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Ranking on the first page of search engine results is what most if not all businesses dream about. If you’re one of the few who doesn’t see the importance of a high search ranking, conduct a search for a product or service your business offers to see how much of your competition appears before you do. If you don’t appear until after page three, chances are that you need some serious SEO. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process by which business climb to the top of search engine results. There are many factors that go into it; and if you’re a beginner, you might make some mistakes. Here are some mistakes to avoid when DIYing your SEO. 

Keyword Stuffing 

No, it’s not the kind of stuffing you put in your holiday turkey. Keyword stuffing is when you intentionally fill a webpage with a word or words in order to manipulate search engines into ranking you higher in search results. You’ve probably seen these types of pages, the ones that use the same keyword five times in one sentence or so many times on the same page that it lingers in your mind like a subliminal message. The fact is that search engines won’t rank this kind of spammy content. Using a keyword too often might prevent you from ranking well.  

Copying Content 

While republishing content that you wrote on your website elsewhere on the web can help your marketing strategy, you should take care in how you do it. If the same content appears in more than one place on the web, a search engine won’t show it in search results because it can’t determine which version to index. The search engine will default to what is considered the most relevant, original content. 

Careless Backlinking 

You don’t want to backlink with just any website or content creator. You want to backlink with reputable sites that are relevant to the content you post. Links from irrelevant sites will cause your site to be devalued by search engines. When backlinking, you also want to avoid sitewide backlinks and pages with excessive external links. With that said, you don’t want to buy links either. 

Buying Links 

If you see emails promising a first-page ranking on any search engine, especially for a small amount of money, send them to the spam box. While there are legit SEO companies out there, like Proximo Marketing Strategies, most of these emails are from companies looking to scam you. Even if they do buy links on your behalf, Google will blacklist your site for this. Avoid the trouble and just don’t do it. 

Hidden Text 

It’s like an invisible ink message, except it’s on a web page. Hidden text is the practice of hiding text on your website so that visitors of your site can’t see it, but search engines will still index it. A simple way of doing this, for example, would be to change the color of this text to the same color as the background of your page. It becomes virtually invisible, that is until it gets highlighted. It could also be hidden in the page’s code. Search engines will penalize you for doing this. Instead, put this energy into creating valuable, relevant content and take advantage of organic SEO tactics. 

A well-optimized website should show up at the top of relevant search results, if you know what you’re doing, that is. You wouldn’t have someone who doesn’t know the first thing about construction build your house. As such, you wouldn’t have someone optimize your search engine who doesn’t know anything about SEO. Proximo is a leading Virginia SEO company. If you would like more information on our SEO services, call us at (757) 504-2429 or fill out the form on our website.

The world of marketing is always changing; and similar to all other types of change, we are made to adapt. A marketing and advertising campaign that is planned and executed effectively can serve the needs of any business, but times have changed and so has the marketing landscape. Customers and businesses don’t interact in the same way they used to. In this day and age, your digital presence should be on the RISE. When employing digital marketing efforts, it’s important to keep up with marketing trends. Proximo is here to tell you what trends to look out for to help you get ahead of the game. 

1. Omnichannel Marketing 

Think multichannel marketing, but on an even larger scale. In omnichannel marketing, you create consistent marketing touchpoints that work together and reinforce each other on every available channel. Most businesses use social media, search engines and email as their marketing channels. Other channels you might consider are: 

• Video 
• Podcasts 
• Streaming 
• Apps 
• Chatbots 
• Virtual Assistants 

2. Chatbots and AI 

Chatbots are little AI helpers that are integrated into websites. They can answer questions and fulfill requests, offering personalized interactions without the difficulty that often comes from having to talk to the Human Resources Department of any given business. They’re super convenient. This nifty software is already used extensively on Facebook and usage is expected to increase as new possibilities for them emerge. 

3. Personalization 

Everything is personalized these days: computers, phones, online radio. Marketing is no different. Studies show that ninety percent of the U.S. population finds personalized marketing to be appealing. Another 44 percent say that they are more likely to buy from a company again after a personalized shopping experience. Personalization is expected to become the number one tool across marketing channels.

4. Video Marketing 

Videos as a marketing tool are not expected to outgrow their britches anytime soon. It has already become one of the most successful marketing tactics, and is expected to make up more than 85 percent of internet traffic by 2020. Vertical video formats are also on the rise, thanks to Instagram.

5. Zero-Click SEO 

It may not have even occurred to you that there’s such a thing as zero-click search results; even though you’ve probably seen them many times. These are the search results that are automatically generated by Google to answer a search query that comes in the form of a snippet. In order to see the organic search results, you’d have to actually scroll down. Zero-click results are a big deal because they already make up over sixty percent of Google search results. Some of these snippets come from websites that rank on page one, but it’s uncertain yet how Google decides which ones to display. 

6. Voice Search Advertising and Optimization 

When virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google came along, voice searching was born. You can play music and place orders online without having to whip out your phone or other smart devices. Voice search has made it easier to find information, while reducing screen time. Twenty percent of Google searches now take place through voice search. People love it; that’s why it’s not going away any time soon. Your business should start optimizing its content for voice search by making it more conversational. 

7. Live Video (AKA “Streaming”) 

As video grows in popularity, so does the idea of live video, also called “streaming” or “live streaming.” The major draw of live streaming is that the person in front of the camera – whether a social media influencer, celebrity, or gamer – is interacting directly with viewers’ comments. This is all thanks to platforms like Twitch, which are popular for streaming video gameplay. Even YouTube has a live-streaming function. When done right, a live stream can be incredibly useful for marketing. 

8. Content Experience 

You’ve heard the term “user experience,” right? Well, it’s time to make way for content experience. What is that though? Content experience is a combination of content, context, user interface and experience. It falls in line with making content marketing more personalized and tailored to specific audiences and even individuals. Everyone experiences content differently and whether or not their experiences are good or bad determines whether or not there will be a sale. It also determines how a brand is perceived. This approach helps put more control back into the hands of marketers than content marketing. 

Adapting to changes in the marketing world early in the game is the best way to stay ahead. Keep these trends in mind and implement them going into next year and you’re sure to be ahead of the competition. If you need help marketing your business, give Proximo Marketing Strategies a shout at (757) 504-2429 or VIP@proximomarketing.com. 

How can businesses visually stand out from other brands, and how can the public recognize your brand in the midst of others? The answer is a logo. When we think of logos, we often think of the iconic blue square and white “f” for Facebook, the widely popular swoosh for Nike, and the iconic golden “M” to represent the Mcdonald’s fast-food chain. The problem is that a lot of start-up business owners believe creating a logo on “do-it-yourself” websites or even designing it themselves with no design experience will create the same results that the previously mentioned successful companies have. The truth is that these create-your-own logo gimmicks and amateur designs hardly ever make your business or brand attract the positive attention that you want.

Logo designs are supposed to be unique. When business owners think that making their own logo will be “easy”, they may be right, because while it may be easy, it probably won’t be good. Having a logo that illustrates your business is the difference between mediocre and professionalism in the business world.  Whether it’s through the utilization of a tasteful color palette, a memorable illustration, or defined typography, a high-quality logo will often speak for itself when words can’t.

Consumers are much smarter than we realize. Due to the fact that we are a social-media dominated generation, internet users are likely to see hundreds (if not thousands) of different brand images a day. In order to stand out within the crowd of media, online and in real life, logos must be able to captivate an audience and reel in potential customers, clients, and consumers into wanting to know more about your brand. Smart consumers might be able to see that your logo was curated on a DIY logo design site since all of these sites often hold the same basic tools, and this could definitely cause people to dismiss your business as a whole.

If you have little to no design experience and create a logo on your own, smart users will be able to recognize a well-established logo from an amateur one. By designing a logo by yourself, you run the risk of possibly mimicking a logo that already exists, using colors that clash with one another or putting way too much detail into the design. With no professional assistance, you won’t be able to recognize the little mistakes that we often make when trying to do things on our own.

Even though a free DIY logo design might seem tempting, it could lead to potential business problems. Poorly designed logos could stop business growth, sales, and other future opportunities. Logos are like first impressions–you only have one chance to make it right, and

your business is far too valuable for it to be represented by a DIY logo design. Logos shouldn’t just be an image to fill up space, it should create the space and represent your brand’s values by allowing the world to recognize the level of quality your business provides.

If you’re looking for a professionally designed logo and need some assistance, we are more than willing to help your business visually by bringing your ideas to life. You can reach Proximo through email – vip@proximomarketing.com or call 757-504-2429 to help you get the logo of your dreams.

You’ve started your own business and you’re ready to take it to the next level. Whether you are trying to reach your targeted consumers through branding, social media or word of mouth, all elements of a successful business need a digital place for your audience to come back to. Think of it as a home base for your entire brand. Your website is supposed to be accessible, easy to navigate, informative, and should speak loudly about what your business does and how it’s different from the competition.

Many businesses these days are creating websites on free website-building platforms with no SEO and no experience. While the word “free” may seem appealing, free websites don’t have the capacity to bring your business the traction it deserves, and here’s why.

Free website layouts are limited and rarely bring your creative vision for your business to life.

There’s only so much you can do on a free website to make it look as visually appealing and close to your brand idea as possible. You’ll be forced to have to choose between the few layouts, color schemes, and fonts that the site has, and as a result, your website will suffer because of it. If a new user comes across a poorly designed website, they most likely won’t want to stay more than a few seconds on your page. In a world where online media and photography is consumed constantly, your business deserves a website that stands out visually.

Consumers won’t be able to reach your site as much as you may want.

Google is humanity’s best friend, and with a computer in nearly everyone’s pockets, having your website easily accessible through search engines is critical to expanding your business to the next level. Free websites don’t have real SEO (search engine optimization). This is because you don’t actually own that free website you are using–the site builder you’re using does. A real SEO will allow you to customize certain aspects of your website with no limitations and with a 100% guarantee that your website will always reach back to you, the business owner. Free websites just simply don’t have the ability to create the kind of traffic you want on your page. The SEO strategies that these sites hold might lead you to believe that adding every single keyword you can think of to the list will help users be able to find your business site easily, but sadly this is not the case. Free website platforms will never be able to compete with an organically structured website, which leads us to our next point.

Putting in all of your energy into a free website will not only waste your time, but it will hurt your business. Without the ability for your site to show up on search engines when possible consumers look up your business name, those same consumers are more than likely to look up your direct competition (who more than likely will have a working SEO) and your free website’s reach will become stagnant over time.

Free websites communicate unprofessionalism to users.

Last but not least, it’s essential that your business radiates a level of efficiency and professionalism that will not only help your reputation as a business owner, but it will strengthen your ability to connect to your consumers on a deeper level. Big brands build their own websites. Big business build their own websites. By allowing your business to truly shine through its own website, you won’t have to go through any of the loopholes that come with free website platforms. Organically constructing a website isn’t just the beginning of your successful business, but it’s the life-line that will bring your complete vision to life. Your audience will be able to recognize the level of effort you put into your work through your website alone.

If you need any assistance with website development, including SEO building, reach out to the Proximo team at (757) 504-2429 and we make sure to make your dream website for your business into a reality!

You probably receive more marketing email messages than you would ever care to read. You probably send all but very few of them to your spam or junk folder. Are we right? We get it, we’ve been there. While it might not seem like it, email marketing is actually still an effective means of growing your business. The catch is, there is a right and a wrong way to use email for marketing your products or services to customers. Here are some of the do’s and don’ts of email marketing. 

Do – Grow Your Email List Correctly 

Grow your email list the right way, use a subscription form that requires subscribers to opt-in to receive emails from your business. That way, they don’t feel like you’re forcing your emails into their inbox. 

Don’t – Buy An Email List 

Whatever you do, don’t buy an email list. Unsurprisingly, unless you have email leads from people who are actually interested in your business on that email list, your open rate and click-through rate will be very low. This will render your email marketing ineffective and make it hard for you to gauge what is actually working.

Do – Segment Your Email List 

Segmenting your email list will aid significantly in sending emails with content relevant to your audience. There are many ways to do this. For example, you could organize it based on industry, geography, product interest, participation in events, content downloads, and even pages visited. This will enable you to send more personalized emails based on subscriber data and interests. 

Do – Use the Customer’s Name 

Using the customer’s name in the body of your marketing emails makes them less of a sales pitch and more of a personal relationship. You can also take it a step further and address customers by name in the subject line. Emails with personalized subject lines are more likely to be opened. 

Do – Avoid Spam Filters 

Email filters are becoming increasingly sophisticated. To avoid the spam filters, avoid sending emails that look like spam. For example, refrain from using words like “sale,” “free,” “rich,” or “deal” in the subject line in all caps. 

Don’t – Send A Sales Pitch 

Another way to avoid the spam and junk folders are to make sure that your email doesn’t read like a brochure. Avoid using the aforementioned words and limit the number of links included in the message to be safe. 

Do – Use Video 

Video is an easy way to grab your customers’ attention and hold it, as compared to a wall of text. It helps build trust and long-term customer relationships. Most customers even say that watching a video about a product or service is what gives them the confidence to buy it. With its high ROI and click-through rates, there’s no reason not to include video in your email marketing. 

Don’t – Poorly Produced Videos 

A video’s image quality doesn’t matter so much as the quality of the content. If your video is poorly written and produced, it could confuse your customers and drive them away. If you want to learn more about video, take a look at our recent blog. 

Above all else, what you want to give your marketing emails is value. Why would you send an email to a customer that held no value? This is the difference between the emails you ignore on the daily and the emails that Proximo Marketing Strategies sends out. We work with our clients closely to understand their customers’ interests and motivations so we can create valuable content. While email marketing is only part of any marketing strategy, it’s an important one when done correctly. If you would like to learn more about email marketing with us, give us a call today at 757-504-2429.

It’s undeniable that video has seen an explosion of growth in recent years. Consumers and prospects alike are choosing to engage with content via video more than other media types. Between 2016 and 2017 alone, Youtube saw a ninety-nine percent increase in views of branded content. Likewise, Facebook saw an increase of over 250 percent. Just this year, sixty-three percent of businesses began using video to market content; and eighty-two percent of them attest to its importance as part of their marketing strategies. In spite of these facts and the loss of content engagement and leads, businesses are still hesitant to implement video. The medium is still new even though it has already gone so far. It’s understandable that you might have doubts. That’s why we’re going to let you in on all the benefits of video marketing and give you a few pointers to get you going. 

Video’s Role in Marketing 

A key role of video in marketing is to engage the audience.  Video holds attention longer and far better than a paragraph of text ever will. Another role of video is to build trust and create long-term relationships with customers. More than half of consumers say that videos gave them the confidence to purchase an item online where they otherwise would not have without them. Video not only engages interest but emotions, what people share via social media. In the context of social media, the role of video is garnering these shares, which lead to sales. 

The Success of Video (and Your Business with Video) 

It’s no mystery as to why video is so successful. It’s a versatile and engaging content format that is easy to share across platforms. Not only can it lead directly to sales, many marketers attest to its high ROI. This is because video drives value. It provides a great visual aid for retaining information. Studies show that marketing emails that contain video increase click-through rates over 200 percent. It has also been found that people spend over eighty percent more time on a website with video. Video also strengthens brand recall. This isn’t surprising, considering that people generally remember more of a message through video as compared to written content. Let’s not forget that video can boost SEO rankings. It’s estimated that a website with a video is over fifty times more likely to show up first on Google than websites without. Video is the fastest-growing form of marketing. If you want your business to be more memorable, producing video content is the way to go. 

Things to Remember When Making a Video 

If you decide to take the DIY route, there are a handful of things to consider before you go into production. You’ll want to: 

1. Put it in Context – Go beyond standard demographic targeting and create content that is relevant in the context 

2. Keep it Short and Sweet – You can go big in a short amount of time, for example, video ads. Some of the most effective YouTube ads are only about six seconds long. 

3. Be Personal and Interactive – Learn what drives your target audience, about what they want to see, and test content based on that. 

4. Include a Call to Action – Rouse viewers with an on-screen CTA 

5. Make It Mobile-Friendly – A vast majority of videos are viewed on mobile devices. Make sure your video will look good and operate correctly across all screen sizes. 

6. Optimize your Content – Use the titles and metadata to help viewers find you on Google 

7. Be Sharable – Allow people to embed your videos so they can share across platforms. 

Keep in mind that a poorly produced video can have the opposite effect. You want your products and services to be presented well, not to drive away business. That’s why Proximo Marketing Strategies offers video production services. From conception to production to posting, we’re here to help you make the video of your dreams. Call us at (757) 504-2429 or visit our website, www.proximomarketing.com, to find out how we can make a video together!