How much should you be spending on digital in 2017?

By: Patrick Rouillard

According to projections from eMarketer, 2017 will be the first year where digital marketing budgets exceed TV in the US. They also anticipate that by 2020, digital spend will surpass TV by 36%. Likewise, in the article “The End of TV’ from the January 2017 issue of marketing news, the authors identify one of the advantages digital has over other media as the ability to establish a social connection with the audience. They said, “online customer experiences are continually being designed by marketers to create the cultural and emotional bonds that ensure higher degrees of engagement and social acceptance”.  

What does this all mean?

Probably what you already realized - digital marketing is here and obviously not going anywhere. That much is clear. However, what might not be as clear is the amount of marketing dollars you should be allocating towards digital.  You want to increase the spend, but by how much and through what channels? 

If these are questions you and your team are asking, you’re not alone. In fact, digital transformation of the modern corporation is listed as number three on AMA’s 7 Big Problems in Marketing.  And one of the key points made is that an increase in digital means less of a one-sided conversation between seller and buyer and more of a back and forth exchange. As well more communications between buyers. 

How do you best navigate these changes as a marketer?

This Wednesday January 25th you take can take a big step forward to answering some of these questions by attending the latest presentation in AMA Charlotte’s Digital Series - Tips for Planning Your 2017 Digital Marketing Budget. You’ll get expert tips, strategies, and best practices for planning your digital budget from Cassie Bernat, a social media marketing expert who is currently ACN’s social media and content marketing manager. Cassie has worked with brands such as Chiquita, Fresh Express, and Off Broadway Shoes. 
So why continue to ‘guess’ about your digital spend for 2017? AMA Charlotte is here to help. Register here for tickets! 

Maximize Your Social Media Footprint

By: Caitlin Rodermund 

It is no surprise that social media is a driving force for most businesses in the 21st century. But it is not just about creating these accounts; it is about using them to your advantage. Many factors can determine whether your post gets that double tap likable quality or vanish into cyber space. A strong social media presence can have a huge impact on the success of a business. So how do you maximize your social media footprint? Here are a few helpful tips to get you on the right path to successful social media.

1.     Timing is everything

Posting successful content on your social media pages is correlated with the timing of each post. It is important to look at the analytics and see when your followers are mostly online and active. It is important to get the timing right so the most amount of traffic sees the your post.

2.     Follow through with posts

If you are a business that likes to have multiple events a month you need to be posting about each one of those events. Not only do you need to post about the upcoming events but also recap on the previous one. The smart strategy would be to take as many pictures as you can at the event and post one of those. It also helps keep your account consistent and reliable. 

3.     #Hashtags, locations, and tags 

Hashtags are essential in all of your posts in order to reach as many people as possible. They do not always have to be super creative but make them relevant to the posts. If you are posting about exercising put hashtag #healthy. People who search the word healthy will see your post pop up and it might enhance their interest. Locations are necessary because they allow you to notify the audience of your location without having to add it into your caption. People can then click on your location and see where you are and other posts with that location. Also, if you are collaborating with another company/organization make sure you tag them. They might repost your posting and show it to all of their followers.

You might think all of this is trivial in the grand scheme of daily operations but it will make a difference. Social media is only getting bigger and staying in tune with all of the added features is essential to being successful with online marketing. While it might help to have a savvy social media coordinator not everyone can hire one. These hints will help your business get that second look from all your followers and non-followers. Never stop thinking of creative ways to spice up your social media and add that extra flare to your business. If you are interested in more aspects of social media and marketing I highly suggest joining AMA. Check out the Charlotte AMA social media accounts and website and learn how to get involved. 

6 FAQs for The Ronald MacDonald House of Charlotte

By: Patrick Rouillard

You've probably heard of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) but if not, they keep families with sick children close to each other while giving them the care and resources they need. RMHC started in Philadelphia over 40 years ago and now their chapters can be found in more than 63 countries and regions around the world. In 2015, they helped lessen the burden for more than 7 million families going through difficult times.

On Tuesday December 6th, AMA Charlotte will be hosting the SIlverbell Shindig along with CIMA, BMA, CIABC, PRSA and SMCLT and all proceeds will go to the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. Get Tickets HERE.

To familiarize yourself with the amazing work of the RMHC, here are 6 FAQs:

1. What is the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte? The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte is a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children from across the Carolinas and country who are receiving medical treatment in Charlotte medical facilities.
2. Why was a Ronald McDonald House built in Charlotte? The opening of Carolinas Medical Center's new 240-bed Levine Children's Hospital and the expansion of Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital created the need for a nearby facility to host families with sick children seeking world-class medical care in Charlotte.
3. Are there other Ronald McDonald Houses in the Carolinas? The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte is the 5th facility in North Carolina and the first was in Durham in 1980. There are also facilities across North and South Carolina in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, Charleston, Columbia and Greenville NC and SC.
4. Who owns and operates the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte? Ronald McDonald House programs are owned and operated by the local community. The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte is managed by a local Board of Directors.
5. How much does it cost for families to stay in the Ronald McDonald House? The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte offers an economic alternative to families with seriously ill children during short-term and extended hospital stays, as well as the support and comfort of other families facing similar medical crises together. Families are asked to make a modest donation but no one will ever be turned away due to inability to pay.
6. How can I help? Attend the Silverbell Shindig on December 6th or click here to learn more about how to contribute to Charlotte's "home away from home" for families of sick children.

3 Tips for Ensuring Your SEO Strategy Keeps Your Content Interesting

When considering SEO, it’s easy to focus on keywords. And for good reason. At the core of any successful SEO strategy is proper research and use of keywords. However, with all the focus on the strategic use of words that build your content – whether it be a web page, eBook, or case study – you want to make sure the quality of the content is not being sacrificed for the strategy. And by quality I mean how readable and appealing your content is to the target audience. Because if your content is not interesting to them, you won’t get the results you want- no matter how effectively you employ keywords.

This can be especially true in B2B, where there can be the tendency to produce dry content because business professionals are the target audience. In fact, Heather Lloyd-Martin from SEO Content Institute recently said in an interview “Some industries expect content to be dry and boring, but it doesn’t have to be. Yes, you need to get facts to the buyer. But factual and boring aren’t the same thing”.

So what steps can you take to make sure you’re not producing content that will make your prospects fall asleep in their chair? Here are 3 tips:

1.  Watch your tone

In B2B, just because you’re marketing to business professionals doesn’t mean your content needs to read like a textbook, no matter how technical your product or service may be. Prospects are going to relate best to materials that read like people talk. Meaning the writing should flow in a conversational style.  This will help the piece seem more inviting to read and allow the prospects to easily connect with it. I think a ‘business casual’ style of writing works best, where your content would read as if you were having a conversation with the prospect during a meeting or at a trade show.

2. Use storytelling

Effective storytelling works just as well in B2B as it does in B2C. When making a purchase decision for a product or service, business buyers are obviously motivated by improving the bottom line. However, personal motivations can play just as large of a role. Maybe it could help them get a promotion, or even just save enough time to be home earlier for their families.  Whatever the reason, storytelling can keep your content interesting by helping clearly express benefits that appeal to both the business and personal buying motivations of your prospects.

3. Have people outside the target audience read the content

One way to effectively test how engaging your content is to have people who are not in the target audience read it. This allows you to see where your content falls on the ‘readability scale’. Because even though they may have no knowledge, interest, or use for your product, they can provide useful feedback on how well it flows. You and your team know your audience, so you already know its ‘useful’ content for them. The question you’re trying to answer with this exercise is “Is it written in an appealing, conversational-style where anyone can make their way through it and get the general idea?”

Hope these tips help. Interested in more on SEO best practices?

Don’t miss AMA Charlotte’s digital marketing event this Tuesday 10/18 at UNION:  Performing SEO audits with Sona Medspa’s CMO Rene Fielder and Digital Marketing Director Brett Lutz.

Click Here For Details and Registration