It’s hotter than a fire cracker lit at both ends — it’s your digital download.
Who will come out the streaming champion and what does this battle look like for marketers?
The over-the-top (OTT) landscape is changing quickly as the streaming industry goes through a drastic shift. Although Netflix has been the unrivaled streaming champion for many years, with the anticipated launches of Disney+, Apple TV+ and more, the new champion will be determined by their ability to best understand the three key things about OTT. MarketingTech emphasizes the need to focus on understanding how mobile is changing the way viewers watch television, broadcasters’ desire to reap the benefits of their content, and rich insights on consumers making OTT services a fertile ground for marketing.
>> Read more about the key to OTT services here
Facebook adds Instagram scheduling to Creator Studio
Instagram scheduling has never been easy for social managers, but Facebook’s new addition to Creator Studio may be the cure to the ongoing headache. This new option allows users to see exactly what their posts will look like, similar to posting on a Facebook page natively. Social managers will choose whether they want to post to their Instagram feed or IGTV, however scheduled story posts are not yet available. Although the new addition will certainly reduce frustrations of social managers, it is too early to know whether or not scheduled posts will impact post engagement.
>> Learn how to schedule Instagram posts here
What makes a high-performing story (according to Instagram)
Instagram stories are on the rise, creating an opportunity for any brand looking to connect with a social audience. With over 500 million active daily users, brands are always looking to make their Instagram stories as engaging as possible. A recent Facebook webinar reported 58% of story viewers become more interested in a brand after seeing them featured in a story, and shared the key elements to consider before posting your next story. Though many elements may seem obvious such as quality creative, Facebook provides more key insights such as the impact of sound and the importance of a mixture of static and motion.
>> Discover ways to make your stories more engaging here
AT&T rolls out a plan for Free Spotify Premium
As a direct response to Verizon’s new offer of free Apple music for its customers, AT&T rolled out a promotion of its own. Free Spotify Premium. That’s right, AT&T is offering free premium subscriptions to both new and existing customers. Customers with the unlimited and more plan will qualify for a full premium subscription, while other plans may qualify for six months of Spotify Premium. Better yet, if Spotify isn’t your thing, AT&T offers many other subscriptions to customers on an unlimited plan including HBO Go, Pandora, Showtime and more. With increased audience sizes to these streaming services, we’re left wondering if advertisement rates will fluctuate in the in-term.
>> Read more about how to get free Spotify Premium and other offers here
It’s hot off the presses — it’s your digital marketing news update. Let’s dive in.
AT&T is the first to block spam calls by default
An ever-increasing influx of robocalls has pushed both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and phone carriers to prioritize killing spam calls. AT&T recently announced that it will now offer free and automatic fraud blocking and spam warnings to customers in order to reduce the number of robocalls customers are receiving. This new service is expected to roll out over the next few months and will be enabled by default. AT&T is also working to make sure helpful robocalls such as appointment reminders will not be missed, while still permanently blocking harmful — and downright annoying — spam. Once executed, this will make AT&T the first carrier to offer default spam call blocking, unlike any of their competitors.
>> Read more about the initiative.
Instagram says enough is enough
Instagram is putting its foot down on bullying. Cyberbullying has become a prominent issue among young, impressionable users of the app. According to a survey conducted in 2017, Instagram is regarded as “the worst social media network for mental health and well-being.” But help is on the way in the form Instagram’s new anti-bullying tools including the addition of a new, automated warning. This warning will prompt users to review their own potentially offensive comments before they are posted. In addition, users may also use “restricted mode” to lessen the impact of offensive users. Although there may be some flaws in the current plans, Instagram is definitely taking steps in the right direction in order to limit offensive material and promote an inclusive platform.
>> Learn more about how Instagram is fighting back.
Recent Pinterest updates encourage more video content
Not only has Pinterest recently gone public, but it also has incorporated features that make it easier to post videos and drive engagement. Since rolling out the changes, Pinterest says it has observed a lot of positive feedback including a 31% increase in searches for inspirational videos. Videos posted on Pinterest have also been proven to have a longer shelf life through resurfacing, allowing creators and brands to see more engagement. These statistics can be accredited to a new-and-improved video uploader, a video tab on business profiles, new analytics tools and the ability to schedule videos.
>> Check out the app’s new infrastructure.
Amazon may become your new internet provider
Amazon is getting ready to launch thousands of satellites into space in order to provide broadband internet service to the United States — is there anything Amazon can’t do? The goal of the 3,236 total satellites is to provide almost the entire United States (excluding Alaska) with broadband coverage. This would help to provide low-latency, high-speed connectivity to unserved and under-served communities around the country, serving tens of millions of people who lack basic internet access. These satellites may also be used by phone companies in order to provide better cell coverage in rural areas. Although there is no set timeline yet, once authorized, Amazon must launch at least half of the satellites within six years.
>> Get on board with Project Kuiper.
Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay caught up until the next Digital Download!
We asked our in-house experts at Lessing-Flynn to part with a few marketing tips — consider it a free (mini) crash course in marketing strategy. You’re welcome.
Start with identifying your audience.
As much as we want every single person that happens upon our ad campaign to fall in love with it, that’s just not realistic. Identify a target audience to start with and, you may notice emerging audiences that you can cater to in the future. So how do we do that? First, look at your current customer base and ask yourself why they buy or use your services then look for common characteristics (age, location, gender, personal values, lifestyles etc.) and interests and cater your messages to those individuals.
“A lot of marketers like to create ‘personas’ for their target audiences and that’s great, just don’t use them for every tactic — they are best suited for individual campaign goals. I’d suggest starting with outlining a few of these general characteristics and speaking to your audience based on those findings.” — Rachel Wallace, Content Marketing Specialist
Take inspiration from anywhere.
Thomas Edison didn’t invent the light bulb. Seriously — hundreds of other prototypes were available at the time, his was just the best. And sorry Apple fans, but Steve Jobs didn’t invent the mp3 player, tablet or smartphone. These were all things. But again, Apple simply built the best versions of these products — making them iconic and 100% Apple in doing so.
“Don’t obsess over coming up with truly original ideas. Such things hardly exist these days. It’s okay to be inspired by the ideas of others. Like the font treatment you saw on a billboard or a certain video style that pops up on YouTube. Just don’t copy it. Make it 100% your own.” — Chris Hanson, Creative Director
Less is more when it comes to design and copy.
Both of these tricks stress the importance of simplicity. Sometimes we can overwhelm ourselves and try to force something that is too elaborate but doesn’t best suit the piece we’re working on. It’s good to take a step back and ask yourself if your key message is still the shining star. Consider your goals and the results you want to achieve. Don’t get distracted by a flashy new marketing trend that isn’t going to benefit your business.
>>> Read “3 Steps to Using Better Graphic Designs in Social Media” by Graphic Designer Kara Hoegh.
Identify short-term objectives for a long-term strategy.
From the client to the account team to the video team, everyone is operating on a time frame, and some are more grueling than others. That’s why it’s best to hash out short-term objectives that are part of a long-term plan. Not only can these appear more manageable to accomplish, but accomplishing short-term objectives can act as extrinsic motivation that will help fuel endurance to see the plan until the end.
“Let’s say we want to hit a certain number of new followers on a client social channel by the end of the year — that number may sound daunting at first but when you divide it up into a quarterly time frame and then create targeted campaigns and promotions it will be easier to achieve and work towards.” — Emily Nichols, Account Director
Stand out by being traditional.
We are in the digital age, and more and more businesses are making an impact using the internet as a marketing tool. That means overcrowding and burnout are not far behind. Stand out from the crowd by rolling out a physical magazine instead of an email blast, or run a unique print campaign in a popular magazine that shares part of your target audience as opposed to bothersome YouTube ads and pop-ups.
>>> Read “How to Make Print Ads Powerful on a Tight Budget” by Media Strategist Shannon Hughes.
BUT, don’t underestimate digital marketing.
Whether you find a certain comfort in traditional marketing techniques or you’re still in denial about the power of the internet, you need to recognize that the popularity of digital marketing is not unwarranted. Advertisers have the capability to place a link right to their product or service within the ad itself, boosting immediate engagement rate, an advantage over traditional marketing. That’s why research is such an important part of the process. Again, what is going to work best for you?
>>> Read “Making the Move to Digital Advertising” also by Shannon… she’s super insightful.
Collaboration makes everything better.
Whether you have too much on your plate or have reached a creative fork in the road, having team members to delegate to or bounce ideas off of is incredibly useful, even if your inner introvert protests. Don’t forget: Teamwork makes the dream work!
“Sometimes you’re your own worst enemy when it comes to creativity. Group brainstorms bring diverse thoughts and ‘idea nuggets’ to the table — one person might say something weird and it will send us all down a rabbit hole that eventually spawns a huge campaign.” — April Pearson, Senior Copywriter
Summer is in full swing and there’s no shortage of new digital marketing intel, let’s get right into it with our latest installment of Digital Download.
Emma app officially launches in the U.S.
Emma, the U.K. money management app has officially launched in the U.S. and Canada. The launch follows Emma’s partnering with Plaid, U.S. fintech that specializes in bank account aggregation. The Emma app connects to your bank accounts in order to help you budget, track spending and save money.
As your “best financial friend,” it is said to help you to understand how much money you have left to spend until your next payday, how much you are paying for subscriptions, and how to avoid overdrafting. After Emma’s U.K. launch in 2018, there were over 100,000 downloads in the first year without any marketing budget — impressive!
Read more on this new money management app.
2019 trends from the eyes of Mary Meeker
Did you know for the first time, more than half of the world’s population is online? That equals 3.8 billion internet users across the globe. Former Wall Street securities analyst and current Bond Capital general partner Mary Meeker, recently shared the latest internet trends report at Recode’s Code Conference. Meeker presented a 333-slide presentation that covered tectonic shifts impacting the digital advertising world like using artificial intelligence to leverage better user experiences and YouTube’s machine learning-powered editing software. Meeker also highlighted new trends in video games such as Fortnight.
Check out more observations from Mary Meeker’s report.
World’s no. 1 CRM platform purchases the no. 1 analytics platform
The deal is done. Salesforce, the world’s no. 1 customer relationship management (CRM) platform, is buying Tableau, a data visualization company, in an all-stock deal. Salesforce lost out on the opportunity to purchase LinkedIn in 2016 to Microsoft, but the purchase of Tableau may now help them bulk up against the internet giant. Marc Benioff, chairman and co-CEO of Salesforce stated: “Tableau helps people see and understand data, and Salesforce helps people engage and understand customers. It’s truly the best of both worlds for our customers — bringing together two critical platforms that every customer needs to understand their world.”
Tableau’s customer base includes a slew of large company names such as Verizon, Netflix and Charles Schwab, just to name a few.
Dive deeper into this $15.7 billion deal.
Amazon says goodbye to their restaurant delivery service
Amazon has announced its decision to shut down its Amazon Restaurant service. You may be thinking, “Amazon had a food delivery service?” Yes, and that widespread lack of awareness seems to be a reason it didn’t last long. The service launched in Seattle in 2015 and expanded across more than 20 U.S. cities and London. It allowed Prime members to have meals delivered to their door by using the Amazon Restaurants website or the Prime Now shopping app.
Although Amazon Restaurants invested serious time and money in the service, competition was just too fierce in the food delivery market. Companies such as Uber, GrubHub and DoorDash have experienced huge growth in users in recent years, and when combined, hold more than 75% of the market share. Whether or not Amazon plans to regroup and try again in the future remains a mystery.
Read more about Amazon’s plans.
Digital marketing news is the best kind of news — there’s drama, there’s pizazz and if you’re lucky there’s an innuendo or two to give you a laugh. Every month the Lessing-Flynn digital team meets to decide which current events you need to know about — see which stories made our shortlist…
2019 Google Event of the Year
Google Marketing Live is an event every digital marketer looks forward to each year. It’s a time to get the 411 on all the flashy updates that Google is planning to implement. The 2019 event took place in San Francisco, May 14-15 and it’s safe to say it did not disappoint with more than 10 different product and feature releases. This live broadcasting event brings about new ideas and concepts to digital marketers to help them gain better insight into their consumers. It’s also a great opportunity to see Google’s latest and greatest inventions and the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind each one. To really help digital marketers reach their targeted audience, Google released six new ad formats including SEM gallery ads, expanded local ad functionality and updated shopping ads just to name a few.
>> Read more about the Google releases.
Google’s Next Big Thing – Podcast Indexing
Surprise! Google is on to its next big thing. We not only live in a world where we need to optimize for voice search for search engine result pages, but podcast episodes too. And no, we don’t mean they are going to be indexing the title of the podcast. Google announced that they will be indexing the actual content of podcasts to help listeners find relevant content that peaks their interest. Podcasts continue to become more popular — if they are part of your marketing plan, make sure your SEO specialist is up to speed on this tactic because it can bring higher traffic and better content visibility.
>> Find out more on podcast optimizations.
Apple Plans To Make Ads More Private, But Give Advertisers Data, Attribution
As the world becomes increasingly digital, user privacy will remain a highly discussed topic in the world of advertising. Today, users are becoming more savvy and thus highly conscious of the information they put online. Apple just recently announced they will be the “middleman” in terms of satisfying advertisers and consumers alike with the Privacy Preserving Ad Click Attribution (yes, it’s a mouthful). In short, this approach will still allow advertisers to measure the effectiveness of online ad placements, but will do so while the consumer remains more anonymous. Currently, technology allows for cross-site tracking of users, where companies can create a robust “persona” of the consumer they’re tracking. With this new approach, the user will go unidentified, which will give privacy back to the consumer, while still allowing advertisers to monitor click attribution.
>>> Read more from Media Post and Tech Crunch.
INSTAGRAM’S IGTV FINALLY GETS HORIZONTAL VIDEO, AND ADVERTISERS SEE THE POTENTIAL
IGTV, Instagram’s long-form video platform, has set themselves apart by serving solely vertical videos and also, being an ad-free platform. To stay ahead of competitors, Instagram recently announced they will soon be expanding their “vertical only” services, which will allow Instagramers to also upload horizontal videos. Users have since been limited to vertical videos and this change is believed to spark increased content creation. What does this mean for advertisers? IGTV may soon stray away from their ad-free streaming services. While there has been no definite say on if and when these changes are rolling out, it is definitely something to keep an eye out for.
>> Learn more about IGTV from AdAge.
Catch you next month — in the meantime be sure to subscribe to our Lessing-Flynn newsletter below for more digital news, client case studies and more!
We’re back at it again with another installment of Digital Download, providing you insights on all the latest digital marketing news and trends.
5 Digital Marketing Trends for 2019
As the digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving, it’s imperative for marketers to stay up-to-date with the hottest trends and best practices in order to stay competitive and improve their brand. According to Forbes, there are five key trends that marketers need to keep an eye out for this year. These trends can impact the way we market to consumers based on their geographical location and how we reach these individuals across social media platforms.
>> Read the full 2019 digital trends article by Forbes.
6 Things Marketers Should Know About Facebook’s App Interface
On January 25, Facebook announced its plan to fully integrate three platforms: Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. What does this mean to users? People will now have the ability to message and share posts or videos with their friends and family without having to use all three platforms. For consumers, this means more convenience, as they only need access to a single platform. For marketers, this means new ways to integrate marketing campaigns and more ad space. Positively, this new ad space fosters new opportunities for things such as chat and text bot landing pages.
Google Home Devices Now Have ‘Interpreter Mode’ Capabilities
Google Translate is now a feature in all Google Home devices, and it is amazing. It gives people and businesses infinite capabilities for what they can do with their technology. Whether you are trying to order something in a different language or attempting to check-in at a hotel, ‘interpreter mode’ has you covered in 26 different languages. Get your translation started today with a simple: “OK Google…”
>> Marketing Land explains this new feature, all it entails and where it has been tested.
Domino’s Points for Pies
Where do we begin with Domino’s? With so many successful marketing campaigns, it’s hard to believe their newest may have just topped them all. In an effort to increase brand loyalty and gain new users, Domino’s is utilizing artificial intelligence with their app to award 10 pizza points to each individual for every ‘pie’ purchased. After reaching 60 points, a user earns a free medium two topping pizza. Oh, and did we mention that ‘pie’ can be from a competitor or even a frozen, take-home pizza?
>> Read more about the “Points for Pies” campaign.
Equipment Technologies (ET), the parent company of the Apache Sprayer brand, is the largest manufacturer of mechanical drive self-propelled sprayers in North America. Apache Sprayers are thousands of pounds lighter, cost tens of thousands of dollars less and deliver more power to the ground than the competition. That’s what makes Apache the best pound-for-pound sprayer on the planet.
THE SITUATION
In spring 2018, Lessing-Flynn (LF) and ET executed a three-month marketing campaign designed to reward current Apache Sprayer owners and boost mid-year sales. The promotion offered a $5,000 rebate to current owners who upgraded to a qualifying 2018 Apache Sprayer model by the end of July 2018.
LF sought to identify key messages that would resonate with different segments of ET’s customer database rather than sending one single, generic message to all Apache Sprayer owners.
THE SOLUTION
LF segmented current owners from ET’s customer database into four groups based on the model year of the sprayer they currently owned. After the segments were established, strategic and customized marketing messages were created and customized to each group.
These personalized messages used data to send messaging specific to their model type, purchase year and even sprayer updates since their purchase. For example, we identified key upgrades within 2018 Apache Sprayers, like the precision package, that would be enticing to a 2008 Apache Sprayer owner. This customized messaging was used throughout every campaign tactic including: landing pages, direct mailers, text messages and eBlasts.
THE RESULTS
During the $5,000 Loyalty Campaign duration, we were able to provide over 150 marketing leads to the ET sales team through direct mail postcard responses, online form submissions, text message responses and phone call inquiries. This does not include leads from customers who reached out directly to their Apache dealer (which many have established relationships with).
In addition, LF was able to report the campaign strategy to Apache dealers during the annual sales meeting and demonstrate the value of the data that the dealers helped provide. In partnership with Apache dealers, LF and ET will be able to continually update customer data for future campaign implementation.
BONUS HOW-TO
How can you apply this strategy to your marketing campaigns?
1. Utilize data strategically, but keep it updated.
Your agency is a partner that wants you to succeed. Sharing key insights into your customer data helps identify gaps or areas of opportunities that you may not see every day. Data can be a friend, but also a nightmare as it continually changes. Phone numbers become outdated, people move and individuals unsubscribe from your email list if they are no longer interested. Know that customer data is never “complete” and continually needs updating.
2.Speak to customers transparently and directly.
Specially curated messages can be applied to any product (not just sprayers!). This can make the customer journey feel more genuine and personable. It takes a lot of effort up-front to identify, create and execute different types of messages, but can show a big return.
Getting through the workday can be tough. Endless emails, a never-ending to-do list, meetings for days. There’s so much to manage and so little time. So how do you keep it all straight?
While you can’t do much to stop emails from piling up or throw out your to-do list, you can improve your efficiency by turning to productivity tools. There are several tools I use on a daily basis to improve my workflow. Here are a few to help you power up your productivity.
For Staying on Task: Trello
Trello keeps all your tasks in order in a visually appealing format. The browser-based tool lets you create cards and sort them into customizable columns. It’s clean, simple and free. I’ve been using it for a couple years and love it.
Also consider: Zenkit, Wunderlist
For Keeping Email Organized: Polymail
There are so many great options when it comes to email clients. I’ve been using Polymail recently. It offers a clean design with handy features like reading and sending later, making your email experience more flexible.
For Messaging Coworkers: Slack
It’s hard to beat Slack when it comes to office communications. It’s stylish, fun and effective. Features include voice and video chats, document transfers and custom channels. Plus it offers tons of integrations like Google Drive or Dropbox. Not only will it improve communications and cut down on email, it’s also fun to use.
Also consider: Google Hangouts
For Creating Documents: Google Drive
When it comes to creating documents or spreadsheets, the Google Drive suite is an excellent choice. Sure, the Microsoft Office suite has been a powerhouse in this area for years and it does the job well. But where it excels in functionality, it falls short in collaboration and accessibility. For those reasons, Google Drive is the go-to choice for teams.
Also consider: Microsoft Office, Dropbox Paper
For Managing Team Passwords: 1Password & LastPass
This one is a tie. I’ve used 1Password and LastPass to manage an ever-growing list of personal and team passwords. Both are secure, easy to use, have mobile apps, offer team password sharing and have similar price points. It’s difficult to choose one over the other. Regardless, you should consider using a password manager to beef up your account security if you don’t already.
Best of the Rest
Chances are you’re already using Dropbox or have at least heard of it. At its core, it’s a file storage and sharing tool. But did you know it’s also great for collaborating on files, backing up your phone, or syncing your passwords? I even use my Dropbox for backing up my websites in case they go down. Start discovering Dropbox’s full potential.
Edit copy like a pro with the one-two punch of the Grammarly and Hemingway apps. Grammarly will check spelling, sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. The paid version gives you extra features like a plagiarism check and vocabulary booster. Meanwhile, Hemingway focuses on readability by checking for passive voice, adverbs, and sentence difficulty. Using these apps together is like having a professional copy editor right at your fingertips!
Do you ever get frustrated that you can only copy one chunk of text to your computer clipboard at a time? Ever wanted to copy multiple links at the same time without switching back and forth between windows? Flycut makes it easy by letting you copy up to 99 chunks of text at the same time and accessing them with a customizable keystroke. For anyone working with lots of copy, like a content manager or web developer, this is a godsend!
If you’re like me, usually you’re working in several windows on a handful of desktops all at the same time. But having all those windows open can get confusing, not to mention cluttered. Clean it up with the Spectacle app. Spectacle lets you move, resize and organize windows with simple, customizable keyboard shortcuts. The newer MacOS has similar functionality built in, but Spectacle does it better with more features.
The Alfred app is like having a personal assistant for your computer. I liken it to Mac’s built-in tools on steroids. It helps you do all the simple things you do on your computer, but better and more efficiently. Whether you’re looking for a file, checking the spelling of a word, or doing a quick Google search, Alfred can help. It’s free, but you can upgrade to the Powerpack for even more efficiencies like setting up automated workflows.
Stay Up to Date
Surprise! I have one more bonus tip for you. With new tools popping up every week, it can be hard to keep up. The way I stay up to date with the latest tools, apps, gizmos, and gadgets out there is with Product Hunt. It’s a website of categorized lists shining a light on the best new tech creations. Many of the tools listed above I found on Product Hunt first.
So what tools do you use to boost productivity? Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below and share your success!
We did a little research and found that there are close to a gazillion different trade shows, conferences and conventions in the United States every year. These range from consumer shows like Home and Garden shows and Des Moines’ own renowned Bacon Fest to very specialized B2B shows and conferences located in the biggest convention facilities in the biggest cities. From a marketing standpoint, the beauty of a trade show or conference is that it concentrates customers and prospects in one place. With the right strategy, it can be a smart way to touch base with key clients, develop relationships with industry influencers and provide an opportunity to create awareness and collect sales leads.
However, a savvy marketer knows that budgets are limited and you just can’t go to every trade show, right? So you have to be smart about which ones will provide the most value (or which ones are in the most desirable locations). And, when you get there (or, hopefully before) you have to also figure out how to promote yourself among a jungle of competitors all vying for the same attention.
So, here’s a trade show ad hack for you: geofencing. What is geofencing? Imagine if you could draw the outline of the convention space on a map — and advertise via mobile ads to only those people who are in that space during that time. Online ad space on any websites they visit and within apps they use carry your message. Your ads in front of only people at the show (unless, of course, you also want to draw your outline around the official trade show hotel facilities as well). Maybe it’s a show promotion or an offer. Maybe a sneak peek at a new product. Maybe it’s just your way to get your brand in front of this key audience frequently to promote brand recognition. It’s the digital equivalent to having someone stand at the entry door and hand out your information to everyone who walks in (or at least everyone who walks in with a mobile phone). That’s geofencing.
Even better? What if you ran a geofencing campaign at shows and events where you weren’t exhibiting? Maybe it’s a small regional show that is too small to justify attending, but you’d still like to have a brand presence with the audience attending. Boom! Your ad on the phones of anyone attending.
Want to learn more about how you can use digital marketing tools to market to a highly-targeted group like trade show attendees? Drop us a line. We’d be happy to help!
Welcome back for the second part of Home is Where the Code Is! In this two-part blog series, we’re answering the question: What goes into building a great site? We’re using the analogy of building a home from the ground up to help explain what it takes to create a functional and well-designed website, and today we’re ready for move in day. Now that the new website is built and you’re ready to unpack those boxes — this is where the content comes in.
Move in Day: Adding Content
Content like copy, graphics, images, videos, downloads, etc. is what fills your website and makes it yours. Without it, there’s no reason for your website to exist. It’s sort of like throwing a party at your place without dishes or chairs. You may choose to transfer over content from an old website or print materials or you could create completely new content. Often, it’s a combination — updating and transferring existing content while also adding new. Whatever the case, content gives your site purpose and a reason to visit.
Home Maintenance: Upkeep, Repairs and Marketing
Finally, there’s the upkeep. Things are great now, but inevitably you’ll have to do some upkeep and repairs down the road. After all, you don’t want your website to fall into disrepair and become an eyesore — you need to keep things pristine to continue to attract new visitors.
That’s where tools like analytics tracking, search engine optimization, pay per click advertising and content marketing come into play. You want to keep people stopping by and clicking — how else will you meet those digital goals? All the above are great ways to do just that.
Analytics tools, like Google Analytics, will help you track how many people are coming to your site and what they’re doing. It’s sort of like a home security or monitoring system. Data paired with professional analysis ensures your site is threat-free and performing well.
Search engine optimization works like a phonebook listing. If someone wants to find you to stop by, they’re going to need your address. SEO assures people can find your website by helping it to rank well in search engines results and local directories like Yelp.
Pay per click advertising is another way to put your home address out there so to speak. SEO will help get out the message, but a quicker, more targeted approach is advertising. Like buying an ad in a newspaper, PPC advertising puts your website in front of a lot of eyeballs with minimal cost.
Growing Pains: Thinking About the Future
A well-built home can last you for a long time, but eventually you might need to upgrade — it’s the same with your new website. As you experience growing pains or as trends change in the digital world (and they will) it’s always good to consider the future — website redesigns, building out new pages or even new sites are renovations to keep in mind. Just remember Lessing-Flynn’s team of experts are also always here to help. Contact us today with your website “renovation” questions or any of the concepts listed in this series!
As someone who designs and develops websites, I’m often asked: What goes into building a great site? For those who don’t create website code, it can seem mysterious and unapproachable and at times the investment of time and money can seem daunting. To better explain what it takes to create a functional and well-designed website I like to use the analogy of building a home from the ground up. It’s a concept most people have experience with and it parallels building a website pretty well — so let’s break each web component down and build this house together.
Putting Together the Blueprint: Design and User Experience
Before we begin to code, we need a design from which to work. Like a blueprint for a new home, web designers usually begin by plotting out pages on paper or using design software like Photoshop. This gives the website developer something to work from that includes specific measurements.
Many times agencies will take some time at this point to do a bit of user experience research. User experience (UX) design helps to ensure websites work in a way that users enjoy and that meets your goals. Just like you wouldn’t design a house with stairs to nowhere, UX makes sure a website functions in an expected and meaningful way.
Starting Construction: Building with HTML and PHP
Now that the plans are in place, it’s time to start building. When it comes to web developers, that usually means HTML and PHP. These two coding languages provide the basic structure for the website.
HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, serves as a building block for any web page. It determines where content goes and how various elements fit together. Think of it as creating the rooms and boundaries. HTML helps to construct areas for things like the navigation, sidebar or footer.
PHP (which originally stood for Personal Home Page) compliments HTML and works alongside it to make things easier. Using our analogy, PHP acts like prefabricated construction materials. When crews are building a house, they don’t usually construct a door or cabinets from scratch. Instead, they use doors and cabinets that are pre-built to help speed up the process. PHP works similarly by allowing developers to reference pieces of code many times throughout the site.
Interior Design Time: Styling with CSS
The walls are up, so it’s time to get creative and add some style — that’s where CSS comes in. CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, help a design come to life. Without it, your website wouldn’t be much more than a blank white page with text and links. Just as an interior designer makes a house more attractive by adding paint, light fixtures and flooring. CSS makes a website more attractive by adding colors, images, fonts and other styles.
Hooking Up the Utilities: Adding JavaScript for Functionality
If HTML was the structure and CSS was the style, JavaScript is the utilities. It would be pretty inconvenient to live in a house without electric lighting or running water. You could survive, but not without having to make some major adjustments. Like electricity, JavaScript adds functionality to your site to make it more interactive.
If you’ve ever visited a website using animations, photo galleries, pop-ups or other interactive elements, chances are it was using JavaScript. You might take these little touches for granted, but they do a lot for creating a cohesive user experience. You might take turning on a light switch for granted, but think of life without these luxuries!
To Be Continued… Moving In
We hope this house analogy helps you understand the basic building blocks of a website, but Lessing-Flynn’s team of experts are also always here to help with questions on any of the concepts listed in this article. Check back for part two to better understand what happens after your website is built!
Notice any changes to Google Search Results in the past few weeks? We did. While there’s been no formal announcement yet, most marketers have noticed the new format at least a handful of times (it’s likely just being tested), but check out all of the boxes! This is a significant change from the all-white background we have grown accustomed to.
Earlier in 2016, Google announced the removal of ads on the right side of desktop layouts to match the mobile format. A puzzling decision as it would clearly result in a loss of profits. However, when the change was implemented it became clear more changes were on the way to maintain their primary source of revenue: ad clicks.
Google’s dirty little secret is their method of camouflaging ads as organic listings —statistics show searchers “trust” organic listings more than ads. The testing of this new box format falls in line with that assumption. The uniformity of the borders makes all listings appear nearly identical. If you look closely, there is a very tiny (and shrinking by the day!) green box that reads, “Ad” next to the top three listings.
To Google’s credit, the right side organization of Product Listing Ads and Places are visually appealing and will easily transition to the mobile format, so it’s not ALL about the Benjamin’s! But what does this mean for marketers?
Well, if you haven’t already convinced your clients to advertise with Google, the time is now. The amount of ad space is quickly diminishing and it is very difficult to overtake top positions from established ads. To put things in perspective, imagine if your favorite print publication suddenly removed half its pages and told new advertisers they would have to pay double or triple the cost for exposure. You’d surely wish that you were already in the club.
No clue where to start? Contact LF’s team of digital experts here and we will show you some of our search engine advertising successes and help you create a strategy for your brand.