The Only Metric That Matters, Results

Social Media Advertising Metrics

The measurement that matters the most in an advertising campaign is success and that means results.

Marketing and advertising have become much more involved these days and thankfully we have detailed metrics to monitor all of our tasks and campaigns. A full, multi-channel campaign can include social media advertising, search advertising, television, radio, print and promotional events.

Each channel, for instance, social media advertising has its own distinct metric(s). The numbers are important because we constantly monitor campaigns to determine what is working and what is underperforming so that we can constantly adjust for better success and to drop or change efforts which are not achieving expected results.

 

Social Media Advertising Campaign Measurement

Social media advertising campaigns are measured primarily by two factors, Reach (how many times that ad appeared and someone saw it), and post engagement. Post engagement includes clicks and shares.

Reach depends on your target audience, and how long your run your advertisement in social media. Search ads work differently and also depend heavily on relevancy and how well you write your content.

Facebook advertising results.

 

When I target a broad, local audience I can easily reach a few thousand people in a few days as in the examples above. A narrower focus target results in fewer views but the post engagement can be very important.

We all want sales but brand awareness is a key multiplier for sales and managing comprehensive awareness campaign for at least a month for a new product or service will help you generate sales later.

A local restaurant reaching 3,000 to 8,000 potential customers in their zip code is fantastic marketing, especially when you pre-qualify the audience and select only those who are already interested in the topic. Yes, I do that for my clients for significantly better results.

The conversion rates vary per campaign and the post engagements depending on the way the sales funnel is set up can take new customers to a landing page to capture their contact information, a sales page, or a coupon. In one case my client wanted calls directly to his phone.

 

Views as a Measurement of Success

The number of views is the most important means to indicate if your online marketing efforts are a success. The photos I post online for clients have received 450,000 views which in my mind equals successful outreach.

Image Views are a Key Metric

 

Press Releases Utilize Headline Impressions for Measurement

Press releases have unique measurements or metrics. One of them is headline impressions. Think of the headline of an article in a hard copy newspaper. A headline impression is how many times the title of your press release was viewed online by a reader.

Another means to monitor your press release is called a hit. When a reader clicks on your headline and reads the article that is equal to one hit.

Press releases use different metrics including headline impressions.

 

A unique hit is a per reader measurement, one hit is equal to one individual. Whereas Total Hits include the same reader coming back and reading the article a second or third time. In the example below the Unique Hits is equal to 1,646 (number of readers), and the Total Hits equals 1,746 which indicates that some of the readers came back to the article to read it again.

Example successful press release

 

Notice in this example that the press release achieved an impressive 1,447,288 Headline Impressions. The typical small business press release may generate 10,000 headline impressions. The more you pay for a press release the better the results will be. When one of my clients pays top dollar the article is submitted to significantly more online venues and I also add an email blast campaign and reach out directly to the most prominent reporters of that subject.

 

A final word of caution, Likes.

A Like on Facebook has never achieved a sale by itself, ever. Be wary of the young hipster who tells you that he or she will manage your online campaign for you and get you 2,000 Likes on your Facebook page. Paying for that is a waste of your money.

That person simply asked their network of friends to Like your page and/or then paid an inexpensive service to add a few thousand Likes. Remember that these service companies pay people in third world countries to Like your page for pennies on the dollar and those contractors do not care about your company, page, product or services and will never buy a thing from you.

Having said that Likes can help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), ranking in Google searches, and give you some credibility and legitimacy but it is much better to have your true fans Like your page.

However, you also need to include your social media pages and your website in your sales funnel. Generate sales from your Facebook page, run ads, and special promotions. Post events to bring people into your location or to generate online sales.

I hope that this article was helpful. Have a great Summer and feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Richard Lewis

Chief Marketing Officer

richard.lewis@augurmarketing.com

http://www.augurmarketing.com/landing-page/

571-533-7149

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How to Create Facebook Ads That Engage, Compel, and Convert

Create engagement, compel your audience, and convert them to customers with these three strategies.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last ten years, you know that social media has created one of the best direct to consumer platforms for businesses to reach their target market.

As social networks like Facebook and Snapchat continue to expand their features, more and more opportunities are being made for businesses to advertise their product/service online and connect with the people that are likely to care about them the most.

However, with increased opportunity comes increased competition. In a March 2016 report, Facebook announced that over 3 million businesses worldwide advertise on their platform, and since then those numbers have more than doubled. To add insult to injury, social media users are more tired of ads than they’ve ever been, often they find them disruptive to their user experience and only 31% reported that they’d actually sit through an entire ad even if it was targeted to their interest; some even went as far to say that they’d rather sit through a television ad before they saw one in their newsfeed.

So, if an increase in competition is saturating the market and Facebook users are tired of seeing ads then why are so many businesses still using Facebook to acquire new customers?

Simply put, because it works!

If you’re currently running Facebook ads and aren’t seeing any results or you’re considering running ad campaigns and want to avoid the pitfalls that lead to high costs-low conversions then read and implement the three strategies below to learn how to create Facebook ads that engage your target market, compel them to act, and ultimately convert them from follower to customer time and time again.

Strategy 1: Create an ad funnel

If you go to Google and type in “How to create Facebook ads” you’ll quickly pull up thousands of links, all claiming to have the secret sauce to create ads that convert. What you’d be hard-pressed to find is any of those articles telling you what an ad funnel is and how to create one- that’s because ad funnels are the secret sauce for any and every Facebook ads agency and freelance marketer. Every ad campaign that converts on Facebook has a funnel as it’s foundation and once you know what an ad funnel is you’ll quickly understand why.

So, what is an ad funnel, you ask?

Great question!

The easiest answer to give without leaving you feeling like you just took a crash course on the theory of relativity is this- an ad funnel is a series of ads or ad campaigns directed at a specific target market intended to move the viewer of the first ad from a follower to a customer.

Click the link below to see a larger version of the funnel and download it to incorporate into your next ad campaign

Click here to download the Facebook Funnel PDF

As you can see in the photo above, Facebook ad funnels can get intricate. This funnel was designed for a client of ours that wanted to not only acquire new customers but also extend the life cycle of their customers through retargeting. The reason you see so many steps in the funnel is that its designed to overcome three core objections your brand will face before a potential customer is willing to make an online purchase:

• Social proof- Does anyone else think this brand is cool?
• Perceived value- What am I going to gain from watching this ad or clicking the link aside from an item that’s on sale?
• Trust- I haven’t seen this brand often, how do I know that I can trust them?

So, in step one, you see that there are two ads running simultaneously, a direct response copy ad and a short 30-45 second video, both leading to a blog post that delivers tremendous value. These serve dual purposes and have several campaign objectives- engagement and link click.

In both campaigns, you want to start with the objective of engagement, meaning, at first you are more concerned with getting a great amount of engagement on each ad than you are with getting link click conversions.

Why?

Because getting a good amount of engagement will overcome the first objection- social proof. If you focus first on getting enough people to engage in the ad then you’ll be more likely to get your link clicks at a lower CPC the second time around since psychologically the viewer will feel that if other people like the ad/offer then they will too. From there, depending on the length of time someone spent on a video or the length of time between the day someone read the blog post, you move them to the second stage of the funnel which is another ad that leads to a lead magnet aka an irresistible free offer that you give in exchange for an email address.

Only once you’ve given a visitor enough social proof through engagement AND delivered a ton of value through a blog post and a lead magnet do you run an ad that leads to a paid offer/product page. This strategy overcomes the second objection of perceived value.

The rest of the funnel is created to overcome the final objection which is trust. Data shows that on average a potential customer needs to see a new brand at least seven times before they make their first purchase, so while someone may watch your ad, opt-in for your lead magnet, and even shop around on your product page chances are they won’t make a purchase yet because they haven’t “seen” you enough times. To overcome that objection and gain their trust you can run a set of ads based on specific retargeting either from your product page, cart page, and even the thank you page of your website to extend the life cycle of the new customer.

Designing a funnel can be exhausting, but it’s well worth it if you want real results.

This can seem like a lot to take in, let alone implement, but this by far is the number one reason why most businesses fail to make sales conversions through Facebook advertising. If you’re willing to put in the extra work to develop a funnel you’ll greatly increase your chances of success through Facebook advertising.

Strategy 2: Create Copy That Speaks Directly to Your Target Audience

Now you’ve got your ads funnel mapped out, it’s time to tackle the first ad by creating compelling copy that gets your audience to take the desired action. There’s an art to copy and the best copywriters aren’t cheap, usually charging $5000+, luckily there’s one tried and true tactic that you can implement into your copy that, if done right, will compel your audience to move to the next step.

Storytelling

To this day, storytelling is one of the best ways to move people to the desired action if the story you tell speaks directly to your target market. Telling your audience how great your product is or how much time/money it will save them is not enough; remember, you’re in competition with 3,000,000+ other businesses that are probably telling your target audience the same thing. At the end of the day, no one cares to read about what your product does, but they do care to read a great story related your product that resonates with them.

To date, Tai Lopez has the highest viewed and converting ad ever ran on Youtube and it all started with this ad here.

If you’ve never seen the man above in your news feed before his name is Tai Lopez and he’s currently one of the most successful online marketers of this generation. Many can’t stand Tai for the luxury cars and scantily clad women he sprinkles in his ads, but before the videos of him in his big Beverly Hills mansion surrounded by swimsuit models Tai started off with one simple video of him in his garage telling a story that resonated with millions of people worldwide. The story he told in his video was one of a man who grew up on welfare, lived with the Amish, and slept on a couch for years with $42 in his bank account while he struggled to figure out the key to success.

And one day, as he claims, he found it-knowledge.

From there, the rest of the copy in the ad leads to an offer to join his 67 steps to success program.

While the rags to riches story may be overplayed, Tai knew that his target audience was on the hunt for the one thing that would take them from the basement floor to the penthouse suite and he was the man that could give it to them. If Tai had chosen to tell his audience how great the product he was selling is without connecting with them through his story no one would have bought his program, but instead he chose to let his audience know that he was once in their position, he got out of it, and now he wants to help them do the same.

Whether you chose to be the character in the story or not, you want to make sure your ad copy touches on the pain points of your target market and moves them either from the avoidance of pain or towards the satisfaction of pleasure; that’s the kind of copy that compels.

Strategy 3: Utilize the pattern interrupt factor

Since the days of radio, we’ve been conditioned to accept ads as the price we pay for good entertainment, the difference now is that instead of having to sit through the ad to get back to whatever we were doing we can simply scroll past it. This presents a broader problem to business owners who wish to capitalize on Facebook advertising-how do you get your target market to stop what they were doing and pay attention to you?

You must create an ad that’s so visually captivating that it commands the user’s attention and stops them in their tracks. This can be done through a creative video that causes a pattern interrupt.

When you go to create your ad, you need to think about all the things that your target audience is drawn to, and I mean all.

Everything from their favorite color, the type of music they listen to, and the activities that they are interested in playing a role in creating an ad that will make your audience stop what they’re doing and pay attention to what you have to say. The best way to figure out all the things your audience is interested in is to either pay someone to do research on your target market or do it yourself with an activity that I call, The Brain Dump.

The brain dump is one of the quickest and most effective ways to come up with ideas to use in your ads that will create a pattern interrupt in your target audience and get them to view your ad.

Start by taking a sheet of paper and creating four separate columns as follows:

• Activities
• Utilities
• People of Influence
• Desires

Then, go through each category and write down at least twenty different things that relate to your audience and correspond with each category.

For instance, if you sell a high-performance coaching program for people in B2B sales you might fill out the categories like this:

• Activities- Reading personal development books, networking events, healthy living.
• Utilities- Hubspot, Linkedin.
• People of Influence- Brendon Burchard, Grant Cardone
• Desires- Higher closing rations, wealth, job security.

These will serve as ideas that you can use for not only your ads but your targeting as well. Whatever ideas you come up with, make sure they really resonate with your audience to interrupt their pattern and cause them to pay attention.

I know, Facebook advertising isn’t easy but if it didn’t work there wouldn’t be so many businesses pouring their advertising budgets into it. The key to creating successful ad campaigns is to design your ads and strategies in a way that engages, compels, and converts your audience into customers. The three strategies above serve as great starting points, and if you couple them with high-quality professional video then you’re sure to be successful with your advertising campaigns.

Try these three strategies and see how they work for you, if you need help creating high-quality video for you campaigns we’d be more than happy to help. At Business Video Washington D.C. we’ve served hundreds of business owners in the DMV area and we have all the technology and tools you need to make high-quality videos for your marketing needs.

Contact us by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

Why China’s Consumer Growth & Counterfeit Culture Are Big Bonuses for American Brands

Chinese freight boats coming to American shores full and leaving empty.

There’s no need to sugar coat it, China’s economic slowdown is real.

 Its GDP growth has been in double figures for decades and currently sits around 6-7 percent, and even though China still makes up one for one of the largest global exporters it can no longer rely on the driving forces it once depended on to fuel their economy.

However, amid China’s economic deceleration, the emergence of the Chinese consumer is a more powerful force than it has ever been and shows little signs of slowing down. In fact, the consumer growth in China will only become more pronounced in the future. Within the next three years management consultants McKinsey believes there will be over 400 million “mainstream consumers”-consumers with household incomes that make them part of the “middle class”. If we look at the data of our own economy in America we know that the middle class makes up for most consumer purchases, therefore, it is the middle class of Chinese consumers that American brands should start to focus on.

From now until 2030 Euromonitor estimates that China will contribute more than any other country to global consumer expenditure growth. In the past, global brands dreamed of taking a slice of the America pie but now you wouldn’t be far-fetched to set your eyes on the fortune cookie of the Far East.

Understanding the Chinese Buyer

In the past, the purchasing behavior of the Chinese consumer was value-now that’s starting to change dramatically. Where price was once the driving factor, consumers are now more likely to strongly consider factors like quality, brand, and the status attached to the products they buy. Much like America’s Millennial generation, Chinese consumers are increasingly fickle and if you want your brand to cash in you’ll need to appeal to their emotions. The Chinese consumer story has a large potential to reward your brand, but it is important to note that you’ll also have to contend with an increasingly volatile market.

The reason?

China’s counterfeit culture

 China has always led the market in the flood of counterfeit goods, to date, 63% of the counterfeit goods found on Alibaba come from China and most replica watches on the market are manufactured there as well. Swizz watch companies have lost billions due to the Chinese replicas and consumer brands in other industries are suffering the same fate.

Take the case of Bobbie Bear for instance. The Bobbie Bear is a bright purple teddy bear stuffed with lavender from a farm in Australia owned by a man named Robert Ravens. After Zhang Zingyu, a Chinese actress and model, posted a photo of the bear online Robert saw his orders jump from 10 a month to 4,000, but as soon as counterfeiters decided to cash in on the craze Robert found his sales dropping just as quickly as they rose.

Bobby Bear’s sells soar through the roof after model/actress Zhang Zingyu posted a picture of her with it on Instagram.

Although counterfeiting is an issue, it’s also one that can be beneficial to the American brand. The prevalence of counterfeits in China has eroded the consumer’s trust in domestically produced products and this lack of trust has lead consumers to search for international brands that they can come to love. The case of the Bobbie Bear also highlights the power of Chinese celebrities to quickly shape consumer demand as well. American brands can benefit by using the power of social media to reach the Chinese consumer and create like, know and trust through influencer marketing.

  International Trade

As China’s economy becomes indispensable to more companies around the world the country will be able to set the terms of a trade deal to its advantage.  That means China will be able to drive a hard bargain in terms of lowering tariffs on imports of Chinese manufactured goods and raising tariffs on products imported into China. However, as the consumer power of China continues to grow the profit margins for American brands shouldn’t be affected by the trade deals. On top of that, many American brands are unaware of the continual growth of the Chinese consumer- therefore the country is seeing many Chinese logistics companies importing products to North American shores and leaving on an empty boat-this provides an opportunity for the American brand that decides to take advantage.

If your brand decides to cash in on China’s consumer growth consider using a Chinese logistics company for shipping your goods. More than likely you’ll receive a far better freight quote than you would from one of their international competitors which will result in a decrease in overhead and an increase in your profit margins.

 The Chinese Consumer Isn’t Going Anywhere

Yes, the economic slowdown in China is massive and one that could potentially become a crisis especially with its massive debt build up. China’s debt levels are higher than they’ve ever been and investors are even making comparisons of the countries’ current condition to that of the United States before the financial crisis of 2008. If an economic crisis is on the loom, and China can’t solve the problem, the middle class will take a huge hit.

But while some analysts predict a crisis, in truth no one really knows if this will happen and most predict a slowdown rather than a crisis. Regardless of what the future holds, the fact remains that the growth of consumerism in China is happening now, its real and the country’s major cities are putting enormous emphasis on making the economy more driven by consumption.

This is going to majorly disrupt the world economy, and if Uber is of any evidence it’s the brands that are on the side of disruption that reap the benefits and the ones that chose to ignore the trend who fall victim to it.

If you are an American brand that wants to tap into the Chinese consumer market we at Clipper Transport would be more than happy to help meet your logistics needs. With established branch offices in major port cities in the U.S. and China, we offer one-stop logistics service solutions and complete operational coverage to meet your supply chain-oriented demand with efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

At Clipper Transport, we have one clear and defined goal- handle your transportation so you can focus on improving profit.

Click here to contact us to receive a free shipping quote on your freight today.

 

SEO – 2 Minute Challenge

Win a Free Optimization Campaign

If you are not well search optimized then you are automatically losing customers to your competitors.  This is especially important and true for local businesses.  85% of Americans search online before they make a purchasing decision.  If they do not find your business in the top 3 listings then your competition just got that call or purchase instead of you.

The vast majority of business owners do not understand search engine optimization (SEO).  Unfortunately, neither do the supposed experts.  When a web developer tells you that your new website will be ‘searched optimized’ that is a half-truth at best.  In a nutshell, the template driven websites all offer ‘search optimization’ but in reality, you need continuous active campaigns for your company’s website and offerings to appear at the top of search engine results pages. A template website will not do that for you.

Take the 2-minute challenge below to see how your company stacks up to the competition. If you want immediate help click here to sign up for guaranteed results. Your campaign will begin immediately.

2 Minute Search Optimization Challenge

Step 1 – Test search results on the specific name of your company.

1. Go to http://www.google.com
2. Type in the exact name of your company and the primary city where you do business

You will see the results appear in Google.  Is your company listed in the top position below the paid Ads?  If so then you have passed the first, basic and important hurdle to being found online.  Great job!  Move on to the second and more important test.  See an example of this type of search on Augur Marketing below.

If not, then you need immediate help. Click here to sign up and get listed.  If you do not then your competition is already grabbing your future customers from you.

In the example image above Augur Marketing appears in the number one spot below the paid advertising as well as on the right-hand side of the screen.  We achieved this result without paying for advertising.  There are also pages of relevant results including photos video, blog posts, and press releases.

If you see other companies with similar names listed in your search results understand how confusing that is to potential customers.  You should absolutely make your company stand out from the crowd in searches.  Click here to make your mark and stand out from the crowd.

Step 2 – Check Results Against Your Competition

This is the most important test.  How do you compare online against your competition? Remember that most people who search are looking for broad categories and new, potential customers do not know your company brand or name.  The typical search is similar to, as an example:  italian restaurant, or rug cleaning service.

For this check on how well you are search optimized perform a similar search as above except that you will type in a product or service and then the name of the primary city that you do business in.  For example estate law tysons, va or jewelry store washington dc.

Since this is the most common type of search you need to ensure that your company appears at the top of this list.  Remember that most consumers do not look past the first 3 results.  It is much tougher but possible to appear closer to top the in large metropolitan areas like Manhattan and Washinton, DC.

1. Go to http://www.google.com
2. Type in a service or product and then the name of the primary city or area that you are doing business in.

The example below is using a search for business lawyers in Arlington, Va.  Note that it is important to use the city and state.  In this case, there is also an Arlington, Texas and even though Google is good localizing searches you can still get mixed results if you don’t include the state.

For medical service providers, it is just as important or even more important to be listed well in directories (list of doctors offices).  We (Augur Marketing) managed a search engine optimization (SEO) campaign for Dr. Shore Armani in McLean, Va. along with her website development and had phenomenal results.  When we began the search optimization campaign she only had a few listings, none in the top 3 and all had incorrect information from her previous office location.  There were also confusing results mingled in with Armani Exchange.

“Richard produced my Website, he gave me great ideas to improve my existing website which was made by another reputable web designer. The new site is fabulous with a great
Turnout.”

Dr. Shore Armani, Internist
McLean, Va

See the current outstanding results for searches on Dr. Shore Armani McLean, Va. here.

Dr. Shore Armani Website

My Results Were Not in the Top 3, How Can I Improve My Search Engine Listing Position?

In a nutshell, you need professional help.  Click here to begin your search engine optimization campaign.

Why Augur Marketing?  Augur is not a branding or design firm.  They just want to make you look pretty.  We focus on your bottom line and generating new sales.  We get results.

Augur managed a recent online advertisement for Money Mailer of Tysons which generated spectacular results.

We reached 8,468 locals who were already interested in the topic and generated 464 click-throughs to Chris Tomseth the owner of Money Mailer of Tysons.  In addition to that 98 potential customers were sent to the ad via online searches in Facebook on that exact topic.

Watch short, cool videos.

1. Search Engine Optimization
2. Augur Marketing Overview
3. Medical Practice Advertising Services
4. Money Mailer of Tysons
   

Contact Richard at Augur Marketing, LLC.

Richard Lewis, Technology Marketing Officer
Augur Marketing, LLC
richard.lewis@augurmarketing.com
DC Office:  571-201-5272
Warrenton, Va Office: 571-533-7149
LinkedIn Profile

 

 

 

 

Attracting New Business Customers in Washington, D.C.

How can you make this your business?

Money Mailer of Tysons – 90% Open Rate

 

Coupons have been around for almost as long as there have been things to market and sell. First introduced in 1887 by the Coca-Cola company, coupons have now become a mainstay of advertising strategies everywhere.

When beginning any sort of marketing campaign, a business must demonstrate how they intend to bring new customers to their business and/or how they get their existing customer base to patronize their business more. Yet, for coupons, the two goals are not mutually exclusive! Coupons are a great way to attract customers that might otherwise not be enticed to come, and they also encourage repeat customers to come back more often because the price of the product they are buying is cheaper.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession, everyone was and has continued looking for deals wherever possible. A couple quick facts:

• 81% of consumers use coupons on a regular basis according to NCH compared with the 63.9% before the recession hit
• 89% of consumers use some form of paper coupons according to Valassis
• 68% of consumers say that coupons generate brand loyalty according to RetailMeNot

After seeing how effective advertising with coupons is, the question for businesses is how can you utilize this invaluable marketing method. There are a variety of coupon services including ValPak and Money Mailer.

We have chosen to focus on Money mailer as an example because it has been serving businesses’ marketing needs and exposing them to the benefits of coupon advertising for over 35 years.

Money Mailer also has two distinct advantages over ValPak in that the coupons are 30% larger than ValPak coupons and Money Mailer claims to have a 90% open rate.

Now, Money Mailer boasts some impressive statistics:

• 91% of its readers use two or more coupons on a monthly basis and 41% use two or more coupons per week
• They specifically target higher income households, ones that have more expendable income

For instance, advertising with Money Mailer of Tysons in the Washington D.C. area is the perfect solution for businesses that want flexibility, affordability, and effectiveness. Money Mailer allows businesses to reach a large portion of DMV households, tens of thousands of new customers in addition to current ones, for a relatively small investment. For a few cents per household, your business can reach between 10,000 and 100,000 locals.

One happy business owner in McLean, VA says:

“When we first met with the Money Mailer rep, we weren’t sure what type of return we’d get from these coupons. We finally decided to give it a try and in the first two days after the mailers went out, we received $500 in revenue…in less than a week, we had received $1,800 in sales! It has been a great advertisement and I look forward to continuing to work with Money Mailer.” –Gina, of Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant

If you are a business that wants to both attract new customers and bring your current customers around more often, then Money Mailer is a tool that you should be using.

For more information about how Money Mailer can help your business, contact Money Mailer of Tysons at chrismoneymailer@gmail.com or call (224)-900-0353.

Published by Augur Marketing on behalf of Money Mailer of Tysons.  http://www.augurmarketing.com. 571-201-5272.

How can doctors compete in this crazy fast-paced information age?

Remember the days when small town doctors grew their practice by face to face referrals only. Jim, the local barber would tell Mary at the diner and so forth. Well, those days are quickly fading behind us.

Welcome to the information age where every doctor needs to have a multi-tiered marketing strategy with a heavy dose of social media.

Some quick facts:

• “72% of internet users said they looked online for health information within the past year.” Source: 2013 Pew Research Center Report.
• “41% of people would choose a health care provider based on their social media reputation.”Source: DC Interactive Group’s Rising Use of Social Media and Mobile in Healthcare Infographic
• “60% of doctors say social media improves the quality of care delivered to patients.” Source:DC Interactive Group

In today’s environment, your success, let alone your survival, depends on a well thought out marketing strategy.

Every marketing strategy has to start with the goals for your campaign. Usually, the goals include generating awareness and buzz for your practice which will lead to an increase your clientele. The campaign goals for your practice can include educating the community, building a good reputation and promoting new services, and of course to increase sales which Augur excels at. Unlike branding agencies Augur focuses on your bottom line and the main goal of all campaigns is to generate leads and revenue.

Next, it is important to develop a marketing strategy to determine the demographics and size of your target market. Who is the target market for your services and does this market change if you offer new services? Is your target market local or is it regional or even national?

How are you going to reach your target market(s)?

First and foremost, you need a compelling website for your practice.  Your website should have a well-organized and clean layout with aesthetically pleasing images and color schemes. Your online presence and especially your website is the first thing that potential patients will see of  your practice and are an avatar and direct reflection of your image. You wouldn’t go on a date or meet your patients wearing old, rumpled, stained clothes and your web presence should reflect on your practice professionally.  Top medical websites should include:

• Highly visible contact information
• Images promoting health or videos
• The philosophy of your practice, why you differ from competition
• Clearly defined services
• Accepted insurance plans accepted
• Downloadable patient forms

Professional Tip!  The two things that are most likely to convert a potential client online are testimonials, and video when done properly.  The video needs to be short, directly related to and placed directly next to the product or service mentioned.  Websites absolutely should also have a contact form to capture future patient information which can then be added to your Customer Resource Management (CRM) software or which can be sent directly to your inbox for a response.

“Augur Marketing produced my website, and it is a great improvement over my previous website which was developed by a different reputable web designer.  The site is fabulous and has a lot of visitors.”
Dr. Shore Armani. McLean, Va.

Your website could have all of the above but there is still a catch. Remember the phrase all “dressed up and nowhere to go?” What good is a compelling website if nobody knows that it exists. The majority of online health seekers began their sessions using a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo. It is important to get these search engines working for you by ranking you at the top for medical search results.

“Eighty-one percent of users conduct online research before they make a purchase. Sixty percent begin by using a search engine to find the products or services they want, and 61 percent will read reviews before making a selection.” Source: SocialTimes

The key is search engine optimization (SEO)! The use of meta tags and backlinks used to be very important for higher rankings but this has now shifted to how relevant your website and how much quality content it contains. Relevancy is determined by how many reputable sites or people are sharing or linking back to your content and how fresh and relevant your content is. Many of the top websites include current blog articles about the latest medical topics which allow for comments and feedback.

Augur Marketing provides medical practices with patient development services.

Perform a simple check on your practice by typing the type of practice or specialty and then the city name into Google. For instance internist tysons corner va. If you do not see your practice in the top few results then you are automatically losing customers to your competition, those practices listed in that specific search result.

“50% of all mobile searches are conducted in hopes of finding local results, and 61% of those searches result in a purchase.” (Search Engine Watch)

Every marketing strategy should also include engaging social media marketing and cater to mobile users. Social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube are critical in creating a dialogue with patients or promoting your expertise. The conversation about your practice is happening online and it is better if you are a part of it.

Paid social media advertising through Google Adwords, LinkedIn Ads, Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads and YouTube video ads are time-saving and cost-effective ways to raise awareness and recognition for your practice. Remember to always focus on your target market who are becoming more tech savvy and are depending more on their mobile devices for their medical information.  If your practice is in a large metropolitan area like Washington, DC or New York then you can reach thousands of locals by city, zip code, lifestyle, gender, age, and interests for a fraction of the cost of advertising on cable television.

“A multi-channel campaign (includes Social Media and radio for instance) has a 20% higher retention rate by consumers than a single method campaign.” Source:  Comcast Cable

A social media strategy is critical for your success but you should never forget traditional marketing avenues. Patients still use both online and offline sources for the medical information. Per a 2012 Google/Compete Hospital Study, 32% of patients use TV for research, 20% use magazines for research and 18% use newspapers for research.

You should also consider email blasts as part of your marketing strategy. Targeted email marketing campaigns are very effective at generating more referrals. Per MedData Medical Technology Marketing Industry Trends Report, for every $1 spent, $44.25 is the average return on email marketing investment.

Augur Marketing offers full digital marketing campaigns for as low as $1,000 per month.  Let our expert staff increase your online presence and sales.  Use our convenient contact form or call 571-201-5272.

This article was published by Augur Marketing based in Washington, DC. Augur specializes in marketing campaign management which includes the most effective combination of website development, search optimization (SEO), social media campaigns video production, and radio and television.  Please feel free to contact us regarding your marketing strategy.  Unlike branding agencies and other marketing companies, we focus on your bottom line.  Our goal is to bring you customers and to increase sales not just to make you look pretty.

Contact Us:

richard.lewis@augurmarketing.com

Augur Marketing

571-201-5272

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