I have been fortunate enough to practice marketing before and after the emergence of the internet, social media, and digital marketing. While the channels for communicating have changed and grown significantly, the basics of good marketing have remained the same. These new channels also often come with something that traditional marketing efforts usually lacked─analytics. Or, at least, lacked the sophistication that now exists to understand the nuances of the target audience’s response. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Analytics’ Category
Then and Now: The Biggest Difference Between the Traditional and Digital Marketing Environments
Thursday, June 24th, 2021Keeping Your Awareness and Engagement Efforts Focused
Tuesday, August 13th, 2019
We’ve written before about the sales funnel—the process through which potential customers become aware of, engage with and, hopefully, ultimately become actual customers of your company. The first part of this funnel is typically referred to as “awareness.” This is the stage at which the market—as you’ve defined it—becomes aware of your product or service. They may never be interested in making a purchase or even learning more about you, but they are aware you exist and have entered this first section of your funnel.
At the heart of the sales process is the drive to move potential customers through the funnel from awareness to action—i.e., making a purchase. A lot of resources are put into measuring the losses at each stage of the funnel and figuring out the sources of that attrition and how to reduce it. Unfortunately, a lot of these resources may be wasted. (more…)
Benefits of Better Tracking for Marketing Spend
Tuesday, August 6th, 2019
One of the persistent challenges for marketing departments is the ability to determine a reliable and justifiable return on investment for their marketing spend. One common reason given for this challenge is the difficulty in attributing revenue to specific marketing activities. But in an article for Forbes, Stephen Diorio argues that there is a need for improvement in how the money that is spent is categorized and tracked. (more…)
5 Steps for Creating an Email Marketing Campaign
Thursday, October 18th, 2018
Marketers have a wide range of channels available to them in their efforts to reach potential customers. While some are general – i.e., TV commercials, billboards, radio ads – others are much more targeted and focused. Before the days of email, direct-mail marketing, in which a marketer mails marketing materials directly to a specifically identified group of recipients, was a great way to target likely customers, and it still is. But advances in technology mean that we can take this kind of marketing to the next level through email marketing. (more…)
Go With Your Gut: When You Can Ignore the Algorithms
Monday, July 30th, 2018
A Harvard Business Review case study recently posed a provocative question: when should humans listen to algorithms vs. when should they trust their own experience and intuition? For this case study, the issue related to which of two employees to choose for a promotion. But, given the widespread applications for the use of big data and the power of predictive analytics, the question could be applied to any field or area of business practice—including content marketing.
When should content marketers listen to the algorithms instead of relying on their own instincts, which have been finely honed over time? (more…)
What Your Marketing Metrics May, or May Not, be Telling You
Thursday, February 15th, 2018
Marketing has long been faced with a perception that its results are difficult to accurately measure. Consequently, many business leaders are skeptical of investing money into marketing efforts, because they aren’t convinced they can tie the dollars they put into marketing to their bottom line. When it comes to online marketing, in particular, a lot of metrics have been developed to help evaluate the effectiveness of marketing efforts in the absence of the ability to measure a concrete ROI.
But, not all metrics are created equal, and not all make sense. (more…)
In-depth SEO Analysis Supports Taking the Time to Do it Right
Thursday, December 21st, 2017
Recently Entrepreneur writer Nina Zipkin covered a fascinating infographic put together by The Website Group, a U.K. – based digital marketing agency, Ahrefs, an SEO tool platform. The infographic looks at data collected and analyzed by Ahrefs based on two million random keywords. By looking at the top ten ranking pages for each of those keywords, they pulled together some great insights on how long it takes to get to that coveted top-ten spot. (more…)
Navigating the Complexity of SEO: Some Simple Tips
Tuesday, December 12th, 2017Search Engine Optimization, or “SEO,” is a frequently used and important tool in online marketing. Yet to many it’s an unfamiliar and intimidating concept that they may naturally shy away from. Fear of the unknown is understandable, but SEO is something that can’t be ignored if you want your online efforts to pay off. And, it’s really not as complex as the terminology might suggest. (more…)
The Proof is in the Metrics: If You’re Using the Right Ones!
Thursday, September 7th, 2017Today, virtually every business has a webpage, sometimes multiple pages. Not to mention social media accounts. But, while getting your name and your brand online is a crucial first step for raising awareness and preference for what you have to offer, it’s just one piece of the marketing puzzle. To be truly effective, you need to develop a process and method of tracking how effective your online marketing actually is. (more…)
Social Media Metrics: Are You Focused on the Right Data?
Tuesday, July 25th, 2017pen, magnifying glass and the working paper with a diagram
The modern marketing strategy just isn’t complete if it doesn’t include a social media element. As we’ve discussed in a previous blog post, tools like Google Analytics are great for tracking your social media activity and its impacts on your business. While we encourage social media marketers to read that blog and the background information linked within, it’s also important to discuss some of the misconceptions many businesses have about all the social media data they are collecting. Some might focus on information that isn’t particularly helpful, while others might be disregarding, or missing entirely, key metrics. (more…)
Subcribe to This Blog
Brand Evaluation
CONTENT CREATION
PR/MEDIA RELATIONS
SOCIAL MEDIA
STRATEGIC PLANNING
