by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 27, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
“Build it and they will come,” is not the answer to generate traffic to your agency’s blog. You must employ proactive tactics to create awareness and interest among prospective tradesmen. The more traffic that you can generate from among your target audience, the more inbound new business leads that will follow.
Denise Wakeman, Online Marketing Advisor and Founder of The Blog Squad, has created an excellent list of tips to generate traffic to your blog. I would encourage you to create a list of “to dos” from her suggestions. For more details, be sure to check out her article, “19 Tips for Driving Traffic to Your Blog.”
Here are 6 suggestions:
- Make your target audience crystal clear. If you can’t clearly and narrowly define your audience, you won’t build significant traffic.
- Optimize your posts’ content for search. Identify and dominate a few key words that your target audience will most likely use to find you. Use these words consistently in your posts’ titles and copy.
- Knowledge is power. Get in the habit of checking your blog’s analytics frequently. Keep it simple, but know at least daily the number of unique visitors, page views, top posts, how people got to your blog, search terms and incoming links.
- Don’t be afraid to re-purpose older blog content through multiple social media channels. Posts that I’ve written a year ago are still pertinent and continue to generate traffic to my blog.
- One thing to not do that will impact traffic. Don’t sell! The moment you start to sell on your blog is when you will most likely LOSE your audience.
- Identify who your audience is in your post titles. This is especially helpful when you re-purpose your content on Twitter and an important part of SEO for your blog.
These are some of my ways. What do you do to make the most out of your blog? I’d like to hear from you.
If you like this post please, pass it on.
Here are some other posts that might be of interest:
5 Quick Tips to Promote your Posts
How do you Find Readers for your Blog
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 22, 2010 | Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
This is the second part of a two-part article on the plant engineer. Here’s a link to the first part (Part 1). For those of you who are targeting the plant engineering function, you should read a new study that was just released in April from Plant Engineering magazine, called, “The Changing World of the Plant Engineer.” From the study, you’ll gain insight on the changing role of the plant engineer, what they’re thinking about for 2010 and beyond. So next time you’re talking to a plant engineer, think about what’s on his mind.
The second part has to deal with 7 changes they would make about the manufacturing operation:
- Decrease Outsourcing/Keep Manufacturing in this Country – They want to not only keep what’s left of manufacturing in this country, but want to bring back what’s offshore. They don’t believe this country can survive as a consumer society.
- Increase/Improve Automation – Replace aging equipment with automated machines with vision inspection to reduce costs and improve productivity.
- Educate/Train Employees – More operator training and involvement in predictive/preventative maintenance. Training of future techicans and engineers. Keep up-to-date on new technology.
- Aging Equipment/Facilities – Invest in systems that would help reduce costs and improve quality.
- Decrease Regulations – Reduce tight environmental and OSHA Regulations. This will help level the playing field with China.
- More Efficient/Lean – Increase improvement and LEAN culture for all employees.
- Tax Incentive/Tariffs – Make the playing field level so we can compete. There should be tax breaks for companies that keep their manufacturing here in the States.
These are interesting insights as to what’s on their minds.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 21, 2010 | Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
For those of you who are targeting the plant engineering function, you should read a new study that was just released in April from Plant Engineering magazine called, “The Changing World of the Plant Engineer.” From the study, you’ll gain insight on the changing role of the plant engineer, what they’re thinking about for 2010 and beyond. So next time you’re talking to a plant engineer, think about what’s on his mind.
Part 1 – We’re going to review the highlights of their top 10 biggest job related concerns:
- The Economy – No big surprise on this one, but beyond what’s happening in Washington, they are worried about economic factors they have no control over like global competition, currency fluctuation and environmental issues.
- Job Security – Will my plant close, will I be asked to retire early, will I get fired. A lot to think about when they’re trying to do their job on a daily basis.
- Knowledgeable Employees/Aging Workforce – They’re concerned that most of the experienced workforce will retire in the next 5 years leaving them with less skilled replacements.
- Aging Equipment/Facilities – How do they keep the facility running at or above production targets with a reduced workforce and aging equipment that will need more mainteinance.
- Safety – Not a priority with upper management. They are more concerned with increased productivity.
- Plant Closings – Will their plant survive 3-5 years? Will they lose production to India or China?
- Budget – Meeting cost targets in a downturned economy. Where to best spend their limited budgets so they don’t have a major failure.
- Doing more with Less – Increased workload, reduced budgets and limited resources on all fronts.
- Government/Environmental Regulations – A growing government with more burdensome regulations.
- Outsourcing – of jobs overseas and the shrinking importance of manufacturing to our economy.
These are interesting insights as to what’s on their minds. Next up, changes they would make about their manufacturing operation.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 20, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
We’re all trying to keep ahead of the curve, and social media is one way of doing that. Lots of people are afraid of social as if it’s something scary. I think the unknown plays a big part in the uncertainty. You can break social so why not dive in and try. The water is just fine.
I read a post recently by a friend of mine and fellow blogger Nicky Jameson, 19 Things I’ve Learned About Social Media, and it made me start to think about what I’ve learned and here are my 5 observations:
- Don’t ignore social media – Just because you may not understand it, don’t look the other way. This is not a flash in the pan. It will affect all of us in one way or another so you’re better off facing it. There’s lot of good business potential out there.
- Social media isn’t a silver bullet – I’ve said this several times before, social media isn’t the answer, it’s just more tools you can use in your marketing tool box.
- Have a plan – If you’re going to do social media, then have a plan. What are you trying to accomplish and how does it fit into your other current marketing programs.
- Content is still king – if you’re going to do social media. You need to give something of value. That’s part of the program. The more you give, the more you are considered a thought leader in that category.
- Face-to-face – is still the best for contact. As humans, we need to interact and as I say, belly button to belly button is still the best in my book. Social media is one way to identify potentials and start building a relationship that hopefully one day will end in a face-to-face meeting.
These are my top 5. What are yours?
If you like this post, please pass it on.
Here are a few other posts that might be of interest:
3 Ways Tradespeople Can Use Social Media to Boost Credibility and Business.
Why Do People Ignore Social Media Metrics?
Social Media: Who Uses It and Why.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 15, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
If you’re putting social in its own silo, you’re not going to have the impact you had hoped for. We need to realize that social media by itself really isn’t very useful if it’s not used in conjunction with other marketing tools. Integrated programs are the key to maximizing social media.
According to research by Unica, the proportion of marketers integrating their social campaigns with other channels varies widely depending on the tactic. Unica said in its report that the main ways marketers are integrating their social campaigns are in regard to timing, creative themes and branding.
What are you doing to integrate social into your marketing programs?
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 14, 2010 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
Social media is continuing to expand its reach (an estimated 940 million people worldwide), and businesses and their brands should look to social media as a place to build their brand. Granted, a majority of the activity is on a personal level, but interactions involving information about products and services have increased significantly according to a recent article in eMarketer.com as brands encourage word of mouth.
A recent study conducted in January of 2010 from InSites Consulting reveals some interesting points.
When asked what was the most believable source when it came to info found on the Internet, the most likely answer was their peers. That’s not surprising, but what is is that “the brand itself” came in a close second, far ahead of journalists which are traditionally considered an objective source.
InSites also found that, while brands were not at the top when users became fans, they did show up very well.
What’s this mean to you and your brand? Keep on connecting and conversing. There’s a big audience out there that can and will use your product (or your competitors). Let’s make sure it’s yours.
