[Video] Will These Tips Help Your Online Marketing Reseller Business in 2014?

A lot of white label SEO resellers are actually small business owners who have little marketing know-how when they started in the industry. Some entrepreneurs began as freelancers who did all the technical work on their own before they got burned out. Others worked 9 to 5 jobs but wanted more time freedom and financial security. They are motivated to do well. But sometimes, their lack of experience in marketing makes the work tougher.

Today’s small business owners are no different. They understand their core business better than anyone, in the same way online marketing resellers used to understand coding or content writing. They make the best tasting pizzas in town, lay the highest quality roofing, and style the most fashionable haircuts. But when it comes to marketing what they do best, that’s where they seem to fall short.

Good thing there are companies like AWeber that are always sharing helpful tips to small business owners. In fact, AWeber’s blog was voted as the best email marketing blog in the 2012 Marketing Sherpa Reader’s Choice Awards. In their latest post, the email solutions provider listed 4 1/2 things small businesses should know in 2014. Seeing how helpful these can be to our blog followers, we decided to convert them into tips for SEO and online marketing reseller agencies. Hopefully they help boost your reseller business in 2014.

Are You a Typical Small Business Owner?

In a survey of nearly 1,500 respondents, AWeber tried to paint a picture of what small business owners look like today and how they market their products and services. The study found that today’s owners are actually a “marketing army of one.” While 96% of owners have five employees of fewer, they serve as both the CEO and the primary marketer for the business.

It’s no surprise that many digital marketing agencies are subscribing to white label SEO reseller programs. As small businesses, they receive orders for their services but do not have the manpower needed to face all the demand. Your clients are in the same position because they do not have enough staff, particularly on the marketing side. So the first tip off this video / infographic is to:

Tip #1: Offer Online Marketing Help

As an SEO reseller, your job is to ensure your clients get the online marketing and web design help they need, and at the time they need it. In the year 2014, they need this help more than ever. As you can see, most owners serve as both the CEO and main marketer. The survey also found that only 12% of owners consider themselves a “pro” when it comes to online marketing. While they want to do everything on their own, it simply won’t be possible as they also need to focus on the core business. They may also not have sufficient knowledge to carry out all the marketing efforts they are planning.

What’s the best way to approach prospects? Establish your authority as an online marketing consultant by coming prepared for your initial consultation. If your white label online marketing provider runs online presence reports for you, use the report to introduce your services to the client. Online presence reports typically give clients an overview of where they fare as far as the local online competition is concerned. In most cases, they fare badly.

Tip #2: Help Owners Optimize Social Accounts

Social media optimization is clearly one area where white label online marketing resellers can help small business owners. This year, owners plan to increase their use of these five channels: email, website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter. What’s noticeable in the top 5 online channels is that two of them are social networks. And if you look at how much time they currently spend on these two networks, you’ll see that 55% of owners can only stay on Facebook for less than two hours a week! The situation is worse on Twitter as 79% of owners allocate the same amount of time to the micro-blogging site. Clearly they want to market via social networks but they simply do not have the luxury of time.

Tip #3: Assist in Blog and Website Setup / Maintenance

Some 81% of small business owners plan to use website more this year. Some 74% aim to use blog more. But here are the challenges. First, do these owners actually have a blog or website set up? If yes, can they produce enough content to keep them updated? If yes, is this content SEO-optimized so Google and other search engines can index the pages and increase their search rankings? 

Sadly, around half of all small business owners can only spare two hours or less a week for blogs and websites. Again, we’ll have to remember that the CEO is also the prime and perhaps only marketer for the business. That’s why it’s crucial that SEO reseller agencies are able to consult with owners and determine which areas in their online marketing need more attention. In most cases, it’s these two.

So, as a tip, ask your SEO reseller program provider if they have free website audit reports. That’s the first step to everything. Then, based on the audit, plan your next moves. Do you set up a new blog? Change it from a subdomain (blog.domain.com) to a category (domain.com/blog).

Resellers Are Small Business Owners Too!

So in essence, these reseller business-boosting tips will also apply to your own agency. When was the last time you get a website audit? Is your website even mobile responsive or mobile friendly? Have you optimized your social accounts yet? 

The truth is you really need to set an example for your clients. For them to trust you – and for them to entrust you with their marketing budget – they need to see that you know what you are doing and that you can apply it to your own business. So, go ahead and evaluate what other services you need to outsource so you can focus on your core business. Check your online social presence, as well as your blog and your website.

SEO Resellers: Survey Shows Top 3 Priorities of Marketers in 2014

You have marketing priorities in 2014 as an SEO reseller. It may be to increase your website’s traffic and lead intake so that you may convert more prospects. Some of you want to focus on increasing sales from existing customers by offering them add-on services. But regardless of what you want to prioritize when it comes to your own marketing, you would want to find out what your clients need this year.

White label SEO reseller program provider Endlessrise compiled a list of 5 massive outsource opportunities in 2014 just a few weeks ago. Those findings are based on a report by Webmarketing123 called the State of Digital Marketing Report 2014, which was released in the latter part of 2013. The findings in that research coincide with the results of another major digital marketing survey that was released just recently a marketing automation company owned by SalesForce.

2014 State of Marketing: Top 3 Priorities

In 2014 State of Marketing, ExactTarget bares what marketers’ new priorities for this year will be. The top three priorities of marketers in 2014 are:

1) Driving increased conversion rates – 47%

2) Increasing and improving brand awareness – 46%

3) Collecting, measuring, and using behavior-based data – 29%

And to achieve these priorities, an overwhelming 98% of marketers said they will either maintain or increase their spending in 2014. This is good news not just for in-house marketing teams, but also to SEO resellers. The presence of goals and bigger budgets means businesses will need teams and agencies to execute their new plans. What areas do they plan to spend more money on so they can achieve these top three priorities?

Where the Marketing Money Will Go

(Image: ExactTarget) 

According to the 2014 State of Marketing, which surveyed over 2,500 global marketers, there are five areas that are expected to receive more funding this year. They are:

·         Data and Analytics – 61%

·         Marketing Automation – 60%

·         Email Marketing – 58%

·         Social Media Marketing – 57%

·         Content Management – 57%

Cross-referenced with the 2014 State of Digital Marketing Report published by Webmarketing123 in the latter part of 2013, the three areas that match are: content, social media, and email. Marketers are expected to spend more on these three areas this year. And as a private label SEO reseller, these are the areas you can help your clients with. And when you do, always take into consideration their three main priorities mentioned earlier in this post.

Email Marketing: Can SEO Resellers Help?

Most white label online marketing resellers do not provide email marketing for clients. That doesn’t mean you can’t help your clients. Businesses tend to carry out email marketing on their own, using tools and email marketing software available at their disposal. As proof of its importance to businesses, some 68% of marketers believe email is core to their business. Nearly 50% of respondents are collectively sending 500,000 emails each year.

But here’s where they seem to get it wrong. Some 42% rarely or never use responsive design in their marketing emails. This is such a pity as some 41% of marketers confessed that 31%-50% of their subscribers use mobile devices to open emails! This means only half of subscribers are able to see those marketing emails without having to zoom in and out or wait for a long loading time. And if they get to see the email, another chunk will struggle to view the landing page. That’s because 37% of marketers rarely or never use mobile responsive web design in their landing pages.

(Image: ExactTarget)

The lesson here is simple: convince them to implement responsive design in their emails. If that is not possible, at least ensure they have a mobile responsive website so they can welcome mobile traffic.

Social Media Necessity: Google+ and Blogs

Some 57% of marketers will increase their budgets for social media marketing this year. Some 55% plan to spend more on social advertising. Needless to say, social will be receiving bigger budget allocations in 2014. Of course, white label SEO resellers typically offer Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn optimization to clients. But what other platforms and social networks should you pay attention to? Here are some hot services and the percentage of marketers that plan to introduce them into the marketing mix this 2014:

·         Google+ – 18%

·         Blog – 17%

·         Pinterest – 16%

·         YouTube – 15%

“Content marketing is propelling Google+ back into the spotlight, with Google offering extra search juice to content authors for posts shared on Google+,” the report said. White label SEO reseller program providers typically have blog writing and Pinterest and YouTube optimization services but not all of them offer Google+ optimization. Check with your provider today.

Content: Tested in 2013, Widely Used in 2014

(Image: ExactTarget)

At present, some 71% of marketers surveyed in the State of Marketing report are using content management as part of their marketing plan. Much of content’s rise to popularity has to do with the numerous algorithm updates and refreshes launched by Google last year. These changes in how the search engine ranks web pages stress the importance of having high quality content. Many marketers are realizing this fact today. That’s why 19% will introduce content management into their marketing plan this year.

How can you help clients in terms of content management? As a private label online marketing reseller, you can help clients by providing them with 1) blog setup, 2) article writing, 3) video creation, 4) infographic design. When it comes to using this content for link building, make sure you use Google-compliant methods. Here is an old but informative piece on using content for natural link-building.

So for 2014, marketers and businesses want to convert more leads and sales, increase brand awareness, and collect data. As a private label SEO and online marketing reseller, you can help them achieve these goals by offering services that are in line with their goals.  

SEO Reseller Tips: Shorten Your Marketing Emails Please

Thanksgiving Day has just gone and many SEO resellers took advantage of the holiday to send out emails to their clients. Some are as simple as a Thanksgiving greeting. Others contained he usual news about the business and the industry. Many probably sent promotions via email, too.

But hopefully your email wasn't "stuffed."

In the words of email software company AWeber, email "stuffing" is "when you try to cram way too much into one long message." Are you a private label SEO reseller guilty of stuffing? Then you should definitely read this post.

Statistics Prefer Shorter Emails

To stay updated with the latest SEO and online marketing reseller trends, you’re probably subscribed to various email lists. Do you appreciate cluttered and convoluted emails? Or succinct ones that lead you to more information through a link? Think about it. You won't be able to consume the appetizer, main course, and dessert at the same time, right? The same goes for email and research backs this up.

Studies conducted by Marketo showed that emails with shorter body copy tend to have higher click-through rates (CTR). The marketing software maker compared concise emails with highly descriptive longer ones and found that the shorter version increased click-to-opens by 7%. In another test, this time with a bigger audience, the shorter email beat the long one by 2%.

“We believe difference exists because not only are short emails less likely to overwhelm readers, but also they're not cluttered by text, so the CTA (call to action) appears prominently,” Marketo said. 

Prepare, Segment, Maximize

According to AWeber, the best way to avoid stuffing emails is to use these three tips: prepare a content plan, segment the audience, and maximize other channels. 

For instance, instead of cramming all your SEO and online marketing promotions into one email, you may opt to send a few shorter emails throughout a longer period of time. These smaller messages will be easier to digest for the recipient. And because you’re sending out a number of emails as opposed to a single message, you have more chances of converting subscribers to buyers.

Another strategy is to send a small email to a segment of the audience that is more likely to be interested in that offer. For example, many white label SEO reseller consultants have verticals as their market. Can you segment your food and beverage establishment clients into family friendly places and couple restaurants?

As for maximizing other channels, AWeber recommends sending only the highlights of your promotion via email. The rest can be announced via other channels like social networking accounts and the company blog. 

Focus on CTR, Increase Conversions

Shorter copy generated a high CTR (image: Marketing Experiments Blog)

In a post for the Marketing Experiments Blog, MECLABS senior research editor Brad Bortone argued that marketers often confuse the purpose of an email message with that of a landing page. “Our research shows that selling your product twice – in an email and then the landing page – disrupts the reader’s thought sequence and could possibly hinder conversion,” he said.

The research was conducted on a highly targeted audience that was very interested in the contents of the emails. In the end, the shorter copy posted a 16.9% higher click-through rate. Bortone said there were two lessons here: “How can I “learn more” when there’s not much left to learn?” and “Don’t make me read when you want me to click.”

“Many marketers lose connection with their audience by overstating value, or simply burying it in a wash of information and unnecessary language,” he said, noting that the email copy should be used as “catalyst for further discussion, rather than as an impromptu landing page.”

Copy Shortened, Now What?

Obviously, the first step to cleaning and shortening your emails is editing the copy. Don’t cram everything into one long copy. After you’ve done that, what else can you do?

A great recommendation from emailmonday is to clean your email template. Maybe it’s time you sat down with the designer to see which elements you can take out. “Don’t stuff your email template… Beyond one point, you are not adding value at all. But just confusing people,” the email specialist said.

Another recommendation is to not send one big image. While it may be tempting, emailmonday discourages this practice as the image may not automatically load on your recipient’s browser. It might also not display automatically in popular portals like Gmail. In some client-based email portals, the image can even appear as an attachment.

Avoid Other Common Email Errors

Aside from shortening your copy, cleaning elements, planning, and focusing on the click-through, you must also avoid typical marketer mistakes to improve your email marketing campaigns. Service provider MailChimp listed down common rookie mistakes when it comes to email marketing. 

White label SEO resellers can learn a lot from this list. One of the best pieces of advice from the list is to stop thinking of email marketing as a “blast.” Rather, it should be thought of as a “relationship.” “Email is all about getting permission from customers, sending them stuff they want to read, and listening to their feedback,” the post said.