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Chances are, yours isn’t the only law firm in your town. Whether you live in a major metropolitan area or in a small suburb, you have competition from other attorneys who practice in roughly the same field as your own. And that, in a nutshell, is why law firms must focus on local search engine optimization (SEO).

Here’s the bottom line: When people in your area need a lawyer, they’re as likely as not to turn to Google to help find one. Google will provide a list of local law offices, and it’s from that list that the consumer will make their decision—not from the Yellow Pages or from Interstate billboards, but from the Google SERP.

It is, in a word, vital for you to be on that list. And that’s what local SEO is all about.

But what can law firms do to ensure strong local search visibility? That’s a big question, and ultimately an integrative digital marketing approach is recommended. We encourage you to call Driven2020 to learn more about what that might look like for your firm.

For now, here is a quick checklist—five things every firm should do to ensure strong local SEO presence.

Local SEO for Your Law Firm

Think in Terms of Keywords

How will locals be searching for law firms? What search terms will they be using? In a town with just a couple of law offices, it might be something general—like “best local law firm.” But if you need to stand out in a more cluttered field, something specific—“estate planning services” or “criminal defense lawyer,” for example—may be necessary. We recommend using the Google AdWords Keyword Planner to locate some good, relevant keywords; make a list of them, and use those to anchor the rest of your campaign. (You can start by working a few of these keywords into blog posts, your website’s FAQ page, etc.)

Start a Google My Business Page

It’s both free and easy to create a page on Google My Business. Make sure to fill it out with all your relevant contact information, including address and phone number with a local area code. Note that Google will also give you the chance to categorize your firm—for instance, Divorce Lawyer, or Immigration Attorney—and we recommend doing so.

Optimize Your Firm’s Website

Ensure that it has some keywords naturally incorporated throughout, and that your name, address, and phone number are listed all over the page—ideally on every page. Also use keywords in your meta description, and ensure that your written content is substantive and value-adding—not just a bunch of salesy gobbledygook.

Get Local Citations

Seek out mentions (and links) from the local Chamber of Commerce, from law-related directories, and any other local listing services. Make sure you provide consistent contact information!

Earn Good Reviews

Local reviews are critical, and in particular Google reviews. Seek positive feedback from your best, most faithful clients, and provide new clients with an easy way to leave you feedback. It is often wise to include a link to your Google reviews on the firm website, within your email signature, etc.

Develop a Plan for Local SEO

We hope this checklist is helpful, but remember that it’s not the same thing as a full-fledged plan. For that, we recommend you speak with an SEO expert at Driven2020. We can show you how to get real results—i.e. how to get your law firm discovered by the locals. Reach out to us today to learn more about local SEO for your law firm.

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There have been studies showing email marketing to offer higher ROI than any other digital platform. This may come as a surprise to those who think email has become a bit passé, but we’ll vouch for it: When done properly, email can be just as effective as social media or video marketing for boosting website traffic and brand loyalty.

You’ll notice a key qualifier there: when done properly. Sadly, a lot of business owners invest time and money into email, but never really see the payoff. This is because working email marketing effectively takes both strategy and follow-through, and there are many ways in which it can go wrong.

We’ll show you some of those wrong ways, in hopes of helping you avoid them and really get optimal value from your marketing emails.

Where Email Marketing Goes Wrong

1. Buying an email list. This is the quickest way to get your emails shuffled off into the Spam folder. If you want your email marketing to work, you’ve got to direct it at actual buyers from your target demographic, not just names on a list you bought.

2. Your emails aren’t mobile friendly. You’d be amazed how often marketing emails look bad on a mobile device, despite the fact that most recipients check their emails on mobile devices only. Using a professional email marketing platform can ensure mobile readiness.

3. Using clickbait subject lines. Your subject line should convey value and instill trust. Simply state what the user can expect to find in the email, and how he or she will benefit. There’s no need for used car salesman shtick.

4. Writing headlines that are too long. Honestly? Anything more than seven words or so is probably going to be a little much.

5. Not providing substance in the email itself. Your content should impart real value to the reader—whether that means educating, informing, or making a meaningful offer, such as a discount or promo code.

6. Emailing too often. Your email recipients don’t want to feel bombarded. There’s not necessarily a magic number here—some companies send emails weekly, others a couple of times a month, others just quarterly—but be mindful not to overwhelm or fatigue your recipients.

7. Emailing inconsistently. Along the same lines, avoid emailing 10 times in a week, then having radio silence for a month. Allow your readers to know roughly when they can expect emails from you. Have a schedule, and stick with it.

8. Omitting a CTA. Every email you send, just like every blog you post, should have a clear call to action, leading your reader through the sales journey.

9. Not sending a welcome message. When someone signs up to be part of your email marketing list, he or she wants to get some word of confirmation—so have a welcome letter all ready to go.

10. Not including a way to unsubscribe. While you obviously don’t want people to take their name off your email list, it is nevertheless important to let them know that they have a way out.

Get Email Marketing Right

There are clearly some potholes you’ll need to dodge, but if you do so, you can get serious value out of an email marketing campaign. And one of the best ways to avoid these blunders? Work with an experienced marketing company.

We’d love to help. Driven2020 takes a results-oriented approach to email marketing, and we’ll avoid the things that detract from your goals or objectives. Learn more about getting email marketing right by reaching out to the team at Driven2020.

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What makes a website successful on the Google search engine results page? Sadly, there is no single factor we can point to. On the contrary, Google’s search algorithms take into account a wide range of considerations, or ranking factors, which come with varying degrees of significance attached to them.

One such ranking factor is called RankBrain. It’s one of the important ones. In fact, Google has stated that RankBrain is among the top three most influential ranking factors! As such, SEO success depends on properly understanding what RankBrain is, and how you can use it advantageously. We’ll cover these points in this blog post.

What is RankBrain?

To begin with, let’s clarify the term. RankBrain is basically a robot. No, really. It’s a form of artificial intelligence, used by Google to process search queries and determine which pages are most relevant/reflective of the search intent. Basically, RankBrain represents Google’s efforts to leverage machine learning to provide search engine users with high-quality search results.

RankBrain’s function is to interpret the user’s query and determine exactly what sort of information they are looking for—and as such, appealing to RankBrain means creating content that will truly connect with search engine users and address their interests or concerns.

Content and RankBrain

As for practical SEO tips, what we recommend most basically is developing content that aids in RankBrain’s understanding. Some ways to do this include:

• Ensuring that all pieces of content have a clear purpose—a single message or aim, a reason why the content was created in the first place. If you cannot easily identify the purpose of your content, odds are RankBrain can’t, either.

• Producing content that offers a depth of information, including possible access to external websites and links that might further assist readers looking to deepen their understanding of the subject.

• Shifting your attention away from keyword focus and toward topic focus—that is, writing in clear, straightforward language to engage your audience and provide them with relevant, on-topic value.

Avoid This One Big RankBrain Mistake

Here we will make mention of the single biggest mistake that content marketers make when trying to appeal to RankBrain—and that is, well, writing for RankBrain. Remember that the whole purpose here is to provide users with relevant information—and if you write with them in mind, that’s really the best way to make sure RankBrain is on board, as well.

 

The Implications of RankBrain

 

There are a number of takeaways from all this, the first being simply this: It’s important to know your target audience. When you understand what they’re looking for—what their pain points are—you can not only speak to them more directly, but also create content that meets RankBrain’s threshold of focus and specificity. (Buyer personas are invaluable here.)

 

As you wonder how to make content that’s fully optimized for RankBrain, then, don’t get caught up in the nuts and bolts. Instead, ask yourself these questions: Who is your content for? And, why might it be of benefit to them? These are the questions that really matter as you shape your content to fit within Google’s AI paradigm.

 

Get Help with SEO

 

Of course, RankBrain remains just one factor among many—and juggling these different ranking signals is one of the most daunting aspects of SEO. But you don’t have to do it alone. Driven2020 is here to provide growth-driven marketing services, including site optimization.

 

We encourage you to learn more about our unique, no-nonsense approach to online marketing. Start a conversation with us. Reach out to Driven2020’s marketing experts right away.

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Most small business owners are aware that digital marketing matters, yet some are hesitant to embrace it. The reasons are many: Lack of resources, uncertainty over how to proceed, misgivings about how practically effective digital marketing can really be. The one we hear most often, though, is lack of time. Simply put, many small business owners avoid starting a blog or an Instagram page because they are concerned it will eat into their schedule too much.

This is one reason to outsource marketing to an agency like Driven2020, frankly. Even if you’re not yet ready to take that step, there are some smart ways to make your marketing efforts a little more efficient and impactful.

Save Time in Your Content Marketing

Here are a few of our top suggestions, in no particular order.

Always have a content plan. You’ll spin your wheels less—and be more confident and decisive in your marketing decisions—if you have an overarching content marketing plan. What are your goals? What metrics will you be looking at? How will you know when your marketing has been successful? Get all these things in writing, and use that plan to guide your efforts.

Have a good sense of your audience. Again, if you want to be committed and decisive, know the people you’re addressing through your content marketing. Buyer personas are invaluable here. Keep them up to date, and consult them often to remind yourself who you’re creating content for.

Don’t multitask. Study after study confirms that multitasking is counterproductive. Focus on one task—writing a blog, collecting articles for social media, responding to comments on Facebook—but don’t try to do all of them at once.

Keep a list of ideas handy. Using an app like Evernote, collect blog ideas any time and any place you encounter them. That way, when you sit down to pen new content, you won’t have to worry about writer’s block. You’ll have a topic all ready to go!

Outline. Before launching into a new blog post, write an outline, specifying the major points you want to make. This may seem like an added step, but it can actually save you time in the long run, minimizing the risk that you’ll have to retool a piece of content because you lose your way halfway through it.

Recycle old content. Always be mindful of old content that still has some life in it. Convert old blog posts into marketing emails or Facebook updates. Turn your website FAQ page into a blog post of its own. Consistently look for ways to reuse older ideas.

Use automation tools. Hootsuite and similar platforms will allow you to schedule a whole batch of social media updates in one sitting, preventing you from having to do it on the fly throughout the week. Use these tools to your advantage.

Don’t spread yourself too thin. Remember that your business doesn’t have to be active on every online platform, and in fact it’s usually smartest to narrow your focus to just a few. Think about both your goals and your audience, do some research, and determine which platforms will really help you complete your mission.

It’s OK to Ask for Help

You can be efficient in your content marketing time, but remember that a team like Driven2020 can take it off your plate altogether—providing you with demonstrable results along the way.

That’s what our growth-driven approach is all about. To learn more about partnering with us, contact Driven2020 today. We’d love to talk about how we can take over your marketing endeavors!

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Social media success isn’t defined purely by the number of fans, followers, or “likes” you have. While these numbers are not meaningless, neither are they definitive signs of a successful campaign. What really matters, in the end, is whether or not you’re moving the needle on your bottom line—that is, whether your social media efforts translate into paying customers, increased sales, and greater brand visibility.

To that end, we’d say that followers in and of themselves aren’t nearly as important as loyalty—and that’s something social media can generate, though it’s going to take a lot of effort.

Why Customer Loyalty Matters

Before we get to the how-to part of the blog, though, let’s pause to reflect on what loyalty really means for your business.

One reason to pursue brand loyalty is that it provides you with a level of protection against your competition. Remember that your customers have many options at their disposal, but loyalty to your brand keeps them from jumping ship.

Loyalty can also manifest as social media amplification; the loyal customer is going to be much more likely to trumpet your brand via Facebook and Twitter, to share your content, etc.

Fostering Loyalty Through Social Media

There are some significant benefits to developing loyalty through your social media marketing—but the question is how.


Here are a few of our top suggestions.

Focus on value. You’re not going to win anyone’s favor or trust simply by flogging your sales pitch over and over. Rather than advertising to your social media followers, make sure you’re engaging them with content that adds value to their life. Help them. Answer their questions. Educate them. Always ask, before posting content, what’s in it for our readers?

Be consistent. You’re not going to get very far in social media marketing if you only post to your Facebook page once a year, or if your Twitter activity is scattered and unpredictable. Use an editorial calendar to make sure you are sharing new content to each of your social media platforms on a regular basis.

Be social. This is social media we’re talking about, after all, so remember to not just talk at your followers. Talk with them, too. Respond to any questions or comments they leave. Make yourself available, and show that you are more than willing to engage with your customers and social media fans when they have issues arise.

Provide exclusives. Your Facebook followers should be able to get something that nobody else has access to, and likewise with your followers on other social media channels. Bonus content, exclusive features, or even special discounts for your social media followers can really go a long way!

Maintain your quality standards. Don’t share articles that are poorly written, and make sure your own posts are properly proofed. Even on social media, typos can cause your brand to look unprofessional, while links to shady websites will undermine your authority.

Stay on topic. To maintain the trust and loyalty of your customers, it’s imperative that you remain on-message. If someone follows your Twitter account to get information on small business accounting, you don’t want to start flooding your page with soccer scores or movie reviews. That can be truly off-putting to your followers.

Get Results Through Social Media Marketing

To learn more about the ways in which social media can actually generate bottom-line results for your brand, we encourage you to reach out to Driven2020 today. We’d love to walk you through our growth-centered approach. Connect with the integrated marketing professionals at Driven2020 at your next convenience!

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There is still some confusion about the relationship between content marketing and search engine optimization.

For instance, a lot of people still think of content marketing as something rather soft—something where the metrics are a  little fuzzy and difficult to quantify. Content marketing, it’s often believed, is all about establishing consumer trust and brand  loyalty, while search engine optimization (SEO) focuses on the harder metrics, like website traffic.Actually, the distinctions between these two disciplines are not nearly so well-defined, and content marketing is an increasingly vital tool for improving your website metrics. In fact, content marketing is a powerful way to augment your SEO endeavors, helping your website reach more people and snag higher rankings.

In other words, good content marketing can result in more website visitors, better brand loyalty, and a higher conversion rate—all of which are measurable, bottom-line goals.

The question is, how are we defining good content marketing? How can you ensure that your content helps improve your organic reach, supplementing and enhancing your SEO endeavors?

Creating Content to Improve Organic Reach

Here are a few tips.

Start with Compelling Headlines

Your content’s not going to have much of an impact at all if people don’t open it, read it, and share it. All of that starts with the headline. Your headline is where you entice people to tune into whatever you’re saying; make sure your headline is relevant to the actual content (no bait and switch), and that it conveys value. Readers should immediately have a sense of what they will learn from reading the article, and what actionable insights they’ll take away.

Use an Editorial Calendar

Content needs to be compelling, but it also needs to be consistent. A blog that’s updated once every nine months simply isn’t going to win you much favor from Google; regular, organized posts—each one addressing a new topic that is valuable and relevant to your target audience—are crucial. An editorial calendar can help you stay on top of things.

Write for Human Readers

There is always a temptation to overemphasize the role of Google search algorithms—to try to give the search bots what they want. Actually, what Google wants is for you to provide a relevant and useful search experience for the end user. In other words, the best way to win over Google is to write with humans in mind, and to offer them content you know will prove helpful.

Format Your Content Properly

Good content isn’t just about the words on the page. It’s also about how they are arranged. Make sure the content you produce is readable—and that means having plenty of white space, short paragraphs, bullet points/lists, section subheadings, images and video, and mobile optimization.

Stretch Your Content as Far as You Can

Finally, remember that the best way to maximize your content bang for buck is to reuse and recycle everything you create—sharing across social platforms and possibly even leveraging a good blog post for an e-book or a short video. When something clicks with your audience, then it becomes especially important to stretch it out.

Your Marketing Should Get Results

Remember: Your marketing should move the needle on your bottom-line sales—period. If it’s not doing that, you should rethink it—and we’d love to help you in doing so. Driven2020 is a marketing company that cuts the filler and the fluff and focuses solely on growth—and we’d love to apply that philosophy to your content creation. Learn more by reaching out to the digital marketing team at Driven2020 today.

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Are your PPC ads relevant?

That’s not a rhetorical question, and the answer isn’t subjective. Relevance is something Google AdWords measures and quantifies for all ads, and your adrelevance could have a real impact on your ads’ effectiveness.

What do we mean when we talk about adrelevance? Basically, it’s the connection between the keywords and the ad copy; the more tightly these things are aligned, the higher your adrelevance will be.

In this post, we’ll explain what makes adrelevance so important—and also what steps you can take to improve your own adrelevance scores.

Why AdRelevance Matters

A good way to think about relevance is this: If someone conducts a Google search, and your ad is displayed, would the ad make sense according to their search terms? Would it fit in? Or would it seem off-topic? That’s really what adrelevance is about—so as you can imagine, adrelevance isn’t just about appealing to Google. It’s also about ensuring a connection with the consumer.

Google does provide ratings for your adrelevance, using one of three categories to assess how relevant your ad is—average, above average, or below average. Average or above average ratings mean your ad is just fine; below average means there’s a problem you’ll want to deal with.

You want high adrelevance because it means you’ll really be able to capitalize on your ad traffic; below average relevance means your ad is likely to be deemed low-quality, which may mean that Google displays it less frequently. A low-quality ad will also come with a higher cost per click, so relevance can make your campaign much more cost-effective.

Why Are Ads Not Relevant?

There are a couple of things that tend to derail adrelevance. One is that the ad in question was created by someone who simply doesn’t have PPC experience, and doesn’t understand that the copy employed needs to be closely aligned with keywords.

The other big culprit? Ads being copied from one ad group to another, without them being tailored to the new keywords. Remember that each new ad group needs to be gone over with a fine-toothed comb, and fully customized to address the keywords in question. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work.

Tips for Improving PPC AdRelevance

With that said, there are a few steps that you can take to step up the relevance of your ads—among them:

• First and foremost, make sure the keywords you’re targeting are in the ad copy itself. Ideally, you should have them in the headline, the body text, and even in the display URL.
• Develop ad groups that are tightly themed. If you have 15 or 20 ads within a group, they should all hinge on the same basic product, service, or offer.
• Remember that your landing page matters, too. Google wants to know that your ad is going to take the users to an external site that’s truly on-topic, so your landing page should also use the keywords in question.

Make the Most of PPC

Your PPC campaign can be a significant way to boost website traffic and improve conversions—but only when it’s handled properly. And that includes making ads with high relevance scores.

We can help you with that. Driven2020 is all about marketing endeavors that get real results and improve your bottom line; we’d love to develop PPC ad copy that helps you convert. To start that process, or simply to learn more about integrated digital marketing, we invite you to contact Driven2020 today.

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Your business website is more than an online placeholder. It needs to draw in traffic, but it also needs to convert traffic into sales. Indeed, we like to say that a good business website is a 24/7 sales generator.

So how do you ensure that your website leads visitors closer to a purchase? A lot of it comes down to building trust. A new visitor may not know much about your company at all, so your website should convince them that your business is reputable and trustworthy; that you can deliver on your promises, and that you’ll treat them well.

Does your website accomplish this? Does it make it easy for visitors to trust you? As you think about this question, we’ll provide you with a few general pointers and considerations.

How to Build Trust Through Your Business Website

To instill trust, your website must be easy to use. If your website is difficult to navigate, or if people have a hard time locating the information they’re after, it makes your whole business come across as rather inept—or worse: like you’re trying to hide something. Conversely, a fluid and intuitive layout underscores that you are helpful and competent. By the way, having an intuitive and easy-to-use website demands that it be mobile optimized! Don’t forget this crucial step.

Be transparent about what your company stands for. An About Us page, a mission statement, clear descriptions of your products or services—these are all crucial elements of your written content. Be honest with people. Provide information that will help them to feel comfortable doing business with you. On a related note, we’ll say that team photos/bios can help humanize your company, making it seem relatable, not faceless or impersonal.

Offer trust signifiers. There are a lot of specific elements you can add to your website to help potential customers feel more confident in the products or services you provide. Some of the main ones to consider are:

• Links to your online reviews
• Testimonials/customer reviews
• Guarantee or warranty information
• Scores from the BBB or other pertinent organizations
• Awards and accolades your company has won

All of these elements make it easier for potential customers to trust you.

Develop thought leadership. Your website should be a platform for you to convey your knowledge and your professionalism—in short, to prove to your visitors that you know what you are doing. A blog is probably the best way to do so; provide regular industry updates, insights, tips, or how-tos that showcase your expertise. Show off a little bit!

Provide clear contact information. We’d recommend having full contact information on every page of your website. When companies make their contact information hard to find, it can come across like they’re hiding—and that’s obviously not going to build trust. Your customers want to know that they can always reach you with questions or with problems.

Focus on value and benefits. More than anything else, we’d recommend positioning your brand as a solution to your customers’ problems. Remember the guiding question for creating benefit-focused, value-driven content: What’s in it for your readers?

Do You Have a Website That Cultivates Trust?

At Driven2020, we build websites that get results—and that means building the kind of trust that leads to sales. If you’re ready for a website that speaks to your professionalism and your reputability, we’ve got you covered. Reach out to our team at Driven2020 today. Start a conversation with us about how to position your company for success. It all starts with the business website.

 

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Marketers no longer have the option of relying solely on the written word. In today’s marketing landscape, content must be dynamic and engaging—and video content is at the very top of the heap.

YouTube videos can be especially powerful ways to enhance your brand and connect with your audience. Just consider some of the stats: With a billion monthly users, YouTube is the second most popular of all social media platforms, eclipsed only by Facebook. Roughly 80 percent of individuals 18-49 watch YouTube videos at least monthly, while the average YouTube viewer spends an average of 40 minutes immersed in video content.

You can’t ignore the power of YouTube, but neither can you approach it haphazardly. In this post, we’re going to show you what all your YouTube videos are going to need in order to be truly effective. With this checklist, you’ll have a firm foundation for YouTube success.

Our Checklist for YouTube Success

Here are the components every effective YouTube video should have.

Branded intro footage. Even if it’s just a few seconds long, you need a way to tag each of your videos, allowing viewers to immediately know and recognize what they are seeing. This is crucial for making your videos truly feel unique to your brand.

A hook. Following that branded intro, you need to grab your viewers’ attention—and quick! Statistics find that it takes just 10 or 15 seconds for a viewer to turn off the video if it doesn’t strike their interest.

High-quality sound. Is the dialogue in your video intelligible? Is the music you play in the background enhancing, or distracting? A good video needs to look good, but it’s just as important for it to sound good. Clarity is key; if viewers have to strain to hear what you’re saying in your video, they’re likely to get frustrated and move on.

Brevity. Shorter is almost always better, especially since YouTube allows users to search for videos and filter their results by length. We’re not going to give you a specific timeframe here; we’ll just encourage you to keep things fairly straight to the point.

Actionable content. Your videos—like your blog posts and social media updates—should provide something of value to your viewers. They shouldn’t just be commercials; they should impart something meaningful, and allow the viewer to feel like he or she has learned something. Always ask yourself: What’s in it for your viewer?

A call to action. Calls to action aren’t just for written content. Your video, too, should exhort viewers to do something—whether that’s visiting your website, subscribing to your YouTube channel, calling your office, or purchasing a product.

Getting Started with YouTube Marketing

Now, you may notice one thing we didn’t say you needed—and that’s professional studio equipment. That’s because, generally speaking, it’s pretty easy to get a good-quality video from an iPhone. So long as you take the time to light the scene properly, and you record somewhere there won’t be sound interference, you shouldn’t need to invest a lot of money in Hollywood camera rigs.

With that said, you should invest in a sound strategy—beginning with the checklist offered here. Also consider how YouTube videos can be integrated to your broader marketing approach. That’s something Driven2020 can help you with.

Remember: We’re all about results. We don’t do things just to do them. We do things because we know they’ll improve your bottom line. We’d love to talk with you about a marketing plan that will actually move the sales needle for your brand. Contact us today!

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Content marketing is an invaluable way to promote your brand, establish thought leadership, and cultivate trust. Ultimately, content marketing can help move buyers through the sales funnel, ending in conversions. But content marketing does not always work. In fact, it’s possible to put time and money into your content marketing initiative and be left with little to show for it.

That doesn’t mean content marketing should be abandoned. It just means it should be approached with care. Below are a few warning signs that your content marketing approach isn’t working—and that perhaps it’s time to pause, regroup, and talk things over with the experienced marketing pros at Driven2020.

How to Tell Your Content Marketing Needs Reimagining

You Don’t Have a Strategy in Place

If you’ve already put a lot of time and money into content marketing but haven’t taken the time to formalize and document your strategy, well, that’s probably because you don’t have one. A spur-of-the-moment approach to content marketing probably won’t get results, though, so take this as an opportunity to put content marketing on hold and go back to the drawing board. Get a plan in place, then implement it.

You’ve Not Developed a Diverse Content Portfolio

Having a bunch of blog posts to fall back on is definitely helpful, but content marketing doesn’t only mean blogging. You should also have strong visual content, including both still images and videos. If your content creation efforts have been one-sided, you may want to rethink things, and to take a broader approach.

 You’re Not Seeing Meaningful Metrics

 Content marketing is sometimes regarded as sort of a soft, fuzzy thing—but actually, you should have hard numbers to back it up. The metrics that matter to you might be website traffic, email list opt-ins, or phone calls to your sales representatives. Something like a positive Facebook comment, while certainly nice, isn’t really as significant.

Now, you’re not going to see bottom-line results over night. Content marketing is a long-term commitment. But if you’ve been at it for a few months and haven’t noticed any uptick in your key metrics, that spells trouble.

You Don’t Have a Budget

You’re simply not going to find content marketing success if you aren’t willing to spend a few bucks on it. You’re certainly welcome to start small and grow from there—in fact, that’s something we recommend—but if you have no budget at all, you’re not really serious about content marketing. Again, it’s time to go back to square one.

You’re Doing Nothing to Promote your Content

 You can create the best content in the world, but if you don’t hustle to get it in front of readers/viewers, it’s not going to do you a bit of good. Hopefully, you have a strong content promotion strategy in place—but if not, well, that’s another sign that maybe you’re getting ahead of yourself. Take some time to consider how you can get eyeballs on your content.

Ready for a Sound Content Marketing Strategy?

If you’re ready to talk to the pros about content marketing, we’re ready to help. Here’s our pitch: We don’t like fluff. We only care about results. We want to help you develop a robust, integrative digital marketing plan that will actually get you more sales, as cost-effectively as possible.

If that sounds like the kind of content marketing approach you’re after, we invite you to connect with Driven2020 today. Contact us and let us know you’re ready for marketing efforts that really accomplish something.