Color in Branding

Does the color of your company’s logo really play a role in consumers’ purchasing decisions? How much research goes into finding the perfect colors to convey your brand’s message? Read more to learn the importance of choosing your brand’s colors and how to narrow down the choices.

Think back on your most recent purchase. Any purchase. What made you choose that specific item? Did you research brands? Did you go with a gut feeling? Were you persuaded by the name or by interesting graphics on the packaging? According to a study performed by Satyendra Singh with the University of Winnepeg, up to 90% of snap decisions related to purchasing a product are based on color alone. So while some people may argue that a specific color doesn’t affect people the same way across the board, it certainly can influence someone’s decision making process.

Hundreds of studies have been performed to try to link certain colors to specific emotions. Blue, for example, is supposed to portray trustworthiness and loyalty. So why don’t all businesses have a blue logo? Aren’t they all supposed to be trustworthy? Similarly, if yellow is supposed to be a happy color, why don’t all logos incorporate the color yellow? Doesn’t everyone want to do business with a happy company?

The truth is, a single color isn’t going to have the same effect on every single person. You can’t expect color alone to influence someone’s emotions. Perceptions of color can vary based on personal preferences, cultural norms, past experiences and more. However, that doesn’t mean that picking your company’s color isn’t important. It just means you probably shouldn’t choose your color based on what an article tells you people should feel when they see that color.

For example, let’s say you’re starting a tool company. According to Leonhard Willrich, Co-founder and COO of Buffer, pinks and purples invoke feelings of creativity and being wise. That sounds great, right? People who use tools often have to be creative and wise. However, does pink or purple really “match” the brand identity you’re striving for? What is your target market? For a tool company, you’re probably marketing to mostly men between the ages of 25 and 65. Do you think adult men would identify with pink or purple tools? (There are exceptions, of course. But think of the majority of the men in your target market.) Perhaps darker, more “rough and tough” colors are in order, like blacks, browns and navy blues.

It’s important to consider what image you’re trying to portray through your products. Does this mean that traditionally female products always need to be pink? Absolutely not. Ask BIC about their latest fiasco with their “For Her” line of pens. What it does mean is that when considering a color to use in your company’s logo and branding, instead of focusing on how colors may or may not affect emotions, pay attention to who your target market is and what image you want your brand to portray. Is it fun and innovative? Perhaps choose a bright, fun color. Is it calming and serene? Pick a pastel. If your product is able to be used by both men and women, steer clear of colors that will pigeonhole your product into a gender specific category. When in doubt, ask friends and family for their opinions!

If you are considering giving your brand a facelift, contact TRIO today! We offer a free consultation to help you create a new vision for your brand and offer various branding packages to help you seamlessly transform your company image.

References:http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/00251740610673332http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonhard-widrich/why-is-facebook-blue-the-science-of-colors-in-marketing_b_4611907.html

Improve Upon Your Customer Experience Through Marketing

Is your business’s customer experience better than your competitors? Are your customers leaving you for a company that is easier to do business with? Read more to learn about how valuable the customer experience is and how you can improve upon yours through marketing.

While planning your marketing for 2017, put the customer at the forefront of your strategy. Instead of focusing on selling customers on your product/service’s features and benefits, shift your mindset to that of your customers – Why do they want to engage with your company? Why are they reading or viewing your marketing material? How can you make it easier for them?

Gone are the days of treating every customer like a number. In today’s digital age, customers expect more. They want an experience that is consistent across all marketing channels. They want companies to use the information the customer gives them to provide more value and offer a personalized experience. Customer experience can set you apart from your competitors and can make or break a sale.

How can you make your customer experience smoother and easier? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Are you easy to do business with? How can I make it easier?Your customers have options, and they will take their business to companies that are easy to do business with. How can you better provide a superior and low-effort experience across their customer journey, such as customer onboarding, account changes and problem-solutions? The less effort it takes for consumers to accomplish their goal when they contact you, the more loyal they become.
   
   In Customers 2020 report it was predicted that by 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. In this upcoming year, work toward making your customer experience seamless. Marketing can help take the legwork out of your customer’s initial product or service research by reaching them when them right when they identify they have a need. Marketing can also provide new avenues of support for your customers, such as answering customer service requests on Twitter and Facebook.
2. Is your business’s web presence helping or hindering your customer experience?In today’s age, your web presence is as important, if not more important than your actual storefront.
   If your website is not optimized for mobile, that should be your #1 goal for 2017. According to Google’s SEO algorithms, the search engine severely docks your website for not being mobile responsive. Therefore, you are hurting your chances for your website to be found.
   Also, check your website, social media, and online listings to make sure no key information is missing. If your address, phone number or store hours are incorrect, you could be misleading your customers and losing potential business.
   Consider running a digital marketing campaign, such as Search Ads or Display Ads, to better connect your target market to your website. Digital marketing can hone in on your target market’s specific demographic and serve them an ad based on their needs that link directly to your website. From there, your website should clench the sale by directing them to the information or product they were looking for with an easy way to access it (whether it be an online cart or directing them to contact information on how to find your business).
3. What are some common themes in the feedback you have received from your customers?Listening to your customer’s feedback on their user experience is key for improving upon your current customer experience. Whether you solicit feedback from you customers specifically, or they voluntarily leave reviews of your business online, it is important to listen to their complaints and praises to learn how to make your customer experience better. Find common themes, such as “easy checkout process” or “could improve on customer service,” and take them to heart when planning your marketing for 2017.
   
   If you check out process is easy, how can you make it easier? Does your online cart save your shopper’s information so they don’t have to keep typing in their credit card number every time they buy? Would having a mobile app that individuals can access a one-click buying process benefit your customers even more? How can you make your in-store checkout process as easy as your online buying one?
   If you receive feedback on the need to improve upon customer service, how can you easily do this through marketing? Maybe it involves addressing customer concerns through social media? You could also increase your communication with your customers through regular e-newsletters or SMS marketing. When looking for ways to improve your customer’s experience, be sure there are many avenues for them to express their issues and concerns that are heard and responded to in a timely manner.

How your customers interact with your brand is growing in importance over time. Use 2017 to try new ways to make your company more accessible and convenient to your customers, and hammer out the hiccups as they arrive. They are looking for a seamless marketing experience that leads them through the product research stage, the purchasing stage, and the product feedback stage. For tips on how to better your customer experience through marketing, contact TRIO today!

So… What’s the plan?

The kids are back to school, the leaves are beginning to turn pretty colors, fourth quarter is right around the corner, and it is time to start thinking strategically about your marketing in 2017! Use September as the month to truly evaluate your current marketing strategies to understand what is working, what isn’t, and what you would like to try differently beginning January 1st.

As an organized, strategic business owner, you can make 2017 the BEST year yet because you have planned it to be! Taking your most successful marketing tactics of 2016 and building upon them in the upcoming year is a surefire way to continue to grow your profit and build upon your customer base. Now is the time to write a marketing plan that lays out what objectives you have for your business in 2017, and define marketing strategies and tactics to help you get there.

To start the planning process, take an afternoon to complete these few easy steps:

1. Reflect back on what you did in 2016 that worked in your marketing.
2. What didn’t work?
3. What was your overall ROI in regards to marketing?
4. PLAN – do more of what worked…and less of what didn’t

A “looking in the rear view mirror” review of your marketing can be a daunting task if you haven’t kept up with your goals, but it is important to analyze the past results to understand what progress needs to be made. That way, you have a better grasp of where you’re going in 2017 and what changes need to happen to get you where you want to be.

With a proper marketing plan in place, you will outline where you want to GO in your business, steps in how to GET there and ways to MEASURE the success of your plan. With the future mapped out, you will (no doubt) be ready to tackle 2017 like a pro.

Need help reflecting, planning and executing your marketing? Contact TRIO anytime for a free marketing brainstorming session!

TRUTH: 5 Reasons Why Your Advertising is Failing

So, you have started an advertising campaign and it’s not working. Why? What can you do about it now, since you have already started? Can you “jump ship?” Should you? Let’s examine the Top 5 Reasons Why Your Advertising Could be Failing!

1.) Targeting the wrong people, or too general of an audience

Before you started your campaign, did you really sit down and decide who to target your message to? Did you dive in deep enough to really narrow it down? Let’s look at an example: If you are a new car dealership targeting Business-to-Consumer (B2C) customers, you can narrow your target market by age, income, current car make and model, home ownership, home value, home location, hobbies and special interests, just to name a few! You must weed out those consumers who are not-as-likely-to-buy because you SIMPLY can’t afford to talk to “everyone who drives a car!” Use your current customers as a starting point to develop your Ideal Customer Profile!

McDonald’s, the leading Quick Service Restaurant in the world, narrows their target audience down by menu item! Does your company have more than one target market, based on your products and services?

2.) Your media schedule is spread too thin

Perhaps you aren’t putting enough “weight” behind your advertising campaign. Simply put…Don’t be cheap! Unless you have enough money to invest in a solid marketing program that will penetrate your target audience with enough Reach and Frequency, don’t do it! Listen to your media sales reps when they tell you “this schedule isn’t really heavy enough to work.” They aren’t just trying to sell you more (probably). They truly do care about your business!

My #1 pet peeve is working with clients who want to “test the waters” and “try” out a new medium. That is the worst idea you could have, because you won’t break through the clutter and make an impression on your target audience. You are better off taking your advertising investment and buying a scratch-off lottery ticket at the gas station! At least then you have some odds of seeing a return on your investment!

3.) Bad Creative

Sometimes you are targeting the right audience AND have invested the right amount of money in an ad campaign, and it is STILL not working. Maybe you’re not telling your customers the right thing! Do you have a strong Call to Action in your message? Are you talking your customers’ language, or are you using words that they don’t connect with? It’s time to examine your ad creative and see what can be changed!

To give you an extreme example of making sure you are “speaking your customers’ language,” an American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope’s visit. Instead of “I saw the Pope” (el Papa), the shirts read “I saw the potato” (la papa). Ha! Just a good reminder to double and triple check that you are advertising what you WANT to advertise!

4.) Internal weakness within your business – Signage, location, sales-force, product, service, etc.

One reason why companies fail miserably with their advertising campaigns is because they are terrible about following up on leads when they come in, or aren’t properly tracking where the leads are coming from! Every organization has a little of this going on, but now is the time to take a look at your internal procedures and make sure you are testing, measuring and tracking your leads properly and following up on each and every customer inquiry! This will ensure that you will only invest in advertising that gives you a good ROI in the future.

If you are tracking your conversion rate from a lead to a paying customer, you might also uncover some other weaknesses in your business. Perhaps your location is hard to find, or not clearly identifiable, or your product or customer service does not meet consumer expectations.

All of these things can make you believe your advertising is failing, when in fact…the advertising is working just fine – you just need to fine tune your processes!

5.) Your expectations aren’t realistic

Are you expecting a 1000% return on your investment? Do you think that if you drop a direct mail campaign that your phone will be ringing off the hook for months? Well, probably not. If you haven’t already done so, take a look at national response rate statistics for the mediums in which you are advertising. There are websites from organizations for every possible advertising medium. A simple Google search can help you find them, and they are chocked full of statistics to ensure you have realistic expectations for your advertising!

Did you know that the average national response rate for direct mail is 1%? So, if you mail 2,500 postcards, 25 people will respond. Now, depending on your conversion rate (national average is around 30%) that will be 7.5 new customers! Great job. Just make sure those 7.5 customers have a high enough average ticket sale and profit margin to give you a good return on your direct mail investment.

So, there you have it. Have you found the missing link to why your advertising is failing? If not, we can help! Call TRIO today at 515-259-0577 or email at Renee@TRIOagency.com. We can help analyze your current marketing program and recommend ways for you to become more efficient in your approach to earning more customers!

Graphic Design: How often does it sway your purchasing decision?

We all say we do not judge a book by its cover. Yet, when we go to the library, our eyes seem to stop at the book that has the brightest colors, the one that is the most-uniquely shaped, or the one  whose texture is different from the rest. These were all decisions executed by a graphic designer to stand out on the shelf, grab your eye, and to ultimately lead you to cracking open the spine. 

We judge “books” by their covers every day. Are you guilty of buying something specifically because of its cute packaging? Personally, one instance that comes to mind was the time I bought Olly brand vitamins. I went to the store not in the market for a new women’s multi-vitamin. When my eye caught Olly’s unique shaped container, bright colors, and label that called me its “new BFF,” I knew I had to have it!

What about the opposite? Have you scrolling through a store or website and were turned off by a company’s ugly logo, poor package design, or their distasteful use of the font Comic Sans?

If so, you have experienced the reality that graphic design can make or break a sale.

Graphic Design Makes You Unique

In today’s age, it is often the branding of our products that makes it unique. There are millions of multi-vitamins out there, just like there are millions of hair salons, restaurants, banks, etc. You know what makes you different from your competitors, but do your potential customers?

Customers first perceive your company and product at face-value, from what you send them in the mail, the information they pick up about your company at a trade show, what your website looks like, and how your logo and signage is displayed on your storefront. Graphic design gives your brand the fresh face you want to put forward. It creates a consistent image that fosters familiarity to your company. Used in a way that speaks to your consumers, they will choose your company over another, simply based on appearances.

Is It Magic?

Graphic design is not magic, rather a science combined with an art form. Google famously tested 41 shades of blue before deciding what shade attracts the most clicks on the search engine’s hyperlinks. That may be overkill… but it is not uncommon for a company to do market research before settling on a logo or look for their brand.

Understanding your target market will help you pick out a creative way to display the facts about your company, product or service. The vitamins listed above are perfect for 20-something women, yet that product would flop if the target market was intended for gruff, 40-something men who tend to look for more basic, straight-forward packaging and may opt for a basic generic brand. Strategy is key, and design is what brings it to life.

Looking to rebrand and give your company a face lift? TRIO can bring your brand to life through strategic branding and graphic design. Contact us today!

Social Media Advertising - Reach Your Target Market Where They Play

Most of us can’t go a day (let alone a couple hours) without scrolling through our newsfeed of choice to see what our friends, family, colleagues or social influencers are up to. Because the popular social media platforms are free for users, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Instagram rely on advertising for support. Based on feedback, most up-to-date platforms have seamlessly integrated ads into the user experience of the medium.

The beauty of social media is that almost everyone is connected to one site or another, regardless of job-title, age and interests. Out of the Internet’s 3.17 billion users, 2.3 billion are active social media users. Of these social media users, each person has an average of 5.54 social media accounts. From a 2016 Brandwatch report, its has found that there are 1.65 billion Facebook users, 400 million Instagram users, 320 million Twitter users, 300 million LinkedIn users and 100 million Pinterest users.

Depending on what you’re selling and who you’re selling it to, there are certain paid advertising opportunities that are better than others. Below is a quick overview of the five most common social media advertising platforms:

Facebook:

Facebook has a plethora of advertising options, depending on your desired call-to-action. Some of the most common types of ads encourage users to “like” a company’s page, visit their website, claim an offer, increase conversions on your website or raise attendance at an event. You set up your campaign based on what you are hoping to get out of it.

Facebook ads can specifically hone in on your target market, no matter how niche or how broad. With targeting options based on geography, gender, language, age, interest, demographics and behaviors, you can tap into all the data Facebook has stored on its users to promote your products or services to a custom audience tailored to your business. You can choose a daily budget or lifetime budget to best suite your advertising spend.

Facebook is also constantly upgrading its creative advertising features. Current trends includes getting the word out about your business through a video, and utilizing its carousel feature so users can swipe through multiple products or images within one ad.

Instagram:

To run an ad on Instagram, you’ll need a Facebook business page. Facebook acquired Instagram back in 2012, and has recently integrated an Instagram ad component to its Power Editor. When you create a Facebook photo ad, video ad or carousel ad, you will find that it also shows a preview of what your ad will look like on Instagram. When you publish your ad to show on Facebook, it will also post on Instagram.

Instagram uses the same targeting metrics as Facebook. When you select the location, demographics, interests and actions of your Facebook campaign, it will also target the same criteria on Instagram.

Twitter:

Twitter is a great advertising platform for business-to-consumer organizations and non-profits. If you regularly use Twitter for business, you understand how small your organic reach is per tweet. Because of the nature of Twitter, the more followers one has, the less likely they are to see your tweet. Promoted tweets sit at the top of the Twitter feed when someone first pulls it up.

To select your target audience, you can choose specific interests, geography, gender, device or users similar to your followers. You can even target specific keywords in people’s tweets. Set your budget and only pay when someone interacts with your post.

Creative for Twitter promoted tweets is the same as a regular tweet. Use your 140 characters creatively!

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is primarily a business-to-business organization platform. LinkedIn ads help you to reach the decision-making head honchos and is a great way to get directly in front of business owners or executive leaders. There are two types of ads: text ads and sponsored posts. 

LinkedIn text ads sit on top of your newsfeed, above your profile information. They are easily overlooked. LinkedIn sponsored posts, however, show up right in one’s newsfeed gaining a lot of exposure and interaction. 

LinkedIn sponsored posts are just like any other update on LinkedIn - consisting of text, photos and/or links. The genius lies in the precise targeting features that LinkedIn offers. The social media platform can specific target based on job title and function, industry, company size, seniority and more.

Pinterest:

Pinterest is a great advertising platform for retailers. When scrolling through your Pinterest feed, have you noticed the occasional post that seem to come to life? Similar to a flip book, Pinterest has invented this eye-catching way to capture its audience’s attention. Static promoted pins are also common for this medium.

Choose who sees your ad by compiling keywords that describe what you are selling. You can pick around 150 keywords for each promoted pin. You can also specify language, location, device and gender.

A majority of brands, both small and large, are utilizing social media to market their business. Paid advertising is a great way to engage with your target market and to ensure you stay top of mind when they are in need of your product or service. If you are interested in social media advertising, contact TRIO today!

Working With A Marketing Agency: The Inside Scoop

Clients often only understand the final product, and how it impacts their sales and awareness. They do not always know the robust strategy and all the moving parts your marketing partners put in motion to execute your marketing tactics. We’re giving you the inside scoop on what exactly marketing professionals do to get the job done… and how much of a value you receive by working with a marketing agency!

Below, we’ve highlighted three projects to show you the inner workings of life at a marketing agency: 

1. Commercial Production:
   This project requires a lot of pre-production planning! Before grabbing the video camera, your marketing agency brainstorms creative visual and audio ideas to get your message across. They start by creating a story board, which lays out frame-by-frame how your marketing partner envisions your commercial to look like. The agency will then pitch the concept to the client, sharing their vision with them.
   Once the concept is approved by the client, your marketing partner will then move on to shooting the video. This involves going both on-site and off-site to capture footage of your company and your products/services. It may also involve hiring talent to star in your commercial. Commercial video shoots can take up to a full day to capture the shots needed for a 30 second clip.
   The editing process is the most technical and time consuming part of the whole process. Trimming the snippets of video down to fit perfectly together can be daunting, and a strong knowledge of the editing software is needed for cutting-edge special effects. At this point in the process, marketing professionals will hire a voiceover to record the audio, or they will do the voiceover themselves.
   Once the commercial is completed, the last step is to buy media on the tv stations they would like it to air. Strategy includes understanding the client’s target market and buying tv spots during the times and programs that demographic tunes into.
2. Google Adwords:
   Top performing Adwords campaigns are supported by a strong strategy and small tweaks to the campaigns on a weekly basis. The planning phase begins with researching what keywords people are searching for to find your product and service, and putting together a campaign that will help you better measure success based on specific segments of your target market. Adwords planning also involves understanding the average cost-per-click of the keywords you’ve chosen in your market, and putting together a budget that will allow your ad to be seen without over-spending.
   Once the keywords are established, your marketing partner establishes geographical boundaries for your campaign. He or she will then create short ad copy that appeals to your target market and drives them to your website. With Adwords, your marketing partner will receive real-time data as how your ad is performing. When more data is available, he or she will find small ways to optimize your campaign, from swapping keywords to re-allocating budget.
3. Web Design:
   There is a lot of work that goes into website design and development, especially when created from scratch. Because nothing is more devastating than having your website or email functions crash, your marketing partner will work to select a reliable hosting provider that will be responsible for making sure everything is secure and working on the back end of your website.
   Next, your marketing partner will pick the right template that meets your needs, and install plugins that give your website functionality. With the rough outline of the site established, your marketing partner will then collect or create the information needed to fill your site with content. This content is then placed on pages formatted in a responsive structure, to make your site mobile-friendly. Other types of media, such as videos, photos and documents are uploaded or linked onto the site. Collecting and organizing information in such a way that your clients or customers can easily access them is essential, and this process takes a lot of planning and will have a lot of tweaks and changes.
   Before launching the site, SEO best practices are put in place and analytics are installed on the back end to track activity on the site. Your marketing partner will communicate with your site’s domain host provider when it comes time to launch, to switch your new site over and assure there are no big kinks in the process.

And if you think that’s a lot of work, we usually have multiple of these projects (and more) going on at the same time! No wonder there’s always coffee in the pot! We broke these projects down for you to show you the value you receive when working with a marketing agency. For the price that agencies charge for their services, clients have multiple staff members working on their projects sharing their time, talent and expertise to provide cutting-edge service and also deliver a well-thought-out strategy. If you are interested in the projects listed above, or anything else marketing-related, call TRIO!

Does your business need an app? Thoughts to consider.

If you own a business, chances are you have considered developing a mobile app. Before making the leap, read this blog. It could save you a ton of money.

Smartphones… we all have them (and some of us are on them more than we would like to admit)! The US adult spends an average of 3 hours and 8 minutes per day on their mobile device, excluding voice activities. Logically, some business owners might look at their target market’s cell phone usage and want to infiltrate the mobile space by creating an app. Reality may set in when you learn that the cost of developing a basic app averages around $25,000. Complex apps can easily cost six figures.

Before taking on this expense…

1. Understand how the average adult uses apps. The average adult smartphone user has 36 apps installed on their devices, though only 26% of apps downloaded are used daily. Ideally, you’ll want your business’s app to make the cut in both categories, but at the least, you want to make it onto their phone. Because of limited memory and data on one’s smartphone, your app will needs to serve a purpose and add convenience to make the cut.
2. Ask yourself if a mobile-friendly website will suffice. If the purpose of your app would be an easy place for individuals to seek information about your business, we recommend saving your money and optimizing your website for mobile. Sure, your business won’t sit on the home screen of your target market’s cell phones, but having an interactive mobile website will serve your marketing purpose without having to worry about app downloads. Consumers also first turn to their web browser to seek information instead of searching the app store.
3. Conduct a feasibility survey. Take the guess work out of how and if your customers would use your app, and ask them! Reach out to clients or customers you believe to be “rock star customers,” as well as those who only buy your product or service every once and a while to get an unbiased opinion on the functionality of your app.

Take a look at your own smartphone. What apps have you downloaded from other businesses? Maybe you have your bank’s app for easy mobile banking, your pharmacy’s app for one-touch prescription refills or your favorite airline’s app for checking in to your flight on-the-go. People keep apps that makes life a little easier for them, and helps them to do something they would have to do anyways as a loyal customer for your business.

For example, if you are an online retailer, a mobile app that remembers your customer’s account credentials could make shopping on your online store easier with one-click check out. Offering features they can’t receive on your website, such as daily coupons or a virtual try-on feature will entice them to utilize your app more frequently.

If you want to still capture the eyeballs of those using apps, but can’t afford the large expense, consider purchasing digital advertising within an app. Through the Google Ad network, many popular apps allow third-party ads. Ads will be displayed on the apps in various way.

If you are interested in learning more about various mobile marketing options, contact TRIO today!

Radio Advertising: Is It Right For You?

Have you ever wondered if radio would be good for your business? It seems pretty expensive…will it be worth it? What are the pros and cons to advertising on the radio? Read more to find out!

Whether it’s on your morning drive or playing on your desktop at work, most of us listen to the radio at least once a day. It’s on at the stores we shop at, it’s blasting from your children’s bedroom and its on at the dentist when you’re getting your teeth cleaned. So, should you advertise your business on the radio?

The first radio commercial hit the airwaves in 1922, and advertisement for AT&T. The telephone service provider owned station WEAF in New York that played an ad for itself. 94 years later, people still tune in to the radio to get their news, learn updates about the traffic, follow along to their favorite morning show personalities and listen to music.

For small to medium-sized businesses, the cost of a radio campaign may be at the top of your budget. To determine of radio advertising is right for you, consider the advantages and disadvantages of radio campaigns before making your decision:

PROS:

• Ability to target your specific audience. Different radio stations target different demographics with their format and the type of content they share. If you have identified who to target your product or service to, you can find a radio station that that age group/demographic is more apt to listen to. You can also select a specific time when your ad will run when your target market will hear it.
• The Speed of Air. Radio ads can be produced very quickly, unlike television ads. And unlike print ads, you do not have to wait for the next issue to come out. They are relatively easy to produce, so you can place the ad quickly. They are also easy to modify if you need to change your ad. Most radio stations will produce the spot and provide the talent for you as well at no charge.
• Harness the Power of Sound. Unlike print or digital ads, you can use sounds, voices and music to create an attention-getting message. Radio jingles or local celebrity voices can create a memorable impression. And, those listening to your ad will envision your story in their imagination, accessing the “theatre of the mind.”

CONS:

• Competition for Prime Time. Morning and evening commutes are key times when many businesses want their ads to run, and there are only so many spots to go around. This can drive up the cost for those choice time slots.
• Distracted Listeners. Radio is often background noise; most individuals are not just listening to the radio. You may be reaching your target market, but you’ve lost them if your ad is not creative or engaging. Keep in mind that you will need to run your ad more than a few times in order for it to make an impact.
• One Size Doesn’t Fit All. Radio may not be appropriate if your product needs to be seen or demonstrated to showcase its benefits. If your market is very niche, you may also experience a lot of waste with radio advertising.

When considering radio advertising, it is important to have a strategy and message in mind before running an ad. What do you want to get out of your radio campaign? Are you looking to hire a new employee, drive more customers to your store front with a specific promotion, or simply remind people your company still exists? Craft your message around the campaigns purpose in a voice that speaks to your target market.

If you have any questions or are wondering if a radio ad campaign would be the right fit for your business, contact TRIO today!

Things To Look For In Your Digital Marketing Analytics

At your fingertips, you have access to so much data about your marketing initiatives and digital presence. Have you utilized it? Gone are the days of relying on phone call tracking or head counting to calculate how successful your marketing campaign is. Eliminate speculation by analyzing the data provided from your website and e-newsletter.

At first look, this much data may be overwhelming! We have outlined the top analytics you should keep an eye on.

What to look for in your website analytics:

If you haven’t installed Google Analytics on your website, you need to right now! Google Analytics provides a wealth of information about how people get to your website and what they do during their visit. Here are three categories to start analyzing:

Total Visits: 

The total visits analytics is a number that increases every time an individual visits your website since you have installed Google Analytics. You’ll also be able to see a chart that tracks the visits you receive to your site daily. If you have recently started a marketing campaign that directs visitors to your website, you should see a jump in total visits.

Returning Visits:

This metric compares unique visitors to those who are repeat customers. Your rate of new visitors will most likely be higher than the rate of your returning visitors (and if you’ve just launched Google Analytics… everyone will be a “new” visitor). When creating content for your website, like blogs, videos or white papers, focus on strategies that will bring viewers back! Measure your success by seeing if the percentage of returning visitors increases.

Traffic Sources by Segment:

Google Analytics can also tell you where your web traffic is another important tracking mechanism. Take a look at these sections:

• Direct traffic: Visitors that access your website directly through typing it in the URL bar or by clicking on a bookmark.
• Organic traffic: Visitors from unpaid search engine listings.
• Referral traffic: Visitors that access your site through a link on another website.

Direct traffic can signify a successful ad campaign because people are specifically coming to your site directly for the purpose of your product or services. Organic traffic can give you insight into how your SEO is performing. And referral traffic can indicate that you are successful at driving people from your social media pages to your website, or that you owe a strategic partner lunch!

What to look for in your e-newsletter marketing analytics:

When marketing to your current database of emails through e-newsletters, analytics will give you a good idea of which customers are tuned into your brand and what content they are interested in. Programs like Constant Contact and Mailchimp provide this useful information. Take a look at these metrics:

Open Rate:

The open rate will tell you the percentage of your email list that opened your e-blast. Take a look at how many people from your database is receiving and reading your newsletters. If your open rate is low, consider sprucing up your subject lines. Click here and here for more information.

Click-Through Rate:

The click-through rate gives your direct insight into how many subscribers are actively engaged with your content and interested in learning more about your company, product or offer. It examines from those who had opened your e-newsletter, how many people clicked on at least one link. From the click-through rate, you can gauge what content interests your customer the most.

List Growth:

Every company should aim to grow their subscribers list and database. The more new subscribers you have, the more you can extend your reach, expand your audience and boost your opens and click-through rate!

Ten years ago, marketing was often seen as “driving blind,” relying on industry statistics to make educated guesses as to whether or not it specific campaigns were driving sales. Today it is staggering how much we can learn from our consumers just from their interactions with your company’s digital presence. If you are interested in learning more about the data found on Google Analytics, your e-newsletter platform, or any other digital medium not covered in this blog, contact TRIO!

Marketing Tips for “Odd” Holidays

The traditional “holiday season” may be over, but that does not mean your marketing should stop celebrating! Do you have a plan to capitalize on the hype around Valentine’s Day? How about something for Martin Luther King Day? Maybe your specific industry has a couple of key “holidays” you celebrate (for example, our client, Garver’s Animal Health Center, celebrates National Veterinary Technician Week and World Spay Day)?

Whatever the reason may be, share in the celebration through marketing! Holidays are a good time to offer specials that the average consumer may not get any other day of the year. Here are 5 “odd” holiday marketing tips outside of the religion-based celebrations:

1. Get the word out through social media: Whether you are offering a special deal or just want to change your branding to promote your product during the holiday, social media is the easiest and quickest way to inform the public! Show your support by changing each profile’s cover photo with a custom graphic to reflect how your company is celebrating the holiday. Promote your specials leading up to the holiday.
2. Host an event: An event can draw massive crowds if promoted well. Think of a creative way to bring people to your store, or host your event somewhere in your community. An example from Garver’s Animal Health Center is that they hosted an easter egg hunt for dogs this past year. This event was unique to the community, and the local radio station attended and covered the event on-air as it was happening! They got a lot of press because of the event and engaged with people who had never been to their clinics before.
3. Partner up: Have a relationship with another non-competing business looking to celebrate the holiday as well? Join forces for double the publicity! Create a holiday “package” deal consisting of both your product/service and your partner’s. This way, your offerings will look more appealing to your customer-base, and you’ll gain exposure to their customers.
4. Hold a contest: A unique and creative contest can drum up business and help you gain a bit of free press! Your contest should contain the holiday theme, and be imaginative enough to create an attractive press release. Whether your contest takes place at your event, or is based on user submission via email, youtube video or a social media post, you will engage your audience though friendly competition.
5. Market early and often: Build hype around how your company is participating in the holiday festivities early! Plan for cross-platform marketing to begin at least a month before the holiday. Start with a “save the date” postcard and e-newsletter to build awareness and anticipation on what’s to come. Create a “drip” campaign, so your message hits your target market multiple times (through multiple mediums) before the holiday!

Get creative! Stand out from your competitors who may also be running promotions and specials on holidays by being unique and thinking outside the box. If you would like some holiday marketing ideas, contact TRIO!