Author: Storm Bennett

Website Design Trends for 2018

Website design trends are constantly changing from year to year. This makes it hard for designers and agencies to keep up with the latest web design and tech advancements.

We’re here to help though. Let’s take a look at some notable web design trends coming poised to take over in 2018.

Website Design Trends

Bright Colors and Bold Fonts

To complement these modern design styles, you’ll need type font that stands out. Bold font styles help users focus on your content, while the whitespace makes it easier to read and skim through.

The goal is to create an easy and enjoyable experience for the user to keep them on your site for as long as possible and eventually convert them into paying customers.

In 2018, we may also see these fonts and colors taking the place of images. This makes sense for mobile especially. Unlike images, which slow pages down, scaling the size of your typography won’t impact performance.

Sticky Elements

All those tiny ads at the bottom of apps and mobile websites are making their way to desktop and tablet designs as well. And it’s not just ads in this down screen location, chat boxes, pop-ups, notifications, and even navigational elements are sticking to the bottom of the screen.

This less obtrusive location is a prime viewing area and mobile usage has trained users that these types of placements are acceptable.

Animation

Small, simple animations can surprise and delight users. They can also help provide information and lead the user through more active engagement with the design.

But subtle animation isn’t about a loading feature that hides logging time, it’s movement within the design itself.

To make the most of subtle animation in the design stick to a couple of basic rules: pick just one animation “trick” and stick to it, animation should feel realistic and mimic the laws of physics, don’t force sound or click actions to motion and make sure the animation plays on a reliable loop so users know when the animation is complete.

Interested in improving the design of your site? Contact us here!

Visual Content Marketing Facts

Visual Content Marketing

Discover why you need a better visual content marketing strategy

Content is everywhere. From viewing street signs to reading articles on the internet, content is a major part of our day-to-day lives. Anyone can start a blog and create content, but great content marketing is about creating stellar content with a purpose and strategy. This past year, we’ve seen the importance of visual content emphasized by the changes that occurred across almost every major social network. Including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. At the same time, both video and infographics have become powerful tools for brands looking to communicate more easily with their readers with visual content marketing.

Social Media Stats

Tweets with images received 150% more retweets than tweets without images.

On Instagram, photos showing faces get 38% more likes than photos not showing faces

Facebook posts with images see 2.3x more engagement than those without images

57% of teens use Instagram, and nearly as many as (41%) use Snapchat.

46% of marketers say photography is critical to their marketing and storytelling strategies.

34% of marketers selected visual assets as their most important content

73% of content creators plan to prioritize creating more in 2016

Have any questions about visual content marketing? Contact us today!

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Marketing Trends for 2018

2017 is drawing to a close, and it’s already time to start thinking about next year!

The goal of any business is an overall improvement. Therefore, one way to ensure your business stays on top is sticking to marketing trends.

Here are our top 4 trends you should focus your marketing going into 2018.

Social Marketing

It is worth dealing if you invest in social marketing to promote your brand. The social media platform is the one which takes information from you and prevails this information among thousands of people in a few seconds. Such as Facebook’s News Feed. Almost every business today has adopted the news feed.

Smart Content Marketing

Content marketing is all which can win the whole game of marketing in the future. Quality content is prepared to understand the needs of your potential customers. For this, the smart content approach is used by various marketers nowadays.

Content marketing professionals used to add personalization elements in their content in order to drive better performance. To fulfill the needs of your customer you should create customer-centric content.

Video Marketing

Additionally, a video is a key element in video marketing. Whether it is a simple ad, top commercial regarding anything or any other informative thing, videos if embedded into this would surely attract most of the people and provide visually-rich, interactive content to them in order to convey their message.

As a result, the audience takes considerable action towards it and further like it or post it or share it by making use of various social channels viz. Like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. The high-quality content video is the demand for the future now.

Automation

Finally, marketing automation is a great tool for marketing which automates all marketing activities easily. It mainly includes behavioral Email marketing, CRM, and web personalization. It allows marketers to use their time and efforts in an efficient way to get potential customers and for lead generation. Therefore, it combines your marketing campaigns across all channels from direct mail to social initiatives.

Have any questions about marketing? Or looking for help improving your marketing ventures? Contact us here!

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4 Holiday Marketing Ideas for 2017

Are you ready to cash in on the holiday shopping craze? If so, you need to create a few holiday marketing campaigns to attract customers to your store. But, creating marketing campaigns takes time, and who has extra time during the holidays?

To take the hassle out of the holidays, we’ve put together a list of four holiday marketing ideas that every business can and should use during the holidays.

Run a Social Holiday Marketing Giveaway

Speaking of Instagram, another great way to utilize the platform is by running a social media holiday giveaway. We’d recommend running a social campaign across all the major platforms your business uses to get more and more eyes on your business.

And who doesn’t like free stuff, especially during the holidays? Whether it be a big discount, a free add-on with an order or just something completely for free, get into the holiday spirit of giving. Typically, asking followers to comment, share, like, etc. are great tactics to get even more engagement with your giveaway.

Make Seasonal Emails

If you’re not incorporating the holidays into your email marketing campaigns, you’re making a big mistake! Holidays instill powerful memories into your shoppers’ minds, so enticing them with fun seasonal emails is a great way to connect in their inboxes.

Pull at their Heart Strings

While holidays may not be loved by all, most people have an emotional tie to them. And we all know that emotions drive action, so now is the time to get emotional with your marketing.

Emotional doesn’t mean you need to make every one of your audience members cry – even using humor in your messaging can go a long way during the holiday season.

Build Customer Loyalty with Personalized Gifts

Lastly, don’t forget about marketing to your customers.

Small acts of personalized kindness towards your customers make a huge impact and can strengthen the relationship, turning a happy customer into a brand advocate.

Use these tips to make all of your holiday marketing dreams come true!

Have any questions on how to increase the reach of your holiday marketing? Contact us here!

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Cleaning Up Your SEO For Fall

Since website performance and optimization is affected by things such as bad links, sloppy code, and poor content, it is a great time to do a semi-annual tidying to eliminate any problems. What does something like this do for search engine optimization efforts? Here are a few ways to be sure any essential SEO for fall areas that tend to collect internet ‘dirt’ is cleaned.

Analyze with Analytics

Using analytic software such as Google Analytics and run a full array of reports normally monitored, especially important ones like site and page errors. Error reports are the most significant and probably the lengthiest. Don’t put off the work! Every error detected by analytics tools is one more that is affecting website efficiency.

Review Your SEO for fall

Since it can be somewhat difficult to systematically review websites for SEO, content, and other aspects, adding this job to the twice-yearly cleaning can help make sure it actually happens. Be sure content is correct and complete; review upcoming content ideas to be sure of current relevancy. Discover the latest trends in SEO and coding; update any techniques or HTML to benefit the overall website.

Site Errors

The annoying truth of the matter is that site errors need to be fixed. Many will be simple such as dead links or URLs with typos; others may be quite important. SEO reports can point out errors such as pages missing header tags, nonworking links, and other such information. Troubleshooting site speed may show other types of problems that unknowingly exist. It may be tedious; however, it is necessary to fix page issues regularly. This will improve site speed and result in fewer problem pages on the website.

Social Profiles

Check those important social media pages to be sure that they work, especially for any unknown issues. Be sure links from main websites to different social pages are not broken, out of place, or have been forgotten. Such problems should be corrected quickly, as this can potentially affect website traffic both to social sites and back to the corresponding website.

It probably seems like a lot to go through twice a year; however, doing so can keep any website and its search engine optimization efforts functioning smoothly and reaching planned goals with very few concerns. Don’t overlook this important fall website tidying effort – and keep that website running like new!

Have any questions about updating your SEO for Fall? Contact us here!

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6 Killer Tips for Great Websites

As a business in today’s world, it’s important now more than ever, to have a functioning website that works well and looks amazing.

Today we’re going to discuss the basics that are important to have a website that you and your audience will love.

Colors, colors, colors

Color is critical on web pages, but colors have meanings to people, and using the wrong color can have the wrong connotation if you’re not careful. When you create your web color scheme keep in mind color symbolism.

Spellcheck is your friend

Very few people are tolerant of spelling errors, especially on a professional website. You lose credibility from your readers and audience when you have errors in your text. Having a rigid internal editing process is a great way to cut out the mistakes and put a clean, professional site in front of your customers.

Loading Times

If you do nothing else to improve your web pages, you should make them load as fast as possible. You also need to consider mobile visitors who may not have such wonderful connection speeds at the moment that they are visiting your page! The thing about speed is that people only notice it when it’s absent.

Stop, Navigate and Listen…

If your readers can’t get around on the page or on the website they won’t stick around. You should have navigation on your web pages that are clear, direct, and easy to use. The bottom line is that if your users are confused by a site’s navigation, the only place they will navigate to is a different site altogether.

Be available

If someone cannot easily contact you on a site, they won’t! That likely defeats the purpose of any site hoping to be used for business reasons. If you do have contact information on your site, follow up on it. Answering your contacts is the best way to create a long-lasting customer.

Links need a destination

Broken links are another sign for many readers (and search engines, too) that a site is not well maintained. Unfortunately, link rot is something that happens without even noticing. Even if links were coded properly at the launch of the site, those links may need to be updated now to ensure they are all still valid.

Interested in updating your website or have any questions about design? Let us help! Contact us here.

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6 Instagram Marketing Tips for Businesses

Over the past couple of years, Instagram has become a power house in the realm of social media. With over 700 million monthly active users, the platform has become a great place to share content with your audience.

Whether your strategy needs an update or you’re a newcomer to this social media network, you can use these 6 tips to help your improve your Instagram marketing.

1. Your profile is key

As a company, don’t get too caught up in fitting all of what you do in 150 characters. Focus on your most important description or your next big thing – be it an event, promotion or product launch. Since the only clickable link is in your Bio section, make a habit of updating it frequently. Think about promoting more than your website. You can include the link to event registrations, app downloads or even purchases links.

2. Get Creative

Focus on the solution you provide to your audience, not the products you sell. On Instagram, it’s necessary to show value to your customers and look great while you do it. Never underestimate the fact that the most important asset on this social media network is visual content.

3. Stop, collaborate and listen

Instagram is one of the strongest social media channels for highlighting collaborators and sharing customer success stories. Take into account that not everyone is monitoring hashtags on social media, so tagging an account is usually a better choice if you want to get noticed.

4. Analyze your Instagram ventures

Without taking a step back and analyzing what worked and didn’t, marketing becomes a guessing game. Make sure to regularly measure your follower count, engagement, and clicks, all to refine and improve your strategy.

5. Show them the business behind the curtain

Customers have a natural curiosity about where their products/services come from, and you can use Instagram to show them the whole lifecycle.

If nothing comes to mind, you can share something that everyone has – sketches, notes, and filled whiteboards or blackboards. You may find that it’s best to try out different post types until you strike gold with the one that will engage the audience.

6. Use hashtags wisely

Use hashtags to expand your reach. These can be campaign specific or general – all that’s important is that they are relevant. This makes it easier for people to find content related to you as well as your main account. It’s best practice to use between three to five hashtags and consider how you add hashtags. Whether they’re added at the end of the post, in a comment or in the actual post.

Have any more questions about Instagram marketing or about any other social media? Contact us here!

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4 Simple Marketing Tips for The Local Business Owner

It’s easy to get caught up in the latest and greatest marketing tips, but it’s important to take a step back and make sure that you find advice that works for you and your local business.

In local marketing, businesses put a lot of effort at the start and then let it fall by the wayside as the year moves on.

Check out these marketing tips for your local business:

Facebook Advertising

Social media networks aren’t always the first thing companies think while building local marketing strategies, but Facebook advertising is an exception.

It’s an inexpensive way to advertise your business to the target audience. Like Google, Facebook also knows buying and click patterns of all their one billion plus users. They are experts in putting the ads in front of a relevant local audience.

Ask for Reviews

Reviews are a must-have for all companies who focus on local search marketing.

You should get your business listed on all of the major reviews sites and then make sure that you’re managing those websites. Sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Consumer Reports, and even Amazon are great places to start.

Keep your information up to date and complete, and be ready to tackle any negative reviews in a healthy way. By putting a “Review Us” link on your homepage, talking with your loyal customers, and urging your social community to get involved.

By putting a “Review Us” link on your homepage, you can talk with your loyal customers whose opinions matter most.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Local SEO means you’re optimizing your website for the local web search so that your business shows up in a location-specific query. For example, “Laundromats near me” or “best coffee in New York City” would both be considered local searches.

How do you get started with local SEO?

It’s a big topic, but it mainly has to do with making sure you have local accounts on all of the major search engines (Bing, Yahoo!, and Google) and use of right local keywords for the target audience and area.

Attend, Speak, and Host Local Events

You should try to get involved in the community as much as possible. You could Join your local Chamber of Commerce, advertise in the local papers, and or host a local event.

Need help with your marketing ventures? Don’t hesitate to contact us here!

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6 Reasons You Need To Switch to Inbound Marketing

Today now more than ever, Inbound Marketing is important for any business.

Inbound marketing is the process of earning a forefront place in your customer’s mind rather than spamming them with paid advertisements.

Here are 6 reasons your business needs to switch to the inbound methodology.

1. Inbound Plays the Long Game

With outbound, as soon as you stop paying, you stop seeing results. With inbound, your content is always there and if you’re in the right business, so is the need.

Leads are drawn over time, and the longer your article gets traffic, the higher it will rank, making it even more likely to gain traffic. That’s why blog content creation is the number 1 priority for a majority of marketers.

It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

2. You Can Learn More About Your Audience

Inbound marketing is all about communication and dialogue. By engaging in content and social conversations, you can learn useful things about your audience that will help you convert.

This will enable you to ask the right questions on your landing page forms. Social media listening will enable you to pick up trends and anticipate what content you should be producing.

Actively listening to your customers is a huge key to success in inbound marketing.

3. Outbound is A Dying Practice

A few years ago, it was easy to create a piece of content or an outbound message and grab the attention of your target audience.

In 2017, white space is GONE. People are bombarded with advertising everywhere, on every device, at home, and at work.

Consumers have become incredibly skilled at narrowing their attention to focus only on what they want to see.

4. Inbound Focuses on Growth

Inbound marketing takes time. You can grow sustainably, instead of perpetuating the boom and bust culture that has caused so many problems in the world economy.

As the inbound marketing snowball gets bigger, in turn bringing in more leads. It should pay for itself, and always deliver more than it costs. Content will gather momentum with less and less energy required from you for it to grow. It will grow itself.

5. Inbound Can Save You Time AND Money

Time spent on inbound is time spent on strong leads. Time spent spamming emails to hundreds of people who don’t know or care what you offer is time wasted.

Inbound allows you to focus your time effectively. Which means less time on marketing and more on building your business.

6. Inbound Builds Trust

Inbound Marketing is like building a friendship with your audience. What are the qualities you want in a friend? Trustworthiness, reliability, a sense of humor, basic competence, and a unique perspective.

When customers see that you are creating useful content, that you’re professional, that you’re knowledgeable in your field, they can’t help but have more respect and trust for you.

If someone trusts you, of course, they are more likely to buy from you. This is the essence of inbound marketing. If you remember nothing else from this article, remember this.

Have questions or want to learn more about inbound marketing? Don’t hesitate to contact us here.

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SEO Basics Every Business Owner Should Know

You may have seen it somewhere before. On LinkedIn, in an article somewhere or in a free webinar you joined. The word SEO is commonly heard in the realms of marketing, website design and a multitude of others.

But do you know what it stands? You know it’s important but…

What is it?

SEO is a noun and stands for Search Engine Optimization. But that does not really answer the question. Let me put it this way, go ahead and Google your name, now count how many hits lead back to you. Generally, your hits are Facebook, Linked-in, Instagram, or maybe you’ve had a news article written about you: these results are your personal SEO.

Now apply the same concept to your business. The more times your name pops up in an organic search, the more likely your website is to be clicked. This is simple psychology. The more something is right in front of a client the more reliable it seems.

How does it work?

Search Engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo comb through your website looking for keywords and phrases. Go back to Google and type in, “Two houses divided.” I’m willing to bet most all of your search results had to do with Shakespear and Romeo and Juliet. Weird, right? You were not looking for either of things.

In order to make this work for your business, you need a clear picture of what people are looking for when they need your services. Keywords are worth their weight in Antimatter (the most expensive substance per gram). Once you discover what words and phrases people use in their searches, embed them on your website. Every page should its own list of keywords for search engines to locate.

Why do you need it?

That’s the easy part! The majority of website traffic comes directly from search engine results. This is because search engines represent the most popular way of navigating through the World Wide Web. With proper SEO optimization, the flow of traffic will lead directly to your web page.

Interested in learning more about SEO? Or improving your own? Don’t hesitate to contact us!

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Twitter Best Practices for Local Businesses

As a little fish in the big pond of industry, it’s important to strategize and market yourself correctly to help your business stay afloat. Fully understanding how to communicate on Twitter is essential to fully utilize it.

Consistency is Key

Setting up a social strategy, and posting consistently is one of the best practices you can do as a business.

Twitter is about short, frequent, click-worthy or read-worthy updates.

Use Images and Videos

Visual content is king. Adding images and videos to your tweets will lead to big increases in your engagement and retweets.

#Hashtag Sparingly

Be careful with how many hashtags you insert into your tweets.

Using too many hashtags will make your tweets hard to read. Though, adding a couple will help increase the scope of your tweet and engagement.

Keep Conversations Going

It’s important to keep conversations open with your audience. Make sure to stay on top of comments, mentions or replies.

If you show that you are responsive, people will be more likely to engage with you in the future.

Promotions

As a local business, you can use Twitter to promote special promotions, deals and or coupons to your followers and audience.

There are a lot of different strategies to use for promoting deals or coupons on Twitter.

You can use it promote the daily drink special or highlight a coupon you’re running that week on pest control.

Each industry and business will use this tip in a different way.

Cross-marketing

For smaller business especially, it’s important to promote your Twitter profiles on your other social channels.

This will not only help you boost the visibility of your profile but can lead to more engagement from your audience.

Have any question about marketing on Twitter or any other Social Media? Don’t hesitate to contact us!

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Microsoft Paint: Discontinued After 32 Years

Today Microsoft announced the discontinuation of the Paint application in the coming Windows 10 Autumn update.

Why we are sad:

Microsoft Paint was a much-beloved pastime during the childhoods’ of our creative team. Our Graphic Designer, Marla, discovered her love of manipulating images. And creating digitally on Paint which she developed into her career. In this, she is not alone. Many of today’s digital imaging/designing specialists started out on nothing other than Paint. The end of the Paint ERA is just another nostalgic memory for many Millennials. Therefore, joining the ranks of PBS and flip phones.

A brief history of Microsoft Paint:

The legend that is Microsoft Paint began in November of 1985. With the release of Windows 1.0 under the name Paintbrush. In Windows 3.0, Microsoft redesigned the application to the format we all know and love. And shortened the name to Paint. In-depth color wells were released with the ’95 version. And allowing for images to be saved in JPEG, GIF, and PNG formatting. The Windows XP update allowed the user to import images from a camera or digital scanner. While Windows 7 featured the new art brush set. The most notable change in Windows 8 was the correction from previous versions which disabled the scroll bars when zoomed to 100%.

All is not lost:

Finally, the release of Windows 10 (Autumn) brings about the rebirth of Paint called Paint 3D. Though the name is familiar, this is not an update and will not behave like its predecessor. Therefore, it allows the user to merge 2D aspects with 3D image making tools to create interactive scenes. The capability to print on a 3D printer is one feature we are excited to see used.

To read more Killerspots blogs – click here.

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3 Insights to Improve Your Social Media Marketing

In today’s market, you can’t go to any marketing blog without them telling you the importance of having social media, and using it for marketing. How do you get the most from your social media? Sure, it’s great to have it, but you’ll lose money if you’re not using it correctly.

Today we’re talking about 3 main insights on how to use social correctly.

Visual Content is Key

One major point of your social focus should be in visual content.

As humans, we are much better at remembering pictures than words. When you post a text-heavy post, your customers will only remember 10% after a couple days. But if you add in a picture, they’ll remember 65%. Your posts will have much more impact if you included a relevant image or graphic with it.

Keep it Consistent

As with most things, consistency is key with social media marketing. Having a consistent and quality strategy will keep your current customers more engaged, and help you attain new followers, leads and customers through your social media pages. People will be less likely to follow your page if you go weeks without updates, and then bombard your audience with updates. If you infrequently post on your page, it’s shown that people will likely lose enthusiasm for your page, and could even unlike it. This is the same effect that posting too frequently could have.

Strategy and Analysis

One of the most important tasks to do on your social media is to always have a strategy, set goals and analyze your pages to see if you’ve hit those goals. One the best things about developing a strategy are that it gives you direction. It’ll help you define your goals and objectives you want to achieve using your social presence.

You should set SMART goals in your strategy. These are goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-based. Setting goals will help you intelligently use your social media to its full potential.

If you’d like more insights or need help developing a strategy for your social media, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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3 Reasons Why Radio Commercials Boost Sales and Leads

Think video killed the radio star? And YouTube killed the video star? Think again. Radio is still a compelling marketing medium and has the power to target consumers who don’t use the Internet. Here’s why you need to incorporate radio commercials into your digital marketing strategy. You’d be a fool not to.

1. Radio Commercials Target Lucrative Markets

You hear a lot about millennial, the so-called lucrative consumer segment that most brands spend all their money on. However, the over 50’s are one of the fastest-growing and richest demographics in the United States, according to research [1]. And with a great radio commercial, you can target this group effectively and generate more leads to your business. It’s not just the over the 50’s, however.

All age groups listen to the radio at some point, providing you with ample marketing opportunities.

2. Online Radio is Big Business

Online radio might play second fiddle to more dominant digital marketing platforms like video streaming, but it still provides a hefty return on your investment. In fact, studies show that the number of Americans over the age of 12 who listen to online radio has skyrocketed in recent years, and was the highest it’s ever been in 2016 [2]. Online radio offers customers more choice and lets you get your message across in mere seconds. The result? More customers, higher sales, and greater revenue. Use radio as the basis of your lead generation strategy.

3. People Listen to Radio For Longer

Radio resonates for longer than other mediums. In fact, studies show that average radio listening times have more than doubled in the past five years [3]. While a YouTube ad or banner ad might be momentary, radio commercials continue to produce results. Consumers hear the radio on their commute to work, for example, making this a profitable marketing opportunity.

Radio advertising is known as the “theater of the mind.” This is because the images created by radio are ones that come from inside your mind. With only 60 seconds to convey a message compelling your otherwise distracted audience to act, you can see why radio commercial production is such an exciting challenge.

There are three main parts of creating a radio ad you must always consider. These include:

- Casting is vital.
  - Without the right voice talent, you’ll waste a lot of time and money. For this, you’ll need to really understand the ad’s tone. Not only do you want the voice to grab attention, but it must also be believable and resonate with your audience.

- Directing the voice talent towards creating an effective ad occurs in several steps.
  - - It’s important that your pre-session consists of just one person talking to the voice talent so they’re not overwhelmed. You must also be ready to produce any sounds you’re envisioning. Make sure you can articulate this to your voice talent. In this regard, you’re acting as a coach.
  - Producing crisp, clear sound is important.
    - Loud music either distracts your audience or drowns out your voice talent. In either case, you don’t want this to occur. So, if it isn’t necessary, don’t include music in your ad. Once you have your ad created, make sure you save it as a .wav file so quality isn’t lost when you’re working on different drafts, which happens with MP3 files.

Killerspots Agency, specializes in radio marketing, creative creation and strategic media buying that is not only engaging but trackable. ROI that turns listeners into traffic through your doors.

Hearing is believing. Click to hear some of the custom Radio commercials produced for businesses all over the United States in many different industries. It may just inspire your creative juices for some effective radio to drive sales!

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4 Website Design Tactics That Improve User Engagement

The success of a website design is determined by user engagement. However, what does this mean? As a business, the ultimate engagement you are seeking is a product purchase or a quote request. Nonetheless, if visitors are not interacting with your website design, you are not making sales.

No matter the business, it is essential to create a user engagement strategy. You may have a beautiful website, but if it is not easily usable than engagement and the site’s effectiveness will be low. So, what website design tactics will improve user engagement?

Easy Navigation

The longer it takes for a visitor to find the information they are looking for, the more likely they will become frustrated and leave. Easily understood navigation is a must. A visitor should find what they are looking for in 3-4 clicks. Once they leave your site, they will find what they are looking for somewhere else.

Stickiness

Each time a user visits your site, it dramatically increases the likelihood of a sale. In marketing, this is called effective frequency. It takes repeated exposure to your marketing message to make a sale. Therefore, use a blog to share content valuable to visitors, creating a reason to engage and return.

Social Media Integration

Social signals are an important form of user engagement, and search engines use this behavior to determine a website’s popularity and reliability. Ensure your site encourages following your social media accounts, and provide tools to share your content. Again, this goes back to creating content valuable to visitors.

Become Mobile-Friendly

Smartphones are increasingly becoming the preferred method for accessing the internet. If your site is not viewable and usable on a mobile device, visitors will become aggravated and move on. A responsive website design will adjust your site based on the device while preserving the content and function.

What haven’t we covered yet that is important to you? If you would like more website design tactics that will improve user engagement, or need additional information, please contact us.

website website design

Understanding Radio Commercial Production

There are three main parts of creating a radio ad you must always consider. These include:

Casting is vital.
- Without the right voice talent, you’ll waste a lot of time and money. For this, you’ll need to really understand the ad’s tone. Not only do you want the voice to grab attention, but it must also be believable and resonate with your audience.
Directing the voice talent towards creating an effective ad occurs in several steps.
- It’s important that your pre-session consists of just one person talking to the voice talent so they’re not overwhelmed. You must also be ready to produce any sounds you’re envisioning. Make sure you can articulate this to your voice talent. In this regard, you’re acting as a coach.
Producing crisp, clear sound is important.
- Loud music either distracts your audience or drowns out your voice talent. In either case, you don’t want this to occur. So, if it isn’t necessary, don’t include music in your ad. Once you have your ad created, make sure you save it as a .wav file so quality isn’t lost when you’re working on different drafts, which happens with MP3 files.

Knowing how vital a radio commercial is for your business, isn’t it time you start creating them? When you’re ready, go ahead and contact us. We’re here to help!

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Essential Ways To Improve Your Website Design

Everyone understands the need for a great website design. Your website is a reflection of your company. Therefore, your credibility and authority rely on having a top-notch design. Moreover, a design must capture the attention of your audience not only to motivate sales but because user engagement is a major factor in search result placement. Therefore, a design must build trust, keep your visitor’s attention, and encourage clicks and social sharing.

There are hundreds of details and ingredients that go into successful website designing. However, not everything works for every type of business, Nonetheless, there are ways to improve your website design no matter what industry.

1. Diminish Clutter –

An overly cluttered design can confuse visitors, create distractions, and make finding information difficult. Remove everything that diverts attention from your message.

2. Include White Space –

This is the area left empty on your web pages. The great benefit of white space if making your content easier to read and make guiding a reader’s attention to a call to action more manageable.

3. Use the Power of Color –

Marketing firms have long understood the psychology of color and use this power in everything from advertising to logo design. Whether your image is youthful, wealth, or trust, use colors that strongly conveys that message.

4. Stop Using Stock Photos –

Your visitors know that those stock photos do not represent you or your company. Additionally, these images make your website look very generic. A better choice is using a professional photographer.

5. Improve Navigation –

A visitor to your website should find the information they are looking for within a few seconds. Visitors will leave if they become frustrated. Moreover, primary menus should focus only on main pages.

6. Increase Speed –

It is a simple fact that the longer it takes your site to completely load, the more likely a visitor will become aggravated and leave. Optimize your site to load quickly.

What haven’t we covered yet that is important to you? If you would like to talk more about ways to improve your website design, or need more information, please contact us.

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3 Common Myths About Social Media Marketing

If we look back 20 or 30 years ago, marketing was pretty simplistic. One would mail out millions of flyers, design an eye-catching billboard, and develop a memorable television advertisement. Today, your customers have moved to the digital world. Unfortunately, many companies try to apply old-school marketing techniques to social media. The results are marketing campaigns that fall far short of expectation.

Much of what companies believe about social media is just plain wrong. There are many misconceptions about how marketing can drive sales. However, these are myths that even some marketers have held onto. This is because marketing is an ever-changing landscape, and staying up to date is extremely difficult. Nonetheless, we are here to tackle some of the most common myths about it.

Common Myths About Social Media Marketing

1. My customers don’t use it

This is unlikely. Statista, a leading statistics company, reports that 72 percent of all U.S. internet users are on Facebook. Moreover, Facebook users share 684,478 pieces of content every minute. This doesn’t even touch Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tumblr, and a whole host of other platforms.

2. If a post doesn’t go viral, it is a waste of time and money.

Untrue. Going viral tends to be the exception, not the rule. Social media is about the long game. Therefore, not everything is going to be a home run. Social media marketing is about growing your audience and building relationships. The question you should always ask yourself is, “Would I share this on my personal social media account?”

3. It’s only for attracting new customers.

Wrong. Finally, social media is also about nurturing customer relationships and building brand loyalty. Actually, One study found that 74 percent of customers providing feedback expect a response within 30 to 60 minutes. Therefore, your customers need to know the conversation is not one-sided.

What haven’t we covered yet that is important to you? If you would like to talk more about the common myths about social media marketing, or need more information, please contact us.

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