amediamarketing2022

Freshen Up Your Small Business: Spring Cleaning Your Website and Marketing Strategy

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:49:08 GMT

Spring is finally here, and with it comes a perfect opportunity to give your small business a refresh. Just as you might clean out your closets and tidy up your home, it's time to apply that same mindset to your online presence and marketing strategy. As a small business owner, your website is often the first point of contact for potential customers, and your marketing strategy is the engine that drives growth. Let's dive into some tips on how to spring clean your website and marketing strategy, with the help of A MEDIA MARKETING.

**1. **Polish Your Website:**

Your website is your digital storefront, and it should reflect the professionalism and quality of your business. Here's how A MEDIA MARKETING can assist:

- **Responsive Design:** Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. With more users browsing on smartphones and tablets, responsive design is essential. A MEDIA MARKETING can optimize your site for all devices, improving user experience and search engine rankings.

- **Update Content:** Fresh content keeps visitors engaged and informed. A MEDIA MARKETING can help create new blog posts, update product/service descriptions, and add customer testimonials to build trust.

- **Speed Optimization:** Slow loading times can turn visitors away. A MEDIA MARKETING can optimize your website's speed, making sure it loads quickly for an optimal user experience.

- **SEO Audit:** Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for visibility. A MEDIA MARKETING can conduct an SEO audit, identifying areas for improvement to help your site rank higher on search engines.

**2. **Revamp Your Marketing Strategy:**

Spring is an excellent time to reassess your marketing efforts and ensure they align with your business goals. A MEDIA MARKETING offers a range of services to enhance your strategy:

- **Social Media Management:** A MEDIA MARKETING can create and manage engaging social media content across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Engaging with your audience on social media builds brand awareness and loyalty.

- **Email Campaigns:** Stay connected with your customers through targeted email campaigns. A MEDIA MARKETING can design visually appealing emails, craft compelling copy, and analyze performance metrics to optimize results.

- **Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising:** Drive targeted traffic to your website with PPC campaigns. A MEDIA MARKETING can create and manage PPC ads on platforms like Google Ads, ensuring maximum return on investment.

- **Content Marketing:** Quality content establishes your business as an industry authority. A MEDIA MARKETING can develop a content strategy, including blog posts, videos, and infographics, to engage your audience and drive traffic.

**3. **Optimize for Conversions:**

Ultimately, your website and marketing efforts should drive conversions and sales. A MEDIA MARKETING can help with:

- **Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO):** A MEDIA MARKETING can analyze user behavior on your website, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes to increase conversion rates.

- **Lead Generation:** Capture leads with targeted strategies like lead magnets, landing pages, and contact forms. A MEDIA MARKETING can create compelling offers and optimize lead capture processes.

- **Analytics and Reporting:** Measure the effectiveness of your efforts with detailed analytics. A MEDIA MARKETING can provide regular reports on website traffic, engagement metrics, and campaign performance, allowing you to make data-driven decisions.

Spring is the perfect time to breathe new life into your small business's online presence and marketing strategy. A MEDIA MARKETING is here to help you with every step, from polishing your website to revamping your marketing campaigns and optimizing for conversions. Let this season be the start of something exciting for your business. Contact A MEDIA MARKETING today to get started on your spring cleaning journey!

How AI Can Be Your New Best Friend

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 18:24:30 GMT

Don't Just Post, Predict:

Unleash the Power of AI for Social Media Mastery

In the bustling, ever-evolving world of social media, standing out requires more than just crafting witty captions and posting pretty pictures. To truly resonate with your audience and achieve marketing goals, you need an edge – an intelligently driven edge .

Enter Artificial Intelligence (AI) , the game-changer poised to revolutionize your social media game.

Beyond Automation: The True Power of AI in Social Media

Forget basic scheduling tools. AI offers a multifaceted approach to social media success:

Content Creation Powerhouse: Break through creative roadblocks with AI-powered tools that suggest trending topics, analyze competitor content, and even generate draft text and visuals tailored to your brand voice. Say goodbye to content creation fatigue!
Audience Whisperer: Uncover the deeper desires and behaviors of your target audience. AI delves into vast amounts of data, painting a detailed picture of their demographics, interests, and online habits. This allows you to craft content that speaks directly to their hearts (and clicks).
Personalization King: Deliver experiences that feel uniquely crafted for each follower. AI personalizes content recommendations, ad targeting, and even chatbot interactions, fostering deeper connections and boosting engagement.
24/7 Engagement Machine: Never miss a beat with AI-powered chatbots that answer inquiries, offer support, and nurture leads around the clock. This streamlines customer service , builds trust, and frees up your team for strategic tasks.
Performance Prophet: Analyze data like a pro with AI's insightful reports. It tracks engagement metrics, identifies top-performing content, and even predicts future trends, empowering you to optimize your strategy for maximum impact.

SEO-Boosting Benefits to Shine Online

Beyond the immediate impact on your social media presence, AI also offers significant SEO advantages :

Keyword Insights: Unlock valuable keyword data related to your industry and target audience, informing your content strategy and attracting organic traffic.
Backlink Identification: Discover relevant websites where AI tools can help you secure valuable backlinks, boosting your search engine ranking.
Content Optimization: Tailor your content to resonate with search engine algorithms and user intent, improving your website's visibility and driving qualified leads.

The Time to Act is Now

AI is not just the future of social media marketing; it's the present . By embracing its potential, you can gain a decisive edge, build deeper connections with your audience, and achieve your marketing goals faster and more efficiently.

Ready to unlock the power of AI for your social media success? Contact A Media Marketing today – we'll help you craft a winning strategy that leverages the latest AI advancements. Remember, in the social media jungle, the smartest survive.

Don't just post, predict and prosper with AI at your side.

Disclaimer: While AI offers remarkable benefits, remember it's a tool, not a magic wand. Human creativity and strategic oversight are still crucial for success.

The Perfect Blend: Harnessing the Power of Print and Web Marketing

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 17:09:32 GMT

In today's fast-paced digital world, it's easy to overlook the timeless charm and effectiveness of print marketing. However, the key to a successful marketing strategy lies in finding the perfect blend between print and web elements. In this month's newsletter, we're diving into why this combination is crucial for your business's growth and long-term success.

**1. **The Power of Tangibility:**

While digital marketing has its merits, there's something uniquely powerful about holding a well-crafted print piece. Learn how the tactile nature of print materials can leave a lasting impression and enhance your brand's credibility.

**2. **Boosting Online Presence with Print:**

Discover innovative ways to bridge the gap between print and web marketing. We'll share insights on QR codes, personalized URLs, and other strategies that seamlessly connect the physical and digital worlds.

**3. **Enhancing Customer Engagement:**

Explore the psychology behind print and web marketing. Learn how combining these elements can create a holistic marketing approach that resonates with your target audience on multiple levels.

**4. **Success Stories:**

Read about real-world examples of businesses that have harnessed the synergy of print and web marketing to achieve remarkable results. Get inspired by their journeys and learn from their successes.

**5. **Exclusive Offers:**

As a valued subscriber, we're offering an exclusive discount on our integrated marketing services. Don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your marketing strategy and see the impact for yourself.

Remember, in a world where everyone is vying for attention, the right balance of print and web marketing can set your business apart. Join us on this journey to explore the boundless possibilities of this dynamic duo!

To stay updated with our latest insights and exclusive offers, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.

Thank you for being part of our marketing community. Together, we'll unlock the full potential of your brand!

Why Your Small Business Needs a Marketing Strategy

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 15:58:53 GMT

In the dynamic landscape of commerce, the significance of marketing for small businesses cannot be overstated. Marketing serves as the compass guiding your business through the vast sea of competition, enabling you to not only survive but thrive. Here's a glimpse into the benefits that effective marketing can have on your small business.

M arketing enhances your business's visibility and brand recognition ...

Through targeted strategies, you can connect with your target audience, conveying your unique value proposition and forging lasting relationships. This visibility cultivates trust, vital for customer loyalty and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Marketing empowers you to understand your audience better...

By gathering insights and feedback, you can tailor your products or services to precisely meet their needs, fostering a deeper connection. Moreover, effective marketing initiatives allow you to stay attuned to market trends, ensuring your offerings remain relevant and competitive.

Well-executed marketing campaigns boost sales and revenue...

A strategic blend of online and offline strategies can attract, engage, and convert potential customers into paying clients. This revenue influx not only fuels growth but also provides opportunities for further investment in your business.

Your Online Presence allows you to reach a wider audience...

In today's digital age, online marketing, including social media, content creation, and search engine optimization, offers cost-effective avenues to reach a wider audience. The power of analytics also enables you to track campaign performance, enabling real-time adjustments for optimal results.

Marketing isn't a luxury but a necessity...

F or any small business aiming to flourish, marketing serves as the bridge connecting your offerings to the world, amplifying your voice in a crowded marketplace. Embrace the benefits of marketing, and unlock the potential for your small business to rise above challenges and achieve remarkable success.

Understanding the Power of Hashtags

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 14:41:03 GMT

In the vast realm of social media, hashtags have become the ubiquitous symbol of connection and discoverability. These simple yet powerful tools have revolutionized the way we engage online, providing a means to categorize content and unite like-minded individuals. If you're wondering how to leverage hashtags effectively, look no further. In this guide, we'll unveil the secrets to maximizing your social media success through the strategic use of hashtags.

Choose the Right Hashtags-

Aim for a delicate balance between popularity and specificity. Popular hashtags may expose your content to a broader audience, but specific ones connect you with users genuinely interested in your niche. Research trending hashtags and use platforms like Hashtagify to find related tags with high engagement.

Keep it Relevant-

Avoid using irrelevant or excessive hashtags in an attempt to gain more visibility. Stay true to the essence of your content, and only use hashtags that are directly related to your post. Users appreciate authenticity, and this fosters genuine connections.

Create Branded Hashtags-

Forge a unique identity for your brand by creating your own branded hashtag. This allows followers to associate specific content with your brand and encourages them to use it in their posts, expanding your reach through user-generated content.

Limit the Number of Hashtags-

While there is no universal rule on the ideal number of hashtags, overwhelming your posts with too many can come across as spammy and dilute your message. Opt for a few relevant and impactful hashtags that truly add value.

Research Competitors and Influencers-

Keep an eye on your competitors and industry influencers. Observe the hashtags they use and analyze their performance. This insight can inspire your hashtag strategy and offer fresh perspectives.

Utilize Trending Hashtags-

Stay updated on trending topics and events, and use relevant trending hashtags. Participating in popular conversations can significantly boost your visibility and engagement, but always ensure your content aligns with the context.

Engage with Hashtag Challenges-

Many social media platforms host hashtag challenges. Jump on the bandwagon and participate in these challenges to drive engagement, increase your reach, and showcase your creativity.

Review and Adapt-

Social media is ever-evolving, and so should your hashtag strategy. Regularly review your hashtag performance and analyze what works best for your brand. Adapt your approach as necessary to keep up with trends and changing audience preferences.

In conclusion, hashtags are a potent tool to unlock the potential of social media and foster meaningful connections with your audience. By choosing the right hashtags, staying relevant, and engaging strategically, you can elevate your social media game and carve a distinct identity in the digital landscape. Embrace the power of hashtags, and let them lead you towards social media success!

Mental Health in the Workplace

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Tue, 16 May 2023 14:27:22 GMT

May is Mental Health Awareness month. But really, we should be aware of our mental state every single day. The stats of workplace misery are astounding. But if we could implement a few things each day, we could change our outlook, our day, and essentially our futures.

As mental health in America has become more talked about, it has made it possible (and safer) for many to begin their mental health and wellness journey. No matter what path your life has been on, whether you are devout in your faith, or a CEO of a company, no one is above needing counsel at times. The sooner we accept this, the sooner we can normalize getting the help we need. Then, for some of us, we can alter our generational inevitabilities.

A 2021 Mental Health At Work Report by Mind Share Partners reported that 76% of employees surveyed claimed having one or more symptoms of a mental health condition. Sadly, a lot of workplaces do not prioritize and promote mental wellness within the workplace. In addition, the most common responses to why people are unhappy in their jobs are:

- Little or no recognition

- Little or no praise

- Little or no respect

- Minimal potential for growth

- Minimal potential for teamwork

There are a lot of unhealthy environments in the workforce, BUT the good news is, we can control some of that on our own and some of that begins as soon as we open our eyes in the morning. Here are a few suggestions for implementing mindfulness into, and throughout, our day…

Start your day with intention…

Most of us roll over and pick up our phones off the nightstand, turn off our alarms, and head to the news app, or a social media platform. This has shown to be an unhealthy start to the day, overstimulating our brains and setting it up for a day of distraction.

What if, instead, we set the alarm for a few minutes sooner and, after we turn off those alarms, we set the phones back down and took some extra time to meditate, eat breakfast, and slow the morning down? Intentionality takes practice, but beginning our days as mindful as possible will surely change the rest of the day.

Pack some healthy snacks…

When that notorious time of the day comes around and you need a snack, instead of going to the vending machine, take some trail mix, fruit or pop some popcorn. This usually comes a couple hours after lunch, when our bodies are naturally trying to shut down. Grab a snack, boost your mood, and avoid those afternoon crashes.

Take a walk…

Studies show that even a 10 minute walk each day reduces stress, increases blood flow, thus reducing your risk for heart disease, lowers blood pressure and promotes better sleep.

During lunch or break time, why not take a few minutes and go outside for a walk? If you need to talk to a coworker, take them with you. Invite them on the walk. Chances are it will be more productive.

Lastly, wind down your day earlier…

We are all really good at staying busy until we pass out at bedtime. And if we aren’t staying physically busy, we are keeping our minds busy, which is just as bad, if not worse. Keeping our eyes on screens right up until sleep can prevent a full and restful night's sleep.

What if you started winding down a little sooner by setting some boundaries on your phone? Most phones will allow screen time to be regulated. And instead of watching that violent action movie at 9pm, maybe try something lighter, or turn off the tv altogether. It’s also a good idea to avoid eating late dinners, though sometimes uncontrollable. But when you can control it, do it.

These are just a few of many other ways we can be mindful on our own. If you work for a company who allows you some freedom, you may be able to start in small ways incorporating some wellness practices for your coworkers. Maybe a mindful moment of the day, or a walk journal.

Remember, it's impossible to be your best for others if you aren’t your best for yourself. Like the oxygen masks on airplanes, you can’t help anyone else if you can’t breathe.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, or ideations, PLEASE talk to someone. Call or text 988.

Or visit 988lifeline.org.

Top Marketing Trends You Should Know For Your Business Strategy

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Tue, 02 May 2023 15:08:02 GMT

As part of a marketing strategy, it’s important to understand where the wind is blowing. Current trends tell us the best way to make the most of our online presence. Here are the current trends you should keep in mind when developing your marketing strategy this year.

Personalized Marketing

Definitely one of the most game-changing trends in marketing right now. There is no longer an easy template to use that we assume will fit each person. Because we aren’t templates. We are all different, with different needs and preferences. So now, it is necessary to personalize email campaigns, tailor social media content, and create customized offers for different segments of your audience. In doing so, you'll see higher engagement rates and improved customer retention.

Content Marketing

Content is king. And high-quality, engaging content is essential to drive traffic to your website and generate leads. Focus on your blog, producing relevant and useable content that not only promotes your products or services but also offers value to your audience. You have plenty of space to get creative with how-to guides, case studies, or entertaining videos that both educate and entertain. The more you can make your content shareable, the more likely it is to go viral, which boosts your overall reach.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing remains a powerful way to promote your brand through trusted voices. But we're shifting from mega-influencers to micro or nano influencers. They typically have smaller, more engaged audiences compared to large-scale influencers. So, partner up with influencers who are relevant to your niche and cultivate genuine relationships with them. They, in turn, will create authentic content that resonates with their followers while promoting your brand.

Video Marketing

Video consumption continues to rise, and with social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, revolving around short, engaging video content, it’s time to think beyond traditional YouTube videos and embrace live streaming, Instagram stories, or TikTok challenges. Make sure that your video content has a clear, concise message and gets straight to the point for maximum impact.

Harnessing the Power of Social Media

Social media is the ultimate tool for connecting with your audience, spreading brand awareness, and tapping into real-time conversations. To fully take advantage of this, always listen to your audience’s feedback and focus on community building. Be authentic and genuine in your interactions with your customers, and respond to their comments, messages, and concerns. Create a customer-first social media marketing strategy, and you'll naturally see results.

Recap…

1. Personalized marketing
2. Content marketing
3. Influencer marketing
4. Video marketing
5. Power of social media

By focusing on these trends, your marketing efforts will be even more effective and streamlined.

Stay adaptable and keep learning, and your business is bound to flourish.

Navigating the Volatility of Social Media Platforms and Marketing

social@amediamarketing.com (Leslie Laney) — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 17:44:28 GMT

In today’s ever-changing climate, it can be difficult to navigate social media platforms, especially for

marketing. Understanding the challenges will be vital to putting in the best practices for adapting and

flowing with each shift.

When we think of what social media has been for us as small businesses, many things probably come

to mind, such as the ability to connect and market to a vast audience and facilitate sales and

conversations. It’s no secret that some platforms rise and fall in popularity or relevancy as it pertains

to yours (and our) businesses, so we must learn to apply their strategies to stay out front.

The Challenges…

The constant shift in popularity cause users to shift as well. Meanwhile, businesses who are investing into one platform find that their target audience has moved with no warning.
The change in algorithms and updates cause a ripple effect, altering who can see a business’s branded content
The need to crank out engaging, short form content frequently in order to keep your target audience engaged can be difficult.

So how do we keep our businesses effective?

Best Practices…

Diversify your online presence. Avoid putting all your marketing eggs into one cart. Sharing across platforms will be less of an impact when one platform changes.
Stay up to speed with and apply where needed-updates and algorithm shifts, and especially with latest social media trends which can be Googled any time.
Create content that can be used again and across platforms. This will help maintain consistency while also saving time.
Use the unique features that each platform may offer. You may repurpose content but then use a special feature to set it apart from the previous post. Shoppable posts and polls are great ways to spark engagement and stand out.
Get connected with influencers who are credible and who can support your brand’s message. This can also help maintain visibility when the platforms become volatile since Influencers usually take their followers across platforms.

So, in short, volatile doesn’t mean impossible. Adaptability and consistency are your friends and

implementing these best practices will help your business navigate these changing waters and help it

continue to thrive even when challenges come.

AI Marketing for Your Business

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 18:29:57 GMT

We want to quickly show you how AI for small business blogging works.

First of all, we don’t suggest using AI to write entire blog posts for you. It is not like hiring a writer, but it does make writing much easier. AI generators pull from existing content.

Artificial intelligence-powered software reads and understands your articles, and then it helps you write new articles in the same tone and style that your existing articles use, or in the tone of your choosing.

The benefits of AI blogging

- AI writing software is sophisticated and it is getting more so all the time.

- It makes your work easier.

- It improves your ability to write effectively.

- It saves you time.

- It gives you more confidence in your writing.

- It helps you write with any tone you want to use.

Takeaway: Small business blogging can be easier and more effective if you use AI writing software.

Takeaway: Even though it may sound intimidating at first, sometimes it's worth it to try new technologies, especially if they can make your life easier or more efficient.

The pitfalls of AI Blogging

- It works on a probability distribution rather than a prediction, thus the output might be different for each run

- The content is only modeled after articles in its training dataset and might not be suitable for novel niches

- Some of the words which are used in the content may not be relevant to the topic

- AI generated content can not replace human ingenuity and creativity

- AI generated blog articles are useful, but they aren't perfect.

- AI will not fact check content so it is important to check it yourself before publishing.

Takeaway: AI writing is not a replacement for human writing but can be a helpful tool.

This blog was AI generated. Could you tell?

TikTok Ban- How to Prepare Your Business

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 17:22:20 GMT

If you’ve been paying attention to the news, it's highly likely that you are aware there could be a ban on TikTok across the US. It has already begun with state Universities around the country. Politics and feelings aside, what can you do to be prepared so that businesses like ours, don’t miss a beat.

So how can we prepare if our main branding presence is on TikTok?

Don’t panic, but you may want to consider starting soon to share across platforms . If you aren’t doing much on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, you may want to start. These platforms aren’t going anywhere (anytime soon at least).

It’s a good practice to not rely solely on one platform anyway. One reason is because you only attract a specific audience which is directed through algorithms set in place for you by the platform. These algorithms will be different across the different platforms, which means you could be attracting new audiences in other places.

What other ways can we promote our services, and our online presence in general aside from social media?

One of the oldest and most timeless ways to promote yourself is through an email. Email Marketing still proves very effective. It may be time to amp up your newsletter game or start one. Make sure you have an email list, and if not, start one with existing customers and followers. If you don’t have any, maybe you could offer a promo for sending their email addresses.

If all social media platforms were banned this year, what would be the most important path to my business?

Your website!

Optimizing your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is key to drive traffic to your site.

How do you come up in Google? What are the most clicked pages on your site? These are the components of a good SEO game.

Even on social media, everything you post should somehow drive consumers to your site.

Other practices you can put in place would be podcasting, blogging, vlogging. Any content that connects you with your audience should be on your site, as well as any platforms you are part of.

Ironically, their name foreshadowed their fate. TikTok has run out of time. But some things will remain timeless which allows the rest of us will keep on ticking.

'Carving' Out a Plan

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 17:00:44 GMT

So, you’ve got an end of year budget to spend and need some ideas?

We have some fun and practical ways to use remaining funds before the year is over. Your budget may reset in the new year, with leftover resources not rolling over and, in some cases, new budget calculations are determined by what you spent the year before.

So…. many businesses scramble for ideas to use up remaining resources, and wait too long to be intentional on the implementation. We think now is the time to start ‘carving’ out a plan.

And what does autumn do when winter comes? ……..It leaves…..

(insert applause and obnoxious laugh here)

But really, time flies….or ‘leaves’ quickly and once it's gone, we don’t get it back. So how can we be intentional with the time and resources we have?

Here are some of our ideas:

Revamp your website.

A new look may be just the thing to get a solid wrap up to the year and fresh start. Sprinkle a little SEO on top in order to kick start your rankings in the new year.

2. Take your team out for some fun.

Team-building outings like bowling, laser tag, TopGolf, or just dinner, can do wonders for relationships within your company and in turn creates a healthier work environment, which creates better creativity and performance.

3. Invest in learning something new.

Do you have a blog? A podcast? Social Media presence? Investing in knowledge yields benefits for years to come. What can any of these things do for your business? You don’t have to make a big leap and try to do them all, but trying just one can help you determine your need for the others.

4. Pre-Buy Google Ads for next year.

Why wait if you don’t need to? You can use up remaining resources and save on the next year at the same time.

5. Stock up on print items.

Many vendors may run end of year sales to make room for new inventory. Need business cards? Envelopes? Stickers? Koozis? Banners? Another way to use up resources and save for the next year.

Whatever you decide to use your resources on, you will always benefit from advanced planning. Whether that’s a new online look, team-building, amping up your social media, ads, or getting a jump on your print or promotional items…. Anything that moves you further down the path is a smart choice.

Go Big or Gourd Home

Happy Fall from your friends at A Media Marketing

Pumpkin Cut-Outs

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:24:03 GMT

For The Love of Gourd....

It's that time of year again!

Download your free, fun Tampa themed pumpkin carving templates!

But first, here are some fun facts about pumpkins I bet you didn't know...

1 - The first Jack-o'-lanterns were made out of turnips and potatoes by the Irish.

2- Pumpkins are grown on every continent except Antarctica, probably because its too cold.

3- Over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced each year in the USA. That's about 500,000 midsize cars full.

4- The world's heaviest pumpkin weighed over 2,600 pounds . So basically a car.

5- The largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 3,699 pounds . Maybe served on Thanksgiving to the world's largest family gathering? That's a lot of pie...

These are just 5 of many fun facts you can find on the Google.

Happy Carving!

How Important are Paid Ads for Social Media?

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 17:44:09 GMT

Ever see a product on social media and think to yourself “Oh so-and-so would love that”? That was most likely a paid Ad. These ads are created by companies like you, who want to promote their products or services—and they pay money to have those posts featured in front of people who are interested in what they're selling. This makes sense because if your goal is to sell something and make money, why wouldn't you want to target the people who are most likely to buy?

Paid ads are an important part of any marketing strategy. They're the best way to reach a large audience, and they can be used to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website or landing page, and even increase conversions. They are the bread and butter of any social media marketing strategy, especially now since algorithms have changed.

If you're new to paid ads, or if you're looking for some tips and tricks to help you get the best results from your paid ads, this post is for you.

In this article, we'll share why paid ads are so important, along with some tips and tricks for creating social media ads that get results!

Here's why Paid Ads Are So Important:

Paid ads are a great way to boost engagement with your brand.

Paid ads can help you reach people who might not otherwise see your content, especially if they aren't following your account or don't follow other accounts that share similar interests as yours.

Paid ads can help grow awareness of new products or services quickly (and at a lower cost than traditional advertising options).

When you're trying to get the word out about your business, there are a lot of options. But what if you don't want to spend all your time on social media? Or what if you don't have the resources to do so?

The answer is paid ads. It's just like any other type of ad—the only difference is that you're paying for it! And even better? You can create a paid social media ad in just a few minutes.

Social media is one of the most important parts of any online marketing strategy. It's where you can reach your audience in an instant, and it's where they're spending most of their time. But if you're not paying attention to Paid Ads (also known as "Sponsored Posts"), then you're missing out on a huge opportunity to get in front of more people than ever before.

But how do these companies know who will buy? They use data! That's right: Data is what helps inform the content of each ad so that it will be relevant and interesting for the right audience members. If you've got good data on hand, then your ads will be better too!

Here’s How to Create a Paid Social Media Ad:

1- What’s your “Why”?

To understand your “Why?”, answer the question “what’s my goal in running this ad? It could be sales on your website, app downloads, awareness in general, etc.

2- Who's your “Who”?

What do you already know about the people you currently reach, or would like to reach? —like age, location, trends, etc. What demographics, interests and behaviors best represent your audience.

3- Where do you want to run the Ad?

Where do you want the ad to be seen? —It could be Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, LinkedIn, or all of them. This portion allows you to choose to run ads on specific mobile devices.

4- What can you Spend?

You can choose your daily or lifetime budget along with the time period you want your ads to run. This means that you’ll never spend more than you’re comfortable with during that time.

5- What Format Do You Prefer?

You have 6 options here—all versatile and designed to work on every device and connection speed. You can choose to show a single image or video or use a multi-image format.

6- Place the order

7- Watch it work by checking your data each week.

Still not sure where to begin? Let us help. We can help build and create the ads that will best benefit you and your business!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the workplace (and life)

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 17:44:31 GMT

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is a hot topic in the workplace. What we have to understand before we can embrace anything else in this blog is that we have all walked through different doors to get where we are. We all have a different lens that we see life through. Once we understand this, we can appreciate its importance and fully experience the benefits of having each other. So what are the benefits of DEI? What challenges does it present? And how can we create a culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our organizations? Here's what you need to know:

The Benefits:

DEI that is embedded in your culture can help you attract top talent—and retain it! By creating an environment where employees feel like they're valued, you can attract top talent from all walks of life. This will help you keep your workforce fresh, innovative, and happy (which is good for business).
It helps make your workplace more inclusive. When people feel they belong at work because they see themselves reflected in the company's values and mission, they're more likely to stay—and work hard for the team.
Diversity can help companies innovate more quickly by bringing new perspectives to problem solving.

The Challenges:

Lack of resources and education on what effective DEI looks like in the workplace or in general. It isn’t just changing your company logo to rainbow colors for Pride month.
Attracting the right team when your workplace has not been inclusive historically. What can be changed or promoted to get more diverse employees? Change always brings resistance.
Leadership Support- if the people at the top aren’t on board, it creates a barrier to progress.

The challenges of diversity and inclusion are real, but we're here to tell you that they're also surmountable. Here's how to create a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in your workplace:

1. Talk about it

First things first: talk about it! Encourage open dialogue about what diversity means and why it matters. Make sure everyone on your team feels comfortable talking about their experiences with diversity and inclusion, whether they've had positive or negative experiences with them in the past.

2. Be inclusive

When hiring new employees, look for people who can bring diverse perspectives into your company's goals and objectives—and not just because it's good for business! Make sure everyone is represented in your leadership team so that no one gets left out of the conversation. Also take a look at your marketing strategy. Can people see themselves working at your business? Is diversity reflected on your website or social media campaigns?

3. Create an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions

Whether you're hiring new employees or simply trying to improve diversity within an existing team, make sure everyone knows they can feel comfortable asking questions if there's something they don't understand. It might seem like a small thing at first glance, but fostering a culture where people feel safe asking questions will go a long way toward making everyone feel included and valued within the company as a whole!

And being valued is basic human need. I think we can do better! Don’t you?

Reelin' Your Way to Instagram Success!

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 18:43:35 GMT

This is not a blog about fishing, unless we are talking about clients and customers instead of fishies. Instagram Reels are not a new concept (believe it or not). However, they are becoming more in-depth, photo and video creation wise, which gives you the opportunity to really showcase your product/service/brand in an engaging way. This has become very, very popular, and if you have listened to our Mindful Marketing Moments Podcast this week on “Reelin’ Your Way To Instagram Success”, you would know that the amount of engagement you get with reels compared to standard posts is a lot more. Like, “a lot lot”.

With so many different options to keep up with, we believe that Instagram Reels are going to be the cornerstone for businesses success. We know this because we have seen them work for personal brands and businesses of all scales.

Instagram is a great way to share your best moments with friends and family. But what if you want to share your best moments or new events as a business? That's where Reels come in. With Reels, you can make your Instagram videos longer, add music and effects, and even create mini-movies from the clips of your favorite memories or photos.

So How do we make a reel? Here’s how:

1. Go to the Reels tab in your Instagram profile

2. Click the photo icon in the top right corner of your screen

3. Choose between a 15 second, 30 second, or 60 second Reel length

4. Choose whether you want it to play at 1x, 2x, 3x or 4x speed

5. Add music and effects if you'd like (music is optional)

6. Use Touch Up (wand) to make your face or skin smoother if desired (optional)

7. Decide how long you'd like the countdown timer for your Reel to be onscreen before recording begins (optional)

8. Press "Reels" icon button to start recording!

Make sure to consider what your audience would want, but also what you personally would like to see in an Instagram account. To get their attention quickly, focus on one main message and don’t forget to link back to your own profile as well.

Reel’s are a big deal.

You know that.

We know that.

But did you know that the more Reels you publish, the more likely it is that Instagram will show your Stories, Feed, and even Instagram Shop? It’s true! And while we can’t be sure of everything impacting Instagram’s algorithms, it’s safe to assume they’re giving preference and priority to Reels content.

So get in the boat already…. And get started reelin’ in your people.

Out with the Old...Google Updates Are Coming!

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 14:40:37 GMT

Google Analytics is one of the most important tools you have at your disposal as a marketer. It gives you deep insight into your audience and allows you to tailor your content and campaigns to meet their needs. You can use Google Analytics to measure things like how much time people spend on your site, what pages they visit most often, how many people click on links in your emails, and other valuable metrics that help you make informed decisions about how you'll run your business.

That being said….. Google Analytics 4, also known as G4, is here and it’s better than ever. This new version of the popular web analytics tool has been completely redesigned from the ground up, so you can expect a more intuitive interface, improved data accuracy, and more powerful reporting tools. But what does that mean for you?

Here are 6 tips to help you get the most out of Google Analytics 4:

1. Use Google Tag Manager to create user-defined segments that can be applied to your entire site or just specific pages.

2. Get granular with AdWords Remarketing Lists for Search Ads, which lets you target users who visited specific pages on your website with remarketing ads based on their behavior (for example, “visited product page 1 but didn’t buy anything”). The feature is available in all 20 languages supported by AdWords Remarketing Lists for Search Ads.

3. Use Custom Dimensions to track anything from user counts to time spent on specific pages—and everything in between! This feature works best when added directly into a custom JavaScript tag rather than using standard dimensions like browser type or operating system because it allows for greater control over how data is collected and processed before getting sent back to Analytics servers for reporting purposes.

4. Know your goals: The first thing you should do when using Google Analytics is to set up goals for each page on your website. Goals tell Google Analytics what you want it to track and measure, so they're important! You can set up goals by going into "Admin" and selecting "Goals" under "Views." From there, click "New Goal" and choose an activity to track (for example, a signup or purchase).

5. Make sure your tracking code is installed: Another important step in using Google Analytics is making sure that all of your pages have tracking code installed on them. You can find instructions on how to do this by clicking here.

6. Set up custom reports: Custom reports allow users to create their own reports based on specific parameters (such as date range or metric). This makes it easy for users who don't have time.

Just remember, analytics are the report card for how your website is performing. It is definitely something that is worth your investment. If all of this seems overwhelming or you don’t have the time to dig into it yourself, don’t worry, A Media Marketing can help! Just fill out our contact form to get started.

Video Is Just a Trend......Really????

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 15:18:19 GMT

If anyone tries to tell you that video marketing is dead, it would be in your best interest to no longer take advice from that person. Video Marketing is hotter than ever and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. We have the stats to prove it.

We even did our own small study on a handful of our Instagram posts versus reels. The analytics speak for themselves. In a big way.

Our analytics proved that, since January, our video posts reached 33 times the accounts than our regular text/graphics posts at best and 5 times more on an average day. It also showed that our video reels were shared 3 times as many times as text posts. Did you know that you can see these stats on your posts and reels when you tap “view insights” on the post itself?

Aside from observing our own stats, here are some more insights that we just can’t ignore:

-In 2020, almost everyone increased their video consumption. Two years later, the average person is predicted to spend more than an hour and a half watching video content. That’s a lot of people watching a lot of videos. They like it. We like it. Let’s make more of it.

-Consumers will retain 95% of what they digest in a video, versus the barely 10% of what they read in text form. If they have to re-read something to retain it, chances are, they won’t. But they will re-watch something over and over if they retain enough to gain interest. This is why those puppy and baby videos are so hot!

-Video content will get shared more than 12 times more than a text/image post. That lines up with what we noticed on our own posts. No words even necessary.

-Adding music to the video is very popular and has the most views across social platforms. Especially if the content contains dance, or iconic songs.

-Over 1/3 of video consumers enjoy tutorials and how-to videos. So don’t be afraid to teach something on your video. Julia Child started this trend decades ago and it keeps proving successful.

Video is not everyone’s forte’. But the great thing about it is that the most watched videos and reels are the ones proven most raw and authentic. The people no longer want perfect, fake and plastic. They want imperfect, real and honest. Try it out and watch the difference.

Podcasts: Growing Your Audience Community

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 18:07:39 GMT

If you currently have a podcast, or if you are just looking into possibly doing one, chances are your reasons are one of the following:

To grow your audience community

To be a voice in the things you believe

To promote your business or brand

To generate more leads, which will lead to sales

No matter if it’s one or all of those reasons, the overarching theme is the same:

Connection.

Finding ways to connect with your audience can be challenging but there are ways to do it that oftentimes require you to simply be yourself.

If you put yourself in the position of the consumer….which we all are every day…. Ask yourself what leads you to watch the reel, or click the link? What stops you? Is it funny messages or memes? Messages or videos of inspiration? Of people being their goofy selves? All of the above? Start there.

Now as it to pertains to your own messaging, what would you find most valuable?

Here are some pointers to keep you connected:

Put out valuable content-

What can you offer that is relevant? Consistently putting out useful information will keep your audience returning to listen for more. It can be hard, but it’s essential to bring return listeners. What podcasts do you currently listen to? What keeps you engaged and coming back? Likewise, what repels you? Bad audio? Too much fluff? Remember that when you are creating.

Make the Connections-

Aside from putting out valuable content, the most important thing you can do is connect to your listeners (or social media followers, customers, etc). There’s a number of ways to do this through social media, such as reading reviews or comments, answering questions, creating answerable posts or surveys. Get to know the audience you have, no matter how small, and watch it grow.

Use social media to your advantage-

Connecting with clients before all of the social media platforms used to be a lot different. In person meetings meant staging the game, usually in a way that wouldn’t exude your true personality or intentions. It was Formal. Now, we can gain the trust of clientele in joggers from our homes simply because we have made connection with them on a personal level. Authenticity is gripping. It’s not always easy, but your audience wants it. It grabs them and will keep them as long as you show up. Again, think about the things you connect with on social media. What makes you stay connected?

Putting out valuable information and making these connections will be the most solid foundation you will have for being successful in your podcasts, social media, or even in real life interaction. So let’s start connecting! What do you have to say?

Do You Know Who Your Audience Is?

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 13:21:42 GMT

When you think about who your target audience is, does a certain group or demographic come to mind? Does who you’re envisioning match who your customer is now? How can you make your target audience, your PREFERRED audience? And if you don’t know who your audience is, how do you figure that out? We have a few helpful ways to narrow that down and start tailoring your marketing to your preferred audience.

First things first, who is already buying or using your services?

The easiest way to find this is using analytics (we can help you there). This will give you the most straight-forward info on the demographics and common interests of your current clientele. If you don’t use analytics, you would need to start collecting your own data and putting it together to learn the commonalities.

Who ISN’T buying?

You can use the same strategy for finding who IS, for determining who IS NOT. The more specific you can define your target, the less time and money will be wasted advertising to the wrong groups.

Who else is selling products like yours?

Check out your competitors. See how they are doing things. What things seem to be most popular and who is buying what?

Learn and Revise

You will learn new things about your target audience all the time. For this reason, it’s important to continuously revise your marketing. The more you know, the more target-specific you are able to be. Likewise, the more you have an understanding of who you WANT your audience to be, the more you can tailor your marketing strategies.

Check out this week’s podcast, “Do You Know Who Your Audience Is?” on Mindful Marketing Moments to hear more.

Plan Bee: Co-Op Marketing

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 16:22:56 GMT

How buying local benefits everyone...

I don’t know about you, but I love supporting local businesses. Especially honey. (Ok maybe Mead but that needs fresh and local honey too). And just like how releasing bees into local plant-life can help the entire environment, the same can be said for co-op marketing.

Co-Op Marketing is when you can produce something that another local business could benefit from. For example, the local honey shop down the road needs labels for jars and other packaging, or maybe t-shirts and you just so happen to be a marketing company who can supply those needs. Now, not only are you supporting local, but you are also advertising there as well. The local store can now leave out cards or fliers or digital paths straight to you. It is networking for a cause. Like the bees. It can change the whole environment.

One way you can see if co-op marketing would work for you would be to check your area, google local businesses in your area or surrounding areas and see what they currently offer. Do you offer something that could help promote them? Do you frequent the same places and have always thought you could do something for them? Or maybe they could help you? Maybe you don’t even know what local businesses exist nearby. Now is the time to get acquainted. Local businesses give our communities character, and we should always promote that.

The impact of supporting local businesses is huge and so are the benefits. Heres’ a few:

Supporting Local Businesses will:

-Keep funds in the community-

Local businesses tend to buy local too, which keeps the community going and growing. Co-op marketing locally will help create a web of contacts and local suppliers to keep you moving.

-Create more jobs-

The more we support locally, the more jobs can be offered and with higher wages. This can also lead to generational jobs passed down.

-Sustain the local environment-

Local businesses help keep their area clean and in turn can bring about walking towns and less driving, which will reduce the impact on the habitat and on pollution. All these things can bring more business locally and not-so locally as well.

So, as both a consumer AND a local business, we believe in the power of working together and building community relationships.

Let’s get out there and meet each other.

Analytics: Pros and....more pros.

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 19:24:12 GMT

Do you ever think about how impactful your website is? How do we even know how to measure that? Analytics!!

Analytics collect data in order to take this measurement. It can then help us understand our website usage and traffic in order to help us better market and improve our site’s responsiveness.

So…. pretty essential if we want our site to do what it’s there to do. But most of us don’t even think about that side of it. The back end, behind-the-scenes work typically goes unnoticed and not thought about. And easily so, because it’s simply out of site.

That leaves us with an important question: Why pay for a website, or go to the trouble of updating it and spending time and resources if we aren’t even sure if its working in the ways we think it is?

Here are some of the biggest benefits of using analytics:

Helps us understand customer/visitor behavior
Knowing the most popular clicks and paths to completion or purchase is huge. This is called “key conversion metrics”. What is working really well for us? This answer could help us tailor the rest of the site.

Shows us the most popular pages on our site.
Which buttons catch the most attention? And why?

Tracks the effectiveness of our online marketing campaigns
If they aren’t reaching our target customers, then we should stop wasting our time. Let’s use what IS working and put that into our future efforts.

So how does it work?

In a nutshell…. Analytics implant a “tag” in your page’s code. The tag can then count each visitor, each click, each link that gets clicked, geographic locations, type of device, and even how much time is spent and where its spent. It can track repeat customers this way as well. Crazy right? How helpful.

So really…. what are we waiting on? Start helping your page work for you now. You already did the work, now let’s make it work for YOU.

And if you don’t have a site yet, give us a call or shoot us an email. We can help set you up with Analytics tools, build and maintain a site for you and so much more.

A Media Marketing

813-933-2788

Ideas@amediamarketing.com

What You Should Be Doing This Year

april@amediamarketing.com (April Monroe) — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 19:29:15 GMT

Since the last couple of years have not exactly gone as we thought they would, It seems pointless to try and predict where the marketing trends may go, but we are gonna do it anyway. One thing we can be sure of is that we all feel the importance of purpose and mission when it comes to our businesses and hopefully our personal lives too.

What we may have predicted, or thought would happen in 2021 likely looked different once it played out. What we’ve noticed is that some other priorities have taken the top spot in our marketing. Here are what we think you should be sticking in that top priority spot this year:

Who are you? What do you stand for?

We all have had some moments in the past few years of the crazy where we questioned our purposes and tried to find the meaning in the work we do. We have started to pay attention more than before. This is wonderful. Let that fuel you. Brand your purpose. Make sure we know what you are about. The more you connect to that, the more you will be able to connect people with it too.

Zoom zoom zoom…

Online meetings are not going anywhere. In fact, they may be getting more creative as we go. We look for more hybrid options to come about in the next year as it works great for business travel, work-life balance, and of course, staying healthy. Also, forming small groups or virtual clubs are a great way to still have that personal feel on a virtual platform (We have one you may want to join !).

Come Together…Right Now….

The Beatles said it best. But it really is a great idea. Co-Marketing has been, in the past, a move only big biz’s would make, but not anymore. Anyone can co-market. A lot of small businesses are already doing it. All you have to do is find a connection from one business (or more) to yours, and run with it. For example, if I’m a small ice cream shop, I may have some cards on the counter for the gym across the street. JUST KIDDING. But you get the idea. Exposure is the name of the game. Come together and everyone wins.

2022 will bring its own batch of crazy cookies I’m sure of it, but in marketing, the trends are always moving and we just have to roll with them and pay attention. Our greatest resources are already within reach.

Stimulating Your Cause-Marketing with Graphics

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 22:49:07 GMT

Determine your campaign’s emotional journey and highlight your branding through graphics.

One of the best ways to start a conversation about your cause-marketing is by capturing attention with impactful graphics. But what you really need your graphics to do is evoke a psychologic response to participate. What emotions might your graphics evoke?

“I like this cause”

“I feel an urgency to help”

“I agree that my contribution will make a difference”

“Others are doing it, I should to”

“I will feel guilty if I don’t help”

“I feel good that I helped”

Why Brand Cause-Marketing Materials?

In the first two blogs of this series #1 & #2 , we talk about metrics, forward-facing metrics, and illustrating your progress, and now we want to talk about why having consistent campaign branding makes a difference. Professional marketers know that staying on brand is incredibly important. It builds a visual story, it sets the expectation for participation and price points, it defines inclusion, and it reinforces impressions with the repetitive visual cues.

So how do you mix the emotion-evoking goals of cause-marketing with your organization’s branding? Or do you lead with your organization’s branding and add the cause-marketing?

What Does This Look Like in the Real World?

You may have something as simple as a line on your website or a sign on your register that says Proceeds from Today’s Sales Benefit the Local Children’s Hospital, in a font from your style guide and with your logo on it. Easy enough.

Or you may go a little more custom to grab someone’s attention. Picture Thanksgiving time, you’re in the grocery store where you donate a dollar or two and you write your name on a turkey-shaped piece of paper that has multiple business logos on it. That signed card goes on the wall with dozens of other turkey-shaped pieces of paper, you see your neighbors’ names, you see a photo of a family with food on the table, and you smile because it only cost you a dollar or so to do something good in the world that day and you have proof you did it. (FYI – the psychological term for this is “Social Proof” and it is incredibly important to today’s marketing.) The next time you come in, you smile again because your name is already on the wall on that card with logos you like to be associated with, and there are now hundreds of turkeys on the wall promising even greater good is achieved.

Tip: For those who haven’t ordered these types of cards before, the custom ones come as a die-cut shape and specialty printers often have a selection of shapes on hand, which can be very budget-friendly. Or you can opt to have a new die shape created and that is more expensive and takes additional time. Plan accordingly.

Another Real World Example

Another popular trend is a fundraising thermometer. Some organizations will have a very generic thermometer. Pre-printed and they fill it with a marker as goals are met. Some will invest in an automated digital thermometer. There are online services for that. But why miss out on the opportunity to brand your thermometer? It doesn’t have to be a traditional thermometer shape. It can be the shape of donated car, a saved turtle, a full bowl, a stack of library books – whatever the cause you can reinforce with a thought-provoking image.

Another reason you should have a branded thermometer is because your team will need it for various reasons – websites, social media, newsletters, flyers, posters, etc – and the investment for a graphic artist’s is wise to get the various sizes and messaging done at once. At you plan your campaign, you can order a series of graphics that indicate the progress, and swap out each graphic at your campaign’s pace, rather than having to wait for a graphic artist to come back to you. You can plan ahead for “urgency” posts – such as “We’re 5 away from our first hundred”, “We’re 10 away from our goal!”, and it will all be ready at the team’s disposal.

Participation Recognition

Trophies, medals, ribbons, stickers, and other promotional items are all part of the psychology of marketing and are especially helpful in cause-marketing. People were drawn to you because of an emotion for something they hold dear. Give participants a takeaway that makes them feel like they made a difference. Think of how many “I Voted” stickers fill your social media feed during election time. Something like a branded sticker can be a status symbol or again social proof, they can even be highly coveted. Some organizations, such as marathon events, cover the costs for their medals or ribbons in the entry fees, and you can plan for the same.

Does your logo need to be on every promotional item? No, not necessarily. You make the brand impression when the promotional item is handed to someone. They make the connection as part of the memory.

Take Away

Determine your campaign’s emotional journey and highlight your branding through graphics. You want your branding to continue even after this campaign is done. Drifting too far away from your branding loses the momentum of impressions for your organization.

Budget-Friendly Ideas for Cause-Marketing Campaigns

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 22:41:05 GMT

We all want to give... the question is how much.

Organizations of all sizes have to determine their budgets for cause-marketing campaigns, and we’re here to remind you that benefitting your community doesn’t have to be pricey or time-consuming.

There are two key points to keep in mind:

With every component, how do you get the word out?
What feelings do you want to evoke? There is a psychology that works with each audience and you’ll need to be mindful of who you are targeting and when.

For example, your cause-marketing can be focused internally, so how do you foster positivity for your team’s morale while meeting a goal? How do you honor their progress and celebrate their success? Do you want them to feel stressed by the added activities or looking forward to it with anticipation?

For external audiences, you may want to give a sense of urgency, such as pictures of empty pantry shelves. Or a sense of hometown pride, like the marching band playing an upbeat school song. Deciding what feelings you want to evoke will drive your campaign messaging and how you deliver it.

Some “low cost” ideas (Remember, it’s about the feelings evoked, not necessarily dollars raised):

Have competing donation jars, e.g., one labeled “Cat Person”, the other “Dog Person” (Tip: Post which jar won at the end of each day for customer-created content.) For locations with heavy repeat traffic, swap out the labels for new competitions every day.

Social media posts – tell the story of why, who, how, and when and highlight those making a difference (the customer making the first tip jar donation of the day, the volunteer coordinator, the team with the most participation)

Email signature lines/graphics – link to your company’s blog about the campaign and/or donation page. If your team is like ours, you send out hundreds of emails a week and it’s one of the most active individualized channel you have.

E-outreach – such as email campaigns, e-newsletter blasts, e-coupons, and even auto responses to all emails can all include information about the cause you’ve chosen and drive them on the marketing journey you want them to take

Website and Point-of-Sale Systems updates – Banners, blogs, POS platform messages, metric progress (such as fundraising thermometers) can all bring attention to the campaign

Signage on the door, on tables, as banners, and at check-outs.
Double-sided signage letting customers know about the community involvement on the way in and thanking them for their participation on the way out is an easy way to ask and show gratitude.
Slips of paper in the menu or posters on the wall give patrons something to read and talk about
Reminders on the POS device or near a telephone can prompt the team to discuss the charitable campaign

Opportunities at already planned events, like having a “Guess How Many Lbs of Trash Removed” contest at the company beach clean-up gets people more involved

Elevate an existing experience to a VIP experience, such as separating out a chef’s table at a dinner or getting a photo with Santa at a children’s event

Detail your progress, especially visually for a quick attention grab – think of fundraising thermometers on a billboard or social media post

Take Away

Like any good marketing campaign, a cause-marketing campaign thoughtfully identifies opportunities, builds upon its impressions, and reinforces the desired emotions. Have your team identify easy, cost-effective ways to bring attention to the campaign. Make it easy for your team to promote the campaign

Cause-Marketing Through the Holidays

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 22:27:41 GMT

First, let’s define cause-marketing:

It is a type of Corporate Social Responsibility where a for-profit business selects one or more nonprofits to receive a benefit achieved through marketing efforts. Oftentimes, it is a gateway to show a shared affinity with members of a targeted community. Some organizations market almost exclusively through cause-marketing while others use it as a supplement, seasonal, or single campaign.

What does that look like in the real world? Some of us are familiar with cause-marketing when we drive through a McDonald’s and we’re asked if we want to contribute to the Ronald McDonald House or we get asked by a cashier at our grocery store if we want to donate a dollar to the charity of the month. We see events around us that benefit a certain group and we know what month the world dons all things pink. Cause-marketing can be very powerful in the ways it draws attention of loyal supporters and in its ability to make an impact.

Of course, it’s best to select a nonprofit who aligns with your social beliefs and has good standing, otherwise, why mindfully select them?

A successful cause-marketing campaign begins with a conversation with the nonprofit. This is where you set expectations, explore what other businesses have done in the past, get a feel for what worked and didn’t work, and understand what, if any, campaign support you can expect from the nonprofit’s side and how metrics can be measured to determine success.

Does a nonprofit have to participate in every cause-marketing idea? Absolutely not. Nonprofits are like any other business and need to keep focused on their work and relationships. They are also not obligated to fulfill collaborative requests. Be mindful that a “no” or “not something our team can do right now” is not necessarily a reflection of your organization but it should be a consideration as you move forward.

Once you meet with the nonprofit and get a snapshot of your involvement together, now’s the time to get creative. Depending on the time and energy you have, this can be something simple like a jar on the counter or it can be elaborate like hosting a VIP event.

Tips:

Keep in mind what has worked for the nonprofit’s base before (they are part of your target audience for this campaign), keep it simple during the holidays and for your team and theirs, and remember to think about impressions you’re making before, during and after.

Once you do select your cause and your team has identified how you want to make your commitment, there are some key steps:

Team Buy-In

Communicate to the team what you are doing and why. Depending on the time you have, you can do this after you have the campaign mapped out or you can ask for feedback and participation from the team.

Analyze Your Campaign Budget and Capabilities

Campaign budgets can vary dramatically – some plan for minimal expenditures while others budget for a Super Bowl commercial. There are “low cost” ideas, such as a social media post, electronic email, or adding a banner or blog to a website. We say “low cost” because while it may be pennies to share a photo on social media, we honor the true cost of time, collaboration, and manpower it takes to craft, dispense and engage with those deliverables. With cause-marketing, coordinating outreach pieces with the nonprofit will take additional time.

Click here for Low-Cost Ideas

Some ideas to coordinate between the two organizations:

Creating a calendar together, such as social media or PR calendars
Having mutually agreed upon mailings or outreach pieces, such as invitations, flyers, postcards, or signage
Inclusion on each other’s websites and at events that occur before, during or after the campaign
Providing in-person or virtual impressions, such as videos or testimonials, of the work being done and what the campaign can/did achieve
Adopting the language that is allowed for the nonprofit, such as “Sponsored by”, “Partnering with”, or “Benefitting” – some organizations are very restricted and will need to adhere to allowed verbiage

Create a Campaign Calendar

Your team has their goals and adding cause-marketing can be an asset to existing goals or it can be an additional asset that requires juggling. Be considerate of stakeholders as you push forward. Some cause-marketing campaigns may involve your team’s physical involvement, such as volunteering at a food pantry, cleaning a beach, or hosting an event. Balancing your team’s joy and involvement with the nonprofit may mean leadership decisions like closing early, and it’s important to work through those details for your team and for your customers’ awareness.

Metrics

Metrics are very important for cause-marketing pieces because they can be forward facing to motivate your team and your customers. These types of metrics are part of the marketing impression plan and it reinforces the idea that it’s a good idea to participate, others are doing it too, adds to the legitimacy of the campaign, and invokes a feeling of inclusion. Being included makes people happy. Read more about forward-facing metrics here.

Behind-the-scenes metrics are obviously important too and you want your team and the nonprofit to have a system in place to determine if this cause-marketing effort was a wise decision. Your campaign will dictate what some of those metrics can be. Examples can include how many times did someone click on a boosted post or select “add a dollar” online check-out, you can ask the nonprofit if they can add a donation line to their giving page that expressly identifies your marketing campaign. Explore the metric possibilities and reports together.

Honor Your Involvement

However your organization participates, you can create joy around your community involvement. Camaraderie makes a difference for your team and your customers. Show your gratitude by illustrating what was achieved and the impact that was made. Detail with real-life evidence how each dollar or minute donated meant more because everyone contributed together. Describe the effort your team put in, such as how many hours your campaign was active or how many employees participated.

Celebrate your team’s work for getting the campaign out and for meeting a goal. Spotlight those who were integral in the development and the delivery of the campaign components. Invest in a memory maker, such as branded volunteer t-shirts or photo magnets, that capture the moment for a long-lasting impression. Record the journey from the start and relive it for your customers, team and leadership; photographs and videos make for great content in between campaigns, as a layer in future campaigns, and in publications, such as Annual Reports.

As part of your Corporate Social Responsibility, you can share your metrics with other organizations so that they see the benefit of community-minded endeavors. As you become masters of cause-marketing you may elect to add more nonprofits to benefit or you may grow your campaign to support a single organization.

Take Away

Cause-marketing is about strengthening relationships, internally and externally for your organization. What that means and the impressions you cultivate should be thoughtfully planned. The real opportunity is how you maximize the marketing you do now and the foundation you can grow on. Be cognizant of the energy that you invest and responsive to the evolution of your efforts.

STOP. PAUSE. REFLECT.

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 22:06:54 GMT

REFRESHING OUR MINDS TO RETHINK OUR WORKSPACE

Since the pandemic, more than half of US Employees now work from home. Some have been working from home for years, while others are stepping into it for the first time, and whether you relate to the former or the latter, it can be a tough balance. It’s more challenging to get into the headspace for work while also thinking about all the things you want and need to get done at the home that is now doubled as your office.

At the same time, we have all experienced a shift in mindset to some degree. We now realize that it’s more important than ever that we not only give importance to our work but also to our mental health. We, at A Media Marketing understand this and have learned some effective strategies to create the balance we all need now. While there won’t be a one-size-fits-all here, it is important to do what we are able to, in the ways that best fit our individual business and personal needs.

CREATE YOUR OWN SPACE OR REFRESH THE ONE YOU HAVE.

Many of you already have a space of some kind that you have been working in.

Is it clean? Messy? Diapers on the table? Morning breakfast mess next to your computer? Papers scattered across the counter? Do you have distractions around you?

If you answered yes to any of this, you are not much different than most of us right now. Not everyone has an extra bedroom to make an office out of. So, the kitchen counter or coffee table has to make do for now. Without designating a space, it will be easy to be unorganized and run the risk of not getting all the daily tasks accomplished. This should be a space where only work happens. When your workday is over, leave the area and close up the computer or laptop. Just as you would if leaving work. Leave work at work and in its place.

STEP AWAY

The hours can melt away some days and before we know it, we have forgotten to eat and have likely been sitting for hours. We ignore our Apple Watches that tell us it’s time to stand up thinking we need to stay and get things done. But stepping away actually will increase your productivity, reduce your stress level, increase your mindfulness and mental health and improve your physical health.

It can be very easy to continue work all day with technology in our hands at all times, so maybe consider turning off notifications and putting in place a protocol for when your boss may need you for emergencies. This is where auto-responses may come in handy, just be kind when creating them.

SET BOUNDARIES

Stepping away for mental breaks goes hand in hand with setting some boundaries. It’s not always necessary to arise from your sleep and zombie-walk straight to your workspace and go zero to one hundred before 8AM. Take a minute to eat breakfast, take a walk to turn your brain on, and get your blood flowing. Create a morning ritual that sets you up for success each day. More flexibility should give you the opportunity to create boundaries for what your day looks like.

Stay within the hours that you normally would have at the office. Studies show that more of us overwork now because we have no commute. This in turn has increased our work stress and caused us to be inattentive in other areas of life. It’s time to recreate our workdays in mindful ways.

We’ve had almost 2 years to see what isn’t working. Now let’s listen to what is. Shut it down. Be present .

Our Home Office Wish List

ARE YOU SHOWING HOW AMAZING YOU ARE?

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 23:21:10 GMT

For years, we’ve heard about the power of SEO and how words matter to make the connection between your customers and you, your products, or services. The right phrase and a photo used to be enough to connect with online shoppers, but as the space gets more competitive and mindsets are changing, more often than not videos and authentic reviews are how businesses are sealing the deal.

SHOW ME MORE

Have you ever been handed a phone and thought “OK, sooo who is going to show me how to use this thing?” We live in a world where we’re expected to know how to use everything that hits the market. But the reality is that “how to boil an egg” is searched for every single day on YouTube. More and more, product/service videos are transforming from traditional commercials to customer comfort tools. Whether it’s a 15 second-long fashion video that shows how a dress falls and swooshes when a model walks or a how-to video about charging and storing batteries for a new device, customers want to know and be comfortable before they buy. Smart businesses use videos to problem-solve through the entire process of selling and retaining a customer.

Businesses aren’t acting alone in digitally displaying their products, and videos from outside sources can be the greatest sale tool or the death of a product line. Giants, like Amazon, are relying on customers to provide customer satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) reviews and have been expanding to allow for more pictures and longer videos. YouTubers have long been monetizing unboxing videos and the concept is popular for nearly every niche. Businesses can get ahead by creating great videos that take out the mystery or solve “issues” for customers before bad reviews can even be created.

Live videos have their place, too. Facebook Live stores, for example, are raking it in with their mini-QVC-esque productions. Customers want to see items glitter under the lights. They want an up-close and realistic review of the size and quality of a product, how complicated something is, and any tips that can make their lives easier. You know you’ve watched a hack video or two and thought “wow, they are geniuses.” (Or maybe you asked who ties their shoes in the morning… we’re looking at you 5-Minute Crafts.)

In Q4 of 2020, YouTube reported that it has an active 30 million watchers per day, watching a billion videos per day, with the average mobile viewing session lasting approximately 40 minutes. The point is people watch videos. They consume them. They will go out of their way to find a video rather than read a manual that is in the box in front of them. Buyers want you to SHOW them your product, the options, the quality, and alllllll of the functions. Much like how a staged house sells a home faster, videos can sell a product faster.

SEO IS NOT DEAD

SEO is still very much alive and important, maybe even more so with video. Think about a basic product and how many ways you could make a video — what is it, how many colors does the product come in, what’s it made of, how do you use it, how do you clean it, what’s the best way to maintain it, how do you install it — just that small list has the potential for seven videos and they can all have value. The phrasing of “how to clean” is very much different than “how to maintain” and that matters to consumers who want to know they are doing the right thing. Answering both questions instills consumer confidence, which is by no means a new concept but accessibility to videos is changing the approach. Video titles, page titles, headlines and descriptions all work together to connect buyers with the “right” videos.

One way to win the SEO game is to pay attention to how your customers search for answers. Do customers search for “how to fix my phone screen” or do they type “phone screen repair”? Vastly different phrases, and one may get you way more views than the other. Search engines recognize these behaviors and are getting smarter but using the correct phrases for your customers now provides solutions today. Does that mean pick one and *fingers crossed* hope it’s the best? No, it means taking the time to create duplicate pages and adjusting each page to match a searched phrases. We’ve talked about this before in previous AMM articles, and it remains true. Don’t fight the process, remain flexible and adapt to how SEO and consumer behaviors modify.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH VIDEOS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT TO MAKE?

That is a million dollar question. Maybe more, depending on who is making your videos. Branding videos matters, capturing your target market’s attention matters, absolutely, but, at the end of the day, how many videos do you really need? Start by checking your industry and see what’s trending. It’s a good foundation to learn how many videos are consumers watching. Pay attention to reviews and see if there are videos related to the discussion. Next, do market testing. Testing panelists can help ultimately answer “what do you want to know about this product/service?” Once reviews start appearing, videos can be created or modified to be solution-providers and maximize SEO.

THE TAKEAWAY

By creating their own videos, businesses control the message and the connection.
Videos can help manage expectation, trust, and transparency.
Authentic videos instill consumer confidence and grow customer loyalty.
Investing in video marketing can be time well spent.

2021 SPRING REFRESH – MARKETING TIPS TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE “NEW NORMAL”

Tue, 18 May 2021 23:27:44 GMT

Birds are singing, bees are buzzing, and your existing and potential customers are exiting their pandemic cocoons. Customers are looking for help and they are very wary because they’ve hit bumps and confusion during the past year. Stores they thought were open were closed, services they counted on were discontinued, and they’ve been staring at screens for way too long. Some are still scared, some are not, but all are ready to return to a “new normal”. What is the “new normal”? Well, that’s the interesting part, customers are willing to flex a little bit, to adapt as businesses have had to adapt, but ultimately, too much change is scary unless it’s managed well. So, when doing your 2021 Spring Refresh, we’re recommending to business owners and managers that they start customers on an informed, well-planned path.

What does that look like? First, it means providing correct information, and providing it as straight-forward as possible. If a service is new, say “new”. If it’s pre-existing but altered, say “updated”. Our post-pandemic brains are exhausted and stressed, and being spoon-fed information is critical to us having a comfortable relationship with it. When something is updated, think about a 1-2-3 infographic to help both your staff and customers understand the new path to success. Publish the infographic on your website, your social media, even as posters and/or pamphlets in your store. If the current way of doing something is temporary, invest in temporary measures that still speak to your brand. Restaurants are still giving disposable menus or have QR code menus that are stylized with their logo, font, and pictures to give the same feel as the pre-pandemic experience but with the facts of what’s available today.

Our team has been very busy helping many companies convert to new responsive websites. Owners, managers and marketers are looking for easier ways to correct their websites. Gone are the days of finicky sites that aren’t responsive. Changes need to happen quickly as businesses are rapidly responding to supply chain issues, staff capacities, and deeper issues, like social justice. Having both the ability and access to change items quickly saves time and money.

A Spring Refresh is the Time to Deep Clean

We’ve been hearing a variety of stories from consumers and owners about outdated or incorrect information and that is leading to frustration, anger, bad reviews, lost sales, and lost relationships. Simple things, like a change in store hours or services, need to be communicated, and this is when you need to rely on every platform you have. Dust off those e-mail lists, sweep through your online listings, and wipe out any old info. Take a hard look at your physical and digital communications, such as hours listed on your front door, billboards and signage, services on your business cards, outgoing messages on your phone systems, and signature lines on your emails and newsletters. It’s too easy to miss a spot so have a couple pairs of eyes and ears help you scour and organize.

And we can never stress this enough, review your online presence from both a computer and mobile device. What may appear fantastic on one device may be absent or appear broken on another. Oh, and through various browsers, too. What looks perfect on one may look terrible on another.

REACH with your Refresh

What’s some of the easiest ways to find new customers? Marketing, of course. You want a good mix of passive marketing (such as your website that is working hard for you 24/7) and active marketing (such as paid advertising). But what if you’ve done those things and you’re still not seeing a huge uptick? It’s time to deep dive into your data and see what does your audience look like. Does it align with how you’ve targeted your audience? If you’re spending money to advertise in AARP, you’d expect to see a portion of your customers to be over 55. But what if your data shows that a good percentage of your customers are 18-25? Or 34-45? What do you have placed to reach those audiences and why haven’t you targeted those audiences before? What is drawing them to you?

We’ve had tough conversations with owners who for their own reasons have had to readjust their business models, and they knew that they wanted their spring refresh to include a more diverse reach. For one customer, a strategic planning session revealed that their competitors were doing an excellent job managing expectations. Changes like creating unboxing videos, adding true-to-life shipping dates, and expanding on to different sales platforms helped to grow their customers’ respect and loyalty.

Expanding reach can mean expanding placement. Some of our clients have become sponsors/advertisers on podcasts and on games, like Candy Crush. Some are diving into cause marketing to find new outlets and alliances. Clients are going with guerrilla marketing, like organizing contactless scavenger hunts throughout a shopping district to increase foot traffic. Landing pages, stickers, sidewalk art, and murals are great attention getters.

Get Emotional

Connecting through emotion is a no-brainer and now is the perfect time to make someone laugh, wipe someone’s tears, or help them focus on sparkle of the “new normal”. We connect through story-telling. We smell babies and pet puppies. We cheer for our favorite sports teams and we bow our heads for fallen soldiers. It’s our human nature and we’ve been on pause for a year. So hit the unpause button and inject some feelings into your campaigns. Who do you support if you support local? Why is a global brand product more reliable now than it was a year ago? Does the world need more dad jokes? You bet your left leg it does, Skippy.

Leave a Lasting Impression

We cannot stress this enough: your front-facing marketing will only help build your business so much, when ultimately, it’s the individual’s experience and the lasting impression that your team/service/product makes on each customer. Do you follow-up a few days later to see if your customer is satisfied with work performed? Are you professionally responding to reviews in a way that encourages repeat business or a chance to resolve and retain their respect, if not their business? Part of your Spring Refresh can be determining what works for you AND your customer, how much can you automate, and who is the right person to deliver the last impression.

We know that your industry or your business may feel like it’s treading water and you may even feel like the water is lapping over your head, but we know that the time and investment that you put into marketing wisely and marketing correctly can make a difference. We’re here for you if you need help.

THE PEARLS OF PODCAST MARKETING

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 23:36:33 GMT

“What’s on your strategic plan?”

“I want to start a podcast.”

“Wow, that’s ambitious, about what?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t thought that far ahead, I just think I should have one.”

If you’re a professional anything, that exchange seems very familiar. The “I want this but I don’t really know why or how any of it works” conversation can either make your brain ignite with fireworks or you can feel your whole body cringe. For us, we love podcasts and podcast marketing so we’re often very excited when someone wants to venture into podcasting. We take the “I don’t know conversation” and dive deep into what the person is trying to accomplish. Sometimes, the person truly does want to start podcasting, a few times they just want to work for a podcast. Often times, what business owners really want to do is discuss how they can utilize podcasting to make their business or brand more successful, and that’s when podcast marketing comes in to play.

Marathon or Sprint?

Why wouldn’t we encourage everyone to have a podcast? Running a truly successful podcast means you’re in a marathon running a media empire, not just a quick sprint where you hit record, upload a file, and walk away. Can you hit record, upload a file, and walk away and be successful? Sure, it’s not impossible. Things can go viral, but that is rare and shouldn’t be relied upon. Not everyone has the time, energy, or frankly the content to host a full show. We have worked with organizations who wanted to create a limited series podcast because that’s how they strategized their content and how they managed their time and budget. Perfectly acceptable approach. Doing a short season meant that they were taking advantage of a new platform and reaching a niche audience at the listeners’ convenience.

Guest, Sponsor or Advertiser

We’ve talked about what running a podcast before, but let’s discuss why someone might be better off as positioning themselves as a podcast guest, a sponsor, or an advertiser. Subject matter experts often feel passionate about their topic and can be a good judge if there is enough content to host an entire season. Other times, there are specific actions, like show notes and chapter markers, that work well for SEO and being a podcast guest can help build name recognition. Guests may ask that show notes and chapter markers contain certain words or phrases if the topics are discussed. PR companies can be instrumental in finding podcast guest spots.

That can be one type of marketing but a more effective way for a brand is signing on as a podcast sponsor. Podcasts can be hyperlocal or global, they can be hyper-focused on a topic or they can be very broad. They often have a consistent tone and banter that keeps audiences coming back. By researching podcasts and their audiences, brands can connect with familiar demographics or branch into new demographics. Sponsorship typically provides a spotlight on the brand and content can be ad-libbed or managed like a commercial spot.

The word advertising in podcasts can be synonymous with sponsorship and other types of podcast advertising. In addition to the actual recording, podcasts oftentimes have podcast art, a website, social media profiles, newsletters, and other outreach efforts. When negotiating advertising, it pays to ask for all opportunities and reach per advertising space.

Podcast Ad Insertion

Inserting ads into a podcast is one way that podcasters are monetizing their efforts. Podcasters allow services to place ads in their episodes, much like a commercial during a television program. Brands can purchase ad space, set targeted demographics, and duration, and the services will auto place the ads for the best fit. With data-collection getting more intimate and intensive, services are getting better every day at pairing brands with their desired audiences.

Much like TV ads, the advertising space is competitive. Popular shows earn more for their advertising space than a new show with a lower number of listeners. Not all shows permit ad insertion. Some may want to align with like-minded advertisers and can manage that through sponsorships and other advertising opportunities.

Want to learn more about how podcasting can fit in your marketing plans?

Reach out to schedule your podcast marketing therapy session now!

PODCAST MARKETING

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 23:46:49 GMT

PODCASTS ARE IN DEMAND

There are millions of podcast listeners around the world, and that number is growing every single day. All ages, races, income-brackets, education levels… nearly every demographic can find a subject or niche that interests them and keeps them downloading.

Podcasts are a way for individuals and organizations to deliver content as an easy-to-consume experience. It can be a fresh way to reach your intended audience and gain new followers.

PODCASTS SHOULD NOT STAND ALONE

Marketing a podcast is encompassing and downloads increase when podcasts are part of a larger, more engaging experience. Much like a radio or tv show, a book launch, or a webinar, a podcast should be strategically planned to get the most out of your marketing efforts.

SHOULD I START OR GROW MY PODCAST?

Is podcasting a good idea for you? How do you reach your target audience? What’s the right time and place to promote your episodes? Can you partner and cross-promote to reach your goals? There are a lot of questions, and the answers can be quite technical.

The first step is to listen to a podcast. Ask a few friends which podcasts they listen to. Search for a favorite personality and see if they pop-up as a podcast hot or guest and give an episode a listen. You’ll probably get hooked pretty quickly and your mind will race with possibilities.

Already know you want to podcast or have an existing podcast and want to improve your reach? Let’s get started. A Media Marketing can help strategically plan your podcast marketing. Our team can train you to complete the plan or we can augment your team to manage your efforts.

Contact Leslie Laney today for more details.