Alive and Kicking: Analyzing the Numbers Behind Direct Mail

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: March 19, 2014
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  The fact that Apple, which has single-handedly revolutionized forward-thinking technology, is still using direct mail should be a wakeup call for businesses in every industry. If you’re not sure about the sustainability of direct mail marketing, then it’s time to consider the numbers. Despite the growth of digital media, direct mail response rates have held steady over the last four years. Mailings to prospect lists average a response rate of 1.38 percent, which is similar to the 1.78 conversion rate for marketing emails. Perhaps the most surprising revelation is the fact that 73 percent of United States consumers prefer direct mail as their primary method of communication with brands. Despite the convenience of digital media, consumers consistently report that they enjoy checking the mailbox and finding promotional pieces mingled with personal mail. In a separate survey, 59 percent of consumers say that they enjoy receiving postal mail from brands about new services, products, and promotions. Read More

Adapting Your SEO Strategy To Evolving Search Patterns

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 28, 2014
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  Regular changes in Google’s algorithms generally mean having to adapt our SEO strategy to fit the new criteria. But what many of us fail to take into consideration is how those changes in algorithms also affect how people are searching. And those changes should also be a factor in how we approach SEO. For one thing, search results are becoming more intuitive. Google recognizes your location and provides local search results automatically. It also provides results based on previous searches and browsing activity. Through Google, this information is all connected, and as technology advances, they’re able to use that information to help you get better, more relevant results based on your searches. Read More

#HowToHashtag

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 27, 2014
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Over time, hashtags have become an important part of our culture. Though their use has somewhat devolved into the bizarre and ridiculous, in other ways they’re an important part of how we share information. Twitter uses them, Instagram uses them, and now Facebook has introduced hashtag use as well. So the question is, how can you harness this powerful force and use it to promote your brand? There are several ways.  Read More

Marketing Mobilely – Using Apps As Content

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 26, 2014
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  Mobile devices are becoming more and more prevalent in our world. From smartphones to tablets to mp3 players and more, people want the ability to stay connected, wherever they are and whatever they’re doing. In fact, it’s been estimated that 2014 is the year that mobile browsing will actually overtake desktop browsing in popularity. What does that mean for you as a marketer? It means that if you want to promote your brand successfully online, you need to have a mobile app. Here are 3 strategies for using apps to promote your brand.  Read More

Contribution Marketing – Spreading Your Message By Making a Difference

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 25, 2014
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  The public has always been wary of marketers. We don’t have the best reputation—obviously, promoting our product to you means all we want is to separate you from your money. We interrupt the program you’re watching in order to force our message on you, and we’ll say anything, true or not, if it means getting your attention for 30 seconds. In the public’s eyes, we are evil, soulless people. One of the things content marketing seeks to do is to change that line of thinking. Instead of interrupting the content people want in order to give them our message, we find ways of turning our message into the content people want. Through the Internet, we’ve been able to create an entirely new paradigm for brand promotion. Read More

The Science Of Sharing – The Psychology Behind Social Media Buzz

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 23, 2014
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  You’re browsing through Facebook, and you come across a funny cat video. You watch it all the way through and laugh a fair amount. Then, once the video is over, you’re faced with a choice: Do you move on and continue browsing Facebook? Or do you share this video with your friends? It seems like a fairly simple question, and it’s one you probably make several times a day on your own social media. But what determines the answer? What’s the difference between content that gets shared and content that doesn’t? If you can figure this out, you’ll have a tremendous advantage when it comes to social media marketing. Sharing on social media is an essential aspect of marketing and one of the biggest factors in gaining exposure for your brand and content. So how can you encourage sharing on your page? High quality content is essential, of course. People are only going to share things they find interesting, funny, relevant, or otherwise worthwhile. But liking your content doesn’t guarantee someone will share it. You can always ask them to share it, but such requests get old quickly. If you’re constantly telling people to share your content, it’s more likely to annoy them than inspire them. Read More

Think Globally, Market Locally – Targeting Customers In Your Area

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 22, 2014
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  They don’t call it the World Wide Web for nothing. With the touch of a button, your message can reach people from Sydney to Tokyo to St. Petersburg. But what if you just want to reach the people down the street? International exposure is all well and good, but if you have a small business that services a single area, you’d rather concentrate your efforts on them, rather than people halfway across the world. How do you do it? Here are four ways. Use Geographical Keywords. You (hopefully) already optimize your content around relevant keywords in order to attract the people who are looking for what you have to Read More

How To Align Your Content Marketing Strategy To the Buying Cycle

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 22, 2014
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Every consumer goes through the buying cycle when thinking about a purchase, whether they are buying a $10 product or spending thousands on a renovation. If you align your content marketing strategy to this cycle, it's easier to make people in your target audience aware of your services. Get results by using strong visuals and appealing content to make buyers want what you're offering. Read More

Why Small Businesses Need Direct Mail Marketing

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 21, 2014
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  While many believe that the age of the internet has essentially killed traditional marketing methods such as direct mail marketing, research shows that direct mail marketing is actually making a comeback. With this resurgence in direct mail marketing, it is even more important for small businesses to take advantage of this tactic for their marketing strategy. Read on to learn more about why direct mail marketing is key for small businesses and how small businesses can take advantage of all that direct mail marketing has to offer. Read More

Dishonest Social Media – Why Buying Clicks And Followers Isn’t the Way To Go

  • Author: admin
  • Posted on: February 21, 2014
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  Promoting your brand can seem like a long, arduous process at times. Social media marketing alone is a fulltime job. You have to maintain your presence and your image at all times. You constantly need to be connecting with fans and with other companies in order to build a following. You need to come up with interesting and unique content to post in addition to your blogs and other regular content. Then you need to repeat all of that work for every social media channel on which your brand has a presence, since a cookie cutter approach isn’t engaging. It’s a lot of work, and it can take a long time to yield any visible results. Isn’t there an easier way? Read More