Questions to Ask Your Advertising Agency

April 26th, 2020 Randy

Making Your Way in the Modern Market

The world of sales and service has been changing as fast as the technology and accessibility that helps communicate companies to consumers. Thanks to accessibility through technology, the days where a handful of privileged companies corner a market are gone, along with their antiquated business models and techniques of advertising agencies Los Angeles. This has proven to be of great advantage to upstarts, who can now set up shop and enter a market for a fraction of the time and effort that it used to before smartphones and voice marketing.

Of course, the flipside is that now anybody who wants to start a company can take advantage of the same benefits (and they usually do), so though opportunity may be abundant, so is competition. Now, the challenge lies in making your product stand out above the crowd rather than in trying to squeeze into an exclusive market. This is why it is important to establish a brand: a way of making a clear identity that distinguishes your product from others, your service from others, and your quality of delivery from others. And like the market for start-ups, the market for brands is also highly competitive. Advertising on traditional media outlets like radio and television don’t cut it anymore. You have to get creative, and sometimes a little risky, to create and cultivate an effective brand, and you are best advised not to do it alone. This legwork is best left to an advertising agency.

How does Advertising Agency work?

Simply put, an advertising agency in Los Angeles is a company for hire whose purpose is to get the word of your brand out into the market as much as possible and to maximize consumer exposure. They do this by keeping a keen eye on marketing trends (and trying to be as “ahead of the curve” as possible), creating eye-catching ad campaigns, designing logos and slogans, and catering to as many media platforms as possible.

An effective advertising agency in Los Angeles will establish a plan and work with your company to increase sales and return on investment. The best advertising agencies will be transparent with their clients, involving them in the process all the way. However, it is also important to remember that the market for advertising agencies is also abundant. So how can you get the best out of the agency you hire for your business? By asking four key questions:

1) What Do You Do?

This seems to be a pretty straightforward question, but it leaves much to unpack. In today’s marketplace, advertising is a complex and strenuous process, and you will want to know what you’re paying for and who you’re dealing with. Ask them about how their advertising campaigns work, how they target consumers, and the steps they will take to establish your brand. Ask them how long they have been established, and how they have changed over the years to keep up with trends. Ask them how they track performance indicators and how they will keep you abreast of their efforts month-to-month. Most importantly, ask the best advertising agencies in Los Angeles how their tools and methods make them unique.

2) What are Your Company’s Values?

This takes your queries from the general to the specific. Since you’ve established what an advertising agency in Los Angeles does, make sure you inquire about what makes them different.

3) What Timeline Can I Expect for Results?

You will obviously want to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible, but understand that brand-building is not something that can happen overnight. A good advertising agency in Los Angeles will take your needs and expectations and work them into a planned timeline. You will want to know how often the agency’s team and executives will be in touch with you. You will want to know how they plot their results, and how they will keep you up to date with developments. Ask what will be involved in the first 90 days of a project.

4) What Will Be My Costs and ROI?

The goal of any business serious about success is to capitalize, and to that end, hiring advertising agencies in Los Angeles should be a sound investment. Wanting to know what your return on investment (ROI) gains will be should be a pretext to hiring the agency. Ask what the average turnaround is for their current clients. Ensure you know what their fees and expenses will be before hiring them.

Conclusion

Hot markets demand the best advertising agencies in Los Angeles, typically in the most populated cities. The best advertising agencies in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or New York, or Seattle – to cite examples – should have the keenest approaches for aggressive markets. Ensure your place among them by hiring a quality ad agency and asking the right questions.

What are the Different Methods of Search Engine Marketing?

April 15th, 2020 Randy

China is a huge market with more than 1.4 billion people and growing. China has more than 854 million Internet users accessing different local digital platforms. And Baidu is the largest search engine with more than 174 million daily active users.

If you want to do search engine marketing in China (adstochina.westwin.com/search-engine-marketing-in-china), Baidu SEM can give you quick and effective results when it comes to reaching Chinese audiences and establishing your brand in the Chinese market. Here we look at different methods of search engine marketing supported by Baidu.

Paid listings on Baidu

Baidu PPC is a proven search engine marketing tool in China to engage the Chinese audience and improve conversions. Baidu PPC works on the same principle of Google Ads where businesses have to bid on the list of keywords to display their clickable ads in Baidu’s search results.

Keywords are the foundation of search engine marketing. As the user enters keywords in the Baidu search box to find the information, it should come as no surprise the keywords form the basis of search engine marketing as an advertising strategy.

Different Types of Baidu Advertising

Baidu PPC offers different types of advertising that include Baidu search advertising, Baidu brand Powerlink, and Baidu union advertising. Baidu Powerlink is a unique service offered to big brands. It allows animated Flash ads, images, video, links to products and events. This method of search engine marketing offers a more attractive display and greater brand exposure.

Baidu SEM has a database of 300,000 websites for Baidu union ads. These websites are categorized into 25 fields and 115 sub-brands. Businesses can choose the websites where they want their ads to appear.

Baidu search advertising allows a maximum of four paid adverts on the top of the search results page and two paid ads at the bottom of the page. On mobile and tablet, Baidu shows three paid adverts on the top of the search results page and more adverts at the bottom of the page; the number of ads displayed on the search results pages changes with time.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing is an important element of search engine marketing. Unlike Western countries, local social media platforms in China have a larger user base that also gives them huge marketing potential. WeChat is one of the top social media platforms in China. Hence, your search engine marketing strategy should include WeChat marketing. WeChat offers different marketing tools like WeChat advertising, WeChat Store, WeChat Mini programs, and WeChat Influencer Marketing.

WeChat allows businesses to showcase banner ads at the bottom of the articles posted on the platform. These ads are similar to in-feed ads shown on Instagram and Facebook. WeChat allows businesses to create and offer programs to their target audience. For example, a leading Chinese bike-share Company has a Mini Program on WeChat that allows WeChat users to rent a bike through the WeChat Mini Program.

Baidu SEO

Baidu search engine marketing in China is incomplete without Baidu SEO. The Baidu search results page does showcase organic listings in the middle section. By employing the right Baidu SEO strategy, you can ensure top rankings for your website on Baidu. Here are some key factors you need to consider when performing Baidu SEO.

Site Structure and Functionality

Baidu indexing bots prefer flat-structured sites that can be accessed with few clicks. Also, the Baidu index does not deal with JavaScript or Flash video content, hence you need to make sure your website has alternate HTML5 content. Other tips include keeping the URL structure short and use Frame instead of iFrame.

Metadata and Page Titles

You need to ensure the Metadata and Page titles are unique and the keyword-optimized simplified Chinese. Meta keywords hold importance in Baidu rankings and you should stick to the limit of characters for Meta description (limit is 200) and Meta keywords (limit is 100). You need to also ensure the Alt tags and headings are optimized in the Chinese language.

Links

Link building is an important factor to achieve higher search engine rankings. Internal and external anchor text is also important. You need to target links from industry-related, high authority Chinese websites.

What’s your strategy for search engine marketing in China?

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Advertising Agency

March 27th, 2020 Randy

In the consumer market, there is one element which every business that wants to reach as many people as possible must consider: marketing. Marketing and advertising have been staples of the marketplace almost as long as there has been a market. The need to get word of a brand or product into an increasingly competitive market requires innovative and creative marketing techniques. As such, a firm can take advantage of a swath of advertising agencies in Austin.

Advertising agencies navigate various advertising media – television ads, internet ads, billboards, magazines – and specialize in specific products. As such, it is necessary to be keen when choosing an advertising agency best suited for building a brand. Just as no two companies are completely alike, so too are no two advertising agencies cut from the same cloth. There are various factors to consider when choosing an advertising agency in Austin that is a good fit for your company.

How Do Advertising Agencies Work?

Advertising agencies create and plan advertising content, and handle promoting and marketing for their clients. Advertising agencies gather information on the product and the company and study consumer receptions. Using this information, they tailor ad content through appropriate media, and determine where to advertise, what to advertise, and how long to advertise. These media can include brochures, social media, mail, catalogues, newspapers, and television and radio commercials. They also take into consideration target demographics on the basis of factors such as age and gender. In the highly varied market of advertising agencies in Austin, there are several factors for the discerning company to consider before hiring one.

Factors To Consider

Which services you need, and how much:

Every company produces a different good or service for a different market which consumes different media in different ways. It is therefore incumbent upon the client to determine how they will advertise, and on what scale. For instance, a local dry-cleaning company may choose to advertise through radio and local print ads in newspapers or pamphlets since television ads may be prohibitively expensive, frivolous, and unnecessary. Similarly, corporate entities will want to reach a greater mass audience, using billboards, television, or internet ad content of greater quantity. Advertising agencies in Austin each specialize in providing services of different scales depending on a client’s needs.

How much to budget for advertising:

A company must also determine how much it makes sense to spend for advertising. Depending on what the advertising agency in Austin specializes in, each one charges a different rate for different services. While a company may want to use as much media as possible to reach a wide market, it may not be prudent to spend too much money on doing so. Striking a balance between how many advertising services you would want and how much money you are willing to spend on it is crucial.

Who your target clientele consists of:

Between the last few generations there has been a prominent paradigm shift in terms of preferred media. For instance, baby boomers, an aging generation, are much less likely to consume advertising content over social media than millennials, who are savvier to technological advancements. To best advertise to a target demographic, choose an advertising agency in Austin that specializes in optimizing for the media that is most consumed by your clientele.

Keeping up with changing marketing strategies:

Information is becoming more instantaneous and ubiquitous all the time, and sources of information media are rapidly changing. As such, print media may not be the best avenue for getting the word out there for your brand or product. It is best advised to consider novel forms of advertising with your advertising agency in Austin, such as guerrilla marketing, native advertising, or optimizing for voice assisted searches.

Your locale:

Finally, choosing an advertising agency that is close to you is a recommended move. Local advertising agencies are privy to the media outlets closest to your firm and, even if you cannot budget for widespread advertising, can nonetheless be invaluable to garnering you a local clientele. If you are in Seattle, look for an advertising agency in Seattle. If you are in Austin, seek an advertising agency in Austin. If you are in Pittsburgh, look for an advertising agency in Pittsburgh.

The Bottom Line

Getting the word out for your product or brand is best not done alone, and best not left to word-of-mouth. With careful prudence, selecting the right advertising agency in Austin for you can get the best results from the widest audience for an optimal marketing strategy.

Search Engine Marketing – How to Land on the Top of Search Engine Result Pages

March 20th, 2020 Randy

If you want more online visibility for your brand in China, you should ensure your website lands on the top of the search engine results page. The digital landscape in China is unique and heavily guarded by strict government policies and search engine marketing in China isn’t easy. Here are some tips that will help your website gain higher rankings on Baidu.

Get A Chinese Domain and Host

Baidu SEO prefers local domains over international ones. The search engine prefers domains that contain “.cn” over “.net” and “.com”. You might perform SEO for your .com site but the search engine will always promote local domains over foreign ones. It doesn’t matter where your “.cn” domain is registered, it will still get preference over other domains on the search engine results page.

Unlike the domain registration location, the hosting service provider location does matter on Baidu. If your website is hosted in Hong Kong or China, it would get preference for Baidu. However, getting your website hosted in China and Hong Kong is not easy and straightforward.

Go for an Internet Content Provider license (ICP) for your Chinese hosted website. ICP license is granted by the government which is mandatory to operate your website in China.

Create a Website in the Chinese Language

Baidu is not available in English. Though you can submit an English language website on Baidu, it might never show up on the top of the search engine results page. Baidu ignores websites in foreign languages and gives preferences to websites with content in Chinese dialects.

If you want your website to land on the top of the search engine results page, you need to work with an agency offering search engine marketing in China. Leading SEM agencies in China have expert Chinese linguists, copywriters which can create Chinese content as per your business needs.

Avoid Censored Content

When you are vying for top rankings on the search engine, you need to play by government rules. All content on Chinese digital platforms is monitored by Chinese government agencies and any websites flouting rules are removed from search engines.

Please note certain phrases, topics, and events are not allowed by the government of China. Baidu works in close tandem with the Chinese government to ensure no censored content finds its way on the Baidu search engine. If you want your website to land on the top of Baidu’s search results page, make sure the content does not include any controversial topic or censored content that might look like a violation of government content policies.

Similarly, you need to be careful while linking to other sites. Make sure you do not link to websites that publish censored or controversial content. If you are not careful enough in terms of linking, it will affect your Baidu ranking and the worst your website might be removed from the Baidu search index.

Links Are About Quality and Not Quantity

Like any other search engine, Baidu values good linking efforts. You need to pay attention to the quality of backlinks and not focus on creating a large network of links (poor quality) that do not add value to your website. Quality backlinks will lead to an increase in website traffic and pave the way for achieving top ranking on the search engine results page.

On Baidu, the sub-domain and internal links get more importance. Anchor text is also important in Baidu SEO as the search engine bots do not look for keywords in the URL. The bots get more information about links from the anchor text.

Post-Unique Content Consistently

Baidu values quality content. If you want a high ranking for your website on Baidu, you need to post and update content regularly. You need to ensure the content is informative and useful for your target audience.

You should avoid copying content. Baidu ignores content that appears on other sites and pages so make sure you update content on your website regularly. Like any SEO in the world, quality content is your way to land on the top of the search engine results page.

The above-mentioned tips will help you achieve success with search engine marketing in China and increase your website’s chances of landing on the top of search engine result pages.

Why Weibo Marketing is Better than Other Social Media Marketing?

January 16th, 2020 Randy

SEO and SEM are Significant

Only when there is a focused effort on the part of the companies to make their websites and the related contents precisely in sync with the working of the search engines, there will be an adequate flow of visitors to the site. Here comes the practical significance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). However, companies must employ trained SEO managers to do these tasks, and this will make sure that the efforts will yield maximum results. As far as the China market is concerned, one of the best ways to increase the traffic and the possibility of sales is to opt for Weibo marketing (adstochina.westwin.com/weibo-marketing). Weibo guarantees high traffic and a high percentage of conversion. This possibility is because of the reliability factor of Baidu; Chinese population has accepted Baidu, and they deem it as a reliable site.

Draft the Strategy in Tune with the Search Engine Algorithm

Companies must create their online portals exactly matching to the search engine functional methods. However, the task of digital marketing in China is a bit tough, in the sense that it’s quite different from the modes prevalent in other countries. Here, the major search engines are Baidu, Sogou, etc., and the social networks are WeChat, Weibo, etc. Hence, companies will have to make use of these sites to boost up the sales of their products and services. However, only when the applied tactics are appropriate, the tasks will become successful, and for this, companies must take guidance from specialized SEO companies. That said, it is a must that the applied strategies are precisely in tune with the algorithms of the major search engines that control the online marketing activities in China. The practical experience of SEO companies that possess a thorough awareness regarding the varied online marketing methods of China, including Weibo marketing, will be greatly advantageous and will yield positive results.

Why Weibo Marketing is Better than Other Social Media Marketing?

Companies cannot overlook social media marketing, which is highly significant as regards online marketing in China. By prudent application, companies can not only buildup their client-strength, but also can enjoy client engagement. Social media sites like Weibo will be advantageous for all businesses to spread their brand name far and wide, all across the country. This opening out automatically increases the sales revenue considerably. Because of this possibility, almost all companies that wish to grab a sizable part of the Chinese market share try out and out through all the feasible means, and of course, Weibo marketing is one such method.

Weibo is the primary micro-blogging site in China, and hence, the Weibo marketing method is a sure bet for constant success. By actively participating in it, advertisers will be able to enhance their brand awareness because there are approximately 13 million active monthly Weibo users. According to a rough estimation, there are nearly 2 billion daily views as regards the uploaded videos are concerned. Yet another motivating factor is that almost 90% of the traffic comes from mobiles; this indeed is a positive factor, this means that people from all walks of life are active Weibo users. Besides, the bulk of the Chinese population is participating in Weibo, even on the go. Hence, marketing through Weibo will certainly reap high benefits as far as all businesses are concerned. Their ad campaigns will surely reach millions of Chinese population.

Take Professional Help

Even though there are possibilities to make Weibo marketing campaigns practically effectual, companies must entrust the task of implementing the preplanned marketing strategies to specialized SEO companies. Experienced SEO managers will be able to create astute plans, including well-drafted marketing plans for Baidu, and will implement the same rightly and promptly, and this will be beneficial to businesses. They can make the related web portals always busy with traffic. This practically means that the company will be able to attract new clients and retain existing customers. Remember, both these tasks, attracting new clients and retaining the existing ones, are imperative, and there must be clear-cut strategies for the same.

Three Important Points to Consider for Choosing a Digital Agency

January 16th, 2020 Randy

Is your Austin-based business struggling? Have you been struggling to get word out about your business, even though your product or service is great? If so, then finding a digital agency Austin to market your business online might be just what you need to get people’s attention.

Before diving in head-first with a digital agency in Austin, though, you should consider these three important points. While there are many points to consider when choosing a marketing agency, these three are essential.

Consider What You Actually Need

There are plenty of digital agencies in Austin that offer great services for online marketing. However, unless the digital agency’s services actively satisfy your business’ needs, they will be pointless to you.

Therefore, instead of simply choosing the digital agency in Austin that offers you the highest number of services, you should choose the one that offers the services that suit your needs most closely. The digital agency that you choose should tailor their services around your specific needs, rather than pushing a bunch of expensive and unnecessary services on you. While you may miss out on some supplemental—and most likely unneeded—services that other digital agencies in Austin offer, you will be happy knowing that the company marketing your business online is doing so in a way that actively benefits your business.

For example, while you might need SEO to ensure your website gets more traffic, social media marketing might not be something your business needs, and so on. Therefore, it is important to consider what your business actually needs, rather than simply going with the digital agency in Austin that offers the most services. Less can truly be more, after all.

Consider Your Budget

This point is, in some ways, related to the last, and it is an important one to remember: Work within your budget! Running a business is already an expensive enough endeavor on its own, and the last thing you need is a digital agency in Austin bleeding your business dry with expensive services that you do not actually need.

While choosing an expensive digital agency in Austin may seem like a good investment at first glance, it can actually be a profound waste of money in the long run. In the end, SEO, for example, might be all your business needs to get some extra attention online. Regardless of which marketing services your business actually needs, if they are one or two services amongst a long list of expensive services, then it is probably not a bad idea to consider a different digital agency.

By working within your business’s specific budget and needs when choosing a digital agency in Austin, not only will you save money in the long run, but you may also receive services that are more closely tailored to your needs than if you went with a bigger and more expensive agency.

Consider Their Reputation and Previous Work

In some ways, this might be an obvious point. But still, it is a very important one. By researching the digital agency in Austin that you are considering choosing, you will not only find out if they have a solid track record, but you will also become acquainted with their work.

By looking at reviews for the company, or by reading online discussions about their quality of service, you can determine very quickly whether or not they will do a good job marketing your business online. Once you have been mostly sold on a particular digital agency in Austin, search them online and see what comes up. It’s better to find out that they are of poor quality before you sign a deal with them than afterward.

Another thing you can look into is their previous work. For a digital agency in Austin, find out what other businesses they market online, and see how they do it. This is another quick way to see whether or not the work they do is what you are looking for, and if it is up to the standard of quality that you want from the agency.

What are the Services Offered by an Advertising Agency?

October 25th, 2019 Randy

You’ve heard it time and again: you need advertising if you want to see success in your business—but what exactly can you expect to get from an advertising agency in Los Angeles?

What is an advertising agency all about?

Advertising agencies in Los Angeles are also known as creative agencies. Why? Because they are dedicated to finding creative solutions for promoting your company and products. Some advertising agencies also handle some promotion and marketing, but for the most part, it is an outside firm that is responsible for overseeing the branding strategies and promotions of its clients.

What should you look for in an advertising agency?

There are a few services that you will definitely want your advertising agency to be equipped to provide for you, but even before you check to see which advertising agencies Los Angeles can accommodate your needs, you should check to see which agencies work with your company’s overall vibe, though. You want to work with an agent who shares your vision and understands the tone of your business, and you want to work with an agency that shares your sense of purpose and is willing to collaborate. From there, you will be able to create a strategic process that works with the tone and pace of your business, and that helps you fulfill your objectives without having to distort your messaging or overall experience of your brand.

What services can advertising agencies in Los Angeles provide for you?

There are actually different types of advertising agencies in Los Angeles, and the type of agency you seek out will determine the kinds of services you can expect. These types of advertising agencies include:

• Full-Service Ad Agencies – which offer a comprehensive range of services, covering both traditional and digital marketing strategies, including ad campaigns, strategic planning, TV ads, social media management, content creation, web development, radio commercials, SEO, graphic design, lead nurturing, and more. If you need the full spectrum of marketing and advertising, this is probably the right type of advertising agency in Los Angeles for you.

• Traditional Ad Agencies – work with traditional media, including newspapers, TV commercials, radio, and print. If your target demographic is more likely to respond to traditional media than to digital media, then this is the advertising agency in Los Angeles you should choose.

• Digital Ad Agencies – are all about the online world. Their services include SEO (search engine optimization), social media marketing, website design and development, lead generation, email marketing, account-based marketing, marketing automation, and more. If you are trying to reach a very specific demographic through online platforms, then these are the advertising agencies in Los Angeles for you.

• Social Media Ad Agencies – are all about social media platforms, optimizing ad content for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. If you need someone to boost your online presence and work around the complex social media algorithm changes, then these are the advertising agencies in Los Angeles for you.

• Public Relations Ad Agencies – are used for enterprise-level companies who need to monitor and improve public relations to manage the company’s public image. If you are looking for brand image management, then these are the advertising agencies in Los Angeles for you.

• Creative Ad Agencies – are where the really fun stuff happens. Creative advertising agencies in Los Angeles are all about thinking outside the box to provide advertising solutions that read like entertainment for your demographic. They typically offer services like logo design, print marketing, letterheads, billboards, and business cards, but they are also all about turning traditional advertising campaigns and strategies into modernized solutions that are more engaging for today’s audiences. This is where you will find alternative advertising, like alcohol marketing and video game advertising—and these are where you can make a big impact on your brand and your sales if you source the right expertise from the best agency.

What are today’s most effective advertising techniques?

You still need a foundation in traditional advertising, but to make a big impact today, you need to shift out of the mindset of traditional mediums and consider where people are finding their entertainment, and what that entertainment looks like. If you can infiltrate your product into a popular entertainment medium in an interactive and engaging way, then you’ll be miles ahead of your competitors. Talk to your advertising agencies in Los Angeles to see what’s possible for your company.

What Should You Expect from an SEO Expert?

October 23rd, 2019 Randy

Hiring a Dallas SEO expert is a good business decision that allows you to focus on core business activities. However, many business owners don’t know much about SEO and are confused about it.

Here we have mentioned things that you should expect from an SEO expert. In simple words, we have tried to outline the responsibilities and approach the SEO expert should take.

An Introductory Meeting

SEO is a combination of several optimization techniques that require input from the client. The SEO expert you select should organize an introductory meeting to gain more knowledge about your business, targeted customers, and host of other important things related to your business.

 The introductory meeting could be in the form of a video conference call or in-person meeting where both parties share the expectations; they have from each other. The meeting would be the right place for the SEO expert to define the scope of their work and also tell clients what they can expect from them.

The SEO expert would be in a position to discuss problems and strategies to overcome them after taking a closer look at your website. You can ask the SEO expert any questions or doubts about the or solutions expressed by them.

Perform a Site Audit

Most SEO tactics are focused on your website. This makes the site audit an important part of the entire SEO process. The SEO expert would perform a site audit to find out non-performing or low-performing elements and plan a strategy to make improvements.

 If you have a Google Analytics account, the SEO expert will need limited access to dashboards and reports to find out problems with your site quickly. The Dallas SEO expert may also use additional SEO tools to diagnose the SEO health of your website.

The SEO expert may take more time to perform an initial site audit as it depends on the complexity of the website. For example, websites with fewer pages will take less time than a website with more pages.

Share/Discuss Site Audit Report

A good SEO expert always keeps the client in the loop regarding SEO activities. The SEO expert should share and discuss the site audit report with you. The SEO consultant could send the site audit report by mail or plan a meeting to share and discuss the audit report. Based on the findings, the SEO expert would draw a plan to optimize your website to achieve your sales/marketing goals.

A good SEO consultant would never take unanimous decisions regarding SEO activities. The SEO expert will share and discuss the SEO tactics that need to be implemented to improve your website rankings.

The SEO expert would also give step-by-step directions on how the changes would be implemented and what kind of results you would see after implementation. The audit of the website and the report discussion would be based on the timeline that was shared while signing the contract.

Regular Communications and Meetings

Search Engine Optimization is a lengthy process that might need months to show results. You cannot expect overnight results after certain SEO tactics are implemented. A good SEO expert won’t stop communication after sharing a To-Do list. The SEO consultant would always share the progress of different SEO techniques.

Depending on the type of contract with an SEO expert, you will get regular reports via email that will let you know about things going.  A good SEO expert will always keep you in the loop about changes made to your site, and the results achieved.

Details of SEO Activities

You should stay away from SEO experts that avoid giving details of SEO activities in their plan and timeline. A good SEO consultant would freely discuss in detail the SEO activities they plan to implement.  The SEO expert should also provide you estimate about the time required to get results you have agreed upon.

A good Dallas SEO expert will study the targeted customer base and draw a local SEO strategy for it. You need to understand, the SEO tactics used for local search results are different from tactics used for an international/national audience.

These are some of the things you should expect from an SEO expert you choose to work with.

Guide to Baidu PPC Advertising

October 22nd, 2019 Randy

Any brand wanting to target the Chinese market will be well aware of the exclusive search engines that exist there. One of the largest and most commonly used is Baidu, more aptly the Google of China. Baidu has a strong market penetration, and like many other search engines, offers pay per click (PPC) advertising for businesses wanting to improve their discoverability and to drive paid traffic to their websites. Digital marketing agencies in China offer these services, which are affordable and useful for new brands who have very little idea about the digital landscape in the country. Read on to know more about Baidu PPC (adstochina.westwin.com/Baidu-PPC) and how these agencies help your business with respect to the same.

Account setup and planning

Setting up an account for Baidu PPC is a fairly extensive process that involves a lot of paperwork. In a bid to stay compliant with government regulations and law, Baidu mandates that companies using its platform submit a series of certificates that establish the authenticity of the businesses and that it does not operate, promote, or sell anything that is deemed illegal in China. If your business falls into restricted categories like food or medicine, you may need to produce additional documents and certificates before your account is up and running. There is also a minimum deposit that needs to be made before you can start using Baidu PPC. All of this work can be extremely taxing for a business that is new to China, but a digital marketing agency can take care of it all. In case you have an existing account, the agency can help audit that too. Once this is taken care of, the team moves onto carrying keyword and competitor research to list down keywords that your business needs to bid for. Post this, they proceed to create ad copies and setting up bids so that your ads can run smoothly.

Campaign management

Kickstarting the ads is only one part of the journey in Baidu PPC ads. In order for the campaign to be effective, it needs to be monitored, analyzed, and finely tuned on a regular basis so that the marketing objectives are met as closely as possible. Digital marketing agencies in China, once they set up your Baidu campaign, move on to monitoring its performance on a routine and often real-time basis. The first aspect of this evaluation consists of reviewing the performance of your ads against keywords selected. Often times, the ads may be performing extremely well, or in other cases, they may need a tweak to attract more traffic. In Baidu PPC, you can run multiple ads under a single campaign or to achieve a certain objective. These ads typically differ in their copy, images, and the keywords used.  However, not all of them perform in the exact same way. Some ads tend to appeal to web surfers more than the others. And when this happens, the non-performing ads need to be scrapped or modified to meet their goals. This testing and optimization task is yet another activity that the digital marketing agency performs as part of campaign management. Furthermore, they adjust the bids against keywords to that your ads display on top and attract more viewers to visit your webpage.

Analytics and reporting

The final lap in Baidu PPC is a detailed review of all ads and campaigns carried out. This is done through the analysis of various metrics related to the same. A critical metric that comes up for analysis is the website traffic – how well the ads were able to pull more viewers onto the website, and how well they were able to convert these visitors into leads or sales. This is often provided as a customized performance report by the digital marketing agency. There exist other reports, which are built into Baidu PPC, and which can be used to measure the effectiveness of the campaign or to draw inferences and learnings useful for future campaigns. One such report is the keyword report, which sheds light on which keywords take up the most money, click-through rates, impressions, average cost per click and so on. The report also shows keyword information by location, thus helping to pin down areas that eat more into PPC budgets.

How to Select an Esports Company

October 12th, 2019 Randy

Esports is one of the fastest-growing and most popular forms of entertainment in North America, and it is only growing. If you are in the esports arena, then you will need a marketing and advertising company that will help you understand the industry, your demographics, and your markets. For that, you will need a dedicated esports agency, one that has the experience, expertise, and ideas that will take your esports endeavor to the next level of success.

But how do you find the right esports agency for your company? By following this handy guide. Below, you will find tips and tricks to finding esports agencies in your area, how to evaluate them before you sign a contract, and how to make sure you are getting the results that you are paying for. By following this guide, you may find the perfect esports agency for your business.

1. Do the research on who does research

Many marketing and advertising companies essentially come up with plans by throwing ideas at a wall and settling on ones that sound the best to them. Some people call this “brainstorming,” but when it’s done with research and insights, it’s actually just bull. The truth is that we have so much access to numbers and data these days that coming up with a plan that “just sounds cool” is no longer enough. Always look for an esports agency that does research and has data to back up their plans. That way, you know they’ve thought it through, and the results will be more consistent.

2. Look for someone with specific experience

The truth in marketing today is that agencies have their hands in many different pots. An agency that specializes in toy marketing, for example, will invariably also have clients in tech, food, and beauty. The same is true for an esports agency: they will have many other industries that they service. But even then, do not trust the future of your company to an agency with no experience in esports. Since the industry is growing rapidly and is very niche in many regards, going with someone who’s never worked in it before could set you up for failure. Instead, check out the clients of any potential agencies to ensure they have done work in tech and esports, and that the work they’ve has seen success.

3. Look at their work

Most marketing agencies will have examples of their work on their websites, and you should give them a careful examination. You will probably be surprised to find campaigns that you have seen before and that may have even driven you to convert. Look through their work. If they have case studies, even better. Always check out the work and think about the reasoning and success. But for your next esports agency, see if the work has a feel and attitude that you like. Yes, one agency’s work may have seen great results, but if it’s conservative and your company has attitude, then it may simply not be the right fit.

4. Go with the data

Earlier, there was mention of how much data is in the world today. That data shouldn’t simply drive development of campaigns. It should drive results as well. A marketing or esports agency that doesn’t want to give you detailed reports is one that has something to hide, especially in today’s data-saturated environments. Always go for the company that not only has data to talk about their past campaigns, but that will also offer you data on how their work for you is doing. They should also offer you options for how they can make tweaks to the plans as they happen so the things that aren’t working quite right can be adjusted to get more success.

Today, it seems like there are a million marketing, advertising, and PR firms in the world. Choosing which one to help your esports company reach new levels of success may seem impossible. But narrowing it down to the perfect one is possible. Always start with companies that have experience in esports, or even with a dedicated esports agency. From there, look at their past campaigns to see if they have seen the kind of success that you want and the kind of ideas that fit your company. Finally, always go with the data in formulating and evaluating a campaign. Then, you will have an esports agency that is perfect for your company.

Weibo Marketing Guide: Everything You Need to Know

September 19th, 2019 Randy

The vast, upwardly mobile Chinese market is immensely attractive to foreign companies, but establishing your business in China can be tricky. Unless you are a known global brand, your first step must be acquainting the domestic audience with your products or services. In this regard, Chinese social media marketing platforms like Weibo are invaluable for business promotion.

Getting Started with Weibo

As one of the leading microblogging social media sites in China, Weibo has over a million users and gets over a billion daily views. It will, thus, help you to reach a wide and varied audience.

To get started with Weibo, you will need to register with the company and first set up a personal account. You can then email Weibo’s VIP customer support at vhelper@vip.sina.com to get your Weibo account verified. For this, you will need to submit an application letter and your company registration papers along with a verified translated copy in Chinese. You will also have to pay the requisite verification fee.

Weibo Advertising

To advertise on Weibo, you can do the following:

Create display banner advertisements of various dimensions that will direct mobile and web viewers to your website to learn more about your products or services.

Refer to current search trends to select keywords and phrases that will promote your website on the Weibo search engine. Your website ranking in the search results depends on the effectiveness of your keywords and phrases.

Use Fan Headlines to promote your Weibo posts and account, so that they appear within 24 hours in the feed of your target audience.

Promote your Weibo posts and accounts as well as your business apps to your target audience with Fan Tunnel.

The Marketing Advantages of Weibo

It Increases Your Brand Awareness

If you want Chinese people to buy your products or services, you will need to persuade them of their benefits. You can do so by posting information about your products and services on Weibo. Use attractive photographs and engaging content in your advertising campaigns and try to appeal to the viewer’s sentiments. If people find your Weibo marketing (https://adstochina.westwin.com/Weibo-Marketing) interesting and see your posts regularly, they will start recognizing your brand. Brand awareness is an essential step for effective marketing.

It Helps You with Customer Targeting

To boost your marketing efforts, you need to target the right customers. With Weibo marketing, you can identify your target audience and analyze their behavioral patterns and buying habits. You can then use this data to come up with cost-effective marketing campaigns that are more likely to attract your target audience and get you the desired sales results.

It Increases Your Market Reach and Market Sales

Given that two out of three Chinese people are on Weibo, this social media platform gives you access to a vast potential audience. As more people become aware of your products or services, the more likely they are to transform into customers or clients. Weibo is, thus, useful for expanding your marketing reach and sales potential.

It Can Foster Brand Loyalty

Regular sales are essential for your business to succeed, and developing brand loyalty is a must for this. You want people to choose your brand over other similar products or services. Daily postings and interactions on Weibo will familiarize people with your brand and increase your follower base. These people are then likely to support your business by buying your products or services and by informing other people about them.

Tips to Maximize Your Marketing on Weibo

Improve the visual branding for your Weibo profile and posts to attract potential customers or clients, and increase your Weibo engagement by writing strong, memorable advertising copy.

Research your target audience by age, gender, likes, dislikes, and buying habits, and tailor your advertising campaigns according to that data.

Adopt a professional tone when you interact with customers or clients and respond quickly to their queries about your products or services.

Use the CPM and CPE pricing models on Weibo Fan Connect.

Make use of daily analytics to understand how your advertising campaigns are working and what you can do to increase engagement.

With Weibo marketing, your business finds a strong footing in one of the biggest economies in the world.

Benefits of Hiring a Voice Marketing Agency

September 11th, 2019 Randy

The landscape of marketing has continuously shifted as technology has evolved. We’ve moved from print ads to radio ads, and from radio ads to internet ads. Now, with the ever-increasing popularity of voice-activated devices, like smart speakers, the marketing environment has pivoted in a new direction once again. With each change in the marketing sphere, it can be difficult for companies to get their feet under them and create successful marketing tactics and strategies in an unknown area. In these instances, it’s a good idea for companies to look to a voice marketing agency in order to create successful marketing strategies in this new and unexplored advertising environment.

What is Voice Marketing?

In order to create successful marketing tactics for voice marketing, first, we must understand what it is. Voice marketing is a set of strategies and tactics which are used to reach audiences who use voice devices, such as phones or a smart speaker. The central idea is to employ marketing tactics that aim to capitalize on the growth of people using voice-controlled devices regularly.

Let’s look at some examples.

People typically use voice search when they’re on the go, like in the car, to search for nearby locations that they are driving to. Not sure how much longer until you reach your destination? Just ask Siri or Google. A quick, “okay, Google,” and your smartphone will activate, record your query, open the app necessary, determine the results, and report them back to you—all within seconds. This keeps people from pulling out their phone and manually search up the location as often, which is a significant safety benefit! However, it isn’t the only application. A lot of people have Google homes now, which means they can ask Google or Alexa to play certain playlists and answer queries without having to stop whatever they happen to be doing. Are hands full? No problem. Alexa can look up a recipe for you or answer any other query you have—touch-free. With voice search weaving seamlessly into the lives of the everyday consumer, it can be difficult for companies to employ effective marketing tactics in this new advertising medium. This is why it’s so crucial for companies to look to voice marketing agencies!

Why Should You Hire a Voice Marketing Agency?

There are a variety of reasons for you to hire a voice marketing agency, such as the following:

1. You will gain valuable marketing knowledge from experts! You get to use a voice marketing agency’s experience and expertise to your benefit. You gain access to their successful marketing strategies, and to their technology, as well! Since marketing is an ever-evolving market, marketing agencies need to stay on top of the newest trends and technologies, not to mention the new rules. A marketing agency will ensure your advertisements are up to date, and effective for your chosen medium.

2. Your productivity will increase! Some companies have their current employees, who are unequipped and not trained enough to handle the marketing needs of their company, run their marketing. Having these employees be responsible for a company’s marketing strategies would be detrimental to your company. By outsourcing your voice marketing needs, your current employees can focus on the work they are trained to do, thereby increasing the overall productivity of your company.

3. You will save money! Hiring a voice marketing agency to do your advertising for you saves you the time and money that would otherwise be spent on hiring people, training them, and making sure they have a space to do their work. With a marketing company, all you need to worry about is paying is their fixed, standard fee.

4. You will be up to date on new trends in marketing! As mentioned earlier, marketing trends can shift very suddenly, leaving companies floundering in the dust. When you hire a marketing agency, they’ll keep your advertisements current with the continual flux of marketing trends so that you will never fall behind!

With the constantly changing landscape of the field of marketing, having a marketing agency that stays on top of the current trends and strategies of the advertising world is crucial to a company’s success in advertising!

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