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Need Video Marketing? Learn the 4 Ws of Video Production

Including video elements in your marketing campaign is a great way to get attention, engage your audience, and showcase what your business offers! However, tackling something like video production can be intimidating to the uninitiated. So much goes into video production, including budget, camera-work, script writing, music, and post-production work, and it can be difficult to know where to start? We’re here to help. Before you get started with your video marketing campaign, first ask yourself four important questions: who, what, when, and where?

video production

Who:

There are two important “who” questions to ask throughout the video production process:

Who is your target audience? Your audience affects every element of your video marketing from the message to where you share it. What is age, culture, socioeconomic status, or location of your audience? Some video types, outlets, and messages are more effective than others, depending on your audience. For example, if you’re trying to reach a younger, national audience, publishing your video online will be more effective than spending money on a local television commercial.

 

Who is your production team? Video production has many layers and should be handled by a dedicated team. Clearly outlining who your production team is, each person’s role, and their expectations will help the production process go smoothly. Video production is best handled by experienced professionals who can tackle every element of your video marketing.

 

What:

When it comes to video marketing, there are a few ‘whats’ to answer.

All of this will influence the content of your video, and help you develop a specific, relatable message. Whatever you’re promoting, it should support the overall marketing goals of your business. If you’re advertising a sale, promoting a specific service, or trying to expand your customer base, make sure to develop a script and message that remains focused on your specific goal instead of trying to do it all. This will ensure your message remains clear and has the most impact.

 

Where:

Where will you share your video? Are you crafting a video for online advertisements, a presentation for shareholders, or do you want to create a commercial for local television? Not all outlets are appropriate depending on the type of video you’re creating and the audience you want to reach. For example, if you want to demonstrate your product, a television commercial may not be the best outlet. Instead, post demo videos online! Understanding where your video will reach consumers impacts the style and length of the advertisement, and also influences your company’s budget.

 

When:

Create an achievable video production timeline and stick to it. With so many elements, it’s easy for a video production to get off track, especially for the inexperienced. The last thing you want is for your video to cost more time and money than it needs to. With a set schedule, your business will have an appropriate amount of time to dedicate to each point on the timeline, from script creation to filming, and concluding with the launch of your video.

 

MLT Group not only has over 30 years of video production experience, but we’re also marketing experts. This means we can craft an effective video that helps your business achieve its goals. Whether you’re looking for a simple demo video or a full-scale television commercial, we can handle every aspect of the production process.

 

Our video production services include:

  • Script writing
  • Animation
  • Music
  • Voiceovers/Voice acting
  • Editing
  • Special graphics
  • Aerial videography

 

Ready to take your marketing campaign to the next level? Contact us today at 507.281.3490 or sales@mltgroup.com.

 

 

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Which Platforms Should Your Business Use for Social Media Marketing?

social media marketing
Not all platforms may be right for your business. Get the most out of your social media strategy by engaging with the right ones!

Every social media platform has its own culture, audience, and purpose. Because of this, not every platform may be appropriate or worthwhile for your bu犀利士
siness to have a presence on. But how do you know which platforms to include in your social media marketing strategy? Today, we’re going to explore a few of the most popular social media platforms, so you can determine which ones are a good fit for your business’ marketing goals.

 

Facebook:

While there are exceptions, most businesses can benefit from a presence on Facebook, if they use it properly. Facebook is a great place to build relationships and converse with your target audience. Using it strictly as a sales tool won’t garner the results you want. Think about it, how many people do you know that willingly seek out ads? That doesn’t mean you can’t promote your offerings on Facebook, just make sure to balance it out with genuine interactions and audience engagement.

Instagram:

This is a highly visual platform, allowing users to upload pictures, with captions and text being secondary. If you have a lifestyle, fashion, food, art, or luxury related business, Instagram is a great place for you to show off and promote your brand. It’s easy to use and you don’t have to be an expert photographer to produce great looking images. The pre-loaded filters and editing tools can give any image a professional or artistic feel. If your business doesn’t have a lot to show visually, Instagram isn’t a worthwhile platform.

 

Pinterest:

Pinterest is a visual, action driven platform where users can create boards and pin pictures, articles, recipes, crafts or other inspirational content to them. It can be used to share ideas, tell visual stories, promote a lifestyle, or your brand. The key is to have visually engaging content to share. Don’t think your business is very visual? Plenty of businesses have gotten creative, using Pinterest to share educational infographics or even post jobs. Also, the overwhelming majority of users are female, so if you’re business is looking for a way to reach out to women, Pinterest is the place to be.

 

Youtube:

If your business has any videos, you should have a presence on Youtube. It’s the perfect place to feature commercials, instructional videos, explainer videos, or even tips and expertise. Most businesses that have videos can benefit from Youtube.

 

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is a great platform for B2B businesses or businesses actively recruiting top talent. It’s the most professional and business focused platform on the list, making it a great place for businesses and business owners to network, generate leads, and show off your offerings.

 

Depending on your business and your marketing goals, some social media platforms won’t be worthwhile. Not sure where to start with your social media marketing strategy? We can help! The marketing pros at MLT Group can help you develop and execute a social media marketing strategy to promote your business, brand, and generate leads. Contact us at sales@mltgroup.com or 507-281-3490 to learn more today!

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Which Type of Commercial Video is Right for Your Business?

Commercial videos have proven to be a powerful marketing tool. They’re entertaining, engaging, and effective. Now, it’s easier and more cost effective than ever to create videos for your business. But with all of the different types of videos out there, which ones are best for your business? Keep reading to learn more about different types of commercial videos and how they can boost your business!commercial video

Demo

Do you have a product or program you’re selling? Demos are a great way to showcase their benefits and how it works. Showing potential customers just how your product works will give them confidence in what they’re buying and decrease their purchase hesitation.

Tutorial

Do your customers need instructions on how to use your product? Tutorial videos are a great way to educate customers and help them use your product to its full effect. The product might come with instructions, but videos are extremely helpful for visual learners and easy to digest. Short tutorial videos are also great for teaching customers how to use different parts of your product.

Training/Education

Regardless of your business or industry, your employees probably require some type of training to perform their job well. Whether it be how to use equipment, first aid, or information regarding your product, training and educational videos can help acclimate new employees quickly. Not only can training videos be re-used, making them cost-effective, they also increase knowledge retention.

Broadcast Commercial

Broadcast commercials are one of the more expensive options on this list, but that’s because they’re so effective. They can reach a massive, captive audience. You can also target a particular audience by airing your broadcast commercial on the channels they most use at the times they are most likely to be watching.


Internet Commercial

Internet commercials have many of the same benefits of broadcast commercials, without the price tag. They can be inexpensive to produce and still reach a large, targeted audience. Internet commercials can also be shared on your business’ website and social media, racking up views and exposure.

Testimonial

There is no marketing tool more powerful than a satisfied customer. They will spread the word about your business and encourage others to visit you. Testimonial videos take that a step further. Videos of satisfied customers’ testimonials can be spread far and wide and be re-used, giving them a long shelf life.

Explainer

Explainer videos do just that- explain things. They are particularly useful if your business or products are new, complex, or abstract. For example, if you have a groundbreaking program to sell, you can use an explainer video go guide the viewer through the thinking behind the program, how it works, and what it can do. Animations are especially effective for explainer videos as they are entertaining and can illustrate abstract concepts. Done right, explainer videos can educate viewers and encourage them to buy! Here’s an example.

The commercial video professionals at MLT Group have been providing video production services for over 30 years. From broadcast commercials to training videos, we’ve done it all. We offer comprehensive video production services, handling everything from script writing to editing. If you’re ready to utilize the power of commercial videos for your business, contact us at 507.281.3490 or sales@mltgroup.com for your FREE consultation.

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Why Your Business Needs a Blog

When it comes to maintaining your business’ website, you probably think of updating information, pictures, and managing your SEO and advertising efforts. But there’s another important element you’re forgetting— a blog.

Blogs are an often underutilized business tool. There are a number of hidden benefits to blogs beyond promoting your business, and if you’re not taking advantage of them, your business can fall behind the competition. Let’s take a look at what a blog can do for your small business.blog

Help build a relationship between your business and consumers

Blogs give you a great opportunity to connect with potential customers. They are a voice for your business when your sales staff can’t be there, telling customers what you stand for, what services you offer, and developing your business’ persona.

Help your site rank on search engines

When you type in a search on Google, their bots crawl around the web looking for sites that are relevant to the inquiry. One way bots evaluate sites is through keyphrases and geotargets. If someone searches for “floral arrangements in Minneapolis,” and you have a few blogs that highlight floral arrangements in that location, the bots will view your site as relevant, placing it higher in the search rankings. Bots also look for websites that are frequently updated with new, quality content. Blogs allow you to do this with ease. Even posting once a month lets bots know that your website is active.

Blogs work, even when you can’t

You can’t be promoting your business, interacting with customers, and boosting SEO 24/7. Blogs can. There are no expiration dates on blogs, so even blogs published months ago are still working for your business. Also, each new blog builds on those previously published, so the longer you consistently post for your business, the greater the benefits.

Build authority for your business

If a stranger walked up to you and claimed that they were a hairstylist, would you let them cut your hair? You’d probably want some proof of skill first. This is what blogs can do for your business. With plenty of competition claiming that they are experts in your industry, blogs give you an edge by allowing you to show off your expertise to potential clients.

Provide Content for Social Media

Creating fresh content for your business’ social media profiles can be time consuming. However, your blog is a great source to draw from. You can easily have blogs auto-publish to Facebook or Twitter, or manually share them. This exposes your content to a larger audience and allows you to get more mileage out of one piece of content.

In business, you need every advantage to rise above the competition. Utilizing blogs for your website is a great way to gain an edge. If you’re looking to improve your site’s rankings, engagement, and authority, MLT Group is here to help, offering a number of SEO services, including blog writing. For a FREE consultation, contact the professionals at MLT Group at 507-281-3490 or sales@mltgroup.com.

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How Facebook’s Latest Update Affects Your Business’ Social Media Presence

Recently, Facebook has made a significant change to its algorithm to prioritize posts that encourage meaningful connections between individuals. This means more posts from friends and family will appear on users’ timelines and fewer from businesses, brands, and organizations. This attempt to cut down corporate clutter on users’ newsfeeds has small businesses seeing a decline in viewership. Even before this change, businesses found it challenging to appear on their target audience’s radar; now it’s only going to get harder.social media presence

This change doesn’t mean Facebook is any less important for s犀利士
mall businesses. It still attracts a large audience with 2.13 billion monthly users, and it would be ill-advised for businesses to neglect maintaining and growing their social media presence. But while it has become more difficult for small businesses, it’s not impossible. It just requires a different approach.

1. Prioritize Connection Over Sales:

It’s tempting to post sales pitch after sales pitch, but you’re not doing yourself any favors. Facebook is a place to build a connection and a relationship with your audience that will translate into sales. With Facebook now prioritizing meaningful connections over commercial clutter, this is more important than ever.

2. Use Ads:

One commercial aspect that won’t be affected by this update is ads. Paying for ads is a great way to get your business in front of your target audience. Facebook allows businesses to be very specific in who they target, narrowing down their audience by age, location, gender, and even interests. Depending on how long you want the ad to run, it doesn’t have to be expensive.

3. Create or Join a Community:

Businesses can create or join groups on Facebook that focus on their industry or expertise. By creating or joining a group, businesses can attract their target audience. For example, if you own a photography studio, you can join a group for local couples planning weddings. There, you can share your photography ideas and expertise. Just remember to stay away from ‘salesy’ language. Genuine participation will garner better results.

4. Create Events:

Is your business hosting an event? In additional to traditional advertising, create an event on Facebook. Local events will appear prominently in users’ timelines and you can invite followers to attend. When users respond that they are either attending or interested, their response may appear in their friends’ timelines as well, further spreading news of your event.

5. Engage With Your Followers:

It’s easy to think of Facebook as just another place to advertise your business, but at its heart, it’s social. It’s a great opportunity to interact with your audience, building a relationship and brand loyalty. When users comment on your posts, leave you reviews, or send you a message, you need to respond. This won’t only make an impression on the user you’re responding to, but will also make your business look good in the eyes of those who see it.

In the end, Facebook’s update is meant to benefit users. Small businesses that can appeal to this change will benefit, not only from improving their presence on Facebook, but also by better appealing to their audience.

Are you looking to improve your social media presence or update your social media strategy? Contact the digital marketing experts at MLT Group at sales@mltgroup.com or 507.281.3490 to schedule your FREE consultation today!

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Top 6 Ranking Factors for 2018

  1. Content keyword relevance & content based metrics – To rank well, your page content must show that it’s relevant to the search being done.  This is about publishing original content that is accurate to your services or products using the key phrases and geo-targets that are searched by the people you want to find you.
  2. Quality of online identity info – Lots of online directories publish information about your business, and they may have gotten it wrong. Claiming your business on map results and optimizing your business information across these directories is important to consumer confidence and to the search engines’ view of your businesses reputability.
  3. Responsive design / mobile optimization – If you want your site to rank in mobile searches (from smart phones and tablets) you have to have a mobile optimized site. Responsive design is the new standard. Businesses without mobile sites in 2018 are well behind the curve.
  4. Original and relevant content – Search engines don’t want to return results filled with the same-old-same-old content. Your site must be filled with original content that speaks to your offerings and the user’s search.
  5. Page load speed – Google is comparing the load speed of sites and returning results for searchers heavily influenced by how fast a site loads. Even sites built just a cou威而鋼
    ple years ago can probably realize load speed enhancements in 2018 by implementing new coding techniques.
  6. Backlinks – Good quality backlinks are the single biggest ranking factor, but link building is an arduous process. It’s difficult to get other sites to link to your site and it can be extremely time consuming. However no other ranking factor has a bigger impact. The better the quality of the backlink, the higher its value to your ranking, leading many SEO leaders to concentrate on expensive but effective PR backlinks (links from high quality sites that must be gained through public relations and relationship building).

Are you ready to improve your website’s ranking? Contact the SEO, paid marketing, and web development professionals at MLT Group today at sales@mltgroup.com or 507.281.3490.

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Twitter Doubles its Character Count- What it Means for Your Social Media Strategy

Twitter has always been a great marketing tool for businesses to use for communicating brief messages. Now the popular social media platform has announced it’s doubling its character count to 280. Whether you love or hate it, the controversial move has left small businesses wondering how this affects their social media strategies.

Well we have good news. This shouldn’t hurt your current social media strategy in any way, but it’s a great chance to take a step back and reevaluate how you can use the expanded character count to your advantage.

Remember Your Multi-Lingual Audiences:

One of the leading factors behind Twitter’s character expansion was user’s difficulty communicating based on their language. Twitter cited that users tweeting in English, Spanish, or French aren’t able to express as much per character as users tweeting in Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. If you have a multi-lingual customer base, this means tweeting just got easier!

Keep Content Strong:

It can be tempting to max out each tweet, but instead of making your tweets longer, make them more detailed. One of the biggest fears about this change is that it will clog users’ feed with wordy posts. With  strong, relevant content, your audience won’t get sick of your tweets, even if you do max out your character limit.

If It’s Not Broke, Don’t Fix It:

Are you killing it on Twitter? Then don’t worry about redesigning your social media strategy. That being said, if your strategy on Twitter isn’t garnering the results you want, you’ll want to reexamine it, regardless of the character expansion.

Don’t Forget the Basics:

While the new character limit offers more opportunity, don’t forget what has made your social media strategy successful. Continue to include strong visuals, properly utilize hashtags, and maintain your business’ voice. Whenever you make a change to your social media strategy, first ask yourself, ‘how does this help me achieve my business goals?’

Regardless of how you feel about the character expansion, it seems its here to stay. As with any change, it’s those who adapt that survive.

Do you have a social media strategy? Is it garnering the results you need? If not, contact the experts at MLT Group. We’ll help you develop and implement a comprehensive social media strategy that will help you see real world results. We also provide other importance services like search engine optimization and search engine marketing.

Schedule your free consultation today at sales@mltgroup.com or 507.281.3490!

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Backlink Boot Camp: Why Your Site Needs Them to Climb to #1

Competition for the top spot on Google is fierce and your site could use every advantage. Your site is optimized for search engines, your online identity is consistent, you’re running pay per click ads, and you’re regularly getting positive reviews, so what’s left? Backlinks are an important part of any digital marketing strategy and can help your website make it to page 1.

backlinks
Backlinks help your overall digital marketing efforts by allowing reputable sites to vouch for you.

What is a backlink? 

A backlink is a link from another site to your site. Backlinks from quality sites improve your rankings on Google and other search engines, making it an essential part of any SEO strategy. It’s almost as if another site is vouching for yours. When it comes to backlinks, quality trumps quantity. 100 low quality backlinks won’t have the same impact as a few high-quality ones. In fact, too many backlinks can seem spammy and actually hurt your SEO!

What makes a good backlink?

There are a few factors that go into a quality backlink.

  • Relevance- Backlinks should be related to your site and your business. If you provide carpet cleaning, you won’t want backlinks from a trucking site.
  • Domain Authority- Domain authority measures how reputable a site is. Backlinks from sites with high authority will be stronger than those from a site with low authority. You can use tools like the MozBar to evaluate a site’s domain authority.

How to get Backlinks:

Look for Broken Links: If there are certain sites you’d like backlinks from, search it for broken links. For example, if you’re a doggie daycare and you find a broken link on a pet blogger’s site, you can contact them, let them know about the broken link, and suggest replacing it with a relevant link to your site.

Ask: If there’s a site you want a backlink from, simply ask. This works best if you’ve formed a relationship with the site’s owner. Perhaps they’re a prominent blogger in your field? Follow their content, engage, and work on building that relationship before you ask, and you’ll increase your chances of getting that backlink.

Track Mentions: Services such as Google Alerts will track mentions of your business across the internet. If those mentions aren’t linked back to your site, you can email the publisher and request a link. For example, if your business was mentioned in the local paper’s online publication, Google Alerts will notify you and you can email the writer to link the article back to your site.

Are you ready to get quality backlinks for your website? Contact the experts at MLT Group at sales@mltgroup.com or (507) 281-3490 today! We’ll develop a backlink strategy to get your  website high-quality backlinks to help your site climb in rankings.

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How to Write an Effective Call to Action for Your Landing Page

When writing landing page copy for or your business’ site, nothing is more important than a strong call to action. Whether you want readers to click, call, or sign up, without a strong call to action, your conversion rates will suffer.

Even if you write a brilliant piece of copy, it will be rendered useless without a good call to action. But how do you create a strong call to action?call to action

Use Command Verbs

Your call to action is all about being direct. Using strong command verbs will let your readers know exactly what you want them to do. For example, ‘buy’, ‘shop’, ‘download’, or ‘find out how’ are all concise and strong.

Reduce Risk

When a visitor finds themselves on your landing page, they’re probably not ready to sign their life away. Including language like ‘no obligation’ or ‘FREE trial’ puts the visitor at ease, making it easier for them to follow through.

Keep it Brief

The longer your call to action is, the more likely you are to lose the reader’s attention. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. “Click now to increase your site traffic today!”

Have a Deadline

It’s easy for visitors to think ‘I’ll just come back later.’ Including a deadline will encourage them to act sooner rather than later. “Limited time only!” “Sale ends soon!”

Entice Your Audience

Have you ever been to a site that immediately asks you to enter your credit card info? How likely are you to jump right in? Not very. Instead of asking your visitors to buy right away, consider enticing them first by offering a free trial, directing them to a video, or a demo. This eases them into the decision to buy and allows you the opportunity to educate them on your product or service.

Get Creative

creative call to action
okcupid’s landing page has a strong and creative call to action that perfectly reflects their services.

You never know if something will work unless you try. Don’t be afraid to have fun and get creative with your call to action. Having a unique call to action will catch more attention than something generic. You can always change it if it isn’t working. Here’s a great example from the dating app, okcupid.

By following these tips, you can write a stellar call to action for your landing page. But what about the design and hosting? For a truly killer landing page, to use in your marketing campaigns contact the web development experts at MLT Group today at sales@mltgroup.com or (507) 281-3490.

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5 Ways to Build a Facebook Following for Your Business

You’ve set up your business on Facebook. Now it’s time to sit back and watch the likes roll in — or not. Building a social media following takes time and effort, but it allows you to better connect with your audience and generate leads. Looking to build your Facebook following? Check out these 5 tips for growing and maintaining your audience!Grow your Facebook following

  1. Leverage Existing Content:

    Creating content doesn’t have to be a full-time job. Do you have a blog? Are you taking pictures of staff around the office or work on job sites? Share these on social media! It will build your image as an expert in your field and make finding unique content easier. Just think carefully about what you share.

 

  1. Engage with Your Audience:

    Social media is, well, social! Don’t be afraid to engage with your audience beyond posting content. Did someone ask a question in the comments? Reply! A client left a review on your Facebook page? Thank them! Don’t leave your audience feeling like they’re talking into the void. Engaging with your audience shows that your business cares about what clients have to say and is accessible.

 

  1. Post Frequently:

    It used to be that if someone liked your Facebook page, your content would always appear in their newsfeed. However, when Facebook updated their algorithm to prioritize content that would be more relevant to individual users, pages saw their viewership drop. Now, only about a third of your content populates on your followers’ newsfeeds. To maximize your reach, posting frequently is essential. We recommend a minimum of 3 times per week, ideally once per day to build your Facebook following.

 

  1. Run a Like Building Campaign:

    While it will take more effort on your part to develop and run a like building campaign, it’s a great way to gain followers quickly. A campaign can take many forms, but is usually a type of contest which encourages users to like your page, the post, and/or comment to enter for a chance to win a prize. The prize should be related to your business, (e.g. 20% off services) and the details of the contest should be clearly stated in the post. It’s important to follow Facebook’s rules regarding contests. Otherwise, your contest may be removed by Facebook.

 

  1. Boost Posts:

    Do you have a stellar piece of content or an offer you want to reach more people? You can pay to boost a post to a targeted audience. The amount you spend depends entirely on how long you want the post to be boosted and how many people you want to reach. This makes it easy to customize your budget and reach a wider audience outside of your existing audience.

Don’t have time to build your business’ Facebook following or not sure where to start? We can help with that. Contact MLT Group at sales@mltgroup.com or (507) 281-3490 and ask about our social media campaign services!

 

 

 

 

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