5 Facts About Digital Marketing That You Never Knew

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

5 Facts About Digital Marketing That You Never Knew

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about social media marketing is that it’s very simple and easy work. These individuals believe that just because they know how to use Facebook or Twitter, they can already become a digital marketer. They think that it only requires being able to post some stuff on these social networks and it’s easy money.

Unfortunately, there’s more to digital marketing that meets the eye. If you want to be in the business, you also need to provide the right practice so that it will lead to a successful campaign. Whether you are the business owner or someone who is practicing digital marketing, it truly pays to be knowledgeable of the right tools to use in your line of work. Otherwise, it could be very costly for you; especially if you are not doing things right.

So before you get started on your attempt to be successful at digital marketing, there are some things you need to know. Here are 5 facts about digital marketing that you never knew but should:

#5: Some small differences in implementation could lead you to a big difference in results!

When it comes to your digital marketing strategy, you have to keep in mind that sometimes, you need to go beyond the extra mile. For example, if you are a writer, sure you can write well. But the best way you can get results from your writing is to use the tools of influence. The thing about influence is that you will be able to write content that would motivate your readers to do something. Sure, you can be spam about getting your message across to your readers or even hard sell to them. The sad part is, however, that this would end up in them blocking you or getting turned off by your practice.

Knowing what the tools of influence is can be a big help in changing the results you want for your digital marketing strategy. By following this, you can avoid spamming your readers. And again, this simply won’t do you any good.

#4: How you interact and engage with your audience matters

No matter how many followers, fans, or friends you have on the account, it doesn’t mean anything. This is because they are simply people who are keeping up with your posts on your social media accounts. Even if they fit the demographics of your customers, it won’t mean anything if they are simply following you on your social media account.

The problem with this is that most of the time, marketers boast about the number of followers they have on the accounts they are working on. What they fail to remember, however, is that if these followers do not do anything or buy from the company, they are simply followers and that’s all there is to them.

If you want your digital marketing strategy to work, you will have to engage with your followers. You have to show them that there’s actually a human being behind the account and not just a random software that generates content for them to look at. By doing this, your followers will be more open to discussing things about the business and this could lead to a viral messaging campaign and sales for the business. And yes, this is the most important thing to remember when you are engaging with followers in the first place.

#3: Digital marketing work requires extensive skills across a variety of platforms

This truth about digital marketing work contradicts the norm that anyone can do social media work. As mentioned, many people believe they can be a social media manager just because they know how to post on Facebook and Twitter. In reality, however, an individual needs to be equipped with the necessary skills to create a powerful and successful digital marketing campaign.

The usual skills needed in social media include strong writing, marketing background, A/B testing, strong business intelligence, technical web design, graphics design, some coding, online social media management, and CMS background—such as Drupal or WordPress. If an individual does not know these things, he may not be able to successfully do the tasks needed in the field of digital marketing.

#2: Thoroughly understand the digital marketing strategy to be successful with the campaign

There are some individuals who think working in this line of work is easy. They tend to forget that they will have to be thoroughly clear with what it is the campaign is all about. At the same time, they also need to know who the buyer spectrum is.

Some digital marketers believe that the success of a digital campaign depends on the number of followers gained on Facebook or Twitter. But definitely, this is a big misconception that should be stopped. There’s more to social media and digital marketing than just having thousands or millions of followers on the account. These followers need to actually respond so that the campaign can be successful.

#1: You will have to spend money to be successful in your digital marketing campaign

One way you can be successful with your digital marketing campaign is to spend big money. You will really benefit from having a seasoned speaker or personality guest blog on your website. Even though you will have to spend some money on this, the results can be overwhelming.

The trick here is to identify who the right people to invite to guest blog or feature on your social networks. You have to be thoroughly careful about whom you choose so you can get the right results you are looking for in your digital marketing campaign.

Knowing these things are important for the success of your digital marketing campaign. There are plenty of other things that are still good to know when it comes to working on a digital marketing campaign. If you really want to do things right the first time, you can follow these tips so you know how to reach your target audience.

2016 Web Design Trends

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

The following 2016 web design trends will keep you informed of what to expect in the ever-changing tech industry.

Author credit: Amber Leigh Turner

Design trends often span several years (even decades for some types of design), but Web design is a quickly moving and changing industry where trends come and go quite often.

We’re still working with some of those trends now: responsive web design, flat design, performance and speed, and perfecting the user experience. However, what are some of the new and emerging trends we can expect to see in 2016?

Let’s look through some of the trends we can expect to see more of this year.

Navigation and Menus:As a Web designer myself, I’ve noticed we just can’t seem to get the navigation or menu of a website down. We keep playing with it, experimenting, and doing different things to get it to work well and be useful.

We do things such as put it in a new and unexpected place, hide it behind a hamburger icon (a trend I mentioned for 2015), or just throw it up there because we know it is needed but it doesn’t look very good.

We struggle to figure out exactly the best way to showcase this important piece of content to make it usable no matter the screen it’s being viewed on. We continue to experiment in ways to figure out what works best. For example, Shellshock above is experimenting with both the hamburger icon menu reveal with a card inspired layout for their navigation.

Expect to see more experimentation as we work through trying to figure out how to do navigations and menus well.

Scrolling: Have we reached the point where scrolling increases readership, but we want less scrolling? Possibly. For 2016, I anticipate some sites going with minimal scrolling while others embracing the long scroll.

There are benefits and drawbacks to both: long scrolling feels natural and is easier than clicking but it spaces out content and makes it harder to scan to find info while shorter scroll gets to the point quickly but it may be so quick that causes bounce rates to increase.

Above, Uppercase has opted to go with a no-scroll site. What you see in the screenshot is what their site currently loads. All of what you need is right there without needing to scroll further.

It will be interesting to see the scrolling battle play out in 2016 and which one comes out on top. Currently, there are more long scrolling sites than shorter scrolling sites, but only time will tell which is truly the best way to consume content.

Module design: Have we reached the point where scrolling increases readership, but we want less scrolling? Possibly. For 2016, I anticipate some sites going with minimal scrolling while others embracing the long scroll.

There are benefits and drawbacks to both: long scrolling feels natural and is easier than clicking but it spaces out content and makes it harder to scan to find info while shorter scroll gets to the point quickly but it may be so quick that causes bounce rates to increase.

Above, Uppercase has opted to go with a no-scroll site. What you see in the screenshot is what their site currently loads. All of what you need is right there without needing to scroll further.

It will be interesting to see the scrolling battle play out in 2016 and which one comes out on top. Currently, there are more long scrolling sites than shorter scrolling sites, but only time will tell which is truly the best way to consume content.

Flat design: With responsive design pretty much taken over the Web, expect a flat design to continue to be a dominate design aesthetic throughout 2016. Not only will there be websites that launch with flat designs, those sites that’ve already embraced the flat design trend will look to make things even flatter.

Take for example Google’s logo. The company changed its logo to make it flatter (losing the bevels) and changed the font. It found that a cleaner sans-serif font for its logo helped cut the size of the logo file used on sites by more than half. Google also found that it was easier to read on smaller devices.

This includes updates to logos (like Google), icons, images, and other elements that maybe didn’t get fully flattened the first first time. You can thank the drive and determination to get our websites to load faster and snappier, weigh less, and get content to viewers more effectively.

Material design: Google released its Material design language back in June 2014 but the adoption has been a bit slow. However, designers now have a better understanding of the Material design and I anticipate they will start opting to use it more in their designs as documentation and examples become more widespread.

The material design focuses on tactile but dynamic elements that remind us of paper and ink. Shadows that are realistic, items that overlap do so with regards to reality, interactions stay inside of the material and don’t impact other material around it.

Since we’ve seemed to have reached peak flat design, designers are opting for the next thing, and Google offers that up in their Material design language. I anticipate many more sites to follow this same material design aesthetic in 2016.

Ditch stock elements: We’re starting to see more and more websites ditching the use of stock elements such as stock photography and icon sets over something that feels much more designed and personal to the site itself.

Some websites are opting for using their own photography for use on their home pages or blog posts instead of picking a stock photo. Other websites are ditching stock photography for videos, infographics, or even GIFs to help convey their message. For example, Flatiron Health has opted for their own photography in areas of their website to help be more inviting and personable and less corporate.

Icon sets are another stock element that’s being dropped in favor of something more custom. There are thousands of sets out there, so it’s easy just to pick one and run with it, but for designers, they’re noticing that little extra touch to create custom icons can help set a site apart from others.

Full screen forms: Much like I talked about a year ago with responsive Web design practices being carried throughout an entire website instead of just the mobile versions, this trend also has come from the wide-spread adaptation of responsive website design.

More sites and apps are going with the full-screen forms and input screens (such as signups and logins) instead of it existing in only one small part of the site. Click on “login” and or “contact” and you may be greeted with a full-screen overlay with the form needed instead of being sent to a different page. A great example of this is Eighty East’s contact form. When clicking “contact” you get a full-screen contact form.

As mentioned above, this trend comes from responsive design best practices for several reasons: keeps another screen from being loaded, gives more screen space for easier touch by fingers on touch screens, and encourages users to complete the form (for those forms that present one input at a time).

Animations: As Web design is flattening out, websites are starting to look more and more alike. One way designers have been trying to help make their sites stand apart from the crowd is through the use of rich, clever but subtle animations throughout.

Designers are opting for changing the everyday animations we’ve all grown accustomed to but still serve a purpose. For example, Slack’s own loading screen takes that boring circle loading animation and ditches it for a custom loading animation featuring Slack’s own logo. It still serves the purpose of letting the user know it’s working, but in a clever and rich way.

Better function: Users are caring more about how a site functions than looks
Having a nice design site is great and all, but it really doesn’t matter all that much if your site doesn’t function well. Users are becoming more keenly aware of when something doesn’t work properly on a website.

It’s becoming more common for users to leave a website because they’ve encountered something that isn’t working well for them. Imagine how bad this could be for an e-commerce site?

Designers want their sites to look good, so it’s important that they can make the site function properly as well. Give the people what they want: function and design.

Designing in browser: Some Web designers currently design only in the browser. There are benefits to this: cuts development time down, allows you to see the limitations and reactions of the actual browser with regards to the design, and is more natural than designing in a program that has nothing to do with the Web.

It’s pretty common for Web designers to know how to code at least the front end of websites (HTML/CSS/JS), so designing in the browser makes sense to them. With the trend of Web design moving out of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Sketch and into the browser more, I anticipate many other Web designers starting to work on their HTML and CSS chops.

What are some design trends you anticipate for 2016?

Why Fresh Content Matters

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

Many web page owners wonder what the purpose of fresh content is. Fresh can mean a few different things, from a new way of thinking, to something just produced. “Fresh content” is really a combination of both. Here’s a look at what creating fresh website content can do to help drive traffic, and why it’s a bigger deal than you think.

How Often You Should Create Content?

Figuring out how frequently you should post on social media or post fresh content is the first step in setting your blogging and social efforts up for success. At bare minimum you should strive to publish a blog once per month, and post on social media several times per week. This will keep your audience updated on your brand happenings and also keep them interested in the future of your company. This helps to build brand loyalty and will hopefully increase your amount of mobile shoppers.

Don’t expect your content marketing strategy to have instant results. If you do, you’re just setting yourself up for failure, because most marketing strategies take a significant amount of time to reap any reward. There really is no such thing as an overnight success with blogging and having a social media presence. If you are diligent and continuous in your efforts and reformulate your posts as necessary you should eventually see a rise in both page views and web prominence, and your site will (as an ultimate goal) be considered an authority on your topic. Google results will favor your website, and your website traffic and lead generation will flow. It’s all about the content and keeping the cycle going.

What Should You Write About?

Finding topics to write about can be a task all in itself. It helps to have an editorial process in place so that you have some basic guidelines to begin your content production. In addition to the area of interest you should first establish the type of content you’ll be writing, and a goal word count for each piece. This will help you figure out how many contributors you might need on board, as well as how you might filter certain topics so that you have enough information to write a relevant piece.

Research on your industry can help you figure out what to write about when you begin blogging. You should also study and look at other websites and see what they are publishing. If there’s something happening going on in your industry, writing a blog is a newsworthy way to approach it. New employees, new products, recognition, awards, events, etc. are all easy topics you can tie into a monthly editorial calendar.

Should You Recycle Content?

Recycling or repurposing content is the practice of sharing and posting content over and over again. If you have an article that is evergreen, meaning not likely to ever change in relevance or importance, recycling your content on social media is an ideal way to increase site traffic, without expending more writing efforts in creating fresh content. Play around to find an ideal balance between evergreen content and topics that are trendy and of the moment. When you mix both timeless and fresh content together you create web content that is valuable, resourceful, and just a little different.

Why Content Matters

Fresh content matters because Google is constantly seeking new content in all of its search updates. It doesn’t matter if it’s Panda or any other Google update, if your website isn’t constantly producing website content there will be nothing new for the search engines to crawl. This means you will eventually lose your place in search result rankings and that will affect your visitors, hence your website traffic. How many pages do you scroll through after searching a topic? Most people click the results that appear on the first page.

Writing web content is essential if you want to keep a place in the vastly, ever-changing digital world.
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Marketing Tips for the New Facebook Emojis

Posted on by Chris Jenkin
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Need a few marketing tips for the new Facebook emojis? While the simplistic icons seem rather harmless, you can say a lot and hear a lot about your brand, just by interacting with these digital expressions.

Understanding your customers is key if you want to run a successful business. Businesses that have a social presence have the ability to tune in to their customers and also gain valuable insights on what products or services might soon be in demand.

Facebook is a popular tool for businesses that want to interact with their repeat or potential customers on a social channel, all while sharing pictures, stories and events that are of interest to the brand. Giving customers an intimate peek into your company can help encourage loyal shoppers.

While Facebook’s simple “Like” or “Share” buttons did the deed, the company decided it was time for much needed change.

According to USA Today, acknowledging that “like” isn’t the right sentiment for every occasion, the giant social network is offering new options. Reactions, five emoting emojis, started rolling out to Facebook’s nearly 1.6 billion users around the globe Wednesday. Whether or not you’re thrilled with the idea or not, the new Facebook enojis are here to stay. Here’s how you might use the emojis to your business advantage while interacting on the social media network.

How to Use the Facebook Emojis for Your Business

Now that you know how important emojis are, you can utilize them effectively for promotion. Your reputation is built not just on your goods, but also in your delivery and service. Your customers can learn much more about your company simply by seeing its engagement on social media channels. The next time you’re so inclined to leave a thumbs up, why not consider using one of these emojis on Facebook for your business?

Like--A perennial, the like button remains the easiest way to show your appreciation for a comment or a post. If you want to keep things simple and casual the thumbs up icon will remain available.

Love-Sometimes like just isn’t enough. Show your customer appreciation by loving their posts from time to time, especially during special events or after a positive business review.

Haha- Goodbye lol, hello emoji. Because who really laughed out loud all those times anyway? The humor emoji is perfect for lighthearted and spirited interaction with your audience.

Yay- Good news deserves to be shared. Whether it’s a simple post celebrating a new product launch, a success, or the beginning of a Friday, the yay button sends an encouraging and uplifting message to your Facebook followers.

Wow- How about that? Wow is a standing ovation for a job well done, impressive feats, and it’s a holy moly. No matter the reason for the inspirational emoji, it makes people feel good. So give them a wow.

Sad- Sadness is an emotion most creatures can relate to and depending on the circumstances, pulling on the heart strings is a surefire way to connect to your audience. If you’re posting videos, images or stories that are filled with experiencing this basic human emotion, what better way than to relate to your customers than using the new Facebook sad emoji in your comments or posts?

Angry- Did you experience a bad business review? Understanding why your customers felt compelled to dish things out over the internet can tell you a lot about your business. If customers feel you’re on top of your customer service game they’re more likely to express their dissatisfaction in person, before taking things to social media. But it still happens. Sometimes people don’t want apologies, refunds, or to offer a business a second chance. They simply want to share their experience as a fair warning to future customers. While it may be tempting to leave an angry icon in reply to a criticism or bad review posted on your Facebook business page, it’s really not best practices.

How Emojis Can Help You Understand Your Audience

During Facebook’s testing of Reactions emoji, Facebook will treat them just like a Like when it comes to ranking posts in the News Feed algorithm.

“Our goal is to show you the stories that matter most to you in News Feed,” Facebook product manager Chris Tosswill wrote in a News Feed FYI post. “Initially, just as we do when someone likes a post, if someone uses a Reaction, we will infer they want to see more of that type of post. We will spend time learning from this initial rollout and iterate based on findings in the future.”

Evaluating customer emojis will help you understand which social posts grab their attention. This means when you see a love, you might just want to keep doing whatever you’re doing.

Why the Change

Wondering why Facebook decided to get so emotional? “Not every moment you want to share is happy,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. “Sometimes you want to share something sad or frustrating. Our community has been asking for a dislike button for years, but not because people want to tell friends they don’t like their posts. People want to express empathy and make it comfortable to share a wider range of emotions.”

“We have been very intentional about really understanding what people are trying to communicate on Facebook right now and how can we make that easier,” said Tom Alison, engineering director of News Feed.

For years, Facebook resisted giving users an alternative to the “like” button, namely a “dislike” button. But the lobbying only intensified as more people used Facebook on mobile devices and clamored for quicker and easier ways to comment.

Interacting with your customers couldn’t get any easier. Now that Facebook emojis are officially unveiled, you should soon begin to see different sorts of activity on your pages. Use these new tools as a way to approach new customers while encouraging repeat traffic, and see what Facebook can do for your business.

What do you think? Like? Dislike? (Nevermind) Or LOVE?