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General Data Protection Regulation: What You Should Know

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If you’re in the digital marketing or analytics industry, you have probably been inundated by communication from vendors and partners regarding the General Data Protection Regulation, often referred to as (GDPR). Below, we’ve highlighted what GDPR is, why you should care, what impact it will have on your business, and what actions you need to take.

What is GDPR?

GDPR standardizes data protection law across all European Union (EU) countries and imposes strict rules on how personally identifiable information can be collected, stored, and used. The law goes into effect on  May 25th, 2018, and all organizations working with the data of EU citizens must comply or face heavy fines. GDPR applies to every business that collects data from customers in the EU, regardless of the company size, location, or intentions.

Why should you care?

GDPR applies to all organizations that handle the personal data of EU residence. Many companies located outside the EU are unaware that the new EU data regulation applies to them. If an organization offers any products, services, or information to EU residents, it must meet all GDPR compliance requirements. Gartner predicted that up to 50% of American firms will not be compliant. Those organizations that do comply with the required transparency should help to build brand trust and equity among consumers.  

How GDPR impacts your business?

Fines for noncompliance can be significant. A maximum fine of 4% of global revenues can be applied to companies that fail to gain user consent or violate core data security expectations. Lesser fines of 1-2% of revenues can be applied in situations where a company keeps incomplete records or implements insufficient data controls. GDPR requires organizations to appoint a Data Processing Officer (DPO) for EU government entities or public bodies or a company that either processes or monitors data subjects or sensitive information for citizens of the EU on a large scale.

What actions should your business take?

Below are a few steps that can help guide you for GDPR compliance:

  1. Create Procedures for Breach Notifications
  2. Determine if you’re a controller or a processor. The regulation breaks out responsibility for protecting data into two roles: controllers and processors.
  3. Audit your data and know which technologies are being used on your website
  4. Take the time to understand what data your business is collecting and why.
  5. Review what consent and disclosure look like for your customers. Get the consumer’s blessing on data collection.
  6. Evaluate exactly what third-party processors are collecting, where that data is going and how it’s being used.
  7. Keep a document on data processing and create a process to refresh the documentation periodically
  8. If a breach occurs, take action to inform regulators within 72 hours and be
    ready to inform consumers as quickly as possible.

GDPR Impact on the United States

In our opinion, it’s a matter of time before the US government takes action on data collection.  With Facebook data privacy being a “hot button” issue currently, antitrust questioning, data collection, and consumer privacy are on the radar of the US government and citizens who watched the Congressional hearings. You would think that the US government is closely watching and measuring the impact of the GDPR to see if it’s worth considering within the US.

Resources:

https://www.pandadoc.com/gdpr

https://www.observepoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/GDPR-ASAP-a-7-step-guide-to-prepare-for-the-general-data-protection-regulation.pdf

https://blog.pipedrive.com/2018/03/gdpr-compliance/

https://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/security-and-risk-strategy/7-steps-to-gdpr-for-us-companies/a/d-id/1329235?

What to Look for in Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

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In the age of digital marketing, it’s hard to know where to begin or even the different avenues you can take to market your business online. In most cases, digital marketing requires businesses to hire specialists in all areas of digital marketing including PPC, SEO, Social Media, Graphic Design, and Programming, just to name a few. This process can not only be time-consuming for you but costly. By selecting the right digital marketing agency, you can not only cut down on in-house costs of hiring and maintaining staff, but you will be working with experts who stay up to date on the latest developments in the digital world.

So you’re ready to start looking into agencies, but not quite sure what to look for. Here are a couple tips in order to help you select the right one for your business.

Selecting the Right Digital Marketing Agency for You:

You might think that hiring the right agency will strictly depend on performance-based work and the culture of the company doesn’t matter, right? Wrong! Before selecting the right agency, it is important to meet with them and get a feel for their company’s culture. Make sure that it aligns with yours. Ask to meet or speak with the team members that will be working on your account to get a sense of their background and that their vision aligns with what you want. They must take your company’s culture, values and mission seriously.

Figure Out What Kind of Client You Are

A good digital marketing agency will understand each client is different and has different approaches to their marketing and goals. An agency will tailor a marketing campaign that is catered towards your business but first, figure out what kind of client you are and want to be.

“Do It All” Client– Once you have chosen the right agency, your motto is, “Just get it done”. You want all the work done by your agency with little input.

“Do It My Way” Client– These clients have a definite vision of what they want and are hiring an agency to deliver those visions. They are less interested in feedback or collaborating.

Collaborators– These clients want an agency that will sit down with them and strategize the best approach to reach their marketing goals and conversions. The agency and your business will go back and forth to collaborate the best strategy for your business.

Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

Do Your Homework!

If you have never worked with a digital marketing agency, you will want to make sure you do your homework and learn a few things about them. There are many digital marketing agencies out there that will promise their clients the world, and deliver lackluster results. While most businesses are not like this, there are some things to be cautious of when researching a potential agency. To make sure you are hiring the most reliable agency, there are a couple things you can do:

  • Be cautious of hiring overseas agencies
  • Hiring the cheapest agency isn’t always the best choice. Sometimes the cheapest equates to low-quality services
  • Look up agencies on the Better Business Bureau
  • Reach out to clients in a potential agency’s portfolio and ask questions about their service
  • Check their credibility: Do they work with similar industries as yours? Do they have an eye-catching website?
  • Request case studies: Ask to see specific examples of how they have helped their current or past clients achieve success. What did they do to help their clients reach their goals? What steps did they take? What were the results?

Make a List of What You Want

Every client wants something different out of their marketing agency. make a list of must-haves when hiring an agency and follow some of these guidelines when doing your research. There are many different tools a company needs to be successful, but online marketing is definitely the most effective.

To learn more about what DaBrian Marketing can do for your business, schedule an appointment today with our marketing consultant!

Increase Your Business’ Brand Awareness With SEO

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You have a great business that does fantastic work and offers quality products or services. So, why don’t more people know about you? Why isn’t your phone ringing off the hook and your email full? You have a website, that’s enough, right (it’s not)?

In order to increase your business’ brand awareness online, you need to be investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). According to a study by MarketingDive, 82% of participating marketers see SEO becoming more effective and 42% of this group stated its effectiveness is increasing significantly. This means that other businesses will be devoting more efforts towards SEO, which only stiffens the competition.

Build your business’ brand awareness and outperform your competitors online by utilizing the SEO tactics listed below.

1. Get In Front Of Your Audience With the Right Content

Unless you’re a large national brand, like Walmart® (if so, why are you reading this?), most people aren’t searching directly for your brand. Rather, they are typing in product/service related keywords.

To ensure your business pops up front and center amongst your competitors, you need to optimize your content to include the keywords and verbiage that your target audience and industry uses.

In addition to including the most relevant, trending, and traffic driving keywords, you also need to be cognizant of the forms of content you’re producing. Is your audience more susceptible to read blogs, articles, and white papers? Or, are they a younger, more visual audience who prefer videos and infographics?

By creating the appropriate content in the form most suited for your audience, users will be more likely to find and share your content. Thus, increasing the digital exposure your business receives.

2. Dominate the Local Market With Local SEO

For over a decade, Google and other major search engines have been placing a heavy emphasis on the importance of locality. Like your business, search engines also have a product and service, and their goal is to provide the most relevant and useful information to their users. While there are hundreds of factors that influence their results, the location has a massive impact, especially in regards to business-related searches.

To enhance your business’ local performance, there are a few tactics you’ll need to pursue:

Optimizing Your Site Locally

  • Have your name, address, & phone number (NAP) consistent throughout the site.
  • Embed Google Maps on your contact page.
  • Develop localized content.
  • Link to local partnerships, memberships, and affiliations.

Being Listed, Active, and Optimized on Popular Local Platforms

Many of these platforms (like Google, Facebook, and Yelp) have a review functionality. Meaning, customers can leave reviews about your business directly on their platform for the public to see. By owning these accounts, you are able to clearly see what people are saying. This allows you to get in front of any potential negative situations that may occur.

By being on top of things, you have the opportunity to improve your business based upon feedback, and resolve the situation. Showing that you’re listening to your consumers and taking action will actually help improve your brand’s online public perception.

According to a study by Moz, online reviews have been shown to impact 67.7% of purchasing decisions. Being uninformed of your online reputation can potentially spell disaster for your business.

3. Build Links Through Local Influencers

Link building, or link earning, is the process of obtaining backlinks from other websites that lead back to your website. While many owners may not see the value or understand fully the impact link building has, it is a hugely important component of a local seo strategy.

To improve your business’ brand awareness in your local market, you should target the following sites in terms of link acquisition:

  • Local Business Directories
  • Local Chambers
  • Local Businesses
  • Local News Stations
  • Local Bloggers/Social Influencers

Being listed on these sites will send local signals to search engines and place your website in front of your local audience.

Build Your Brand Organically

Increasing your brand awareness through SEO can take some time, but it’s well worth it. By following all of the steps and tactics mentioned above, you’ll set the foundation for your business to flourish digitally within your target market.

Ready to improve your brand awareness online through SEO? Schedule a FREE consultation today!

By: David McDowell

DaBrian Marketing Redesigns Hometown Heroes’ Website

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Hometown Heroes teamed up for a complete website redesign with DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC. The goal of the site is to increase brand awareness for the non-profit organization who is dedicated to paying it forward and giving back to the community. It’s developed to attract new donors, volunteers, and organizations who believe in their mission and want to become a Hometown Hero.

About Hometown Heroes

Hometown Heroes is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization & nationwide charity. Their mission is to give assistance to any family or individual regardless of their gender, age, or ethnicity. They invite anyone – individuals, schools, businesses, and volunteers to join in to raise awareness and funds, together.

Types Of Opportunities to Provide Assistance:

  • Hurricane Relief
  • Homelessness
  • Domestic Violence
  • Drug Abuse
  • Disability
  • Food & Heat for the Elderly
  • Assistance for New Mothers with No Resources
  • Joint Fundraisers with Local & National Nonprofits

Super New Features

The site includes two new features that are unlike their previous site. Each month, they will be featuring a monthly hero spotlight (See Image Below). The Super Hero of the Month will honor local citizens or organization who have contributed or brought awareness to Hometown Heroes. It also will advertise upcoming events that benefit the organization. Through proper maintenance and updating, anyone across the country will be able to find a way to help!

Join The Ocean County Awards Gala Event

There was a pressing deadline to complete the website in order to be able to promote their event on May 3, 2018. The Gala will be at Jack Baker’s Lobster Shanty to celebrate another successful year of helping our neighbors through tough times. It includes cocktails, dinner, dessert, dancing, and a premier gift auction. Order your tickets to support the cause!

DaBrian Marketing invites you to check out Hometown Heroes’ website and become a hometown hero yourself.

Grow Social to Build Your Brand

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Social media has exploded exponentially the past few years. It started off as a way to share a conversation with a colleague (Facebook), share music with a friend (MySpace), or write all of your personal thoughts in a public diary (Every platform?). But, it has grown into a marketing tactic to allow businesses to get their products or services seen and in the right hands. With how simple it is to click “Buy”, it’s now crucial for businesses to maintain active social media accounts. If you haven’t come to this realization, you’re falling behind.

Creating an account and “posting” just isn’t enough. How do you create worthy content for your customers? How do you portray that your brand is the best to new customers? How do people even find what you’re posting!? With the right advice, this can all happen in no-time.

First Things First: Build Your Organic Reach

With Facebook’s new algorithm, it has become harder to build your organic reach, but doing so will only expedite your social success. Share a mix of intriguing content letting users discover not only helpful tips or information about your industry but allow them to get to know your business and your employees. Customers want to get to know YOU, your employees, and your personality. Any business with a strong company culture can soar on social media, no matter which industry you’re in. If your not an old, bland company, prove it.

Wendy’s strong social media presence gets everyone talking, even their competition.

— If people like your content, this can also help your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, too! Social posts can be found in search results. —

Make It Known You’re There to Help

When someone messages your company on social media, do you reply? Do you wait days to respond? Do you have an automated message setup and think that’ll suffice? Customers want to speak with one individual, real human being NOW. A bot or automated response may be a time saver and at times, helpful, but it won’t do anything for the customer and in turn, your business. Most feel more comfortable writing to a business rather than calling about a question. Make it known that no matter how they reach out, you care enough to respond. So start getting those responsiveness rates up on Facebook!

Spend Money Where It’s Worth It

While growing your accounts organically is important, there’s nothing wrong with putting money behind the posts that are worth it! In fact, it’s important! There are several opportunities across all platforms that, depending on the scenario and the goal, you should put a few dollars behind. Facebook advertising can benefit almost every business. For this reason, Facebook offers many opportunities to do so such as Boosted Posts and Facebook Advertising. There even is a special, additional way for local businesses to expand their reach. Before you start spending money, think about what you’re trying to accomplish, what will resonate with your audience, and how much should your company spend on this ad? You’ll be surprised how little that cost could be.

Build a Brand Worth Talking About

Building your online presence is an ongoing process and takes a lot of time. While these tips will get you started, there’s much more you can do! If you still don’t see that you need to combine social media with all your other marketing efforts, let’s have a chat – especially if you’re a local business.

Avoid These Productivity Killers

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Working at a desk

We all have the same hours in a day but are we all making the most of the time we have? Benjamin Franklin said, “Do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of.” We may not be able to change our workload but if we can get work done quicker and avoid needlessly wasting precious hours of our day, it’s a win! Let’s discuss a few changes we can make.

Be Proactive to Eliminate Distractions

We get info faster than ever before, but this can be overwhelming these days with the notifications, updates and reminders flooding our devices. Rather than constantly checking, turn on your “do not disturb” settings and designate time to check your updates at once. There’s also some great apps and plugins that deter the urge to check all the time.

Distractions can come from all angles especially if your work area isn’t private. Offices with open floor plans can be great for collaborating, but if others are interrupting your workflow by chatting by your desk, it can be hard to carry a thought. Let coworkers know your schedule and the best times of day to chat or ask them to set up a time to talk. If the office is just too noisy, headphones can be a great quick fix or find a quiet space like booking the conference room just to work. The change in surroundings might be a nice change of pace as well.

Sometimes, distractions can come from within when our brains won’t be quiet. It’s hard to be productive while thinking of a list of things I have to do and trying to remember them. I like to keep a notepad close by and jot down what I’m thinking about to get it off my mind and plan for it later.

Fatigue

Have you ever thought about how your overall health can affect your work performance? Many of us take pride in doing the best we can, neglecting our health at times, in order to get a job done well. However, cutting corners on health can catch up to us and not much is going to get done if you need a sick day or two. Getting sick is inevitable but do your best to eliminate the frequency by investing a little more time in yourself throughout the day.

Getting a good night’s rest can have a huge impact on our productivity. Research shows that lack of sleep can have an impact on a lot of the abilities we need to be productive like memory, thinking, and the speed in which we get things done. Rather than burn the midnight oil, feel good about going to bed early and if you’re thinking about the next day already, write it all down and rest easy.

If you think you can run full steam all day without taking any breaks, you are being unrealistic. Rather than planning on getting work done in large chunks at a time, space out your day a little with 5 minute breaks to let yourself reset and get back to work with a fresh energy and motivation. Don’t just use breaks to stare at your phone, get up, move around, and breath. Studies showed that taking a 30 min walk during lunch breaks at least three times a week improved enthusiasm, relaxation, and nervousness at work and resulted in less sick days.

These changes might not be easy to make all at once so start small and incorporate a few changes at a time. Stay mindful of what is cutting into your productivity, be proactive about improving yourself and turn it into a habit that you’ll be more likely to keep.

Resources

https://positiveroutines.com/increasing-productivity-with-sleep/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3290659/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25559067