How Google Changed the Rules of Display Advertising During the Super Bowl

Google made a major update to how it displayed advertisements just in time for the half-century anniversary of the Super Bowl. In late 2015, Google started beta testing their new Real-Time Ad product designed at serving advertisements in real-time. The goal was to give consumers advertisements as a response to major television moments, knocking Twitter and other social networks out of the top s

Are You Finding the Right People for Your Influencer Marketing?

Ever wish you could get popular people to talk about your brand online? In the past, brands paid high dollars for celebrity endorsements. Many of the big companies still do. But for small businesses, there’s an easier way to get in front of the people who will spread the word about your unique business offering. It’s called, influencer marketing. Influencer marketing targets real people ins

Navigating the Complex Mobile Marketing Ecosystem

  Almost half of all Americans say they cannot live without their smartphone, according to Pew Research. Without question, mobile device usage has become the norm in today’s world. Everyone from pre-teens to great-grandmas reach for smartphones to stay connected with their peers and the world around them. It’s this hyper connectivity propelling the mobile marketing ecosystem for

How to Add a Little Personality to Your Sales Strategy

Does your sales strategy feel a little too robotic these days? Nothing turns a prospect off more than feeling like just another notch in a line of contacts. If you need to re-energize your sales strategy, it might be time to sprinkle in some personality. Infusing personality into a sales strategy brings your business to life. For many brands, it can be a little bit scary. What if your sales

Using Visual Content to Cut Through the Noise on Facebook

Did you know that photos on Facebook get 53% more likes? That’s according to a HubSpot study of B2B and B2C companies. Visual content is hotter than ever these days. So how do you add visuals to all of your posts so that you can drive that engagement? Turns out, incorporating pictures and imagery might not be as hard as you think. Here are a few ways you can use visual content to cut throu

How to Avoid Being Seen as a Spammer in Your Email Marketing

Spam. No one likes it, yet some email marketers unknowingly sound like it in promotional emails. Do you? Spammers are smart email marketers. These people know how to weasel their way into the hearts of unsuspecting readers to scam for money. This makes it harder for genuine, valuable businesses to get their messages heard among the noise – especially when your messages look and feel like spa

In-App Advertising Pros and Cons

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s hard not to notice the recent uptick in mobile usage. More and more people rely on smartphones and tablets to conduct business, navigate the world, or keep a pulse on what’s happening in their lives. This growth isn’t set to stop any time soon. Research center, Yankee Group, predicts that mobile devices and mobile commerce sectors will grow,

What Marketing Executives Must Know About Mobile

On April 21st, Google rolled out a new algorithm change that’s shaking the SEO world into “mobilegeddon.” This new algorithm punishes “old school” mobile websites and rewards the more modern responsive design. Around the same time, Facebook started to hint toward a stronger focus on their mobile service. Their goal is to refocus their advertising revenues on finding better advertisers

How to Use Analytics to Tap Into Better Brand Journalism

When you hear the term “brand journalism,” what comes to mind? Brands touting their new products? Companies flaunting their best side? Brand journalism happens when a company tells its own story. It happens on the website, through blog posts, in emails, and on social media. Instead of relying on the traditional method of getting PR, through press releases, brands often take matters into th

How to Generate Bigger Brand Awareness (and Make Your Sales Team’s Lives Easier)

Did you know that almost 60% of the sales process is over before your prospect speaks to a sales representative? People are looking at what your company has to offer before you realize they’re interested. Brands struggle to generate awareness about the products or services they offer, but with a little bit of helpful insight, you can drive bigger brand awareness while also taking some of the bu

Measuring Social Media ROI With Analytics

How do you determine the success of your social media marketing? If you’re like many business owners, you focus on likes, shares, and comments. Although that gives you a realistic insight into how people react to your content, what does it mean in dollars and cents? The ultimate goal of marketing is to make your business money. Shouldn’t you be able to show the amount of money you’re gett

Using Emojis in Subject Lines: Yay or Nay

Are you an Apple lover? If so, the release of the updated emoji keyboard in early April was hard to miss. People, businesses, and celebrities raved about the new images. Some brands were in hot water for doing so. Regardless of whether you were one of the millions raving about the new emojis, or whether you sat back and let the world do all the cheering, one thing is certain: people love the

7 Marketing Analytics You Can’t Ignore

  Have you ever wondered what really happens when you hit “send” or “publish” on each marketing campaign? Where does your traffic come from? What’s working and what’s wasting your time? Marketing analytics provides that insight, but in today’s world of Big Data and information overload, how do you know what to look at and what to ignore? Analytics are not create

How to Create a Personal Connection Using a Robot

When one thinks about email marketing, warm and fuzzy images are not necessarily the first things that come to mind. Yet making personal connections through automated email programs and applications is actually easier than you may imagine. Contrary to some opinions, email marketing is not going away anytime soon. As such, it’s important to use email marketing to fullest extent in order to reap i

3 Reasons to Incorporate Gamification Into Your Marketing Strategy

When you think of gamification, what often comes to mind are kids playing video games online. Yet the concept of gamification is actually the application of game mechanics and design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve goals. Many companies are applying this concept — in everything from software to training — in order to enhance their sales and marketing results. In fac

Vanity URLs: What Are They and Why You Need Them

As you build your business’ online presence, you may hear a lot about the importance of vanity URLs, especially as they relate to social media platforms. The term “vanity URL” may sound fancy and technical, but it’s really a simple tool that will have a profound effect on your business’ online presence. Let’s look at what vanity URLs are and why you need them. What is a Va

How to Advertise in a Non-Invasive Way

It’s getting harder and harder to get potential customers’ attention these days. After all, they’ve become immune to ads and commercials. They now control what they decide to hear when it comes to brands’ messages. So how can you get their attention for your local business? Think Multidimensional If you’re advertising or marketing, there’s no reason you need to choose a single