A campaign landing page is a standalone web page which is disconnected from the main website and is created specifically to make the most of a targeted audience. It’s where a visitor ‘lands’ after clicking on an AdWords link, Facebook advert or equivalent. Landing pages almost always have one objective, a specific call to action (we’ll discuss this later) and will have fewer links than other webpages making them better optimised for conversion.
There are two primary types of landing page to consider; firstly, a lead generation or lead capture landing page, these will include a web form as their CTA and are most often used for B2B purposes. The second type of landing page has a click through button as the CTA and is mostly used for e-commerce purposes.
As mentioned previously most businesses struggle with their websites conversion rates, in fact 85% of search marketing professionals will be focusing more on conversion rate optimisation this year alone (Marketing Charts). Just one of the ways they will do this will be through well-built landing pages. The biggest reason for this? Having a specific call to action means that visitors are simply and easily directed to the end conversion without having their time wasted (and we all know how much customers hate having their time wasted!) Directing them straight to the point they need to be at without hassle is key. Unlike the homepage a landing page goes without the distractions of extra links, navigation options and text which all dilutes the message and reduces conversion rate. Clear CTA=Happy Customers=Even Happier Conversion Rates.
It’s important to recognise that even though landing pages can be very effective, they are not the solution to everyone of your CRO woes. There are however a few examples of inbound marketing campaigns that simply cry out for a great landing page.
Promotional offers targeted at specific customer audiences: If a particular promotion is suitable for some consumers but not others, for example if there is a promotion for a sub-sector of your online subscription list (perhaps those who have been subscribed for over a year) having a separate landing page just for these customers helps to avoid confusion and doesn’t aggravate those consumers the promotion is not for.
Multiple products: Although product advertising often leads you to the main product page to provide as much information as possible (to help the customer create an informed purchasing decision), the distractions of the main nav bar and other products can remove the focus from purchasing the product. Using a standalone landing page not only removes distractions but also provides a greatly simplified sales funnel, ad to landing page to cart. This also means that your sales can be directly attributed to the ad and the landing page. After all attribution is key.
Traffic Source Segmentation: Similar to matching landing pages to specific customer groups, matching landing pages to sources of traffic can also prove invaluable. People who have come to the site from a tweet or Instagram bio will be looking for a different experience to those who come through AdWords, so message match is easier to manage, and measurability is so much easier making analytics a doddle!
There you have it, a quick whistle stop tour of the landing page. Wan to learn more about conversion rate optimisation for your website? Contact us, we’re kind of experts (not to toot our own horn!).
Content marketing simply refers to the marketing content your company puts out designed to attract your desired audience. Here are our five top tips on how to make your content the best it can possibly be.
Before you do anything, make sure you know 100% who you’re trying to target. This will inform everything you do – from the very style you write in to what platforms you use the most. If you don’t start out with a clear demographic in mind, your content will be disjointed and may not appeal to those inclined to buy your products or use your service.
One of the best ways to engage your audience, whatever their demographic may be, is to appeal to them with humour. Using humour in your content marketing can make you seem like less of a corporate business and more of a relatable entity that people can connect with.
Video is a huge medium for marketing at the moment. This is mostly thanks to Google’s transformation of YouTube into a global platform over the last ten years. You can use YouTube to upload your marketing videos, and you don’t have to break the bank doing so.
Even simple low-budget instructional or how-to videos can garner views and increase your audience.
There has also been an explosion in the use of video livestreams. If you haven’t heard of Periscope or even Facebook live, it might be worth doing some investigating and mastering the basics. Livestreaming gives you an opportunity to connect with your audience in real time, and even give them a glimpse behind the scenes of the business.
Did you know that making your content local can be more of an advantage than making it completely unique? You can start to make your content marketing more local by including local information in your blog posts and other copy. You should also make sure to monitor and update your profiles on local directories.
Everything you show to the world should have some sort of value to your audience and potential customers. Before you publish anything, make sure you ask yourself a set of simple questions like ‘What will my audience gain from this? Will they find it entertaining or informational?’.
So, there you have it – our top five tips to upgrade your content marketing! Which of these tips did you find most useful? Let us know!
As a business, it’s your task to ensure that the noise you make is not only valuable, but also distinct. It has to be something which adds value, rather than simply adding. It has to be brilliant.
Of course, we all know that’s easier said than done, but in an age of ultrafast internet and high-res screens, there’s a new generation of content cutting through the noise. Chief amongst that new generation? Infographics.
Oh, you’ll have seen them around, those fun, fascinating images loaded up with information on any given subject. You might even have been offered infographics to post on your own website! However, despite the popularity of infographics, you might find yourself wondering what the point is? After all, isn’t good, old fashioned writing enough?
At Site Reach, we’re firm believers in the power of the infographic. So much so, that we’re about to spend the next 300-odd words evangelising them. Here’s why you should care:
We’re firmly at the stage wherein ‘virality’ has become little more than a marketing buzzword, but there can be no doubting that when it comes to modern internet usage, long-form text is falling by the wayside in favour of video and picture based content.
It only takes a few minutes of looking around the most popular social media websites to find that the really popular stuff isn’t text-based. So, whilst there’s absolutely real SEO and cultural value in writing copy, the infographic succeeds in being super shareable.
Attaching your website to the infographic not only gets it in front of potentially millions of eyes, but cements your reputation as an expert. Not bad, ey?
How much writing do you estimate you’re read so far today? Provided you’re not reading this over breakfast (if so, we’ll have a double espresso), we’re confident you can’t even remember everything you’ve read. Such is the vastness of what we intake on a daily basis, that almost all of it disappears down the bottomless pit of time.
Infographics, on the other hand, catch the eye. With big, bold graphics and compelling information, you’re that much more likely to stop and pay attention to your message. It’s the perfect mix of high-quality information and supportive graphics.
SEO – we eat, sleep and breathe it, and we’ve no doubts that you do too. We’ll always go the extra mile to push ourselves up the search rankings and, therefore, drive enquiries and sales.
Key to an effective SEO strategy is getting links from websites which are similarly (or higher!) authoritative. That’s often pretty difficult, especially if they’re a direct competitor, but it isn’t when you deploy an infographic.
As well as making for amazing content for your own blog, you’ll find that a high-quality infographic gets picked up around the internet, with blogs linking back to you all the way.
It’s just another huge benefit of infographics, so what are you waiting for, isn’t it about time you published your very own infographic?
High profile, large controversies surrounding the US election and the Grenfell Tower Tragedy have bought the impact of Fake News to the forefront of many people’s minds and now platforms like Facebook are hastily working to try and prevent the virality of fake news stories however they are yet to have much success in doing so. It’s not just politicians and journalists that have been hit hard by the headlines, Starbucks was recently targeted with a hoax whereby tweets were sent out advertising a so called ‘Dreamer Day’. In this hoax the coffee chain said it would supposedly give out free drinks to any undocumented migrant in the US… With careful usage of the company’s logo, signature font and images of their well-known drinks the thread spread at lightning speed and left Starbucks in an understandably sticky situation trying to quaff the rumours.
So, where does this leave publishers and writers?
With the constantly changing landscape of journalism and marketing it can be hard for an individual or organisation to find their feet at the best of times, let alone at a time where every piece of content created is met with a certain scrutiny and questioning. So here’s some tips on how to rise your proverbial head above the fake news debacle…
Whilst fake news will always exist in some form or another you don’t have to be a victim to it’s plight. If you would like a little help in creating reputable, quality content that your audience will love, give us a shout.
Source nods;
https://www.ft.com/content/afe1f902-82b6-11e7-94e2-c5b903247afd
http://www.berkeley.global/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BER0226-Berkeley-Fake-news-report_AW.pdf
The concept of ephemeral content is that it only lasts for a short period of time before disappearing, be that a photo that only lasts for 24 hours on Snapchat or a livestream video that lasts for 10 minutes on Facebook. Whatever the content used its often short, snappy and to the point which appeals to those who are only interested in spending fleeting moments of time on social media channels before moving on.
Snapchat was invariably the network where ephemeral content originally gained its popularity, especially to the younger generation who make up for 61% of it’s users. From it’s humble beginnings in 2011 Snapchat has grown in user numbers and thus in popularity with brands as an advertising platform. Their forecasted revenue from advertising amounts to $1.7billion this coming year (2018). Other social media sites have cottoned onto this demand for short-lived content with Facebook launching Facebook live in 2015 and Instagram introducing ‘stories’ in 2016.
So why use it? Surely it’s a waste of time given that you need to produce content so regularly and consistently (and then be happy with it disappearing)? And surely the return on investment can’t be measured? Think again, here are the big reasons why ephemeral content should not be ignored:
It’s Authentic
We’ve heard it before, consumers are getting smarter and wiser to the multitude of marketing content they’re exposed to on a daily basis. Polished ads just aren’t cutting it anymore and are most likely to be ignored as everyone just keeps scrolling, ephemeral content however gives the consumer an insight into the people behind the adverts and sheds a totally different light on the brand. People who choose to follow a company or organisation on a platform like Snapchat or Instagram obviously have an active interest in the business and ephermal content gives them a sense of excitement and trust for the brand. People will pay attention because they want to, not because it’s thrust in front of their faces.
Engagement
The word of the moment, no matter where you go, the buzzword for all social media marketers is engagement, a post is most of the time only successful if it drives engagement right? After all every platform is demanding more and more engagement on content to even allow posts to reach followers. This is where ephemeral content can help, people see the snap or story and are lead to the main profile and thus the fine-tuned longstanding content, driving engagement. Furthermore, ephemeral pieces like geotags on Snapchat are perfect for taking advantage of location and time sensitive events and can create masses of earned content for brands and excellent word-of-mouth promotion.
The Big FOMO
Fear of missing out that is. Down to the time-sensitive nature of ephemeral content people are more likely to access the content with a sense of urgency and so will pay attention to it more. The use of regular Q+A’s that are one time only events or the sharing of limited edition discount codes means consumers will actively seek your social channels out for fear they won’t be able to access content at a later date. It gives the user a feeling of exclusivity that is much harder to achieve with other types of content.
Mobile First
Ephemeral content is the king of mobile-first, not only can you use just a mobile to produce your ephemeral content (no need for fancy equipment), but we can guarantee that almost everyone will be watching this content on their phones. With approximately 62% of smartphone users have making a purchase online using their phone in the past 6 months, ephemeral content can be highly effective for ecommerce brands in particular.
So there you have it, ephemeral content is one trend that should be taken seriously. Unsure about how to get started? Give us a shout, we’ll be happy to help you with your social media and content marketing strategy and unlike ephemeral content we won’t disappear after 24 hours…
Google has predicted that by 2020, around 50% of search queries will be voice searches.
It’s a no-brainer that Google will continue to integrate voice search capabilities into its search engine, making it an increasingly more important feature in their algorithm, consequently ranking websites applying voice search knowledge to their SEO more favourably. With roughly 20% of searches in the USA being made using the Googles Android search function, who can blame them?
Voice search works in a very similar way to typed, keyword search. The voice command is fetched from the user, recognised and interpreted then converted into text, this text forms the keyword input and the search engine’s output is equivalent to that which you’d expect from a typed query. Just like standard SEO practises there are a range of techniques you can implement to help ensure your website will be best positioned for any relevant searches.
For larger sites, it’s definitely worth contacting an SEO agency to see how they can help you optimise for search, and keep your website future-proofed for changes to the Google algorithm, and advances in search technology.
We’re going to give you a sneak peek on these new features, what we think of them here at Site Reach and how you can improve your brand;
The Instagram search and explore page was first launched in 2015 and has seen a plethora of changes over its short life, most notably the ‘Picked For You’ channels that were added in 2016 and the location and hashtag search function that was rolled out last year. However in 2018 the explore page is having its biggest makeover yet, not only will it deliver a more tailored range popular posts based upon what you already like but you will be able to browse through newly introduced ‘channels’. These channels will be based upon content you actually choose categorised by interest, for example ‘Graphic Design’, ‘SEO’ or ‘Dogs’ (everyone loves cute dogs, just admit it). Powered by augmented AI you’ll be able to choose a content channel you like and Instagram will collate the posts most applicable to that content channel making your explore page easier to use and much more personalised.
Mark Zuckerberg commented during his own F8 keynote that people were increasingly using video chat as a means to hang out with those close to them when they cannot be physically together, “It’s amazing how many of these social tools are about getting as close to feeling like we’re there with someone,” he said and thus he announced that the video chat feature already available in Facebook and WhatsApp will also be coming to Instagram in the next few weeks. This will give people the ability to chat privately, via video call with one or more people. A new video camera icon will appear in the top right hand corner of the screen when you are in your private DM’s, which when clicked will essentially call the other person or people in the conversation for a live chat. What’s even better is that the feature can be minimised so you’ll be able to carry on navigating the app and your feed at the same time as catching up with your pals.
AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) are very popular buzzwords at the moment and although the average Joe might assume that they are far off technologies only a select few can benefit from, they’re wrong… Instagram’s current story filters are a wonderful example of how AR can fit into everyone’s lives creating a fun and unique experiences for every user and soon people and brands will be able to create their own filters for all!
Originally introduced on Facebook last year the AR camera platform allowed developers to create their own 3D effects which can be placed inside photos or videos on Facebook and/or the Messenger platform. With Facebook opening the floodgate it’s now time for Instagram to join the party allowing developers, influencers and brands to create their own custom Insta filters.
There’s just one hang up, you will only be allowed to use a filter if you follow the page that created it, bad news potentially for the average user but great news for brands! This will undoubtedly encourage all businesses to adventure into the world of AR if they can effectively use it to coax (in the nicest way possible obviously) new followers to their account. According to Jioty Sood (product manager at Instagram) there may be one workaround to this rule if a friend who follows that page posts a story or sends you a DM using the filter, sneaky sneaky…
Although this feature is still on Beta you should expect to see a collaboration with Kylie Jenner very soon where you’ll be able to try one of her infamous lip kits. It does beg the question though, how much of an impact will this have on Snapchats popularity?
One of our favourite new features comes from a collaboration with Spotify. It’s a common theme to share a snapshot of your favourite album or tune to your Instagram story for everyone to see but it’s never quite as impactful as you want it to be, because well, your followers can’t actually listen to the music with you… Now, when on Spotify you’ll be able to click the share button and upload a story with a small sticker which will allow you to play the song and let you edit the story as you normally would at the same time. Powered by a deep link, the sticker will also allow followers to tap on the sticker and open the song/album page in-app (hoorah, no more swapping between apps!).
There’s also talks that we may soon be able to share GoPro footage directly onto stories which could see a whole new breed of ephemeral content appearing before our eyes.
Unfortunately as with all forms of social media, Instagram has become a target for online bullies and trolls to voice their opinions in unwarranted and often cruel ways in comment sections. To combat this Instagram is trialling a new filter feature in the comments section. It will automatically be switched on for all accounts and will use machine learning to identify language intended to harass or upset users, automatically removing the comment(s) when identified. It’s difficult to say how broad the interpretation of ‘offensive and abusive language’ will be but there will be the ability to turn the feature off in your accounts settings if you wish.
So there you have it, the big run-down of the biggest changes you can expect to see to one of the biggest apps on the market. If you’re unsure of how to go about using Instagram for your brand or business, shoot us a message, we don’t bite.
At the initial roll out, Jim Squires, Head of Business at Instagram said: “People come to Instagram every day to discover and buy products from their favourite businesses. We want that to be a seamless experience. Whether it’s a local artisan, florist or clothing store, shopping directly on Instagram has never been easier.”
The small-scale beta trial has been released to a select few big-players on the platform like Marks and Spencer, Heidi Klum and Mahabis (a luxury, unisex slipper brand). An extension that is installed automatically with the most recent update allows accounts to create a ‘shop’ interface whereby you can tag 5 products per image and up to 20 on a multi-image, carousel post. When a follower clicks on the image (shop function is highlighted by a small white circle with an outline of a shopping bag at the bottom right-hand of the image) small tabs appear with the products name and price, much like when another account is tagged in a post, when clicked the tabs take you through to a new page where more information is given and a ‘shop now’ button is provided, only if this is clicked do you get diverted to the retailers website. Whilst the feature is only available for tangible products currently there’s no reason why in the future the feature won’t be able to be used for services.
There’s no clear date as to when this feature will be available to the masses, but your account does need at least 9 posts for the function to be available (we think this is a tad random), but with no charge for the feature as it’s planned to only be used on organic and not paid/sponsored posts the sky is the limit for retailers and businesses who now have another platform to utilise to allow customers to easily (and impulsively on occasion!) buy their products. The functionality although basic currently has rocketed Instagram into becoming a key player in the online ecommerce sphere, and with 37% of UK small business’s saying that they built their company with the assistance of an Instagram account, shopping on Instagram is guaranteed to be big.
Unfortunately, that’s just not how it works, and though there’s plenty of good, practical advice for rolling your own SEO, as it were, we’ve seen first-hand just how er… ineffective some of those homemade efforts can be.
Now, we know what you’re thinking, that we would say that doing all your own SEO isn’t advisable. After all, that is our job, isn’t it?
Well, yes. But more than SEO professionals, we’re SEO enthusiasts, and we simply can’t sit by and watch people waste month after month throwing their valuable time and resources away on bad SEO. Here’s why we think you should outsource your SEO to a dedicated agency:
SEO is a Moving Target
SEO might seem simple enough, but did you know that Google changes their search algorithm around 500 to 600 times every single year? That’s multiple changes a day, some big, some small, but all incredibly important if you’re looking to maximise your exposure through search engines.
As experts in the field, it’s our job to know what these changes are and how they’ll affect your website. It’s about being on the ball at all times, and for busy people running a business, that’s rarely possible.
What you need is a team behind you, and that’s exactly what we offer.
Great SEO Needs Content
Running a business is hard, and managing a website alongside that is even tougher, but effective SEO needs one thing to truly succeed – amazing content.
When you’ve got your hands full with the actual act of running a business, actually writing that content falls by the wayside. We’ve seen it countless times and though it’s rarely a deliberate decision, it can be seriously detrimental to your SEO hopes in both the short and long term.
By turning to a team of SEO specialists, you can guarantee a steady stream of engaging, on-brand content without ever lifting a finger – how good is that?
Real SEO Has Amazing ROI
Now, we doubt we’ll surprise you when we tell you that professional SEO doesn’t come for free, but it does offer a tremendous return on investment when done correctly. It’s not uncommon for websites to double or triple the numbers of people visiting their website, with consummate increases of orders to boot.
Compared to homemade SEO solutions, there’s simply no comparison and though you’ll be adding a little to your outgoings, it’s more than worth it for the potential incomings.
DIY SEO Can be Risky
The internet is awash with bad advice, and that’s often the case with SEO. Old, outdated and often downright misleading, many of the articles you’ll find around the internet are, unfortunately, simply not fit for purpose.
By following that advice, you’ll not only struggle to see real returns on your time, you could actively harm your websites SEO potential, with Google ranking you down for bad SEO practices like keyword spamming, incorrect code application and more. Worth the risk? We’re not so sure.
To learn more about how we can transform your websites SEO potential, get in touch today!
To do that you might redesign your website, move certain elements or rewrite your copy to be more appealing to people who land on your page. The results might even look great to your eye, but you’re only one person. How do you know the changes you’re making are going to result in a positive change on your website, instead of simply maintaining or – gasp – reducing conversion rates?
The answer, friends, is A/B testing.
What is A/B testing?
A/B testing, sometimes known as split or bucket testing, is a method for comparing two versions of the same website. Borrowing a little from clinical studies, A/B testing is effectively an experiment where half of the people who visit your website are shown the old version (known as the control page), whilst the other half are shown your shiny, new version.
By comparing the analytics from both A and B, you can see exactly what’s working and what isn’t.
Best of all, A/B testing works equally well regardless of the changes you make on your website. It could be anything from moving a button to a complete, front to back redesign – any change works equally as well with A/B testing.
Why should you care?
If the advantage of A/B testing isn’t immediately obvious, allow us to spell it out – A/B testing can be astonishingly effective.
Because software like Google Analytics allow you to track where and how your customers interact with your website, you can see the effects of your changes. Whether you’re trying to encourage customers to download a free eBook, take a class or buy a boat, A/B testing can help you achieve your goals.
It’s not just webpages which can benefit from A/B testing either, you can apply the method to almost anything. Think how much your business could benefit from more effective email blasts, or how much business you could generate from more compelling advertising.
It’s just a handful of ways in which A/B testing can bring meaningful improvements to your website without calling in focus groups or relying on intuition alone.
Using a mixture of A/B testing and conversion optimisation, Site Reach were recently able to reduce bounce rates on a customers landing page from 72% to 29% in just two months, increasing sales by a remarkable 32% in the process.
Even the subtlest change can make a big difference so if you would like to know more feel free to get in touch for a chat.