Who is Jeff Bullas?The rise of social media was a "game changer" says top marketing influencer, Jeff Bullas. The introduction of social networks did much more than make it easier for people to connect, it skyrocketed online marketing. Bullas saw the potential for social media marketing back in 2008, ancient times in terms of Twitter, Facebook, and platforms alike. It came to him after he had noticed the opportunities the platforms had given him in his personal life. Bullas began his own website, JeffBullas.com, where he wrote content about social media and its hidden features and potential. These conversations revolved around social media growth and impact which quickly became relevant to all companies.
As social media grows, so does our knowledge of what trends will take off. I don't mean what clothes will be in style or what meme will cause global laughter, I'm talking about social media marketing trends. What people react to, respond to, and engage with is more of what we're interested in. That being said, Jeff Bullas believes influencer marketing will be significant to social growth and brand exposure for companies in 2019. However, not in the same way as 2018. Data will be the new factor in choosing influencers and measuring their success. Not intuition.
Jeff Bullas has experience working with a ton of different influencer marketing softwares over the recent year and he recommends GroupHigh over them all. GroupHigh helps companies find the best social media influencers. The software filters out fake influencer accounts and leaves you with real data of the top profiles or sites that have engaged and loyal audiences. GroupHigh offers the ability to find influencers in some of the most niche markets also. Bullas has also noted that this marketing tool is more affordable than most softwares similar to GroupHigh. Social media marketing will continue to become more and more integrated into strategies for brand awareness and brand exposure. Check out the Jeff Bullas website to read more about Jeff Bullas or trending marketing ideas. You can also read about our previous internet marketer of the week, Ian Cleary, and the idea of the importance of utilizing technology to achieve optimal inbound and outbound marketing results.
These days, a marketing strategy without technology is virtually nonexistent. Luckily, internet marketing experts like Ian Cleary teach us how to utilize technology so we are seeing real results from our marketing efforts. Our internet marketer of the week is the founder of RazorSocial, a company that helps businesses drive traffic and sales through inbound and outbound marketing. Ian is also passionate about speaking to audiences and passing on his knowledge of internet marketing. Although acquired in October 2018, Ian helped launched a software product called OutreachPlus. The software helps speed up the process of sending personalized emails in order to generate more leads and increase traffic.
As we've learned from many marketing experts in the past, engaging content is the key to getting more eyes on your material. In order to develop content that targets a very specific audience, Ian explains that we need to figure out the personas of who we're targeting. Once you have a clear understanding of who your audience is, the rest falls into place organically.
Once we get qualified eyes on our content, Ian sees that this can help build up an email subscriber list. As we collect individuals who are genuinely interested in the product or service, you can start to target them in a much more personalized way. We, here at OCG Creative, can certainly attest to Ian's theory. The more personalized an email, the higher the open rates and the response rates. Keeping your audience constantly engaged with your material is the best way to keep them coming back for more. Leave something in their inbox that dazzles them and makes it easy for them to access, but difficult for them to refuse.
In today's age, internet marketing is changing constantly. In order to keep up, Ian spends four or five hours a week not producing, but learning. Ian is always reading and testing out new things to see what works and what doesn't. In the internet marketing world, there is no one "panacea" or "miracle drug." Internet marketing is all about trial and error, and putting in the time and effort to develop material that is truly engaging for your audience. And, of course, staying up to date with the latest trends. According to Ian, the best way to do this is to follow influencers and to listen to what others are discovering on a daily basis. In order to learn more about Ian and what he's creating, visit RazorSocial and follow him on social media.
Imagine you’re in a library doing research for a college paper. All of the books are thrown into a pile on the floor. You basically have to swim through the books to find what you’re looking for. The best book ever might be buried in that pile. But, what are your chances of finding it? The same goes for content. Content visibility can be met through internet marketing efforts. You can write really great content, but without a solid strategy to back it up, it’s going to prove tough to compete with the big competitors. With more than 92,000 articles posted on the internet every day, the competition is tough. WordPress users alone produce over 35.8 million new posts a month. Digital media publishers, like Huffington Post, are known to publish anywhere up to 1,500 articles a day. How does your small business stand a chance? You must develop a content strategy that positions your business as an expert and gets you noticed online. Here’s how you can increase your content visibility and get it noticed:
Implementing a great content strategy increases the chances of your article or blog getting found online. Don’t let your business get buried under a pile of books. Get organized, get your key-words, in order and get in the card-catalogue of the internet.
Blogging on a consistent basis for your business can help boost your overall marketing and SEO efforts. Not to mention—it can be fun! However, if you’re new to blogging, the process can seem daunting. Where do I start? What do you I write about? These are all questions that might run through your mind at the thought of blogging for your company. Aside from being great for SEO, I always look at blogging as a way to take information that's unique to your business and share it with the world. For example, Danielle Litoff, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Health Coach over at Battle Born Health, blogs monthly about physical therapy and various health related topics. Without the power of blogging, people wouldn’t have access to her years of experience and expertise on a large-scale. Think of it this way, you are the expert in your field, and now you’re able to share valuable information to educate and inform others. If you’re new to blogging, don’t worry—you can start small and build from there. Here’s some tips to help you get you started:
One of the things that business owners get caught up on most is the question, “What am I going to write about?” You'd be surprised by how much information you can share on your blog. That’s why it's a great idea to grab your team and brainstorm topics together. Make a long list, and don't leave anything out. That way, you’ll always have fresh ideas to choose from. If you need inspiration, you can browse other blogs in your industry to see what they’re writing about.
Blogger Tip: If you’re a beginner blogger, I recommend blogging once a week. If that intimidates you, start with a monthly or bi-monthly post and build momentum from there. The key is to pick a consistent schedule and stick to it!
Now that you have your topics picked, it’s time to set a deadline for writing, editing and posting blogs. In the world of writing, it’s absolutely imperative to stay organized and set reasonable deadlines that you can communicate clearly with your team. I promise you that 90% of the battle with writing is staying organized! If your team knows what day their writing is due, it makes the process much less stressful for everyone.
Organization Tip: Keep a digital calendar that can be shared across your team. Writing your personal deadlines on paper also helps keep them sharp in your memory.
List of interesting and engaging topics? Check. Deadlines set? Check. Now, it’s on to making an editorial calendar. Depending on your preference, you can manage your calendar online using a number of tools. Some tools that I like include: Google Calendar and Trello. Or, you can keep it old-school with paper. The most important thing is to keep it up to date and share it with your team. Setting up a google alert on your calendar can help remind you when to start writing posts, so you won’t miss a deadline. Now… it’s off to get some coffee so you can start writing! Happy Blogging!
