Category: Articles 🔎

When it comes to advertising, it’s all about getting your message in front of the right people at the right time. Thanks to social media, display and search engine marketing platforms, it’s easier than ever to reach your target audience. Before launching a media campaign, take a look at these targeting tips.

Think strategically before tactically.
Before considering any targeting strategies, reflect on who your customers are, what their behavior looks like and where they spend their time. Identify an audience persona by researching your target audience’s interests, lifestyle, demographics and search habits.

Start with the basics.
Select relevant locations and languages before refining your audience. Exclude people that don’t fit into your ad goals. For instance, if you are running a Facebook ad with the goal of brand awareness, exclude people who have already liked your Facebook page.

Be specific, but not too specific.
The more specific you get, the more you reduce the number of potential customers. With this in mind, determine what your campaign goals are and find the right balance. Are you launching an awareness campaign? You would likely benefit from casting a wider net with a more generalized audience. Are you looking for conversions? Consider using a specific, hypertargeting strategy.

Experiment.
Utilize A/B testing on ad copy, landing pages, call-to-actions, targeting techniques and images to gain a better understanding of a campaign’s successes, failures and future optimization opportunities.

Track, track and track some more.
The worst thing you can do for a media campaign is leave it untouched for weeks (or even months) after the initial setup. Careful tracking will not only ensure that your campaign is delivering on pace, but it can also provide insight into your audience’s preferences. Monitor your campaign’s performance as early and as often as possible, and make proper optimizations every step of the way.

Record and analyze historical data.
Historical data is most helpful when it comes to launching a successful media campaign. Throughout a campaign, keep an accurate and detailed report of performance—when it’s time to launch another, you’ll be thankful you did.

Ready to get started? From research and planning to implementation and optimization, Designsensory can help. Contact us today!

With over two billion active users, Facebook is the largest social media network in existence. Facebook is a powerful tool for growing your business when used correctly. Here, we debunk five commonly believed myths that may be hurting your Facebook marketing efforts.

Myth #1: All you really need to do is fill out your profile.

There’s much more to a credible Facebook Page than just filling out your profile and keeping it updated. While that is all very important, a successful page begins with an engaged audience. Facebook recognizes and rewards responsiveness, interesting content and relevance. The most important rule of Facebook is to use it as a tool for communicating with your followers and fans.

Myth #2: The more your post, the higher your engagement rates will be.

Don’t be one of those pages spamming news feeds multiple times everyday. Posting too frequently will actually lower your engagement rates, cause people to unlike your page or even result in poor reviews. Be selective about what you choose to post, and make sure all of your content is compelling. Quality, not quantity!

Myth #3: SEO doesn’t matter on Facebook.

“Search engine optimization” tends to exclusively refer to Google or other traditional search engines. But with the amount of resources available on Facebook, coupled with the amount of time users are spending on the social network, Facebook’s search function has become an increasingly used feature. Your Facebook Page can be just as important as your website, so optimize it too! Make sure your Page contains keywords, create a relevant URL and write an optimized page description.

Confused about SEO? Check out our guides to on-page and off-page SEO.

Myth #4: Hashtags are just for Twitter.

While Twitter popularized the use of hashtags, Facebookers have hopped on the hashtag train as well. They’re great search features, and using them will help optimize your Facebook posts. But please only use them where it makes sense to do so—crowding your posts with an endless string of hashtags does not make for compelling content. Use hashtags when referring to events or to take part in (relevant) trending topics.

Myth #5: There’s a “right” time to post.

The best time to post differs between industries, page types, audience personas, etc. There is no hard and fast rule that can tell you when you should be publishing content. The best way to figure out when your target market is most active on social media is to experiment. Vary the times that you post, and use Facebook Insights to figure out when users are most engaged.

Need some help building a strong Facebook campaign? Our social media experts can help! Contact us.

On-page SEO is (or should be) the first step in drawing people to your website. But what about off-page SEO? For most people, this term is synonymous with link building. However, off-page SEO goes much deeper than that—it’s all about improving your site’s reputation through links, content and relationships. Utilizing off-page SEO will eventually lead to an increase in brand mentions, links, traffic and conversions. So let’s dive into some of the best strategies for building up your off-page SEO.

Know and interact with your audience.

You’ve heard it time and time again—know your target market. When it comes to building your internet reputation, understanding your audience is crucial. Where do they spend their time? Who are their biggest influencers? Once you answer these questions, it’s time to become part of the conversation.

Contribute to forums and discussions, be responsive on social media, build relationships with online influencers. But be careful, you should always be adding value. Don’t use social media or online forums as just a tool for linking to your website. Be an active and engaging contributor.

Consider guest blogging.

Guest blogging has gotten a bad rap in recent years. The misconception that “off-page SEO is just link building” led to a flood of spammy guest blogs around the internet. But done correctly, guest blogging can be a powerful tool for off-page SEO.

So how do you guest blog correctly?

First, don’t look at guest blogging as an easy way to gain links. Look at it as a mutually beneficial relationship. Your goal as a guest blogger should be to build brand authority and be seen as an industry expert (while increasing brand mentions and yes, links too). In turn, your contributions should add a fresh perspective to the blog, and its readers should gain valuable knowledge.

Create link-worthy content and build online relationships.

In the SEO world, quality matters. Links to your site need to be from reputable sources (and trust me, Google can tell). Because of this, it’s more important than ever to create compelling content to which people wantto share and link. Get to know relevant bloggers and influencers, and build actual relationships with them. Become an expert in your industry, and share that expertise with others. In short, earn your links!

Still wondering how to draw links to your site? Check out Hubspot’s link-building best practices.

Sure, but is my hard work paying off?

As we all know, building a good reputation doesn’t happen overnight and neither does site optimization. To get a clearer picture of the status of your off-page SEO efforts, you can use tools like Moz’s Open Site Explorer to measure inbound links, anchor text and top pages. Overall, just remember—SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.

Think you need help optimizing your site or measuring your SEO effectiveness? Contact us!

If you work in content creation, be it as a copywriter, social media manager, blogger, public relations practitioner—generally, if you have to touch a keyboard and put together coherent thoughts, you’ve experienced writer’s block. It’s the most common symptom of a stressed-out writer. But don’t get discouraged! Using these five methods, you can cure your writer’s block and get the words flowing.

Freewrite or brainstorm.

Writer’s block is most easily solved by simply writing! Write anything. Sit yourself down for ten minutes and jot down whatever comes to mind when thinking about your topic, and don’t stop until your time is up. If you have to write down “blah, blah” over and over again, so be it! Free yourself from formatting, sentence construction and even logic. Freewriting is a great way to uncover ideas and get your words out.

Get moving.

One of the most popular ways of curing writer’s block is to get some fresh air and exercise. Go for a walk, practice “desk yoga” or turn up the music and dance around—whatever gets you moving. When you get your body flowing, your mind follows suit. Exercise will help you relax and tear down the mental barriers.

Talk it out.

Talking through your ideas out loud will help you organize your thoughts. Grab a coworker or call a friend and talk about your topic. Speaking is more natural than writing and you will likely be more relaxed when discussing your topic with a friend. A conversation can lead to questions that spark more ideas. You could even record yourself and listen back to the audio for a quick reminder.

Get a change of scenery.

Have you been sitting at your desk trying to fight off your writer’s block? Write somewhere else. Head out to a park, a coffee shop or anywhere else you can go to get away from your desk. If you have the means, go travelling and find inspiration in a new city.

Start anywhere.

Starting at the beginning can create a mental blockade and need for perfection. Pick a point that you know well and start from there. Leave the introduction for later and focus on getting your ideas down on paper. Once you have the bulk of the content down, you will have a clearer idea of your purpose and can smooth out the details. Even if you find 

The biggest causes of writer’s block are a need for perfection coupled with stress. Start relaxing and break down your mental blockades. Don’t get discouraged—writer’s block can be easily overcome. But of course, Designsensory’s team of writers can also help.

Now, stop reading this and go write!

You’ve just been hit with the need to create a new awareness campaign for your brand. Fast forward to the part where you’ve come up with a killer campaign strategy, concept, name and execution plan. There’s still something missing; a key piece of the campaign puzzle.

Where are you directing traffic?

Why not your brand’s website? You do want your main website to introduce your brand and allow customers to interact with it directly. However, in certain situations, you need a modifier to help a campaign or blog effort move forward without distraction. Sometimes, you just need a time-sensitive solution. Cue the microsite.

Microsites are used when information needs its own space outside of your main website—because, let’s be honest, nobody wants a cluttered house. Metaphorically, of course. If you’re still not convinced, here are some hows and whys:

They’re Focused
As a writer, it’s hard for me to say that people don’t want to read. (Quite frankly, I disagree). But what I do believe is happening, is excessive amounts of content are flooding the airways. The best way to cut through the clutter is to grab attention quickly, which most people equate with short-form copy. The reality is, we need focused content. Microsites deliver just that. Not only are they smaller in size than your typical website, they have specific content that relates to specific subject matter.

A great example of a microsite, which is rich in its content and design but is still a single, focused scrolling page, is the Westworld visitor page. The hit TV show built upon its canon and gave fans highly shareable content with this gem.

They’re Engaging
The functionality of a microsite can be much more engaging to existing customers. Instead of displaying generic content (images, copy, etc.), you can provide the focused content, like I mentioned above, in unique formats like VR or interactive video. United Airlines – Polaris Business Class has an entire microsite dedicated to its seating and comfort options. Users can explore several interactive components to get a feel for the seats and amenities. Pretty cool, amirite? 

They’re Beautiful (or should be)
Well-thought-out design is the difference between good and bad interaction. A microsite might create the right timing for you to explore a slightly different look and feel for a campaign. Allow designers to explore several options for you to choose from, and then watch your plan come to fruition. A few years back, we created successful, seasonal microsites for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Get a glimpse of the former spring microsite in all (or, at least some) of its glory, and check out the former Make Summer Last campaign. They were equal parts beautiful and functional.

If you need a microsite, research some of the most popular ones around—Google knows—and bring your ideas to your agency of record. Let us do the heavy work for you. That’s why we’re here.

Oh, one more thing: Don’t forsake your main website. Microsites should complement them, not negate them. Best of luck!

By Sarah Lutz, PR and Social Media Intern

It happens to almost everyone. You’re in a meeting or talking with your coworkers and all of a sudden you hear it: the stereotypical jargon. You’re not quite sure what it means, but you’ve heard it enough to know you don’t really need to know the meaning.

Or maybe even—*gasp*—you are the one using the aforementioned lingo! I know I’ve made this mistake a time or two (or twenty).

You can’t stop others from dropping unnecessary jargon, but you can help yourself. Read on to find out which words to leave out of your lexicon.

Really, Anything that Ends with “-ize”: Let’s emphasize that we need to recognize the need to prioritize to not utilize the generalized words ending with “-ize” that do not harmonize, customize or optimize a message, nor capitalize on the creative visualizations of a team meant for strategizing … and that’s just to summarize my agonized feelings.

Outside the Box/Out of the Box: Whomever uses this word probably hasn’t thought outside the box since they suggested your office go to restaurant *insert swanky new restaurant name here* for lunch instead of the usual workplace go-to.

Innovation/Innovative: The shiny and new idea that probably isn’t that shiny or new.

Effective/Effectiveness: The thesaurus was literally made to make your words be more effective (*inset* productive, powerful, compelling, direct, efficient, etc.).

Leading: Using the word “leading” is the leading cause of office eyerolls.

Touch Base: Somehow, whenever these words are uttered, we never seem to actually “touch base.” Maybe by saying let’s talk about the concept or strategy, it’ll actually get done.

Circle Back: Same as “touch base.” How about we talk now instead of circling back to it?

Impact: A term used when people are unsure if they should use effect or affect. Hint: The impact of this word will negatively impact people’s response.

Engage: Let’s hear less about how you need to engage your audience and more about how you plan to actually do so.

Going Forward: We’re talking about the future, right?

Well, going forward, at least we can be sure the future may hold more overused jargon, but it won’t be coming from me!

Want to dive deeper? Check out these other articles on the subject:

• The Big Question: Which PR Buzzwords Must Die? — Spin Sucks
• 9 Ridiculous Buzzwords We Will Overuse in 2017 — Inc.

By Sarah Lutz,
Spring 2017 PR & Social Media Intern 

Since the release of Facebook Live video almost a year ago, it has become a viable and widely used means to connect with followers. If you are curious about Facebook Live being a good fit for your organization or brand, read our blog, “How and Why of Facebook Live.”

Provided you already know you want to join the Facebook Live community but don’t want to be just another user—and you’d rather use Facebook Live to its full potential—then you’ve come to the right place! Read on to become a Facebook Live standout.

Prepare before going live

Once you go live, everything in the broadcast is open for the public to see. To ensure your Facebook Live goes seamlessly, always practice and prepare by:

• Choosing a location with quality lighting
• Testing sound quality and background noise
• Checking your lighting quality
• Double-checking your internet connection
• Preparing a discussion outline

Promote your live video

The goal is to reach and interact with as many people as possible. To expand your reach, inform your followers about the live video ahead of time, and ask your viewers to subscribe to your live videos. Also, before going live, write an attention-drawing post for your video.

Maximize live broadcast

While live, you’ll want to personalize your video as much as possible. Make your viewers feel like part of the broadcast by responding to their comments and questions in real time as much as possible, and personalize the experience by using their names. To reach more people, broadcast for longer periods of time and keep your viewers engaged.

Finish strong

Your ending of the broadcast should be as seamless as your beginning. To ensure people know you are signing-off, use a closing line that gives your viewers a call-to-action. The CTA can be about something mentioned in your broadcast or a reminder to subscribe to your live videos. Once the broadcast is complete, edit your now-archived Facebook Live video. For more information on how to edit completed Facebook Live videos, check out Facebook Live: What Marketers Need to Know.

Go live often

The more often you go live, the greater chance you have of increasing your reach and number of viewers!

Still not sure if you’re ready to face Facebook Live alone? No worries! We’d love to help your brand integrate Facebook Live into its marketing efforts. Contact us if you have any questions or want to know more about our process, services or work.