Online marketing

What digital advertising products to use for Summer festivals and attractions?

Cowabunga Dudes! Summer is just around the corner, and for festivals and summer attractions, it’s time to start thinking about how to best use your marketing budget to help increase business this year.  Using Digital Advertising will allow you to pinpoint the audience you want to reach and invite them into your business. There are many ways that you can do...

The Evolution of Display Advertising

Digital Display advertising refers to the promotion of products or services through display ads on digital platforms such as websites or mobile apps.  Over the past two decades, digital display advertising has revolutionized the way businesses reach their target audiences and has become a cornerstone of modern marketing. The history of digital display advertising dates back to the early days...

Where should I spend my Digital Advertising dollars in 2023?

As the holidays come into view on the calendar, so do the budget meetings, review meetings, and strategy planning for the upcoming year.   A question that we get asked quite often is “How much should I invest into digital advertising next year?” This is a great question, as we are seeing an increase in digital advertising spend throughout the United...

How do you help the Real Estate Industry with Digital Advertising?

If you’ve been looking to buy a home recently, or bought one, you’ve probably overpaid, just like I did earlier this year.  If you’ve sold a house this year, you probably made a great return on your initial investment.  The real estate market is on FIRE right now across the country, making it the perfect industry to talk to...

What are the most common objections to using digital advertising?

More and more companies are including digital advertising as a critical component to their marketing strategies. However, there are still some companies out there who have not yet jumped in, or maybe have jumped in and didn’t like the results. We know how important digital is and how big of an impact it can make for small and medium sized...

How Do You Target Your Advertising During the Holidays?

Oh Quaren-tree, Oh Quaran-tree… what will this holiday season be? Pivot left. Pivot right.  How many more times can we pivot this year?  For some of us, we have already been pioneers in curbside pickup and same day delivery.  While we do not know exactly what holiday shopping is going to look like this year, we can be sure that...

What is Cross Platform Targeting and How Does it Work?

In order to understand Cross Platform Advertising, it’s important to first understand its foundation, Mobile Conquesting™, one of our most popular products. It’s also one of the more advanced and sophisticated products we offer. With Mobile Conquesting™, targeting people on their mobile devices (smart phones and tablets), we have the ability to target people by online behaviors and offline behaviors....

What are Car Dealerships Doing Amid COVID-19?

COVID-19 continues to keep people at home. Businesses are closing operations, people are getting laid off or furloughed, and industries are learning to pivot their business models. This is also true for the automotive industry. There is now a lot of focus on their service departments, since this has been deemed essential. We have also seen a widespread shift...

How Well Does Digital Advertising Work For The Beauty Industry?

Gorgeously! I am a self-proclaimed beauty junkie, and there is no better place to get a product fix than the internet. My journeys to beauty product conversions are both intentional and accidental. For example, around Halloween I needed ideas for a costume. In about an hour I went from Pinterest for inspirations, to Googling “bride of Frankenstein makeup...

Top Digital Advertising Trends for 2020

Anywhere you look, you’re going to see trends for the new year, trends for the new decade, and all sorts of news about the “visionary” year of 2020.  Looking ahead, here are a few key things to watch out for as you plan and finalize your marketing budgets. Instagram Ads – We all know Instagram as Facebook’s little brother.  But,...

How can I use video in Digital Advertising?

With Advertisers increasing their digital video advertising budgets an average of 25% , it may be tough to decipher which video products they’re using as part of their marketing mix.  For instance, in Mobile video alone in 2018, brands spent over $30 billion in mobile video alone. So how do you know if what you’re doing is going to...

Digital Advertising Trends

Election season is basically upon us, and we know that every election year, there are so many changes within the economy.  What businesses are going to spend what, and where are they going to spend it? Before we look at 2020, let’s take a quick look at how 2019 digital ad spending will most likely end.  Here’s a quick chart...

What techniques are most popular for Professional Services?

According to a survey by BIA’s Local Advertising Forecast, the professional service industries will spend $2.5 Billion on mobile ads in 2019.  These industries include law firms and legal businesses along with engineering, architects and computer/technology services.  These are the industries that will spend the most. Other industries within this vertical include accounting (CPAs), advertising agencies, photography services, and...

Do Credit Unions Utilize Digital Advertising?

In short, the answer is yes!  But, to get a good look at what works and what doesn’t, let’s take a deeper dive into how much they are spending, and what they are spending that money on. According to TheFinancialBrand.com, Credit Unions spend between $9.92 – $14.83 per member on advertising.  Now, that number can vary depending on the size of the Credit...

How Do I Get Renewals From My Clients?

If you’re asking this on your way in to get a renewal, you’re already too late…. First, let’s look at some of the most common reasons renewals DON’T happen: 1. You didn’t hold a proper Customer Needs Analysis meeting because you don’t have access to the end client. 2. You assume what the client’s goals are without discussing it with them. 3. You...

Why do digital and traditional media work well together?

You have heard the phrase, opposites attract. Well the same holds true for your media mix. Traditional media like radio and television work hand in hand with digital. Digital marketing can include tactics like SEO, online display or native and social media across all online devices. First, it is important to understand your audience and to realize there are many ways...

How Do I Boost Leads on My Website?

As digital trends and products evolve, and marketers strive to understand online consumer behavior, a common question we get is how to accelerate the number of leads on a website. Making sure a website is SEO friendly, mobile-optimized, and well-designed is all extremely important, but one thing often over-looked is the ease of which to get information. That’s where...

What Are Top Digital Advertising Industries For 2019? (Example)

As 2019 approaches, it’s imperative that we understand what’s working and continue to add fuel to the fire. Following up to our last blog about preparing for next year, we wanted to share with you some of the top industries spending money in Digital Marketng. Breweries. Breweries are popping up all over the country. Their individual spin on some classic...

Do Video Ads Work For Small Businesses?

Video.  Is it worth the investment to have a video created and include it in your digital marketing?  The answer is yes. In almost every aspect of Digital Marketing, we have seen not only an increase in using video, but an increase in the interaction with digital ads created by businesses. (photo credit: Ad Week) According to SingleGrain: 70% of consumers say...

Digital Ad Spend Surpasses 50% of Total Ad Spending in the U.S.

Earlier this year, eMarketer, Marketing-Interactive, and CNBC  all predicted that digital ad spend would surpass 50% of advertising dollars in the U.S.  Turns out they were right. Currently, according to MAGNA, digital ad spend in the U.S. will surpass 51%, 51.5% to be exact.  That equates to about $160 billion dollars!  That’s a lot of money! Leading the digital ad spend...

Christmas In October?

Most people frown at the thought of thinking about the holiday season now and prefer to wait until after Halloween and Thanksgiving. It makes us cringe when we walk into a home decor or craft store and it is already filled with Christmas trees, lights and aisles of gift wrap and bows in September or even October. BUT, with the...

Is couponing effective on Mobile?

Short answer: no. In fact, it is not just mobile, we have yet to find a digital product that works effectively for coupons. What is the problem with digital coupons on mobile? The main reason digital coupons on mobile fail is that they are just too complicated for most people. Think about how the ads are served. You are on...

IRS Contributes 3rd Party Income Data to Facebook (Example)

As we know, Facebook has been under scrutiny when it comes to their targeting capabilities and what they can/cannot do. Earlier this year, we learned that Facebook was removing many 3rd party categories from their targeting offerings and that they would take effect October 1st, 2018 (link here: https://vicimediainc.com/why-i-love-facebook-collection-ads/). This impacted many categories, including automotive, charitable donations, financial, job role,...

How To Be A Digital Marketing Guru

Because you are reading this, it is likely that you and your team have now completed your digital training. (if you haven’t, click here and get on board!  You make the effort to keep up to date on all things digital through ongoing education and weekly webinars. You know your stuff and you have put it into action! You...

Are you interested in FREE MONEY that can be used on digital?

I find this statistic shocking: “Roughly half of the nearly $70 billion allocated to fund co-op advertising programs goes unused every year.” However, according to estimates from LSA, Borrell Associates and others that is exactly what is happening. So it is not that co-op money is less available as some might believe, it is more that the uses of...

What are small business marketing resolutions for 2018?

As this year closes and a new one begins, small business owners are seeking strategies that can help them remain competitive and relevant.  They are analyzing past tactics and campaigns and determining where and how to spend their marketing dollars. Digital is absolutely a significant part of marketing budgets and in a multifaceted landscape, Small Business Owners are looking for...

How long does a digital campaign need to run to work? (Example)

One of the core challenges advertisers face is determining how long a digital marketing campaign should last. Digital, like many other mediums, requires frequency. If the campaign is too short, you reduce the probability of your customers seeing your message, and grasping it enough to take some action. So what is the ideal time for a campaign? We believe it is...

What Are The Best Digital Advertising Products For Local Political Campaigns?

According to Ad Age, there is a broad trend being played out across the advertising landscape. Using data to target audience segments and make smarter media buys in digital. Political numbers absolutely reflect that as digital is replacing traditional ad spend in this vertical. Politicians are assigning ad budgets for digital. And, online digital advertising is not covered by the...

The best digital campaigns are expertly mixed, just like your favorite cocktail

When creating a digital marketing strategy, it is easy to become enamored with products that are at the bottom of the sales funnel.  It would be easy to think, “I’m going to focus only on Pay Per Click/Search Engine paid ads, Retargeting and SEO because they will help me drive the most conversions.” This way of thinking is not...

Traditional and Digital Together Improves Purchase Intent

It is a well-known fact that digital platforms have transformed how people do business these days.  The influence of digital on the shopping journey is impacting how people shop and make decisions about products and services in which they are interested.  It is also setting new digital expectations of retailers in terms of how they help their customers gather...

Online Products for Offline Buyers

There are many media buyers out there that are devouring as much information as they can about digital advertising, given that the marketing landscape has changed so drastically.  A media mix used to include placing a television, radio, direct mail, newspaper, phone book, or a billboard buy.   Now with the introduction of a countless number of digital products that...

Desktop Ads Are Still Holding Strong In A Mobile World

Mobile usage is absolutely exploding, but that does not mean that we should ignore the steady performance of desktop.  A smart marketing strategy will leverage the strengths of each device and maximize their unique contributions to the campaign. As mobile continues to grow and evolve, so do the opportunities to advertise using mobile strategies.  However, that does not mean it...

Reaching Moms with Digital Marketing

Of the 80 million millennials in the U.S., one-quarter are now parents. Statistics also show that 83% of new moms are millennials.  According to a recent report from Nielsen, some 39% of women aged 18-49 in the US have a child under the age of 12, including 46% of women aged 35-49. Why does this matter to marketers? Because millennial women tend to...

Why Are Frequency Caps and Conversions So Important?

Retargeting, also sometimes referred to as remarketing, is a form of digital advertising that can help you keep your brand in front of bounced traffic after they leave your website. A visitor goes to your website, you drop a cookie on the person, and then follow that person around the web and show your ad to that  person until...

Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Using Facebook For Advertising

For small businesses, posting on Facebook just isn’t enough anymore. On average, only 2% of your fans will see one of your posts on their Facebook page (socialbakers.com).  Many businesses have heard about the importance of using Facebook to grow their business – but they are not sure where to start.  Do your clients still need convincing? Here are...

Using Mobile Conquesting™ for Holiday Marketing

Year after year, Christmas is one of the biggest seasons for consumer engagement campaigns. Holiday promotions and interactive content are an excellent way to get a piece of the warm holiday feeling during this time of year! Also important during the season is being able to reach people on their smartphone while they are out and about.  The solution?...

2017 Planning: Marketing Budgets Have Gone Up (Again!)

Not every small business has the luxury of having a full-time Marketing Director on payroll, leaving those without a lot of marketing experience scratching their heads when planning for 2017.  With the pressure to have every dollar spent promoting the business coming back as a positive return on investment it can be tricky to balance how much to spend...

What Does The Local Ad Revenue Forecast For 2017 Mean For You?

According to a recent article published by by Ad Age, the latest local ad revenue forecast from BIA/Kelsey confirms that revenue from local-focused online ads will exceed that of traditional ads aimed at local audiences by 2018. “BIA/Kelsey forecasts that in local markets, digital advertising, including mobile, will grow from $44.2 billion in 2016 to $50.2 billion in 2017 -- a...

Top 5 Ways Your Business Can Capitalize on the Pokémon Go Craze

Everyone is playing Pokémon Go! Pokémon Go is the wildly addictive smartphone game by Niantic, Inc, which allows players to use GPS to track down and collect digital monsters in an augmented reality (AR). Pokémon originated in 1995 as a popular Game Boy video game published by Nintendo, that encouraged players to collect, trade and battle “Pocket Monsters” or...

Why Your Online Presence is Important

While most businesses recognize the importance of having an online presence in this technological age, new studies are showing how important it actually is, especially for small businesses. A recent survey asked internet users in the US how having an online presence can impact a small business. Over a third (36.7%) of them said they learn about small businesses...

Digital Video Ad Spend is Experiencing Major Growth

If you’re looking for a new trend that isn’t high-waisted shorts or man buns, look no further than digital video.  Recent studies have found that digital video spending is on the rise, and shows no signs of slowing down. It looks like this year’s digital and mobile video ad spend will be about 85% more than it was in...

Emoji Use on the Rise in Marketing

Locavore, hypermiling, refudiate, selfie, and…. ‘Face with Tears of Joy?’ () One of these things is not like the others. These words are all past winners of Oxford Dictionary’s coveted Word of the Year award, but the most recent winner is not a word at all, it’s an emoji. The use of emojis spiked in 2015 (a contributing factor...

The Best Online Ads Use the K.I.S.S. Technique

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). ...

Facebook Reactions: What You Need To Know

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...

Local Searches? 64% Don’t Start With A Search Engine

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...

Digital Ad Terms You Need To Know

A/B Testing: When you compare different versions of digital ads or website landing pages to see which one performs better. An A/B test for digital ads would be running two different versions of ad creative and then measuring which version gets a higher engagement from viewers. Above The Fold: This is a term from the print advertising industry. In digital,...

What is Co-Op Advertising? (Example)

Cooperative advertising is a great way to help supplement media spending and even increase your ROI by reaching more of your target audience. What is Co-Op Advertising? Cooperative advertising is when a business or brand who wishes to advertise, whether it be via radio, print, television, or digital, partners with a manufacturer of a product that they sell, and runs ads with that...

Facebook Advertising… in a Nutshell!

If you haven’t already noticed, Facebook is everywhere and it’s not going away anytime soon. But that’s OK. With over 72% of online adults using the platform, the highest of any of its social counterparts, Facebook has become an advertising goldmine. It’s not every day that you find an advertising platform that can let you target individuals down to...

Landing Pages: The Key to Conversions

Landing pages are specific pages on your website that someone lands on after they click or engage with an advertisement that are used to get a viewer to fill out a form, sign up for something, or to call someone. These actions are what we call conversions, and they are what every digital marketing campaign strives for. One of the...

Going Digital? Know your Audience.

Here at Vici we get asked a ton of questions about campaign optimization. One of the most popular questions is “What is the best way to target this specific group of people?” The answer to this question isn’t exactly straight forward, but there are a few things that can be done to help maximize exposure of a campaign to...