Social Media Marketing

Well in due time we had to call it something! What started as Facebook advertising and Twitter #hashtags has evolved into the newest digital marketing out their, Social Media Marketing. And, don't be fooled, it's huge. Millions of people engage in Social Media everyday, and putting the right message out can be very rewarding. It can establish your business as one that is linked to the community, and one that wants to let their customers know what's going on and what you have that will benefit them.

Like this link for instance: http://www.surfcityusa.com/events/community-events/.

This is our Huntington Beach Community calendar letting my surf city neighbors know what's happening this month. Very informative site with lots of benefits for the people that visit it. Not bothersome or pushy, and definitely a site people in our community will continue to come back to.

But don't be fooled! Social media is a place for people to chill out and catch up with friends and family. It's a place to engage with people that you don't see face to face on a regular basis. And it's a place to learn what people you kinda knew growing up, have become. It is not a place to shove sale after sale and product after product down everyone's throat. People are happy for you and your business, and rightfully so. But they can go a few days or even a week without hearing about it. And just like search engines have algorithms, Social Media platforms have them as well. And if the people that "liked" your business at the beginning are not engaging with you, there is a good chance that they are not seeing your posts any more. So be smart and don't overwhelm people with your business. By the way, anyone need a new website?  LOL 

Don't believe the SEO hype

Being in the Digital Marketing World for over 5 years, I have seen a lot. But, never as much as I have since living in Huntington Beach California. There are more companies selling SEO packages in Southern California than I could even imagine. $99 packages, $199 Packages, $299 packages and so forth. But after doing some investigating, I found that these packages are designed with one purpose in mind; To get into your wallet at the budget that you can stretch. As I began to call around the area, the call centers were exploding with excitement. Most never even asked for my business name or website, just quick to figure out my monthly budget and my payment type. That just completely blew my mind.

So don't believe the hype! A true SEO Professional will get together with you to put some strategies in place to maximize your budget. They will take the time to investigate your current search rankings to know your strengths and weaknesses. They will look to open a relationship that will lead to a long future. And more than anything, they will truly understand how optimizing your website will create a working relationship with the search engines. Everyone wants to rank well organically, and working with the right people will get you there. But, its about a plan, commitment, and a little bit of patience. SEO is a HUGE part to your websites success, so make sure the company you choose to work with is truly capable of delivering. Go here: To learn more about SEO and other digital marketing strategies.

New Website Graphics A Must Have

When Building or redesigning a website, you want to include graphics videos, and photos to enhance your website's content and attract the website visitors. It is also smart to label, tag, and back-link your graphics to help strengthen the SEO on your site. It is very important that you do this correctly as to not confuse the search engine's crawling bots. Having your website updated regularly will keep your customers coming back and engaging with your business.  

With a website that has been around for a while, consistently update graphics and videos. Imagine going to a website that never changes its look or products on it. Eventually, it would be pointless to return to the site as you have already seen everything that it offers. Keep your visitors interested and engaged by giving them something new and fresh to desire. Here are some Graphic Samples.

Imagine this if you will. You drive by a car dealership on your daily commute only to see the same cars lined up every single day. The inventory never changes and eventually gets quite boring to look at. As time goes on without any change, the dealership no longer attracts the commuter, giving that person no reason to ever stop in. That is why dealerships change their front line of cars so consistently. The same goes for your website.

Emails are Alive

Emails are back from the dead, which is really ironic. There was a time, a few years ago, when people truly believed that email messaging was dead and never coming back. And yes, with the ease of text messaging and even snap chat, it is not used for quick one item messages, it is still very useful since the smartphone has come along. . Now everyone checks email on their smartphone, which has led to email becoming 40 times more effective in acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter. So putting together relevant and more attractive emails has never been more important. So in order to get the best ROI on email marketing, you need to stand out in the ever so valuable “Inbox”.  Here are 4 essential practices to get the most out of emails.

Make a good first impression. The subject line is your chance to grab the readers. Keep it short and interesting. 50 characters is a good number to shoot for and special offers are attractive. Avoid sales words like “FREE” or “One Day Special” to keep your messages out of the spam folder.

Keep it neat and clean. Keep copy short with a clear call to action. You only have a reader’s attention for a few seconds, so get right to the point. Don’t drag it out or they will delete it and move on with their day.

Build emails that attract the eyes and work with fingers. Keep in mind that about 91% of consumers open email on their phones at least once per day. Increase font size for easy reading on mobile and allow plenty of space around call to action buttons for easy clicking.

Utilize tools. There are plenty of email providers out there with great-looking, customizable templates at no cost. Take advantage of them. This frees up time to focus on what’s important, which is your business and your customers. You can also build your own custom templates, and once you do, they are there for your use forever.

Following these simple steps will bring you more responses and ultimately more business. As the business world continues to evolve with the huge movement of digital marketing, it is essential that you stay up with it. And if you ever should need help with email campaigns, give us a call. We would love to advise you.