The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach

Why You Need a Brand Strategist

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Advertising

Brand Strategist may sound like a fluff position to you; in reality, it may be the most important person you hire for your company.

A Brand Strategist specializes in research, analysis, positioning, messaging, and developing an informed PR/marketing communications plan to effectively connect your company to your customers and build and further your brand equity. Strategists are the experts at seeing the big picture and generating results. Your Brand Strategist should be able to forecast your company’s future and position your company to benefit from it. Will this be a high-tech, high-growth, or high-value company? Your Brand Strategist is the strategic expert that can look at the overall state of your industry, the competition, your position in the industry, and other issues.

Brand equity is the commercial value derived from consumer perception of the brand rather than from the product or service itself. Your Brand Strategist has first-hand knowledge of the product or service. They know consumers, marketing and advertising, sales, distribution, and other key issues that determine the success of your brand. The Brand Strategist also possesses the ability to identify brand opportunities that would have a significant impact on your company and achieve strategic objectives.

What worked for your friend’s business may not work for yours.

No two businesses are the same. Even if you work in similar industries or have similar target customers, the same strategy should not be blindly applied. Can you imagine if Coca-Cola and Pepsi deployed the same brand strategy? Customers would likely be confused and turned off. The Brand Strategist has a critical role in determining, building, and protecting a brand’s unique image and positioning, as well as determining how these elements will be expressed (written, spoken, image, sound, etc.) in the strategic communications of your business. 

Not all of your customers are created equal.

As I mentioned, research with your target audience(s) is important. And, if you think your audiences are the same, think again. Your brand likely has several audiences – investors, customers, employees, etc. And, the message and strategy won’t be the same for them all. So, which audiences get a say? How do you filter through all the material to come up with one short, powerful statement that encapsulates the innate qualities of the company’s core philosophy? A core set of values can be distilled into a single sentence. Not all of your customers are created equal. 

Because you don’t ‘just need social media support.

For many brands, a presence on social media is essential. But, I wouldn’t recommend any brand prioritize social media before identifying their best brand message and strategy. The time to build this knowledge is BEFORE you need it. That’s when you should use your newfound intelligence to turn social media into a platform to test the tone, voice, and feel of messaging. Re-purpose the dull. Do you know why? Most people aren’t good at messaging. They aren’t good at copywriting. They think messaging = relaying information to the public. It’s NOT. It means how are you going to define who you are, what’s your unique value proposition, how are you going to inspire and motivate your audience, and what kind of experiences are you going to offer? “As a result, many clients don’t have the emotional connection to their brands because, you know, they’re just so busy, they don’t have time. 

You’re not a PR pro or marketing guru.

Nor are you expected to be! And the only thing you should DIY is your business’s core competency. Unless marketing or PR is in your background, it is not expected of you as a business owner to know everything inside and out about successfully marketing your business. That is why hiring a brand strategist to manage and ensure all marketing assets create the success you are looking for is essential. Did you know there are thousands of people currently operating as Brand Strategies?

Wherever your business is today – the beginning, two years in, five years in, or more – it’s never too late to invest in your brand! The most successful stories in the world all began with an investment in their “brand” and ensured their success. A Brand Strategist is a connector between marketing deliverables and success for your business. There are thousands of Brand Strategists throughout the United States, but The AD Leaf is ready to work with you and meet your goals today. Meet with our Brand Strategist,  Joleen Santos, to get started! (321) 255-0900. 

Google Reviews

5 Tips to 5 Star Review on Google

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Marketing, News Feed

Google ReviewsThe AD Leaf ® Team would like to give you a friendly reminder of how important business reviews such as Google Business Page reviews, and other online platform reviews are. A good goal to set is to receive at least one good review every month. This keeps your company ‘fresh’ in Google’s eyes.

Google, Social Media, and Yelp reviews

Everywhere you go, you see reviews. Whether it’s a physical or digital product, if it’s worth talking about, it has reviews. The most important thing to consider about reviews is that people actually do than to care about them. This is why we want you to have good reviews.

It’s important to carefully approach the subject of reviews with customers. First, you want them to receive the product and be happy with it. The more satisfied they are, the more likely they are to not only leave a review but leave a positive one.

Before asking for a review, we recommend assessing whether or not you think a customer will leave good feedback or not. If they have had any issues, they’ll let you know, and you’ll have the chance to fix them. If they are happy, then it’s safe to ask them for a review. If you aren’t sure if they are happy, then don’t ask them for a review.

5 Star Review Tips

Tip #1 – Be appreciative. To be frank, reviewers don’t really get much out of the process. It’s just a nice thing they can do for other people reading reviews in the future.

Tip #2 – Make it simple. Provide them with the access link and simple instructions to leave your review if you think the customer enjoyed the experience.

Tip #3 – Do NOT offer an incentive. You can’t just offer them something if they do a review this is against TOS for these companies.

Tip #4 – Do NOT ask for a review from unhappy customers. If you think the customer will not leave 5 stars then don’t ask for a review. We only want reviews once the customer is totally fulfilled and happy.

Tip #5 – Do connect with your customers. Talk to them to understand better how they feel. Ask them questions about your service/product with them. Read their previous reviews and see what you did good and try to repeat that for others.

We hope this helps you understand why Google, Social Media, and Yelp reviews are important, how to get them, and when to get them.

Get A Bad Review or Photo Removed

Bad reviews are something we never want to see. Anyone can post photos on Google Maps onto our Google My Business profile. Fortunately, if it’s not of your work or business we can flag them to be removed.

  1. On your computer, open Google Maps.
  2. Find your Business Profile.
  3. Find the review or photo you’d like to flag.
  4. Click More More and then Flag as inappropriate.

View Google’s Official answer to this question here.

Reasons you can Flag as Inappropriate

 

If you have any questions about the process, please feel free to reach out to The AD Leaf’s support team by using our live chat feature or call us at 321-255-0900. We would be happy to help!

Now is your Turn!

Thank you for taking 5 minutes to leave us a review on any of the sites listed here!

Leave us a Review

The New Kid on the Tok

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Social Media

Having surpassed the 1 billion user mark, TikTok is rapidly becoming the most used Social Media platform to date! Are you the new kid on the Tok?

When TikTok started, it was geared towards kids, tweens, and teens to show off dance moves and lip-syncing. Now, you will find people of every age group singing, dancing, giving advice, telling stories, and advertising.

It is anticipated that TikTok will be the next big thing in marketing. With the “TikTok made me buy it” trend out there, it’s no wonder. Influencers have been on Social Media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat for years. It was only expected that influencers would flood the platform with the introduction and rapid upswing of TikTok. 

The Power of TikTok

What’s great about this platform, anyone can be an influencer. Why is that a great thing? People are more willing and open to buying something used and reviewed by a peer. If viewers can relate to whoever is showcasing an item, they are more likely to purchase it. 

In addition, TikTok has opened up an entirely new way of marketing, advertising, and selling for small business owners who may not be able to afford a website or storefront financially. 

TikTok - Make Your DayWe can scroll the “For You Page” for five minutes and see maybe 1-3 small business owners selling handmade goods. The audience loves it when they also show the processes behind making their products. This allows the merchants to display the work that is put into what they are creating. There are a lot of people saying, “I can make that for less.” But is it true? You’re paying not just for an item but a service. Someone’s time and effort are being put into something you have requested. In a lot of instances, you’re purchasing a one-of-a-kind item. 

TikTok has become a great source of entertainment as well. The users can find many videos that can pull them out of a sad, upset, or mad state. With people listening to streaming music services over the radio, new songs or artists now have a platform where they can be heard and go viral. 

TikTok has also become a platform that can bridge the generation gaps between parent and child; in some cases, grandparent, parent, and child. If you’re a Gen-X or older Millennial with a Gen-Z child, you may be completely lost with some of the jargon (as every parent ever was with their child, of all generations); you can use it as your translator!

When TikTok first started, many people were on the fence about it, but now, they realize how their first assessment was very inaccurate. The audience can discover many interesting people, great tutorials, wonderful storytellers, and artists in several media branches.

Don’t be the New Kid on the Tok with The AD Leaf

Here at The AD Leaf Marketing Firm, we have a team of experts ready to assist you with your TikTok strategy tailored for your business. You can call us at 321-255-0900 or fill out our contact form! We are just a click or call away if you want more information on integrating TikTok into your business’s marketing plan.

5 Benefits of Social Media for Your Business

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Social Media

Social Media allows businesses and industries to connect with potential customers through various platforms. With a strong campaign strategy, businesses can cultivate an audience to engage with their brand in ways that a TV or Radio advertisement can not match.

Utilizing social media for your business is essential as we head into 2023 to ensure your company’s success. Social media is a powerful tool for building a brand or business online, and it has been proven that businesses established through social media are already seeing the results. 

Needless to say, social media management has an impact on building and benefiting your business. Let’s explore the 5 benefits of social media for your business:

Building Brand Awareness

Social media allows you to create brand awareness, especially if you are a newly established business. With this in mind, be aware that customers and clients want to do their business with a brand they recognize and trust. Creating brand awareness can lead to long-term business benefits such as loyal clientele and the option of having your clients market for you by sharing and engaging on posts.

In this process, it is important to keep the key aspects of your business at the front and center, including graphics, company expectations, and business values. 

Generate Leads

If you are interested in generating potential leads for your service or product, look no further! Social media is capable of outreaching sources of audiences and customers and bringing them to your business’s page and/or website. This is just the beginning of the 5 benefits of social media for your business!

Social media has developed powerful aspects to drive leads by adding clear calls to action to branding posts and specific content on business pages. This is possible through paid advertising and marketing on social media platforms. Utilizing paid campaigns on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn allows for incorporating a call to action, as described above, which goes beyond a usual “Like” or “Follow.” These platforms can even manage leads for a more streamlined user experience. 

Identifying Target Audience

When establishing and running a business or platform, you must know your target audience’s interests and demographics to reach them effectively on social media. Luckily, social media platforms have upgraded over the years, making this process easier and more accessible for business pages. Monitoring social conversations and insights through certain topics and demographics is possible. 

When you understand your target market, you can learn what potential pain points they may have and how your business can assist and solve those problems. This will then lead to further lead conversions and wider reach. 

Drive Traffic to Website

Another benefit of social media for your business is that it can be essential for sending customers and potential leads directly to your business website. Social platforms are intended to reach various audiences in a way that feels personable, useful, sharable, and entertaining. It allows users and potential customers to engage with content they were unaware of. Especially If they fit within the target demographic and target audience, as described above, your business’s website and products have the potential to be shared across other social platforms and garner a unique reach. Social media channels allow for more diverse inbound traffic streams.

Potential Partnerships

What is B2B marketing? B2B means business-to-business transactions or opportunities between companies rather than between a company and an individual consumer. Contrary to belief, social media can be overwhelmingly beneficial for B2B transactions and relationships. Social media helps B2B businesses acquire and retain clients as it often helps demonstrate being experts in that field and builds a solid reputation throughout the market.

The buyers involved in B2B make sure to do research into brands that they are purchasing or working with; in fact, over 55% of B2B buyers research through social media before making any advancements. Having a social media presence overall establishes authority in the market and reputation. Having a social media presence overall establishes authority in the market as well as reputation.

Benefits of Social Media Management with The AD Leaf Marketing Firm

There are many benefits of having an active social media presence for your business, whether business-to-business or business-to-consumer. Get your business up and flourishing by having an active and branded social media presence to attract and maintain your target market. 

Are you struggling with getting your social media started? Do you not have time to manage your platforms? Here at The AD Leaf Marketing Firm, we have a team of experts here ready to assist with creating the perfect plan for organic growth through social media channels. We would be more than happy to help your business grow through the world of social media. 

You can call The AD Leaf Marketing Firm at 321-255-0900 or fill out our contact form!

Why Buying Email Lists Is a Bad Idea

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Email Marketing

You might buy an email list if you want to grow your email list. After all, it’s a quick and easy way to get started, right? Wrong! Buying email lists is a bad idea for several reasons: first, you’re likely to get sued for spamming people who didn’t opt-in to your list. Second, you can purchase email lists often filled with invalid email addresses. Third, purchased email lists are less likely to result in conversions than email lists built organically. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the dangers of buying email lists and provide tips for building an email list correctly.

Violating the rules of consent

Violating consent rules by emailing people who didn’t sign up for your list is a bad idea. It’s also illegal in many places. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 establishes the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives customers the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.

Many email service providers (ESPs) have strict rules about emailing people who didn’t sign up for your list. If you violate their terms of service, they can shut down your account. It’s not worth the risk to buy an email list. You could violate the law and get your ESP shut down. Email marketing is unsuitable for emailing people who don’t want to hear from you.

Reputable email services won’t do business with you

If you’re emailing people who didn’t sign up for your list, reputable email services won’t deal with you. So, not only is buying email lists illegal, but it’s also bad for your business. Don’t risk your email marketing campaign by buying an email list. It’s not worth it!

You can’t buy a good email list.

Even if you could buy a good email list, you shouldn’t. A good email list comprises people who have opted in to receive emails from you. They’re interested in what you have to say. They’re more likely to engage with your email and buy from you. On the other hand, a bought email list is full of people who have no idea who you are. They didn’t sign up to receive emails from you. They might not even be interested in what you have to say.

No one knows you on a purchased list.

Bought email lists are also full of people who don’t know you. When you email them, they will not recognize your name or brand. They might think you’re a spammer and report you. After all, according to Spam Laws.com, advertising-related emails make up 36% of all spam messages. Or they might just delete your email without reading it. Either way, you’re not going to get the results you want.

Your email delivery rates and IP reputation will suffer

When you email people who haven’t signed up to receive email from you, your email delivery rates will suffer. Your emails are more likely to end up in spam folders, and your IP reputation will take a hit. This hit can harm your ability to deliver email to the people who want to receive it.

You will be annoying.

Nobody likes getting an email from someone they don’t know. You will annoy many people if you email people who haven’t signed up to receive your email. And when people are annoyed, they’re less likely to do business with you.

Your service provider can penalize you.

If you’re using a service like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook to send your email, they can penalize you for sending email to people who haven’t signed up to receive it. This prohibited act can result in your account being suspended or even terminated.

We can help!

The AD Leaf was created to work with you to develop these marketing strategies to create the best experience for your customer and increase sales for your business. Our professional help will ease your stress toward marketing so that you can focus on all other aspects of your business. We will be your trusted advisor if you have questions about driving success this holiday season. Call us today! (321) 255-0900.

Why Develop a Marketing Strategy Specifically for the Holidays?

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Marketing, Social Media

Why develop a marketing strategy specifically for the holidays ensures that your marketing efforts produce beneficial results? A well-thought-out strategy will outline your business goals so that you can create ways to reinforce them. Creating this detailed action plan can be a powerful tool that drives sales and increases brand awareness.

As the holidays approach, developing a marketing strategy that reflects your business’s marketing goals for the upcoming season is crucial. This plan acts as a guide to keep your business on track. You will see more results as you develop a more detailed action plan.

The holidays are also perfect for building trust and credibility with your customers. A detailed plan that creates ease for customers to discover and purchase your product will help to develop a great relationship with them as they search for the perfect holiday gift.

How do I develop the correct marketing strategy for the Holidays?

Using the correct marketing strategies is a tremendous opportunity to increase sales, communicate with customers, and build and maintain a brand voice. After outlining your business goals for the holidays, you can begin to develop a strategy that is tailored to these objectives. Your strategy should be created with your specific goals in mind, but a few strategies can help any service or product sold during the holidays.

Helpful Holiday Strategies:

Enhancing the customer experience is an improvement area that will likely help all year round, especially during the holidays. It can be stressful as a customer to find and purchase the perfect gift. Popular items may sell out, or the item they want is impossible to find in the right color or size. By using a few tricks to enhance the customer experience, you can create ease to these issues that customers run into.

Optimizing your site for mobile phones is a great way to enhance the customer’s experience. By ensuring that site visitors can easily browse your products and make their purchases on their phones or tablets, you can rocket your e-commerce sales during the holiday season. Integrating a live chat will also create ease for the customer. During the holidays, customers will reach out frequently. They may want to learn more about your product or check if it will be delivered on time. Not only do they have questions more often, but they are expecting to receive a quick response. Integrating a live chat into your website can be a solution to this.

The holiday season is also a great time to make greater use of your social media. Developing a plan specific to your social media can increase your connection with your followers and make purchasing your product simple. During the holiday season, social media sites witness an enormous surge in conversation. Today, social media provides a platform to guide consumers from product discovery to final purchase. Creating eye-catching posts and exciting videos about each holiday can be helpful. You can attach your online store link to these posts so that customers can click and purchase their favorite products. Creating polls and running contests on Facebook or Instagram can also attract many participants and increase traffic to your website, resulting in even more sales!

Incorporating email marketing campaigns for the holidays is another helpful strategy to include. You can send announcement emails, exclusive sale offers, or last reminders through an email marketing campaign. Announcement emails can be sent ahead of time to existing subscribers. These emails may include holiday sales details or important dates to remind customers when the sale officially begins. Another way to capture your customer’s attention is to send a deal that is only available for email subscribers. Sending exclusive sale offers can be one of the most incredible holiday marketing ideas. Developing an email that offers an extra discount on products after customers spend a certain amount is an example of an exclusive sale offer that can drive a significant sales increase. Last reminders can also be included in your campaign to urge customers to shop quickly before the deals expire.

When should I start developing a marketing strategy specifically for the Holidays? 

Deciding when to begin your holiday marketing campaigns is an important detail to include when first developing your strategy. Starting too early may irritate customers, and starting too late may cause you to lose customers to your competitors. Deciding when to start a marketing strategy for the holidays depends primarily on your business, your customers, and your product or service.

The summer is a great time to start outlining your strategy and planning specific products or themes you may want to incorporate for the upcoming season. From August until October, you can start producing specific holiday posts, sneak peeks into upcoming products, and announcements of holiday sales. This will create excitement for the season and attract customers to follow your business closely as the holidays approach. During November and December, you can begin implementing the specific strategy you have developed to market your product for the holidays. If you have prepared your strategy in great detail and delivered it effectively, this is usually the time to sit back and track your success!

We can help!

The AD Leaf was created to work with you to develop these marketing strategies to create the best experience for your customer and increase sales for your business. The holidays can be busy, but with our professional help, we will ease your stress toward marketing so that you can focus on all other aspects of your business. We will be your trusted advisor if you have questions about driving success this holiday season. Call us today! (321) 255-0900.

Paid Social Media Gives You The Upper Hand During The Holidays

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Social Media

How Paid Social Media Gives You The Upper Hand During The Holidays | AD Leaf

The Holidays Are a Great Time to Embrace the ‘Nonrational’ Side of Consumers

For many businesses, the holiday season is the busiest time of year. It’s the time of year when consumers spend more money than ever. It begins with Black Friday and Cyber Monday and leads to the slew of December holidays, including Christmas. 

It’s never too early to start planning for it, either. Whether it’s freshening up your landing pages, creating brand awareness with your holiday marketing campaigns, finding other ways to target new customers, and everything in between, the list of tasks seems endless. As marketers, we understand it’s an opportunity to strike big and the final chance to boost sales before the new year.

 

Why do consumers spend so much during the holidays? 

The holidays are a special time for many people, and marketers know they’re willing to pay a premium for that feeling. As adults, we can remember how special the holidays were to us as kids; many adults want to give that same feeling to their kids and loved ones. Presents and other holiday expenditures like decorations, parties, food, and travel are crucial elements of our memories. As consumers aim to make the current holidays as special as those they remember, both for their children and loved ones, they’re willing to spend money to make that happen.

 

Stay top of mind during the holidays. 

In the world of Social Media Marketing, you hear the saying, “You have to pay to play.” This means that the more you spend on your marketing, the more you will get out of it. This saying has never been more true during the holidays. 

As a business owner, you might not understand why you should double or even triple your budget during this time, especially if you’re already getting the results you want. But, you are no longer the only business with a hand in the game. Other businesses are gearing up and bringing competition. With the heightened competition, it’s time to invest more in marketing to make sure your content stands out from the rest. 

 

How Paid Social Media Gives You The Upper Hand During The Holidays?

The biggest predictor of whether people will purchase is whether they’ve heard of your brand, and during the holidays, there is a higher demand for products and services. Consumers are buying for themselves and others, which leads to an increase in urgency. This makes buying behavior less passive and more active, increasing consumers’ willingness to buy. Taking advantage of holiday marketing can lead to increased customer following, trust, and engagement, which boosts sales and brand awareness which will carry those consumers through to the new year with you.

 

Organic Social Media Vs. Paid Social Media During The Holidays

Organic reach is the number of people who follow you and have seen your content through unpaid distribution. The average reach of those organic posts is only 2%. Having more eyes on your content during the holiday season is more important than ever. Social media networks are the biggest source of inspiration for consumer purchases. Putting money behind your content and running paid social media ads helps you reach a larger, more targeted audience. Paid social posts will show up in the feeds of whichever audience you decide to target. You can target audiences based on demographics, location, interests, and more.

One thing about paid social media ads is that a strategy can be built to work with any budget. The more money a business has invested in a social media advertising budget, the more the strategy can be built out. Businesses with lower budgets can still have a strategy but will also have to lower their expectations for results. Businesses prioritizing a marketing budget to allow for the incorporation of paid social ads get better data, better insights into their audience, and better results throughout their marketing funnel. The data that is returned from a paid social media strategy is information businesses benefit from greatly. It helps know what angle to take with customers based on the success of ads that have been running.

 

Your Competitors Are Already Running Paid Social Media Ads. – It’s Time to Learn How Paid Social Media Gives You The Upper Hand During The Holidays

You will only get further behind if you’re not in the paid social media ad game. Paid ads help businesses gather valuable marketing insights. They allow you to know what your audiences want to see and help you to know what angle to take with customers based on the data returned from their paid social media ads. If you’re not running paid ads, your competitors are gaining marketing insights that give a significant advantage over your business. 

We’re here to help! Our highly experienced social media marketers will develop an effective campaign to help your business flourish during the holiday season. We understand how running a business can leave you little time to put intention into your social media presence. Give us a call today at (321) 255-0900 to unlock all the benefits social media can bring to your business.

How Graphics Can Help (or Hurt) Your Content

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Content Writing, Email Marketing

Let’s be honest, when we read blogs, articles, or the news, we scan through the images and headings to decide if we want to donate our time to this piece of content by reading it in full. If this is the case, this makes the images and graphics we include in our content a big deal. This can very well make or break whether or not your potential clients and customers are reading your content and deciding to go through with purchasing your service.

Regarding content, graphics can either help or hurt your message. Poorly chosen or executed graphics can confuse or distract from your content, while well-done graphics can support and enhance your message. In this blog post, we’ll look at how to use graphics effectively to improve your content.

Consistency

As we all know, consistency is vital when it comes to graphics and content. The overall look of your website and blog should be cohesive, with a consistent color scheme, font choices, and image style. This helps create a polished, professional look that will instill confidence in potential clients and customers. Therefore, images should be clean, free of imperfections or distractions, and most importantly, they should all align.

Remember that game you would play as a kid, Which One Doesn’t Belong? You would be given several pictures and have to pick the one that didn’t fit in with the rest. The same applies here. The professionalism is lost if there are polished, pristine images and one or two with different lighting or style.

 

Relevancy

When choosing or creating graphics for your content, make sure they are relevant and support your message. A creative, well-chosen graphic can be worth a thousand words, but only if it’s related to the topic. Irrelevant or confusing graphics will do more harm than good.

Ensure that if the person choosing the graphics is not the person who wrote the content, they should be in constant communication, ensuring the meaning behind the message is not lost in the photos.

Often, the images are the last piece to be added to any content, meaning that they are likely done quickly, possibly with less thought than the text required. However, the images paired with content have just as much, if not more, important than the content itself. A customer can be lost because the message was misconstrued or poorly relayed through inappropriate or inadequate graphics.

Purpose

Think about what you want your graphic to accomplish before you create or select it. Do you want to inform? Entertain? Persuade? Inspire? As long as your graphic serves a purpose and supports your content, it will be an asset. If it doesn’t, it will be a liability.

If the intention for the piece of content is to support your company and persuade the customer to make a purchase, the images should show happy people with the results of their purchase. Ensure that the purpose of the content matches the tone of the purpose of the image. A poor example of this is using entertainment-based images paired with persuasive writing. This could mean the loss of a sale.

So, graphics can help or hurt your content depending on how well they are integrated and how relevant they are to your message. Be thoughtful about the graphics you use, and your content will be all the better for it. However, if you struggle to do this for your business, don’t hesitate to reach out to our skilled professional team at The AD Leaf.

Why Accessibility Matters for Your Website 

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Website Design

On July 26, 1990, a law was created to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all avenues of modern life: at work, school, on transportation, and in all public or private zones available to the public. This law is known as the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA for short. So, how does accessible web design impact me, and why accessibility matters for your website? Title III of the American Disabilities Act “prohibits discrimination based on disability in the activities of places of public accommodations.” This means that if you provide goods and services from or at a public place, you must provide accommodations for people to access them.  

A recent example of a discrimination case on accessible web design is Robles v. Domino’s Pizza LLC, June 2021. This Ninth Circuit case deemed that Domino’s violated ADA title III due to its website not having accessible web design for visually impaired individuals. Based on a prior ruling from 2015, this case declared that while Domino’s website is not a “place of public accommodation,” its website does promote goods or services from a place of public accommodation. Therefore, if your business has a website and you sell goods or services in a public space, your website must be accessible to all individuals.  

 

How Disabled Users Interact on the Internet 

So, why does accessibility matter for your website? Individuals with disabilities rely on various forms of technology to navigate and interact on the world wide web. W3C (The World Wide Web Consortium) has created standard content guidelines that developers use to make content more accessible. Some tools that disabled users depend on use these guidelines as a structure to interpret information online. These tools can include screen readers, alternative text on images, closed captioning, and keyboard navigation.  

Screen Readers 

Screen Readers allow users to navigate through a web page’s semantic/header tags or an image’s alternative tags to efficiently read out the synthetic text output or interpret the element to a readable braille display. However, screen readers are only as effective as the website design they view.  

Closed Captioning 

For video content, deaf individuals rely on closed captioning or transcriptions to read audible content. Most content today is audible, so transcriptions and closed captioning are absolutely vital for the hearing impaired. 

Keyboard Navigation 

Users with severe motor skill impairment from disorders like dyspraxia or ALS use special keyboards that combine screen reader capabilities and have large buttons that let them navigate the screen using the palms of their hands. These keyboards allow them to interface with their computer but lower the speed they can interact on the page. Without effective accessibility tools or a well-structured user interface and design flow, your business’s website can discriminate or hinder a large swath of people. 

 

Why Accessibility Matters For Your Website

Having accessible web design promotes inclusivity of not only disabled communities but of the elderly, rural, and developing communities. Good web design also increases your brand’s reputation; users notice companies that put in the effort to include others. Today Millennials and Gen Z are the first to notice bad inclusivity practices and are more likely to condemn or “cancel” brands that are not using the best standards. 

Creating accessible design improves your site’s user experience. The best experience you can have is one that you can fully participate in. The inverse is also true; the worst experience is when you cannot participate at all. 

 

We Can Update Your Site For Accessibility!

The AD Leaf Marketing Firm wants to improve your business’ reach! Creating an accessible web design experience requires experienced developers. Our specialists are trained in the best accessibility practices 

to improve your website’s user interface and user experience, increasing conversions. They will also help maintain user flow on your website using the best modern trends. 

If you have questions about why accessibility matters for your website, a website redesign or maintenance, you can contact 321-255-0900, info@theadleaf.com, or complete our contact form. We would love to become your trusted advisor for your business!

 

Sources: 

(WAI), W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. “WCAG 2 Overview.” Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Accessed August 11, 2022. https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/.  

“Accessibility Fundamentals with Rob Dodson.” YouTube. SFHTML5, February 23, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8xUCzToff8.  

“Screen Reader Demo for Digital Accessibility.” YouTube. The University of San Francisco’sFrancisco’s IT Web Services Department, May 31, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEbl5jvLKGQ.  

Sidoti, Mark S. “Robles v. Domino’sDomino’s: The Saga Continues – on Remand, District Court Grants Partial Summary Judgment to Plaintiff, Solidifying the Scope of ADA Website Liability in the Ninth Circuit.” 

Gibbons Law Alert. Gibbons, March 14, 2022.
https://www.gibbonslawalert.com/2021/08/16/robles-v-dominos-the-saga-continues-on-remand-district-court-grants-partial-summary-judgment-to-plaintiff-solidifying-the-scope-of-a-website-liability-in-the-ninth-circuit/.  

The Importance Of Content In The Buyer’s Journey

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio West Palm Beach
Content Writing

Think of that item you want to purchase badly right now; maybe it’s a car, a new electronic device, a service for self-care, or something you know you need. What’s stopping you? You probably don’t know which company is right for you, what each one provides, the differences in costs and services, etc. So what do you do? You search through websites, reading through the pages to learn about their services, FAQs, testimonials, and blogs full of information to assist you in deciding. The crucial part of that sentence? You read to learn about the importance of content in the buyer’s journey!

Imagine you come across a company with no blogs, no information, only a tiny “About Us” page. Their website and product drew you in, but you have no reason to trust their services. That’s why content is essential in your journey to make that purchase and is crucial to your potential clients.

When it comes to the buying process, content is essential. It can be said that content is the backbone of the buyer’s journey. Without quality content, potential buyers will not have the information they need to purchase. That’s why it’s essential to produce high-quality content that targets your audience and helps them along the way. This blog post will discuss the importance of content in the buyer’s journey and how you can use it to your advantage!

 

What Is The Buyer’s Journey, and Why is it Important?

The buyer’s journey is the potential process customers go through when considering a purchase. This journey typically includes three stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. In the awareness stage, the buyer is first introduced to the problem they need to solve. In the consideration stage, buyers evaluate their options and compare different solutions. Finally, in the decision stage, the buyer chooses the product or service they feel best fits their needs.

How Does the Client Play A Part In Each Stage?

Content plays a crucial role in the buyer’s journey. Without it, they may not make it past the awareness stage.

Awareness Stage

In the awareness stage, content can help potential customers learn about the problem they need to solve and the different solutions available to them. This is where first impressions are made. The valuable content here is FAQ pages, testimonials, the “About Us” page, and service pages.

Consideration Stage

Content can help buyers compare the different options in the consideration stage and make an informed decision.

Decision Stage

Content can help the buyer choose the right product or service for their needs in the decision stage. For example, a blog comparing metal to shingle roofing could be what helps a customer make the purchase. They know they need a roof but can’t decide which material is best. This type of blog helps them make the decision and complete the journey.

 

What Are The Statistics?

Still not convinced? Check out these statistics:

  • Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about three times as many leads. (Forbes)
  • Companies that blog receive 97% more links to their website (OptinMonster)
  • 70% of consumers learn about a company through articles rather than ads (OptinMonster)

While many more statistics show that content is a huge step forward in the buyer’s journey for the everyday customer, this is just a tiny portion of the impact it has.

As you can see, content is important and can be a game-changer in the buyer’s journey. By creating helpful, informative content, you can build trust with potential customers and position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Now is the time if you’re not using content to support your sales efforts. Contact our expert content and email marketing team at The AD Leaf to start adding to your site today!