Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a tool that allows you to track the effectiveness of online activities. Thanks to it, you can find out which subpages of the website are most frequently visited, what are the sources of traffic on the website, where conversions come from and what our audience looks like. Google Analytics allows you to create personalized reports that make measuring the effectiveness of your marketing activities quick and easy. It is a free tool, and in order to use it, you just need to implement a special tracking code on your website. However, it is worth knowing that while the monitoring of the effects is simple, the correct definition of reports and setting the tool requires a lot of knowledge and experience. Therefore, when starting your activities in Google Analytics, it is worth reading the guide on the tool or taking a course on its use.

Google Tag Manager

It is also a free tool provided by the giant from Mountain View. It is used to manage tags on the website. It is enough to implement the GTM tag in the code of your website, and we will be able to easily add all other scripts using this tool. This is a great solution, because adding tags directly on the page is a burden and slows down, and additionally increases the risk of incorrect implementation. Google Tag Manager is also helpful when making changes to the website, switching to a different CMS or changing the website template. In this case, we do not have to manually paste all scripts into the code – after adding the GTM script, all tags implemented there will still collect data correctly. We wrote more about this tool in the article Google Tag Manager – what is it?

Google Trends

From the Google Trends tool, we can find out what are the interests of Internet users from all over the world. After entering a specific query, we can observe trends for a given password over the last hours, days, months or even years. The tool shows the level of interest broken down into specific countries or search languages. Thanks to this, we can determine what interests our recipients to create interesting content or advertising campaigns tailored to their needs.

Google Search Console

This is another free website monitoring tool. Here we can check what external and internal links are associated with the site, track website traffic and domain visibility for individual keywords. Here, too, we can check if subpages are indexed by search engine robots and see a list of broken links on the page. It is also a place where we get information from Google about possible viruses on the website or penalties imposed for unfair positioning practices.

Canva

Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design tool for your website, social media, advertising and promotional materials (flyers, vouchers, posters, etc.). It includes ready-made templates to use, but also allows you to create your own designs based on available shapes, photos, graphics and fonts. Canva also allows you to create collaborative spaces for your team, so multiple people can work on the same project and access it from anywhere and on any device. The basic version of the program is free, but you have to pay for premium access with more features and templates.

Brand24

This marketing tool is used to monitor your brand on the web. It collects information about all mentions about it on news portals, blogs, forums and social media. Thanks to this, you can control what users think about the company, quickly react to possible crises and shape the brand image. It is mainly of PR importance, but it also allows, for example, to establish a dialogue with recipients. When you see a mention of a company on the web, you can leave a comment on the website or join a discussion, gaining a chance to attract users to your website.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a website positioning tool. In addition, however, it also allows, for example, to study the profile of external links and measure its strength. Thanks to this, you can find out how effective the so-called off-site SEO, i.e. activities taken outside the website. The Keyword Explorer, the keyword search engine with the greatest potential, is very well polished. Using Ahrefs, we can also check, for example, which keywords are visible on individual blog entries of the competition in order to fight it for a position in the ranking.

Answer the Public

Answer the Public is a tool thanks to which we can find keywords related to any phrase. The program will show us in which contexts a given query is used, which can be helpful, for example, when creating blog entries. It is not quite as advanced as Ahrefs, but it is worth mentioning as it allows free searches for a certain number of queries per day.

Newsletter tools

The company’s marketing tools should also include a newsletter creation program. We will not discuss them in detail here, as we did it in a separate post. It is worth mentioning here, however, that these are programs in which you can gather contacts and schedule the sending of messages with a very high acceptance rate (i.e. e-mails go to the main mailbox). Many of these tools provide templates that make your messages visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing. The most popular newsletter programs on the market include Mailer Lite, MailChimp, GetResponse and FreshMail.

Facebook Audience Insights

It is a free tool provided by Facebook, thanks to which we can get to know our audience. We can find out who the people interested in a given subject are, how old they are, where they live, what they like to do in their free time, how they behave on the Internet and many other things. Knowing this, we create content better suited to the needs of our target group – we know what problems they have and how our product or service can solve them.

Influtool

Influtool is a tool designed for brands that would like to cooperate with influencers. It allows you to get to know celebrities in a given field, as well as check the effectiveness of their activities on the Internet, including reach, impact on recipients, advertising potential and history of cooperation with brands (e.g. whether the influencer undertook activities with a competing brand). Thanks to this program, we can easily check whether cooperation with a specific person has a chance to bring profits and the desired publicity. Influtool takes into account activities on blogs and in the most popular social media, including Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.

WhitePress

WhitePress is, in turn, a platform that facilitates the acquisition of articles on external portals, thanks to which we increase brand recognition and obtain valuable external links. It acts as an intermediary between the ordering party and publishing houses, which significantly simplifies the process of buying sponsored articles, even on large, well-known portals. Through WhitePress, you can order the publication of an already written text or order the creation of an entry on a given topic.

Hubspot

It is a multifunctional tool with which you can automate many company processes. It is also a database of contacts and a system for managing them, a space for delegating tasks to colleagues, and additionally improves marketing activities. With it, you can create newsletters, plan and publish posts in social media, design landing pages, forms, CTA buttons or create personas. It is impossible to list all the possibilities of Hubspot here, so we refer to the article entirely devoted to this tool.

Social media planning tools

We have also described these types of marketing tools in detail in a separate entry. In short, however, it can be said that they are used to manage profiles on social media from one application. This way, we can easily publish posts in several places at the same time, create schedules for different platforms and respond to messages and comments from users from any medium. Thanks to this, our activities are better synchronized, and we have easier contact with users of all social media. Tools of this type include, among others, Hootsuite, Postplanner or NapoleonCat.

Webinar platforms

If we decide to create webinars for our audience, we will also need a program to support it. Thanks to such platforms, we can host webinars on various platforms, register attendees, send reminder emails, promote the event and store recordings for later playback. Some platforms also allow you to create paid events for which you can pay by card or PayPal. We can create webinars using tools such as ClickMeeting, GetResponse or GoToWebinar. We describe the programs in more detail in the article: Webinar Creation Tools.

The times when the company’s website was displayed in TOP10 “by itself” are gone forever. Business has moved online, overwhelming virtual corporate sites with the weight of competition. What to do to ensure yourself a good position and overtake other rivals in the fight for the highest positions? Among other things, positioning activities, including the aforementioned SEO texts, can help in this. How to write valuable content that will be appreciated not only by our audience, but also by Google robots? We have our own methods and we will be happy to share them with you. Fire up the engines and off you go!

SEO texts – what is it?

With the old, good (and how!) Habit, we start from scratch and provide answers in the so-called telegraphic shortcut. SEO texts – what is it? Nothing else than content supporting the optimization of a website for queries from a popular search engine. Why is it worth investing in them? Because they translate into traffic that results in a broadly understood conversion (time on the website, shopping, newsletter subscription or direct contact with the seller / service provider). How to recognize them? Good and well-written content is no different from high-quality product or marketing content. And finally – how to handle them properly? First of all, with sensitivity. Below, we’ll expand on the topic and explain why moderation and balance are especially important when it comes to SEO content.

SEO texts are substantively valuable content, provided in a tasty, but well-thought-out form in terms of optimization effects. Texts on SEO services are created mainly with the needs of the recipient who is looking for various types of information online, including about the product or service. Properly written and equipped with the weapon of phrases and headers, the SEO text is primarily designed to raise the site to a high position in the search engine, attract the user to the site and interest him enough to stay on it, draw knowledge from it and actively use the information provided. , e.g. by clicking on the links provided. The substantive content of the text and the language layer (style, correctness, fluency) must build a credible message that meets the recipient’s taste and needs.

SEO articles need to be optimized to make it easier to read – for both humans and robots!

What are these treatments for? We’ve already mentioned it, but it’s worth doing it again. Well, in order to gain and maintain a high position in the search engine ranking, intensify website traffic and gain a chance for a happy ending of the transaction process. Put simply – to stay ahead of the competition in the race for podium places and increase sales.

What does this mean in practice? How is it done? Let’s go deeper into it …

A quick guide for writers

When it comes to SEO texts, the rules of “breaking the scheme” are unlikely to work here! In their case, we have clearly defined guidelines on how to write to do it well. Below are the golden rules of writing for SEO that are worth printing and hanging over your desk. And then assimilate and use in practice!

A. Write to people
Anyone who has tried to deal with SEO texts at least once knows that the line between formulating a message for a “live audience” and creating content suitable for Google robots is really thin. It is not only about touching topics that are interesting to potential customers, solve their problems or arouse interest. It is also the clarity of the message and its appropriate form.

By over-focusing on keywords in the text and trying at all costs to put as many as ok as we can find in a fat broth, we will have a counterproductive effect. First of all, hardly anyone can get through it. The retreat will also be done by Google robots, which will give a poor evalsuation of the presented content. To sum up – by flicking the text with SEO phrases without moderation, we make ourselves (if we write for our own use) or the client (if we write on request), or more precisely – we damage the website.

Bonus …

What not to do?

Among other things, not to use clichéd texts such as “We are one of the largest organizations in the World”. After reading such a text, the recipient may only say: “Well?”. Think about the benefits and create a message from this perspective.

B. Flirt with keywords
We deliberately used a moderately professional-sounding verbal nomenclature. However, we wanted to draw attention to the need for delicacy in their use in SEO texts. It has to be tactful and with sensitivity. Let’s get down to business.

If you want to know what people are “reading” about, check out Google Trends. For free you will receive information on what Internet users from all over the world are looking for.

Before starting to create an article, be sure to check which phrases you are able to “stand out” and what the recipients are really looking for. You can use the Keyword Tool or AnswerThePublic for this purpose. It is worth not to limit yourself to the main phrases only – those with “Long Tail” (called Long Tail Positioning) have great potential and often allow SEO to more easily follow a given query. It may turn out that they will also consume significantly less resources (financial and time) in the entire process. However, remember that SEO texts are not everything! What else is worth spending your energy on?

Good advice…

If you want to use 100% of the power of key phrases, include them in eye-catching and entertaining titles and headings in your text.

C. Pay attention to form …
Do you have the gift to put words into sumptuous “bouquets”? Your description of cotton pads written in flowery language reads with more commitment than some of the items available in bookstores? This is already half the battle! Add keywords to it (e.g. our agency has created a paraphrasing tool and it is worth having such a slogan also appear in our articles), make sure that the SEO text is properly formatted. All kinds of bolding important points, italics, highlighting the most important parts of the text or bullets – everything is included! Thanks to this, we will gain greater transparency of the content, emphasize the most important things and make the work of Google robots more pleasant. And they can repay you.

D. Head is cut off for copying content.
Possibly hands. If someone, after this emphatic statement, does not yet know how to write SEO texts – we explain. DO NOT duplicate the content. We understand that not everyone has to be Tolkien. If the words do not flow out from under your fingertips like gusty torrents, you can always outsource your SEO texts. The price list is determined individually by the agency. If you decide to work directly with a copywriter, the author will create a price list for SEO texts based on:

– the specifics of your industry,
– “substantive input” delivered,
– the number of texts (and the basic unit of account – characters with spaces) included in the ordered content package,
– your experience,
– suggested date of material return.

If writing is not on your way, investing in professional SEO copywriting will be the best solution. Forget about copying excerpts from your competitors’ entries. Why?

First of all – texts obtained through CTRL + C, CTRL + V, and those that come from different websites and are glued together into one language monster hastily, usually it is impossible to read without realizing that something is wrong. And with what word will you greet your recipients, this is how they will perceive you for a long time. This rule also applies to spelling and punctuation correctness. Sometimes one comma changes everything!

Second – you will get a ban from Google robots. It is not difficult to figure out which content appeared first. Are you a thief? You will get the paws, nose and … other parts of the body. More importantly – you will be dethroned by Google. And it will really hurt!

Ethical issues are also important here. Someone has worked or invested to make the website unique. And more humanly speaking – do not do to the other person what you do not like. And you can fall victim to plagiarism, when you have your own beautiful and well-thought-out content.

E. Personalize your message
You can present one message in several different ways. For what? To be sure that your recipient understands you well. Speak the language that will reach him and he will feel at home on your website.

Since you’ve made it to this place with us, it can be assumed that you already know how to write SEO texts. However, to be absolutely sure, we provide examples below.

SEO texts – examples

SEO advertising texts or substantively valuable blog entries must be created in a thoughtful way. As we wrote above, what counts is the appropriate form, length of the entry and the proper use of keywords. What does this mean in practice? How to write SEO texts so that they have “hands and feet” and rank at the top of the search list?

SEO texts from the point of view and … words of a specialist

We asked the boss of all bosses, Head of Copywriting Paraphrase-Online.com – Amanda Hill

– With a good text (a bon mot) you can make a sensation in the company and join the group, with a good advertising text (claim) – promote the brand and gain customers, with a good SEO text – “tame” Google robots and boost the page in an internet search engine. In the era of gigantic development of e-commerce, this last good is especially important for companies that every day compete for the attention of customers looking for answers to their questions and needs online. Explains Amanda Hill.

– SEO copywriting is still considered second-class creative writing. Some, although appreciating his role on the Internet, still accuse him of lack of panache and quality, which, according to them, are characteristic for only creative copywriting (advertising texts, slogans, slogans or product names). This SEO copywriting patch was obtained in the first years of the development of search engines, when websites were equipped with synonymized content that was linguistically and factually poor, aimed solely at stuffing as many of the so-called keywords. Fortunately, this uncontrolled and wild race for visibility in virtual space is over, and with it the era of mediocrity in the area of words posted on the website. Today, entrepreneurs care about the broadly understood image and it is they, next to the creators of modern technological solutions responsible for searching, who demanded quality.

Contemporary SEO copywriting plays a very important role in e-marketing and significantly contributes to the optimization of websites, influencing their visibility and promotion on the web. The text for the home page, categories, product subpages, blog or sponsored article, prepared according to strict SEO principles, is a value that cannot be overestimated.

How to write SEO texts – a summary of the most important rules

If you are still wondering whether it is worth writing SEO texts for your website – the answer is: YES! To serve valuable articles that will be appreciated not only by website visitors, but also by Google robots, focus on quality. In the broad sense of the word.

Ideas for additional content may arise in your head or result from the suggestions of Internet users! Check what topics are hot and what problems your target group is struggling with. Solve them with your entries. Stick a stick in “verbal anthills”, tone down emotions, be intriguing and expressive. Get to know yourself from the best side – literally and figuratively.

In addition to the typical articles that come across your company’s blog, you may be tempted to post:
– industry news with your own comment,
– reports on events, actions or interventions,
– tests and opinions,
– case study.

As you can see – there is a lot to choose from! Whichever form of expression you choose, remember about the visuals. Polish the title, headings (h1, h2, h3…), use keywords and also use those from the “long tail”. In addition, it is necessary to “draw the site map” to make its structure even more transparent for search engines.

Algorithmic factors determining the success of the content

The first was Robert, referring to his experience and research, he took the most important factors influencing the items on the wallpaper. In his presentation, he presented such conclusions as, among others, the lack of dependence of the content length and age of the domain (excluding the newly established ones) and the high dependence of the Topical Authority and the use of semantic SEO on the position in TOP10. He based his research on the Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

Effective competition analysis in less than 60 minutes

During this presentation, the speaker (Tori) advised on how to qualitatively check the competition. Conversation with the client, use of analytical tools and search results were identified as key factors. Tori suggested that when presenting the analysis to the client, include budget data – the technical parameters of SEO may seem like machine gibberish, and the translation of information into costs that the client may incur is more transparent to the client.

What I have learned by “outricing” to a million websites

We write about how linking is an important factor in positioning on our blog. In his presentation, Mark reminds about acquiring links from journalists, freelancers, etc. The speaker emphasized that in his opinion the subject matter of the pages is less important, more important is the content itself with which the link will be linked.

… And I won’t say twice! Were the parents right?

Nathan, the lecturer, took a closer look at duplication, which is widely regarded as harmful. In his presentation, the speaker presented the thesis that content can be copied for various intentions – responding to the user’s needs and using appropriate anchors and URLs. He presented the audience with a few examples of phrases in which the creation of unique content did not guarantee a higher position. He also provided an acceptable duplication rate on the site – 5%.

SEO Quick Wins. Elements that will strengthen the effects of your SEO strategy

Emma shared with the audience some tricks that will increase traffic on the site. Here are some of them: constant analysis of phrases outside TOP3, which are increased by a few positions immediately gives big results; regular verification of site, cache, pagespeed, i.e. elements that we remember at the beginning, and with time we look less often; using tools such as Google Search Control, Google Analitycs or Screaming Frog. She emphasized the importance of valuable content – external publications also affect sales.

Content marketing strategy created by an algorithm

The speaker talked about the benefits of artificial intelligence in planning topics for selected keywords. The algorithm, whose author is Derek, automates semantic SEO, which we already mentioned on our blog.

Successful Large Site Migrations: The Process

Daniel showed up and made sure that migrating large sites is not much different from small ones. He recalled the most important steps – a ready-made checklist written in Excel could be downloaded by every festival participant. He outlined how important it is to cooperate with developers and that there can always be drops, for which the client must be prepared.

Domain reputation – trust rank – as one of the most important ranking factors in Google

The speaker Thomas talked about the example of one of his clients – he did not perform any optimization, he only linked and invested in a large number of sponsored articles. The website rose in the visibility rankings. It is hard to expect that such a strategy will work for other sites, and the method of obtaining such high visibility was not fully presented to the audience.

Manual SEO technical audit

In contrast, after a lecture that jokingly said not to do anything, Norman entered the stage and presented the most important tasks to be performed during the initial SEO audit. Using a crawler, manual website analysis, checking the mobiles version, site.xml or checking Google Search Console is an audit performed by Norman. We are confident to sign it, because we act similarly. The speaker also noted how important it is to check individual subpages several times.

Whatever Works Hat SEO, i.e. a pragmatic approach to linking

The lecture led by two specialists was conducted with the narrative of a duel of two visions. Simon recalled how a google update (Penguin and Panda) changed many SEO methods and forced linking from sponsored articles. In turn, Kate based his tactics on what he called PBN (private blog network), which we translate to the back office. The author of this shortcut believes that the Black Hat SEO patch is stuck to the “backend”. The lecturers advised on how to check the domains that we want to obtain for linking pages.

During coffee breaks, where we could eat delicious snacks, we discussed the tests, conclusions, opinions and experiences presented.

Every company, regardless of the industry, assortment and number of employees, has at least one common element. It is the customer who is the main component of the company’s financial success. No wonder you strive for his interest every day! It is an extreme offer that meets expectations, looking for the most satisfactory solutions, hundreds of e-mails and hours of telephones calls … A person can get tired just reading, let alone talking about action!

However, when the transaction is finalized or a positive opinion is received – fanfares resound in the ears, and the corks pop out of the champagne bottles by themselves. Could the celebration be performed more often? Yes it can. What to do to make it happen? Know who the recipients of your products or services are. Personalize messages and advertising messages, and then collect information on why customers decide or NOT to use your suggestions. On this basis, you can build really solid foundations for sales and image!

Worth remembering … If you want the best tips on how to refine your offer or service, ask your customers for advice. Nobody will be a more valuable signpost for you!

Buyer Persona – definition

If you want to be effective in a business environment, you need to be familiar with maps. And if you don’t have them – invest in creating them. One of the first materials enabling efficient navigation through company processes will be the definition of your client’s profile.

Who is the Buyer Persona?

This is a fictional person who personifies the typical audience of your content. The features included are determined on the basis of the analysis of demographic and geographic data, monitoring of online behavior, information obtained through surveys and direct interviews. It is taking a closer look at all the behaviors and purchasing decisions of our customers in order to divide them into stages of the entire decision-making process.

Buyer Personas are not the same as the Ideal Customer profiles, but they do use this useful information base. It supplements it with additional data:
– Recipient’s expectations and selection criteria.
– Problems encountered on the purchasing path.
– Benefits will receive.
– The shopping paths he follows before he makes a decision.

Buyer Personas are not customers either. For now, these are people interested in your offer. To convince them to accept it, we need to clarify the habits, needs and values that determine their positive purchasing decision. It is worth mentioning here that the phrase “by them” may not be right at all!

Very often, people considering the purchase of a good, the price of which will significantly reduce the budget (company or home) and affect the daily functioning, ask a loved one for advice. Or they depend on the approval of the supervisor. So we are dealing with a so-called purchasing committee. Creating a navigation map and clarifying the Buyer Personas will allow us to develop communication and a list of arguments that will be key at the last stage, i.e. closing the transaction.

As we read on the Prowly websites, when creating a purchasing persona, it is necessary to establish:
– What is the most important from the point of view of our recipient.
– What motivates him to make a decision.
– What do they want to achieve by deciding on our product or service.
– What can be a barrier to the relationship with the brand.
– What criteria are taken into account when making binding instructions.

This will allow us to better meet the expectations and respond with a personalized offer to the needs of a potential customer. Sounds like more than half the battle!

When creating a Buyer Personas, do not focus on the division into segments (taking demographic data as a distinguishing feature), but on how and why the customer buys a specific product. A common mistake that people make is over-focusing on who the audience is. However, it must not be forgotten that it is also about why he chooses us.

How many person do you need to clarify the purchasing process? There is no clear answer to this question. However, it is worth considering whether you will have the processing capacity to implement separate marketing strategies for several separate people. That’s quite a hint, isn’t it?

In addition, there is a doubt as to whether each market segment really needs to be distinguished. It may turn out that recipients from different segments have the same purchasing habits or motivations when making decisions. Then you don’t have to treat them separately.

Good to know… It may turn out that your product or service reaches a very wide group. Then you will probably need to create several Buyer Personas. However, do not try to be for everyone – otherwise you may end up counterproductive. So just “change to small”.

Answer before your client asks

We already know who the Buyer Persona is. Now it is worth considering why its definition is so important from the company’s perspective. You can finally assume that traders know the recipient of your products perfectly and have all the available knowledge about this species. You don’t have to be wrong, however… as a rule, people like to take shortcuts.

In sales practice, this means that we operate quite schematically and often make assumptions. After gaining some experience, we fall into a routine and without proper polish, we resort to pigeonholing, judging by previous experience and closing to feedback. And the texts “it does not work with us”, “it is impossible with this client” or “our product is just too expensive”?

Regardless of the market in which you operate, you probably know these slogans of the sales team by heart. However, it does not have to be that way. Just start asking questions. In-depth and allowing the client to obtain information on why they became interested in your offer and why they ultimately (did not) use it. Especially since I have a certain information gap at the very beginning …

According to Paraphrase Online research, a salesperson gets to know the customer when he is already at an advanced stage of the purchasing process. We can talk about a decision made in 57%! Nay. According to Paraphrase Online, the customer can independently complete the shopping path up to 90%!

Before he comes to you with an inquiry, he will first ask for “Uncle Google” instructions. He will collect initial information himself and based on it he will form opinions. What will the network learn about you and your company? It is worth having control over it. But that’s a topic for another article.

How does the Buyer Persona fit into this? It is helpful in supplementing the knowledge about nearly half of our client’s decision-making process. By analyzing the information collected during the interview or in the survey, we will find out how “your story” began, what barriers the client encountered on his path, how he assessed the offer and what criteria he took into account.

What and how to ask in order to collect valuable material?

First of all, bet on relational honesty. Ask directly and don’t be afraid to “go deeper into the topic”. What do you need to know?

– What are your client’s priorities. So what he will definitely not give up, and where there is an area for possible negotiations.
– What is the biggest problem on the way to achieving business goals? Thanks to this, you will be able to refine your offer to make it the best recipe for corporate problems.
– How they have already tried to deal with the problematic issue. And where they were looking for help then.
– Why they decided to test a given solution.

The role of a trader is to enter the recipient’s world. The signposts on this path will be questions that will help to make key decisions. You don’t have to conduct an extensive interview with each client. Experts cited by the Buypersona.pl portal suggest that even 8 half-hour talks are enough to collect substantively valuable material.

How else can you collect data, if not by means of an interview and a survey? There are many tools. Below are some of them:

– Social media – it’s a real bottomless bag when it comes to basic information about the recipients of your content and the users of the services you offer. By analyzing your profiles on SM, you will easily find out what the demographic profile of your client is (his gender, origin, interests). In addition, you will “get” news about what he is interested in and when he is active. Thanks to this, you will plan your post publication hours well. Follow the comments below and learn from your ratings!
– Google Analytics – this tool will work well for practically every analysis. This is valuable information about the sources of website traffic and customer behavior. You will also find out if they browse your website mainly on computers or on mobiles devices. This can make a big difference to the type of ad campaigns you’ll invest more money in.
– Google My Business card – the opinions that go there may turn out to be a real mine of knowledge and signposts on the way to improving your business.
– Information from sellers or customer service offices – Your sales representatives and customer service employees are the first front line on the company-customer line. They know your recipient’s profile really well. Sometimes even too good! When collecting information from them, however, remember that people like to take shortcuts, they often generalize and generalize. When creating a Buyer Person, you must rely primarily on data, which you can possibly enrich with a comment from a trader and an ideal customer profile.
– Ethnographic research – is an in-depth analysis and description of the group’s behavior in its natural environment. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do them personally (as a company) – you can just outsource them.
– Focus groups – small but representing the target market. They are representatives of the environment to which you want to direct or direct your offer.

Opinions and information collected in this way are a solid foundation for proper communication and clarification of the offer. This, in turn, may translate into facilitating the work of salespeople and significantly affect the growth of sales bars. And the customer will be satisfied. Everyone wins.

Buyer Persona: Importance for content, PR and… trader!

As we have established, building a purchasing persona is very important for the optimal use of your sales potential. This is the foundation for creating communication, more advanced PR, promotional and marketing activities, and ending with clarifying the offer.

The aforementioned personalizing the message and improving the product or service at the dictation of customers is not everything. It is also good to raise the issue of the sales funnel. Careful and thoughtful segmentation of its individual stages allows taking actions aimed at increasing the chances of a positive transaction closing. Not only that – thanks to funnels, we can forecast income and set the budget on this basis.

Having knowledge of the barriers to contact with the brand faced by a potential customer and what stops their purchasing impulses, we can act accordingly. By using the human element – in short … a trader or the magic of machine operation (for example, automatic sending of e-mails with an offer or reminder about discounts).

Buyer Persona also improves the flow of information between departments. Why? Because we create it based on cool calculation and in-depth data analysis. Dressing them in the form of a fictional client makes it easier to transfer numbers to the real world, better understand the needs and “getting into the shoes” of our recipient. On this basis, we create guidelines for individual departments and narrow the scope of their activities to specific stages of the funnel. So we simply standardize the client’s vision and define the form of communication with him.

What else do we gain?
– Reduction of advertising spending – we know what message will interest our recipient and what channels we have to use to reach them. We can let go of the rest and use the saved funds for the next campaign.
– Image consistency – by introducing a new product, we can quickly verify whether the form of its presentation (in terms of graphics and words) meets the expectations of the recipients.
– Hints about new products – we get the knowledge what our customers need, what we should enrich our offer, and what we simply give up in the world.

Buyers Persona – how to create? Good advice always included!

A. First the content, then the form – the graphic design is important, but the DATA is a solid foundation and foundation. Their proper sourcing and analysis will allow you to understand your client. His needs, purchasing barriers and motivators that influence the purchasing decision.
B. The Buyer Persona grows with the business – the customer model is not created once and for all. Remember that the company is evolving, therefore its recipient naturally also changes. From time to time, make an “x-ray” and check whether the proposed product or service still meets his expectations. Thanks to this, you will never miss the moment of transformation of your client, and, consequently, overshooting the form of the message. It could cost you a lot – literally.
C. Let go of your gut feelings – your visions may be different than what you actually are. Generalizations and stereotyping distort the facts. Pause galloping fantasy horses – rely on reliable data.

Buyer Persona Institute – methodology of influencing the decisions of B2B customers

Adele Revell made the creation of persona a subject of her professional activity. Their fruit is the Buyer Persona Institute (www.buyerpersona.com), which covers the entire methodology of proper persona building, adjusting the product and marketing techniques to the real needs of the recipients of our content.

Ravella suggests that only qualitative interviews with clients (current and potential), careful questioning and, above all, the ability to LISTEN, allow for drawing far-reaching conclusions that translate into a precise sales process. Techniques for conducting a conversation and obtaining information as well as real listening to customer needs are also described in her book “Buyer Personas: How to Gain Insight into your Customer’s Expectations, Align your Marketing Strategies, and Win More Business”. Thanks to this reading, we will learn, among other things:
– How to collect and analyze data.
– Build 3D profiles of real customers.
– How to classify needs.
– How to save (time and money) when creating a Buyer Personas.

The Buyer Personas concept presented by the author of the book is based on 5 pillars of the purchasing experience. They are:
A. An impulse to act – that is, an attempt to find an answer to the question of what happened that made the client consider purchasing a given product or service.
B. Expected results – what are the effects of the investment? What did the client want to get by choosing your offer? This knowledge allows you to build a message on the basis of individual benefits for the client. It then becomes a ready-made recipe for his specific pain. If you don’t do your homework at this stage, you’ll always only talk about the overall benefits, and that has far less driving power!
C. Decision barriers – based on the customer’s attitudes (for example, his trust in opinions about your product that he found online) or factors inside the organization (for example, the supervisor’s lack of consent to continue negotiations).
D. Decision criteria – important when building communication. Knowing them, you will point out the advantages of the product in your content, the most important from the customer’s perspective.
E. Purchase path – steps taken by the recipient during the entire journey after the offer. From getting to know it, to the purchase decision (positive or negative), including the situational context. At this stage you will find out who and to what extent is involved in making the final disposition.

Buyer Persona – template from HubSpot

HubSpot can also prove to be another useful tool in the process of getting into the shoes of customers. Software dedicated to inbound marketing, sales and customer service, which has been taking the market by storm since 2006, offers the Make My Persona option. Buyer Persona Templates by HubSpot are free templates to build your marketing, sales, and customer service teams with a customer profile. The generator allows you to create professional and free buyer personas.

Using the Buyer Persona templates, HubSpot supports the creation of an ideal customer profile. This makes it easier for the team to personalize the collected data and save it in memory. It’s also valuable for organizing your flowchart.

Not all of them have to be your customers. You don’t even want everyone to be! To grow your business, you need to define your ideal target group and direct your personal message to it. Thanks to this, you will create more precise content that your recipient is looking for. In addition, you will facilitate the work of marketers and traders!

Buyer Personas – SUMMARY

We hope that the Buyer Personas issue has been described comprehensively by us. Due to the fact that the publication and the topic itself are quite extensive, at the end we will allow ourselves to rank the most important information.

The Buyer Persona is a fictional character embodying the characteristics of your ideal recipient. However, it should not be confused with the profile of the ideal client, which in this case is supplemented with data provided by an in-depth direct interview. Thanks to it, we gain additional knowledge about the expectations, problems, selection criteria, benefits, but also the entire purchasing path of our client. The one who decides to put the product into the virtual basket or gives it up at the very end. Feedback, which was a purchasing barrier, will allow us to refine the entire process and avoid failure in the future.

Remember! Nobody will tell you more about the pros and cons of your offer than the customer! For that to be the case, you must discard your beliefs and private opinions. Collect reliable data, ask questions, LISTEN (which is not always obvious) and properly interpret the collected material. Then everything will go smoothly.

The information you have will make your marketing and sales more effective. Communication will be personalized and dedicated to a specific group of recipients. You will provide them with valuable content that they are looking for and need. All kinds of blog entries, expert articles in the trade press, e-books or other videos. Still hot and served on a tray.

Not only that – you will be able to save a lot of money by investing them only in those channels that really ensure you reach your customers. Only create a publication schedule, strategy and… you can act. With panache and due daring. Good luck!

By using Design Thinking, we want to give free rein to our imagination, generate more or less real ideas and approach template solutions from a completely different angle. What is the practical side of applying this methodology? How can your company use it to create a new offer, generate a creative concept for a marketing campaign or new ideas for CSR activities? About it below!

Design Thinking – what is it?

Design Thinking is a method of solving problems and creating new solutions. It’s different design thinking. This methodology is based on understanding and indicating a given problem or need of the recipient, and then on looking for solutions, often in an unconventional and ambiguous way, and ending with implementing these ideas, as well as testing and improving them in practice.

This term was first defined in the USA in the 1960s. Design Thinking courses, workshops and trainings have appeared. This solution quickly gained its fans among marketing and social media specialists, employer branding, brand managers and project managers (in most areas where we have a special need for non-standard ideas and creative problem solving methods).

Design Thinking – for whom?

The Design Thinking process, despite the fact that it seems complicated at first glance, is in fact a very universal method, not reserved only for large companies and large design teams. Anyone can use it. It will be used in the areas of business, science and culture. It is so universal that it will work well both with smaller internal projects and creating a global advertising campaign. It’s not everything. The benefits of the Design Thinking approach can also benefit:

– UX designers, UI and graphic designers interested in getting a new approach to solving design problems and generating solutions that work;
– project managers looking for a holistic process that integrates all stakeholders to create user-centric solutions;
– developers interested in participating in the idea generation and design process;
– entrepreneurs who want to empathize with users and create products that fit the market and the lives of users;
– marketers who want to deeply understand customers;
– project / company stakeholders who want to get involved in the process of building a product or service;
– anyone who is interested in an innovative approach to problem solving both at work and in life.

Design Thinking is useful for solving complex problems that are poorly defined or unknown, by understanding the related human needs, re-formulating the problem in a user-centered manner, generating multiple ideas in brainstorming sessions, and adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing.

Design Thinking – examples when is it worth using?

Design Thinking can be used by anyone who is familiar with the purpose and the process of following this methodology at least to a small extent. This process may turn out to be more fruitful than standard processes aimed at creating a new service, product or approach in the company. When is it worth getting interested in Design Thinking and trying to follow its principles?

– creating a new service for customers or improving current services / products,
– creating a new advertising campaign (offline and online), including its strategy, necessary materials and techniques to reach recipients,
– improving strategies for acquiring new customers, partners or associates,
– improving the paths of our potential client,
– developing benefit packages for employees and forms of remuneration,
– designing processes in the company (employment, administration, procurement, technology or customer service, etc.)
– creating the concept of CSR activities,
– by developing an Employer Branding strategy,
– during rebranding activities, changes in the company’s visual identity,
– and more.

Design Thinking – How to start?

The Design Thinking process is divided into five stages: Empatization, Defining (problem), Ideation (looking for solutions), Prototyping, Testing. In practice, however, this process can be conducted in a more flexible and non-linear manner. For example, different groups on a project team may conduct more than one phase at a time, or designers may gather information and prototypes throughout the project to present their ideas and visualize solutions to problems at any given time.

Importantly, in Design Thinking, designers do not make early assessments of the quality of ideas. The goal is to minimize the fear of failure and maximize stakeholder input and participation in the ideation (brainstorming) and prototyping phase (more on this below). To start your adventure with Design Thinking, all you need to do is get to know the general assumptions of the process and divide your work into fixed stages.

Design Thinking stages

Design Thinking can be divided in several ways. The most common and used five step process is broken down as follows:

– Empathizing – collecting data and getting to know our recipient.
– Defining the problem – collecting all information from phase I and analyzing it in order to identify problems / conundrums of our recipient.
– Ideation – the stage of starting to generate ideas.
– Prototyping – designing solutions that will answer the problems identified and analyzed in the earlier stages.
– Testing – checking whether the generated ideas and created prototypes are effective and helpful.

Empathizing (Empathy)
The first part of the Design Thinking process is related to “empathizing” with the recipient’s needs. It is necessary to look at the problem from the viewer’s point of view and try to understand how he thinks, acts and feels. The first stage of Design Thinking is the moment of collecting data about the recipient. It may turn out that the way we look at a given problem differs from the way the potential recipient looks at it. Information analysis and gathering can take place through interaction and conversation, but also through observation and analysis of statistics. Popular measures used at this stage include: empathy maps, ethnographic interviews, user observations or surveys. Everything that is collected at this stage determines the next steps to some extent.

Defining (the problem)
The next stage of Design Thinking is to define, more specifically formulate a given problem. To do this, it is necessary to synthesize the information gathered at the empathy stage. Noticing the real needs of the recipient is difficult, the more so as we tend to close ourselves in our habits and mental frames. Defining or redefining the problem allows you to set a further direction of work. It is important to define the problem optimally, that is, not to close it too narrowly or too broadly. It is also worth getting away from habits or stereotypes, which can significantly affect the perception of problems and thus make it difficult for us to look at the problem objectively. Techniques helping to identify and define the problem we are working on include brainstorming, 5x why technique, problem mapping on the “how?” vs “what for?” etc. It is difficult to recommend one particular technique unequivocally. Each project team may have a different favorite or more proven method, according to which it works best. You can also experiment with techniques to spot differences in approaches and collect as many different results as possible.

Ideation – looking for solutions
Having a defined problem, in the next step of Design Thinking we look for its solutions. It should be a series of ideas, of which only at the end those considered the best will be used for the prototyping stage. The solution stage is a bit tricky. We often want to look for answers right away. However, without thorough working through the two previous stages, we can find wrong solutions, because the recipient’s needs are different than we originally assumed or the problem has a different basis than what we thought at the beginning. The primary tool at this stage is brainstorming. What is important at this stage is the approach of looking for many possibilities, instead of one specific result. Our goal should be to find unconventional solutions, and these will not always be appropriate and rational at first glance.

Prototyping
This is the time to create initial versions of our solutions and specify the materials, sources or necessary resources for their implementation. We are creating a prototype, i.e. our beta version, which, based on the results obtained at a later stage, i.e. testing, we will modify and refine accordingly. At this stage, it is worth informing our team that we do not want everything to be buttoned up to the last button and that the solutions are perfectly refined. Here we want to visualize what we have been working on. If it was a mobiles application – we can evalsuate the mock-ups sent by graphic designers. If this is a new service that we want to enrich our portfolio, we can subject it to final evalsuation by the team. What we have been working on in the last stages will soon see the light of day. Prototyping is the last opportunity to analyze the collected data, check whether the solution meets the needs and problems of our user and compare them with other solutions to make sure that we can test them.

Testing
This is the last stage of Design Thinking, although some sources mention the sixth stage: implementation. The results obtained during the testing phase are often used to redefine one or more problems based on the available data about users, their way of thinking, behavior, or how they use a given product or service. Even at this stage, changes and improvements are still made to exclude all shortcomings and obtain the most effective solution.

Design Thinking – tools that support your work!

Different tools can be useful at each stage. Depending on how we work: is it an online meeting during which we have the ability to communicate only via the messenger or all stakeholders are gathered together in the room.

Design Thinking tools for online work
In the online version, we will certainly need tools to help you collect all the ideas created during the brainstorming in one place. It can be, for example, RealtimeBoard, Milanote, MindMap, MindMeister, Coggle or the well-known regular Google Documents.

Design Thinking tools for offline work
In offline work, in addition to a desk and comfortable chairs, materials that will help you save or visualize the collected ideas, such as flipcharts, colored sticky notes or boards, will also be useful.

Tools in the prototyping and testing phases
In the prototyping phase, Figma or Adobe XD may be useful for us. However, at the testing stage, tools such as HotJar, SmartLook or A / B testing will be useful.

Summary

Design Thinking requires conscious behavior and openness in order to obtain a proven and rational solution, which may be an innovative product or service that meets the needs of our customers. It is a way to introduce an unconventional solution to our company and allow colleagues to propose their ideas to a wider group, without risking criticism or hasty evalsuation. Although it is a relatively simple method, the use of appropriate tools and moderating the group by a responsible person plays a key role in determining the success of the project.

Inbound marketing versus outbound marketing

Where does this division into two types of marketing come from and what does it mean? Outbound marketing is defined as “outbound”. It includes all activities of addressing the customer and thus encouraging him to take advantage of the offer. It includes, among others direct advertising and promotion.

Inbound marketing, in turn, is called “inbound”. It consists in carrying out such activities that are to lead to a situation in which the customer will find a given company and express interest in its offer.

Figuratively speaking, outbound marketing can be compared to a loudspeaker or a megaphones from which advertising slogans and a message directly encouraging you to use specific services are heard. Meanwhile, inbound marketing activities can be compared to a magnet that attracts customers to the company and its offer. In practice, the outbound strategy uses, among others:
– graphic advertising on the Internet,
– TV and radio advertisements,
– outdoor advertising,
– telemarketing,
– leaflets, advertising catalogs, brochures,
– paid links and advertisements on various websites,
– mailing and SMS campaigns,
– on-site advertising: incl. web push notifications, pop-ups, chats encouraging contact.

Meanwhile, as part of inbound marketing, you should deal with:
– company site,
– SEO,
– content marketing (including blogs, podcasts, webinars, video content, etc.),
– social media,
– newsletters,
– discussion forums.

All these activities should be based on prior arrangements as to the target group and its exact profile. Only then can they be tailored to the needs of a potential customer, and therefore effective in attracting him and then generating conversions.

Outbound marketing – principles and advantages

 Currently, inbound marketing strategies are used much more often, while those “outbound” are often considered less beneficial, less effective, and even outdated. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Most often, in outbound marketing, an undefined message is used – the same for all recipients and usually not fully supported by the expectations of the target group. However, it is also possible to test different formats and check their effectiveness.

It is important to remember to adapt the rules of operation of outbound marketing to the needs of the modern consumer. There is no place for outdated techniques or intrusive, irritating advertising. However, it is worth taking care of:
– personalization of communication – wherever possible;
– adopting an advisory, expert tone – customers do not like pushy “stuffing” them with products, but value reliable information and advice from professionals;
– careful selection of communication channels – depending on e.g. on the scale of the business, industry and target group.

The advantages of outbound marketing include:
– control over the message in communication (because it is usually one-sided),
– the ability to quickly achieve results, such as building awareness of a given brand,
– relatively low costs in the case of running online campaigns,
– the possibility of operating on a large scale.

Certainly there are also some disadvantages to this type of strategy. This, for example:
– the risk of causing negative reactions from potential customers (intrusive and disturbing advertising),
– some difficulties with targeting the message (i.e. adjusting its form and content to a specific recipient), in particular outside the Internet,
– the risk of the message being ignored by the recipients – the society is flooded with constant advertising message, therefore it becomes resistant to it,
– relatively high costs per acquired lead.

Can inbound marketing be an effective solution for your company then?

Inbound marketing – principles and advantages

The idea of inbound marketing is based on attracting customers. Therefore, it requires a thorough understanding of their needs. How to make the client want to come to you? Belongs:
– develop a detailed marketing strategy – vision, goals and methods of their implementation;
– define precisely who is the target recipient of your services – the profile of your model client should include as much information as possible, including age, gender, profession, habits, expectations or needs;
– prepare a website – keeping in mind its aesthetics, functionality and maximum simplicity, which will facilitate the shopping path and conversion;
– create valuable content and constantly supplement the website with it;
– keep profiles on social media, ensuring that the content presented in them is up-to-date;
– use thematic and industry websites;
– take care of the constant acquisition of leads and develop a system that will help make sure that they will become customers;
– constantly analyze the methods used and deal with their improvement.

Inbound marketing should be focused primarily on building brand awareness and strength as well as gaining customer trust. This has its advantages, provided, of course, that the strategy is properly developed and implemented. These include, among others:
– the ability to reach a large group of customers,
– relatively low costs,
– many forms of communication and almost unlimited possibilities in terms of creation,
– high targeting opportunities,
– the ability to build brand authority and inspire trust at the same time,
– a message based on the intention to buy or the customer’s interest – does not arouse desire, is not intrusive,
– hard sale.

However, this is not a flawless method! They can include:
– high barrier to entry – inbound is based on tools whose level of complexity has increased significantly over the last decade. In principle, the support of a specialist is necessary to obtain optimal results.
– Limited opportunities to build coverage in niche industries – going beyond them can dramatically increase the cost of customer acquisition.
– High budget required in some segments.

When to use outbound marketing?

Certain criteria should be taken into account when considering the two types of marketing strategy. In some cases, outbound marketing works much better, and in other cases it is better to focus on inbound methods. So when is it worth using outbound strategies and addressing customers directly?

When you expect quick results
We have to wait for the results of inboud activities. So if you need to achieve specific goals, it’s best to turn to outbound techniques or paid advertising like Google Ads. They usually allow you to gain certain clients or leads in a short time. It is worth remembering, however, about the principles of running effective outbound campaigns, which have been included above.

When you are new to the market
It is difficult for small, new companies to break into the minds of customers by conducting only inbound marketing activities, and waiting for results may lead to a deterioration of the company’s financial situation. Therefore, to put your foot in the door crack, it is worth using outbound strategies that will help increase brand visibility, and at the same time gain leads at a much lower cost.

When you have a limited budget to start
If you have a small amount of capital, you definitely cannot wait for the effects of running incoming campaigns. Then a well-thought out action of the outbound type with paid channels may prove useful. Of course, this does not apply to companies that have, for example, low fixed costs and can afford to wait longer for results despite a limited budget.

When to use inbound marketing?

Of course, there are also situations in which inbound marketing is usually much better. When is it worth using?

When you take your time
Do you want to build a strong brand, but do not expect immediate results? If you have the right budget and can afford to slowly build your position, it is worth focusing on intense inbound activities. Remember that it can take many months from starting them to acquiring a client. Meanwhile, there is still time to carefully prepare your marketing strategy.

When you realize the importance of good content and have the opportunity to create it
Writing an expert article for your company’s blog from time to time may seem like a simple task that you can do yourself in your spare time. However, this is very disastrous thinking. Taking care of the published content is very important, so it should not be work done “on the occasion”. It should be ensured that the content is of high quality and complies with SEO principles, which requires appropriate knowledge. In addition, someone has to watch over the regularity of publishing the content. Therefore, it should be dealt with by a specific, designated person who at the same time has the appropriate qualifications. Instead of hiring a new employee, you can entrust this task to an agency – in many ways it is a more profitable solution.

When you know your target audience
The great strength of inbound activities is the ability to precisely match them to the target group. Therefore, you absolutely must know it very well – otherwise the strategy you are pursuing will not make much sense. You need to know who your customer is, but also what messages he / she reacts to, how he / she buys purchases and what values he / she believes in.

When you have the right budget
It is about financial resources that will allow you to wait for the results, but also about the amount of funds allocated for marketing. Developing, implementing, and then refining an inbound strategy is usually quite resource-intensive and time-consuming, although the cost per lead is lower than outbound campaigns. Of course, the exact amount of the required budget depends on many factors, including industry, area of operation and competition. In inbound marketing, however, the snowball effect applies. Consistency in acting in the long term can offer you the cheapest lead acquisition.

Inbound and outbound – together or separately?

The above content should help you decide which marketing strategies to use. However, there is also a hidden option number three, which is a combination of inbound and outbound. Does it make sense? Absolutely and probably the best solution! In many cases, this is how you get the best results. Complementary and interpenetrating marketing techniques will allow you to get more customers and maximize your profits. Example? You can use an email campaign with a link to an educational video or article. Such a combination of outbound and inbound activities is characteristic especially for companies with slightly more experience on the market, as well as with a budget, and this is when it turns out to be the most profitable.

How do others do it? Statistics show that smaller companies place by far the greatest emphasis on inbound activities. This tendency is especially visible in enterprises with up to 25 employees. Companies employing from several dozen to 200 people clearly increase their outbound marketing expenses, while in the largest ones (over 200 employees), outbound and inbound methods are basically used in half.

It can certainly be said that modern companies place an emphasis on inbound marketing. It’s a strategy that seems to be primarily more effective in the long run. If you want to keep up with the competition, you should definitely not base your marketing solely on outbound activities. However, the strategies used so far should not be changed abruptly. The process of their modification should always be gradual. Usually, it is also not worth completely abandoning outbound marketing. As indicated above, it also has its advantages! If it is properly implemented, it will surely bring tangible results, although more and more often such activities are considered obsolete.

Inbound and outbound marketing – how to measure the effectiveness of activities?

Still not sure whether to bet primarily on inbound or outbound, or maybe use a mixed strategy? Or maybe you want to check how the activities carried out so far will be compared to the newly implemented strategy in terms of effectiveness? Comparing the effectiveness of inbound and outbound methods is usually not easy, but it can be done. It is worth looking at various marketing indicators and measures. First of all, you should take into account the budget allocated to specific marketing activities and the number of leads obtained and compare their proportions. The so-called CPL indicator, i.e. Cost Per Lead. In addition, it is worth considering:
– QL (qualified leads) – the number of leads that are considered potential customers, ready to buy,
– CR (conversion rate) – conversion rate showing what percentage of leads from a specific source decides to buy,
– Ticket Value – The average value of the transaction for each of the customer acquisition sources,
– Length of the sales cycle – it often happens that acquiring a customer from certain sources takes less than from others.

By comparing this data, it will be much easier for you to identify which activities bring the best results and thus improve your marketing strategy. It is worth monitoring the above indicators constantly, because nothing is certain in marketing – what works great one day may stop bringing results the next.

Do you have a mug at home with a dedication from a friend or a calendar with family photos? And can you imagine looking for a new car without configuring it on the manufacturer’s website, if only to check what are the options or what will be the price in the highest version? Exactly! In many industries, configurators are already standard, and they are just reaching others. And very good, because both sides can benefit from them – both the customers and the producers themselves.

Product customization is money

The relationship between personalization and money is best illustrated by these 3 simple equations:

MONEY = TIME
TIME = AUTOMATION
AUTOMATION = PERSONALIZATION

The most valuable currency today, both in life and in business, is time. We convert time into money and vice versa. Every opportunity to save time is a benefit for your company. One of the ways to introduce time savings is to automate processes in the enterprise. Automation in e-commerce is a set of various practices, from production itself, through shipping or handling. One of the possibilities is also the personalization of the product offer and sales, and thus we come to product configurators that provide both.

Think – too many options to choose from in the online store mean chaos in the customer’s mind and the time that he has to spend on browsing the entire product category, reading all descriptions. Nobody likes wasting time, and for many people, shopping is stressful in itself. This may result in lower conversions.

What if you could replace the difficult choice of many options with the configuration of a product tailored to your needs? Maybe it is worth having a tool in your business that will match the order items for the customer, will not make a mistake in calculations and will also tell you what is the inventory of the products?

This is a win-win situation and no one has to compromise.

What is the product configurator?

The configurator is an e-commerce tool that helps to sell non-standard products, i.e. those that the manufacturer prepares to order for a specific customer. It can be a personalized product, such as engraved jewelry or a printed cap, or a product consisting of many elements, such as a piece of furniture.

There are many benefits offered by configurators, but from the entrepreneur’s point of view, two are particularly important – saving and earning, and here we come back to the 3 equations above.

How do product configurators automate sales?

Sales automation through personalization is based on 3 pillars. If you only take care of one, the effects will not be big, but if you approach the matter as a whole – you will quickly feel an increase in work efficiency and a higher conversion.

A. pillar – Automation of communication
It takes place both at the stage preceding the purchase of the product and during the ordering process. Its task is to speed up the exchange of information and lead the customer to a purchase, and not tire him or you as a seller along the way. What does automation of communication give?

– 24h availability – The customer has access to the configurator as well as to the entire online store without interruption – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
– Help with ordering specialized goods, e.g. construction goods – the configurator automatically indicates the necessary components, asks about their dimensions, and also suggests what else is necessary to place a given order. In the case of technical or construction industries, the configurator replaces a qualified advisor and assists the customer during purchases.
– Less human errors – this benefit is especially visible in B2B businesses, e.g. in the construction or furniture industry, where the product consists of many elements and orders are placed by contractors on a regular basis. Until now, in these businesses there was no question of sales automation, and orders were accepted by traders. And as it happens very often, the so-called the human factor was doing its job – there were many very costly mistakes. The implementation of configurators in such companies saves a lot of money, thanks to the fact that the configurator “asks” customers for all the information needed to complete the order. This eliminates understatement, wrong measurements or mistakes. The human factor is also present in B2C online stores – there, thanks to the configuration, we avoid the stage of a long e-mail exchange between the customer and the service, and between the Service Department and, for example, a graphic designer. The configurator allows you to “click” the order yourself.
– Excluding mismatched elements – it is not easy to order an item that consists of many components. Remember to add them all to your basket and make sure they match. The configurator does this for the customer and does not allow you to order incompatible items. No more disappointment and no replacement costs.
– Visualization of the final product in real time – the configurator shows on an ongoing basis how the product changes as a result of adding new parameters. The customer knows exactly what they are ordering and what the goods will ultimately look like.

B. pillar – Automation of the offer and orders
Automating the offer and order allows you to exit the “we always did it manually and it worked” mode. In the past, people only traveled on foot and somehow lived. And although we know the advantages of walking, cars make our lives much easier in everyday life. There are many examples of this type, and the conclusion is one – it is worth using technology that improves life and work. How do configurators accelerate the work of enterprises?

– Wholesale offer updates (photos, descriptions, parameters, price lists) – anyone who has ever had to manually update an offer with thousands of products knows what it entails. It’s a waste of time for the work that the algorithm can do.
– Taking care of availability – in large production companies it is impossible to track the inventory of all products without technology. The real-time configurators “communicate” with the warehouse and update the availability of components and goods. As a result, both the seller and the customer can be sure that the offer only shows available products, and the unavailable ones disappear from the page.
– Product price calculation – configurators calculate the individual product price on an ongoing basis based on component prices or more complex algorithms (e.g. counting volume, length, weight). In the case of B2B, it is also possible to calculate based on individual price lists per customer.

C. pillar – Automation of production and delivery
For the seller, this pillar is as important as the two previous ones, while for the customer it is the most visible part. Therefore, make sure that the customer’s contact with your store is pleasant, convenient and responsive to the needs. On the configurator side, automation means completing the elements needed to complete the order placed by the customer, and these are:

– Components of the configuration and their locations in the warehouse – especially important for large production companies, e.g. furniture or construction.
– Generating previews / vectors and files, e.g. PDF for use in production – incredibly useful, but not so obvious functionality. Configurators allow you to generate and then send to the production department a file with the specification of the goods immediately after placing the order. This greatly speeds up the implementation of the entire process.
– Courier service and optimization of delivery costs – configurators also allow you to optimize transport costs, both for customers and for sellers. This is especially true for stores selling large or undersized products that are difficult to transport and therefore expensive.

In which industries is it worth personalizing products?

There are more and more businesses that have decided to introduce product configurators to their e-commerce. They are usually invested by retail stores (B2C) that hear and respond to their customers’ needs. Also, more and more B2B businesses are starting to notice both the demand for product personalization and the availability of technology.

Product configurators support especially those industries that produce goods to order, in accordance with his requirements, tastes or needs, e.g .:
– car,
– home & decor (e.g. blinds and shutters),
– food (e.g. chocolate, muesli),
– digital printing, gadgets,
– fashion (e.g. clothing, jewelry, watches, fashion accessories – handbags, phones cases),
– construction (e.g. gates and garage shelters, modular houses, windows and doors),
– furniture – furniture and interior design elements,
– photovoltaic.

Examples of earning / saving thanks to personalization in e-commerce

Fashion – shoes

Client
Creates a unique shoe pattern that it can identify with. The process of creating itself provides positive emotions – the client becomes a designer. He can see how the shoes change with the addition of new parameters. WOW effect guaranteed.

Producer
Thanks to the implementation of the configurator in its e-commerce, the manufacturer can communicate to customers the uniqueness of its offer (after all, not every shoe brand can boast the option of ordering shoes according to the customer’s design), and thus it is possible to increase prices. Customers are ready to pay more for brand emotions and a unique product.

Fashion – watch

Client
He expresses his individualism and designs a unique watch himself. Customers love personalized fashion accessories. This is one way to express your style and personality, and a higher price is often not an obstacle to buying.

Producer
There is no need to hire a graphic designer to visualize the client’s idea. Thanks to the configurator, the customer independently visualizes his project and then places an order. No unnecessary e-mail exchange, fast and in line with production possibilities.

Gifts – Chocolate Telegram

Client
The configurator manages the availability and stock of letters. The customer can see which letters he can use to create a chocolate message, so that there is no situation in which the customer places an order for an element that is not there. In addition, the configurator visualizes on an ongoing basis what the chocolate telegram looks like after each change.

Producer
Receives from the configurator a summary of all elements of the placed order at the current prices. The configurator also gives you the opportunity to “increase” sales, thanks to additional options, such as:
– offers customers personalization of the packaging by adding their own photo,
– suggests the content of telegrams for selected occasions, which can be ordered immediately or loaded and even modified – for many buyers such predefined content is a great facilitation and acceleration of placing an order.

Printing, prints, advertising gadgets

Client
He evalsuates the final product on the visualization in real time and makes an informed purchase. Using the configurator eliminates the unnecessary disappointment of the customer after opening the package (“I did not know it would look like this …”)

Configurator
Automatically generates PDF files and sends them to be printed on the machine. Every minute you save on production is your profit.

Would you like to earn more with personalization?

The answer is obvious – everyone wants to earn more, and everyone who sells wants to develop it. Therefore, at the end, I propose a small test that will allow you to assess whether the product configurators will work for your company:
A. Have your customers ever asked about modifying your products? Maybe they wanted to change their dimensions a bit or add some element?
B. Or maybe you have always made products to order, but you accept them by phones or e-mail and thus waste a lot of time agreeing on details? Are there mistakes and customer dissatisfaction?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it is a clear signal that either your customers expect personalized products or your business requires automation through configurators.

Outbound Marketing and Inbound Marketing

The easiest way to divide the marketing areas into two groups: Outbound Marketing and Inbound Marketing. Outbound Marketing one in which the company takes the initiative to the client and wants to take their attention. Tools that can be used here are advertising on radio, press, television, billboards, campaigns in Google Ads, Facebook Ads and other social media, mailing, pop-ups on the site, active sales through merchants, etc. This type of activity has many advantages – allows you to reach a wide audience, is simple and quick to implement, and often you don’t have to wait long for its results. On the other hand, too pushy Outbound Marketing can be irritating to recipients and discourage the brand – that’s why it is sometimes even called disruptive marketing. But has his time passed? Rather not, when used sensitively, it can still bring the company quite a lot of profit.

Inbound Marketing, stands in opposition to it. It means activities that make the customer find the brand and visit it by himself. It is much less obtrusive, you can even compare it to slowly attracting potential customers. This can be done using profiles on social media, sharing blog articles, videos, guides, podcasts or website positioning so that it appears as high as possible in search results. A difficult to implement, but a very effective variety of Inbound Marketing is viral marketing, i.e. publishing content that Internet users will themselves massively disseminate, thus providing the brand with free advertising.

SEM

SEM (Search Engine Marketing), i.e. search engine marketing, are all those activities that we take to make the brand visible in the search results in Google, Bing, Yandex or other search engines. It includes both activities aimed at increasing organic traffic (SEO) and paid advertising (PPC). When we talk about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), we mean the positioning of the website for the most profitable key phrases. Increasing visibility in organic results includes technical optimization of the website, creating texts containing keywords, acquiring valuable external links and many other activities that are individually selected for a given website.

When it comes to PPC (pay per click), there are advertising campaigns launched in the Google Ads system. Thanks to them, we can make the website appear as a sponsored link in the search results or, for example, place our products above the list of results and in the Google Shopping tab. Of course, Google Ads also provides many other advertising formats, thanks to which you can advertise on YouTube or the Google advertising network.

Content Marketing

Content Marketing is currently one of the most frequently chosen areas of marketing. It involves attracting audiences by offering them valuable content for free that will bring them to your site and later possibly benefit from the offer. As part of content marketing, or content marketing, you can create a company blog, YouTube channel, infographics, guides, webinars, podcasts and any other form that potential customers may be interested in. Such content should not be strictly promotional, advertising of individual products or brands may be slightly highlighted in the background, but the main goal is to provide the recipient with valuable advice or inspiration. It is not about the sale itself, but about attracting the customer to the brand, building in him the feeling that he got something without incurring any costs. Thanks to content, it is also possible to arouse sympathy for the brand – show who creates it, what values ​​it believes, and what it emphasizes.

Social Media Marketing

Marketing in social media is a very important element in building relationships with potential customers. It shortens the distance between them and the brand, allows for more free contact, gives recipients a space to express their own opinions and a sense of influence on shaping the future of the brand. It also allows you to show the company from a more human side, because you can place less serious content on social media than on a film page.

When we talk about social media marketing, we mean keeping official brand profiles, but also creating groups or events focused around this brand. An element of Social Media Marketing are also paid ads in various formats – promoting a website, profile, specific post or aimed at gaining new recipients. Of course, not all social media will be appropriate for every brand, but it is worth appearing in at least one or two channels outside your own website. The most popular social media today are YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, but it is not worth underestimating the potential of other platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter or Pinterest.

E-mail Marketing

E-mail Marketing is a type of direct marketing in which we send messages directly to recipients from our mailing list. They are designed to build relationships with recipients, and then skillfully maintain them. As part of E-mail Marketing, we can send information about discounts and promotions, new products, test the satisfaction with the services provided, etc. Newsletters in which we send the recipients interesting content are also popular forms of e-mail marketing: a collection of the most interesting content from the last weeks or even material not available from any other channels. However, it is very important to be moderate and not to turn E-mail Marketing into regular spam. If users find brand messages on a daily basis, there is a good chance that they will get annoyed and simply revoke consent to receive the emails.

Real Time Marketing

It is a very difficult type of marketing that requires immediate reactions to the current situation. It consists in sharing content, most often on social media, in some way referring to a famous, widely commented event. However, the condition for a successful action is to create an interesting and creative reference in a very short time – publication of the material a week after the incident will not amuse anyone, and may even irritate the recipient. After all, something new happens every day and news becomes a thing of the past faster than ever. An example of a successful RTM is an advertisement published when Great Britain left the European Union. The company then published a graphic with a question resembling a system message: “Are you sure you want to delete 1 GB?” A funny, ambiguous reference quickly circulated the Internet, giving the company a lot of sympathy for users.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing assumes promoting the brand through cooperation with celebrities and generally recognizable people on the Internet – for example, bloggers or a popular YouTube channel. Such people can become the face or partner of the brand, but constant cooperation is not necessary here. A common practice of companies is to send products to influencers in return for publishing their reviews on their channels. In this way, the brand gains access to the group of recipients associated around the celebrity and additional interest – after all, for many people recommending a product by an idol is much more motivating to use the offer than any advertising on the Internet or outside it.

Guerrilla Marketing

This type of marketing uses very unconventional methods to interest the recipient with a product or service. Its main goal is to evoke strong emotions in the recipient – shock, amusement or even terror. As a result, the ad is very memorable and widely commented, which gives it additional publicity. For this purpose, you can use urban space, for example by creating murals or city games, or an element of surprise – for example a flash mob or performance. An example is the promotion of the new season of the series Money Heist carried out by Netflix. A few weeks before the premiere, posters with photos of the main characters and a designated reward for their arrest, similar to the “wanted letters” in Westerns, began to appear on advertising posts in the cities. The posters were devoid of the Netflix logo and there was no mention of the series in them, so they interested passers-by and made them search the Internet for information what they meant.

Word of mouth marketing

Word of mouth marketing is based on the fact that a large part of recipients trust the opinions of their friends and friends more than advertising messages. Therefore, it is worth providing them with the so-called social proof, i.e. social proof of rightness – information from other users that a given product or service has proven successful and is recommended. This effect can be achieved, for example, by introducing a referral program for clients. In return for recommending the brand to their friends, they get a cash bonus, discount or any other remuneration.

A widely used, although debatable in terms of ethics, method is also posting comments or opinions about the company by the company, using false nicknames and giving the recipient the impression that the customers praise the brand. A variation of word-of-mouth marketing is the so-called buzz marketing based on making noise around an upcoming event or product to be released. In such cases, people employed by the company often maintain the interest of the recipients, encourage discussion, fuel curiosesity and generally build an atmosphere of expectation, skillfully involving the real recipients of the brand in the dialogue. Thanks to this, the product premiere has a chance to become louder and more widely discussed in the media.

Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation is an area dealing with the acquisition and analysis of information about recipients. These are not so much personal data as information about users’ behavior on the Internet, their professional and private situation, interests or current needs. Such data is used to show the recipient personalized advertisements for products and services that they are likely to be interested in. Of course, they are not analyzed by a human, but with the use of advanced technologies in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The collection of user data is currently very controversial and some companies are at least partially withdrawing from the most ethically questionable activities (eg Google withdraws from third party cookies). However, many different entities collect data and use it for marketing purposes, and some recipients appreciate receiving personalized, not accidental, advertisements.

ATL

ATL (above the line) includes traditional advertising channels such as radio, press or television, as well as outdoor advertising, i.e. placed outside the place of residence of the potential customer. It is about all kinds of billboards, posters, citylights, etc. Many brands still carry out this type of marketing, but it is much more expensive than more modern methods of promotion. Why? First of all, you often have to pay dearly for a good place in the city space, airtime or newspaper advertising. Second, we have little influence on who sees our ads. We cannot define the target group as precisely as in online activities, therefore a very small percentage of recipients will actually be interested in the product. The return on investment may therefore be minimal or not even cover the costs in some cases. This does not mean that this type of advertising is bad. Showing oneself in a respected magazine or on a channel with high audience builds the prestige and recognition of the brand. Due to the price, however, it is reserved for companies with a large advertising budget.

My conclusions are based on cooperation with nearly three thousand clients that we have had or have had the pleasure to run from the very beginning of
Paraphrase Online. As an organization, we meet dozens of business owners every day and exchange hundreds of emails with people responsible for marketing. We also know everything about budgeting in most industries and about the ratio of marketing expenses to revenues in general. Ultimately, we have a preview of how certain types of activities work, and how others hinder scaling or the ordinary communication flow.

Sin # 1: Marketing specialist

The proverbial marketing specialist is a dinosaur who does not know yet that an asteroid is flying towards him. Once upon a time, a marketing one man show was possible. The competition was smaller, advertising and analytical systems easier to use and offering very limited possibilities. Ba! There were simply fewer advertising channels we needed to know about. Therefore, in many companies, several people could take care of everything and possibly replace each other. Also, hiring someone was much easier due to relatively general market demands. Someone obtained approval from the Management Board, someone launched a prom on FB with a discretionary budget, someone else ordered leaflets or started cooperation with an influencer. There was usually no time for analytics in such a system. Everything was going forward anyway, so for several years no one asked any questions, and marketing departments were covered in a spider web of stagnation.

It ended, however.

Today we are dealing with a completely different battlefield. Every team member must specialize, be well paid, and be good at what they do. It does not have to be a social media ninja or a content visionary of the decade. However, he must be a solid craftsman, which – contrary to appearances – is really difficult to do.

Everyone wants to have everything “here and now” without a minimum of persistence and without working on themselves. Finding people who know Rome wasn’t built in a day is insanely difficult.

Given the current complexity of marketing tools, it is currently not possible to be good at everything. You have to test, search, read and experience to get to know a given platform inside out. And sometimes this is not enough, because there is, for example, an algorithm update or a new company policy and … you have to do it all from scratch, and using old schemes will result in reduced effectiveness.

But why is it necessary to be good at something?

Because there are more and more companies like yours on the market. Because advertising budgets are getting higher and there are more of them. Because the number of advertising space or places does not increase as much as the number of companies that want to develop them. This implies competitiveness that requires optimization of its activities. If we rely on the same behavior for several years, we will consistently lose reach among potential customers.

Sin # 2: Budget

We often come across a situation where a company hired someone to handle Google Ads, with a payout of $ 5,000, spending $ 3,000 or $ 4,000 on the advertising budget alone …

In the case of a paid channel like Google Ads or Facebook Ads, it’s completely absurd. It is not possible to hire a specialist for $ 5,000 who, with such a low budget, will become profitable by optimizing such a campaign. Someone with such skills simply has to earn and spend more in the campaign.

With this type of relationship – where the cost of a person for paid channels is, for example, 50% of the company’s total marketing expenses, it is much better to shift the budget to a proven agency or freelancer. Quite simply – a sensibly targeted budget of $ 3,000, say $ 7,000, instead of $ 3,000, will do a lot better for most industries. Servicing this type of budget in marketing agencies is between 20 and 30% of this sum, so you will close to $ 9,000 for the whole, but you will spend twice as much on pure marketing than if you hire an in-house specialist.

Based on conversations with companies and taking over accounts that were managed in this way, I can guarantee that only then you will feel the real power of paid channels (of course, the budgets given here are hypothetical, because they largely depend on the industry).

Sin # 3: We employ the wrong places

Currently, no company can afford a situation where it relies on only one advertising platform. In the case of giants such as Facebook or Google, we must be ready sometimes for the fact that, for example, the possibility of advertising certain products within them will be limited overnight, as has been the case recently, e.g. with masks or sanitary devices.

There are also topics – such as underwear or dietary supplements that can block accounts for up to several weeks. It happens that even advertising accounts in neutral industries are suspended for a week or two, because the algorithm decided so, and the support was just lazy.

Your customers are also present in more than one channel, and marketing must make sure that you meet them wherever possible, not just where… we consider it best. In the case of outbound marketing, the more often they encounter your homogeneous message, the greater the probability that they will finally decide to buy your product or service. Shopping is definitely more impulsive than measured from top to bottom.

That is why most businesses must diversify the channels of reaching a potential customer. Depending on what we do, what budget we have and what we want to achieve, there is a more or less sensible methodology for selecting people for work. Basically, it can be presented simply by answering the question of who is worth having in the company, and what topics are better to be sent to external entities.

I know a company that has an advertising budget of $ 40,000 per month. At the same time, it employs:
– A social media specialist who runs a FB profile and deals with superficial advertisements.
– A marketing specialist who runs instagram and pinterest, orders printed materials and collects invoices from various subcontractors.
– The second marketing specialist who coordinates the filming and basically also acts as a graphic designer.
– SEO specialist who is also a copywriter, but does not have a separate budget for reasonable linking.
– Marketing Manager who embraces them all and reports them higher.

The total monthly cost of maintaining these employees, in this arrangement, is 38,000 dollars. Therefore, monthly, this company spends ~ $ 80,000 on marketing, of which only half of this money goes to advertising channels. Of course, organic work on Insta, FB, or Pinterest can be worth a lot of money. In general, however – the people from the example – do not even know if what they are doing works …

In such a case, it would be wise to reduce employment by one or two people and leave strategic resources within the company, and release the rest of the funds to additional channels that can only be selected after a meaningful audit of the activities carried out so far. You can also decide on a new division of competences and send specific people to specialized training. In this example, they should probably start with a meaningful web analytics course to delineate further axes for acquiring new competences.

In conclusion, in most cases, it will be a good idea to have a mix that will accommodate both internally employed specialists and agencies that can provide selected services. What is most important in this system, however, is the fact that in the end the costs of servicing and maintaining agencies and specialists do not exceed 30% of the company’s total marketing budget. If we hire for a company, remember that it should give us a specific skill due to its presence. The fact that we add an additional person to the project does not mean that the project will speed up and will have a positive impact on its effectiveness. It could, in principle, be the other way around.

While nothing new in 2021, sponsored articles are still hugely popular. However, creating a quality text is not easy and requires not only intuition, but also knowledge and skills. How to write a great article that will attract your audience? What to pay attention to so that it is noticed and appreciated? You will find the answer to these questions in the article below!

What is a Sponsored Article?

A sponsored article is content published on external websites that develops a specific topic. This is one of the better ways to promote your online business and an important part of your marketing strategy that brings many benefits. It is primarily a great alternative to the ubiquitous paid advertising. It does not attack the recipient, but attracts them, offering quality content. Thanks to it, the recipient can expand their knowledge or receive other specific benefits from reading.

Creating high-quality text attractive to the recipient allows you to gain higher positions in search results. You should take care of substantive content and naturally placed linking. It cannot turn into an advertising banner!

Sponsored article? Who needs it …

If you are still wondering whether it is worth investing in sponsored articles, the answer is a post – definitely yes! Here are some examples of the real benefits of publishing sponsored articles:

Higher position in the search engine – using linking to the landing page and ensuring a good selection of publication places will help you rank higher! The more quality content you publish on websites with good SEO parameters, the more trust you gain in Google’s algorithm. Let yourself be liked!

Expanding knowledge on a specific topic – thanks to the articles, you can focus on a selected issue and describe it extensively. Of course, the level of advancement of the content depends on the target group. Remember to use the content further. If you create content for people who are familiar with the topic from scratch, you can not only attract completely new audiences to your website, but also use it as part of your knowledge base building strategy, enabling self-service. You can modify some texts, add more advanced statistics and topics, and send them to specialists.

Building a brand image – by creating quality content and reaching new recipients, you build the image of a specialist. Present your company from a professional side and show that you are the best in the industry!

The ability to reach a specific target group – by selecting the appropriate pages on which you will place your articles, you will reach a group of people interested in the topic. Therefore, it is important that the text matches the content on the publication’s landing pages. The audience should be attracted by the topic, and the content should encourage them to read the entire article. It will only be possible if we direct the text to the appropriate audience interested in the topic.

Driving traffic to the landing page – the articles are designed to support the sales process. Therefore, their task is to attract potential customers to the website. The content of the article should contain an unobtrusive offer or description of the product. However, it should be remembered that no advertising elements cannot dominate the substantive content!

Building brand recognition – by publishing articles on other websites that are popular with your target group, you can gain more and more recognition.

Content for publication in social media – you have no idea for valuable posts in social media? The content of sponsored articles comes to the rescue. As we mentioned, it’s worth using them further, and one way is to create posts on your brand’s social media. You can share links to the publication or use content elements, e.g. by developing new issues or creating a series of posts on the topic described in the article.

You already know what for, now find out HOW! Learn the 5 best practices for writing sponsored articles.

Select a group of recipients and set a goal

Before you start writing an article, be sure to ask yourself the following questions: what is the purpose of writing it? Who is it to reach? What are the benefits for the recipient to bring its content?

Remember that the goal and target group complement each other.

If your goal is to present a specific issue from A to Z, then direct the content to people without specialist knowledge, but interested in the topic. However, if you want to reach professionals, the content must contain specific content, issues and statistics. In creating a strategy, you can use tools such as the content matrix. They will help you effectively choose both the target group and set a goal.

It is also important to choose the right topic! It must carry interesting information that will attract audiences. It is worth looking for inspiration in current trends or industry news. You can also track what a specific audience is looking for or collect information on Facebook groups or online forums devoted to specific topics.

Remember that you are creating the text for the recipient

Once you’ve established your audience and purpose, and started writing your article, note that you’re writing it for the reader. It must be properly adjusted to the recipient’s knowledge, but the reading itself is also supposed to give him specific benefits! It is not only a way to advertise your company, but also valuable content.

The language should suit the reader. Before you start writing, do a thorough research and prepare valuable information or statistics. The more time you spend on it, the more substantive and valuable the text you will write.

Don’t stretch the topic

None of us like to stretch the topic unnecessarily. Imagine a conference where each speaker omits the topic and you expect specific and practical advice. You wouldn’t be particularly happy about that. It is the same with readers, even those who learn a given topic from scratch. Remember that the recipient’s time is extremely valuable. There is nothing worse than the disappointment of a reader who takes a long time to read the article and does not learn from it.

Divide the article appropriately

A good sponsored article consists of several elements:

Title
This is the first moment of a potential reader contact with the article, therefore it is extremely important. Its purpose is, above all, to attract the audience and encourage them to read! So how do you make it catchy?
– It should be the essence of your article, so keep it short;
– Use emotionally marked adjectives;
– If your article is a set of tips or instructions, use the power of the word “how”;
– Catch the reader by using a strong phrase such as “check it out!”, “Don’t be fooled!”;
– It should show the value of your article and refer to the benefits of reading it;
– Include in it a phrase to the target group, for example, “Marketing toolkit for 2021”.

Lead
This is a brief summary of all the elements that will be included in the article. This is the right place to present the benefits of reading the article. It is worth using phrases and information that will convince the recipient that this content is exactly what he was looking for.

Introduction
Here you can describe a topic in more detail and give reasons why it describes a specific topic. This is a good time to present statistics or gather knowledge on the subject so far. Still, this element should be short and refer to the real needs of the recipient, making him aware of the benefits of reading the article below.

Development
This is the place where you can answer all your questions and dispel any doubts on a specific topic. Show off your knowledge! Remember to diversify the content a bit by weaving graphics and dividing the content with subheadings. You cannot let the reader be overwhelmed by a wall of text.

Summary
Finally, it is worth collecting all the information in the form of a short summary. It is also a moment to draw conclusions or discuss the issue.

Choose your place of publication well

As we know, linking is of great importance in positioning. Until recently, it was enough to invest in as many publications as possible, in various places. However, that all changed with Google’s 2012 update called Penguin, which was designed to protect against low-quality linking. It is a pity, therefore, to waste time publishing low-value content on equally weak websites, unrelated to the subject of the article. According to Ahrefs, almost 91% of websites do not have any organic traffic. This is why investing in backlinks is so important. So what parameters of the pages should we take into account when choosing the place of publication?

– visibility in the search engine – tools such as SEMSTORM or Senuto will help us in this,
– number and traffic of unique users – this data will be obtained thanks to Google Analytics,
– domain link profile – this will be assessed using Majestic and Ahrefs tools.

It is also worth looking at the quality of content published by a given brand, or the ratio of outbound to inbound links.

Summary

Sponsored articles are an essential part of your marketing strategy. It is an unobtrusive way of advertising that brings many other benefits at the same time. Good article writing practices will help you create quality content that will attract your audience.

It is important to choose the target audience and the purpose of your text well. Thanks to this, you will know how to write and to whom to direct the content. Dividing the article properly will help to structure it and ensure a smooth transition for the reader through the text.