Category: Internet Marketing

The Goldilocks Rule of Digital Marketing

Posted on by Andrew

Chances are you’ve read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. If you haven’t, go find it online somewhere and then come back.

Okay, so now that we’re all on the same page, why do I bring up Goldilocks and the Three Bears? It’s simple: when Goldilocks broke into the bears’ house, she ate the porridge that was “just right.” Not the porridge that was too hot or too cold, but just the right amount.

This is also true of your customers. If you do too little digital marketing and advertising, they won’t remember you, but if you do too much, they’ll get annoyed and purposely not do business with you because of your annoying ads.

A new survey released from Upstream says that 20% of Americans would stop using a brand’s product or service if they received too much advertising. That’s a lot of people. Can you afford to lose 20% of your customers?

We are constantly checking our campaigns to make sure they don’t show up too frequently. For example, our Retargeting campaigns are designed and fine-tuned so they only show our client’s ads 10-15 times over a month. Studies have shown that’s the optimal balance between not enough and too much exposure.

Don’t let this fear of the Goldilocks rule stop you from doing advertising, as you won’t even have any customers if you don’t do any marketing and advertising. Instead, do your best to strike the right balance between too much and not enough, because, unlike the three bears, we want Goldilocks to eat that porridge.

Global Ad Spending to Rise 4.9% in 2012

Posted on by Andrew

Global ad spending is set to rise almost 5% this year to reach a total of $465.5 billion according to new numbers from research firm Strategy Analytics.

The total U.S. spending rate is set to grow 2.7%, up from .6% in 2011. Global online spending is predicted to grow the fastest, by 12.8% to $83.2 billion – meaning 18% of total ad spend.

Online ad spending is still leading the way, though growth has slowed due to the growing maturity of online spending. In 2011, Internet media revenue grew by 21.4%, but is set to only grow 10.9% in 2012.

Despite the slowdown in growth, digital advertising is set to increase its share of the global ad market from 15.9% in 2011 to 21.2% in 2014.

So what do we know from these numbers? Well, for starters, digital advertising is growing rapidly, and is eroding TV’s 40% global share of all advertising dollars. These numbers represent important trends that you must acknowledge as a small business owner. Gone are the days where creating a radio or TV ad was enough; now, you need to be invested in social marketing, banner advertising, search optimization and have a killer website.

So who is going to help you wade through these treacherous waters? Well, that’s why we’re here. We’ve created hundreds of digital marketing campaigns, and we’ve successfully increased sales and revenue for all our clients.

If you have any other questions about what we do or ways we can help out your business, let us know in the comments or contact us on our website.

3 Marketing Trends You Need to Implement

Posted on by Andrew

A lot of business missed the boat on a few marketing trends over the last few years. Some missed out on websites, some on email marketing and others on mobile. Your business may have missed out on some or all of these trends, but I’m here to make sure you don’t miss out on these next three!


1. Mobile
Mobile is huge these days. Mobile search has already been exploding and mobile shopping is expected to increase substantially in the next few years.

2. Data
You need data to understand exactly why you’re doing something, and how you can make it better. The old model of creating a radio or TV commercial is gone. Now we have the ability to track, alter and optimize every ad campaign.

3. Branding
Your brand doesn’t just exist on your website anymore. You are on social places such as Twitter, Facebook, Digg, YouTube, etc. Your brand is more “out there” than ever, and your customers have more avenues than ever to contact you — you just need to give them reason to.

It’s a unique time to be a small business. Never before have you had the power to reach so many customers as easily as you can today. The world of digital marketing offers countless ways to interact with your customers, and using as many of them as possible can help bring you new business and more brand exposure.

If you are curious about any of these methods such as SMS targeting, search marketing, retargeting, behavioral targeting, mobile targeting and more, contact us today. We’ll help you wade through the field of digital marketing and advertising.

Mobile Search: The Next Frontier

Posted on by Andrew

According to a report from the xAd advertising network, there were big increases in mobile and local searches during Q4 2011. The stats are pretty incredible, and just go to show how much you need to start looking at mobile and local searches.

One amazing stat is the level that mobile searchers react to ads compared to desktop users. In the study, 52% of mobile-local searchers called the local businesses after the initial click. The leading secondary action was accessing maps or driving directions (50%), compared to 42% for search ads.

The click-through rate (CTR) for search ads was also strong last quarter as well. Average CTR for search ads was 7%. This is because mobile-local searchers are seeking information related to a specific action for a need or want that they want to fill.

Another enlightening statistic about mobile search is that mobile search requests grew 60% quarter-over-quarter. That’s a huge number, and shows just how many people have smartphones these days, and how many are searching for local businesses.

So do you have any local search game? Well if you don’t, you’re in luck – we do. As part of our search targeting, we make sure to create mobile-specific campaigns that target the mobile user with a special call to action and click-to-call ads.

But what good is mobile traffic if they get sent to your clunky desktop site? We also design mobile landing pages that deliver the things mobile users want. On our custom-designed sites, we include mapping options as well as a mobile-specific call to action with a prominent click-to-call button.

Have any more questions about mobile? Ask us in the comments.

3 things to help you optimize for local search

Posted on by Andrew

Local search is everywhere. Think about how many times you search for something nearby. By 2015, 30 percent of all searches will be local. Compare that with 12 percent in 2009.

One of the reasons for this growth is the emergence of smartphones. 80 percent of all searches conducted through a smartphone are for local products and services. Local search is ever-changing as the major search engines give more focus in that area, and if you aren’t showing up, you need to.

1. SEO your website.
Make sure your website is search engine optimized (SEO). This means targeting certain keywords on your website, and targeting long-tail, geo-specific keywords such as “Chicago pizza in Seattle”.

2. Set up your profiles
Sign up for several business directories and Google Places. The more directories you’re in, the better, as your business is seen as more credible by Google. To get listed automatically in more than 100 directories, check out Business Listings at Local AdsUpNow. Local AdsUpNow is a service that automatically submits your business information to almost 150 directories and more than 25 mobile networks.

3. Encourage customer reviews
Encouraging your customers to review your business on places like Google and Yelp can be a great tool to help bring more business. Studies show that people are more likely to visit a business if it’s been recommended by a peer, so having your customers rate your business is essential to bringing in more sales and new customers.

So there you have it. By following these steps, you can start to optimize your online presence to come up higher in the rankings. You will not only increase sales, but your business will be more respected by Google, so it’ll have better rankings in the search results.

For more tips on digital Marketing, check out our website. We’re a Seattle ad agency specializing in digital advertising and marketing.

Have any more questions about local SEO? Let us know in the comments.

3 Ways to Increase Your Revenue By Marketing Across All Purchase Paths

Posted on by Andrew

Every customer you have ever landed came through a purchase path. Some of the paths are clear-cut, such as getting customers from your website, TV ad, driving by your store, or the customer’s smartphone. Others aren’t as clear. For example, someone might see your TV ad, go search for you online, then come to your store. Some might see your ad on Facebook, go to your website and fill out a form for more information, and wait to be contacted by a salesperson.

The point is, you might have an idea of how purchase paths are laid out, but the truth is they are usually more convoluted than they seem at first.

Because of this convolution, you have to be prepared to remarket your products or services to your customers in many different ways. It’s not enough to do some local TV ads and have a website, you need to be actively targeting and communicating with your customers in order to get them to convert.

There are several ways you can make sure that you are targeting your customers in the right way. The first of which is search engine marketing (SEM). SEM is important because it places your ads at the top of the search results for the keywords you’ve selected, giving you the ability to reach more customers.

Another reason this is important is because your customers may not remember exactly what your business is called, but they just know what type of product you provide. For example, if they heard your radio ad, or saw your business and couldn’t remember what the name was, but could only remember that you sold heaters and air conditioning, they could type “heating and air conditioning Seattle” (or whatever their city was) and your ad would pop up at the top.

A second way you can help promote across purchase paths is through retargeting. Retargeting places a cookie in the user’s web browser when they visit your site, this causes your display ads to be displayed to them after they leave. This brings increased mindshare and brand awareness during the customer’s shopping cycle, which will result in more revenue.

A third way to promote your business across purchase paths is by using your social networks. Chances are, you have a Facebook page, and studies have shown that users who buy something from a business after going through its social channels spend more money per transaction. Leverage your social networks to get users to make purchases. Offer discounts to Facebook fans, or plan a giveaway on your fan page.

If you want to be able to promote your business in today’s changing digital landscape, check out our website for more information on what we do. We are a full-service Seattle ad agency specializing in the digital realm.

We can help you get more from the Internet.

Top 5 Reasons An SMS Campaign Can Help Your Business

Posted on by Andrew

So you’ve seen SMS campaigns around, but never thought that they worked or figured they were too much trouble to implement. Well, I’m here to give you five reasons why an SMS campaign could work in the digital marketing strategy for your business.

1. You get access to everyone.
Not everyone has a smartphone, but basically everyone has a cell phone. SMS campaigns work no matter what kind of phone the person has.

2. You can monetize interactions through texting.
You can promote your texting program by telling people to text a has keyword to your number to get a coupon for whatever you want to promote. By offering an incentive for them to sign up, you can start building a mobile following.

3. Drive more sales.
You have the ability to reach all your mobile customers with a few clicks. You can send out a message when business is slow, or just offer deals to your mobile subscribers whenever you want to make a sale.

4. Reach consumers who might otherwise slip through the cracks.
When someone buys something at your store, they remain pretty anonymous. Unless you write down their information, they might leave and never come back. With an SMS campaign, you can remarket to them by offering them special deals for being an existing customer.

5. Acquire customers who don’t know you existed.
By promoting your texting campaign on your existing advertising, you bring something unique about your business to the table. By telling TV watchers or radio listeners to text you for exclusive deals, you can bring people to your business who wouldn’t have otherwise heard of you before.

These reasons only touch the iceberg of why an SMS campaign is good for your business. Being able to communicate with your customers at any time is a great business advantage.

Turn Your Clicks Into Customers

Posted on by Andrew

Every time you get a website hit, that’s a potential lead. Aside from the people who accidentally click on your site, all your visitors are at least somewhat interested in your products or services.

So why do you get so much website traffic and so few leads? Because shoppers today go to Google and compare everything about your business with your competitor’s at the click of a button. That means you only have a few seconds to sway them in your direction, or just hope your website was memorable enough that they’ll re-visit it.

We’ve already written some posts on retargeting, but here’s a quick recap: First the user visits your website, and your website places a cookie in their browser. Next, they leave without converting. Then, the cookie in their browser tells the websites they visit to display your ad. Finally, they see the ads, are reminded of your website, and come back and make a purchase.

So what’s so great about retargeting? Well it follows-up with your prospects automatically. As they surf the Internet, your ads appear and remind them of your services. Also, to increase conversions, you can even promote a special deal for people who click on your ad.

As a full-service ad agency in Seattle, we have a retargeting program that delivers return traffic to your website, guaranteed.

Retargeting allows you to cater to website visitors no matter how far into the buying cycle they are. Whether they’re just doing preliminary research, or almost ready to make a purchase, retargeting works in the same way: it reminds them of you.

Let your web traffic bring you results. More than 98% of your website visitors leave and never come back – give them a reason to.

3 Ways to Increase Sales on Valentine’s Day

Posted on by Andrew

So Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, which means millions of couples around the U.S. will be purchasing traditional Valentine’s Day things such as flowers, jewelry, candy, and clothes. So how can you use this to your advantage? The answer is with digital marketing and advertising.

Even if you don’t sell any of the traditional Valentine’s Day gifts, use this holiday as a chance to offer a special promotion, and perhaps even persuade your customers that a new car or hot tub is a better alternative to blowing money on an expensive dinner and diamond bracelet. Sending these kinds of updates through email gives you an easy way to tell all your customers that you’re offering a special.

Follow these three tips to make your Valentine’s email blast successful.

1. Target men

Segment your email list to your male customers. The reason you do this is simple: men spend more than twice as much as women on Valentine’s Day. That means you need to use language targeted to males. Stress the importance of coming up with a gift for their special someone, and highlight the idea of giving a unique gift, depending on what it is that you’re selling.

2. Timing is everything

Depending on how much your product costs, you might want to send the email out a couple of weeks in advance. If your product is a little cheaper, a few days before – or even on – Valentine’s Day will work because it will be fresh in their mind about buying a gift for their significant other.

3. Promote it via social channels

Social Media is a great way to promote your Valentine’s Day offer. Provided that you have a fair amount of followers, sending out timely updates leading up to Valentine’s Day can give your fans and followers a reason to check out your store.

There you have it. Follow these three tips, and you could capitalize on thousands of local Valentine’s Day shoppers. For more tips on local marketing and advertising, check out the rest of our blog or go to our website.