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5 Smart Tips for Creating a Landing Page

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 11:04 AM PDT

Do you want to create a great looking landing page for your next big marketing campaign? If so, it's not hard to imagine why you came to this conclusion. Landing pages are one of the best ways to improve your return on investment by guiding consumers through your sales funnel and generating new leads. 

Landing pages are locations on your website created to pursue your marketing goals. Specifically, they are used to get more email subscribers, generate sales through targeted marketing and convince people to engage with your brand.

In this article, I'll give you five tips to help you create visually appealing, functional and practical landing pages for your website. 

Let's dive in! 

Coordinate your brand message.

Have you ever clicked on an ad that sounded too good to be true? After the page landing page loads, it instantly becomes clear that you were misinformed. We've dealt with this situation, and there's no doubt that it's one of the most frustrating things you can encounter as a consumer.

Everyone is always on the hunt for great deals, valuable information and a community with values that align with their own. Due to this mentality, people are willing to click on just about anything if there's perceived value. 

Can you guess what happens when they hit the landing page and find out the offer was all talk and no action? They bounce from the page, and it's highly unlikely that they will ever return. 

You can avoid this problem with your landing page by coordinating your brand message across all platforms. For instance, if you're showing ads on social media that encourage users to click for 50% off their first purchase, and they find out the landing page promotion is only 20%, you're going to see a massive increase in your bounce rate and fewer sales. 

On the other hand, if you tell everyone about the 20% discount and the landing page matches the offer, you'll likely see a spike in sales and a dip in your bounce rate. Of course, situations vary, but as a general rule, a coordinated brand message will help you build trust with consumers and increase conversions. 

There's a good reason why 48% of marketers create a new landing page for each marketing campaign – they want to make sure the messaging in brand advertisements and landing pages stays consistent. 

Showcase social proof.

Social proof is an excellent tool that helps you show consumers why people love your website. There's a distinction between your marketing material and what real people think about your product or brand. 

If you say that your site in the best conversion tool on the market, it sounds like you're overinflating your value. However, if noteworthy publications, customers and partner brands speak highly of your company, this will sway the way people perceive your business. 

We suggest looking for social proof on social media, on customer feedback forms, and in your product reviews. Find comments that emphasize the point you're trying to make and include it in a section on your landing page. 

Let's say you found out that Fox Business claims that you're the best conversion tool on the market. Including their quote with a link will surely convince curious consumers that they are on a trustworthy landing page. 

Adding social proof to your marketing strategy can help boost your sales, conversions and traffic. In fact, adding real testimonials to your website can result in a 36% increase in conversions. 

Focus on improving UX.

An excellent user experience, or UX, is vital for the success of your landing page. Countless variables go into improving UX for both desktop and mobile users. 

Loading screens are one of the first ways consumers will interact with your site. If they click a link leading to your landing page and it takes longer than three seconds to load, you can expect that a majority of these users will bounce from your site. 

Your hosting provider, the amount of content on the site and plugins can all play a role in how fast your website loads. Tweaking different elements of your site and getting rid of things you don't need or us can improve your website loading speed. 

Optimizing for your mobile users can have a significant impact on your conversion and engagement rate. The best way to get your site ready for mobile users is to pick a mobile responsive design. Instead of facing a clunky, complicated page, they will get a landing page that works seamlessly with their device. 

You can also improve UX for mobile and desktop users by simplifying the text on your landing page. Instead of writing a gigantic wall of text that most people won't read, you can include a quick, concise video that gets your point across. 

Implementing a video in place of text could result in an 86% increase to your current conversion rate. The reason behind this increase is simple – people are more likely to watch a video if they are on their smartphones or pressed for time. In other words, videos improve UX for your audience. 

Optimize your page for SEO.

Did you know that there are over 77,000 searches on Google per second? This stunning statistic is a prime example of why search engine optimization (SEO) is so crucial for business owners of every size in every industry. 

If you can improve your SEO ranking, you'll see a significant boost in organic traffic, conversions and engagement. Your landing page is the perfect place to optimize your keywords. 

Ideally, there are four different areas you should optimize for keywords. First, you should try to include one of the keywords you're targeting in the title of the page. Once you manage to fit your keyword in the title, change the URL to reflect the title and keyword you chose. 

Now that the title and URL are out of the way, you can move on to your meta description. Include your targeted word in the first sentence of your description, if possible. Your word or phrase should appear naturally in the text. Forcing words by way of keyword stuffing will hurt your ranking. 

Additionally, you should add descriptions to images or videos you have on your page. If a user navigates to your site and the picture doesn't load, they can get the gist of your content, which helps with accessibility. Additionally, Google web crawlers read image file names and make determinations about the content of your page based on the descriptions. 

Much like your brand messaging, it's essential that your SEO keywords are consistent throughout each landing page or piece of content. 

Include a thank-you page.

Finally, add a thank-you page that pops up after a user has registered, clicked through or otherwise completed your offer. If there's no additional feedback after they click submit, users may get frustrated and try to resubmit their form again, which can make processing orders and inquiries more stressful than necessary. 

You don't have to go all out either, a simple "Thank you! We've received your request!" can go a long way toward convincing consumers that they made a good choice signing up with your brand. 

Every business owner and marketer has their own idea of a perfect landing page. In truth, there are plenty of subjective factors that can affect this decision. We think you'll find that the tips here are universal and will help you make the most of your next landing page.

Know the Key Strategies to Successfully Market Your Business Locally

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 10:52 AM PDT

If you are a small business and your marketing strategies correspond with those of Fortune 500 companies, you might want to re-evaluate your strategy. There is no doubt that those marketing strategies are great, but the point of consideration is your budget. You need a huge budget to achieve the same kind of results, and that is something you cannot afford.

Is there any effective marketing strategy that can help you in attaining good results even with a small budget? Yes, there is. It is local marketing.

What is local marketing?

Local marketing is a rapidly becoming popular online marketing tactic, in which you optimize your website and online ads to drive traffic in your specific geographic location. Also known as location-based marketing and "neighborhood marketing,"it is an online marketing strategy to market your business offerings within the area at which your business operates.

As you can understand more about your customers more through online marketing, local marketing helps you to better understand the behavior as well as the purchasing habits of your customers. Using the online platforms, such as your website, mobile applications, social media, search and emails, you can leverage the power of local marketing to attract consumers to your business. You can also throw nonlocal competitors out of the competition by using local SEO tactics.

With the proliferation of internet-connected devices – computers, mobiles, and tablets – most consumers search for products and services online, so marketing your business locally through the online mode can bring in outstanding results.

Effective tactics for successful local marketing

For you to become successful in your local marketing campaigns, you need to implement the following steps.

Listing management

Your success in local marketing depends a lot on how accurately you manage your local listing. The process of updating and maintaining the location data of your business across online business directories and other such platforms is called the local listing.

The typical components of a local listing include your business's name, the address, the email and the phone number, collectively known as "NAP." Apart from that, you can include other relevant information, such as operating hours, product and service descriptions, photos of your business to solidify your presence in local listing. It is also important for you to list your business on as many online business directories as possible. Some of the well-known business directories are:

  • Yellow Pages
  • Yelp
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Yahoo
  • Google
  • The Better Business Bureau
  • Manta

Local listings are important for your business; 82% of consumers conduct "near me" searches on their smartphones to locate businesses offering their products and services of their interest. The slew of benefits you will derive from strategically managing your local listing are brand visibility, SEO and positive customer experience – and these can contribute to revenue generation for your business.

Local SEO

So that people find your website through the local SEO, do the following with your webpages:

  • Include state and city names in title tags to localize them
  • Add product categories in addition to your brand name in meta descriptions
  • Use localized schema markup for your NAP
  • Include the street name and product categories for localization of URL structures
  • Include local descriptions and driving directions to localize on-page business content

Change the data if you move your business to a new location. At the same time, take ample care to feed the data to internet yellow pages (IYP), as search engines cross-verify your website data with that found in in IYPs. If both sets of data match, your website becomes trusted and entails better search engine results.

Local landing pages

You should have mobile-friendly local landing pages for each of your products and services. Capturing consumer demand, local landing pages help in better strategizing marketing by eliciting the vital consumer-related metrics. You can consider local landing pages as the hub of all your marketing as well as SEO campaigns as most consumers look for you locally.

To enable consumers to easily find your business through local landing pages, you should:

  • Ensure that the pages feature your business name, the address, the phone number(s), products and services, store hours, and even a picture of your storefront
  • Design the pages to be responsive by including title tags and descriptive schema markup so that search engines can easily find the pages
  • Incorporate trackable local phone numbers on the pages; this will help you figure out the performance of your marketing campaigns
  • Include links on the pages to business listing websites, such as Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook and other relevant sites
  • Incorporate product feeds on the pages; this will let visitors know which products you have in stock 

Reputation management

Having a good reputation is one of the best ways to grow your business. Positive reviews related to your business offerings by your customers play a significant role in luring potential buyers and building their trust. Most consumers today read reviews before finalizing their buying decision.

Direct sincere efforts to increasing the number of positive reviews written about your brand. You can do so by encouraging your customers to write their reviews. An easy way to do so is to include a widget or a button on the pages that enables quick access to review writing on a single click.

At the same time, ensure the reviews your customers left behind are not fake. If your customers find any of the reviews as fake, they will turn away from your business at one go.

Likewise, negative reviews can harm your business. Tactfully manage negative reviews. Whenever you find negative reviews on your website, follow up with the reviewers, and address their issues to make their experiences with your products and services positive.

Paid search and social media

Paid search and social media marketing are the vital components of any digital marketing strategy, and local marketing is no exception. In social media, you can target consumers based on their location as more and more consumers nowadays expect personalized and localized content.

You can communicate with consumers in a particular location through social media to promote your products and services. Location-based social media marketing also helps in enhancing awareness about your products and services, and thus you can improve your sales in underperforming regions.

Working from Home and the Keys to Long-Term Productivity

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 09:10 AM PDT

Currently, America and the world are dealing with the challenges of handling a pandemic and quarantine. As people are forced to work from home, they are being confronted with the dilemma of how to stay as productive in an environment that many are not used to.

Working from home is a topic that's discussed in our society all the time. There are opposing views on how much of a difference in productivity there is between work done in an office versus work done from home. That debate we'll save for another time.

At SMB Compass, we've had multiple remote employees and a few team members who work from home. We have seen what works for people in the office and what works for people at home. We decided, given the challenges that businesses are dealing with, we'd share our experiences and the keys to a productive workday at home based on what our team has practiced.  

Your typical workday and how it's built for productivity

The workday, in general, comprises a typical routine that is tied around commuting, office tasks, coffee breaks, lunch, followed by more work and possibly more coffee breaks. One of the most overlooked benefits of working in an office is the organic routine that is set in place – you normally have a scheduled time when you arrive at the office and when you leave. Within that schedule, you consciously or subconsciously build those daily routines that fill the time within the schedule.

Working from home can completely disrupt that routine. Your two-hour commute no longer exists. The one-hour lunch you take with co-workers is no longer there. You may also lose out on the unlimited coffee, the cookies Steve brought into the office and the jokes from that one funny intern.

All of these little things don't add up or really matter if we're talking about one day working from home or even a week. But what about when you're presented with the test of being away from your office for months at a time?

How can you prepare your days and weeks ahead for the most productive outcome possible?

Let's start with what it means to have a productive work routine. The first few hours of the day are the most crucial in building a day that will either produce the results you want or an unproductive, lackluster day.

How to start your day

The start to every day should carry over as many of the typical routines and tasks as your work-from-the-office days. If it takes you 45 minutes to commute to work every day, use those 45 minutes to do similar things before starting your workday.

If you have a favorite podcast you listen to in the mornings, take time to keep this part of your daily routine at home. If you work out at 5 a.m. before going into the office, keep that schedule going.

It's important to quantify your routines around the schedule that you're used to. (For example, I spend two hours a day on the subway reading sci-fi books.)That means planning your day by filling it with as many time slots that your biological clock and mind are used to.

Incorporate the perks of working from home with your office routine

The perks of working from home vary from person to person – we all have our ideal environment and way of living. In general, most people who love working from home tend to mention things like comfortability, practicality and that their home environment is less distracting than an office.

So that could mean that the one-hour lunch you're used to can be replaced with one hour of working on a home project, spending time with your pet, or cooking that one meal you saw on Instagram that caught your eye the other day.

Filling these time slots is crucial for productivity. Contrary to what most people think, working from home leads to more hours spent working than what people realize. It's extremely easy to start your day, get started on work, and nine to 12 hours later still be sitting at your desk working.

Burnout is a concern when you work for home. How you handle breaks is crucial for long-term productivity. Incorporating the perks and benefits of working from home into your daily routine will allow for a happier and calmer mind, which benefits productivity.

Set up an environment that leads to productivity

So far, we've talked about building a routine that closely replicates the office environment that many are used to.

Another key aspect of successfully working from home is the location of your workspace within your home. While it's nice to be able to move around the house, going from the basement to the living room to the kitchen and still be working, it's important to have a set place where most of your work gets done.

When we surveyed our people, we asked what kind of setup works best for them. The consensus was that the ideal scenario is to have your own office at home – a separate room that's meant for working.

While that may not be attainable for everyone, there are important takeaways that can still be incorporated.

Designate one particular spot, whether that's a kitchen counter, a barstool or a desk as the one spot where the magic will happen. The key to having a designated spot is that helps you create a mindset that this location is where work will happen. Being in that mindset is crucial for productivity.

How to Create a Business Budget, With Free Budget Template

Posted: 23 Mar 2020 03:00 AM PDT

  • A business budget template tracks your actual revenue and expenses against your budget projections, giving you an overview of the financial health of your company.
  • You can use your accounting software to create a budget or download our free business budget template.
  • One of the most important parts of creating a business budget is having a realistic idea of what you expect to earn and spend.

Creating a budget for your business may seem like a daunting task, but it's a vital step in your business's development. In fact, you'll probably need one as part of your business plan. If you're not sure how to get started, consider using our business budget template.

What is a business budget template?

A business budget can take multiple forms. At its most basic level, it is a document that shows how much money you have coming in, what you need to spend money on, and how much money you will need to make to continue making a profit and satisfy your expenses.

A small business budgeting template is a handy tool that gives you a place to record all your numbers in an organized way, making your budget easy to read and update. If your accounting software doesn't have a built-in budgeting template, you can create one on your own using Excel or another spreadsheet application, or you can download an existing template.

 

Editor's note: Looking for the right accounting software solution for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.

 

Why do you need a business budget template?

A business budget template is vital to keep your expenses and financial goals up to date, in check and referenceable. A good template makes it easy for you to see how much money you have available, what you need to pay for, and how much money you have left after covering your necessary expenses. It will show you if you can grow your business, give yourself or your employees raises, and purchase inventory and assets. If you don't have sufficient money coming in, it will show you which bills you don't have the funds to pay or if you are nearing bankruptcy.

If you need to apply for loans or grants, the applications may ask you for a monthly or annual budget, as well as an income statement or balance sheet to give the lender an idea of where your business stands financially and how you manage your money. For these reasons, it is in your best interest to have an up-to-date budget from the beginning.

How to choose and use a business budget template

The first step in creating a business budget is to determine whether to create it from scratch or to use a preexisting budget template. Budgets can get complicated fast, so you may want to download a template if this is your first time creating a business budget. Even if you choose to create your own, it may be helpful to refer to templates or sample budgets to keep yourself on the right track.

If you decide to use a business budget template, download business.com's easy-to-use template that is suitable for small businesses.

To use it, start by entering your business's name at the top of the first tab. It will automatically fill in on the other pages. Then, go to the Annual Budget tab and input your yearly revenue and expenses. Be as specific and comprehensive as you can, as this information will be used to populate the Monthly Budget tab.

On the Monthly Budget tab, you'll notice that the numbers you entered under Annual Budget have been prorated so you can see monthly estimates for each of your yearly totals. By default, each month is weighted equally, but you can change the weighting of each month by adjusting the value in the Percent of Total Year cells on line 5. If you choose to reweight these percentages, keep in mind that your yearly total must add up to 100%.

Next, use the Monthly Actuals tab to enter your actual revenue and expense numbers as they come in each month.

Finally, go to the Overview tab to see how your actual numbers compare against your budget. This snapshot of your annual, year-to-date and monthly budgets shows you what numbers you're hitting and where you need to improve. If you want to see your financials for a certain month, select the reporting month from the dropdown list on line 4.

How do you create a startup business budget?

If your business is new or still in the planning stages, creating a budget is tricky – even with a template – because you don't have actual numbers to plug in. Still, it's something you need for your business plan – especially if you're planning to apply for a small business loan to help you launch your business. Here are five steps to help you create a startup budget so you can start your business off on the right foot.

1. Set your budget goal.

Your budget goal is the total amount you are willing to spend on your business. This helps you establish clear parameters for your budget from the beginning and keep your spending in check. To set your goal, consider the amount of money you currently have or can realistically obtain. How much makes sense for you to spend? Keep in mind that loans must be paid back, often with interest, and you must not deplete your personal savings. [Read related article: How to Decide Which Type of Business Loan Is Right for You]

2. Categorize your expenses.

For this step, start by brainstorming all of your potential expenses on a budget worksheet. Begin with your startup costs, which are any one-time expenses related to starting your business, such as a building (if you're buying, not renting), computers or photography equipment. Be specific; write down the exact costs of every item you will need to purchase and any associated costs. For example, to build a website, you will need to pay for a designer, host, domain name, plugins, stock photos and security software.

Next, categorize each item as "essential," "nonessential" or "later." Essential items, as the name suggests, are purchases that are crucial to getting your business off the ground, such as a business license.

Nonessential items are things that will make your life easier but are not crucial to the operation of your business. This can be subjective, but try to look at your business as a whole and use your best judgment. An example of a nonessential item would be a professionally designed logo or website.

Later items are things that you can put off for at least six months and are not required for the function of your business, like a fresh coat of paint for your building exterior.

Then, add up your essential and nonessential items to get your estimated startup costs.

3. Estimate your losses.

Your losses are how long you will go without turning a profit while accumulating overhead expenses. Losses are a result of a new business needing time to build a customer base, and your budget must reflect them.

Start by calculating your estimated monthly overhead costs. These are things you will need to pay for more than once that are not tied to your business's product or service, such as subcontractors, payroll, software subscriptions, website fees, rent or advertising fees. This will create your operating budget.

Next, estimate how many months you will go without revenue. It can be difficult to forecast your income when starting out, so begin with the number you will need to hit to break even, and then use that number to come up with an educated guess.

4. Build in a safety net.

Many small business owners exceed their budgets. It is easier to do than many think, given the unpredictable nature of starting a business. Build some financial padding into your budget to cover you in the event of unexpected costs; think of this money as an airbag that's only there to be used in a true emergency.

To create your safety net, add 10% of each expense in your startup budget and add 15% of your monthly operating costs.

5. Refine your budget.

Now that you have some rough numbers to work with, it's time to tighten them up to make your budget more actionable.

Start by going through your nonessential startup items. Is there anything you can cut out or move to the "later" category? Can you reduce the cost of any items by, say, buying something secondhand or trading labor?

Next, look at your overhead costs. Determine if any of them are unnecessary, at least while you're starting out, and can be cut.

You can also reevaluate your essential costs if you cannot get your budget to balance. Go through them with a trusted friend or colleague to determine if they are all truly essential to start your business.
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