Search Results for: data

June 21, 2022 by James Schulman

A Viking Funeral for Outdated Marketing Strategies

When it comes to marketing, you always need to be a few steps ahead. You need to plan ahead, write ahead, strategize ahead. As a marketing agency, we live at least two full quarters ahead of the rest of the world (which truly becomes problematic when we’re rushing to buy holiday gifts for friends and family in July).

So, in the wide world of marketing – when you are implementing strategies from years past, well, you are living in a whole different historical era than your counterparts.

So, what to do? Simple: bury that noise. Send it off with a ceremonial Viking funeral, if you will.

Out With the Old SEO, In With The New

It is simply no longer possible to get good search traffic to your site with old school SEO tactics. In the past, SEO keyword stuffing and Alt Tag optimization was effective because search engines were not very sophisticated – they did not have the ability to detect and penalize websites that were using manipulative SEO techniques.

Now, things are a bit more advanced. Machine learning has helped make Google Search become much cleverer and is now able to detect and penalize websites that use outdated SEO techniques.

Good Content is the New SEO

When it comes to successful SEO tactics, Google spells out what they are looking for – good content.

You see, they make money from selling ads. Their ads are worth more if their organic search results are more accurate. So, Google wants your website to have relevant content that answers the questions your audience is searching for.

Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing high quality content to attract and engage an audience. Content marketing is much more effective than outdated SEO tactics – it is an honest and transparent way to attract and engage an audience through storytelling and genuine content. It’s also the best way to build relationships with an audience, which makes them more likely to trust and become loyal to your brand or business.

Instead of over-optimizing for keywords no one actually searches for, try answering the questions you always get from people each and every day.

The content must be relevant to the audience and offer something of value, such as insights, tips, or entertainment. We’ll admit, it takes quite a bit of time – but the results are well worth it.

If you’re still using old-school SEO tactics, it may be time to try something new – and if you need help, we’re just a phone call away. Get in touch anytime.

Social Media: What is it Good For (in Marketing)?

Way back in 2010, most business owners had no urge to be on social media – that’s where their kids wasted their time, not where you obtained new clients.

Then, once they realized that social media was the new town square and clients were accessible on it, things started to change, and every business owner wanted to spend all their marketing time dedicated to getting new leads on social.

These days – for the most part – people go on social for entertainment. Yes, the CEO of that company you want to land is on Instagram – but they use it to look at cat videos, not new CRMs.

In 2022, the most successful social media marketing campaigns center around building a network of people that can refer business to you regularly. Sure, viral posts are still great and get you a lot of awareness – but getting a post to go viral is the goal of most people on social these days. And the truth is Twitter has a different main character everyday. You don’t want to be that main character.

If you’re looking at how to make social media drive leads for your business, we are more than happy to schedule a consultation.

All in all, we could wax poetic here for hours about what marketing strategies deserve the poshest of send-offs, but truly there may be too many to count and you may be asking for your own funeral procession at the end of our long, long list.

Our best advice? Look to a professional marketing team to assist you in staying top-of-mind, engaging, and ahead of the curve when it comes to your business. And hey, we’re just a phone call, email or DM away.

April 19, 2022 by James Schulman

What is The MetaVerse and Why Zuckerberg Has Gone Off the Deep End

Ah, Zuckerberg.

It’s hard to believe that nearly 20 years have passed since a college kid with a bankrolled pivot on “Hot or Not” became a household name. A name that has since created such a reverberation across pop culture.

Let’s face it (pun intended), the man shifted social media onto its current course. And, he got a movie out of it.

Zuck is back in the news (did he ever leave?) but this time for re-positioning and re-branding his Facebook empire to something entirely different.

So, what the heck is this MetaVerse?

At this point, not much. Let us explain:

The Internet Brought to Life

The term, coined by science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel “Snow Crash,” refers to a virtual world that coexists and overlaps with the physical one, with people interacting as avatars. Zuckerberg has described it as an extensive “virtual environment” you can go inside of, instead of just looking at a screen. That world doesn’t exist today on anywhere near the scale Zuckerberg envisions, but a small version can be found in gaming, especially with virtual-reality (VR) headsets like Facebook’s – or, Meta’s — Occulus.

There are “multi-billion revenue opportunities,” Bank of America analysts wrote. “For example, 50-yard line seats for the Superbowl, taking a hitting class with [Major League baseball player] Buster Posey or shopping for sunglasses with virtual try-on may all be possible in the metaverse,” they said.

Zuckerberg is going all in on what he sees as the next generation of the internet because he thinks it’s going to open up a large new digital economy that sometimes runs in parallel with the tangible world and other times far surpasses it. “Ads are going to continue being an important part of the strategy across the social media parts of what we do, and it will probably be a meaningful part of the metaverse, too,” Zuckerberg said in a recent company earnings call.

But will it though?

Our Thoughts

Ironically enough, one maxim we’ve always shared with our clients is to think about the internet as if it were the real world. Building a web presence is synonymous with real estate development. In that analogy, social media is akin to high-end retail space – high foot traffic, but also high rent and most importantly real estate you don’t own.

When you approach it that way, you don’t overinvest in your Facebook (or Instagram, or TikTok, etc) presence because the owner of the real estate can change the rent on you with a snap of their fingers (in this case, by limiting organic reach and requiring you to buy ads).

It’s always best to invest in the real estate you own – your website and your email list, the two things that no one can take away from you.

Zuckerberg did a great job building extremely valuable real estate and got a ton of users – but they also built their ad platform on data they got from people’s phones. So when Apple (and now Google) change the privacy settings, all of a sudden it looks like he built his empire on someone else’s real estate.

The Metaverse is his shot to change that. Will Facebook –er, Meta – succeed? Only time will tell. Until then, we remain skeptical and wouldn’t recommend anyone to invest heavily in building a presence on a platform they don’t fully control.

In short: keep an eye on it, but don’t go all-in. Zuckerberg is investing in visions of life-changing technologies, while he can’t even sort his main (and only successful) business out. Creating the metaverse will also be arduous and expensive, and the financial payoff is uncertain – so if it fails, it will likely be the biggest failure in the history of the internet.

April 12, 2022 by James Schulman

5 Fads in Marketing to Avoid This Year

Trends can be enticing. From rice pudding shops to shiplap – sometimes hopping on the latest bandwagon is worth the hype. Then…there’s things like the mom jeans craze that’s “so hot right now,” which we know we’ll regret when reviewing photos next year.

For those of us who are old enough (Hi, Millenials!), we know a thing or two about a certain Von-Dutch-hat-with-Ugg-Boots situation that may now feel like a big (huge!) mistake.

Our point is – trends are fun. Until they aren’t. And some not-so-great fads, especially in marketing, are not worth your time, energy or money.

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with some trend-wise advice on how to keep your business on the savvier side of marketing trends.

5 Marketing Trends To Avoid:

Getting on the Latest Social Craze: One of our hard rules is to give every new marketing tool, social platform, or other gimmick a real consideration as to the WHY behind your interest in getting on board the so-called train. If the rationale is, “everyone else is doing it,” then you pretty much have your answer (we’re looking at you, TikTok). Often times, your audience may not even be on the platform that has the latest craze.

Copying What Everyone Else is Doing: Continuing our point above, if everyone else is doing it, it’s probably too late to get on the bandwagon. Marketing is never about doing what everyone else is doing. So, innovate – and if you need help brainstorming, we’re here.

DIY Websites: While all the rage, building your own Wix or Square Space site does not always end well. Most of these DIY website platforms have strong limitations and you’ll end up having to redo your site within 1-2 years anyway. Getting a website professionally made will save you time and money down the line.

Over Promoting: Contests and promotions are fun and engaging – within reason. While giveaways and discount codes can be instantly-gratifying, doing so in excess can hurt your brand in the long run. Don’t make each month a different event – people get tired quickly and don’t see the overall value if you’re constantly discounting or giving away free items.

SEO Ninjas: The race to the top of Google is no longer dominated by keyword ninjas. Save yourself some money and energy by skipping the ninja route to the top of Google and ask yourself what your goals really are. If it’s more business – then create a strategy to drive higher traffic from valuable, qualified leads. Say goodbye to poor turnover and hello to better business.

And if you still want to rock mom jeans, we won’t judge.

April 5, 2022 by James Schulman

How to Leverage Storytelling to Drive Your Marketing Strategy

We’re sure you’ve heard it before, “storytelling drives business,” or things like “I’m a storyteller,” from your local hairstylist or toymaker. The truth?

They are. You are. Everyone is. So long as they are telling stories.

Your brand should be sharing tales. Why? Because ever since time immemorial stories have been what truly connects us together. They are, in essence, the tie that binds.

When you share a story, people listen. They search for how it resonates with their own experiences. That’s why storytelling is a powerful marketing tool.

Having a compelling story humanizes your brand and fosters customer connection and engagement. Any content you put out into the world should provide value to your readers instead of feeling like a grimy sales ploy.

As you start to think about how to turn your brand into a content marketing storyteller for the ages, be sure to keep in mind these little tips:

Promote a Lifestyle, not Just a Product

You can promote your brand all day long, but until you show how your brand lives in the actual world, not just on a shelf or in a box, people will remain uninvested. When it comes to branding a lifestyle, you want to focus on finding out what kind of person your customer wants to be and then giving them the tools (your product) to do so.

Focus on the Human Element

Using facts and figures in your content marketing strategy can sometimes be helpful, but people are drawn to stories, vibes, and emotional connection. The more personal you can make your business seem, the better. Instead of reporting information, focus on personal accounts and narratives that can provide readers with more value.

Getting people to like and trust you turns window-shoppers into loyal customers to your brand.

Get Help Telling Your Story

It is sometimes difficult for business owners to see their companies from an outsider’s perspective – marketing experts can help you understand the kind of stories your customers want to connect with and how to implement them into your marketing strategy.

At The Found Gen, we pride ourselves in the fact that our content marketing strategies are focused on your readers, your customers, your fans, and well – your soon-to-be-best friends. We create engaging content that not only tells your story – but weaves it into theirs.

Sounds tough? For us, it’s fun.

If you’re ready – we’re ready. Get in touch to learn more about how we can build a strong brand storytelling strategy for your business.

December 28, 2021 by James Schulman

Why Blogging Should Be the Focal Point of Your 2022 Marketing Plan

You’ve heard the saying, “a blog a day keeps the SEO Ninjas away.” Okay, so maybe it’s not quite like that but blogging is the healthiest thing you can do for your business’s marketing strategy.

Over ten years ago when we formed The Found Gen, it was commonplace to have to explain to businesses why a blog was an important factor in their overall marketing strategy. Most people simply thought of a blog as a daily diary for bored adults who liked to overshare.

Today, blogs have become more widely accepted and used on most business websites across the globe. And yet… businesses are still not taking the practice seriously as a main driver of potential new clients and revenue.

In fact, many businesses will spend more money (and we mean boat loads more) on social media management and ad buys than they will in original blog content.

The genuine misinformation campaign on behalf of social platforms as to their effectiveness for businesses, along with the immediacy of a live feed, causes businesses to mis-align their marketing budget and priorities year after year.

The Skinny on Blogging

When it comes to the digital landscape there are only two things your business can control: your website and your email list. That’s why both are the most valuable parcels you have online.

Every time you publish a new, original blog post you are essentially adding a new page to your website. Ideally, your blogs are rife with pertinent information that your potential customers are looking for – or better yet – Googling. Every 28 days or so, Google crawls the entire internet. All of it. In that time period, if you have added more original content and pages to your website, Google logs it. They note that you have an active site that is providing valuable information. If you continue to provide answers that people are typing into Google’s search bar – then Google will start to note that it can turn to your site as a place to provide its users with valuable information. The longer readers are on your site, the more blogs they read – Google notices. And Google rewards.

The Real SEO

Blogging is the best SEO you can do for your website. You control it. You manage it. You own it. You are also not paying some “SEO Ninja” or company thousands of dollars to do something to your site that they can’t explain transparently – and eventually hold your site hostage.

Editor’s Note: This is really a sad story we hear regularly. If you are paying a company to manage your SEO but they have full control of your site and aren’t being direct in answering what they are up to – give us a call today. Friends don’t let friends spend money for nothing.

By having a robust blog strategy, you are able to cultivate a strong presence online where you (bonus!) provide great information to potential clients who are more ready to buy or hire you from the start. If you have an SEO strategy in place but aren’t blogging, you don’t have an SEO strategy.

How to Blog in 2022

This year, when you’re developing your marketing strategy be sure to add blogging. We always recommend starting with four blogs a month, or one a week. If you’re already blogging that much – great! – now up your game, try six or eight blogs each month.

If blogging is too time-consuming and not something you are able to handle on your own – consider outsourcing to experienced professional content writers. This is key. Don’t just hire someone on Fiver or your best friend’s cousin’s nephew. Content writing is an art form. Content writing for business is a whole different ball of wax.

Find a team of professional writers and marketers who research your company, your industry, your tone, your audience, your information and more. And honestly, spoiler alert: you’ve just found one. Get in touch with our team today if you’re ready to start blogging for your business.