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Yep, we offer web design services too…

by with No Comment Internet Advertising

Lately we seem to be receiving a lot of inquiries regarding web design services.  Businesses seem to be interested in updating and improving their online presence of late, and that’s a good thing.

To be clear, DanMatt Media is not a web design agency, and we have no plans to become one.  We are first and foremost an advertising and marketing company, focusing heavily on areas such as SEO, SEM (paid search), print advertising, and market research panel and survey recruitment.  But long ago we recognized that in order to be able to offer our clients the best SEO and SEM services in the country, we would have to add the ability to update their websites, convert them to WordPress, add mobile friendly themes, and improve their user experience.

As such, we now offer all of the web design services listed above.  We do require that our web design clients sign up with us for SEO or SEM prior to any work being done, and in doing so we are able to offer these customers a large discount on their web design work, because we know we are going to be partners in their new marketing efforts.  If you think about it, it’s a win-win for everyone.  DanMatt Media will handle all the web design and digital marketing work you require, and in return, you receive not only a great new website, but also a properly designed and executed SEO and/or SEM campaign, and all for a lot less money than you would pay elsewhere.  Sounds pretty good, right?

If you’ve been looking to spruce up your site, or convert it to a mobile-friendly theme, in addition to beginning an SEO or paid search campaign, give us a call or send us a website inquiry.  Chances are, we can help you.

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Maximizing your marketing ROI

by with No Comment Internet Advertising

Here at DanMatt Media we have many clients.  Some are big, some are small.  Some are located all over the country (and even overseas) and some are in a single state.  Some have big marketing budgets, and some have small ones.  But all of them have one goal, namely to achieve the best ROI possible with whatever marketing investment they are making.

We offer many advertising and marketing services, including SEO (organic search), SEM (paid search), print advertising (including pay per call), and performance-based market research panel and survey recruitment.  There are times when a client can benefit from multiple channels, and times when a single service line is in order.  So how do we go about obtaining the best ROI for our clients?

It starts by listening.  Simply put, we listen to our clients.  We find out their goals, their needs, and their dreams.  What are they really looking for in an advertising agency?  Once we have a good feel for what they need, we find out what they can invest.  We say invest (as opposed to spend) because marketing is really an investment in your company’s future.  Think about it.  The goal of any adverting and marketing campaign, whether online or offline, is to grow brand awareness and bring in new business.  To do that, you have to invest in your organization’s future, and that’s why our clients engage our services.

So now that we know what a client wants, and needs, and what they can reasonably invest in their marketing spend, we go about designing a customized plan to bring them the best ROI possible for their investment.  That may include a combination of multiple advertising channels, and it could be an amalgamation of traditional offline media buying (print, TV, and radio) and online media buying (SEO, SEM, banner, and email marketing).  But the goal is to create a solution that maximizes ROI and exposure, while minimizing risk.

We’re not the only advertising agency in Washington, DC and Denver, Colorado, but we do like to think of ourselves as one of the best.  We take the time to listen to what our clients need, and we have the expertise to help them achieve the best ROI possible for their hard-earned dollars.  And in the end, that’s precisely what our clients are after.

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So what do I really get if I run an SEO or SEM campaign?

by with No Comment Internet Advertising

I’m often asked this question by prospective clients.  Specifically, what will they receive if they sign up with us for an SEO (organic search) or SEM (paid search) campaign.  It’s a good question, so here’s the answer…

All of our SEO and SEM campaigns include everything that is required to achieve success.  For SEO, that includes things like a custom website audit; keyword, title tag, and meta data optimization; custom back-linking; social media and syndication campaigns; and many other on-site and off-site offerings.  For SEM, that includes things like detailed traffic analysis, keyword group research and optimization, ad group creation, split ad testing, and call tracking.  And of course all our SEO and SEM campaigns include monthly reporting, so our clients know what results they are achieving and exactly where their budgets are being spent.

But there is a more important answer to this question.  Whenever you engage in an SEO or SEM campaign, you are paying for exposure.  Exposure to targeted, relevant potential customers is the one thing that any quality SEO and SEM agency can offer.  No advertising agency can guarantee you specific results (the oft-used “guaranteed 1st page rankings on Google” scam) or a specific return on investment, no matter how often they tell you otherwise.  It would be wonderful if exposure and top-notch rankings always resulted in huge amounts of new business for SEO and SEM clients, but that isn’t always the case.

The goal of any reputable SEO and SEM agency is to provide maximum exposure for their clients, to the most relevant group of potential customers possible.  Ideally that exposure leads to increased phone calls and customers for the client.  Unfortunately, many business owners who run an SEO or SEM campaign do not understand that their marketing campaigns are not guaranteed to deliver an influx of new clientele, and that’s why we make every effort to educate our prospective clients on what it is that we can actually do for them.  In essence, we tell them which factors are under our control (your rankings and traffic gains), and which are not (we can’t force people to do business with you, even if they see your ad at the top of the search results).

Understanding what a digital marketing agency can and cannot do for you is very important prior to beginning an SEO or SEM campaign.  Here at DanMatt Media we go to great lengths to set realistic expectations with all of our new clients, with the goal of forming a longterm partnership that is beneficial to both organizations.  As a valued client of ours, you deserve no less than the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  So help me Google…

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How do you set up a saltwater aquarium?

by with No Comment Internet Advertising

Every now and again I try to sneak in a non work-related blog post for our website and social media pages.  Since my family and I just moved into a new house, I thought I would discuss the proper ways to set up a saltwater aquarium.  I just did this last week with both my reef tank (which I was able to break down and set up again in a single day) and my large fish-only system (which I detail below).

I took apart and drained my large saltwater fish-only system about a week before we moved.  The tank is close to 200 gallons, and I was fortunate to be able to take the fish to a local fish store for safe keeping during the move and subsequent set up process.  Upon moving into our new home, I went to work getting it set up again.

Once you have the tank and stand in place, the first step is to aquascape the aquarium with your sand, live rock, and dead coral.  You want to ensure the fish have enough hiding places (caves, overhangs, etc) to feel secure, but also enough open swimming space to eat, swim, and be seen by you (why have a fish tank if you can’t watch the fish?).  You also need to make sure the rock and dead coral are securely mounted, so that you don’t have rock slides.  At this point I like to position all the equipment (filters, skimmers, heaters, powerheads and pumps, etc) that will be used to run the system.

Once the tank is aquascaped and the equipment is in place you can fill it with freshwater, ideally from a garden hose.  That’s a lot faster than using buckets or pitchers.  When the tank is filled you can add enough salt mix to bring the salinity to your desired level (I recommend a specific gravity of 1.020 – 1.023 for fish only, and 1.024 – 1.025 for an aquarium housing corals and invertebrates) and turn on your equipment.  You’ll want to make sure you have your salinity and temperature where you want them prior to adding any fish (a good temperature range for most saltwater fish tanks is 77-80 degrees).

At this point you will have a tank full of sand, rock, and water but not fish.  Your temperature and salinity will be at ideal levels, but you’re probably not ready to add fish just yet.  How long your tank remains empty will depend upon what stage your water is in with respect to the nitrogen cycle.  Without boring you with too much science, you will typically see a spike in ammonia (which is lethal to fish and corals) within a few days of setting up the tank.  That toxic ammonia will be converted to somewhat less toxic nitrite, and eventually to relatively harmless nitrate.  The process can take anywhere from 7 to 50 days, and can be sped up with the use of bacterial additives or by seeding the new aquarium with a little sand or live rock from a healthy existing system.

The only way to know where your levels are is to test your water frequently with a good test kit.  Once you see zero ammonia and nitrite, and the resulting spike in nitrate, you’ll be ready to do a large water change (to reduce the nitrate) and begin stocking your aquarium with fish.  Best to stock slowly and start with a few hardy fish (such as damsels or cardinals).  When they are settled and doing well, you can slowly add more fish and eventually invertebrates like corals and shrimp.

It’s difficult to wait to stock your new aquarium, but patience and attentiveness really are the keys to success.  If you have any saltwater fish tank questions, please let me know.  I’m offering free aquarium advice with any new SEM or SEO campaign!

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Do you trust your marketing partners?

by with No Comment Internet Advertising

About 3 weeks ago I was on the phone with a prospective SEM and SEO client.  They’re currently working with another agency for both their SEO and their pay-per-click marketing, and they were very frustrated by what they were receiving in return.  I asked the usual questions: “what is your monthly investment”, “how long have you been doing this”, “what kind of results are you seeing”, etc?  What I was told shocked me.

This prospective client has been working with an agency partner for the last 12 months, and in that time they have paid them tens of thousands of dollars to market their services.  Aside from the obvious problem relating to the lack of results, this company told me that they had never seen a single monthly report, and had never even been told which keyword phrases were being used on their behalf.  In short, they were paying thousands of dollars each month and were completely blind as to how their investment was being allocated.

I wish I could say that experiences like these are isolated, but the truth is that we hear this all the time.  There are a lot of shady companies advertising their services on the internet, and if your marketing partners are not sharing reporting data with you, then they’re clearly hiding something.  At the very least your company should be receiving reports each month telling you what keyword phrases are being used, and where they are ranking on Google.  Anything short of that, and you’re being taken advantage of.

It can be difficult to ascertain which companies are white-hat and which are not, but a clue can often be found in how long a company has been in business.  If the company hasn’t been around long, it doesn’t mean that they’re shady, but you don’t have the benefit of longevity to rely upon.  DanMatt Media has been around for a full 21 years, and you don’t stay in business 21 years and counting if you’re not taking care of your customers.  If you’re looking for great online marketing services, and a company you can trust, give us a call or send us a website inquiry.  We’re here to help!

 

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What are you looking for in an agency partner?

by with No Comment Internet AdvertisingOnline Marketing

Typically I write one of these blog posts a month.  They usually take the form of an essay on either work-related topics, golf, or a timely event (like last month’s entry on March Madness).  But for the month of April I thought I might try something different.  Namely, I’d like to ask the handful of people who read my blog posts what they are ideally looking for in an agency partner.

Giving our clients the services they need at the prices they can afford is a difficult balancing act.  Often the budgets we have to work with are less than what we would like to have in order to guarantee success, but I’d like to think we do a good job with what we’re given.  If you’ve read these posts you know that customer service and transparency are a key component of our agency, and every DanMatt Media client receives both no matter how much they’re spending with us.

But what I’d really like to find out is where our future clients place their priorities.  Is price the most important factor when choosing an online and offline agency to help grow your business?  Is expertise and business acumen the first thing you look for when you select an agency to partner with on your digital marketing campaign?  Are you looking for a balance between the two?  Is your ROI the deciding factor when you make your choice?

I would like to invite anyone reading this post to share some quick feedback on what you would look for in an agency partner.  It’s always helpful to have outside opinions, and we welcome them.  You can send your feedback to info@danmattmedia.com, and I promise you it will be read, reviewed, and taken to heart.

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Dealing with disappointment

by with No Comment Internet Advertising

When I got out of professional golf and into online marketing I took a job at a digital agency here in Denver.  I was in a sales/business development role and I vividly remember my boss telling me how difficult it is to be a sales person.  He told me that there would almost assuredly be more downs than ups, but that I had to stay positive and weather the storm.  I wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time, but within a couple of weeks I quickly found myself agreeing with him.

Simply put, sales is hard.  I can’t tell you how many times our business development staff (which includes me) have been ignored, hung-up on, yelled at, and even cursed at.  You’d be amazed at how nasty some people can be over the phone.  And what always frustrates and baffles me are the potential clients who say they are ready to move forward, but then mysteriously never return a phone call or email again.

Dealing with disappointment is a part of life, and it’s definitely a part of business.  Especially when you’re in a sales role.  I won’t lie to you.  I get down when we lose out on a project to a competitor, especially when I know that competitor will not do a good job for the client.  I get down when a deal looks promising and then for some unknown reason I never hear back from the prospect. And I get down when a project doesn’t perform as well as we had hoped it would.

Getting knocked down is just an occupational hazard of being in sales, but over the years I’ve found it’s best to stay positive and to keep things in perspective.  I try to look at all the deals that have fallen through as a way to weed-out the projects that weren’t meant to be.  I try to look at the rude comments and the lack of responses as a way to weed-out the clients that wouldn’t be a good fit.  And I try to remember that DanMatt Media always puts our clients first, even when that isn’t the most attractive option for us.

Staying positive can be awfully hard to do sometimes, but it’s the lifeblood of any good sales person. The next time I get down at work I’d appreciate it if someone would remind me to re-read this blog post!