1. Google’s Bot

2. OptinMonster

3. Screaming Frog

4. Sprout Social

5. SpyFu

6. Raven Tools

What Fun Do You Want to See Next?

One of the favorite things that our team loves doing, regardless of department, is getting creative. Give us some new digital marketing mascots to add, or let us know of another project entirely you’d like to see. Got a marketing problem as well? Even better, we always have our doors open to anyone who wants to talk digital marketing, give us a ring today.

The post If We Could Design Google’s Mascot … and Other Design Fun appeared first on Today's Business.

In October 2020, Google officially debuted the latest iteration of its Analytics platform. As anyone who works in the world of digital marketing knows, Google Analytics is a crucial piece of our toolkit, enabling us to make data-driven decisions and measure KPIs. So with the debut of GA4, what should we be paying attention to? What should we be getting excited about? Today’s Business takes a first dive into the platform to give you our first impressions.

The Good:

Better Search Bar and AI Insights:

AI has been one of Google’s greatest assets in a myriad of its products, and we have seen it pop up in Universal Analytics for a few years now. With GA4, we see its functionality take another step in (hopefully) the right direction. Namely, finding unique information through the search bar improved, while the automated insights can be used more effectively.

One super handy example? The AI in Google Analytics 4 can more easily alert you to a product that is suddenly surging on your website.

Better Realtime Overview:

Take one look at the new version of the realtime overview, and it’s striking how they’ve changed it. For now, it looks like it’s for the better. You can see where your traffic is currently coming from for the map, which is fun, but the layout for use cases has also been improved, which makes navigation more friendly and efficient.

Analysis Hub

For anyone familiar with Google Analytics 360, Analysis Hub was a feature that allowed for deeper user insights and better audience integration into your reports. The Analysis Hub might be one of the biggest perks for Google Analytics 4 because it is now part of it for free.

Without making a huge financial commitment to 360, marketers and webmasters will be better able to report and understand how people are using their website and identify actionable insights.

Debug View:

You know what? Sometimes it’s really hard to tell why something is going wrong in your data. Historically, you needed to rely on one of two things: experience or trial and error. While we haven’t played around with the Debug View much just yet, the optimism we have for the feature is that the view will allow digital marketers to clearly understand how to troubleshoot and fix inevitable problems faster and get it done the first time. This bodes well for cleaner data with fewer interruptions.

The Bad:

Universal Analytics is Dead, and So’s Your Historical Data Comparison for Now

Google Analytics 4 is promising multiple new features that look exciting, more intuitive, and more actionable. But when you set it up, it’s a new set of data. There’s no way to import your historical data, which means that comparisons suddenly got a lot trickier. The good news is that you can run both Universal Analytics and GA4 simultaneously together right now, but in the long run, there’s going to be at least a few occasions where data reviews just became manual and much more of a grind.

The other unfortunate thing is that the announcement of GA4 means that Universal Analytics’ lifecycle as a product is at its end. Like other products or operating systems, that means we’re going to be seeing less or no updates, fewer bug fixes, and support will eventually disappear. Google didn’t spend all this time developing a new analytics platform for people to stay with the old one it built. Eventually, people will be forced to make the change, just like some were forced to leave their beloved Windows 7.

The Reports Have Been Overhauled, Which Means You’re Going to Need to Relearn the Product

In the long run, this isn’t such a bad thing, as the hope Google has is that GA4 will provide you with better information and better-formatted information than its older counterparts. But reports have been renamed, others have been removed, and all those custom segments that people have spent a long time building are back to square one. This is plain annoying at times, but it remains to be seen just how quickly people can adjust and how big an issue this really will be.

The Ugly

Over the past three years, we have seen the debut of GDPR in Europe and similar user privacy laws across the world. This has followed the continued trend that digital marketers have had to deal with ever since Google Analytics started obscuring 97% of keywords: less data. Search console already omits smaller keywords, and many websites are now configured to lose user data over a set period. Why is Google doing these things? Simply, they don’t want to deal with lawsuits, as it has by groups like French data regulator CNIL for 50 million euros.

The latest reality: the traditional use of cookies to track data will soon become obsolete.

“The norm is that we’re going to have a mixed set of data: We’ll have event data but not necessarily a user identifier associated with it. We’ll have gaps in data altogether, and this is going to be true of all measurement providers,” Russell Ketchum, Group Product Manager of Google Analytics, told Search Engine Journal. 

Google plans to compensate for this by utilizing its machine learning to fill in the gaps. But realistically, it remains to be seen how accurate this will be. If anyone can do it, it’s Google, but there’s a good chance that we could be in for a bumpy ride at times in terms of specific data. Digital marketers and businesses are going to have to adjust to new approaches that will be available through more granular control of user data. These settings will, at the very least, help provide better preventive measures for businesses at risk of privacy complaints and providing proper consent.

The Next Steps

Today’s Business is eagerly diving into the latest iteration of Google Analytics and will soon be sharing more details with our clients. Are you interested in talking to us about Google Analytics 4 and how it might impact your company? Contact us today, and we’ll be more than happy to discuss the ins and outs, plus how you might be better able to improve your digital marketing.

The post Google Analytics 4: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly appeared first on Today's Business.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has created a landscape that no one could have predicted. Businesses of all kinds have had to adapt, embrace new practices, and change their techniques to retain customers and continue to thrive through one of the most difficult experiences we will have in our collective lifetime. With most people throughout the country spending almost all of their time at home for the first half of 2020 and beyond, digital marketing has served as a vital tool and will continue to do so as the months pass. Although we cannot predict the future beyond COVID-19, it is clear that digital marketing will continue to grow in importance as the way the United States functions continues to change. Keep reading to learn more about why the COVID-19 pandemic has made digital marketing more important than ever, and what business of all kinds should consider when thinking about digital marketing strategies moving forward. 

COVID-19’s Impact on Digital Marketing

Before diving into consumer behavior and marketing strategies that have proven to be essential during and after COVID-19, it is important to get a concrete idea of how the pandemic has impacted the actions of brands and companies when it comes to their digital marketing. Influencer Marketing Hub surveyed over 230 brands to see how they have coped with COVID-19. Some of the most significant takeaways include:

• 65% of brands reported a decrease in revenue
• 25% of brands plan to increase their marketing activities
• 34% have shifted their social media marketing efforts from Instagram to Twitter (likely due to Twitter’s primary focus on news)
• 74% of brands surveyed have slowed down their social posting
  • This may not be the best move – early estimates stated that media consumption was expected to increase by as much as 60% during the pandemic.

How Has Consumer Behavior Shifted Due to COVID-19?

In May 2020, Google released research that highlights five key trends that showcase how consumer behavior, interests, and actions have changed due to the pandemic. The main trends outlined in the report include:

• Increase in content consumption on multiple devices
• Increase in searches for critical information
• Increase in the formation of “virtual relationships”
• Growth in interest in “internet-first” routines (ex: altering regular activities to be conducted from home)
• Higher focus on physical and psychological self-care

Every business has been affected by the pandemic in a different way, depending upon the business’ services, target audience, and other factors, but being aware of the ways that consumer behavior has shifted is crucial for formulating a digital marketing strategy for the rest of 2020 and beyond. 

Improving and Growing Your Online Presence

For businesses that did not have an optimized and regularly active online presence, the COVID-19 pandemic has served as a wake-up call to show just how important an online persona and digital marketing really is. The height of the pandemic saw very little in-store activity or opportunity for businesses throughout the United States and although businesses in many states are slowly beginning to open their doors again, activity is limited, making this the ideal time to continue reaching customers through digital channels, such as your website, Google My Business listing, and social media profiles. This is especially true for smaller businesses that may not already have a thorough digital marketing strategy in place. Small businesses who are offering delivery services and more to their customers should ensure that this is clear in every corner of their online presence, so customers can easily find updated information on services, operating hours, and more. 

Since customers have adopted new practices for engaging with their favorite stores, restaurants, and more, it is safe to assume that certain behaviors may stick over time, rather than serving as a short-lived trend. Ensuring that your online presence properly reflects the current status of your business is one of the best ways to promote continued engagement with your consumer base. 

Engaging with Customers at Home

Moving through the COVID-19 pandemic is more about adopting a new normal than expecting things to suddenly revert back to the way they were in 2019, so it is crucial for businesses to use digital marketing to engage with customers where many of them are still spending the majority of their time – at home. This can include informative (or even lighthearted) social media campaigns, informational videos, or even livestreams held through a business’ Instagram account or website to reach customers and re-establish the connection that is not currently possible in-person. Google’s recent report encourages businesses to clearly identify the audience they are aiming to reach, and then establish a connection with that specific audience rather than focusing on generalized digital marketing efforts. With customers now using multiple devices to spend time online, there are more ways than ever to engage with those who benefit your business the most. 

Refocusing Ad Goals and Targets

Digital ads are one of the many ways businesses draw in new customers, especially in 2020 when there is very limited in-person purchase activity. Businesses have needed to adapt their digital ads to the times, in order to get better results and focus on their most valuable customers, whether this means targeting new groups or changing traditional ad formats to focus on new offerings or updated services based on current needs. Google has offered a number of suggestions to help businesses improve their ad impact moving forward, including switching to bidding strategies that make conversions more cost-effective, adjusting audiences to prioritize those who are most likely to convert, adjusting ad scheduling based on business hours, and updating ad creatives to reflect business changes. 

Personalized Digital Marketing Services from Today’s Business

At Today’s Business, we have been working with clients in a variety of industries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, helping them gain and retain customers through personalized digital marketing strategies. We offer services geared towards Social Media Management, Affiliate Marketing, Website Development & Maintenance, Digital Advertising, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and more. We have the expertise needed to move clients to the forefront of their industries even during the most unprecedented of times. Please contact us today to learn more about our digital marketing services and everything we can accomplish for your business. 

The post Why COVID-19 Has Made Digital Marketing More Important Than Ever appeared first on Today's Business.

Brick & Mortar Stores

In order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the general public has been advised to reduce the size of groups they interact with (which started with no more than 250 people), to 50, and now with the most recent announcement from our President, to avoid groups larger than 10. As a direct result, consumers are heavily relying on delivery services when shopping for products. For instance, even paint stores like Ricciardi Brothers are now letting customers shop for paint and supplies from the comfort of their homes. One way to look at the coronavirus outbreak is how it is bringing about new opportunities for businesses to deliver goods and services to their customers while keeping everyone safe and healthy at the same time.

For several brick and mortar stores, utilizing services such as Amazon Marketplace or eBay can be a quick solution to continue to sell products. If you work in an achievable service area, coordinating a personal delivery service can also create a high value add for your customer base.

Tactics for Brick and Mortar Stores during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Sell products online with delivery services

Currently, it is not safe for many stores to be physically open. However, your store’s online presence provides the opportunity to increase your sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. Searchers are continuing to shop online to get the products they need from the safety of their homes. This will keep your employees and customers safe, while also boosting your sales and revenue for your business.

1. Amazon Marketplace
2. eBay
3. Google Merchant Center

Use Google My Business features for Corona Virus

GMB can inform your customers of your business’s hours, address, posts, photos, phone number, reviews, products, as well as posts which can provide important COVID-19 updates to the consumer.

Engage with your customers on social media

Many of your customers may turn to social media to gain information about your business during COVID-19. Therefore, it is important to update and post your business on social media platforms to promote your product, services, or even if your business is still open!

Medical Industry

The medical industry is likely the most directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic – for obvious reasons. But thanks to telemedicine, patients can have a successful appointment with their doctor without leaving their homes. Telemedicine is a simple process where modern technology lets physicians who practice in a variety of fields meet with their patients through a two-way video call, whether it takes place on their smartphone or computer. This provides a convenient and safe experience for both the doctor and the patient, especially during this current time. Telemedicine is used for speaking about symptoms, providing prescription refills, and conducting follow-up appointments, and it is a preferred option for many when a physical office visit is not necessary. 

Discover the most up to date information, as well as resources available for hospitals and health system leaders related to telehealth, telemedicine, and virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

1. American Hospital Association
2. Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet
3. ABC News “Telemedicine Emerges as Care Option During COVID-19 Outbreak”

Caregiving Industry

Coronavirus is more serious for people around the age of 65 and older. With older adults being at a higher risk, the caregiving industry has had to make some adjustments because of limitations from the pandemic. Caregiving apps with monthly subscriptions for elder care have been extremely helpful during this time. One of the most popular and beneficial apps you can use as a caregiver is eFamilyCare, which is an innovative online tool for all family caregivers. eFamilyCare is an online B2B family caregiving service that connects you with experienced care advisers committed to assisting you in caring for your loved ones. The expert care advisers will help you in creating a personalized program that offers continuous support for your family caregiving. eFamilycare is teaming up with healthcare entities to provide a new way for providers and networks to monitor and communicate with high risk older patients, without the added cost of ER visits or risk of unnecessary exposure.

Listed below are various articles containing practical strategies for health system leadership to consider in support of their physicians and care teams, as well as support and advice for caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

1. American Medical Association “Caring for our Caregivers During COVID-19”
2. Alzheimer’s Association “Coronavirus (COVID-19): Tips for Dementia Caregivers in Long-Term or Community-Based Settings”
3. Tips for Family Caregivers and COVID-19

IT Industry

The information technology (also referred to as IT) industry is continuing to thrive during this intense time. Businesses that are still operating need IT services to continue to help the company grow, as well as solve the IT problems of their clients. Mindcore, which is the leading IT company in the NJ and NY area, recognizes the importance of technology and how it can connect businesses in all areas. Mindcore has extensive experience with supporting technology solutions that are proven to meet the demands of many industries, including medical, financial, architecture, manufacturing, insurance, legal, and more. Essential IT services for any business, such as cloud services, unified communications platforms, virtual CIO, and managed IT services, are still available for connecting and supporting various companies throughout the country.

In a time where employees, executives, and CEO’s are working remotely, the IT industry has never been more significant. Working remotely is also linked to online security risks and less control over your company’s data and devices. 

Discover the tactics to gain and maintain control over your business, as well as reducing security risks while working in a remote location.

1. “5 Ways to Gain Control Over Your Company’s Data and Devices When Working From Home”
2. Security Professionals Name Top Causes of Breaches
3. CNN Business: “Millions of Americans are Suddenly Working from Home. That’s a Huge Security Risk”

Move Ahead in Digital Marketing with Help from Today’s Business

From brick and mortar stores to the medical and caregiving industries, all businesses are navigating uncharted territory during this pandemic. With that being said, the digital marketing industry is playing a crucial role for many businesses. Your business’s online presence is more essential now than ever. Your business’ website is your number one channel to stay connected to your target market and audience. In order for your business to successfully overcome this coronavirus outbreak, you must incorporate digital marketing into your business strategy. People are searching the internet more now than ever before! 

Therefore, take this difficult time as an opportunity to engage with your customers, promote your brand, post unique content, and more with the digital marketing experts at Today’s Business. At Today’s Business, our professional and skillful team is here to help your business grow, perform, and succeed online before, during, and after COVID-19. Call us for a free initial consultation and let’s problem solve your digital marketing needs together!

The post How Industries Are Adjusting to the COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on Today's Business.

The Importance of Having a Google My Business Listing

What does every business want more of? Exposure. One of the easiest ways to better your business appearance online is by creating a Google My Business listing and utilizing the essential (and free!) features. Google is one of the most trusted brands in the world, so when your consumers see your business listed on Google, you are already establishing trust between you and your audience. Not only will trust be created, but you will likely also see increased customer engagement, sales, new visitors to your website, and much more.  Continue reading to discover the new Google My Business features that will help your business gain even better exposure.

1. Google Posts

One way to think of Google My Business Posts is to look at them as a mini advertisement for your business. Your Google My Business Posts can consist of an image, a call-to-action, and even a link to your business site. Whether your business is promoting a new product or a sale happening on a specific date and time, Google My Business Posts noticeably appear in your business’ Knowledge Panel, so you will never miss an opportunity to stand out from your competitors and draw in your audience.

2. Book an Appointment

If you run the type of business that heavily relies on booking appointments, then this Google My Business feature will benefit you as well as your customers. Through your Google My Business listing, your customers can now directly book their appointment. Not only will this be great for existing customers but also for attracting new customers, since they don’t even have to leave Google to book an appointment with your business! 

3. Questions and Answers

Wouldn’t it be great if your business and customers could have a direct social platform for open communication through questions and answers? Now you can! Google’s free Q&A feature is a great way to allow all types of questions to be answered by your business, and by the public. From asking about holiday hours to inquiring about certain pricing changes, users can get answers directly through your listing. However, be careful, because anyone with a Google account can answer or reply, so it is extremely important to monitor the Q&A panel on your GMB listing. To save your business time, you can post questions and answers ahead of time if you are expecting an event and/or promotion.

4. Messaging

Direct messaging is arguably the best way to engage with your customers in the new decade. In today’s society, the majority of people regularly communicate through text messages. Now through GMB, your business can send direct text messages to your audience. Enabling direct messages on GMB allows local businesses to easily and effectively connect with searchers to answer questions and potentially attract more in-store visits and conversions. There are a ton of benefits of messaging your customers through GMB, including customer convenience, better user experience, personalization, as well as data gathering – meaning your business can learn exactly what your customers are interested in and more!

5. Product Catalog

This GMB feature is perfect for businesses who want to highlight their products without searchers having to look through your site. On your GMB listing, you can create your own product menu that contains images, content, pricing, and much more! The product catalog menu is located on the Knowledge Panel of GMB and is activated by specific keyword searches for each product. The main benefit of having a product catalog on your GMB listing is a boost in your amount of clicks and views, as well as an increase in the possibility of new and existing customers making an in-store or online purchase.

Optimize Your GMB Listing with Today’s Business

Listed above are just a few Google My Business features that can help your business gain better visibility, and in turn, more traffic and conversions. Optimizing your GMB listing can bring several benefits, including increased visibility in searches, better user experience, and increased traffic to your website, social media channels, and physical store location! Optimizing your GMB listing should always be part of your SEO strategy for your business. At Today’s Business, we have the SEO experience and knowledge needed to help implement SEO tactics to boost your business to the next level. Contact us today to discuss different SEO strategies that can help you organically enhance your business impact and gain more customers.

The post 5 Google My Business Features For Better Exposure appeared first on Today's Business.

By Tom Ottaiano, CEO, Today’s Business

For the last few decades, digital marketing has continued to emerge and evolve. At first it was just a new way to market, but now it is proving itself as a necessity for businesses everywhere. As CEO at Today’s Business, I’ve seen this transformation accelerate within the past few years, but especially during these past few months. If you haven’t put much effort into digital marketing previously, now is the best time to invest. 

Why Digital Marketing is So Important

Digital marketing has become the way of the marketing world. It reaches people where they are spending their time and money, giving companies a higher chance of making a sale or getting a new lead. It allows for the opportunity to be personalized to each consumer, making it more likely to maintain lifetime customers. Having real-time stats and data makes it easier to analyze what is working, what is not, and take the appropriate actions moving forward. Not only this, but it gives smaller businesses a step up—leveling out the playing field against larger corporations. From websites and email marketing to various social media platforms, if you are not marketing online you are being left behind.

How Digital Marketing Has Evolved During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way users interact online has transformed. For example, according to Social Media Today, people are spending 20% more time on apps during the lockdown. I’m sure these numbers have and will continue to increase during these times. While stuck at home, individuals are looking for new ways to connect with others and are becoming more reliant on digital services. With the way our lifestyle has changed, it is very likely that consumers will come out of this with very different values, priorities, and, therefore, spending habits. It is up to businesses to do the research and adapt to the consumers’ ever-evolving needs.

Digital Marketing Moving Forward

The world has taken another great leap in the digital direction and, with that, so has marketing. Traditional marketing will no longer create the optimal return on investment businesses need to stay afloat. Moving forward, businesses will need to respond with informed strategies and updated customer profiles if they want to succeed in a post-COVID world. The best way to accomplish this is through digital marketing.

While this time has been challenging for businesses, it also leads to great opportunity. At Today’s Business, we understand the digital realm. Offering services in Social Media Management, Affiliate Marketing, Website Development & Maintenance, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and more, we have the knowledge and tools needed to lift our clients up out of these difficult times. Contact Today’s Business to learn more about our team and how we can utilize digital marketing to transform your business.

The post Why Now is the Best Time to Go All In with Digital Marketing appeared first on Today's Business.

Scheduling made simpler with @googlecalendar → https://t.co/3WXZX2deRE pic.twitter.com/s3E1q8gGsO

— G Suite (@gsuite) June 18, 2019

People were so excited to schedule meetings with Google Calendar‘s new features that it completely crashed. So, what do people do when they can’t access their calendars? Jump right on Twitter and entertain themselves with some of the best memes ever. What did we do? Find the best of the best to put together one epic blog.

We will see how long until “This Tweet is No Longer Available” lol, but we don’t think this one is on the Social Media Strategist. Nonetheless, the memes were pretty good so we decided to share some of our favorites!

Top Memes from the Google Calendar Outage

 1. Buzz Feed with the Disappearing GIF

no one:

Google Calendar: pic.twitter.com/mqNqN0Ri7O

— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) June 18, 2019

2. Reddit goes with Upstairs Video

Getting to work and seeing that Google Calendar is down. https://t.co/KYN7F5S2y5 via r/gifs pic.twitter.com/oaUoahEWQQ

— Reddit (@reddit) June 18, 2019

3. DK Books adds marketing twist with the highest engaged tweet all year

While you’re waiting for your Google Calendar to load, may we offer a quick refresher on the history of measuring time? ???????? #dkbooks pic.twitter.com/rbo4wcwdiJ

— DK Books US (@dkpublishing) June 18, 2019

4.  Twitter Moments goes Pulp Fiction

Is today canceled, @googlecalendar? https://t.co/HDAtjgFNTv

— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) June 18, 2019

Recent Google Related Outages

This hasn’t been the only Google Outage in June. Recently, Google Cloud had an outage that caused Shopify, Snapchat, Discord and many other top apps to crash. What else could go wrong for Google? Keep up with our blog for updates!

The post Google Calendar Crashed and Twitter Lost It appeared first on Today's Business.

1. Search Engine Optimization

Optimize Your On-Site Content

Content is king these days and everything that you publish on your site should be providing intrinsic value to your target audience. But it doesn’t stop there. If the content is not properly optimized, it will not drive the volume of traffic that you want.

Take a look at your site. Is your content utilizing the right keywords? Is it incorporating the correct subheadings and headings? Is your content reachable? These are important questions to ask yourself when you are noticing a decrease or plateau in website traffic.

Technical SEO

Google is constantly crawling every website on the Internet to determine whether or not your site is something that is high quality and understandable to a user and their search intent. Your site should not have broken links. It should be utilizing the right title tags and meta descriptions. Your meta descriptions should be relevant.

There are so many moving parts on both the content and technical side that impact your site visibility. Search Engine Optimization is a marathon, not a sprint and in time, the results will be indisputable.

2. Is Your Website Responsive?

Page Speed

Speed sells. Page speed is a huge factor when it comes to driving traffic to your website. It will impact your organic ranking along with the amount of time that a user will spend on the site. These are factors that will ultimately determine whether conversions are happening on your site.

Mobile Friendly

These days everything is going mobile. Sites that are not designed to be viewed on a mobile device fall behind in the organic search ranking and generate less traffic. If you want to start driving real traffic, take a look at your mobile site and determine whether or not it can be effortlessly navigated and viewed.

3. Social Media Marketing

Social Advertising on Facebook and Instagram

Social media advertising is a great way to boost traffic to your site. Say your business is having a flash sale. A great way to spread the word and drive sales is by running a paid ad campaign. You will be able to reach not only potential customers, but you will also be able to remarket to those who have previously interacted with your site or social media pages and are more likely to purchase.

Another huge benefit of running a social ads campaign is that it is trackable. By utilizing tracking links and deploying the Facebook Pixel, you will be able to see how many sessions and conversions each campaign has driven.

4. Search Engine Marketing (PPC)

SEM (PPC) allows for your website to show up at the top of Google which drives more traffic. Utilizing a pay per click strategy on Google makes it possible for you to rank above your competitors even if you are below them organically.

Bidding on the right keywords according to your industry and your location will generate significant increases in website traffic. A PPC campaign is an important puzzle piece in the website traffic equation that you should be using.

5. Email Marketing

Once you build out an engaged email list, you’ll be able to launch a successful email marketing campaign. Consistently delivering the right content to your list and encouraging them to visit your site is an effective way to drive even more traffic to your website.

Full Service Digital Marketing at Today’s Business

Your digital marketing efforts will be more effective and yield more powerful results when you take a 360 approach that covers all bases. Here at Today’s Business, we interlace the strategies between all of our services to ensure that your campaigns are as successful as they can be. SEO, SEM, Website Development, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing all work adjacent to each other to achieve maximum results that are in line with your business goals.

The post 5 Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Website appeared first on Today's Business.

1. Schedule everything

Achieving goals and completing tasks all starts with a schedule. When things are scheduled properly and a realistic timeline is set for a specific campaign, I am able to personally keep an eye on action items that need to be completed, follow up with my team, and hold them accountable. To ensure that goals are being met and tasks are being completed, I have found that it is best to schedule things on a quarterly, monthly, and annual basis. If you fail to plan ahead, things will get forgotten; it’s that simple. When your entire team is on the same schedule, it makes for a better overall workflow from the top down. From a management standpoint, it is my job to come in when I need to and check on my teams progress on a particular campaign, and make any adjustments if necessary. If halfway through a campaign you realize that you weren’t targeting the right audience, your end of year report won’t be something that your team is proud to present to the client. Sticking to a timeline, getting multiple people together and on the same page can seem daunting at times, but at the end of the day, and most importantly, at the end of the campaign, it will all be worth it.

2. Teamwork makes MY dream work

Having a team mindset is a huge part of what makes Today’s Business so special. Our team is full of so many diverse employees and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. Every member of the TB Team has a unique skill set, even those who work in the same department. For example, no two graphic designers are exactly alike, which makes our teams’ creative elements so spectacular. When trying to develop a company culture, it’s heartwarming to see your employees have a mutual respect for each other’s talent and recognize that their colleagues can do something that they can’t. This, in turn, opens the door to new learning experiences and personal development.

As a business owner, diversity within my team gives me peace of mind to know that each and every task is being completed by a specialist. This also allows our employees the opportunity to teach and be taught by someone who is an expert in their field. That being said, when the members of a team are too alike, teams fail. Team collaboration is absolutely essential because when people with different ideas and strengths work together, they use their skills to make one another better. Even if one person is the best in their craft, the digital landscape must be full circle. When your team consists of specialists in a number of mediums, every person involved is able to better understand how each channel can properly work in sync, which will ultimately provide our clients with a more successful campaign.

3. Raise your prices

When we started Today’s Business in 2011, we would do anything and everything for our client on a $400 monthly retainer. We undercut ourselves because we thought this would help us be successful, but in reality, being a low-cost solution didn’t give us very much room to be creative. Trying to accomplish our clients’ demands with such a low budget led to us stretching ourselves too thin. By not telling a nationwide e-commerce client that they needed to spend more than $400 on social media management and $200 on ads in order to run a successful social media campaign, we did them a disservice and in turn, lost the client. Not suggesting industry standard pricing didn’t just put us in an unprofitable situation, our campaigns were hindered because we didn’t have the time or money needed to succeed. Because we were not sufficiently charging our clients, the profits we were bringing in did not allow us the chance to write enough content or hire enough staff to be able to do so.

By raising our prices, we were able to invest in the people and programs that took our campaigns to the next level. But we weren’t out of the gate just yet. We then had to deal with clients saying things like, “With that price, I could bring this service in-house”. These clients didn’t realize the cost of these programs and platforms; all they saw was how much they were paying us each month. The saying you have to spend money to make money couldn’t be more accurate. As a client, by investing in your business or brand, you should receive a larger ROI. As an agency, by investing in programs and people that help your clients be successful, they will want to pay you more. At the end of the day, clients are willing to pay more if they are seeing improved results.

4. Tools are powerful

I believe tools are one of the most critical things an agency can invest in. Whether free or paid, there are a multitude of ways tools make our lives easier. Tasks such as checking your team’s work, business listing management or doing competitive research can be 100 times more efficient. Having over 200 clients across the country, using powerful tools is the only way we are able to work efficiently and successfully tackle our day-to-day tasks. Trying to complete the main aspects of a campaign without the proper tools could take you hours, but with the appropriate tools, the same task could take you minutes. When it comes to competitive research, you need to know if your competitors are outranking your client, what keywords your competitors are using or how much they are spending on social ads, just to name a few.

Today’s Business, we use tools to seamlessly transfer data from one system to another. For example, if a client wants their website forms to go directly into their CRM or if we want to create dashboards to internally manage our clients’ ad spends, we can easily do so. This is made possible by partnering with companies like Zapier, which allows us to transfer information from over 150 data sources to our clients CRM. This makes us incredibly versatile when signing a new client because it gives us the ability to seamlessly integrate and ensure our leads and sales are going directly into their CRM or any other systems that may be necessary. Being armed with tools like this has impacted the overall efficiency of our business as a whole. That being said, it is important to note that it’s not just about using powerful tools, but about getting the most out of them.

5. Just say no (kinda)

Over the years, Today’s Business has grown tremendously, but we’ve grown correctly. What started as a social media focused agency has grown into a brand that effectively utilizes a comprehensive performance marketing approach. Instead of taking on any client that wants to work with us, we have a process of determining whether or not this client will be a solid fit. Any client we sign must be transparent, trust us to do our job correctly, and respect our decisions. In the past, clients that were not a good fit for us took time away from valuable clients, and that is something we have definitely learned from. If a client can’t understand that we are the experts, the partnership most likely won’t work out. But it’s not all about the wrong clients. When we work with the right clients, we are able to steer them in the right direction and ensure that our objectives are in line with theirs. If they come to us with an idea that we don’t believe will be effective, they will understand when we present them with a more strategic approach. At the end of the day, it’s the client’s campaign, but they hired us to do a job and we will do whatever it takes for their campaign to succeed.

My Role as CDO

Working in such an ever-changing industry, there will always be more to learn and challenges to overcome. Once we acknowledged our worth in this industry, I realized how important my role as a CDO truly was. If it weren’t for my mistakes, I never would have learned any of these five things. As our company continues to grow, our service offerings will grow in part, and I will be at the forefront of whatever it takes to ensure our success.

The post 5 Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a CDO appeared first on Today's Business.

Can you believe that 2017 is more than halfway over?! It’s insane, we know, but don’t worry; we have the top 3 digital marketing trends for the rest of the year.

First things first, the device people are using to research and buy products/services has been gravitating towards mobile. This is a major factor for digital marketing come fall 2017, because brands will need to begin their creative for campaigns at the mobile level first. Another upcoming trend is going to tremendously impact e-commerce businesses. Companies that have e-commerce products targeted towards women, moms, or millennials will be seeing a huge impact from Pinterest within the next few months. Lastly, combining traditional and digital marketing efforts with the same strategy to enhance the underlying messaging for a singular campaign will significantly boost success. Keep reading to learn more about these digital marketing trends and how you can use them to elevate your business.

Why Your Focus Should be on Mobile

The numbers don’t lie: last October was the first month ever where more web pages were viewed on mobile devices than on computers. And the numbers are steadily increasing. Mobile campaigns allow marketers and advertisers to reach a wider audience than that of desktop or traditional marketing. Research estimates that by 2019, 72% of marketing dollars will be spent developing apps and ads for mobile platforms. Not only does this show us how big of an impact mobile is making in the digital marketing industry, but all of marketing.

E-commerce businesses can also expect to see more sales from mobile devices than any other platforms. By the end of 2017, it is expected that 60% of e-commerce visits will start on a mobile device. With such overwhelming stats, businesses need to invest in digital marketing, specifically mobile advertising. 

Pin it to Win it: How Pinterest is Changing Social Media 

Pinterest is on a fast track to be the go-to social media platform for e-commerce businesses. While Pinterest is often an afterthought for many companies, it’s huge influence in the purchase decision funnel should not be forgotten about. Users pin at the inspiration stage, which comes long before the point of purchase, but it can help create a loyalty to your brand very early in the decision making process. Research has found 50% of Pinterest purchasers even create a pinboard to specifically aid in a purchase decision.

This social media platform is dominated by women and millennials. Companies who are looking to target women, moms, and millennials can capitalize on this platform (if used correctly). It is without a doubt that Pinterest will become one of the most sought after platforms within the next few months!

How to Bridge the Gap Between Traditional and Digital Advertising 

To have a successful campaign, advertising should be cohesive throughout both digital and traditional channels. This means that campaigns should connect all platforms, regardless of whether they are traditional or digital. You want people to understand your brand and messaging no matter what piece of advertising they come across.

As mentioned before, mobile should be where the funnel begins for the campaign. Then, the rest of the creative assets should stem off from that. This will help all of the assets attribute to one story or concept rather than working against or singular to one another. With all of these techniques, your overall marketing campaign is bound to reach a wider audience and see greater results.

Be sure to follow Today’s Business on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with the constantly changing digital marketing industry!

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