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Digital Marketing: A New Way of Marketing

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digital by joshua sortino

Digital Marketing is any marketing that makes use of electronic devices such as mobile phones. Digital marketing has gained unprecedented importance in today’s times as a considerable part of the waking hours are spent on electronic devices. The Americans expend more than 11 hours each day on their electronic devices and the situation is much the same elsewhere, as per reports.

Types of Digital Marketing

There are various kinds of digital marketing such as Search Engine Optimization, social media marketing and affiliate marketing; it’s all about what works best for a particular industry and audience.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of growing the online visibility in search engine results. The users search for a given set of keywords by using Google and other search engines and receive individualized results based on location, keyword and browsing history. The organic search results are ranked with the use of search engine algorithms. SEO agencies such as Impressive Digital help in generating high levels of online visibility and traffic.

Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Marketing covers the ground ignored by SEO. Google AdWords is the most common paid search platform. It charges a predetermined amount to display an advertisement in a number of places on the basis of criteria such as keywords and phrases. Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is a digital marketing method whereby search engines charge a company for each click of the advertisement.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is pivotal to any marketing strategy. Social media marketing provides exposure and facilitates intimate connections with the consumers. The by-product of such interactions is feedback that is valuable for enhancing customer services.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is the practice of delivering quality content to the users to generate sales and leads. It is comprised of tweets, YouTube videos and blogs. Content Marketing works well as it jells with other types of digital marketing such as SEO and Social Media Marketing.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is the practice of updating the company’s customers at regular intervals through the medium of email. This fosters deep trust between the company and its customers, and provides value to the end users, thereby building brand trust and brand loyalty. People who opt for email subscriptions generally convert into active consumers.

Why Digital Marketing?

Marketing was once considered as the domain of multinationals and large corporations with deep pockets to mount and sustain an online marketing campaign. Digital Marketing has levelled the playing field, providing small and medium enterprises an opportunity to compete against the big boys. Small businesses can engage effectively with multiple customers worldwide even in the absence of physical stores and branches. Digital Marketing is also more cost-effective than traditional marketing as it delivers cost-effective marketing channels to small businesses with limited resources and capitalization.

To conclude, digital marketing bestows competitive edge to a business in today’s digital arena. The real goal of digital marketing is to boost online visibility, engage with consumers and enhance brand value. Quality marketing practices thereby benefit both the company and target audience.

Streamlined Systems – 5 Ways to Improve Office Efficiency

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Source: Geralt/Pixabay

It’s getting hard and harder to make a dollar. Living costs are rising, but wages are not keeping pace. What’s more, most business’ profit margins seem to get narrower by the day. Rather than make drastic changes that could impact those around you, it’s time to turn your office into one of efficiency to benefit your bottom line. Here’s how to do it:

Update Your Communication Methods

If you haven’t heard of cloud unified communications, then you’re missing out on dramatic savings that could have a positive impact on your business. Unified communications are an advanced phone, video, email and messaging system that merges all these different communication methods into one.

You can make and receive phone calls from anywhere in the world on your official business number, use instant messaging and group chat, and even utilize voice and video calling. Even more eye-opening is the price tag. Unlike traditional phone systems which are complex to maintain and expensive to upgrade, modern methods such as unified communications are scalable and affordable.

Time Tracking Technology

Did you know that over 30 percent of employees waste at least half an hour of work time every day? That might not seem like a lot, but that equates to around four hours every week, per worker. It can make you wonder whether your team’s roles as are streamlined as they could be.

Time tracking technology can help you to establish how much time a particular task takes. While some staff may see it as a privacy invasion, that’s not its purpose. Once you know how long a job takes to complete, you can find out whether some staff can take on more work, or if others need a helping hand.

Team Project Management Applications

Remember in school when everyone had a job to do on a team project, but something always went wrong? Crucial data fell through the cracks, someone didn’t pull their weight, or people forgot which job was theirs.

The workplace can be a lot like that without appropriate project management applications in place. Time equals money, and if you can save time with streamlined project management applications, why wouldn’t you? Such apps have digital paper trails, task allocation, and instant messaging so that everyone knows where they are.

Integrated Workplace Management Systems

When you’re trying to make your workplace more efficient to boost profitability, the last thing you want to do is spend more money. However, that’s often the answer. If you’re going to spend it anywhere, invest in integrated workplace management systems.

Such software can spell the end of most of your everyday programs, transforming them into one easy-to-manage system. In the long-run, you’ll save time, cut down on expensive fees, and make your workers’ days a little bit easier.

Give Your Workers Freedom

While offering your staff freedom doesn’t sound like efficiency, it can have more of an impact than you think. Give your team the freedom to turn their office space into a place for them, and productivity will follow.

Studies show that 17 percent of those with custom workspaces were more enriched and empowered than workers without anything to call theirs. Even a family photo and a few knick-knacks can make all the difference.

Cutting costs isn’t always about redundancies, downsizing, and cutting back on stationery purchases. It can be as easy as focusing on efficiency and productivity to save time. Time is money; let’s not forget. Find out whether your workers’ roles are at full capacity, and invest in beneficial technology to make their lives easier. The financial rewards will follow.

6 ways biking can boost your productivity, creativity, and bottom line

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by: Hunter Walsh

biking in cycle city
Encouraging employees to ride a bike to work is growing in popularity not just because of cycling and employee wellness trends, but because it makes sense for both employers and employees to take advantage of the many benefits cycling has to offer. Today only about 1% of Australian workers cycle to work while about 66% drive, according to data from The Heart Foundation. Motivating and supporting active transportation can make a significant improvement in the health and wellbeing of your employees and your business.
1. Inactivity is a killer.
Physical inactivity like sitting at a desk all day and driving to get around instead of walking or cycling takes a toll both physically and financially. Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that physical inactivity is a known risk factor for high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, anxiety, depression, cancer and obesity. KPMG – Econtech data reports costs of physical inactivity in Australia to be $719 million in healthcare costs, and $9.2 billion in productivity cost. Cycling to work is an excellent solution because it’s efficient – combining exercise and transportation. Healthier workers make a healthier workplace, and cycling makes people healthy and happy…
2. Cycling makes employees happier.
A study conducted at the University of Sydney surveyed 846 urban commuters in Sydney and found that commuter cyclists are happier than drivers, pedestrians and people using public transport. About two times happier, to be exact, which leads us to reason number 3
3. Biking to work boosts productivity.
Happy employees are about 12% more productive, according to a study by economists at the University of Warwick. “When I bike to work I’m refreshed and relaxed,” said Lia Weston, partner at Bio-Mechanics Cycles & Repairs in Adelaide who has been cycling to work for 7 years. “The movement wakes me up.” Many people who cycle to work liken their morning ride to a cup of coffee, and the data backs up that feeling. A study of 100 employers conducted by Cyclescheme found that two-thirds of employers surveyed reported that employees who cycle to work are more energetic and productive.
4. Cycling improves mental health.
A long-term commuter study (10 years) looked at workers who commuted by car, public transportation, foot and bicycle. Thestudy, conducted by University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School and the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York, evaluated all types of commuters and took a closer look at those who had switched from commuting by car or public transport to active transportation like cycling. They found that those who made the switch had improved concentration and less stress.
5. A ride a day keeps the doctor away.
Employees who regularly cycle to work take one day less sick leave per year on average than their non-cycling colleagues, according to study findings from Dutch Research and Testing organization the TNO conducted on behalf of Tineke Huizinga, the deputy minister for traffic and works. The same report says that every 1% increase in the number of employees that cycle to work saves their employers nearly €27M per year due to lowered costs due to illness and absenteeism.


6. Parking cars is expensive. Parking bikes, less so.
A parking space can fit a single motor vehicle and cost about $22,000 to build. In comparison, that same space can fit as many as 20 bicycles in a bike rack, which costs only about $400 to install.
Bike shops Bio-Mechanics Cycles & Repairs in Adelaide and Ivanhoe Cycles and Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Melbourne have teamed up with global public health alliance My City Bikes to create beginner biking resources that assist entry level riders learn where to bike safely in their city.

These resources can help employees who are new to cycling find safe routes and need-to-know safety and maintenance information so they can start biking to work. For more information about beginner biking and organized workplace wellness programs to encourage cycling to work, visit mycitybikes.org/australia-work.

10 Steps To Turn Your Employees Into Brand Ambassadors

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According to a recent research conducted by Gallup, apparently 70% of employees within all organizations are disengaged from their brands. If this is the situation at your organization, you might want to reverse it by turning your employees into brand ambassadors. Here’s how.

employer aemployee relationship

1. Acknowledge

First of all, acknowledge your employees and the very key role they play in cascading brand information. It’s only through fully engaged employees that companies can deliver consistent brand messaging across the market. Pay your employees their due; they deserve to be acknowledged and accepted for their role.

2. Audit

Evaluate all internal communications such as newsletters, your intranet, management emails and so on. Is your brand identity and promise consistent everywhere? Are your employees getting the same message each time, or are they confused as to what your brand represents? A proper audit will put your doubts to rest and help you get the right picture.

3. Train

Train your employees on what your brand represents; let them get thoroughly familiar with your processes, logo, colors, byline, vision, motto, value proposition, brand positioning and so on. Test each employee’s knowledge by asking him or her to train a newbie. Make the training fun and creative.

4. Reinforce

Training them just once will not do; you will have to reinforce your brand messaging by issuing key brand elements printed on wallet cards, stickers and t-shirts. Keep putting your brand in front of your staff; emphasize how you do things, vis-à-vis how your competition does it.

5. Assess

Periodically, assess how well your employees have imbibed your brand promise. Retrain them and reinforce elements that have not been fully assimilated. No need to turn it into a military exercise; make it fun through contests and quizzes.

6. Role-play

Help your staff put themselves into your customer’s shoes. Help them understand the overall customer experience and how each employee can use their brand knowledge to enhance it. Let each employee understand how their job role impacts customer experience.

7. Recognize

Conduct brand contests and quizzes periodically and award winning employees. Publish the profiles of employees who consistently deliver your brand promise to customers on your intranet. Make sure your customers aware of your pride in your loyal brand ambassadors as well.

8. Feedback

Ask your employees for their input and feedback on how best to deliver your brand promise. Let them brainstorm and come up with innovative ideas. Be sure to incorporate these ideas. Let the employees feel a sense of ownership towards your brand; this will make them more inclined to promote it.

9. Empower

Empower your employees to let people know what your company is going to do next. Knowing your business plans and being free to talk about them will be a source of great pride for them. They will feel encouraged to be your brand’s ready ambassadors when you empower them this way.

10. Engage

Let your employees engage with your audience via social media and disseminate brand information. Trust them to deliver the right information. Your employees can become your most ardent brand ambassadors and brand promoters if you train, encourage and empower them properly.