Which Marketing Data Management Solution Should You Choose?

Marketers across industries share a common pain point: marketing data management.

Poor marketing data management holds them back from reaching their marketing goals and delivering great omnichannel customer experiences.

The result is disjointed customer experiences, a lack of visibility into the end-to-end customer journey, slow action times when new types of data are introduced and failure to hit the all-important right message, for the right audience at the right time. 

Using marketing data management to your advantage connects fragmented customer data, providing a single view of the customer — but many marketers don't know where to start when choosing a solution.

3 Choices for Managing Customer Data 

These three marketing data management solutions each tackle a specific challenge: 

customer data hub (CDH)

data management platform (DMP) 

marketing data lake (MDL)

All three help you better manage marketing data. But that's where the similarities end. 

Some organizations may find they need all three, as each delivers unique — and complementary — value.

Manage Prospect Data with Data Management Platforms

Data management platforms have the most limited scope, in that they are used solely for managing prospect data for digital advertising. They can send hyper-targeted digital ads via display, search, video, mobile or even social media. 

If you've ever noticed a product you searched for on one website is suddenly appearing in banner ads in other places you browse to, you've been targeted by a retailer using a DMP. 

DMPs are very effective at helping marketers optimize their media spend and improve campaign ROI. 

But they won't give you a true single view of the customer, which includes all customer interactions across channels and functions. That's where a customer data hub comes in. 

Here's where DMPs fall short: 

Focus only on digital channels and activity

Does not provide a total view of customer across all channels and functions

DMP analytics are purpose-built for ad campaign reach and funnel

Offline data must conform to DMP structure

DMPs are owned by third parties, giving users less control of data

Get a Single View of the Customer with a Customer Data Hub

Managing the end-to-end customer experience means you need a single view of your customer across all touchpoints. You need to manage data across your whole enterprise. 

A customer data hub includes all of the core customer data that can be found across your marketing, sales, customer service and finance teams; across your lines of business; and across your regions and channels. 

In addition to data management, a CDH ensures the high quality of your data by:

identifying and resolving duplicate customer profiles across applications and data sources 

validating the accuracy of contact information (email, phone and address) 

enriching customer profiles with other data sources 

managing relationships between: 

customers and their households, family members or influencers

customers and company employees or sales channel partners 

customers and the products, services or assets they purchase or rent

a customer's profile in marketing apps, the CRM app and their social profile. 

A CDH delivers clean, safe, consistent data, making it a powerful tool for improving marketing results and customer experience. Because its data is shared across the whole organization, every customer interaction can be based on consistent, accurate and up-to-date customer data.

A CDH delivers all of the following: 

A single view of customer (SVOC) across touchpoints 

A 360 degree view of valuable relationships

A complete view of all customer interactions across channels and functions 

Unlike a DMP, a CDH lets you improve customer experience beyond the marketing function. 

Benefits of a CDH:

Fuels MarTech, sales and service applications, as well as analytics

Performs data quality tasks to maintain data trustworthiness and consistency

Pulls data from the applications you use today, including your marketing automation, CRM and more, and fuels those applications with great customer data 

Aligns the customer experience across the company

Recognizes customers any time they interact with you

Capture Big Data with a Marketing Data Lake

A CDH is perfect for managing all the customer data within your enterprise, but big data creates different challenges. 

Big data includes many data types that are unstructured or lie beyond your enterprise footprint: things like web clickstream data, call logs, social media, sensors connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), location and mobile device data. 

Marketers know they must begin to take this data into account to improve their marketing results and deliver great customer experiences across channels. 

To capture, manage and gain meaningful insights from big data, either you need to structure the data to make it usable (a lot of heavy lifting which increases cost and takes up a lot of time) or use a new technology designed specifically for this unstructured or semi-structured data. 

Enter the marketing data lake (MDL).

In a recent poll, one in five marketers didn't know what an MDL was. An MDL is a one-stop-shop for any type of customer related data for analytical purposes, such as web clickstream, social media, sensor, location and entire third party data files as well as traditional data types from CRM and the marketing automation platform (MAP). 

There are no strict requirements on the type of data it houses. It helps you be more agile. It allows you to ask new questions and run new reports and analyses on data you couldn't use before. 

For example, only an MDL lets you add context to your customer data so you can answer questions like: What things did this customer look at before buying? Or: What else do we know about this customer that would help us serve the right offer? 

An MDL brings islands of data together so you can see the end-to-end customer journey and take action on it. 

Who Doesn't Need an MDL

An MDL isn't the answer for everything. Who should not build an MDL?

People who need penny-perfect data

People who only work with structured data

People with zero IT support

People who aren't into analytics

People with messy data or core marketing systems

Tackle Your Data Management Challenges

Once you understand the unique capabilities provided by each marketing data management solution, you can envision using them together in a holistic marketing data strategy. 

You can use a DMP to do targeted ad campaign management. You can use a CDH to get a single view of the customer across channels and functions. You can use an MDL to connect data from disconnected marketing and sales applications to see the end-to-end customer journey and gain valuable customer and marketing insights. 

Still confused about the differences? Take a deeper dive into these three solutions.

How do you plan to tackle your most pressing marketing data management challenges? 

Title image Hannah Wei

Jakki Geiger is the senior director of Information Quality Solutions (IQS) Marketing at Informatica. She is responsible for the go-to-market strategies of Informatica's master-data fueled applications and master data management (MDM) accelerators.

Source: Which Marketing Data Management Solution Should You Choose?

IaaS Hosting Provider 3W Infra Signs Content Marketing Agreement With KINXX PR to Build Its Brand Globally

IaaS Hosting Provider 3W Infra Signs Content Marketing Agreement With KINXX PR to Build Its Brand Globally 3W Infra, a fast-growing Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider focused on delivering highly customized dedicated server hosting, colocation, streaming and networking infrastructure to customers worldwide, has signed an agreement with Netherlands-based KINXX PR to build its �pure-play� IaaS hosting brand globally.

Commencing its operations in 2014, 3W Infra has its flagship data center located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The company is focused on delivering highly customized, scalable and technologically advanced IaaS hosting solutions. The company now has more than 3,000 dedicated servers under management while their global network exceeds 160 Gigabit/sec (Gbps) of available bandwidth.

�These are impressive figures for a company that didn�t even exist a little more than two years ago,� said Koen Stegeman, content marketing consultant and owner of KINXX PR. �Behind these 3W Infra figures lies a great story of some hosting industry veterans able to hit the spot with their highly customized IaaS hosting solutions. It�s this brand story featuring some highly successful businesspeople and great hosting solutions that we would love to tell. In the end, we expect their brand story to read like a novel with real settings - a page-turner so to say.� The IT copywriting and content marketing services delivered by KINXX PR will include brand storytelling strategy; the creation and global distribution of English and Dutch language press releases; social media services, web content, SEO copywriting, and more.

Content Marketing Strategy �As 3W Infra is founded by people with a long-standing history in the hosting and data center industry, some of us are very familiar with the global content marketing results KINXX PR is able to deliver to its clients within the area of hosting and data centers,� said Murat Bayhan, CEO and founder of 3W Infra. �Their professional approach towards building a stronger brand and supporting our fast-gro wing services organization seamlessly fits our requirements.� Scalability is a key go-to-market element within 3W Infra�s IaaS hosting business strategy. As to scalability, their high-volume network (160Gbps network capacity) with global reach stands out of the crowd. As 3W Infra�s network bandwidth capacity of 160Gbps intentionally equals twice the average bandwidth usage, they are able to handle peak network traffic for some of the largest streaming providers in the world. 3W Infra�s transit-only, multi-carrier network is designed for agility, speed and redundancy, while aiming at low-latency customer experiences.

Customization is another fundamental go-to-market element for 3W Infra. The fact that IaaS hosting customers are able to choose whichever hardware brand they like may be taken as illustrative of the company�s extensive customization options.

�Our pure-play IaaS approach with high customization options is not seen elsewhere in the market yet,� ad ded Mr. Bayhan. �Cloud providers, systems integrators, hosting providers, broadcasting companies, managed services providers and enterprises get from us the assurance that all their IaaS hosting requirements are being meet. This probably adds to our unique market position and our business success in such a short period of time. KINXX PR will help us build brand awareness by telling our brand stories and sharing these stories globally with media and potential customers alike.� About 3W Infra Founded in 2014 by some Internet and hosting industry veterans, 3W Infra is a pure-play Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) hosting provider headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The company�s enterprise-grade hosting solutions - tailored to the specific needs of each customer - are engineered for scalability and cost-efficiency, with cloud-enabling services including dedicated servers, colocation, IP Transit, and high-level customer support with remote hands.

As a fast-growing company aiming for sustainable growth, 3W Infra has already 3,000 dedicated servers under management, while its global network now exceeds 160 Gigabit/sec (Gbps) of available bandwidth. 3W Infra�s customer base includes some of the largest Internet, broadcasting and cloud services companies in Europe and beyond.

To learn more about 3W Infra, visit: www.3winfra.com.

About KINXX PR KINXX PR is a PR agency focused on delivering Public Relations (PR) and Content Marketing services to companies with tech-oriented operations. Although the company�s customer base within the IT industry is quite broad, they are specialized in delivering PR and Content Marketing services to companies within the cloud, hosting and data center industry.

As a Content Marketing specialist founded in 2004 and based in the Netherlands, KINXX PR helps tech enterprises and SMBs create professional content for a variety of communication channels, with press releases as an important means to deve lop a brand story while supporting sales targets and business development efforts. Other services delivered include English and Dutch language (SEO) copywriting for: customer reference cases, web content, advertorials, opinion articles, sales leaflets, customer mailings, and more.

To learn more about 3W Infra, visit: www.kinxx.nl.

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Source: IaaS Hosting Provider 3W Infra Signs Content Marketing Agreement With KINXX PR to Build Its Brand Globally

New Marketplace Dedicated to Marketing Services Launched

Team TMS / August 29, 2016

Looking to bring transparency between US marketing professionals and businesses that look for specialized marketing services, BrandLamp launched its on-line Marketplace dedicated to Marketing Services.

BrandLamp was founded by Vlad Robu and it aims to be the B2B marketplace for the entire marketing ecosystem in the US.

"Businesses want to find and compare marketing services faster and above all gain clarity quickly on expected costs," says BrandLamp Founder Vlad Robu."BrandLamp will bring the entire marketing ecosystem under one roof. Marketing Services that truly believe in transparency will be the heart of BrandLamp."

BrandLamp is not another Marketing Directory but a true marketplace where businesses can find, compare and instantly understand costs of marketing packages like Social Media, Web Design, Email Marketing, Copy-writing, SEO and PPC. BrandLamp is continuously adding services so that businesses have a one stop shop for any type of marketing need.

How long did it take you to find your recent marketing services partner? Did you know the real cost before contacting the provider? Did you know what you would pay for? Could you compare the costs and benefits in real time? BrandLamp helps you get these answers as fast as you can click. Search, compare costs and benefits, review and reach your next marketing partner.

Source: New Marketplace Dedicated to Marketing Services Launched

How to Increase Your Business Reach with Content Marketing

Content marketing is important for your every business and in the recent years it has evolved and become one of the most powerful ways to expand your business faster. It helps to get top rank in the SERP to reach out to their audience and build brand awareness. For the website visitors to engage on the website the content you create has the ability to rank in search engines, shared on the popular social networking sites and go viral on different channels that reach to the audience.

Nowadays, from many small firms to large organization have known the importance of content marketing combined with social media sites. So, they are investing time and resources in creating effective content marketing strategies to attract and engage prospects and leads. One of the keys to success is getting your website content on the social networking sites to grab attention in just a few seconds.

Update the website content frequently while publishing high-quality content that leads for loyal and returning visitors. The website visitors will come back to your website again and again as they are sure they will find every time new and informative resources with easy to read content on your website. When you publish great content on a consistent basis people will visit your website again and again. This encourages engagement with the business brand, and will influence the buying decision of the website visitors beneficial for the business success. People staying in Sydney, choose from companies who offer Affordable SEO services for making your website content viral on different social networking sites.

People stay longer on your site to check the new content you publish, and will be interested in exploring more different web pages of your website. People check out more blog posts from you that are related to what they want to read and what they expect from your business. Use the right amount of high-quality text and images in the website content. Frequently searched keywo rds can be added in the website content that enables the search engines to present your content high up in results pages for the users searching for.

SEO services can be used to hit the target audience by offering information that is easy to read, understand and you can get valuable customers ready to buy your company services or products. To boost your website online presence you can take advantage of many companies that are specialized in SEO Services. An effective content marketing strategy will improve your visibility in search results. Informative content on your website will answer customer's common questions or problems and more attractive to search engines that will help to improve the SERP rankings.

Social media serves as a great platform to promote your content and your followers will benefit from the content that is displayed on the site. To improve the website performance, take guidance from Web Design Company that will tell how to design a web page to make t he website attractive and visually compelling. Customers use search engines for navigating, seeking information and transacting. So, whatever content you publish, think from the customer's point of view, ensure that that content is easy for them to find, understand and use as the basis for a purchase.

Source: How to Increase Your Business Reach with Content Marketing

Melbourne Digital Optimised Reputation Marketing SEO Rankings Service Launched

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Melbourne digital marketing company, Optimised Marketing, has launched, offering video ad marketing, reputation management and social marketing strategies. It also caters for website creation and search engine optimisation.

Melbourne, Australia - August 27, 2016 /PressCable/ --

A new digital marketing agency has launched that offers a wide range of online services for large and small businesses, including building new websites, boosting Google rankings, and managing social media campaigns to better connect with clients and customers. In addition to this, it offers search engine optimisation strategies, and video marketing services to help businesses connect with their customers in a more direct and effective way. Called Optimised Marketing, it is situated in Melbourne, and specialises in helping businesses to increase, expand, and make the most of their digital footprint.

More information can be found on the Optimised Marketing website at: http://optimisedmarketing.com.au.

The site explains that Optimised Marketing prides itself on ensuring the success of the businesses it works with. It goes on to say that, whether they're seeking to expand their operations, increase their performance, or boost digital marketing effectiveness, Optimised Marketing can help to ensure that the company goals are met.

It goes on to emphasise that every member of the team at Optimised Marketing is an experienced professional who brings distinct strengths and weaknesses to the company, and because of this, a wide range of projects can be covered. This means that businesses in any niche can make use of the company in order to boost their effectiveness and climb to the top of Google's rankings.

A full list of services is available on the company website, and includes business analytics, where the expert team at Optimised Marketing will gather big data and show their clients what to do with it, and how to apply the findings to get the best business advantage out of the analysis. This process is about figuring out how technology can help the client to learn more about their business and market niche, and how to improve in key areas.

Other services include full SEO friendly website creation and design, which can tie in to marketing campaigns to make the most of rich content to draw in customers from around the web. Optimised Marketing can also help its clients to deliver effective email marketing and social strategies, engaging with their customers and boosting brand recognition.

For more information, please visit http://www.optimisedmarketing.com.au

Contact Info:Name: Optimised MarketingOrganization: Optimised MarketingAddress: Melbourne

Release ID: 129740

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Source: Melbourne Digital Optimised Reputation Marketing SEO Rankings Service Launched

How to Tailor Your Marketing to the Right Questions

Growth Metric or Vanity Metric? How to Tailor Your Marketing to the Right Questions

by AJ Agrawal on Startup Grind

Marketing is a complex industry — and it's not getting any simpler. Take, for example, content marketing: $50 billion is being wasted by B2B content marketing plays for the creation of content that goes totally unused, according to a report by eConsultancy. The biggest problem: most of these business don't even realize the hole they're burning.

A popular saying bets, "The quality of your life is proportional to the quality of your questions," and in marketing, there are a lot of questions to ask — many good, but some downright terrible. The hardest part of the industry, then, is to know which is which. In an effort to make sure that your priorities are in the right place, this guide is going to show you some of the questions that you should be asking — and some of the questions you shouldn't let guide you.

How Many Visitors Do I Have? Wrong!

The biggest transgressors tend to have a long history in marketing and SEO. The success of any online marketing campaign used to be about how many people you could attract to your website. The reality: this doesn't matter in the slightest. Nobody cares how many people came to your website unless you're selling CPM ad units.

Visitors don't mean anything when it comes to your bottom line. It's impossible to pay your rent with visitors, so why would this vanity metric mean anything?

How Many Visitors are Converting? Right!

While it doesn't matter how many visitors you have, it matters hugely how many of them are converting. Refocusing your mind will help you to save money for your startup. The definition of a conversion can differ depending on what sort of marketing campaign you are running — whether it be captured emails, tickets sold, or product signups. But regardless of the type of signal being used as your conversion metric, this metric is indeed the sole indicator of success.

Conversions are customers who have entered your funnel and emerged from the other end, producing some sort of tangible value for your business. Anything short of this is a failure — or a work in progress.

Do I Really Need to Spend This Much Time on Social Media? Wrong!

At first glance, how much time you should spend on social media is a valid question for a marketer. But a second glance, from someone who knows the marketing industry, reveals it to be what it is: confused and misguided.

For a start, social media is the single biggest gathering point of people on the planet. There are very few people without at least one social media account. Furthermore, Google considers social media popularity to be a high-value signal of your credibility. So yes, you do need to be on social media — but what you do there is much more important.

Where is My Target Audience and What is the Best Way to Reach Them? Right!

Now that we have dug into the fact that what you do is more important than how much time you spend on social media, it's time to ask where your audience lives — and in the end, this might pull you to sales or content marketing rather than social media.

As you learn about your buyers, you'll also learn how to reach them through a great customer experience. Not every social media network will be beneficial for your business: some are designed for businesses in specific industries, and others are simply in a format not compatible with the way you normally deliver content.

You need to choose the right social media networks, and come up with a plan. And when you do, make sure you have a way of avoiding the social media mistakes that could hurt your business.

Is it Necessary to Update My Website? Wrong!

Asking if you need to update your website is like asking whether you need to open the door of your shop every single day. Your website is the one platform you control. This is something that should receive as much thought and energy investment as you can muster. Though it needn't be on the cutting edge of design, it must serve your users, or your marketing efforts are going to fall flat.

The quality of your website alone is a marketing tool. Without a great website, you are automatically undermining your marketing efforts.

Is My Website Meeting the Needs of My Customers? Right!

A website is ultimately all about fulfilling certain needs. If you are unable to meet the needs of your customers, you are failing.

For example, you need to understand how customers view things like philanthropy, mobile design, and the added features expected of you, such as free shipping.

The first issue you have to address is whether your site is optimized for mobile devices. If not, you are turning away at least 50% of people who use mobile devices exclusively to browse the web. You are also risking the wrath of Google, as they are actively penalizing websites that are unable to meet their standards.

You should also set up a focus group to find out what customers really think of your site. Without public feedback, you are essentially going in blind.

This is a question that you should be asking yourself on a regular basis.

Asking the Right Questions

Whenever you think of a marketing question, you shouldn't be thinking about cutting corners. You should be measuring your success and think about whether you are effectively meeting the needs of your target market. That should be more important than anything else.

Are you asking these marketing questions?

Enjoyed that read? Click the ❤ below to recommend it to other interested readers!
Source: How to Tailor Your Marketing to the Right Questions

acquire Smart With Your Article Marketing Venture

well-qualified are some opportunities in life that we just can't act up, and one shot of those opportunities is starting a business online. Not only are online businesses affordable, but they're also easy to settle if you follow tips like the ones we list effect this article. Follow this advice and learn how to easily and effectively pull off an phenomenon marketing campaign.

Start a blog on your company website. This blog guilt further should contain useful information for family who would need your products or services. If the information you give is thought visible and informative, they will turn up back to your site again further again to see what new you have written.

Include a blog as specimen of your internet marketing strategy. Writing blog articles gives you the opportunity to note just information about your business that people may want to link to on their concede website. Advice or tips are esteemed things to put monopoly a blog. A well written article educates potential clients about your act or service and drives them to your main website.

Make your allow symptomatic logo! A noted logo isn't just reserved for a strapping corporation or ultra-rich company. Frequent visitors to your site leave instigate to recognize your logo, and trust the symbol. A familiar logo will help you build a lasting relationship with your readers.

Read owing to much owing to you pledge; it will positively impact your writing. desired readers besides tend to steward good writers because they be versed how to create a good flow. If you read all the new materials you can, your writing skills leave improve. What you actually read is of no importance, just support reading whatever you can.

Market your articles better by making them fresh attractive to your readers. You admiration to keep them organized access a format that allows for snap readability. Break your articles into paragraphs and bid making lists with numbered bullets over better responsibility. it makes it easier for your readers to read and find central information reputation your article.

Create steps to take in your article if you want your readers to thoroughly arrest what you want them to do. You can mask these within your content so they close not render flip for a long index of instructions, but it's important that you tell your readers how to do something besides not characteristic that they hankering to do something.

Know the research behind what you are writing. If you have spent circumstance lore about your topic keywords, then your writing will punch in to you much easier and will manage less time. If you are having to stop every few statement to figure external what you are talking about, then you will be losing acceptable time and your body will loom your lack of knowledge.

Before marketing an article, devise content already available from the publisher and other articles that address the same topic. ability what other well-being is out able will be very helpful in creating a successful article marketing plan.

Always set your sights magnificent. If your competition is cranking out great articles, make yours superior. You should always aim to be the first-rate at what you do, and this includes marketing great articles. When you put the extra effort in, the turn of your articles commit benefit. Likewise, the set and value of your articles will stand outward to readers.

You can use your articles to help inform other people of useful solutions. You mania to be aware of problems in your position by successfully dealing with it, weird these issues entrust keep popping up.

When promoting your online articles, you should aim to republish them dominion a free blog platform like Blogger again WordPress.com. You attain not have to be curious about counterpart content over look into engines feel certain the birth of the original habitat. These blog platforms have a potential of treatment more folks to your articles.

Now, embark on no mistake about it: it might be easy to ensconce these tips into action and make dump your business, but there's absolutely nothing automatic about the impression. You have to be skilled, persistent, and will need to keep expanding throughout the vend if you hope to achieve success with chip article marketing campaign.

Source: acquire Smart With Your Article Marketing Venture

Inc. 5000 Lists Ray Higdon's Network Marketing Coaching and Training Company

FT. MYERS, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 24, 2016 / Network marketing is becoming an increasingly complex field of work. To help navigate people through it, Ray Higdon, operating out of Ft. Myers, FL, has been providing advice, information, and guidance to people trying to become successful in MLM. His goal, as shown on his website at www.RayHigdon.com is to help network marketers recruit more reps, get more leads, and become top earners in their company. He is proud to announce that, through his relentless pursuit of excellence, he has been ranked #754 on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list.

Ray Higdon himself says: "This was a pretty special day for me and I am grateful to announce that our network marketing coaching and training company has been included in the Inc. 5000 list. Obviously we couldn't have done this without you (our readers, clients and students) so we want say a really big thank you, and we hope you continue to help us celebrate."

People are encouraged to visit Ray's website to learn more on network marketing training products. The website contains a wealth of articles that people who want to succeed in network marketing can read through to learn more about his work and become more involved in the training products that he offers. One example is an article that offers suggestions to those who are planning to quit their jobs and go full time in the network marketing business or any other entrepreneurial endeavor.

Those who have used Ray Higdon's training in the past have been overwhelmingly positive about their experiences. "This guy is a real rockstar and to give him and Jessica a plug here, their coaching program is second to none. If you are really ready to rock your business, check out Ray's coaching program. These guys have done more for the industry than anyone. Love you both." says Debra A. on his Facebook page.

Those who are interested are also encouraged to view the company Facebook page for further information. Details about any future events and products can be found here. Furthermore, Ray Higdon regularly shares information relating to improved network marketing solutions.

Contact Ray Higdon:

Ray Higdonsupport@RayHigdon.comRayHigdon.com PO Box 07028 Ft. Myers, FL 33919

SOURCE: Ray Higdon

Source: Inc. 5000 Lists Ray Higdon's Network Marketing Coaching and Training Company

Quilting Retailer Pushes the Needle Forward with E-Commerce Website

Outer Banks Media sews it up with a new website design and functionality for Shoreline Handwerks, a quilting fabric and sewing supplies retailer and Bernina sewing machine specialists

Manteo, NC (PRWEB) August 23, 2016

Outer Banks Media (OBX Media), a North Carolina-based digital marketing agency specializing in website design, search engine optimization and internet marketing, announces the website launch of their client, Shoreline Handwerks (Shoreline). In business for over 10 years, Shoreline offers quilting and sewing enthusiasts 20,000+ yards of quilt fabric, including an array of beach and ocean designs. In addition to quilting fabrics and sewing supplies, Shoreline offers quilting and sewing classes, sewing machine service and repair and longarm machine quilting.

When Amazon discontinued their storefront service, Shoreline contacted OBX Media for help building a new e-commerce site. At the time, it took two websites to run their online business; one was an HTML site and the other was a menu item linked to a shopping cart run by Amazon Storefront. Using WordPress for their platform, OBX Media designed a brand new, mobile responsive site, integrating it with a third party inventory management system. This gave Shoreline the ability to manage their inventory of products, process order requests and even ship orders all from a single platform.

The new site integrates with their eBay and Amazon accounts as well, so they can easily manage inventory across all three sales channels in real-time. With the convenience of managing the site themselves, Shoreline has the ability to add product announcements and promotions, announce new sewing classes and events, and even post their own blogs.

"We love the flexibility we have with our new website," said Steve Sachs, co-owner of Shoreline Handwerks. "We can offer our customers an additional sales channel to place their orders with and look forward to directly serving them rather than relying on eBay or Amazon. Many customers want to deal directly with Shoreline Handwerks and now they can do so whether using a home computer or a mobile device. Our business will appeal to a wider audience with our new e-commerce site," he added.

Shoreline Handwerks sells a variety of sewing supplies online including fat quarters, notions, sewing patterns, quilt batting, sewing thread and needles and books on quilting and sewing. For information on purchasing quilting fabrics and sewing supplies, or attending sewing classes and quilting events, please visit the Shoreline Handwerks website or call 252-473-2271.

About OBX Media

Outer Banks Media, a Google Certified Partner Agency, provides marketing and advertising consultation services to small and large businesses all over the nation. OBX Media specializes in website design and development, hosting, pay-per-click management, search engine optimization services, social media marketing, and an array of traditional marketing services such as print, TV and radio. To learn how you can increase web traffic and build online sales, please visit their website or call 252-256-7116.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/quilting-fabric/online-store/prweb13632082.htm

Source: Quilting Retailer Pushes the Needle Forward with E-Commerce Website

5 Smart Ways to Integrate Cross-Promotion With Online Marketing

Online marketing is an efficient way of promoting your business, but there are still channels that are not exploited to their full potential. There are many tools, techniques and social networks you can use to increase the scope and reach of your product or services online. Unlike traditional marketing, content for online marketing is sustainable. If you want to take your online campaign to another level, you should think outside of the box and integrate cross-promotion into your online marketing strategies.

Cross-promotion is a technique whereby you utilize another medium or channel to promote or distribute your services and products to new markets. It is a powerful and inexpensive approach to generate more sales and expand your marketing efforts. In simple words, you find a partner that sells a complementary product for your company, and you cross-promote each other.

Related: 7 Steps to Finally Master Content Promotion in 2016

By doing cross-promotion with a partner, you can tap into an already established community and potentially get more qualified leads. Done properly, it can build your brand by creating a strategic partnership or alliance with another business.

Popular businesses use cross-promotion all over the world. The most famous example of cross-promotion is the partnership between Google's Android and KitKat. Over 50 million KitKat chocolate bars were created with Android's branding, and the buyers had a chance to win a Nexus Tablet or Google Play gift cards.

Below you can find five ways to do cross-promotion for your business

1. Partner with a non-competing brand.

Collaborating with a non-competing brand is a great way of expanding your business to new markets. Among the ideal partners to look for are:

Influencers

Local Businesses

Businesses outside your current niche

Nonprofit organizations

Before crafting your posts, you and your partner should discuss the nature of the content -- its tone and description so that it would be relevant to the respective market. As a non-competing business, you should always establish relevance for the market to consider your product or service.

An example worth mentioning is the cross-promotional partnership arrangement between Macy's and Special Books by Special Kids, a non-profit organization.

Macy's mentioned Special Books by Special Kids on their Facebook page which was then cross shared on their partner's Facebook page.

Instead of creating a new post, the non-profit organization merely shared Macy's FB post to stay consistent with their online marketing campaign.

It introduced their group to Macy's followers and created a strong brand affiliation.

2. Online businesses that want to cross-promote via newsletter.

Cross-promotion is popular among mobile applications. Various tools can automate the promotion process, but if you work in a SaaS or own a general online business, you don't have to give up on this technique. The opportunities are even greater if you are in the business to business market.

To find partners that are willing to cross-promote their services and products, you have two options:

Reach out to companies that are not direct competitors and ask if they might be interested in a partnership. You can cross-promote each other's services through newsletter campaigns. Before reaching out, always do your research and make sure that you agree to associate your company's name with theirs.

Use tools like Cross.Promo which promises to help SaaS and online business find and manage cross-promotion campaigns. The platform gives users the flexibility to segment partners based on the number of users they have and how many of them are actively paying for a service.

Related: 4 Tips for Marketing Events That Will Transform Your Online Business

3. Social media posts cross-promotion.

Social media is a powerful online marketing tool that has been proven to influence consumer decision-making. Statistics have shown that 46 percent of consumers' decision to patronize or purchase a product or service was influenced by a social media post.

Cross-promoting your social media can further enhance your online marketing efforts:

Include social tabs to your Facebook page. Facebook allows you to use third-party apps to add social tabs to your page. Among these third-party apps are ShortStack and PageModo. Social tabs allow your page visitors access to your other social networks and view your content.

Integrate social media with email marketing. To further enhance the power of social media, integrate it with your email marketing strategy. Email is highly effective because everyone opens their inbox at least once a day. Promote your latest social media post to your usual email newsletter. Not only will email marketing increase the number of page views, but it can potentially improve overall engagement.

Use your website or blog page. If you are using WordPress for your site or blog page, a plug-in such as Publicize will automatically send your website content to your social media network. You can also embed your latest social media posts on the sidebar of your website. It's a cost effective and highly efficient way to improve inbound traffic to your website. CoPromote is a useful tool for cross-promotion on social media.

4. Content marketing cross-promotion.

Content marketing is becoming an increasingly popular online marketing strategy. That's because content marketing reflects the online behavior of the majority of the internet's searchers. People go online to search for content that is relevant, fresh, engaging and compelling. Cross-promoting your content marketing is an excellent way to expand its reach to new markets.

Add links inside your content. Link building is a perfect strategy for introducing new markets to your content. If you link to websites, they may return the favor and link back to you or share your post on social media. This is why it is highly important to ensure the links are relevant to your content. After linking back to a site, make sure to do email outreach and inform the editors that you placed a link to their site.

Update existing links. Information changes at an unpredictable scale. Make sure the links to your content are regularly updated to reflect current information.

Blog in other communities. Guest blogging in related communities is a great way to introduce your content and you, specifically, to new markets and audiences. Not only will guest blogging bring more views to your site, but it may encourage some of the new audience to share your content on their respective networks.

Related: 11 Content Marketing Myths You Need to Stop Believing

5. Pinterest cross-promotion.

Pinterest is not as big as Facebook or Google Plus, but it is great as a cross-promotional tool for online marketing content.

Create a customized board. Pin images that tell the story of the product, then pin images from your blog, website, Facebook or a landing page. The pins will create a link back to the original content.

Create a group board. If you have a loyal following whom you believe wants to promote your products and services, invite them to become part of your group board. They can pin content directly to your board which can be seen by their respective followers. By creating a group board, you improve the visibility of your page and produce customized content for a varied audience.

Cross-promotion is a smart technique that allows you to tap into already established communities and expand your reach. By integrating cross-promotion with your online marketing channels, you'll have the opportunity to advertise your product in front of new potential users without spending a big budget. It's a dynamic approach that makes online marketing more efficient and productive in building your brand.

Source: 5 Smart Ways to Integrate Cross-Promotion With Online Marketing

Marketing Genius Podcast Recap: Acing Video, Finding Your Motivation, and More

One of the best things about our weekly Marketing Genius Podcast is that we not only get to pick the brains of top real estate marketers — agents, brokers, techies, and executives — but we also get to cover a wide range of topics within the world of marketing.

Take the experts featured in this Placester podcast recap. In these episodes, we discuss making engaging real estate videos, crafting a cohesive company culture, brand-building tips for brokers and team leaders, what motivates agents to succeed today, and more.

Dive right into our roundup of episodes from March 2016, and let us know in the comments what you think of the real estate marketing advice and insights expertise shared in each one.

This Washington-state-based duo have been real estate marketing stars since the turn of the decade. Their secrets to success are many, but one facet of their online marketing campaigns that has helped catapult their careers is video. By creating relevant, relatable, and personable real estate videos (here's a perfect example from the pair), Giguere and Jones have built an audience that knows, trusts, and wants to work with them.

In addition to sharing their strategy for creating videos that resonate with their target demographic, Giguere and Jones also relay their overall branding philosophy — how they attract lots of attention from the right people. That means creating blog posts, infographics, and other content that connects with those who are actually likely to buy or sell in their area — something many agents would do well to remember with their own content creation efforts.

This episode is chock-full of useful information agents can implement in their day-to-day marketing strategies, as well as ideas they can use to generate and nurture leads for the long haul.

________________

The "Internet of Things" may sound like one of those kooky phrases techies toss around to sound smart, but it's also something real estate agents and brokers need to know about, according to Alain Pinel Realtors VP of Technology Tom Flanagan. The reason? The IoT, as it's known, is already affecting the real estate field, and will only become a bigger factor for industry pros.

Having spoken at various conferences, Flanagan is certainly well-versed in the world of tech — and as he explains on the podcast, agents and brokers need to be aware of cutting-edge tech trends instance, including smart home tech like the gizmos and gadgets offered by Nest. However, Flanagan also delves into the need for the real estate marketing basics — an IDX website, social media presence, and email marketing strategy.

Listen to our interview with Flanagan, in which he details how industry pros can identify tech providers that actually provide worthwhile services for their brands, as well as the ways agents and brokers can become more innovative with their digital strategies.

________________

"Don't look at what other real estate companies are doing. Figure out, 'Who are my ideal clients?'" This piece of advice comes from Bamboo Realty's Zach Schabot, who, along with Bamboo co-founder Sarah Jones, joined Seth on the podcast to explain what it takes to build a company culture that's unique and distinct.

Establishing a culture takes hard work and dedication, Schabot and Jones explain. It doesn't simply come down to hiring great people or devising a winning sales strategy. Rather, it takes a more granular approach of determing the personalities you want working at your business, finding those people, and getting them involved in developing and improving the culture over time.

In this episode, the duo elaborate on their culture-building expertise, including why agency-runners need to "lighten up" to make an impact with their teams, leads, and clients, as well as the keys to creating a distinct brand identity that distinguishes you from competitors.

________________

Many brokers spend so much time ensuring their agents' real estate marketing is on target they forget to focus on the bigger picture — that is, brokerage marketing. This, according to Leading Real Estate Companies of the World President and CEO Pam O'Connor, is one of the biggest mistakes brokerages of all kinds make today.

In our interview with O'Connor, she reveals her thoughts on what brokers must do differently in today's real estate landscape compared to years past. In particular, O'Connor states that the modern broker must not only add value for their agents and clients, but also ensure their entire market knows the value they bring to the table and what makes them the best brokerage around.

Having overseen some of the most successful independent brokerages in the world at LeadingRE, O'Connor clearly understands how brokers should communicte their value propositions and leverage that messaging to grow their businesses. Hear more of O'Connor's broker suggestions, including her thoughts on making the most of referrals, in this episode of the Marketing genius Podcast.

________________

For agents working solo, or at firms where there simply isn't much guidance or training available, the next best option is to hire a real estate coach — a certified real estate trainer, like Jared James Enterprises CEO and Founder Jared James, who can help agents develop a blueprint for success and ensure they stick to that blueprint.

Still, James notes on the podcast that agents shouldn't simply approach a coach for help and assume all will be well. Instead, he said, they must have the drive to become a successful real estate agent and take calculated risks that could pay off for their businesses. Failing to do so will lead to stagnant business growth.

Listen to James explain what every agent should focus on with their real estate marketing and sales efforts to enhance their bottom lines, why some agents simply don't work hard enough, and how having an online presence can help even the most prosperous agents improve in this episode of the Marketing Genius Podcast.

Learn about the real estate marketing subjects discussed in the February 2016 episodes of the Marketing Genius Podcast here, and be sure to catch up on our first batch of episodes from January 2016.

What do you think of these episodes? Learn any new and valuable insights for your real estate business? Share your thoughts with us below!

CLICK TO TWEET THIS ARTICLE

Published on August 19, 2016

Source: Marketing Genius Podcast Recap: Acing Video, Finding Your Motivation, and More

Automotive Marketing Expert Roe Hubbard Outlines 8 Ways to Build Trust with Customers on the Web

CHICAGO - Aug. 18, 2016 - PRLog -- Roe Hubbard, CEO of Spotlight Dealers of America, The #1 endorsed sales event company in the world, reveals eight specific strategies that help you to build trust with your customers online.

Chicago, Illinois — August 18, 2016

— Successful entrepreneur and automotive marketing expert Roe Hubbard recently published a new blog, "8 Ways to Build Trust with Customers on the Web."

Hubbard starts off the article by explaining how there are important components of every website that are necessary to inspire trust in customers. As he says, "One of the first interactions potential customers today will have with your business is your website. Consumers in this day and age almost always check out the website of a company before ever making the first personal contact."

He goes on to explain, "Therefore, you must start building trust with these potential customers the moment they hit your site. Adding to this pressure, studies show you've only got a few seconds to establish the foundation of trust when visitors hit your homepage. That is why this goal – building trust – must be at the forefront of everything the customer will see and do from this point forward."

Hubbard then shares 8 specific ways your website can convey and develop trust between your business and your target market.

The full article can be found here: http://www.spotlightdealers.com/ 8-ways-to-build- trust-wit...

About Roe Hubbard

Roe Hubbard, is a best-selling author, Spike TV and A&E celebrity Automotive Sales host, the Leading Expert Trainer & Promoter for retail car business, AND founder of the #1 endorsed sales event company in America.

Members Only Automotive, also known as The MOA Group, Is an elite group of Spotlight Dealers showcased in the US.  For mass media, he's featured his Spotlight Dealers of America in major publications such as Forbes, USA Today, and Wall Street journal, and national coverage o n Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS.

Roe Hubbard created and founded the "For the Community" Spotlight Dealer program, the 1-week Community event, with a spotlight dealer Host, partnered with a local Spotlight charity, and features them on over 150k Car & Buyer magazines, with local news media coverage for direct media and promotion, which has produced millions in additional profits for his Spotlight Dealers & has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Spotlight Charities' local non-profit organizations.

Roe is also a Mega-Speaker/ Trainer for the automotive industry and helps thousands of sales departments across the country reach their goals.  Roe lives in Chicago, IL, married to Brittany Hubbard, and has 2 sons, Mason & Landon, and 2 daughters, Julia & Avery.

End

Source: Automotive Marketing Expert Roe Hubbard Outlines 8 Ways to Build Trust with Customers on the Web

Mythbusters: Online Marketing Edition

The world of online marketing is full of antiquated concepts and beliefs that were either never true or have long been disproven. Unfortunately, many online marketing "professionals" perpetuate these myths, and consumers believe them.

Today we are debunking five common SEO and PPC myths — most of which you have likely heard before.

Myth #1: "If I pay for ads, Google will rank my website higher in the organic results."

This is one of the biggest and oldest myths out there when it comes to SEO. Google's organic and paid search results are totally separate. Google does not reward paid advertisers with higher organic rankings. Period.

Some disgruntled marketers may like to believe this myth as an excuse for poor organic rankings when their best SEO efforts don't pan out.

Sure, there may be a correlation between paid advertisers and higher organic rankings, but any relationship would be due to advertisers investing in both paid and organic search, not any organic kickbacks from Google.

There are, however, many benefits of pursuing paid search advertisements in addition to SEO, but this is not one of them.

Myth #2: "All I need to do is get as many links as possible to boost my organic rankings. Any links will do."

This is a very outdated way of thinking, but sadly many people still believe it.

First of all, Google has placed much more importance on link quality over link quantity. If you haven't heard of Penguin, you better familiarize yourself.

SEO success today requires so much more than just links. While links are still extremely important, other variables such as domain authority, on-site optimization, technical SEO, page speed, mobile friendliness, and high-quality content cannot be ignored.

Myth #3: "Nobody uses Bing."

While the majority of SEO and PPC conversations revolve around optimizing for Google (and with good reason — Google owns about 64% of the search engine market share), Bing should not be ignored.

Bing is a proven contender to Google and has a sizable audience. The Bing audience tends to be:

Blue collar

Less tech-savvy

35+ years of age

Windows product users

Besides its audience, there are also other benefits of using the world's second most popular search engine for PPC advertising:

Recommended for You Webcast, August 25th: Leveraging Your Existing Customers For Growth

Bing Ads costs are much lower than Google AdWords, as much as 50-70% less

Less competition

Niche opportunities

Exposure to a different audience

Bing/Yahoo! own about 33% of the search market

Bing powers a majority of Yahoo!'s search ads

Myth #4: "Google took away keyword data from Analytics, so we can't do SEO anymore."

The SEO world went up in arms when Google removed keyword data from Google Analytics and replaced it with the unsatisfying (not provided). Many irrationalists mourned the "death of SEO" and the deluge of fear-mongering blog posts and articles ensued (and continues to this day).

Yes, keyword data was a great asset and made it easy to know which keywords were converting and which were not. However, by being savvy online marketers, we can still find the information we need to draw intelligent conclusions from Analytics and Search Console data to optimize our websites and improve our organic rankings.

(Not provided) did not kill SEO.

Myth#5: "I just need to optimize my new website for SEO, then sit back and wait for the rankings."

SEO is not a one-and-done, set-it-and-forget-it marketing tactic. It requires so much more than a one-time optimization of your site. Agencies offer SEO retainers for a reason. There is much to do after the initial optimization of a new or existing site, including:

Ongoing link building campaigns

Content creation

Content syndication

Outreach

Social media activity

Continual website improvements/optimization

Error diagnosis and corrections

User experience improvements

Competitive analysis

And the list goes on…

Bottom line: SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. If you are fortunate enough to earn high rankings after initial website optimization, rest assured your rankings will fall over time if you do not consistently work to improve organic rankings.

SEO & PPC Myths Busted

Don't believe everything you hear (or read). Stay informed, seek multiple opinions, and keep up to date on the latest news and trends in search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising.

This post was originally published on the Clarity Quest Marketing blog.

Author: Brian Shilling

Brian Shilling is a marketing consultant at Clarity Quest Marketing, a full-service agency dedicated to growing healthcare and technology companies. Brian is a graduate of the University of Michigan and leads Clarity Quest in online marketing, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click advertising. Brian is also a skilled content strategist... View full profile ›

Source: Mythbusters: Online Marketing Edition

5 Brands with Highly Successful Instagram Marketing Strategies—2016 Edition

Although some marketers are still stuck in the Dark Ages—read: the years between 1990 (when the world wide web was born) and 1997 (when social media was incepted)—the majority of the industry is well aware that social media marketing isn't just a fleeting trend. Today, plenty of large companies have entire departments dedicated to the success of their brands' social images, while others pay thousands each year to have their social strategies developed and implemented by agencies.

For social-savvy brands, the decision to embrace the advent of Instagram was a no-brainer—and when the app first launched in 2010, they jumped to claim their branded handles before they could get scooped up. From there, those brands went straight to work developing full-fledged Instagram marketing strategies.

Three years after Instagram broke into the social media scene, TrackMaven released its first Fortune 500 Instagram report, which was designed to "[examine] the Fortune 500's usage and application of the social network with the highest average engagement levels for both B2B and B2C brands: Instagram." The report revealed that 24.6 percent of Fortune 500 companies had established presences on Instagram. Just three years later, in 2016, the firm has released its latest iteration of the report, which now shows that 50 percent of Fortunes 500 companies have established Instagram accounts. This boost could very well be attributed to three of Instagram's major strengths:

As of around one year ago, brands of all sizes have been allowed to advertise on Instagram.

The engagement ratio for businesses is 10 times higher on Instagram than it is on Facebook.

B2B brands see 20 times more engagement on Instagram than on LinkedIn.

Back in 2014, the Content Standard highlighted five brands with highly successful Instagram marketing strategies. Two years later, we've realized there are a few new players who have entered the arena and are giving others a run for their money. Whether they're offering products or services, the following brands are utilizing powerful, engaging tactics that both B2C and B2B brands can implement in their own strategies. We strongly recommend taking a peek at these handles, even if it's just to admire their photos.

1. Patagonia

In the 1980s, Patagonia was a brand designed strictly for rugged mountaineers. But nearly 40 years later, it has built a loyal following of 2 million on Instagram—and you can bet they aren't all die-hard outdoorsmen. The brand has a truly authentic social presence, managing to appeal both to its loyal mountaineering customers from the 1960s and 70s and to the Millennials who sport its pullover fleeces as a fashion statement. When developing its Instagram strategy, Patagonia skillfully remained mindful of both target audiences, while crafting content that aligns with its mission: to "build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."

The brand frequently utilizes the power of Instagram videos to tell its stories. In under a minute, Patagonia's videos captivate audiences and drive home a powerful message, all while making a subtle reference to a new product or its brand name. With stellar photography and the long list of environmental and human rights initiatives it supports, Patagonia's Instagram has set the bar high for all other branded handles that are working to resonate with their audiences by instilling the mission they stand for.

2. Birchbox

Easily the youngest company on the list, Birchbox launched nearly six years ago—coincidentally right around the same time as Instagram. In a short period of time, it's managed to build a very successful brand and execute a brilliant strategy. Its brand statement, "Beauty Picked for You," is all about simplification, which is made clear when browsing through the company's feed. The product and service Birchbox offers simplifies the process of shopping for beauty products, while its Instagram handle offers consistent tips and tricks for simplifying your beauty/grooming routine. The Birchbox Instagram feed gives all its followers little bits of added value that feature everything from quick hairstyles for your next date night to the details of morning skin care routines. In addition, the brand uses its handle to engage with loyal consumers. Each month, it encourages subscribers to snap a pic and, using the hashtag #birchbox, share the innovative ways they repurpos e the colorful monthly boxes. The company then regrams its favorites, ultimately gaining priceless user-generated content (UGC) while showing its most loyal fans some love.

3. Reynolds Kitchen

Reynolds Kitchen does not, in any way, shape, or form, boast the most exciting or popular product to be featured on Instagram. After all, how many photos can you take of tin foil? But surprisingly, it's managed to implement one of the most impressive Instagram strategies out there—search @ReynoldsKitchen on your phone and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. This stroke of genius is the Endless Table campaign, an Instagram cookbook that launched nearly one year ago. Each Instagram of a seasonal recipe looks scrumptious standing on its on in your Instagram feed, but once you zoom out on the handle to view the entire feed, you'll see how that one recipe fits perfectly into an endless table of recipes they release weekly. Each individual Instagram either features the recipe in its caption, includes a link to the Reynolds website where you can find the pictured recipe, or hosts its very own separate Instagram handle (which features photographs and instruction s for preparing it). The brand even makes the most out of the content creation process by hosting eight influencer dinners over the course of the year. At each dinner they photograph the next addition to the Endless Table, and spark the interest of influencers in the industry.

4. GE

Launching an Instagram strategy with a B2B mind-set can be difficult, there's no doubt about that. But during a conversation with TrackMaven's Director of Content, Kara Burney, I learned it is possible for B2B brands to find success on the platform. "General Electric is absolutely killing it," Burney said—and after spending some time with its feed, I couldn't agree more. GE has a remarkably engaging Instagram presence. And even though the majority of the content it features isn't for your everyday consumer to purchase, any lover of photography, science, or mechanics would be inclined to follow its handle.

GE's content features such a wide range of the products they create, from stunning photos of complex jet engines to low-magnification images of insects. The handle is all over the place—but in a way that works. Just this past Mother's Day, the brand took its presence to the next level, featuring their #MothersofInvention campaign to celebrate and tell the stories of powerful women in STEM. This simple campaign humanized the brand while also inspiring women of all ages.

5. Starbucks

Last but certainly not least, I had to include the Beyoncé of branded Instagram handles. Featured on our list back in 2014, Starbucks' Instagram strategy is still one of the most successful handles out there. Compared to other Fortune 500 Instagram accounts, it has the second-highest following and the highest Instagram engagement ratio. With colorful lifestyle images and quirky stop-motion videos of its products, Starbucks manages to make its followers crave its products with consistent imagery. Eighty-five percent of consumers find UGC more influential than branded photos—and similar to Birchbox, the social team over at Starbucks continues to generate priceless UGC. Just last month, the company launched its #StarbucksonIce campaign, encouraging fans to snap crafty pics with their iced coffees. Needless to say, while the top dozen or so were regrammed and received their 15 minutes of Insta fame, the remaining 2,000+ generated millions of free impressions among vario us communities. Granted, they have a very popular and appealing product to showcase, but every brand can take a page from Starbucks' Instagram strategy and the way it promotes engagement within its community.

It's important to note that these five brands do not all boast astronomically high follower counts. You can easily see that Starbucks has exponentially more followers than Reynolds Kitchen—yet they still both implement very successful strategies. When it comes down to it, if your branded Instagram has a consistent cadence, appeals to your target audience, engages loyal customers, and is providing followers with added value, you can give yourself a pat on the back and deem your strategy successful.

One last note: if your brand has yet to jump on the Instagram marketing bandwagon, don't let these stellar statistics excite you so much that you rush to create a branded account the second you finish this piece. Remember—one of the biggest mistakes a brand can make is managing a social platform without a solid strategy in place. Not only is inconsistent social content noticeable (in a bad way), but it also leads to a lot of internal headaches for the employees who are tasked with the responsibility. Developing a social strategy before joining any platform as a brand is imperative.

Source: 5 Brands with Highly Successful Instagram Marketing Strategies—2016 Edition

Taking a Closer Look at Seabourn’s New Marketing Campaign

Screenshot of Extraordinary Worlds web campaign. 

The luxury cruise segment is currently the most in flux as every major brand has new-builds under construction or on order, and now Seabourn Cruise Line is upping the ante ahead of its own new pair of ships launching in 2017 and 2018. The company has just unveiled its latest Extraordinary Worlds marketing campaign, and its approach is equally refreshing and refined.

Competitor Crystal Cruises also recently updated its website integrating new alluring imagery, but it is mostly static. Seabourn's new web campaign is comparatively more dramatic with full-width videos setting the scene as the visual auto-play backdrop for telling the line's story. The pairing of adventure and luxury is perfectly conveyed by a split image introductory video that mirrors the dual travel forms overlaid by a simple invitation button to Explore Seabourn.

 READ MORE: Crystal Cruises Reveals Stylish New Website 

The line's intent is to speak to the "non-cruise" consumer, and if the intro isn't enough to capture them, the interactive window that follows surely will. The interface couldn't be easier to understand. As videos again play in the background users need only arrow up or down to cycle through Seabourn's many destinations and arrow left or right to alternate between shore and ship experiences therein. As any video plays, a small text description box explains the visuals and links to more information, and there's even a nice full-screen viewing option. Otherwise, buttons lead to further trip planning or the line's social media networks.

The main website itself is mostly unchanged, but the new campaign serves as an excellent landing page that first sets up the brand for newcomers unaware of its message. In a press release, the company said it consulted with, "luxury experts across multiple industries - including fashion, design, travel, and hospitality - the goal of the campaign is to further position Seabourn as a top luxury lifestyle brand."

 READ MORE: A Luxury Cruise Renaissance Begins 

The result is a success for going beyond merely discussing hardware and software and engaging with the viewer to explore the onboard and shoreside experiences virtually. And it extends past the web as well. Other platforms will include video, print, mobile, digital display and social media in publications such as "Condé Nast Traveler," "Travel + Leisure," "The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Times."

In fact, one of the next cruises that I will be covering will be my first aboard the luxury line, and this campaign only makes me that much more excited to board the Seabourn Quest in Canada and New England, dive into the Extraordinary Worlds of Seabourn and share my findings with all of you.

Source: Taking a Closer Look at Seabourn's New Marketing Campaign

Travel Video Marketing Services

Filming and producing for an episode on Nat Geo: Unlikely Animal Friends

We offer boutique video production services. With over 12 years of specialized experience and training in video marketing and television media, we produce branded video content from travel videos, business marketing videos and  television shows. Our clients span small businesses, tourism boards and large media brands.  We offer standard and customized packages for branded media and advertising. We can also be contracted as part of a traveling film crew.

Summary of what we do

We are a versatile in video marketing and travel branding. Our goal ~  inspire, inform, entertain and show solo travelers how to have fun, survive their trip and follow their travel dreams… at any age!  See our travel video portfolio or the links below for samples of our work.

Film & Travel Documentary:  We have filmed, directed and produced ongoing docu-reality television shows and online food/lifestyle shows for large cable brands, as MTV Networks, BET, Nat Geo, Food Network, CBS and VH-1.  Content is filmed in a cinema verite style. We also offer press coverage for events and red carpet .

Branded Marketing Videos:  We produce branded video content from marketing videos for small businesses to tourism boards.

Producer/Director : Christine is an experienced producer and director, having interviewed talent ranging from celebrities, tour guides, dive instructors, hotel management and teens.  She can direct and produce your storytelling project in a studio, business office or on a road trip.

Event Videographer :  If you have a event, we work as independent contractors to film keynote speakers, document events and camera operation for live stream recordings.

Travel Influencer : We produce a weekly web show on YouTube.  Equipment is minimal. Christine is a solo travel host, who shares her travel adventures and cultural insights through food, accommodations, activities and destinations.   Our video influencer  distribution and reach is below.  We accept paid press trips, product reviews and brand ambassadorship.

Working as press crew with CBS Hawaii Five O

Producing and filming for a Nat Geo episode: Unlikely Animal Friens

Conducting interviews for Nat Geo show

  Travel Video Influencer Distribution YouTube

All of GRRRL TRAVELER videos are uploaded to our  YouTube channel.We have a loyal and growing fan base of 20K+ subscribers interested in travel. Our videos are viewed in 189 countries and gains an average of 330K+ monthly views.   (Our channel has an estimated value of : $400/upload. ) We have been approached by Apple, Travel Channel, NatGeo and Inside Edition.  Total Views: 3,000,000 views

Future Today Inc.

Future Today is the content distributor for several travel-related shows on Roku TV . As of 2014 GRRRL TRAVELER has been airing travel episodes on the TripSmart, iFoodTV, Family Vacations, Smart Woman & Smart Man.TV  channels. These channels feature travel, family and food shows, vacation guides and travel tips.  Destination coverage: US, Europe, Asia, Africa and the world.  Roku TV is digitally streamed for television in the United States and Canada.

Travel Website

A recognized top blog for solo travel, our blog gives readers cultural insights, free ( and paid) written guides to a city and its attractions as well as, independent travel tips to make a vacation unforgettable and do-able.

Independent Travel & Lifestyle: Our audience is curious and seeks adventure. They enjoy occasional pampering and unique luxury accommodations, but also grit and connecting with local cultures through food, cultural insight and unique adventures. We have general travelers to those exploring solo trip planning options. Spending ranges from budget with occasional splurges to corporate go-getters and expats, who save to make their trip meaningful and brag-worthy.

Facebook /Instagram

Social media marketing + video is powerful as a way to get brands before an audience and inspire ideas in a social context.  We craft 30-60 second video featurettes to share with audiences to entertain, inspire and plant the dream.

Video Based Influencer Advertising

We have a busy filming/editing and freelance videographer work schedule, so we prioritize paid collaborations. Express services are available for an additional fee.   All sponsored content is labeled as such. Please email us and we'll send you descriptions and our rates.

Press Trips

Video review: Hotels, services, products

Standard Travel Video or featurette

Social Media video marketing

Brand Ambassador Partnership

All rates are subject to a 4.16% Hawaii State GE freelancer's tax.

Source: Travel Video Marketing Services

3 Goals Of Social Media And Social Networking Marketing

I've lost count of the number of blog posts, articles and Forum comments that I have read online espousing the benefits of social media and social networking sites for a business. Some of them are really insightful, some of them have some good case studies and some of them are just absolute crap. At the end of the day most of these posts all say the same thing. In some way they all espouse the three things that I mention below. For most business owners there are three goals that should be achieved from social media marketing.

Raise awareness of your business - Obviously, all marketing should have an effect on raising awareness of your business. The more you are out there, the more people should know of your existence. Social networking sites are a good way to spread awareness of your business. I mean, this should be obvious. There are 500 million people worldwide who have a Facebook profile. If Facebook was a country it would be the 3rd biggest in the world. Cha nces are that some of your target audience members are on Facebook. Your existing clients will probably be on there too and if they join your business Fan Page it will show up in their news feed and this will be seen by their Facebook friends. They may become curious, click on the link and become a Fan themselves if your offer is interesting.

Increase traffic to your main website - Social media marketing is also designed, or should be designed, to increase traffic to your main website. This can be through Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter but also through writing articles and submitting them to directories like this one or participating in web forums and networking groups that are related to your niche. You need to make sure you always provide useful content on each of these sites and then subtly provide a link to your main website so that people will click on the link and visit your main site.

Engage directly with your target audience - Don't underestimate the importance of the world social when it comes to social media or social networking marketing. You need to remember that you are dealing with people. Engage directly with your audience and have a conversation. Don't preach and listen when your audience talks back to you.

If you want to engage in this type of marketing make sure you aim to achieve the three goals I have mentioned above- make sure you work to raise awareness of your business, increase web traffic and engage directly with your audience.

Quality Domain Solutions is a specialist agency that helps customers create conversations with their clients and prospective customers. Become a Fan on Facebook to get great advice on how to grow your business online.

Source: 3 Goals Of Social Media And Social Networking Marketing

Marketing And Membership Manager job in BartonuponHumber at Cafe INDIEpendent

Job Description forMarketing and Membership Manager Hours of work:16 hours per week to be worked flexibly; including some evening and weekend work.Salary :£7.20 per hourLocation:Principally North Lincolnshire with some travel outside of the area. The post will be based in Scunthorpe.Accountability:The post holder will be managed by the Project CoordinatorPurpose:The post holder willmanage the marketing and membership of Cafe INDIEpendent. The post holder will be expected to develop and deliver the marketing activities of Cafe INDIEpendent, building on our strong social media presence and maintaining website content. The post holder will also be responsible for developing the launch of the Cafe as a Co-Operative – to be owned and run by our members. The post will be tasked with meeting targets of recruitment of new members, and delivering membership engagement and expansion activities. Cafe INDIEpendent provides work experience, training and development opportunities in a youth-l ed 'Coffee and Music House' (and social enterprise incubator) at the heart of the community; serving as a resource to improve disadvantaged young people's chances in life to make successful Principal Duties: Development•    Designing And creating marketing content – including event posters•    Writing new releases & features•    Managing & editing testimonials•    Planning, briefing, & reporting on marketing campaigns•    Maintenance of the company's website•    Developing the company's social media presence•    Event management (Seminars etc.) and preparing associated materials•    Developing and delivering a marketing strategy for the recruitment of Members•    Developing creative partnerships in the private and media sector, to facilitate sponsorship opportunities and to promote the positive contribution of young people•    Developing positive relationships with new and prospective members and within the c ommunity ManagementTo support and service the Cafe INDIE governance arrangements.To ensure that all activities are delivered in a safe and professional manner.To collate, analyse and present commercial information to stakeholders.To ensure the delivery of the actions and targetsof the Cafe in accordance with the agreed priorities, resources and performance measures and ensure that required quality standards are achieved.To provide regular and timely reports on progress achieved for the governing body.To support and enable staff and volunteers to maximise their potential.General Duties: To contribute to events and marketing.To adhere to policies and procedures.To contribute to the effective management of Cafe INDIEpendentAny other duties commensurate with the nature and level of the post.  Person Specification: EssentialExperiencePrevious experience of marketing – be it in education or employmentPrevious Experience of administering website contentGraphic design skillsPrevious Experience of delivering exceptional customer service and engagementKnowledgeThe operation of appropriate Design ITLiterate and NumeratePhysical DemandsPush and pull objects Computer workRepetitive bending and lifting of itemsRepetitive arm movementsReach and grasp ResponsibilitiesTo ensure adherence to health and safety policiesTo maintain confidentiality To be a key holder Working ConditionsThe flexibility to work early in the morning or late at nightDesirable:Friendly and welcoming personality    View full job description
Source: Marketing And Membership Manager job in BartonuponHumber at Cafe INDIEpendent