The Truth about those Unopened Emails!

We live in a digital age. One that allows us to reach out and yet not even look another person in the eye while we hope that they read our messages.

So, we know that staying in touch with our clients is important. One of the most common mistakes businesses make is that they do not have consistent, effective, follow-up strategies. Follow-up though is key for any business success.

We try to stay in touch via email and text. It's simple, but is it effective? It's cost friendly, if you don't charge for your time. So really how efficient is it? Do you know how many of your emails never even get opened? Look at your own email accounts. How many emails do you just scan over? How many do you just delete? You are not alone! 

So we try to simplify, yet stay connected by sending out eBlasts and group newsletters... but in reality, most email campaigns only see a 20% open rate... with one or two click-throughs! So you are reaching the keeners, the ones who really want to read your stuff, that is true, but what about the others who don't know how amazing your business really is and what you can do to help them?

In truth, digital communication is cold and impersonal. So it isn't the most effective way to connect... how can we reach out? 

Clients have told me that phone calls are one of the most personal and effective, but setting time aside for follow-up can be challenging. It is personal, and we would love to do it, but I know business owners who don't even make their own follow-up calls, they hire staff for that! 

Canada Post just released this startling data! Recent studies found that "67% of consumers read the direct mail that comes to their home.... 64% visited a website after receiving direct mail, and 47% visited a store."  As with any mailout campaign, ad creation, mailing costs and lack of personalization can be a big deterrent. 

Maya Angelou said "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel"

A good Relationship Marketing Strategy can help you build a stronger, healthier business, starting with the foundation and building up on the power of the people you have already brought into your network and expanding your network much more organically!

How would you like to increase your referral business by 30% in the next 90 days without making any cold calls and have your past customers and clients not only remember you, but rave about your value and service?

There are solutions to your marketing problems! Contact us to learn more about our cost friendly, effective, customizable, personalized Relationship Building and Client Retention tools and how they can work for your business.

Finding time for the beach and your business

One of the biggest challenges that most entrepreneurs’ struggle with is putting together a marketing strategy that is powerful, direct and cost effective.

One of the biggest secrets to marketing is to choose strategies that are on target with the needs of your ideal customer. The other secret is to be consistent with your message and your branding.

Research shows that your most effective advertising is done when everyone else quits! Being consistent and "seen" while others have shut down for the summer is the best time to get noticed!

Don’t get overwhelmed! It’s not as difficult as it may seem. There are many ways to simplify and even automate your advertising efforts. While there are many choices and strategies to choose from, they all have a specific market that they seem to excel in reaching.  You can find many that are free or cost effective, but are they going to reach your demographic? First you have to determine what that is, but once you at on target, I suggest that you lock in and stay focused. The concentrated effort will be rewarded with stronger and more dedicated leads and business. Also freeing up your time for the other summer distractions.

While building relationships is key, another consideration is how you choose to connect with potential clients. You can reach many more people online than you can face to face or with hard copy advertising. Building rapport within the community is not limited to networking events. Yes, all forms of advertising have their pros and cons, but if you have not researched online marketing, you may be missing a big portion of your marketing demographic.

Interesting Online Marketing Facts:

93% of online shoppers buying decisions are made from social media

More people own a mobile device than own a toothbrush

Over 30% of the population is under 30

Grandparents are the fastest growing twitter demographic

Facebook 1.25 billion users

Twitter 230 million users

Linkedin 238 million users

Google Plus 500 million users

YouTube 1 billion unique users

Over 28 million companies have pages on Linkedin

Google Plus adds 25,000 users every day

Facebook adds 5 new profiles every second

*research from Mindbody online software

I know there is much to consider and it keeps expanding and changing everyday! That’s why you are good at what you do...and we are good at what we do. Are you ready to discover a more powerful and cost effective way of reaching your ideal client demographic...how to connect and stay in touch with them without breaking your pocketbook?

We can help you to simplify and automate your marketing efforts to suit your budget and client demographic. Ask us for a no cost evaluation of your branding effectiveness and marketing strategy...and take time to enjoy all that the sun and summer activities have to offer!

How BRANDING increases your visability

In these uncertain times, it is even more important to stand out. To be the one company that people remember....and for the RIGHT reasons...

Trusted
Credible
Honest
Knowledgable
Caring
Experienced

How will you deliver a consistent and focused message, so when they come back next month, or are looking for you, that they can find you?

Here’s the scary facts...

What will people remember about you?

Appearance 55%

Visual/Non Visual Communication 38%

Your Message...7%

This applies to your personal branding and your corporate branding.

Truth be told, the color and the name are just tools to create an emotional response that attracts your potential customer to your business. The fact is...they are really connecting to how you make them feel. 

Color, line and design...the flow of design, all play a part in this emotional tug of war. That is why it is so important to know your customer as well as you know yourself, and to design your business around them, not around yourself. 

Figuring out what that looks like and then creating a marketing plan around it is key to finding and honing in on your niche market. It's always best to run your designs and ideas past someone you trust....someone who maybe doesn't know alot about what you do. Ask them to tell you honestly what they get from your design or marketing presence.  

Remember you are an ambassador for your company at all times, so your personal image is just as important. How do you interact with your clients and staff is one of the most important aspects of your business. 

Too loud, too soft-spoken, too simple, too complex...what's the best way to relate to your ideal customer?  Create a "Signature" brand that will be memorable and effective...and you will stand out high and above the crowd. 

Arlana
OBO SEO CEO

3 STEPS to perfect your Online Marketing Strategy

Without a strategy to reach your ideal customer, you may as well spend your day just surfing the web and waiting for your customers to just fall into your lap like magic. Some people can just fly by the seat of their pants and find customers, but that is hit and miss. When you create a “plan” you can track what is working and what isn’t and use that to move your business forward.  You have probably heard the phrase...”Failure to plan is a plan to fail”. 

Do you want to create a thriving business or are you happy with letting things happen as they will? Even if you believe in creating your business in a holistic manner, you will still benefit from taking the time to create a plan. It will save you time and money in the long run and give you the satisfaction that you are actually spending your time reaching the market where you can do the most good! 

If you havn’t embraced online resources for your marketing, you are missing a large demographic...well most of the population! Even Grandma has a smart phone and most of today’s youth don’t even own a computer, they do everything right on their phone! 

With the extinction of the phonebook and print media, you need to go online to find anything and everything! As a business the need for a high ranking website and online presence has never been so important. Stats show that in 2014, 140 billion local searches were made on online...were you found?

So what can you do?

   1. Decide what your ideal client is looking for. Your advertising should be about the client, not you! What keywords would they be looking for, what about your business are they looking to find?  Create your posts and content based on answering their questions and concerns.

      

      2.  What is your ideal location? Choose keywords and phrases that reflect that. Use them in your content so that they come up in your customers searches. Use them in the titles, connected to the images, header and your profile.

      

      3.  Engage your customers.  Provide content that is informative but inspires conversation.  Stay involved in the conversation. People want to know that what they contribute is important and valuable and that you appreciate how they feel about it. You can also learn alot about your customer this way. 

Maya Agelou said “ People may not remember what you said or did, but they will always remember how you made them feel”

It is all about building relationships. 

If you would like some help building your marketing plan or creating your brand, then give us a call. We would love to help you find and attract, connect and help your ideal client! 

Arlana Tanner

OBO SEO CEO

Welcome!

We are happy that you have found us!

Serving the Okanagan Valley we help you to reach your customers through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Online Newsletters, Google Groups and Linkedin. We also provide video marketing that will get your website to the top of the listings where you can be found! 

We offer branding and image services to create a consistent and powerful first impression that will attract your target market and that professional image that speaks to credibility and  professionalism.

Arlana and the OBO Team