A newsletter is an easy way to distribute informational and product-focused content via an emailed letter to a subscriber list that comprises of possible and current customers. Online businesses apply newsletters to keep their brand at the top of the list of customer sales, launching specialists in the space and notifying readers of products that may interest them.

Gauging the success of newsletters depends on what you use in your newsletter. You can view how many subscribers are opening your newsletter and you can also track the number of clicks that your newsletter material is receiving once sent. Like all marketing initiatives, newsletters need to have a measurable influence on the business. To begin with, setting up measurable goals – are you wanting subscribers to follow a link or participate in a survey? These base goals are supplied to various sales campaigns or business initiatives the newsletter could reinforce.

1. Effective newsletters are informing, not completely sales-driven

Email users of every kind are frequently bombarded with offers, sales, and promotions on a daily basis. Most of the time, it’s all just to get customers to open and read a sales pitch. Your newsletter needs to go beyond an attempt to sell products and services. Your content needs to be sincerely and honestly interesting.

Users are much more likely to open your email if it will add value to their lives. You want to create content that is educating or entertaining to the end user. The first step it to accomplish this in the subject line. It is important to keep in mind that click-bait subject lines will only work once if your actual content doesn’t deliver on the promise presented in the subject line.

2. Your promise needs to promote authority and expertise

Newsletters give online businesses an opportunity to prove the authority and expertise surrounding a particular product, service or industry. Let subscribers know why certain materials are better, tell a short story about your brand or tell them something that brings more personality to your brand. This gives readers a reason to trust you and let them know what you are about, without reading much further.

3. Distinguish your brand from the competition

Customers with a specific attachment to a particular company spend more money than any average consumers – people buy brand identity more than they buy products. An effective newsletter is one way to bolster your brand identity and distinguish your brand from the competition. It gives you that edge and that personal touch that attracts customers and keeps them interested in your business.

4. Newsletters are 9/10 simplified information, and only 1/10 sales material

You need to have the right balance on content in your newsletters. Less is always more, and as mentioned before, the educational material will lead to more sales than any product copy will. If you have something more to offer than just your typical product or service information you are more likely to hold onto your subscribers.

5. Use Creative and informed headlines

Subject lines should entice the reader to open the email and it should accurately represent and express its contents. You should not mention something in your subject line just to get them to open the email/newsletter. Do not lure your customers and not deliver on your message. There is nothing worse than taking time out of your day to read something that is irrelevant.

6. Be likeable

A large portion of respondents sign up for your newsletter because they like your brand. Don’t make the newsletter extensive and mundane – people want short, easy to read content that adds value. Attract the client and keep them interested. It is a great opportunity to show your subscribers why they like your brand and what they can expect from their favourite brand in the future.

7. Relevant and consistently scheduled

Information should be precise to your target audience. If you sell several products targeted at different audiences, then create separate lists to target them. You also need to be consistent in your delivery so take the time to see when would be best for you to send your newsletter out. This can be every week, once at the end/beginning of the month, or every time you start supplying a new product or service.

8. You need a strong call to action

Every newsletter should have an anticipated action to be performed by the reader. Once your subscribers are done reading, you need to make sure they don’t just close the email. Keep them involved by giving them an all intensive task. This allows you to easily stay in touch with potentials and regular customers that showed an interest in the past.

9. Unclutter the format

Keep it simple, attractive and entertaining. If your soft and hard leads are confused or overwhelmed by the formatting, they are more likely to unsubscribe or be detached from your brand throughout the newsletter.

10. Take it a step further and keep it mobile friendly

Mobile responsiveness is essential to newsletters as most customers read their emails on the run. It is busy out there in the real world, you need to keep that in mind! More and more people are using mobile devices to check their emails and do a lot of their shopping online. Companies need to make sure their newsletters are adjusted and compatible with tablets and smartphones for the best results.

11. Give people the option to unsubscribe

This may sound strange to you, why get them to subscribe and then you give them the option to unsubscribe? The answer is easy – businesses with a subscriber list, want to keep leads as happy as possible, even if that means losing their subscription to a newsletter. It does not mean you lose business from that client it just means they do not want to be receiving reminders or updates on your brand. Most people are not patient enough to be receiving constant reminders as it clusters their mailbox. Subscribe and unsubscribe forms must be visible for potential or present customers to sign up or sign out.

It’s Time To Increase Subscribers

The potentials are all there waiting to join. If your current leads are happy then why not reach out to more. They may not be forwarding your newsletter, but they would be talking about you. Make sure you are being helpful in your newsletter. Answer the common questions they will be asking from the get-go, answer before they have a chance to ask. Make sure to share valuable and useful content. Reach out, make and keep connections. If your newsletter is informative and beneficial for clients, it sure is going to be beneficial to your business. Send out your newsletter today.

The post 11 Great Ways to increase your newsletter subscription list appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

1. Effective communication

Your content covers your website, blog, social media channels, press releases or other content marketing initiatives. To effectively communicate your message, you need well-written and engaging copy that draws readers in – and keeps them there.

Everything you write must be tailored in a comprehensive and informative way. A professional copywriter specialises in doing just that to tell your brand story and influence your audience. A professional copywriter will incorporate your business values, tone of voice, and key messaging. They are specialists in generating copy that flows and paints the right picture. They will also ensure that your messaging stays consistent across all media platforms.

2. Be more influential

As the voice behind your business it may seem like you can put together a couple of sentences to convey your message. However, just as you are a professional at your craft, so are copywriters.

Copywriters have a particular skill-set that sets them apart. They understand how to influence audiences through effective writing techniques. This includes the structure of articles, pacing and rhythm, and proper grammar. Copywriters are professionals at painting a picture that drives consumer action.

3. Increase Credibility

Professionally written content will increase your business’s credibility. A consistent message will show the sophisticated maturity of your brand and you will be taken more seriously. Working with a copywriter will ensure your expertise is brought to life through entertaining and engaging copy.

The quality of your content will indicate to your audience that you are the real deal that wants to help them. Quality content will keep your company in front of mind and will solidify your place as an industry leader. be viewed as a leader in your field.

4. Improve SEO

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is critical to your business’s success in the digital age. Effective SEO will make your business discoverable to your untapped audience online. SEO is an ever-evolving process that can be complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Copywriters know what important keywords to include and how to include them in a way that is organic. Copywriters are skilled at thinking from the perspective of your audience and targeting them with the language they would use.

They will incorporate targeted phrases that will direct your audience to your website. This is an extensive process that involves meta-descriptions, website title tags, on-page SEO and informative articles that your potential clients will find helpful.

5. Proofreading

It is easy to make simple mistakes in your copy, but a copywriter can catch them before anything goes live online, to the printers or to your clients. They are trained with a critical eye that can spot stray apostrophes or misusing homophones like their and there.

Ideally, your copywriter will handle the majority of writing for your business, but there are certain cases where team members will have to write. Content like important client emails, proposals and presentations will often be written by your staff but it is important that these are run past a copywriter who can look over them with a keen eye before being sent out into the world.

6. Generates organic traffic and inbound leads

Running a business is a time-consuming process that makes it challenging to create regular content for your website. However, this is important to help grow your business. According to one finding, just one article a week can increase traffic by 153%. A professional copywriter will write much quicker and at a higher standard, so you can focus on your priorities and responsibilities.

By generating blog posts that are combined with social media posts, your organic traffic will increase, and this results in more leads. A copywriter will create enticing articles that are of interest to your target audience and showcase your products or services. They understand how to leverage hook key phrases in a way that flows and includes a strong call to action. Basically, they know how to write with flair and get the key message across.

7. Content Marketing Strategy

Effective content will drive profitable consumer action. For content to be effective it needs to be strategic and carefully thought out. Your copywriter will help you to define and execute your content marketing strategy.

This involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. You may believe that you have only one audience, but your copywriter will show you how to leverage your content across multiple audiences.

The people visiting your website directly, may be different from the people who visit your Facebook page. More than this, audiences across social media platforms vary in the way they consume, engage and interact with your posts. By using a copywriter, you will gain industry knowledge on how you should be speaking to your audience across platforms.

Your marketing budget is intended to generate revenue. To see a return on this investment, you need professional copy that can be used for your marketing. If you are spending the money but not creating quality content then you are wasting an opportunity.

8. Balanced Perspective

Too often, it is easy to view your audience as simply sales leads. Your copywriter will bring in a much-needed balanced perspective that sees your audiences as humans. The will create content that generates leads by focusing on the wants, needs, desires and direction of your customers and community.

You are so involved in the day-to-day running of your business that it can be difficult to take a step back and talk to your customers in an authentic way. Sometimes, we are too close to our own work to be objective. Regardless of what your business offers, copywriting is an effective tool to really engage your customers.

By using sentence structure, word choice and even witty banter that resonates with the end-user your copywriter will generate leads of higher quality. If your leads are already invested in your brand story by the time they get to you, the probability of converting them is much higher.

Copywriters also have a distanced perspective that is useful. They will not get caught in traps of industry jargon and insider language that can distract from your messaging. You need your audience to clearly understand what you are talking about and the best way to do that is with clear copy.

The fast pace of doing business means you need to influence your audience in the least amount of words possible. Effective marketing needs effective content, the basis of which is clear and interesting copy. A copywriter will bring together all the best features of your company, products and services and formulate your message in a way that will allow your target market to realise why they need the product and why they need it from you. Find an effective copywriter today.

The post 8 Reasons why professionally written content is critical to your sales appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

Leveraging a variety of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tactics can help you rank higher on Google. It is important to use a range of tactics as SEO is an ever-evolving process. Google is continuously changing and updating its algorithms and ranking criteria. SEO can be unpredictable, which makes planning and strategy rather tricky. As a website owner, you need to be constantly updating your content as well as remaining aware of changes being rolled out. We have put together a list of the top 10 predictions for 2019 to help you ease your SEO planning requirements.

1. Storytelling Matters

Consumers are becoming conscious of the motivations behind their purchases and are considering brand identity when executing their purchasing power. Online consumers have access to more information than ever before when researching products and they want to buy into the entire brand, not just one specific product. To build your brand and loyalty your website needs to make your visitors part of the overarching story. With unprecedented access, consumers are looking to connect to stories now more than ever. You need to create a meaningful and authentic story that consumers are willing to buy into and stand by. Consider what your target audience is interested in and then create connection through engaging stories in all your SEO.

2. Content is key

This has been repeated for years and the trend remains, quality content is what you should be aiming for. To rank higher with google, especially in terms of organic search results, your approach to SEO needs to be content based.

Google has a vested interest in showing relevant and insightful results that its user want, so focus on the quality instead of the quantity of content you are putting out. With improvements in blockchain technology clickbait, fake news and misinformation is being reduced – this presents an opportunity for your business to really churn out useful content. Your content should serve your audience and provide them with information that is interesting and comprehensive. The more attention and care you show to your audience the better your relationship will be.

3. User experience

Again, Google is focused on its users and their experience of websites. They want to keep users happy and so websites that invest in their overall user experience (UX) will be rewarded. Investing into your user experience is one of the best SEO tactics to stay ahead of changing Google algorithms because it will always be a priority for Google. Conduct some research into how people are using your website and why. The goal should be to produce a website that is accessible and functional for your intended audience.

4. Voice search

Due to the introduction and increased adoption of tools like Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant and Microsoft’s Alexa there has been a rise on the use of voice search. This new form of searching mean that your SEO has to adapt.

Voice searches are comparatively very different from typed searches. Your SEO strategy should attempt to anticipate questions that people tend to ask and it is important to note that these questions are usually in long-form, conversational phrases. The voice search results are compiled from featured snippets, so you need to optimise for this. More about this further on in this article.

5. Mobile optimisation

With the increased computing power of mobile devices, and the sheer convenience of mobile browsing, people are primarily searching with their mobile devices. This is why Google made mobile-friendliness a ranking factor. This ranking factor came into affect in 20 but Google continues to boost this. You can take Google’s Mobile-Friendliness Test to see how your website is doing. Google also provides guidelines on how to develop a mobile-friendly site that you can view here.

When looking at mobile-friendliness you need to ensure that your content within accordions and tabs, as well as your drop-downs can be viewed and indexed on mobile. The next thing to focus on is how quickly the page loads while keeping in mind how much of the original, desktop content you are going to keep (remember that content length is also a ranking factor). Another consideration for your mobile site is adapting your mark-up and metadata to ensure better visibility and clickthrough rates in mobile search.

6. Snippets

As mentioned previously, the SERP features snippets (a description or excerpt from the webpage) and people-also-ask results. These features are only bond to mature and take up even more screen space on the SERP. It is becoming increasingly important to optimise for this in order to gain maximum exposure. These snippets are also what Google pulls from when giving voice search results, so a good structured snippet will put you ahead of your competitors.

The best way to optimise your snippets is to address common questions and answers with plain, instructional language. Think about what your potential visitors will be searching for and draft your content accordingly.

7. Targeted questions

As machine learning transforms and the power behind algorithms increases there will be a greater focus on showing search results that cover a particular topic or a particular question. If your content is comprehensive and informative, this will be rewarded by Google. Again, contemplate what your users will be searching for and what their intention is to create your content.

8. Amazon

2018 saw Amazon stock surpass that of Google’s and this could be a way for your business to optimise sales. Google is a site for discovery, Amazon is a place for shopping. If your business is dedicated to a skill or service, then focusing your attention on Google is still the way to go. However, if you have an e-commerce website or own a shop where your products are ordered and distributed, then consider moving or adding focus to Amazon.

9. Page speed

Users are connected at all times, and the digital landscape is becoming more fast-paced than ever before. Consumers expect fast load times. In fact, 47% of users don’t wait longer than two seconds for a page to load. So when it comes to your SEO it is important to know that Google factors in page loading and general site speed as a ranking factor.

You need to apply the same fast-paced mentality to the content you are producing. In other words, it should not take your visitors long to find what they are looking for when they come to your site. The longer it takes them to find the answer, the sooner they will leave your site to search for a more comprehensive result. Google will reward you for providing valuable content that’s easy to digest. Consider a clear formatting hierarchy for your content as Google will draw from this to provide instant answer boxes with SERPs.

10. Video content

Visual content is increasingly popular among consumers as it is easy to digest and captivating. Google has noted this visual trend and so video search and results are getting better and better. Google can now suggest products to users just by seeing it in a video. Google can automatically transcribe the content from videos and analyse it. To keep up with this trend, consider creating a short video to add to your website. It does not have to be anything overly complicated and fancy, rather keep it simple. Create a video that is aesthetically appealing to showcase your products or services.

The online landscape is ever-changing and growing, especially with advances in technology and Google’s drive to provide a better user experience. It’s important for your business to stay on top of SEO advances in the future to give you the competitive edge. Find out how to optimise your SEO strategy today!

The post Top 10 Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Predictions for 2019 appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

If you don’t already have an effective content marketing strategy in place, you are likely missing out on a lot and losing a lot of business in the process. In today’s digital economy, content marketing is perhaps the most effective method your business can employ to reach out to both established customers and prospects. However, if you are yet to be convinced about whether to adopt a content strategy or not, here are reasons why your business needs content marketing.

Build trust

One of the biggest benefits you can derive from creating and publishing quality content relevant to your field of business is the resulting trust it builds in your audience. The greater the amount of cohesive, quality content that you feed the public, the more you appear an expert in your designated professional field. Remember, people are always ready to hire experts to solve their problems.

Brand identity

It is impossible to overestimate the power of an established brand in influencing the business decisions of the buying public. But if you are just starting out, and are yet to establish a strong presence, your business will still benefit from a content marketing strategy that highlights its unique identity.

Your strategy could use viral content like videos, blog posts, or audio. Whatever medium you choose, a unique voice for your business is likely to resonate with the members of the public it aims to serve. Just make sure that whatever content you are choosing to share connects with the kind of brand identity you want to portray. If your brand messages are all over the place, your brand identity will be just as lost.

Organic searches

Search engines have changed the business landscape forever. Consumers use popular search engines to perform local searches for goods and services before making a purchase. Moreover, some consumers perform product research via search engines before deciding on making a purchase. Hence, it is important that your marketing strategy does weigh heavily towards your business showing up during those searches.

Analyse your performance

Content marketing is never a once-off process. It requires constant tweaking and adjustment. Most digital platforms like social media have easy-to-acquire metrics which means it is possible to quickly figure out what is working and what is not. By constantly adjusting your strategy over time, your business online marketing strategy could easily become a smooth well-oiled operation, highly efficient at gathering leads and converting them to customers.

Generate leads

The end goal of any marketing strategy is to attract new people to your business that you can sell to. Content marketing allows you to attract people who may not have even decided to buy yet. They discover your business through all your useful content and they get interested. Once they arrive at your website, you offer them more information that converts them over time. The best thing about this stage of the marketing process is the complete absence of your competitors.

Beyond merely attracting leads, a good content marketing strategy will make your business readily available for those actively searching for it. These are ideal leads as these people have already made up their minds that they need you. Content marketing is useful in this sense as it will allow people and leads to find you.

ROI

Content marketing on average costs 62% less than traditional advertising and is three times more effective in generating leads. A well-thought out content marketing campaign could ultimately improve your ROI as it will be cheaper to produce and maintain on a month-to-month basis, and you will be able to build better relationships with your customers.

Take advantage of social shares

People share things they like. Your content marketing strategy and by extension, your business, could benefit from this by producing great content that will inevitably spread like wildfire through the social space, reaching customers you might previously have never reached by any other means. Therefore, make sure that you do research into who your target audience is and what content they would like to see and read. In doing so, you will be able to reach the right people, with the right kind of message.

Bring people to your website

By adopting a cohesive, effective content marketing campaign or strategy, your status as an expert in your field of business inevitably rises. Before long, your target audience will start looking to you as a source of solutions to all their worries, and your business will benefit as a result. Online marketing strategies like email marketing, building online communities, etc. have been shown to be very successful in this respect.

Media overload

We live in a digital society that runs 24/7. People are constantly bombarded with information from emails, social media feeds, and YouTube channels, along with a pileup of more than 1200 marketing messages each day. As a result, consumers have become much more savvy about marketing and are unwilling to read or hear marketing messages that they do not find useful or relevant. They are able to tune out marketing messages easily, especially when it comes to traditional marketing. However, if you really take the time to get to know your target audience, you can stand out from the crowd and produce content that will both catch and retain their eye. Your content should always be:

• Entertaining
• Educational
• Informative
• Useful
• Engaging

Create an experience

The brand experience encompasses all touchpoints between your target audience and the brand including your website and social media channels. Visitors to your site who have found you either through search, a personal recommendation, or social media link need to be convinced that your product or service meets their needs.

Content marketing helps achieve this goal by demonstrating your authority and building trust. Well-written, insightful content can overcome objections to purchase and smooth the way to a sale. This includes all types of content such as blog posts, videos, white papers with in-depth information, or eBooks.

Improved SEO

The number of ways in which content benefits SEO is never ending. Great content attracts editorial links, which tell Google you’re important and authoritative. Google can also crawl your content, getting a far better idea of what your company is about, allowing it to return your site for more relevant queries (including a great many long-tail queries). At the end of the day, as long as you are keeping your website fresh and up to date with relevant content, Google will reward you in the search results.

Make your content king

One thing you’ll need to know right from the get-go is that none of these benefits are going to show up immediately. Content marketing can take quite a bit of effort just to get the wheel turning. Over time, the momentum lessens the effort required of you to see the results you are looking for.

If you are interested in discussing your content strategy with Cognite, feel free to contact us so that we can assist you in making your content king.

Further reading

• https://uhurunetwork.com/why-do-content-marketing/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/miketempleman/2017/04/26/5-reasons-content-marketing-is-perfect-for-your-new-business/#17e133467244
• https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/14-reasons-business-desperately-needs-content-marketing-strategy/

The post Content marketing is important for your business and here’s why appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

More specifically, 10 tips for using your Google Analytics to understand your website visitors and increasing sales.

1. Visitor conversion

The way a first-time visitor will interact with your website will be different to how a returning visitor will interact with your website. Ideally, you want to create a great user experience for both first time and returning visitors. A returning visitor will be more accustomed to your website and will know how to navigate and use your website. A first-time visitor will be seeing your website for the first time and will not necessarily know or understand how to use your website if it is not straight-forward. If your website is not user-friendly, you will have a low conversion rate for new or unique visitors. Using Google Analytics can help you determine what it is they see when they first visit the website. Using this data can improve the initial visit and overall experience.

2. Source of website traffic

Usually, a website is only one component in a grander online marketing campaign which would also include social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, etc. This being the case, your website will normally have many different sources from where people will find your website. There are three main sources:

1. Direct visitors: These visitors would have seen your website URL on a business card, letterhead, flyer, signage, etc. and will enter your website URL directly into their browser
2. Search visitors: These types of visitors are normally people who have searched for something in a search engine like Google and have clicked on a search result that came up in their search
3. Referral visitors: These visitors would usually find your website URL somewhere online like on another website or blog that they may have been reading or on a social media post that was shared by one of their friends

All sources of website traffic are very important but each of those sources convert differently. Google Analytics can help you collect data which will allow you to see which areas of conversion need attending to. For example, if your direct visitors’ number is low, your website URL could perhaps be too difficult to remember or the website URL could not be included throughout all your branding material.

3. Visitors interactions

There will always be visitors that come to your website and do not convert, but it is also important for you to monitor and evaluate their behaviour or interactions on your website. By monitoring the behaviour of non-converted visitors, you’ll be able to see where it is you are losing their interest and where you can improve your website. The goal is not always to just get them to read your content but to also interact with your website. Therefore, if your website is not interactive, you will not likely convert as many visitors as you could. Getting people to interact with your website is very important but it is also equally as important to find a way to get those interactions to turn into conversions such as purchases, subscriptions, downloads, etc.

4. Conversion of a return visitor

Everyday your potential customer or client is exposed to marketing all around them which includes everything from an email in their inbox to a printed flyer in their hand. Getting a person to visit your website in the first place is a difficult enough task. If this person is returning, you should be treating them as a gem. For some reason, they need your product or service and they have begun the research process which every consumer goes through. By using Google Analytics, you can see if they converted as a first-time visitor and if they didn’t, it can tell you why they didn’t convert when seeing the website for the first time. If the returning visitor did not convert as a first-time visitor, do not be dismayed because clearly your brand made enough of an impression that they returned. By monitoring the trend of your return visitors, you can see what methods are most likely to convert them into paying customers.

5. Visitors value

When a person visits your website, they create value with every interaction that they have with your website. Some visitors will create more value than others. Generally, you don’t look at the individual value created by each visitor, instead you should calculate the total value by taking the total number of visitors and dividing that by the total value created by those visitors. It is very unlikely that you will be able to establish the true value of your visitors because there are many intangible factors that will affect the final value. For example, it’s easy to measure the value that a purchase will have on an e-commerce website, but it is difficult to calculate the value based on an online review, a comment, or a word of mouth referral. By using Google Analytics, you can have a general idea of the value that the visitors bring to your website. Based on that data, you will be able to determine what sort of things you can add to your website to increase the value of each visitor.

6. Website bounce rate

So far, we have covered the different sources where visitors may come from, the difference between the various categories of visitors, and how each interact with your website differently. We’ve also covered how we can monitor the behaviour of each interaction that a visitor has with your website and how to use that data to increase conversions. However, all those factors will become redundant if you have an extremely high bounce rate. A bounce rate counts as a visitor who visits your website but does not interact with your website or does not spend a lot of time viewing your webpage. Since they are not interacting with your website or spending a lot of time, they are not likely to become a conversion. There are many reasons why your bounce rate might be high, but the most likely reasons would be:

• Weak sources of website traffic
• Landing pages that take a long time to load
• Landing pages that have a poor user experience

7. Conversion costs

A conversion cost is how much it costs you to generate a lead or conversion on your website. This means that if your cost per conversion is higher than your value per conversion, your website won’t be making any profit and might possibly be costing you money rather than making you money. Thus, you need to find ways to increase your visitor value and conversion rates whilst keeping your lead generation costs as low as possible.

8. Exit pages

Your website homepage is not the only page that can become an exit page. Sometimes people will click on multiple pages and then exit for some or other reason. For example, let’s say a visitor goes to Google to search for a product, your product page comes up in the search page results and they decide to click on your website link. If they decide that your product is what they are looking for, the next step will be for them to try find a way to contact you. Normally, they will follow a call to action that you have placed on the page and if you don’t have one, the next step is usually to look for a contact page. If your website is difficult to navigate or confusing in any way, the visitor might feel that enquiring about your product is not worth the hassle of navigating through your website.

Alternatively, that same visitor might click on multiple links within your website before they make a purchasing decision. At any point, they might lose interest and exit your website. The page on which they exit your website would be called the exit page. By using Google Analytics, you can figure out why people are exiting your website and you can then modify your conversion process to increase visitor conversions.

9. Page views

A page view is a representation of every time a visitor loads a page on your website. Having a high number of page views can be either a good or a bad thing based on other data that can be collected by Google Analytics. A high number of page views is considered good if these page views are generated because of successful website content. On the other hand, a high number of page views is considered bad if people are loading multiple pages because they can’t find what they are looking for or because your pages aren’t loading properly and they need to keep reloading them. By using the data collected by Google Analytics, you can determine which of the two categories your website falls into.

10. Average session duration

The average session duration is the average amount of time that a visitor spends whilst on your website. The more relevant your website is to the visitor, the more time they will spend on your website. There is a delicate balance between too little and too much time spent on a website by one particular visitor. If the visitor is spending too much time on a page, it might mean that there is too much information or the information is confusing causing the visitor to spend more time trying to sort through the information. Ideally, you want to give your visitor enough information to make an informed purchasing decision, keeping the call to action easy to understand and easy to follow.

The right online recipe

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that can make up the right kind of website when it comes to your website traffic and overall sales. However, if you do not have all of the necessary elements in place, you could end up going down the wrong road. If you do not know how to create or maintain a website that will ultimately convert – get in contact with us.  We will help you increase your website visitors with advertising and improve sales conversions with great copy writing.

Further reading

• https://dynomapper.com/blog/19-ux/209-10-of-the-most-important-google-analytics-metrics-to-track
• http://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/3-ways-using-google-analytics-can-provide-an-advantage-to-small-businesses
• https://yoast.com/tracking-seo-google-analytics/

The post 10 tips for using Google Analytics to understand your website visitors & sales appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

What is a Copywriter?

A copywriter is first and foremost a writer. They believe in the power of the written word. They are wordsmiths at heart. A lot of the time copywriters and journalists are seen as the same thing. A journalist writes for editorial publications, whereas, a copywriter writes for a multitude of digital publications/platforms. Platforms such as blogs, websites, social media pages, and so much more. Copywriters write on any topic, for any industry. A copywriter’s main role is to promote the efforts of their client or brand that they are working for at the time.

A copywriter knows what will resonate with specific target audiences. They know how to speak to their soul. A copywriter’s strongest weapon is that they are able to write in whatever voice they feel like. This is great for businesses because a copywriter can seamlessly create content that matches the tone of your company, and in some cases make that tone a little bit softer or louder.

You could say that most copywriters are bookworms or research enthusiasts. When a copywriter is not catching up on their favourite novels, they are researching your competitors, your market, your brand, and your target audience (to name a few). This research ultimately allows a copywriter to write both creatively and strategically.

Why You Need a Copywriter:

A Copywriter Knows How to Articulate Your Ideas

As a business owner, you know that your business has something worthwhile to sell. You may even have something worth educating your target audience about. However, these ideas may be swirling around in your head at a rapid pace and you don’t even know where to begin. This is where a copywriter comes to the rescue. A copywriter knows how to eloquently translate the essence of your ideas. In some cases, a copywriter may even suggest bigger and better ideas.

A Copywriter Writes in A Clear and Concise Way

It’s one thing to write well, but can you effectively communicate with your audience in a way that they will understand? You could try to write your own content but then you ultimately run the risk of writing content that isn’t eye-catching or understandable. A copywriter knows not to write in a matter-of-fact fashion. A copywriter will lay out the facts but will then reflect on how your brand or products will have a beneficial impact on your target audience’s life. They know how to reach the heart of your readers, by flaunting a brand’s personality, its tone of voice, the things it represents, and the stories it tells.

A Copywriter Knows How to Seamlessly Create Unity Between All of Your Brand Messages

A good copywriter is able to weave in your unique tone across all platforms. The platforms that you use are the first contact points your customers have with you. A copywriter will think long and hard about what exactly your customers want to hear from you. A copywriter ensures that your brand identity acts as a theme running through all of your brand messages. Whether you realise it or not, your customers are judging your business based on the words you use to describe what you do. Your customers subconsciously decide if your brand is a good fit for them. They base it on the personality you portray through your content, so it’s a good idea to make those words count.

A Copywriter will Encourage Your Readers to Take Action

At the core, a copywriter writes content that will entice a reader to take action. Actions such as buying a product or educating them on a topic or brand. A copywriter not only knows how to write pretty words, they know how to get into the minds of your target audience. You would be wasting your time and money if you didn’t create content that invokes your target audience to take some sort of action. Copywriters are able to generate a response from your readers without sounding cheesy or elaborate. If your content is not creating a response, it’s wasting space. You want people to actively engage in whatever it is you are putting out there. Copywriters understand that a customer doesn’t want to feel like you only want to make a sell. They want to feel like you are selling a lifestyle that benefits them.

A Copywriter can Give You Outside Perspective on Your Brand

Sometimes brands get caught up in their day to day responsibilities. They forget to take the time to understand what their brand image is. The way in which your brand is perceived by the masses has a direct impact on your brand’s favourability. The power of word of mouth can be both a blessing and a curse. A copywriter makes sure that they are putting on their eyes and ears when it comes to the reputation of your brand. Copywriters will be able to identify what people are really saying about your brand and in turn, take the necessary steps to either enhance or alter what is being said. A copywriter will make sure that your brand is not being misunderstood.

Sometimes people may not want to buy your features or benefits. However, people will always buy the emotions you portray. Contact Cognite and let us sell your winning personality!

The post What is copywriting and why do you need it to grow your company? appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

I’ve asked myself this question way too often.

And, let’s be honest, so have you. Don’t deny it, you know it’s true. The days you’ve set aside to write content for those clients loom over your head and suck all the joy out of your day.

So, to help you I’ve decided to dive head first into this problem. Fine, you caught me, I’m procrastinating… but bare with me and we’ll get through this together.

The problem:

The industry

Many of my clients are in industries where coming up with topics for content marketing is next to impossible.

They’re either in an industry that’s perceived as boring, in too niche an industry, too conservative an industry… the list goes on and on (and on).

Between you and me, I’ve signed up to so many newsletters on engineering websites just to get an idea of what these people are interested in – and sometimes I’m still at a loss!

The solution:

Ask and you shall receive

Don’t be shy. Ask your client for some input, even if it’s just to direct you to industry-related websites. Explain to them that you’re not familiar with their industry and that you’d like to gain some insight into what works and what their target market cares about.

Know your target audience

Many of my clients struggle to define their target audience.

And I can forgive them for it – I guess, in a sense, that’s what they hired me for. That being said, I do need a bit of guidance; “Our target audience is men aged 18 and up” is not something I can work with!

I was struggling with this when I came across a golden piece of advice on Coshedule the other day.

Topic ideas

Sometimes overcoming the brain block just requires a bit of creativity.

If you’re still struggling to find what content would work, explore your options.

While you’re waiting for that list of industry websites from your client, do a bit of research on your own!

Here are some of the ideas I’ve used in the past:

• Timelines – In some cases, I’ve found that writing a short article on the industry or the product can actually be quite cool. It’s a “two-birds-with-one-stone” kinda thing: Your client gets their article and you learn about their industry.
• Case studies and project coverage – Many of my clients often have large-scale projects going on. So I asked them to send through a bit of info on these, as well as some photos.
• Q & A – Gone are the days of the enigmatic corporate giant. Nowadays, people want to know people (and they said technology would make us anti-social – ha!). Indulge your readers and have a brief Q & A with your client.
• Lists – Everybody likes lists. It’s information in bite-sized proportions. Perfect for today’s instant gratification need. Find some interesting facts about the industry and spice it up! Have a look at this great list found on Convince&Convert.

Thanks for reading! Was this helpful? Do you have any tips of your own?

The post How to write content for any industry appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

General Page Content Structure

Websites are there to influence opinion and to inspire specific actions from the visitor. Most websites focus on introducing a visitor to what makes that company special, what they offer and how to get access to those products or services right now. The competition is tough, so respect the time of your reader and give them what they want.

A good page structure have the following parts, generally in this order. Try to give yourself a Time Budget. Tell yourself that a person needs to be able to read this page in 60 seconds and be convinced to choose your company:

1. The big promise (AKA Hook) – What big problem does this product or service solve? Make a bold statement. Quantify it with numbers if you can i.e. “Save 20% on your running costs” or “You are 2 minutes away from care-free motoring”
2. Features and Benefits – Pick 3 to 8 top features that the product or service has that substantiates the promise made above.
3. Call-to action – Use one line of text to tell them what they can do now to get the product or service. Add a telephone number and a short contact form (Name,Email,Contact Number, Message). First get the lead info, then convert them into a sale. The idea is to show the call-to-action early in the page to inspire action, before they are overwhelmed by information. Remember that you may be competing for attention against the 5 other competitor websites that the visitor has already loaded. You can expand on these contact channels by using a Live Chat Service like www.eseka.co.za to greatly improve the trust value of your website through actual interaction. Live Chat greatly improves the amount of contact info you get from visitors that may not phone or fill in the form.
4. More information – The person may not be convinced yet. Show more information about the product or services, throw in certification logos, brochure downloads etc, but keep it very short. Allocate between 30 to 90 seconds time budget for the extra information. Leave long articles for Press Room posts or general articles. Those can be 1500 to 2000 words in total since Google shows preference to well researched, in-depth content. Sales pages should be focussed around quick conversion.
5. Frequently Asked Questions – This will cover the frequent questions that the visitor may have. This may include tipping point info to convert the visitor into a sales lead. This is also great for Search Engine Optimisation as it gives you an excuse to always expand on the website, just adding more answers to FAQs.

TIP: The more you say why your company is different and special, the less you have to worry about relying on discounts. If you offer more value, then you are sidestepping toe to toe price competition. Promote your company just as much as you promote your products & services.

Writing for better Search Engine Ranking

You are not just writing for the reader, but you are also writing for the search engine bots that read your website. Here are some basic tips on showing Google that your page relates well to a keyphrase that is being searched for :

1. Keywords – Google gets a good idea what the page is about by looking at what you wrote about. Use keywords and synonyms that you think will be searched for by your target market. They may use layman’s terminology to refer to something that may have a different official name. Use language that your clients understand. Use important keywords in headings. Do not use the same keyword too much as Google can penalise you for ‘keyword stuffing’. Google puts more emphasis on the first 100 words in your page so make sure to include important keywords there. Mix it up with synonyms to make the content read easier.
2. Linking Out – Add text links external websites of authority. If you show Google that your page is written after in-depth research and that you offer helpful links to the readers then it will improve your page ranking in search results. Add 5 links maximum.
3. Link Internally – Add text or image links to other pages on the same website. If a website becomes popular then it can share that popularity with pages that it links to on the same website. Try to keep it to 3 internal links maximum.
4. Heading Styles – Use H1, H2 and H3 headings if you need to structure your content better. Only use one H1 heading with important keywords in it. It may already be part of the page title. Do not skip from H1 to H3. Do not go further than H3, since it is rarely required. Your web developer can allocate these headings for you during development.

Content focus per focus page

1. Products and services – Follow the General Page Content structure above when writing your content. If you have a lot of products or services, and they are quite different, allocate a page to each. Having a separate page for each will allow for better landing page targeting, if you are running a Google Adwords campaign. It will also have a great Search Engine Optimisation benefit for your ranking. A visitor might not want to see information about all your products and services on one page. Having more focussed pages will also show that you specialise in those fields. You will see your conversion rate from visitor to sales lead increase a lot.
2. Your clients – This is where you showcase your top clients. This will impress your visitors if your clients are moderately to well known. Having client logos or names on your website shows that big companies have chosen to work with you. It makes you look more established and increases trust. Do not just mention big companies, since you might alienate any smaller companies visiting your site. They might feel intimidated or might think that your pricing is geared at large corporations. Show logos for the type of business size that you want to attract.
3. Testimonials – Clients and testimonials are related. Testimonials give your visitors a chance to hear the clients speak for themselves. It’s common practice for buyers to shop purely by testimonials so keep this in mind when a project completes. Ask your client for a testimonial. This is a massive part of improving trust as it shows that other people took a risk in dealing with you, but that they were very impressed by the results.
4. About us – The purpose of the About Us section is to show that your company has come a long way, it has specific sets of values, can be trusted and that the company will give consistent service in the long run. The About Us section reveals a bit of the soul of a company and why your values will translate into a great experience for them. At the end of the day companies do not provide services, people do. Add a bit of personal flair to show that humans are behind the logo.
5. Contact us – The contact us page shows the complete contact information about your company. It could also include a contact form as well as an interactive Google map. If you have multiple branches, then you could have a page per branch. Make sure your clients can contact you easily. The Live Chat feature mentioned above will expand on your ability to connect with visitors.
6. The team – This section talks about the top individuals of the company and what they bring to the business. Choose personnel from your top management, add a nice looking photo and explain why they are each key elements in the running of a successful company. Do not include CV information. Include a summary of why they are important to the company.
7. Press room – This is also known as the news section of a website. The press room is where you can post all of your news about the company, new products and services, news about new clients or big projects that have been completed. You could also add industry-related articles that clients may find useful. Remember that adding fresh content to your website will bring more returning visitors, who will continually get exposed to your products and services. It will also improve your Google search ranking through Search Engine Optimisation. Keep it fresh and stay in the minds of readers.
8. Certifications and awards – These are very important in convincing visitors that your company has the required skills to perform the job properly. Certification logos look great and add to the official-looking nature of the offering. Awards are even more impressive than certifications. They show that, not only does your company know how to do the job, but that it excelled above the rest of the competitors. This is a sure-fire way to pull in a lot of new business. If you have reputable awards, then you must have done something right. An award can be seen as a testimonial from an official organisation, so mix these with client testimonials.
9. Multimedia – Multimedia can include photos, audio and video and is a great way to add life to your website. Photos of completed projects, the head office, personnel and events will add a lot of eye candy to your publication. It will make the company seem more alive and approachable. Youtube allows for easy uploading and embedding of high quality videos. This media could be used for ‘explainer’ videos that give a well-animated overview of how a company process works. It can be used as a step by step explanation on using a piece of equipment, software or service. It can be easily shared, and people can add comments onto the video at Youtube. Google owns Youtube and the video sharing website is the second biggest search engine. Expand on your online marketing with video.

Get Writing!

In conclusion, there’s a wide selection of company topics to cover. You can split these into individual pages for your website or merge them as required. Each of these is aimed at informing the reader about the company, while always keeping the overall goal in mind: influencing the opinion of the target market to increase sales and brand equity.

The post How to write effective website content appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

These tips for writing website content will be a good overall guide.

Keep it short, simple and easy to read

Do not try and impress your clients with fancy marketing words, which might just confuse them. Remember, it’s about communicating your message in a way which is as efficient and easy as possible. Also lengthy paragraphs might push clients away as they do not want to read a novel length article.

Only use videos and images when necessary

Adding an image or video clip to your website is nice indeed, but if it defeats the purpose of the specific page, it is not always a good idea. For example you would not want to add an image gallery of two pages long to your contact page. Having too many media on your site also slows the the rate down at which prospective customers view your site, and you do not want people leaving your site because of having to wait too long for a page to load. The best is to find a suitable balance which still creates a brilliant looking website, but at the same time is user friendly data wise.

Write what you know

Do some research into the topic you are writing about. A lot of companies nowadays try to look impressive by adding content which they do not have any actual knowledge off, which in return can backfire when they are inquired about that specific topic. Use facts to support your claims.

Proofreading

Do not take for granted that your first draft of an article will be the best one. Take some time and read through it a few times, you will most probably spot a few changes/corrections you would have to make before publishing the updates.

Create Striking Headings

Internet users are not keen to spend a lot of time to search for what they are looking for, they expect it will be easy to find . So if you only have a huge load of text hanging around people will leave and search elsewhere. But if you create a striking header, with a bolder style and different color, you create eye-catching sections for readers to get hooked and will then continue reading on your website.

Write keyword-rich title tags

It is best to use words that relate to your main services, this is after all what people search for. Using the most applicable title tags in your site will help google “find” your site easier. Also, limit the number of characters for each title to 90. Google only displays up to 70 characters, but this practice can only do more good than bad.

Links

The world today is all about connecting people all over the world in the fastest way possible, which is the internet. Insure your website content links to other informative websites. And if you perhaps have a social network account, like twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, make sure you have links to them. This helps Google to find you through these other websites, which is a good advantage to your SEO.

Write productive summaries, sentences and paragraphs

A good summary of a page should not be too long. Just enough to make the reader want to continue reading. Make your first sentence strong enough to hook your clients.

Ranking high in Google without Google AdWords can be a bit tough. But with effective content writing you might just up your chances a bit. Using relevant keywords relating to your current topic, encourages Google to rank you higher.

Target of your audience

Remember who you are writing for. Different people, from different markets, react in different ways to your marketing strategies. Make sure that what you are writing is appropriate and targeted to your specific client audience.

Content Writing Services

If you are having a hard time writing well structured, intellectual content, Cognite is associated with a professional copy writing service. We can provide you with content for your website which will be accurate, targeted and SEO friendly.

We hope that you enjoyed these tips for writing website content and that your content writing days are filled with productivity and increased sales.

The post Top 10 tips for writing website content appeared first on Cognite Marketing.