B2C versus B2B Marketing Tactics
Many people think b2b marketing and b2c marketing is the same thing. You know, ads, social media, events, etc. They all do the same tactics. Well, it isn’t the same- not really. So what is b2c marketing? What is b2b marketing? I’m glad you asked. There’s...
B2B Whitepaper: Effective content or Dusty relic
Whether you spell it ‘whitepaper’ or ‘white paper’ they started in the 1990s and offered text-heavy documents that were meant to be printed out and read. With the creation of the PDF in 1993 things got easier when offering text-based printable content. Fast forward to...
Finding Content Ideas for Busy Professional Services
Creating content as a busy service professional can be a tiresome part of owning a business. And coming up with content ideas is usually the bottleneck that slows the entire process! Never fear. I have a painless process you can follow that leads to a range of topics...
5 Effective B2B Lead Generation Tactics
B2B Lead generation is tough (understatement of 2020)! However, it’s not impossible. The beginning of any marketing tactic starts with good research and b2b is no different. Knowing your target audience is the key to making any of the following tactics successful....
The Lifecycle of Your Blog Post
Blog Posting your latest blog is only the beginning. Every week (or two weeks or month) you put in the amazing effort of creating, and sharing with the world, your thoughts, research or observations on an industry topic. It’s no small feat. However, many small...
Email Subject Lines that Inspire Opens
Email subject line formula that helps you inspire opens and build relationships with your followers.
A Guide to Tracking your Marketing Conversions
So, you’ve built out a marketing campaign or two for your small business and now you need to start tweaking it to improve the sales conversion rate. Smart move. You should always aim to maximize what you have in place! If you don’t know your KPIs yet then you should...
Small Business Tools: Software that helps
There are many challenges to running a small business and choosing small business tools shouldn’t be one of them. It took me months to find a combination of software that work for us at WindWater Marketing. I wanted to share some of the programs I came across in...
Why Followers Matter
Many marketers will (correctly) tell you not to focus on the numbers. ‘Vanity numbers’ they’re affectionately referred to. And while you shouldn’t get caught up in your number of followers just for the sake of bragging about said number, there is value in followers if...
Mapping Your Small Business Marketing
Running and building a small business is a tough road. Each day is filled with sometimes simple but sometimes complex choices that drive your business forward (or stalls it). This is where a roadmap can help. When I say roadmap I don’t mean those thick multi-year...
Performing a Content Audit
Create a content audit for your small business and get more traction from your content going forward.
The Impact of Outsourcing your Marketing
Outsourcing your marketing has many benefits to a small business looking for support. Namely, it provides specific and strategic help to allow for growth.
Creating targeted content for your ideal audience
Tips for creating fresh content that targets your ideal clients. Increase your discoverability and raise awareness of your small business to new prospects.
Marketing Automation for Small Business
Small business automation is vital for any professional service business. Learn the ins and outs with a few cautions.
Small Business SEO that works
Small business SEO or Search Engine Optimization is what makes your website URL appear in an online search. For large, complex websites it is a full-time job to maintain, update and monitor the website. However, small businesses rarely have the time to spend on...
Inbound Marketing: How to make it work for you
Effective inbound marketing consists of online tactics that attract visitors to your website through links or search. The customer comes to you instead of you going to the customer. Sounds good, right? It’s a beautiful combination of on-page SEO with content...
Identifying Opportunities
It can be difficult to know what to choose when faced with what looks to be a golden opportunity but you’re unsure how it fits into the overall plan you have for your business. What would appear at first blush to be tempting may actually close doors down the way...
Getting to Know Your Clients
A lot of small businesses are hesitant to ‘interview’ their existing clients. However, this is the best way to learn about what resinates with this audience and how you can attract more clients like them. Watch the Marketing Moment below to learn more....
Effective Images for Your Website
Photography is a powerful demonstration of your brand and your values. As people, we connect quickly with visuals as they convey complex emotions in seconds. As a result, they are a key element in any website and marketing. Just as an engaging photo can resonate with...
Systems That Put Your Website To Work
Building a website that helps you generate leads or make sales or educates prospects is the end goal of most professional websites. But just because you build it doesn’t mean they (prospects/customers) will come. Your website will only do what it’s told. And although...
Website Refresh: A guide to painless organization
Chances are when you started your small business you threw up a website lickity-split to start generating traffic and promote legitimacy for your company. Not many people can afford to take the time to explore branding and content while also working on sales,...
Choosing a Website Platform
One of the most common questions I get asked is what are the differences between the different website platforms. This is a big question, and maybe not the right one to ask if you’re looking to build your website (or do a refresh). I’ve always advised my clients to...
Knowing where you stand as a small business
Knowing where you stand in the market and among your competitors is vitally important for a business of any size but can offer key insights for a small business. Whether you are starting with an idea or just getting around to this piece of the puzzle, it is an...
Effective Messaging for Small Business
Need help writing a few words about your business that resonates with your prospects? Here to help!
When Words Aren’t Your Strong Suit
Not everyone can turn a phrase. And not all small business owners know how to craft a message that resonates with their target client or target audience. If you combine these two inabilities you come up with a surprising number of entrepreneurs! But these...
How to Choose a Niche Market for Your Small Business
Choosing a niche in your small business can feel like you’re leaving money on the table when in reality you’re putting more ON the table. Here are a few things to help you find that small business niche.
Build a Better Business
Building a “better” business means different things to different people, but the path to get there is remarkably the same!
Where to Market your Small Business
Like many small businesses, you probably rely on referrals. Congratulations on being so great at what you do! Referrals are an excellent source of new business and very little effort goes into landing it as they usually come from a trusted source. However, referrals...
Delivering an ROI in Social Media
Delivering a return on investment with social media is a strategic choice. It’s a choice that requires planning on your part to see it work. Are you ready? First you need to know why you’re on social media in the first place. A. Goals Many organizations have a...
Three things to do for marketing success
Marketing success isn’t easy for all service businesses.Convincing prospects of buying the intangible can be a true challenge if you’re new to marketing. Afterall, you’re the expert in your service and not necessarily in promoting your service. Catch...
Is Your Marketing Creeping Out Your Prospects? Creepy Marketing 101
How to creep out prospects: Schedule a first time meeting at your prospect’s favourite cafe Send push-notification every time they walk by the store Send a prospect an email, even though they never opted-in for your newsletter or to be your subscriber...
Building an Effective Marketing Strategy – from scratch
It can be tough to sit down and craft your own marketing strategy as an entrepreneur or small business owner. After all, you already have a few balls in the air: sales, client work, overhead, finances, etc. The process of defining a marketing strategy is an excellent...
Social Media Management is Much More Than Posting Content
Many people think that social media management is easy based on the idea that social media is only about posting content. In my opinion, social media management is not easy, and it is much more than just posting and sharing content on social media. If you want to grow...
The Dark Social: What is it and Why Should You Care?
I recently attended a local marketing event hosted by Institute of Communication Agencies, where Adam Pattison, VP of BBM for the Americas and EMEA, was speaking and the topic was one I hadn’t heard much about – Dark Social. The name alone conjures thoughts of the...
Simple Ways to Build Awareness for Your Business
Building awareness is the first step in marketing your business. Making sure your prospects know you exist and what you offer is the first part of selling. It’s important to be the business that stands out from the pool of competitors and to spark interest in...
Qualifying Your Prospects
Gone are the days where you can simply dump more leads into your sales funnel to produce more sales. To make the most of your sales time you should be spending time with only those prospects that are genuinely interested in your product or service. But how do you...
The Importance of Targeting Your Prospects
For any organisation it’s fair to say that you wouldn’t turn away good business. So why limit who you market your services or products to? Seems like common sense, right? It’s not. It’s actually very poor thinking when it comes to your marketing. To market to a wide...
Creating a Custom Google Analytics Dashboard
If your business is one of the millions that use Google Analytics (GA) to track and measure your website traffic, it makes sense to customize it to the specific pieces you’re reporting on. Creating a custom dashboard built around your KPIs just makes sense. Everyone...