this way...the dirextion blog
Email Marketing Is a Two-Way Street
September 2nd, 2010
by: Delaina Franklin
Promotional emails are generally short-term in nature (unless part of a sequenced campaign). If the recipient doesn't respond more or less immediately to the offer, then the value offered to the consumer is lost. You must capture the attention of the viewer immediately and make an offer for your products or services that the viewer cannot resist.
August 26th, 2010
by: Delaina Franklin
We live in a world where social marketing has become the norm. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube provide social platforms in which anyone can join, participate and be heard. Facebook had more than 500 million active users as of July 2010. Twitter had more than 100 million users worldwide.
Precision Targeting Is a Primary Benefit of Email Marketing
August 26th, 2010
by: Delaina Franklin
Email Marketing allows you to target a specific niche or a mass market. Emails can target gender, ethnicity, age, occupation, income, political party and much more. You can target a specific ZIP code or a particular interest. Email is the most powerful direct marketing tool.
Facebook Steps into the Real World
August 25th, 2010
by: Matt Scalici
Facebook made one of its biggest announcements of recent years last week with the release of a new product it's calling Places, a feature that allows Facebook users with GPS-enabled mobile devices (meaning, for now, smartphones) to let their Facebook friends know precisely where they are on a map at any time of their choosing. If this idea sounds familiar to you, that's because it's hardly original. Sites like Foursquare have been using this technology for years now, but the decision by Facebook to create a similar application for its users means that all the unique and interesting social applications based on geolocation that sites like Foursquare have built themselves on will now be available right alongside all the most widely used social applications in the world on Facebook.
August 23rd, 2010
by: Mark Griggs
I am consistently amazed at the number of companies and individuals who represent themselves as digital experts but who fail to exhibit the basics themselves. The social media expert who lacks the ability to provide custom tabs or advise clients on communication strategies. The web development company who has a website built entirely in Flash. Email that has no preview. It boggles the mind.
Now if I sound frustrated, I am. It is our sincere desire to teach companies the processes that work to increase their business. I talk to so many clients who have become disenchanted with digital media due to a bad experience with a company that sold them a bill of goods. If you build it, they will not come. It takes building a complete digital marketing presence, which delivers interested prospects into your website. We called it “The Package”. If you don’t have a complete package of digital products you will not be successful with digital media.
It’s a simple idea that has been around since man began to hunt game. To build the perfect trap to catch game, you must make the entrance wide and inviting. Then you gradually decrease the path to lead the game to the capture point. Your digital process is no different. You invite the prospect in with interesting posts and information on your social media platform or website. Capture the prospect’s email address by offering more concise information or value in an easy-to-read newsletter that delivers clients directly to your point of sale. Search engine optimization and pay-per-click programs offering promotions deliver clients directly to a landing page on your site, pushing the prospect to the point of sale.
If your web company or self-appointed digital expert is not providing the basics for themselves, then how will they provide the services for you? Make sure you check out any company or individual to make sure what they are selling you is good digital strategy they are using in their own business. There are simple tools available to help you check out your provider on your own. For instance, www.woorank.com is a great way to get a handle on the SEO level for any website. Does your social media expert have a Facebook fan page with a custom tab? Do they use Facebook advertising themselves? If they send you an email, does it show up in the preview tab?
We still live in a “caveat emptor” world, and any business owner needs to take the time to educate himself or herself on the basics. You need a digital presence to be successful in today’s business world. Be sure your provider has the basics covered.
"Coming Soon" Pages Can Be More Than Just a Placeholder
August 5th, 2010
by: Alan Marchman
Have you ever come across the website address for a product or service you are interested in, only to be disappointed to find a simple, one-page site containing only their logo and the words "Coming Soon"? Unfortunately, it's a typical practice in the world of web design. Often, when a developer is hired to create a website for a product or service, they'll go ahead and set up hosting, purchase domains, and rush a "placeholer page" to the web with the most basic of information (company logo, phone number) to give their client the feeling that the ball is rolling and immediate progress on their website is being accomplished. There's nothing wrong with this practice, especially if money is spent on a web hosting package up front. In that case, perhaps something informative needs to be posted so monthly hosting fees aren't being squandered on unused space.
New Study: Facebook More Ubiquitous Than Ever
August 4th, 2010
by: Matt Scalici
The numbers may be changing, but the headline is always the same: "Facebook Dominates U.S. Web Usage." That's what the latest study by Nielsen reveals, showing us that, at an ever-increasing rate, Americans spend their browsing time on social networking sites — none more so than Facebook.
Small Geo-target Won’t Work for Display Campaign on Major Websites
July 29th, 2010
by: Chuck Evans
Occasionally we will get a request from a client who wants to run an online display campaign on a big-time website, geo-targeted only to one small or midsize DMA (Designated Market Area) or perhaps to a handful of ZIP codes. Well, 9.5 times out of 10, that’s not going to be doable.
Email Marketing Builds Client Relationships
July 28th, 2010
by: Delaina Franklin
Nobody feels special when they receive a mass email. People want to receive emails that are customized to them personally. Personalization can help you speak directly to your consumer and achieve the goal of one-to-one marketing. You cannot make your email messages a hard sell. The first message must inform the consumer and grab his or her interest, not close the sale.
Every email that is broadcast generates a heap of actionable data that you can use to refine your approach and message. Emails allow you to communicate specials and events to your consumer at any time. Highlighting those special events, using surveys or sending newsletters helps customers feel more connected to an organization.
Send newsletters and email updates on a regular basis. If a person signs up for your email, then that person wants to “be in the know” about what is going on with your company. In order to build a strong relationship with customers, there must be constant contact.
A Successful Online Display Campaign Requires Substantial Budget
July 20th, 2010
by: Chuck Evans
We’ve all heard the cliché “You have to spend money to make money.” Well, that is never truer than in advertising, especially when your goal is the long-term branding of your company or product. And brand awareness is what online display (a.k.a. banner advertising) does best.
Internet Explorer Is the Frenemy of Web Developers
July 15th, 2010
by: Alan Marchman
Ask any web developer what the bane of his existence is, and the answer will most probably be "Internet Explorer." While Internet Explorer holds the largest user base among Internet users (currently just over 60 percent), it also holds the distinction within the web-development community of being the furthest behind in compatability with web standards and emerging technologies. Web technologies currently undergoing development, such as HTML5, CSS3 and the WebM video format, are promising rich web-content experiences that will be friendly with all Internet-capable platforms. This goes past the common desktop browsing we have done for years and is branching to the growing availability of smartphones and tablet devices. The ability to access our web content from anywhere, and on any platform, demands a set of standards be adhered to so the same experience can be provided on the ever-expanding platforms that we as users have to choose from.
Facebook Should Be Primary Component of Your Advertising Strategy
July 13th, 2010
by: Matt Scalici
Since its inception, Facebook has always had a stronger pull with female users than male users. The generally accepted theory is that women, who are more typically social by nature, simply find Facebook to be a better tool to help them do what they were already doing anyway: keeping up with their friends.
March 23rd, 2010
by: Mark Griggs
The number of clients who come to us that have been conned into spending unnecessary dollars online consistently amazes us. Unfortunately, shysters and conmen abound in the online space. I am not just talking about “Nigerians” who want to “borrow” your bank account to stash millions; I am referring to the everyday cons that most people miss. Here are five common cons that we see every day.
January 25th, 2010
by: Mark Griggs
There's a brand new channel available! No, it's not another of the 500 channels available on your television. It's not another directory of home videos like YouTube. This channel is your channel.
January 23rd, 2010
by: Matt Scalici
We are often asked by our clients whether choosing keywords for their websites should be as simple as researching their top competitors and matching their keyword lists. There’s certainly nothing private or protected about a keyword list. Anyone with a basic knowledge of HTML can view a website’s keyword tags simply by viewing the source code and looking for the tag. Copying a competitor’s keyword list is both simple and legal, but will it really help improve your site’s search engine listing?