The Dewalts

My sweet friend Kaytren got engaged last month. If you’re wondering how her wonderful fiancé, Darren, popped the question just reference every fairy tale ever written in the chapter about horse drawn carriages on snow-covered wooded paths and perfect sparkly rings.

Obviously, I’m a big fan of these two so I was very excited when Kaytren asked me to take their engagement photos. We ventured throughout Williamsport and Rose Valley along with my lovely assistant, Brianna, who has become a pro at (wo)manning the reflector. It is way too easy to take pictures of beautiful people who are completely head over heels for one another. You can see more images from the shoot here.

Digital vs. Traditional Marketing

Digital marketing has been rapidly stealing the spotlight from traditional techniques such as print, direct mail, billboards, etc. We’ve outlined some of the reasons for this change, and explained why this marketing strategy is not going anywhere.

Facilitates conversation – Marketing in the social sector allows for an exchange between companies and consumers. Questions can be answered, comments shared, and the ever-effective word of mouth promotion is simpler than ever.

Wider Reach – Digital marketing allows businesses both small and large to reach consumers all over the world, while traditional media costs limit this type of exposure.

Immediacy and Easily Measurable – We have all seen it happen online marketing campaigns have the potential to go viral overnight. Digital media, and the Internet allow this type of instantaneous spread to happen in a way that traditional is not able. Instant access and sharing abilities allow for digital campaigns to do in one day what a traditional campaign might take weeks or months to accomplish and evaluate.

Targeting – Tools like Facebook Graph Search allow marketers to narrow down their audience and target messages specifically to receptive consumers. By entering search queries like “friends from Connecticut who like running” a small sport shop can better communicate with potential customers.

Less cost – Social media is a free tool that is easily accessible and personalized for businesses. You can convey the same messages on these platforms and potentially reach customers more rapidly.

Find people when they’re looking – Search engine optimization allows companies to advertise to consumers when they are actively searching. This sort of marketing is not as obtrusive as traditional ads.

Social sharing – By marketing your products/services on social networks, your consumers and fans can easily share your message with their friends. This sort of free promotion is vital and you can let your consumers help you reach a wide audience.

Email Marketing Mayhem

Email marketing significantly contributes to successful online campaigns. Most major brands utilize email marketing to extend their reach and improve return rates. With the correct email marketing program you can be on your way to an effective email campaign. We’ve selected 5 great options and ran through the features that are important when choosing a program for your agency.

Campaign Monitor
This program often appeals to agencies because of the 10% agency discount, and early access to product announcement feature. This allows agencies to stay a step ahead of clients in terms of new innovation. Campaign Monitor is praised for its dashboard ,which is optimized for usability. They are very thorough in all of their fields so you can be error free when entering information. They integrate analytics and allow you to manage subscribers all in the same area so you can stay on one page and access all of your important data. Some key features of Campaign Monitor are the e-commerce integration as well as the ready to use (free) templates. Their pricing options are also unique in that you can choose a pay per campaign feature, ideal for your agency’s smaller accounts.

Constant Contact
Constant Contact offers 400+ customizable email templates a well as blank ones that you can directly code. The Facebook Fan Page app is a great feature that allows your fans to sign up for emails from your Facebook Page. The reporting data is very thorough and provides you with insights about bounced emails, complains, opt-out requests, forwards, and social sharing. Constant Contact offers several ways to import contacts, which saves a lot of headaches when you are just getting started. The pricing is based upon the number of email addresses and ranges from $15/mo-$75/mo for up to 10,000 email addresses.

MailChimp
Like Constant Contact, MailChimp offers countless email templates. In an effort to improve UX they implemented a drag and drop editor for quick and attractive emails, and their templates are even optimized for mobile devices, which is awesome. MailChimp encourages integration with other applications and offers an open API. Their reports provide data on number of clicks, top performing links, spam reports, etc. They also offer an iPad/iPhone app for on the go management, but they are lacking one for Android platforms. There are many pricing options with MailChimp, the most popular being the “forever free” which ensure customers that their free accounts are not going anywhere – a very smart move on their part.

SendGrid
SendGrid has options for just about anybody with features that mirror most of the aforementioned programs: advanced reporting and analytics, content monitoring. You are able to track requests, deliveries, bounces, spam reports, clicks, opens, unsubscribes, category tracking and more, all in real-time. Another perk is that SendGrid’s pricing is hard to beat you can send thousands of emails for less than $10.

A-Weber
A-Weber has less template options, but makes up for it with their integration with WordPress, PayPal, Eventbrite, and more. The program allows you to segment subscriber lists by location, opens, and what pages the subscriber visited on your site. They have custom HTML options and attachment features. However, you are unable to send surveys through A-Weber. Their panel is very easy to use and they offer a great sign-up form tool for an additional way to keep subscribers connected. A-Weber can only be used with a monthly fee, but the first month only costs $1, So it is not a huge investment.

The 10 Most Expensive Google AdWord Catergories

AdWords is the advertising system for search engine royalty, Google. This service with the help of partner site, AdSense, is responsible for 97% of Google’s revenue. To use the AdWords system advertisers enter into an auction setting, sans the fast-talking auctioneer, to bid on keywords relevant to their business. Once the price is right their clickable ads appear in search results containing the purchased keywords.

WordStream, a search marketing company generated a list of the top 20 most expensive keyword categories. The list was determined by three factors: number of keywords within each category, the estimated monthly search volume, and the average cost per click (CPC) for each keyword. The combination of these elements defines the rank of each listed word.

The top 10 words that net Google the most money are as follows:

Insurance
Loans
Mortgage
Attorney
Credit
Lawyer
Donate
Degree
Hosting
Claim

The price tags on these sought after keywords make all other advertising platforms seem a bargain. Ranging from $54.91-$31.91 per click. The cost per click system allows you to pay for views instead of paying a flat rate. Google helps you to adjust your cost-per-click bids to receive the most possible clicks within your budget, without breaking the bank.

Those dealing in insurance, mortgages, loans etc. may feel apprehensive about entering the rat race for these coveted words. However, it might be a good marketing decision for your business due to the search volume these words are receiving. Any keyword that appears in this ranking is a product/service that is in demand. The excess of competition means you’re dealing in a strong market, where there is profit to be had.

Online Reputations and Why They’re Important

Maintaining a positive online reputation is vital when it comes to driving customers to your business via the web. Being an active online contributor allows businesses to monitor reviews, complaints, and highlight compliments and praises.
Be Interactive, Not Reactive
The time to join online conversation is not when your business is getting negative reviews. You want to establish an online presence right away, so you can respond to every review timely and professionally. Keeping close tabs on web presence doesn’t have to be a long painstaking process if you choose to do a quick search everyday to see what your customers are saying.

Google Yourself
You should be Googling your business daily. It will give you a better look at where your SEO is ranking. It will also lead you to platforms such as Yelp, Urbanspoon, TripAdvisor, Yellow Pages, etc. Where you can find customer reviews and responding to them promptly. Encourage your customers and fans to review your business on these sites to boost your ratings. It is also important to claim your business on these review services, and update contact, website, and other relevant information.

Social, Social, Social
Maintain an account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and create content that is interesting to your fans. Chances are if you own a SMB you know a thing or two about a thing or two. Share that knowledge, and explore other topics that your customers might have in common.

The Accounting Software Showdown

Chances are you didn’t sign up to be an accountant, but keeping your books straight is vital in order to receive timely payments. There are a plethora of invoicing programs out there, and the options can seem overwhelming. We’ve broken down three of the most popular platforms out there: Harvest, Freshbooks, and Quickbooks to help you decide what best suits your needs.

HARVEST: Pros
The ultimate project management tool, Harvest allows you to create tasks, estimate the time your task will take. As you are logging hours it automatically subtracts the hours you have worked from the hours that you estimated. It highlights any time clocked over your estimate in red. This boosts productivity and is a good indicator when trying to stay within a certain budget.

Another feature that Harvest takes the gold on is their Dashboard. It gives you a great overview of your timeline, and for agencies with several clients this tool is refreshing and a great way to keep your head on straight. It shows you last month’s invoices, as well as what you have going on this month by listing what is finished and what is left. The dashboard also keeps a running total of your revenue for the current year, which is a great morale boost or a subtle kick in the butt.

Harvest has very convenient time tracking features including an iphone widget and an easily integrated toolbar timer. In the unlikely event that you forgot to stop your timer when taking a break Harvest tracks inactivity on your screen and prompts you to consider pausing the clock.

HARVEST: Cons
Recurring invoices do not exactly get along with Harvest. You cannot search or sort to find these invoices, which could be problematic for someone who has a lot of them.

You are unable to filter invoices, which can make what should be a quick task of pulling up a past invoice into a time consuming experience.

There is not a feature that shows you when a client has reviewed an invoice; this is a bit disconcerting when you are waiting to get paid.

FRESHBOOKS: Pros
Freshbooks is the cool kid on the block. It is likely the most popular online invoicing option with 3.5 million members, and for good reason too. It is one of the most seamless in terms of integration on multiple platforms. Freshbooks plays nicely with all sorts of management systems, web tools, and accounting software.

You can search for invoice with a variety of filters like invoice id, client name, date of creation, or status.

Freshbooks has an excellent report card tool that helps you to monitor how you’re doing versus your industry’s average. This is a great way to figure out where you are on the totem pole, and helps to judge when and where improvement is necessary.

You can talk to a human when you need help. When you call Freshbooks you are not greeted with a recorded message, and you won’t have to dial down the center to reach a qualified person. In this sense, Freshbooks had us at “hello.”

Freshbooks has a snail mail feature, which is nice when you’re dealing with clients who prefer the stamped and sealed version.

FRESHBOOKS: Cons
One problem with the Freshbooks program is that you cannot specify how long a task should take and compare it with your actual time spent. This is kind of like playing a soccer game without boundaries it’s hard to stay within non-existent lines.

The support ticketing system overall is a great feature, but it may not be ideal for you that it emails your client every time you update the ticket. It would be nice if this were an option instead of a requirement.

The price isn’t right (for everybody) the free plan only supports 3 clients, which is fair for a trial, but by no means sustainable for a growing business. The next step in the pricing plan is $19.95/month and supports 25 clients, which isn’t a heck of a lot more and still not a good long-term option for agencies whose business could exceed that at any given time. So, for most cases the $29.95/month option is your only choice – it gives you an unlimited client list. Most other programs give you this luxury much earlier in the pricing packages.

QUICKBOOKS: Pros
Quickbooks is the grandfather of all invoicing programs, and is the most comprehensive accounting solution out there.

It is undoubtedly the most thorough in terms of bookkeeping, and it’s likely that your accountant or bookkeeper (if you have one) uses Quickbooks. So, when it comes time to do your taxes or check up on your books it is easy to send files over to your accountant when you are using the same program as him/her.

Quickbooks has 5 different plans available starting at $12.95/month and all of those options have a free 30 day trial. So, it is likely you will find a shoe that fits just right.

It is compatible with iPhone, Blackberry, and Android. So, all of your bases are covered in that sense – you can’t expect everyone to be iLovers, and Quickbooks gets that and embraces all smartphones equally.

Quickbooks has most of the features of the previous programs listed. You can create track, manage, print, export payment information and more.

QUICKBOOKS: Cons
It isn’t exactly common sense, you will become quite close with your user manual when you sign up for Quickbooks. The other programs are more UX centered.

Tracking time for multiple people gets messy, and is nearly impossible. If you choose to use Quickbooks as a time tracking program your best bet is to have all of your billers track their time on paper, and have one person responsible for entering time. So, if you’re all about the trees Quickbooks as a time tracker may not be your best bet.

So what is the best?

That all depends on your needs. Are you a business that is looking for a friendly way to track time send invoices and stay organized? You might choose Harvest to best suit your needs. Is your client a mid sized business with multiple contractors and potential for growth? Give Freshbooks a try. Finally, if you are expecting large long term growth, go with Quickbooks. Chances are you will need an accountant eventually and this will make that transition nearly flawless.

If You’re Not Mobile You’re Missing Out

In today’s world having a website is no longer enough. Mobile is the new craze, and a good one at that! Making your information translate well to a 4”x2” screen is something you want to make happen as soon as possible. Mobile compatibility is not hard, in fact it can be a quick and easy way to boost relevancy, accommodate customers, and most importantly drive more business.

88% of consumers who search for a local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours. Here is what your business can do during those valuable minutes when consumers are searching for your business on mobile:

1.) Make It An Easily Navigated Experience
Your phone number, address, and other relevant information that people are likely searching for on mobile should be at the forefront of your page.

2.) Make Your Business Searchable On Google And Apple Maps
A good way to get started is to optimize as many directories as possible. You can start by running a directory report; tapping into these directories can increase your reach in a big way. Run a free directory report here.

3.) Social Media Badges
By having social media badges on your mobile site customers can easily browse your content and like/follow your pages with the tap of a finger.

4.) Incentives
Mobile coupons get 10 times the redemption rate of traditional coupons and you’re saving money by not having to run them in various print publications.

5.) Run Mobile Ads
Mobile ads get 3x as many clicks as traditional web ads, this is because when your user is searching for you on mobile they are ready to go. Supplement their readiness with an ad that they can relate to, and for SMBs this means proximity. By running ads to users 10-15 mi from your business you will experience more clicks.

6.) Offer Wi-Fi In Your Business
Customers will more readily like/review/tweet/check-in while at your business if it is not sucking up their data. So encourage them to do so and boost your business’s social credibility.

The SEO Shortlist

Content is King
Ask yourself what they would your audience like to read, and then write it. Creating quality, shareable content that interests your users will result in more shares, thus increasing your reach.

Streamlined URLs
The URL is where all the value is stored. Page scoring factors are all rolled up between the www. and the .com, and then stored as an important field in the search engine databases.

Be Useful
You need to figure out what users want, because that’s where search engines are going. They are a service for the people, and in order for Google to capture an audience their search results need to be filled with valuable information.

Optimize Everything
Your web person should have their hands on every piece of information created about your company. Not only is it more relevant content, but he/she can be sure it includes the necessary keywords. Whether it’s a menu or a press release it has the ability to become a vehicle for keyword distribution.

Stay Social
Do not underestimate what social media can do for SEO. A quality social site is easy to maintain, and does not require any cost. These platforms are exciting to be a part of because they are constantly developing new technologies which can help to grow your customer base and boost revenue while simultaneously boosting your SEO.

Social Marketing Tools

Staying on top of social marketing is vital for successful campaigns. Your brand’s responsiveness, frequency, and message on social sites can be a lot of work to maintain. That’s why using a social media management tool might be a helpful solution to staying on top of things. We’ve chosen 5 platforms that serve different needs, they provide options for just about any scenario an agency may encounter.

Hootsuite is the most widely used tool for both individuals and businesses. It’s great for tracking conversations, and measuring results. Its best feature is definitely the single screen dashboard, which can feature up to 30 social profiles. The basic plan is free, but there are some hidden costs when you starting fishing for features such as analytic reports and the ability to host multiple users. The Pro plan ends up being $9.99/mo, and includes two user accounts and up to five social profiles. However, the cost is well worth it for the peace of mind.

TweetDeck is a web and desktop solution that monitors your Twitter feeds. Its powerful filters help you find content that is relevant to your brand. TweetDeck is owned by Twitter, it is a free tool designed to simplify managing multiple accounts. Unlike Facebook Twitter doesn’t allow multiple accounts under one user, and TweetDeck is the solution to logging in and out multiple times to manage all of your profiles. As the name suggests this tool only works with Twitter. We would not advise using it if you are also managing Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+ pages.

Buddy Media is a very thorough tool for global agencies. You can effectively manage your global content with features that allow you to publish content by language, country, or target market. The powerful analytics and metrics can help agencies understand trends, demographics, and conversion rates. Also, a great tool that Buddy Media presents is the template feature that helps to maintain consistency throughout posts, and different sites. This is a tool really aimed towards big agencies with global clientele.

Radian6 is known for its comprehensive awesomeness. It offers social listening and engagement tools, and also has advertisement capabilities. Radian6 is made for big agencies with large teams and an established social media force. It is an ideal choice if your agency already has Salesforce, because it will seamlessly integrate social data with the Salesforce CRM. With packages starting at $600/mo for basic Radian6 is not a wise choice for smaller accounts.

Sprout Social is a great management tool known for its excellent user interface. It offers a single stream inbox that helps you to unify all your social channels and profiles into one feed. That way you can stay on top of all of your interactions and never miss a message/comment. This platform allows you to schedule posts and messages to LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. However, it is not yet compatible with Google+ or any email marketing tools. Sprout Social is also know for its feedback, after you have set up your account they pull together your follower demographics and make suggestions for improvement.

SXSW Interactive 2013

This year SXSW was bigger than ever – 300,000 people attended Austin’s famed conference boasting big name speakers and companies such as Bill Gates and Google. Though it was quite overwhelming we did walk away from the mega-convention with a wealth of knowledge about technology and we had the opportunity to network with a variety of inspired individuals.
Keynote speaker Bre Pettis and creator of Makerbots started off the week with an announcement introducing the MakerBot Digitizer, which allows users to scan 3D objects about 8 inches around and 8 inches high and eliminates the need for computer aided design or CAD. He spoke of different industries using Makerbots 3D printing technology – from creating sets for Broadway to developing parts for prosthetic limbs. These printers have the ability to change the way we create in a very big way.

We combed through a pile of exhibits at the coveted four-day long trade show, and found that tons of the thinkers behind the startups and companies present were creating cutting-edge apps that would make everyday life easier or more fun (given the funding.) One of the most notable being PartyTapper: this app allows you to request songs from live events, experience parties remotely and, share photos/videos from events.

The abuse of QR codes was a hot topic of conversation with Scott Stratten, author of The Book of Business Awesome/Unawesome. He spoke about the misuse of these informational squares in settings such as billboards, buses, bananas and lost dogs. One particular setting was on a Chiquita banana and the sticker said scan qr code for recipe, so he tried it and a video popped up with the message: “sorry not playable on mobile device.” This was just one of many hilarious examples of failed QR codes. Overall, he believes there are very few settings where QR codes are not a nuisance.

Casey VanFleet

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