Did you know that programmatic advertising, a now-ubiquitous element in digital marketing, have their roots stretching back almost 30 years? From its humble beginnings, programmatic advertising has transformed into a cornerstone of modern digital marketing strategies. This evolution mirrors the advancements in technology and the ever-changing digital landscape. Today, it represents not just a method for placing ads but a comprehensive approach that leverages data, technology, and analytics to optimize advertising efforts. In this journey from a simple banner to complex, AI-driven campaigns, pr ..read more

Your business needs customers to survive, and that starts by getting eyes on your products or services. If you haven’t started with organic SEO practices already, that’s a great way to build a foundation of future success. But, while organic is great, it takes time to build momentum. This is where ads, and knowing the best advertising platforms, comes into play. In this article, we’ll share the eight best advertising platforms and who should consider running ads on them. The best online advertising platforms (+ who should use them) No two advertising platforms are the same, just like no two bu ..read more

Performance marketing is one of the most effective ways for B2B and B2C businesses to reach their target audience and generate sales or leads. However, for many new marketers, this practice can be complicated since it involves a combination of different strategies, channels, and more to drive results. In this article, we’ll simplify everything you need to know to become a performance marketing pro. Table of contents What is performance marketing? What’s the difference between performance marketing vs. brand marketing? What are the benefits of performance marketing? What are types of performan ..read more

If you’re looking for ways to boost customer loyalty, lower marketing expenses, and tap into innovative ideas right from your own customers, a brand community might be right for you. For example, Sephora’s Beauty Insider Community has attracted over 5 million members and generated more than 2.7 million user-generated posts since 2017. This members-only platform offers makeup and skincare enthusiasts a forum to find inspiration and get non-sponsored recommendations. By creating a brand community, your business can encourage engagement, offer support, and promote word-of-mouth marketing to grow ..read more

I think we can all agree that ice cream is great, but it’s even better with the right toppings. When it comes to promoting your small business, your marketing plan is the ice cream and your chosen channels are the toppings. Your foundation is great, but you need those layers on top to maximize results. With the right channels, your marketing plan can look this good! We’ll show you how building your strategy with the right marketing channels is like building the perfect ice cream sundae—trying some of each kind will bring in the sweetest success! Here is how we’ll break it down: What are mark ..read more

It’s important to know the digital marketing trends of 2023 (here are ours). But the thing is, from a small business standpoint, some of them are directional trends that indicate where “mainstream” marketing is headed, but not where mainstream is currently at. I’m looking at you, NFTs. NFTs Now, a portion of your strategy should include preparation for the future and even some early adoption, but you also need to know what is going to bring you results now. Like, this year. This month. Maybe even this week Which is why I’ve written this guide on the 19 best marketing strategies for 2023—base ..read more

As marketers and business owners, we’re often so focused on getting customers that we forget about the real lifeblood of scale: retention. The average monthly customer churn rate across industries is around 5%. That number doesn’t seem massive on its face, but consider your growth rate. Depending on your business type, 5% customer growth month-over-month is nothing to sneeze at. That means that in order to realize actual revenue from that growth, you would need to keep churn below 5%. Churn is inevitable, but how do you keep more fish in the tank? Unless you have strong net new customer growt ..read more

Even though Google and Facebook’s share of the digital advertising market is expected to drop this year, data from research firm eMarketer shows that the so-called duopoly will still control roughly 60% of that market—or about $77 billion. Within that other 40%, there are a surprising number of alternatives. Traffic may not be as high, but neither is competition for keywords and eyeballs—and, perhaps most appealingly, costs are usually lower, too. This makes it easier to test out new networks to strengthen your marketing plan with a cross-platform strategy. We asked industry experts abou ..read more

Unless you went to clown college (props to you if you did), you probably struggle to pull off the classic “juggling act” of marketing your business as much as possible. Marketing your business can sometimes feel like this. However, it doesn’t always have to feel like you’re performing tricks to market your business successfully across the board. Today, I’m going to show you how you can market your business for maximized success without jumping through hoops. The secret is cross-channel marketing. Now, just hearing that word may raise some questions—which I’ll provide the answers to, like: Let ..read more

This post was co-written by Gordon Donnelly and Kristina Simonson. With Valentine’s Day approaching, you’re likely finding yourself in one of two camps. You’re in the heart-shaped-box-of-chocolates camp or the solo-pint-of-ice-cream camp. The late-night-Casablanca-for-two camp or the gently-sobbing-Narcos-binge camp. You’re getting gnocchi in an old Italian neighborhood or you’re getting thrown out of a Buffalo Wild Wings. There’s nothing wrong with either. It’s just the nature of the thing. Ditto for digital ads. Every advertiser has their favorite. And among viable channels, Google and Faceb ..read more