make your marketing more effective Archives - Digital Marketing & Website Design Firm

6 Ways to Succeed or Fail in Digital Marketing for Your Business

June 28, 2020 By Matt D'Rion

A couple of years ago, I was a guest on Small Biz Radio here in St. Louis and the hosts asked me for the most common marketing mistakes businesses make. They also wanted to know what are the most common strengths or weaknesses in executing a digital marketing plan – and what constitutes a good digital marketing plan for website design, content management, Google ads, email marketing, and more.

We went into detail on this on the program and came out with 6 key points – I have summarized them all for you.

Worried about the economy? Write a blog for new customers

March 18, 2013 By Chad Lane

According to a recent survey of small business owners, their number one concern by a large majority was getting new business despite a weak economy.

We know that to get new clients, a business must promote. That is the first step. However, this can seem like a catch-22 when money is tight. Blogging provides a viable, long-term solution to promotion woes – and they can be done for free.

Each small business owner has some expertise to offer to the community in the form of a blog. There are potential customers and fans right now searching the internet to find the answers to very specific questions that can best be answered by small business owners dedicated to their craft.

Now that “Google” is a verb, we all daily interact with the internet to find answers to questions that we would have never bothered to ask several years ago – but now it seems that someone, somewhere, is willing to answer even the most minute question.

This is why blogging is a magnificent strategy for the small business owner. While it is certainly not an overnight strategy, it is effective. The people who find your blog about your interests and areas of expertise are going to be a pre-selected group of individuals, intensely interested in what you have to say.Continue Reading

What the Nook Taught Me About Marketing

January 2, 2013 By Chad Lane

I learned a little lesson about marketing from an aborted Nook purchase over the holidays that I thought I’d share with you.

A year ago, I purchased a Kindle. I bought it used. As a Craigslist devotee, I arranged the furtive exchange of a Kindle for cash in a well-populated area, feeling like a spy on the lookout for my contact during the deal.

I was instantly pleased with it. Purchases were an easy process. Turned it on, connected to the internet, and within minutes I had made my first purchase. Based on my browsing history and purchases, Amazon has become uncannily accurate with its book recommendations.

My daughter requested a Kindle for Christmas.Continue Reading

Be Your Own Best Critic

December 19, 2012 By Matt D'Rion

Recently we embarked upon a massive project for a new client. We were hired to research and create the perfect marketing plan for the coming year; these two steps, Research and Market Plan Creation, are the first two in the bread and butter of our business (the next two being Implementation and Marketing Management).

This wasn’t a client in dire need of help due to a failing business; this was a client which is prosperous and has aggressive growth plans. They needed a cohesive marketing strategy, based on research and real world work-ability. They needed
metrics and measurable results and the ability to see with a glance if something was working or not.

As we went through the process we asked ourselves (and each other), “What are we missing?” and “Is this as great as it can possibly be?” Many times sending each other back to the drawing board with the friendly command “You can do better, go do better.” Continue Reading

Why Seth Godin is Awesome – and Why You Should Care

December 6, 2012 By Chad Lane

Seth Godin is a world-class author and marketing expert. His blog is one of the few that I read every day when it arrives at my inbox. His ideas are worth paying attention to and offer enough inspiration to be profoundly valuable.

He frequently blogs about building a tribe, a group of people who support what you do and who are invested in your success – they are part of your personal team.

“This is great, we all know that,” you may say, “But how do I devote the time and attention – among the myriad things that take my attention every day – to build that tribe? Shouldn’t people just fall in love with my product? Isn’t that enough?”

No, it’s not enough. Even if your product is absolutely superior in every way, another suitor for your customer’s attention is always in the wings. Even the legendary Odysseus had to fight off Penelope’s 108 suitors after his absence. And if Odysseus was forgotten, it is a guarantee that you will be as well.

I received insight into how we all can afford the time necessary to build our tribes today – and that it doesn’t require anything at all beyond resources that we already have. Continue Reading

Referrals: Low Cost, High Reward

September 2, 2012 By Matt D'Rion

Measuring advertising success:

The reason to spend money on advertising is to get new clients or to make new sales from the old clients.

Why, then, do we allow ourselves to be sold “impressions?”

If 1,000 or 100,000 people see our offer yet no one buys, it makes no difference how many people saw it.

The only measure of success of advertising ought to be “sales,” “new clients,” or “income” – something that directly demonstrates effectiveness of ads.Continue Reading