How To Optimise Each Page On Your Website

Almost every business has a website today and all of them are competing for attention online. This means business owners can’t afford to compromise on the quality of their platform and must make sure every page is of good quality.

If all the pages are optimised, you’ll see a significant improvement in the user experience as well as your search engine rankings. There are several factors involved in web page optimisation such as:

1. Mobile-Friendly Pages

Mobile search traffic has far surpassed desktop search traffic, which means a majority of your visitors come from a mobile platform. You need to make sure your website is mobile-friendly and this can be done by using a responsive website. Make sure every page is light-weight and loads quickly. All the links and menus should be easy to access on the smaller screen to ensure the best results. Google provides an accurate tool to help you test the mobile-friendliness of your site.

2. Fix All Broken Links

Many website owners find it too tedious to browse through their website links and find broken links. However, ignoring broken links can have two big consequences; it can compromise a search bot’s ability to crawl your website and it can hamper user experience. Both of these factors will have an impact on your website’s search engine ranking. Make sure all broken links on the page are fixed or add redirects if needed.

3. Fix Duplicate Meta Tags

Duplicate meta tags can send the wrong signals to the search engine algorithm, which can have an impact on the ranking. Google requires all Meta tags and page titles to be as unique as possible. It is important to identify any duplicate Meta tag connected to your page and replace it. There are several tools available online to help you fix the issue, including Yoast SEO.

4. Security

 

Google considers SSL certification a ranking factor and will rank HTTPS websites higher than regular sites. Websites without this certification are marked as not secure in Chrome, which can have an impact on your reputation.

These small optimisations can improve the website’s performance and ensure visitors have a good overall experience with it.

How to Install Yoast SEO (WordPress Users Only)

SEO is one of the most important modern marketing strategies available today. It can help your website rank high on search engine results pages. Yoast SEO is the most popular SEO plugin on the WordPress platform and can help your website shine. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to install it on Wordpress.

1. Log Into Your WordPress Website

The first step is to log onto your WordPress website with administrator access. This will work best if you have the most up-to-date version of the site because the plugin is updated regularly as well.

2. Search for the Yoast SEO Plugin

When you log in, you'll be taken to the website dashboard. There should be a Plugins menu on the left-hand side of the screen and there’s an Add New button on it. Click on the button and type in Yoast SEO in the Add Plugins dialogue box.

3. Install the Plugin

The first result should be the official Yoast SEO plugin. Click on the Install Now button on that plugin and let it download fully. Once the download is complete, the software will prompt you to activate the plugin. Once activated, Yoast SEO is ready for use.

4. Configure

To get the best results from Yoast SEO, you need to properly configure it. The plugin is on the global settings and isn’t personalised to your website. On the left side of the page, you will find a menu under “SEO.” It is important to adjust all of the settings mentioned in the menu according to your requirements.

You will have SEO General, Search Appearance, SEO Social, Tools, and Search Console settings. Connect Yoast to Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Bing Webmasters Tools to utilise its full potential.

If you like Yoast and want to explore all of its features, try out the premium plugin. It can be downloaded from the download section on My Yoast. This is a feature-rich plugin that can be a great marketing investment.

How to Set Up Bing Webmaster Tools

Google might enjoy enduring dominance in the search engine field, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore other search platforms. Placing all your eggs in one basket is never a good business strategy. That’s why many business owners are encouraged to set up their website in Bing as well. Here’s a brief look at how you can do that:

1. Create a Microsoft Account

Just like you need a Google account to use Google Analytics, you need a Microsoft account to use Bing Webmaster Tools. The registration won’t take much time but it is a good idea to make sure the account is related to your business and is not personal.

2. Add Your Site

Once you have logged in, you’ll find the ‘Add a Site’ button on the page. Copy and paste your website URL to the field. Make sure the site URL is accurate because you might have to repeat the entire process.

3. Enter the Sitemap

If you have never connected your website to Bing and don’t know much about its user data, just choose the default option and upload the sitemap to the page. If you have data regarding the highest traffic times on your platform, enter that information into the form. You can click add to submit all of the data to Webmasters Tools

4. Verify Ownership

Once you have uploaded the information, Bing needs you to verify ownership of the website before it can start tracking it. This can be done in three ways; you can download and upload the BingSiteAuth.xml file, you can add a meta tag with authentication code into your website’s default page, or add the CNAME record to your DNS file.

5. Submit URLs for Indexing

This is a slightly time-consuming process but it is a good idea to get it done as soon as possible. Bing only allows 10 URL submissions a day and 50 per month so if you have more than 50 pages on your website, this can take time.

Once this is done, your Bing Webmasters tools are up and running. You can then set up deep links or use Yoast SEO to improve rankings on the Bing SERP.

How To Create An SEO Blog

So, everyone is talking about it, but you still have no idea what an SEO blog actually is? SEO is still one of the most effective digital marketing techniques. Creating an SEO-focused blog can be quite challenging because it requires going beyond the content. Here are some tips that can help you with the process:

Make Sure Your Website is Optimised

Your website structure should be optimised to ensure it is search engine friendly. This lays down a good foundation for your future marketing campaigns. Website optimisation involves several steps, including:

Mobile-Friendly Websites

Websites need to be mobile-friendly in order to rank high. Google switched to the Mobile-first index last year and ranks websites based on their mobile performance. If your site performs well on this platform, it is more SEO-friendly. You can test your website’s mobile friendliness and make decisions based on that.

Loading Speed

Modern consumers are impatient and favour websites that load quickly on all platforms. In fact, a Google survey shows that they are prone to abandoning websites that take more than 3 seconds to load. That’s why checking site speed and optimising it is important.

Technical Optimisation

Technical optimisation includes things like fixing broken links, identifying and fixing duplicate Meta tags, and identifying crawl errors. You also need to make sure the website is secure with HTTPS. Websites without them are clearly marked as ‘not secure’ by Google in Chrome.

A well-optimised website will help you reach your audience and rank high on the search engine results pages.

Optimising Content

SEO Content

Make sure you have long-form content with more than 1,000 words. Google requires at least 300 words per page to properly index a website. If the piece is short and doesn’t provide any real value, Google will look at it as thin content.

SEO Images

You also need to optimise your images to ensure they look great on all platforms and don’t hamper website performance. It is possible to reduce file size without cropping the picture and compromising its quality.

A great SEO blog can help bring in organic traffic and establish a good reputation in your industry for your brand.

How to Set Up Keyword Research Checklist

Keywords are the bait that draws the search engine’s attention and helps bring in traffic. Business owners and marketers need to regularly upgrade their keywords list and ensure they’re using the right phrases in their campaigns.

It helps to have a consistent process to ensure you always get good-quality keywords. Instead of just looking at tools like Google Keyword Planner, investigate further and try to reach user intent. Here’s a checklist to help you find the best options:

1. Don’t Discard The Keyword Planner Entirely

The Google Keyword Planner isn’t the most comprehensive tool but that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. It provides a list of words that is directly related to your search phrase and provides data on these keywords. You can collect the words and use them sparingly in your content; just keep in mind that these keywords need to be relevant to your interests.

2. Buyer Personas

User intent is the most important factor during keyword research these days. That’s because Google has switched to Machine Learning and AI search algorithms. The search engine no longer matches the search phrases exactly with the keywords in website content; it looks much deeper.

If you want to reach user intent, you need to understand your buyers and that can be done by creating buyer personas. List down the gender, age, location, hobbies and interests, income, pain points, and other such important characteristics of your ideal buyer to create a persona.

3. Look at Forums

Your industry’s forums are a great source of information and keywords. Just type the primary keyword and forums in your Google search bar to find a treasure trove of niche topics and related keywords. This is likely to draw a large number of audiences to your website because people are actively interested in it.

4. Social Media

Question and answer platforms like Reddit and Quora are also a great place to find niche topics and related keywords. You can find the questions your target audiences are actively interested in and create a keyword list accordingly.

After you do that, it is all a matter of finding long-tail and specific keywords to ensure you get the right traffic. 

How to Identify Crawl Errors and Improve Your SEO

All web pages need to be indexed in order to show up on the search engine results pages. Their position on the SERP is determined by their quality, which is decided by search engine crawlers. These crawlers move through your website and analyse its structure, linking, speed, content, and other such factors. If the bots can’t crawl your website effectively, they won’t be able to rank it. Google will send an HTTP code error to users if their bots aren’t successful. Here’s a look at how you can identify crawl errors:

1. Look at The Reports

There are two kinds of reports to look into in order to find all the crawl errors in the website. The site error report shows errors that occurred in the past 90 days that prevent Google’s bot from accessing the whole website. The URL error report indicates specific errors that prevented Google bots from trying to crawl specific pages on the desktop or mobile versions of your website.

2. Different Types of Site Errors

If your website is functioning well, the Site Error page shouldn’t show any errors. The report will have three error types; DNS, Server Connectivity, and robots.txt. If all is well, they will have green checkmarks. If there are errors, you need to click on the errors to get a more in-depth report. High error rates of 100% in any category shows that there’s something fundamentally wrong with your website. An error rate of less than 100% is an indication of temporary errors or overloads.

3. Different Types of URL Errors

URL error reports don’t often need urgent attention. Some errors mentioned can be ignored but be sure to keep an eye on the page. Google will rank the most important concerns at the top of the page for your immediate concern. The types of errors include Not Found errors, old URLs in the Sitemap, and long redirect sequences.

Once you have resolved the errors, you need to mark them as finished to ensure they disappear from the list. This can help you manage the errors better and help Google crawl better as well.

How to Find Solid Keywords in Google Keyword Planner

Keyword research is an important aspect of running any marketing campaign. It requires time, focus, experience, and knowledge of how SEO works. There are several tools available online to help marketers find the best keywords, but many of them have become obsolete. This is largely because search engines have evolved considerably and no longer match exact keywords to find the optimal results.

However, tools like Google Keyword Planner are still quite useful and can help you find the best keywords for your requirements. Here are some tips on how to find solid and attractive phrases for your campaigns:

1. Use The Most Relevant Primary Keyword

Most people don’t realize just how much of an impact primary keywords have on the results in the Keyword Planner. Make sure you use the most relevant and reliable keyword to search for other keywords in the tool. Precise keywords will lead to the most accurate results and some of these results might even touch on niche topics, which can help you focus on user intent.

2. Browse Through The List of Keywords

The primary phrase will generate a long list of related words and phrases in the Keyword Planner. Browse through all of these keywords and make a note of the ones that are most relevant to your business. This list isn’t final, but it can act as a starting point to your keyword research.

3. Look at the Data

Look deeper into every keyword and browse through the data provided by the Keyword Planner. You can see the number of impressions, clicks, popularity, big amount, and other such factors whenever you click on a particular keyword. The tool also provides information on bid amount and competition for the phrase. All of this information can help you find the most effective keywords to incorporate into campaigns.

Google Keyword Planner is a versatile tool that can be very helpful despite the focus on user intent. You just need to learn how to use the platform effectively to get the best results.

How To KEEP Your Social Media Followers!

Did you know Facebook has nearly 2 billion monthly active users? That is a lot of cute cat videos people!

Aside from being an addictive distraction from things you need to do, social media is a fertile hunting ground for all manner of marketers, advertisers, and business owners. And can you blame them? It’s a great way to establish connections with prospective customers and spread brand influence. But with all of our work to attract new followers, are we loosing our older followers in the process?

People on social media have very short attention spans but very long memories, so consistency is key. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you avoid common mistakes and ensure you keep from sending your followers running for the hills:

1. This is social media, not a sales media  

This may seem obvious from the name but the true purpose of social media is to be ‘social’ and connect with other users. Yet brands seem to forget that the only way to experience some measure of success is if they try to connect and establish a relationship with the audience instead of constantly selling. It’s time we realised that sales will come with better visibility and carefully planned marketing campaigns. Focus too much on sales and you’ll alienate people instead of drawing them in. Try to follow the 1-6 rule and make sure you team every promotional post with 6 pieces of content that are more casual, entertaining, and engaging.

2. Speak up

The most successful brands on social media have their own voice and personality that shines through and keeps audiences engaged. For example, some brands have a very humorous and sarcastic voice that fits modern sense of humour well. Others come across as knowledgeable and sophisticated, which benefits them as well. Without a good social media voice, it’s easy to become lost in the crowd and become invisible. A great voice and personality immediately grabs attention creating that killer first impression you’re aiming for.

3. Consistency is key

Like I said, people on social media have short attention spans, especially on highly mobile platforms like Twitter. You need to post things consistently and regularly in order to be present and keep the audiences engaged. If you post once in a blue moon, even a winning personality and voice won’t help you maintain traction. The brand will be exposed to new audiences every day so it’s important to maintain a good image and provide a consistent message. People will browse through the profile and research the company before they make their choice to follow you.  

4. Check twice and check again

Mistakes on social media can quickly turn into PR nightmares. All kinds of trolls will come out of the woodworks to mock you over small typos or rage at you for every perceived offence. It’s important to check, double check, and then check four more times for good measure just to ensure your message or content is grammatically sound, void of spelling mistakes, and not stepping on anyone’s toes.

5. Be the giver

People love freebies and the best way to find traction on social media is to give your audience a little somethin’, somethin’. This doesn’t always have to be discounts or rock bottom process, something as simple as games, challenges, and humorous tweets can keep them engaged. The purpose of your social media account should be to provide some tangible or intangible value to you tribe of followers.

Follow these steps and you’ll start to gain long term attention and adoration all over your social. In turn, you will be bringing in the cash. Creating long term loyalty is also about trusting that little gut of yours. So, right before you press go on that next post, just ask yourself – Would I want to see this?

How To Increase The Value Of Your Website Visitors

The best part about digital marketing is the numbers. With traditional media, we would send out our flyers and throw up our posters and just hope for the best, but in this day and age, we can track exactly where our efforts are getting us. 

In an earlier blog post I talked about How To Calculate The Value Of Website Visitors. The number we just came to in that post is really important. With that number (and I recommend testing it out over different time periods and sources), you understand exactly how much value you’ll bring to the company if you increase web visits by, say, 20%. 

But there’s some additional information you should be tracking if you want to improve that visitor value from $3.32 up to $4. Couple the increase in visits with the increase in value per visitor, and you’re talking about some serious profit. 

Here is how you can work on increasing the value of each visitor (now that you know the number):

Calculate the visit to lead conversion rate.

What percentage of your visitors become leads over a year?

FORMULA: Number of leads / Number of visitors (over the same period)

EXAMPLE: 11,375 / 325,000 = 3.5% visitor to lead conversion rate

Our example receives 3.5 leads for every 100 visitors to its website.

Calculate the lead to customer conversion rate.

What percentage of your leads turn into customers over a year? 

The next step in the funnel is to move leads to sales. This conversion rate tells you how well your team turns leads into customers. Try out some ways to improve your conversion rate, and stick with the ones that work. When your conversion rates go up, the value of each lead goes up, and so does the value of each visitor.

FORMULA: Number of customers / Number of leads (over the same period)

EXAMPLE: 200 / 11,375 = 1.75% lead to sale conversion rate

This means the example gains, on average, 1.75 customers for every 100 leads it receives through the website.

And one all-important note.

There is one important concept to keep in mind. You should be able to tie the new customers that came through during the year back to web leads directly. In saying that, I mean that these particular customers should have found you on Google, or a social network, or came directly to your website, etc. If they became a lead at a trade show or through a friend’s referral (both offline sources), they shouldn’t be included. Including those customers will overvalue each visitor since some of the end customers didn’t go through your website process. So, keep in mind if you can’t segment by source, most likely, your visitor value will be inflated.

How To Calculate The Value Of Website Visitors

Have you ever looked at Google Analytics and noticed a recent spike in website visitors? You say to yourself, “That’s good. That’s actually really good, right? Sweet.” That little internal monologue you had is probably the extent of it, though.

The reason the takeaways stop right there is that most companies don’t know how good that is. And specifically, how good it is in dollars. One of the most important part of running a business is knowing your numbers. So, if you and your numbers could join me for 10 mins, I will walk you through understanding the value of website visitors. 

To follow along with your numbers, you’ll need to pick an amount of time (like one year), and gather these numbers for that time span:

Visits
Leads
Sales
Average sale price
Average lifetime of a customer

1. Calculate the lifetime value of a customer (LTV).
If you sign a new customer, how much revenue will that generate for your company? You’ll need to factor in sale price, how often they repeat, and how long they hang around. Keep in mind that our formula below is a simple calculation that will give you the amount of revenue generated for the average lifetime of a customer (the end of the life being defined by the customer no longer using your services, not death).

FORMULA: Average sale price per period * Average lifetime of customer  = Lifetime value of a customer

EXAMPLE: $150 per month * 36 months = $5,400 LTV

In this example, the average sale price is $150 per month for an unlimited amount of users. An average customer sticks around for 36 months. Now, this number should change your mindset a bit: The example is no longer selling to a $150 customer, they’re selling to a $5,400 customer.

2. Calculate the total value of new customers.
How many new customers did you acquire over the year? In sticking with the one-year timeframe, we now need to dig up the number of new customers generated this year. From there, it’s simple:

FORMULA: Number of new customers * LTV = Total value of new customers

EXAMPLE: 200 * $5,400 = $1,080,000 new revenue generated

In this example we signed up 200 new clients during the year, they’ve created $1.08 million in new lifetime value. Now we’re talking.

3. Calculate the value of a website visitor.
How much is each website visitor worth from that pool of customers? Pull out the number of website visitors you received this year. Since we know the amount of new revenue we generated during this time period, we can easily solve for the value of website visitors:

FORMULA: New revenue generated / Number of website visitors = Value of each visitor

EXAMPLE: $1,080,000 / 325,000 = $3.32 visitor value

With 325,000 visits to the website during the full year, we now know that each visitor is worth $3.32 in revenue. Now that is good, just like I said at the beginning of the article, but it’s good in a numerical sense. 

Now that you have calculated how much a new visitor or lead is worth to you, you know how much you should be paying to get them there. Want to ensure your Facebook leads stay under your visitor value? Lets chat. 

Think you have been shadow banned on Instagram? Here is how to fix it!

Just when we thought Instagram had thrown enough curve balls our way in the last 12 months, along comes shadow banning. If you aren’t sure what shadow banning is, let me give you a quick run down. Shadow banning is basically when your photos don't show up in public hashtag searches. Your photos will be visible under hashtag searches to you and your followers, but anyone who doesn't follow you won't be able to find them. As you can imagine that forms a pretty big problem for people with smaller followings since hashtags are the primary way we get exposure.

Instagram has decided it would be too nice to share exactly HOW you get shadow banned but it is pretty easy to guess. In my professional opinion, shadowbans are based on your actions. The more “spammy” they are, the more likely you are to be banned.

When I say ‘spammy’ I mean everything from bots, to abusing Instagram’s daily and hourly limits. On top of this, it is widely believed that Instagram has flagged ‘spammy’ hashtags. Sometimes a hashtag as innocent as #beautyblogger can become overrun with inappropriate content such as nudity, spam or racially insensitive images. When this happens and Instagram takes notice, they either remove the hashtag completely or limit it’s usage. It seems that when you use one of these hashtags on your photo it can effectively “break” the rest of your hashtags and cause you to not rank for ANY of them.

Now, if you seem to have found yourself shadowbanned, here is how to fix it;

1.     Quit with the bots. I get the appeal of bots, I truly do. But believe me when I say they aren’t doing your account any good in the long run. Once you’ve deleted and logged out of any and all automation services, you need to check and see if any of them are still attached to your Instagram account. Do this by logging into instagram.com via desktop. Navigate to your feed by clicking the man icon in the top right, then click ‘Edit Your Profile’. From here click ‘Authorized Applications’ on the left and check for anything suspicious, or anything you don’t recognize. For anything you don’t recognize or aren’t certain are safe to use, revoke their access by clicking the big blue “Revoke Access” button. 

2.     Sort out your hashtag game. Go through all of the hashtags you use, one by one and make sure that none of them are limited by Instagram. If they have been limited you will either see nothing at all (the entire tag has been removed), or you’ll see just one page of images followed by a notice that states the tag has been hidden due to abuse. If you find any tags that fall into this category remove them from your hashtag set and make note of not using them in the future. Lastly, if you did find you were using a broken hashtag, go back through your old posts and remove the hashtag from those posts by either editing your caption and deleting the tag, or deleting the comment that contains your hashtags.

3.     Take a break – have a Kit Kat. This a last resort, but sometimes you just need to chill out for 48 hours and let your account reset. Once you have completed the above steps, set your alarm for two days time and avoid any engagement with your account. Break from posting, engaging or even logging in. After two days you can begin engaging with your audience again. But remember, it must be manual! Yes it will take more time and effort but manually engaging with people on Instagram is your best bet to staying clear of an Instagram Shadowban and it will also help you build relationships with your audience and potential customers.

4.     Give it a shot. My last tip is not proven, and isn’t talked about by many others in the industry, but I am almost certain it would do the trick. Switch back from a Business Account to a Personal Account. My theory lies behind the idea that Instagram is owned by Facebook and Facebook is known for limiting reach and engagement in order to force you into purchasing ads. It is pretty safe to assume that they may be clumping “business owners” into the shadowban club because we’re more likely to need the engagement. By switching back to a personal account you could potentially pull yourself away from their tricky ways.

How to Tackle the Life of a 'Digital Nomad' Like a Boss!

It is every freelancer's dream to jet off, laptop in hand and travel indefinitely. The issue is we spend most of our careers too afraid to take the leap. We worry that our clients will leave us, that the money will run out or that we are turning our backs on the business we built from the ground. In April this year, I decided I had had enough of my own excuses and booked a one-way flight to Europe and I haven't looked back. 

It all sounds very dreamy, but the fact is sometimes it is far from it. My back is constantly sore from lugging around a laptop, my photos always feature me on my phone or tapping away at the keyboard and the quest for solid WIFI has become one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. 

The positives of being a digital nomad are obvious, but I have learnt very quickly that the negatives can sometimes feel overwhelming. So, I want to lay down some of the key realisations and learnings that I have had over the last 3 months of travel, so hopefully, when you take the plunge, you can have more of the positive and less of the throw-your-laptop-at-a-wall moments. 

Location, location, location

Or should I say - WIFI, WIFI, WIFI. We are extremely lucky with our WIFI speeds in Australia, and boy did I take it for granted. If you are a planner, and you're pre booking hotels or AirBnbs, ASK. Have them guarantee a fast connection. If you are staying for a while, make sure you check the internet speed before you check in. Time is money, and if you're sitting in your room at 1 pm after waking up at 4 am, still waiting for a file to upload, you will crack. A quick way to check before you head over is to google 'fastest internet providers in *insert destination* and have your accommodation confirm which they use. 

Get with the times

Organising overseas meetings is tough, especially if you are changing time zones every few weeks. Download an app (I used Time Buddy) to help you keep a good grasp on the time at home. If you use Gmail, you can add another Timezone in Calendar, which can also be very helpful. 

Give yourself a weekend

I quickly became very mindful of when Australia went to sleep or left the office on a Friday. Friday morning to Sunday morning is now my 'weekend'. Don't get me wrong, I'm still working, but it's not about fielding emails, it's about catching up, which feels heavenly. Also, travelling is best done on these quiet days. When booking to move to my next destination, it would usually be on a Thursday after 11 am. Flights are cheap and it is safe for me to be offline for a couple of hours. 

Be prepared to wake up at 4 am 

Unfortunately, a working holiday will not include sleep ins. You need to be up when your clients are emailing, which is around 11 am Sydney time. I set my alarm for 4 am every day. I check my emails, reply to some and go back to sleep until 6 am. I am then up until 12 am most nights waiting for Sydney to come back online to approve work. Honestly, there isn't much time for sleep, and you need to be okay with that. 

Be okay with sacrifice

There have been countless days on this trip where I haven't had time to leave the house. I've sat in my AirBnb apartment, watching the London summer float by and have had to close the blinds to reduce the glare on my laptop screen. It can be heartbreaking, but it's all part of the game. To break your day up, find a local cafe with fast WIFI and head down for a coffee and sometime around the locals. You'll still be working, but will at least feel a little satisfied. 

Take a good bag for your laptop

I cannot stress this enough! A laptop is heavy and when combined with external chargers, mobile phones and everything else - that weight can do some serious damage to your back. Brands like Rapha do great business backpacks, and you're going to need the best. 

Pack a power board

You may think this is a silly idea, but it was an absolute lifesaver. With two laptops, a camera, three mobile phones (don't ask), and an external charger to charge - if I didn't have a power board by life would have been a sea of dying electronic devices. A power board also means you will only have to invest in one universal adapter. 

Be contactable! 

The very last thing I did before leaving AUS was to change the answering machine on my mobile to instruct people to email me instead. Once I got to Europe, I removed my sim and bought a 3 sim, as they let you use your data in all of Europe for no extra charge.  What they DON'T do, is let you hotspot overseas. So, ensure if you do leave the UK, you are staying somewhere with fast internet. Whatever means of contact you decide to go with, whether it is sharing your international number, or adding your clients on WhatsApp, make sure you let them all know individually, how to contact you and when. 

That is it on the travel tips front from me. If you are a digital nomad and have some tips of your own, feel free to comment below. I would love to hear them! 

How Workshops Can Transform Your Business

I remember the first time I ran a workshop. I didn't sleep the night before. I spent all day imagining all of the scenarios where I could be made to look like a fool. I even began to wonder how damaging it would really be for my business if I cancelled completely.  

Then when I sat across from this room full of expectant faces, I began to speak, and all of the preparation and years of experience came together to lead me to a standing ovation at the end of my 2-hour workshop/rant. 

For weeks afterwards, I received long-winded and sometimes emotional emails about how I had changed the lives of the same people who only the week before I had imagined would laugh at me as I stumbled over my words - crashing and burning. 

Since then, I have continued running workshops. In fact, only the other day I was part of a workshop at Kensington Collective, where attendees such as Daily Blooms got in contact to express their gratitude. Expressing that I was the first digital marketer that had 'truly resonated' with them. 

So, why do I think running workshops are important for your business? 

1. It is great for networking

A workshop is an amazing way to give your brand a face. Your brand has a story, and people invest in stories. Make those connections, gather those email addresses and grow from the like-minded individuals around you. 

2. It gives you a chance to show off your skills

You can send emails. You can cold call. You can even turn up to a potential client's office crying 'Hire me! I'm great!' But nothing sells to a client like a workshop (aka. Pitch) in a room full of people whispering, 'Oh wow! I never thought of it like that. Genius!' 

3. It's a confidence boost

Sorry, I really had to throw this one in, but it is true! Being a small business owner, you often forget why you got into this, and that is because you are bloody good at it! Blowing the minds of a room full of eager business owners is the exact thing you need to remind you that you know your shit. 

4. It forces you to do your research

This especially applies to anyone in the digital marketing industry. If you're standing in front of a room full of people who, let's face it, are more likely to judge you than listen, you need to really know what you're talking about. This means you need to stay up to date with all of the latest trends and changes in your industry. This could be seen as daunting, but it's really something you should be doing anyway, and this way you can really feel like your research has a purpose. 

The reasons for running workshops are endless. If you are a people person, who can work a room, you need to organise a workshop TODAY.  

Is Instagram Right For Your Business?

Are you ready to try Instagram for your business? Instagram could very well be the platform of your marketing dreams. But, running to it blindly could be a mistake. Use these following questions to figure out if Instagram is a good fit for your business.

Is your marketplace mobile? (Instagram is.)

First, you’ll need to understand the most important factor that differentiates Instagram from Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Unlike its social media brethren, all of Instagram’s 500 million users access the network on their mobile devices.

So, let’s think about mobile devices. They travel with users who are on the go. And these users tend to be younger than your Facebook fans who check their news feeds on their work computers. According to a recent GlobalWebIndex study, over seventy-five percent of Instagram users are under the age of 34. 

Does your ideal customer fall into this category?

Does your marketplace want your business on Instagram?

Once you’ve determined that your marketplace is most likely on Instagram, take a moment to assess if your customers engage with brands like yours on this social channel.

According to GrowEpic’s research on the top industries on Instagram, health and beauty, food and drink, and retail do exceptionally well on this platform. Through sharing photos and short videos, brands here are able to share celebrity news and “live better” tips for those who seek this type of bite-sized, on-the-go information.

Is your business miles away from these industries? If you are able to share compelling images, you still might benefit from putting your business on Instagram. 

Can you implement best practices on Instagram?

Many businesses on Instagram call the platform “the king of engagement.” These businesses don’t see amazing results by chance; they take the time to consider the mobile Instagram user. You should do the same. Here are just a few ways for you to get better engagement on Instagram.

Use simple images. Instagram isn’t The Louvre. Mobile users don’t have the time or inclination to step back and absorb what they’re seeing. So, post images that are easy to understand (and thus get a reaction to).

Promote engagement. If you’re able to catch your followers’ attention with images, take it to the next level. Ask them to engage with your posts. Asking for comments taps into your followers’ creativity, provides you with market feedback and makes those comment numbers rise.

Post on a consistent basis. Posts asking for comments should be part of a larger mix of images shared regularly with followers. According to one study of luxury (or “prestige”) brands, businesses on Instagram posted 6 times per week on average.

Don’t expect major web traffic. When studies speak of high engagement on Instagram, they are speaking primarily about likes and comments — not clickthroughs. That’s because a business on Instagram cannot include a clickable (or tappable) link in its posts. The bio is the only place that a business can use to direct followers to a website or mobile promotion with the touch of a finger.

Realistically, Instagram works for every brand. If you have a product to sell, and the imagery to sell it, you need to be on Instagram. 

Not sure where to start? Get in contact! 

How to Hack the Instagram Algorithm

Since Facebook purchased Instagram, the digital giant has been an absolute nightmare for digital marketers. Some say the biggest set back has been the Instagram algorithm. But get it right, and the algorithm can be your best friend, clearing out the competition. 

So, how can you use the algorithm to your favour? 

1. Hack your engagement

There are hundreds, if not thousands of accounts just like yours out there. All of them are just as interested in engagement as you are. Find accounts that are like yours and reach out. Make a group of like accounts and create an Instagram pod. Every time you update your profile, let the pod know. Together you can like and comment on every new post each other creates. Ensuring the comments are genuine and engaging, the algorithm will flag your post as popular and insert it into your followers' feeds. 

2. Post engaging content

Now, I know this seems like a no-brainer, but there is a little more to it. Have you ever noticed that your Facebook feed seems to be filled with the same people and pages, to the point where you completely miss the activities of some of your closest friends and favourite brands? This is because your feed is populated by the people and pages that you have more recently engaged with. The same now goes for Instagram. Post a highly engaging post, and anyone who likes or comments will see your posts for the following weeks.

3. Bring the likes to you

This is easily the most manual way to hack the algorithm, but it still works. If you allocate a period of your day to commenting and liking content on Instagram, then make sure it is right before you post. The engagement will prompt others to come back to your page and do the same, forcing your feeds engagement to spike. 

4. Get the right hashtags  

I could talk all day about hashtags. But in short, you really want to do your research. Choose a handful that relate to your particular image, and then ensure you have the most engaging and relevant hashtags for your industry. 

Now, these are my current hacks, but check back because I will keep this updated.