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Google Girl
In Strategy

The Secrets of Marketing Revealed

Secrets of Marketing

The #1 Best Marketing Strategy of all Time

The #1 best marketing strategy of all time has not changed in the last 10 years.  It has not changed in the last 20 years.  Maybe even the last 50 years or more.

Whoa, stop the presses!  Digital is where it’s at.  Online is king.  Mentions, hits, website visitors and proof of performance is new lingo, of course marketing has changed.

Has it? The most successful companies, salespeople and marketers do the same things well today, as they did 50 years ago.

  1. They focus on people.
  2. They know their product.
  3. They know their brand’s place.
  4. Their price is based on their target market’s willingness to pay.
  5. They promote their industry first and their brand second.

Online Marketing Means More Options for Your Business

We were working with a client who was struggling with their marketing budget. To be frank, we were brought in to review the current activities and look for opportunities to reduce costs or improve performance.  In talking with the client, we found ourselves talking about the state of marketing nearly 20-years ago. A time when newspaper, radio and TV were the only advertising options.  Layout and design, or script writing, happened with the advertiser and a phone call was all that was needed to renew the ad from last year.  Buying an ad took a few minutes or a cup of coffee (and a smoke) at most.

Today marketers have dozens of mediums to choose from; sophisticated data to interpret and the ability, in many cases, to place their own ads and supply their own creative.  A single product or service may be advertised in 10 or more mediums, to achieve similar results.

Retail stores used to advertise sales in the newspaper and on radio. Today those same stores need to have the event promoted on Burbio to update Amazon Alexa and Google Home, place a Facebook and Instagram ad, develop content for their website, develop a campaign for advertising online and likely still run a radio ad.  That’s eight mediums for you numbers folks. The marketer who made a phone call to place an ad a few years ago now needs a sophisticated toolbox to reach their target audience.

Enter Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation means different things to different users. To a small business it means being able to manage multiple locations with ease and for a larger business it means in-depth reporting that can provide on-demand performance. It also means reducing the need for human intervention. An ad can be place for days, weeks and months at a time, with changes only needed when performance wanes. Blog posts and social media can be shared to multiple platforms at the same time. Landing pages can capture customer information, trigger bread crumbs to follow the customer on their web searches and enter contact information into sophisticated Customer Relationship Management programs.

Automation does not reduce marketing to a non-human activity; it allows us marketing-humans to maximize our time, challenge ourselves to constantly improve upon last months performance and strategically achieve business objectives.

This Where We Shine. Welcome Digital Marketing.

A sophisticated approach to marketing. We look at marketing from all angles. The data. The website. Social platforms. Customer mapping. High value customers and Highest value products and services. Syndication and website back links. Search engine results over time using reputation management, listings, reviews, social listening, website optimization and more

If the days of making a phone call to place an ad are gone, you might also be thinking, so to are the days of simplicity being the best marketing strategy. Yet, in talking with clients, customers and monitoring many trends, it seems the #1 best strategy continues to be:

  1. Know your people.
    • Your customers. Who are they? What do they like and dislike? Build a relationship with your customers. Focus on people, not the sale.
  2. Know your product.
    • The ins, the outs, the good, the bad. And know your competitors’ products.
  3. Know your brand’s place.
    • How does your product compare to others in the same category? Same marketplace?
    • Place also refers to where or how you sell your product. In a store, online, in the downtown area or in small neighbourhoods.
  4. Understand your value proposition and price.
    • What problem does your product solve for customers? Does your customer know this problem exists? Do they know a solution exists? Are you the luxury product or the entry-level product?
  5. Promote your product.
    • Expecting to bolster your product at the expense of another is a sign of a weak product. Bolster your industry first, and your product second.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
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 Adam Morrow 
 
 
 
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Very knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with. Would highly recommend
  
 
  
 
 
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 Ekta Dasadia 
 
 
 
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I recently completed a digital marketing course here, and I can’t recommend it enough! The courses are well-structured, and there's so much to learn. Barb is incredible – she’s always there to help, guiding you whenever you get stuck. It’s not just about the course material; she takes the time to sit with you and solve any issues you encounter. Beyond the learning, it's an amazing networking opportunity – you'll meet people from various industries, which really enhances the experience. It's a truly wonderful course and a great investment for anyone looking to excel in digital marketing!
  
 
  
 
 
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 Nancy Logan 
 
 
 
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I recently had the pleasure of using Above the Fold, and I couldn’t be happier. From start to finish, the experience was top-notch. Barb was prompt and professional She was incredibly responsive. She answered my questions quickly and handled everything with professionalism. The service that was provided exceeded my expectations. She went above and beyond to help me understand everything that she was doing, so I am able to handle everything on my own going forward. Thanks so much!
  
 
  
 
 
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Above the Fold was a great assistance and went above and beyond to ensure things were working better for my business. Really appreciate the extra mile that was put in.  Thank you!
  
 
  
 
 
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Top notch ! The best there is in this biz in my opinion.
  
 
  
 
 
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 Sharla Shaw 
 
 
 
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Barb and her team are wonderful. They go above and beyond for their clients and they are fantastic at what they do! You will not regret reaching out to them for your marketing needs!
  
 
  
 
 
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Above the Fold helped us during business start up with the Get Found Digital Marketing course. And throughout the first year with the First Page Club. Barb worked with us to create a successful marketing strategy and was available when we had questions. Our business has flourished with the help from the team. Great courses and business support!
  
 
  
 
 
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Highly recommended. They kept me clearly informed on everything they were working on during the duration of my project.
Google Girl
In Strategy

The Power of Customer Reviews in Attracting New Customers

We’re taught the opinion of others don’t matter.

This is true to a certain extent, but the opinion of others truly does matter when their opinion is about your business. More specifically, their opinion really matters when it’s written down as a review.

Customer reviews hold a lot of power. It’s the power of persuasion. Whether or not they’re supporting your business with their review, you can count on people reading it to help determine their own decisions.

Below is a full guide discussing the power of customer reviews. Make sure to keep reading if you want to raise awareness for your brand.

People Crave Consistency

When trying something new, such as a new restaurant or service, people want to be assured their experience will be consistent. It’s part of persuasion.

People are more easily persuaded to trust something if the results prove to be the same time and time again. You wouldn’t like a restaurant if it was a guessing game whether or not your burger would be good that night. You want to spend your money in a place where you know you’re always getting what you want.

Customer reviews reveal consistency. While there will always be the inevitable complaints from disgruntled customers, if the majority of your reviews are consistently good, people will give your business a shot!

One major part about getting consistently good reviews is consistently urging your customers to leave a review.

Reviews Convince Those Stuck on the Fence

Some people spend a large amount of time researching brands before investing in anything. It’s completely understandable because who wants to end up throwing money away? No one.

The only tricky part about reading hours worth of reviews is becoming stuck on the fence about what to do. Even if someone narrows down their decision to two options, they may still feel stuck on where to spend their money.

With more customer reviews, potential customers unsure of what to do will eventually take the leap and trust your brand.

More Customer Reviews, More Views

Shopping local is becoming more popular, but if you’re a new local business, it may be difficult to build your internet presence.

Luckily for you, the more reviews you receive, the more visible your business becomes in searches. As people leave you positive reviews, your name will start working its way up in the algorithm.

In addition to that, people quickly browsing through a local search may just be glancing at the star ratings. If they notice your business is close to 5 stars, they may quickly click over to your website.

People Start Talking

Whether it’s good or bad, exposure starts conversations. The opinions of customers will start conversations online and in-person.

If someone has a wonderful experience with your brand or business, they may tell their friends and family. They may explain to their friends why those chose your business in the first place and why they were impressed.

On the flip side, if someone had a terrible experience with your brand, you’ll notice a drop in customers. This should motivate you to always put your best foot forward.

Have you noticed a negative review or two on social media? Privately reach out to the unhappy customer and attempt to resolve the issue. Showing you care could clear the air.

Customers Like Feeling Heard

By being a brand that encourages customer reviews, people will view you as an honest company. People like knowing they can speak their minds and that their voices will be heard.

Open up that line of communication with people by asking for genuine reviews. Do your best to reply to as many as you can, and take the negativity with a grain of salt.

Tell people you’re thankful for each review, and let the unhappy customers know you’ll be privately reaching out to them soon. By replying, potential customers will see you care. They’ll be more likely to trust your brand.

How to Get Reviews

Now that you fully understand customer reviews can make or break your online success as a company, you might be wondering how exactly you get those reviews. All you have to do is ask.

If you have a physical location people can visit, make sure to create a sign to leave by the door or checkout area urging people to write a review. Create a QR code or provide a link they can follow.

Is your business fully online? No worries about this! On the checkout window, let customers know they can leave a review, or follow up with a survey email.

You might have trouble pushing people to leave a review so try creating incentives. Offer discounts or free small gifts for those who show proof of leaving a review. People love discounts and free items.

Highlight Reviews

Once you start receiving reviews, pick a few here and there to highlight on your website. You can place them in their own article, or you can ask the customers who left them if you can record a video testimonial.

You may see a strange competition starting to develop if you start picking customers to highlight on your site or social media. People may start leaving reviews in hopes they’ll be picked next.

If your shop has an Instagram or Twitter, you can easily share small snippets of peoples’ experiences by sharing their stories or retweeting their reviews. By having them tag you on social media, you’ll gain tons of exposure!

It’s Time to Start Pushing for Reviews

Customer reviews are extremely important in brand exposure. They persuade people to give your brand a shot, and they open up important conversations around your brand. It’s time to start pushing for customer reviews.

Asking customers to leave a review doesn’t have to be awkward. Create incentive programs or social media accounts they can tag in reviews. Highlight some of the ones you love.

If you’re wanting to take your business to the next level, check out the rest of your site. Don’t hesitate to chat with us and ask any questions you may have.

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Google Girl
In Google Business Profile

September 2017
Add “Posts”

Google My Business App

The latest updates on Google My Business.

This post is part of a continuing series of monthly updates on the #1 search tool used by ready-to-buy customers. For all the updates, or to see additional information, read Attract More Customers with Google My Business.

Google My Business Stands Out with “Posts.”

Are you familiar with Google My Business? Google My Business is one of the most powerful resources to find ready-to-buy customers. Take a few minutes to learn all about this free Listing service from Google or let’s just say that Google My Business is all kinds of awesome. For free.

In June 2017, Google announced that business owners could use their GMB Listing to also include a “Post.”  Whatchu talkin bout Willis?! (And if you’re old enough to understand that social meme, you’ll really appreciate this post!)

**Updated April 2018. Google My Business now includes the ability to add a ‘Description.’ Read more information here.**

A Direct Pipeline to Google

What good is a “Post” on a GMB Listing? Think of it this way…a direct pipeline to Google and free advertising!

GMB “Posts” allow business owners to publish content to their Listing to promote sales, coupons or communicate with customers and potential customers.  Here is a sample GMB Listing with a Post.

GMB Business ListingJazzes it up pretty good! If you have not yet taken advantage of this free opportunity, go ahead and give it a try today!

There are a couple things you should know before you get started.

  • Google My Business Posts expire one week after posting.  Be sure to keep fresh content posted.
  • You can add text, images, events, buttons and links to other web content.

Ready to get started?  Here’s how:

  1. Sign in to your Google My Business account here.
  2. If you have multiple locations, click Manage location for the correct location.
  3. Click Create post. Or click Posts from the menu.
  4. The “Create Post” screen will appear. Just enter the relevant information.
  5. Once you’ve created your post, click Preview. If it looks good, click Publish in the top right corner of the screen.

Working from Mobile? Click here for a more specific explanation direct from Google.

If you use an app to schedule your social media, you will want to consider an app that can post to GMB and all of your social channels. The app we recommend is called Social Marketing. The link will open a new window to the Above the Fold Marketing Store.

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Google Girl
In Websites

Updates to Your Website Meta Data

Empower a business owner to succeed and her community will thrive.

Teach a man (or woman!) to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.  This quote from 1885 holds true today; even in our world of technology.

Today, we would say, “Empower a business owner to succeed and her community will thrive.”

Google indicated late in the fall, search trends are changing. See below to understand how your business may be impacted.

  1. Consumers are searching for the “BEST” product and/or service within their search terms.  Sell coffee?  Consumers want the best coffee.  Sell cars?  Consumers want the best cars.  Sell insurance? Consumers want the best insurance product.  You get the idea.
  2. Near me. Consumers want to find businesses in close proximity to where they are when they search. Restaurant, clothing, service-based businesses. Everyone is impacted by the near-me search.

Consumers are searching for the “best” product and service in all search categories.  This trends towards consumers seeking the best, means business owners need to continue to put their “best” foot forward in promoting their products. No one person or business can be the “best” at everything.  Knowing your customer and knowing your products or services is key to being able to engage with your customers.

“Near Me” Searches

Business owners can ensure their business is included in search results for “near me” by keeping business listings up-to-date, and creating as many listing as they can manually sync. Alternatively, there are a variety of listing sync services available. These services keep 100’s of listing sites up-to-date with the most current hours, address, sales, menus, services and specials. If “near me” is a relevant search for your business, a listing sync service can save you hundreds of hours throughout the year. Watch this quick video to learn more about how listing sync works.

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Google Girl
In Get Found

Shopping Local is Where It’s At

Shopping Local is Where Its At

Find Everything You Need. Save Money. Shop Local.

[Updated Mar 21/20] All links below open in a new window. Please allow popups for our site.

What Can We Help You with Today?

The world is in the midst of COVID-19. Businesses are closed. Retailers are struggling. The world as we know it is changing at lightening speed. As a small business we are doing everything we can to support clients, knowing at the end of this crisis many clients will leave, cancel or put services on hold, simply because their own businesses have strunk beyond recognition.

While we alone can’t do enough to keep every business thriving, we can do our small part to help each of these businesses get found online. There are so many deserving local business who need support at this time. If you want or need any of these services, please consider supporting one of these businesses.

Get Your House or Business Spick & Span!

Cleaning with Class is one of Regina’s oldest and most trustworthy residential and commercial cleaning services. They regularly take precautions to minimize the likelihood that cross-contamination occurs including fresh rags for every room/surface (most companies only use fresh rags in each house), spray with disinfectant cleaning products to kill household germs and wash before entering and exiting your home. All of their staff are bonded and many staff are long term employees ~ being with the company since the beginning, nearly 18 years ago.

Need a Hand Communicating with Customers?

Communicating with your customers during times of uncertainty is hard. What to say and what not to say; finding just the right words. Tiffany Wolfe, a member of our virtual team, can help you write those words to be clear, concise and correct at any time. Whether a few social media posts or significant communication materials, she can help. Contact her here.

Bookmark Travel and Events for Later

The travel industry is being hit especially hard by COVID-19. One of our past guests on the Secret Life of Entrepreneurs, Anne Gibbons from Gibbons Travel, is watching her livelihood disappear. Travel is not allowed at this time, unless travellers are returning home to Canada. When the restrictions are lifted, and the bans removed, consider talking to Anne about domestic, international or warm-weather destinations. ⛱️

Events are not top of mind right now, unless you are a professional event planner, like Eleven Events. If you’ve attended an event by Eleven Events, you know the calibre of show produced.

Dress Up, Dress Down, Dress Comfy

Speaking of warmer weather, this lock-down before spring still seems to require an extra sweater or two. Maybe it’s the stress, maybe it’s the temperature, but one of my favourite “warm me up” sweaters is a 3/4 length turtleneck sweater I bought from Amaranth Designs. A local women’s fashion designer, Rea makes comfortable clothes that fit and flatter real women. 🥶

[July 2017] Out and about this week and I realized how much I rely on our local retailers.

Co-working and #GetShitDone

As a virtual employer, we have an office located downtown at Queen City Collective, but spend the majority of our time with clients onsite or working virtually, as a team and with clients. One of the businesses we rely on to #GetShitDone is BLG Business Solutions, another virtual business working with entrepreneurs to solve their tech woes. Co-working with these businesses means lower overhead, greater efficiencies and improved service for clients. Co-marketing is new to Canada and Saskatchewan, but it is a huge operating model in the US. Co-marketing, for clients, means experience you can trust at rates you can afford. 👍🏼

As a small business we rely extensively on the service of other small businesses for insurance with Prairie Benefits, real estate with Terrie Dunand and legal advice from KMP Law. We are also members of the Better Business Bureau of Sask, the Regina Chamber of Commerce and BarterPay, a national network of businesses trading products and services. If you are not a member, I highly recommend them! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Get a Sweat on then Get in My Belly

Early in the week I stopped in at Lakeview Fine Foods.  If you haven’t had a chance to visit them, I strongly suggest you do.  You’ll see the same staff day after day, they know their products and they know their customers.  In grocery, that seldom happens anymore.  My favourite story about the staff, the butcher in particular, happened a few weeks ago.  I was buying chicken thighs and asked how long I needed to cook them.  I was just drawing a blank; I couldn’t remember if thighs were like ribs and needed to boil first, or if I could just quickly cook them.  The butcher’s response was, as straightforward and dry as could be, “Until they’re done.”  Then he realized I might take offense to his response and quickly checked my response.  I chuckled pretty good.  I think he was a little relieved.  wink wink  Good place.  Great folks.  Check them out.

I also dropped into Opex Fitness Regina more than a few times to work with my coach Luke Rossmo.  I really enjoy the environment at Opex and am always surprised how hard I work on my own versus the competition of someone else doing the exact same work.  For the most part I am seeing slow steady progress.  Keyword: progress.  All good. It’s amazing how many online supports exist for those that don’t want the gym environment. Health Coach Cheryl has a Simple Swaps program to teach folks how to eat healthier, more simply. Nadine Howard has Healthier Lifestyles, where she takes you back to the basics of a simple, healthy nutrition plan and Robyn Michon has Robyn Michon Coaching, helping you create better relationships with your partner. From physical health to mental health, we can all use a little extra support.

Once I got my workout done and my groceries in hand, I still had a few minutes to spare so popped into Brewed Awakening for my favourite latte (non-fat, decaf ~ it was the middle of the afternoon. 😃) and Springer & Oake to grab some delightful, locally-made soap and lip balm (favourite flavour is root beer!).

Planning on heading out to shop today? #ShopLocal

Complete transparency disclaimer.  When I wrote the original blog post, none of the businesses mentioned were clients. Today, some are, or were clients; however, that does not change my support of these local businesses. These are my real thoughts.  Those who know me, know I don’t BS well.  I’m a straight shooter.  

Check these places out, and if not these local businesses, find your own local favourites.

Have a great week!

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Google Girl
In Strategy

The Importance of Branding For Local Business

The Importance of Branding

Branding Helps Your Business Grow from the Ground Up.

There’s an age-old debate about marketing… is it an art or a science?

At Above the Fold, we appreciate both the art side and the science side of marketing. However, we really focus on the science side of things to help our clients’ businesses grow. Marketing in this day and age has so many different components to it, and while it is important to keep both sides of marketing in mind, we find that using numbers and technical strategies really take businesses to the next level.

Marketing is Largely Driven by the Science

Interestingly, there are many aspects of marketing that people associate with the art side of marketing, that in fact, are largely driven by the science side of things. Let’s take branding and brand personality for example.

Branding or brand personality are terms that are thrown around a lot in the marketing world, but they basically refer to the consistent characteristics that are associated with a business. They are developed through all the things that potential customers see related to your business, for example, your logo, your social media, your website and your e-mails. Of course, all of these things have visual components that are immensely important with regards to brand development, but how you can use these tools as strategies to take your business to the next level is often overlooked. At Above the Fold, for example, we build e-campaigns, optimize social media usage, track visitors and interpret data about websites, monitor conversions from a variety of sources and more. All these approaches work with the technical side of marketing, but do wonders to develop businesses’ brands.

Branding is More than a ‘Nice to Do’

Why are branding and brand personality so important for your businesses. People often think that branding is a “nice to do” marketing strategy, but that it doesn’t actually do much other than look visually appealing. In fact, effective branding can actually help grow your business and make money. What’s not to love? Some of the best things that branding can do for businesses are making them more recognizable, and allowing potential customers to relate to them directly. This is especially important for local and small businesses trying to grow, as customers are more likely to engage with a business that they relate to. This goes along with the same logic as buying clothing, for example. If we look into a shop window, see an item of clothing and think “hey! That looks like something I would wear…” we are WAY more likely to buy that piece of clothing than if we had thought “hmm… not really my style.” We like to see a reflection of ourselves in the things that we buy. Basically, the better branding or brand personality a business has, the more it can relate to the correct consumer, establish its place in the market, and turn leads into paying customers.

This is all part of what we do at Above the Fold. We understand that all our clients have unique brands and goals for their businesses. Our process includes discussing the specific goals clients have for their businesses and then developing specific and dynamic strategies to achieve those goals together. We report results to you on a monthly basis in order to identify where progress is being made, and what adjustments or fine-tuning is needed.

We value open communication and commit to working with our clients every step of the way. We are also aware that goals and priorities shift as businesses grow, and we are constantly adapting our approaches and strategies as brands continue to mature.

Ultimately, our goal is to see your business ‘above the fold!’

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Google Girl
In Strategy

We’re Live! We’re Local! We Work with You from the Ground Up!

We're Live. Were Local.

Where It All Began

Back in 2015, we were on a summer road trip, when my husband and I got talking; you know those blue sky conversations that start with What if?  What if we won the lottery?  What if we had our own business(es)?  What if…  He has his dream (and it’s his to share) and I had mine.  At the time the technology did not exist to execute mine; at least not in an effective way.

Technology caught up and it’s now or never.  Above the Fold was conceived in the front seat of a hot car on a summer road trip and born July 4th this year.  It’s now live to you and growing like a crazy out of control teenager!

We aim to achieve one thing, more than anything else.  Make online simple for local businesses.

Chain stores have teams of people to manage listings, reviews, social media and websites.  How are local businesses to compete?  We believe the answer is Above the Fold.  We have the experience, the technology and the partners to help local businesses succeed.  We make it simple to manage your online world including your Listings and Customer Reviews, Social Media and Blogs and manage or develop a website including optimizing your search engine terms and targeting ads to your website visitors.  We promise not to talk techie, and we will support you with SMART Marketing services (IE we come to your business to plan and execute your full marketing strategy) when needed.

We bring more than 20 years of marketing, communications, sales, local business, retail and customer service experience to the table.  We work with an award-winning team of planners, designers, writers, strategists and local experts who want to see your business thrive.

Give us a try today!  Our free online assessment is open to all local businesses, regardless of size or location. Don’t pass up this opportunity to see your business through your customer’s eyes.  Complete the contact form here and we will contact you shortly with the results.

Stay tuned, we’ve got some exciting plans ahead.  Watch as we move local businesses above the fold on Google, Bing and Yahoo!

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