For years we’ve been working with our clients to ensure their digital presence is top-notch. From smart user experiences to engaging social content, we do it all—and in an integrated digital world, that’s key.

One of the areas of our marketing and advertising that’s always on the move is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Some algorithm changes are accompanied with flashy names and internet buzz. Others, however, fly under the radar—secret updates from search engines that ensure their platform serves up the exact content a user is seeking. Search engines like Google keep these updates secret to ensure websites don’t game the system, tricking Google’s crawlers into thinking they’re something they’re not.

So while we can’t tell you definitively what’s on the horizon, we do have some pretty good ideas. Based on market research and our own SEO experience in the trenches, here are the top trends we expect to see in 2017.

1. The value of value.

In an effort to provide helpful content to users, search engines continue to favor sites that provide actual value to visitors. From helpful videos to step-by-step tips, sites that are able to quickly and easily solve real-world problems are poised to do best in the coming year.

2. Mobile-first is coming.

In 2016, Google revealed that nearly 60% of searches are now happening on a mobile device, fueling an intense focus on the mobile search experience for its users. The company announced separate mobile rankings—penalizing websites that weren’t mobile friendly.

We can only imagine that this share of mobile searches will continue to grow dramatically in 2017, and we’d bet Google & Bing will release more updates favoring mobile-optimized sites. Google has even announced that they’re experimenting with mobile-first indexing for all searches, not just those made from a mobile device. This is a major development for search, and one that companies should consider when beginning a website overhaul or new, from-scratch website build.

3. Stop typing. Start talking.

Talk-to-text technologies have improved immensely in the past two years, and consumers have noticed. In Google’s last big report, the company announced that 20% of mobile queries are voice activated.

Google’s Hummingbird update (a complete overhaul to their algorithm in 2013) paved the way for more intelligent interpretations of user search intent. We believe this algorithm will get even smarter in 2017—continuing the emphasis of content topics over specific keywords.

4. Location, location, location.

And those voice-activated searches are 3X more likely to be local searches. If you have a physical presence, this could be big news. Does your site have location finder services available? Are all four locations of your growing donut empire represented? These are the types of questions we’ll be asking as an agency because these are the types of questions consumers are asking their search engines.

5. That all leads to things getting personal.

As creepy as it may be, search engines and our smart devices know a lot about us. We already see this today. When I get into my car after work, my phone alerts me that it will take 24 minutes to get home based on current traffic. Did I tell my phone I was going home? Absolutely not—it just knows.

As machine learning or deep learning continues to advance, those voice searches we just discussed will get even smarter. Moz expects voice searches in 2017 to not just recognize, but understand the intent of your search using previous search history, location-based context, context based on frequently used apps and personalized information.

So what do you do to rank well in 2017?

Be aware of the trends discussed above, and don’t forget to keep an eye on changing technical best practices. But most importantly, address these two areas:

• If you’ve put off addressing your site’s mobile presence, that should be your top priority. Not only will your users have a faster, better, more effective experience, but you’ll have a fighting shot at showing up in search.
• Focus on what your user wants to hear, not what you want to say. This is by no means a new concept, but it will have a tangible impact on your site’s organic performance. Now more than ever, it’s important that content strategy leads, not ego.

Any predictions you’d like to add to our list? Questions about how to prepare for this changes with your own site? Comment below or email us at jjelak@stephanbrady.com.

The post SEO Predictions & Trends for 2017 appeared first on S&B Blog.

As a brand, you want the media to write positively about your company and your story. One way to do that is to develop and keep quality relationships with media personalities.

PR professionals have relationships with the media that can—and should be—mutually beneficial. However, year after year, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports growth in the number of PR professionals and a decline in the number of journalists. For this reason, it takes more than crafting a clever pitch to get a media placement at top tier publications. If you really want your message to stand out in a journalist’s crowded inbox you need to have a strong relationship with them. Here are five relationship-building tactics to try:

1. Schedule a Visit

Great relationships often start with a deskside visit. It’s a chance to sit down and spend uninterrupted time with a member of the media. The opportunity to have a face-to-face meeting not only helps establish a personal connection, it also gives you the chance to hear what the media are working on and how your company or product might be a good fit for a story already in development.

2. Host an Event

Capitalize on another opportunity to meet face-to-face by hosting media at an industry event or trade show. This could mean coordinating one-on-one meetings at a trade show booth, organizing a happy hour, or hosting a casual dinner for several members of the media. Meeting with media this way sets you apart from the competition and will help develop a stronger, more lasting impression.

3. Send a Sample

If you have a physical product, preparing a small mailing to select members of the press is another great way to foster relationships and encourage coverage. You may be a great wordsmith, but that doesn’t discount the impact of sending someone something tangible—it’ll stick in their memory long after any email you could send.

4. Share on Social Media

Everyone has the same goal concerning their brand, and that’s to increase awareness. The same is true for journalists—they need to increase their personal brand. If someone writes something about your company or product, help spread the word by sharing it on social media and thanking them by name, not just by their publication title, for their help.

5. Grab a Drink

Grabbing coffee or a quick drink is a great way to get to know someone when you are in their area or vice versa. Sure, your relationship will always be a professional one, but this is an opportunity to learn about each other’s interest and perhaps even find a way to work together on another project. It’s also much harder to forget someone and who they represent when you’ve had early morning coffee with then in NYC or grabbed martinis after an all-day conference in San Francisco.

Wondering who would be the best member of the media to contact and how to get that conversation started? We’d love to brainstorm with you! Email jjelak@stephanbrady.com to get in touch.

The post 5 Ways to Develop Quality Relationships with Media appeared first on S&B Blog.

A great logo design is more than something that just looks good – it needs to communicate a brand message.

To the consumer, a logo is an instant reminder of a company or a product. To the client, it’s the face of their company and it should resonate strongly with their target audience. It’s human nature to judge a book by its cover, so it’s critical that the first impression of your brand is a positive one.

So, what do great logos have in common?

A great logo contains three important attributes: 

1. It’s Memorable.

Memorable logos often feature something unexpected or unique that makes them stick in your head. On the flip side, many logos become memorable as a result of marketing and constant exposure, not so much the design. We’re convinced that a logo is timeless because we attach emotion and memories to it, or we attach those feelings to the experience—good or bad—of the product or service. So, it needs to be memorable in a good way. Which leads us to the next attribute.

2. It’s Appropriate.

How you position the logo should be appropriate for its intended purpose. What are you selling? How are you selling? Who is your customer? Does it look current or timeless? A logo is the basis for all future marketing efforts. Graphic style decisions like fonts, colors, tone, etc. need to be made in relation to the style of your brand, making sure it aligns with your overall brand message.

3. It’s Simple.

Above all, logos should be simple. A simple logo design allows for easy recognition and versatility. It should be able to work across all mediums and applications from digital to print. The logo should work as well on a mobile device at 100 pixels as it does on a 100ft. outdoor board. Make sure it’s created in a vector format (Illustrator CC) to allow for infinite scalability and that it works just as well in black & white as it does in color.

Here is a sampling of logos that contain the three attributes discussed above.

Keeping your brand fresh and relevant requires change.

Comparing past logo iterations with the most current can give us a clear picture of how companies and design trends have evolved over time. It gives us a look in to what was popular during a particular period, and it can reveal trends in branding and changes in products and services. Take Rayovac for example (below photo). The similarities between the earliest version of the logo and the most current one is striking. In every case, the designer took full advantage of the symmetrical nature of the name, using a central “O” flanked by 3 characters on either side. But the treatment of the font and design is reflective of the time period it was created. And the original “Mr. Ray-o-Lite” is still echoed in the logo today.

Here is a small sampling of the many refinements of the Rayovac logo through the decades.

The original Church Mutual Insurance Company logo dates back to 1898. As you can see, the complexity of these early logos makes them very difficult to decipher, and nearly impossible to recognize on today’s tiny mobile device screens. The early versions may have been memorable, but only because of how hard they were to read. The current iteration of the Church Mutual Insurance Company logo retains the visual of the church spire that is synonomous with their brand, but has been updated in shape and color to a more graphic rather than literal representation, making it bolder and more eye-catching.

The most current facelift draws on the church spire that was a common thread between the earlier examples, but it’s turned into a graphic element.

The newest logo is simple, memorable, and appropriate: everything a logo should be.

Is it time for you to update your brands logo design? Start by putting your logo in the hands of a design team who will transform it into something that reflects your brand and speaks to your target audience.

Send us an email at jjelak@stephanbrady.com and we’ll help find a design that retains the legacy of your brand, while bringing it into the modern, digital era.

The post What Makes a Great Logo & When to Update Yours appeared first on S&B Blog.

When starting to plan out a digital marketing strategy, many companies often go straight to tactics: we’re going to run banner ads, paid search, and social media advertising. Unfortunately, that isn’t the best approach. You need to consider a lot of crucial information first, like your goals and audiences, before making final decisions about media placements. This information will help determine what media platforms you are going to use, how to target your ideal audience, and how much you are going to spend on creative for the campaign.

If you don’t approach digital marketing with a thorough strategy, you may end up serving the wrong types of ads to the wrong audiences, resulting in wasted time and wasted money. Start at the beginning, making sure to take into consideration everything necessary before you outline a digital marketing strategy and start executing a campaign.

Here’s how we do it:

Define Your Goals

The first thing to consider are the overall goal(s) of advertising online. Is the goal to drive reservations? Get someone to purchase or sign up for something? Interact with the brand in some way? Or is the campaign targeting increased brand awareness?

Define Your Audience

Next up: you need to define your target audience. In order to accomplish that above goal, who are you targeting? Is it a defined audience specific to your brand, or a new segment of the population that you are trying to reach? When defining a target audience, it is important to go beyond demographics and think about other critical elements such as lifestyle and behavioral elements. Most importantly you need to consider how your audience is consuming media in the digital space. In an upcoming post we will talk more about targeting and how best to define your target audience(s), so stay tuned!

Create a Digital Media Plan

Once we work together to establish your goals and audiences, we can create a well-thought-out digital media plan, taking into consideration budgets and timelines. This includes taking a look at what platforms or ad networks your ads will run on and exactly how to target the defined audiences.

For example, someone that might spend a week at a ski resort will be in a different audience set than those that would come to ski for the day and be interested in day-only lift ticket rates. It is important to target these audiences differently so that the messaging can speak specifically to each audience and the campaign can receive the best possible results overall.

Develop the Creative

Once a media plan is established, it is time to develop the creative work that will help execute that plan. All of the goals and targeting that have already been decided on should inform the direction of the creative. Those previously-established goals and targeting help to determine what the creative looks like, what copy is used, what the CTA says and where a click takes people if they choose to interact with the media unit, whatever form it might take.

Example One: A Basic Digital Marketing Strategy for a Vacation Resort

Say you are a resort looking to drive reservations. Because of the various amenities that you provide, you are looking to target both adventure seekers as well as families with children.

The first thing to do is to establish a media plan that targets these audiences in different ways and on different platforms. Even if the final creative may have a similar look and feel (sticking to your brand standards!), the imagery used to target the adventure seeker will be more high impact and adrenaline-invoking than the images used to target families with children.

The CTA button remains the same (“Book Now”) since the goal is the same for both audiences. Yet the targeting and the overall emotion conveyed through the creative is different for each audience. This approach should yield better results for the campaign as a whole since you are reaching each audience in places where they browse the web and showing them content that they are specifically interested in.

For our client, Jay Peak Resort, we applied this strategy and saw a 101% increase in reservation revenue driven by display advertising from one season to the next.

Example Two: Digital Marketing Strategy for Two Similar Audiences

For our client Jones Dairy Farm, a well-defined digital marketing strategy has helped build brand awareness and reach an emerging target audience for their brand.

The goal is the same no matter the audience: build brand awareness, generate clicks to the website, and ultimately drive purchase of their products. When building a digital marketing strategy for the Jones Dairy Farm campaign, we began by narrowing our focus on two defined audiences: quality shoppers (moms with older kids who want quality products, despite price) and millennials with young families (moms and dads). Both audiences want high quality products free of “bad stuff” (gluten, MSG, preservatives, etc.) that they feel confident serving to their families. The major difference is where and how they consume digital media.

Below are two examples of digital units for this year’s Jones Dairy Farm digital campaign. The one on the left is a traditional animated banner ad that runs on AllRecipes.com adjacent to relevant content (layered with geographical and behavioral targeting). Based on our targeting, this ad is more likely to be seen by the slightly older quality shopper audience. The ad on the right is a Facebook ad leading into Facebook’s new Canvas unit – an immersive experience curated by the brand. This ad was built for and targeted to the millennial audience, who spends more time on social media consuming content such as videos and recipes.

While the end result of each unit will be the same (a click to the Jones Dairy Farm website), by building content that speaks to each audience and targeting them where they consume digital media, we—and ultimately, our client—are more likely to have a successful campaign as a whole.

At S&B, This is Our Process

At S&B, this process is a part of our everyday. We instinctively start at the beginning by assessing goals and audiences before developing any media plan. This information is vitally important in assessing how best to spend our clients’ dollars. The goals, audiences and media plan then inform our creative team so that they can develop the best possible creative to make as big of an impact as possible with the budget.

To learn more about our digital marketing process, or see how S&B can help you fine tune your digital media strategy and creative, send us an email at jjelak@stephanbrady.com. We love to talk strategy!  

The post Developing A Digital Marketing Strategy appeared first on S&B Blog.

We all know that one campaign: the campaign that completely nails it. The campaign that lands at the right time, in the right place, has the perfect messaging and execution, and reaches your target audience through all the right vehicles. You love it so much that you want to extend it, run it for another year, print out large posters for your office, your home…in fact, you’re even considering having your agency redesign your corporate website to match the campaign.

It’s tempting, to want to “reconfigure” your brand to match a successful campaign. Sometimes we tire of our own brand, because we live and breathe it, day in and day out. But is it a good idea to snag that flashy campaign headline and turn it into your corporate tagline? It has definitely worked for some. The famous Nike “Just Do It” slogan was part of an ad campaign. The company felt it was so aligned with their core values, they re-built their brand around it.

But it doesn’t work for everybody. It’s good to question whether your brand needs a refresh, but it’s a big decision that should be made for the right reasons. First, let’s look at the difference between a brand and a campaign.

Your brand communicates who you are. 

Your brand is your identity. It represents what you stand for as a business–at the core–and it does so broadly, to a wide audience. A brand has longevity and lives beyond trends and fads. A well-developed brand will also have a flexible visual identity system (called brand guidelines) that guides all communication so that it looks and feels cohesive no matter who is creating it.

A campaign communicates what you do. 

A campaign is a short-term initiative that promotes your organization’s service or product. It is designed to elicit action from a narrower, targeted audience, and it should have measurable results. Campaigns often take their cue from current trends. Much like a new hairstyle or new suit, it’s a fresh expression of what you have to offer; it’s timely and current, but it doesn’t change who you are (or your brand) at the core.

The brand campaign blends the two.

There can also be overlap of these two communication platforms, known as a brand campaign: a focused effort to remind people of “who you are” in addition to your product or service. There are companies who promote both simultaneously, and do it very successfully. Nike and Apple are prime examples: both companies communicate broader ideals that reflect who they are, while selling their services at the same time. But both of these companies also boast an established, well-known brand, something that is vital to have first before a brand campaign can work.

One Example of a Successful Brand Campaign

One company whose brand has stood the test of time, whose campaigns have clearly—and successfully—evolved with the times, is John Deere. Over the years, the company has executed a mix of product specific campaigns and brand campaigns. Some examples:

Starting back in 1964, this simple ad uses a distinct image of the product to promote the brand.

via Machine Finder

A 1996 ad also uses the product to promote the brand, along with some great tongue in cheek humor. Branding is reinforced by a corporate logo and tagline lock-up at the bottom of the ad.

via Old Magazine Ads

A 2009 campaign takes a lot more creative liberty in its execution, but is still very clearly branded through color and a unique technique that leads the eye straight to the John Deere logo.

via Machine Finder

A beautifully executed 2013 brand campaign that highlights both the company’s history and their innovation. This video execution truly reinforces the greater “idea” of what the John Deere brand stands for. 

John Deere-How We Run from Hype Communications on Vimeo.

The more recent 2015 “Building together” campaign, again shows a very modern take on a brand and product that has been around for a long time, since 1837, in fact. But its advertising is far from old, or outdated. 

via Ads of the World

Want to Rebrand Following a Successful Campaign? Here are Some Things to Consider

The John Deere advertising examples shown above provide a great example of a brand that has held true to its origin while allowing its campaigns to evolve over time and remind its audience how relevant the product still is. When thinking about your own organization, and that recent campaign that you fell in love with, here are some points to consider before launching into a rebrand discussion:

• Obviously, the recent campaign reflects your brand, but is the message one that will stand the test of time? Or is it a message that is reflective of current times?

• Why do you love the campaign? Will you still love it 2 years? Will you still love it 3 years, when that popular font has gone out of style?

• Instead of a full re-brand, consider extending the campaign by creating another round of assets. Your agency will be happy to evaluate and discuss whether the message will continue to resonate for another cycle. You might conclude that the core message is still relevant, but the creative needs some tweaks in order to have a longer shelf life.

• Look at ways to incorporate the campaign in your current brand. For example, ask your agency about creating campaign assets that will fit into your corporate website. Or consider a campaign “takeover” of your website and social media platforms, in which the campaign creative takes over for a defined period of time.

We all know that a corporate rebrand is no small undertaking and requires a much greater, much more strategic discussion. Maybe a recent campaign has sparked this process in your own brand. As an agency, we would love to explore this with you—before you go out and tattoo it on your arm.

Got a question about what makes a campaign different from a brand? Want to talk about kicking off a new campaign or rebranding effort? Send us an email at jjelak@stephanbrady.com and we’ll chat!

The post The Difference Between a Brand & a Campaign appeared first on S&B Blog.

Now that we’ve explored why partnering with an agency is beneficial, we want to talk through some of the trends we’re seeing for 2017 and how partnering with an agency can bring them to life in your campaigns.

Here are five trends to expect in 2017:

1. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR & VR):

We’ve got two words for you: Pokémon Go. Although the hoopla over Pokémon Go has since subsided, the non-virtual reality is that this AR experience saw over 100 million downloads since it went live this year. While we might not be able to get you 100 million downloads, this has shown us that consumers are ready and eagerly awaiting AR and VR experiences. The good news is, agencies are also excited to take on these projects and can recommend ways to develop videos to fit most campaigns and budgets. Whether that’s a new 360 video or a fully immersive experience, this is something that brands should be embracing and we’re ready to help make it happen!

2. Live Streaming Videos:

Another big trend for 2017 is that brands will—and should—continue to use live streaming videos. With social media platforms quickly evolving into major marketing platforms, consumers are demanding ways to engage with brands on a more intimate level. Live streaming gives consumers insight and access to areas of brands they haven’t seen before. Agencies that specialize in or have a social media expert on staff can help develop topic areas and produce live streaming videos that will grant the real-time, inside access to your brand that consumers are craving. Needless to say, live streaming has been popping up everywhere and will continue to surface in 2017.

3. Personalized Content:

We’ve all read the articles about how millennials are turning traditional marketing on its head and that they want, nay demand, a more personalized brand experience. But they’re not alone in this. Consumers of all ages want to engage with brands and feel as if that brand is speaking directly to them. One of the best ways to do this is to narrow in on specific target audiences with specific topics—and surprise—agencies can help find those audiences. Narrowing the scope allows agencies to craft personalized messaging and reach consumers at the personalized level they’re expecting. A word of caution: you don’t want to paint yourself into a corner by getting too specific in your targeting. There’s a fine line between too narrow and broad enough when targeting audiences, and experienced agencies can help find that balance.

4. Influencer Marketing:

Influencers can have a huge impact on your brand and as such, more and more companies are looking for the best people to advocate for theirs. This is going to continue in 2017, partially as a result of the increase in internet sensations—companies don’t necessarily have to lean on expensive celebrities to elevate their brand anymore. The next “Chewbacca mom” is out there somewhere, and agencies are an excellent resource to make these contacts. Another known fact about agencies is we know and work with people all over the place. Whether that’s a popular blogger or a YouTube sensation, we just might know the perfect person to elevate your brand to that next level.

5. Data, Data, and More Data:

With new and advanced technology comes more and more data to sort through. We predict 2017 will be the year of mass data and who better to help navigate that rough sea than an agency? Agencies often have data specialists that know all the ins and outs of reviewing and analyzing all of that data—and even better—what it can mean for your specific campaign. Any agency worth their salt will take the natural next step and make recommendations for ways to optimize your campaign so that its performing at its best.

All in all, 2017 looks like it’s going to be a fun year! Now’s a great time to engage with your agency partner to start talking about how your business and brand can be taking advantage of some of these trends and really hit the ground running come January.

Questions about any of the trends above? Email us at jjelak@stephanbrady.com for more details—we’d love to kick off a new and exciting project with you!

The post 5 Trends to Expect in 2017 & How an Agency Can Help appeared first on S&B Blog.

If there is one constant in social media marketing, it’s that things never stay the same. As social networks fight for consumer’s limited attention spans, they must continually evolve and expand their offerings. While it’s nearly impossible to predict the next big thing in social media, here are five trends we’ll be keeping our eye on in 2017:

1. Live, Real-Time Content Will Grow

First there was Meerkat and Periscope, then Facebook joined in and now Instagram and Twitter are hopping on the bandwagon as well. If there is one major trend from 2016 that you can expect to carry into 2017, it’s live video. With a brand new ad campaign, Facebook has shown that it is willing to invest in live video and give it preference in the News Feed. And just within the last several weeks both Twitter and Instagram announced they would be adding live video capabilities as well. It’s a trend that is rapidly becoming non-optional and brands should consider how they can add live video to their social media strategy in 2017.

2. The (Further) Decline of Organic Content

Reaching fans and consumers organically on social media has been an uphill battle for the past several years, and unfortunately that is not going to become any easier in 2017. As social media becomes an increasingly cluttered environment and more channels, like Instagram, introduce algorithms, brands will need to consider additional ways to reach their fans. This could be through new types of content that hopefully inspire increased sharing, or through an increased emphasis on paid media to help promote individual pieces of content.

3. The Rise of Messaging Apps and Chatbots

Facebook has gradually been experimenting with ways to open up its Messenger platform to brands for use in marketing, customer service, and social commerce. In 2016 the company released a new update to Messenger that allows brands to create bots to further the two-way dialogue with consumers. And while there are other companies and apps experimenting with bots, like Kik, Facebook offers the potential for a much larger reach. Marketers, especially those in retail, should pay close attention to this trend in 2017 as more and more brands dip their toes into the water.

4. Continued Decrease in Referral Traffic

It’s no secret that social media networks would prefer to keep users on their platform rather than driving them offsite to other news outlets, brand websites, or apps. As a result, brands and publishers across the board have seen referral traffic decline substantially from social networks. As they begin to map out content strategies for 2017, brands should consider how to make their social media content as engaging and informative as possible, without relying on consumers to click-through to a company website. This also means goals and objectives might have to shift to reflect this new reality in the coming year.

5. Social Commerce Could Go Mainstream

Brands and retailers have been waiting and watching to see how social media networks will more closely integrate commerce functionality into their communities. And while many platforms made strides in 2016, like the introduction of Instagram’s “Shop Now” functionality, or the ability to make purchases via a bot in Facebook Messenger, many brands would like to see this expand further. Pinterest seems like the most natural fit and a recent Business Insider report showed they account for 16% of all social revenue, despite being much smaller than Facebook or Twitter. Brands should continually examine their social media platform strategy to determine which channels might be appropriate for social commerce.

Those are the trends we are seeing in the social media space as we move into 2017. Have anything you’d like to add to the list? Leave a comment below!

Want to learn more about how your brand could benefit from one of these tactics? Send us an email at jjelak@stephanbrady.com and we’ll chat!

The post Top Social Media Trends to Watch in 2017 appeared first on S&B Blog.

2016 has taught us a lot in the advertising world: anything can happen; the next “big thing” is always on the horizon; and, if you blink, sometimes that “big thing” is gone with nothing more than the shadow of a Pikachu reminding you of what could have been.

As we look into our crystal ball, 2017 looks like it is going to be even more exciting. With new trends and ideas already starting to edge over that horizon line, its becoming apparent that now, more than ever, is the time to partner with an agency and discover new and exciting ways to take your brand to the next level in 2017.

Why Should I Partner with an Agency When I have an In-House Marketing Team?

Ahh, the million-dollar question. This is the question that most CMO’s or other executives have to ponder at some point in time. Before we dive into how an agency partner can help with the latest and greatest in 2017, its important to understand some of the benefits of partnering with an agency in general:

1. Cost

There have been countless articles written that show that partnering with an agency costs less than keeping everything in-house. Often, an in-house marketing budget is eaten up by payroll expenses. When partnering with an agency, you’re working with an entire team of experts, usually for far less than the cost of the salary of even one in-house executive.

2. Experience

That entire team of experts can also provide key benefits to you and your internal teams, such as in-depth knowledge of target markets, marketing channels, and data analytics among others. In many cases, it’s also incredibly valuable to get another—outside—perspective on your brand and business. It’s not uncommon for internal stakeholders to be so invested in your brand that it’s hard to see the forest for all the trees. An agency partner can help offer new ideas and potential marketing channels because they’re bringing a new perspective to the table.

3. Knowledge

Some people may not be aware of the amount of research agencies do to understand their clients. We want to know your brand inside and out, who you want to target, and what makes them do what they do just as much as you. Since marketing is an always on and always changing landscape, agencies make it their mission to know what’s trending and what platforms work best to communicate messaging. At S&B, we have a proven strategy and rationale for every tactic we recommend. Having a vast knowledge base of clients and channels and the ability to keep up on trends allows us to provide the best recommendations to reach those audiences and deliver on your goals.

4. Data

The amount of data available for any given campaign can be so overwhelming that eventually people stop paying attention and ignore it completely, or find themselves looking at data that has little meaning in achieving the goals set for that campaign. Agencies have experts on staff that can take all of that data and present it in an easy to understand format so it’s far less overwhelming. Through our knowledge of our clients and knowing what they want to see, we can also weed through the unnecessary information and provide you with exactly what you’re looking for, as well as the best ways to optimize your content to get the best from your campaign.

Let’s Partner Together in 2017

We look at all of our clients as partners. We’re here to help you get the most from your marketing dollars and the only way to do that is to really communicate and work as a team. We want to know what your in-house team is executing and where we fit in to help. If that means taking an entire campaign and running with it, we can do that. If that means taking a hold of one-off projects because they’re complicated and you may not have the internal resources to execute, we can do that too.

The bottom line is, we’re here for you–use us!

Have questions about partnering with an advertising agency in 2017? Send us an email at info@stephanbrady.com – we’ll chat!

The post 4 Reasons to Partner with an Agency in 2017 appeared first on S&B Blog.

At the end of every year, we love looking back at the ideas we’ve shared and topics we’ve covered. From communicating authentically as a brand to technical advertising advancements, we’ve covered a lot of ground.

As we look back at our top ten posts from 2016, two trends become incredibly clear. First, some parts of our industry are changing extraordinarily quickly—like digital advertising technologies. And secondly, the core elements of our business never will—like understanding your customer.

So as we gear up for an even better 2017, here are our ten most popular blog posts of 2016. Did your favorite make the cut? Tell us in the comments!

Stephan & Brady’s Top Blog Posts of 2016:

10. Our Top Tips for Paid Social Media Success

When it comes to paid social media campaigns, everyone has the same burning questions. Luckily, we’ve got some answers. Read more here.

9. 5 Tips to Get the Best Social Content from Your Agency

Learn how to maximize your time—and your agency’s—to get the most effective social content for your brand. Read more here.

8. The Google AMP Revolution

In modern website development, speed is everything. But as sites get “heavier”, how do we continue to make them faster? Read more here.

7. How to Write for Different Mediums

The first post of this two-parter focuses on writing for traditional mediums, while part two covers digital copywriting tips. Read more here.

6. Get Your Story Covered by Major Media Outlets 

Read our five tips to help ensure your message stays top of mind with members of the media. Read more here.

5. Why You Need a Chief Customer Officer

It’s critical that one of the first steps we take is to get deep into the heart and mind of our clients’ customers. Read more here.

4. Brands: Be Authentic. Drop the Buzzwords.

What happens when we stop operating so cautiously and allow our brands to be truly authentic? Read more here.

3. 7 Best Internet Easter Eggs from Your Favorite Sites

An Easter egg is a joke, message or feature hidden within an app or website. Check out some of our favorites. Read more here.

2. 2016 Alchemy Awards—A Night to Remember

With eight Awards of Excellence, one Award of Merit and the coveted Best of Show, S&B took home the most awards in 2016. Read more here.

1. How to Convert Digital Ads from Flash to HTML5

In 2016, we witnessed the death of Adobe Flash, and the rise of HTML5. Read more here.

Thanks to all of our readers, commenters and sharers in 2016! We love writing about what’s interesting to us, in the hopes that it’s useful to you.

If there are topics that you’d like us to cover in 2017, please let us know in the comments below, and as always, email us at info@stephanbrady.com if you have more questions about a topic we’ve covered.

Cheers to 2017!

The post Our Top Blog Posts from 2016 appeared first on S&B Blog.

The ubiquitousness of social media today requires companies in any industry or field at least consider the role it may play in their marketing plan. A well-executed social strategy can build brand equity and help reach fans and potential customers. But there are some key differences between using social media to reach a consumer compared to reaching a business audience.

For one, the goals and objectives are often drastically different. A business-to-consumer brand (B2C) may be focused on engaging their audience or creating preference for their brand over a competitor, while business-to-business (B2B) social media is often focused on generating leads or demonstrating a brand’s knowledge and capabilities. Potential customers in the B2B space also typically have a longer decision-making process that is based on a multitude of factors.

Perhaps the most dramatic difference between B2B and B2C social media, however, is the potential audience size. While every strategic brand likely has a target audience it is trying to reach through social media, those audiences are potentially smaller and more niche for a B2B brand than for one targeting consumers. As such, they become much more difficult to reach without a solid strategic foundation—something any B2B brand needs when approaching social media.

Here are five things to consider when building your B2B social media strategy:

1. Know your goals & objectives

While this is true for both B2B and B2C brands, it’s especially important for B2B brands to have a clear understanding of their overall marketing strategy in order to determine how social media can help meet the identified goals and objectives. This foundation is crucial to understanding what channels and content are necessary to reach your target audience.

2. Understand your audience

To be successful in B2B social media, you not only need to understand who you’re trying to reach, but more importantly how that specific audience uses social media. It’s not enough to know your audience is on LinkedIn, but what is their mindset when on that channel, what content are they engaging with, what is motivating them?

B2B brands should also consider if their audience has a dual use of a given social media channel. For example, if your audience is on Facebook, are they using it for personal engagement or do they also use it for business? If so, what are those differences and how might they impact your messaging?

3. Pick the right channels

Once you have a better understanding of your target audience and how they use social media, you can identify which channels make the most sense for you to use to reach that ideal audience. Don’t be afraid to go beyond LinkedIn, but be sure to consider how your strategy for each channel will differ, especially if choosing a generally more consumer-driven platform like Facebook or Twitter. Channels not traditionally used in B2B marketing to drive leads, like Instagram, can help with branding, engaging internal stakeholders and other goals that ladder back to your marketing plan. Don’t rule them out automatically, but make sure you are using them in a strategic way.

4. Consider internal audiences

It’s particularly crucial for B2B brands to give thought to how to engage their internal stakeholders. Employees can be your best ambassadors on social media by sharing and engaging with your content, so it’s important to help them understand the role they can play in the overall social media strategy. Consider creating specific tools and training for your sales staff, particularly. Social media can be a powerful sales tool to help establish relationships with potential customers and bring them into the purchase funnel, but not if your sales staff doesn’t understand it or doesn’t buy into the effort.

5. Implement a paid strategy

Because B2B audiences are often smaller and more niche, a paid strategy is critical for social media success. Precise targeting based on audience research ensures the community you are attracting aligns with your intended audience. It also ensures that the social content you spend time and effort creating will be seen by the right people.

Interested in creating a B2B social strategy for your brand? Or need help polishing and implementing the one you already have? Email us at info@stephanbrady.com. We’d love to chat!

The post 5 Considerations For a B2B Social Media Strategy appeared first on S&B Blog.