Slogans that Sell: What is a Slogan and How to Create One

Think about your favorite brands. Chances are, you can recall their slogans without even trying—whether it’s “I’m Lovin’ It” or “Just Do It.” These memorable phrases have a way of sticking with you, becoming part of a brand’s identity. While you can bet these big brands spent plenty of time and effort finding the right words, a great slogan is definitely within your reach. Even better, it doesn’t have to be world-famous to make a lasting impact on your audience.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about slogans—what they are, why they matter, and how to make a slogan that perfectly captures your business’s voice.

What is a Slogan?

A slogan is a short, memorable phrase that communicates the essence of your business. Think of it as the verbal logo for your brand—it quickly tells people what you’re about, what makes you unique, and what you offer.

Slogans often capture the feeling or benefit you want people to associate with your business. Whether it’s playful, inspiring, or direct, a slogan distills your brand identity into just a few impactful words. 

Why a Slogan Matters for Your Business

The Power of a Memorable Message

We bet you’ve heard of “Got Milk?” but did you know that this slogan actually helped change consumer behavior in a big way? The California Milk Processor Board was concerned about declining milk sales and how to make milk relevant to Americans again. The answer? A slogan. “Got Milk?” took a boring product and made it memorable—popular even. That’s the power of a strong slogan: it has the potential to shift perceptions and even drive action! 

While your slogan may not need to work that hard, it still serves key business goals by:

  • Making your brand stand out and be easily remembered
  • Building a connection with your audience by relating to their needs or emotions
  • Creating a cohesive brand identity across all marketing channels

What Makes a Good Slogan?

Crafting a good slogan is about more than just finding the right words—it’s about finding the right words that resonate with your audience and capture your brand’s essence. Here are some key elements of a great slogan:

  • Concise & Clear: Every word counts. A great slogan is short and to the point—no fluff, just impact. Example: Subway’s “Eat Fresh” says everything you need to know in just two words.
  • Memorable: A good slogan sticks in people’s minds. Using rhythm, rhyme, or even a clever play on words can make it more memorable. “Snap, Crackle, Pop” by Rice Krispies is catchy and fun to say, making it easy to remember.
  • Reflects Brand Voice: Your slogan should align with your brand’s tone and identity. Is your business playful, serious, bold, or nurturing? L’Oréal’s “Because You’re Worth It” perfectly embodies its empowering, beauty-forward brand voice.

How Long Should a Slogan Be?

One of the biggest challenges in creating a slogan is keeping it concise. It’s tempting to pack in as much information as possible, but the most memorable slogans are brief. So, how long should a slogan be? A good rule of thumb is to aim for 3-7 words. This range is usually long enough to convey your message but short enough to stay memorable.

The real goal is to say only what matters—no more, no less.

How to Make a Slogan

Wondering where to start in crafting your business slogan? Try this:

  1. Know Your Audience & Goals
    Before you start brainstorming, understand who you’re speaking to and what you want them to remember about your brand. Are you targeting families, athletes, or professionals? What message do you want to leave them with?
  2. Brainstorm with Keywords
    Write down a list of words or phrases related to your brand, product, or audience. Think about how you want people to feel when they hear your slogan—empowered, happy, excited?
  3. Keep It Simple & Direct
    The best slogans are clear and easy to understand. Focus on the core message you want to deliver, and avoid overcomplicating it. A simple phrase is easier to remember and share.
  4. Use Active Language
    Choose words that inspire action and emotion—strong verbs can make your slogan more dynamic. Words like “Discover,” “Create,” “Empower,” or “Transform” add energy and a sense of movement that engages your audience.
  5. Test & Refine
    Once you’ve narrowed down your options, test them out. Ask friends, family, or potential customers for their reactions. If it doesn’t resonate, don’t be afraid to make tweaks until it feels just right.

Quick Tips if You Get Stuck:

  • Use a twist on common sayings to connect quickly. “Have It Your Way” (Burger King)
  • Play with sounds and rhythm for memorability. “Zoom Zoom” (Mazda)
  • Tie in your business name for instant brand recognition. “Every Kiss Begins with Kay”
  • Spark emotion or imagery to make it relatable. “Finger Lickin’ Good” (KFC)
  • Prompt a question to spark curiosity. “What’s in Your Wallet?” (Capital One)
  • Motivate your audience to take action. “Save Money. Live Better.” (Walmart)
  • Highlight the benefit your business provides. “The Quicker Picker Upper” (Bounty)
  • Encourage your audience to see your product or industry differently: “Think Outside the Bun” (Taco Bell)
  • Challenge your audience with a playful dare to keep them engaged. Betcha Can’t Eat Just One” (Lay’s)

Think you know the most recognizable slogan in the U.S.?
Go ahead, take a guess.

If you thought of KFC’s “Finger Lickin’ Good,” you’re right! According to a study by Upwave, it tops the charts with an impressive 87.9% recognition rate.

Ready to Craft Your Perfect Slogan?

Sure, your business slogan might not reach “Finger Lickin’ Good” fame—but that doesn’t mean it can’t pack a punch.

If you’re feeling stuck or want some help finding just the right words, Curiosity Marketing Group is here for you. Let’s brainstorm and create a slogan that feels true to your brand.

10 Steps to Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media

In our digital world, personal branding on social media has become a vital tool for standing out in a crowded online landscape. Whether you’re a business professional, entrepreneur, or influencer, how you curate and present your online persona can significantly impact your success and opportunities.

Understanding the impact of personal branding and leveraging it effectively can open doors to new connections and career growth. Let’s explore personal branding and our ten steps to build and enhance your own personal brand, drawing insights from leading digital marketing experts.

What is Personal Branding?

Personal branding is the unique professional identity and coherent impression of an individual or business based on their goals, values, and strengths. It involves defining who you are, what you stand for, and how you wish to be perceived by your audience. A strong personal brand helps you stand out to your target audience, attract opportunities, and build a loyal following.

Why is Personal Branding Important?

A well-crafted personal brand differentiates you from others in your field and establishes credibility and trust. It can open doors to new opportunities, enhance your professional reputation, and provide a platform to share your expertise and insights. In essence, your personal brand is your digital reputation—it influences how others perceive you or your business and can significantly impact your career and business prospects.

Start with these essential steps to help you craft a standout online presence. From defining your brand identity to staying authentic, these strategies will guide you in creating a consistent and engaging digital footprint. Implementing these steps will not only enhance your visibility but also foster a deeper connection with your audience.

1. Define Your Brand Identity

Start by identifying your core values, passions, and unique attributes. This foundation will guide your online presence and ensure consistency across all your social media platforms. Clearly defining your brand identity helps in creating content that resonates with your audience and reflects your true self.

2. Choose the Right Platforms

Select social media platforms that align with your branding goals and target audience. LinkedIn is ideal for professional networking, while Instagram and TikTok are perfect for engaging visual content. Focusing on the right platforms ensures that your efforts reach the audience most likely to engage with your brand.

3. Create Consistent Content

Consistency is crucial in social media marketing. Develop a content strategy that aligns with your brand identity and maintains a regular posting schedule. Consistent content helps build brand recognition and keeps your audience engaged.

4. Optimize Your Profiles

Ensure your social media profiles are complete and optimized with high-quality images, compelling bios, and relevant keywords. Well-optimized profiles create a professional appearance and make it easier for your audience to find and connect with you.

5. Engage with Your Audience

Interaction is key to building your personal brand. Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and show appreciation for your followers’ support. Engaging with your audience fosters a sense of community and strengthens your brand’s relationship with its followers.

6. Leverage Influencers and Collaborations

Collaborate with influencers or industry peers who share your values and can help amplify your message. Partnerships and collaborations can extend your reach and introduce your personal brand to new, relevant audiences.

7. Monitor and Adjust

Use analytics tools to track your social media performance. Monitoring metrics such as engagement rates, follower growth, and content effectiveness allows you to refine your strategy and adapt to changing trends.

8. Build a Website

A website acts as the central hub for your online branding efforts. It consolidates your social media presence, showcases your work, and provides a professional platform for deeper engagement with your audience.

9. Share Your Expertise

Establish yourself as an authority by sharing valuable insights and expertise. Create blog posts, videos, or webinars that highlight your knowledge and skills. This not only enhances your credibility but also attracts a following interested in your area of expertise.

10. Stay Authentic

Authenticity is at the heart of effective personal branding. Be genuine in your interactions and content, allowing your true personality to shine through. Authenticity builds trust and helps form a meaningful connection with your audience.

Building a strong personal brand on social media is an ongoing process that requires dedication and strategy. By following these steps, you can create a compelling online presence that effectively represents who you are and opens doors to new opportunities.

Looking to streamline your personal branding journey? We have the solution—with our expertise and tailored services, we can help you navigate each step with ease. Whether you need assistance with strategy, content creation, or profile optimization, our team of professionals is dedicated to building your online presence and ensuring your brand stands out. We’ll be your partner in building a personal brand that truly reflects your unique strengths and aspirations.

Why Healthcare Marketing is Essential in 2024 (and Top Strategies to Thrive)

At one time, people might have looked through a phone book to find a doctor or asked family for recommendations. Today, 80% of patients research healthcare providers online before making an appointment. With the internet, it’s easy to browse options and learn more without having to call anyone or even leave the couch. If your practice doesn’t have a strong online presence, you are missing out on these potential patients. So how do you get there? That’s where healthcare marketing comes in.

What is Healthcare Marketing?

Healthcare marketing is about more than just promoting services—it’s about connecting with patients and guiding them through their healthcare journey. It involves a blend of strategies and tactics to attract, engage, and retain patients, ensuring they choose your practice over others. Here are some key components:

  • Managing Your Online Reputation
  • Being Findable
  • Building a Brand People Can Trust
  • Establishing Yourself as an Expert
  • Making Information Easy to Navigate
  • Attracting Potential Patients

By focusing on these components, healthcare providers can create a robust marketing strategy that not only attracts new patients but also builds lasting relationships with them.

Why Healthcare Marketing Matters

Increasing Competition

The healthcare industry is more competitive than ever. With numerous providers offering similar services, standing out from the crowd has become essential. Healthcare marketing helps you highlight what makes your practice unique, whether it’s advanced technology, specialized treatments, or exceptional patient care. By showcasing your strengths, you can attract more patients and stay ahead of the competition.

Changing Patient Expectations

Patients today are savvy consumers of healthcare information. They no longer rely solely on referrals; instead, they research, compare, and read reviews before making decisions. This shift means that healthcare providers must meet patients where they are—online. Effective healthcare marketing ensures that your practice appears in search results, offers engaging content, and provides the information patients need to make informed choices.

Building Trust and Credibility

Trust is the cornerstone of any patient-provider relationship. A well-crafted marketing strategy can help build and maintain this trust. By sharing success stories, patient testimonials, and expert advice, you can create a positive brand image that resonates with patients. This credibility not only attracts new patients but also fosters loyalty among existing ones, encouraging them to return and refer others.

Driving Patient Acquisition and Retention

Effective healthcare marketing directly impacts patient acquisition and retention. Through targeted campaigns, you can reach potential patients who are actively seeking the services you offer. Additionally, by maintaining an informative and engaging online presence, you can keep existing patients engaged and satisfied. This dual approach ensures a steady stream of new patients while keeping current patients loyal to your practice.

Top Healthcare Marketing Strategies

Branding: The Foundation of Your Healthcare Image

You might not think of branding in healthcare, but it’s an essential piece of the puzzle. Branding encompasses everything from your logo to your messaging, acting as your practice’s signature that patients recognize and trust.

Website Design & Development: Your 24/7 Digital Office:

In today’s digital age, having a well-designed website is non-negotiable. Your website serves as your 24/7 digital office, providing patients with easy access to information and services anytime, anywhere. It’s often the first impression potential patients have of your practice, so make it count with a professional and welcoming online presence.

Paid Advertising: Reaching the Right Patients at the Right Time

Connecting with new potential patients is essential for any healthcare marketing strategy. Paid advertising ensures your message reaches the right people at the right time and place. By targeting locations, demographics, and interests through platforms like Google Ads and social media ads, you can quickly and effectively increase your visibility and attract new patients.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Increasing Organic Visibility

Instead of reaching for a phone book, most people start their search for a healthcare provider online. Showing up at the top of search results gives you a huge advantage. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of enhancing your website to rank higher in search engine results. This strategy boosts your online visibility, bringing in more organic traffic over the long term.

Reputation Management: Safeguarding Your Practice’s Good Name

With a plethora of review sites to browse, potential patients are likely to check online reviews before choosing a healthcare provider. If your reviews aren’t looking great, they might pass you up for someone else. Don’t let that happen—effective reputation management can safeguard your practice’s good name.

Boost Your Practice with Expert Healthcare Marketing Strategies

We know that building a strong healthcare marketing strategy can feel overwhelming. There’s a lot to understand and even more to do, and as busy doctors and practice managers, finding the time can be nearly impossible. That’s where we come in.

At Curiosity Marketing Group, we excel in healthcare marketing because of our extensive experience. With that experience comes a deep understanding of the unique challenges you face, from keeping online review responses HIPAA compliant to managing patient expectations. We’ve been there and done that.To help you get started, we also offer resources tailored for healthcare marketing, like our ebook, “How to Build a Content Strategy for Your Healthcare Practice.” If you’re ready to elevate your practice, reach out for a free consultation, and let us help you create a winning plan

Behind the Scenes: Unveiling Our Graphic Design Process from Start to Finish

Graphic design, at first glance, might seem like just choosing the right fonts, a dash of color, and a neat doodle—easy, right? However, at Curiosity Marketing Group, it’s so much more than meets the eye. Dive a little deeper, and you’ll find that behind every polished design, there’s a backstory of brainstorming sessions, a pile of crumpled-up sketches, and countless iterations. It’s this rigorous exploration and refinement that ensures every logo, branded flier, or ad is just the right fit.

Curious about our design journey? Join us as we navigate from the spark of the initial project kickoff call to tweaking the final pixels until we’ve arrived at the finished piece. It’s a blend of art, research, experimentation, and, yes, plenty of caffeine.

1. Discovery and the Project Kickoff Call: Where Curiosity Takes the Lead

This isn’t just a meet-and-greet (although we love a good chat, too), but the moment our signature Curiosity gears up into full swing. It’s our discovery phase, the inception of our collaborative voyage, and while you can expect us to be all ears, we also come with a laundry list of important questions.

Why? Because understanding the heart of your brand is crucial. We want to know the passion, the purpose—the ‘why’ driving this project. What are your dreams for the final design? Do you envision it evoking a particular emotion or achieving a specific goal? Perhaps there are hurdles to navigate—required project specs, mandatory colors, or any unique challenges.

Unsure about the finer details? That’s okay! If you can point us to designs that make you say, “Ooh, I like that!” it gives us a great starting point.

So, when that kickoff call is scheduled, get ready to dive deep. We’re going to hit the ground running, gathering every puzzle piece and ensuring we craft a design that’s not just tailor-made for your needs but also drop-dead gorgeous.

2. Researching: Beyond the Looking Glass

Diving headfirst into design without proper reconnaissance? Not on our watch. Our research phase is a bit like a reconnaissance mission in the dynamic landscape of design. This is where we don our detective hats and scour the scene, observing what competitors in your field are concocting. What’s making waves? What seems passé? Where’s the whitespace no one’s tapped into yet?

Being aware of current and emerging trends is paramount. After all, we’re not just aiming for your design—be it a logo, ad, site, or flyer—to merely blend in with the crowd. Our sights are set higher. We aim to craft designs that aren’t just keeping pace with the times but are setting the pace. It’s about ensuring your design feels fresh off the press, bursting with uniqueness, and absolutely nails the brief.

Spread Examples
Table of Contents Example

3. Ideation: From Fleeting Thoughts to Tangible Sketches

At the heart of our sketching and ideation phase is the chase: the pursuit of every fleeting idea, each potential spark, ensuring they’re captured before they vanish into the ether. This dance of creativity is not just about the pixels and vectors. Oftentimes, the genesis of our best ideas finds its humble beginnings on the tangible—whether that’s a sketchpad, the back of a junk mail envelope, or even a hastily grabbed napkin during a coffee break.

During this phase, we embrace the wild side of creativity, letting ideas flow freely, uninhibited. There’s no room for critique or judgment just yet—it’s a sacred space where any and all concepts can take root. From the grandest of visions to the quirkiest of thoughts, everything is fair game.

After sifting through and selecting the top contenders of our sketches, we then scan these concepts. Depending on the project, we might share these sketches with you as a chance for you to weigh in and, perhaps, nudge the direction of our creativity. Because while we let our imaginations run wild, we’re always anchored by your vision and aspirations.

Paper with Logo Ideas
Sketches of Local Logo Evolution

4. Designing: Pixels, Vectors, and the Birth of Brilliance

The transition from sketch to screen is nothing short of transformative. Armed with an arsenal of top-tier design tools, we delve into this phase with gusto, converting hand-drawn concepts into precise digital renditions. While those initial scribbles carry the essence of an idea, our digital phase fleshes out the narrative, ensuring that the brand speaks, the story resonates, and connections with your audience are forged.

Especially when it comes to logos, we often keep things monochrome initially. Why? To ensure you’re captivated by the design’s structure and essence, not just its hue. By presenting you with a curated selection of black-and-white concepts, we offer a clearer view of the core design before diving into the colorful world of palettes.

Good News Bay Logo Evolution
Sunset Isle Logo Evolution

5. Introducing Color: Painting the Digital Canvas

There’s something undeniably enchanting about color. It wields the power to evoke emotions, leave lasting impressions, and even shape moods. As we embark on the color palette phase, our mission is twofold: to select shades and tints that not only enhance the design but also embody the core values and aspirations of your brand.

While we do delight in presenting multiple palette options and applications, each is crafted with intention. We consider every brief and every conversation we’ve had, ensuring that our palettes not only look fantastic but also resonate with your specific needs. So, if you’re seeking something soothing and organic or energetic and fun, rest assured that the palettes we present will hit that mark. It’s a careful blend of design prowess and attuned listening. Beyond mere aesthetics, our color choices aim to capture the soul and emotion of your brand because being pretty just doesn’t cut it.

Local Logo Evolution
Sunset Isle Logo Evolution

Design Revisions: Precision, Patience, and Perfection

Designing isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s an evolving process that gracefully bridges the gap between idea, execution, and client vision. The refining phase is where the art of patience truly comes to the fore. Every design, even those that seem near-perfect at first glance undergoes meticulous tweaks and adjustments. It’s all about the nuances: that shade of blue, the curve of a line, the spacing of a letter.

We pour over each design with an eagle’s eye before presenting it to you. But more than that, we genuinely look forward to your feedback. It’s not just about accepting revisions; we eagerly anticipate your insights, wanting to ensure that the design not only meets but exceeds your expectations. We’re on a mission to reach a design you’ll not just like but truly love.

Through this collaborative journey of multiple revisions, together, we refine and hone until we’re left with maybe a few stellar contenders. And then, from the brilliance of those few, one design will rise, standing a cut above the rest. That’s our champion, the winner, the embodiment of our shared quest for creativity and precision.

GreasePro Logo Evolution

7. The Final Design Package: Polished, Prepared, and Primed for the World

The journey of crafting a design is thrilling, but there’s something especially rewarding about reaching the finish line. With a winning design in hand, our focus shifts to preparing it for its debut in the real world. Think of it as dressing up your design in its finest attire, making sure it’s not just visually appealing but technically perfect, too.

For logo designs, this entails creating versions in core colors and exporting them in multiple file formats. This ensures that your logo is versatile, ready to shine whether it’s on a website, business card, or billboard. When it comes to broader branding design, we go a step further, presenting you with a comprehensive brand guidebook. This guidebook serves as your brand’s bible, detailing everything from color codes to fonts, ensuring uniformity and cohesiveness across all mediums. And for those print-centric designs? We meticulously craft print-ready files, ensuring that what looks fabulous on screen translates flawlessly to paper, giving you impeccable results every time.

Bringing It All Together: Design Journeys as Unique as You

At the heart of every design process is a story—one that’s as unique and riveting as the brands and individuals joining us for the ride. While the fundamental steps might offer a familiar roadmap, each twist and turn is dictated by the one-of-a-kind aspirations and challenges each project throws our way.

While we can spin tales about our design journeys, it’s more impactful when our creations do the talking. Take a peek into our portfolio, where every design speaks volumes, and each click reveals another chapter in our collaborative saga. Because, in the end, seeing is believing, and our designs? They’ve got a lot to say!

Eager to get your design journey started? Give us a shout!

How Organizations Can Build Trust Through Content Marketing

Content marketing is a powerful tool that organizations can use to build trust with their target audience. Consider it a magic potion you can sprinkle into your marketing mix. By creating content that’s relevant and engages the reader, companies can show they are experts in their field and reliable sources of information. If this doesn’t sound like your business, content marketing can get you there! Crafting great content needs to be as precise and calculated as a generals’ battle plan. Show your audience you mean business by delivering thoughtful, reliable pieces that demonstrate mastery in the field they care about most!

What Is Content Creation in Marketing

Forget the days of simply producing content that gives customers a quick and superficial glance at what you do. Content creation isn’t just gathering words, images or videos- it’s about creating something special with real emotion built in to make sure your target audience truly connects with your brand! So go beyond surface level marketing, strike up conversations and tug on those heartstrings – give them an epic experience they won’t soon forget!

Explore the content marketing process

Why Content Marketing Matters

Content marketing is a great way to show off your knowledge, charm the pants off potential customers and make yourself look like an expert in any field. If done right it can also give you a positive reputation that speaks volumes about who you are as an organization – how’s that for trustworthiness? Content is like a personal tutor for online customers! It offers helpful advice to guide an informed purchase decision, and then helps direct interested leads right into your sales funnel – that’s some serious marketing magic.

What Are the Benefits of Content Marketing

Content marketing has become the talk of the town. It’s giving businesses a chance to connect with customers on an entirely new level and build meaningful relationships that will last for years! Instead of being just another trend, this is here to stay – so it may be time you get in on all the excitement! Content can be a great way to boost SEO – like sprinkling powerful keywords throughout your writing, making it easier for potential customers to find you online! You won’t even have to break the bank: content marketing is always an affordable option. Let’s raise our glasses and toast being smart with money!

Check out our professional content marketing services

Building Trust Through Content Marketing

Organizations wanting to create trusting relationships with their followers can find success by implementing content marketing in multiple fun and exciting ways!

Establish a credible, consistent voice

If you’re looking to gain trustworthiness, it’s important that your organization presents itself in a professional and organized manner. Go with authoritative information and language as well as steering clear of clickbait-y rhetoric – when all else fails, practice what the pros do by leaning on industry veterans! But don’t fret if your audience isn’t too keen on highbrow facts; sometimes being funny goes further than playing it safe. It just depends who you’ve got tuning in!

Create helpful, timely content

If you want your branded content to get noticed, don’t talk about things that might happen in the future – tackle needs and interests readers have right now. Focusing on timely topics such as trends and product reviews can be a great way to give people what they’re looking for so they come back again when their other needs arise!

Always remain transparent and honest

When it comes to building trust with an audience, faking the funk is no way to go about it. Sure, Fyre Festival gave us a laugh and made for some great documentaries – but if you want customers that stick around long-haul then stretching the truth won’t get you very far! 

Interact with readers as often as possible

It’s time to be BFFs! Organizations should limit the promotional posts and get into meaningful conversations with their readers. Show your audience that you care by responding to comments, keeping them in-the-know about new developments, and dishing out thoughtful advice – just like a best friend would do!

Prioritize customer service

Organizations should treat customer service like the star quarterback; it needs to be on its A-Game at all times! That means lightning fast response times, website FAQs that double as top tier life advice, and technical support so efficient you’ll think they’re reading your mind. After all, if everything else fails – there’s always customer service!

Take your business to the top with branded content marketing

 

Partnering with a content marketing company

Struggling to make your mark on the world? Harness our content marketing company’s revolutionary power – and stand out from the crowd with an impactful message that’ll turn heads! Let Curiosity Marketing Group give your content a jolt of electric energy! Our amazing team can help breathe life into your brand with ideas that will leave potential customers mesmerized. We’ll make sure they remember you – and not just because the competition got left in the dust. 

Contact us today for your free content marketing consultation!

Is Your Business S.M.A.R.T?

UPDATE

Just like your business, we are constantly growing, learning and adapting to new ways of doing things. Although creating S.M.A.R.T. goals has been an awesome business tactic in the past, we’ve discovered a process that works even better for reaching and exceeding your goals.

An Evolved Process

Our new and improved process starts with discovery. We’re curious to know more about the ins and outs of your business and what makes it unique. We’ll ask questions to get a better feel for your company and where you would like to see it grow.

The next step in our creative process is to develop a strategy that can help you be successful in meeting your business goals. We will help you discover the things that are important to you and pave the way to meeting those aspirations.

A plan is only as effective as the team that is implementing the strategy. As the saying goes, actions do speak louder than words. In the execution stage, it is critical to have a group of individuals that utilize the latest and greatest tools and industry knowledge to help you meet your campaign goals.

Once our team has executed strategies to help maximize your campaign, we start the analysis phase. This is easily the most important, yet often overlooked, step of our goal identification and attainment process. Our team compiles all campaign data and analyzes it to identify the things that worked well as well as the things that could possibly be altered or eliminated going forward. A proper analysis can help your business get the most out of your marketing efforts.

Think. Do. Rinse. Repeat. At the end of our process, we’ve identified the goals important to you and your business, developed strategies to help you meet those goals, professionally executed each and every step along the way and analyzed data to provide an overview of your campaign success. The last step in our process is simply to start anew back at the discovery stage. Repetition is key in refining and optimizing your marketing efforts, so don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.

Sources

https://curiositymg.com/process/

8 Steps in Choosing a Panama City Web Design Agency

We recently were guest writer for the Business Innovation Center in Panama City. You can read our article: Why Every Small Business Must Have a Website in 2016  here (link).

We wanted to add to this article by offering some tips on what to look for when choosing a website designer and developer. Below you will find 8 steps you should consider when looking for an agency.


Following these steps will not only make your choosing of an agency easier, it will vastly help the process in crafting your web solution needs and requirements. And of course connect you with a solid agency.

Step 1: Know Your Need

Often times a client comes to us and they want or need a website. But our first question to them is what does your site need?

For example, if you are new company your site may be more of a general information site.  What does your company do, how does someone contact you, etc. It will be very clearly brand awareness focused.  If your website is e-commerce focused, you will want to turn your attention to return-on-investment (ROI), converting sales, and building and maintaining your customer base.

What to do:

Ask the agency to show proof of how they have approached clients in the past with similar goals and how they approached them. Seeing these can help you determine if the agency can accomplish what is required for your business.

Step 2: Know Your Budget

Ah, the elephant in the room. We place this towards the top of the list for a good reason. Budget will highly dictate what is a realistic approach to your goals. A great agency can work around a budget for a possible solution. However, do keep in mind the phrase “you get what you pay for” is a resounding response we have heard a number of times from clients.

But how do you determine this budget? The process is actually very simple. Do your research as you would with any marketing purchase. Look at the average costs of creating a website. Talk to fellow business owners about their costs. Compare this to your current marketing budget and see what the company can afford. Do keep in mind a strong honest agency will only offer what is really needed for your business to succeed based on your goals.

What to do:

Go into your consultation with the agency with a budget in mind, but also don’t be surprised or concerned by sticker shock. Ask the agency how they see your return on investment working and how their solution fits into the plan. Overall if you complete your research on your current marketing you will possibly see other areas that have not been effective. You can move some of the budget into digital and inbound marketing.

Step 3: Know the Track Record

With the growth of digital marketing, there are a number of fly by night agencies and so called garage workers that will surface. Just as you would ask for references, licenses, insurance with a roofer, electrician etc.; ask the same of the agency.

A solid agency can easily point you to these documents and references should be very easy to come by. If these cannot be produced in a swift manner, that should raise a red flag rather quickly. Also be sure to ask around to friends and other business owners that have done business with the agency. Sometimes the most honest reviews are not from the agency directly.

What to do:

This one is rather simple. Ask questions. An agency should produce answers, documents and case studies measured metrics to you rather quickly.

Step 4: Educate Yourself

One of the biggest phrases we hear when a new client comes to us is “I don’t understand this web stuff, that’s why I am here.” As an agency we are flattered that you are looking to trust us this much. However, a lot of times we have to educate clients just to set the expectations. Don’t get us wrong, we love to share our knowledge but other agencies are not. Having a basic understanding of WordPress developmentdigital advertising and social media management will vastly help you understand if the agency you are talking to is a professional and you are not blindsided by just a good salesman.

What to do:

Study. We wouldn’t ask you to know everything like an agency would. Leave that to them. Learn enough to be able to talk about it. Read some blogs, download some ebooks, watch some YouTube Videos. Spending a couple of hours reading can vastly help you understand enough to be dangerous in your consultation.

Step 5: Start Gathering Content

The item that will most delay your website development process is the creating / gathering enough content to fill your site to a comprehensive level.  You want it where people can feel comfortable knowing you are an authority on the type of business you are in.

Often, more than not, this will stall your website development process. Realistically content is the biggest hitch in development. A good agency will offer to help write your content or take existing marketing collateral and help you “refresh” it for the web.

What to do:

Start with current marketing collateral. Gather as much as you can for a starting point. Content is everything when it comes to your website. So gather everything you can: text, images and even videos to help speed the process up when you finally start. 

Step 6: Know what you want to achieve

We have already spoke on your needs, but now think of some specific goals of your new website.

  • • Is it for lead generation?
  • • Sell a product?
  • • Are you building the next gamer forum?
  • • Improve brand awareness?

A good agency will ask you these goals when beginning your website design. If they know what they are doing, the site design will be tailored around these goals. Designing a site in a vacuum is never a good a idea and results are never to your liking.

What to do:

Dig deep into your answer from Step 1. Having a solid understanding of what you want the site to achieve will vastly save time in the process of getting your company online.

Step 7: Ask For Strategy Advice

A good agency will be more interested in your website as a marketing tool verses the only item they are trying to sell you. If the agency does not talk past the site launch you may be talking to the wrong one. A strong agency will want to talk about Search Engine OptimizationSearch Engine Marketing, Inbound Marketing and Social Media to name a few. If the agency does not want to talk past the site, move on. 9 times out of 10 they will not be a good partner for your digital marketing.

What to do:

Ask the agency to explain their process past the website design. Ask how they will fit their process to your budget and a timeline for these suggestions. 

Step 8: Maintain Quality

Your site is built, now what? Getting your business online is only the beginning of a successful digital campaign. Now you have to work at maintaining a good quality site. Ask the agency how they track metrics. A good agency will assist you in your analytic reporting and ensure that your website is helping you reach your goals.

What to do:

Ask the web agency about their existing ongoing relationships. How are they helping them? What hurdles have they faced and how did they solve them. Do they have ongoing service, maintenance and marketing plans?


CONCLUSION:

There you have it. Our list of 8 Steps for finding a Web Designer in Panama City.  If you follow these steps we can almost guarantee an easier process of beginning your web journey, but also help you choose your agency partner.

How do local listings affect my business?

Before we can answer how a local listing affects your business, we first need to look at what exactly a local listing is, what it includes and what types there are.

A local listing is exactly that: a listing of businesses, normally within a directory, that points to a business by a few different variables, whether it be the business name, the business address, the type of business and/or social media presence within a certain area or city. This is taken a step further when it comes to Google. Google will gather the information from several different business directories to compile their own listing of your business, unless you have claimed your business with them.

 

It is highly recommended that you do this quickly, if you have not done so already. Having incorrect and/or outdated information can be devastating to your business. Imagine someone is looking for your business and finds out that you are already closed, when in actuality this is untrue or they go to the address shown, to only end up at an incorrect address.

What a local listing includes?

There are a few key areas that you want to make sure are 100% accurate. This includes the following: Your Business Title, Links and Citations, Categories, Reviews and Ratings, Photos and Videos, Social Factors and Other Attributes.

Your Business Title – This is one of the most critical  factors for ranking well in local search engines. Having a title that is consistent with an accurate business name is extremely important.

Links and Citations – Search engines find out about your business in two primary ways.  The first being crawling links that are inbound to your website and tracking sites where those links appeared.  The second is tracking citations of your business and where those citations came from.

What is a citation? Let’s take a quick pause to define what a citation is, so that there is no confusion. A citation is a ‘mention’ of your business name on websites other than your own. These ‘mentions’ should include the same information that a regular business listing does, i.e. the business address, the type of business and a phone number.

Categories – Many local directories allow you to choose between two to five categories that identify what your business is about. Search engines like Google will then use these categories to help decide which businesses to show for searches. Search engines will NOT show a business that is uncategorized – or even worse, incorrectly categorized – for sets of keywords. This is especially true for high demand keywords or phrases that already have several businesses associated within a category. This is exactly why having consistent and correct information about your business throughout is essential.

Reviews and Ratings – Reviews and ratings are powerful persuasion tools for customers that are on the fence about purchasing a product or service from your business. While a negative review can encourage a potential customer to hit the ‘back’ button, a great review can encourage a customer to pick up the phone and call you!

Photos and Videos – Having photos and videos help entice a potential customer into clicking on your business listing. This means taking the time to pick out the proper photos and videos you plan on showing to your potential customers; do not just put something up for the sake of putting something up. These photos and videos can be anything but putting up projects that your company has worked on, products you offer, your team and/or your office itself will lead to more clicks and more recognition.

Social Factors – The social component of local SEO is growing stronger with each passing year, and learning to participate in the social platforms your customers prefer is a fantastic way to further build your relationships. You can also interact with reviewers in a similar manner to Twitter and Facebook. Reviews are a key component to a business’s survival. Certain forms of social media activity appear to influence overall search engine rankings.  Their direct influence is unknown, but it is safe to say having a social media presence is important.

SIDENOTE. Not all reviews are created equal but having reviews is better than having none. There is an art to answering negative reviews to spin them into a positive outcome.  There is more to it but that would take another article.

Other Attributes – It is vital to list your complete contact information on your website in a format that search engines can read. This is a simple step that most businesses seem to overlook. Providing your contact information in a format such as an image, a flash player or any other non-text format that search engines cannot crawl will affect your search rankings.

Lastly, keeping up with changes to policies, the latest opportunities for promotion and what your competition is doing on major search engines and local listings are all good ways to ensure that your business is doing everything it can to be current and visible in the local search.

How does your local business listing stack up? If you would like to learn more on how we can help with your local listings please feel free to request a local directory analysis below. We look forward to working with you.

Time For A Check-Up: 5 Elements All Sites Need

A business website is often overlooked or forgotten about. Most businesses forget to update them and the website is put on the back burner. It’s very important that your website be updated regularly and reflect your business’s current state and brand image. Here are 5 Elements your site needs – and if it doesn’t meet these 5 elements  it may be time to renew your website and bring it up-to-speed.

  1. Strong Brand– Having a consistent brand can set you apart from your competitors. Sending the same message to your clients will increase memorability and make sure your company is always your company. Your website is like an extension of your business. Think of it as your virtual office. When a visitor ‘stops by’ will they know they are at your business or does your website look like an outdated version of your business? Look at your site and make sure your colors, fonts, and imagery match the message you want to send.
  2. Content– Like we said above, this is your virtual office. Is your potential customer going to find the information they need while visiting your site? Furthermore, is the content relevant? The customer is looking for information and the information needs to answer the question “How does this apply to me?” Having the content up front is great but having them move deeper into your site is better. Strike a balance that gives them enough information but keeps them moving.
  3. Navigation– Your site’s navigation (also known as a nav bar) is usually at the top of your site. This is how your customers will navigate through your site and it should be simple and easy to use. It’s tempting to place all your pages in the top level of the navigation bar but this causes issues of a content overload and mobile responsive nightmares. It’s a good idea to group like-topic pages in drop downs to help the user identify where they want to go and then dive deeper.
  4. Call to Action– Call to Actions (also known as CTAs) are the buttons or links that grab attention and moves the customer deeper into the site. An example of this would be the button under the home page’s About section urging the customer to “Learn More.” Not having these in crucial locations can leave the customer stranded and ditch your site. Remember – it’s all about keeping them moving.
  5. Mobile Responsive– Not having a mobile responsive site is a website-killer. This is important because 55% of web traffic is from mobile devices and tablets.  Google now ranks websites based on whether they are mobile responsive or not [LINK TO MOBILE FIRST POST].

So, how does your website stack up against the 5 elements needed? Does your website need improvement? Acting now instead of waiting can help boost your site visits and increase customer conversions. This might be a big undertaking for most businesses but we are here to help. We are one of the area’s leading marketing and digital design firms and are experts on these subjects. Contact us today to see how we can help grow your website into the powerful resource is should be for your business.