Digital Strategy Consulting

Businesses have always enjoyed a comfortable position when it comes to planning and preparation. 

Sadly, this isn’t the case anymore.

Due to the competitive digital landscape, business owners need to chalk out entire outlines, strategies, and implementation within weeks – or even days. 

So if you can’t keep up with this accelerated pace, somebody else will.

The best way to stay ahead in the competition? Having a carefully drafted digital strategy.

Think of the whole thing as the guiding light. 

Without it, companies will be stuck with their old-fashioned efforts and won’t be able to take advantage of moving online. Plus, a result-driven approach serves as the basis of digital strategy, which can be very beneficial for your company.

If you think that the ongoing pandemic has changed things, you‘re wrong. 

On the contrary, experts at DMEXCO predict that 70% of executives expect the pace of digital strategy to boost further during these unique times.

So yes, you do need a comprehensive digital strategy that works for you. 

And what better way to develop this other than enlisting the help of an expert digital strategy consultant who can do a broad set of activities, each of which is directed towards helping you meet your goals.

In this guide, our team at Neil Patel Digital will take you through the whole process of hiring the best consultant, along with the benefits of seeking a consultancy for your business.

Let’s begin!

5 Ways a Digital Strategy Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business

What is your primary objective for launching a business?

Profit and long-term growth, right?

Well, identifying your digital strategy is the most crucial aspect for attaining both goals. 

After all, it’s a high-level overview that defines and outlines where you are currently and where you would want to be. It also includes milestones set throughout a specific course of your journey, making it a reliable long-term plan.

Keeping this in mind, digital strategy consulting can help you recognize new technologies and services suitable for your platform. And hiring a consultant will make sure you‘re taking advantage of everything that’s out there and reaping the profits.

Boosting Efficiency and Increasing Margins

If there’s one thing that companies want, it’s consistent improvement in efficiency. Whether it’s targeting employee collaboration and performance or better delivery to customers and clients – everything counts. 

You’ll be able to jumpstart your company‘s efficiency with the help of a digital strategy consultant.

You see, being an expert gives them the knowledge to use cutting-edge digital tools that can ensure precise and fast communication within your company. The data they offer will be more accessible and polished. 

Plus, there’s zero risk of anything being lost or repeated due to clear and carefully designed strategies that have been optimized for efficiency.

Getting a consultant can be useful for streamlining client communication too. As a result, you can build long-lasting relationships by giving customers higher value for their investment.

Happier clients translate to higher profit margins and more referrals, so it’s only positives for your company.

Staying Relevant and Important

Turning digital means you‘ll have several competitors – nay, several tough competitors.

Entering a digital culture means your customers do everything digitally, from transactions to information gathering to investing. 

You can stay ahead in your niche industry by offering a unique product that no one else offers, but it still isn’t the endgame.

You have to go beyond your website, electronic device optimization, or implementing best SEO practices. 

A consultant will guide you with the digital changes that are happening around us, equipping you with the newest technologies as they arise, and incorporating the latest market developments into your business direction.

Essentially, the expert will make your business digitally competitive right from the start and establish you as a digital leader.

Give You the Biggest Bang for Your Buck

You must already be on the lookout for investments that can maximize ROI – or get rid of bad investments altogether.

But this isn’t a perfect world.

You have to be careful about the decisions you make and how you run your company.

Working with a digital strategy consultant does require investment, but it’s one that has a greater possibility to pay off – in fact, some might say it’s guaranteed too if you have the right man for the job.

They give you access to a lot of crucial information and are ready to do all the hard work to provide you high value in a short period. 

And not only that, you get a clear idea of the path you should take for your company to maximize your revenue and ensure success. 

Moreover, having a consultant also eliminates the need for other employees, hence, cutting down costs in the long run. This will then contribute towards a boosted ROI in the end.

Gaining New Partnerships

Partnerships with business and corporations are a necessity for long-term growth, no matter how old your business is.

In fact, you can transform your company vision and enter a new frontier in your niche if you choose your partnerships carefully. This, in turn, can relatively increase your customer base as well as present a lucrative alternative to going solo.

In other words, a consultant will point you in the right direction to become digitally competitive.

You might also receive invites from organizations that want to enter into a mutually beneficial partnership, and ultimately, achieve digital leadership. 

Let’s not forget there is also a possibility of turning your competitors into partners that can increase market demand and customer base as a consequence.

A Successful Digital Transformation

Remember all the dinosaur processes that will only be you down today? 

Digital transformation will help you bid farewell to all of them, as well as cut down unnecessary costs for employees, products, and services.

Since a consultant makes you more available and accessible for your customers, you’ll be able to maximize user experience, allowing you to climb to the top of your industry.

A digital strategy will lay down the stepping stones that you and your team can follow to become digital relevant.

How to Get Started With a Digital Strategy Consultant

Good digital strategy consultants have a similar style of working with the odd exceptions as they primarily focus their attention on your customer and company goals.

Hiring the Right Digital Strategy Consultant

Before choosing a specific candidate, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Does digital technology impact the businesses you are in?
• How could digital technology improve the way you add value to the businesses?
• Is it possible for digital technology to change your target customer?
• Does digital technology affect the value proposition to your target customer?
• Can digital technology enhance enterprise capabilities, helping you differentiate your brand from your competition? How?

Look for a prospective consultant that can refine your understanding of the above questions further. In addition to this, you should ask to see a list of samples, references, reviews, and case studies to determine their competency.

Holding Meetings to Streamline Strategy Development

A consultant won’t be able to create a digital strategy for your company if they don’t have an in-depth understanding of your business.

So the first thing that they do is ask you a lot of questions to gain a clear understanding of how your business functions and its objectives. For instance:

• Questions regarding your current benchmarks, overall goals, and objectives for every segment and as a whole.
• Questions about KPIs and metrics that you used to measure performances.
• Questions about tactics used to achieve your business goals and objectives and the marketing channels you used to attract customers.
• Customer expectations.
• Questions about platforms with the highest customer engagement.

Don’t shy away or get irritated by these probing questions. After all, your digital strategy shows you your current situation, tells you where you’re going, and devises ways to help you get there.

Chalking Out the Final Game Plan

After you answer their questions, you can expect the consultant to show you a cohesive strategy that has been tailor-made to suit your business needs.

The plan should include details about the following:

• Media advertising, which includes TV commercials, streaming services, and so on.
• Public relations that focus on strategies to increase visibility and publicity for your business.
• Digital marketing, which includes local search, organic search engine optimization, advertising, and content marketing.
• Direct response tactics like hyperlocal print advertising or geofencing – whichever is a better fit.
• Possibility of future partnerships.

The expert will show you a proposed digital strategy or examples from previous client campaigns, and how they plan on moving forward with your campaign.

You can use this as an opportunity to evaluate the consultant’s work and skillset. Don’t be afraid to suggest specific tweaks and adjustments if you deem it fit.

Here’s what you can do:

• Request performance data for evaluation purposes.
• Carefully observe the campaign elements they consistently prioritize.
• Identify knowledge gaps, holes, or weak points in the strategy.

Another alternative would be to pick a specific part of your business, such as advertising or content, and ask the consultant to build a strategy to accommodate a specific goal. This can be to increase sales for the worst-performing products, double the traffic within a month, etc.

Supplying the Necessities

If you’re happy with the consultant after analyzing their approach, the next step would be to provide them with necessary documents and give access to things that could help them implement the strategy effectively.

This includes an official agreement, brand content (brochures, flyers, images, logos, content), relevant photography (company photos, portraits of key people, location, office space, event photos), and social proofs.

The Final Implementation

Having your consultant create an effective digital strategy is crucial, yes. But it isn’t as important as its successful execution.

So just having a great strategy isn’t enough.

Your consultant should have the experience, expertise, and team back up to implement the strategy and produce results.

After execution, you should ask the consultant to collect, analyze, and provide you with useful insights about the launched campaigns. You can incorporate their suggestions and increase your budget to drive results, if required, as well.

Measuring the ROI of Digital Strategy Consulting Services

Consider this: How will you be able to conclude whether you‘re on the right path without knowing the ROI?

Luckily, figuring out the right KPIs for your business can help you measure the success of a business strategy.

The following are a few KPIs that allow you to analyze the overall performance of your digital campaigns:

Brand Engagement on Website

Your brand is necessary for building customer loyalty, creating a competitive advantage, and just… long-term survival.

It’s what distinguishes you from your direct competitors.

To properly measure brand engagement on your website, you need to consider the more refined KPIs that provide valuable metrics, such as:

• Number of unique visitors
• Number of return visitors
• Popular pages and how customers get there
• Total time spent on the website
• Number of people registering for a specific offering

Traffic Source

Knowing where your customers come from is key to developing a powerful digital strategy since you know exactly what or who is driving visitors to your website.

For this purpose, you need to consider four main traffic sources:

• Direct visitors who visit your website by typing the URL into their browser.
• Referral visitors who ended up on your website after clicking a link on another website.
• Organic visitors who arrived at your site after searching in a search engine.
• Campaign visitors who visited your site via an advertisement or campaign.

Inbound Marketing ROI

Of course, you want to see a return on your investment.

However, it can be difficult to see the full potential and value of inbound marketing if you don’t have KPIs. For this purpose, consider the following formula:

ROI = (Sales growth – Marketing Investment) / Marketing Investment

Social Media Traffic

Social media is an integral part of every digital strategy. If your consultant doesn’t include it, know right away that they don’t know what they’re doing.

At the same time, simply creating accounts on popular social media platforms isn’t enough for success. In this case, the KPIs are as follows:

• Number of leads generated from every social media channel.
• Number of conversions generated from every social media channel.
• Number of customers who reach out to your company via every social media channel.
• Overall percentage of traffic that advance from social media channels.

Landing Page Conversions

You should check whether your landing page is sending your customer on the right path, which is why KPIs are crucial here.

The tricky part here is this metric is a little difficult to measure since the consultant may have a different goal for landing pages. Nevertheless, you can ask the expert to use Google Analytics to gain access to reports that help you measure organic traffic as well as per search traffic.

You can also make changes to your CTA, CTA buttons, revise written content, or add reviews and testimonials depending on the results generated after A/B testing.

4 Point Checklist For Finding the Right Digital Strategy Consultant

If you’re still figuring out how to find the right digital marketing consultant for your company, take a look at our short checklist to know where to start.

Familiarity With the Digital Landscape

Whether it’s setting short-term goals or long-term goals, the digital strategy consultant should have demonstrated knowledge about the market to think of strategies that can enhance your inbound marketing and outbound marketing efforts.

Creating a plan will always differ according to your business. For instance, some businesses require CRMs, while some need ERPs. The expert should know the right way to proceed to help you achieve your business objectives and streamline campaign processes.

We would highly recommend working with industry thought leaders who understand the digital world and have the credentials to back it up.

Processes to Develop and Execute Effective Digital Strategies

As mentioned before, knowledge of custom tools is important for delivering satisfactory results. More so, in the ever dynamic landscape of digital marketing.

You want to hire a consultant that uses relevant marketing techniques which include:

• Content creation
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Social media marketing
• Responsive web design

At Neil Patel Digital, for instance, we have an in-house SEO program powered by content marketing, that can be useful for enhancing the effectiveness of digital campaigns.

Combination of Experience and Expertise

While it’s true that you can find several freelance digital strategy consultants, your main lookout should be to identify the extent of their experience and expertise.

Yes, they say that they can triple your conversions, but do they have the brain and muscle to back their claims?

It’s best to work with seasoned professionals who understand your current marketing strategy and can identify weak spots that require improvement.

Broad Industry Knowledge and Diverse Portfolio

A digital strategy expert must have expertise across several different verticals. The idea here is to make sure the professional knows the technical foundations of different things where they can use their marketing know-how and promote your offerings.

The best way to ensure this is by choosing a consultant who has worked with diverse clients. Working with a reputable digital marketing agency, for instance, will give you access to a team with several specialties that can be beneficial for your campaigns and other operations.

Wrapping Up

Now more than ever, businesses had to adjust their plans and offerings to meet customer expectations.

Digital strategies that played out over the course of years may now be over in a matter of days, which is why hiring expert help can be useful to keep up with this dynamic arena. 

Having the right digital strategy consultant will ensure your company adapts smoothly to rapidly changing markets and remain ahead of your competition.

Thinking of the next steps? Get in touch with our experienced professionals here.

The post Digital Strategy Consulting appeared first on Neil Patel.

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Integrating organic and paid for a powerful LinkedIn social media strategy

A lot of social marketers ask, does our brand really need to be on LinkedIn? In short, yes. By the end of March 2020, LinkedIn reached 690 million users and saw a 26% increase in user sessions quarter-over-quarter.

Your LinkedIn social media strategy will be a bit different than your strategies for other platforms. LinkedIn is unlike its social competitors in that it’s widely regarded as a professional social network, the largest B2B marketing platform in the world and the number one platform for lead generation. The platform presents major opportunities to identify, connect with and advertise to thought leaders, leads, potential candidates and audiences that are entirely new to your brand.

Building a strong organic LinkedIn strategy is still an essential foundation for success on the platform. However, the key to getting the most from LinkedIn is marrying your organic and paid strategies.

LinkedIn outlines an integrated paid-organic strategy in three simple steps:

1. Build a compelling organic presence
2. Boost organic reach and engagement via paid
3. Measure, learn and optimize to drive more impact

In this article we’ll expand on those steps and demonstrate how Sprout can help you optimize your strategies, determine what content to invest in and measure ROI.

Complete your LinkedIn Page

First things first; make sure your LinkedIn Page is complete with accurate, relevant and up-to-date company information. That may seem like a no brainer, but it’s important to be thoughtful and thorough because pages with complete information get 30% more weekly views, which bodes well for your content performance.

The information you provide should include basics like your website URL, logo, banner image, industry, company size and location. Additionally, in your company overview, you should include relevant terms and phrases about your mission and purpose. That way when users add keywords in their search engine or on LinkedIn, your brand will come up in the results.

Build out a mix of engaging organic content

Now, let’s get to the heart and soul of your LinkedIn strategy—your content. Just because LinkedIn is a professional network, that doesn’t mean your brand’s content has to be completely buttoned up and dry. Your content should tell your brand’s story, show personality, provide value for your audience and entice them to engage.

When it comes to building your content calendar, it’s all about providing variety and keeping your goals at the forefront. Increasing brand awareness is the top priority for marketers, and on LinkedIn, persistent brand building yields long-term sales growth. Continually share content about who your brand is, what you stand for, what products and services you offer, what you have that your competitors may not, and why you’re a current or up-and-coming leader in your industry.

Given that LinkedIn is also one of the first places potential candidates look for jobs, you should incorporate employer branding content that highlights your company culture, employees, perks and available roles into your organic strategy. Plus, it’s not just candidates that care about your employer brand, consumers do too. According to Morning Consult, the second most important consideration when deciding to purchase a product or service from a brand is that that brand takes care of their employees and team members.

Thought leadership is powerful content, especially on LinkedIn. According to the platform, 75% of potential B2B buyers say thought leadership helps them determine which vendors to put on their short list. This kind of content also demonstrates the trustworthiness, authority and wisdom of your leaders, which makes a positive impact on both brand awareness and lead generation.

 

Prospective buyers on LinkedIn also typically engage with 7-10 pieces of content before making a purchasing decision, so a well-rounded organic strategy includes a mix of upper, middle and lower funnel content so you can connect with audiences at every stage of the buyer journey.

You should also mix up the types of content assets that you publish and reuse content you already have. When building out or repurposing content for LinkedIn, keep these data points and best practices in mind:

• Companies that post weekly see a 2x lift in engagement with their content.
• LinkedIn posts that include images typically result in 2x higher comment rate.
• Videos get 5x more engagement on LinkedIn than other platforms and live streams get 24x more comments than standard native videos.
• Updates including links can have up to a 45% higher follower engagement than updates without links. When including links, add URL tracking codes to measure post-click actions like site visits or conversions, which you can then measure via Google Analytics.

These considerations will help elevate your content, but determining what content works best for your goals and audience comes down to reporting and analytics.

 Let organic success influence your paid strategy

Reporting on your organic LinkedIn content performance is the moment where your paid and organic strategy can begin to work in tandem. You should invest in the best content—that is, what resonates with your audience and supports your goals. To find out what that content is, use a social media analytics platform like Sprout Social. With Sprout’s powerful analytics, you choose the metrics and Sprout pulls the Top Posts into your LinkedIn Pages report.

If brand awareness is top priority, look at KPIs like impressions, likes, video views, photo and video clicks. For consideration stage, middle of the funnel content, your top performers might be those with the most comments, shares, engagement rate, link clicks or click-through rates. If you added UTM tags to your links as recommended, use Google Analytics to track which links are driving conversions to your website and driving leads.

In the Post Performance Report, you can also find which types of content fall flat. It’s equally important to know what your audience doesn’t react to, so even metrics that are perceived as “underperforming” are very telling.

If you’ve tagged your content up-front while scheduling, or do so retroactively, you can use the Sprout Tag Report to measure the effectiveness of your content themes, the types of creative assets you’ve used, what stage in the funnel the post aligns with and so much more. Let’s say you want to know if your audience clicks a post more often if the imagery is people-focused versus product-focused. Or perhaps you want to know if a video employee testimonial drives more engagement than a blog post. These are all variables you can test and track with the tag report.

Once you do understand what organic content captures your audience and drives success, you can determine what should get a boost, what creative elements you should continue to test and what types of ads you should invest in.

Invest in the best: Boost and elevate

Boosting your existing content and creating Sponsored Content In LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager extends your organic reach and delivers content right to your target audience.

Boosting is a good way to get started with your paid LinkedIn strategy and is cost-efficient. Rather than starting from scratch, if you have an organic post that’s working really well, you can put just $50 or so behind it and see how reaching a wider audience impacts your goals. The process of boosting your content is simple as well. Once it’s posted on LinkedIn, just click “Sponsor now” above the post in your Page feed.

Even when you have a larger budget, boosting can give early insight into performance and help you determine what content you should invest more in or pull back on.

If you’re ready to start a new LinkedIn advertising campaign, you’ll use the native Campaign Manager and walk through these four easy steps:

1. Choose your objective and goals to customize your campaign. Just as it was with your organic content, those objectives would be awareness, consideration or conversions, with specific goals like engagement, video views, website conversions and more. It’s up to you.
2. Then, select your targeting criteria from over 20 different audience attribute categories including company size, company name, skills, job title, job seniority and more. Targeting is what’s really going to drive success. Sprout pro tip: You can choose the same targeting options for organic posts in Compose free of cost.
3. Pick your ad format. You can use Sponsored Content, Message Ads, Dynamic Ads, Text Ads, or a mix of all four.
4. Finally, set your bid, budget and schedule. If you’re unsure of how much money to bid and budget, ask a paid strategist or digital marketer on your team for suggestions, if you have one. LinkedIn also has a ton of resources on how to maximize your budget.

It’s best practice to refresh LinkedIn ads once a month by changing copy and/or image. Determine what to mix up by turning to your paid reports data. LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager provides a full breakdown of your campaign performance so you can see cost per impression (CPM), cost per lead (CPL), and more. The lower the cost, the better.

If you’ve connected your LinkedIn Ad account, Sprout also generates a LinkedIn Paid Performance Report, with a full breakdown of your metrics and data visualization, making analysis simple. Just as you did while reporting on your organic content, you can determine what content is worth the investment.

Try, try again

Organic and paid strategies are both about trial and error, learning what works and what doesn’t—and improving with each new approach by using your performance data. Rather than throwing money at content based on a gut feeling, continue to use your organic content as your testing ground. Use your data to validate assumptions, optimize your campaigns and create cost-efficient content.

LinkedIn is an influential platform for growing your brand, no matter what industry you work in. And when you leverage the power of an integrated organic and paid LinkedIn strategy, there’s really nowhere to go but up.

Want to dig deeper and learn more about turning B2B social data into a revenue driver? Download our guide.

This post Integrating organic and paid for a powerful LinkedIn social media strategy originally appeared on Sprout Social.

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4 Benefits of Twitter for business

Twitter is one of the top platforms to keep up with the latest trends and conversations. It helps you discover which TV shows people are watching, which social media challenges they’re trying and more.

You may already be using Twitter on a daily basis to follow your favorite brands and take part in trending conversations. But what about using Twitter for your business?

Perhaps you understand the benefits of Twitter but not sure how exactly to use it for your business. In this article, we’ll give you a detailed breakdown of why Twitter is important for business and how you can make the most of it.

1. Gain valuable customer insights

Twitter sees 6,000 Tweets every second. This puts into perspective how actively people are using it as a conversation platform. And for businesses, these conversations can prove to be a valuable source of customer insights. Using Twitter can help you research trends and topics that your audience cares about so you know how to reach them more effectively.

In fact, according to Joe Rice, who leads Twitter’s EMEA Data & Enterprise Solutions, “Twitter is the world’s largest focus group because at its core, Twitter is a consumer insights engine. What do people think about a certain topic or trend?  What are their needs, moods and mindsets?  It’s all there on Twitter and these insights can help brands do all sorts of things from launching new products or services to improving the ones they already have. It’s also a great place to engage with consumers in an authentic way, humanizing your brand.”

The Twitter Explore page gives you an updated list of topics and hashtags trending in your region and relevant to your interests. So you can use this section to discover the Twitter hashtags and conversations that are important to your audience.

2. Build brand personality and awareness

How you style your Tweets and engage with your audience on Twitter is highly effective for establishing your brand personality and growing awareness.

One of the top benefits of Twitter for business is that it lets you share information quickly and start conversations with your target audience. In turn, your audience would find your Tweets and content valuable and ideally, even share with their followers.

Make sure you use a tone that aligns with your brand voice and personality. The types of conversations and topics you’re interested in and the tone in your Tweets will help you attract an audience whose views align with yours. If you’re starting out or need a refreshed strategy, Twitter recently launched an Organic Tweets starter kit worksheet to help brands establish their tone of voice.

For example, Ben & Jerry’s may sell ice cream but it regularly talks about political and social issues through Twitter. It uses the platform to promote social causes that are important to the brand, so it’s been able to make a huge impact on people who care about the same causes. We even did a Social Spotlight on Ben & Jerry’s for this very reason.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. Sweet, right? Well, not so much for women of color. Take the quiz to test your knowledge of women's suffrage: https://t.co/6a35BOQOTW pic.twitter.com/x9TQeXuaKD

— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) August 18, 2020

Additionally, engaging with your audience’s replies and mentions  also improves your chances of showing up in non-followers’ feeds. These actions help you boost visibility and brand awareness, thus proving to be a major benefit of Twitter. The most successful brands on Twitter have both paid and organic strategies. To illustrate, a Followers campaign is more likely to be successful if your profile has a healthy stream of engaging organic content. Conversely, promoting a Tweet can give it organic momentum.

The Sprout #BrandsGetReal survey even found that the top three behaviors that help brands connect with consumers are:

1. Liking or responding to customers
2. Showcasing brand personality
3. Supporting a cause that consumers personally support

3. Deliver customer support and gather feedback

According to Rice, “The most advanced brands see Twitter as a vital marketing, customer care and market research medium that can provide valuable insights on every aspect of their business.”

And rightly so. The platform makes it easy for customers to reach out to brands and provide their feedback or ask for help. Brands can then use this as an opportunity to not only collect vital feedback to improve their products but also to deliver the support their customers need.

Companies such as Netflix have even set up a dedicated Twitter account to provide support. The company offers support through this page in multiple languages and in locations across the world.

Hey thanks for reporting this to us and sorry for the delayed response. Our members are reporting the issue is fixed for them. Can you check if your Netflix is working again as well? *CS

— Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) August 7, 2020

Netflix also uses the same account to collect feedback on how to improve the service and user experience, which they then pass on to their research team.

Great! We have received it and passed along your info to our research team.

— Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) August 23, 2020

4. Cultivate a brand community

With the ease of conversation between brands and consumers, one of the major benefits of using Twitter is for building and cultivating your brand community. Brands can use the platform to start and join in on relevant conversations, engage with their community and build a loyal following.

In fact, our #BrandsGetReal survey found that 55% of consumers want brands to help them connect with likeminded people through social media. And 36% expect brands to build communities that consumers can belong to.

So it’s no surprise that one of the top benefits of Twitter for business is to cultivate a brand community and bring people together around a common interest or cause.

Taco Bell has done an exceptional job of nurturing its brand community through Twitter. The brand regularly shares its customers’ and super-fans’ Tweets to show appreciation while getting others on board.

Two Crunchy Tacos, a Baja Blast and a makeup tutorial. https://t.co/uXewresz3v

— Taco Bell (@tacobell) August 6, 2020

Unlocking these Twitter benefits

Hopefully now you have a clearer idea of how these benefits of Twitter can add value to your marketing mix. If you’re not sure where to start with using Twitter for your business, check out our guide on what to Tweet for some ideas.

This post 4 Benefits of Twitter for business originally appeared on Sprout Social.

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How to Choose The Right Facebook Ad Agency

Facebook isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

With more than 2.6 billion users worldwide – or nearly 28.5% of the total global population – the platform has seen unprecedented success.

This also translates to several other advantages that you may not be familiar with:

• Approximately 1.65 billion users see Facebook ads, out of which 1.21 billion are between the ages of 13 and 34.
• An average Facebook user clicks on 12 ads per month.
• Facebook users watch around 100 million hours of video a day.

Plus, nearly 70 million businesses have a Facebook page, which sheds ample light on its importance in today’s world.

In short, Facebook is still a force to be reckoned with – at least where ads are concerned.

With such excellent stats, converting visitors into customers should be easy, right?

Wrong.

You see, there can be various reasons why your Facebook ads don’t convert.

One of the more prominent reasons is the lack of expert guidance – something that hiring the best Facebook ad agency can help overcome.

This brings us to our next question: How do you choose the right Facebook agency for your needs?

Our team at Neil Patel Digital has created this guide to walk you through the whole hiring process that can help you generate more leads and score higher conversions.

Know Your Goals and Desired Outcomes

Remember the saying that knowing your destination is half the journey?

Well, the same logic applies when you‘re looking to hire a Facebook ad company.

Every ad agency has different specialties, along with budget and project sizes. This is precisely why you should know your business goals and the objectives you want to achieve by working with a specific agency.

Once you get the right lens to evaluate different agencies, you’ll be able to determine your perfect match easily.

The following are a few examples where you can break down the whole process by using a deliverable-goal-end result approach. In other words, you understand your deliverables, then determine the goals of these deliverables, followed by the outcomes you hope to achieve.

Example #1: Getting More Leads Despite Tight Budget

You want to hire an agency to develop an efficient Facebook advertising strategy for your company. The catch here is that you only have $500 per month to spare, but you want more leads.

So, in this case:

• Deliverable: Using unique, eye-catching ads to get high-quality leads.
• Goal: An agency that has the expertise and is open to accepting clients who have a tight budget.
• End Result: Generating more leads without overstepping the $500 threshold.

Example #2: Expanding Reach Through Visually Appealing Videos

You want to create engaging video ads that you can use on Facebook. The problem here is that you don’t know where to start.

So, in this case:

• Deliverable: A series of on-brand ad videos that increase brand awareness and click-through rates.
• Goal: An agency that has the expertise to create engaging videos, which talk about your new offers and encourage the viewer to click on the link.
• End Result: A finished set of effective video ads.

If you see both examples, you’ll find there are different limitations and requirements.

While the budget is super strict in the first case, it’s more flexible in the second. Similarly, there aren’t any specifications with regard to the ad type in the first example, but the second one explicitly states video advertisements.

Essentially, when you know what you want, finding the right agency for your businesses will become very easy. Plus, it’s much better to avoid the disappointment of hiring someone only to realize that they can’t give you what you want.

Another way to vet Facebook ad agencies is by looking for specific characteristics that are relevant to the business and can understand your goals and desired outcomes.

4 Characteristics That Make a Great Facebook Ad Company

There are all sorts of ad agencies operating on the market today, with everyone claiming to be the best.

That said, you should know the characteristics that make up a good Facebook ad agency to find one that can provide tailor-made solutions as per your requirements.

Team Members With Relevant Experience

Everybody claims to be the best, but only a few have the experience to back its claims. 

You must hire a Facebook ad agency that is well-equipped with the brain and muscle to help you achieve your goals.

For instance, if you want to carry out paid social media campaigns with minimal to no effort from your side, you need a team that has the experience and knowledge to carry out these campaigns.

Additionally, they should also take care of customer targeting, keep in touch with your customers and prospects, as well as recommend creative, and copy best practices.

You can find out more about a company‘s team by going through their ‘About‘ page or LinkedIn ‘People’ page.

While this may not show you every contractor or freelancer that the agency might work with, it‘s still an excellent place to start. You can always ask follow-up questions during your consultation if you want more clarity.

Their Arsenal Should Include Latest Technologies and Best Practices

Ad agencies need to be familiar with the latest software. For Facebook, in particular, Facebook Pixel, Facebook Ad Manager, and so on are useful tools that can assure faster results through in-depth insights.

Having ad software expertise, along with familiarity with third-party data sources and creative testing tools, is also helpful. Ultimately, this will help your brand gain more popularity through better ads – both in terms of creativity and effectiveness.

Skills to Create Engaging Ads that Fulfil Your Objectives

Why do you want to hire a Facebook ad company? Results.

The only way that you can get results is if you enlist an agency that knows the art of producing engaging and objective-specific ads.

The company should have the skills to help you fulfill your goals – whether it’s getting more quality leads, boosting engagement, increasing store visits, or getting more click-throughs.

The idea here is to hire an ad company that can help you meet your goals, and the best way to ensure this is to look for a diverse portfolio.

Plus, the portfolio is the best way for the agency to show off their best work. This will help you get an idea of the type of work they do and the type of clients they choose.

Since it‘s FB advertisements that we’re talking about, give brownie points to agencies that have Facebook on their client list.

Solid Social Proof in the Form of Client Testimonials

Having social proof, such as testimonials and previous client reviews, can be an excellent way to gain insights into an agency’s work ethic.

Considering that 93% of customers go through testimonials and customer reviews before purchasing something, it can also be beneficial from the agency’s point of view. 

In fact, displaying social proof is an effective tactic to convert visitors into buyers. So if you don’t find any testimonials on websites, it means the following:

• One, the company may not have previous clients
• Two, they aren’t the experts that they claim to be

Good testimonials are indicative of a similar experience for future customers. Also, getting testimonials shouldn’t be difficult for agencies who have satisfied clients.

How to Work With a Facebook Ad Agency 

When you narrow down your options – or even make a final choice – you should be aware of the working etiquette to follow.

The following are a few steps that can ensure you enjoy a fruitful partnership for the well-being of your business.

Filling Out the Inquiry Form

No Facebook ad agency will send you a contract without understanding your pain points – if they do, run (not walk) as far as you can.

Reputable agencies will want you to fill an inquiry form to understand your objectives and requirements. After filling the form, the team will get in touch with you to hear your vision and then think of ways to achieve it.

You have to communicate properly here, being as explicit as possible. Remember, the agency wants to meet your expectations and goals.

Hearing Out the Best Practices for Effective Results

After understanding your pain points, the external team should use their expertise and experience to create a campaign framework. This, of course, should be done after carrying out in-depth research to figure out the best practices for better results.

The idea behind creating this draft is to make sure your target audience, niche, and business are all on the same page. You should expect multiple meetings focused on making strategic recommendations.

Receiving Project Deliverables

In the world of business, everything needs to be in writing – even the contract. Since every campaign spans over a couple of weeks or months, a well-drafted contract needs to be in place.

So if both you and the agency are comfortable with each other, you can expect to receive a contract, along with project deliverables from the agency, before kicking off the campaign.

Final Onboarding

After signing the contract, you’ll have to introduce the external team to your in-house staff. Agencies will also ask you for access to your website, social media platforms, relevant software, analytics tools, etc.

Once this is done, the Facebook ad company will chalk out timelines and task lists to organize and manage the whole project.

Aligning Your In-House Team With the Agency

Your chosen Facebook ad agency doesn’t have to replace your in-house team.

Instead, you can have both the teams working in sync to maximize results. For this purpose, you can do the following:

• Holding frequent meetings.
• Elaborating the scope of the agency’s as well as the in-house team‘s work, and clearly communicating the importance of both.
• Appointing additional employees, if required, to work with the external agency.

In the end, the agency will be fully aligned with your company‘s values and culture, making it an extension of your in-house team.

How to Find The Right Facebook Ad Agency For You

With so many available options, choosing the right Facebook ad agency can be a bit difficult. 

Nevertheless, you should always prioritize a good reputation with a specialized approach. In addition to this, we would recommend the following:

• Work on determining your business goals and desired outcomes.
• Look for agencies that satisfy our above-listed characteristics – each one of them is essential.
• Make sure the agency is in sync with you and your in-house team.

To make it easier for you, we reviewed hundreds of agencies to bring the five best Facebook ad companies. No matter who you choose, you’re assured of excellent service and unmatched expertise.

The 5 Top Facebook Ad Agencies

#1: Neil Patel Digital – The Best Overall Facebook Ad Company

You need access to top-level expertise and experience if you want advertisements that convert – something that Neil Patel Digital specializes in.

Our team of top-level and in-house marketing managers, led by our co-founder, Neil Patel, know the ins and outs of Facebook. 

We can deliver ad campaigns that suit your marketing objectives without overstepping your budget. Plus, we take care of everything: brainstorming attention-grabbing headlines, choosing the right graphics and CTAs, and carrying out A/B testing.

We also have a dream clientele, which includes Facebook, who are more than happy with what we’ve done for them. We’re also fully transparent with what we can deliver and how we work our magic.

#2: Hibu – The Best Facebook Ad Company for an All-in-One Solution

Hibu can be an excellent option if you’re looking for a comprehensive Facebook advertising solution, which includes campaign set-up, management, optimization, and reporting.

It also has a very flexible pricing strategy, offering services that start at $250 per month. The company has a dedicated team that works hard to create highly targeted ads that are capable of converting visitors.

#3: Voy Media – The Best Facebook Ad Company for À La Carte Services

Voy Media comes highly recommended. More so, if à la carte services and maximizing returns are your top priority.

The team uses proprietary AI software that can help you optimize and scale your Facebook campaigns in addition to crafting carefully thought-out strategies. You can join the likes of Lacoste, Big Life Journal, and Paw.com too – provided you have a minimum $5000/month budget for advertising.

#4: MuteSix – The Best Facebook Ad Company for Innovation Graphic Design 

MuteSix really needs no introduction when it comes to churning out creative ads that can drive conversions. It’s a full-funnel ad agency that has an in-house video studio and graphic design team to widen their clients’ reach.

Over the years, the company has added many renowned companies to its portfolio, and has received quite a few accolades as well! However, MuteSix is better suited for larger companies, preferably ones with budgets over $20,000 in ad spend.

#5: Lyfe Marketing – The Best Facebook Ad Company for Small Companies

This is an excellent option for small companies with limited budgets. Having a talented team of fewer than 50 members, Lyfe Marketing can be a driving force to help you enhance your marketing efforts.

It can provide you with quality, cost-effective advertising solutions, along with excellent communication and complete transparency to establish a healthy and professional working relationship. The agency has driven over 2,137,349 leads from the time of its inception.

Wrapping Up

Advertising can be a very challenging task. If you don’t have the expertise or know-how at your disposal, all your efforts will go to vain and you may also incur losses.

It’s much wiser to get a reputable Facebook ad company that can help you achieve your goals.

“Reputable” being the operative word here since you need an efficient team that can create unique and exciting ads to convert your visitors into customers.

Hence, it’s best to work with an agency with demonstrated expertise when it comes to keeping up with a dynamic platform like Facebook.

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Best Video Conferencing Software

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Video conferencing software has exploded in popularity over the last year. With people working from home and remote work becoming the new normal, businesses rely on video conferencing services to communicate. 

But not all video conferencing software is the same.

The tools you use to video chat with your friends and family across the across aren’t necessarily the best business communication options.

Which video conferencing software is the best for you? I’ll break down my top picks in greater detail below. 

The Top 6 Options For Video Conferencing Software

1. BlueJeans
2. Cisco Webex
3. Lifesize
4. Whereby
5. RingCentral
6. GlobalMeet by PGI

How to Choose the Best Video Conferencing For You

As you’re shopping around and evaluating different options, there are certain criteria that must be taken into consideration. Keep these factors in mind to ease the buying process and narrow down the best video conferencing software for your business. 

Call Size

The first thing you need to consider is the call restriction limitations. How many people can be part of the video conference?

Entry-level plans might restrict you to 25 or 50 callers while the highest tiers can be 10,000+. 

If you’re running a small business or just need to occasionally meet with a small team, you probably won’t run into problems with restrictions. But for those of you who plan to give presentations to your entire enterprise-size organization, a large call size capability will be a top priority. 

Simultaneous Video Streams

Even if you get a plan with a large call size, it doesn’t mean that everyone on the call will be able to stream their webcam simultaneously. 

Let’s say you have 500 people attending a video conference; there won’t be 500 videos on the screen. You might be limited to just 10 or 20 streamers. The rest will be view-only. 

Video Quality

There’s nothing worse than being on a video conference with a poor stream. It can really distract from the purpose of the conference. Everyone is worried about disconnecting and then reconnecting, hoping that fixes the issue, which wastes valuable time.

Each participant’s individual Internet connection will obviously impact the quality as well. However, some software is definitely better than others in this category.

The best way to determine the video quality of the software is by experimenting with free trials and reading reviews from current customers. 

Team Collaboration Features

If you’re using video conferencing software for work, it’s useful to have an all-in-one collaboration solution. 

I tend to look for features like file sharing, cloud storage, screen sharing, presentation mode, and integrated live chat. You should also look for features that integrate with tools you’re already using for CRM, site analytics, or whatever else your team is working on. 

Now everyone can collaborate from a single platform, instead of bouncing back and forth between different software while on a video conference call.

Industry and Specific Use Cases

What exactly do you need video conferencing software for?

There are plenty of general-purpose solutions out there. But in some instances, certain software is geared towards purposes like remote work or international calls. There are even industry-specific tools for healthcare or education. 

So if you fall into one of those categories, make sure you choose a software that accommodates your unique needs. 

The Different Types of Video Conferencing Software

As previously mentioned, not all video conferencing software is the same. I’ll quickly name and explain the most popular options, so you have a better understanding of what to expect as you’re shopping around. 

Cloud Video Conferencing Software

Cloud software or browser-based video conferencing software is extremely flexible. Participants can join a call from anywhere, simply by logging in through a web browser. 

This software is supported by open WebRTC (real-time communications) standards. 

If you’re going to have conference calls with participants outside of your organization, then you’ll definitely want a cloud solution. Then you can invite people to join with a URL link, and they won’t have to download any software. 

For example, let’s say you have a sales team that uses video conferencing to communicate with prospects. Forcing those potential customers to download software would add friction and confusion to the sales process. 

Desktop Applications

Desktop apps are commonly used for in-house video conferencing. The best video conferencing software will support all major operating systems. 

Call quality and features are usually enhanced with a desktop app. For example, you might not be able to share your screen on a cloud version of a software, but you’d access that feature by downloading the desktop app. 

Mobile Video Conferencing

Mobile video conferencing is crucial for people who need to join calls on the go. Busy professionals can’t always be tied to a desktop or laptop computer. But this type of software allows people to participate from smartphones and tablets.

If you’re using cloud software, you can usually join from a web browser on your mobile device. However, the experience is definitely enhanced by downloading the mobile application from your video conferencing provider. 

Nearly all of the best video conferencing software on the market today will have some mobile conferencing features. 

Meeting Room Systems

Some businesses require a complete meeting room system for video conferences. These solutions require additional hardware, like external cameras, microphones, speakers, and more. 

A meeting room system is typically designed for physical conference rooms. If you’re having a video conference call in an executive board room with a dozen people present, a laptop at the end of the table isn’t going to cut it. 

These really aren’t necessary for home offices or remote work. They’re designed for large spaces and large groups in a single location. 

#1 – BlueJeans — Best For Remote Work

BlueJeans has a wide range of video conferencing options for businesses of all sizes. It’s trusted by global brands like ADP, Facebook, Zillow, Intuit, and National Geographic. 

For small and large businesses alike, BlueJeans can help your organization and employees communicate by providing them with the right tools for remote work.

Depending on your needs, there are actually four different BlueJeans video conferencing products for you to choose from. Here’s a quick explanation of each one:

• BlueJeans Meetings — Video, audio, and web conferences from any device
• BlueJeans Rooms — Single-touch audio and video conference rooms
• BlueJeans Events — Host and stream interactive events for large audiences
• BlueJeans Gateway — Access Microsoft Teams calls from any meeting room system

BlueJeans was recently acquired by Verizon, so the video call quality is exceptional. You’ll also benefit from features like enterprise-grade security, meeting transcriptions, automated alerts, meeting management tools, analytics, and more. 

Pricing starts at $9.99 per host per month.

The entry-level plan comes with unlimited 1:1 meetings, unlimited group meetings, unlimited meeting lengths, and five hours of recording. You can host video conferences with up to 50 participants on this plan as well. 

Try it free for 7 days.

#2 – Cisco Webex Review — Best For Healthcare

Cisco has been an industry leader in the telecommunications space for 35+ years. So it should come as no surprise to see Cisco Webex rank so high this list. 

In addition to basic video conferencing, Cisco has tools for contact centers, online meetings, cloud calling, online training, team collaboration, and more. But what really stands out is the industry-specific solutions offered from Webex, including video conferencing for healthcare.

As more and more medical practices make the transition to telehealth, Cisco Webex has been growing in popularity. It’s a top solution for practices that need to meet with patients online, make administrative calls, collaborate with care teams, and healthcare IT teams. 

From virtual consultations to training and security, Webex has everything healthcare organizations need for video conferencing. 

Here are some of the highlights of using Cisco Webex:

• End-to-end security with strong encryption
• High-quality video and audio calling
• Virtual training capabilities with recording and on-demand viewing
• Share your entire screen or just share a single app or document
• AI powered web assistant
• Integrations with tools like Slack, G Suite, Salesforce, and more
• Compatible on web, desktop, mobile, and video systems

For anyone that prioritizes quality and security, Cisco Webex will be a top choice for you to consider. 

Plans start at $13.50 per host per month. Sign up for free to try it out; no credit card required.

#3 – Lifesize Review — The Best Zoom Alternative

Zoom has quickly become a household name over the past year or so. But it’s not for everyone, and lots of businesses are looking elsewhere for a video conferencing solution. 

If you’re searching for a similar setup and feature list, Lifesize will be your best option. 

Lifesize is a cloud video conferencing solution and team collaboration platform that’s compatible with any device. You can use the software to meet with co-workers, clients, employees, and anyone else, from anywhere.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits and highlights of Lifesize:

• Ultra-high definition and 4k screen sharing
• Unlimited guest invitations to meetings
• Large meetings with up to 500 participants
• Broadcast live events with up to 10,000 viewers
• Manage users and room settings from a web-based admin console
• High encryption standards for robust security
• Interoperability with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and more

For those of you who need a complete meeting room system, Lifesize has all-in-one conferencing solutions with hardware as well. 

Lifesize is free for up to 10 participants with unlimited meetings. The entry-level plan starts at $12.50 per host per month. This plan comes with SSO support and allows you to host meetings with up to 100 participants. 

#4 – Whereby Review — The Best Simple Video Conferencing Software

Whereby is arguably the simplest video conferencing solution on the market today. There’s no app installation required. Just choose a personalized meeting URL, and participants can access the same link every time.

The software was actually built in Norway, and it’s a popular choice for Europeans. So it’s GDPR compliant and follows some of the strictest data protection and privacy laws globally.

Here’s a quick overview of the features and benefits you’ll get by using Whereby for video conferencing:

• Live chat and reactions during video calls without interrupting the speaker
• Rooms are locked by default, so admins can choose who to let in
• Fit up to 50 participants in a room at the same time
• Host has control to mute members and end the meeting for everyone
• Participants can open other tabs and explore websites during a meeting
• Add company branding and logos to your meeting rooms
• Integrations with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar
• Record meetings that you can download and share
• YouTube integration for watching videos during a meeting
• Screen sharing, Google Docs integration, and mobile support

Again, even with all of these great features, Whereby is as simple as it gets. It’s easy for anyone to use and figure out, regardless of their technical skill level.

There’s a free forever plan for personal use that can host small meetings with up to four participants. Paid plans start at just $9.99 per month. 

#5 – RingCentral Review — Best All-in-One Communication Suite

If your business needs more than just video conferencing, look no further than RingCentral. Unlike other software options that accommodate personal use, RingCentral is built specifically for businesses.

They offer an all-in-one communication suite for integrated video meetings, phone calls, team messaging, file sharing, and task management.

The software is trusted by 400,000+ organizations across the globe, making it one of the most popular video conferencing solutions on the market today. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the features, benefits, and highlights of RingCentral:

• Enterprise-grade security and a 99.999% uptime SLA
• Easy to set up, deploy, add new users, and manage teams
• Works from any device
• Solutions for small businesses, enterprises, and everything in between
• Tools for remote work and remote customer service
• Cloud phone systems and contact centers
• Solutions for managed service providers

RingCentral even has industry-specific solutions in categories like education, healthcare, retail, financial services, high tech, contact tracing, and more. 

Plans start at $19.99 per user per month. You can try RingCentral for free with a 15-day trial. 

#6 – GlobalMeet by PGI Review — Best For International Video Conferencing

GlobalMeet is another popular business communications platform. As the name implies, the software is built to accommodate international calls. 

They have 160+ points of presence in over 60 different countries. This allows for exceptional call quality, even with participants streaming video calls from different continents. 

Here are some other top reasons why I like and recommend GlobalMeet:

• They offer hardware solutions for complete video room integrations
• Join calls on the go through the mobile app
• Record your meetings and play them any time with cloud recording capability
• Single-click to join video calls from an intuitive user interface
• High definition video with simultaneous screen sharing functionality
• 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email in 12 languages

For organizations with an international presence, whether it be internally or with clients, GlobalMeet by PGI is the clear winner.

There’s a free plan for basic use, and paid plans start at $12 per user per month. 

Summary

What’s the best video conferencing software?

With so many options to consider, naming just one as my top pick isn’t very practical. It all depends on what you’re looking for. 

Regardless of your business size, industry, or video conferencing needs, you can find what you’re looking for using my methodology and recommendations listed in this guide. 

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