Notice a change? Insights is now part of LocalAxis!

Our blog's got a new look! Insights is now a part of LocalAxis, a new program from Boston Globe Media that offers a suite of digital marketing services. Don’t worry, Insights users, none of the promotion you receive will change nor will the pricing. You can expect similar content here from us that we create to help you better your marketing efforts from blogging to search marketing to retargeting to mobile advertising and everything in between. If you have any requests for blog posts, please share them with us in the comments below. 

Also, be sure to check out the new localaxis.com and let us know what you think. We have a list of services there as well; if you're interested in speaking with us about bettering your marketing efforts, please contact us at [email protected].

Thanks!

The Importance of Strong Customer Service for any Business

The Importance of Strong Customer Service for any Business

Strong customer service is perhaps the most important form of marketing you and your team should be executing on. It should be a main priority especially for small and medium sized businesses as it results in overall business success. Helpful and strong customer service will help you not only retain your customer base, but also help you to grow your business.

If you're going above and beyond for your customers day in and day out, of course they'll be more likely to come back to you over your competitors when they need the products and services you offer. Your continued success will become something they want almost as bad as you do because they trust you to always help them out, and deliver on your product and service offerings, which makes their lives easier. Often times there is a cost associated with finding customers, but the more often those customers are repeat buyers, the higher the ROI of your marketing initiatives. If you make your customers feel appreciated, helped, important and valued every time they come in your doors, they will continue to come back.

When you have clients on your side because of your unmatched customer service, they're going to start talking about you - in a good way. Through these third party endorsements, you're going to gain more business. Word of mouth is a powerful form of promotion. It can make or break a business in some cases. You can control what's said about you, by existing customers to potential customers, by providing a customer experience that makes him/her feel valued. When your customers are happy, they're going to tell people who trust their opinions, and in turn, you'll garner more business.


So you see why strong customer service is important? Making sure each and every one of your customers feels valued is essential to retaining and growing your customer base, and to the overall success of your business.

 *Offer expires 8/15/13

Using Social Media for Professional Personal Branding

My colleague, Rachael, came across a great article about a young woman who through the use of a LinkedIn ad landed a coveted internship role with a tech company in New York City, and it got me thinking about the importance of employees, staff and executives using social media for professional personal branding.


According to the article, she took out the ad to be noticed over the crowd of prospective interns who usually landed the best roles in NYC because 'someone knows someone' who can hook them up. Well this student, Nicolette Weinbaum, showed them, by professional personal branding on LinkedIn. The language she chose for the short ad yielded amazing click throughs to her personal page where visitors were hit with a solid list of services she could perform. Companies were impressed to say the least and she had many options from which to choose.
I love this story because I can relate. I landed my first job at Boston.com through Twitter branding. I used to work for an agency and through some networking events, I met a man who worked here at Boston.com. He followed me on Twitter and was apparently impressed with my professional personal branding through my tweets. When a job opened up in marketing, he reached out to me on Twitter and the rest is history. I've always been cautious of what I post on social media outlets because it's important to me that I am respected in the industry in which I work and that I can make meaningful connections with individuals who can help me accomplish my careers aspirations.

Professional personal branding on social media is extremely important not only for individuals looking for jobs, or to advance their careers, but also business professionals to help sell their companies' products and services. Always remember that you, the intern, the marketing manager, the web designer, the IT person, the executive, are the faces of a company. When you post to social media keep in mind that people probably know for what company you work. Use social media to promote your products and services, or sell yourself as a likable, trustworthy person. These things will help you succeed in your career and help your company do well!

*Offer expires 7/31/13

Marketing Tip of the Week: Capitalize on the 4th of July

Happy 4th of July, Insights blog readers! We're excited to celebrate this weekend. Are you? Well before we can get to our fun-filled BBQs and American activities, we must tell you about a few ways to tailor your marketing efforts to help you capitalize on the 4th of July holiday.

1. Content marketing - If your company sells products related to 4th of July festivities, tailor your messaging in your content to capitalize on Independence Day! For example, if you sell a type of food, consider offering 4th of July recipes to your audience. If your company is more B2B, consider offering a services special for the 4th and tell your audience about it through your content.

blog post, or a piece of content, consider producing a short video that someone could watch in under a couple of minutes on their mobile device or computer. Perhaps you could even tailor the video messaging to be in line with 4th of July sentiments. For example, wear red, white and blue in the video, or talk about American history as it relates to your company. (Bonus: videos are very fun to create on a not-so-busy workday before a major holiday!)

3. Social media marketing - Tailor your social media messages to capitalize on the 4th of July holiday as well! Everyone, and I mean everyone, in the USA loves the 4th of July, so they want to hear "Happy 4th!" messages from their favorite brands and businesses just as much as they do from their friends. Make sure you're active on social media tomorrow, by scheduling tweets in advance today. Also, be sure to mention any specials you're offering in honor of the 4th, or promote any content you've developed in relation to the holiday.


Have any other tips to add for 4th of July marketing? Add them in the comments below!

*Offer expires 7/31/13