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Eric Kungu

Software tools startups can use to boost growth and maximize efficiency

Leave a Comment / Digital Marketing, E-Commerce, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Development /

5 Min Software tools startups can use to boost growth and maximize efficiency Written By Erick Kung’u Date 16 Feb 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Startups have a startling failure rate of 90% so you need more than just an idea to ensure your business survives and grows. There are so many software tools available for startups and as a new business owner, you might get overwhelmed by all the options. With this article, you can narrow your choices by picking from the top game software tools. The emergence of Covid 19 highlighted the importance of a digital presence for your business, thanks to these digital solutions companies were able to connect with their customers while increasing sales.Here are things to consider before choosing software for startups ;Is the software easy to use?Is the pricing reasonable for you? Or do you have the option of a free trial or even a free basic version?Does the software allow you to share files with your team members?Can the software accommodate multiple users and accounts?Is the software compatible with other tools that you are already using?Are there video tutorials, live chat, or tech support to help a new user know how to use the software? SOFTWARE TOOLS PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS If you want things to be done effectively, a project management tool is a MUST. Project management tools ensure everything is working smoothly and effectively by keeping track of deadlines, progress, and day-to-day tasks.Todoist and Airtable are project management tools that complement each other well, Todoist is a to-do list manager, essential to any project. This easy-to-use software offers features such as task management, collaboration tools, filters, and activity history. It offers a free plan that allows five non-archived projects, 300 tasks per project,20 active sections per project, and five collaborators per request.Airtable is a project management software that allows users to attach files, set deadlines, and assign ownership. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to track data and create views suited for multiple applications. WEB DESIGN TOOLS Creating a website for your business is essential for your business, even if it is a simple website. It is a great platform to showcase your products or services. It also allows more interaction with your customers. With multiple website-building platforms, startups are spoiled for choice.Airtable is a free software that allows you to build your website quickly and easily, It offers themes and plug-ins to help customize your website making it look more authentic and professionalOther website-building platforms are; Squarespace and Wix. E-MAIL COMMUNICATION TOOLS. Investing in email is the most effective way of getting ROI (Return on Investment ). It is a significant way to reach out to your target audience as you promote your services and products. For the long-term growth and success of your start-up, email marketing is a must.AWeber is an email marketing tool that offers a free plan for up to 500 subscribers. It allows users to send follow-up emails to subscribers after they sign up, and create beautiful, high-converting pages to capture leads, it also provides email templates to help you save time and stay consistent with your branding.Other Email marketing tools are; Mailchimp SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT TOOLS. Social media is a powerful tool, through social media you can reach a broad audience since location is no longer a factor. However, managing social media accounts is time-consuming and can be overwhelming.Hootsuite is a social media management tool that helps you manage all your social media platforms all in one place. It is free for up to three social media profiles. It offers features like posting and scheduling content, tracking social media analytics all in one place, and monitoring keywords and hashtags.Other social media management tools are; Buffer, Sprout Social, and Sendible. Have a look at our suggestions for Top 10 Best Free Social Media Management Tools CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT TOOL. As a start delivering excellent customer service should be one of your top priorities. A Customer Relation Tool (CRM) helps manage your customers’ data and interaction all in one place. It will help keep track of your customers” sales thus showcasing the outcome of your marketing efforts.Using customer relation management software gives you a competitive edge. Zoho CRM is a great free option that offers features such as SalesIQ (live chat), automation, insights, and reports. It also involves many integrations, such as Google Suite, MailChimp, QuickBooks, and Zapier. ACCOUNTING TOOL. Accounting and bookkeeping are crucial parts of a start-up’s success. With the rise of technology, start-up founders have opted for cloud-based accounting apps since digital accounting applications can import your transcripts in mere minutesWave is a great free option offering invoicing, payments, and accounting features. It has a payroll feature that is only applicable to USA& Canada and integrates with popular apps such as Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, and FreshBooks. ONLINE FILING TOOLS. Digital filing applications have become more popular, they make storing and locating your files much easier. It also makes it easy for start-up founders to access their files no matter where they are.DropBox is a free online filing tool that helps you with your business files. It offers 2GB of free storage and is very easy to use. You can access your files from anywhere and share them with anyone with its mobile app compatible with all devices.Another online filing software is Google Drive it works the same as DropBox but it integrates with Google’s suite products e.g. Gmail, and Google Docs. WEBSITE ANALYTICS TOOL. Website analytics tools are essential for understanding your audience and measuring your marketing efforts. Google Analytics provides insight into your website traffic. It allows you to see where your visitors are coming from, what they’re doing on your site, and whether they converted to clients.Other Website Analystic Tools are Mixpanel, KISSmetrics, and Clicky. MARKETING AUTOMATION TOOLS Once your start-up has gotten off its feet and is now attracting and gaining more customers, it is best to start using a marketing automation tool, that

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Marketing, video marketing

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Effective Video Marketing

Leave a Comment / Digital Marketing /

7 Min The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Effective Video Marketing Written By Erick Kung’u Date 13 Feb 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Effective Video Marketing As a content creator or small business, you may be curious about the best way to reach a broad base of viewers. The key is to increase visibility. Just look at how much video content has been watched over the last year! For maximum effectiveness, video promotion should involve a carefully planned plan, with a focus on expanding the return on investment, and an appreciation of how to make the most of video in various marketing initiatives. This article looks at the many advantages of video marketing, offers useful advice to help your business develop using video, and examines how to measure the success of a video. Creating a Video Marketing Strategy for Your Business Developing a clear strategy is the first step in Video Marketing. This includes figuring out who your target audience is, the purpose of your video, and the type of video that works best for that purpose. For instance, animated videos are perfect for explainer videos while live-action videos are suited to commercials. With this strategy in place, you can measure and assess the success of your video marketing campaign and make necessary adjustments along the way. Additionally, consider where customers are in their journey and tailor videos accordingly – if your goal is to increase brand awareness, focus on educating your audience about your products or services, keeping it general. On the other hand, videos that aim to drive conversions should be more specific and focus on addressing specific pain points and providing solutions. Some types of videos include: Animated Videos How-To Live stream Customer Testimonials Product demos Maximizing the ROI of Your Video Marketing Efforts Analytics can help you track views, clicks, and conversions, and you should adjust your strategy accordingly. For instance, if your video isn’t performing as well as you’d like, you may try promoting it on social media or running an ad campaign. You should also think of how to reuse your video content in other areas of your marketing. To maximize the ROI from your video marketing efforts, make sure to optimize it for SEO by updating the title, description, tags, transcriptions, and closed captions. Leveraging Video in Social Media Marketing Using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to host and share videos can be extremely effective. With features like live streaming, stories, and IGTV, you have an endless array of possibilities. The key is to create engaging and shareable content, use relevant hashtags and interact with your audience in order to convert followers into customers and increase brand awareness and sales. It’s also important to consider the platform when utilizing video for social media marketing; for example, short, visually appealing videos would be best for Instagram whereas YouTube is better suited for longer, more informative ones. Don’t forget to utilize the features of each platform such as Instagram stories or Facebook live to boost traffic. Using Video to Increase Engagement and Conversion Rates Video marketing has many advantages, one of which is the potential to boost engagement and conversion rates. The secret to achieving this goal is to use storytelling to illustrate a problem, and how your product or service can solve it. Also, adding a call-to-action in your video can prompt viewers to take action and thus, increase conversion rates. It’s essential to consider the length of videos when aiming for higher engagement and conversion rates; short videos (30 seconds) are great for quickly capturing viewers’ attention, while longer ones (2-5 minutes) are more suitable for providing more detailed information and creating credibility with the audience. The Importance of Video SEO for Driving Traffic to Your Website Optimizing your video content for search engines like Google is known as Video SEO. You can do this by optimizing your video title, description, and tags; creating transcripts and closed captions; and incorporating keywords into your video title and description. Structured data for video content also helps search engines understand the content and context, which can help boost visibility in search results and get your video seen by the right people. Measuring the Success of Your Video Marketing Campaigns Utilizing programs like Google Analytics, you can keep a record of the website visits and sales that can be attributed to video marketing. When you keep track of how your campaigns are performing, you can make decisions based on data and refine your video marketing plan The Role of Video in Lead Generation and Nurturing Video can be used to not only produce but also foster leads. It can be a helpful tool for teaching and informing prospective customers about your offerings, as well as providing a prompt to act through the video. Additionally, it can be used to nurture leads by giving them useful data and keeping them interested in your company. This raises the possibility of them transforming into paying customers. Overall, your guide will look like this: Define your target audience: By researching their demographics, interests, and pain points, define your target audience. Set your goals: Determine what you want to achieve through video marketing, such as brand awareness, lead generation, or customer engagement. Choose a type of video: Select the type that aligns with your goals, such as explainer videos, product demos, testimonials, or tutorials. Plan your content: Script your video, select a location, and plan the visual elements, including lighting and camera angles. Invest in equipment: Use a quality camera, tripod, and microphone to ensure professional-looking videos. Edit your video: Use video editing software to enhance the visuals and audio, and add text and graphics to highlight important information. Optimize for distribution: Add captions and transcripts, and optimize for different platforms by selecting the correct aspect ratio, file format, and resolution. Promote your video: Share your video on your website, social media,

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10 steps on how to start an online business

Leave a Comment / E-Commerce /

7 Min 10 steps on how to start an online business Written By Erick Kung’u Date 09 Feb 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Starting an online business in 2022 is easier than ever. Anyone can create one regardless of their entrepreneurship skills or background. But starting and maintaining an online business is still a lot of work even with a low entry bar. you must first look for a viable product or service to sell, then the technicalities of coming up with a sales plan, a manufacturing source, and how your customers will get a hold of the product.But even with some challenges, starting an online business is worth it. REASONS TO START AN ONLINE BUSINESS Online businesses have a lot of advantages and if you were wondering whether to start an online business or not, here are four major reasons to start one. It is extremely inexpensive A lot of successful online businesses have started with nothing but a smartphone, a few products, and a free website hosting service. You can start an online business with less than Kshs 5000 since you forego the price of rent, a large starting stock, and employees.So if you are just starting out your entrepreneurial career and you don’t want to risk all your life savings, starting an online business is the smart move. The business can run 24/7 With an online business, you are not bound by your salary, you can choose the hours you want to work, and the success of your business is not dependent on the hours you work but instead on your productivity. This is perfect for people who have a job already and are looking for another source of income since they can run their businesses even after hours.The freedom to work on your own time, allows you to be able to focus on other things like your family and friends and also even be able to focus on other forms of income. You can work from anywhere Online businesses are not tied to any location or physical shop. This allows you to travel and work at the same time. As long as you have your phone or laptop and a stable internet connection your business will run smoothly even when you are not necessarily available. Major growth and potential The sky is the limit when it comes to online businesses since you are not bound to a location your reach is endless, and you can sell your products to a consumer who does not live in your area. When you focucomess on your customer reach and building your website you can grow your business exponentially.   HOW TO START AN ONLINE BUSINESS After identifying the reasons why starting an online business will always be a good idea, let’s now dive into how to start and maintain an online business. Identify your product. There are three types of e-commerce products one can sell online each with its advantages and disadvantages.ServicesAlmost any service can be sold online, from recently you can consult a doctor online without having to go to the hospital. Services have a higher demand but since it’s a business that will be heavily reliant on your time your earning potential is limited.Digital GoodsThese are products that clients can download on their devices. They include audio books, online courses, audio courses, etcPhysical goodsAs the name suggests these are tangible goods that are manufactured,stored, and shipped to customers. There are a lot of tangible goods to choosefrom, some more profitable than others. Find your niche A business niche is your market or your target audience. This can consist of which gender you want to cater to, their financial status, and geographic location. Identifying these things helps you market your product following your client’s needs. This also helps you identify if your business is viable or not, since having a product that your target audience doesn’t need or can’t afford only makes the process of having an online business even harder. Identify your competitors To make your launch into the online business world, you must analyze what your competitors are doing and use it as a blueprint of some sort to steer your business in the right direction. Learn online business laws Online businesses may assume that traditional business laws do not apply to them, but this is far from true. Even though online businesses require fewer licenses there are some legal technicalities you have to sort out. Source products to sell A business’s identity is reliant on its products one you have settled on the typeof e-commerce product you want to sell, you now have the task of findingmanufacturers and suppliers of your chosen product. You can choose between makingyour products, or finding an online supplier from sites like alibaba.com. Evaluate your product viability No matter how cool, innovative, or unique you think your product is, what matters is the viability of the product from a business standpoint. It is best to evaluate your products before making a large order. And to do so you must ask yourself these three questions ;Is there any other online business selling the product?Is the demand for the product sustainable or is it temporary?What is the profit margin?  Define your brand image and identity. Your brand is the overall essence of your business, you want your business name,website, and logo to be consistent with the same color palette, visual ideas, and imagesThis presents a more professional and put-together lookSo as your work on your brand image and identity, you should focus on the following ;LogoColor schemePage layoutsTypographyGraphics and photos Build your online store The shopping experience is one of the most important factors that make or break anOnline store, the easier and more accessible it is, the more likely for customers to comeback. To create the ideal shopping experience for your customers, you can check outSome e-commerce platforms like Jiji, Jumia, etc Marketing Once you have already set

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Brand Colors

What do Your Brand Colors Say About You?

Leave a Comment / Design /

8 Min What do Your Brand Colors Say About You? Written By Erick Kung’u Date 06 Feb 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave What do Your Brand Colors Say About You? Ever wonder why you feel a certain way when looking at different colors? A lot of it has to do with color psychology. When you are at a bar, the warm yellow light invokes a calm setting perfect for polite drinking. Contrast that to the light setting in a club, the red, blue, and green gets you excited for the night. Humans, visual creatures, perceive up to 80% of our impressions from sight. This means you’ll want to carefully consider your brand colors because they’re sending signals and cues to your potential clients that you may not even be aware of. Here are some color options and their psychology for you to consider. Yellow People associate yellow with high energy, enthusiasm, and joy. Its aura gives consumers an optimistic feeling, and when people feel good, they will have a positive association with that particular brand. However, too much of it gives an anxious/cautious feel. Think about the warning signs on the road. You’ll notice you subconsciously slow down every time you see the signs. When considering the different shades of yellow, a bright yellow is excellent for clearing the mind. Golden yellow, more prone to criticism, symbolizes curiosity and a desire to investigate. A cream yellow encourages the creation of new ideas. Naturally, it is wise to add another color to neutralize it just a little. Companies that use yellow well include Subway, Shell, and Mcdonald’s. Red The single most dynamic and passionate color. It symbolizes love, rage, passion, action, and courage; helping to excite emotions and motivate people to act. Depending on the other visual elements of your brand, it can portray friendliness and strength or come across as aggressive. Many stores use red in their window displays because red is known to increase impulsivity and therefore sales. Netflix and Coca-Cola are great examples of how to incorporate red into your brand. Orange Orange comes across as friendly, playful, adventurous, and optimistic. Making it a great option for companies looking to convey comfort and warmth. Nickelodeon, Fanta, and Amazon show a great combination of colors alongside orange. Blue Blue is a color with multiple applications, and while it is often associated with sadness, for company brands it tends to reflect responsibility, authority, intelligence, and loyalty. Research indicates that the color blue may help lower heart rate and even slow down metabolism, which leads to greater feelings of calm, peace, and serenity. Hence why it is a common color in spas, banks, and electronic companies. For example, Dell, I&M bank, Facebook Green Lighter tones of green tend to indicate growth, vitality, and renewal, while darker, more saturated greens tend to represent wealth and abundance. However, in some countries like South America, green signifies death while in Japan, it symbolizes high tech. If you want your customers to think of restfulness, peace, and a balance of logic and emotion, consider green in your logo/ designs. Commonly used in eco-friendly products and brands like Animal planet. Black Black is a very serious color, traditionally representing both death and mystery. It also denotes authority and power, with a hint of seduction. Due to its neutral nature, pairing it with bright colors or simply with white makes the design bold, or sophistically classic. For example, Apple, a combination of black and gray, well balanced. Brown Many organic and natural food and beauty products use brown because of its earthy connotations. As a designer, it’s important to balance this association with the earth, as brown often reminds people of dirt. There are many shades of brown that express brand qualities such as durability and simplicity that can be an effective counter to busier, more superfluous designs. So if you are looking to give out a feeling of being down to earth without being bland, play around with the shades and their complimentary colors. White White is the color of pure simplicity and purity. This color’s simplicity has been used extensively in minimalist design aesthetics. When using white it’s important to be deliberate and balanced, using it only where appropriate. Purple Royalty, power, creativity, and luxury have historically been associated with purple. This is an ethereal color, often associated with magic and spirituality. Interestingly enough, purple is the color most likely to cause our minds to wander, so you may want to couple it with another color in your logo/ design. To get an idea of how purple can work for you, check out how we at Native Wave media used purple and pink on our logo and website. Gray Essentially a combination of black and white, it retains the reserved and formal qualities of both. Its muted appearance and ambiguity make it extremely versatile. Since it is closely related to silver and most metals, it is closely associated with technology and industrial design. Pink Pink is a delicate color of innocence, and cuteness, and is traditionally associated with femininity. However, we are now gender-neutral in terms of colors and products like clothes. They are giving us more room to express ourselves. Too much pink can come across as submissive and immature but can be coupled well with others to convey your message. The colors mentioned above can be divided into 2 categories; warm tones and cool tones. Warm tones include; brown, pink red, orange, yellow, and combinations of these and similar colors. As the name indicates, the colors give off a cozy, sunshine, welcoming feeling. As for cool tones, blue, green, and light purple give off a calming feeling. Unlike warm colors, cool colors look as though they recede. You should understand how to use both categories of colors depending on the message you want to convey. If you need help choosing the color for your brand, check out the Canvas color

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Social Media Management Tools

Top 10 Best Free Social Media Management Tools

Leave a Comment / Social Media /

9 Min Top 10 Best Free Social Media Management Tools Written By Erick Kung’u Date 02 Feb 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Top 10 Best Free Social Media Management Tools If you are a small or medium business, this is your cup of tea. Cutting costs is reasonable but never at the expense of quality. That is why I have compiled 10 freemium social media management tools you can use. Postly If your budget is under 10$ then this is for you. With just $9 per month, you get access to an unlimited number of scheduled posts. However, if you decide to go with the free plan, you will have access to only 5 monthly posts. It’s still better than nothing. Other features for both the free and the $9 packages include; 10 Social accounts Unlimited users 1 workspace Socialbee With Socialbee, you will be able to easily schedule your posts in a calendar-like view and customize them for each social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Google My Business, and TikTok). Additionally, you can categorize your posts into different categories and then automatically post them on all your social at once. Other features include; Reporting & analytics to analyze the performance of your accounts. Create beautiful designs for your posts through their Canva integration when in post-editor mode. You can also benefit from 10 more integrations in the app. Categorize your posts into different categories and then automatically post them on all your socials at once. Recycle evergreen posts or expire time-sensitive content. Content curation through RSS Feeds. Real-time preview of your upcoming posts. Use the URL shorteners to track your links. Have multiple workspaces and team collaboration features. It’s got 3 packages, with a starting price of $19 per month and a 14 free day trial, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Hootsuite We can’t talk about social media management tools without mentioning Hootsuite With 15 billion users, that’s credit enough to let you know how useful this tool is. Some of its most amazing features are; Hootsuite has the capacity of managing accurate content and also schedule it for any time you want You can also measure the performance and business analytics of your websites by using it. The option for keeping the posts by using this tool is available in bulk. It can manage over 35 socials With the help of brand mentions and the easy availability of tags, you can easily keep an eye on the trends. The professional plan starts from $19 per month. For the team plan, you have to pay $99 per month. Both of these plans have a free trial of 30 days. I honestly would recommend the professional plan for medium-sized businesses. Buffer The best thing about Buffer is the exceptional customer support service experience. It also provides an exceptional opportunity for team collaboration, suite publishing, and management of engaging content. The catch with this tool is the price is affordable depending on the number of channels you want to operate. The essential and team packages go for $5 and $10 respectively. By taking advantage of these 2 packages, you can access; Analytical tools Landing page builder Planning and publishing tools Unlimited team members and clients(only in the $10 package) Easy, clear, exportable reports(only in the $10 package) Draft collaboration tools(only in the $10 package) Haiku Deck This tool is better fitted for content repurposing. It’s all about using the same content in different formats, for example, creating an Infographic, video, or slideshow while using content from some of your blog posts. Perfect for B2B marketing. For $10 per month, you get access to the basic features plus; Unlimited deck creation Custom branding Youtube search and embed Powerpoint image search add-in Privacy control for your presentations Download files for offline viewing, printing, and editing Tweet Deck If you are using Twitter for your business, then this tool is for you. It’s a real-time tracking and organizing tool. You can set up real time-tracking for tweets with your target keywords or topics. You can also create separate columns for Likes, Mentions, or Trending Topics. Social pilot With Socialpilot you can connect all your social profiles on one dashboard. You can start posting on each of the social networks from one unified interface. With $5 per month for the basic plan, you get to enjoy Social media analytics 250 scheduled posts 50 posts per day 10 Socials Content discovery and suggestions 5 RSS feeds Perfect for Small agencies. Meet Edgar Automation is a big part of MeetEdgar. It can automate when posts get published, but it also automates writing posts. It does this by finding trending texts and quoting them in your posts. It also lets you A/B test content, get weekly reports sent to emails, and finally, offers great user support to its subscribers. For $29 per month, the features available include; 5 social accounts Additional Social Accounts – $4.99 Unlimited scheduled posts 10 weekly automation 4 content categories 20 team members Perfect for side hustlers and Startups. Later Best used for a visual content calendar and scheduler. Currently, the tool is highly focused on Instagram and Pinterest. However, not very suitable for Facebook marketing. Perfect for solopreneurs on Instagram Another downside is that It does not have a social inbox or an RSS integration but it does provide an analytics feature to optimize your content planning. Coschedule This one is for bloggers and content writers. The bulk of the tools is divided into packages that start with a simple blog calendar. The next packages are a marketing calendar and a marketing suite. The blog calendar is great for WordPress. It also covers the major social media platforms. With easy drag-and-drop tools, you can manage your Google Docs, WordPress, Facebook, and Twitter accounts in a single dashboard. The marketing calendar lets your team plan and schedule social posts. There are also tools for content curation and an asset

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Boost SEO

Boost your SEO growth right now with these quick hacks

Leave a Comment / Search Engine Optimization /

7 Min Boost your SEO growth right now with these quick hacks Written By Erick Kung’u Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Boost your SEO growth right now with these quick hacks Want to boost your website’s SEO growth? Are you struggling to attract more visitors and climb in rankings on Google? Don’t worry, we have 30 amazing SEO hacks that will get you more organic traffic and improve your Google rankings quickly. Since this is a slightly long post, we have categorized the tips for you. You can skip ahead to the section you’re interested in: On-page SEO hacks: Maximize Organic Traffic Leveraging internal linking Improve User Experience Use Schema markup ON-PAGE SEO HACKS: MAXIMIZE ORGANIC TRAFFIC.You may be wondering what is on-page SEO and why bother with it. The truth is by using the right on-page SEO hacks, you can help Google to better understand your content and match it with the people who are searching for it. So what is on-page SEO? It is the process of optimizing the on-page elements and content of a web page with the goal of improving its search engine rankings. Here are a few quick hacks you can use to boost your on-page SEO and get more traffic! Increase CTR By Adding the Year to Your SEO TitleA great way to increase your click-through rate (CTR) is by adding the year to your SEO title. It helps users see that your content is fresh and current, which Google and other search engines also favor. Note that this strategy will work best for content that’s already ranking on the 1st page of the search results. Optimize Your Images with Descriptive Alt TextAlt text or alternative text is crucial for SEO. It helps Google understand what your images are about. As well as helps visitors to get information about your images if they can’t be displayed on your site. Alt text is an HTML attribute that’s added to the image tag, which is used to show images on a page. It can look like this: <img src=”img_playful-golden-retriever.jpg” alt=”playful golden retriever” width=”500″ height=”600″> Tip: Don’t just use one or two words to write your alt text. Instead, imagine how you would describe your images to a blind person. But don’t stuff your alt text with similar keywords thinking it’ll help you rank higher. Google may consider your site spam if you do this. Make Your URLs SEO-FriendlyAn SEO-friendly URL describes the page using keywords that are easy to read for both search engines and users. It should first of all provide a good user experience and tell search engines what the page is about. For example; https://barakaroses.co.ke/wp/digital-marketing-trends-to-watch-out-for/ Easy to tell what the page is about right? Unlock More Traffic by Adding Related Keywords to Your ContentThe first step is to create easy-to-read and high-quality content that uses related keywords and key phrases. Best of all, the more keyword variations you use in your content, the more searches you can rank for, and the more traffic you’ll unlock! Tip: You can use Google search to get more keyword ideas aside from using keyword tools. Simply enter a few relevant terms into the search bar and take a look at the results that come up. Meta Tags Optimization to Boost RankingsThe meta description is an HTML tag that summarizes a page’s content. Its purpose is to provide a short description of your page for search engines and users searching for content in the SERPs. They include the title tag, meta description, and meta keywords tag. Here’s an example meta description from Linkedin; LEVERAGE INTERNAL LINKING.It helps search engines crawl your content and users navigate your site. Make sure to add internal links to your pages so that users can easily find related information. You can go about this in 4 ways; Use Keyword-Rich Anchor Text- Link Deep Use Relevant Links Use Dofollow Tag Use Keyword-Rich Anchor Text.When adding internal links to your content make sure to use keyword-rich anchor text like the image below Link DeepThis means linking to pages that are not on the homepage. Linking deep will help users find more relevant information on your website. Use Relevant linksFor example, if you are writing a blog post about SEO, don’t link to a page about cats. Only link to pages that are relevant to the topic of your content. Use DoFollow TagThis tells search engines to follow the link. If you don’t use this tag, search engines may not index the linked page. IMPROVE USER EXPERIENCEYou can improve user experience by optimizing your website speed, adding engaging content, social media sharing, and live chat. Try using blog posts, optimizing images, infographics, videos, social media buttons, and live chat software like Tidio or Tawkto. USE SCHEMA MARKUPSchema markup is a code that you can add to your website to help search engines understand your content better. This can improve your click-through rate (CTR) and organic traffic. To use it, you need to visit Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. Try implementing these tactics and see how they can help your business succeed online. What are some other SEO growth hacks that you know of? Share them in the comments below! Read More Understanding Google Analytics: How to Use Data to Improve Your Campaigns 5 Min Understanding Google Analytics: How to Use Data to Improve Your Campaigns Written By Erick Kung’u Date 20 Apr… The Ethics of Using AI in Marketing: Balancing Business Goals with Consumer Privacy 5 Min The Ethics of Using AI in Marketing: Balancing Business Goals with Consumer Privacy Written By Erick Kung’u Date… The Future of Content Creation: How Natural Language Generation is Revolutionizing Marketing. 7 Min The Future of Content Creation: How Natural Language Generation is Revolutionizing Marketing. Written By Erick Kung’u Date 13… Optimizing SEO with AI: The Future of Search Engine Marketing 7 Min Optimizing SEO with AI: The Future of Search Engine Marketing Written

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Top 10 upcoming digital marketing agencies in Kenya

1 Comment / Digital Marketing /

5 Min Top upcoming digital marketing agencies in Kenya  Written By Erick Kung’u Date 16 Nov 2022 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Top upcoming digital marketing agencies in Kenya  A recent study by Hootsuite revealed that there are 21.75 million internet users in Kenya and the number is only rising, this means brands have more access to millions of people daily.  With this much freedom and access businesses and brands have looked to digital marketing agencies to help them navigate the digital world bringing extensive growth to their businesses. Digital marketing agencies incorporate their expertise and knowledge to grow businesses and brands online providing a more professional and polished outlook on content made and published. Now that we have established that hiring a digital marketing agency is a very smart move for your business, let’s take a look at who are the top upcoming digital marketing agencies in Kenya. THE TOP 10 DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCIES  Native Wave Media. Native wave media is one of Kenya’s upcoming digital marketing agencies because of its unique and hands-on approach. They help guide brands to grow their online presence through out-of-the-box design ideas and effective digital solutions. The marketing agency has contributed to the digital expansion and growth of innovative and growth-focused companies by incorporating its expertise in digital marketing tools, design, marketing operations, website development, and digital optimization. They solve their clients’ digital marketing problems with implementable solutions tailored specifically for them. Contact Native Wave Media for all your digital marketing needs to bring a competitive edge to your business and brand  Archer Digital. Archer Digital is a humble team of designers, photographers, filmmakers, developers, and strategic thinkers who are passionate about helping our clients reach their goals through Digital Marketing. They help their clients conceptualize, design, and deliver digital content. Their creative department comes up with epic ideas that redefine the category and reorganize how people think. They work with brands that are committed to their customers and want to make an impressionable mark. They help develop brands’ visions to life for all budget ranges. Click Interactive Media. Click interactive media is a full-service creative agency in Kenya. They specialize in website development and digital campaigns. They are known for their dazzling and over-the-top ideas, and they help build brand identities that last. It is a multi-disciplinary company whose mission is to create value through technology, marketing, and design.  Growthpad Digital Consultation. Growthpad digital consultation is a digital experience agency that specializes in helping companies build their digital presence across online platforms. The agency brings experience that covers the likes of strategy, cinematography, and animation. They deliver impactful consumer experiences driven by innovation and insight.  Dotsavvy Africa. Dotsavvy Africa provides integrated digital business solutions to some of Africa’s biggest businesses and most loved brands. They are more than a digital marketing agency, they are focused on more fresh, out of the box for progressive businesses and brands that want to disrupt the status quo. They provide Professional photography and video production among other services.  Hakika Marketing .  Hakika is a digital agency based in Nairobi. They specialize in brand visibility and reputation through creative content. They major in Video, Animation, Graphics, and Photography. They help grow brand visibility and reputation through creative content creation. They also offer result-driven digital marketing services that help brands get a return on their investment. Akus Digital Solution . Akus Digital Solution is a digital marketing company in Nairobi whose primary objective is to help businesses grow and build their brand. They seek to understand their client’s business goals. They customize digital solutions based on the brand’s goals and needs. They focus on long-term strategic partnerships and opportunities to grow their clients’ brands. This one-stop digital marketing agency provides various services like Web design, social media marketing, content marketing, and lead generation services to clients of all industries. Oradma. Oradma is a full 360 digital marketing agency based in Nairobi, Kenya. They provide a wide array of integrated Digital marketing solutions for their clients. They are more than just a digital marketing agency. They help their clients capture their vision and bring their digital space to life, they invest a lot in updating their team with the most relevant skills and knowledge to be able to deliver top-notch digital marketing skills to their clients. Their growth is rooted in a foundation of creativity, innovation, and efficiency. Trio Digital. Trio Digital is a Nairobi-based digital marketing firm in Kenya. The company provides hand-crafted digital marketing solutions that help clients effortlessly connect with their customers. Compelling design and strategic thinking are their specialties. The services they offer are not limited to SEO, SMM, Web design management, and optimization they also offer event management. They are located in Westlands, Njema Court. Trio Digital has partnered with a few brands like Rosslyn Riviera Mall, creative Moments, and Urban Live events. Grid Branding Solutions. Grid Branding Solutions Limited is aimed at providing the best solutions to corporates, small businesses, and other institutions helping them in advertising and marketing. They make sure that their client’s brands stand out in a highly competitive market. They help businesses in their day-to-day operations to improve their communication, customer relations, and overall brand recognition. They specialize in creative design, web development, brand development, photography, and digital marketing. Conclusion. In conclusion, with the world  increasingly going digital,it is imperative to know how to choose the right digital marketing agency . Analyze your brand’s goals and needs, as well as the qualities of the digital marketing agency you are considering. Your brand and you will be able to choose the best digital marketing agency with the above list. Read More Understanding Google Analytics: How to Use Data to Improve Your Campaigns 5 Min Understanding Google Analytics: How to Use Data to Improve Your Campaigns Written By Erick Kung’u Date 20 Apr… The Ethics of Using AI in Marketing: Balancing Business Goals with Consumer Privacy 5 Min The

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how to make money blogging

How to pick a Profitable Blog Niche

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5 Min How to pick a Profitable Blog Niche Written By Erick Kung’u Date 07 Nov 2022 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave How to pick a Profitable Blog Niche Last week, we briefly discussed different types of blogs you can do remotely. Today I’ll talk about how you can decide what to blog about. In order to pick what blog niche to specialize in, let me explain what it is. A blog niche is basically picking a specific topic to blog about. It’s another way of asking yourself what to blog about. But before narrowing down on your niche, you need to ask yourself the following questions; What kind of information will my blog offer? What are the goals of your blog? Will the content vary from post to post? How will I share my content? Will people care about what I have to say? How can I monetize it? Finding a Niche that Interests you.It’s your expertise that gets you reliable content to increase your social media traffic when you write about a topic you’re passionate about. However, remember to cater to the needs and interests of your target audience. Your ideal readership will help guide your blog content creation process and help you decide what topics should be covered on your blog. Finding a Topic.You have identified a topic that interests you and your audience, what do you do next? Narrow it down to be much more focused. Let’s say you want to do a food blog. In order to build a more focused target audience, you can choose to focus on plant-based nutrition, for a clear niche to set you apart from other food blogs out there. Instead of marketing as a broad topic, you can focus specifically on digital marketing and SEO like Native Wave Media. Your content gets to have more clearly defined guardrails that keep you on message for what your audience will come to expect. P.S: Choose a less competitive trending topic but with a high potential to grow. Google Trends can give you insights into whether your chosen topic can thrive. Tips on finding a Topic. Jot down your ideas Consider the blogs, magazines, or books you enjoy. Write down the topics from those, to identify a pattern of what interests you that could help you focus on a particular blog niche. List down your past jobs, experiences, or hobbies. You might find that there are elements of your employment or hobbies that you do want to blog about or a core thread that ties several elements of your life together. Run through a list of popular topics. If you’re still stuck searching for blog niche ideas, here’s a list that isn’t likely to go out of style anytime soon: Personal Finance. Investing and navigating the stock market, as well as debt, increasing income, reducing expenses, and increasing income. For Example; Nash Thuo where you can get access to curated Kenyan finance guides to fit your needs. Health and Wellness. A wide range of topics is covered, such as weight loss, mental health, and alternative therapies. For instance, Sonima or HealthyU. Self-Improvement. Different age groups, different philosophies, or styles may be targeted (e.g. college students, midlife professionals, retirees). Check out Vusi Thembekwayo podcast for inspiration Building websites. Write about topics such as how to make a website, what are the best website builders, etc., integrating your technical skills. Native Wave Media has good content on web design, digital marketing, and SEOs. Parenting. Write about parenting at different stages: babies, toddlers, school kids, teens, and adult kids, plus different parenting methods. “What to Expect” gives you a realistic view of pregnancies and giving birth. Lifestyle. It includes the person’s interests and hobbies too. It can also be routine. In other words, it is a nutshell of your lifestyle. Goop by Gwyneth Paltrow covers beauty, fashion, wellness, food, and style. Another would be “A girl in Progress”. A blog for women working on themselves for themselves. How to monetize your Blog.There are many ways by which you can monetize your blog. But before monetizing, you need to establish whether you have a paying audience. To do that ask yourself these questions; Are there any books or magazines relating to this niche? The point is to evaluate whether or not others are already earning revenue in this space. Are there products (or services) aimed at this audience? The existence of lots of products is (a) a sign that there’s a paying audience out there and (b) a source of potential advertising or affiliate programs to generate income for you. Are companies advertising products related to your keywords? If you can’t find ads for any (or many) of your keywords, then you might find this is a tricky topic to monetize. Pro tip: Create Google Alerts for relative terms you want to monitor in your niche. And a keyword planner like Twinword Ideas to evaluate your content. Where to host your blog?When considering what platform will be best for your blog, think about the audience that it’ll be attracting and how much time you have for writing posts. You can choose free or paid platforms like WordPress, Weebly, or Wix. Another factor to consider is whether you want to run the blog on your own or hire someone else to host it for you. If you want to find a solo-hosted platform, here are a few options that might suit your needs: WordPress Tumblr Wix Blogger Medium Validate your blog.Come up with ideas, write guest posts, start a Facebook page and finally publish a few articles on your blog to see how early readers react before you go all in on investing in this particular blog niche. The Takeaway.Throughout this piece, have you noted which topics interest you? Is it a topic that has a long, profitable future? By leveraging your expertise, expanding your knowledge, researching, following market trends, and using data to validate

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Digital Marketing Trends To Watch Out For

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5 Min Digital Marketing Trends To Watch Out For Written By Erick Kung’u Date 03 Nov 2022 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Digital Marketing Trends To Watch Out For Time has flown by this year with so many changes happening, it’s normal to overlook the shifts happening in different areas of our lives. Nonetheless, change is here, especially in digital marketing. Augmented reality, 3D advertising, storytelling, short-form videos, email marketing, social commerce, and unique offers are on the rise, while discounts and third-party data are about to disappear. Would you be able to tell me what digital marketing trends your business should continue to follow and what it should cut out? Social Commerce.Nowadays, Instagram is more of a shopping site than a content consumption site for me. As a result of online shopping becoming so ingrained in my life, I may need someone to supervise my spending. Over the next few years, more businesses will have an online presence, reducing the time between discovery and conversion. Therefore, invest in live-stream commerce on your most engaging social platform.  Adding Shortform Videos.Ever found yourself hooked on either Instagram Reels or TikTok videos when you are on your 10-minute break from work or studying? The storytelling and videography aspects are what gets us hooked. Take the recent collab between Joy Kendi and Frank Itom(Content creator). First of all, the transitions were on point, the music was sick! and the outfits desirable. It’s the perfect example of how to use a short video to market. So check out both of them for inspiration. Augmented reality & 3D advertising.Have you come across short clips of 3D billboard ads on either Instagram or Facebook? Over the last 3 years, companies are using 3D digital billboards to advertise their products for a more immersive experience. Japan has the most surreal billboards. Like in March when Nike unveiled a tribute ahead of Airmax Day for sneakerheads. Check it out here to get a better idea of how beautiful 3D advertising is. I realize it will take time for Kenya to reach that level, but if you shift your focus, this could be a lucrative opportunity for investors, considering how many companies would require this type of content. What’s the harm in having the first-time advantage? Influencer Marketing.As a result of the lockdown during the pandemic, influencers have risen like phoenixes. We now get more dance challenges on Tiktok for new songs, discount codes, relationship shenanigans, lifestyle vlogs, educational content, and let’s not forget funny memes to get us by long, bad days. A good reference is a collab between Joy Kendi and Showmax Kenya. You can tell I’m a fan of hers, but logically speaking, she is good at what she does, which makes her an interesting case study. Anyway, her ad about binge-watching using ShowMax is very relatable. When was the last time you stayed up all night watching your favorite series? Unique Offers.Discounts are a great way to attract customers, however not a great long-term strategy to retain them and also for your bank account. Businesses have found unique offers such as free shipping and in-store experiences rack up more brand value compared to discounts. For example, Glowsecret offers free consultations online and in-store on skincare coupled with end-of-month sales. TIP: Think about your unique selling point. How you can use it to show brand value as well as increase conversions? True Membership Program.Spotify’s premium package falls under this tactic. They got the student, individual, and family package to suit any age group looking for a good music platform. The triggers that motivate people to opt into the premium are the ads, no offline listening, and the limited number of skips that are in the free package. No one wants their playlist interrupted by ads. It just disrupts your jamming session, right? Sustainability.As consumers become more environmentally conscious, businesses have to rethink and strategize their products to meet the new demands. Start thinking about switching to biodegradable, recyclable, and compostable options. It’s a win-win situation as you make a significant humanitarian effort and improve your brand and reach.  TIP:  Think about your brand package material, environmental causes you can support, and the delivery system. Gender Neutrality.People have changed and will continue changing so it makes sense to make marketing gender-neutral so as not to alienate any customers. More brands will continue to shy away from the traditional concept of gender roles to authentically reflect a range of different backgrounds in their marketing. So, what type of inclusivity can you offer? Summary.Pair social commerce with unique offers or storytelling with influencer marketing to improve your brand. Pair any of the 8 trends, and let me know what changes you spotted. Last but not least, remember that the future is filled with endless possibilities. Practice, test, and implement each trend listed above. In the end, luck is the result of your practice meeting opportunity. By Grace Mwarania. Read More Understanding Google Analytics: How to Use Data to Improve Your Campaigns 5 Min Understanding Google Analytics: How to Use Data to Improve Your Campaigns Written By Erick Kung’u Date 20 Apr… The Ethics of Using AI in Marketing: Balancing Business Goals with Consumer Privacy 5 Min The Ethics of Using AI in Marketing: Balancing Business Goals with Consumer Privacy Written By Erick Kung’u Date… The Future of Content Creation: How Natural Language Generation is Revolutionizing Marketing. 7 Min The Future of Content Creation: How Natural Language Generation is Revolutionizing Marketing. Written By Erick Kung’u Date 13… Optimizing SEO with AI: The Future of Search Engine Marketing 7 Min Optimizing SEO with AI: The Future of Search Engine Marketing Written By Erick Kung’u Date 10 Apr 2023…

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10 On-Demand Remote Jobs in Kenya

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7 Min 10 On-Demand Remote Jobs in Kenya Written By Erick Kung’u Date 31 Oct 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave Date 20 Apr 2023 Facebook native.wav3 Instagram native.wav3 LinkedIn native-wave 10 On-Demand Remote Jobs in Kenya The new age of technology has created more opportunities for us to earn money whether it is full-time or as a supplementary source of income. If you are wondering what kind of well-paying remote jobs are available in Kenya, then read on for everything you need to know. Blogging.By now we are aware of how blogging can be of use to us. We’ve got travel blogs, political blogs, food blogs, beauty blogs, personal blogs, and corporate blogs. Regardless of which blog you choose, you get to share your ideas and inform your target audience. According to Ahref, there are 2400 searches of the term blogging every single day. 45000 monthly searches on the query ‘how to start a blog’, clearly shows there is a large number of people looking to become a blogger. But not all blogs are created equal. Some will be successful while others crash and burn. Lucky for you, Linkedin learning has courses like writing a compelling blog, writing articles, and writing under a deadline to kickstart your blogging career. Side note: You don’t need to be an expert, just pick a profitable niche you love to talk about, a good platform(i recommend WordPress), and be consistent. This is just to get you started Vlogging.This is just a short form of video blogging. Vlogs can be criticism, entertainment, educational, or lifestyle videos. Vloggers like bloggers put an aspect of themselves or a version of themselves for the world to consume. For example ‘Over Twenty Five”. This group shows their funny, sassy sides in a range of topics like love, money, life hacks, and other topics of interest while taking a look at the life of a twenty-something woman in Nairobi. You need a nice consistent schedule, a high-quality camera (preferably a phone for beginners), and professional editing software like adobe. You will need to put in the work for a long-run success tactic. Usually, they will be one video that will push you to the limelight but the blood, sweat, and tears will pay off as long the content speaks to your target audience. Content Creator/ Influencer.Most content creation is digital since that’s where a majority of it is consumed(and where the money is at if you are looking to earn revenue through content creation). For businesses, content creation can mean newsletters, emails, digital marketing materials, brochures, social media, articles, or company communications. Basically, content is what the reader derives value from. Fortunately for you, content creation encompasses a lot, so you need to find your niche based on your expertise and decide on what type of creator you want to be. Digital Marketing.Your online marketing activities are considered digital marketing. With more people using the internet to browse, connect, and buy, its influence to engage customers grows every year. A good digital marketing strategy leverages different platforms like SEO, pay-per-click, email marketing social media to connect with existing and new customers interested in your product/ services. Check out how SEO can boost your small business HERE! Social Media Management.Social media management is the process of managing your online presence on social media platforms. It could be for your personal brand or business. You get to use your experience, tools, and services and analyze the performance of the content you put out. According to Glassdoor, the average salary in Kenya for an entry-level for this role is 37K, and mid-level is 58K, senior level 97K. Of course, this can change according to your negotiating power but overall it’s a good-paying gig. SEO Expert.Being an SEO expert is about understanding how search engines work and knowing what it takes to grow organic search traffic on a consistent and repeatable basis. With the number of online businesses and websites increasing, this role will be and is in demand. The added advantage of this role is the knowledge of other marketing areas such as content, design, and social media, highly transferrable skills. Virtual Assistant.The title makes the sole purpose of this role obvious. Their entire business model is helping other businesses thrive which means they can help their clients adapt and pivot to changing times as well. In addition, the role has numerous transferable skills fit for office experience. Use Upwork as your plug for this opportunity. Video Editor.Video shorts are one of the digital trends to watch in the next few years. That makes video editing skills desirable to employers, don’t you think? Along the way, you will need software to practice. So look into Adobe, Wondershare Filmora, or Openshot. Graphic Designer.Graphic design is a composition of visual elements that uses text, photos, and illustrations to communicate ideas. The most desirable skill for this role is knowing how to use Adobe Suite to complete projects. Other skills include UX design, Photo editing, design principles, and digital technology(HTML, Javascript, and Cascading Style Sheet). Canva Design School, Udemy, Linkedin learning, or Dribble workshops are great platforms to improve your skills. Web Developer.A web developer is someone who builds or develops websites or web applications. There are three kinds of web developers, Front-End Web Developers, Back-End Web Developers, and Full-Stack Web Developers. Front-end developers are involved in making the interface(visible parts) of a website or web app. This is what visitors see and interact with. Back-end developers develop the server side of a website or web app. Personality wise they are logical, love data and technical construction. Full-stack developers do both the front and back-end work. For you to become a web developer learn these 3 skills; Markup languages Style sheet(HTML, Javascript, CSS) Scripting languages Closing Remarks.Whether you decide to become your own SEO expert, a blogger, or a graphic designer, I believe Native Wave Media can be a partner and an asset, particularly in SEO and Social media marketing. For more information,

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