Raven & Macaw

DIGITAL MARKETING: THE FUTURE FOR SMES

You started your business with a  great idea and an expectation to generate revenue over time. Ever since the pandemic, you have noticed a shift in buyer behaviour. It is things like this you did not see coming, now stress and sleepless nights are creeping in, and whenever you check your business account, smiling becomes hard, now you are probably wondering if this digital marketing thing can help you. Digital marketing can change everything. Digital marketing is the area of marketing that promotes goods and services using the Internet and other online-based digital technology like desktop and mobile computers, as well as other digital media and platforms. Digital Marketing is more than a strategy. It is a way to tell your customers you care about their purchase journey as a brand.    Embracing digital marketing does not mean giving up traditional marketing; rather, it means utilizing it to enhance traditional marketing.  Most small and medium-sized businesses’ first concern is to attract customers through the door. The most typical way to accomplish this is to use traditional advertising strategies such as flyers or even going door to door. When was the last time you transacted with someone who handed you flayers on the street? Digital marketing can attract not just local customers but also international ones. It can give you a constant flow of earnings in dollars. Whew, even I smiled. Who doesn’t like good things?   As per Digital 2021: Global Overview Report, there is a 60% global internet penetration. 4.6 billion people use the internet for different reasons.  There are a lot of prospective customers in the online market. As businesses become increasingly competitive, there is no reason for small and medium-sized enterprises to overlook this enormous market. You must take your company to where consumers spend most of their time (the internet).  Digital Marketing gives SMEs a lot of benefits, Online presence, flexibility, new potential customers, a broad geographic reach, and saving money. The best strategy to increase your brand’s authority and awareness in the world’s biggest market is through digital marketing. By interacting with your target audience on social media, you may find out what they need and establish intense bonds with them.   The importance of digital marketing goes beyond making sales: it is a long-term investment in the growth of your business. Digital marketing is the future of SMEs.   Deep diving into the digital marketing world is understandably scary for most people, and with most SMEs confused about current forms of marketing, you have nothing to worry about, we gat you. Raven and Macaw is your answer for immersing your company in the world of digital marketing. Learn more.  

7 MOST POWERFUL MARKETING STRATEGIES TO STEAL IN 2023

The year is still early; fresh minds are filled with ideas and ready to gear up the business. But then, the business world keeps evolving, and what works today may be in the history books tomorrow; this is why you always need to update your business marketing strategies. Marketing strategies are the steps that lead your business to success. These strategies include reaching out to the target audience, stating benefits, and converting individuals into customers. Every business needs to have marketing strategies; otherwise, the competitive market would be a fantasy to them. Robust marketing strategies would determine the success of many businesses in 2023. Tho the year is still early, below are seven powerful marketing strategies you should accommodate in 2023 Set Goals and Budget For every marketing strategy you indulge in, you should know how to measure the performance and when to stop. By setting goals and a budget, you are more likely to succeed in every strategy. Setting goals may sound easy, but it is more than just setting goals. What you need are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound goals, also known as SMART goals. These five components determine how successful your strategy will be. To estimate how a campaign performs, you can select up to 5 KPIs, including traffic, leads, and direct revenue. Moreover, the best way to keep an eye on the performance of your goals is through KPIs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With the world evolving, you can’t talk about marketing strategies without including SEO. This is among the most successful marketing strategies of all time, and it doesn’t seem to be going down anytime soon. Recent studies showed that about 93% of all online acquaintances begin with SEO. This alone is enough reason why your website needs SEO. However, SEO is of two types (on-page and off-page), and both have unique ways of boosting your business in search results. SEO may not produce immediate results; however, it has been proven to be a vital marketing strategy for many companies’ long-term growth and success in terms of leads, revenue and rankings. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Are you in need of a boost in 2023? PPC is what you need. Do you know that about 65% of all high-intent searches result in an ad click? This is an excellent strategy to keep visibility on search results and boost organic SEO. PPC ads can generate leads from any location. In a world with billions of individuals searching online, display ads let you advertise across millions of other websites across various networks. This is a remarkable opportunity to reach over 90% of all internet users. Recent studies showed that for every $1.60 spent on Google Ads, a business would likely gain 3% online. So there is no doubt that PPC will be a hard hit in 2023. What is more amazing about it is you only pay when users click your ad. Email Marketing Most people think email marketing is a way-back strategy! Well, it has been around for a while, but it is still among the effective marketing strategies for boosting revenue. Email marketing is never a no-no; it can have a ROI of more than 4000%. Through email marketing, you can directly connect with existing customers through newsletters and promotional emails. What’s unique about email marketing is that you can personalise your mail. This can enhance your conversions by more than 10%. Check click rates and conversion for more successful email marketing and test the key elements. Professional Web Design A website has been a key marketing strategy for over a decade, and there is no doubt that first impression matters. Most customers will get to know you first through your website, and you surely want them to go “WOW” at first glance. Unfortunately, about 90% of online shoppers switch to competitors’ websites due to poor UX. Therefore, user experience design is vital for your website in 2023. Moreover, UX plays a massive part in web ranking. Individuals come to your website to find helpful info. Therefore, try and make it easy for them. It’s 2023. You don’t want to stress anybody! Unique Video Content The world keeps evolving. With unique video content, you have more than a 50% chance of ranking on the first page than websites with no video content. Video content is an excellent strategy to boost leads and keep users on your website/page for a long.  Video marketing can be used on websites, social media, and email campaigns. People come across many marketing messages/ads daily. In 2023, video marketing for your campaign is a good idea to stand out and boost your sales. Content Re-optimization Do you know that 95% of all searches on Google stay on the first page of the results? This means you are missing more than a lot of traffic if your content does not appear on the first page. However, content marketing is more than just a do-and-forget strategy. There is always a chance for your content to rank higher and appear on the first page of search results. To rip off the maximum benefit of your content, re-optimization should be a top priority. Every content can be made fresh and boosted through re-optimization. Now that you are all caught up. Learn how to choose the right social media platform for your business here.  

New Year, New Resolution

It is 2023, yet you don’t feel ready for the months ahead. If you think of all the obstacles you faced in previous years to Japa go dey hungry you. But you have decided to go hard this year. It is easy to come up with a list of things to do or achieve in the new year, yet the best of us keep recycling them from one year to the next; I say “us” because I have been guilty. A resolution is simply a promise to yourself to do something, ideally with a plan to follow through. The holidays have passed, and now you are focused on what the new year has to offer. It is time for you to aim for the forefront of limitless opportunities. People set new year’s resolutions for different reasons; you might need something to drive you in the new year, provide stability, or plan to become the best version of yourself.  Write and plan your goals in the right frame of mind. What do you want to achieve at the end of the year?  How do you hope to accomplish this?  How can you make this a reality?  All of these questions should be answered honestly, without disregarding the thoughts that come to your mind. It seems difficult to plan for a week in advance, not to talk of a whole year, but it is possible. We have done it.  Your goals don’t have to be complex; you are not writing a new constitution. It could be as simple as; Living within your financial capabilities Establishing a retirement savings strategy Learning a new job skill Working with a digital agency  Spending time more productively “You’ll give yourself your best shot at success if you set a goal that’s doable—and meaningful too.” Jen A. Miller Any day is a good day to make a personal/business resolution. What matters is that you set goals for yourself and stick to them to make long-term positive changes. More than half of all goals fail to be fulfilled; here are some tips to ensure yours don’t fail. Write it: You know what you want to change or achieve in the new year. Mentally noting them is not good enough. You have to take your time and write them down. Write down a time frame for each goal and keep them where you can see them. Be Specific: When writing your goals, it is important to be specific. Writing “I want to run 1000 kilometres in March” when you have never run before is not a concrete goal. Rather, start with an interval for running daily and increase your distance as you get more comfortable. If you run every day, then 1000 kilometres might not be a lot in the long run.  Make realistic goals: You should be able to track and measure your goals. If you want to lose weight, you should have a scale and write down your ideal weight. Keeping a record can help you attain your goals, no matter what they are. Make your goals achievable: This does not mean you shouldn’t dream big. We are here for you, even if you are Oliver Twist. If you have a business that makes less than ten million a year and your new goal is to make more than fifty million, yet you haven’t changed a thing in your organization.  We can’t even help you. You just need prayers. Get support: Make goals relevant to you and not because of someone else. You will be able to keep your goals if you tell other people who are close to you about them. You might be surprised to learn that you and your loved ones share similar goals. Reward yourself: This does not mean that after running 5 Kilometres for a 10 kilometres goal, you should not run for the next three months. Reward yourself with things you enjoy. However, you should not reward yourself with things that contradict your goals.  Give yourself time: Bigger goals will take more time; the timeline you give yourself should be realistic. Give yourself enough time to complete your goals. You can set smaller intermediate goals along the way.  Keep showing up: You mustn’t get discouraged after failing; refocus and go at it again and again till you get it. Just do it.  learn more Our new year resolution is to make all our partners ballers in 2023. You can not be working with us and be under stress. As you aim to reach the forefront of limitless opportunities we would be here to make sure you get there. Make the change your business needs. Get Started.

3 Productivity Apps That Every Business Needs

productivity apps

The success of our businesses can rely on the apps we use. However, there are hundreds of software available, all of which claim to be helpful. Well, the truth is, whether a small or big business, these productivity apps can help your business. Understanding the various business apps and knowing why you want to go for a specific app is essential. But first, why do you need these apps? Benefits Of Productivity Apps Scale your day-to-day office needs Boost productivity Easy to communicate Smooth workflow Minimize paperwork They can be accessed from anywhere with an internet Do not require updates. The manufacturers do all updates They can be accessed via computer and mobile There are three primary reasons why your business needs a productivity app: General productivity– these are more like suites. They are applications that contain other applications in them. Applications under general productivity entail the most-used business applications to provide you with a concrete workspace. Communication – communication is what brings understanding in and outside of your business. Without communication, a company will hardly survive. There are productivity apps that make it easy to communicate within and outside your business Team management – this is an essential part of a business’s productivity. Productivity apps that handle this allow you to monitor all your staff and manage your projects Almost everything about your day-to-day business activities is centred around these three categories. Well, here are three of the best productivity applications that every business needs: General Productivity – G Suite This is a productivity suite that every business needs. It entails in it the most used business applications. This has been around for quite some time, but back in the day, it was known as Google for business. Up to date, G Suite stands among some of the most powerful systems. It includes Gmail, hangout, calendar and google +. It also has other collaboration tools such as forms, sheets, and docs. What makes it a more stunning system is that G suites grants you and your business up to 30GB of storage. With G Suite, there is no necessary need for a Gmail domain. Everything related to the company address can be achieved through it. It also makes it possible to transfer data between several systems using the migration tool. Team Management – Toggl Time management is vital for every business to be productive. That is where Toggl comes into play. This system covers various projects, assigning billing rates and sharing reports through links or exported files. What makes Toggl more impressive is its ability to record, and Bill projects with a single click according to its processing time. Are you also looking for an offline tracking system? Then, Toggl will serve you well. In addition, you don’t need to worry about being away. This fantastic app will still record time and upload when it detects the internet on a remote site or has no network. Communication – Slack Slack is a messaging app for businesses that connects people to the information they need. It brings the team together and has several channels to give everyone the required information. These channels are where you find your data, regardless of location, time, or function. When teams work together in channels, equal information can be shared with everyone at once. This app stays within the company. You can use it to communicate with individuals inside and outside your business. Slack makes the whole workflow easy. You can easily ask questions, get caught up, and share updates without coordinating schedules. In conclusion, every business needs a few essential productivity apps. These apps can help boost efficiency and collaboration. To stay up-to-date on the latest productivity apps, follow us on our social media channels – Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Let us help you grow your business online. Contact us now!

5 Ways To Build Customer Loyalty And Trust

Happy customers

We put a lot of emphasis on developing trust and relationships in our daily lives. The adage “don’t associate with someone you don’t trust” applies to interpersonal relationships. Sales and user engagement will drop if consumers believe a brand engages in questionable behaviour or is not transparent. Consumer confidence in a brand is known as customer trust. It demonstrates faith in a business’ dedication to keeping its commitments and acting in the customer’s best interests. Building and maintaining long-term connections with your core audience requires the trust of your customers. After all, it allows you to provide better services, foster greater customer loyalty, and keep more clients. Customer trust is a behaviour in response to what they are given. Trust will develop when you comprehend your customer’s demands, show them respect, and provide pertinent service. Building consumer trust is crucial if you want them to remain loyal, keep doing business with you, and insist that their friends do the same. Being loyal entails treating others with respect and being consistent in your actions and behaviour. Being trustworthy and dependable—someone who can be relied upon to show up—is vital. Being loyal also entails continually treating others with consideration, justice, and charity. How Do You Build Customer Loyalty and Trust? Here are some ways you, as a business owner, will gain your customer’s loyalty and trust and grow your business. Deliver excellent customer service Customer retention and loyalty are greatly influenced by the customer service you offer. This implies that having a team of committed support personnel is crucial and holding yourself to a high degree of service delivery. Be consistent in your responses as clients contact you with inquiries and problems. Establish a set of instructions for your agents that spell out suitable answers to more typical questions and ensure they have the resources they need to tackle complex cases. Make sure your customer service representatives handle your clients like real people who need help rather than just tickets entered into your helpdesk. Your aim should be to provide a reliable, dependable service with a personal touch. One of the fastest and most straightforward methods to earn customers’ confidence is providing top-notch customer service through your e-commerce site. It demonstrates dedication to your clientele and that you don’t merely exist to rob them of their money. When a customer chooses to interact with you, they receive this added service. Your customer support representatives should be creative problem solvers. It demonstrates to customers that your company genuinely values them and is prepared to go above and beyond to address their concerns.            Post testimonials and customer reviews People have more faith in other people than in companies. Customers look for authenticity from genuine people before purchasing because our environment is overrun with marketing. Customers know when they are being sold, and your messaging has bias. Because of this, internet reviews and testimonials from actual customers are necessary for businesses to establish their legitimacy. Customer testimonials offer insightful qualitative information from existing customers on your goods, services, delivery, and general customer experience. A fantastic strategy to increase consumer trust is to ask for reviews after a sale and post these reviews on your website and social media. Ask any clients who have enjoyed doing business with you to provide email feedback. Before deciding to trust a company, customers typically check ten reviews. Utilise the power of referrals by prominently posting unfiltered positive reviews on your website, disseminating positive comments via social media, and reacting promptly and professionally to positive and negative reviews to develop a solid foundation of trust. The fastest-growing review site, Google My Business, also gives firms with high scores better local rankings. You may use a ton of other platforms as well, like Facebook, Feefo, and Trustpilot, to mention a few.           Offer loyalty programs   74% of customers think their loyalty is driven by working towards a reward. Commitment builds trust, so the two go hand-in-hand. Creating a loyalty and rewards program with aspirational perks lets customers work towards something when shopping with you. An engaging customer loyalty program will help you drive sales and increase retention. You can encourage customers to purchase from you by offering a rewards program. E-commerce businesses provide perks like free shipping when a certain order threshold is reached or give points to customers when they spend specific amounts that they can redeem for money off a future purchase. Combined with personalisation, rewards programs can be a great way to engage and retain loyal customers.           Reward loyalty   Retention might be challenging because customers have several options at their disposal. They have the right to use your competitor’s products or services if and when something goes wrong with yours. By upholding customer loyalty, you can maximise customer retention. Transparency is one of the most effective ways to win a loyal client. It’s vital to be transparent about your offer and establish accurate customer expectations. Customers should know what to expect before signing a contract or placing an order. And while revealing certain bits of information may prevent a lead or two from converting, that’s acceptable. When it comes down to it, ensure you provide timely ticket updates.         Be transparent with your customers Transparency and honesty are essential for developing customer trust. Setting reasonable client expectations from the beginning is made possible by complete transparency. Your honesty will help your firm keep its reputation if something goes wrong. When placing an order, thoroughly inform consumers of what they are purchasing and when they may anticipate receiving it. You can increase client trust by giving customers as much information as possible about the goods and delivery before they make a purchase. Since online shoppers cannot physically hold the product in their hands or speak to a live salesperson, e-commerce websites must go above and beyond to promote openness. Learn how to generate traffic with Search Engine Marketing.