For years, keywords have formed the bedrock of any sound digital marketing strategy. Indeed, despite the many innovations in SEO and PPC (pay-per click advertising) techniques –– not to mention more than a few Google algorithm updates –– keyword research still plays a vital role in creating an effective marketing campaign. Why? Simply because consumers still use keywords all the time to search for products, services, and information online. With that in mind, today we’ll take a look at the role branded keywords play within a marketing strategy. 

Page views, page visits, clicks, sessions, unique sessions, unique visitors –– these almost synonymous terms can confuse anyone. However, it’s important for business owners to understand the difference between page views vs visits to their website because they do not mean exactly the same thing. And though the difference between the two might seem small, understanding it could help your business improve its marketing efforts.

Blogging, in one form or another, has existed for nearly as long as the internet itself. And, much like the internet, the practice of blogging has changed a lot in that relatively short time span. It’s reasonable to expect blogging to continue to adapt in the coming years as well. But what does the future of blogging hold exactly? How will businesses utilize blog content over the next five, ten, or even twenty years? Unfortunately, there’s no way of knowing for sure. Still, we’re going to offer our best guesses about how blogging will progress in the immediate future, so that you can plan with greater confidence now. Check out our predictions here:

Advertising on social media –– and on Facebook in particular –– is a great tactic for businesses looking to boost their presence online, generate more digital leads, and make more sales. However, setting up, managing, and indeed, just getting Facebook ads approved is a complex process that requires patience, skill, and practice. If you’ve recently had an ad or set of ads rejected by Facebook, then you know exactly how frustrating this experience can be. Fortunately, we’re here to help. This is what you should do if Facebook rejects your ad:

Businesses have always placed value on identifying the causes of certain consumer behaviors. After all, determining why a person preferred one product over another is crucial to developing effective marketing strategies. In truth, companies can only do so much to sway any given consumer. Yet, by studying the factors influencing consumer behavior, businesses can gain a rich understanding of their customer base and cater to them with greater accuracy. Here are four consumer-behavior factors worth focusing on:

Building a professional website from scratch has never been easier for business owners. And while that’s certainly a good thing, it’s also potentially problematic. After all, if you don’t have a background in web design you may not know exactly how to form a website that functions the way you want it. Indeed, simply determining how many different pages to create can be a difficult task. With that in mind, today we’re here to tackle a common –– yet tricky –– web-dev question, namely: what pages should a website have? Of course, the answer to this query varies from business-to-business, but in general, a company’s site should include: a home page, an about page, a blog, landing pages, services and products pages, a contact page, and (possibly) a legal page describing service terms and conditions.  

No one should ever want to own a business that’s the “best-kept secret” in any field. Though that phrase might have a positive connotation for some, business owners need to recognize that exposure from advertising is a key element to business growth. Indeed, while it’s fantastic to develop leads through organic methods, informational resources, and word-of-mouth reviews, few companies experience a significant breakthrough without making some savvy digital advertising choices. To that end, here are the three best places to advertise online:

Starting a new business from scratch is one of the most rewarding –– and difficult –– projects any entrepreneur could hope to undertake. Even if you have years of experience and plenty of industry contacts, getting a new company off the ground requires a ton of hard work, capital investment, and, yes, some luck. What’s more, new business owners often find themselves handling assignments they would normally outsource or delegate –– like marketing tasks, for instance. While we can’t stress enough how impactful partnering with the right digital marketing agency can be, we also recognize that sometimes professionals are forced by circumstances to market in-house. With that in mind, here are three DIY marketing tips that can help your company hit the ground running:

Brand loyalty isn’t what it used to be. Indeed, according to Forbes, only seven percent of millennials identify as “brand loyalists.” This shouldn’t surprise many business owners. After all, modern shoppers have more options to satisfy their wants and needs now than ever before. As such, factors like convenience and price have seemingly overtaken brand recognition as a deciding factor in the purchase process. However, many businesses still find ways to cultivate customer loyalty and use it to great effect. To that end, here are several high-profile brand loyalty examples that can provide valuable lessons for small business owners across industries: 

Do you ever feel like you’re creating content that goes straight into the void? For anyone who regularly writes blogs, social-media posts, and email threads, it can be difficult to stay optimistic if you’re not garnering engagement from your marketing efforts. If that scenario sounds familiar, know that a change in approach can lead to an improvement in engagement levels –– particularly in regard to email open rates. Today then, we’ll take a look at a few email subject line tester tools and show how you can work to bolster your email marketing strategy in general: