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Recently, Canopy Creative Marketing was voted among the best web designers in Fort Collins.
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 You've probably heard it everywhere: TikTok. The video-focused social networking service that hosts a variety of short-form user videos. Genres can vary from pranks, education, stunts, tricks, jokes, dance, and entertainment with durations from 15 seconds to three minutes. TikTok will give your business access to an audience other platforms don't have. Video marketing is a priority and this is an easy, low-commitment introduction to using multimedia strategies to further expand your business's brand awareness and exposure. 86% would like to see more videos from brands according to Wyzowl.com  Statistics USER ANALYTICS
IN-APP ANALYTICS
Why Advertise on TikTok?With TikTok's rapid growth within the last two years, it has proved to not only provide users with hours of new, constantly updating entertainment, it also allows advertisers to capitalize on how much time users are spending scrolling through the app. Factors such as age, gender, location and interests can all be personalized to fit your business's marketing goals. There are three types of ads that can show up on someone's For You Page (FYP) that would be beneficial to use In-Feed Ads Displayed inside the native news feed as users scroll through their For You Page Brand Takeover Ads Ads that pop up as soon as users open the TikTok app and takeover the screen for a few seconds and then change to an in-feed video ad. Top View Ads Top View ads do not cover the screen as soon as users sign in. They occupy the first in-feed post after three seconds. An account doesn't need to be made to still advertise on TikTok. This helps build brand relevance while avoiding committing to uploading regular content. TikTok includes measurement tools in Ad Manager that makes performance tracking easy -- including the option to add a pixel. TikToks are also widely shared across all social media platforms. Examples of Successful TikTok Campaigns Farmer's Dog made in-feed ads and collaborated with creators who helped craft its message of being a convenient choice for dogs to eat and live healthily. They targeted adults 25 and older in the US who were interested in the pets category.  Primal Kitchen leveraged using popular TikTok trends -- such as food hacks, dinner inspiration, and ASMR to launch their popularity within the app.  Retailer Aerie used lower-funnel conversation campaigns and offering a "Shop Now" button that drives consumers to their website. They targeted teens and women in their early twenties and used several custom hashtags in which the retailer can easily access user content to repost.
 At Canopy Creative Marketing, we're committed to providing results-oriented digital marketing expertise designed to increase brand awareness, retain existing clients and attract new ones. Standing out with a website amongst competitors is crucial in communicating the information you want to convey to your customers. Chances are, there are other providers offering a similar service to you, and a website that is updated and has a clean, professional look helps you stand out amongst competitors. Having your brand on an attractive website increases the chances of customer traffic. Once people are able to find you online, they'll become interested in your business which heightens the chance for organic leads. Having a concise website allows potential customers to contact you, see examples of services offered, and get updates on your business with no extra work from you! Here are some benefits to having an updated website for your business:
Branding & CredibilityBranding isn't just a logo! Showcasing your brand is one of the most important things you can do with a website. By clearly establishing who you are, what you represent, and what you stand for, you increase the chances of your clients hiring you or buying your product. Your brand also sets you apart from your competitors.  By having an engaging and updated website, your organization's credibility increases because they have a good impression of your business. Most website visitors leave web pages in 15 seconds or less. Having an attractive and effective website will help hold visitors attention longer. Showing clients that you're safe and trustworthy attracts opposite leads and payoff.
Leads and Organic TrafficIn order to be successful in digital marketing, it's important your website has a high volume of organic traffic. Organic traffic is users that land on your website from unpaid sources. Websites with high search engine rankings are more likely to be discovered by prospective customers. We're able to utilize tools to identify relevant keywords to a business and include them in the front and back end of a website to ensure you're found in search engine results. Once someone spends time on your site, they turn into a lead. A lead is someone who may eventually become a client and driving people to an attractive website generates leads.
Updates & Customer Service Since your website is on 24/7, it's easy to post updates and announcements to your customers to keep them up to date about everything you're doing. Many businesses get calls from prospects or existing customers asking simple questions -- like location or hours of operation -- that can be easily communicated via an updated website. A website can reduce these calls and increase overall internal productivity. At the same time, it helps customers find useful information and provides an all-around better user experience. Lastly, things like adding a "Contact Us" form helps clients with more specialized need articulate things they want to inquire about. This assures quality customer service when they need it with no extra work from you!
Recently, Canopy Creative Marketing has been voted among the Best Advertising Agencies in Fort Collins!
 Say hello to Camille Ray, our Digital Marketing Intern! She is currently a Junior at Colorado State University studying Communications with a Minor in Technical and Science Communication. She will be graduating in Spring of 2020 and hopes to find a job in Marketing or Public Relations. She loves to hang out with friends, photography, and snowboard in her free time!
The digital world can be confusing, let Canopy Creative Marketing help! Are You Having trouble...
• Logging in your company Facebook page or other social accounts? • Responding to online reviews? • Using your social media or email platform? • Understanding and creating an online advertising campaign? If so, schedule a training session with the online marketing experts at Canopy Creative Marketing to get answers to all your questions! Each session will include 1-2 hours of step-by-step training in a friendly, non-judgmental atmosphere to ensure you feel comfortable marketing your business to your online audience. Do not hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or call us at 970-889-1632 to schedule one-on-one training at our office or yours!  Small Business Saturday (SBS) is coming up and you should be excited! Here’s what SBS is and here’s how you, the small business owner, can participate.
American Express started SBS in 2010 and the goal was to promote more holiday shopping at small businesses. After one year, even the Senate got involved and passed a resolution to solidify the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday. Every state across the U.S. now participates in the event since small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. In 2016, Small Business Saturday generated an estimated $15.4 billion. So, how can you get a piece of that $15.4 billion pie? To get involved, there are materials you can create on the Shop Small website featuring your business’ name and what you do. If you do accept American Express, you will most likely be featured on the Shop Small Map. For more details, please visit their website. Additionally, there are other marketing materials that we can give you. It is a first come, first serve basis, so act fast! So, shoot us an email, we would love to partner up with you and help your small business grow! Author by Aaryck Enriquez who is currently petting a good dog.  Instagram is fun and addicting. It’s so much fun that I try to showboat how cool my life is by showing how many dogs I can pet in one day. While posting all the dogs I pet on Instagram, I’ve noticed that more companies are marketing on the app and you should too as a small business owner. After doing some research, here are some facts that should excite you as a small business owner for using Instagram:
It looks like your business is a gold mine on Instagram. (Hallelujah hands emoji) So, here are 5 Marketing Tips to get ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶t̶a̶i̶l̶ ̶w̶a̶g̶g̶i̶n̶g̶ you excited to market on Instagram: 1. Use #ApplicableHashtags Hashtags on Instagram are used to organize and categorize all of the photo and video content and increase your chances at being found in all of the visual clutter. Essentially, hashtags are the lifeblood for each of your posts. Since hashtags are very helpful in being found, use hashtags that are applicable to your business and to the specific post. For instance, a Mexican restaurant might feature a new burrito that has carne asada and a new hot sauce, so try using your city/geographical location #FortCollins, what the product is #CarneAsadaBurrito, and add something that might be trending, e.g. #picoftheday and #FeedAaryckMoreMexicanFood. Hashtags like these work, because they help grow your reach to your audience and preferred demographics. Just be careful not to use too many hashtags, because it’s not a good look for a visual content-rich platform!  2. Post quality content Good and engaging content on Instagram is a great way to gather a following and market to them. However, it’s not always easy to just snap a photo and have it be good content, because it requires time, effort, and energy to create good content for Instagram. Amra and Elma Beganovich at Forbes Magazine understand this and said, “Lackluster images or posts are not worth sharing and will turn off your audience. This is why it’s critical to invest time and energy into the quality of your content. Sometimes this may require extensive research, editing and planning – but in the long run, it’s worth it.” Let’s visit the burrito example again: A picture of a burrito is kind of boring – all the good stuff is inside! So, to post good content, think outside the box. Maybe take a photo of the freshly cooked carne asada made for the burrito to showcase the quality ingredients. Perhaps, take a video of the burrito being made or make a graphic of all the ingredients. This might be time consuming and overwhelming, but don’t worry. We love creating content and we can help! Especially when it’s carne asada burritos… 3. Collaborate with Other Businesses Back in the day, Aerosmith had clout. Aerosmith collaborated with then super hip-hop group RUN DMC in the 80’s and came out with the hit single, “Walk This Way.” The song topped the charts, was a massive success and I still the dig fun-spirited rock/hip-hop collaboration.  Like music, social media collaboration on Instagram can and does lead to success. Social media marketing veteran, Lisa Karl says, “The trend on Instagram now is to share the love, so to speak, by tagging others or even by outright promoting other companies, products and services.” The reason behind this strategy is simple: it leads to more reach and more sales. Karl explains further, “The results are threefold: higher recognition for everyone involved, increased followers (who in turn tag the businesses during visits) and increased traffic and sales for the local businesses.” So who can you think of that you can collaborate with? If I was making that carne asada burrito, you can best believe that I’m gonna collaborate with the tortilla company... 4. Invest in Paid Ads Instagram did a survey in 2015 and found that 60% of people discovered new products on Instagram. Additionally, 75% of users take action after being inspired by a post. Based off of the data above, I always highly recommend an Instagram ad budget, because paid ads increase your reach and exposure above and beyond your organic reach. With the assistance of a paid ad program, you will gain more followers and influence anyone else who sees the ad to take action. 5. Use the Insights Tool Instagram has a cool feature on how to track posts called “Insights.” Used exclusively for business pages, Instagram offers daily insights on how each of your posts are performing and how people are engaging with your posts. Using this tool will help you make better decisions on future posts.  Using the Insights tool allows the you to see how many likes and comments each post is getting, thus giving you an idea which content you post tends to perform better overall. Once you know what content performs best with your audience, focus more on those kind of posts – obviously.
-- I hope these tips were helpful in getting you started because Instagram is a rewarding social media platform when it’s used properly. As a marketing professional, I love being able to figure out what works and what doesn’t for my clients. I also love creating designs, taking photos, engaging with people on there and trying to figure out the next trending hashtag – it’s a rush! However, if you need help with your Instagram marketing, contact me here at Canopy Creative Marketing!  by Aaryck Enriquez Online reviews have great advantages but also have become tricky to manage because you cannot control what people say. However, review sites play a huge part on how people find your business online and decide if they want to buy from you. This is because 90% of consumers read online reviews before they visit a business and 88% of them consider these reviews as personal recommendation. Here are 4 ways to use good or bad online reviews to your company’s advantage: 1. Know the Big 4. Simply put, “The Big 4” are Google, Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Bing. These sites give consumers access to reviews, information, etc. when it comes to services, restaurants, etc. and they represent almost 80% of the local search traffic. To maximize efficiency of the Big 4, claim your business on each site, if you haven’t done so already. It can be a lengthy process but trust me, it’s worth it, because once the Big 4 has your business claimed, they will start supplying other online directories with correct and valid information about your business. Also, when you claim your business, you will have the ability to properly respond to the reviews that come in these sites. Having a more cohesive online presence does lead to more clicks, and more clicks can ultimately lead to more sales! So get familiar with “The Big 4!” 2. Use Your Responses as a Marketing Tool. When responding to reviews, you can add in a little marketing. First, if you get a very positive review, formulate a response that is genuine and addresses the reviewer sincerely. Then, try using your business name and location in your response so this review is more likely to appear in search results. Remember, your reply is now public, so it’s okay to market yourself! Try adding in something that pertains to the review but also your business like, “Sounds like you order from us a lot, did you know we have a loyalty program for great customers just like you?” After that, invite the customer to do something like to return to your store or to invite their friends. Adding a little marketing to your responses can and will create more incentive for that reviewer to return. It will also inform other consumers who look at reviews before making a purchase decision what you have to offer! 3. Stay on Top of Negative Reviews. It’s easy to take a compliment, but it’s hard to take a criticism. It’s especially difficult to take a criticism that can be disrespectful and full of “absolutes”, like “this is the worst place EVER” or “NEVER go here or you will regret it.” Regardless, the more gracefully you can handle the issue, the better it reflects on you. For negative reviews, don’t be like this person:  Yikes. This business owner did NOT respond appropriately. To not be like this business owner. First decide which negative reviews require a response. If the review has a rating but no review, there’s not much to be done. If the negative review does contain content, try to respond in a timely manner. We recommend setting up Google Alerts for your business so you can be alerted when someone posts something about you or reviews you online. This will help you stay on top of all reviews! Once you know there is a negative review, first try to figure out what happened that would cause the consumer to take time out of their day to write a review. Perhaps the kitchen staff was understaffed, or one of your employees was having a bad day; whatever the reason, find out what happened and respond sincerely without using the name of your business or relevant search words. Don’t forget, search engines are looking for these things! Acknowledge the customer’s concerns. Even if they’re unfounded, show sympathy that they had a bad experience, because again, sometimes people just want to feel heard. However, that does not mean accept blame. Provide contact information so that you can gather more information from them - some sites allow for private messages. Don’t go into too much detail or ask any questions. And certainly do not launch into excuses. This will prevent saying something that could cause the upset customer to add more. Shoot for 3 sentences. Then, try to move the conversation offline if you can. Have them call you or the manager directly to solve the issue. 1 out of 3 consumers who receive a retailer response to their online complaint end up posting a good review and in addition, 34% end up deleting their negative review altogether. 4. Ask for Reviews Again, online reviews can help your off-site SEO and they are also here to stay, so you might as well take advantage of that by asking your patrons to review you online. Do this by making it easy for them to review you online! Have a sign by the register or include it in your email marketing to tell them where to go online to review you or have an incentive for them to post a review.  -------
Not making reviews a part of your work processes can ultimately hurt your business because they play a large role in your online marketing. You can have the best looking site in town but if you have a 2.9 star-rating on Google, those consumers will go elsewhere so it’s best to get to work if you haven’t already. If you don’t know where to begin, or just don’t have the time (because it is time-consuming), reach out to us and we can help! by Aaryck Enriquez I like to pet dogs and help your small business grow.  Recently, I was in a little town called Memphis for a conference about sales and small business marketing. Our parent company brought us along to learn more about the industry and it was blast! I also learned a few things. First, I found out that salespeople are a unique breed. They walk with a swagger and confidence that can only be matched by NFL running backs. So imagine 800 NFL running backs walking around a large hotel constantly flashing smiles at each other, to include me. Why are they doing this to me? What does that smile want from me? I trusted it but I didn’t want to. It was sort of like that. Okay, so obviously you probably already knew that but being at this conference was informative, educational, and above all, motivating. So, this is what actually learned from this conference and something I wanted to share with you, the small business owner: 1. “Habits & Rituals” Outside of the “evening festivities” on Beale Street, the highlight of the week was keynote speaker Walter Bond. If you know who he is, you’re a bigger fan of 90’s NBA Basketball than I am. If you don’t know who he is, get good and look him up – and I am not talking about his NBA stats. I am talking about his motivational speeches. Walter Bond, let’s call him Mr. Bond for funsies, is one helluva speaker. He had the whole audience wrapped around his finger because he had a great message, strong delivery, and a humorous approach. At the end of his motivating speech, I was able to articulate his main point, “Habits and Rituals.” What I learned from him was something so simple and ordinary; our habits could be the difference between having a great year or a bad year. So, ask yourself, “Do my daily habits and rituals help grow my business? Does it help my marketing?” If they do, great! If they don’t, then something needs to change immediately, because that affects your bottom line. The littlest thing can make the biggest difference! 2. “Eat the Frog” I ate a frog once. Well, I ate his leg. It was salty, chewy, and my cousins from the backwoods of Michigan just laughed at me as my face contorted in displeasure. The frog leg wasn’t pleasant but it was something I had to do. Being a third grader AND being called a “chicken” was a tough way to live, so down the hatch the frog went. In Memphis, I learned something eerily similar... There’s always something unpleasant you have to do to get your job done. Being the business owner, you’re going to be doing a lot of odd-end jobs and most of the “heavy lifting” when it comes to marketing and growing your own business; some of those jobs you’re not going to like. For example, you may have to allocate a marketing budget for the next quarter or come with a new strategy to market to a different audience. However, it doesn’t have to be that bad: Just eat the frog. Getting the unpleasant part of the job done first can free up so much more of your day. It can also help spur on creativity and productivity. Plus, you don’t have that nasty frog staring you down all day. 3. “Synergy is Not a Cliché Word Anymore” Eh, it still is but I saw synergy in motion! In Memphis, I had the pleasure of working with all different types of employees from across the country. We did a project which allowed us to break up into groups and brainstorm about certain dilemmas we faced. Then when the group discussions were done, each group presented the problems to the entire room and then accepted input and advice from other people. I love that! Addressing a problem and working as a team to solve it is one of my favorite things in the world! Working collectively allows other perspectives to come together to something you might have missed before. So, when it comes to your marketing strategy and growing your business, synergy takes an individual problem and makes it a team dynamic thus creating more opportunities for improvement and business growth. An applicable cliché to further my point, “teamwork makes the dream work.” 4. “Go get lost in Memphis” Actually, I don’t recommend this. Memphis is a fun town, but you also want to keep yourself safe. I was able to go get lost because a.) it was 1:30 pm and b.) I’m 6’1 with a very wide frame; people generally don’t mess with me. Regardless, getting lost did wonders for me. I was able to collect my thoughts, refresh my mind, and I was rejuvenated.  I grabbed my camera and got lost in Memphis and got a lot of cool shots! This was an old warehouse turned into a restaurant/store combo. I endorse “getting lost” because when it comes to strategizing a marketing plan or figuring out next month’s goals, it can be overwhelming. Being a business owner is a tough and you’re going to need to give yourself a break once in awhile. So get lost in a book for an hour or binge watch a few episodes on Netflix. Give yourself that moment of relaxation to recharge yourself so you can reflect and regroup. Your business’ growth is depending on it!
--- That week was a blast. I had so much fun with my coworkers and I learned even more about marketing and growing small business. I was also reminded to sit back and just enjoy the process. So, if you ever found yourself overwhelmed or unsure about what to do with growing your small business and can’t enjoy the process, we are here to help you! |
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