Pros and Cons of Pop Culture References

By | Brand marketing, content marketing, marketing, Millennials, public relations, Social Media | No Comments

Brands today have started to focus on ways that they can make their content more efficient. From blog posts to videos and social media posts, it’s important for companies to produce written work, videos, and graphics that will resonate with their audience; if you fail to make your content engaging, you’re not going to see results. When it comes to the type of content that reaches an audience more than any other piece, it really depends on the person, but all kinds of people today are watching more videos than ever.

Video production companies are going to be looking to capitalize on the opportunity they have to connect with audiences and start leading the world in digital marketing. However, how do video production companies do this? They have to find ways to incorporate current events and trends into their videos.

In recent years, video production companies, as well as marketing agencies, have begun to include pop culture references into their content to make it more appealing to audiences, but does this really work? When it comes to pop culture in the world of digital advertising, there are a few upsides and some downsides.

The Pros of Pop Culture References

Pop culture references in social media content are ideal because it produces some of the most eye-catching and tempting clickbait out there. Pop culture references make it hard for people to ignore pieces that include topics that are relevant to them. When a post is able to captivate the audience just on its title alone, the higher the chances of that company obtaining more traffic to their pages. From YouTube videos to blog posts, a crafty title with a pop culture reference and a keyword is sure to draw in an audience.

Another reason video production companies and marketing agencies choose to use pop culture references are because they provide easy explanations for complex issues. This is especially effective if you’re trying to reach and engage with a younger audience. If you use a current pop culture reference as a metaphor to a widely known tread, it will make that piece of content all the more easy to understand.

The Cons of Pop Culture References

Of course, using these references also has its downside. While pop culture references can, in fact, make a current world issue or trend simpler to understand, they can also distort reality and cause misinterpretation from certain groups. While a video production may have used the reference with no ill intent in mind, their audience can misinterpret the information, which can lead to dangerous outsiders stereotyping the company.

Another disadvantage that comes with using pop culture references in media is that they have a short shelf life. These references usually die out within a set amount of time, and you’ll soon have to look for the next reference to replace your current choice. This can get confusing for audiences and can even discredit your content as well. Pop culture is always changing, and it is near impossible to keep up with it 100 percent of the time. 

While using pop culture references may have its benefits, makes sure that you understand the consequences that may come with it so that you can avoid any media disaster.

Marketing Campaigns 101

By | content marketing, digital marketing, marketing, marketing agencies, Mobile marketing | No Comments

Marketing campaigns aim at promoting products through various platforms. Advertising companies use online platforms and print ads in addition to radio and television spots as their primary tools for product promotion. Consistent advertising is a good way for you to reach your customers and to create a lasting impression in their minds.

A coordinated approach for marketing companies has several advantages.

Meetings with customers and prospects

After beginning your campaign, you gain the opportunity for a meeting with customers and clients. Customers can see what you’re offering by examining the features and qualities of your products. Then, they develop an interest in your products from an informed viewpoint and are more likely to make an appointment to discuss how your company can help theirs.

Brand development

With multiple promotional ads, you stand to gain a customer’s attention more than if you used a single form of advertising. This lets you stand out from the crowd of your competitors. Displaying your brand across the various media platforms results in its promotion and development.

Customer follow-up

Whether you’re dealing with established customers or searching for new ones, a solid, diverse marketing plan helps you to follow up with them. Once you have gained their attention, you’ll have the opportunity to explain your products or services in greater detail. Marketing campaigns reinforce your brand, communicate your message and create a knowledge base for new or established customers.

Increased sales

Marketing campaigns remind your previous customers that your products and services are still on the market. They also catch the attention of curious customers. This results in new and repeat sales and increases your clients’ brand loyalty.

New business opportunities

These widespread campaigns can create new business opportunities for marketing companies. They increase exposure within the industry and attract new partners, which leads to expansion of your business by creating new opportunities.

Marketing campaigns drive your business forward. Through proper alignment of your marketing campaign goals, you stand a better chance of achieving success in your business.

How to Hire a Marketing Agency

By | content marketing, digital marketing, marketing, marketing agencies, Mobile marketing | No Comments

Before even talking about the steps included in hiring a marketing agency, you should understand why you should hire a marketing agency. Marketing agencies are experts and dedicated to advertising for your company. They come up with campaigns, know the best places to spend your money, and know how to get the most traffic to your business. They are the best way to get the word of your business or company out there, and they also take away all the stress of trying to figure it out on your own.

Again, they are experts at what they do. They know how to do it, and they know how to do it well. Marketing agencies can help companies of any size grow and expand. Once you have decided that hiring a marketing agency is a good idea, you’ll want to follow a few steps. Following these steps will help you to get the best marketing company for you and your company.

Do Your Research

Researching marketing and advertising agencies is the first thing you should do after deciding to hire one. There is so much you can learn about a company just from some simple online research. One of the best ways to do research is to ask around. Ask companies you respect which marketing agencies they use or ask what advertising agencies companies that are thriving use.

Successful research will help you so you end up hiring a marketing agency that you are going to want to work with. This research will save you from getting tied down on contracts you weren’t aware of and will help steer you away from companies that don’t live up to their promises. Careful research is the very best way to make sure you get what you want.

Case Studies

Marketing agencies can make all the promises in the world, but you can’t really believe them until you see the proof. As humans, we are all creatures of habit. You can assume that if a marketing agency doesn’t have great reviews, they aren’t likely to change just for you. Looking at their past work in case studies is a great way to compare their claims to their actual work. You can also check and see if the work they are doing and have completed in the past is what you are wanting.

You want to hire a marketing agency that does exactly what they claim they will. After sorting through all of your options, you should be able to shrink down your options to just a few. Make sure they not only measure up to what they say they will, but also that they measure up to your personal expectations.

Know What Services They Offer

Different marketing agencies offer a variety of different services, so you need to be sure the agency you decide to hire actually offers the specific service you want. Some services different marketing agencies offer include things like brand development, SEO, measurements and analytics, and some companies include things like website development and video production services. The more services the company offers the more they will be able to market your company over multiple platforms. Make sure though that you aren’t paying for services that you don’t actually want.

Like the Marketing Team

An important aspect of getting a successful marketing team is to make sure you get along with the marketers. If you and the marketing agency are disagreeing on everything, or simply just don’t get along you aren’t going to get much work done. Even if you do get work done, you aren’t going to get the quality of work that you want. It’ll also be a waste of money using your time to fight or not get along rather than coming up with good ideas. Making sure you get along with any marketing agency is crucial before signing any kind of contract, which leads us to the next step.

Read Before Signing

Marketing agencies are going to need you to sing some sort of agreement or contract, for a lot of reasons. They need to make sure you are willing to work with them for a set amount of time, they need permission to use your companies name and trademarks and a lot of other little things that they need legal permission for. These contracts shouldn’t scare you though, it is just simply a part of hiring a marketing agency. You should, however, be extra careful about reading all the terms and conditions of the contract to make sure you know what you are signing.

Reach Out

The final step when hiring a marketing agency is to reach out to them. Once you have narrowed the race down and found an advertising company you are interested in you can contact them. Shoot them an email and express your interest in their services. You can and should also include in this email any worries you have about working with them. This way you and the marketing agency can work out some problems you think you will face before you even start working with them. You can also discuss which types of marketing tactics will be the best for your specific content.

Overall, advertising agencies are here to help you and help promote your company. They want to work and get along with you. They want you and your company to be successful. Looking for these companies doesn’t need to be stressful or hard. Making sure you are doing your research, reading case studies, know what services are offered, get along with the marketing team, read before signing, and reach out you are going to find a marketing agency you can be successful with. Contact Fusion 360 Agency marketers today with any questions you have about marketing agencies!

Marketing to Each Generation

By | content marketing, digital marketing, marketing, Millenials, Mobile marketing | No Comments

It’s no secret that there’s not one way to market to every generation. There are many reasons behind this fact, but the biggest is that different generations grew up in different technological ages. Each generation has grown accustomed to the ways they buy products and receive information. Some members of older generations have adapted to the modern age of technology, but it’s good to know how to generally market to the individual generations so that you can cover your bases as a digital marketing agency.

Every generation has different things that influence them in making a purchase, whether it’s the marketing channel or the message. As a digital marketing agency, you have the responsibility to know how to market to each generation, especially if you have a specific target audience. Here are some fun facts about the different generations and their marketing styles:

Centennials (under the age of 21)
This generation is very media minded. Studies have shown that 80 percent of Centennials consider social media a strong influencer when making purchasing decisions. Centennials are focused on the quality and authenticity of your product, rather than pricing. Email advertising is less effective on this generation than others.

Millennials (ages 22 to 37)
Millennials are considered brand loyalists. They tend to find a brand they like, follow it on several media outlets, then they will remain loyal to this brand. Email advertising is important to this generation. They like personalized content and product recommendations over multiple channels. The most influential social media outlet for Millennials is Facebook.

Generation X (ages 38 to 52)
This generation is commonly known as the bargain hunting generation. They care less about brand names and are more frequently influenced by good prices or special deals. Like Millennials, Generation X is most heavily influenced by email advertisements. Social media also influences some purchases made by this generation, however, the convenience of shopping through online networks greatly influences whether or not these people make purchases on the internet.

Baby Boomers (ages 53 to 71)
This generation is much like Generation X, in that they also like to look for good deals and prices. However, they like to see good prices, but also a wide range of products. They like to be able to get their products from a few locations as possible. The Baby Boomers are rarely influenced by social media outlets, but Facebook and emails are the most influential if you still want to use digital media advertising. As far as digital marketing goes with this generation, it can be less effective than traditional marketing methods.

Now that we know that all the generations are extremely different when it comes to digital marketing, let’s talk about some ways you can capture all audiences. First, you should look at who your target audience is. If you are primarily trying to market to Millennials, you will want to put a large focus on creating brand loyalty and using their preferred channels. A good rule for any digital marketing agency is to make sure to change up what you’re doing regularly. Run deals and promotions to target generations of people where price is important, then advertise why your product is high quality to market to other generations.

Whatever you do, it’s always wise to be constantly trying new marketing methods to see what works best; but don’t forget about other methods that also work well. As a digital marketing agency, we cater to several different brands, so it’s important for us to get to know the brand, the target audience, and the product appeal in order to correctly market to the different generation.

Click here to learn more about our digital marketing agency to see what we can do for you!

Sources:
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/09/28/generational-marketing-tactics
https://www.cms-connected.com/News-Archive/July-2017/How-Each-Generation-Responds-To-Marketing-Channels-and-Messaging

Identifying Your Target Audience

By | advertising, Brand marketing, content marketing, digital marketing, marketing, Millenials, Millennials | No Comments

One of the key principles of marketing is identifying your target audience. In any marketing or advertising 101 classes, students will begin to learn about target audiences because they play a critical role in the success of a business. Every content marketing company understands that in order to generate sales and an eventual profit, you must know the right audience for your product.

It is sometimes fascinating to see business owners start out thinking one thing about their product, and then learning that the biggest selling point or benefit of the product ties to an entirely different demographic than they originally thought. Typically, business owners won’t misdiagnose their own product, but they do frequently miss nailing how to create the bridge between their target audience and their product.

Considering that the entire purpose of what content marketing companies do revolves around connecting the product with the target audience, they understand how to identify that audience. These companies put in the necessary time to learn more about the audience by conducting extensive research BEFORE they start coming up with plans and ideas. There are a few common ways marketing companies come up with a detailed analysis of the target audience; some of the frequently used tactics include producing primary research with polls and surveys, scanning secondary research in related scholarly/professional research articles, and learning more about a specific demographic.

Producing primary research – One of the most well-known and effective ways to learn more about your target audience is to produce surveys and polls that your current consumers will fill out. This will give you insight into what kind of groups and peoples you are working with.

Scanning secondary research –  The results to this are similar to the primary research you conduct; you will be able to better recognize the individuals that fall under the demographic category of your target audience. To get these results though, you will have to go through trusted scholarly/professional research and articles that related to your product and consumer. These articles will likely give you statistics or findings that direct you more to the individuals you should target.

Learning more about a specific demographic – Embrace the recognized demographic—check online forums, go to events they might have interest in, listen to the music or podcasts they do, and watch the TV shows or movies they do. Going to this length of research will help you speak their same language which will give you the ability to relate with them on a whole new level. This is ultimately what starts building the bridge between companies and their potential consumers or clients.

When a company properly identifies their target audience, they will be able to market their ads and promotions directly to that specific demographic. If the marketing efforts miss the mark, then that company can expect a minimal increase in sales and profit, and face the possibility of losing money as a result. However, if the target audience is spot on and the marketing tactics are executed well, then the company will achieve what they desired to from the beginning; content marketing companies understand that everything hinges on making your product appeal to the target audience.

Focusing on the target audience for a content marketing company is second nature. If you have any concerns with misidentifying your target audience or have any other marketing concern, contact us at Fusion 360.

Focusing on the Four Marketing Pillars

By | Brand marketing, content marketing, digital marketing, marketing, marketing agencies, Mobile marketing | No Comments

Content marketing companies are based on four main pillars that make marketing successful. These four pillars each contribute in their own way to the success of marketing in general. From making and maintaining relationships to working on improving your company’s name recognition, these pillars help marketing agencies make the best choices in these situations.

Relationships

Keeping existing customers and maintaining good relationships is pivotal for all content marketing companies. Though it may be easy to think that because you have already won them over you are good to go, this is not true; customers can leave just as quickly as they come. Also, happy customers are some of the best marketers possible. If they have had good experiences with your business, they will recommend you to their friends and family. Taking the time to make sure your clients and customers are satisfied is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to successful marketing. In today’s world, going digital and being readily available to help customers online is one of the best ways to ensure great customer satisfaction. 

New Customers

Though keeping current customers happy is important, gaining new customers is the whole purpose of marketing. Content marketing companies put a huge emphasis on this step. When you are working to find new customers, paying for things like ads is a great way to do this. Of course, word of mouth is still a great way to get new customers, but it is often the slowest way as well. Hiring content marketing companies are a great way to successfully find new customers.

Name Recognition

Another thing content marketing companies work hard to do is to create name recognition for the company or business. This includes creating a brand that is recognizable all around. Creating a brand is important for so many reasons and recognition is just one of them. Like with new customers, ads play a big role in name recognition. When people hear your name, you want them to think positively and have the desire to invest in your product or service.

Communication

The last pillar content marketing companies find important is the communication pillar. Communicating in all aspects of life is important, and marketing is no exception. After you know who your customers and clients are, you can find ways to communicate with them. You can learn what they like, what they don’t like, and what they expect from you as a company. You also want to be able to communicate with your customers so you can explain things or answer questions for them.

All these pillars work together so that they hold up marketing as a whole. Content marketing companies work with these four pillars in mind to create the most successful marketing techniques they can.  

The Benefits of Outsourcing Content

By | advertising, content marketing, marketing, marketing agencies | No Comments

Businesses are often faced with strenuous workloads and strict deadlines, which can make it hard to keep up with consumer demands. When it comes down to it, these struggling businesses are often faced with a tough decision: sacrifice quality or sacrifice quantity. Well, what if there was a way to keep both?

Content marketing agencies such as Fusion 360 exist to give your company room to breathe. Whether you need help with your campaign or you’re looking to get more content created for your website, we’re ready to take some of that weight off your shoulders. Here is how your business can benefit from outsourcing content.

Save Time

If you’re drowning in content work, there’s a good chance that some tasks are being put off, making you fall further and further behind and killing your company’s productivity. By outsourcing your content to reputable content marketing agencies, you’ll save yourself time; with extra time, you will be able to catch up on late work, restore productivity within your company, and really focus on your brand and customer relationship. If you really sit back and think about it, you’ll realize that this may be one of the best decisions your company can make. Freeing your employees from that crunch time they’ve been working on will help them get back into gear and focus on the most important parts of your company.

Strengthen Your Content Marketing Strategy

Another great benefit that will come from outsourcing your content is that you’ll be strengthening your content marketing strategy. Content marketing agencies specialize in content marketing, so you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that what your agency is producing will be of high-quality. While you may have had some talented writers amongst your team, content teams will know how to make your content as engaging and as efficient as possible. letting your employees worry about fulfilling their most important tasks.

You’ll Most Likely See Better Results

Content marketing agencies want nothing more than to help your business succeed, so don’t be surprised when you see your following grow, numbers start to rise, and your product or service start to become a big hit with consumers. Content marketing agencies are meant to help your business, which is why outsourcing your content is one of the best decisions your company will ever make.

Hiring a content marketing agency is the best way to free time, increase productivity and ensure that your content is as high quality as possible. If your company needs marketing assistance, contact us here at Fusion 360 Agency.

Outsourcing Your Social Media

By | Facebook, Instagram, marketing, marketing agencies, Mobile marketing, Social Media | No Comments

Social media is one of the best ways to get traffic to your business today. In fact, social media is so huge right now that it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. 88% of businesses are using social media as a marketing technique. However, it can be a little overwhelming trying to figure out how to most effectively use social media as this marketing tool. This is why many businesses decide to outsource their social media to digital marketing companies.

Outsourcing social media is giving the responsibility of managing your social media accounts to a company or group of people that are experts when it comes to social media marketing. These groups are often times digital marketing companies that work on many different platforms, however, within the past few years, the social media aspect of marketing has become huge for these companies. So when exactly should you outsource your social media to a digital marketing company, and when should you just do it yourself?

The most important thing to keep in mind when using social media as a marketing tool is making sure your brand is showing. Though this sounds like a relatively easy task, a lot of businesses struggle with this. Outsourcing is a great way to help fix this problem. Again, digital marketing companies are experts at this kind of stuff. They know the best ways to present your business on social media while defining and presenting your brand in a natural way.

Another time outsourcing your social media might be a good idea is if you don’t know what kind of content you want to post. Figuring out your social media content can be tricky depending on the type of business you have. Considering digital marketing companies are great at creating content strategies, outsourcing can make this a lot easier. They know what kind of content gets viewed the most and what kinds get the most feedback and traffic to businesses.  

The last reason outsourcing social media is a good idea is because you are an expert of your business, but digital marketing companies are experts at marketing. You may be able to post visually pleasing pictures or grammatically correct blogs, but do you know the latest algorithm changes?…When you outsource your social media it is no longer your job to figure that stuff out—it’s ours.

Social media marketing is huge in today’s world. The effectiveness of your marketing on these sites can literally make or break your business’s success. There are a lot of reasons and benefits to outsourcing your social media to digital marketing companies. They know how to present your brand in the best ways, they have creative and unique content ideas, and they are experts at marketing. By outsourcing your social media, you will have less to worry about and more time to focus on making your business the best it can be while leaving the marketing up to us.

4 Ways to Improve Coordination Between Advertising Teams

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Within marketing companies, there are several teams that must work together effectively in order for your entire company to be successful. We often focus on how to make a team successful, but how often do we talk about how to improve company-wide team coordination? Although working as a team is very important, recognizing the whole company as a team is also important. Teams often rely upon each other for steps in projects, so it’s important that they know how to work together effectively.

Know the End Game

Marketing companies often work together regardless of teams to produce results for our clients, and that often proves true for every kind of company. The biggest thing that allows marketing companies to accomplish this is the fact that they are all working toward the same goal. Your entire team needs to understand your client’s vision for the project from the beginning. This allows each team to take responsibility for their portion while also recognizing the work the other teams will be accomplishing. Consider holding group planning meetings to discuss upcoming projects and allow the teams to work together.

Utilize Individual Skills

Each member of your company often has skills outside the scope of their job requirement; marketing companies are missing the mark if they fail to recognize and utilize these skills. Holding brainstorming meetings where you work through project ideas is a great place to see your employees’ skills and ideas. Take ideas from everyone and let them share their knowledge openly, even if it doesn’t fit within their job description.

Clear Communication

Set a precedent of clear and thorough communication in your marketing company. Whatever that means for your individual company, do it! Use scheduling software to make sure everyone is on the same page with everything that is happening within your company. This helps people see the tasks they need to prioritize, and also helps teams see who is relying on them to get their projects done on time. You will also need to allow your employees to interact and get to know each other outside of their individual teams so that they feel comfortable communicating with each other.

Plan Efficiently

Software programs are really great for helping you to plan ahead and help the whole company be on the same page no matter the project or department. Effective planning also allows your teams to have time to communicate with each other to bridge gaps in planning and creation.

No matter the project, a marketing company runs off its teams coordinating with each other to get jobs done effectively. With so many clients and projects taking place at the same time, you will need to work together to get everything done in an orderly manner. It’s time to move past team building to inter-team building to survive in today’s fast-paced world of marketing and advertising.

Four Tips to Successfully Manage Your Social Media

By | content marketing, Instagram, marketing, Mobile marketing, Social Media | No Comments

When it comes to digital marketing companies in today’s world, your life should revolve around social media. Social media is leading a revolution in marketing and advertising, and if you don’t keep up with it, you’ll be left of the side of the road. Social media gives you access to instant feedback and target audiences like never before and can come at a cheaper price than traditional marketing if done right. Since this is one of the most essential tools that digital marketing companies should know how to use, let’s talk about the top four tips for how to improve your social media!

  1. More Isn’t Always Better

It may seem like a no-brainer, but content is where it’s at! However, don’t disillusion yourself into thinking that if you have more content then you’ll be more successful. The quality of your content is by far more important than the number of times you post to your social media pages. Work on developing a brand guide, then stick to it! You want your social presence to be visually appealing, but also to always be on brand with your company.

  1. Utilize Social Media Analytics

Like we stated above, more posting isn’t always better. It’s important to constantly be looking at your social media analytics to see what your response is. Sometimes people visit your page less frequently when you post more, so those things are important to know. You’ll need to study the types of posts that your audience responds better to, and even the time of day it’s more effective for you to post. Digital marketing companies need to put in a lot of work to make their presence known, but it’s worth it.

  1. Use Scheduling Tools

As you begin to study your analytics as to what times are more beneficial for your company to post, you may find out that 6 a.m. is the time where your page has the highest traffic. And who wants to be up working at that time? Using a scheduling system for your social media posting is extremely beneficial in this aspect. You can schedule your posts out for a couple weeks before heading on a trip or schedule them the night before to have them automatically post when there is high traffic on your page. Either way, it makes your job much easier, and who doesn’t love that?

  1. Be a Real Person

Many people forget how important this point is. Now, we’re not saying that you should completely throw all sense of professionalism out the window. Rather, social media is an outlet for you to connect with real people as a real person; be a human! Express gratitude, share fun moments in your work life, and most of all make your followers love you for your posting, whether that be for humor, blunt reality, or whatever else you want to portray. Just be yourself in order to make your digital marketing company look like it’s made up of real people rather than robots. Let your personality shine, in the best way, of course!

When it comes down to running a digital marketing company or department, you’ll need to become familiar with social media. Follow these four tips and get going! Social media is learned through trial and error, so start working with your company’s account and see what works and what doesn’t. The large benefit of social media as a platform for digital marketing companies is that it has a quick turnover on data analytics. If you get stuck, contact us at Fusion 360 to see how we can help you!