April 2018

For content marketing to be an effective tool in promoting website traffic and conversions, it must speak to the company’s target audience. Customers have specific pain points and challenges, and capturing their attention and interest requires content that has a particular buyer persona in mind. Marketers who use persona-based marketing obtain a better return on marketing investments and higher levels of audience engagement. Here’s how to develop and define personas to present a detailed picture of exactly who your audience is and what motivates them to buy.

Defining Your Buyer Persona

How do you go about clarifying your buyer persona? A buyer persona is a representation of your actual customers, based on detailed research. Social media is one of the most powerful mediums available for getting to know your customers, including their primary challenges and what solutions they are hoping to find. Using social media, there are a variety of tools you can use to help create a buyer persona, including:

Interview customers and encourage feedback
Anonymous surveys
Interactive content
Reviewing current trends and statistics
Social Media Intelligence
Lead intelligence

Data is gathered using the above methods, in combination with understanding trends in the overall market. The information you gather will help develop an image of your ideal customer. You can learn background information and various demographics such as family size, career title, household income, and interests outside of work. With this information, you begin to understand their needs and pain points. Via data collection, you may end up with any number of different buyer personas, each of which may correspond to distinct products or services.

Is Your Buyer Persona a Team?

For some products and services, you are actually selling to a team, not an individual. This is especially true in B2B sales where you are not likely to be selling to individuals. In this case, your buying persona is a team that consists of several different personalities, each with a different title, job function, and pain point.

Persona-Based Content and The Buying Cycle

Whether you are marketing to individual buyers or buying teams, you should realize that both types of buyers make purchases in a linear fashion. A buyer starts with awareness that there is a problem to be solved and looks for content that addresses their problem. When the prospect finds content that demonstrates an understanding of their problem, they begin considering solutions proposed by the content. They will review different options and demonstrations, comparing information and possible solutions. Ultimately a buyer approaches the decision phase. Once they have been convinced emotionally and logically by at least some of the content they have discovered, they decide to buy. If you want the best chance of developing content that leads to a purchase, you’ll need to clearly understand your buyers’ persona(s).

Delivering content based on buyer persona equates to recognizing exactly whom you are talking to and what problem(s) they need solved. The time it takes to research and define your personas may seem cumbersome, but it tends to be worth it when it comes to marketing ROI. That’s because, as alluded to above, persona-based content is developed with a much clearer understanding of the buyer. Hence, it speaks more directly to your audience’s problems and can more effectively convince them that your products are the right solutions.

Persona-based content is becoming increasingly more important to remain competitive. For help with targeting your audience using personas, contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Millennium Agency is a nationally recognized, top woman led B2B branding, positioning, and digital marketing firm who knows how to create value that emotionally influences your customer’s buying decision, giving you the competitive advantage. As your trusted partner in B2B software technology and manufacturing, we provide the branding and positioning framework that make an impact – so you can focus on what you do best – run your business successfully. With offices in Boston and New Hampshire, and a worldwide presence, the professionals at Millennium Agency would like to learn more about your business.  Visit www.mill.agency or book time here.  

Social media outreach is a necessity when marketing your business. With over 81% of the population having at least one social profile, it is a great way to reach consumers and promote your brand. A successful social media outreach strategy strives to gain followers and keep them engaged with the long-term goal of converting them into leads.

So how exactly do you grow your following and keep them engaged? Here are a few tips that your business can use to boost engagement among your social following:

Keep it Current

People are interested in current events which is why these posts are great for encouraging conversations. Current events should not be overly political or controversial in any way, but light topics such as local weather and fun industry related events are excellent post topics.

Offer Discounts and Run Promotions

Offering discounts, coupons, and running promotions over social media is eye catching to followers. A few examples of offers that often see success include:

Free shipping,
X% percent off
Buy 1 get 1 free
Offer expires on (date)

If your business already runs discounts and promotions for customers, this is an ideal social media outreach strategy.

Post Regularly

Engaging a social media audience requires regular posting. Posts that are too sporadic or too far spaced apart may lose interest. Posting too frequently, however, may lose follower engagement as well. Every business is different which is why it is important to find your “sweet spot” for post frequency. This may require a bit of time and gathering consumer data to home in on.

If your business is open 7 days a week and does daily promotions, then frequent posting may be for you. If your business is in manufacturing, operating Monday – Friday, then perhaps 2-4 posts per week is right for you. The important thing is to be consistent, once you find the most engaging post schedule for your business, try not to deviate too much from it.

Educate Audience

People love to learn quick, interesting facts. This is an opportunity to implement your social media outreach strategy by sharing industry news as well as engaging followers in a fun and creative way. “Did you know that…” posts are an effective way to garner likes and encourage conversations. Whether it be fun facts or links to informative statistics, blogs, or news articles, these types of posts are an excellent option for any business.

Ask Questions

Asking questions turns one-way posts into a two-way channel, stimulating interaction with consumers and fueling engagement. “What do you think?” or “post below with your opinion!” are just a few options for motivating followers to reply. Questions are especially effective for showing that you care and encouraging participation and community among your customers.

Speak in a Human Voice

Posting with the voice of a large corporation shows professionalism and demonstrates your business as a trusted, solidified organization but it can be intimidating when it comes to follower responses. A down-to-earth voice is much more approachable and, depending on your business, may suit you better for encouraging replies.

Showing that you are in touch with your roots is an excellent way to connect with your customer base. Brief posts about how your business started or perhaps a few words from your founders are just a few ways that you can show followers that you are professional, but also down to earth and approachable.

Incentivize

Small contests, trivia, games, and so on appeal to the gamer in everyone. Depending on your business, raffling off a prize could be right for you. This is an excellent incentive that encourages participation among your followers. The incentive does not have to be huge, even small winnings catch the eyes of followers scrolling through a social feed. One useful method that also provides feedback is to offer a gift or discount in return for filling out a survey.

Having social media presence has shifted from being optional for businesses to a necessity. An engaging social strategy builds your brand image and creates lead generation. To learn more about how your business could benefit from a stronger social media outreach, contact Jessica Chabot, Vice President, Client Services of Millennium Agency at www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Did you know that a 2% increase in customer retention for a business has the same financial effect as a 10% decrease in costs? Many businesses realize the importance of retaining customers and building loyalty but still focus their marketing efforts primarily on attracting new customers.

Here are a few ways that digital marketing can assist with retaining customers.

Personalized Content

In times before web-based commerce, buyers would often return to businesses based on the way they were treated in-person at the store. Nowadays people can make purchases without stepping foot in a store, or even leaving their own house for that matter. This disconnect can make it difficult to provide excellent service to customers and show them that you care.

Personalized content is an excellent way to maintain a connection with your customers. Presenting content to users based on their own unique preferences is an effective way to show that you know your customers and provide them with a positive experience. By offering tailored service, you are much more likely to increase loyalty to your brand.

Web Design and Mobile Applications

A strong web design and mobile app will encourage repeat business and heighten retention. If the website or mobile app for a company is difficult to use, or has a confusing setup, consumers will often make the switch to a competitor that offers the same product/service purely because their web-presence is more streamlined and user friendly.

Consistency and ease-of-use across your business’s web platforms allows customers to know what to expect and a well-thought-out design will make them want to return. The addition of chatbots to a website is just one example of a design feature that enhances the user experience. By quickly answering customer inquiries without requiring them to email or call you, the process is made much simpler on their end. A positive web experience will encourage repeat business from consumers time and time again.

Marketing Automation

Whether they be a one-time form submitter or a ten-year loyal customer, you can always follow up and nurture that lead through marketing automation. This form of digital marketing encapsulates several different processes that automatically reach out to subscribers who have come in contact with your business. This is important because a continuous flow of content to your customers is imperative to maintaining a presence in their mind.

While a consumer may not initially need your product or service, they will remember you when the time comes. It is in this way that marketing automation helps capture missed sales opportunities and encourages repeat business.

Data and Analytics

Gathering consumer data is an important step to learning why some users become loyal customers and why others don’t. Tracking a user’s path through your website that led them to either make a purchase or leave the site allows you to monitor what is working for customer retention and what may need some fixing.

While attracting new business is important for growth, retaining customers is even more important for maintaining that growth. If you feel that implementing digital marketing strategies focused on retaining customers would be advantageous for your business, contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency.

So your business is the best at what they do, but you’re still not seeing the sales that you would like. You also feel that there is an untapped market out there, what do you do now?

The answer? Focus on public relations.

Public relations is the cornerstone of a successful marketing strategy. Many people think PR is purely one thing, but this is not necessarily the case. Public relations is multi-faceted and a successful strategy involves many different tactics for reaching consumers.

Here are a few “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for building a successful public relations strategy:

Do

Reach the right audiences by releasing news through the right mediums.

It’s all about knowing which news sources you should use to release information about your business. Creating media lists that contain top influencers for best outreach is key to reaching the right market for your product or service. There is no right or wrong number, depending on your business, your list could be under 50 news sources or it could exceed 500. Geography, demographics, and budget are all factors to consider when choosing the best sources for your press releases.

Build brand loyalty through positioning.

Positioning your business involves telling your audience who you are as a business and positively portraying your brand. A strong public relations strategy allows you to be the authority on your brand image. Releasing PR pieces from trusted news sources helps readers see you the way you wish to be seen. Positioning through trusted news mediums builds credibility as well. After seeing your business in an editorial section rather than the paid advertising section of a news source, a consumer is much more likely to do business with you.

Develop featured articles to be released through media outlets.

Writing and releasing articles on industry subjects shows that you are a thought leader in your profession and keeps your name relevant to consumers. Featured articles with enticing information also keep a steady flow of traffic coming to your website, which increases lead opportunities. Regularly releasing content will keep readers coming back, building familiarity with your business, and while they may not initially need your services, when the time comes, they will know who to call.

Don’t

Forget to form press releases around all new major company events, products, and changes.

Releases regarding new company features, events, products, etc. keep consumers up to date on your latest offerings and help your business maintain relevancy. Relevancy is crucial to sustaining a steady flow of business. The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” holds true for consumer opinions, which is why many successful businesses are constantly posting news regarding the on-goings of their company.

Focus on purely one channel for public relations efforts.

Public relations through a variety of mediums is key to reaching as many people as possible. News outlets, social media, and your website are just a few examples of the mediums you should be releasing information through. By casting a wide net, you are much more likely to reach your target market.

Neglect social media as a medium for public relations.

Social media is an effective form of outreach, which is why its important that news releases and articles be pushed through your social pages in addition to news sources. Many trusted professionals share industry articles through social sites such as LinkedIn, spreading brand awareness for the business.

Social listening is also an important reason to incorporate social media into your public relations strategy. By monitoring conversations regarding your brand, you can respond to posts and discussions involving your brand just as fast as they are developing. This is important for showing consumers that you are in tune with their opinions and to head off any negative brand conversations/experiences before they have the chance to spread.

Public relations is a fundamental way to reach target audiences and tailor messages to them, enhancing your close rates on sales opportunities. If you would like to know how your business could build a stronger brand image, contact Jessica Chabot, Vice President, Client Services of Millennium Agency at www.mill.agency.

About Millennium Agency

Developing a brand around your business is essential to building a strong following and having industry presence. Many people may think of a brand as being as simple as a logo, but it is far more than that, your brand is everything that encapsulates who you are as a business.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind in order to develop a successful brand:

Identity and Purpose

This is considered to be one of the most important aspects of branding. A few questions to ask yourself in this stage of branding are:

Who are you as a business?
What problems exist in the market and what is your solution?
Who is your target audience and why?
What differentiates you from the herd?

Seek to answer these questions when you create your brand purpose. Understanding your target market’s core values is key here. Developing a mission statement is an important step for businesses.

Voice

This is the communicative style that you use to reach out to consumers. Once you have your purpose, it is time to vocalize that purpose to your audience using language they can understand and relate to. This also includes choosing the right mediums and forums to represent your brand.

If you are a family-oriented business, you should communicate in a way that speaks from a family perspective. If you sell hair grooming products and your target audience is men aged 18-35, be sure that you truly understand the culture of that group and can speak their language.

Consistency

You have your purpose and you have your voice, now it is time to keep your word and be consistent with who you say you are as a brand. This means that when you develop product packaging, manage customer service, or write articles for your website, there should be a standardized format. This is so that consumers can recognize your brand and know what to expect time and time again.

Being consistent does not mean that your brand cannot also be flexible. Times change, and many businesses change and sometimes even reinvent themselves to reflect this. Consistency as a brand means that when you do make changes, you stand by them so that consumers know you are reliable. Constantly flip-flopping back and forth, so your audience does not know what to expect from your brand, is what you want to avoid.

Community

A strong brand following involves providing a sense of community for your customers. One example of a successful brand community is My Starbucks Idea. Starbucks created this forum for customers to communicate with each other and share thoughts and suggestions. By giving consumers a sense of being a part of something bigger, rather than just a coffee-drinker, Starbucks has created a community of dedicated fans.

These days, a business is so much more than the product/service that they provide. It is all about the values and lifestyle that they represent. If a new and exciting brand strategy is something that you feel could benefit your business, contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency www.mill.agency.