by inbndmarketing | Jul 27, 2016 | Uncategorized
What are the advantages of working with a “Google Partner” company?
Running paid search advertising campaigns on Google isn’t necessarily hard. Anyone can set them up, buy a few keywords and watch the traffic start to roll in. But running them effectively is difficult. That’s why working with a marketing partner that has Google Partner status is advantageous.
What Expertise Should your Marketing Partner Have?
Successful paid search advertising campaigns will put money in your pocket while unsuccessful ones are merely an expense. Here’s why.
First, the wrong keywords will not convert to leads. Almost any keyword can drive traffic to your site, but only the right ones will turn into profitable marketing leads. Picking the right ones requires deep expertise. For example, imagine that you are a Central Pennsylvania painter with a specialty in wallpaper applications, and you’re seeking sales leads. A keyword like “wallpaper” might seem like a good one to buy at Google. But buying that term could be a waste of money. People entering this keyword might be seeking new screen savers for their computers. Or they might want to see photos of wallpaper to buy. Choosing keywords that will lead to a conversion is critical and this requires careful analysis and experience.
Second, in order for paid search campaigns to be successful, they must be carefully measured and optimized over the entire course of the campaign. This requires measurement tools to monitor the performance of each keyword, to track how much website traffic it drives, how many sales leads it creates and to measure its return on investment. Setting up campaigns for this precise measurement is a skill that takes time to master.
Advantages of Working with a Google Partner
Google Partnership is a designation that Google provides to organizations that have proven their ability to successfully set up, manage and monitor paid search advertising campaigns. To attain the Google Partner designation, a business must:
- Show expertise in AdWords (paid search advertising)
- Manage a significant amount of paid search advertising
- Show sustained growth in the numbers of clients served
The LNP Media Group team is pleased to have recently earned Google Partner status and we can confidently report that getting this kind of certification ain’t easy. It took months of taking certification exams in Google AdWords (Google’s advertising platform) and Google Analytics (Google’s website analysis tool). We also had to prove that we have been delivering strong results for clients on live campaigns. And lastly we had to show that we have a growing list of satisfied clients.
This designation has strong advantages. Google support is just a phone call away with our dedicated Google account manager. (Try reaching someone at Google without this!) We can tap into their experience across thousands of ad campaigns, and get ideas for increasing performance on our campaigns. And we access ongoing training to stay on top of the latest advances in paid search advertising; critical because the tools and techniques are always evolving.
Why does the Google Partner Badge Matter?
It matters because it’s proof that your digital marketing partner knows what they are doing, and that’s going to translate into a better return on investment for your paid search advertising campaign.
Want to to know more? Contact us today to learn more about paid search advertising and how we can help your business grow.
LNP Media Group is committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our audiences, our customers, our vendors and our employees throughout Lancaster County and Central Pennsylvania. We provide value to our marketing and advertising partners by building effective and innovative solutions and by delivering exemplary customer experiences.
LNP Media Group is a division of Steinman Communications, one of the largest and most experienced communications companies in the Mid-Atlantic. Steinman Communications is an innovative, multi-channel communications company that delivers high quality news, information and entertainment to diverse audiences.
by inbndmarketing | Jul 18, 2016 | Insights
Doing good in Lancaster County can set your business apart, win customers, and grow business.
Did you know that 90 percent of customers report they would probably switch to a brand with similar products or pricing if that brand supports a good cause? Consumers today know how to vote with their pocketbook, and more and more are choosing companies that support the causes that resonate with them. The numbers get even more impressive among Millennials.
Millennials expect their business choices to align with cause-related concepts:
- In a Barkley report , 42 percent of Millennials said they’d buy products or services if their money in part helped a cause. 35 percent said they’d also donate money directly to the cause.
The implications are clear. Cause marketing is not only a powerful way to give your company a competitive edge, it also can be a positive way to contribute to your community by helping others.
Cause Marketing: What is it?
Cause Marketing can be defined as what happens when for-profits team up with non-profits in a way that benefits both. When it’s done right, Cause Marketing results in increased brand awareness and greater customer loyalty. Non-profits benefit from the time or talent of your support.
Choose a Cause You Care About
How can you make Cause Marketing part of your business plan? First off, choose a cause you care about. Make sure that your business and your Cause Marketing align with your personal and professional values. By staying true to who you are and what your business stands for, you are in a good position to communicate credibly and authentically to your customers and prospects.
Develop Relationships
Before you start using business time and money to support a cause, you should evaluate if the cause is are open to your sponsorship:
- Meet with the organizers and tell them about your desire to create a partnership that helps them succeed. Find out if they have ideas on how to promote your support.
- Some causes are open to sponsors. Other are not. Make sure your cause wants to work together before you make any commitments.
Match the Cause with Your Business Goals
Regardless of how you promote your cause, the key is to find a cause that makes sense to you AND your customers:
- For example, if you sell children’s clothing, it would make sense to partner with a local youth program, youth sports, children’s events or programs that work with at-risk children.
- You could make contributions in merchandise donations, encouraging customers to donate, promoting the cause in your store and in your advertising, or by supporting events with donations.
Tap Into Existing Partnerships
When does it make sense to tap into partnerships and when should you go it alone?
- Maybe your team is small enough that Cause Marketing is too much to take on. Conversely, you may be so large that supporting just one cause is too limiting.
- You may also be working with a cause that has a well-established role for sponsors, or one that doesn’t want to build a custom program.
- The good news is that tapping into existing partnerships requires much less time and effort.
The downside is you may have to share the spotlight with other businesses. Either way, as long as you clearly communicate your support to your customers and prospects, you’ll still reap the benefits of Cause Marketing.
Find Out if We Can Help with Your Cause Marketing
LNP Media Group is continually growing and adding new, exciting technologies to our suite of marketing and media products. We also offer sponsorships to select cause-marketing events. If you haven’t talked to us lately, contact us today.
LNP Media Group is committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our audiences, our customers, our vendors and our employees throughout Lancaster County and Central Pennsylvania. We provide value to our marketing and advertising partners by building effective and innovative solutions and by delivering exemplary customer experiences.
by inbndmarketing | Jul 18, 2016 | Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing
Good Food Starts with High-Volume Marketing
You have great food. Your restaurant looks good. And you finally got the back of the house into working order. All you’re missing are the crowds of hungry patrons. While Lancaster County is famous for having more than its fair share of outstanding eating options, not all restaurants are experiencing the same levels of success.
With so many great options available for diners, Lancaster restaurants need more than word of mouth to keep momentum going. In this super-competitive marketplace, smart advertising can make the difference between busy kitchens and layoffs.
Start with Awareness Marketing
You need to reach large numbers of people without paying a fortune. LNP Media Group offers a variety of media options developed especially for restaurants. In addition to vibrant newspaper options and the area’s most visited website, LNP Media also publishes several specialty publications that can also increase awareness. Each Thursday L
NP publishes Entertainment Lancaster, also know as EL, which is the area’s most comprehensive guide to weekend activities, destinations and events. Fly After 5 targets people in Lancaster County looking for exciting nightlife options, including restaurants, festivals and drinks. LNP Media Group also offers Spanish-language ads in LaVoz, the county’s only Spanish-language newspaper. There are so many ways to reach the patrons you’re looking for. We can help you make smart choices that make sense for your business and your bottom line. Contact us to find out more.
I
nvest in Photography
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but for restaurant owners, it may actually be worth more. Today’s restaurant patrons not only look at photos of food online, they may be posting some of their own! Make sure you supplement their amateur photos with a professional shots of your own. Lancaster County has dozens of young photographers who are both eager to work and affordable. Once you upgrade your food photography, your ads will work better, your social media will get more attention and the perceptions of your restaurant and its food will skyrocket.
If you’re not ready for a website, spend some time with your Facebook page.
Many restaurants skip the website, and honestly, in today’s digital universe, that’s okay. But it’s not okay to treat a Facebook page like a website. You can’t set it and forget it, or update it twice a year. Facebook pages require regular content. We recommend creating new posts daily. You should be promoting new menu items, changes in hours, talk about how you handle food allergies, features shots of guests and employees, and generally create a daily conversation. Facebook pages that look and feel like abandoned property reflect poorly on your establishment.
Advertise on Facebook and Instagram
A few years ago, Facebook purchased Instagram. Now you can place ads on both platforms that are geographically targeted. You can also refine your ad delivery by specifying people of a certain age, gender or interest. Want to promote new gluten-free menu items? Facebook and Instagram can send ads only to people concerned about gluten allergies. Have a pricey menu? Just send ads to higher income groups in Lancaster County. You may be surprised by the ease and cost of these new media. LNP Media Group’s experiences social media experts can help make the most of your campaigns by creating and placings ads, creating special promotional landing pages and even creating and monitoring content.
You Have Dozens of Marketing Options
LNP Media Group offers a variety of print and online publications. We offer a wide range of digital marketing tools and social media content and advertising opportunities. If you haven’t talked to an LNP Media Group representative lately, you may be surprised at how flexible and affordable our offerings can be. Contact us today and let’s get reacquainted.
LNP Media Group is committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our audiences, our customers, our vendors and our employees throughout Lancaster County and Central Pennsylvania. We provide value to our marketing and advertising partners by building effective and innovative solutions and by delivering exemplary customer experiences.
LNP Media Group is a division of Steinman Communications, one of the largest and most experienced communications companies in the Mid-Atlantic. Steinman Communications is an innovative, multi-channel communications company that delivers high quality news, information and entertainment to diverse audiences.
by inbndmarketing | Jun 29, 2016 | Marketing Strategy, Uncategorized
Fourth Quarter is Just Around the Corner. Are You Ready?
For businesses in the home and holiday markets, July is truly the calm before the storm. While home décor and holiday sales are traditionally very slow in July and August, September heralds the return of the hordes of eager shoppers. They’re ready to outfit their home for the cold weather and make this the best holiday season ever.
It’s no secret that fourth quarter can make or break a home fashion or holiday business. It makes sense to start planning your fourth quarter marketing strategies early. We can help.
The Goal is Top-of-Mind Awareness
When you think of phones, which brands come to mind? When you’re considering a new vehicle, which brands do you look at first? The brands that popped into your head have top-of-mind awareness with you. They are the brands you think of first when you think of that category.
Top-of-mind awareness is one of the most powerful marketing goal. Think of your best customers today. They come to your store often. They don’t complain (much) about price. They’re loyal. You have already achieved top-of-mind awareness with those people. Wouldn’t it be great if you could create the same kind of awareness with hundreds, even thousands, of new customers? This Fall your business goals should go beyond creating awareness. You want to create top-of-mind awareness.
Here in Lancaster County LNP Media Group offers a variety of ways to create top-of-mind awareness. We all know newspaper offers a highly visual medium. But did you know that LNP readers tend to be 40+ homeowners with families and above average income? For many home and holiday marketers, that’s the sweet spot.
That’s why, every Fall, LNP Media Group creates special Fall home sections developed to engage homeowners looking for ways to make this season the best one ever. Contact us to discover all the ways these special advertising opportunities can help your home and holiday business.
Combine the Reach of Print with the Laser-Focus of Digital
Nothing beats LNP for creating brand awareness, but if you want to combine your awareness campaign with super-targeted digital ads, we’ve got some great tools to help drive traffic into your door at the right time. LNP Media Group offers geo-fencing, a relatively new technology that pushes your ads out to customers’ mobile devices when they’re close to your store. That means they’re g
oing to be reminded of your business when they’re already in the neighborhood.
We also help businesses create special promotional landing pages, social and internet ads and help push those ads out to the targeted audiences that are most likely to purchase your goods. Be sure to contact us so our team can explain all the exciting digital options to your business.
Promotional Marketing
Even the most loyal customer needs an occasional push to get them to shop at your business. Break through shopping apathy with exciting promotions and sales. While nothing moves people to action like super low prices, if you want to maintain margins, you may want to consider fun, thematic promotions that pique curiosity and encourage foot traffic. It requires your business to think creatively and get a little less predictable. Have a sale on everything orange. Run a scratch and win promotion. Unveil new merchandise at an invitation-only event.
And then promote it creatively with things like digital landing pages, social media ads and geo-fenced mobile ads. Fourth quarter is a time to make big, bold moves, so be creative and try moving outside of your comfort zone.
We’re Ready to Rock the Fourth Quarter
LNP Media Group is continually growing and adding new, exciting technologies to our suite of marketing and media products. If you have talked to us lately, fourth quarter is the time to get reacquainted. Give us a call and we’ll help you make this your best fourth quarter ever.
LNP Media Group is committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our audiences, our customers, our vendors and our employees throughout Lancaster County and Central Pennsylvania. We provide value to our marketing and advertising partners by building effective and innovative solutions and by delivering exemplary customer experiences.
LNP Media Group is a division of Steinman Communications, one of the largest and most experienced communications companies in the Mid-Atlantic. Steinman Communications is an innovative, multi-channel communications company that delivers high quality news, information and entertainment to diverse audiences.
by inbndmarketing | Jun 28, 2016 | Uncategorized
It’s Time to Start Thinking About Fall
It’s hard to get motivated about Fall sales when the temperatures have climbed past 90 degrees, but for lawn and garden services and retailers, July marks the end of the summer selling season. It’s time to start thinking about Fall marketing efforts and to get prepared for the lawn and garden rush that begins after Labor Day.
The local lawn and gardening business has always been competitive, and Fall 2016 will be no exception. Staying top-of-mind will be key to business success as more and more retailers and lawn service flood the Central Pennsylvania market with promotional messages.
Frequency is Key to Top-Of Mind Awareness
Top-of-mind awareness is a powerful marketing goal. When consumers put a business into that small set of names they
remember first, they’re also highly likely to patronize that business over less familiar names. Top-of-mind awareness also increases a business’s value to consumers. It is an image enhancer. When customers familiar enough with a business to assign it top-of-mind awareness status, they’re also much less likely to be price sensitive with that business. They’re, also less likely to shop around. They stick with the businesses they know.
One of the most effective ways to build top-of-mind awareness is through frequency. Frequency is a marketing term that refers to how often a consumer will see an ad. High frequency means consumers see the ads repeatedly. Repeated exposure to ads results in heightened awareness. And if these ads have relevant content that customers care about, that awareness can quickly escalate into top-of-mind awareness for the business.
Smart lawn and garden services here in Central Pennsylvania know they can create top-of-mind awareness with regular advertising in a major medium, like newspaper. Newspaper is an especially desired format for lawn and garden businesses, After all, LNP readers tend to be 40+ homeowners with families and a yard. Advertising in LNP not only offers affordable way to reach homeowners who care about their lawn and garden, it also offers special Fall sections developed to engage homeowners looking for ways to improve their homes, lawns and gardens this Fall. Contact us to discover all the ways your lawn and garden business can build strong awareness with LNP.
Reinforce the Message with Social Media Marketing
Newspaper are a great tool for creating top-of-mind awareness. However, when businesses combine newspaper with targeted digital campaigns, they can amplify targeted reach quickly with relatively inexpensive programs designs to build on core messages. For example, if a lawn care business promoted a series of “fall cleanup” ads in LNP, they could also target those readers again with social media ads that allows prospects to click through to a website, or find a special offer on a stand-alone landing page. Our LNP Media Group teams can help you map out synergies like this, and can also create and place social media ads, develop landing pages and proactively optimize campaign performance daily, to ensure your business gets the best results possible.
Effective Advertising Won’t Work if You’re Not Ready for the Leads
While mixing traditional and new media is a key part of growing a lawn and garden business today, there are still some old-fashioned basics that make the difference between success and failure.
Media makes the phone ring (or emails or texts ping.) However, no matter how prospects contact a business, crackerjack sales teams must be ready to take the call (or email or text) and start selling quickly.
Make sure your team is ready to handle new leads. Consumer expectations have changed. They now expect quick responses, and if you’re not ready to answer quickly, they’ll move on. For example, If someone expresses interest on your website, have someone contact them within five minutes to close the deal. And like in the past, you need to look at the bigger picture when creating a marketing plan — which could include a mix of old and new channels.
The Trifecta of Lawn and Garden Marketing
When you combine a strong print campaign with a creative social media effort, and have a team in place that is ready to respond and sell quickly, you’ve set yourself up for record Fall sales. If you want to learn more about how LNP Media Group can help you create a marketing trifecta, or how we can employ our wide range of marketing and advertising tools to take your marketing efforts to the next level, contact us today and we’ll create a custom plan that makes sense for your business.
LNP Media Group is committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our audiences, our customers, our vendors and our employees throughout Lancaster County and Central Pennsylvania. We provide value to our marketing and advertising partners by building effective and innovative solutions and by delivering exemplary customer experiences.
LNP Media Group is a division of Steinman Communications, one of the largest and most experienced communications companies in the Mid-Atlantic. Steinman Communications is an innovative, multi-channel communications company that delivers high quality news, information and entertainment to diverse audiences.
