Epic Marketing Consultants Corporation

8 Reasons Why You Should Consider a Website Redesign

Today, websites provide the first impression of your brand and credit union to your audience. Your website should reflect your brand as it is today (not was it was 5 or 10 years ago). In today’s ever-increasing digital world, it is imperative for credit unions to have easy-to-use, well-designed, responsive websites. However, redesigning your website isn’t a task to take lightly. Many credit unions don’t know where to start or when’s the right time to embark on a website redesign project.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to help better determine whether or not you should consider a website redesign.

Does your website work for your and your members?

Does your website still function how it was intended to? Ever go to a site that takes forever to load, then once you’re there you can’t find anything you’re looking for – frustrating, we know. A long load time can greatly impact on your websites overall success. This might be obvious, and your website might not be that bad, however, there may still be elements of your website holding you back. Whether it is to provide information, gain new members, generate new leads your website should be able to perform its main function – not just be a place for members to login to online banking.

Does it align with your current corporate strategies and marketing goals?

Over time credit unions strategies and goals evolve, has your website evolved with them? Have you launched new products and services, but they aren’t reflected on your website? Your website should reflect your current strategy, your current brand, and your current goals. This is especially important when trying to gain new members or sell a certain product or service. Your members and potential members visit your website before making a decision about your products and services. Your website should be as distinctive and professional as your brand.

Is your website ADA compliant?

This is a big one – when was the last time you thought about how accessible your website is for those with visual impairments? Ensuring that your website is ADA compliant is something that every credit union should consider. ADA compliance includes everything from the size of the font that is used on your website to the color scheme your website uses. When considering a website redesign, this should be considered in the project from beginning to end.

Does your website have a high ranking on google?

Is your target audience able to find you with a simple google search? After people google something, they rarely look beyond the first page of results. Your website should be top of the list when someone in your market area searches the products and services you offer. Your website should incorporate SEO search engine optimization. SEO should be incorporated throughout your website’s content, programming and organization. The success of a site can be completely dependent on how and where it shows up in search results.

Is it responsive?

As mobile usage is on the rise, having a responsive site not only improves the user experience but also helps improve your SEO ranking. We live in a multi-screen world, and your website should be able to meet your members and potential members where they are. Not having a responsive website could be costing potential business. Today people want the same experience they get on their desktops on their mobile devices too.

Does your website provide an excellent user experience?

Is your website have an intuitive navigation? Are people able to find things easily within your site? A successful website includes an intuitive navigational structure. If your website offers visitors a lot of information and navigational options this could be overwhelming to your audience. Visitors to your page should be able to easily access the information they want.

It looks outdated.

Every website should have a unique and visually appealing interface. Not just focusing on function, your website should deliver a great aesthetic experience too. Most people judge the credibility of a business solely on the design of their website.

Are there outdated materials and information on our website?

Outdated third party links, information, and materials could greatly impact the user experience. Having up to date content and materials on your website will not only provide a better experience but will also help your SEO ranking.

The main thing to keep in mind is asking yourself how you (your brand) want to be presented to your members or customers. Your website is your digital storefront, treat it that way. After all, we all want to make a good first impression and keep people coming back.

Want more information on redesigning your website? Shoot us an email (connect@epicmc2.com), we’d be happy to chat more.

October 30, 2017 by Nancy Dibert

Yes! Snapchat for business use is a thing!

With Snapchat, business and organizations can increase their community engagement and brand awareness through innovative marketing campaigns.

The video-messaging app Snapchat is one of the fastest growing social networks. It has more than 100 million daily active users, and although its users tend to trend young – 71% fall into the 18 to 34 age range – it’s becoming an integral part of many businesses’ social media marketing strategies.

So what exactly is Snapchat, and how does Snapchat for business purposes work?

It is a social media network that allows users to share “snaps,” or video messages, in real time. Snaps can be viewed for up to 10 seconds. After that time, the snap disappears, unless the user decides to keep it by taking a screen shot of the message. A favorite business feature, Snapchat stories, strings together snaps to create video narratives. Stories, unlike snaps, have a duration of 24 hours. These video narratives are being viewed at a rate of 1 billion (!!!) times per day.

You may be wondering how you could apply this social messaging app and all it has to offer to your business. Let us count the ways:

Provide access to live events: The real-time nature of Snapchat makes it a great platform to broadcast live events. Consider the possibilities, such as speaking engagements and seminars, trade shows, events and galas — you name it! Stringing together snaps provides viewers direct access not available through other channels, which includes and engages those who otherwise would not have had access to your event.

Offer sneak peeks: Is your organization launching a new product or offering a new service? Snapchat can be a great place to offer customers a sneak peek of what’s to come. Provide VIP access to loyal customers with a private viewing. They’re sure to appreciate an exclusive glimpse or the opportunity to check out new merchandise before it hits the floor.

Go behind the scenes: Show customers what really goes on inside your organization. Snapchat gives you the flexibility to offer virtual tours, product demos, or a no-holds-barred glimpse into a day in the life of a forward-facing employee. Giving your customers this kind of “backstage pass” can really build brand loyalty.

Deliver coupons, perks or promotions: Promote engagement by asking users to post their own snap showing how they interact with your brand. Encourage participation by holding random drawings for branded swag. Or reward those who watch your Snapchat stories in their entirety with coupons or discounts.

Snapchat for business can be a great way to strengthen brand awareness, increase engagement and enhance the customer experience. You’ve just got to know how to use it!

Need some help with engaging your customers on social or other advertising channels? We can help. Let’s have a conversation.

March 8, 2016 by Nancy Dibert

Nearly two-thirds of Americans are smartphone users. This mass adoption of the technology is radically changing how we communicate and how we interact with businesses. …Read More ⟩

Read the full article at: www.bluehost.com

Has your organization conducted a mobile communications audit?

If the answer is, “we’re thinking about it,” “maybe in the future,” or “um, what’s that?”, then it’s time to rethink your position.

With over 2/3 of Americans using smartphones, it’s time to get that audit – and the resulting action items – underway.

So what does a mobile communications audit entail?

1. Check your website for mobile responsiveness

Pull up your website on your tablet and mobile device to see if it responds to the different screen sizes. Also check it on an alternative mobile device so you see it on several mobile operating systems and screen sizes. Your website shouldn’t just show as a miniature version – it should be readable and navigable on all screen sizes.

Still not convinced that you need to view your website on mobile? Check out your Google Analytics to see exactly how much of your traffic visits from a tablet or mobile. You’l be surprised. (Oh, you don’t have Google Analytics installed? Contact us for some help with that and get valuable intel on your site and its performance.)

2. Check search engines

Be close to your organization (but not at it) and search for your business category. Where did you rank? You may need to tinker with some Webmaster Tools to dial it in if you didn’t show up near or at the top of the search.

While you’re in the search results, make sure you’re listed as local and that the map and information are correct. If not, head back to Webmaster Tools to fix asap.

3. Check your social ads

Does your organization have paid ads or promoted posts on a social channel? Check them out on your mobile to make sure they appear as you intend. It’s amazing how an image and text can appear unreadable on a smaller screen.

4. Check eblasts

Does your organization send out email blasts? Whether they are sent from an in-house server, Constant Contact, MailChimp, or another provider, it’s imperative that you view them on your mobile to see how they appear. Some users only want to receive text emails on their phones, so be sure to look at the eblast in both HTML and text on your cell.

So how did your organization fare?

If you need assistance with any of the above, we can help. We’ve made mobile our mission and strive to help our clients meet the changing demands of a connected society. Contact us today and let’s have a conversation about your audit results.

February 23, 2016 by Nancy Dibert

Marketing Mistakes to be Avoided on Instagram

“Follow this method,” “do this,” “do that” are all you hear when it comes to online marketing. Instagram has grown into one of the largest social networking sites. Just like you, many companies are struggling to make their presence felt. They are stuffed with “what to do” and fail to concentrate on “what NOT to do.”

The most common mistakes that people make while marketing on Instagram and how to avoid them…

These factors make a difference:

1. Improper usage of hashtags

Over usage of keywords in hashtags is a big– #turn-off. Hashtags must be short and sweet. Get to the point quickly; do not bore the pants off your followers by posting irrelevant descriptions.

Avoid using hashtags for posts which do not require them. Also, many fail to take advantage of the geo-location tag. Make sure you don’t overuse them and also don’t use the wrong ones.

2. Your posts are not good enough

Check this list before you go ahead and post:

Not posting quality pictures and videos
Posting at the wrong time
No variety in your posts
Over-posting
Posts that are unrelated
Posting things that have already gone viral
Re-posting old pictures or videos
Posting someone else’s photos as your own
Posting pictures you shared on other social networking sites

Make sure your posts don’t fall under these categories. You’ve been warned.

3. Lack of followers

Without followers, your Instagram account will be buried among the millions of other profiles that are active for name sake. So you have to work on increasing the followers to promote your page.

Don’t expect followers to come to you, you have to attract them. Followers are the main part of Instagram, without them there is no value or purpose for your account. Just for the sake of increasing followers don’t follow every profile, you won’t look credible.

4. No response to comments

Let’s say all your posts get a lot of comments, it doesn’t hurt to reply to at least a few of them. Not responding to the comments is rude. This is one of the main reasons for losing followers.

Make excuses or make changes, the choice is yours. If you want to increase followers and promote your page, you have to engage. This will also make you look committed.

5. Don’t juggle frogs

Many will advise you to be active on all social networking sites, but take this with a pinch of salt. It sometimes does more harm than good. If you are receiving good responses on Instagram, concentrate on promoting your brand on it.

You might run out of post ideas if you spread yourself too thin with post ideas on different social media avenues. And as a result, you will lose the reputation you have created if you juggle more than you can handle.

6. Trying too hard

As a rule of thumb in marketing (and in general) – too much of anything is bad. Don’t stuff your feed with unwanted and inappropriate posts just to get the attention of your followers. Get hints from your competitors’ feeds, and find out why their posts are doing better.

Another important thing to note is that you cannot set your account to private and have any hope of attracting people to your feed. It just won’t work. I hope you found these tips useful to some extent for your Instagram. A lot of people have followed these basic guidelines to effectively market and promote their products on social media.

Guest post from Sara George

February 5, 2016 by Nancy Dibert

4 Ways To Use Content Marketing To Grow Your Business

A business that is not growing is often one that is dying. It is impossible to stand still in a dynamic economy, so you need to make sure that your company is always well-positioned for growth. One important tool for doing so is content marketing.

Essentially, this form of marketing involves using content, such as articles, infographics or videos to attract visitors and persuade them to become customers. By creating or curating the right content, you can enhance your brand and reach a large audience.

Lead Generation

Generating new leads is a major challenge for many businesses. Using content to bring in new leads is a very effective strategy. By providing the type of valuable information that people are looking for, such as how-to articles, tutorials, or expert interviews, you can increase the amount of traffic that comes to your site.

Sites that are regularly updated with new content tend to generate many more leads than those that only add new articles or content irregularly, or not at all. However, it is important to select the right type of content for your target audience. For example, if you want to reach people who are interested in cooking, then recipes or instructional videos are going to be most effective. You can re-purpose the video content by converting it to a podcast or transcribing it and posting it as an article on your site.

Increase Interest In Your Products

If no one is interested in the products or services that you provide, you will have a hard time staying in business for long. By providing free samples or trials, you can significantly boost the level of interest in a short period of time.

One effective technique for doing so is to offer free trials or free samples. This is particularly effective if you are in the business of selling content. Offer a free sample chapter of an e-book or the first video in a series of instructional videos. If people like what they see, they will be more likely to come back and pay for the rest.

Creating A Vibrant Community

Too often, businesses think of their customers in isolation, as separate individuals with no connection to each other. In fact, companies that work to connect their customers and to create a lively community focused on their brand tend to do very well in the marketplace. Content marketing is an excellent tool for building such a community.

Do not just publish your content and forget about it. Instead, ask people to respond to it and to let you know what they think of it. Social sites are an excellent place where people can get together and discuss a particular article or video. Encourage people to provide their own ideas that expand on your content.

When people feel as if they are part of a larger community, they naturally come to feel loyal to that group. By working on building such a community, you can turn casual visitors into loyal customers. Of course, you need to make sure that you keep providing new content so that the community remains active.

Building A Brand Image

Your brand is one of your most valuable assets so you need to protect it. A great deal of hard work can be destroyed overnight by a careless tweet or thoughtless post. You need to make sure that all of the content that you post is consistently aimed at creating a positive image for your brand.

Because of this, it is often wise to centralize the production of content. Instead of letting a half-dozen people write articles or create videos, it may be more sensible to put these tasks into the hands of a few trusted employees. This way, you can make sure that nothing is posted that will harm your brand image.

Content marketing needs to play a central role in your strategy for growing your business. By making judicious use of these techniques, you can make sure that your company is able to take advantage of any growth opportunities that may arise.

Guest post by Jim Daniels

Jim Daniels has been an online entrepreneur since 1996. He’s been featured in Entrepreneur and Opportunity magazines, as well as other respected periodicals and regularly posts internet marketing strategies to his website.

January 27, 2016 by Nancy Dibert

Top 10 Marketing Planning Mistakes

marketing planning mistakes

Organizations have more marketing choices than ever before, making it easier to maximize your marketing budget. However, even the most seasoned professionals sometimes fall prey to mistakes that are easily avoidable. The list below details 10 common pitfalls to avoid when planning your marketing initiatives for the year ahead.

1. Failing to continually monitor your marketing programs. The phrase “you can only manage what you measure” is true. Online marketing offers you the ability to measure your marketing programs. This allows you to know what components of your marketing program are working, and what you should consider refining.

2. Staying on the same path. Sometimes the only constant is change. Objectives shift to align with business goals, new marketing channels enter the mix, and prospects begin using different resources to obtain relevant business information. Therefore, unless you’ve proven your current program is optimized for today’s marketing environment, your plan needs to evolve accordingly.

3. Forgetting to “fish where the fish are.” Virtually all professionals now use the Internet throughout their work processes. Are you reaching this target audience where they can be found looking for products and services like yours?

4. Ignoring frequency. “Fishing where the fish are” is only one component of a successful marketing campaign. Equally as important is how often you are reaching your target audience. Are you pushing your message out to the market on a regular basis, or are your efforts sporadic at best? Are you attracting professionals while they are looking and where they are looking for the products and services you have to offer?

5. Working “in a bubble.” Are the results you are seeing from your marketing campaign in line with what your sales team is looking for? It’s vital for marketing and sales to work together to ensure that your campaigns are delivering measurable results.

6. Focusing on quantity versus quality. Leads that provide intelligence to begin a relationship and gain a customer are more valuable than piles of nameless, faceless clicks. Be sure to capture relevant information.

7. Neglecting to maximize your media partner relationships. While accountability is a necessary component of any marketing program, you shouldn’t be expected to shoulder the burden on your own. Look to your advertising media channels for detailed reports delivered in a timely manner.

8. Overlooking timing. Are your marketing initiatives in sync with company-wide events such as product or service launches or trade show appearances? Neglecting to keep timing in mind can result in missed opportunities.

9. Abandoning branding and exposure. An increased emphasis on leads has resulted in some businesses shifting their focus away from branding and exposure. However, continuous exposure to your target audience will ultimately result in qualified sales and marketing opportunities. Are your media channels keeping you in front of your desired audience?

10. Moving into the year ahead without a plan. Still haven’t developed a road map for the future? It’s a good idea to set aside time to brainstorm your goals and objectives, and plan your tactics for the year ahead, including marketing channels that align with your plans.

ViaGlobalspec

January 21, 2016 by D

Analyzing The Success of Social Media Marketing

Guest post from Jonathan Leger

Social media is a modern phenomenon that presents incredible marketing potential. The problem lies in knowing just how to harness that potential to get the results you want. That’s why it’s so important to have a game plan in place for measuring the results of your social media efforts. In this article, we will share some doable tips and provide advice on keeping track of and increasing your return on investment (ROI) in social media marketing. Read on to learn more.

Six Smart Strategies For Assessing & Improving Social Media Marketing ROI

1. Set goals! Before you begin, decide exactly what you want your results to be. In that way, you will have some sort of guideline in place for measuring your success. Decide how much effort you want to focus on concerns such as lead generation, brand awareness, networking and reputation building. Set a target for the precise number of leads, fans and followers you want to generate in a given time period.

2. Make good use of tracking codes. Be sure to include tracking codes in every part of your social media marketing campaign. That way you will be able to tell which parts of your campaign are generating the most interest and you can tweak accordingly.

3. Do a thorough cost analysis on each lead. Determine how much each conversion costs as compared with how much you earn on each lead you generate.

4. Perform thorough demographics analysis. Be sure to use all the tools put at your disposal by Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to determine who is showing the most interest in your product or service and why they are attracted. Track interest from start to finish to determine the interests of your visitors, their location, age and gender. This information will help you target your best prospects.

5. Provide plenty of opportunity for feedback. Ask questions and encourage discussion. Create surveys, questionnaires and contests to engage your visitors. These activities will provide you with valuable information about what it takes to encourage and excite members of your target audience. It will also help you avoid doing things that will discourage them.

6. Find out how your visitors get to you. Use tools such as those provided by Alexa or Google Analytics to determine where your visitors come from and where they are headed. This will help you perfect your content to both attract and direct them.

Is That All There Is To It?

While quantitative measurement of the success of social media marketing campaigns is important, it is also necessary to understand that qualitative results are even more important. The six simple techniques discussed above can help you get people to your social media pages where you can direct them in ways that will help you increase your ROI, but there are also many important aspects of customer service you should practice to optimize your results.

Remember that a very big part of social media involves making friends and building trust. There is a certain amount of finesse involved in this and success can be elusive if you are too focused on your business. You have to learn to set just the right balance between building authentic relationships with your followers and mentioning your product or service naturally and in an encouraging manner.

With social media, you can build your reputation as a trustworthy human being who has the best interests of others at heart. This may take a while and it is difficult to measure precise results. In this area, you will simply have to believe that with the passage of time, your consistent honest and trustworthy behavior will eventually pay off.

Frequent Involvement = Higher Numbers!

A successful social media marketing campaign will result in increased numbers of followers on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and other social media sites. It will also result in increased and positive activity. If you are simply attracting people to “follow” you and then never hearing from them again, your campaign is not successful. Your goal should be to have lively, active interactions on all your social media pages.

Be sure to visit your pages frequently and update your information on a regular basis. Create positive, interesting posts that engage your followers and encourage them to open up. Always keep in mind that you are working on building an ongoing relationship based in trust. Even if your potential customers are on the other side of the world, this is possible and desirable thanks to the internet.

Think Of It As Building A Long-Term Relationship!

Don’t become discouraged if your sales figures do not climb as rapidly as your social media interactions. Your profits may not initially be an indicator of your success. Social interaction is a delicate activity. Success takes time to develop.

Focus on courting your target audience and building trust. This is a long-term investment that will surely pay off handsomely with the passage of time. By tracking and monitoring all of your activities closely, you will be able to look back through your records and see which of your efforts had the most success. This will allow you to repeat these efforts and improve your rate of conversion and ROI in a steady and reliable manner.

Jonathan Leger has been a successful Internet Marketer for over 11 years. He owns an SEO Tools suite at KeywordCanine.com.

January 18, 2016 by Nancy Dibert

Happy Holidays from Epic Marketing

December 24, 2015 by D

The holidays are coming.
And if you’re like most small businesses and organizations, email will play a big role in how you communicate with your audience and get the word out about everything you have going on this holiday season.

Read the full article at: blogs.constantcontact.com

Check out some really nice holiday email templates from our friends over at Constant Contact.

Email marketing can be some of the most effective and least expensive options, especially for a small business at holiday time.

So, get your list shined up, head over to Constant Contact, and get the email blasts ready!

Need some help or want a full service solution? Contact epic Marketing today. We can help you with anything from lists, templates, copy, imagery, custom coding, or a full service mailing.

November 6, 2015 by Nancy Dibert

The constant state of flux within the PR discipline makes a solid measurement foundation all the more essential for communicators.

Read the full article at: www.prnewsonline.com

A leading industry publication recently conducted a poll of PR pros and asked about the hardest part of their job. An overwhelming majority cite the lack of having a measurement plan in place as making their job more difficult.

PR News followed up the poll with a great article outlining five aspects of a successful PR measurement plan. It includes:

Do preliminary research

It is vital to have an understanding of the overall marketing goals in addition to the brand’s business goals. This will help establish synergy between all communications efforts. Good research will determine if the company’s marketing goals are vastly different than the goals PR needs to achieve, and only solid measurement will demonstrate conflicting outcomes.

Think about budget, resources and timescales

Consider how measurement will be conducted. PR measurement often fails because PR pros are responsible for campaign elements and measurement at the same time. By assigning a separate, dedicated resource to measure campaigns, you avoid cases where one merges into another, clouding measurement outcomes.

Set clear goals

Whether you’re in an in-house or agency role, work with your brand or client to establish clear goals PR needs to achieve. Use the Barcelona Principles as your guiding compass.

Establish the baseline

Is the existing PR activity meeting some business goals, or is PR activity non-existent? If already used, does the existing program need to be ramped up?

Define measurement methods

Consider what PR goals need to be achieved. Then define the most appropriate measurement methods that will provide the level of detail required. For example, media results should account for impressions within stakeholder groups, as well as the quality of the message and media itself.

With the plan outlined, it’s time to execute – then track, measure, and report.

Still feel like you’re missing something? Contact Epic Marketing. We can help. We’ve helped clients with their public relations needs for over eight years and counting. Whether crisis communications, pitching, setting goals and budgets, or handling product rollouts, our experienced staff is here to help when you need an Einstein sized solution.

October 17, 2015 by Nancy Dibert

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