Conventional wisdom says if you want to rank on Google, you need to focus on keywords. But is that really the case anymore? Are keywords still important? The truth is that Google is shifting away from keywords and toward topics. What Are Keywords? Keywords are exactly what they sound like - key words that you want to rank for on Google. For … [Read more...] about Why You Should Use Topics, Not Keywords
5 Last-Minute Holiday Marketing Ideas
By now, the holidays are in full swing - it's time to make your list and check it twice: Baked cookies ✓ Hung the stockings by the chimney with care ✓ Set up a holiday marketing plan ✖ Oops! Don't put yourself on the naughty list just yet - there's still time to pull together some last-minute holiday marketing. 1. Use Your … [Read more...] about 5 Last-Minute Holiday Marketing Ideas
How to do Keyword Research (And Why It Matters)
How do you find what you're looking for online? Would you type into Google, "floral plants with petals" or "florists near me?" Language is important. With our florist example, the "right" language is obvious, but more often than not it isn't that clear cut. The closer you are to a business, the harder it is to look at it from an outsider's … [Read more...] about How to do Keyword Research (And Why It Matters)
Inbound Marketing Cheat Sheet
Marketing doesn't come naturally to us at BizzyWeb. Yes, we know it - we live it, we breathe it, we occasionally dream about it - but like any other skill set it requires diligent learning and years of study. If you've done any marketing or research on your own, you've probably come across some terms that, frankly, seem like another language. Our … [Read more...] about Inbound Marketing Cheat Sheet
A Quick & Simple Guide to Google’s New Marketing Platform
We love Google because they're constantly innovating and evolving. We also hate Google because they're constantly innovating and evolving. As soon as you get comfortable with an interface, Google rolls out a new update. It's a complicated relationship. In their continued efforts to streamline marketing, Google recently revamped their entire … [Read more...] about A Quick & Simple Guide to Google’s New Marketing Platform
Fantastic Brands and Where to Find Them: Marketing Lessons from Harry Potter
On November 18, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will be released and mark the latest entry in a decades'-long cultural powerhouse. Few things have generated the lasting impact Harry Potter has, in no small part due to some clever marketing. Your business might not spawn 10 movies and billions of dollars (sorry) but you can still nab … [Read more...] about Fantastic Brands and Where to Find Them: Marketing Lessons from Harry Potter
Create Stunning Marketing Videos Using Your Phone (In Less Than 5 Minutes)
Lights...camera....action! Online video isn't going away anytime soon - a staggering one-third of all online activity is spent watching video. If you're still struggling with incorporating online video into your marketing, now's the time to jump in. Many marketers are too intimidated to try video for themselves. They think online video demands … [Read more...] about Create Stunning Marketing Videos Using Your Phone (In Less Than 5 Minutes)
How to Make Your Digital Content More Accessible [Star Tribune Feature]
Recently, Dave sat down with Mike Porter of The Star Tribune to discuss accessibility in digital content. (Read the full article on Star Tribune's website). Q: What pitfalls can our business avoid when trying to make our digital content accessible for people with disabilities? A: Serious consideration of user accessibility for people with … [Read more...] about How to Make Your Digital Content More Accessible [Star Tribune Feature]
How to Rank in Minneapolis with HubSpot Inbound Marketing
Ranking in Minneapolis is easier said than done. With all the competition in the marketplace and even more online, how can your business hope to stand out? It can be done...if you know how. That's where inbound marketing comes in. What is Inbound Marketing? Inbound marketing is customer-oriented and customer-driven. Historically, customers had … [Read more...] about How to Rank in Minneapolis with HubSpot Inbound Marketing
15 Marketing Clichés Your Clients Want You to Stop Using
Searching for ways to be more efficient in your off-the-wall marketing? Let's put a pin in that, and loop back to it at our synergy meeting. With the whole wide world of marketing at everyone's fingertips, marketing clichés stick out like a sore thumb. It's easy to fall back on certain phrases, but if you want your content to really shine here … [Read more...] about 15 Marketing Clichés Your Clients Want You to Stop Using
5 Easy Holiday Marketing Ideas for B2B
Bah humbug. Struggling on mustering up some holiday cheer for your B2B? Holiday marketing seems to go hand in hand with e-Commerce since November and December are big spending months, but there are still ways to market during the holidays even if you aren't trying to sell candy canes. Give these actionable holiday marketing ideas a try. 1. Use … [Read more...] about 5 Easy Holiday Marketing Ideas for B2B
How to Get Your 💩 in a Group with Automation
We love digital marketing, but we can't deny how frustrating it is to have to juggle dozens of different tools. Your website, your email marketing tool, your independent social media accounts, your Google Analytics, your Google My Business Listing, and that's just the bare minimum! If you also have to toss a CRM and other programs like Eventbrite … [Read more...] about How to Get Your 💩 in a Group with Automation
Don’t Buy that List – How to Grow Your Email List for Free
Temptation comes in many forms. Sometimes it's a double chocolate brownie when you're 2 weeks into a diet, sometimes it's an extra pair of boots just in case you get tired of the other 12 you own and sometimes it's a "list of pre-screened emails and phone numbers of certified leads!" Buying an email list sure is tempting - who wants to pass up … [Read more...] about Don’t Buy that List – How to Grow Your Email List for Free
How to Develop a Buyer Persona in Less than 10 Minutes
If you're not currently using buyer personas, we don't want to say you're doing marketing wrong, but... You're doing marketing wrong. At the end of the day, if you aren't quite sure who you're targeting, you're throwing money away. A persona helps you hone in on our ideal customer and create content for them, instead of just throwing everything … [Read more...] about How to Develop a Buyer Persona in Less than 10 Minutes
My INBOUND Experience – New tips and tricks for Sales & Marketing from HubSpot
The following blog comes from Trygve Olsen, our Director of Buzz Development. I used to travel a lot. A LOT. In the last several years I’ve gotten used to being at home. So when BizzyWeb asked me to take on a new adventure and go to INBOUND 2018 by myself, with orders to make an impact, well I created a Dropkick Murphys playlist on Spotify and … [Read more...] about My INBOUND Experience – New tips and tricks for Sales & Marketing from HubSpot
Social Media: The Good, The Bad and the WTF
Ah social media...it's a great way to procrastinate, catch up with old friends and watch companies self-destruct. As long as social media has been around there have been people doing it right...and doing it wrong. When businesses get caught up in drama online, it can get ugly, fast. Follow these tips and catch our Social Media Screwups Webinar on … [Read more...] about Social Media: The Good, The Bad and the WTF
How to Tailor Your Website to Follow Your Buyer’s Journey
Any marketer worth their salt will tell you that selling is as much an exercise in marketing as it is in psychology. Buyers all crave different things, even if they all have the same basic need that drives them to your business. Understanding what brings them to your doorstep (or what turns them away) is vital for creating a high-performing … [Read more...] about How to Tailor Your Website to Follow Your Buyer’s Journey
Tips for Ranking Locally in Minneapolis
Ranking locally is a struggle, no matter your location. Many of our clients provide services across the country, but want to rank locally in Minneapolis. Generally speaking, the rules for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are the same whether you want to rank locally or nationally, but there are some location-specific tips. Ranking Locally vs. … [Read more...] about Tips for Ranking Locally in Minneapolis
How to Write Content (When You Hate Writing)
I'll let you in on a little industry secret: even writers don't like writing. Writing can be invigorating, watching the pieces fall into place...but more often than not, it's a deadline breathing down your neck and a creative well run dry. Like many things in life, you have to fake it till you make it. If you're not a writer by nature, that's ok. … [Read more...] about How to Write Content (When You Hate Writing)
How to Build a User-Optimized Website
It's not about you. It's about them. One of the fatal mistakes business owners make on their websites is focusing on what they want to see, and not what their potential customers want to see. Often, we fall back on phrases like "since 1975, we have...." or "we lead the industry in..." which, while impressive, don't really matter to your … [Read more...] about How to Build a User-Optimized Website
Selling is Helping, and Other New Truths in Marketing + Sales
At BizzyWeb, we believe in a simple adage: The more you help people, the more successful you’ll become. We’ve geared our blog and email newsletter to helping as many people as possible, and we’ve published more than 300 free BizzyWebinars to help our clients and friends learn how to improve their marketing using digital tools. Helping feels … [Read more...] about Selling is Helping, and Other New Truths in Marketing + Sales
5 Simple Ways to Show Your Customers You Care
Everyone wants to feel appreciated, your customers included. Often as business owners, we're so focused on driving new business that we take our current customers for granted. Your current customers are your foundation, but beyond that a happy customer is more likely to recommend your business to others and to keep coming back for more. There are … [Read more...] about 5 Simple Ways to Show Your Customers You Care
5 Tips for Marketing to Generation Z
The generation after Millennials, the generation born to modern technology, "those darn kids" - whatever you know them by, Generation Z is a powerful slice of the upcoming American workforce. Born in in the mid-1990s to early 2000s, Generation Z makes up a whopping 25% of the US population. That's a larger piece of the population than the more … [Read more...] about 5 Tips for Marketing to Generation Z
How to Create Videos for Your Marketing [Infographic]
Video marketing has completely changed the content landscape of the internet. 65.1% of all internet users will watch video regularly this year. Unfortunately, video is also often the most intimidating content for business owners. If you're struggling with creating videos for your marketing, here are some tips you can follow from NewsCred for … [Read more...] about How to Create Videos for Your Marketing [Infographic]
5 Ways to Streamline Your Marketing with HubSpot
The rumors are true. We're in love. Apologies if you're tired of hearing us wax on endlessly about HubSpot...but we're smitten. BizzyWeb is the latest HubSpot agency based in Minneapolis, and we want to shout from the rooftops what we love about this powerful tool. 1. A Built-In CRM You have contacts, but are you really organizing them, or do you … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Streamline Your Marketing with HubSpot
What is Google My Business?
If you've spent any time online, you've probably stumbled across Google My Business, even if you didn't recognize it right away. Ever search online for a service and then a map pops up or a little card appears at the side of the screen? That's Google My Business in action: We've talked a few times before about Google My Business, but with each … [Read more...] about What is Google My Business?
Why You Need Growth-Driven Web Design
2012 was a great year. The world didn't end. Marvel's The Avengers was released. We saw the transit of Venus for the last time until 2117. But if your website was last redesigned in 2012, that's anything but great. Traditional web design is broken. The struggle with traditional design is that almost immediately after a site is launched, … [Read more...] about Why You Need Growth-Driven Web Design
How to Integrate Your Digital and Print Marketing Campaigns
Here's a marketing story for you: let's say you're working in the digital marketing department of your company on a huge promotion and your friend Sarah is in charge of print and working on mailers for the same campaign. You both work tirelessly for a week and have a quick meeting on Friday to compare notes. Horror of horrors: you discover your … [Read more...] about How to Integrate Your Digital and Print Marketing Campaigns
6 Ways to Effectively Motivate Your Employees
Every team, no matter how well-oiled and talented, goes through dry spells. Every manager has experienced employees hitting a dreaded plateau and just going through the motions without bringing their usual spark. When this happens, it's time to recharge your team with motivation. There are a few simple ways you can effectively motivate your … [Read more...] about 6 Ways to Effectively Motivate Your Employees
How to Get Customer Feedback
Customer feedback isn't just important - it's essential to keep your business afloat so you can improve and adapt to your customers' needs. If you aren't currently gathering customer feedback beyond reviews, there are many ways you can solicit customer feedback with minimal effort. Email Feedback This is one of the most common ways to receive … [Read more...] about How to Get Customer Feedback
The Best Times to Post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+ [Infographic]
Social media is one of the most cost-effective - and just plain effective - ways to reach your audience. But between all the various platforms and demographics, it's hard to know when exactly to post. The ideal time for you to post will depend on your audience and what your analytics show you. However, there are tried-and-true posting times that … [Read more...] about The Best Times to Post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+ [Infographic]
How to Tell if Your Social Media Marketing is Working
We won't tell you that you should be using social media (because you really, really should be by now). But we know that you may be struggling with justifying all the time and money spent on social media marketing when...to be blunt, it's hard to attach a direct sale to your efforts. Our clients often ask us how to tell if their social media … [Read more...] about How to Tell if Your Social Media Marketing is Working
5 Signs Your Website Isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)
Your website is the most important online sales tool you have - unfortunately, it's often also the most neglected. If you aren't seeing online leads like you'd hoped, it's time to re-evaluate. Why Your Website Isn't Working 1. It's Not Mobile Responsive If your site can’t be read easily on smart phones and tablets, that’s a huge red flag. … [Read more...] about 5 Signs Your Website Isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)
How to Clap Back at Trolls (Without Losing Customers)
We’ve all seen it and heard about it – an Internet Troll comments online about a business and tried to take it down in a truly unfair way. There are many businesses that have been “taken down” by Trolls, partially because of the way the business responds online – and then it goes viral. We believe that education about what to do when the … [Read more...] about How to Clap Back at Trolls (Without Losing Customers)
How to Use the Buyer’s Journey to Land More Sales
Thanks to the internet, the landscape of sales has changed forever. Consumers have more power than ever over their purchasing decisions and actively seek out businesses. You can't expect a customer to choose you simply because you offer a service they need - they have an endless variety of options to choose from. You now have to offer them more in … [Read more...] about How to Use the Buyer’s Journey to Land More Sales
How to Track Digital Marketing ROI
One of the most common - and most blunt - questions our clients ask us is "how do I know all this digital marketing stuff is worth it?" Digital Marketing, like all types of marketing, can be a little nebulous and difficult to attach a dollar amount to. However, there are a few ways to attach a return on investment (ROI) to your digital … [Read more...] about How to Track Digital Marketing ROI