Connect with us

PPC

Performance Marketing 101: Everything You Need to Know

Published

on

Performance Marketing 101: Everything You Need to Know

Performance marketing is one of the most effective ways for B2B and B2C businesses to reach their target audience and generate sales or leads.

However, for many new marketers, this practice can be complicated since it involves a combination of different strategies, channels, and more to drive results. In this article, we’ll simplify everything you need to know to become a performance marketing pro.

Table of contents

What is performance marketing?

Performance marketing is a digital marketing strategy based on results in which the brands or businesses only pay the marketing agencies, advertising platforms, or affiliates when they achieve their specific campaign goals, typically in the form of sales, clicks, or leads.

What’s the difference between performance marketing vs. brand marketing?

Performance and brand marketing are two different types of strategies that can be used to reach the intended audience.

While both forms have their benefits, the main difference between them is brand marketing aims to establish a long-term company’s reputation and awareness among potential customers; in contrast, performance marketing focuses on specific strategies to drive immediate sales without necessarily building an emotional connection with customers first.

Advertisement

🌱 Download our free, editable growth strategy template to walk through seven simple steps for creating the right plan to grow your business.

What are benefits of performance marketing?

Even though this marketing strategy can be challenging for some businesses, there are many benefits for those who dive in.

Here are three reasons why you should give performance marketing a try.

Low risk

Performance marketing is a low-risk method to introduce new strategies since it requires (relatively) little investment. If the campaign works, you can scale up and increase the budget; however, if it doesn’t, it’s easy to back up without a big loss.

Targeted

This marketing strategy allows you to target the right people with your message. You can focus on demographics and geographic locations or narrow your searches by interests and behavior, such as consumers who visited your site recently or who clicked on the ad in the last 24 hours.

Increased ROI

One of the biggest benefits of performance marketing is that it can result in higher ROI than other types of advertising because it’s focused on a specific goal.

Advertisement

What are types of performance marketing?

Performance marketing can be done through various means. Here are some of the most common.

Social media advertising

Social media ads are one of the most popular forms of performance-based advertising. These ads can target people who have visited your website once or shown interest in similar products or services.

facebook video ad example - zapier

Search advertising

Search advertising, also known as PPC, is the practice where advertisers pay to have their ads placed above organic search results on search engine result pages (SERP) like Google and Bing.

🛑 Want to learn more about search engine marketing on Google? Get the free guide >> PPC 101: Complete Guide to Google Ads

Display advertising

Display advertising is a type of advertising where ads are shown on web pages–typically in the form of banner ads. These ads show up on popular websites, news sites, and more and drive users to your website.

display ad example from austin statesmandisplay ad example from austin statesman

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing method in which businesses reward affiliates for each customer brought by their promotional efforts.

Advertisement

How do you measure performance marketing?

Performance marketing is the art of achieving your business goals through paid advertising. It’s not just about buying ads and hoping they work. It’s about getting a return on the money you spend, which means measuring performance and adjusting your strategy accordingly.

The following are some of the most important metrics you should track to ensure your campaigns are running smoothly and meeting goals.

Cost per click (CPC)

Cost per click refers to the cost of each click on an ad. The higher the CPC, the more expensive it is for your business to advertise on that particular keyword or keyword phrase.

cost per click definitioncost per click definition

Cost per impression (CPM)

The average amount paid by an advertiser for every 1000 ad impressions. This is calculated by dividing the total cost of the ad by the number of times it was viewed.

Cost per lead (CPL)

The number of prospects responded to your ad and filled out a form. CPL is a standard metric used in PPC campaigns because it gives insight into how much each lead costs.

google ads cost per lead benchmarks from wordstreamgoogle ads cost per lead benchmarks from wordstream

🚨 You can use our search advertising benchmarks to find average the CPL for your industry.

Advertisement

Cost per acquisition (CPA)

The cost per acquisition refers to how much you spend acquiring new customers. When looking at CPA, you should consider both the cost of your ad and the value of each sale or conversion.

Lifetime value transaction (LVT)

LVT is a metric that can give marketers valuable insights into potential revenue from a customer over time. In other words, it estimates how much one customer will spend on your product or services during their entire relationship with your company.

5 steps to build a successful performance marketing strategy

Developing a successful performance marketing strategy takes time, dedication, and much trial and error. But the payoff can be huge if you can get it right.

Here are some steps to build a performance marketing strategy that will bring results.

1. Define your objectives

To create an effective performance marketing campaign, it is fundamental that you have a clear understanding of what you are trying to accomplish because it will help you define every other step.

Your targets should be specific, measurable, and achievable. It should also be aligned with your overall business goals.

Advertisement

smart goals acronymsmart goals acronym

For example, social media advertising is a great option if you want to sell a product or service. However, if your goal is to drive traffic to your website, then paid search might work better.

Once you have identified these goals, they should form the foundation of all your marketing activities. Every campaign should be designed to support them in some way.

2. Choose the right digital channels

One of the keys to being successful at performance marketing is using multiple channels. The reality is that not all channels are created equal, and some will work better than others for your particular business.

The best way to do this is by setting up a few channels, testing them with small amounts of money, and tracking the results over time so you can make better decisions in the future.

Here are some common types of digital marketing strategies you can choose from:

  • Content marketing: Content marketing is the process of creating, distributing, and promoting your company’s content to attract potential customers. It can build authority, trust, and loyalty with consumers.
  • Social media marketing: Social media is an essential part of any online marketing strategy. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become a place where your consumers spend the most time.
  • Display ads: Display ads are typically placed on news sites, blogs, or e-commerce sites. These ads often appear in the form of pop-up banners that contain a link back to your website.
  • Email marketing: Email marketing helps you build relationships with prospects so they trust your brand and buy from you when ready.

black friday email template - example of black friday sale email to customersblack friday email template - example of black friday sale email to customers

3. Identify partners

The biggest challenge of managing a performance marketing campaign is finding the right partners to work with. The relationship you have with your partner can make or break your campaign.

Advertisement

You need to find partners with a vision and goals similar to yours who will help you reach people that matter.

The best partners have access to a large following and provide high-quality leads with a strong conversion rate, meaning they’re more likely to convert into paying customers.

When looking for partners, ensure they offer transparency about their work and methods. This will help you understand what kind of return on investment (ROI) you can expect from working with them over time.

4. Launch and optimize campaigns

Now that you have a budget and a target audience, it is time to launch your campaigns. You will need to set up a landing page and website where you intend to direct the traffic from these ads.

Once you have all the elements in place, you’ll want to optimize your campaigns for performance.

Optimizing for performance means constantly tracking and improving the metrics that matter most to your business. You should be looking at how many customers are being acquired, how much they spend, and how long they stay engaged with your brand.

Advertisement

Optimization is a never-ending process because it’s not about finding and sticking with the winning strategy. Instead, you must constantly test new ideas and see which works best in different situations.

You can optimize your ads by changing their keywords or budgets to improve performance.

google ads location targeting bid optimizationgoogle ads location targeting bid optimization

For example, if an ad gets clicks but not conversions (sales), you should make changes or remove the ad altogether. Or, if an ad isn’t getting any clicks, you’ll want to try a different approach, keyword, or title until you find something that works better.

5. Monitor results

Monitoring the results of your performance marketing campaigns is crucial to your success. The key is understanding what’s working, what’s not, and what can be improved.

The best way to track your performance is to use a dedicated software program to give you all the information you need in one place. This way, you’ll be able to see how each channel is performing and make adjustments as needed.

You should also pay attention to the quality of traffic that your campaigns send to your site. You can do this by looking at bounce rate, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and other metrics over time.

Advertisement

The results should be monitored daily, and you should also look at the data weekly or monthly. This will help you identify trends and evaluate the performance of your campaigns over time.

3 performance marketing examples

Here are some examples of successful performance marketing strategies.

Dove Chocolate sponsored content on BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed is a famous digital media company that allows advertising on its website. These ads look like regular content but are paid for by companies or individuals who want to promote their products or services to their massive audience.

Dove Chocolate took this opportunity to share a recipe post on BuzzFeed and got over 2K re-pins and 253 shares on Facebook.

performance marketing example from dove chocolateperformance marketing example from dove chocolate

Source

Hostinger’s paid search ads

Paid search ads are among the most common forms of performance marketing that even huge companies like Hostinger participate in. Hostinger is known for services like domain name, WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, website builder, etc.

Advertisement

Earlier this year, the company introduced a blog theme, and to promote it, it wrote a blog post about the “32 Best Free WordPress Blog Themes” and used paid search ads to list the post on the first SERP.

performance marketing example of ppc adperformance marketing example of ppc ad

CME Group’s display ad on Forbes

Display advertising is a classic form of performance marketing. It’s been around for decades and has been used by some of the biggest brands in the world to drive sales and boost their bottom line.

Display ads can be shown on any website that uses an advertising network, although they are mostly found on larger sites with many visitors, such as Forbes, HuffPost, etc.

performance marketing example of display ad on forbesperformance marketing example of display ad on forbes

Source

Is performance marketing right for you?

Performance marketing is simply something that many modern marketers are incorporating into their business models. This form of marketing reduces wasted costs and directs sales through quality leads guaranteed to be interested in your product or service. By practicing the techniques laid out above, you can implement a successful performance marketing strategy and maximize your efforts.

About the author

Author and the founder of Blogituplife Shama Shafiq is a marketing, blogging, and SEO expert. She shares useful and actionable tips on her blog to help beginners out.

Advertisement

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address

PPC

26 Ready-to-Go AI Prompts for Social Media

Published

on

By

26 Ready-to-Go AI Prompts for Social Media

The digital age is evolving at lightspeed, and staying apace requires a special kind of savvy— especially for those in the throes of marketing. Artificial intelligence (AI) has stepped out of a sci-fi movie and into our daily communications, specifically in the world of social media. Marketers must now utilize AI to streamline their strategies and deliver their messages effectively for brand awareness.

Below, we’ll look closer at AI prompts that drive engagement on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and how they’re revolutionizing the approach to social media content.

Contents

Understanding AI prompts for social media

To the new user, AI prompts may sound like techno-babble or a different language. But they are the keys to unlocking influential and personalized social media experiences. AI prompts are commands or signals that generate content or responses using AI technology. In the world of social media, they’re used to create posts, reply to comments, or even direct messaging.

Different platforms leverage AI prompts in a variety of ways, tailoring learning algorithms to suit their specific environment and user behaviors. What is the result? Heightened relevance and resonance within the social media platform’s intended audience. This means more likes, shares, and engagements–ultimately, an increase in brand visibility and potential customer conversion.

When it comes to writing social media content, using AI prompts can up-level your approach. By understanding how these prompts work and incorporating them into your strategy, you can create more impactful and personalized posts.

Advertisement

ai prompts for social media example from jasper ai

At first, AI prompts may seem like a foreign concept. However, they are simply commands or signals that use artificial intelligence technology to generate content or responses. Essentially, they allow you to communicate with the platform’s algorithms to create tailored content for your audience.

Each social media platform utilizes AI prompts in different ways, depending on their specific environment and user behaviors. This allows the AI technology to learn and adapt to each platform’s audience.

🚨 Get copy-and-paste social media posts ready for the whole year in our free social media calendar template!

Benefits of using AI prompts for social media

Why integrate AI into your social media campaigns?  Firstly, AI prompts offer incredible time-saving benefits. They generate responses in real-time, allowing community managers to focus on strategy rather than mundane and tedious tasks.

Secondly, there is improved engagement; AI prompts can provide instantaneous, relevant content to users, keeping up with the fast-paced demands of digital conversation.

Last but certainly not least, they allow for personalized interactions. AI can analyze vast amounts of data to tailor messages according to individual preferences, ensuring that content strikes a chord every time it’s posted.

Advertisement

How to create effective AI prompts for social media

Crafting AI prompts is an art form in itself. Be clear about what you want to achieve with your social media post. Is the goal to drive traffic to a website, increase product sales, engage with a particular audience, or boost brand awareness? Your objective will heavily influence the formation of your prompt.

AI operates best with clear and specific instructions. For instance, rather than saying “create a post,” provide more details like “create an informative post about how our products are made with eco-friendly practices.” The specificity assists the AI in understanding the direction of the content.

Make sure to set the tone and style–professional, informal, friendly, authoritative, humorous, etc. This helps ensure the content resonates with your intended audience and upholds your brand’s identity.

“In crafting AI-driven content for social media, providing clear and precise directives creates compelling narratives. Whether your business is centered around healthcare, retail, or a charming and quiet local cafe, being explicit about your content needs, especially the social media platform in question, ensures resonance with your audience,” said Frederick Hill, Social Media Manager and Team Lead at LocaliQ.

“Always conclude with a clear call to action, inviting engagement and connection. Remember, specificity is not just a detail, but the strategy for your brand’s impactful communication.”

ai prompt for giveawayai prompt for giveaway

To effectively launch your AI prompts, consider these best practices:

Advertisement
  • Know your audience: Understand the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your followers to tailor content effectively.
  • Stay authentic: AI should enhance your brand’s voice, not replace it. Maintain your tone and values in every prompt.
  • Monitor performance: Use analytics to assess the success of AI-driven posts and refine your approach accordingly.

Businesses like Starbucks and Sephora have leveraged AI for engaging social media prompts, from holiday-themed posts to interactive challenges. Even B2B companies use AI-driven insights to produce blog posts that are thought leaders in their industry.

starbucks instagram caption example for holidaystarbucks instagram caption example for holiday

📚 Free guide download >> 135 of the Best Words & Phrases for Marketing with Emotion

26 AI prompts for social media

AI can transform your social media strategy. From Facebook to LinkedIn, X, and Instagram, enhance your business’s online presence with these expertly crafted AI prompts.

AI prompts for Facebook

For Facebook, prompts must be engaging yet conversational. AI should humanize the brand and invoke meaningful interactions. For instance, AI prompts for a product launch on Facebook might ask users for thoughts on a problem your product solves, generating individual responses that maintain the thread of conversation.

Use some of these AI prompts for Facebook:

  • Craft a humorous Facebook post about a (topic) that sparks engagement and conversation.
  • Create a Facebook post that asks our core audience to share their favorite memory or experience using (insert your brand name or product). Write it in a zealous tone of voice.
  • Create a fun post that encompasses a giveaway or contest related to (brand/topics), increasing engagement from (target audience).
  • Draft a post unveiling (number) captivating insight about (topic).
  • Write an engaging post that asks (target audience) to share their thoughts on (content piece or a new product).

ai prompt for facebook exampleai prompt for facebook example

AI prompts for Instagram

Visual reigns supreme on Instagram. Your AI prompts here need to encourage actions that align with compelling imagery–think hashtags, emojis, and comments that mirror the visual narrative. Generating personalized AI-driven Instagram captions or comment responses can deeply enhance the user experience.

Use some of the AI prompts for Instagram:

Advertisement
  • Write a few Instagram photo captions for a picture (photo description).
  • Create an Instagram poll or quiz related to (brand/product/service).
  • Engage the brand’s ideal customer (insert demographic/persona) with a message that leads to (desired action).
  • Craft an Instagram message that showcases a behind-the-scenes look at a new campaign coming out soon.
  • Create excitement and anticipation for a new product launch or services to engage with my customers and attract new customers.

ai prompt for instagram exampleai prompt for instagram example

AI prompts for LinkedIn

LinkedIn favors professionalism and thought leadership. Your AI prompts here should stimulate intellectual engagement, like career insights or industry news discussions, always keeping a tone consistent with the professional atmosphere of the platform.

Use some of these AI prompts for LinkedIn:

  • Generate a LinkedIn post about the brand’s involvement in giving back to the community and volunteering.
  • Write a LinkedIn post about your brand and its employees participating in webinars, conferences, and panel discussions.
  • Create a LinkedIn post about the brand’s accomplishments and highlights.
  • Craft a LinkedIn post highlighting a specific (industry trend/news) and how it is relevant to your brand.
  • Create a LinkedIn post highlighting top performing leaders and their success stories.

example of ai prompt for linkedinexample of ai prompt for linkedin

AI prompts for X (formerly Twitter)

X’s brief and clever nature means your AI prompts should be concise and impactful. Crafting questions or prompts that are easily retweetable and require just a quick reaction can maximize your reach and engagement.

Use some of these AI prompts for X:

  • Write a thread showcasing the evolution of (industry or brand) over the past (amount of time).
  • Introduce the team behind (brand or product) and share their journey and story.
  • Discuss the brand’s mission and vision while aligning their cultural values that drive the company.
  • Share a thread on key moments and highlights that defined the brand’s evolution.
  • Craft a post introducing new collaborations and partnerships with (brand). Describe the significance of the collaboration.

example of ai prompt for x twitterexample of ai prompt for x twitter

Holiday-themed AI prompts for social media

Fun and holiday-themed AI prompts for social media also spark joy and create memorable moments that make your brand relatable and human.

Use some of these AI prompts for holiday and fun posts:

Advertisement
  • Brainstorm a list of (holiday) themed posts that I can use for Instagram and Facebook.
  • Draft a Facebook poll asking your target audience what they like most about (holiday).
  • Craft a holiday-themed giveaway or contest on (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) for (brand/product/service).
  • Write a funny and witty social media post about (topic).
  • Draft a social media post asking your target audience to share their favorite moment with (brand/product/service).
  • Write a fun and positive social media post that that features an inspiring story related to (brand/product/service).

example of ai prompt for social media holidayexample of ai prompt for social media holiday

Create engaging posts using these AI prompts for social media

The integration of AI in your social media strategy isn’t just wise; it’s becoming essential. By crafting mindful prompts tailored to your audience, you can create a dynamic and engaging online presence. The goal is to not only be heard in the abundance of digital voices but to get your message across to the right audience.

By investing time and resources into utilizing AI for your social media initiatives, you’re not just keeping up with the trend–you’re riding the wave of the future and setting your brand up for deeper connections, an expanded audience, and ultimately, greater success.

The next chapter for your brand’s story begins now, shaped by the ingenious use of AI to craft messages that resonate, inspire, and endure. Now, go forth and curate prompts powered by AI that will inspire your community, one post at a time!

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

PPC

Power up your Demand Gen campaigns with new AI features

Published

on

By

Power up your Demand Gen campaigns with new AI features

1714568170 496 Power up your Demand Gen campaigns with new AI features

Save time and Become the Hero with updates from PPC Hero in your inbox!



Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

PPC

How to Promote Your Digital Marketing Agency: 4 Growth Strategies

Published

on

By

How to Promote Your Digital Marketing Agency: 4 Growth Strategies

As online advertisers, we do our best to drive outstanding results for our client accounts. We use the latest and greatest tech available, review reports to find incremental wins, and always test new features that could be game-changers. We’re great stewards of our client accounts.

But what’s the old saying, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes?”

That applies to tons of marketing agencies I’ve encountered, especially the small to mid-sized agencies. When was the last time you worked on marketing or advertising for your own firm? We so often get bogged down with working in our businesses that we forget to work on our businesses. Myself included.

In today’s post, I want to run through some ideas to make sure your agency is set up for success in attracting clients.

Contents

💡 Learn how more than 300 agencies set pricing, choose services, and handle challenges in our free State of the Digital Marketing Agency Report.

Advertisement

How to promote your digital marketing agency

There’s rarely a time when you’re not worried about getting new clients. That makes sense. You can’t grow without booking new business, and you could fall behind if you don’t replace churning clients.

How to promote you digital marketing agency - graph showing top challenges for agencies.

Getting new clients is a top challenge for most agencies.

Focus on these four growth tactics to ease your anxiety and consistently book new business.

Build a strong website

No matter what avenues you pursue to attract new clients, you’ll always need a strong website to ensure you can convert folks from interested visitors to customers. This is likely where they’ll learn the most about you, your team, your abilities, and how you can help them, so make sure it hits all the highlights.

Think of your website as the remarketing portion of the buyer funnel. We’ll attract them in the next section, but you should build remarketing lists ahead of time to capture all potential customers.

Although all agencies are unique and want to highlight themselves differently, here are a few things to include on your site:

Advertisement
  • Easy conversion options: This should be a no-brainer, but if you’re going to send people to a website, make sure they can convert. This could be a form fill, a phone call, a service purchase, or scheduling a meeting. It’s the dealer’s choice, really. We don’t let our clients get away without strong calls to action, so why should you?
  • Overview of services: Every marketing agency is different. Some specialize in one area, and others are jacks of all trades. Which are you? Highlight all of your services on your site so your potential customers know how you can help them grow their business.
  • Case studies: Personally, I don’t love case studies, but that’s a personal rant. Many agencies use case studies to attract potential clients, and many prospects like to see proof of success in their work. Including these can be an easy way to convince someone of your expertise and warm the lead a little before they even reach out.
  • Digestible language: This one is a personal pet peeve of mine. So often, when I visit an agency’s website (or almost any tech solution anymore), I find that the entire thing is filled with industry jargon. Do you use proprietary software and machine learning to 10x your ROAS and send your results to the moon? Cool. So does everyone else. But also, your customers likely don’t know what most of that means. That’s why they’re not in advertising and need your services. Keep it simple. Explain how you’ll impact their business and keep the jargon out of it.
  • Show off your accolades: If you’ve been successful, show it off. Did you recently win an industry award? That goes on the site. Do you have killer customer reviews? That also goes on the site. Your website is the one and only place where you control what is said about you. Put your best foot forward and show off why you’re so awesome.

Now that you have a strong website that people can engage with after learning about you, it’s time to start attracting new users—the prospecting portion, if you will. Here, I have two main categories to focus on.

🛑 Download The 6 Absolute Best Strategies to Grow Your Digital Marketing Agency and get even more ways to find and retain great clients.

Grow your thought leadership

First, no one will know if you’re an expert at something unless you prove it by sharing your thoughts, experiments, and findings. Even if public speaking isn’t your thing, there are tons of ways to start showing off a little and making a name for yourself as an expert in any field.

I know it might sound counterintuitive, but the more knowledge you give away, the more people want to work with you. Don’t worry; it surprised me too.

I used to think, “But if I give away all my secrets, then won’t people just do it themselves?” Some prospects will. And while that stings a little, there’s a good lesson to be learned here: if someone will take your ideas and do it themselves, they likely won’t be a great client anyway.

Great clients trust in your expertise and work with you to see good results. They don’t try to minimize your impact on their business by doing it themselves. Additionally, if someone’s business is going really well, they likely don’t have time to do it themselves. You’re now an integral extension of their team that helps them stay busy in their business while you work on it.

So, with all of that out of the way, here are some ideas to get you started sharing your thought leadership.

Advertisement

Write engaging content in various forms

The easiest way to get started with thought leadership is just to write. Everyone can write a blog post, whether it’s on a personal site, your agency site, or as a guest blogger. The same is true for ebooks or longer-form content like an industry report or guide.

Write about best practices, wins you’ve had, frustrations, or your strategies. Find a niche that works for you and stick to it. There are tons of tools out there to help you get started with ideas, so do some quick Google searches and see what you can come up with.

Speak at industry events

Whether you focus on PPC, SEO, CRO, or some other alphabet soup, look up the shows in your industry and start pitching to them. In my experience, they’re always looking for fresh faces with new ideas, so don’t be shy about throwing all your ideas at them.

Start a podcast

Who doesn’t have a podcast nowadays? It seems like there are tons out there, and you might think, “I’m too late to the game.” Well, surprise again: you’re not. You don’t have to have a huge audience to see success and expand your customer base.

How can you differentiate yourself? Do you want to focus on Google Ads or highlight landing page tests that worked or didn’t work? Great! What about advertising in your specific industry or location? Also great. Find what works best for you and make it happen.

Post on social media

Many moons ago, I got my first job in PPC right out of college. After an upstart period, I wanted to level up my skills. At that time, the best place to go was Twitter (now X, but I’m too old to call it that). Within a pretty short period of time, Matt Umbro started the first #ppcchat, and that really had a world of impact on my career.

Advertisement

How to promote you digital marketing agency - PPC chat post on X (formerly twitter)How to promote you digital marketing agency - PPC chat post on X (formerly twitter)

Use #PPCchat on X to connect with other agency professionals.

I met so many people and learned new tactics, but I also started building out an entire timeline of posts that showed off my expertise at that time. More than once, potential clients reached out because they were trying to find an answer to a problem, and my X feed was the solution.

We all know that social media algorithms pay attention to our behaviors on other sites. So, if a business owner is looking for marketing services and they hit up the Instagram Explore page, it might not be a bad idea to have an Instagram feed full of helpful marketing nuggets for them to find.

Submit for industry awards

Remember those accolades I told you to show off on your website? Well, you have to submit to industry award shows to win an industry award. They don’t just hand them out. Do some quick searching and see if there are awards for your specific industry or niche of services and apply to them. Then, if you happen to be good enough (and lucky enough) to win one, shout it out on your site!

Choose the right thought leadership topics

One last tip for this section before we jump into the next focal area. Make sure your thought leadership focuses on things you actually like doing.

If you don’t like Facebook Ads, you probably shouldn’t write blogs or make a podcast about Facebook Ads, even if there’s tons of potential traffic and interest around those terms. Remember, you’re trying to articulate your expertise in an effort to generate new business. If you’re shouting from the rooftops how good you are at Facebook, then you’re going to generate new Facebook clients. Don’t promote the aspects of your services that you don’t enjoy doing!

Advertisement

Build and leverage your networks

The previous section focused on promoting “what you know,” but this section is about growing and leveraging “who you know.”

I mentioned getting started in #ppcchat early on. While that was helpful for client acquisition, it was 100 times as powerful for building out my network. I met folks there that have had immeasurable impacts on my life. Through this network, I found new jobs and a new business partner, made inroads to speaking at industry events, wrote for multiple industry publications, made friends all over the world, and so much more. How can you leverage your network to help market your agency?

Partner with non-competing agencies

Even if you fit into the jack-of-all-trades category, there’s likely a company out there that works with the same types of clients you want to work with and that you could partner with.

An easy example is a PPC firm partnering with an SEO shop. You two likely have a similar book of business, but your disciplines are complementary, not competitive. Finding a partner agency is a great way to build both of your shops. You can trade client referrals and work together on projects. Not only will you generate new business, but you’ll also deliver well-rounded results for your clients.

Consider referral fees

I say “consider” on this one because some folks really love referral fees while others do not. In my mind, both make sense.

How to promote you digital marketing agency - graph of top sources of clients.How to promote you digital marketing agency - graph of top sources of clients.

Referrals are by far the largest source of new clients.

Advertisement

Referral fees are an amount of money (or a benefit) you give to someone who refers you to new clients. The added incentive to share your name can get you into conversations you might not otherwise have. I find these work well for people who may or may not have worked with you directly before, and they can be great to offer your employees as well.

On the other hand, many people think referral fees create an inauthentic recommendation. If they’re getting paid for suggesting that brand, or if the agency has to offer referral fees for new accounts, they might not be that great. These folks want the business to deliver great results to get the recommendation, not pay them.

The thing is, there’s no right or wrong answer on this one. Some people have very strong beliefs one way or the other, but neither is inherently better than the other, and each approach can work.

Collect customer reviews

Similar to the industry awards on your site, you can’t share customer reviews until you get customer reviews. There are lots of software tools out there that can help you do this, but I’ve also found a quick email can do the trick. Don’t overcomplicate it.

This first-hand account of working with you is great for your site and also helps to strengthen the relationship with the client giving the review. Similar to the folks who want to refer out based on great work, customer reviews can give prospective clients an insider’s opinion on your agency and help them decide if they should choose you or another shop.

Deliver amazing results

The last piece is a bit of a cheat, but I think it deserves its own section because it fuels all the others. If you deliver great results, you’ll drive more business in one way or another.

Advertisement

If you’re seeing great client results:

  • Share it on your website: Show off the awesome case studies you’re seeing and build a compelling case for how you can help other businesses do the same.
  • Write, present, or talk about it: Write a guest blog for an industry publication that reaches a lot of folks. Submit a speaking proposal around your work and highlight your strategies at industry events. Start a podcast that discusses your approaches to the work and how you’re hitting client KPIs.
  • Ask for referrals: Your clients will be so pleased that they’ll be happy to write you customer reviews and refer you to anyone looking for marketing help, whether you’ve paid a referral fee or not.

Use these tactics to promote your digital marketing agency

Delivering great results for clients is hugely important, as evidenced by my last point. But if you’re only thinking about the health of your client’s businesses, who is thinking about the health of yours?

Spend some time developing plans to expand your business. First, ensure you have a solid website for people to land on. Then, share your expertise and leverage your network to attract users to that site and eventually onto your client list.

Here are several more resources you can use to get new clients and maximize revenue for your agency:

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

Trending

Follow by Email
RSS