What's Your Call to Action?

In marketing “speak”, a call to action describes the next step we want our prospects to take.  For example, you may want a prospect to visit your website, subscribe to your newsletter, download a free white paper, or place an order. Think carefully about what action you would like your prospect to take.  Once you have identified this goal, you’ll be better able to motivate your prospects to act.

A call to action is how you collect names and email address of potential clients/customers.

But don’t limit your call to action to your website or marketing materials. Include your call to action in your emails, letters, presentations, and even your email signature.

Blue Dog Marketing wishes everyone a happy and safe 4th of July!

Blue Dog Marketing wishes you a safe and happy 4th of July!

How to Keep New Clients Happy While You’re on Vacation

It’s officially summer!  And, yes, you can be in business for yourself and take a vacation. You probably really need a vacation to recharge your batteries if you’re wearing the multiple hats that most business owners wear.

If your business is busy, taking that well needed vacation can be difficult. This is especially true if you have new clients who will have to wait until you return to get started. Don’t even think about taking work along on your vacation. It’s a vacation; use it to de-stress and relax.

So how can you handle your new clients’ expectations while you’re away?

One way is to give them “homework”. Meet with new clients before you leave and let them know you’ll be on vacation and when you’ll return. Talk about your plans for them for when you return and give them the “homework”. In my business, I often ask clients to compile what marketing pieces they’re currently using and have used in the past. Homework can easily be done by your client while you’re away.  When you return, you’ll be one step closer to competing the client’s project.

Planning ahead for vacation time is a smart thing to do. If you put systems in place in advance, it can be seamless for your clients and you. Enjoy your vacation!

Writing Solutions from a Marketing Company

Writing is one of the main ways in which we communicate with our customers and prospects. There are different types of writing solutions which are needed like advertising, branding, translation, editing, copywriting and many more. Good writing is something which is very important to a small business to help get the right message to the right audience.

A good marketing company can help you write content for your website, write your newsletters, and write content for your marketing pieces. A marketing firm can also assist you in discovering who your target market is.

Marketing companies can also write press releases and distribute them. Press kit can be created. There are a lot of marketing companies that can assist you with your writing.  As marketing professionals, we are focused on ideas rather than just words and we can structure all your communications in such a way that the key brand messaging builds your brand higher.

Give Blue Dog Marketing a call for all your writing needs.

Facebook Rolls Out New and Improved Business Page Analytics

I came across this article yesterday and thought I'd share it with you. If you have a business Facebook page, this is great news!

http://blog.hubspot.com/facebook-revamps-business-page-insights

How to Write a Call to Action

You’ve got a great website built with good information about your company and products. But what makes your prospects want to buy from you? An effective call to action is necessary.

A call to action tells the prospect engaging with your website what you want them to do next. Create a logical next step that will be comfortable for your prospect and in line with the information they are viewing. Let your prospects know the call to action is a benefit to them.

A call to action can be for the prospect to download a free eBook or white paper in exchange for their email address. Capture the lead and you create a way to reach out to the prospect with additional information.

Where should your call to action be on your landing page? It should be in or near the upper right-hand corner because that’s where a prospect’s eye will generally land first. The call to action should visually stand out from the rest of the landing page. But make sure it fits with the overall look of your brand. The goal is to draw a prospect’s eye without being annoying or distracting.

Whatever your call to action is, deliver what you promise quickly and easily.