The Power of Blogging: Elevate Your Business Through Content Marketing

Businesses are always exploring effective methods to engage their target audience and promote growth. One such invaluable strategy is content marketing, or blogging. According to the Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

Understanding Content Marketing

Content marketing involves crafting and sharing content that resonates with your audience’s interests and needs. This approach not only informs and entertains but also builds trust and fosters lasting relationships. By delivering consistent and relevant content, businesses can position themselves as industry leaders and go-to resources for their audience.

The Significance of Blogging in Content Marketing

Blogging services as a foundational element of content marketing. Here’s why it’s essential for your business:

  1. Enhanced Brand Visibility and Awareness — Regularly publishing blog posts increases your online presence, making it easier for potential customers to find and engage with your brand. Each post acts as a new entry point, expanding your reach and introducing your business to a broader audience.
  2. Establishing Authority and Credibility — By sharing insightful and well-researched content, you position your business as an authority in your field. This not only builds credibility but also instills confidence among your audience, making them more likely to trust your products or services.
  3. Driving Organic Traffic — Search engines favor websites with fresh, relevant content. Blogging allows you to target specific keywords, improving your search engine rankings and driving organic traffic to your site. This increased visibility can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.
  4. Engaging and Educating Your Audience — Blogs provide a platform to address your audience’s pain points, answer their questions, and offer solutions. This engagement fosters a deeper connection, encouraging readers to return and explore more of your content.
  5. Supporting Other Marketing Efforts — Quality blog content complements other marketing strategies, such as social media marketing and email campaigns. Sharing blog posts on social platforms amplifies reach, while incorporating them into email newsletters keeps your audience informed and engaged.
  6. Generating Leads and Conversions — Strategically crafted blog posts can guide readers through the buyer’s journey. By including compelling calls-to-action and offering valuable resources, blogs can convert readers into leads and, ultimately, loyal customers.

Partner with a Marketing Agency

Collaborating with a professional marketing agency can significantly amplify your blogging and content marketing efforts. Afflecto Media Marketing brings specialized expertise in blogging, SEO Optimization, and content strategy, ensuring your business effectively reaches and engages its target audience.

Why Choose Afflecto?

  1. Expertise in Blogging and Content Creation — Afflecto Media Marketing excels in developing tailored content strategies that resonate with your audience. They can assist in identifying your target demographic, analyzing competitor strategies, and creating comprehensive content calendars to maintain consistency and relevance.
  2. Advanced SEO Optimization Techniques — Understanding the intricacies of SEO is crucial for enhancing online visibility. Afflecto employs advanced SEO techniques, including keyword research, on-page optimization, and backlink strategies, to improve your website’s search engine rankings and drive organic traffic.
  3. Comprehensive Content Marketing Services — Beyond blogging, Afflecto offers a full spectrum of content marketing services, including social media management, email marketing, and analytics. This holistic approach ensures that all aspects of your content strategy work synergistically to achieve your business goals.

Ever thought about what blogging could really do for your business? It’s so much more than just posting content. When done right, blogging helps you connect with your audience on a personal level while positioning you as someone who really knows their stuff.

The best part? Those connections translate into real business growth. By sharing helpful information that your audience actually cares about, you’re building a community of people who keep coming back—and eventually become customers.

If you’re curious about how to make blogging work for your specific situation, we’d love to chat. Afflecto Media Marketing offers free strategy sessions where we can discuss your goals. No pressure, just conversation about possibilities. Drop us a line when you’re ready. We’d love to hear from you!

4 Tips for Cultivating Social Media Followers

Learn how to keep your followers engaged and how to make the workload manageable.

Growing a social media following in a crowded digital landscape takes a tailored social media strategy coupled with industry insights and technical know-how. But it can all seem so overwhelming! The best way to start is to focus on one thing at a time. Today, we are talking about ‘4 Ways to Cultivate Social Media Followers.’

Keep reading to learn how to keep your followers engaged and how to make the workload manageable. It’s not about doing ALL THE THINGS. It’s truly about finding what is right for you and your brand. Read on…

1. PLAN AHEAD

The best way to a successful social media content strategy is to plan ahead. Don’t do things on a whim. The first step is to create a social media content calendar. Having this tool will ensure you don’t miss key dates. You can create your calendar in Google Sheets to keep it really simple. Or, you can use a specific social media management tool. Choose from a free tool like HootSuite, or you can choose a paid version like Monday or Sendible that our team prefers.

The good news is that most paid tools offer a free trial period. So, try a few different ones and find out what works best for you. Whatever tool you use, plan ahead for content that helps support your business goals.

2. BE CONSISTENT

There’s something to knowing what to expect. And the same goes for your social media followers. They’ve come to know and love your brand so your social media accounts should be representative of your brand. When someone visits your social media channels they should see the brand they are familiar with. And for new and potential customers, it’s good to show them what your brand is all about.

How can you be consistent with you social media presence? From the creative to the post copy there are many ways to let your brand shine. One of the easiest ways is to use the same colors and embellishments on your social media posts. If you need help creating those check out our Creative Elements Package. It is a unique offering by Afflecto where we give you all the tools to create beautiful social media posts that are consistent with your brand identity. Many small businesses have benefitted from using this package. It’s an easy way to create good social media content.

Additionally, ensure you find your unique voice and that it comes through in how your posts are written. Create a brand persona and define how that person would talk and what words they’d us. Then use that to guide your post writing.

The different content types you share can also create consistency. Users find the most value in educational content and entertaining content, but you also have to determine what is right for your brand. As an example, if you are an orthodontic office, you probably want to share content about the benefits of seeing an orthodontist at an early age (educational) and funny memes about visiting the orthodontist (entertaining). But you will also need to share some get-to-know you content about the people in your office. That way followers can see their favorite hygienist, or the staff that will be treating them. While this isn’t educational or funny, it humanizes the brand by showing some personal aspects of the office.

3. KNOW TRENDS

Be aware of social media trends, but only participate when they make sense for your brand. You don’t need to jump on the bandwagon for every trend. Be mindful of how participating in trends can work within your overall social media strategy.

One “trend” that will always work is user-generated content (UGC). If your fans and followers are sharing content about your brand, it’s always a good idea to use it! First, ask their permission. And once it is granted, share this UGC with your other fans. This authentic content resonates well with nearly all social media users. And potential customers will see it as an endorsement of your brand.

4. CHOOSE QUALITY

If you have a lot on your plate and can’t manage posting to social everyday, then do what you can. Your reach and engagement will increase as you post more, but you also want to share high-quality content. If that means sharing one post per week, than make it amazing!

Also, don’t feel like you have to be present on every social media channel. Choosing the right social networks for your brand is a great way to limit the workload, but still reach your target audience. If your audience is older, you might just need to focus on Facebook and Instagram. If your target is much younger, then you’ll want to consider focusing your efforts on TikTok. If you’re B2B, then LinkedIn is your platform. Just remember, don’t just post. Be intentional.

EASY TO USE INFOGRAPIC

Here is an infographic that captures all of this information in an easy to use way. Print it off and keep it by your desk as a reminder of the 4 tips to cultivating social media followers.

4 Tips for Cultivating Social Media Followers infographic

Contact Afflecto for Social Media Assistance

We can help drive engagement, awareness and conversions. But first, we’ll talk about your goals. Then, we can do as much, or as little as you’d like. Our team can create a Creative Elements Package that will give you all the tools you need to create beautiful social content. Or, we can handle all of your social media management from social media strategy to content creation and community management. Now is the right time to get your social media channels in order. Contact us to learn more about the social media options we offer.

Afflecto Earns Platinum and Gold in Creative Excellence

We are excited to announce that Afflecto has earned platinum and gold in Creative Excellence from the 2022 Hermes Creative Awards. This is the second consecutive year our creative work has been recognized by this competition.

“As we always say, the real award is a happy client,” said Amy Rose, Vice President of Afflecto Media Marketing. “However, recognition like this validates that our team’s hard work and our agency’s investment in creative growth is truly moving the needle in the right direction.”


Platinum Creative Excellence Award

Afflecto received honors in two different categories. Platinum honors were given for the category of ‘Overall Company Branding Design’ for client Restorative Pain Management. Restorative Pain Management is pain management clinic that focuses on neck and back pain.

They came to Afflecto seeking an entire branding overhaul. “When I moved my practice location, I knew it was time to get our branding updated,” said Dr. Gregory Stynowick, MD. “Afflecto was able to create modern branding for my practice that wasn’t cliché. They exceeded my expectations!”

Afflecto work earns platinum honors for Restorative Pain Management clinic branding

Gold Creative Excellence Award

The Performance Eyecare print marketing was awarded the Gold distinction. Performance Eyecare is the largest, independently owned eyecare provider in the St. Louis region. They have nine locations on both sides of the river, including Columbia, MO.

Afflecto has added personality and dimension to our branding,” said Dr. Dirk Massie, Owner of Performance Eyecare. “We couldn’t be happier with our partnership.”


Afflecto’s Past Honors

The Hermes Awards recognized Afflecto last year as well. The work honored in 2021 was for client Clear Blue Smiles. Afflecto earned platinum and gold awards for branding and logo design. The committee also awarded Afflecto an honorable mention for their 2020 client holiday card.


About Afflecto Media Marketing

Afflecto Media Marketing is a full-service marketing agency based in St. Louis, MO., serving clients nationwide. Our team focuses on driving sales and brand value through expertise in digital media, broadcast media, website design and development, creative and branding, and social media.

“We believe in building strong partnerships with our clients. One of our fundamental beliefs is that good work happens when you work with people you like. This goes for our internal team and our client partnerships,” said Rose. “That’s why we don’t require long-term client contracts. The relationship continues as long as it is working for both sides. And I believe that’s why our client retention rate has stayed above 92% for over ten years.”


About the Hermes Creative Awards

The Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals. The awards recognize creative excellence in the areas of concept, writing, and design for both traditional and emerging media. This year the competition received over 6,500 entries from the United States, Canada, and dozens of other countries. Receiving a Platinum or Gold distinction is an incredible honor.

Hermes Creative Awards are one of the oldest and largest creative competitions in the world. Winners range in size from individuals to media conglomerates, as well as some of the biggest names in Fortune 500 companies. The international awards program is administered by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals. Judges are industry professionals looking for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.

Afflecto Earns Honors in the 2022 MUSE Creative Awards

We are excited to announce that Afflecto Media Marketing earned gold honors in the 2022 MUSE Creative Awards. Afflecto received gold for an Integrated Marketing campaign created for client Performance Eyecare. Anjelica Aquilino, Creative Specialist for Afflecto, was the lead designer on the project.

About the Muse Creative Awards

The International Awards Associate (IAA) hosts the MUSE Awards. The IAA aims to promote excellence in various creative and design industries by providing professionals a platform to compete against their peers. This year they received over 6,000 entries worldwide. The MUSE Creative Awards is a leading awards program created to honor creative and design professionals for their excellence.

“We are excited to receive this recognition from the IAA,” said Amy Rose, Vice President, Afflecto. “This recognition – and the desire to continually put out good work – motivates us to push ourselves every day.”

Afflecto’s Winning Work

Along with the gold honors, Afflecto also received two silver awards. One in the ‘Advertising’ category and the other in the ‘Branding’ category. Want to see the winning entries? Keep reading…

GOLD AWARD – Integrated Marketing
Client: Performance Eyecare
With opening of new offices the client knew it was time for a brand update. The result was a dynamic campaign that was unlike any of their competitors.

SILVER AWARD – Branding
Client: Restorative Pain Management
The branding work for this client extended from assisting in renaming his practice and developing a tagline; to creating a robust brand package.

SILVER AWARD – Advertising
Client: Performance Eyecare
With a new, bilingual doctor on the team, Performance Eyecare, was eager to tell the Bosnian community where they could go for their eyecare needs. Afflecto created both English and bilingual creative to use in the communication plan.

4 Ways Video Marketing Can Improve Your Business

Video content marketing has been around for decades, and yet, it has only been a few years since businesses started embracing it in everyday life. With the effectiveness, affordability, and engagement of video content all skyrocketing, now is the time to incorporate it into your marketing strategy! It is one of the most powerful tools you can add to your small business marketing toolkit.

We’ve identified the 4 ways video marketing can improve your business. Read on to find out how your marketing strategy can utilize video to drive sales, increase awareness, and get new customers:

1.   Organic Social Video Content

If you’re one of the 50 million people who visit TikTok every day, you know all about this use case already – video content is entertaining! It’s a great way to connect with people in a very friendly and natural-feeling way. It’s also the best method for your business to get in on the latest trends, infuse some personality into your brand, and just have fun!

When people watch a video that features a member of your team, a user of your product, or a raving fan of your business, it makes them feel almost as if they received a recommendation from a trusted friend. Shaking up your social feed with quality video content will add a serious boost to your credibility. It will also increase people’s perception of your brand – all without spending a dime on ads. 

2.   Eye-Catching Video Ads

Ok, so maybe you do want to spend a couple dimes on ads. Video can help you here too! Using video in your marketing campaign is often more engaging – and appealing – to your target audience. Instead of using static images, consider using videos as an effective way to get across your message. There are a couple key ways video ads outperform their non-video competition:

  • Video is more engaging, and it’s more likely to encourage people to view or click your ads (as much as a 2x increase, according to a Paid Ads Specialist at SeoPlus+!)
  • You can fit more information in a video format, giving people a better understanding of your product & brand than they’d get from a still image
  • Increase ad conversion rates.

As with any marketing initiative, a combo is usually best and you need to test, test, test for best results. But if your ad game has plateaued, video content could be just the thing to spice your content up. If you’re spending money on advertising you want to ensure that you get better results. Marketing videos are the way to do this.

3.   Video SEO with YouTube

It seems like SEO changes by the minute, but one thing has remained true for many years – good video can help your rankings. YouTube is a great place to get started. YouTube is actually the second largest search engine out there with 122 million daily users, and over a billion hours of video content consumed every single day according to Omnicore. Loading all of your brand videos onto YouTube is an excellent way to improve your SEO and reach potential buyers.

You can start with videos that have a high production value. High-quality video is usually produced by a marketing agency. Afflecto offers this service to current and potential customers. Unfortunately, a small business owner may not be able to afford a marketing agency. If that’s you, you can still create successful video content. Use your mobile phone and online editing software. In recent years consumers have become accustomed to seeing video production with a range of production values. So the good news is that anyone can make video. Either way, just dive in and get started!

Types of Videos to Create

Stumped as to what types of videos to create? Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Use customer testimonials to create videos that function as online customer reviews.
  • Create tutorial videos by giving your audience tips on how to solve a common problem.
  • Brand video is a great way to tell your customers about your company.
  • Product videos are a good idea for highlighting what products you sell and calling out specific features.

Once you’ve done the work, be sure to share it. Upload your video work to your YouTube channel and also share it on your social media pages.

The best part about YouTube SEO campaigns is that a lot of businesses aren’t doing it! While you may find it hard to compete in the super-saturated blog space, there is still plenty of opportunity to utilize a strong YouTube campaign to improve your overall impression share. Remember to add relevant keywords, a good video title, all the proper tags and descriptions, and you’ll be well on your way to tapping into the YouTube market.

PRO TIP: YouTube Snippets

Featured ‘snippets’ are pieces of content Google has selected to answer a certain query. They’re highly coveted spaces that land above search results and usually generate a ton of traffic for their website. YouTube content is now eligible to be chosen for a snippet, so go create those FAQ videos!

4.   Team Time-Savers

Are there certain things your team finds themselves explaining again and again? Let a video do the talking for you! By recording those recurring conversations and sharing with potential (or current) clients you’ll quickly discover hours (even DAYS) of time savings. Here are a couple pieces of content that could be good candidates for video responses:

  • A product demo to show the intricacies of how something works.
  • An onboarding video to get people acquainted with your business.
  • A ‘how-to’ video  if your clients need to do some set-up or troubleshooting on their own.
  • A sizzle reel/promotional video if your sales team could benefit from a visual aid.

Video FAQs can easily be emailed or texted to clients, added to your web pages, or uploaded to YouTube for the public. This will make information easily accessible to the right people – a huge benefit to you and the people you do business with.

Not Sure Where To Start with Video?

The benefits of video marketing are abundant. They can make a complex subject easy to understand, increase the performance of your digital marketing efforts, and increase engagement with your brand. If you don’t want to go it alone, we’re here to help!

Afflecto has experience in planning video strategy, scripting, and shooting video content for businesses of all sizes. Afflecto helps our clients create high-quality videos they can add to their social platforms, website, YouTube channels, and just about anywhere else. Schedule a free chat with us today to learn more about this powerful tool. We look forward to helping your business grow with video marketing efforts!