Hey, digital marketers! Now that we’ve stepped into 2022, there’s a lot of potential to discuss and point out. These things are going to be pivotal. Every year, we get to see new advancements in digital marketing. This year, we are following a few trends that are going to change the path of digital marketing.
Before we dive into what’s going to change in 2022, let’s have a quick recap of what happened in 2021. One of the biggest introductions is the YouTube shorts. This way of short video content has seen a huge boost in content creation in 2021. On the other hand, Metaverse made a huge buzz too. In this year, we are likely to see these platforms adapting their models.
Marketing using Short Videos
There’s no denying that Short Videos are everywhere today. Especially with TikTok being banned in India, social media platforms jumped at the chance and created their versions of Short Video formats. For example, Instagram introduced Reels, and YouTube came up with YouTube Shorts. Also, a few of us might also be in a way addicted to the scrolling infinitely consuming Short Video Content.
In addition to this, a few platforms might use this feature for advertising so that brands can create fun and quick short videos about their products to sell.
Conversational Marketing
Conversation leads to building trust. There are a few ways you can integrate this method. Some of them are:
Chatbots
Chatbots are going to be way more friendly and effective in the coming days. With AI technology advancing every day, there’s a high possibility that it applies to chatbots. You can install these chatbots on your website or social media pages. These will create a natural conversation with your visitors and try to make a sale.
Shoppable Livestreams
There’s a Livestream that Kim Kardashian made about one of her products, and the sale numbers blasted through the roof during the stream.
Metaverse is going all-in
As you read this blog, Metaverse today is taking huge leaps in how to create new ways of interaction. There already are tons of articles out there that talk about how VR technology improves and changes the way we shop.
AR competes with VR
While VR is being built from scratch by Meta, AR, on the other hand, has already made milestones. Especially in the field of interior design, you can use your phone to create your dream space.
These are a few things that are going to change the course of digital marketing in 2022. Like every other year, we are anticipating interesting changes this year too. Let’s all be hopeful and curious to see how we can use these advancements for the best. If you’re wondering how we can make your brand find its wings, get in touch with us. Until then, please take care of your health.
Real estate is a huge business. And the value transcends to the importance of owning a home. This is the reason why digital marketing can help your Real Estate business find value among your audience. If used correctly, digital marketing is a boon for real estate businesses. In this blog, we will explain why you should consider prioritising digital marketing to improve your real estate business.
The real estate business has too many technical aspects. But, there’s a pretty contrasting side to it, too, in the minds of the audience. The one looking to buy a home has their family and status at stake and will categorise all their decisions based on emotions. And, using Social Media to market your property is one of the best ways to create the right personality for your business. There are sure ways to make this possible. So, let’s take a look at a few of those.
Why use digital marketing to promote Real Estate?
Digital marketing is not just a tool to promote but also to stay connected with your audience. By promoting your brand on social media, you allow customers to meet and interact with you on common ground. Not just interacting, but social media also lets you prioritise your communication about a specific project. By using specific tools in Digital Marketing, you will have the ability to reach a specific type of audience that will surely love to engage with your brand with digital marketing in real estate.
What do we do to promote Real estate on Social Media?
Now that we’ve established that Digital Marketing company can help Real Estate businesses tenfold in promoting their properties, let us share a few things that we can do:
Promoting the location of your property Location is a significant aspect while choosing a property. It is because those who are planning to buy a home think of all the activities and essentials they could avail.
Promoting the amenities and USPs Next to the location, the audience gets inspired by your opportunities to create a higher living standard. Lifestyle is a driving force while choosing a home to live in.
Engage to improving the value As mentioned earlier, buying a home is an emotional act. So, connect with your audience on a personal level. And, social media offers you just the right platform to do so.
Promoting the achievements and activities of current dwellers This user-generated content holds a higher value than what the brand offers and conveys. It is because of the reality and actuality of the content offered.
There you go. If you own a Real estate business and haven’t yet considered marketing it on Digital platforms, you definitely should. You will be stunned by the amount of value your brand can accumulate. You can take advantage of targeted ads and boost your presence in just the locations you need leads from. With that being said, we can help you choose the right path for your real estate business and drive it into the digital world. Contact us today, and let’s get talking.
For the hype of products or brands, digital marketing includes many forms of media. It uses various channels for research in order to decide what works and what doesn’t. Therefore, many tools are used to track the progress, such as service views, how often and for how long they are viewed, etc. Most importantly, the 5 Ds are the key to your company’s success. We are here to help you understand what you need to know about these 5 Ds.
The 5Ds is a set of options that allows people to interact with brands while also choosing the right people. Learn about the 5Ds of digital marketing.
The 5 Ds of Digital Marketing are:
Digital Devices
Digital Platforms
Digital Media
Digital Data
Digital Technology
Digital devices
In other words, this term means that people use devices on a daily basis. It, therefore, helps to sell to a group of people like follows –
Computers, laptops, and desktops
Tablets and phones
Smart televisions
Devices for gaming
Smartwatches.
Mobile devices are used more often than laptops. Smartphone users have made online transactions using their phones. While building your digital marketing plan, keep this in mind.
Digital platforms
Users interact with these sites on a regular basis. They can be used for marketing reasons in the following ways:
Social media
Search engines
Websites
Customers begin their experiences on web pages, Bing, Google, and also Yahoo. Similarly, people use search engines to learn more about their issues and to look for solutions.
Digital media –
Paid media platforms are also used to reach your target group. They are as follows:
Social media marketing
Messages
Email marketing
Companies can use digital media such as email to announce new products, sales, and other things. You can also use social listening, which keeps an eye on social media and responds to posts that mention your brand.
Digital Data –
Data about your target group that is used to get a marketing goal is known as digital data. In general, you can get information on your target audience by:
Contact firms
Surveys
Apps
Data collection also helps in the storage of client information. It is easier to select and market in the future with this information.
Data Technology –
The use of technology for marketing is what this point is all about. Consider the following:
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Augmented reality (AR)
Virtual reality (VR)
Digital technologies are used to provide a better experience and also to promote themselves.
In conclusion, digital marketing is a rapidly growing field with a volume growth for qualified people. If you need more details on digital marketing for your business, we, the best digital marketing company in Hyderabad, can help. For additional details, please visit our website.
The pandemic has shifted the advertising industry quite a lot. Digital media found its groove and helped lots of businesses gain popularity. While startups put their foot forward in creating digital content, it wasn’t the same with rooted brands. Many old-school brands fought over the decision of investing in digital marketing. But, with customers spending more time over digital platforms, businesses loosened their margins on budgets. Learn more about how PPC services in Hyderabad have transformed the advertising field.
Amidst all the digital marketing chaos, PPC advertising rebuilt the bridge of hope between brands and agencies. So, in this blog, we are covering the grounds of PPC advertising. Also, we will see how it can help you increase your website traffic in a controlled manner.
Websites are the virtual stores that help you add sales to your business. You need to know more about what goes into maintaining a website so that you can make an informed decision. Not just that, when it comes to marketing budgets, there is a factor of ‘control’ that plays a significant role. It is where PPC advertising shines.
What is PPC?
PPC stands for ‘Pay Per Click’. This type of advertising lets you pay only for the traffic that your ads generate and nothing more. That is why this method of advertising is one of the brands’ favourites. It is one of the most sought after marketing methods. Especially because it gives you control over the budget, now that you have an idea of what PPC advertising is, let’s dive into how this can help you generate more website traffic and sales.
PPC services in Hyderabad- Reach audiences cost-effectively
As mentioned above, PPC advertising helps you gain more control over your spendings. By targeting and placing ads on desired platforms like various apps and websites, a PPC campaign can balance spending and results.
Trust the leads from PPC advertising
The leads that you receive from PPC advertising have a significant rate of conversion. The science behind a user clicking on an ad is a trustworthy factor. Not just that, these leads are easy to track and measure.
In a nutshell, if you haven’t tried PPC advertising, you should. If you’re looking for pin-pointed results and hot leads, this is the way to go. If you’re searching for the best agency that can offer excellent PPC services in Hyderabad, look no further. We have a vivid success story with our PPC services, and we are here to offer you just the solutions you need.
As we battle the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, it is essential to understand what the post-COVID world will mean for us in the digital marketing realm. The grey pandemic cloud brought with it the silver linings of the digital era. This newfound alliance with digital platforms has done wonders for businesses in our country. At What’s In A Name, the best digital marketing company in Hyderabad, we have listed below why businesses need to rely more on digital marketing in this age.
As the world continues to open up, don’t forget to check out these beneficial post-COVID marketing ideas!
1. Focus on your existing clientele
The key to steady growth right now is to focus more on the clients you already have despite the economic downturn. The point is, look out for your customers, clients, and coworkers when times are tough. They will thank you for it in some way or another. And you will likely see growth in other areas such as customer loyalty, brand awareness, organic traffic, and online engagement.
2. Take your business online with the best digital marketing company in Hyderabad
Now is the time to increase your online presence. You likely already have some of your business functions online, but the pandemic has shown us just how much more we can do online. Social media platforms serve as an incredible medium to showcase your products and services. Think of these platforms as an online showroom of sorts.
The more processes you can bring online, the more you can stay engaged with your customers and employees. A business must stay resilient and thrive.
3. Come up with catchy deals
As businesses reopen, an excellent way to keep the audience interested is by offering exclusive sales promotions or deals. Advertise these offers on social media platforms as well as promotional emails. These kinds of offers will help bring in new customers while also keeping the old ones around.
4. Knowing your digital target
Ads are the way to go right now. Each platform offers several tools to research where your audience is hanging out most of the time. Using these, don’t hold back advertising on all the platforms. The key is to know precisely your target audience and advertise to them on Google Ads, LinkedIn ads, Twitter ads, Facebook ads, and Instagram ads.
Having these solid digital marketing strategies to depend on while the world settles down can help your business get back on its feet. It will also give you a headstart against your competitors. It is where What’s In A Name, the best digital marketing company in Hyderabad, comes into the picture. We help you with setting up your business’s online presence with just the right tools you need.
Digital marketing has gained immense popularity over the last decade. It plays an integral role in the growth and success of any business. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased the speed with which we all are going digital. As a result, we need to think of new and different ways to build successful marketing strategies. We are more reliant on online services now as opposes to the pre-COVID era. Therefore, we, at What’s In a Name (WIN), a digital marketing agency in Hyderabad, will help you build robust marketing strategies and enable your business to take the online leap.
What, we as a digital marketing agency in Hyderabad, would suggest?
As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected many people’s businesses. These are a few ways to develop robust marketing strategies to give your businesses a new sense of direction.
Build your customers’ trust.
Keeping this in mind, you should try to focus on the customers you already have. Instead of searching for a new and fresh clientele, you should focus on how you can help your existing customers achieve their new goals. It will build their trust in your organization.
Amplify your online activity.
Since everything has been happening online, this is the right time to increase your daily online activity. You can use online means of communication to keep in touch with your customers, which in turn will keep them engaged. Above all, the current situation has shown us that we can do so much productive work from within the comforts of our homes.
Use social media platforms diligently.
Using social media to promote your products or services is another important and influential way of marketing. Social media has remodelled the competitive market. Every business organization has employed social media to advertise its products or services using several different platforms.
We can conclude by saying that digital marketing is the best way to build resilient strategies in the post-COVID era. Hence, at What’s In a Name (WIN), we will help you develop the best strategies to tackle any issues. We will help build strategies and formulas that blend perfectly with the taste and tonality of your business.
Social Media Marketing (SMM) has been on the rise since the last decade. The last five years have seen staggering growth of Social Media Marketing in India. Users and brands alike have jumped the wagon in huge numbers to make their presence felt. In fact, it has changed the way people engage with each other and the brands too. Business owners in India, today, more than ever before, understand the importance of Social Media Marketing. It’s a fantastic tool. But there’s a lot than meets the eye.
Most business owners tend to be reactive, rather than proactive, with their Social Media Marketing (SMM) strategies. “If the competition is doing this, we have to!”
Most of us have heard this statement more often than not. Being a part of the herd or aping other brands blindly is not new to the world of branding and advertising. So, why would Social Marketing (SMM) be left alone?
The biggest enemy of a brand is the brand owner’s mindset — his reluctance to admit that the professionals know better. His reluctance to admit that reading an article or two on the internet is just half knowledge.
Unfortunately, this is the most prevalent mindset. That’s the only reason why we see millions of brand pages on Social Media that only the brand owners see or visit. These are pages that are run only for the brand owner’s vanity, perhaps.
Some crucial and recent statistics to understand Social Media Marketing at a glance.
Here are 6 common misconceptions that most brand owners have about Social Media Marketing (SMM).
Myth # 1: If the Social Media Marketing Agency is good, it will show results in a week or two.
Myth # 2: If we post more on Social Media, we will be seen more.
Myth # 3: Organic growth in Social Media is the best way to go.
Myth # 4: Those investing money on Social Media (Paid Ads) are fools.
Myth # 5: Social Media Marketing alone can help me skyrocket my sales.
Myth # 6: Digital Marketing is all about leads, and the revenue we generate from those leads.
So, let’s start busting these myths.
1) If the Social Media Marketing (SMM) Agency is good, it will show results in a week or two.
Well, for any good Agency, it would take at least 90 days to fully understand your brand and how the audience is reacting to your brand. Despite all the strategies and plans in place, the reality on-ground, at times, can be starkly different. Also, it’s an ever-evolving subject. So, there’s no point in assuming that your brand will begin to flourish in just a week or two.
Most importantly, it’s also important to weigh various other factors like how old is your brand, for instance. If it’s a relatively new brand, then you are initially, investing only to generate brand awareness. And this process could even take a year or two.
You should begin to see a positive change in 90 days though.
2) If we post more on Social Media, our brand will be seen more.
This is one of the biggest jokes in the Social Media Marketing Circuit. The reality is that less is more. It’s not about how much you post. It’s about what you post. Here’s an example. If you put up 40, 50, or even 60 posts a month, the Social Media algorithm might choose to not show even 98% of your posts to your followers. Social Media algorithms are powerful enough to ignore such “supposedly” smart ideas. Over a period of time, these algorithms will just categorise your brand page as “spam”.
So, posting once or twice a week is absolutely okay. One needs to make sure that these posts add some value to the audience.
3) Organic growth in Social Media is the best way to go.
Organic growth on any Digital Channel is great. But with Social Media Marketing (SMM), it’s a really long road that requires great amounts of work and patience. Also, it’s imperative to understand that there are many factors that influence organic growth. There’s a huge difference between businesses like McDonald’s that sell Burgers and the ones that sell vegetables or chemicals. Also, when you’re not an established brand that has decent following and awareness, you be under the illusion that you are. Nobody is dying to follow or like a brand that’s just selling vegetables or chemicals. You need to give your audiences a lot more “meat” than that. Then there are lifestyle brands that have a different approach and could get some traction because of the interest of people in such brands on Social Media, and offline, both.
If you are a brand that’s selling Cardboard Boxes, the strategy will be different. So, every business is different; every category is different. It’s foolish to compare yourself with competitors who’ve been around way longer than you, have invested a lot more money than you, have accepted the suggestions of their Social Media Marketing (SMM) Agency a lot more than you.
4) Those investing money on Social Media Marketing (SMM) Paid Ads are fools.
Well, it’s a great bubble to live in. We can just hope that better sense prevails before it’s too late.
When done smartly, paid ads can benefit businesses beyond their imagination. As business owners, most people, just look at the balance sheet and sales and revenues to decide whether a particular Social Media Channel is working for them or not. But that’s a half-baked approach. Most part of advertising starts with the word “awareness”. It’s also the first step of the famous advertising principle called “AIDA” where the letter “A” stands for Awareness, “I” stands for Interest, “D” for Desire and “A” for Action.
So, unless you work towards creating awareness, and offer something of interest that leads the audience to desire your product or service, there will be no action. And any Social Media Marketing (SMM) Strategy will suffer.
5) Social Media Marketing (SMM) alone can help me skyrocket my sales.
If this were true, Google would be shut long back!
In today’s competitive cutting-edge world, it’s important to stay on top of your Advertising game. For this, it’s important to make your presence felt across various online, and even offline, platforms.
Social Media Marketing (SMM) should be a part of your Digital Marketing strategy. But it can’t be your only effort. If you’re a home-baker, you could survive on that for sometimes. For everybody else, there’s a lot more that you need to do.
6) SMM is all about leads, and the revenue we generate from those leads.
Of course, Leads are an important aspect of Digital Marketing. However, to single out and review just the business generated through the leads from Digital Marketing is not too fair to you, your agency, and the brand. It’s imperative to keep in mind that Social Media Marketing, for most businesses, can generate direct sales through the leads generated. However, there are many indirect ways that Digital Marketing generates revenue/business. Here are a few of those
It increases your Brand Awareness. Thereby increasing your brand value which is an intangible asset.
It also acts as a brand recall form of advertising. So, when someone sees your ad online, they may not necessarily click on the ad. Even if they click, they may not necessarily fill the form due to multiple factors. However, they may choose to interact with your brand later, even offline.
A lot of users may see your ad online, and just choose to drop by to your store directly. And they may have made a purchase. So, though the triggering point for the purchase was an online ad they saw, Digital Marketing seldom gets credit for this.
So, before we give you a little background about us, we thought it’s best to let you know what will you learn by the end of this comprehensive blog post about the 7 key Digital Marketing questions, every brand owner wants to ask. Before we move ahead, we guarantee that this is the only and the most comprehensive blog you’ll need to read as a brand owner this year. It’s a detailed one. So, only if you’re serious about the activities of your Digital Marketing Agency for your brand, read on. Here’s a list of questions we’ll answer in this post:
1. What has changed about Digital Marketing in 2019?
2. Why should I choose a full-service Digital Marketing agency?
3. How to identify the difference between right and wrong strategy by a Digital Marketing Agency?
4. When to make a switch from my current Digital Marketing Agency?
5. How long should I continue my Digital Marketing activities?
6. How to make optimum utilisation of every penny I spend on online marketing?
7. What’s the fine print I should know about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Social Media Marketing (SMM)?
Well, before we begin, here’s a little background of ours.
We are What’s In a Name (WIN), a full-service Advertising & Digital Marketing Agency in Hyderabad. Incepted in the year 2010, we have built quite a few Regional & National brands from scratch. We’ve been equally recognised and awarded for our Branding and Digital Marketing capabilities, regionally & nationally. We’re one of the very few Advertising Agencies to be Google Partners.
We’d started as a Print Advertising Agency; we’ve worked our way up to add Digital Marketing to our repertoire of services. It took us a couple of years to complete this transformation. So, unlike most other agencies, it was not an overnight change. And through the process, we made sure we understood the subject and delivered measurable results.
1. What has changed about Digital Marketing in 2019?
Well, simply put, we’d say; a lot.
But there’s more than meets the eye. The recent updates across various properties of Google; read Google AdWords, Search Engine Result Pages (SERP), Google MyBusiness, Google Analytics, et al.
There are tons of changes in every property of Google since last year. And that will undoubtedly impact every Digital Strategy.
Google MyBusiness
Unfortunately, most business owners don’t realise the importance of maintaining good hygiene across their MyBusiness Pages. Well, this includes Google Maps and a whole lot of stuff.
It is a single dashboard that you can use to communicate with Google about your “physical” business location. Everything, from sharing the exact pin location, phone number, and information matters. It is a crucial snippet that pops up in every search we make on Google. It is also called a “Snack Pack” or “Local Listing” in the Digital World.
And that’s not all.
You can also share some posts the way you do on other Social Media Channels like Facebook, Instagram, etc. Plus, some specific offers that you’d like to share with your customers. So, there’s a lot of stuff you can do there.
Last year saw Google giving a complete make-over to the UI of the Dashboard. And it looks pretty cool. But it’s not just all good looks here. It does a lot more stuff too.
The unique search box, allows you to ask some direct questions like “What is my average page load time?” And this is to help the rapidly growing “Voice Search”.
Now you’d ask how does the speed of your page matter?
Well, thanks to the fresh updates by Google, it’s one of the top three ranking factors. Let’s assume your SEO (more on this later), is pretty similar to your competitor’s across various metrics. So, Google will by default show the fastest loading site higher. Speed could, at times, even beat websites with good SEO.
SERP (Search Engine Result Pages)
SERP, as the name suggests, is nothing but the results that Search Engines throw the moment you type a query. One of the significant changes from last year, that’s likely to get crazier this year, is the inclusion of separate ranks of your website on PC and Mobile, for a particular Keyword or Key-phrase.
So, if you type “Best 3-star hotels in Hyderabad”, and see that your brand is ranking “Number 3” on PC, it could rank “Number 8”, or 20, or beyond 100 on mobile. So, the work of a Digital Marketing Agency doubles up. We need to maintain rankings across devices.
As per a statistical report in Statista, currently, India has around 420 million Mobile Internet Users, and this number is likely to increase by another 100 million Mobile Internet Users by 2023.
So, it’s high time we begin to think mobile-first. Something that Google has been advocating for a while too.
Apart from all this, content still remains the king. The only difference is that the focus is now primarily on original, interesting content only. Gone are the days when stuffing excessive content would guarantee a top result on the search engine result pages. Though some website might still enjoy the results of the old strategy. They will soon be pushed behind by new, better content. It’s just a matter of time.
Backlinks are still important. But silly, irrelevant back links will do more harm than ever before.
Finally, the most important metric is the speed of your website; the speed of loading a page. If it’s not under 3 seconds, you’ve got reasons to worry. Of course, this varies from industry to industry and device to device.
2. Why should I choose a full-service Digital Marketing Agency?
As a brand owner, you’ve got a zillion things to tackle. And having some clue about the Digital Marketing or Marketing activities carried out by your Digital Marketing Agency, is a great thing. However, if you are investing more than a few minutes a day on this subject, you’re losing out on crucial time that can help you scale your business, better still, improvise your product or service.
There’s an old saying by William Bernbach, one of the legends of advertising from the 1950s, “A great Advertising Campaign will make a bad product fail faster.”
There are a lot of brands who consider having two different agencies for their brand. As there’s a dearth of a full-service Advertising & Digital Marketing Agency, brand owners think it’s best to opt for the best of both worlds, albeit differently.
If you’re going keep two legs in two boats, you’ll invest most of your time maintaining balance, and there will hardly be any time to make progress. Picture this, and you’ll understand what we’re saying.
And in most cases, this can be harmful to a brand. It should be considered only as a last resort. If you’ve got an excellent full-service agency, it will solve a lot of issues with you. Most importantly, your valuable time can be invested in a place where it matters the most – your business!
Finally, a full-service advertising & digital marketing agency will make sure that your brand tone and personality is standardised across various channels of communication – online and offline. It might sound simple, or unimportant. But this is complex. And if your current agency has nailed this for you, don’t disturb the composition. Focus on growing your business.
So, look for an agency where every single job is planned and executed end-to-end under one roof. Well, that’s the true meaning of “Full-service Agency”. Isn’t it?
3. How to identify the difference between right and wrong strategy of a Digital Marketing Agency?
Digital Marketing, compared to traditional advertising, is highly quantifiable. However, if your agency-to-be promises absurd numbers that sound too good to be true, you’ve got your answer. Listen to your inner voice. Don’t fall for that trap!
Like any business, or branding exercise, Digital Marketing is a difficult process too. So, it’s going to take some time. Have patience.
A lot of agencies try to play foul on the biggest weakness of an entrepreneur – “cheaper costs”. Well, it is indeed possible to bring your digital marketing costs down. But then there’s a limit to that as well. If your agency begins to keep your advertising Demographics broad, it will be much cheaper to execute. But you’d be doing a big disservice to your brand.
“Get three quotes. Hire the Digital Marketing Agency that quotes the lowest.”
It is a mindset that could do more harm than good.
It can be summed up in a saying, “Pennywise. Pound foolish.”
When an agency is chosen only because they are charging less, take a pause, and ask yourself. “When is the last time, I’d given a heavy discount on a good product of mine?” It would mostly be in cases of dead stock, an outdated model, or worse still, something that’s of poor quality.”
Voila! You’ve got your answer there.
Cutting corners is a great thing. But cutting the right corners is an art. An agency will make or break all the millions you plan to invest in your brand’s marketing activities. So, you might win the battle by negotiating a “seemingly profitable deal”. But you’re certainly going to lose the War!
Finally, a lot of brand owners believe that not sharing the data of the final conversion/revenues from the leads with their agency is a smart move. Unfortunately, it’s not the right approach.
Picture this. You share the exact data of the sales you’ve generated against each lead your agency has provided. That complete the circle for your agency. With this, they don’t just know which medium is working great for you; they can also determine what type of ad is working for your brand. And hence, they know where their strength lies. And they will work towards giving you better results.
Unfortunately, brand owners think that informing the agency of the success of their work will back-fire. The truth, however, is that NOT informing them about their success back-fires. The mindset that the moment an agency gets to know that their work is showing results, they might hike up their fee is pre-historic. Creative people crave appreciation; honest appreciation. They do have a dimension them that’s beyond money. And not hitting the right note there will only hamper your business.
4. When to make a switch from my current Digital Marketing Agency?
Simply put, never!
Well, the longer the association you have with your partner, the better the understanding. The amount of time you’ll need to spend on them will be way lesser. And that time of yours could be worth millions.
So, it’s not like the association should last forever. But if there’s not substantiate issue, it’s best to continue. A lot of brand owners, try to bring in their ego, and fool around with a good agency, in greed to exploit.
Then there are others who are always “Window Shopping”. Or want to divide the work of their brand into more pieces than that of shattered glass.
So, it’s a never-ending cycle.
The trick is… if you’ve got the right composition, don’t waste time tinkering with it. Just nurture it, water it, and let it blossom to give you results that you can’t even possibly imagine.
Remember, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
5. How long should I continue my Digital Marketing Activities?
As long as you intend to keep your business alive.
Well, they say that a business without promotion is like you winking at a girl in dark. Only you know what you’re doing.
Most business owners suffer from an ideology that once my business makes enough money, I’ll spend on Branding & Marketing activities. Unfortunately, it works the other way around.
So, once you begin to spend money on these activities, in the right way though, your business will begin to flourish. Your business will have more awareness. And that will in turn lead to more customers, over a period of time. The term “period of time” is crucial here. It all takes time.
Another big misconception we’ve got about our spends on any marketing activity is that if it’s not generating enough business, it’s not good. Well, there are tones of factors that determine whether a potential customer decides to give his details to you in the form of a lead or not. In cases of an e-commerce platform, there are varied other reasons why a potential customer would choose to buy from you.
It’s not always about the efforts by your Digital Marketing Agency. For all you know, you keep changing your agencies thinking, they are unable to crack this for you. And pretty late in the game you get to know that the issue is with your product, price, service, etc. It also depends on how your audience perceives your brand. And whether they find it valuable or not.
For example, a brand like Coca Cola, doesn’t promote themselves thinking that every time you see one of their commercials, you’ll immediately buy a bottle of coke. That’s something they’d love though.
So, it’s a process. It’s called brand recall. It’s a slow and steady process of promoting or advertising your brand across various channels, thereby building a strong brand image. All this needs to team up with a good product or service though.
So, in most scenarios, business owners tend to forget the “intangible” brand-building impact their Agency’s marketing and advertising efforts will have. So, it’s not always about sales. And not about instant sales for sure. The journey of a customer is pretty long from the time they see your ad, to the time they repeatedly see your ad, to the time the slowly build a connection and an affinity with your brand, to the time see your ad again, and then have a recall, and finally make a purchase. So, you ought to be patient.
Remember, if your product or service is good, the only marketing effort, online or offline, that goes waste is the one that’s not consistent!
6. How to make optimum utilisation of every penny I spend on online marketing?
Firstly, make a comprehensive list of products/services that are highly profitable for you. Apart from this, focus on basics, and stuff that’s influenced by season, event, time-of-day, geographic location, and other such factors, etc.
Share these details with your Digital Marketing Agency. Also, tell them openly about the challenges, draw-backs, points-of-differentiation, etc. An agency is like a doctor. The more the information you share with them, the better the results/treatment you can expect.
Next, don’t go for just vanity stuff.
For instance, a lot of people know that “content is king”.
There was a time when the more the number of pages you’ve got on your website, the better the prospects of it ranking higher. The more the number of blogs you write, the higher the chances of it dominating the search results for you.
Now, some part of this still holds good though. But Google is highly focused on content that’s unique, original, interesting, and solves the customers’ problem.
So, there could be a website that posts a new crappy blog every other day, and then there’s one that publishes an excellent blog just once a week. There’s a good chance that the latter will rank higher. So, though there’s some emphasis on quantity, quality is still a more important factor.
It leads us to those who want to upload 30 posts a month on their various Social Media Channels. Worse still, those who wish to post multiple times in a day. Well, there’s a Science behind posting. There’s also some common-sense needed.
A lot of Social Media Channels consider “over posting” as spam. Plus, when you upload content on your Social Channels and don’t spend a penny on promoting it, you and your family are the only ones who’re going to consume it.
Did someone say vanity?
Bang on!
So, upload three posts a week or 4 posts a month. But make sure they’re all promoted.
Now that doesn’t mean the organic reach is a myth. Or stuff doesn’t go viral. It certainly does.
But that’s for few rare pages and brands.
7. What’s the fine print I should know about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Social Media Marketing (SMM)?
Oh! It could be a good subject for another blog post. But we’ll try to answer this in brief.
Every channel comes with its pros and cons. Just because your friends are getting good results on Instagram, doesn’t mean you will too.
Let your agency do some research on this. Have some faith in them. Assist them with all the information about your business.
Search Engine Marketing is a long-term commitment. If you think, you’ll get someone on board for a few months, reach a good rank for various keywords or key phrases, and then you’re mistaken.
What most people know about Social Media is just half knowledge. It seems pretty easy. People think they can boost a post on their own, and avoid the expense of a Professional or an Agency. Well, just because someone roughly knows how the gears of car work, doesn’t mean they can be good drivers; rather safe drivers. Isn’t it?
It’s a similar scenario. To have half-baked information about boosting a post is one thing. To have complete in-depth knowledge about the subject is another.
There’s way too much that goes behind the scenes in Social Media. It’s Science. It needs thinking. It needs experience, it needs common sense. It needs business understanding. Most importantly, one needs to be updated with the ever-changing landscape of Social Media. A good Agency can help you make the most of it.
Search Engine Marketing or SEM, on the other hand, is way beyond Social Media Marketing. It has infinite permutations and combinations. It’s an ocean. And it’s changing rapidly too. If one doesn’t keep themselves abreast with all the updates and changes, they might lose the game.
Also, most of your Digital Marketing activities will have an impact on each other. For instance, your Social Media Engagement does have an affect on your Brand. It is thereby impacting your SEO.
Bonus Tip:
In our day-to-day business activities, at times, we forget who we’re working for. The end customer who pays to buy your product or service is, and will always remain, the hero of every story. So, stop making your Marketing activities centred around you unless you want to end up being your only customer!
If you think that Google releases updates and introduces changes to its search algorithm just once in a while, you are entirely wrong.
These changes are introduced every now and then. However, sometimes they are so minor that they do not wreak havoc in the SERPs.
The quality of the search results that we have today is nowhere near the average quality we used to have a few decades ago. As you will see in the SEO Tribunal’s infographic below, Google introduced lots of major updates to establish itself on the market as the best and most used search engine.
Let’s have a look at some of the major Search updates that were released over the years.
The Beginning
Google started off back in 1998 by two Stanford University graduates – Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It made use of a mathematical algorithm to arrange web pages. The algorithm was mostly based on the strength of inbound links and meta content.
2003
Florida update was released, one of the first significant updates to its search algorithm. Keyword stuffing could no longer be used, and Google set an endpoint to eliminate spam content.
Many businesses were affected through this update, and some even disappeared from the search results.
2004
By 2004, the search engine had started using a range of unrevealed factors to improve its search ratings.
2005
In 2005, Google released XML sitemaps update that allowed website owners to submit the pages they would like to have indexed in the Google’s web index.
Google also released the personalized search update, thus collecting user’s data to make the search results more customized.
2007
The Universal Search update was released which was showing news, videos, and images. It was at that time that New York Times reported that Google makes use of more than 200 different factors to rank websites.
2010
In 2010, Google launched the Caffeine update which included real-time updates on the content thereby including the latest results on the provided query.
This also included Twitter feeds, Google news, and freshly indexed content. This was later updated to include other social media content as well.
2011
In 2011, another important update was released, named Panda. The update was aimed against websites which were duplicating content from other sites, exploiting ad-sense, and content farms.
Google also launched Google+ during this year and garnered 10 million users within two weeks.
2013
The Hummingbird update was launched in 2013 which caused another major change in the manner in which websites were listed and ranked.
2018
Forward to 2018, Broad Core Algorithm Update was rolled out that was meant to ‘benefit pages that were previously unrewarded,’ as explained by Google.
With Google working hard to improve its search results, we can sure expect to get even better and more relevant results to our queries in the nearest future.
To find out more about this and other fresh SEO facts and stats, check out the infographic below.
The primary search result of all the search engines where one can find web pages and other content in the form of videos or local listings based on the search engine optimization. This means that the result that you see based on your search is what the search engine considers to be most relevant for the users. The results derived are based on the content and backlinks. In short, search engine optimization is a process that increases the quality and quantity of traffic to a website through organic search engine results. Start by building an SEO friendly website and grow your business effectively.
Search Engine Optimization – Increase your traffic
With the help of analytics and reporting tools, you can easily see an increase in traffic. You can see visible results as soon as you start the process. The traffic that comes to your website will increase at a steady rate. As more people visit your site, an increase in sales can be seen.
Your brand’s credibility goes high
The moment visitors see your brand at the top of the search result they automatically consider it to be more credible. If you are really behind in the search results, the viewers might become skeptical and might not click on it. Your visibility on the search engine among the top 10 result is highly important to increase your credibility.
Search Engine Optimization is used by your competitors
SEO is gaining popularity. If you are using it then probably your competitor is also trying hard to increase traffic on their website and get more clicks. There will be no point in offering amazing services but not appearing in the top search. Letting people know about your brand and increasing your visibility is important these days. Hire an SEO expert who can help you get better results.
Pay Per Click is the right choice
Pay Per Click is a process in which advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks on their ad. It is a method through which each visit on the site is bought rather than earning it organically. It allows advertisers to place an ad in all the search engine sponsored links whenever someone searches a keyword related to it. Each click that comes on our ad, a visitor visits our website. A small fee is to be paid to the search engine. A lot of efforts and research goes into making a successful PPC campaign.
Pay Per Click helps you reach your business goals
Pay Per Click helps in achieving a lot of business and marketing goals. It helps to achieve many parts of the sales plan and the path that your prospect customers take from being aware of the brand to become a customer.
You can measure and track it
Pay Per Click run through AdWords which makes it easy to measure and track it. You can check various performance details including clicks, impressions, and conversions.
Use search engine optimization and pay per click to boost your business digitally.
More and more people are getting active digitally and it’s getting easier to reach out to your target audience. Brands are also getting active on social media and other platforms to promote their brand in the most creative way possible and are coming up with some interactive strategies. Targeting their customers personally and spreading awareness about the brand is what most companies focus on while advertising digitally. Brands are looking out for and adopting a digital marketing strategy, where it’s easier to reach the maximum number of people in a very short time.
Your plan of action, as in your digital marketing strategy, involves a series of actions that will help you achieve your goals. The strategy that you pick for your business might have multiple goals depending upon the scale of your business. One of the easiest ways to analyze which strategy works for you is when you create your buyer’s persona and start building your digital marketing strategies around it.
When every brand is on the same platform trying their best to capture their potential customers, how will you make your brand stand out?
Well, you can definitely adopt these below mentioned digital marketing strategies and benefit your company more.
Set a budget for your digital marketing strategy
The first stepping stone to achieve better results through digital marketing is deciding on a budget in order to carry out your strategy properly. A budget is set according to the strategy. Either the client sets the budget or the digital agency sets the budget and gives it to the client. Budget is based on the Facebook ads, campaigns that are carried out on social media and other platforms.
It’s all about Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO), helps in putting you in the top search with the help of keywords and backlinks. This helps in making content easily noticeable. Various updates in backlinks include voice search and increased emphasis on backlinks. Use keywords with variations and do not overuse it. Use backlinks that are meaningful and are helpful for the readers.
Make use of Paid Media
Paid media help expand the reach of your brand. It introduces your brand to new potential customers through promotional posts. Your content will earn clicks and new followers which mean your post garnered more attention. Moreover, it is easier to track the results of paid content than organic content.
Upgrade your content quality
With the help of keywords, create content that you think will be useful to your target audience. If you are not getting as many leads as you have expected, try updating your content and make it more relatable. Your content should be well searched and well thought, so that the information provided in the content is useful to your viewers.
With the growing popularity of social media and other platforms, adopting digital marketing is not enough. Updating your digital marketing strategies has become a necessity. Adopting the right digital marketing strategies and executing it properly is the key. Benefit your company in the best way possible with this cost-effective and powerful form of marketing.
A small business, usually with a low budget, needs some extra effort to even make it to the list of competitors. There are a million ways and internet marketing strategies that a small business can follow. One of the most effective is display advertising.
What is display advertising?
Do you end up on a completely different website, while you were on some other website in the first place? Yes, that happens when you click on some eye catchy display advertisement. Display advertisements are adverts that pop up on various websites and apps that you use. They can be seen in the form of images, flash, videos, audios, banners. They’re merely used to reach the visitors like you, on that particular website or app.
All if this cannot be managed single handedly. Display advertising takes up a lot of time and energy, and is process. Display advertising agencies spend their day making adverts that go online on various websites. Do you recall seeing an ad logo beside the links to your Google web search? Yeah, that is Google adverts, another platform for display advertising. All of this is managed by the display advertising agencies.
Here are some points to prove that display advertising agencies can change the game for you.
Ads are visually appealing
Display advertising agencies make ads that are visually more attractive and are appealing to the eyes of the audience. They make it in a way that the customer is intrigued by it.
Maintain brand awareness
Ads can help build brand awareness. The number of clicks you get on your ad and the number of websites they’re available on can make a big impact on your brand. Display advertising agencies create some amazing content for your websites and put it across various websites, depending on your budget.
Inexpensive
Display advertising is a short term advertising method. The pay for it depends on the clicks that your ad gets. For putting up ads on face book, a budget of 1500 is sufficient. The website on which your ad is being displayed pays you some certain amount based on the number of clicks it gets.
Target and Retarget
Display advertising agencies will target the audience through various websites, but you will have all the control over it. You get to decide what kind of audience you want to target. It can depend upon geographical area, age group, etc. The agencies will also help retarget the same audience, because the ad will be put upon various websites and will reappear every time the audience clicks on it. There are 70% chances that people buy your product or service the second time.
Comparing results
Display advertising agencies have all the built in analytics that you cannot understand, that help compare the results and come to a conclusion. That also helps them to analyse and come up with better strategies.
