Digital Marketing Orange County Blog
Brand Marketing: Jingle Sells
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...
Digital Marketing – The Ear is Mightier Than the Mouth
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....
Brand Marketing: The Ultimate Proving Ground
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...
Digital Marketing: Why Keywords Should Never Work Alone
Keywords are the core of every digital search. But they should never work alone. Not if you want results. To be effective, product keywords must be linked to carefully chosen modifiers. Why? Because different people often search for...
Product Marketing – Looking at Launches from Another Angle
Brand marketers typically emphasize advantages and benefits (and rightly so). But negative thinking also has its place. Case in point is the new product launch. These flop at the alarmingly high rate of 70%. Which translates to a mere...
Brand Marketing – Rise of the Action-Packed Logo
According to the latest State of Marketing Report from Hubspot, more than half of all people who follow a brand want this. No, it’s not more freebies and endless discounts. It’s more video content. Hubspot’s research reveals that a...
eCommerce Marketing – How to Put a Stop to Fill and Flee
Fill a shopping cart, leave it in the aisle, and flee the market without explanation… just for laughs. Won’t see much of this sport in the local Ralphs. ECommerce retailers, however, are getting more than their fair share. For reasons...
Social Media Marketing: Taking Center Stage with Facebook Videos
These days, theater attendance is a tad on the low side. But the at home audience is swelling – along with their appetite for content. A golden opportunity for brand markers – if they can get their message noticed. Sift through the...
Brand Marketing Alternatives: The Trade Show Must Go On … And Is
With virtually all public events currently on hold, it’s hard to heed the mandate – ‘the show must go on’. It seems the only real-time action is being supplied by horse racing, a sport taking place at several select tracks across the...
Marketing Communications: Stepping Up to the Plate in a Whole New Ballgame
Social distancing and the new stay-at-home lifestyle – with nary a sporting event to cheer (except in re-run form on a streaming service). And all of it as the NBA season zoomed to an exciting finish and the MBL stood poised to launch....
Buying Patterns in Brand Marketing: The Weird World of Why
Waters needn’t be still to run deep. Shoppers, for instance, are visibly active creatures. Yet, when selecting products, the real motivating kick lurks deep below the surface. That’s where the real...
Ecommerce Marketing: Swimming the Channels
What’s the best way for ecommerce marketers to connect with consumers galore? Having an irresistible product is a real good beginning. Once this is all sewn up, your next move is to capitalize on the glaring advantages of omni-channel...
Brand Marketing: Why the Future of Retailing is all in the Wrist
What you wear may say a lot about you. But as technology progresses, such externals will also speak volumes about thousands of brands. Credit the growing prevalence of digital wearables such as the ubiquitous Apple Watch and jazzy...
Brand Marketing: Meeting the Challenge of the Churn
The ingratitude … your brand marketing squad climbed mountains to acquire customers. And what do some of these loyal buyers do? Leave. Not a word. Just out the door. Known as churning, the flow of departing customers is bad news for...
Ecommerce Technology: The Must-Have Superstars
New technology is stretching the e-commerce landscape in a million directions. Who knows what the final form will be? But one fact remains unalterable – the technological reshaping is boosting impact and enriching the user experience –...
Brand Marketing: Why Find and Replace is Not an Option
Which process is easier on the marketing budget – securing new customers or keeping existing ones? Those who chose the latter are right on the money. According to the most fervent number crunchers, customer retention is the far cheaper...
Brand Marketing: Bring Influencers into Your Orbit
Before influencers can connect with customers, they should connect with you. Brands can create this connection by cementing solid relationships with their chosen persuaders. Get in good with them, and they’ll give you their best. It’s...
Brand Marketing: Thwarting the Enemies of the Inbox
Fraud, phishing, and all other spammy risks dreaded by email recipients are equally feared by brand marketers. They should be. These dangerous intrusions keep users on guard, motivating them (or their spam elimination system) to ditch,...
Brand Marketing: Why Button Clutter is Bad News
It seems logical … the more social sharing buttons packed into your content, the more feedback channels operating on your behalf. And the more users will know about the wonders of your brand. But if experience is any indicator, a...
Brand Extension: Uber Takes Flight
Will Uber drivers soon need pilot’s licenses? If the ride-sharing service succeeds in its latest ambition, the answer may well be ‘yes’. Adweek online reports that the Uber brand is extending its reach by developing a unique program...
E-commerce Marketing: Ride the Wave Through 2020
Here’s an eye-opener for retail marketers the world over – holiday sales rocketed to the moon in 2019. And what provided most of the thrust? If you said ‘online sales’, you get the prize. Recently, Barron’s reported that “U.S. holiday...
SEO Marketing: The Importance of No-Miss Matchups
Consider the following scenario: Your brand sells baseball gear, which is superbly displayed and marketed on a dazzling website. Interested parties search for this very term – ‘baseball gear’, after which they’re promptly whisked to a...
Brand Marketing: The Fabulous Flavors of Research
Charting a course to marketing success often begins with solid research. Lots and lots of it. But which type of research should be used for a given product, brand, or campaign? The possibilities fall into two basic categories....
Marketing Strategies: Once is Not Enough
You worked night and day to secure customers galore. They came, they saw, they bought. But the single purchase, unless the product is a fully crewed yacht, seldom yields enough to keep you in the chips. Profits accrue best to those who...
Digital Marketing: Launch Your Brand into a Global Orbit
It’s hard to ignore the numbers … Americans spend more than anyone else on eCommerce goodies. And the numbers are climbing. So why market your brand globally? Isn’t there enough gold here in our own backyard? Only if you’re planning to...
Digital Marketing: Every Brand Should Be Seen Through This Periscope
What packs more punch than a snappy post plastered on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and all the rest? A little more than a year ago, brand marketers would have groped for an answer. Those platforms seemed virtually invincible...
Ecommerce Marketing: Think Inside the Box
The Amazon platform offers many obvious advantages to savvy merchants. But why stop there? Access the platform’s ‘buy box’, and you’ll grab even more action. You may be wondering, “What’s the Amazon buy box?” A fair question....
Holiday Marketing Strategies: How to Best the Bubble Bath
You think online retail has eliminated holiday shopper stress? Don’t count on it. Look around. You’ll see that Yuletide nerves are as frazzled as ever. That warm glow radiating from consumer faces isn’t Christmas cheer – it’s the...
Brand Marketing Strategies: And the Winning Numbers Are …
Boast all you want about the undeniable benefits of your brand. But when it comes to sheer impressive power, it’s hard to beat numbers. Quantities, particularly those on the extreme side, are irresistibly compelling. Which is why stats...
Small Message, Big Impact
You’ve got the green light. People want to receive your text notifications. Don’t worry about craftmanship. They’ll accept anything you shoot down the pipe. You are, after all, the all-knowing brand marketer. What’s good enough for you...
Capture New Customers with These Proven Strategies
Most brand marketers would agree with the following: you never can have enough customers. But unless your name is Aladdin, wishing for more buyers won’t deliver them to your doorstep. What will do the trick is the proper application of...
Marketing Strategies: Don’t Leap Until You Plan
With the New Year only months away, many brand marketers are diving into their 2020 budgets, profits dancing in their heads. But whether your budgetary planning covers an entire twelve-month stretch, or just a simple solitary campaign,...
Digital Marketing: Success for Pennies a Pop
It costs only a few cents. But when it hits the target, the results can be extraordinary. The phenomenon is email marketing or e-marketing for those wish to conserve syllables. True, the digitally sent message often gets junked or...
Content Marketing: Inspire a Sharing Frenzy
In the online world, content marketers must do more than sell products and sip coffee at Starbucks. They also find a way to inspire sharing. The sharable stuff, of course, is content. Juicy, compelling, and irresistible. If enough of...
Brand Identity: Win the Name Game
How do people see you? What do they think you’re all about? Answers to these questions define your brand identity. Bear in mind, brand identity has many building blocks. Among these are customer demographics and perceived product...
Digital Marketing Tips: Squeezing Profits from the Seasonal Shift
There’s no such thing as an endless summer for seasonal retailers. When September rolls in, that’s it – the summer merchandise generally is jettisoned and duly replaced by the Fall and Winter stock. And yet … Before the seasonal...
Brand Marketing Strategies: Getting Big Results from the Small Screen
Marketing isn’t like is used to be, particularly when the medium of choice is a mobile device. Smartphones and tablets have their own requirements when it comes to effective message delivery. Brand marketers who meet these...
Ecommerce Marketing: Become a Shopify Standout
No question about it … Shopify is the ecommerce force of the ages. Launched in 2004, this Canada-based company now hosts hundreds of thousands of online stores. Additionally, the platform offers services by the truckload, including...
Digital Marketing Strategies: Steer Clear of Stormy Seas
You’re ready to launch a marketing campaign into the waiting world. But will you build it on the right framework? The framework in question consists of four core elements. If even one piece is missing or out of place, you’re a ship...
Digital Marketing: Content Management for All
Content is flowing. Traffic is flocking. And your website is performing with gusto. You think you’re doing alright. But are you? Chances are, your content is snoozing. You can praise it to the sky, show it off to family and friends....
Improving Brand Results: Marketing Meets Meteorology
How do meteorologists determine future weather conditions? Among other resources, they rely on predictive modeling – a system utilizing statistics to create scenarios of possible outcomes. Probability and other mathematical disciplines...
Digital Marketing: Do You Know What Consumers Really Think?
Contrary to current doctrine, brand marketers aren’t the best judges of consumer wants. In fact, professionals don’t even come close to being first in the field. The people who indisputably lead the pack are consumers. They know...
Digital Marketing: When Should Scoreboard Lead to Drawing Board?
Imagine a baseball stadium with dozens of illuminated scoreboards, each displaying different must-know stats – runs, outs, innings, strikes, etc. Which one do you keep your eye on – and still watch your favorite team walk away with the...
Modern Marketing Strategies: Improve Your Home Run Average
Is your product hitting a home run with buyers? Or is it striking out dismally? How do you know what shoppers really think about your goods? One obvious sign is the repeat sale. If customers return for more, you’ve done a swell job in...
Effective Marketing Strategies: Save the Best for Last
It happens far too often. Marketers grab hold with dazzling taglines, build their brand with brawny content, and then -- stumble near the finish line. This finish line, known as the call to action, invariably separates the winners from...
Ecommerce Marketing: Ice the Cake Before You Serve
Ecommerce marketing generally begins digital dazzle. But how will it finish once the product is in hand? Will the delivered goods rack up major points with the customer? They better. Or forget about follow-up orders. The problem is,...
Marketing History: The Mistake That Floated a Brand to Worldwide Fame
So much has been written, discussed, promulgated, and proclaimed about the value of advanced planning. No marketing campaign -- in fact no action of any consequence -- should take place without the underpinning of a sound strategy. As...
Direct Mail Marketing: Some Surprising News
Never underestimate the power of conventional marketing. Sure, digital marketing is flexing major muscle. Nevertheless, online options are far from being the final word. In fact, in many instances, long-established conventional methods...
Marketing Strategies: Building a Better Ad Budget
If you own or run a small to medium-sized business, costs weight heavily on your shoulders. And of all costs, advertising expenditures typically prove the most mysterious. How much should you dump into that campaign? The answers often...
Digital Marketing: How to Whet Consumer App-Ettites
Fact: apps help boost brand sales. But, if new on the scene, an app must be sold first. Not in the literal sense. But somehow, people must know it’s out there and feel a keen sense of interest. Brands must whet app-ettites, as it...
Digital Marketing Wisdom: Get Trimmer, Slimmer Website Traffic in Four Easy Steps
Are you oversupplied with website visitors? Wondering how to manage all the sales orders? Does the steady cha-ching rattle your nerves? Well, take heart. Brand marketers everywhere can reduce website traffic and all resulting revenue...
Ecommerce Marketing: Why They’re Playing by Brick-n-Mortar’s Rules
What can ecommerce marketers do? The physical store still pulls plenty of shoppers. Research bears this out. Expect the numbers to climb as more and more retailers transform their stores with digital enhancements. Fresh look, immersive...
Cutting-Edge Marketing: Fine-Tune Your Podcast Strategies
If you think brands should be seen and not heard, it’s time to get enlightened. Thanks to the current podcast blitz, audio content is a hot commodity. Brands are unleashing podcasts by the thousands. Most are aired on mobile devices,...
PR Challenge: Damage Control for the Bruised Reputation
How vital are brand reviews? Very in the consumer product space. Research reveals that approximately 97% of shoppers read product reviews before buying. Equally striking, one heartfelt evaluation may be enough to sway opinion...
Using Videography: Should Your Brand Do a Complete 360?
If you enjoy Google Street View and relish the experience of moving around every direction, you’re a bona fide fan of 360-video. Viewers have spent hours touring a single neighborhood. Which soon prompted this question from many a...
Content Marketing: Snap It Up with Soundbites
Remember that tune that stuck in your mind? The one you couldn’t shake loose? Well pay attention, brand marketers. You can achieve the same lingering impact with your own output. How? With the effective deployment of ‘soundbites’. A...
Marketing OC: Instagram Tells Users, “You’re Not Going Anywhere!”
Not so long ago, consumers entered a new age, seizing an exciting new way to shop. At last, they could remain home (or wherever circumstances had placed them) and shop via digital device. The rest, as they say, is history. E-commerce...
Marketing OC: The Ultimate Post-Click Power Source
It’s the sound of success … yet it reaches the ear at very low volume. Indeed, the CLICK has become a global touchstone of achievement. A sign that the targeted user has performed an action deemed desirable by certain...
Marketing OC: Rise Above It All
Marketers naturally crave an edge, some way to leapfrog the competition and boost the chances of success. This need is deeply felt in the rapidly-evolving world of real estate marketing. Here, eager house hunters are flocking to online...
Marketing OC: Conversion Counts
Does hard work always equal success? Well, diligence certainly is a contributing factor. But toil and effort alone don’t guarantee high-flying results. Consider, for instance, the number of disappointing lead-generation campaigns. Many...
Marketing News: Bouncing Back from ‘Brixit’
Is there any hope of reversing ‘Brixit’, the mass exodus of retailers from the brick-n-mortar space? A quick glance paints a gloomy picture. In 2018, more than 3,800 brick-and-mortar stores closed in the U.S. Among those throwing in...
Marketing OC: How to Profit from the Yoga Factor
So, you think your marketing campaign is cruising. OK, where’s the evidence? You better have some, or you’re a ship without a rudder. Maybe you’ll reach your goal. Then again … Basically, every campaign needs a progress report. Many...
Marketing OC: Is Branding Dead?
J. Walter Thompson is a legendary American advertising agency famous for many, many firsts. The ad agency idea of the ‘Account Executive’ and the ‘Creative Department’ were both born at JWT in the 1880s. But...
Marketing OC: Will Cutting Edge Computing Impact the Marketing World?
Recently, cloud computing has impacted countless fields of endeavor. For marketing research teams, the technology has translated into massive data storage and efficient retrieval. But as invariably happens, something new comes along to...