From news sites to ecommerce stores and forums to social media, if you spend any amount of time on the web, you’ve almost certainly been exposed to what are called “cookie policy and consent interstitial pop up banners.” And if you’re like most, you’ve not only encountered them but been absolutely inundated by them. That’s because cookies on the web are ubiquitous.     Cookies are tiny bits of code that identify you and your browser for a variety of reasons. Some simply enable a website to function in a way that […]

I have been leading an agency in the Midwest for more than 20 years now. Reflecting back over the years, I can say that we have always welcomed the idea of a diverse and inclusive environment. We are inclusive. But I can’t say that we are diverse, at least not in a statistically balanced way. I know many other agency leaders in the Midwest and I see the same thing in their organizations. But it’s not just the agencies and leaders that I know personally: a lack of diversity exists […]

When emfluence was first contacted by UXPAKC (User Experience Professionals Association) about doing a presentation on web accessibility back in February, I was overjoyed. Not only had I spent seventeen years working in the accessibility field, but it was also an opportunity to present this topic in a different way.   Fifty-six million people in the United States are diagnosed with a disability with over fifty percent being 65 years or older. Although not all these people will need accessibility, it is still a significant number. More and more of […]

“With great power, comes great responsibility!” As the famous Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) would say, building out an ecommerce website is no easy task, but the results of having one could bring you an average increase of 230% between year one and year three in revenue. Of course, actual revenue depends on your business, but the chart below should give you some great motivation to find out what having an ecommerce website could mean to you and your company.   Motivation, CHECK! Great, now comes the hard part. In this […]

On Thursday, May 28th, 2020 Google announced a new ranking signal that combines Core Web Vitals with their existing page experience signals (mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS, no intrusive interstitials).   This new ranking factor will not go live until at least 2021 and Google will provide at least a 6-month notice. See Google’s announcement here.   This is similar to other UX centered initiatives at Google (see the “Mobilegeddon” mobile-friendly update, the page speed update, the HTTPS update, and the interstitials update as examples) where they preannounce an algorithm update / […]

Even before the stay-at-home order was in place, I was an avid listener of podcasts. I subscribed to a few and frequently explored new podcasts as they became available. Podcasts were my go-to source, fulfilling my quest to learn more even when I didn’t have time to sit down, read books, or jump on the internet. They fit in when and where I need them, whether during my morning walk, while I’m cleaning the house, or when I’m in the car.   I have learned how to be better at […]

Did you know most of your data in Google Analytics may lie to you unless you know exactly how to interpret it correctly? Many times, a simple tagging error in Google Tag Manager or installing the Analytics code snippet in the wrong spot is the cause of inaccurate reporting data in your company dashboard.   As some of us continue to work from home during Coronavirus, getting your data right before things turn busy again is a must do as companies continue to use this time to improve operations and […]

For the past few months, the marketing landscape has been overrun by the Coronavirus pandemic. Businesses have spent countless hours making changes to their marketing strategy and formulating the correct messaging for their audience, to sound sincere but not trite. Just when we think we have settled into the new normal, we face a new obstacle: recession. The coronavirus has dissolved the longest economic expansion in U.S. history (CNBC) and companies are once again faced with how to survive. While this is the first recession to ever begin in the […]

In times of unpredictability, your customers are scouring budgets to find areas to reduce expenses. What can you do to make sure your organization is not on that list?   Be Proactive Reaffirm your value through regular communication. You don’t tell your significant other you love them once a year and hope they just assume everything is fine until further notice, right? You communicate. You share. You listen.   Communicate in a meaningful way. Generic newsletters are not enough. We say this often and it’s worth repeating: Personalize your communications. […]

On May 4th, 2020 Google announced a broad core algorithm update, as they do a few times a year. This newest update is called the May 2020 Core Update. These updates typically take a couple of weeks to fully roll out, and on May 18th, 2020 Google announced the May 2020 Core Update was fully rolled out. The May 2020 Core Update rollout is complete. — Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) May 18, 2020 What is a broad core algorithm update? A few times a year Google will make “significant” updates to […]

In August 2019, Facebook released a new feature that makes it easier for businesses to chat with customers in Messenger. Facebook claims that their new lead generation in Messenger can assist businesses develop customer relationships.   According to Facebook, with Messenger you can: Reach the right prospects Ask the right questions Easily remind people to complete questions Nurture leads where they spend time Instantly close the loop with unqualified leads Integrate with your CRM   I don’t know about you, but that last bullet makes me incredibly happy as a […]

Can’t make it to one of our Weekly Emsights Q&A sessions? We’re recording as many of these as possible so that you can have them in one handy spot. We’re putting together this series based on your feedback, so if there’s a topic you’d like to see us cover about how the pandemic has impacted digital marketing, be sure to ask us in the comments section. Week Two: Diagnosing Dips in Organic Traffic   Week Three: Pivoting Your Content Strategy with Authenticity   Week Four: Rebalancing Your Email Strategy During […]

Good news for email marketers: according to a 2019 Twilio study, email and SMS are customers’ preferred methods of communication. The survey, which covered about 2,500 global buyers, showed that 83% of consumers preferred emails over other communication channels (although texts were more popular for urgent messages like delivery notifications or appointment reminders).   While the study is definitely favorable for email as a channel, it uncovers quite a few warning signs that can help guide email marketers through shifting strategies during a crisis—like the one we’re currently experiencing with […]

You must be able to understand why organic search traffic (Google traffic, Bing traffic, etc.) declined before you can implement the best strategy to improve it. That was the topic for week two of Weekly Emsights: COVID-19 edition, which you can watch here: If you look at your organic traffic in your reporting platform and you see meaningful declines – here is a list of questions to help you diagnose this loss further:  Questions to help you diagnose organic search traffic declines  Are there any current events?  Is the decline unique to organic […]

Marketing departments within healthcare organizations face a unique challenge: balancing the need for personalized communication without running afoul of HIPAA guidelines. Often, the challenge isn’t one of not having enough information, but one of too much – most of which you shouldn’t use. The following is a quick guide to help you organize your email strategy so that it is effective and compliant with HIPAA requirements.   The good news for marketers using the emfluence Marketing Platform is that our software is HIPAA compliant. That means we adhere to a […]

In March 2018, Instagram officially made life easier for the 70% of shopping enthusiasts – me included –who love social media and shopping online, by combining both interests into one platform and as a result, forever changing the way people shop by providing more than 130 million accounts (and counting) the ability grant their customers with the best shopping experience right from their social feed.   No longer do e-commerce brands that sell physical products have to depend solely on adding a link under their Instagram bio every time they want to […]

There’s truly no need for us to restate the details of the current coronavirus conditions we find ourselves in. With many businesses feeling like they’re in a tailspin, it’s more important now than ever to take a calm, calculated look at your marketing, advertising and overall communication efforts. And while every business is different and the level to which they’ve been impacted by the pandemic varies, we’ve put together a list of universal considerations and thought starters to focus on as we all try to navigate these uncertain waters.     #1 Don’t Lose Sight  While […]

Date updated: 4/17/2020 Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., we have had multiple clients approach us with uncertainty and questions. How is the coronavirus affecting current user behaviors? How do we think it will affect ongoing, long-term search behaviors? The truth is, we’re experiencing this for the first time along with everyone else. But as a data-driven agency, we wanted to dive in and provide some insight into current trends and we put our heads together to discuss. We analyzed all our client data to see […]

In the last few weeks, companies everywhere have had to make important decisions on how to adapt their marketing strategies to the rapidly changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19. Email, in particular, has been heavily relied on to communicate a lot of information with customers and clients. It’s important to note that in many situations, not sending at all is better than coming across as insensitive or tone deaf during a global health pandemic. However, in the event you have important information you must relay to your clients during this time, here […]

Writing this from my home in Prairie Village (Kansas) rather than the emfluence office in the Crossroads (Kansas City, Missouri), I can only muse that the old saying “the only constant in life is change” seems like a huge understatement. COVID-19 has certainly upended all of our lives, especially those in the service, healthcare, & hospitality industries. I’m left to reflect on how this crisis is affecting the Paid Media landscape, not because it’s the most important aspect of our lives, but because sometimes it’s good to focus on what […]

Congratulations, you’ve taken the first steps to taking your manufacturing business to the next level with the use of email marketing! That’s right, email is still a thing. In fact, email marketing is used by 92% of manufacturer marketing professionals according to the Content Marketing Institute.   How the Manufacturers Can Incorporate Email into their Marketing Strategy In an industry where each purchase can be an intense and expensive, long drawn-out sales cycles that involve multiple stakeholders and other decision-makers, having a well-thought-out email marketing strategy to provide support is […]

B2B purchase decisions are typically high value and expensive decisions. These decisions develop over a longer period of time than B2C and require relevant and timely content. The average B2B buying cycle is 6-12 months (Powerpost).   So, what happens during this buying cycle and how can you guide it along? The answer – relevant, timely, targeted and personalized content.   In a study by FocusVision, they discovered the average B2B buyer consumes 13 pieces of content before making a decision, typically eight vendor-created and five third-party created. Vendor-created content […]

Is the role of the CMO over? In Fall 2019, Forrester predicted that CMOs must broaden their view of their role or see their responsibilities divided to newly created positions, such as VP of Marketing Technology. Global corporations, including Johnson & Johnson, Uber and Coca Cola, are revisiting the role of the CMO, and in some cases eliminating it altogether.   Forrester is not saying marketing is less critical to success. Rather, org structures are redefining roles to adapt to evolving marketing technology, consumer sentiment, employee expectations, talent acquisition, automation, […]

emfluence is excited to welcome two new members to the team this month!   Jana Hainey joins us as an email strategist, where she will work hands-on with our agency clients providing email strategy, inspiration, and execution.   Cory LaGrange joins us as our Director of Digital Strategy, bringing with him a love for SMART goals, more than 10 years of marketing strategy, and just a smidgen of an accent from his home turf in South Louisiana.   As Jana and Cory wrapped up their first few weeks as emfluencers, […]

The core component of running a successful website in this day and age can be succinctly summarized in one word: content. This should come as no surprise to most of us, I mean who hasn’t heard the cliché “content is king” before? Now, I don’t mean to suggest this statement is untrue–I’d actually argue that it’s as true as it’s ever been–just that this emphasis on content can very easily evolve into an overemphasis on content, which can in turn overshadow other essential parts of a managing your site.   […]

As marketers, we are all aware that there are restrictions when it comes to the types of content you can post and advertise on social media. However, it’s important to note that different social media platforms have different advertising restrictions and guidelines. So before you start posting content across all of your social media platforms, it is important to be familiar with all of the platforms guidelines because what is acceptable on one platform may not be allowed on another. Let’s take a look at some of the most prominent […]

Customer journey mapping can help to identify strengths and weaknesses with your sales, marketing, and customer support tactics so that you can improve the experience your customers have with your brand from the first interaction all the way through to the post-purchase journey.   The benefits of customer journey mapping are clear. However, the path to creating a customer journey map can be more onerous. Where do you start? Who do you involve? What does the final product need to look like?   There are various ways to create customer […]