September is College Savings Month and what better way to promote this timely topic then through your most valuable online vehicle – your website! Your website is your most important online presence and your “hub” for all things digital so it’s important to not only have an up-to-date website, but a website that houses new content throughout the year.
Think about it – when people are referred to you, they will research you online and where is one of the first places they will visit to look you up? Yep – your website to learn more about you and your business! Don’t let your website go dormant – stay up to date with fresh, timely content. Below are three ways you can promote college savings on your website throughout the month of September.
Blogging
Posting content-rich blogs is a great way to help build search engine optimization (SEO) and helps you stand out amongst your competitors as a subject matter expert. It’s the perfect forum to provide a personal perspective on the topic that ends with a call-to-action (CTA) inviting the reader to take a specific action. Of course, not all content has to be original. If time is an issue, think about repurposing pre-approved content made available through our Marketing Resource Library’s “Resources” portal or if you have an FMG subscription, there are numerous college savings related articles you could use for blog material.
Lead Magnets
Are you looking to build prospects, but not sure how to capture their contact information? Using lead magnets for gated content on your website is one effective way to obtain this information. Having a CTA box on your website with a few boxes of contact information to complete allows the reader to enter their information to receive a valuable educational piece whether it be a checklist, guide, workbook, ebook, etc. Pre-approved pieces you could use for this gated content are available through our Marketing Resource Library and MOD. For those with FMG subscriptions, there are numerous downloadables you could utilize and it’s even better if you have a website under their umbrella that allows for seamless integration.
Banner Ads
Website banner ads are a great tool to grab the reader’s attention right off the bat. Typically housed on your website’s homepage, it displays an attractive image with teaser copy and a CTA button that invites the viewer to take a desired action. This is a great method to get the viewer to “Read More” (directing to your blog or a particular article on another page), “Learn More” (directing to the lead magnet for their free educational piece), or “Book Today” to schedule an appointment with you.
Maximizing Traffic
It’s important to note that there is one crucial factor to consider to maximize the amount of people going to your website and that is social media. Use this valuable tool to your advantage and drive traffic back to your website through posts. All you need is a teaser sentence or two with an attractive hero image that helps your post stand out and link to your website for more information. Consider posting 2-3 times a week to help with visibility. Utilize our Marketing Resource Library, MOD, FMG Suite or LPL’s Social Media Content Library, Gainfully, for plenty of resources to pull copy from.
Want to take it up another notch? Think about posting something personal to you… share a picture of either you or your kids going to college, or a college-related story of yours. Adding personal touches to your posts makes them more relatable and more likely to capture audience engagement. Consider inviting them to share their story as well or ask them a question to encourage feedback to your post.
DID YOU KNOW?
President Biden announced on August 24th that up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt will be cancelled for many borrowers — and double that amount for Pell Grant recipients — a move that could offer some level of forgiveness for about 43 million Americans. Additionally, the president is also set to extend a pause on federal student loan payments through Dec. 31.
Enhance Your Website Today!
Apply these best practices for any monthly theme to help keep your website fresh and up-to-date. Don’t forget to utilize LPL’s 2022 Marketing Content Calendar for ideas on timely topics organized by month and quarter. If you’d like to learn more about utilizing each of these website marketing methods, please reach out to your dedicated Marketing Account Manager for assistance today!
