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#ParrotInsider: The Definitive Guide to Lead Generation

Business / Lead GenerationLeave a Comment on #ParrotInsider: The Definitive Guide to Lead Generation

It’s 2021 and you are looking to generate leads for your business. You have come to the right place! We will be discussing lead generation strategies that will help you in this ever-changing world of technology. There is no shortage of information on how to generate new leads, but it can be difficult sifting through all of the noise. This blog post provides a comprehensive overview of what matters most and what doesn’t when it comes to generating quality leads for your business in 2021!

What is lead generation?

Lead generation is a marketing strategy that helps you connect with potential customers. This can take the form of generating qualified leads by capturing contact information, building interest in your company or product, and helping convert interested prospects into paying customers. Generating new leads at an effective rate has never been more important than it is today!

What are some strategies for lead generation?

The best way to generate quality leads for your business depends on what stage we’re talking about: prospecting vs. converting. When it comes to prospecting (generating uninterested parties), there is no one-size-fits-all solution – each industry will require its own customized approach depending on customer preferences and needs in 2021.

However, we can recognize a few strategies that you may want to follow – including one strategy that Early Parrot will be extremely helpful with.

#1 Create an incentive-based referral system for lead generation

Lead generation is an ongoing process that occurs in your company. This means you have to ask for the right things and provide incentives that are worth it to those who help generate more leads. Creating a referral system can be one such incentive-based technique you should use, as well as other techniques like using contests or offering prizes of some sort. It’s important not only to create these policies but also enforce them so people know what they’re getting into when participating with this type of marketing campaign.

Remember that lead generation is not a one-time thing and you’ll have to keep creating new ways for people to get involved if it’s not working. You also need the proper incentives, as well as good ideas on what would work best when trying different things out so you don’t waste time or money doing something that won’t be successful. It may take some trial and error before getting this right but in order to generate more leads there are certain steps worth taking.

#2 Create opt-in opportunities for lead generation

Lead generation is not just about getting people to fill out a lead form. There are many ways you can generate leads, and the best way for your company may be different than what’s working well for others in your industry. One of our favorite strategies is creating an opt-in opportunity–a type of sales funnel that encourages prospects to provide their contact information with the promise of exclusive content or resources in return. The goal here is twofold: first, capturing more email addresses so we can keep marketing back to them; second, providing high quality content like eBooks which will educate customers on topics they care about most so they make smarter buying decisions down the line. We have seen this method work incredibly well when it comes time to close deals.

To set up your own opt-in opportunity, you can either create a landing page on your website or send an email campaign. The most important thing is to provide content that will be valuable and interesting for the people who subscribe–whatever it takes to get them to sign up!

#3 Do not neglect email marketing in lead generation

Email marketing is often overlooked when it comes to lead generation. Email marketing has been around for a lot longer than most social media platforms and as such, creating an email list of people who subscribe to your blog will be more valuable in the long run because these subscribers are invested in what you have to say. An added bonus with this type of content distribution channel is that there’s no need for any additional post processing since the user views your message on their own time and at their convenience so they can easily process all the information without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

Email marketing is a trustworthy form of content distribution that will help you build trust and authority in your industry.

And with email marketing, it’s not about quantity but rather quality—you have to focus on building relationships so people want to hear from you more often than they simply want to know what you’re selling. A long-term investment pays off better over time!

#4 Use social media for lead generation

It has been said that 80% of adults are connected at least monthly with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram and most people check their social accounts first thing in the morning. This means you can start a day-long conversation by engaging your target market through these channels. How? Think about what they care about then share content related to those topics: events they might be attending, news items that affect them directly, store promotions for products they might like. You’ll find out when it’s worth sharing something too – if there’s an uptick in engagement from followers who have never interacted with your company before! That will indicate you’ve found someone new and a potential customer base

Why is social media a great channel for lead generation? Well, it has quite a few benefits.  First of all, it’s a good idea to use social media because you can find potential customers on there who are already interested in your product. Plus, if they like what they see online – and trust the company that is promoting their products or services – those people will be more likely to convert into leads for sales teams as well as buy from them offline.  Social media also makes it easier to build relationships with potential customers.

#5 Prepare a few landing pages for supporting lead generation

If you’re going to invest in lead generation, it’s important that your content is not only compelling and relevant but also serves as an additional way for potential customers to reach out. Many companies are publishing blog posts about topics like “lead nurturing” or “cold calling,” so if those are a part of your strategy then be sure to publish some related landing pages on the topic too. This means coming up with new offers, providing supporting articles and guides, and writing helpful how-to tips–all things people can take action on through their browsers instead of just clicking away from the page.

#6 Think outside-the-box of your lead generation efforts

The best way to stand out in this crowded space is by thinking outside-the-box of your lead generation efforts. No longer can you rely on the tried and true methods, which are largely saturated with a plethora of other vendors doing just that; it will be hard for you to succeed without some originality. One example might be performing online research about an industry event happening soon so that you can reach potential attendees before they attend the event. That means contacting them beforehand as well as afterwards – while they’re at the conference or when they get back home from it (depending on what their preferences are). But don’t stop there – consider sending follow up emails after participants return from an event geared towards networking opportunities, introducing new products to them, and so on.

#7 Run lead generation webinars

You can also run webinars to boost your lead generation processes.

What is a webinar? A webinar is an online seminar, lecture series or presentation created for the purpose of educating and engaging target audiences. Webinars are usually free to attend, with live streaming video which can be viewed on desktop computers as well as mobile phones and tablets. This means they’re easy to share across your social media networks like Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Streaming.

How should you prepare for it? The first step in hosting a successful webinar would be creating content that will resonate with your audience while addressing their needs and priorities. You also want to make sure that you have quality visuals (e.g., PowerPoint presentations) because people do not always remember what was said during the event but often retain what they see.

How should you promote your webinar? It’s important to share this information as far and wide as possible, so create a campaign that will reach your target audience such as sending out invitations through LinkedIn or Facebook Messenger. You also want to make sure that there is an email list because people may not be logged in during the event time.

How can webinars help with lead generation?

In 2021, webinars are a great way to generate leads. Webinars have grown in popularity because they allow companies to introduce themselves and their products or services while at the same time learning more about what the customer is looking for. They also give customers an opportunity to ask questions which will then help provide potential customers with all of the information necessary before making a purchase decision.

Webinar marketing has become one of the best ways for businesses to engage customers online by delivering marketing presentations that educate prospects on your business offerings, solutions and how they can benefit from them.

#8 Use influencers

One last strategy we have found effective when developing lead generation strategies is building relationships with industry influencers in our field. These are individuals whose opinions carry weight among prospects–they may not make decisions themselves but they do influence what other decision makers buy into so if you want to reach new customers quickly, this strategy could work well for you. And even better, they’re usually more receptive to marketing messages like these because of their interest in the field.

Over to you

There are many strategies for lead generation, and you’ll need to experiment with what works best for your business. Lead generation is a critical component of any successful marketing strategy, so we hope our tips came in handy!

Call to Action: Why You Need Them and Why They’re Important

Business / EntrepreneurshipLeave a Comment on Call to Action: Why You Need Them and Why They’re Important

For many people, the call to action is an important concept that they aren’t sure how to execute. It’s a key component of any webpage and can help remove friction in moving down the sales funnel. In this blog post, we’re going to discuss why you need them and why they’re so important!

What is a call to action, actually?

A call to action is a tool that helps guide your customers in the direction you want them to go. It’s like a traffic light: green means “go,” red means “stop” and yellow means “slow down.” When it comes to call-to-action buttons, there are three types of CTAs—the button CTA, which has an explicit call (such as BUY NOW or SIGN UP) on it; the image CTA, which doesn’t have an explicit call but relies on its visual design elements alone for guidance (like DOWNLOAD PDF); and finally text with links, often referred to as ‘CTALs’, where multiple actions can be taken from one link.

Designing effective persuasive copy isn’t as difficult as it might seem. If you tell people how your call-to-action will resolve their current problem, they’ll be more likely to buy whatever the call is for from you.

The call to action button on a website can come in three flavours: text with links, an image CTA or a more explicit call to action (CTA). The latter two are less likely to send users through the sales funnel because there’s no clear call like there would be on a button CTA that says “BUY NOW.” You need CTAs if you want customers who visit your site and stay engaged during all of your content before buying anything. But when designing these buttons keep in mind what type of customer behaviour you want to trigger.

CTA statistics 2021

There are many studies and statistical analysis proving how important these small things can be for your conversion rates – so let’s see some 2022 marketing statistics! Here are just three of them with their percentages:

*82% of internet users say they click on links or ads if they appear above the page fold* (Moz) – this means that calls to actions on your website should be visible and easily noticeable before the user scrolls down. 

*81% of people who call a business after seeing it on the internet call again* (Moz)  – this means that you have to keep your call to action in view at all times.

*14-28% increase in conversion rates for marketers who use calls to actions on their landing pages* (Demand Metric) This is why call to actions are important because they allow viewers and customers an easy way out, and can help boost conversions as well!

The key takeaway from these numbers is clear: by adding call-to-actions wherever possible, we will be able to see increased conversion rates as more users take the desired action. So don’t neglect those small things! Make sure every page has some kind of callout.

Benefits of CTA

A call to action makes it clear to potential customers which action to take next and helps remove friction in moving the user down the sales funnel. A call-to-action can be as simple as a button that leads your reader or customer on to another webpage, such as “BUY NOW” or “CONTINUE TO THE NEXT PAGE.” When you create an effective CTA for your content, you’re telling them how they should feel about what you just shared with them (e.g., they have learned valuable information) and then giving them a way of demonstrating that knowledge by clicking through.

The call-to-action is also important because it tells readers where their attention goes when reading online content: namely, towards whatever element of the page is designated as their call-to-action. In other words, if you have a call to action on your webpage and nothing else of note, then where should readers’ attention go?

The call-to-action will be more effective (and create more conversions) when it’s easy for customers or readers to find what they are looking for. Keep this in mind when designing the call-to-action button: make sure that its placement makes sense with respect to how visitors typically read online content. For instance, making “CONTINUE TO THE NEXT PAGE” at the bottom of the article may not make much sense if most people reading articles scroll all the way down before clicking through – which means putting it near the top of the page would be a better idea.

Examples of effective CTA

– “Add To Cart” is an example of a call to action that tells the user what they are about to do and encourages them to complete their purchase. A call to action should be placed prominently on your webpage, in plain sight without any distractions so as not to confuse or distract visitors from clicking it

Effective CTA call-to-action buttons should include  a clear explanation of how someone can take immediate steps toward achieving their goal by making a decision or taking some specific kind of step (e.g., buying something).

– “Contact Us” is an example call to action for a company that would like prospects to call them. The company can use this CTA button on their website as it’s clear what the visitor will do if they click it and there are no distractions from other elements on the page.

– “Download Now”  is another good call to action because visitors who see it know where to go in order to get hooked up with some valuable content (in this case, a PDF). In addition, it offers visitors something of value without any commitment necessary so even those people who were just browsing might be convinced into taking the next step by clicking.

A call-to-action should also include text about how someone can take  the next step. For example, “Add to Cart” is a call-to-action that includes the text: Add To Cart Before The Offer Expires

A call to action should be made in plain sight and without any distractions so as not to confuse or distract visitors from clicking it  It sends prospects down the sales funnel where they are more likely you make a purchase call, contact your company or download content. A call-to-action button should include an explanation of how someone can take immediate steps toward achieving their goal by making some decision or taking some specific kind of step (e.g., buying something). If you want customers who click on this CTA button to call your business right away then use words like “Contact Us”, “Call Now” or “Talk To Us”.

CTA best practices

  • For call to actions, use action verbs: “Start your free trial,” not “Free Trial.” Or “Register now” rather than just a link. You want the call to action to be explicit and make it clear what they need to do next – otherwise people will simply click on links until something works, which might never happen if you don’t include buttons!
  • Make sure that all of your call to action button text is descriptive enough for users know exactly what happens when they push or interact with them. This includes making sure that an empty CTA has some kind of text so people know how they are supposed feel about interacting with it (e.g., instead of leaving it blank, write ‘No thanks.’).
  • Include clear wording about what action is required from the visitor (e.g., “Subscribe Now!”)
  • Be concise – one sentence or phrase at most
  • Provide value by answering key questions potential customers might have if they were to take the desired action (e.g., “What will you get? What does it cost? How do I subscribe?) – this also includes providing social proof on the call-to-action button
  • Use urgency to persuade visitors that they need to act now (e.g., “Order Today”)
  • Provide a clear call-to-action button – for example, orange text or an arrow pointing down

What is the best CTA, then?

It’s difficult to determine the best call-to-action for a website. We recommend constantly testing different CTAs, and learning which ones are most successful in terms of leads generated.

Over to you

Do you really need a CTA? Yes, you do! Otherwise you’re missing big time. Nowadays people don’t have time and patience for browsing so they focus on the call to action button before deciding what to do next.

The call to action is a key element of your webpage which acts as an indication that tells people what their next step should be. A call to action makes it clear which actions potential customers should take, reducing friction in moving them down the sales funnel.

And that’s why you shouldn’t underestimate them.

Influencer Marketing vs Referral Marketing: What’s the Difference?

Business / Referral Marketing TipsLeave a Comment on Influencer Marketing vs Referral Marketing: What’s the Difference?

If we were to put it shortly, that would be it:

Influencer marketing is the process of partnering with an influencer in order to promote a product or service.

Referral marketing, on the other hand, takes advantage of customer engagement and word-of-mouth to generate sales. It can involve anything from adding referral links to your website to incentivizing customers for referrals.

There are several similarities between these two types of marketing strategies: both rely heavily on content that is interesting and engaging; they encourage users to share their opinions; they offer incentives for sharing information about products or services; etc. However, there are also some significant differences between them. This blog post will explore those differences so you can figure out which strategy might be right for your business!

What is referral marketing?

Referral marketing is the act of persuading a customer to buy from you by getting someone they know and trust (a referral) to sell or endorse your product. When done right, it can be one of the most effective ways of generating new leads for your company.

How does referral marketing work?

Referral marketing is a form of word-of-mouth advertising that relies on the power of personal recommendations and social networks to get more people interested in your product or service. It’s mostly based around customers getting other customers (who are likely friends) to sign up for something, buy a product, or try out an experience via referrals from existing members.

In contrast, influencer marketing involves working with someone who has access to media channels such as blogs and YouTube channels with lots of subscribers/fans which can help spread awareness about a company’s products through testimonials or reviews. These individuals have large online audiences – they’re usually called “influencers” because their social reach influences purchases among fans following them.

What are some benefits of referral marketing?

The key benefit that comes with referral marketing is boosting sales through familiar faces in an increasingly digital world. Because people tend to do business with those they know and like, referrals play on this impulse while also giving companies access to customers who may not have found them otherwise. Plus, when something goes wrong during the sale process (e.g., an inaccurate shipment), a good word from a trusted friend has much more clout than any form of marketing.

Customers are guaranteed quality goods and services. When customers refer businesses they trust, they’re essentially guaranteeing that the person or company will provide what was promised–a guarantee not found in most referral programs. It also helps build loyalty for repeat referrals as well so companies see higher conversion.

What are some drawbacks to referral marketing?

The biggest drawback that comes with referral marketing is the time it takes for a company to get set up and running on the platform. It can be tough getting users who have never heard of you or tried your product before, which requires a lot more work in order to grow an audience from scratch – something most companies don’t do well without a budget behind them. This also makes these platforms less attractive if customer acquisition costs are high and competition is fierce (i.e., Facebook campaigns).

This leads into another issue: relying too much on one channel for lead generation means missing out on other opportunities as they come along, especially when social media trends change fast or new channels open up.

One more downside is that these platforms only work when customers are ready to buy something. If the customer isn’t in-market, there’s nothing being sold, and thus no lead.

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a new way for businesses to connect with their target audience via social media. It’s an effective strategy because it places the trust and message of the business squarely in the hands of someone that consumers already know, like, and trust. The influencers we work with are true thought leaders – they’re experts at what they do as well as passionate about your line of products or services.

How does it work?

The most common type of influencer marketing is paying for a sponsored post on a blog. A company will pay an influencer to create content that features their product or service, they then share it with their audience and this, in turn, leads to potential customers. This technique has been around since the 70s when Phillip Morris paid sitcom stars from “M*A*S*H” $25,000 per episode to mention Marlboro cigarettes in dialogue and show images of actors smoking cigarettes between scenes. There are many benefits associated with using Influencers as your advertising medium including improving brand awareness, raising website traffic through social media sites like Facebook or YouTube channels devoted solely to Influencers.

Pros of influencer marketing in your strategy

Influencer marketing can be a lot less expensive than other forms of advertising because you’re purchasing their attention rather than something physical. It’s the fastest way to get an audience on board without much investment in time or money.

In influencer marketing, it is important for your strategy that what they are promoting aligns with their niche and who they want to reach so it has more impact. For instance, if someone wants to promote vegetarianism as opposed to veganism then it might not have as great of a response from the target group but will still generate interest among those looking into different types of eating habits.

Influencers have social proof which means that when they put something out there, their followers and fans find it credible.

Influencers also have a deep understanding of the needs of consumers: Influencer marketing campaigns can be much more targeted than other forms of advertising because influencers know what people in their niche want to hear about. You don’t need to guess at demographics or psychographics when you work with an influencer who is already familiar with those things.

What are some similarities between referral marketing and influence marketing?

If people know a brand but not the individual behind it (e.g., Jennifer Lawrence), they might still trust what this person is saying about them because of who they are as an influencer – even if all their stuff had been sponsored from day one. In either case, those with clout have power over others’ decisions; how much weight is given to each depends on the level of connection felt by both parties.

Influencers can be anyone: celebrities like Taylor Swift or Kim Kardashian, social media stars like Gigi Gorgeous or Zoella from YouTube, the CEO of your company.

Influencer marketing is the newest trend in advertising because it’s a more authentic form of advertisement. Referral marketing isn’t as effective at influencing consumers to buy products for various reasons, such as people see referral posts as annoying advertisements and they don’t want their friends knowing that they bought something from an ad.

What are the main differences between referral marketing vs Influencer Marketing?

Here are some key points:

– Referral programs rely heavily on word-of-mouth referrals

– Referral programs can be used by any company

– Influencer marketing is more based on generating content to attract a specific target market

– Word of mouth referrals are usually cheaper than influencer marketing methods. Whereas, large online reach through social media means that influencers have the ability to generate an expensive cost per click for their products or services (i.e., they could charge $500-$1000)

– Referral and Influencer marketing both come with choosing who you want to work with and what form your end goal should take.

Over to you

What should you choose: influencer marketing or referral marketing? Why wouldn’t you combine your efforts and invest in both ways? We fully encourage you to do so – and use Early Parrot for this purpose!

#ParrotInspires: How Email Marketing Supports Your Referral Program

Business / Referral Marketing TipsLeave a Comment on #ParrotInspires: How Email Marketing Supports Your Referral Program

Email is the most cost-effective way to keep in touch with your customers and prospects. But it’s not just about sending out a marketing email every now and then—it’s about creating an engagement plan that works for you and your business. Check out our clever approaches to boosting sales on your referral program with email services.

#0 First things first

The first step for any great affiliate or partner strategy starts by using emails as the medium of communication between partners and affiliates/referrers alike, while also incentivizing them both along the way too! This style of “closed loop” communications makes it easier to track performance, and therefore more efficient to manage.

Your referral program should be the “hub” for all communications, as it’s a great place to keep in touch with your partners and affiliates about what they can do together. Think of emails as one way you may want to let them know how their referrals are doing!

The most effective campaigns have email sequences that bring customers through the entire process: from reaching out for information on making a purchase decision up until after they’ve purchased something or participated in an event. The sequence typically starts by introducing who you’re inviting to participate – then provides incentives like discounts or free gifts (which vary depending on your industry). If this is successful, there will be subsequent phases where you might provide additional perks.

#1 Create a sequence of referral emails

Email #0: Introduce your referral program and make the offer

Your first email should consist of some introduction to your referral program and showing its value. Ideally, you should offer a discount or some type of reward to those who sign up.

Hi _______,

How are you? I hope all is well! With summer here (yay!), there’s never a bad time to chat about how we can grow our business together through referrals – one of my favorite topics 🙂 Can you introduce me to someone in your network who might be interested in what we do? We have some great deals right now that would also help them save on their next purchase with us. All they need to do is mention this email and get 20% off any product or service when they become new customers. And if they sign up by September 30th, we’ll give them an additional $100 towards anything from our store!

So, introduce me to someone you know who might want more information about our products or services (or buy something from us) and we’ll hook them up with a great deal. I can’t wait to hear from you – let’s connect soon.

Best,

___________

Want a quicker version? Here it goes.

Hi _______,

Congratulations on reaching one of your goals at work/school! It sounds like that took some time and effort—I’m really proud for you! In return for all this hard work, what would be a better reward than $100 off any product in our store? Just mention my name when signing up by September 30th* so we can give you the $100.

Happy shopping,

___________

*Terms and conditions apply.

Email #1

Follow up with customers who have not yet taken advantage of this great opportunity to share their love for you!

Your next email would be your thank-you for signing up and the introduction to your referral program. This is where you educate them on how it works – what are they going to get in return? A good incentive could be an exclusive coupon codes available only for their referrals. You’ll want this message short so that people can easily pass it on through social media or by word of mouth but long enough for them to see its value.

Email #2

Send a reminder email or two near the end date of your promotion, especially if it is about to expire soon. Good idea? Maybe not so much—people will be less likely to respond when they are already on autopilot…

In your third email, send out rewards! People love getting things fast and if you’re lucky with a large number of new customers referred over time, then they may not need any more incentives beyond receiving their reward (along with the person they referred to).

Email #3

Send a thank you email to your new customers, share something about yourself and show appreciation for their support. This is also where you can include links to other blog posts, products or services that would be of interest to them.

You guessed it—another chance in this last email for an exclusive coupon code! And if anyone has not yet taken advantage of getting 20% off any purchase when referring to someone else? Your offer should still stand after a particular date, too!

This content will only work well as long form content because there are so many steps involved in running an effective referral campaign.

#2 Leverage your email signature to promote the program

If you are getting a lot of emails from your company, be sure to include the referral program in your signature. This will make it easier for people to refer and share their content with others. It’s simple marketing!

If you add links to your referral program in your email signature, you can gain more interest and potential options for collaboration.

#3 Make your referrals feel like a priority

Send info about your referral program to your brand ambassadors.

The more people you can get to advocate for your brand, the better.

Reach out to them with offers and updates about the referral program. You want those supporters of yours to feel like they’re a priority so that they’ll continue giving word-of-mouth referrals.

Your business is competing against every other company in a customer’s inbox daily. So it’s important to make sure this info stands out from all their other emails (think: newsletters, promotions, blog posts). For example? Make it personal by showing some personality! Send an email thanking them for the referral or asking what product worked best for them when referring others!

It doesn’t matter if you forward each recommendation request on as soon as possible – one at a time – or if you batch them together, as long as they’re answered.

#4 Double-check the timing

Timing is everything when it comes to sending your emails. You need to pick the right time and date, otherwise, the open rate of your emails can be terribly low.

However, the best answer to this “When to Send Email” question is: it depends – on your subscribers, your industry, and many other factors.

For example if you are a retail store that sells products for pets such as dog food or grooming tools then “midnight Friday” might be an appropriate hour because pet owners purchase more over the weekend than any other day during the week (according to Experian Consumer Insights from 2017). But if you sell something like jewelry that isn’t often purchased online at midnight on Fridays (or even in the middle of the day for that matter) then you might want to plan your email campaign so it sends at a different time.

If you are in an industry where customers don’t typically buy products online from midnight on Friday, and instead wait until Sunday night when they get home from their weekend activities, then send out your emails during this time frame because people will be more likely to open them. And if many of your clients work nine-to-five jobs, avoid sending any campaigns later than noon on Fridays or early Saturday mornings. These two times are prime moments for catching up with friends and family over coffee after being stuck inside all week rather than checking their inboxes (let alone opening one).

#5 Pick the right email subject line

The most common email titles are short ones. Do you fear that you may not include everything you want to say? Preheader is the place to put it.

Creating short emails is not easy every time, but it’s worth experimenting to see how they perform. Remember that mobile devices can only display a limited number of characters if you contain more than 25-70 characters. Five out of every ten email recipients view their messages on a smartphone.

The end result is that you have an engaged customer base who are empowered because they know what’s going on in their company. Your reward: Loyal customers bring new customers!

Over to you

One of the most effective ways to grow your referral program is through email marketing. Emails help keep customers engaged in the referral process and remind them about opportunities for earning rewards with every new customer who joins their team.

Make the most of user-generated content

Business / Course CreatorsLeave a Comment on Make the most of user-generated content

Creating a bond and sense of community among your audience are crucial aspects of your business performance and long-term success. Nowadays, there is fierce competition fighting about customers’ attention, so setting a place in their hearts and minds may be a good strategy. 

There are plenty of marketing strategies that rely on relationships with customers, but there is one that engages the customers the most – user-generated content. Considering that people constantly post stuff on the web, why not take advantage of this habit? They love to brag about new products, so as a brand, you can use these praise posts as user-generated content and promote yourself. How does it work and how to make the most of it? Keep reading!

What is user-generated content?

As the name indicates, it is content created and delivered by your audience and followers. It can be done both by your regular clients and new customers. Such type of content may greatly influence purchasing decisions. It is a proof that your products are used by “real people” not only by e.g. paid influencers. Thanks to user-generated content, your loyal customers can show your prospective customers how to use products or share some tips and general opinions. It really increases trust and awake curiosity about your offer. What exactly is the user-generated content? Here you go:

User generated-content examples:

  • social media posts about your products
  • Instagram or Facebook stories about using your items
  • product reviews (e.g. on talkdesk alternatives) on customers social media channels 
  • blog posts on business clients’ websites 
  • webinars about your products or services
  • pictures, videos or texts in the opinion section on the product page

Pros about user-generated content

Why is it worth spending some time and putting in some effort to encourage your customer to make some beautiful photos or record inspiring videos? There are a plethora of reasons, here you can read a few.

Driving a brand desire

People are quite envious by nature, if they see that somebody has a given item they want it too. Such content is a great way to spark this desire and target their purchase decision a bit. By publishing customer content or their positive reviews about you, you prove that it is worth buying your product and trigger potential customers even more to do so.

Sparkling the brand desire is a great way to acquire many new customers and have a chance to bond with them. Making them look forward to your product for a longer time should be your goal. 

Increase trust

When “real people” show that they use your product and talk or write about it, it is great social proof. After all, over 8 out of 10 people admit they trust reviews over advertising, so featuring this content might provide a big helping hand when making a buying decision.

In general, the more content provided by your products’ users, the better. Additionally, to gain trust, you will also increase your brand awareness and stay on top of your potential customers’ minds. But remember that your customers shouldn’t be your only social media creators, it’s your job, too. 

Making you a “brand for people”

Which means it shows that your products are used and helpful while “ordinary” life. Marketing campaigns try to generate needs and demonstrate how to meet them, but all this is done by actors. Authenticity is better than the most creative script. 

Influencers may not be as persuasive as those they know or who belong to the same social group. Referral marketing follows the same rules, it works because it is more down to earth and simply saying is more realistic. 

Now that you know what the user-generated content is and why it is worth using this content creation, it is time to learn some tips on how to make the most of this content strategy. 

User-generated content tips & tricks

How can you boost the benefits of user-generating content? This is a good question, and we have a few answers for you.

#1 Ask both your loyal  and new customers 

If you have a strong bond with your group of customers, you can use it. If you have a group of loyal clients who buy your products regularly, their opinion (almost certainly positive) about them is well-established. Let them speak for themselves. 


You can ask about their opinion after the purchase and encourage them to publish this type of content. It would also be a great idea to mention this possibility during referral communication. If you run such a program (hopefully with EarlyParrot) you can adjust the content of the emails as you wish. Moreover, you can set such a template with our tool. The email can be configured to automatically send when specific conditions are met, so all you have to do is set the right triggers. 

Let’s suppose your regular client refers you to three new ones. If they made a purchase, you can ask about their opinions and encourage them to provide customer reviews. Of course, you can promise them some extra incentives. 

#2 Organize a social media contest

Competition is a great motivator for people, so give them some. Announce on your social channels a contest for the best user content. It could be a pic when your client uses your product or a short video on how to make the most of the given product. The rules are up to you, but they should be clear. You will see that such an idea will meet with positive feedback and people will be more than willing to make some authentic content and win rewards. In order to keep up with these posts, you should create your branded hashtag and follow the fresh content that rolls in.

What is important to say in this case is that consumer-generated content won’t do much if you haven’t taken care of your social media platforms properly. First, you should gather a community and encourage people to click the follow button, then you can rely on custom content. It will work, provided you have an audience and target to influence. Otherwise, these marketing efforts will backfire.

#3 Take care of user experience

You may think how these two aspects are connected, but believe us, there are. If you want your customers to become your content creators, you have to do your best to meet their requirements and needs. 

Make sure your website is easy to use, and items can be easily found. Also, it should be aesthetic – colours, fonts, graphics should be as coherent as possible. It is very important. Over half of the users admit that this aesthetic aspect is the main reason why they do not return to the website. You see, appearance is crucial.  You should also make sure your product is presented well and described correctly, of course, honestly. It would be also nice to offer post-purchase services like the installation or longer warranty. Additionally, customer service counts as such services, so make sure that all emails and social media queries are answered, and if you run a call center, make sure that no phone call is missed. The quality of service matters too, so all messages should be written in a polite and informative way and your agents should be active listeners. 

Speaking of customer service, you should provide some self service methods in this case and upload a knowledge base and FAQ to allow customers to find needed information on their own.

You should deliver brilliant products and even better service, only this way your customer will be willing to deliver you some content with positive reviews. 

# 4 Make the creators stars

People like to be in the spotlight, especially when it comes to becoming an Internet star. Once your customers deliver you the content, you should distribute it the same way you distribute your own materials. Publish it across your platforms and make a story about these pictures or videos. It is a great idea to tell histories about how the pictures were made or why these customers choose your products. There is always a story! 

But first, before you start being a storyteller you should agree with each author on what can be said and every version of history should be read by the creators. After all, stories are about them. 

It is also a great idea to promote this content via social media platform ads. It would catch users attention for sure and allow you to stand out from the crowd of marketing messages. By taking such a step, you can encourage prospective buyers and user-generated content creators to become involved with your company’s community. 

#5 Deliver the tools

You can provide a special graphic template or video creator to make users’ works coherent and easier to do. It will also be a curiosity trigger to check how it works and what will be the final results. Tolls of this type enhance customer experience and are just plain fun. This way, you can also decrease the possibility of forgetting a branded hashtag or so. 

Helping your community to create and share their experience puts you in a very good place and creates a good association with your brand. It deserves to be remembered!

Delivering your customers some tools may also decrease a reluctance and fear of not knowing how to do it. Thanks to providing them with resources, you meet them halfway and make this situation kind of win-win. As a result, they win because they receive tools, and you win as a result of receiving user-generated content.

Let them create!

This content strategy doesn’t demand much effort from your side. For starters,  you have to encourage people to be creative and deliver you great content. 

We hope that we have encouraged you to use the whole power of UGC. It is  a really great support for your marketing campaigns and support of social media presence. Remember one thing! Even if you flooded your social media account with UGC, you should also publish your branded content and show the “behind the scenes” of creating your products or publish some industry news. Make your social platforms interesting, so people want to be published on it. 

What is brand awareness?

Business / Lead GenerationLeave a Comment on What is brand awareness?

Brand awareness has been a hot topic lately, since it may be a key factor of your business popularity and as a result a booster for your performance. It is halfway to reaching your target audience and staying in their mind for longer. If you want your brand awareness campaigns to be successful, you should understand what makes a brand unique and then create campaigns that convey this information. As part of your marketing strategy, you should aim to increase awareness of your brand. 

In this article, you will find a brand awareness breakdown; what the brand is and what the brand awareness stands for. We will also share a few tips on how to boost it at low cost. 

What the brand is?

What sticks in people’s minds is the brand. It is a combination of the name, logo, marketing slogan, packages and USPs which makes a perfect mixture of your business recognition.

Brand is how people see your company and what comes to their minds when they hear or see your products or name. It indicates the emotions or memories associated with your business. Every single brand has ties with various feelings, ideas or memories which make them all special and unique. 

For example, let’s take a closer look at the Starbucks brand. What is your first association with this name? Its logo design or characteristic coffee shop design? Maybe your favourite beverage, or your last meeting with friends, sipping Starbucks Frappuccino? This is how  that so-called brand magic works. It brings all connections to the top of your mind and builds a company image in your head. 

Brand awareness – crucial aspects 

Let’s focus on brand awareness, now. What is it and how does it work in practice, beyond all that theory?

What is brand awareness?

Customers’ awareness of a particular brand is measured by their ability to recognize it. It plays a crucial role during making the purchase decision. Both your regular and potential customers should recognize the brand and products to go through the marketing funnel successfully. Your awareness efforts should lead to an expanded group of potential customers who are able to tell what your brand is and what product category you offer.  

Strong brand awareness contributes to immediate brand recall, which is the ability to point to the name when a given product category is mentioned. In practice, it is when your customer base needs a product from your field, your brand comes to their mind first. As a result, they search for the product on your site and make a purchase. This is how consumer awareness generates income.

There is also another type of brand awareness: an aided awareness. It happens when customers recognize your brand among others in a specific field. It is also very helpful and a good place to begin. 

Why is brand awareness important?

It can be your business’s “be or not to be”, especially in a competitive market. It is essential to your target market to know you and come to you before competitors. So, just briefly – why should you care about brand awareness? 

  • It increases sales, engagement rate and conversion rates.
  • It is helpful in identifying your brand’s level of recognition.
  • It boosts consumer engagement and thus customer satisfaction. 
  • It supports your marketing efforts, as the campaigns of known and recognizable brands have a higher ROI  than the ones of unknown brands.
  • It supports building loyalty among your customers. 

These are only a few reasons why brand awareness is so crucial for your business. 

Brand awareness vs. brand recognition 

Let’s keep it simple and straight to the point since many people mistake both terms with each other. Yet, they actually complement each other. Brand awareness is not possible without brand recognition, and vice versa. How do they differ, then? 

  • The first corresponds to knowing what your brand is, and in which field it operates. Strong brand awareness leads to becoming a top brand in customer minds. It is about your search engines optimization, marketing communication and overall presence. 
  • Brand recognition is about more tangible aspects of your brand like logo, names, set of colours. It is about making your brand inherent with these factors. For example, when you see blue and yellow, probably your first association is IKEA. Although this Swedish giant is not the only one using these two colours, their brand reposition is so strong that it outclasses others. Research shows that using significant colours may boost brand recognition even up to 80%, and IKEA is a living proof. 

Can you see how they are connected? Nevertheless, it is good to see the difference between them and know how to improve both of them. 

What is branding? 

In terms of brand awareness, there is one more box to open: branding. It is the process of shaping the way your brand is recognized by the target audience. Proper branding helps people link their needs to your products as a way of meeting them. You can tailor their perception by marketing communication and channels you use. Depending on the type of branding you have selected, your marketing tactics may differ. 

For example, the branding of Coca-Cola makes the beverages a good companion while family dinner or meeting with friends. Recent marketing efforts suggest that it also supports being and expressing yourself while living a full life.

As a contrary, Cartier built its brand as one “available not for everyone”. Brands with this history and tradition are for people who aim to live by these values and need a bit of luxury.

Top way to boost your brand awareness ASAP

To increase your brand awareness, you should focus on your customer engagement and building bonds with them. We have some ideas on how to do so. 

#1 Referral programs

It is one of the best ways to establish a long-term relationship with your loyal customers. In a referral program, your customers get a referral link or code, they share it with their friends via e.g., social media posts. Each of the client’s followers who come to your website, start interacting with chatbots, and provide the desired action will receive a reward. Furthermore, the referrer can receive one, too, in this matter rules are up to you. There is also flexibility in what you should offer as an incentive. 

With word-of-mouth marketing you will be able to expand awareness of your company thanks to friends’ recommendations, people will be more willing to trust in them. More than 80% of recipients trust referrals more than any other types of marketing. This number speaks for itself, it is worth running a program. 

If you want to try, sign up for an EarlyParrot demo and learn more about our referral software. With this one, you can create a program that is well-tailored to your needs in a heartbeat. You should try!

#2 Social media presence

What you publish and how you build your brand in social media is crucial for increasing awareness. Your content should be coherent and reflect your brand mission and vision. It is important to think about the type of content you wish to publish. It should bring value to your audience and be catchy. You can shuffle with various types of content, pics, infographics, short videos and deliver some news from the industry or tips on how to make the most of your products. It would also be a good habit to respond to comments, or at least like them or give them hearts. This way you create a sense of community. People prefer brands that are down to earth and make a bond with their audience. This can be accomplished through social media. 

Additionally, to scheduled posts, you should think about live broadcasts. During such events you will be able to get in touch with your followers, show your product in action or answer some questions. The numbers speak for themselves, by a year, live streaming field has grown by almost 100%. It’s living proof of its effectiveness. 

#3 Invest in brand analytics (find out about competitors to Latana)

To build your brand, you must invest in brand analytics. It helps to track your brand activities to know whether they are having the right impact. Lantana is a good choice but its micro nature and pricing might not suit your needs. If you want better brand analytics, learn about more competitors to Latana. Good brand analytics enables you to improve your performance and build a successful and more lasting relationship with your audience. 

In today’s world, branding has become very data-driven. Therefore, marketing as well as brand decisions must be made with real data and not gut feelings. If you’re passionate about building your brand, brand analytics is not what you put on a maybe list, it must be on your must-do list. The benefits are immense and they make your branding journey smoother and more fruitful. 

Brand analytics solutions give you the following benefits:

  • Data you can rely on
  • Access to diverse respondents
  • Ability to reach a large audience
  • Access to survey templates
  • Numerous tracker templates
  • Survey translation options
  • Customization
  • Nice designs
  • Third-party integrations

#4 Affiliate marketing

What about the combination of the two above? Affiliate marketing is quite a one. As with referral marketing, it is all above sharing links, but it is done not by your customer, only by affiliates. You might wonder who they are. There are people who have gathered a bigger audience on their social media, blogs or YouTube channels. They have a big influence on their followers and the content they publish is an opinion-forming one. It is worth cooperating with affiliates from your niche since, similar to referral, it may be a very cost effective option. Also, some people enjoy feeling as if they are stars, so they want to use the same product as their favourite YouTube creator or Instagrammer. 

There are a few major rules when it comes to selecting your affiliates. 

  1. Rule No.1 – don to go too big. If your business is a local one, don’t reach global stars. First, there are small chances to contact them and second of all, their commissions may be too high for a local company. Furthermore, their audience may not coincide with your target perfectly. Local influencers are more than good, then. 
  2. Rule No.2 – before making a final decision, do a decent research. Both in terms of cooperation with a given creator and in terms of their cooperation. It means you shouldn’t work with affiliates that have worked with your competitors. It doesn’t seem trustworthy at all, and people will  trust both for your and the affiliates.
  3. Rule No.3  – set terms and your buffer zone. While doing research, you should also get to know what the commissions are in your field and prepare the offer. Moreover, there should be room to negotiate, but you need to set the buffer. In this way, you won’t be surprised by the other side’s offer and the negotiation will go smoothly.

What is important to add, using all the three suggested strategies you will be ready to profit from the synergy effect. You will be seen on various platforms from various sources and people will remember you. This is how brand awareness is built. 

3, 2, 1… go!

From this article you have learnt something about brand and brand awareness. We showed you what the difference is between brand awareness and brand recognition. Moreover, there are some subtleties about branding. And crème de la crème – three tactics on how to boost brand awareness of your company. If you are interested in this topic and want to learn more, there is a great piece about brand awareness on our blog, yet. Feel free to jump in!

Boost your ROI with these 6 strategies

Business / EntrepreneurshipLeave a Comment on Boost your ROI with these 6 strategies

There are multiple measures and indicators to pay attention to if you run a business. Monitoring its performance requires keeping your finger on the pulse constantly. You have to cover such topics as sales campaign results, a marketing strategy, the activity of your target audience, etc. One of the most important indicators is ROI, i.e. return on investment. What is it and how to boost your ROI? We are here to tell you. 

The first part of the article provides some basic knowledge about return on investment, its essence, and why it is so crucial. In the next section, you will find some tips for boosting your ROI and keeping it that way. Let’s dive in!

What does ROI mean?

Return on investment indicates the efficiency or profitability of your investment. Efficiency is compared among a number of investment options. ROI attempts to determine how much a particular undertaking has returned relative to its cost. The formula looks as follows:

Simply put, tracking ROI helps you to recognize what pays off for your business. Let’s suppose you invested in several content marketing campaigns. Thanks to following the ROI measure, you will be able to check which one suits your target audience best and brings you more customers at lower costs. You don’t have to buy any advanced analytics tool to check the numbers; all you need is a Google Analytics account and you will find all the necessary information there.  

Why is it important to keep your ROI high? The higher the measure is, the less money you are wasting, i.e. your investment is paying off. As a business owner, you probably know that staking money in the wrong investments won’t bring profit, so you should put your resources into investments with strong returns and reduce costs wherever possible.

Boost your ROI: our tips & tricks

#1 Create bonds with your customers to boost your ROI

There are no marketing budgets for building customer relationships specifically, but there are ones for referral or loyalty programs. The former allows you to increase conversion rates and CLV at very low costs. Referred customers’ lifetime values can be even 16% higher compared to non-referred ones. It provides a great opportunity to focus on your customer satisfaction and take care of them so that they stay with you for longer.

How does a referral program work? Similar to loyalty ones. Your existing clients get rewards in exchange for you acquiring potential new customers. Each of your clients receives a link to share with a group of friends, and every time the referee performs a desired action like registering for a newsletter or purchasing, both parties (or just one, it depends on you) can earn rewards! Referral marketing may be very profitable for your business since it can bring you, new customers, just for the cost of giving them a discount or free items. Want to give it a try? Register at EarlyParrot and create your program in a flash!

The same rules apply to loyalty programs, but here your customers can, for example, collect stamps and receive a 50% discount after collecting 10 of them. This is one of the most effective strategies for building strong and long-term bonds with your current clients. It is a popular way to do so too, as an Accenture report shows that 90% of brands have a loyalty program or some other form of customer engagement (referrals count here too!).

#2 Reduce abandoned carts to boost your ROI

Easier said than done, right? But it isn’t impossible to reduce this number to as low as possible. How to do so? We are here to tell you. First of all, analyze the moment of abandonment, whether it happened at the payment stage or when selecting delivery methods. If so, analyze the options you offer. It is always a good idea to offer more than fewer so that people can choose what they are more comfortable with.

Furthermore, pay attention to your website structure, if users can seamlessly switch between various pages, how the search engine works, and if it is generally bug-free. Your site is one of your marketing channels, too. You can think of it as your company’s business card, so it should run as smoothly as possible. Perhaps a client is still considering a product because there is not enough information about it? You have to be sure that the description includes EVERYTHING that may be in the interest of your clients – sizes, colors, compositions, etc. This is a good place to highlight customer reviews and some user-generated content too, so if your customers send in some pictures with their product reviews then use them! They can be game-changers for indecisive clients. 

If a customer simply put items into their basket and left them unpaid for, remind them about stuff waiting in their cart. You can use SMS marketing or even send an email. No matter which marketing channel you use, be polite and make the message encouraging. Moreover, do not send such info straight after the client left your website. Wait a day or two, so that you do not overwhelm them. You can use marketing automation tools to plan such actions, and you can read more about automatization below. 

#3 Focus on conversions to boost your ROI

Conversion rate is very closely related to ROI. Simply put, the higher your conversion rate is, the greater the chances of improving your ROI. Why are conversions so important in this regard? Well, it depends on what you mean by conversion. Let’s say you invest in social media marketing and set up Facebook ads, then every time users click on them and purchase from your store your conversion rate is boosted and so is your ROI. In other words, the return on your Facebook ads investment increases. 

So, how to achieve marketing goals like having a high conversion rate? Let’s stay with the example of social media; your marketing efforts will pay off when you focus on what you publish. Ads are a great option, but social networks are mostly about your feed and what you publish, so concentrate on that. Thanks to social media channels, you can build a community and strengthen bonds with your customers. This will also affect your marketing ROI. Establish your own hashtags, encourage your followers to post about your brands, highlight customers reviews on your profile, and reward user-generated content. The latter provides social proof that your product works and is worth a client’s money. Such aspects are crucial for potential first-time buyers and can be the final trigger to purchase. 

#4 Automate your processes to boost your ROI

By automating your processes, you can make them more efficient and improve your workflow significantly. There are lots of tools supporting this aspect. Email and social media marketing autoresponders are the most popular, but you can automate basically every part of your strategy – from the very first step of the marketing funnel until you send a “Thank You” email. 

For example, suppose we have encouraged you to implement referral marketing with EarlyParrot. In this case, you can design templates of your default emails and allow the tool to communicate with your clients on your behalf. Our tool can say “congratulations” when they earn a reward or “welcome” to new referred customers. It makes communication quicker and more efficient. Such processes handle repetitive actions for you and allow you to focus on more crucial aspects.

Keep in mind that investing in digital marketing should go hand in hand with automation tools if you are to make the most of it.

#5 Implement testing

Efficiency demands testing, so provide it! If you want to stay up-to-date with what is going on with your strategy and whether there is progress or not, you should follow KPIs and check out alternatives! It can always be better, so it’s worth trying. 

How to check what would work best for your business? Web analytics and A/B testing comes in handy. It is a way of comparing various marketing methods or elements and checking which one works better for your business. Through this approach, you will be able to identify the weak points of your strategy and come up with something different! How to run such tests? Because it’s not rocket science, you won’t need to hire a team of specialists to manage it. Depending on the market you operate in, the niche you’ve selected, and a few more aspects, the complexity and direction of your tests may be different, but here are a few things you might want to consider:

  • landing page copy
  • CTAs
  • headlines
  • graphics
  • fonts
  • website layout 
  • links
  • colors
  • website architecture and navigation

Checking the above elements will give you a big advantage over your competitors and make you stand out. When testing, don’t check too many different elements simultaneously, as this will make it impossible to determine which one caused specific changes. 

Once you recognize what works the best for your enterprise, you will be able to increase your income and so your ROI will rise too. 

#6 Use various platforms to boost your ROI

To increase earnings and thus take care of your ROI, you should be in touch with your audience around the clock and try to stay in their minds as long as you can. As we mentioned at the very beginning of this article, communication and bonds with your customers are very important. The same rules apply to awareness; you need to stay at the forefront of their minds. For this to happen, you should be present on a variety of channels and not focus only on one method of communication. Use social media, emails, chats, and IVRs. In order to satisfy your customers’ needs and remain in their minds, you must work from all angles.

To be clear, we are not discussing marketing alone here but the overall performance of your business. Take care of the user experience, customer service, and post-purchase services, etc. Be present at industry events and let people get to know you better there. Differ your distribution channels and put yourself out there. The key is to focus on delivering high quality via various channels and be open. This way, you will maximize your chances of higher income. 

Start boosting your ROI now!

Making your ROI high is not the simplest task, but it might not be as hard as you think it is if you focus on the goal. And it is almost a piece of cake if you follow our tips! 

Increasing your ROI means increasing your income, but you shouldn’t put the money aspect first all the time. What or rather who should come first are your customers, both existing and potential ones. That is because happy customers are the ones who spend the most money on your items. Keep them satisfied in the first place so that you can meet their needs and deliver high-quality services. Increasing your return on investment will follow as a result.

#ParrotInspires: 8 things to research before launching your referral program

Business / Referral Marketing TipsLeave a Comment on #ParrotInspires: 8 things to research before launching your referral program

Launching a new referral program always awakens some emotions, but to increase your chances of success you have to be sure to check every aspect before the big day.

A program that is unfinished or littered with bugs won’t bring you many customers. Instead it will send a clear message – since the program is not of the highest quality, your products probably won’t be either. You can use software to track bugs and prevent such issues from occurring. 

Making double or even multiple checks is not a waste of time, it allows you to save time on starting the program again from scratch and also to save face. Hence it is worth spending a few more minutes to check now and not be embarrassed later.

What should you pay attention to? We will provide you with a checklist that you should go through every time you release a new program. Grab a pen and get ready to make a few notes.

Make sure you review this list again before you begin thinking about your next referral program. 

4 things to check before you create a program

There are a few aspects to check before you start designing your program. Thanks to this list of them you will be able to adjust your plan from the start and avoid unnecessary mistakes. Before we cover the foundations of every business venture, i.e. research, we want to point you in the right direction. You should think about what you offer, the quality of it, and whether or not the time, money, and effort invested in your program is likely to pay off.

#1 User experience is crucial

You should analyze whether your offer is simply good enough to become a customer referral before you think about developing one. In case you quickly answer “Of course, it is!”, just hold on for a minute. We believe that you do offer the highest quality of products or services, but your business performance should be flawless. The quality of your products is not the only thing you have to consider, but also think about the customer service you provide, your website’s architecture and responsiveness (the same rules apply to mobile apps), plus the overall level of processes like delivery time and available payment methods, etc. All of them influence the customer experience. Moreover, you should find your USP and highlight it in your communication. Your loyal customer should know how to present your brand to their friends and recommend your products.

Keep in mind that almost 45% of users would tell their friends about a bad user experience, and it is not the type of (un)referral that you want. 

#2 Conduct proper research 

It may seem a little tedious, but this is an obligatory and crucial step to make your program successful. You have to know what your competition is up to. Therefore, take a closer look at their programs, how they work, and what they offer, etc. Focus on their customers and whether they are willing to participate actively in their programs or if they are not interested in them at all. 

Analyzing the rules of your competitors’ programs, rewards, and strategies can be a great benchmark for you. You will be able to check which solutions work for your target audience and which you should rather avoid. Copying competitors’ strategies is obviously not advised, but observing their mistakes is. 

#3 Choose your templates

In marketing, communication with your customers is essential. Therefore, choosing the most suitable and clear template should be your priority. It will be necessary to announce the launch of your program and then later communicate with participants through this method.

The template should correlate with your brand’s visual identification – colors, fonts, and logos, etc. The style you write in also should be your focus. It is not so easy to write a good and catchy referral email, but no worries because you can find a few tips here.

Speaking of communication, you should also design the share message, i.e. the text that will appear when a customer shares their referral link via social media. Catchy, polite, and encouraging is the ideal approach. You should tailor the message to the social media platforms that your potential customers use. 

#4 Decide on the software you use

To automate the process, you should choose a piece of referral marketing software. It should be easy to integrate with the apps you use on a daily basis such as your CRM or email provider. Also, the perfect software should allow you to tailor each aspect of your program as you wish. Good news! EarlyParrot ticks all of the boxes.

It cooperates seamlessly with most of the CRMs like WordPress or Joomla, and moreover if you run an eCommerce store then WooCommerce or Shopify are available too. With our tool, you can tailor each step of your program and automate it. EarlyParrot handles communication on your behalf and has your back when it comes to saying “Thank you!” or congratulating recipients of rewards. Furthermore, you can even tailor and brand referral links. All you need to do is design the messages, customize them, and you’re done!

4 things before you launch the program

Let’s suppose you have created your perfect referral program and covered all of the required steps. Before you click launch, you should be 100% sure that your program is without the smallest flaw. Don’t be hot-headed, take a deep breath and examine the issues below.

#1 Check the technical aspects

They are the engine of your program. If there is a bug in the code or a link directs your clients to a 404 page, then there is no way you can be referred. Why would users recommend something that doesn’t work?

Therefore, double-check each step of the referral process. From the very beginning, i.e. invitation, until the very end, which is receiving the rewards. Review whether or not the appropriate emails arrive and referral links work, etc. If you offer a mobile app, you also need to pay attention to referral actions. The goal of mobile apps is to simplify our lives, so be attentive to them in order to fulfill this objective. You can lose many clients if your program doesn’t work on mobile devices. (p.s. if you don’t have an app then you should consider it –  in 2019, more than 60% of US time spent on digital was using smartphone apps).

source

#2 Plan the promotion

Launching a new referral program without proper promotion will not attract many potential customers. That’s because they won’t even be aware of it. To provide a positive experience and higher conversion rates, you have to make some noise about your referral marketing program. You could use content marketing and write a few blog posts about the program or upload a few social media posts. You may also want to send your entire customer base a newsletter ahead of time and invite them to join later. Maybe a sort of early-bird discount code would work? What should you do to promote your referral program? For example, your marketing strategy should include:

  • content marketing – blog posts, social media, landing pages
  • Google and social media ads
  • affiliate and influencer marketing
  • contests for current customers.

To recap, if you want to provide a successful referral program then you have to promote it well and in advance. People have to hear about it and become curious. Catch the attention of your satisfied customers when they are at their most positive point, i.e., right after purchasing. In a “thank you” message, you should mention that your refer-a-friend program is around the corner in order to increase their interest. You can also reveal one or two types of referral rewards. This way, you will be able to gather new participants at very low customer acquisition costs.

#3 Deliver clear messaging

Promotion is crucial to providing a successful referral program, but you should also explain what it is about. When you encourage users to join the referral program, you should also direct them to a page that outlines the details of it; terms of use, the types of referral rewards you offer, and a step-by-step guide on how to sign up and make a successful referral. You should create such a landing page and link to it whenever you mention your refer-a-friend program. 

Additionally, it is important to highlight this page on your website, as active users of your site might find it interesting too. The average customer shouldn’t have any difficulties finding that subpage and understanding what it indicates. You need to use simple language and be specific. Ideally you should provide some graphic or video material on how to sign up and begin the referral process. Remember that such a page is a part of your content marketing strategy, therefore it should be coherent with the other elements. Both text and graphic content should look like a part of your business model; language, colors, internal linking. You should pay attention to detail, as only this way will content marketing work. 

#4 Set tracking tools

So your happy customers start sharing referral codes, your brand awareness increases, you gain new, loyal customers, and everything is going like clockwork. There is one “but” – you have to track your customers’ activity, who shares the highest number of referral codes, and who is the most efficient referrer, etc. This way, you will be able to recognize whether or not your referral rate is increasing, and you can follow that straight from your referral marketing software. With EarlyParrot you can track program metrics from your dashboard. Furthermore, if you prefer to follow links and program performance from your Google Analytics tool, no problem! Use RocketLink to upgrade your links and keep following them via your Google Analytics account. 

Design it and launch it!

As you can see, launching a referral program should be well-planned and thought out. There is no need to rush. Before you start designing your referral campaign you should pay attention to the issues pointed out in the first part of this article:

  • user experience
  • research
  • communication and message templates
  • software

Also remember to look at the points discussed in the second half of this article after launching your referral program:

  • technical matters
  • promotion
  • instructions
  • tracking tools

Once you cover all of these above issues, your referral program will be ready to conquer the market. Go live and profit from it!

How can a small business manage referral marketing? – our guide to success

Business / Referral Marketing TipsLeave a Comment on How can a small business manage referral marketing? – our guide to success

Customers bring power to the engine of every company, whatever its size. However, it is small businesses that value every customer the most. Why? Because they do not have many, so each new customer means a lot more.

Such small businesses often seek various online and offline ways to acquire new customers. One of these methods is referral marketing, and in this article we will share with you everything you need to know as a small business to start your adventure with referrals and reward programs. 

One more time – what is referral marketing

Referral marketing is all about the power of…words. It works by rewarding your existing audience with various incentives in exchange for referrals. For it to be a success, referrers have to first share their unique links on channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Twitter. They are then rewarded for spreading the word and acquiring you new clients and subscribers. It is a highly profitable form of marketing with many benefits for businesses, especially those small ones.

What is interesting is that people trust referrals from friends 7 times more than any other advertising method due to the perceived authenticity of a referral. Moreover, 92% of customers trust referrals more than advertising, and referred customers usually spend 16% more than other customers. Interesting, right? 

Let’s discover some of the greatest advantages of a referral program that small businesses can expect to benefit from.

How small businesses can benefit from referrals 

  • referrals = new customers 

When your existing audience recommends your company to other people, often across various channels, you will increase your brand recognition, brand awareness, and customer acquisition rate. 

The more people who recommend your brand, the more customers you will get and, as a result, the more income you can earn. All of this contributes to the growth of your small business, both in terms of profit and experience. 

  • growing an online presence 

The more people who talk about your brand, the bigger your online presence becomes. Hashtags, mentions, screenshots of your profile or website, or even something as simple as plain text with the name of your business on it can contribute massively to building a strong online position. When customers recommend your company, they become your company’s advocates and help you to increase your outreach in digital media by talking about the benefits of your products and/or services on your behalf. 

  • enhanced brand reputation

When people recommend your brand, it means they trust you. No one will recommend a brand to their family or friends if they do not like it. As more people start talking about your brand and inviting others to try your services, your brand reputation increases and this will contribute to creating a positive brand image.  

  • happy customers

Incentives are usually what encourages customers to participate in a referral program in the first place. Rewarding your customers for their help is a great way to thank them for their time, as well as to make them satisfied with your services. 

Happy customers are more likely to return to your company in the future, especially when it comes to first-time buyers. Starting your relationship off with a nice surprise will be beneficial to your business in the long run, trust us!

  • improved sales revenue and higher conversion rate  

Whilst it is true that incentives and free gifts do cost your company money, a referral marketing program allows you to generate more profits, attract more customers, and vastly increase your ROI. Moreover, traditional customer acquisition is quite expensive, so a program like this will allow you to generate more income at a lower cost. 

Top 10 referral practices that every small business should know

#1 think of a valuable incentive

Customers love incentives, there is no doubt about that. Research shows that 75% of consumers, i.e. 3 in 4 of your customers, favor companies that offer rewards. Moreover, around 70% of consumers are likely to recommend a brand provided they offer good loyalty programs. 

So, what can you do with these pieces of information? You want your customers to like your brand and keep coming back, right? The best thing you can do is offer them nice incentives for their loyalty. Think of valuable rewards that you could offer to your customers for simply referring your brand to their family and friends. Your customers will value your company for its personalized and friendly approach towards them. 

#2 be creative 

When thinking about what incentives would work best for your customers, do not be afraid to get creative! Think about the type of business you run, as well as what sort of products and/or services you offer. Original and unique incentives will drive customer loyalty and enhance brand recall. It is a great way to build up a special place for your business in the minds of your customers. 

What are your options, then? You can choose from gift cards,  discount codes (on next purchases or those over a certain amount of money), free products, additional samples, extra reward points, free company merchandise, complimentary bonuses (e.g. free plan upgrades), and more.

#3 know what your customers like

There are plenty of gifts and bonuses to choose from, but keep in mind that not everything will work. This is why you should pay extra attention to your average customer’s profile and make sure you know what they would be happy to receive.  A feature-rich CRM like Copper sales management tool can help you understand your customers and create a more targeted referral program.

For example, if you run a business that offers relatively expensive and luxury products, you could offer a discount code for the next purchase a customer makes. If you run a company that sells beauty products, like make-up and hair care, chances are that your customers would love to receive free samples or gifted products from your offer. In a similar fashion, if you run a Saas (Software-As-A-Service) company, a great way to encourage referrals is by offering a free subscription upgrade for a certain amount of time. Use right software to manage your subscription billing service effectively. Pick whatever suits your business model best!

#4 be grateful 

Your referral program should not finish with simply asking your customers to refer you to their friends and family. In fact, this is only the beginning of your work and there is much more to come after that! 

First things first, start by thanking your customers for their time and dedication spent recommending you, as well as showing appreciation for the trust of those accepting invites. A simple ‘Thank You’ can change whole relationships with your current and potential customers. It is also a sign of respect and lets your customers know that you care about them.

#5 think of the right promotional channels and utilize them proactively 

No matter how great your incentives are and how happy your customers will be to receive them, if you do not promote your referral program properly you will not be successful. You need to raise awareness about it and, therefore, your choice of promotion channels should be well thought-out and planned. Focus on those channels that bring you the most profit, as well as those where your audience is wide. Don’t wait for referral links to appear out of nowhere, but instead create conditions for that to happen!

You may want to think about proactively promoting your referral program on: 

  • Facebook

with over 2.7 billion active users, Facebook would be a great way to spread the word about your program. What is more, the average Facebook user has 338 friends on this platform, and so that is how many people you could potentially reach if just one person shares your referral program and invites their friends to try your company. 

As email marketing is still one of the most profitable marketing channels, with the possibility to boast your ROI by 4,200%, you may want to consider promoting your program this way.

  • direct mail 

Another great way to encourage referrals is by sending your customers short notes after they order from you. Consider it as a “thank you” with an invitation to join your referral program. Your customers will appreciate this kindness, and chances are that they will recommend your brand to other people as aresult.

#6 don’t forget to follow up

Follow-ups are extremely important in all circumstances. You should always pay attention to your communication with anyone and make sure your messages reach the intended recipients. In a world where everything is moving fast and people often have a lot going on in their lives, gently reminding your customers about your offer is a great way to reach out to them.

This applies to when you first send out an invitation to your customers to encourage them to refer your company to other people, as well as after someone successfully refers you and receives an incentive for doing so. The latter is particularly important when the incentive is a discount code, for example, as a customer using it means a new sale for you. So you do want them to use it, right?

#7 make interactions fun and engaging 

This tip depends on the type of business you run, but try to think of ways to make communication with your customers fun and engaging. You could use funny graphics and text, as well as add elements of personalization. 

Make your messages memorable and easy to remember. What you should be trying to achieve is staying in your customers’ minds for as long as possible. When this happens, they are far more likely to join your referral program and interact with your brand more often.

#8 make the process easy 

Great incentives, distribution channels, or even catchy images and text are all great ideas, but they are not enough. Your referral program should be easy for people to participate in. Try establishing some simple ground rules and make the process itself easy to follow. 

You surely do not want to receive emails on a daily basis from hundreds of consumers asking how to correctly refer your brand to their friends. What would be even worse is a customer thinking they correctly invited their friend, but in fact they did not do so successfully and you are unaware of this. That is why you should pay attention to the user-friendliness of your program.

#9 check out your competitors

Competition plays an important role in the performance and success of your business. For this reason, you should pay attention to what your key competitors are doing, including in terms of loyalty schemes and referral programs. 

It is even better if you compare yourself to the top-performing companies in the industry rather than to those with worse performance than yours, as usually the former will have more customers and therefore make greater profits.

To check out their approach to customers, we have a little sneaky tip for you! Go incognito and place orders at your competitors’ stores. Find out how their average customer is treated, what sort of emails are sent to you, how quickly orders are processed, what their communication skills are like, and more. Pay attention to their online reviews too!

Knowing all of this will allow you to spot areas for improvements within your organisation, as well as features that deserve some appreciation and celebration. Do not waste time. Go and check out your competitors now – you can really learn a lot

#10 pick the best customer referral software

Last but not least: the mastermind, the omega to your alpha, and your number one companion in terms of referral marketing – an efficient and powerful piece of referral program software. Without one, the chances of growing your small business with referrals are significantly decreased. 

What you need is a brandable, easy to integrate referral marketing solution that will make your experience with referral marketing pleasant and enjoyable. With tools like Early Parrot, a popular and highly regarded piece of referral marketing software, you can take your small business to the next level by:

  • lowering your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
  • Accelerating the growth of your business 
  • encouraging customers to spread the word about your great services 
  • getting more repeated sales and satisfied customers

The good news is that you can now test out Early Parrot for free with no time limit! Give it a try and experience for yourself how great referral marketing can be. 

A successful referral program strategy is closer than you think

Now you should know what referral marketing is, as well as its key benefits and some best practices for running a successful referral program as a small business. 

With referral marketing you will:

  • gain new customers quicker 
  • grow your online presence and increase brand awareness 
  • generate more income at a lower cost
  • keep your customers happy and eager to come back 

Follow our guide to ensure that you will run a truly effective referral marketing program. Small businesses can succeed quickly too, and this article shows you how! All you need is time and dedication for success to come. Trust the process and enjoy growing your business in a fun and active way! 

If you are interested in learning more about referral marketing and its perks then do not hesitate to check out our blog where we share our knowledge with people who need it. We hope this article helped you!

What is a marketing funnel?

Business / Lead GenerationLeave a Comment on What is a marketing funnel?

The sales funnel is something you have probably encountered when starting your business. Basically, it is the first step to maximizing your profits. Such a funnel is a visual presentation of the sales process from scratch up to lead generation. It helps to plan and organize your actions efficiently.

A marketing funnel is another type of funnel. It’s essential to understand how the marketing funnel works and how to use it when designing your marketing strategy. In this article, we’ll describe its essence, stages, and what it has to offer from a sales perspective.

What is a marketing funnel?

You can use a marketing funnel to map out the customer journey, all the way from awareness (the moment your business first comes to their attention) to purchasing (when they are ready to purchase your product or service). A funnel can also include cross- and up-selling in addition to post-purchase follow-ups.

In other words, marketing funnels are a visualization of a customer’s path from their introduction to your business to finalising a purchase. It helps to understand your target audience’s point of view and helps them to make the right choices (i.e. buy your products or services). The “old marketing funnel” was based on the AIDA model, which consists of four stages: Attract, Interest, Desire, and Action. Nowadays, there are five stages of the marketing funnel. We will discuss each of them in detail and point out which aspects you should pay attention to. 

Marketing funnel stages 

Marketing funnels are often visualised as an upside down pyramid or, unsurprisingly, a funnel. The first stage is at the top, and the customer path goes downwards through the funnel until hopefully reaching the bottom. Moving down, the number of potential purchases decreases as the quality of leads improves.

Stage one: Awareness 

In this phase of the consumer journey, your potential buyers are aware of your brand and products. Here you have to deliver your prospective customer a good reason to go through the following stages. The awareness stage is dedicated to letting people get to know you better and connect with your brand. Nevertheless, you should hit the ground running if you want to attract your potential target audience. Focus on visibility – Google searches, online ads, and email marketing should all be of interest to you. More than 70% of people look for information through search engines, so it is worth being prominent in the results of them.

Stage two: Interest 

Now is the time to catch the attention of your target customers. You should surprise them by increasing your marketing efforts. To keep your potential customers interested, you should design a unique marketing strategy. Offer valuable content like white papers, case studies, and insightful blog posts, or make use of video marketing. At this stage, you should focus on grabbing the attention of your prospective customer base.

Stage three: Evaluation

Although this is also called the consideration stage, the main issue is that customers examine their options and so your role is to show them that your product is the best choice. Use social media and content marketing materials. At this point the customer experience is crucial, so hedge your bets accordingly. Evaluation is a critical point in the purchase process at which customers decide whether to stay in your marketing funnel or move on to one of your competitors. 

Stage four: Commitment

The decision has been made; potential customers are ready to purchase from you. This is the final stretch, but you cannot rest yet. Now it is time to present your solution at its finest, so you should send a clear marketing message that your products are the best and demonstrate why. This is the right time for offering product demos or free trials, which can speed up purchasing decision-making. 

Stage five: Sale

Mission accomplished: your customers have made purchasing decisions and gone through the whole funnel successfully. This phase is often called the conversion stage. In other words, a potential client becomes a current customer, which means you achieve your ultimate goal. Although this is the last phase of the marketing funnel, the customer journey is about to begin for good. Now you have to take care of customer retention and ensure that the purchase stage is not the end of your relationship with the customer. It should instead be the beginning of a strong connection.

Marketing funnel vs sales funnel

Although both of the funnels end with a purchasing decision, they map out customers differently. Some say that the marketing funnel is just the beginning and it ends when the sales funnel starts. This is true in a way, since marketing is about attracting people while sales aim to maintain customers and repeat the purchase process. 

A marketing funnel is focused on presale steps and gaining a customer’s attention, whereas the sales funnel (hopefully) leads to them making a purchase by focusing on encouraging constant action. 

To recap, building awareness, sustaining interest, and evaluating customer satisfaction are the objectives of marketing funnels. The main focus here is the customer. In the case of the sales funnel, the goal is a successful sales process.

Content strategy depends on the stage of the funnel

As you have probably noticed, at various stages of the funnel, you should generate a variety of content. Let’s focus on that. Have you ever heard about ToFu, MoFu, and BoFu? We can explain. These shortcuts stand for Top of the Funnel, Middle of the Funnel, and Bottom of the Funnel. They concern the content that you should publish at each stage. As a result of making such a division, it is easier to decide which piece of content is most suitable for users at various stages of the funnel. Let’s start from the top.

ToFu

At the very beginning of your digital marketing funnel, your content should reach a wide audience. This stage is dedicated to increasing the number of potential customers, generating more traffic, and catching attention. At the top of your funnel, you have to tell the world that your offer is the best and meets the market’s requirements. 

The purpose of ToFu is to distinguish between potential customers, i.e. people who are really interested in your offer and those who found you by accident. This stage is supposed to educate, so you have to focus on value and sharing knowledge. Let’s explore what type of content you should use to catch a user’s attention and start them on their journey to making a purchase. 

  • blog posts
  • ebooks, infographics, or whitepapers
  • social media posts
  • online ads encouraging newsletter signups
  • case studies

During the ToFu stage, you have to focus more on the problems that your products or service can solve, and less on the offer itself. With all of the above content, you should present possible solutions to those issues and mention that your products may hold the key to resolving them.

If you use ads to encourage people to leave their contact information, you should offer something in return. For that, longer forms of content would be great – ebooks, whitepapers, or case studies, for example.

MoFu

Welcome to the evaluation stage! Your potential client is interested in your offer. The time has come to get to know one another better and check if you are a good match. During the consideration phase, you must convince your clients that your offer is what they are looking for. Now it is time to make a sales pitch and focus on the benefits of your offer. Present all your strengths and show why you are better than the competition. For this, such content may come in handy:

  • product-related blog content
  • webinars
  • events
  • email marketing
  • customer reviews

It is also a good idea to ask what your potential customers want to know. You can provide a survey via email or distribute one on your social media profiles. Make sure to keep asking questions and answering them using CTAs. Through promoting it on your website you’ll encourage users to check out your content, and with a call to action you’ll be able to identify any doubts or questions they might have and provide answers immediately. 

By the middle of your digital marketing funnel, you’ll be able to showcase your business from its best side and transition smoothly to the final stage.  

BoFu

You’ve made it to the bottom of the funnel. Congratulations! In this phase, the purchase intent is already very high so your task is just to put the cherry on top. Almost all customers are about to buy products on the home stretch, so if you run a  successful marketing campaign then they probably will. Indecisive users need to be convinced to act, and those who convert should be rewarded for doing so. Do not let them slip; many companies make this mistake. They stop putting in effort as soon as they acquire a client, which is the exact opposite of what you should do. Since customers chose you and not the other way round, you should treat them exceptionally and ensure no dissonance occurs. 

After a client purchases from your business, you have to stay in their mind and keep reminding them about you. It is also a great chance for your business to be referred to their friends or family, so starting a customer referral program can be highly beneficial. If you want to try, EarlyParrot offers a free demo for signing up.

The Bottom of the Funnel stage is to convert clients into loyal and happy customers, so taking care of interesting and useful content should be your no. 1 task. What type of materials should you provide? Here are a few examples:

  • email marketing
  • demos
  • customer testimonials
  • discount coupons
  • video tutorials

During the last stage of the marketing funnel, the main task is to build a strong bond and keep your customers loyal. A single purchase is not enough; you want to be their constant choice that they often come back to, right? 

Over to you 

A marketing funnel is an important factor for providing a successful marketing campaign and keeping your conversion rate high. It helps with understanding the buying process and adjusting your marketing efforts accordingly.

Additionally, during the decision-making process you have to accompany the customer in order to continue delivering the best possible value to them and ensure that your products are best-in-class. 

During the funnel’s final stages, you can not let them slip away but should actually push even harder. Their final decision is close, and once it is made you have to ensure that it is not their last purchase from your business. 

We hope that, thanks to our article, you now understand the importance of the marketing funnel and will be able to adjust your content to the relevant stage. Keep in mind the ToFu, MoFu, and BoFu division and use this method often. Furthermore, you should also remember that making your marketing funnel successful requires time and some persistence, so be patient.