The Found Gen

Marketing That Works.

blog

by

How to Make Your Content Resonate With Your Readers

Remember that Frozen song? We’re not going to even say the title because it could cause flashbacks to your child playing it on repeat for weeks on end and singing aloud at the top of their lungs.

What is it about songs or other messages that get stuck in our heads?

Well, it’s a complex theory that we’re not going to write a thesis on just yet, but one part of a great message is creating it for real people. Living, breathing, walking, talking humans that are not just theoretical models in an algorithm. It’s easy to forget that those consumers who click “like” on your social posts and visit your website are real. But we want to encourage you to think of them as unique individuals, just like you.

You are speaking to real human beings. They are not numbers, they are not walking dollar signs, they are people with families and friends and bad hair days just like you. When you are marketing to these humans, you need to have their mindset in mind.

WRITE FOR HUMANS, NOT GOOGLE

Of course, you need to get all your algorithms correct, check your keywords, lock down your SEO. Yes, yes and yes. We can’t forget that side of things, but if your content is strictly created to please Google and the great gods of technology, you are missing out on a chance to connect with your audience. Content and copy need to RESONATE.

What is resonance? Well, it’s actually a quality of sound when something creates a deep, resounding and reverberating effect. Think of it like this: Everyone is shouting their marketing message out into the world. At any given moment there are thousands of voices competing with one another. Some are shouted out in ear-splitting, tinny messages (think click-bait and pop-up ads), some are shouted out with a pop, a bang and a “buy now!” screech (think of all those Instagram ads that target you). We want your message to sound like s symphony or a long, resonant note that leaves people buzzing and thinking “I like the sound of that.”

Resonance, in this metaphor, is a sound, but think of that sound—your marketing message—like a communication or a song that gets stuck in your customers’ heads (for all the right reasons). It plays in the back of their minds and strikes a chord within them that—you guessed it—resonates. When something resonates it feels like it’s coming from within them. Your job is to create content that feels like it came from inside your customer, rather than without. Easy, right?

Of course it’s not easy. It may be the most difficult job your business can do. But it’s worth it. It’s worth it in terms of the ROI, but it’s even more worth it because you have created a connection between your business and your client. If you can do that, you’ve created resonance. And something that resonates with your customer will last so much longer than many other marketing tactics and campaigns.

Compose content that will last longer than a swipe of the thumb. Create copy that will stick in your readers’ heads like “Let it Go” (oh no, we said it!). Make marketing messages that speak to individuals, not numbers in an equation.

Do all this and you will build a brand that resonates with your consumers.  

by

What Online Marketing Tactics Should You Tackle First?

So, COVID-19 has sent your business for a loop? We get it.

And now you have to pivot your marketing strategies? We totally get it.

And you just have no clue where to start? We sooooo get it.

And a lot of people are shouting at you to buy ads or do SEO? Oof, yeah we get that too.

Look, there are STILL a lot of unknowns out there about how COVID-19 will affect the business world as we know it. One thing we do know is that the show must go on. Somehow, some way the world will come into the new normal and we all, as humans and as businesses, will have to adjust how we operate in a market that may never be the same.

How different will the world be? We just have to wait and see. But you can be guaranteed that there will be effects on your business. So, how do we prepare for the unknown?

Our recommendation is to stick to marketing tactics that work. You know, the kind that don’t break your proverbial piggy bank, don’t ride with fads (we see you tiktok), and don’t just slap a band-aid on it (cough cough, ads, cough).

 While we’re waiting to see what shape the world takes, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We can still keep the business rolling by focusing on content creation. Nothing mind-blowing here, just a friendly reminder that while fishermen (it sounds weird to say fisher-people) can’t fish, they repair their nets. In this case, your “net” is one or all of three of the digital ages’ most time-tested marketing forms.

Newsletters

One of the first successful marketing campaigns we saw personally during COVID came in the simple form of a newsletter. It was a small breakfast place with amazing food. The campaign was very simple, it basically said: “Hey, we’re cookin’ – if you’re eatin’. Open for pick-up. All our menu items are $9.99!”

And boy, did it do the trick. We ordered the next day and when we went to pick up our meal, there were dozens of carry out orders waiting along with ours. This café could have easily lost tens of thousands of dollars, but instead they sent out a newsletter that reached their fans and turned COVID into a win.

Never forget the power of a newsletter. And on that note, never forget the power of collecting emails. The more contacts you have for your email campaigns, the more effective your campaigns can be.

Blogs

Blogs have been the backbone of digital content for decades now. The main purpose of blogs is to drive traffic to your site with content-rich articles. But oftentimes businesses forget this or get too busy with the actual running of the business. In order to stay relevant as a business, your blogs have to stay relevant.

If you were searching for the best lawyer, would you go with the attorney who hasn’t posted a new blog since 2015, or the one who is staying up with the times and posting blogs about current events and contemporary subjects? We like relevancy and think it speaks to a brand’s status as a relatable business.

So, while you’re sitting around waiting for customers, write some blogs, or better yet, hire a team of professional content creators (cough, cough, us, cough) to create a content strategy for your company.

Social Media

Keep posting and keep engaging with your audience. Now is not the time to go silent. Post informative and engaging content. Post about how your team is grappling with the current state of the world. Just keep posting. But remember the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time you should be giving something to your audience: knowledge, insights, recommendations, a breath of fresh air. And 20% you can ask for something. Want to play it extra safe right now? Shoot for  a 90/10 ratio.

We know we haven’t necessarily delivered earth-shattering news to you with this blog, but we hope that it served as a reminder to keep the content mill churning. It can’t ever stop or your business will stop.

Good luck out there. We’d love to hear from you about how COVID has affected your business and how you’ve evolved or adapted to confront the changes.

by

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Change Can Be Good

How to Market in a Post-COVID World

You know those amusement park rides that just keep spinning you and spinning you and spinning you – so much so that you continue to feel like you’re spinning even long after you’ve gotten off the ride?

It’s a little like how we’re all feeling right now. Everything has been spun, shaken and stirred, and we probably won’t feel quite the same for a good long while. In many respects, we may have changed for good.

The same is true for our businesses, and those changes will have a lasting impact on how we go about marketing them in a post-COVID world.

Pivoting in the Face of a Pandemic

Adapting to a new way of doing the work as well as forging a new path for our work has forced us all to radically rethink our business model and the needs of our clients.

But with this change has come extraordinary opportunities to pivot our businesses – pivot them in ways that truly resonate with our people and compel them to do something they may not have thought to do before.

The economic impact our world has taken in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic has put many of our businesses at an evolutionary cross-roads. Only the strong will survive.

Good news.

You are the strong. You will survive. And the way you will do it? By creating an invaluable experience for your clients.

How Content Market Will Seize the Day

Information is power, and by providing helpful, informative content, you will empower your clients.

Truly great content marketing is to a virtual experience what salt is to the ocean. It breathes life into your business. It adds flavor and texture. It leaves an impression on your customers and beckons them to come back for more.

And truly great content marketing is what experts like Bill Gates predict is essential to surviving and thriving in a post-COVID world.

As Gates says, things may never be the same – certainly not in the near-term and very likely many of the changes we are experiencing will be permanent.

How you respond right now may mean the difference between simply scraping by (if you’re lucky) and truly revolutionizing your business for the future.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time for a change. Let’s get to it.

by

Staying Relevant as a Brand in Spite (or because) of COVID-19

Branding and marketing might be the last things on our minds right now as we try to stay afloat and healthy amidst the pandemic. But here we are, and though we take the COVID-19 outbreak and all of its repercussions very seriously, we can’t ignore the need for all of us to be able to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.

Some of us are out of jobs, either laid off, furloughed or in a completely unknown situation. Some of us are living hand to mouth and worried about how to pay the rent or mortgage. Some of us are doing our best to stay sane while we have to become parents, homeschool teachers, innovators and bread winners all in one brand new role. We feel for you. We’re in the same boat, even though it feels like our boats are separated by miles of empty ocean.

It’s unprecedented. It’s terrifying and traumatic. Let’s be honest, it’s kind of a sh** show. So why would we be talking about marketing in times like these? Well, first it’s because we live in the hope that times like these will be over soon. And second, a brand needs to stay relevant in whatever the world may throw at it, be that pandemic, hurricane, flood, famine or sharknado. The world is changing fast, the climate is going to continue to throw curveballs at us and the country’s political situation, well, let’s just say it’s rarely going to be rainbows and roses.

But you, your business and your brand, must continue to stay relevant through it all. You have to pay the bills, make a living, support employees and clients alike. No one ever said your job would be easy.

So, what can you do to stay relevant during quarantine?

Continue to build your brand and business

We’re betting you have some backend work to do (we know we do!). Maybe some blogs you need to write, or touch up that website, create a new SWOT analysis, run some numbers, do your taxes, and so on and so forth, ad infinitum. There is always work to be done on your brand and business. Think of this as the perfect time to tackle some of those tasks on the to-do list.

Offer a deal

It’s one of the oldest marketing tactics in the books for a reason. Everyone loves a deal. Think of how you can create a compelling (and ethical) deal that gives your customers what they want but doesn’t take unfair advantage of the situation.

Communicate

Find out what your customers need right now. Offer actual, actionable advice and top it with some inspiration. Offer free resources. Get people excited or distracted. Remember to good old 80/20 rule right now. Give more than you sell. Now is a great time for surveys and market research as well. Just keep communicating with your tribe. Remember that they are experiencing the same things as you and we all need a dose of hope and normality these days.

We’ve never seen a situation like this before. But what if, instead of breaking our business and casting us in darkness, we used this time to grow and evolve as a people? There’s plenty of time for introspection as a human and as a business. Maybe you can think of a way to combat climate change in your own way. Maybe you will find a new way for your brand to better humanity.

It’s always darkest before the dawn. We see the dawn coming. Stay strong and don’t forget about your business in the midst of all this chaos and confusion.

We’re rooting for you. Let us know how we can help!

by

Content Marketing is Not New Age PR. Here’s Why.

With all the hype around content marketing in our ever-more digital worlds, it can be easy to make the assumption that content marketing is just PR of the future – hey, we’re all out there just trying to spread the word, right?

But, that’s where we’re going to stop you.

Content marketing and PR have two very different (albeit similar) objectives, and if we start treating them as one in the same, we risk diluting the effectiveness of both strategies.

Traditional PR, according to the Public Relations Society of America, is really focused on the perception and relationships formed between an organization and its public. Getting it right can be a herculean task. Getting it wrong can potentially damage a brand forever.

Content marketing is also focused on brand perception, but it goes about building brand recognition and trust in a much more specific way. According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing’s objective is to effectively reach an audience by providing “valuable, relevant, and consistent content… and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

Whereas PR is concerned with “reach,” content marketing is driven by “action and conversions.”

Here at The Found Gen, when we partner with clients, our goal is not only to get more eyes on your message, product and services, but also to encourage readers and potential clients to go one step further and take action. Our content marketing objectives look a little something like this:

  • Consistently engage your audience with timely and useful content that answers their questions or helps them solve a problem.
  • Build your brand narrative by sharing stories and helping readers hear your authentic voice.
  • Establish trust between your audience and you by providing authoritative content.
  • Generate leads by writing click-worthy content and sharing them via a variety of channels and platforms (both digital and print).

Spreading the word about your awesome products or services is definitely a team effort and requires a multi-pronged approach, but when your goals are focused on conversions, a strategic content marketing plan will go a long ways towards helping you achieve them in a way PR just can’t do. Give us a call when you’re ready take your brand to the next level.

by

Should You or Shouldn’t You Use Facebook Ad Manager To Distribute Content?

Whether you’re a novice marketer or have been doing this for your whole career, the basic principles of promoting and growing your business remain the same – you have to create the right message for the right people at the right time. If you can’t do that, you may as well be throwing your ad dollars out the window.

So, in a world of hyper social activity, short attention spans and even more ad clutter filling our screens, how is this even possible?

Enter Facebook Ad Manager.

Facebook can make it incredibly easy to target relevant content to the right audience and give you valuable reporting data, too. But before you go all in, let us help you break a few things down:

  • Cost –Facebook Ads can be very cost-effective. You are 100% in control of your budget, and you can run an effective ad campaign for less than you what you spend on your daily cup of joe.
  • Content –the number one thing you can do to ensure success with your Facebook ads is create relevant and engaging content that stops scrollers in their tracks. Even better, it should make them want to take action (e.g., learn more, take a quiz, buy your product, etc.).
  • Promotion –For the biggest bang for your buck, you have to be smart with what you choose to promote. Otherwise, what’s the point? Boosting your most popular content will put your best assets in front of the right audience.
  • Retargeting –If someone engages with your content, the best thing you can do to reward their interaction is serve them up additional content that provides even more information on the same or similar topic. With Facebook Ad Manager, you set the parameters for retargeting and then get ready to watch the leads roll in.

Bottom line: If done right, Facebook ads can be an effective tool in your marketing arsenal. If done poorly, well, we already talked about that…

When you’re ready to take the plunge into Facebook ads, give us a call. This stuff is right in our sweet spot.