The Found Gen

Marketing That Works.

blog

by

How Often Should You Update Your Website Design?

If you’ve been staring at the same website design for a year now, you may be wondering when the best time is to finally take the plunge and update it. And while experts will say a good time to update your site will range from 2-3 years, we’re here to tell you that you don’t exactly have to wait that long. 

But before you go all in on a full-blown remodel, ask yourself a few questions:

Does Your Website Look and Feel Old?

This can be one of the easiest indicators that it’s time for an update – even if your current design isn’t actually that old. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do a full remodel, but sometimes adding new elements like key categories pages can be the TLC your website needs.

Does Your Website Function Properly?

Check your site to see if any links lead nowhere or error pages, both on your own site or offsite. Be sure to visit your website on mobile devices as well – if you run into any errors, especially while checking your website from a phone, it’s time for an update.

Does Your Website Rank Well in Google?

Something to keep in mind is that Google will most likely rank the website that is updated more often above websites that are rarely updated. This doesn’t mean you have to panic and completely remodel your website – but you should keep up with competitors to make sure your website and content is staying relevant.

In this digital age, the web is constantly evolving and adapting, and if you’re not moving to adjust with it, you’ll (unfortunately) be left behind. If you need help tackling a website remodel, don’t hesitate to reach out.

by

Is Twitter the Best Driver of Business on Social?

Social media platforms are undoubtedly a valuable marketing tool for businesses of any size. They increase business visibility, spans multiple demographics, and helps solidify your personal brand. That being said, you should carefully consider how Twitter will fit into your online marketing plan.

Is Twitter Right for Your Business?

While Twitter is great for sharing small updates, engaging with followers, and promoting blog posts, it isn’t always the best platform for every business. It’s important to consider that you can only share short tweets (240 characters or fewer), videos, images, and links – unlike other platforms which allow you more freedom to share lengthy content. 

An upside to using Twitter is that you can easily interact with your audience and mutual followers by liking, commenting, and resharing tweets – which is great for building community.

If you have unique content that can be shared in an interesting and engaging way, Twitter can be a good choice to promote visibility for your business – although it’s a smart idea to use it in combination with other platforms to drive business.

Successful Twitter Strategies for Your Business

  • Be authentic and credible.
  • Take the time to observe your potential customers and their behavior. Research to see if any conversations are happening around your brand, as well as your competitors. 
  • Engage your followers. Ask questions and let your business’s personality or viewpoint shine through in conversations.
  • Avoid using Twitter as a forum for blatant product or brand promotion. 
  • Focus your efforts: It’s better to have a well-defined, narrow realm of subject matter for your tweets—which should be directly relevant to your business and its customers—than to try to cover too many topics with so-so posts.

If you’re new to Twitter, read our blog on getting started here – or, if you’d like some professional help with managing your business’s account and driving business, get in touch today.

by

How Often Should You Be Blogging to Drive Results?

Blogging can sometimes feel tedious or ineffective, but we’re here to tell you that it is so worth the effort. Companies that post more than 16 blogs a month get 3.5 times more traffic than those who post four or fewer – here’s why:

Blogging is Undoubtedly the Best SEO You Can Do for Your Website

If you have an SEO strategy in place but aren’t blogging, you don’t have an SEO strategy. Ideally, your blogs are rife with pertinent information that your potential customers are looking for – or better yet – Googling. Once a month, Google will search the internet and determine if you have added more original content and pages to your website. Google will note that you have an active site that is providing valuable information, which is why blogging consistently is so important.

How Often You Should Blog

A general rule of thumb is the more you blog, the more traffic your site will get. However, if you can’t put blogs out every week, don’t worry. When it comes to blogging, quality and length > quantity. Longer blogs that provide more in-depth content will essentially lower the bounce rate of readers, meaning they don’t have to continue to search Google for the information they’re looking for. 

One of the best things about blogs is that they continue to serve your business months, even years after you post them, making them worthwhile in the long-term if nothing else. All in all, blogging just a few times a month will absolutely increase traffic to your site and get Google to notice you. 

If blogging is too time-consuming and not something you are able to handle on your own – consider outsourcing to experienced professional content writers (hint, that’s us). 

by

LinkedIn: Social Media’s Best Kept Secret

LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for finding and sharing professionally relevant content, networking, and generating new leads. With more than 774 million members worldwide, LinkedIn is the go-to social media site for professionals. When used properly, LinkedIn offers a range of benefits from boosting online visibility to building industry connections. 

It’s All About Connecting with People

Building relationships is the foundation of any strong marketing campaign – which is exactly why we love LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows you to directly target and connect with potential clients, referral sources, and professionals in your industry. What’s not to love?

While You’re at it, Boost Your SEO

On top of that, content posted on LinkedIn is indexed by Google, so the more actively you engage and contribute relevant content, the better your SEO and Google ranking will be. If you’re already creating content for other social media platforms, why not use it for LinkedIn as well?

Keep Up with the Latest News

Even if you’re not about the connections, LinkedIn is still one of the best places to follow the industry giants, connect with experts in your field and keep up industry news. It’s always a good idea to stay on top of relevant news, trends, and data – and LinkedIn offers you a direct source to do this.

By utilizing LinkedIn’s professional network, you can find the right audience for your content and be seen as an authoritative voice in the industry. Need help with your content marketing strategy? Let’s talk.

by

What Data Should You Be Looking at When Analyzing Your Marketing

If you’re sending out a bunch of content without measuring its effects, you’re going to be missing out on A LOT of important insights. For a successful marketing strategy, you need to know what’s hitting the target, what’s missing, and why. Metrics will tell you how successful your strategy is, and they’ll help you craft even better content for even better results. Learning how to analyze marketing data is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of running a successful marketing campaign.

Analytics can help you track your impact with impressions, clicks and click-through rates. They can help you understand your traffic performance, readership engagement, and lead generation. So, with all that being said, what data should you be tracking? There’s a ton of KPIs out there, but here’s the ones we recommend looking closely at:

  • Impressions
  • Email Engagement
  • Spend
  • Clicks
  • Social Media Engagement
  • Webpage Views
  • Sales (unit/dollar volume)
  • Cost per Client
  • Cost per Lead
  • Return On Advertising Spend (ROAS)
  • Return on Investment (ROI)

There isn’t a right answer for which tool is best to measure or track your analytics – the reality is just stick with one. Much akin to tracking your weight loss on a scale – you want to use the same measuring tool if you are going to accurately track the data. Switching scales can affect your numbers and result in a lot of frustration. The same rule applies to tracking your marketing data. 

Here are some of the tools that are available: 

  • Google Analytics
  • Tableau
  • Momently
  • HubSpot Marketing Hub
  • SEMrush
  • Google Search Console
  • Visitor Analytics
  • Clicky Analytics
  • Bitly

We know sifting through data can be a drag – if the numbers get too overwhelming, we can help!

by

Are You Utilizing Email Marketing Properly?

With the landscape of content marketing constantly changing, and our attention spans getting shorter and shorter, you may be wondering…is email dead? Definitely not (and here’s why). Email marketing remains an indispensable tool for business visibility, lead generation, and promoting content – it’s also super simple and direct to use. Here’s a few things to consider if you’re looking to properly utilize email marketing:

Identify Your Goals:

Before jumping into things, it’s important to set clear goals and expectations for your email campaign. Set aside some time to identify what you want to achieve from your campaigns, how much you can spend, and target goals. 

Have a Compelling Title and Relevant Content:

You want to make sure that the emails sent out are actually being opened and engaged with – which is why it’s important to thoughtfully craft a captivating title that will leave readers wanting to know more. Taking the time to write a careful email can be the difference between your message ending up in the trash bin (or worse – spam!) and securing a new lead.

Personalize Your Emails:

Research shows that personalized emails have 26% higher open rates, and an improved click-through rate of 14%. People pay attention to what’s relevant to them – so instead of sending out a campaign with generic offers and broad-statement messaging, write something a bit more personalized. Your subscribers will be more inclined to open and engage with an email that is targeted directly at them, includes their name, and provides offers (products, promotions, etc.) that are relevant to their interests.

If you still aren’t sure where to go from here and need help with your email campaigns or newsletters, we’ve got you covered from dynamic design to automation, personalization, and deliverability.