business services

  1. email newsletters, raleigh nc

    Email Newsletters: 9 Tips for Attracting and Engaging Readers

    Does your email newsletter stand out from all the others in your subscribers’ inboxes? Research from the Content Marketing Institute indicates more than 80 percent of marketers use email newsletters. That’s a lot of ‘noise’ on the email channel, so how do you avoid getting lost in the crowd?

    Competing for attention in email marketing requires many of the same principles as competing in other areas of business. It requires knowing your customers and prospects, having a well-planned strategy, targeting your message and communicating clearly. 

  2. Social Media Marketing: Predictions for 2016

    The abundance of new social media platforms emerging practically overnight has given new meaning to the adage “Social media never sleeps.” Have you checked out Periscope (live streaming)? Blab (live personal “talk show” chat)? Yik Yak (anonymous local conversations/chat)?

    These are just a few of the new sites and apps seeking to tap into the ‘social’ scene — which the Pew Research Center found to include 65 percent of adults in the U.S. (October 2015).

    Meanwhile, established players in the field such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus are introducing new capabilities in order to remain in the game.

  3. internet marketing, Raleigh, N.C.

    7 Key Components of Strategic Internet Marketing

    Are your customers and prospects finding you online? Nine out of 10 consumers will research products and services online before making a purchase, phone call or reservation. And three out of five will complete their shopping online.

    Businesses are increasingly depending on their web presence for both marketing and sales. Those who are most successful have a strategic plan, identifying their target markets, specifying the online channels to reach them, setting goals, etc.

    Consistent with the ever-changing landscape of the internet, new tools and tactics for marketing and sales can seem to pop up overnight. For those operating a small business, it can be overwhelming to stay informed of the latest best practices. So we’ve compiled this list of key components for consideration in your 2016 internet marketing plan.

  4. ecommerce websites, Raleigh NC

    Selling Subscriptions? Check out the WooCommerce Tool Upgrade

    Subscriptions have gone digital, extending the term well beyond traditional newspapers and magazines. Many businesses are finding the ‘subscription’ model lends itself well to generating recurring sales and revenue.

    Businesses like Birchbox (beauty products), Blue Apron (make-at-home meals), and Dollar Shave Club (men’s razors) serve hundreds of thousands of customers per month through subscriptions, according to an Inc. Magazine article. But success is not a shoo-in.

    “You can’t just convert to a subscription business and expect your revenue to grow,” Michael Dubin, CEO of Dollar Shave Club, tells the magazine’s reporter. “Is the subscription an enhancement for your customer? If not, then don’t do it.”

  5. Email Marketing on Steroids: Mailchimp Introduces “Pro”

    “It is now 44 years since the first email was sent and its hard earned status as one of the strongest weapons in the marketer’s arsenal shows no signs of diminishing,” reads the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) National Client Email Report 2015.

    How is this weapon working for your business? Are you ready to take it to the next level?

    For small business email ‘power users,’ there’s a new tool available – MailChimp Pro. Designed with small businesses in mind, it’s targeted to those with lists of 50,000 or more who want to ramp up their email campaign results to grow their business.

  6. website design, planning

    Looking Ahead to 2016: 5 Web Design Trends to Consider for the New Year

    Fall is here, along with pumpkin spice everything and thoughts of a new calendar year. Have you started considering what your web presence should look like in 2016? We’ve scanned website trend predictions for 2016 and compiled this post for your consideration and planning.

  7. Marketing with LinkedIn

    LinkedIn Marketing: A Survey of Tips from Social Media Experts

    “LinkedIn is one of the most effective platforms for expanding your reach and improving your business results,” reports a June 2015 article on SocialMediaExplorer.com.

    With 364 million members globally (around one-third of those in the U.S.), LinkedIn is living up to its claim to be the largest professional network. And it’s not only for job-seekers. Recent developments are expanding its reach as a networking and business development tool for businesses of all sizes.

  8. Customer Feedback: Are You Listening?

    Businesses of all sizes have a valuable resource right at hand for improving the success rate of their products and services — yet many often never tap into it. What is it? Customer feedback.

    Recently, Website Magazine featured an article by Kevin Dunne entitled, “Check Your Ego: How to Avoid Killing Customer Feedback,” which addresses the importance of hearing from and listening to your customers.

    “To succeed in a fast-paced world with increasing customer expectations, development teams need agility. Agility means adapting product to customer, and that agility can only come from visibility into what the customer really wants,” writes Dunne.