Category: Digital Marketing Resources

First, I think it’s important to touch on why TV and radio stations are even selling digital solutions. Think about your TV watching habits for a second….are you DVR’ing everything except news and live sports? Most people are, which means these big media conglomerates have had to adapt their business model to survive and stay relevant. People are spending more time online than they ever have.

I spent about seven years of my career as a television/radio/digital rep for various affiliates in the Midwest; I think that qualifies me to write this piece! I’m here to tell you why you should refrain from buying any digital marketing from your TV or radio rep. I get it, you’ve likely been working with that rep for some time and have built a solid, trusting relationship. Here’s the side you may not know about:

1. THEIR “STRATEGIES” ARE QUOTA BASED

Here’s what you don’t see….every “solution” they call you with is coming from a place of needing to hit a digital quota. They’re calling you because they know you trust them and will likely buy anything they put in front of you. Are your best interests really at the center of their quota driven world? I’m in no way bashing the work that these wonderful people do—after all, I was one of them for the better part of my career! What I’m saying is that they get put on probation, or even worse, lose their jobs if they don’t meet their quotas.

2. OUTSOURCING DOESN’T ALWAYS SERVE YOU

Much of the work they are doing from a digital perspective is outsourced to a third-party provider. That means, if you need an ad modified or pulled down quickly it really can’t happen immediately. They have to put in a request and it could take 24-36 hours to make a change. This isn’t the end of the world, but it is an inconvenience!

3. THEY SPECIALIZE IN ANOTHER MEDIUM

They don’t specialize in digital marketing, they specialize in television and/or radio. (See point 2, they have to outsource it because they don’t fully understand the digital world.) They understand just enough to be able to sell you on it. Wouldn’t you rather work with a partner that specializes in digital marketing?

Leverage our expertise. Work with us.

 

 

Searching for the right digital marketing agency to partner with can be a daunting task. There are so many options, and generally, no rule of thumb to guide businesses in making the right selection. Traditional advertising agencies are becoming digital agencies or else face extinction, while digital agencies dabble in traditional advertising to keep clients happy. If the agencies are confused, you can be sure the businesses that work with them are too.

So, here are four primary considerations to help guide you when selecting the right digital marketing partner.

Do you like their work?

What type of services do you need? If your company wants a website redesign, you should review agencies’ portfolios to determine that they, first, offer website design, and second, are good at it. If you don’t like the websites in an agency’s portfolio, chances are you won’t like the one they design for you either. If you’re in need of search or social marketing, request that the agency provides you with evidence of past performance successes in the form of case studies, testimonials, and metrics.

Do they specialize?

Does the agency have any specializations? This can be good and bad. An agency that specializes in one or two things may be excellent at those specific things, but not good at anything else. This is great if you’re looking for an agency to only do that one thing, but many companies look for a digital marketing partner who can provide them with a portfolio of services to address their various needs and objectives. This avoids the hassle of having to manage multiple providers.

How much experience do they have?

There are a few questions one should ask when gauging an agency’s experience.

• How long has the agency been in business?
• How many clients have they worked with?
• How many projects and campaigns have they successfully completed?
• What industries have they served?

If an agency has been around a while, worked in your industry, successfully completed objectives similar to yours, and has a good reputation, they should be a good fit.

What is their price point?

Price is relative. Prices range from agency to agency and fluctuate depending on the service. Hourly rates are a terrible gauge because the total cost is the same when an agency that charges $100/hr takes twice as much time to accomplish the same objective as an agency that charges $200/hr.

What really matters is your budget. You wouldn’t shop for a car or house without a budget, and you shouldn’t shop for a digital marketing agency without one either. Know in advance what your budget is and ask the agencies you’re considering if they can achieve your objectives within it. Go with the one that says “yes.” If they all say “no” then your budget is most likely too small!

Leverage our expertise. Work with us.

 

 

Whether you’re a new or established business, listen up! Your longevity in the marketplace has little to do with this topic.

I’ll say this now (and probably again later!), if you aren’t making a conscious effort to connect your online and offline marketing, you are missing the boat on potential customers. Here’s the scenario….potential customer Johnny is driving home from work and hears your radio ad. It piques his interest. He can’t remember the name of your company when he gets home so he turns to Google and starts searching. Are you there? If not, you’ve just paid a pretty penny (for that radio ad) to help your competitors, who are already visible on Google, get business. That’s right, your ad just drove your customer straight into the hands of your competitor. So what can you do?

BE THERE WHEN IT MATTERS

Do everything in your power to appear at the top of page one in the search results. There are multiple ways to achieve this. First, if you haven’t optimized your website for search engine visibility, do it now. Second, start buying Google AdWords. Third, when you are in flight (on TV and radio), you need to up your AdWords bids to ensure that you are appearing. Remember, traditional media fuels search, and if you aren’t there, you’re missing the boat on potential customers and possibly fueling your competitors who are out marketing you on digital.

WRITE AD COPY THAT CONVERTS

Showing up is half the game. So you’re there, now you need to convert. (I could write an entire blog on this but that’s not the purpose of today!) Write ad copy that matches the search conducted and drive those searchers to a landing page that provides them with the information they are looking for. There’s nothing more irritating to a potential customer than clicking on an ad only to be taken to the homepage of your website. The homepage isn’t what they were looking for—give them what they want!

For the third time, if you aren’t making a conscious effort to connect your online and offline marketing, you are missing the boat on potential customers!

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call us today at (866) 611-6267 or submit our contact request form.

 

The design of your website can mean the difference in converting a new customer versus losing a potential customer. Building a strong design foundation should be the first priority. You should be designing with user experience in mind. How do potential customers flow through your website? Is it easy for them to locate the information they are seeking? If you aren’t using basic design principles, you run the risk of losing potential customers because of your website design.

Design Principles Convert

Using basic design principles increases conversion rates and customer engagement. Visual hierarchy is one of the key components of design, the flow should convert clients with ease. Visual hierarchy includes calling attention to important elements with color, size, shape, etc. With this flow, customer engagement increases because the design leads users to the end product.

Make Users Happy

Design is an integral part of any highly functional website. If your website is a trap that sends potential customers in circles, they will become frustrated and leave. You only get one chance to make a first impression, don’t frustrate your site visitors with bad design!

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call us today at (866) 611-6267 or submit our contact request form.

The definition of a “brand” doesn’t begin to scrape the surface of what branding means when building and/or growing a business.

brand/
verb
1. A mark made by burning with a hot iron to attest manufacture or quality or to designate ownership.

Technically, just a company logo would meet the defined term of “brand.” While the logo is necessary, it’s important to understand that your logo is just one piece of a larger brand strategy.

Of course, there’s a correlational relationship between your logo and your “brand,” but I’m asking you to think bigger. Think about your BRAND STRATEGY. Think about your identity in the marketplace. Think about your positioning.

Your brand is the promise you make to customers. Your brand is a value statement. Your brand is a way of life. Afterall, 64% of people cite shared values as the main reason they have a relationship with a brand.

GUT CHECK:

• Does your website convey who you actually are or who you want to be?
• Does your brand invoke feelings of happiness and loyalty?
• Are your customers having experiences that they can’t wait to tell their friends about?
• Does your brand make people smile?
• How do your potential customers perceive you?

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call us today at (866) 611-6267 or submit our contact request form.

It’s just a normal Friday morning shopping for shoes on Zappos. You like the shoes, you really do, but you’re being budget-conscious. So, you close that window. You’re proud of yourself because you showed some restraint. Well done! Fast forward to 4:47 p.m., and your work day is almost over. You find yourself wondering what the weather is going to be like over the weekend. You hop over to the Weather Channel’s website, and there it is. Like BAM! It just hits you in the face—an ad for the shoes you salivated over a mere six hours earlier. You click on the ad (because who can’t at this point) and find out that you can get a 20% discount if you buy the shoes now. You buy them because you may never get a deal THIS good again. So, how does this happen?

It’s a fancy little trick that we digital marketers call retargeting. In reality, it isn’t actually fancy at all and is something that you can and should be doing for your business.

THE STANDARD DEFINITION

“Every time a new visitor comes to your site, the code drops an anonymous browser cookie. Later, when your cookied visitors browse the Web, the cookie will let your retargeting provider know when to serve ads, ensuring that your ads are served to only to people who have previously visited your site” (Retargeter.com).

WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS

Now, let’s back away from the technical talk! Basically, this functionality allows you to continue marketing to potential customers long after they’ve visited your website. The functionality is so sophisticated, it allows you to place specific products in front of the right people when they are visiting other websites.

WHY WE LOVE RETARGETING

In marketing, we talk about impressions a lot! They’re important. Without going total marketing nerd on you—an impression is the number of times your message has the opportunity to be seen by a potential buyer. Impressions are inherently more valuable when they are served to an audience who has already expressed an interest in your product.

Have we piqued your interest? For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call us today at (866) 611-6267 or submit our contact request form.

 

Leverage Digital Recently Received the Highly Coveted Google Partner Designation

TAMPA, FLA. (Feb. 25, 2016) – Leverage Digital recently received the prestigious Google Partner designation. Being a Google Partner is an achievement that only a select few agencies reach, and is a way for Google to ensure advertisers work with vetted agencies that follow best practices in search, display, video, and mobile advertising. Agencies that receive this designation must pass Google-administered certification exams every 12 months, use industry best practices to manage their campaigns, have AdWords Certified individuals on staff, and manage over $10,000 in ad spend over a 90 day period.

“It is an honor to receive the Google Partner designation, and further differentiates Leverage Digital as a top tier digital agency in the marketplace. More importantly, this designation provides our clients with peace of mind knowing that they work with an agency which has been endorsed by Google.” says Jay Taylor, Managing Director at Leverage Digital.

About Google Partners

The Google Partners program is used to vet and qualify agencies on behalf of advertisers. In order to qualify for Google Partner status, agencies must show that their business is healthy, their clients are happy, and that the agency follows Google’s best practices. For more information, please visit https://www.google.com/partners

About Leverage Digital

Leverage Digital is an award-winning digital marketing agency that specializes in custom web development and online marketing solutions that provide brands with tangible offline results. For more information, please visit http://www.leveragedigital.com/.

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Media Contact

Nicole Heubusch
Leverage Digital
P. (813) 489-4494
nheubusch@leveragedigital.com

Leverage Digital Receives Platinum, Gold, and Silver Honors from MarCom Awards, W³ Awards, and Davey Awards

TAMPA, FLA. (Nov. 5, 2015) – Leverage Digital recently added seven new awards to its rapidly expanding list of industry honors. The Tampa based web design and digital marketing agency received the prestigious Platinum MarCom Award, the organization’s highest honor, for its work with Trent Cotney, P.A. Construction Law Group. The agency also received a Gold W³ Award, Gold MarCom Award, and Silver Davey Award for its work with Bayfair Homes, as well as a Silver W³ Award, Silver Davey Award, and MarCom Awards Honorable Mention for its work with Alvarez Homes.

Only 16% of the 6,500 entries to the MarCom Awards received a Platinum Award, and less than 10% of the 5,000 entries received by the W3 Awards earned a Gold Award. This is the second year in a row that Leverage Digital has received honors from the W³ Awards and Davey Awards, and the first year the agency has won a MarCom Award.

“We are very honored to be recognized by these three highly respected organizations, the W³ Awards, Davey Awards, and MarCom Awards. It’s humbling to be included in the ranks with some of the world’s leading agencies and brands. These awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication our team brought to these projects, and will continue to bring to all our work.” said Jay Taylor, Managing Director at Leverage Digital.

The addition of these seven awards brings the total number of awards won by Leverage Digital in 2015 to twelve. Earlier this year, Leverage Digital received three Gold Hermes Creative Awards, and two Silver Communicator Awards.

About The W³ Awards

The W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the web, and recognizes the people behind award winning websites, marketing programs, social content, mobile apps and online video. The W³ Awards is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. For more information, please visit http://www.w3award.com/.

About The Davey Awards

The Davey Awards is an international award focused exclusively on honoring outstanding creative work from the best small agencies worldwide. The 2015 Davey Awards received nearly 4,000 entries from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms and public relations firms across the U.S. and around the world. For more information, please visit https://www.daveyawards.com/.

About The MarCom Awards

MarCom Awards is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), an international organization consisting of several thousand creative professionals. Judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talents exceed a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. This year the competition received about 6,500 entries from throughout the United States, Canada and more than a dozen other countries. For more information, please visit http://marcomawards.com/.

About Leverage Digital

Leverage Digital is an award-winning digital marketing agency that specializes in custom web development and online marketing solutions that provide brands with tangible offline results. For more information, please visit http://www.leveragedigital.com/.

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Media Contact

Nicole Heubusch
Leverage Digital
P. (813) 489-4494
nheubusch@leveragedigital.com

Whether yours is a product or service oriented brand, customer retention is essential. When executed properly, email marketing can be a very effective tool for making customers want more of what you’re selling. Here are a few ways this can be accomplished.

Promotions & Incentives

Promotions and incentives through email marketing are a great way to get customers back in the door. The hard part is often getting your customers to subscribe to your emails in the first place, so offer an incentive to encourage customers to sign up. Then, send out promotions at a reasonable frequency to reward your customers for subscribing, but avoid offering the same promotion too often. This will lessen the promotion’s perceived value, and customers will be less inclined to take advantage of it.

Announce New Products or Services

Does your company release new products or services occasionally? Make sure to incorporate new product and service announcements into your emails, and consider including an incentive to encourage customers to try out your new offerings.

Loyalty Program

Consider incorporating a loyalty program into your email marketing strategy, or leverage your email marketing to promote an existing loyalty program. You can offer exclusive email promotions to loyalty program members, and award points for purchases associated with these promotions.

Provide Value & Expertise

Share your expertise and provide your email subscribers with not only promotions and incentives, but valuable information. For example, a chiropractor’s office might send out tips to their patients on how to maintain better posture while at work. This is information that is free and helpful to chiropractic patients. Receiving expert advice is just as rewarding as getting a promotion or discount. It shows that you understand and care about your customers’ needs, which in turn makes them appreciative and loyal.

Segment Your Email Subscriber Lists

Not everyone is going to be in the same phase of the sales cycle, and sending out a promotion to entice a customer to save 25% on something they bought last week isn’t going to settle well with them.

There are three main categories to divide your subscriber lists into: prospective customers, existing customers, and loyal customers.

1. Prospective customers should receive emails that encourage them to take the first step to buying your product or service.

2. Existing customers have already experienced your product or service, so emails appropriate for this segment should entice them to buy again, and join your loyalty program if you have one.

3. Loyal customers should be rewarded for being loyal. Send emails thanking them for being such great customers, and provide this group with special incentives tailored to their specific interests that no one else receives.

To learn more about executing a successful email marketing strategy, please call us today at (866) 611-6267 or request a consultation.

Leverage Digital Takes Home Three 2015 Gold Hermes Creative Awards And Two Silver 21st Annual Communicator Awards

TAMPA, FLA. (May 27, 2015) – Leverage Digital, a web design and digital marketing agency based in Tampa Bay, adds five new international awards to a growing list of professional accolades.

The agency received three Gold Hermes Creative Awards for work on two client websites, Alvarez Homes & Alvarez New Concepts and Trent Cotney, P.A. Construction Law Group, as well as the agency’s own website. The agency’s website also won two Silver Communicator Awards in two separate categories.

The Hermes Creative Awards is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) with winners ranging in size from individual communicators to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies. Approximately 6,000 entries were submitted to the Hermes Creative Awards from 23 countries, and only 22 percent received the Gold Award.

The Communicator Awards is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only group consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms. AIVA members include executives from organizations such as Conde Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Lockheed Martin, MTV Networks, Pitney Bowes, Time, Inc., Victoria’s Secret, Wired and Yahoo! Of the over 6,000 entries submitted to the Communicator Awards, between 18 and 25 percent of participants received the Silver Award.

“We are honored to receive international recognition for our creative communications work from these two highly respected organizations. Leverage Digital will continue to push the envelope with the blending of design and technology in order to give our clients the results they’ve come to expect from us,” says Leverage Digital Managing Director, Jay Taylor.

About the Hermes Creative Awards

Hermes Creative Awards is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). The international organization consists of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production and freelance professionals. AMCP judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. For more information, please visit http://www.hermesawards.com/.

About the Communicator Awards

The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for communication professionals. Founded by communication professionals over a decade ago, The Communicator Awards is an annual competition honoring the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio. This year’s Communicator Awards received thousands of entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the
world. For more information, please visit http://www.communicatorawards.com/.

About Leverage Digital

Leverage Digital is an award-winning digital marketing agency that specializes in custom web development and online marketing solutions that provide brands with tangible offline results. For more information, please visit http://www.leveragedigital.com/.

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Media Contact

Sarah Edmiston
Leverage Digital
P. (813) 489-4494
sedmiston@leveragedigital.com