Author: Bonnie Harris

15 Aug

Posted at 08:56h in Integrated Marketing by
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Book CoverAs someone who has become adjusted to digital marketing, having grown up with the web, it feels out of place when I begin to look around my physical settings and engage with marketing efforts since so few of them seem to reach me on the same level as I’d expect online. As someone who has applied digital marketing strategies for various projects, it was easy to become wrapped up in the methods frequently used by others. It was equally easy to dismiss traditional marketing methods (namely… print) compared to what was possible online (thanks to flexibility, features, and tracking) until I began to realize that much of what is done in the physical space actually applies to much of what happens online (in a complimentary way). I think of it similar to how we say “don’t judge a book by its cover." We are quick to dismiss traditional marketing methods if we have been conditioned to the online method because of cost and efficiency. What can traditional advertising teach us about online advertising?

14 Aug

Posted at 08:52h in SEO by
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Long tail keywordsBy Tyler Weber, Marketing & Communications Director, Digital Solutions, Inc How often do you find yourself conducting a web search? To give you a little perspective, in 2013 over 100 billion searches were conducted on Google every month! And that number is expected to be even higher during 2014. The Internet is a vast sea of information and search engines were created to help us navigate the waters to find the destination that will satisfy our initial goal. Human beings are utilizing search engines to find information more than ever before, and the usage is only increasing. We use the Internet to do a variety of things, from shopping, to socializing, to keeping up on current events. We use the search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing to find information.

12 Aug

Posted at 19:21h in Uncategorized by
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[caption id="attachment_5797" align="alignright" width="200"]Download (Image Courtesy of Shutterstock)[/caption] By Nick Rojas The World Wide Web has granted the ability to create and distribute content at a rate never before achieved in human history. In 2008, The University of California, San Diego published a report that showed American households consumed 3.6 zettabytes of information in 2008. A zettabyte, almost defying comprehension, is one billion trillion bytes, that’s a one with 21 zeros added. This data shows that the average American consumes 34 gigabytes of content and is exposed to 100,000 words in a single day. Some estimates place the number of social media users in 2014 as high as 1.82 billion people. As the number of eyes on social media pages has grown, so has the demand for content to fill those pages. Search Engine Optimization is a field currently exploding in an effort to meet this demand. But is there such thing as too much? Too much content for readers to possibly consume? Well, industry influencer Mark Schaefer believes so.

01 Aug

Posted at 19:31h in Digital Marketing, Integrated Marketing by
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With the advent of massive social media advertising, internet banner ads, and direct email marketing, many companies have abandoned tried and true marketing methods to go digital and boost their firms online presence. But going exclusively into a cyber-marketing strategy can be a big mistake. We can't neglect the amazing speed, versatility, and customization of digital marketing. But what's often overlooked is the ability to use these tools jointly with the traditional marketing strategies to build power for both components. As you develop your advertising and publicity campaign, consider some of the ways that the old dog can do new tricks.

28 Jul

Posted at 19:00h in Digital Marketing by
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content marketingSeventy-one percent of marketers will increase their spending on content marketing this year, according to recent Curata report. The report, which surveyed 500 industry professionals, found that best-in-class marketing campaigns rely on a predominance of 65 percent original content, supplemented by curated and syndicated material. The payoff is tangible, with 62 percent of companies reporting that content marketing improves both their quantity and quality of leads. But creating content costs money, a reality reflected in Gartner's finding that small businesses will spend 10 percent more on digital marketing this year. If you're just starting to promote your business via content marketing, your budget is probably limited—making it imperative you develop a cost-efficient strategy for funding your initial promotional push.

Scale Your Budget to Your Revenue

A 2012 survey by Staples found that the average small business operates on a $2,000 per year marketing budget. According to the Small Business Administration, however, the smart strategy is to scale your marketing to your revenue projections, which might make this too small.

25 Jul

Posted at 15:05h in Digital Marketing by
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[caption id="attachment_5754" align="alignright" width="300"] Credit AMC TV[/caption] By Satish Polisetti As more sites like Facebook, Twitter and Buzzfeed blend ads directly into a user's content stream, the future of online advertising is quickly shifting. It's a brave new world defined by content, not dimensions; mad math, not mad men. Science and data, not merely creative endeavors. Where are we today? Currently, online ads are defined primarily by size and dimensions -- with IAB ad unit guidelines describing leaderboards (728 x 90 pixels), skyscrapers (160 x 600), and full banners (468 x 60), to name a few. These very basic but widely accepted standards are based on the artistic perspectives of a previous generation - from the minds of creative geniuses you might see on Mad Men. These have more to do with traditional ad buys, and print ad dimensions, ones that have not really changed much in the past few decades since the swinging 60's of Don Draper. When we jumped into internet advertising, the look and feel of advertising changed, but standards failed to get with the times. And then there were banners:

16 Jul

Posted at 18:06h in Integrated Marketing, Nonprofit by
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By Theresa Roemer - Business philanthropy expert Charity work is a labor of love and can provide you some of the most rewarding experiences of your life. While the decision to actually dedicate your time to a charity might be a seamless one, the hard question is where and what charity do you devote your time and efforts towards? There are many charities in the world that support good and reputable causes. You just need to discover, which one is the right one for you. Business Philanthropy expert, Theresa Roemer offers the following tips on how to find the best charity for you: 1. Ask Yourself the Hard Questions – Reflect on what tugs at your heart strings. Is it your children or your animals? Were you or was there ever a person near and dear to you diagnosed with an illness? Write down a few moments, experiences, and events that have impacted you both positively and negatively. This way you can see where you stand. 2. Do Your Homework - Based on your passions, go out and research charities that relate to your interests. Find out if the charities you are interested in are large or small in scope; are they national or international? what makes them unique and what are their goals and mission, where does the money that they earn go? Your research will allow you to figure out if you actually want to get involved with that organization.