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Tag: digital marketing

Usual Mistakes SMEs Do with Their Websites

 

Doing business this 21st century means having a website – even for the small businesses. However, in the Philippines, there are only a handful of small businesses who realized the use of the website in their operations. However, despite this realization, small businesses and even medium scale ones are prone to crucial mistakes with their websites.

Below are the usually mistakes that SMEs do with their websites that they need to address before its too late:

Top 6: Bad Mobile Experience.

  • In the Philippines, 66% of the population uses a smartphone in doing their searches or in doing inquiries in websites. Having a non-mobile responsive website ruins search experience that may lead to bounce rate.

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Top 5: Fonts that are hard to read.

  • Simple and readable texts deliver more results than fancy and hard-to-read ones. Why? It is obvious for one good reason: readability. No one wants to go through a website word per word just because the fonts are outrageously exasperating to the eye. If you want your audience to digest the essence of your content or to grasp the exact message of your branding in your website, you should make every character easier to read for all – regardless of the ages.

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Top 4: Unprofessional design or color scheme.

  • Design and colors are as equally important as the website’s content. The overall look and feel of your website are what greets your audience. And if they don’t like what they see, the greater the chances of moving out of your website (hence the higher bounce rate). Just like having fonts that are hard to read, a very strong and striking colors on the website – that don’t match – can hurt the eyes even more. Color schemes should be pleasing to eyes. Choosing the right Pantone for your website is the first step in correcting this mistake.
  • Tacky and obsolete designs can ruin a website surfing experience. Filipinos are natural suckers for beauty. It is always the things that are pleasing to the eye which always get more attention.

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Top 3: No Product or Services information.

  • This is one of the most unforgivable mistakes in some of SMEs websites. One of the key search intent of users is informational (know). And usually, most of the key phrases searched in Google or in other search engines have products and service search strings.
  • In the Philippines, 60% of the population with access to the internet still uses search engines as their portal for searching products and services. If your website doesn’t have any substantial information about your products and/or services, then the higher the likelihood that you’ll lose business online.

Top 2: No address, directions or business hours.

  • Number two in the list is not including the business address, map, and business/operation hours. These details are some of the crucial information that should be reflected on your website especially if your business is gearing towards the retail side. This information should be present not just in your contact us page, but also in every footer of the pages in your website.

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Top 1: Outdated Contact information.

  • Of all, this is the most unforgivable mistake businesses do. You are putting up a website online as a tool to help or boost your online operations. And one of the most important information in your website is your contact information. Outdated contact information only assures you a failing online business.
  • It is a rule of thumb that as you change contact numbers, it is immediately updated on your web page to refrain from confusions.

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Keeping a website surely takes some resources. But keeping it well and updating it always pay you back. If you are having a hard time making your website look fresh and updated, iManila is the best digital service provider that you are looking for.

For more information about our web design and development service, email us at [email protected] or at [email protected]. You can also give us a call at (02) 490-0000 or at (02) 565-4064.

 

#Achieve: The road towards a successful SEM campaign

 

On an average, Google processes over 40,000 search queries every second. If you do the math, this means that 3.5 billion searches are made per day and more than 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide. Given these numbers, how do you think can your business manage to compete online? How can you make your business be seen on search engine results? The answer is simple: Use search engine marketing.

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Search engine marketing is an internet marketing strategy that is utilized to improve the position of a website in search engine results through online paid advertising. It’s a big competition. You cannot just shoot and pay Google to get your online ads visible on search engine results. It needs precise planning like any other marketing strategy. In case you are planning to give SEM a go for your business, we laid out a few things you can contemplate on before launching your online campaign.

  • Know what your campaign goals are
    There are many reasons why you want to put up an ad campaign. You might want to increase brand awareness, increase web traffic, or increase your sales. Each goal requires different approach that leads to different directions. So, for you to prevent the incident of mismanaging your campaign specifically your budget, you must deliberate your campaign’s objectives.
  • Use the best and the right keywords
    In SEM, keywords are your bread and butter. It is important to select the most relevant keywords for your campaign. When this step fails, all else will. It is also important for you to think like a client searching for your business. Think what keywords and terms they might be using in the possibility of looking for your products or services. You can use Google AdWords’ Keyword Planner tool to have an idea and an estimate if the keywords you have selected fit perfectly for your campaign.
  • Optimize your landing page
    Another crucial facet of creating an SEM campaign is the optimization of your landing page. Google’s algorithm also considers the landing page of your ad. The relevance and coherence of your ad to your landing page is one factor that Ad Rank takes into account. Start with putting up informative website copy that viewers can view and visible call to action buttons that will lead the web visitors to your contact page outright.
  • Set the right bid for your campaign
    Of course in any marketing campaign, budget is significant. You should determine the period of your campaign and allocate budget for how long you planned it to last. You have to bid strategically with your desired keywords to stand the pace with your competitors.

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  • Evaluate results
    One of the advantages of online ads is its capability of showing immediate results. You can monitor your campaign on a regular basis to know its performance. See if you are really meeting your goals or ensure that you are gaining high ROI from it, because it’s what this is all about. Moreover, since you have the full control with your campaign, you can also make certain adjustments if necessary.

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These are but basic factors in achieving success with your SEM campaign. There are many other strategies you can experiment with. But if you experience trouble in making your own campaign, better opt hiring a professional help. For more than two decades, iManila have helped many businesses reach their marketing and business goals through its experienced and knowledgeable digital marketing team. Want to know more about SEM? Contact iManila now, give us a call and we’ll be happy to accommodate your concerns.

 

Reference: SVM E-Marketing Solutions

Why online ads are the new titan

 

We’re so used to seeing an advertisement that runs down the lengths of buildings along the most traversed roads in the Metro. Billboards. Enormous billboards towering over us in all their titan glory.

But sometimes, titans lose their strength. After all, nothing is forever.

No one can deny the seeming effectivity of these billboards that eat up the attention of anyone who lay eyes on their monstrosity. But the thing is, billboards are only as good as the next one.

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

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But the internet; the internet is ubiquitous, which only makes it a perfect avenue for advertisement.

Online advertising is a new form of marketing which uses the internet and the world wide web to deliver promotional messages in various digital formats. These formats range from search engine marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, mobile advertising, and display advertising.

Here are all the reasons why online advertising should be part of your marketing campaign.

Online ads let you customize your target audience. In today’s society where everyone has internet access, you can reach the world. Or at least a specific part of it. With online ads, you can “filter” out your reach based on your preference. This is an assurance that your products and services are getting to the right kind of audience who has a high chance of buying your products or availing of your services. Closing a sale? You can bet on it.

Marketing online is much cheaper than traditional advertising approaches. You don’t have to spend a generous chunk of your bank account in securing a placement on posts or buildings or printing papers that will only be considered eyesore later on. With online ads, you can reach as much engagement as your budget allows you. And the best thing about this is that you don’t just throw your advertisement for everyone to see like a town parade or a motorcade. Online ads let you know how much of the internet is seeing your ads so that you also get the idea of how much you can expect to turn into leads. Kind of leveling up your expectations, eh?

The internet is a huge place. And at present, more and more people are spending a considerable amount of their time doing their shenanigans in it. If you place your advertisements online, the chance of making your brand known is high. In fact, your brand can get by with just online advertisement alone. With numerous social media platforms getting born by the minute, how the hell can you doubt that?

One big difference that the traditional marketing and digital marketing has is the ability to have a two-way communication. In TV, radio, newspaper, and billboards, one can see and grasp your message but cannot respond to it right away – a situation that online advertisement has taken care of. The Web is such an interactive space. Information and ideas can get passed on in a matter of minutes despite a distance of miles. If you put your advertisement online, that alone eliminates the barrier that traditional marketing stumbles with. The chances of seeing a brand online can immediately stir action on the part of your audience.

 

Frankly, it’s obvious enough that utilizing the substantial number of internet users and the time they spend online is what anyone who wants to truly make his brand known should be doing.

The internet is ubiquitous. Use it to your business advantage.

After all, out of sight, out of mind, right?

Want to advertise your brand online? Help is on the way. Establish your brand online and build up a sustainable online following with iManila. We have a variety of services that cater to each and every social media needs, including Facebook ads. *winks*

See you online!

SMEs Guide: It pays to understand your market online

 

As we all know, marketing is an essential business element from small to large businesses. Marketing is both an art and science because it needs both the critical and the creative part of your brain to be executed well.

Having said that, understanding your audience and how they behave is a crucial element before starting with any marketing activities. And if you are considering digital marketing for this, you need to deepen your understanding by coming up with a buyer persona that specifically and analyze their behavior online.

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Because digital marketing revolves greatly on timing and a strong grasp of the online behavior of your audience or market.  That makes experimentation and open-mindedness as entrepreneurial essentials to utilize digital marketing well.

To give a strong understanding of Filipino audience online, below are quick fact check to help you make your first step in digital marketing:

1) OVERVIEW

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2) TIME INVENTORY

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You can see in the data presented above by We are social Singapore, that more than half of the country’s population are the internet and mobile users. That is a strong signal that a large chunk of the country can potentially see your online marketing efforts.

With such staggering statistics, one must be out of his or her mind to not utilize such data to his or her market advantage. Formulate a strategic business plan centered around the searching behavior of your market’s niche and voila, watch your following increase by multiple folds. Your market is online. You just have to do an in-depth analysis of the data and from there craft a marketing concept.

Shift in Online Behavior

The truth is, your audience behave a little different online. They can transform into a different person or they completely became their true selves without holding back, and that affects how they gravitate and consume content online.

Experiment, experiment, experiment!

The best way to approach this behavior is by preparing different personas that could relate to your brand. Dissect these personas and their possible behaviors online and do experiments. Release different sets of content to a single persona and do with the other. Check which content earns a better response per persona and compared it all together. The one that emerged as the best content that attracts the majority of your potential personas is what you need to stick to.

The key to understanding your market is going beyond one’s gut feel. What you need to do is to go again the same process of content experimentation until you get the right formula that your market really likes.

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With the advancement in the world of information technology, the audience behavior continuously evolves that it is hard sometimes for marketers and businesses to keep up.

The process could be a little tedious but the outcomes are very rewarding when done right. Always take in mind that success of your marketing campaign always lie in how well you know your market, especially online.

Office Stories: What Makes a Good Boss?

 

One of the unforgettable things I’ve experienced before embracing the life of a salary man was when I was a marketing intern in an appliance distribution company.

I can vividly remember when I was asked by my OJT supervisor to bring a pile of approval sheets to the Marketing Manager, who apparently was her boss.

As what other interns did, I gleefully took the files, walked down the aisle, and passed by several cubicles before reaching a secluded office at the other end of the aisle. There was no signage on the door. So before I knocked, I asked some employees nearby if that was the office of the marketing manager. The three of them momentarily swallowed their nonexistent saliva before they answered “YES”.

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At that moment, I got the slightest hint that this man behind the door wasn’t the type of boss who had a sunny personality. So with much caution, I knocked twice, opened the door and greeted him.

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No response.

I looked at him. He was so engrossed looking at his computer screen with his eyeglasses on.

He was neither a grumpy old man nor a monster that would eat you alive.

Actually, he was a bit young – in his late thirties perhaps. He looked at me and raised his palm in the air as if telling me: Where are the sheets?

I immediately moved forward to his table and placed the files on his desk. He asked, “Are you a new employee?”.  I immediately told him that I was just an intern. He nodded back and then told me that I can leave.

As you can infer, he could be a typical boss who sat on his desk all afternoon, secluded himself from his subordinates most of the time, and was terrified of him.

You could be right and wrong at the same time.

THE bosses

Bosses are chosen to lead. They are highly capable individuals who are tenured and can speak with authority.

But bosses are human beings too. They are prone to errors and mistakes. And in some cases, they also lose their cool and become temperamental at times. Okay, fine, I get you – probably most of the time.

Being in charge as a head, as a manager or as a boss entails a great responsibility of managing a team. More so, it is an endless challenge to prove their competencies and worth in the organization. That is why people like them are potentially vulnerable to any and all work-related stress you can think of.

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What do Good Bosses do?

Most of us will agree that an effective leader not only helps manage conflict but also supports team members to grow professionally, which can take a lot of time. Some would even argue that a good boss is transparent and owns up to his or her mistakes like what everyone should do. But the most important thing a good manager does is to also regular assess themselves and constantly improve his or her leadership skills.

Below is a helpful infographic from the Headway Capital on how to assess yourself as a leader:

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You may get mad at your subordinates or makes a little questionable decision once in your life. But just like what every employee needs to do, evaluating one’s self is the best way to reset yourself to make a fresh start.

Is a website revamp or digital marketing part of your marketing plan for the year? Let iManila help you achieve the website that works for your company and achievable digital marketing activities to pumped-up your year marketing direction. Call us at (02) 490-0000 or send your inquiry at [email protected].

 

Source:

  • marketingprofs.com

 

Digital Ecosystem: A stable approach for all organizations

 

An innovative digital  and stable approach towards a shared goal, that’s what the Digital Ecosystem is about. Unlike aardvarks, the Digital Ecosystem works best in collaboration with its components. A collaboration which allows it to interact and interconnect within its networks. Similar to the natural ecosystem we have learned in grade school, the concept of the Digital Ecosystem relates to the online applications, digital marketing services, and all things web – instead of plants, animals, and other biological entities. It’s an interactive environment ideal for all businesses.

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Understanding this model’s holistic approach is of great essence in achieving collective goals. Ergo, iManila curated a Digital Ecosystem that caters one’s online needs congregating to its innovative, strategic, and technology-driven web and digital services. This Digital Ecosystem provides sustainability, scalability, and stability to all organizations, and here’s what these three words signify:

Stability

Capacity for a strong connection and a stable approach. The ability of the Digital Ecosystem to have a strong hold, a strong connection to people forges stability. Aside from amplifying leads, the Digital Ecosystem is also an effective channel for creating value; offering experience and satisfaction to its people. Thus, building a strong connection which then shifts into a valuable possession when service-dependency surfaces – driving people towards brand loyalty and client retention forthwith.

Scalability

Capacity for growth. The Digital Ecosystem has the competency to easily upgrade on demand, thus, establishes scalability. Because of the teamwork within its domain, its diverse networks maintain hold of the productivity in the midst of increasing demands —  demands of the ever-changing technology-based model and demands from the people it aims to reach. Moreover, the scalability offers growth within the network, allowing each component to expand without compromising each of its goals.

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Sustainability

Capacity for endurance. Indefinite changes in this digital milieu build sustainability in all organizations. The strength to endure abrupt online revolutions defines the Digital Ecosystem’s ability to uphold its linkages toward a common goal. Utilizing advanced tools, right methodologies, and a proficient workforce affirms a resilient business model that can transcend and adapt to future innovations.

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The success of a brand’s adherence to the Digital Ecosystem depends on the steadfastness of its web and digital provider. With over 5,000 valued clients, iManila is certain to be the most reliable partner in building a successful online presence. From hosting server, down to social media requirements, iManila is here to be of service. Offering nothing but relief and peace of mind, considering that all the web and digital marketing needs will be catered under one roof, in one universe, towards one direction. Trust the best web and digital service provider in the Philippines, trust iManila.

Our digital ecosystem breakthrough ensures a stable approach that is also scalable and sustainable for all organizations.