how to use chatgpt

Heads up, Google. The search engine game just got a whole lot more interesting.

No, seriously – this time we mean it.

Meet ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), the big-shot language learning model that’s ready to shake things up. With its cutting-edge technology, ChatGPT can help content creators tackle everything from developing compelling topics to streamlining research and even mimicking brand voice. 

Keep reading to find out why ChatGPT is quickly becoming the not-so-secret weapon for content writers and marketers alike and how you can use it to optimize your blog content.

First, What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is the perfect AI-powered companion for bloggers and marketers who need to create high-quality content efficiently. It is based on OpenAI’s powerful GPT-3 platform, giving it the ability to assist with a variety of SEO tasks.

So, how can you make the most of this innovative tool? Let’s begin by exploring how ChatGPT can help you with the essentials of blog writing. Once we have covered that, we’ll delve into more advanced features that can take your writing to the next level.

How to Use ChatGPT to Write Optimized Blogs: The Basics

Keywords

When it comes to SEO, choosing the right keywords is essential. With ChatGPT, you can generate a list of relevant keywords to incorporate into your blog content. 

How to Craft Keywords with ChatGPT:

Simply provide the tool with a topic, and it will suggest a range of related keywords to include in your writing. By using these keywords strategically throughout your content, you can improve your chances of ranking higher on search engine results pages.

Topics and Headlines

One of the most challenging aspects of blogging is coming up with fresh, engaging topics and headlines. Fortunately, ChatGPT can help with this too. With this handy tool at your fingertips, you’ll never run out of ideas for your next blog post.

How to Develop Topics and Headlines:

Input a few keywords related to your niche or industry and ChatGPT can generate a list of potential blog topics and attention-grabbing headlines. Or, do you have a blog that’s ready to be published but you’re struggling to come up with a catchy and memorable title? Don’t worry, you can turn to ChatGPT for help! Simply copy and paste your content into the platform and ask, “What should I title this blog?” and let ChatGPT generate some ideas for you.

*Tip: Include the tone you want when asking for a blog title. 

Outlines

Outlining your blog posts can help you organize your thoughts and ensure that your writing flows smoothly. With ChatGPT, you can generate an outline for your blog post, complete with suggested subheadings and bullet points. 

How to Build Blog Outlines with ChatGPT:

With the flexibility to include your preferred discussion points and contextual information, you can expect to receive a thorough and organized outline that will serve as a reliable guide. Simply provide ChatGPT with your topic and requested outline format, and watch as the tool effortlessly delivers a tailored outline that caters to your needs.

Research 

In addition to generating keywords, topics, headlines, and outlines, ChatGPT can also be a useful tool for conducting research. Whether you’re writing a blog post on a new topic or need to gather information to support your arguments, ChatGPT can help you find reliable sources.

How to Conduct Research with ChatGPT:

Sometimes, all you have to do is ask; simply input a question or topic and ChatGPT will answer. You should look over and fact check these answers but, generally, most responses are a good starting point for research. 

Let’s take a look at what the tool answered when I asked about B2B vs B2C Marketing.

As you can see, ChatGPT produced an accurate description that answered my question and would be helpful in starting a blog.

ChatGPT can provide an answer as well as a list of relevant sources, including articles, blog posts, and research papers. You can also use the tool to generate summaries of these sources, making it easier to quickly scan through the information and find what you need. 

Making Your Writing Better

Yes – We said better! You can input a piece of writing into a tool with the prompt “make this better: [Insert text here]” and watch as it transforms your text.

At Digital Storyteller, we use this function to quickly enhance our writing in several ways. Need to clarify a point? Try “make this more clear.” Want to sound more professional? Use “make this more formal.” Looking to create a more conversational tone? Go for “make this more casual.” If you want to make your writing more comprehensible, just use the prompt “make this easier to understand” with your input text.

By using these prompts, adjusting your writing has never been easier or more efficient.

Now, Let’s Get to the Good Stuff: The Details

Additionally, as any SEO pro knows, the devil is in the details when it comes to writing blogs that rank high on search engines. That’s why it’s essential to pay attention to key elements like maintaining a consistent tone throughout your content and using the active voice whenever possible.

However, keeping track of all these details can be overwhelming and time-consuming, especially for non-professional writers. Enter, ChatGPT.

Let’s discuss how we can use this  tool to help writers fine-tune their content and optimize SEO efforts. 

Adjusting Tone

One of the most impressive features of ChatGPT is its ability to adjust tone to match your brand voice. Whether you want your content to sound professional, conversational, or somewhere in between, ChatGPT can help you strike the right tone. This means that you can maintain a consistent brand voice across all of your blog content, helping to build trust and recognition with your audience.

How to Adjust Tone using ChatGPT:

Paste a paragraph or two of your choosing into the tool and tell it who you are, your audience, and what tone you are going for. With no context, this is what ChatGPT may come up with something like the following:

But, if we add a little context and ask for a specific tone and we get this:

While we may not use every suggestion provided, it’s a great starting point and gives us inspiration for how we can begin our blog. 

Active Voice

Using active voice in your blog posts can help make your writing more clear, concise, and engaging for your readers. It can also be beneficial for SEO, as search engines tend to favor content written in active voice over passive voice.

How to Say Goodbye to Passive Voice in your Blogs:

You can paste sections or the whole blog into the tool and ask “Are any of these sentences using passive voice?” The tool will then give you a list, which you can alter using a prompt such as “make the above sentences with passive voice into statements with active voice.”

Things to Note: What ChatGPT Can’t Do and What to Look out For

Firstly, the information ChatGPT provides might not always be the most up-to-date since it was trained only until 2021. Moreover, its responses are limited to 500 words in length, and it leans towards a formal tone if you don’t specify a tone to use. So, if that doesn’t match your brand voice, keep an eye out for that!

You might also notice that Chat GPT occasionally repeats itself due to its machine learning algorithms. But don’t worry, our solution is simple: we always have a human read over every piece of content that Chat GPT produces to make sure it’s spot-on.

Despite these limitations, Chat GPT remains an incredibly useful resource for generating informative and entertaining content. Just keep in mind its boundaries and use it wisely, and you’ll be able to take full advantage of its capabilities.

A Final Word

In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool for bloggers and marketers looking to optimize their content for search engines. With its AI technology, ChatGPT can suggest targeted keywords, develop attention-grabbing headlines, create outlines, conduct research, and even adjust the tone of your writing to match your brand voice. By incorporating ChatGPT into your content creation and optimization process, you can streamline your workflow, save time, and improve your chances of ranking higher on search engine results pages. So, what are you waiting for? Give ChatGPT a try and take your blog content to the next level.Interested in finding out more? Read on to learn about the ROI of organic digital marketing (yes, it can be measured!) Then, get in touch with our team to schedule your FREE Brand Storytelling Session.

black and white question marks

(No, it’s not “Digital Storytellers…”)

So, what’s the story behind our digital marketing agency’s name? “Digital Storyteller” wasn’t the first name that our Founder, Amanda Rogers, came up with. The first name was, well… An interesting choice, to say the least.

But there’s a great story behind it!

Hear it from Amanda Rogers, Owner and Chief Creative Officer, and Andrew Marr, Owner and CEO in the video below.

The Original Name: “Design and Harmony”

Back in 2020, our company was small but mighty. It also was NOT called Digital Storyteller, yet!

It was, instead, called “Design and Harmony.” Here’s why according to Amanda:

“My mother was on Broadway when I was 10… I spent every night backstage on Broadway listening to Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters do Sunday in the Park with George.”

Amanda thinks back to the musical… “The play opens with the orchestra swells, and Mandy Patinkin is standing in the middle of a blank stage, and he says…”

“‘White, a blank page, or canvas, the challenge to bring order to the whole through design, composition, form, balance, light, and harmony.’”

And so, Amanda named our company “Design and Harmony.”

Why? Well, a website is like a blank page or canvas, says Amanda. “The challenge is to bring order to the whole through design, composition, form, balance, light, and harmony.”

The Switch to Digital Storyteller

Although a beautiful story, no one has time to tell it every time we tell them our company name. Thus, Andrew came up with the name “Digital Storyteller.”

Why? It is, at its simplest form, what we do: Tell stories in a digital format.

Interested in learning more about the team? Check out this article to see what a day in the life of an organic marketing team looks like.

Social Media for Financial Services Companies

The use of social media in financial services is often disputed. Some believe that social media does not hold the same value for business-to-business (B2B) brands as it does in the business-to-consumer (B2C) market.

This, however, is not the case.

While it may be true that B2C companies are often more successful on social media than B2B companies, there are still a multitude of various reasons why building a social media presence benefits a financial services company.

Take it from our Social Media Team at Digital Storyteller: “A marketing strategy without social media is like a margarita without tequila. No one wants that!”

In this article, we’re detailing the key benefits of using social media marketing for financial services companies.

1. Strengthen Existing Relationships

One of the greatest benefits for all businesses to developing a social media presence is to strengthen their existing client relationships.

This may refer to:

  • Engaging with existing or past clients, or
  • Nurturing relationships with contacts that have yet to become clients

Either way, social media networks provide a platform to maintain relationships.

Email marketing and consistent calls are of course another option to nurture relationships! These methods, however, have the potential to get irritating rather quickly.

While blasting your clients’ inboxes with emails may lead them to the dreaded unsubscribe button, they may not feel the need to take such drastic measures when their level of engagement is the casual viewing of sporadic Instagram posts.

Social media provides a relaxed addition to your existing client nurturing process while additionally providing a platform to develop new relationships.

2. Build Trust 

In the same way that Google evaluates content for SEO purposes, viewers evaluate clients based on their authority and expertise. Developing a depth of content on social platforms provides potential clients an opportunity to review your level of expertise within your field.

Over time, existing clientele and prospective clients will likely begin to follow your accounts and engage with your content. Engagement with your content shows that you have a proven following and support system that trusts your business.

Read on to learn more about Instagram engagement.

3. Provide Customer Support 

Social media has turned into an easy, new line of communication.

It has become common for consumers to utilize social media to gain support and answers from companies rather than going through their traditional customer service channels. Various social media platforms provide space where clients are comfortable and familiar.

It is easier for a client to tag, tweet, or comment on a company’s latest post than it is to sit on hold with the customer service line for hours trying to solicit help… No, thanks!

Companies love to see their favorite clients and prospects engaging with them on a personal level through social media. Brands that engage and respond to their clients on social media have overall higher customer satisfaction ratings. 

It’s 2022, your clients are on social media—and your competitors are, too.

The truth of the matter is: Brands are expected to have a social presence.

Giving your clients an additional outlet to contact you offers them the support and guidance they’re looking for.

After all, your product or service already serves to solve a problem that they’re facing. Why not fix another one by making yourself more accessible?

4. Humanize Your Brand 

In a sense, this goes along with the previously mentioned need for customer support. Making your brand available on social media is like positioning yourself as their friend. Social media platforms were created to connect friends and share experiences, so why can’t the same be the case with brands?!

Social platforms allow your brand to share a behind-the-scenes look at the people that make your brand what it is. For example, our co-founders, Andrew Marr and Amanda Rogers, each have their series of relevant videos that we share weekly.

Not only do these videos “share the secret sauce” behind our brand, but they also give our viewers insight into the faces behind the brand! Plus, who doesn’t love a chardonnay review!?

The same may also be the case with your brand. Finding a way to interact with your clients on an informal basis allows them to consider you a friend or peer. It creates a relationship of trust and mutual respect: Two things you definitely want in your client relationships.

5. Gain Insight

Lastly, being engaged on social media allows your brand to gain insight. Be it consumer or competitive insights, social media functions as a reporting platform. 

The way that consumers engage with your social media account can tell you about their buying behavior, likes, dislikes, and needs.

Instagram, for example, has transitioned its functionality to operate similarly to a search engine for users. Tracking the views of your page, accounts reached, post likes, comments, shares, and saves can provide significant insight into how your brand is performing.

Read on for our article “What is Going on With the Instagram Algorithm!?”

Similar claims can be said about your competitors. One of the benefits of public social media accounts is that you can track insight into your competitors’ content. As they provide content for their followers, you have a front-row seat to see what they’re doing!

A Final Word

If your brand is already on social media, there are additional ways to ensure that you are optimizing your channels. This is particularly the case for financial services companies interacting on social media.

Check out this article for additional tips on the use of social media for financial services companies!

tracking marketing kpis

SEO, CTA, KPI … The list of terms you need to know for your marketing strategy seems to go on and on. We’re here to help break it down and make it easy for you to understand. Keep reading for our full guide to marketing key performance indicators (KPIs).

What is a KPI?

KPI stands for key performance indicator. They are a way to measure performance over time. Following certain metrics over time can help your business reach milestones, gauge processes, and provide insight to make better business decisions. 

What Marketing KPIs Should You Track?

Tracking the right key performance indicators can provide a holistic view of how  your business is performing. 

We, like Semrush, believe that these are some of the best KPIs you should be tracking:SEO KPIs

  1. Conversions: How many of your site visitors are qualified leads? How many of them convert to closed sales? 
  2. ROI: Return on investment is a metric that tells you how profitable an investment is/was, in this case, likely how profitable your marketing investment was.
  3. Organic Visibility: How are people finding your site? Are you showing up through organic search?
  4. Organic Sessions: How many users are finding your site through an organic search? 
  5. Bounce Rate: How quickly are users leaving your site after visiting? If your site is not user-friendly, loads slowly, or doesn’t provide the information your users are looking for, they might exit the site after viewing only a single page. 
  6. Average Time on Page: How long are your users spending on your site pages? Pages with more content, such as blogs or videos, typically tend to drive longer time on-page.
  7. Organic CTR (click-through rate): Does your site have clear calls to action (CTAs)? How often are users clicking buttons or links on your site? Which buttons/links are you driving them to click?
  8. Backlinks: Sites with higher authority are more likely to see increased backlinks. If your site provides valuable, authoritative information that users find helpful, and useful, they may be more likely to link to it from their own sites. This helps drive referral traffic to your site and continues to support authority improvements. 
  9. Keyword rankings: Keyword rankings are the primary driver of organic search traffic. Targeting specific keywords relevant to what your business does is critical to increasing organic search traffic. It’s important to track keywords in two ways: total ranking keywords, and keyword ranking positions. 
  10. Branded vs. Non-Branded Traffic: Branded keywords are directly related to your unique business. For our brand, this would include keywords such as “Digital Storyteller,” “Digital Storyteller marketing agency,” “Andrew Marr,” etc. Non-branded keywords are those that your site ranks for that are not specific to you, such as “digital marketing,” “social media management,” and “search engine optimization.”
  11. Page Speed: Page speed is a huge determinant of how your site performs. According to backlinko, the average page loading speed is 10.3 seconds on desktop and 27.3 seconds on mobile. If your site takes longer than this to load, chances are your user won’t wait and will instead visit a competitor’s site instead. Safe to say we’ve become a pretty impatient society … 
  12. Coverage Issues: Performing site audits can ensure that your site is functioning properly and that Google is indexing and reading your site as it should be. Google Search Console is a critical tool in identifying coverage issues and can help you solve any issues that you find.  

How to Develop your Marketing KPI Strategy

Your business’ marketing KPI strategy should be unique to your business needs. Sure, you can glean ideas from other similar business models, but tailor yours to help guide you where you want to go. 

Here are a few tips on how to develop your marketing KPI strategy.

  1. Define your KPIs- Which specific KPIs will your business track? How will you collect the data and how often will you track shifts? 
  2. Use the SMART Method- KPIs should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. For example, “Onboard 7 new clients in the next 12 months.”
  3. Keep your KPIs clear- Your team should understand your KPIs and how to act on them to make decisions that ultimately lead to reaching your goals.
  4. Revisit your plan- Sometimes plans need to change. Revisit your KPI strategy to make sure the strategy is still working for you. Maybe you need to adjust a few action items based to keep propelling forward in the right direction. 
  5. Don’t overdo it with KPIs- Try to avoid doing too much, too quickly. With access to a plethora of data, it can be easy to try to measure every little thing. We recommend using the information to stay on track with your most important targets- however you define them. This will help you avoid KPI overload. 

See an example below of how we at Digital Storyteller keep track of the important KPIs to our business strategy.

Person using twitter on their phone after being bought by Elon Musk

If you’re like us, you’re trying to stay updated on what the heck is going on with Twitter. The nearly 20-year-old app has experienced some changes recently, and we’re here to explain what’s going on. 

Elon Musk Bought Twitter

Earlier this year, electric vehicle tycoon Elon Musk expressed interest in Twitter because he sought to continue the company’s commitment to free speech. In April, Musk bought over 9% of Twitter, making him the largest shareholder. 

After negotiations, Musk and Twitter finally agreed to a deal. According to the New York Times, “Twitter agreed to be taken over at $54.20 a share, a 38 percent premium over the share price before it was revealed that Mr. Musk had been buying up the company’s stock.”

In simple terms, he bought Twitter for about $44 billion. This is the largest deal in history to take a company private. 

Critics, however, question the deal since the platform has around 217 million daily users compared to the billions of users logging into Instagram and Facebook daily. Additionally, the little blue bird app hasn’t turned a profit in nearly a decade. 

Tesla’s CEO counters financial criticism because he is placing a higher value on opening the platform to free speech. In a release announcing the agreement between Twitter and Elon Musk, the new owner explains “free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” said Musk. 

The billionaire tech mogul added, “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”

C-suite level Executives Quit Twitter 

A company reshuffle is to be expected during any merger or acquisition. Twitter is no exception. This company, however, is experiencing a larger than usual reshuffle as three C-suite-level executives and two vice presidents depart from the company. 

Amid this new chapter for the company, their CEO, Parag Agrawal, has assured the staff at Twitter that they are not planning company-wide layoffs. 

Only time will tell how Twitter will fare after the dust settles. 

How is Twitter Reacting to the New Owner?

Of course, Twitter users have plenty to say about how they feel about Elon Musk purchasing the app. There are mixed feelings about it, but we thought we’d share a few of our favorite reactions below. 

The Twitter saga is long from over, and we’re excited to keep you up to date on any new news that surfaces. Save this link to stay updated on what’s going on with Twitter. Speaking of social media apps, read our next article explaining what’s going on with the Instagram Algorithm!

scrolling on instagram burgers in background

Social media algorithms, we’ve written about them before. It seems, however, that with every month, week, and sometimes daily, Instagram is implementing new changes.

Instagram has recently implemented a number of changes to its algorithm that have crashed engagement across nearly all accounts.

The most common complaints we hear? “I never see my friends’ posts anymore,” “I think I’m shadowbanned…” “My engagement sucks lately.”

We’ve heard it all and we feel your pain! Let’s talk about some of the recent changes Instagram has implemented and address some of these concerns.

What’s Going on with The Instagram Algorithm?

What better way to dissect the algorithm than to look at a blog post that Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, wrote titled “Shedding More Light on How Instagram Works”?

Most importantly, Mosseri wrote that one of the main misconceptions about Instagram is the existence of “The Algorithm.”

“Instagram doesn’t have one algorithm that oversees what people do and don’t see on the app,” says Mosseri. “We use a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes, each with its own purpose.”

There’s a ton more good stuff and information on how the Instagram algorithm works (or lack of!) in the actual article, so check that out if you’re interested.

For now, let’s talk about some of the recent changes Instagram has implemented that might affect your content being seen or not.

Chronological order is back!

It’s about time! Instagram’s @Creators account finally announced the return of chronological order.

Back in the day—in 2010, to be exact—the Valencia filter ran rampant and the app itself looked like a neutral-toned vintage camera. Moreover, your home page was a single stream of photos that were sorted in chronological order.

Viewing posts in chronological order, however, was a feature that was removed in 2016. If you ask some, this choice nearly started WW3 (Just kidding … Kindof).

But flash forward to today, it’s back!

“You’ve been asking, and we’ve been listening! 👀” is what @creators captioned the announcement.

Following and Favorites

Instagram decided to take things a step further.

Instead of reverting back to solely chronological order, Instagram now offers three options to view your feed:

  • Home
  • Favorites
  • Following

Here is a brief description of what makes each different.

Home: According to @creators, “home” refers to the feed you’ve gotten used to. This feed will “remain a mix of content from people you follow, recommended content you may like, and more.” Home will remain your default view when you first open the app.

Favorites: Your “favorites” feed will show you the latest posts “from a list of up to 50 specific accounts that you choose.” This might include your best friends, favorite creators (including Digital Storyteller of course), or other favorite accounts that you follow.

Following: Just as it sounds—the “following” feed will show you posts from only accounts that you follow.

Are You Using All of Instagram’s Features?

Over the past five years, Instagram has launched a ton of new features, including reels, stories, IGTV, and even shopping.

We’ve noticed that sometimes it feels like Instagram either rewards or punishes accounts based on your usage of the app as a whole. The bottom line? Instagram wants you to use and try all of its features. 

Depending on your business or goals, your digital marketing strategy might include a combination of:

  • Standard posts
  • Reels
  • Stories
  • IGTV videos
  • Shoppable posts

Consistency is Key

The algorithm favors consistency and patterns. Find out when your target audience is most active, and tailor your posting schedule toward that. At Digital Storyteller, we do this with ease using the scheduling platform, Metricool. Of course, there are various alternative scheduling platforms and tools that can be used similarly as well.

A Quick Rundown of Each Social Media Platform

Lastly, it’s important to know which social media channels are best suited to help you attain the unique needs and goals of your business. That’s why we’re sharing a brief rundown of what each platform can be used for when it comes to your business. So, what the heck does each of them do? Speed round, go!

Instagram

Instagram is great for building engagement and sharing culture. That means taking pictures of your team at events, showing off your pets, and happy hours and posting them!

When an Instagram user visits a business’ Instagram, they want to see the people behind the business. Show them who they get to work with when they decide to buy your product or become a client.

Facebook

Facebook is for your grandma… Just kidding, kind of!

Facebook, in the business world, is a largely pay-to-play platform. In simple terms, if you’re not putting money behind your Facebook efforts, chances are not many people will see your content. Boosting a specific post to your Facebook audience can attract thousands of impressions, whereas organic content doesn’t typically reach the same levels of performance.

(Please note: We’re not suggesting that you dedicate your entire marketing budget to your Facebook page, but putting $50 behind a post here or there can significantly support your Facebook performance).

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional platform, which means it’s probably not the best-suited platform to share your family photos or pictures from your latest island vacation.

LinkedIn is a great platform to help you build authority and build a professional network. Chances are, LinkedIn is your best bet if you’re looking to identify qualified leads via social media. It’s also a great way to gather expertise from established experts in your industry.

Twitter

In a nutshell, Twitter is for politics, news, and funny one-offs (think: memes, GIFs, recaps of the Oscars…)

A Final Word

We know that managing your business’s social media presence can be a lot to keep track of on top of running your business. That’s why we recommend you pass on the work of crafting a killer digital marketing plan to our team of experts at Digital Storyteller.

Not ready to make the jump yet? Let’s get REEL instead! Check out this article on how Instagram reels support your social media strategy. Then, shoot us a message.

How to attract the right client

So, you’re a business owner looking to get more clients? (Trust us, you’re not the only one!)

Every business owner ever:

But hold on – before you go all Heidi Klum on us and start looking to get MORE clients… Have you taken a minute to consider how to attract the right clients? Yes, the right clients. After all, you don’t want to be marketing your products and/or services to every person you walk by…

Not sure where to start? Lucky for you, we’ve got Andrew Marr, CEO and Owner of Digital Storyteller on camera to chat about how to attract the right clients.

Let’s see what he has to say.

Who is Your Ideal Client?

Clients, for any business owner, are obviously extremely important. Without clients, you’d have no business! (But you already knew that).

This considered, building a successful business and getting more clients is most likely one of your primary goals as a business owner.

Before we jump the gun and talk about getting more clients, however, it’s important to first discuss who the right clients are for you. How can you attract the right clients to your business?

Identifying the Perfect Client

The question isn’t, “Do you want more clients?” Of course, you do! The number one thing is, have you identified your perfect client?

Then, after you’ve identified your ideal client, think: Are you willing to create strategies around that particular client?

Our Perfect Client at Digital Storyteller

At Digital Storyteller, we focus on marketing for financial services companies. The realm of financial services ranges from commercial insurance to wealth advisories, commercial real estate firms, the list goes on.

While we love whisky, chardonnay, puppies, and tacos, we don’t market for companies that have anything to do with these elements. Why not? Because we’ve identified our perfect client (financial services clients) and unfortunately, whisky, chardonnay, puppies, and tacos have nothing to do with this industry (a little sad, right?)

We know it’s difficult not to accept whatever business walks through the door. It’s important, however, to hone in on who your ideal client is and not accept anyone else apart from this target audience.

So, to attract more clients, you have to first, figure out who your perfect client is. Put your energy and resources into that.

Interested in meeting one of our ideal clients? Check out this spotlight we did on our client Frank Crivello, founder and CEO of SBMA Benefits.

Why is Organic Marketing Great for Financial Services Companies?

When you think of ‘marketing,’ what do you think of?

Chances are the first place your head goes is to advertising—billboards, television commercials, magazines, Instagram ads, the list goes on.

We don’t blame you! We are bombarded by ads every day. In fact, did you know research shows every day the average person encounters between 6,000 to 10,000 ads? This is a massive jump, considering that back in the 70s, “it was reported that the average person saw between 500 to 1600 ads per day.”

But remember, advertising is just a small piece of the marketing pie. Although paid ads have their time and place there’s a better way to market yourself. (Psst… It’s called organic marketing).

Amanda Rogers, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Digital Storyteller, talks about why organic marketing is great for financial services companies (and all companies for that matter!)

Let’s get into it.

The Mistake Many Business Owners Make

If you’re in the business-to-business (B2B) space and are trying to get more clients under your belt (as one does!), your thought process about doing so might go something like this:

  • “I’m going to put out some ads and tell people what I do.
  • Then, they’ll come to my website.
  • Then they’ll give me a call.
  • And BOOM! I’ll get clients.”

Sigh… if only it were that simple! In today’s world, paid advertising alone is not enough to attract the right clients. So, what else do you need in addition to occasional paid advertisements? Enter, organic marketing.

Paid vs. Organic Marketing: What’s the Difference?

Let’s make this simple.

Ads are about building awareness; organic content is about building trust. While different, BOTH are important to building a successful digital marketing strategy for your business.

As Amanda shares, there are often situations in which the two overlap even. “There are elements of organic content that also build awareness.” For example, integrating boosted posts into your organic social media strategy.

What Does Organic Marketing Actually Do?

Most importantly, you need to know the primary benefit of organic marketing: building trust. Organic marketing might include email marketing, a thought-out video strategy, blog content, etc.

The greatest benefit of all of these things, however, is that organic marketing increases the feeling that people have of knowing and trusting your brand.

Don’t get us wrong, there are certainly strong benefits of paid ads (which you can read more about here) but it shouldn’t be the only marketing effort your business is focused on.

However, as Amanda puts it, “If and when you do decide to do ads, [if] you’ve been doing a strong organic digital marketing push,” the benefit will be much greater.

  • Your domain authority will be higher
  • Your ads will show up in the top three search results
  • And most importantly, your ads will be supported by showing up on that first page of Google with an organic result

“This reinforces in the viewer’s mind, not only do I see their ad, but I also see that they are legitimately what I’m looking for,” says Amanda.

And the best part of all? If you’re paying less for ads, you have more money left over that you can spend on wine! What better motivation is that?

So, are you ready to save money on ads so you can spend it on wine? Us too. At Digital Storyteller, we specialize in organic marketing for financial services companies. If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency that will grow your business better than just pushing paid ads, contact our team today.

Website Redesign

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re considering revamping your business’s website. To paint a picture, you might be asking yourself if your current website still fits your needs. Or, if you’re like many others, you might be cringing, asking yourself, ‘Why did I ever think that looked good?!” (We’ve all been there…)

Truth be told, there are many reasons why you might be considering a redesign. (Note: a ‘rebrand’ is something completely different altogether. Don’t worry you can learn everything you need to know about rebranding your business on our blog).

Anyway, whether your site isn’t performing well or it simply doesn’t mesh with your business’s look and feel anymore, we’re here to help answer the question: How often should you redesign your website?

Let’s dive in.

The Hard and Fast Answer

For those of you who don’t want to sift through the reasons why your business might consider a website redesign, here’s a general rule of thumb for how often you should refresh your website.

A business should consider a redesign every three years, according to Amanda Rogers, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Digital Storyteller. You may find that your business needs a redesign sooner, but likely not much longer after the three-year mark.

“Every three years you should look at your website and really evaluate how much your business has changed.” 

If you look at the last three years alone in the business world, so much has changed with:

  • COVID
  • The changing world of work
  • The way we talk about our teams
  • The way we talk about building culture
  • The way that we share our relationships with our clients

For example, many of our clients went from working exclusively in California to working around the country. This considered, they needed to adjust the language on their site to be not state-specific but industry-specific.

Make Sure Your Website Has These Elements

The three-year timeframe is about the time that a website is still considered ‘new.’ Remember, you always want your website to be:

  • Convenient
  • Functional
  • Aesthetically pleasing (the fun part!)
  • On-brand
  • And always, user and mobile-friendly

So, there are shifts in your business that require looking at your website every three years at a minimum.

Then, of course, we have to recognize that there are shifts in style as well.

How Often Should I Really Redesign My Website?

Now, for those who don’t need a quick answer, here’s the truth behind how often you should redesign your website, but in more depth.

(We know. We’re going to get a lot of hate for this one.)

The true answer to the question at hand is, it depends.

Yes, we know. That’s an annoying answer that no one wants to hear but it’s true. Whether or not you need to redesign your website varies on a case-by-case basis.

Below, we’ve listed some reasons as to why you might consider a website redesign.

To Address a Problem

Redesigns aren’t always about aesthetics and branding. Is your business’s website experiencing a drop in organic traffic? You’re no longer ranking on Google’s search engine results page? Or, is your website subject to a cyber hack?

To provide another reason for a redesign, maybe your site isn’t effective. Quality content that is hard to find, slow loading times, and links that lead to nowhere (or error or 404 pages), are all huge turn-offs for site visitors.

If any of these problems sound familiar, it’s time to freshen up your site.

To Address Being Outdated and to Align Branding

Sometimes things just look, well, blah! As our favorite Disney antagonist, Sharpay Evans says, “It’s out with the old and in with the new.”

Ask yourself these questions to see if it’s time for a redesign: Is your branding consistent across all platforms? Does your site look or feel outdated? If the answer is ‘yes’ to either of these questions, it might be time.

Because It’s Just Time

Sometimes you don’t need a big problem or reason to redesign your site. It might just be time.

As we well know at Digital Storyteller, the world wide web is constantly changing. Those who don’t keep up in terms of website design will be left in the dust. If your site isn’t offering the best experience to your users, that can be reason enough for a redesign.

Remember, your website will always be changing. It’s a living, breathing piece of content, which leads us to our next point.

Website Maintenance is Key

Let’s imagine. You just finished a website revamp for your business. Hooray! “Glad we’ve got that off our plate,” you might be thinking.

“We don’t have to worry about touching the site for another two to three years, thank goodness…” NOT!

Just because you’ve gone through a redesign as of late, does not mean your site is good to go until the next redesign.

As our Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Digital Storyteller, says, “Web design is never over.” (We also like to call her the web design genius!)

As Amanda well knows, there is always a bug to fix, a team member profile to add, coding to tweak, the list goes on. You will always be completing website maintenance, including site audits, and making small improvements.

This might include changes when:

  • Your products and/or services change
  • Your mission evolves
  • Branding is reconsidered
  • Your team grows
  • Prices change
  • The Google algorithm changes (and yes, it will change…)
  • Updates to mobile sites occur
  • And more

Is it Time for Your Redesign?

At Digital Storyteller, we recognize that these changes might be beyond your team’s expertise. We know, it’s a lot of work—which is why we’re here to help.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at your website:

  • Is it reflecting who you are as a business right now?
  • Is it looking forward to where you are headed as a company?
  • Does it have any sort of telltale stylistic elements that have fallen from favor?

These three questions alone are a great way to tell whether it’s time to redo your website.

Contact our team at Digital Storyteller today to learn more about how we can support your upcoming website design project or website build.

Want to get to know us before you hop on the phone to discuss? We totally get it. Check out our most recent culture video where our team shares our 2022 New Year’s Resolutions!

Outsourced Marketing

Outsourcing isn’t as complicated as it sounds. When you outsource your digital marketing services, you save time, energy, and money. Here are six benefits of outsourcing marketing.

How Do You Measure the Success of Your Digital Marketing

So, you finally caved and implemented a kick*** digital marketing strategy for your business. Congratulations, that’s amazing!

But how do you know if it’s working? How do you measure the success of your digital marketing strategy? It’s an important question and is often an inquiry that Andrew Marr, CEO & Owner of Digital Storyteller, gets from prospects and clients.

He’s here to answer it today. Watch Andrew’s video below to learn how he measures the success of a digital marketing strategy. Let’s get started.

The Most Important Question to Ask

Whether or not your digital marketing strategy is successful or not comes down to one main question: Are you getting more clients?

If the answer is no, it’s time to reevaluate your strategy. Here’s how you can do that.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

We’ve all heard of KPIs.

Digital marketing KPIs, according to Digital Dot, are “quantifiable metrics that you can use to measure and monitor the partial and overall success of your digital marketing strategy.”

KPIs help to establish clear goals regarding campaigns and can be used in a variety of marketing approaches, including:

  • “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Email Marketing”
  • And more

Here are some of the most important KPIs to track when it comes to your digital marketing strategy.

How to Measure the Success of Your Digital Marketing Strategy

At Digital Storyteller, we conduct monthly and quarterly reporting for all of our clients. These reports help us show clients how we’re moving the needle, what’s working for them in their digital marketing strategy, and where we can shift to improve.

Below are some factors we evaluate:

Authority Score

Authority score, according to Semrush, is their “compound domain score that grades the overall quality of a website or a webpage.” Your score can range anywhere from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the more credibility a site typically has. Obviously, an authority score of 100 is #goals, but realistically, a score ranging from 32-48 is where you’ll see a strong organic marketing score lie. 

This figure is determined by a few key factors including:

  • Backlinks
  • Organic keyword rankings
  • Site health
  • Site age
  • Among many other factors

Because of these factors, authority score takes time and consistency to grow. After all, you can’t grow your authority score overnight– even though we wish you could. 

Ranking Keywords

There are, of course, specific keywords that your business will want to rank for. If you’re in the commercial insurance industry in San Diego, for example, some of your keywords might include:

  • “Commercial Insurance San Diego”
  • “Business Insurance”
  • “Business Owner”
  • “Risk Management”
  • And so on

Using a tool like Semrush—which collects research on your business’s SEO, PPC, content, and social media efforts—can help you identify the keywords you are currently ranking for (or currently not).

Information about ranking keywords is critical to making your way up the Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

Organic Traffic

Organic traffic is defined as “visitors that land on your website from unpaid sources.”

The amount of organic traffic that your website receives is a huge indication of where or not your marketing strategy is successful.

Average Session Duration

Session duration shows how much time visitors spend on your website. As a general rule of thumb, you want a high session duration. That means people are engaging more on your sight instead of clicking away! 

You can increase session duration by:

  • Providing quality informational content on your site
  • Ensuring your site is easy to navigate; user-friendly
  • Incorporating video content

Bounce Rate

What is bounce rate? Bounce rate indicates how quickly someone exits (or “bounce” from) your website after visiting it. For this reason, we want a high session duration and a low bounce rate. Semrush tells us that “an optimal bounce rate would be in the 26% to 40% range.”

Our goal is to keep people on-page as long as possible. You can decrease your bounce rate by:

  • Making sure your website loads quickly
  • Including all information that prospects might be looking for
  • Creating an easy to navigate the site
  • Prioritizing engaging content
  • Eliminating page errors

Social Media Statistics

We, of course, cannot end this article without talking about social media statistics. In our monthly and quarterly reports we give in-depth information for each social platform being used on:

  • Growth (i.e. followers)
  • Interactions
  • Reach
  • Comments
  • Clicks
  • Number of posts
  • Profile views
  • Impressions

As we’ve worked with our clients, however, we’ve noticed that it’s not uncommon for clients to get hung up on numbers. For example, the number of followers or likes they get on an Instagram post.

It is very important, however, to identify where their prospects spend time. For example, Instagram followers and likes might not matter so much for a financial services company compared to a clothing brand.

While it’s important to be active and engaged on Instagram, a better indication of a financial services company’s success might come from a platform like LinkedIn or YouTube. For those interested in learning more, here’s an article on what social platforms are best for your business to be on.

To reiterate, likes and followers don’t automatically equate to success, but it is important to be engaged and consistent within your social media strategy. Naturally, this means that as time goes on, your following, likes, engagement, etc. should increase.

Notice the trend? Slow and steady growth wins the race. 

Depending on who you ask, engagement might be a more important factor than the number of likes and followers.

Well, that’s all folks. We hoped you learned a thing or two from this article! If you’re interested, read on for more on social media, specifically the difference between social impressions and social engagement.

Digital Marketing Trends for the New Year

And just like that, it’s 2022! We hope your New Year is going wonderfully. 

In celebration of the New Year, we’d like to address some digital marketing trends for the new year. We know… Digital marketing trends are always changing. It can be hard to keep up! But it’s crucial to identify current trends and strategies for your businesses, and we’re here to help. 

Let’s get into it.

Video Marketing

We’ve written about it time and time again. Video marketing is, and will continue to be, an absolutely critical part of your digital marketing strategy in 2022.

Not convinced? Research according to Hubspot shows that video will account for nearly 82% of consumer internet traffic. Wowza!

For those of you who flinch at the word ‘video’ or the idea of crafting one yourself, don’t worry. We promise it’s not as scary (or expensive) as you think. All you need is a quality camera and a microphone. (Even a smartphone can work in most cases!)

To increase search traffic to your website, HubSpot recommends you:

  • Make sure your video contains useful information to solve your ideal customer’s problem
  • Optimize your video on YouTube using relevant keywords

The title of your video is also important. For example, someone would be more likely to click on “how to cook the perfect scrambled eggs” over “how to cook eggs.”

The bottom line about video marketing is: Video is the preferred form of content by all social platforms right now: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (of course), you name it.

Don’t be discouraged if there is already content out there that is similar to your video (in fact, we guarantee that there will be). The most important thing is finding a way to make your content stand out, says HubSpot.

Honestly, we could talk your ear off about video (and we probably have…) We’ve written about how Instagram reels support your social media marketing strategy and how to connect with your prospects using video. What’s that? You haven’t read those articles yet? Finish this one and then get to it!

SEO

It’s time to brush up on your SEO skills. Search Engine Optimization is still as important as ever. Quality, thought-out SEO is the bread and butter of increasing traffic to your site.

Search engine algorithms, however, are always changing. In fact, a really awesome feature that Google’s algorithm has now adopted is the ability to differentiate between search and intent.

What does this mean? (Aside from a very happy SEO manager on our team…) Google search intent, according to Yoast, is “the term used to describe the purpose of an online search. Google wants to rank pages that best fit the search term someone is using, as well as the search intent behind the search query.”

Because of this new feature, it is crucial that you “segment queries that you want to rank for and make competitor analysis a big part of your SEO strategy,” according to HubSpot.

It’s crazy to think that Google is now smart enough to interpret why you are searching for what you’re searching for.

This is a trend we mentioned back in November in our top five digital marketing trends you can’t ignore article. And guess what? It’s still relevant.

Thanks to AI-powered voice assistants (like Siri, Google, Alexa, and Cortana), millions of people every day search for things online without even touching or being near their phone or computer. User experience and web accessibility today are so important.

This considered, it has become all the more important to optimize your content for voice search. Start 2022 off with a bang by doing so. Not sure where to start? Contact our team today.

Social Media

Truth be told, it feels a little silly to even have to mention social media on this list of digital marketing trends. You’re ten steps behind your competitors if your business is not:

  • Active on social media
  • Providing engaging and informative content on a consistent basis
  • Interacting with prospects and clients

We recommend our clients have profiles on at least:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

The platform that you place the greatest amount of attention on will depend on your business’s unique goals and target audience. For example, if you’re selling branded hoodies to Gen Z, Instagram is likely your best bet. If you are an insurance broker, however, you might opt for the more professional nature that LinkedIn offers.

Still don’t believe in the power of social media? According to DigitalMarketing.org, “3.96 billion people use social media today, which accounts for roughly half (51%) of the global population.” Wow!

Think: This is a huge loss for businesses who opt out of a well crafted social media marketing strategy. If they want to stay relevant, the more traditional companies (who are fearful or overwhelmed by social media) need to learn how to adapt.

Rentech Digital recommends that businesses use social media to not only attract prospects but also to retain them. Remember, the more frequently a prospect sees your brand, the greater opportunity to build a trusting relationship with them—and ultimately to convert them into a client.

For those of you who are interested, read on to learn which social media platforms your business should be on and why.

What Is YOUR New Year Resolution? (Marketing Edition!)

Will you outsource your marketing this year? Get your team on a weekly Instagram reel to boost social engagement? Take a course on SEO? Let us know your 2022 New Year Resolution, and if there’s room for our team to help!
Read on to hear our team’s 2022 New Year Resolutions. Cheers!

new years resolutions cookies and written notes

Happy New Year! Wowza, the holidays are over and it’s officially time for a fresh start. You already know, this means it’s time for some 2022 New Year Resolutions! Hopefully, we haven’t broken them by the time this gets posted… (As long as they weren’t resolutions like no cursing or drinking, we should be on track!)Check out the video below to hear some of our team’s 2022 New Year’s Resolutions! Or, if you’re boring you can read along. Let’s get into it!

Caroline LoPresti, Social Media Manager: “My new year’s resolution is to worry less about the future and focus more on the present.”

Kelsey Arvidson, Content Specialist: “I wanna cook more recipes in the new year every week or maybe every month ’cause that’s more realistic.”

Magdi Cook, Graphic & Web Design Manager: “My new year’s resolution is to get involved in dance classes again and to start a gratitude journal where I journal 10 items that I’m grateful for every night.”

Devin Aubert, SEO Manager: “My 2022 new year’s resolution is to be the coolest, funnest aunt to my soon-to-be-born baby niece or nephew.”

Jackie Berens, Client Success Manager: “My new year’s resolution is to make my life my medicine.”

Madi Lindley, Social Media Specialist: “I want to travel more this year and see new places.”

Beatriz Carias, Content Specialist: “I wanna get more involved in my community and volunteer more.”

Becca Jones, Content Specialist: “My new year’s resolution is to make time for reading before bed.”

Amanda Rogers, Founder & CCO: “I can’t make new year’s resolutions. I’m too old and tired.”


We know, you really enjoyed this. We did, too! You know what else you will enjoy? Our Owner & CEO’s Chardonnay Review Series.

His name is Andrew Marr but we like to call him the ranting Scot (yes, he’s from Scotland). Anyway, there are 35 reviews, so get ready to binge-watch!

Or, if you’re already missing the holiday season, get a load of our team’s favorite family traditions on the blog.

Holiday Traditions

It’s the holiday season—hooray! At Digital Storyteller, we love our team (and no, it’s not just because our bosses got us boujee gifts like custom tumblers and embroidered Lululemon hoodies…)

With Christmas right around the corner, we’re sharing the opportunity to get to know the parts that make our team who we are. I mean, our team is awesome! We hire for people, which yes, we know, is a little unconventional these days… But hey! It’s working for us. We pride ourselves on having amazing company culture. Want to take a peak?

Keep reading to hear some of our team’s favorite holiday traditions, Christmas songs that make them cringe, and for FUN holiday photos!

The Founders

Q: What is your favorite family tradition?

A: “My mom took me to see the Nutcracker every year at Christmas at Lincoln Center in NYC (where I’m from) we’d dress up and go out in the cold and take the subway up to the theatre. We did that every year for 30 years.  Now, I take Ella, my daughter every year.  The best part is the time together and being unnecessarily judg-y about the dancers! I also love to go get the Christmas tree and decorate while listening to Christmas music and having eggnog with bourbon.” 

-Amanda Rogers, Founder Chief Creative Officer

Q: What do you like most about Christmas?

A: “What I like the most about Christmas is opening gifts on Christmas morning.  I haven’t learned how to ask for something in a way that doesn’t end up with 5 of them.  But I kind of like that. Amanda bought me 5 cashmere sweaters last year. I had mentioned that I’d like a cashmere sweater… We live in San Diego.  Just saying.”

-Andrew Marr, Owner, CEO

The Content Team

Q: What is your favorite family tradition?

A: “My family spends every Christmas Eve cooking up a huge meal! We make tamales, turkey, ham, pepian, and many other yummy traditional Guatemalan dishes.”

“After cooking, we feast on all of the dishes we worked so hard to make together while catching up with family we haven’t seen in a while. We chat, reminisce over old memories, and play games until the clock strikes midnight. Once midnight hits, all of the kids (yes that still includes me) zoom to the Christmas tree to open presents. We’re all usually up until 2 am playing with our new gifts or still chatting together.

“It’s one of my favorite family traditions because it’s rooted in spending quality time together and making more cherished memories.” —Beatriz Carias, Content Specialist

Q: What is a funny family tradition of yours?

A: “My family always wears these glasses when they pick me up at the airport!” —Kelsey Arvidson, Content Specialist

Q: What is your favorite family tradition?

A: “My favorite holiday tradition is on Christmas Eve all the young cousins sit together in the master bedroom and read Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (which over the years has been not so subtly turned into a drinking game for adults participating…) We read the story as we listen for Santa’s bells. When we hear the sleigh bells ring, all the kids race down the stairs and run down the driveway to try to catch Santa and the reindeer and find what presents he left them on the front porch. It’s a tradition that I’ve done my entire life and have loved to share with my little cousins since.” —Devin Aubert, SEO Manager

Q: What is your favorite family tradition?

A: “My favorite family tradition is something my family calls ‘family baking day!’ Every year in December, my family heads over to my Grandma’s house early in the morning to bake over 1,000 cookies! We bake every kind of cookie you can think of. My favorites are the ‘Turtles’—pretzels, topped with a Rolo and a pecan. Then, we package up the cookies for teachers, family, and friends. It takes all day!” —Becca Jones, Content Specialist

Q: What is your favorite family tradition?

A: “My favorite family tradition during the holidays is Christmas morning. Ever since I was a young girl, we would wake up at 5 am and wait in one of the siblings rooms for our parents to call us down. We would run out of the room, my parents with a video recorder in hand, with grins from ear to ear. After we finish opening up our gifts, my mom starts making breakfast and the smell of bacon flows throughout the house.” —Jackie Berens, Client Success Manager

The Design Team

Q: What is your favorite family tradition?

A: “My favorite holiday tradition is decorating my home and Christmas tree with my family! Every year, we light the fire pit, blast Christmas music, hang garland and streamers around the windows and staircase, put ornaments on the tree, and drink hot cocoa. And of course, the tradition wouldn’t be the same without our dogs going insane and trying to eat all of the decorations in the process!” —Magdi Cook, Graphic and Web Design Manager

Q: What kind of holiday shopper are you: Black Friday? Christmas Eve? Yearlong hoarder?

A: “I’m a year-long shopper because most of my gifts end up being handmade, and that takes time. So, if it’s a cross-stitch, painted ornament, or re-covered book, it’s a year-long process to get it planned and looking good!” —Shay Larby, Junior Graphic Designer

The Social Team

Q: What kind of holiday shopper are you: Black Friday? Christmas Eve? Yearlong hoarder?

A: “Holiday shopping is my one excuse to shop because it’s all on sale, but that doesn’t stop me from shopping all year round of course… ;)” —Caroline LoPresti, Social Media Manager

Q: What is your favorite family tradition? And what Christmas song makes you cringe?

A: My favorite family tradition is taking snowy walks in the city to get hot chocolate when I go home to Boston. The Christmas song that makes me cringe is… nope, can’t think of a single one they are all amazing…especially the Michael Bublé Christmas album (obvi)!” —Chris Preller, Social Media Coordinator

Q: What is your favorite family tradition? 

A: “My favorite family tradition is our white elephant gift exchange that we have on Christmas Eve. Everyone contributes very random gifts, some good and some bad. My favorite gifts that I’ve ended up with were the Snoop Dogg cookbook and a blanket hoodie!” —Madi Lindley, Social Media Specialist

Are you in desperate need of some last-minute gift ideas? Check out this article where we detail holiday gifting strategies for B2B businesses!

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