Monthly Archives: marketing

Meet Our Passionate Social Media Manager

A couple of weeks ago we introduced you to our social media star, Michelle, and the tools, tips, and tricks she uses to manage all ON’s social media accounts. Well, now we get to learn more about her personal story. Michelle Berry is an Arizona native who knew she belonged in the advertising and marketing world but didn’t know how. A few years out of college she discovered her love and passion for social media, and from there she has been able to share her talent and knowledge with the ON family and all of our clients. Read on to learn more about she spends her days in the office, what she’s genuinely passionate about, tips to staying organized in the crazy world of social media and more!

So, tell us, how long have you been working for ON?

I have worked for ON Advertising for one year this month and it has flown by.

What is the coolest thing you’re working on right now?

One thing I have been focusing a lot on is the social media for the agency. Getting a consistent posting schedule in order and making sure our brand reflects our work and the work we do for our clients, present, and future. What I learned early on in my career is if a company or brand is looking for an agency, especially for social media work, why should they hire an agency whose social media isn’t fresh and on point so it’s been my goal to have a rockin’ social media presence.
Another client that has some cool things going on is Chompie’s! They’re already a great brand to be working with but being able to implement Facebook Live videos once a month and being able to utilize the Instagram Story Highlights tool for them has been a lot of fun and it really is gratifying work.

What would you say is the hardest part about being a social media manager?

Staying organized is probably the hardest part of my job. I’m already a pretty organized person when it comes down to it, but when you are managing more than ten clients with multiple social media platforms, it can get a little chaotic. But if you have a solid system in place, to-do lists, calendars, and checklists, to keep all the moving parts in order, then it makes life and work a lot easier.

We know how much you love your job but what are some of your passions?

Other than trying to save every animal I possibly can, I only have so much space, it would be Alzheimer’s research and working to find a cure. My grandpa (fondly known as Boppa) lost a ten year battle with Alzheimer’s about four years ago, and after his death, it was eating me up inside that I wasn’t doing anything to help aid this cause. I found out that Phoenix has a yearly Alzheimer’s walk so near the one year anniversary of his passing my mom, and I participated which was such an amazing experience but it didn’t feel like enough. And as if by some divine intervention I received an email from the Desert Southwest Alzheimer’s Association chapter asking for volunteers to join the walk planning committee. I signed up without a second thought and attended my first meeting. From there I became the Marketing and Outreach Committee Chair, grown my committee, and now it is my second year as the chair, and the third year I’ll be walking. While there is not a cure yet, the money we have been able to raise, even in just this year alone, we know is helping fund the research to help find the cure. It always feels like such a small gesture, but I know it’s helping. So really, my passion and work are almost one in the same.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I am a firm believer in data being able to tell a story of how your social media efforts are doing and what you could be doing better. I love doing the monthly social media reports for all of our clients because I get to see how the hard work as well as the small changes and ideas I wanted to try are doing. And when I look at their numbers improving it is just so rewarding. It’s that small validation that we all seek at some point or another that we have found our niche and we are good at what we do. Seeing those increase in followers or impressions is my validation.

What inspires you to succeed every day?

Of course, being able to give my animals (I actually have three cats and one dog, other two not pictured) the very best life they could ever hope for but I also put pressure on myself to succeed which can be a double-edged sword. But I believe if I didn’t put that pressure on myself I wouldn’t be where I am today.

How do you recharge?

If I have the time and want to recharge for the week ahead, I’m all about #SelfcareSunday. I take a long bath, do a face and hair mask and just sit and try not to think about anything. It can be very relaxing, but it takes a lot to shut my mind off completely. But when time is not on my side, I try to do at least an hour of yoga a day. I never thought I could be the person who thinks of nothing during their practice, but when my body is in some uncomfortable position where a pretzel is less twisted than I am, I can’t think about work. It’s so refreshing to have at least one hour a day where my mind isn’t going a million miles a minute. And it probably helps my phone isn’t near me, so I’m not always checking my emails. (And yes I am guilty of working on vacation.)

Michelle is the strong personality we need here at ON. She does a great job of managing our social media and finding new innovative ways to enhance our work. We are so grateful to have her as a part of the ON team. Her spunky attitude keeps us all going throughout the day and we can always count on her for a laugh when we’re feeling down or a Pandora station filled with new music that we haven’t heard yet. Our team at ON wouldn’t be complete without her.

People working at a table on freshening up their website's content

How to Freshen Up Your Brand’s Content

The world is constantly changing when it comes to business trends, new technology, and consumer preferences. Having up to date content on your online platforms to reflect new trends in your industry is a key component of being successful in marketing. Sometimes, you may find yourself running out of material to write or you are losing business to competition, it may be time to freshen up your copy. We’ve compiled some tips and tricks from the experts to help get your content in tip-top shape.

Use Infographics

Using a graphic with information (infographic) makes it easier for your audience to view and understand a concept. Customers nowadays don’t have the patience to read text-heavy paragraphs, they lightly skim the content. An infographic can make a lot of information visually appealing and way easier to read and understand.

Stick to Relevant Content

Making sure copy on your online platforms is relevant to your service or product is very important. Stay up-to-date on current research regarding your industry and remove everything that is not appropriate anymore. Keyword research can give you a good idea if a topic is relevant enough to continuously write about or to shift efforts into a different area.

Pay Attention to SEO

It is essential that you and your company pay attention to SEO. Having good information on your website, as well as having high-level keywords in the content consistently will help your website traffic. Keywords have to naturally flow within the text, meaning it cannot be over-stuffed and used repeatedly. Putting a list of keywords next to you when you write a blog, blurb, or any copy is a good way to make sure you are using all of them efficiently and consistently.
Here at ON Advertising, we help our clients in a variety of industries freshen up their copy. We have seen their business have positive results when giving their content a face-lift. If you have any further questions about how to keep your content up-to-date, feel free to contact us.

Meet Marketing Mastermind: Darren Higgs

Here at ON Advertising, we have such a diverse range of people with different talents and interests. One of our Senior Account Executives, Darren Higgs, sits down and shares with us a little more about himself. Originally from Bowen Island, Canada, Darren has come to the states to pursue his career in marketing and advertising.

ON: What do you do to recharge?

DH: I love spending time with my wife and my 22-month-old son. It’s great being a dad and seeing the development process of a toddler; watching him grow and learn new things every day. On Sunday nights, I play goalie for my ice hockey league in Chandler. Naturally, being from Canada, I am a huge fan of hockey and enjoy being out on the ice whenever I can be.

ON: What was your first job?

DH: My first job ever was a dishwasher when I was 15 during one of my summers in high school. It was a humbling experience and I built a lot of character from it. However, my first job in the states was working as a marketing assistant at an interior plaster company. This experience is what really got me interested in the marketing/advertising world.

ON: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

DH: The most rewarding part of my job is the satisfaction of a client. It brings me joy when we can help and grow their business and watch it evolve. In addition to that, working together as a team to make clients happy is very rewarding in itself because we have such an amazing team here at ON.

ON: What is the most challenging part of your job?

DH: One is balancing all of our clients’ needs. Having a timeline that works with our schedule and the clients’ needs can be challenging because there is not enough time in the day. Additionally, balancing various departments. I have backgrounds in project management and creative work, sometimes I have a conflict with both sides of my brain to do one thing over another.

ON: What inspires you to succeed every day?

DH: The marketing industry is constantly changing with new technologies and evolving trends. The desire I have to improve and learn new techniques really inspires me to grow and flourish.
We love having Darren here on the ON team because of his friendly personality and his plethora of talents. Darren does it all, from project management to creative work, he is really a shining star in the advertising world!

A Story of the Merger of Two Companies

It was recently announced in the Phoenix Business Journal that ON Advertising has merged with EFG Creative. The merger has been a match made in heaven and could not be more perfect. Having the resources of a full creative team with ON’s specialization in digital marketing, advertising, video production, and web design has been a dream come true.
Founder and Chief Creative Officer of EFG, Eric Garcia founded his company in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1995. Wanting to expand to the Arizona market, EFG came to the valley looking for an advertising agency to pair with. When he walked into the offices of ON Advertising, everything changed.
Eric Garcia says “The start of our relationship was perfectly timed. EFG and ON both have capabilities that really complement each other to be more competitive in the marketing industry. Our objective is to strengthen the creative presence and knowledge into the Arizona market.”
We have grown 45% over the last year, and we want to continue our growth to enhance businesses and companies nationwide through marketing tactics. “We needed to bolster our creative division in order to maintain that growth rate,” says President Ron Meritt. We here at ON are very excited to see what the future holds and can’t wait to showcase our wide array of talents to the industry!

It’s Not an Event If No One Knows About It: Why You Need Digital Marketing

There’s no denying the power behind a highly-targeted, cost-effective digital marketing campaign. In today’s tech-absorbed culture, you can reach and connect with the biggest audience through the tiniest of screens. That’s why digital marketing is a must-do when launching and promoting an event. It will not only help get the word out, but also extend the in-person connections that events make possible, and ultimately boost your bottom line.

If digital marketing is so great, why should I even bother with events?

For many companies, especially those in the B2B world, buyers still want to make – and rely on – a human connection. Purchasing decisions are greatly influenced by a vendor’s perceived expertise and their peers’ direct experience with the vendor. Without events, a company is missing out on a unique opportunity to share its expertise and customer success stories, both of which can create lasting impressions. According to the 2016 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends Report, using in-person events as part of a content marketing strategy has a 75% effectiveness rating. Webinars have a rating of 66%.

Whether you’re a small company that wants the exposure of a live webinar or a large company that needs the face-to-face interaction of a trade show, promoting your event through a digital marketing campaign will allow you to maximize your event investment. In-person and online events can be expensive, as indicated by the following budget allocation chart. Twenty percent of your budget isn’t pocket change!

So how exactly can I use digital marketing to help me get the most from my event spend?
Social Media
An event isn’t going to promote itself. There’s no simpler, more cost-effective way to build buzz before and after an event than social media. Companies should use social media support to boost engagement and visibility across the social media landscape.

Email Marketing

Another cost-effective way to target your event audience at the right time is email. It’s a personal channel, which makes it an ideal way to build excitement for events, get people to register, remind them of the event, and share post-event highlights and follow-up campaigns.

Content Marketing

Through your blog content, you engage and connect with your target audience while demonstrating your expertise. A post about the event can build exposure and boost brand awareness. And we all know that Google loves fresh content, so writing about your event and publishing it to your website can also improve search rankings.
Please, for the love of everything good, don’t waste money publishing another “traditional” press release. Many business don’t realize that blogging is an important aspect of PR. By combining a strong blog post with personalized media outreach, you are offering journalists more “meat” and less fluff, so they will be more likely to take notice.

Optimization

Website optimization is essential for an effective digital marketing campaign. A user-friendly landing page should clearly communicate the benefits of attending the event and make it simple to sign up and/or register. Use keywords and engaging meta-titles and descriptions – ones that people would actually type into a search engine. Relevant keywords will also boost organic results on Google.

Data

Spending thousands of dollars to sponsor coffee at a trade show may get your logo on a sign, but it isn’t likely to provide the lead and contact data you need to get a return on your investment. Data provides tangible results. Capture contacts who engage with you before, during and after the event. This information is “gold” when your objective is to convert leads into customers (and if that isn’t your objective, you may want to find a new career path). Data allows you to see where your customers are coming from, so you can determine which strategies are working and which aren’t. By constantly measuring results and performance, you can adjust your digital marketing efforts where it will matter most.
Thanks for allowing us to drop a little knowledge. We hope you find it helpful. When you’re ready to promote the heck out of your next event, partner with the team you can trust — like a friend — On Advertising. We have the digital expertise you need to get the most from your event marketing investment.

2017 Marketing Predictions

2017 is going to be another exciting year for marketers. Amex Open Forum quoted a portion of the 2017 marketing predictions we made here at On Advertising. Here are the rest!

Top Three 2017 Marketing Predictions

Digital will increase in total share of marketing dollars.
Raw marketing costs in social (e.g. impressions/clicks) will go up as more marketers see value in paid social promotions.
Some of the most exciting and profitable campaigns will be campaigns that incorporate “old” media, as these strategies will be discounted.

Here’s the Beef (Assuming You Were Asking Where)

Digital increase in total share of marketing dollars is hardly surprising.
Regarding the rising cost of paid social campaigns, while the baseline costs of paid social promotions will go up (i.e. the CPM), the profitability of social campaigns will still go up for many marketers, as they get high returns for being more experienced at producing great creative for social audiences, and refining their audience targeting.
While there will be some great videos, online content, etc., a few of the savviest marketers will look to capitalize on discounts and nostalgia by producing great campaigns that incorporate marketing strategies that have been around for decades. An example of such a campaign is Snapchat Spectacles, which launched with vending machine distribution earlier late last year. Whether it’s door hangers, newspaper ads, door-to-door sales people, booth design, promotional schwag, or something else, expect to see some cool new campaigns kickin’ it old school.

One Other Note

When we think of marketing predictions, we often think primarily of “promotion” from the timeless 4/7Ps. Business owners would do well to remember that marketing also includes things like price, positioning, and place. The new year is a good time for a business owner to evaluate how their particular industry will change along these lines as well.
What are your predictions for 2017?

Why Targeting Matters in Digital Marketing

If you’re looking to grow your business, digital marketing is it. The days of blowing your advertising budget on a half-page, black and white ad in the local newspaper to goose sales for your “Labor Day Half-Off Sale!” just seems so ‘90s. You might as well use a 56k dial-up modem to get online to check your Friendster account. In 2016, if you want to reach customers, you need to have a robust presence on social media. Your ranking in search results on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are as important as how you fare on Google. This fact means your business should be willing to invest money in targeted marketing, because identifying your market targets enables you to find opportunities and tap into them. Digital marketing helps make use of proven strategies that attract highly targeted traffic to delivers results. An effective strategy also includes email marketing so targeted, it utilizes list segmentation tools that help you precisely focus on the specific customers you need to boost opens, click-throughs and conversions. In other words, to boost sales. …

Why Targeting Matters in Digital MarketingRead More »

Fast Food Service Provider Marketing

Over the years as we’ve grown and worked with clients to build a digital presence, one of the things we’ve heard is how our team provided insight into marketing data, not just the data itself. I use the word “insight” for a reason. Data from marketing channels, for many, is like eating out. Small bites of info may be better for some while others need a full course meal. In the spirit of combining two things I appreciate, food and data-driven marketing, I’ve started leading our team to an approach of providing sit-down service during our discussions with certain clients versus providing a fast food service approach. Got your appetite ready? Let’s go. …

Fast Food Service Provider MarketingRead More »

Olympic Success: A Marketing Team’s Version of Reaching the Podium

It’s been an amazing couple of weeks, watching athletes from around the globe compete at the Olympic Games in Rio. One day, we’ll be able to tell our grandkids we were there to watch (on a tape-delayed basis, of course) such record-breaking feats of athleticism as a kayak capsizing after hitting a sofa in the water, and Ryan Lochte and three other athletes dodging the Zika virus but not being able to avoid being robbed at gunpoint. Oh, and we heard that Michael Phelps won a few more gold medals for swimming.
The team of world-class digital marketing professionals here at On Advertising have a few thoughts about the Games, and how they relate to the services we deliver to our clients. …

Olympic Success: A Marketing Team’s Version of Reaching the PodiumRead More »