How to measure digital marketing ROI

How to measure digital marketing ROIIn the past, it was notoriously difficult to measure return on investment from online marketing efforts. Today, getting a handle on ROI tracking is more important than ever because marketers are expected to increase their budgets for social media in 2015, according to Newsfactor, citing data from a Salesforce study.

Marketers used to focus on campaigns rather than personalized materials, but a massive shift is underway as brands emphasize the customer experience. Where does ROI enter into the equation? The buyer’s journey needs to be consistent across all channels to drive conversions. As marketing gets more personal, mobile budgets are increasing as well because smartphones and tablets give brands the chance to have one-on-one interactions with potential customers in real time. Mobile and social media engagement are no longer an added benefit; they are a necessity for giving clients the kinds of experiences they want. In fact, the Salesforce report found there was a 48 percent increase in the number of marketers who have integrated mobile into their strategies in the past year.

As mobile and social media take off, marketers need better ways to measure ROI.

Online Marketing Strategy

How to Generate Business with Call to Action

Implement Call to Action on your websiteEasily Add Calls to Action to Your Service Based Website

You can have the best looking website and it can still fail at its core purpose: generating business for you. Most everyone looks at web design as a creative project that puts a nice online face to a company; to show people you are a professional organization and are an authority in your industry.

A well-designed, beautiful website can definitely make a difference in bringing in business, but there are also plain or unattractive websites that have outperformed better-designed sites many times over. The main reason these plain websites can outperform comes down to Call to Action. The Call to Action on these high-performing sites communicates effectively to prospects and successfully encourages conversion. The easiest way to get your site generating leads and sales is to implement Calls to Action.

Lead Generation

Google AdWords PPC or SEO for Small and Medium Sized Businesses?


The Questions to Ask Yourself So you’re a small or medium sized business and you need online marketing.  You don’t have a huge budget, but you have enough to invest in your business to help it grow. You’ve heard of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and you’ve seen Google AdWords, but you’re not sure which one to choose, or how to choose. In order to make a decision there are some things to consider when deciding your online marketing strategy:

– Do you need immediate business?

– Can you afford to pay for traffic?

– Can you afford to invest for 6-12 months without seeing significant growth in my business?

– Do you have the budget to do both?

Immediacy Vs Investment Now let’s break down what these questions can mean for you.

Online Marketing Strategy, Pay-Per-Click, Searching Engine Optimization

How to Use Local Marketing

How to use local marketing in 2015Even though the Internet has the power to connect you to a large, global audience, local marketing is crucial for personalization. Whether you target a small area or consumers in multiple geographic regions, content needs to be customized based on their unique interests.

However, marketing is becoming more challenging for many brands as consumers grow more concerned about privacy and turn off tracking in their Web browsers or pay to remove ads from mobile apps, according to Ad Age. Even though companies have more ways to reach customers than ever before, it isn’t always easy. Local marketing makes it easier for companies to connect with their target audience because it enables clearer intersections between search engine optimization, social media and mobile.

Searching Engine Optimization

How to Choose a SEO Service Provider

Top Question When Considering SEO Services

When speaking to people looking for an SEO provider, the most common question we hear from them is, “How much does it cost?”

That’s a fair question. Everyone needs to know their bottom line and how to get the best return on their investment (ROI). However, when searching for an SEO company, the cost isn’t the primary factor that you should be looking at. It’s what you will receive in return that should matter the most.

We often use the example of taking a car into a mechanic to get it serviced. If you had a relatively new Mercedes that needed it tuned up, you can either take it to a trusted and experienced mechanic or find someone off of Craigslist to do the job at a fraction of the price.

Searching Engine Optimization

How to Set Up a Pay-Per-Call Campaign to Generate Quality Inbound Leads

Drive more calls to your business with Pay Per Call AdvertisingIs Pay-per-Call Advertising Right for You?

A Pay-per-Call advertising program will have your company listed in print publications and get radio and TV air time at no upfront cost. You only pay when a prospect calls as a result of the ads, and the phone call lasts a certain amount of time. There is no upfront media buy here!

The first step is to determine if this type of advertising is a fit for your company. Pay-Per-Call is an asset to businesses that provide a service or product that can be used by a large majority of consumers or businesses. Also, this is a great marketing option if you accept inbound sales calls and are looking to increase brand awareness. Pay-Per-Call advertising can be an especially lucrative ad channel if you have a national presence.

Pay Per Call

What are the most important content marketing trends for 2015?

Content Marketing trends for 2015Content marketing is part science and part art. Different content marketing tactics serve their purpose during various stages of the sales cycle. Determining which content marketing methods to use can be an exhausting process. Additionally, some trends have lost effectiveness over time.

It’s important to consider your target audience’s interests to stand out. The annual growth rate of content is 200 percent, Forbes reported. With all the content that is flooding the Internet on a daily basis, brands need to ensure their marketing efforts are relevant and engaging. In the past, marketers could attract buyers by merely offering content, but now it needs to be meaningful to work for lead generation. Content that is highly targeted and personalized will stand out from competitors. Now that the Internet is saturated with content, potential customers are pickier about what they want to read – or better yet, share with others.

Additionally, companies will realize they need both content marketing and search engine optimization, not one or the other. Content can boost search results, but you can’t produce it without keeping SEO best practices in mind.

Content Marketing

Is Pay Per Call Marketing Right For My Business?

Pay Per Call Marketing - Get Your Customers To Call YouOn the surface, Pay-Per-Call Marketing sounds like it would be a fit for any business.  If a business only has to pay for ad-generated calls without having to pay for the ads themselves, who wouldn’t want to sign up?

While this is true to some degree, let’s look at some of the factors that contribute to a successful Pay-Per-Call campaign.

First off, just like your other marketing efforts, it’s important to know the numbers in your business.

What are your profit margins?

This is important because you need to know how much you are able to spend to acquire a lead.  For example if you sell flowers nationwide, but are only profiting $50 per order, it would be very difficult to make any money if each qualified call costs you $20 – knowing that not every qualified call or lead will turn into a sale.

There needs to be a good understanding on what you can afford to Pay-Per-Call based on your conversion rates.  This brings us to our next point:

Pay Per Call

Affiliate Marketing 101: Establishing Your Commission Payout

How To Calculate Affiliate Marketing Commission

If you’ve decided to build a strong affiliate team and program for your business, one of the first things you will have to figure out before approaching potential affiliates is your commission payout. Determining your commission payout is critical in developing a strong affiliate program; go too low and you will not attract affiliates or go too high and you’ll be spending your finances ineffectively.

I recommend joining affiliate networks and look at a variety of programs related to yours. Sites like Commission Junction, Share A Sale and LinkShare all provide affiliate management services (more on that in a future post). These sites list affiliate programs by industry or you can do a keyword search to find similar business and services to yours. You will be able to find information on the payout rate and the success of the affiliate program to get an idea of what commission your competitors are setting.

Now that you know what range your commission needs to be you need to determine if you can afford to deliver a competitive commission. Do you have the profit margin to give up 10-25% of each sale? Can you afford to pay $10 a lead? These and the following are important questions you need answers to before moving forward.

Affiliate Marketing