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Archive for BRANDING

Posted by DBC Digital on

January 10, 2019

Traditional Ads vs Digital Ads

We’re pleased to offer a free digital marketing consultation. Call today, (303) 357-5757, or e-mail dbc@dbcdigital.com.

Television advertisements did not kill the radio as first predicted. Radio adapted. And radio still holds a place in today’s modern media. Like radio, death predictions of traditional advertising in a digital age have emerged. Also like radio, traditional advertising is alive and well.

How do you know if you need both traditional advertising and digital advertising? And if you should be utilizing both, what is the right mix of advertising? Let’s take a look.

As a marketing agency, DBC Digital sees the best performance when companies layer both digital and traditional advertising with specific strategies for each. Meaning, it is not necessarily an either/or for traditional advertising and digital advertising, but more about finding the right balance between the two, and then planning your budget accordingly.

Before we get going too much further, let’s define both traditional advertising and digital advertising.

Traditional advertising

When the average person thinks about advertising or marketing, they think about traditional advertising. Such advertising includes conventional avenues for media placement such as a magazine, newspaper, radio, television, direct mail, outdoor billboards, and more. Also, traditional advertising is most often easy to place, and viewer/readership of your ad can sometimes be measured. Traditional advertising also often includes collateral marketing materials, such as business cards or brochures, because these products work to build your company’s brand identity and image.

Digital advertising

Digital advertising is one of the easiest, most cost effective, and fastest ways to reach a broad audience. Sometimes referred to as “internet marketing” or “online advertising,” digital advertising uses internet technologies to promote your business or service. The list of what falls under the digital advertising umbrella is lengthy. Common forms of digital advertising include: banner ads, social media, email marketing, digital classified ads, blogs, news releases, and even search engine optimization (SEO). Also, now that most people can easily access the web from a smartphone — digital advertising is rapidly extending to include mobile users.

When it comes to digital marketing, it is not about purchasing ad space but buying an ad strategy. Your ads get to become a part of someone’s daily life based on their age, interests, etc.

Now, back to the question

So back to the initial question… “Do I need both traditional and digital ads?” The answer is — yes. Yet, you must always keep in mind, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all advertising marketing strategy. As with any marketing plan, you must ask yourself who is your target audience? After you define your target audience, you need to do a market analysis of where they get their information and the best way to reach them.

The battle for attention

For an effective and cohesive marketing strategy, you should be reaching the same market at multiple touch points. The more places a consumer sees your ads, the more likely they are to remember your message. The trouble is messaging is literally everywhere. Companies are all fighting for their prospects attention, and the average person sees up to 10,000 advertising and marketing messages each day.

As more and more businesses turn their focus to digital advertising, they leave more room to play in traditional channels. If you have a strategy in place to utilize traditional advertising, you are more likely to be seen.

Here are a few examples of how you can layer your advertising strategies.

1. Print magazines and digital content

Just as the radio lives on, so does print. Magazines are mostly for specific audiences, thus are perfect for reaching target markets. Consider advertising, sponsored content, or event sponsorships with magazines. In addition to the print advertising, find out how to reach the publication’s digital audience — whether that is through its social media, website, or digital editions. Then devise a plan to promote your business in that digital space, as well.

2. Newspapers and online ads

Remember when we said to define your audience? Maybe your audience still loves the morning ritual of reading the newspaper as they sip on coffee. Hyper-local and community newspaper advertising is still perfect for certain local businesses. For example, if you are a real estate agent, advertising in the local newspaper might be a fit for you if they also offer a local website. Then pair those ads with the publication’s online components such as website banner ads and social media posts.

3. Television and video ads

Television advertising is becoming a lot cheaper as many younger consumers decide to cut the cable cord, so depending on your audience, TV might be a place for you. Then you can compliment your TV ads with videos of different lengths for social media, digital streaming, and inclusion on your website.

4. Radio and streaming ads

Get more exposure for your ads by buying both broadcast and online spots. Think about reaching people during their morning drive when they are looking for traffic reports and local news. A lot of radio stations will produce your ad for free if you have a tight budget. Then think digital. If it is a great spot, buy additional placement on Pandora, Spotify and YouTube. You can also use the advertisement to reach people through popular podcasts.

In conclusion— The perfect mix of advertising

Instead of approaching your ad strategy as having to choose between digital and traditional — look at them as interconnected. If you are running print ads, you should be finding a way to reach a broader audience through some form of digital advertising. With digital advertising, you can strategically go beyond how many people are reached to reaching the right people.

One thing is for certain — your messaging must be clear and memorable in both mediums.

What do you think? Are you layering your traditional and digital advertising?

Please note: Since 2004, we’ve been helping small and medium-sized businesses with all of their marketing needs. We specialize in the real estate, mortgage, financial, and insurance industries. Located in Centennial, Colorado (just south of Denver), we work with clients throughout the U.S.

Categories : BRANDING, Marketing, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, STRATEGY

Tags : business marketing, digital advertising, marketing, social media, traditional advertising

Posted by DBC Digital on

November 30, 2018

The Importance Behind Branding

I think we all agree that “branding” is important, but why is it important? What is it about a brand that “makes” or “breaks” an organization?

We’re talking about more than just PR here, or how well you’re able to market yourself in your marketing materials or website. “Branding” goes beyond what you sell. It gets to the root of who you are, and what you represent as a company to your patrons or clients.

Scott Goodson, a branding expert who was quoted recently in Forbes magazine, zeros in on the main elements of “branding” when he says: “Brands are psychology and science brought together as a ‘promise‘ mark as opposed to a trademark. Products have life cycles. Brands outlive products. Brands convey a uniform quality, credibility and experience. Brands are valuable.”

So, what is branding and why are each of these aspects of branding so important to your company’s growth and success?

1. It’s psychological

Branding is about connotation. How are you perceived in the marketplace? Perceived by your customers, fellow business owners, those you consider “rivals” or competitors, as well as potential prospects?

You can tell the quality of your branding strategy when you ask someone in your market segment about your brand. If they know who you are and describe your brand in a positive way, you have a good strategy. In some cases, however, they’re view of your brand may not be very favorable. Regardless if you agree or disagree with their individual perceptions, knowing how your brand is perceived is the first step and allows you to emphasize certain brand aspects. It also gives you the chance to enhance the way your audience thinks about your brand.

2. It’s science

The value proposition of “branding” is real and the value of building your brand is tied to empirical studies. While perception is important, you also need to know how that perception is affecting your business. Most brands regularly re-evaluate their brand’s characteristics, identity, portfolio, and positioning. It’s not a one-shot deal. Once you identify how you are perceived you’ll have real and actionable data upon which to build.

3. It’s a promise

“It’s just business” has long been a phrase we’ve heard in connection with many of the decisions that companies make, particularly when those decisions are difficult (and based on economic necessity). Business is not supposed to be personal, right?

Wrong! Now, more than ever, clients want to feel that they can trust you. Give your customers a guarantee to make them feel safe in choosing your company. In the end you want them to feel so loyal to your company that they would recommend your products and services to everyone they meet, and feel good about doing it.

Branding is important because it’s about what you represent, how you are perceived in the marketplace, and how you build your image. A positive brand image can build an even larger base of loyal customers.

Not sure where to start? Contact DBC Digital today and we’ll help you build a brand image that shines! 303-357-5757. dbc@dbcdigital.com

Categories : BRANDING

Posted by Greg Sherwood on

April 26, 2016

Crowd Cultures: Branding in the Social Media Age

In the beginning, the dawn of the social media age was heralded as the start of a new era. There was a lot of hype about the ease of creating branded content for marketers and forging direct connections with their customers.

Some companies even invested millions of dollars in this concept, but it hasn’t always paid off. In this age of direct and two-way communication, why is it so difficult for brands to get established on social sites? Maybe a better question is why do some companies, and even some individuals, make it look so easy?

Is Branded Content Actually a New Concept?

Actually, the idea of branded content comes from TV commercials. Older readers might remember the Oscar Mayer ads, “My bologna has a first name….” and Alka-Seltzer ads, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing…”

Those memorable commercials were like mini movies and tended to stick in people’s minds. For younger readers, here’s the video of the Oscar Mayer ad from the 1970s.

It’s not that those ads weren’t great for their times. They were brilliant, but they also faced limited competition. There weren’t many TV channels, and consumers didn’t have access to the almost-unlimited content choices they have today.

Also, there was no way to opt out of these ads. Today’s media has evolved and become more challenging for brands to get noticed.

Understanding the Rise of Crowd Cultures

A good way to understand how some companies can rise above these challenges is to understand the rise of “crowd cultures” on the Internet. According to Harvard Business Review, “Branding in the Age of Social Media,” social media has found a way to bind together diverse cultures that were formerly very isolated.

Marketers that understand how this happened can leverage this for their own benefit.

They call these groups crowd cultures. A more familiar term might be subcultures, but these are subcultures that exist only online. The reason many companies fail to thrive on social media is they don’t understand that crowd cultures can be a significant source of a new audiences.

Examples of Good Branding in the Social Media Age

Think about those YouTube contributors who have gained massive fame by playing video games (see “PewDiePie” with 40 million subscribers) or filming silly pet (or human) tricks. These amateur videos very often attract more views and create higher engagement than professional content from large companies.

That doesn’t mean that brand marketers need to stop creating videos about silly pet tricks or video games, but it does mean that marketers need to learn more about crowd cultures that can support their brand.

Chipotle, before the food scare, is a great example of a brand that connected with existing crowd cultures that were made up of members who were dissatisfied with typical casual and fast food. Chipolte offered fresh and healthy ingredients and the possibility of a vegan burrito. They addressed a problem that was common to the crowd cultures they were targeting. This set a good example for other brands because the number of crowd cultures on the Internet is practically unlimited.

Consider who your audience is (or should be) and what is most valuable to them. More than likely, there is a crowd culture that you can appeal to.

Focus your content and branding to this group in order to gain a foothold with this audience.

Let Us Help You Connect With Your Crowd Cultures

During the past decade, DBC Digital has been helping brands connect with the right targets online. Contact us right away to begin getting the good news about your brand distributed to the right targets.

Categories : BRANDING, Marketing, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Tags : content, crowd cultures, social media

Posted by Greg Sherwood on

November 10, 2015

Marketing Tips for Dentists and Orthodontists

Marketing Tips for our Favorite Teeth Techs

Competition among dentists and orthodontists in Denver is becoming fiercer in many communities. New offices are popping up all the time and every dentist needs a steady flow of new patients in order to replace patients moving out of the area and to be able to grow their practice.

As is the case with most other professionals with stiff competition, it’s often the operation with the best marketing programs that draws the most attention, gets the most leads, and generates the most business.

You worked hard to be able to provide great services. Now put some thought and effort into telling people about yourself and your practice so you can do the most good for the most people.

To help you in your efforts, here are our top marketing tips for our favorite tooth technicians.

Who in the world are you?

The internet knows something about everyone. Take a minute to Google yourself. What did you find? Do you see a link to your dental or orthodontic website? Are you being called the “Butcher of Bicuspids?” Research and look for patient reviews that already exist. And yes, they probably do already exist. What you find out there will greatly affect your strategy going forward.

Develop a plan

Don’t just throw money at the problem. Marketing without a plan will lead you nowhere. Develop a budget and a realistic set of offers and objectives that will set your dental or orthodontic practice apart from your competitors. Then put together a calendar of activities to support these initiatives. You’re good at being a dentist or orthodontist. Consider hiring a marketing agency whose job it is to help you market your business.

Be creative

You’re in the first impression business. You work on people’s smiles. Now it’s time to work on yours. Get yourself some graphic design and copywriting services to produce effective and compelling print, direct mail and digital materials that make you not only look good, but make you stand out in the crowded field. The more you stand out, the more you will be noticed.

Go digital

Direct mail is still a key marketing element for dental offices. It works really well. But it’s not the only thing that works. We live in a connected world. A clean and responsive website is critical, and email marketing, online appointments, and social media marketing are needed to round out a modern dental or orthodontic marketing plan. Hire a website design specialist and build social media channels. Connect them all and make sure the look is consistent with your other marketing materials.

Be social and engage

Simply broadcasting your message and asking for customers doesn’t work. You need to get your audience involved. Master a 360 Degree social media marketing program by engaging, asking questions, listening, and commenting. Learn what patients and others say about you, share, and reply to reviews! Produce content that makes your audience think about their needs and allows them to engage and share their thoughts. Spread the word and build an audience.

Calls-to-Action

Marketing is nothing if it doesn’t inspire people to contact your office. One of the biggest mistakes dental offices make with their marketing is there is simply no “call to action,” nothing telling the audience to pick up the phone or click on a website to make an appointment. Whatever you do, and whatever marketing materials you produce, make sure you include “calls to action.” Believe it or not, a simple “What are you waiting for, call us today for a free consultation,” with a phone number goes a long way. It might seem obvious, but your audience is waiting for you to tell them what to do.

Thinking of improving your marketing? Click here to learn more. Set up a free, 15 minute conversation with one of our marketing experts to talk about ideas that will help you remain competitive in today’s market.

Categories : BRANDING, INTERNET MARKETING, Marketing, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, STRATEGY

Tags : dentists, marketing tips, marketing tips for dentists, orthodontists

Posted by Greg Sherwood on

August 11, 2015

PR or Advertising? Which is Best for Your Company?

How do you know if your company needs advertising or public relations? Most businesses need a combination of both as part of a well-defined and executed communications program, but they struggle to understand the differences.

Advertising and public relations are similar as they both build awareness of your company in a targeted section of the public. Beyond that, they are actually quite different. So, when pulling your hair out wondering if you should call an advertising agency, marketing agency or public relations firm, keep these basics in mind.

Advertising is paid space. You get to be in control of the message, be creative and build a campaign that shows your product or service. You talk to account executives, who then get graphic designers and copywriters to do some magic. You then, for a fixed price, buy air, or time, or pages, or impressions, all in an attempt to push your ad out there to your carefully targeted public and sell your product or service. Your target audience knows they are seeing an advertisement, and they know you are actively trying to sell them something.

Public relations is all about your relationship with the media, and by extension, their public. Public relations seeks free media attention for your goods and services. You send press releases, talk to editors, and hold events. The goal is to talk to people who talk to people, and to get those people to talk to their people about you. The downside is media types have no obligation to talk about you, and you have little to no control over how your message gets presented, if it gets presented at all. The good side is that when your audience sees you on TV, reads a blog post or article about you, they’re seeing something different than advertising, and they treat it differently than advertising. They trust it more. You didn’t pay for it, and it’s being delivered to them via an unbiased source. Your company, product or service has just been validated without having to be advertised.

So, which is better? Confusing answer actually- it’s both. Study after study shows that, although less quantifiable, public relations is better at building trust and spreading information in a brand or service that has been validated by unbiased sources. But, if done right, nothing is more powerful than owning your consistent message and creating good creative, targeting your specific public, and analyzing the results based on solid proof of performance.

The clear answer is to engage a marketing agency that can build a communications strategy that employs elements of both. You want to own your brand and your message, but you also want to be talked about and trusted. Only when both methods are working can you maximize your marketing.

One last bit to consider when discussing advertising and PR with your marketing agency, and that’s the power of digital marketing and social media. Adding social media to your marketing is not only important for branding, but it can be a powerful tool to bridge the gap between traditional advertising and public relations. A business can advertise on social media channels, then get endorsed and validated by the seemingly unbiased social media community. It’s the brave new world.

Categories : BRANDING, Marketing, PUBLIC RELATIONS, STRATEGY

Tags : advertising, PR, public relations

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