Educational Lunch & Learn events are hosted quarterly within the Appleton Creative offices benefiting our clients and associates with up-to-date marketing news. Recently we hosted a special edition, Marketing Strategies and Trends,for our friends at  CREW Orlando, the local chapter of an international organization with the purpose of expanding business networks, promoting diversity, and educating its members.
Here are the four hot marketing topics we discussed:
The Responsive Web
A previous trend was to have separate desktop and mobile websites. Â Now that mobile devices have saturated our lives and threaten to unset desktop computers as people’s primary web browsing device, it’s important to have a website that offers all of its desktop content packaged and optimized in a mobile format. A responsive website uses a single, “smart” design that changes its layout to ensure content looks great regardless if a visitor is using a phone, tablet, or desktop computer. The benefits of this method are:
It’s easier to keep content fresh and consistent on a single responsive website, rather than two separate mobile and desktop sites
Mobile visitors expect access to a website’s full content; they no longer want shortened mobile websites
Device-detection for mobile-only websites is time-consuming and requires code updates whenever a new phone or tablet is released. Responsive web design only looks at screen size, effectively “future-proofing” a website against new mobile devices.
Google recommends responsive web design as a “best practice”, which impacts organic search engine optimization (SEO) rankings
The Growth of Video
Video is an effective way to demonstrate thought leadership, introduce products and services, and showcase corporate culture. Websites with video capture audiences 5x longer and are 53 times more likely to have a front-page Google result. Sites with video also improve conversion both online and offline, improving everything from overall brand perception to generating repeat visits and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Social Media & Reputation Management
Every 60 seconds, your customers are generating a tremendous amount of feedback about your brand; very little of this content is actually on your website. It’s important to follow and engage with your audience on the social networks they frequent. Not all social networks are alike and it’s critical to understand the culture and expectations of each. Creating marketing tools such as proactive content schedules and writing guides, as well as tracking stats and mentions of your brand, work together to build your social media strategy.
The Resurgence of Print
Print is not dead, especially with the onset of “email fatigue”. A well-crafted print campaign is:
tangile
credible
well-branded
targeted
engaging
Print pieces can also be interactive, incorporating digital components such as video, QR codes, and NFC (Near Field Communication) chips, or make use of innovative paper types, inks, and die cuts to grab attention and tell a story.
So, get prepared for 2014! Appleton Creative is an award-winning, full-service advertising agency located in Orlando, Florida. We work with local, national and international clients to provide marketing strategies through print, web, social media and video production – all in house. At Appleton, we want to learn about your business, empower your marketing team and be your creative resource. Your marketing goals are worth a conversation: contact us at 407-246-0092 or info@appletoncreative.com.
