With companies downsizing and more and more people working remotely, it's increasingly common for workers to find themselves stretched too thin. When employees are overworked, they're more likely to experience burnout, suffer from job dissatisfaction and have poorer work quality. 

A digital marketing strategy is a plan for your company to use online marketing channels to achieve specific goals. To get the most from your efforts, it's important to incorporate a few essential elements. Here are some guidelines to follow as you develop your digital marketing strategy:

Working with a marketing company will help your organization build a cohesive marketing campaign that adapts as necessary to your customers' changing needs. When you are searching for "marketing companies near me", it's essential to know what to look for so that you find a great fit for your business. Here are some questions to ask potential marketing agencies to help you narrow down your options:

At the mention of search engine optimization (SEO), it's easy to get overwhelmed. There are seemingly so many techniques that internet marketing companies tell you that you must follow in order for your content to rank favorably in search engine rankings. Here's what you really need to know about optimizing content for SEO.

Many digital marketing decisions are internally driven. You create a new product, upgrade your services or add new revenue streams. Other times, like during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may need to adjust your marketing strategies to adapt your business to outside forces. 

The pandemic has caused many businesses to struggle with how to generate leads. Those in the tourism and attractions sectors have been hit particularly hard, with many travel-related companies coming to a virtual standstill. A recovery is inevitable but right now, no one knows when that will be. Is it possible to generate lead engagement in such an uncertain environment?

Data indicates that 8 out of 10 online stores go out of business within 24 months, usually due to deficiencies with their marketing campaigns. Since a stellar marketing campaign can make or break a business, you may wonder if social media marketing for small businesses is a worthwhile investment. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with social media marketing.

There are three main types of agencies that can help your business increase sales and build brand loyalty: advertising agencies, digital agencies, and marketing agencies. They all offer services designed to attract, convert, and retain customers but they are definitely not all the same.

The demand for home services is increasing, making it the ideal time to grow your home services business. Hiring a marketing agency is a smart move to produce more online leads, reach more people, and generate more sales. Here are a few of the ways a marketing agency will help your home services business grow.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on international travel, it's also had a negative influence on domestic social consumption, such as local tours and attractions. If you're struggling to grow your business, want to re-examine your current marketing campaign, or just want to ensure you're offering a superior level of service, here's how HubSpot's tools and features can help.

Statistics estimate that 75.3 percent of U.S. businesses will use Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms, in the year 2020. Approximately 87.1 percent of businesses will use Facebook. 

A big goal of your home services marketing strategy always involves highlighting what you offer that your competitors can't match. Of course, superior services and that level of value always come with a price, and you may find yourself in a situation where yours is a bit higher than others. Therefore, before you advertise your exact pricing on your company's website, there are a number of critical things you'll want to consider.

One of the major things a lot of marine and boating businesses on the west coast in particular might not realize is there are actually a lot more people in their target demographics than they might think. The issue is far too many of these organizations build their marine business marketing strategy to reach people in the states the actually make up the coast – meaning California, Oregon and Washington. However, there are more opportunities out there than that – and with a slight adjustment to your current approach, you can put yourself in an excellent position to take advantage of every single one of them.

Thanks in large part to the uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it, marketers are looking for any opportunity to save money and maintain an effective marketing strategy at the same time. That's why we believe this is an important opportunity to pare down your toolkit to the bare essentials, leveraging the best digital marketing tools that offer the highest return on your investment. Not only will this allow you to reinforce the digital marketing best practices that have gotten you so far in the first place, but it's also a great way to create a rock solid foundation you can continue to build upon long after COVID-19 has finally left us behind. 

The COVID-19 global pandemic is one of the defining events of 2020, and it will have implications that last well into the new decade. Today, the number of people who can safely gather in a single place has been reduced from the thousands to hundreds and now tens. Public places like shopping malls, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, and gyms across cities are shutting down. Meanwhile, office workers have also come to terms with the reality of working remotely full-time.  

For a smooth and effective sales process, lead generation is only half of the battle. The most important thing to know is how to identify qualified online leads and budget your time appropriately to focus on the lead that meets your specific criteria.

One of the most important things to understand about your content marketing strategy is that in the end, every decision you make needs to be one executed with a specific goal in mind.

"You use the in-store sales you already have, of course."

Thanks to the ongoing global pandemic, organizations of all shapes and sizes have had to seriously rethink their marketing efforts as they attempt to navigate this "new normal". As a result, the need for a forward-thinking, reliable COVID-19 digital marketing strategy has essentially become a universal need for all businesses in a short amount of time.

Internet traffic is continuing to increase, and it's smart for businesses to market to this growing online audience. People are increasingly using the internet to socialize, research potential purchases, shop and conduct their business. You can reach these internet users with digital marketing.

The economic upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has hit many businesses hard. In an effort to stay afloat, the first reaction of many is to put a hold on things, like spending and digital campaigns. But maintaining an online presence can bring a lot of benefits, including revenue, to keep you financially stable. Your marketing strategy during COVID-19 won’t necessarily look exactly like the one you developed pre-pandemic, but it’s important to keep your business top-of-mind with your customers. 

Video messaging is a powerful tool for any business owner seeking to expand their company. Here's what you need to know about video messaging and why it's an essential addition for your business's content marketing strategy: 

You may have heard how it’s important to build an online presence for your brand, but what exactly does that mean? A strong, recognizable online brand helps you gain the credibility and trust you need to attract and retain more customers. Whether your company conducts business online or not, a solid online presence makes it easier to:

There's no denying that 2020 has brought challenges for virtually all businesses. Whether you sell to other business or directly to consumers, your customers are likely facing difficult times. Many consumers have lost jobs or at least income. Businesses, if they have been allowed to reopen, may be operating at a fraction of their pre-pandemic capacity.

Thanks to the rise of widespread internet access and the surging popularity of social media sites, customers are increasingly turning to the internet to voice their displeasure (or satisfaction) with the companies they do business with. Here's what you need to know about online ratings and reviews and a few tips that will encourage satisfied customers to speak up.

A strong marketing campaign is vital for your company to sell its products and services to new and existing customers. Understanding common marketing phrases enables you to optimize the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

Social media management can be fun and exhilarating, but the task can, at times, get overwhelming. It requires very high levels of consistency which, if not well prepared, can be challenging to achieve. This is where social media marketing tips come into play. For example, say you have an existing campaign on a product or service going on. It is four days into the campaign and you suddenly realize you have not posted anything since the campaign launch. You will likely hurriedly go through Twitter to find something you can tweet or post. 

A landing page is one of the powerful online marketing tools. It refers to a website page with a specific purpose of converting visitors into leads. Most businesses might be missing out on potential conversions due to poor designs of the landing pages. Since the objective is to increase leads, failure to achieve conversion is strictly on the inferior components of the landing page. Here are the basics of creating a high performing landing page to generate results.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the attitudes and behaviors of consumers adapting to lockdown. Those stuck at home due to quarantine represent millions of dollars in losses for retail and service industries. However, these bored customers also present an opportunity for businesses to expand their markets and brand recognition. With the quarantine economy, there have been new consumer trends as individuals adjust to the changing norms in the wake of economic uncertainty. Here are some changes in consumer behavior due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Link-building is the process of placing links to your website on other webpages. You don't place the actual links yourself; instead, you strive to have other companies and individuals link to your content.

Whether you run a business, write a blog or operate an online store, you need a website for your business. A website provides a spot for customers, potential clients and industry partners to learn more about your product or service. The rise of YouTube and video tutorials have made it easier for people to learn how to do things from the comfort of their own homes.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has created an unprecedented business environment for many companies. With many cities under stay-at-home orders, it's essential for businesses to adapt their digital marketing strategies to these changing times. This poses a challenge for many companies who have seen decreases in their sales and are now working with a smaller budget. Here are some free resources to help you adjust your operations to the COVID-19 crisis:

The current COVID-19 health crisis has had an enormous impact on people, businesses and entire industries alike. The disruption caused by this virus has brought many demands with it, as businesses try to figure out how to keep running, while transitioning employees to work from home. 

One of the biggest choices that businesses have to face is whether to stop or completely cut back on marketing during this pandemic. The short answer is no, as there’s historic proof to support this recommendation. A recent Forbes article exemplified that brands that invest in marketing during adverse economic times set themselves up for a higher competitive advantage when things turn around.

Being strategic is what matters the most while you continue to market, including messaging and channels. Here are some ideas for continuing your marketing efforts during these challenging times:

Content marketing might sound like something that only large corporations or businesses in small, niche markets need to worry about. However, every company, regardless of its size, industry or intended audience, can benefit from content marketing. Here are just a few examples of companies that can benefit immensely from an effective content marketing strategy:

If you work as a contractor or subcontractor, it's important to take the right steps to effectively market your services to potential customers. Without effective promotion, you're potentially missing out on acquiring new customers that can help you increase your profitability. One solution that can enhance your marketing campaign is hiring the services of a Las Vegas marketing agency.

Search Engine Optimization, widely known as SEO, is an integral part of any business seeking to reach a wider audience and improve their marketing strategy. Simply put, SEO is the practice of improving your website’s online visibility so that it appears on the first pages of search engines when users search for information that relates to your products or services. While search engines like Google and Bing offer paid ads for businesses looking to market themselves, SEO allows you to leverage these platforms without paying for them.

As a contractor, you are not only responsible for delivering quality service, but also handling your marketing and ensuring that you land your next contract. Without the necessary guidance in the era of digital marketing, growing your business online can quickly become a daunting task. Here are a few marketing tips for contractors to grow their brands and increase revenue:

In the second quarter of 2019, Facebook reported a whopping 2.41 billion active users, making it an excellent option to utilize for your social media marketing campaign. Facebook is an ideal site to market to travelers for multiple reasons:

Viewers have a seemingly endless array of streaming services and viewing platforms to choose from these days. In fact, a whopping 27% of people between the ages of 18 and 49 either don't subscribe to cable TV or have canceled their subscriptions over the last 2 years. 

Customers are increasingly dependent on their smart devices to assist them with the buying process. They use their phones to research prospective options and obtain as much information as possible about their alternatives. Consumer reliance on smart devices doesn't end when customers stop by a brick-and-mortar store; in fact, a surprising number of search queries take place when customers are in-store. 

To achieve your advertising goals, you need to ensure that your digital ads are appealing to your audience and add value to their interaction with your page. Here are the best practices for your digital ads to ensure that you impress your ad users and increase click-throughs and conversions.

Towards the end of the year, the world changes a little bit. Things get a little softer, jollier and the sales start. From Thanksgiving to New Years, there’s promotions and deals and your business wants to capitalize on the search traffic that the seasons generate, otherwise known as seasonal SEO.

Seasonal SEO is the optimization of seasonal keywords in order to generate more leads and visibility in search engine results during certain times of the year.

Every business has peak seasons during the year when their products are more popular than usual. Whether it's during holidays or any other occasion, your marketing plan may need to change to make the most out of increased traffic.

With seasonal SEO, when harnessed correctly, can be profitable for your business. Things you should consider when implementing these techniques include:

As a tourist, part of your excitement comes from exploring the area, learning about the culture, and experiencing new adventures.

As a local tour guide, you know that you need to utilize social media as a necessary tool. Marketing your business using every means possible is vital and in turn, will help increase your guided tours and attractions business.

With an estimated 2 billion people on social media, it has become a necessary part of online marketing. However, simply creating a few profiles isn't enough to propel your brand onto the social scene.

Building strong relationships with your followers, like any real life relationship, takes work, dedication, and commitment. However, if you're like many busy professionals, making and maintaining a great social media presence can seem overwhelming for dozens of reasons.

SEO is constantly changing and it can be difficult to keep up with. Originally, keyword stuffing and massive amounts of inbounds links—even those that were unrelated—did the trick of getting a website ranked.

Today, and in the foreseeable future, the best way to optimize will be through creating top-notch content. With Google Rankbrain and other updates, content that is relevant seems to be king, rather than keyword focused.

Don’t get lost in the crowd. There’s a few guidelines to help make sure that your site pops up for the searches you want.

You’ve set aside time daily to post, interact and engage on social media. You know where to find all the files and you know the message you want to convey.

Now you can spare yourself valuable time by consulting our cheat sheet below, compiled with the help of Hubspot's blog post. All data is given in width by height unless otherwise stated.

Nowadays, businesses in the tours, attractions and tourism industry deal with competition from not only local competition but also companies located around the world.

With social media’s ever expanding reach, your tourism business has 2 choices.

As one of the most powerful marketing tools available, when used as part of your overall content marketing strategy,  white papers can yield a number of successful outcomes.

A good white paper can help to generate leads for your business by enticing visitors to download valuable information with just a hint of persuasion, but a great white paper can also help strengthen brand image, highlight your level of expertise, expand your mailing list, and improve your social media presence.

The question is, how do you take your white paper from good to great? Here’s our surgical breakdown.

Social media has become the focal point of society. Everyone from high schoolers just getting their first accounts to the leader of our country seems to be plugged in, sharing, and talking online.

It is the truth of marketing and sales that a business is expected to have an online presence. Unfortunately, not all companies have the time to dedicate to creating and cultivating an online presence. For the most part, social media operates as an afterthought.

Perhaps your company has decided to take a look at their social media and digital presence. The results haven’t been great unfortunately. There is good news for you though; all hope is not lost.   

There’s no profound mystery in the process of improving your social media content.

A company's marketing campaign should be attracting as many customers as possible. However, it is nearly impossible for marketers to reach and engage everyone.

Marketers must launch targeted campaigns designed to interact with potential customers. Using the array of marketing tools available to show people how a company's products can solve their needs can position the company as an expert in their field.  

But when and how should this be done? That is where buyer personas will come in.

As one of the largest social media platforms in the world, LinkedIn often loses out to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter in search engine optimization publications by all but the most professional social media agencies.

Unlike the other popular social outlets, LinkedIn has managed to maintain a decidedly professional bearing, where the businessperson can expect to find targeted connections.

As a business owner, it can be intimidating to see all of the successful campaigns already going from your major competitors. It can also be tempting to copy them and try to capture lightning in a bottle twice. Unfortunately, this can often be a losing proposition for businesses when developing a strategy.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is one of the most important factors that your website can rely on. When you are creating or maintaining your website you need to make sure that you are following all of the best practices recommended by Google and other search engines.

With ever-changing best practices, it is important to stay up to date on what works and what doesn’t. When optimizing your website, it is important to use caution as some previously used techniques now have the ability to get you severely penalized.

[Updated May 21, 2019]

For any business to survive it must continue to innovate and grow year over year. Following trends and keeping up with new technologies are just some of the ways to gain and keep customers. Because of this, lead generation should be the number one priority of businesses, regardless of the industry.

SO, you're trying to pass the Hubspot Certifications.

We've been there. These tests are difficult to pass the first time. However, we do have 5 important tips for you to make it easier!

Unfortunately, no matter what industry you work in, it’s impossible to make everyone happy. With today’s technology however, it’s easier to have a small situation blown out of proportion and plastered all over social media sites.

No business is immune from negative reviews. It’s frustrating, yes, but how you respond to them can make a big difference in how other customers – and potential customers – perceive your company.

Sometimes, even the simple act of reading and responding to a negative review can change a customer’s “I’m never coming back here!” to a lifelong customer. While rare, with the right response, anything is possible.

[Updated May 2019]

The HubSpot Academy is comprised of 12 separate certification courses, each designed to specifically elevate your inbound marketing strategy to help grow your business.

Technology has become an ever-present aspect of our lives. From smartphones to smart TVs, such gadgets are almost never more than a few inches from our grasp. While this proliferation of technology has a lot of benefits, there are some major drawbacks. One aspect big tech corporations like Apple Inc. have been under heavy criticism for lately is the very addictive nature of these devices.

The marketing funnel refers to the multi-step process of converting your leads into sales. Prospective customers go through the following stages before they become paying customers:

If you want to reach more customers and boost your interactions with your existing customers, your social media accounts are an invaluable resource. With social media constantly evolving, you need to know what to expect this year. Here are a few social media trends to watch as 2019 progresses:

If you want to boost your company's sales, predict your customers' behaviors, optimize scheduling, and increase the functionality of your operations, adding machine learning to your business can help you accomplish all these things and more. Here’s everything you need to know about machine learning and how it can benefit your company:

It is increasingly common for consumers to do research on most events, places and products they’re interested in. This applies to extended trips like vacations, and shorter activities, such as an evening spent at dinner and a movie. Below are a few reasons consumers want to be as informed as possible before embarking on a planned experience and what this means for your marketing campaign and digital content. It is important to recognize the customer intent behind a search query and adjust your message to match the purpose behind the search.

The end goal of any marketing strategy is to sell a product or service to a willing customer, but your success depends highly on how well you generate interest in the product and convert those leads into actual sales. Lead generation is an integral part of this strategy, and it can take many forms.

An effective app or website needs to be accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. If visitors with disabilities can't use your site or app, they're unlikely to purchase from your company. Remember, your content creation process should consider multiple disabilities, including:

Web design trends are constantly evolving. Whether you’re building a new site or want to ensure your existing site is up-to-date, consider utilizing some of these tools destined to be the most popular web design trends of 2019:

Did you know 77 percent of the American population has at least one social media profile? Around the world, over 2.34 billion people use social media, and this number is expected to continue growing. Therefore, it comes as no surprise social media is one of the most effective marketing platforms for virtually all types of businesses. 

Consumers are dropping their once universal habit of conducting local searches by typing the words “near me” in the browser. They now expect searches to automatically produce results near them. It’s time to update your SEO strategy so you capture more local searches.

Today’s consumers engage with companies through many different channels, including physical stores, apps, social media, television commercials, websites, catalogues, and more. For any online content, they could be viewing from a computer, tablet or phone. Omni-channel marketing seeks to provide customers with a seamless and integrated experience, no matter which channel or device they are using. In order to achieve this, everything across these channels should be consistent and complementary.

To post or not to post. That is the question – at least when it comes to your Instagram account. 

A targeted marketing campaign focuses on those who are most likely to use your product or service. Though you can target your campaign based on demographics, another detail to consider is whether your marketing efforts should appeal to households or individual members of the household. Targeting the right audience is a simple way to boost your sales and promote awareness of your brand. 

For small businesses, your website may be one of the most important ways to keep up with the competition, both big and small. However, for it to be effective, there are several elements that cannot be overlooked. Whether you're starting your site from scratch or just want to be sure your current site is up to par, check out the below list of essentials for your small business website.

If you want to create a new website or revamp your existing site, one detail to consider is how much content you should place on your site's homepage. The answer varies based on a few different factors. Some homepages benefit from longer copy, while others thrive with a short copy design. Here are some of the details to help you determine your homepage copy:

With so many types of digital media readily available on the internet, it is important to produce content that instantly grabs the attention of prospective customers. To ensure your content is captivating enough to immediately attract your audience, follow these guidelines:

You already know the way people consume their content has changed. Instead of CDs or iPods, people are listening to their favorite music through streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. Instead of renting movies or sticking to standard channels, people are using streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. In short, more and more people are utilizing streaming services, and thus, that is where you as a business want to be. This is especially important because advertising on streaming services is more sophisticated and more likely to ensure you hit your target market, particularly when you compare with how traditional advertising works.

When you visit a website, you may see a pop-up with information concerning the use of cookies (information generated and saved by the page). This pop-up is known as a cookie consent notice. It informs visitors what information the page gathers and briefly explains how this data is used. Users can then consent to or refuse the site's use of cookies. 

One of the first things many travelers do when planning a trip is pull out their smartphones. The smartphone now serves as an invaluable device for practically every stage of a vacation, from the early planning phases to the trip itself.

The internet has made shopping easier than ever, and up to 84 percent of Americans are shopping for something at any given time. The widespread use of Wi-Fi and smartphones has given both consumers and marketers more opportunities to get what they want, but shopping across multiple categories of products can be overwhelming. Effectively using marketing tools like SEO for online shopping is vital to make the research process and shopping experience as easy as possible.

Instagram stories have quickly grown in popularity since the feature was first introduced in August 2017. Despite its popularity, many companies dismiss this feature due to the fact that content expires 24 hours after it is shared. But, while its duration may be short, the impact of Instagram stories on your social media marketing can be tremendous. Here are four ways you can make your company’s Instagram stories stand out from the rest:

Nailing down the definition of branding can seem tough, but once you start applying the concepts of branding to your products and assets, it becomes clearer to see. In a nutshell, branding is how you help consumers identify your company, your products and your services as distinct from your competition. It is how you convey everything you want people to know about your company in an instant.

In today's society, it takes time, effort, and ingenuity to expand your tour-based business. Instead of depending on traditional marketing strategies, check out the following alternative solutions to reach more customers and grow your company:

Personalized TV is an increasingly popular way for consumers to enjoy their favorite shows and movies. This innovative media form combines television with features of internet videos. Researchers expect it to revolutionize the TV viewing experience.

Video marketing used to be a primarily passive experience for potential customers. Once the audience viewed the video, there was no expectation of immediate action. However, research now indicates that prospective customers may prefer video marketing campaigns that incite them to act, be it by taking a poll or subscribing to a newsletter. If you are ready to implement a direct response video marketing campaign or need to make tweaks to an existing one, here are three things you can do to make your advertising as effective as possible:

More and more people are using their personal voice assistants to enhance their everyday lives. Personal voice assistants have proved they have more than novelty value, as users are now asking Alexa or Siri for assistance with products they wish to purchase or services they want to utilize. Prepare your pay-per-click (PPC) campaign for voice optimization by following these three steps.

It is no secret that voice assistants, like Alexa and Siri, have revolutionized how we use our phones and smart devices. However, they can also transform the model companies use to market their goods and services to prospective customers. Voice assistants are capable of everyday tasks you can use to market your product and expand your digital advertising campaign.

Inbound marketing is a digital marketing strategy that works to attract potential customers via your online presence. Instead of trying to fight other similar companies for potential outbound leads, inbound digital marketing requires you to create valuable online content that encourages customers to further explore what your company has to offer.

As a service business, your job is to help your customers or clients be the very best they can be. You help them look better, present themselves more professionally, and provide tips to propel them to the next level of awesomeness.

YouTube videos are some of the most exciting content you can create for your business – energizing your employees as much as your customers. While this surge of energy is still crackling through your business, capitalize on this natural momentum by optimizing your videos to ensure it captures the attention of a larger audience and raises the curtain of opportunity.

Social media is a prominent part of society today, but the personal information you share may put you at risk for identity theft, fraud and other incidents. Reuters reported that up to 87 million Facebook users may have had their information exposed to a firm called Cambridge Analytica. The breach has users worried about what may happen to their personal information if it lands in the wrong hands. Whether or not you are affected by this data breach, be aware of any information you share online, especially if it is sensitive in nature.

As a financial consultant, you have very specific marketing needs. The stakes are higher because you're dealing with people's money and financial security, and before they trust you with these commodities, they must consider you to be honest, credible and an expert in your field.

Customer experience refers to the impression a customer receives after engaging with your company. Whether positive or negative, these experiences significantly impact how customers feel about your product and your brand. Here is an overview of customer experience and how you can use it to benefit your company.

Is your sales team wasting time on leads that are still getting cold feet on making a purchase? Rather than spending resources on these leads, marketing and sales teams should work to better qualify leads so they are confident their prospects are on the path to making a purchase. Here are five ways to qualify leads.

How long are you expecting your customers to wait for your mobile website to load – 5 seconds? 10? Or is 15.3 seconds, which is the amount of time it takes for most mobile websites to load? That's a long time in a society that has come to value instant gratification above almost all else.

The travel industry has long been an early adopter of digital technology, having helped travelers find and book trips online as soon as it was possible to do so. Technology has changed dramatically since the first days of online booking, though, and travel companies must continue to incorporate new advancements into their marketing strategies if they want to remain competitive within the industry – the latest being machine learning and artificial intelligence.

No matter how common or convenient it is to complain about them, Millennials are vital to the success of almost every retailer. The Millennial Generation now spends a collective $600 billion a year and are the largest living generation. The digital natives are now in their high spending years between 18-35 and if retailers want to connect, they must increase their digital investments.

The Retail and Manufacturing Industries are at a crossroads. Traditional retail and malls are failing across the country – and the globe. If retailers have any hope to survive the coming years as the market evolves, they must change as well.

More and more marketers are being lured by the value offered by Marketing Automation Platforms. No Manual Processes! Traffic! Leads! Conversions! We here at ADTACK are a certified HubSpot partner and speak highly of it as a deeply powerful tool.

But once marketing technology of any kind is in place, many companies struggle to realize the return on their investment. Is it the platform’s fault? Or could it be ours as marketers?

The stability and growth of any company relies on the ability of customers to find and purchase goods and services. Your customers’ ability to quickly and simply find those services and to learn about your company has never been more important. Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how it is evolving is critical to succeed in today’s marketplace.

For a long time, creativity was the driving force in the world of marketing. In another life, advertising was the king of marketing and nearly 100% of that occupation was driven by the task of creating interesting commercials and print ads that appealed the masses. 

Many business owners think of design as something artists conjure up out of their creative depths -- that coming up with the right color scheme, choosing the best font and lining up the best graphics are things that can only be inspired by creative minds.

While there is a bit of inspired creativity that goes into web design, there’s a lot more science involved than you might think. Here are a few scientifically proven ways to get better results from your website.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

It's a question you may have asked applicants a hundred times during the interview process, but when's the last time you asked yourself that question? It's just as important to know where you want your company to be in the future as it is to have your own personal goals and aspirations. After all, if you're not looking forward, you could easily find yourself stuck in the past. 

As a marketer, could anything be better than getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a successful company? If so, it must be a glimpse that also reveals how that company is reconciling challenges just like yours.

L'Oreal, the global cosmetics company, offers a tantalizing glimpse into how it is integrating consumers' preference for mobile, digital interactions – meaning, both information and purchases. You may wish to take a page out of L'Oreal's playbook if you share its goal: “We recognized that digital couldn't continue being its own channel,” Chief Marketing Office Marie Gulin-Merle says. “It had to be a part of everything we do.”

Ah, the evolution of the internet. 

First came the websites, text-heavy and full of header tags, paragraphs and links. Then table-based sites and online page builders emerged, allowing for the introduction of multiple columns and text-based design. 

There was a time around the turn of the century (the one in 2000, not 1900) when leading marketing professionals could pretty much just go with their guts when it came to making decisions. 

Ah, the joys of ad targeting on Facebook. 

It's a practice that puts your ads in front of the people who are most interested in what you have to say. It works for businesses large and small. It allows you to focus on location, age, gender, interests, demographics, behaviors, connections or a combination of them all. 

Capturing people’s attention is the foundation of all advertising. But what is able to grab a person’s attention? Today, we are turning to technology to find the answer. Algorithms are being used to track every click a person makes. They study what appeals to the person in order to better predict what they might click on in the future. There is no question about it – artificial intelligence and big data are changing our understanding of attention.

How do you measure success? 

If you're like a lot of companies, you focus on the moment when a prospective customer converts to a customer by clicking on the "buy button." 

And while that might provide some insight into your short-term success prospects, it probably isn't going to tell you much about whether or not you are positioned for long-term, sustainable success. 

Maybe you've noticed that consumers have grown impatient, almost to a fault. As a marketer, it can help enormously to know what they're so impatient to find while they work their cell phones into a frenzy.

The dominant search engine in the world, Google, shares some consumer data insights that can help marketers refine their offerings so that “hurry up” consumers can find what they're looking for the second they demand it.

Few people enjoy taking tests, but fewer people object to a no-pressure, “eliminate the least desirable answer” quiz.

In a quiet, reflective moment – obviously, out of the workplace – it behooves you to ask yourself the source of your focus problem. The beauty of this tack is that no one but you has to know the answer; you can keep it to yourself. But once you honestly determine the source, you can take some proactive steps to regain your focus and your workplace rhythm.

When YouTube launched bumper ads in April 2016, they were touted as “little haikus of video ads” – 6-second ads that users could not skip even if they wanted to.

As a marketer with more ways to spend your ad money than you can shake bills featuring the mug of Benjamin Franklin, you may have been tempted to skip bumper ads, too.

Sometimes, marketers can find great value in listening to the views of their peers, especially if they come across experiences that mirror their own. This was the simple, “come to the table” intent of Hubspot as it asked leading marketers about the virtues of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Hubspot was particularly interested in probing which platform marketers prefer for live engagement.

We live in a world where timing is everything. You brush your teeth at a certain time, leave the house to get to work at a certain time and have a schedule of after-work activities you must adhere to. When it comes to marketing your business, this concept is no different. While it may seem like publishing social media posts whenever you create them is enough to drive eyes your way, the fact of the matter is there are certain times of day when your posts will receive optimal attention.

Determining your optimal video length is one of the first and most important steps advertisers and businesses need to negotiate during the video planning and production stages. Video length will determine the informational scope of the included content and will narrow down an appropriate storyline and video focus. You can't, for example, run a truly informative and engaging how-to product video in a six second bumper ad. Such a campaign needs a solid minute or more to fully flesh out how a product or service works, consider this Nifty quick vid to see what we mean.

If you're on the sensitive side, you might consider it a verbal spanking – and one that stings.

But the people at Hubspot have marketers' best interests at heart and want them to catch up with social media trends (the assumption being that marketers have fallen behind the curve). It may help to keep Hubspot's agenda in mind as the industry leader admonishes:

So what do you get when you ask 10 different SEO companies to name the most common mistakes they continue to see businesses of all sizes and specialties continue to make in their quest to get noticed first?

Every marketer learns early on: no matter how robust sales may be at the moment, your product or service must be marketed to new customers at all times. New customers represent the future lifeblood of a business.

Remember when marketing simply meant creating amazing advertisements that people would love so much they couldn't wait to buy your product? In fact, you may not remember because this theory has long since gone by the wayside. Way back when, marketing and sales were essentially the same thing; professionals in this field were tasked with creating memorable pitches that would serve their clients for the moment -- just long enough for them to sign on the dotted line.

You don't have to know the numbers to know mobile advertising is exploding. Then again, a little context never hurts: advertisers spent about $72 billion on digital ads in 2016 and this number is expected to balloon to $82 billion by the end of this year and more than $113 billion by 2020.

Marketers have long considered what they do to be an art, but how they do it has morphed into a science.

This seismic shift requires merging marketing's best practices with data science and predictive analytics. And this merger might require the addition of new team members who excel at their respective specialty.

Data runs the world. It drives the decisions we make, the people meet and the things we do. To ignore it would be ignoring potential income streams; to misunderstand it could lead to expensive mistakes and missed opportunities.

Today's marketing world isn't fixed on the creative outlet it once was. Rather, it's a data-driven field where numbers and behaviors come together, telling a story of the whole brand's journey, telling customers' tales from the initial introduction to the point they become loyal buyers.

Aficionados of classic video games recognize the technique in a heartbeat: it causes background images (or words) to move at a different speed from foreground images (or words) while scrolling. As these two entities shift across the screen, the viewer can't help but be drawn in; the combination of depth and movement can be transfixing.

If video killed the radio star, then the internet is killing the television star. According to her 2017 report on Internet Trends, Mary Meeker found internet ad spend will exceed television ads for the first time this year. If you consider the speed at which internet has overtaken TV--less than 25 years--it's time to take a look at where advertisers are spending money online and what the future of digital advertising will look like.

Can your customers easily navigate your website from any device they have on hand? That includes a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, or a smart phone. If they have problems navigating your site on any of those devices, you need to upgrade it to a responsive design.

You could say that consumers are becoming needier; give them what they want and they simply want more of it.

Just under a year ago, YouTube Product Manager Zach Lupei announced the introduction of Bumper ads. These six-second videos are ads designed to be more suitable among smartphone and similar small-screen video watchers. The idea is as online videos get shorter, shouldn't advertisements too? But what can you as a business or advertiser do with seconds? The answer is a lot.

Travelers dislike surprises. Before they book a trip, they're inclined to not only scour reviews, but also study pictures of a hotel, local attractions, restaurants and even the cabin of the plane.

You don't see it every day, but it pops up more than it should: the grand re-opening event. Consumers may view this type of event as a way to cash in on extended promotions and discounts. But marketing professionals know a “reopening” is code for a launch that did not go right. A reopening is a second chance to remedy whatever went wrong.

Launching a new business is akin to a balloon launch – the act of releasing something promising into a great unknown with no guarantee it will take flight and soar.

Is your marketing centered on your customer? Before answering, look at what your marketing focuses on the most. That will give you the answer and you may be surprised it is not customer centered. Most marketing today focuses on non-customer approaches: the channel through which the customer is engaged, the product the customer is interested in, or the event that might trigger the customer to buy. None of these approaches make the customer the center of your marketing.

By now, we've all gotten comfortable living the future of marketing: digital interactions, social media, mobile and hyperlocal targeting, and consumer-controlled advertising. Of course, comfort only means it's time for the newest arrival, and this one will be another exciting development for the marketing world.

We all know the internet changed the world in innumerable ways. What was once normal life is ancient history. While everything was certainly turned upside down with the advent of the internet, some industries were more impacted by it than others. The travel industry, for example, saw a dramatic shift from consumers using travel agents to people going online and booking their own reservations.

The snickers about those darn “cord-cutting millennials” have barely quieted down – not to mention the ensuing fears they would hasten the demise not only of cable TV, but satellite and “regular” TV, too.

Google AdWords is one of the most effective methods of paid online advertising and as such is utilized by small, medium, and large organizations across the world. Google AdWords, when used effectively, can send out your business's information to a lot of people who are looking for products and services just like yours. So whether you are a solitary entrepreneur or run a mega e-commerce website, Goold AdWords can benefit you. Just consider the following key ways of how:

You've probably figured out that marketing isn't messing around. Consumers' expectations are high. If you want to compete with The Other Guy, you've got to address your customers' pain points, wants and needs. On paper, this sounds simple enough, but if you've ever tried to put these ideas into practice, you know it can easily become pretty overwhelming.

When most people think about personalized content, they think of software that sticks someone's first name into an email so it seems like it was crafted just for her. Not only is that so 1997, but we can also do a whole lot better than that. Today's personalized content strives to understand more than just the reader's name, but also her daily routines, shopping habits, likes and dislikes, and more. Ready to take personalization to a new level? Here are a few tips to get you started.

So now you have the easy answer to one of your questions: many of the people you see, hovering over and clicking away at their smartphones, are probably looking at ads.

If smartphones have turned virtually everybody into a photographer, then it's probably equally true that Facebook has transformed virtually everybody into a marketer or self-promoter.
In this climate, you have to ramp it up, especially if you're a business owner who depends on Facebook ads to generate business. Take what you already know and respect about the appeal of photos and apply the expert polish of professionals to give your ads maximum “pulling power.”

After years of discussions on how to best appeal and market to Millennials, a generation that largely came of age side-by-side the Internet, it's now time to include another key digital era in marketing plans: Generation Z. Demographers generally list Gen Z as those now-teens born between the mid-1990s and 2005. Most don't remember a world before 9/11 or the prosperity prior to the 2008 financial collapse. However, what they do know is a world in which many had a cell phone since elementary school and are fluent in GIFs and emojis. And, by 2020, experts say they will make up an impressive 40 percent of all consumers.  

If you start your day wondering what's trending on YouTube, then you know you never quite know what you're going to find. It could be a video of a toddler taking his first euphoric steps. It could be footage of a tornado whipping through the plains.

No matter what's trending on YouTube, you may have gotten the idea by now that YouTube trends toward a younger audience – and you're right. Now YouTube is taking a big gamble on its faithful following by unrolling TV service in the next few months.

YouTube has long hinted at this foray and industry experts have long been anticipating it. But everyone seems to be wondering: will millennials really ante up for online programming?

From part-time side hustles to multi-national billion-dollar organizations, every business has a blog. It’s essential for reaching out to customers, keeping your business at the top of search engines, and providing a repository for information that educates both consumers and other businesses. But is your business blog really helping your business out? Each year, the blogging landscape shifts and keeping on the pulse of what attracts and engages your audience can help your blog reach a wider audience. Use these tactics from the 2016 blogging trends aggregated and analyzed by Orbit Media. 

It is 2017 and the time for a strong social media strategy is here. And if you aren't already on social media, it's high time to log in and sign up for a website, Facebook, Twitter, and more. That's because the Internet and its many online communities is where a significant portion of your customers (and potential customers) are. And don't you want to be where your customers are? But crafting the right conversations takes some strategic planning. Consider the following statistics and how they can be applied to best shape your social media strategy this year:

Wouldn’t this scene just make your day – and even your week? Someone is so blown away by your communication skills that they corner you near the office vending machine and just have to know: What are your top 10 secrets? And would you possibly share them so that others can follow your good example?

Being a leader is always a challenging job to do. While many of these struggles are visible from the outside, leaders face conflict with themselves as well. Here are a few of the internal struggles that almost every leader has to deal with at one time or another.

Marketing is changing everyday. Companies which have the ability to quickly incorporate these new ideas into their marketing plans are earning more; while businesses which fail to adapt to the shifting marketing environment, are failing. 

Modern technological advances have allowed people to multitask more than ever before. Of course, there is always a trade off – this constant multitasking has lead to a significant drop in our attention span. The average person’s attention span is now a mere eight seconds. That’s shorter than the attention span of a goldfish.

You already know mobile technology has irrevocably altered consumers' buying journey. An astounding 77% of Americans now own a smart phone on which they do everything from stream videos, locate stores and research products. Marketers, ad agencies and entrepreneurs cannot risk shying away from this new mobile reality. Instead, successful, leading marketers are tackling this new challenge head-on and are implementing new measurement practices so that they not only survive this cultural shift, but thrive in it.

The Japanese proverb, "Fall seven times, stand up eight" makes a great mantra but too often, marketers are so busy trying to stand up that they don't examine those falls to help them get up next time. The very act of falling down can yield vital information into your process, your business and your path to success. Highlighting business failures can be just as vital to success as achieving milestones. Use these steps to find failure in your company and use it to power success.

It's no secret that Google is constantly making changes to its algorithms. While their mission is to make the service more streamlined, intuitive and overall appealing to users, these changes undeniably make it more challenging for marketers and SEO experts to ensure their websites make the top of the ranks. Google now processes over 2 trillion searches every year and marketers that want to benefit from those searches need to adapt their strategy in order to achieve their SEO goals.

You've probably had the day prominently marked on your calendar for weeks if not months: the date you plan to relaunch your company website following a redesign.

Such simplicity belies their birth year, which extends roughly from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s and early 1980s. In terms of group size, "Gen Xers,” as they are known, are dwarfed by the Baby Boomers who preceded them and the millennials who followed them.

5 of the Most Intriguing Digital Marketing Blogs

The promises of holograms, tractor beams and virtual reality headsets are finally being fulfilled. Science fiction has become fact and there is no better time to jump aboard; particularly when it comes to marketing with virtual reality. Thanks to the ubiquity and digital quality of mobile devices, every smartphone can become a virtual reality headset in as little as $15 and every single YouTube video can be transformed into a VR experience. 

In order to effectively sell a product or service, you must connect with your potential customer and present the product or service in a way they appreciate. The best way of doing this depends on how the customer makes decisions. Here’s how to adapt your selling strategy for five different types of decision makers.

Have you ever tried a co-worker's favorite productivity tool, only to have it completely fail on you a month later? Don't think of yourself as a quitter. Instead, the problem with planners and productivity apps that don't work for you is likely due to a dissonance with your productivity personality. Everyone thinks a bit differently. It's in understanding those differences and working with the tools that will enhance and not distract from those differences that will optimize your productivity.

Inbound marketing is about utilizing a variety of mediums to attract new clients and customers to you rather than fighting their attention. But to know what the right medium you should take with inbound marketing efforts requires an understanding of how the brain processes various types of content. From text to video, each format of content has its place.

They are known as “emojis,” and the prefix accurately denotes that they supply a full range of emotion – from happiness to the universal hello: the waving hand.

Marketing.

It's a seemingly vague, all-encompassing word that takes on multiple meanings, depending on who you ask. In fact, unless you work in or directly with the marketing department, it's highly possible everything this team does is as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster.

Of course, each department in a company has a specific, important function. Ironically, the marketing folks have one of the most important functions in any business; yet, most people have no idea what they actually do.

Millennial-aged employees are fast outpacing every other generation when it comes to traveling for business. While that fact alone shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, the important facet travel companies and the like need to pay attention to is their vastly different buying and research habits. Particularly when it comes to how and when they use their devices to book their travel.

In response to an increase in the number of searches conducted from mobile devices, Google has announced it is shifting to a mobile-first initiative. As Google prioritizes to the popularity of mobile devices, online marketers must follow suit. Marketing campaigns and websites must either adapt so they’re mobile friendly, or else be prepared to be bypassed.

As this year comes to a close, we're looking toward the future in anticipation of all the exciting things this new year will bring us. At the same time, we're reflecting back on all of the things years-gone-by have brought us.

It is two minutes before the weekly sales meeting. Before running out of your office, should you grab your laptop or a pen and notebook?

For the majority of people, a recent study shows handwriting notes during a meeting is the better choice.  But why?

A quick typist is able to transcribe a meeting word for word without much thinking. This passive approach is fantastic for creating a comprehensive record of a meeting, but it does not result in useful, well-organized notes.

So now you know for certain: Facebook is more than twice as popular as any other social media site.

Facebook trumps other sites by far

In a national survey of 1,520 adults, the center found the Internet is connecting Americans more than ever before: 86 percent of Americans are now online.

We've all heard the phrase, "There's an app for that." Why is it so popular? Well, because it's true.

It's that time of year when we put our sights on the scenes to come. As 2017 starts knocking on the front door, we've got our trend-spotting goggles on and we're excited to see how it all unfolds.

While people were still pecking away at typewriters, cramming every square inch of the page with type and reading newspapers, which were equally crammed with type, a soon-to-be-famous German typographer, Jan Tschichold,  pleaded for some breathing room.

Today, it's nearly impossible to do business without taking advance of online resources. From the explosion of online shopping to the nuances of digital marketing, the Internet has changed the ways in which companies and consumers operate. But how has the Internet affected sales, specifically? Whether your business is local or global, you'll need to keep up with the latest sales and research trends to stay competitive and reach your customers or clients.

With all the chatter about micro-moments, it can be easy for marketers to go overboard. Micro-moments are the key times when consumers pick up their phone with the express purpose of making an action decision. They are the I-want-to-go, I-want-to-do and I-want-to-buy that is music to the ears of businesses and marketers. 

Thanks to Facebook, it just got easier for small- and mid-sized businesses to manage their social media accounts and communicate with customers. 

Everyone knows imitation is the highest
form of flattery. But being asked to write a follow-up piece based on a popular book follows right behind.

Mark down 2016 as the beginning of the online supershopper era. This is the year savvy shoppers (and savvier marketers) really began to embrace the power of online and mobile shopping. The tide first changed in the summer, when an annual survey found shoppers had begun making the majority, of their purchases online. Even when buying at local stores, more shoppers than ever are using their phones to discover new brands and find the best prices. To get on their radar and influence their final purchases, here's what you need to know about these holiday supershoppers:

You've got a problem on your hands. And if the people around you are being honest with you, it's no small problem: your website isn't converting visitors into potential customers.

The advent of the internet and spread of smartphones have changed the world as we know it and local advertising is no exception. With a smartphone in every consumer's pocket and millions interacting primarily on social media, digital advertising has quickly exploded. Today, mobile ads and other digital-based multimedia campaigns are a major focus for small businesses and corporations alike. In fact, this year marked a milestone in the heyday of digital ads. In 2016, businesses spent more on digital advertising than TV commercials for the first time ever.   

Smart marketers know how to focus targeted messages to reach their audience. They are adept at identifying the needs of various demographics and reshaping their messages according to those needs. A large part of doing so successfully takes an understanding of basic sociology and psychology concepts. This is why we recommend marketers stay abreast of studies concerning how the human brain processes and digests information.

They’re used to validate customer preferences, identify trends and verify the quality of products and services. They lend credibility to assertions in virtually any argument – at least if people are willing to listen. And sometimes they’re invoked for the sole purpose of dazzling.

With social media being all the rage, it's an important marketing tool that business owners should use to their full advantage. Twitter polls work particularly well since Twitter is such a popular social media platform. Make note of the following ways to use Twitter polls to entertain, engage, and survey your audience. 

Lead generation, website design, content creation, social media campaigns, and PR. That’s only a partial list of the creative tasks businesses have their employees perform every day. Standout creative work doesn’t come easy, so it should come as no surprise that burnout is a huge issue that stems from the pressure employees feel. It’s a major reason talented workers leave, even if they enjoy other aspects of their jobs. There’s a solution available that restores employee well-being and keeps your company competitive: creative outsourcing.

A recent industry report from Skift found the vast majority of business travelers are using mobile devices while away from the office. The report found that 90 percent of business travelers expect Wi-Fi access at hotels and 86 percent expect it at airports. Moreover, 95 percent of business travelers have a smartphone and 64 percent own a tablet. Some travelers bring as many as four devices with them when going on a business trip. While these findings may be predictable, the way business travelers are using their mobile devices is surprising.

They're an economic powerhouse and there are millions of them across the country. They create jobs, improve the country's overall quality of life and represent the best of what the American Dream has to offer. 

They are entrepreneurs, and this is their month. 

"Branded content" became something of a buzzword last year among inbound marketing gurus. Marketers chirped about creating 'native advertising' and building for Facebook; they repeated ad nauseam blasé advice on the importance of making advertising engaging enough to be heard. Which -- to be fair -- is the ultimate point of all advertising. What was lost in all of flurry, what most marketers completely missed, was a stressing on the difference of branded content to branded entertainment.

Picture the possibilities

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, an online video might be worth a million clicks.  

Online video advertising has quickly become one of the most important tools businesses can use to build their brands. Videos can entertain, education and inform. But more importantly, they can inspire action.

Here's a look at three ways you can put online video advertising to work for your company:

Digital technology has forever changed the way people view media. Tablets, smartphones, even watches, are increasingly used for consuming media of all types. Today, every action you take on social platforms needs to be a part of a larger marketing strategy. Every post, tweet, and comment must be guided by a plan designed to achieve your brand’s goals. As a digital planner, it’s important to distribute content on the right media platform.

Creating mobile ads is both an art and a science. Successful ads don’t disrupt a site so much that visitors become aggravated with the ad, yet they are designed to get attention and engage visitors. New research reveals the best way to strike the proper balance.

It could mean the difference between toiling in obscurity and becoming a regional celebrity, soon to be channeled through the media “echo chamber” and then catapulting to fame and newfound fortune by way of newspaper articles, magazine features, talk radio shows and TV appearances. 

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter--'tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." 

Every business owner wants to believe his or her website is so visually appealing and teems with so much extraordinary content that people will absorb it thoroughly and progressively: starting at the upper-left corner, sweeping across the page and then proceeding in a similar manner – left to right -- to the bottom of the page.

In an era when so much marketing is done online, businesses need top-notch content that converts. Any content that’s not effective is hindering the overall marketing plan. If you’re looking to maximize your content’s potential, here’s how to find, fix and prevent underperforming content.

Many qualities of a great leader have been identified but there are a few that seem to stand out as being more important than others. The good news is that these qualities can be learned and they must be learned by the practice and repetition of a new inclusive business model. It's called the collaborative model, which its creator smartly acknowledges is not suited “for every situation." Still, business leaders who embrace this leadership model exude three qualities in particular:

No step in the sales process is as crucial as the close. If the sales team can’t close, how effective a campaign is at generating qualified leads or how adept marketers are at meeting targets’ needs doesn’t matter. All sales processes work towards the one, crucial moment -- the close. Here are three strategies to help your sales team make sure that moment is a success.

In an era when people are bombarded with messages, marketers have to find a way to cut through the sea of advertisements and get their own message heard. One of the best ways to do this is by incorporating specific attention-grabbing words into marketing materials. Here’s a list of some of the top words that gain attention.

You don't have to love history to appreciate a retrospective look at online advertising. But a love of all things marketing or advertising might help. After all, while the events that have taken place since 1994 are fun to revisit, it's the lessons they've imparted that can most benefit professionals who have to make important decisions about advertising.

You know those people – the kind who say attitude is everything.

While their perspective can be applied to many applications in life, it might come up a little short with pay-per-click advertising. Without dousing the sunny perspective of those optimists, the reality is your PPC campaign will shine only if you take three proactive steps.

What’s your company’s biggest marketing challenge? Generating traffic and leads? Choosing the right technology for your company’s needs? Or do you struggle to find top talent? Though every marketer shares the same goals, the individual challenges are unique. With this in mind, we thought it would be helpful to put together three steps you can take to meet your inbound marketing challenges head on.  

Let our marketing experts at ADTACK explain why a digital marketing strategy is a must for your manufacturing business – at least if you want to fortify your marketing efforts and reinvigorate your bottom line.