digital_consultants

Why Google Business Profile is Essential for Your Organization

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 12:41:35 GMT

In today’s digital world, most people begin their search for services online—and nearly 90% of searches start on Google . If your organization isn’t showing up where it counts, potential clients, customers, or families may never discover what you have to offer. A strong online presence is no longer optional—it’s critical.

One of the most effective tools to achieve this is Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).

Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free tool that lets you manage how your organization appears on Google Search and Maps. It provides essential details like your location, contact information, hours, photos, and reviews. A complete and optimized GBP profile not only increases visibility but also builds credibility and connects you with the people who are actively searching for your services .

Why Google Business Profile Matters

Here are the key reasons every business, nonprofit, or school should optimize their profile:

Increase Visibility in Local Searches
Appear at the top of Google results when people search for services in your area (e.g., “consultant near me” or “private school in CITY NAME”).
Showcase Your Brand’s Mission and Value
Highlight your programs, services, and unique strengths so prospective clients or families connect with what sets you apart.
Drive More Website Traffic
Your profile includes a link to your website, directing people to learn more and take the next step with you.
Boost Opportunities
Improved visibility often translates into more inquiries, more appointments, and more growth.
Share Photos and Videos
High-quality visuals help build trust by giving people a look inside your organization.
Collect and Display Reviews
Positive reviews establish credibility and influence decision-making.
Engage With Your Community
Post updates, events, or announcements to stay visible and relevant.
Gain Insights Into Your Audience
Google provides data on how people find you, what keywords they use, and how they interact with your listing.
Stand Out From Competitors
Many organizations neglect their profile—optimizing yours gives you an edge.
Enhance Trust and Credibility
An active, verified profile signals professionalism and transparency.

5 Steps to Set Up & Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Step 1: Create or Claim Your Listing

Visit Google Business Profile and sign in with your organization’s Google account.
Search for your name. If it exists, claim it. If not, create a new listing.
Ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are accurate and consistent with your website.

Step 2: Verify Your Organization

Google requires verification, often by mail (postcard), phone, or email.
Complete this step to appear on Google Maps and local search results.

Step 3: Complete Your Profile

Fill in every detail:
Business/Organization Name
Address & Phone Number
Website
Hours of Operation
Category (e.g., “Consultant,” “Private School,” “Nonprofit Organization”)
Add a short, compelling description that highlights your mission and services.

Step 4: Add Photos & Videos

Upload high-quality images of your office, staff, products, or events.
Include videos where possible—tours, highlights, or testimonials.
Listings with visuals receive significantly more clicks and engagement.

Step 5: Encourage Reviews & Stay Active

Ask satisfied clients, customers, or members to leave reviews.
Respond professionally to reviews to show responsiveness.
Post updates regularly to keep your profile active and relevant.

Whether you’re running a business, school, or nonprofit, your audience is searching online first. An optimized Google Business Profile ensures you get found, builds trust with your community, and helps you stand out from competitors.

With a relatively small investment of time, this free tool can deliver measurable results—more visibility, more engagement, and more growth.

Empower Your Educators: 25 Ways to Show Appreciation During Teacher's Appreciation Week

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 13:46:17 GMT

For school leaders, demonstrating appreciation to teachers is not just a task but a reflection of the biblical principle of honoring one another. Proverbs 3:27 (NKJV) reminds us, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so."

Showing gratitude to teachers acknowledges their tireless efforts and sacrifices, affirming their worth and importance in the school community. This act of appreciation not only uplifts the spirits of teachers but also strengthens their sense of purpose and commitment to their calling.

It fosters a culture of respect and mutual support, enhancing teacher morale and job satisfaction, which in turn positively impacts student outcomes and overall school success.

Moreover, by honouring teachers, school leaders exemplify the love and servant leadership modeled by Christ, inspiring others to follow suit and creating a thriving educational environment grounded in Christ.

As Teacher's Appreciation Week approaches, Christian schools have a unique opportunity to demonstrate gratitude and appreciation to their educators in a manner that aligns with their values and mission.

While the methods may vary, the underlying theme remains constant – honoring the dedication and service of teachers who play a pivotal role in shaping the hearts and minds of students.

Here are 25 ways to show appreciation during Teacher's Appreciation Week, fostering a culture of gratitude and encouragement within the school community.

Devotional Book Gifts: Present teachers with devotional books or Christian literature that offers spiritual encouragement and renewal, allowing them to deepen their faith journey amidst their teaching responsibilities.
Biblical Affirmation Cards: Create custom affirmation cards featuring Bible verses and uplifting messages for each teacher, reminding them of their significance in God's eyes and the impact they make in students' lives.
Chapel Dedication: Dedicate a chapel service or special assembly during Teacher's Appreciation Week to honour teachers through worship, testimonies, and messages centred on their calling and service.
Faith-Inspired Artwork: Commission or encourage students to create artwork or crafts with Christian themes, such as scripture-based paintings, handmade crosses, or inspirational posters to adorn teachers' classrooms or office spaces.
Christian Music Concert: Host a live concert or musical performance featuring Christian artists or bands, providing teachers with an uplifting and spiritually enriching experience as a token of appreciation.
Service Projects: Organize service projects or outreach initiatives in the local community where teachers and students can volunteer together, embodying the spirit of servant leadership and compassion taught in Christian values.
Fruit of the Spirit Awards: Recognize teachers for exemplifying the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – through their actions and interactions with students and colleagues.
Gratitude Journal Exchange: Facilitate a gratitude journal exchange among teachers, where each participant writes notes of appreciation and encouragement for a fellow teacher, fostering a culture of mutual support and affirmation.
Faith-Focused Workshops: Arrange workshops or seminars led by Christian speakers or educators, focusing on topics such as integrating faith into teaching, fostering spiritual growth in students, or maintaining work-life balance from a biblical perspective.
Community Prayer Walk: Organize a community prayer walk around the school campus, inviting teachers, students, parents, and alumni to join together in prayer for God's guidance, protection, and blessing over the school community.
Scripture Memory Challenge: Initiate a scripture memory challenge for teachers and students, encouraging them to memorize and reflect on key Bible verses related to teaching, wisdom, and perseverance.
Christian Book Club: Start a Christian book club for teachers, where participants can read and discuss books on faith, education, and personal growth, fostering fellowship and intellectual enrichment.
Worship Night: Host a worship night or praise gathering where teachers can come together in a spirit of unity and praise, lifting their voices in songs of worship and thanksgiving.
Spiritual Retreat: Provide opportunities for teachers to attend a spiritual retreat focused on prayer, reflection, and renewal, allowing them to recharge spiritually and emotionally.
Testimony Sharing: Invite teachers to share their personal testimonies of faith and teaching experiences during a special assembly or gathering, inspiring others with stories of God's faithfulness and provision.
Encouragement Wall: Create an "encouragement wall" where teachers can post prayer requests, words of encouragement, and answered prayers, fostering a sense of community and support among colleagues.
Parent Partnership Breakfast: Host a breakfast or brunch for teachers and parents to come together in fellowship, building stronger relationships and partnerships in nurturing students spiritually and academically.
Legacy Blessing Ceremony: Organize a "legacy blessing ceremony" where retiring or departing teachers are honoured and prayed over by students, colleagues, and parents, expressing gratitude for their years of faithful service.
Continued Support and Professional Development: Commit to ongoing support and professional development opportunities for teachers, including mentorship programs, continuing education courses, and resources for integrating faith into the curriculum.
Secret Admirer Pen Pals: Pair teachers with secret admirer pen pals from the school community (students, parents, or staff). Throughout Teacher's Appreciation Week, pen pals can send anonymous letters, small gifts, or acts of kindness to their assigned teacher, adding an element of surprise and excitement
Teacher Swap Day: Allow teachers to swap roles for a day, giving them the opportunity to experience different grade levels or subjects. This playful activity promotes empathy and camaraderie among teachers while providing a fresh perspective on teaching.
Self-Care Gift Baskets: Prepare self-care gift baskets filled with items like essential oils, scented candles, herbal teas, and hand cream. Deliver these baskets to teachers' homes as a token of appreciation for their hard work and dedication
Virtual Staff Appreciation Awards Ceremony: Host a virtual staff appreciation awards ceremony to recognize outstanding teachers and staff members. Categories could include "Most Inspirational Teacher," "Rookie of the Year," or "Lifetime Achievement Award." Present winners with virtual certificates or trophies during the online ceremony
Teacher Appreciation Parade: Coordinate a surprise teacher appreciation parade where students and parents drive by teachers' homes with decorated cars, holding signs, balloons, and cheering loudly to show their appreciation. This festive gesture brings the celebration directly to teachers' doorsteps and creates lasting memories of gratitude and joy
Memory Jar: Provide small, decorative jars or containers where parents and students can deposit their notes throughout Teacher's Appreciation Week. These notes can express gratitude for specific moments, lessons, or qualities that have impacted students' lives. At the end of the week, present each teacher with their personalized Memory Jar filled with touching messages, serving as a cherished keepsake of the positive impact they've made on their students' live

Teacher's Appreciation Week provides a meaningful opportunity for Christian schools to express gratitude and appreciation to their educators in ways that reflect their faith and values. By implementing some of these ideas, schools can cultivate a culture of honour, encouragement, and spiritual growth within the school community, fostering deeper connections and a shared commitment to fulfilling the mission of Christian education. Let's celebrate and uplift our teachers as they continue to impact lives for the glory of God.

Maximizing Your Google My Business: A Comprehensive Guide for Success in 2024

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 06:20:30 GMT

In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for any business striving for success. Among the myriad of online platforms available, Google My Business (GMB) stands out as a powerful tool for enhancing visibility, attracting customers, and driving growth. With millions of users turning to Google every day to find businesses like yours, optimizing your GMB listing is paramount.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to set up your Google My Business for success in 2024:

1. Crafting Your Business Name:

If you're setting up your GMB listing for the first time, ensure your business name is clear, concise, and accurately reflects your brand.
Incorporate relevant keywords into your business name to improve search visibility.
Consistently use your business name across all marketing materials for brand coherence.

2. Accurate Address Information:

Provide your complete address, including suite numbers if applicable, to help customers locate your business easily.
Be aware of GMB challenges such as virtual offices or co-working spaces, which may not be eligible for GMB listings.

3. Update Contact Information:

Keep your phone number up-to-date, and consider adding a secondary phone number for accessibility.
Your primary GMB category significantly influences your ranking, so choose the category that best represents your business.

4. Enhance Categories and Website Linking:

Select additional secondary categories (up to 9) to further specify your business offerings.
Ensure consistency between your GMB page and website by linking pages with corresponding names.

5. Leverage Google Reviews:

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews, as they play a crucial role in influencing purchase decisions and improving search rankings.
Aim to maintain a high average rating and promptly respond to customer feedback.

6. Keep Hours and Appointments Updated:

Regularly update your business hours, including holiday hours, to provide accurate information to potential customers.
Incorporate appointment links to your profile for seamless booking integration.

7. Craft a Compelling Business Description:

Utilize the business description section to provide a concise overview of your company's history, values, and offerings.
While descriptions do not directly impact search rankings, they contribute to building credibility and trust.

8. Optimize Photos and Visual Content:

Upload high-quality photos that accurately represent your business, including cover photos, logos, and general service/product images.
Avoid stock photos and ensure your visual content aligns with your brand identity.

9. Highlight Products and Services:

Utilize product and service pages to showcase offerings, including descriptions, prices, and categories.
Take advantage of Google Posts to share updates, promotions, and events with your audience.

10. Enable Messaging and Call Features:

Simplify communication with customers by activating the messaging feature, allowing for real-time interactions.
Set up a call button for easy access, particularly for mobile users.

By following these steps and consistently monitoring and updating your GMB profile, you can maximize its potential to attract customers, drive engagement, and ultimately, achieve business success in 2024.

Remember, if you need additional assistance in optimizing your Google My Business listing, don't hesitate to reach out to Digital Consultants. Click here to schedule a meeting and take your GMB to the next level!

2024 Marketing Trends

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 17:10:59 GMT

In the rapidly evolving landscape of marketing, where consumer expectations shift and technology continues to redefine engagement, the need to adapt and innovate becomes ever more crucial. As we step into 2024, understanding and embracing these trends will be pivotal in crafting meaningful and impactful connections with your audience.

Hyper-Personalization Experience

Today’s consumers desire tailor-made experiences. The wealth of data available across multiple touchpoints grants an unprecedented opportunity to create hyper-personalized marketing strategies. By harnessing sophisticated analytics, Christian schools can customize content, recommendations, and advertisements, resonating deeply with individual recipients.

Looking to personalize your school’s marketing strategy? Our team specializes in creating tailored experiences. Contact us for personalized guidance.

Video Marketing And Short-Form Content Dominance

Video content has evolved from a supplementary strategy to a dominant force in marketing. Platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts have fueled the rise of short-form videos. Their brief nature and engaging visual appeal perfectly align with the contemporary audience's fleeting attention spans. Embracing these formats for storytelling, launches, and testimonials can be a powerful way to captivate and connect with your community.

Interested in leveraging short-form videos for your school’s storytelling? Let us assist you in crafting engaging content. Reach out for expert advice.

Conversational Marketing And AI-Driven Interactions

Instant gratification defines modern consumer behavior. Conversational marketing, powered by AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants, facilitates real-time engagement. This approach offers immediate solutions and personalized experiences, nurturing customer satisfaction and driving conversions.

Automation and Optimization of Ad Campaigns

In the coming year, automation and optimization of ad campaigns will take center stage. Marketers leveraging automation can streamline campaign management, allowing a sharper focus on strategic aspects. Optimization tools driven by AI and machine learning will enhance conversions and reduce costs, reshaping advertising strategies.

Looking to streamline your ad campaigns with automation and sales funnel? Let us help you optimize your strategy. Contact us for expert insights.

Emergence of New Advertising Channels

Prepare for the emergence of novel advertising channels in 2024, including voice assistants, augmented reality, and new social platforms. Keeping a watchful eye on these developments and adapting to evolving landscapes will be crucial for staying competitive.

Curious about leveraging new advertising channels? Our team stays ahead of emerging trends. Reach out for guidance on staying ahead of the curve.

Sustainability And Ethical Marketing

Beyond product or service purchases, today's consumers are deeply interested in a brand's values. Demonstrating commitment to environmental and social responsibility will resonate profoundly with your audience.

Seeking to amplify your school’s values through ethical marketing? Let us assist you in showcasing your commitment. Get in touch to explore ethical marketing strategies.

In navigating these trends, Christian schools can authentically align their marketing strategies with their core values. Embrace innovation while staying true to the essence of your institution. Crafting experiences that are not just personalized but also purposeful and ethical will foster lasting connections with your audience.

Smart Marketing Solutions for Church-Affiliated Schools

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 17:35:24 GMT

Christian schools are often housed in a church building or have a partnership with a local church. These collaborations not only benefit the students but also contribute to a strong sense of community. To ensure the success of such partnerships, it's crucial for schools to implement thoughtful marketing strategies that highlight the values, benefits, and shared mission of the school and church involved. This can lead to stronger schools and stronger churches, which ultimately impacts the kingdom of God.

Here is a list of 9 marketing strategies to strengthen the school - church partnership:

Website that showcases partnership:

In today's digital age, a strong online presence is crucial for effective marketing. It is critically important to make sure that your church and school have up-to-date, mobile-friendly websites. For many visitors, your website is the first thing they see – and it can leave a lasting impression. Develop a user-friendly website that showcases the partnership, highlighting success stories, testimonials, and collaborative initiatives.

Craft a Compelling Narrative:

The websites should contain a compelling narrative that highlights the shared values and goals of the school and the church. Think about what makes you unique. To understand your selling points, it can be helpful to interview current parents and congregation members. Ask them questions like, “What first attracted you to our church/school?” and “What motivates you to keep coming back each week/year?” Emphasize the moral and ethical foundation that the partnership provides to students, setting the stage for a well-rounded education that goes beyond academics.

Create Unified Branding:

If possible, develop a unified brand that reflects the symbiotic relationship between the school and the church. This includes a shared logo, tagline, and promotional materials that visually communicate the unity of the institutions. Many organizations create a brand standards guide, which i s a written document outlining your brand. This can include your color palette, preferred fonts, logo, mission, and vision statement. Consistent branding across various platforms reinforces the collaboration and creates a strong, recognizable identity.

Social Media:

Leverage social media platforms to engage with the community, sharing updates, events, and other relevant content that reinforces the shared values of education and spirituality. Social media posts from the school can be shared to the church’s social channels and vice versa.

Host Joint Events:

Organize joint events that bring together the school and church communities. This could include kids events, parenting seminars, workshops, or community service projects that demonstrate the collective commitment to education and moral development. Such events not only strengthen the partnership but also provide opportunities for prospective students and their families to experience the unique atmosphere created by this collaboration.

Feature Success Stories:

Share success stories of students who have benefited from the combined educational and spiritual environment. Testimonials from parents, teachers, and community members can be powerful tools for marketing. Illustrate how the partnership has positively impacted the character development and academic achievements of students.

Collaborative Outreach Programs:

Develop outreach programs that involve both the school and church communities. This could include joint community service initiatives, scholarship programs, or mentorship opportunities. By working together on projects that benefit the broader community, the partnership becomes a living example of the positive impact that education and spirituality can have when united.

Highlight Unique Programs:

Promote any unique programs or curriculum offerings that result from the collaboration. Whether it's an emphasis on character education, moral development, or community service, these distinctive features should be at the forefront of marketing materials to attract families seeking a holistic educational experience.

Share promotional materials

This is a cost-effective way to market both the church and school. For example, if the church has a new members package, include information about the school. If a school sends out a weekly newsletter, include a section about service times and upcoming events at the church. Another possibility is to share promotional material about the school with a child who attends a kids program at the church, or have a roll up banner set up by the entry to the children’s ministry. Inviting members of the school band to be involved with a church worship service, or having someone from the church share their testimony during weekly chapel can strengthen the faith community and build unity among the body of believers.

In conclusion, marketing a school that has a partnership with a church requires a thoughtful and integrated approach. By emphasizing shared values, creating a unified brand, utilizing digital platforms, hosting joint events, featuring success stories, engaging in collaborative outreach, highlighting unique programs, and sharing promotional materials schools can effectively communicate the benefits of this harmonious relationship. Ultimately, these strategies not only attract prospective students and their families but also reinforce the positive impact of a holistic education that combines academic excellence with Christian values.

Ready to take action? Schedule a Discovery Call! Connect with us today to hear how we'v e propelled schools in partnership with churches to new heights. Let's chart a course for success together. Schedule your call now and embark on a journey of educational and spiritual enrichment!

Astonishing Website Statistics About User Experience, Website First Impressions, And Website Design That You Should Take Very Seriously

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 18:58:08 GMT

Your website has an enormous effect on the perceived credibility and quality of your business. In less than a second a user forms an opinion about your website and in that brief moment, your website is judged based on its design, content, and functionality.

Below are 13 staggering statistics about websites, and how users interact with them. These statistics will provide you with takeaway strategies on how to change your website from client-repellent to enticing, user-friendly and conversion-driven.

It takes about 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether or not they like your site, and whether they’ll stay or leave. Visitors quickly make judgements about credibility based on design. When a user has multiple choices of sites that fit their search criteria, the tolerance level for bad websites goes down.

Takeaway strategy: Improve the design of your homepage.

2. 57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile. It is so important that websites are mobile responsive. Sites that are not are poorly designed and don’t provide an optimal user experience.

Takeaway strategy: Ensure you have a responsive web design, which means it recognizes the device that your visitor is using and automatically generates a page that is responsive to the device the content is being viewed on.

3. Average smartphone conversion rates are up 64% compared to desktop conversion rates. Additionally, 88% of consumers who search for a type of business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours.

Takeaway strategy: Ensure a high quality digital presence on mobile. The mobile experience is even more powerful for local businesses, as people who are out and about and who don’t have a computer with them will use their phones to search for an idea or solution.

4. 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.

Takeaway strategy: Make sure your website is well designed and well structured from start to finish.

5. 70% of small business websites lack a Call to Action (CTA) on their homepage. A call to action is an important element in a website’s design, as it prompts users to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a tour. Without a clear call to action, website visitors may leave the site without taking any desired action.

Takeaway strategy: Incorporate some sort of call to action on your homepage. This tells users what you have to offer while making it as easy as possible to purchase a product or request a service.

6. The average click-through rate is 4.23% across all industries. This means that for every 100 people visiting a website, 4.23 will interact with a call to action.

Takeaway strategy: Have well-designed and strategically-placed calls to action on your website homepage to increase the chances of conversion.

7. The top two most visited websites are Google (85.1 billion visitors) and YouTube (33 billion visitors)

Takeaway strategy: Ensure you have a strong online presence onGoogle and YouTube to help increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and reach a wider audience.

8. 47% of users won’t wait longer than two seconds for a website to load. A slow website can lead to frustration and loss of potential customers.

Takeaway strategy: Prioritize website performance to ensure a positive user experience.

9. Website users spend an average of 6.44 seconds focused on the main navigation menu.

Takeaway strategy: A clear and easily accessible navigation menu can help users quickly find what they are looking for, improving the overall efficiency of the site.

10. Website users spend an average of 5.59 seconds looking at written content on a site.

Takeaway strategy: Ensure content is scannable, clear, and value-packed to engage your audience and effectively communicate your message.

11. Including videos on a website can increase the time spent on a page by 88%. Videos have the potential to captivate an audience and keep them engaged on a website longer.

Takeaway strategy: Add videos to your website to provide a more immersive experience for your users, encouraging them to spend more time exploring the site and its content.

12. 61% say that if they don’t find what they’re looking for within about five seconds, they’ll go to another site.

Takeaway strategy: Your site should provide a clear and easy-to-use platform for users. Highly emphasize a great user experience in your design.

13. Almost half (48%) say the number one way they decide on the credibility of a business is determined by the web design. The way a website looks can impact the first impression and overall perception of a company. Common complaints relating to design include boring design, bad use of color, excessive pop up advertisements, inadequate introductory content, small print, too much text, and an ineffective search feature.

Takeaway strategy: A modern design creates positive first impressions Ensure your website is not too complex, busy or lacks navigation aids.

It is obvious, when it comes to websites, that first impressions matter. Your website will quickly be judged, and this judgement carries over into the way users perceive your company as a whole. A bad website can negatively impact a company’s credibility significantly, whereas a quality website can help a company extend its sphere of influence and create leads. Due to the great amount of people who use a mobile device to search for things, a responsive web design is critical. If a user has to pinch to zoom in and out on your website, there’s a good chance they will just leave instead.

Are you in need of a modern, responsive, well-designed website that makes a positive, lasting impression when users first interact with it? Contact Us !

Some big changes are coming to Google this July!

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:49:47 GMT

Google Analytics 4 is launching this June, and here is everything you need to know to not only prepare for the changes but get excited about what it will mean to you and your business/organization!

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 (or GA4 for short) is the newest format of the well-known and loved Google Analytics. This new update is going to transform the life of users and make it even easier to understand all metrics, not just traffic.

GA4 monitors all aspects of the customer journey across multiple platforms and makes use of new AI technology to provide you with more detailed insights into how your users interact with all aspects of your websites and accounts.

GA4 is also upping the game when it comes to customer privacy, which may sound confusing since it is providing you with way more information.

With the updates that have come with the latest privacy laws (such as GDPR and CCPA), GA4 has become even smarter to allow for increased privacy, while collecting more metrics. This is mainly possible due to all of the updates that have occurred with AI technology these past months.

I’m sure some of you are reading this and thinking….”Why should I switch? Is there even a notable difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics?”

So let’s discuss it.

What is the difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics?

Right off the top, the largest difference between the two is that GA4 allows you to report on activity that occurs on both your website and applications. But there are a lot more, such as;

Google Analytics 4 New Dashboard

This will most likely be the difference you notice first. The new dashboard will shock you at first as the reports you are most used to seeing, have either been removed completely or have been moved. However, in replacement is a seamless navigation bar that easily lets you move between the home screen, reports page, explore page, advertising metrics, library, and more. Making it easy for you to find whatever you’re looking for in an efficient way.

All measurements are listed as events in GA4

When you use Universal Analytics, page views were always listed as the most important metric, however now with GA4, all measurements are events, Meaning that instead of seeing generalized information, you will be given access to a lot more detail, allowing for you to have a much deeper understanding of your audience, and how to serve them.

GA4 has new metrics for you to investigate

There are a lot of new metrics you will be able to explore and make use of. Some of which include:

Engaged sessions
Engagement rate
Engagement time
Attributions
Probability of purchase
Revenue prediction
A deeper look into demographics

And more.

This may all be starting to sound overwhelming to you. But trust us. These updates are going to completely change your life and your business.

So, have we convinced you to get ready for this launch, and to make the switch?

Oh, we have? Great! Now let’s get you set up!

How to set up GA4

So now that you’re ready to make the switch, let's walk you through how to do so.

Head to Google Analytics, and click “Admin” on the lower left side of the screen.
In the Account Column, select the desired account you want to make the change on.
Now in the property Column, you want to click on the Universal Analytics property that is currently collecting the data for your website.
In the property column select “GA4 Setup Assitant” (look how easy they are making this!).
Click “Get started” which you will find under the phrase “I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 property”.
If your site is currently using the gtag.js tag, then you can click on “Enable data collection using your existing tags”.
Click “Create Property”

However, if you are unable to “Enable data collection using your existing tags” Then it will be due to one of the following reasons:

Your website builder or CMS doesn't support the gtag.js tag.
You are currently using Google Tag Manager.
Your website is actually tagged with analytics.js.

Regardless of which one of these three reasons you are experiencing, the solution will be to add the tag yourself

Once you are set up

It’s time to have fun and explore the new system. Look through the search bar, investigate each page, and take your time learning this new system which will help you grow in so many ways.

With this new system, there is so much information we can cover, but we don’t want to overwhelm you! Stay tuned for our next post where we will go more in-depth on how to maneuver through GA4, and make the most of each piece of information.

If you have any questions about GA4, setting it up, or anything else, do not hesitate to reach out to us!

Make Inbound Marketing Work For Your Business

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:25:00 GMT

Inbound marketing is a business methodology that will attract customers to your business by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. It is a method of growing your organization by building meaningful, lasting relationships with your target audience.

There are three goals of inbound marketing:

Attract new prospects to your company - The goal is to attract more of the right customers with relevant content at the right time.
Engage with them by presenting insights and solutions that align with their pain points and goals.
Delight them by providing help and support to empower customers to find success and fulfillment with your products and services.

Examples of Inbound Marketing:

Blogs
Social media campaigns
Search Engine Optimized (SEO) website text
Videos
Web-based seminars (Webinars)

Inbound marketing provides value to consumers who are already actively searching for information about your products and services. To reach your audience follow these steps:

Create a customer persona - research your current customers and those you want to attract to your business. There are a some different ways to do this:
Surveys - What social media platforms do you use? What time of day do you use them?
Interview a small group of customers to find out what types of online content they find helpful and are likely to share with others.
Create and publish content , such as blog articles and social media, that provide value.
Optimize all of this content with an SEO strategy that targets specific keywords and phrases related to your organization, the challenges you solve for customers, and the ways your business helps people.

Social media can be used to generate new leads as well as retaining existing customers.

To generate new leads:

Publish blog content and direct people to your blog on social media platforms. This will drive prospective customers to your website where they can learn more about what your business offers. Think about what information, tips or advice would customers be searching for. Through a blog they will also learn more about, and become attracted to, your organization.
Purchase Social Media advertisements . Since social media platforms are known for changing algorithms regularly it would be wise to hire someone who is dedicated to knowing the ins and outs of social media advertising to do this for you.

To retain current customers:

Share the impact that your business has had on its customers. Connect with existing customers, tell them stories, show them the value they are getting for their money, and impart a vision of where your business is headed.
If your company is just getting started with a social media strategy, start out with one or two well-used channels such as Instagram and Facebook

Need a concise pre-launch checklist to help you plan your strategy? Here it is:

Research your Buyer Personas . Become acquainted with each persona’s motivations, questions, preferences, and challenges.
Create accounts on social media channels using a business email account (not your personal email account). Record login credentials so you don’t forget them.
Apply your brand to the accounts (logo, colours) Make sure the contact information is correct and include a link to your business website.
Assign someone to manage the Social Media accounts. Ideally this should be someone who is familiar with the company’s mission, vision, brand, privacy policies, and is able to maintain the voice of your business.
Determine a publishing schedule and start posting!

Keep in mind that you are selling solutions!

Need help getting started coming up with a social media marketing strategy? Contact us ! Our marketing strategies will help you build stronger client relationships and reach more customers.

Writing a Blog for Your Business

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 18:03:41 GMT

Writing blogs for your business is a marketing channel (similar to social media, or email marketing) that helps your business to grow and gets your business more online visibility. Is blogging worth it? Yes! …if you want more website visitors!

Every time you create and publish a blog post, it's one more indexed page on your website. This means one more opportunity for you to show up on the search engine results page (SERP) and drive traffic to your website.

More reasons why blogs benefit businesses (try saying that 5x fast!):

Blogging helps you get discovered on social media. When you write an article you’re creating content that people can share on social media which helps expose your business to a new audience .
By adding a lead-generating call-to-action to every blog post you increase your chances of turning your website traffic into leads .
If your blogs have valuable content and answer common questions their readers and customers have, you will establish yourself as a trusted leader or authority .
Blogging provides long-term results since you can continue to get traffic from that blog post for years to come.

Let’s get blogging! Here’s where to start:

Identify your blog’s purpose
Choose two or three objectives e.g., to increase sales, educate customers, drive foot traffic to your shop/office
It is helpful to know your target audience . What are your readers trying to achieve? What’s preventing them from doing it? What’s going to happen if they don’t achieve it? Find out the underlying motivations of your target readers then help them achieve these goals.
Ask yourself these 3 questions: Why are we making it? What content do we need? How do we get that content to accomplish our goals?
Come up with topic ideas and keywords to target
Make a list of relevant terms or topics associated with your business or product. Think about the keywords that your target audience would use as search words. There are several tools you can use to research the monthly search volume of these terms, such as answerthepublic.com to find keywords and a niche to dominate, and semrush.com to see results on certain keywords to use and which to stay away from. To start, the keywords you use should have a high search volume and low competition.
Create a content calendar
Make a calendar and plan to regularly post. If you wrote one blog a week then after a year you would have 52 additional pages that Google can index and use to direct traffic to your website, compared to the 5-10 pages you have now.
Building amazing content
For a blog to be amazing it needs to be well written, researched, media rich (add an image every 300 words), and formatted for skimming. Why is it important to have a great blog structure? This makes your blog readable because it flows well and is organized in a logical way with headings, subheadings, bullets, etc. It also makes it easier to write.

Instagram Is Changing. Do You Know How It Will Affect You?

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Tue, 24 May 2022 23:35:58 GMT

There’s a new update coming to Instagram that could have a massive affect on the way you advertise.

Stories have become one of the top viewed content delivery options on social media, which is why every network now has their own version.

They have become a key strategy for product sales because of the ability they have for seamless product integration. They also have become extremely powerful because of the way it allows for a sense of community to be developed.

Both are due to the fact that when you post on stories it’s easier to show BTS, which allows for people to 1. Feel as though they know you, and 2. Allows for easy subliminal advertising (having a product in the background etc.).

So, what’s happening with stories…. They are being shortened.

Basically, Instagram will “condense” all of your stories, only displaying your first 3, Unless you get your consumers to change their settings to “show all”. But since you are unable to ensure people remember to do this, just keep in mind to make your first 3 slides, the most powerful and influential.

For more tips from a team who stays up to date so you don’t have to, follow our blog!

Canadian FiberGlass Pools Website Design

Mon, 23 May 2022 17:06:18 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to find high quality, specialty products with Canadian Fibreglass Pool by establishing a professional online presence and an effective website

Problem with Previous Website Designs

X Unclear Value

Website visitors were not able to scan and see the values Canadian Fibreglass Pool provides

X No Call to Action

Due to lack of call to action buttons on the homepage website visitors were not converting to clients.

X Overwhelming Text

The website was not easily scannable and took far too long to read and find the information you needed.

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Clear Value

Canadian Fiberglass Pools' value and benefits were clearly define on the website. Clients were able to see the within seconds the joy of having a pool at their house.

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website contains frequent calls to action so the visitors were converting to clients. Client was over booked for 1 and half!

✔︎ Simple Message

Each page is messaged thoughtfully with as little text as possible. The pages are easily scannable and give the vistors just enough information to answer their questions.

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Life in South Muskoka Website Design

Mon, 23 May 2022 17:06:05 GMT

Digital Consultants helped Life in South Muskoka establish professional online prese nce and an effective website

Problem with Previous Website Designs

X Inactive Website

Website was not active and people were not able to find more details on the realtor services provided by the client

X Website Not Searchable

Website pages were not SEO and proper keywords were not define, local residence did not hear about client's service.

X Losing Good Leads

Since the website was not clear on services, the client was losing leads to other competitors.

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Clear Value

Life in South Muskoka value and benefits were clearly define on the website. Clients were able to see the within seconds the advantage of working with Curry.

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website contains frequent calls to action so the visitors were new clients and easily engage and connect with realtor.

✔︎ Simple Message

Each page is messaged thoughtfully with as little text but a clear message. The pages are easily scannable and give the vistors just enough information to answer their questions.

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Customer Service

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 00:13:28 GMT

We all know having strong customer service is key for providing positive experiences for customers. But did you know it’s just as important to have a strong online customer service presence as it is in person?

When people are investigating companies, brands. Services etc. they often do so by sending DM’s, or leaving comments under posts, and if you do not respond quickly (and warmly) then often they have moved on to someone else, and just like that you’ve lost a lead.

Because of this it is so important to have a team member dedicate a few hours a day to monitoring your social platforms to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

If you do not have a someone to dedicate this task to, hire someone. For as little as $30 a day, you could have someone checking to make sure all inquiries are responded to.

**Want a secret tip we don’t off to all? Now a key to turning all DM’s into profit, is to offer anyone who messages you a discount. This can be anything from a “free 15 minute consultation”, to “10% off a product”. No matter how small it may seem, the offer makes the individual see you as generous, while also making them feel obligated to use it.

So don’t forget, no matter how busy your day is. Check your DM’s and comments!!

The Hard Truth.

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 23:15:02 GMT

Have you been posting content to social media on a consistent basis? Awesome!

But that’s not enough...

Currently our world is very saturated. You can find someone who does the same thing you do in every town, city, province, and country. So how do you not only get someone’s attention, but convince them to work/purchase from you instead of Fred down the road.

The key to this is having a strong social media presence that converts into sales, which means having a strong “front of house”. Now this is the term I use to describe your customer service (because it matters on social media more than you would ever think), having a someone to association with your brand, and making a personality felt through your posts.

Now, if you aren’t comfortable doing this yourself, it can all be done through hiring an agency or individual, but that means to be successful you need to give away full control. So, make sure it’s with someone you trust.

Since social media all takes place behind screens, it’s so important to make people feel seen. Be gracious for every DM and comment you receive. Answer all questions, no matter how mundane, with excitement and a polite demeanor. Give them someone to cheer on in your posts, tell them about your personal life, struggles in the industry, in general let them get to know you.

It’s hard putting yourself out there, especially on a platform where anyone can say anything. But if you show the audience your heart, the support you will get in return will shock you.

If you ever feel lost, or like you need some advice, send us a message. We can help you communicate in a way that others will look forward to receiving.

Why you Still Need a Website in the World of Social Media

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:54:30 GMT

Social media is where everyone NEEDS to be nowadays. If you don’t have a social media platform, it will be difficult to connect with people. Without it, it’s hard to be discovered, and it’s hard to grow.

Gone are the days when people searched their local phone book or directory to search for businesses nearby. Instead they do a quick search on Instagram or Facebook and base their decisions on your feed.

Although they may make a choice based on social media posts, they still need a place to go to have all the information readily available. They shouldn’t have to search through your feed for posts on rates or prices, to get to know the staff or team, or to browse your products. You still need to have clean cut website that provides this information.

Think of it this way: Instagram may be where you get creative to draw people in with your accomplishments, personality, and reviews, but your website is your catalogue.

The Importance of Colour in Marketing

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:54:29 GMT

TikTok is a hard field for many to navigate. The content needs to perform well in the first 3 seconds or else people keep scrolling, and your video stops being pushed. Instagram Reels are the same.

Content needs tell a story, be fast moving, intriguing to the eye, and all under 10 seconds.

The exception is when you are doing an informative video. These tend to be longer.

For a typical Reel, or TikTok, however, stick to the above suggestions. This can seem like a steep undertaking, but a great way to accomplish this is to jump on trends. Use popular sounds, copy movements, and add your own info to make it work for your market. BAM! The result is a quick and easy video.

If you aren’t active on your TikTok or Reels page you may struggle with finding the content to use for inspiration, but again, don’t worry! It’s easy to find! Just type key words associated to your niche and they will pop up!

For example, “Social Media Tips”, “Social Media Manager”, “Mortgage Broker” etc.

If you ever feel stuck, send us a message and we can help you get your creative hat on!

How to make effective video content!

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:54:27 GMT

TikTok is a hard field for many to navigate. The content needs to perform well in the first 3 seconds or else people keep scrolling, and your video stops being pushed. Instagram Reels are the same.

Content needs tell a story, be fast moving, intriguing to the eye, and all under 10 seconds.

The exception is when you are doing an informative video. These tend to be longer.

For example, “Social Media Tips”, “Social Media Manager”, “Mortgage Broker” etc.

If you ever feel stuck, send us a message and we can help you get your creative hat on!

StoryBrand for Successful Marketing

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 11:18:59 GMT

Everyone loves a good story. Stories are powerful. Every memorable story is built on a simple framework: A hero has a problem, meets a guide who gives them a plan and calls them to action. Failure would be devastating but the hero is guided to success.

That's the plotline of some of the epic stories that have gripped culture for years. What is remarkable is that we can take those principles and the story framework and apply them to marketing. Don Miller, author of "Building a StoryBrand” states, "Story is the most powerful tool in the world to captivate the human brain. When you learn to use story in your brand's communication, your customers will finally pay attention to what you're saying ."

What is StoryBrand messaging?

A framework to clarify your message
A framework that has been getting and keeping people's attention for thousands of years
A powerful formula to get attention for your products, your services, or yourself

It is important to understand that you are not telling your story but inviting customers into a story. The brand is not the hero. The customer is the hero. That is the only way to engage them. The brand’s role is to guide them successfully through their challenges.

If you use the StoryBrand Framework, you should answer the following questions in your messaging:

What do you do?
How do you make people's lives better?
Why should they do business with you instead of anyone else?

Why is the StoryBrand framework so effective?

Every human being wants to be invited into a story. They want you to offer them a vision of a better life, help them overcome challenges, act as their guide and take them to a climactic scene in which their story ends happily. That is why the StoryBrand framework is so powerful. It allows your business to:

Capture your customer’s attention - The best storytellers all know that in this noisy world, attention is key! People have short attention spans and want to know what’s in it for them.
Know and connect with your ideal client - Don’t make the mistake of making a lot of noise but missing an opportunity to truly connect with your ideal client.
Get clear on the problem you solve - When you can get clear on how you solve problems, you can be sure that people will listen.

The Customer is the Hero, not your Brand

The idea behind StoryBrand marketing is this: Your customers don’t really care much about what you do - about your company or your history. Telling them a story about you is both ineffective and a waste of their time. Your story is deeply personal to you, but to others you're just another business trying to take their hard-earned money. Your customers primarily care about themselves - their struggles, their challenges, their pursuits. But if you show up as the trustworthy Guide, who has a plan to help them solve their problems, and help them along their path to success, now that’s interesting! Now they care about you and about what you can do to help them.

Q: Take a look at the homepage of your website- is it about you or the customer?

A: Your marketing should invite your customer into a story and position you as the guide who will help them to succeed so they feel like a winner, an overcomer, or a hero.

From a consumer perspective, benefits are more important than features. Benefits are what help customers. Merely talking about features is what makes you feel good about yourself, but that's irrelevant to a stranger. Describing the benefits of a product, such as "This will help you feel strong and confident", makes customers more likely to buy your product. A description of your product such as “our product is purple” may just leave customers confused.

Seven Principles of StoryBrand

Donald Miller comprises StoryBrand marketing based on seven principles that you can apply to any aspect of your marketing (a website, an email campaign, social media). When you’re designing marketing materials or about to launch a new campaign, run your messaging and your creative through these seven principles.

Principle #1 — The customer is the hero, not your brand.

Principle #2 — Companies tend to sell solutions to external problems, but customers buy solutions to internal problems.

Principle #3 — Customers aren’t looking for another hero; they’re looking for a guide.

Principle #4 — Customers trust a guide who has a plan.

Principle #5 — Customers do not take action unless they are challenged to take action.

Principle #6 — Every human being is trying to avoid a tragic ending.

Principle #7 — Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives. Tell them.

Need more help?

StoryBrand marketing is valuable because it works. Do you want to experience the effectiveness of using the StoryBrand framework for your website? Our marketing specialists are StoryBrand certified and have helped a lot of businesses clarify their message and get their customer’s attention. Download the FREE PDF about the principles you should follow to succeed, and start growing your business today!

The McKenzie Project Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:48:58 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to see the value in the McKenzie Project through an effective and professional website design

Our Personalized Website Design

✔︎ Simple Messaging

The value of the McKenzie Project is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand and take action

✔︎ Simple Navigation

The layout of the website allows visitors to easily listen to music, and hear their story.

✔︎ Engaging Design

The design is clean and engaging. It quickly gives them the information they need in a scannable format

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Gender Mannequins Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:16:48 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to find high quality, specialty products with Gender Mannequins by establishing a professional online presence and an effective website

Problem with Previous Website Designs

X Unclear Value

Visitors were not be able to quickly see the value in their services and would most likely leave the website right away.

X Vague Call to Action

Lack of call to action buttons on the homepage left visitors wondering what the next step should be.

X Overwhelming Text

The website was not easily scannable and took far too long to read and find the information you needed.

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Clear Value

Gender Mannequins' value is clearly stated right away on the homepage. This is the first thing that visitors will see.

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website contains frequent calls to action so that visi tors know exactly what their next steps should be.

✔︎ Simple Message

Each page is messaged thoughtfully with as little text as possible. The pages are easily scannable and give the vistors just enough information to answer their questions.

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Retrouvaille Vancouver Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:02:45 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to find help restoring their marriage through Retrouvaille by establishing a professional online presence and an effective website

Problem with Previous Website Designs

X Unclear Value

With only the title on the website homepage, visitors would not be able to quickly see the value in their services and most likely leave the website right away.

X Vague Call to Action

With no call to action buttons on the homepage, visitors would be left wondering what the next step should be.

X Overwhelming Text

All of the other pages on the website only contained text and limited pictures. This was not easily scannable and would take far too long to read.

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Clear Value

Retrouvaille's value is clearly stated right away on the homepage. This is the first thing that visitors will see.

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website contains frequent calls to action so that visi tors know exactly what their next steps should be.

✔︎ Simple Message

Each page is messaged thoughtfully with as little text as possible. The pages are easily scannable and give the vistors just enough information to answer their questions.

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

UX Design and Your Website

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 10:55:25 GMT

Whether or not you have heard the word UX design before, you probably understand its purpose if you have ever used a website and become frustrated with trying to find things or conversely had a very easy time navigating through to get to your intended destination.

What is UX design?

UX design or user experience design is the process design teams use to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. When it comes to website design it refers to the overall experience that a visitor has while visiting a website or an app.

How does UX design relate to my website?

The overarching goal of a good UX designed website is to deliver the right information at the right time, to keep a visitor moving through the website to reach their intended goal. It is important to consider the Why, What and How of website use.

Why involves the users' motivation for using a website. It typically starts with research on the intended audience for a website (their pain points, their motivations, their goals, what they need to achieve on the site)
What addresses the things people can do on the website or its functionality and features. It considers what content you have, if any should be pruned, and if any major content is missing.
How relates to designing the functionality in an accessible and aesthetically pleasant way. This is accomplished through the decisive placement and structure of menus and call-to-action (CTA) buttons, its mobile-friendliness, easiness of steps to purchase, and the o rder of content on a page. It also considers potential users’ physical limitations, such as reading small text.

Benefits of UX design

An effective UX design helps you ensure the association between your business objectives and customers’ needs. These 5 benefits should convince you of the importance of UX design for your company’s website:

1. UX Design increases the conversions on your website

Optimizing usability and accessibility of a website can have an incredible effect on customer satisfaction. There may be other websites offering the same product or service but customers often choose the one with an easy and attractive user experience. A well-designed user experience can increase conversion rates up to 400%, recent studies report.

2. UX Design improves your SEO rankings

This is because SEO and UX activities share a common goal: To attract more people to the target website and deliver a satisfying user experience with related content, a user-friendly interface, and well-designed structure.
3. Create trust and credibility with UX Design

Most people search for a product or a service for a while before trusting a company and making a purchase. To gain trust you will want to provide some powerful reasons for choosing you among other competitors when they visit your website through any platform or search engine.
4. Save cost and time

It is important that the initial stage of product development be planned with the right UX design because restructuring the product and website after the launch will cost more. As an essential part of the process, user testing (evaluating a product through research on a sample group of users) is another way of cost-efficient product development.

5. Increase revenue

Designing a website with good UX design increases the number of visitors to your website and helps you grow the conversion rate. This, in turn, results in an increase in revenue.

Looking for some digital marketing tips?

Download this free PDF for 5 top ways to include UX Design in your website.

Need UX de sign help?

Whether you’re at the beginning stages of building your business and designing a website or have an existing website that needs refreshing, focusing on the user experience is the best thing you can do. If every choice is based on what’s best for your intended audience, you’ll end up with an awesome website that drives leads and sales. Contact Digital Consultants to get you started on the path to success.

Blessed Homes Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 13:48:53 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed home buyers and sellers to see the value in Blessed Homes Real Estate through an effective and professional website design

Our Personalized Website Design

✔︎ Simple Messaging

The value and mission of Blessed Homes is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand for both buyers and sellers

✔︎ Established Brand

The website, and branding material have the same cohesive brand that is uniquely recognizable and portrays the business value

✔︎ User Friendly

The design of each page leads to a more intuitive user experience along with easier navigation

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Plastiglas Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 14:35:29 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people see Plastiglas' value by establishing a professional online presence and an effective website

Problem with Previous Website Designs

X Unprofessional Design

The website layout was outdates and the pictures were not professionally taken which decreased Plastiglas' value

X Vague Call to Action

The website did not make it clear what steps the user should or could take

X Unclear Messaging

There was too much text for users to read. The amount of text took away from the main message

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Professional Design

A story-based messaging technique was used to convey Plastiglas' value

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "Call for a Quote " and clearly outlines the the steps to take

✔︎ Simple Message

A story-based messaging technique was used to clearly outline Plastiglas' value to their customers

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Canadian Christian Coalition Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 13:42:13 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to see the value in the Canadian Christian Coalition through an effective and professional website design

Our Personalized Website Design

✔︎ Simple Messaging

The value of the Canadian Christian Coalition is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand and take action

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "Donate" and clearly outlines how to join the coalition

✔︎ Engaging Design

The design is clean and engaging. It quickly gives visitors the information they need in a scannable format

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

1st Responders BBQ Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 13:09:38 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to see the value in the 1st Responders BBQs through an effective and professional website design

Our Personalized Website Design

✔︎ Simple Messaging

The value of the 1st Responders BBQs is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand and take action

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "Register Now" and clearly outlines how to get involved through sponsorship or involvement

✔︎ Engaging Design

The design is clean and engaging. It quickly gives them the information they need in a scannable format

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Emmanuel Fellowship Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 12:59:22 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to see the value in The Emmanuel Fellowship through an effective and professional website design

Our Personalized Website Design

✔︎ Simple Messaging

The value of The Emmanuel Fellowship is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand and take action

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "Donate" and "Apply Now" with a simple three step process about how to get involved

✔︎ Engaging Design

The design is clean and engaging. It quickly gives them the information they need in a scannable format

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Rock of Peace Counselling Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 12:47:30 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people find counselling through Rock of Peace and her book by establishing a professional online presence and an effective website

Problem with Previous Website Designs

X Two Separate Websites

With one website for the counselling services and one for the book, visitors were not able to see the connection between the two and how they went together.

X Vague Call to Action

The website did not make it clear what steps the user should or could take

X Overwhelming Text

There was too much text for users to read. The amount of text took away from the main message

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Simple Message

The book and the counselling service were tied together with a seamless user experience into one website which encompassed the whole brand.

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "Call Now " to start their journey to peace

✔︎ Simple Message

The value of Rock of Peace Counselling is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

The roadmap you should follow to grow your business

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 10:54:25 GMT

Do you want to make more sales, convert more prospects, and build a more successful business? Of course you do! Then it is absolutely vital that that you optimize your sales funnel .

Every business has the goal of trying to turn visitors into leads and leads into paying customers. The path that a customer takes to purchase from a business is known as a sales funnel . Think of it as the building blocks to grow your business; the road map or blueprint you should follow if you are trying to get a business off the ground or grow your business. A sales funnel that is intentionally crafted is vastly more effective than a sales funnel which is left to random chance.

Benefits of a Sales Funnel:

Sales funnels work for everyone whether you are entrepreneur, business owner, marketing director, or graphic artist. Sales funnels:

are inexpensive
provide enormous returns on investments
improve conversion rates
result in consistent sales
win over clients without being pushy
reveal exact deliverables

The Sales Funnel Stages (and helpful tools to use):

Awareness : The prospect becomes aware of their problem and potential solutions to it. This is the point where customers first learn about your brand, and it’s where lead generation takes place. It is important to build a landing page that a potential customer will arrive at if they click on an ad, sign up for a webinar, or download an e-book. The landing page should clearly communicate who you are as a company, what your unique benefits are and capture their email address. A few ways to build awareness are through social media posts, guest posting/blogging, infographics, and webinars.
Interest : Once someone has become aware of your brand or business they are likely to take an interest in it if it solves their specific problem. Prospects will evaluate your brand based on their interest level. This is an important stage since you have ‘hooked the fish’ but not yet ‘reeled it in’ and you don’t want it to get away! To start nurturing those leads, create an email campaign to share educational content about your offering. Other useful tools to stimulate interest include blog posts, tutorials, and customer stories (be sure to state how the customer overcame a problem and experienced success with your brand).
Decision/Desire : The prospect is familiar with your brand or product and begins to evaluate whether it meets their needs. Now, it’s your job to convince them that a product like yours presents the best solution to their problem. Now is the time to use sales techniques such as upsell campaigns or referral programs. The goal is to nudge them into the direction of a purchasing decision. This could include a product demo, extended free trial, or special discount.
Action: The prospect decides whether that brand or product meets their needs. If it does, they become a customer and make a purchase. At this point, sales teams take over to manage transactions and close the deal. It is important to keep up communication with new customers by focusing on engagement and retention. For new prospects, build a nurture campaign to check in with them every few months.
Loyalty : Your new customer is excited to have a tool to solve the problem they’ve been struggling with, but after that excitement dies down, they need to know they can rely on you to help them get the most out of their purchase. Now is the time to have loyalty offers, surveys, and email marketing.

Digital Consultants is here to help you build a marketing campaign that works and to optimize your sales funnel. Download this free PDF to guide you, and help you get better results.

Need more help to comprehend the sales funnel? Don't miss out on our next Clinic!

Talent Can Be Taught Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 13:44:34 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to see Talent Can Be Taught's unique approach to teaching music through a professional online presence

Problem with Previous Website Design

X Ineffective Messaging

Poor messaging did not effectively communicate the value of Talent Can Be Taught

X Lack of Call to Action

There no call to action prompts throughout the website which caused visitors to drop off and not take action

X Unprofessional Design

The website design was outdated and cluttered. The photos used were unprofessional and did not enhance the website

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Simple Message

The value of Talent Can Be Taught is communicated in simple language so that it is easily understood by all visitors

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "Register Today" and "Attend a Free Class" to take action right away

✔︎ Engaging Photos

The homepage includes images of happy musicians to show the success of Talent Can Be Taught and its effective approach

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

SLAM Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 13:17:55 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to see SLAM's unique value through a professional online presence

Problem with Previous Website Design

X Large Sections of Text

There was long paragraphs of text which were not easily scannable and therefore did not effectively communicate the value of SLAM

X Lack of Call to Action

There no call to action prompts throughout the website which caused visitors to drop off and not take action

X Unprofessional Design

The website design was outdated and cluttered. The photos used were unprofessional and did not enhance the website

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Simple Message

The value of SLAM is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand by the target audience

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "View Investor Details" to take action and partner with SLAM

✔︎ Engaging Photos

The homepage includes images of gold and mineral s to show the success of slam and their discoveries

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

The JOY Concept Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 13:05:18 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed boomers to see the value in The JOY Concept housing solutions through an effective and professional website design

Our Personalized Website Design

✔︎ Simple Messaging

The value of The JOY Concept is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand and attractive to Boomers

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "Join the Priority Preview List" to gain traction for the site launch

✔︎ Engaging Photos

The homepage includes images of happy

boomers and location photos/videos to allow visitors to envision themselves living in The JOY Concept housing

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Not Forgotten Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 23:31:15 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to find the right caregiver for their loved ones by helping Not Forgotten establish a professional online presence

Problem with Previous Website Design

X Large Sections of Text

There was long paragraphs of text which were not easily scannable and therefore did not effectively communicate the value of Not Forgotten

X Lack of Call to Action

There no call to action prompts throughout the website besides contact

X Unprofessional Photos

Photos that were displayed were not captivating or professional and did not support the text

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Simple Message

The value of Not Forgotten is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to get a free nurse assessment so that they are easily able to receive Not Forgotten's value

✔︎ Engaging Photos

The homepage includes images of happy

customers to show what it is like to be cared for by Not Forgotten

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Kingdom Mortgages Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 12:42:52 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to get the right mortgage by helping Kingdom Mortgages to establish a professional online presence and an effective website

Problem with Previous Website Design

X Overwhelming Text

There was too much text for users to read. The amount of text took away from the main message

X Vague Call to Action

The website did not make it clear what steps the user should or could take

X Lack of Photos

The website lacked visual interest. It was not eye-catching to users

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Simple Message

The value of Kingdom Mortgages is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "apply now " for a mortgage

✔︎ Engaging Photos

The homepage includes images of happy

customers to show what it is like to have a mortgage with Kingdom Mortgages

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Canadian Christian Business Federation Website Design

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 12:35:46 GMT

Digital Consultants allowed people to see the value in using CCBF to find other Christian professionals to add to their network

Problem with Previous Website Design

X Overwhelming Text

There was too much text for users to read. The amount of text took away from the main message

X Vague Call to Action

The website did not make it clear what steps the user should or could take

X Lack of Photos

The website lacked visual interest. It was not eye-catching to users

Our Personalized Solution

✔︎ Simple Message

The value of CCBF is communicated in simple language so that it is easy to understand

✔︎ Clear Call to Action

The website prompts users to "find a

chapter and "join CCBF right away

✔︎ Engaging Photos

The homepage includes images of happy

customers to show what it is like to join CCBF

Receive FREE tips to help grow your business online

Meet with our marketing specialists to ignite your online presence today

Setting Up Your Website for SEO Success

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 09:45:01 GMT

SEO is an acronym that stands for “search engine optimization”. It helps you to succeed in getting your website ranked.

“Google it!” That is often the response when someone has a query or is looking for a solution to a problem. Search engines, such as Google, then scour and evaluate billions of content to see which one answers the query the best. This is done by a process called “crawling and indexing” and then “ranking it” (ordering it) depending on how well it matches a query. Most people tend to click on one of the first few search results so it is important for your website or business to be in one of those top spots. But how do you get search engines to find your website and have it appear in one of those top positions? The key is SEO or search engine optimization.

What is SEO?

SEO is an acronym that stands for “search engine optimization”. In simple terms it is the practice of increasing the quality and quantity of website traffic and exposure to your brand through non-paid (also known as “organic”) search engine results. It involves knowing what your target audience is looking for, answers they are seeking, the words they are using, and the type of content they are consuming, and then delivering it in such a way that search engine crawlers can find and understand it.

Why is SEO important?

The majority of online traffic is driven by search engines, more so than paid advertising, social media, and other online platforms. Therefore, optimizing your website will help deliver better information to search engines so that your content can be properly indexed and displayed within search results. Since most people tend to click one of the first few search results, ranking higher usually drives more traffic to your website.

So how do I set up my website for SEO success?

Knowing the basics of SEO can go a long way to help you succeed in getting your website ranked.

Get a good domain . The domain name should be the name of your business, be short and memorable, and have no hyphens (e.g., marysmuffins.com or theplantshoppe.ca). It is also helpful to have a TLD (top-level domain) that is recognizable and trusted, such as .com or .org. Try to avoid TLDs that are associated with low-quality websites.
Use a website platform . The platform may be hosted and do everything for you (e.g., Wix or Weebly), or self-hosted which you have to host and install yourself (e.g., WordPress).
Positive Experience for Users . Your website should be encrypted, mobile-friendly, visually-appealing, have a readable font size, load quickly, and avoid intrusive ads.
The content on your site should be logically structured . There should be internal links on your site, which are links from one page on your website to another. For example, home page with links to such pages as “services”, “about”, or “blog”. Pages without internal links are rarely found and indexed by search engines.
Keywords are important. Use keywords (words or phrases) that your potential audience may use in their search. This means knowing the kind of content that aligns with the search intent of your target audience. Is your target audience looking to buy something, learn something, or get information? A way to find this out is to look for commonalities among the current top-ranking pages for your target keyword – are they blogs or e-commerce sites?
Create a well-structured URL . URLs are important because they help search engines to understand the topic of a page (e.g., https://www.marysmuffins.com/recipes/oatmeal). Use short URLs which tend to outperform long URLs. Use keyword-rich URLs by including your target words in the URL to increase your chances of ranking better in search results. Remove unnecessary stop words, such as the, in, or a to make your URL look clean and succinct.
Write a compelling title tag . A title tag is an HTML tag that identifies the title of a web page and shows up in blue text that people click to navigate your page. If your title is eye-catching and informative it will stand out. Title tags should be less than 60 characters so that users can see the whole title. Keep it descriptive but concise. Include your target keywords and write a title that matches the search intent.
Optimize the images on your site. Images can contribute to your site’s overall SEO and boost organic traffic. Make sure to choose the right file format to help with site speed and compress your images before uploading them on your site. Add alt text (the written copy that appears in place of an image on a webpage if the image fails to load on a user's screen) to improve web accessibility and help browsers better understand the images on your site.

The strategies listed above are a great starting point to achieve higher search rankings. For further help or information on SEO and to ensure that when someone googles your product or service they find your website, contact us at Digital Consultants. Meanwhile, you can download the ultimate SEO checklist to ensure that your website is optimized to rank higher.

Does your business need a digital marketing strategy?

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 14:28:24 GMT

There are many benefits of digital m arketing that will transform the way your business can reach and engage your target market

The majority of consumers conduct research online and a significant number of people shop online. How do you reach these consumers? The answer is digital marketing. Digital marketing refers to 'Achieving marketing objectives through applying digital technologies and media.' These might include Company websites, Mobile apps, Social media pages, Search Engines, Advertising, and Email. Many businesses understand the importance of having a digital marketing strategy to effectively reach and engage their target consumers online.

No Strategy, No Problem!

There are several common problems that can arise if your business does not have a digital marketing strategy. Some of the most common include:

Not having any direction or clear strategic goal for what you want to achieve online in terms of gaining new customers or deepening relationships with existing ones
Not knowing your online audience or the relative performance of your key competitors
Losing market share to any existing and start-up competitors
Having a weak online value proposition i.e., you are not engaging your audience through different channels (Omnichannel Marketing) such as search, social, email marketing, and a blog
Insufficient resources devoted to planning and executing
Money and time wasted through duplication

Why Your Business Needs Digital Marketing

There are many benefits of digital marketing that will transform the way your business can reach and engage your target market. Here are some of the top reasons your business needs digital marketing:

It is the most powerful form of marketing. With the right strategies and effective implementation, small businesses can increase their reach and conversions in just a matter of months.
It is the most cost-effective way to market your business. With affordable digital marketing tactics, small businesses can get more for their marketing spend and produce quicker results.
It is the most measurable form of marketing. With analytics you can see which tactics are working and which are not and then adjust your campaigns accordingly for greater success and to improve future campaigns.
It allows you to target your ideal buyers by ensuring that the right consumers are viewing your content.
It allows you to improve your visibility online and connect with people on mobile devices, tablets, and desktop computers which is important since most buyers begin their search online.
Using relevant keywords that help describe your product or service offering can help you bring more targeted traffic to your site.

Types of Strategies

There are various types of digital marketing you should be aware of. Some are highlighted here:

Site improvement (SEO) - The science and specialty of getting your site pages to rank higher in SERPs or “search engine results page”. These are the pages that Google and other search engines show in response to a user’s search query.
Pay Per Clic (PPC) - A digital marketing channel that businesses use to drive traffic and conversions from search engines. Pay-per-click is an online advertising model where advertisers run ads on a platform such as Google Ads and pay a fee every time someone clicks on it. Businesses use PPC to drive traffic, sales, or inquiries from their target audience.
Social Media Marketing (SMM) - Regularly posting of convincing and effective content will prompt it being shared by individuals via web-based media and make your social media presence inviting and relevant.
Content Marketing - The process of creating and distributing digital assets (e.g., blog posts, videos, e-books, and technical and solution briefs) is a lead generation tool that increases brand awareness, helps educate customers and potential customers about your products and services, builds stronger customer relationships, and create a sense of community around your brand.
Email Marketing - A form of marketing that can make the customers on your email list aware of new products, discounts, and other services, and educate your audience on the value of your brand or keep them engaged between purchases.

How to Create a Good Digital Marketing Strategy

A marketing strategy is a plan for reaching specific marketing-related goals in a focused and achievable way. It takes into consideration your overall business goals, what your business is currently doing well, and what might be missing to accomplish your objectives. Within that strategy are digital marketing campaigns which are the building blocks and actions that move you toward a specific goal. Steps to create a good digital marketing strategy are:

Create buyer personas that are accurate and highly-valuable for your business.
Identify your goals and the digital marketing tools you'll need.
Evaluate your existing digital channels and assets .
Audit and plan your owned, earned and paid media campaigns . What is currently working? What is not? This will set you up for success when planning future content.
Bring your digital marketing campaign together . A digital strategy template can help. This template will walk you through your business summary and initiatives, help you build your target market and competitor information, and map out the actions you’re going to take to achieve your goal over a period of time.

If you need help developing a strategy or creating content, our digital marketing company is here to help. We have a free, editable PDF of a template for a marketing strategy that you may use to develop a digital marketing strategy for your business.

Why You Shouldn't Ignore a Tool as Valuable as Email Marketing

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 11:32:50 GMT

Email allows businesses to reach out to their leads and customers

What is email marketing?

Email marketing is one of the most valuable marketing tools for your business and is well worth spending the time and effort on. It is a very cost-effective form of digital marketing and really works when done right ! Email marketing can be used to:

Promote products or services.
Advertise or sell items.
Develop relations with current customers.
Reach out to potential customers.
Keep customers informed.
Customize your marketing messages
Increase the value of your company.

Benefits of email marketing:

Low costs when compared to other marketing campaigns. Running an email campaign is one of the best low budget marketing options.
Huge reach with email marketing because you can reach a large number of high-quality leads just by clicking the “Send” button.
Quality engagement is produced by sending direct messages to people who are interested in your brand.
Increased sales by sending interested recipients targeted messages and offers.
Easy to implement because there are plenty of tools and platforms that can help you develop, build, and launch an email marketing campaign.
Easy to integrate with other marketing efforts such as social media and content marketing.
Easy to measure with tools that track and measure the performance of each email.
Incredible ROI is seen with an effective email marketing strategy. ROI or return on investment is calculated by dividing the benefit (or return) of an investment by the cost of the investment.
More sales , more often with email tools that use marketing automation to ensure each customer gets the right message at the right time.

Statistics:

When it comes to marketing, your business can’t afford to ignore a tool as valuable as email marketing. The statistics prove its credibility.

Email usage: Global email users is expected to grow to 4.3 billion users by 2023 (Statista, 2020). That’s half of the world’s population! No matter how small your business, if you’re doing business in the developed world, your customers are using email and you have the power to reach them through email marketing any hour of the day, any day of the year.

Emails sent daily : The number of emails being sent and received each day is expected to increase to over 347.3 billion daily emails by 2022 (Statista, 2020). Email marketing is growing.

Email delivers a strong ROI : An eMarketer study showed that email had an ROI of 122% which is more than 4 times the ROI of other tactics like social media, direct mail, and paid search.

Use of email for content distribution: 87% of marketers use email marketing to disseminate their content (Content Marketing Institute, 2019). This makes email the third most popular distribution channel, just behind social media and the company website or blog.

Email marketing helps to grow your business : 81% of small business owners still rely on email as their primary customer acquisition channel, and 80% for retention (Emarsys, 2018).

Welcome emails have a high open rate: The average open rate for a welcome email is 82% (GetResponse, 2017). Use this to your advantage and add some useful information in the welcome email. Email authentication is crucial to avoid ending up in spam boxes, which drastically reduces your email’s chance of getting opened and read.

Personalization works wonders for email: Emails that have a personalized greeting and subject line generate 50% higher open rates (Yes Lifecycle Marketing, 2019).

The Power of Abandoned Cart Emails: An abandoned cart email is a follow-up email sent to someone when they put items in their online shopping cart, only to then leave without completing the purchase. Sending three abandoned cart emails results in 69% more orders than a single email (Omnisend, 2018).

Interactive Emails are the way forward: You can make your emails look better to customers by adding videos, GIF’s, or collapsible menus. Doing so increases click rates by 300% (Martech Advisor’s 2017 data).

Customers like to hear from you: 49% of consumers said that they would like to receive promotional emails from their favorite brands on a weekly basis. They like to hear from you, and they’re happy to hear from you through email.

Mobile Devices: At least four in ten of your subscribers will read your email on mobile devices so keep this in mind when designing your newsletters and writing your subject lines. Also, make sure that all of your interactive emails are optimized for mobile devices.

Let us Help you Build your Email Marketing Strategy!

Book an appointment and one of our digital marketing specialists will explain to you how you could increase your brand awareness by using digital marketing tools.

Choosing the Right Social Media to Market

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 16:06:54 GMT

Reach your customers, gain valuable insights, and grow your brand

Social media is an essential way to reach your customers, gain valuable insights, and grow your brand. Great marketing on social media can bring remarkable success to your business, creating devoted brand advocates and even drive leads and sales. But how do you choose the right social media to market? And how to you post on social media in such a way that is effective, engaging, and useful to your marketing strategy? It needs to more than just sharing posts about your company that has nothing to do with motivating your audience to act and supporting your communication campaign. Here are some key considerations to consider:

Content is key . What type of content will attract your target audience best? Is it images, videos, or links? Is it educational or entertaining content?
Decide the intention of your post – types of posts might include educating about a product, motivating the viewer to take a specific action, posting to sell a specific product, or talking about a new initiative your business is taking.
Choose the talking points that accomplish that intention to include in the post. People only do things when they read or hear words that make them want to do things. Words should inspire action! Be creative – the more visual your language, the more the audience will engage.
It is okay to be repetitive because the more you repeat your talking points, the more your audience will hear what you want them to hear and do what you want them to do.
Along the way, whether you are publishing content or engaging on social media, you will want to do some analytics to determine how your social media marketing is performing. Are you reaching more people on social media than last month? How many positive mentions do you get a month? How many people used your brand’s hashtag on their social media posts?

How do I choose the right social media platform for my business?

Start with a plan. Ask these key questions:

What are you hoping to achieve through social media marketing? For example, are you trying to increase website traffic? Raise brand awareness? Generate leads? Build a community or develop stronger relationships with your existing customers?
Who is your ideal customer and where do they hang out? It is helpful to know which networks are most popular with your target audience. Where is your target group most engaged, most concentrated and most accessible?
Which platform fits your style? You need to be on a platform that makes sense for you as well as your ideal customer.

The most popular social media sites:

Facebook

Most used social media network (2.23 billion monthly active users).
53% female, all ages.
Format is text, image, and video.
Good for building community.
Low organic reach (number of unique users that have seen your content)

YouTube

1.9 billion monthly active users.
62% male, all ages.
Video format.
Great for solving problems with how-to tutorials.
Good for attracting new customers.
Time and resource intensive

Instagram

1 billion monthly active users.
68% females, mostly 18-29 years of age.
Good if you are a B ₂ C (business to consumer) business targeting younger people.
Image and video format.
Great for visual brands and making personal connections.
Good for connecting with existing customers
Creativity required.

590 million monthly active users.
56% male, mostly 25-54 years of age.
Text with image format.
Great for B ₂ B (business to business) lead generation and recruiting.
Good if your marketing goal is to become a thought leader.
Downside is users are not as active.

Twitter

326 million monthly active users.
53% male, mostly 18-29 years of age.
Text format.
Great for news, public relations, and connecting with influencers.
Allows you to have a direct dialogue with your customers in real-time.
Downside is short lifespan of posts.

250 million monthly active users.
80% female, median age is 40.
Image format.
Great for driving traffic for blogs and e-commerce retailers.
Main strong attribute is the users who are eager to share their dream products.
Custom images are required.

Need Help?

Digital Consultants can help to ignite your social media presence. Our social media experts can help you target your audience and achieve your business goals which will result in increased sales and enhancement to your brand value. Our specialists will help you engage with your target audience across different social media channels effectively.

How To Make Your Website Trustworthy And Professional

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 26 May 2021 13:29:15 GMT

If you’re wondering how to make your website trustworthy and professional, then you’ll need to consider these points.

A company’s website can often be the first thing that a customer sees. Since it’s often a fundamental way of increasing brand presence and helps with marketing, a lot of effort should be put into it.

Some of the more fundamental areas that will need to be focussed on with your site are how trustworthy it is and whether it looks professional. Once these have been addressed, you will then have to determine whether your website is communicating your message effectively.

How do you make your website more trustworthy and professional? While you could always hire a professional, there are a few things that you can do.

How To Make Your Website More Professional

There are quite a few aspects involved in making a website look more professional . Given how fast things can change, it can often be hard to keep up. There are a few specific areas that you should focus on.

Use a mobile-focussed design. An increasing number of people browse the web using a smartphone or a similar device. These now seem to be the majority, which makes that audience a priority. Using a mobile-focussed design can ensure that the mobile version of your site is high-quality. You’ll still have to pay attention to the desktop version, but that has slightly less emphasis.
Loading times are also a priority, regardless of mobile or desktop. Potential customers don’t want to wait too long. If they have to, they’ll go somewhere else, which makes this a mistake worth avoiding.
Keeping it simple can often be the recommended path to take. Adding a bit of excitement in certain areas adds enough to keep visitors engaged.

How To Make Your Website Trustworthy

Once you have it looking professional, you’ll be wondering how to make your website trustworthy. While this might seem overwhelming, there are a few things you should have, including:

A Reputable Domain : This should have a high-quality domain extension, such as .com.
An SSL Certificate : This is a certification that your website is secure and protected.
High-Quality Web Design : Your efforts in making your website look professional will cover this.
Trustworthy Content : The content itself on your website should be trustworthy and of high quality.

Let’s Talk Communication

Communication is vital to ensuring success in any business. When it comes to your website, it helps to increase trust while also generating sales leads. But how do you know that you’re communicating your story effectively? There are a few things to keep in mind.

First is that you should identify and refine your brand’s core values . These can be told to your audience, which will then be more attracted to your company if they share the same values. You’ll also need to tell a story; people engage with stories much better than straight facts.

This doesn’t need to be long-winded, however. Sometimes, keeping it simple and direct can be the best approach to take.

While figuring out how to make your website trustworthy and professional sounds complicated, it doesn’t have to be. Instead, it mainly needs time and effort. Like all good things in business, everything comes to those who put in the work.

What Is Web Accessibility

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 15:14:39 GMT

What is Web Accessibility?

Making a website accessible means making it easy to use for as many people as possible. Taking physical and cognitive impairments into consideration is important when creating a website. Having an accessible website will improve the experience for users and increase the number of people who can use the site.

Is Web Accessibility Required?

Did you know that websites are required to be accessible by the government? The WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) has accessibility guidelines for websites that need to be followed. As of January, 2021, large fines have been imposed regarding web accessibility: “Ontario websites have until January 1, 2021 to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA Web Accessibility Requirements; failure to comply may result in daily fines of $50,000 and up” (CISION 2020).

Why is Web Accessibility Necessary?

Accessibility is necessary because it is important to be inclusive of all users. There are many reasons why an individual might struggle using a website. For example, some individuals are unable to read small text or see colours. Therefore, websites should be customizable to fit the needs of more users. Having an accessible website can help people with:

● Dyslexia and reading impairments

● ADHA

● Visual impairments

● Cognitive impairments

● Colour blindness

● Seizures

● Many other physical / cognitive impairments

Sample of Rules

The following is a small sample of the rules from the WCAG accessibility guide:

- Content must have sufficient colour contrast

- Videos need to have captions

- Text can be resized up to 200%

- Functions need to be operable from a keyboard

- Audio that plays for over 3 seconds needs to be able to be paused or reduced in volume by the user

- More than one way is available to locate a web page within a set of web pages

- Text is used to provide information, not images of text

- Color cannot be the only visual means of distinguishing an element

The full list of rules can be found here: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/#versions

How We Can Help

Do you want to learn more about how to make a website accessible? Find out additional helpful tips about accessibility in our next blog post! Sign up for our email list to receive notifications when more blog posts are published.

Want to get in touch? Give us a call or send us an email! We would be happy to talk to you and help you make an accessible website.

Sources:

https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/#versions https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-one-year-countdown-to-web-accessibilitybegins-in-ontario-807926582.html

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2016006-eng.htm

https://www.abilitynet.org.uk/news-blogs/less-1-website-home-pages-are-likely-meet-ac cessibility-standards https://undraw.co/

4 Myths Your Social Media Marketing is Falling For

support@digitalconsultants.ca (Digital Consultants) — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 20:11:42 GMT

Is your marketing based on Myths?

STOP following these myths. START growing your online presence.

Is your marketing based on myths? We are here to debunk those myths and help you improve your social media marketing! It is important to identify these myths that you took as truth and replace them with effective strategies that will create an engaging and large social media presence for your business!

Have you ever said to yourself ...

"My customers aren't on social media."

The truth - THEY ARE!! Over 3.7 billion people are on social media and this number is increasing every day. There is a social media platform for your business and we can help you find it.

"I can increase my engagement if my family and friends like all of my posts."

The truth - Nope. Sorry, that's not how social media works! Though it can be very helpful, it will not guarantee that your business's online presence will grow to be successful. You should, instead, post encouraging posts that try to engage ALL of your followers. The more variety of different people you have interacting with you on social media the greater reach your posts will have.

"I only want followers who are potential clients"

The truth- The more the merrier! Even though your focus should be to have an engaged following rather than a large one, numbers don't hurt! If people follow you just because they like your memes, or think your Instagram is aesthetically pleasing that is okay, great even! When you gain a follower you are also gaining access to THEIR followers. Always post valuable content and engage with your followers. Then watch as people find your company from their friend's feeds.

"I will see results in 30-60 days."

The truth- Social media is a commitment. It takes time and consistency to create an engaged following that will bring in money. We are here to help you get the results you desire.

When you are spending money trying to build your brand or business a social media following, it is important to know where your money is going. Make sure you set realistic goals for your company and never through money away trying to build your social media presence based on myths. These myths may actually hurt your business more than help it. Need help knowing where to start? Contact our marketing specialist with any and all of your marketing questions.

Are there any myths that you think are bunk? Let us know in the comments below!

DIY Website VS. Professional Website Design

info@digitalconsultants.ca (Jenani Paul) — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 01:12:04 GMT

Many businesses wrestle the idea of free websites (DIY) or hiring a professional

Are you trying to determine if you should create your own website or get professional team to build your website? This is a common question and thoughts many business and non-profit organizations go back and forth when deciding to create an online presence. Before you start to design your own website or hire a website design company determine the pros and cons of both sides.

DIY Option

Pros

• Build basic standard website

• Get online quicker

• Cheaper onboarding and maintenance

Cons

• Limited and basic features

• Poor first impression and client experience

• Not professional online presence with modern digital marketing technology

• Website layout is not based on visitors as a result engagement is low

• Time wasted on website design and maintenance instead serving the clients

• No technical support to update websites

• Vulnerable to be hacked and bring down the website

Website Design with Professional Website Design Company

Pros

• Modern state of the art digital marketing technology

• Excellent first impression and client experience

• Professional and trust-worthy online presences

• Increase website engagement and attract new clients

• Results driven sales funnel created online

• Business values drafted for easy story telling navigation for visits

• Save time for businesses and organizations from developing and maintaining the website

• Account manager assigned to your website

• Full technical support leaving

• Full analytics on your website to make real time marketing decisions

• Unlimited updates to ensure website is current

• Security software installed and files secured within a reliable server

Con

• More expensive

• Website operation depended on website company

Here are few good questions to ask when you are considering hiring a new website designer to build your online presence.

• Is the company available to complete the project?

• Is there price and the service in line with your budget?

• Can you make real time updates?

• What type of support and maintenance is available?

• What time of website statics are available?

• Can a progress report be delivered on the website?

If you are still un-sure about building your own website or hiring a professional, schedule a quick free consulting session with us. Digital Consultants will be happy to assess your unique situation and provide recommendation.

Facebook Ad Impacted by Apple Upgrade

info@digitalconsultants.ca (Jenani Paul) — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 16:39:01 GMT

Major Impact to Facebook’s Audience Network Advertising

Facebook’s Audience Network advertisers will have severe impact to the effectiveness of their ads and possibly completely not function in some instances.

Here is how Facebook explains:

"For developers and publishers using Audience Network, our ability to deliver targeted ads on iOS 14 will be limited. As a result, some iOS 14 users may not see any ads from Audience Network, while others may still see ads from us, but they'll be less relevant. Because of advertisers’ reduced ability to accurately target and measure their campaigns, app developers and publishers should expect lower CPMs on Audience Network and likely other ad networks on iOS."

Facebook is reporting the change has caused more than 50% drop in Audience Network publisher revenue.

The Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) change allows the app owners to track individual user data within the app. The tracking function covers users’ personal information but still provides data on in-app activity.

This change may even result of shutting down the Audience Network service provided by Facebook.

While this change from Apple is good for personal privacy it can have impact of businesses who are using this type of advertisement to grow their market.

If you are Audience Network advertiser, then you should re-evaluate your marketing process and strategize to grow business.

Here are few options to consider:

1) Determine best marketing channel that will return highest value

2) Identify your market profile

3) Layout options to increase marketing in other options

Digital Consultants are available to meet with you today and show you 73 different ways to market your business. Our FREE consultation will open your eyes to many other marketing possibilities.

Visit us at www.digitalconsultants.ca book your free consulting session.

Source:

https://www.facebook.com/audiencenetwork/news-and-insights/preparing-audience-network-for-ios14/

How to build websites that make money?

info@digitalconsultants.ca (Jenani Paul) — Sat, 20 Jun 2020 21:58:25 GMT

Websites are your virtual real estate to bring warm leads

Websites should be your organization’s virtual real estate. Any physical building that does not get visitor activity is not going to stay open for very long. The same rule applies to your website. To attract visitors and generate leads, your website should be well built and regularly maintained. Google statics state 15-20% of visitors turn into committed clients.

Here are a few simple tactics to increase website visits and generate leads, that will turn into revenue and growth for your organization:

1. Ensure your website is responsive & mobile friendly

a. 80% of consumers visit an organization via mobile search

b. 90% of those consumers make their purchases online

c. You are missing out on a large market if your website is not mobile friendly

d. Websites should display content specific to their device (i.e. phone, tablet, computer, etc.)

2. Ensure your website has call to action features

Call to action features motivate your visitors to take real steps toward becoming a customer or member. It ensures visitors will make a connection without pressure and prepares them for the next step of commitment. Here are examples of call to action:

a. Subscribe to newsletter

b. Sign up to get 20% off

c. Take a short survey or poll

3. Incorporate Artificial Intelligence features within the website. Create a unique online experience based on you client’s profile. Here are few examples:

a. Pop up message for first time or returning website visitors

b. Special messages based on visitors GPS location

c. Device-specific messages to uniquely promote your business (e.g. blurbs for mobile vs. pop-ups for laptop, etc.)

For more information, visit us at https://www.digitalconsultants.ca/dynamic-website

Why websites are important?

info@digitalconsultants.ca (Jenani Paul) — Sun, 10 May 2020 21:50:47 GMT

97% of consumers search the internet for products and services online. 70% of mobile searcher use call to action within a website to connect with the business.

Today's digital world it is crucial for business and non profit organizations to have an online presence. There are over billions of people online that will benefit from your service and offerings, but if they cannot reach you online then you are missing out on a large market.

Here are few important reasons to have a dynamic website to grow your service and products.

1. Website sets the first impression. People judge your organization within seconds based on your availability online and easy of usage. If your website does not look appealing or it is outdated, visitor will immediately have a negative impression and will not return.

2. Website communicates directly with your target leads effectively than the traditional marketing

3. Website is your 24/7 virtual real estate to communication with potential leads and build target leads

4. Properly designed websites boost credibility and increase engagement with the network

5. Website give global exposure and reach leads as never before with traditional marketing

People turn to Google search when inquiring something and see what shows in the search results. There are more than 500 Million searches happening every couple of seconds.

If your organization does not have a website, you cannot show up within the search results.

Digital Consultants develop responsive and mobile friendly websites help tell your story and ignite your online presence.

Social Media: Quick Facts

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 23:57:55 GMT

Mobile Social Media Growing 30% Year to Year

70% of smartphone users grab their smartphone immediately after waking up. Mobiles are used on a daily basis

80% have a smartphone with capability to browse and use app

55% watch TV online through smart device

Average person spend 2.5 hours on social media

90% watch videos (e.g. Youtube) and 70% listen to music

Create Social Media that grows followers:

Find creative ways for people to pay attention to your posts

Create posts that are relent

What catches your attention

Make is short and sweet

Build an opportunity to be involved or engaged

People like to be part of team and give

Draft contents that gets others to respond (e.g. asking a question)

Encourage your current community to share your content

Website Design to Grow Visitors

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 23:57:55 GMT

Guide on how to build website that generator visitors

1. It is very important to have mobile friendly and built-in responsive based on device website

80% of the people look at their mobile phone soon as they wake up. Also 75 % use mobile to search for product and services.

2. Build your contents based on SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

3. Include contact form for visitors to easily inquiry about your company.

4. Include pop up to communicate campaigns or important upcoming events

5. Include Company high quality logo image on the website

Logo is your brand that you site visitors remember the company. There are many websites that do not incorporate the company’s logo. Also ensure the logo image is high quality.

6. Provides the information your site visitor is looking within couple of seconds and easy to navigate within the site. Organize the information that visitors naturally gravitate toward the most important elements.

7. Keep the style and color consistent to the overall brand and style of the website. Apply the global style sheet for all new websites.

Here are few tips to provided by leading web design experts:

• Color: No more than 5 different colors on your page

• Fonts Style: Maximum three different style and size

• Graphics: Use images that communicate a single information

8. Review your website analytics quarterly and update websites to reflect current visitors’ need

9. Include social media links within the website