WTF is cross-device tracking? And what you need to know about it
Cross-device tracking is a popular marketing term used to describe our ability to observe customers’ behavior as they navigate between devices. Here’s how it works in real life. For example, you might hear about a new product while you’re watching television. Because you’re already surfing Facebook on your tablet, you might simply search for the product in Facebook or Google. That’s one touch point. On Monday morning, you might need a little break (and some retail therapy) during work and revisit that site from your smartphone. That’s two touch points. You see a promotional offering, so you enter your email. That’s three. Then it’s back to the grind until you get home, shift through your email again, and complete the purchase – promo code and all – from your desktop computer. That’s four. At minimum. Unless you enter your email and log in each time you visit that site, chances are that this company thinks you are a new user every time you visit. This makes it difficult for them to know what type of information you need at any given time. During the discovery phase, you may simply want general product information. Eventually, you may want to see social proof of how other customers liked your product, promo codes, and deep benefit descriptions. Knowing what customers are really looking for allows you or your digital marketing agency to better meet your prospects needs. If you’re new to the cross-device debate, here is everything you need to know about why it’s important and what we can and cannot do for our customers. What exactly is cross-device tracking: Right now, cross device tracking is somewhat limited. As we mentioned above, unless a customer logs in on each device, which they usually don’t because there’s no intrinsic value in logging in until they’re ready to make a purchase, your digital marketing agency will be somewhat blind about cross-device behavior. Right now, companies use a combination of website cookies from past logins and IP address mapping to make rough estimates about who is doing what, where, and when. In other words, that’s a lot of guess work. Customers that surf the web on a private browser or clear their cache and delete or restrict their cookies, complicate this issue even further. Why do businesses care about tracking: Although it may seem like a lot of work to crack the cross-device question, businesses know there is huge value in understanding this piece of user behavior. When you consider companies such as Amazon or Netflix that recognize their customers across devices and applications, the value becomes a little clearer. These companies are able to carefully select and serve content based on their customers’ behavior. Usually, we see this in the form of product recommendations, suggested automatic reorders, and highly tailored promotional offerings that drive sales. A good digital marketing agency can also parse out the type of content a customer needs on a certain device. For example, most big-ticket purchases, such as a cruise or vacation, may start with some research and discovery on a mobile device or tablet, but the sale itself almost always happens on a desktop computer. Conversely, close to 40% of small retail goods are sold via a mobile device or app. The customer experience is not a one device fits all model, and your marketing shouldn’t be either. Are there any solutions out there: Aside from Amazon and Netflix, two companies that notoriously nail cross-device tracking are Google and Facebook. Because these brands allow and encourage users to stay logged in on a variety of devices, they are able to track customer exit and entry points to and from their sites. That means they know where you’re going when you leave (see, that advertisement for a new gym in town really did work!), and where you’re coming from. This success is compounded because many other sites use Facebook or Google as a single sign on entry point to log in or register for their sites, expanding these social media giants’ visibility even further. Recently, Adobe also announced the arrival of an up-and-coming cross-device co-op. The premise hinges on a variety of companies sharing data about their existing customers to close this gap. The good news for customers is that no co-op participants will receive additional private or personal data. That is to say, if your customer entered an email address and phone number on one site, but visited a second site and only provided their name, neither company will receive that additional information. Instead of sharing data, the co-op will simply provide insight into how customers are migrating between devices so marketers can do their job better. Although many details of the co-op are still private, Adobe worked with the Forum for Future Privacy to ensure customers were fully protected as they built this information exchange. How will this impact my business: If done right, successful cross-device tracking will allow marketers to cut back on advertising clutter, and encourage every advertising agency to get crisper about what they release in the market. Long-term, it could mean fewer advertisements and the emergence of more relevant, tailored content. In the short-term, it enables businesses to begin targeting content to their customers’ expectations, which will also improve the customer experience. Cross-device tracking is still a relatively new marketing discipline, but you and your content marketing agency will undoubtedly find new ways to harness this potential as more products like Adobe’s cross-device co-op make it easier to serve your customers the right information at the right time.
Adobe announces co-op for the Adobe Marketing Cloud
Unless you work for Google or Facebook, one of your biggest pain points is probably distinguishing which channels are performing best. When attributing conversion credit across your online channels, you or your digital marketing agency analysts may use a variety of methods to determine who gets the win. Do you use the last touch model, giving credit to the desktop site where your customer closed their transaction? Do you try to spread allocation evenly across all devices and channels in case your customer realized they wanted to purchase while surfing your social media sites from their iPad? Do you think that first touch introductory email promotion is more valuable? Or do you just feel like giving up? We feel your pain. Until now, Google and Facebook have enjoyed a tight premium on solving this problem. Because these social media platforms use single sign on technology that allows customers to travel between devices while easily logging in (and subsequently staying logged in) to a variety of connected applications and sites. Because these platforms also log their users’ name and personal data rather than simply assigning them a number or unique identifier, it’s easy for these organizations to track their users’ exact behavior across all devices and channels. Every time a customer visits a site – regardless of device or whether or not they feel inclined to enter their login information again – Google and Facebook can easily track their behavior. Of course, companies are eager to get in on this premium information, and happily pay a premium price for it. Without a partnership with Google or Facebook, companies had to attempt to cobble together a picture using user cookies, cross referenced with their IP address, cross referenced by any login information that user deigned to provide. In other words, an incomplete picture. Last week, Adobe announced they’d be making a huge stride toward closing this knowledge gap in the new Adobe Marketing Cloud. Enter the first cross-device co-op. What is Adobe Marketing Cloud’s cross device co-op: Adobe Marketing Cloud’s cross-device co-op will allow companies both big and small to submit a variety of customer data to a highly secured “cryptographically hashed login ID and HTTP header” that will at once log, aggregate, and encrypt all customer data. Don’t let the tech speak fool you, the bottom line is that companies will be able to see when their customers are switching between devices and how they are behaving on each. The trick is that the picture becomes clearer as more companies (and thus their user data) join the co-op, but no company will receive an unfair benefit because marketers will only be able to access information about their existing customers rather than new or potential users. The co-op also protects all user information so only their cross-device behavior is available, while new information (such as email address, mailing information, or cross-site log in information) remains securely off limits to co-op participants. Adobe worked with the Future of Privacy Forum to ensure the co-op structure met all current privacy regulations and expectations while still providing real value to co-op members. Although the cross-device co-op won’t debut for several months and Adobe hasn’t released specifics for co-op participants yet, it could revolutionize our ability to tailor marketing content in more meaningful ways. This announcement heralds one of the biggest digital marketing breakthroughs we’ve seen in years … and with Adobe’s name and reputation of excellence stamped on the project, we expect great things. How do you benefit from Adobe Marketing Cloud’s new co-op: You may be asking yourself how you receive value from the co-op if you don’t receive customer information? The answer lies in using your newfound understanding of what your customers are doing on which device to provide more tailored content. We recommend partnering with a digital marketing agency or content marketing agency to craft specific campaigns that speak to your customers’ needs depending on what device they are on. Serving the right information at the right time can help prepare your prospects to make an informed and confident purchase decision. This moves potential customers to point of sale more quickly and ensures they are choosing the right product for their needs, which boosts retention and lifetime value. If you don’t have an advertising agency by the time Adobe Marketing Cloud’s cross-device co-op goes live, take time to carefully unpack each channel’s behavior before launching new advertising campaigns into market. Supplement this information with user testing and market research to ensure you understand the ways your customers are moving in and out of the purchase journey. The co-op will help. You will make the content relevant. The co-op will not provide a new bevy of customer data that was previously off limits or give you insight into other brands that they engage with, instead, it will help you understand your existing customers’ psychology and create a deeper bond by speaking to them directly. The co-op will support the ever-growing emphasis on individualized marketing content and highly personalized targeting and advertising efforts. We believe Adobe’s co-op will be the first of many efforts to break down our blind spots and serve our customers better without invading their privacy. Marketing is a delicate balance between advertising products and educating consumers so their needs are met in new and unique ways. Tools that allow us to understand how customers prefer to interact with brands helps us accomplish this goal. The results give us a new opportunity to discover customer needs they never knew they even had and bring them closer to brands in more meaningful ways.
Will customers embrace the new sponsored Instagram ads?
When Instagram first debuted, people flocked to the quick and easy, transactional photo sharing application. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, users’ photos were truly worth a thousand words. With no elaborate profiles or deeper agenda beyond documenting and sharing photos, Instagram was a class all its own. Pithy captions, profile links, and subtle calls to action have since become the norm; but the heart of Instagram has remained a personal photo sharing experience. One of the biggest differentiators for Instagram was that were no sponsored Instagram ads. Ever. At that time, 100% of all content was user generated. Then in 2012, Facebook purchased Instagram (for a cool, one billion dollars). Although Facebook’s advertisement model has worked well and continues to be one of the most lucrative social platforms for advertisers, the social media giant realized they could not map the Facebook experience directly onto Instagram. Today, that may be changing. Here’s a brief history of sponsored Instagram ads, previous advertising strategies, and what’s on the horizon. Why sponsored Instagram ads worked in the past: When Instagram went live, their digital marketing strategy was somewhat unclear. But like many great ideas, it was only a matter of time before someone found a way to monetize this experience. Unlike Facebook, which only serves approximately 10% – 20% of all content to any given user, Instagram users see every piece of content that hits their feed. This presented a unique opportunity for marketers because users were used to seeing content that was completely relevant to their tastes. To protect this experience, Facebook very carefully introduced sponsored Instagram ads into the mix and monitored everything from conceptualization to implementation for each and every sponsored Instagram advertisement. Brands (via their digital marketing agency) were able to subtly advertise products, destinations, and services by adding links to their photos and profiles without disrupting the social ecosystem because user engagement was so high. They used a precise algorithm to serve highly personalized and targeted ads (that looked exactly like user content) to individuals who shared a variety of success indicators with a given brand. Facebook imposed strict guidelines on what sponsored Instagram ads could show, the type of verbiage that was appropriate, and how prospects were targeted. The results were phenomenal. Many users did not choose to opt out of ads (or even realize they were receiving ads) and began to engage with new brands in deeper and meaningful ways. Instagram and Facebook had cracked the future of digital marketing for every business and digital marketing agency in the world. Talk about a game changer. How it will continue to work in the future: But things are changing. Instagram is now taking their advertising techniques one step farther. They will soon use a new API to connect popular social media marketing agency platforms, such as Salesforce and Brand Networks, to their users’ Instagram feeds. This means that every digital marketing agency and content marketing agency will be able to create and serve their own content to the Instagram network. While this may seem like a pool of untapped potential for your advertising agency, it’s unclear how the Instagram user base will respond. Instagram advertising will no longer be a highly-curated experience as agencies begin uploading (flooding) advertisements into their user feeds. Despite the risk, the rewards seem to outweigh any immediate concerns. Instagram will enjoy a more traditional pay-to-play advertising model while your social media marketing agency will now be able to move campaigns to market more quickly. Smaller companies that could not afford to participate in Instagram’s previous advertising model will now have an opportunity to get in on the action, and larger companies will receive even more advertising perks. It goes without saying what Instagram stands to gain … But just in case: the results, according to eMarkter forecasts, is an increase in ad revenue from $600 million to $2.8 billion by 2017. What these changes mean for your business: If you’re working with an advertising agency or content marketing agency, they have probably already begun thinking about how to leverage this new experience for your business. And if you don’t have an agency yet, now is a good time to get one. Instagram advertising is poised for success before the market becomes saturated with advertisements. Being an early entrant into the new Instagram advertising structure gives you a unique opportunity to participate in the system and reap the benefits before users grow tired of receiving ads. It’s hard to say how long this current Instagram marketing trend will last (after all, users may become less engaged with the ads – or worse – less engaged with the platform entirely if their feeds are flooded with content that does not interest them). For now, however, Instagram still represents nothing but opportunity, so it’s a great time to get in on the action. What it means for your customers: As marketers, we’re naturally excited about this opportunity, but we also hope both Instagram and our advertising peers step up their game to ensure that all content that does go into the Insta-world still meets the same standards their user base has grown to love and expect. In many ways, Instagram is both the final frontier for strictly user-generated content (which we love!), and the first step toward right-for-me, highly-targeted, 100% customized content. The tipping point will be in the balance of how these ads are crafted and whether our desire to advertise wins out over our desire to engage our audiences. We know, we’re getting deep (see above). But we genuinely look forward to seeing how this new API system fares and how customers embrace these changes. If we have anything to say in it, these changes reaffirm our commitment to superlative content marketing and highly-engaging campaigns that delight and surprise users at every stage in the customer journey.
Why you need to know the 6 ways Google’s RankBrain will impact SEO
Because Google never likes to miss an opportunity to keep your favorite SEO marketer and digital marketing agency on their toes, they recently announced that close to 15% of their search queries is answered by a robust artificial intelligence (AI) called RankBrain. RankBrain’s primary function is to more accurately sort through search requests – especially those that are difficult to interpret – and understand what and, more importantly, why people are searching. Cracking these questions allows the search giant to yield better, more focused results. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Wait, what about the Hummingbird algorithm? I just got used to THAT update!” … Don’t worry. The RankBrain AI is only responsible for tackling more complex queries that don’t have clear SEO keyword mapping. The Hummingbird SEO ranking methodology is still very much in play, so no SEO company is off the hook – or out of work just yet. That isn’t to say that RankBrain won’t have a significant impact on search engine marketing itself, it simply means the old rules still apply too. Here are our top six predictions on how Google’s new artificial intelligence could change the game of SEO. 1. Keyword stuffing is out: Keyword stuffing and link loading have always been a dangerous game, even in Google’s earliest days. With RankBrain, any attempts at black hat SEO strategy may become even more obsolete. Because RankBrain’s primary function is to break down difficult queries, it also has the ability to interpret “difficult” – or vague – search result content. The AI will be able to categorize content relevance more accurately to reveal query matches that were previously disconnected. This allows Google to hone in on better, more straightforward search results and eliminate any attempts at faking those rankings. Vague and wordy content simply won’t fly. 2. Pay to play paid search is in: More accurate search results also means that the average advertising agency may abandon the pay-per-impression search model all together. Although this may seem like a radical statement, the potential is there. The less-expensive “spray and pray” model won’t be as effective if all content – from advertisements to search results – becomes more aligned with searchers’ expectations. Instead, the pay-per-click model will likely emerge as the favored (or even exclusive) paid search strategy. Because each click would represent a more engaged or qualified user, the price of this model will likely go up as well. Google will need to balance current paid search pricing with the emergence of better results to avoid advertising monopoly and give the little guys an equal opportunity to afford and participate in the new search order. 3. RankBrain offers a better user experience: RankBrain will, without question, will lead to a better user experience. Google already has an excellent reputation for search results, but a more intelligent AI will only improve that reputation. Users can expect better results, more accurate information, easier access to information and knowledge, and a less frustrating browsing experience. RankBrain may do for Google what Google did for AskJeeves just a few decades ago. And, we just can’t wait. 4. Computer generated content (may be) king: Have you ever noticed how marketers like to crown someone or something king? Every time a new marketing trend hits, the debate continues: is content still king? And the answer is most certainly yes, with one minor exception. As search engine marketing becomes more accurate, the quality of information will need to improve as well. Computer generated content may be a way for SEO agencies to supplement their traditional content creation to ensure they have a healthy mix of content that is interesting and personalized. We still believe in that human touch, but after all, you can’t compete with a computer when it comes to fact checking. Computer generated content can also close gaps around queries that currently don’t have content thanks to RankBrain’s ability to understand what users are actually looking for. 5. SEO marketers bringing their A-game: SEO marketers will need to bring their A-Game if they hope to compete against artificial intelligence. The role of a strong content marketing agency will become even more important as the need for truly meaningful, relevant content emerges against a deluge of new content loaded with facts and figures. To ensure human generated content continues to rank and remain relevant, SEO agencies will need to raise the bar and generate more engaging content than ever before. Our bet is on the emergence of photo, video, and rich media assets to complement strict copy-based content. As consumers’ attention span decreases and appetite for information increases, this hybrid content approach may become a win-win situation. 6. Not just the what, but the why: What makes RankBrain so fascinating is that it’s main goal is not only to understand what users are searching for, but why they are searching in the first place. Although Google has given no indication that they would share this information with your digital marketing agency, we suspect that learnings from this initiative will find a way into the market as Google finds secure ways to do so without violating their users’ privacy. As marketers, this prospect excites us more than any other because that “why” holds the key to brand loyalty, sales, retention, and advocacy. Sometimes SEO marketing doesn’t seem as glamorous or sexy as traditional marketing, but we’re here to tell you this is one of the coolest breakthroughs we’ve seen in search history. How we search and discover information, brands, and connections is not only the heart of marketing, but the heart of most modern human interactions. To see how we utilize SEO in its fullest potential to market brands like yours more strategically and efficiently, check out our SEO services.
The top digital marketing trends for 2016 that you need to know
With the first quarter of 2016 well underway, the biggest digital marketing trends of the year are beginning to emerge. Don’t wait while the competition tackles the biggest bets of the season: bring you – and your company – up to speed on this year’s most critical digital marketing trends. Although many of the tried and true trends from years past are still making the cut, 2016 brings new breakthroughs in customization and data mining that take our top digital marketing trends to the next level. Content marketing Are you surprised to see this at the top of the list (again)? We weren’t. The amount of money companies are willing to spend on content creation has been steadily increasing over the past five years. It’s also ranked as having the highest predicted impact on commercial marketing in 2016 according to Smart Insights. Whether you choose to create new content in-house or leverage a local Florida digital marketing agency like ours, it’s important that all your content is crisp, clear, and speaks directly to your target audience. It’s time to get painfully focused on your top customers – the rest will follow in a halo effect of unbeatable brand value. Mobile marketing Census studies show that more than 60% of consumers are willing to make a major purchase on a mobile device. In years past, the hurdle was getting customers to purchase big ticket items online. Now, we’ve reached a pivotal point where people are not only willing to purchase online, but they’re willing to do it from their mobile phones. This means businesses must invest in responsive websites, mobile friendly e-commerce platforms, and streamlined trial and purchase flows. If your website is still stuck in 1999, the quickest (and most effective) way to bring your site up to speed is to work in partnership with a digital marketing agency. Due to the importance of good user interface and information architecture, we don’t recommend beginners go the DIY route. Splurge here and prepare for the future with a clean, easy-to-use mobile-ready site. SEO enhancements As competition heats up, SEO will become even more critical as a competitive advantage. Google has (again) changed their search results pages sending many search marketers into a flurry of activity. Earlier this month, Google removed text ads from the right rail of their search results and will now show four paid ads before users see organic search results (with a maximum of four ads per search query). That means showing up in that number-one organic search slot is even more important than EVER if you hope to compete with paid advertisers. Understanding how internal linking, tagging, and content marketing play a part in search rankings is a great place to start. Simple but effective enhancements can easily be done on your own, so we recommend starting there and then partnering with a digital marketing agency if you need a little extra fire power. Personalized marketing Personalized marketing has the power to disarm prospects and add new value to your existing (and hopefully repeating) customer base. Receiving personalized emails, custom product recommendations, or promotions and offers based on behavioral triggers are one of the most powerful ways to engage your audience. It’s no secret that people like feeling as if you’re talking directly to them or tailoring an experience to their needs. Even though yes, we admit, it’s kinda creepy. However! This speaks to the fundamental marketing psychology principle that people are more likely to convert if the experience has greater perceived value to them – and the best way to boost someone’s perceived value is to speak to them (rather than at them) and anticipate their needs. Using data to look for trends in your customer base and creating a marketing plan around these behaviors is one way to do it. Layering in “right for me” product selectors, quizzes, or bundles is another easy way to get close. Leveraging big data Knowledge is power. Which is why big data is such a powerful tool. While the data itself isn’t a trend per se, using it to craft better website content and create meaningful digital marketing experiences is. Partnering with a digital marketing agency or third party data management tool can give you the detailed insight into your customers that you crave and need to succeed. The sheer volume of information we have about our customers and people like them is staggering – the trick is using it to make a best-in-class marketing experience. Digital specialists are best positioned to achieve this goal and help you understand the levers you need to pull to enhance your customer experience. Retargeting Retargeting is the marriage between personalized marketing and big data. Dropping cookies onto your customer experience to both track trends and serve them content based on what they were previously looking for is invaluable and one of the biggest conversion drivers to combat cart abandonment or close large scale purchases. Retargeting allows you to remind your prospects why they want to move forward in the purchase experience or show them new products and experiences your brand has to offer. Amazon owns this experience. Well, there you have it. Now hire us already, geez.
5 digital marketing tools to help your small businesses succeed
Choosing the right digital marketing tools can feel incredibly overwhelming as a small business owner. HOW do you navigate this ever-changing web landscape on your own? Do you absolutely need to hire a full-time digital marketing specialist? What about a marketing agency? The good news is – there is no wrong answer, and there are a ton of resources at your disposal. To help you determine the best strategy, these are our top five recommended tools to jumpstart your digital marketing strategy. You can choose to leverage these on your own. Alternatively, you can partner with an agency to grow bigger, faster. Google analytics: Google analytics is a simple, effective tool to help you track your online traffic, discover trends, and pinpoint behavioral patterns. It’s fairly user friendly after a few online tutorials, so don’t be afraid to dig in and try this one on your own. It’s especially important to feel comfortable reading and gathering data as a small business owner so you can digest and validate any information regarding the health of your business. If you only dedicate time to learning one digital marketing skill this year, Google Analytics gets our vote. GoToWebinar: Increase your reach and get the word out by using GoToWebinar. This platform allows you to broadcast sales calls, product and service releases, announcements, and speeches to hundreds of people at once. It encourages viral integration, so it will help generate buzz for your business. If you’re comfortable speaking in public and want to unleash your creative side, GoToWebinar is a straightforward, powerful platform. However, crafting webinars that will generate leads and reel in ROI can be time consuming, so this is a good opportunity to partner with an agency or take a hybrid approach (i.e., an agency creates the content, you present it) if your team is too small for this type of indirect marketing. SEO support: SEO support is probably the best place to splurge and hire a digital marketing agency. SEO rankings are one-part science and one-part art. High rankings require blending content marketing, tagging, and back-linking to boost your search engine results. If you are already tech savvy, the actual work isn’t as difficult as you think; but if the thought of a meta tag makes you want to break out in hives, it’s best to leave this critical piece of the puzzle to the pros. A strong content marketing agency will guide you in choosing the right keywords to target, help you craft content that will rank around those terms, and ensure your site is optimized for search engine crawlers. HootSuite: It’s common knowledge that social media is a key to engaging with your audience. Use a tool like HootSuite to schedule your posts in advance and aggregate multiple social accounts and platforms into one easy-to-access place. HootSuite is easy to set up and use, so this is another great place to begin playing in the online space on your own. Not only can you use this platform to schedule posts weeks in advance on multiple channels, but you can also respond to feedback about your brand. This gives you a great opportunity to showcase your true, authentic brand voice. WordPress: Building a blog on WordPress takes the power of social media one step farther. Well written blogs can significantly boost SEO, drive traffic to your site and build credibility in your industry. Plus, WordPress is an incredibly easy platform to build your blog on. If you like writing, blogging can be a fun and cathartic way to express your professional passions. However, hiring a content marketing agency to work with you on blog topics or keywords will ensure your blog gets the most mileage and supports your SEO needs at the same time. With these five tools, you’re practically a digital marketing pro already. So what are you waiting for? Start exploring! To learn more about our Digital Marketing services, click here.
6 resume tips to help the struggling marketing college grad
It may be the holidays, but if you’re in college, it’s not too early to start thinking about employment prospects for after graduation. People who start their search now will have much better luck securing a full-time advertising agency job fresh out of school than those who put off their job search in favor of late-night parties and lazy Sundays. But in order to start your search right, it is essential to polish your resume so it’s in tip-top shape. Here are some resume tips from our Florida ad agency to help you land the job. Go digital: First of all, paper resumes are going the way of… well, just about anything else that’s paper. In lieu of a resume, try creating an about.me digital resume profile instead for an interactive experience that also demonstrates your commitment to design and technology. If you really want to set yourself apart from the competition, link back to it with a QR code on a business card. Outline your strengths: If you want to avoid waiting tables at TGI Friday’s for the next decade, your resume should outline your academic strengths and extracurricular accomplishments. Even if you aren’t expecting to graduate at the top of your class, you can still add other extras like intramural sports, time spent volunteering and membership in any clubs. (And, if you’re in your final year of college and your only extracurricular activities involve drunken phone calls at 4 a.m. and sleeping through your brand strategy course lecture, then it’s time to venture off campus and try a few new things.) Show off your personality: You’ll also want to include snippets of information that emphasize your own uniqueness. Think it’s not relevant that your improv troupe, The Yes Andersons, sold out a show in a makeshift basement theater under Jonny’s Meats & More? Think again. Feats like that can demonstrate initiative, as well as display essential marketing and public speaking skills. Or, your potential employer may have had his own improv troupe back in the day, which is a great icebreaker for a hiring conversation. If you’re hoping to show your skills as a designer, include this list as a sidebar for added effect. No Comic Sans! While a resume and accompanying online portfolio may be great places to display any artistic talents, which may be highly in demand in many marketing segments, it’s not the place to use the surprising popular cartoonish font that everyone loves to hate, comic sans. The silly and overused font stemmed directly from comic book font and looks unprofessional as a chosen resume font, unless you’re applying for a job as a comic book superhero. Offer social media links: In this day and age, it should be a given that any potential employer is going to check your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr and any other accounts you have. This is particularly true in marketing, where companies will rely on your social media savvy and following. Research shows that an employer who takes a few minutes to check out an applicant’s Facebook page can learn more about what kind of employee they might be. Perhaps surprisingly, it turns out that all your crazy photos might be a benefit – it shows extraversion and suggests that you are friendly. Exploit this by listing all your social media on your resume, for easy access. List your favorite blogs: To show off your dedication to marketing, it helps to list a few of your favorite marketing blogs. May we suggest: TechCrunch, Mashable, Fast Company, All Things D, Business Insider, Ad Age and of course our very own Orlando marketing agency’s blog, EyeFull. Take these resume tips into consideration, and we guarantee you’ll be the first person a marketing employer calls. Heck, maybe you could even come work for us at our Florida advertising agency.
Disposable to Uploadable: The digital world take over
Let’s think back to the days of disposable cameras and film rolls. In order to develop pictures we had to drive to the local convenient store or supermarket. After the pictures were developed, we would discover only half the batch of pictures were decent enough to keep. Finally, we would bring them home to cut and paste (no Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V functions allowed) to our favorite scrapbook or photo album. Sound exhausting? Maybe that’s because we’ve gotten used to the instant gratification of digital and mobile photography. Ever heard of the term “mupload?” You won’t find this term in any ordinary dictionary. It was created by the online social world, meaning “mobile upload.” A simple click of a button on a mobile camera phone and your photo is instantly uploaded to the internet. There are a ton of apps that have jumped on the mupload bandwagon. Instagram is one such app and it allows iPhone users to remotely upload, edit and share their photographs on social networks. Your friends, your family, the world, the online community or whomever you chose can see what you see at almost that exact moment. The internet is now your favorite scrapbook and you can cut and paste your pictures digitally to create a personalized portfolio of your memories as they happen. So where does your instant artwork go? Online image and video hosting websites hold your photos on giant servers, commonly referred to as the elusive “cloud.” These websites then allow you to create your customized account to archive your gallery of memories. Flickr, Twitter and Facebook are just a few of the leaders in the online image industry. The world of photography is changing. Businesses are now utilizing these websites to connect with their target markets, share photos, events and memories, build brand personality and increase brand awareness. Want an example? Check out what the BIGEYE team is up to on our Flickr, Twitter and Facebook. In fact, market your business and engage your clients through your own image portfolio. We’d be happy to help you create you an online masterpiece. Contact us at info@bigeyecreative.com or 407.839.8599.
