Marketing Strategy

Benefits of Google for Non-Profits

June 3, 2015 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

All non-profits have great causes and want to be able to spread their message about the great work they are doing all while acquiring new volunteers, donors, and donations. There is a simple solution to achieve all of this, which many non-profits know nothing about. That solution, which is cost-efficient (FREE) and can be very beneficial in assisting you achieve your goals is Google for Non-Profits.

There are a few simple steps to apply to become a part of Google for Non-Profits. First, you have to review the eligibility requirements and see if your non-profit is eligible for the program. If your organization is eligible, then you can apply for the program. Once you are approved, you can enroll in specific Google products like, Google Ad Grants, which Google will give you up to $10,000 monthly for in-kind AdWords advertising, and YouTube Non-Profit Program.

Gain New Donors and Volunteers

Becoming a part of Google for Non-Profits opens up many doors to new donors and volunteers. By utilizing Google products like Google Ad Grants, you can promote your organization by using AdWords advertising. By administering AdWords and choosing relevant keywords that are pertinent to your cause, it will attract potential donors and volunteers.

Work Efficiently Towards Your Goal

Every company has a specific budget and non-profits are the same, except most are working with a drastically smaller budget and may not have the same number of employees than a regular sized company has. With that in mind, taking advantage of everything that Google for Non-Profits offers, allows you to track online donations, track newsletter sign-ups, and handle volunteer registrations more efficiently, so in the end, you can see what is working and what is not working.

Drive Donations To Your Cause

With all of the new traffic your website is gaining from the effective use of AdWords, you will begin to drive more donations. Promoting your non-profit using all of the apps that Google for Non-Profits offers will gain recognition for your organization which in the end could drive more potential donations. For example, by using YouTube’s Non-Profit program, you can create a channel with effective videos that further narrates your cause. YouTube’s Non-Profit programs also allows you to enable a donation module which makes it easier and more practical for your donors to donate and creates another avenue where you can receive donations.

With all that Google for Non-Profits has to offer, it may seem a little overwhelming for your non-profit to handle. Working with a local digital marketing agency, like DaBrian Marketing Group, and entrusting their expertise and knowledge of everything that relates to Google, will ultimately help you achieve and exceed your goals. In the end, utilizing Google for Non-Profits will be very beneficial and your organization will be able to spread your message more adequately, gain new donors and volunteers, and drive more donations to support your cause.

For more information about how we can help you achieve your goals, contact us or leave us a comment below!

Tips to Streamline Project Management

May 27, 2015 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Successful project management can be defined in many ways. Leadership, initiative, organization, all of which are quality characteristics. A quality I find to be of great value is of management being tireless. I believe project management is a continual effort that should be updated quite frequently. Here are some tips I’ve learned along the way to streamline project management.

Develop Necessary Documentation

Whether you’re in the construction, architecture, or marketing industry, there is a method to your madness. Developing clear documentation of necessary processes can be critical. Plan ahead, ask the right questions, create a clear timeline, and you will achieve your desired results. Not only does outlining and defining the objectives of the project allow you to plan for the success of the project, but also the failure.

Using websites such as PMDocuments.com which provides free templates and documents, will save you time and money.

Know When to Call for Backup

Using the aforementioned documentation, a project manager can predict mishaps that may cause the project to be delayed. Understanding the causes of previous projects tardiness can allow a manager to plan accordingly in the future. Keeping a close eye on the critical steps needed to be taken to complete a project is key. Obtaining an arsenal of vendors and outside resources to assist your team in the event of a delay can keep your mind at ease. For example, knowing that Johnson Construction has 3 men that can provide contractual services at any time can come in handy. There are certain instances that no one can plan for, but understanding that flu season is on the move, or that your coworker’s child may not have consistent care providers while their husband is out of town can leave you feeling like you’ve got it all figured out.

A resource that all project managers can use is the Project Management Institute which provides excellent tips and tricks of the trade.

Track Everything

Trying to remember every detail of your day and every update that has been made can be hairpulling-ly stressful. Sticky notes are great, they can be placed anywhere and are a physical reminder of actions needing to be taken, but what happens when you’re not in the office? Tools like Evernote to keep notes at home, on the go, or in the office is pure joy. Using the extension on Chrome at the office to find a note you wrote on the subway home last Friday can leave you wondering what you’d do without technology. Tracking time is also very important. Most businesses work on the principle that “time is money”, where billable hours are a necessity. Here at DMG, we use Mavenlink to track our time and all project activities. For a smaller company or project manager, the Chrome extension TrackingTime will allow you to complete a task while a timer is running in the background.

We set clear expectations of projects, why not have the data to back you up? Using the tools to track everything allows you to directly link all of your efforts.

Evolve

Streamlining the processes for project management sounds great, but in reality you just have to evolve. Own your insecurities, stand your ground and move forward. Progressing as a person and a manager is perfectly natural and should be embraced. Changes can be made to every process at any given time, it’s best to be prepared.

For more information about project management and how we can help you grow, contact us or leave us a comment below!

Internal Office Communication Impacts Business Success

March 25, 2015 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Introduction to Internal Communication

Whether you’re chatting by the office cooler, or discussing the newest client contracts; communication is key to keeping your business afloat. Balancing office antics and effective management can seem unrealistic, but minor changes could lead to immeasurable benefits.

By building a healthy relationship with your superiors and subordinates it will encourage and enhance communication. Working as a team and ensuring no work slips through the cracks will work in everyone’s favor. An effective manager understands the benefits of connecting with your coworkers to grow their business. We should leave our doors and our minds open to stay informed.

Promote an Open Door Policy

Speaking freely while in the office doesn’t always call for a big meeting with Human Resources. Communicating with our coworkers can play a crucial role in keeping work flowing smoothly. Creating a rapport is the easiest way to stir up serious conversations. A simple “How was your weekend?” on a dreaded Monday, could usher in a series of rewarding changes. When your coworker’s weekend didn’t go as planned, playing the role of confidant can boost esteem that generates productivity. Using a Project Management Platform to communicate with your team allows employees holding different roles to participate in all projects. Beginning conversations with light banter can ease the stress when troubleshooting and problem solving. Lending your time can create efficiency in the inner workings of your company.

Collaborate Effectively

While gaining the trust of your coworkers, you can become an essential part of your company. Holding brainstorming discussions to prepare for the next big meeting, can become a necessary step. Speaking up or chiming in can leave you at the top of the minds of your coworkers and bosses! One small idea can snowball into the launch of the next big thing. Collaborating with open communication can be a common practice that keeps your company one step ahead. Google Docs is one of the most user friendly collaboration tools in the market allowing numerous people to view,edit, or comment on any document. The environment in which your company grows is correlated to its success. But what happens after the planning and brainstorming? You’ve got an objective, the next step is to act upon it efficiently.

Use Technology as a Tool and Not a Crutch

Technology has become a cog in the machine of businesses around the globe. Taking notes during meetings can be done digitally to reduce waste and streamline next steps. Note taking on a tablet or even with the latest Smart Pen can become your next favorite habit. Recapping, or sharing notes, makes it easier for everyone to assure they’re on the same page. Using apps such as Google Keep Notes can provide a handy reminder that can also allow your team to communicate with notes. Scheduling meetings digitally with the use of the Checker Plus for Google Calendar Chrome extension provides an easy forward thinking method of making sure you’re on track.

Triumph Together!

Now is this time to guarantee your company isn’t tearing down its own walls. Use your relationships with your coworkers to stimulate connections, join hands for your business, and assure a blossoming environment. So, the next time you’re leaning by the cooler, remember your words translate to effective management communication.

We’d love to hear your success story below!

Small Business Marketing Tips for Online Marketing

February 25, 2015 by Justin Miller Leave a Comment

Small Business Marketing

Earlier in February, DaBrian Marketing Group hosted a Google Partners Event that showcased the capabilities of Google AdWords and online marketing. The infographic summarizes the top 5 small business online marketing tips to leverage Google to improve your business’ online presence and marketing efforts. Any questions and comments should be directed to DaBrian Marketing Group, and if you are interested the full Google presentation is available on YouTube.

Design Solutions for the Mobile Web

January 28, 2015 by Mark Mapp Leave a Comment

The introduction of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, has given people the ability to browse the web and complete additional task on the go. In January, 2014, mobile devices accounted for 55% of the internet usage in the United States with mobile apps making up 47% of the internet traffic while 8% came from mobile browsers. This was the first time in history mobile app usage eclipsed desktop usage (45%). This continual growth in mobile device usage also created several issues in the web design and web development workspace. Designers and developers now have to compensate for how web pages are being viewed on these devices as well as choose the best solution to implement.

This week, we’re going to walk you through the three most common design solutions for the mobile web.

Mobile Websites

The initial way of handling the mobile web experience was by creating an entirely separate website just for mobile. A good example of this is ESPN’s website. If you type http://espn.go.com/ into your browser window in a desktop setting you will be taken directly to their “desktop” version of their site. However, if you type that same URL into your smart phone or tablet’s browser you will notice that it will redirect you to their mobile version of the site and the URL will reflect m.espn.go.com/wireless/index instead.

This direction was effective, but it still created several issues. Mobile websites often have completely separate content and a bit less functionality in comparison to their desktop counterparts.

See other advantages and disadvantages of mobile websites here.

Mobile Apps

Another solution for catering to the mobile web is developing a mobile app. This is not to be confused with a mobile website. Unlike mobile websites, mobile apps work independently of a browser and they don’t depend on an internet connection for general usage. Mobile apps are popular for linear processes, or processes that have a starting and an ending point. They also have the ability to utilize mobile device hardware such as credit card readers, cameras, and GPS locators.

A good example of this would be bank apps like Wells Fargo, or Bank of America that would allow you to scan your check with the use of your mobile phone or tablet which would then allow you to make a deposit into your bank account. You can browse and download other mobile apps from the Google Play Store from your mobile devices as well. The main disadvantage of developing a mobile app is that you have to create code for three platforms (namely Apple, Android, and Blackberry). The code is not universal and cannot be implemented across platforms.

See other advantages and disadvantages of mobile apps here.

Responsive Design

Responsive design is currently the best solution for mobile web development (See Google’s Mobile Guide). It is considered the best solution because it is one website, one URL, and one set of HTML code which allows the website’s content to be displayed on wide variety of mobile devices at multiple resolutions. Some good examples of responsive design are the Microsoft, Adobe, and BlueSky Interactive websites.

Responsive design can be a bit more costly to develop than your standard desktop website, but the low maintenance advantage of creating content for only one URL vs. multiple URLs saves time and money in the long run. In addition, having one URL is better suited for SEO related purposes.

Conclusion

Although all three solutions are proven ways of designing for the mobile web, in 2014 responsive design is the solution of choice. From our experience, responsive design is the simplest solution to the mobile design problem and has been the most effective for our web design projects.

Now that you are familiar with three design solutions, you are now able to make a better decision on which one is best for you and your company.

Which mobile design solution would you choose? Let us know in the comments below!

Why Paid Content Marketing Should Be on Your Radar

January 21, 2015 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Content marketing is at the top of every marketer’s mind. How to plan it, how to execute it, and—most importantly—how to dive in and pull with the most value from it. The problem is, since content marketing is becoming such a blanket term that encompasses social media, email, video, and everything else, it can be difficult to dial in to the combination of tactics that generates maximum ROI.

A big issue we’re seeing in the space isn’t around content development processes, best practices, or even how to go about measuring content marketing’s effectiveness. For a lot of businesses, the problem lies in getting the right message in front of the right people. We know that operating different areas of the content marketing machine in isolation is a recipe for disaster, so we’ll have to tackle this hurdle at the source—building awareness around the content being produced.

Paid content distribution (sometimes called “content syndication”) is the practice of paying to distribute content to users via a third-party site. If you’ve ever read a blog post and seen a “Sponsored from around the web” section near the bottom of the page, that’s one way that content syndication works. As with anything digital, platforms vary in both price and functionality. Let’s start by covering why you may want to consider incorporating paid placements into your content strategy.

Benefits of Paid Content Syndication

Gain Exposure – Generally, the value of paid content syndication comes from the quality of the message itself; not how much you spend or how enticing your ad copy is. This value is perceived as more genuine and, thus, more likely to drive business results.

Streamlined Process – In order to get started syndicating content, you often don’t need anything more than a budget and a URL. If you already blog as part of your content mix, it’s just a matter of selecting a choice few to get started.

Customization – In order to make sure the right people see your content, solutions are available that allow you to control targeting settings, whether by location, age, or interests. This ensures you’re not wasting your budget on uninterested users.

Easy Measurement – Nearly every content syndication solution has built-in analytics that are no-nonsense and allow for simple CSV exports. For the more advanced marketer, custom URL tagging is supported as well.

Now for the Drawbacks

You’re probably thinking that you’re completely sold on paid content marketing. We’d advise taking a quick cautionary step before you head down that path, though. Some drawbacks of taking your content marketing to this level include:

It’s not a silver bullet – Paying for this kind of visibility isn’t the end-all be-all content marketing tactic. That means it may work in conjunction with more proactive outreach, or it may not work at all. In other words, your mileage may vary.

Potentially high costs – Our research shows that this type of approach warrants a more substantial monetary investment (Between $300 and $500/month at the low end). For small or medium-sized businesses, this may be problematic when it comes time to divvy up the annual marketing budget.

The time investment – Put simply, if your content doesn’t provide value in some way, it won’t be worthwhile to pay for its distribution. As your budget dwindles, it won’t take long to determine whether the content you’re pouring money into is sub-par.

So is paid content syndication right for your business? Unfortunately, it depends. As noncommittal of a response as that is, the decision to invest in this type of marketing should not be made without answering some fundamental questions:

How much do you currently invest in your content marketing program?
Has your content been well-received by your audience in the past?
Are you looking to build a wider audience or interact with existing ones?
Do you have well-defined policies and procedures around your brand’s messaging?
How have you measured the value of content marketing up until now?

Whether you’d like to get your brand name out there, showcase your expertise, or generate more buzz around your message, paid content syndication can be a great way to start building those relationships. So long as you’ve got something meaningful to say and a way to measure success, it’ll be well within your reach.