Category: Marketing Strategy (Page 1 of 3)

5 Reasons to Value and Partner With A Marketing Company

On June 3, 2019

In Academy, Lead Generation, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Our Employees, Uncategorized

5 Reasons to Value and Partner With A Marketing Company

Whether you own a big business or small, hiring a marketing company is an investment that will produce long-term results. Marketing experts are equipped with the knowledge and experience to recognize a business’s marketing needs so that they can provide the resources and software that will address these needs and solve any existing problems. There are several components that contribute to the process of forming a sound marketing plan, and a professional in the field of marketing can ensure that your strategy aligns with industry standards.

At Pearl Marketing, we are devoted to providing our clients with a positive experience. Our team of marketing experts tailors our client’s marketing strategies while educating them on the latest trends and technologies. If you have ever considered working with us, you might have wondered what sets us apart.

We wanted to write this blog because we often find that there’s a disconnect between business owners and understanding the value that partnering with a marketing company can bring to a business. With that being said, Pearl Marketing is not just any average marketing company. So, here are five reasons to value and partner with a marketing company, specifically one like Pearl Marketing.

1. We are a relationship-oriented company.We value the long-lasting relationships we form with clients. We care and consider the bigger picture when choosing to do business with professionals. We do not take a transactional selling approach. Rather than focusing on the short-term and quick, one-time sales, we focus on defining long-term marketing goals to achieve long-lasting marketing success. To accomplish this, we help business’s build brand trust that turn leads into loyal customers so that they continue to make purchases and come back for more. If we do not think that we can help a client develop an effective marketing plan that will benefit their business, we will not move forward with a proposal. Helping our clients secure their future success is the heart of our business!

2. We take the time to research and discover each of our clients’ unique marketing needs to form a successful marketing strategy.Our diligent planning helps us identify what our clients need so that we can sustain their marketing goals. We ensure that these goals are established so that a comprehensive marketing plan can be formed. Each of our clients requires their own specific marketing strategy and we are dedicated to personalizing that strategy so that they can achieve the success they are looking for.

3. We ensure that our client’s marketing is worth their investment.We earn the title of marketing experts because of our extensive studies and years of experience working in the field of marketing. This is why it is crucial that client’s trust their marketing team! Our main priority is ensuring that clients receive a return on their investment over time. We recognize that working with a marketing company is a significant investment for a business to make. This investment is worth it when clients put forth the time and effort to implement what is required of their marketing plan.

4. We must also take marketing costs we incur into consideration.Marketing tools and software cost money, that’s why these costs must be taken into consideration. We prioritize working with businesses to budget out these costs in addition to our quote for services.

5. We value our client’s budgetEvery business is different, with their own needs and expectations. When our clients come to us with a budget, we do our best to maximize this budget. We understand that marketing is an investment, so we never go over a client’s budget without their approval.

Still on the fence?

There isn’t necessarily a quick and free answer to marketing a business. It takes time, patience, effort, and money to successfully form and manage a marketing strategy that will generate consistent revenue. When you hire a marketing company, you are taking the next step towards securing your financial goals. Marketing companies are a valuable asset to a business when their clients take the necessary steps to commit to their marketing plan. Working cohesively with your marketing team will ensure that you will achieve those goals!

If you are interested in partnering with Pearl Marketing, call us at 603-732-9070, or email us at info@pearlmarketing.com to schedule a consultation!

Follow our social! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, & YouTube

Facebook Ads or Boosted Posts? Choosing the Right Strategy For Your Business.

By Alexandra Enayat

On May 10, 2019

In Academy, Lead Generation, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Uncategorized

Facebook Ads vs Boosted Posts.

Choosing a Facebook advertising strategy that fits your business.

For businesses, Facebook has provided a network for consumers to discover brands they would have never known existed. Home to over a billion active users, you might be wondering how to sift through all of the noise to let your brand be heard. That’s where Facebook advertising becomes an essential component of a marketer’s toolbox.

With several available options for advertising on Facebook, it can seem like a daunting task for business professionals to initially launch a Facebook campaign. You might have even contemplated if paid Facebook advertising will truly be an effective marketing approach for your business. If this sounds like you, here are some tips to getting started on successfully managing Facebook Ads!

What is the difference between Boosting Posts and creating a Facebook Ad?

Boosted Posts.

Boosting a Facebook post is when you pay Facebook to sponsor your content to reach more users. With boosted Facebook posts, you simply select a target audience and the amount of money you are willing to spend during a selected period of time, and Facebook presents your post based on these factors. This strategy is a practical way to increase your posts reach, or the number of people viewing your content, yet it does not provide you with many targeting options. Boosting posts is a quick and easy way to advertise, but if you have a specific marketing goal, such as increasing page likes, then creating a Facebook Ad in Ads Manager is a more effective approach.

Facebook Ads Manager.

Facebook Ads that are created in Ads Manager have more options you can customize. Unlike boosted posts, Ads Manager allows you to create campaigns that deliver specific outcomes. If the goal of your ad is to drive traffic to your website or get users to install your mobile app, Facebook Ads Manager will perform based on these objectives.

With Ads Manager you can select a target audience based off of their location, interests, and age, as well as where your ad will be placed, such as on Facebook Messenger or Instagram (owned by Facebook). Once you have customized these options, Facebook provides a projection of how well your ad will do based off of these details so that you can ensure that you are maximizing a strategy that suits your business’s needs.

You can also create several different posts within the same campaign, which is beneficial for analyzing how one post outperforms a similar post with different text and image.

Depending on your marketing objective, you will customize the features of your ad that supports your business’s goals. The more specific you get, the better!

Which advertising method is better for my business?

Boosted posts are quick and easy.

Perhaps you want to quickly run an ad that increases engagement and brand awareness; boosting a post is an effective marketing strategy. If you have an existing post that is performing well, boosting an organic post is also an effective strategy in comparison to creating a completely new ad in Facebook Ads Manager.

Facebook Ads are more customizable.

If your goal is to create a campaign that will be delivered to a distinctive group of consumers with a set of similar interests to achieve a marketing objective, then Facebook Ads will work best for your business. Facebook will guide you along the way so that you can maximize your budget to produce measurable results. The key is to equip yourself with the knowledge of who your target audience is and the type of content they are attracted to. A sound social media strategy will assist in this process.

You can create your own social media strategy to attain new and existing customers with the proper training from Pearl Marketing Academy. Sign up for the Social Media Course and start forming a strategy that will enhance your brand!

Why should I implement a paid Facebook advertising strategy?

Get your brand noticed.

Creating appealing content to distribute on social media helps you convey your brand’s messages to your audience so that they can better understand what your business has to offer. Getting to the point where you have a loyal following takes time, however. The first month you create a social media page, you most likely aren’t going to gain thousands of followers.

Yet you still need to maintain your business to generate consistent revenue. This is where paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram becomes a useful tool for getting your brand recognized. It presents your content directly to target user’s newsfeeds so that you do not have to rely solely on users finding your posts on their own. Consumers are increasingly turning to social media to try new brands and through sponsored content, they are being connected with brands who meet their demands… and this could be YOU!

Calculate measurable results.

Facebook Ads will also allow you to track the performance of your ads so that you can measure conversion rates to calculate the return on your investment.

How can I get the most out of my marketing budget from Facebook Ads?

Create quality content.

Don’t go into Facebook advertising with the notion that the more money you spend the better results you will receive. Facebook determines ad placement on several other factors in addition to your budget, such as the quality of your ad and the relevance it will have on consumers. If your ad targets users who are interested in skiing, but your ad focuses on snowboarding, an ad with a lower budget could have their ad placed more frequently than yours.

Spend your money wisely.

Select a marketing budget that you are comfortable with. Start small at first and increase your budget as you become more savvy with Facebook Ads. If you create useful content that consumers will want to engage with, Facebook Ads will be worth your investment.

Utilizing the best practices to create, plan and develop your social media strategy can be attained with in-depth training from industry experts. Pearl Marketing Academy is the ultimate virtual learning experience that will provide you with the skills to implement a social media strategy that best fits your business. To sign up, visit PearlMarketingAcademy.com!

Don’t let paying the same website you use to connect with long lost friends intimidate you from expanding your business. Facebook is a marketplace for you to leverage new revenue opportunities. Your future customers are waiting to find you. Get your brand noticed NOW

At Pearl Marketing, our goal is to educate and inspire business professionals. Our team of marketing experts works closely with clients to customize strategies that reflect the unique personality and value of a business. At the core of success is a collaboration between Pearl and your company to develop and execute strategies to reach and retain your ideal customers. Let Pearl help bring your brand to life with our consulting services and one-on-one coaching. Call 603-732-9070 or email info@pearlmarketing.com!

How to Market Without Breaking Your Budget

By Alexandra Enayat

On March 29, 2019

In Lead Generation, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Uncategorized

Marketing on a strict budget? We’ve got you covered!

Investing in marketing efforts might initially seem like a costly venture. If you are on a tight budget, you might even be thinking about skipping out on these costs altogether. Having a solid marketing strategy will achieve more than gaining exposure; it will increase your brand awareness, expand your audience, and attract more loyal customers to your business.

Businesses should never completely cut their marketing budgets. Instead, they should shift their focus on more cost-effective solutions to allocate their budget. The goal is to receive the highest ROI (Return On Investment), which can be accomplished using these inexpensive marketing tips!

Distinguish your target consumer.

To reduce unnecessary costs from your marketing plan, take the time to discover your target consumer, the top candidate who would be interested in what you can offer them. Identify your ideal customer’s habits and interests, and deliver your sales pitch in the areas that they will be most likely to see them.

Network.

Volunteer your time and get to know the people in your community who could be interested in your product or service.

Consumers demand the assurance that they are spending their money at businesses with a mission and purpose. Networking is a valuable way to convey your brand image to consumers. This fosters strong, trusting relationships that will turn new customers into devoted ones.

Maximize social media channels that fit your business.

Select the right social media channels based off of your audience and the commodity you sell. Determining your audience will assist in selecting the right social media platforms to utilize.

Younger audiences are most active on Twitter and Instagram. If you have a broader audience, Facebook is the perfect place to target both men and women of all ages. LinkedIn is where you will find business professionals, who can be targeted by the industry that they work in, and their job titles.

Choosing the right channel will help you focus your energy on users who will be more apt to engage with your posts. This economical approach will decrease the amount of time you spend targeting your audience… and time is money!

Join the #conversation.

Just as important as selecting the right channel is the content you produce. The goal of social media marketing is to create content that will generate leads. Enticing content will influence consumers purchase decisions, without having to break your budget.

Attracting social media users without paying to sponsor your posts can be attained by creating a conversation or joining an existing one. Sparking conversation with your audience about a trending topic followed by a hashtag will get your post reach and engagement, and drive traffic to your page.

Micro-Influencers.

Rather than paying social media sites to promote your product, invest in micro-influencers (influencers with a niche following) who have followers that would be interested in your product. Influencer marketing is on the rise and is statistically proven to deliver higher ROI than other forms of marketing. Micro-influencers are a more cost-efficient means of influencer marketing because they will expect smaller payment for their contribution.

Reach out and offer free services in exchange for a review or shout-out on their social media or blog. This strategy can be effective if you select the right influencers because they have already established a fanbase of individuals who trust their word. When these influencers promote brands, their fans are confident that the influencer is sending them to the right place.

DIY your SEO.

Great content and marketing methods are worthless if you do not maximize your search engine optimization (SEO). If your website or blog isn’t on the first page of a search engine result page, consumers are not going to recognize that you exist.

Instead of hiring someone to do your SEO, try doing it yourself. Ensure that you have a strong SEO strategy by assigning relevant keywords to your web content and proper meta descriptions that will allow search engines to recognize the purpose of your website. Think about the keywords and phrases that your ideal customer would search for in relation to your website. Embedding these words and phrases into your site will solidify your spot on the top of search engine results.

The readability of your site is another important element that you need to ensure works well on both desktops and mobile devices. If users cannot easily view your website, they will leave before continuing to read your content.

With proper training, you can be a marketing expert on your own!

At Pearl Marketing, we provide training and seminars to business professionals who want to learn the latest and greatest marketing tools and techniques. We work one-on-one with marketing DIYers to coach them on marketing strategies that will enhance their brand and attract more customers for their business. Our goal is to leave clients feeling empowered to manage their own marketing strategies that will drive their businesses future success.

Let us help you bring your brand to life! Call 603-732-9070 or email info@pearlmarketing.com

Amanda Schneck Selected as a Finalist for the Annual TechWomen|TechGirls Professional of the Year Award for 2019

By Pearl Marketing

On February 26, 2019

In Academy, Lead Generation, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Our Employees, Press Releases, Uncategorized

Amanda Schneck Selected as a Finalist for the Annual TechWomen | TechGirls Professional of the Year Award for 2019

The New Hampshire Tech Alliance has announced that Amanda Schneck, president of Pearl Marketing has been selected as a finalist for the Annual TechWomen | TechGirls Professional of the Year.

“It is a thrill and an honor to be nominated for the Tech Women | Tech Girls Professional of the Year. I am thankful to those who have kindly nominated me. I truly care about the work I do in hopes that it positively impacts small businesses and our community as a whole. Together our team at Pearl Marketing supports many businesses in improving their marketing efforts. I look forward to continuing our meaningful work for many years to come.” – Amanda Schneck, Founder & President of Pearl Marketing

Join in the celebration!

A reception and awards presentation for the winners will be held on April 3rd at the Bedford Village Inn, New Hampshire. For those who are interested in attending, we have included the link below to securely purchase tickets through the website: https://members.nhtechalliance.org/events/details/techwomen-annual-luncheon-2019-140

It’s all about growth!

Amanda has grown Pearl Marketing since 2014 to be a relationship marketing and consulting company that specializes in educational services, digital strategies, and design. She has built a team of marketing professionals that work closely with clients to achieve a better return on their marketing investments. Through consulting, training, and seminars, Pearl Marketing helps businesses of all sizes create customized strategies which effectively communicate the unique personality and value of a brand or product, engage the target audience, and generate new revenue opportunities.

Congratulations, Amanda!

The team at Pearl Marketing would like to congratulate Amanda on all of her hard work, mentorship, and countless numbers of hours guiding New Hampshire businesses to the best tools and strategies for brand and marketing success. To bring your brand to life, partner with Amanda and Pearl Marketing by calling 603-732-9070, or by emailing info@pearlmarketing.com. Visit our website at pearlmarketing.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube.

Say Goodbye to Google+

By Alexandra Enayat

On February 25, 2019

In Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Video Marketing

Revamping Your Social Media Marketing Strategy After Google+

Google recently announced that it will be closing down its consumer version of Google+, set to take effect April 2019. If you employed Google+ as your social media marketing strategy, you might be wondering… Now What? Rest assured, Pearl Marketing has several ways you can redirect your social media marketing strategy to boost your online presence.

What’s Happening to Google+?

Google’s decision to shut down Google+ occurred after reports of data breaches that exposed user’s information to unauthorized parties. In addition to the data breaches, the number of users engaging on the platform was relatively low. If you did utilize Google+ however, you will have the opportunity to export and save information from your Google+ account through Google Takeout.

What Should I Do Now?

Now that you have the data from your Google+ account, you might be looking for ways to utilize this information on a different channel. Or, perhaps you are left to shift your focus from Google+ to another social networking site. Luckily, there are several social media platforms that are flourishing with active users looking for engaging content to interact with.

Maximize Your Social Media Strategy

As a result of low engagement on Google+, you likely weren’t receiving the best social media potential for your brand. Instead, you will want to refocus your attention on a platform that has active users who will be more apt to read your content, and in turn, like, comment and share your posts.

The more people that reference your brand and cite the information you have published, the better your search engine optimization (SEO) will be. Improving your SEO is crucial, as it allows your website and social media pages to appear at the top of users’ Google searches.

Improve Search Engine Optimization

Google rates its search engine rankings based off of metadata, bounce rate, and levels of engagement. When users spend time reading your content for example, it reduces your bounce rate, indicating that people are viewing pages on your website for longer periods of time. This prioritizes your content, placing it higher in search engine results, which increases the probability of having your content viewed by others. The more people viewing and discussing your content, the better!

Creating content that is enticing will assist in this process, prompting high levels of engagement from eye-catching posts. You can achieve this best with visual content that grabs the audience’s attention through images or video.

YouTube is a video-sharing network owned by Google that houses a thriving community of content creators. Publishing videos to your YouTube channel is an effective way to capture your audience’s attention quickly. These videos can also be linked to your other social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. This will increase your online exposure, by driving traffic to your website and social media.

Need More Assistance?

Pearl Marketing can help you strengthen your social media marketing strategy! If you are interested in setting up a consultation, call us at (603) 732-9070, email info@pearlmarketing.com, or visit us at https://www.pearlmarketing.com. Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube!

3 Tips to Attain (& Keep) Loyal Customers

By Pearl Marketing

On January 25, 2019

In Academy, Lead Generation, Marketing, Marketing Strategy

3 Tips to Attain (and Keep) Loyal Customers

Customer loyalty is crucial when it comes to sustaining a business and is paramount if you want to see your business grow to new heights! Customer loyalty doesn’t always happen over night and must be earned first and foremost by the value of products and services a business provides to its market. Close behind are the positive customer experiences, consistent brand engagement, and customer appreciation. Below, we’ll dive in to three tips about how your marketing efforts can help you with these points above and will encourage any one-time customers or clients to keep coming back for more! To receive more marketing insight from us on this matter, or marketing matters like it, consider our consulting services.

Provide Incentives

Don’t we all want to feel appreciated? Your customers certainly do! Creating ways to show appreciation to your customers regularly is a surefire way to make long-term relationships with your clients/customers. Creating a long-term loyalty program that suits your business is a great way to get customers to return to your business. If you’re a small business and have the opportunity to make it more personal, like dropping off small gifts around the holidays, or sending personalized cards, then go for it! If you’re a bigger business with hundreds of clients (or not), then utilizing digital means of showing customer appreciation is the way to go (email marketing, social media). Providing customers with a special discount, a seasonal coupon, or something of the like will encourage them to stick with your brand because it shows it’s not just about the business, but about the relationship too. We believe if you have this attitude, you’ll be seeing your customers and clients for years to come!

Consistent & Creative Blogging

Don’t underestimate the power of blogging and blogging regularly. Blogging is a great way to create community around your brand within the industry your business is a part of. It is also a way to become the expert in that industry for your customers. For example, if you own a flower shop, your blog is going to post consistent blogs about the flowers in season, how to properly maintain certain flowers for longevity, how your business makes the perfect floral arrangement, and so on. When your target audience sees that they can read expert advice and information about their interest in flowers, they will begin going to your blog for the latest updates and begin seeing your business as their “go to” business for all things flowers. Blogging builds trust with customers and gives them something that they can benefit from. You can start blogging about your business and industry on WordPress.

Direct Engagement – Email Marketing

To effectively and consistently stay engaged with your customers and to keep your
unique brand in the forefront of their minds, you will want to use a marketing tool that allows you to engage with your customers directly. A personalized email newsletter even just once a month goes a long way. Depending upon your industry, content, and special offers that you can provide, businesses can send out email blasts anywhere from once a week to a once a month newsletter. You just need to make sure your content is new, relevant, and engaging in each email, or people will start to feel like your business is inundating their inboxes with emails and will then unsubscribe. Provide your subscribers with relevant industry information, helpful insight, tips, as well as incentives they wouldn’t receive elsewhere. This also helps to cultivate a community within your brand as customers/clients begin to expect and look forward to your email each week/month. Email Marketing platforms like Active Campaign& Constant Contact are a great place to start!

Whether you’re a small business owner who is looking for on-going marketing advice that’s only a phone call away, or a large corporation that is in need of annual trainings and seminars for their employees and marketing personnel, Pearl Marketing is there to guide, mentor, and provide the knowledge & tools that will lead to YOUR marketing success!

With the launch of Pearl Marketing Academy, which will provide online courses for business professionals that would like to learn at their own pace and gain expert marketing knowledge, we are asking what course subjects you would be interested in learning in regard to marketing. Thank you!

Take our survey!

Pearl Marketing is a marketing consulting agency that educates, advises and manages personalized brand and marketing strategies. Our team of marketing experts serve as an extension of your company. At the core of success is a collaboration between Pearl and your company to develop and execute strategies to reach and retain your ideal customers.

603-732-9070
info@pearlmarketing.com
www.pearlmarketing.com

To Brand Audit, or Not to Brand Audit… Is That Your Question?

By Elena Barker

On December 11, 2018

In Marketing, Marketing Strategy

Through what we call a brand audit, Pearl Marketing has helped many businesses in different stages of business growth. Perhaps you’ve heard of the effectiveness of brand audits, but haven’t taken the time to embrace one, or perhaps there’s still some mystery to it all. Whether you’re a leader of a big company making changes, or a small business owner getting your business off the ground, running a brand audit is of significant importance because it assists one in understanding the current or future status of one’s brand internally (to employees and staff) and externally (to consumers and the public). A brand audit can give you pertinent information that helps in making pivotal brand decisions that affect the success of your business. Read on to better understand when to run a brand audit and why you should run one.

When… launching a business.

Why…

Make sure your brand identity is clear! A brand serves as the heart of a businesses and sends a message to the outside world. If a business doesn’t have a solid and defined brand, you won’t have a solid and defined business. Your employees (and maybe even YOU as the business owner!) won’t know what they’re working for and helping to build, and consumers won’t know what the business is about. A brand audit allows you to find clarity in defining your brand both internally, for employee and staff morale, and externally, for consumer recognition and effective marketing. You might hear that a brand audit only serves for those businesses that have a brand currently, but we advocate for the perspective that running a brand audit before officially launching your business gives you a strong foundation to build your business off of. You can better understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats your business plan has and better prepare for the competition at play in your industry.

When… taking advantage of rebranding efforts.

Why…

You’re ready to start the efforts to rebrand your company. This is the perfect time to run a brand audit so you can understand the current state of your brand – what’s working, what’s not working, how your current brand is translating to your target audience, how you’ve been doing in comparison to your competition, what needs to change to improve your brand, what could stay the same. Your current brand needs a current analysis and then a fresh perspective in order to make informed rebranding decisions to carry out an effective transition. The current analysis allows you to cultivate the fresh perspective and make the best decisions for a successful rebrand. In conclusion, the brand audit should be the first step taken in your rebranding efforts.

When… your business is facing challenges.

Why…

Something is not working. You see a substantial problem within your business or company, or maybe even multiple problems. Perhaps it’s a decrease in sales or leads, or maybe a lack in employee productivity or an increase in the turnover rate. Assess your brand to find effective solutions! Often times these problems can be better understood and fixed through the process of a brand audit. Brand audits focus just as much on a business’s internal goals and values as the external because both are important and both work in tandem to get the job done and ultimately bring in revenue. Remember, your brand is the foundation and the heart of your business, and many of your challenges can lead back to that. If there’s a crack in the foundation, or a misunderstanding of the heart, a whole assortment of problems can result. Brand audits can help you find the gaps within your brand and allow you to fix them more efficiently so the internal and external goals of your brand can be met once again.

What does a brand audit through Pearl Marketing look like?

At Pearl Marketing, we run extensive brand audits that include a SWOT Analysis of your company to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your business. They include analyzing the internal end external goals, attributes, and values of your business that cultivate a healthy and defined brand. They also include the assessment of a brand statement and elevator pitches to ensure clear brand communication among employees and the outside world. Through market research, an analysis of relevant competitors help your business get ahead of the competition. Lastly, recommendations on how to proceed are given to either build a strong brand foundation, fill in gaps and holes, or assist in making necessary changes that will benefit the business’s current brand and future growth.

Partner with us….

To have Pearl Marketing run a brand audit for your business, contact 603-732-9070, or email info@pearlmarketing.com. Visit our website at www.pearlmarketing.com. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube!

A New, Simpler Way to Access Google Docs!

By Elena Barker

On November 5, 2018

In Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Uncategorized, Viral Marketing

Are you someone who uses Google tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.? Perhaps your team at work shares them to get projects done more efficiently. If so, this blog post is for you! At Pearl Marketing, we certainly use our share of Google Docs & Sheets, so we were thrilled when we learned about the new way to access these features. It’s as simple as typing!

Here’s what you do!

This isn’t something you have to sign up for, or wait to try. You can try this out for yourself as you finish reading this blog post. Simply open up a new tab, and in the browser type doc.new. Hit enter, and voila! (I tested this and you can type doc.new or docs.new and it will still work) You should have a fresh Google Doc pop right up for you to start working away. You can do this with all of the Google tools – sheets.new, slides.new, form.new.

Make way for the “new” top-level domain.

For those who might not be certain, a top-level domain, or TDL, is essentially what comes at the very end of the URL after the . (dot). For example, www.pearlmarketing.com (there’s .org, .edu, .gov, .net, etc.). It is now time to embrace the .new! The .new TDL will also be a future way for businesses to start marketing products and services to the internet public that are brand new. So, even if you don’t utilize the Google tools mentioned above, you’ll still want to keep tabs on the .new TDL and how it can help you with your marketing efforts.

Your time is precious!

Gone are the days of having to click through steps to get to your Google tools. No longer do you have to click that icon of six squares at the top of your page, click the tool you want, and then click “blank.” There’s a lot less clicking and more typing to get your job DONE. This might seem trivial to some, but in the fast paced world of marketing, we sure are grateful for anything that helps us get down to business faster. Your time is precious, so we wanted to share this bit of news with you so you can use it to your time advantage too!

To receive expert marketing coaching and consulting, and to learn more about all of the marketing services we provide businesses and individuals, contact Pearl Marketing at 603-732-9070, or email info@pearlmarketing.com. Visit our website at www.pearlmarketing.com. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube!

How to Protect Your Facebook Account Amidst Another Data Breach

By Elena Barker

On October 5, 2018

In Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Viral Marketing

Another cyber-attack. Another breach.

You probably have heard in recent news that there has been another Facebook data breach, which has compromised 50 million Facebook users’ information. This latest breach has left people questioning (more than ever) the Facebook company’s intention on protecting its users’ and wondering how safe their private information really is.

What happened?

It’s important to understand what happened. Hackers were able to find a way into the code associated with the “View As” privacy tool, which allows users to see how their profile looks to others viewing their page. This allowed the hackers access to user information.

Were you affected?

As soon as the breach was realized by a team at Facebook, the company responded by logging all compromised users out. In a statement by Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, the compromised users would receive a message at the top of their newsfeed about the breach.

Has the problem been fixed?

The answer is yes! There has been confirmation that vulnerability with the code has been patched and fixed and those that were compromised are safe to sign back in to their account. The problems, however, have just begun for Facebook, as they must come up with ways to gain the trust back of and assure more security to their users.

Pearl Marketing’s Cyber Safety Recommendations in the wake of this latest breach…

Facebook is so tied in to the fabric of today’s digital marketing world as well as being one of the most popular social media networks. It’s hard to make a decision to stop using Facebook overnight, so as we mull this over and watch the fallout, Pearl Marketing recommends the following safety measures to help protect your Facebook information online.

Change your password!

Especially if you know your account was compromised, changing your password is the easiest and “no brainer” option for protecting your account.

Don’t stay logged in to your account.

Many people, especially on their phones, choose to stay logged in to their account to make it easier to check their Facebook notifications when they’d like. In other words, they don’t want to deal with the hassle of logging in and out, so they stay logged in 24/7. Don’t do this to give yourself a little more protection. Take the time to log in and out.

Activate Two-Factor Authentication

This is another layer of security that will help thwart hackers to your account and will keep you better informed about something fishy going on with your account.

To receive expert marketing coaching and consulting that will help guide you in the best reaction & approach to matters like these and all things marketing, contact Pearl Marketing at 603-732-9070, or email info@pearlmarketing.com. Visit our website at www.pearlmarketing.com.

Implementing a Successful Rebrand | Pearl Marketing

By Elena Barker

On September 5, 2018

In Lead Generation, Marketing, Marketing Strategy

Change is good!

Every sustainable business will change and rebrand throughout the years. It’s what keeps your business growing and improving. Whether it’s internally through the business plan and the products and services, or externally through the branding and logo design, change in your business is inevitable if you want it to stay relevant and provide consumers with something of current value. Staying up to speed with the trends and technologies of your target audience is important, and coming up with new ways to engage and share your business’s messaging is crucial. Major corporations that we all know and have seen have decades of business success and relevance, like Pepsi and Apple for example, know this. Even those famous golden arches have changed and modernized over time.

If your business or company is stagnant, or seeing a decline in sales, consumer interest, brand recognition, or online traffic and engagement, perhaps it’s time to…..CHANGE. Changing your business direction and revamping your brand does not mean you have failed. It means you’re being a wise business owner and adapting to changes that need to be made. If you are a business owner that found your way to our blog, we want to encourage you through this post. If you are an employee of a company looking for new ideas, or a person thinking about starting a business, we want to provide you with meaningful and beneficial insight on where to start developing your brand.

We’re speaking from experience.

In this blog post we’re speaking from experience, as well as from our knowledge as marketing consultants. Our company, Pearl Marketing, is in the midst of a rebrand itself. We’ve changed our company name from Pearl Marketing “& Design” to reflect the new direction and focus the company is taking to bring the most value to our clients and increase employee productivity. Our goal as a marketing company is to increase our clients’ return on their marketing investment (ROI) and allow business owners to confidently work IN their business knowing there are experts working ON their business. One way that helps us recognize the need to define and refocus our brand is through running a brand audit!

Brand audits allow you to reflect on your business’s internal and external attributes, values, and goals and how well those have translated to employees (internal) and logo, marketing collateral, social media messaging and website (external). Organizing your business’s current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) helps you to better understand what you should focus on, what you can improve upon, and what is or is not going to help your business grow. It also helps you to evaluate the current market your business brings value to in the way of competition and helps you understand the changing trends of your target audience.

Knowing how to set your business’s brand apart from your competition and reach your target audience effectively is key, and over time what was understood and worked in the past might not work in the present. Brand audits also help you organize the important elements of brand representation that you will update, like a defined brand statement, slogan, catch phrase, and elevator pitches, an eye catching logo, and a refreshed, user-friendly website.

Preparation and follow through is key.

While your new and improved brand is coming together, we suggest preparing your current audience and clients for the change. Be sure to use your social media, your website, your email newsletters, any blogs, and press releases to avoid brand confusion BEFORE you incorporate your rebrand. This also creates excitement and hype around your business or company, so use this time to your advantage! Once you have launched your new brand, be sure to be consistent with the changes made. If you change your business name and update your logo, make sure your social media pages, website pages, etc. are updated to reflect these changes, or people will become confused and won’t know what to call you, or how to search for you online. It’s important not to overlook a single spot where your brand may be represented online or in print, including the metadata associated with your website (metadata = how people find your website on search engines like Google).

You don’t have to do it all yourself!

Hiring a marketing coach or consultant during this time to stay on top of these aspects of rebranding and to ensure the audit is done right is another recommendation of ours. Partnering with a relationship marketing company, like Pearl Marketing, strives to make sure you are maximizing your business’s brand potential. Pearl Marketing can run the brand audit for you and walk you through it step by step so the process is understood and completed effectively. We also take care of the redesign elements that come out of a brand audit, like an updated logo and website redesign. Once the audit is processed, we can guide you through the transition – the before and after relaunch – to make sure the new brand is incorporated seamlessly and without any brand confusion.

Consumers have now come to expect businesses to reach out to them with personalized messages based on their interests. A successful rebrand will have a plan in place through lead generation that will provide consumers with the information they want and the business with a standardized process to nurture those relationships. Your beautiful new brand won’t be effective if this is not understood and followed through with.

The reasons above are why Pearl Marketing works to implement creative messaging that captures consumer attention, and we strive to educate our clients on search engine optimization (SEO), which is a way to make sure your rebrand is reaching your target audience. Our marketing coach and consulting services help businesses to run effective campaigns and advise on proper lead generation tools. This leads to an increase in brand awareness and keeps messaging consistent across channels while nurturing leads that turn into sales or new clients.

In conclusion…

From one business to another, don’t discount how far you’ve come and throw in the towel. Just get creative and get to changing/rebranding! Pearl Marketing is here to help, so if you need a hand, just let us know! To receive expert coaching and consulting services on rebranding, brand strategy, and lead generation, contact us at 603-732-9070, or email info@pearlmarketing.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for updates and more insight. Visit our website at www.pearlmarketing.com.

Stay tuned for more info about Pearl Marketing Academy, which will provide business professionals with a complete education and training experience focused on marketing fundamentals, lead generation, brand management, and highly developed skills for any social media platform through seminars, trainings, and online courses.

Category: Marketing Strategy (Page 1 of 3)