Category Archives: Online Marketing

5 Ways for a Non Profit to Grow Their Email List

No matter where you look for digital marketing information, there’s one universal truth: the secret to high conversions lies in the list. Your website draws people in, but it’s your email list that keeps you in touch with them, and it’s that long term relationship that turns visitors into community members.

As a nonprofit, you rely heavily on the community. We’ve got 5 great tips that will help you extend your community online, so you can reap the benefits of digital marketing, fundraising, staying in touch, and sharing your successes.

1. Put Opt-In Forms On Every Page

It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many websites don’t use this simple trick. Make it easy to sign up. Put a small form on each page, preferably above the fold, where they are seen by every single visitor.

2. Offer Something In Return

When last did you sign up for a newsletter just because you want email? If you’re like most people, the answer is never. You need to give people a reason to subscribe! Whether it’s a free report, an ebook or your newsletter, make it free, and make it too good to turn down!

3. Make It Shareable

Automatically redirect new subscribers to a page where they can invite some friends, or you could simply redirect your subscribers to a thank you page that asks them to spread the word. Most people are very willing to share a good cause anyway. They just need a little reminder or a nudge in the right direction.

4. Tell EVERYONE

Putting your opt-in forms on every page is a good start, but if you want to see your list grow, you need to do more than that.

Add a link to your sign up form on your email signature, so you market it whenever you send mail.

Post it on your social media channels, and ask fans and followers to do the same.

Mention it on your business cards.

Run a contest, where entry requires sign up.

The more you market your list, the more people will sign up, guaranteed.

5. Send Great Newsletters

If you’re telling people that you’re going to send them a newsletter that will inform, amuse, inspire and excite, then you had better deliver! Most people don’t struggle to build their lists once they really set their minds to it, but they do struggle to keep subscribers.

Make sure that every newsletter you send is one that you’d be excited to see in your own mailbox. Write for your audience, rather than simply pushing your agenda. Ask questions. Share knowledge. Include inspirational stories that they’ll want to share with their friends.

When done correctly, an email list can be a nonprofit’s greatest digital marketing assets, and these tips should help you to get started on the right track.

Top 7 Things to Consider when Choosing a Domain Name

Brick and mortar real estate is all about location. If your business is in a dark alley and surrounded by industrial warehouses, chances are you won’t get a lot of foot traffic. You want to be on a main thoroughfare or part of a busy shopping district so your customers can easily and conveniently get to you. Without the right location, you’re setting your small business up for failure.

Your online website address is just as essential as finding the right piece of commercial real estate. The domain name is the first thing potential customers look for when they’re seeking you out online, and if you have a confusing name or something that’s filled with hyphens and difficult to type, you’re going to lose them.

Key Factors in Choosing a Domain Name for Your Small Business

Follow these best practices to get a domain name that represents your small business effectively.

Choose between your company name and a keyword rich online domain.

Ideally, you brand your website around your business to have consistency for your customers, but that’s not always possible. A keyword-rich option incorporates the terms that you want to rank for. Spend some time researching the best phrases before making a purchase.
Keep it simple.

No one is going to remember a 30 character domain name. Aim for as few words and syllables as possible. Imagine the name on a business card or piece of marketing collateral to determine what could work well in reality.
Resist impulse purchases.

Even if your first-choice domain name ends up getting registered quickly, you have millions of other choices. Take a deep breath and consider the long-term needs of your business. The last thing you want to do is go through a rebranding a few years down the road. Pick something with staying power. However, once you make your final selection, register it as soon as possible. You don’t want to waste all that research time on something that gets swiped out from under your nose.
Throw everything that isn’t characters out the window.

Have you ever seen domain names filled with hyphens, numbers and other weird configurations? These confuse consumers and degrade their trust in your business, so stick with letters as much as possible, or single hyphen.
Avoid uncommon top-level domain names.

The TLD (top level domain) is the part of the website name that comes after the period. For example, .com is the one you see the most. Stick with this go-to option unless you’re a non-profit. A .org domain works better for that type of business. The others like “.tv” and more are simply not as mainstream.
Protect your business brand.

You need to purchase more domains than the base name when you’re getting started. Don’t give squatters, spammers, and scammers the opportunity to cheapen your brand through domain variations. Register the .net, .us and .org alongside the .com and redirect these options to your primary website.
Complement your domain with descriptive websites.

Think about the terms a typical customer uses when they’re searching for your product or service category. For example, a general contractor in Baltimore chooses HainesContracting.com and picks up BaltimoreContractors.com and BaltimoreGeneralContracting.com at the same time. Much like the variant domains, you can redirect these to your main site or turn them into landing pages.

Your domain name can lead you to success or put your business in the Internet’s bad side of town. Follow these tips to get the results you want from your online presence.

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Content Marketing Made Easy: 14 Content Marketing Tools

Content Marketing works. It drives traffic to your site and social media pages, creates a reputation for you and your company, engages potential clients, up-sells existing clients, and hence converts leads into sales.

According to BitQuirky, 72% of digital marketers feel that well written, branded content is more effective than print advertising. They also agree that it costs 62% less than outbound marketing, and generates 3 times as many quality leads.

Producing quality content, relevant to your target audience, is crucial. But it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Here’s a list of our favorite websites, apps, and tools to help you.

14 Content Marketing Tools

Before you begin to write anything, you need to know to whom you’re aiming your content. Make My Persona can help with this.
Once you know who your content is intended for you could use HubSpot’s Topic Generator to plan a list of content or blog posts.
Content Row offers another good Topic Generator.
Now you know who you’re talking to and what you’ll talk about, you need to research what questions are asked about these subjects. Faqfox has a research tool to help with this.
The headline is the first thing your reader sees. It can be the difference between them reading further and clicking off. CoShedule’s Headline Analyzer can help you create headlines that get the attention of the reader.
Before you publish your content, check it for spelling and grammar. Grammarly is an online proofreading tool. If you use Chrome for your browser, add it to your browser to check grammar directly on your website.
Once you have everything written and ready to post you can keep it organized and scheduled with Trello.
CoShedule has a useful marketing, social media calendar, and workflow management tool that integrates with WordPress.
To optimize your blog posts missinglett_r monitors your blog 24/7 and turns it into a drip marketing campaign.
Track your projects, share ideas with your team, schedule meetings, etc. with Asana.
Social Media requires a different approach. Looking for inspiration? Here are some helpful tools. Feedly gives you one place to read the news you’re interested in that gives you inspiration for your social media posts.
Found on Track helps you find user-generated content for Instagram.
Paper.li is an easy way to find content ideas.
Facebook has a little-known feature that allows you to ‘save’ content you find interesting so you can revisit it later.

Content writing is an art that can be learned and improved over time. Hopefully, these 14 content marketing tools will give you some ideas and help you produce quality copy to drive traffic to your site and convert leads into customers.

Simple Marketing Tips For Small And Medium Scale Entrepreneurs

Gone are the days when only big players ruled the industry; today small and medium scale enterprises have been giving some pretty serious competition to all the top brands. And all high tech marketing tools and promotional platforms have only made it easier for local businesses to venture out into the global market. Armed with extensive information and competent technology, local businesses are thriving wonderfully. Here are some simple yet effective marketing solutions for newbies who want to make it big.

Social media marketing platforms

Social media is no longer confined to making friends and chatting, it now offers a pretty lucrative marketing option for online business ventures and websites that want to market their product.

Some of these tools are:

Google+ goes local

It is likely that you already have an account on Google +, all your Google accounts, right from Gmail to Google Play and Google Drive guarantee a place on the Google Plus local platform. Ensure that profile information is accurate, and your page actually has some relevant and engaging content. You can even merge the Google + business page with your local business website thereby implementing more competent and diverse marketing.

Twitter for crisp and concise advertising

With its innovative interface and limited character usage, Twitter is the talk of the town! Post crisp, concise and relevant content. Also take a more indirect and informal approach rather than aggressively marketing your product. Don’t aim at selling your product, rather focus on building contacts. Comment and post on the trending topics as well to engage your followers.

Find friends and potential customers on Facebook

Facebook is a great place to connect with your audience and build a loyal customer base. Make use of the technology and market friendly tools available on Facebook. From offering tempting discounts to posting promotional events, you can do it all here! Although don’t suffocate your audience but engage them.

Instagram, a visual treat to customers

Instagram, a platform that focuses solely on visual content offers some innovative promotional ideas to marketers who want to break free from the conventions of the written word. Infographics are the new trend, the aesthetic appeal, and clear-cut representation of data impacts the audience harder than paragraphs of written content.

Pinterest and Tumblr- the rising stars!

For entrepreneurs who want to present their ideas in a more creative and unconventional way, there are always Pinterest and Tumblr to cater to almost all preferences. A great platform for local businesses Pinterest even offers a diverse range of customisable tools.

Marketing tactics for local entrepreneurs

Local enterprises and small-scale businesses are popping up everywhere! All you need is some capital and an idea, but it doesn’t end there. Most local enterprises do well in the initial stages but gradually dwindle into obscurity. Here are some practical marketing tactics that will boost your online credibility,

SEO improvement

SEO or search engine optimisation is one term every web entrepreneur must be familiar with. And as small-scale businesspeople, it is important to stay on top of things so as to not get lost in the sea of other similar offerings. Because no matter how good your content is, weak SEO can ruin it all for you! Increase your website’s visibility on the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. Google gives special preference to local enterprises, so ensure that you apply all SEO optimisation tactics such as keyword usage, location and infographics.

Reviews are important

Surveys and studies have repeatedly proven how most consumers go through reviews and reports on major review sites before they make a purchase. Listing your website on the major review sites improves your online credibility considerably. Platforms such as Yelp, Amazon, TripAdvisor, Consumer Reports are quite popular. Customer reviews are also a valuable source of feedback for local enterprises to identify their problem areas.

Build partnerships and collaborations

Local businesses have the advantage of limited competition. However building collaborations with your peers might help you get some valuable insights into the market. Also, partnerships help you share your field of expertise with your contemporaries. Everything is interdependent, for instance, a web development company could use the services of an auditing firm and vice versa. And the recommendations from the competitors can brighten your prospects in the market tenfold!

Actively participate in the local events

Getting involved in local events in and around your community is a smart way to improve your market standing. Sponsor local events, donate or fund charities and social causes to build a good reputation. Post pictures and information about these events on your website and other social media accounts to build a strong impression.

Local Content Marketing strategies that guarantee success

Content is the foundation of your website; you cannot compromise on quality. However there are some things you should consider before you implement these conquest strategies, Let us look at some of the most effective and reliable content marketing strategies designed for your local business,

Target specific market groups

There was a time when local and small scale firms were suffocated with limited market reach. Thanks to virtual platforms local entrepreneurs can now reach out to the global audience as well. Start slow, target a limited consumer group before you venture out to more markets. Identify your audience and take effective marketing steps to target them. Check out the tools used for this purpose

Facebook insights

Facebook is a good place to start; you can set the location and specify the preferences for finding the ideal customers who’d like and might buy your product. You can even share interests on Facebook and check out what your potential customers like. Such valuable insights and statistical information from Facebook come in very handy in identifying your audience.

Neilson Prizm

With this tool, you can conduct extensive local area searches and surveys to know exactly what appeals to your customers. Neilson Prizm is a free and practical platform where entrepreneurs can use the zip code lookup feature to identify the set consumer groups and customer types. You can access their income level, preferences, location, buying traits on Neilson Prizm.

Google Keyword Planner Tool

Searching customers through keyword usage is another smart way of identifying your desired market. The Google keyword tool helps you analyse the most used keywords in a specific area. Matching the insights from Facebook with the results accumulated from the keyword tools can give you some great market prospects.

Track and analyse the content you post

Content management and analysis are perhaps even more important than marketing. Establish certain ground rules and strategies on which your local business shall be built. Then analyse the content posted across the different social media platforms to see if it matches your set goals. Check out these tools that’ll help you track your page’s progress

BuzzSumo

With BuzzSumo you can identify the specific areas receive special marketing campaigns. This prevents a lopsided development and balances the reach of your business equally to all regions; you even get to know the loopholes in your marketing policies. Other than that BuzzSumo also offers access to your peers and what they’re doing.

urlProfiler

This tool is great for local businesses that want to associate with the big players in the market. urlProfiler helps you get the top URL links and domain names online. It collects and monitors all your pages, from the word count to page reach you can manage it all.

The bottom line:

With such lucrative market conditions and top notch tools, small-scale businesses now have profitable opportunities that weren’t available to them before.

Measuring Your Social Media Return On Investment

As with all marketing, it’s important to know how your Social Media Campaigns are performing to get the best possible ROI.

The following checklist will help you get setup to calculate your Social Media Return on Investment (ROI)

Audience

Knowing your target audience is always the first place to start when planning any marketing campaign. Look at previous customers and determine as much demographic information as possible. Target your ads accordingly.

Digital marketing allows you to target specific demographics. You should not be doing a scatter-shot approach. Your leads from ads help you know if this is working or if you need to adjust your ad marketing focus.

Lead Value

The value of a lead will vary by industry, company, etc. You have to decide what a lead is worth to you. Also take into account the value of likes, comments, shares, etc. If you spend $100 on Facebook Ads but know that if you get one paying customer from that the value was $1000, then that’s a legitimate value of $900 for that ad spend.

Customer Value

Each customer is more valuable than just 1 sale. How long does an average customer purchase from you? How much do they spend over time? How many times do they buy from you? Take all this into account when calculating the lifetime value of a customer. The cost of acquiring might be $100 but if the lifetime value is $3,000, then that’s a good investment when the

The cost of acquiring might be $100 but if the lifetime value is $3,000, then that’s a good investment when the long term view is taken into account.

Cost of Customer

How much does it cost you to obtain each customer? Breakdown what you spend on Social Media management. This includes staff time to post, schedule, respond, and monitor. Don’t forget to include tools, programs, and apps you need for this as well. It all goes into your monthly cost of operations and then needs to be measured against leads that come in from social media and convert to become new customers.

Follow-up

What happens to a lead generated on Social Media? Do you direct them to your website? Are they placed in the sales funnel and fed a drip campaign? You must know what happens to each lead and how, when, and why they convert to a customer. Keeping track of this is important.

You will want to measure traffic from social media to your website. You can even use lead conversion ads on Facebook to help you measure specific ads or posts that converted to completing the lead form on your website. That gives you specific ROI measurements.

Customer Retention

You must also know your customer turnover rate. Do your customers opt-out of emails, sign up for services but then cancel, or buy from you more than once? Compare your regular customer base with customers found via Social Media. If the retention of Social Media customers is lower, then change who you’re targeting.

Social Media Marketing Budget Example

Total Marketing Budget: $200,000

Social Media Budget: $20,000

Lifetime Value of Customer: $2,000

Cost of Acquiring Customer: $200

Number of New Customers Needed for Positive ROI on overall budget: 112 plus

Social Media Marketing is a long-term, ongoing process. If done correctly it not only generate leads but it also positions you in your marketplace as a trusted authority. It also acts as a customer service platform, public relations machine, and real-time FAQ. All this should be taken into account when measuring your social media return on investment.

What You Need to Know About the Changes in Business Live Streaming [BLAB]

As marketers have rushed to embrace the nuances of social media marketing, along comes another opportunity. Live-streaming is recognized as the newest chance to grab a viewer’s attention and hold it. In the past, live video broadcasting was only available to multimillion dollar television networks. Now you only need a smartphone and an app.

Today anyone can “broadcast” live from anywhere using a variety of platforms. Embracing streaming video now can put you ahead of the trend and give you an early adopters advantage.

Which Platforms Support Live Streaming?

After Meerkat introduced live streaming in 2015, Blab.im and Periscope (owned by Twitter now) hastily boarded the bandwagon. Facebook and YouTube have also launched live video streaming to offer greater marketing exposure.

And, for a fee, Huzza.io provides a subscription service that allows you to stream your content through several platforms at once, thus broadening your potential reach. Huzza has analytic capabilities that provide metrics to evaluate your broadcast reaction as well.

According to the Practical Ecommerce website, companies are already experimenting with live streaming as part of their marketing program. Companies include GE, Nestle, Wendy’s, Doritos, 7UP, Dunkin Donuts, Adidas, and Spotify. Someone in those corporate HQs is leaping on the potential of getting started early!

How Does Live Streaming Work?

With only your smartphone and app you can broadcast live content. By “going live” with content, stories, information or product demonstrations, you’ll explore the untapped potential for capturing audiences that you’ve never approached before. To be effective, though, your presentation must be interesting enough to hold viewers’ attention.

Interactivity can be the essential ingredient. Viewers and potential buyers can get answers to their questions instantly.

As for applying the Marketing’s 4-Es, educate, entertain, engage and providing expertise, live streaming with interactivity covers every base!

How Do You Choose the Platform?

To choose the best avenue for your message… identify your audience. As with any marketing effort, targeting is the key to effective message penetration.

While Twitter attracts mostly 20-30-year-olds, Facebook is populated by every age group from grandmothers to preteens. With Facebook, you can use live streaming on your business page, with “close friends” or in Facebook private groups. Use the platform where your target audience spends significant time.

Live Streaming Possibilities

Once your following is interested, live streaming provides real-time interaction between you and the audience. No typed messages via social messaging, live streaming offers Q&A, interviews, announcements, and commentary.

Live streaming also opens up a range of internal opportunities as well. In short notice, a sales manager in Omaha might stream a new product demonstration or sales technique seminar to sales reps around the world.

The possibilities of timely communication with Q&A sessions are virtually limitless.
The best way to learn? Simply try it! Livestreaming doesn’t have to be a polished production. It’s about going live and telling fans what’s going on.

Remember, you can join Jessika and me live on Blab every Tuesday afternoon at 4pm for Magnet Marketer Blab videocast online.

Here’s the full blab with Jessika and me. Enjoy!

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Digging Into Google Analytics Workshop @ The Goshen Chamber

Join Mike Gingerich and Joe Mehl at the Goshen Chamber of Commerce University Workshop…

“DIGGING INTO GOOGLE ANALYTICS WORKSHOP”

Together we’ll cover the in’s and out’s of Google Analytics and how it can be used by businesses to help understand your website traffic and how understanding that traffic can help grow your business!

At the Google Analytics Workshop hosted by the Goshen Chamber of Commerce, we will cover the following:

10 must-knows about Google Analytics
How to generate a monthly website traffic report
How to break down and understand the data
One-on-One workshop (if time allows)

We’ll take a look at the basics that everyone using Google Analytics needs to know and then dig into a few more advanced tools that can help your business with everyday operations.

Google Analytics is an incredibly robust, free tool for measuring web traffic data but it can be very daunting when you see all of the data! At our Digging into Google Analytics Workshop, with Mike Gingerich and Joe Mehl of Digital Hill will dive in and explore ways of using Google Analytics to gather and evaluate performance data, to make your website work for you! Beginning with learning basic definitions and metrics, you’ll walk away with a fundamental understanding of how to use Google Analytics.

Goshen Chamber University – Digging into Google Analytics Workshop

When: Thursday August 4th, 2016, 8 – 9:30 am

Where: Goshen Chamber of Commerce Building, 232 South Main Street, Goshen, IN 46526

Fees/Admission: $25/person

We encourage attendees to bring their own laptops to access your Google Analytics’ account.

To register online, click the “Click Here to Register” button below or, email nkieffer@goshen.org or call Nick Kieffer at (574) 533-2102.

Successfully Outsourcing Your Social Media [Blab]

To increase your business customer base and spread the word about products and services, savvy businesses are using social media. From snail mail and emails to tweeting and posting on Facebook, there are many ways for business owners to market their business and reach both potential customers, and those who have been loyal customers. Social media comes easy to some people, but for others, it can be painful, so outsourcing can be a good option.

If you’re outsourcing your social media, here are a few things to consider …

What are other people saying?

It only takes a couple clicks of the mouse to discover what type of company you’re considering to help you with your social media. Do they have a website, is it professional? Who else have they worked with? What are people saying about them and their work?

Check out their OWN social media networks. If they say they “do” social but have few fans and poor posts, don’t count on yours being handled any better! Are they using images, video, and creativity in their posts? You may be able to answer most of these questions with internet searches.

What’s the plan?

Once you’ve narrowed your search to the 2 or 3 most qualified to help your business, look at your goal and how the company can help you achieve this goal? To make sure goals are continually being met, everyone needs to know their role, what their duties involve and how success will be measured. How frequently will they post? Will they schedule ahead? Do you want to review posts? What will be the times of day and the type of posts? Map out a plan! A bit of work ahead of time can help big time later on!

Who will be the communicator?

The person you hire to post on social media needs to be informed about what’s going on in your company, your company “voice” and “style”, and be kept abreast of any news worth sharing. Pick someone from your team to update this person so they’ll always be in the know. You need a specific contact liaison to your social media person. Ideally someone comfortable with quick, mobile communication.

What mistakes do people make when outsourcing?

Along with not asking good questions, people often hire too fast or hire someone based on cost. It’s rare that the first person or company you hire on lowest price provides the results you want and need! You get what you pay for. You want quality and professionalism. You can’t hire a teenager to manage your business social the majority of the time!

Business relationships can be stressful, but the connection should be natural, not forced. The goal is to be successful at outsourcing your social media. It will require someone who can engage your audience, bring in business and highlight your company’s best qualities. Even if you have to search awhile, it’ll be worth it when you find the perfect fit.

Here’s the full blab with Jessika and me where we dive into more details. Enjoy!

Remember, you can join Jessika and me live on Blab every Tuesday afternoon at 4pm for Magnet Marketer Blab videocast online.

5 Ways for Manufacturers to Use Social Media

The internet and smartphone revolution has completely changed how business is done.

Billboards and newspapers were the primary means of advertising in the past, but they won’t get you too far in the current market. Today, the internet is king and rightly so. With more that 85% of American adults having access to the internet and more than 81% of these people using the internet to research products and brands before making a purchase, the internet is clearly a marketing priority for any business.

Social media is one of the most effective online channels you can use for marketing online…but it’s not just that. Social media is also a fairly low-cost marketing strategy. You can start using social media for marketing today with no budget! As long as you can access the internet and setup company social media accounts, then getting started with social media is a possibility!

So, how can manufacturers use social media to market their manufacturing company? There’s a straightforward process!

1. Offer Product Overviews, Demos, and How-To Training via Video on YouTube and Facebook

According to a recent Brightcove study, B2B companies rank YouTube as the second most effective social media network after LinkedIn for their business. Considering that manufacturing companies are mostly B2B, you should be thinking about taking your business to YouTube. The channel gets over 1 billion unique visits per month, and it’s the second most-trafficked search site on the web, second only to parent company Google. Imagine what such exposure would do for your business!

Manufacturing companies can use YouTube to tell their brand stories and provide educational industry content in video format. The type of videos you create is up to you, but how-to videos and product feature videos are in the most demand. What’s more, videos do not have to be supreme, professional creations. Social Media has made smartphone recorded videos a standard that is acceptable, even at the B2B level.

As well, Facebook is now a video consumption network as well. The amount of video watched on YouTube exceeded that of Facebook for the first time in early 2016. With the same video uploaded to both locations, your business can reach more potential customers. Keep the videos short and simple. Two-four minutes can work very well.

2. Promote Your Business on Facebook

Facebook currently has more than 1 billion active users. While most of these users are consumers, there are still thousands of B2Bs on the platform. And when you break down a B2B, it’s made up of individuals, the majority of whom use Facebook!
The goal should be to get as many targeted Facebook users as possible to be aware of your company and your products. Add fans by using targeted Facebook Ads to job titles, locations and even at fans of competitors, and make sure your posts carry brand-solidifying messages.

The majority of your posts should be product photos, stats, and videos. You can also provide links to your website so users who want to know more about a product can go straight to that product’s page.

3. Use Twitter to Break Company and Industry News

Twitter is another excellent platform for manufacturers. With over 400 million active users, it provides an excellent opportunity to initiate and drive conversations with your customers and prospects.

One of the best ways to use the platform is as a news channel. If you’re launching a new product or have some special industry news to break, do it on this platform. You can publish from your company account, linking to the news on your website. As well, share new blog posts on Twitter and follow potential dealers and distributors you want to connect with further.

4. Use LinkedIn to Collaborate with Other Industry Professionals

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, has more than 300 million active accounts. Most people on LinkedIn are trying to connect with like-minded professionals. There are thousands of manufacturing companies and engineers on the platform, consistently sharing ideas and engaging in constructive discussions.

The easiest way to get started on the network is to create a professional LinkedIn account and join a group in your industry. With that, you can start sharing your knowledge, contributing to discussions, and answering other people’s questions. It only takes a while before you’re networking with experts in the industry and making quality sales contacts.

The good news is that all these are strategies you can start applying today.

5. Use Instagram to share Visual Stories

This might not seem obvious but Instagram is growing in use by adults and businesses. Manufacturers can share images of their products in use by consumers or do up to 60-second videos where they walk through production or new models to showcase their best features. Images and videos communicate greatly, quickly, so there’s a way to build brand awareness and drive traffic to your website where leads can be captured.

Many manufacturers are ramping up their online and social media marketing and for good reason. It’s where the people are! It’s a chance to grow your targeted audience and then communicate to them on a regular basis. With a thorough strategy, social media can be a key part of the online marketing funnel to grow leads and sales.

Event Registration Website for the RV Industry Power Breakfast

The RV Industry Power Breakfast is an annual event that brings together stakeholders in the Recreational Vehicle industry in the RV capital of the world, Elkhart County. The event provides an excellent platform for attendees to assess the past year while casting an eye into the future and how trends are shaping for the industry going forward.

With key guests like Governor Mike Pence and state and national representatives giving input, it’s a key gathering of the industry. Discussions focus on the progress made in the year while highlighting the challenges facing the industry. The RV Power Breakfast event is a major event for the Recreational Vehicle Industry and they need a slick website for registrations of the over 800+ attendees.

Digital Hill was contracted to supply their website which would market the event and allow attendees to register tables or as individuals for the event.

What did this RV industry website need?

Our main responsibility was to design an efficient registration website for the event that was mobile friendly. The site had to be appealing while remaining effective at its core function – allowing companies and people to register for the event. For the event registration website to work, these factors had to be considered.

Immediately grabs attention and registrations

When designing event registration websites, the main page should have a carefully-thought-out flow. 3 main areas of the main page which are critical to the design.

The top right corner
The area “above the fold” in the middle of the page
The navigation bar

These are the areas that most web visitors usually look at when they first arrive on the site. Failure to use these 3 areas properly could lead to under-registration. That’s for desktop, then there are mobile considerations for loading speed, easy use on small screens and more. All of which we addressed.

Readable and understandable

A common problem with event websites is that the designers are tempted to add a lot of details. So, often, you’ll end up with pages full of text or banner ads. Having all this content on the same page could distract the visitor which could potentially impact registration.

Registration forms

The number of fields to be filled out should be as few as possible. Too many fields may cause confusion which will affect registration. Capturing the information entered into these fields should be easy. And once prospective attendees give their information, it should be kept safe and secure.

Digital Hill tackled each of these issues methodically.

Digital Hill made sure the right-hand corner (the most viewed area of any website) contained a bold “Register” button. Written in capital letters, in a white font against an orange background, this call to action brilliantly grabbed a viewer’s attention. The “area above the fold” contained the name, date (and time), and venue of the event.

To address the need for “less” content, the text on the registration page is kept to a minimum. There’s a lot of white space and the only call to action on the page are 2 “register” buttons.
When you click the “Register” button, there is only one field to be filled depending on the type of tickets the visitors purchase. The rest of the registration page is primarily white space. This helps to concentrate the attention of the visitor on the registration process.

The site performed well on mobile, tablet, and desktop and helped contribute to a smooth checkout and ultimately a sellout of tickets for the event!

Why choose Digital Hill

Digital Hill is a Web Design and Marketing Company that helps organizations, both for-profit, and not-for-profit, get noticed on the web. But even more importantly, we help these organizations painlessly manage their websites with powerful web tools. Our simple CMS platform makes back-end activities, such as accepting payments and processing tickets quick and easy.

If you’re planning an event in the near future, contact us today and let’s help make it a success!