The best way to figure out if a marketing campaign is doing well is by looking at the data. Reading up on your clicks and conversions will quickly tell you what works and what doesn't. There are a few things that should stand out to you when looking at your marketing campaign's data. If your campaign suddenly gains or loses traffic Even minor changes to a landing page or website can make a significant difference in your turn around. If you are experience a significant difference, do some testing ot find out why. If subscribers are constantly opening your messages When customers are ...

As a full service marketing agency, it’s kind of hard not to notice the marketing efforts utilized by the businesses around us. It’s great to see campaigns being launched and creativity being stretched. So we thought it would be interesting to make this a regular thing and see what companies are doing to help grow their business and increase their exposure. Today’s featured business: Office Max I received a letter from Office Max today with a nice greeting that referred to me as a “valued customer.” It’s always nice to know you’re appreciated. Of course the letter, in just under 10 sentences, ...

Small businesses are planning on doing more online marketing in 2010, according to studies from Vistaprint and Ad-ology. Small businesses are looking to increase their marketing plans for social media (14%), online and search advertising (11%). Also, only 38% of small businesses currently have a company website, but 32% of respondents said they would be interested in building a website if they had more time and money to spend on it. In a separate survey, Ad-ology found that 46% of US small businesses did not have a website. With more small businesses becoming interested in online marketing, it is critical to have a website ...

2010 is well on its way and it can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activities. However, with the year still new, it is important to reflect on your business' 1-to-1 marketing and see if you are effectively executing your online solutions. Here are a few things to review and see if they are being properly utilized. Review your website. Look at your website with a fresh set of eyes. Is the information you want conveyed properly to your target audience? Could new visitors quickly find information about your products and services? Are you clearly highlighting how to find ...

Having a website and a presence on cyberspace doesn’t mean you’ll succeed, not in today’s competitive world of marketing.  While an online presence is key, you have to do more than just have a web address to keep your edge. Once you have a web address, you need to market yourself on all fronts.  This involves optimizing your website through either Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or by using Pay-Per-Click (PPC) technologies to drive more traffic to your site.  Yes, this is the equivalent of putting up a banner or awning outside your brick-and-mortar store telling a passerby who you are. SEO requires ...

Having an online storefront means you’re always open for business Unlike other months, December is a critical month for just about any retailer.  According to the U.S. Census bureau, retailers’ sales during this busy month account for 15-24% of their total annual sales.  Besides Black Friday, the busiest shopping time during the year is the weekend right before Christmas. Typically, the Saturday before Christmas represents $15 billion worth of sales for retailers. This year, the United States East Coast was badly hit by a snowstorm that brought some areas up to two feet of snow, dashing the hopes of many retailers. With ...

According to to TMP Directional Marketing and comScore, almost 40% of people who did an online local business search ended up visiting the store in person. Even more people, 46%, contacted the business on the phone. This is up from 2008 when only 39% of people contacted the business on the phone. Contacting a business online went down one percent, from 12% in 2008 to 11% in 2009. Also, general search engines were more likely to be used than local search sites or online yellow pages. The biggest searches on local search engines were for child care and hotels and for ...

With social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter becoming the latest word-of-mouth venue, it is becoming more pertinent for businesses and companies to have a presence on these sites. According to the report Social Commerce on Facebook, Twitter and Retail Sites, almost 75% of the merchants in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide have a presence on at least one of the major social networks or social shopping sites. Social networking users of all ages are more likely to make online purchases, so they are considered a highly sought-after group by internet retailers, according to a May 2009 survey by ...

According to a new survey by Prospectiv, becoming a mother changes how you view online marketing. Women with children are more trusting and open toward online coupons compared to women without children. When dealing with marketing emails, 45% of moms said they wanted information that pertains to their lifestyle while 21% said they like to see anything they send. 35% of women without children said they did not want to be sent anything, and 30% were interested in information that pertains to their lifestyle. Also, only 1% of mothers found blogs were an effective way to market a brand, compared ...

The amount of time Americans spend on social networking and blogging sites as tripled in the past year. According to the Nielsen Company, time spent on social network and blogging sites, like Facebook and MySpace, accounted for 17 percent of all time spent on the Internet in August 2009. With an increase in the amount of time people spend on social networking and blogging sites, it is important for your company to adjust its advertising and marketing campaigns. Estimated online advertising has increased from approximately $49 million in August 2008 to $108 million in August 2009, a 119 percent increase. ...

Times are tough, but slowly the economy is working its way back to normalcy. Now is a great time to start reexamining your marketing efforts, or whether there are any efforts at all. Maybe the budget isn’t where you want it to be. Maybe your vision of how to market doesn’t match the size of your wallet. Obviously marketing is worth the investment, but if you’re on a tight budget, consider these low cost ways to market your business: E-mail Campaigns: Send a market specific, dynamic, message-effective e-mail. Sending an e-mail to 10,000 people will cost you very little. You ...

Starting a new blog can be another simple step toward raising your brand or company's awareness online. However, if you've never taken part in blogging before, it can be an overwhelming experience. Here are some basic tips to getting your blog started. Easy URL Many people don't think too hard about their username when creating an account for the first time. However, this is one element of your site that can easily bring in more traffic. Use your company name if available or make it related to what the subject of your blog will be. Design The first thing someone will notice when ...