Looking at the Data: Website Analytics

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Websites take a lot of resources to create and maintain, so naturally we want to have information about how they’re performing. Website analytics provide not only data about website traffic, but they can be studied to help you maximize your marketing budget.

Analytics measure:

  • Website visits
  • Individual page clicks
  • Time spent on site
  • Which landing page (link to call to action post) results in the greatest number of conversions (users who make a purchase)
  • Nations that visitors are coming from
  • Demographic information of visitors (age and gender)
  • Behavior: new vs. returning, frequency and recency, engagement
  • The device and browser they are using to access the site

Each of these points can be mined for valuable information about current and potential customers and can tell you what parts of your marketing are yielding the greatest return on your investment.

As a certified Google Partner, the professionals at Brockett Creative Group can create and analyze a website analytics account for you. To learn more email or call us at 315-797-5088.

Web Hosting: Keeping Your Website Live

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In order to make your website accessible on the World Wide Web, you need to have it hosted. With website hosting, your hosting service houses your website on its server and connects it to the Internet.

Website hosting is different from your site’s actual domain name. Like hosting, domain names are renewed on a yearly basis, so the two are often confused. Think of them this way: the domain name is like your website’s street address, but the hosting is its actual home.

Hosting can vary based on the complexity of your website – a static, one-page website will only need the most basic hosting, while sites that will employ a Content Management System (CMS) or use eCommerce will require hosting that can accommodate databases and applications that are part of the CMS, such as a database of news articles. If you will have data that should be kept secure (credit cards numbers, personally identifiable information, et al), you will need a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate through your website host.

Brockett Creative Group’s hosting through its subsidiary tSpark allows you to use the hosting that you need based on your website requirements. tSpark hosting also guarantees a 99.95% uptime, because your website isn’t effective if it’s not connecting to the Internet.

To learn more about hosting with tSpark, email or call us at 315-797-5088.

Email Marketing: Efficiently Producing Results

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Email marketing has been around for what seems like forever. From newsletters to product announcements to coupons, chances are that if you have an email address, you’re subscribed to some form of email marketing.

With so much emphasis put on social media lately, it’s easy to forget about the benefits of a good ol’ email marketing campaign. Here are some of the reasons that we at Brockett Creative Group advise so many clients to choose this messaging method:

  • Email marketing has the best return on investment out of all other marketing efforts.
  • Recipients opt in, so they are choosing to engage with your brand. There is something about your product or service that your subscribers like, to the point that they invite your messages into their Inboxes (better than the Spam folder!). Your email communications help build the relationship between your brand and your customers (or even your brand and your vendors).
  • Email marketing is far more affordable than mailing print pieces. The costs of design, printing, and postage add up quickly, and their combined cost could break your budget in no time.
  • With the Internet and email being accessed on mobile devices, email marketing that is mobile friendly (link to RWD post) allows your audience to view your pieces while on the go.
  • For eCommerce sites, an automatically generated message can thank your customers for a purchase or donation immediately, which strengthens the relationship between your brand and the consumer.
  • Newsletter/marketing software allows for personalization: it is possible to have name and list segmentation for recipients, so that messages can be targeted to specific demographics, and the logo/colors/branding for the sender match your corporate identity.
  • Email marketing allows you to communicate in real time: you can make your consumers aware of recalls, surprise sales, and response to issue (e.g. to clarify that you do not use a controversial product that’s been in the news) instantly.
  • It is very easy to track who is opening your email marketing messages and to see who is clicking through the links in them; this helps you learn about your customers’ behavior and find out what caught their attention, what interested them, and what didn’t!
  • Email marketing is shareable to social media platforms, so recipients can share with their friends and followers, taking your message that much further.
  • Good email marketing pieces will drive recipients to your website, where they will learn about your brand, and eventually take action.
  • With Approximately 2.6 billion email users worldwide, with an average of 1.7 accounts per user , why wouldn’t you use this efficient and cost-effective method of reaching an audience?

Is your daily planner already maxed out, with no time to put together email marketing? BCG can design the look, manage the address list, write the letter/advertising piece, and send it on your behalf. Call us at 315-797-5088 or shoot us an email, and let’s discuss!

Content Management: A System You Can Work With

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Even a small website can contain a great deal of information in the form of copy, photographs, and graphics. As most websites change content frequently to reflect changes in products, services, and news and information, a straightforward and reliable Content Management System (CMS) is essential.

For Brockett Creative Group clients, we provide just that CMS through our subsidiary tSpark. The tSpark CMS gives users the ability to add and remove pages, add, edit, and delete text, and control images throughout the site. In developing the design for your website, we will work with you to get the header and footer – which generally do not change and often contain the site menu, location, and contact information – where you want it and then build your site into the CMS so that it appears the way you want.

At this point, BCG staff will provide you with unique login credentials and train you how to use the tSpark CMS. You will then have complete control over the information you present on your website, allowing you the flexibility to adapt to any changes in your industry or the market.

If you’re ready to take control of your website, email or call us at 315-797-5088.

Collateral: Connecting You With Your Audience

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Electronic communications may currently rule, but print collateral pieces still play an important role in marketing. Collateral materials are tangible representations of your brand that support and enhance sales and marketing efforts. Some commonly used collateral pieces are:

  • Business Cards
  • Brochures
  • Rack Cards
  • Stationery
  • Folders

Just as e-readers didn’t replace books (as some predicted), there are certain items that just have a special look and feel when printed. Sure, you can scan a QR code for contact information and save it directly into your phone, but it’s not the same as a business card that is printed on nice paper, with colorful ink, and a logo. Similarly, the experience of holding and perusing a printed piece is much different than consuming the same information online.

Printed collateral is often perceived as being more personal, and therefore more effective. Even though both electronic and print communications can be easily personalized, the experience of getting something in the mail that the recipient recognizes as special due to everything from the feel of the paper, to the selections of colors, to the font…all of which translate very differently from electronic to print iterations. For example, which would you prefer from a not-for-profit organization seeking a donation or for a loved one’s wedding invitation, an email invite or a traditional paper one? Both contain the same information, but one means more to you.

Today, we’re more excited to see postal mail than email.

Your collateral materials will enhance your other marketing ventures, such as your website and advertising, and will provide your audience with a physical representation of your brand. To get started aligning your collateral with your other efforts, email or call us at 315-797-5088.

Sticking with the Classics: Traditional Marketing in the Digital Age

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It may be easy to dismiss traditional marketing in the Internet Age, but it’s not necessarily wise. Although the numbers are certainly smaller than they were in their heyday, people still pay attention to television and print advertising.

Advertising on television and in newspapers, professional publications, and periodicals have some strong advantages over online advertising. When we use the Internet, we are more distracted by scrolling, video, and pop-ups, diverting our attention from online ads. Television and print advertising encroach less on the customer’s experience – they know how to expect these advertisements and don’t have to worry about pop-ups or any other intrusive ads.

Readers tend to linger more over printed materials than they do for the very same articles online, perhaps due an affection for reading print or simply because it’s more comfortable for the eyes. Many people enjoy the experience printed materials offer – they have a feel and sometimes a scent that connect with the consumer on an emotional level (just like the people who prefer books over e-readers). Print media also has great design flexibility; you can use a wider range of designs, allowing for an attention-getting piece, and the variety of papers available for print enhance both the design and the consumer’s experience. Ironically, the fact that fewer businesses are using direct mail has made recipients pay more attention to the pieces that they do receive rather than disregarding them.

Television advertising also retains value today. It can be integrated with your print and online advertising for a complete campaign, or it can stand alone. Television remains popular with Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers who, as of this writing, are established in careers or retired and are likely to have more disposable income than Generation Y or Millenials. Paid television advertising also retains the top spot for consumers learning about new products and services. Television ads also outpace Internet marketing when it comes to influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions.

For many brands, print and television advertising has the potential to be very beneficial. Take advantage of the opportunities afforded by traditional marketing by emailing or calling BCG at 315-797-5088.