Digital Marketing Blog

COVID-19 has shifted how business is conducted and we all have seen how crucial online presence has become. Are you planning on launching an online store? Or have you thought about upgrading your current online store or booking system? If so, you can qualify for the Launch Online Grant Program for up to $7500. ​

If your business model is mostly retail and product-based, YOU are in luck. The Launch Online Grant program is designed to help you integrate your business model from in-store, to an online e-commerce store, by assisting you in the costs of building a website, website hosting, web design, copywriting, SEO services and more.

If you meet the following criteria, then you will be eligible:

• Generated sales of more than $30,000 in previous year
• Business owner/owners is BC resident
• Business sole/primary operations are in BC
• Business is registered in BC
• Business is currently operating
• Business employs up to 149 BC residents
• Business pays taxes in BC
• Business maintains Federal business number, GST number, PST and WorkSafeBC (if applicable)
  
  

If you meet the above criteria, make sure one of the following applies to you:

• Does not have an online store currently or the existing online store does not have more than three out of five identified online features below:
• Website Analytics and reporting capabilities
• Product catalogue, search and inventory status
• Customer registration and Information Security features
• Shopping cart and order management capabilities
• Payment processing options that includes application of appropriate taxes and shipping cost at time of ordering

• Does not have an online booking system or the existing online booking system does not have more than three of the five online features below:

• Website analytics and reporting capabilities
• Automated replies and reminders
• Customer registration and Information Security features
• Schedule navigation and reservation management capabilities
• ​Payment processing options that include application of appropriate at time of ordering (if applicable)
  
  

Meeting the criteria does not guarantee that your application will be approved for funding - however, your likelihood of application approval is greatly increased when using a trusted financial advisor company like Opulence Financial Canada to assist in your application.

Launch Online Grant Program will cover up to 75% of costs for the following expenses:

Service provider costs such as:

• Platform, online shop and online booking system development
• Copy and online content writing
• Developing an online inventory of goods, products and services
• Pictures (including hiring a photographer), stock photos or related graphics needed
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Digital Customer Acquisition such as:

• E-commerce platform subscription (up to 1 year)
• Online advertising (up to 1 year)
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Creating banners and other embedded advertising
  
  

Course fees to cover staff training to manage the online shop or an online booking system, learn about digital marketing, etc.

Successful applicants are required to use BC based service providers except for following:

• Platform subscription costs
• Purchase of online photos and graphics
• Purchase of online promotional space such as Facebook ads
• Online course fees

Launch Online Grant Program application intake is open until September 30th, 2021 or until the funds have been fully subscribed. Also note that up-to 30% of the funds will be reserved for Black, Indigenous and people of color and businesses that are operating outside of the lower mainland and greater Victoria.

​Contact us for assistance in applying for the Launch Online Grant Program for YOUR business. 

The next step after approval is to create a cohesive website strategy and create an online or digital marketing plan.

Fill out the form below and let's make the most of your Launch Online grant. 

Today, SEO strategies are essential in generating traffic on a website. Note that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) generates 51% of website traffic. Therefore, it's extremely important to stay on top of your website's SEO.
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SEO is constantly evolving. Indeed, Google is constantly evolving its algorithms to improve the user experience of Internet users.

In this article, I have compiled the most popular SEO strategies best practices. These are the areas on which you absolutely must work to progress in SEO in the coming months.

First of all, if you want to appear in the first search results, creating unique content is essential! Never ever copy / paste or paraphrase existing content. Not only is this content already ranking, but your site will be penalized for stealing content. Be creative and above all inventive when writing your content - this goes for website copywriting, and inbound blogging strategies.
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Your website and your blog posts should involve a solution to a potential lead's pain point. Consider the intent of their phrase search. What is it they're looking for when they land on your website? Write with intent. The biggest part of creating an effective inbound marketing strategy is search intent - this starts with an intensive keyword research and analysis.
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Who are you writing for? Do you know the demographics, genders, and age ranges of your audience? You should - this information is all in Google Analytics. This way we can build and determine an audience, and you can create content geared towards their demographic, which they're more likely to relate to, and ultimately convert from. 
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There are also certain rules to follow for good web writing. And yes, we do not read the same on a screen as on a book. You should know that the rate of memorization of a reader depends on the number of words in a sentence. It is therefore preferable to favor clear, readable, diagonal reading by using subtitles, bold, and key points. It's important to include at least 350 words per page to be deemed valuable and relevant information by Google.

We break up blog posts with both images, and a header hierarchy. When used properly, your H1s/H2s/H3s not only serve to include keywords and search terms, but create a reading experience that's easier on the eyes with consistent breakpoints in the content.

Finally, all of your images must be renamed in a keyword-friendly format, the alternative text must be completed and the weight of the image must be optimized for the web so as not to slow browsing (Typically a PNG format).

This is what the user will see when they type their request on Google. These elements must have the optimal length (neither too short nor too long). But above all, they must encourage the click, the action of the user! For that, it is advised to use clear and impacting keywords that summarize the contents which one will find once one clicks on the link.

Again, the search intent of your target keywords and your overall SEO strategy are imperative here to drive the best organic content.
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When it comes to driving traffic to your website, you can use a short term strategy such as pay-per-click advertising on Google or social media. This is a great way to catch traffic and gives the advantage of creating remarketing campaigns and should not be discredited.

SEO drives traffic that has specifically come searching for your content with a purpose. A long term inbound marketing strategy that incorporates SEO will continue to draw traffic to your website over a longer period of time and continues to work. Search engine optimization is a marathon, ads are a race. It's to be noted that these strategies can and do work well in tandem, for different purposes.
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​Let's put together a fully optimized inbound marketing strategy for your company, with a focus on your website's search engine optimization. I provide a complimentary site audit to assess your current SEO, and put together an effective SEO strategy that's custom tailored to your industry, to your business, and to your budget. Fill out the form below, and I'll be happy to create a custom SEO strategy for you!
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I get so excited every time I have a new inquiry or lead, or somebody asks for an audit. There's something about the thrill of the client discovery process that I love about digital marketing. Being that I dip my toes into all aspects of digital marketing, I'm able to assess all factors, channels, outlets, and come up with some really cool audits and proposals for my clients. 

But it definitely takes a while to get a good rhythm going for software, subscriptions, resources, and programs when it comes to project management - especially when handling multiple clients at once! Here's a quick breakdown of my organization, and a few of my favorite resources for project management.

The first thing I do is create a client bucket in Google Drive, where I'll store all information - keyword research, blog topic planning, blogs, website copy, client notes, and all official documents such as our audit, strategy/proposal, and signed copies of contracts. 

The greatest feature about Google Drive is its sharing abilities. You can add your clients to specific buckets/folders - whether its their entire client folder, or you can pick and choose where they have access to. You can store and share digital assets in folders. 

You can even color-code your folders! I use a color-coding system for past clients, current active clients, and potential clients who have received a proposal, or are in the process of signing contracts. 

Google Docs

Google Docs is an interactive resource where you can write blogs, share copywriting, create sheets of content between you and your client. You can choose from three modes of access when sharing the link - Editing, Viewing, and Commenting. If you're seeking insight on work, I would suggest granting them 'Commenting' access, so the original isn't destroyed. Luckily, Sheets keeps an edit history to reference as well. 

Google Sheets

Google Sheets is like Excel Lite. While it doesn't have all of the features of Excel, it has enough to make it extremely useful - and free, along with all of the Google Drive features. Sheets is great for line-by-line URL audits, keyword research and more. Sheets supports cell functions and are completely customizable. 

Okay. I'm in love with time blocking. Have you ever heard of time blocking? I don't take it to the Elon Musk levels of 5-minute time-blocks, but usually from 8am - 6pm is blocked for me in 2-3-4 hour increments of projects for clients. 

You can color-code your clients, you can add notes, URLs, any additional information. You get a desktop notification 10 minutes before your event. You can set up recurring tasks daily, weekly, or monthly. For time management and planning your days/weeks, Google Calendar is the bees knees.

I feel like I haven't even fully scratched the surface of Basecamp yet, but it has so many features that are incredibly helpful. The most helpful for me is the massive to-do list, and organization of projects.

Client > Task Category (Social, SEO, etc.) > Task Name > Due Date

You can copy and paste tasks, edit and adjust due dates as needed, and when you need a boost of confidence, go and look at your 'Completed Assignments' page for a quick rush of accomplishment.

You can grant your clients access so they see the full project schedule. They can add notes, access any uploaded documents and files, and make suggestions which are sent to your inbox. Speaking of inbox - Basecamp will remind you of daily notifications each morning so you always have a reminder of your workload for that day.

I know Harvest is GREAT, but when I first started time tracking I found Clockify, and I sort of have that lingering love for it. Clockify is a 'freemium' software, which offers a free version and a paid version. The free version sticks you to one rate across every client and doesn't allow for historical rate edits so if you're handling multiple clients, multiple prices for service offerings, or need to adjust most things, you have to upgrade. I went Standard for $6.99 a month, and it's definitely worth it for me.

WaveApps is excellent for invoicing and introductory bookkeeping. You can sync your bank account straight to it and it categorizes your spending (I opened a business account specifically to keep things easier), which helps you organize your expenses vs. profits, and keep things organized for tax time.

You send invoices to your clients directly through the interface, and retain a copy for yourself. It allows you to send reminders to clients if needed. 

While it is free software, they do take a small fee when clients pay through WaveApps.

I really have to show some love here to Canva. When I was 11 I was first trained in Photoshop. We all know that Photoshop, Illustrator, and Corel are the best of the best when it comes to graphic design software.

But Canva has made graphic design software accessible to everybody, and for free. You can choose from thousands of templates, from pre-set sizes (Instagram feed, Stories, Facebook posts, legal documents, everything), with a complete library of fonts, graphics, stock photos and more.

You can create Brand Kits, custom folders for each client, you can save templates for future use and more.

Simply put, Canva is amazing. The beauty of Canva Pro is the access to its stock photography. Hundreds of thousands of photos for $16.99 a month. Yes, please! 

There are two Chrome extensions I can't live without. If a client doesn't have an existing brand kit, it can be difficult to find out their brand font and color. Luckily we have:

WhatFont
An easy Chrome extension that you click, and hover over any font on the page and it will immediately tell you the font and its spacing/any edits done to the font. It's incredible.

Eye Dropper
Eye Dropper is excellent. It allows you to 'pick' any color from the current webpage, and it stores your last 28 picked colors. It shows you the hex values, RGB and more. 

​These two resources are essential when a client doesn't have an existing brand kit!

Want to become part of my hyper-obsessive organization of clients, tasks, resources, and programs? Perfect. I'd love that. I'm always happy to do an initial audit and consult to recommend the next steps for your digital marketing journey in your business.

Contact me today for your FREE audit!

Are you wondering if it is worth having a website optimized for your company? Do SEO and marketing really go hand in hand? The answer is yes! But why?
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The biggest advantage of having an optimized website is the ability to reach more customers.

Most people today look to the online medium to look for the products or services they need, gather information about the company, and review products before purchase. Having an online presence that people can easily find is very useful. Indeed, it is the key to reaching your target customers and, gradually, to grow your company. This is why SEO and marketing are essential aspects of any business

2. Your potential customers are always looking for information on companies like yours
Since the Internet has become a strong source of information, it is normal for people to want to get to know your company or offer better before coming to you.

Having said that, SEO optimization becomes very important. A well-optimized website can be found more easily and should offer your potential customers the opportunity to get to know you better, as a business.

3. Local SEO can put you on the map
Local SEO can be incredibly effective in increasing the visibility of your company in your city.

If your target customers are in a specific place - Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna ... etc. - they might be very happy to find that your small business is right nearby and can meet their needs!

Think about it. How many times have you searched online for terms such as "ice cream shop near me" or "restaurant open in Victoria" (or in any other city)? Regarding this type of research, it is no longer just about finding a specific place. Now it's about finding a specific thing, in a specific area and also in a specific period of time.

Today, people expect 'search technology' to immediately find places in their area where they can get what they need. Having said that, it goes without saying that having a well-optimized online presence can only help!

4. Search engine optimization pays off
Every small company that wants to appear among the first results in search engines needs an SEO consultant to make its business visible. And why? Because an SEO expert with experience in the sector could take care of the online presence of your business while you take care of your customers!

You might think that SEO optimization services cost a lot, but compared to the benefits, they are really a minimal investment, which pays off in the long run - and permanently.

5. A well-optimized online presence leads to better awareness of your brand
When your potential customers search for a product online, they will rarely click past the first page of a search engine. It's true! And if your brand needs more visibility, you should highly consider SEO optimization as your first option. People will trust more of your brand if it immediately appears among their searches, or among the first on the engines, creating brand familiarity and awareness.

​6. Your business will be easier to find on mobile devices

Mobile devices are becoming increasingly a "must" and therefore, non-responsive website design could impede the visibility of your online business.

The explanation is simple. Google has already announced that they are moving towards a more mobile-focused indexing and from there, SEO has changed. Having a responsive website influences your SEO through positive user behavior signals. This means that NOT having a responsive website affects your SEO in a negative way.

Over the years, web traffic from mobile devices has continued to increase. And that's why having an optimized mobile presence is a huge benefit for your business.

7. Search engine optimization - or the "recipe" to overcome the competition
Even if you keep postponing your site's SEO, think about this: your competition won't do it for sure!

All companies, large or small, mainly rely on organic research to reach more customers. An advertising campaign can also work wonders, but never underestimate the power of SEO optimization because that is what will 'push' you to the top of the long term search engines.

8. Google prefers SEO-optimized websites
If your site is full of broken links, typos, missing alt text or title tags, Google will prefer your competitors fully optimized pages, and rank you lower. 

Let's get your website fully optimized for SEO today! View my website content writing and strategy services page, and contact me today to get YOUR site's rank improved!

As with the more traditional channels, competition in digital marketing is also quite high. For the definition of a plan that is best optimized for the company, it is, therefore, necessary to start from the analysis of the reference market, on the basis of which the market segment on which you want to position yourself, the reference target and its value proposition relating to the online reality.

Specifically, in this phase, once the reference market has been analyzed, the personas must be defined, the ideal customer journey of the customers must be planned and the competitors identified.
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The challenge is not limited only to acquiring new customers, but to involving and maintaining them over time. Once a user arrives on a company's website or social profiles, it is crucial to find ways to retain and entertain him. With a specific content marketing activity, with updated, clear and relevant information, with a relevant social media marketing plan. Make sure that the customer is encouraged to continue in the customer journey and that the experience he experiences with the brand is worth the time spent.

In this phase, tools of Analytics run, which allow you to understand and analyze user behavior, review, and feedback tools, which allow you to listen to the direct voice of users, and an editorial plan, with which to program and monitor the publication of the content.
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Conversion is the word that most digital marketing managers care most about. It's okay to run lead generation campaigns, it's fine to develop targeted engagement activities, but the best is obtained when a user 'converts' and can finally be defined as 'customer'.

Each different company can consider a different action as conversion, or even within the same company reality, a conversion can vary on the basis of different projects.

The objective, at this stage, is to bring the lead to action: purchase on the e-commerce store, request for information, booking a service or purchase at the physical store, and so on.
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Let's create the ideal digital marketing plan that's tailored to YOUR business needs. View all of my available digital marketing services, and contact me today to custom-tailor your digital marketing plan.