The Essential Role of a Unified Brand Voice and Visual Identity on Social Media
June 14, 2024
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Why Video Marketing Is A Must, Not A Maybe!
Eddie Woods here, okay, I’m going to be a bit bold with my next statement, ready? You MUST incorporate video into your marketing plan for your business!!! This is NOT a suggestion, this is mandatory! Mandatory only if you want to remain relevant. Video is not only the dominant medium of the future, but it is the dominant medium of Right Now!
I know that many small, medium and even large businesses resist using video because they think it involves a lot of work, perhaps a big budget, requires time, and maybe they don’t feel that they come across good on camera. But if you are one of those businesses that have some of those objections, I would suggest that you stop thinking about your own insecurities with video, and start thinking about the effects that video can have on your potential customers, and the real potential it has to grow your audience, your customer base, and your bottom line.
I want you to read an amazing article from Liis Hainla at Dreamgrow, so you can start to understand the real power that video has and how it can help you grow your reach and your business…
“This has been a full-on video revolution year for marketers. According to Wyzowl statistics, 63% of businesses have started using video content marketing. Out of those 82% of businesses feel video marketing is an important part of their strategy. Video is progressing rapidly and will reach new heights sooner than we think. This trend is fueled by 83% of businesses believing that video marketing gives them a good ROI.
Undoubtedly, video marketing is one of the newest additions to your promotion toolbox. You might still have your doubts. Is it really worth to consider using videos for promoting your business? Do you have enough resources to create and use video content in your marketing?
The answer is simple: Yes, it’s worth it. Not only because everyone’s doing it but because video is one of the most versatile and profitable digital marketing tools out there. Here are 8 reasons why you should use video marketing right now…”
This Year, 2018, Mobile Ad Spend Will Overtake TV Ad Spend
That headline alone is astounding: That this year, 2018, mobile ad spend will overtake TV ad spend for the first time ever! And there is no going back folks! Digital Marketing is a beast, and it is only getting bigger! Check out the stats in the article from Mobile Marketer below…
“Mobile commerce is some of the fuel that’s driving the strong growth in the ad space as mobile conversions are expected to surpass those for desktop computers. Mobile commerce sales grew 29% to $153 billion in 2017 from the prior year, making up one-third of online retail revenue, Forrester found in a separate study. The researcher forecast that the U.S. will add 53 million smartphone shoppers in the next five years to make up 82% of online shoppers buying through a mobile device. The significance of e-commerce to mobile advertising is a key opportunity for Amazon and Snapchat to grow their ad revenues.
Google and Facebook, which are frequently called the “duopoly” because of their dominance in the digital ad market, will only strengthen their hold on the market with nearly unsurpassed ability to target personalized ads to massive global audiences. Google, which has a near-monopoly on mobile search, targets ads based on consumer browsing history and how people research products and services…”
Should You Start A Podcast To Help Promote Your Business?
The popularity of Podcasts are sky high with no signs of slowing down. Not only is it relatively inexpensive to start your own Podcast, but it’s pretty simple to get started. The questions really are, will it be worth it to you to have your own podcast, and will it make that big a difference in growing your brand and your bottom line? Here is a great article that will break down the best reasons for why you should start a podcast for your business.
“The meteoric rise of smart speaker technology means that having a voice strategy for your brand is no longer optional.
But if you aren’t convinced yet, consider this: JPMorgan Chase recently announced it had appointed an agency specifically to handle its voice marketing, as it seeks to “amplify” (intentional pun?) its strategy around voice.
Financial institutions aren’t known for being early adopters of new trends, so this may be an important signal that voice is here to stay.
The financial giant’s chief marketing officer, Kristin Lemkau, had this to say:
Voice is not only coming; it’s here. And in a multitasking world, it’s significant.
Uh, what Kristin said.
There are elements you should include in a voice strategy, including optimizing your content for voice search.
Another one is podcasting.
In fact, more and more savvy brands are turning to podcasting as a marketing tool.
Google itself has just announced a new podcast-specific strategy, which aims to double the number of global podcast listeners.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why.
Podcasts are Exploding in Popularity
In the United States, four-in-10 people have listened to a podcast.
Furthermore, 67 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly—an increase of 14 percent in just one year.
And because Europe tends to follow U.S. trends, podcasts are becoming hugely popular in the U.K. One-in-ten adults in the U.K. now listen to a podcast every week.
Lately, my friends and I are more likely to enthuse about our latest podcast discoveries rather than the latest Netflix box sets or Hollywood blockbuster….”
How To Keep Tabs On Your Competition
When you started your business you needed to know who your competitors were and what they were up to, and it’s the same story now. You must keep up with what your top competitors are doing, so you can stay one step (or more) ahead of them.
Competition is a good thing, it’s a healthy thing, and it can keep us all on our toes. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the businesses that you go head-to-head with can offer insights into growing your business in a way you could have never thought of on your own.
Luckily, in the era of technology that we’re living in now, the internet offers a vast array of tools that can help you keep tabs on your competition. This type of strategic thinking can pay off big, so take a look at the list of tools to help you build a competitive advantage in your market…
“1. Google Alerts
No list of online monitoring tools would be complete without Google Alerts.
This tool is about as easy to use as it gets. Simply sign into your Google account to get started. If you don’t have one, it will take only a couple of minutes to sign up.
Next, input the names of your competitors. Google takes care of the rest.
You’ll get an email report every time a competitor on your alert list gets mentioned online. You can set it up for links and keywords as well.
It all depends on what you want to track.
Google Alerts is great because it’s free to use. You’ll get notified when your competitors are mentioned so you can stay up to date on the latest information.
2. Social Mention
We know 71% of small businesses use social media to engage with their customers. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. That’s why Social Mention is one of my favorite monitoring tools.
It’s super easy to use. Simply search for terms, keywords, or the names of specific brands, and the platform will show you what people are talking about across social networks and blogs.
The tool will tell you how often the brand gets mentioned as well.
This is a great opportunity for you to see what actual people are saying about …“
What Every Digital Marketer Needs to Know About GDPR
For those that don’t know, GDPR stands for (General Data Protection Regulation) On May 25th, these new laws will take effect that change the way personal data is collected and used online. These rules apply to anyone and everyone who markets online.
Navigating data regulations is never easy, so it’s understandable that becoming GDPR compliant may feel a little overwhelming, but we’re all in this together.
The folks at Digital Marketer have done a good job of summarizing everything you need to know about the new regulations…
“The new GDPR rules go into effect in less than a month (May 25th to be exact), and if you find yourself unsure how or if GDPR applies to you, you’re not alone.
GDPR is about processing personal data. For example, something as simple as having someone’s name and email address. If you have data from citizens of the EU, you’ll need to comply.
And failure to comply is NO JOKE.
Fines have gone up to €20 million or 4% of your worldwide turnover for the last 12 months.
Now, if you’re a small company, you might think, “Those fines are for big companies, like Facebook. Even if it’s a law, who’s going to find out if I’m doing anything wrong? Who’s going to enforce it, etc.?”
Even if you’re not being slapped with heavy fines, there will be reputational damage for not complying. And with all eyes on the commercial use of personal data right now,…”
Why Your Business Needs To Be On Instagram
Did you know that engagement on Instagram is 10 times higher than engagement on Facebook? Instagram has 800 million monthly active users, so I think it’s time to get your brand on the Gram and start testing some lead gen activities. The ability to generate leads on Instagram is more than just posting pretty pictures, you have to have a strategy. But even before we start going deep on Instagram lead gen strategy, I think it’s important to share the reasons why Instagram is a place where you should invest your efforts in promoting your business.
Here is an article that explores why your business needs to be on Instagram now, and in the future…
“In 2012, $1 billion seemed like an awful lot to pay for Instagram, given that the photo-sharing network had just 30 million users.
But, Facebook was weak on mobile in those pre-IPO days, and the purchase of Instagram allowed an immediate shoring up in that area.
Mark Zuckerberg was lauded for his commitment to keeping Instagram independent, and not just Frankensteining the technology into the parent Facebook app. Now, six years later, his quotes are even more interesting:
“For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.
We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and…”