Digital Marketing

The Qualities of a Good Website

Whether you’re building a new website, or working to make your existing site the best that it can be, these are some Qualities to ensure your site will be attractive, solid, visible and above all, converting sales.  A solid domain name. Yes, competition for good domain names is getting fierce. So, be flexible, but use good sense when choosing a domain. If your “.com” or “.com.cy” address is already taken, resist the urge to add a hyphen, or to go with the “.net” version. In the end, you’ll lose visitors with these options, so take a little extra time to get creative and find the perfect “.com” or “.com.cy”  A clear identity. Pay close attention the next time you’re surfing the Internet. Watch for sites with logos or titles that are obscure, or a design so cluttered with ads and banners that the important information gets lost. So, keep your identity visible. And, be brief and concise with your text. You don’t need a lot of buzzwords to tell your visitor that you sell shoes; just cut to the chase and tell them why they should buy from you.  Visible contact information. Web surfers and web users have short attention spans, so don’t make your customers do a virtual tour for your contact info. A common location for the “Contact Us” link is in the upper right, or in the main navigation, so either of these is a good choice. Ideally, your contact information will be on each page of your site, with multiple points of contact, such as phone, email and an easy-to-use contact form. Inclusion of a Google map is a bonus for those with a physical presence.  Good navigation. Navigation is your site’s GPS. Take some time to visit your own site, and be sure key pages like Services or Products are easy to locate. Just as homes are easier to find with a good map, web content is easier to find with good navigation. If you don’t have it, your competition likely will. Also avoid multiple navigations, keep everything in one place and make it easier for the visitor to find what he is looking for.  Well-constructed pages.  A website should be easy to use, which means easy navigation, proper utilization of links and callouts (your key selling propositions), and information displayed so that it is not only informative, but attractive as well. Critical information, such as who you are, and how you can be found, should be easily accessible. Stress your unique selling proposition and try to stand out from the crowd.  Good content. Good doesn’t only mean interesting; it also means accurate, fresh and well-communicated. Remember, web visitors have short attention spans, so:  be clear and concise, use proper grammar (or spend a few euros on a good editor), spell your words correctly, be accurate, be relevant, and update your content regularly. Blogs and social media updates are great ways to add fresh content, which not only keeps readers coming back, but is a good SEO strategy as well. Your pictures must be good resolution and clearly show what you are trying to say. Security. Of course, use a secure certificate and strong passwords for your accounts. Also, if your site is built on a platform like WordPress or Magento, be sure to ask your web designer or web host about keeping the platform updated.  In addition to adding new functionality, these periodic updates often address security issues found by other users and developers. Testimonials. In today’s social world, shoppers increasingly rely on the feedback of others, even if they’ve never met them.  Testimonials from a client or customer feel more genuine than sales copy written by the website owner.  Resist the urge to make up your own testimonials — savvy visitors will catch you cheating. Be seen. Having an amazing website is like having the best retail store in the middle of nowhere. If your target audience does not know your website address, they will never find you.  In general, your visitor will search for what they are looking for.  So you need to appear in their search result, preferably with the right tag line.  That is usually not as simple as it sounds.  Invest in some SEO as a first step and then start a small search advertising campaign. Turn traffic into sales. A visitor is only a potential buyer. To be successful you need to be able to convert your visitor into a client. If your website offers e-shop functionality that is easier.  If it does not, you need to be creative.  One technique is to create the sense of urgency to buy.  For example. “buy now while stocks last”, “Offer ending soon”, “Special offer just for today”, “buy now and get XXX”.  But make sure that you do not keep the same offer/proposition for ever.  Rotate these frequently and make sure to promote different products to cover different needs of customers. For more information on website design or internet marketing, give us a call at 22-899899.

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How to reduce your social media addiction

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet recently, you’ve likely seen a lot of buzz about the recent Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma. The documentary examines our relationship with social media, featuring interviews with tech experts who have worked everywhere from Facebook to YouTube to Pinterest. Their message is clear: our use of social media is having an increasingly damaging impact on our social life. If you feel like you’re becoming more and more addicted to social media, the documentary is a healthy reminder why it’s necessary to take a step back from scrolling every so often. The Social Dilemma expands on a conversation we’ve been having since Facebook’s boom in 2012.  A study from Harvard found that sharing personal information on social media taps into the “reward” center of our brain, triggering the same part that’s tapped into when taking an addictive substance. More recently, incidents like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the rise of fake news and hate speech triggered  debates about the use or misuse of social media and the effects that may have in our everyday life Our relationship with social media has changed just in the past year. Misinformation about COVID-19 on social media is nearly as ubiquitous as factual information from health experts to the point that one-in-four social media users see at least some truth in the conspiracy theory that coronavirus was “planned.” Therefore, the question that arises when you need a momentary social break is, if this will lead to a long-term addiction. We, as a socially responsible Agency, put together a small guide to help you keep your social surfing responsible and disconnect you from your social addiction. Turn Off Your Notifications When you stop notifications from disturbing your normal routine, you might find it easier to concentrate on your daily tasks and not get distracted so easily. Notifications are a constant reminder that something is happening in the online world and you might feel like you’re missing out. So, turn off your notifications. The bonus is, when you do come around to checking your social media, you may have a buildup of more notifications which will make it more exciting and will make the experience more rewarding. Limit Yourself Set a timer on your watch or phone, to limit the amount of time you spend on social media. Choose a limit depending on the severity of your addiction – say an hour a day, which equates to seven hours per week – and whenever you check your accounts, start your timer going. When you reach your limit, be strong and don’t be tempted to add on extra time. This will be a test of your willpower, but it will be worth it in the end. Get A New Hobby Try to use your free time on a different task.  That will distract you and help you reduce your addiction.  Also, as you may have more free time on your hands, it’s well worth picking up a new hobby to fill your spare time. You could learn a new skill or do something you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time. Check In With Friends And Family Instead of keeping up-to-date with your friends’ and family members’ lives through their social posts, send them a text or give them a call. Even if you can’t hang out in person safely, you can stay connected without tapping through Instagram Stories. Need to spice up your social life? Try arranging a weekly game night. Make It A Treat Look at social media as a treat. You might not buy a bespoke coffee every day or get your nails done every week, but you may reward yourself with these kinds of small treats when you feel like you deserve it. So think of social media in the same way, only allow yourself screen time when you’ve achieved something or you’ve done something productive first. This way you might change the way you think about social media. Delete Apps You Don’t Use A common concept among experts in The Social Dilemma was to uninstall apps you aren’t using often. Haven’t checked Twitter in months? Take it off your phone. It’ll remove the temptation, the notifications, and the temptation to scroll mindlessly. If you absolutely need to check it, there’s always your laptop. Go Cold Turkey Depending on how bad things have gotten, it might be time to go cold turkey. If you’re spending more time on social media than you are interacting with people in real life, give yourself a reality check by having a holiday from social media. Decide how long it’s going to be, inform your friends online how long you’ll be away and how they can reach you if they need you in person, and delete your apps. If you normally spend a minimum of two hours on social media per day, you will have an extra fourteen hours per week which are totally free to do whatever you want with. Drop your smartphone If you can’t fight the addiction and end up re-installing the abs on your phone then its time to go native. Drop your smart device and replace it with a place mobile phone.  Keep your smart device at home and use your plain mobile phone when on the move or at work that way you will force yourself to only use social media at certain times when at home. We at com2go are a socially responsible digital agency.  We focus on producing socially responsible content for our clients and maintain a strict community acceptable social media content policy.

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Creative Summer Digital Marketing Ideas for Business

Summer is here, and now is the perfect time to start thinking about the best ways to attract new customers and engage your most loyal fans. What digital marketing ideas can your business use this summer to beat the heat and keep your customers cool? 4 Creative Summer Digital Marketing Ideas Hold a Vacation Photo Contest People love taking selfies and cool photos when they go on vacation in the summer. Use your social media pages to hold a contest for the funniest photo, a photo that incorporates some of your swag or a company hashtag. Offer a prize that fits both your industry and the season. For example, if you own an ice cream shop, you could give the winner one free ice cream cone a week until the end of the summer! Even businesses without a storefront could give away a free item or month of their service paired with another seasonal item. Get Your Logo Out There With so many fun summer promotional items (beach balls, cups, t-shirts and more), invest in a wide variety and send them out to some of your most loyal customers with instructions to post a picture on social media with your brand’s hashtag. Not only will your customers be surprised at the thoughtful gift, but they will also give you great social media exposure in the process. Appeal to Local Tourists What are visitors to your area looking to do? What restaurants and attractions make your town unique? This digital marketing idea can take on a wide range of forms depending on how you want to appeal to tourists. A series of blog posts on what your city has to offer could appeal to travelers searching out things to do before a trip. Social media platforms are perfect for highlighting cool things in your town. For example, what about taking a tour of Main Street on your Instagram story and saving it under highlights for visitors passing through? Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Mention to get more exposure Tourists love sharing their vacation photos. From Instagram to facebook and now tik tok. If you are a tourist related business, just prepare a photo wall (this could be a small poster, or a foam board) with the name of the destination and a catchy phrase “I was here”, “See what I did this summer”, “Can you guess where I am”, or similar and you company hashtag.

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How to Use Instagram Reels in Your Marketing Strategy

Instagram Reels have been around for more than a month now, and you’re probably feeling the pressure to create something. The question is, what do you create? Short videos, access to use music, and effects are what make Reels different from an IGTV or Instagram story, and very similar to its opponent/direct competitor. Whilst TikTok has faced a rapid growth, Reels allow you to reach the Instagram user base which is a slightly different audience. TikTok is most popular with 16-24 year old’s whilst Instagram is most used by 25-34 year old’s. With Reels native to the Instagram platform, this means attention doesn’t have to move across apps anymore as it can all stay on the Instagram app which has every marketer asking themselves… how do I use it to get traffic and sales? Here are 4 ways to use Instagram Reels to get traffic and conversions on your products and services. Generate Content That Educates Instagram uses the same algorithm for ranking and showing top Reels as they do for regular feed posts and stories. Being ‎funny, creative and entertaining are keys to get maximum exposure on Instagram, and Reels is no exception‎. Along with providing entertainment, it’s a bonus to be able to teach your users so that they recognize you as a niche expert and leader. For example, you could try to generate informative content about the influence of COVID-19 on your industry. You can showcase your leadership in the industry to both users and competitors. Leverage User-Generated Content Firstly, you save time and money whilst still obtaining quality videos. Secondly, you’ll get the chance to increase your engagement rates because those users will share your content, which automatically increases the reach of your brand. Product reviews and testimonial videos are great user-generated content that can significantly help you showcase your products. Your product reviews/case studies will show your happy customers. If you’re selling a physical or digital one-time product, then you’ll post product reviews. If you’re selling a service, then you’ll post case studies. Instagram Reels is going to give you the opportunity to get really creative around how you show your reviews and case studies. You can use the effects, music, and countdown timer features to create native-looking reviews and case studies that entertain your followers. For product reviews, you can use user-generated content as your product review (you can upload videos and photos as a Reel and take your own). For your case studies, you can grab a past case study used in your sales process, take the headers from each section, and use those as text on your own video where you explain how you got those results. This text helps visual learners understand what you’re talking about while you discuss the details verbally. Use Different Types of Video Marketing on Reels It’s vital to have clarity around the different types of videos that brands can produce. Using the right type will help you smash your video marketing targets, whilst using the wrong type of video for your purpose will basically be a waste of time. Behind-The-Scenes Content Behind-the-scenes content builds the relationship between you and your customers. Since you’re doing this to a larger audience, you’re building that relationship at scale. Short videos are perfect for behind-the-scenes content, which goes a long way to humanize your brand and tell your brand story. In this way, Instagram Reels is a perfect medium to engage with your audience on a personal level and gain their trust. For example, you could share parts of the manufacturing process of your products. This can be significantly helpful in terms of customers loyalty. If you own an ecommerce fashion company you can use Instagram Reels to show the behind-the-scenes of you choosing your fabric and getting the samples delivered for approval. These Reels can act as a bridge between brand and customer, making you more human and giving your customers someone to relate to behind the scenes. Share Your Company Story Instagram Reels has the potential to make a basic brand story into a super interesting one. Instead of going to an About Page on a website and reading through a brand story, a prospect can watch a dynamic story on Reels. This story can include music and old photos, case studies, and where you are today because of everything you experienced while getting here. This wouldn’t be regular content that you post, but having an Instagram Reels that shows who you are and why selling these products or services goes back to the reason we post BTS content. It’s personable, it’s relatable, and it builds relationships. Company Culture Videos Company culture videos help tell your brand’s story. They show off your company’s personality and make it stand out among the countless niche accounts out there. Event videos and branded videos are two popular videos that companies use to broadcast their cultures. Product Videos No surprises here – product videos are for showcasing your products and getting people interested in them. Product demo videos and product launch videos are examples of product videos that you can use in your marketing strategy. Leverage the Power of Influencers in Your Reels Marketing Collaborating with Instagram influencers is one of the most effective means of increasing brand awareness, especially for small and mid-size companies. Instagram is king in the world of influencers, and many of them make millions on Instagram each year. Instagram Reels is another chance for both businesses and influencers to increase their followers and earn more money. Try to find the most relevant and highly-engaged influencers in your industry to build long-lasting relationships with. Collaborating in creating videos or even sharing your previous videos can be greatly useful in your marketing strategy. Instagram Reels has opened a gateway to businesses and marketers for new opportunities to strengthen their brand’s presence on social media. By using Reels, you can introduce your new products or events transparently and include your customers as part of your story.‎ And there you

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How to jumpstart you career in Digital Marketing

Are you curious about how to start an exciting career in digital marketing? Are you wondering what’s the best way to find digital marketing jobs? An internship program can help you diversify your current skills and can make a world of difference for your future career path. Know the Difference Between Digital Versus Traditional Marketing Most of you would have had some experience with traditional marketing (a course in collage it even hands on work), and are probably wondering whether it will be feasible to make a career change to digital marketing? The big question is if there is really much difference? The answer is Yes and no, and you will want to explore some of the key differences if you’re coming from a traditional marketing background. Here are a few key similarities and differences: Both are heavily reliant on creative writing and design, so if you have a background in copywriting or graphics and if you are a creative person you have a good chance of making a smooth transition. Digital marketing is more data-driven than traditional marketing, so you’ll need to understand the different approach with regards to the customer journey as well as sales funnels. Unlike traditional marketing, with digital marketing there is right and wrong, which is dictated by what the numbers say and not by your personal feeling. Digital marketing is more of a two-way conversation and less of a “sales pitch” kind of approach. Digital advertising has two basic forms, organic and paid. If you have a background in advertising, you’ll want to get a handle on how it works online. Traditional marketing is largely based on campaigns, whereas digital marketing relies on continues conversation with your audience. To work with digital you need to be digital Digital marketeers, and especially social media marketeers need to be digitally social by nature.  If you dislike social media activity or if you are not that into it, then this is probably not the field for you.  You can try to work within the field but it is highly unlikely if you will ever be that good. Assess Your Current Skills & Upskill Strategically What are you really good at and passionate about right now? What do you have experience doing? There’s a good chance that you can find something that’s quite applicable to digital marketing since it’s such a versatile field. Here are some specialty areas you might want to consider: Creative design (Video or visual) Social media Mobile marketing E-commerce Content management Digital publishing Copywriting Analytics Business/marketing strategy After you have taken an inventory of your current skills, you can get certified or just take a few courses to boost your skills but the point is to commit to upskilling now and well into the future.  A good place to start is Google Digital Garage. You can learn plenty about digital marketing without getting formally certified, but you’ll definitely be ahead of the game if you have extensive experience, an aptitude for learning on your own and a formal certification. Get Familiar with the latest trends There are so many digital channels and so much activity that causes trends to shift constantly.  As a digital marketeer you will be expected o keep track of the latest trends and be in a position to enforce them within your daily workload. Content / Social Media Strategy You can be a great writer or an amazing designer, but without strategy you can go nowhere.  Strategy and analysis are the real heroes in digital marketing. You may, of course, what to focus on creative or copywriting, which is all good, as long as you realize that you need to have a solid strategy in place which is based on analytics, before you put a dot on paper, and as long as you are capable of working within the strict guidelines that are dictated by the digital marketing strategy of your client. If you intent to get into the Management or Strategy end of digital marketing, you should be able to draw on a diverse range of tools to analyze and report numbers, but you don’t’ need to get super technical. What’s more important is that you can use a solid combination of creativity and hard data to contribute to effective ad campaigns and you understand how to deeply engage an audience via social media and content. SEO Everyone in digital marketing needs to know a little about search engine optimization (SEO) as well as search engine marketing — but don’t let this somewhat technical specialty scare you off. Most digital marketing programs will include this in even basic training and in the meantime, you can learn the basics by following a google skillshop program. Try (Almost) Everything If you’re just starting out, you need specific experience. So, even if this means taking on internship positions or collaborating, if it’s something you need to learn, just go for it. Then you can include these experiences on your portfolio or resume as well. You will learn a lot more from industry experts than you will ever manage to, by yourself. (Usually internship take 2 forms, introductory unpaid – for a fixed period of time – leading to a paid internship). Try to choose wisely.  Most Digital Agencies will have a revolving internship program.  If you feel you have the skills to get in a high-end Digital Agency, shoot for the top.  You will usually go through an interview and you will compete against other candidates.  Remember that for an Agency, an unpaid internship program requires resources who will train you.  Especially High-end Agencies will never risk using your work for clients.  Your job will mostly revolve around helping others while you learn, so you must demonstrate that you are both willing and capable to learn fast. Tip: Agencies undertake internship programs in an effort to train their future staff without the overhead and the risk.  So by entering an internship program and by proving that you have the skills, you can easily

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