Deciphering The Metrics - Part Four: KPI's

 

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This journey of ours comes to an end with this final piece of the four part series, but this really should be the tip of the iceberg as far as your Digital Marketing Strategy goes. These are the stats. These are what allows you to demand bigger contracts. 

It's not easy. The fact that this information required four, separate articles to effectively translate the information should give a clear indication of how delicate the digital marketing world actually is. It's not as simple as posting to social media and writing an occasional blog. It's not as inconceivable as many Marketing Agencies would have you believe either. This is not an impossible world, it's just a demanding one. It's not one you should try to "do on a budget." If you're going to play in this world, assemble your team and take the field. Just know that taking the field with inferior equipment and inexperienced play-callers can cost you more than you can recover. Get someone like Trending Up Digital Services on your side early in this game and give yourself a shot at victory. Our strategies are "Win-Win." You win. Your clients win. We win. 

Today, we look at KPI's. Key Performance Indicators are probably things that you're measuring already, even if you don't apply nerdy language to it. You own an HVAC company. Chances are you've looked at sales once or twice. That's a KPI. In fact...let's start there.

Sales - Everybody measures this one. In terms of marketing, sales need to account for the cost of acquiring that customer. How much did you spend in content to attract that customer. In order to accurately track this information, you need to know where they came from. Without a trusted Digital Marketing Partner, you're playing right into our grandfather's old "half your marketing dollars are wasted" strategies and there is clearly a better way. 

Leads - Sales Teams must communicate with the Marketing & Content Teams to know where their leads are coming from. Don't settle for a sales force that simply expects leads to multiply. Sales create ad-budgets and the cycle continues. Make sure that process is communicated or it falls apart quickly.

Profit - How much did you make? If this one needs to be explained, a marketing strategy is the least of your problems. Profit cures everything but sustainable profit comes from precision and strategy. Trending Up Digital Services doesn't do cookie-cutter marketing strategies. We get to know your company and the people within it so that we can aim at higher profits through proven marketing efforts. 

Members - If your site or business requires membership, pay close attention to any volatility in the numbers therein. Whatever direction the arrow is travelling, we want to know why. Capture success and avoid costly mistakes. Are there fake groups out there pretending to be you? Are they gaining members? Think that's something you should pay attention to? The best Marketing Directors catch that stuff in it's infancy and we have those on our team. Do you? Want to? Let's Talk.

Downloads - Does your company offer an e-book or some other kind of download-able information. Track where those downloads are happening and identify any opportunities presented in that data.

Recommendations - Make it easy for your happy customers to refer you. Invest in advocacy at all stages of your business. There is no better form of marketing out there than word-of-mouth advertising from trusted circles. Make sure your marketing team is on top of any platform that gives the public the ability to leave feedback. 

Key Pages - Always direct visitors to key pages within your site. Product pages, Registration Forms, Blogs, etc. Search Engine Optimization is not just about them finding you. It's about where they go and what they do once they're there too.

Retention Metrics - Keep the flock happy! If you've got existing customers, don't allow them to feel that you care more about getting new money than keeping theirs. New business is always the goal, but new sales can often come from existing customers if they feel that they are treated well after the credit card is run. Follow up. Respond quickly. Treat every customer as if they were a loved one. No matter how many times they call. Don't ignore them, or they'll be gone long before you realize it. 

There are a lot of other metrics that go into a successful, long term, marketing strategy but hopefully you have an idea of what goes into making this a component of your business. As we stated, this isn't a "try it on your own" kind of endeavor. You wouldn't fly a plane without a pilot. Trending Up is always ready to be your pilot.

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Deciphering The Metrics - Part Three: Positioning Metrics

 

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Over the last two pieces, we've discussed the Eight Basic Metrics as well as the Twelve Engagement Metrics necessary for success in this ever expanding online world. While the internet may seem wide open and free of regulation, there are certain rules that must be followed if you want your business to enjoy any of the benefits of Digital Marketing.

Monitoring performance as it relates to the metrics outlined in this series is a good start, but it is also a task that shouldn't be taken lightly. If you're going to deploy an online marketing strategy on behalf of your business and the people who make it work....do it right. It's not an expense, it's an investment. If the agency with whom you choose to partner feels like they sell more than they listen, get a new agency. You wouldn't keep spending money at a restaurant that served you what they wanted you to eat, would you? 

In part three of our four part Metrics discussion, we'll discuss the Eight Positioning Metrics to which your attention should be paid. Positioning Metrics let you know how you're being found. Growth or reduction in any of these metrics can be a key indicator and can serve as either warnings or green-lights. You won't know if you're not giving these details the attention they deserve in your overall marketing strategy.

Search Metrics - Search Engine Optimization is one of the most commonly deployed marketing strategies. If prospects can't find you, they can't hire you, so this is a critical metric. Pay special attention to your search rankings and any volatility therein. That data can be priceless in planning your next move, 

Brand Metrics - What are they saying about your brand? This is a cumulative metric that measures brand traffic in search, social, content, etc. This metric is most commonly used to measure the ROI of long-term campaigns. 

Reputation Metrics - Are they saying nice things about your brand, your products, and your people? This metric focuses on the feedback and comments received across all platforms. Companies who live and die by sales numbers alone will often miss the signs of impending doom by ignoring this metric. A tanking reputation drags sales with it. Always. If you wait until the slide starts to address it, it's too late.

Follower Growth - What did you post that resulted in follower spikes? If it grabs them, repeat it! There are many reasons to monitor the patterns of growth in your fanbase, but this is a critical component in the customer acquisition math. Likes are Leads....until they buy something, they're just an expense investment.

Keyword Value - Whether you're Team Apple or Team Android....Mac or Windows....doesn't matter. Google rules them all and we play by their rules. One of the rules we must all follow is Keywords. Google invented them and we all use them. Determining the value of a keyword lets us know if it is worth pursuing or not. 

PR Metrics - Most HVAC & Plumbing Companies aren't doing a ton of traditional Press Releases unless something has gone terribly wrong, but this metric is still important. Instead of journalists, most HVAC companies should measure the interest of manufacturers, hosts, and other entities that can help in "broadcasting" your news the way the press does for whatever company owns their station that week!

Reach Metrics - Awareness of your brand, until you're so big you are truly a household name, goes well beyond your logo and tagline. There's a reason McDonalds and FedEx still advertise and spend millions on marketing. How many times does an average customer see your ad? How long did the ad run? This metric measures across platforms, devices, etc. 

Competitor Metrics - What are the other guys doing? Is their campaign taking focus away from your company? Does it happen every year? Think we could use that to come up with a defense? The answer is yes. We could.

Trending Up Digital Services is ready to help you navigate these rough waters. Our brand is flight related, so we don't do boating analogies, but you get the picture. These metrics are a lot to deal with. Especially if you're running a successful HVAC business. We want to be your agency, so give us a call and let's setup a 30-45 minute Video Chat. At the end of that chat, we'll know if we're a good fit for each other. No sales tactics. No confusing jargon. Just getting to know each other, 

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Deciphering The Metrics - Part Two: Engagement Metrics

 

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In Part One of this Four Part series, we discussed the Basic Metrics. Those were the foundation for your digital marketing strategy. They're critically important because without them, nothing we discuss from this point forward will mean a thing. Essentially, the eight Basic Metrics we discussed previously are the concrete slab below your house. Not pretty...hard to tell what the rest of the house will look like when starting at it, but even a child can understand it's function.

Now it's time to dig deeper. It's time to start building a structure on top of that foundation. Today, we look at the Engagement Metrics. Just like the name suggests, these metrics measure the "engagement" your customers and prospects have with your company during their visit. There are twelve Engagement Metrics to which your attention should be paid. 

Shares - There are numerous ways to measure this component of engagement but no matter how you do it, it's critical. You could measure total shares of all content across all platforms or get down to a micro-level analytics with shares. The content that gets shared is important, but it's just as important to know why it's being shared. How is it being used when received?

Share Ratio - Always good to know if a piece of content is outperforming expectations. For your company, when just starting, this metric may take some time to produce meaningful data, but when it does....live by it! 

Engagement Rate - On Twitter, your company's Engagement Rate is the total number of followers divided by the number of Social Actions taken from your content. (Retweets, Likes, Comments, etc.) Other platforms have similar calculations so it's important to create and publish content that appeals to all sections of your database. 

Premium Shares - Shares with comments and other means of emphasis are always more highly ranked than generic ones like the ones your mom sends you. Post exciting, visually pleasing content that appeals to a very wide range of prospects. 

Comments - This seems like a no-brainer, but it is one of the most often overlooked segments of effective digital marketing. Control your commenting, folks! If you don't have the staff to monitor all of your social platforms for negative comments, then turn off commenting wherever possible. Respond quickly and professionally to all comments. Don't allow emotion to get ahold of your typing fingers while performing this task. Be genuine. Be up front, but no matter what....don't ignore them. Good or bad, keep up with comments. On the flip side....if you're producing and posting a ton of content, but not generating comments at all....something's wrong. Let's get together!

Bounce Rate - Pay attention to how long people stick around once they find you. If you get lot's of "Window Shoppers" then something is not right. If you're getting traffic to your site through SEO or your own, personal prospecting efforts, but they're just seeing your landing page and leaving without engaging....we need to talk. You're not grabbing them. They're not really engaged, they're just being courteous. Courteous doesn't pay the next Quarterly Tax Bill. 

Time on Site - Much like the bounce rate, the Time on Site metric will help you analyze what content is grabbing their attention and keeping them engaged. If one of your "Completed Project" videos is being watched from start to finish and being shared widely....it may be a good idea to post some relative content in the upcoming days. Figure out what draws their attention and GO!!

Completion Rate - Completion Rate measures the percentage of visitors who complete the form to which you are trying to direct their attention. (Or watched the video all the way through....or played the game.....or completed the survey....or voted....you get it, right?)

Clickthrough Rate - All those links you take the time to put into your content....are they worth it? Are people actually clicking on them? If not, why? Is it the positioning? Is it the relevance? You need to get a handle on this one quickly. This metric is the exact reason that our grandfather's old "half your marketing budget is wasted" philosophy is no longer relevant in today's business world. We can measure almost everything we do for our brand with real-time data. 

Amplification Metrics -  Social Amplification will extend the longevity of your content. In other words, boost that thing! If you're paying to "Boost" your posts, you better see how that spend is working, right? 

Influencer Metrics - Who's in your niche market? If you're in HVAC, has any of your content been shared by any manufacturers or trusted experts in the field? Is it being circulated by people who are popular in the circles in which you desire to be popular? Yes...it sounds like digital high-school because that's essentially what Digital Marketing is....you're just trying to get the cool kids to like you.  Guess what....the cool kids think we're cool! Let us help get you past their bouncers and into the inner-circle.

Feedback - If your content is generating feedback, they're engaged. But what kind of feedback are you receiving? Is it negative? Are you just looking at numbers going up and ignoring the fact that you're going viral for embarrassing reasons? Feedback is the pulse of your audience. Keep your finger on it.

Running an HVAC business or a successful Plumbing Company is hard enough without having to devote hours per day measuring metrics that could be handled by a professional marketing partnership. 

We've looked at the Basics.  Now we've discussed the Engagement Metrics. Next up, we'll discuss the Positioning Metrics that make the Engagement Metrics possible. If they can't find you, they can't engage with you so we'll discuss the metrics to make sure your company is on the right trajectory....one that is Trending Up! (See what we did there?)

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Deciphering The Metrics - Part One: Basic Metrics

 

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Digital Marketing looks easy, right?

Digital Marketing looks like a fun and creative way to fill your day with stress and outbursts. Much like golf. But digital marketing is more complex than even the best of golf swings. 

We'll break this down into four different articles to make it a bit more easily digested. This is the first of four, but there is critically important information in this section. Buckle Up.

Let's take a look at the Basic Metrics that you should begin to focus on when developing your company's Marketing Strategy. These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to metrics and the all-powerful algorithms that determine your online fate, but they are a good foundation and a great start to our conversation about metrics. 

1. Page Impressions - Impressions are not the same as clicks. Impressions are kind of like billboards. Each car on that highway each day is an impression They "potentially" saw your billboard, just like anyone who visits your website "potentially" saw your content or advertisement. They don't need to click or scroll down to the actual element of content, they just need to be in the vicinity. In order to effectively use Page Impressions, you must create quality content....give them a reason to be impressed. 

2. Unique Visitors - If a prospect visits your site and views a few pages, leaves, and then comes back later; he is still considered to one, individual, unique visitor. The overall number of Page Visits doesn't matter much if they're all the same dude.

3. New vs. Returning Customers - Pay close attention to the kind of content that attracts new customers and the kind that attracts returning customers. One group represents fresh leads, which we all love. The other represents Brand Loyalty. Both are tremendous assets for any business and deserve to be treated as separate groups. This is a key metric. 

4. Quantity of Content - How much content do you need to publish each month? Do you have a Marketing Calendar? How is broken down? How many pieces of content does each member of your marketing team need to produce in order to maintain an effective posting schedule? These are crucial questions that you need to answer before launching an overall Marketing Strategy for your company. Too much content makes you look desperate. Too little and they forget you. Find the rhythm and stick to it. 

5. Visits Per Post - Managing your audiences is a big part of your digital marketing success. Not every post is going to go viral and that shouldn't be your expectation. Low volume content still gets your brand out there so stick to your schedule and analyze every visit. Which posts get the biggest result. Plan the next strategy around these results. Keep getting better. Keep getting more accurate. 

6. Views Per Visit - The number of pages a visitor views within your site is important. It lets you know if your messaging is landing or not. If they only look at the bio pics of your female staff....don't call that one back! If they spend several minutes on each page and ask questions related to what they saw...you're hitting the mark. If they just spend 2-3 minutes on your landing page without ever clicking on anything, don't waste too much time chasing that one....if  they give you their contact info in the first place. 

7. Sources - Where are your visitors coming from? How are you using that information? If all of your visits are form a part of town where you haven't had much luck, then start figuring out what problem they now think you can solve for them. You haven't had luck there in the past, but they're knocking on your door again, right? Make this one a better encounter than the last with data and metrics in your arsenal. Understanding where the visitor came from will help prepare you for any known issues that arise from that particular source. 

8. Devices - What percentage of your audience is coming to your from a smartphone vs a tablet? Why is that important? Do you think it might help to start designing your content around the device where it is most often viewed? You now have the ability to see that data...use it. 

As we stated earlier, these are only the Top Eight Metrics on which you need to focus for Digital Marketing Success. They're the basics. If your overall strategy was a football team, you've selected the uniform colors. That's it. You have no playbook. You have no practice under your belt. No team chemistry. Any wins you come by are most likely the result of dumb-luck if these are the only metrics to which you devote attention so like any endeavor; don't quit after mastering only the basics. 

Here's a quick preview of the next three articles to come:

Part Two: Engagement Metrics - Shares, Share Ratio, Engagement Rate, Premium Shares, Comments, Bounce Rate, Time on Site, Completion Rate, Clickthrough Rate, Amplification Metrics, Influencer Metrics, Feedback

Part Three: Positioning Metrics - Search Metrics, Brand Metrics, Reputation Metrics, Follower Growth, Keyword Value, PR Metrics, Reach, Competitor Metrics, 

Part Four: Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) - Sales, Leads, Profit, Members, Downloads, Recommendations, Key Pages, Retention Metrics, CRO, Audience Metrics, Longevity, Email Metrics

We look forward to diving even deeper into Deciphering The Metrics with you in the coming days, but hopefully it is clear that real success in Digital Marketing is going to require a lot more time, energy, and expertise than one person can possibly possess. Especially if that one person is busy servicing the HVAC or Plumbing needs of his clients. Let Trending Up be part of your team. We know this stuff. 

                 

It Starts At The Dinner Table....

Culture is a wonderful thing. Most of the time. There are some cultures that may interest you about as much as sitting atop a bonfire, but for the purpose of this discussion, let's assume we're talking about the kind of cultures most commonly associated with clever commercials and 'fun-to-say' menu items. Corporate culture is just as important to the continued health and relevance of a company as it is to a university or a sports franchise.

You're the owner of the company. You're the one they follow. It's your culture that they are buying into, so you better make sure you have identified it before they do it for you. Or even worse....before failure does it for you. 

That sounds harsh, but success these days requires more than just a clever tagline or a beautiful logo. Your passion has to be their passion. The people who are out there on the streets, entering the homes of your customers...if they aren't bought in....your passion dies before your prospect ever gets a chance to witness it.

Identify your message. What is that you want to say? What is it that you want your brand to say? Don't just be another HVAC company. Give them a reason to choose you over the other guy. You all have the same tools. You're all working on the same machines every day and dealing with the same issues. Culture is what sets you apart.....if you do it right. It can't be forced. It can't be demanded. It is something that others see you exhibiting and they want to emulate it.

So, what is it that goes into building an effective and prosperous culture for your small business? Do people really care if my team is wearing a pressed shirt, or do they just want their A/C fixed? Both! The answer is a resounding "BOTH" but it is delivered in the form of a check being written to the other guy if you doubt the importance of culture. 

Here we go.....

1. Credibility - If they don't believe you have the ability to deliver what they're out there selling for you, you've lost. Not only will a lack of credibility destroy your Sales Force from within, but word travels at warp-speeds within your Market if you can't fulfill your promises. The US Army Infantry Division has a motto - "Deeds Not Words." Think like an infantryman. Show them your work. Don't tell them about it. Besides...have you ever met a soldier who doubted the credibility of his unit?

2. Respect - We've all worked in an environment in which we felt disrespected in some form or another. It sucks. Does your team feel respected? Are their voices heard? If they feel respected at the "dinner table" then they will act with respect when in front of your prospects. Picture a High School for a moment. Picture any group of 20-30 High School aged students. Among them, you will be able to instantly identify those who are raised in homes where respect is a top priority. The ones who feel respected at home portray respect because it's part of their "culture." Use your dinner table wisely. 

3. Fairness - It's called "The Golden Rule" for a reason. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Sounds biblical because it is. The wisdom in that statement has been around, unchallenged, for that long. Don't play favorites. Don't reward groups when an individual achieved the results and vice-versa. Fairness is the piece that makes Win Win Marketing possible. 

4. Pride - Take pride in what you do. Remember what made it possible for your company to hire a team in the first place.,...pride in your work. Remember how proud you were when you won that first contract? As you drove away from that handshake, did the thought of cutting corners or cheating ever cross your mind? Hell NO!! You wanted to do the best job possible and accept the steady string of referrals that was surely to follow, right? Instill that feeling in your team and your brand will stand out among your prospects. Take pride in your brand. From the way you dress to the vehicles in your fleet....display the pride you have in what you do.

5. Teamwork - Nobody wants to be the one who lets his whole team down. If you are able to instill a genuine sense of teamwork among your staff then you work together rather than against one another. Individual goals are great and should be encouraged, nurtured, and even joined....but they should NEVER be allowed to hinder the collective goals of the team. Act as a unit, win as a unit. You get to be the coach who delivers that rousing halftime speech to propel the team to victory. 

6. Customer Focused - Don't put your team in a position where they don't believe you will protect the relationships they're working so hard to build. Sales takes trust, rapport, and a lot of time....if your team feels like you are only in it for the money and not the people who give it to you, they'll start to side with the prospect in situations where they should have supported you. Always identify the  benefit to the customer when implementing new policies. Your team will resist changes a lot less if they feel like the proposed changes will benefit the customer they have to explain it to.

Got questions? You should! Let's get together and discuss them.

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Friends Say "No" Too...

 

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To say that we are living in a new age of Customer Service is a gross misrepresentation of how drastically things have changed over the last decade or two. 

Yes, the Internet is arguably the greatest invention in the history of mankind. The advances that have been made possible with the omnipresence of information is  incalculable. But not all that came with the internet is good. 

Everybody thinks they're a star. Everybody thinks their opinions are to be taken as gospel. The internet provides safety where perhaps it shouldn't, but for businesses and the way we do things as owners therein, the last few decades have meant constant adaptation. 

One of the most glaring examples of this change is the fact that a "no" isn't always received in the same manner in which we have grown accustom. In the old days; in offices full of papers and pencils and machines no longer identifiable, rejection was quick. It stung. The ones in which a lot of effort had been poured and a lot of strategy had been laid....those really stung, but you got your answer at the presentation table and you moved on. 

Today, that's not the case. Your "presentation" is only a small part of the information you are expected to provide prior to the sale. Here's a few of the other ways in which you are expected to deliver "Decision-Making Materials" to your prospects today:

• Your Website must be informative - They'll spend a lot of time on your site before you ever get a chance to talk to them. Stay up-to-date on what information is being relayed by your competitor's sites because the differences in the two could be the deciding factor. 
• Social Media is a given. Your business can't survive without it, so find a voice and speak it often! That sounds silly, but the more material (Content) you put out there for your prospects to consider, the longer they spend seeing "Your" message. It doesn't matter if it feels like you've posted the same material a million times. Keep posting it in as many ways as you can think of. You never know which one will grab their eye.
• Google is the King of the web. Playing by their rules and taking advantage of the many, many resources they make available to you is essential to your success. Advertise where people are. Google IS where people are. 
• Google Maps - That's how they find you when they're actually out on the road looking for "you" or someone like you. Let that one sink in. 

Think about it...all of those ways that potential clients research you and form an opinion of you prior to your first meeting. If you have incoherent messaging across your Online Presence you're probably going to lose a lot of sales for which you never even knew you were in the running. 

If, after all of their research, you are still given an opportunity to sit down and present your case as to why you should be the HVAC company they trust for their 9 locations with 13 rooftop units each and a yearly maintenance schedule that brings a smile to your face as you read these words...your follow-up game better be the strongest of anyone they've talked with yet. 

You better make sure that you keep your name and your plan in the front of their brain without annoying yourself into a blocked contacts list. 

Let Trending Up Digital help. 

Sit down with us. In less than an hour, and in plain language, we can show you exactly what you need to improve and how you need to improve it. No industry jargon....just simple A,B,C scoring systems. 

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Would You Buy Your Company?

 

Once we get that first sale....or land that first client, our minds tend to get rather laser focused. As business owners, we go from "will this work" to "it worked...now what?" in the blink of an eye. Once the ball gets rolling, we're not stopping to go back and set things up "the right way." We're too busy building upon the success of the first sale to create another. 

At some point, regardless of where you stand today; you're going to part ways with the company you are currently working so hard to build and maintain. Those relationships you are nurturing with the intensity of a first time parent....they're the seeds that will help grow your company into something worthy of all your front-end investment. 

That part about "parting ways" with your company stuck in your brain, didn't it? Much like buying or selling a home....we tend to look at the destination rather than the journey. The new home will be great but first, there's the loan application process, the physical move as well as the nightmare of transferring all the utilities and bills, etc. Those visions of family traditions unfolding in that new home hardly seem worth it when you're loading up the truck, but once all the boxes are gone and the dust has settled....you get the picture. 

Selling your HVAC or Plumbing business will be a similar process when you are ready. In the meantime, there are a number of things you can do to enhance the "curb appeal" of your company. 

First, let's be honest about something. If you don't put the time into maintaining all the components of your business, no one will want to buy it. Your fancy logo....your 50 page website....your 75,000 followers....none of it means a thing unless you have a book of business. The old adage "sales cures everything" is as true today as it was when your Grandfather said it. Get your CRM setup and get familiar with it from the very beginning. Those names are what makes up a significant portion of your future value so treat each one of them like a winning lottery ticket. 

Second, you need brand recognition. Nothing increases your brand like Social Media, but it is a beast. Doing it with any measurable level of success is even more of a beast and quite frankly, it's not one that most business owners have time to do on their own. 

Third, you need to be visible. When people go online and search for "HVAC near me" your company needs to pop up near the top of those results. If they can't find you, they can't hire you. If they don't hire you, they can't leave you five-star reviews. These are all critical in determining how that eventual "parting of ways" goes. Will it be a happy, fortune-filled event, or will it be an enemy you fend off until it finally defeats you? Let's make it a party, okay?

Trending Up builds all of our Win-Win Marketing Strategies around the idea that one day you will be "parting ways" with the company you're currently hiring us to promote. If we do our job correctly, you'll be parting ways with a big check in your pocket. We like big checks as much as you do. What we like even more is watching you build up the value of your future check a little each day. 

Let's go get some wins!

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Why Choose Trending Up Digital Services?

 

Why work with Trending Up Digital Services? There are thousands of agencies to choose from and none of them are free, so why would you choose to assign your marketing budget to us? 

Why is transparency so important? Because this is a   confusing world. At Trending Up, we are never going to try   to confuse you with industry jargon. We're never going to   tell you a simple task takes a long time so that we can milk   your clock. We're transparent in everything we do. If we're   fortunate enough to work together, we are part of your         team....not just a vendor. Your goals become ours. That   requires trust and we'll never get there with manipulative   practices. 

While we certainly don't want to diminish the efforts of another agency, we also must acknowledge the fact that up to 65% of the listed agencies out there are no longer functional. Our executive team is made up of members who boast tremendous success across multiple industries. We've sat on your side of this table many times and we know how to guide you to your desired destination. We're not going to be outdone in this department. Ever. 

When we work together, we assume responsibility over the marketing needs of your company, your sales force, your executive team, and most importantly....your clients and prospects. We take that role very seriously. Every strategy we form...every recommendation we make...all will be crafted with meticulous responsibility and focus on the final destination. 

Without service, the rest is irrelevant. Our service is our passion. We look for opportunities to advance our Win-Win Marketing™️ philosophy. They're not just words. We want you to vehemently believe that you are working with a championship caliber organization, because you are. That's exactly what Trending Up Digital Services is, so let's get out there and start winning together, shall we?

The first step is a simple conversation. That's all it is, so let's start talking today. Follow the links to our website and book a conversation with one of us today. Your bottom line will thank you for it.

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Don't Get Burned By SEO...

 

You're a business owner. Your passion keeps you up at night, staring at various screens, numbers, and documents in an effort to make tomorrow better than today. Better means more business, more sales, more smiles for your team, your customers, and if time permits....you. 

Trying to untangle the web of information about Search Engine Optimization out there is a rage-inducing exercise. Don't try it. You'll leave with more questions than answers.

Let's start with the basics. What is SEO?  SEO means Search Engine Optimization and is the process used to optimize a website's technical configuration, content relevance and link popularity so its pages can become easily findable, more relevant and popular towards user search queries, and as a consequence, search engines rank them better.

That cleared it up, right? It's a confusing concept. Making it even more confusing are the "Office Experts" who always seem to know everything about every topic. Maybe it's a neighbor....or a family member. There's always someone who knows exactly what's best for your business without risking anything in the process. 

Unfortunately, there are just as many "agencies" out there who are not much more than an Office Expert with a pretty website. You owe it to yourself....do it right. Do it in a way that you can easily understand and passionately defend because you will probably be asked to do both. Partner with an actual expert who can propel your business. 

If your website is not effective, you won't rank highly in searches. It's as simple as that. When that family who needs a very expensive, emergency plumbing call, you will not be the one to hear the phone ringing if you can't be found. Network all you want, but unless you participate in the Google game, you're not going to be found when it counts. But what is it that Google looks for when they rank businesses and their online presence?

There are tons of things Google looks at when weighting businesses within their search parameters, and they change frequently, but here are a few general areas in which any HVAC or Plumbing business should focus their SEO strategy.

Social Media Signals - What are people doing with the stuff you post? Are they sharing it? How the community responds to your messaging is an important factor in Google's rankings, so be careful what you post. Make it relevant. Make it professional. Not every post is going to go viral. That's not the point and shouldn't be your goal. That's like building your family's financial plan around the chance you may win the lottery. If your financial plan includes lottery tickets instead of investments and property it's destined for the same catastrophic failure as a marketing strategy built on the hopes of a viral content piece. Consistency, relevance, and loyalty to your brand are what's going to bring you the best results. 

Content & Blogs - As previously mentioned, your social media presence is a key piece of your SEO puzzle, but the prettiest social media page in all of the world isn't bringing you anything unless there is quality content within it. Get creative. Your business is interesting. Take it to the people who want to learn it and your business will grow. Blog articles about topics that seem elementary to you may seem otherworldly to a beginner. (Or a prospect)

On-Page SEO (aka On-Site SEO) - When you post a link to your website or Social Media or elsewhere on the internet, that's an external link. More on those later. On-Page SEO are the links within your site itself that lead users to other parts of your site. The longer they stay and the more things they click on, the better your ranking, but like everything else in this crazy game of digital marketing....you can overdo it and make yourself look very amateurish. Let us help.

Link Building - Remember way back in the previous paragraph when we mentioned posting links elsewhere on the internet? Those "external links" direct users from a foreign site to yours. That's Link Building. It's another piece of your puzzle that can have catastrophic results if done without expertise. 

As you can see, there are a lot of things that go into the ranking system at Google. It feels like a lot, but remember....your world is equally overwhelming to us. Let's work together and do what we both do best. Our passion is marketing for Service Industry Professionals. What's yours? Can we tell people about it together?

Your Customer's Experience

Customer Experience is another of those overused terms thrown around by businesses and owners who have only a conceptual understanding of the subject.

Customer Experience is, at its core, the feeling your customer has at the end of their time with you. In a more academic sense, Customer Experience has become a carefully followed branch of study among the world's most future focused organizations. From a prospect's initial impression of your website to a smooth, easily understood transaction and ultimately retention after the sale...your customer's experience must be considered. Are your forms and invoices easily understood? Does your team represent your culture?

Let's take a look at the components of a successful Customer Experience Strategy. 

1. Sales & Marketing - It's not uncommon for these two departments to operate independently of one another within an organization, but that simply won't fly in the Win-Win Marketing™ world in which we hope to live. Marketing is the idea. The big, beautiful brains full of colors and fonts and beautifully worded metaphors....those guys are the brain of an organization. The Sales Force is the mouth. They're the ones explaining the ideas and hopefully convincing people of their value. If these two departments don't have effective communication and cooperation, a catastrophe will inevitably occur. Salespeople have big egos. Marketing people have big egos that they keep quiet. Find a way to nurture both and your customers will feel very welcomed. A sales team that's screaming the same ideas and messaging that a marketing team spent weeks of time and passion to create is a sign of a well organized company. The kind that will be worth the check your prospect hopefully writes.

2. CRM & Systems - CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is one of the most important systems a company can have. Your investment into your CRM is just as important as the investment into your tools and equipment. Your CRM is where you store your client data. You choose the data and how you use it and that is what will set you apart from your competition if you play it right. Asking a customer for their date of birth is just creepy unless you actually send them a card or something to make them feel special on their birthday. The amount of useful detail that can be cultivated within a robust CRM is unfathomable. If you're not familiar with the options available to you, ask us. We've got the right fit for your business....let's find it together. 

3. Market Research - Know your market. Listen to them and be willing to adapt according to their ever-changing demands. As business owners, it is very easy (trust me) to get so laser-focused on our vision that new information has a tough time getting in. It needs to get in, Our businesses are like trains. Our sales are running alongside us, trying to hop on, but we're travelling too fast and we can't slow down. We're too focused on our destination, Terrible analogy aside, sales are hard to come by. When we we allow ourselves to actually hear the information our market is sharing with is, doors open all over the place, These days, the amount of data available from our clients is astonishing but harvesting it all can be a nightmare. Relax. Trending Up Digital Services can gather real, useful information from your specified market and then develop a strategy 

4. Everything Connected - Get connected. Find ways to unite your team. Proper communication is key in all aspects of a successful business, but especially from a CX perspective.  When your sales team shows up for the initial meeting. their support team should be on standby, waiting to be called if needed. No matter what question the prospect may throw at any member of your team, the answer should be no more than a few clicks away. A well connected team gives comfort to the client getting ready to write a substantial check to you. 

5. Continuous Innovation - Would you be excited to pay a company for services you suspect to be out-of-date? Nobody wants to put trust, money, or time into something they feel is obsolete. The last three years have proven nothing if not for the fact that those who are unwilling to adapt will be starve. Complacency is the new "C" word in the service industry. With so much access to new ideas...new tools and methods...new processes, those who stick to their comfortable ways will be left behind. That being said; the amount of information available to us can be distracting. We can analyze our way into inaction which leads to very weak bottom lines. Know your market. Know your product and be confident. Adapt where necessary, but also be smart enough to know when something is just a shiny toy and when it something that could move your team forward. 

6. Culture & Leadership - A company's culture can be just as much a marketing tool as any cleverly concocted ad or social media post. Culture is not something that can be faked. It has to start with leadership and be spoken every day. The message has to be clear and easily repeated. Chick-Fil-A and Raining Cane's have tremendous cultures. Every employee at Raising Cane's knows the story of their founder raising the money for his first location as a Salmon Fisherman in Alaska. There's a sockeye salmon hanging somewhere in most locations as a nod to this bit of their shared history. Give them something to be proud of. Give them a talking point that they can easily and excitedly repeat in your market. You don't have the benefit of delicious chicken to offer your prospects so your messaging better be as good as your service and your follow-up after the sale. 

Customer Experience requires business owners to place themselves in the shoes, homes, cars, showers, yards, clothes, and budgets of our entire market. Could be a specific group or an entire country, we all have a "market." Let's work together to provide yours with the best customer experience possible.