Internet Marketing Tips for Those on a Budget

Whether you're a small business or so small you simply aspire to be, the Internet is one of the greatest things that could've happened to you. In too many ways to mention, the World Wide Web has leveled the playing field between you and your larger competitors. The best example of this may be Internet marketing. You can reach countless people in some pretty incredible ways if you know what you're doing. Best of all, it doesn't take deep pockets to do it. Whether you're a small business or so small you simply aspire to be, the Internet is one of the greatest things that could've happened to you.
Make Sure Your Website Is Mobile Friendly

Alright, if you don't have a website for your company, start there. However, whether you've had one for years or are just creating it now, it needs to be mobile friendly. If it takes your entire marketing budget to accomplish this, it's worth it (fortunately, it won't).

Everyone has a mobile device these days and, each year, more and more people are using theirs to access the Internet. Without responsive design, your website won't look right to visitors and many will ditch it for one of your competitors. No amount of marketing will save you from this. Responsive design will.

Get Blogging

This is such an old Internet marketing strategy it's tempting to think it doesn't hold water anymore. Fortunately, you're wrong. Blogs are great for a number of reasons:
• They're easy to publish and each one helps you rank for keywords.
• They humanize your company, something a lot of your larger competitors probably don't do very well, if at all.
• They're an excellent way to give your market free information, something that inspires loyalty and will gain you plenty of traffic.

While blogging may not be a new idea, it doesn't mean you can't look for new ways to differentiate yours. Look at blogs your competitors post and think of ways you can provide something different and better.

Use Video

Videos are becoming the new blogs (in fact, some are referred to as vlogs) and for much the same reasons. They can be used to increase your site's SEO, for one. Nowadays, they're pretty easy to post too, though you should spend some money on ensuring you have quality equipment. No one wants to buy anything from someone who looks like they made a video with their flip phone.

If you sell a product that could use a demonstration, videos will be your best friend. What could take hundreds of words to describe can be done with a video in about a minute. Your customers will appreciate such an objective tutorial too.

Social Media

When it comes Chicago Internet Marketing Agency, it would be impossible to leave out social media. Like blogs, this suggestion may seem like old news, but you can't afford to think that way as a small business. Remember that a lot of your larger competitors come off as stiff, forced, and insincere when they try to speak like an actual human. This often cripples their social media use.

Being a smaller company means not only can you do this, but you absolutely should. People like knowing there's an actual person they can talk to if they have a question. Plenty will also appreciate the fact that you're not putting on a front to communicate with them.

Whether it's blogs, videos, or social media, make sure you mix up the message every now and then. Use these mediums to introduce yourself, tell a joke or simply make casual conversation with others. So long as it's professional, this is a good way to garner positive attention.

Despite what you may have been told, there really aren't any well-guarded secrets to Internet marketing known only to a lucky few. The above may not seem like revolutionary methods, but they're Internet marketing tactics others have used to reach all kinds of success. The "secret", if there is one, is being patient and persistent. You won't have a million Twitter followers this month nor is your blog going to get you on camera anytime soon.

Expecting those kinds of results won't get you far in business and won't serve you in Internet marketing. However, if you can ditch that thinking, your business and marketing will both improve.

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How to Get the SEO Services You Need

No matter the size of your company or the industry you’re in, you can’t operate successfully without a web presence. As such, there are certain SEO services that are necessary for getting people to your website. Otherwise, the site may as well not exist. Given the important role SEO services play, it makes sense that you’d want to hire a professional firm or specialist to handle the matter for you. The following is what to look for to ensure you get the SEO services you need from them.

Resume

Looking for SEO services isn’t all that different from looking for any professional you’re considering for their talents. In that sense, you can’t overestimate the importance of seeing their resume. This means asking to review SEO campaigns they personally handled.

Note that where a website stands now is no indication of their SEO services, even if they worked on it. What you want to see is where the site started. Otherwise, the site may have already been number two on Google when the number one search result went out of business. This would hardly be something they should be taking credit for.

Testimonials

Their resume is important, but that’s hardly even half the story. Ask for more examples and then reach out to those actual companies. Even a campaign doesn’t tell the whole story. How long did it take them to achieve those results? Was it easy working with them or did their client have to harp on them or pay more than expected? These are extremely important matters to consider. If the SEO company or individual is no longer employed by the client they’re highlighting, you should find out why. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation, of course, but you need to find out.

Consider Platforms

There’s no one platform these days when it comes to your web presence. Social media has been a big part of this. So anyone who claims they have SEO credentials better be able to explain to you how they can apply those to social media platforms like:
•    Facebook
•    Twitter
•    Instagram
And any other accounts you may use.

Depending on your web presence, this may also mean things like WordPress or other CMSs. The point is that their SEO abilities must span all the platforms you depend on.

Your Budget and Their Fees

Obviously, this should go without saying. Before you hire anyone, you need to ensure you can actually afford the costs. So make sure you have your budget locked in before you begin interviewing specialists or agencies. It can be easy to start considering ever greater amounts when they start showing you what they can do.

The other important part of this step is understanding how they’re going to charge you. Just about every SEO specialist or agency will do it differently. Some will charge you a certain amount for a specific result. Others may charge you for each time their work brings a new visitor to your page or gets you a sale. These options can add up to a pretty big bill if you’re not careful. Obviously, if they charge you by the hour, you need to set a max on how many they can work a week.

Your Expectations

Having your budget is important and knowing how they’ll charge you is essential. But you also need to know what you can reasonably expect for your money. Chicago seo services can have very objective results. For example, did the amount of visitors to your webpage increase or not? If so, what was the number?

However, it’s also easy to talk about SEO services in generalities. Getting your company on the front page of Google, for example, doesn’t specify where exactly (which can make a huge difference). Increasing your followers on Twitter by a certain amount is great, but not if the people who “followed” are bought accounts.
Make sure you get objective information about what your money is actually buying. Get it in writing too and understand what they plan on doing if they miss the mark. Will you get a refund?

When it comes to SEO services, you need to either pay for the best or save your money until you can afford them. There’s no middle ground. Unless you ask the above questions, though, you can’t be sure you’re getting the best possible service for your money.

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How to Not Get Burned by Your Search Marketing Agency

Whether you’re in the market for a search marketing agency or already have one working for you, it’s understandable that you might be nervous about what they do. Even though we live in an age when everyone is Internet-literate, that doesn’t mean we’re all fluent. So it can be tough knowing whether or not your search marketing agency is actually performing up to par or if the one you’re thinking about hiring is worth the cost. Here are some things to look for to put your mind at ease and protect your budget.

They Take the Time to Educate

No matter how well you understand SEM (Search Engine Marketing), you probably won’t understand it as well as an agency that does it all day, every day. So you should expect that your agency takes the time to explain to you the finer points of what they’re doing.

Of course, if you need a broader explanation, that’s understandable too. Any questions you have should get answered as well. You’re the client and you’re the one paying, so part of their job is making sure you understand what you’re getting as a service.

They’re Transparent

Another important thing to have in a search marketing agency is transparency. This means they should be an open book in terms of what their plan is for you and what their status is in achieving it. Having regular reports is a must (weekly is best, monthly at the very least), but you should also be able to get an answer whenever you decide to check in with them. Without this being a part of the deal, a search marketing agency could go for a long time without actually doing any work on your behalf and come up with vague reasons for why your ranking hasn’t improved.

                                                       
They’re Fair in their Billing

Obviously, you never want to work with a company that isn’t fair in how they bill you. With a search marketing agency, though, this means a number of unique things. First, you need to know how they’ll bill you. What kind of milestones are they looking at? Will they charge you once they get you to number one on Google? Will they charge you per click through? These are things you need to know before hiring a company or you might be very surprised by your bill and extremely disappointed in what you bought.

That’s not the only point to consider though. It’s not rare for search marketing agencies to take control of their clients’ accounts. This can become quite the bargaining chip when it’s time to talk about contract renewals. Clearly, this is very unprofessional. However, they may also try to claim that services they provided to that account are technically their intellectual property. If they built you an app, for example, you need to be assured that is something that stays with you even if your business relationship ends.

They Use the Best Tech

There are so many options these days for search engine marketing that it can be overwhelming. So you should expect that any search marketing agency you consider has a toolbox packed with them.

Here’s where you need to be careful though. There was once a time when search engine marketing was almost completely the realm of those who knew how to build tech for it. Nowadays, it’s a more nuanced approach that involves code and copy. Nonetheless, many companies still rely on their own homegrown software because they can sell you on it and bill more.

Sadly, it’s doubtful their software can compete with the best of breeds out there. Companies that dedicate all their time and resources to building great search engine software aren’t going to get beat out by a search marketing agency. 

They Know Your Market

Any company helping with your marketing must know your market. Even with SEM, it’s never a matter of simply using keywords or other tools. They must understand things like:
•    your customers
•    your competitors
•    the industry

Otherwise, you’re not getting your money’s worth.

When it’s time to start scouting search marketing agencies, make sure you keep an eye out for the above. The difference between companies that pass this test and those that don’t is the difference between success and failure for your business.

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How an Interactive Marketing Agency Can Help

Every company needs solid marketing. It's how potential customers find out about your business. But it's also how they become excited about it and even motivated to buy. Decades ago, there was only one type of company when you needed help running ads. Now, however, one of the best choices you can make is considering interactive marketing agencies. Want to know why? Keep reading.
                                        

An Interactive Marketing Agency vs. the Traditional Kind

You may be wondering what the difference is between an interactive marketing agency and the traditional type you're probably more familiar with. Both share many things in common and, actually, most of the traditional versions have some kind of interactive facet to them nowadays, if they're smart.
The main difference is that interactive agencies tend to put their focus solely on the Internet. This is especially true of social media. Traditional ad agencies usually focus on print, radio and television ads for marketing purposes. Interactive agencies also support a number of other methods like:
• CDs
• DVDs
• RSS feeds
• Email marketing
• Online videos
• Podcasts
• Apps
• Games
They rarely, if ever, cross over into traditional channels.
While some traditional firms have evolved into interactive ones, many interactive firms actually started as web design companies. Over time, they simply kept adding services to their line because traditional firms didn't know how to handle them. A lot of traditional firms even outsourced their customers' needs to web design companies that eventually became interactive agencies.
The cool thing about an interactive marketing agency that started as a web design firm is that they have a unique understanding of how the Internet works. Many of these agencies are specialists in search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO). Even today, their traditional rivals may still be catching up in a lot of these areas.

Some of the major services these agencies provide include:

Increased Sales

Interactive agencies aren't just interacting with your audience, they're studying them. They're also writing the kind of copy that turns interested buyers into satisfied customers. Plus, unlike traditional marketing through the TV or radio, interactive solutions generally give the viewer the ability to make a purchase on the spot.
Reputation Management
One important area an interactive marketing agency may specialize in is known as reputation management. We all know that our reputations are important, but this is especially true in business. Sometimes, it's the only thing separating you from your competition. So many companies work hard to keep theirs pristine.
Unfortunately, that can be fairly difficult thanks to the Internet. If someone writes negatively about your company and gets those comments ranked high enough in Google, your business will most likely take a hit.
However, thanks to an interactive marketing agency with an intricate knowledge of SEO and SEM, that page can soon start to lose rank and eventually its potency altogether.

Reputation management can also mean that the agency monitors social media on your behalf to keep an ear out for any conversations about you or your company. Aside from reporting back, they can also work to ensure there are plenty of positive opinions being expressed on various platforms. Also, if a conversation is centered on a customer's complaint, they can alert the client to reach out to that person and smooth things over.

Feedback

As you've probably guessed, interactive marketing agencies also specialize in customer feedback. Unlike ads in a magazine or on a billboard, they have the technology and expertise to monitor what's really engaging and make necessary changes on your behalf.

Interactive Marketers

Interactive marketing agencies will typically employ a wide range of specialists. This will differ somewhat depending on the industry they specialize in, but most will have some variation of :
• Graphic designers
• Web designers
• Multimedia specialists
• Copywriters
• Social media manager
• SEO specialist

With the right collection of the above, Chicago interactive marketing agency can accomplish all kinds of things on the Internet. Some, however, may only have a few people, but because of their specialties and the industry they serve, that's good enough.

While you may not have the budget for an agency's help at the moment, keep the above in mind in case that changes. An interactive marketing agency can help get your company the exposure it needs in some pretty incredible ways.

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2 Types of Services a Search Marketing Agency Will Provide You With

Marketing your business out there is obviously very important for its growth, but before you run into hiring the first professionals you find, you may want to get acquainted with some basic notions and with the things a marketing agency can provide you with. For instance, given the fact that the Internet is a huge part of everybody’s lives nowadays, you may want to find out what a search marketing agency is and which those types of services are that it can provide you with.

Many times, people mistakenly believe that an Internet marketing agency and a search marketing agency are one and the same thing, but there is a slight difference between the two of them. An Internet marketing agency will provide you with a very wide variety of Internet marketing-related services, among which there will also be search engine marketing. In addition to that though, there will be other types of campaigns involved as well (such as email marketing campaigns, and so on).
If you want to find out which are the most important types of services a search marketing agency will be able to provide you with, then you should definitely read on.

Search Engine Optimization

Again, some people believe that SEM (search engine marketing) is one and the same thing as SEO (search engine optimization), but there is yet another slight difference between the two of them. Put shortly, SEM usually includes SEO, but SEO does not include SEM.

Search engine optimization is that web marketing strategy that helps a website becomes more visible to the search engines. When a website is visible out there, it will be posted within the first page of results on Google, Bing and other search engines. Consequently, more people will click on it and there is a better chance that you will be able to convert these random visitors in actual customers or clients for the products or services your business can offer.

SEO usually involves creating content that is built around some carefully chosen keywords and that is useful for the readers. This way, readers will engage and search engines will see this as a big plus for your website, pushing it forward in their results lists.

In addition to content creation, there are some other things related to SEO as well. Creating back links, for example, is one of them and sometimes social media marketing overlaps over SEO as well, but it does not necessarily have to be so.

As a recap, here are some of the most commonly encountered SEO techniques out there:

•    Creating engaging content
•    Creating content that is useful
•    Creating content that is built around certain keywords
•    Creating back links from other websites
•    Creating a social media marketing campaign to go along with the SEO campaign

Paid Campaigns

In addition to SEO, a Search marketing agency can provide you with many other types of services, among which you will also find paid campaigns (such as AdWords, and so on). These campaigns can be difficult to understand by a beginner, but in reality they can be very useful when there is a pro to deal with them the right way.

The entire field of marketing can sometimes be confusing for some of the people out there, but once you will learn its ropes you will also learn to love its diversity and even more importantly, the fact that it can truly change the face of your business.

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Do You Need an Email Marketing Agency?

If you’re in the world of ecommerce or your brick-and-mortar store could just use a little more exposure, consider what an email marketing firm could do for you. The following should help you decide if their services are what you need.

What Is Email Marketing?

Before considering whether or not you need an email marketing agency, let’s first take a look at what they do. In simplest terms, email marketing happens whenever a company sends out a commercial message via email. These messages are generally requests for business, sales letters, solicitations, or just advertisements. Basically, the idea is that they’re using email to help market their company, bring in revenue, increase brand recognition, or inspire customer loyalty.

There are a number of benefits an email marketing agency touts for their services. Email marketing is:

•Affordable: you’re not spending tons of money on the traditional version by purchasing paper, ink, stamps, and envelopes.

•Efficient: everyone has at least one email box these days. Not everyone gives their post box the time of day.

•Customizable: your email can contain anything from simple text to images to videos or, of course, all three. There are also ways to make it so that your message is addressed to someone by name.

•Targetable: with email lists, you can send one version of a message to one segment of your market and another to a different demographic altogether. You can’t do this with TV advertisements and even online ads make this difficult.

Different Versions

While we touched on what an email marketing agency can do via emails, there are also a number of specific types of emails worth mentioning. One of the most popular is a simple welcome message. If someone signs up for a membership to your website, you probably want to send them an email to thank them and introducing them to what you have to offer.

Another popular option you’ll see an email marketing agency offer is an announcement message. If your business just opened or hit some kind of milestone, you should definitely do some PR via email to let everyone know. The same goes for a new product or service you may have just started offering.

Newsletters are also a common choice. These can include all kinds of information about products and services, the company itself, the industry you’re in, etc.

Technological Benefits

To a degree, a lot of the above are things that you could probably do on your own. Obviously, you wouldn’t have much issue sending out a newsletter every month to a number of people.

However, an email marketing agency has access to technology most people don’t. For example, they can leverage software that tracks how many people actually opened the email they sent. When you’re sending a mass email out to thousands of people, this is quite the advantage. It allows them to revise the email and produce a better version next time.

They can also use similar analytics to track how many people clicked on a certain link embedded in the email. So if you’re using email marketing to drive customers to a landing page or get them to your latest blog post, they’ll know if this is working or not.

Why an Agency?
Still, you may be thinking that a lot of these benefits are things you could either pull off yourself or get close enough to and save money. Well, there are still probably a few things an agency can do that you can’t.

For one thing, their bread and butter is writing a quality message. You can pay them to write these on your behalf. If your emails aren’t converting, an agency can probably help there.

Another huge advantage is that most email marketing agencies can offer industry-specific lists. If you’re selling a new kind of energy drink, you obviously want people who drink them. The right email marketing agency for you would be one that has a list of emails of people who fit this description. These lists can easily number in the thousands; that’s going to be a pretty tough service to duplicate on your own.

An Chicago email marketing agency definitely isn’t for everyone, but they’re worth keeping on your radar. If you do decide to use one, keep in mind the above information and take your time picking the right option.

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Understanding New Tactics through a Chicago Interactive Marketing Agency

“Interactive marketing has emerged as one of the hottest marketing trends…with Forrester Research predicting that marketers across all industries will spend nearly $77 billion, roughly 26% of all advertising dollars, on interactive marketing by 2016. B2B interactive marketing is expected to reach $5.7 billion by 2016, with mobile marketing accounting for much of that rapid growth.” (Filkins) With interactive marketing growing so quickly, you simply cannot allow your company to get lost in the competition. A Chicago interactive marketing agency understands the importance of these tools and it is important for you to be knowledgeable as well.

The Definition

According to definition, interactive marketing is a type of strategy that allows the user to interact in some way with the author. It draws on personal or emotional feelings. The purpose of this strategy is to engage the user, and by creating this connection, you will be able to convert more people into customers.

Essentially, you are allowing the customer to become a part of your brand-building process. Through their interactions, they help build and strengthen the brand image. It also creates a customer-focused strategy important for modern day commerce,

The Difference

Using a Chicago marketing agency, businesses are sure to differentiate themselves from the competition by using focused, personalized messages. Eliminating generic, canned sales pitches, a fresh approach will help engage customers rather than turning them off from your brand. Interactive marketing helps achieve these unique messaging tactics. This approach targets the customer specifically making them feel more valued, special, and connected. In turn, they will be much more likely to do business with you. There are a number of different ways to get started with interactive marketing:

•    Have interactive conversations with customers on social media;
•    Use product models or other tools that allows customers to effectively navigate your website, or
•    Create blog posts that answer questions that real customers have submitted.

When using these methods, you are sending out the message that your customers are important to you. They will feel genuine care and will become more interested in your product or service. With experience in the field, a Chicago interactive marketing agency will be able to determine which method will work best for your unique business model.

There are many different ways to connect with possible customers, and interactive marketing is emerging as a vital one. In thid modern day, customers expect this type of targeted marketing and it should not be overlooked by business owners. Be sure to understand interactive marketing thoroughly so that you can see how it can help you achieve your business goals. A Chicago interactive marketing firm that specializes in these tools with a good history of implementation will be the best course of action to help your business grow. 

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