By As we approach the end of 2022, it's clear that the digital landscape has changed significantly in the past year.
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In 2021, the economy was booming as COVID-19 restrictions eased, leading to a talent shortage and strong demand for marketing services from local businesses. However, rising interest rates have put a damper on that growth, leading to widespread layoffs and uncertainty for the future.
This shift in priorities has also influenced the content that our clients are consuming on Vendasta.com. They are no longer looking for tips on how to grow quickly at any cost and scale to the moon. Instead, they are seeking out information on how to provide great service, tap into recession-proof industries, build a strong sales pipeline, and lower costs.
Here’s a roundup of the 10 best-performing articles by views on our website. We encourage you to read them to stay up to date with industry developments and gain valuable insights for your agency in the new year. And on that, we at Vendasta would like to wish you a festive holiday season!
1. Vendasta’s white-label marketing achieves 96 percent satisfaction
Our top-performing article of 2022 was about how our white-label Marketing Services division—our in-house digital agency that serves our partners and their clients—is hitting it out of the park!
With a whopping 96 percent satisfaction rate and an appetite among agencies to lower costs, more and more partners are turning to our in-house team to help fulfill their clients' marketing needs without the hassle of hiring, training, and retaining their own fulfillment employees.
2. How to dispute a Google review
In a challenging economy, local businesses may experience a decline in customers, and the customers who do spend may be more selective. In this context, a business's online reputation becomes even more important, and agencies need to be well-equipped to protect it.
This blog offers a step-by-step guide on how to dispute certain types of reviews and deal with customers who leave potentially damaging feedback.
3. 11 recession-proof industries to sell to
As we arrive at an economic crossroads, no doubt agencies are finding it tougher to sell to local businesses broadly. Recessions affect everything from sales to marketing.
Instead, taking a selective approach and targeting industries that are less affected by economic changes can provide stability and longevity for your agency’s revenue. Healthcare and essential goods are examples of industries that may be less impacted by economic changes. These sectors continue to exhibit steady or even growing demand for their products and services.
Check out the blog for a list of 11 recession-proof sectors you can start targeting today.
4. A product management mindset with Vendasta’s Gib Olander
Our readers took great interest in a unique approach to product management that our former Executive Vice President of Product, Gib Olander, lives by.
In this blog, Olander explains why the changing landscape means software sellers and resellers need to focus on maximizing the ability to bundle and price their product and service offerings accordingly.
5. Vendasta’s Shakya Abeywickrama on data-driven leadership
One silver lining of a recession (or what feels like one) is that agencies gain an opportunity to reset and rethink their approach to how they serve customers and measure success.
Shakya Abeywickrama is the General Manager of Vendasta’s Marketing Services division.
She explains in this article that local experts end up making expansion, hiring, and operational decisions on gut feel rather than letting the numbers guide them. She provides her perspective on the metrics you should measure within your agency, so you can do better at delivering the right products and services at the right time and with the right value.
6. How to add a business to Waze
Google Maps may be a well-known mapping application, but it is not the only option available. Waze, a community-driven navigation app, is used by millions of people in the US alone. The app is useful for helping people get around and also for finding local businesses. It specializes in delivering hyperlocal advertising to a motivated audience.
If you manage local SEO for your clients, you may be interested in learning how to add a business to Waze.
7. How to create and price product service bundles in the Vendasta Marketplace to increase profits
The Vendasta Marketplace offers over 250 digital solutions that you can bundle and sell to customers. Product service bundles can be a great way to cross-sell different products. The more you sell, the more revenue you generate, and the stickier your clients become.
This article provides a starting point for those interested in selling bundles.
8. How to claim and optimize an Apple Maps listing
Being visible on mapping apps is important for local SEO efforts. Claiming a listing on Google Maps is a good start, but have you considered Apple Maps? Apple Maps is a major player in the navigation app space and is the default app on all iPhones and iPads.
Additionally, when someone searches or asks Siri for recommendations, the data comes from Apple Maps. With over 1.5 billion iPhones in use, your clients could be missing out on a large number of potential local customers if they are not on Apple Maps.
This guide outlines how you can claim a listing on Apple Maps for free for your clients.
9. Mark Roberge’s 5-step sales process to win more deals
Mark Roberge, Managing Director of Stage 2 Capital, has extensive experience helping early-stage companies scale their revenue, customer base, and salesforce. He also teaches the next generation of sales professionals about the importance of customer centricity in business growth.
He often finds that agency sales teams present themselves to prospects as "money-hungry sleazy devils" rather than professionals who can help business owners succeed.
In this blog, Roberge offers five steps that agencies can take to recraft their sales playbook and win more deals.
10. Attract clients with Vendasta’s business texting services
Attracting more clients is essential for companies selling digital products in any economy.
Companies may invest in advertising, create a social media presence, offer referral incentives, cold call, and speak at conferences to achieve this. One avenue that companies may not have considered is offering SMS business texting services. This can help companies differentiate themselves and provide added value to customers in the current economic climate.
Read the blog to learn more about using Vendasta's Inbox Messaging Hub to interact directly with customers via SMS.