Month: March 2021

Written by Anna Schutte

Edited by Allison Herrera

Customer Advocacy: What is it, and why is it important? 

In today’s world, there is no room for anything less than amazing customer support. Word of mouth remains the most common means of an endorsement. But, many companies overlook one helpful and effective thing: customer advocacy. 

So, what is customer advocacy? What role does it play? In this post, we’ll discuss everything you need to know – from the overall benefits to why we feel customer advocacy is an effective tool for any business. 

What is customer advocacy? 

Customer advocacy refers to the state of marketing in which a company focuses on the customer’s interest, and the customer serves as the spokesperson for your brand. By constantly focusing on consumers’ needs, one can be certain that future business developments, whether new products, new services, or new ways of providing a service, can be done with customers’ needs in mind. Customer advocates aren’t just repeated buyers, and they are the heart of the organization.

Why is customer advocacy important? 

Social media has changed the way brands engage with their consumers. Today, most consumers do not trust paid or placed advertisements. People are consciously seeking third-party validation. Word of mouth recommendation is a leading influence on a customer’s purchase decision. This means, having consumers promote your brand or products on your behalf will have a significant effect on your image. 

Today’s buyers are searching for brands that prioritize their customers and create brand advocates’ networks by rewarding loyalty. Companies that do not implement this could struggle against competition exceedingly difficult. 

Your customer represents a significant opportunity for your business. With consumer advocacy, the company is more likely to connect with new clients and establish long-term trusting relationships. Customer advocacy is a crucial approach towards building a brand community, where the consumer can openly share knowledge. It is essential to keep your customers involved in a community where they feel engaged. These user shots ranged from colorful landscapes to meaningful family photos. 

If you have any questions contact us at contact@uptowngirl.media. We’d love to chat with you!

Written by Jamie Hanzo

Edited by Allison Herrera

If you’re anything like me, understanding how typing words in search engines magically gets you to the page you desire has always been too much for my brain to handle — cue Channing Tatum figuring out the science problem in 21 Jump Street.

BUT, an article written in October of 2020 linked here made all of it a bit more clear for not so tech savvy-people like myself. 

The article written by Jase Rodley explained all the benefits of understanding and implementing keyword mapping to your business’s website. Keyword mapping is a concept that allows you to place certain keywords throughout different pages of your website so that the SEO can better track your site when these keywords are searched in Google.

Everyone wants to be that FIRST website that pops up when you type in the search engine. Well, that is possible if you use keyword mapping correctly. Keyword mapping helps you to:

1. Plan your content and brainstorm on relevant topics
2. Revise older content that isn’t ranking as well as it should
3. Organize your site navigation and URL structure

The first step I learned to do when wanting to implement keyword mapping is to think about a list of keywords that best relate to your article or page that you want to be found. For instance, if I wrote an article about different playgrounds around the Baton Rouge area, a list of keywords that I could think of would be: children’s playground, Baton Rouge activities, kid-friendly locations, swingset…the list goes on.

The second step I learned from the article is to “match your user’s intent”. This is basically a fancy way of saying “make your content for your readers, not the search engine”. You must start from the beginning of the process (writing your content). then make it to the end (mapping the keywords). Focusing on the search engine before the content would be backtracking. 

Your third step would be to create your very own keyword mapping spreadsheet — yay, nothing like a good spreadsheet to get your life together ! This will help you lay out and organize your team’s words that you have chosen to coincide with your article. Because of this spreadsheet, the structure of your article will be super easy to see and read. 

Now, you have a great grip on what keyword mapping is and how you can get the ball rolling. Interested in learning the next steps in keyword mapping to the next level? Look no further, friend. The article has MUCH more information to cover. As always, if you need any help from us over here at Uptown Girl Media, we specialize in all things website-related. Just shoot us an email at contact@uptowngirl.media. We’re always here for ya!

Written by Allison Herrera

Get in loser. We’re going shopping.

CNN Business wrote an article back in February (click here & read it) on how TJ Maxx hopes customers will “revenge shop” in hopes of making up for business lost over the past year from Covid-19. TJX (TJX), the owner of discount chains TJ Maxx & Marshalls, said Wednesday that sales at stores in the United States open for at least a year dropped 7% during the 13 weeks ending January 30 compared with the same stretch last year.

Crazy, right? But, wait…what is “revenge shopping”? The article quotes that revenge shopping is a, “theory that once the pandemic is over, people will go out and spend loads as revenge for being restricted from so long”. This theory is proposed by Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail. Saunders also believes that as people return eating out for dinner, traveling & returning to work, shoppers may invest more money in clothes for these occasions. The article explains that…

• • • This is already playing out in China, where Saunders says there has been a surge in spending on luxury items. The trend helped create an uptick in sales last spring for several companies, such as Tiffany & Burberry.
    • The National Retail Federation forecasts retail sales to grow between 6.5% and 8.2% to more than $4.3 trillion this year. The group says that would mark the fastest growth since 2004.
    • “We are very optimistic,” NRF CEO Matthew Shay said in a news release. “Healthy consumer fundamentals, pent-up demand, and widespread distribution of the vaccine will generate increased economic growth, retail sales and consumer spending.”

So, what do we think about these predictions?

Remember the “Roaring 20s” – the explosion of lavish after WWI, the pandemic & economic slump The main reasons for America’s economic boom in the 1920s were technological progress; which led to the mass production of goods, the electrification of America, new mass marketing techniques, the availability of cheap credit & increased employment which, in turn, created a huge amount of consumers. I think this article is on to something in terms of predictions. History has a way of repeating itself – especially economic cycles. I think this pattern of technological progress, mass production of goods, new mass marketing techniques (*sough* TikTok *cough*), the availability of cheap credit (which we already see) & increased employment is potentially reflective for 2021.

This pandemic has restricted many people’s way of life, & stripped the need or ability for luxury items. We wouldn’t term this predicted economic boom for product wants as “revenge shopping”, but perhaps refer to it as “revitalized shopping”. As our “new normal” conforms into a version that feels like pre-pandemic, yet still focuses on safety, people are now celebrating life & vitality. We believe shopping will re-energize our economy by reinvigorating the idea of celebration, a state of great comfort & will glamorize extravagant living once more.

What does this mean for you? This is a free-market economy, babe, & only the best of the best will survive. Let’s up your marketing game, because this economy will only let the fit survive…one thing we learned from quarantine was digital is the king of sales & your business is only as strong as your marketing is. Let’s chat today, so we can get your sales & branding back on top, as more people are looking for ways to spend their money. Let’s show them why they need (not want) your products/services.