Marketing a small business can be a tough task to juggle for any owner.
Even if you have a person whose job is dedicated to today’s many marketing tasks – website management, social media, search engine optimization, advertising and more – the various strategies and methods can seem overwhelming.
Owners have to know which of those tactics work [...]
A sound content marketing strategy can deliver very real results for your business.
What kind of results? We’re talking increased brand visibility and customer loyalty. Through a variety of media, content can set your business up for more success.
That’s why every business should invest in content marketing. That means developing a strategy and g [...]
A business’s website is only as good as its SEO.
SEO, which stands for search engine optimization, is the key component of any website that attracts web traffic through search results. Without SEO, those visitors cannot be converted into customers.
But not every website prioritizes SEO as much as they should. These companies and organizations are l [...]
Social media has a ton of benefits to offer businesses and brands that understand how to best use these platforms.
Even in tough or uncertain times, such as those that the entire country is experiencing during the new coronavirus (COVID0-19) outbreak, businesses can reach new or existing customers with effective messaging on social media.
Right now, [...]
Nailing down a solid search engine optimization strategy is often an attempt at hitting a moving target. The process of developing a successful SEO strategy constantly requires monitoring and tweaking in order for it to achieve the desired results.
Certain strategies that have proven to be consistent best practices, such as choosing the right keywor [...]
Email marketing is one of the best ways to reach and build stronger relationships with your customers. Not only do most people check their email many times each day, they also readily engage with the messages that land in their inboxes.
For businesses, that practically screams opportunity. Email marketing campaigns are an effective way to boost awar [...]
New year, new social media tricks. 2020 is almost here and the social media world continues to evolve.
From improved branding, better product discovery, different approaches to analytics, the continued growth of video and so much more, there is a lot for social media gurus to learn and adapt to this year.
Here are seven social media trends for 2020 t [...]
Business owners know that the best marketing and advertising campaigns reach potential customers at the moment they are looking to buy. With many consumers researching products and making purchases online, successful marketers spend their advertising dollars online.
That’s where pay-per-click advertising comes into play. Pay-per-click (PPC) advert [...]
Blogging is no longer just a hobby for writers wanting to get their content noticed on the internet. Any more, it’s seen as a respected tool for providing many highly desirable benefits to businesses of all sizes and industries.
Want proof? Take a look at these stats compiled by SEO Tribunal:
Businesses that blog get 97% more links to their website [...]
Successful social media strategies find ways to break through the clutter of posts, photos, messages, ads and every other type of content vying for users’ attention on social networks. As with other marketing and advertising strategies, successful social media posts rely on compelling and convincing calls to action to drive engagement.
However, dr [...]
Internet users have been using mobile search more often than desktop for almost four years now - and there’s no turning back. Mobile search activity climbed ahead of desktop searches in 2015.
However, desktop search is not dead. Even though it has been surpassed by mobile, desktop search activity has still increased. This clearly means website man [...]
Don’t ever believe anyone who tells you email marketing is dead. It has never gone anywhere and, if anything, it’s as effective as ever. That’s because so many people continue to use email as a go-to method of communication, even with the rise of many social media platforms.
If your business doesn’t have an email newsletter or email marketin [...]
If your business is not using social media to drive sales, then it is time to get on board.
By now, social media use is the norm for businesses small, medium and large. Many have long used popular social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and more as a convenient, new marketing tool.
In fact, social media has always been a great [...]
Keywords that drive clicks used to be the primary components to successful pay-per-click advertising campaigns.
Times have changed, though. More and more emphasis is placed on audience targeting. This strategy allows businesses to define more clearly who they want to see their ads while they are visiting websites or using search engines.
The ability [...]
As the photo and video sharing platform has increased in popularity among general users, businesses have begun to follow. In the United States, 71% of businesses have Instagram accounts, according to the social network’s own numbers.
And users are interacting with those businesses. Over 200 million users reported visiting at least one business pro [...]
Most businesses invest time and money into email marketing efforts, according to a survey from The Manifest. Among the 500 digital marketers they surveyed, 69 percent reported that the business they worked with spent resources on email marketing.
Many of those businesses sent out marketing emails regularly. According to the survey, the top two reaso [...]
The best content is created following a thorough keyword research process. How you incorporate those keywords into your website's content and other content marketing channels will decide whether you see meaningful results.
Let's unpack what it takes to identify the best keywords and how to incorporate them into your content marketing.
Social media is an ever-changing game. Top brands and businesses know they need to stay ahead of the curve to make sure the right audiences see their content on social platforms.
And, as savvy social media marketers know, that means adjusting to those who make the social media game rules: the platforms themselves.
According to Recode, Facebook, Twitt [...]
Did you know there are 63,000 searches on Google every single second?
With so many searches every single day you want to make sure your site is on the radar. Unfortunately, it's easier said than done.
It has become more and more important to get a strong handle on SEO than ever. In this article, we'll break down 8 SEO mistakes that could be hurting y [...]
Many businesses believe online success starts with a stunning website. While this assumption isn't wrong, it's only half the formula. No matter how impressive your website may be, it means nothing if no one can find it.
According to Internet Live Stats, Google alone produces more than 5 billion searches every single day. However, the competition is [...]
Knowing you have finite resources, should you invest in SEO or PPC? Should you invest in the manpower for a successful SEO campaign or deal with the upfront costs of Google Adwords?
It's easy to see this as a black and white SEO vs PPC comparison where it's one choice against the other. Keep in mind that if you want to start to know how to start an [...]
If you run an online store, you've probably had some of your customers ask if you take bitcoins as a form of payment. Reading around the web, you know that it's a digital form of currency, but it's also used for nefarious reasons on darknet market. Bitcoin popularity has increased as more people want a way to pay without using credit cards or tradi [...]
PayPal is probably one of the most convenient ways to take payments on your website. Sign up, verify your account and convert it to a business account -- that's all it takes to get started. In a couple of days, you'll be ready to take orders on your website. Even with its popularity, PayPal still has some downsides to its convenience. Before you de [...]
It's no secret that content is king when it comes to performing well in SEO. But, many people start a blog to boost their site rankings without understanding why it's such an effective tool.
You can't blog just to blog; it's not enough to post a new article you've written if you haven't optimized it. You have to learn how to create a fully-optimized [...]
Google processes 40,000 searches queries each second, on average. If you want to show up in the search results, you need to be targeting keywords that are frequently searched.
Finding keywords to target can be a difficult task, that's why having a keyword planning tool is so important. The right keywords can lead to more visitors to your website.
The [...]
Effective website design is essential to any SEO marketing strategy. The way we consume online versus printed material is different, so website design needs to be done with these considerations in mind.
What makes an effective design? How can you be sure that you are doing your best in this department? Let's explore top tips, strategies, and styles [...]
Did you know that Facebook is reaching 2.2 billion monthly subscribers? And that 4 million businesses pay for advertising on Facebook?
These are hard numbers to ignore if you're a business trying to gain some traction and grow as a company. Nowadays you're behind the curve if you don't have a social media marketing campaign for your business.
But cre [...]
This is the simplest fact of the internet age: if you want your website to be found, you need to be visible.
And the only way to be visible on the web is to follow great SEO practices.
While the "rules" of good Search Engine Optimization may change through the years, the importance of following them doesn't. You'll get more clicks, more engagement, a [...]
If you're a content marketer or a small business owner, you know how tough it is to keep churning out great content. But publishing lots of material is essential if you want to build a good reputation and get found by customers. Luckily, if you've already got a catalog of blog posts, videos, and other content on the web, you don't always have to co [...]
With most small businesses devoting an average of $75,000 a year to digital marketing, measuring your ROI is a must.
If you've been paying attention to trends in marketing and search engine optimization, you know that content marketing is huge this year. If you're focused on content marketing ideas to boost SEO, you're on the right track.
Search [...]
Too many of today's business owners blindly follow the advice they find on social media. Just because a supposed thought leader shares something, they assume it must be true. They don't take the time to carefully examine the information they're being fed, to understand whether a claim is valid or a half-baked marketing myth that doesn't hold up und [...]
What is the difference between day-to-day social media engagement and an actively managed social media campaign? Many business owners who advertise their brand on social media keep up to date with publishing, responding to comments, and attracting likes and leads. But this type of unfocused activity differs from the plan to launch an active social [...]
Were last quarter's profits a little bit lighter than you would have liked?
Are you concerned that your competitors are consistently outranking you in search engine results?
Do you feel like you're just not making the kinds of connections with your target market that you'd like?
If so, then it sounds like it's time to give some serious thought t [...]
Imagine walking into a mall that has as many shops as there are websites in the world. There are over 1.3 billion websites worldwide. Seems like you would get lost and frustrated really quickly unless there was a way to find what you needed quickly and easily.
The internet is like walking into a giant mall. You have access to every website. This m [...]
As a business owner, you have to wear many hats. One of these hats is being a semi marketing pro, especially since this is an ever-changing industry.
What works today may not work tomorrow. And new techniques you have yet to hear about may be the top method to use next week.
Staying abreast of the ever-evolving world of digital marketing is key t [...]
Businesses both big and small thrive during the holidays. The holidays are simply the perfect opportunity to grow your brand. This is the time of the year when people are most willing to part with their hard-earned money. Small business can take advantage of the holidays just as well as big corporations. Holiday marketing for small businesses invol [...]
Instagram is an incredibly valuable marketing resource for today's business owners. With 800 million users as of September 2017, the potential to market your business on the platform is huge. But how do you leverage this traffic to grow your business? Here are 3 ways to boost engagement and grow your Instagram community.
1. Use Hashtags Wisely
Con [...]
SEO, in general, can be quite a daunting prospect if you're trying to promote your business and be seen by a wider audience, and one of the main things that may confuse is keywords, the words or phrases that people type when they're searching for something on the internet. Unfortunately, it's not just as simple as sticking any old word that relates [...]
Reckless email marketing is counterproductive, but spammers never give up. As a result, ISPs use aggressive strategies to tackle spam. Unfortunately, this makes things difficult for ethical email marketers. If you are an email marketer, email deliverability will always be a big challenge. That said, with the right strategies, you can still manage t [...]
There is a huge opportunity for small and mid-sized brands in social media right now, and it's called Facebook Video. Facebook's video platform is far more than a tacked-on video service. It is a direct competitor to YouTube, designed from the ground up to be an engaging user experience that drives significant viewership and ad revenue.
There are [...]
When it comes to marketing your products or services online, you need to be bringing a consistent stream of visitors back to your website. Whether you're attracting them through social media, forums or paid advertisements, your website is where all the magic happens.
Bringing a new visitor to your website means they can find more information about [...]
If you are looking for a way to grow your business without spending a ton of money on your marketing campaign, you might be wondering what you can do to reach your goal. Standard marketing platforms will require you to pay an ongoing fee. If you would like to keep getting web traffic, however, search engine optimization can provide you with targete [...]
If you want to optimize your digital marketing plan so that you can enhance your profitability but don't know what steps to take, pay-per-click advertising will help. Once you have set up your campaign and have targeted the right keywords, you will position your content in front of hungry prospects who are already interested in what you have to off [...]
Content marketing is still one of the most reliable ways to drive traffic to your site and bring interest to your brand. The approach takes time and a lot of effort, but the payoff is always worth it. However, content marketing isn't easy. It takes a certain amount of skill to come up with content that is both discoverable and useful for your targe [...]
If you are searching for a way to enhance your profit so that you can grow your business, you might be wondering where to start. Many people opt for paid advertising campaigns to get targeted traffic to their websites, but doing so is not always the most effective method. The moment you stop paying for your marketing campaign, your traffic will sto [...]
Facebook is perhaps the greatest traffic driver on the modern web, with over a billion active users providing rich hunting grounds for online marketers. Carefully crafted Facebook advertising campaigns can be extraordinarily effective, but there often comes a time when no matter how much spend you can devote to it, a campaign will start to see dimi [...]
Building a brand, marketing a business and selling products online can be extremely difficult, especially for new businesses, as competition for the attention of customers is high. However, there are ways to use your competitors to improve your content marketing, SEO (search engine optimization) and boost your own marketing efforts. Taking a little [...]
Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably heard that video is going to be an absolutely critical component of content marketing in 2017. Today's content consumer doesn't want to read blocks of text; they want their content delivered on their mobile devices in a quick and engaging manner. But where do you start with video marketing w [...]
Online shopping is continuing its rise in importance among shoppers of all ages this holiday season. With 46 percent of all shoppers saying that they plan on doing online shopping instead of going into physical stores, you have to have a solid online presence and understand how to catch as many of those shoppers as possible in order to meet your ho [...]
If you're on the internet with any regularity, you're surely familiar with the importance of social media marketing in the contemporary business landscape. However, a common mistake among business owners new to social media is that they only create posts that market their company to the exclusion of all other content. This presents a serious risk o [...]
What's the best way to prepare the health and success of your business in the long-term? How do you keep a steady (and growing) flow of new customers to your business without continuing to spend money on advertising or social media? Through the power of organic search!
Getting listed in one of the top spots on Google proves the success of your bus [...]
Snapchat is one of the most important tools for digital marketers and sponsored Snapchat posts are a major part of the platform's appeal.
Sponsored posts are created by popular Snapchat users but focus on products marketed by other people. As such, they are essentially a form of advertising but benefit from being concealed behind the persona of an [...]
Going live on Facebook with a video promoting your business is the best way to personalize your brand. It allows you to directly interact with your audience, which creates a strong connection with both prospective buyers as well as current customers. Having a ready-made, built-in audience on your profile page is a great asset, ensuring that your me [...]
The ultimate way to build up an engaged audience and a brand image that everyone starts talking about is Inbound marketing. With more power in the hands of the consumer than ever before, businesses need to work hard to build up their reputations and become thought leaders in their industries. It takes time to work your way up to recognition by way [...]
Accounting for almost a quarter of the total population and being more likely than any other age group to adopt new technologies, millennials present the most lucrative market of all. Young adults are also the driving force behind the changing consumer habits that are shaping the business world and, recognizing this, successful marketers are making [...]
No marketer can afford to leave Facebook out of their advertising strategy. With over a billion active daily users, the social network remains a key gathering place for the world's online shoppers, and the tools available to marketers on the platform are an incredibly powerful way to reach them.
When you are crafting a Facebook marketing campaign, [...]
According to industry leaders, 70% of revenue for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) comes from local clients and businesses, though most sales come from referrals rather than from pursuing solid leads. Customers seek local vendors for products and services because it's convenient, so it's crucial for you to implement strategies that help you grow [...]
As of February 19, 2016, Google stopped showing ads on the right hand side of its search results pages.
Google will now just show ads at the top and bottom of search results page. However, it may increase the number of top ads from three to four if the search query is "highly commercial".
The phrase “highly commercial queries” is vague but G [...]
One of the savviest moves you can make as a business owner is to understand the importance of content marketing ROI. While some brands are churning out content in the hopes that something sticks, smart business owners are stacking the ROI odds in their favor. Knowing which steps to take to improve the success rates for your content allows you to do [...]
The speed of the internet means marketers are constantly looking to anticipate new trends. Trends can be subtle changes or noticeable shifts, but the clear advantage is for those that can act swiftly. While many marketers seek out methods and tactics that are brand new, most trends are based on proven methods that have worked across all types of bu [...]
If you want to improve your business outreach efforts this year, you can't beat the benefits of business blogging. Not only does business blogging boost your SEO, it also feeds your social media marketing efforts and fills your customer acquisition funnel too. If you've hesitated to begin a business blog for fear of having nothing to say, it is hel [...]
Your online business has been steadily growing all year. You're pleased with your current rate of sales, but know you need to pick up the pace if you want to reach your yearly sales target. Rather than just hope your sales totals are up over Christmas, you can take the bull by the horns (or should that be reindeer?) and maximize the chances of a ph [...]
There is no denying that videos are one of the most powerful tools in an online marketer's arsenal. A video's ability to engage viewers and elicit an emotional response is second to none. With an exceptional video, you can build your brand presence, generate tons of leads and even perform better on the search engines. However, before you start the [...]
A new era is being formed and is opening all kinds of possibilities and results for marketing. Instead of buying ads, email lists, sending direct mail or other traditional marketing methods, inbound marketing focusses on creating compelling content strategies, advanced search engine optimization and active social media management to better position [...]
When it comes to the SEO landscape, the only thing that's constant is change. Do you remember the good old days of guest posts and article directories? Tactics that used to send your pages soaring in the rankings are virtually useless today, and some outdated strategies can even get you in trouble with Google. Staying on top of the latest SEO trend [...]
Over the past few years, technology has enabled professionals and organizations to take their business to a whole new level. Marketing automation is one such advancement. Marketing and sales teams have been scrambling to understand and leverage this new technique to their advantage. The reality is that automating the marketing process is not a sing [...]
Back in February, Google announced that an update would be made to its search engine to reflect the greater use of mobile devices. The update went live in April 2015, and since it’s announcement, it has caused some concern in the SEO community. It has been given the dramatic name of “Mobilegeddon” by some SEO gurus.
The rapid rise of smartph [...]
Having your visitors get as far as the checkout and then losing them can be very frustrating, but it happens a lot more than most people think. According to comScore, around two thirds of shopping carts on retail websites are abandoned before a purchase is made, and while this is quite often due to comparison shoppers visiting without any intention [...]
Google is well known to change it's algorithms to provide the best possible search results to it's users. Over the years, Google has created new algorithms such as Panda, to stop content farms who put out poor quality content. In 2012, Google released it's next algorithm named Penguin. This new algorithm took into account sites linking to poor qual [...]
We all want our websites to look as unique as possible whether it's to show off our creativity or give our brand a memorable image that sets it apart from the rest. However, the importance of functionality and user experience should never be put before flashy visuals and daring design styles. In order for a website to succeed, it also needs to have [...]
The digital age opens up all kinds of possibilities for marketing and advertising. Inbound marketing uses social media to promote businesses and their products. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and others which allow people to connect with each other are also powerful marketing and advertising tools.
The idea behind inbound marketing is to pu [...]
Here's a look at our new sign for our Algona office. We are located at 114 North Dodge Street. We look forward to working with the businesses in North Central and Northeast Iowa.
Our location in Algona offers all of same great services we have been providing for over 15 years: Web Design, Print Design, Custom Programming, Mobile Development, Hosti [...]
Marketing videos are a very powerful way to engage your potential clients and get visitors interested in what you are selling. Good videos can also increase your brand recognition and assist in lead generation. A successful video marketing campaign will help you gain targeted customers who come back to your site repeatedly, provided you use the rig [...]
From everyone at Emagine, we wish you a Merry Christmas and extend our wishes for a Happy New Year!
This holiday season we are grateful for all of our clients near and far. Without them, we wouldn't be the company we are today. We are excited for our growth into Algona, Iowa. We opened a new location this year and are thrilled to be able to better [...]
We are delighted to announce that Emagine has expanded to open a new office in Algona, Iowa. The new office is located at 114 North Dodge Street. Our expansion is going to help us better serve our clients in North Central and Northeast Iowa.
Emagine will help you make the right impact with quality and unique designs! We are forward-thinking indivi [...]
Every business can benefit from hiring an experienced individual to handle all of their social media and SEO needs. However, many business owners overlook this position and may even scatter the responsibilities across their workforce. Ultimately, this common habit overwhelms current employees and depletes productivity. These top reasons are why you [...]
It's common knowledge in business circles that social media sites can help your company rise above the competition. However, most business owners tend to focus on Facebook and ignore the other options. Did you know that using Twitter can also profit your small business? Here are five ways you can benefit from tweeting.
Customer feedback
Twitter ca [...]
As you may be aware, an Internet-wide security issue, commonly referred to as POODLE, has been identified in the last two weeks and affects anyone using older Web browsers that use SSL version 3 (SSLv3), specifically Internet Explorer (IE) 6. The POODLE attack (which stands for "Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption") is a man-in-the-middl [...]
Despite the online marketing world's current obsession with social media, email marketing is still as important as ever. A well-maintained mailing list can bring your company a lot of business and greatly boost customer retention. However, it is often difficult to get people to sign up for your mailing list. Here are a few ways to get people to sig [...]
As a small-business owner, you only have so much time to invest in managing social media accounts. Twitter and Facebook have definite value, but one platform all company owners must use is Google Plus. This community-centered social media tool offers several distinct marketing advantages for your company.
The Community-Centered Approach
Technically [...]
The Web is a constantly evolving medium where trends come and go every year, technologies advance and tastes change, but it wasn't so long ago that simply having a website in the first place meant that you were ahead of the curve. If you rely on your website as a tool for establishing your business's presence online, then it is crucial that you tak [...]
You have probably noticed that more and more people are surfing the web and checking their email on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. The explosion in the mobile device market has been hard to miss, and this has created some challenges for owners of online businesses.
The website that looks so great on a desktop or laptop computer might [...]
Facebook is the leading social media platform in the world. With over one billion active users, it presents many opportunities for businesses to expand and connect with their audience. You should make every post meaningful, but this can be difficult to accomplish. With these seven practical tips, you can boost your success and engage your Facebook [...]
Google may seem like a complex search engine on the outside; however, if you dig deep and really learn how it works, it isn't that complicated after all. As long as you feed Google what it wants, any business website should be able to take advantage of a higher search engine ranking because of it.
Regardless of what industry you're in, these are th [...]
Do you have a fantastic new product that you're ready to start selling? Making money from your product is a great goal, but sometimes launching a new product can be difficult. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can market your products online that will quickly lead to great results and an increase in sales.
1. Write guest posts for bl [...]
Many companies want to use social media to help build their business and familiarize people with their brand. However, misconceptions about social media can ruin a company's effort to gain new customers online. Here are five of the most common misunderstandings about social media and how organizations should act in an online world.
Misconception 1: [...]
With around 600 adjustments to Google's algorithm every year, it's inevitable that SEO best practices are constantly evolving. Since the Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird updates, every business trying to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) has had their work cut out. While the changes have had a massive impact on how digital marketers [...]
Nearly everyone around you carries an Internet-connected device. Maybe it's an iPhone, Android phone, iPad, Kindle or other tablet. Even some MP3 players such as an iPod touch have web browsers built into them. More then 2 billion of the world's population is connected to the Internet, and one-half of [...]
Try to find one person who hasn't heard of Facebook. Go ahead, I'll wait... It probably won't happen.
Facebook has over 618 million daily active users! Among those users are many businesses using Facebook Pages. Social media has become almost a requirement in today's internet world. Businesses who choose not to take part in the Social experience are [...]
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