TWP Publisher, Author at TotalWeb Partners • Page 6 of 32

February 13, 2023

5 Web Design Trends to Watch in 2023

A new year is typically a time for new ideas, approaches, or ways to make life a little better or more enjoyable. For web designers and users, improved ways to design websites is always high on the list.

In the following post we’ll be addressing 5 new web design trends that address issues like accessibility, UX, and responsiveness as well as 10 pre-built websites from BeTheme that show how to effectively use them.

With 268,000+ sales and a 4.83/5 star rating, BeTheme is one of the world’s most popular and highly-rated WordPress Themes.

5 web design trends to look out for in 2023

In order to improve something, you first have to have an understanding about the things that can impact it, both positively and negatively. For web designers, that “something” is a user’s digital experience and how 5 design trends that can positively impact a digital experience could best be implemented.

Hoverable iconography
A top web design priority is how to go about creating interfaces that require minimal effort on the part of the user to interact with them, i.e., they are as intuitive as possible. Shortcuts that make things easy for the designer can, however, have the opposite effect on the user – especially when it comes to iconography.

Some icons, especially those used in headers, are so commonplace that any user can interpret their meanings and use them appropriately.

February 8, 2023

by TWP Publisher

How social platforms changed digital marketing

Uncategorized Digital Marketing

The walled gardens of social media have dominated the digital marketing landscape for nearly a decade. With massive audiences, data-driven advertising and content-rich formats, advertisers have gone from dipping their toes to throwing their budgets into the wells of Silicon Valley.

But in 2022, the so-called “headwinds” of privacy and economic uncertainty — combined with more competition and an evolving user base — have created a new set of challenges for the giants and the marketers that fund them.

Throughout 2022, major platforms have each had both collective and unique challenges. Along with increased pressure from legislation, regulations, investigations and lawsuits against tech giants, smaller startups and advertisers themselves, Apple’s app-tracking changes have cut into tech giants’ bottom lines and weakened targeting and measurement capabilities. Meanwhile, competition from rivals like TikTok and Twitter’s disarray under the ownership of Elon Musk contributed to the industry’s existential dilemma about where to appear and what to avoid.

“I wouldn’t want to be in the seat of a buyer right now,” said Ryan Anthony, CEO and co-founder of Dirt, a marketing neuroscience startup. “I can’t think of a single advertiser that hasn’t had to blow up their [lifetime value] models this year because of privacy.”

The tumultuous year has left marketers, agency executives, analysts and other experts rethinking everything from data practices to content strategies to e-commerce efforts. TikTok’s rise, younger users’ demands, a growing creator economy and brand safety issues have all further complicated the already complex landscape and prompted some companies to re-consider their usual tactics.

At the center of much of this discussion sits the importance of data. A survey of 6,000 marketing leaders conducted this summer by Salesforce found that 75% still rely at least partially on third-party data, but 68% said they plan to move toward first-party data. Meanwhile, 51% said their measures to protect consumer privacy go beyond regulatory requirements and industry standards, down from 61% last year.

“There might be a little bit of a gap year happening as marketers have been retooling around first-party data to be able to create the right context and the right targeting on those platforms,” said Jay Wilder, vice president of product marketing for Salesforce’s marketing cloud. “Some of that is also shifting audiences from one platform to another, and marketers are going to be catching up with that.”

February 6, 2023

by TWP Publisher

Digital marketing: trends for 2023

Uncategorized Digital Marketing

What are the major digital marketing trends we are likely to see in 2023? No one can say for sure, but based on careful observation of the recent past and without launching into reckless predictions, industry professionals can offer insight into some of the possible developments.

In this post, we will try to identify the trends that might characterize the immediate future of digital marketing. In most cases, these are phenomena that have already existed for a few years but are now unfolding their full potential: more or less subterranean currents of marketing that seem destined to become even more diversified and inclusive.

Marketing that is not just tuned to customers’ imaginations but also capable of taking on their concrete needs.

According to Marketing Insider Group, the most influential digital marketing trends that will take hold in the coming months testify to a renewed focus on all things related to content visualization, and they will especially affect the customer experience and employee engagement.

We can also add, preliminarily, that in order to succeed in fueling the conversation with customers, acquired or potential, marketers will likely need to draw on topics that target audiences may feel are relevant, will need to avoid simplifications in targeting emerging markets (for example, Asian markets, which have grown tremendously over the past decade and are projected to continue to grow over the next decade), or in interacting with cultural groups (such as the highly courted and very often misunderstood Generation Z).

Before we delve into the digital marketing trends that will mark 2023, let’s make a couple of introductions so as to contextualize the role of automation and give an idea of the complexity of the issue we are going to address.

Automation as a commodity
Technology, which undoubtedly continues to come up with innovative solutions, will increasingly be conceived as an enabler and an instrument: the means through which brands can connect with people. After the two-year period of “forced digitization” that organizations experienced due to the healthcare emergency, in 2023 digital marketing will still be marketing that relies on automation. However, the “human” element will increasingly be more central within a communication ecosystem where technology returns to being a commodity in the service of people (from artificial intelligence applications to data management platforms, just to name the most obvious expressions today of this endless hymn to the magnificent fates of technological development).

January 18, 2023

by TWP Publisher

Why Your Business Needs SEO Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO Optimization

The need for SEO optimisation is increasing. As consumers use the internet for almost everything and the market becomes highly competitive, even the most traditional businesses understand that they need to accelerate the shift to digital. SEO optimisation is considered one of the most effective and cost-effective methods to understand and reach customers to stay relevant and gain revenue.

Many companies all across the world know (or think they know) that they need SEO to grow barn awareness and improve visibility. However, using SEO in your marketing strategy delivers a vast range of benefits. While some businesses still avoid investing in quality SEO optimisation, Let’s explore key reasons why you need to consider this step in your marketing:

Organic Search is the Top Source of Website Traffic
Organic search is an essential part of most businesses’ website performance. It is also a crucial element of the buyer funnel and getting users to the stage when they are ready to buy your products or services. Today Google owns the lion’s share of the search market in contrast to its closest competitors like Yahoo, Yandex, and many, many others.

Even though you may think that other platforms don’t contribute to a brand’s visibility, the truth is that Google owns a considerable portion of the overall user search market. Google is the leader in the industry, and it is a valuable point to consider.

January 16, 2023

by TWP Publisher

How to incorporate social media into SEO strategies

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO strategies

To increase brand awareness and drive more quality traffic to their websites, marketers should invest in search engine optimization.

Marketing teams use SEO to increase a website’s visibility when people search for products or services. Most people use search engines to find what they need, and they are more likely to buy from or engage with a brand that shows up high on search engine ranking pages (SERPs). When done correctly, SEO can help marketing teams rank higher on SERPs and see increases in traffic and its quality.

Marketers have myriad ways to work on a website’s SEO, including access to various channels and tools. However, to improve the chances of showing up on SERPs, marketing teams need a good content strategy in place.

Blog content, links to internal and external sources, optimized meta descriptions and social media can help improve SEO. Social media is critical to a brand’s content strategy, as it serves as a channel to share content, connect with an audience, build awareness and drive traffic to a website.

Explore how an organization can incorporate social media into its overall SEO strategy.

How does social media affect SEO?
Social media does not directly contribute to how SERPs rank content. However, link sharing across social media platforms increases brand exposure and influences SEO.

Social media can indirectly increase search visibility and organic search rankings through social metrics and signals. Metrics like shares, likes and comments help build trust, customer loyalty and brand awareness. Additionally, these metrics indirectly elevate online visibility and traffic, which search engines look for to evaluate a brand’s online reputation and influence SERP rankings.

Effective search requires a marriage between content and context. Search engines see sites as reputable if they have an SEO strategy and traffic driven to them regularly from various sources, including social media platforms.

January 11, 2023

by TWP Publisher

Why Everyone In Your Business Wins With SEO

Search engine optimisation concept. Hand putting wood block cube shape with word SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO Optimization

We know that there are many reasons to focus on SEO from a commercial standpoint.

Working on your company’s SEO can help raise the quality of your website, your brand reputation, and your conversions.

But what about the impact on your team?

Having a good SEO strategy in place can actually benefit your company in other ways.

Colleagues’ jobs can be made easier.

They may be equipped with new skills.

It may even help prove the worth of their work.

How SEO Can Positively Impact Other Marketing Channels
There are many important ways in which SEO can impact other marketing channels.

But let’s take a look at how it can help those teams meet their personal and team goals.

Collaboration
A good SEO strategy will never be in isolation from other marketing channels.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, for instance, goes hand-in-hand with SEO. Both channels’ leads need to talk to each other, or there’s going to be a financial impact.

The benefits go beyond money saving, though. SEO is a far-reaching specialism.

We need input on many other teams’ work: brand marketing, CRM, and paid media, to name a few. Through this, SEO can help to unify projects.

January 9, 2023

by TWP Publisher

10 e-commerce marketing strategies for your business

B2B Marketing, E-Marketing, Ecommerce, Marketing e-commerce marketing

Without a clear e-commerce marketing strategy, organizations could face significant challenges as consumer behaviors change.

E-commerce sales boomed in 2020 and beyond due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, online shopping has continued to grow, as have competitors and changing demands from customers. If organizations invest time and resources into e-commerce marketing strategies, they can help establish, increase and retain their customer bases.

E-commerce marketing strategies involve promotional tactics to drive traffic to an online store. A well-thought-out marketing plan, coupled with an engaging website, can convert visitors into paying customers, help businesses retain them and increase their overall customer lifetime value (CLV). If marketing teams stay up to date on the latest trends, they can help the organization reach and retain new customers.

These 10 e-commerce marketing strategies can help set an organization apart from its competition, strengthen the brand, attract new customers and increase sales over time.

Search engine optimization
Launching a website is a win for any e-commerce company, but websites aren’t enough for consumers to easily find the brand. To improve visibility, marketing teams must optimize websites for search engines. Positive search engine optimization (SEO) requires marketing teams to continually update websites with rich and relevant content that provides useful information for customers.

An SEO strategy can help organizations ensure their content shows up on search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant queries and deliver positive CX when customers find the information they need. Marketing teams should use SEO keywords and phrases organically within content to alert search engines to the site’s relevance for those queries.

December 21, 2022

by TWP Publisher

How Small Businesses Can Make the Most of Email Marketing

E-Marketing Email Marketing

For many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the pandemic was the nudge they needed to embrace digital technologies, like email marketing software. Plus, new challenges like inflation and labor shortages have left small businesses lacking the time and resources to maintain a robust marketing program. A recent Act! Survey found that 69% of SMB owners handle all of their company’s marketing responsibilities. Email marketing technology has quickly become a necessity for SMBs looking to keep pace with the competition.

With ROI top of mind for many of these SMB owners, it is critical to make the most of their email marketing. To do so, businesses must start by setting clear goals, then using the tools necessary to measure the success of those goals and simplify email marketing processes.

Related: Your Email Marketing Is Destined to Fail Without These 3 Essentials

SMART goals
We’ve all seen the acronym — successful email marketing starts with setting SMART goals that properly define and measure the goals of an email campaign. If you’re unsure of what your email campaigns are delivering, first ask yourself two questions:

Do you have SMART goals?
Are you effectively measuring your progress?

Often, SMBs create email marketing campaigns with (at best) poorly defined goals, like “increase the awareness of a new product.” While you may be able to track things like impressions, does that really determine the awareness you have created around the product?

Email marketing campaigns must be directed toward a specific, measurable outcome, like generating new leads, improving conversion rates and growing a subscriber list. Failure to properly define and track email campaign goals can lead to missed opportunities and uninformed decision-making down the line.

The metrics your team tracks should be determined by the goal of your email campaign. For example, if your goal is to increase the amount of time visitors spend on your website, you should track the overall time on site (TOS) while monitoring bounce rates to determine if page enhancements are enticing users to stay longer. If the goal is to generate leads, teams should be tracking lead source viability over time, leads by campaign type and the average number of touchpoints to conversion. To generate successful email marketing campaigns, marketers must first define clear goals and the metrics to track them.

December 19, 2022

by TWP Publisher

What B2B marketers must know in the face of a potential recession

b2b-business-to-business-word-vector-18889889

B2B Marketing B2B marketing

Talking about a recession isn’t always enjoyable. But it’s a situation that inevitably requires a shift in strategy and mindset to continue finding success in the face of economic headwinds.

Defined technically as a period of a significant decline in economic activity, a recession (and the looming potential for one) directly affects marketing.

In particular, B2B marketers face a unique challenge in identifying a downturn – with sales cycles expanding beyond 6, 12 or more months into the future and lacking evident shifts. Whereas, B2C and D2C marketers can feel it more quickly when complete verticals go south.

In this article, we’ll unpack how a looming recession impacts B2B marketers and the key factors to consider to successfully navigate this landscape.

What did B2B marketers do last time?
You must know the past to understand your present and future. There have been plenty of recessions – some fairly recently.

In 2007–2009, we experienced the Great Recession in which the mortgage crisis led to the collapse of the housing market bubble. While it may have ended for the U.S. in 2009, the ripple effects were felt in some European countries for years.

Countries defaulted on their national debt and had to be bailed out by the European Union, resulting in those countries enacting austerity measures to repay their debts, according to History.

Hindsight is 20/20. And when it comes to learning from past mistakes, there’s a clear connection to be made between:

Those who increase (or at least maintain) advertising budgets.
And those who cut or stop marketing efforts altogether.
When faced with a potential downturn, brands that committed to advertising and marketing efforts rebounded faster and recovered quicker than those that opted to pull back.

During the 1990-1991 recession, McDonald’s decreased its advertising and promotion budget, while Pizza Hut and Taco Bell did the complete opposite, according to Pathfind.

This allowed Pizza Hut and Taco Bell to increase sales by 61% and 40%, respectively, while McDonald’s saw 28% fewer sales.

What do B2B buyers want now?
COVID-19 is one key element that differentiates this potential recession from the others.

We just experienced a global pandemic that permanently altered the entire spectrum of consumer and business decisions.

As a result, we will need to navigate key shifts in the B2B buyer behavior and landscape.

December 14, 2022

by TWP Publisher

Four Things B2B Marketing Can Learn From B2C

B2B Marketing B2B marketing

“At the end of the day, it’s all about value delivered to the customer.” That’s how my marketing club meeting ended last month. Today, marketing goes far beyond “the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producers to consumers.” That’s how it was described by the American Marketing Association in 1935.

Now, the AMA defines it as “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

Through the years, marketing has been divided into B2B and B2C. And there’s a reason for it. We act differently when choosing a software vendor (partner, in fact) for the next five years to support digital transformation projects than we do when choosing sneakers to support our exercise.

Anyhow, there is much more we, as B2B marketers, can learn from B2C to create special bonds with our customers and help them make their business more sustainable and efficient.

Typically B2B services are hard to communicate. There are so many services we provide and industries we serve. This leads to generalization or hard-to-understand concepts and deeply professional words. It creates barriers for customers. The harder it is to understand what we are talking about, the fewer chances we have to make a deal. So, let’s make our language simple. A good litmus test could be an elevator speech to a friend of yours who is not a part of the industry you work in.

A Frictionless Experience
A frictionless and transparent checkout process is the key to success for any consumer business today. Customers want to have full control of the process and be sure of any additional charges that may occur.

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