As the world began to practice Social Distancing, we wanted to find a way to get closer to our network. In a time of uncertainty, it was important for us to emphasize what we do best- we are here to help. Our goal was to provide something of value, something that illustrated our areas of expertise, and something that inspired action. While we pride ourselves on developing and executing “out-of-the-box” solutions, we knew this one had to come from the heart. Once we started thinking Inside the [Bryte]Box, the solution became clear- let’s empower our network to work “ON” their business- DIY or with our help.
Inside the Box Infographic Series
For 5 consecutive weeks, we released a series of DIY guides to moving your business ahead. Each infographic featured actionable ways to establish, measure, and grow marketing and communication efforts. We use these methods to not only improve our client’s brand presence, but BryteBox’s as well.
Our weekly newsletters featured the latest infographic, a “Bryte Idea” we recommend implementing, and our best advice for when you’re feeling “boxed in”. We set out to give a behind the scenes look at what we do for our clients, but what we gained was a meaningful connection with our audience during a very vulnerable and isolated time.
Thank you to our friends for the shares and engagement, we appreciate your support. For those who may have missed our Inside the Box Infographic Series, read our recap below. Stay safe, stay in touch, and stay tuned for more Bryte ways to move your business ahead.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of growing the quality and quantity of traffic to your website from search engines, like Google, Bing, and even YouTube. SEO is often an afterthought when building a new website or posting on social media, but when implemented consistently across all communication channels, the payoff is a long-term, high-ranking, spot on relevant search results.
This infographic features 5 ways to improve your ranking on search engines organically. The first step in an effective SEO strategy is conducting keyword research to better understand what people are searching for. Use a keyword tool to see what search terms are popular in your industry, and use those throughout your website. Analyze your website for 3 important technical factors: back-end optimization (hosting and indexing), front-end content (keywords and metadata), and link quality. SEO audit tools, like Moz, can identify your website’s technical pitfalls that could negatively affect your SEO rankings. Implement the recommended solutions, and use the tool to evaluate how well your front-end content uses your target keywords.
Whether your website is brand new, or barely touched in the past year, there is never a bad time to sync with Google My Business, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics. Google search algorithms favor websites that are registered and optimized using their products. Adding new content regularly is another way to score brownie points with search algorithms. The more high- quality keyword-rich content you add, the more opportunity you have to drive traffic to your site.
Lastly, your satisfied customers also play a vital role in your search engine rankings. Reach out to your customers for a review, make it easy to leave their feedback, and share their reviews on your website. Google takes ratings into consideration when ranking local businesses and uses that read revies are typically close to a buying decision.
Website Review
Your website is your digital business card. Make sure it represents you well. A good website is informative, user-friendly, and updated frequently. Maintaining website health requires consistent effort. Much like our own health, good habits, and commitment to wellness pay off in the long run.
This infographic features 5 ways to review your website to ensure it is consistently optimized, and it begins with viewing your website through the eyes of a visitor. Ensure that your website is easy to navigate and that all pages load properly on both desktop and mobile. Verify all links are pointing to the correct destination, and fill out your contact form to confirm you can submit and receive submission notifications. Site speed is another critical factor that significantly impacts user experience and can also result in poor search engine rankings. Use a tool, such as Google PageSpeed Insights, to determine what is affecting load times and implement the recommendations provided.
Maintaining website health requires consistent effort. Visit your website daily to ensure it is up and running. On a monthly basis, confirm all plugins and website hosting is running on the latest version. Check-in with your reporting tools frequently to make sure they are connected and reporting data. Run a broken link audit frequently, our favorite is brokenlinkcheck.com. The content on your website should also be reviewed periodically to make sure it is up to date, comprehensive, and informative. Pay attention to content structure and context- the text, pictures, and call to action should be relevant to the specific page you are viewing. Don’t forget to review for spelling and grammar mistakes!
Need help staying on top of your website? Click here to view our recommended weekly and monthly website administrator tasks. Set calendar reminders and alerts, establish automated reporting tools, and visit your website often.
Social Media Audit
The more people who know about your business, the greater the chance of them becoming a customer. Increase your brand awareness by posting on social media at the time and place your target audience is most active.
This infographic features 5 ways to audit your social media presence and fine-tune your communication strategy based on your audience, competitors, and resources. Start by reviewing your current presence on social media- is your profile picture, banner, about us, and messaging consistent across all platforms? Always make sure your contact information is up to date, easy to find, and social media accounts have reciprocal links.
To maximize engagement on social media, take the time to really get to know your target audience. When posting, take into consideration what time they are browsing and what type of content they like the most. Use the free insights provided by your social channels to learn more about your audience’s social media habits and curate your communication strategy to trends you identify. Draft your content at least 2 weeks ahead to stay consistent and relevant, and use a tool like Buffer or Hootsuite to pre-schedule posts to go out at the optimal time. Be sure to use insights from your recent posts to fine tine future content. Click here to view our best practices for creating a social media content calendar.
A thorough social media audit begins with looking at your own presence and ends with looking at your competitors. Evaluate your competitors for what channels they are active on, how often they post, what accounts/ hashtags they use, and how many followers they have. Compare these to your own metrics to see how you can adjust to better serve your target market.
Connecting with your Audience
Let people know you are thinking about them. Finding creative ways to provide value and stay top of mind is key to staying connected, strengthening relationships, and growing business. The frequency in which your business communications with its audience directly affects their ability to remember it.
This infographic features 5 ways to authentically connect with your audience. Plan to engage with your audience frequently, and via different communication channels. The power of constant presence should never be underestimated. Determine at what frequency you will check in with your social accounts, engage with your audience, and reach out to new networks. Make sure you are responding to messaging and comments on your posts on a timely and consistent basis. Consider all of the mediums in which you can reach your audience- social media, email marketing, press, signage, and more. Based on your resources available, prioritize your efforts on the channels that will be the most impactful.
From personal outreach to mass marketing, consider the range of activities that can be employed to build and strengthen brand value and recognition. Find ways to connect with your network beyond the intention of selling. Share content from your community that aligns with your business, and would be of interest to your audience. From simple acts of kindness to grand gestures, the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.
Reporting and Analytics
If you can measure it, you can improve it. Identifying and monitoring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can help uncover opportunities for growth. It is also important to be transparent- analytics reporting should tell the whole story, not only the positive- challenges are catalysts for real improvement.
This infographic features 5 ways to analyze and report on your communication efforts. The first step to effective reporting is determining your objective. Write down what you are going to measure, and why it is important to measure it. Use Key Performance Indicators to track your goals and progress. Once you have determined what you are going to measure, determine how you will get that information. Automate and integrate your tools early on. Our favorite reporting tools are Iconosquare, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console.
Your data is only as good as the frequency in which you review it. Based on your KPIs and resources available, determine how often your metrics must be analyzed. Use a tool, like Google Data Studio, to record your findings over time, and keep track of events that influence change. On a consistent basis, evaluate each of your KPIs for external and internal influences. Use context to provide the information necessary to understand whether you’re witnessing positive or negative outcomes. Revisit metrics from previous periods to gauge progress, and assess long-term goals periodically. After making an analysis, detail your next steps to resolve issues and grow opportunities. Provide the specificity required to take action, and assign responsibility when possible.
