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Author: John Bracamontes

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B2B Content Marketing, B2B Digital Marketing, Print Industry Marketing

LinkedIn launched a new feature that gives you more control over your LinkedIn Company page by allowing you to add a Custom Call-to-Action Button.

Why is this important?

If you aren’t publishing content to LinkedIn or taking care of your company page then I guess it’s not for you.  BUT for those who are actually trying to generate more business online (which you should be) by using LinkedIn (which you should be!!!) it will get you more clicks through to your website.

Trust us, you Want More Clicks & Visitors to your website.

 

How do you Update the LinkedIn Company Page Button?

First you’ll need to be an Admin of your LinkedIn Company Page to do this.

Start by logging in to LinkedIn and navigate to your Company Page at linkedin.com/company/your-company-name

For example our is linkedin.com/company/Acumen-Studio

If you don’t know your company page URL then simply search for your company using the search box at the top of your screen.

 

Once on your LinkedIn Company Page you’ll need to click the Pencil Icon next to the Custom CTA Button.

Those five new CTA options are: Contact us Learn more Register Sign up Visit website

 

 

On the next screen you’ll be presented with options for placing the buttons settings.

Acumen_Studio_LinkedIn_Company_Page_Profile_Button_Settings

You have a handful of choices to pick from.

  • Contact us
  • Learn more
  • Register
  • Sign up
  • Visit website

Choose the language for the button that best fits the next step for the visitor and add in the URL for the page you’ll be sending them to.

 

Then you’re DONE!

 

If you have Questions Call Us at 314-736-4434
Or Submit your information below

 

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    B2B Content Marketing, B2B Digital Marketing

    A Question we hear quite often is… “What is the Best Social Media Channel for Print Companies?” and in every case it’s really being asked what the best social media platform is to drive more traffic, more leads and more sales.

     

    So What is the best social platform for printers?

    If you ask any other agency that doesn’t have significant print experience they’ll tell you… “It depends on these factors and what you’re trying to accomplish.” they’ll tell you… “Well social isn’t really for getting leads and sales it’s about engagement.” and blah, blah, blah.

     

    These passive answers are why we HAD TO write this post.

     

    You want the quick answer? Yep?

    LinkedIn is going to be your #1 Social Media platform to use as a tool to get more leads and sales.

     

    What about the others like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter?

    Those will get you exposure and Facebook can get leads, but at a much lower rate than LinkedIn.  Instagram and Twitter are more for Awareness.

     

    All of these channels can be used to engage and nurture a customer base and we do recommend you do that, but only YOU can cost effectively do that internally and if you don’t have the resources to devote to long game awareness activities then YOU NEED to be focused on revenue generating activities.

     

    LinkedIn for Print Companies

    Let’s talk about Linkedin for a second.

    This social platform allows you to connect with anyone who is on the platform and gives you the ability to find and directly engage with decision makers and influencers at every level of a company.

     

    This means you can connect with the Print Buyers and Print Buying Influencers directly to talk with them about doing business together.

     

    There is a ton of detail we could share here about LinkedIn on what is possible, but that will have to come in a post of it’s own.  So we’ll list some bullets of the important ways to use it for now.

    • Manually connect with print buyers and start buying conversations
    • Manually like and comment on existing customers and prospect LinkedIn posts at least once per week to stay visible
    • Use an automated tool to give congratulatory messages on new jobs, anniversaries and birthdays
    • And MOST IMPORTANTLY run ads promoting your product / service targeting your print buying customer

     

    If you have questions about this message us through the site because we could talk ALL DAY on this!

     

    Facebook for Print Companies

    Facebook is a little simpler because we basically recommend two main things.

    • Promote all posts to your target customer, website visitors and existing customer list
    • Run lead ads to your target customer

     

    That’s it!

    Doing those things on LinkedIn and Facebook will generate the MOST benefit for you as a print company.

     

    Everything else is momentum building over time and incremental.

    We only suggest doing more intimate social media management if you have an internal team member who can actively respond to questions and engage on the platform throughout the day.

     

    Call Us at 314-736-4434

    Or Submit your information below

     

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      Digital Marketing

      We’re Excited to share with you our newest Digital Strategist Ashley Myers!

      When someone joins us we love to ask them questions to find out more about them and things they like.

      Let’s here from Ashley:

       

      Where are you from?

      I’m from Waterloo, IL which is a small town about 30 min outside of St. Louis.

      What are some things you enjoy doing (besides working)?

      I am always reading. I also like photography, and hiking and exploring local parks with my Siberian Husky, Murphy. (Let’s Go Cardinals/Blues!)

      Favorite Movie Genre or Fave Movie?

      I am always up for a psychological thriller or scary movie. I can quote all of Shawshank Redemption or Hot Rod, and The Conjuring is still the scariest movie I’ve ever seen.

      Favorite Type of Music and/or Band You’re Feeling Right Now?

      My favorites are classic or alternative rock. I am currently going through a lengthy Misterwives phase. All-time favorite band is Green Day.

      Place you’d like to visit but haven’t yet?

      My answer was always Ireland, but now I finally get to go in August! So, my new answer is Italy. All the pasta.

      Drink of Choice (doesn’t have to be alcoholic, but can be as well)?

      Schnicklefritz from Urban Chestnut. Really, anything from Urban Chestnut.

      Check out the rest of the Team here: https://acumenstudio.com/our-team/

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      Digital Marketing

      We’re Excited to share with you our newest Account Manager Joe Brenner!

      When someone joins us we love to ask them questions to find out more about them and things they like.

      Let’s here from Joe:

       

      Where are you from?

      I was born and raised in West County St. Louis.

      What are some things you enjoy doing (besides working)?

      I enjoy calligraphy, drawing, spending time with my family, and video games.

      Favorite Movie Genre or Fave Movie?

      My all-time favorite movie is No Country for Old Men. I also really love the Kill Bill’s, the Godfather, and Predator.

      Favorite Type of Music and/or Band You’re Feeling Right Now?

      My favorite band is Fleetwood Mac, but lately, I have really gotten into VHS Collection, Ryn Weaver, Yuksek, and Cut Copy. 

      Place you’d like to visit but haven’t yet?

      I’d love to visit the UK, specifically London and all of Scotland.

      Drink of Choice (doesn’t have to be alcoholic, but can be as well)?

      Drink of choice: non-alcoholic: Dr Pepper. Alcoholic: either Ying Ling or Jameson, neat.

      Check out the rest of the Team here: https://acumenstudio.com/our-team/

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      B2B Content Marketing, B2B Digital Marketing, B2B Marketing Automation, Digital Marketing

      Marketing Automation has existed in some form since business started being done on the internet (it just wasn’t always called that).

      But now it has become easier than ever to implement, has one of the highest returns and makes it easy to grow quickly at scale.

      • B2B companies are 67% more likely to see quarterly growth when using a marketing automation platform
      • 55% of polled B2B Companies are already using Marketing Automation in some form
      • 91% of marketers said a tool that enables their teams to review, analyze, and act on customer and marketing data would greatly increase ROI across all marketing channels

      If you are wondering why your current digital marketing efforts haven’t produced the ROI you hoped for then take a look at these B2B Marketing Automation Templates that will increase your return on marketing and bring clarity to what channels are doing all the work.

      Marketing Automation is the Perfect Blend of Marketing & Sales that Closes More Business!

      Download Your B2B Marketing Automation Templates

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        B2B Content Marketing, B2B Digital Marketing, B2B Marketing Automation

        What Are The Qualities of Successful Marketing for B2B?

        In general most marketers can rattle of a list of qualities that they think should be embodied when it comes to B2B marketing but what we’ll get to more specifically are the qualities of the executed marketing on specific channels.  Doing these things will set you up online for success!

         

        The List of Successful B2B Marketing Qualities

        We’re going to make this easy by literally creating a definitive list for you here:

         

        Know Your Audience!

        More specifically know details about that audience such as industry, company 7 job title

         

        Write 2 to 4 Blog Posts per month

        Not just write them but research the topics through SEO / Keyword research

         

        Post 3 types of content on Social Media (Awareness, Consideration & Conversion

        Most marketers get Awareness up, some post consideration focused message but few publish conversion based content, which is arguably the most important of the three.

         

        Run Ads

        To be clear we’re talking ads across all networks (Google, LinkedIn, Facebook)

         

        Send Email

        At least 1 to 2 times per month is fine to start and will keep you top of mind.  Send emails that round up your blogs, new products or promotions.

         

        SEO

        Good B2B Marketers are Good at SEO. And they employ it across all they do.

         

        Measure Everything

        Don’t get hung up on the extreme details, but do make sure you are tracking conversions and knowing what channels contributed to those conversions.

         

        If you or your team can enlist all of these marketing qualities and get good at them, then you’ll be set up for success, generate more traffic, gain more leads and close more sales!

         

        Call Us at 314-736-4434

        Or Submit your information below

         

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          B2B Content Marketing, Print Company Marketing, Print Industry Marketing

          Companies in the Print Industry are DOING NOTHING Online. Why?

          This is the question everyone should be asking.

          We have been asking this question of many printers in the industry and the most common answers we get back always fall into two categories.

          1. Online Marketing Doesn’t Work For Our Print Company / Print Industry Company
          2. It’s Too Expensive and Takes Too Long to Get Results

           

          Online / Content Marketing Doesn’t Work for the Print Industry

          Not to sound too harsh, but this is just wrong!

          We work with a ton of companies in the Print Industry and it works for ALL of them.

          It really comes down to doing the marketing activities online that will actually produce results for you.  Yes, this sounds a little vague but below are a few details that ensure it works.

          • As long as you ARE Targeting a specific audience it works
          • As long as you ARE Optimizing your website & Google listing for search engines it works
          • As long as your site IS Optimized for conversions it works

           

          Even those details may be a little too vague, but you can read even more detail here: https://acumenstudio.com/print-industry-digital-marketing/

           

          It’s Too Expensive to Market Online

          I can tell you it’s much more expensive to NOT market online.

          You’re missing out on tons of opportunity and the second your competitors figure this out and start doing it you’re dead in the water.  *at least until you start doing it well yourself

           

          The problem really is with our Industry (Digital Marketing / Content Marketing).

          There are too many marketers and agencies that say they are the “Guru” of this or the “Expert” in that, but the truth is they just know how to market themselves.

          You MUST know the industry you are marketing for (Print in this case) and be good at the tactics of what you recommend (SEO, PPC, Social, Email and Analytics).

           

          If you’re hiring a marketer in-house or an agency ask them these things…

          • How well do you know SEO?
            • Can you show me an example, tell me how you did it and the results you got?
          • How well do you know PPC?
            • Can you show me an example, tell me how you did it and the results you got?
          • How well do you know Social Media & Paid Social Media (LinkedIn Ads and Facebook Ads)
            • Can you show me an example, tell me how you did it and the results you got?
          • How well do you know Google Analytics?
            • How have you used Analytics to solve a marketing problem?

           

          If you do these things then your online content marketing will work AND will cost less AND will get you More Leads & More Sales.

          You can read more about Digital Marketing & Content Marketing for Print Companies by Clicking Here.

           

          Call Us at 314-736-4434

          Or Submit your information below

           

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            B2B Content Marketing, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Digital Strategy, Social Media Marketing

            At this point you should already realize that social media isn’t just a place where friends and family connect, share photos and like posts.

            Social has become a repository of knowledge, similar to the search engines, but more affinity driven by relationships and trusted sources.

            If you want to know who to use for internet law, who can help you with an ESOP or what company is building quality apps, then social is a great place to get real feedback and reviews from people who have ACTUALLY used those services or know their work.

            A B2B Social Media Strategy

            Understanding how your target customers are using social media is key to gaining visibility, providing education to and engaging with these targets.

            1. Customers are asking their network for recommendations
            2. They are qualifying your company on social media
            3. These targets are educating themselves on your products & services

            Has Anyone Heard of this Company?

            A go to question asked by many business owners, executives, directors, buyers, managers, etc.
            This is very powerful.

            If an executive reaches out to their network asking for personal feedback on a company and one of their peers responds with good things to say, then you are on your way to landing new business.

            While not every business will get a personal recommendation, if you have been marketing yourself well, then someone will at least know of you and respond with something like “I’ve seen this company and they look like they know what they are doing.”.
            This is the next best thing, because you have built a small amount of social capital and trust with this target.

            This stage of discovery is very important and completes the infinite loop of growth through marketing, which you can see clearly in our content marketing funnel (which is more of an hourglass), where past customers become salesmen for your business.

            Who Are You Really?

            Once a customer has been made aware of your business, whether it was from a referral on social media or they got nothing on social and asked the wise search engine Google, they will absolutely look your company up on social media.
            Again this is a critical B2B Social Media step.

            While the majority of B2B product & services companies are served well on LinkedIn, it is important to understand that these same customer targets have social profiles on many platforms and will look to find you where they are at in the moment (this could be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest in addition to LinkedIn).
            Plus, you will have a more diverse result in the search engines with a cross-platform social media presence. More results, Knowledgegraph inclusions, image results, Twitter feed, etc.

            These customers will look to see if you are a legitimate business and size you up to see if you are a good fit.
            Questions like “Are they too big?”, “Are they too small?”, “Do they think like I think?”, and many more. This is where being clear on your own brand and business is important, because it will qualify buyers for you in a very efficient way, driving better leads into your sales funnel.

            At this point two main things will happen.
            A customer will contact you via phone, form submission or email (they will find this info on your social profiles, if you have built them out completely).
            Or the customer will educate themselves more on a specific product or service.

            How Will Your Product or Service Help Me?

            This is what most businesses think of as soon as they hear B2B Social Media or Social Media Strategy.
            And rightfully so, because it is so critical.

            Customers need to understand:

            • What problem you solve
            • What you sell / solution you provide
            • How it works
            • Why it fits their needs
            • Why you are better or different
            • Your process

            Social Media is a great place to get this clarifying, compelling and enlightening content in front of prospective buyers.
            These customers are comparing you to your competitors and the more you can educate them, the better chance you have of winning that business.

            While you will want this content to primarily live on your website, social is the channel you will distribute this educational material to ensure it gets seen and gets the buyer back to your site where you can convert them or reach back out and communicate in other ways.

            Types of B2B Content for Social Media

            • Blog Posts
            • Whitepapers
            • Ebooks
            • One Sheeters
            • Video
            • Infographics
            • Research Papers
            • Webinars
            • Case Studies
            • Podcasts

            Depending on your product or service the mix of B2B content types will differ and the tactical strategy for each channel can be tailored as well.

            B2B Social Media Research & Tactics

            As with any marketing you should conduct research to identify key information to that will guide the marketing efforts. B2B Social Media is no different.

            Our recommendation is to take the research beyond social as well by using Google search query data (the keywords) and pair it with social media research on your target customers social platforms, including the less thought about forums and groups such as Quora and LinkedIn groups.

            Creating an inventory of who your target prospects is very important and taking this even further by identifying the stakeholders in those companies and engaging with their personal accounts on social will drive massive results.

            This leads us to a few specific tactics that we recommend for a superior B2B Social Media Strategy.

            Following and engaging with the business accounts of your prospective customers, the individual accounts of the decision makers of those businesses and the same for your current customers will create much-needed visibility, awareness, affinity and trust with the organizations that you want to do business with.

            • Like, Comment & Share Posts
            • Favorite, Reply & Retweet
            • Like & Comment using Video

            This exposes you to the businesses you want to work with and gets your customers talking about you more, while at the same time you are indirectly getting in front of other potential customers who also engage with the same companies you are targeting.

            This works like a charm and very few businesses are doing this!

            You can learn more about our approach to social media here: https://acumenstudio.com/social-media-marketing-agency/

            How Do I Know If It’s Working?

            To be 100% Honest, this isn’t easy for most businesses.
            Tracking, monitoring, analyzing, measuring and reporting to identify an ROI on your B2B marketing and social media efforts takes using platforms that can help you measure impact, attribution, and sales.
            Most businesses are not equipped to do this (as are most marketers!).

            You will either need to educate yourself on using platform specific social media analytics, social media tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, SproutSocial, etc. or hire an agency to help you with this.

            What we can tell you is that social media for B2B companies Pays Off BIG!

             

            Download a Social Media Case Study Below to Learn More

            Or, You can give us a call now at 866-357-7422 to talk.

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              B2B Content Marketing

              Deciding what project gets done first can be tough at times right? Sometimes you just don’t know exactly how to pick what will take priority over the other since they are at the same level. In the case of this, there is a strategy that I employ to make sure that I am making the right choice, even though it may push another project back by a week. Pushing a project back by a week is not always the worst, especially if you’re like me and set an internal deadline a week or two prior to when the client wants it to be completed.

               

              Determining What Makes the Cut

              It is kind of like a pro’s and con’s list. As the account manager you have to break down each project to determine the amount of work that will have to go into it, the level of expectation each client has, and the deadline that the client may or may have not stated to you at the start. Every agency has a standard for projects. Here are some important factors to take into account. You have to break down each project and understand what it all includes.

              • Level of work the project includes. Is it all hands on deck or maybe one or two?
              • Does this require the assistance of a designer? Because designing can take time.
              • Will this project overload one or more team-member?

               

              Communicating the Change

              While everyone on your team was aware of the projects at hand, they may have been working on the parts that they knew they were going to have to take ownership. Send out a memo to the team about what is getting moved around and what the expected timeline is for each project. Schedule a meeting to discuss it and get everyone’s opinion on it, especially if this project may overload one individual but not the rest. When shifting projects it is not just about the client, but about your team and their ability to efficiently and correctly get the project done without cutting corners. Projects sometimes come in waves, and sometimes one at a time.

              Knowing your team and what they can handle makes project management manageable.

               

              Call Us at 314-736-4434

              Or Submit your information below

               

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                B2B Content Marketing, B2B Digital Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

                Did you ever wonder why B2B SEO is so important for businesses? SEO, also known as search engine optimization is critical in driving organic traffic to your site. SEO assists the search engines and users in finding and understanding more about your site. Search engine optimization educates visitors and answers their questions. Search engine optimization helps increase your sites visibility and will help your business grow.

                 

                When was the last time you did a search and clicked past the fourth or fifth page? Most people never go past the first or second page. If you want organic rankings you need SEO. Just having a website won’t get you rankings. Most of your high ranking competitors already applied SEO to their websites, that’s why they are ranking so well. If you can’t be found in searches, then you’re not going to acquire as much business.

                 

                Get your digital marketing audit. Discover your company’s strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities you can maximize for a winning digital strategy.

                 

                Benefits Of B2B SEO

                These five benefits will highlight some of the important benefits of SEO and how it can take your brand to the next level.

                • SEO increases traffic. Organic search is a key source of website traffic. The higher your rankings the better your visibility and conversions. Organic search is usually the leading source of all your website visits.
                • SEO provides better user experience. User experience is important to the search engines and your visitors. Mobile-friendly is one of Google’s ranking factors along with hundreds of other ranking factors. Everyone wants to view a mobile-friendly site. People will leave a website if it isn’t user friendly and they can’t find what they want.
                • Local SEO increases traffic and conversions in your area. Let’s face it how many people use phone books anymore? Usually, the phone book print is so little and it’s hard to read. It’s easier and quicker to do a search on your phone and push one button to call. If your business is not optimized for local, then you’re missing out on local business. This is especially important to businesses offering services. Whether your business is B2B or B2C it should be in Google My Business along with some quality local directories. Receiving good user reviews will enhance your local listing.
                • SEO influences the buying cycle. SEO can get your good deals seen. It advances people through all the buying cycle stages.
                • SEO builds brand awareness. People will start recognizing your brand. SEO helps get your brand out there.

                 

                 

                SEO Is Crucial To Your Inbound Marketing Strategy

                SEO is an important element of your inbound marketing strategy and it is essential for your business growth. SEO takes time; it’s not a fast fix. That’s why we recommend combining SEO with other digital strategies to produce powerful results. PPC (pay-per-click) strategies help you get in front of your buyer quickly and it brings in new leads and sales. Social media reaches your prospects and customers with a majority of them interacting with your brand generating leads and sales. Email and marketing automation will continue to drive sales.

                 

                Call Us at 314-736-4434
                Or Submit your information below

                 

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