Misconceptions and bad marketing experiences are common. For many businesses marketing is an afterthought. Or they are using the same channels and methods they’ve used for years. Thinking, it worked before; why wouldn’t it work now? Others have been burned in the past by marketers who sold them bogus solutions.
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The key to any marketing campaign is having a well-thought-out strategy. This is especially true when planning a multichannel campaign because there are more moving pieces. What information do you need to build an effective campaign strategy? And what’s the best way to organize a successful campaign?
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The end of the year always provides such a good time to reflect on trends and the direction we’re going! After a year with so many transitions across industries, privacy laws, and marketing channels, our focuses for next year have also shifted! One area to focus on in 2022 is content marketing.
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55% of consumers say that they will start their holiday shopping before Halloween this year. This means, the holiday season is here early! Consumers are worried about increased shipping times and product outages, pushing them to get their shopping done early. Americans are also expected to spend 7%-9% more this holiday season! What do you need to get your Holiday campaign set up on time?
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Most people’s favorite part of building a marketing campaign are the visuals. While how your marketing looks is important, who you are sending it to, and how you are sending it should be the first step with any marketing. Those two things inform everyone’s favorite part of marketing: results.
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With many companies adjusting to being back in the office or a hybrid work model, employees are having to change their Flow State. What is a Flow State? (Sometimes just called Flow.) Flow is simply that state of mind in which we feel and perform our best and feel at ease. What is the value of companies promoting Flow State? How has the changing work model impacted Flow? And how can you access your Flow State and increase productivity?
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One thing that stays constant, even in the midst of challenging circumstances such as a pandemic, is that people consume media. We always seek out entertainment and information. Content consumption is at an all-time high and therefore, competition for viewer’s attention is as well. One thing that stays constant, even in the midst of challenging circumstances such as a pandemic, is that people consume media. We always seek out entertainment and information. Content consumption is at an all-time high and therefore, competition for viewer’s attention is as well. However, 84% of marketers say that it is getting harder to grab a consumer’s attention with television advertising alone. Most advertisers surveyed say that TV ads isn’t the first thing that they plan anymore, instead starting with digital and then working in TV. How can CTV and OTT change that?
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With the upcoming release of Apple’s new Operating System and (another) Apple privacy controversy in the news this week, we thought it was a good time to bring this article back. 😜
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The Social Proof Phenomenon is a foundation piece of how our culture buys now. Between Instagram Influencers, Yelp reviews, and 5 star Amazon products, most of us make purchase decisions on the value others see in the product. How can Social Proof and online reviews work for you?
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Instagram can be a confusing and overwhelming beast. It has its own constantly changing algorithm and culture that separates it from any other social media. Getting Instagram to work for you takes time, effort, insight, and unfortunately: intuition. What do you need to get the most out of Instagram?
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When working as part of a team, how we work alone as well as how we work together contributes to productivity and efficiency. When employees are stressed or exhausted, engagement and productivity dip and the whole company can feel the effects. It can be hard to stay productive.
So, what can you as an individual and you as a team do to maintain your efficiency and productivity?
There are A LOT of different marketing channels out there. What are the pros and cons of some of the common ones?
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Data, analytics, and insight is kinda our thing. However, it seems like a lot of people use those words almost interchangeably. Are they the same thing? What do they mean for your business?
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Whether or not you think of yourself as creative person, all jobs required creative thinking. And especially as marketers we produce a lot of content, for ourselves and our clients. However, it can be difficult to continue to produce high-quality content when we don’t feel creative or inspired.
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Remember like, a year ago when lots of big businesses were saying they weren’t going to require their employees to go back to the office? And then, inevitability they did. A lot of big companies and whole industries have gone back to the office. What did we learn from corporate’s ‘year-at-home’? Are industries and office culture really going to adapt to modern WFH life? Or is the 9-5, 5-day-workweek here to stay?
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Content creation is an integral part of marketing or running a business in general now. However, a lot of companies struggle with creating content that generates engagement. Part of the value of content creation is that engagement and the conversation between brand and consumer. What can you do to create engaging content for your brand?
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It seems like soooooo many articles/emails/ebooks/Facebook videos are titled something along the lines of: “blank” is dead. Or “Why the new ios update is going to kill email marketing.” Or “3 stats that prove print and mail is dead.” But it is? For the most part those titles are just clickbait, and the content just proves how it is very much not dead.
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The internet and the marketing industry have something in common: They are full of terms and acronyms that can feel like an entirely different language. It can be super easy to misunderstand and/or misuse those terms. Here’s 4 “marketing/internet jargon” terms you are probably using wrong!
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There are so many things that impact an email’s effectiveness. Often, what matters to the consumer and what matters to the email service are very different things. It’s important to strike the right balance in making the consumer and email service happy, as well as reaching your goal in sending the email. So, how can you make sure your emails reach people?
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LookALike audiences have been a go-to targeting tool for almost a decade. Even before digital marketing, marketers used current audience demographics to target potential customers. With a growing number of AI tools available, businesses of all sizes have access to LookALike targeting. How can you use LookALike to increase sales?
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Did you know that are NINE types of videos your business needs? Gone are the days when the only video advertising was television commercials. Now, video is ever-present in our lives. For example, over 2 BILLION users log into YouTube every month. Just like any other tool available, as a business, your brand is going to need different things from different types of videos. Are you using all the kinds of video?
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In this digital world, a lot of us probably spend more time at our desks than we’d like to. Long amounts of time staring at a computer can take a toll! Here’s a few things you can do to give you a physical and mental break.
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Content creation is an integral part of marketing or running a business in general now. Even if you don’t think that you are a quote-on-quote content creator, you probably do create content. Every time you post on Facebook or update Instagram, that’s content. What are some easy things you can do to up your content game?
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We often focus on tips and tricks to help your business, but nothing is important to your business than you! Did you know that April is Stress Awareness month and May is Mental Health Month? What can you do to make sure you are running at your highest capacity and stay productive?
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Apple is rolling out an update this week that finally does what they’ve been threatening to do for a lonnnggggg time. Control over the ADFA (Apple’s Device Identifier for Advertisers) and other app tracking tools designed for marketing are being given directly to the users.
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Do you ever read a statistic that just messes with your head? For example, I recently read that by 2022, 41% of the world’s population will be under 25. Which is crazy!! And creates an interesting marketing challenge. How can you effectively market to a generation who has grown up online and is constantly inundated with content and advertising?
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Our podcast, BeGrowthDriven, this week was all about things that are valuable to delegate to other businesses. Here the 5 things that we found to be at the top of the delegation list!
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Online reviews are a staple of our lives now. Why should you care about the reviews that your company or products are getting online? Here’s what we have found!
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SEO has proven over and over again that it is essential to growing (and maintaining) your business. However, it doesn’t often get the spotlight it deserves! So, here’s some things you need to know to boost SEO.
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Buyer Personas or Avatars are one of those confusing marketing things that seems to be really important, but no one ever explains why or how you can make one. Buyer Personas are especially valuable in this digital age where you can’t see your customers. They can help make your digital presence and marketing more personal.
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While branding your company most people focus on things like logos, colors, message. Which is all super important! However, in this visual digital world we are living, putting a face to the name (or brand, in this case) is very valuable. For example, pictures with faces in them are on average 38% more likely to get likes and 32% more likely to receive comments.
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Although “the end of email” has been threatened may times in recent years, this year has shown us that email isn’t going anywhere. In fact, more than 50% of people in the US check their personal email over 10 times a day! Most people say that it is still their preferred way to communicate with brands.
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We’ve talked a lot about specific types of Digital Display Ads but what are the differences them? And how do you what type of Digital Display (Or online ad) is the best fit for your business?
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There’s a lot of fears people have about starting a podcast; Here’s some things you can do to create a successful podcast!
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How can you decide what social media platform you should be focusing your efforts?
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Recycling or repurposing content has a lot more advantages than just saving time! Here’s four we’ve found.
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We talk about First Party Data a lot. What it is?
First party data is data that your company has collected directly from your audience which is made up of customers, site visitors, and social media followers. “First party” refers to the party that collected the data firsthand.
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SaaS is a term that gets thrown around a lot. What does it mean and what can it do to help your business?
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The Instagram algorithm is the bane of some people’s existence. And yes, it is confusing since they moved from a chronological feed. It’s important to know how to best leverage the Instagram algorithm to make your content is being seen!
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In the past couple years, one platform after another has adapted a “stories” feature. LinkedIn, Spotify, and Twitter all added stories features in 2020.
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Digital Out-Of-Home (DOOH) is a return to old school advertising, combining the classic advertising experience with new technology and programmatic ad delivery. DOOH isn’t just roadside billboards anymore, digital advertisements can found just about anywhere now: elevators, gyms, airports, public transport, office buildings etc. Why is DOOH so popular? According to MediaPost, DOOH is likely […]
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We all love talking about the big sale accomplishments, the brag worthy sales. But the day-to-day is often defined, not by the amount of a sale, but by the quantity of them.
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We know all the ways things have changed this year. We also know how much trends ,such as relying on digital marketing channels, has sped up. It makes us wonder what we can do to survive and adapt with these changes. Here are four keys to success.
Read moreWe all have heard the jokes about how our phones are listening. Our phones, and tablets, and watches, and computers, and smart speakers. Therefore, when we get super personalized ads it can feel a bit creepy. Like, how do they know my name? and I was literally just talking about this? So, how can we find the balance between personalized marketing and creepy personalization?
Read moreWhen was the last time you felt fully engaged in a task and the hours just melted away? That’s called your flow state, something that psychology researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, from Claremont Graduate University in California, identified.
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We talk a lot about pixels and pixel data a lot. Pixels, also called tracking pixels or marketing pixels are integral to any marketing strategy. Why?
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We all acknowledge this this year has created a new normal in marketing. (and everything.) We have learned to be adaptable and prepare for the unexpected. Digital is king and therefore, data is more important than ever.
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Digital Audio Ads have exploded this year. It’s estimated that advertisers will spend $3.72 billion this year on digital audio advertising. So why all the hype?
Read moreCalling Black Friday the biggest shopping event of the year is an understatement. In 2019, consumers spent $7.4 Billion online alone. This year more than ever, online spending is expected to grow. What are some ways to stand out online this holiday season?
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Today the people in our work teams might be spread out across the country – or the world. It is easy to take it for granted that because of technology, we are able to work together and solve problems no matter where we are physically. The need for good teamwork will always be a necessity. How can we be good team players?
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We often focus on how to optimize your website and other online presences. There are also many real-world ways to generate online traffic, such as geofencing. What is geofencing? And how can you use it grow your business?
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Quality data and the proper interpretation is the foundation for any campaign. Especially for campaigns using more than one more channel. Customers now want personalized messages and interaction in the channel of their choice. The only way to do that successfully is have ongoing campaigns, spread out of many channels. How can data help?
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Let’s be honest, having a totally cleaned out inbox or a completely crossed off to-do list is one of life’s great joys. Clean digital workspace can help your focus and productivity. So what can you do to declutter your digital space?
Read moreEleven months into 2020, it is safe to say, this year has had a lot of surprises. So, what has working in marketing this year?
Read moreThere are over 3.8 billion people on social media around the world. That’s a lot of people to advertise too, and a lot of businesses to compete with. That’s why using social media analytics is so important.
Read moreIn 2020 we have lost many personal or face to face connections with customers. Therefore, digital marketing has to feel more personal. How? Focusing on your customer’s journey is the first step.
Read moreAccording to HubSpot, nearly 70% of business are investing in upping their content production this year. What can you do to make sure your content stands out from the rest?
Read moreIf this year has taught us anything it’s that being to react well to inevitability of change is a must-have trait. In venture investor Natalie Fratto’s TED Talk on adaptability, she focused on how we can work on a becoming more adaptable in the workplace.
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No matter how good the machine you build it is, it’s not going to run well if your fuel is poor quality. Data is the fuel the runs all marketing. The problem is, data error is commonplace. Data providers are all trying to give their clients the best data possible but often the data they are providing doesn’t match up.
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With things changing around us so quickly, having a long-term advertising strategy can be a challenge. We need real time audience data as much as possible. How can we build an adaptable audience in this rapidly changing world?
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Many companies (including our own) have been forced to adapt to WFH this year. Many of us enjoy working from home now and flexibility it offers. Why haven’t companies pushed WFH before?
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the “zoom shirt” became a quick way to reclaim some level of professionalism when on zoom business calls, but something you don’t have to wear all day while working from your couch.
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What is going to fill the void left by third party cookies? We know for sure that our reliance on data isn’t going to change. It’s the foundation of marketing. We are always going to need to know who our audience is.
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Looking for a fun art project to do with your kids (or by yourself honestly) this summer? The Tate Modern art museum in London has a website full of fun (and education) things to do to keep you busy this summer.
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In May 2020, The Design Museum in London started a Twitter thread highlighting the postal service. People from all over the world shared pictures of their favorite mailboxes, stamps, and signs.
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In a lot of ways, it’s business as usual. Except for it isn’t. The world has changed drastically in a matter of months and not adjusting your marketing strategy to reflect that can feel insensitive. So, what can you do to avoid any Corona marketing faux pas?
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Is your temporary home office starting to feel a little more permeant? What can you do to build a home office that you actually want to work in?
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Before you even get started, make sure your tools/programs are all set up and integrated. Integrating programs is one way to streamline your workflow. Brainstorm other ways to streamline workflow. Working efficiently will make it easier to keep track of all the pieces needed for your campaign. And it will also help you work faster.
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What is the difference between using data and using data effectively? Having insight or discernment is the key. Think about the old adage: knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing that it doesn’t belong in a fruit salad. Therefore if data = knowledge, then insight helps you to now where to put it effectively.
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Are starting to dream of your office chair, you know the one with the nice lumbar support? Working from home and in a makeshift office space can take a toll on your body. So, what can you do to not get sore?
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Eight months ago, Sales Force surveyed 8,000 customers worldwide to see how customer engagement trends have changed. They found that we were in the middle of engagement revolution. Now, just a few months later, the world is a drastically different place. The “revolution” in how we engage with our customers, has been sped up. We have surged forward to get to where we were already heading.
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When you work from home it’s easy to feel like you always need to be actually working. Working from home can blur the line between “work” time and “you” time.
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In January google announced that they are going to phase out third party cookies in the next two years. This created quite a buzz but what does it actually mean and what should you do?
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Do google analytics seem a little overwhelming to you? You are not alone. Google Analytics is notoriously complicated. Even for those of us who love data analytics, it can be hard to know where to start. So, what’s the deal with Google Analytics and how can you make it work for you
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Who doesn’t love getting something new? We are super excited to launch the redesign of some elements within our National List Counts site.
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Every day, thousands of advertisers and marketers wrack their brains. How do you spread your message, sell your products and change people? Simple. Give something away for free. Doesn’t free make your stuff less valuable? Nope. People don’t value things because they paid. They value what others value.
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National List Counts special release notes for June 2019 This month we want you to check our a new ListKey feature that allows you to encrypt order files with PGP keys. PGP stands for “Pretty Good Privacy” and is often used to encrypt and decrypt text, email and files to increase security. This feature could be […]
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My colleagues and I are in the marketing business, so when we are browsing the web, we understand the marketing and advertising we encounter. We know how it was created, and how it gets delivered to us on our screens and in our searches. But, at the end of the day—well all day actually—we are consumers just like you, and sometimes the pervasiveness and invasiveness of these ads are at a minimum annoying, and sometimes a bit anger-inducing.
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Good news: marketing still works, and really well. Don’t give up. But there are a lot of popular tactics that won’t move the needle.
So why not ditch the useless ideas and start upping your game (and results) with what’s actually working? But to do this, you need to recognize these tactics that make you poor.
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In one study, 93% of businesses say data is important (or very important) to their success. Yet some companies lie to themselves: “Oh yes, we use our data.” But the truth is, they don’t send out any marketing until the next quarter. Data from the last quarter or last year?
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Two, 5 or maybe 10 years from now, the story of you and all the other companies in your industry will be exactly like Amazon vs. Walmart, Target, Sears, KMart, etc. There will be a couple who turned out sort of okay. There’ll be a lot of losers and one amazing success story. You can be the success story, and here’s how.
Everybody’s talking about mobile device data, big data and behavior data. But the real question is: How should you be using this data right now? (And yes, you should be.)
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This one habit is everything: finding the right people. Because let’s face it, this is more important than all the sales methods, copywriting techniques and negotiating tactics in the world. The wrong person doesn’t have the money. Or they don’t care. Or may not be as easy to convince.
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Wouldn’t we all like to save 80% of our time, money and marketing effort, while getting 10 times or even 100 times the results?
However, that’s just what Cara accomplished. Let’s see how she did it, and how easily you can do the same.
Michael stood in front of the screen – palms sweaty and dreading the result – only to stare in shock at the number in the email. Just two measly sales… after all the cash he’d poured into this one marketing effort. “How could I be so wrong? Will anyone trust me again?” If you’ve ever felt the […]
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It would be easy to disregard the power of printed materials in a world on the verge of complete digitization. In terms of acting like consumers, there has been an obvious shift to the speed, efficiency and ultimate accessibility to our favorite products, brands and services via the Internet. In fact, any modern marketing strategy […]
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Many people still believe you only need one marketing channel – and they couldn’t be more wrong. For example, malls are lined with countless businesses. And most of these shops rely solely on one thing: a crowded mall area to bring people inside to buy. Analyst Jan Kniffen says one-third of all the big malls […]
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Governor Greg Abbott of Texas is calling the storm one of the largest disasters America has faced. Our hearts go out to anyone who is affected by the storm. We, and our partner, MCH Strategic Data, will continue to monitor the situation.
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Modern marketing is fully embracing the explosive emergence of mobile-based consumer data. Because of its ability to capture a more accurate snapshot of when consumers are seeking out a particular company–or its products and services–mobile data has created a step-change in how marketers are crafting and delivering their message. Consumers are seeing this change manifest […]
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Ten times the response rates of traditional marketing campaigns. That’s how Pamela Oldham of DMNews describes it. If your company is smaller than Walmart or Microsoft, you might not have heard about using mobile data and marketing this way. Why? Until recently, it’s been very hard to do …unless you had a team of data […]
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National List Services (NLS), a division of First Direct, recently added a new National U.S. Business Database to its online search & delivery count system at http://www.NationalListCounts.com. The addition of this highly-anticipated B2B lead generation database is a continuation of NLS’s vision to seek and develop good relationships with leading compilers as to provide the most ethical and accurate lead data to marketers in a real-time, one-stop search and delivery online platform.
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Many are not aware that January 28th is celebrated internationally as Data Protection Day. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise as current day data breaches are costing companies an average of $4 million, according to a CNBC article referencing a 2016 IBM Security report. That equates to roughly $158 per lost or stolen record.
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In past months, we added to National List Counts a few exciting, new capabilities that will allow users better define count universes, enhance the user experience, specify and secure order outputs.
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