Rank Media is an interactive marketing firm based in the heart of Montreal. Our organization has been providing customized internet marketing solutions over the past 11 years operating out of Canada, the United States, and France. With our List My Business division proving to be immensely successful providing hyper local services, we expanded our organization to include Rank Media, a full-service online marketing firm providing custom design and development, display advertising, retargeting and higher-tiered online marketing campaigns.
Apple recently updated their mobile operating system to iOS 6 across all their mobile devices and the response was largely receptive except for one minor issue…their new Maps application. What used to be the best mobile application for users trying to go from one side of town to the other turned out to be a living nightmare for consumers after applying the latest update.
Getting rid of Google
Apple’s decision to develop their own maps application internally is a result of the long and bitter war the innovative tech company has launched against Google in recent years. With the Android platform dominating the smartphone market, Apple wanted to sever all ties with the aforementioned giant by removing the native Youtube and Google Maps apps. As a result, users updating their smartphones and tablets were in for quite a shock when they downloaded the latest software update.
One core aspect of any business is to develop an effective online marketing strategy to build brand awareness and generate sales. One issue marketing professionals have is deciding in which channels to invest: inbound or outbound marketing? Voltier Digital recently released compiled statistics from a wide range of sources to provide a telling infographic (that can be seen below) on which of the two marketing strategies proves to be most effective.
Inbound marketing is less expensive
Numerous companies invest heavily into outbound marketing technologies and campaigns that provide high costs per lead and acquisition. However, according Voltier Digital, companies are better served by creating inbound marketing campaigns because they cost 62% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing. This provides considerable advantages for brands looking for more cost effective lead generation programs,
We previously analyzed the importance of effectively managing your personal social media profiles to better secure your individual reputation online. However, when it comes to securing your company’s brand from attacks, online reputation management becomes even more critical, especially in the realm of social media. Below are some tips to keep in mind to protect your brand when managing ORM campaigns through social media channels.
Consistently monitor your internal social media profiles
Whether it’s providing an ancillary customer service function or removing negative posts regarding your brand, it’s imperative to ensure that you are consistently monitoring all of your company’s social media profiles. In particular, Twitter has become a popular platform for unsatisfied clients to air grievances, which is why having an active account manager or two responding to inquiries/complaints can help your brand better communicate with your audience.
Online reputation management can be used to either protect your personal brand or your corporate images. The first blog in this two post series will deal with managing your individual online reputation. The evolution of social media has made it relatively easy to self-inflict damage to your reputation by posting questionable status and uploading outrageous photos. Below are some tips to better protect your individual brand online.
1. Activate your Privacy Settings
Online reputation management begins with making sure that your social profiles are secure. This is especially important when it comes to Facebook, as people are prone to tag others in photos and check-ins, which might place you in uncomfortable situations. Ensure that you have the ability to approve any photo-tagging before your friends upload images of you from that all-night bender.
The latest report State of Digital Marketing report from Webmarketing123 is out and provides an interesting comparison of B2B and B2C online marketing programs, with a specific focus on social media, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click advertising. The survey polled various B2B and B2C companies on the performance of different online marketing strategies and their planned budgeting activities for 2013.
#1 Objective: Lead Generation vs. Brand Awareness
The number one objective of digital marketing strategies differed between B2B and B2C companies. For the former, the top objective turned out to be lead generation with 54% of the vote, whereas increased awareness was the most imporant objective for the latter segment. These results indicate that while generating sales is the ultimate objective of any campaign, lead generation and brand awareness are equally as important to create a presence online and break through a competitive environment.
Strictly a mobile application, Instagram has dominated headlines recently in the social media realm this year with its $1 Billion buyout from Facebook, the introduction of an Android version of their app, and its announcement that it has reached the 80 million registered user mark. For those of you who don’t know, Instagram is a popular application for users to upload photos, with the main advantage of the app lying in the the various affects you can apply to each photo. Essentially, it gives the average Joe a basic version of the technology regular photographers use on a periodic basis. So how can your company use Instagram to increase awareness for your brand?
The goal of any online enterprise is to make money. However, more often than not, businesses without a strategic online marketing plan will have difficulty generating quality leads. One effective solution for increasing leads is to develop a strategic SEO and content marketing plan of action. According to recent research from MarketingSherpa, Organic Search is by far the most effective online marketing tool for increasing traffic and leads. So how can you better use Internet marketing to increase business from your website?
Setup a Blog and Post Regularly
SEO and content marketing can begin with the setup of a blog (preferably WordPress) to bring in specific leads. Focusing on long-tail keyword phrases that are highly searched in your vertical can help bring in readers actively searching for help or comparing products. (more…)
Launched a little over a year ago, Google+ has transformed from a niche social media website to a full-fledged networking utility that is becoming an integral component of any brand’s online presence. A recent study indicates that now has over 250 million registered users, including a majority of the world’s top 100 brands. It might be time for your company to exploit the unique capabilities available on this social media site and integrate it into your overall marketing plan.
‘+1’ Your SEO Efforts with Google+
Getting users to +1 your company profile and search results for specific keywords can have a tremendous effect on your Search Engine Optimization efforts. Although not as crucial as building link popularity and creating fresh content, leveraging the +1 feature from this social media platform can increase your brand’s relevancy to associated keywords. For example, a user clicking the +1 button beside a link result for the keyword “computer parts” will send a signal to Google that there is relevancy between that website and the keyword searched. Although one user hitting the +1 button won’t help you jump up 50 spots on search engines, hundreds of users clicking that button will indubitably help you SEO efforts.
Facebook and Twitter are normally considered two of the “must-haves” for social media marketing strategies. However, lesser known companies such as Foursquare are making a significant impact in the online environment. Foursquare, with over 20 million users, can bring a lot of value to brands that operate in local markets. So how does Foursquare fit in your overall social media marketing mix?
Claim a Place for your Business
Obviously, the first step to successfully conquering Foursquare marketing is to claim a venue for your business. Doing so will allow users in your establishment to check-in and notify their friends, and Foursquare provides users with extra incentives for updating their location with badges and awards. Integrated with Facebook and Twitter, users checking-in at your venue will organically increase brand awareness for your company through various social networks.
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