A house guest who overstays is among the major domestic irritants. Not so with the well-planted website visitor. In fact, digital marketers should go the distance to encourage extended stays. The longer, the better. The advantage of the long stay is universally known in the marketing community. Generally, the more minutes spent on the grounds, the more solid the engagement …

It’s the truth all brand marketers must face on their quests for fame and fortune … In the realm of email communications, once rarely is enough. In fact, most of the time, twice or even three times doesn’t cut it. To be effective, an email campaign must launch a series of personal touches. Doesn’t matter what the product or service …

These days, short n’ sweet unquestionably applies to the average marketing video. Sure, the long form is gold for purely informational content. But when it comes to connecting time-crunched users with your brand, nothing beats brevity. Instagram Reels offers brand marketers a dynamic option in the short video sphere. With 30 seconds pegged as the ideal running time, Reels-generated output …

Brand marketers have harnessed the power of this promotional tool for eons. Amazingly, the tool is no less effective now than it was decades ago. This enduringly successful wonder is known as a contest. Its message is beautifully simple — enter and win, win, win! Doesn’t matter what the prize is. A jazzy new car, cutting edge computer, dream trip …

While video marketing soars in popularity, another lesser-known visual format is pushing its way into the limelight — with equally promising possibilities. That medium is 3D imagery. Thanks to ongoing advancements, this imagery is giving digital marketers a robust alternative to conventional video and photographic presentations. In a nutshell, three-dimensional imagery is a fully rendered graphic that emulates rounded reality. …

What do social media and Santa Anita have in common? Both have a variety of post times. That’s right. There are right moments and wrong moments to publish your glorious content on Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest. During the right moments, users are available and ready to receive everything you’ve got; during the wrong, you might as well talk …

A single, tiny mark … that’s all it takes. Once it’s blazing on your brand’s Instagram page, expect to grab more users than ever before. While grabbing, you’ll be giving yourself a splendid opportunity to rack up new conversions by the truckload. The all-important mark is a checkmark – the one, true sign you’ve been duly verified by Instagram. Acquiring …

Throughout the known universe, one of the rock-solid truths has been — you never can have enough of a good thing. It’s only proper, then, that digital marketers adhere to this principle in the interest of maximizing success. Implementing this worthy principle certainly can provide a big boost to digital content. A dazzling post shouldn’t be dropped into a slot …

Ask anyone to name the origin of digital communications, and you’d probably get answers ranging from Apple, Microsoft, IBM, and maybe even Xerox. All excellent guesses, but way off the mark. The origin of digital communication took place decades before Jobs and Gates founded their respective companies. Most information theorists place that important date in the year 1937. During that …

When brand marketers get to work, products and services rule. Features, benefits, cost-savings, and other relevancies are stressed to the breaking point. Should be enough for consumers, right? What more could they want? Plenty, according to current observations. Apparently, what these picky folks desire — besides quality craftsmanship and a mouth-watering price — is a chance to connect with something …

Snappy images might impress the photo-hungry; but, in general, only a few slick words will drive action. The action driver is known as a caption. A few words that go a long, long way… when done right. Captions determine movement – will visitors interact with the post, or will they take an early flight to another destination? The answer frequently …

Online reviews are a golden bonus for brands. But how do you persuade (hopefully) satisfied customer to let loose with the praise? Fortunately, there’s one surefire way to get the job done, a strategy proven to work through the ages – offer a juicy bribe. Works like a charm almost every time. So, you wish to avoid this questionable measure. …

For certain products, ecommerce brands offer customers a time-tested option familiar to many offline retailers – ‘try before you buy’. A good, practical policy, as it allows hours of fun-filled pre-buy sampling. If expectations are met, dollars are spent. When meeting those expectations, the trial product boosts comfort and trust levels to the buying point. Prior to this stage, however, …

Are you beefing up digital content with video? You’re not alone. More and more businesses and marketers are leaping onto the video bandwagon. Why the rush? User patterns tell a compelling story. People aren’t just watching video; they’re devouring it. Recent stats reveal that the average user spends about 16 hours per week watching videos. Research also shows that about …

What’s your most important web page? Many, if not most, digital marketers would answer ‘the one they call home!’ Here’s where the customer journey often begins, after all. Hard to argue with that. But what about where the journey continues? Marketers need some means of maintaining continued attention to their brand well into the future. For this purpose, nothing surpasses …

Many brand marketers cling to the consumer research principle; namely, most users conduct intensive product research before making a decision. No info, no response. Hence, the flood of product content to satisfy appetites. True, researchable data is crucial to many. Therefore, free flowing content is vital. New findings, however, suggest the inadequacy of information alone. Often, it seems, psychology plays …

Your social media posts are pulling in fans and followers by the truckload. Eyeballs are feasting on the content. So what’s going on? For some inexplicable reason, you’re not getting thee expected number of likes. Sure, some are sprinkling in. Still, the inflow is hardly cause for celebration. You anticipated a flood, and you’re getting a trickle. What gives? Could …

When it comes to popularity, one kind of Facebook video stands head and shoulders above the rest. This media champ is the native video, which usually takes the form of an update to a brand’s existing feed or to a designated page. Generally, native videos offer something of irresistible value, such as enlightenment about a topic of interest, or inspiration …

1.6 trillion dollars … that’s the yearly load lost by brands due to customer churn. A reliable measure of loyalty, churn rate reveals the number of customers ditching a company during a specified period of time. No problem, you might be saying. It’s just a matter of luring them back to the camp. Well, OK. It can and has been …

Who buys and who flies? For ecommerce marketers, an excellent indicator of purchase intent is the ‘pages per session’ metric. Calculating this figure is simple mathematics – just add up the total number of pages accessed during a given time period and divide by the total number of visitors. The resulting sum is the average pages visited. Pure gold when …

So, your bounce rate is low, and your world is sunshine and roses. The content campaign is a resounding success … Well, not quite. True, bounce minimalization indicates widespread visitor retention. But there’s more here than meets the screen. Bounce rate is merely an early signal. More work lies ahead. To maximize content effectiveness, strategists must go one better – …

They don’t snatch coffee breaks, ask for salary bumps, or grab quick naps between budget meetings. How do you find and hire such a rare gem? You don’t. You design it. The it is known as a chatbot – that ubiquitous assistant currently expanding the possibilities of digital marketing. For a salary of $0, the bot gets a whole lot …

If only digital marketers could separate the buyers from the browsers – those who are just a marketing nudge away from plunking down the bucks. Short of a crystal ball consultation, however, there’s no available method for spotting the ready-to-convert. Consider yourself lucky if you have such a device. For the rest of us, penetrating insight is required; a window …

Every brand marketer knows this truth — it’s not just what you’re selling, it’s who you’re selling it to. And for that information, the field of demographics is indispensable. But where do you find the customer info so intensely desired? Among the options, three stand out. The first and perhaps most important data source already is at the fingertips of …

Surprised by the results of your digital marketing campaign? Targets missed by a couple of country miles? Don’t fret, sulk, hide, or heap tons of blame on your worthy cohorts. Plans sometimes go away. It’s part of the game. When that curve ball is thrown, brand marketers have two basic choices: ditch the finely-wrought plan, or make necessary adjustments. By …

OK, you know how your brand stacks up against the competition. Sales figures cover that territory nicely. But can you gauge how well the brand is doing internally? Are you progressing sufficiently? Or are you stagnating, or worse – stumbling backwards? You’ll be in the dark about all this unless you establish a set of internal goals known as Key …

Few nagging inconveniences are worse than intrusive marketing – ads that burst into view during content browsing sessions. Or equally agonizing, ads that, well, resemble ads, planted on a web page like a sore thumb – or a nose sticking itself into unauthorized business. For many, if not most, they’re obvious, annoying, and rejection-prone. Which, no doubt, has prompted legions …

Are your ads causing widespread hair-pulling while unleashing anguished cries of “Ugh … Not that one again! Can’t they think of something else?!” Expect this outcome if you’re the most beastly kind of brand marketer on the planet – the ‘one-ad wonder’; the messenger with nothing better up its sleeve than that same old ad repeated over and over on …

There’s no excuse. No brand should allow itself to go stale when it can capitalize on the abundance of transformative options currently available. Those options, grouped in a strategy called ‘rebranding’, can mean the difference between renewed success and abject decline. No question about it. When it’s time for a new you, rebranding is the answer. Now hold on. Before …

Website navigation isn’t measured in minutes; it’s measured in seconds — and nanoseconds. If a brand’s pages load at a snail’s pace, it’s driving away traffic at much more than a snail’s pace. So what’s too slow in the digital world? Believe it or not, the ideal time limit is two seconds. Yes, people expect a page to be fully …

How can brand marketers speak with ultimate authority when crafting content? By demonstrating they have all the answers – whatever the topic. In the realm of content marketing, a pillar page is an excellent means to this worthy end. Intended as a comprehensive overview of information, a pillar page displays clusters of neatly- organized data related to a specified topic. …

Are you overemphasizing the positive when building keyword strategies? Quite possibly. It’s entirely understandable. Every brand strives to identify the power keywords, those gems designed to increase visibility and boost rankings. After all, the closer to the top, the more likely to be seen and clicked. The problem is, during any search query, your brand could get found for the …

It’s the season of sharing. But for digital marketers, the season runs throughout the year. For this group, sharing is what people do with interesting content. Give it a look, then whisk it to your favorite recipients. What’s noteworthy about this phenomenon is the fundamental impulse that drives the generosity — people enjoy sharing data with others. So concluded a …

Where should your next cost-cutting crusade focus itself ? You might set your sites on that most important of assets – customers. Yeah, loyal buyers have a price tag – a price determined by the marketing energy expended to convert them. Generally, the bigger the effort, the bigger the budget dent. Now here’s the good news — big effort doesn’t …

Discover the road to success, and abundant rewards could be in your future. Brand marketers, however, can go one better. They have many roads to success, all of which can and should be traveled simultaneously. The multi-road phenomenon is universally known as omni channel marketing. Utilizing this strategy, brands can blast messaging along a variety of media pathways. The objective, …

It’s tough enough coaxing traffic to your ecommerce site. But even tougher on the psyche when those eager visitors bounce before they buy. Clearly an unfortunate turn of events. Nevertheless, in many cases, brand marketers can capture at least some of the ones who got away. For this, there’s the magic of retargeting. Basically, retargeting utilizes a sophisticated code, known …

Launching a successful marketing plan invariably requires keen insight – that rare gift of knowing what lies ahead and how to adapt strategies to meet the inevitable challenges, both seen an unseen. To pull this off, short of gazing into your favorite crystal ball, marketers need some means of gauging the rugged landscape. Fortunately, at their disposal is a handy …

Virtually every brand marketer knows the value of compelling digital videos. But not every production makes its mark. Some falter, while others fizzle. What, then, determines success? First, remember that your production’s impact doesn’t hinge entirely on the featured content. Before marketers and brands can cash in, they must persuade users to play it. There are several routes to this …

Once a social media campaign leaves the launchpad, brand marketers are dutybound to answer a critical question – how’d we do? Identifying the number of user connections won’t tell the entire story. Not by a long way. Neither will click quantity. Nope, the only true and accurate success gauge is that persuasive number known as return on investment (ROI). For …

Just when you think your brand’s website has been invincibly optimized for SEO results, along comes a powerful new method for conducting searches. It’s called voice search. As the term implies, the method enables users to input search queries by voice command, eliminating any need for the traditional tapping on screen or keyboard. Here’s the rudimentary process of voice search: …

Although CRM (customer relations management) software is a proven sales booster, many businesses exclude this powerful tool from their lineups. Why the neglect? Well, some enterprises, particularly the smaller ones, simply don’t know about it – or have vague notions of it at best. Others consider it a high-end technology suitable for the sweeping needs of big brands. Not so. …

For ecommerce marketers and merchants, the checkout page is gold. Shoppers are ideally located, right? The purchase is in the bag. Not quite. Customers must make the purchase and cross the finish line. Until then, they can and do exit the checkout page – empty handed. Scoff not at this possibility. Checkout abandonment has scuttled many an ecommerce sale. Fortunately, …

Question: What company developed the personal computer (as we know it), graphic user interface, mouse, word processing, and many other digital elements now commonplace in the contemporary world? Apple? Microsoft? Adobe? Nope. These came relatively late to the game. As detailed in the book Dealers in Lightning by Michael A. Hiltzik, the originator of these everyday mainstays was Xerox. That’s …

Interesting, intrusive, annoying, boring, beastly … Depending on temperament, these are just some ways users view popup ads. Despite this opinion mix, however, most digital marketers are in solid agreement – popup ads can help them strike gold. The average popup has one primary job – convince users to take a specific action. Possibilities include: sign up for a newsletter, …

In these transitional times, businesses must discover effective ways to reclaim previous customers and attract new ones. Proximity marketing is one of those ways. On the cutting edge of digital communications, proximity marketing is a system that utilizes Bluetooth technology to locate nearby smartphones and tablets, then transmit specific customer-oriented messages to those devices. Powering this unique digital marketing technology …

Getting found and ranked is only half the battle in the fine art of SEO marketing. A search result entry still must spur action – drive people to the intended web page. A well-honed meta description can do this spectacularly. A meta description is that snappy snippet of text often displayed in a search result entry. Make no mistake about …

When it comes to capturing dozens of leads, few options exceed the landing page. Accessed via various links (e.g. those planted in email blasts), this destination offers brand marketers a crucial first stop on the way to conversion. Here’s how — during a landing page stopover, visitors typically are invited to register or sign up for some stated benefit, thereby …

These days, brand marketers are traveling a bumpy road if they rely on the ancient art of segmented selling. Increasingly, prospects and customers are demanding personalized outreach – and flatly rejecting the generic approach. This preference surfaces across the board, from email campaigns to websites. No question about it. In the current environment, content gets a much warmer welcome when …

Many brick and mortar businesses, particularly the smaller ones, have major hurdles to jump these days. Even if their doors are open, customer inflow isn’t what it used to be. Which means revenues likely aren’t setting records, either. Fortunately, digital space offers a ready solution. Owners can compensate for their troubling shortfalls by establishing a viable ecommerce presence and supporting …

Uncork the champagne and pat yourself on the back. You’ve lured visitors to your dazzling website. Hundreds of them. But know this — they may not stay. Why? Because in the world of brand marketing, luring is not keeping. Busy, time-crunched users won’t stay without solid inducement. The problem is, not only do many brands fail to provide the necessary …

When it comes to marketing impact, packed sports stadiums have a twofold value. First, swelling crowds indicate soaring popularity, a state of affairs that is itself a powerful form of advertising – especially to television viewers. All those spectators enjoying themselves speaks volumes about the quality of the product – in this case, the intense action on the field. Every …

Go all out for customers — the prime directive and guiding principle of businesses everywhere. Unquestionably, it’s what you’ve gotta do to stay in the game. Only nowadays, you’ve gotta do it literally. For the sake of public safety, many enterprises must do what they do outdoors. Even if it means dragging furniture and equipment into the open air. Wanna …

Planes, cranes, and other bulky hardware once were required for aerial photography. Nowadays, however, lucky brand marketers can harness the power of drones to view the world from above. It’s the ultimate way to travel light. Should be a snap, right? Just finger a few buttons, and you’re soaring your way into the wild blue yonder. Maybe so — if …

It’s a given – launch a batch of emails, and expect a load of spam. Yes, like it or not, a big chunk of precious messaging will miss the inbox and nestle itself into a crowded junk box. The dread of marketers everywhere. So, are you a marketer or a mouse? Will you accept this fate, or adjust your habits …

Despite the ubiquitous presence of inbound marketing, don’t discount the value of the outbound variety. Without question, it remains a viable path to success. Which is why this tried and true method of outreach still sees plenty of action. From spectacular trade shows to exuberant salespeople, the elements of outbound can connect with people as no other resources can. For …

What is a brand’s most important asset? Most people would guess – product quality. Understandable answer (nobody relishes shoddy merchandise). But it doesn’t win the prize. The correct response is trust. That’s right. When it comes to influence, trustworthiness is a brand’s most effective selling point. Before they try or buy, most people – especially new customers — must be …

Legions of brand marketers daily wrestle with this question – why are leads and prospects unresponsive? Content is well thought out, dazzling, irresistible. Content, however, may not be the fly in the ointment. The problem might be your calls to action. When these miss the mark, responses will be few and far between. So what makes an effective call to …

Brace yourselves, brand marketers. 5G is on the way. And it will be a big game changer. If you’re snoozing during the transformation, you’ll be playing catch up en route to oblivion. Far better to open your eyes and peer into the future. Here’s what 5G will show you. A new and improved internet. “But it’s the big show now,” …

  For businesses engaged in the reopening process, reconnecting with customers is a major concern. Challenges galore lie ahead. But at least these merchants can count on a helping hand from the world’s largest social media network. That network, in case you haven’t guessed, is Facebook. And last year, the service introduced a wonderfully business-friendly feature called ‘Facebook Shops’. Shops …

  Whether your business is small, large, or somewhere smack in the middle, geography is critical when it comes to generating online traffic. Ignore this geo imperative, and you’ll be zapping your beloved biz with an invisibility ray. In the rapidly evolving marketplace, shoppers simply won’t know you’re there. Here’s why: During searches, whether for product or service, the contemporary …

  It’s challenging enough to manage and deploy the funds of a limited marketing budget. But when uncertainty enters the picture, the challenge swells. Most of the uncertainty concerns the allocation of resources – Are you putting your money to the best use? Or are you squandering it on unproductive strategies born of guesswork? Brand marketers concerned about this uncertainty …

  It’s crowded out there. At least, that’s the story for millions of brands vying for notoriety. In a saturated marketplace, there are only so many ways a product or service can stand out and get noticed. Those who don’t bust out from the shadows are virtually guaranteed a place in oblivion. Creativity, of course, comes in mighty handy when …

Soft-spoken brand marketers? Not in this galaxy. By necessity, marketers are inveterate loudmouths. Their guiding principle – we can’t say enough about a product or service. And it’s a good thing. Somebody has to gush about the goods. It might as well be the people on the payroll. But in the age of social listening, marketers occasionally must go silent …

There’s more than one way to convert users into paying customers. In fact, brand marketers have many tools at their disposal. One of the most effective is known as social proof. In a nutshell, social proof is a concept that suggests people can be influenced by the actions and opinions of others — particularly if those others are highly respected …