A Smart Start to the New Year

The new year is rolling around, and it is important to keep your business updated and fresh. In this day and age of the internet, marketing has become a fast-growing field, and this year is no different. The internet is the most important tool to find reliable sources and businesses. 

Having a well-designed website is a key part of keeping up your internet profile. Your website is what drives all of your traffic, and where future and present clients can learn about what you do as a business. Potential clients are able to find all your basic information from your website, so maintaining your information and having it easily digestible helps clients easily navigate your website and find your socials.

Your logo reflects your brand and is vital to your website. Your brand identity is what people know you by when they see it on signs, shirts, or any other branding. Making sure your logo is unique and stands out is important in making sure you are remembered when people need your specific type of service. Having a clean updated logo will keep your brand in the minds of clients when they need your specific service.

Digital branding is an important step in social media marketing. Exciting and interesting content that pertains to your brand and your services can create traffic for your social media platforms, and create new clients for your business. It is important your social media is tailored to your desired clientele, and maintains traction in your business. Social media is the best tool for your growth and recognition, as there are various ways you can utilize its features to reach your targeted audience.

Physical branding is essential to your business’s recognition. The use of well-made business cards, t-shirts, billboards, and other various merchandise is how everyday items will display your brand and its identity. Having a strong and consistent brand that displays your logo, coloring, and fonts will make your business stand out to potential clients through everyday merchandise. 

Be smart this year with your business strategy and branding! It can be difficult to sustain your social media savvy practices, but putting yourself on the right track is essential to the growth of your business. Implementing any of these tips this new year will be a great start to your growth.

At Smart Marketing Advertising Agency, we are a full-service marketing and advertising agency located in Anderson, SC serving our local area and nationwide clients. We want to be an extension of your team in all things marketing. From web design to SEO, logo design, digital, Google, social media advertising, and print and media marketing – we do it all! Start your new year the smart way, with Smart Marketing. 

A Smart Start to the New Year!  

Marketing and Advertising Agency located in Anderson, SC

The Lasting Impact of Quarantine on Marketing Today

When COVID -19 shut down the world as we knew it, many businesses didn’t know what this would mean for their future. They had to change the way they ran in order to meet guidelines and keep their employees safe. Many switched to curbside pickup and contactless delivery, which are still very popular today even with most of America now back up and running. 

But what did Quarantine mean for marketing? 

As people were cooped up at home to stay safe, they spent more time online leading marketing to evolve to meet them there. 

According to research, the time spent online during lockdown saw an increase from the year 2019 to 2021, from 56 minutes to 65 minutes, respectively. The amount of social media users worldwide also increased by 11% between the years 2019 and 2021, from roughly 3.4 billion to 3.78 billion, according to the same study.

What were people doing online during this extra time?

The amount of time people spent watching videos in 2020 increased by 85%, making video the most popular type of content for the past two years. Quarantine saw the rise of the popular app TikTok, where a variety of videos, ranging from educational to funny, can be found on just about any topic.

According to Forbes, YouTube was also a staple for many bored-at-home internet users, seeing an increase from 73% of Americans frequenting their site to 81%

 

When are people getting online?

The pandemic also changed peoples’ habits when it came to what time they chose to get on social media. Research shows that now the best times to post on Facebook are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10-11 AM, and the best times to post on Instagram are now Tuesday at 11 AM or 2 PM, and Friday at 11 AM. 

All of these changes resulting from the pandemic have led social media to become the number one channel for marketing. Users like to see lighthearted or inspirational content from brands relevant to their interests, and social media likes to make it easy to find these people for any brand! If you need help pivoting your business towards this new marketing strategy, we’re here to help. 

 

Smart Marketing has been successfully helping businesses market their products and services for over 10 years. We can help you with anything marketing related from logo design, social media management, website design to large media buys for professionally shot videos.

 

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Anderson, South Carolina

Logo Design • Website Design • Digital Marketing

 

 

 

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

5 Reasons Your Business Should Be On Snapchat

With a user base of over 100 Million:

Why is Your Business Not on Snapchat?

We found this interesting article on Forbes.com explaining: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/04/05/5-reasons-your-business-should-be-on-snapchat/#3efb3b2b3db5

Want to know the no. 1 reason why your business can no longer afford to ignore Snapchat? Its user base has reportedly hit 100 million people. This alone should tell you all you need to know about why you can’t afford to dismiss Snapchat as something that’s not for business.

This guide is going to go into more than that, though. It’s going to show you why your business should be taking active steps to make a profit on Snapchat.

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

Reach The Younger Audience

Ever since Facebook went mainstream, young people have left the network en masse. The only way to actually reach the younger audience is through Snapchat now. This is the only proven social media network where they are regularly hanging out. If you are running a business with products and services targeted towards this audience, you are going to have the most success here.

It gives you a chance to have one-on-one interactions with this younger audience.

Show A Behind The Scenes Look

It likely isn’t the first time that you’ve heard about the importance of taking people behind the scenes of your company. It’s the ultimate act of transparency and it provides some exclusive content that can encourage people to get involved with your website. This is the way to build an immensely strong following and engage your audience.

It’s easy to do this on Snapchat and it doesn’t have to be planned or polished in advance. You can show off a slice of life working in your office. It’s an opportunity to show how real you are. Furthermore, Snapchat’s expiring messages mean that you can literally pull back the curtain, then close it again.

Get Real One-On-One Engagement

Speaking to someone on a one-to-one basis. For other social media networks, it’s almost impossible to do this. But Snapchat enables you to send content directly to your individual followers. As long as they are following you, you as a business have the power to send messages directly to them.

You can send them whatever you think works, but if it goes down well you can build a deeply personal relationship with someone. It can turn them into a loyal customer faster than ever before.

So what could you send them to get them engaged?

If you have a loyal follower who has made regular purchases from you, you may decide to send them a personalized video thanking them for their support. This simple act can go a long way to building bridges and giving you a positive reputation.

Easy To Partner With Influencers

Influencer marketing is all about connecting with influential people in your industry in order to reach their audiences. It’s also something they can do for you. There are so many personalities using Snapchat these days, including Vine stars, YouTube celebrities, and well-known Twitter accounts.

It’s easy to discover big names on Snapchat. They can help you craft great content and reach audiences that you’d never before considered.

Partnering with influencers on Snapchat can also spread brand awareness among your chosen demographic. It can even help you to discover new demographics that you’d never previously considered. A simple five-day campaign can completely transform what your business can achieve.

Prove How Cool You Are

Facebook made a $3 billion offer to acquire Snapchat. This was turned down, much to the surprise of the whole tech industry. The reason why Facebook wanted the company so badly is because it wanted to be cool again. It’s the only way to grab the younger audience.

Using Snapchat, which is a cool platform, will naturally make you into a cool company as well. When organizations attempt to be cool it nearly always leads to them looking stupid. But the Snapchat frontier is a path that can pay incredible dividends.

Conclusion

Hit the ground running with Snapchat and you are going to get a long way ahead of your competitors who have yet to consider using this social media platform. At first, you should simply get used to using the platform. Work with it on a personal basis to get an idea as to how it feels from the other person’s point of view.

Once you understand the customer viewpoint you can better engage with the platform through the eyes of a business.

 

How are you going to take advantage of Snapchat today?  We would love to help you – Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

 Credits: 
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Smart Marketing Advertising Agency
Digital and Social Media Marketing – RE: Snapchat
January 14th, 2018
Anderson, SC
864-224-6002
www.thinksmartmarketing.net

 

 

Social Media Marketing: Facebook, Instagram, Google, Twitter and more – Anderson, SC

Social Media Marketing: Facebook, Instagram, Google, Twitter and more!

Do you really need to market your business on all of these social media platforms? Yes, you do and more! Social Media and Google platforms are more important today than ever.  If you’re business is not on these platforms, you are missing out!

If digital advertising and social media marketing have you confused, we would love to help you! Contact Smart Marketing Advertising Agency in Anderson, SC at 864-224-6002 or visit https://www.thinksmartmarketing.net

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/#736a2bbd1f80

The Top 10 Benefits Of Social Media Marketing

I demystify SEO and online marketing for business owners.  

 

 

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Every Business has a Story to Tell

Marketing tells your story – EVERY Business has a Story to Tell

At Smart Marketing Advertising Agency we focus on small, local businesses and people like you, who have a story to tell. We don’t just deliver customers, we create relationships.

Our unique approach begins within; learning, teaching, and branding. We are a full-service marketing agency. We bring value to your brand, by creating a campaign that is useful, measurable, and up-to-date. You know your audience, let us help you find and engage them.

We would love to help you tell your story – Smart Marketing Ad Agency

https://www.facebook.com/smartmarketingadagency/

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Help give to those in need this Christmas!

Help give to those in need this Christmas!

Mellow Mushroom here in Anderson needs your help!  They are collecting items to give to those in need this Christmas.  All items will go to Anderson Interfaith Ministries. We will be delivering all items before Christmas. http://aimcharity.org/

Who is AIM? 

AIM: Accept. Inpsire. Minister. is an efficient nonprofit organization that meets the needs of struggling individuals and families in Anderson County. AIM was founded by churches to eliminate the duplication of assistance to those in need. For more than twenty-five years, AIM has stabilized the community and continues to do so using its hand up, not hand out philosophy. AIM is known for maximizing resources and continues to significantly help its clients positively change their lives long-term. AIM is unique because of its numerous efficient programs and passionate, committed volunteers. AIM is well known in the Upstate for giving hope and changing lives and continues to do so with unparalleled levels of energy, efficiency and reliability.

 

anderson comedy showcase 2015

Blessed…Grateful….Appreciative

 

We are very blessed to have such a wonderful group of clients who support our community and agency!

We are very grateful for each  business we are privileged to represent!

We are very appreciative for each of our clients who share the same goals as we do!


We would like to wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Our offices will be closed Thanksgiving day and Friday, November 28th.  We will reopen Monday, November 30th.

We are very excited to launch all of our Christmas marketing plans beginning November, 30th!  Please give us a call if you need assistance with your holiday marketing or have questions we can answer for you!

God Bless,

Tonya Childs

Smart Marketing Advertising Agency

Anderson, SC 29625

 

 

 

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