As much as we hate (or love) to admit it, social media has become a core part of our lives, and as a result, our marketing strategies. We’ve learned to fine-tune our skills and become pros at figuring it all out but we all dread the day when we aren’t sure what comes next. One strategy for solving this? A social media calendar. What is a Social Media Calendar and Why is it Important? A social media calendar helps you maximize your marketing efforts by outlining your content strategy […]
From the internet’s earliest days, online publishers have been confused about website analytics. Even back in the day, when all anyone really cared about was “hits” or “eyeballs”, most people didn’t really know what that meant. Just to confuse things a little more, web admins were presented with multiple analytical tools that often contradicted each other. In a misappropriation of Segal’s Law, which states a man with two watches will never know the right time, nobody knew where they stood in terms of traffic. Thankfully, Google came to the […]
The human mind is hardwired to worry. It imagines all manner of situations to help you prepare for the worst-case scenario. Historically, anxiety prevented us from being eaten by saber-toothed tigers. Today, we are more likely to be worried about our comfortable, office-based jobs being replaced by AI-enabled tools. Somewhat ironically, it’s the people in high-tech jobs that imagine they have the most to lose, with the SEO industry literally shaking in their shoes. Yes, AI will impact the SEO industry. And, as with any disruptive technology, there will […]
If you’re like any marketing team out there, you know that content takes you far. We create content for plenty of reasons like connecting with our audience or sharing information. However, if we’re really being honest here, content is one of the contributors that gets us to our goal of converting our leads. So, how does this work? Do we produce without stop and hope someone loves it or is there a strategic way to go about this? We’re here to clue you in and share four ways to produce […]
Video is, without a doubt, the most preferred content format on social media amongst Gen Z audiences who flock to the big three social video channels (YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok) to engage with influencers, brands, entertainment, news, and millions of hours of all sorts of random nonsense. So, let’s cut to the chase. If you are not producing video content, you are unlikely to be found by a generation totally absorbed by video content consumed on their mobile devices. Online streaming platforms have democratized video, making it accessible […]
As marketers, we go into each cycle with entirely new goals and KPIs in mind. These are marketing buzzwords that everyone recognizes but do we actually know the difference, and more importantly, the purpose behind each of them? In today’s blog, we will explore goals versus KPIs and break down what each of these terms truly means. What Are Goals and How Are They Measured? It’s pretty easy to picture what a goal is when asked. Often, we think of the personal or professional ones we make at the […]
When I think of SEO, I imagine a road map connecting towns, cities, villages, and other destinations. Some of these connecting roads are freeways, carrying heavy traffic between major connections at speed. Others are quiet country roads taking people along more convoluted journeys. However, some routes are simply impassable and best avoided. Understanding how these road networks work is essential to reaching your journey’s objective. Link building works on precisely the same principle as the road map. It provides a connecting point between your website and the internet’s primary […]
Our world is jam packed with all sorts of content from the most general topics to the most niche industries. When there’s already so much out there to watch, scroll through, and enjoy, how do we as marketers determine what’s left to create? In this case, we look to the trends. One of the fun aspects of content marketing is that the landscape is always changing, and you never know what the next popular thing will be. In looking to the upcoming months, let’s touch on some content marketing […]
Social media is a powerful tool that pretty much everyone has jumped on, especially in the past few years. It helps you nurture current customers and generate leads, all while doing so in a way that is fun and engaging. This is a versatile way of marketing and by the time you’re done reading this blog, you’ll know exactly why it’s one of the most valuable digital channels. Why Use Social Media for Business? Social media is trending up when it comes to growth. More and more people are […]
Like other forms of social media, TikTok is a useful way to connect with your audience and potential customers. This is a platform that is diverse, authentic, and fun. People use it for entertainment, to learn new things, and even discover products. TikToks are so influential these days that you’ll see them bleed over to other platforms like Instagram and Facebook. If you’re new to creating TikToks or looking for additional ways to increase your views, continue reading for some tips to boost your discoverability. Promoting TikTok Videos We’re […]
Companies have multiple priorities to manage whether it’s employee satisfaction, product development, or logistics. Another priority most companies will agree on is the customer. The customer is what keeps a business running and it’s important that they are well taken care of otherwise they’ll start going to your competitors. That’s where customer journey maps come in to play to help you understand your customer and discover solutions to your sales and marketing funnel. What is the Customer Journey? The customer journey is the winding road a customer takes from […]
Meta tags are little snippets of text which are primarily used to provide information about a webpage to the various search engines and its prospective visitors. The text is found in the head section of a webpage’s HTML, and although not visible on the page itself, is an essential component of any content-led Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. The good news is, getting to grips with meta tags isn’t rocket science. However, as with so many other simple but vital online marketing jobs, meta tags are often not given […]
Content is the fuel that powers so many of our modern marketing strategies. From blog posts, to email campaigns and those ever present social media activities — they all need content. But here’s the rub. Content is time consuming and difficult to create. This inconvenient truth is especially accurate when your marketing output requires a constant flow of actionable content. If only there was an AI tool that could help us create more content and make our lives as content marketers easier. You’d be delighted, right? Introducing ChatGPT […]
Knowledge is power, and for digital marketers, you can find much of this knowledge in Google Analytics. But knowledge is an ever-moving landscape; if we want to keep up, we need to evolve. Therefore, Google is advising all marketers that they will need to make the transition from the current iteration, Universal Analytics, to GA4 before July 2023 to ensure they continue to have access to the critical data they need to make informed marketing decisions. A Brief History of Google Analytics Google Analytics has been around in one […]
While digital marketing tasks, conversations, and strategies may fill our day-to-day, we’re just as focused on the big picture and that applies to helping the community as much as it does to helping our clients. That’s why we make it a point to contribute to organizations taking impactful action towards making the world a better place. We know the phrase “making the world a better place” gets thrown around a lot, especially around the holiday season, but in this case, it couldn’t be truer, which is where this blog […]
Marketing was obviously at the forefront of everything we did and thought about this year. After all, we’re a company that eats, sleeps, and breathes digital marketing. There’s an endless list of marketing feats, advances, and ideas we covered in our regular emsights posts, created specifically to help digital marketers stay on top of the good and the bad. We’ve touched on a variety of topics this year from changes in Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) to data to new generation marketing channels like podcasting, SMS, etc. It would take […]
Analytics is a whole other ball game when it comes to marketing. It could function as its own department with the amount of work that goes into it. However, at the same time, analytics makes the most sense when it works in conjunction with the areas where the data is being collected. What does this mean for marketing teams? It’s best to have an overall game plan for tackling analytics and to have smart integrations in place to help you work more efficiently. To do so, we’re going to recap […]
There’s been no shortage of social and content topics to touch on this year as we continue to navigate the world of platform algorithms, marketing strategies, and creative social trends. What’s a December without your tried, true, and entertaining, year-end recap? While there is plenty to reminisce on, we’d like to highlight a few of the favorite ideas we tapped into this year. Let’s Go Back to the Beginning: Marketing 101 Marketing has been around and evolving for many generations and we took the time to dive into the […]
Many of us understand the basics (and importance) of search. There’s nothing more that we would want than to rank well on Google. Why is that? Having a better spot when search engines churn out results is one of the best ways to be discovered and rediscovered by audiences. There’s a running joke that many internet users never make it past page one of search results and while this may not be true for everyone, everywhere, it still holds some merit. Content that ends up on page one or […]
Data is crucial to what we do. After all, how can we best design experiences for our customers if we have no idea what’s working well and what’s failing? Beyond these big picture ideas, data and customer journey analytics do a whole lot of work in providing us with information on specific touchpoints that contribute to the overall success of our business. When it comes to powering your strategies, data will become a key informer for effectively optimizing customer experiences. Data Journey Map A customer’s data […]
Online media has turned the world of sales and marketing on its head. Today, many consumers actively dislike being sold to. Instead, they prefer to do their own research by following brands on social media, subscribing to email newsletters, reading blog posts, and scrutinizing user-generated reviews. This doesn’t mean the role of the sales professional is redundant. It does mean, however, sales professionals have to be able to identify the signals that someone is ready to buy. They then need to engage their prospects with the right offer at the […]
Let’s not pull any punches here. Content is the hardest working resource available to your sales and marketing organization today. A well-produced piece of content can be deployed at multiple stages of your sales and marketing funnel, helping you to achieve many different objectives. As long as that content is relevant, it will remain fresh and engaging in the eyes of new prospects and customers, creating new opportunities for your business many weeks, months, and potentially years after it was first produced and deployed. But content creation doesn’t come […]
Clients constantly tell me that they “don’t get” social media. That’s a shame because it really isn’t rocket science. Social media is just an extension of something we do everyday. When we think of social media as a conversation, it’s something we can all understand. Like all good conversations, social media campaigns should ask questions, offer advice, and seek to resolve problems. As a conversation about your business, there is room for social media across the entire customer journey. What is the Customer Journey? We’ve talked about the […]
Have you ever considered the extent to which your marketing campaigns are affected by accessibility measures? They actually overlap more than you’d think and are capable of powering effective and expansive campaigns. It’s pretty cool how they tie together to guide your quality assurance and marketing strategy. Analytics can help detect any accessibility gaps in your plan and, in return, taking accessibility initiatives can lead to better results when you pull up your stats. There’s a ton of possibilities here. Keep reading to learn more! What is Accessibility […]
The title of this blog post is more than a little understated. If you’ve ever been excluded from participating in an event, visiting a store, restaurant, or attraction, or simply felt you weren’t welcome somewhere because you found it difficult or impossible to access a service. In that case, you’ll know that accessibility isn’t important. It’s essential. Accessibility isn’t just essential in the real world. It matters a great deal in the digital environment. This is especially true when you are providing digital services that individuals might not be […]
Question — when was the last time you gave some thought to accessibility when building out your website? Now as a follow up — when was the last time you thought about this in relation to SEO optimizations for your website? Many of us are becoming familiar with the idea of alt text, captions, and well-contrasted colors, but accessibility can also play an essential role in search engine performance. When accessibility becomes a regular part of your SEO improvements, everyone wins. What is Accessibility (and What Does […]
By this point, we all know that there’s more to social media than following up on trends and creating the most exciting content. Instead, social media is an environment for people to connect, learn, and grow together. Most importantly, it’s a space where all people should be able to do so. Why Accessibility Matters Accessibility hasn’t always been at the forefront of marketing practices, especially when the internet and social media were still new concepts for everyone. Nowadays, billions of people are active internet users with the same amount […]