6 Habits That Help Successful People Maximize Their Time

There aren't enough hours in the day, but these tips will make them feel slightly more productive.

By Blake Johnson August 31, 2021

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Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day, but it's what we do with those 1440 minutes that separates the successful from the stagnant. 

If you want to edge out the competition, hit your goals and achieve more than the week should allow, these following clock hacks should help...

Think like a lazy person

Is it quicker to load a dishwasher or to personally scrub every single utensil? The result is the same, regardless of how you get there, but the effort involved is drastically different. Josephine Cochran's 19th century attempt to first apply water pressure to plates wasn't just innovative, it was lazy. She didn't want to hand wash every single spoon and found a way to do it more efficiently.

Instead of simply sitting down to do tedious work, see if you can find a way to make the work less tedious. Create workflows, automations and innovations that allow you to do more with less effort, then use that time tackling the next problem. By the time you take a break to look back you will realize that you are miles ahead of the competition.

Related: How to Effectively Measure and Track Employee Productivity

Don't do your tasks in order

The risk with to-do lists is that most people assume they must be completed linearly. When it comes to these chores, it isn’t wise to simply start at the top. Instead, apply time estimations to every item. Find yourself with ten minutes between meetings? Knock-off a tiny task. Plane delayed by two hours? Tackle a larger item. Do what you can when you can and be amazed by what you can accomplish throughout the day.

Maximize transit time

 Instead of staring out your cabin window on a plane, scrolling through Instagram in an Uber, or people-watching on the subway, make travel work for you. Commuting can be great for replying to emails, prepping for upcoming meetings and, when all else fails, continuing education. Skip the in-flight movie and listen to a podcast, make your way through a leadership book or read some articles written by experts. The idea is to treat every moment spent sitting as an opportunity. 

Consider the ROI

Every time you think about committing to something, consider the potential return on investment. Grabbing a drink with an old friend may sound like a good use of time, but is it really? If getting buzzed with a buddy takes away from your work, family or education, it may not be worth the investment. Ask yourself if the reward justifies the cost. Rest and relaxation is, of course, important---but anything you do strictly out of obligation may not be worth the time spent, and it is ok to say "no" when the ROI is not favorable.

Related: 3 Tips for Optimizing Your Ecommerce Marketing Strategy

Outsource the rest

Most business leaders want to think that they need to be heavily involved in every aspect of their ventures, but the cold reality (and hacky cliche) is that trying to be a jack of all trades makes you a master of none. Instead, figure out what your superpower is and develop that until absolutely no one can do it better than you. Do not concern yourself with the things you do not naturally excel at. Find people that excel in areas that you are weak and let them fly. Something magical happens when you find what you are good at and outsource the rest---everything moves faster! When you get the proper people in the right roles, no one will be bogged down by things that challenge them. Everything gets streamlined and the results can be truly astounding. .

Related: 10 Successful Entrepreneurs on Why Delegating Effectively Is Difficult But Necessary

WRITTEN BY

Blake Johnson

Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor

Blake Johnson is a Los Angeles based entrepreneur who has successfully founded and sold a variety of businesses that currently exceed $1.1 billion in valuations. His most recent endeavor is direct-to-consumer dental aligner company, Byte.

75+ Content Marketing Statistics Every Marketer Needs to Know

Tom Read

Content marketing is a practice that’s as old as America itself. Believe it or not, Benjamin Franklin leveraged content to promote his printing business in 1739.

Today, some 300 years later, technology allows us to access more content than ever. Content marketing is hugely popular and extremely effective, which is why we’ve put together this huge list of 80+ content marketing statistics for 2021.

So, how can businesses make the most of the rising demand for content?

To be clear, content marketing does not involve traditional paid-for advertisements. Content marketing advertises your brand by providing value to the viewer for free (through content).

Perfecting your content and strategy can be difficult… but don’t worry! Our data-backed guide will give you the lowdown on all aspects of content marketing.

Without further ado, here are 80+ content marketing statistics!

Content Marketing in 2021

First things first, let’s take a look at the general state-of-play in content marketing.

How popular is content? What’s the potential reach of content marketing efforts? And what’re marketers saying about the industry in 2021?

1. Content Marketing is Worth Over $400 Billion

Make no mistake about it: content marketing is big business.

The industry commands a seismic valuation of around $400 billion in 2021. Content marketing will only get bigger as more people join the internet, and marketers create more content to feed the demands of this growing audience.

Speaking of which, how many internet users are there?

2. 59% of The Global Population is Online in 2021

There are well over 4.6 billion internet users in 2021. That means 59% of the world’s population are on the internet!

That’s pretty staggering and just goes to show that online content can potentially reach a massive audience.

4.33 billion users access the internet through a mobile device, and 4.2 billion internet users have a presence on social media sites. These statistics should stay fresh in the mind of any content marketer who wants to maximize the effectiveness and reach of their content.

3. Customers Value Great Content

Customers find a lot of “value” in branded content, and this word should be at the core of a business’ content strategy

Content can serve customers with information and knowledge without making them feel like they’re being pitched a sale, and this can see positive impacts on revenue further down the line.

Having a strong content strategy can make the difference between a customer choosing your brand or a competitor. According to one study, 61% of customers say they prefer a brand that has a “content presence.”

The theme is the same in the B2B sector. DemandGen found that 95% of B2B clients believe content helps them trust a business.

4. Marketers Invest Significant Resources into Content

The majority of businesses now invest in a content marketing strategy. That’s hardly surprising given the benefits of serving such a thriving (and willing) online audience.

Businesses are investing in content marketing more than ever at the moment. In fact, 25-30% of the average business’ marketing budget is spent on content marketing in 2021, and 24% of marketers plan to increase their content spend in the future.

A recent surge in online usage, and the increasingly obvious value of content marketing tactics, are two factors that are driving major growth in the industry.

5. Most Internet Users Are Young Adults

So let’s break it down… What kind of people can you target with your online content?

The majority of online users are young adults. 50% to be exact, and 32% of these young adults are aged from 25 to 34.

Content that’s aimed at older audiences tends to be more niche online. Middle-aged and old-aged users are not as common online, but that doesn’t mean you can’t see huge results when targeting these people!

Whichever demographics you target with content, it’s worth catering to an American audience every once in a while. 26% of adults in the United States are “almost always online.”

6. Narrative Content is The Most Successful

Whoever marketers and businesses choose to target with content, they must use their voice to tell stories. This is a defining characteristic within most of the top performing content marketers.

Stories are all around us, and building one for your brand through content is extremely important. People love hearing stories, too, whether that’s the story of a business’ beginnings, or the narratives placed within a specific piece of content.

In a survey of UK citizens, 80% of people said they prefer brands that tell stories with their marketing materials. This is a crucial element to great content.

7. Content Builds Brand Credibility

Customers trust content. This is important to remember, because the same can’t always be said about traditional adverts and marketing methods.

People trust content because it provides a reliable source of information, and it doesn’t push products or services onto potential customers.

The trust people place in your content translates into trust for your business. Building this credibility is really important if you want a loyal customer base.

The best content marketers note this effect more than others — their content provides more value to people, it is trusted, and this lifts the reputation of a brand.

That’s why 96% of the best performing content marketers believe their content builds credibility with viewers (CMI).

8. Content Marketing is Key to an Overall Marketing Strategy

Content is important. Don’t you ever forget it!

Content marketing is effective, and can provide a multitude of solutions to businesses and customers alike.

The benefits of content marketing are tangible, which explains why 60% of marketers rate content as either “very important” or “extremely important” to their marketing strategy.

9. What Skills Do Content Marketers Need?

Content marketing requires a varied mix of skills in order to achieve success.

Marketers rate knowledge of social media marketing as the most important area of expertise, while search engine optimization, and the ability to implement a working strategy, are also important for content marketing success.

10. What Defines Success in Content Marketing?

What traits are common amongst those who are succeeding in content marketing?

The use of metrics to measure success, and a decisive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are two factors that have defined content marketing success over the last year or so.

Editorial calendars were also employed by the majority of successful content marketers.

These practices were less common amongst unsuccessful marketers. In fact, just 21% of unsuccessful marketers use a content marketing strategy, which is part of the reason so few of these marketers have a sophisticated content marketing campaign.

11. Content Marketing Needs Clear Goals

In Semrush’s research, “generating quality leads” was the number one goal for content marketers.

This is more important now than it ever has been, while driving traffic and increasing brand reputation are two more major benefits that marketers are targeting with their content.

In a separate study by the Content Marketing Institute, B2C marketers cited “brand awareness” and “build credibility/trust” as their two greatest content goals, with 81% and 76% of marketers citing these aims respectively.

These goals have risen to prominence amongst B2C marketers, while just 52% of B2C content marketers aimed to “generate leads.”

The presence of B2B marketers in Semrush’s study suggests that lead generation is more important for B2B marketers, while reputation is the biggest draw of content in the B2C sector.

12. How Common is a B2C Content Marketing Strategy?

73% of B2C marketers employ a content marketing strategy. These marketers could be part of an agency or a marketing team within a business.

This strategy is not documented for 31% of marketers, while another 28% of respondents don’t have a strategy at all.

That’s risky, given what we know about the importance of a sophisticated strategy to content marketing success. Speaking of which, how sophisticated are marketers’ content strategies?

13. Complex Strategies Are Popular With Successful Marketers

Semrush found that most marketers are still learning the ropes of content marketing.

Just 20% of content marketers have an “advanced” strategy, though, you can guarantee these marketers will see the best results.

14. Content Marketing Faces Certain Challenges

Generating enough leads is the primary struggle for 51% of marketers, while garnering the desired amount of traffic is a struggle for 47% of marketers.

Hitting the desired target audience is another major challenge, as is SEO and finding relevant ideas for new pieces of content.

In another study, 60% of content marketers found it challenging to produce adequate content consistently, which is supported by some of the challenges listed in Semrush’s survey.

15. COVID-19 Has Inspired Some Adjustments

Content marketers had to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of the way they run their organizations, and the type of content they produce.

The top reported change amongst B2C marketing organizations was an alteration to messaging and targeting.

The sensitivity of the COVID-19 pandemic has required a more comforting and empathetic voice from businesses. Organizations also placed a greater emphasis on building online communities, while promotion strategies were altered by 46% of B2C marketers.

16. COVID-19 Will Have Long & Short-Term Changes

85% of organizations have made short-term adjustments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses are preparing to live with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future, too. 57% of B2C marketers have made long-term changes to the way they operate.

9% of marketers were unsure about the changes their organization has made. These marketers may simply not know what changes have been made, or their organization may lack a response to the pandemic altogether.

Measurable Impacts of Success Content Marketing

Next, we’ll take a look at the measurable impacts marketers can expect when they employ content marketing tactics.

Traffic, engagement, ROI. How does content marketing influence these key success metrics?

17. Content Boosts Traffic and Backlinks…

Content boosts any website’s ability to receive search engine traffic. It achieves this, in large part, through backlinks.

A page receives backlinks when other pieces of online content reference that page through a link. This could be a blog post that links itself to your content because of a point you have made, or a piece of research you have presented.

Gathering backlinks posits your content, website, and business as a “trustworthy” source of information. All of which will index your website on search engines. The more backlinks on your site, the better chance a site has of ranking higher on search engines.

Higher-ranked websites receive more internet traffic. This ultimately increases the number of leads a business can generate.

18. …And Increases Engagement and Leads

Marketers agree that content marketing improves people’s engagement with a business, and its marketing materials.

This means people are more interested in your brand and content — they’re more likely to read, watch, or interact with whatever materials your business is producing.

Increased engagement leads to an increase in the number of leads…

19. Content is a Great Return on Investment

The “return-on-investment” that businesses can see from content marketing is staggering. That’s because it costs less than other methods, and can return far more leads.

According to First Page Sage, a well-executed content marketing strategy returns, on average, $984,000 in profits for businesses and marketers.

This healthy return explains why 98% of B2B marketers believe that the performance of marketing content justifies its cost (Walker Sands).

20. Great Content Creates Return Customers

Remember we mentioned how content can build trust, credibility, and awareness amongst people? Those benefits do not only materialize in the form of new leads. Content marketing generates loyalty amongst existing customers too.

Tiger Fitness found that most of its customers returned as a result of its content marketing strategy.

That’s a recipe for success, providing consistency and longevity for a business’ revenue.

21. *Site Traffic Is Unique Too

Content marketing not only promotes returning customers, but it also gathers unique viewers. This is why content can generate so many fresh leads.

The very best marketers can obtain new visitors to their site with regularity. This can only have a positive impact on the success of a business/brand.

22. Content Converts

When it comes to the end-stages of the buyer’s journey, content marketing increases a customer’s likelihood of making a purchase (of converting).

The credibility of a brand’s content can inspire customers to trust brands with their purchase. Customers are confident they will receive a great product, because of the expertise and value your business has already demonstrated.

An increase in traffic, leads, and conversions with a fantastic return-on-investment drives an overall increase in revenue and profits.

In other words, content marketing can have a massive impact on the success of your business!

The Best Types of Content

In section 3, we’ll take a look at specific types of content. What types of content are there? What impacts can they have? And what are the best practices when using them?

23. What Are The Most Popular Types of B2C Content?

B2C marketers prioritize blog posts and short articles over every other form of content.

83% of B2C marketers use blogs and articles, while 74% of B2C marketers send email newsletters. Pre-produced videos were also very popular, owing to the level of engagement and impact they can generate.

Live-streamed video content saw the highest year-on-year increase of any category. 35% of B2C marketers live-streamed in 2020, a significant rise from 13% of marketers the year before.

Live streaming wasn’t the only form of content providing an element of real-time social contact between brands and customers. More B2C marketers are using virtual events, webinars, and online courses now, increasing from 27% to 39% in 2020.

Predictably, in-person events decreased for B2C agencies, falling from 50% use in 2019. Just 37% of marketers hosted in-person events in 2020.

24. What Are The Most Popular Types of B2B Content?

It’s a similar story for B2B marketers, though there are a few notable differences.

Blog content is even more common amongst B2B marketers, as is the use of case studies (68%) and webinars/virtual events/online courses (67%). These saw a jump in usage amongst B2B marketers, rising from 57% in 2019.

B2B agencies rely more heavily upon in-person corporate events, and, as such, have seen a greater drop-off here. 73% of B2B marketers used in-person events in 2019, which fell to 42% in 2020.

Live streaming rose from an insignificant 10% in 2019 to be used by 29% of B2B marketers in 2020.

Elsewhere, e-books, guides, white papers, and long-form content are more commonly used by B2B marketers compared to B2C. That signifies the sector’s need to provide comprehensive amounts of information to potential clients and partners.

25. Which Content Types Are Shared The Most?

If spreading the word of your business as far and wide as possible is the goal of your content strategy, then infographics represent the best possible return.

Infographics are shared more often on social media than any other type of content. Listicles also receive a lot of shares, as do various other types of informative blog-style content.

26. What Are The Most Engaging Content Types?

So, infographics get shared the most, but what types of content receive the best overall social engagement? That means views, interactions, likes, shares, and comments.

HubSpot found that images, such as infographics, graphics, and photography, get fantastic levels of engagement.

Videos also perform well on the whole, and text-based social media posts are the third-most engaging form of social media content.

27. Publishing Original Research is Key For Growth

Another thing that’s becoming more and more important by the year is original research. According to content marketers, using original research in content almost always returns results.

Original research is new research collected by a content creator or organization that is used to craft the content, as opposed to borrowing pieces of information from various other sources.

This could be a study or survey. Survey-based publishing is the most common form of original research, conducted by 65% of marketers (BuzzSumo).

Going that extra mile to gather data posits a brand as an innovator, solidifying its position as a credible, expert source of information. This generates a ton of backlinks — a reason why original content returns such great results.

In fact, 94% of marketers believe that original research boosts the authority of a brand.

28. The State of Blogging in 2021

Blogs are everywhere. If you hadn’t guessed already, they’re quite important to customers and marketers.

Blogs are really popular amongst internet users. 80% of online users read them, and there are over 500 million blog posts in total.

29. Blogs Still Drive Traffic

Blogs drive organic traffic to a website more than any other form of content. They generally receive more backlinks than other content types, and this results in heightened brand awareness.

All of these benefits work to generate leads for your business. Blogging, specifically, can boost lead generation by 67% every month.

30. What’s the Perfect Blog Length?

What length of blog content should businesses create? The average blog post is just 1,269 words long, so there’s certainly a market for shorter blogs. Yet research suggests longer content is often the best way to inform an audience and drive engagement.

According to one study, shares and long-form content go hand-in-hand, with blog posts between 3000 and 10000 words receiving the most of them.

Long-form articles are comprehensive resources that cover topics in-depth. That’s why they are shared between parties. It’s also the reason long-form content can generate 9X more leads than shorter forms.

31. How Often Should You Post on a Blog?

This is a pretty common question in 2021: how often should you post?

The answer can be different for each social media platform, but when it comes to maximizing search engine traffic, the results are pretty consistent across websites.

Somewhere between 3 and 5 posts a week is the sweet spot. Bloggers can receive a great boost to organic traffic and brand awareness within this range.

32. Add Visual Content to Your Blog

Adding visuals to your blog, whether that’s videos, interactive content, or infographics, will enhance the effectiveness of informative blog content.

65% of people respond best to visual information, so it stands to good reason that visuals will help people learn and retain what you have to say.

Visual content is still underused on blogs. Venngage revealed that just 49% of marketers use visual content on their blog or website. That’s surprising, as it’s a tried-and-tested tactic to improve content quality.

33. Infographics Are Key to Creating Instructional Content

Talking of visual content and blogs, infographics are the perfect visual medium for informative content.

Infographics increase readability by 80%, presenting information clearly and concisely. Ultimately, people follow instructions far better with the help of infographics.

Marketers who use them see results. 84% of marketers say they find infographics “effective” (Infographic World).

34. Use Color in Infographics

Adding a splash of color to your infographics isn’t a bad idea either. This is going to take your infographics to the next level.

Colorful infographics draw in the viewer’s attention, and color boosts the retention of information once the viewer reads the infographic’s content.

It works the same as a colorful poster that commands your gaze. Eye-catching, colorful designs stay in the mind — in which case, avoid black and white infographics!

35. Everyone Loves Video Content

Research from Wyzowl demonstrates the value of another form of visual content, video, which has undoubtedly seen the biggest growth over the last few years.

We’ve seen the rise of online streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, while YouTube has strengthened its position as the biggest video streaming platform. This upward trend means video is already the dominant form of internet traffic. By 2022, video will make up 82% of all internet traffic.

Internet users and marketers can’t get enough of video because it’s super engaging. It’s certainly one of the most engaging forms of content, and new technologies (such as VR and interactive video) suggest this theme will not change anytime soon.

36. Video Provides Excellent ROI

Marketers unanimously agree that video boosts performance across a range of metrics, from time on-site to lead generation and sales.

Video can increase organic traffic by 157% and user time-on-site by 105%, while video can double conversion rates compared to non-video marketing methods.

Tangible increases in traffic encourage a higher number of leads, and this creates an up-turn in revenue.

In other words, the ROI of video is pretty amazing, and you’re missing out on plenty of potential benefits if it’s not part of your content strategy.

37. What Video Types Are Marketers Using?

Explainer videos are used by marketers more than any other type of video content. This is consistent with almost every other form of content — informative materials are prioritized by marketers and users.

People love watching explainer videos. Explainers can transmit a lot of information to the viewer in a short amount of time.

Brand videos that explain products or services are the perfect form of explainer video to use. Wyzowl’s study found that 96% of users watch explainers when they want to learn about a product/service.

Social media videos are another popular form of video for marketers, while presentations are a great way for B2B businesses to generate leads.

38. Short-Form Video is Best

Short-form video is favorable in 2021.

Evidence of this trend can be seen in the growth of short-video platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.

People are demanding quicker, more digestible forms of video content. That means businesses should get their message across as quickly and efficiently as possible. Doing so will engage and retain viewers far better than longer videos.

Two-thirds of consumers state that they prefer short videos when learning about products. It’s so important that businesses get the message across in less than 90 seconds. Achieve this, and you should see big results!

39. Video Boosts Click Through Rates

Calls to action (CTAs) are more impactful when used in videos. The engagement that video content creates means viewers will often engage with a CTA.

That makes for great reading if you’re a social media marketer. Stories platforms and short-video platforms, such as those mentioned above, make for the perfect locations to insert CTAs.

Instagram Stories, for example, has a ton of functionality that allows you to place interactive “swipe-up” prompts into your videos. When videos are shorter, more viewers are retained, which means more potential customers see your call-to-action.

40. Live Streaming Continues to Grow in Popularity

We mentioned the rise of live streaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Well, here it is in numbers. The industry saw unbelievable growth in 2020!

It’s this growth that has led the live streaming market to a mammoth valuation, expected to reach $247 billion by 2027.

Throughout a global pandemic, live streaming has allowed brands and viewers to digitally interact with one another, somewhat filling the void of social interaction felt by those in lockdown.

The social aspects of live streaming are a key benefit for marketers. 79% of marketers say that the form creates an “authentic interaction” between the streamer and the audience (GO-Globe).

The industry has also benefited from increases in user downtime and social media use. Though, live streaming was expected to see a significant rise, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s because live video is more engaging than static video. Live-streamed video can hold a viewer’s attention 10 to 20X longer than standard, pre-recorded videos.

41. Live Stream Video Quality Matters

The quality of your live stream is really important, and I’m not just talking about the content. Viewers will abandon your stream if the image quality or frame rate of the live video is poor.

I understand this may, at times, be out of your control: The live streaming platform could be poorly optimized for loading/streaming efficiency, or the user’s connection could prevent them from getting a good quality stream.

But there are things you can do to reduce the chances of hosting a bad-quality stream.

Make sure your internet connection is fast and reliable. Choose a high-profile platform (like those mentioned above), and invest in quality equipment. That means buying a high-definition camera for your business or agency!

42. Podcasts Are Booming

Podcasts have seen a huge growth in viewership over the last decade or so, largely down to the accessibility of video/audio streaming platforms and the rise of popular creators.

55% of U.S. consumers say they listen to (or have listened to) a podcast. Podcast listeners are generally younger, too, making this popular form a great way to target teens and young adults.

In 2021, 56% of podcast listeners are aged 12-34 (Edison). Viewership share amongst this age group is growing, too, up from 49% in 2020.

Around 39% of viewers are aged 34-54, meaning there is still a market for podcasts targeted at middle-aged listeners.

43. Podcast Listeners Act Differently

People listen to a podcast differently to how they would normally read an article, or watch a video.

Podcast listeners will sit through the entire podcast just 52% of the time. That’s not necessarily because they don’t like the content. Podcasts are often over an hour long, and users may just want to listen to a portion of the podcast at one time.

The answer to this trend may also lie within the setting in which users listen to podcasts. Audio content allows users to listen on the move. According to one study, 22% of people listen to podcasts while driving (Podcast Insights).

That means key topics and messages should be covered with clarity in the podcast, preferably during the first half. The start of your podcast should be extra engaging as well.

44. Podcasts Need to Start Strong And Grab Attention

Kick your podcast off with a bang. Mention a really interesting topic, or something hyper-relevant to the audience. People generally jump between podcasts before they commit to the best option.

That means you need to really “sell” your podcast for that all-important first 5 minutes. You could also give the audience a quick rundown of everything you’ll cover on the podcast — that should help convince a lot of users to stay.

45. Most Webinar Registrations Happen Just Before The Event

Webinars typically receive a boost in sign-ups in the days leading up to the event.

According to Wyzowl, 62% of marketers use webinars, and 91% of these find webinars to be successful. Webinars work perfectly, driving 20-40% of attendees to become leads and around 2-5% of viewers to make a purchase.

In which case, harnessing the sign-up process to maximize the audience of your webinar is important to get the best results.

Marketers using webinars should extend their promotion cycle beyond 2 weeks before the webinar. GoToWebinar’s data suggests promoting early sign-ups could benefit businesses, while sending event reminders on the day could prompt registrants to tune in.

One-third of users watch the webinar replay, so make sure the content of your webinar is rewatchable at a later date. Don’t overly-reference the date or time, for example.

46. White Papers Are Great At The Start of The Buyer’s Journey

White papers are a widely used form in B2B marketing and are a great way to explain a product or service in-depth.

According to one study, 76% of readers use white papers to learn new information. On a side note, 78% say that a good white paper should not feel like a marketing resource, so keep the “salesy” language to a minimum.

White papers are perfect for the early stages of the buyer’s journey, as are e-books. Assessments are perfect for the middle of the sales funnel, while case studies represent the best value for late-stage buyers.

47. Interactive Content Has a Huge Impact on Marketing Efforts

Interactive content is any piece of content that promotes user action, rather than passive consumption. Interactive content could be a quiz, an interactive social media story, a 360-degree video, or an interactive infographic.

Interactive content is impactful because of the level of engagement that it promotes. That’s why it gets twice the conversions of static content.

48. What Types of Interactive Content Are Most Popular?

What types of interactive content are prioritized by marketers? 52% of them are using interactive infographics.

These boost the value of your content by making visual learning more engaging, which increases the amount of information readers are likely to remember.

Marketers also use interactive brand contests, to maximize reach and engagement, while quizzes are another popular form of interactive content.

Quizzes are easy to create and can be hosted through platforms like Instagram Stories. They’re super-engaging, with an average conversion rate of 50%!

49. Interactive Content Works Across the Buyer’s Journey

According to a study, 93% of marketers rate interactive content as “effective.” Its impact is driving greater adoption amongst marketers. In a separate survey, 88% of marketers said they plan to make at least 10% of their content interactive within 2 years (DemandGen).

As more marketers begin to use interactive content, it helps to know how (and when) to use it. CMI’s research shows that contents and quizzes are great for early-stage buyers, while calculators are a good middle-stage form, and configurators work well in the late-stages of the buyer’s journey.

The Best Content Marketing Channels & Strategies

You’ve had a look at some of the most important forms of content. Now, where should you publish your marketing materials?

In this section, we’ll be looking at the best places to post, along with all of the best tactics and strategies to boost the effect on each channel.

50. What Channels Do B2C Marketers Use Most?

Valuable research from the Content Marketing Institute shows the places where marketers love to place their organic content. In the B2C sector, social media and search engines are the 2 most effective platforms for marketers.

Email marketing was used by 76% of respondents, while third-party publications are used by just 28% of marketers to distribute content.

51. What Channels Do B2B Marketers Use Most?

Social media is the most common organic platform amongst B2B content marketers as well, used by 89% of respondents.

Email marketing is the second-best channel in the B2B sector, and websites/blogs are the third best place to publish content. These 3 platforms are all employed by the vast majority of respondents.

Notable decreases include the use of third-party publications, which has fallen from 48% to be used by 38% of B2B marketers throughout 2020. Media/influencer relations were previously used by 34% of marketers, but today that figure stands at just 24%.

52. Paid vs Unpaid Channels For Content Marketing

Are marketers generally distributing paid content or organic content? In other words, are marketers paying to display ads or are they releasing free community-led materials?

72% of B2B and B2C marketers used paid channels in 2020. This has fallen compared to previous years. 85% of B2C marketers used paid channels in 2019.

The data shows that organic content is becoming more important — valued by both consumers and marketers alike.

Amongst those marketers that have used paid channels throughout 2020, social media platforms and search engines remained the 2 biggest places to publish paid content.

Sponsorships are the third most common paid channel in B2B, while banner ads are employed by 50% of B2C marketers.

53. Which Organic Socials Do B2C Marketers Use?

Social media is the most important channel for marketers, though B2B and B2C marketers find value in different social platforms.

B2C marketers prioritize Facebook over any other social media site. Facebook’s monumental reach and varied media forms provide the perfect vehicle for marketing content.

Instagram is incorporating modern video elements to build on its impressive influencer culture. B2C marketers are using Instagram more than ever, with 81% of marketers using it in 2020, compared to 74% in 2019.

YouTube has strengthened its position as the biggest video streaming platform for marketers. 72% of B2C marketers used it in 2020, compared to 62% in 2019.

54. Which Organic Socials Do B2B Marketers Use?

The favored social media channels are completely different for B2B marketers. Facebook is used by 82% of B2B marketers, but the dominant social platform is LinkedIn. 96% of B2B content marketers used LinkedIn in 2020.

Twitter is more popular among B2B marketers, too, while YouTube has seen the biggest rise in the sector. YouTube was used by 53% of B2B respondents in 2019, yet this figure rose to 62% in 2020. Another signal of video’s continual growth.

55. Online Communities Are Great for Content Marketing Strategy

Building “online communities” on platforms can be a really important factor in content marketing success. With a larger following on a blog, social media site, or mailing list, marketers can instantly reach a large (and very engaged) audience.

Fostering an online community should be a focus of any business in 2021. 85% of marketers and community builders think branded online communities improve the customer’s journey while building trust (CMX).

CMI’s survey shows that more B2C marketers have established a community than B2B marketers.

This owes to community building’s greater importance in business-to-customer relations, while establishing a B2B community is more challenging. 31% of B2B marketers hope to build an online community in the future.

56. SEO is Still a Top Tactic in Content Marketing

What tactics are marketers using to deliver results?

Semrush found that marketers rate SEO as the most effective tactic when it comes to marketing with content. Search engine optimization has seen an increase in importance since 2019.

SEO is so crucial for content marketers because it allows a piece of content or a webpage to rank higher on search engines.

95% of users only visit the first page of search results, while 50% of all clicks go on the top 3 results. Getting closer to the top is critical, then.

Get this right and content can achieve amazing results. SEO can boost traffic over 1000% higher than organic social media.

57. Google Ranking Factors in 2021

Google is by far the largest search engine, with 90% of internet users choosing it in favor of alternatives. A look at Google’s algorithm should show us how to create high-ranking content.

When you’re optimizing for the Google search engine, keyword research is really important. Title keywords carry 22% of the algorithm weight, while placing the right keywords throughout the body and headers of your content will add to this effect.

Posting consistently engaging content has the single largest impact on your Google ranking. Gathering backlinks to your website/webpage is important, too, as is demonstrating expertise in your niche.

Hit these parameters when you create content for Google, and you’ll be ranking high in no time!

58. You Need Optimize for Voice Search

You shouldn’t just be optimizing your content for typed searches, either. Optimizing for voice search will future-proof your content on search engines.

55% of households will have a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Alexa, by 2022.

Many people already search using the AI assistant on their smartphone. Knowing which keywords to include in your title and written content will help you reach this growing audience.

Google says that 70% of voice-searches with its AI assistant use “natural language.” That’s concurrent with the above graph, which shows that voice searches are often longer.

Voice searches use more question phrases as well, so consider these in your keywords and tags. Moz noticed a 135% increase in “who” searches, a 79% increase in “when,” and a 75% increase in “where” — all because of AI assistants.

59. Optimize Your Website for Speed

Your website should be optimized for searches, but it should also be optimized for speed.

Making sure your website loads quickly will prevent your page from losing engagements, leads, and sales.

A slow-loading site is a major issue for internet users. Most users will leave if your site doesn’t load in less than 3 seconds.

60. Where in the Sales Funnel Should Content Go?

Marketers are creating/distributing most of their content to early-stage buyers. This is purely informative content that hopes to coerce readers deeper into the funnel with its value.

This content can get a ton of engagements and views, prioritizing brand awareness for further gains expected in the future.

61. The Best Days for Sharing Content

Tuesday is the best day to post content on social media, which is concurrent with other studies.

Publishing content on a Wednesday sees the next best return, with a high number of shares, while users often interact with posts on a Monday, too.

The weekend is not normally a great time of the week to target with your posts. People are busy on weekends and are not engaging with content nearly as much as they are throughout the week.

62. The Best Content Management Platforms

What content management platform should businesses use when setting up a website or blog?

WordPress is the largest content management platform, with a market share of 65%.

40% of all websites use WordPress, which is the favorite among 18% of marketers (HubSpot).

WordPress’ popularity means it is a good place to start, although it’s not necessarily the platform of choice for bloggers. Tumblr is the biggest blogging platform. It’s home to nearly 500 million blogs.

63. Mobile Optimization is Key

A functional and responsive mobile site goes a long way in this day and age. Billions of internet users access websites on their mobile phones. Making this experience as easy as possible makes content more accessible for mobile visitors, and reduces site abandonment.

Responsive loading times and a clear, simplistic design will improve a user’s mobile experience of your business and content. This will only boost the effectiveness of content marketing strategies on mobile.

Optimizing a website for the mobile viewer can triple a brand’s chances of achieving mobile conversion rates of 5% or above, yet just 35% of brands have a mobile-optimized site (Invesp).

64. Keep Content Posts Short on Facebook

Short posts perform best on Facebook. Businesses that keep descriptions, captions, and external links shorter have the best chance of succeeding on the platform.

If you’re posting an image or video, avoid vague language and needless sentences. Let your content do the talking and you could see major boosts in engagement.

65. Add a Thumbnail for Facebook Sharing

Adding a thumbnail to your post will improve engagement as well. Article posts that show a thumbnail receive over 3X more shares than Facebook posts without one.

Visual content catches users’ attention and draws them into engaging with your article. Posts can merge into a sea of timeline updates if you’re not careful. Adding a thumbnail prevents this from happening.

Facebook can even choose a thumbnail for you when you post video content, making the process super-easy. There’s really no excuse to not be using one!

66. Video (and Live Video) Wins on Facebook

Talking of Facebook video, it’s the best type of content you can publish on the platform.

Video is one of the most engaging types of media, and, on Facebook, video receives a greater reach because of this superior level of engagement.

You can one-up static video marketers by using the Facebook Live feature. Facebook Live is an important live video platform for marketers — it allows businesses to connect with a huge audience through a captivating medium.

Whatever type of video you decide to use, make sure you add subtitles. According to Digiday, 85% of Facebook users watch videos without the sound turned on.

67. The Most Popular Influencer Marketing Platforms

A lot of marketers use social media influencers to distribute their content and advertising materials. This is called influencer marketing.

It’s becoming increasingly prominent with content marketers. As social platforms grow larger, more influencers gather bigger followings, which means marketing through these people is becoming more impactful.

Granted, most influencer campaigns involve an ad or product placement. Some marketers, however, do get results when distributing content here or collaborating with influencers. It can be a great way to reach your target audience.

Instagram is currently the best place to find influencers, used by 68% of marketers. Though, the platform’s usage has fallen from 80% last year.

The biggest riser in the field has been TikTok. TikTok’s record-breaking rise has seen it climb from insignificance to be used by 45% of influencer marketers — backed by an army of popular creators.

68. Twitch and TikTok Are Emerging and Worth Watching

Data from the Upfluence influencer platform shows a significant rise in the number of Upfluence influencers on Twitch and TikTok throughout 2020.

After fairly consistent increases year-on-year, Twitch and TikTok became flooded with new influencers in 2020. Creators flocked to Twitch and TikTok after the COVID-19 lockdown led to a huge growth in user-base and viewership across both platforms.

TikTok saw the biggest growth of the 2. The number of influencers on TikTok almost tripled in 2020.

69. The Traits of a Great TikTok

The majority of content marketers are still somewhat unsure about TikTok. The platform has a huge potential reach with a large number of influencers, yet TikTok was still not featured as a top platform in the CMI’s yearly study.

This should certainly change in the future, however, as TikTok can have a huge impact on marketing performance.

American drinks brand Ocean Spray gained 15 billion media impressions when content creator Nathan Apodaca (@420doggface208) posted a TikTok video while holding a bottle of the popular cranberry juice drink. Ocean Spray didn’t even have to pay for advertising!

To maximize the impact of TikTok content, businesses can implement a few different rules to boost content performance and engagement. TikTok’s stats primarily apply to ads, but the same rules ultimately apply to all content on the platform.

70. Promote Your Products on Instagram Stories

It’s in every content marketer’s best interests to post content on Instagram Stories. The platform is hugely popular in 2021, with more than 500 million active users every day.

The data suggests flashing sneak peeks of products or services through Stories is a good idea. Whether through seeing an ad or a piece of content, more than 58% of users have been interested in products on Stories. Half of Instagram users have eventually visited a brand’s website to make a purchase.

You should couple this type of Stories content with a regular posting pattern. According to one study, accounts that post up to 5 Stories every day boost their engagement rates and viewer retention (SocialInsider).

71. Colorful Content for the Instagram Feed

90% of Instagrammers follow a business account through the platform, so catering to this audience with good content is an important factor in a successful campaign.

In general, posting colorful content that grabs users’ attention is the best plan of action. A study from Social Media Labs found that colorful images receive all-around better engagement than black-and-white content.

This makes sense: colorful images stand out on the Instagram feed and explore page. The more color you add the better the effect; using vibrant colors can actually boost likes by another 18%.

72. LinkedIn Live is Underrated

There are more than 700 million LinkedIn members spread across 200+ countries, 90 million of which are senior-level members, with over 55 million businesses on the platform, too. It’s easy to see why LinkedIn is the most impactful social platform for B2B marketers.

And what better way to reach this massive audience than through LinkedIn Live? LinkedIn’s live video features are relatively new, and because of this have seen little use amongst marketers.

All of the signs suggest the tide is changing, however, so expect to see LinkedIn Live become a key part of B2B marketers’ strategies over the next few years.

73. Link to Informational Content

LinkedIn is the number one trusted social platform, so it’s no surprise to see that informative content performs best on the site.

Okay, that’s pretty much the theme across most content types, but on LinkedIn, informative content is doubly important.

55% of corporate decision-makers consume LinkedIn content before working with that organization, while 1 in 5 investors rate the platform as the best place to learn about something (LinkedIn).

That means (if you want to succeed on LinkedIn) you need to create comprehensive content that covers your topic with expertise.

Slightly longer content should be perfect for this purpose. Posts between 1900 and 2000 words perform best on LinkedIn, receiving the highest level of engagement.

74. YouTube Is Critical for Businesses

YouTube is a great place to post your brand’s video content. It’s the most popular platform amongst video marketers: 87% of them post brand videos on YouTube (Wyzowl).

YouTube is the world’s biggest video streaming platform, and its huge user base watches more than 1 billion hours of YouTube content every day.

These users love to discover new products, services, and companies while on YouTube. Businesses can expect huge rewards if they can grow a following and tap into the platform’s reach.

75. Publish Mobile Friendly Videos on Youtube

Video content on YouTube needs to be mobile-friendly because the vast majority of users will be watching your videos on their smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device.

Mobile usage is a prevailing theme in every corner of the internet, and the same applies to your YouTube content. Add plenty of graphics and on-screen text to your videos, and make sure camera shots are always clear and easy to see.

Doing so will cater to a mass of mobile viewers, which will see great results!

76. Thumbnails and Hashtags Boost Views

Thumbnails and hashtags are 2 simple elements you can add to your YouTube posts, both of which will drive better results.

The first of these elements is practically a no-brainer on YouTube. Almost everyone adds thumbnails to their YouTube posts. Thumbnails create intrigue, drawing people in to view your post, and this boosts your content’s ranking.

YouTube’s algorithm also loves hashtags, which means users can boost SEO performance by adding hashtags in the description of their post.

Adding related keywords here will increase a YouTube video’s chance of reaching the “recommended” section. That’s important because most views on YouTube happen in this area of the platform.

77. Email Still Has a Great ROI

Email content marketing is an extremely effective tactic. Guides, blogs, and newsletters can be great forms of content to send to your audience and boost brand awareness. When customers are interested, adding promotional materials can result in a high return-on-investment.

There will be over 4.3 billion email users by 2023. The returns that can be had from this massive audience have driven usage by content marketers for years. That’s why over 80% of marketers use email to distribute content.

78. Effective Email Marketing Tactics

With email’s ROI in mind, what are the best tactics to generate engagement through email?

The most content-specific tactic on the list is “dynamic content.” Dynamic content is content that offers a highly personalized experience for viewers as they engage.

This could mean changing aspects of the content to suit the viewer’s preferences. Though only fifth on this list, make no mistake, dynamic content works wonders!

Personalizing emails can also lead to fantastic results when distributing content. Personalized subject lines increase email open rates by 50%, while optimizing for mobile will see returns too.

On a side note, sending videos through email should yield positive outcomes too. Adding video content to your emails can triple-click rates.

5 Key Takeaways

To finish things off, we’ll recap 5 key content marketing trends to keep in mind for 2021.

1. TikTok is One to Watch

Though TikTok didn’t feature as one of the most popular channels for marketers, expect this to change in the near future.

TikTok did make an appearance on the Influencer Marketing Hub’s top influencer platforms, which demonstrates the platform’s rising usage and close-knit community.

Influencers aren’t the only reason TikTok could be a major channel in the future. The platform prioritizes short-form video, which is popular amongst internet users right now. It’s also highly engaging.

TikTok will continue to add AR/interactive elements, and, crucially, the platform will continue to grow. Expect more marketers to use this channel once industry leaders start seeing results.

2. Build Communities

Marketers must prioritize online community building moving forward. Surprisingly, this is not a focus for some marketers, but it certainly should be.

The rise of social media demonstrates a prevailing theme – people are now using the internet to join online communities, not real-life ones. In which case, building your own online community should see huge results.

Of course, this is achieved through consistent, high-quality content.

Blog posts and podcasts, another emerging form, are a great way to foster a community following.

3. Live Streaming for the Future

Live streaming is a big deal, and it’s only getting bigger. Expect more marketers to realize live video’s plethora of potential benefits.

We know live streaming will grow because so many marketers who’ve adopted the strategy have seen results. Live streaming platforms like Twitch, Facebook Live, and Instagram Live are expanding at a rapid pace, too, meaning there are more viewers to target with live video content.

4. Interactive Forms Are Emerging

Live streaming isn’t the only emerging form of content marketers should try. There are others, too.

Namely: interactive content. Marketers are already in the process of adopting interactive content on a large scale, converting existing blog posts, infographics, and videos into interactive content.

Interactive content is highly engaging, and this could be the content type of choice for future marketers.

There are other types of interactive videos, such as AR, VR, or 360-degree videos, that are expected to make a big impact on the world of content marketing. So watch this space.

5. Mobile Content Consumption

We’ve mentioned mobile use at various points throughout this article. Make no mistake: mobile will be the dominant force in years to come.

Actually, it already is. As of Q1 2021, mobile accounts for nearly 55% of internet traffic. Gone are the “old days” of desktop surfing.

In light of these changes, marketers need to reimagine the prototypical internet user. That person is no longer sitting behind a monitor and a keyboard, they’re viewing your content through a smartphone!

Always think about the mobile user as you plan, craft, and create your content, website, or wider content strategy. It’s the medium through which most users see your stuff!

The Bottom Line

We’ve covered statistics on a wide range of areas within content marketing, from the best channels to the top-performing pieces of content, and all of the best practices you should employ when creating or distributing content.

Content marketing is a hugely varied topic, with so many niche channels and content types that are suitable to different sectors/businesses.

Certainly, use the tactics outlined in this article. They can see major results! But also immerse yourself within the area of content marketing you want to learn more about. In a topic so broad, focusing on one specific niche can make a huge difference!

That’s all from us today, good luck!

Tom Read

Tom is a writer with experience building and hosting a WordPress blog. Tom writes on a range of topics, from technology to culture, and is a strong advocate for digital rights.

5 Ways To Promote Your New Mediation Business On A $0 Marketing Budget

For any business, marketing and advertising can easily be one of your most significant expenses. 

And, as a newer mediation business, your job is to provide your clients with cost-effective, problem-solving solutions, not worrying about spending your business revenue on marketing or advertising. 

With that in mind, we’ve come up with the following list of 5 simple, low-cost tactics for promoting your mediation business on a $0 marketing budget. 

Search Engine Optimization

Using the right words and keyword terms on your web pages makes it easier for search engines to find your site and display it to the right people when they search for those keywords on Google or Bing. 

Note that many other aspects of SEO, such as your site speed and your link profile, go into a full-blown SEO marketing campaign. And, unfortunately, hiring an SEO professional can be expensive. 

But using specific, relevant keywords on your web pages doesn’t need to cost a dime! 

So while planning and designing your website, make sure to do a bit of keyword analysis, and include those keywords on your site. 

Blogging

Blogging is another effective, low-cost method for promoting your new mediation business. 

By creating and writing content related to mediation, arbitration, law, etc., you’ll be able to connect with your audience in a way that can be informative, interesting, and engaging while also painting your business as one that knows what they’re talking about. 

Additionally, by creating content that’s relevant to your industry, you’ll gradually be adding an increasing number of relevant, industry-specific keywords to your site, which will boost your site’s SEO at the same time as promoting your brand online!

Social Media Marketing

There are many reasons that social media marketing is a great way to promote a business. 

But one of the best reasons to promote your new mediation business on social media is that it’s completely free to use! 

As you progress in the life of your business, you’ll eventually want to use PPC ads and other forms of paid marketing. 

But for now, we recommend that you get started by creating a few social media accounts, notably on the most popular networks, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linked In. 

Then, start connecting with other social users, local businesses, or anyone else you can think of that might be interested in your products or services. 

Word Of Mouth

Although it’s often underrated, word-of-mouth marketing is still, to this day, one of the best ways to promote your new mediation business!

Plus, things like sharing business cards, attending local networking events, and simply talking about your business to your friends and relatives are ideal for spreading the word about your business without spending a dime on ads.  

Online Reviews

Similarly, word of mouth marketing, online reviews are great ways to promote your business to the world. 

By making sure that your business is visible on sites like Yelp and Google Maps, internet users will easily view your client or customer reviews from a source they trust. 

Just make sure to stay active and respond professionally to all feedback, whether good or bad and always take the time to thank your customers for their feedback. 

$0 Marketing Tips For Mediation Businesses

As a mediation business owner, it can be challenging to find the time or money to promote your new business to the world. 

However, marketing and promotion are two essential components to the success of your business! 

Fortunately, with social media marketing, blogging, SEO, word of mouth, and online reviews, it’s perfectly possible to market your business without any marketing budget!

Written by Mattie Singleton

10 Best Content Marketing Software In 2021 (+ What They Do)

Consumers generally hate any type of content whose sole purpose is to market a product. In fact, about 74% of consumers surveyed indicated that they experienced too many ads on a day-to-day basis. This is a reality that many brands and content marketers are increasingly becoming aware of, which increases the need to get creative and experimental about content marketing.

The fact that content marketing can produce excellent results can’t be disputed. Unique site traffic is 7.8x higher for content marketing leaders than those who are lagging behind in this area. What is still a challenge for many is how to develop a content marketing strategy that will result in your team reaping the benefits of interactive content. 

In this article, I introduce some of the best content marketing software products you can use to help your marketing team with managing workflows, content production, posting automation, template selection, social media management, and running effective email marketing campaigns.

At the end of this piece, I have a brief FAQ to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about content marketing software. 

The Best Content Marketing Software 

Here’s a shortlist of the best content marketing tools:

1. Buffer

2. Semrush

3. Hootsuite

4. Monday.com

5. Hive for Marketers

6. Integrate

7. Funnel

8. Ceros

9. Pixlee

10. Dot

Content Marketing Platform Comparison Criteria

What do I look for when I select the best content management software? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria: 

1. User Interface (UI): Any content marketing software should have a UI that makes their specialty/key features uber accessible right off the bat. For example, content optimization tools and content creation tools should prioritize their most relevant components (i.e., SEO/keyword research vs. publishing/grammar help, respectively).

2. Usability: Is it easy to learn and master? Does the company offer good tech support, user support, tutorials, and training? I expect software that scores well on usability to make your content marketing efforts easy when creating content for large contact lists, targeted email campaigns, and social media activities.

3. Integrations: Is the software easy to connect with other tools? Any pre-built integrations? In this case, I look for content curation software that integrates tools capable of connecting the entire marketing team, including project management, freelancers, and influencers, in real time. Integrations connect important components, and that ensures the story coming from your brand is coherent, which ultimately results in quality content.

4. Value for $: How appropriate is the price for the features, capabilities, and use case? Is the pricing clear, transparent, and flexible? I believe that the developers of a content marketing tool should show how the product will translate to benefits matching the cost. In this case, I am looking at how the tool will help me attain tangible benefits like creating content leading to better lead generation, attracting more eyes to my landing pages through an effective content calendar, and ranking higher on search engines.

Content Marketing Solutions: Key Features

When I look at content marketing software, these are the seven important features I look for: 

1. Content creation: Producing quality content is not easy. Therefore, a good content management tool needs to bring the whole digital marketing team together so that a created piece of content results from the inputs of all team members involved.

2. SEO tools: Getting search engine optimization right should be the primary goal of a content marketing team. Content marketing software with excellent SEO tools makes it easier to determine the keywords your target audience is searching for.

3. Workflow automation: Automation ensures that there are no missed steps in your content development efforts. This feature is especially crucial when dealing with the content calendar and social media platforms.

4. Analytics and tracking: Whether you are involved in creating content for social media marketing or running a website, you always want to know how your content is performing. Analytics tools are important to me as they help me determine what is working and what is not.

5. Email management: Emails are an essential tool in your brand awareness efforts. Content marketing software should allow you to streamline the distribution of your created content through personalized emails.

6. CRM integration: If done well, your content marketing will begin to generate leads. Therefore, you need software that automatically collects the data and conversations into a central repository where different teams can access the information they need and take the process forward until the prospect becomes a customer.

7. Social media marketing: A good content marketing tool should bring all your social media digital assets together so that you don’t have to log on to different social media platforms to create posts for your social media platforms.

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Overview Of The 10 Best Content Marketing Software

Here’s a brief description of each content marketing software to showcase each tool’s best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a snapshot of the interface. 

Some noteworthy features and screenshots to give a snapshot of the interface. 

1. Buffer – Best content creation tool for small businesses

Schedule your videos directly to your social media accounts for automatic posting.

Buffer is mainly designed for small businesses that want to drive engagement using social media. The software designers created a simple tool that connects those who generate content with those responsible for approving it. The tool allows you to create content and post it on several social media sites simultaneously.

This tool is on my best content marketing software list because of its array of features. The tool covers content marketing extensively, from planning, through its Stories and Hashtag Planner features, to Post Analytics and Custom reports that help you understand the results of your content marketing efforts. 

Buffer integrates with WordPress, Microsoft, Feedly, Pocket, CrowdRiff, Scoup.it, Paper.li, CoSchedule, Quuu, Upflow, RiteKit, Bulk.ly, Nelio Content, Pixlee, Gather, SocialBee, Hiplay, HayOrca, CloudCampaign, Design Huddle, PicMonkey, Planable, Cronycle, Evergreen Content Post, and Gain. Plus, you can use a paid plan through Zapier or automate.io to access hundreds more integration options.

Buffer costs from $15/month for eight social channels and one user. The free plan allows up to three social channels and one user. 

VISIT WEBSITE

2. Semrush – Best for SEO and competitor research

Identify the keywords your audiences are searching for and easily add them to your content.

Semrush is an excellent tool for teams that want to focus on SEO and analyze what is working for the competition. The designers of the tool promise that their SEO expertise is based on 20 billion keywords, 310 million ads, and 17 billion URLs crawled daily. This data gives you real-time recommendations on improving your marketing process.   

One of the features that put Semrush on many top content marketing software lists is that it also includes link building. Added to the fact that the tool delivers technical audits, keyword research, and competition spying, it is also important to say that the tool provides anyone who uses it with a complete suite for managing SEO. These are useful features for any team that wants to rank high on search engines. 

Semrush integrates with all Google products, major social media networks, WordPress, Trello, Majestic, and hundreds of other options with a paid Zapier plan.

Semrush costs from $119.95/team/month. It also offers a free account with limited features. 

VISIT WEBSITE

3. Hootsuite – Best for automating social media posts

Have all your conversations about social media content in one place and avoid confusion.

Hootsuite is designed to assist users in saving time when managing social media content creation conversations. This tool will assist you in following the conversations on social media, inform you when your brand has been mentioned, and give you an idea of how your posts are doing. Moreover, when using Hootsuite, all your image assets can be accessed from the Hootsuite dashboard, ensuring that everything you need to create a post is in one place. 

Hootsuite’s freemium plan is among the features making this tool is one of the best software packages for content marketing. This plan offers many more options compared with similar plans from other companies.  The calendar-based content planner also helps you see everything from a bird’s-eye view, making it easier to identify content gaps.

Hootsuite integrates with more than 200 applications, including Brandwatch, Google, Microsoft Proofpoint, and Tint.

Hootsuite costs from $19/user/month and offers a 30-day free trial on each plan. 

VISIT WEBSITE

4. monday – Best for templates for organizing content production

Choose the most suitable template for visually organizing workflows.

Content marketing can be confusing where teams are unable to visualize the connection between different types of content. This is a challenge that monday.com solves with its content management templates. The templates allow you to use different labels and colors to organize your workflows by assigned writer, content type, client, or deadline.

One of the top features that make monday a good content management tool is its simple interface. The tool is designed to turn email notifications into prioritized tasks. The Board feature provides a fully customizable table where team members can get an idea of the progress others have made regarding a specific part of the ideation, creation, or analysis process.  

monday.com’s integrations include project management apps like Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform and many more, accessible through a paid plan with Zapier. 

Monday costs from $8/user/month and offers a free forever plan for up to two seats. 

VISIT WEBSITE

5. Hive for Marketers – Best for estimating and tracking resources and time spent creating content

Estimate the time and resources required to complete a content marketing project.

Managers and other decision-makers expect tangible results from their organization’s content marketing efforts. Hive for Marketers has created this tool to make it easier to estimate and track resources spent on a content marketing project. This helps teams defend their work by showing the resources they have used, and the changes realized due to using such resources. 

One of the great features of Hive for Marketers is that it allows task owners to create projects from their sub-tasks. The tool also allows teams to add external users without paying additional fees. This is an essential feature if you want clients to easily see the status of their projects from your project management tool.

Hive integrates with over a thousand third-party apps but requires a paid plan through Zapier to do so.

Hive for Marketers costs from $12/user/month and offers a free trial lasting 14 days.

VISIT WEBSITE

6. Integrate – Best for B2B content marketers

Get the right insights to make decisions about content marketing that targets compliant leads.

The creators of Integrate realize that B2B content marketing is more challenging than B2C content marketing. This is why they have created a tool that helps content marketing teams identify compliant leads in a B2B setting. This ensures that teams do not waste time creating content for and interacting with leads that lead to a dead end.

Integrate deserves a spot among the best content management software mainly because of its excellent customer support team. Moreover, the tool makes it easy to view an audience’s demographic breakdown, giving you an idea of the location and job titles of the people interacting with your content, which helps you understand your audience better.

Integrate integrates with Facebook, LinkedIn, Salesforce, Bombora, and Marketo, among others.  

You can request a demo to test the Integrate Demand Acceleration Platform and learn more about pricing.

VISIT WEBSITE

7. Funnel – Best for managing content marketing data in a single place

Easily manage your streamlined data in different formats on a single screen.

All the data your company accumulates will have little value if not properly managed and used to make informed decisions. Funnel helps teams bring their data to a central repository where it is easier to better organize and understand the accumulated data. The tool makes it easy to create reports from the analyzed data. 

The main reason Funnel belongs in this list is that it allows content marketers to handle data from a broad array of sources without the need to code. Coding can be a time-consuming task. Also, the tool’s ability to create custom metrics using all the data it collects from various sources reduces the potential for mistakes in reports. 

Funnel integrates with more than 500 data sources, including HubSpot, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google AdSense.

Funnel costs from $399/month (billed annually) and comes with a free demo and free trial.  

VISIT WEBSITE

8. Ceros – Best for teams that want to manage most content creation in-house

Know what each member of the team is working on and manage in-house conversations easily.

The developers of Ceros indicate that when they created this software, they were aware that some companies do not have adequate budgets to use the services of marketing agencies. Consequently, this SaaS solution is designed to ensure that most of your content marketing tasks can be completed in-house. 

Ceros has made it into my top list of content marketing tools because it seeks to serve a niche within the content marketing space: creating landing pages. In most companies, you will find that Ceros is used by the graphic design teams that often find its drag-and-drop design platform pretty useful. 

Ceros integrates with WordPress, Adobe Illustrator, MailChimp, Google Analytics, HubSpot Marketing Hub, HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM, Zapier, Hootsuite, Facebook, Twitter, Marketo Engage, Act-On, Skyword, and Oracle Eloqua. 

You will need to contact Ceros to get an idea of the software’s pricing plans.

VISIT WEBSITE

9. Pixlee – Best for teams working with influencers

Track campaigns involving influencers, manage costs and show influencer activity ROI.

Pixlee helps marketing teams manage content created by influencers, private social media accounts, and customers.  One of the reasons traditional advertising is being overtaken by content marketing is that people generally believe things said by those they trust instead of big brands. Managing influencers has become increasingly important for marketers who want to get their content to as many people as possible.

Pixlee deserves a spot on the best content marketing software list because it can save teams a lot of time and money. The tool achieves this by making it easier to source content, request permission to use content, and use content generated by users and other private individuals. This software will assist your team in getting authentic content that resonates with your audiences because it is those audiences that create it.

Pixlee integrates with Salesforce, BigCommerce, Shopify, MailChimp, and WordPress, among others.

You will need to contact Pixlee and request a demo to get an idea of the software’s pricing plans. 

VISIT WEBSITE

10. Dot – Best for creating interactive content

Categorize your interactive content by experience type and make it easy for your audience to find what they are looking for.

Dot.vu is designed to help content marketers implement interactive experiences. If your customers are to remember your brand, interactive experiences will play a huge role. From these interactive experiences, the software helps you collect insights that enable you to improve your content while also keeping your audiences interacting with your content for longer. 

Dot.vu is an excellent tool because it is one of the most uncomplicated interactive content generating tools you will find in the market today. It comes with over 100 templates where you can select an experience, customize it to your brand, configure data collection, publish and embed content, and analyze performance. 

Dot.vu does not list specific integrations on their site but they do promise social integrations and other connections if you are on their advanced or pro accounts.

Dot.vu costs from $450/user/month, and you can book a free demo on the company’s website. 

VISIT WEBSITE

Other Content Marketing App Options

Here are a few more that didn’t make the top list.

1. Wrike – Best for managing constantly changing content

2. Foleon – Best for targeting customers in the early stages of the customer journey

3. Trello – Best for teams looking for a free software solution with great features

4. Sprinklr – Best for creating content targeted at the sales phase of the customer journey

5. Falcon.io – Best for merging social data with CRM

6. Spott – Best for getting audiences engaged in the content creation process

7. ClearVoice – Best for managing freelance content teams

8. MyAdBox – Best for automotive industry content creators

9. Blogely – Best for market research to make informed content marketing decisions

10. Issuu – Best for automating content marketing

11. Ion by Rock Content – Best for teams that want added services

12. Facelift Cloud – Best for social listening

13. Topic – Best for creating content briefs

14. Readable – Best for testing readability

15. Wordtune – Best for improving content quality

16. OrchestraCMS – Best for organizing thoughts and turning them into content

17. Paperflite – Best for creating content for customer-facing teams

18. Contently – Best enterprise content creation grid

19. BuzzSumo – Best for IDing influencers in your niche

20. Curata – Best to curate & share 3rd-party content

21. Kapost – Best to align marketing with sales teams

22. ContentStudio – Best content marketing for startups

Content Marketing: FAQ

I’ve answered a few frequently asked questions about content marketing and content marketing programs below. Take a look. 

What is content marketing software?

To get a better idea of what content marketing software is, let’s start by defining content marketing.

There is no better place to find a  definition of content marketing than the Content Marketing Institute. It says, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”  

Based on the definition above, we can define content marketing software as a program or operating information a computer uses to manage the content creation process or parts of the process from the beginning to the end.

Content marketing software is sometimes referred to as a content marketing platform (CMP).

Some of the tasks that can be accomplished using content marketing software include planning the content calendar, raising brand awareness, collecting data, and generating reports.   

Why is content marketing important? 

To build a loyal customer base, you will need to manage the entire customer journey. This involves assisting customers in making informed decisions about what they eventually purchase. To successfully achieve this, you will need helpful content that answers customer questions and solve their problems.

The HubSpot blog indicates why content marketing is essential. It says, “Content marketing is important because it answers your audience’s questions. With content marketing, you can build trust with your audience, improve conversions, connect with customers, and generate leads.” Adding, “And, in today’s age, customers expect high-quality, consistent content from their favorite brands.”  

What is a content marketing example?  

Some of the best content marketing examples are blogs or YouTube channels managed by brands. For a resource to be a compelling content marketing example, it should not just focus on selling a product but also on providing genuine content that leaves an individual saying, “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Social media profiles that provide content resonating with followers are also great examples of content marketing.   

What Do You Think About These Content Marketing Solutions?

Have you used any of the content marketing software we have listed here or others we haven’t mentioned? If so, let us know about your experiences in the comments section. 

For more insights into issues related to content marketing, visit the Indie Media Club Blog. 

Written By Ben Aston

Published by: https://indiemedia.club/tools/content-marketing-software/

Blogging - Quick Tips

Blogging - Quick Tips

 • Write conversationally and with personality. This is a blog, not a legal alert or article.

• Write on general news and apply it to your niche. If a hurricane is hitting the East Coast, write about the insurance claims to come or the construction mediations that will result.

• Avoid long block paragraphs. People scan on the web. Use short paragraphs (one to three sentences) and use bullets where you can.

• Block-quote sources. Use subheads to break up sections. Don’t worry about exact word count, but a post as brief as 400 to 500 words can be sufficient. Full blown articles can be posted on LinkedIn Articles.

• Use images for every post. They show personality, reinforce your brand ID, and posts with larger images at the top are more likely to be shared on social networks like Facebook or LinkedIn.

• Keep your titles short but descriptive.  Titles determine how your posts get indexed on Google and how they are displayed in RSS readers. Short and engaging titles get shared most on social media

If you need help setting up your blog let me know.  I can help develop a system for cataloging idea topics, finding images, publishing calendars, and more.

6 Ways Others Can Promote Your Business

When people ask if they can help you, be prepared to say yes with these simple strategies.

How many times have friends, family and associates said "If there's anything I can do to help you, let me know"? How often have you said, "Well, now that you mention it, there are a few things you could do"? If you're like most people, you aren't prepared to accept help at the moment it's offered. You let the opportunity slip by because you haven't given enough thought to the kinds of help you need.

You haven't made the connection between specific items or services you need and the people who can supply them. But when help is offered, it's to your advantage to be prepared and to respond by stating a specific need.

Want to encourage your happy customers to spread the word about your business?

Here's how.

Don't let the next opportunity for others to help slip through your fingers!

Being prepared with some simple requests can make a real difference in the success of your business. Systematic referral marketing requires that you determine, as precisely as possible, the type of help you want and need. There are many ways your sources can help you promote yourself and your business:

1.     They can provide you with referrals. The kind of support you'd most like to get from your contacts is referrals--the names of specific individuals who need your products and services. They can also give prospects your name and number. As the number of referrals you receive increases, so does your potential for increasing the percentage of your business generated through referrals.

2.     They can introduce you to prospects. Your contacts can help you build new relationships faster by introducing you in person to people they think need your products and services. Furthermore, they can provide you with key information about the prospect. They can also tell the prospect a few things about you, your business, how the two of you met, some of the things you and the prospect have in common, and the value of your products and services.

3.     They can endorse your products and services. By telling others what they've gained from using your products or services in presentations or informal conversations, your sources can encourage others to use your products or services.

4.     They can display your literature and products in their offices and homes. If these items are displayed well--such as on a counter or bulletin board in a waiting room--visitors will ask questions or read the information. Some may take your promotional materials and display them in other places, increasing your visibility.

5.     They can distribute your information. Your contacts can help you distribute marketing materials. For instance, a dry cleaner might attach a coupon from the hair salon next door to each plastic bag he/she uses to cover customers' clothes. Including your flier in the middle of their newsletter is another idea.

6.     They can publish information for you. Your contacts may be able to get information about you and your business printed in publications they subscribe to and in which they have some input or influence. For example, a source who belongs to an association that publishes a newsletter might help you get an article published or persuade the editor to run a story about you.

Keep this list with you and add to it as other needs occur to you. Knowing how to match your needs with the right sources is key to obtaining the type of help you need. But remember--it's a two-way street. These support activities are also things you can do to help your contacts promote their businesses and generate referrals. Helping your sources achieve their goals goes a long way toward building effective and rewarding relationships.

Finally, it's good practice to develop a list of ways to reward referral sources for helping you. Once a referral has become a customer, be sure to recognize and reward your source appropriately. Doing so encourages them to send you more referrals. Distinguish between appropriate tangible (e.g., cash or thank you cards,) and intangible (e.g., a public thank-you) rewards. Estimate the cost, and set aside some money to pay for your recognition program. The key is to find a unique, memorable way to say "Thank you" and to encourage your colleagues and friends to keep sending you referrals that turn into a business.

It may take a while, but if you've selected and trained your sources well, and if you use the system to its best advantage, you will speed up the process of turning the ever-important referral into business.

- from Ivan Misner

Natalie | May 7, 2018 at 6:49 pm | Tags: arbitration, arbitration marketing, Business Development, customer service, getting business, increasing business, increasing caseload, marketing mediation, marketing plan, mediation marketing, Networking, practice building | Categories: Business Development, Networking, Selling Service, Uncategorized | URL: https://wp.me/p6EI6T-5y

Be Consistent and Persistent

by Natalie

One of the fatal flaws of marketing is that when business is brisk, many mediators tend to slow down their marketing efforts. Then when business slows down, these mediators feel the urgency to redouble their promotional efforts. This is a bit like applying the brakes as you climb a hill, then accelerating on the way back down.

The preferable - and ultimately low-cost - technique is to market consistently and persistently at an even keel. Be the tortoise, not the hare. The marketing seeds that you sow in the times of brisk business will come to flower when economic downturns tend to slow down business generally. And you will not waste marketing dollars in times of economic downturn by over marketing at a time the return on those investments is much less. Spread it out evenly. Be consistent and persistent.

Entrepreneurship, ADR, and Diversity

https://www.americanbar.org/digital-asset-abstract.html/content/dam/aba/publications/just-resolutions/february-2020/natalie-armstrong-motin-entrepreneurship-adr-and-diversity.pdf

February 21, 2020

Just Resolutions for the ABA

Are You Ready? Number 2 in a Series of 6

by Natalie

As you recall, in last week's blog I provided a six-item checklist to help you determine how well positioned you are to get word-of-mouth and mindshare marketing working for you. 

Last week I discussed the importance of building a unique brand.  Today, I address the commitment needed to develop a one-of-a-kind practice.  Specifically, I examine the second question on the checklist: 

“Have you committed all of your time, money, and energy to developing the distinctive quality for which you want your practice to be known--that is, the characteristic that sets you apart from your competition? 

Or, are you squandering your resources by attempting to build a generic practice intended to meet all potential ADR clients’ needs?”

 I have seen many providers fail to develop a practice because they assumed that obtaining ADR certification and printing business cards were the only steps needed to garner a profitable caseload. 

This, unfortunately, is not the case.

Building a successful practice requires that you devote time and concerted effort toward marketing. Being an ADR provider--even a very skilled one--is not sufficient in and of itself to generate a thriving practice; you need to actively harvest a stream of potential clients by getting the word out about who you serve (your target market), how your practice benefits your target market, and what makes you special.

The easiest and least expensive way to market your practice is to tell everyone you know and meet, whether they be extended family, neighbors, acquaintances, or members of clubs, associations, or the congregation to which you belong, what you do for a living and what makes your practice distinctive so that they can refer appropriate clients to you.  Be sure to carry your business cards with you at all times, even to the supermarket, dry cleaners, or gym.  Wherever you go, talk about your practice and pass out your card.

In addition to ensuring that everyone you know knows what you do, you should capitalize on your unique marketing talents.  Bear in mind that the more creative you are with the time and energy you invest in publicizing your work, the less money you will need to spend.  If you’re a seasoned public speaker, give speeches to all the Chambers of Commerce within a 50 mile radius of your office, your local bar association, and to churches/synagogues.    But most importantly speak to your primary and secondary target markets.  If you have a flair for the written word, submit articles to association newsletters or your hometown paper and most importantly the newsletters, blogs, and periodicals that your primary and secondary target markets read.  If you’re a gifted artist, design an eye-catching brochure, business card, and web site (if you're not artistic, hire someone to do these all important tasks).

 If you commit time, energy, and loving care to cultivating your practice, like all living things, it will grow.

 Next week - 

Have you developed a niche that leverages your background and expertise?    Or, are you trying to build a practice that fails to draw on your previous professional experience?

Are You Ready? Number 1 in a Series of 6

by Natalie

Last week I provided a six-item checklist to help you determine how well positioned you are to get word-of-mouth and mindshare marketing working for you.  And I promised to provide a detailed discussion of each item in the next six Marketing Resolution blog posts.

So, today I examine the first question on the list:  “Have you decided on the single thing for which you want to become well known?  Or are you still trying be everything to everyone?”.

To have business beat a path to your door, you need some quality that sets you apart from others in the field.  If you haven’t defined yet what makes you special, here are some strategies for strengthening your brand:

One way to establish your brand is to research what your competitors are known for and make the reverse attribute your distinctive quality.  For instance, if you learn your competition has built its reputation on its national presence, focus your marketing  in the fact that you’re local.  Herald that you are a member of your community, a friend to its residents, a fan of its past and present and an activist for its future.

You can also distinguish yourself from the competition by making their area of weakness your area of strength.  If your rivals provide poor customer service, have excellent customer service be your fingerprint.  Deliver on a promise to respond to all client inquiries within 24 hours, provide the most courteous and attentive staff, and design your office so that it is inviting and comfortable.

Last, you can establish a unique brand by positioning yourself as “the most” something, whether it’s the most expensive (or most inexpensive) provider in town, the person with the most extensive background in your practice specialty, or the practitioner who’s the most empathic.

However you choose to distinguish yourself from the competition, be sure that your defining trait has worth to your target audience and is something that reflects your passions and values.  The enthusiasm you feel toward your practice is perhaps the best marketing strategy of all.

Are You Ready? Number 3 in a series of 6

by Natalie

Are you ready to get business to come to you instead of having to spend your time drumming it up.  Odds are that you’re eager to get word-of-mouth and mindshare marketing working for you.

But are you ready to do what it takes to get it?

Last week I addressed the commitment required to becoming a successful provider.

This issue is about developing a niche that capitalizes on your background and expertise instead of creating a practice that looks just like all the others.

When you begin to think about who will hire you, you should automatically think about those folks with whom you’ve already done business.  They already know, like and trust you.  They also know that you are knowledgeable in their industry.  Your knowledge of  their industry is probably due to the fact that it is your industry as well.

Your background and expertise in an industry should lead you directly to your niche.  For example – if you’ve spent your career as an architect then obviously the construction industry and it's legal representatives are your target markets.  Your practice position may be that you specialize in hearing cares that deal only with high-end, custom homes.  That is your niche.

By building and nurturing a niche practice you build on the specific experience you have already worked so hard to obtain.  Chances are that your career experience can easily be transferred into some type of niche for your ADR practice.  Be careful not to limit yourself too much in developing a niche. You’ve taken it too far if your niche is to provide conflict resolution processes to Ethiopian immigrants living in Nome Alaska who don’t belong to the union of airline employees.  You’ll starve.

Create a niche that builds on your background, is focused within your target market, and that can sustain your practice.

If you have any questions about niche marketing, just give us call to schedule a free, one-hour consultation.

Are You Ready? Number 4 in a series of 6

by Natalie

Are you ready to get business to come to you instead of having to spend your time drumming it up.  Odds are that you’re eager to get word-of-mouth and mindshare marketing working for you.

But are you ready to do what it takes to get it?

You might be surprised to find you’re not as ready as you think.

Can you clearly demonstrate why you’re the provider prospects should choose?

OR…

Are you just hoping that folks will believe enough in ADR to want to do business with you?

A clear definition of the benefits your practice has to offer are imperative.  Each provider and each practice is, or should be, unique.  You create your niche based on your experience and your expertise, as well as the need for such specialization in your geographic area.  You now need to think about how you will demonstrate your uniqueness to your target market.

One way to communicate the reasons a prospect should choose you is through anecdotes.

Allow your prospects to see something of themselves in the experiences you’ve had.

Another method of communicating your credibility and professionalism is to focus your media (both print and Internet) on the needs, concerns, fears, and issues most often seen in your clients.  Then, provide them a positive and reasonable solution to each of those concerns.  The content should be primarily about the reader and secondarily about you.

As impressive as your resume may read, your prospects are only concerned with the way in which you handle cases like theirs.

Are You Ready? Number 6 in a Series of 6

Are you ready to get business to come to you instead of having to spend your time drumming it up.  Odds are that you’re eager to get word-of-mouth and mindshare marketing working for you.

But are you ready to do what it takes to get it?

For the last five weeks we’ve been providing you a checklist of marketing activities and strategic decisions that should lead you down the mindshare path. Were you as ready as you thought?  Did you realize why you don’t yet have all the business you can enjoy?  Have you figured out what to do right away to get things going your direction?

Let me recap the last five week’s worth of questions:

Have you decided on a single thing you want to become well known for?

OR…

Are you still trying be everything to everyone?

Have you committed to spending all of your available time, money and energy into developing this one thing?

OR…

Are you dividing your time between numerous possibilities?

Have you developed your own niche that capitalizes on your background and expertise?

OR…

Are you doing what numerous other providers in your area are doing?

Can you clearly demonstrate why you’re the provider prospects should choose?

OR…

Are you just hoping that folks will believe enough in ADR to want to do business with you?

Do you have a long-term plan to reach your prospects and then maintain their attention to create mindshare?

OR…

Are you marketing efforts sporadic and inconsistent?

Now let me address the last in the series of six.

Are you able to follow your plan with the consistency and frequency to attract the clients you’re interested in obtaining?

OR…

Do you let your marketing efforts wax and wane due to a lack of time or interest?

It’s important to remember that most ADR professionals are excellent at providing resolution processes but may not have any training in marketing or entrepreneurship and therefore don’t necessarily feel comfortable promoting their services.  That’s normal.  Most professionals the world over are trained in a specialty other than marketing but need those skills to create a successful business.  The easiest way to jump this hurdle is to have a cohesive plan of marketing strategies that enables you to contact your prospective clients at regular intervals as opposed to a catch-as-catch-can approach.  Establish for yourself reasonable marketing goals.  For instance, before you do anything else every morning write personal notes to past clients thanking them for their recent business, mention the article they just authored, the promotion they just received, or an invitation to hear you speak.  You get the idea.  Reach out to 5 prospective clients each day with a link to read an article on your website or blog that educate them about our industry or a change in theirs, send a survey to primary or secondary target markets about their use of our industry, set up a speaking gig, or write and publish a new article, reach out prospects via social media, etc.

This is a simple and attainable marketing goal that if followed will reach 5,200 prospects in a year!   Now that’s marketing!

The point is to find things that you capable of doing, that you won’t resist doing, and then do them.  Do them with sincerity and enthusiasm and your target market will respond.

Why not start now?

Are You Ready? Number 5 in a series of 6

Number 5 in a series of 6 questions that deal with whether or not you’re ready to get business to come to you instead of having to spend your time drumming it up.  Odds are that you’re eager to get word-of-mouth and mindshare marketing working for you.

But are you ready to do what it takes to get it?

Unless you’re already exceptionally well positioned, getting business coming to you will take time.  How long it will take depends on how ready you are.  You might find that you’re ready immediately.  Conversely you might find that you have several weeks or months to get yourself and your practice in a position to begin attracting clients.  If you rush into trying to get business without positioning yourself solidly, you’ll just have to go back later and get into a better position.

This week’s question:

Do you have a long-term plan to reach your prospects and then maintain their attention to create mindshare?

OR…

Are your marketing efforts sporadic and inconsistent?

If you’re like most providers you already know that you need to market your practice.  And every now and then you take a step or two in that direction.  You may write letters to prospects or clients, have begun to create a practice image, opened your social media accounts, hired someone to design a web site for you or network within your target market’s associations.

These are all effective tools with which to market to your practice.  But are you using them to the best of their capacity and your benefit?

Probably not.

In order to effectively create mindshare and maintain mindshare with prospects and clients you need to establish a year-long plan of communication and campaigning.  Each contact you have with your target market should build on the next as though one continuous conversation were being had.  By contacting your target market  periodically with information about their industry and the benefits ADR can provide it, you are far more likely to be chosen when a dispute arises.

Why not start now?

Take out your calendar and make a plan!

If you need help in creating your plan just give me call.  I’ll be happy to help lead you through the process as well as brainstorm with you to create some inexpensive and creative ways to reach your market.

Top 4 Branding Tips for Mediation Practices

When it comes to resolving conflicts and disputes, mediation can be a powerful tool. In fact, it has a high success rate, and studies show that up to 89% of disputes are resolved this way. 

If you have a mediation or arbitration business - or are planning to start one in the coming years - one of the most important aspects is branding, as this is what will build your client base. 

If you’re not really sure how to begin with this, here are some tips for building your brand: 

1. Clearly define your services 

As there are various types of mediation services designed to resolve different disputes, it’s important to define the services you will be providing and who you plan to help. 

Mediation is primarily focused on the clients. So you need to think about who they are, what they do for a living, what kind of process they would be looking for, and other questions. 

You also need to consider the demographics and psychographics of your clients. Demographics are key facts about them, such as location and age; psychographics includes their interests and problems. This information will help you make decisions about branding and marketing. 

Additionally, you should do some research on your competitors to see what they’re offering. If they have the same target market, you need to create a unique value proposition that differentiates you from them and shows your clients why you can offer them more. 

2. Create a professional brand 

With any business, it’s important to establish a trustworthy brand. But, with mediation, the stakes are often higher, so you need to create a brand image that’s highly professional. 

Your clients need to trust you absolutely, and all your branding should be designed with this in mind. All areas of your business should be aligned with your core values and your services. 

If you plan to market your services online, the first step is to build a website, which needs to include key information about your business and what you offer. Additionally, if you can, you should add your credentials, as well as reviews and testimonials of your previous clients. 

You can hire a website designer to do this. Or, alternatively, you can use a website builder like Squarespace or WordPress, which provides free templates and other tools to create a suitable website. 

On your main web page, you should also include a company logo that’s recognizable to build a brand identity. If you don’t have a logo, you can make one using an online tool like Canva.com or LogoCreator. 

3. Connect with potential clients 

Once you’ve established a target client and set up an online presence, you need to start finding potential clients and reaching out to them. 

Most importantly, make sure you identify how your clients would like to communicate with you. For example, some people might prefer to network face to face, whilst others might prefer to engage on social media, over the phone, or by email. 

Doing this can help you connect with clients in a way that’s appropriate for them, and it improves their experience of your business. 

4. Focus on building relationships 

Last but not least, a mediation business requires a high level of customer service. Rather than focusing on selling your services, you should always aim to build rapport and nurture relationships with both new and existing clients. 

By doing this, you can leverage your relationships through referrals and testimonials, which is key to growing your business. You should also make your services as personal as you can, as this will improve the response you get and grow your client base. 

Written by Darin Sanchez

How Mediators Can Optimize Google My Business Listings

If you can’t afford to hire a digital marketing agency or SEO professionals, there are lots of tools that you can use for free to optimize your search rankings and one of which is the Google My Business.

As the name implies, Google My Business is a tool (free) provided by Google for businesses to manage how their details are listed in search. With this tool, you will be able to manage your locations on Google Maps as well as online reviews.

If you're running a local business you need to set up the location of your business on Google My Business so that customers will be able to find you easily when they search in Google Maps. But to make it possible you need to optimize your Google My Business listing.

Read on to learn how to optimize your listing properly.

Tips for Optimizing Google My Business Listing

1. Optimize your profile in Google My Business

When optimizing your listing making a profile that has updated, accurate, and comprehensive details is the first that you need to do. Your Google My Business profile has several parts like:

●      Name

●      Address

●      Phone Number

●      Business Category

●      Description

Aside from the above-mentioned parts, you can include other important details like availability, working hours, and URL of your website.

1. Load High-Quality and Relevant Pictures

Once you have included all the important details in your listing, you can start personalizing your Google My Business page’s visual aspects. Take note, a listing will not be completed without pictures.

A business that has images on their listings tend to obtain 35 percent more clicks and considered more trustworthy.

With this in mind, make sure to upload a logo, cover photo, profile photo, and general images to give customers an idea of what your business looks like as well as what services and products they can obtain from you.

1. Ask for online reviews and respond to them

When it comes to local searches, reviews are considered the lifeblood. Good online reviews is equivalent to sales. Meaning to say, if you have more good reviews then your sales will increase as well.

Whenever customers perform a google search to find a service, product, or business on Google, these reviews will show up. The online reviews and even the ratings allow people to compare competitors more rapidly and determine whether the business is trustworthy or if it’s selling good products and services.

Thank you for reading, hopefully, this article has helped you a lot in optimizing your Google My Business listing. If you can’t afford to hire a digital marketing agency or SEO professionals, there are lots of tools that you can use for free to optimize your search rankings and one of which is the Google My Business.

As the name implies, Google My Business is a tool (free) provided by Google for businesses to manage how their details are listed in search. With this tool, you will be able to manage your locations on Google Maps as well as online reviews.

If you're running a local business you need to set up the location of your business on Google My Business so that customers will be able to find you easily when they search in Google Maps. But to make it possible you need to optimize your Google My Business listing.

Read on to learn how to optimize your listing properly.

Tips for Optimizing Google My Business Listing

1. Optimize your profile in Google My Business

When optimizing your listing making a profile that has updated, accurate, and comprehensive details is the first that you need to do. Your Google My Business profile has several parts like:

●      Name

●      Address

●      Phone Number

●      Business Category

●      Description

Aside from the above-mentioned parts, you can include other important details like availability, working hours, and URL of your website.

1. Load High-Quality and Relevant Pictures

Once you have included all the important details in your listing, you can start personalizing your Google My Business page’s visual aspects. Take note, a listing will not be completed without pictures.

A business that has images on their listings tend to obtain 35 percent more clicks and considered more trustworthy.

With this in mind, make sure to upload a logo, cover photo, profile photo, and general images to give customers an idea of what your business looks like as well as what services and products they can obtain from you.

1. Ask for online reviews and respond to them

When it comes to local searches, reviews are considered the lifeblood. Good online reviews is equivalent to sales. Meaning to say, if you have more good reviews then your sales will increase as well.

Whenever customers perform a google search to find a service, product, or business on Google, these reviews will show up. The online reviews and even the ratings allow people to compare competitors more rapidly and determine whether the business is trustworthy or if it’s selling good products and services.

Thank you for reading, hopefully, this article has helped you a lot in optimizing your Google My Business listing.

Written by: Margie Heaneythe

Things You Need To Consider When Creating A New Website

A website is one of the most important aspects for any business. This is essentially your shop front and what will give your potential customers or clients their first impression of your company. It is this which will likely make people either want to do business with you or not, and therefore it is paramount that it is as good as it possibly can be. If you are currently thinking about upgrading your existing website, or you are starting a new website and don’t really know where to start with it, there are a few things you need to consider. Here we have rounded up some of the most important things for you to think about…

1. Design with the user in mind

When you are creating a website, it is important to keep the user in your mind at all stages. While a site might be aesthetically fantastic, if it is difficult to use, then there is no point. You want it to look great, but be simple to use and find the information that your visitors are after. It is a good idea to make a site map so you can easily see how everything will link together and to check that it is easy to navigate. You want the most key information to be at the top of your site and things such as your contact details to be in the footer. Use the site as a customer would and think of their journey from start to finish. You could use a remote unmoderated usability testing guide to see how users will work your site.

1. Don’t forget to incorporate a blog

When it comes to ranking, you will want a blog. As any expert will tell you, not having a blog will be one of the biggest marketing mistakes you can make. A blog is a great way to target specific keywords to get others to find you on Google and other search engines. It will also display you as an expert in your field and further your credibility. Make your posts on topics that are shareable and informative, so people will put them on their own social media channels. This means that you will drive in other customers that would not have discovered you otherwise.

1. Implement SEO as you go

SEO is vital for any website, so it is a good idea to try and implement it as you go, wherever possible. This will save you the mammoth task of going back through your site when it is completed and doing it this way. There are many different elements of SEO which you can add into the back end and you will want to include them all. You will want to ensure you target specific keywords on your pages - it is a good idea to get the Yoast plugin if you are using WordPress that can help with this. You will also want to add in alt text to your images that helps to tell search engines what your image is of. Add in metadata such as your title tags, meta descriptions and url structures too - these will all assist with your chances of ranking. 

1. Use A/B testing 

When you finish your site, it is important that you try A/B testing. This is vital for getting valuable data about your website and how users will interact with it. What it does is creates two different versions of your site, sometimes only with minimal differences and sees which one performs better. This way you can see which site is best for the final result and how users will engage with the website once it is done. Through this you can apply any tweaks you think it might need and have the best chance of it succeeding. Some of the elements that might have the biggest impact on your website include your sites CTA's, your sites colours, the images you use, the words you use for the headings and the content that is on your website. Use an analytics program to measure the differences.

1. Consider your website speed

Website speed is a really important factor for both search engine optimization and also for the user. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to use a website only for it to be super slow and laggy, not showing any of the elements you are trying to see. Prior to launch, make sure that you do plenty of site speed tests to check that it falls within the optimal amount. The best website load speed is between 1-2 seconds and it has been found that 53% of mobile site visits are abandoned if pages take over three seconds to load. Ways you can optimise your site speed include by using smaller images, using a CDN and choosing a good host. If you have large volumes of traffic or are expecting to, then you will need to ensure your site will be able to cope with this.

1. Think about if it will stand the test of time or if it’s easy to adapt as you grow

Website rebuilds can be expensive and take a lot of time, so you don’t want to have to do this very often. Instead, when you get your website built, think about how it can not only be timeless, but also to be easily changed and adapted when it needs to be. It can sometimes be tempting to pack loads of features onto your website, but these might go out of style or look dated rather quickly. Instead, think of things that can easily transition as you grow. 

These are just a few things that you need to consider when you build a new website. Your website is one of the most important elements of your whole business and therefore it is important to treat it as such. If you think carefully about these right from the off then it will make it much easier for you in the long run. 

Making Marketing Authentic

Most people who get into mediation or other ADR services don’t do it because they love to market their services.  For many of us, marketing has a pejorative feel to it; marketing feels unprofessional for a professional service industry.  Yet, because so much of the public is unfamiliar with the types of services that ADR practitioners offer, and with less support from litigation attorneys than we’d like, we need to find an authentic, comfortable way to market our services and mediation programs.

Developing Your Signature Style

For most of us, it’s been a long journey since we resolved to become peacemakers. Once you open your office it doesn’t take long to learn that clients don’t magically appear.  The question is how to make our commitment to peacemaking feel as authentic for our prospective clients as it is for ourselves.  How can we design marketing plans that convey the benefits of mediation and our own sincerity in a way that is also designed to sell our services? 

Developing your signature style and discovering your own identity as a mediator are the key elements to begin your marketing.  After that, marketing falls into two categories, one of which works and one of which doesn’t:  spending lots of money (doesn’t work) and spending lots of time (works really well).  Chronologically, you also divide your time into two categories:  finding new prospective clients and making sure they become actual clients.  This article will cover how to be yourself while marketing and how to choose marketing techniques that will work for you and your practice.

Defining Your Signature Style:  For your marketing to work, you have to know who you are as a person and as a professional.  Be honest with yourself about what you like to do and where you shine as well as what you don’t like to do and where you’re not at your best.  If you hate networking at the Chamber of Commerce, you’re not going to come across in the way you’d hope by doing it anyway, so you’re wasting your time.  If you love to write articles but hate public speaking, focus your time and talents in writing.  If you think you hate all kinds of marketing, remember that waiting for the telephone to ring isn’t an effective client generation tool.  Maybe it’s time to think about dropping the private practice idea and start thinking about joining a corporate HR department or teaching.  Out of the different ways to market, pick only those which you’ll actually do and follow through upon.

Some people feel like marketing is selling out. Your marketing plan should never feel unprofessional.  Using public speaking to tell consumers about the benefits of mediation is a public service, and if your speech is sounding too much like a sales pitch, then revise it.  Writing articles about skills that people can use to lessen the conflict in their lives is also a public service.  Introducing yourself to others in related fields who could make referrals to you provides a service both to those professionals and to their clients because you’re a quality practitioner who will do a good job with their case. When you market authentically, you help others while growing your practice.  Stop and rethink your approach if you’re feeling uncomfortable with your marketing message.  Marketing at its finest is genuine and holds value for those to whom you’re marketing.

Your Elevator Speech and Mission Statement:  Have a clear vision of what you do.  You can’t encourage people to participate in mediation if you can’t explain what it is.  And let’s face it, mediation isn’t easy to describe in just a few words.  The first step is to develop your Elevator Speech:  a one or two sentence explanation of what you do.  It’s called an elevator speech because you need to be able to finish it by the time an elevator takes between floors.  Examples: 

• I help busy lawyers like you settle cases; or

• I help people get divorced without losing their shirt or their sanity.

How can you describe your practice in just a sentence or two?

Next, expand your elevator speech into a Mission Statement, and think about your Brand.  You may never be Coca-Cola, but your practice and services need an identity.

For example:  Peace Talks Mediation Services is dedicated to providing a constructive, forward-thinking and peaceful ending to relationships.  Marriages may end, but families endure forever.  We provide a confidential, efficient and impartial atmosphere to help people resolve conflict and to create solutions with integrity and dignity for everyone concerned.

You may or may not share your mission statement with clients, but you need it in order to have a direction in your practice. You wouldn’t leave on a trip without a map, and you shouldn’t have a practice without a mission, either.

Your Brand is what you stand for, the kind of services that you provide, and your signature style.  For example, your Brand may include:

• Honesty

• Trustworthiness

• Commitment to client education and service

• Going the extra mile

• Commitment to the profession of mediation

Practically speaking, your brand exemplifies your values in your practice.

Be prepared to discuss your practice in terms of value, benefits and results for clients.  That’s all they care about:  value, benefits, results.  The good news is that mediation is full of value, benefits and results for clients.  Brainstorm a list of what you perceive these to be. You’ll use this list when you talk to clients about mediation.

Choosing Where and How to Market:  Specialize.  It’s easier to market that way.  You can accept any kind of case that comes into your office, but you’re only going to market one or two specialties. You’re also going to pick your geographical area.  Marketing every service to everyone everywhere is too difficult and expensive.  The more you define your services, practice areas and geographic area, the easier it is to market.

It’s counter-intuitive, but as we’ve narrowed our services our income increased.  In 2005 gross income increased 25% yet we cut back on the services that we offer.  The less we do, the more we make.  It makes sense when you think about it, because the less you do the easier it is to describe what you do, including the value, benefits and results, and the easier it is for clients to conclude, “yes, this mediator can help me.”

Likewise, it’s important to define your mediation style.   Do you generally practice in a more narrative, evaluative or facilitative style?  Can you explain to clients how you do what you do, and why you’ve chosen to practice the way you do?  What about the other styles do you include in your practice, and what parts don’t work given your mediation style?  Being able to articulate why your particular mode of practice works will help clients have confidence in you and in your practice.  Mediation Career Guide, by Forrest S. Mosten (Wiley Jossey Bass 2001), has some great chapters on developing your signature style.

Getting Started:  You’ll learn about marketing your mediation practice with a combination of trial-and-error and professional advice.  Hopefully, this article will help you avoid some expensive lessons.  A marketing approach that worked in your previous professional life might not work for mediation and just because it worked for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you.  My best investment was using an ADR marketing consultant.  It cost money, but it saved both time and money in the long run.  Individual consultations helped me to develop marketing plans that feel authentic, professional, and comfortable to execute.  A few good books were also helpful:  Essential Guide to Marketing Your ADR Practice, by Natalie J. Armstrong (Golden Media Publishing 2001);  Selling the Invisible:  A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, by Harry Beckwith (Warner Business Books 1997); Guerilla Marketing: Secrets to Making Big Profits in Your Small Business, by Jay Conrad Levinson (Houghton Mifflin 1998); and Marketing Without Advertising by Michael Phillips and Salli Rasberry (Nolo 2003),  were all good starting points.

The strategies below range from low out-of-pocket costs and a high time investment to a high cost and low time investment. When you’re able to spend lots of time, but little cash, you’ll spend your time networking, speaking, writing, and serving before you sell.

Networking:  Educating people about mediation in a social or networking context is free or nearly so.  Connecting with another person and talking about what you do is an invaluable part of marketing for any business, and particularly for mediators.  Join your professional organizations, or, better yet, the professional associations of a gatekeeper organizations.  A gatekeeper is someone who frequently comes into contact with the demographic you’re trying to reach.  For example, as a family law mediation firm, I get referrals from therapists and accountants.  As a result, I’ve joined the local therapists’ organization and the family law section of the accountants’ organization and actively participate in the meetings and committees.  If you’re really outgoing, you can make good use of your time at their networking functions.  If you’re more of a workhorse, you can gain points by volunteering on committees.  What better way to prove that you’re honest, trustworthy, hard working and worthy of their referrals? 

While joining organizations is a great way to meet people and to network,   dues can be expensive.  Try attending various associations’ functions without joining first.  Look for their calendar of events listed either in their newsletters or web site and make sure that the event is not “members only”.  It’s a great way to try out a new organization without a big cash outlay. 

Wear your nametag on your right shoulder so when people shake your hand they’re staring at your name.  Make your business cards easy to reach.  If you have a name badge on a lanyard, put your cards in the back of the pouch.  Get their card because the key element to networking is following up.  After the event, follow up with a letter or call and remind your contact about who you are and what you do.  The plan is to land in their Rolodex so that when they’re asked about a mediator, they think of you first.

Maintain a database of your contacts and former clients so you’ve got all the information in one place, and make follow up calls or contacts on a regular basis.  If you’re uncomfortable telephoning, consider writing a mediation newsletter or e-newsletter to send to your mailing list, or sending an article or holiday card.  Break up the task of following up with your entire database into small pieces, like 10 calls a day, to make the task less daunting—and more likely to get done.  Contact every 60 to 90 days is ideal.

Speaking:  Public speaking is also a great free opportunity to make personal contact with specific groups that could use your mediation services.  Again, make sure you target your efforts to “gatekeepers”—those who can refer you business—or to individuals who are likely to need your services, e.g., speak to couples’ counselors if you’re a divorce mediator.  Expect mixed results with large, general membership groups like the Chamber of Commerce, and more promising responses from more targeted groups, like an HR professionals association.  A group with a focused demographic, especially one in your geographic area, is ideal.

Writing:  Writing about mediation, or mediation as it relates to another topic, like entertainment law or conflict resolution for educators, is a great no-cost high-profile way to market your services.  Most professional organizations have a magazine or newsletter and they need content.  As a result, it’s easier than you might think to get published in a newsletter.   In addition, you can submit articles to general interest and professional websites, post them on your website and reprint them in your own newsletter.  If you’re a talented writer, think big: your local newspaper or well known professional publication. If you’re just starting out, think smaller:  letter to the editor or smaller newsletter.  Make sure your topic fits your intended audience and targets your gatekeepers in a way that highlights your services without self-promoting.

Volunteer Mediations:  Demonstrating how mediation works through participation in a volunteer mediation panel is a widely-used yet controversial marketing technique. Volunteering your time to build your skills or to give back to the community is one thing. If you’re volunteering for marketing purposes, make sure your time is productively spent.

Spending a Little Money:  One reasonably low-cost marketing strategy which can be incredibly useful is building and maintaining a web site.  From my own experience, the web site has consistently paid for itself in clients generated, and has saved money because it also functions as an on-line brochure.  For more information on web sites, please read James Melamed’s article “Marketing Your Mediation Practice on the Internet” in this issue.  Don’t forget to register your name, address and domain name with major on-line yellow page style directories, like Yahoo Yellow Pages, switchboard.com and smartpages.com. Basic listings are free on many sites.  You can also use your web site for reciprocal links and strategic partnerships.  Find sites which you feel would interest your potential clients and link to those sites; ask those sites to link to your site as well. 

Blogs, either on your own website or someone else’s, can work the same way.  If you start a blog on your own website, you can update the content of your website constantly, which may help your search engine rankings.  If you start a blog on a blog website, link back to your web site, which may also help your search engine rankings. Make sure that your blogging is professional and well-edited.  Don’t be fooled by the informality of blogs. Everything you post anywhere that the public can read must be your best effort.

You can use the concept of “permission marketing” on your web site and with your e-mail address list.  Each month (or whatever frequency), send out a newsletter to subscribers. The key is that the newsletter is strictly opt-in. You don’t want your newsletter to look like spam.  Web site visitors subscribe by signing up on the site and you can send it to your e-mail address list with their permission.  Keep each newsletter short and simple, less than 2 minutes to read.  Make it informational and timely.  At the bottom, include some information about your practice and services, as well as your contact information.  Encourage readers to forward the e-mail newsletter to anyone who might find it of interest. With luck, you’ll get more subscription requests from people who received your newsletter as a forward.  This is one way to use “viral marketing,” i.e., the forwarded e-newsletters do your marketing for you. If you have the time to do several different targeted newsletters, then send different newsletters to different groups.  This is a great way to develop word of mouth about your services.

Spending Money Doesn’t Work:  Spending lots of money on print, radio or TV advertising is usually a poor investment unless you’re committed to an ongoing advertising campaign, which is cost-prohibitive for most mediators.  The problem with advertising is that the person who needs your services must see the ad at the exact moment that he or she needs your services.  Your chances of hitting a target on the first few tries are slim.  Limiting your ads to publications read by your gatekeepers is more effective, but given the expense, your return on investment will generally be too small to be worthwhile. The same is true for direct mail advertising and Yellow Pages ads. Your money and time are better spent elsewhere.

Once you get your marketing plan into place, it’s time to think about how to turn those prospects into actual clients.

Turning Prospective Clients into Actual Clients

We sometimes forget that our most valuable marketing contact—the prospective client who telephones our office—is our most viable marketing prospect.           

Step one is to serve before you sell. This is a concept I learned from my marketing coach at Golden Media, and the idea is that before you ever talk to anyone about paying you for your services or becoming a client, first answer all of their questions and be as helpful as possible.  Let prospective clients get to know you, your services and your practice before you ask them to become clients.  It’s good business for your practice, and it’s also good business for mediation in general. During this “serve before you sell” period you’re making sure that the case is a good fit for your practice as much as clients are evaluating your firm.  Answer questions about mediation, give a tour of your office, offer an orientation session, have articles and handouts ready to help the clients get prepared to mediate, and make them feel like they’re getting special attention from your firm.  All of this is free of charge, of course.  The serve before you sell stops with the actual mediation of the case—that’s when you go on the clock.  By the time the caller becomes a client, he or she will not only be sold on your services, but will have the confidence that your firm is dedicated to client service.

Consider how much time, effort, and money that it took to make this call happen.  Every speaking engagement, networking luncheon, article and marketing activity is designed to make the telephone ring.  Yet when it does, few of us are as prepared as we need to be to turn that interested caller into a paying client.  Forrest Mosten pointed this out to me early in my career, and convening is still the backbone of my firm’s marketing.

That ringing telephone signals the beginning of a process called convening, or getting both sides to the table.  Do you know what your call-to-client ratio is, i.e, how calls you get and how many turn into paying clients?  Knowing your call-to-client ratio from each of your sources of referrals, as well as your overall ratio, is important in order to know which marketing plans work, which are cost-effective, and where you should focus your time and money.

Telephone Calls

Who will take your telephone calls?  Is it a receptionist, unskilled at mediation and unable to answer basic questions about your services?  Is it a Dispute Resolution Associate, trained in mediation and in convening?  Will you take the calls yourself?  A general receptionist is fine if you’re taking the intake calls yourself, but your first line marketing person should know all about the mediation process. 

After you’ve decided who is doing the intake, what model will you use?  Will you spend a few minutes, off the clock, and then send out your brochure, marketing materials, or a follow-up letter? Or will you do a thorough phone intake, on or off the clock?  Will you schedule an orientation session during the first call?  A critical part of your intake is where the client heard about your services.  You’ll use this information to track the efficacy of your marketing efforts. 

The next piece of information you need from the caller is whether or not the other party is aware of the caller’s desire to mediate.  Is the other party even aware that the call is being placed? If not, ask how best to approach the other party. 

For cases in which the parties have already agreed to mediate, your intake is then geared toward selling the potential client on your services.  What do you offer that other mediators do not?  Why should the client choose your services over someone else’s?  Write a short script or outline in case you get tongue-tied on the phone. After the telephone call, send out a “thanks for calling” letter along with some printed information about your practice. Give prospective clients a tangible reminder of having called you.

Information Packages

After a call has come into the office, send an information package to the callers.  Your information package should instill confidence in clients and differentiate your services in the marketplace.  You might include brochures, business cards, a firm newsletter, a short biography of yourself and your experience, pointers on how clients can prepare for their mediation session, or articles about mediation. Use a simple pocket folder so you can mix and match your materials for different types of cases. 

Just as with serving before you sell, remember that clients are looking for value, benefits and results. Ninety percent of your brochure, information package and website should be centered around value, benefits and results for the clients.  Only 10% should be about you and your qualifications.  The same 90/10 rule holds true of all of your marketing materials, your web site, and any other descriptions of your practice or program.

When prospective clients call your office, they already believe you’re an expert. Laypeople and attorneys [generally] perceive all mediators to be equal and qualified. As a result, they don’t care much about your qualifications.  The way mediators can differentiate themselves is by describing their services in terms of value, benefits and results.

Price is not as important as you’d think.  In Western culture, people tend to believe that they get what they pay for.  If it’s free or inexpensive, it has no value.  People who are 100% price sensitive are always going to be a problem. You’re never going to build a practice on price competition.  The good news is that mediation offers so much value, so many benefits, and such great results, it’s relatively easy to compile your information packages.

Clients appreciate the fact that you’re organized and have materials to send out.  It conveys that you’re committed to client service.

Mediation Orientation Sessions

You may wish to offer a free orientation session in order to supplement the intake.  Orientations allow the parties to see the office, meet the mediators and discuss how the mediation process might work for their case.  Both the mediator and the parties can use the orientation to decide if the practice is a good fit for the case.

Thoughtful convening is the bridge between marketing and building a practice. 

Client Service as Marketing

Sometimes we forget that great client service is a great marketing tool.  Simply doing a good job, being respectful of clients’ needs and questions, answering the telephone in an approachable way, and demonstrating patience with people in conflict can be a great way to get clients to refer your office to other prospective clients. 

Takes time to build, however, so it’s important to jump start your practice with other marketing activities.  There’s no need to do every suggested marketing technique in this article, and, in fact, it would be counter productive.  Pick a few things that feel right and that fit your personality and budget, and start there. Evaluate your return on investment:  was it worth the time and money?  If so, do more of it.  If not, try something else.  Keep your marketing plan consistent with who you are and who you want to be in your practice and you will help you develop the kind of clientele that you can really help, and as a result, it will be the kind of clientele that will refer others to you.  That’s the best kind of marketing of all.

About the author:  Diana Mercer is the founder of Peace Talks Mediation Services (www.peace-talks.com) and the co-author of Your Divorce Advisor (Fireside 2001).

ACR Magazine, Spring 2006

Diana Mercer, Attorney-Mediator, copyright 2006

Peace Talks Mediation Services, Inc.

8055 W. Manchester Ave., Suite 201

Playa del Rey CA 90293

(310) 301-2100

Diana1159@aol.com

The Cold Open

The cold open

By Seth Godin www.SethGodin.com

No one ever bought anything on an elevator. The elevator pitch isn’t about selling your idea, because a metaphorical elevator is a lousy place to make a pitch.

When you feel like you’re being judged and only have a minute to make a first impression, it’s tempting to try to explain the truth and nuance of who you are, what you’ve done and what you’re going to do in the time it takes to travel a few floors.

That rarely works.

The alternative is the elevator question, not the elevator pitch. To begin a conversation–not about you, but about the person you’re hoping to connect with. If you know who they are and what they want, it’s a lot more likely you can figure out if they’re a good fit for who you are and what you want. And you can take the opportunity to help them find what they need, especially if it’s not from you.

Too often, we feel rejected when in fact, all that’s happened is a mismatch of needs, narratives and what’s on offer.

Instead of looking at everyone as someone who could fund you or buy from you or hire you, it might help to imagine that almost no one can do those things, but there are plenty of people you might be able to help in some other way, even if it’s only to respect them enough to not make a pitch.

No one wants to be hustled.

Want to Outsource Your SEO? Read These Top SEO Outsourcing Tips

When you are in business, the expectations on your shoulders is vast. There is so much to do and so few hours in the day. Online marketing is one of those critical areas designed to help your business gain a presence on the internet.    

 If you don’t have the expertise or knowledge for this, outsourcing could be the way to go. 

However, outsourcing can be fraught with perils. It is a fantastic strategy so getting it right is vital. Below are some top tips to ensure your SEO Outsourcing goes well.

 The Right Reasons

There are so many areas where you can outsource, from Payroll to online marketing. Before you take the leap in outsourcing, ensure that it will increase the efficiency of your business. There is no point in outsourcing if you are going to spend a considerable chunk of your time explaining what you want and how you want it. It is important to ensure you are outsourcing for the right reasons and with the right company. Doing this will ensure your business becomes efficient and has a competitive advantage.

 The Right Availability

The world is a small place with the introduction of technology. Don’t limit your outsourcing to someone in your own country. 

There are plenty of outsourcing companies who are overseas, and while you sleep, they can be working on your contract. 

This can be a massive benefit to you, however, ensure the company you hire is well versed in your language and, they won’t be emailing you back and forth because they don’t understand what you want.

 The Right Engagement

When you source the likes of your SEO, consider having a conversation with your current employees to get their view. If you engage too many outside companies, your employees may feel they are no longer essential and may look elsewhere for work. Engage with your current employees, let them know how important they are and how much you welcome their views.

 The Right Company

You have made the decision to outsource your SEO, and you have a company in mind. 

The next stage is to seek references and work examples. This is extremely important as it talking to someone who has worked with the company before. 

First-hand knowledge of their work is precisely the information you need to make an informed choice.

 The Right Price

This follows on from the right company. A company which offers a price that is very low or very high could be a warning sign of things to come. Of course, it’s tempting to go for the lowest price quoted, however, this should not be the primary concern for your decision. Look to a company that has a track record of quality work at reasonable prices. This is known as the Goldilocks principle.

Before you decide to invest in SEO outsourcing or other forms of outsourcing, ensure you adhere to the above pointers to ensure your projects work for you and align with the outcomes you want for your business. Remember, your decision to outsource is about helping you achieve your goals.