Author name: Mechodal

There are hundreds of millions of small businesses around the globe, and they all have one thing in common: they need to market themselves to customers. Without marketing, customers wouldn’t know the business exists, nor would business owners have any way to stay in touch with their patrons.  As it turns out, SMBs also face another common predicament — increasing pressure to do more with less. In the complex realm of digital marketing, that means sending more messages, generating more sales, showing up in more places and taking on more responsibilities, all without any additional time, training or budget.  Sound familiar? It’s a reality that’s become all too familiar for SMBs around the world.  We’re passionate about helping small businesses succeed. That’s why we’re constantly digging into the latest trends to stay ahead of the curve. Our newest research study, Small Business Now: The State of SMB Marketing, explores the biggest barriers preventing small businesses from marketing effectively, and how they can overcome those obstacles to get closer to their customers. Here’s what we learned after surveying 1,300 businesses across Australia, Canada, the UK and the U.S.: Pulse Check: Overall SMB confidence is lower than expected, especially as it relates to marketing. It’s clear that the economy is a bigger concern today than it was in 2023, and overall marketing confidence is low. In the face of that uncertainty, many SMBs expect to spend more time and resources on marketing this year to stay top-of-mind with their customers.  If this sounds like you, a quick word of caution. Simply cranking up the dials across the board is unlikely to improve your campaign results. Instead, identify the holes in your current strategy and focus on using the right marketing tactics that’ll generate results. Often, the first step to accomplishing this is by evaluating and choosing the right marketing channels rather than placing all of your proverbial eggs into one basket. This can help SMBs to diversify the audience they are reaching, ensuring a flow of new interest while still building relationships with established customers, donors, and supporters. By pairing owned channels (like email, events, and SMS text messaging) with other opportunities like social media and online advertising, SMBs can confidently create a stronger marketing foundation. Out of Time: There aren’t enough hours for small businesses to prioritize marketing. Small businesses wear a lot of hats, so it’s not surprising that marketing takes a backseat to other responsibilities. But, what’s surprising is exactly how little time for marketing most SMBs have, and how frequently they put it off for later. And, that lack of confidence? It has a direct impact on time spent on marketing. Small businesses with low confidence in their marketing strategies are 1.5 times more likely to procrastinate or skip marketing altogether. The good news is that if you’re struggling to fit marketing into your day, there are tools to help you be successful. Constant Contact’s automation technology and content generation tools help SMBs work faster, send more messages and get more done without requiring any more of your precious time or resources. That means less time spent on marketing, but better results — so you can focus on what you do best. In fact, our last Small Business Now Report uncovered the fact that 33% of small businesses were saving more than 40 minutes a week on marketing by using artificial intelligence and automation, specifically in the areas of social media, content creation, and email marketing – the very spots where marketers are now struggling the most. 

Promotion World has once placed PageTraffic among the top. In the realm of technology blogging, captivating your audience goes beyond just the written word. Incorporating eye-catching CSS animations can elevate your content and provide a dynamic user experience. In this tutorial, we’ll explore the art of creating CSS animations to add flair and interactivity to your technology blog. Prerequisites Before we dive into the world of CSS animations, ensure the following: Step 1: Planning Your Animation Before writing any code, sketch out the type of animation you want. Consider the mood and tone of your blog, ensuring the animation complements your content. Step 2: Setting Up Your HTML In your blog post or webpage, identify the element you want to animate. Add a class to this element for easy targeting in your CSS. Step 3: Writing the CSS Animation Open your blog’s CSS stylesheet and add the following code: This example creates a simple fade-in animation with a slight upward movement. Feel free to experiment with different properties like opacity, transform, and transition to achieve the desired effect. Step 4: Triggering the Animation with JavaScript (Optional) If you want the animation to occur on a specific event, like when the user scrolls to the element, you can use JavaScript. Add the following script to your blog: Step 5: Preview and Publish Preview your blog post to see the CSS animation in action. Tweak the animation properties as needed to achieve the desired look and feel. Once satisfied, publish your post and let your readers enjoy the visually enhanced content. Conclusion By incorporating CSS animations into your technology blog, you add a layer of engagement that captivates your audience. Experiment with different animations and effects to find the perfect fit for your blog’s style. Elevate your content and make a lasting impression with the power of CSS animations. Share Article:     

This may be easy for you when your clients are freaking out over something that can be fixed with a simple reboot. But blogs can also help you stand out from your competition in your region. You may know just as much as the next IT pro, but if they’re not sharing engaging information then prospective clients won’t know it. As a long-time professional writer and marketing consultant, I’ve encountered hundreds of clients who think they can do my job better than I can. But my friends who are information technology professionals never have to deal with that. Instead, their clients look to their IT firm as experts in an industry they’re happy to admit they know very little about. And that’s why an IT company blog can be such a powerful tool for gaining new clients.  Even though it seems like information technology experts speak a different language, they have knowledge on dynamic, complex topics that form the foundation for systems that are at the very heart of any well-functioning business. Entrepreneurs know that if the computers go down, they’re likely at a standstill. Yet if you own an IT company, blog posting may be far from your mind. You may be thinking it’s too time-consuming and won’t help your client base. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. In this guide, I’ll share: Feel free to skip to a section you’re interested in or keep reading to learn about how starting an IT blog could be the best thing you do for your company.  Reasons to start an IT company blog Today, there are literally millions of blogs in America —an estimated 31.7 million, in fact. But let’s get one thing out of the way: it’s never too late to start a new blog for your IT firm, and you won’t be competing against any of the others. Your IT blog will be unlike any other because your knowledge base and experience are different from the rest. Some reasons to start a blog include: You can present yourself as an expert. This may be easy for you when your clients are freaking out over something that can be fixed with a simple reboot. But blogs can also help you stand out from your competition in your region. You may know just as much as the next IT pro, but if they’re not sharing engaging information then prospective clients won’t know it. Content marketing helps with SEO. Search engine optimization requires a large amount of text, interspersed with keywords, so that Google and other search engines are able to find what your clients are searching for. You won’t rank well unless your website functions well and contains the content people are searching for. Blogs help you strengthen relationships. Ever hear of the “Rule of 7?” This is a marketing term that explains that potential customers need to connect with a brand seven times before they’re ready to make a purchase. IT company blogs are a simple way to continue to reach your target audience without constantly trying to sell them your services.   Steps to starting a new blog Blogging can take time, so start the process by scheduling a planning session. The more you’re able to brainstorm in advance, the easier content marketing will be. To start, follow these steps: 1.  Determine your audience Have you created your brand persona? Understanding what sets your company apart from the others is an important step to determining your ideal customer and, in turn, your target audience. Ask yourself: What makes your company first, better, or different? Then, envision your perfect client. Drill down to the company size, industries, location, and company values. You’ll want to use your unique voice in your blog that speaks directly to your preferred customer. 2.  Pick your platform Plenty of platforms host blogs these days. You can choose from WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger, Medium, and many others. So take a look around and find the platform that fits your knowledge level and design idea. 3.  Create your editorial calendar So many clients of mine try to skip this step, but it’s the most important! Start with a simple spreadsheet with the following columns: It’s crucial that you publish your blog on a regular basis and at least once a month. You also should make sure you’re integrating the right keywords, which you can research using free online tools like Google Keyword Planner.

What are you going to write about? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You’re likely already subscribed to some of the best information technology blogs, which are full of ideas your target audience cares about. Here are a few you should check out: Examples of blog topics for IT companies While you may be reading these blogs and others like Recode and MIT Technology Review, it’s unlikely that your clients are, too. Feel free to provide your own version of the blog topics, but with two important caveats. Never plagiarize, and always write in a way that a layperson can understand.  Try these IT company blog topics in your own blog: Not sure what else to write about? Ask your current clients. You may be surprised by what they’d want to learn from you. A simple survey can be sent to your email list as part of your brainstorming process. How to promote your IT company blog You may have the best blog, but it won’t do you any good if no one knows about it. Use new blog posts as a way to connect with both current and prospective clients. Do this through: Posting on your website Have a dedicated page just for your blog posts. Social media marketing Along with posting links to other blogs and vlogs on your social media pages, you should also be providing new content with your blog. Be sure to post updates on your LinkedIn news feed, as well as Twitter and Facebook.  Email newsletters Building an email list can help you directly connect to qualified leads. Informative, educational, and even entertaining blogs give you a reason to send an email. If you haven’t started collecting email addresses from your customers, start now. The next step for marketing your IT company If your goal is gaining new clients, content marketing through blogging is an important step. But it’s not the only step. The reality is that it can take a long time to organically improve your search ranking through blogging. In the meantime, integrate other marketing techniques to gain awareness of your brand.To learn more about IT marketing, check out The Download. This free guide outlines the basics of effective IT digital marketing plans.