2018 Digital Marketing Trends

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

It’s the beginning of the new year, and the new year always brings new possibilities. There are trends in social media that digital marketing companies need to be aware of moving forward during this year. As you look forward to planning your digital marketing strategies, it is important to address the new trends.

Some social media platforms will improve, behavioral marketing will change, influencer marketing will increase, ad-block users will increase and there will be new privacy regulations across the globe. Here are digital marketing trends you will want to look out for during this new year and how your company can stay up to date.

The Importance of Video Marketing

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

Video marketing is becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons. For starters, people like, share and comment on videos constantly on social media. If your video is one of them, it can lead to great brand exposure. Here are just a few of the reasons why you should incorporate video marketing in your content marketing plan.

Increased Customer Conversion

The number one reason to utilize video marketing and invest in video production is that it converts more customers. Did you know that video conversion rates outperform all other marketing content according to over 71 percent of marketers? Simply adding a product video to your landing page will increase conversions by more than 80 percent.

Video Has Great ROI

A large proportion of businesses, more than 83 percent, have reported that video marketing has great return on investment (ROI). Although video production may not be the cheapest form of marketing, it definitely pays off.

While video marketing may be a little pricey, one great thing about video is that it doesn’t need to be perfect. All that matters is the content. The latest research shows that users look for videos that explain products and services clearly and are put off by videos that don’t. So, even the lowest quality videos can lead to great ROI as long as they explain your product or service well.

Strong Emotional Connection

Video marketing is one of the best ways to evoke emotion. If you want to create stronger emotional connections with consumers, you should seriously consider hiring an advertising agency that does video production if you haven’t already.

Google Loves Videos

Videos help increase the amount of time that visitors spend on your site which consequently leads to longer exposure. As a result, search engines will receive notifications that you have good content on your site. This means that Google is 53 times more likely to place your website first.

If you don’t already utilize video marketing, it’s time to start. Here at Fusion 360, an advertising agency with locations in Utah and Ohio, we offer video production services. Contact us today to learn more.

Sources:

https://www.vidyard.com/blog/importance-of-video-content-marketing/

What You Need to Know About the New Vero Social Media App

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

You’ve probably heard about the new social media app called Vero, but the question is, should your business make an account? Will hosting a Vero account become a vital part of social media marketing, much like Facebook and Twitter are as of today? Marketing agencies and digital marketing companies aren’t quite sure where this particular social media site it headed—maybe it will continue to boom or maybe it will disappear. For now, here’s what you need to know about Vero.

How Is Vero Different From Other Social Media Sites?

One key difference between Vero and other social media sites is that it allows you to separate your followers into groups. Basically, Vero lets you differentiate between who your close friends, acquaintances and mere followers are so you can share posts with each group separately. Another unique feature is that the feed is not manipulated by algorithms, so your posts will simply appear in chronological order.

Should My Business Create a Vero?

While Vero is supposed to be an ad-free site that will eventually charge subscriptions, many influencers have begun creating Vero accounts and businesses could potentially benefit from creating Vero accounts as well. For starters, Vero is a great way to connect with consumers. This social media site would help your company show consumers your softer side. With the site’s emphasis on posting about your favorite movies, books and artists, you can give consumers a closer look at your business’ interests and values.

What’s the Controversy Over Vero?

There’s been a little controversy over Vero’s terms of use ever since the social media platform started booming in recent weeks. While going over the terms of use, some users were surprised by some of Vero’s terms—even though these terms are relatively standard when it comes to social media platforms. For example, many social media sites’ terms of use state they can use your likeness and essentially anything you upload to your profile.

After Vero was notified of users’ concerns, the company released a statement via Twitter letting users know that they had updated their terms of use, as well as their privacy policy. The update was meant to clarify any confusion that users may have had about the site’s policies.

Though Vero may be booming currently, we aren’t sure where it’s headed. Marketing agencies and digital marketing companies, including us here at Fusion 360 in Utah, would say that we need to wait and see what this social media site becomes. As of right now, a Vero account probably won’t do very much for your company. As an advertising agency, we recommend waiting until we all know more about Vero before worrying about creating an account.

Sources:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/309748

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/vero-down-not-working-offline-sign-up-what-is-it-explained-instagram-facebook-alternatives-a8227481.html

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/2/17067610/vero-social-media-ayman-hariri-downloads

How to Connect with Consumers

By | digital marketing | No Comments

It was true 50 years ago and it’s still true today; if you want to truly connect with your consumers, you have to put yourself out there and consistently engage them. Every single day, digital marketing companies and content marketing companies work to help brands engage their consumers. Whether it’s through print ads, billboards, social media or blogs, advertising agencies work to engage consumers and connect them with brands.

Engaging with your consumers is easy and there are tons of different ways to engage with consumers. Here are just a few of the ways that advertising agencies effectively engage consumers and connect them with brands—whether they’re an advertising agency in Utah or New York.

What Makes You Different?

What does your brand stand for? What makes it stand out? In today’s world, you have to offer something new and original. With so much competition, the fact is that if you don’t stand out, you won’t get very far.

Look at what your brand stands for and really dig deep. Think about why you got into the business and what differentiates your brand from others. How does your brand improve the lives of consumers? What do your consumers want? What do they need?

Listen, Linda, Listen.

Referring to the Vine that went viral after a three-year-old explained to his mom why he needs cupcakes as he kept telling her, “Listen, Linda, listen,” introduces our point. You have to listen to what consumers want if you’re going to continue to do well—or if you need business to pick up. You can do this by responding to emails, joining consumers’ conversations or sending out surveys.

Consider surveying your consumers to see how they feel about your brand or to find out what you need to improve on. Surveys allow businesses to identify the needs of consumers directly, while bringing in prospective consumers who are unsure about your brand. Prospective consumers can tell you what they want or need from your brand.

Show Your Softer Side

Did you know that more than nine out of 10 consumers would switch brands to those they knew supported good causes? Consumers love it when brands show that they care about the communities that surround them and the environment. Connect with consumers by spreading awareness about various programs and causes that align with your brands’ values.

Be Active

If you want to connect with consumers, you have to be active on social media. Make sure that you post often enough that you grab consumers’ attention, but not so much that you become a nuisance. Aside from social media—if you don’t already have one—create a blog and make sure to post consistently. Once you’ve created a blog, or if you already have one but only post every few weeks, amp up your consumer engagement by posting at least two times a week.

There are multiple things that you can do as a brand to engage consumers and connect with them. If you haven’t already, start implementing these techniques today to help your brand grow.

Sources:

https://www.cio.com/article/2384419/online-marketing/14-proven-ways-to-connect-with-customers.html

https://www.semrush.com/blog/5-ways-to-go-beyond-personalization-to-connect-with-consumers/

Reasons to Embrace Video Marketing

By | advertising, marketing | No Comments

You want the best for your business and you want to make the most out of the tools technology has given you to market with. So, you hire an advertising agency to help you come up with best content for you brand. One important thing that they will help your brand do is to come up with video content to drive sales. Video marketing is a vital part of your brand and will benefit your company in countless ways.

Customers Love Videos 

Try to think about how many videos you’ve watched today. From snapchat to Instagram alone, the number could be in the hundreds. With the technology available to everyone, posting and engaging in video content is simplistic in everyday life. Videos create engagement, which is why customers love them so much. They are a great tool of influence and content marketing companies know how to push them out for your brand.

Connection

Videos create a connection with your customers that other content does not quite match. Videos are a way in which you can connect to your customers without seeing them face to face. Customers are able to view your videos and see your products in a similar viewing to what they would see in person. The connection made with videos is has a big influence in customer decision making.

The Drive 

The ultimate goal of video content is to drive more traffic to your site. Those who work with SEO in Utah know that videos are a great way to optimize your reach online. When people visit your site, Google pays attention to how long they stay on the page. Having video content on your website will keep people engaged for a longer period and help your Google standing. This means that when sites are searched on google, yours has a better chance of being found.

 

Sources:

https://tarproductions.com/10-reasons-all-small-businesses-need-video-marketing/

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2017/07/5-reasons-use-video-marketing-drive-sales/

Top 5 Brand Building Strategies

By | advertising, marketing, SEO | No Comments

Brand building is the process of generating awareness of your brand through marketing strategies and tactics, such as SEO. Despite what some people think, building a brand requires a lot more than communication and exposure. Brand building encompasses everything that consumers know, feel and experience with regard to your business.

Whether you have a marketing team or work with an advertising agency based in Utah, these five brand building strategies will help your brand grow.

Define

The first thing you need to do, and the most critical step, is to define your brand. Create a checklist of your company’s greatest strengths. When writing or posting content, go through this checklist and make sure that your writing reflects your company’s strengths. By reflecting your company’s strengths in your writing, consumers will be able to clearly identify and define your brand.

Your brand values are also an important aspect in defining your brand. Show consumers that you care about the environment and society by supporting local and national organizations. Depending on the industry you’re in, you could even vow to use as much recycled material as possible or conserve energy and water.

Differentiate and Position

If you want your brand to stick out, you need to differentiate and position your brand. Why should consumers buy your product? How is your product better than competitors? Pinpoint the unique advantage that your product has and use that to position your brand in a way that helps customers see why your brand is better than the competitors’.

One of the main duties performed by marketing firms is helping brands differentiate and position their products. If you don’t show consumers how and why your product is unique, how can you expect them to buy it?

Build

Building your brand takes time and consistency. Create a voice for your brand using blogs, forums and social media sites. By creating a voice for your brand and consistently posting content, you will help your brand grow because people will start to recognize your brand.

Another important aspect of brand building is developing a brand personality. Your brand personality affects how consumers think and what they say about your brand. This is what drives people to identify with your brand.

Personalize

Give your brand an identity. Engage with consumers and let them see and experience your brand’s personality. Create a brand that consumers want to identify with and provide them with the opportunity to co-create the values of your brand. This will help consumers feel like a part of the brand and give them a reason to engage with your brand.

Review

Marketing agencies constantly review their client’s brands and how well they’re doing. The fact is that brands have their ups and downs. Sometimes, brand strategies will work well and your company will benefit from it, and other times they fall short. Don’t become discouraged if your strategies don’t seem to be working; look for new opportunities and ways that you can improve.

Like any good advertising agency, consistently review your brand and find out what’s working. Make sure that you have clearly defined your brand, as well as differentiated and positioned it in comparison to others. Over time and through consistency, your company will grow and your identity will become clearer to consumers.

Sources:

http://www.coxblue.com/5-effective-brand-building-strategies-to-attract-customers-2/

http://www.brandanew.co/top-five-branding-strategies-used-big-players/

Our Digitized Future

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

It really shouldn’t come as any surprise that the future will definitely be heading in the direction of digitization. There always seems to be a new app invented or a new technology that is meant to enhance this human experience of which we all seem to be partaking. Not only do content marketing companies need to be aware of this digitized future, but so should everyone else.

Millennials and Gen Z

Millennials and Gen Z often receive not-so-flattering stereotyping, but one thing that is certain is that, for the most part, they are strong users of digital media platforms. You’d be pretty hard pressed to find a teenager in the United States who can remember a time without internet and a millennial who doesn’t watch Netflix. Because of each generation becoming more enveloped in digital media, the trend seems to be pointing at it continuing to go that way.

Digital Advertising

Most of the advertisements you see are probably not printed. More than likely you see them when scrolling through Instagram, watching YouTube, reading an article online or watching TV. Marketing agencies understand where their target audience is most likely to receive and respond to a digital advertisement. Therefore, expect for companies to start investing more into this.

Jobs

Every year, new jobs are created based upon the new innovations and digital mediums created. This means that in the future, there will be a number of jobs that perhaps cannot even be imagined at this moment in time and then other jobs may become irrelevant because of technology.

Social Media

Social interactions have already been altered by digital media. It seems like you are more likely to meet a couple who met on Tinder rather than in person or stay in touch with an old friend by giving them a like on Instagram. Perhaps social interactions are headed toward something out of Black Mirror and artificial intelligence becoming the norm; either way, content marketing companies and agencies are preparing to embrace the future and whatever it may bring.

Sources:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/what-will-digitalization-do-to-the-future/

http://www.dgtully.in/3-major-trends-shaping-future-digital-media/