1. Choose the right networks for your audience
There are countless networks, websites, apps, and forums to choose from, but it’s not about being active on as many as possible; it’s about knowing why you should utilize some of them over others, depending on your company’s objectives.
 
2. ​Set goals
Whether it be building brand awareness, generating leads, enhancing brand loyalty from existing patrons, networking professional relationships, or whatever else your company needs, establishing these goals upfront will better drive your decisions online to get the best results possible.
 
3. Stay active
Regularly posting will keep your followers coming back for more. The more they see your brand, the bigger impression you make. Post as often as your audience demands in order to remain relevant online.
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4. Engage with your audience
Posting often may ensure your followers stick around, but engaging will help you gain new followers as well. Comment, share, like, answer questions. Show your audience that you care about them and what matters to them.
 
5. Focus less on promoting
Along with engaging, note that your audience is more likely to follow businesses that provide more than just advertisements for themselves. Keep content relatable, relevant, and informative on top of those promotions.
 
6. Be sincere
Making sure your company comes off professional and elite is very important… in some aspects of marketing. Depending on your network of choice, sometimes it’s better to provide a more personable, organic presence for engaging with your audience, so don’t be afraid to be welcoming, forthcoming, and relatable in your posts and comments.
 
7. Utilize graphics
Videos, photos, infographics, and other forms of visual content are ever on the rise in social media. Studies have shown that posts containing visual content yield six times more engagement than posts without graphics.
 
8. Keep trends in mind
When the opportunity comes along to jump on the bandwagon of a trend, take it. Trends get more shares and engagements than normal posts, so use that exposure to your advantage. Be mindful of which trends you choose, though. Focus on ones that your brand can relate to, so as not to seem gimmick and insincere.
 
9. Study your metrics
Impressions, engagements, followers, etc. - it all matters. Pay attention to which posts and, more specifically, which kinds of posts get the most attention for your brand. Use that data to customize your approach to social media marketing and tailor your content accordingly.
 
10. Invest in scheduling and automation tools
​It’s time-consuming and tedious to maintain an active presence online. To help alleviate some of that burden, we recommend looking into programs and sites like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, BuzzSumo, and Buffer to automate and schedule your posts all at once beforehand instead of waiting to post at the appropriate times.
 
If it seems like a lot of work to build brand recognition on social media, that’s because it can be. There’s a lot to take into consideration every time you login. Luckily, you don’t have to do this alone. At Clairant, we can set up and educate you on all of your business’s social media needs, or, if you prefer, we’ll build it and maintain it all for you. So the only time you have to click “submit” is right now on our contact form.
 
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Sources:
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/building-social-media-presence/
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/10-ways-small-businesses-can-improve-their-social-media-presence

In order to thrive in today's world, it's essential that every business have a website. However, understanding how to make one that stands out from the competition and pleases customers can be tricky. In order to get the best results from your website, there are some important things you should always include. Here's what Clairant's marketing experts advise business owners to feature in order to see the most success.
  
1. Professional Branding
It's so important that your company is memorable to consumers. In order to stand out from similar companies, you need eye-catching branding that is consistent throughout your website. Sophisticated branding indicates to the customer that your company is a capable industry leader.
  
2. Clear Motives
The purpose behind each page should be clear to your audience. The viewer should be able to easily understand who your company is and how to navigate your website. Intuitive design will help customers understand your business better and leave them satisfied instead of frustrated.
  
3. Easy Connections
Customers don't want to spend a lot of time looking for how to contact you. The most effective websites will have all social media profiles linked, as well as easy to find contact information, such as email addresses and phone numbers. Make sure your contact page is easy to find.
  
4. Relevant & Interesting Content
Provide content that makes the viewer want to keep coming back. By including regularly updated, fresh content you are able to establish your business as a leading voice in your industry.
  
5. Site Analytics
In order to get the best results from your website, you need to learn how customers are using your site. Programs such as Google Analytics will allow you to track customer behavior in order to find out what's working and what needs to change.
  
It's astonishing how much added success a company can see from simply making a few changes to their website. Try out some of our tips, and remember you don't have to navigate the world of online marketing alone. Call Clairant and make your website the best it can be! Let's start building yours today!
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Businesses have unique needs that do best with individualized marketing solutions. However, one thing is universally true: email marketing takes companies to the next level. Nearly half of the world's population are email users, and that number is projected to keep growing. This makes email an essential aspect of marketing. Here are Clairant's top five reasons why your business should focus on email marketing this year. 

1. One of the Most Cost-Effective Forms of Marketing
Compared to other types of marketing, email allows you to reach the highest number of people for the lowest price. The cost per conversion is very low, making this an excellent choice for businesses on a budget. 

2. Reaches Mobile Customers in Real Time
Everyone carries their phone around with them these days; it's smart to take advantage of that. When you email your customers, they get notified in real time, so you can reach your audience faster than with other methods. 

3. Customization Allows for Targeted Marketing
Instead of all consumers seeing the same marketing material, with email you can separate your customers into groups based on their behavior. Doing this will allow you to send customized content that is excellent for lead nurturing. 

4. Receives Even Better Response Rates Than Social Media
Social media is great for building brand awareness but when it comes to customer acquisition, email marketing is by far more successful. Personalized email campaigns really resonate with consumer needs. 

5. Easy to Track and Measure Results
Email allows you to get the most accurate picture of how your marketing efforts are being received by consumers. You can see how many people opened your email and which links they clicked, and can then make adjustments to your strategy in order to get the best outcome. 

Each year email becomes an even bigger part of our daily lives. If you're looking for one simple way to boost the effectiveness of your marketing campaign, email is definitely the way to go! Make the first step: call Clairant to establish an email marketing plan today. 

Sources:
1. Mohsin, M. (2020 June 1). 10 Marketing Stats You Need to Know in 2021. Oberlo. https://www.oberlo.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics#:~:text=1.-,The%20Widespread%20Usage%20of%20Email,half%20of%20the%20world's%20population.
2. Henderson, G. (2020 April 7) What is a Good Open Rate for Email Marketing. Digital Marketing. https://www.digitalmarketing.org/blog/what-is-a-good-open-rate-for-email-marketing#:~:text=Welcome%20Emails%3A%20According%20to%20data,open%20rates%20than%20those%20without.
3. eMarketer. (2016 July 21) Email Marketing is a Double Win for Customer Acquisition. https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Email-Marketing-Double-Win-Customer-Acquisition-Retention/1014239

​For quite some time now, video has been steadily rising in popularity for online content. The number of websites that feature video content has been growing, and more businesses have begun to adopt it as a vital part of their marketing strategies. If you've been considering whether video marketing is right for your business, here are some pros and cons for you to consider.  
 
Pros 

Entertaining and Attention-Grabbing
Internet users are consuming more video content than ever before. For many people, watching a video is preferable to reading a blog post or consuming other types of content. 

High Engagement and Conversion Rates
Adding a video, or in some situations, even just the word "video", increases conversion rates staggeringly. Video content gets the highest levels of engagement compared to other types of posts. 

Limitless Creative Potential
The video format allows for businesses to convey so much information to the viewer, with complete flexibility of style, tone, and message. 
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Cons

Time-Consuming Production
It will take longer to plan and produce a video than it would to deliver other types of marketing content. Video production has to go through several stages before it's complete, which means results can take longer for companies that handle video production in-house. 

Costly Overhead
Buying or renting video equipment can be expensive, and there are costs to consider beyond the day of shooting, such as scriptwriting and hiring the cast.

Ad-Skipping 
Making marketing videos just won't cut it; what you need is great marketing videos. Otherwise, many people will choose to skip ads whenever possible. In order to get your content seen by the maximum number of people, you will need to create captivating content that they will want to watch to the end. 
 
 
With a team of talented video creators that make videos too good to skip, and affordable pricing to avoid the overhead, Clairant can offer you all the pros of video marketing while taking on all the cons ourselves. With us, your company receives all the benefits with none of the hassle. Check out our $250 video marketing special offer, and call Clairant Services to start your 2021 strong with a simple but effective marketing plan! 
 
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Sources:
1. Lindsay Colowich Cox. "16 Video Marketing Statistics to Inform Your 2020 Infographic." HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing-statistics#sm.0000h4rgwfoa1fouwqm23llpma557. 2 Feb 2021
2.    Amy Gesenhues. "Study: 56% of Viewers Skip Online Video Ads and 46% Say Any Ad Over 15 Seconds is Too Long." Marketing Land. https://marketingland.com/study-56-viewers-skip-online-video-ads-46-think-ad-15-seconds-long-88299. 2 Feb 2021