. Remember those photos from your party days in college? Or how about that status with semi-vulgar language? These are items that you don’t want to generate results from a Google Search of your name. Do the right thing—Delete, delete, delete!
3. Be Authentic: Your personal brand revolves around you! Potential clients, customers, and even your followers want to perceive you as a well-rounded human being. Show them the Inspirational You, the Compassionate You, or even the Humorous You.
4. Develop an Aesthetic: This is the fun part of brand building—developing an aesthetic that is representative of you! Think of a color (or colors) that are appealing to the eye. A great place to start would be to consider your favorite colors. But, what if another brand owner has already claimed these colors as their own? Get ‘psyched’ about Color Association, formally known as the Psychology of Color. In addition, consider how you’ll want to market this aesthetic online and offline. Be consistent!
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Evolve: Keep in mind that the only constant is change. This philosophy also applies to your personal brand. Your personal growth and personal brand are parallels to each other: as one evolves, the other should as well. Refer to #2; there will be times when you’ll have to conduct a brand audit as well, examining what has or hasn’t worked over time. Pause before deleting, though—a simple re-invention may suffice.

Dive into this a little more in our Personal Branding 101 e-course. It’s time to Build a Powerful Personal Brand to increase your exposure and your revenue! 

P.S.  There’s a special offer inside if you sign-up today!

Written by Summer Intern Kyra White