Archive for SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Traditional vs Digital ads
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.

Traditional vs digital advertising

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.

 

consumers attention, marketing strategy

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
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Posted by DBC Digital on
 November 12, 2018

When Will I See Results from Social Marketing?

With so much happening at any given moment, it might seem like social followings and engagement are as abundant as air. But social networks have evolved in a very logical manner, and the interactions that fuel these networks is much more sophisticated than it might initially appear. Consequently, the task of “building a social media strategy” is much easier said than done. It’s entirely possible for any organization, regardless of size or the nature of the business, but it requires a calculated approach. And, no matter who you are or how determined you may be, social marketing takes time.

This is where most businesses fail in their efforts to build a social platform. Too many professionals want to see results yesterday — they apply their expectations in other areas of performance and apply it to a venture they know little to nothing about. Unlike sales, where hard work and hustle can usually squeeze out some better numbers, an aggressive approach on social media won’t generate the same sort of returns. If anything, in fact, a too-eager approach could actually turn off potential followers and build a bad social reputation for your organization.

So before you try to muscle some results out of your various social profiles, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the strategy’s best practices. Doing so will get you better results and help you build something of value.

1. Commit to a Long First Phase of Marketing

Everyone wants results sooner rather than later, but it’s not likely to happen on social media. For all of the growth potential that exists on these platforms, it’s not something you can count on overnight. Social followers tend to look for established businesses and profiles, and unless they immediately recognize your business, they’re unlikely to take an interest — at least before you demonstrate your value to them.

So when laying out your strategy, organizations need to commit to six to 12 months of social marketing before they make judgments on its success. There won’t be much progress to be found in the first few months, but despite the lack of tangible returns, an important foundation will be laid during that time.

2. Create Content and Promote it via Social Networks

The key to attracting social followers is simple: Give them something of value.

On social networks, that’s most often content and other information. Whether it’s blog posts, advice, even coupon discounts or other offers, your social profiles need to be used in a way that delivers value to followers. If you can create something of value on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other networks, you won’t have to go out and actively seek followers — your target audience will eventually find you and, if they like what you have to offer, they’ll want to add you to their own network.

3. Start Conversations and Keep Them Going

Social profiles aren’t simply beacons for dispensing information and content. They’re a platform through which you can engage consumers. Your customers want that type of relationship, and it’s easy to facilitate through these networks. Ask questions and drive conversations on Facebook, solicit feedback on Twitter, share tips and ideas on Pinterest. Activity on your profiles will inevitably attract followers, and you can also use the information gleaned to inform future strategy — whether it’s socially relevant or useful to other aspects of operations.

4. Deliver Customer Service through Social Profiles

Whether businesses like it or not, consumers are increasingly turning to social networking profiles and using them as customer service portals. Complaints, questions and other commentary will be posted to Facebook, Twitter and other business profiles, and consumers expect an answer to their queries. Not only that, but in most cases they’re not willing to wait: Recent research suggests that consumers give companies about an hour to respond to social media queries before growing impatient.

But staying on top of these interactions is a simple way to earn the good graces of your customers. And not only will you be improving the customer experience, but you’ll be reinforcing their dependence on your social profiles, increasing their value with each answered question.

Don’t let your social marketing strategy get off on the wrong foot with prospective clients. If you’re looking for a Denver inbound marketing firm to help you avoid costly mistakes while building toward a bright future, contact DBC Digital today.

Categories : SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy
Posted by Greg Sherwood on
 August 6, 2018

3 Multi-Channel Marketing Essentials for Real Estate Pros

For more information about real estate marketing, or to schedule a free marketing consultation, please call (303) 357-5757, or e-mail dbc@dbcdigital.com.

 

Curvy Road Ahead
As we all know, the Denver housing market has been cruising along at high speed with steady increases in residential market values over the past few years. Yet with the newest housing market report, it’s looking like the market may be coming into balance.  With this market trend predicted to continue, along with the influx of newer real estate agents over the past few years — now is the perfect time for Denver-area agents to evaluate their multi-channel marketing strategy.

What is Multi-Channel Marketing?

Multi-channel marketing is the practice of using multiple approaches to reach your prospects.  Multi-channel marketing allows your prospects decide how they want to interact with you, giving them a choice that works best for them. Agents who wisely invest time in these three channels will achieve better and longer-lasting results.

These three channels are:

  1. Social Media
  2. Direct Mail
  3. Email

Let’s dive deeper into each channel …

Social Media Marketing

  1. Social media

Social media marketing is crucial for successful real estate agents. Around two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) use Facebook, according to a survey conducted in January 2018 by Pew Research.  That’s about 2.19 billion users!  More than 700 million users are on Instagram, and half of all online adults use more than one of the five main social media platforms.

The most effective sites for real estate agents’ content include: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

A smart social strategy for real estate agents, as with all content marketing, starts with quality content. Agents should create and post articles and videos on what they know best. An authentic voice will resonate with your local market and demonstrate your confidence and expertise.

We suggest following the 80/20 rule with social media content updates. Eighty percent of your posts and other content should focus on your prospects and your client’s main interests, while twenty percent should be aimed at expanding your business (offers, ads, etc.).

Also, effective content includes posting your listings, talking about what’s happening in the area (like community events or school activities), as well as including client testimonials. Agents must be sure to interact with anyone who likes or comments on your posts, and always (always) respond to any messages as soon as possible.

Once agents open their business social media accounts and are posting quality content, the next vital step is to post consistently and strategically.

By the way, to improve your SEO, you should be writing blog and video posts on your website and then sharing the blog links on social media with intros to “read more” (or watch) versus posting an article directly to Facebook.

Direct Mail Marketing

  1. Direct Mail

Print is alive and well. Postcards and other types of mailings are excellent direct marketing tools for multi-channel content marketing since they provide a touchpoint for branding and information.

Even Google uses direct mail.

According to Data and Marketing Association’s 2017 Response Rate report, direct mail response rates outperform digital marketing by more than 700 percent.  In fact, the overall response rate from physical mail has increased by 3.7 percent in the last couple of years.

Direct mail is even more powerful when you combine it with the other two channels. You can create a Facebook campaign that targets the same neighbors and will be seen at the same time they receive your direct mail piece, increasing your response rates on both channels.

Given the strong success of direct-mail marketing, it becomes the perfect way to advertise your digital presence.   Whether you’re reaching out to current clients or looking for new leads, direct mail is an important pillar.

Success boils down to two key components: top quality content and consistency. We advise our clients that your prospects and sphere receive direct mail from you each month, year-after-year. Postcards are perfect for driving prospects to your website, announcing recently listed and sold homes, or fun items such as sports schedules or event calendars keeping your name always in front of your prospects.

Email Marketing Strategy

  1. Email

Email is fundamental to any smart marketing strategy for real estate agents. Agents can really shine by providing useful updates to prospects and their sphere. Top quality emails can differentiate the savvy agents from the less experienced.

By using platforms like MailChimp, real estate agents can easily create cost-friendly and highly personalized email campaigns.

Agents should remember to leverage their social media and direct mail programs to grow their email lists. They should entice prospects to sign up with you by promoting meaningful content that is only available by subscribing to your emails. Additionally, agents should always include “Subscribe” buttons or links with any social media or blog posts.

“Quality over quantity” especially applies to emails. This means agents should avoid sending out full-length articles in their emails. Instead, provide links to your blogs and encourage readers to click over to your site by including compelling images along with brief descriptions of what your readers will gain if they do.

Email was the leading digital channel for ROI in 2016, according to DMA’s 2017 report. This is why email marketing must be included in your marketing mix.

In Conclusion

Ultimately, your success with multi-channel content marketing is about creating top-quality content— content that relates to your prospects, buyers and sellers.  Content that demonstrates your expertise and shows that you are there to help. Through multi-channel marketing, agents can be sure they are most visible to their sphere and always tell their prospects, “As market patterns change, we’re here to help you find the best route to your new home.”

Need help with this?
Do you need some help in getting all the pieces working together?  Give us a call and we’ll help you prioritize the most important parts as well as give you support on what you don’t have time to do yourself. You can call us at (303) 357-5757 or email us at dbc@dbcdigirtal.com

About the Author:

greg-sherwood-ceo-dbcdigital-marketingGreg Sherwood is President and Chief Executive Officer of DBC Digital, a strategic marketing firm with expertise in helping companies build stronger marketing campaigns, brand awareness, customer engagement and revenue.
Greg was previously National Executive Vice President of a global B2B firm. Prior to that, he was its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). DBC Digital is the only marketing company in the Denver area with a former Chief Marketing Officer as its CEO. 
He is a featured writer, speaker and panelist on topics that include strategic marketing, content marketing, social marketing and innovation.

 

 

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 : Content Creation, EMAIL CAMPAIGNS, Marketing, PRINTING SERVICES, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
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Facebook Business Page image
Posted by Greg Sherwood on
 November 8, 2017

How to Set Up Your Facebook Business Page

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

 

Are you thinking of setting up a Facebook Business Page?  Not sure what to do first or if a business page is necessary?

Marketers report higher user engagement when they use Facebook compared to other social media platforms.   If you are using Facebook for marketing, you are on the right track.

However, as a small business owner, marketing manager or real estate professional, you may wonder whether you need to be using a Facebook business page in addition to your personal page, or if you should be using Facebook at all.

With over 1.94 billion users every month, and 1.3 billion who log on every day, Facebook is a prime place to find new customers, so yes, Facebook is probably a good bet, and using the right Facebook platform is critical.

A Facebook business page isn’t just the business alternative to your personal page. Facebook business page is attached to your personal profile so Facebook knows who owns the page, but it’s a separate presence you can use to promote your business.

The business page has Facebook “Insights,” which gives you data about who’s visiting your page, what content interests them and ideal times to post something.

Along with data, you need a Facebook business page if you want to run contests, promote offers or advertise on Facebook. Plus, if you want to look professional, you need a business page.

But it’s not enough to just set up a Facebook business page. Here’s how to create a page that gets results.

Setting Up Your Facebook Business Page

If you don’t already have a business page, log into Facebook and click on Pages on the left-hand side of the screen.

Once you’ve clicked on Pages you will see some options at the bottom, click on Create a Page. There you’ll be able to choose which page description best matches your business and your objectives.

Facebook page-options-choices

You can always change the description later if it doesn’t match your brand. Keep in mind that a physical address is important if you are choosing Local Business or Place.

Once that’s done you’re on your way to setting up your page.

If you want other people to be able to work on the page you’ll need to add them as an Admin. You can do this by adding them in the ‘Edit Page’ section under ‘Manage Admins.’ They’ll need to be Facebook friends with you or you’ll need the email address they use for Facebook.

Add a Good Profile and Cover Photos

The first things potential customers notice when they come to your Facebook business page are your profile and cover photos. You need photos that immediately tell potential customers what your business is about.

Notice Redfin, a well-known real estate website and the pictures they use.

Redfin-real-estate-image-for-Facebook

Their profile photo is their recognizable logo and their cover pic is a gorgeous home with the Redfin sign up front. The profile pic immediately tells visitors who the company is (their logo). The picture of the house as a cover photo reinforces their brand (they sell pretty houses).

Use a profile picture and a cover photo that makes it easy for anyone who visits your page to know immediately who you are. These pictures represent you and your brand so they should be bright, clear and professional pictures that are directly tied to your brand.

Some sites, including PicMonkey and Canva, are free to use and make it easy to create cover photos that have the right Facebook dimensions.

Fill Out the “About” Section

It’s easy when you’re setting up your Facebook page to leave sections blank. For a professional looking Facebook page, fill out the entire page, especially the About section.

In the About section, you’ll include your company website, along with all relevant forms of contact. This is a good place to tell people about your company.

You want visitors to come away with a clear idea of how and when they can reach you, other places they can find you online and what your mission is. Be sure to fill it out completely.

Check out our “About” section, which clearly states our Mission, let’s people know when we’re open and provides multiple ways people can contact us or connect with us online.

Add Interesting Content

You may be tempted to set up your Facebook business page and leave it, hoping that people find it. But like every other social media site, success takes work to build up a following.

Publish at least a few content posts before inviting people to like your page. The key to a great Facebook business page is creating content that benefits your target audience.

Always make it about your audience, whether your entertaining them, giving them helpful content or solving a problem. Whatever you decide to post, think about how it’s going to help your audience.

Take The Penny Hoarder for instance.  This is a site dedicated to showing readers how to make extra money and how to save money. Their content is always focused around helping their readers with money issues.

Facebook-sample-post-Penny-Hoarder

Their content works to help their audience and has an intriguing headline. If someone is in debt, they likely want to learn how to get out of it, even if they’re not making 6-figures.

Create valuable content for your target audience and you’ll get people who want to visit and like your page.

Here’s a few things you can do to encourage people to pay attention to your work:

  • Posts with photos are 2.3 times more likely to get engagement than a post that doesn’t include  pictures. Make sure you include at least one photo, even if you have to use a free stock photo.
  • Visual content works. People are three times more likely to watch a video on Facebook and to share infographics because it’s easy for our brains to process information when it’s provided visually. Always think visually when sharing content.

If you do it right, your Facebook business page can be a great way to find and connect with new clients. Fill out your page completely, use great photos and add content that your audience will love and you’ll make it easy for people to hit the “like” button.

 

 

Please note: At DBC Digital, we offer marketing for small and medium-sized business. Our primary services include digital marketing, printing, graphic design, web development, and social media marketing. We’re in Centennial, near I-25 and Dry Creek. We serve clients throughout the Denver metro area, Colorado, and the U.S.

Categories : Marketing, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Search engine marketing
Posted by DBC Digital on
 June 9, 2016

How to Improve Search Results for Your Business

When businesses work to improve their local search results, they tend to get locked on the idea that most local searchers begin and end with the big three search engines.

Because of this belief, marketers spend most of their time solely focused on paying for and improving their website’s placement in Yahoo, Bing, and of course, Google.

In order to really profit from those buyers who go online to find businesses in their own city or even in their local neighborhood, it’s vital to understand how those buyers are actually searching online. The reality is that the definition of search engines should be small business warehouse packagesexpanded to include more than just the big three.

Where Do Local Searches Originate From?

For example, a survey published on Search Engine Land revealed that listings from the major search engines only make up a portion of what most marketers think of as “local search.” Some people may find these survey results surprising:

  • Only about 36 percent of searches for local businesses began with a major search engine.
  • An additional 13 percent began with a visit to a niche website on a specific topic about the product, service, or industry they were looking for.
  • Customer reviews and directories each accounted for another seven percent of searches
  • Promotions or coupons accounted for another six percent of searches
  • Additional sites included digital maps, phone apps, and other types of content that mentioned the business.

Which Kinds of Shoppers Rely On Local Search the Least?

The survey did cover a broad range of services and products. Your type of industry may impact results to some degree, but what really stood out was the way that customers and prospective clients searched differently, depending on their familiarity with the type of business they were searching for.

For example, almost half of experienced hotel shoppers said that they tended to visit an industry-specific travel sites for information about local hotels, such as Trip Adviser, Hotels.com, etc.

In other words, casual travelers might start searching on Google or Bing first; but seasoned travelers will already have their favorite resources bookmarked.

Since experienced travelers consume travel services more frequently than casual travelers, it only makes sense for travel-related companies to target these travel-specific sites as much or more than the big three search engines.

In any case, placing a portion of your ad listings on review sites, local industry directories, and a variety of other platforms will serve to increase your visibility. In turn, this increased visibility is likely to help your search rankings on the big search engines.

By understanding how buyers research companies like yours, you can see better results from many different aspects of your digital marketing.

Let DBC Digital Help Your Local Customers Find You

At DBC Digital, our marketing team has helped countless businesses reach out to local shoppers online. Let us help you analyze your current internet presence and expand your reach in the places where your customers are most likely to look for the products or services that you offer. Contact us to discuss your unique company and location.

*Photo credit: Copyright: <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_alexmillos’>alexmillos / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Greg Sherwood-DBC Digital Marketing

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