digital marketing

A Beginner’s Guide to Meta Tags

April 5, 2019 Leave a Comment

Simply stated, a meta tag is a snippet of text injected on your website to boost your SEO.

Essentially, meta tags are your opportunity as a content curator to describe what your content is about for the search engines, so you can allow your content to be more widely seen.

So, how do you create meta tags that ultimately enable us to achieve a higher ranking, and allow our content to be more widely seen? Here’s a quick guide on where to start.

Write Google-worthy meta tags

Though other search engines like Bing are significant, Google is still king. Focus on writing descriptions that are worthy of the platform. What do you want to communicate about your page in 150-160 characters or less? What keywords need to be present?

Note that in some cases, Google won’t display your meta description at all, and in many other cases, Google will only display a small portion of your description. Choose your words wisely so that no matter what is published as your description, it accurately depicts your work, and boosts your ranking.

Meta tags need to be unique

For starters, duplicating your meta descriptions is an absolute no-no. Right along with keyword stuffing, this sends the message to the search engine that the page is a duplicate, or that maybe you do have too many keywords and are just trying to use them to rank.

Try using schema markup, or creating rich snippets of relevant text, in your descriptions. Include ideas like customer ratings, reviews or product descriptions on a given page to start.

Think about your keywords

Keywords matter. Even if every other description or piece of content was taken away, your audience should be able to understand the basis of your website based on keywords alone. Because of keyword stuffing, keywords won’t affect your ranking as much as in previous years, but based on clarity for your audience and attracting your target market, they are still extremely relevant.

Title tags are relevant

In short, a title tag names your site. The meta tag, or meta description, does just that: it describes your website. Your title tag perhaps has the most important impact on your SEO ranking, and so for chloeanagnos.com most people will search for “Chloe Anagnos,” considering it is a personal brand. Therefore, a title tag is formed.

Data matters

Most people will stop after the above steps are completed, but the most success you’ll have with your SEO ranking is by paying attention to your data over time.

Remember, ranking doesn’t happen overnight, and just like your workout routine, you’ll see performance if you are consistent over time. Every month or so you should be revisiting your data to see if your ranking has improved, and if your pages are being clicked directly from the search engine. Use a tool like Google Search Console, Google analytics, or your website’s built in analytics to monitor your performance and make adjustments as needed.

Why Your Email Signature Matters

February 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

According to research by Oberlo, in 2017 269 billion emails were sent on a daily basis, and in 2022 that number is projected to grow to nearly 333 billion.

It’s safe to say email isn’t going anywhere.

And as the world’s top communication tool, email offers the chance not only to make a great first impression but to also leave a lasting one.

One way to do this is with your email signature. It’s critical to leaving your clients and colleagues engaged, interested, and informed of what you are doing in any capacity.

Here are some easy to implement tools to captivate them:

Limit your email signature content

No one wants to read Gmail’s 10,000 character limit email signature. Keep yours at a tweet so your audience clearly sees what you want them to see. Make your signature concise, relevant, and to the point, indirectly sending your reader where you want them to go. Here’s an example:

Chloe Anagnos

Publications Manager, American Institute for Economic Research

LinkedIn: ChloeAnagnos ; Twitter, ChloeAnagnos; FB, chloeanagnoswrites

Demonstrate expertise

Consider including your title to show proficiency. If you’re a multi-passionate entrepreneur, consider making each email separate and specific to that given niche – say your work email and side hustle. Otherwise, consider making your dominant email a personal brand that articulates all you aspire to accomplish. Maybe you’re a CEO, a serial entrepreneur, or a startup connoisseur. Demonstrate whatever expertise you offer and capitalize on it.

Include a call to action

Make it clear and give every person you send an email to a call to action. Direct them to your website, portfolio, social media channels, or even to download your latest content. You can even give them a directive. Be savvy, but take advantage on your chance to be seen and noticed as you send emails.

Skip the obvious

So many people include their email in their signature…yet they can clearly see your email in the “from” section. Use your precious characters to convey information your audience does not already have. If your website domain is linked in your email already, consider sending them elsewhere. Just like any other important document, your word count matters.

If you’re on your cell phone, keep the iPhone signature

When you include the “sent from iPhone” line, you’re more likely to be forgiven for potential spelling errors. Even though this tactic may seem less professional, if you are engaged in a conversation with a client or prospect you’ve already initiated the first point of contact with, leaving this signature line will help you be able to engage with them on the go. They’ll be appreciative of your promptness in response and aware that you’re not in front of your laptop.

Protect your boundaries

It’s becoming trendy for professionals to include their work and cell phone numbers in their email signatures. Unless you want calls and texts during non-work hours, skip the cell number in your signature. To many, it’s a sign that you’re available 24/7.

Get Hired With These 5 Marketing Certifications

January 28, 2019 Leave a Comment

Simply put, digital marketing has changed the face of modern business across the globe. Most degrees are no longer the only deciding factors when hiring. In fact, sometimes they aren’t even prerequisites.

Today, employers are less focused on where you went to school and more interested in your experience and demonstrated ability.

So if you never graduated B-school, don’t be too worried. Marketing positions are constantly opening and the freelance opportunities are endless.

Certifications are an effective way to stay up to speed with your digital skills, make a great addition to your Linkedin profile, and each serves as experience and talking points for your resume.

Whether you’re looking for a new gig, developing your own business, or on the search for a digital side hustle, here are five certifications to help you get hired and to sharpen your skills.

Google Ads

According to SEO Tribunal, Google is responsible for 96 percent of all smartphone search traffic and 94 percent of total organic traffic.

Google Academy for Ads offers a free certification course, and will guide you step by step on how to implement successful campaigns for your business or for your clients. This platform is king considering most online purchases are still made in search before they’re made in social.

Hootsuite Social Marketing

Though Hootsuite has had some competition over the last few years as more social scheduling platforms have come on the market, they are still the first platform with the most credibility when it comes to scheduling social media.

Hootsuite’s certification exams do start at $200, but their social media certification is arguably the most well-rounded. Their course focuses on core strategies to develop your social media presence as a brand and will give you the foundational principles you need.

Hubspot Inbound

Inbound marketing is an excellent strategy in the digital marketing world, and is essential to understand and implement – especially as a small business. Hubspot’s inbound certificate is free and focuses on fundamental marketing concepts that many of us tend to skip right through. This course builds an excellent foundation on how to engage your audience, target prospects, maintain a pipeline of leads, understand the buyer journey, and really know your audience.

Google Digital Marketing

Google’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certificate is yet another free certification that lays a strong framework for almost every area within digital marketing. If you don’t have a marketing degree, this course covers just about everything you need to know in terms of building a digital marketing foundation. This course covers multiple platforms and strategies from email marketing to social media.

Facebook Blueprint

Social media has shifted more into a “pay-to-play” model, so unless you’ve got a strong personal brand and/or became an “influencer” before the market became saturated, you’ll want to consider Facebook advertising. Facebook’s certification is $150 and will get you up to speed to ensure you get the most value for your dollar.

4 Marketing Musts to Keep Your Strategy on Point

January 16, 2019 Leave a Comment

When it comes to marketing, there’s always something else you could be doing. Another platform to be on, another software to utilize…the list goes on and on.

But when it comes to your strategy, there are four significant components that can and should be considered in every decision you make.

Establish your target audience

If you shoot for nothing you’ll miss every time, and by trying to reach everyone you’ll end up helping no one. You must have a target audience and it has to be specific.

For instance, by simply establishing your target audience as WOMEN, you are targeting 3.8 billion people. That’s essentially half of the world’s population. On your first ad campaign, you’re probably not going hit them all.

A buyer persona is a helpful exercise to establish who your ideal client is, but again, you must have a target audience. It will significantly narrow down the platforms you invest time on and the kinds of content you need to create.

Establish a marketing strategy

A marketing strategy is a must (hence the name of this blog). And mentally knowing your objectives simply isn’t enough. So plan, plan, and plan.

It doesn’t mean every decision you make has to be by the book, but you should have a plan in place as a framework and foundation to guide your brand. It may not include your daily workflows or the most minute decisions on your agenda, but your strategy is your foundation for every marketing decision you make.

If you’ve never formulated a marketing strategy, now’s your chance to start. Open your favorite bottle of wine and check out these quick and easy to use templates to inspire you. Your plan will develop and grow over time, but putting a strategy in place will help when you’re caught in a rut.

Be consistent

Consistency is key, and before you take on anything else, make sure you are consistently executing the marketing practices you have in place now.

Automate as much as you can with platforms like Later, and wait until you’ve done something consistently before you analyze the results for at least a month (preferably a quarter) before you drop it or change it substantially. Sometimes, you just have to show up, rain or shine. (And until you show up consistently, you won’t know what to fix or improve.)

If you loathe a particular strategy you know is effective for your target audience, hire someone.

Websites like Upwork can help you find talent so you can delegate the tactics you don’t necessarily enjoy.

Whatever you’re doing, do it well, and just do it consistently.

Follow through your objectives

Finish what you start, and take action. Telling someone else about your idea or writing about it in your journal isn’t going to wish it into existence. You have to do. So take action.

If you’re overwhelmed with being consistent with everything you’re implementing already, schedule what you plan to do. Create an annual calendar with benchmarks of the goals you would like to accomplish this year. And if not this year, the next one.

Need to ramp up your understanding of SEO? Put it on your calendar. Set alarms.

Along with that calendar, keep a running tab of all of the ideas you’d like to implement. Instead of becoming distracted, keep your list in a document close by where you can quickly jot down your objective. When you have time, revert back to the list…and schedule it! To be successful over time, you have to follow through.

You are important, and your goals and aspirations are a priority. Implement these marketing musts to ensure you are being proactive in investing in the one thing you have got to stop brushing off: yourself.

5 Marketing Trends to Implement in 2019

January 2, 2019 Leave a Comment

Digital marketing is constantly evolving. There is no “secret sauce” to an awesome digital strategy – it’s about constantly learning, tinkering, and innovating as technology changes.

As social media algorithms change and clients want more, it’s important to be even more creative in order to help brands grow.

Chatbots are the future.

As society becomes more and more instantly gratified, chatbots are a must in your strategy. Chatbots make customer gratification instantaneous and offer real-time chatting options. That way your clients are never left wondering about your products or services.

In fact, Facebook has integrated a chat feature that automatically loads recent chat history between the person and your business. It enables you to continue the conversation even after customers have left your webpage.

If you’re not great at video, hire someone.

Seventy-two percent of businesses say that video has improved their online conversion rates, so there’s no reason to leave out video content in your marketing strategy. Take advantage of live video platforms on Facebook and Instagram to show behind the scenes glimpses of your business to build trust and engagement with your brand.

USG is your friend.

USG, or user-generated content, can and should be your best friend. It’s a win for your ideal audience to have their content featured by your company, and it’s a win for YOU to utilize content generated by your target audience. Think of it as an instant referral that builds community and trust within your ideal client. If you don’t have user-generated content flooding in already, consider reaching out to your clients to feature them for photo credit.

Be authentic.

Audiences are desperate for brands to keep it real and they want to be communicated with directly. The days of overly curated content are over and transparency is at the forefront of modern marketing strategies. Find ways to ensure you’re not over-filtering every piece of content you pump out and leave room for the imperfections.

Engage with your audience.

High follower counts on vanity platforms like Instagram and Twitter don’t neccessarily help potential customers trust your brand. In fact, a high follower count on a platform with a low engagement rate can be a red flag that brands are buying followers just to boost their egos – which is a huge marketing no-no.

Try to respond to as many comments and direct messages as possible on these platforms to engage with your audience and build trust.