According to the 2016 Small Business Technology Impact Study, small business owners should have a business website and social media involvement if they want to be successful. The study, which was conducted by Time Warner Cable Business Class, examined the ways in which consumers decide which businesses they’ll choose to buy from. “It’s no secret…
A website is a set of web pages that shows valuable information and allows businesses to interact with customers, including potential customers. According to a research published in Behavior And Information Technology, visual appeal of a website plays a vital role in making a user stay on the site. This was justified by conducting three…
Ask any seasoned marketer, and they’d agree: Understanding your customers is largely dependent on understanding how they think. Your digital marketing strategy should be guided by your answers to certain questions. What do your target customers need? What do they want? What can you do to influence their decision-making process? Take social media engagement, for…
It’s wonderful that we live in a world where technology enables us to conduct transactions online with people across the globe – it would be unfathomable to previous generations that you could open a Shopify store, start running Facebook ads and create a profitable business without interacting with a single human in real life. But…
Let’s face it, it’s 2017 and we all have a pretty good understanding of social media and how it works, right? But what if I told you that Twitter has 6 different forms of communication networks or that Facebook is most active on Fridays, do you still think that you’re a social media guru? Allow…
Spending on social media continues to soar, but measuring its impact remains a challenge for most companies. When The CMO Survey asked marketers how they show the impact of social media on their business, only 15% cited they have been able to prove the impact quantitatively. This low percentage is not completely surprising given that…
If you’re not careful, it can get out of hand. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube — they’re all powerful tools for marketing your business online, and you might be tempted to pursue them all. Before long, you’ll have half a dozen accounts, hundreds of people to respond to on each website, and a sense of dread…
Today, it’s hard to imagine business without the Internet. Rewind a few years, however, and it’s amazing how many digital skeptics were still around. Case in point: In 1995, Newsweek published the now infamous article titled The Internet? Bah! Insisting the web was just a fad, the article wrote off the idea of “cyberbusiness” altogether:…
When Snapchat went public this year, it was a reminder to many small business owners that they need to be part of the social media evolution. But which network? Snapchat? Facebook? Instagram? All of the above? Many owners opt for a mix, picking services that will be the best marketing tools for their companies. “Each…
We all saw it happen this summer. It started with a video of one of your friends dumping a bucket of ice water over his or her head. Then it was two videos. Then it was five. And suddenly, celebrities, politicians, and thought leaders alike were participating in the the ALS Ice Bucket challenge. After…
I think the answer to this question lies in the answer to the ultimate question – ” What do you want to do with your website?” Both the ways have certain shortcomings. If you think at the very basic level even WordPress (WP) requires HTML/CSS and JS coding at certain instances. However, to make a…
Every company has a brand, whether they make it a priority or not. Simply defined, a brand is what people think about you – the impressions they have when hearing or seeing your name. In most cases your brand is reflected initially in your logo mark, then supported by your messaging. These experiences influence attitudes…
A high-quality, well-functioning website is an absolute must in today’s business world. It can market your company, draw in new leads and, in most cases, bring in more sales and revenues in the long term. And for small businesses, it’s even more crucial. With a limited budget and not much cash for marketing and advertising,…
While you hear the term more in relation to for-profit businesses, branding is an important element of success for nonprofit organizations too. Your brand is what people think about when they think of your nonprofit. This impacts your public image, your engagement, and your fundraising efforts. Brand management is the work you do to influence…
Three years ago, Scott Fitch couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A college coach recruiting two of his Fairport High School boys basketball players called to say how much he liked what he saw after watching them play an AAU game, and that he thought both were good enough to see court time on his…
Back in April, Instagram reported that it now has more than 700 million monthly active users, and that it’s growing faster than ever. But many of the surrounding comments on the back of this noted that many of the profiles on Instagram are bots, artificially inflating people’s follower and Like counts for a fee, in…
I find it amusing that many in the inbound and content marketing space look down upon pay per click advertising almost as if it’s a black sheep in a world full of perfect marketing practices, never to be “fooled with” by such skillful (and altruistic) professionals. Let me be blunt for a second: If anyone…
You already know that having an online presence impacts the success of your business operation. One point that you may not be particularly clear on is the role that search engine optimization (SEO) plays in that process. Even though the major search engines are constantly updating the algorithms they use to prioritize searches, SEO is…
Any good marketer knows to keep an eye on the future to stay ahead of the curve on new trends, emerging marketing channels, and other fresh ideas to deliver brand messages. With 2016 in the rear-view mirror and 2017 flying down the pipeline, now is the time to start examining what the New Year is…
To some entrepreneurs, social media marketing is the “next big thing,” a temporary yet powerful fad that must be taken advantage of while it’s still in the spotlight. To others, it’s a buzzword with no practical advantages and a steep, complicated learning curve. Because it appeared quickly, social media has developed a reputation by some…