The AD Leaf Studio Central FL The AD Leaf Studio Central FL

Content Marketing Strategy

How Content Marketing Makes Your Website Look Better

Imagine you are a customer looking for an HVAC service. Your AC is starting to make weird noises and when you walk over to it you notice an odd smell. Previous experiences with AC units tells you that water is trapped somewhere beneath creating mildew and potentially bigger issues. You want to fix the problem but you have no idea how to do it yourself so you seek out someone more qualified to do this.

Thanks to your general knowledge of HVAC you feel that you have a pretty good idea of what a good HVAC company will look like. So you go on Google and look up “AC Repair” and begin to browse. You find two in your area with positive reviews and need to pick between the two. One of the websites is extremely busy. There is a lot going on throughout it and finding information is kind of a chore. On top of this, the information you can find is scarce.

On the other hand, you have a second website that is not only far easier to navigate but has plenty of info about their HVAC services. In fact, every single web page they have is full of content telling you how great their service is. They even have an entire page dedicated to the exact problem you are dealing with right now.

Of these two websites which company are you more likely to seek out the service of? More than likely it is going to be the services of the website that is full of content and even managed to address the exact problem you are having. This is an example of the edge that having great content marketing on your website can do for you. The better your content marketing, the better your website looks.

How To Achieve A Great Content Marketing Strategy

The path to a great content marketing strategy is something that sounds far more simple than it is and it is to make sure your website has as much content as possible and be sure that content is at high quality. When someone is seeking out a service they are going to look for someone that not only sounds qualified but plays the look of it as well.

Consider your website to be the first impression that you ever give a customer. If that first impression is related to having a difficult time finding the information they are seeking, a lack of information from what they do find, and a complete disregard for the user experience then that is going to put you at an immediate disadvantage. You want a website that will draw the user into your website not push them away from you.

One way to draw them in is to feature plenty of information for them to consume. Let’s go back to the HVAC example. If someone is seeking out an HVAC service then they are going to want plenty of information on what services you provide for your HVAC services such as AC Repair and AC Maintenance, but if you live somewhere that has harsh winters then you will want pages that also showcase Furnace repair, installation, and maintenance.

Identify who you are trying to appeal to. Most HVAC companies apply their services to both residential properties and commercial properties, but if you are a company that focuses in only one area then you will want to showcase that. Especially if you are a business that provides a service meant to sell to other businesses.

So make your website show this from the start through your content. If you are someone that specializes in working with other businesses then the user should be able to see this as soon as they start looking through your service pages. Alternatively, if you are someone that really wants to focus on residential customers then that is who your content should be driven towards. If you want to have both then do your best to show that you offer an even amount of services for both.

Should My Content For Commercial And Residential Be Separate?

Absolutely, yes. Even if the service you are providing is similar, let’s use HVAC as an example again, there are going to be major differences in how you approach your potential customer base. If you are offering an HVAC service then residential customers may be more comfortable knowing that you are someone that is very clean and timely. You show up at the times requested and they do not need to call you back once the service has been complete. They want confirmation you are friendly and someone that can be trusted. This is their home you are working on after all.

A commercial business on the other hand you will be working with completely different HVAC units. Likely larger, more complicated, and in need of maintenance more often. They want to know that you are qualified to get the job done, can do so quickly, and offer a rate that the commercial business considers fair. There are similarities to the residential job, such as being able to perform the job in a timely manner, but the key points that may make them take on your service will be different

Keeping the two separated is a good way of making sure you show your best self to each potential customer base. Showing this through your content is a great way for the user to see that you understand the different needs of different people.

Need Help To Come Up With A Content Marketing Strategy? Contact The AD Leaf ®

Does all of this sound like a lot of work that you don’t have time for? Yes, you want your website to be better but you are a busy person that does not know the first thing about content marketing as well as coming up with an effective content marketing strategy. Well those of us at The AD Leaf ® would be happy to help you.

We love turning websites into the best they can be with the best content possible. Call us at 321-255-0900, email us to @info@theadleaf.com, or use our contact page and set up a consultation. We will be happy to explain to you how we can give you the best possible content marketing and take your website from good to great. 

Social Listening- Take Your Social Media to the Next Level

“The customer is always right” has been the rule of thumb for as long as businesses have existed. Return business depends on the customer feeling valued. Being valued begins with listening.  Listening to the customer means not only hearing them but understanding what they want.

This concept is put into practice by a business by listening to the customer and what they want. This practice is no different on social media when it comes to your company’s brand and what you are putting out into the world for the customer to see. A practice and example of this that I was taught early on in my career, paraphrasing, “My favorite color is blue but that doesn’t mean I can put blue everywhere and use it in every campaign. I am catering to the customer and their desire. Just because my favorite color is blue does not mean that it is everyone else’s favorite color.” 

As humans, we are visual beings when it comes to consumerism. We make a judgment based on the first thing we see. If what we are seeing is not desirable, we move onto something else that does catch our eye. Listen to your new followers and most importantly, returning customers on social media to what they want to see. They are your audience, connect with them.

By ignoring what our audience wants we are disconnected from them. When we are disconnected from our audience, we cannot service or leave an impact on them. Companies often guess at what an audience wants to see versus listening to what they want. If any of this applies to your company, make a plan of action and ask yourself questions: “Who is the audience? What do they want to see? What could be a more effective way of connecting with them? What performs the best and gets the most engagement?”

Companies monitor their social media, which is a necessary part of a social media campaign, but it is taking bits and pieces of information versus looking at the whole picture. Engaging with your customers and assuring them that their comment has been seen is great, but did you listen to that person when they made a comment? Proper social listening means looking at the industry your company belongs to as a whole versus your one small piece of it. What is working for other companies that might be more successful than yours? How could you use it as inspiration and do something similar, but more importantly, better? 

Let’s look at social listening and social monitoring from a business performance perspective. Imagine you are a business owner with more than one location. If one of your locations was performing better than another with the same location to customer ratios you would listen to the customers leaving poor reviews and initiate some type of change as a result. This change would be put into motion with an investigation as to why one store is getting better reviews than the other. For example, if a review was left saying “Business- Location A is much more attentive when I come in to shop than Business-Location B, it takes ten minutes for someone to ask if I need help at Location B and at Location A someone is ready to help me as soon as I walk through the door.” As a business owner, you want both locations to be equally successful, so you would address the customer and acknowledge their complaint. Next, you might put a standard in place to greet customers and ask if they need help when they come into the store versus waiting until they look like they might need help after a period of time. By addressing the customer, you are monitoring the issue and bringing awareness to it but taking it that one step further to make a change in your store locations you are listening.

With that example in mind, look at your social media campaign the same way. If a specific type of post is performing better than another, listen to what your audience is saying and make a change. Research other companies in your industry and see if their top-performing posts are similar or different from your top-performing posts. If they are different see how you can change a type of post that is not performing as well as you want to align closer to what your audience is responding positively to. Making a change to a low engagement post has no negative outcome. If the post responds equally or worse than the original, you can always go back to the original style of the post but if it performs better than you’ve created more brand awareness and listened to what your audience wants.

Social listening can improve the health of your brand, give an insight into what works versus what doesn’t, and analyzes the competition versus your company’s campaign. Take advantage of your social media analytics to get further insight and start listening to your audience engagement. It is important to let your audience know they are seen, but it is even more important to let your audience know they are heard. An audience member on social media who feels heard but is not an existing customer could potentially be your next biggest and most loyal customer to date.

At The AD Leaf ® we understand that not every business has the extra time to invest their full efforts into social media. We are here to listen to your needs so that your customers can feel heard on social media, contact us via our phone number, 321.255.0900, or set up a consultation at TheAdLeaf.com, or you can email us to info@theadleaf.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

When Was The Last Time You Reviewed Your Website Content?

With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the entire world it can be difficult to think about the contents of your website. If you are a business you’re likely more worried about staying afloat, keeping everything running as status quo as possible, or maybe even re-opening.

However, as the world begins to slowly re-open, and many businesses open their doors again it might be the perfect time to take a look at your website and review it. Go through your pages and make sure they are updated. Give yourself some time to make sure everything is up to date and that your website is filled to the brim with content.

You might be asking yourself why any of this is important. Well, the fact of the matter is that in today’s day and age of Google, having a website full of updated content is imperative to success. The more people who see your website are the more people who will see your business. This means more customers.

What is it that makes this successful though? Why is having a website full of updated content good for your business? Well let us start with where it always seems to begin with content marketing and that’s SEO.

Content=positive SEO

While understanding the analytics of SEO and Google is difficult, we know that ranking well on it typically leads to more success for businesses. The better you’re doing in SEO the more likely it is people searching for your service will stumble upon your business and if they’re searching for your business that likely means they want to use your business.

If you have not reviewed your website in awhile you should go through and see if there are any pages that seem particularly empty or bland. If you’re an Italian restaurant, and your website has a page about what makes your style of Italian special, consider looking at your word count. If it is anything below 800 then you are likely not giving yourself a fair shot on SEO.

The more content on your website the better you are going to do with SEO. Now, this does not mean to just start stacking your website with service pages and call it a day. You need pages that are filled with words and meaningful content that search engines like Google will give preference to.

Keep content updated

It’s good to just have your content up to date every once in a while. Maybe there’s a service on one of your pages you don’t offer anymore, or even better there’s a service you recently started offering that needs to be advertised more. When you take time to sit down and review your website this is also a chance to clean it up and keep it up to date.

Your website is like a giant billboard. You don’t want an old billboard on the interstate that doesn’t have the most up to date info and you don’t want your website to be a year behind on content. Even when a pandemic isn’t taking place it’s just a good idea to spend time once a year to make sure your update is up to your own personal standards.

An extra plus to this is that when you do keep your website updated it also helps you in SEO. When you are updating fresh and new content to your website on a consistent basis, you’re doing more to help with your SEO than if you were to just leave it alone for five years. Of course, the content always needs to be accurate and original.

 The AD Leaf ® can help

If all of this sounds overwhelming then don’t worry, because at The AD Leaf ® we have an expert team of SEO specialists and Content Marketers that understand exactly how to fill out a service page with great original content. Our team understands this better than anyone because we dive ourselves into it so our clients don’t have to.

If you need help preparing your website for re-opening, update it, or just need help understanding where to get started then give us a call at 321-255-0900, set up a consultation appointment at TheAdLeaf.com or email us at info@theadleaf.com and we can help you understand why updating your website with content is the key to success. We look forward to helping you!

Using Social Media To Reopen Your Business

With many social restrictions being lifted within the next month, how do you plan to reopen your business? Chances are a social media method of marketing that has come to your mind. After all, marketing is the most effective way to get a message out to the public. Whether you’re a local restaurant, a flooring center, or a specialty store you’re probably very eager to open your doors to the public and begin to operate your business again. One of the most effective ways to ensure a successful reopening is by using social media to keep in contact with your customers and keep them updated on your company.

 

Companies that have actively utilized social media during the stay at home order have the biggest advantage. By keeping communication clear and readily available they will be fresh in the minds of customers who are looking forward to returning to normal life and supporting businesses again. Companies that have canceled communication or haven’t used social media to engage with their customers will have a harder challenge when reopening. A startling fact is that 62% of Americans get their news updates from social media. With that being said, keeping an open line of communication with your customers has never been more important to your business. If your company is currently not using social media during this time, don’t delay any further, update your customers of what’s going on for your company, don’t disappear on your customers when they need you most! 

 

One of the most beneficial things your business can do on social media to announce your relaunching is by creating a Facebook ad. You can use these ads to target locations, demographics, and interests to directly target your desired audience. These ads will be able to be seen by hundreds to thousands of people per day and possibly, even more, depending on your budget and ad duration. You can also choose different campaign objectives such as brand awareness, traffic to your website, lead generation, and even a call now button to get your customers engaged and ready to do business with you. A great way to utilize these is to discuss the plans of your company when your door reopens. Are you running any specials, discounts, or events? Are you changing your companies service lines or structure? These are great things that you can promote to bring the attention back to your brand. There are also other social media ads that you can run such as Pinterest ads that also can effectively capture the attention of your target audience to bring business back to you when you need it most. Visibility and getting noticed should be one of your biggest goals for marketing at this time. Without visibility, your customers will not know if you are open or closed which can be especially damaging when your customers need you most. Many people have been quarantined for over a month and returning to normal life is one of their main priorities moving forward. Now is the time to let your customers know what’s going on and get them excited about your brand. 

 

Using social media to communicate with your customers as well as engage with them also shows that your brand has a personable approach. With everyone dealing with hard times, now is the best time to show the vulnerable side of your company. Use it to show empathy, and show ways that you’re helping in the community and with your customer. Show ways that you are helping your workers or keeping them safe such as social distancing and sanitary practices. Difficult times like our current situation show the true character and values of a company. Use this to your advantage to show your customers why they can trust you and should do business with you. Companies that can handle the situation well and show that they care will be able to capture the most business and trust of the customer. 

 

It doesn’t have to al be about business though. Social media can also be used in a lighthearted approach to keep customers engaged while also having some fun. Some great ideas would be to have customers share their experiences and photos on your company page. You can also hold contests that allow customers to engage with your account to be entered into a drawing or raffle for free prizes and services. Many social media users have been bombarded with news updates about the coronavirus and seeing a post unrelated to the virus that allows them to have a little fun can be very appealing to the customer. Change up your social media posting strategy to give your customers an escape from reality while keeping them engaged with your company. 

 

By following these social media techniques along with an effective reopening strategy you will be able to open your business back up successfully and resume business with your customers and hopefully gain some new ones in the process. Now is not the time to retreat from social media and your customer, now is the time to re-evaluate your strategy and reconnect with your customers. Are you interested in reopening your business with the help of social media? We can help you! Contact us by phone at (321)-255-0900 or by email at info@theadleaf.com

5 reasons every small business needs content marketing

5 Reasons Every Small Business Should be Using Content Marketing

5 Reasons Every Small Business Should Be Using Content Marketing

Relying solely on paid advertising is no longer a winning strategy. With more users than ever blocking ads across their devices, your budget might not be delivering the results you expect.

How can small businesses stand out in a crowded digital landscape? The solution lies in content marketing.

This strategy allows brands to connect with their audience more authentically and helpfully. Instead of pushing constant sales messages, content marketing focuses on delivering valuable information that builds trust and nurtures customer relationships. It also supports broader efforts, such as email marketing, social media engagement, and local SEO, providing your business with additional growth opportunities.

Modern consumers want to make informed decisions. They prefer brands that educate and guide them, rather than sell to them. With the right content strategy, you can be that trusted guide while reinforcing your value across every stage of the customer journey. 

This approach not only supports your brand development goals but also increases the likelihood of repeat business and referrals.

If you’re wondering whether content marketing is the right approach, here are five powerful reasons to make it part of your business growth strategy.

1. Reach a Bigger Audience Without Breaking the Bank

Content marketing offers one of the most cost-effective ways to generate leads and boost visibility. It often costs far less than traditional ads and delivers better results over time. 

A single high-quality blog post can go live across multiple channels, including email newsletters, social media platforms, and local SEO efforts. Each piece becomes a multi-use asset that helps drive traffic, build awareness, and convert leads.

You also gain more control over your messaging. Unlike paid ads, which disappear when your budget runs out, your content continues working for you long after it’s published.

2. Build Customer Trust in a Natural Way

People are overwhelmed by ads and sales pitches. What they want is helpful information. Content marketing lets your business provide real value by sharing practical tips, real-life success stories, and expert insights. 

When you become a helpful resource instead of a pushy salesperson, you create stronger connections with your audience. Trust leads to loyalty, and loyalty leads to long-term growth.

Over time, consistent content helps you stay top of mind. When potential customers are finally ready to buy, they’ll remember your brand as the one that genuinely helped them make an informed decision.

3. Improve Your Visibility in Search Results

Search engines love fresh, relevant content. By regularly publishing helpful blog posts and informative pages, your website can rise in search rankings and attract more organic traffic. 

When you combine this with solid local SEO practices, your business becomes more discoverable to customers who are actively searching for your services in your area. It’s a great way to increase your reach without relying on paid ads.

Content also allows you to target keywords that are specific to your niche. This content can help bring in more qualified traffic that’s likely to convert.

4. Establish Your Brand as a Trusted Authority

Sharing thoughtful content regularly helps position your business as a knowledgeable leader in your industry. Whether you’re offering advice or breaking down common challenges, your audience begins to see you as a go-to expert. This kind of authority is key to brand development. Over time, it strengthens your reputation and encourages repeat visits from loyal customers.

This recognition doesn’t happen overnight. But with a consistent voice and clear value, your business can become a reliable source of insight, setting you apart from the competition in meaningful ways.

5. Keep Your Website Fresh and Engaging

A static website can send the wrong message to potential customers and search engines. Regularly updating your site with new articles, blog posts, and guides demonstrates that your business is active and committed to its growth. 

Each update boosts your site’s SEO performance while giving visitors more reasons to explore your brand. Fresh content invites engagement, encourages sharing, and keeps your digital presence dynamic.

This ongoing activity signals to search engines that your site is relevant, which helps improve your rankings. For customers, it shows that you care enough to stay updated and responsive to their needs.

Why Choose The AD Leaf Orlando?

At The AD Leaf Orlando, we partner with small businesses to create content strategies that actually work. Our team goes beyond writing blog posts. We develop targeted marketing tools designed to enhance your local SEO, support brand development, and improve your email marketing campaigns.

We understand what it takes to connect with modern consumers. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up your content efforts, we’ll help you build a strategy that drives real results.

Let us take care of your content marketing so you can focus on what you do best. Contact us at 321-255-0900 to discover how we can enhance your brand and support your online business growth.

Your Brand and Pinterest

For many years, companies have shied away from utilizing the incredibly visual platform, Pinterest. We believe this is because from early on, Pinterest began to brand themselves to speak specifically to and address the needs of a younger female demographic.

But the tides are changing.

Now, more than ever, 40% of new sign-ups are actually men, says Pinterest. Pinterest is a massive platform, though not as large as say Instagram or Facebook. But it’s growing. Pinterest has 322 million global active users, which has 200 billion pins saved.

Pinterest, according to some of these analytics, means that this platform is nothing to shy away from when it comes to your brand. 

You see, Pinterest is unique in that it’s  a place where users go to do primarily two things:

  1. They are going to make a purchase, and Pinterest helps users discover this.
  2. Pinterest users may be trying to decide what they want, and go to Pinterest to discover what that actually is.

Pinterest has a whopping 83% of its weekly Pinners actually made purchases based on the content they saw while scrolling! Seventy-seven percent of weekly Pinners discovered a new brand. The bottom line here to note is that Pinterest is a place all about the user, and a place to create something for themselves.

However…

With all of these incredible metrics, did you know that an alarming 97% of the top pins are actually unbranded? When we talk about a brand, what we are meaning is a company identity as seen through their content. Almost all of the top-pins have no identity if you will. Do you know what this means? It means there is a massive void, and dare we say opportunity, for your brand to stand out in this vast space? We believe so. This factor, along with a few other points we will mention here in a minute, show us that Pinterest may just be the secret weapon your brand needs.

So here are some helpful tips on branding from Pinterest themselves

  1. Brand Your Pins: As we stated earlier, 97% of top-searched pins are actually identity-less. They have no brand. This means that when you see a pin that may be performing well but may not be converting as well as it could because it’s not branded. According to Pinterest, when companies branded their pins and ensured there was a cross-platform brand continuity, they saw a 13% conversion rate increase! So before you go to post that pin, ask yourself if your image has a logo? What about the image itself; is it visually striking and clear? Is it vertically oriented? What about the text? Do you have a text overlay that is clear and to the point, along with clear titles, captions, and hashtags? These are just a few quick questions to ask yourself to help take your brand to the next level!
  2. Think “mobile”: What we mean by this one, and we thought it was a brilliant point, is to design for the user’s cellphone, not necessarily a desktop. According to Pinterest, 85% of their users are accessing their platform through their phones. It’s important to use your content and the pages you are sending people to are mobile-friendly. This means ensuring the font is screen readable and content is optimized for a cellphone.
  3. Brand Continuity: We touched on this a moment ago, but ensure that not only your pins but also the pages you are linking your pins to all have the same branding will help your users not feel as disjointed and create a more pleasant user experience. A simple audit of your accounts can help alleviate this with the same logos, banners, and color schemes being implemented. 
  4. Set-Up Shop: You can also create an online shopping experience through Pinterest! And with their catalog feature, you can link your brand’s page to your Pinterest page to make shopping a breeze. And if you are worried that you will have to adjust your Pinterest every time you add an item to your eCommerce store, don’t worry! Their catalog updates your Pinterest automatically though the data link so updating is not a hassle across platforms. 

Some Freebies for you on your Brand’s Journey to harnessing Pinterest

  • Pick and eye-catching image.
  • Reference Pinterest’s incredible amount of free information such as their yearly calendar that shows trends to help you research and strategize with monthly and yearly data.
  • Use video, and forget the audio (but don’t forget the text overlay).
  • Think like your audience when curating content. Pinterest is a place where people go to discover what they want, or make purchases. 
  • For more resources, check out their blog: https://business.pinterest.com/en/resources-and-guides

The more we at The AD Leaf ® research and utilize Pinterest, along with the shifting marketing landscape, the more we see Pinterest as becoming a heavy-hitter, especially for all of your visually strong brands and those who are selling items or services. If your brand is wanting to harness the power of Pinterest, or simply looking for some marketing help, The AD Leaf ® is ready to take your business to the next level today. For questions on who we can help, please visit us online at www.theadleaf.com

 

Google Ads Update

Google Ads Requiring All Advertisers To Identify Verification

Google had announced a recent important Google Ads update. They are requiring all advertisers on their platform “to complete a verification program in order to buy ads” on the Google Ads network. This idea was brought up previously. However, the program is now being activated for all advertisers now. As Google explains here, certain advertisers will be required to submit some form of verification that will prove the legitimacy of their legal business or their individual name. This, of course, will be done through providing supporting documentation.

The verification program will first begin in the United States and will apply to Search, Display and YouTube advertisements. However, over time, it will be rolled out globally. Other details include that advertisers that are required to complete the verification program will be notified and given 30 days to complete and submit the verification form. Once the advertiser submits it, it will take about three to five days for Google to verify the information given. However, failure to fully complete the given program within the 30 days may result in not only ad restrictions, but Google may also stop your ads all together.

Google will also be adding new ad disclosures to each advertisement. Such disclosures will display the advertiser’s name and country. Overall, the verification program will involve the following:

  • Business incorporation documents
  • Personal identification methods
  • Operating geography (country, etc.)
  • Possibly other forms of proof to verify who they are

 

Why Google Ads Is Rolling Out This Program

According to the announcement from Jack Canfield, Director of Product Management, Ads Integrity, Google is trying to “provide greater transparency and equip users with more information about who is advertising to them”. He also further explains the following:

“This change will make it easier for people to understand who the advertiser is behind the ads they see from Google and help them make more informed decisions when using our advertising controls. It will also help support the health of the digital advertising ecosystem by detecting bad actors and limiting their attempts to misrepresent themselves.”

 

What Changes Users Will Experience in Ads

As mentioned earlier, Google is planning to add disclosures to all ads that are verified. This disclosure will simply give details on the identity of the advertiser. A small downwards arrow will be added to such ads, and when pressed, it will show a “Why this Ad?” option. Upon pressing this option, the following option will appear:

  • Advertiser name
  • Country location
  • A toggle option to stop receiving ads from them

For Display ads, the following information will be available on the Ad Choices icon, or the “x” that is on the following banner. For YouTube ads, the disclosure information can be viewed by clicking the “i” icon, as well as the three dot icon in the ad.

 

What Does This Change Mean?

Some would argue that there are both some positives, but also some downsides to the Google Ads update. The security aspect is a great improvement, as this would help keep out illegitimate advertisers from using Google Ads and competing against real users. However, a possible downside is that there could be an influx of accidental clicks. This is due to the fact the disclosure arrow is being added to each advertisement is actually very small, and some people may accidentally click the ad rather than the small arrow symbol.

SEO Content Writing

SEO Isn’t Just About Quality Content

Over time, those who are unfamiliar to advanced search engine optimization (SEO) strategies have the perception that the quality of written SEO content is the most important factor to being top ranked on search engines. This perception isn’t entirely incorrect. However, it is misleading and can cause a casual SEO strategist to focus the wrong factors.

When you search a keyword on Google, or another search engine, and click onto a specific result, you’re most likely going to judge the page you land on based on different needs. Does the web page give you the content you were specifically looking for? Is the page easy enough to navigate and view? Does the content actually peak your interest, and does it seem accurate? In terms of quality content, many of these questions are very important to answer. They overall impact the experience of a website’s visitor and how search engines can measure the worth of the page.These elements are important for writing quality, but don’t do much for the actual optimization robots are looking for when indexing websites.

What Is SEO Actually About?

Other than writing quality SEO content, optimization done both on-page and off-page largely factors into what can rank a website greatly on a search engine. Here are the other factors that truly determine SEO success:

Time

SEO is all about time. It is not a process that is completed within a simple couple hours. It can take months, and almost years to gradually build ranking for multiple keywords. It can take a long time to build links externally, that are meant to support your website overall. Gradually and slowly, search engines will discover all connections you are trying to build within your website (from possible internal links), or even links you may have created on other websites that connect back to your site.

Link Building

Search engines could care less about content either being the best or worst if the content itself is not being found through a proper link. If your audience cannot link to it, search engines are very unlikely to even rank it and this will result to no traffic being driven to your website. Think of it this way: The more people can link back to a certain piece of content, the better its chances are of actually ranking for a specific related keyword. Quality links truly do matter, and they can sometimes push a link that has been stuck at position 5 to position 1 on search engines.

HTML Tags

Meta tags, such as title tags, meta descriptions, and keywords, are extremely important. Title tags and meta descriptions are the first impression a possible visitor could have on a specific web page you have ranked. What is displayed in the SERP can make or break whether a person clicks on your website or not.

Source of Content

Link building can play a big factor in giving a website high domain authority. But why is domain authority important? Google will give priority in ranking to those websites that have built such authority and credibility over time. When optimizing a new page, if the website already has high domain authority, they already have a huge head-start in SEO.

Other Factors

Other factors that could affect search engine ranking involve simply having more spend on using better SEO tools, or having a bigger ream of people working on the factors listed above. Another factor is also simple luck. Despite a lack of optimization of SEO strategies, some websites have specific pages ranked up well.

 

Writing the best SEO content may not be the only way to get your web page top ranked. Overall, SEO is a competition of strategy ‒ strategies that are achieved by multiple levels of optimization. However, perseverance and patience are important and are almost key to such a competition.

Different Kinds Of Content Marketing

Content Marketing is something that at first seems simple. You create content for marketing purposes so obviously it’s something only see in commercials, emails, and in those banners on websites. However, content marketing can exist well beyond those realms. There are multiple areas of content marketing that are going unexplored.

If you look hard you can see content marketing in so many different planes of the current world that it’s honestly staggering. So many ways to sell yourself, your business, and do so in a creative and interesting way. The days of just sticking a billboard on the interstate and hoping someone notices it are gone. This is a virtual age.

In this virtual age there are so many more opportunities for content marketing. Opportunities that not enough businesses are taking advantage of. If you can understand where these business opportunities are and where you can grow then there is no limit to your content marketing potential.

Podcasts

One of the quickest growing platforms, podcasts are becoming more popular every day with millions of listeners opting to listen to them while they exercise, drive, or perform chores over music. These podcasts can range from political, comical, or dive into a whole different realm like sports and video games. Podcasts are an untapped market for content marketing and one that a few smart businesses are beginning to take advantage of.

Content marketing in podcasts can exist in multiple planes. There’s the classic radio style ad that some companies choose to go with and on some podcasts it works. If the listening demographic of that podcast leans on the older side then they’ll be more willing to sit through a traditional radio style advertisement on their podcast than someone younger. A younger person is more likely to seek out the fast forward button.

Which is where a very podcast specific kind of content marketing comes in. Many companies have realized that younger listeners, especially younger ones, don’t want to listen to traditional commercials, but what they will listen to are the podcast hosts sell them a product. This is particularly useful when the podcast itself is very personality driven.

The best content marketing in podcasts usually gives the hosts a general script to follow. They can either read it the entire way through or they can ad-lib sections to help create more interest in their podcasts. These ads usually last 32-38 seconds long. Why the weird number? Because most podcast apps let you skip ahead 15-30 seconds at a time.

Good content marketing sees the untapped potential of podcasts and can create content for them. With over half of the United States listening to at least one podcast in the last year you can bet that they’re here to stay.

Webpages

Who doesn’t take advantage of webpage based content marketing? You would be shocked. Having a well built website with plenty of content on it can change your website from an okay one to a brilliant one in the span of months. Too many places focus on their homepage, and while important, the web pages spread throughout your website can bring it just as much value. They can stand alone and bring in their own individual traffic. These individual numbers can help bring up the rest of the site as a whole. Not to mention good content on one page will help push someone to keep reading on other pages.

Strong webpage content marketing will tell users what they can and can’t get from a service. These webpages are designed to draw the consumer in and keep them there. Once they’re around the webpage then needs to sell them on the service that is being provided. Not enough webpages put value in this and instead opt for quick explanations that, while valuable in their own right, don’t get the job done.

If someone is looking at an individual web page and sees only a paragraph of information there’s a strong chance that paragraph is missing vital info that the user can use. Not to mention it doesn’t do well in the analytics of SEO. Content marketing is about creating great and valuable content while also appeasing to SEO analytics. It can be a tightrope walk, but the best content marketers can do it perfectly.

Social Media

Most businesses have a social media page, but the amount of effort that goes into them is nowhere near enough to meet their competitors. Content marketing in social media is a skill in itself that involves following trends, being smart about those trends, and knowing your audience. Sadly, many companies with a social media presence don’t understand how to do this.

Content marketing in social media is usually a shorter form of writing. If you’re on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you don’t want to read a post that’s 1000 words, because more often than not you’re on your phone. Even if you aren’t you probably aren’t looking for long form writing on those platforms. That’s why staying short, sweet, and to the point is important in social media content marketing.

Not to mention that content marketing on a social media platform is a dangerous game. Many social media posts want to go viral with funny jokes, memes, or videos, but one misstep and you’re going viral for all the wrong reasons. Posting something cute and adorable is fine, but make sure it always has good taste. Poor taste in a social media is the biggest and most easily avoidable mistake. If you have to think about it then it’s probably not worth doing.

Great content marketers understand all platforms. Even if they’re currently not working in one area they still understand this and do their best for the possibility of one day needing to work in that kind of content marketing field. Content marketing is a constantly changing world and you have to be ready to adapt with what the future holds. One day social media, webpages, and podcasts might be obsolete as something else takes their place. You always need to be ready for change.

At The AD Leaf ® we understand more than anyone how much the landscape of the industry can change. If you want to speak with a team of experts that can help you understand that landscape then why not try contacting us via our phone number, 321.255.0900, or set up a consultation at TheAdLeaf.com, or you can email us to info@theadleaf.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Promoting Positive Customer Reviews on Social Media for Your Businesses

Every business owner knows how valuable positive customer reviews are. Customer reviews have become one of the number one ways that drive new customers to businesses. All it takes to find reviews is a quick google search, and a lack of positive reviews can just as easily take potential customers away. But getting past customers to post customer reviews or give positive feedback of any kind often feels like pulling teeth so what can you do to drive your customers to give your business positive feedback. Research has shown that one of the best ways to get positive feedback and reviews for your business is through social media. Here are some ways you can drive your customers to give you good reviews on social media platforms so you can drive new customers right to your business’s door.

  • Encourage user-generated content 

User-generated content on social media means that your customers will be posting their experience at your business on social media. Most people like to put their best foot forward on social media so it is not uncommon for customers to post a positive experience at a business on social media. Encourage your customers to take pictures of your business, of themselves at your business, or of the services your business provides. You can even ask to take the pictures yourself. Customers will usually oblige, and may even ask that you share the photo with them if they are in it. The more content you can get a hold of, the better the chance of them sharing their experience online, and the more content you will have for your own social media posts.

  • Post Interactive Stories

Stories have become more and more popular in recent years. Almost all popular social media platforms now have the option to add stories, but the best thing about stories for businesses is that they can be easily interactive. Stories have options that allow your customers to directly ask you questions, take polls, rate what they like and what they don’t like, and so on. The possibilities are endless, and it often takes less than a few minutes for a customer to give their feedback. Just like customers prefer speed when coming to your business, they also prefer speed when it comes to giving feedback. Stories are the perfect way to do this, and you can post them whenever and however you want. 

  • Post about your customer reviews and your customers’ experiences

If you see a great review online why would you want to keep that to yourself? Your customers want to be heard, and posting their experience can be a perfect way to make sure that happens. A great way to share your customer reviews is by creating a graphic template where you can easily copy and paste your favorite reviews to be shared on your social media or website. You can also repost photos that your customers took at your business or photos that your customers took of your business’s product or services to show your appreciation. Tagging your customers can show appreciation as well. Social media users often want to gain a larger following and more exposure. By sharing their content, you are showing them that you value their social media posts which can be a great ego boost for many people. Be sure to request permission before posting a photo that isn’t yours and before tagging a profile to make sure the customer is ok with it. 

  • Try to leverage video testimonials

A great and unique way to promote your business while also getting positive reviews is by asking for video testimonials. Video testimonials are when customers make a video letting people know how much they love a business service or product. This is something that you may want to ask a friend who has been a customer in the past to do because it takes a little bit more time, and not everyone enjoys being shared on video on social media. But regular customers who have told you how much they love your business in the past are also an option. Regular customers and friends have probably established a close enough connection with you and your business to where they would feel comfortable doing this. You could even ask to record the video yourself. Make sure you let them know that if they don’t like the video you won’t post it. Videos like this often see a large increase in business and social media engagement.

  •  Create weekly customer features

Weekly customer features can show your brand’s appreciation for your customers and can create more customer engagement. Using customer content, tweeting about customers you appreciate, promoting reviews, and sharing positive customer experiences are all ways you can feature your customers on your social media platforms to promote more customer engagement and feedback. If your customers are expecting their experience to be shared because you share customer experiences on a regular basis, they may be more inclined to share their experience in hopes of getting a shoutout. This will increase your business’s feedback and once you share a customer experience, there is a chance that they will reshare your post because it includes them in it which will increase engagement. The more you reach out to your customers and show your appreciation, the bigger the chance of them showing appreciation back. 

  •  Create a rewards program to incentivize reviews 

Sometimes simply asking for reviews isn’t enough. Customers often need an incentive to give reviews, and while social media exposure and recognition is enough for some customers, others may not feel the same way. Creating a rewards program to encourage your customers may just be the extra push that your customers need. Offer a complimentary product or service from your business or some other type of reward system that motivates your customers to leave reviews online. The most successful reviews are ones that are authentic and relatable so this is one of the best ways to create growth online and in your business. 

At The AD Leaf ® Marketing Firm, we know how difficult it can be to get the engagement you are looking for when it comes to your business, especially online, but that is why we do what we do. We are the experts in our field, and we have the research and knowledge you need to make sure your business continues to progress in an everchanging online world. If you’re running a business, the last thing you want to be worrying about is how many followers you have on social media, but your social media following still plays a huge part in the business world today. Let us help guide you through so you can worry about what’s really important to you. Call us today at (321) 255-0900 for more information or email us at info@theadleaf.com