Let’s break it down and show you why a website audit is the smartest move you’ll make for your online presence.

1. SEO: How Do You Measure Up?

Sure, your website might look great, but if it’s not ranking on Google, who’s going to see it? SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is like the secret sauce to getting noticed online. A website audit can give you:

• A crystal-clear breakdown of your SEO rankings.
• Insights into missed keyword opportunities.
• A heads-up on any technical issues (hello, broken links and slow load times).

The goal? To make sure your website is playing nice with search engines and pulling in the traffic you deserve.

2. User Engagement: Are They Clicking or Bouncing?

Picture this: A potential customer lands on your website. What happens next? Are they clicking around, soaking up your content, or leaving faster than you can say “conversion”? A website audit will show you:

• Which pages are doing the heavy lifting and which ones need a little TLC.
• Whether your site is leading visitors to take action—whether that’s filling out a form or making a purchase.
• How to improve your site map and navigation to keep users on track.

Because if your website isn’t user-friendly, your visitors won’t stick around.

3. Design and Functionality: Is Your Website Still Cool?

Let’s face it: Trends change, and so do user expectations. If your website looks like it’s stuck in 2015, it’s time for an update. A website audit can flag:

• Outdated designs or layouts that might be turning people off.
• Mobile responsiveness (because, yes, most people are looking at your site on their phone).
• Navigation headaches that could be driving visitors away.

Your website should look good and work like a charm—anything less, and you’re leaving money on the table.

4. Performance: Speed Matters

Nobody likes a slow website. If your site takes too long to load, potential customers will bounce—and they won’t come back. A website audit digs into performance metrics like:

• Page load times.
• Broken links and error pages.
• Hosting issues that might be slowing things down.

A faster, glitch-free website isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential.

5. Staying Ahead of the Competition

Your competitors are out there, updating their websites and investing in better tools to grab your audience’s attention. A website audit helps you identify what you’re missing so you can stay one step ahead.

• What are they doing that you’re not?
• Where are they excelling, and how can you do it better?
• How can you stand out in a crowded market?

Sometimes, winning online is just about being sharper, faster, and more strategic than the competition.

When Should You Get a Website Audit?

If you haven’t updated your site in over a year, or if your traffic is flatlining, it’s time. Same goes if you’re gearing up for a big marketing campaign—you’ll want your site in top shape to handle the influx of visitors.

Final Thoughts: It’s Time to Audit

A website audit isn’t just a maintenance check—it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to refine, optimize, and elevate your online presence. So, are you ready to uncover your website’s potential? Let us take the wheel and help you turn your site into a lead-generating powerhouse.

Your digital glow-up starts here. Let’s get to it.

The post How a Website Audit Can Improve Your Traffic and Boost Online Visibility appeared first on eclipse360 - Advertising and Digital Marketing Agency, Victoria, BC.

What are the keys to a solid, fool-proof tourism marketing plan? Well it starts with understanding the industry as a whole. It’s no secret that tourism has long been the lifeblood for the West Coast of British Columbia. For instance, Vancouver Island’s natural beauty and outdoor adventures attracts nearly 10 million visitors per year.¹ Metro Vancouver also has the West Coast appeal and can by itself boast hosting just over 10 million tourists annually.² That number is only growing! Both the Victoria and Vancouver port authorities have reported the number of visiting cruise ships is on the rise. Victoria announced that 283 mega boats will be visiting our quaint city in 2020, which is a 7% increase. The port authority in Vancouver announced that 2019 was their highest volume year to date and they expect 2020 to exceed that number.³ These tourists aren’t just bringing selfie sticks and a thirst for adventure, they are also bringing their dineros, dollars, yen, pesos or [insert currency type]. Like sharks to blood in the water, locals have established services and products to help these outlanders lighten their overburdened wallets. So if you’re trying to stand out and get a piece of the action, how do you position your brand and get heard over the noise?

How to Start a Tourism Marketing Plan

Every marketing plan should start with an introspective look at your business to develop an identity and name that resonate with both visitors from across the world, and the employees you plan to inspire. Once you’ve developed a solid brand, the next step is to make sure people can find you. Know how your customers are discovering services, and most importantly, know where your offer fits into their journey. The customer journey will look drastically different for a two week all inclusive tour, compared to a local attraction, or two hour kayak rental. After you lay out this customer journey, you can start assessing the most impactful media to advertise your services. The options for advertising are nearly limitless between digital and traditional print media.

Great, so now you have a great brand and people are coming through the door…. Marketing done! Right?! Not quite… You still have to ensure you are getting positive buzz for your business. Interacting and providing value to your previous customer will help you manage your reputation to create positive word of mouth and online presence. In today’s connected world, reviews and recommendations are essential for purchasing decisions.

Foundations for a Tourism Marketing Plan

So… this may seem like a lot to cover with a small team or off the side of an executive’s desk. Where to even start?

Don’t worry. Eclipse360 is here to help! We are releasing a series to walk you through three steps that will give a solid foundation in tourism marketing:

1. Developing an impactful tourism brand
2. Grabbing the attention of the tourist market
3. Managing your business’s reputation

Why listen to us? Well… we’ve had a hand in growing some of Vancouver and Victoria’s top tourism businesses. You could consider us the Alfred to the Tourism Industry’s Batman, in the background providing the much needed help for them to kick some serious butt. Check out some of our recent projects:

Tourism Vancouver Island
Prince of Whales
Salt Spring Harbour House Hotel

We’ll get you up to speed and with our cursory lessons in tourism marketing ninjary! Pretty soon you will be building your own creative muscles and adding strategic tools to your utility belt. Those tourists won’t know what hit them! For an extra boost, don’t hesitate to reach out and find out how we can help you create a custom tourism marketing plan.

Sources

1. Vancouver Island Tourism. Vancouver-Island-Regional-Tourism-Profile_2017.pdf

2. Tourism Vancouver. https://www.tourismvancouver.com/about/research/

3. Vancouver is Awesome. https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2019/10/31/cruise-passengers-port-vancouver/

The post Three Essential Elements for a Tourism Marketing Plan appeared first on eclipse360 - Advertising and Digital Marketing Agency, Victoria, BC.

What is IGTV?

It started as a standalone app from the makers of Instagram. So, even though you watch IGTV within the Instagram app, you record IGTV in the IGTV app (although Instagram is adding new features to access IGTV from within the Instagram app). Once you log into the IGTV app (using your Instagram login creds to make it simple), you’ll get an Instagram channel, which then appears on your profile like magic.

How is it different from Instagram Stories?

The biggest difference is length: While Stories are limited to 15 seconds each, IGTV can handle up to 10 minutes per video. And if you’re a popular or verified user (with that little blue checkmark by your name), you can get up to 60 minutes of video time with IGTV.

How do I IGTV like a pro?

Sure, IGTV is longer, but that doesn’t mean you should just take longer versions of the videos you post to Stories. Here are our top five tips for making your IGTV videos relevant:

1. Honour thy brand
We like to think of Stories as behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, whereas IGTV is a platform to share your brand value. Are you a course creator? Use IGTV to teach. A makeup artist? Use IGTV for tutorials. A café? Use IGTV to share where your inspiration for the donut of the day came from. The options are endless, but they should honour your brand and how it adds value to your audience’s lives.

2. Give ‘em a reason to come back for more
It wasn’t named IGTV for nothing: TV is aired in episodes, so consider episodic content for your videos. If you leave off at a cliff hanger (like your secret for getting clients to book you within 24 hours of meeting you), you’ll grow a loyal following of customers who are into what you offer.

3. Cross-promote like a boss
Instagram offers you options to cross-promote your IGTV content with your Instagram Stories (for verified users only) and posts (for all of us!) Do it. It’ll help get more eyes on your videos. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to hashtag. Just like you can add hashtags to an Instagram post, you can add hashtags to the video description or comments of your IGTV. Why hashtags? Because they’re powerful in getting your content seen by more eyes. And because you can personalize your hashtags to your ideal clients and customers, they’ll be the right eyes.

4. Make it crystal clear what it’s about
Remember writing essays in high school? You tell them what you’re about to say, then you say it, then you summarize what you just said. Sounds obvious, but you’ve got to introduce what the video is about and what your audience will get out of it before you launch into the content. While you’re at it, make sure the name of your video is clear, too.

5. Stay vertical
Just because Instagram rolled out horizontal videos in the last update doesn’t mean you should jump on that bandwagon. You’ve always got to consider your audience first, and the reality is: We all watch Stories vertically. So, stay vertical when you film, and make your audience happy.

Well, Instagrammers, if you haven’t tried your hand at IGTV yet, ask yourself if your brand warrants long-format video content. And, if it does, you’re about to have a hell of a lot more fun on Insta. We can’t wait to watch.

The post Everything You Need to Know About IGTV appeared first on eclipse360 - Advertising and Digital Marketing Agency, Victoria, BC.

Just over a year ago, the European Union announced the General Data Protection Regulation—also known as the GDPR. It’s fast become a buzz word, but so many of us still don’t get what the buzz is all about. What is it? How does it affect you? Are you compliant? What happens if you’re not? We’re here to answer all of your burning questions—of course, a friendly reminder we’re not lawyers (wait, what?!) Yeah, we’re just versed in the GDPR because, well, we build websites every day. So, if you’re nervous about the legal side of things, invest in a GDPR-savvy lawyer to inform yourself. In the meantime, here are the basics.

What is the GDPR?

In short, it’s a regulation the European Union rolled out on May 25, 2018 about data protection and privacy for all citizens of the European Union and European Economic Area (for simplicity’s sake, we’ll refer to them as Europeans). We know it all sounds so boring, but it was created because really un-boring things were happening.

Does it affect me?

We know what you’re thinking: You’re in the clear. You don’t live in Europe, so you don’t have to worry about the GDPR, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Here’s the catch: Any company, anywhere in the world, that markets products or services to Europeans is subject to GDPR.

Just like espresso, the GDPR has gone from European origin to global infiltration—but, unlike espresso, people aren’t sure if that’s a good thing. We like to think it’s neither good nor bad, just a necessity. If you run a business that sells products or services to Europeans (whether it’s e-books or real books), you’ve got to comply with the regulations.

What does it mean to be compliant?

Essentially, being compliant means not being shady about collecting personal data or how you’re using that personal data. At a minimum, your website should include:

Terms & Conditions

This is your contract with your site visitors that’s typically linked from the footer of your website.

Privacy Policy

Your privacy policy details how and why you collect data on your site—and what you will and will not do with their information.

Cookies Policy & Permission

We’re not talking chocolate chip cookies. Cookies collect information on your site visitors, so you’ve got to share your policy and ask for their consent, typically through a pop-up.

Consent for Data Collection

Any time you ask for user data, like through a newsletter sign-up form, you’ve got to ask for their consent.

In addition to adding these features to your website, you’ve got to be compliant when users as for specific information, including:

Export Requests

The flip side of asking your user for data? They can ask you for theirs. Under the GDPR, a user can file a subject access request at no charge to access their personal information.

Erasure Requests

Like export requests, at any given time, a user can request the erasure of their personal data from your database—and you must comply.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Don’t feel like complying? Sure, you may get off with a warning—but you may be subject to an audit or even hefty fines. We don’t tell you this to freak you out. Because it’s surprisingly easy to follow the regulations—like requiring consent to collect data and providing data-breach notifications. No brainers, really.

The GDPR’s regulations are intended to protect Europeans from compromised data (like your credit card digits) and shady disclosure. So, let’s not get too judgy. After all, Canada may just follow in their footsteps soon. So, let’s embrace the GDPR, and get educated and get compliant.

The post The Six Things You Must Know About GDPR appeared first on eclipse360 - Advertising and Digital Marketing Agency, Victoria, BC.

In a day and age when logos are virtually a dime a dozen thanks to commoditized sites (ahem, not naming any names), it’s important now more than ever to understand why a logo is essential to your brand image and what makes a logo “good.”

Your Logo is Your Beautiful Face

We all know brand image is more than a logo—but your logo is the foundation. It’s the one identifier your audience will see across virtually every brand visual, from your business cards and website to your product packaging, and even the product itself. It’s like the face of the brand; it doesn’t communicate everything, but it’s what people see first and what makes a business recognizable. We don’t know about you, but we’d rather our brand be a Princess Leia than a Jabba the Hutt.

We know, we know: Don’t judge a book by its cover—but your audience will. So, up your chances of connecting with them and create a logo that resonates with their aesthetic and values.

But, Beauty is Subjective

You’re right. We all have different ideas of what’s aesthetic or attractive—maybe I like mid-century modern and you’re more art nouveau—but, whatever the style of the aesthetic, there are basic tenants of good design. Play to those, and you’re more likely to create a timeless logo.

Symbols

If you’re creating a logo that’s anchored by a symbol, make the symbol relevant. Even better, make it meaningful. By connecting the symbol to the business name, you up the memorability of your brand name and identity, making it easier for your audience to understand what you offer—and more likely that they’ll actually try it.

Simplicity

Simple logos are the most memorable because they don’t take much brain power to understand. When we’re neck-deep in the creation of a brand, it’s easy to forget that your audience isn’t along for the ride; they won’t be able to connect the dots if the dots are too far apart. So, keep things simple enough the average joe can understand it (stylistically and conceptually) at first glance.

Fonts

If you’re designing your own logo, don’t use fonts just because you love them. Use them because they add value to the identity. And don’t use more than two fonts, or things will get busy really quickly, and you’ll compromise the integrity of the logo. Again, keep things simple (and the hierarchy of information clear) with one or two fonts in sizes that are proportionate to their importance.

Colours

We’re going to sound like a broken record here, but keep it simple. It’s okay to create a colour palette of five or six colours, but that doesn’t mean your logo should include all of them. (And, for the record, that palette may include six colours, but it should be built on only two or three main colours; any additional colours should be darker or lighter shades of your main colours.)

Style

As with fashion, design changes—and we need to change with the times. This doesn’t mean playing into every trend that hits Pinterest, but if we stay rooted in old design thinking, we risk outdating ourselves.

Versions

Make sure you’ve got variations of your logos to use for different audiences and applications. If you’re marketing to an untapped audience, include a strapline in your logo, (like “Café & Bar”) to contextualize your brand name and provide clarity on your offering. Likewise, create horizontal and vertical versions for different application (horizontal is typically used online, so it doesn’t add unnecessary height to your website).

To rebrand or not to rebrand

“We can always rebrand.” We’ve heard it before, and we can’t tell you how disheartening it is. Branding a business should be done right the first time; you shouldn’t need a rebrand a year from now. (Or worse, you shouldn’t be stuck with the logo because the investment to rebrand is too costly.) Brands benefit from minor “refreshes” every five or so, but redesigning the damn thing a year from now means it wasn’t executed strategically and professionally the first time around.

So, how do you brand your business right the first time? We like to consider three things: What will resonate with your audience and their values, what will communicate what you do and how you do it, and if it’s well designed. The average business owner isn’t schooled in the subtleties of brand design, which is why we’re big advocates of outsourcing to the pros on this one. A $100 logo (or getting your “creative friend” to do it) isn’t going to pack the same strategic thinking, meaning or professional refinement as a $3,000 logo—and the higher price tag is going to carry you much further into the future.

The post Why Your Logo is Essential to Your Brand Image appeared first on eclipse360 - Advertising and Digital Marketing Agency, Victoria, BC.

Here’s the thing: Whatever you’re offering—a product or service, locally made macramé or global McDonald’s franchises—you’re in the business of public relations whether you like it or not. Because, when it comes to business, your brand image is your public image—the impression your clients and customers (potential and actual) have of the product or service you offer. So, before you even shake a customer’s hand, your brand image is connecting and engaging with your audience. So, the question is: What message is your brand image communicating about your business?

Enter, brand management

Just like public relations manages a celebrity’s image (and, ahem, scandals), brand management manages a brand’s image, strategizing (and executing) how to present your brand so it’s perceived positively.

To delegate brand management to your marketing team would be a disservice to your business and its audience because brand management is bigger than graphics and ads. It permeates every facet of your business, from the tangibles (like your product design, packaging and pricing) to the intangibles (like the experiences you curate for your customers online and in person).

So, how do I manage my brand?

We know what you’re thinking: All of this is well and good, but how do I actually manage my brand image? Well, it’s as multifaceted as your business: Is your business online or in person? Are you offering a product or a service? Are you selling business to consumer or business to business? There’s no easy answer because your management plan will be as unique as your business. But, there’s an easy place to start. Here’s what we recommend:

1. Know thyself

First things first, it’s difficult to control the dialogue if you don’t know what the dialogue is. So, start with knowing who your business is and what it stands for. Only then can you understand if the public perception is on target with your goals.

2. Google yourself

Next, research. You can start with Google—read reviews, Facebook comments, tweets, articles, you name it, to understand what the public’s perception of your business is. Then, get your boots on the ground for in-person research and interview customers with targeted questions.

3. Get social

Now that you know the differences between how you want to be perceived and how you’re actually being perceived, you can start to course correct. Actively engage online and in person to rewrite your brand messaging and start building a new (and improved) image.

4. Be consistent

Of course, it’s not enough for you to lead the charge single-handedly; you need to train your team to share the same brand voice and messaging and build a consistent image across all of your platforms, online and in person. Whether you’re delivering a sales pitch or recovering from a lackluster service experience, your team needs to be on the same page with your brand image.

5. Utilize the tools

With tools like Brandwatch and Brandverity, it’s easier than ever to intimately understand what your audience thinks about your brand, get ahead of a downtrend, and build a positive brand image.

Like public relations manages that celeb’s public image, brand management is all about managing your business’ public image. So, to get pro status, start at the beginning and understand how you want your brand to be perceived. From there, brand management will only get easier.

The post Why Your Brand Image Matters appeared first on eclipse360 - Advertising and Digital Marketing Agency, Victoria, BC.

Once upon a time, your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy was a safe bet to getting you on the first page of Google’s search results. But the game is changing: Today, features like paid ads, videos, Google My Business profiles and maps are getting the top results by default. So, how can you compete? Well, we recommend starting with a Google My Business Profile.

What’s Google My Business, you ask?

You know when you search Google for your favorite take-out joint, and the business’ details conveniently land at the top of your search results, complete with a map, directions, phone number and link to their website? That’s a Google My Business profile. And it’s one of the easiest, cheapest (read: free) ways to get to the top of Google.

The Google My Business must-dos

What many businesses don’t realize about Google My Business is it’s not a one-and-done quick fix; you’ve got to update your information and engage with your audience regularly to make the most of your profile. Here are our must-dos for an optimized Google My Business profile:

Stay up to date

Your Google My Business profile must be current if it’s going to be relevant. The whole point of the Internet is real-time access to information—and that includes your location, hours of operation, products and services, and even photos and video of said products and services.

Respond to customer reviews

We’ve all been to a restaurant that encouraged you to leave a review on Google—but beyond asking your clients and customers for reviews, you’ve got to reply to said customers, and let them know there’s a real-life human on the other side of their Internet connection who cares about their experience.

Share posts regularly

Beyond reviews, you can leverage your Google My Business profile as a user engagement tool. Share your offers and events, repurpose content from your blog and social media channels, and add up-to-date photos and videos. New reno to your spa? Don’t let people think it’s still clad in 90’s window dressings when it’s got all the contemporary trimmings.

The Dos and Don’ts

After you’ve created your Google My Business profile, consider this your cheat sheet to maintaining a current, relevant profile for your clients or customers.

Dos:

• Do share posts of photos, videos, events and promotions—and update them regularly
• Do reply to questions, comments and reviews from customers
• Do upload high-quality, relevant photos and videos
• Do add a call to action, like ‘call,’ ‘contact,’ ‘visit’ or ‘learn more’
• Do write a profile and posts that are valuable (read: relevant) to your users

Don’ts:

• Don’t stuff your profile or posts with keywords or create duplicate listings
• Don’t be inconsistent with your posts or ghost your audience—it defeats the whole purpose
• Don’t upload blurry or pixelated photos that make users question your credibility
• Don’t mislead users with inaccurate information or submit your own reviews
• Don’t leave users confused about how to contact you or find you

Why stop there?

Of course, we all know Google isn’t the only way to find your business online. At the time of this writing, it holds 76% of the total search engine market share*, so don’t leave the other 24% on the table. When you’ve mastered your Google My Business profile, consider how you can optimize your business on other search engines and directories, from profiles to user reviews. Don’t know where to start without Google? Here’s a list to get you going:

• Yahoo!
• Bing
• Yelp
• Better Business Bureau
• Yellow Pages

While search engine features are constantly changing, one thing remains the same: Most online experiences begin with search (a whopping 93% to be exact**). So, your best bet is to get friendly with the new features—because search isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

*https://junto.digital/blog/seo-stats/
**https://junto.digital/blog/seo-stats/

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Gone are the days when a strong SEO game could get you to the first page—let alone the coveted first position—on Google’s results pages. Now, we’re competing with saturated markets, and contending with evolving features, to get to the top of results.

First things first, SEO?

If you don’t know what SEO is, no judgment. Acronyms abound online, and we don’t blame you for not keeping up with the Joneses (or the Googles, as the case may be). SEO is short for “search engine optimization,” which essentially refers to optimizing your website to get to the top of search engine results.

You can optimize your website using different SEO tools and strategies, but the takeaway is this: In the past, said tools and strategies (including keywords) were often enough to move you to the top of search engine results, but that’s no longer the case. As the Internet and its players evolve, so too do the features, functions and algorithms therein.

It’s a long way to the top

Even if you do land that elusive first position on Google organically (in other words, with a strong SEO game), it doesn’t mean you’ll be at the top of the page—wait, what?! Yeah. With all-new features being introduced to search engine results pages, your prized first position is moving its way further and further down the page, ousted for ads, Google My Business listings and maps, even video. If you’re searching Google on your mobile device (as over half of us do*), that’s a lot of scrolling before you even see an organic result.

How to play the game

If you want to outsmart the Google gods, you’re going to have to think bigger than SEO. Here are our top four strategies for getting ahead of the game.

Paid Search

Google is becoming more “pay to play,” requiring businesses to have a paid search strategy on top of their SEO strategy. Pay a visit (literally) to ads.google.com, and get preferential treatment when users search Google with your selected keywords.

Google My Business

You can keep your wallet in your back pocket for this one: Google My Business is a free feature that showcases your business when users search for you (or businesses like you). You’ll get a profile on Google’s results pages, as well as Google Maps.

Featured Snippets

You may have noticed Google sometimes serves up relevant answers to the questions you search, front and center on the actual results pages—these are called “featured snippets” and get the VIP treatment, preceding all other organic results. Using a tool like SEMrush, you can optimize your content and increase your chances of landing a featured snippet.

Video

Whether you’re a YouTube sensation or camera shy, video is becoming an essential piece of the content marketing puzzle and can make or break your optimization efforts. Consider how you can add a value-driven video to your website consistently (you don’t go to the gym once and get six-pack abs), and don’t forget to add textual context.

While the days of organic search engine rankings may be numbered, if you stay on top of the changes Google regularly rolls out, there’s no reason you can’t stay on top of your game—and maybe even at the top of Google.

*https://www.statista.com/topics/2479/mobile-search/

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Social media is to the 21st century what the telegraph was to the 19th century: revolutionary. It’s connected the world in a way unprecedented by modern technology. And it’s fun. Memes, GIFs, all the things. More importantly, it’s redefined how we do business.

Now we can connect with prospective buyers regardless of their geographic location, leveraging our visibility to increase conversions—but it’s not all puppies and kittens, is it? If you’re actually on social for your business, you know it’s not as easy as it looks. Can’t understand why? We’ve curated the most commonly overlooked reasons, including when you can fix them—and when you can’t.

1. Your users aren’t there

While we like to think everyone is online these days, not everyone is on social. Take the social king, Facebook, for example: About one third of Americans still aren’t on the platform, the majority of whom are 65 and older. *Compare that to Instagram: Only 35% of Americans are on the platform; 94% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Instagram, but the numbers drastically decline to 16% of all 50-year-olds and older. **Long story short: Do your research and know your audience. If they aren’t on your social platform of choice, your efforts will be lost on them.

2. Your product isn’t a social fit

No arguments here: Social is a powerful channel for influencing buying decisions and increasing sales. But whoever told you it’s a one-size-fits-all was seriously misinformed. Some services—take plumbers and locksmiths for example—may not benefit from social media because their services are typically hired on an as-needed basis. If you’re going to tackle social as a marketing strategy in an as-needed business, you’ve got to consider who you’re speaking to and what value you can offer them even when they don’t need anything from you.

3. You’re doing it wrong

We hate to point fingers here, but it’s totally possible you’re doing too much (or too little) on social. After all, it’s called social media because it’s intended to be a platform for us to socialize. Knowing that, here’s where you could be going wrong:

You’re overselling

Sure, social can be used as a platform to sell your product or service—but no one wants to follow an account that feels like a running infomercial. You’ve got to offer your followers value. And, funny enough, when you offer value, users are more inclined to buy from you because you’ve proven you know what you’re talking about. In other words, you’ve got the goods to back it up.

You’re not showing up

You’ve gotta be consistent. If you’re not showing up on social, your followers will forget about you—not necessarily because your posts aren’t memorable, but because the algorithm favours the consistent. No, you don’t have to post every day, but commit to a schedule that’s sustainable for you.

You’re not engaging

We mean this as a verb and an adjective: You’ve got to engage your following with questions and calls to action—like “Comment with your favourite fill in the blank”—so your feed doesn’t feel like a monologue. Likewise, you’ve got to be engaging with content that livens up their day. Think colourful copy, inspiring quotes, or emotive brand photos. No unfiltered selfies, please and thanks.

4. Your goals are off

Some clients expect miracles when they begin promoting on social. And while social can help, it’s not an overnight fix—it takes time to build a following and brand awareness. So, check your expectations. Don’t start with expectations of conversions; start with intentions of educating or inspiring. Create content as a means of adding value to your audience’s life. It’ll keep things authentic and low-pressure—but when your users are ready to buy, you’ll be top of mind thanks to all that valuable, free content you offered.

So, if you’ve been struggling with social, know it may not be you—and if it is, it’s in your power to fix it and rule the social world, one post at a time.

*http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/

**http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/

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It’s jargon you need to know because it’s at the heart of your online sales (if you’re not optimizing your conversion rate, you’re not optimizing your sales). So, let’s break down the lingo.

What’s a conversion?

You may remember from last month’s post on retargeting, a conversion is when a user visits your website and takes an action. This could be following you on Instagram, signing up for your newsletter, or—the ultimate end-game—buying from you.

What’s the conversion rate?

Your conversion rate is the percentage of users who actually take an action on your site—and it’s lower than you may think. Across industries, the average landing page conversion rate is 2.35%*. But thanks to conversion rate optimization, we can increase this.

So, what’s conversion rate optimization?

It’s a mouthful for: Increasing your conversion rate (the number of users who take the action you want them to on your website) by optimizing your online sales funnel or marketing pathway. In layman’s terms: Increasing the likelihood that you’ll convert browsers into buyers.

Every step of your marketing funnel can be optimized, from page impressions and clicks to landing pages, sales pages, you name it. If it’s on the yellow brick road of your customer’s journey to buying, then there’s an opportunity to optimize it.

Take your landing page for example. You can increase the statistical likelihood it will convert by optimizing its page elements, like copy and information hierarchy, user experience and interface design. If these words are all gibberish, let me spell it out for you.

Five ways we can optimize a landing page

• Clear hierarchy of information
  • That’s fancy speak for using clear headings, sub-headings and body copy so users know what information is most important.
• Minimal visual elements
  • As Princeton neuroscientists determined, the more visual elements, the more they compete for your attention**. So, keep it simple to focus attention on the most important information.
• Social proof
  • Social proof like testimonials or reviews reinforce the legitimacy of the offer and build trust; it’s the online version of word of mouth.
• Urgency
  • Using words and phrases that imply a limited time or quantity offer are proven to increase conversions. Heck, even adding “now” to your call to actions will help.
• As few form fields as possible
  • Because the more fields, the less likely we’ll take the time to fill them out. And, of course, the most important field of your form is actually a button—your call to action.

Here’s the thing: Increasing traffic to your site isn’t enough. Because traffic doesn’t increase revenue unless you’re converting that traffic. In the words of Jeff Eisenberg, a grandfather of Internet marketing strategy and a conversion rate expert, “It’s much easier to double your business by doubling your conversion rate than by doubling your traffic.”

So, do your research. Analyze your traffic to understand where you’re losing users in your sales funnel. Then go forth, and optimize.

*https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/03/17/what-is-a-good-conversion-rate

**https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21228167

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