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It’s Time to Start Spying on Your Competition

Posted on by Devin Herz

No matter what industry you may be in, keeping an eye on what your competition is doing should always be a part of your business strategy. Without doing a little digging, how else would you know what your business is up against? These days, the internet and social media make “spying” on your competitors extremely easy.

Here are 3 simple ways to monitor your competition:

Read Their Reviews

Reading a business’s online reviews can be very telling. You can quickly learn what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong by what customers and clients are saying. If reviews are boasting a specific product or service, it might be worth adding to your offerings if you aren’t already. If you’re reading about what the business is doing poorly, use it as a means to differentiate your business and get a leg up on your competition.

Sign Up for Their Email Lists

Subscribing to your competitor’s public email lists is a no brainer. Quick and easy; you literally get their latest news delivered right to your inbox. You can learn about upcoming promotions or new releases and plan your promotions accordingly. You can also get a sense of how often they email their clients and prospects while also getting a feel for their branding and language. Again, all helpful insights to help your business stand out.

Monitor Their Social Media

Similar to email lists, social media is another easy way to read the latest news about your competition but allows you to see how followers are reacting. If your competition posts a promotion or new offering,you can see firsthand if followers are excited about it. You can also see if followers are posting positive or negative comments/reviews/posts on their social pages. Use these findings to help you alter your strategy and shine amongst your competition.

If you’re lost as to what your competition is doing and need help analyzing your market, we’re here to help! We offer an array of services to help your business thrive. Contact our team today for a free consultation.

President Obama Shares His Thoughts on the Influence of Social Media on David Letterman’s New Netflix Show

Posted on by Devin Herz

Last month, TV icon David Letterman launched his new talk show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction on Netflix. His first guest was President Obama.

In his first televised talk-show since leaving office in 2017, President Obama and Letterman discussed everything from parenting and family, the Civil Rights Movement, the last presidential election and even social media. As marketers, our ears perked up to see what President Obama had to say about social media.

President Obama discusses being an early adopter of social media in the political sphere for his campaign in 2007/2008. He shares how his team of volunteers and young 20-something’s “built the most effective political campaign probably in modern political history.” This gave him an optimistic feeling on the influence of social media.

Fast forward to today, we know just how influential social media can be and not necessarily always so positive.Whether there be “interferences,” paid ads, or just the backend algorithm of the social network, there is more working behind the scenes on what the content users are shown than one would imagine.

President Obama relates, saying his campaign “missed the degree to which people who are in power or special interests, can manipulate social media.”

Letterman jokes, “I was under the impression Twitter would be the mechanism by which truth was told around the world.” To put this into perspective, many people do actually turn to social media for their news. Whether it be a trending topic, a viral video,or breaking news, people get this all from scrolling their various social feeds.

The two discuss how social networks and search engines use algorithms to reinforce the biases we have by showing us content pertaining to things we “like”and search. At a certain point, when you rely on platforms like Facebook, you just live in a bubble of these content patterns and the two agree that is why our politics “are so polarized.”

President Obama closes the discussion on social media saying that although it is a problem we are currently facing, it is solvable.

Although social media is an intricate part to any marketing strategy, we can’t help but agree with the influence it can have on people. Social media is a great tool for people to network and connect with brands and businesses, but given these algorithms (that most people are completely unaware of) it’s not a fair news source as you’re likely only seeing what’s happening inside your “bubble.”

Do you agree with President Obama’s comments on the influence of social media? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

How Your Business Can Survive Facebook’s New Algorithm

Posted on by Devin Herz

If you haven’t already heard the news that’s been buzzing in the marketing industry, Facebook has updated its algorithm, again. This time, the update will affect what content is shown in users’ newsfeeds from businesses, brands, and media outlets. The updated news feed is designed to surface content that is best performing amongst a user’s family and friends.

So, to put it in layman’s terms –when a business or brand posts content to their Facebook page, the chances of the post being shown in its fan’s news feed is slim.

[[Queue meltdowns from businesses everywhere]]

Your friends at DMC are here to help. We’ve found a few ways to help your business thrive during these hard times in Facebook land:

1 – Join Facebook Groups

There are thousands of Facebook groups out there. Within these groups, posts are prioritized based on how much of a discussion they spark. Do a little research and find which groups are most relevant to your target audience. You may find some groups with just a few hundred people, while other groups can have tens of thousands of members. Join them, get involved with the discussions, and push your brand! Free visibility.

2 – Facebook Ads

While these changes to Facebook will likely cause an increase in costs for Facebook ads, they are still a reliable way to connect with your audience. The great news is, there are different ad options within Facebook and they can all work within your budget. Sponsored posts are a great way to get started; you can pick the target audience, set a small budget, and see your engagement go up within a few hours or less!

3 – Utilize Other Social Networks

Although this won’t help your Facebook business page, it’s important to remember there are other ways to socially connect with your target market. If your business relates to food, travel, fitness, or consumer goods, Instagram is the perfect platform for you. Utilize eye-catching photos and watch your engagement rise. We also recommend businesses explore Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube to further connect with your audience.

If you’re about ready to give up with the social media game, don’t throw in the towel just yet. Social media is an integral part of a business’s marketing strategy. Let our team of experts navigate the confusion and get your content seen front and center. Reach out to our team here and we’ll be in touch soon to discuss your business.

Digital Marketing 101: Digitize Your Direct Mail

Posted on by Devin Herz

In part three of our blog series, we’re going to explore direct mail. You may be thinking, aren’t we covering digital marketing in this series? Yes! We’re going to discuss how to bring your traditional mail pieces into the digital era.

pURLs

To really catch your recipient’s attention, it’s important your mail piece be customized to the individual. pURLS are personalized URLs used in direct mail. Within the mail piece you send to your client list, included is a URL to a landing page that is created specifically for the recipient. pURLS are a great tool that allows the recipient to feel a more personal connection, which in turn helps increase the response rate. With these URLs, you can track responses in real-time, follow up with the warmest leads, and see your return on investment steadily increase.

 

 

Video Mail

The latest tech innovation to hit direct mail marketing is video mail. An actual video screen is placed within a direct mail piece to truly connect with the recipient. Methods like PrintaVizion and InstaVizion allow you to create unique mailers complete with print, audio, and video all in one. This cutting-edge technology will drastically speed up your sales cycle!

QR Codes

These days, everyone’s cell phones are always within reach. Why not send a piece of direct mail that allows the recipient to follow through using their cell phone? Add a QR code to your mail piece to bring it into the digital era. You can have your QR lead to a landing page, generate a coupon, or direct a user to the app store to download an app. Similar to pURLS, you can track visits to your QR code, allowing you to analyze the efficiency of your mail piece.

With everyone relying so heavily on email, it’s refreshing to receive an eye-catching piece of mail, especially when they rise to the next level by incorporating some of these digital methods. We’re certain you’ll see an increase in responses!

Stay tuned, next month we’ll be discussing the importance of social media!

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