A/B testing involves showing two versions of a piece of content or page to different users.
more details...A/B Testing is a method of testing and measuring the relative difference in impact of two (or more) experiences on a website. Users will be randomly placed into specific groups (A or B) and will experience one of two or more variants of a website experience. This can be as simple as changing a color or copy, or as complex as reworking the entire experience. A/B Testing can help you determine which experience is more effective at achieving your goals, whether that’s increased conversion rates or improved engagement. A/B Testing should be an essential part of any eCommerce strategy.
When it comes to A/B Testing, there are a few key things to keep in mind:
- Always test one variable at a time
- Make sure your test is statistically significant
- Use A/B Testing software to help you track results and draw conclusions
A/B Testing can be an extremely valuable tool for eCommerce businesses. By testing different variants of your website experience, you can determine which version is most effective at impacting your key performance metrics (KPI's). When done properly A/B Testing is a great way to improve your eCommerce conversion rate.
Using A/B testing software can help you track results and draw conclusions about which variant of the experience is more effective at achieving your goals. There are many platforms available that will automatically assign users to a user group, deliver the relevant experience, track the results on your chosen target metrics and monitor statistical significance. Some like Google Optimize are free to use.
Configuration of A/B testing can require some degree of technical or coding knowledge depending on the test being run. Experience with basic HTML, CSS and javascript can be very helpful. If conversion rate optimization and A/B testing are key components of your strategy it can be helpful to enlist the help of an expert to avoid common mistakes and ensure the legitimacy of results.
A/B testing works by randomly assigning users to either version A or version B, and then tracking how they interact with each version. This allows you to compare the performance of both versions and determine which one performs better.
Almost anything can be tested using A/B testing, including web page design, copywriting, images, videos, pricing models, product features, and more.
The main benefit of A/B testing is that it helps you make data-driven decisions about your marketing efforts. By comparing two versions side-by-side, you can quickly identify what works best for your target audience and optimize your campaigns accordingly.
A/B testing in digital marketing is a method used to compare two or more variations of a webpage, email, ad, or other marketing elements to determine which version performs better. By running controlled experiments, marketers can identify the most effective changes to optimize conversions, click-through rates, user engagement, and other key performance indicators.
Website A/B testing involves experimenting with different versions of a website page to understand which variation leads to improved user behavior or conversions. Marketers often conduct A/B tests on landing pages, product pages, checkout processes, and other critical website areas to enhance the overall user experience and achieve marketing goals.
When conducting A/B testing, consider the following best practices:
a. Clearly Define Objectives: Set specific and measurable goals for your A/B test to know what you're trying to achieve.
b. Test One Element at a Time: Test only one variable (e.g., headline, CTA, image) in each experiment to pinpoint the factor that drives the change in performance.
c. Ensure Randomization: Randomly distribute traffic among variations to avoid biased results.
d. Collect Sufficient Data: Allow the test to run until it gathers a statistically significant amount of data to ensure reliability.
e. Segment Your Audience: Analyze results for different audience segments separately, as user behavior can vary based on demographics or traffic sources.
f. Stay Consistent: Run A/B tests regularly to refine your marketing strategies and improve performance continuously.
g. Keep Testing Iteratively: Don't settle with one successful A/B test. Continuously test new hypotheses and optimize your marketing elements for ongoing improvements.
By following these best practices, marketers can make data-driven decisions and optimize their digital marketing efforts effectively.
Fun Fact:
"A/B testing is an effective tool for improving website performance and increasing conversion rates. According to a study conducted by Optimizely, A/B testing resulted in an average of 11.9% improvement in conversion rate across all industries" (Optimizely, 2017).
The average amount of revenue each new lead will generate.
more details...To begin, it is important to know what exactly a conversion is, and that conversions can be illustrated in many different formats. A conversion is described as a point in time when a consumer of the marketing action performs the desired response. In simple terms, it’s the point in time when a recipient responds to the call-to-action put in place.
A conversion can be depicted as:
So when considering the average conversion value of your business call-to-actions it is imperative to know how to not only find the rate but what rate is considered “good”.
To calculate the average rate of conversions you simply take the number of conversions divided by the total number of customer interactions with the advertisement.
Many businesses find conversion rates between 2-5% on each individual tactic. This may seem incredibly small but it’s almost impossible to obtain a 100% average conversion rate. This is because a large majority of the impressions gained on the ad may not choose to complete your desired action. So small rates or increases within your conversion value will be incredibly helpful to drawing traffic and purchases to your business.
How is ACV calculated?
ACV is calculated by dividing the total revenue generated from conversions by the total number of conversions.
What are some ways to increase ACV?
Some ways to increase ACV include offering higher-priced products or services, upselling customers on additional items, and improving customer service and satisfaction.
Fun Fact:
According to a study by OptinMonster, "Average conversion value (ACV) is one of the most important metrics for marketers to track. It measures the average amount of money that customers spend when they convert on an offer or purchase a product." (https://optinmonster.com/average-conversion-value/)
AI is intelligence displayed by machines rather than natural intelligence demonstrated by humans or animals.
more details...Artificial Intelligence (AI), is becoming more and more readily available every day. We now find it in grocery stores, our cars, and cellular devices. Whether it’s Siri or Alexa, AI is with us every day and ready to answer any and all questions.
However, when AI is applied to marketing the resulting actions are much more rapid and complex. AI is now used by marketing companies to internalize data and make automated decisions based on observations and trends. AI utilizes data from customer profiles and reasons how to best communicate tailored messages. Not only is this extremely beneficial to customers but this action takes place at a much quicker rate ensuring efficiency.
AI can support your business in the following ways:
These are all just a start. AI is rapidly changing and is adapting to learn how to speed up and interpret more tasks. AI is a great tool and will surely help generate revenue within your business.
One excellent example of AI marketing is personalized product recommendations. By utilizing AI algorithms, businesses can analyze customer data, past purchase history, and behavior patterns to suggest products or services that are highly relevant to individual users. This enhances the user experience, increases engagement, and boosts conversion rates, improving sales and customer satisfaction.
AI is revolutionizing digital marketing. It enables marketers to gather vast amounts of data, providing valuable insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and trends. AI-powered chatbots enhance customer support by responding instantly, while AI-driven content creation tools streamline content generation processes. AI also facilitates targeted advertising, delivering personalized ads to specific audience segments.
AI marketing tools refer to software and applications that utilize artificial intelligence to assist marketers in various tasks. Some standard AI marketing tools include:
a. AI-powered analytics platforms: These tools help marketers analyze large datasets, identify patterns, and extract valuable insights to improve decision-making.
b. AI-driven content generators: These tools use natural language processing (NLP) to automatically create relevant and engaging content, saving time and effort.
c. AI chatbots and virtual assistants: These AI-driven tools provide instant and personalized responses to customer inquiries, improving customer support and engagement.
d. Predictive analytics tools: These applications use AI algorithms to forecast future trends, behavior patterns, and customer preferences, helping marketers optimize their strategies.
AI brings several significant benefits to marketing efforts:
a. Enhanced personalization: AI enables marketers to deliver highly personalized content and recommendations to individual users, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
b. Improved customer experience: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants provide immediate responses, resolving customer queries promptly and enhancing overall customer experience.
c. Data-driven insights: AI can process and analyze vast amounts of data quickly, providing valuable insights that help marketers make data-driven decisions.
d. Efficient automation: AI automates repetitive tasks like content creation and social media posting, saving time and resources for marketers.
e. Targeted advertising: AI allows marketers to precisely target specific audience segments, leading to higher ad relevance and improved ROI.
f. Competitive advantage: Businesses that embrace AI in their marketing strategies gain a competitive edge by staying ahead of the curve and adapting to changing market demands.
Incorporating AI into digital marketing strategies empowers businesses to optimize their marketing efforts, engage customers effectively, and achieve better results in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
AI works by taking in large amounts of data and using algorithms to identify patterns within the data. This allows it to learn from past experiences and make predictions about future outcomes. AI also uses machine learning techniques such as neural networks to create models that can be used for decision-making.
"AI is estimated to add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, according to a report from PwC." (PwC, 2018)
-The total revenue generated from a single order.
more details...Average Order Value (AOV) is one of the key metrics that influence spending and store layout decisions. It is directly related to ROAS because if the AOV is increasing likely the ROAS will be increasing as well. However, fluctuations happen within AOV occasionally and are mostly due to new campaigns or the buying season.
As described in its definition AOV measures the average total of all purchases over a defined range of time. It’s crucial that the metric is found weekly or even daily, it must be closely monitored in order to make efficient changes to increase sales. To solve for AOV you should take your total revenue and divide it by the number of orders.
To improve your AOV there are multiple options:
*These are all great improvements that can be made to AOV, but it’s extremely important that you take each improvement one at a time. *
AOV is a crucial metric for your business. Make sure you are regularly checking it’s value and making necessary changes for improvement.
AOV is calculated by dividing total revenue by the number of orders.
A high AOV indicates that customers are spending more money on each purchase, which can be a sign of increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.
A low AOV indicates that customers are not spending as much money on each purchase, which could be an indication of poor customer service or product quality.
According to a study by BigCommerce, the average order value (AOV) for online stores is $81.76 (BigCommerce, 2020).
API describes the connection between a digital device and programming software. Allowing different applications to talk to each other.
more details...We use the Application Programming Interface (API) every day multiple times a day. When we utilize our cell phones or any device we are using API. API is considered an intermediary and allows apps and software to talk to each other/connect. API is very secure and only shares necessary information.
For example, to make API easier to understand, you can think of it as a waiter, where the kitchen is the system and the food you receive via the waiter(API) is a response or action the system delivers.
When looking at how API interacts with your business, API is useful for making data and functionality from one website available on other applications. For instance, imagine purchasing a flight. Instead of going directly to Delta airlines, you can look on Trip Advisors website and still receive the same information (flight times, flight number, and departure/arrival locations) that Delta is offering. This again is all made possible through API.
In your business API can be used to accomplish many different tasks. Consider utilizing API to grow your business further.
What are the benefits of using an API?
APIs can help streamline development processes, reduce costs, and increase efficiency by allowing developers to access existing code libraries instead of having to create new ones from scratch. Additionally, APIs can help create more secure applications since they provide a layer of abstraction between the application and its data sources.
How do I use an API?
To use an API, you must first register with the provider and obtain an API key or token. Once you have this key or token, you can make requests to the API using a programming language such as JavaScript or Python. The responses will be in JSON format which can then be used in your application.
Fun Fact:
"API usage has grown by more than 300% in the past four years, according to a study by Cloud Elements (2018)." (Cloud Elements, 2018)
The average revenue that is generated from each user in a given time period.
more details...ARPU or Average Revenue per Users is a macro measurement of the amount of revenue divided by total users. This data is important to illustrate the average each user is spending within your store.
Many social media companies such as Snapchat, Facebook, and Tik Tok utilize this measurement to make decisions. As well, subscription services use this statistic to illustrate their revenue. Knowing how much revenue each customer is bringing in, is crucial to illuminating internal strengths and weaknesses within your business.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to ARPU.
Advantages
Disadvantages
While there are quite a few disadvantages to using ARPU as a measurement, it is still beneficial to know and look at this macro measurement occasionally, as it can sometimes bring valuable insights to your business.
ARPU is calculated by dividing total revenue by the number of users over a given period of time.
Some ways to increase ARPU include increasing prices, upselling additional products or services, and offering subscription-based models.
ARPU represents Average Revenue Per User and the average revenue generated per customer or user. A "good" ARPU value varies significantly depending on the industry, business model, and market conditions. For some businesses, a higher ARPU indicates better profitability, while for others, a lower ARPU might be acceptable if they have a high volume of users.
ARPU trends are analyzed over time to monitor customer spending behavior and business performance changes. Increasing ARPU over time typically signifies improvements in customer engagement, retention, and upselling strategies.
According to the 2019 Global Mobile Market Report, ARPU (Average Revenue per User) has increased by 8.3% year-over-year from 2018 to 2019 in North America. (Statista, 2020).
Metrics that can be used to make business decisions about brand strategy.
more details...Actionable metrics help identify the actions that are yielding positive and negative results. Through the metrics, we can focus and create strategic plans to continue to brand and scale your business. The Actionable metrics also identify the results that are negative. Through identifying negative metrics we can look to improve and re-strategize previous plans.
Additionally, knowing this metric creates a community that is more productive and dedicated. It is extremely crucial that the most positive and monumental actionable metric is tracked. Knowing what is moving the needle the most in your company allows for further growth to be made. For instance, knowing that leads are specifically coming from “channel B” should induce the need to focus on more marketing and branding for that channel. If something is working well it’s important that we maintain and continue the improvement.
When thinking about what action needs to be taken it's important to ask yourself,
Actionable metrics will move the needle within your business if used correctly. It's important for a business to understand how their CTA's (Call To Actions) affect their overall revenue. Being able to determine your call to action is an essential part of growing a your business. Overall, actionable metrics are crucial data points that marketers need to know in order to optimize and elevate the outputs and meaningful actions that drive your company.
How can actionable metrics be used?
Actionable metrics can be used to measure the success of a marketing campaign, track customer engagement, identify areas for improvement, and optimize campaigns for better results.
What types of data do actionable metrics include?
Actionable metrics typically include data such as website traffic, conversion rates, click-through rates, cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on investment (ROI).
Fun Fact:
"Actionable metrics are key to improving marketing performance. According to a survey by BrightEdge, 81% of marketers believe that actionable metrics are essential for understanding the impact of their campaigns" (BrightEdge, 2019).
Ad placement is defined as the location a display ad will be shown.
more details...Ad placement includes common advertising locations such as platforms, web pages, and social networks. Ad placement allows for potential clients/customers to be reached through different channels and angles. As well, depending on placement the ad can act and promote different actions taken by the consumer.
Ad placement can be found within an article or website in different places. Common places ads are found or positioned are headers and footers, sidebars, the beginning or middle of posts, or at the beginning, middle, or end of video clips. All of these places allow for different impressions to be made on the customer. They also vary in effectiveness and optimization.
Some dos and don’t of ad placement includes:
- Do make content distinctive across platforms.
- Do run tests, test where the ad is most and least effective.
- Do know the user visiting the page and cater the content.
- Don’t run too many ads.
- Don’t include auto-playing ads.
- Don’t post ads too excessively to the point where it overwhelms the user.
In all, Ad placement is a crucial practice that should be practiced in your business in order to maximize branding and open up various channels.
How does ad placement work?
Ad placement works by strategically placing ads in locations that will be seen by the most people, such as on websites with high traffic or in magazines with large readerships. Ads can also be placed near related content to further increase their visibility and relevance.
What are the benefits of ad placement?
The main benefit of ad placement is increased visibility for an advertisement. This can lead to more clicks and conversions, which can result in higher sales and profits for a business. Additionally, ad placement can help businesses target specific audiences more effectively.
Fun Fact:
"Ad placement is an effective way to increase brand awareness, with studies showing that 70% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product after seeing it in an ad" (Haley, 2017).
An affiliate is a third-party publisher who is utilized to generate traffic and leads to your business's products and/or services.
more details...Affiliates maximize on time and allow for ads and content to work for them. They sponsor your product or service through postings of ads and or content. Once a customer clicks and purchases through the affiliate website, not only is your brand paid but the affiliate receives revenue as well from the purchase.
Affiliates are depicted as a helping hand that navigates consumers to purchase. As a third party, they support the selling and overall knowledge of the product. Their work is influential and increasingly helpful to the purchase of your product and or service.
Something to help visualize how the affiliate program works is the diagram below. The diagram illustrates a cycle illuminating how one-step moves to the next.
How does Affiliate Marketing work?
In affiliate marketing, an advertiser pays a commission to an external website for traffic or sales generated from its referrals. The external website, known as the affiliate, promotes the advertiser’s products or services and earns a commission when visitors complete a desired action such as making a purchase.
Who can participate in Affiliate Marketing?
Anyone with an online presence can participate in affiliate marketing. This includes bloggers, influencers, publishers, and even businesses themselves.
What are the benefits of Affiliate Marketing?
Benefits of affiliate marketing include increased exposure and brand awareness, cost-effectiveness compared to traditional advertising methods, and potential for high ROI due to its performance-based nature.
Fun Fact:
Marketing "Affiliate marketing spending in the United States is projected to reach 8.2 billion U.S. dollars by 2022, up from 5.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2017." (Statista, 2020)
An affiliate link is a tailored URL that contains the affiliate's username or ID for the purpose of documenting consumer traffic.
more details...As explained in the affiliate definition, the program allows for a third party to advertise for your business while also reaping in some of the benefits/revenue.
So when looking deeper into how the affiliate program runs, it is crucial that an affiliate has an affiliate link. The affiliate link is a tailored link that identifies the affiliate and the traffic that it brings to your brand. Without this link, the traffic from the affiliate is not traceable. This is not only bad for the affiliate because they won’t receive payment/revenue but your business won’t be able to identify the channel from which your consumers are coming from which is a crucial metric for optimizing your brand.
How does an affiliate link work?
When someone clicks on an affiliate link, they are directed to the merchant’s website. The code in the URL tracks the referral and rewards the affiliate when a purchase is made.
Who can use an affiliate link?
Anyone with access to a website or blog can create and use an affiliate links. Affiliate programs are open to both individuals and businesses alike.
What are some benefits of using an affiliate link?
Affiliate links provide merchants with a cost-effective way to reach new customers, while providing affiliates with commission for successful referrals. Additionally, it helps build trust between merchants and affiliates as well as encourages repeat purchases from customers.
Fun Fact:
"Affiliate links are responsible for 15% of all e-commerce orders, according to a 2018 study by the Performance Marketing Association." (Performance Marketing Association, 2018)
An algorithm is a step-by-step set of instructions or a well-defined procedure designed to solve a specific problem or accomplish a particular task. Algorithms are the backbone of computer programs and form the core of various computational processes.
more details...An algorithm is a step-by-step set of instructions or a well-defined procedure designed to solve a specific problem or accomplish a particular task. Algorithms are the backbone of computer programs and form the core of various computational processes. They can be expressed in various forms, such as flowcharts, pseudocode, or specific programming languages.
The key characteristics of a good algorithm include correctness, efficiency, clarity, and generality. Correctness ensures that the algorithm produces the correct output for all possible inputs, while efficiency focuses on minimizing the computational resources and time required to complete the task. Clarity ensures that the algorithm is easy to understand and implement, while generality allows it to be applied to a wide range of instances of the problem.
In the context of AI (Artificial Intelligence), algorithms play a fundamental role in enabling machines to perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence. AI algorithms are a set of rules or instructions that guide the behavior of AI systems, allowing them to learn from data, make predictions, and solve complex problems. These algorithms form the core of machine learning, a subfield of AI that focuses on creating models that can learn patterns from data and make decisions based on that learning.
One of the key types of AI algorithms is supervised learning, where the algorithm is trained on labeled data, and the goal is to predict output labels for new, unseen data. Another important type is unsupervised learning, where the algorithm learns from unlabeled data to discover patterns or groupings within the data. Additionally, there are reinforcement learning algorithms, where the AI system interacts with an environment and learns by receiving feedback in the form of rewards or penalties.
AI algorithms are sets of rules or instructions that guide the behavior of AI systems, allowing them to learn from data, make predictions, and solve complex problems.
There are various types of AI algorithms, including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. Supervised learning uses labeled data to make predictions, unsupervised learning discovers patterns from unlabeled data, and reinforcement learning enables AI systems to learn from interactions with an environment.
AI algorithms learn from data by adjusting their parameters based on the input data and the desired output. In supervised learning, the algorithm minimizes prediction errors, while in unsupervised learning, it identifies patterns and structures in the data. Reinforcement learning algorithms learn by receiving feedback in the form of rewards or penalties based on their actions.
AI algorithms find applications in various fields, including natural language processing, image and speech recognition, recommendation systems, autonomous vehicles, and many other areas where AI can assist in complex decision-making and pattern recognition.
To get started with AI algorithms, one can begin by learning the basics of machine learning and the different types of AI algorithms. There are numerous online resources, tutorials, and courses available that can help beginners gain practical experience in implementing AI algorithms and understanding their underlying principles.
Analytics are crucial to evaluating the success of the technology, processes, and tracking within marketing initiatives.
more details...Analytics is a crucial aspect of your brand. It evaluates any and all aspects of your company. Through utilizing analytics and allocating more resources (time and budget) to analysis you can further your growth and overall performance as a company.
One of the most crucial items analytics is used for is to find the ROI (Return on investment) your company is generating. If the number is not where you want it to be, you can determine what changes need to be made by looking at other metrics. Through studying and managing your data and drawing inferences through analytics, as a company you can create a call to action to further your growth and development.
It is significant to note that analytics is also beneficial to all business sizes. Small businesses should not get discouraged by their size. Implementing data and analytic tactics is how any business grows and improves, and by curating data carefully any and all businesses can grow to their utmost potential, no matter the size.
How can analytics help businesses?
Analytics can help businesses identify areas of opportunity, such as potential markets or customer segments, as well as track performance against goals and objectives. It can also be used to inform decisions on marketing strategies, product development, pricing and more.
What types of data are used in analytics?
Data used in analytics can include customer demographics, website traffic, sales figures, social media engagement metrics and more.
What tools are used for analytics?
Tools used for analytics may include data visualization software such as Tableau or Power BI; statistical analysis software such as R or SAS; and business intelligence platforms such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics.
Fun Fact:
"Analytics is a key component of marketing, with 75% of marketers reporting that they use analytics to inform their decisions" (Aberdeen Group, 2017).
An AI chatbot is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) technologies to interact with users, simulate human-like conversations, and provide automated responses to their inquiries or requests.
more details...An AI chatbot is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) technologies to interact with users, simulate human-like conversations, and provide automated responses to their inquiries or requests.
AI chatbots work by processing user inputs through natural language understanding algorithms to comprehend the user's intent. They then generate appropriate responses using machine learning techniques and knowledge bases.
AI chatbots have various applications, including customer service, virtual assistants, sales support, FAQ handling, appointment scheduling, and personalized user interactions.
AI chatbots can provide 24/7 support, handle high volumes of inquiries, improve response times, reduce operational costs, and enhance customer experiences through personalized interactions.
Building an AI chatbot involves defining its purpose, selecting a suitable platform or framework, integrating natural language processing capabilities, and training the chatbot with relevant data to improve its performance. Learn how we, at Indra Intelligence, can help you build an AI chatbot for your site here.
Artificial Intelligence Ethics encompasses the principles, guidelines, and considerations regarding the moral and responsible use of AI technologies.
more details...Artificial Intelligence Ethics encompasses the principles, guidelines, and considerations regarding the moral and responsible use of AI technologies. As AI continues to advance and integrate into various aspects of society, ethical concerns arise due to its potential impacts on individuals, communities, and the environment. The objective of AI ethics is to ensure that AI systems are designed, developed, and deployed in a manner that upholds human values, fairness, transparency, accountability, and safety.
Key areas of AI ethics include fairness and bias mitigation, where efforts are made to prevent discrimination and ensure that AI systems treat all individuals fairly, regardless of their demographics. Privacy and data protection are critical, as AI often relies on vast amounts of personal data, necessitating the ethical handling and safeguarding of sensitive information. Transparency and explainability are also vital to building trust in AI, allowing users to understand how AI systems arrive at decisions and predictions.
AI ethics also emphasizes accountability, holding organizations and developers responsible for the outcomes of AI applications. As AI algorithms can have significant societal consequences, it is crucial to assess the potential risks and ensure mechanisms for addressing unintended harm. Additionally, AI safety research aims to develop protocols to avoid potentially catastrophic scenarios arising from unchecked AI development.
Addressing AI ethics requires collaboration among stakeholders, including governments, industries, academia, and civil society. Many organizations have established ethics committees and guidelines to ensure that AI technologies align with ethical standards. Striking the right balance between AI innovation and ethical considerations is essential to harnessing the transformative potential of AI while safeguarding societal values and human rights.
AI ethics is crucial to ensure that AI technologies are developed and deployed in ways that uphold human values and respect human rights. It helps prevent biases and discrimination, protect privacy and data, promote transparency, and mitigate potential risks and unintended consequences.
AI ethics aims to identify and mitigate biases in AI algorithms to ensure fair treatment of all individuals, regardless of their demographic characteristics. Efforts are made to promote diversity in AI development teams, scrutinize training data for biases, and implement fairness-aware algorithms.
Privacy concerns in AI revolve around the use of personal data for training and operating AI systems. AI ethics emphasizes the responsible collection, handling, and protection of user data to safeguard individual privacy rights and prevent misuse or unauthorized access.
AI accountability involves making organizations and developers responsible for the outcomes of AI applications. Ethical frameworks and governance structures are implemented to ensure transparency in AI decision-making and establish mechanisms to address any potential harm caused by AI systems.
Attribution models assess and capture the value/benefit of the different touchpoints and channels by which customers found your products and/or services.
more details...Attribution modeling is the process of measuring, and building mathematical models to estimate and account for unmeasurable, conversions by their upstream source or events of influence. This can be a complex process as many interactions with ads are not trackable and often the effects of multiple interactions combine to influence a conversion.
Problems tracking which upstream interactions influenced a conversion are referred to as attribution measurement problems. This can occur if users switch devices, turn off tracking in their settings, refuse cookies or use ad blockers.
The most effective method to understand lost measurement due to attribution measurement problems is to utilize mathematical modeling. These techniques leverage statistics to correlate increases or decreases in revenue (or other conversions) with marketing activities.
What are the different types of attribution models?
The most common types of attribution models include last-click, first-click, linear, time decay, position-based, and custom models. Each model assigns credit differently based on the customer’s path to conversion.
How can attribution modeling help my business?
Attribution modeling can help businesses make more informed decisions about where to invest their marketing budget by providing insights into which channels and tactics are driving conversions and sales. It also helps marketers understand which parts of their campaigns are working well and which need improvement.
Fun Fact:
"Attribution modeling is a powerful tool for marketers, with a recent study showing that nearly 70% of businesses using attribution modeling have seen an increase in their return on investment" (ROI) (AdRoll, 2018).
The Attribution Theory within marketing draws on the fact that people/consumers draw upon past experiences and are influenced by different exposures.
more details...The attribution theory marketing refers to the way marketers try to influence consumer behavior by attributing certain qualities to their products or services. The most common attribution theories used in marketing are the source credibility theory, the mere exposure theory, and the foot-in-the-mouth theory.
The source credibility theory states that consumers are more likely to believe messages that come from a credible source. A credible source is defined as someone or something the consumer perceives as an expert, such as a celebrity or influencer endorsing a product. Marketers can also use authority figures to promote their products, such as a physician recommending a medication.
The mere exposure theory refers to the idea that consumers are more likely to buy something if they are exposed to it multiple times. Marketers often rely on familiarity to sell their products, using familiar faces or catchy slogans in their ads in order to increase the likelihood that consumers will remember and then buy those products.
Finally, the foot-in-the-mouth theory suggests that consumers are more likely to buy a product if it is endorsed by someone they like and respect. Marketers often look for celebrities or other public figures to endorse their products, knowing that consumers are more likely to listen and buy in response.
As a marketer, it is important to be familiar with the different attribution theories available and how they can be used to influence consumer behavior. By understanding these theories, you can better craft your marketing messages to best be accepted by consumers.
Let's consider an e-commerce company running a multi-channel marketing campaign that includes social media ads, email marketing, and Google search ads. Using attribution marketing, they track the customer journey and identify that many customers initially discovered the brand through a social media ad, signed up for the email newsletter, and finally made a purchase through a Google search ad. By understanding this customer journey, the company can allocate the appropriate credit and optimize its marketing budget to focus on the most effective channels.
Attribution aims to identify and credit the marketing touchpoints contributing to customer conversions. By understanding which channels or campaigns are most influential at different customer journey stages, businesses can make data-driven decisions, optimize marketing strategies, and allocate resources effectively for better results.
A type of market segmentation where a company divides a larger group of consumers into smaller groups known as segments, each with distinct characteristics.
more details...Audience segmentation allows marketers and your business to determine specific niche segments of people that would be best to target for selling your product or service. Once you know who your target market/markets are, it becomes increasingly easier to promote and sell your product or service.
But that brings us to the question of how do we find out our audience segmentation? To do that, we must ask ourselves a few questions.
When you have a better idea of who your audience is, you can use different avenues to promote your product/service, find sales leads easier, and most importantly, sell your product or service.
Audience segmentations are crucial to making your product fly off the shelves. Make sure to determine your audience segmentations in order to increase and support your profitability.
Why is audience segmentation important?
Audience segmentation allows marketers to tailor their messaging and content to specific segments of their target audience in order to better engage them and drive conversions. It also helps marketers identify new opportunities for growth by uncovering untapped audiences or niche markets.
How do you segment an audience?
Audience segmentation can be done using a variety of methods including demographic data, psychographic data, behavioral data and other customer insights. Marketers should also consider how they can use existing customer data to create meaningful segments that will help them reach their goals.
Fun Fact:
"Audience segmentation is a key tool for marketing success. According to the Harvard Business Review, 81% of marketers who use audience segmentation report an increase in their ROI" (Return on Investment) (Berman, 2017).
Marketing automation refers to software platforms and technologies designed for marketing departments to more effectively market on channels and automate repetitive tasks.
more details...Automation within marketing refers to the use of technology to efficiently speed up processes and increase the effectiveness of marketing channels. Automation has been around for a while now, but it's been only recently that marketers have really begun to understand how to use automation tools to their full potential. In its simplest form, marketing automation is a way to automate the repetitive and often tedious tasks that are involved in running a successful marketing campaign.
When used correctly, marketing automation can save marketers a lot of time and energy while also providing you with valuable insights into your customers' behavior. Additionally, it can help you to better manage your budget and resources, as well as increase the overall efficiency of your marketing efforts.
There are a number of different types of marketing automation software available on the market today, each with its own set of features and capabilities. However, not all of these tools are created equal. To help you choose the right marketing automation software for your business, it's important to understand the different features and capabilities that are available.
The most common features of marketing automation software include:
- Lead management: The ability to track and manage your leads throughout the sales cycle, from initial contact to conversion.
- Email marketing: The ability to send automated emails to your customers and prospects.
- Campaign management: The ability to create, manage and track your marketing campaigns.
- Analytics and reporting: The ability to track your marketing performance and generate reports.
- Social media management: The ability to manage your social media accounts and interact with your customers on social media.
- Integration: The ability to integrate your marketing automation software with other software applications, such as your CRM or accounting software.
When choosing a marketing automation software, it's important to understand what your business can afford, and question what system will allow you to complete and solve your marketing goals.
An Awareness Campaign is utilized as an effort to educate individuals and increase public awareness about an organization's cause or issue.
more details...Awareness campaigns are primarily used for educating and boosting the publics awareness of a topic, issue, or cause. Commonly, awareness campaigns are used in medical or scientific fields, however, businesses, social groups and even individuals use awareness campaigns to spread their message.
It's important that awareness campaigns target people with the same attitudes, values, and beliefs as your business/organization. Once this group of people is established, educating the potential supports will be beneficial to generating new contacts in your database and a following.
In order to effectively educate the public and get your message across, it's significant to have a plan. Your issue must be clear enough for a person unfamiliar with a topic to understand as well as including a point of action. Your message has to include motivating qualities that will encourage your following to move from interested to wanting to make change/take action.
Awareness campaigns tap into the realm of social responsibility. As a company you should consider what your social responsibility is to the public and consider making it something you advocate for. Having an awareness campaign within your business will allow your company to appear and resonate as more socially responsible, which will be more appealing to consumers.
What are the goals of an Awareness Campaign?
The goal of an awareness campaign is to increase knowledge and understanding of a particular product, service, or cause among its target audience. This can help create brand recognition and loyalty, as well as drive sales.
How does an Awareness Campaign work?
An awareness campaign typically involves creating content that educates people about the product or service being promoted. This content can be distributed through various channels such as television commercials, radio spots, print ads, online banners and social media posts. Additionally, companies may host events or launch special promotions to further raise awareness for their products or services.
Fun Fact:
According to the Content Marketing Institute, awareness campaigns are the most popular type of content marketing activity, with 78% of B2C marketers and 76% of B2B marketers reporting that they use them (Content Marketing Institute, 2018).
Companies that primarily serve other companies rather than consumers.
more details...Business to business (B2B) companies' main consumer is other companies rather than the general public or an individual consumer. An example of a B2B company is an engineering or manufacturing firm that sells its services or products to other businesses. This process normally happens within the supply chain sector.
Through this process, businesses can use the raw material or services sold to them to create their finalized product or service. However, the supply chain industry is not the only sector B2B interacts with. For instance, B2B communications refer to interactions over social media where both businesses are connecting.
B2B e-commerce has grown largely over the past year as well. Having access to other businesses' websites and products from anywhere at any time has created a resource-rich environment for growth in all business types.
B2B relationships need to be nurtured and planned out thoroughly. Careful planning and account management will allow for great B2B bonds to be procured and maintained into the future.
What are the benefits of B2B?
The benefits of B2B include increased efficiency, cost savings, improved customer service, and access to new markets.
How does B2B work?
In a B2B transaction, one business provides goods or services to another business in exchange for payment. This transaction can take place online or offline.
What types of companies use B2B?
Many different types of companies use B2B transactions, including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and service providers.
Fun Fact:
"In 2018, the B2B e-commerce market was estimated to be worth $12.2 trillion globally and is expected to grow to $15.5 trillion by 2023" (Statista, 2019).
Companies that primarily serve consumers rather than companies.
more details...B2C is representative of businesses that serve customers directly rather than B2B where businesses serve other businesses. With B2C relationships their is no middle man, it's primary purpose is to serve customers. Therefore B2C companies focus a lot of their efforts on keeping their consumers happy. This is most often done through advertising, customer service, and promotions that are tailored and easy to understand.
B2C became its most popular around the time of the dotcom boom. Consumers could purchase products or services directly from a companies website. This is because the Internet was able to reach customers easier than other mediums, therefore it became much more widespread.
Today B2C has evolved so much that now there are even websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram which focus on customers interacting with companies or even each other. Tapping into the consumer relationship bond, customers can post feedback about the products and or services they received directly from the company. This way it is much easier and faster for the companies to react and make swift changes where needed.
Knowing what your consumer enjoys or dislikes about your product is crucial to making adaptive and innovative changes to best serve your business.
What are some examples of B2C transactions?
Examples of B2C transactions include online retail purchases, in-store purchases, subscription services, and food delivery services.
How does B2C differ from other types of marketing?
Unlike other types of marketing such as B2B (Business to Business) or C2C (Consumer to Consumer), B2C focuses on direct sales from businesses to consumers.
Fun Fact:
According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2018, e-commerce sales for B2C businesses accounted for 10.7% of total retail sales in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018).
Behavioral retargeting is defined as online targeted advertising in which online advertisements are targeted at a consumer based on previous internet behavior.
more details...Behavioral retargeting refers to a form of online advertising that targets consumers based on their recent Internet activity. This type of advertising allows businesses to show ads to people who have visited their website or interacted with their brand on social media, in the hopes of getting them to come back and make a purchase.
There are many different ways to implement behavioral retargeting, and it can be a powerful tool for reaching potential customers online. Some common techniques include showing ads on social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or using pixels and browser cookies to track consumer behavior on websites. Another approach is to use data gathered from search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns to target ads to people who have searched for the same relevant keywords in the past.
Behavioral retargeting is an effective way to reach out to potential customers who may be interested in what you have to offer. However, it's important to use this type of advertising judiciously, as bombarding people with too many ads can be off-putting and may even cause them to block your brand from their devices altogether. When used correctly, behavioral retargeting can be a powerful tool for driving conversions and increasing sales.
Overall, Behavioral retargeting is an extremely valuable advertising mode. Catering ads to a customer's search history is helpful in gaining possible conversions in the future.
Grouping customers based on actions they've taken, such as visiting a company's website or downloading a piece of content.
more details...Behavioral segmentation is crucial to identifying ways consumers interact with your product. It's a marketing tactic that divides customers into different groups in order to better target them with advertising and promotions.
Behavior segments can be broken down into many categories. For instance:
Using behavioral segments to go beyond standard demographics categories will be helpful to diversifying standard marketing campaigns. It also provides a more complete understanding of who your audience is.
There are so many benefits of using behavioral segments to market your companies product. Behavioral segmentation can help you understand how consumers interact with your product and brand on a deeper level. Knowing the behavior as to why consumers buy your product and service will improve consumer retention and overall loyalty.
How is Behavioral Segmentation used in marketing?
Behavioral segmentation allows marketers to better understand customer needs and preferences, which can then be used to create more targeted campaigns and messages. This helps marketers reach the right audience with the right message at the right time.
What are some examples of behavioral segments?
Examples of behavioral segments include frequent buyers, price-sensitive shoppers, brand loyalists, tech-savvy consumers, early adopters of new products or services, and eco-conscious consumers.
Fun Fact:
"Behavioral segmentation is the most popular form of segmentation used by marketers, with 82% of companies reporting that they use it in their marketing strategies"(Solis, 2017).
The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing one page.
more details...A bounce rate is a measurement of website engagement. It is measured as a percentage of visitors to a website who only view one page and then leave.
The bounce rate is important because it tells you how much traffic is engaging with your site, and whether your content and web pages are effective. A higher than normal bounce rate could mean your content is not as engaging or the consumer doesn't like what they see.
It's important to monitor this metric often so you know what website content needs to be rotated out or changed. In the long run, its important to have a low bounce rate because it will help convert visitors into shoppers.
How is bounce rate calculated?
Bounce rate is calculated by dividing the number of single-page visits (or bounces) by the total number of visits to a website.
What is a good bounce rate?
Generally, a good bounce rate for most websites falls between 26-40%.
Fun Fact:
"The average bounce rate for all industries is 41.5% according to a 2019 study by OptinMonster" (Kumar, 2019).
Brick and Mortar refers to a traditional street-side store or office front, which offers products and/or services with the convince of face-to-face interaction.
more details...Brick and mortar refers to our everyday grocery stores, nail salons, and banks. All of these places offer products and services through face-to-face connections. It is hard to imagine buying groceries without speaking directly with the deli, meat department, pharmacist, and cashier, but these types of interactions are quickly becoming out-of-date.
Amazon and other digital giants are making it easier to buy products from the comfort of your home rather than going to the brick and mortar storefronts. Most of these e-commerce sites can save money through lower operating costs and have greater flexibility than an in-person business.
In order to compete with the digital giants, lots of brick and motor shops have created digital websites to expand their platform for purchase. Contrary to opening a website, some digital marketplaces have opened traditional storefronts due to realizing the advantages of in-person retail.
Some advantages of Brick and Mortar storefronts are that they are crucial to customers in which consumers can ask questions to sales associates, pay with currency besides a credit card, and see/test out products, which allows for trust between the retailer and the consumer to form.
While the world seems to be moving towards a more digital marketplace, it's important to note that traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts offer a consumer experience that is crucial to creating loyal customers and brand awareness.
What are the advantages of Brick and Mortar?
The advantages of Brick and Mortar include increased visibility, better customer service, easier access to products, and more opportunities for marketing.
What are the disadvantages of Brick and Mortar?
The disadvantages of Brick and Mortar include higher overhead costs, limited geographic reach, difficulty adapting to changing trends, and lack of scalability.
Fun Fact:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, retail sales from brick-and-mortar stores accounted for 90% of total retail sales in 2018 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019).
The ability to understand and act on information pertinent to a business's operation
more details...Business Intelligence (BI) is an umbrella term that utilizes data to make decisions in support of a company. Knowing what your data means through analysis allows for change, efficiencies, and adaptions to be made at a readily fast rate. You can't make informed decisions without business intelligence.
Business intelligence is used to store, collect and analyze data. And that can't happen without the smaller processes within BI's large umbrella. These smaller processes include:
These are just a few of the processes that contribute to BI's overall process. BI is an extremely useful tool and should be referred to often. Knowing what your data means and what you can manipulate/do with that data will be crucial to growing, adapting, and improving your business.
What are the benefits of using Business Intelligence?
The benefits of using BI include improved decision-making, increased efficiency, better customer service, improved operational performance, and more informed strategic planning.
How does Business Intelligence work?
BI works by collecting data from various sources such as databases, spreadsheets, and other systems. This data is then analyzed using algorithms or statistical models to uncover trends and insights that can be used to make better decisions.
What types of tools are used for Business Intelligence?
Common tools used for BI include data visualization software, reporting tools, analytics platforms, predictive analytics software, and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.
Fun Fact:
"According to a survey by Dresner Advisory Services, 94% of organizations are using business intelligence in some form or another" (Dresner, 2017).
Business Marketing is defined as an individual or organization that sells products or services to other companies or organizations that either resell them or use them in their own products or services.
more details...Business marketing refers to the process of advertising and promoting products or services for a business. Meaning an organization or individual sells a product or service to another company for the purpose of reselling, or for them to use in their own products and services. It can also be defined as the process of creating value for a company through the creation and distribution of products or services. There are many different types of business marketing, but all share the common goal of increasing sales and profits.
Business marketing is sometimes referred to as B2B marketing, or business-to-business marketing. This type of marketing involves the sale of products or services to other businesses, rather than to consumers. B2B marketing is often used by companies that sell products or services that are used by other businesses. These types of businesses focus more on mass/bulk selling rather than each individual consumer.
Business Marketing is super helpful in which it keeps smaller businesses functioning. The process of business marketing is what gets the product from the producer to the consumer allowing for current and future transactions to take place.
The process of acquiring and retaining customers with the goal of increasing profitability over time.
more details...CAAR stands for Customer acquisition and retention. Many businesses struggle to determine whether customer acquisition or customer retention is more important. The truth is both are very important to the success of your business. Customer acquisition refers to the attraction of new customers, while customer retention is about keeping/retaining your existing customers.
To start, customer acquisition is crucial to expanding your audience and promoting your brand to newer horizons. Making these new conversions is extremely important to expanding your brand and building more customer relationships and a following. However, customer retention is very important as well. Keeping your current loyal customers happy and maintaining a positive relationship with them will help you to keep your business afloat. Given that customer retention is attributed to a large portion of a company's revenue it is very important to maintain these bonds.
Considering today's market a variety of sources recommend investing more in customer retention rather than acquisition. Many explain that a customer's experience is the most influential to the success of your business. Having memorable aspects within your business will keep customers coming back and given that there are many competitors within many markets, maintaining your following and not letting your consumers drift to other companies will be beneficial to the overall health and well-being of your company.
What are the benefits of using CAAR?
The benefits of using CAAR include increased customer loyalty, improved customer retention rates, better understanding of customer needs, more efficient use of resources, and higher profitability.
How can businesses implement CAAR?
Businesses can implement CAAR by focusing on customer segmentation, creating personalized experiences, providing incentives to customers, leveraging data-driven insights to inform decisions, and investing in customer service.
Fun Fact:
"According to a survey conducted by Forrester Consulting, 78% of companies have seen an increase in customer acquisition and retention after implementing a CAAR strategy." (Forrester Consulting, 2019)
The sum of marketing and sales expenses for acquiring a customer.
more details...CAC refers to the Customer Acquisition Cost or Cost to acquire customers. This is an important measurement that illustrates the cost/amount spent by an organization to acquire a new customer.
There are numerous ways to calculate CAC. The most common way is to divide the total marketing campaign costs by the number of new customers acquired within a the campaigning time period.
The total marketing campaign cost can be broken down into many things, such as cost of sales, property or equipment, or price paid to convince a customer to buy a product or service. Customers acquired is measured through how many people actually purchased the product or service given the campaign.
CAC=MCC/CA ---> Customer Acquisition Cost= Marketing Campaign Costs divided by Customers acquired.
It's important to measure this metric often in order to best see if your campaign is working, and if not what changes can be made to make it better. Creating campaigns that are engaging will keep consumers coming back and will keep your CAC low.
How do you calculate CAC?
To calculate CAC, divide the total costs associated with acquiring customers (such as advertising, sales and marketing expenses) by the number of customers acquired during that period.
What are some examples of costs associated with customer acquisition?
Examples of costs associated with customer acquisition include advertising expenses, sales and marketing salaries, website hosting fees, lead generation software costs, etc.
Fun Fact:
According to a study by Bain & Company, the average Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) for businesses is $1.33 per customer acquired (Mazza, 2019).
A new California law that regulates how companies can collect user data.
more details...CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) is an act enacted in 2018 that works to protect privacy and gives more consumers control over their personal information. CCPA gives Californians the right to know what personal information companies have about them, request that their personal information be deleted, and prohibit companies from selling their personal information.
Therefore, California-based companies are required to share notice of their privacy practices. Make sure your business shares its notice of privacy.
When did the CCPA go into effect?
The CCPA went into effect on January 1, 2020.
Who does the CCPA apply to?
The CCPA applies to any business that collects or processes personal information from California residents and meets one or more of the following criteria: has annual gross revenues over $25 million; buys, receives, sells or shares for commercial purposes the personal information of 50,000 or more consumers; or derives 50% or more of its annual revenue from selling consumers’ personal information.
What rights do consumers have under the CCPA?
Consumers have the right to know what types of personal information are being collected about them; request access to their data; request deletion of their data; opt-out of having their data sold; and not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.
Fun Facts:
"The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is estimated to affect over 500,000 businesses worldwide, with nearly one-third of the Fortune 500 companies impacted.” (Gartner, 2019).
A type of marketing technology platform that collects data about individual customers in order to create an accurate portrait of them, which is then used in marketing campaigns. -One of the goals is to link each customer with additional data sources such as their social profiles, in order to acquire a 360 degree portrait of them.
more details...A CDP (Customer Data Platform) is software that collects a customer's data from multiple sources and builds a single, coherent, complete view of each customer. This allows businesses to target customers with relevant marketing messages, and provides a single customer profile that can be used to personalize the customer experience across marketing channels.
CDPs collect a broad spectrum of information about a customer's actions, demographics, and transactions. This includes tracking the length and number of interactions, purchases/returns, and basic information such as the name and address of a customer.
CDPs can also track a customer's interactions with your website, email marketing, and social media. By tracking these interactions, your company can build profiles of customers that depict their interests and preferences. This information can then be used to create targeted marketing messages that are more relevant to your individual customer and target audience.
How does a CDP work?
A CDP collects customer data from various sources such as web analytics, email marketing, CRM systems, social media accounts, and more. It then stores this data in a centralized repository and creates unified customer profiles that can be used for marketing campaigns, segmentation analysis, personalization efforts, and more.
What are the benefits of using a CDP?
Using a CDP provides businesses with an efficient way to manage their customer data by collecting it from multiple sources into one central location. This makes it easier to access accurate and up-to-date information about customers for better segmentation analysis and personalized marketing campaigns. Additionally, using a CDP can help businesses save time and money by reducing manual processes associated with managing customer data.
Fun Fact:
"According to a study by Gartner, the global CDP market is expected to reach $1.3 billion in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 38% through 2023." (Gartner, 2019)
Another term for LTV. The total profit that is generated from a customer over the course of their lifetime.
more details...CLV or Customer Lifetime Value refers to the value of a customer to a business. This value isn't just measured through a purchase basis but rather across the entire consumer relationship. Acquiring new customers can be expensive, so looking at the increasing the consumer bonds you already have will be more cost-efficient and drive growth.
You can measure CLV in multiple ways. For instance, looking at touchpoints where consumers create value, integrating records to create a consumer journey, measuring revenue at each touchpoint, and adding all the revenue over the lifetime of the company. You can also look at the average order value, average transaction, and overall customer retention added together to determine CLV.
CLV is important to businesses because it can help justify and prioritize customer retention strategies. Look into your companies CLV and determine what is working well or what changes/improvements need to be made to have a better CLV.
How do you calculate CLV?
CLV can be calculated by multiplying the average purchase value by the number of purchases made over a certain period of time.
What are some benefits of tracking CLV?
Tracking CLV helps businesses identify their most valuable customers, understand customer behavior and spending patterns, and make more informed decisions about marketing strategies and budget allocations. Additionally, it can help businesses optimize pricing models and increase customer loyalty.
Fun Fact:
"The average CLV (Customer Lifetime Value) of customers in the retail industry is $1,000 per customer." (Pfeifer & Carraher, 2017).
A Content Management System is a software application allowing for the creation, management, and production of digital content.
more details...A CMS (Content Management System) refers to an application that allows multiple collaborators to edit, create, and publish content. A CMS can be used to manage a website, blog, or other type of online content. There are many different types of CMSs available for your business needs.
Many CMSs allow workflow roles, so jobs can be broken into authors, editors, and admins. CMS can also be accessed from any web browser. This is a major advantage because any employee can work collaboratively from anywhere on the system. Another advantage is it's super easy to use and not much skill or previous knowledge is necessary to use it correctly. CMSs make website and blog management easy, so you can focus on creating great content without the stress of paying a third party to create it for you.
When choosing a CMS for your business, you'll want to consider the features that are important to you. For example, if you need an eCommerce platform, you'll want to find CMS with capabilities designed for eCommerce. If you're just looking for a CMS to manage a website or blog, than any CMS should work.
What are the benefits of using a CMS?
Benefits of using a CMS include improved efficiency, cost savings, better search engine optimization (SEO), easier collaboration, improved user experience, and greater control over content.
What types of websites can use a CMS?
Any type of website can use a CMS, including ecommerce sites, blogs, news sites, intranets and more.
How does a CMS work?
A CMS works by providing an interface for users to create and manage digital content. It typically includes features such as text editors, media management tools, page templates and more.
Fun Fact:
"As of 2019, 60% of websites are powered by a CMS (Content Management System) such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal.” (Gomez, 2019).
Cost of goods sold refers to the amount spent in direct relation to the sale of the product and/or service.
more details...COGS or Cost of goods sold refers to the materials and labor costs that go into creating your good/product. Any expense related to the production of the good is included in COGS.
One of the most effective methods to calculate COGS is by adding the direct labor hours and total materials cost. This approach is favored because it is simple and easy to understand. Overhead costs and marketing/sales are excluded in calculating COGS because they are indirect costs.
Its important to know what your businesses COGS is because it is directly related to revenues. COGS decreases revenue, meaning when COGS increases the net income decreases. COGS influence on revenue also affects gross profit and gross margin, since revenue is used to find these two metrics. Look at your COGS often in order to see if any savings or changes can be made to increase overall revenues.
The cost to buy one thousand ad impressions.
more details...Cost per thousand and Cost per mile also known as CPM is a metric used to depict the price of 1,000 impressions on a website. For instance, if a publisher charges a $5.00 CPM this means the advertiser must pay $5.00 each time 1,000 impressions are made.
Some disadvantages to the CPM metric are overcounting due to duplicate viewing, ads that fail to load/glitch, or fraud, whereas advantages are that it can help advertisers better allocate their budgets, understand where to place ads for maximum visibility, and track campaign/channel performance.
Use the CPM metric in your business to better determine advertising allocations within your budget and maximize on impressions.
-The percentage of a given group that has completed a desired action.
more details...The CR or Conversion Rate is calculated as the number of people who completed the desired action/goal given the total number of people that visited the website. The desired goal/action could be filling out a form, buying something, subscribing to a newsletter, etc.
Low conversion rates could be attributed to a disorganized landing page or an offer being too expensive or difficult to complete. Luckily these problems are easy to fix and solutions to these problems will raise your conversion rate.
You can optimize and increase conversions in a number of ways. Some ways you can encourage more conversions are
It is important to reflect on your conversion rate often. Knowing if your marketing tactics are working is crucial to identifying what is working well or what changes need to be made to better market your business to consumers.
The formula for calculating the conversion rate is:
Conversion Rate = (Number of Conversions / Number of Website Visitors) * 100
Sales conversion rate measures explicitly the percentage of website visitors who complete a purchase or transaction.
The use of various tactics to increase an organization's conversion rate.
more details...Conversion Rate Optimization ( CRO ) is a set of tactics used in order to optimize the conversion rate of a website. CRO aims to improve your site's ability to make money through analysis and implementation of tactics designed specifically for it. CRO targets the logical parts of our minds, which are responsible for decision-making. This guide will walk you through CRO basics, give you some ideas to get started and introduce some CRO tools to get you started.
At its' core, CRO is the art of increasing your website's potential to make money. CRO helps remind us that our websites key objective is increasing conversion rate. Increasing the percentage of users that convert means making your website and its pages work better for you, your customers, and your business. By increasing the rate at which people take favorable actions when they visit a website, we're improving our business metrics and the user experience.
While there are many ways to approach optimizing conversions, every business is unique. We therefore need a way to test and validate that a change had a positive impact on our desired metrics. Enter A/B testing. A/B testing allows us to measure the relative impact of a change to the experience and compare it to the original baseline (control group). There are a variety platforms designed to make A/B testing easy. Visit our A/B testing page for a full breakdown on how to get started.
Here are some great place to start testing to see if you can improve your conversion rates. It's often best to start at the top of the funnel or user experience and work your way down.
Here is a complete list of over 1000 Shopify apps designed to improve conversion.
The biggest constraint to CRO is traffic and conversion volume. If you don't have enough traffic, you won't be able to tell if the changes you are making are having a net positive of negative effect. As a result, reaching statistical significance for your A/B test can be challenging early on. Try reducing the cutoff threshold. While it is typically 95% confidence, this is strictly convention and ultimately an arbitrary cutoff. While we want to maximize confidence, we can still make incremental progress with less certainty when volume constraints are governing our ability to determine success. If we are 65% confident that a variant is better (rather than 95%), the odds are still in our favor.
Also consider increasing ad budget or other acquisition channels to maximize the learnings from test.
Additionally, the most common outcome of a test is that there is no measurable, statistically significant change in performance. That means we may need to run ten or more tests before we find a winner. Rapid testing prioritizes speed, dismissing low impact variants early in hopes of finding an extreme outlier. If a change makes a big difference, it will reach statistical significance much more quickly. Therefore if a test fails to reach significance early, shelve it and move on to the next idea. Just keep testing and you'll inevitably discover the right experience for your brand and consumers.
With so many variables to test, getting started with CRO can be daunting. The best thing to do is to dig and get going. Start with a free A/B testing platform and try something simple. Once you've got the hang of it, the sky is the limit. Be creative, be bold and have fun!
The percentage of ad impressions that have resulted in clicks.
more details...CTR or Click-through rate is used to determine how successful an ad is at capturing a viewer/user's attention. It is measured as the percentage of people who click on an ad after seeing it on a webpage. The higher the CTR percentage, the more effective the ad is at getting attention and generating interest.
The most common way to calculate CTR is to divide the number of clicks on an ad by the number of impressions it received. For example, if an ad was clicked on 2 times and it had 1000 impressions, then the CTR would be .02%.
CTR ads can be found across many mediums, such as websites, emails, and paid searches. However, due to the modernization of seeing ads too often on websites, many users have been desensitized to wanting to click on ads. Therefore, in recent times the CTR has decreased a bit since its original entrance into the digital landscape.
Many factors can affect a company's CTR. One of the most influential factors is how relevant the ad is to the user. If an ad is not relevant to what the user is interested in, they are less likely to click on it. Likewise, if an ad is poorly designed or difficult to read, it will also likely have a low CTR.
There are a few ways to increase CTR, such as utilizing strong visuals, increasing the legibility of the ad, and having relevance to user interest. Additionally, testing different ad versions and measuring their results can help a company find which ads are most successful.
Ultimately, CTR is a valuable tool for determining how well an ad is at performing and can help your company improve its marketing strategies.
A company's customers' experiences with the company.
more details...CX or Customer experience refers to the feelings and behaviors that a consumer feels throughout the entire consumption cycle (pre-purchase, sale, and post-purchase). These feelings and behaviors can be positive or negative and are determined by a variety of factors. In order to create a positive CX, companies should focus on consumer wants and needs, the ease and mobility of their website, and the degree to which they understand their customer.
Factors that cause your consumer experience to be considered as negative include difficult-to-navigate websites, products that don't meet consumer needs, poor customer service, and irrelevant marketing that doesn't understand the customer.
So how can your business create a positive customer experience?
1. Put your customer first- When making decisions about your website, products, or marketing, always ask yourself how it will fulfill the customers' wants and needs. Ask yourself, will it make their life easier, more enjoyable, or productive?
2. Make sure your website is easy to navigate-The layout should be simple and organized. Your website wording and details should be easy to follow and product accessibility shouldn't be confusing.
3. Make your marketing relevant- Make sure the content is interesting and useful to them.
4. Offer great customer service- Respond quickly to inquiries and complaints, be polite and helpful, and ensure customer privacy.
By making these little changes or improving upon your customer experience tactics your company will benefit greatly. Having happy customers will welcome more business and sales.
The action that a marketer wants a visitor to take, such as downloading a piece of content or placing an order.
more details...Call to action or CTA directly impact your conversion rate. Whether or not your consumer takes your action will either increase or decrease your conversion rate. When you create your CTA, make sure it is clear, concise, and easy to follow, the success of your CTA can make or break the success of your marketing campaign.
CTAs include strong action words. It's important that your business pays close attention to the action words that are used in the marketing campaign so that consumer experiences clarity, relevance, and urgency to purchase your product. The goal of the action words is to also decrease decision anxiety and distraction. Some examples of useful action words within certain marketplaces are:
These are just a few examples, but all of these can help to inspire customers to take your desired action. Remember when creating your call to action the most important step is to decrease consumer decision anxiety and overall anxiety so that the consumer feels certain in their decision and trust in your business.
What types of actions should a Call to Action include?
Calls to action can include instructions such as "Sign Up Now," "Learn More," "Download Here," "Shop Now," and more. The goal is for the audience to take an immediate action that will lead them closer to their desired outcome.
How do I create an effective Call to Action?
An effective call to action should be clear and concise, with language that encourages the reader or viewer to take immediate action. It should also be relevant and visible so that it stands out from other content on the page or in the message. Additionally, it's important to make sure that the CTA leads directly to a page where they can complete their desired task.
Fun Fact:
According to a study by Adestra, 70% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after clicking on a call-to-action button (CTA) (Adestra, 2017).
A canonical URL utilizes search optimization features to eliminate duplications in the site content and portrays the representative/preferred version.
more details...Canonical URLs are used to reduce duplicate URLs and increase your search engine optimization (SEO). Canonical URLs are increasingly important for maintaining differentiation between your companies content and a URL that is similar to yours.
Canonical URLs act as an authoritative URL and are used to identify the "original" or "preferred" version of a web page. For instance, there can be many URL versions of the singular web page and search engines (Google, Yahoo Finance, Bing) struggle to depict which URL/page is the best and most accurate.
Canonical URLs also help clean up the URL that may link you to a specific item/product within the website. This in turn simplifies the tracking and record-keeping of the products, which makes things very organized and simple to access.
The use of canonical URLs is becoming more and more important as companies attempt to uniquely brand themselves. Look into whether your companies website has a canonical URL, and if not, consider adding one to help organize and increase SEO.
How do I create a canonical URL?
You can create a canonical URL by adding a rel="canonical" link element to the <head> section of your HTML document, with the href attribute pointing to the preferred version of the page.
Why is it important to use canonical URLs?
Canonical URLs are important because they help search engines understand which version of a web page should be indexed and avoid duplicate content issues. This can improve your website's SEO performance and help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Fun Fact:
"Canonical URLs can help improve search engine optimization (SEO) by helping to reduce duplicate content. According to a study conducted by Ahrefs, using canonical URLs can increase organic traffic by up to 30%." (Ahrefs, 2019).
The percentage of customers who start the checkout process on an ecommerce website but do not complete their purchase.
more details...Cart abandonment is when a consumer proceeds to checkout but never completes the transaction. This can be due to any number of reasons, such as the consumer being distracted, poor user experience, broken aspects within the website, or encountering unexpected costs.
The cart abandonment rate is calculated by dividing the completed transactions by the transactions that were initiated. This gives you the percentage of people who started the checkout process but failed to complete it.
A high cart abandonment rate is a strong indication that something is wrong with your website or checkout process. The good news is that there are a number of ways to decrease your rate of cart abandonment and in turn increase your sales. Some of these methods include:
Make sure to record this metric often in order to help increase your sales as well as understand that your website checkout process is working well.
What are the main causes of Cart Abandonment?
The main causes of cart abandonment include high shipping costs, complicated checkout processes, lack of payment options, and slow website loading times.
How can I reduce Cart Abandonment?
You can reduce cart abandonment by offering free or discounted shipping, providing multiple payment options, streamlining your checkout process, and optimizing your website for speed.
Fun Fact:
According to a study by Statista, the average cart abandonment rate across all industries was 75.6% in 2019 (Statista, 2020).
The collection of owned and paid channels that a company uses to interact with their customers.
more details...A channel mix refers to when a company uses multiple marketing channels to reach their target market. This type of marketing is beneficial because it allows a company expand their reach to more consumers. By using multiple channels, a company can reinforce its branding, message, and product. This is preferred and will produce much better results than if they only used one channel.
There are a number of different marketing channels. For instance, direct, organic, paid search, social media, and emails are all great channels that spread your companies message. When looking at incorporating different channels into your mix, the amount of effort put into each should be proportional so each channel is equally representative of your brand.
To create an effective mix, it is important to first understand your target market and what channels they use most. You can then tailor your mix to fit your consumer's needs. Additionally, make sure all of the channels in your mix are synchronous and express the same message to reinforce your branding. Lastly, remember to track the results of your mix so you can see which channels need more support and which channels are thriving.
An effective channel mix allows businesses to reach their target customers more effectively and efficiently. It also helps them maximize their profits by ensuring they are using the most cost-effective distribution methods for their products or services.
Let's consider a marketing campaign for a new e-commerce fashion brand. The channel mix refers to the combination of marketing channels that the brand uses to reach its target audience. In this example, the channel mix strategy could include:
A channel mix strategy involves determining the most practical combination of marketing channels to achieve specific marketing goals. The system considers factors such as target audience behavior, budget constraints, and the brand's unique selling points. The goal is to create a cohesive, integrated approach that maximizes reach and engagement.
The channel mix strategy for the e-commerce fashion brand might emphasize social media advertising and influencer marketing to reach a younger, style-conscious audience. Email marketing could nurture relationships with existing customers, while content marketing and SEO efforts help increase organic visibility and attract relevant traffic.
"The optimal channel mix for a business is highly dependent on the industry, customer base, and product/service offering. According to a study by the Digital Marketing Institute, 81% of businesses believe that having an effective channel mix strategy is critical to their success." (Digital Marketing Institute, 2020)
The rate at which existing customers stop doing business with a company.
more details...Churn refers to when a consumer stops doing business with a company. It commonly refers to when consumers unsubscribe or discontinue their subscription. Churn is directly related to growth rate, in order for your consumer market to expand the growth rate must exceed the rate that customers churn or unsubscribe. Churn can be caused by a number of factors, including price changes, dissatisfaction with the product or service, or a lack of convenience.
There are a few ways to reduce churn. One is to make it easier for customers to do business with you, by highlighting customer service qualities. Another is to make sure that your product or service exceeds expectations by meeting the needs and wants of the customer. You can also offer incentives for customers to stay with your company, through loyalty programs, discounts, or free products or services.
Churn rate can be a major challenge for companies to regulate, but if you are able to reduce it, your company can see major benefits in terms of growth.
How is Churn Rate calculated?
Churn rate is typically calculated by dividing the number of customers who left during a certain period by the total number of customers at the beginning of that period.
Why is Churn Rate important?
Understanding and monitoring churn rate helps companies understand customer satisfaction, identify potential issues, and take action to reduce customer attrition.
Fun Fact:
Rate "According to the Harvard Business Review, the average churn rate for subscription-based businesses is 5-7% per month" (Lemkin, 2017).
The act of clicking on an ad, which takes the user to another site.
more details...Click denotes a consumer clicking on an ad. The name comes from the sound that the computer mouse makes when selecting something. While this seems simple and obvious, clicking shouldn't be overlooked. Clicking on an ad is most of the time the main goal for a marketing company to get a consumer to do.
Clicking also directly correlates to a lot of other metrics, such as CTR. The Click-through rate is the percentage of people that click on an ad after seeing it. This is used to measure how effective the ad is and whether or not more money should be put into it to make it even better.
Clicking while simple is what companies and e-commerce rely on to know if their ads are successful and are completely necessary for navigating a website.
How do you calculate Click-Through Rate?
CTR is calculated by dividing the number of users who click on an ad by the total number of users who view it. For example, if an ad was viewed 1,000 times and 100 people clicked on it, then its CTR would be 10%.
What are some factors that can affect Click-Through Rate?
Factors that can affect CTR include the quality and relevance of the ad content, how prominently it’s displayed, and how well targeted it is to its intended audience.
Fun Fact:
"The average click-through rate (CTR) across all industries is 1.91% according to a study by WordStream" (2020).
The act of consumers co-creating, co-producing or co-designing products and services. This can be done socially or digitally.
more details...Co creation refers to when the consumer has a role and shares input on the creating, producing, and designing process of the product or service. Co creation is beneficial to all parties involved (Consumer and business, etc.) because it results in an overall better product or service. The customer feels their input and voice is heard, the company gets valuable feedback, and the final product is improved.
There are many ways to co create, but some methods are more popular than others. One popular way is to have the customer design their own product. This can be done through a website or app, or even in person. Another way is to allow customers to be involved is through voting or surveys on different aspects of the product or service. Customers can also participate in creating a marketing campaign for the product or service.
One of the most famous and best examples of customer co creation involvement in a marketing campaign was Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign. This campaign allowed customers to personalize their Coke bottles with their names on them. Not only did it give customers a sense of ownership and involvement, but, it also created a lot of buzz and publicity for Coca-Cola.
Cocreation is a great way to improve customer loyalty and create brand ambassadors. When customers feel like they have had a hand in creating the product or service, they are likely to be more loyal to the product or service. They are also more likely to refer it to their friends and family. This is because they feel like they are part of the company and share in its success.
Co creation is a win-win for both the customer and the business. The customer feels more engaged and valued, while the business gets valuable feedback that helps them improve their product or service. Co creation should be used more often by businesses in order to obtain these great benefits.
What are the benefits of cocreation?
The benefits of cocreation include increased customer engagement, improved customer loyalty, greater customer satisfaction, better product/service design, faster innovation cycles, and cost savings.
How can companies implement cocreation?
Companies can implement cocreation by engaging customers through surveys, focus groups, interviews, online forums and other methods to solicit feedback on product/service design and development. Companies can also use digital platforms such as social media to reach out to customers for their input.
Fun Fact:
According to a study conducted by Harvard Business Review, "cocreation of value with customers has been shown to increase customer satisfaction by up to 40% and loyalty by up to 20%" (Kumar et al., 2011).
A type of market segmentation where a company divides their consumers into groups based on when they first started purchasing their products. Often used in retention, churn and LTV analysis.
more details...Cohort analysis taps into the many groupings of consumers and analyzes how they influence business strategies and marketing campaigns. Focusing on and discovering which groups of customers are more valuable and why, is important so that your business can better focus its marketing efforts.
There are different ways to conduct a cohort analysis, but all methods have the same goal: to identify patterns in customer behavior and take action based on what is discovered. In order to achieve this goal, you need to first gather data on your customers. This data includes looking at customer demographics (age, income, race) and purchase history (date of the first order, the next time they returned, when they unsubscribed/churn). Once you have this data, you can begin to look for patterns in how these different cohorts of customers behave.
Cohorts are extremely valuable tools for getting answers to questions. Questions range from how long it takes a subscriber to become customers to which cohorts are driving the best results. Listed below are some more examples of questions that cohort analysis can help answer:
1. Which cohorts are more likely to make a purchase on their first visit?
2. What is the average order value for customers who made their second purchase within 7 days of their first purchase?
3. How many times do customers from different cohorts return before unsubscribing?
4. What are the most popular items amongst customers who made their first purchase more than 60 days ago?
5. What is the average lifetime value of a customer in each cohort?
6. What is the percentage of total revenue that each cohort contributes?
All of these questions and more can be answered through cohort analysis. It is important to segment your audience into cohorts to better understand how you can improve and make changes to previous strategies/tactics.
How does Cohort Analysis help marketers?
Cohort Analysis helps marketers gain valuable insights into customer behavior, such as how long customers stay with a product or service, which features they use most often, and what drives their loyalty. It also allows marketers to compare different customer segments to determine which ones are more profitable and where to focus marketing efforts.
What are the benefits of using Cohort Analysis?
The main benefit of using Cohort Analysis is that it enables marketers to gain a better understanding of their customers’ behavior and preferences. This information can then be used to optimize marketing campaigns and improve customer retention rates. Additionally, it can help identify opportunities for growth and expansion by identifying new markets or customer segments with potential for higher engagement.
Fun Fact:
"Cohort analysis can be used to identify patterns in customer behavior and preferences, enabling companies to better understand their target audience and develop more effective marketing strategies. According to a survey conducted by Statista, 80% of marketers found that cohort analysis improved their ability to measure the success of marketing campaigns." (Statista, 2020)
Communication Channels are defined as a transmission or connection over different mediums.
more details...Communication channels play an important role in the business world. There are four main types of communication channels: verbal, nonverbal, written, and electronic. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, so businesses must choose the right channel or combination of channels to communicate effectively with their target audiences.
Verbal communication is face-to-face interaction between people. It is the most direct form of communication, and it makes it possible for people to convey their thoughts and feelings in real time. Verbal communication is also the most effective way to create rapport with another person.
Nonverbal communication is also a very powerful tool that can influence how people perceive you. Nonverbal cues include facial expressions, eye contact, body language, and tone of voice. While nonverbal communication is not as reliable as verbal communication, it can be just as effective if people are trained to read these cues accurately.
Written communication, such as letters and emails, is often the best way to stay in touch with customers and business partners over a long period of time. Written communication can be formal or informal, and it can be used to deliver information or to build relationships.
Electronic communication, such as phone calls and text messages, is a fast and convenient way to stay in touch with people. However, it can be easy to misinterpret the meaning of electronic messages, so it is important to use these channels carefully.
When using communication channels to market your business, it is important to consider your audience and your goals. Depending on your target audience, you may need to use a mix of channels to reach them effectively. For example, if you are trying to reach young adults, you may need to use social media and other digital channels. If you are trying to reach a more mature audience, you may need to use print and utilize television advertising.
It's important that you know what medium your target audience usually uses so that you can make the most out of your communication efforts.
The ability to understand and act on information, about a company's consumers.
more details...Consumer intelligence refers to the gathering and interpretation of information about customers. The goal of consumer intelligence is to better understand customer needs and preferences in order to create more effective marketing strategies and campaigns.
To acquire "Consumer Intelligence", marketers need to monitor consumers' digital footprint across the internet, as well as monitor what they say about their products and services socially. They should then use the insights from this information to guide product development or campaigns that they release through their owned channels. For example, if a brand discovers that their consumers are using the product in an unexpected way, they can release new product features to make use of this; or if they discover that their products are not selling well because the reviews online are poor, they can re-design their marketing campaign.
There are a number of different ways to gather information about customers. Information can also be both quantitative and qualitative. The most common methods of information gathering is through surveys and focus groups. In surveys, customers are asked to provide feedback about their experiences with a product or service either through answering open-ended questions, closed-ended multiple-choice, or ratings. This information can be used to analyze how to better optimize profits based on consumer details.
Specifically, in focus groups, a number of customers are brought together to discuss their thoughts and feelings about a product or service. This information can help companies better understand how different customer demographics and segmentation groups interact with their products and services. Knowing how different target markets interact with your product is crucial to creating expansive consumer intelligence.
Another method of gathering consumer intelligence is through the use of quantitative data and metrics. By utilizing statistical data centered around the customer, such as impressions, clicks, and CPMs a business can learn more about the customers interactions and attribute more information to it's consumer intelligence.
Having expansive information about your consumer within your "consumer intelligence" can better help marketing actions take place. Utilizing the information known about the customers can help design campaigns or re-design campaigns already in effect. All and all, consumer intelligence is a critical aspect of keeping your marketing focused and consumers happy.
How is Consumer Intelligence Used?
Consumer intelligence can be used to identify target markets, create more effective marketing campaigns, improve customer service, develop new products or services, and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
What Data is Collected for Consumer Intelligence?
Data collected for consumer intelligence includes demographic information such as age, gender, location; purchase history; lifestyle choices; interests; media consumption habits; online activities; and feedback from surveys or focus groups.
Fun Fact:
"In 2020, 87% of companies are using consumer intelligence to improve their marketing strategies and customer experiences" according to a survey by the Harvard Business Review (HBR)
A consumer's journey is the process that a person takes to become aware of, evaluate, and purchase a product or service. The consumer's journey can be divided into three parts: awareness, consideration, and decision.
more details...A consumer's journey is the process that a person takes to become aware of, evaluate, and purchase a product or service. The consumer's journey can be divided into three parts: awareness, consideration, and decision.
The use of content to position a company as an authority in its industry.
more details...Content marketing is the creation of valuable, relevant, and consistent content that is used to attract and retain a target market for the sole purpose of revenues and profit. It's extremely important to create useful and purposeful content so that your audience will return back to your company. By providing consistent and modern content, you can ensure that your target market stays engaged with your brand. Ultimately, this will result in increased sales, cost savings, and customer loyalty which are all important goals companies should seek to accomplish.
There are a few simple tips to keep in mind when creating content for your company:
You want your audience to look forward to receiving your content and be excited to receive that email or notification. Many businesses send way too many emails to the point where it is overwhelming and hard to keep up, the content is mostly the same too and no consumer looks forward to a cluttered email. Make sure to monitor the amount of content sent out and allow your customer to feel excited by your content in their inbox.
Content marketing is truly an important skill set to tap into. By following the guidelines and tips above, you can be on your way to creating content that not only informs and engages your audience but also drives the best and most profitable results for your business.
What are the benefits of content marketing?
Content marketing can help build trust with your target audience, generate leads, increase website traffic, boost engagement, and improve SEO rankings.
How do you create effective content?
Effective content should be informative, entertaining or inspiring; it should also be tailored to the needs of your target audience. Additionally, it should include visuals such as images or videos when possible.
Fun Fact:
"Content marketing is estimated to account for over a third (35%) of all online marketing activity, according to the Content Marketing Institute's 2019 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends report." (Content Marketing Institute, 2019)
CMP or Content Marketing Platform is a software used by marketing teams to help elevate, envision, collaborate, and create materials necessary to successfully increase brand awareness, leads, and revenue.
more details...CMPs or Content Marketing Platforms allow companies to work collaboratively over software in order to increase brand awareness, revenue, and leads. By definition, CMPs are software that enables the creation, management, and publishing of digital content. There are many different CMPs and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be used by businesses of all sizes and scales. Each CMP has its own unique capabilities that can be tailored to fit the needs of a business. It is important to do your research and find the one that is best for your business.
CMPs can help you with:
-Management and creation of website content
-Publishing articles, blog posts, videos, etc.
-Distribution of marketing materials
-Organize controls of social media accounts
-Tracking website analytics/metrics and measuring the success of your content marketing campaigns
By utilizing CPMs a company can better understand what their work impacts and ultimately create more quality content. CMPs are more time-efficient and optimize the time spent on procedures by using automation. Automation allows for organized and easy distribution of content to various channels.
The only problematic attribute of CPMs is that annual licensing can be very expensive. However, the organization, creation, and efficiencies gained from working with CPMs much out ways this disadvantage. Think of a CPM as an investment tool so you can overall increase your branding, leads, and revenue.
What are the benefits of using a Content Marketing Platform?
Using a content marketing platform can help businesses streamline their content creation process, reach larger audiences with targeted messaging, increase engagement with customers and prospects, measure the effectiveness of campaigns in real-time, and gain valuable insights into customer behavior.
How does a Content Marketing Platform work?
A content marketing platform typically includes tools for creating original content (such as blog posts or videos), curating existing content from other sources (such as social media or industry publications), distributing the content across multiple channels (including email newsletters and social media networks), and measuring the performance of campaigns in real-time.
Fun Fact
"Content marketing platforms have become increasingly popular, with 78% of B2B marketers using content marketing in 2020" (Gardner, 2020).
Refers to a conversion event, a specific activity that is desired by a marketer, such as downloading content or purchasing.
more details...A conversion is defined as the time when a consumer completes the marketer's desired action. The action varies in which it could include something as simple as sending an email, clicking on a call to action, completing a form, or requesting more information. Or it could be more complex like buying something (conversion into a customer), scanning a QR code to complete a task, etc.
Conversions are measured by the conversion rate. The conversion rate is calculated by dividing the total number of conversions (actions taken) by the total number of visitors who arrived on your e-commerce website. The conversion rate helps to illustrate if your conversion and marketing strategies are working.
Conversions also help to calculate the Conversion optimization, which helps address what’s stopping people from converting and completing your action. This can be looked into through A/B testing, user research, and analysis of website data. Finally, conversions also affect the cost per conversion metric. This calculates how much was spent on each conversion. This is important to note because if the CPC is too high it's probably not worth it to continue running that channel.
Conversions are super important because they make your business profit through sales. The other smaller conversions while seeming less significant, are the crucial steps that lead up to a person becoming a consumer of your business. Some of these conversions may seem insignificant, but if you add up all of those tiny steps, they can equal a purchase/new consumer. So make sure you are tracking all of your conversions and working on optimizing them so that more people complete your desired marketing action.
How can I improve my Conversion Rate?
You can improve your conversion rate by optimizing your website design, providing clear calls-to-action, improving page load speed, and offering incentives to customers.
What is a good Conversion Rate?
A good conversion rate varies depending on the industry and type of product or service being offered. Generally speaking, an average conversion rate of 2-3% is considered to be good.
Fun Fact:
"The average conversion rate for e-commerce websites is 2.86%, according to a 2019 study by Statista."
A specific activity that is desired by a marketer, such as downloading content or purchasing.
more details...Conversion events are directly related to conversions. A conversion describes a customer taking the desired action. However, without a conversion event, a conversion can't take place.
There are plenty of conversion events. For instance:
All of these conversion events are important, but some are more important than others. The most important conversion event is the one that leads to the customer purchasing your product or service. Without conversion events, there would be no conversions so conversion events are crucial to having your consumer complete your desired task.
What is a conversion event?
A conversion event is an action taken by a user on a website or app that indicates the user has completed a desired goal. Examples of conversion events include signing up for an email list, downloading an app, or making a purchase.
Fun Fact:
"According to a survey conducted by WordStream, 66% of marketers said that website conversions were their most important metric for measuring success"(WordStream, 2019).
Cookies are small blocks of data created by a web server to be placed on a browser's computer for the purpose of remembering meaningful information. More than one cookie can be placed at a time.
more details...HTTP cookies help give consumers personalized and convenient website visits. Specifically, cookies are small data text files that are placed on a computer or mobile device by a website. They remember a user's login name and password, preferred language, font size, and other personal settings. This allows the user to visit a website without having to re-enter information every single time. Cookies also track website visits, so that businesses and companies can see which pages are being viewed the most and make changes accordingly.
Cookies are generally harmless, but they do track a user's movements and personal information across the web and use the information to build a profile of their interests. For this reason, many people choose to disable cookies on their computer or mobile device to maintain their privacy and safety of information on the internet. However, disabling cookies can also mean that some websites will not work properly or give you the best optimization.
Ideally, cookies should be used in a responsible way so that they provide website users with a personalized and convenient experience while also protecting their privacy.
How are cookies used?
Cookies are used to store information about users, such as their preferences and activity, so that websites can provide more personalized experiences for them.
Are cookies secure?
Yes, cookies are generally considered secure since they are encrypted and only contain small amounts of data. However, it is important to be aware of any security risks associated with the particular website you are visiting.
Fun Fact:
"Cookies are used by 92% of websites to track user activity and personalize content" (VentureBeat, 2019).
A critical path is an algorithmic scheduling tool used for project activities and determining the minimum time needed for each operation.
more details...A critical path is a tool used to analyze, plan and schedule complex projects appropriately. It is a visual diagram that shows the steps required to complete a project and the order in which the steps need to be completed. The critical path helps identify which jobs are critical to completing the project and allow for determination of how to get to the goal in the most cost-efficient way.
The critical path is determined by the longest sequence of tasks that must be completed in order for the project to be finished. Any delay in completing one of these tasks will delay the entire project. It is, therefore, important to allocate time and schedule each step to maximize the efficiency of the critical path.
All and all, the critical path is important in determining the feasibility of a project. By understanding the critical path you can develop a more accurate timeline and budget for your project.
A critical path helps project managers identify the tasks that are most important to complete, as well as the order in which they should be completed. This allows them to prioritize tasks and ensure that projects are completed on time.
Examples of activities included in a critical path include setting deadlines, assigning resources, scheduling meetings, and creating deliverables.
Fun Fact:
"The critical path is the shortest possible duration of a project, and it is often used to determine the most efficient way to complete a project. According to research conducted by PMI (Project Management Institute), 70% of projects that are completed on time use a critical path method." (PMI, 2019)
A person who has purchased something from a company in the past.
more details...A customer is someone who has purchased something from your business. It's important to note that a customer doesn't have to be a registered user of your product. A customer may only purchase every few months or even years. The important thing is that they've made at least one purchase from you.
When it comes to engaging and retaining customers, there are a few key things to keep in mind:
It's also important to keep in mind that not everyone who visits your website or uses your product will become a loyal and returning customer. Some people will simply browse around, check out what you have to offer, and move on. It's important not to take this personally. As long as you're doing your best to engage and retain customers, you're on the right track.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a technology that helps businesses manage customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. It enables companies to better understand their customers, build relationships with them, and increase sales.
What are the benefits of using CRM?
The benefits of using CRM include improved customer service, increased sales, better understanding of customer needs and preferences, improved marketing campaigns, streamlined processes, and cost savings.
How does CRM help businesses?
CRM helps businesses by providing insights into customer behavior and preferences which can be used to improve customer service and increase sales. Additionally, it can streamline processes such as lead generation and follow-up activities which saves time and money.
A type of customer data platform that is used in marketing campaigns by collecting data about existing customers, and then matching it with existing contact records in a CRM system.
more details...A customer database management platform is defined as a software system that enables businesses to track and manage customer interactions, transactions, and data. They take information across many websites and build one unified customer profile. There are a number of different types of customer database management platforms that monitor and record different data relating to the consumer.
Customer database management platforms are those that are installed and operated on the business’s own servers. These platforms offer the greatest amount of control over data security and privacy, but also require a lot of maintenance and technical expertise. It's important when choosing a CDM platform to pick a platform that ensures the most privacy.
Through CDMs a business can gain customer feedback and reviews and make changes based on the information they receive. As a consumer, it's important that a business cares about what they think and values feedback. Listening to your customers and understanding them is crucial to retaining customers and creating a positive brand outlook.
Utilize CDMs to maximize on analysis of your consumers, organization of their data, and learn about their experiences and needs.
What types of data can be collected using a CDMP?
A CDMP can collect data such as customer demographics, purchase history, website interactions, email campaigns, social media activity, and more.
How does a CDMP help businesses?
A CDMP helps businesses gain deeper insights into their customers’ needs and preferences in order to better target them with relevant offers and messages. It also enables businesses to automate processes such as segmentation and personalization for improved efficiency.
Fun Fact:
"The global customer data management platform market size was valued at USD 5.45 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18.7% from 2020 to 2027" (ResearchAndMarkets, 2021).
The process of understanding a consumer's journey from the time they first become aware of a product or service, to when they decide to purchase it.
more details...Customer journey mapping is a visual representation of customer journey in interacting with your company/brand across all touchpoints. It can help identify and optimize customer experience by understanding customer needs, wants and expectations at each stage of their journey. It allows businesses to fill the shoes of the customer and understand their interaction with your brand.
Customer journey mapping can help business to:
1. Identify customer needs and wants at each stage of their journey
2. Understand customer expectations and how they were met/not met
3. Identify any pain points or areas for improvement in the customer experience
4. Optimize customer experience by understanding what drives customer behavior and motivation.
All consumer journey maps should include all possible touchpoints and the experiences at each touch point. Touchpoints can be anything that a customer interacts with, such as, websites, social media, retail, in-store purchases, etc. Knowing how consumers experience your brand is crucial to making necessary changes to retain and improve your business.
Why is Customer Journey Mapping important?
Customer journey mapping helps businesses gain insights into their customers’ behavior and preferences, allowing them to tailor their services and products to meet those needs. It also helps companies identify potential problems or opportunities in the customer experience that can be addressed through targeted marketing efforts.
How do you create a Customer Journey Map?
To create a customer journey map, start by gathering data on your customers’ interactions with your business—including how they find out about your company, what steps they take when engaging with you, and how satisfied they are with the experience. Then use this information to create a visual representation of the customer journey that includes key touchpoints along the way.
Fun Fact:
"According to a study by the CMO Council, 82% of companies that have implemented customer journey mapping reported an increase in customer satisfaction and loyalty." (CMO Council, 2017)
The process by which a business manages its interactions with current and prospective customers.
more details...CRM or Customer Relationship Management refers to the management used to monitor and track customer and company relationships. The goal is to control the experience of a customer in order to maximize loyalty and lifetime value, as well as increase the chances of upsells and cross-selling.
There are different types of CRM software that businesses can use in order to manage their customer relationships. Through these systems, businesses can track contact history, customer behavior, and preferences. They can then use this data to identify opportunities for cross-sells and upsells. As well, CRM software can help to automate and manage various tasks, allowing for an increase in time efficiency.
CRM platforms are also collaborative and so anyone within your company can look at the individualized data and make assumptions and analyses based on the information. With CRM a company can use the data they collect and turn it into action. Knowing how the consumer and company relationship can improve is extremely valuable to increasing customer loyalty and retaining/maintaining the relationship.
How does CRM help businesses?
CRM helps businesses better understand their customers, improve customer service, and increase sales by tracking customer interactions and data. It also allows for more efficient marketing campaigns by providing insights into customer preferences and behaviors.
What types of data does CRM collect?
CRM collects data such as contact information, purchase history, website visits, emails sent/received, social media interactions, etc. This data can be used to gain valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.
Fun Fact:
"According to a study by Nucleus Research, companies that invest in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology experience an average return on investment of $8.71 for every dollar spent." (Nucleus Research, 2018).
Customer support is the availability of the staff of a company to troubleshoot and fix problems their customers may encounter.
more details...Customer support is extremely important for companies to put focus and energy into. Having customer support available to a consumer is crucial for customer retention. Customers need a place where their voice is heard and having customer support representatives readily available to solve their issues is extremely important and provides convenience factors.
Customer support can be provided through several different venues. These include customer service, customer success, customer help desk, or any other customer-centric efforts. A customer may also use online forums to reach out for customer support from peers. This is a way that customers can inform others of their experience with a product. When a company provides a high level of customer support through these venues, they will receive customer retention which in return will increase customer loyalty and customer revenue.
Unfortunately, not all companies have the same level of customer service or success with customer support. That's why it is crucial to have at least some sort of outreach if a consumer needs help. This could be a contact us page, where a consumer can write an email or call an employee, or a chatbot formatted within your website. Your company should have at least one way for a consumer to receive help, but the more help available the better a companies brand reflects on the customer.
What are the benefits of Customer Support?
The benefits of customer support include improved customer satisfaction, increased loyalty and retention rates, and better brand reputation. Additionally, it can help reduce costs associated with handling customer issues and improve overall efficiency.
How does Customer Support work?
Customer support typically involves responding to customer inquiries via phone, email, chat, or other communication channels. Depending on the type of issue being addressed, it may involve troubleshooting technical problems or providing guidance on how to use a product or service.
Fun Fact:
According to a survey by New Voice Media, "90% of customers expect customer service agents to have access to their order history and previous interactions." (New Voice Media, 2017)
A marketing technology that allows companies to store data at scale.
more details...A DMP (Data Management Platform) is used by marketers for building profiles of anonymous individuals for the purpose of storing and sharing the information with advertisers. It also helps identify individuals who have interacted with a brand. The DMP creates a unique identifier for the individual, and then links the identifier to all of the data that has been collected about that person. Most of the information used to create these profiles is collected from 3rd party data from cookies rather than first-party data.
It is important for marketers to use a DMP because it allows them to use audience segmentation to specifically target their audience. The profiles allow for segmentation to be done through identifying groups of people who share similar characteristics, such as age, gender, location, income, or likes/dislikes. It also helps marketers identify potential new customers and assess the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.
DMPs also help to improve the effectiveness of digital advertising. Advertisers can use the information in a DMP to target ads more accurately to individuals who are likely to be interested in them. This improves the chances of website purchases and in turn an increase in revenue.
As more and more companies begin to use DMPs, it is becoming increasingly important for individuals to be aware of their information and privacy. As an individual, if you are not comfortable with the amount of information that is being collected about you, you can opt-out of certain 3rd party cookies. However, this can limit the usefulness of some websites. While a DMP may be an invasion of privacy for some individuals, it is important to understand that it is also a powerful tool for marketers. For the majority of people, the benefits of using a DMP outweigh the negatives.
How does a DMP work?
A DMP works by collecting data from various sources such as web analytics, CRM systems, social media platforms, and more. This data is then organized into profiles that can be used to target specific audiences with tailored messages.
What are the benefits of using a DMP?
Using a DMP provides marketers with an efficient way to manage their customer data in one place. It also enables them to create more targeted campaigns based on user behavior and preferences, resulting in higher engagement rates and improved ROI.
Fun Fact:
"According to a survey by the Data & Marketing Association, more than 80% of marketers who use DMPs report that they are effective in helping them meet their marketing goals" (DMA, 2018).
DTC is when a company or business sells directly to the consumer by bypassing third-party retailers, wholesalers, and middlemen.
more details...DTC or (Direct to consumer)refers to a business bypassing the wholesalers and retailers and selling their product directly to there consumer. There are advantages and disadvantages to this business model but it seems to be more and more popular with the growth of the internet.
One of the main advantages of DTC is that it cuts out the middlemen (wholesalers and retailers), meaning there is less markup on the products. This can lead to more competitive and cheaper prices for the consumer. It can also help businesses to build a closer relationship with their customers creating customer loyalty.
One of the main disadvantages of DTC is that a business has to become it's own retailer. This can be hard to achieve and takes time to establish because businesses need to set up their own sales and distribution channels. Another disadvantage is that businesses can struggle with reaching a large enough audience without the help of middlemen and technology sources to spread the word.
Overall, the DTC model is a growing trend among businesses with most companies experiencing more advantages than disadvantages. With the growth of technology, it is easier than ever for businesses to reach their target market, leading to cheaper prices and better customer service. Although there are some disadvantages to DTC, businesses should weigh the pros and cons of implementing the DTC model in their company.
What are some examples of DTC products?
Examples of DTC products include subscription boxes, streaming services, online stores, and meal delivery services.
How does DTC benefit businesses?
By cutting out the middleman, businesses can save on costs associated with wholesalers and retailers while still reaching their target customers. Additionally, it allows them to have more control over pricing and better customer data insights.
Fun Fact:
"DTC brands have grown from 5% of the US retail market in 2015 to 15% in 2020, with a projected 25% by 2025" (PWC, 2020).
The process of collecting data in one place and organizing it to be more useful for analytics.
more details...Data aggregation is the process of collecting data from multiple sources and consolidating it into a single dataset. Data aggregation can be used to create summary statistics, calculate averages or totals, or simplify data for analysis. It is a common and vital task in data analysis and data warehousing.
Data aggregation is an extremely powerful tool that can be used to simplify complex datasets and make them more accessible and easy to understand for analysis purposes. When used correctly, data aggregation can provide insights that would be otherwise hidden in the data.
Data aggregation also allows for easier identification of the most significant information or results within large amounts of data. When data is aggregated, patterns and trends become more visible and easy to follow. This can lead to a better understanding of the data and can better support decision-making.
Data aggregation can also be used to reduce the size of a dataset, making it more manageable and less time-consuming to work with.
Overall, there are many ways and benefits to aggregating data, and the most appropriate method will depend on the type and amount of data, as well as the desired outcome. However, it is important to remember that aggregation can also have its shortfalls. When data is aggregated, details can be lost and important information may be overlooked. As well as, ensuring that the data is accurate and complete before aggregating it is crucial to reducing errors.
Utilizing Data aggregation in your business can have numerous benefits such as providing better decision support, easier identification of trends, and improving data quality. Implementing Data aggregation can be done through a variety of means such as hiring a data analyst, utilizing business intelligence software, or using Excel to aggregate your data. Regardless of the method you choose, incorporating Data aggregation into your business can help you make better use of the data you collect.
What are the benefits of Data Aggregation?
The benefits of data aggregation include improved accuracy, better insights, more efficient decision-making, and cost savings.
How is Data Aggregation used in marketing?
Data aggregation can be used in marketing to gain insights into customer behavior, segment audiences for targeted campaigns, measure campaign performance, and identify trends.
Fun Fact:
"Data aggregation is an increasingly popular tool among marketers, with 87% of marketers citing it as a key component of their data strategy in 2019." (Rigby, 2019)
Data mining is the process of discovering patterns, relationships, and useful information from large volumes of structured or unstructured data.
more details...Data mining is the process of discovering patterns, relationships, and useful information from large volumes of structured or unstructured data. It involves employing various statistical and machine learning techniques to extract valuable insights and knowledge from datasets that might otherwise remain hidden. Data mining plays a crucial role in turning raw data into actionable intelligence, enabling businesses and researchers to make informed decisions, identify trends, and predict future outcomes.
The process of data mining typically includes data preprocessing, where data is cleaned, transformed, and prepared for analysis. Then, various data mining algorithms, such as classification, clustering, association rule mining, and regression, are applied to uncover meaningful patterns and trends. The results of data mining can provide valuable insights into customer behavior, market trends, fraud detection, medical diagnosis, and other domains.
Data mining employs various techniques, including classification, clustering, association rule mining, and regression, to extract valuable insights and knowledge from datasets.
Data mining finds applications in various domains, including customer behavior analysis, market trends identification, fraud detection, medical diagnosis, and more.
Data mining enables businesses to make informed decisions, identify market trends, optimize operations, improve customer experiences, and gain a competitive edge in their industries.
Data mining faces challenges related to data quality, privacy concerns, computational complexity, and the interpretation of results in real-world scenarios. Researchers and practitioners continuously work to address these challenges and enhance the effectiveness of data mining techniques.
Data science includes scientific methods, algorithms, AI, and data analytics. All methods are used to extract information and knowledge for the purpose of the application, action, and making insights.
more details...Data science refers to the study of where information comes from, what it represents, and how it can be turned into valuable knowledge. It encompasses an entire spectrum of data acquisition, warehousing, data extraction, pre-processing, advanced analytics, algorithms, machine learning (AI), and knowledge representation.
Data science is related to computer science, statistics, and mathematics in which it utilizes components of all of the topics in order to gain deeper learning. It also has ties to the business sphere, in which companies utilize the tool to help make better business-driven decisions. Furthering and improving business decisions in things such as product launches, customer base expansion, etc.
At its core, data science is all about understanding data. This involves everything from gathering and cleaning data, to performing advanced statistical analysis and building machine learning models/AI to make predictions or recommendations. It is also about using data to generate insights that can be used to improve decision-making. Knowing where your company needs support/weaknesses are, is helpful to making changes to better benefit your brand.
Data science is a relatively new field that is growing rapidly as organizations increasingly recognize the value of data-driven insights. Look into using data science as a tool for your business in order to better understand your customers, make better decisions, and improve your overall brand.
The benefits of using Data Science include gaining deeper insights into customer behavior, optimizing business operations, improving decision-making processes, predicting future trends, and uncovering hidden patterns in data.
Skills needed for a career in Data Science include programming languages such as Python or R; knowledge of machine learning algorithms; experience with statistical analysis; familiarity with databases; and strong problem-solving skills.
"Data Science is a growing field with an estimated 40% growth rate in job postings from 2018 to 2028 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics" (BLS) (2020).
Deep learning is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) that employs artificial neural networks with multiple layers to automatically learn and represent data in increasingly abstract levels.
more details...Deep learning is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) that employs artificial neural networks with multiple layers to automatically learn and represent data in increasingly abstract levels. Inspired by the human brain's structure, deep learning algorithms process vast amounts of data, adjusting weights and biases in interconnected nodes (artificial neurons) to make predictions or classifications. Its strength lies in its ability to extract intricate patterns and relationships from data, enabling it to excel at tasks like image recognition, natural language processing, and more.
Deep learning has revolutionized various industries, driving advancements in healthcare, finance, autonomous vehicles, and other fields. Its applications have led to improved accuracy and efficiency in tasks that were previously challenging for traditional machine learning methods. The availability of large datasets and powerful computing resources has further accelerated the development and application of deep learning models, making it a key technology in shaping the future of AI and driving innovations across diverse sectors.
Deep learning works by processing vast amounts of data through interconnected nodes (artificial neurons) in artificial neural networks. During the training process, the model adjusts the weights and biases of these neurons, minimizing the difference between predicted outputs and actual outputs through a process called backpropagation. This enables the network to automatically learn intricate patterns and relationships in the data, allowing it to make predictions or classifications.
Deep learning has numerous applications, including image and speech recognition, natural language processing, sentiment analysis, recommendation systems, autonomous vehicles, medical diagnosis, and more. Its ability to extract complex features from data makes it well-suited for tasks that involve large and high-dimensional datasets.
To get started with deep learning, you can begin by learning the fundamentals of machine learning and neural networks. Familiarize yourself with popular deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch, and experiment with building simple models. There are numerous online resources, tutorials, and courses available that can help you understand the concepts and practical implementations of deep learning.
The use of digital channels to promote a product or service, including social media and mobile devices.
more details...Digital Advertising refers to utilizing digital channels such as social media, email, search engines, and websites to engage with potential target markets and existing customers.
Digital advertising has become one of the most effective ways to connect with target audiences. Additionally, digital advertising can be customized in order to reach and target specific audiences, making it an effective way to reach your desired market. It allows businesses to present their products and services in a way that is accessible from any device anywhere. Additionally, digital advertising provides businesses with an opportunity to track customer behavior and preferences, making it easier to tailor content that is most relevant to them. Knowing what caused the most clicks and impressions is crucial to understanding the next steps that need to be taken.
Digital advertising can be used to achieve a variety of marketing objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or driving sales. Whether you are a small business or a large corporation, digital advertising can be an effective way to reach your target market. It is also not only limited to online businesses; brick-and-mortar businesses can also use it as a tool to increase foot traffic. For example, if you own a restaurant, you can use digital advertising to promote special offers or menu items. You can also use it to increase brand awareness by creating a social media profile for your business.
Digital advertising can be an effective way to reach your target market, no matter what your marketing objectives are. It is important to consider all of the different ways that you can use digital advertising to achieve your desired results. Utilize digital advertising to help your business thrive in all directions.
What are the benefits of digital advertising?
Digital advertising offers many advantages over traditional forms of advertising, such as greater reach, better targeting capabilities, lower costs, and faster results. It also allows for more precise measurement and tracking of performance.
How does digital advertising work?
Digital advertising works by placing ads on websites or other online platforms that are seen by potential customers. Ads can be targeted to specific audiences based on factors such as age, location, interests, and behavior. Advertisers then pay for each click or impression made on their ad.
Fun Fact:
"In 2020, digital advertising accounted for 48.5% of total global ad spend, up from 42.6% in 2019." (Statista, 2021)
The tools that marketers use to capture, store, process, analyze, and act on data.
more details...A Digital Marketing Technology Stack refers to a grouping of technology that marketers use to improve their marketing activities and actions. Most technology stacks contain a variety of different software, platforms, and tools that can be used to improve different marketing activities.
A digital marketing technology stack can help you improve your website’s design, functionality, search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, email marketing campaigns, and social media marketing programs. These are just a few marketing technologies or "martech" than can be used to better improve your B2C or B2B selling.
When you’re building your technology stack, it’s important to choose the tools that will best meet the needs of your company and business operations. Not all technology stacks are created equal, and not every tool will work well for every business. You need to find the stack that fits your company’s unique needs and goals. It is also important to know the skill sets of your employees when choosing different software/platforms. Make sure you choose something that is easy to work with or provide training to optimize the technologies use.
What are the benefits of using a Digital Marketing Technology Stack?
The primary benefit of using a digital marketing technology stack is that it enables marketers to gain insights into their campaigns in real-time. Additionally, it allows them to streamline processes by automating tasks and optimizing campaigns for maximum efficiency. Finally, it helps marketers save time by allowing them to quickly access all the data they need in one place.
How do I choose the right Digital Marketing Technology Stack for my business?
Choosing the right digital marketing technology stack depends on your business’s specific needs and goals. Consider what type of data you need to collect and analyze, which features you require from each platform or tool included in the stack, and how much budget you have available for implementation.
Fun Fact:
According to a survey by Salesforce, "86% of marketers believe that digital marketing technology stack is critical for driving business growth" (Salesforce, 2020).
Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and presented on a digital electronics device.
more details...Digital Media refers to the use of electronic media to store, transmit, and receive data or information. It includes all forms of digital data, including text, images, audio, and video.
Digital media has transformed the way we communicate and consume information. It has made it possible for people to connect with each other and share information in ways that were previously impossible. It has also made it possible for businesses to reach a wider audience with their products and services and connect with consumers in a more meaningful way.
When utilizing digital media in marketing, it is important to consider the needs of your audience. This means thinking carefully about the type and format of content that will resonate best with your target audience and optimizing that content for mobile devices and websites. It also means understanding how digital media can be used to build meaningful relationships with consumers, who expect brands to engage them in a personal and meaningful way.
Some of the key trends impacting digital media marketing today include the rise in chatbots, voice search, and artificial intelligence. As technologies continue to evolve, we can expect these trends to have a significant impact on how businesses market their products and services going forward.
If you're looking to implement digital media strategies in your marketing efforts, it is essential to understand how these technologies work and what they can offer your brand.
Drop ship is an order management system that allows a company to ship an item directly from the supplier to the consumer.
more details...Drop-ship refers to the business model of selling products without going through the trouble of stocking any inventory. The merchant only needs to contact the supplier once an order has been placed and the supplier will then take care of shipping the product directly to the customer. This business model is beneficial for both the merchant and the customer since it eliminates the need for the merchant to have a physical store or warehouse for its product.
Another benefit to utilizing Dropship is that drop ship companies offer drop-ship support and drop ship services for eCommerce retailers. This means that you can run your entire eCommerce business without ever having to touch, see, or deal with any shipping problems with the product.
Dropship is also beneficial for customers because it offers them access to products faster and more efficiently. Since the supplier ships the product directly to the customer, there is no need to worry about whether or not the merchant has the product in stock. This also eliminates the need for the customer to wait for the product to be shipped from the merchant's location, which can sometimes take weeks.
One downside to Dropship is that it can be more expensive than other business models. Since you are relying on the supplier to ship the product directly to your customer, Dropship companies can charge high commissions. However, these prices can be balanced out by the price of renting/owning a warehouse or physical store.
Drop Ship companies are super beneficial to companies and maybe a good fit and helpful for your company.
What are the benefits of drop shipping?
The main benefit of drop shipping is that it allows retailers to avoid investing in inventory up front. This eliminates the risk of being stuck with unsold stock, as well as reducing storage costs and labor associated with stocking shelves. Additionally, because merchants don’t have to manage physical inventory, they can offer an increased variety of products without having to increase their storage space.
What are some drawbacks of drop shipping?
Some drawbacks include lack of control over order fulfillment process and customer service issues that may arise due to miscommunication between seller and supplier. Additionally, sellers may face higher costs for individual items since they do not purchase them in bulk like traditional retailers do. Finally, there is also potential for fraud if sellers fail to vet their suppliers properly.
Fun Fact:
"Drop shipping is a $102 billion industry, according to Statista" (2020).
ERP is a management and planning software used for day-to-day business activities.
more details...ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning refers to the use of a software system to manage and integrate the many different areas of a business. It can help to automate tasks, optimize workflows and track important data. Typically, an ERP system will typically be used by a company to manage finances, inventory, sales, and customer relations.
There are many different ERP systems available on the market, and it can be difficult to decide which is the best for your business. It is important to do your research and find a system that will fit the specific needs of your company.
ERP systems can be expensive, but they can often save the company money in the long run by optimizing workflows and reducing waste. They can also help to improve customer relations by providing accurate and up-to-date information about the company.
If you are thinking about implementing an ERP system in your business, be sure to consult with a qualified consultant to help you choose the right system for your needs.
What are the benefits of ERP?
Benefits of ERP include improved efficiency, better decision making, cost savings, streamlined processes, improved customer service, and enhanced collaboration.
How does ERP work?
ERP systems integrate all aspects of an operation — including product planning, development, manufacturing processes, sales and marketing — in a single database, application and user interface. This allows for more efficient communication between departments within an organization.
Fun Fact:
"According to Gartner, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software is expected to reach $41.69 billion in worldwide revenue by 2022." (Gartner, 2019).
The means through which the consumer reaches the company is known as its "Earned Channels".
more details...Earned Channels refer to any outside attention a company "earns" without paying for it. This attention can come from a variety of sources, such as social media, news outlets, or other bloggers. Because earned channels are free, they're often considered more credible and trustworthy than paid channels.
One of the best ways to build trust with potential customers is to earn positive attention from reputable sources. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as creating great content, providing valuable insights, or developing strong relationships with key influencers.
When it comes to earning positive attention, nothing beats quality content. By publishing engaging, informative articles and blog posts, you can attract the attention of bloggers, journalists, and other influential people. Not only will this help to build trust with potential customers, but it can also lead to more website visitors and higher conversion rates.
Paid advertising can also be a great way to generate earned channels. By targeting the right people with relevant ads, you can attract the attention of potential customers who are likely to be interested in your product or service. As with any form of advertising, it's important to make sure the ads are well-crafted and relevant to your target audience.
In order to generate earned channels, it's important to be proactive and actively pursue positive attention from key sources. By creating great content, developing strong relationships, and targeting the right people with relevant ads, you can build trust and attract more customers.
How do earned channels differ from paid channels?
Earned channels involve organic customer engagement and word-of-mouth promotion without the need for a financial investment. Paid channels require a financial investment in order to reach customers through advertising or other methods of promotion.
Fun Fact:
"According to a survey by Statista, 82% of marketers worldwide consider earned media channels (e.g. word-of-mouth, influencer marketing, reviews) as the most effective form of advertising in 2020." (Statista, 2020).
Publicity gained by press coverage, word of mouth, etc., rather than paid for in advertising.
more details...Earned media refers to media and publicity that was earned naturally rather than paying for advertisements. This can come in the form of news articles, interviews, or other organic means.
Earned media is often seen as more credible than paid media since it is from an unbiased third party. Meaning that the people presenting the business to the public aren't being paid to give rave reviews of your product. They are rather giving an honest and genuine opinion. This type of publicity can be extremely valuable for businesses, as it can help to build trust and credibility with potential customers. Customers like it when they can trust a brand knowing that what is actually said hasn't been skewed or includes bias.
There are a few different ways that businesses can generate earned media. One of the most common is to simply create great content that others will want to share. Content can be in the form of an informative blog post, an interesting video, or even a helpful infographic. For instance, reposts of content on social media stories tend to inspire followers of the re-posters to engage with the business.
Earned media is valuable to a business's branding. It is important that as a business you create content worthy of sharing to increase consumers naturally.
How do earned channels differ from paid channels?
Earned channels involve organic customer engagement and word-of-mouth promotion without the need for a financial investment. Paid channels require a financial investment in order to reach customers through advertising or other methods of promotion.
Fun Fact:
"According to a survey by Statista, 82% of marketers worldwide consider earned media channels (e.g. word-of-mouth, influencer marketing, reviews) as the most effective form of advertising in 2020." (Statista, 2020).
A marketing automation strategy that uses pre-written emails to engage customers.
more details...Email Automation allows for mass emailing which is much more time-efficient and scalable. Email Automation platforms like SendGrid, MailChimp, and Constant Contact make it easy to set up automated email sequences that can be triggered based on customer behavior or other events.
For example, you could set up an automated welcome email sequence for new subscribers, or a series of educational emails for customers who haven't made a purchase yet. These emails are all generic in form and can apply to any and every consumer.
However, email automation can also be used for personalized messages. SendGrid's "Transactional Templates" allow you to insert dynamic content into your emails based on the information you already have about the recipient, like their name or location. This allows you to create truly personalized messages but they are still automated and scalable.
Overall, email automation is a valuable tool. It can save you time and money while still delivering high-quality content to your customers.
Email open rate is the percentage of delivered emails that are opened.
more details...The email open rate refers to the percentage of people who opened the email sent out by the company. The average open rate for all industries is about 20-30%. However, the open rate varies by industry type and the subject matter.
The email open rate is one of several email metrics including email click-through rate and email list growth. The open rate is important because it gives insights into how successful an email campaign is and whether or not consumers are actually interested.
There are a few things that can be done to improve open rates, such as optimizing/clarifying the subject line, providing valuable content, and utilizing target segmenting. Also, your sender's reputation affects the likelihood that a recipient will read an email message. If your company has a bad sender reputation, they might need to take steps to improve email deliverability.
Look into your email open rate and look into whether or not changes need to be made to your emails to increase email opening.
How is an email open rate calculated?
An email open rate is calculated by dividing the number of unique opens by the total number of emails sent, multiplied by 100.
What factors affect an email open rate?
Factors that can affect an email open rate include subject line, sender name, timing, personalization, and content.
Fun Fact:
"The average email open rate across all industries is 22.86%, according to a study by Litmus (2020)."
Encryption is the process of encoding information or data in order to help prevent unauthorized access. Taking plain text and encoding it to be seen as ciphertext.
more details...Encryption refers to the process of transforming readable data into an unreadable format. Or plainly stated as making plain text into ciphertext. The encryption process is a measure taken to protect sensitive information from being accessed by unauthorized individuals.
Encryption when used in business is often referred to as business process encryption. The main purpose for business process encryption is that authorized person is able to decrypt and interpret the data/messaging that was encrypted.
There are two types of business process encryption: symmetric and asymmetric. With symmetric encryption, a private key is used to encrypt and decrypt data. In contrast, asymmetric encryption utilizes two different keys that are used for the encryption and decryption process. The public key can be known by anyone, while the private key must be kept secret.
Encryption is a valuable tool to keep your data safe, utilize encryption in your business to better protect your company and business.
How does encryption work?
Encryption works by transforming plaintext into ciphertext using an algorithm and a key. The ciphertext can then only be decrypted with the same key used to encrypt it.
What are the benefits of encryption?
The main benefit of encryption is that it provides an extra layer of security for sensitive data, making it more difficult for unauthorized users to access or modify the information. Additionally, encryption helps ensure privacy and confidentiality, as well as integrity of data during transmission over networks.
Fun Fact:
"According to a 2018 study by Gemalto, 97% of organizations surveyed reported using encryption to protect their data and communications." (Gemalto, 2018)
The use of a combination of marketing channels to interact with customers throughout the entire buyer's journey, rather than just focusing on one particular stage of it.
more details...End-to-End marketing refers to marketing efforts that reach customers from the initial awareness of a product or service to the point of purchase. End-to-end marketing encompasses all aspects of the customer journey through the marketing channel, including pre-purchase activities such as brand awareness and education, purchase/decision making, and the post-purchase actions that follow, such as loyalty and advocacy.
End-to-end marketing is an important part of any company's marketing strategy, as it ensures that customers are reached at all stages of the purchase journey. By creating a customer journey map, companies can better understand how to market to customers throughout their relationship with the brand. Additionally, end-to-end marketing helps to create a more seamless customer experience, as customers are able to easily purchase products and services without encountering any barriers that may deter a consumer.
Tracking the experience of your consumers through End-to-End is crucial to learning how to better make changes to convert consumers into loyal customers.
What are the benefits of End-To-End Marketing?
The benefits of end-to-end marketing include improved customer engagement, increased sales, better ROI, more efficient use of resources, and enhanced customer loyalty. It also allows for better targeting of campaigns and more personalized experiences for customers.
How does End-To-End Marketing work?
End-to-end marketing works by leveraging data from multiple sources to create a unified view of the customer journey. This data can then be used to create targeted campaigns that are tailored to each individual customer’s needs and preferences. Additionally, it enables marketers to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns in real time so they can make adjustments as needed.
Fun Fact:
According to a survey by Demand Metric, "81% of companies that have implemented end-to-end marketing strategies report an increase in customer engagement" (Demand Metric, 2018).
An engagement campaign is a useful marketing technique that tailors strategic and resourceful content for people/consumers to engage with. The campaign hopes to obtain meaningful interactions over time rather than the engagement gained from flashing ads with little significance.
more details...An Engagement Campaign is a type of marketing campaign designed to create and/or increase customer engagement with a company's products or services. The main purpose of an engagement campaign is to improve customer loyalty, encourage customers to make purchases, or simply provide customers with information about a company or its products.
There are many different types of engagement campaigns, but some common elements include using social media, providing incentives or sales discounts, and holding brand awareness events.
Social media is a great way to connect with potential and current customers. It allows companies to creatively share information about their products or services, as well as engage with customers in a two-way conversation through comments or direct messaging.
Incentives and discounts are another great way to encourage customers to purchase products or services. An incentive of a cheaper price or good deal causes consumers to be more willing to engage with the campaign.
As well as, events allows customers to utilize primary see, touch, and feel a product before they purchase it. This can be very helpful in the decision-making process for potential customers.
Overall Engagement campaigns are extremely beneficial to companies. By using various strategies, companies can connect with customers on a targeted and more personal level, strengthen customer loyalty, and ultimately increase sales or and customer conversions.
What are the benefits of an Engagement Campaign?
The main benefit of an engagement campaign is increased customer loyalty and brand awareness. Engaging customers in meaningful ways helps to build relationships with them and create a more positive perception of the brand. Additionally, it can help to generate leads and drive sales.
How do you measure success in an Engagement Campaign?
Success in an engagement campaign can be measured by looking at metrics such as customer retention rate, number of followers on social media platforms, click-through rates on ads or emails, number of engagements (likes/shares/comments), and survey responses.
Fun Fact:
According to a study by the Content Marketing Institute, "78% of B2C marketers said their engagement campaigns were successful" (Content Marketing Institute, 2018).
The data that a company has generated or collected themselves. (Ex. A clothing retailer like aeropostale would own the customer information that was provided when someone signed up for an account with them)
more details...First Party Data refers to data and information collected and obtained by the company. First party data is considered the most valuable and trustworthy as it comes directly from the companies employers as well as it is primary data directly from the customer. First party data can be used for marketing purposes such as targeted advertising, retargeting, and email marketing. Receiving a customers email and other information at checkout is helpful in continuing to build the customer business relationship. It can also be used to improve the customer experience by providing more relevant content and personalized recommendations.
First Party Data will be crucial and incredibly important for building a loyal customer following. Knowing primary source information about your customers will be extremely valuable to building and continuing the unique and personal customer and business relationship.
How is First Party Data collected?
First party data can be collected through surveys, website analytics, customer service interactions, loyalty programs, purchase history and more.
What are the benefits of using First Party Data?
The main benefit of using first party data is that it provides companies with direct insight into their customers’ needs and preferences. This helps them to better target their marketing efforts and create more effective campaigns. Additionally, first party data is typically more accurate than third-party data since it comes directly from the source.
Fun Fact:
According to a survey conducted by eMarketer in 2019, "72% of marketers agree that first-party data is the most important source for personalizing customer experiences." (eMarketer, 2019)
The average number of times that a customer purchases something in a given time frame.
more details...Frequency refers to the amount of times a customer purchases a product within a measured time frame. For example, if a customer buys a product every week, their frequency would be equivalent to one. This is an important metric because it helps businesses understand how often customers are purchasing their products and how much revenue they can generate from each individual customer. As well as, knowing the frequency of purchases within a given location weekly is important to know so you have ample supply to serve customers needs.
There are a few different ways to measure frequency, but the most common is by using purchase cycle time. This is the average amount of time between each purchase made by a customer. Another way to measure frequency is by using customer lifetime value. This is the total amount of money that a customer spends on your products or services over their lifetime.
Overall, frequency data is important to businesses because the information uncovered can then be used to make strategic decisions about marketing, product development, and operations.
Why is Frequency important in marketing?
Frequency is important in marketing because it helps marketers understand how often their target audience sees their ads and messages. The more frequently an ad or message is seen, the more likely it is to be remembered and acted upon. Additionally, frequency can help marketers optimize their campaigns by ensuring that they are reaching the right people with the right message at the right time.
Fun Fact:
According to a study by the American Marketing Association, "90% of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that offer personalized experiences based on purchase history and preferences" (McKinsey & Company, 2019).
Fulfillment in marketing is found through the execution, creation, and delivery, of marketing collateral and branding. With the right tools and tactics automation, efficiency, and turn-around times will be maximized.
more details...Fulfillment within marketing refers to the ability of a company to meet the needs and wants of its target consumers. Simply stated it's the preparation and delivery of online orders. This process allows a company to satisfy customer needs and wants by providing products or services in a timely and efficient manner. A company that excels in fulfillment is able to create value for its customers and achieve a competitive advantage over competitors in the marketplace.
Many large companies have the capabilities to do their own fulfillment. However, smaller companies tend to outsource their fulfillment to specialized companies. Fulfillment companies have infrastructure and systems in place to store products, assemble products, pack orders, label orders, ship the product, and provide tracking information. An added plus of fulfillment centers is that they complete/scale all of these tasks and more in a timely manner. These companies also have the necessary staff to handle customer service inquiries related to fulfillment.
When looking into choosing a fulfillment partner, it's important to look into a company that is reputable and has a good track record. The last thing you, as a company, would want is for your customers not to receive their items on time or at all. Also, you'll want to find a company that offers a good price point and meets your budgeted needs.
If you decide to outsource your fulfillment process to another company remember to do some research on the options available. If, however, you choose to fulfill orders within your company it's crucial that you fulfill orders in a timely and scalable manner. Therefore but systems in place to make these two objectives achievable.
What are the benefits of fulfillment services?
Benefits of fulfillment services include improved customer service, cost savings, increased efficiency and scalability.
How does fulfillment work?
Fulfillment typically involves a third-party provider that receives orders from customers, stores inventory in their warehouse, packages the product according to customer specifications and ships it out using the most efficient delivery method.
Fun Fact:
According to a study conducted by FulfillmentCompanies.net, "94% of consumers are more likely to shop with retailers that offer same-day or faster delivery." (FulfillmentCompanies.net, 2020)
A new European Union law that regulates how companies can collect user data.
more details...GDPR or general data protection regulation refers to the EU (European Unions') new data protection law that came into effect in May 2018. The regulation strengthens and builds on the EU’s current data protection framework, replacing the 1995 Data Protection Directive.
It sets out the rules for how consumers' personal data must be collected, processed, and stored by organizations operating in the EU. It also establishes new rights for individuals with respect to the protection of their personal data.
Under the GDPR, personal data must be:
– Legitimate and necessary for the purposes for which it is being processed.
– Accurately and carefully collected.
– Processed in a transparent, consistent, and fair manner.
– Erased or destroyed when it's no longer needed and subject to regular monitoring.
Organizations that process the personal data of EU citizens must comply with the GDPR unless they can demonstrate that they meet certain conditions. The GDPR applies to any organization that processes the personal data of EU citizens, regardless of where the organization is located.
Organizations that process personal data must disclose their contact information to individuals who request it. They must also inform individuals of their right to access their personal data, as well as the right to have it erased or destroyed.
If these regulations are violated, the GDPR imposes significant fines including up to 4% of an organization’s global revenue or €20 million (whichever is greater).
When did GDPR come into effect?
The GDPR came into effect on May 25th, 2018.
What does GDPR require of businesses?
Under the GDPR, businesses must obtain consent from users before collecting any personal data, as well as providing users with access to their own data and allowing them to delete it if they wish. Businesses must also take appropriate security measures to protect user data and notify authorities of any data breaches that occur.
Fun Fact:
"The GDPR has been estimated to have cost businesses in the European Union over $7 billion dollars in compliance costs since its introduction in 2018." (Holland, 2019)
Generative AI, short for Generative Artificial Intelligence, is a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating and producing new data similar to that of the input data it has been trained on.
more details...Generative AI, short for Generative Artificial Intelligence, is a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating and producing new data similar to that of the input data it has been trained on. Unlike traditional AI systems that rely on rule-based programming or statistical analysis, generative AI leverages sophisticated algorithms and neural networks to generate original content.
The core principle behind generative AI is to model the underlying patterns and structures in the data and then use this understanding to produce novel outputs. The most common type of generative AI model is a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), which consists of two neural networks: the generator and the discriminator.
1. Generator: This component generates new data instances, such as images, text, or audio, based on random noise or a specific input. It attempts to produce outputs that resemble the training data as closely as possible.
2. Discriminator: The discriminator is trained to differentiate between real data from the training set and fake data generated by the generator. Its goal is to improve its ability to distinguish real from fake as the generator becomes more proficient.
The training process of GANs involves a competitive interplay between the generator and the discriminator. The generator aims to produce realistic outputs to deceive the discriminator, while the discriminator aims to become increasingly accurate in distinguishing between real and fake data. This competition drives the model to continuously improve, eventually generating highly realistic and diverse data.
1. Image Generation: Generative AI can be used to create realistic images of people, objects, or scenery that do not exist in reality.
2. Text Generation: It can generate human-like text, including creative writing, dialogue, or even generating code snippets.
3. Video Synthesis: Generative AI can be used to create video content or modify existing videos.
4. Art and Design: It has been utilized to create original artwork, designs, and animations.
5. Data Augmentation: Generative models can help in increasing the size of datasets by generating synthetic data for training machine learning models, improving their generalization and performance.
While generative AI holds great promise in various fields, it also raises ethical concerns, particularly regarding the potential for generating misleading content, deepfakes, and intellectual property issues. Therefore, as this technology continues to evolve, researchers and policymakers must work together to address its implications and ensure responsible use.
HTML is the basic building block of the web, it illustrates the meaning and structure of almost all website content. Within HTML, hypertext, refers to the links that connect pages to one another.
more details...HTML refers to Hypertext Markup Language, which is a markup language used for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. HTML is the standard markup language for creating web pages and web applications.
HTML's markup language consists of a series of elements that define the structure and content of the web page being viewed. HTML elements are represented by tags, and the most common tags used in HTML are:
There are many tags that help illustrate the language of HTML. HTML is most helpful when it comes to structuring web pages in an easy-to-read and easy-to-use format. It separates different parts of the content, such as headings, paragraphs, and lists, so that each part can be styled differently. This separation of content also makes it easier for search engines to index the content of a web page.
Edit your HTML tags to boost SEO and increase the readability and ease of viewing your web pages.
What does HTML do?
HTML provides the structure of webpages, including text, images, links, and other elements. It also allows for formatting of the content on the page.
How do I use HTML?
To use HTML, you need to write code using tags and attributes that define how the content should be displayed in a web browser. You can also use an editor such as Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Web to create and edit your HTML code.
Fun Fact:
"According to the W3Techs web technology survey, HTML is used by more than 95% of all websites as of January 2020." (W3Techs, 2020)
HTTPS is a security protocol used to protect the integrity and confidentiality of data between the site and the user.
more details...HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) is defined as a secure communication protocol used for transferring data over a network. It uses encryption technology to prevent third-party interception of important/private data. HTTPS is widely used in e-commerce websites and online banking services to protect sensitive/personal information such as credit card details, login credentials, etc.
Some of the benefits of using HTTPS are:
You can use HTTPS in your business/company to support a secure communication protocol. Doing so will offer you the benefits mentioned above and help keep your data safe from potential interception.
How does HTTPS work?
HTTPS works by establishing an encrypted connection between the web server and the browser. This encryption ensures that any data sent over the connection cannot be read or tampered with by anyone other than the intended recipient.
Why should I use HTTPS?
Using HTTPS helps protect your data from being intercepted or stolen while it is in transit. It also helps ensure that you are accessing the correct website, as malicious actors can’t easily spoof a secure website without having access to its encryption keys.
Fun Fact:
"As of April 2018, 84% of all websites used HTTPS as their default connection protocol (Statista, 2018)."
The use of technology to track, send and analyze email
more details...Email Marketing Integrated Platform and Management or IPM is defined as a complete set of technology and services required to manage an email marketing program from end to end. IPM platforms provide a plethora of tools to create, send, measure, and optimize email campaigns.
Email marketing platforms vary in features and function. Some platforms are designed for small businesses and offer a limited feature set, while others are designed for enterprise-level organizations and provide a comprehensive set of tools.
When choosing an email marketing platform, it’s important to consider your specific needs and requirements. Some questions to ask yourself include:
The next step is to research and compare different email marketing platforms pertaining to the answers to the above questions.
What features does IPM offer?
IPM offers a variety of features, including list segmentation, automated campaigns, A/B testing, real-time analytics, email template creation, and more.
How can I use IPM to improve my email marketing efforts?
With the features offered by IPM, you can create targeted campaigns that are tailored to your audience’s needs and interests. You can also track performance in real-time and make adjustments as needed to ensure maximum success.
Fun Fact:
"According to a 2019 survey by GetResponse, the use of integrated marketing platforms and management (IPM) increased email open rates by up to 18% and click-through rates by up to 25%." (GetResponse, 2019).
Image compression works by increasing the quality while decreasing the file size, which means that it takes less time for users to download your images and thus improving their experience on your site.
more details...Image compression refers to the process of compressing digital images to reduce the file size without affecting the quality and clarity of the image.
When a website is being accessed, the information must be sent from a server, which includes all the images on that page. Each image must be requested, transferred, and downloaded before being displayed. Image compression speeds up this process, allowing your site to load faster, leading to a better user experience and higher ranking in search engine results.
There are many different methods of image compression, but the most common is JPEG. JPEG compression works by reducing the number of colors in an image. PNG is another type of image compression and uses lossless compression/loss of quality to shrink images.
Image compression is important for website speed and search engine optimization. Slow loading websites are a major turn off for users and can lead to higher bounce rates. Images often account for the majority of a website's file size, so compressing them can have a significant impact/improvement on overall site performance.
What are the benefits of Image Compression?
The main benefit of image compression is that it reduces the amount of storage space required to store an image, as well as reducing the time it takes to transmit or upload the image. Additionally, compressing images can improve website performance and reduce page loading times.
What types of Image Compression are there?
There are two main types of image compression – lossy and lossless. Lossy compression involves discarding some data from the original image in order to reduce its size, while lossless compression retains all data from the original file but still reduces its size by applying algorithms to compress it.
Fun Fact:
"Image compression is used to reduce the size of an image file without sacrificing quality. According to a survey conducted by Adobe in 2018, 97% of digital marketers use image compression for their online content" (Adobe, 2018).
The number of times an advertisement has been shown to a consumer without being clicked on.
more details...Impressions are a crucial metric in marketing. An impression is defined as an instance or number of instances where an ad is served to a user. Impressions are important because they represent the potential for your ad to be seen by a potential customer.
There are a few different ways to measure impressions. One way is to look at the number of times an ad is presented. This can be useful for understanding how often your ad is being viewed by potential customers. Another way to measure impressions is to look at the number of people who see your specific ad. This is useful for understanding how many people are exposed to your ad.
Impressions are important because they can help you understand the extent and value of your ad campaign. Allowing your company to gauge the effectiveness of your ad. If you're not getting enough impressions, you may need to reconsider your ad strategy or modify your ad.
Impressions are a very important metric in marketing. It is crucial that you measure your metrics often so you can best see what is working well and what may need more help.
How are Impressions measured?
Impressions are typically measured by tracking code embedded in the advertisement or content that records each time it is viewed. This data can then be collected and analyzed to determine how many impressions have been generated.
What does an Impression tell us?
An impression tells us how many people have seen an advertisement or piece of content, which can be used to gauge its reach and effectiveness.
Fun Fact:
"In 2019, digital advertising impressions increased by 18.5% year-over-year to reach 1.3 trillion impressions in the United States (Statista, 2020)."
A marketing methodology in which the focus is on creating content that brings value to the consumer and is aimed at pulling them towards the marketer, rather than pushing product information onto them. Inbound marketing works by earning media coverage via online, social, and traditional marketing channels that are part of the marketer's channel mix.
more details...Inbound Marketing refers to marketing activities that bring visitors in, rather than marketers having to go out to get prospects' attention. Inbound marketing earns the attention of customers and draws customers to the website by producing interesting content rather than forcing product information on the consumer. Companies use inbound marketing techniques such as content marketing, search engine optimization, and social media marketing to attract more potential leads and convert them into customers.
Inbound marketing is a cost-effective marketing strategy that helps businesses attract, engage, and delight customers. It's an approach focused on creating valuable content and experiences tailored to the needs of your customers that eventually lead them to take action, such as making a purchase or signing up for your service.
Inbound marketing is an effective way to connect with customers and prospects who are actively looking for your product or service. It's a more targeted approach than outbound marketing, which broadly interrupts people with messages about the product.
The goal of inbound marketing is to attract customers and leads who are already interested in what you have to offer, which can result in higher conversion rates and ROI for your business.
How does Inbound Marketing work?
Inbound marketing works by creating content that attracts potential customers to your website or blog. This content can be in the form of blog posts, videos, podcasts, ebooks, webinars, infographics, etc. The goal is to create content that is helpful and informative for potential customers so they are more likely to engage with your brand. Once visitors have been attracted to your site through this content they can then be converted into leads or customers through various lead nurturing strategies such as email campaigns or retargeting ads.
What are the benefits of Inbound Marketing?
The main benefit of inbound marketing is cost-effectiveness. Since it relies heavily on organic search engine optimization (SEO) techniques rather than paid advertising methods it allows businesses to reach their target audience without spending a lot of money on traditional advertising methods such as television commercials or print ads. Additionally, inbound marketing helps build trust with potential customers by providing them with helpful information which can help convert them into loyal customers over time.
Fun Fact:
According to a study by HubSpot, "businesses that have implemented an inbound marketing strategy generate 54% more leads than those that rely solely on outbound marketing." (HubSpot, 2017)
Including incentives designed to encourage someone to take a specific action.
more details...Incentives are utilized to encourage someone to take the desired action a business or company wants. Through the use of incentives, businesses can increase sales, encourage customer loyalty, and overall increase ROI.
The most popular type of incentive is a sales discount, which can be offered in the form of a coupon, code, or sale. Discounts are commonly utilized to stimulate demand during slow periods or to clear out old inventory. Companies may also offer other types of incentives, such as rewards points, freebies, and contests. Many companies have rewards systems offering money off or free items.
Additionally, incentives are not just used for consumers but can also be used to encourage employees to reach specific goals. For example, an employee who sells a certain number of products may be given a bonus or commission. This type of incentive causes employers to work harder which in turn helps the business be more profitable.
Overall incentives are powerful tools that support businesses in many different ways. By using incentives a business can increase conversions because people are more likely to act on something if they expect an incentive/reward.
How does Incentivized Advertising work?
Incentivized advertising works by offering customers rewards such as discounts, coupons, loyalty points, or other types of incentives for engaging with an advertisement. This encourages customers to take action and increases the likelihood that they will purchase the product or service being advertised.
What are the benefits of using Incentivized Advertising?
The main benefit of using incentivized advertising is that it can help to increase sales and engagement with an advertisement. It also helps to build customer loyalty and trust, as customers feel rewarded for taking action. Additionally, incentivized advertising can be used to target specific audiences and drive conversions more effectively than traditional methods.
Fun Fact:
Advertising "Incentivized advertising campaigns can lead to an average of 20% increase in brand awareness and recognition among consumers, according to a study by the Journal of Advertising Research" (Mohan & Sharma, 2019).
Intent is a measure of a consumers currently existing commitment to taking an action (usually making a purchase).
more details...Intent is a measure of a consumers currently existing commitment to taking an action (usually making a purchase). It is a qualitative metric but is most commonly measured through proxy indicators. A proxy indicator would be an action that we can reasonably assume is a valid indicator of intent. For example if a customer types a string into a search, we can assume they're looking for something specific and likely have a high intent to make a purchase already. A user clicking on an ad in a social platform, however, may be just window shopping or "tire kicking".
A user with low intent can be moved along the path toward an action with multiple interactions. This could be impressions from an ad, engaging with content, live chat, in person interactions or any other interaction with a brand. Managing these interactions to move consumers from one phase of consideration to the next is usually necessary in order to effectively scale a business. This is referred to as multi-touch marketing and is measured using multi touch attribution models. Overall, increasing your target markets intent to buy your product is extremely valuable to the profitability of your business.
How does Intent-Based Marketing work?
Intent-based marketing works by analyzing customer behavior and preferences in order to create more targeted content and campaigns. It uses data points such as website visits, search queries, and purchase history to identify customers’ needs and intent. This information can then be used to create personalized messages that are tailored specifically for each individual customer.
What are the benefits of using Intent-Based Marketing?
The main benefit of using intent-based marketing is that it allows businesses to provide more personalized experiences for their customers. By understanding what customers want or need, businesses can create more relevant content that resonates with them on a deeper level. Additionally, this type of marketing can help businesses increase their conversion rates by targeting the right people at the right time with the right message.
Fun Fact:
"According to a study by Accenture, Intent-Based Marketing has been found to be up to 50% more effective than traditional marketing methods" (Accenture, 2019).
Javascript is a computer programming language used to create interactive effects on web browsers.
more details...Javascript is a programming language that helps you create interactive web pages. When you visit a website, your web browser (Google Chrome, Yahoo, Bing, or Mozilla Firefox) downloads the HTML file for that page. The HTML file contains instructions for the browser on how to display the page.
For example, some interactive features of JavaScript include creating forms, validating form input, detecting when a user clicks on a button, and much more.
JavaScript is one of the three main languages used to create web pages. The other two are HTML and CSS. HTML is used to structure the content of a web page, whereas, CSS is used to add style to the page (colors, fonts, etc.) You can think of the three languages as a complete body, broken down, HTML is the skeleton of a web page, CSS is the skin, and, JavaScript adds muscle to the page by making it interactive.
Overall Javascript is a valuable program that helps make your website more functional and usable, try utilizing Javascript on your website in support of your web design and consumer needs.
What can you do with Javascript?
With JavaScript, you can create dynamic webpages that respond to user input, control multimedia elements such as videos and music, animate images and objects on the page, validate forms before submission, store data in cookies for future use, and much more.
How does Javascript work?
JavaScript works by executing code in the browser when an HTML page loads or when an event occurs (such as a mouse click). The code is written in plain text files with the .js extension and can be included directly in HTML documents or linked from external files.
Fun Fact:
"Javascript is the most popular programming language in the world, according to a 2020 survey by Stack Overflow which found that 69.7% of professional developers use it" (Stack Overflow, 2020).
Used in digital marketing, a keyword is implemented to describe a word or group of words a user uses to perform a search within the search engine bar.
more details...A keyword is implemented in support of improving search engine results. A keyword is an optimization tool and it can be used to make your web pages more accessible to potential customers.
When you use keywords on your web pages, it makes it easier for people to find your site when they are searching for terms related to your business. In addition, using keywords can increase your SEO or search engine optimization, helping you to rank higher on the search results page.
When you are selecting keywords, it is important to choose ones that are relevant to your business and popular among your target audience. There are helpful keyword research tools online that can support you in finding which keywords are most searched for within your industry. Once you have selected a few keywords, you can start incorporating them into your website's content.
When you are writing content for your website, be sure to use the keywords in a way that is natural and easy to read. Stuffing your content with too many keywords will not only turn off potential customers but can also get you penalized by search engines. A good rule of thumb is to use keywords in your content about once per every 100 words.
In addition to using keywords in your website's content, you can also use them in your website's titles, descriptions, and URLs. Using keywords throughout your website will help search engines better understand what your site is about, which in turn will help consumers find your site.
What is a keyword?
A keyword is a word or phrase used to describe the content of a webpage, which helps search engines understand what the page is about.
How do I choose keywords?
When choosing keywords, consider words and phrases that are relevant to your topic and that potential customers might use when searching for information related to your product or service.
What are the benefits of using keywords?
Using keywords can help improve your website's visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) by making it easier for search engines to identify and index your content. This can lead to increased traffic and more conversions from organic search.
Fun Fact:
Research "According to a 2019 survey by BrightEdge, 97% of marketers surveyed said that keyword research is the most important SEO tactic for improving organic search visibility." (BrightEdge, 2019)
Another term for LTV. The total revenue generated from each user across their lifetime.
more details...LTR or Life Time Revenue refers to the amount of money that a customer spends on your product or service during their entire relationship with your company. It's important to measure LTR because it allows you to assess the profitability of acquiring new customers and the long-term value of your current customer base/customer loyalty.
There are a number of ways to calculate LTR, but the most common is to measure customer loyalty and how much revenue a business can generate from a single customer over the course of the relationship.
The formula for calculating LTR is:
LTR = (Average Revenue per Customer) x (Average Customer Lifetime)
There are a number of factors that can affect LTR, such as customer churn, which is the rate at which customers stop using your product or service. Other factors include customer acquisition costs (CAC), which is the amount of money spent to acquire new customers, and customer lifetime value (CLV), which is the average amount of time a customer remains with your company.
LTR is important to measure in your company as it allows you to assess the long-term value of your customer base and make decisions accordingly on where to allocate your resources. If you have a high LTR, it means that you're generating a lot of revenue from each customer and you can afford to spend more on acquiring new customers.
How is LTR calculated?
LTR is calculated by adding up all of the revenue generated from a customer's purchases over time.
Why is LTR important?
LTR is important because it helps businesses understand how much value they are getting from each customer and allows them to focus their marketing efforts on customers who are likely to generate more revenue in the long run.
Fun Fact:
"Lifetime revenue (LTR) is a metric that measures the total amount of money earned from a customer over their lifetime. According to research conducted by Salesforce, companies with strong LTR strategies generate 3-5 times more revenue than those without." (Salesforce, 2020)
A prediction of the future value a customer will bring over their entire lifetime as well as the total number of years they will remain a customer.
more details...LTV or Life Time Value refers to the projected revenue that a single customer is estimated to generate over the course of their relationship with a company. LTV is a key helpful metric for businesses to track because it supports businesses in determining how much they can afford to spend on acquiring new customers through marketing and sales efforts.
There are a number of different methods that businesses can use to calculate LTV, but the most common method is to take the average revenue generated per customer over a period of time and then multiply it by the average length of time that a customer remains a paying customer.
LTV is an important metric for businesses to track because it can help customers determine whether or not to tap into acquiring new customers. A high LTV signifies that a business is doing something right when it comes to acquiring and retaining customers. Conversely, a low LTV can be an indication that a business needs to re-evaluate its customer acquisition strategy.
Overall, it is extremely beneficial for a business to track its LTV rate because it provides valuable insights and allows for decisions to be made.
How is LTV calculated?
LTV is typically calculated by taking the average revenue per user (ARPU) and multiplying it by the average customer lifespan.
What are some benefits of tracking LTV?
Tracking LTV helps businesses understand which customers are most valuable, as well as identify opportunities to increase customer retention and loyalty. It also allows marketers to focus their efforts on acquiring high-value customers, rather than wasting resources on low-value prospects.
Fun Fact:
"The average LTV (Life Time Value) of a customer is 3.79 times the cost of acquisition" (Vishwanath, 2017).
A process in which a company nurtures leads to turn them into customers.
more details...Lead nurturing refers to the process of nurturing a potential lead into a customer. This is a crucial step in the sales process. By nurturing your leads, you increase the chances of conversion into customers which will in turn prove sales.
A few tips to keep in mind when nurturing a lead are:
1. Keep communication open and reach out regularly (phone calls, emails, or social media)
2. Build trust by offering value
3. Personalize messages and update them regularly.
4. Understand the needs and wants of the lead
5. Be patient
Lead nurturing takes time and effort but is extremely worth it. It's important to put significant time and effort into building relationships with leads because they will become future customers that you deal with regularly.
Why is Lead Nurturing important?
Lead nurturing is important because it helps build trust and credibility with potential customers by providing them with helpful information that will help them make an informed decision. Additionally, it helps keep leads engaged and interested in your product or service so they are more likely to convert into paying customers.
How does Lead Nurturing work?
Lead nurturing works by sending out targeted emails or other forms of communication (such as SMS messages) that contain relevant content based on where a lead is in their buying journey. The goal is to provide leads with useful information that will help move them closer to making a purchase decision.
Fun Fact:
"Lead nurturing is an effective way to convert leads into customers, with 61% of B2B marketers citing it as the most effective tactic for lead generation according to a survey by Marketo (2018)."
Prospective customers who are not yet considered customers.
more details...A lead is defined as a prospective customer and is typically generated when someone expresses interest in a company’s product or service. A lead typically experiences a few different stages within the purchase/marketing process, consisting of awareness, interest, consideration, and purchase. This can happen in a variety of ways, such as filling out a form on a website or calling a company’s customer service line.
The purpose of a lead is to generate interest in a product or service so that a salesperson can attempt to sell it to them. However, leads vary in knowledge, some don't have enough information on the product, some know it all, and some may even be ready to make a purchase. Therefore it is important to assess leads strengths and cater to their needs.
Overall leads are crucial to a business's sales, so it's important that leads are properly nurtured and supported when making a purchase.
How are leads generated?
Leads can be generated through various marketing activities such as content marketing, email campaigns, social media campaigns, and search engine optimization (SEO).
What is the purpose of leads?
The purpose of leads is to identify potential customers and convert them into paying customers.
Fun Fact:
"According to a survey conducted by Demand Gen Report, 77% of B2B buyers rated leads from sources such as webinars, tradeshows and events as the most effective source for generating high-quality leads." (Demand Gen Report, 2018)
The division of a large group of customers into stages that represent important life events for the consumer.
more details...Life stage segmentation is a specific segmentation in which a customer grouping is divided into different life stages/events. This is especially useful for businesses that offer products or services which are relevant to certain life stages/events.
When a business understands what stage of life/age range their customer is in, they can more effectively market to them and sell the product or service necessary for that event.
Some examples of life stage segmentation include:
-New parents
-Wedding planning
-Empty nesters
-Retirement
This type of segmentation is beneficial because it allows businesses to better understand their customer's needs and experiences. Additionally, it helps businesses target their marketing and advertising efforts towards a certain group, which can lead to increased sales and profits.
When using life stage segmentation, businesses should keep in mind that not all customers will be at the same stage in their life. Therefore, it is important to offer a variety of products and services that cater to different life stages/events. This way, businesses can appeal to a wider range of customers and improve their chances of making a sale.
Overall life stage segmentation is a helpful tool that allows businesses to better understand their customer base and target their marketing efforts more effectively.
How can life stage segmentation be used in marketing?
Life stage segmentation can be used to target specific consumer groups with tailored messages and products that are most relevant to them. This allows marketers to create more effective campaigns and maximize the return on investment for their efforts.
What are some examples of life stages?
Examples of life stages include young adults, newlyweds, parents, empty nesters, retirees, and seniors.
Fun Fact:
"Life stage segmentation is a powerful tool for marketers, as it can help them better understand their target market and develop more effective marketing strategies. According to a study by the Association of National Advertisers, 82% of marketers who used life stage segmentation reported increased ROI from their campaigns" (Association of National Advertisers, 2018).
A method for determining the ROI from an advertising campaign by comparing users who converted with those who did not.
more details...The Lift Model in marketing is used to analyze and study conversion optimization. The lift model also serves as a tool to help identify where there are issues in your website, helping to combat low conversion rates.
There are 6 conversion factors that help to illustrate the lift model:
Each of these factors are very important to a customer choosing to make a purchase on your website. That is why it is crucial that you take all 6 factors into account and be sure that your website is meeting these standards in order to increase conversions.
A lift model works by comparing two groups of customers – one that was exposed to the campaign and one that was not – and measuring the difference in response rates between them. This allows marketers to determine how effective their campaigns are at driving engagement and conversions.
Using a lift model can help marketers better understand customer behavior and identify which marketing strategies are most effective at driving conversions. It also helps marketers optimize their campaigns for maximum efficiency and ROI.
Lift analysis is the process of interpreting the results of a lift predictive model. It helps marketers understand the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and identify which campaigns or strategies are generating the most significant impact.
The lift analysis provides insights into how the marketing campaign performed better than the baseline (control group). A lift value greater than 1 indicates a positive impact, meaning the movement led to more conversions or responses than if there were no campaigns. Conversely, a lift value of less than 1 indicates that the campaign had a negative impact or was less effective than doing nothing.
By utilizing lift analysis, marketers can make data-driven decisions, optimize their campaigns, and allocate resources more effectively to achieve the best possible return on investment (ROI).
"The lift model is a widely used tool for measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. According to a study by Deloitte, 80% of marketers who use lift models to measure their campaigns found them to be effective in improving campaign performance." (Deloitte, 2018)