Our Top 6 Favorite Tools from 2016

Some tools I'd used in previous years, there were also some new tools added to my list. All of them help to keep us organized, efficient, and creative at work.

Here are my 6 favorites tools for 2016...

1. Yesware

Finding this gem of a tool has been an absolute lifesaver. I have a terrible habit of sending an email that says something to the effect of "I'll follow up with you (insert time/date)" and then never remembering to actually send that follow-up email. At the beginning of 2016 I started using a spreadsheet to keep track of all of this which was extremely time consuming and inefficient. Yesware changed all of that. This tool has a ton of great features but my personal favorite is the "remind" feature. Before hitting send on a your email, you can mark "remind" and choose a date/time for a reminder email to be sent to you telling you to follow-up. There's an option to only get the reminder if someone doesn't reply to your email as well. This has removed the need for confusing spreadsheets but also ensured that I get back to colleagues and partners in a timely manner. Some other great features of Yesware include email scheduling (write the night before and send out the next morning), mail merge capabilities, email-open tracking, template creation and inputting, and reports. If you use Salesforce, Yesware also has an integration tool.

2. Asana

If you read my Thanksgiving post about why I'm grateful to work for Main Street ROI, then you know that we have the flexibility to work from home, which is amazing. One of the ways we're able to do this and still successfully work together as a team is no doubt because of Asana. This is an online collaboration tool that allows you to manage the tasks and workings of your team through a digital platform. Each member of our team is part of Asana. On this platform, we're able to create projects and tasks and assign members of our team to join the project. It allows for internal conversations, task tracking, due dates, calendars, and following of tasks. This tools has been amazing for making sure that each project within the company gets done and that we know who is responsible for each part of the project. There is also a very easy-to-use mobile app for Asana as well so you can check tasks on the go.

3. Google Drive

There's a reason Google is one of the top grossing companies in the world. Google's search engine capabilities and apps make all of our lives easier and Google Drive is by far one of my favorite tools of this year, and maybe of all time. Being able to store any file- photos, videos, designs, documents, spreadsheets- in one place and access them from anywhere, with multiple devices, is invaluable. This guarantees that you can access a file at any time, not just when you're in front of a computer at your office. From a team perspective, the real-time updates on Google docs and spreadsheets allows our team to connect from anywhere. Using Google Drive contributes to our team's success in working remotely. While on a conference call, we can all access the same document and all be editing live so we can view the same information. Drive also allows for sharing outside of your organization so that clients and partners can access files you need them to as well. Plus, there's a benefit to knowing your work is auto-saved so that even on an accidental window closure you don't risk losing all of the work you put in.

4. Canva

Canva is an amazing tool that allows you to create beautiful image designs in a few quick steps. With hundreds of pre-designed templates and beautiful stock images, Canva makes it easy for non-graphic designers to create images that are great for sharing on social media or use during presentations. While some of the images and templates require an extra $1 fee for use, there are plenty of excellent free options available as well. The program also gives you the option of uploading your own photos that can be inserted into various templates and edited directly within Canva.

5. Freedom.to

This handy tool is a way to battle the multi-tasker within all of us. Freedom blocks distracting websites and apps (including email) while working on a project in order to increase productivity and focus. It can be used on all of your devices so that you're unable to be distracted by any of them. You're also able to schedule Freedom sessions in advance or start one on-the-fly whenever you need it. Fair warning, they really fulfill their promise so if you enter "lock mode" and start a session, it's almost impossible to get back to your email and apps until your Freedom time is up.

6. Infusionsoft

This may be one of the most important tools we use at Main Street ROI. Infusionsoft was created for small businesses and facilitates email, sales and marketing solutions, CRM, e-commerce capabilities, and even referral partner tracking.

The email functionality in Infusionsoft is one of the main reasons we love it. It allows sending and scheduling of mass emails, such as weekly email newsletters. You can also use it to send and schedule autoresponders, such as a targeted sequence of follow-up emails. Plus, you can use tags to create very specific segments from your overall list. One downside to Infusionsoft is the price. Packages start at $199, which can be expensive for small businesses. However, the cost can easily be offset by the increase in sales from your email campaigns and the time saved using the automation features.

5 Digital Marketing Trends That Are Here to Stay in 2017

2016 is coming to a close and today we're looking ahead to 2017 and telling you what digital marketing trends you should lookout for throughout the year.

From all of us at Marketing Kings Blog, I want to wish you and your family a safe and happy New Year's celebration this weekend!

We're about to ring in the new year where people across the world will set their resolutions for 2017. Along with your personal resolution, why not make a resolution to guarantee that 2017 is the best year yet when it comes to your digital marketing?

In order to do that, you need to make sure you understand where digital marketing is headed throughout the year. That's why I've put together a list of the 5 biggest trends you're likely to see this coming year. 

1. Mobile search and advertising Mobile was huge in 2016, and that's not changing anytime soon. As of November 2016, Facebook reported that they have 1.055 billion users each month that only access their site on mobile. That's why 81% of Facebook's advertising revenue comes from mobile ads. And now that mobile search has officially surpassed desktop, Google's algorithm is influenced by the mobile optimization of a site. It's no longer enough to design your site for desktops, your site needs to be user friendly and functional for smartphones and tablets. So, if your site isn't optimized for mobile, it should become a top priority for 2017. 2. High Quality Content Content marketing has been called the "king" of digital marketing. And, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When people go online either to search for something or to scroll through social media feeds they have one of two goals -- to get information or to be entertained. The only way for these goals to be accomplished is through users engaging with high quality content. This is very important when looking at your company's content marketing throughout 2017. With huge amounts of content available these days, there is no point in wasting time and energy putting out mass quantities of low quality content. People simply won't read it when they can click to the next site and find something better. That's why you should focus on putting out high quality content, even if it means that you produce less quantity than in years past. Make sure the blog articles, images, and social media posts you're publishing show that you're a thought leader in your industry. This will help to get more attention, and convert more prospects than putting out fluff. 3. Video Advertising With mobile being huge and content being key, video may be the ticket to a solid marketing strategy in 2017. 92% of mobile video users say that they share videos with others and 90% say that product videos are helpful in making the decision to purchase. Videos are popular for both information consumption and for entertainment. This creates an opportunity for marketers both for video display ads, such as those that come up on a YouTube video, and organic videos that you create to engage your audience. Facebook live stream and other live video opportunities also became more popular in 2016 and are likely to grow in popularity in 2017. Bottom line, keep video on your radar because it's likely to become not only important, but highly valuable. 4. More specific measurement I can't stress enough how important it is to track your digital marketing. I highly recommend making sure that your Google Analytics is set up properly. Doing this will help you to see where your traffic is coming from and determine what traffic is converting into sales. You'll want to make sure to focus your marketing budget on what's working. Our Ultimate Guide to Google Analytics article can help you get started. Along with Analytics, 2017 is likely to see an increase in the amount of measurement and tracking resources available. Facebook and Twitter have had built-in analytics for some time, and Instagram recently added an Insights option for business accounts. At this point, the data from these sources don't tell the whole story, but that is likely to change going forward. I predict that in 2017 an increased focus will be placed on more accurate data reporting so that businesses can set clear objectives for each of their marketing platforms. 5. Social Media Influencer Marketing Social media marketing has become a staple in digital marketing over the last five years. That will definitely continue. However, it is also likely to evolve and open up more opportunities for creative marketing outlets. As social media popularity increases, the opportunity for "influencer marketing" will grow as well. For example, if there's a person in your industry that has thousands of followers on social media, this could present an opportunity to have them endorse your business or product and help you to gain more followers and a wider reach. The popularity of influential YouTubers also create opportunities to leverage video advertising as a way to support your business in a more "organic" way. Connecting with YouTube influencers to create original content or have your business or product mentioned in their original content will offer a creative way to reach more potential customers. You can think of this like Michael Jordan endorsing Nike, but for social media marketing.

How Google AdWords Is Like Santa Claus

In a lot of ways Google AdWords is like Santa Claus...

 

And since today is Christmas, it's only fitting that we take a closer look at the similarities.

 

 

To children, Santa represents presents.  On Christmas he travels around the world, shimmies down chimneys, and brings gifts for all the good little boys and girls.

 

To businesses, Google AdWords can also represent presents, but not in the form of a traditional wrapped gift.  AdWords can travel the world and instead of bringing toys, it brings gifts to the "good" businesses in the form of shiny new customers.

 

If you've ever woken up after running a successful AdWords campaign and found new customers, then you know that feels just like it did as a kid waking up to find all those gifts under the Christmas tree. :)

 

But as the story goes, Santa doesn't bring presents to everyone.  For the naughty boys and girls, he just leaves a dirty lump of coal...

Does AdWords Think You're Naughty Or Nice?

From the popular holiday song, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, we know that Santa makes a list and checks it twice in order to find out "Who's naughty or nice."

 

Well, AdWords uses a similar system...

 

It's call the AdWords Quality Score.  And if your campaigns are naughty (aka have a low Quality Score), then you're more likely to find a lump of coal than new customers each morning when you check your account performance.

 

To find your Quality Scores and see if AdWords thinks your campaigns are naughty or nice, you need to click on the Keywords tab within your account. Then in the Status column click the white speech bubble icon to the right of any keyword to view the Quality Score.

 

AdWords will give you a score from 1-10 where 1-5 essentially means you're naughty and 6-10 means you're nice.  If you find some naughty keywords in your campaign, then don't worry.  There's still a chance you can turn them around...

 

How to Make a Naughty Keyword Nice

There are many factors that AdWords uses to calculate your Quality Score, but they all boil down into 3 core areas:

1. Click-Through Rate - This is by far the most important factor and it requires you to write compelling ads with strong offers.  Remember, Google only makes money when people click on the ads so it's in everyone's best interest to show the ads that get the highest click-through rate.
   
   
2. Ad Relevance - To make your ads more relevant make sure to incorporate your target keywords into the ad copy.
   
   
3. Landing Page Experience - After prospects click on your ads, then make sure they can easily find what you promised in your ad.  And with more and more people turning to tablets and mobile devices, your website needs to function properly on all devices.

When you're reviewing your Quality Scores, AdWords will highlight which of those 3 areas need the most work.  Focus on making incremental improvements to turn those pesky, naughty keywords around.