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.

Interacting With Your Audience Using Live Video

Live video.

There are many types of video your business can pursue to engage with customers, boost sales, and enhance your brand. So, which video is widely preferred and gets the most interaction with prospective customers? Live video is capturing the attention of many, and your consumers could be a part of that audience!

Why Is Live Video Great for Audience Interaction?

Cheap and Easy Production

While large video production has its place for advertising your company and products, it can be time-consuming and costly. Live video can be as simple as using Facebook or Instagram Live with a brief script ready to use. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with putting in some extra time and resources to really get people engaged with your live video, but if you’re in a time crunch, it’s for sure the way to go.

Customer Engagement

With live videos, you’re setting up the time for your customers to engage with you. Not only is this convenient for you, but it also is for them too! This is because you’re only engaging with the people who care about you, your company, and your brand. It’s an easy way to see what kind of people are engaging with your content, which will help you decide who to target when making your next advertisement post, picture, or video.

100% Ad-Free

There’s nothing more annoying than getting really into a video, and it’s suddenly cut to a 30-second advertisement in the middle of the video. If you don’t like it, chances are your consumers don’t either. Most streaming platforms offer ad-free content for you to create. The only advertisements your customers view is that of your business.

Real-Time Engagement Tool

Not only is it a great platform to get information across to customers, but you can talk to them in real-time with live chat. Live streaming gives people the capability to ask questions, leave testimonials, or just have a conversation with you. There are even certain platforms that allow you to have a person to hop on the livestream with you to have a verbal conversation in real-time. It’s a great tool to answer questions, thank customers, or sell your products and services.

Showcase for All Content

If you want to enhance your live streams and make it all the more exciting for audience members, it’s easy to add in graphics, images, text, and even video clips into your livestream. Sometimes it’s better to show customers than to tell them about something (i.e. a new product, statistics, etc.) and live streaming is a great place to showcase all content your business has that also invites in a personal engagement tool.

So, let’s see… live streaming is ad-free, cheap and easy to do, and convenient to engage with current and potential customers. What’s not to love? It’s a powerful tool to engage with the most involved customers, invite in new customers, and easy communication for everyone! Of course, it’s important to debate what’s best for your business, which is where we come in! We have the tools to bring all of your business dreams to life. For all of your questions about live streaming, email marketing, and everything in between, we’re your neighborhood marketing company.

Interacting With Your Audience Using Live Video

Live video.

There are so many different kinds of video that your business can pursue to engage with customers, boost sales, and enhance your company’s brand. So, which video is widely preferred and gets the most interaction with prospective customers? Live video is capturing the attention of many, and your consumers could be a part of that audience!

Cheap and Easy Production

While large video production absolutely has its place in advertising for your company and products, it can be time-consuming and costly. With live video, it can be as simple as turning on the webcam on Facebook or Instagram live with a brief script for you to go off of. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with putting in some extra time and resources to really get people engaged with your live video, but if you’re in a time crunch, it’s for sure the way to go.

Consumers Use Their Time to be on Your Time

With live videos, you’re setting up the time for your customers to engage with you. Not only is this convenient for you, but it is for them too! This is because you’re only engaging with the people who care about you, your company, and your brand. It’s an easy way to see what kind of people are engaging with your content, which will help you decide who to target when making your next advertisement post, picture, or video.

100% Ad Free

There’s nothing more annoying than getting really into a video, and it’s suddenly cut to a 30-second advertisement in the middle of the video. If you don’t like it, chances are your consumers don’t either. Most streaming platforms offer ad-free content for you to create. The only advertisements your customers view is that of your business.

Real-Time Engagement Tool

Not only is it a great platform to get information across to customers, but you can talk to them in real-time with live chat. Live streaming gives people the capability to ask questions, leave testimonials, or just have a conversation with you. There are even certain platforms that allow you to have a person to hop on the livestream with you to have a verbal conversation in real-time. It’s a great tool to answer questions, thank customers, or sell your products and services.

Showcase for all Content

If you want to enhance your live streams and make it all the more exciting for audience members, it’s easy to add in graphics, images, text, and even video clips into your livestream. Sometimes it’s better to show customers than to tell them about something (ie. a new product, statistics, etc.) and live streaming is a great place to showcase all content your business has that also invites in a personal engagement tool.

 

So, let’s see… live streaming is ad-free, cheap and easy to do, and it’s super easy to engage with current and potential customers? What’s not to love? It’s a powerful tool to engage with the most involved customers, invite in new customers, and easy communication for everyone! Of course, it’s important to debate what’s best for your business, which is where we come in! We have the tools to bring all of your business dreams to life. For all of your questions about live streaming, email marketing, and everything in between, we’re your neighborhood marketing company.

5 Easy Ways to Spring Clean Your Social Media Strategy

spring clean your social media strategy.

It’s that time of year again! Sunshine, flowers, and yep, spring cleaning. There’s nothing greater than cleaning out a closet you’ve been putting off all year, cleaning up your garden, or even cleaning up your social media strategy! There are so many things, both small and large-scale to improve your social media presence and marketing.

5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Social Media Strategy

There’s no better time to get rid of clutter than now. Here are five ways to get started with that spring cleaning . . .

1. Update Your Profile and Pages

Make sure you’re keeping your information up to date – this could even be done as often as every couple of weeks depending on your business! Here are some ways to update your pages:

  • Update your profile picture
  • Spice up your biography
  • Include a link to your newest product, a recent 5-star review from a customer, or a friendly message to welcome new customers
  • Create a new call-to-action
  • Incorporate keywords and buzzwords to get people interested
  • If you updated your brand with a different logo or colors, incorporate those into your profile and header photos

2. Create a Content Calendar

Making a content calendar can be extremely helpful to keep you and your business organized! Content calendars are great to keep your thoughts organized, especially if your company uses several different social media platforms. You can use a calendar to keep you on track for…

  • Social media posts
  • Email marketing, articles, and blogs
  • Video production
  • Networking or marketing events

3. Bring Those Goals Out of Storage

Goals grow and change, and some are even forgotten as the year goes on. There’s no better time than now to dust those goals off and pursue them! This is where our previous idea of using a content calendar can come in handy – keep yourself accountable for reaching your goals by visualizing deadlines and content for them by creating smaller goals to lead up to the big one. If you’re not sure why you didn’t meet your goals, take time to figure out where they can be changed to match your business better!

4. Check Out Your Competition

A little competitor analysis never hurt anybody. Check out their social media pages and see what kind of things they’re posting and what their audiences are engaging with, or better yet, look for what they might be missing. That way you can incorporate both into your social media strategy. Some things to look out for with your competitions are…

  • What kind of content are they posting?
  • How often are they posting?
  • What platforms are they using?
  • What content gets the most interaction, likes, comments, etc.?

5. Clean Up Your Social Media Strategy

After analyzing your competition’s social media strategy, take some time to study your own! You don’t need to start from ground up and completely revamp your marketing techniques, but take a look at small things. What’s working? What’s not working? What kind of content got the most interaction and engagement? Taking time to identify your business’ own strengths and weaknesses is a great way to determine what it needs and more importantly, what your customers need.

Taking some time out of your schedule to dust off some goals, clean up your video production strategy, and change up your business’ brand is the best way to clean up this spring! Not only will you feel a weight lifted, but your customers and business will thank you.

Instagram Quick Tips

Instagram tips.

Instagram has over 25 million business accounts, many of which are small businesses. It’s important to know if Instagram is a right fit for you. Whether you are B2B or B2C, this platform can fit your needs. Instagram is the perfect platform to make visual posts to appeal to your target audience. We know it can be confusing to determine which social platforms to use, how to set it up and even how to use it so we’ve put together a quick guide to make Instagram easy. Don’t forget, we’re a local business that is always here to help!

Who Uses Instagram?

It’s critical to know who uses Instagram to target your marketing to that specific audience.

Instagram Demographics That Matter to Social Media Marketers in 2020

Setting Up A Business Instagram Account

Click the links below and use these resources to set up an Instagram account for your business. Be sure to connect it with your business page. Paragon’s quick tips for you are to be sure to create the account with the same email used for your Facebook page and make sure you convert it to a business page instead of using a personal account.

Getting Started With Instagram
Connecting Facebook and Instagram
Set Up & Analyze Your Instagram Profile

Using Instagram

Once your business has an Instagram account, it’s critical to use it! Don’t just let it sit out there with no new activity. Paragon’s quick tip is to create content that attracts to your specific audience on Instagram (know who they are!) and don’t be afraid to interact with them.

Instagram Marketing: A Small Business Guide
8 Instagram Tips For Small Businesses

Talk To The Professionals



What to Know About Marketing

What to know about marketing.

“Marketing” is a big, broad umbrella term that we’ve all heard, but what is marketing really all about and how can it benefit your business? Chances are you’re using a bunch of marketing techniques without realizing it!
Marketing, as a general meaning, is “the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.” (Dictionary.com) This means that, yes, marketing is just the simple act of selling your product or services, but there is a lot more that can be done to promote and advertise your business.

Digital Marketing

This is probably the most important form of marketing, especially in the modern, digital age. Digital marketing includes:

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Check out our blog about it here
  • Social Media posts and outreach. Check out our blog for tips and tricks on how to use it
  • Video marketing. Here’s a master list of all the different ways to incorporate video into your online marketing
  • Email and text message marketing. This is great to use when promoting an event or new product

There’s so much that goes into digital marketing, the possibilities are endless! If you’re not sure where to start with marketing, online is the place to begin. It’s a great way to not only promote your products and services, but it’s a great way to communicate directly with your customers.

Unique, High-Quality Service

While this one may seem obvious, the quality of your product is a great way to sell to customers and it’s the best way to stand out from competitors! Marketing your product becomes a lot easier if you and your customers understand the high quality value of it. Further, this extends to the unique face of your business. Not only do you want people to benefit from your services, but they want to get to know the unique personality of you.

Targeting Customers

This is another important aspect to understand about marketing. The best way to market your business, no matter the platform or medium, is to know who you’re selling your products to. Using Facebook or Instagram business account allows you to track the demographics of your consumers. Once you have those findings, take a look back at your posts and see which ones they interact with most, or if you’re just getting started, play around with a couple of different marketing techniques (email, social media, video, etc.) and see which one attracts the most people and go from there!

Branding

The face of your business is the first thing people see! From language to video style to the colors used in your logo, they should all be coherent and work together. This is a great marketing strategy because your consumers will become familiar with your work and find a sense of comfort when they see your posts, leading them to wanting to see your content more and more. Check out our blog on branding to get a more in depth idea of what it is.

 

Marketing can be intimidating, especially when you’re starting out, but these are great places to dip your toes into. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be diving into the world of marketing in no time. Make sure to check out our linked blog posts to help you on your journey!