Marketing Strategy

Agency Transparency, is your business being taken advantage of?

June 6, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Whether you have just started down the road to hiring a marketing agency, or you have already built a trusted relationship, understand your rights and be wary of ways a great advertising agency relationship can go bad without agency transparency.

Cost Accountability

Way back in 2014, Google updated their Third-Party Policy. The Policy, speaking directly to advertising agencies in the role of management, notes Google’s strict guidelines for cost reporting and management fees. Up until this point, it was generally the client’s or customer’s duty to research and to understand exactly for what services an ad agency was charging them as well as the cost of those services . Some agencies would invoice clients for Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising without noting the difference from their actual PPC spend and the fees that are simply associated with managing the PPC account. The Third-Party Policy is a great starting point for all the questions that one might ask of their soon-to-be advertising agency before to signing any contracts.

Ownership Openness

As an agency, we create login information for many clients for many different purposes. We take on the role of password gatekeeper as well as security answer holder. Often, the login information that an agency creates is not shared with the respective client. Sometimes, this is purposeful; but, at other times it may simply be a part of the established client-relations process. Now, Google’s Third-Party Policy notes that a client’s Google Adwords Customer ID must be shared with that client. Search Engine Land, putting it best said, “and this should be obvious, give your clients their customer IDs when they ask for them.” Other login information should be openly shared, as well. Whether we have created a subscription account to industry insights, or we are managing your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform – it is your data, your right.

Separation Anxiety

Whether it be a tumultuous relationship needing to end or a pleasant bond that has run its course – breaking up with an agency is hard to do. Be prepared and search the language of your agreement for payment, ownership, and timeliness clauses. Read the blog post entitled, “5 Signs It’s Time to Fire Your Marketing Agency”, work up the courage, and write out your frustrations. Even if you are not ready to depart from your marketing agency, understand your power and use it. In many cases, a website can be “lost” if ownership is not clearly defined or access is not granted. A business owner can lose a tiresome and costly website in the blink of an eye if website hosting is ever disrupted. The Site Wizard wrote a great blog post entitled, “How to Rescue Your Website from the Clutches of a Bad Web Designer or Bad Web Host” which sends a warning to all those that host their website elsewhere.

Agency Transparency, Know your Rights

Don’t leave your data, your accounts, or your wallet vulnerable to an uncomfortable demise. Communicate your expectations with your marketing agency and expect transparency, in return.

For more information about our agency’s transparency guidelines, contact us or leave us a comment below!

13 Digital Marketing Tips – Google Partners Connect

May 9, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

DaBrian Marketing Group recently hosted a Google Partners Connect event in which local business owners participated in a video-based seminar on effective practices of digital marketing. The video featured speakers that described important factors in constructing a business’ digital marketing presence.

Digital Marketing Strategies & Solutions

The speakers, Aditi Manwani and Frederick Vallaeys, listed thirteen goals that should be prioritized when developing a digital marketing campaign:

Be There: Mobile interactions with digital media dominate the consumer’s world. Businesses should be present at these moments to capture the attention of consumers.
Be Useful: Businesses should provide a use to consumers. The content to which a consumer is exposed must be valuable to the person’s current situation – such as a How-To video when the person needs instructions on the completion of tasks.
Be Accountable: Businesses should accompany consumers from the initial impression to the ultimate purchase through repeated exposure and interactions. Businesses should continually expose their brand’s information to consumers to build familiarity and trust – an example is a business responding to negative reviews.
Be Found on Google: Before consumers become customers, they must have knowledge of a business’ existence through its presence on Google Maps.
Make It Easy for Customers to Connect: Whether it is via a mobile device, email, or telephone, businesses should communicate their brands to consumers in ways that will create accurate expectations.
Connect at Moments that Matter: Searchers give clues to their intent through the words they use to search. Businesses should ensure that their content is focused on the searcher’s intent to lead them to the most appropriate information – such as reviews, pricing, specific products/service offerings.
Use Ad Extensions: On the results page of a keyword search, subheadings under the main link of a business offer consumers further resources that may be helpful to their current situations. This kind of ad extension is related to a 30% increase in the lead-generation for businesses.
Manage Reviews: Businesses should respond to, and not delete or hide, negative reviews. They should attend to concerns, fix problems, and grant consumers some kind of compensation for unsatisfactory experiences.
Be Found Across the Internet: Businesses should be accessible across different pages of different websites. This is possible through advertising on the Google Display Network.
Advertise When You Need It: Research on the usage of a brand will give information as to when consumers most often use it. With this knowledge businesses can better capitalize upon the current needs of consumers at any given moment.
Be Found for Product Searches: When consumers search the internet for retail-products, retail businesses should appear on the results page with Shopping Ads or Product Listing Ads that consist of images and price-related information.
Reconnect with Prospects: Advertising to existing customers of a business and previous visitors to a business’ website encourages them to return to the site with which they are already familiar.
Manage Targets: Businesses should ensure that their objectives are reasonable and measurable. Goals must align with the existing brand and be feasible according to the best practices of digital marketing.

Conclusion

The Google Partners Connect event at DaBrian Marketing Group succeeded in communicating valuable information about digital marketing to local business owners. This information was presented by a trusted source – Google. DaBrian Marketing Group’s status as a Google Partner allowed this event to benefit local businesses.

1. Video Marketing 101: Make Videos People Want to Watch

Although it appears that marketing and SEO are constantly evolving, one factor has stayed consistent, content is king. This holds true for video marketing as well. While all videos are different, they should all share the same goal of receiving sustained traffic and user engagement. To assure your video performs well, it needs to be engaging, informative, entertaining, and most importantly, shareable. In terms of how long the video should be, this differs based on the intention and audience of the video. With that being said, most viewers’ attention spans are relatively short. Get your message across concisely in the most efficient manner possible, and your video will do great.

2. Select Relevant and Obtainable Keywords

Before you upload your video it’s essential that you develop a list of relevant keywords to ensure your video is optimized. Ideally, your keywords should adhere to the three following recommendations:

Look for keywords that aren’t too difficult to rank for (or else you’ll never rank well). Choose long tail keywords (phrases typically 3-4 words) to help reduce the difficulty. This will allow you allow you to specifically target a particular audience. A great (free) tool for this is Keyword Finder.
Select keywords that are generating interest (or else no one will search for your video). A great (also free) resource for this is Google Trends. Just type in different synonyms and variations of your keywords, and see which ones perform the best.
The intent of the keywords should directly correlate with the content of your video. For example, if your keyword phrase is “Change a car tire,” your video shouldn’t be about how to fix your windshield or change your oil. Keep it it relevant.

3. Optimize Tags, Titles, and Descriptions

After you’ve composed your keyword list, you’ll need to place them within the appropriate places. The three major areas for optimization are the tags, titles and descriptions (as seen in the image below).

The title should contain your primary keyword phrase (the one you wish to rank for) and should be descriptive as to what your video is about. In terms of the description, YouTube allows video descriptions to be up to 5000 characters long. I would recommend that you use most, if not all of it. While most users are not going to read your entire description, the more keywords you naturally place within your description, the better chance you’ll have to rank for them.

Tags are individual keywords that describe your video. Similar to your keywords, make sure your tags are relevant to the content of your video. The goal of optimization is to drive the right traffic to your video. If you choose tags for the intention of visibility and not relativity, then your video will more than likely receive an influx of dislikes and lower retention rates. Thus, having a negative impact on your rankings.

4. Add Closed Captioning

Since your video is not text based, search engines have a hard time indexing it. Providing YouTube with closed captioning gives them another source of information that contains the keywords you wish to rank for. Here’s a video tutorial on how to upload your transcript to YouTube to create closed captioning.

5. Encourage User Engagement

User engagement is a huge ranking factor for YouTube. So how do you get viewers to engage? Try asking. Create a call to action at the end of your video, asking people to like, comment, share, and subscribe. With that being said, be aware that YouTube is full of trolls (people negatively spam commenting on your video). The good news is that YouTube allows you to moderate your comment section. That not only means you should delete the spam comments whenever possible, but you should also reply to comments as well. This two way engagement will help build a relationship with your viewers that will more likely cause them and others to comment more often knowing you’re actually acknowledging them.

For more information about video marketing, contact us or leave us a comment below!

By: David McDowell

Google AdWords Event

April 18, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Discover the Advantages AdWords and Working With a Google Partner Agency Can Have On Your Business

DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC will hold a sponsored Google AdWords Event for businesses to discover the many benefits of Google AdWords and learn how working with a trusted Google Partner agency can help increase their leads and sales.The Google Event will be held on Wednesday, May 4th at 11:30 am at the DaBrian Marketing Group offices located at 500 Penn Street, Suite 201, Reading PA, 19602.

During this event, those attending will hear directly from Google on how to successfully grow their business online with the help of AdWords, followed by a Q&A session with the certified team at DaBrian Marketing Group. Also during this event, the team at DaBrian Marketing Group will provide a free AdWords audit on your current AdWords account, a competitive evaluation on your current competitors, and potentially provide an Adwords credit for your business. Refreshments and parking will also be provided at this FREE Google event.

DaBrian Marketing Group started utilizing Google’s services eight years ago through Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and more. DaBrian Marketing is one of the few certified Google Partners in the Greater Reading area, and as a Google Partner, we have the expertise and the resources to help businesses in the community connect with their customers online and help increase their Return on Investment.

For more information, contact DaBrian Marketing Group to find how they can help your business. RSVP for this event at https://partnersconnect.withgoogle.com/event/dabrian-marketing-group

Five Cause Marketing Must Haves

April 4, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Whether you’ve just begun the process of organizing your company’s cause campaign, or you’re stuck in a rut feeling overwhelmed by the many marketing tactics available – take a breath and read about these five Cause Marketing must haves.

1. Authenticity is Key

Support a cause that you truly care about and your supporters will show compassion just the same. There’s nothing worse than being asked 6 times in one day if you’d like to donate to [insert cause here] by kids being forced to ask simply to meet their job requirements. There are also plenty of cause marketing email and content templates out there that you could lean on for support, but don’t be cookie cutter, break away from the norm! Show you care! Tell your story, show your support with pictures of you and your team working towards a common goal, get creative all the while remembering why you’re donating your time.

2. Start with a Bang!

If your cause campaign is directly reflected by fundraising dollars, get a head start and donate your own personal contribution in the beginning. Ask your employees, coworkers, and those closest to you to donate right away. Later on down the road, you may formally request another donation and it may seem more feasible to donate again. Or if donations are not your apart of your cause campaign’s goals, start by generating content, branded materials, or signage for the initiative right away. No better time than right now to get started!

3. Give more than Dollars

Even if the Cause Campaign goals your company is working towards is simply to gain monetary donations, show your support by donating your time or resources. Non-profit agencies usually have a lack of support in consistent volunteers. According to a 2015 study of The Nonprofit Sector, only 25.3% of adults volunteer at least once during a year. Your time and efforts may be just what your local non-profit for your favorite cause may need.

4. Involve your team in Cause Marketing

Your coworkers or employees may not necessarily care about the local animal shelter losing funding, but just a small amount of time with a friendly dog might change anyone’s perspective! Encourage your team members to find their niche. Involve your IT department in decorating instead of troubleshooting issues for the local cause office, they might just love it! Allow your team to learn more about themselves while engaging with the cause at hand.

5. Use your Resources!

Reach out to your clients, vendors, the UPS delivery person, everyone you know. Ask for help in support of this cause by any means. You could even get your message across on Social Media! Utilizing Facebook Ads, pinned posts, check-ins at a cause’s homefront, etc. can broaden your audience to people you may not have connected with without the use of Social Media for cause marketing. Don’t forget to change your social media “Timeline” or “Background” photo while you’re logged in! Show your team spirit for this cause with a fresh themed background photo. Utilizing your company’s Email Marketing platform, you can also send out emails to your clients and contacts. You can even change your signature in your personal and professional email that notes your interest in your favorite cause and how your recipients can participate. Gather your resources and initiate a plan of attack!

Get on the Right Track for Cause Marketing

Starting down the road to raising awareness for causes you care about and even driving donations may seem insurmountable. With the help of friends, family, your coworkers, and strangers, you don’t have to feel alone. Also remember that 55% of those who engage with nonprofits via social media have been inspired to take further action. You can’t beat those statistics! Show your support and let other follow!

For more information about cause campaigns and how we can help yours grow, contact us or leave us a comment below! Also, check out our latest cause campaign initiative for our local Walk MS event!

A New Approach to Healthcare Marketing

March 28, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

As a Healthcare Provider Are You Confident Your Current Marketing Strategy Is Reaching Your Target Audience?

New Patients Are Online And Ready To Be Engaged

On March 9th DaBrian Marketing Group, a Certified Google Partner Agency hosted a live webcast to explore the impact ever-changing consumer search behaviors have on Healthcare Marketing. The consumer search data trends compiled by Google was presented by Ben Tyson, Head of Sales Enablement for SEM and Directories Partners at Google and Brendan Jacobson, Google’s Channel Partnerships Team member. Understanding the evidence-based approach to medicine that is practiced, it is clear that the Healthcare Marketing strategies need to change. Here are a few points we found particularly eye-opening. We would love to hear your takeaways as well.

Why Healthcare Marketing Needs a New Approach

The Internet Is A Go-To Source For Health & Wellness Information

People Spend More Time Online Than Any Other Medium

77% of People Search the Internet First For Healthcare Information

90% of Patients Begin Searching for Conditions, Symptoms & Treatments

Patients WILL Go Online To Verify Doctor’s Diagnosis

Where they are searching has also changed. It almost goes without saying that the utilization of mobile devices has been rising and consumers use them everywhere, including 16% who are using them while in a doctor’s office!

16% of Patients Use Mobile Phone While In Doctor’s Office!

Implications of Not Changing Your Marketing Approach

So you may be asking why is it so important to be online at this point? Perhaps these findings from Google will answer that:

At time of decision, nearly half of all consumer research ends on an a Branded Ad.

28% visited the website of a hospital that was advertised

50% search for health information because it is quick

77% will switch to another site if it's not easy to find what they were looking for.

And don’t forget the 16% who might be reading a competitor's Ad while sitting in your waiting room!

These few points alone might not convince you to change your approach, but hopefully it has gotten you to think about your current marketing strategies. Healthcare Marketing has been lagging behind other industries in terms of effective digital marketing initiatives, which can be complex in an already challenging field to begin with. So keep it simple and just ask yourself a question: Are you reaching the right people, with the right message, at the right time? If you aren’t, or you’re not sure, DaBrian Marketing Group would be more than happy to talk with you, so give us a call at 610-743-5602.

I encourage you to check out the full Google Partners Connect – Healthcare video. It dives much deeper into the story.