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Are Your Biz Dev Efforts Running Aground?

by BusinessInternet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSEOSocial Media Marketing

I was having a conversation last week with my Dad, who is retired but still has one of the better small business minds that I’ve seen. I value his counsel, and (occasionally) his often blunt and sometimes harsh assessment of my abilities in the office (my Dad, you see, is a tough man to impress).

Anyway, as I was complaining about the state of the economy and the headwinds we’re surely facing as a small business, he reminded me that I have not paid enough time or attention to business development this year. And unfortunately, he’s right.

I get so busy running the company and working with clients that I often put our sales on the back burner. Of course, I’m always available to speak with a prospective client when they call in, but it’s generating those perspective clients that I too often forgo.

We have several inbound marketing strategies that we employ, with the most important one being a paid search (Google Ads) campaign. It drives highly targeted leads to our business, but it requires effort and time to work properly. I tend to spend most of my time ensuring that our client’s Google Ads campaigns are performing at their best, and sometimes I don’t devote enough time to our own campaign. As a result, it hasn’t been performing as well this year as it has in previous years, and I need to change that.

It’s hard to admit when you’re wrong or deficient in something. And with raging inflation, climbing interest rates and record-high fuel prices, most businesses are surely facing economic headwinds right now. We’re no different. But this serves as a good reminder to not make the same mistake I’ve made, and forgo your business development needs. Even in times of economic struggle, it’s critical to reach out to prospective customers and let them know what you can do to help them. I know I’ll be redoubling my efforts in that regard.

Speaking of that, should you find yourself in need of more phone calls and clients, give us a call at 877-924-1543, and we’ll be happy to discuss what we can do for you.

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Are we headed into a recession? Why you might not want to cut your marketing budget…

by Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSEOSocial Media Marketing

If you’ve been to a gas station or a grocery store recently, you know that inflation is raging in the United States right now. The official government figures peg inflation at 7.9% as of the time of this article, but if you’ve bought a gallon of gas or a package of steaks lately, you know that number is woefully low.

No one really knows how much inflation is affecting individuals, because it’s dependent on what you buy, but a fair estimate is that groceries are up about 20%, and fuel is up 40% over a year ago. Regardless of what the actual numbers are for you, it’s safe to say that everyone is paying more, for just about everything, and businesses are no exception.

Typically, when inflation rages and a recession looms on the horizon, companies (and individuals) begin looking to trim costs. It’s only natural to go into protection mode at times like this. Hiring freezes go into effect, pay raises cease, and marketing budgets get slashed. It’s this last one that concerns me the most.

I know this sounds self-serving, and I suppose it is to some degree. After all, DanMatt Media is a marketing company. But my message to clients at times like this is always, “Don’t slash your marketing budget. Compromise elsewhere, and find a way to keep reaching your audience.”

As a business owner or executive, you still need to market your company, even in times of economic uncertainty. You still need to sell your products and services, and you still need to get your company in front of people who are ready to buy. Slashing your marketing budget might save you some money in the short term, but it will almost always cost you money in the long term. The phrase “penny wise, pound foolish” is applicable here.

When you slash your marketing budget, you lose the market share that you were previously enjoying. Your competitors can then swoop in and gain that market share, which puts you further behind. It’s a lot like holding onto your investments during a recession. Yes, the value of your 401K falls, but when the market conditions improve, you can buy back on the cheap.

The same is true with your marketing. Let your competitors make the mistake of slashing their budgets. When their ads no longer show, yours will, and those customers who might go to them will become yours instead. That in turn will grow your business and your revenue, even in harsh economic times.

The lesson here is to be disciplined and take the longview. When the economy sours, maintain your marketing budget and your presence in the marketplace. Get your ads in front of people who are still looking to buy, and snatch the customers that your competitors have given up trying to recruit.

smm

Social Media Marketing 101

by Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing (SMM) isn’t our primary service line, but we do get quite a few inquiries about the channel. A properly run Social Media Marketing campaign can be a wonderful secondary or tertiary option for many businesses. Allow me to explain…

We consider SMM to be a wonderful branding tool. In other words, it’s a great way to create interest and awareness in your company, and the products and services that you offer. However, we do not typically look to SMM as a primary generator of leads or sales. After all, most people do not go to Facebook and Instagram looking to purchase a product or hire a service based company. It’s the ads that they see once they’re on the platform that makes all the difference.

Unlike Google PPC and SEO (both paid and organic search marketing), where a potential customer has to pass through two separate filters, SMM doesn’t require a visitor to do anything. With a PPC ad, a searcher has to type in keywords that trigger the ad (filter # 1) and then make the choice to click through the ad to the website (filter # 2). This double filtering process removes a lot of the irrelevant traffic that a client would otherwise receive, thereby increasing their ROI significantly. It’s no wonder that PPC (paid search) is our primary and preferred channel for most of our clients.

With a Social Media Marketing campaign, Facebook and Instagram users will see a product or service in their feed, whether they want to or not. They don’t have to type in any keywords or choose to click through an ad. It’s just served up to them when they use the platform. The question is, once they see that ad, what do they do about it?

That’s why proper targeting is so crucial to any successful SMM campaign. You need to build highly relevant, specific audiences that are likely to be interested in the products and services that you are offering. Otherwise, your ads will be displayed to people who have no interest in what you’re selling. The goal of any SMM campaign is to serve those ads up to the right people, so that they choose to engage with them, post view.

Of course once you create those audiences, you need to create concise, attractive video and image ads that convey your message in a very small amount of characters. Facebook and Instagram don’t give you much space (character limits) to say what you want to say, so brevity and creativity rule the roost. You want to entice these viewers to engage with your company, and you only get one chance to make that first impression.

If all of this sounds too difficult, consider giving us a call to run your next Social Media Marketing campaign. It’s a wonderful way to augment a successful PPC and SEO strategy.

best seo company Denver

Driving calls and leads with limited budgets. How we do it.

by Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSocial Media Marketing

We have quite a few PPC (Google Paid Search) and SMM (Social Media Marketing) clients. But with the exception of just a few of them, budget is ALWAYS an issue. Simply put, to be successful in digital marketing, you need to get good at doing more with less. So how do we do it?

Part of the reason you hire a digital marketing agency like DanMatt Media is because you’re too busy running all the other aspects of your business to focus on your marketing. But the biggest reason you hire someone like us is our expertise. Anyone can run a paid search campaign on Google, or a paid ads campaign on Facebook and Instagram. These companies have a vested interest in making their marketing services available to everyone. But that doesn’t mean that everyone SHOULD run their own marketing.

When I speak with a prospective client, I always quote them an entry level figure that we feel we must have to give the campaign a realistic chance to succeed (as well a high end figure, to give them a range of options to choose from). Yes a PPC or SMM campaign can be run at any budget, but we have no interest in taking people’s money if we can’t deliver results for them. Google Ads is an auction, and no matter good your ad copy or your bid strategy are, if your competition has 10X your budget, you’re going to struggle. But if we have the minimum budget we feel we need to succeed, we can almost always get new clients enough of an ROI to where they are pleased and looking to expand.

Without giving away the keys to the kingdom, I can tell you that our ability to stretch budgets is directly related to two things. The first is to do the research and get a very good idea of what keywords to prioritize, and what times of day to run the ads. With a limited budget a client will have to make some sacrifices, such as forgoing certain expensive keyword phrases and # 1 rankings. But that doesn’t mean they can’t occupy the top 2 spots for at least SOME of the time each day. Indeed, they need to, because that’s what drives the phone calls and leads. The trick is balancing it all, and that takes experience and research.

The second way we stretch limited budgets is by writing better ad copy than the competition. The more attractive we can make a client’s ads and ad extensions, the more likely a searcher is to click through those ads to the website. That raises quality score and CTR (Click Through Rate), and drives more calls and leads, which in turn increases ROI. A better ROI equals a happier client.

Most businesses have a need to advertise and market their products and services. At the same time, almost all of them will have budget constraints. It’s the job of the marketing agency to be honest with their clients about what budget is required for success and what results the client can expect for that investment. And then of course, the hard work begins. Can you take that limited, entry-level budget and stretch it to get the best results possible?

Here at DanMatt Media, we’ve got that dialed in.

best seo company Denver

Delivering increased value in the era of COVID-19

by with No Comment Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSEOSocial Media Marketing

Like most businesses these days, we’ve been hurt by the Coronavirus pandemic. We’ve lost some clients due to the forced shut downs, and others have remained with us but cut back on their marketing spend. It’s inevitable.

As a result, we’re being asked to do more with less; which I gather is a common problem that many companies are facing right now. Doing more with less requires delivering increased value to our clients. So how are we doing that?

1. Reassess your strategy

The marketing strategies that we had in place prior to arrival of the COVID pandemic were sound. They were tried and tested, and producing great results for our clients. But then the world got flipped upside down, and some of those strategies became obsolete, or at least less effective. As a result we had to go back to the drawing board, particularly with our Google PPC campaigns, and create new strategies that better reflected the current state of affairs. Flexibility and the willingness to adapt are crucial right now.

2. Check in with your clients frequently

Admittedly this is something that we do anyway, but it’s even more critical these days. Reach out to clients and ask how things are going. When calls and leads come in, find out how valuable they are and what keywords drove them. Be proactive and avoid laziness.

3. Use promotions and discounts whenever possible

Again, this is a sound strategy that we employ during “normal” times, but it’s even more important right now. You must give people a reason to buy from you, and you must stand out from the competition. Accordingly, we are proactively designing and implementing new client promotions with our PPC, SEO, and Social Media Marketing campaigns to make them as relevant and attractive as possible.

4. Constantly analyze the data as it comes in

This is tied into the first one. As data comes in from our PPC, SEO, and SMM campaigns, we are constantly evaluating what is working and what is not working. You should do that on a regular basis of course, but as cities and states open up and then shut down again, it’s vital to our clients that we stay on top of new trends. The only way to do that is to keep your finger on the pulse of the data that comes in.

 

These are tough times. No doubt about it. Unless you’re manufacturing hand sanitizer or face masks, chances are your business has been negatively affected by this global pandemic. As a result, we’ve all been forced to get leaner and meaner, and to provide more value to our customers. The above examples are just some of the things that we’re doing right now to deliver increased value. If this sounds like something your business could benefit from, give us a call at 877-924-1543 or send us a website inquiry.

Hope springs eternal for better days ahead.

washington dc search engine optimization

The value of a face-to-face meeting

by with No Comment Internet AdvertisingMarket ResearchOnline MarketingPrint AdvertisingSocial Media Marketing

We’ve all heard the saying… “Customer service is dead”.  One round trip flight on a US carrier will assuredly confirm that for most of us.  But here at DanMatt Media customer service is alive and well.

We’re fortunate to live at a time when technology makes our lives and businesses easier and more convenient.  Contracts can be negotiated and signed over email.  Meetings can be held on conference calls and web cams.  We can all have longterm, lucrative partnerships with clients and vendors without ever having met them face-to-face.  But is that really the way it should be?

There’s no doubt that most of my client and publisher relationships were born through email, and nurtured over the phone.  We have clients all over the United States, and a few overseas as well (including England, India, Australia, and Romania).  Seeing them in person is a tall order (though I have made it to England and Australia so far).  But whenever possible, I like to meet my clients face-to-face.

I want them to see the passion I have for their marketing efforts.  I want to look them in the eye and promise them that I will do everything I can to help them achieve their goals.  I want to visit their offices so that I can get a personal feel for what they do and how they do it.  You can’t do those things over email or phone calls, so whenever possible I make sure to visit them and meet with them face-to-face.

If you’re not getting that level of customer service from your marketing partners, you should be.  After all, it’s your money, and it’s your campaign.  Modern technology and convenience are great, and we all take advantage of it every single day.  But nothing beats the value of a face-to-face meeting.

blog-retro-tv

Take Advantage Of The NHL Playoffs

by with No Comment Internet AdvertisingMarket ResearchOnline MarketingPrint AdvertisingSocial Media Marketing

Finally, the NHL playoffs are here!

There is nothing better than to watch your favorite team chase down the opportunity to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup! Having offices in Colorado and Washington DC, DanMatt Media has an even split amongst Avalanche and Capitals fans. As a avid Washington Capitals fan, I have been to my share of home games at the Verizon Center. There is one difference I have seen between being at the rink and watching them on Comcast Sports Net. It’s those ads you see behind each net on the glass. Those ads are a great way to advertise your business to fan base in your local home town. Historically, TV viewership during the NHL playoffs increase significantly. Majority of those watching these games are home fans who most likely live in the same area, that your business serves. Take advantage of the NHL playoffs by soaking in a great sport and advertising to thousands of potential new clients who live in your home market.

DanMatt Media can help you get your business ads shown behind the net of every home NHL playoff game! We have worked with local television stations in the area and we handle all the heavy lifting! So, just sit back and cheer for your favorite team in the NHL playoffs, take advantage of the increased TV viewership and get your ads up on the glass behind the net. I might be focusing on whether or not Ovi is scoring or if Erskine is dropping the gloves, but those ads definitely catch my eye and make me think twice on who to call when I need an emergency plumber or electrician.

If you are looking for a new eye-catching way to advertise your business, look no further than DanMatt Media. Give us a call today, we will offer you a comprehensive outline of all the available options and help determine the best form of advertising for you and your business.