by Marketing | Jan 31, 2018 | Commercial
Amazon (AMZN) has tightened its stranglehold on the e-commerce business.
New research shows that Amazon will control 44% of all online sales in the U.S. this year (2017), according to eMarketer data cited by Recode. That’s an increase from Amazon’s market share of 38% in 2016. Amazon’s online sales are on pace to grow 32% to $196.8 billion in 2017, including third-party listings.
Amazon is far and away the leader in e-commerce sales. The closest competitor is eBay (EBAY), which is projected to hold a 6.8% share of the market this year. Apple (AAPL) and Walmart (WMT) are bound for third place at 3.6%. Home Depot (HD), Best Buy (BBY) and Macy’s (M) round out the top seven retailers online.
Online shopping still accounts for a small share of the overall U.S. retail industry, though it’s growing quickly. E-commerce sales will jump 15.8% in 2017, and Amazon is responsible for nearly 4% of retail sales, eMarketer says.
Amazon shares rose 1% to $975.90 on Tuesday, extending its gains to 30.1% on the year
Originally published by FoxBusiness.com
by Marketing | Jan 11, 2018 | Digital Marketing
As a small business owner, you understand how important it is to get your brand to stick out in your customers’ minds. Running an engaging and compelling email marketing campaign is one of the best ways to go about doing this. In fact, the return on investment that comes from email is significant. Research shows that, for every dollar spent on email marketing, business owners can expect to see an average return of roughly thirty-eight dollars.
As if that isn’t enough, 80% of professionals state email marketing is the driving force behind their customer acquisition and retention. Get ahead of your competition by following these five email marketing tips for small businesses.
1: SUBSCRIBING AND UNSUBSCRIBING SHOULD BE EASY
While this may seem incredibly obvious, there are actually a surprising number of small business owners who send out regular newsletters to their email list, but don’t have a subscription box or option on their website. By making it difficult for website visitors and customers to subscribe to your list, you miss out on numerous opportunities for new sales, new customers, and upsells.
2: REMAIN CONSISTENT
Consistency is a critical part of branding, which is why it’s important for your email newsletters to look and sound the same as your website, social media accounts, and other marketing collateral. It’s best to have a customized email newsletter template that is completely unique to you and your brand. Your subscribers may get confused if they receive an email that looks like it has absolutely nothing to do with the website they subscribed to.
3: OPTIMIZE FOR DIFFERENT DEVICES
According to Litmus, more emails are read on mobile devices than they are on PCs. In fact, statistics show 54% of emails are read on mobile devices. If you don’t optimize your email campaigns to be appealing and digestible across multiple devices, you stand to miss out on new sales, new customers, and new website visitors. You could have the best email campaign in the world, but it won’t do you any good if people can’t read it. Your customers will already be reading your email on their phone, so including your number in the email makes it easy for them to engage with your content and immediately reach out to you.
4: INCLUDE LINKS TO SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES
Encourage engagement and build consumer-brand trust by including links to your social media platforms within your emails. Think about it: Your users have already signed up to receive regular content from you. This means it’s very likely that they want to follow the latest happenings in your company and want to read any value-driven content you have to share with them. Your email subscribers may not be aware that you had a Facebook page, for example. Make it clear that the content shared on social media is different, and they will likely go follow your various pages. This is an excellent way to extend your audience reach and gain new customers.
5: KEEP UP WITH THE COMPETITION
You don’t want to be just like everyone else. You want to stand apart from the competition. But, it’s a little hard to do that if you have no idea what your competition is up to. Subscribe to the email lists of your competitors and check out what type of content they share. This could be everything from social media updates to the kinds of emails they send, to the promotions and sales they offer. See what they’re doing successfully. See what they’re lacking. Use this information to your advantage – as a way to set yourself apart.
Read the full blog post here: 5 Email Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
by Marketing | Jan 7, 2018 | Digital Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Social media advertising has become pervasive for online marketers because the audience size and quality on leading social networks.
Through social advertising, you can target specific audiences and buyers and deliver your message on the platforms that your buyers spend time on—like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram to name a few. Advertising on social media platforms has changed tremendously. Recent updates to many social networks’ algorithms give users a better experience—one with less promotional content and more relevant content that they want to see. This means that, as a marketer, you need to supplement your organic posts with paid promotion to get your posts seen by your audience.
This has led to an explosion in digital advertising on social media platforms. In fact, eMarketer reports that in 2017, social network ad spending will reach $35.98 billion worldwide. As marketers increasingly spend more on social platforms, it’s more important than ever to have the right strategy in place, track all of your paid social campaigns, and gain insights into what’s working and what’s not. Only then can you understand the return on ad spend (ROAS) from your campaigns. So, where are marketers spending the majority of their advertising dollars? In a recent SocialBakers study, marketers revealed that they are looking towards Facebook as their main advertising platform— 92% of marketers surveyed use Facebook as their primary social advertising platform.
Derived from the Marketo Definitive Guide to Social Media Marketing.
by Marketing | Dec 31, 2017 | Commercial, Strategy
It’s the holiday season and we’re in the mood for gift giving! Usually, I talk about the things that marketers can do to better connect with sales, but in the spirit of the holidays, I’d also like to offer some gift ideas for our beloved sales teams (we know you’re shopping for us after all). So here goes – it’s not an exhaustive list, but I promise your marketing teams will be pleased!
SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK
Ahhh feedback, it’s the gift that keeps on giving, and as your marketing team, it’s at the top of our wish list every year. Who knows our customers better than our sales team? Whether it’s objections you encounter frequently, or technical questions that just keep popping up, if you spot a trend, tell us! Better yet, join us in our planning meeting when we’re getting ready to lay out the themes and foundations for the content we’ll be building in the new quarter, and let us know what you see most, what you think it means, and what your accounts are telling you. The more we know, the more we can design content and campaigns that really do resonate with the customer, resulting in bigger wins for you.
TELL US ABOUT KEY ACCOUNTS
Got an account worth a ton? Want to make them feel special? Let us know! Now this gift comes with a caveat – it might depend a little bit on what kind of team set up you have, but we know the importance of high-value accounts, and we know that a little targeted marketing goes a long way. For accounts worth the most, we can do branded content, themed to the right industry and vertical, or create a special experience at an event. Every little bit helps, so if you’ve got some special accounts, make sure you keep us in the loop.
REGIFT COLD LEADS
You get a ton of leads, but sometimes they aren’t quite ready yet. It happens to everyone, but instead of abandoning cold leads, send them back to marketing! It’s a bit like a gift receipt, if this one isn’t ready to buy, then send those leads on back and we’ll nurture them back to a sales-ready state. This way you’ll get them when they’re hot and everyone will be happy. This is one gift that can also help sales out, since you won’t have to worry about keeping up with a lead that’s been put back on marketing’s radar for nurturing. If your marketing team has a marketing automation platform, it’s as easy as click, add, and done. We can build custom nurtures for any kind of cold lead, whether it’s a “Call me back in Q1 when we’ve got budget,” or a “We’re still deciding,” or even a “I’m not the one who’ll make the final decision,” your marketing team is equipped with the right nurture campaign to warm up those cold leads.
The holiday season brings parties, dinners, presents… and the end of Q4, and at this time of year, sales and marketing teams need to work together to finish of the fiscal year on a high note. Opening up those lines of communication and sharing metrics, as well as exchanging ‘gifts’ like these can really bring in the new year right. So what are you waiting for? Get gifting and high-five a marketer at your next office Christmas party!
Reference: Pardot Blog – 3 Gifts Sales Can Give Their Marketing Teams
by Marketing | Dec 29, 2017 | Non profit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 4, 2018 – Longmont, Colorado. Colorado Young Leaders, a Colorado-based student leadership organization, worked closely with their innovative student base to deliver a mobile web solution that shows their commitment to student leadership. Working closely with the CYL team, iCita designed and completed an upgraded web platform for the Highlands Ranch based non-profit. The site was built around a very responsive design that brings the mobile accessibility and content presentation the students and their parents desired.
Using a secure WordPress framework and an upgraded WPLMS base, the site was given life through the efforts of an inspired team of CYL staff and volunteers. Content was re-organized to meet SEO goals, and page layouts were geared towards meeting the requirements of the customer journey on every page. iCita provided guidance in planning meetings, SEO strategy, design wire framing, and content layout, the whole time following the CYL team’s leadership down a great path of creating the new face of CYL online.
“There is such a talented team at CYL,” says Thomas Smidt, President of iCita. “They are smart, creative and listen to what works best for their students and parents. I love what they came up with.”
The new responsive website is located at www.ColoradoYoungLeaders.org and consists of a front end registration process, event management, online donations, and ecommerce functionality. Parents and future students can learn about CYL programs, Summits, volunteering, and student leadership adventures all through the site. There are better connections to the social media channels the staff and student leaders use while at the same time giving the information to parents and guardians need to help guide their child through the CYL program.
About Colorado Young Leaders
Founded in December 2014 and based in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, CYL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is defining a new generational leader; a young person with a clear passion and purpose, a heart for others and a desire to get the most out of life. They currently operate leadership programs in several counties in Colorado and continue to expand to new high schools and counties. If you want more information for your student or need information about getting your school involved, please contact Jennifer Landers through the website at www.ColoradoYoungLeaders.org.
About iCita llc
iCita (pronounced eye-SEE-ta) is a strategic marketing and technology company focused on cloud-based technologies and solutions. The iCita team has specific strategies that form a solid bridge between marketing and technology goals propelling their clients forward. The company is based Colorado and was founded in 2001 in Boulder – at the very heart of technology innovation in Colorado.
Get inspired and make a difference – visit www.iCita.net and www.iCita.rocks.
Media Contact:
Thomas Smidt
tom.smidt@icita.net
720.232.0917.
by Marketing | Oct 27, 2017 | Digital Marketing, SEO, Strategy
Amazon continues to excel! With the purchase of Whole Foods and the growth of Amazon Prime, companies with products need to have a presence and promote themselves on Amazon. Here are the pros and cons of using Amazon, but also how you need to start your digital marketing plan.
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