5 Reasons to Outsource Your Marketing

“Why should I hire you if I can just figure it all out myself?” This is a common question many small business owners ask when they consider outsourcing marketing.

And that’s a great question. This might not apply to EVERY business. But most small businesses that are struggling to juggle everything are going to want to hear this. So here are 5 reasons it’s time for MOST businesses to outsource their marketing.

Business owner feels overwhelmed. He should consider outsourcing his marketing.
Feeling overwhelmed? Maybe it’s time to outsource your marketing!

5 Reasons to Outsource Your Marketing

1. You’re Juggling Too Many Things

When you have to do everything yourself, two things often happen:

  • You can’t perform every task at a high level because you’re too busy trying to do everything, so often you’re unable to give the necessary attention to all aspects of your business; OR
  • You forget about or give up on trying to do everything, so things like marketing fall by the wayside because you don’t have the time to dedicate to it.

If you see yourself in either or both of those situations, you’re not alone. You’re just juggling too many things, like this business owner.

2. You’re Focused on the Short Term

Like all good things in life, marketing takes time. And that time is a commitment you make to really invest in your business. But most business owners are often just trying to get through the next day, the next week, or the next month. And when it comes to marketing, this mindset is doomed to fail. Why? Because you’re focused on just the short term. It’s time to change your focus.

How do you start thinking with a long-term perspective? Since marketing strategies need regular planning and constant attention, you can start seeing results over time. Unfortunately, it is a rare business owner who can dedicate enough time to create a long-term plan specific to marketing.

That’s why many business owners will throw ideas at the wall and hope for the best. But this rarely works, if ever. And that’s why outsourcing your marketing to a team with the time can prepare your business to be successful over the long term.

3. You’re Losing Valuable Time

We often think of most things to purchase in terms of cost. How much is this lunch going to cost me? Am I going to have enough money to spend on my daughter’s dream wedding? How many dollars did your spouse just spend on that boat?! But what about the cost of your time . . . ?

If you’ve noticed a common thread through all these points, is that in most cases, business owners don’t have the luxury of time to dedicate to marketing. Ask yourself what all you could accomplish if you didn’t have to do all or any marketing by yourself.

Or maybe you haven’t spent much time on marketing, but it’s something you wish you had time for. A great marketing plan takes time and effort to create. And we’d love to help you do that!

4. You’re Limited to Only One Person’s Knowledge

Now maybe you or someone on staff has some marketing experience. That’s awesome! But what if you could multiply that knowledge? Together at Paragon Marketing Group, we offer more than 50 years of experience covering every aspect of marketing. Imagine what you could accomplish with so much more knowledge!

Let’s say you don’t have a background in marketing, but you’re considering hiring a person in-house. Now, this isn’t a bad solution, but consider the difference between hiring a full team of marketing experts as opposed to paying a single person a salary.

5. You Could Have So Many More Services at Your Disposal

Outsourcing your marketing truly does come with its perks. Consider all the additional services you could have employed for your business:

  • Email marketing, listings, social media, online advertising, podcasts, direct mail marketing
  • Video production, video marketing, streaming services
  • Web design, web hosting, web maintenance, e-commerce functionality, and SEO
  • Branding materials, advertisements, and presentation design

That’s a lot of services! And you could have all of them at your disposal if you chose to outsource your marketing.

You now have 5 great reasons to consider outsourcing your marketing. 

Now it’s pretty natural to have doubts or uncertainties about moving forward. It’s a big step. So as you have questions, consider talking to a marketing agency that could help take your marketing to the next level, and relieve that pressure you’ve been facing to do everything yourself.

5 Video Marketing Strategies For 2021

video marketing 2021

What’s on your new year’s resolutions list? Eating healthy, staying active, and traveling of course. What about upping your video content game? 2021 is the year of fun, trying new things, and being adaptable! We’ve created a list of video marketing strategies your business should be incorporating into your marketing plan this year.

Video Marketing Strategies

What type of video content could up your marketing for 2021? Check out these 5 video marketing strategies:

1. Casual, Laidback Content

Yes, you read that right. In light of COVID-19, big video production has been put on hold. Throughout the year, we’ve seen companies create advertisements and videos from compiled home videos of their employees and customers and we don’t see this leaving us any time soon. Above anything else, people prefer authentic content. That means snippets of live streams and selfie videos from your iPhone can be used and reused on your social accounts! While they may be lower quality, they invite personality to your business and your clients can have a better understanding for your company’s message and morals.

2. Live-Streaming

You can also thank COVID for this one. Did you know that the online live streaming industry has grown 99% between April 2019 and April 2020? Live streaming has become increasingly more popular for many reasons. It’s a way for businesses to directly interact with their customers and people love it because they can watch video content with advertisements or commercials. According to Livestream, 82% of people prefer live video from a brand over standard social media posts and 80% of people prefer live streaming over reading a blog from a brand.

3. Super Short Videos

We’re talking 5-10 seconds short. We all know and love the “Skip Ad” option on Facebook and Youtube videos. Creating an advertisement that people can watch before being able to skip the ad ensures that your content is being seen.

4. Long Video

To the same degree, consumers are increasingly enjoying longer content. Perhaps it’s due to COVID and freed up time on people’s hands, people are getting more used to watching longer content. A recent study found that videos longer than 15 minutes account for 50% of all video engagement but only 8% of content. This means you can produce fewer, longer videos for better results. The key to success is to make the video exciting and engaging.

5. 360 Video and AR Content

360 video is a powerful tool to allow your audience to be more interactive with your content. This type of video is becoming more popular even for regular, every day people to use. AR content is being used by big businesses and smaller companies are slowly catching on. IKEA, for example, allows you to place their products into your living spaces to see it for their intended use.

With these video marketing strategies, your business is sure to capture the attention of new and current customers. Paragon Marketing Group is no stranger to any of these types of videography and are eager to help you launch into the new year! Call or message us today (262)443-9092

Positive Impacts Of Email Marketing

Email marketing.

When you think of marketing in 2020, you probably aren’t thinking of the positive impacts – or any impact – of email marketing. Many believe that email promotions are dead, but a recent study found that there are 3.9 billion daily email users and 73% of millennials prefer communication from businesses via email.

Positive Impacts of Email Marketing

What are some of the positive impacts of email marketing? With email marketing, you can . . .

Increase Communication with Current Customers

Email marketing is a great way to increase loyalty with your current customers. This is because customers must ask to receive emails by manually signing up for your newsletter. This allows you to communicate with your consumers on a broader level but you still control how personalized the contents of the email can be.

Educate your Customers

As stated above, you get to personalize what goes into your emails. This type of marketing is to not only sell a product but to also educate your clients on matters related to your services as well as your company’s values.

Improve Sales

Did you know that 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI (Return On Investment)? Your email marketing campaigns should include messages to encourage your customers to purchase products. They may be more likely to make a purchase because they actively chose to receive messages like these from you. Email marketing allows the ease of purchasing a product with no more than two clicks. With a catchy tagline, your email can take a customer right to the checkout page of a product on your website.

Increase Your Value

After some trial and error, you’ll be able to discover what communication strategy works best with your customers. Once you do, your customers will pay more attention to the message in each email. In return, you’ll be able to establish the brand of your business and create a closer relationship with your clients.

Reach People from Anywhere Instantly

Email marketing reaches customers faster than a social media post. This is because the email notification shows up on a smartphone as it’s sent out. Rather than having to scroll through Instagram or Facebook to see the post, it’s instant. People are constantly checking their emails: first thing in the morning at work, while at lunch, and even when lounging around.

Learn What Works

Email marketing is another way for you to monitor what’s working and what’s not based on clicks. After sending out a campaign, you can look back and see which links had the most amount of traffic. From there, try incorporating more of that topic into your emails, social media posts, and advertisements.

These are just six of several ways in which email marketing can benefit your business. The best news is, it’s cheap and easy to get started with it! Call or message Paragon Marketing Group today (262) 443-9092.

Positive Impacts Of Email Marketing

Email marketing.

When you think of marketing in 2020, you probably aren’t thinking of the positive impacts – or any impact – of email marketing. Many believe that email promotions are dead, but a recent study found that there are 3.9 billion daily email users and 73% of millennials prefer communication from businesses via email.

Positive Impacts of Email Marketing

What are some of the positive impacts of email marketing? With email marketing, you can . . .

Increase Communication with Current Customers

Email marketing is a great way to increase loyalty with your current customers. This is because customers must ask to receive emails by manually signing up for your newsletter. This allows you to communicate with your consumers on a broader level but you still control how personalized the contents of the email can be.

Educate Your Customers

As stated above, you get to personalize what goes into your emails. This type of marketing is to not only sell a product but to also educate your clients on matters related to your services as well as your company’s values.

Improve Sales

Did you know that 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI (Return On Investment)? Your email marketing campaigns should include messages to encourage your customers to purchase products. They may be more likely to make a purchase because they actively chose to receive messages like these from you. Email marketing allows the ease of purchasing a product with no more than two clicks. With a catchy tagline, your email can take a customer right to the checkout page of a product on your website.

Increase your Value

After some trial and error, you’ll be able to discover what communication strategy works best with your customers. Once you do, your customers will pay more attention to the message in each email. In return, you’ll be able to establish the brand of your business and create a closer relationship with your clients.

Reach People from Anywhere Instantly

Email marketing reaches customers faster than a social media post. This is because the email notification shows up on a smartphone as it’s sent out. Rather than having to scroll through Instagram or Facebook to see the post, it’s instant. People are constantly checking their emails: first thing in the morning at work, while at lunch, and even when lounging around.

Learn What Works

Email marketing is another way for you to monitor what’s working and what’s not based on clicks. After sending out a campaign, you can look back and see which links had the most amount of traffic. From there, try incorporating more of that topic into your emails, social media posts, and advertisements.

These are just six of several positive impacts of email marketing. The best news is, it’s cheap and easy to get started with it! Call or message Paragon Marketing Group today (262) 443-9092.

Adapt Your Marketing In 2021

2021 marketing.

As 2020 progressed, we learned that we have to adapt to the new environment we live in. However, this is not a contemporary concept to the world of marketing. Living in the digital age of technology and social media, things are constantly changing which means your business needs to regularly adapt your marketing. Here’s what’s to come in 2021…

5 Changes To Adapt Your Marketing in the New Year

Here are 5 changes you’ll need to adapt your marketing in 2021:

Mobile Functionality

We understand that mobile marketing is not a trend – it’s here to stay. It’s predicted that smartphone users will exceed 280 million users in 2021. This means that more people will not only research, but also shop online on mobile devices. Make sure your website is up to date and easy to use on mobile devices. Not only for your blog and contact page, but also your services and products page.

User-Generated Content (UGC)

UGC is any content (images, audio, text, video) that has been created or posted by a user of a brand. This means that those Google and Facebook reviews matter more now than ever! This version of word-of-mouth marketing is powerful and authentic. Of course, it’s not a new type of content, but one in which you should invest. Not only is it a fun way to get your customers more involved but it’s a great way to market your business.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Voice Search

SEO is a key and effective way to build your online presence. As technology develops, voice search becomes more popular. According to a report from Juniper Research, the percentage of homes predicted to own a smart speaker (Google Home, Alexa, etc.) is 55%. If you consider how many people who already use Google and Siri on their smartphones, think about how you should optimize your business for SEO. Consider what keywords you plug into your website and posts.

Brand Activism

While this prediction is very much based on an individual’s beliefs, it’s said that a business’ stand on hot-topic issues socially and politically play a huge part in their loyal customer base. For example, a big corporation like Ben & Jerry’s teamed up with the Climate Council for their ‘Unfudge our Future’ campaign. This is a new range of products pushing the Australian government to ditch fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy. Movements like this are not only a way to invite new customers with similar beliefs, but to build a more loyal and secure relationship with current customers.

Nostalgia Marketing

I’m sure you saw Geico’s classic “hump day” commercial make a comeback in the early days of quarantine. This type of marketing has become popular in recent months due to the pandemic. Even though we live in a fast-paced world, everyone likes to take a moment and look back at memories every once in a while. Instead of focusing on the new, paying attention to familiarity is comfortable and it makes people feel good – science even says so.

Living in such a fast paced environment can be a lot! Having a plan and preparing your business for current and upcoming trends is the first step to making for a smooth transition into 2021. If you’re not sure where to go from here, Paragon Marketing Group can help you adapt your marketing. Contact us today at (262)443-9092!

Benefits of Being Active on Facebook

Social media marketing.

Social media. Regardless of how connected or disconnected you are, social media can greatly benefit your business. It’s a convenient and fun way to engage with current customers and attract new ones. Small businesses have an advantage on social media for they’re more focused on individuals. There are so many benefits you can gain for your business by staying active on Facebook. The more you engage with followers and customers, the more success you’ll have and the better relationships you’ll build. Respond to comments and reviews, and quickly respond to messages. Make it personal. Not only will this make your current customers feel listened to and respected, but new customers will notice!

How Can Being Active on Facebook Help Your Business?

It’s important to remember not all social media platforms are compatible for your business. You have to decide what’s right for you. Facebook might be a great platform for your business because it’s easy to use and it’s a platform for all ages. We compiled a list of some of the ways your business can benefit from being active on social media, specifically Facebook!

Covers all Three Means of Communication

Verbal, nonverbal, and visual. Unlike Instagram, YouTube, or other visually based platforms, Facebook allows you to share pictures, videos, simple text posts, or livestream. By engaging in all three means of communication, your business can reach and connect with more people, depending on their likes and dislikes.

Share Basic Information about Business

A lot of people use Facebook to find a specific product or service. Making a page for your business allows you to provide people with business hours, contact information, company address, and more. You can add an “About” paragraph and biography about you and your business, post reviews, and advertise your services.

Provide Customer Service and Support

Living in such a fast-paced world, we don’t always have time to sit down on a phone call. Having a Facebook page allows potential customers to ask questions about your business and current customers to send follow up questions and comments about services you provided through private messaging. This allows both you and your customers to reach out on your own time, but with accessibility through your smartphone or computer, it’s easier than ever to give or get a quick response.

Promotes Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Facebook is a great way to get more exposure to your business. Think of it as a snowball effect; you post a funny video or helpful insight to your page; your customers engage with the post by liking, commenting, and sharing. Their friends and family will see that they engaged with your business, pulling them into the intrigue, and so on. You can encourage this by holding some sort of social media contest or other sorts of content that will get your followers to share your page.

You may be thinking, sure, these are all great points, but what if you don’t have extra time to spend on social media? Or I’m not too tech savvy, where do I begin? We understand that there are a lot of moving parts in a small business and it can be a lot. Paragon Marketing Group is here to help. If you have zero or 100 ideas for social media posts and engagement, we have the right people and tools to get the job done. Give us a call or message us today (262)443-9092

Create A Marketing Plan For 2021

2021 marketing plan.

The cozy, warm vibes of fall are an easy excuse to slip into a slow and sluggish routine. This is actually a great time to hit the ground running and hash out a 2021 marketing plan and strategy! Relaxing during the holidays will be a lot more fulfilling knowing you’re already prepared for the new year. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do it alone; we’ve curated a list of some great ways for you to get a plan in place.

2021 Marketing Plan To-Do List

-Embrace Change

Think about it: is the marketing plan you had in place back in January 2020 relevant anymore? Chances are, you had to change and adapt to quite a bit of change since then. Having a plan in place helps to set a pace and keep your business organized, but be open to making changes as the year progresses.

-Set a List of Goals

Before you go full speed ahead into 2021, it’s important to establish what you want to accomplish for the year. Making a list of goals will help keep you on track, and imagine how good it will feel to check off each one as you complete them! If you’re not sure where to start with your goals, try using something like SMART goals or CLEAR objectives as a template.

-Stay Connected

If there’s anything to take from 2020, it’s that life is unpredictable. Who knows what’s to come in the next calendar year? Staying connected to your customers, especially online, is crucial. Keeping your website and social media sites up to date, making it easy for customers to contact you via phone, email, or online chat, and even incorporating more virtual events is a great way to stay connected.

-Keep Track of Results and Know Your Audience

While analyzing what works now for your customers is a good way to get started, really honing in and looking to see what your audience is attracted to monthly, weekly, and in certain cases, daily will help to know what kind of content to post. Keeping track can also help you establish a marketing budget.

-Give a Little Bit of Extra Love to Online Marketing

There’s a lot to organize and keep track of in your business. And sometimes we place marketing on the back burner. With your customers spending more time online now than they would have before, putting a little extra time and money into your marketing efforts will go a long way. Consider posting on your socials more, extending your services to online if possible, and keeping your website up to date.

Adding “adaptability” and “flexibility” to your everyday vocabulary AND your marketing plan is important for 2021! Be open to change, especially for your business’ marketing plan. We know starting can be scary; Paragon Marketing Group is here to help you through it all! Call or message us today (262)443-9092

Top 6 Fall Marketing Ideas

Top 6 Fall Marketing Ideas

Fall is a time for change, focus, and hustle. In nature, fall is a time for death, but this also means a time for rebirth. How do we take this idea and translate it to our business? Creating some new fall marketing ideas is a great place to start.

Try These Top 6 Fall Marketing Ideas

We found the top 6 fall marketing ideas you can take advantage of this upcoming season. Check them out below:

1. Celebrate New Holidays

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are always fun holidays to celebrate, but finding smaller holidays that relate to your business is great to use for marketing to new and current customers. For example, if you’re running a local coffee shop, offer deals and celebrate National Coffee Day (September 29). If you run a restaurant, consider celebrating National Pasta Day on October 17th!

2. Collaborate with Local Businesses and Organizations

People recognize fall as a way to spend time with friends and family, especially in your local community! Working with other businesses to host something like a special discount, promotion, or something fun like a cookout. This is a great way to expand your connections and bring in potential customers.

3. Take Advantage of Holiday Spending and Savings

On one end, this is the time of year where people spend a little more on themselves and family members for holiday gifts. At the same time, people love to save and will splurge on something if it’s a deal (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc.) Take advantage of this and get creative with some discount deals and announcements!

4. Express Gratitude and Thankfulness

While it’s important to express gratitude all year around, the holidays remind us of how thankful we are for family, friends, your business, and your customers! Your marketing techniques don’t always have to revolve around a service or product. Sometimes putting in the time and effort to say “thank you” to loyal customers goes a long way.

5. Get Creative with Themed Giveaways

Who doesn’t love themed gifts? People go especially crazy for pumpkin spice flavored anything. Take advantage of the tropes of fall like pumpkins, colored leaves, movies and hot cocoa, and more to add to your business’ ads or posts. Not only will this attract your audience to the post itself, but it will also encourage them to reach out to find out more information about your services and products – don’t be afraid to get creative!

6. Boost Your Media Output

Especially in Wisconsin, the chilly weather invites people to cozy up inside. Because of this, people are probably seeking out more things on social media to watch and interact with. This is a great time to up your video production game and put out some awesome material for your new and current customers.

Now that you have all of these awesome fall-themed ideas for your business, it can be difficult to find a good starting point. If you have a seed of an idea or a fully bloomed proposal, Paragon Marketing Group is here to help you every step of the way. Call or message us today for more information! 262.443.9092

Design For Your Target Audience

Design For Your Audience.

All businesses have a target audience, and it’s important to define who that is! When you are making your marketing materials, whether it be a printed brochure or a website, you need to design for your customer, not for you. It’s all about what your potential customers are looking for and want.

Considerations When Designing for Your Target Audience

You should ask yourself the following questions:

  • What colors reside with your target demographic?
  • Are they searching the web on their phone, a tablet or a desktop?
  • Are they readers? Or visual people?
  • What drives them to make a purchasing decision?

Color Schemes & Functionality

When designing materials for your business, step into the shoes of your target audience and consider what they are looking for. According to a study compiled of information from The New York Times, Harrington College of Design, and other sources, the older end of the Gen-Z generation (1996-2015) enjoy muted and pastel colors, like spearmint and blush pink. Their style is influenced by the 80s and 90s, so try bright colors like yellow (named “The Color of Gen-Z”). Millennials and Gen-Z are automatically attracted to a service or product that is aesthetically pleasing to them. Of course, the quality of the service is always important, but initially attracting them and bringing them in relies a lot on visuals.

If you’re attracting an older audience, those who are a part of the Baby Boomer and Gen X generations (1943-1960, 1961-1980) enjoy a much more mature color palette. Warm yellows and whites, pale blue, and jade green, and shades of grey are comfortable and classic for these generations. Of course, this is not exact science and varies from person-to-person, but this is a good baseline to start. These generations may not care as much about aesthetics as they do about the functionality of a service or product. But your website is often the first time new customers interact with your business, so it’s worth thinking about.

Smart Devices & Navigation

Combining what your audience might enjoy aesthetically with a website that’s easy to navigate will attract current and new customers. Of course, Millennials and Gen-Zers might be accessing your website on their smartphone more often than on a laptop or desktop like Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers. In 2020, it’s safe to assume most people own and use a smartphone, so it’s always good to make sure navigation is easy regardless of the age of your target audience.

Aesthetics & Information Channels

You should also consider the amount of text on your website. Millennials like a very minimalistic look. They can be easily overwhelmed and distracted, so have a simple, straightforward point when explaining your services. Further, Millennials are more likely to seek out services from word-of-mouth. The Gen-Z generation, however, likes to use the Internet to research a business and their options. Gen X-ers are oftentimes quite direct and like to engage in honest, open conversations. Because of this, it’s important to consider bringing honesty and transparency when explaining a product or service to them.

To find out more information or if you need help finding the design and color palette perfect for your website, Paragon Marketing Group has the people and resources to help make all of it come to life.

Online Listings Are Essential For Your Business

Online listings.

Online listings is an important, essential, and powerful tool to help your customers find you both in real life and online. What is a listing? It quite literally is a list of crucial business information your customers can use to research and contact you. There’s one thing you need to remember to make your online listings successful:

NAP+W

No, it’s not a typo. It’s a useful acronym that you should use in all business listings…

Name
Address
Phone number
+
Website

Why and How Do Listings Work?

A listing is present on many things like search engines, social media, and online directories. It’s important that the listing is as precise and accurate as possible, which is why keeping NAP+W in mind is important. Usually less is more, but not for listings. Of course the more accessible your business’ information is, the easier it is for customers to research and discover your company.

Why Are Online Listings Important?

Listings that provide accurate information, as stated above, can bring a lot of value to your business’ marketing techniques. If there is any incorrect or missing information on your listing, not only will it be more difficult for customers to find you, but it dampers your credibility. Further, consistent listings along with credible and positive customer reviews can benefit your business’ visibility by boosting your ranking on search engine results.

Paragon Marketing Group can help you take control of how your customers view you online. By using this one tool, we can help display your business’ information across 60+ apps, maps, and search engines.