8 Emerging Trends in Social Media Marketing
Do you ever have the sensation of attempting to board a train that has already pulled away from the platform? That’s what it feels like staying up-to-date with social media marketing trends. You may think you've nailed TikTok, but wait...now there's Clubhouse?
It can seem overwhelming. But fear not! We've got your back and we're here to help you stay ahead of the curve.
In this post, we'll dive into emerging social media trends such as Social Commerce integration and evolving video content. Plus, get ready for some exciting stuff about Augmented Reality (AR) in marketing!
We’ll also tackle Personalization through AI and niche social platforms – yes, they’re more important than ever before. Worried about privacy concerns? Don’t worry; we cover that too!
The Rise of Social Commerce
Did you know that social commerce is becoming the next big thing? We're seeing a growing shift from regular online shopping to purchasing directly through social media platforms. McKinsey & Company reports that social commerce is one of the fastest-growing retail channels, with sales expected to reach $48.02 billion by 2025.
This means businesses can reach more potential customers than ever before. It's not merely a matter of visibility. With features like Facebook Shop and Instagram Checkout, brands can sell products directly on these platforms.
Social commerce is shaking up traditional e-commerce by letting consumers shop where they socially interact. It's an exciting time for marketers to hop on social media trends, and we at Eraser Farm have first-hand experience navigating this new landscape.
Evolving Role of Video Content
Video content is fast becoming the go-to strategy in social media marketing. From TikTok's quick clips to Instagram Live, video is king.
According to a Wyzowl report, 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool - up from 63% over the last year. This rise points to how crucial videos are for brand visibility and engagement on social platforms.
A good laugh can boost recall, so humor-infused videos have gained traction too. Just think about your favorite viral ad – most likely, it made you chuckle.
The Impact of Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality is shaking up social media marketing. It's not just about fun filters anymore, but a way to engage users in unique experiences. Take Snapchat for example – their AR ads are making waves.
Beyond catchy visuals, AR can give customers the chance to try products virtually before buying them. This practical application makes shopping more interactive and personalized than ever.
This technology isn't only accessible to big brands either; platforms like Instagram are democratizing AR, letting even small businesses use it for promotions.
Personalization and AI in Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is shifting gears, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has become a key player in personalizing user experiences. The social media trends don't lie - this isn't just about product recommendations anymore.
According to Single Grain, brands are using AI for sentiment analysis, chatbots, predictive customer behavior, and more. But why does this matter?
It's simple: personalized content feels more authentic. It lets social media users feel seen and understood by their favorite brands.
The Emergence of Niche Social Platforms
Niche social platforms are on the rise, according to the latest social media trends. These platforms cater to specific interests, hobbies, or communities. Unlike broad-spectrum giants like Facebook or Instagram, they offer a more targeted and personalized user experience, shifting the social media landscape.
For marketers, this means more opportunities for precise targeting. For instance, Untappd, an app dedicated to craft beer enthusiasts, offers unique advertising possibilities for breweries on the user's choice social media platform.
But with great power comes a huge obligation. Marketers need to respect these social media channels and their audiences' passion points when crafting messages. Be genuine and add value - that's how you win on niche social platforms.
Privacy Concerns and Data Security
With social media marketing, privacy concerns are no joke. But fear not. Marketers can navigate this terrain with savvy moves and still reach their target audience.
Data breaches, although scary, can be prevented with robust security measures.
The key is transparency. Be open about data usage - it builds trust.
Beyond just legal compliance, respecting user's privacy shows you value them beyond their wallet size. It’s like being invited into someone’s home – you wouldn’t rummage through their drawers, would you?
User-Generated Content (UGC) as a Marketing Strategy
More businesses are now leveraging User-Generated Content (UGC) to gain an edge in their marketing strategies, as its effectiveness has been demonstrated. Why? Because it's proven effective. UGC gives brands an authentic voice, helps build trust with consumers, and increases engagement rates, often through influencer marketing.
A Stackla report found that 79% of people say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions. It makes sense – we trust recommendations from real users more than traditional ads.
To encourage UGC, start by creating opportunities for your audience to share their experiences with your brand on social media platforms. Remember, the key is authenticity. And don’t forget to read up on content moderation for UGC campaigns!
The Growing Importance of Social Listening
It's no secret that social listening has become a vital tool in understanding consumer behavior. By staying abreast of what customers are expressing about their brand and products, marketers can gain invaluable insight.
Social listening tools allow businesses to track conversations and trends on social media networks that matter to their audiences. This way, they're better equipped to engage with them on topics they care about.
This strategy not only helps companies build stronger relationships but also inform marketing strategies for maximum impact. It's time we started giving more attention to this powerful approach.
FAQs for Trends in Social Media Marketing
What are emerging trends in social media?
Emerging trends in social media are fresh shifts and developments that redefine how users interact, share content, or make purchases on these platforms. Social media feeds are having a profound impact on this new wave of marketing.
What is a trend in social media marketing?
A trend in social media marketing is a new strategy or tactic gaining popularity among marketers to engage their audience more effectively. From virtual reality to short form videos, a solid social media trend can tip off hundreds to your business.
What is the trend in social media marketing for 2024?
In 2024, expect personalization driven by AI and augmented reality experiences to take center stage as major trends in social media marketing. Social media marketers need to stay abreast of these fast-moving changes, shifting their social media presence to reflect their knowledge.
What's the future of Social Media Marketing?
The future of Social Media Marketing lies with video content, niche platforms, user-generated content (UGC), privacy focus, and increased use of data analysis tools like 'social listening'. Top social media trends include short form video content and social media strategy - two things for digital marketing agencies to take note of.
Eraser Farm: Helping You Stay with the Times
Social media trends shift like sand in a desert storm. But don't sweat it. Eraser Farm is here to help you navigate this landscape. We keep an eye on the newest trends and hottest social media sites, ensuring your company doesn't get left behind.
We use cutting-edge tools to track these shifts, whether on a social media app or other social media platforms and adjust our strategies accordingly. Our aim? To let your brand shine brighter than ever before.
This isn’t just about following important social media trends - we make them work for you. From video content to social media ads to AI-driven personalization, we have got you covered. Contact our experts today to get started!
Why Is Content Moderation Important for User-Generated Campaigns?
If you’ve ever participated in social media marketing or even just posted something online to a personal social media profile, you’ve likely already encountered content moderation.
Some platforms require you to wait for approval after sending in a submission. For example, this often occurs in private Facebook groups where most admins have a pre-moderation process.
On the other hand, maybe you’ve seen users get banned for violating online community guidelines or posting harmful content. This form of moderation is reactive moderation because it’s a response to an already live social media post.
But even though you’ve likely experienced content moderation, the topic begs the question: why is content moderation important for user-generated campaigns?
Let’s find out.
Real-Time User-Generated Content Content Moderation
Content moderation begins as soon as any piece of content goes live, regardless of the type of content it is or the social media platform it’s on. You must watch comments for inappropriate content, such as the following:
- Bad links
- Explicit content
- Harassment or hate speech
While the work of content moderation sounds demanding (it is), it’s also necessary to protect your brand’s values and provide the best experience for your target audience.
In its many forms, content marketing is undoubtedly influential in helping customers make purchasing decisions. However, with it comes the necessary task of ensuring content remains free from negative influences and people with bad intentions.
For instance, you’ll often find robo-accounts (spam bots) posting a long list of hashtags or unrelated content under your Instagram content. Although it takes time to remove these comments and block these users, you’re doing your brand and customers an excellent service by doing so.
Why Are User-Generated Campaigns Important?
UGC campaigns are essential to promote your business with social media. These campaigns create interest in your brand and showcase you as an industry leader. You could even see your product or service go viral or become a trend through one of these campaigns.
But importantly, user-generated campaigns extend beyond social media. Your website can boost your brand image by displaying positive reviews to showcase customer trust. It just so happens that the focus is on social media because of its broad reach and impact.
In fact, a 2019 report by AdWeek found that 85% of users say UGC is more effective in influencing purchasing decisions than brand-generated content. This means potential buyers trust other buyers more than they trust brands. This is because buyers spend their own unpaid time curating content to offer an unbiased opinion.
Why Is Content Moderation Important for User-Generated Campaigns?
Although moderation protects a company’s online community, it also allows businesses to survey their customers. They can see what customers like and dislike, which helps companies create better content to boost engagement and build trust.
Not to mention, focusing on supporters creating content can be part of a more comprehensive marketing strategy.
Why You Need to Moderate User-Generated Content
We land on a few significant topics to explore when discussing why content moderation is important. Read more about them below.
Brand Reputation Management
Most big businesses watch their image like a hawk to ensure it remains strong. User-generated content moderation helps your business stay on-brand and protects brand loyalty. There’s nothing more important than protecting your brand’s image.
However, if your brand’s image needs uplifting, learn how to create a winning brand strategy for your business before tackling content moderation.
Understand Your Users
UGC moderation allows you to understand your customers’ needs, which will help you build a better business. For instance, you can view actionable insights to understand customers’ purchasing behavior in your eCommerce store.
It will also help you discover new ways your customers use your products or services. You can use this information to create better marketing materials in the future.
Boost Your Organic Traffic
Did you know that moderating UGC can also help improve SEO and increase your search engine rankings? That’s right; UGC will help your website rank faster and higher, mainly when you publish reviews from real customers.
Google loves new content, so the more high-quality content you publish, the higher your ranking. Posting a constant flow of recent reviews on your website is an easy way to automate your SEO strategy.
Plus, a higher ranking will lead to better brand recognition and even more conversions from potential buyers.
Deal With the Trolls
It’s easy for some trolls to throw a wrench in your marketing campaign by spamming a product review with misleading or false testimonials. Nothing will drive potential customers away faster than a long list of poor reviews.
But when you moderate user-generated content, it drives these trolls away.
How Does Moderation Work for User-Generated Campaigns?
Skilled and experienced human moderators often handle content moderation to ensure the best user experience for potential new clients and recurring clients alike. Most social media platforms have their own moderation teams to keep their sites secure and scan various forums for content that should not be online.
Yet, human moderators can be a significant business cost for social media providers, and the job is often grueling. Scanning the web for harmful or dark content can take its toll. This is why many also rely on artificial intelligence (AI) for content moderation.
Of course, you can also moderate user-generated content yourself or amongst your marketing team. But this is time-consuming and not the best use of your resources. If you want a more hands-on approach to tackling the content moderation process, there are moderation tools you can use, especially those that employ AI, or you can hire a company that provides content moderation services.
An effective content moderation strategy comes down to spending less money on better resources to ensure your UGC campaigns are always successful.
Implement Content Moderation in Your Next User-Generated Campaign
So why is content moderation important for user-generated campaigns? Aside from keeping your company’s online community a positive experience, content moderation allows you to protect your brand’s image, understand your users, boost organic traffic, and manage hateful trolls.
If you’re ready to craft your next user-generated campaign or need other assistance with your digital marketing strategy, let’s have a chat about how EraserFarm can help you create better content. Our team of experts will offer advice and guidance on taking your marketing strategy to the next level!
Why Content Marketing Is Important for B2B Brands
Why Content Marketing Is Important for B2B Brands
Data from Hubspot shows that in 2021, video content was the most shared content type used in content marketing strategies. Amazingly, almost 70% of content marketing services agencies reported it was their primary form of media!
However, video content is far from the only type of content businesses can create for their content marketing strategy. The content types are endless, from infographics and white papers to case studies, webinars, and podcasts.
Regardless of the content you create, the point is, content is still king. (Yes, we’ve been saying this for years, but it’s still true.) Business-to-business (B2B) companies must create quality content to find new customers.
But content marketing does more than just find qualified leads. So let’s get into why content marketing is essential for B2B companies.
What Is B2B Content Marketing?
B2B content marketing is when companies create and distribute different content formats for the following purposes:
- Expand audience
- Build trust
- Create demand
- Educate clients
- Establish authority
- Find leads
- Generate interest
While deeply connected, content marketing differs from social media marketing in that social media marketing drives engagement through interactions, and content marketing directs potential customers to the company’s website.
How Is B2B Content Marketing Different Than B2C?
B2B digital marketing is about generating leads and forming relationships since the buyer’s journey can take several months as they work through the sales funnel. It’s similar to inbound marketing, where you create content that aligns with your target audience and fosters long-term relationships.
On the other hand, B2C digital marketing focuses on brand awareness and sales. The goal is to quickly reach and convert the target audience into paying customers. Since the buying journey is much quicker than with B2B sales, there isn’t as big of a focus on relationship building.
Why Is B2B Content Marketing Important?
Want to increase your B2B sales? Create good content. Various studies have proven its success time and time again. So let’s explore more in-depth why having a solid content marketing plan for your company is key.
Cost Effective
Content marketing is a much more cost-effective way to increase your business’s online visibility than other digital marketing efforts, such as email marketing.
Although search engine optimization (SEO) doesn’t end with content marketing, it plays a vital role in boosting organic traffic. Keyword targeting, link-building with backlinks, and regular posting will improve SEO through content marketing.
Ergo, it’s a no-brainer why content creation makes up a significant portion of a business’s marketing budget – it has an excellent ROI.
Help B2B Buyers With Purchasing Decisions
As a business, you’re a thought leader in your industry, and content creation is the perfect way to share your knowledge with B2B buyers.
Think about creating long-form how-to articles or instructional videos. Additionally, you can get inside your customers’ heads to figure out their pain points – and then show them how your product or service tackles them as the perfect solution.
Essentially, each piece of new content you create has the potential to develop trust, establish credibility, and demonstrate to decision-makers why they should buy from you.
Long-Term Results
Evergreen content is content that always stays relevant, increasing your content’s longevity. You can maximize your content by cross-posting it on various social media platforms over time, and it will always stay fresh. Way more bang for your buck.
You can also share this valuable content with your sales team, which they can use with customer outreach. Even your customer support team can use these pieces of content to help with customer inquiries.
And if you’ve done your job right and your evergreen content ranks well, it will continue to direct clients to your website.
Generate High-Quality Leads
Your business should absolutely use content marketing to generate leads. Once you know your buyer persona, you can create content that leads them through the buyer’s journey. Your content will encourage potential clients to continue the sales funnel, eventually leading to more conversions.
Then, follow analytics and metrics to tweak the content you create or when you share social media posts. This way, you can maximize how many potential customers you reach. For instance, if you find your LinkedIn posts falling flat, change your content or choose another platform to post on.
Further, according to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is also the most significant driver in demand generation. 83% of marketing teams said it was the most effective strategy to generate demand, with SEO and paid advertising trailing behind.
Stay a Step Ahead of Your Competition
Even though the data shows that high-quality content is best for lead generation, many businesses still aren’t living up to what customers want.
When you don’t put effort into the strategy, you’re basically handing customers directly to your competition. So instead, analyze what your competitors are doing and outpace them with an even better approach. For example, if you notice their informational videos are performing well, invest in creating high-quality videos of your own. (And ideally, ones that are better!)
All in all, create engaging, educational, personable, and shareable content.
Build Connections & Create Trust
Through thought leadership, you can create brand awareness, which, in turn, builds trust. When customers trust your word, not only will they buy from you, but they will become return customers. They will also tell others about your product or service, bringing even more clientele to your door. Developing a positive reputation for your business is priceless.
Create Organic Website Traffic
Your content marketing efforts should always keep in mind the long-term goal: to generate leads through search traffic growth. Thus, your content should consistently send people to your website, increasing organic traffic.
While paid advertising can help you in the short term, it’s an expensive long-term strategy. When you invest in creating high-quality educational content, you will spend far less while maximizing exponential growth.
Start Building Your B2B Content Marketing Strategy
If you’re looking for professional advice or assistance with your B2B content marketing campaigns, let’s have a chat! This is exactly what we do best at Eraser Farm. Contact our team to learn more about our services and how we can help.
7 Tips for Content Marketing for Small Business
According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), half of all small businesses fail after five years.
One of the main reasons they fail? Unsuccessful marketing initiatives. Long gone are the days when word-of-mouth marketing is enough to sustain your business.
The good news is this is something you can control. While digital marketing is a vast field, exploring it can be exciting. From building marketing campaigns to creating impactful website content, there is so much you can leverage to ensure potential customers can find your business online.
Today, we will guide you on how to make a small business content marketing strategy. Let’s get into what you need to know about content marketing for small business owners!
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a broad term that includes many types of online marketing, such as:
- Email marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Online marketing
- Search engine marketing
- Social media marketing
- Thought leadership marketing
Further, there are many types of content that you can create in content marketing, like:
- Articles and blog posts
- Case studies
- Checklists
- Customer testimonials and reviews
- eBooks
- Email newsletters
- Infographics
- Landing pages
- Memes
- Podcasts
- Quizzes
- Social media posts
- Templates
- Video content
- Webinars
The possibilities are truly endless and offer lots of opportunities for you to connect with your intended audience.
Is Content Marketing Effective for Small Businesses?
Yes, content marketing for small businesses is incredibly effective compared to other types of marketing. You'll especially reap the rewards when you focus on creating a consistent tone and high-quality content that delivers value to your customers.
What do we mean by that? Creating a content marketing strategy that solves a problem, answers a question, or gives something of value to your customers ensures they don’t feel “sold to” or like you’re pawning off a gimmick on them. Read on for tips to feel authentic and not like a sales pitch.
Key Questions to Ask Before Starting Content Marketing
To create the best content, there are some questions you should ask yourself before crafting your strategy. Consider the following:
- What is my expertise?
- Who is my target audience?
- How can I make exciting and valuable content for my audience?
- Which channels should I post on?
7 Tips for Content Marketing for Small Business Owners
After you answer the questions above, you can start drafting your content marketing strategy. We’ve compiled some content marketing tips based on our expertise and some of the industry experts to help your small business succeed:
1. Determine Your Target Audience
Who do you want to attract? By understanding your customer base, you can retain existing customers and attract new ones. Think about what they like to read or what content they want to consume. What are their pain points? What platforms do they like to hang out on? How do they share information?
The more you know about your target audience, the better you can speak directly to their needs and desires. This helps refine your content and better connect with viewers.
2. Create a Content Marketing Plan
A marketing plan is essential so you can create a calendar of content to follow. A content calendar allows you to create content in bulk and have it read to post without needing to stress about it last minute. It also allows you to be strategic in how you post.
Whether you plan to focus on search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword research or following TikTok trends, by creating a content marketing plan, you can then track what is working and what isn’t. Then, you can alter the strategy to ensure the best results.
3. Determine the Correct Channels to Use
Knowing where to focus your content marketing efforts can be confusing with so many social media platforms. While being on several platforms is helpful, you don't need to be active on every single one.
For instance, if you offer business consulting services and want to connect with other professionals, LinkedIn is a great place to be. But if you’re an eCommerce store selling vegan, cruelty-free makeup, you probably want to be active on Instagram and TikTok.
If you plan on being active on multiple platforms, repurpose your content. There is no reason you can’t change the format of the content and cross-post it on numerous channels to reach a wider audience with minimal effort. Adjust your tone and format to reflect that platform’s style.
Then, use social media metrics and Google Analytics to track the progress of your content. This ensures you’re posting in the right places.
4. Solve Real-World Problems
This is a biggie: every piece of content you create should serve a purpose. Great content always presents a solution or provides a helpful suggestion to the audience.
Remember, your audience trusts you and views you as a thought leader. Thus, it’s better to create in-depth content that doesn’t sound generic or repetitive.
When you solve problems for your customers, they’ll stick with your business as it evolves.
5. Use a Variety of Engaging Content Forms
With so many types of content you can create, don’t stick to just one format. Mix it up to keep customers interested and reach a broader audience. But, again, you don’t need to make every type of content.
For example, create an email list so you can talk to customers directly in their inboxes instead of waiting for them to see you on social media. Post a mix of infographics, videos, and photos on your social media pages.
Whatever content you create, always include a call-to-action (CTA). This encourages viewers to interact further with your business long after they’ve viewed the content.
6. Be Consistent
Building brand awareness through consistency is essential to building trust with your audience. If your message or quality starts to slip, your viewers will notice, and they may abandon your company. It makes you come off as untrustworthy.
Yes - we know you may run out of ideas or lose your enthusiasm as you continue with content marketing. But this is precisely why creating a plan and calendar is crucial to keep your efforts on track and consistent. If you have a plan in place, you can keep your momentum going when you feel uninspired or perhaps your last post didn’t do as well as you’d hoped. Not every post will go viral. And that’s ok! Some are a springboard for your heavy hitters.
7. Be Careful Creating Content With AI
Creating content with AI can seem like an easy and effective way to create relevant content while staying on top of marketing trends. But you do still need a human touch. Search engines notice AI content creation when it feels mechanical, and they don’t like it.
No need to be wary about trying new AI marketing tools, but make adjustments and leverage AI tools in the right way to get effective content. Purely AI-generated content is typically not “out of the box” publishable, so make sure you are bringing life to your content so that it will perform well on search engine rankings.
Work With Content Marketing Experts
With this guide on content marketing for small business owners, you can develop a winning content marketing plan that shows results.
But we know you may still feel overwhelmed by all the information. So whether you’re all out of marketing ideas or just have no idea where to begin, let’s have a chat! We happen to be a very personable group of creative enthusiasts who love talking about all things marketing and digital!
Contact us at EraserFarm to learn how our team of marketing experts can help your business with its content marketing strategy. We’re happy to help.
What Do Advertising Agencies Do?
Perhaps you own a small business, or you've just taken charge of your startup's marketing channels. You probably figured out during the process that advertising your business and attracting new clients and customers takes a lot of work, especially in our digital world.
What do advertising agencies do to help with this?
Let’s break down why working with an ad agency is awesome and help you determine when it's time to consult with professionals to boost your sales.
The Benefits of Working with an Ad Agency
If you're already struggling to get your marketing efforts in front of your audience, you may hesitate to hire an outsider to work with you. However, consider the following points as you craft your next marketing plan. An experienced, outside eye can be just the thing that blows up your business - in a good way!
Conducting Market Research
What's working in your current ads, and what's turning your audience off to your product or service? Do you know who your target audience is? Ad agencies will conduct market research to keep abreast of any changes in trends.
Providing Creative Services To Produce Campaigns
If you're an entrepreneur, you may struggle with burnout as you juggle the many hats of business ownership. Creating eye-catching marketing campaigns is a complex task, and professional advertisers can help you think of details you might miss. They’re good at what they do, so you don’t have to do their job, too.
Planning and Budgeting
What do ad agencies do when you don't have hundreds of thousands to spend on an advertising budget? An agency can aid you in creating an overarching theme for your campaign and find the perfect graphic designers, copywriters, and data analysts to ensure that your money is well-spent.
Selecting Media
Part of constructing your ad campaigns involves deciding how you can best reach your audience. You'll work with your ad agency to select the correct type of media for the job. An ad agency has many duties when it comes to choosing media:
- Considering a wide range of media types that will best suit your campaign's purpose
- Reserving space for a print ad, social media video, or commercial
- Negotiating reasonable costs as seasoned professionals who understand the market and what the rate is for the services you need
Coordinating Multichannel Marketing Campaigns
Some of your potential clients are active users of social media, while a print ad may attract other members of your audience.
What do advertising agencies do to bridge the gap? They create strategies that include more than one mode of communication so you can best reach all members of your target audience.
Keep in mind that it often takes more than once for a customer to buy into your products or services - seeing your brand across multiple channels keeps you top of mind, reinforces trust, and builds familiarity.
Integrating Marketing Efforts
Ad agencies have the reach and the capabilities to work with different types and levels of marketing. They will work with you to review what's worked so far and integrate the various channels (perhaps social media platforms, direct email marketing, TV commercials, and print ads) into the same campaign.
Common Services Offered by Ad Agencies
So what can an advertising agency do for your company? The answer: a lot!
Consider the following services that business owners most commonly seek out.
Marketing Campaign Strategy and Research
To author a successful campaign, it's crucial to know your competition and develop a similar - and better - strategy. Your ad agency will point out what's working and what's not about your competitor's strategies as well as what your demographic is looking for.
One-Stop-Shop Campaign Creation and Management
Because ad agencies focus on attracting talent who specialize in specific areas, you have many experts at your disposal, all in one place. Take a look at how an agency might fill holes in your campaign by creating, managing, and tracking progress in the following areas:
- Digital and social media
- Direct mail
- Video
- Web, TV, and radio
Campaign Content Development
Content marketing is one of the cornerstones of a great campaign. You can think of content as articles, infographics, social media blurbs, and charts (and much more) throughout your campaign serving one purpose: to persuade your target audience to take action.
An agency will not only craft a content strategy — they'll find writers, designers, and social media specialists to add their expertise to your campaign. Plus, they’ll optimize your content so that it actually reaches your audience.
Graphic Design
When was the last time you clicked on an ad that wasn't visually compelling? Ad agencies find designers whose work adds artistry and simplicity to your company's most essential graphics.
Advantages of Working With an Advertising Agency
Consider the following reasons for outsourcing your ad campaign and making your life easier.
Save Time and Money
Inventing an ad campaign out of nothing can be pretty stressful — especially if your business's success depends on whether your latest effort works. Think about these points as you make your decision:
- Agencies have an entire team of experts in their fields dedicated to the support and growth of your business.
- Hiring an agency is less expensive than hiring internally for a full-time advertising position. Additionally, a new hire may still not have all the required skills for executing a full campaign.
- Professionals at ad agencies are constantly learning and growing. They have access to the most recent marketing software, research, trends, and data reports. And - they’re interested in what’s hot in the market, too!
Enjoy a Defined Project and an Efficient Process
When you work with an advertising agency, you won't have to worry about managing an internal team. The overall process and the entire campaign package are overseen by competent professionals who make it their business to help other businesses grow. This can be a weight off your shoulders.
Develop a Compelling Brand
Branding is a crucial part of your business identity, but it's often overlooked in the search for new customers and clients. An advertising agency can help you write your unique story that will ultimately compel potential customers to purchase your product or service.
Improve Your Brand Image
If you already have a brand, but it needs a makeover, an ad agency can help with this, too. Your agency will be able to alert you on how to tweak your image, as well as how your current brand image may be working against you.
Expand Your Company's Reach
When you hire an ad agency, you'll gain access to new ideas and develop multichannel marketing campaigns with channels you may have never considered. The more seasoned experts work with you to achieve your goal, the smoother the entire process will go.
Access Professional Expertise
Professional advertisers bring years of combined experience to your strategic arsenal. You'll work with those who specialize in campaign development and execution, competitive research, and ROI evaluation.
Let EraserFarm Help Your Company Grow
Let's chat today about your marketing strategy, and we’ll show you just how a full-service advertising agency can help you succeed. EraserFarm is a boutique ad agency that specializes in compelling content strategy, marketing campaigns, and digital trends that make your audience sit up and take notice.
We look forward to getting to know you and growing your business!
What is Website Content | Website Content & Its Importance
According to HubSpot, 75% of internet users don’t scroll past the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs) when searching online. Thus, your website must appear on the top of SERPs in order to gain new website visitors.
Creating high-quality website content is one of the best ways to snag that coveted real estate. But what is website content, and why is it important?
Continue reading to learn everything you need to know.
The Definition of Website Content
Let’s start with the question, “What is content for a website?”
Content refers to any creative element on a website. It includes everything from applications and data to archived e-mail messages and images.
Therefore, website content is any of the following on your website:
- Text and writing
- Multimedia
- Audio content like podcasts and recordings
- Visual content and photos like infographics and videos
Why Website Content Is Important
There are numerous reasons why your website content and content marketing are vital to the success of your business. First, web content provides your customers with valuable information. This keeps them coming back to your website.
But more importantly, when potential customers search online for solutions to a problem your company solves, you want to be their go-to choice. So, having high-quality web content is a top strategy to get your business in front of the eyes of new customers.
To do this, you need to implement search engine optimization (SEO) into your content strategy. If you need assistance with improving your website’s SEO, Eraser Farm’s content marketing services can help.
Types of Web Content
As you may have gleaned already, there are different types of web content. Let’s review three common types of content.
Written Content
Any copywriter will tell you that written content comes in many forms, including
- Blog posts
- Case studies
- Checklists and FAQs
- eBooks
- Templates
- Website copy
- Calls to action (CTAs)
- Heading and subheadings
- Homepage
- Landing pages
- Product descriptions
- Testimonials
- White papers
You add written content to your web pages as text blocks or within images. You always want your written content to be unique and free from plagiarism.
You also want to add internal links to your website copy to help readers access more information.
Search intent for written content can be divided into four categories.
Informational
Informational intent is when someone is doing research. The most common type of informational intent is broad search queries.
For example, if someone types “digital marketing” into Google, they likely want more information about the topic. They probably don’t want to purchase any tools or software to help them with their digital marketing strategy.
Informational keywords correspond to the beginning stages of the marketing funnel, “discovery” and “interest.” Content ideal for informational keywords includes
- Guides
- Listicles
- Opinion pieces
Transactional
Transactional intent is when the customer is one step away from making a purchase or at the “conversion” stage of the marketing funnel. Using transactional keywords in your written website content helps to generate more sales. Examples of these keywords include:
- Buy
- Discount
- For sale
- Near me
Customers often combine these keywords with the brand or product they want to buy. Web pages best for transactional keywords are
- Discount pages
- Landing pages
- Product pages
Navigational
Navigational intent is for those customers who know where they want to go. These customers will search for specific brand names, products, or services they are interested in.
For instance, if someone wants to buy a Prada bag, they might search “buy Prada bag.”
Navigational intent is for those who are at the “interest,” “consideration,” and “retention” stages of the marketing funnel. Website content best for these keywords includes the following pages:
- About
- Category
- Pricing
Commercial
Commercial intent is for customers in the “consideration” stage in the marketing funnel. These customers are interested in your product and could make a purchase.
For example, if someone searches for “best bookkeeping software,” they probably want to purchase bookkeeping software. While commercial keywords may include brand names, other common examples include:
- Top
- Review
- Vs
Web content ideal for commercial keywords is:
- Comparison posts
- eBooks
- Product reviews, roundups, and tutorials
- White papers
Video Content
Video web content is any content format that features or includes video. Some examples are
- Animated GIFs
- Customer testimonial videos
- Recorded videos
- Live videos
- Vlogs
- Webinars
Video content is becoming increasingly popular with social media posts, which you can repurpose on your website.
Interactive Content
Interactive web content is any material that conveys a message by encouraging user participation. This allows the experience to go from passive consumption to active engagement.
Common examples of interactive content include
- Animated infographics
- Calculators
- Quizzes
The difference with interactive content is that brands can understand if and when readers have consumed their material and even gain feedback.
Interactive content significantly heightens the user experience, thus increasing engagement.
The Difference Between Good and Bad Website Content
Good website content understands your target audience or buyer personas and uses appropriate language and style to connect with them. It also answers questions that people are searching for and presents a solution to a problem.
Most importantly, quality copy builds rapport and trust with readers.
You can follow these content marketing tips to help you better understand more about high-quality content.
Conversely, bad web content hasn’t clearly defined the target audience or tries to reach the largest audience possible. It also attempts to sell products or services without building trust.
You can identify bad content when the company uses first-person pronouns but doesn’t ever mention the customer (you). Likewise, businesses should never go on and on about how great their product is without proof.
Further, relying solely on photos and videos or posting huge blocks of dense text is not advisable.
How to Create Good Content for Your Website
It’s not enough to know the difference between good and bad. You also need to understand how to create quality content that keeps readers coming back for more.
Here are some tips to follow:
- Create unique topics and target niche subtopics
- Diversify with multimedia content
- Research to maintain trust and authority
- Format for readability
- Know your search intent and call to action
- Use data to measure content performance
Content Creation Experts
Now that we’ve answered the question, “What is website content?” you have a much better idea of how to create fantastic web content to get your website in front of more peoples’ eyes.If your business needs help with its online marketing, let’s have a chat! Contact us at EraserFarm to learn how our team can help you with your creative and content strategy.
How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost?
When it comes to starting a social media marketing campaign, some business owners begin by asking themselves: “How much will it cost?”
There is no definite answer as to how much you will need to get optimal results, but knowing the cost of running a social media marketing strategy for your business can help you make the most out of your presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms.
In this guide, we look into how much is really needed to run a successful social media marketing campaign.
Why invest in social media marketing this year?
Not only do social networking platforms increase brand awareness, but they are also a great source of high-quality leads.
According to an article from the Marketing Insider Group, over 91.9% of marketers use social media as part of their marketing efforts in 2020. This comes as social media consumption is growing.
By 2025, Statista reports that the number of active social media users across the globe will reach 4.41 billion. At this rate, social media marketing will comprise 33% of all digital advertising expenses this year.
It’s one thing to decide whether to raise your budget allocations for social media campaigns, but you still have to determine a workable number. To accomplish this, you need to know what’s involved in social media marketing.
The factors influencing the cost of social media marketing
When it comes to financing a social media campaign, a widely accepted budget is anywhere between $4,000 and $7,000. The reason for this is the amount of creative and technical work that goes into crafting a campaign.
Aside from coming up with an effective brand strategy and content calendar, you may also include the cost of running paid ads for each platform and subscribing to essential tools like Hootsuite and Biteable.
You also need to consider your approach to using social media. Will the campaign be predominantly visual with lots of infographics and videos? Should you focus on getting influencers to represent your brand?
The estimated cost of the campaign will also depend on other factors such as your location, the size of your business, and the amount of local competition you are facing. All these can help you determine how much you will need to pay for the skills and platforms you need throughout the campaign.
With this in mind, how much do businesses spend to kickstart and maintain their social media efforts?
The real cost of social media marketing
Should social media marketing cost you thousands of dollars? This will depend entirely on the factors mentioned above, but if you are going for the bare minimum, your budget breakdown may look something like this:
Facebook Ads: $1.72 per click, according to Wordstream
Hootsuite for Teams: $129.00 per month
Social Media Management: $15 to $50 per hour for a specialist with up to three years of experience
It’s still difficult to determine a good budget for running a social media marketing campaign. That’s why most businesses would rather get an agency to do the job. This allows them to take out the guesswork in developing a social media strategy that delivers the best returns.
If you need help with building your social media presence, click here.
How to Build a Brand for Your Company in 2022
There are over 30 million small businesses in the United States. With numbers like that, there's bound to be a few company's in the same industry as yours right nearby. These businesses are your competitors, and if you don't learn about business branding, they will steal your customers from you. What's the best way around this? Build a brand. Building a brand is the first step to taking your company to the next level. Anyone can start a business, but brand building is what people remember for years to come. If you want to achieve massive success, you're going to need to learn how to build a brand.
This article will walk you through a brief introduction to brand building.
Define Your Brand Voice
Much has already been written about developing a great product and great advertising — so we're going to skip over that. Everyone in the world knows that if you want to bring in a high quantity of customers, you're going to have to have a high-quality product. But while many great would-be businesses come up with great products and spend considerable sums on advertising, they often fall behind. This is because they're not able to effectively great a brand voice. People don't simply encounter brands as companies. They encounter brands as personalities, similar to human beings. This helps them understand what a brand is all about and make decisions about products.
Manifesto Making
Your business has to have a clear, distinct voice, so people can figure out whether they like you or not. Make sure you come up with a brand manifesto that drives everything. This will make sure your brand has aesthetic and practical cohesion. A famous example of a brand manifesto is Apple's dedication to simplicity. Steve Jobs had an obsession with making things simple, and so everything, from the layouts of Apple's digital interfaces to the sleek designs, to the minimal white boxes, to the open-concept Apple stores, is based around simplicity.
Another example of a brand manifesto is the TV show Seinfeld's motto of "no hugging no learning". Larry David encouraged the writers and actors to make sure to never get sincere or sentimental, which turned Seinfeld from another sitcom into a new sort of show — the most popular show on television at the time.
Implement
When you implement your brand voice, you have to be unafraid to go all-out with it. Subtlety is not your friend in the 2020s. If you want your business to stand out from the crowd, you're going to have to make sure your voice is loud.
Implement your brand's manifesto from the top down. Make sure every product is similar — and make sure that similarity fits your manifesto. Let the packaging, customer service, and advertising all feel like they're part of the same brand experience.
Design A Great Website
Your website is your new front door. Digital advertising recently surpassed traditional advertising in revenue generated. There's a good chance that you're going to get significantly more business in your online shop than your in-person store. This means you need to have a great website.
The standards for a business's website have vastly shifted in the past ten years. The internet has aged exponentially, and styles that are only a decade old already look outdated and untrustworthy.
If your site is too crowded, too hard to navigate, buggy, or slow, there's a good chance that customers will assume it's going to load their computer up with a virus. Design a sleek and efficient website to give your customers the smoothest experience possible.
Be sure to have your contact information readily available only on your website. Attention spans are short in the 21st century. Unfortunately, if someone likes your product or the look of your service, but can't quickly find out where they can purchase it, your sale might fall through.
Make use of blog content to generate interest and SEO on your site. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of designing your website so that it gets ranked high on search engine results. You can improve your SEO by finding which exact phrases (keywords) your customers are using when they're searching for your product, and creating content that people stick around to read.
Get On Social Media
Social media isn't just about hanging out anymore. Businesses that make use of social media effectively unlock new realms of possibility for brand voice development. Ones social media posts can easily act as ways to communicate the unique and dynamic voice of your brand. You can stagger timeline posts and stories (on Instagram) to get a mixture of more professional and more casual content. On top of this is the interactive element of social media platforms. Stick around long enough, and people will comment on your posts and direct message you, giving their opinions and asking questions. Respond to each of these interactions in your brand's voice and you'll further the understanding that your business is a personality. People will get to know your business well. They might even start talking about just how cohesive your brand is.
Make sure that your social media pages link back to your website, so you can generate more traffic, bring in more customers, and improve your SEO.
To learn more about social media marketing trends, check out this blog we wrote on the subject.
Learn How To Build a Brand
If you want to succeed in business in the 2020s, you're going to have to learn how to build a brand. Brand building is the best way to take your business to the next level. No matter what you do, make sure that the brand you build is communicated in every step of your process. Let people know what you stand for, and they'll think you with their patronage.
For more information on company branding and branding tips, contact us at Eraserfarm today.
Digital Advertising Trends in 2022
Digital marketing is a dog-eat-dog world. If you don't evolve and adapt to the times, your marketing will fail and impact your business. Staying on top of trends can often be exhausting and sometimes cost a lot of money and time. However, it's pretty easy to keep up with digital advertising trends in a cost-effective way if you're smart and savvy. So if you're looking for help to up your digital marketing game, well, we've written a handy guide to the biggest 2022 digital advertising trends. Read on to learn more!
Short Videos: Hot Digital Advertising Trends
Like it or not, TikTok has changed the game for online advertising. Originally created for users to share videos under a minute long, TikTok has evolved into one of the most popular and accessible social media platforms. Brands have evolved along with TikTok to embrace its DIY, meme-ready video format. This format also works well on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram stories. You can create one catchy, quick video and use it across all social media platforms. Using a popular song or sound byte is an easy way to hook viewers and drive your marketing home. You can also easily add a pop-up link to lead to your social media page or web store. Short videos are a quick, easy, and cost-effective marketing strategy in 2022.
Cryptocurrency
It was a novelty ten years ago, expected not to last. But it seems like cryptocurrency is here to stay. Many platforms including e-commerce and social media sites are beginning to embrace crypto for online shopping payments. As more and more people invest their earnings into crypto, it's prudent to get on board early. Marketing your brand as "hip" to cryptocurrency and NFTs will not only get you more hits but also lead to more sales. People like options for making purchases, so embracing crypto is future-proofing your business.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is sponsoring famous personalities on social media in exchange for product placements and reviews. And it continues to be a growing marketing trend. It's easy to see why. It's low-cost and extremely effective. Influencers have thousands of fans and followers who engage with their content on a constant basis. Influencers have a built-in target audience.
Even business-to-business influencer marketing is growing. Leveraging influencers who fit your business style and branding is an easy way to sell your products to other businesses and customers.
Artificial Intelligence And Chatbots
Growth in artificial intelligence capabilities means that many of the behind-the-scenes marketing processes can now be automated. Not only is this great for overhead, but it enhances the user experience as well. Artificial intelligence can analyze and interpret data way faster than human beings can. It can also learn customer behavior and preferences and suggest items and services for purchase. This means better customer targeting and more conversions. There is no "wait time" between receiving customer data and responding with targeted marketing.
Another aspect of artificial intelligence that will be huge in marketing is chatbots. Chatbots give a personalized and easy customer service experience.
Rather than waiting for emails or calling during operating hours, customers can use chatbots at any time of the day or night to answer questions and receive product suggestions.
First-Party Cookies And Privacy Issues
Many consumers are becoming more privacy-savvy. They are no longer willing to allow websites to sell their data to other companies for marketing purposes.
First-party cookies are used solely on a company website. Informing customers that their cookies will only be used for the business's own data purposes can increase trust. Transparency is key.Embracing first-party cookies and being upfront about how customers' data is being used is a digital advertising trend that is on the rise. Make sure that your business is embracing this positive change for customers.
Social Media
It's hard to escape social media. It seems to permeate almost every aspect of our lives, including how we do business.The days of simply operating a social media page are long gone. Customers expect personal connections with the brands they buy from. To keep up with digital advertising trends in social media, your business should be dedicated to engaging with customers in comments, tags, and stories.Using customer-generated marketing is a great way to up your social media game. If a customer makes a post with your product and tags your business, respond and ask if you can repost it.
This will show customers that your brand is approachable and friendly. And that always leads to more sales and positive word-of-mouth marketing.
Storytelling As Marketing
Storytelling is the next trend in digital marketing. Customers are looking for relatable and personal experiences, not faceless and nameless advertising.Your brand needs a "story." Whether it's how you started or your plans for the future, marketing your brand as an ongoing story is a successful digital marketing trend.
The story can be told in many ways. It encompasses your branding, logo, web copy, and even your social media presence (such as Instagram stories and TikTok videos).
Segmentation And Personalization
Segmentation in marketing is nothing new. Taking customer data and separating them by interests, gender, age, and other demographic points has been a cornerstone of marketing since the very beginning. However, with a digital world full of useful data, it has become even easier to segment and target your chosen audiences. This results in more clicks and conversions, as you aren't wasting marketing on uninterested audiences. Along with segmentation comes personalization. If you have extensive data on customers' preferences and interests, you can specifically tailor your marketing to match.
Focus On User Experience
As you can see from many other digital advertising trends, the user experience is becoming a major focus. From digital privacy transparency to personalized opt-in marketing and chatbots, user experience is key. Making your customers' online experience as personable, safe, and simple as possible is the best way to position yourself in the top digital marketing trends.
Professional Digital Advertising Services
Digital advertising trends are constantly evolving. It's important to stay at the top of the game in order to continue to grow your business.If you are looking for professional services, we are here to help. We have an extensive portfolio of successful marketing projects and an experienced team to cover all aspects of digital marketing.
We are available for consultations at any time! Call us at (813) 748-3854 or email me at cindy@eraserfarm.com.