Google has begun releasing a new feature (currently in Beta) which allows website owners the ability to view individual, anonymized, interactions up to the minute. User Explorer, as it’s being called, began showing up in Google Analytics dashboards a few weeks ago and those who have had a chance to really dig into it have given the new tool very [...]
I think Search Engine Optimization is one of the hardest things to understand and even harder to explain to small business owners. Now, Google is making all kinds of change to their Search Engine Results Page (SERP), making it more confusing than ever. I’ve learned to run things through my “Mom Test.” If I can explain a digital product in [...]
The K.I.S.S. technique has been a favorite among marketers for decades, especially when it comes to billboards, short radio spots, or television ads that fill less then :10 seconds worth of inventory. The acronym stands for: Keep It Simple Stupid. This is also known as the more politically correct and sanitized Keep It Short and Simple (albeit less fun). Turns [...]
With March officially over, and with the promise of warmer weather around the corner, it seems like the perfect opportunity to take a step back and look at some interesting stats and info from this past month surrounding digital marketing. First up, a new eMarketer study predicting that digital ad spending will surpass TV ad spending next year. Digital to [...]
73.5% of small to medium sized retail businesses maintain a customer or lead list, according to BIA/Kelsey. Great news, right? You have the names, addresses, or emails, the question now becomes HOW do I reach this gold mine of existing customers and prospects? Reaching out to your current customer base, subscribers and/or social media followers may be the easiest way [...]
As a small business, you may be pinching pennies and trying to save money wherever you can by not doing anything excessive or unnecessary. And you may be of the mindset that digital marketing is one of these nonessential things. I’m going to let you in on a secret: it’s not. Digital marketing, if anything, is going to help you [...]
One of the things I get asked about by our clients is how they can better the search engine ranking of their website - especially on Google. Of course, one way is have a company (like Vici!) undertake a Search Engine Optimization campaign for you. But there are also a number of free things you can do as well. One [...]
A carousel is no longer only found at carnivals and parks. Now, you see carousels all the time on your Facebook or Instagram News Feed (and may not even notice). Carousel ads are a rotating group of up to five images that allow you to show your consumers more of what you offer. They are shown as native ads on [...]
Did you know that almost half of searches do NOT start with a search engine, but rather on a specific website where people are looking for information? This means that simply doing paid search ads isn’t enough for local businesses to break through with their advertising. In 2016 it is projected that display advertising will surpass paid search ads for [...]
As people, we are able to react to our environment with an array of emotions. Why is it then, that Facebook only allows us to Like content in our News Feed? Well Facebook has finally done something about it. This past week, Facebook has released a new feature which has changed the way we can now react to individual posts. [...]
If you want to target customers under the age of 35 in your next digital campaign, Instagram is the platform for you. Instagram is continuously growing, and with that growth, is becoming a major player in the mobile social media game. According to an article by eMarketer, this year 89.4 million people in the United States will be scrolling through [...]
Google has introduced a new search engine results page feature called Accelerated Mobile Pages or “AMP.” It’s not an ad platform and it’s not a paid search product. AMP are website pages that appear in the organic results in a “news carousel” and have special code written into them so that when clicked, the page instantly loads on your smartphone. Here [...]
On Friday, February 19th 2016 Google confirmed that the search engine results page (SERP) will no longer show text ads down the right hand side of a search, worldwide. Replacing the old format will be four text ads displayed above the organic listings, as well as three text ads that will appear at the bottom of the page. So you [...]
In a previous post I talked about ways that automotive dealers can use mobile – and specifically location based targeting, to reach consumers who are ready to purchase a vehicle. That has led to several questions from clients. Given the success of this type of auto buyer targeting, should dealerships ONLY use mobile ads and not use desktop and laptop [...]
An ad campaign with good copy can still fail if it is partnered with bad ad creative. In order to avoid such failure, it is important to understand the key aspects of a good, successful ad. One aspect that I always suggest is to try to tailor the ad to the medium or platform on which it is running. For instance, [...]
All digital campaigns measure clicks - as in how many people “clicked” on the ad. The Click-Through-Rate (CTR) is merely the beginning of the story. CTR’s serve a purpose. They allow you to gauge the results of your digital campaign in a very simple form and these metrics are important – however, they do not provide the complete engagement picture. [...]
Finding out what potential advertisers’ needs and goals are for a campaign is critical, but matching those to the right digital product is just as crucial. A majority of small businesses say that they will be spending more on digital marketing this year and a recent study details what they say are their primary goals and priorities. So let’s look at [...]
It’s great news to see that 56% of small and medium sized businesses are planning to increase their budgets in 2016. Of particular interest is that many will be concentrating those increases on digital marketing. For those of us in the online advertising world this is indeed great news, but behind this lies a problem. Almost half of [...]
When performing a local search online, many would think that Google-ing it would be the preferred method of inquiry. However, according to a recent study by IDC Custom Solutions, the process is actually quite varied. According to their study, only 36% of individuals performing a local search start with a search engine. What does this mean? Well instead of going to [...]
Real estate agents’ favorite line is now moving into the field of digital marketing: location, location, location. The number of smartphone users is rapidly increasing; it is predicted that the number of smartphone users will reach two billion people worldwide this year. This means that where consumers go, their smartphones go as well, creating the perfect environment for location-based marketing. [...]