Are you putting enough information in your Marketing?

 I came across this article the other day and I thought it made a great point.

Today's consumer and especially millennials are information based. This means no matter your style of Marketing you need to inform your customers with the important details. People want to know what they're spending their money on, how it works, etc. Being vague will get you nowhere.

Why do you think people have always watched the News more than anything else on TV? Because we all want and need information. This is important to know whenever you're selling or marketing something. I remember when one of my first ecommerce websites was going nowhere in terms of sales. Customer feedback eventually told me they could not see the product clearly in pictures and this simple detail cost me a good amount of lost sales.

I've seen this same problem with clients I've worked with as well. This and lack of proper information, an inefficient layout or setup will take a lot of sales away from your business. Nowadays with everyone trying to do their own thing Online you have to stand out in every way possible. You hear all the time about connecting with the consumer. This isn't done from some magical event, it's by telling or showing the consumer the things they want to see.
Information is a valuable thing. Knowing how to use it can be the difference in deciding if you're successful or not.

Blogging is good for Business

 Blogging is an essential piece for any Marketing content. A lot of people enjoy doing it, some can't stand it. For those who can't It I suggest hiring a content writer.  You can do so without breaking the bank. You can hire one for certain pieces on a freelance basis, no hefty salary to pay full time.

 A content writer is good for your Business because they help bring your message to customer. If they're good enough they can help the customer visualize what they're saying with enough detail in their message and maybe some catchy images.   ;)

 I wouldn't just stop at a Blog. A content creator can also write story lines for content videos or even write your Professional emails, press releases, etc.

 All of this can be very beneficial in being discovered and running your business as smooth as possible. 

Visual Marketing Tips

   My Last blog "Viral Marketing Tips" was pretty popular among my readers so I figured I'll throw out some thoughts on visual marketing. I've played around with different visual ads a lot the last 6 months. I had plenty that did well at getting attention and I had others that didn't do as well. Here's why:

 1. The most important thing you need to accomplish with Visual Marketing is to visualize to your audience what it is your showing them and why. When I say this I'm telling you to make your images appeal to that particular audience your showing it to. Some want abstract, off the wall images. Others want to see exactly what their looking for, etc. Think of it like Informative Visuals + Creative Visuals. They both help, just for the right audience.

2. Content...I know, you never heard that one before right? Well, that's too bad because you're going to hear it again and I'll actually explain this to you. Your content needs to do 2 things, period. Inform or Entertain. Too many people make Marketing Content more than what it needs to be. I know you think the selfie you just took of you and your dog is just too damn cool and makes you soo original, but no. Show me something I want/need to see. So if your selling a product show me why it's cool. Show me, no, prove to me why I need to buy this product. Make me fall so in love with it that I just gotta have it.  Same thing with a Service..Well kind of. Show me what your service provides for me that no one else does. What are you actually going to do to help me with what I need? If you have something to show (customer reviews for instance) use them. Now as I said earlier with the dog picture, we don't need to know your personal life. But as a Brand it's still a good idea to take a video to show your audience who you are, let them hear and see you. Show them who the Brand is.

 3. Don't overdo it. People absolutely hate when you post huge pictures that slow down/clog up the news feed. I learned this one the hard way, haha ;) Always re-size your image so that they're just right. Enough to look sharp, and enough so that it's seen but not heard if you know what I mean. Besides these three tips, the last thing I'll say is this...There's a lot of different ways to do things. Find what your good at and work on that. No one can do every skill in Marketing. But some people are really good at particular things. Find yours and make your Visual Marketing shine.

 It's off to the Gym for me, sitting at this damn desk for even an hour gets me stiff. If any of you out there have your own tips that you think can help, please comment and share. The more Information the better.

Don't go overboard with the Content

  Earlier today I heard someone say "Business today is all about your Content" (meaning your content marketing, and how many people see it, etc.)
Look, any of my regulars know I love me some Content. But things are getting out of hand. Marketing your Business is just a piece of the pie, not the whole thing. On my Facebook feed I have two people that "Market"  by making unfunny prank videos in their spare time and blogging about their everyday life.  Sorry if I sound critical but please tell me, what the hell kind of value are you offering doing these things if your not important or informative? Why would I watch you 10 minute YouTube video if you were none of those things? Now I'm sure these future Marketing All Stars think they're delivering content that people want...But no. 

  I think it's cool when a Business shows you a bit of who they are. It's unique when a brand like Zappos came out and showed us not all corporate work places are full of zombies. But imagine if Zappos instead constantly informed you about what they ate and what they thought about it. Or how they really wanna show you this funny joke. Sounds like something you really wanna spend some time watching right?

  Content should be about showing who you are and what your business is about. period. If you did what you had to do it's onto the sales. I'm not saying it's simple or not to be creative...But don't be annoying either. Offer something of value, and because everyone and their cousin is attempting the same thing these days make your content  really  valuable.

For instance a lot of people use Google Adwords to make their income. It's a great option to have but consider trying to sell/promote items. The more things of value there are, the more reasons people have to come.