Proliferation

May 03
0

3 Less Popular Social Media Platforms Worth Tapping Into for Overall Brand Success

By | Social Media | No Comments

Social media has transformed the world of digital marketing; realistically, it’s unlikely that it ever reverts back to what it once was. With mega social sites like Facebook and Twitter taking up mammoth chunks of time for worldwide consumers and marketing agencies with any kind of Internet access, it’s hard to imagine a better way to expand your brand’s market reach.

Consider the aforementioned industry leader of all things social: Facebook. Not only does it come fully-equipped with an impressive Alexa Global Traffic Rank of two, it’s pegged that Facebook brings in an estimated 900 million unique monthly visitors. Rounding out the World Wide Web’s best social media networks are Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+.

That being said, the best, most progressive social media strategies and marketing agencies shouldn’t be limited to the select few sites with which most people are familiar. There’ much more that, unbeknownst to many marketing agencies, has yet to have been tapped for advertorial excellence.

1) Tagged

Tagged is one of the top social networking sites in the world with a current Global Rank of 550 and a bounce rate of only 10.3%. Founded in 2004, Tagged has many features which make it similar to Facebook. Profiles are created and browsed through the site’s main interface. Additionally, once again—similar to Facebook—people are encouraged to post descriptive biographies, share interests and upload photos.

Perhaps you’re asking yourself the following: If so similar to Facebook, then why would any company target this site as a means through which potential clients be identified? Well, with the average visitor spending 20 minutes and 48 seconds on the site—not to mention the 18.6 registered members around the world—the community is clearly engaged and active. In order to more fully put things in perspective, the average online visitor abandons a website within a minute of arrival.

2) Quora

Arguably, Quora is the best question-and-answer website the Internet has to offer. Mimicking Yahoo Answers, the company was founded in June of 2009 and immediately saw tremendous growth. Between January of 2010 and January of 2011, Quora grew a whopping 37,000% in usership, giving the website around 160,000 users at the time. One short year later in 2012, Quora was valued at over $400 million.

Just as Tagged’s value comes from community engagement and passion, Quora has accomplished a similar feat. In fact, many American marketing agencies have made content marketing through Quora’s newly added blogging feature a staple of their respective publication strategies. Areas of audience expertise range from startups, entrepreneurship and venture capital to science and food. Impressively, Quora has been favorably published in the New York Times, USA Today, Time and The Daily Telegraph.

3) Yelp

Yelp is a review site with incredible mobile capabilities for both individuals and advertising agencies. Since it’s founding in 2004, the company has followed in the footsteps of other review companies like the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List with booming success. Every day, people go online and talk about products and services that they’ve recently experienced. Apparently, there’s plenty of activity: Yelp averages 135 million unique visitors every month of each calendar year. As of October of 2014, there were 86,000 active business accounts on Yelp.

People can’t seem to get enough of the service. In 2014, there were 67 million cumulative reviews on Yelp. That’s about 26,380 reviews being posted every minute. By the third quarter of 2014, Yelp had over 73 million unique mobile visitors. What’s the end result of all of this, you ask? In short, impressive revenue spikes. On average, Yelp generates 200,000 business calls every day.

If you and your brand are looking for new social ground on which to stake a claim, never fear to venture outside of what most marketing agencies consider the best social media sites. Truthfully, there’s plenty left to discover.

Fusion 360 - 3 Less Popular Social Media Platforms Worth Tapping Into for Overall Brand Success (Fusion 360 Agency)

Apr 29
0

5 Steps for Maximizing Content Marketing Efficiency In the Digital Age of Communication

By | content marketing | No Comments

Relatively speaking, digital content marketing is a new advertorial practice. While it’s true that brands have been producing favorable brochures, magazines and tutorials for decades, what was once of a traditional nature is currently undergoing an extreme transformation.

In order for you and your clients to avoid the haze of confusion that often surrounds industry-wide adaptation, you’ll want to streamline your content marketing process. With years of experience under our proverbial belts, we’ve got a few helpful suggestions for those who find themselves confused by the complex process:

1) In-Depth Research

If anything meaningful is to be produced, in-depth research is going to be required. Initially, seeing as how nearly all digital marketing endeavors fall under the canopying service of search engine optimization (SEO), be sure to use Google Keyword Planner or any other SEO-driven program to discover relevant keywords and phrases for effective content production.

Though you’re certainly not well-versed in all fields and your clients’ respective areas of expertise may vary greatly, it’s the job of any well-seasoned content marketer to make certain that his or her content-guided research corresponds appropriately with groundbreaking happenings. Through Twitter or Google News, trending topics, newsworthy articles and reliable sources can all be discovered.

2) Creative Writing

The most important skill for any successful content marketer is creativity. With that in mind, however, it’s key that a series of rudimentary bullet points be checked off as written content makes it’s way down the production line.

First and foremost, paragraphs should break every two to three lines or every 75 to 100 words. If appropriate, use subheadings to allow for easier readability. Truthfully, much of your audience wants nothing more than to consume specific bits of information as quickly as possible. Subheadings make the skim all the more easy.

Additionally, look to scatter images in an organized manner throughout the body each piece. Lastly, each informative article, compelling story or enlightening how-to post must come with a compelling headline, about 55 characters in length.

3) Search Engine Optimization

As previously mentioned, a sound SEO strategy should always be at the forefront of any content marketing scheme. While the powers of top-notch PR publications and a wide variety of content hosting sites are wonderful for link-building, Google’s recently placed a great deal of emphasis on owned media; this means that booming blogs are now the real stuff of content marketing genius.

With respect to the specifics, blog posts should almost always be between 1,000 and 1,500 words in length. Remember that “compelling headline” of which was previously made mention? Well, an SEO keyword should be placed in a piece’s featured title. Finally, add an SEO keyword in at least one H2 header. If possible, include keywords near the front of titles.

4) Shareable Formatting

Obviously, in this—the digital age of communication—social media has taken the Internet by storm. In order to fully take advantage of what social media can do to boost content marketing’s product- or service-pushing capabilities, accompanying custom-made images, infographics or SlidShare presentations make social shareability skyrocket. Also, make social share buttons easily accessible at the bottom of a post.

5) Proper Promotion

While content marketing’s SEO value is innate, the power of embedded links is further enhanced when information is consumed, liked, shared, retweeted or anything else of the sort. After a link has been formally established, consider pushing said links on popular social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+.

Furthermore, call upon the help of social sharing plugins like Digg Digg or Flare. You can even go as far as funneling your clients’ links through reputable sites like StumbleUpon, Reddit, Digg or any forum/online community which your target audience might frequent.

Regardless of whether you’ve spent years working in content marketing or merely a handful of weeks, there’s always room for improvement. When followed closely, and augmented with a bit of marketing ingenuity, the aforementioned steps are guaranteed to produce real, concrete content marketing results.

Fusion 360 - 5 Steps for Maximizing Content Marketing Efficiency In the Digital Age of Communication (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)

Apr 20
0

The 3 Most Common Website Design Blunders Which Visitors Simply Can’t Accept

By | web development | No Comments

The Internet is a massive place. So massive, in fact, that—according to research conducted by Netcraft in March of 2012—there are over 644 million active websites. Considering how large the Internet is, however, that number is relatively small. Case in point, there’s plenty of territory left to be claimed out on the endless frontier that is the World Wide Web.

Regardless of whether you consider yourself an expert of website design or not, in order to build and maintain virtual audiences, there are a handful of website design errors which must be avoided at all costs. Simply put, digital audiences consider them completely and utterly inexcusable.

1) An Absent Search Box

In theory, any given website should be an archive of valuable information. Whether you’re dealing with a Fortune 500 website or simple blog, a visible search box couldn’t be more important. More often than not, visitors already have a general idea of what it is that they’re looking before your page has even loaded.

With a search box properly in place, site frustration is greatly minimized as users are quickly directed to what it was that they were originally hoping to find. In order to make certain that site searches take place in a neat, effective manner, consider using Google Custom Search or similar programs.

2) Subpar Navigation

Poor website navigation is one of the biggest turnoffs for users. Like any well-designed community, navigability shouldn’t be much of an issue. Though there aren’t many website design norms for seamless navigation within a site, it’s key that transfers from page to page occur in an intuitive and consistent manner.

Says Hongkiat.com in the ways of navigational advise, “If text is used as navigation, it should be concise. Visual metaphors should not be re-invented. If hyperlinks are used, then they should stand out from the body of the text. Dead links should have no place on any web page whatsoever.” As a canopying rule of thumb, structure navigation so that it works closely with the widespread theme of the website. By so doing, prevailing confusion is avoided in its entirety.

3) Cumbersome Registration Forms

This is by far one of the most annoying of unforgivable website design mistakes. Before a site’s design is completed, it can be helpful to take a figurative step back to see how much information you’re requiring of your guests. How many fields are present? How many mandatory fields are required? Could what’s being solicited be interpreted as intrusive or overbearing in any way?

Furthermore, it’s important to keep automated validation filters in check. If users are unable to comply with your registration standards after a few tries, they’ll most likely opt for one of your competitors instead. Registration for a site should require little to no information and encourage the consumption of information, not the giving of it. Needless to say, as proper website design tactics are put into practice, real results can be expected.

Apr 01
0

The Subtle Ins and Outs of Successful Content Marketing

By | content marketing | No Comments

Any monkey with a computer and a first grade education can compose an article, toss in a few keywords and publish a piece with little to no issue. Smells like content marketing, right? Well, if you responded “yes” to the aforementioned question, take that banana of yours and begin repeatedly bludgeoning yourself over the head. Seriously, it’ll do you some good.

From Utah to the farthest reaches of America’s East Coast, successful content marketing requires just a bit more than a pulse. In order to better represent your company or a client in the digital realm, you’ve got to cling to the very stuff that can’t be found in a training manual or deep within the confines of your boss’ cranium.

Still lost? Take a peek at the following infographic to better pick up what we’re putting down. You’ll be glad you did.

Fusion 360 - The Ins and Outs of Successful Content Marketing (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)

Mar 31
0

The Totally Precious Relationship Between Content and SEO

By | SEO | No Comments


Content is SEO. Wow, that was easier than we though it’d be. No, but seriously, that’s about it. If one were hoping to sound smart, one could say something along the lines of the following: “Content — be it of a written or digital medium — forms the very hooves which pull the figurative chariot of SEO off into the sunset of impressive marketing ROI.” While true, nobody likes to speak like those kinds of people.

Simply put, quality content helps build rapport with Google. As meaningful pieces — along with strategically embedded links and keywords — are uploaded to various publication sites and client blogs, Google — or any search engine, for that matter — recognizes the value of what’s being presented and gladly improves a brand’s page rank.

Through sound SEO and content marketing, advertising as a means of interruption ceases and both clients and customers are mutually benefitted. The result? “Mo money,” with fewer marketing headaches.

Fusion 360 - The Relationship Between SEO and Content (Fusion 360 SEO)

Mar 28
0

Bing: Google’s Ugly, Red-Headed Stepchild

By | SEO | No Comments

Sometimes mothers, especially the ones here in Utah, think that their kids won’t notice the difference between the real Lucky Charms cereal and the off-brand stuff that doesn’t even come with a colorful box. Just for future reference, there’s a difference and it’s huge: no “Made In China” toy [insert sad face emoticon].

In a similar fashion, Bing does its best to imitate Mother Google. Though her ad campaigns may try and trick random people in random shopping malls into favoring Bing over Google through random surveys and blind searches, Google’s majesty is unlikely to ever be overcome by Bing’s puppy-like SEO tenacity.

For starters, Google thrives off of producing relevant results in a matter of seconds. While Bing is able to generate pages of results in the same amount of time as Google, when more complex queries are fed into the system, Bing’s results struggle. It’s not that Bing can’t eventually find what Google quickly displays, but the result may take more time.

Furthermore, if Bing’s team of web services were to do battle with Google’s, the result would be enough to inspire yet another installment of “Silence of the Lambs.” Ya know, the kind of R-rated movie that’d keep concerned parents in Utah tossing and turning all night. Google Maps, Google Docs, Google News and Blogsearch simply can’t be beaten.

Sorry, Bing. In the minds of sane Americans and SEO experts, you’ll forever be little more than Google’s ugly, red-headed stepchild.

Mar 22
0

Keeping Your Company ‘Hip’ In Today’s Very Modern Day and Age Through Rebranding

By | advertising, marketing | No Comments

Do you by chance remember that song “Fresh Azimiz” by Bow Wow? During the song’s chorus, and unbeknownst to Mr. Wow at the time, there’s a message which rings true for archaic businesses who find themselves struggling to remain “hip” in today’s society. Raps the prepubescent artist, “Ye ain’t ridin’, ye ain’t bumpin’ like I’m bumpin’, ye ain’t sayin’ nothing homie, ye ain’t fresh azimiz.”

Without a formal degree in marketing and a sound understanding of how one “bumps” or reaches “homie” status, it can be difficult to interpret Wow’s message. For the CEOs of painfully out of touch companies, pay attention: rebranding may be required to keep your brand as cool as Bow Wow was in 2005. What happened to Bow Wow after 2005, you ask? Well, he failed to rebrand himself beyond the deletion of “Lil’” from his stage name. Case in outdated hip-hop point.

In reality, most brands form their respective identities during their early years. As time goes on, however, most business owners recognize the need to employ the powers of any one of America’s many marketing companies. Without constant monitoring, perceived reputation no longer reflects actual company culture. With the addition of a new name, logo or web design, the sad fate of the artist formally known as Lil’ can be entirely avoided. Never. Stop. Bumping.

Mar 18
0

Defending Utah and Her Alleged 2014 Googling of an Indecent Emma Watson

By | SEO | No Comments

Our SEO wizardry is based in Utah. Our employees live in Utah. Freaking heck, we love Utah. That being said, we recognize that if you took each and every American state and lined them up side by side on a playground and had Barack and Michelle start choosing sides for a figurative game of patriotic dodgeball, it’d be safe to assume that Utah—in our minds the greatest, most unique of territories in the Union—would probably be chosen last. Well, actually that’d probably be Mississippi. She’s way overweight and pretty dang illiterate. Whatever, you get the point.

It’s often said that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. With that in mind, you shouldn’t judge a state by it’s most Googled terms either; except in Maryland where the phrase “Pharrell Hat” won out. That’s just weird and that hat’s as ugly as sin.

With dirty minivans, families of 12+ people and those homely looking sister wives that sometimes stroll into Walmart on the weekends abounding within our home state’s borders, it’s no surprise that we’ve got a bit of SEO-driven explaining to do.

In fact, as of 2014, Utah’s top searched phrase was “Emma Watson nude.” As SEO specialists, we’re ashamed of what’s occurred, but feel that a reasonable explanation might be available.

Truthfully, the reasoning for what happened may very well be found in Massachusetts’ most searched item: “Emma Watson Speech.” Coincidence? Possibly, but on September 21 of 2014, the booming actress gave a moving speech to the UN on a fight for gender equality. In the aftermath of said speech, she became the victim of a hoax involving alleged nude photos.

Listen, we recognize that we’ve got some room for moralistic improvement, but all of us do. Next time, before you go stereotyping the SEO snot out of Utah, remember that she’s about as dope as they come.

Mar 16
3

Big-Time Companies That Content Market the Heck Out of Their Respective Audiences

By | advertising, content marketing | No Comments

More often than not, mammoth trends don’t quite catch on until someone famous decides that something insignificant is totally worth their precious time and effort. Seriously though, remember when Miley Cyrus made typical lap dance maneuvers a household activity?

“Twerking” was born and impressionable 12-year-old girls were hooked, much to the dismay of concerned soccer moms from Utah. Well, believe it or not, content marketing has skyrocketed in a similar, less appalling fashion as a handful of big-time brands have implemented the groundbreaking tactic of digital brand building.

Colgate, for example, is one of those gargantuan companies. As far as exciting product pushing is concerned, toothpaste wouldn’t be considered tremendously desirable. That being said, Colgate has taken their advertising to a new level by way of content marketing.

Recently, Colgate created an online Oral and Dental Health Resourse center which provides visitors with videos, interactive guides and—currently—upwards of 400 articles. Well, played teeth people. Just so you know, we’re still not flossing, so don’t ask.

Ironically enough, the very product that destroys teeth has piggybacked Colgate’s new marketing platform in an effort to keep up: Coke. Check this out: said Coke in its official Content 2020 advertising strategy, “All advertisers need a lot more content so that they can keep the engagement with consumers fresh and relevant, because of the 24/7 connectivity.”

Apart from Utah, when Miley twerks, you twerk. When Colgate and Coke content market, you content market. End of story.

Mar 12
0

If You’re Not Blogging, You’re Successfully Doing Your Brand ZERO Favors

By | advertising, Blogging, SEO | No Comments

Any one of America’s many marketing agencies will be more than willing to talk your ear off about the importance of blogging in today’s digital world of communication. Unbeknownst to hermits, the socially inept and those creepy adults who continue to live with the confines of their parents respective basements, blogging isn’t only for soccer moms with too much time on their hands; it’s for everyone, especially up-and-coming businesses.

Simply put, if you’re looking to increase your market reach and attractivity with the United States’ most powerful entity — The Google Machine — blogging is a must. Though the practice requires a great deal of upkeep, your guaranteed increase in productivity, revenue and digital recognition will be well worth the time and effort.

No-blogging-no-favors