Category: Blog

Why Should HR Care About Marketing?

Let’s answer that question in the simplest, most direct way.
HR cares about people.
Marketing cares about building relationships – with people!
Do you see the connection? It’s people.
While they may seem like entirely separate business functions in an organization, HR and Marketing must work cohesively and collaboratively to achieve common and important goals.

Employment Marketing Agencies are experts in using tactics and technologies that help a company stand out in a competitive labor market. In fact, when it comes to attracting new talent, employment marketing agencies such as Marketing Metrics Corp. deliver a wide range of benefits, especially where the HR department is concerned.

Aligning HR and marketing strategies is one of the best ways to generate a quality talent pool and improve recruitment. Some of the biggest benefits companies can see in their talent acquisition efforts, especially in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, include:

• An increase in applicants through improved marketing for quality candidates. Marketers will use different recruiting tactics depending upon the:
• • Job and Role: entry-level, or experienced salespeople or upper management who have driven growth.
  • Target market or demographic segment: Rather than reaching a general audience, sourcing strategies should vary depending on the target market or demographic segment – Millennials, Gen Z, women, veterans, racial and cultural backgrounds, etc.
  • Employer brand: For example, what key culture differentiators set your company apart from other employers? The employment marketing agency can leverage these highlights to craft the key messaging for the talent acquisition campaign.
• Agencies are experienced in planning and executing recruitment campaigns, events, materials, and using a variety of channels including company career page, mailers, signage, digital and print ads, social media and recruitment websites (Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc.)
• Agencies also have experience in monitoring the effectiveness of branding and recruiting campaigns so you can show a return on investment from multiple channels and tactics.
• Improvement in the overall relationship between your HR and internal/external marketing teams.

By selecting an experienced employment marketing agency, you’ll substantially increase your hiring success-rate and optimize your talent acquisition budget.

Employment Marketing Agencies Use Creative and Innovative Tactics to Attract More Job Applicants

Today, recruits are interested in much more than traditional perks such as salary. They are concerned about company culture and quality of life. They want to see that their company and job have a purpose and are meaningful. As a result, human resources and marketing are teaming up to devise new strategies designed to break through the clutter and draw in the best employees.

• Gen Z friendly apps like TikTok: Many companies are using TikTok Resumes, the new video-based resume platform the social media giant rolled out earlier this year. It appeals to younger candidates who might be nervous in a first interview as it enables them to show their authentic self before they come into an interview.
• Virtual Job Fair: Hosting a virtual job fair is one of the best ways to highlight what you do best and why applicants should choose your company over competitors. It gives you the best chance possible to communicate your company’s unique selling points to attract talent.
• Expand your reach with community event marketing: Many Millennials want to know that they can make a positive difference in the community, and they value companies that have a bigger purpose. Involvement in charitable causes (United Way, Children’s Hospital, local food pantry, etc.), can be communicated through action shots or even videos of your participating employees. For example, Brigs is the primary sponsor for the annual Brigs and Al’s Run with 100% of the proceeds going to Children’s Hospital. Over 15,000 runners and walkers attend this event, but every community has smaller 5K races and walks. Your community service web page should showcase the ways that your company contributes to society.
• Social Media and Search Engine Marketing: Advertising open positions on Facebook, Google and Bing produces many website visits and applications.
• Employment Marketing Video: This tactic is extremely important. We are currently editing an employment marketing video where a professional marketing person interviewed employees at their annual picnic. Afterwards he took a company tour and interviewed additional employees on the job. We have amazing video and audio of employees expressing how they love their job and the company.
• Reaching stay-at-home candidates through direct mail: If you have ever worked from home before, you know that walking to the mailbox is a much-needed break. Many of our clients have seen success from mailing a post card promoting an open house or hiring event. With QR codes or unique URL’s, tracking the ROI is easier than ever. Another added benefit of this marketing approach is that it helps you reach a specific geographic area.
• Account-Based Marketing: Account-based marketing (ABM) is a “rifle” marketing strategy which focuses on delivering qualified sales leads within a highly targeted group of prospects and accounts. Taking an account-based marketing approach for employment marketing can also be beneficial for some HR departments. This is because it offers a targeted approach and enables companies to target their multichannel marketing campaign to individuals that may be employed by competitors, or where they’ll have the greatest return. For example, one of our clients learned that a competitor was closing a nearby operation. We used ads on LinkedIn, Google and Bing to target people working for this competitor. The resulting website visitors and applications were outstanding.

Contact us today to learn more about creating an employment marketing plan for your organization. We will take the time to understand your talent acquisition goals, identify any gaps in your recruitment process, and help you attract the best candidates.

If you’ve decided you’d like to learn more about how an employment marketing plan can work for your company, the team from Marketing Metrics Corp. would love to discuss it with you. Our experience in HR, marketing, and technology make us uniquely positioned to help companies create employment marketing plans that generate tangible results.

In addition to our employment marketing solutions, we also offer a wide range of marketing services designed to suit your needs, such as website development and design, SEO services, advertising solutions, e-commerce services, and more. We’re particularly positioned to help those in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, using our extensive marketing expertise to help companies target key groups, such as industrial buyers and specifiers, engineers, and plant managers.

Marketing Metrics Corp. is committed to tailoring your online content and marketing approach to target recruits and getting them to accept your employment offer. To learn more about what our employment marketing agency has to offer, contact our team and speak to a representative today. Call us at (262) 691-9229 to discuss your talent acquisition and recruitment objectives and targets.

With more people working from home, manufacturing companies and industrial distributors that want to remain competitive have had to get a little inventive in offering their goods and services. One of the avenues many industrial distributors and manufacturers have taken is by adding a new revenue stream by selling their products online, drastically changing the way they do business. Many companies have been able to turn the negative situation to their advantage, remaining competitive even during uncertain times.

Below, the team of experts from Marketing Metrics Corp. has collected some insightful facts about e-commerce, and how it offers great opportunities for the years ahead.

Increasing Digital Channels & Capabilities

For companies that have been successful in adopting a business-to-business (B2B) model historically, developing and strengthening digital sales channel can be beneficial. This is because many manufacturers and distributors that rely on direct sales channels have taken a direct hit due to the breakdown of face-to-face selling due to the recent pandemic. However, it’s easy to set up a digital or eCommerce channel to make up for some of those revenue losses.

For companies that relied on direct sales efforts before COVID-19 set in, expanding their e-commerce offerings is a must. Online commerce solutions are a great way to help businesses retain their current client base and keep a steady revenue stream until things normalize and they’re able to visit clients and prospects face-to-face again.

Quick-Turn Digital Commerce

Many companies are scrambling to come up with solid e-commerce plans and building websites to meet the growing demand of customers searching and buying products online. It’s important to note that industrial distribution and manufacturing companies can quickly launch a simple e-commerce site and then scale it later to add all the bells and whistles along with proper marketing support.

However, if you want to expand your digital offerings ASAP, there are a few important things to keep in mind, such as:

• Starting off with a Simple E-Commerce Solution: With Magento for example,Marketing Metrics Corp. can launch a simple e-commerce site within weeks, not months.
• Focusing on Vital Capabilities: When it comes to offering products online, focusing on the most vital components of the e-commerce process will help you streamline things. For example, this might mean putting an emphasis on payment or product selection solutions over shipping, showing inventory levels and ERP integration, which can be completed at a later time. This will reduce initial development costs.
• Creating a Minimum Viable Product: Focus your resources on things that you know will fill a need and be aligned with consumer demands. In some cases, this may mean manufacturers offer a more streamlined catalog consisting of items that they’re confident will sell.
• Revisiting Customization: Many manufacturers are proud of their customization options. However, customization might have been a great selling point before the pandemic but it could complicate things now, especially when it comes to e-commerce. Often, offering standard, simplified products will ensure that everyone gets what they want and you can keep costs down. Relaxing some of your rules regarding customization will likely help improve business continuity.
• Creating Manual Workarounds: To improve oversight in your e-commerce solutions, it may be necessary to have your business and IT specialists adopt some manual duties to ensure the very best services. This is especially important when it comes to customer service and returns management. Offering a personal touch and having human beings pulling raw data can often pay off in the long run.

Think Outside of the Box

Some of the most successful e-commerce enterprises are companies that can change the way they do business and adapt to growing customer demand. For example, eliminating products and services that are considered nonessential for your business can help reduce surplus inventory that simply sits in your storage warehouses costing you money to keep. Creating an industry-specific e-commerce platform is also recommended. Many companies have also begun manufacturing items that they didn’t previously; design companies are making masks, distilleries hand sanitizer…the list goes on.

For distributors, thinking more along the lines of an e-commerce company can provide a host of benefits. For example, if your competitive advantage hinges on the products and services you offer, then having a website that communicates clearly precisely what you do is essential; make pricing and plans on your site crystal clear! Additionally, you can build trust with clients by not only featuring products on your site’s product page but also ways to troubleshoot issues and other important information.

Digital Upselling

Traditional upselling is something that every industrial distributor and manufacturing business understands. So, the next step to gain an edge on the competition is digital upselling. You can suggest upsells through digital content in a variety of ways, such as by:

• Personalizing Website Content: With the automated technology available nowadays, it’s easy to personalize your website content for each customer when they visit, creating a more unified experience online and across platforms.
• Suggest New Services Via Email: Sending out personal emails that cater to your current customers’ needs is also a great way to announce and market new services, as long as you do so tactfully. You can also sign the name of the representative they’re used to receiving emails from, to make even more of a personal connection.
• Digital Customer Service Access: When it comes to manufacturing and distribution, even the most vigilant companies still might have a product or two go missing or arrived damaged from time to time. However, how you deal with the situation can make or break your company. Nowadays, it’s important to offer comprehensive digital customer service solutions that enable clients to submit service tickets or find a solution to their problem right from your website.

Why Choose Marketing Metrics Corp. for your e-commerce solutions?

For years, Marketing Metrics Corp. has been helping manufacturing businesses and industrial distributors stay competitive by providing extensive marketing expertise and innovative e-commerce solutions. Our comprehensive e-commerce solutions include everything from web design and development services to marketing solutions. We’ll be there every step of the way to ensure that your e-commerce campaign is successful and on-track.

Marketing Metrics Corp. prides itself on offering holistic e-commerce solutions, which is why all of our campaigns include a range of components, such as the creation of an online catalog and digital marketplace, as well as shopping cart and ERP integration services. We’ll discuss all of your company’s needs and expectations and ensure that you have the tools you need to excel in your given marketplace.

In addition to our e-commerce services, we also offer innovative lead generation solutions, SEO and PPC services, branding and promotional products, and more. Contact us online today to speak with one of our knowledgeable representatives or call (262) 691-9229.

The Benefits of Internal Marketing with Promotional Products

With some companies slowly getting back to work and many more still requiring employees to work remotely to prevent the spread of COVID-19, keeping staff and clients safe, the work culture of your firm may have changed drastically. Many companies, up until this point, have relied on face-to-face interaction and touchpoints in the office to boost morale and keep employees happy to come to work each day.

But this doesn’t mean that since your employees are working remotely or your office has reduced staff that you still can’t get them excited about being a part of your team. This is where internal marketing comes into play. Before diving into the details, the team from Marketing Metrics Corp. has collected some insight for you as to what exactly internal marketing is and why it’s beneficial to every business.

Why is Internal Marketing Just as Important as External Marketing?

External marketing is what generates new clients, produces leads and clickthroughs, and ultimately increases your company’s bottom line, so you might be a little wary at first to hear that internal marketing is just as important. But don’t make up your mind just yet, because there are a variety of reasons why doing both is essential for your business.

Often, with staff members, giving them something more substantial than a simple email or greeting card with your logo on it can go a long way and remind them that they’re a valued member of the team.

If you plan on giving your staff some promotional products, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Make them Personal: When it comes to giving staff members promotional products, make them be something they’ll actually use, like branded self-care items or other things they’ll appreciate for their home office; even slippers or flip flops for working from home!
• Get Physical: Providing your staff with branded items they can use while exercising also shows them you care about their physical well-being. Consider giving them some branded water bottles or jump ropes; get creative.
• Give Items for the Whole Household: If you know your employees also have family members, why not give them promotional products that everyone can use? Branded toys for children can be a great idea or household items like potholders and cooking equipment.
• Provide Functional Items for Working from Home: If you have a large number of staff members working from home, give them a few things with your logo on it that they can use throughout the workday, like headphones, mousepads, portable chargers or power banks.
• Branded Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): With PPE being a requirement to enter most businesses and retail establishments, giving your staff some branded face masks, shields, and hand sanitizer can help them avoid having to get such things on their own time. Plus, your brand will be seen when they go out into the world each day, meaning more advertising opportunities for your company.

Other Great Promotional Product Ideas for Internal Marketing Purposes

The ideas mentioned above are a great start, but that’s not all you can do. With things returning back to normal and many businesses putting employees back to work and hiring new staff, there are some great internal marketing opportunities that can boost morale.

For example, when hiring someone new, offer them a new-hire kit that consists of branded promotional items that they’ll be able to put to use every day while working for you. Welcome kits can include branded clothing items, edible treats, and other things to make them feel welcome, even if you can’t show them around the new office yet.

Gifts and employee swag for milestones is another great way to show your employees you’re thinking about them even if they’re not in the office every day. Mark your calendar to send team members gifts on their birthday or congratulatory swag when they close a big account or connect with a new high-volume client!

Whether your employees are working from home or you’re having meetings each day remotely, implementing an employee gear day is a great idea to have a little fun and sport your company’s branded materials. Seeing everyone in their gear, whether it be company t-shirts or hoodies, can help build a sense of comradery and team unity either on-site or remotely.

Sending out new products for your employees to test out and have some fun before they hit the market is also another great way to keep them engaged and involved. If you’re a tech company, send them the latest software to try out or a new pair of headphones to use when they’re on call; they’ll certainly appreciate the gesture.

Contact us for branded promotional products!

As one of today’s digital marketing leaders in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, Marketing Metrics Corp. knows how important it is to get your brand in front of the right people. That’s why we’ve teamed up with HALO Branded Solutions to offer some of today’s most outstanding branded products. We offer you all the tools you need to outfit your team with quality apparel, give personalized gifts to attract new customers or wow current clients, and grab the attention of industry insiders at your next trade show.

In addition to our branded promotional product solutions, working with Marketing Metrics Corp. and HALO Branded Solutions can also provide:

• Global promotional/branded product sourcing and distribution
• Art services and design insight
• Warehousing and fulfillment services
• Online and traditional marketing support (lead generation, SEO, PPC, and more!)
• Company stores and incentive programs

What Makes HALO Branded Solutions different its competition?

With more than 40,000 clients worldwide trusting their branding and promotional solutions to HALO Branded Solutions, they’re equipped to help companies of every size, shape, and scope create the right promotional products.

When working with Marketing Metrics Corp. and HALO you can expect:

• Competitive pricing backed by superior buying power
• Comprehensive product safety assurance
• Creative products and marketing solutions
• Catalog development
• Hybrid solutions
• & More!

To find out more about working with Marketing Metrics Corp. and HALO for your promotional product solutions, contact us online today or call (262) 691-9229.

There’s a common misconception that account-based marketing will only help a company’s marketing department. However, this simply isn’t true. In fact, account-based marketing can have a wide range of benefits, especially where the sales department is concerned. Taking an account-based or “rifle” approach and aligning sales and marketing strategies is one of the best ways to generate quality sales leads. In fact, some of the biggest benefits companies can see, especially in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, include:

• Improvement in the overall relationship between your sales and marketing teams.
• An increase in sales revenue through improved marketing of target accounts.
• By selecting in-market companies, you’ll substantially increase your win-rate.

Additionally, aligning sales and marketing enables you to focus on accounts that consist of your ideal customer profile, i.e. the ones most likely to generate the most profit for your company. At the end of the day, this type of approach allows you to focus your time and resources in the places most likely to elicit results, rather than taking a more general approach and wasting your valuable time quoting prospects that are unlikely to convert to quality customers

Below, our team of sales-based marketing experts has collected some important insight that will enable your sales team and company leaders to create new business, drive leads and conversions, and get more customers through the pipeline.

Align Your Accounts with Marketing

At the outset of implementing an account-based marketing approach, it’s essential that your sales and marketing teams sit down together and come up with a working game plan. Every person on both the sales and marketing side should have a clear idea of three key things: the ideal customer profile, key buyer personas, and your total addressable market.

Defining these components is the first step toward any successful account-based marketing strategy.

• Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): These are the clients that make the perfect fit for your company. It’s the people with who you think your current marketing and sales strategy will have the most success.
• Key Buyer Personas: This is a fictional persona created through extensive research and market insight about current customers that forms the ideal buyer for you. Some of the best data for creating key buyer personas include things like their goals, motivations, demographics, and behavior patterns.
• Total Addressable Market (TAM): This is a list of all the current companies you can sell your goods or services to—a real list—that defines your total sellable marketplace.

Begin Creating Account Lists

After taking care of everything mentioned above, it’s time for sales and marketing to work together and start building lists of accounts that match your ICP and then coordinating efforts to connect with them. It’s important that your sales and marketing departments are reaching out to the same companies. This can be easily done through coordinated marketing efforts like display and LinkedIn marketing campaigns, PPC and email campaigns, and other solutions.

Here’s how to build account lists in three easy steps:

• First: Develop a primary list consisting of companies that make the best fit, that are also in-market.
• Second: Have your data research and development team assess the lists and add further insight (such as recently declined conversations and conversions, etc.).
• Third: Get the sales and marketing teams together to review the list, then get to work!

Take Action by Focusing on the Right Accounts

One of the best ways to generate solid leads and ensure your account-based marketing approach is working properly is by focusing on those accounts with the most engagement. Your sales representatives can use insight generated by data and reports to better connect with clients to deliver the best results.

Other Advantages of Account-Based Marketing

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, some of the other key advantages of account-based marketing include:

• Promoting Your Unique Selling Points: Account-based marketing is one of the best ways to highlight what you do best and why clients should choose your company over competitors. It gives you the best chance possible to communicate your brand’s unique selling points to customers.
• Growing Relationships through Networking: Another added benefit of aligning your sales and marketing approach is that it helps you expand your reach by cultivating relationships through networking. This is because by aligning your sales and marketing team, you’re drastically increasing the number of staff members responsible for cultivating relationships with clients and help to generate interest in your business.
• Greater Returns than Inbound Marketing: Although inbound marketing certainly has its benefits, for some companies, taking an account-based marketing approach will often prove more beneficial. This is because it offers a targeted approach and enables companies to focus resources where they’ll have the greatest return. Account-based marketing saves money in the long run because you’ve already identified your ideal target; you don’t need to spend all your time attracting them.

Contact us today to learn more about creating an account-based marketing plan!

If you’ve decided you’d like to learn more about how aligning sales and marketing can work for your company, the team from Marketing Metrics Corp. would love to discuss it with you. Our experience in sales, marketing, and technology make us uniquely positioned to help companies created targeted marketing plans that truly generate results.

In addition to our digital marketing solutions, we also offer a wide range of marketing services designed to suit your needs, such as website development and design, SEO services, advertising solutions, e-commerce services, and more. We’re particularly positioned to help those in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, using our extensive marketing expertise to help companies target key groups, such as industrial buyers and specifiers, engineers, and plant managers.

Marketing Metrics Corp. is committed to tailoring your online content and marketing approach to target buyers and getting them to make that final leap through the funnel. To learn more about what we have to offer, contact our team and speak to a representative today by visiting us online or calling (262) 691-9229.

With the recent pandemic slowing down and many taking greater steps to social distance and stay healthy while still going about their everyday business, there’s been a boom in the popularity of personal protective equipment (PPE). That’s why Wisconsin’s Marketing Metrics Corp. has partnered with HALO Branded Solutions to provide a breakdown and some insight into how different PPE can also be used as promotional branded products.

Let’s start by taking a closer look at how PPE helps you and some of the most common types of PPE products:

What Exactly is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)? 

Like the name states, personal protective equipment (PPE) is equipment designed to help protect you from injury or the harmful spread of infection or illness. Often, this equipment will consist of a range of items, including face shields, goggles, masks, gowns, respirators, helmets, and gloves. PPE is designed to work in tandem with proper hygiene, like regular hand-washing and the use of sanitizers, to minimize the spread of infectious viruses like COVID-19.

Some of the Most Common PPE Products that can keep your employees and customers healthy 

As things begin to return to normal, some PPE products have become common accessories and, in many cases, are required to enter businesses and continue operating commercial enterprises.

Here are a few of the most popular pieces of PPE that also offer great branding and promotional opportunities for your business:

• Medical-Grade Face-masks: Worn by health personnel, medical-grade face masks are designed to protect when coming into contact with harmful germs and bacteria. To maintain the medical-grade status, these cannot be branded.

• Commercial Face-masks: Either single-use or reusable/washable face coverings can be branded with your logo or message. Wearing a face mask will help prevent the spread of infection and prevent the individual from contracting any airborne infectious germs. When someone coughs, talks, sneezes they could release germs into the air that may infect others nearby. Face masks are part of an infection control strategy to eliminate cross-contamination.

• Hand Sanitizer: HALO offers a range of different hand sanitizers and dispensers that can be easily customized with your brand or business logo. Not only will having branded hand sanitizers on your property help increase safety and promote good hygiene, but it can also help share your corporate vision to customers. Additionally, creating personalized bottles of hand sanitizer and offering it free to potential clients and customers can be a great way to market your business, as it’s something they’ll use time and time again.

• Face Shields: Wearing masks all day long can be burdensome, which is why many PPE distributors, HALO included, are offering alternatives like face shields. The best part is that they’re completely clear and don’t obscure your vision while also being fog-resistant and easily adjustable for every head size.

• UV Sterilizers: Getting back to “business as usual” will likely mean that many more people will be using their cell phones again to make calls during work hours. This poses a problem when it comes to germs, but don’t worry, we have a solution. UV sterilizers are designed to use UV rays to eliminate bacteria on your phone and other items like key-chains, rings, watches, and money.

• Disposable Gloves: The disposable gloves available from HALO are great for keeping protected throughout the day. For those with more hands-on jobs, these powder-free nitrile gloves are tear-resistant and designed for professional use, keeping you safe all day long.

• Antimicrobial Pens: It’s much safer for customers and clients to have their own pen to use, which is why giving out branded antimicrobial pens is a great idea. Your company will go along with them every time they sign a check at the grocery store or need to scribble a few reminders down during the day.

• Work-from-Home Kits: With many companies transitioning to reduced in-office personnel or adjusted operating hours, work-from-home kits can be a great gift to clients and staff, encouraging them to continue to stay healthy while working remotely. Things like a mobile device stand, headset, personalized mugs, computer screen cleaner, hand sanitizer, and other items can help showcase your business while staff and clients stay safe and social distance.

Why use Marketing Metrics Corp./HALO as your PPE supplier? 

• At HALO, all products are thoroughly tested and manufacturers are vetted to ensure thy pass our rigorous safety standards.
• Our size and reputation mean that we can resource products globally and negotiate the best possible pricing for our customers. We also have most PPE products in stock.
• HALO remains fully operational around the globe. Our size and scale positions us well to adjust operational support as needed to ensure uninterrupted service.
• HALO is focused on providing safe, compliant, and financially responsible solutions for our clients’ needs and current challenges.
• HALO uses recognized third party testing labs and provides on-site inline factory oversight.
• HALO’s freight and logistics team is dedicated to assuring economical and reliable delivery anywhere around the globe.
• We view our relationship with our customers as a true partnership. We are often an extension of their creative, marketing, procurement or HR teams and work tirelessly to bring their brands to life. These partnerships are not transactional, they are relationship based and deep.
  

Contact Marketing Metrics Corp. for more Branded PPE Products!  

Want to ensure staff and clients stay safe and healthy while still promoting your brand? If so, the team from Marketing Metrics Corp. can help. By teaming up with HALO, one of the largest promotional product distributors in the United States, we make it easy for you to find the best PPE products for your business.

As a HALO sales representative, Marketing Metrics Corp. has all the integrated marketing solutions and sales expertise to help you come up with eye-catching, costed effective branded PPE products. Additionally, we’re able to deliver global product sourcing and distribution services, as well as online marketing solutions and support.

Marketing Metrics Corp. prides itself on offering comprehensive branding and promotional solutions that are sustainable in the long term, giving our clients the tools they need to kick off incentive programs and other campaigns, while also offering designs and creation services, warehousing solutions, and more.

With an extensive background in sales and technology, Marketing Metrics Corp. is particularly poised to provide comprehensive marketing insight and services designed to help clients in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. We offer digital marketing solutions, SEO and PPC advertising services, web design and development,video marketing, and e-commerce services.

To shop online for PPE products click here.  To learn more about the additional marketing services we offer, contact Marketing Metrics Corp. online today or call (262) 691-9229.

Ranking number one used to be the best way to get the most clicks when it comes to Google’s search rankings. But nowadays, that’s no longer the case. Although being in the first position in Google’s search-engine-results-page (SERP) rankings still provides a lot of organic traffic (around 30 percent for given searches) it’s no longer the prime spot.

These days, to get the most traffic, you’ll want to get your SERP results to position zero and the best way to do so is optimizing content for featured snippets. Although the featured snippets section of Google has been around for years, it recently became one of the biggest tools for improving SERP rankings.

The team from Marketing Metrics Corp. has helped hundreds rise in the rankings with their SEO services, which is why we’re here to help. Let’s take a look at how featured snippets affect SERP rankings and the tools at your disposal to reach the best position possible, position zero!

What Exactly is a Featured Snippet?  

Before diving into all the details, it’s important to first have a clear idea of precisely what Google means by a “featured snippet.” In the simplest of terms, a featured snippet is a direct answer to a search query that appears at the very top of the results page, above even the organic search results on Google’s SERP page. It can be in a number of different, easy-to-read formats, like a bulleted list, concise paragraphs, charts, tables, graphs, and more.

The reason why featured snippets are now more important than ever is because they occupy a large space on Google’s SERP pages, right front and center. Lower-ranking websites have a great opportunity to boost their rankings by optimizing their site for featured snippets.

How to Create a Featured Snippet 

When it comes to having your very own featured snippet at the top of the SERP page, there are a few different ways to do so, all of which require tailoring and optimizing content for the best results.

Some of the best ways include:

• Choosing a Target Page: With snippets, it’s best to focus on a page you want to target to make it to position zero. One of the best ways to do so is by choosing a page that already ranks within the top five Google organic search results and optimizing it for feature snippets; you’ll have better chances this way. Additionally, pages with higher engagement numbers are more likely candidates as well.

• Choose a Relevant Query with High Search Volume: Selecting a query that is in-line with your business and the customers you serve is essential for creating a featured snippet. Figure out the most common questions customers are asking and the ones you can answer the best. Start by entering a basic search query related to your business in Google and refer to the “People Ask” section to get a better idea of which questions resonate most directly with your audience.

• Create “Snippable” Content: Once you’ve outlined some targeted queries, the next step is creating content that Google can easily turn into a featured snippet. Be sure whatever you choose is clear and easy to read, fits organically on your targeted webpage, and contains a brief headline with your SEO search terms. For those who’ve created a bulleted or numbered list, be sure to say so in an intro paragraph so Google knows a list it can feature as a snippet follows.

• Answer Related Questions: Answering related targeted questions on the same page can drastically increase your chances of being featured. If Google selects one of your answers on the page to feature, the other related answers on the same page have much more of a chance of being featured as well.

• Utilize Proper Formatting: Another important aspect of creating quality content for featured snippets is by ensuring you use formatting that Google will recognize. Some things to remember: always include H2, and H3 tags, and use normal text or list text tags respectively. Additionally, order your content with a headline first, then the text, and then a list to achieve the best possible results. Lastly, including an appropriately titled image, table, or graph to go along with the text info is another great way to rise to position zero.

Performing some research on sites like Reddit, Quora, and other Q&A sites is also a great way to get an idea of what type of content Google likes to feature. Search for questions related to your industry or business and see what comes up and how they look. You’ll also be able to see the questions people have already asked about that topic and which ones are missing; the missing ones are the ones you should try and answer.

Optimizing Your Website for SEO  

Since Google only features snippets from the top five organic ranking search pages, having a solid SEO strategy is extremely important. Before diving into creating a featured snippet strategy, ensure that your targeted pages are up to date with the right industry-specific keywords, links, and unique content to ensure they make it to the top five.

Contact us today for SEO services!  

Are you in need of comprehensive SEO services from a digital marketing expert? If so, Marketing Metrics Corp. would love to hear from you. With more than 55 years of collective marketing experience, we have a unique ability to leverage sales, marketing, and technology to help our clients achieve success.

In addition to our SEO services, our team is also equipped to provide PPC and display advertising solutions, website design services, video marketing solutions, and more. We specialize in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, offering our clients the best tools available to keep ahead of the competition.

For those interested in developing a strategy that will help generate leads and returns, and increase their bottom line, contact us online today. You can also call (262) 691-9229 to speak to one of our experts.

In recent years, B2B buyers and specifiers have turned to eCommerce as the fastest and most convenient method of making a large or custom purchases. Custom product manufacturers and industrial distributors that have not yet invested in professional eCommerce website design are beginning to struggle as the B2B online shopping market continues to expand. This form of commerce is especially useful to businesses that specialize in custom offerings and large orders for numerous reasons, allowing them to sell products and reach out to customers more efficiently.

At Marketing Metrics Corp., our team has designed and implemented stunning eCommerce websites for a variety of custom product manufacturers and industrial distributors. Our clients have seen a consistent increase in sales across all of our past website implementations. Here we will explain the positive effects that eCommerce websites have on the sale of large and custom orders.

Reasons Why eCommerce Websites Encourage Custom and Large Orders

Improved engagement with prospects and customers
One of the key reasons why eCommerce websites tend to increase overall sales is because of an improvement in customer engagement. Not only can a larger number of interested prospect and customers access your product offerings 24/7 online, but they can purchase a product online, testing it for fit, form and function and then later interact with your tradition sales channels to get a quote on a large order.  An eCommerce client of ours received a 7-figure order that began as an initial $35 eCommerce purchase.

Business owners can also learn more about their prospects or customers as they provide their contact information when they buy your products online.  By learning more about the customer’s needs and gaining feedback from a larger audience, business owners can adjust their offerings accordingly in order to sell more products. Through online communication, it is also much easier for businesses to present customers with their options for customization in an organized online catalogue, while maintaining an open line of communication throughout the customization process. Through additional marketing tactics such as email marketing you can turn into a long-time customer.

Increased visibility on the search engines

A major benefit of selling products online is the ability to improve you search engine rankings for your stock and custom products. Individual products such as a t-handle-ball-lock-pins or a heavy duty power burr brush will take advantage of various algorithms in order to be sound online and increase website traffic and leads. At Marketing Metrics Corp. we offer a wide range of marketing opportunities in addition to our eCommerce website design services in Wisconsin. One of our most popular services is search engine optimization (SEO), which helps eCommerce websites by improving their online search ranking. Fortunately, the more specific the demographic is for a given organization, the more possibilities there are to target the market with distinct keywords. Businesses will be far more accessible to customers searching for specific custom goods and unusually large orders if SEO practices are deployed.

Cooperation between OEM’s and channel partners

It is far easier today for OEM’s to work with various channel partners such as distributors by providing product data to assist them in their eCommerce efforts. Having an online presence goes far beyond an impressive eCommerce website design, as OEM’s have many options to expand their reach by marketing to new customers through a myriad of online marketing tools.

Increased brand awareness

By offering customers an eCommerce option for making purchases, BTB buyers and specifiers can view individual products at any time and gain a better understanding of your products and brand. Organizations can also promote specific products and offer online promotions through various social media platforms. Our Wisconsin eCommerce website design team at Marketing Metrics Corp. understands the importance of presenting a consistent brand appearance across all online platforms and promotional products. For those dealing with large orders and custom products, it is even more important to increase brand awareness in order for shoppers to gain confidence in your products.

Gaining a competitive edge in the manufacturing market

The majority of mid-sized manufacturing companies do not have a distinct online presence. Manufacturers often rely on distributors and wholesalers to seek out their production services, when in reality, there are many competitors that advertise their services and offer their products online. By developing a presence and positive reputation online, distributors will be far more likely to turn to OEM’s to be an authorized distributor. Marketing Metrics Corp. specializes in manufacturing marketing, which in combination with sleek website design, could be the key to increasing business.

Compatibility with mobile devices

Whether you sell stock or custom fasteners, brushes, or electronic products, prospective customers should be able to view your products from any location or device. This is extremely useful for custom products that may require the buyer to envision their order in a particular location in order to properly customize it. By hiring a professional to design and develop your eCommerce website, you will be able to take advantage of a variety of convenient features such as compatibility with mobile phones, tablets, and other devices.

Overall, a professional eCommerce website design has the potential to drastically expand the brand awareness and marketing reach of any manufacturing or distribution business and in turn, results in an incredible return in sales. Organizations can take advantage of the range of sales and marketing opportunities by creating an online presence that incorporates SEO, social media, and video marketing. Custom products and large orders face a number of challenges in gaining the confidence of prospective buyers and displaying their product customization options. These challenges can all be overcome with the help of a professional website designer.

Let us help you gain an edge with innovative eCommerce solutions!

At Marketing Metrics Corp., we offer a wide range of website design, consulting, and marketing services that will take your business to the next level by helping you establish a recognizable online presence. From custom products to large-scale orders, our combined 55 years of experience in the field will give you a major advantage against the competition no matter what industry you’re in. Contact us today to learn more about our top-rated services!

In recent years, lead scoring has become a common sales & marketing tactic used by digital marketing professionals across a wide range of industries including manufacturing and industrial businesses along with many others. So what exactly is lead scoring? Lead scoring is a marketing technique that allows businesses to rank prospective customers based on several factors that indicate the individual’s likelihood to become a paying customer. Such tactics allow sales & marketing teams to cooperate and prioritize the qualified leads that have the potential to turn into sales.

Our experienced team at Marketing Metrics Corp. has helped numerous Wisconsin businesses create lucrative lead generation strategies that have significantly improved collaboration and efficiency among marketing & sales teams. Lead scoring is one of the many sales & marketing tactics that we employ across manufacturing, industrial and other organizations in order to generate high-quality leads. Continue reading to learn how lead scoring can help improve your business practices.

The Benefits of Lead Scoring

• Generate revenue and lower costs

Lead scoring allows organizations to invest time and resources only into the leads that are likely to turn into a sale. When a marketing team is able to provide their sales team with qualified leads using a scientific approach, members of the sales team are able to avoid wasting time pursuing leads with minimal interest in the company’s offerings. Ultimately, this results in a higher concentration of sales on a daily basis and can be done at a low cost by simply collecting, analyzing, and organizing available data.

• Lead scoring can be applied to other buying stages

There is a misconception that the positive effects of lead scoring stop once a qualified lead has been pursued. Using this careful approach, organizations can continue to score existing accounts, content marketing tactics, search engine optimization, and other stages of the buying process. Analyzing the buyer’s journey from beginning to end and developing a suitable algorithm will lead to a much more consistent and predictable influx of new clients and revenue.

• Better collaboration between sales and marketing teams

In any business, there is nothing more important than proper collaboration between employees. Unfortunately, sales and marketing professionals tend to clash when they do not have an effective system for generating leads. If a marketing team passes along a large number of leads with minimal information regarding their potential to turn into sales, it can lead to many wasted phone calls and an overwhelming amount of information for a sales team to decipher. Lead scoring makes it easier for sales and marketing professionals to support each other and maintain a high level of productivity in the workplace.

• Improved performance evaluation

It can be difficult for large organizations to monitor the performance of individual employees; especially when there are separate marketing and sales teams working towards a common goal. By implementing a lead scoring system, business owners can assume that their sales team is regularly receiving highly qualified leads from their marketing team by collecting information via social media, video marketing, and other marketing tactics. This makes it far easier to evaluate the performance of individual members of staff, and ensure that each of your employees are producing expected numbers in sales.

• Increased accuracy of revenue forecasts

Whether you are looking to improve industrial, employment or manufacturing sales & marketing tactics, it is essential to produce accurate revenue forecasts in order to gain control over the future of your organization. Through lead scoring, business owners can predict the number of sales that will be produced with various marketing campaigns and better evaluate the ability of their sales team to pursue qualified leads. This careful analysis of the buyer’s journey will allow businesses to continue fine-tuning their sales and marketing tactics over time, creating further accuracy in future revenue forecasts.

How to Find Qualified Leads Through Lead Scoring

• Combine explicit and implicit scoring

Proper lead scoring works towards both explicit and implicit scoring. Explicit scoring is the process of determining whether your leads align with the demographic that your business is geared towards. Factors may include the individual’s job title or a company’s overall revenue. Additionally, implicit scoring is how marketing specialists determine the amount of interest these people are showing in the company’s offerings. This is largely related to the individual’s behavior which may include frequent visits to a website or a high level of engagement with social media posts. For a lead to truly qualify as a potential client, it is important to create a system that combines these two goals.

• Use B.A.N.T. as a guideline

The B.A.N.T. acronym stands for budget, authority, need, and timeline for purchase. While marketing professionals should gather as much information as possible through social media, case studies, and other means, B.A.N.T. is a great starting point for organizations that are new to lead scoring.

• Simplify your scoring process with visuals

For a lead scoring system to work and generate qualified leads as frequently as possible, it is important for marketing professionals to use a simple process of analysis. Once you have determined the most relevant criteria for evaluating explicit and implicit scores, a simple way to analyze leads is by creating easy-to-follow charts where employees can insert the information they have gathered from each lead.

Marketing Metrics Corp.

Are you ready to take control of your business and expand your client base? Lead scoring is an excellent way to do this, and with the expertise of our team at Marketing Metrics Corp., we are here to help you take your organization to the next level.

With a specialization in employment, industrial, and manufacturing sales & marketing tactics, our team has a combined 55 years of experience analyzing the buyer journey and determining the best marketing practices depending on the organization. Our lead generation service is geared towards identifying buyer personas, setting clear objectives, analyzing the competition, along with several other key factors. Contact us online today or call us directly at (262) 691-9229 to learn more about our top-rated services!