Digital

Artificial intelligence has paved its way to every industry, and there is a multitude of applications in each field it gets implemented on. Not only manufacturing and production, but it also introduces newer concepts and easier ways of generating results in medical and various technical fields. By automating the mundane tasks, it becomes possible to generate accurate results at a great pace.

And hence, the concepts of artificial intelligence can also be implemented with digital marketing as it helps produce better results. By studying the data and analyzing the possible patterns that can be used to generate great results, digital marketers can guarantee excellent results to their clients. And as the implementation of artificial intelligence is increasing by leaps and bounds, the revenue and global share of this market are also skyrocketing.

Artificial Intelligence for Digital Marketing: 5 Ways You Can Generate Great Results

By delivering support for automating the tasks, it becomes easier for marketers to perform the best digital marketing activities with enhanced prediction control. It helps them know the effects of their efforts in advance and helps in planning them. Moreover, the benefits offered by AI for digital marketing tasks empower businesses to deliver excellent results.

1. PPC Advertising

Pay per click advertising is one of the best ways to promote your products to potential customers. And by analyzing what these customers are regularly searching, you can rely on capturing their attention in a small span of time. Artificial intelligence can make this possible for you in every way possible. By implementing the AI-powered analysis system, you can quickly identify the potential customers from a vast set and place the advertisements on websites where these users usually go to.

Machine learning algorithms have their own ways of separating the entries, and they are excellent at optimizing the outputs in the best way possible. Without having to concern much about the ways how they do it, the final outputs can be achieved if you believe in the power of AI to introduce business benefits.

2. Visitor Experience

According to reports, 70% of businesses that fail lacked the sense of user experience. Their websites were unable to deliver an excellent experience, and hence, they lost out the majority of their target audiences from the start. Therefore, the visitor experience holds importance when it comes to leading a business to success.

And artificial intelligence can help you out with that. By garnering an excellent user experience, you can produce results that are highly business-centric and attract profits. Wondering how? Let’s understand. By understanding what your target user wants and likes, the AI-enabled system can point out the possibility of change where you can make a difference.

3. Chatbots

Customer support has always remained one of the best ways to create a loyal customer base. How you answer the queries of your existing customers indeed makes a difference when it comes to attracting new ones. Your loyal customer base can become the most significant proof of the best services you provide, and if you fail at it, it might hit you back in the hardest way you can think of.

Artificial intelligence has introduced chatbots who are great at providing excellent customer support without asking for human intervention. Websites of today have become one of the most accessible entities of the entire business, and chatbots placed over your website plays a major role in analyzing how your digital marketing should proceed.

For example, consider a development company that is interested in using a chatbot on their website to initiate a conversation with their visitors. Now, if the angularjs development company uses it, they can store and use the data of user queries for the betterment of their services. This can help them produce results that their clients are looking for, and therefore, it helps increase the user base and profits as well.

4. Customer Engagement

Engaging your customers through smart insights is what AI aims to provide. By following what your customers are viewing, these insights can give you the information about the possible ways you can ensure they love what you place on your website. Starting from the design of your website to the content that you place, customer engagement can be excellently enhanced using these approaches.

5. Tailored Web Experience

Artificial intelligence aims to generate an experience that all customers love. By helping you achieve a personalized website experience for every visitor you ever have, artificial intelligence can help the digital marketer to understand what particular section needs to go where. Moreover, it helps analyze the competitor websites and their results and helps find out the possible reasons why they are winning over the customers that you lost.

Summing Up

Businesses can achieve more with the implementation of artificial intelligence. By empowering the insights used for digital marketing, AI helps produce better results that can mean a lot for most of the businesses and digital marketers around the world. Hence, by making use of these concepts, you can ensure you produce the profit-driven insights that help a business make great progress over time.

6 Amazing Digital Marketing Strategies Law Firms Should Consider

We’ve all seen those corny ads for law firms on city buses, daytime TV shows, park benches, you name it. Those ads may have a time and a place if they fit with your brand. In 2020, though, you’re missing out if you don’t take advantage of the digital ecosystem, too.

The problem is that you’re a lawyer, not a marketer. How do you know where to start?

Fortunately, plenty of folks have faced this issue before you and have discovered the top types of online marketing for law firms.

1. Writing Blogs

How many times have you Googled a question about something in the past day? Probably several times, and so have your future clients.

People are always searching for advice and information, so writing blogs with your legal expertise is the best way to reach them.

The key is to focus on informing your audience, not selling to them. This article from Burman Law is perfect—it answers a key question many of their clients have, rather than spending 1000 words patting themselves on the back.

People will find your blogs because they’re searching for that topic or question. When they do find your content, they get to know you as a reliable legal expert. The next time they need a lawyer, who better to call than the one who has already proven themselves to be knowledgeable and helpful?

On top of this, blogging is one of the best things you can do for your search engine optimization or SEO. Your site will be full of relevant content about popular keywords, so you’ll land at the top of search results.

2. Getting onto Online Directories

Your own site shouldn’t be the only way clients can find you online. There are plenty of directories out there dedicated to helping people find lawyers. Are you on them?

There are two categories of directories you want: legal directories and local directories.

Search for as many of these directories as you can find. If you find any sites that don’t list you, submit your profile to the site.

When you find directories that already list you, check out your profile. You want it to be complete and robust. It should have a photo if the directory has this option.

Beyond the photo, make sure all your information is up-to-date. Be sure to include a list of your legal specialties so you show up in the right searches.

3. Going Social

Social media marketing isn’t just for brands selling eyeshadow palettes. It’s a critical strategy for law firms as well.

As with your blogs, your social media posts need to focus on informing the public rather than selling yourself. People are tired of blatant advertising and may react negatively.

Post all of your blogs, videos, and other content on your social media pages. Focus on trending legal topics and give your expert opinion about high-profile questions.

Don’t forget to interact, too. Comment on other posts with your legal expertise. For instance, local news outlets’ posts tend to be popular, and your expert opinion will be welcome.

4. Giving Your Site an Audit

Having a website is rule #1 for digital marketing, but is yours up to snuff? When was the last time you gave it a checkup? Do you know what to look for?

Start by checking how well your site is optimized for search engines. An SEO checklist of the essentials is an easy place to begin.

Your site also needs to perform in certain ways to get strong results. It needs to be mobile-friendly, and ideally, it should be responsive. This makes it easier for mobile users, and Google penalizes sites that aren’t mobile-friendly in their SEO rankings.

Don’t forget to check your site’s loading time. Users have little patience for sites that load slowly, so it will lose traffic for you.

Finally, aesthetics play a part too. Your site’s design needs to display your brand while having an updated look. If your site looks outdated, users will assume that your legal knowledge is outdated, too.

5. Video Marketing

Videos are engaging, easy for anyone to explore, and well-optimized for SEO. If you aren’t using all that to your advantage, you should be.

Start producing videos on a regular basis, at least weekly. They don’t need to be expensive, just quick videos of you giving your expert take on a trending legal topic.

Post your videos on YouTube first and foremost. From there, you can share them on social media, embed them on certain pages of your site, and more.

Be sure to mix up the formats of your videos, though. Some can be straightforward “talking head” videos of you, but add some interview videos, demonstrations, live videos, and so on.

6. Paying for Clicks

Many businesses expect that they can get to the top of search engine results pages with organic SEO alone. While that isn’t impossible, it can be far more difficult to catch your competition than you expect.

To put your results into hyperdrive, try pay-per-click ads or PPC ads. These are the ads that show up at the top of Google’s results pages, looking like organic results.

With these ads, you set a specific budget and you choose which types of users to target based on location and the keywords they’re searching for.

Keep in mind that successful PPC ads aren’t just about pumping in as much money as you can. It takes strategy to determine the best keywords to target, how to further customize your audience, and how to compel users to click through.

Getting Serious About Online Marketing for Law Firms

Some law firms make the mistake of assuming that if they do good work, recommendations will bring in all the clients they could want. That isn’t a safe gamble to bet your business on anymore.

In this digital age, many people don’t bother to ask anyone for recommendations before they hit the internet and search for themselves. That’s why it’s so critical for you to have an online presence.

These strategies for online marketing for law firms will help you jumpstart that process. For more tips about content marketing and other ways to spread your message online, check out more articles on our blog.

Great Tips And Digital Marketing Strategies For Boosting Online Posts

66% of marketers say improving search engine optimization (SEO) is their top inbound marketing priority. With a strong SEO strategy, you can attract people to your website. With informative, unique content, you can then turn those visitors into paying customers.

Boosting online posts is important. By making it easier for people to find your content, you can boost your reach and attract new customers.

Here are six strategies and digital marketing tips you can use to boost your reach. With these tips, you can attract an audience of readers to your site. Then, encourage those readers to become leads to grow your business!

Keep reading to get started.

1. Know Your Audience

When boosting online posts, the first step is to understand your target audience.

You can’t attract people to your website if you don’t know how to appeal to their interests. You can complete aggressive target market research or hire an online marketing company to help. During this research stage, make sure to gather:

• Ages
• Genders
• Marital statuses
• Household incomes
• Buying behaviors
• Interests

What problems do your customers face every day? What solutions can you offer them? 

Once you know your audience, you can craft content they’ll want to read.

2. Optimize Your Site

Next, make sure your website is optimized for search engines. Optimizing your site will make it easier for search engines like Google to find and rank your content.

Make sure your site loads quickly. You should also use:

• Title tags
• Meta descriptions
• Relevant keywords
• Alt texts for images

Improving your website using minimalistic design trends can also improve the user experience. A stronger user experience will encourage people to stay on your website.

Don’t forget to optimize your website for smaller screens. Google now uses mobile-first indexing to determine rankings. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile users, you’ll scare off potential customers.

Boosting online posts becomes easier when your site is already optimized.

3. Step Up Your SEO

Next, make sure to improve your overall SEO strategy. This includes your on-page SEO, technical SEO, and local SEO.

For your local SEO strategy, make sure to update your Google My Business listing. You can also ask previous customers for reviews, which will strengthen your brand authority.

Improving your SEO will make it easier for customers to find you online.

You can also improve your SEO strategy by linking internally. Adding links to your own content within your posts will encourage people to explore. 

Consider guest blogging, too. Writing a guest blog will encourage people to your site, which will help improve your ranking.

4. Use PPC

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can also help with boosting online posts. 

Make sure to complete thorough keyword research using SEMRush, Google Trends, and Google Keyword Planner. Then, key your campaigns organized. Consider using single keyword ad groups (SKAG) to keep costs down.

Try using Facebook sponsored ads to expand your reach as well. You can use these ads to attract people to your site or encourage them to read your content.

Consider hiring a cheap payroll service to free up time on your schedule. Then, you can focus on using these PPC advertising tips.

5. Get Social

Don’t forget to use social media to your advantage! Sharing your content on social media will attract more people to your site. As you increase your traffic, you’re also boosting online posts, making it easier for more people to find your site.

6. Keep Up with Trends

Don’t fall behind the latest digital marketing trends. Instead, keep up with the trends and ahead of the competition. 

Voice Search

For example, half of all online searches will occur through a voice search by the end of this year. If your content isn’t optimized for voice search, your competitors could show up for those searches instead.

Here are a few ways to improve your voice search rankings.

First, make sure your website loads quickly. You can use Google PageSpeed Insights to determine what’s slowing down your site. Make sure:

• Your files are compressed
• Your images are optimized
• Your site is responsive
• You use website caching
• Your server response time is low

Next, make sure to write the way your consumers speak. This year, more companies are using long-tail keywords that sound natural, as opposed to shorter keywords. Use your audience data to determine what your customers are searching.

Most voice searches are posed as a question. Include the question in your title and within your post. Then, provide a precise answer at the top of the page before going into detail.

Position Zero

You should also learn more about position zero and zero-click searches. These results appear at the top of a Google page as a summary for the content. Instead of clicking on a website, consumers are reading these summaries, or featured snippets.

Featured snippets can appear as:

• Lists
• Charts
• Tables
• Images
• Videos
• Recipes
• Q&As
• Summaries

In order to optimize your content for snippets, make sure a summary of your content appears above the fold. Then, use lists, H-tags, and bullet points. Structuring your content will make it easier to read.

BERT

BERT stands for Bidirectional Endorser Representations from Transformers. BERT is Google’s new SEO algorithm update. Understanding BERT can make boosting online posts a lot easier.

First, BERT prioritizes high-quality content. Make sure you understand the user intent, or what your customers are looking for when they search. Then, make sure your content is relevant to your customers.

Write content that appeals to their problems and needs to reel readers in.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing SEO this year, too. AI makes it easier for Google to provide users with relevant search results. In order to optimize your content, make sure to:

• Speak and write the way your customers do
• Use long-tail, conversational keywords
• Write more naturally 

BERT also considers “EAT,” which stands for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

Make sure to demonstrate your expertise by providing helpful information. Then, show your authority by using links from relevant websites. Finally, add social proof to your sight to strengthen brand trust.

Make sure to keep up with Google’s updates throughout the year to stay ahead of the curve.

Boost Your Brand: 6 Tips for Boosting Online Posts and Expanding Your Reach

By boosting online posts, you can expand your reach and improve your brand awareness. Boosting your content will help you attract more customers, increase sales, and grow your business!

Explore the Content Strategy section of the blog for more helpful tips!

Finding a Digital Marketing Firm: The Top Questions to Ask Before Hiring

50.8% of the global population is already online. Roughly speaking, that’s about 4 billion internet users. Without digital marketing, you’re missing out on a big chunk of your potential audience.

With a professional digital marketing firm on your side, you can reach out to this audience and start growing your business! But how do you choose the right one?

Here are five questions to ask when searching for the best marketing companies. 

Once you find your perfect match, you can start growing and beat out the competition!

What Previous Clients Have You Worked With?

First, test the agency’s experience. Have they worked with another company within your industry before? How did it go?

Find digital agencies that have experience with your industry. That way, you can skip the guesswork. They’ll already know what works.

Make sure the agency is equipped to handle your company’s specific needs, too.

Search for an agency that offers experience specific to your industry and needs. Working with them will become a lot easier as a result. 

What Tactics Do You Use?

Some agencies are versatile and offer a long list of tactics. Others perfect the process for a single campaign. 

Ask if they offer a range of digital marketing services or specialize.

For example, Ignite Digital offers a number of services to help businesses grow.

You might need specific help, such as social media marketing or a new website. When choosing a marketing firm, make sure their capabilities and expertise align with your marketing goals.

How Will You Help Me Achieve My Goals?

Marketers who plan their projects are 356% more likely to have a successful campaign. Before you start working with an agency, make sure they have a plan and process in place.

You can also ask:

• Who will become my point of contact?
• How often will we communicate?
• What tools or software do you use?
• How do you keep up with the latest trends?

Make sure the agency’s process provides everything you need before moving forward.

How Do You Measure Success?

What key performance indicators will the marketing firm look for? How will the plan change if those goals aren’t met?

Marketing requires a lot of analytics. Ask how the company will look at the data so you can understand it when a report comes in. 

This is also a great time to inquire about how often they’ll update you about a campaign’s performance. 

How Much Do Your Services Cost?

Your marketing campaign won’t become a success unless you invest time and money. As you search for a marketing firm, make sure you determine their costs.

They might charge based on a project, monthly, or hourly basis. 

In some cases, the firm will offer you a package deal. Make sure to choose an agency that aligns with your budget and overall marketing goals.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Digital Marketing Firm

When you team up with a digital marketing firm, you want to know they have your company’s best interests at heart. With these five questions, you can find the perfect match from hundreds of agencies.

Check out the Digital Marketing section on this site for more helpful tips.

The Only Difference Between SEO and SEM in Digital Marketing

You know that your company can’t survive today’s ultra-competitive market without a solid digital marketing strategy. 

You’ve come up with awesome email campaigns, you’ve mastered all things social media, and you’ve even created highly shareable video content that you know will make your target market tick. 

But you’re still not rising in the search engine rankings. So, what gives? 

For many, it’s a lack of understanding about the difference between SEO and SEM. 

So, what’s the difference between these two effective forms of search engine marketing? 

Read on to find out. 

What Is The Main Difference Between SEO and SEM?

So, what’s the difference between SEO and SEM? 

SEO experts from BearFoxMarketing.com explain that SEO generates organic traffic to your website, while SEM creates paid traffic. Both are essential tools for increasing your search engine rankings. 

While the goal of both SEO marketing tactics is the same, the way they go about it is quite different. 

Organic traffic (SEO) is when visitors naturally end up on your website because they’ve entered search terms that match with your keywords, clicked a link on another article and ended up on your site, or just typed it into their address bar on their own. 

Paid traffic (SEM) is also referred to as “pay-per-click” or PPC marketing. 

If you use paid traffic to increase your search engine rankings, then users who search for the keywords you’ve targeted end up on your website because you’ve paid for ads directing them to your website. Your site also appears at the top of search engine result pages. 

You’ll then pay a fee every time that someone clicks on an ad for your website and is redirected to your site. 

What Do SEO and SEM Have in Common?

In spite of these differences, SEO and SEM marketing tactics still have much more in common than you might expect. 

Both of them revolve mostly around conducting thorough keyword research and targeting the keywords that will get you the most traffic. 

They both also require you to do some serious research on your target market, and both are all about getting you more web traffic so that you can climb higher in search engine results. 

Perhaps most importantly of all, to have effective SEO and SEM strategies, you will need to constantly conduct tests on effective keywords, optimization tactics, marketing trends, and even current market demand. 

Which Form of Search Engine Marketing Is Right for Your Brand?

Now that you know the major difference between SEO and SEM (organic vs. paid traffic to your website) it’s time to start weighing your options. 

Remember – you don’t have to commit to one side here. In fact, most businesses use a combination of SEO and SEM to get the best possible results. 

Looking for more advice about how to grow your current digital marketing strategy? 

We’re always bringing you the latest news in all things SEO and SEM, so bookmark our blog today to learn about the next big search trends, tools, and much more. 

10 Digital Marketing Terms Every Successful Entrepreneur Knows

There are a million digital marketing terms, acronyms, and lingoes that get thrown around all over the web. These can become so commonplace that it’s almost embarrassing to ask what they are at this point. 

Don’t worry, pretty much everyone is unsure about at least one of these terms, and there’s nothing wrong with missing out on one or two. 

We’re here to give you 10 must know terms so you’re up-to-date.

10 Digital Marketing Terms You Need to Know

Some of these terms are absolutely essential, so you may already know them. That said, we’ll have to cover them just in case. 

1. SEO

Search engine optimization is one of the most important elements of digital marketing. It’s the process of making your site look good in the eyes of a search engine so that you can rank highly in the results. 

Many of the terms in this article will be related to SEO.

2. Keywords

You probably know the general term “keyword.” In terms of optimization, though, it relates to the words that users put into search engines. 

You should research the most popular keywords in your niche (we’ll cover that term next), and create your content with those keywords laced throughout your writing. 

3. Niche

This term is another one that has meaning outside of digital marketing. Generally, a niche is an area of content. 

So, your niche will generally pertain to the kind of content you have on your site and the other sites that also create that sort of content. You should look to the successful sites in your niche for inspiration on how to market your own site. 

4. Backlinking

Backlinks are links to your site from another site. If search engines were like a democratic election, backlinks would serve as votes in your favor. Links from high-power sites have more influence than those from unpopular ones. 

Further, sites in your niche will give more valuable backlinks.

5. Search Engine Algorithms

The search engine algorithm is the formula that search engines like Google use in order to select the most relevant sites for their search results. 

These are very complicated formulas, but SEO is ultimately the process of trying to understand them and using what we learn to make our sites fit better into the algorithm to rank higher. 

6. PPC

PPC stands for “pay-per-click” advertising. This is a form of advertising that can be used in a number of different spaces. Social media and search engines are just two of the primary places where PPC is used. 

The great value of PPC comes from the fact that the platforms it’s used on are highly specific when it comes to placement, and you only have to pay when your advertisement is clicked.

That way, you know that each advertising dollar you put in is one that went toward visibility for your site. When thinking about the platform to employ your PPC dollar into, you should think about doing some customer research. 

Some niches have users that frequent different social media sites or search engines. You should also consider your end goal before you start to put money into PPC. Users who frequent Pinterest, for example, are more inclined to make purchases as they browse through the site. 

People using Facebook, on the other hand, are more likely to make downloads and provide social shares. Depending on your marketing goal, you would want to choose one site or the other. 

7. Conversions

A conversion is an instance where one user follows your marketing platform down to the point where it’s time to make a download or finalize a sale, and it actually goes through. 

A conversion can ultimately be thought of as a success. They can come in different forms, as different businesses have different goals for their users. Maybe you want to sell a product, maybe you want to get a download, whatever your goal is, a conversion is when it becomes realized. 

Follow the link if you want to learn more about how to use SEO and PPC to lead conversions. 

8. Long and Short Tail Keywords

Not all keywords are made the same. Short tail keywords are those that have only one or two words. Long tail keywords are those that would be more considered to be phrases. 

So, “football cleats” could be considered a short tail keyword. “Pink football cleats for youth athletes” would be considered a long tail keyword. When it comes to ranking for these words in the results pages, you’re typically going to have more luck when it comes to the long tail phrases. 

These are more specific and less likely to have a lot of competition. If you were to search “buy trucks,” you’d probably find that the results were bogged down by industry leaders. 

It’s difficult to compete with companies that have millions of dollars for marketing at their disposal, so you’ll want to be more specific. “Buy super cool trucks with disco balls installed” would be a keyword with less competition that you could likely rank for. 

9. CTR

The CTR, short for “click-through rate,” is a measure of the number of clicks that a particular ad or post gets. This is a relatively simple term, in that it simply shows you how many clicks your item has gotten. 

That said, the acronym “CTR” is very commonly used in blogs and articles relating to digital marketing.

10. SERPS

SERPS stands for “search engine results pages.” This is another one that seems really common and intuitive, but it’s crucial that you know what the acronym means. 

This is exactly what it sounds like. SERPS are the pages that come up when a user types in specific keywords and generates a response page. Ranking highly in the SERPS is one direct path to online success for a business. 

Want to Know More About Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing terms are just the doorway to a huge industry. It’s essential that you understand a little bit about the ins and outs of digital marketing if you’re trying to find success online. 

Visit our site for more information about how to start making moves in SEO, PPC, and ranking highly in the SERPS. 

High-End Photography: Why Quality Digital Marketing Images Are So Important

High-quality photos are critical to an effective marketing strategy. Did you know that the inclusion of quality photographs generates a 30 percent increase in Twitter engagement?

This means that social media users, or prospective clients, are more likely to like, retweet, or comment on your post. Ultimately, quality imagery yields leads that your team can convert to sales.

Read on to learn why you should invest in high-quality digital marketing images. Explore why imagery is so important in marketing and how to take your game to the next level.

Photos Do Not Lie

The truth is that consumers trust photos more than any other type of sales pitch. Take a technical description as the perfect example.

Shoppers know that companies talk up their products and write about them in the most favorable way. On the other hand, a photograph says 1000 words. It gives consumers a baseline to set expectations and determine if they like it.

The product description and characteristics are still important. However, a high-quality photograph sets a great first impression and makes the shopper want to learn more.

Quality Is Important

Every business plays lip service to producing quality products or service. Some of the best companies go to great lengths to deliver the highest quality in their industry.

Either way, using low-quality photographs to market a product or service is detrimental. What kind of message do you think a low-quality picture gives to shoppers?

It tells them that management is willing to overlook quality. Perhaps most important is that it inserts doubt into the shopper’s mind about quality assurance.

Images Affect a Shopper’s Mood

There is clinical proof that imagery affects a person’s mood. Depending on the tone of the picture, an image can make a person angry or sad.

When trying to sell a product or service, the goal is to generate a positive mood. Simply put, a happy or motivated shopper is more likely to make a purchasing decision than an angry one.

Photos Are Compatible With Mobile Web Browsing

The old days of consumers diligently reading through a catalog are over. In the 21st century, consumers are on the go and have little time for time-consuming sales pitches.

The truth is that most people quickly scan an article or scroll down a social media timeline. While doing so, they are bombarded with advertisements and other content. Most users are averse to clicking on something that redirects their focus.

Only an extraordinary photograph can quickly catch a browser’s attention. If the photo is good enough, it can stop a shopper in his or her tracks.

At the end of the day, a great photo is going to outperform a clickbait article title every time. The good news is that there are companies like A.T.G Photography & Marketing that can help you integrate photography into your marketing campaign.

A Recap of the Importance of Quality Digital Marketing Images

In the digital age, it is imperative that you set your company’s product or service apart. There are millions of blog posts and images on the web and social media. One effective way to stand out is grabbing consumers’ attention with an extraordinary photograph.

If you enjoyed this article about quality digital marketing images, make sure to check out our blog for other great content.

Marketing 101: 4 Digital Marketing Basics Everyone Needs to Know

Did you know that the advertising industry is over $100 billion?

Huge numbers like this are what drives plenty of people away from marketing. It sounds complex and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

But you do have to be good at marketing to make it work. And if you haven’t had any education on digital marketing before, strap in. We’re going to marketing school.

In this article, we’re going to break down the basics of digital marketing. After reading, you’ll be ready to pass your Marketing 101 exam.

Read on to learn more!

1. SEO

If you’ve ever looked into digital marketing, chances are that you’ve heard of SEO. Many people think the two terms are synonymous!

While they aren’t the same, SEO is one of the bigger parts of digital marketing. And many businesses are just now starting to learn what it is.

SEO is telling Google more about your website so that it ranks you higher when people look for information about your topic. This sounds complicated, but it’s actually quite easy.

You tell Google about yourself when you write content about your industry or use headlines with keywords in them. When you update your meta descriptions or title your photos, you’re giving Google valuable information.

With this information, Google learns what your website is about. That way, they know when to show people your site. If you write about interior design, Google will be more likely to rank you for interior design.

Backlinks and Consistent Posting

This isn’t all that SEO is though. It’s also about getting backlinks, updating regularly, and more.

Backlinks, links on other sites that point back to your site, are one of the quickest ways to boost your SEO. This tells Google that you are a reliable source. It’s almost like a referral on a job interview.

Updating regularly tells Google that your information is contemporary. The last thing Google wants to do is send someone to a page that has outdated information. The more often you post on your blog, the more Google will see you as reliable. 

SEO is complex though, and this short description was not enough to get you started. Make sure to learn more information about how you can start ranking first.

2. Influencers 

How would you like to reach 10,000 or more potential buyers for a low fee?

It’s easy with influencers on social media. With thousands to millions of followers, you can be sure to reach a specific demographic with influencers.

For example, if you’re trying to reach a younger health community, you simply contact someone like an athlete or blogger who already interests them.

You send them your product and pay them to promote it, and voila! You have a few thousand potential leads. 

If you’re a local store or don’t do eCommerce, you don’t have to feel left out. Micro influencers can be of help to you too. They have a local following that will let you advertise to people in your area at a much lower price than TV or radio ads.

Micro influencers can also be helpful when your product is for a niche audience. There aren’t many farming influencers, but if you find one, they can be quite valuable.

3. Social Media

Social media is another giant of digital marketing. If this isn’t part of your marketing game, it needs to be. 

Why?

It’s free, and it’s easy. And most of all, it works. While it may take some time to build a following, social media can all but ensure that you grow your business.

But before you get started with social media, you need to make sure your target audience is there. Some platforms work better than others depending on your goals.

If your target audience is younger, chances are they are on Instagram. If they’re professionals, go to LinkedIn. Older? Facebook’s your best bet. 

Many marketing pros make the mistake of trying to be on every platform. This means they often post the same thing on every social media channel, but what works on Facebook doesn’t always work on Instagram.

Instead, focus on one or two channels that your target audience is on. Becoming a jack of all trades should not be your goal with social media.

4. Content Marketing

Content marketing is arguably the lifeblood of all other types of digital marketing. No matter what you’re doing, this inbound marketing strategy can help.

In short, content marketing is creating content that your potential customers read r watch online. Whether it’s a video, infographic, or article, this content should give your consumers free yet valuable information.

This makes them feel like they care about your brand. And it also educates them about what you’re doing. When they come to your business again, they’ll know that you are an expert and will want to work with you.

Content marketing helps you with your social media and SEO strategies too. Instead of tweeting random thoughts, you can tweet articles and infographics you’ve created on your site.

And when you’re trying to improve your SEO, a weekly blog is the way to do it. This can work hand-in-hand with your content marketing strategy.

Ready to Graduate from Marketing 101?

Now that you’ve read this article, you should be ready to move on from marketing 101. Take these types of marketing and start promoting your business as much as you can.

Remember that there are more ways to do this, and some might work better for your business than others. 

Want to learn more about how to utilize digital marketing? You’ll want to read our article on digital marketing trends.

The Digital Trends Revolutionizing Advertising Photography

Does anything capture the times better than photography?

Some of the most dramatic moments in modern history have been captured as iconic photographs, and advertisers have been trying for decades to make their products just as iconic.

That’s why the digital revolution for advertising photography is so exciting. We’re in a social age where images can be shared at the speed of light.

Let’s take a look at just a few of these exciting changes rocking the industry.

In the Moment

The rise of technology like the GoPro and VR devices has really put a focus on the first-person perspective.

Photographers are trying harder to capture a moment as seen through an individual’s eyes. This viewpoint has become associated with fidelity and truth in an era of so-called fake news.

The first person perspective is also a coup for advertisers because this kind of photography is emotive and easy to identify with. With professional product photography, even products can be made to feel intimate and personal.

Going Native

Native content is blazing the trail for the future of advertising.

Native content describes content designed to blend into its environment, such as a tweet on Twitter. Digital marketing campaigns use this trick to get ads shared to an audience of millions.

Photographers are jumping on this trend as well to make their photos look candid and natural, like any post on social media. The aim is relatability. Selfies and group shots can promote anything from brand sodas to holiday destinations without being overt.

Advertisers have always struggled to bridge the trust gap between themselves and their customers. Native content erases that gap so that advertising photography looks identical to snaps from friends and family.

Flair for the Dramatic

Scrolling social media and short attention spans lead to some interesting results.

Subtle photography is out. Instead, photographers are looking for dramatic shots that capture people’s attention right away. Think intense angles and vivid colors. The images need to leap off the page to get noticed.

Even if it’s an album showcase, you need to start strong. Once the viewer is hooked, they can appreciate the subtlety of later shots.

Photos compete hard against video content. But a well-composed, visually-striking photo can say more in seconds than a video can in minutes.

Noir Stylings

Building off that last point, nothing says ‘dramatic’ like black and white. And it’s not just for art lovers.

With the recent release of some high profile movies, black and white photography has returned to the mainstream zeitgeist. We’ve crested the wave of hyper-saturated, filtered photos on platforms like Instagram, and moved back to credibility. Monochrome photos feel authentic by association with old times.

Black and white are also the colors of corporate success, as well as most electronic devices. They say stylish, expensive, and grown-up.

Black and white also has the same advantages it’s always had: hiding flaws!

Advertising Photography of the Future

If there’s a theme here, it’s that intense and intimate photos dominate advertising photography right now. Photos shared on social media and other sites will shape the image of the future. By keeping what we’ve mentioned in mind, you can jump on board with these trends and enjoy the same success.

Be sure to follow our blog for more photography news and updates!

How Millennial Talent Is Driving Digital Media Growth

Millennials get the blame for a lot (looking at you, fidget spinners) but in one specific way, the kids are alright.

With new practices and approaches, millennials are helping grow the digital media industry.

Through talent, experience, experimentation, and a little bit of good luck, the digital generation is living up to their name.

Let’s take a look at how exactly the youth is accomplishing it.

Visuals

With smartphones becoming more and more popular, people are walking around with a portable TV in their pocket.

As a result, the emphasis on visual content is growing. From streaming TV to getting news from Snapchat stories, there are many new mediums to present media and a wider audience to reach.

Visuals offer an opportunity to get right to the point. For example, Facebook Videos are on the rise as one of the best ways to reach an audience, and companies are starting to shift their focus there and other online platforms.

Millennials are keeping up to date with the latest trends and methods, and from there become more accomplished with direct response media.

Purpose

A common knock against millennials is that they’re lazy and unmotivated.

On some levels, that could be true, but the truth is that while previous generations were fine with the daily grind in a job that didn’t give them anything back, millennials are looking for some sort of purpose at their workplace.

They want to feel encouraged while they work, and they want to feel a purpose.

Millennial-led companies have started to make sure that they place an importance on work-life balance, and the result has been highly motivated and dedicated workers.

If millennials feel like they have a reason to care, then they’ll thrive.

Millennials also are looking for a place where they can move up and advance in their career, and when companies harness that they start to see results.

Versatility

As a result of it being harder and harder to get into the digital media industry, millennials are taking on more and more responsibility to make themselves as talented and prepared as possible.

Through internships and college courses, millennials are getting hands-on experience in an industry that is already well-suited for them.

It’s easier to get a direct response from a client in the digital media industry when it’s something you feel natural in, and the millennial generation has grown up in a digital media environment.

Social media is part of their everyday life, where they’re shooting photos and videos and creating written content for huge audiences.

Another way that the millennial generation is succeeding is by making sure that they’re as involved as possible.

Some digital media companies are making sure that they have portfolios that include several different websites that all work together to boost the overall product.

So What’s The Secret?

At the core of it, millennials are just well-prepared to take on the digital media industry.

It’s an industry that they feel comfortable in, as well as respected, and the result of their presence is growth.

Bringing in the right talent, giving them the tools to succeed, encouraging them, and giving them a work environment that feels like home is the recipe for success when it comes to millennials.