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How to Create a Marketing Calendar for Your Rock Clothing Company

When you run a small fashion brand, you’re likely to invest considerable marketing dollars to stick-out as unique. That’s especially true for brands that specialize in wardrobe-choices for rebels and rockstars.

But one thing that’s not unique about your rock ‘n’ roll clothing brand is your need for a strategic marketing plan.

When things start picking-up, a calendar simplifies marketing processes and takes out the guesswork.

Here’s how to create a-rockin’ marketing calendar for your clothing brand.

Covered in This Blog

In the following article, you’ll learn:

• The do’s of topic creation
• Selecting the right tools to start an editorial calendar
• Post scheduling; and more

If the lack of a comprehensive marketing plan is holding your fashion brand back, keep reading.

How to Choose Topics for Great Content

It’s no secret anymore that content plays a big part in any good marketing plan. According to experts, your marketing calendar should be a hodge-podge of all different kinds of content and media.

When planning content, you have to make two considerations:

• Planning original content
• Planning everything else

Here’s how to navigate the decision of what kinds of posts to have:

All Content

All content should be topical and relevant. You should choose things that have mass appeal to your audience. Tools like BuzzSumo make it easy to see what articles are trending on a specific topic.

Original Content

Planning original content is a little more complicated. It involves the following:

• Look out for relevant trending topics: those you could use to reproduce a new blog with a fresh take
• Research keywords: use a wealth of free and cheap resources
• Plan content: use special events that make sense for your audience — like writing about the 40th anniversary of the Enlightened Rogues album to attract those looking for Allman Brothers t shirts
• Write it down: put your ideas into an editorial calendar.
• Schedule it: use a scheduling tool to implement.

If the last two bullet points look familiar, it’s because we’ll be flushing each of them out below.

How to Create an Editorial Calendar

There are a number of templates available for working up an editorial calendar of your own. You must choose your preferred source:

• Google Docs or other collaborative platforms: this choice is great for easy sharing
• Google calendar or preferred calendar program: some people live and die by their calendar, and their marketing schedule is no different
• Excel spreadsheet: if you’re comfortable in Excel, it’s a great place to start collecting topic ideas and making a calendar worksheet
• PDF template: PDF templates can be printed or edited in a PDF editor

A quick google search of marketing calendar templates offers a number of formats from which small business owners can choose.

How to Implement a Social Scheduler

Tools like Buffer offer free or cheap social scheduling capabilities.

In most cases, the free versions are limited and monthly subscriptions are available for those who have more than basic needs.

Using a social scheduling tool to plan your marketing simplifies the process and takes less valuable time to complete.

Start Your Marketing Calendar Today

With these trade secrets, you can start a marketing calendar today. Make it your best year for:

• Lead generations
• Conversions
• Followers
• Downloads

Whatever marketing goals you’re looking to achieve, a calendar will help your rock clothing brand get the reputation it deserves! For more information on digital marketing, return to ArticleCity.

How To Create A Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign For Your Antique Business

Are you looking for a way to get more customers through the door of your antique business?

Running an antique business can be difficult, especially if you’re just starting out.

Statistics show that the antique industry isn’t enjoying the boom it’s had in the past, so it can be tough to attract a steady flow of customers.

Luckily, a social media marketing campaign can go a long way in promoting your business.

Read on to learn more about how to create a successful social media campaign.

1. Know Your Market

Posting ads for your antique business on Facebook are definitely worth the effort. But posting ads without a target market or niche isn’t so helpful.

Begin by identifying your market for a specific campaign. Are you targeting college students hungry for vintage furniture? Retirees nostalgic about their past?

Choose a specific market and then identify a need or struggle these individuals may have. For example, those college students may be looking for an affordable way to furnish their new apartment and look classy.

In your campaign, you’ll play up this need or struggle and show how you can satisfy it.

2. Do Your Research

No matter how large your marketing and development team is–it may just be you–it’s important to research the field before plunging in.

Research competition in your area. What are other antique stores doing for marketing, and how can you be better? How is Westland Antiques doing?

What ads do you see for antiques on social media? Are there any in your area currently?

Assess the competition but also consider demographics in your area.

3. Establish Goals

Before you start posting wildly on Facebook, set up some clear goals. What outcome do you want to have with your social media marketing campaign?

Be as specific as possible. If you want to attract more customers, put a number on it. If you want to boost sales, also put a number on it. Maybe you just want to acquire emails to build a list of leads.

Establish clear and actionable goals directly related to your needs as a business.

4. Pair It With Email

Social media campaigns aren’t just about making Instagram posts. Start by sending an email to current subscribers to give them a heads-up about your social media campaign.

Then, make sure that your campaign gets you new email addresses. You’ll want to send follow-up emails after you obtain these to stay with these leads and turn them into recurring customers.

5. Write Relevant Content

The key to successful social media campaigns lies in the content. It’s important to generate fresh, intriguing, and useful copy for your customers.

Yes, customers will perk up when they see discounts or special offers. But don’t forget about the power of video, for example, or images of your current antique inventory.

A top-notch content strategy will keep your customers coming back for more and get more email addresses on your list.

Your Social Media Marketing Campaign

Social media is a powerful tool, and it’s important to leverage it as you’re establishing your customer base in the antique industry.

Make sure you do your research and identify your market before launching your social media marketing campaign. Have clear goals that go along with your strategy and always follow up marketing efforts with email.

Want to learn more about what inbound marketing can do for your antique business? Sign up for free advice today at Article City!

How to Create Content for an Online Natural Health Store

With the average business now spending up to 35% of their marketing budget on digital marketing, everyone is looking to find ways to cut back on spending.

If you’re a natural health store, you’re already competing with all the big box supermarkets in your region. The best way to capture new customers is to build the kind of authority that only consistent and high-quality content can build.

As an increasing number of users find new businesses through search engines, it’s important to appear at the top of the results of every search. Along with keywords, name recognition, and metatext, search engines will rank highly any site that offers original content on a regular basis.

Between your computer and your phone, you’ve got all the tools you need to start improving the SEO strategy for your natural health store. Focus on these four areas for the best results.

1. Create Bold Headlines

When you see an article posted on social media or written in the media, the first thing you see is the headline.

A headline needs to pack a punch, grab the viewer by the collar, or touch them emotionally.

Below your headline, you can add all the great details that will put your headline in context. After you’ve grabbed their attention, reel them in with your subheading. They’ll be dying to check out your great content.

2. Let Images and Video Do the Work

Not everyone is great at retaining information. Great photos of healthy products or nutritious snacks can draw people in.

Think about hiring a professional photographer for any product photos you plan on using in your marketing campaign. Introduce customers to your natural health store by posting a short walk-around on Instagram. Use your front-facing camera so people can get to know you.

If you do in-store demos or are giving out samples, post videos to social media first thing in the morning to draw customers into your store. Their FOMO will kick in and they’ll be at your door before you know it.

Images and video are at the top of the list for content-driven marketing right now.

3. Keep Content Short and Sweet

Keep your text between 300 to 500 words. Use keywords 3-6 times in your text and focus on one subject at a time.

If you want to post a how-to, create a video to accompany a short numbered list outlining every step. See how other sites get users to quickly consume content before they buy here!

4. Be Honest and Use Good Sources

For everything you write about health and natural products, make sure you’re making honest claims.

If you say that something helps with weight loss, link to an FDA or reputable scientific study. If you quote any statistics, link to your source so that no one can claim you’re making anything up.

Showing you’re an honest resource for health and wellness will build trust. It will also help you receive those all-too-important backlinks from other sites and users.

Great Content Will Improve Traffic to Your Natural Health Store Site

Once you’ve built a great reputation, that trust will snowball into customer loyalty.

Search engines and visitors will both love your high-quality and original content and give you the hits to prove it.

If you’re ready to improve SEO for your health site, check out our guide for more SEO tips to drive local traffic to your site.

How to Create an Awesome Blog for Charity

Did you know charitable giving rose by 5.4% to a record $358.4 billion in 2015, according to Giving U.S.A? With “Animals and the Environment” at the top with a rise of over 5% and religion had the lowest rise at just under 1%.

This means you’re coming into the charity game at the perfect time.

Let’s take a look at how you can create an awesome blog for charity.

1. Find a Free Blog Site

As with any charitable mission, it’s important to make sure to save money where you can. The saved money can go towards other areas of your organization.

There are many free blog sites available online. Do a little research and find out how each is different. This way you’ll be able to make an informed decision on which blogs offer what you need for your path.

2. Offer an A and B Style of Communication

Most all of the largest U.S. charities maintain a two-way communication style in the form of blogs.

Daily Functioning

Your blog should update on your daily functioning, long-term and short-term goals in a conversational manner. In other words, you probably won’t want to entitle a blog “Our Short-Term and Long-Term Goals.” Not very enticing.

But you’ll want to make sure your blog contains details of how your charity has used the funds that have been brought in. Why should donors continue to support your cause?

Supporter Involvement

Encourage your supporters to become involved, to share ideas and suggestions. Make the blog forum a brainstorming session.

Be sure to respond to questions and comments as soon as possible. The sooner the better. But just make sure it’s no longer than 24 hours.

3. Embrace the Power of Social Media

When you’re creating your awesome blog for charity, you’ll want to make social media your new best friend.

Use Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Instagram. The more social media sites, the better reach.

Share Personal Stories

Don’t make your blog for charity only about charitable business. Share personal stories and struggles, as well. Create a relationship with your readers by showing your vulnerable human side.

Video Packs a Punch

Include high-quality video throughout your blogging. Video allows for two very valuable aspects of communication: eye contact and body language.

Both of these, your readers don’t get through the written word. And both of these are vitally important to establishing rapport and connection.

Use video of some of your projects and interviews from those you’re raising money for. This will help connect your target audience emotionally with the cause.

4. Educate Yourself on the Most Effective Fundraising Strategies

In order to learn more about effective fundraising, you’ll want to do your research and find out what’s worked for other organizations.

You want to be able to convince your patrons to support your charity even when finances are tight. Your charity should be a priority for your supporters to budget in each month.

Captivate them with pictures and quick daily updates of your charity’s achievements.

5. Connect the “Charity” Dots for Your Supporters

In your blog for charity, you’ll want to connect your supporter’s donations with the achievements made by your charity.

Let your readers see what their contributions have done for the cause they care so much for. You can do this by having individual fundraisers that outline each individual expense making up the entire amount requested.

Make it Tangible

For instance, if your charity is raising money for a child who needs an operation for an organ malfunction, break down the total costs into unique sections like:

• Hospital stay
• Anesthesia
• Operation
• Any additional doctor fees
• Antibiotics

Another example would be to say something such as: “Your $10 per month makes it possible for one child to receive the dental care they need for a happy, cavity-free life.”

You can also use an online shop selling items where the customer has the option of donating extra to your cause.

6. Use Every Opportunity to Link Back to Your Blog for Charity

You want your blog for charity to have a wide and friendly reach. Remember to link back to your blog in comments you make on your personal social media sites, as well.

Ask friends, co-workers and family to spread the word and share links to your blogs on any websites they manage. Get the word out there about what your charity is doing to change lives.

7. Hire a Reputable Blog Writing Service

Not enough time to blog regularly? You can look into services or freelance writers who will do the work for you. Or you can recruit guest bloggers who jive with your vision and style.

Be sure to still be a presence on your blog for charity. Make time to respond to comments and questions. Ensure your donors know who you are and how to contact you if they need to.

Whether you write the blog post yourself or hire a writer, be sure that your charity’s message and mission are clearly communicated.

8. Provide Volunteer Opportunities and Donation of Time

It can’t be denied. Some people either don’t have the money to contribute or just don’t want to part with it. In these cases, you’ll want to have alternative ways they can give support for your cause.

Identify areas where people can donate their time and talents, as well as their money. You can hold fundraising events such as bake sales or music entertainment where volunteers can be useful.

9. Be Flexible and Open-Minded

We can’t all have the best ideas all of the time. A mark of emotional maturity is to be able to admit mistakes and roll with the down times.

Remain open-minded to others’ feedback and adapt the best you can. Keep any defensiveness or fear in check and embrace even the criticism as valuable feedback.

10. Express Gratitude to Your Donors

And last but not least, say thank you. Acknowledge the hard work, dedication and financial support your donors bring to the table.

When possible and with your supporters’ permission include their efforts in blog posts. If they worked a bake sale or car wash, include their name in recognition. Just always be sure to ask before you print or post any names or faces.

Creating an Awesome Blog for Charity

Blogging for charity can be such fun. With a few simple guidelines and a camera, you can transform your blog into something magical.

These are our tips on how to learn more about creating an awesome blog for charity. What would you add?

How to Create a Promotion Strategy for a Massage Service

Are you looking for ways to create a unique promotional strategy for your massage business?

In today’s digital age, how you market your company can be the difference between a thriving business and one that does not last.

According to eMarketer, there was an estimated $83 billion in digital marketing. That’s a figure expected to grow to $129.23 billion by 2021.

But promoting your business isn’t just about what you are doing on the internet. You need a well-rounded strategy that can be used offline to help build a stronger brand for your business.

Read on to learn how to create a promotion strategy for your massage service.

Create Great Written Content

An effective promotion strategy in digital marketing is to create good content for your website.

That’s because it can help you generate traffic online and increase your revenues.

According to Tech Client, websites with blog content have 434 percent more indexed pages than those that do not have it. Indexed pages are an important part of search engine optimization (SEO).

That’s because these are web pages that are scanned by a search engine’s spider programs. Spiders skim pages for content to use in search engine results.

You can market your massage service by creating well-written content for blog posts. These blog posts can cover a wide range of topics, whether that is specific to your business or industry-wide.

Your content should be relevant to your target market and be backed up by citations to authorities in your field. That’s because your reader will be more confident in the information when you use reputable sources.

Be Actively Involved in Your Community

Active involvement in your community can be a great way for you to advertise your business while helping others. It also helps your massage service align with a positive cause in your community.

Some of the ways you can do this are by donating gift certificates to silent auctions or as a giveaway at a special event. You could also consider sponsoring a charitable cause. Becoming synonymous with these things helps people view you as more than just a business. It’s also a great way for you to build your professional network and learn more about what people want.

This can go a long way towards helping you build a strong brand. It can also be one of the ways that you set your business apart from the competition.

Share Information on Social Media

Sharing information about your business on social media can be a beneficial promotion strategy. That’s because social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn reach billions of users each month.

Just consider the reach of Facebook alone. According to Statista, in the third quarter of 2017, there were 2.07 billion active monthly users.

You can share blog posts and other info about your services through social media. This helps you reach prospective clients in a unique way. But social media accounts are not only a good way to share information. They give you a way to provide good customer service to your clients.

Ambassador has reported that 71 percent of customers who have a positive customer service experience on social media are likely to recommend that company.

These recommendations can create interest in your services and help you generate more revenue.

Offer Exclusive Deals

You should also offer special deals to members of your email list and followers on social media.

The benefits of this marketing tactic are two-fold.

First, it helps promote awareness about your company’s presence on social media. By spreading the word on social media, you can get more followers and a bigger interest online.

Second, your followers and email subscribers can develop a sense of loyalty to you. This is because of the goodwill created by your gestures in and out of the office. Especially in the massage service industry where there are nearly 330,000 massage therapists in the U.S.

For example, a business like WINKS sensual massage can create a special offer for their services. They can advertise it through their Facebook account and have a bigger reach than if they promoted it by just posting a sign in their office.

Incorporate Video Content into Your Website

Video content is a great way for you to bring your business to life for a prospective client. It’s also an increasingly popular form of digital marketing that you cannot afford to ignore.

According to a report from Cisco, by the year 2019, 80 percent of the world’s internet traffic will be video content.

Part of having a successful massage service is creating a nice and relaxing atmosphere for your clients. But if someone is just learning about your business online, video content can be a great way for you to show the environment you create.

Besides being a good way to show off your business, it’s also an effective way for you to break up the text on your website.

Mobile Optimization

You can promote your business in a more effective way by having a website that operates well across all web browsing devices.

In October 2016, mobile web browsing surpassed desktop use for the first time in history. Mobile web browsing on tablets and smartphones has been on an upward trend and is expected to continue.

Because of this, you risk losing out on business if you have a sharp drop off in user experience when browsing on a mobile device versus a desktop.

During the design phase, it is important to test your website to ensure it runs smoothly. If there are any glitches, it is best to fix them in the testing phase before your website is rolled out to the public.

Wrapping Up: Promotion Strategy for a Massage Service

You have worked hard to create a unique massage service and this should resonate in your promotion strategy.

This way prospective clients can learn more about your services. But they can also find out more about your company’s culture and what makes you stand out from the competition.

Are you looking for other ways to grow your company? Check out our post about how small businesses can get money fast.

How to Create a Strong Promotion Strategy for Your Clothing Business

You’ve spent years coming up with the perfect clothing brand. After studying everything there is to know about fashion culture, you’re ready to release your clothing brand to the world!

How exactly are you going to get people excited about it? It’s estimated that 8 out of 10 businesses will eventually fold, you don’t want to be another statistic.

That’s why it’s important to come up with a great fashion marketing promotion. By using the right tools, you’ll get the word out about your clothes and have fans clamoring for your goods in no time!

Not sure where to start? Here’s a quick how-to that’ll help launch your promotion strategy with a few easy steps.

Understanding The Ideal Customer

Before you can conquer the catwalk at Fashion Week, you’ll need to understand who you’re selling to. Ultimately, your target audience is going to determine how and where you set up your marketing campaign.

For instance, are you looking to sell exclusively to businesses? Or perhaps to consumers? Maybe both? Make sure you have a clear sense of your customer base.

Once you’ve settled the basics, it’s time to move on to the more complicated aspects of promotion strategy: demographics.

Every business has a demographic. Those who tend to ignore that demo are the ones who are likely to shut their doors within a year. Don’t make the same mistake.

Understand the following about your ideal customer:

• Where do they live?
• How much money do they make?
• What is their age?
• Where do they tend to shop?
• What sites do they spend their time on?

With this information, you’ll be able to pinpoint ways to reach your audience.

Set Up a Great Looking Website

These days, a business without a website may as well not exist. Think about how you can leverage your website to really cater to your audience.

For a prime example, let’s take a look at the website for Nicki’s. Take a moment to look over the homepage. A few things will immediately stand out.

For instance, a rotating carousel of brands lets you know the types of clothing they sell. Furthermore, the 3 large images (‘Girls’ ‘Boys’ ‘Babies’) lets you know who they’re selling their clothes for.

Why is this such an important feature? Because it takes the guesswork out of browsing. You don’t have to wonder whether Nicki’s has your favorite brand for your child — the info is all right there.

Also, make sure you have a blog set up. You can use it to post content, but also advertise to your market. It’s a win-win for your business and SEO!

Use Social Media in Your Promotion Strategy

If you want to find your customer base, go where they already are: social media. Millions of people use social media on a daily basis, so finding your customers is all about a few things. First, join public fashion groups.

Be upfront about who you are and what you’re hoping to achieve with your business. The contacts in these groups are absolutely invaluable.

You’ll also want to make sure you’re engaging with your customers on a regular basis. Ask questions and be sure to respond when customers have questions of their own. The more you respond, the more they’ll relate to you as a brand.

Final Thoughts on Running a Promotion Strategy

Running your promotional campaign isn’t going to be easy or quick. It’ll require patience and a ton of learning. Be sure to follow these tips and pay attention to your analytics.

It’s okay if you need to make changes along the way! What’s important is that you’re getting yourself and your brand out there.

For more great content, be sure to keep checking Article City. Whether you need help learning about websites or want some more marketing tips, we’re here to help your business grow.