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 | 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.
by inbndmarketing | Jun 13, 2016 | Audiences, Marketing Strategy, Uncategorized
Image courtesy of Cindy Frey Photography. Used with permission.
How to make the most of the changes in wedding traditions
No industry likes to tout trends like the wedding industry. If you’re a wedding professional, you may just roll your eyes at the latest trend report. After all, today’s couples are so individualized that trends may not have a big impact on your wedding business.
However, there are a few things we’re seeing that may make a difference in the way you market your wedding services right here in Lancaster County. Take a look at these three wedding trends that are making a difference in the way couples plan their special day in Central Pennsylvania.
TREND: Destination Lancaster
While plenty of couples are still interested in going to destinations like the Bahamas for a wedding, more and more brides and grooms are choosing Lancaster as the “destination.” These couples already live in one of the top tourist destinations in the country. That’s why a growing number of couples focus the special appeal of Lancaster County to make their wedding more charming, authentic or more relevant to their own family history, or even to their shorter history as a couple.
What does that mean to marketers? When you connect your products and services to Lancaster County, and show how other brides and grooms have created a uniquely Lancastrian experience, you’ll become a more appealing part of Destination Lancaster weddings.
TREND: Digital Wedding Planning
We all know that planning a wedding can exhausting. Even small weddings take a herculean effort to execute. So it’s no surprise that digital tools, apps, and websites have flooded the bridal market to help brides and their families research, plan and share tasks and milestones. Hundreds of digital tools are available to help build a seating chart, design invitations, build a wedding playlist, pick out dresses, or choose the venue.
What does that mean for marketers? It means that digital advertising and marketing will be key to getting and keeping the attention of brides and grooms in 2017 and beyond. LNP Media Group has extensive digital offerings, and can help you create a customized digital plan for your business that is targeted and affordable.
Get local with I Do magazine. Twice a year LNP Media Group publishes what’s hot right here in Lancaster County.
TREND: Locally-Sourced Food
Local food and local sourcing has never been more important to consumers, and it’s never been more trendy on nuptial menus. Brides and grooms are planning menus for the big day that mimic the offerings of the best farm-to-table eateries. Couples want their wedding menu to reflect who they are and how live. That’s why ingredients like kale and quinoa are going to show up more often. Locally sourced meats, vegetable and breads will also be highlighted. Farm stand produce is going to take a more central role on menus. Savvy wedding marketers know that positioning products, foods and services as home-grown and Lancaster-local will set them apart from the competition.
Want more ideas on how to reach brides and grooms in Lancaster County? Contact us to discover print, digital and event options that will help you connect with couples right here in Central Pennsylvania.
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 13, 2016 | Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Uncategorized
Is it right for your business?
Marketing to high school athletes is becoming more and more popular among smart businesses. It’s not hard to figure out why. In Lancaster County, advertising to teams and players at the high school level means also getting access to coaches, teachers and principals — not to mention their parents, friends and fans.
High school kids are more getting more sophisticated, and all kinds of brands, from Gatorade to Allstate, are marketing to athletes 14 and up.
In addition to products such as sneakers, sports gear and beverages, other categories are also starting to advertise to this influential demographic. You’ve probably seen a lot of local advertising here in Lancaster County, in local gyms and arenas, for orthopedics and physical therapy. Nationally, big advertisers are also targeting high school athletes for things like personal grooming products, restaurants and even groceries.
LNP Media Group produced the first annual county-wide high school sports banquet this year, reaching thousands of high school athletes and their families.
Why are high school athletes becoming more important to marketers?
High school athletes are important influencers among their peers, but there are also more of them. The number of participants in high school sports increased for the 26th consecutive year in 2014-15 – topping the 7.8 million mark – according to the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). That’s an increase of over 80% over the past 30 years. The most notable increases are a result of the proliferation of women’s sports and team opportunities for young women.
How do you know if marketing to this growing demographic makes sense for your business? Ask yourself these questions.
Do athletes use your product?
While it’s great to get more access to coaches, parents and fans, if athletes don’t actually use your product, this might not be the right venue for you. High school athlete marketing strategies must promote usage and acceptance with athletes first, secondary audiences later. So if you’re a fertility clinic or a retirement community, this might not be the most effective way to spend your marketing dollars.
Do you want to support your community in more meaningful ways?
Advertising to high school students often means sponsorships. Whether you’re sponsoring an awards banquets or a stadium, associating your business’s name with high school sports can be a win-win situation for you and your sports community
The High School Football Preview gives Lancaster County a preview of who to watch in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
Does your product have a positive effect on athletes’ lives?
While athletes play video games and drink sugary drinks, marketing these products to people under the age of 18 can be politically fraught. These athletes have a team of adults around them protecting and policing them, so make sure your ads will be seen as a positive influence with a “Rated G” message.
Does your product appeal to the people around the athletes?
While marketing directly to the high school athlete can be powerful, even with recent growth numbers, the overall market is fairly small. To make your marketing dollars work harder, make sure your message and your media is built to appeal to athletes AND coaches, families, fans, etc.
Marketing to high school athletes can be profitable for your business, but if the marketing doesn’t feel appropriate, you may experience backlash, so make sure this growing audience is right for your business, and then have fun reaching out to this passionate, engaged audience.
Ready to find out more? Contact us to discuss how your business can reach all kinds of high school athletes throughout Lancaster County.
LNP Media Group is committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our audiences, our customers, our vendor 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 | Apr 9, 2016 | Online Marketing, Search Marketing, Uncategorized
BE TIMELY AND RELEVANT TO MAKE THE MOST IMPACT.
For many of your customers, the mobile phone is a way to carry their world with them every minute. As a result, time spent consuming mobile media is now greater than time spent on desktop media. Your consumers are using their smartphones to search for answers, products, services, options or ideas at anytime, anywhere.
But that doesn’t mean that people are always interested in seeing your ads. Smart marketers know how to deliver the right ads at the right time. If your ads aren’t timely and relevant, your message will get ignored.
Businesses in Lancaster County and throughout Central Pennsylvania should make sure customers can find your products and services at the moment when they need you most. While all channels play an important part in your overall marketing mix, mobile media is one of the most powerful ways to drive decisions made in the moment, like which store to visit. When people search on mobile, they are;
So how can businesses like yours reach consumers at the right moment? Here are a few best practices put together by the digital marketing experts at LNP Media Group:
(1) Pinpoint Your moments
Think about how your customers use digital tools and devices, and when they use them. Are they walking around town looking for a restaurant, or are they researching how to spend a big weekend well in advance? Map out the different paths and decision processes your customers might encounter, then plan how you can use digital marketing to meet their needs in those specific moments.
(2) Make sure your site works on mobile
With the continued growth of mobile search and the increased importance of mobile as a research tool, your website should be built to work on all types of mobile devices. We recommend sites with simple information architecture to ensure that your small business website is easy to use on the go and in the moment.
(3) Understand the role mobile search engines play
Pay-per-click advertising can play a critical role in increasing your mobile visibility, but there are a couple things to consider when planning a pay-per-click campaign focused on mobile users. First, you’ll need to think about how your consumer is searching for your product or service and how the search might change depending on the types of moment they are experiencing. Also, remember that people doing searches on mobile devices spend less time on each page and they are even less likely to view page-two search results.
(4) Consider geo-targeted advertising
Most mobile devices are location-enabled, so marketers can target prospects with advertising based on where mobile device users are at a given moment. Recently, the LNP digital team helped a sports complex develop a plan to reach moms of school-aged kids by sending ads to area elementary schools at the end of the school day—the time many moms are waiting in line to pick up children (and checking their smartphone while they wait.) Our digital team also developed geo-fencing for a trucking company looking for new drivers. We sent geo-targeted ads to the doctor’s office where drivers took mandated drug tests. For a roofing company, we sent messages to mobile devices in neighborhoods that had just experienced hail damage.
So what’s the bottom line? Digital marketing allows you to match your message and medium to the moment. With a good plan and experienced digital partners, small businesses like yours will find that you can reach customers at the most important moment: when they are ready to buy. Contact us to learn about our wide variety of mobile marketing products and start marketing your moments 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.
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.
