William Exchange

Developing thought-leadership content that sets you apart – and simply doesn’t create more noise- is hard. So, here are some hard truths about what I think B2B businesses- and particularly professional services businesses – should be considering when it comes to creating content. 1. You should be creating content for at least one of these 3 reasons, if not all. Attract new clients It’s the number 1 reason most B2B marketers use content marketing. From a marketing budget point of view, content marketing generates over 3 times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less. For potential new clients, the key is about creating awareness of your capabilities, demonstrate the value you provide to existing clients, and ensure you stay front of mind when they may be considering purchasing your service offering. Demonstrate your continued relevance with existing clients You’ve worked hard to win that client, now nurture them! Quickly identify trends and create cont...

Blogging is central to content marketing. But if choosing how long your blogs should be is not an exact science, nor is it a matter of pure guesswork. When producing blogs for a content marketing campaign, a wide array of issues will need to be considered. With careful planning, a dedication to the best search engine optimisation (SEO) practice and skilled writing, blogs can help attract plenty of reader attention, generating lots of awareness of the products and services on offer. However, while SEO, tone, the use of good images, the selection of the right topics and even details like the kind of font used are all important. Why does size matter? However, the length is also very important too. It should not be too short, nor too long. Yet there is not a single standard length that a blog should be. There are many shortcomings for a blog that is short, but also a very long one. The problems created by short blogs are: Likely to lack important detail, Some may avoi...

Accessibility is a hot topic today — as it should be. At least 1 in 4 adults are living with some type of disability, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And thanks to growth in awareness and legal guidelines from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), many businesses are finally making an effort to consider people with disabilities when creating their products and services. But while many organizations are familiar with the accommodations required at their brick-and-mortar locations, few recognize that accessibility guidelines extend to website content and digital marketing efforts, too. Not only does creating accessible content help you reach larger swaths of your audience, but it’s also the law — and failing to take proper measures can lead to discrimination lawsuits that could crush your brand's reputation. As you prepare for 2020 and begin planning new initiatives for the year ahead, it’s the perfect...

They say big things come in small packages, and the same could be said for video. In this microwave society we’re living in, less is more, so you may be amazed by the power a 6-second video can offer. A recent survey finds that the 6-second video ad is not only becoming more popular, but it’s also becoming more powerful. More and more companies are adding them to their campaigns. Why? They’re a great way to get a hyper-focused message to potential customers. Let’s take a look at some of the survey results, examples of 6-second video ads, talk about why they’re so powerful and discuss how you can get started making them. 6-Second Video Study If you’d like to understand the power of the 6-second video, you can start by checking out this great study done by Adweek Branded and gumgum. This survey of more than 300 brand marketers and agencies asked for opinions on extremely short ads. Their researchers found that the 6-second format is becoming more widespread. It...

Email can be a very effective and budget-friendly part of small business’s online marketing strategy, yet most small business owners don’t take advantage of all that email marketing has to offer. Why? Well, it can be a little intimidating. It requires some content to be written—and then there is the fear of hitting the ‘send campaign’ button with a glaring error that has been overlooked. Nothing like emailing a couple thousand people an email with an invalid offer code or embarrassing error, right? Email Checklist As such, we thought it might be helpful to provide a general checklist to help you avoid some common email campaign errors. Here they are: Be sure not to send an email using a donotreply@yourdomain.com email sender address. Instead go with your domain address or something like contact@yourdomain.com so readers can reply to you if they want to.  Check the heading for spelling, capitalization, and relevancy to the content of your email.  C...

Online reviews can be an amazing tool to help your small business drum up new customers. The “social proof” that comes from positive reviews gives consumers the confidence to invest in your products or services even if they aren’t familiar with your brand. But as you may have experienced, bad online reviews can be brutal. Tucked behind the safety of a computer screen, some people can launch diatribes that would make the most seasoned among us blush. If your business is on the receiving end of one of these doozies, it’s good to know how to handle it and come out shining in the end. Contrary to popular belief, a negative review doesn’t guarantee a negative impact on your business. In fact, if handled correctly, you can use the review to your advantage by showing how professional and customer-focused you are. So how do you navigate these tricky waters? Here are some tips to help you manage your online reviews without hurting your business. Dealing with Negative Onli...

If you are a small business owner, you already know how important an attractive, user-friendly website is for your business. But do you know that there are some common mistakes you might be making that are driving away customers? To help you turn your website into a lean, mean customer-conversion machine, we thought it would be helpful to point out common mistakes found on business websites and tips to avoid them. Read on to learn more. Poor Website Design When looking at website templates, you will see some pretty cool designs. Large sliding images, interactive features, artsy elements, interesting color combinations—the list of fun, eye-catching things you can add to your website is endless. But that doesn’t mean they all belong on your website. Rather than a “busy” (a.k.a. distracting) website, try to choose a clean, responsive design that will focus visitors squarely on your products or services and direct them through your conversion funnel no matter wh...