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4 Strategies to Boost Your Online Traffic

Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:00 AM PDT

For businesses looking to stay competitive on search engines and social media, the ability to draw eyeballs can make the difference between a top-ranked website and an also-ran. But for some businesses, traffic-generating strategies can appear obscure at best, if not impossible.

It is possible to boost traffic to your digital offerings without dumping money into a black hole. Digital marketing requires businesses to take a patient, multi-faceted approach with a huge payoff on the back end. If you are willing to reconsider the fundamentals of your marketing approach, you can see the traffic numbers that you want.     

Here are three strategies I recommend for businesses to achieve increased traffic with little to no spending required.

1. Become a Student of Marketing

Many companies focus, rightly, on creating and selling the best possible products and services. But giving your products the best possible chance to succeed requires a strong foundation in marketing principles. Luckily, there are a host of websites that have years of experience in digital marketing that are willing to share their knowledge with you.

If you are new to marketing or have years of experience, revisiting digital marketing principles like SEO, pay-per-click advertising, local listings, and more can help refresh your well of information. The key thing for business owners to note is that they should go out of their way to not only research best digital marketing practices but also reach out to experts in the field. By joining a community of digital marketers, you can gather information to help boost your online performance.

Here are a few things I recommend to maximize your marketing skills:

  • Search out blogs and professional sites that will give you an introduction, refresher, or advanced concepts in digital marketing. 
  • Join professional marketing groups on social media platforms. Having a group of like-minded professionals at your fingertips will help you gather new tools to boost your business.
  • Invest time into monthly marketing meetups. Meetup events allow you to not only gain new tools for your business but also network with other professionals.

2. Invest in Tools that Boost Your Traffic

A crucial concept in digital marketing is that statistics are your friend. Because of that, some digital marketers find that investing in software that tracks your performance is necessary for success. These resources offer the sort of granular-level detail that can provide you solid direction on what aspect of your digital portfolio is driving traffic and what isn't. They can help you boost your traffic without having to wing it.

A few of things these tools will help you track include:

  • Keyword rankings: The performance of keywords on your site is directly linked to your placement near the top of search engine results.
  • Backlink performance: Backlinks from authoritative and highly-ranked sites tells search engines that your website is authoritative, too.
  • Content tracking: Great content is authoritative, unique and is frequently shared online and on social media platforms.

Those are just a few of the measurements that you can expect if you invest in a great digital marketing measurement tool.

3. Hire Out if Needed

Even with great tools available for you to maximize your digital marketing all on your own, sometimes your team doesn't have time to commit. That's where digital marketing agencies can step in.

Some businesses look at outside agencies as a luxury they can't afford, but some small marketing firms can offer you tailored packages that fit within your budget.

Business owners should understand that while agencies do charge for their services, they also provide expert direction on what is needed to help you succeed. Agencies often already have access to marketing tools that give their clients quality-assured content and predictable results. Particularly with SEO, it's helpful to have an agency on board who can perform a full-scale audit of your website and give you strong recommendations based on hard statistics.

 Here are just a few reasons an outside marketing agency can help you succeed:

  • Access to marketing tools: Instead of you having to invest in digital marketing tools, an agency often has those tools and knows to use them efficiently.
  • Custom solutions: Digital marketing agencies come in all shapes and sizes so it's helpful to look for a firm that can commit to keeping your voice and style on the page.
  • Tailored price points: All marketing agencies don't cost a fortune, and some agencies even offer tailored plans that fit your budget.

4. Treat Your Marketing Approach as an Investment

Although businesses often want to see results right away on their marketing strategies, patience helps. All of the advice listed above should be thought of as long-term investments in the future growth of your business. Regardless of whether you hire an outside agency or try your hand at marketing alone, keep in mind that results take time.

If you do invest in learning marketing, you may find that becoming an expert comes with perks for your business. Not only can you realize more traffic and customers, but you can also take pride in learning a new discipline.

Instead of obsessing about your website's traffic, consider other areas of improvement that your business can take. If you take on digital marketing as part of a holistic approach to building your business, you will realize far more about yourself than traffic figures will ever tell you.

Most importantly, set up a plan for what you want to accomplish your business and website, and start taking the steps now to bring that plan into reality. 

Beyond the Exposure: 6 Ways Influencer Marketing Can Work for Your Brand

Posted: 20 Mar 2019 07:00 AM PDT

Influencer marketing – enlisting celebrities, social media personalities, and/or industry experts to share content about your brand – can be a powerful way to gain relatively quick brand exposure. But influencer marketing isn't only about that initial spotlight. If you look a little deeper, we see six benefits to influencer marketing that go beyond just bringing your brand to the attention of new audiences:

1) Establish brand trust and demonstrate domain authority.

By deciding to associate their personal brands with yours, influencers effectively grant your brand their seal of approval, deeming it worthy for their followers to engage with. This infusion of credibility-by-association is often extremely valuable for molding a leadership position in your industry, and in building trust with potential customers. These benefits are even more pronounced in the realm of niche marketing, where the nod of the right authoritative influencer can really deliver an outsized impact.

2) Drive purchases.

Enlisting influencers to promote your brand doesn't just produce empty talk. They're called influencers for a reason, and those mentions can help drive revenue. Followers of digital tastemakers genuinely look to them for trusted advice on products and services. In fact, a study by Twitter and Annalect found that followers trust influencers as much as their own friends, with about 40 percent of followers reporting having made a purchase because they saw an influencer use or promote the brand in question. Meanwhile, a Bluecore study found that 85% of Gen Z uses social media to learn about new products. Influencer marketing goes well beyond generating awareness; when done right it can impact sales.

3) Engage via advertising that your targeted audience wants to see.

Generally speaking, the more relevant a digital ad is to its audience, the better that ad will perform. Building a campaign around an influencer known and followed by your target market can create a much more impactful and memorable presence than an ad that's solely about your company and its latest offering. Leveraging influencers in your ads is another way to help build trust and brand preference.

4) Meet audiences where they already spend their time.

We now spend about two hours a day on social media (with teenagers spending upwards of nine hours daily). And with these numbers continuing to rise, influencers are only becoming more, well, influential. Brands that make influencer marketing a priority are both meeting audiences where those audience are already choosing to be for a hearty chunk of the day, and strongly positioned given the growth trends of social behavior.

5) Achieve exceptional returns on investment.

Influencer marketing has proven itself capable of delivering stunning results from a cost-benefit perspective. A Burst Media survey discovered that the average influencer marketing program achieved $6.85 in earned media value for each $1 spent. Given this substantial potential return, thoughtful investments into influencer marketing can really deliver worthwhile dividends.

6) Take advantage of limitless social sharing.

The incredible ROI potential of influencer marketing campaigns is derived from the fact that, unlike most other paid advertising, the possible audience reach on social can be unlimited. Rather than paying for clicks or impressions, once the campaign content is available it can be spread by any and every audience member who finds it compelling.

By partnering with influencers that are brand-appropriate and command followings with overlap to your target market segment, start thinking beyond just immediate brand exposure when it comes to influencer marketing strategy.

Here’s What Employees Actually Want From a Leader

Posted: 20 Mar 2019 06:00 AM PDT

While certain aspects of leadership remain universally true, your employees may desire other leadership qualities. What are the traits employees universally look for in a true leader? 

As it turns out, most of the traits employees look for in leaders are the same traits they hold in the highest esteem for themselves. Back in June 2018, a workplace consultancy called The Predictive Index did a survey of more than 5,000 people to find out what makes a great boss. Their results show that characteristics like self-awareness, humility, passion, and patience are all values employees look for in great leaders and traits they look to emulate themselves. 

How do you cultivate these traits? Take the following five key concepts to heart and you will ensure that your business will flourish — and your employees will consider you to be a great leader. 

Employees Want a Leader's Respect

Don't underestimate the power of respect, especially when it comes to traits that employees look for in a leader.  A recent study by the Harvard Business Review found that respect is what employees most want from a leader. In fact, having a leader's respect delivers the best outcomes across the five categories the study examined: health and well-being, trust and safety, enjoyment and satisfaction, focus and prioritization, and meaning and significance. The biggest takeaway is that employees who feel respected by their bosses end up being 55 percent more engaged at work. 

So how do you develop respect as a leader? First, you need to become self-aware. Know where your shortcomings and blind spots are. Once you are aware of these, work to continually improve them using feedback from trusted advisors, mentors, and coworkers to adjust your behavior. 

To make your employees feel respected, you must listen to them. This means developing awareness around your listening habits and practicing behaviors to improve those habits. Do you interrupt your employees when they are talking? Do you constantly steamroll past topics you don't want to discuss? Rely on your network of trusted advisors and mentors to help identify places to improve your listening skills. 

Finally, to ensure that your employees feel respected, it's crucial to continually take time to reflect on your own behavior and learn from any mistakes you may make. Each human interaction is an opportunity for learning and improving, and if you approach your work life with curiosity and interest, your employees are sure to feel respected. 

Employees Want to Feel Heard

A 2016 study by the leadership training provider Dale Carnegie showed that 88 percent of those surveyed value being heard by their bosses. The simple act of listening to your employees can provide a wellspring of respect and can also make employees more likely to stick with your company when the going gets tough. 

Why? Employees who feel like part of a team that offers respect and listens to one another will often stick around even during tough times because they feel valued. When employees don't feel heard, the internal brand of the company plummets—and you risk losing some of your best people. 

Listening is just good business. If you listen to the variety of voices and opinions your employees have, you may discover innovative solutions or opportunities that otherwise may not have surfaced. 

So how do you develop your listening skills? First, quiet that inner dialogue. Make sure you are fully present when someone is speaking. To create that kind of space, schedule a set amount of time (even 30 minutes will do wonders!) to reflect and get your own thoughts down on paper. Brainstorm solutions and write notes about next steps so that you can get the bigger things off your mind and dedicate your time and energy to listening to your employees' needs. 

Second, respect people's time — including yours. If a conversation gets off topic or wanders, get it back on topic and keep it there. By setting limits on topics and discussion time, you show your employees that you respect what they have come to say, and you respect the time they have committed. You also keep your own schedule on track and demonstrate that you not only respect everyone else's time, but you also respect your own. 

Employees Want Honesty

Honesty serves as a gateway for trust, respect, and inspiration. Doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing will earn you respect from your employees — and it sets a fantastic example for them to follow. 

In today's work environment, employees are very capable of sniffing out untruths and fluff. If you lie to, coddle, or tell half-truths to your workforce, you are likely to do irreparable damage to your reputation as a leader and your company's brand as a whole. 

So how do you cultivate honesty? Tell the truth even when it's not very pretty. Admitting when you are wrong isn't a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. Remember—we are all human, and we all make mistakes. Opening up about your vulnerabilities makes you relatable and shows that you can be honest even when it's not very pretty. 

Employees Want You to Follow Through

Just like honesty, following through on commitments you make as a leader is absolutely vital to employees. By making and keeping promises, you demonstrate that you are a reliable and trustworthy leader. You set an example for the team as well. 

Failing to follow through on a commitment can be as damaging as telling an outright lie. Once you demonstrate that you just give lip service to something, it may take years to gain that lost ground back. By following through on your commitments, you foster an environment of respect and value that trickles throughout an organization. 

Employees Want to Feel Valued

Giving credit where credit is due is one of the key things that great leaders do. Not every great idea comes from the c-suite, and success in business always takes a collective effort. By ensuring that your employees get the accolades they deserve, you create an environment where people feel valued for their opinions, thoughts, and ideas. 

A leader who points out the successes of their staff stands to reap the gains of respect and admiration from their employees. Sharing the wealth of good news (as well as bad) is always a good idea if you want to be a great leader. By recognizing their teams' achievements, great leaders encourage both competition and collaboration among team members because they strive to improve their own performance and rise to the good examples provided. When you call out the achievements of the team, you raise the collective up, and your business will flourish. 

These are the five core characteristics employees actually look for in a leader. By continuing to develop your own leadership skills and style, you foster these traits and help create an environment of respect and trust. You also ensure that your employees will want to stick with you through thick and thin. It's great leadership and even better business.

The Worst Excuses for Getting out of Work

Posted: 20 Mar 2019 06:00 AM PDT

While illness and car trouble tend to be among the most common explanations, its excuses like having to prepare for their pet's birthday or needing to finish binge-watching their favorite television show that give employers pause. 

Michael Reznik, CEO of TriFold, said the strangest excuse he ever received from an employee for why they weren't making it to work was because they had lost faith in the legal system and needed to go "on the lam." 

While on the surface, the excuse seemed ridiculous, Reznik said after questioning the employee, he found out the staff member had previously testified against some men that resulted in them being sent to prison. The employee found out the men were getting out on early parole and was afraid of retribution. 

"At first, I wasn't sure how to handle it," Reznik said. "It seemed a little far-fetched, but at the same time, I do care about my employees' health and safety. I also had to consider other employees' safety. If some 'rough' guys were going to come to our office looking for him, I really didn't want him to be here." 

In the end, Reznik accepted the excuse and after a few days, the employee returned to work. However, a few months later the same excuse was given. The employee left but never returned to work. 

A death in the family is a perfectly legitimate excuse for missing work. However, having the same family member die multiple times isn't as plausible. Ola Wlodarczyk, an HR specialist at Zety, had an employee who called out of work on three different occasions by saying their grandmother had died. 

"It was obvious the employee was not telling the truth, but we had to be strategic in our response," Wlodarczyk said. 

After the employee returned from their "bereavement" leave, they were brought into the HR office to be confronted with the situation. Wlodarczyk said they were very straightforward with the employee, showing them all of the previous requests and reasons, including the other grandmother death excuses, for calling out of work. 

"The employee went completely white," she said. "Still, we gave the employee a chance to tell us their side of the story. Of course, it's possible someone misspoke, or even categorizes someone as a close family member in this way, so we gave them a chance to tell their side of the story before disciplining them." 

In the end, the employee admitted to not having any relatives who passed away. In addition, Wlodarczyk said they discovered a litany of other false excuses that the employee had made up for missing work. 

"It was very eye-opening, but a learning experience," Wlodarczyk said. "If we would have gone in and reprimanded the person off the bat, then we would have not uncovered these other lies. So, in the long run, keeping cool certainly helped us." 

In a situation that seems right out of The Office, Richard Pummell, human resources lead for DevelopIntelligence, had an employee call in sick because they had burned their feet. Although this didn't occur on a George Foreman Grill, a la Michael Scott, it was cooking related. 

When the employee returned to work the next day, Pummell said many of the theories he had devised about how exactly her accident occurred were dispelled. 

"Unfortunately, the poor woman truly had been cooking dinner barefoot when a large pot of oil she was using for frying splashed hot oil onto her feet as she was moving it," he said. "It had required a trip to the emergency room and the application of some bandages." 

Unfortunately, that was just the first of the food-related injuries to befall this employee. 

"It wasn't too long after that she called in sick on another Monday," Pummell said. "She'd slipped on a banana peel and had a bad back," 

Too crazy to not be true 

While some outrageous excuses are obviously made up, others are too ridiculous not be true. BJ Enoch, video president of enterprise accounts for SocialSEO, said on the morning of an important client meeting one of his team members texted that they weren't going to be able to make it in that morning because they were stuck in traffic after someone hit a deer and their car had caught on fire. 

"I'd never had a reason to doubt this team member before and wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this was just a bit too much," Enoch said. 

Despite his doubts and wanting more answers, Enoch said he was in the middle of texting the employee to be safe when he received a follow message that included a picture of a car in the middle of the highway, on fire, with a deer on the side of the road. 

"We chalked it up as uncontrollable and he made the hours up," Enoch said. 

Shawn Breyer, owner of Sell My House Fast Atlanta, said he had an employee take off for their dog's birthday because they had to get the party ready. 

"As weird as the idea was, they brought in pictures from the party," Breyer said. "They had invited all of their friends and dogs over to the house and actually threw a party." 

Having a herd of goats traipsing through a house is an excuse most couldn't even fathom giving. However, that's one Kyle Birkemeier, had to give his employer while working abroad. 

"I had goats and had to call off work when I came home to find that someone had let them into the house and they pooped on everything," Birkemeier said. "My supervisors sure found it hilarious, and eventually I did as well." 

While you might be able to chalk up one outrageous excuse as an abnormality, it becomes more of a problem when it starts becoming a regular occurrence. 

Jean Paldan, founder and CEO of Rare Form New Media, said she hired someone who was giving ridiculous excuses for missing work from the start of their employment. On what was supposed to be his first day, the new employee called saying his apartment flooded. The next day, his mother, who they were told had dementia, had supposedly wandered off and he had to find her. Over the next four weeks, the employee claimed he couldn't make it to work because he couldn't find his medication, he had norovirus, and he had to be with his pregnant girlfriend, even though it was later determined she wasn't pregnant. 

"We at first thought that he was just having a bad time of it with the flood and his mother, then catching the norovirus, and we were supportive," Paldan said. "However, he started to flounder and forget which lie he had told and that's when we realized he was a pathological liar. At that point, we decided to let him go." 

Needing to take a nap, having to participate in a peaceful Armenian revolution, not wanting to deal with "mean girl" co-workers and forgetting it was Monday were among some of the other uncommon excuses HR reps and bosses said they have received over the years. 

How to handle outrageous excuses 

When it comes to dealing with employees who provide crazy excuses for missing work, it is critical that managers address the situation, according to HR consultant Deborah Woolridge. In fact, it is important to address all the reasons for continuing to miss work, even legitimate ones. 

Woolridge said having discussions with the employee gives employers a better understanding of what is going on. The employee could be having a personal issue or could be looking for another job. Wooldridge said confronting the situation lets the employee know that their absences aren't going unnoticed. 

When a crazy explanation is given, Woolridge said managers should document the situation. 

"Managers should keep track by keeping notes with date and time and explanation," she said. "In the past, when I have provided an absence report to employees, or lateness report, I found they were legitimately shocked by the frequency of the lateness." 

Not addressing the situation could leave a long-lasting impact on your entire organization. 

"A company might quickly want to nip ongoing excuses in the bud, because if not addressed, it taints the workplace culture and creates issues with other employees who see this person as getting away with the excuse," Woolridge said. 

When it comes to punishment, companies will likely treat the situation differently. Some might discipline the employee, while others may terminate the employee if they are seeing a pattern of not-so-believable reasons for missing work. Having policies in place that address absences and tardiness can help employers navigate these situations, according to Woolridge. 

"You should follow your policy, because if you do not, it is not worth having and [it] creates more issues," Woolridge said.
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