All businesses share one common goal, and that’s to achieve steady and continuous growth. I’m sure we could make a laundry list of tactics that could help us get there, but one thing stands out above the rest: COMMUNICATION. If there’s one thing that your team should be focusing on this year, it’s improving their internal and external communication practices.
Whatever efforts you’re making now can be improved with some reflection and a plan. Good communication has no ceiling, and it’s worth putting time and effort into because it builds your reputation, establishes your brand, and ultimately, sells your products and services.
Internal Communication
The members of your team need to be on the same page. There are four types of business communication, and three of those are internal: internal upward, internal downward and internal lateral. All three aid in creating consistent messages and uncovering problems for customers. Additionally, keeping the members of your team informed on internal news will make them feel more involved and invested in your business.
Whether it be at an in-person meeting, virtually or over email, always ask your team what questions they get asked the most by customers. By uncovering recurring problems, you can find a way to solve them. If a customer asks the same question to multiple team members, the goal is that they’ll get the same answer every time. To achieve this kind of consistency, you need to establish a standard for the entire team and determine what you want to say about your business.
Don’t know where to start? Our Bowe Digital team helps businesses establish their brand voice and presents them with the strategies they need to communicate effectively with their audiences through our Story Arc Process. We interview your customers to find out what they really think; then, we combine that information with your values and goals to present a story everyone on your team can follow.
External Communication
Now that you have the ammunition, you need to communicate with your customers proactively with a consistent message. It's time to act as a resource and establish your team as industry experts. Eliminate commonly asked questions by answering them before they’re asked. AmeriTitle’s blog is a great example. As a partner of ours, they use this space to explain the complexities of their industry and provide tips, covering topics that commonly trip up their customers. This kind of proactive communication can be done through blog posts, social media, emails, etc.
All communication to your external audiences should be timely and of substance. The golden rule is to not keep customers waiting and to not waste their time. Never communicate just for the sake of communicating. Instead, make sure you’re always providing content that is relevant or of value to them. Focusing on communication with your internal and external audiences this year is the best way to invest in your business. Who better to help you improve your communication than our team of communication experts at Bowe Digital. We’re here to help you reach your audiences in a way that works for you! Contact us today.
From Guest Blogger & Bowe Digital Intern, Mackenzie LeClere:
Today, more than 90% of businesses use social media to promote their brand. Hopefully, your business is one of them. Even if you’re on social media, are you using it correctly and efficiently? Social media can be a great thing when done correctly, and Bowe Digital is here to help.
Having social media is a must these days if you are trying to take your business to the next level. To begin with, it’s cost-efficient! Social media is one of the most inexpensive and easiest ways to market towards your customers and the public. Instagram, Facebook and other platforms can have a huge impact on your sales and reach potential clients or partners without hurting your marketing budget.
By having an active presence, you can engage and reach people who have never heard of your business. For example, you share a post to 100 of your followers advertising your business. Those followers share and repost your post bringing in 100 other new eyes. All this leads to new customers -- and more awareness -- for your brand with a click of a button.
Not only is it important to have social media to bring awareness, but it’s an awesome way to form relationships with customers. Within Instagram and Facebook, there are features designed to message people. This allows people who have questions about your business to ask and get a response right away. This is a plus for you because you’re showing them that customers are a priority, making you stand out from other businesses.
TIPS
Hopefully, these tips come in handy. If you’re looking for more help in this area, Bowe Digital is here. Let’s talk today!
Mackenzie is a Fall 2020 Bowe Digital intern and attends Illinois State University studying communications. She’s majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Sociology. She loves writing, dancing and spending time with friends in her free time.
By now, I’m sure you’ve looked at the video above and are wondering where she could possibly go with this in relation to marketing. Marketing takes boatloads of work. You must put in the time and effort to know your audience, understand your company’s comfort level with creativity and constantly keep up with new tools. One main driving force with marketing at Bowe Digital is to never stop learning. We do our very best to learn about anything new for digital marketing because we want to provide the best service we can for our partners.
The video above was a gritty starting point for me the summer of 2018. I purchased a baby green warmblood horse with loads of energy. As you can see, he was a bit of a handful when we started. He refused jumps, ran off with me many times, bucked me off several times and was pretty much a toddler in their terrible twos. From the summer of 2018 to late winter 2019, he’s become a different horse. My experience with marketing has run parallel with training my horse.
Bowe Digital was just a “baby” when I started. There was much to learn about title insurance, design, our partners and how everything worked. I was excited to start but was nervous about the opportunity. As the months passed by, the amount of knowledge I gained in such a small amount of time was unreal. Being able to apply that brain power to our partner companies is something we’re all incredibly passionate about.
We provide each of our partners the reins and we are the horsepower that drives your marketing. Branding is an important part of selling what your company is about and it’s why we take the time to customize your marketing. We learn your audience, your preferences and then we create. We also give our partners each month the opportunity to review our work, allowing you to get exactly what you desire. We are hands-on and non-stop and we promise we won’t let you down.
The video above is what 10 long months of good old-fashioned hard work, blood, sweat and tears look like. I put in the work to get what I want out of everything I participate in, particularly my job. My pathway through the digital marketing world is very different from what most would expect it should be. Digital marketing is a tough gig with tons of competition. You’ve got to be the best to please the best and I believe that is why Bowe Digital’s marketing stands out from “the other guys”. If you’ve got marketing needs, you should probably put a Bowe on it. Email me today at ashley@bowedigital.com.
The Bowe Digital team had the best time at ALTA ONE! It’s always invigorating to see several of our partners and friends in one place, and Wayne loves catching up with his old colleagues from the American Land Title Association.
If you were there, we hope you got a chance to stop by our booth. (We were in the middle of Market ONE room, so it was hard to miss us with our friend, Shane, from BombBomb.) We also loved the speaker at the first Omni Session, Sekou Andrews. The presenters were great the entire week, but the spoken word poet/motivational speaker’s message certainly resonated with us. Andrews latched onto the “defy convention” theme. Using a little wordplay, Andrews told us to embrace new ideas and to not be afraid to splash around and create a “Title Wave.” He challenged the crowd to be “bold enough to share who you are” with your potential customers.
Since storytelling is a big part of what we do at Bowe Digital, our team silently applauded that line from the audience. In fact, if you’re ready to put Andrews’ words in action for your company, we’d love to be the ones to help you tell your story better. Wayne was also one of presenters of one of the breakout sessions. He talked about digital marketing (of course).
Reminding the crowd that there is no “silver bullet” marketing solution, Wayne and his co-presenter, Dean Collura, gave five tips when it comes to improving your company’s digital presence with a multi-channel approach. Those five tips were:
Huge congrats go out to Cynthia Blair too! She officially became the ALTA president for 2018-19, succeeding our friend Steve Day of Fidelity National Title Group. We know Cynthia, who is one of the founders of Blair Cato Pickren Casterline in South Carolina, will use her tenure to continue to do great things for ALTA and the entire land title insurance industry.
Splash, splash!
Ready to reconnect with Bowe Digital, no matter if we met in LA or way before then? Great! Contact us today.
Happy fall, y’all.
October is certainly busy for us, just like it is for so many of you! We’re putting the finishing touches on a new www.bowedigital.com and gearing up for ALTA ONE, the national conference put on by the American Land Title Association.
It’s going to be great to talk to so many of our partners, and Wayne will be co-presenting a session called, “Are You Speaking To Me? A Blueprint for 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Channels.” We’ll give you a recap of what he says and everything else that we learn during the conference for you. We’re sure we’ll pick up lots of things we can use for our non-land title partners and future customers too.
For those of you joining our team at ALTA ONE in California, Wayne’s talk happens on Oct. 10 (that’s Wednesday) at 10:30 a.m. Be sure to stop by the Bowe Digital booth during the week too. We’ll have lots of cool stuff, and we love meeting new people. (Old friends are always welcome to stop and chat too.)
We’ve gotten lots of compliments on our first website during our first year in business. It will always have a place in our hearts, but we can’t wait to show you the new BoweDigital.com. It’s just so warm and inviting. You’ll see the faces of the entire Bowe Digital team sprinkled throughout, and even though some of us were nervous about the photoshoot, the pictures turned out great.
The new site also better highlights why Wayne named the company Bowe Digital. (Hint, it’s to honor his grandfather.) There has always been a blurb about Bowe on our page, but the redesign truly showcases it. We love that!
Our website redesign is a great example of what we can do for our partners. Anything can be improved and honed. Don’t wait until you’re behind to figure out how you can do something better. If you have any marketing desires you’d like to see become a reality, contact Bowe Digital today.
Mergers and acquisitions are huge steps for any company to take. Media relations during an acquisition or merger are crucial. Bowe Digital can help make the transition smooth for your business and ensure success. Let's talk today about what we can do to help with any future merger or acquisitions.
From press releases and media relations to advertisements and social media content, we've got you covered.
You need a pro. Put a Bowe on it.
Click here to contact us today.
Unless you've been living under a very peaceful rock, you've noticed that the title insurance industry is in a major transition. New, more tech-savvy homebuyers are changing the industry by researching online and shopping around for different title companies. While every industry professional has noticed these changes, many are too busy to explore new forms of customer interaction. You've heard the calls to market yourself in new ways and harness social media, but how do you get started? Bring your title company into the 21st century with these three steps.
1. Meet your potential customers wherever they are.
In 2018, that obviously means investing in tools that maximize your exposure. But simply being there and utilizing the web for peak marketability are two different things. We want you to do the latter.
Verify your business on Google
Google is obviously the king of the internet as the most visited website in the world. "Google" as a verb has been in our vocabulary for years. This will be the first place a new home buyer goes to figure out what title insurance is, if you have any ratings from past customers and why they should pay you for your services, so your business should be prominently promoted with its own page. If you really want to harness customer ratings, contact us today.
Perfect a Facebook page
Pretty much everyone in the United States has a Facebook page, which means your business probably has one too. In fact, 2.2 billion people around the world use Facebook. But are you using it effectively? Make sure you have enough information in your "About" section to hook people who are browsing your page and make sure Facebook messages are enabled so customers can get in touch easily. Remember, Facebook might be the first time potential clients are looking at your business, so make a great initial impression! If you really want to set yourself apart, let's talk about developing a Chat Bot for your Facebook page!
Make a Linkedin page
Linkedin is no longer just for job seekers, it's also the place to update consumers with news about your business and your industry. It's a great venue to market yourself as a thought leader in the title industry and allows your employees to act as ambassadors for your business with their personal pages. We can help with creating too—let's talk.
Claim your Yelp page
As the top review site, Yelp is extremely important to your company's online brand. An unclaimed Yelp page can be even worse than bad reviews because it seems like your business doesn't even exist!
97% of consumers use the internet to find a business and 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Modern consumers don't want to complete such an important transaction with a company they can't find on any one of these sites. To ensure you aren't left in the internet dust, get a Bowe Digital digital checkup of your online presence today.
2. Ask for reviews
If the last paragraph inspired you to verify your business on Google, that's a great start. But your new page won't be its most effective without reviews because they can influence your rankings on Google searches. if you want to ramp this ranking up, contact the five best consumers that you've worked with in the past month and ask them to leave a review on any one of your new pages. Also remember, it's not just Google potential customers are finding you on. Good Facebook and Yelp reviews will entice people who know nothing else about you to check you out. No matter the platform, these testimonials provide legitimacy to your business listing.
3. Create content explaining WHY
Now that new consumers can find you and past clients are raving about you, it's time for you to communicate more directly. Create content that explains why they need title insurance and why they should select your company. Videos, social media posts and short, punchy blogs are the best ways to connect with and inform your consumers. Once you start creating content, a consistent social media strategy is key. You are much more likely to reach consumers by posting several times per week rather than a couple times a month.
Patrick Russo is a summer intern at Bowe Digital. He recently graduated from the University of Maryland with degrees in Marketing and Government and Politics. As part of the fourth generation of his family to in the title industry, Patrick has been hearing about title for his entire life. Now he loves to write about it. Intrigued by what Patrick just said but need a little help getting everything started? Bowe Digital wants to help! Contact us today at contact@bowedigital.com.
Bowe Digital recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Having been with Bowe from the start, I find it incredible how quickly we've grown, all the while helping each of our partners do the same. Considering my ideal industry is the world of culinary and food writing, I had lots to learn from the beginning simply from an industry standpoint. But it certainly has been worth it. Working with our partners and helping them achieve their marketing goals is so rewarding.
Three Things You Should Know About Bowe Digital:
1. Who are we?
Simply put, we are a digital marketing company that builds a power for your brand that other marketing firms can't. With our incredible service and drive, we can bring your company to the next level before your competition.
2. What sets us apart?
Our team is a tightly-knit group of people that is focused on improving the image of our partners. We know that the work they do is incredible, and the passion they have for this industry makes them amazing to work with. What sets us apart is the drive and knowledge we have to help shape the image our partners desire, so they can get the recognition (and business) they deserve.
3. What services does Bowe Digital offer?
Our services range from media management to a total marketing overhaul. We survey your customers to determine their favorite aspects of working with you. Bowe Digital offers Digital Check Ups to let you know what works best for your company and what improvements can be made. We then develop you a brand message and marketing plans based on that research. We'll fine-tune our strategy to whatever is best for you.
Bowe Digital has given me the opportunity to grow and learn about an industry that can be applied to any other line of work in the future. It's been an experience more valuable than I ever imagined. I've developed skills in marketing social media concepts as well as expanded my knowledge of accounting as I worked on managing invoices for our partners, even as I left Indiana to continue my studies in North Carolina. Being able to step away for a short time and then return, the impact of Bowe Digital's evolution is not lost on me.
Just one year ago, we were only doing some marketing work for a few title companies. That itself is a testament to the reputation my brother built during his time with the American Land Title Association. In fact, ALTA wanted to be – and was – one of our first clients. However, over the past six months alone, Bowe Digital has blown up to be the premier choice for marketing in the title industry. We have expanded from just my brother and me to an incredible team of six people. This great group now works alongside and betters more than 40 companies across the USA.
Though a majority of our work this first year has been working with companies and people in the in the title industry, our repertoire at Bowe Digital is diverse enough to aid a wide range of partners. As I rejoin the team this summer, I am excited to be a part of this expansion. Want to be a part of our future and achieve your goals at the same time? Let's talk.
Kolton Davis helps keep the trains moving in the Bowe Digital world and was Wayne's first employee. He's a pro at managing the company invoice system and is spending the summer doing blog posts and other tasks for Bowe Digital and our partners to satisfy his love of writing and desire to learn about new topics. Kolton is a chef-in-the-making and is finishing his culinary arts degree. He has a passion for writing, so becoming a food critic is also on the table.
By now you've heard that Bowe Digital is your Business Best Friend (it's true, look it up). As we dive head first into the holiday season, we know you're going to have tons of opportunities for photos with the other BFFs in your life (BFF=best friends forever).
And as it turns out, Bowe Digital has a serious case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)! We want to see how you and your Holiday BFF relax, have fun, dress up and maybe even party this month!
So, here's the deal...take a pic (or 10) with your Holiday BFFs and share them on our Bowe Digital Facebook page by clicking here. Each photo you share enters you to win 15% off your social media management for 2018 and a sweet new Google Home Mini. Can't beat that, right? See, serious FOMO over here!
Your Holiday BFF might be your spouse, dog, co-workers, church group, kids...who are we to say who you relax and enjoy the season with? Now start posting those pics!
