Target Specific Markets With YouTube Ads

We’ve all taken to YouTube to find out how to make a recipe, change a tire or just to watch someone talk about their day, favorite movie or book. YouTube ads have become a great way to target very specific markets as you can easily identify what topics someone is interested in based off of their past viewing habits!

According to recent research, 42.9% of GLOBAL internet users access YouTube monthly with more than a billion hours of content being consumed every single day.

YouTube is most popular with people between the ages of 15 – 35, with the audience leaning slightly towards women. 62% of users in the United States access the site daily, over 122 million people! 

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YouTube Ads come in two options – Skippable and Non-Skippable. 

Skippable Ads

Skippable ads allow the viewer to opt to not watch the advertisement after 5 seconds.

You may be asking yourself why you would want to allow the potential customer to skip your ad, but for those who do choose to watch less than 30 seconds there is no charge! This means you do not have to pay for your advertisement to those who do not watch the full, or majority of the video. 

Skippable ads are great for those looking to optimize their ad budget to the fullest by getting their name out there to customers, but not having to pay for each ad. Youtube requires that these videos be anywhere from 12 seconds to 6 minutes in length. 

And while these ads are great for optimizing your marketing budgets, the goal is still to get people interested in your company and what you have to offer. The best way to do this is to create attention catching videos. 

You want to give the viewer a reason to stick around and watch more of your video than they are required to. 

Some ways to create attention grabbing YouTube Ads: 

  • A story of struggle to success
  • A relatable story 
  • A unpredictable humorous video 

Anything you can create that relates to your brand, keeps the customer interested, and is memorable is the go-to for this style of ad in order to maintain their attention and get your message across. 

Non-Skippable Ads

Non-Skippable Ads are just what the name implies – not able to be skipped. These ads can be up to 15 seconds in length and play before, during, or after the viewer’s selected video. 

Since the viewer is not able to skip your ad, you will be charged based on the number of impressions your video receives. 

These ads are great for those looking to create a call to action video for their campaign. Calls to actions include asking the customer to:

  • Shop your online store
  • Visit your website 
  • Call now 
  • Visit your physical location 
  • Book an appointment 

Bumper Ads are a form of non-skippable ad and are only 6 seconds long! These ads are great to show potential customers a short and memorable video to make an impression. 

Display Ads

Video Discovery Ads

Discovery ads are placed at the top of search results on YouTube, next to related YouTube videos, or on the YouTube mobile homepage for customers to “discover.”

These ads do not automatically play like Skippable and Non-Skippable ads, but include the thumbnail of your video, title and a short description. These ad types encourage people scrolling through YouTube to click and view your video in another tab, which is also when you are charged. 

With the world of advertising always changing it can be hard to keep up. That is why you should leave it to the capable and experienced team at Smart Marketing! We have been helping businesses, big and small, to increase their market share, brand recognition, and brand image for over 10 years. 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Anderson, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina… Coming Soon

What are SMART goals?

When starting a new project it is always important to visualize what you want the end goal to be. We’ve all had those dreams that seem unattainable but that was only because we didn’t have a plan of attack! The same concept applies to marketing as well – if you don’t have an idea of your end goal and how to achieve it, then how will you know when you’re making progress? 

One way to track progress, set goals, and help yourself stick to them is by using SMART goals. 

What are SMART goals? 

SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. Using SMART goals to help you visualize your steps to your goal will help you avoid creating plans that are too vague, aggressive, or poorly thought out. Plans that are not well fleshed out can seem daunting and lead to discouragement.. 

In marketing, SMART goals are used to achieve both an improvement in a company’s revenue and also an increase in their brand awareness with consumers. These goals for companies are usually based on what are known as Key Performance Indicators, KPIs

Companies who provide services may set goals around a specific increase in lead form entries. A product based company may set goals around an increase in a specific product sold following a campaign for it. For example, an X amount of increase in chicken wing sales after a new wing campaign is launched.

For brand awareness, a company may set a goal for engagement around their new campaign. They could also set goals around creating a higher quality email list, or a higher rank on Google following a new SEO approach. One tip for using KPIs for your company is to try and align your Revenue KPIs and Brand KPIs so that the effect your efforts are having on the company are more clear and easier to communicate. 

What does SMART mean? 

Specific – 

Be as specific as possible when setting a goal. The more narrow your focus the easier it will be to identify steps necessary for achieving it.

Measurable – 

What evidence will let you know that you are making progress towards your goal? If your focus is narrow enough then it should not be difficult to determine what you will measure success by. 

This is where those KPIs come into play. Determining KPIs for revenue goals are usually straightforward but choosing ones for brand goals can be more subjective. For example, if your goal is to create a higher quality email list then you could measure it by how many people are opening the email and clicking on the attached links. Set an increasing goal for each new email sent out and keep a record of your progress! 

Attainable – 

Is the goal you have set for your company attainable at this moment? Are there other steps to take first before you can reach this goal? Use past data to determine the possibility of reaching the goals you have set and if they seem like too big of a stretch, reevaluate. The objective is to have challenging goals but not to the point of discouragement. 

Relevant – 

Does this goal contribute to your long term goals for your company? Will achieving this goal be valuable for your broader objectives? 

Time-base – 

How much time will it take to achieve this goal even with a determined approach? Will this goal require a long research period before the actual implementation? If your goals seem to be more long-term, like 6 months to a year, then it may be beneficial to add in some shorter term goals to keep yourself and your team motivated. Setting up a realistic time frame for your goals will help you minimize time wasted and build confidence as you begin to see success. 

 

For full service marketing solutions turn to the pros of SMART Marketing! 

Serving Upstate South Carolina, Georgia and the greater United States since 2010

 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency - What Makes A Great Logo- Logo Design in Anderson SC

What Makes a Great Logo?

In order to determine what makes a great logo, we must begin with the question: what is a logo?

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency - What Makes A Great Logo- Logo Design in Anderson SC

Who better to answer this than one of the top designers in the world, Paul Rand. In his 1991 article Logos, Flags, and Escutcheons, Rand writes that “a logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon, a street sign. A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies. A logo is rarely a description of a business. A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more important than what it looks like.”

A logo must…

  • Be immediately recognizable
  • Inspire trust, admiration, & loyalty
  • Differ from all other logos in the same market niche

A logo is only one aspect of a company’s brand, but it is the identifying factor for every company. With this, a good logo is simple and practical, yet distinctive and must convey a message. A logo should be able to be printed in any size as well as be effective with or without color.

The 5 Principles of Effective Logo Design are as follows:

  1. Simple – unique without being overdrawn
  2. Memorable – easily recognizable
  3. Timeless – effective many years down the road
  4. Versatile – works with a variety of media and applications
  5. Appropriate – appropriate for the intended audience

While designing a logo is it also important to keep in mind the Graphic Design Dos and Don’ts for a logo design!

What if you want to put a border/frame around your logo?

If you choose to put a frame around your logo, be sure to allow there to be some breathing room between the words and the frame. This will ensure that your logo doesn’t look too cramped within its own design.

How do you choose a good font for your logo?

It is also important to choose a font that not only represents the persona of your business but is also legible. If customers can read your business name, they have no way of remembering it!

How do you decide on an icon for your business?

Choosing an icon or object to signify your business can be hard. It is a big decision to make for your company, but it is important to keep in mind that your icon needs to be scalable so that customers can recognize it at any size! It is also important to make your icon just as larger as the wording of your logo. Your icon should be a prominent feature and not an accent for your logo.

 Should you look at competitor’s logos when designing your business’s?

Looking at your competition is always a great way to identify what works well in your industry and what does not. Gaining insight of how customers of your direct competition respond to their marketing allows you to make strategic decisions to better market yourself and gain their attention. Looking at other’s logos also helps you make decisions to differentiate yourself from the crowd. If you are a business owner and you see that all of your competitors use blue and grey as their brand, maybe you will choose to go with red and white!

 

Logo Design, Anderson, SC

Smart Marketing Ad Agency

Professional Photography

3 Reasons Your Business Needs Professional Photos & Videos

With 91% of people using search engines to find new information, it is more important than ever to have a quality presence online. One of the main components of a good online presence is professional photography. High quality images increase your visibility online, as it was found that people are 80% more likely to engage with content if there is also an image, and 64% more likely to remember what they read. 

Professional Photography

Below we have listed just a few reasons why investing in professional photography for your business to showcase your storefront, and employees is so important. 

1: Photos establish your company’s brand identity. 

The images you use on your company’s website and social media are what customers use to get an idea of your brand identity, or your brand’s personality. Images can be used to convey a wittier personality, a more professional personality or whatever personality your business may have, but by making sure that those images are high quality you are ensuring customers think you are a reputable brand. High quality images show customers that quality is important to you, and they should trust you to deliver a high quality good or service. 

 

2: Professional grade photos give a good first impression. 

First impressions are everything when it comes to meeting new people and the same goes for businesses. Greeting potential customers with quality imagery and smiling faces that they can trust is a sure-fire way to make a good first impression. 

 

Using professional pictures of your actual staff gives customers a way to connect with your business and employees before you’ve even met! Showing customers the staff members of your business and a little biography about each individual they may meet when they visit your store is a great way to inspire trust with your potential customers and make that vital connection that will prompt them to patronize your business. For some professions such as lawyers, connecting with people and earning their trust is the bread and butter of what you do. 

 

Here at Smart Marketing, we have been helping businesses of all sizes across the United States for over 10 years and would love to help you take your business to the next level. As an advertising agency, we work with you to create the high-quality content your business needs to bring it to life. If you are a local business in Anderson, South Carolina interested in professional photos or creating a strategic approach to your marketing efforts for your business please contact our marketing firm today! 

 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Anderson, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina… Coming Soon

 

What is Retargeting?

You may have noticed that after online shopping that shirt, lawnmower, or car you’ve looked at seems to follow you everywhere you go online! Or you may have noticed that after visiting a pet store you’re seeing ads for dog food everywhere, or after visiting a bike store you’re seeing bicycles on every webpage. This is actually a type of marketing called Retargeting!

Retargeting uses consumers past actions to show them ads that are relevant to that particular activity, that is why you will notice that one particular shirt you looked at that one time online following you everywhere you go!

Retargeting, referred to by us here at Smart Marketing as Creepy Freaky Marketing, is actually a very successful form of marketing. It was found in a recent study that consumers who saw retargeted ad were up to 70% more likely to convert into paying customers.

In order to serve you ads relevant to your past searches webpages look at the “cookies” stored on your computer, phone or tablet. These “cookies” are put on your computer from every website you visit, think of them like breadcrumbs used in old books to guide characters out of the forest. By looking at the cookies, webpages can identify things that customers may be interested in and serve them an ad relevant to that activity. This is particularly helpful for businesses as it is proven that the more a potential customer is reminded of your product the more likely they are to purchase it.

It will also help you get in front of your competition’s customers! You are able to create something called a “White List” of all websites you wish to keep track of so when someone visits them they are then shown one of YOUR ads. This helps to get customers of your competition to your website and increases your chances of converting them to your product.

It was found that 3 out of 4 customers notice retargeted ads over regular display ads. Retargeted ads also have a click-thru rate of .70% while regular display ads have a click-thru rate of .07%! If you are interested in learning more about retargeting, please get in touch with us here at Smart Marketing Advertising Agency! We have been helping business owners in the Upstate of South Carolina grow their businesses for over 10 years and would love to help you get started with your strategic marketing plan!

 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Anderson, SC

Charleston, SC – Coming soon!

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Why is Blogging Important for your Website?

Why is Blogging Important for your Website?

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Your company’s website is the center for all of its information and maintaining a blog is a great way to showcase to customers just how much you know! We here at Smart Marketing believe that a blog is one of the best ways to increase your SEO, keep your customers interested, and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

How Can Blogging Increase Your SEO?

By maintaining a consistent blogging schedule of quality content, you are showing Google that your website is active and a reputable source of information.

Making sure you use plenty of quality keywords in your content is crucial for your online marketing strategy. Since you are establishing that you are knowledgeable by using relevant keywords to your industry, Google will then show your website to more potential customers! Keywords allow people to find you easier when they search for those words and your website contains them repeatedly.

For example, if you ran a business that sold candles you could write blogs about which candles are best, which candles last the longest, or any other topic someone would be likely to search for when on the market for a new candle!

How Does Blogging Keep Your Customers Interested In Your Business?

Not only does blogging show your customers that you are an expert in your field, but it also will keep them interested in your website and your business as a whole. Studies show that companies that have a blog have 55% more website visitors. And have 434% more indexed pages!

Studies also show that 47% of buyers view 3 to 5 pieces of content before engaging with a salesperson, so having more on your site for visitors to view and read about your business increases the likelihood they will do business with you!

You can also use your blog as a tool to get people to your website from social media or emails! By posting about a topic and linking to an article you’ve written on your website or sending an email about your latest blog post you can encourage potential customers to visit your site and make a purchase.

Blogging is a vital part of having a successful marketing strategy in this time when ranking on Google can make or break a business. SEO is a marathon, not a race.  It takes a combination of strategies to increase your rank on search engines. If you would like to learn more or need some help with your marketing strategy, please contact us here at Smart Marketing Advertising Agency! We have been helping businesses reach new customers and drive sales for 11 years and would love to help your business reach new heights!

 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency is located in Anderson, SC. We help clients with social media marketing, website design, branding, and implementing a strategic marketing plan.

TikTok for Business – Yes or No?

 

TikTok has been around since 2018 but it was formally known as Musical.ly, an app where people would lip sync to songs. Since its rebranding to TikTok the app has experienced exponential grow in popularity.

 

TikTok now boasts 689 million users worldwide, putting it ahead of platforms such as Snapchat, Pinterest and Twitter in terms of monthly active users. Although the 689 million does not include China where the app operates under a different name, Douyin, and has 600 million DAILY users.

 

Together TikTok and Douyin have 1.29 billion active users. Users of the app spend an average of 52 minutes on the app each day, which is the same amount of time as Instagram and a little behind Facebook at 58.5 minutes.

 

These numbers are amazing considering the fact that Instagram and Facebook have been popular for much longer than TikTok, in fact it took Instagram six years to reach the amount of users TikTok gained in three. It even took Facebook, the king of social media, four!

 

Although the growing audience is always a good sign for marketers or business owners looking to explore new avenues, the demographic of the audience is very important as well.

 

The average user of TikTok is between the ages of 29 and 10 years old, skewing the audience for this app very young. While this audience may be perfect for some businesses, for others it is not ideal.

 

This younger audience takes to the app to watch engaging short videos of people making recommendations, cooking, dancing or even just talking. There are many large trends on the app people take advantage of to grow their following.

 

These trends can include dances, use of a specific sound over a personal video and/or use of a filter. The trends change rapidly but there is a tab on the app dedicated specifically to trending sounds and hashtags to keep you up to date.

 

Audiences on TikTok only respond well to authenticity. They do not want to see fakeness in videos, so advertising on TikTok would require more personable videos from business owners and their employees. Videos showcasing the process of making or packaging your product, videos of you performing a service or videos of employees being themselves.

 

For example, businesses such as dog groomers, power washers and jewelers have all found success on TikTok because people are interested in their work. Everyone loves a cute puppy, and many people find the process of grooming one relaxing. People also love to watch videos of power washers, or any other type of cleaning as well, because they find them relaxing and sometimes motivating to clean their own home. Whether they are a smaller business or quite large, jewelers find success on TikTok by showcasing breathtaking rings and their various styles, or by showing the process to make or clean their jewelry.

 

TikTok has created an editing software designed to help business owners create paid ads on their platform. These ads will appear as the first thing users see when they first open the app or as they scroll through videos and if they click on it, they will be brought to a screen with a little bio of your company and the rest of your videos.

 

Although these ads do work and help you get in front of TikTok users, posting an organic video and using popular hashtags to help it go viral will help your company find more loyal and enthusiastic customers.

 

Again, TikTok users are all about authenticity, so connecting with them on a personal level and promoting your business will make them more willing to like, comment and share your video, which in turn will help you get in front of more potential customers.

 

Overall, if you are interested in getting on to TikTok, I believe if you do some research, find out what other companies like yours are doing on the app and how successful they are, and if you are willing to put a lot of time into creating high quality content, and your target audience is between the ages of 18 to 24 or *younger….. then TikTok is a great place for you! Getting thousands of views is very easy on this quick pace app and many small businesses have found overwhelming support on the platform!

 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency is located in Anderson, SC. We help clients with social media marketing, website design, branding, and implementing a strategic marketing plan.  Yes – we can help you with your TikTok campaign too!

 

 

 

Marketing for Lawyers in 2021 – How To Attract New Clients!

Are you a new lawyer unsure of how to grow your client base or an experienced lawyer looking to expand to a new area and unsure of how to market yourself successfully? Here are some basics to Marketing as a Lawyer!

 

   1. Know your target market

The best tip for any marketing strategy is always to know who exactly you are trying to target for your product or service. That doesn’t stop when it comes to marketing for a law firm! If your main area of specialty is Workman’s Compensation, then you wouldn’t want your marketing to be viewed only by retirees. Identifying who your target market is is the first step to creating a successful marketing plan that provides quantifiable results.

 

   2.  Show Off Your Knowledge!

As a lawyer your advice is always sought after. So, one of the easiest ways to showcase your expertise is by making short videos answering some simple legal questions! It is important to include disclaimers on your videos so that everyone knows the advice you are giving isn’t absolute and every situation is different, therefore the answer to the question could change. Videos are shown to get the most engagement on social media so taking advantage of this is a great way to boost your social media page following.

Keep the videos simple and answer basic questions about your area of study. That way you can show that you know what you are talking about without giving out too much legal advice for free! The goal is to grab people’s attention and draw them in, so that they will call you for more help.

 

  3. SEO, SEO, SEO

Another major part of marketing as a lawyer or law firm is SEO. Search Engine Optimization is the practice of making your website as Google friendly as possible. This includes:

  • Using good keywords throughout
  • Making sure it loads quickly
  • Making sure your business information is correct
  • Writing blogs frequently

All of these practices will help your website show up at the top of results when someone Googles for a business such as yours in their area.  The goal with SEO is to make it in the top results for each area of services you provide, so including those keywords on your website lets Google know that you should pop up! Writing blogs frequently not only helps you add more keywords to your website but also tells Google that your website is active. Writing blogs with quality content and key phrases helps your website reach that top spot even faster!

 

  4. Social Media

Social Media is also a great resource for lawyers to gain new clients! Being active on social media and posting updates from your firm will keep you at the front of your current clients minds and make them more likely to recommend you to their friends or family.

 

You can also use social media to connect to your customers on a more personal level, by uploading pictures of your day-to-day life as a lawyer! Showing your more personal side will encourage others to see you as a full person instead of a scary lawyer and make them more likely to trust you! A great book to read if you are interested, is “The Game Changing Attorney: How to Land the Best Cases, Stand Out from Your Competition, and Become the Obvious Choice in Your Market” by Michael Mogill. It goes more in depth about how to successfully market yourself as a lawyer in the 21st century and why being personable is now so important. 

 

If you are still unsure where to begin with your marketing as a lawyer, please get in contact with us here at Smart Marketing Advertising Agency. We are a full-service advertising agency, handling everything from photography/videography to social media to print and billboards!

 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

105 Crayton St, Anderson SC

Coming soon…Charleston, SC

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

How To Grow Your Company’s Email Marketing Success

Something we ALL have experience with – Email Marketing. Whether you love it or you hate it, email marketing is a proven way to get your message to customers!

 

Email marketing is the practice of sending email to customers who have agreed to be a part of your email list. They could have signed up through a form on your website, a form in your store, or when checking out their purchases! This list of customers is then sent emails about future offerings your store is promoting.

An example of Email Marketing from The Wine Emporium.
The Wine Emporium Pairing & Sharing Special Event email to customers

 

 

Some other ideas for emails that are commonly used are:

  1. Upcoming events
  2. Details about featured or new products
  3. Holiday shopping guides
  4. Fundraising for nonprofits

Is Email Marketing really worth it?

Studies show that this form of marketing is proven to have a return on investment, or ROI, of an average of $38 for every $1 spent! In order to achieve the best ROI possible for your email campaign it is important to be consistent. Send your list of customers periodic emails about important happenings in your business or exclusive deals, so they feel like valued customers.

What to avoid when using Email Marketing?

One thing to avoid with email marketing is over sending emails to customers. Your customer will likely stop viewing your emails if they feel they are receiving too many or that they aren’t useful. This will likely push them to unsubscribing from your email list!

How do I get more Customers to sign up to my Company’s email list?

If you are struggling to create an email list a great way to get more people to sign up is to create a giveaway! Asking Customers to simply fill out a form online or in person at your store with their email in order to enter into the giveaway is a sure-fire way to get more names on your email list. Everyone loves a good giveaway – whether it’s a simple cup with your business name or a gift card for a nice restaurant!

 

Another way to gain more names on your email list is to promote it on your social media. If you have an engaged following on your social media account, then asking your followers to join your email list will be something they would love to do!

 

Still need help with your marketing strategy? Give us a call today to learn how we can help grow your business!

 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Anderson SC

Charleston, SC – Coming soon!

Restaurant Marketing – How Can Your Website Help Your Restaurant?

Restaurant Marketing and Websites

In order to capture local markets for your restaurant the single most important thing you can do is make sure that your website is Search Engine Optimized!

Restaurant Websites and SEO

It is crucial for restaurants to make sure that when someone searches for restaurants that their business comes up on the first page.  (Less than 3% of people make it to the second page of search results!) The process for ensuring your business makes it to that coveted first page is known as Search Engine Optimization! For restaurants the best way to optimize your website for search engines is to make sure it meets these requirements:

  1. Secured Site
  2. It is Mobile Friendly 
  3. Loads quickly
  4. Has quality content
  5. Lengthy content
  6. Quality backlinks
  7. Optimized images 

Another crucial step for Restaurant Marketing is making sure you show up when someone Googles “Restaurants near me.” This search is the most popular “near me” search question with roughly 6.2 million organic searches per month! The way to insure your business appears on the top of this list is to list your business on Google My Business. Your Google My Business must have the most current information for your business. If you have multiple locations then you will need to have multiple listing so that the restaurant listings appear in their respective locations. 

Restaurant Google Reviews

Another way to insure your business appears at the top of “Restaurants near me” is to ask your customers to leave you a five star review on your Google My Business listing! Google gives preference to businesses with higher ratings as well as those that have multiple reviews. Those businesses with ratings over 4.3 and more than 40 reviews are the most likely to appear at the top of Google’s listing.

If you want an even better chance of showing up for searcher then you can also take advantage of Google’s PPC ad service. 

Another very important detail for all restaurants to have on their website is something that is commonly looked over, but is the bread and butter of restaurant business – your MENU! The most important thing you can have on your website for potential customers is a list of everything your restaurant has to offer.

We have all been in that situation where you are looking to try a new place out but the menu is nowhere to be found! It is incredibly frustrating. So be sure to take care of step number one of having a website for your restaurant and have your menu prominently displayed! You could also use your website to promote your daily specials, or any special events your restaurant is planning for its customers.

Online Ordering

Going hand in hand with having your menu online is having your website set up to take orders for your customers! Allowing customers to place orders online for your restaurants is very convenient for not only the customer, but also your wait staff. It provides them more flexibility when taking orders as they will no longer be tied to the phone. It also allows customers more flexibility when placing their order as they may not be in the position to talk on the phone, whether they are at work or at their kids basketball game. 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency has a specialized marketing plan and website design customized just for restaurants.

Looking for more in depth help for your restaurant? Please get in contact with us to set up a FREE consultation!

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Anderson, SC

Charleston, SC – Coming Soon

 

  • Web design in Anderson, SC

  • Restaurant Marketing and Websites for Restaurants in South Carolina

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