Sarah Lambley FCIM CMktr

Fancy some counterintuitive email marketing advice? Here goes (brace for the backlash): Don't ask for permission twice 📩 I'm talking about NOT using double opt-in (in certain scenarios) Double opt-in ensures consent and verifies the authenticity of subscribers, which is great, but... 1️⃣ Lead magnets, sign-up forms, and newsletters – When someone signs up through these, they clearly know they’re exchanging their data for [x]. If they’ve ticked an opt-in consent box, they already understand they’re opting into your list (assuming you're very specific here). You’ve asked for clear permission, and set expectations – so why ask again? 2️⃣ Prevention is better than asking twice – Double opt-in helps weed out invalid or fake emails, but there are better ways to do this. Tools like email validators, CAPTCHA, honeypot fields, and rate limits all help prevent bots and dodgy emails from getting through without needing another opt-in. These tools and functions put measures in place to prevent bots' emails from bouncing or being harmful to your deliverability 3️⃣ That first email matters - Double opt-in protects deliverability by ensuring only confirmed emails stay on your list, but why make that first email a re-opt-in request? If you have good preventative measures in place, the first email should be relevant and personalised, not just a re-opt-in. If the email address is invalid, it’ll bounce anyway, so why create an unnecessary step for your subscriber who is expecting value from you in their inbox? Top tip: Set up strict bounce processes and email list hygiene practices if you're going to remove double opt-in, if it bounces on that first email - action immediately (use automation) Do you see what I mean? That re-opt in email becomes obsolete 4️⃣ It’s about the human experience - People online want things quickly and don’t want to be asked twice for what they’ve already clearly opted into and made a value exchange Double opt-in can disrupt that flow and experience if used in the wrong context (this is again not general advice for ALL email strategies and opt-ins) When SHOULD you use double opt-in? Head to the comments 👇 I’d love to hear what you think – don’t agree or do agree? Let me know why in the comments. Deliverability experts - I'd love to hear from you on this 🙌

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Always start with an SEO audit! That’s the rule I impose internally before we can work with a client. If the prospect disagrees, we don’t work with them. Simple. We lose more opportunities because of this than we gain, so why insist on it? There are two main reasons. 1. It’s our process: we are a highly process-driven business with processes and checklists for everything. It makes us more efficient and effective in what we do, It makes everything more predictable, including our results. We have a simple rule: If it’s repeated more than once, then there should be a process for it… we’ve even got a process for making a brew. Nah, not really. But, come to think of it, that’s not a bad shout. Secondly, it sets a definitive “line in the sand.”. A point in time from before we started working with a business and anything beyond that. This way, we can map out the route we take depending on the findings of the audit and the recommendations we propose. It also forms the basis of the strategy we propose and how we can bring value to a potential client based on what we’ve discovered and the prospect's objectives. I can’t vouch for competitors, but I have heard some horror stories when onboarding new clients, which suggest to me that there is little due diligence being taken to give clients the best possible advice but also to protect both parties from poor SEO/marketing practices. To me, that is completely counterintuitive, or am I wrong in thinking that? do you have a better process for onboarding, let me know

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🚨 Ever heard the joke about *how to get away with murder?* Just bury the evidence on page 2 of Google – because no one ever looks there! 👀 If your website is hidden on the second page of search results, it might as well be invisible to potential clients. Don’t let your business get lost in the digital shadows! Follow the link to watch our latest video and claim your free SEO audit, revealing what’s holding your website back and how you can reach the audience searching for you. 📈 Start climbing to page one today! Link in Comments #SEO #DigitalMarketing #GetFoundOnline #VisibilityMatters https://lnkd.in/eB-RWGTv

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UK Economy- don't cut your marketing budget... 💹 In a previous newsletter, I have written about the Mimic Octopus and its ability to adopt and change. ✔ You can read it here: 👇 https://lnkd.in/eUt6PVPG If you feel like your business is stagnating and you cannot find an angle to market your services, we now offer a cost-effective 💱 Marketing SWOT service. ✔ Plus, funnels from £150/month.... ✔ Get in touch to find out more. #marketingfunnels #marketingswot #marketingstrategy

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The biggest skill I learnt early on is running proper Meta Ads As opposed to boosting posts I know most people still don’t know the difference And think it’s one and the same thing Unfortunately, it’s not One major difference is you mostly boost posts within Facebook or Instagram While ads are run on a separate website 👉🏽 Facebook Adsmanager (it’s free to use) Using the Ads Manager is better because you can: ➡️ Target specific audiences precisely. ➡️ Customize ads to fit audience preferences perfectly. ➡️ Allocate your budget effectively across campaigns. ➡️ Control where your ads appear for relevance. ➡️ Track performance comprehensively for better optimization. ➡️ Set specific times for ad delivery optimization. ➡️ Automatically optimize ad creative for better performance. You get much better value for your money And have a wider range of campaign types to choose from PS: If you have any questions on how to run effective Facebook Ads, DM me

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Outsmart vs Outspend? Yes, but how?... as we plough towards end-of-financial year and budget time, the questions are probably coming up... 'How much should I be investing in my marketing?'... but MORE importantly, 'how much should I be expecting to get back?' The answer for you will be particular to your business, but HOW you find that answer is now backed up by stacks of data. I'm working with CEO Institute to put together a talk for business leaders who want to challenge themselves, their marketing teams and the market to get more from their marketing and make a Step Change. Tania Agliozzo will provide more details in the chat comments if you want to jump on. See you there...

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“I’ve got a £10,000 marketing budget this year, and need to go out to an agency”👇 Before selecting an agency and parting with that hard-earned budget (or maybe not hard earned.. who knows 😂), ask yourself a few questions about the agencies you are considering: 1. Do I like their content? 2. Do they target their audience? 3. How many followers have they got on relevant platforms? 4. What’s their engagement rate like against those followers? 5. Do they evidence the work they do with clients, for me to review? Basically, if the answer to any of the above is NO… then that is a red flag 🚩 … and you should steer clear! There are a lot of sh*t marketing agencies out there, there are also a lot of good ones, so make-sure you choose a good one by ensuring they actually produce good content, they actually drive positive results, and they actually target their own audience by checking their own social channels 😂🎯 A good agency will drive your brand awareness, develop your competitive advantage, tell your story, and get you recognised by those that count, ultimately driving your profitability! … a sh*t one will waste your time and money!

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Time to put my 'honesty pants' on and make an admission - I'm looking for more clients. Agencies, SMEs, marketing managers, and sole traders. All of you. If you want words, then I want to talk to you. 🌸What can I do for you? How about: 1. Clever and concise copy that tickles the brain 2. Websites that illuminate the reader about who you are and what you do 3. ToV and branding work that is unmistakeably you 4. Blogs that pique the interest 5. A human2human approach that shuns the boring and eschews the indecipherable 🌸I'm probably not the only copywriter in your feed, so here's what you'll get if we work together: 1. A journalist's brain which finds the angles you might be missing 2. Storytelling chops that will sell you to your audience 3. A creative mind that comes up with ideas with you 4. A dead-canny person to talk things through with and bounce off. It's always a collaborative process 5. Puns. Lots of puns 🌸What does any of that mean for your business? Well, together we can find out who your business should be appealing to and how to reach them. That means narrowing down your target audience and speaking directly to them in ways that connect emotionally and honestly. It might not have the immediate, visible impact of ranking on SEO but people buy from people they feel in sync with. That's what I can do for you. 🌸How do I do it? Everything I do is based around having conversations. That's how I'll find out about you/your business, how we'll come up with a voice and style, and how we'll generate creative ideas. There are no scary systems, just some chat and a notepad. 🌸What does it cost? I prefer to work on a day rate, which is £400. I'll usually see what fits into that day rate and work up a quote based on that. For example, two blogs usually equal one day of work, so that's £200 each. It's easier for me to keep track of everything and I'll always spell out how it adds up. For anyone who books in at least a day's work between now and the end of April though, I'll take 10% off the first day. Sound good? Now's the time to hit the message button and grab me by the virtual collar! ----------- Hiya! I'm a #freelance conversational and creative #copywriter/copy consultant who wants to help you connect with real people and let the personality of your business bloom. That's what Blossom Tree Copy is all about. If you're looking for someone who takes LI seriously though, then, as Bob Dylan once said. it ain't me, babe. 🌸 --------

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Retainer v project – what’s your preference when it comes to marketing outsource? In the B2B space, it takes a mighty big leap of faith to put all your eggs into the retained marketing services basket. But when you do, you’ll likely get the best results…. - an ‘always on’ marketing strategy aligned with your business goals - consistent messaging to keep you always ‘on brand’ – across all channels - a professional external ‘face’ for the company - regular marketing – to keep you in your customers’ minds, not your competitors - access to a mix of marketers with specialisms and up-to-date knowledge - people to call on in a marketing/PR crisis - a fixed out-going you can budget for upfront In my opinion, it's the ideal scenario. But, in a world where ‘ideal’ isn’t always the case, some businesses opt for the interim campaign approach, or have budget that works better project by project. It makes plenty of sense…. - the chance to ‘try out’ a resource with no long-term strings attached - perfect for launches, moves into new territory, etc, where you need to create noise - a blast of activity might be needed if you’re a seasonal business - great for injecting energy and creativity into a lifeless campaign idea - a ring-fenced piece of work you can budget for - if the results are good (better still, phenomenal), try it again - bring in to support your internal team when they’re overstretched, or illness, etc While the days of retainers are far from over, it’s fascinating to see more businesses taking a project approach. A one-off piece of work, with a fixed budget, is a great way to test the water. I find it fascinating to see how the world of work continues to evolve and this is perhaps one of those areas of change. #businessgoals #project #b2b #businesspassion #strategy

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Brand v Performance Marketing (and why it's better to invest in both) With the exception of low value impulse purchases, most people instinctively fear buying from businesses they don't know - a fear that tends to increase with the price of the item or service under consideration. They worry that they could end up in a situation where you take their cash and then supply an inferior, sub-standard product or a poor service, leaving them with no way of getting their money back. No matter how good you are at promoting what you do with ads and offers to try and make sales in the here-and-now, you're always going to rub up against this problem. This is one of the limitations of Performance Marketing - campaigns designed to drive purchasing action in the short term. These include pay-per-click search and shopping ads on Google, and similar ads on Facebook etc. You can usually spot Performance Marketing ads because they use language designed to create a sense of urgency (things like "hurry, offer ends soon" and "limited stocks available") combined with a special offer ("10% off when you buy today"). Performance Marketing definitely does work, but that fear of buying is an issue. That's where Brand Marketing comes in. As well as raising awareness of your business in the first place, Brand Marketing helps to establish your credibility and build trust. It consists of activities conducted over the long term, which include things like creating and distributing content that not only informs your audiences but that showcases your know-how and capabilities (think blogs, whitepapers, bespoke research and more) as well as securing positive media mentions with PR, creating and sharing success stories in the form of case studies, and obtaining reviews and testimonials from past customers. The factual content reassures people that you know what you're doing, whereas the customer reflections (what we call 'social proof') reassure people that you do it well. There's an equation that describes how Brand and Performance Marketing intersect: (Need + Solution) - Fear of Buying = Sales Performance Marketing matches your solution (product or service) to the need of your customer. Brand Marketing is what removes the fear of buying. I'll leave you with some interesting stats: According to a global survey of more than 1,400 marketers carried out in Q3/Q4 of last year, 36% say they will increase investment in Brand Marketing for 2024, up from 23% in 2022. There's a reason for that and it's the growing recognition that it complements Performance Marketing spend. Food for thought. #BrandMarketing #PerformanceMarketing

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High bounce rates will destroy your cold email campaigns if you do not have preventative measures in place... I am going to explain what they are, why they matter, the common causes and what you can do to reduce your bounce rate. So bounce rate refers to the percentage of emails that could not be delivered to the recipients inbox. In easy terms, when an email 'bounces' it means it was returned to the sender without reaching its intended destination. There are two main types of bounces: Hard Bounce: A permanent failure caused by reasons such as an invalid address or a non-existent domain. Soft Bounce: A temporary failure due to issues like a full inbox, server problems or the recipients email server being down. So why do they matter? High bounce rates will significantly impact your email campaigns success and your sender reputation: 1. Sender Reputation: ESPs (Email Service Providers) track bounce rates to assess the quality of your email list. A high bounce rate damages your sender reputation, which leads to more of your emails being sent to spam. 2. Deliverability: Emails that bounce don't reach their intended recipients, which reduces the overall effectiveness of your campaign. Less contacts = less replies = less positive replies = less calls booked. It's a numbers game. 3. Cost: Managing high bounce rates actually becomes costly after a while both from a time and financial perspective. You have to constantly clean and update your email lists. Exporting, editing, cleaning and importing big CSV files takes a lot of time, the software to verify these leads can get expensive too. Here are 6 steps to improve your bounce rate. It is a combination of best practices and proactive measures: 1. Regularly Clean Your Email List: Use email verification tools to check the validity of email addresses before launching any campaign. Make sure you are removing any inactive or invalid addresses regularly to keep your list up to date. 2. Monitor And Segment Your List: Segment your list based on engagement levels and send targeted campaigns to the active users (there are tools which allow you to filter leads by engagement and activity). 3. Use Quality Email Sending Services: Choose reputable email service providers (ESPs) with good deliverability rates and anti-spam measures. 4. Maintain A Healthy Sender Reputation: Avoid spammy content and excessive use of promotional language (I will cover this in a future post). Using authenticated domains with SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup will enhance your emails credibility. 5. Send Relevant Content: In order to maintain high engagement rates, it is important to ensure that your emails are relevant and valuable to your recipients. Personalise them frequently based on your ICPs preferences and behaviour. 6. Monitor Bounce Reports: This step is crucial. Keep an eye on the bounce reports provided by your ESP so you can clamp down on any increases in bounce rate immediately. Hope this was useful.

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I get asked a lot about agency utilisation rates, what's good, what's not and how to measure. Do you know your agency's utilisation rate? If it's over 65% your agency is in the top 5%... awesome job. But if it's below 45%, you may be under-performing. Let's find out... Click to visit our online utilisation calculator: https://buff.ly/3VXOpDE #agencyutilisation #agencykpi #agencysuccess #agencygrowth #agencyleader

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I get asked a lot about agency utilisation rates, what's good, what's not and how to measure. Do you know your agency's utilisation rate? If it's over 65% your agency is in the top 5%... awesome job. But if it's below 45%, you may be under-performing. Let's find out... Click to visit our online utilisation calculator: https://buff.ly/3VXOpDE #agencyutilisation #agencykpi #agencysuccess #agencygrowth #agencyleader

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What's wrong with this picture ❓ Well, if you sell diamond engagement rings 💍 in the UK and you can't see yourself, there's a lot wrong with it. Want to fix it? 🛠 DM me or email [email protected] to find out how. #businessowner #jewellers #jewllery #diamondrings #ecommerce #seo #growth #digitalmarketing #UK #summerjewellery #gems #gemstones

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B2B websites are facing a new challenge - meeting the rising demand for B2C-type experiences from buyers. Limited product information isn't cutting it anymore. B2B buyers now expect demos, images, videos, reviews, case studies, pricing details, and more. Invest in creating this content and you'll be more successful in attracting and retaining clients. Learn more about what buyers expect from B2B websites in our latest report "The B2B Disconnect." https://lnkd.in/eyseQ_iB #B2B #BuyerExpectations #DigitalMarketing #b2bmarketing #b2bwebsites 

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How to write your agency’s Home page to earn more enquiries: Headline - Client benefit or problem statement Subheader - We're this kind of agency for these brands Frame the problem - A prospect's specific issue, frustration or blindspot. Name the solution - The way you approach solving this for them Claim the outcome - How their lives will be better, with proof where possible Explain the approach - Service mix and trademarked approach Proclaim your credibility - Logos, testimonials and case studies Shame the alternatives - The status quo, plus cheaper and more expensive options Aim for action - Drive them to do one low-friction thing #advertisingagency #marketingagency #creativeagency #digitalagency #agency

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Get clients who are ready to instruct and sign the dotted line today… One constant feedback point I get from firms is that clients are “shopping around” There are things you can do to ensure clients who want to instruct today are reaching you Here’s a guide to generating clients that need immediate solutions 👇 1️⃣ Speak to Urgent Pain Points on Your Website Clients searching online often have immediate concerns. Your ads and website should reflect that. 💬 Example: Instead of: “We’ve handled thousands of tenancy deposit disputes.” Try: “Need your deposit back quickly? Get results in days, not weeks.” 2️⃣ Target People in the Market Clicks from irrelevant unqualified people mean nothing. Focus on those who are looking for your services. 🛠 Example: For personal injury campaigns, target keywords like: “How to get compensation after an accident at work” “Steps to take after a workplace injury” These people are searching with the intention of instructing. 3️⃣ Balance Short and Long-Term Messaging Once you’ve captured their attention with immediate solutions, subtly weave in your long-term value. 🌟 Example On your website or landing page: “We’ll help you secure urgent compensation now and support you through every step of your recovery journey.” Quick wins drive enquiries. Long-term success keeps clients loyal. 💡 Don’t get me wrong, you still NEED to sell when you speak to them 🫢 And Follow Up 🙌 {Something lawyers don’t enjoy so we built a solution that does it for you on autopilot} - More on this later... 🤫 🚀 I'm Garrett Hansen 💰 7 figures in client value generated for law firms. ➡️ Want more high-quality client instructions? Click my name + follow + 🔔 you’ll get free tips regularly #LegalMarketing #GoogleAds #LawFirmGrowth #PPC

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