Steve Gumm says, “I’m driving to an appointment and fly past hundreds of signs for local businesses. Billboards, store signage and small yard signs on corners covering the landscape, all begging for my attention.On my passenger seat, resting on the leather as if to beg for my attention like a puppy, is the mail from my office with a local coupon magazine filled with the names of businesses in my area.As I nestle into my chair and prepare to do research online I’m punched in the retina by ads of all kinds. It’s unavoidable.I don’t care. I ignore them all. Not on purpose as much... [...]

Jimmy Rodela says, “Is it just me, or is there an abnormally high demand for real estate online marketers nowadays?I mean, I have always known that there is a strong demand for them since at one point, the total real estate ad spending reached about $27 billion.Just lately though, I’ve been getting quite a lot of inquiries from prospective clients in that field, to the point where the number of inquiries I was getting became quite overwhelming.Some were looking to hire me, while others were just asking for marketing tips that they could use for their real estate business. Either way,... [...]

Valerie Levin says, “Sometimes, realigning your marketing and sales efforts after losing momentum or motivation takes getting back to basics. Revisiting your original strategies and taking advantage of existing leads through nurturing can be a winning game plan for converting at higher rates and lower costs.Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50 percent more sales-ready leads at 33 percent lower cost. If something as simple as reaching out instead of ignoring potential customers can increase profit, without serious investment, companies should be clamoring to use this strategy.When... [...]

Zachary Evans says, “Ever click on a result in the Google Search Results Page only to have some annoying video start playing or huge pop-up ad block your entire screen? Annoying, right? Well, the good news is that Google is aggressively tweaking its search algorithm to remove pages and websites that do the kinds of things that infuriate visitors.The latest algorithmic update came at the end of 2015, and was dubbed Phantom III (because it wasn’t initially confirmed by Google) and followed two other Quality Updates designed to boost sites that provide favorable user experience.This is... [...]

Margarita Hakobyan says, “Instagram isn’t the first platform you probably think of when it comes to social selling.Facebook is the obvious number one, maybe Pinterest, and Twitter if you’re generating leads through direct product or sales announcements. But Instagram? It doesn’t even let you hyperlink in descriptions.Actually, it is starting to gain a pretty solid lead for sales these days. The fact that it is a visual site already makes it prime for marketing (as many brands have discovered).Now it can act as a kind of social portal to your storefront. You just have... [...]

Ryan Stewart says, “With over a billion users and a history of introducing fine-tuned advertising controls, paying for ads on Facebook is one of the best uses of your advertising dollar.The level of control Facebook allows you to have over who sees your ad makes it an ideal platform for local businesses.With these five simple approaches, you can create ads that transcend mere engagement, but actually bring customers through your door.1. Increased Reach With Hyper-Local AdvertisingIn late 2014, Facebook took local advertising a step further into “hyper-local” advertising, called Local... [...]

Fergal Glynn says, “Enterprise marketers are faced with juggling multiple marketing channels, from social media to email marketing, lead generation campaigns, and more, all of which rely on effective, relevant content to capture and nurture leads through the buying journey, at every touch point.Enterprise marketers have been grappling with content challenges for years as a result, struggling to produce content that converts, producing enough content, and producing the variety of content necessary for engaging the various buyer personas that an enterprise targets for different products and... [...]

Seth Rand says, “Trade shows remain a key factor to the success of any business.No matter the size of the company or the type of industry, the act of attending large gatherings where like-minded individuals with similar goals and aspirations mix it up often results in the exchange of new ideas, the forging of new relationships and the creation of new business opportunities.As consumer demand for purchasing products has increased, E-commerce has risen every year over the past decade, and in addition, the demand for conferences and expos that discuss the latest technologies trends and marketing... [...]

Mari Smith says, “Local brick and mortar small businesses climb an uphill battle everyday, but thanks to Facebook, there are some exciting new ways to bring customers in the door. This week’s Mari Minute question comes from a Florida-based furniture and art store. Owner James Oriani asked, “what’s your number one Facebook recommendation for local brick and mortar small business retailers?”Lucky for James, I have three super recommendations for harnessing the power of Facebook. Beckoning BeaconsAll hail the power of beacons! One of technology’s coolest revelations in the past... [...]

Andy Beohar says, “A creative and compelling content can easily attract tons of visitors to your website day in and day out. While that sounds all good and well, wouldn’t it be better if you could convert your web visitors into paying customers?Keeping the end goal in mind, which is none other than to sell, your website should have something more to offer to your visitors than just aesthetics. It needs to have the bells and whistles to influence your web visitors to reach out to their pockets, and click your “Buy Now” buttons.If that’s exactly what you are looking to do, then... [...]