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Lifecycles to Lifestyles: Why You Should Get to Know Your Customer

When was the last time you walked, drove, sat or went anywhere without seeing handfuls of people with their faces glued to their smartphone screens?  Between distractions like internet browsing, social media, emails, texting, and phone calls, how can you capture your customer's attention? Get to know them individually.  Understand their consumer habits.  Become an integrated part of their lifestyle. Marketing...

How should I measure my KPIs?

It is important for digital marketers to understand key performance indicators. Key Performance Indicators or KPIs give you a way to measure how your campaign is performing against your business objectives. When you start a campaign, make sure to outline your goals, and once you have them, be sure to translate them into quantifiable objectives. These measurable goals will...

Mobile Tops eCommerce in Traffic, Trails in Sales

You might be in the East Coast stuck in your house with snow up to your roof, or you might be in the West Coast lounging in the sun avoiding going indoors.  Either way, is your mobile phone in your hand?  If not, is it more than three feet from your hand?  Most likely not.    The population's addiction to...

So retargeting will cause my ad to follow people? CREEPY!

There is a fine, fine line between being creepy and being, let’s say, involved. Marketers love the idea of retargeting. It’s personalized advertising! You are following someone around online who recently visited your website and showed an interest in your product. What could go wrong? Well, to those who don’t have an understanding of retargeting, it can be a...

Valentine’s Day: A Digital Marketing Love Affair

Looking for a Valentine’s Day gift that will win your sweetheart over?  Look no further than your favorite digital device. Valentine’s Day is known not only for love and romance, but also for business and consumer driven behaviors: shopping and advertising.  According to momentology.com, data from recent years shows that couples are not the only consumers driven to spend this...

The Agile Marketing Phenomenon!

Getting involved with digital marketing is one of the smartest things you can do for your business. Digital marketing gives consumers the access to products and information at any time or anywhere. While it’s not impossible to run a business without digital marketing, your company would be at a severe disadvantage. However, when approaching this field, it’s important to...

The Power of the View-Through

How many display ads do you think you are exposed to in one day?  Tens, twenties or even hundreds?  Believe it or not, the number falls closer to the upper levels of the spectrum. Between the countless billboards, magazines, television and internet ads we pass by hundreds of times a day, it is apparent that display advertising has made a...

Is my A/B test done yet?!

I can relate to the excitement of getting definitive answers, especially when those answers will directly affect your business. Unfortunately, A/B testing is something that depends on waiting until the right moment. So how do you know when that right moment is? A test stopped too early can yield inaccurate results. These results can range from merely inaccurate to completely...

Google Analytics Can Tell Me When I Should Advertise?

The folks who bring you Google Analytics have just released some first quarter insights from the previous two years that could help you decide when it is best to beef up your marketing in the coming weeks. They analyzed billions of Google Analytics sessions and found that “in particular, the week of February 5th (also known as the week...

What is SEO and Why Does it Matter?

SEO is a digital marketing tool that has blown up in the last 3 years from a new “trend” to a marketing staple that has endured the ever-changing strategies and rules of digital marketing. According to Search Engine Land, SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial,” or “natural” search results on...

Should you invest in a mobile app? Hmmm…maybe not.

Making an app for your business seems to be what everyone's doing right now. 2014 was even referred to as the “year of mobile," however, the roles mobile played in 2014 will be changing in 2015. Mobile is expected to become such a normal part of one’s daily life, it will eventually fade from consumers' consciousness. The differences between accessing...

We Are A (Insert Your Type Of Company Here), Do We Really Need To Blog?

The short answer? Yes! I recently was talking with the owner of a plumbing company and I told him that he needed to add a blog to his website. His response? “Who the *&!# is going to read a blog about plumbing?” Fair enough. I explained to him that the purpose of a blog is not just to educate and...

Put and End to Pinching and Zooming With a Mobile Optimized Site

As mobile internet use continue to skyrocket among the large population of digital device users, it becomes more difficult for brands to maintain their websites to keep up with the ever-changing and developing new devices.  While having a user-friendly site is a benefit to web users, it can be a burden to web developers and business owners who struggle...

What Is A “View-Through” And Why Should I Care?

Google recommends that advertisers track View-Through Conversions. Here’s what Google says, “Measure the success of your display ad campaigns by using View-Through Conversions… View-Through Conversions are what happens when a customer sees an ad (but doesn’t click), and then later completes a conversion on your site.” In order to track View-Throughs, a pixel code is placed on your website. Google...

Don’t Make the Same Digital Marketing Mistakes in 2015

At only 2 weeks into the new year, there have been plenty of new tips created on how to make 2015 your most successful year yet.  But reading lists on top of lists about what your business should be doing but isn't doing yet can be intimidating and overwhelming.  It takes time for you and your consumers to adapt...

Want More Conversions? Offer Less Options!

Giving people too many options or asking them for too much information can quickly reduce your conversions. For example, a study found that by reducing the number of options on your website’s “contact us” form from 6 to 3, you can increase your conversion rate an average of 66%.  Even changing something like the “submit” button can increase your...

Mobile Window Shopping: Look but Don’t Buy

As smart phone usage increases rapidly in America, the technical abilities of new phones become more and more advanced to add convenience to their users’ lives.  The smart phone population realized that their phone is essentially a mini desktop computer that allows them to fulfill any task on the web without the constrictions of desktop computers or even Wi-Fi. Despite...

Are Facebook And X (previously Twitter) Worth Your Company’s Time?

“So few people actually see posts from top brands on Facebook and Twitter that focusing heavily on those networks can be a waste of time, money and resources.” This quote is from vice president and principal analyst Nate Elliott of Forrester Research in a new research report. He goes on to say that their research showed, “It’s clear that Facebook...

Where Advertising Budgets Are Going In 2015

With the new year upon us it means brand new advertising budgets as well. Nielsen released their annual report where they survey marketers to find out how and where they are spending their advertising dollars, and what is planned for the upcoming year. Overall, 70% of marketers increased the amount of budget allocated to digital brand advertising in 2014, a...

Your 2015 New Year’s Resolution: Effective Marketing

The end of another holiday season also marks the end of a new year and the beginning of new opportunities in 2015.  Although you might have a list of important resolutions that you promise to keep this year, the fact is you may only keep them for 2 weeks, or through the entire month of January if you’re lucky. ...

Just How Much Time Do We Spend Each Day With Digital Media?

2014 was a “banner” year for digital growth, both in advertising revenue and time spent with digital media. An eMarketer report estimates that the average US adult will have spent 5 hours and 46 minutes a day in 2014, with digital media. (Their definition of digital media includes online, mobile, and non-mobile connected devices including gaming and streaming devices.)   It’s...

The Omnichannel Experience: Coming to Screens Near You in 2015

The Omnichannel Experience may sound like an action movie you would see in an IMAX theatre, but this concept is a new marketing trend that is expected to explode in 2015. The omnichannel marketing experience is a term that describes the seamless, cross-channel shopping habits that consumers have latched on to this holiday season and are expected to stay latched...

The New Year Means New Facebook Changes

Have you heard about the changes that Facebook has announced that will begin in January?  Facebook announced that they are going to filter out unpaid promotional material in user news feeds that businesses have posted as status updates.  Even if someone has “liked” your business Page and opted in to see your company’s status updates, the chances are they...

Tips on Talking to Young Women

Millennials, or the generation born between 1980-2000, have inherited a reputation of being “entitled,” “enigmatic,” and even “slackers.”  Unfortunately, it is not only the millennials as a whole who are underestimated and underrepresented, it is the women within the 16-34 age group who are the most misunderstood, despite their huge buying power.  Small businesses seeking the attention of women...

Quick- How Many Pages Are On Your Website?

It's a fact: Google loves content creators.  And the more credible, keyword rich content on your site, the better Google ranks your website.  So how many pages do you have indexed in Google? It's easy to check! Step 1: Go to Google.com Step 2: In the browser field type "site:http://insertyourwebsite.com/" (no spaces, don't forget the colon!) Step 3: Google it! And voila! The...

Mobile Marketing Milestone: Golden Age of Internet Advertising

The 1950’s were called the Golden Age of Television, when the TV launched the population's addiction to the small screen.  More than six decades later, the population is starting to shift their addiction to an even smaller screen. According to a new report from Forrester Research, online ad spending will surpass TV ad spending for the first time as soon...

Desktop is Not Dead! The Evolution of Desktop and Mobile Marketing

Desktops computers soared to popularity in the 1990’s and became a household item, like a microwave, or a television.  In the 2000’s a new normal revolutionized on the go technology with mobile phones.  The evolution of mobile phone technology ultimately lead to the status quo of the smartphone, which are ultimately monopolized by Android and Apple.  Easy access to...

From Google: 5 Things You Need to Know About SEO

Are you looking for ways to organically increase the traffic to a website?  If so, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will improve the overall structure of a website which will help drive traffic. How? An SEO specialist has many different ways to optimize a website. Below are 5 examples taken straight from the "Search Giant" itself, Google. 1) Create unique and accurate...

Why Don’t My Click Reports Match My Google Analytics? (Example)

Google Analytics is a terrific platform for understanding more about how visitors use your website.  However, keep in mind that it is not tracking data the same way that log servers track clicks. Click data is based on ad server logs from the ad exchange(s).  Analytics data (such as Google Analytics), is based on cookies or page loads. HOW GOOGLE ANALYTICS...

Why is Conversion Tracking and Goal Setting So Important?

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign (aka Pay-Per Click) it’s important to do a bit of homework first. As they look through their Google Analytics, they see clicks+cost with an overall increase in traffic. Putting these items together, increased traffic with clicks implies ads are working, right? Not necessarily!   Your customer could potentially be losing revenue from really expensive...

If Your Mobile Site Doesn’t Load in 3 Seconds, Your Customers Aren’t Happy

Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us.  While some of us are already planning on procrastinating holiday shopping until Christmas Eve and some of us are still in denial that it isn't July anymore, the most avid shoppers have had their credit cards ready since the first leaf of the season changed.  But this year, instead of...

Branding Yourself On Linked In with Customizable Backgrounds

What was once only available to premium members of Linked In has now reached the masses: customizable backgrounds, similar to Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  Give your profile a professional punch by uploading your own in a few easy steps: Step 1: Create a 1400 x 425 background that is under 4 MB in  .jpg, .png, or .gif.  You'll notice that...

Generation X Edges Out Millenials in Facebook Use…But Not Selfies.

Generation X, the middle population of 65 million Americans ages 34-49, are frequently recognized as being squished in between the older, dominant Baby Boomers and the young, free-spirited Millennials.  And boy does Generation X love their mobile technology and social media!  Despite blatantly targeting every new tech trend to be marketed towards millennials, it's Gen Xers that spend the most...

Did Your Website Get Hit With the Penguin Penalty?

Take a peak at your Google Analytics.   If you are seeing your website traffic is at an ALL time low in the past month you may have been struck by the Penguin, or Googles’ third update to its algorithm.  Colloquially known as Penguin 3.0, this update launched on October 17th (according to Google Webmaster Hangouts) and has caused many...

What Did Your Website Look Like 10 years ago? Take a peek!

Step into our time machine and travel back to September 4, 1998 when Google was founded. This is what their website looked like:   That's Google in Beta test mode and trying out their new colorful logo.  Let's travel back a bit further, to July 5, 1994, when Amazon.com was founded. This what their website looked like:         Scads of sports stuff? A...

What are college kids doing on Friday and Saturday nights? Snapchatting.

Snapchat, the “now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t” photo app, has caught the attention of the tech world because of its rapid success, occasional controversy and most of all, its devoted audience of users. “What the heck is Snapchat?” you might be saying in your head right now… Snapchat is a photo service that allows users to take pictures or videos, known as “snaps” of themselves...

2014 – The Year Of Mobile Domination

It's official - mobile rules when it comes to media consumption.  The average person consumes 7 hours of media a day and mobile is number one, accounting for about 35% or 145 minutes of that time. The 2014 "Marketing In A Multiscreen World" report found similar results with smartphones at 35% of daily screen time, far outpacing T.V., tablets, and...

“Completers” Are Better Than “Clickers”

If you are doing a video pre-roll campaign, there are a lot of metrics you can measure, but which are the most important? Impressions? Click-Through-Rates? Completion Rates? A study done by Vindico clearly demonstrated that what counts for video ad campaigns are Completion Rates, saying, “Click Through Rate is the King of False Positives” The report goes on to explain that...

The Need to Move Faster

Technology is affecting customer behavior and the changes are opening and closing customer touch points with businesses. With businesses in markets across America, the advertising mix is changing, and with that advertising revenues are shifting from legacy media to all things digital.  Yet I feel that many in the media sector don’t understand the velocity of the change and...

Does having a separate mobile website hurt my SEO?

A question we are frequently asked is whether having a separate mobile website will create SEO issues?  (A separate mobile url is one that starts with m. and redirects to the mobil url – i.e., m.vicimediainc.com.) The answer is “no” if it is done correctly – and we do it the correct way!  (As outlined by Google in this article.)...

9 Things You Didn’t Know About SEO!

In this digital marketing age, it's no wonder people are putting so much emphasis on SEO.  Search Engine Optimization. It's making your site more visible on search engines so that people can find you!  And don't we all want people to find us?  SEO's increasing popularity, however, has lead to several misconceptions about its use and how to optimize...

Meet Leslye Schumacher!

As Vici Media continues to grow, we want you to know everyone who has been here since the beginning and helped the company rise!  So every week we'll introduce you to a key member of the team.  This week we begin with Leslye Schumacher...Senior Partner and resident Motorcycle Chick here at Vici. 10 Things about Leslye: If I had it to...

UTM Codes?! I’ve never heard of UTM Codes!

If you are like the majority of the population, you might have never heard of UTM Codes.  And why not?! I don't know - because they are a great tool to use for measuring your digital campaigns! UTM stands for Urchin Traffic Monitor.  And that's what it does - it monitors traffic coming into a site, and specifically names where that...

How to Track Your Conversions on Google Analytics!

So if you read our little cheat sheet on Google Analytics (if not, you can read it here!), we're going to jump right in and show you how you can track your conversions.  Remember, conversions are some action that your intended audience takes to push them further down the funnel - such as completing a purchase or filling out...

Your Google Analytics Cheat Sheet (Example)

Are you maximizing your company website, blog, and Facebook page?  Are they optimized for the best performance to fit your needs and for organic search results?  Google Analytics is one of the most popular web visitor tracking tools.  It adds a small snippet of code that is placed on all the pages of your website.  Google Analytics reports can...

What the heck is a DO FOLLOW, dofollow, do-follow…

I had a client the other days ask a question about his website, asking if it would be a "do-follow" site.  This question is SO CLOSE to being a legitimate question, but also kind of funny. Here's why: Essentially you have two terms: "dofollow" and "nofollow".   This tells search engine spiders to crawl, or not crawl, a website. The...

How to install a Retargeting/Remarketing Pixel in WordPress. (Example)

Retargeting web visitors is a common best practice to maximize conversions and invite back potential customers to your website.  Our clients often ask us to help retarget (or remarket) their web traffic.  Retargeting technology uses a pixel (lines of HTML code), which creates a cookie to track site visitors. But how the heck do you install that pixel? Wordpress doesn't...

RPS Tournament

The Results are In! See who won the RPS Tournament: For approximately 1.4 Million Years, the noble sport of Rock Paper Scissors has been used to decide our lives’ most IMPORTANT DECISIONS. Friendship, Marriage, War, Sandwich Ownership… man and lady kind’s deepest choices have all been overseen by the impartial game of Rock Paper Scissors. “I get it,” you say with...