Know What You Are Doing

There used to be an adage that said, “Let’s just throw it out there and see what sticks.” Unfortunately, many still use this idea for their advertising campaigns. As with all marketing and advertising, you need to have a plan or some goals that you want to achieve. Even with programs like Google Ads, you must have specific keywords to guide you to your target, or better yet, your target to you. Yes, there once was a time when you could simply put a For Sale sign on something to sell it. Long gone are those days. Now you need to be more efficient in the process, by reaching out to those people that are looking for that specific item, grabbing their attention, and convince them that your item is the ideal item for them.

When I was a high school math teacher, students would often ask, “Why do I need to show my work?” My answer was simply, “So I can see that you know what you are doing, and I can see where your mistake was if you got a wrong answer.” Just guessing at things will not get you where you want to go. It will get you somewhere, but most likely not where you want to be. The same would hold true for advertising. You can blindly advertise without a plan, a goal or specifics of what you want to achieve, but most likely you are not going to get where you want to be.

You have to know what you are doing. Why do you want to use Display Network over Search Network? Should a good CTR be important to you? Do I want more clicks or more impressions? What is my Max CPC? Just like you need to set up an outline for an essay or determine what formulas to use in solving a problem, you need to plan your advertising with a budget, keywords, target radius, etc.

Good Marketing can be a very effective tool. It has evolved into a tremendous business asset that almost every business must have in order to be successful and efficient.

Have a plan, work your plan, be efficient and know what you are doing!

As always you can learn more about me at http://www.jcroal.com

Digital Marketing…Are We Progressing?

It seems to me that many people are falling into a digital marketing rut. We have put countless hours and dollars into improving websites, email campaigns, managing social media, publishing blogs, and digital ads. Our focus has been to multiply or increase visits to these sites or ads. Yes we may have done really well by trying to maximize our exposure, but has that really helped us?

To me, it cannot just stop there. Now that we have increased the exposure, we need to have engagement. We need to now qualify these new leads. We need to have lead conversion. In the old days we had cold calling for lead generation. We have increased those leads with these digital formats, but now we need to FOLLOW THROUGH!

It is no longer effective to be using a single marketing tool. We must look at a multi-faceted approach. Not just SEO, but CRM as well. If someone looks at your ad, contact them and see why they didn’t buy, what were they looking for?, what can you do to help them get what they want? I think now more than ever we need to be looking at omni-channel marketing. We need to intrigue our market people:

  • We need to give them quick and easy access
  • We need to follow through with engagement
  • We need to adapt and customize to fill the needs of our people

So if you think you’re maximizing your digital marketing focus of increasing visits and exposure to your ads…you’re not! You’re beginning to rest on your laurels. Wake up! Look alive! Move to a multi-faceted digital marketing approach, think omni-channel, and to quote Jean Luc Picard, “ENGAGE!”

A/B Testing – Is It Necessary?

Back in your Statistics class, you probably wondered when you were ever going to use A/B Testing. You probably had the idea that you would be using Algebra more. In digital marketing, you have most likely found, that A/B Testing makes you a better marketer and makes you more efficient.

A/B Testing in very simple terms is a statistical test that compares two versions of something to find out which is better, more appealing, or more effective. As I mentioned before the benefits are really tremendous when you look at the simplicity of the process, It is going to increase the engagement between you and your potential buyers. It is going to enhance your campaign effectiveness, whether it be a website or an email campaign. Overall, I believe, it is going to make you a better marketer.

Let’s go over the process for running a good and effective A/B Test:

  1. Choose an element to test
  2. Ask a question / Write a hypothesis
  3. Decide on a sample group
  4. Define your goal or what success would look like
  5. Set up your test
  6. Analyze your test results (Use a statistical significance calculator)
  7. Determine the winner of your test
  8. Implement the new control

You can easily find a free statistical significance calculator on the internet to help you with your analysis and ultimately finding your winner.

Yes, A/B Testing is necessary and has many benefits for your company and for you. It may seem too basic, or you may feel you have the nuance to figure out which one is better just by your own eyes. Trust me, you can’t. You’re not the buyer, you’re the marketer. So, use this easy tool and be the best marketer you can be!

Again, you can learn more about me at http://www.jcroal.com

Say What?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The problem with that is, it may not be the thousand words you want to say. Content writing is so important because it has to be exactly what you want to say.  People can just write blah blah blah and that is exactly what it is … blah blah blah. The key to great content writing is that it has to be effective. The words need to be energetic, eye-catching, inspiring, and draw the reader in. Otherwise, it is blah and does no good for anyone. For content writing, you have to know your audience or your readers. What is going to grab their attention? What is going to draw them to your product or service? What are the trigger words for your readers?

Yes, you are going to have trigger words that transcend most industries, but as a content writer for most companies, you have to know what those key words or phrases are that are going to impact your readers.

Make your writing exciting. You need to know how to write and know the different styles of writing. Creativity in writing is another key to successful content writing. I make no claim at being a great writer. There might even be a grammatical error in my blog here. I am a numbers man myself, but I know good writing and what is going to work to draw people’s attention and peak their interest.

So, here are the keys to great content writing:

  1. Be Effective
  2. Know Your Readers
  3. Be Creative and Exciting

As always, you can learn more about me on my website: www.jcroal.com

Don’t Let Them Slip Away

As with all things we don’t want to rest on our laurels. We have to keep and give attention to our new customers as well as our old. For the most part, I think we are good at making that occasional contact with our older customers. Checking in now and then to make sure they are fine and in good working order. However, I think we tend to lose contact with our new customers too soon. We have worked so hard to make those connections with the influencers and our new champions to make the deal, that once we have achieved the deal, we celebrate and assume victory status.

I believe it is at this moment where we need to keep their attention. We need to work on creating loyal customers. Yes, we can have good customers, but even better to have loyal customers. Now, you may ask, how do we create loyal customers? To me, there are 3 things we want to focus on in creating loyalty:

  1. Keep the customers excited
  2. Don’t forget the users
  3. Show them their results

By keeping those customers excited, we are creating that continued connection, teasing them along the way as to what is coming next. In a way this makes things a little easier for you the marketer, since the customer is excited, they are the ones that are really keeping in touch with you to see what is next or what is yet to come.

In not forgetting the users, this is your chance to send a simple sign or show of appreciation to those influencers and champions that helped you get that deal done. They are the ones that are going to continue to help you keep the deal and even move to expand and create newer, bigger deals.

By showing them their results, you are following through after the deal has been made. Show them the benefits or rewards that have occurred as a direct result of the deal. Help them to make and see that connection and assure them it is only going to get better from here.

Good customers are great, but we need to really work on creating “LOYAL” customers. They are the ones that are going to make you successful. We need to engage them and always have them by our side. Let them know you are always with them, and don’t ever let them slip away.

The BLT, is it a fave?

Remember when the BLT was the standard for a sandwich? Over the years people’s tastes have certainly changed to accept or deny the new fads. We’ve gone through Clubs and Reubens, Po’ Boys and French Dips, and even PB&Js. Back in the 80’s “niche” was the buzz word for that new area that people were trying to find, promote, exploit, to gain the upper edge on where the trend was going. Marketers trampled all over each other to find the next best thing in their industries. To boldly go where no one had gone before. It was the perfect focus for the product or service. It was going to be “our” unique thing. It was going to define us, define our product, define our service, define our company. Our “niche” was going to set us apart.

Niche marketing has certainly helped us to find our focus, to find our strategies. It has allowed for the consumer to voice their needs and companies to answer the call. Is the fine tuning of our products and services really answering the call? The amazing thing about our world, is that of technology. Just as you think you have found that perfect niche, technology has created a whole new phase or aspect to that very niche. Your focus has just split into 3 or 4 new parts. Do you stop and settle here or do you drill in farther?

I think this is where the disadvantages come into play. With our specialized focus, we have stymied our growth and while we are answering that call for consumer’s needs, not everyone needs it, so we have reduced our market.

Obviously, there is a balance to be found. This forces us to strategize, set goals, and plan. We have to know what we are doing and we have to know what we want to do. We can no longer try something and hope for the best. Find your target!

Pardon the pun, but I don’t think our BLT cuts the mustard anymore. With all the advances, changes and pursuits of the perfect niche, I think our sandwich has changed to a BKA; Bacon, Kale, and Avocado.

Learn more about me at http://www.jcroal.com

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

My name is James Croal and I am starting this blog to talk about Digital Marketing and what it is all about. Welcome and enjoy! Digital Marketing is developing and changing so quickly. In fact, marketing itself has changed so much in the last 15 years. It is evolving and growing all around us. I am truly glad that you have joined me as we delve into this growing industry and discover the many facets of this constantly changing way to promote brands and ideas through so many channels. To learn more about me and my background, visit my site www.jcroal.com.