The social platform Bluesky represents an intriguing experiment in social media, attracting privacy-conscious users with its commitment to decentralization and ad-free experiences. Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey founded Bluesky in 2019 as a research initiative for the Twitter brand. After a few years of development, Bluesky launched as an invite-only service in February 2023 and…

Mastering social for retail to win more sales As the social space continues to evolve, retailers stand to gain the most from social media marketing where social followers represent potential business for brands of all shapes and sizes. Social media for retail is largely centered around the customer journey and ensuring customers feel seen and…

With the rise of Programmatic Advertising, there are opportunities to place your ads just about anywhere. Unfortunately, anywhere now includes made-for-advertising sites (MFAs). These websites have become integrated with the advertising ecosystem with the sole purpose of increasing their profits and completely disregarding the customer experience.  What are MFA Sites? Have you ever gone to…

Amazon Storefronts offer a unique opportunity for online retailers to establish a strong, branded presence on the world’s largest ecommerce platform. To really win sales and stand out against competitors, there are a number of factors to consider.  Understanding Amazon Storefronts An Amazon Storefront, also known as a Brand Store, serves as the equivalent of…

Understanding your target audience is the cornerstone of effective marketing, and customer personas serve as the ultimate tool for forging these connections. They humanize your audience and provide insights into their needs, desires, and pain points. By inhabiting their perspectives, you can tailor your marketing strategies, content, and messaging to resonate with their unique perspectives. …

For most online businesses, email marketing is crucial to selling your products and increasing your revenue. Unfortunately, not every email sent is an email received, and the possibility that your marketing and/or transactional emails are not making it to your recipient’s inbox is pretty high. As an online business owner, you want to make sure…

Mindgruve, one of the fastest-growing digital marketing agencies in the U.S., announced today the completion of a rebrand for Mitek, a global leader in digital identity verification solutions that makes digital access faster and more secure than ever. As part of the project, Mindgruve designed a new logo and identity system along with a tagline…

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and in 2022, chances are you’ve heard of it. But what exactly is WCAG and what role does it play in your accessibility compliance goals? We’ll be diving into each of these questions, exploring some fundamental concepts, and more in this WCAG overview.  What is WCAG? WCAG is…

Project managers are in high demand across a variety of industries. Why? They’re professional organizers — and, let’s face it, most businesses need more organization. This is especially true for marketing agencies, which have a lot of moving parts: a growing list of clients, various types of projects, and team members with different levels of…

Data is the golden ticket to effective marketing and communication. As the need for understanding customers has heightened, so does understanding analytics in real-time. In 2022, everyone has the power to have a platform, go viral, and become the monthly trend. The challenge for communication strategists is to make sure their clients are not getting…

Your customers are the heart of your company and the key to its success. Therefore, gathering  information about their needs and preferences is imperative. Conducting market research allows you to get to know your customer better, creates more definition in your audience, and can even help you make key marketing and branding decisions for your…

Effective project managers know there are several steps to lead a project successfully, but they always begin with this: A detailed, thorough timeline. It confirms the scope so everyone is aligned, laying out a clear path of what needs to happen and when, and makes the hierarchy of the project straightforward. Doing this prevents bottlenecks…

Creating an account on LinkedIn is an excellent opportunity for large or small businesses specializing in various industries. LinkedIn allows your organization to build a sustainable and trusted brand online while creating brand awareness and engaging with professional audiences on a global scale.  Your business page on LinkedIn allows you to tell your organization’s story,…

What can marketers expect in 2022? We expect to get more comfortable with our new normal in 2022, with many returning to pre-pandemic activities, despite Omicron’s spread. It’s to be determined what this will mean in future months, but marketing trends, at least, are optimistic.  eMarketer projects total media ad spend in the US will…

Holiday Advertising: How to Craft Messaging that Naturally Ties Into the Holiday Season The key is simple: Don’t do holiday-themed ads just to do holiday-themed ads — consider how your brand actually ties into the holiday season. In doing so, not only will you maintain brand identity throughout the most wonderful time of the year,…

We’re almost to December, and all across the country people are breaking out their holiday decor. Preparing for the holiday season can spark a wealth of different emotions, ranging from bliss to dread — and that’s not even factoring in the pandemic burnout many may still be dealing with. So how can you market to…

Although we may think of Youtube as the prime destination for funny cat videos, in recent years it has grown to be an effective way to advertise and reach your target audience. Youtube is the second largest search engine in the world, with over 1 billion registered subscribers. The odds are, your audience is on…

Every company selling on Amazon should include videos in their listings. Not only do customers want videos, but Amazon’s search algorithms prioritize pages with video over pages with just text. On top of that, the right video content can boost conversion and page engagement.  Producing videos may sound daunting to most brands, but it doesn’t…

2020 was a monumental year for ecommerce.  At one point, it saw a 10-year growth in just a 90-day period. But will it stick in 2021?  Below we take a look at what elements of ecommerce are likely here to stay. Convenience As small businesses scrambled to go online and survive last year, many turned…

What is Six Sigma?  Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that relies on a collaborative team effort to improve performance by systematically removing waste and reducing variation. Some believe it can only be applied in manufacturing, but there are numerous opportunities to use Lean Six Sigma as a tool for change within marketing. More specifically,…

Californians recently had the chance to vote on Proposition 24, also known as the Consumer Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Broadly speaking, it’s meant to expand the preexisting California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and give consumers more control over how companies use their data. It also eliminates the ability of those companies to fix violations before…

Amazon’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP) helps brands move shoppers down the funnel. More specifically, this unique advertising platform serves ads at the right moment based on specific, interest-based audience segmentation and bridges the gap between brand discovery and purchase. Amazon has rolled out a number of features to the Demand-Side Platform since its launch, perhaps the…

Victorinox Swiss Army (VSA) was founded in 1884 when Karl Elsener opened a cutler’s workshop in Ibach-Schwyz. His idea was to manufacture a compact knife with an array of practical functions. More than 130 years after the legendary Swiss Army Knife was born, VSA remains a family-owned business with an unwavering focus on tradition, quality…

Amazon accounts for 40% of all US online retail sales, according to eMarketer. That was pre-pandemic and since then Amazon reported a 25% sales increase YoY in Q1 with stock up 45%. Its brand value is now worth more than $415 billion, according to Kantar and WPP. These staggering statistics mean brands must balance their…

From innovative technologies to the desire for more personal, emotional connections, we’re peering into 2020 and highlighting ten critical marketing trends that will significantly impact the industry. Through the thoughtful application of forward-thinking marketing strategies, brands can stay ahead of the rapidly-changing needs of their customers, foster growth and increase ROI. TREND #1 The Humanization…

It’s 2019 and nearly everyone has a built in assistant – voice assistant that is. Voice technology and its underlying software – voice recognition, artificial intelligence, natural language processing and beyond – is evolving rapidly and becoming omnipresent. With the rise of position zero, the coveted search result spot that voice assistants are pulling from,…

David Shing (@Shingy), AOL’s “Digital Prophet” gave one of the most inspiring keynote speeches at Interactive Day San Diego (IDSD 2014) on May 16th of this year. As he walked onto the main stage with his zebra pants and blown up hair, we all knew we were in for something great. Why? His talk about…

Even with today’s heavy focus on digital content, more than half of web consumers are influenced by offline word-of-mouth recommendations, while 40% look beyond the Internet to inform purchasing decisions. Offline marketing is still a major player in overall marketing success, although it’s decidedly more enigmatic when it comes to pulling metrics. Get some insight…

Everyone knows the saying, “too much of a good thing,” but lately, I’ve noticed many brands that should be taking it to heart. When it comes to customer targeting, a vast number of brands are re-marketing with no strategy, and it needs to stop. There is an effective way to do re-marketing, and then there…

Rebranding: Success Through Balance/Understanding how a brand sets the stage for meaningful interaction and advocacy within your audience

The beginning of 2010 has already shown us a lot of exciting potential for the social world, including Apple’s iPad and Super Bowl XLIV ad campaigns’ interaction in social media. But what we’re most intrigued with are two recent articles from Caroline McCarthy and Joe Marchese. Both articles discuss the emergence and dispersion of noteworthy…