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While many businesses may not realize it, the fourth quarter is the most critical quarter for a company. Ending your fiscal year on a high note is the best way to ensure that you have a strong start next year. It also helps meet goals and expectations, setting yourself up as a reputable and reliable company. What better way to achieve this than by implementing marketing strategies to finish out your 4th quarter with a bang?

While many service providers, such as Real Estate, may believe November and December are the slowest months, it is the most critical time to hit the ground running.

Let’s review a few marketing strategies that you can employ to create a solid foundation for the fourth quarter of your fiscal year.

Don’t Stop Marketing

While most businesses believe marketing is a gamble that entails throwing money away that they may never see, it creates a marketing plan that works.

For service providers who struggle with business in the fourth quarter, it’s vital to double down on marketing so that you’re ahead of your competition.

This means investing in activities that will result in business growth. Remember, your competitors are working all year long to land clients and get projects off the ground, which means you need to take action if you want to outshine them.

Ready, Set, Go!

If you are looking at the calendar, October may seem like early preparation for the fourth quarter. It is important to remember that when people get their budgets set in November and December, more potential buyers are out there trying to sell. 

This means they are looking for people who can help them reach their goals, so make sure you are prepared.

The goal of this last month is simple: get ready, so next month you can hit the ground running with an iron fist. By making sure everything is in order before the end of September, you will be able to use all of your time wisely in October.

Campaigns That Work

Don’t stop working on the campaigns that have been successful for you. Review advertising efforts from previous campaigns to see how they stand up today. This allows you to compare data from before and identify any changes in customer behavior so you can adjust accordingly.

Focus Your Efforts on the Season

Create a list of your top seasonal buyers and focus on them exclusively. Developing new campaigns explicitly designed for your customers and the season will be beneficial. 

These could be in the form of emails, direct mail pieces, or maybe even social media if you feel they are comfortable with this type of communication. By focusing exclusively on these people, you can get them to come back to purchase again before it’s too late. 

Achievement Checklist

Looking over what you’ve done is also an excellent time for reflection. Allocate the appropriate amount of time to go through each item on your “To Do” list to identify things that can wait until after October 1st, so they aren’t taking up valuable time during the crucial fourth quarter sales process.

During slower periods, it can be expected for some business owners to take a spiral of death approach to managing the business. When sales are slower, maybe you pull back your advertising spending if you have a marketing budget at all.

Hire an Experienced Marketing Firm 

When it comes to reaching your fourth-quarter goals, make sure you work with an experienced marketing firm. It’s also essential to work with a firm with a proven record of success in generating leads and making sales. This will ultimately help you with your bottom line.

Conquer With Confidence

The businesses that do not change their behaviors to meet the changing climate or seasonality of their businesses fail during these times.

By being prepared to go into the final quarter of the year, measures must be taken to conquer the fourth quarter with confidence. This means:

• staying ahead of your competition
• setting forth a marketing game plan
• focusing on the season
• focusing on your target audience
• hiring an experienced team capable of creating marketing strategies to finish out your 4th quarter with a bang!

The fourth quarter is known for its holiday season and with that comes high turnover in the service industry. Some companies focus on this time of year, and others don’t, but those who do end up succeeding more than those who don’t. 

This is because many people choose to spend their time off shopping or with family instead of working or seeking services.

Is Your Marketing Game Plan In Place? 

Having a marketing game plan set forth before going into the fourth quarter will help you gain more profits and sales than if you did not have one at all. Without a plan, companies often go about the fourth quarter the wrong way.  

Take Action Today

When it comes down to it, not everyone can curate engaging content. It takes time, practice, and the ability to provide valuable information in a way that’s easy for customers to digest.

When your customers are looking for answers or ways to solve their problems, you want them to find your website on the first page of Google.

This is why it’s essential to hire a professional company capable of creating marketing strategies to finish out your fourth quarter with a bang!

Our experienced team of professionals at The AD Leaf is ready to take your content from bland to beautiful! We are passionate and excited about taking your brand to the next level. Contact us today to get started!

While creating a business is excellent, it’s essential to keep a few things in mind: What is your message? Who is your audience? What do they want? Why killer content is key for your business? And finally, can your business provide that? With so many choices for consumers these days, telling a great story and focusing on excellent content will help set you apart from your competition.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is the term used to describe multiple strategies that use different formats to create content – like blog posts, videos, e-books, etc.

The goal of all this content is to educate your customers and provide them with helpful information they can act on.

What Are The Benefits of Content Marketing?

The goal of creating content is to engage and connect with your audience and keep them coming back for more. The best way to do this is through consistent, high-quality content that provides valuable information.

When it comes to content marketing, there are a wide variety of benefits such as:

• Improve your brand’s reputation
• Improve your SEO
• Increase engagement on your website
• Improve customer service
• Increase social shares
• Bring in new leads
• Influence conversions
• And more!

Content is not something to skimp out on, as it can make or break your business. It’s not just about getting customers in the door – it’s also about keeping them there. 

Why Killer Content is Important

There is an old saying, “content is king”. Quality content should be the top priority for every organization. 

Quality content helps drive engagement and increase sales. It’s also highly effective as it hones in on a business’s target audience.

What are Some Content Marketing Examples?

When it comes to content marketing, there are a variety of avenues that businesses often utilize. A few key examples include:

• Blogs
• Newsletters
• Social media content
• E-Books
• YouTube videos
• Any free media that drive leads to your website or business
• And more

While there is an abundance of content marketing avenues, it’s essential to keep in mind that the quality of your content will make or break the trust your audience has with your brand.

How Can I Tell if My Content Is Quality? 

There are a variety of ways to hone in on the quality of your businesses content, such as the following:

• You are easily able to rank for your focused keyword
• The content is easy to read and simple to follow
• It provides the audience value through new information or through recommendations
• It provides a proper call to actions
• The content is accurate and grammatically correct, with few errors within it

It’s essential to utilize quality content for the benefit of you and your customers. 

How to Create Engaging Content

There are a few ways to help implement successful content marketing strategies. Some helpful tips include

• Identify your target audience- Knowing who you are creating your content for can help determine what is successful.
• Use authentic keywords- Using the correct keywords in your articles will often create a clear understanding of what it is about and help with SEO
• Set business goals – You should always set goals when creating a marketing strategy, and content is no different
• Share with others- You can increase readership by sharing through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.
• Establish cadence – It’s essential to establish your brand’s tone or voice when writing your content
• Provide value- Content is vital for your business because it provides valuable information about your product or service to the customer. Providing good quality content is crucial for gaining trust from potential leads and converting current leads into sales opportunities.

Take Action Today

When it comes down to it, not everyone can curate engaging content. It takes time, practice, and the ability to provide valuable information in a way that’s easy for customers to digest. 

When your customers are looking for answers or ways to solve their problems, you want them to find your website on the first page of Google.

This is why it’s essential to hire a professional marketing company 

Our experienced team of professionals at The AD Leaf is ready to take your content from bland to beautiful! We are passionate and excited about taking your brand to the next level. Contact us today to get started!

  For many ringing in the new year, the excitement to dispel the old year outweighed the enthusiasm for the new one. Our country experienced tremendous hardship economically, medically, and individually. But where there is suffering, there are survivors who see adversity as an opportunity to innovate. We’ve all become experts at social parkour, jumping from one challenge to the next in the swiftest way possible. In the old advertising landscape, corporations acted in unison, all offering the same press releases in response to social events. In 2020, social media changed all that. Corporate approaches to social commentary were widely-varied, ushering in a new era of unique brand personality. Brand voices are now as distinct as human voices; no two are the same. Social media is the first line of defense to a company’s brand character and the swiftest form of communication that a company has with its audience. Being able to balance expediency with substance is the mark of a great social media guru. Here are three things social media managers learned in 2020. 

 

1. Trade in customer experience for quick acquisition.

    Traditional methods for building customer loyalty through exceptional customer experience are not possible in the new distanced merchant environment. You can’t try on your clothes, you can’t have a food sample, and you can’t even get into a conversation with an employee at close range. These used to drive our purchases and create a sense of fondness (and eventually loyalty) to our favorite brands. While we can’t replicate these organic experiences digitally, we can shift focus. Acquiring new customers and holding their attention spans will be critical for increasing your return on investment.

 

    In social media, “less is more” thinking will defeat you. Multichannel campaigns have higher returns than single media ones. This is also true for features. Use every feature available to you. This will improve your relationship with algorithms and help to replace the in-store experience. For example, use live streams to show off products. Scrolling through product search results isn’t a good substitute for fun window-shopping with friends. Inspire users to buy things by showcasing them with a charismatic showman. 

 

2. Slow and steady wins the race.

    Addressing a global pandemic and a rocky political climate while still prioritizing sales was a huge challenge for brands last year. Brands that chose to center themselves in important conversations were the ones that missed the mark. People were seeking to connect with each other rather than companies during times of crisis, and brands who ignored this came across as insensitive and selfish. Brands that stepped back from advertising to listen intently to their audience were the ones that we’re able to connect in a meaningful way once they returned. The lesson to be learned is that saying the right thing should be prioritized rather than saying something first. Even if self-promotion seems critical to your business, there are times when it could backfire. Don’t be afraid to hold back until the correct narrative is clear. Customers admire restraint and integrity. 

 

    When Nathan Apodaca went viral for his skateboarding TikTok video set to the calming ambiance of Fleetwood Mac and while enjoying swigs of Ocean Spray cranberry juice, Ocean Spray took over a week to address the viral moment. After taking the time to conduct “social media listening,” they used the moment to give back to Apodaca rather than soak in the free publicity. Ocean Spray sent him a new truck and a supply of cranberry juice, much to the delight of TikTok users (a notoriously hard audience for corporations to win over). They even got their CEO to recreate the viral video, adding a moment of lightness to an otherwise heavy atmosphere. 

 

3. Stop underestimating baby boomers once and for all.

Brands initially considered social media the direct link to Millenials and Gen Z, leaving a generation of users (and potential customers) in the dark. According to Hootsuite’s Digital 2020 data report, 70% of internet users between 55 and 64 have bought something online in the past month. So why do marketers keep ignoring them? Ageism is a real issue manifested on social media through a constant lack of representation of older people in images. In 2021, neglecting to appeal to this older audience could mean being surpassed by brands not tied down by stereotypes. 

Merely including this demographic isn’t enough. Monolithic views of an entire generation are not rooted in reality. Not every boomer is a potential customer of your brand. Thoughtful segmentation of this demographic will lead to increased brand favorability. Instead of targeting audiences by age, try clustering them by shared passions. Facebook is the biggest platform for boomers, but Pinterest is the second-largest and offers a more valuable insight into all users’ interests. Assuming that boomers are elderly people incapable of exploring new things is a dated stereotype that is hurtful to a group that is perhaps suffering the most in this current situation. Compassionate creative can help us show a new world that is kinder to those over 50.

 

We do our homework. 

At The Ad Leaf, our social team is paying attention to the trends shaping the new-age media space. We scan the internet and analyze data so that we can pass those insights on to our clients and generate success both in terms of brand favorability and return on investment. 

 

This month Instagram rolled out a new layout to their app that replaced the notification button with a shopping tab, introduced Tik-Tok-inspired reels, and other minor changes. These changes were not a pleasant surprise to all users. Instagrammers fled to Twitter to voice their complaints.

Instagram’s famous switch from chronological content to algorithmic was one of the most detested updates in social media. Over time, many influencers have been able to master the algorithm and make sure their audiences see their content. Since Facebook’s purchase of Instagram, we have seen a movement towards shoppable posts and more monetization of the platform in general. While some users are skeptical, it introduces a new opportunity for small business sales. Instagram’s intentions for small businesses aren’t always fair and rosy, but understanding their system can allow you to beat it. 

Understand the Algorithm

The supposed reason for intelligent algorithms is to help you wade through the clutter that is your newsfeed. It works to learn your scrolling behavior and push posts from your top creators as a priority and minimize posts from accounts you value less. For example, if you like Gucci and want to follow them, but prioritize seeing your best friend’s content more, Instagram will always show you your friend’s content first and more often. This feature can be frustrating for content creators because if they miss the algorithm, they could see significantly less engagement with their posts. 

The algorithm has solved some woes that chronologic feeds had. For instance, the time of day you posted mattered much more pre-algorithm. This caused social media “rush-hours”, certain times of day that were known to garner the most engagement. Now with the algorithm, you could post in the middle of the night and the content will still eventually reach the correct audience over the next 24 hours. After that initial 24 hours, it’s not likely to get more engagement than it has gotten in the initial day. 

Every time you post, Instagram treats it as an experiment. It shows it to the first initial 10% of people your post and based on their reaction to it (what percentage of them liked and commented and shared the post) Instagram will determine the value to other users. If the post performed badly with the first 10%, Instagram will not push your post as much to the top of user’s feeds. Don’t forget, “engagement” has changed in meaning over the years. It’s widely theorized that “saves” are most valuable, “shares” are second-most valuable and comments are third. Likes have diminished in importance. Invisible keystroke measurements are also being measured by Facebook, much to the chagrin of digital privacy enthusiasts. Examples of this are how long you spend looking at a post, how long you look at a profile, and what you type into the search bar and delete without pressing “enter”. 

Human Intelligence Can Still Compete with Artificial Intelligence… For Now.

Now that you understand the algorithm, how can you beat it? 

• Create posts that are worth bookmarking

Because “saves” are so valuable now, you have to think about what kinds of posts are worth saving. Think about why YOU save a post. Usually, because it inspires you, you want to remember something you read on it, or it has valuable information that is worth referencing. Infographics, educational/informational long-form captions, and insider-advice are great examples of “save-worthy” posts. 

• Utilize ALL the features

Instagram is a bit of a cyber-bully these days. It has added new features like stories, reels, IGTV, and IG Lives, and it will punish you for not using them. The algorithm can almost be thought of as a reward system. If you use their app in the way they’ve intended (obsessively) then it will reward you. You should be utilizing all of the features they have. 

• Use tools in your story

There are many interactive tools you can use on Instagram stories. There are polls, questions, DM buttons, time/location tags, music suggestions, and more. 

• Ask questions in your captions. 

Asking genuine questions starts a conversation and Instagram likes that. You might ask users what their favorite skincare product is or ask them to tag a friend who loves boba tea. 

• Respond to every story reply with at least an emoji.

This establishes true engagement rather than your followers talking to a wall. Instagram knows if it’s a one-way street, it isn’t a real conversation. 

• HashTAG, YOU’RE IT.

Hashtags. Use them. Abuse them. They are critical in getting your post on the explore feed of your next follower. They give your posts visibility outside of your ole’ reliable follower base. 

• Post Videos

Like utilizing all features, you should also utilize all types of media. Use videos, GIFs, boomerangs, carousels, and whatever else you can think of. Having a variety of media is also a great way to make sure your audience doesn’t get bored. 

Use it or Lose it

Once you understand the algorithm’s goals, you can see how to align them with your own goals. Make the algorithm work for you rather than against you.  Instagram’s algorithm may be controversial, but it’s not likely to change. Whatever you do, just don’t stop trying. In the world of social media, consistency is key. Your scrolling thumbs are a muscle and with any muscle, you use it, or you lose it (your following).