Conventional marketing is changing before our eyes, and more of our marketing efforts are geared towards an increasingly digital presence and more digitally-minded consumers.  One way that you can increase your digital presence is through the use of display boards.   Think of a digital display board as a smart, digital billboard with practically endless uses.

Conventional marketing is changing before our eyes, and more of our marketing efforts are geared towards an increasingly digital presence and more digitally-minded consumers.  One way that you can increase your digital presence is through the use of display boards.  

Think of a digital display board as a smart, digital billboard with practically endless uses.  From interactive digital displays to informational and directional signage in large facilities, you can practically use your imagination for the potential uses of display boards for your brand.  But how exactly does a display board help your brand stand out?

Like we’ve already said, a display board is cut from the same proverbial cloth as billboards but with one unique caveat: they’re never the same.  In other words, where a billboard may lose relevance over time, a display board can be changed, altered, and A/B tested to see how your consumers respond.

Brand consistency is a highly sought after commodity, and display boards can give you both the consistency and variability that you need in order to reach a variety of potential buyers or customers.  With that, you can leverage smart technology to keep your display board content relevant and timely for your targeted audience.

One of the most appealing benefits of display boards for marketers is their interactivity and ability to engage with customers.  

Unlike stagnant billboards, print advertisements, or some online advertisements that are practically out of date at the time of their publication, display boards can be both relevant (as we’ve mentioned) and interactive.  This interactivity can be very useful for marketers where customers may be physically in front of you at a trade show, marketing event, or even in your office.

From this standpoint, a display board can do what more traditional marketing cannot: engage your target audience.  So often the challenge of experienced marketers is finding a way to get customers both involved and engaged with what you’re doing.  Digital display boards can solve this problem in face-to-face interactions by getting customers totally engaged.

With so many options available to marketers, display boards can give you the opportunity to make stunning, visually appealing content to further engage and attract the eyes of your customers.  Visually engaging content has extreme value in both online applications as well as display boards and come at a great premium for many marketers.

Fortunately, marketers can leverage display boards as a way of placing visually appealing content right in front of customers.  Additionally, using display boards can give marketers some valuable feedback for what types of visual content engage customers the most.  This type of feedback and A/B testing will give you valuable data for your marketing efforts on all platforms.

Taking off from the idea of A/B testing, display boards give you the opportunity to show potential customers multiple marketing pieces at once.  This could be most useful at trade shows where you may want a display to attract customers and another to interact with them.  

Regardless of how you choose to use your digital display boards, there are so many ways to engage customers and so many ways to use them.  With that said, there’s no reason you can’t put multiple displays either side-by-side or throughout a facility for any number of uses.  

One way display boards become more than simple marketing tools is in large facilities such as hospitals or office buildings where visitors need directions or information.  In these instances, its necessary to build a software infrastructure that can handle constantly changing environments, multiple uses (in the case of shared office spaces or large venues), and keep customers, visitors, and users engaged and informed.

Finally, digital display boards give you the control to update your content in real time based on the interactions you’ve gotten from your customers.  

Of course, in order to update your display board in real time some software infrastructure will be required.  This is something that can be as simple or as complex as you’d like for it to be and can be as interactive or and visually appealing as you’d like as well.  Naturally, the benefit of real time updates for your display boards is getting the most relevant, useful content in front of your audience.

The ability to build software to handle your needs means that it can be totally customized and created from the ground up making display boards one of the most versatile and useful pieces of marketing available! Contact us to get your display board and stand out from the rest!

If you’re new to using paid advertising as part of your marketing campaigns, then the terms “PPC” and “conversion rate” may sound not only alien but downright foreign.  PPC or pay per click should be part of your overall marketing and branding campaign, and a good PPC campaign will yield good conversion rates and generate more leads or sales.  Up ahead: PPC and conversion rates explained.

Pay per click also known as PPC is a way of online marketing where website visits are essentially payed for by you, the marketer.  You pay when someone clicks your advertisement.  It’s simple as that!  

Quite a bit of effort goes into crafting the perfect PPC campaign including doing quality keyword research, appropriately bidding your keywords for online placement, and creating landing pages that will lead to more conversions.

Paying for website visits is only a piece of the pie when it comes to your online marketing and shouldn’t be the entire focus of what you do as a marketer.  Instead, it should complement your content work, organic search optimization, and overall website content and workflows.  PPC can be extremely lucrative if done correctly.

Conversion rates are how we measure how effectively both your PPC campaigns and organic workflows are working by measuring how well your marketing is converting website visitors into leads or sales.

Unless you’re already using marketing software to measure these metrics, it may be difficult to pinpoint exactly where leads are coming from and whether or not what you’re doing is working.  Part of what makes PPC campaigns so effective is that marketers can see in real time both where their ads are showing, who’s clicking them, and how well they’re converting visitors into actual sales dollars.

As we’ve already alluded to, PPC is only an aspect of your overall marketing picture and should be used with cautious optimism and in conjunction with other parts of your marketing. 

Simply throwing marketing dollars towards paid search PPC campaigns won’t necessarily yield positive nor profitable results.  Part of using PPC as a new aspect of your marketing is, of course, learning how to use it and make it effective for your company and products.

Naturally, the goal of both PPC and conversion is to optimize that marriage into sales.  Needless to say, not every click you pay for will result in a conversion nor a sale but your job as a marketer is to make sure that your PPC is targeting the right buyer personas and leading to the right landing page for that targeted client.

Getting your PPC campaign right from the start requires, in large part, understanding not only your potential clients but also what those clients are searching for, what they expect to see once the click your ad, and where they go once they’re on your website.  This requires a grassroots effort to get your PPC off the ground and should start from your website and work back towards your PPC and keywords.

Once you’ve established a clean workflow from your website, then you can start to do keyword research, establish a PPC budget, and begin to try your luck at finding the right combination of the three in order to make your campaign effective. 

Always work to improve your PPC campaign as the PPC landscape and search algorithms are constantly changing and adapting to make sure customers find the information they need when they want it, we know you might need a bit of help with this contact us today!

Visitors to your website are interested in something either you as a marketer, your brand, your website, or your content has to offer.  But when it comes down to it, your website visitors need a bit of nudge to get the ball rolling and engage with you and the rest of your marketing or sales team.

As digital marketers, the way we go about getting web visitors to interact and take the next step is through calls-to-action or CTAs.  One could even argue that CTAs are the most important and integral step to not only your website but to your overall sales funnel.  Here is our list of why CTAs are important.

As we’ve already alluded to, CTAs are the jumping off point for your entire sales funnel.  If you’re already using marketing automation software and you’ve got sales funnels, workflows, and email marketing in place, then you are 100% dependent on CTAs to get that party started and get your leads rolling through your marketing.

CTAs, often used as buttons within content, help your website visitors take measurable action on your website.  In most instances, you’ll connect each CTA to an appropriate landing page where visitors can opt-in to becoming a sales lead for your company.  Even if you have all the inbound marketing infrastructure created but no door to it, your website visitors will simply leave without being converted.  

All of that to say, CTAs throughout your website and content are the doorway for visitors to turn into leads and offer a logical next step for them to follow your content.

An effective, well-placed CTA on your website is your company’s online billboard for users to get in the game and without them, you very well may be leaving your web visitors unsatisfied and hung out to dry.  An effective CTA lets web visitors clearly understand what it is they are supposed to do and exactly what they’re getting.

Your content is what gets people to your website, but your CTAs are what gets them to do something once they’re there.  See, CTAs on your website are just like billboards on the highway.  They advertise exactly what your company offers, tells them how to get there, and gives them the directive to do so.  Just like a billboard, though, a well-placed CTA will always outperform a poorly placed one.

It’s good practice to keep at least one CTA above the fold of every page on your website.  This approach will always offer a customer the opportunity to engage with your brand.  An blog subscription CTA or simple “contact us” CTA is always a safe approach on every one of your webpages.

If a prospective customer has landed on your website, they’re undeniably in search of something. 

Whether they’re simply gathering information on a subject or they’re getting closer and closer to making a real purchase decision, they’ve found their way to you by no small accident.  When it comes time for those customers to learn more or speak to someone in sales, they need an obvious, conspicuous way to do that.

Naturally, if you don’t have a way for them to engage with your sales team or marketing department, there simply won’t be anywhere for them to go except to leave and find someone else in cyberspace with a clearly defined path.  The worst thing you can do as a marketer is turn away a thirsty customer seeking exactly what your company has to offer.  

One of the beautiful things about CTAs is they have a profound effect on both potential customers and existing customers who visit your website.  We’ve already mentioned that customers desire that “next step” approach and appreciate more than anything to be led into that next step by a cleanly designed website; however, once they engage your CTAs they start to desire more of your content.

Naturally, your next step is to offer them useful content in order to satisfy that desire, but the beauty of CTAs is that existing customers look for them as well.  If you’re regularly posting quality customer-focused content, then your customers will continue to come back to you to get updated on what’s happening in your industry and with your products.  

Not only do CTAs work wonders for gaining new customers and getting them into your sales funnels, but they are a great way to retain existing customers and keep them updated on just exactly what you’re up to. Now you understand why it’s so crucial to have a CTA on every piece of advertising!  

Content marketing is online marketing’s latest craze, but it’s far from being a “fad” when it comes to its effectiveness and longevity as a tried and true method.  As a matter of fact, content marketing is not only effective, it’s downright necessary to stay not only competitive in the internet space but to be relevant at all. 

With the internet expanding faster than the known universe, it stands to reason that if you’re not already playing the content game then it’s certainly time to start.  Getting started is simple, but setting yourself or your brand apart as a marketer gets a little tricky.  Today, though, we’ll focus on the basics: what, how, and why you should be using content.

As we’ve alluded, content marketing helps establish you and your brand as a thought leader in your field or industry, but that isn’t the only reason to use content marketing to your advantage.  In all likelihood, you’re reading this blog because you had a desire for more information.  Information gathering from the consumer standpoint is one reason we leverage content marketing as marketers.

Another key reason you should use content marketing is for helping potential customers and clients make purchasing decisions and differentiate between different brands and products.  This is where your content marketing efforts can really begin to shine as this is your opportunity to set yourself apart as a brand in the marketplace.

While your blog is the cornerstone of your content marketing efforts, your social media presence and ability to get people to your blog is majorly important for growing your overall brand presence.  Using social media is a great way to drive traffic to the pages you want buyers to see and give them tidbits of information for what they’re about to experience.  

All in all, your social media, website, blog, and everything else online ties together and factors into your overall content marketing strategy, Easton Advertising has you covered.

Now we get down to the nitty gritty: how to actually execute what we’re talking about.  

Getting started in content marketing is really quite simple.  Get a blog setup through your website and start writing.  Generally, you’ll want to start by creating buyer personas or made up likenesses of your potential buyers.  There may be several buyer personas you or your company targets, but getting them established is your first crucial step.

Next, ask yourself what their greatest needs, concerns, and questions are about what your brand offers as a product or service.  Brainstorm with your marketing and sales team what these questions are and start your first blog posts by answering those questions.  By creating this foundational, fundamental content, you’re answering the basic questions your buyers have.  

This will ensure that your potential buyers are not only educated about what you’re offering but they’ll see you as an expert in what you do.  Be sure to keep your blog fresh with new content at least once per week and keep the intrigue of your target audience.

From there, share, share, share, and share some more.  Use social media to get your content out there and get people to see what you’re producing.  

Content marketing isn’t rocket science but there certainly is some special planning that goes into creating quality content-focused campaigns for your brand.  Just because you have a Facebook Page and a blog doesn’t necessarily mean you have the tools you need to perfect your trade.

A lot of what content marketing is is based on having quality analytics for you to know exactly what is working with your content marketing efforts and where you can improve.  Nevertheless, you have to start with a foundation, so first and foremost get started writing, generate some awesome content, and make your online presence known. To get started, call Easton Advertising today!

Email marketing has become synonymous with successful online marketing as a whole, but getting people to actually see, open, and read an email without immediately dumping it in the trash is a challenge all marketers must overcome.  When crafting a quality email, it’s important to start where the recipient will begin: with an eye catching headline.  

Email headlines are such a crucial part of email marketing that most marketers will frequently A/B test or side-by-side test the same email with different headline attributes to see which one performs the best.  If you’re already using an email software with analytics in place, this can be a great way to measure how effective your headlines really are.  There are, however, some tried and true methods to creating quality headlines which is what we’ll explore today.

Almost half of all email opens are from mobile devices, and even if they aren’t opened directly from a mobile device they’re likely being seen for the first time on mobile then opened in a desktop browser.  What this means is that you’ve got a limited number of characters to work with when drafting the best possible email headline.

As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to keep you email headlines within 50 characters.  This ensures that your readers will see the most important part of your headline and may even see the the entire headline if properly crafted.  Pay special attention to how effective you are with your words and characters and make a conscious effort to eliminate fluff words or combine terminology where you see fit.

Most email marketing platforms allow you to select the “from” line in your email and input any email address you want.  Additionally, you can also change the “reply to” line which is often not seen by email recipients. 

What is seen is the sender, and no one likes to receive emails from robots which is why it’s super important to put a real person’s name in the “from” line with a real email address people can interact with.

Yes, we as consumers are conditioned at this point to see someone’s name associated with marketing messages, but it’s a major turn-off and almost an automatic delete when we see “no-reply@yourbusiness.com” sending us emails.  If you want to see this tip in action or if you’re not sure, then A/B test an email with the same headline and different sender addresses.  See who wins.

The way we actually see email notifications on our mobile devices and desktop versions as well has changed over the years.  Now, we can expect to see the first line or even a meta description of the email we’re receiving without ever opening it.  Email personalization helps immensely to get people to see that the email is at least intended to be marketed on a more individual basis.

Again, most email marketing platforms allow you to insert a personalization token and will simply pull a name from the information your subscriber submitted when they opted in to your list.  Even if you are sending a blanket email to a number of clients letting them know that you personally are available to help them, at least you can set up your emails to reflect that personal touch.

At Easton Advertising, we can add urgency to your email headlines to get more opens and improve the efficiency of your email campaigns.  While we wouldn’t necessarily recommend the typical “Act fast!”, it doesn’t hurt to put your email subscribers on the clock especially when it comes to one-off sales or limited content offers.

The idea behind adding urgency to your email headlines is to persuade or compel your readers to open the email.  While this tactic is certainly effective for offers and sales that are truly limited in time and nature, be careful to not burden your readers by “crying wolf” with every email you send.  It will reduce the effectiveness and likely result in a higher number of “unsubscribes”.

One thing that generally turns someone off from a particular email is the overall lack of interesting content within it.  Getting daily emails without any substance in them won’t exactly inspire email recipients to open your emails, so be interesting, engaging, and relevant to your readers.

Producing interesting emails can come in many different forms.  Be somewhat mysterious with your headlines or tell an interesting story within the body, but leave some intrigue from the headline to the opening of the email.  Build a little suspense, then deliver with some quality content within the email itself. This doesn’t always come easy, which is why Easton Advertising is here to help!

Online marketing simply isn’t what it used to be.  There once was a day where keyword-stuffed websites were commonplace and effectively ran the internet, but once search engines wised up to the practice of over-stuffed and highly-fluffed websites things started to change. 

Organic search began to be a buzzword in the online marketing realm, but with such a saturated online market, effective online ads are starting to become more crucial than marketers ever thought.  Today, we’ll focus on how to accomplish successful online advertising.

Probably the no brainer to online advertising is pay per click and you’ll likely instantly liken PPC to Google.  Just as the name implies, you only pay when your ad is clicked.  In a sense, pay per click ads are a way for you to pay to play at the top of Google and other search engines. 

Additionally with Easton Advertising, pay per click ads will target users who are actually searching for the products or services you’re offering.

Social media is an absolute haven for marketers looking to get their brand and products in front of potential customers and gives them a number of ways to do it.  Depending on the goals for your campaign, we can generate ads to direct social media users where you want them to go.  

Where social media really shines is the ability to promote posts and highly target your audience. Facebook’s Promoted Posts can be focused towards certain groups, regions, and buyers based on the unique criteria you set.  Bear in mind, however, that social media in and of itself is a free platform for your brand to showcase what its about if done properly.

Pop-ups are generally considered a nuisance in their traditional form, but serve a major purpose in online advertising in today’s marketing space.  Many marketers will leverage in-window pop-ups in order to offer discounts or content in exchange for newsletter, email, or blog subscriptions from website visitors.  

This tactic can be particularly useful if you’re working in earnest to create content and keep it fresh for visitors to come back to.  Regardless of your past feelings about pop-up ads, it’s time to put those aside and try a different approach.  Your website will thank you.

While maybe not considered a traditional “advertising” method, email marketing certainly fits the bill when it comes to overhauling your website traffic.  After all, if you’re in the content game, you’ll need to make sure your readers are getting back to your website, reading your latest content, and getting exposed to your brand’s most relevant offers.

In addition to email marketing your content, you can leverage email marketing to create drip campaigns to warm prospective customers to your brand and help ease them into your products or services.  This serves a crucial role in lead nurturing and broadens not only the overall reach of your content but introduces you to your customers in a controlled way.

Viral video is not only the way we share our world and what’s happening in it but a fantastic way to introduce your brand, your products, and your services in a simple, short, and concise way.  Today’s consumer has the shortest attention span of likely any generation ever, so video can capture their attention and their interest in a matter of seconds.

Furthermore, video is generally cheap to get in front of potential buyers with the omnipresence of YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.  Actually publishing videos on a YouTube channel or Facebook Page is inexpensive (free in most cases) and will receive far more views, comments, and overall interaction from your audience.

Advertising certainly has its place in your marketing portfolio but removed from a quality website really becomes more of an outlier than a pillar of your brand.  As a matter of fact, the foundation of your brand should be your company’s website and the be-all and end-all for your online advertising efforts.  And that’s exactly what we’re ready to help your business do!

All of that to say, make sure you’ve got a rock solid website for potential customers to be attracted to then work on getting them there with advertisements.  Building this foundation will pay dividends down the road and give your brand a home, the first step is to start with Easton Advertising.

Consumers have an expectation higher than ever of businesses today with a need for instant information. There is now an expectation of easy-to-use, quick loading websites centered around customer experience.

What is the first thing you do when you need a quick answer? Do you pull a full-sized desktop computer out of your pocket? I don’t think so. You pull out your mobile device, whether it is a phone or tablet, and search for answers with the touch of a few buttons. This experience is one that businesses must capture users with using a mobile-first website design.

Consumers have an expectation higher than ever of businesses today with a need for instant information. There is now an expectation of easy-to-use, quick loading websites centered around customer experience. Gone are the days when a responsive design was enough; current users navigate from one tab to the next so quickly that your website will be discounted if they’re unable to do so. Google has confirmed mobile search has continued to surpass desktop search, therefore websites must not only optimize for mobile, but quickly capture the attention of mobile users. Additionally, Google makes it very clear to us that mobile-experience is a growing factor in its ranking criteria for web pages and content. From this, a content-packed website centered around a mobile experience is critical.

Mobile-first website designs take an approach that is content-focused for users to easily find the most relevant information to their search. Rather than build your website from the largest desktop screen down to the mobile version, mobile-first designs start from smallest to largest screen. Since the smallest screen can only have the most basic of features due to size, this approach requires laying out the most necessary features of the website first. From this, mobile-first websites are designed with user functionality at the core.

Websites who lack this functionality are being tossed aside by users seeking quick answers. Easy navigation is a must for mobile users on-the-go performing various activities. Menus will collapse easily or expand at the touch of a finger as users engage with the website. Information that could be considered excess is eliminated within this design to effectively offer the most relevant information first.

Collectively, a mobile-first website design strategizes around content and user experience targeting Google’s mobile index. Maintain your competitive advantage and improve your overall customer experience with a mobile-first website design. Join the movement today, contact Easton Advertising and let us show you how we can help!

Friday night restaurant searches, along with nearly every search experience, are more focused on reviews than ever before. As a business, your brand’s reputation must understand the key values of reviews.

Once upon a time, you chose where you wanted to go to dinner next from a friend’s referral or popular word-of-mouth. Your choice was not made by a process of research, but by talking to other people. Since the rise of social media, talking to others has been transformed into communicating via social networks. More specifically, rating or review platforms. The typical customer’s process of choosing dinner Friday night has become one along the lines of this:

1. Use Google to search the best restaurants (in your area, type of cuisine, open when)
2. View featured results with the highest ratings
3. Read reviews and rating from previous customers
4. Select where you’d like to eat at based on the reviews you’ve read

Friday night restaurant searches, along with nearly every search experience, are more focused on reviews than ever before. As a business, your brand’s reputation must understand the key values of reviews.

Reviews now dictate our selection process with convenient access to ratings right from our mobile devices. Ratings and reviews from external websites such as Yelp or Trip Advisor now build into search engine ranking; this creates significant importance for businesses to gain higher quantity and quality reviews. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely your business is to rank highly on Google’s local 3-pack.

As your business receives more reviews, you’ll have a higher conversion rate in response to the referrals or reviews from real-life customers. The goal of reviews for your business is to encourage first-time viewers to take the next step and visit your business. If your business only holds positive reviews that sound a little recited, this could negatively impact viewer’s thoughts, as well. The more “real” your reviews sound, the more likely customers are to click on your business creating a higher conversion rate. Additionally, lower scoring or negative reviews are important in showing your audience how your business responds to both positive and negative experiences. This leads us to another key significance of reviews: the response.

Often business owners view a negative review and immediately want it taken down or removed before ever acknowledging it. Unfortunately, this cannot be a more incorrect reaction. There is an opportunity within each negative response for you to address, resolve, and encourage continued reviews. While there are some cases where a customer does not respond, it is still extremely important to respond to understand the situation and acknowledge your customer’s concerns. As a business owner, your first thought may be that this is solely for the reviewer’s benefit; however, this process is for both your current customer and future customers.

As viewers research your business, they’re likely to look at a combination of reviews both good and bad. From this, they’ll note key positive reviews in addition to reviewing negative review responses. Did your business acknowledge their concerns? Did you make the situation right if there was a negative experience? These are all important questions as your business is being considered.

The first step is encouraging current and past customers to review their experience. Good or bad, make a point to respond to each review. As your business receives more reviews, ensure you give the same attention to review #1 as you do to review #100 to keep your brand’s reputation consistent. Remember, it’s okay to be viewed as a “real” business!

2017 was the year of live video, big data usage, personalized everything, and an accelerated movement towards mobile-first. As the new year begins, the up and coming trends of digital marketing in 2018 are revealed.

2017 was the year of live video, big data usage, personalized everything, and an accelerated movement towards mobile-first. Live video became the internet’s new favorite toy; media platforms now encompassing live video include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. From this, came the underlying want from consumers of added personalization. Sources such as Netflix or Amazon have proven how big data can be utilized for a better user experience. Where we may have been weary of this data usage in beginning stages, 2017 was the year we finally wrapped our arms around it. 

As companies recognized just how important big data can be for understanding consumers, market research was increasingly used. From this data, the need for mobile-first website designs was fully admitted as results show that more than half of users view on mobile devices. While mobile-first has trended for some time now, 2017 was the first year after Google announced a mobile-first web index and that mobile has overtaken desktop for internet usage. As the year completed, more and more business converted websites to a mobile-first strategy.

Increased users across social media have created a larger need for video usage to capture shorter attention spans with an instant appeal. Facebook makes great use of this technique and is likely to develop new features allowing for a better exposure. Live video will transform the relevance of a business as more and more information is being thrown at consumers.

Reviews drive search traffic and have proven to increase sales. Word of mouth has always been there, but social media has transformed your ability to spread reviews. You now have the power to reach larger audiences than ever before. Pay special attention to Facebook reviews as the media platform now effects business ratings and Google reviews.

Human connection has proven to be exceptionally powerful in the year 2017. 2018 brings the year of savvy consumers with an increased need for brand authenticity and vulnerability. Consumers are tired of being slammed with promotions, ads, and sales pitches. This year you will have to transform followers to true believers in your brand by sharing more than just what you have to sell.

Possibly 2017 was the year we misjudged LinkedIn’s ability to be a vital social media influence. No longer is this platform solely used for sharing a resume. The platform now offers paid ads, influencer ability, collaboration opportunities, publishing, and a push towards becoming more conversational. Expect to see a revitalized LinkedIn trying to keep up with an array of demographics.

Let’s take on the new year together! Are you ready to tackle the digital marketing trends of 2018? Our team offers creative solutions to all of your marketing and advertising needs. For more information, contact us today!