Note to readers: spoiler alert in regards to Game of Thrones!
They say that when you play the Game of Thrones either you win or you die.
Thank goodness for us the same is not true for Search Engine Marketing with Google AdWords. In the world of advertising, many forms of media that an advertiser may use to get their message to the masses is just as cutthroat as the Rains of Castamere, and we all know how we felt after that mess was over. Lucky for you, this viciously violent scene won’t have to enter your mind once when we start thinking about how proper SEM management can benefit you and your brand. With search engine marketing an account manager is able to keep tabs on their account and control exactly where the budget is being spent, all while tracking how this spending is having an effect on your return on investment. So think of yourself more as the mind controlling younger brother Bram Stark and less like the over zealous, mis-stepping and very dead Robb Stark.
Despite the level of control that AdWords gives you over your campaign, you are still facing armies of other advertisers that are hoping to claim the Iron Throne or in this case, the top three positions in any Google search. Imagine you and your fellow Search Engine Marketing team are standing tall against these foes with bow and arrows in hand. You can each launch dozens and dozens of these arrows aimed in the right direction, but from a distance it’s hard to tell which ones will actually make it to their target. Again, luckily this is Adwords we are talking about and not a fictional world where all of your favorite characters die. This is because our arrows are keywords and we can see exactly when they hit their mark.
By using keyword targeting in our search campaigns, we can identify which phrases and keywords will most accurately match what a user is searching for. Over time, we are able to identify which keywords are reaching the most users and driving traffic to the pages that they are looking for and we want them to find. When we identify keywords that are not at successful we can just as easily edit them or remove them without impacting the businesses bottom line. So sharpen your arrows, aim true and keep firing. All your favorite characters might already be dead by the end of season 3, but your Google Adwords campaign will win the Iron Throne every time with consistent keyword management.
Daily processes and industry standards are constantly changing and growing, therefore continuous training is an important aspect of any company. Keeping up-to-date on the latest trends and opportunities provides employees the chance to always be learning, and allows the company to stay a step ahead of competition.
Digital Marketing is an arena in which this fact is always true. The utilization of the Internet in marketing has grown in volumes since it was first introduced and it does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. There is something new to be discovered every day, the possibilities for digital marketing are never ending, and the opportunities available to us as a company to improve are endless. In order for a company like Potratz to stay in tune with the latest digital marketing developments training is a constant necessity.
The department heads at Potratz have made it a top priority to ensure that every team member is highly trained not only on how to do their own job, but to know how that job fits into the bigger picture of a client’s marketing strategy. Whether it is in the field of SEM, Social Media, Video Motion Graphics, Graphic Design or Account Management, at Potratz information is offered as a training session and is open to the entire company. Every Thursday at noon the Potratz staff gathers in the conference room for a Leadership-led meeting focusing on team improvement. Recently, during our weekly Leadership meeting, each employee was asked to list five aspects of their daily job requirements and state whether they felt a coinciding training session would be beneficial to both them and other team members.
Based on the feedback received from team members, the next month at Potratz has been filled with daily training sessions on the topics requested. The training sessions will cover all scopes of work within the company ranging from “Industry Terms and Concepts” to “Proofing Graphics and Video”. No matter what department an employee works in, they have each been encouraged to attend any and all sessions that they would find interesting or helpful for their own personal scope of work.
The more we can each learn about our own jobs, the jobs of our colleagues and the industry within which we work, the more efficient and effective Potratz will become.
Have you ever been to a doctor’s appointment and felt as though your doctor was speaking in a foreign language when diagnosing you? Do you find yourself asking, “Can you repeat that in English Doc?” The frustration you feel is normal and happens due to miscommunications caused by unnecessary jargon.
Industry buzzwords can be useful when attempting to create a unified language within organizations, especially when working in a fast paced environment such as an advertising agency or emergency room. Although they can prove to be useful tools in the business world, problems can arise when attempting to use the same buzzwords or “bizspeak” when dealing with clients.
To the outside consumer these complex phrases can seem like meaningless jargon and can cause miscommunications that may result in lost opportunities when attempting to generate leads or conduct business. It’s important to understand when and when not to use buzzwords so that you don’t come across as if you’re speaking Martian.
Here are some suggestions for dealing with non-industry consumers:
- Create a buzzword thesaurus for yourself and your team — provide common translations for complex industry lingo
- Train your team on the importance of using “normal” language with clients
- When sending communications, try to use language that the other person will understand
Consider the following questions before sending an email or leaving a message on an answering machine:
- How much exposure has the person on the receiving end had in the industry in which you work?
- Are there simple substitutions to some of the complex industry words you are accustomed to?
- Could the message be lost in translation if a secretary or intern is the one taking it?
While not all industry lingo is bad, it’s important to find the balance between sounding informative and sounding confusing to the recipient.
Try and keep these tips in mind the next time you have a conversation with a potential client.
Facebook is constantly changing it’s website to stay fresh and new, as well as keeping up to speed with the ever changing world of online marketing. This happens so often it can be hard to stay up to date with what is going on, but don’t worry, we are here to help! So what’s new on Facebook this week? The answer is retargeting.
Retargeting, in case you may have forgotten, allows you to create a list of who has visited your website and subsequently places ads on the pages they visit after. This means that if a person visits your website, they will see your various ads over and over again on different websites they visit, allowing the opportunity to keep your business at the top of their mind.
With retargeting on Facebook, an additional retargeting code is added to your dealership page, which builds a list. This list is then used to display your ads on Facebook to those same users, allowing them to see your ad again and again on their Facebook page.
Retargeting on Facebook is a very helpful tool and the bottom line is that your retargeting ads can now be expanded to Facebook. While this will require expanding the budget a little, ads can be run for as little as $25 a week! So, what are you waiting for? If you’re ready to reach the 75% of users over the driving age currently using Facebook, then contact us now to get started.
Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at Potratz? You already know that we’re a full service advertising agency specializing in digital marketing, but what does that really tell you about us? Maybe you’re picturing the cast of Mad Men fast-forwarded through the decades, or maybe you’re simply thinking of The Office and it’s shenanigans. While both of these presumptions aren’t completely wrong, they’re not completely right either. Walking through the front door of Potratz is like walking into another world…and it’s an ad world after all. Hidden behind the 27” iMac screens, sitting on the edge of Herman Miller chairs, you will find the Potratz team.
Walk upstairs and witness a floor full of eager Account Managers checking their email or making a phone call at any given time. Walk down the hall and see our Human Resources director meeting with the greatest talent the Capital Region has to offer. Head back downstairs and you will find the graphic designers, video producers, and digital marketing team hard at work. Venture around the halls and you will find Paul and his pocket square shooting the newest Think Tank Tuesday video, or Christy teaching the latest leadership session. We may still sound like your average advertising agency thus far, but I can assure you we are not.
From decorating our walls with Man Candy Monday images to rocking out to the best music of the 90’s on Boy Band Fridays, we are anything but average. Wednesday morning you will find us all around the conference room table, anxiously awaiting this week’s Fish award winner while enjoying our well-deserved coffee and bagels. But the thing that truly sets us apart from the rest is who we are. You will find us researching the latest trends and applying them before they even become trends. You will find us striving to go above and beyond what is expected of our services. And most importantly, you will find a little piece of each of us in every piece of work we do.
So what is it that makes our agency so great? Maybe it’s the strong and dedicated connection we have with our clients. Maybe it’s our innovation. Or maybe it’s all of our unique personalities, our exceptional talent, and our dedication to this industry pushing us forward.
Digital marketing is no longer part of the future, digital marketing is the present. So, what are you waiting for? Become part of the Potratz team today!
The CADEX East Conference announced that Paul Potratz, founder and COO of Potratz, will be a featured speaker when the conference meets on Friday, April 5, at the Casino Nova Scotia, in Halifax.
This is the second annual CADEX Spring Training event, and the speakers will be bringing industry-leading ideas on key topics to the Maritimes.
For more information on the 2013 CADEX East Conference, click here. For additional information on Potratz or to receive announcements of future speaking engagements, contact us now.
Last week, Facebook announced they would be launching verified Pages to “help people find the authentic accounts of celebrities and other high-profile people and businesses on Facebook.” Users will be able to distinguish which Pages are verified by a small blue check mark besides their name that will appear on timelines, in search results and everywhere on Facebook.
As of right now, this isn’t an option for everyone on Facebook and it is done automatically for a Page of a certain stature; currently it is only available for a small group of prominent people including celebrities, journalists, government officials, popular brand and businesses with larger audiences.
My guess is that eventually this will be rolled out to all business pages allowing them to verify their Facebook Page as legitimate. The benefit of this new feature is that a user will automatically be able to decipher between legitimate and fake Pages without having to do a lot of research. This could essentially help in the growth of Likes; since a user will have no question as to whether a page is real or not, they may be more likely to click to most sought after “Like” button.
Until this feature is available to all Facebook Pages, there are still some steps you can take to help your business page stand out. If you look at a business page, that little box underneath the business name is your holy grail, providing your fan with EVERYTHING they need to know about you!
- Make sure you add your category; just because you have a Facebook Page that represents your business name that does not mean that a user will automatically register what type of business you are. In addition, by adding this to your profile page, you also increase your chances of showing up in a Facebook search.
- The same goes for your address. If you don’t put where you are located your fans will not know where to find your place of business! Sure, they can go to your website and search for it, but the easier it is for them, the more likely they are to visit your location.
- The above applies to your phone number and hours as well. If your fan doesn’t know how or when to reach you, they won’t.
- There are other tidbits of information you can add in your “About” section as well, including your website, a description of your business, and links to other social media sites you might be active on. These are all important as well, but the information in the top box is what the customer sees without having to take the step to find out more about you.
- Have a STRONG profile picture and cover photo.
- The profile picture is the image that shows up in the search. If it doesn’t help represent your place of business, the less likely your customer is going to click on your Page.
- Your cover photo is by far the largest image on your Page, and it is the first thing your fan will see once they click on your Page!
If you’re ready to get started on your social media marketing, it’s time you contact us to take your social media to a new level!
Heat mapping is an analytic tool that allows you to see where visitors are clicking on your website. Using this tool enables you to visualize different types of data, including which images, buttons and links people are clicking on. If one of your goals is to consistently improve the consumers’ website experience by analyzing their behavior on your site, heat mapping is a must. Knowing where they’re going, what they’re clicking on, what is NOT getting any clicks and making changes based on this information will lead to more conversions.
There are a few different types of heat maps such as click heat maps, scroll heat maps and mouse movement heat maps. Click heat maps shows the exact locations where visitors’ cursors clicked on a webpage, such as which images and links are most clicked on. Scroll heat maps show you what percentage of visitors are reaching the different portions of your web page, which helps you decide where and what to move to increase more profitable traffic. Mouse movement heat maps shows where visitors are looking on your site by tracking where the visitors’ cursors hover.
With being able to visually see what is working and not working on your site enables you to make changes that will lead to more conversions and profit for your business. If you’re on the advertising and marketing side and evaluating clients’ websites, these tools are extremely handy and beneficial. One example is that you can take screen shots and show your client exactly where visitors are going and what they’re doing on the site. With this colorful visual data, yourself or a client, can make informed decisions on what changes to make and why to make them.
There are a number of different heat mapping programs out there. Before choosing which program to use, make goals of what you wish to accomplish and choose the program that has the features that suit your needs. Here is a list of just a few of the heat mapping programs available: Attention Wizard, ClickDensity, ClickTale, Crazy Egg and Seevolution. Once you have chosen which heat mapping tool works best with your desired goals, implement and use with the rest of your analytic tools and use this information to make the best possible decisions for greater improvement of your website for your consumer and in the end your business.
From a young age, students are taught that attending college will increase their chances of following a path to professional success. They are repeatedly told that by obtaining a degree, they will be eligible to grab hold of an entry-level salary, post-graduation, up to 40 percent higher than what they would be offered with only a high school degree. Because of this, the common practice for high school graduates is to continue on to higher education.
However, the real question is: How much does higher education actually prepare an individual for the “real world?”
As a recent college graduate working as an apprentice in the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) department of Potratz, I can honestly say that college has not prepared me for the work that I encounter on a daily basis. While my degree in Marketing Communications has certainly helped me understand the marketing and advertising fields as a whole, SEM is such a new form of marketing that changes so rapidly. There is no way that a higher education school could build a course that is consistently teaching students up-to-date information.
It is because of this issue that I believe the SEM apprenticeship offered at Potratz is such a great opportunity. This six-week paid program goes in-depth to teach apprentices everything they will need to know about the SEM field. The daily teaching sessions mixed with nightly homework assignments ensure that apprentices are getting ample opportunity to learn all necessary information, preparing them for the Google AdWords Fundamentals and Search certification exams. In addition, apprentices are paired with Potratz SEM employees in order to get hands on experience working with Google AdWords and help them better understand how to work the program.
Along with preparing for the Google AdWords exams, apprentices are taught the inner workings at Potratz. They are given the chance to work with all departments within the company, teaching them how these departments work together to form the successful automotive advertising agency that Potratz is. At the end of the six weeks, if they choose, apprentices have the chance to apply for any open position within the company.
With the combination of certification classes and learning to work within the company, this apprenticeship is great not only for someone interested in becoming Google AdWords certified, but also for anyone looking for a full-time employment opportunity.
As I stroll in at 9am I can’t help to feel a bit guilty, because my colleagues have been hard at work for the past half hour. As an intern my hours are slightly less than the regular crowd; not only do I enjoy the extra snooze time but this also means that I do not have to get coffee for the staff every morning. Most days I sit behind my iMac; I am a PC guy so that took a little getting used to. I work on various tasks such as posting in AdWords and checking conversion code links to ensure they are installed correctly.
Every once in a while I get to do something really amazing. One day I was lead carpenter of the masterful construction of six desks and two chairs. Might I add, these are in fact the best six desks and two chairs in the building! When there is no need for my expertise in the carpentry field, I am hard at work learning the daily tasks in the SEM department. One of the most important projects we do is our weekly deep dives – I know what you’re thinking and no we don’t have a pool. A deep dive is done once a week for each account and it’s our way of looking at every aspect of the account to make sure everything is running properly. It’s our time to make sure we’re fixing anything that isn’t performing or that is underperforming and see what is performing well. Completing this task requires me to shadow one of the two stars of the SEM department, Renee and Sarah.
My hero, The Great Dan Allen, VP of Creative Services, will also summon me to do some work in Basecamp, because according to him “no one wants to shadow someone all day.” After an epic adventure in Basecamp in which I help organize the projects for all departments, I usually go to a company training where I am able to meet up with my fellow interns and apprentices. A current employee usually teaches these trainings, and we learn not only about the goofs of past and current employees, but a great deal on how not to make those same goofs. At Potratz, they are always learning how to offer the best possible services to their clients, by analyzing past performance and discovering how they can be better.
One of my new projects is making sure all the websites have perfect conversions for their websites. For all our clients reading this, if you get a form filled out and the customer’s name is TEST, please ignore as that is me. When I have finished testing conversions, I continue to help the stars of the SEM department by assisting in posting ads. Given that this is still new to me, I have questions and will send out an SOS to the one and only Justin, the ‘web page god.’AdWords is not a new concept to him, so he can save my ship from sinking immediately. After I have finished my posting it’s about that time to head home and go to work on my two online classes.
Well, there you have it, a day in the life of a Potratz intern.
In all seriousness, I have learned a great deal about the future of marketing and how to utilize technology to the best of its ability. I am happy to have had the opportunity to work with the Potratz team, as they are all incredibly hard workers and phenomenal teachers. The amount I have learned in my past month of interning has been substantial, and will be an enormous help to my future endeavors. Thank you to the Potratz staff. And, by the way, I promise I am not writing this portion because the staff is required to read every blog.
