With more and more people using their smartphones and tablets to not only browse the internet, but also do online shopping and run important business and life activities, it's a good idea to make your website mobile-friendly. And that includes using mobile popups.
However, Google recently announced some changes around mobile search results in 2017. One of those changes being the mobile friendly tag, which could be taken off of any sites that use "intrusive interstitials."
This has some people concerned about whether or not they should continue to use mobile popups, but fear not! You can still use mobile popups, you just have to do so in a way that complies with Google's new requirements.
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According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials are the nation's largest living generation. They are a age bracket that lack a long attention span; they crave experiences, activism, and constant connection. They are an age group that doesn't settle, which means your marketing initiatives have to be a bit more creative in order to attract the right attention.
If you're a business that wants to attract millennials, but haven't figured out how, these are some of the best tactics you can use to create a relevant relationship between your brand and Generation Y.
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As digital advertising methods proliferate and morph, companies funnel more money into television advertising to reach viewers who spend 22-36 hours watching TV every week
Despite what the advertising industry rumblings might lead us to believe over the past few years citing the decline of television as we know it, television advertising is instead alive, well, and producing solid results. In a recent MarketShare study that analyzed advertising performance across industry and media outlets like television, online display, paid search, print and radio advertising, MarketShare found that TV has the highest efficiency at achieving key performance indicators, or KPIs, like sales and new accounts. When comparing performance at similar spending levels, TV averaged four times the sales lift of digital.
In fact, 2016 could wind up being one of the most profitable years ever for TV advertising, thanks in part to Super Bowl 50--which set the stage with its $4.8 million, 30-second commercials. According to Advertising Age, total ad spending on commercials in the Super Bowl from 1967 through 2016 (and adjusted for inflation) was $5.9 billion.
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For a long time there's been a love-hate relationship between SEO practitioners and and content marketers and, sadly, isn't going away anytime soon. But, there may be a solution and Google is front and center. But, first, let's take a look at the history between SEO practitioners and content marketers.
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Jared Fogle, the man that taught America it was possible to lose more than 200 pounds eating subway sandwiches, has been charged with possessing child pornography and is reportedly planning to plead guilty.
Fogle was also the leading spokesperson for Subway for 15 years and contributed to nearly half of Subway's growth.
As the news of Fogle's charges became a reality, Subway quickly cut ties with their former spokesperson.
Here are 4 things brands can learn from Subway's recent crisis.
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As a startup, you may not be able to afford a full-time, dedicated PR team quite yet, so you opt for contractors, outsourced agencies, or part-time PR pros. There is some great ad-hoc talent out there that you can add into the startup mix, but just be sure that you start with careful planning first.
There are many ways to cut corners for a tighter startup budget, but starting with PR fat trimming shouldn't be one of them. Without a great PR strategy and team, a business has a higher chance of failing because potential customers and investors won't see what's so great about your goods or services. The PR strategy is essential for targeting and understanding your audience, studying the competition, and crafting the most relevant campaign messaging.
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Influencer marketing is becoming a standard in brand marketing strategies as more brands are beginning to see it as a viable consumer acquisition channel with low costs and strong returns. Brands are also realizing how influencer marketing improves campaign reach by allowing marketers to target niche consumer groups with native ad content that resonates more deeply and drives quicker conversions.
However, with all of the fanfare around influencer marketing, many brands still struggle to measure return and qualify the results in order to justify the ad spend. This will change as the industry building around influencer marketing is becoming more tech driven.
I look at the phenomenon of influencer marketing as a three-wave evolution that began with the birth of the social media influencer. This first wave was sparked by consumers, who first- and perhaps coincidentally- demonstrated the viability of native advertising on social media by sharing new products, trends and brands with their friends and fans, thus introducing these brands to new audiences.
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It wasn't too long ago that the consumer in the market for new home exercise equipment would visit her local department or sporting goods store to test out the options and compare the prices. Maybe she would buy a new treadmill on the spot, or perhaps she would first talk to friends for recommendations, or read some reviews in a magazine like Consumer Reports. Once convinced of the right make, model, and price, she would pull out her credit card or checkbook and make a purchase.
Fast-forward to 2015, where the buying landscape couldn't be more different. Thanks to the Internet as a whole, social media, online reviews, the proliferation of online retailers, and the growth of web-based behemoths like Amazon, the same consumer takes a decidedly different approach when buying exercise equipment (or buying anything for that matter). Add laptops, mobile devices, and smartphones to the mix and you create a selling environment that includes everything from bricks-and-mortar sales to website purchases to smart TV shopping.
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When we think of social media ROI, we tend to only measure value by numbers. So much attention is given to number of followers, reach, impressions and likes; but while these markers are very important, there's a much broader story that can be told, particularly on social networks like Instagram where photos create an opportunity to paint a much bigger brand picture.
Sure, Instagram has some limitations in what campaign parameters can be measured -- engagement rates act as the major metric -- and this can raise the question of what a brand really gains from influencer marketing. However, Instagram, now one of the top three social networks with over 300 million users, gives brands an opportunity to tap into the influence of Instagram power users and leverage their existing follower relationships in order to reach a broad audience.
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Social media transformed classic PR and is offering startups and growing brands endless new possibilities to drive traffic to their digital and physical storefronts. It sounds like the best of all worlds; blending new media with old media, right? Any startup has the ability to set up a Twitter account or Facebook page, yet you still must follow traditional public relations rules on these channels.
Issues may come up as businesses rely too heavily on social media at the expense of proven public relations strategies. All too often, we have seen first-hand during the dawn of social media the horrific (and hilarious) errors which were made as clients jumped in too fast.
Murray Newlands, along with Drew Hendricks, has authored a new book, How to get PR for your Startup: Traction which includes 5 guidelines for avoiding typical pitfalls.
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