Epic Marketing Blog

Is Your Business Blogging?

admin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:40:40 +0000

A blog can be a great asset to any business website – it gives business another platform on which to connect with their customers, helps them build credibility, and also gives them a chance to easily share fresh content. If your business isn't blogging yet, you could be missing out on a lot of the benefits.

Not sure how to get started with blogging for your business? Here are a few tips:

Setting Up Your Blog

For user-friendliness and SEO purposes, it's usually best to keep your blog hosted on the same domain as your site. For example, host your blog on www.yourdomain.com/blog rather than yourblog.blogspot.com or yourblog.wordpress.com. Talk to your webmaster about how you can add a blogging platform to your site that is easy to use.

Brainstorm Topics

Get your staff and employees involved in your business blogging efforts by allowing them to submit ideas for blog post topics. Whether you do a group brainstorming session or ask for responses by email, you'll be able to generate an idea bank for blog posts that will give you a great head start on your content. Remember that your blog posts should always offer value to your readers.

Plan for Consistency

One of the most important elements of business blogging is consistency. The last thing you want to do is give your customers the impression that your blog is abandoned. Creating a posting calendar can help you avoid that from the start. Some businesses blog several times a week while others choose to blog every week, twice monthly, or even once a month. There's no right or wrong to how often you blog, but make sure you choose a time frame that you think is realistic and stick to it.

Keep it Simple

Blog posts don't have to be overly complicated or lengthy. They can consist of simple Q&As, tips, advice, or how-to articles. Your writing style can be informal and it should be easy-to-read and appealing to your audience. Always try to include photos to add a visual element to your text.

Find a Good Editor

Whether you have one or multiple people contributing to your business blog, it's always a good idea for each post to go through a proofreader or editor before it is posted to your blog. Bad grammar and punctuation can really detract from the credibility of your business. Consider finding someone within your business with good editing skills first to keep the process simple, or if necessary, find one externally.

Still need some help with your blogging efforts? Contact Epic Marketing today to see how our blogging and content writing services can help your business.

What Makes a Good Ad?

admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:03:11 +0000

What is it that makes a good ad? Is it the pictures/video? Is it what is written or said? Is it the creative elements that cause you to feel something after you have been exposed to it?
We believe that a good ad is one that is written and designed to emotionally connect with its target audience. Once connected, the content of the ad strongly persuades the person to want the product or service that is in the ad. The individual recognizes a need for it and feels a sense of urgency until the purchase is made.
There are a wide range of ad styles and each are appropriate depending on the product or service that is being offered. With that in mind, here are some things that, if done correctly, will improve the quality and response to your next ad:
Strong Visuals
Studies show that visuals are one of the first things people look at when viewing an advertisement. In the advertising real, the old adage, "a picture is worth a thousand words" really fits. In fact, you can probably think of some advertisements you've seen that are mainly just an image with little text. The ad visual should complement the ad headline, copy, and overall message.
Effective Headline
Headlines are also one of the first things a viewer pays attention to upon first seeing your ad. A headline should be attention-grabbing but should also encompass the overall message of your ad in a short sentence. Headlines can be though-provoking, strictly informative, humorous, etc., but effective headlines have one thing in common: they all intrigue the reader enough to make them want to continue reading the ad.
Well-written Copy
If your headline and visuals have been effective enough to keep viewers reading your advertisement, well-written copy will be the next aspect of your ad that will compel viewers to take action. Ad copy should be concise and easy to read but also compelling and relevant. Avoid using jargon or excessive information that doesn't contribute directly to the overall message of the advertisement.
Calls the Viewer to Action
Without a strong call to action, your advertisement probably won't get the results you're expecting it to. A call to action is defined as something in the ad that gives them an incentive to call or contact you now. Your ad's call to action should be well thought out and defined. Make sure that your contact information is clearly visible and not surrounded by clutter. You want people to easily find your phone number, address, and website URL.
Overall, great advertisements connect to their audience and provide memorable, informative, and compelling content that get viewers respond to the call to action. Need help creating great ads? Call Epic Marketing to find out how we can boost your marketing campaign with great ads.

FAQs Answered

admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:56:09 +0000

How can a marketing company help my business?

When it comes to the success of your business, marketing is essential. Without marketing, your business would struggle to find new leads and customers that bring in revenue to help your business thrive. Successful marketing takes time, experience, and funds.. A professional marketing company specializes in making your marketing budget most effective, tracking the results and translating those in how they contribute to your marketing ROI. When you hire a company like Epic Marketing, you are eliminating the worry of creating ads and marketing material and wondering if it will provide the results you need. Our marketing specialists provide you with marketing and advertising tactics that have proven results.

How often should I change my marketing campaign?
The time frame for effective marketing campaigns varies greatly depending on the industry, audience, and current marketing tactics that are being used. The real gauge for knowing how often your marketing campaign needs a change is determining its effectiveness. If your campaign isn't producing the results it could be, or even the results that it previously produced, it's probably time for a change.

In what marketing channels do you find the best results?
The answer to this question really depends on the client, target demographic, and product/service. The most successful combination of marketing channels is different for every business. We have seen strong results in all areas – print, broadcast, online, etc. Our role as a professional marketing company is to find which marketing channels are most effective for your marketing budget.

Should I have an internet presence?
In this day and age, it's not enough to just ask if you should have an internet presence, but rather you should be asking, "What type of internet presence should I have?" In today's competitive marketplace, businesses who ignore the online realm of marketing are probably missing out on a large portion of potential leads and customers. In addition to a website, there are a variety of other online platforms your business can market with. At Epic Marketing, we help our clients determine how they can best utilize online platforms for their marketing efforts in order to drive the highest ROI possible.

Hitting the slopes with our one of our clients from New York

Nick — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:39:35 +0000

Nothing like a little time on the hill with some friends

Our friends from New York came out to go skiing/snowboarding in December 2011. Even though it was one of the worst snow conditions on record for the month, there was still enough to shred up Park Cities mountains.

Charlie and Louis, thanks for coming out to visit. We had a great time with you guys.

Brand Reputation: Rethinking Your Strategy for the Future

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:52:20 +0000

Milennials, Generation Y, Generation Next. There are many different terms for this demographic, but no matter how you refer to the, one thing is for certain: they are reshaping traditional branding and marketing like never before.

Millennials are defined as the generation born in the 1980s-late 90s, known for being extremely connected to media and digital communication. It's predicted that by 2017, Millennials will have more spending power than any other generation. So what does this mean for businesses? Well, according to a recent infographic created by bazaarvoice.com, it means businesses will need to win Millennials with a whole new way of selling.

Data from the infographic shows that for Millenials, consumer opinion is far more influential than brand motives. In fact, 84% of Millennials report that user-generated content has at least some influence on what they buy, compared to 70% of Boomers. User-generated content (UCG) involves everything from social channels like Facebook and Twitter to online review sites and forums.

We've certainly seen a recent shift in this direction in recent years, but there's no doubt that the trend will continue, especially as new social platforms create more opportunities for consumers to share information.

So what can your business do to keep up with this trend?

Monitor

Know what people are saying about you. Monitor your reviews on local listings pages like Google Places, Yellowpages.com, etc. If you find recurring themes in your reviews, fix the reasons why people are leaving negative reviews, and continue to improve on the reasons why people say they appreciate your businesses.

Engage

Be involved with your customers. This also encompasses being transparent, which is more important now than it's ever been. Make sure your customers know that you value their thoughts and opinions.

Impress

We all know that first impressions matter, but in this day and age, impressions and customer experience mean everything. Don't take customer service casually, especially when you know the effects that negative reviews can have on other consumers. Go above and beyond to show, not just tell, your customers why they made the best choice in choosing you.

Super Bowl 2012 Ad Recap

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:17:44 +0000

Last night, over 100 million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl 2012. While it was a thrilling game down to last few seconds, for some, the commercials were just as exciting as the actual football game. We decided to see what the rest of America though about the ads by checking out USA Today's Ad Meter. Here are our takeaways from America's most favorite and least favorite ads from Super Bowl 2012:

Humor Wins Again:

While all of the ads got equal face time during the game, there's no doubt that the funniest ads end up being the most memorable after the game. Doritos "Sling Baby" commercial is currently the top rated commercial, and we have to agree that it was definitely one of the funniest (closely followed by M&M's "Just My Shell").

Dogs Steal the Show:

From Bud Light to Doritos, Volkswagen, and Sketchers, dogs most certainly contributed to the "humor" element of these ads. Bud Light's "Weego" came in as the second favorite commercial of the night. Volkswagen also did a great job playing off of their hit commercial, "The Force" from last year's Super Bowl with their "Dog Strikes Back" video:

Humor Gone Wrong:

Yes, there were some hilarious commercials during the game. But we also noticed that some we attempting to be funny when in reality, they weren't really that great. Take, for example, Old Navy's "Corporado" and Bridgestone's "Performance Basketball" commercials. They weren't absolutely terrible, but were they worth the $3 million price tag? We don't think so.

Sex Doesn't Always Sell:

GoDaddy.com, known for their boundary-pushing Super Bowl ads from years previous, didn't quite win viewers over this year with their racy ads. In fact, their "Body Paint," and "The Cloud" commercials were some of the lowest rated of the night.

So what do you think? What were some of your most favorite and least favorite ads during the game?

What's up with QR Codes?

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:47:51 +0000

Over the past couple years, marketers have been using QR codes on print advertisements, product packaging, posters, business cards, storefronts, and even TV commercials. Some of these codes direct to product information and videos while others link to contact information or even coupons and discounts. In one of their most recent QR infographics, Queaar.com reports that QR code scans increased by a staggering 4549% from 2010-2011. While this is an impressive number, other data shows that QR codes still have a long way to go to really break into mainstream marketing. A few reasons for this are:

Not everyone owns a smart phone/tablet
Smart phones/tablets don't come standard with QR scanners (the app has to be downloaded)
Not everyone knows what a QR code is or how to utilize them

But even though QR codes haven't reached their prime yet, that doesn't mean they can't be used as an effective marketing tactic now for the right demographics. If you've thought about trying out QR codes with your marketing strategy, here are a few things you should remember:

1. Make sure you have the right audience

While this first point is kind of a no-brainer, it's also one of the most important. If QR codes won't appeal to your target demographic, there's not a big reason to use them. If you know that your target demographic is tech-savvy and would be receptive to QR codes, then it's worth experimenting with

2. Make sure your QR codes have an intertwined incentive

If you've already decided that QR codes are the right move for your target demographic, next you need to make sure that they are intertwined with an incentive. Using QR codes just for the sake of looking like your marketing materials are up-to-date, but directing users to pointless information won't bring you the ROI you're looking for. The Queaar infographic also shows that most people expect to get a coupon a when they scan QR codes, but many also expect to get product info as well. If you use QR codes, make sure the incentive for scanning it is worthwhile and exclusive to those that take the time to scan it.

3. Make sure your content is mobile/tablet friendly

Statistics show that most QR scans are done with iPhones, which means that any content in Flash (including videos) won't work for users who scan your codes with an Iphone or Ipad. It's also important to test your QR code to make sure that it's compatible with all QR scanner apps in the marketplace. Don't rely on just one scanner to test your code.

4. Use the right media channels

You could have an ideal target demographic and a great incentive for your QR code, but if you pick the wrong media channel, it will probably have a potentially negative impact on the success of your marketing campaign. Think about the lifestyle of your target demographic to determine where and when they would be most likely to scan your code. According to QR code data from comscore, the highest number of QR code scans come from printed magazines. On the other hand, the least scanned come from TV advertisements, which makes sense because not many people have enough time to pull out their phone to scan a QR code during a 30-second commercial. Be smart when creating your strategy and try to think like your target market.

Wondering What Google+ is All About?

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:34:34 +0000

Well, you're probably not alone. Google launched this new social platform about six months ago, but amazingly it already has over 62 million users. To a lot of people, Google+ is just "another" social platform that Google is pushing (similar to Google Wave or Google Buzz of the past), but some new changes have proven that Google+ will have much more of an impact than everyone originally thought. In addition to personal profiles, they now offer businesses a chance to create branded pages to better connect with their customers.

Just recently, Google rolled out Search Plus Your World, which is a new mode to display search results based off of the social circle you have built on Google+. Basically, if anyone in your circle as +1'd (similar to a Facebook "like") a page relevant to your search query, it's more likely to show up at the top of Google's search results page. Google+ results even show up for searchers who haven't created or aren't logged in to their Google+ page:

In a nutshell, Google+ offers everything that other social platforms have – networks, content sharing, etc. – plus a whole lot more (pun intended). And while it may just seem like another social media option to add to your list, more than 625,000 new users are discovering that it's a lot more than that when they join the network.

Check out our new page here and +1 or add us to your circles. If you're not on Google+ yet, it's easy set up if you have a Gmail account.

We look forward to seeing you on Google+

Step Up Your Customer Service with Social Media

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:30:16 +0000

When it comes to customer service, Social Media can be one of your greatest tools or downfalls, depending on how you utilize it. You might remember some corporate social media scandals in the news lately, fueled by unhappy customers who turned to social media as their voice when other channels weren't getting results. Take for example, the United Breaks Guitars YouTube sensation that reportedly cost the airline millions in lost revenue because of bad PR. On the other hand, some corporations handle their social media so well that they gain life-long customers.

While you probably don't have to worry about one of your company's social media mishaps reaching that many people, there are still some important takeaways about what to do, and what not to do, when it comes to customer service through social media.

1. Monitor

The first mistake many businesses make is not paying attention. If your business has social media platforms, don't just think that their existence fulfills their purpose. Monitor how people are interacting and what they are saying about your business on social media, including blogs. Don't assume that your customers will always contact you through tradition channels (phone, email) when they have questions, comments, or concerns.

2. Always Respond

Nothing angers customers more than when businesses are unresponsive to their concerns. At the same time, however, responding to positive comments also goes a long way, too. No matter if the comment or question is negative or positive, always respond. Not only does it show that particular customer that your business cares about their experience, but it shows everyone else who interacts with your social media that you care about customer service.

3. Listen

In some cases, responding and really listening to the customer can be completely different things. This is most important when dealing with customers that have had negative customer service experiences. It's easy for businesses to only see one point of view and not take the blame for the problem. But if you really want to resolve the problem, you really need to listen to the customers to find out how you can resolve the problem.

4. Go Above and Beyond

Sometimes exceeding a customer's expectations can make more of an impact than you ever imagined – and it doesn't always have to be the result of a bad experience. This story from networking guru Peter Shankman shows the ultimate use of social media for elite customer service. Going above and beyond definitely paid off for Morton's Steak House – Shankman blogged about his experience and millions of people heard about it. Talk about good PR. So what can you take from this? You might not get excellent exposure to millions of people, but going above and beyond what the customer expects from you will probably win them over for life – and they'll probably tell their friends and followers about it, too.

What's in Store for 2012?

Nick — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:00:56 +0000

With the New Year finally here, it's time to take a look at what the marketing and advertising industry has in store for 2012. We compiled some of what we think are the best predictions for marketing and advertising trends in 2012. Let us know what you think.

Print Won't Die. Even though many people claim that technology has taken the place of print media, a Wall Street Journal article points out that the rise of iPads and tablets has given new life to print. Plus, traditional print media is still a viable marketing platform for late adopters of new technology.
Mobile is a Must. A recent study estimates that by the year 2015, there will be more mobile internet users than PC users. If your website isn't optimized for viewing on a smart phone, you could be losing a large portion of traffic.
Social Media Integration. The term "social media marketing" will fade away as social media becomes an integral part of every successful marketing campaign. It's even predicted by SEOmoz that social media will have a big impact on your SEO campaign, as search engines incorporate social signals into their algorithms.
Branding Will Be More Important than Ever. As businesses branch out into multiple marketing platforms (especially social media), consistent branding is the glue that will hold it all together.
Reputation Management is Essential. Social media and local business sites like Google Places, Yellow Pages, etc offer an easy way for audiences to share both their good and bad experiences with your businesses. According to stats from National Positions, 90% of consumers trust online reviews, and 78% do research about a company online before purchasing a product or service from them. Keeping up with and responding to what customers are saying about your business, whether positive or negative, will be essential for your online reputation.

Value Proposition: What's Yours?

Nick — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:38:34 +0000

If someone asked you what your value proposition was for your product or company, could you give them an answer right off the bat? If you answered "yes" to that question, you're on the right track. If your answer was "no", you'll probably want to give it some more thought. A strong value proposition is essential for the success of any marketing campaign, and ultimately, for the success of any businesses.

What a Value Proposition is and Why it's Important

A value proposition can apply to an organization or business as a whole, or for specific products and services. Essentially, a value proposition is a statement or message that shows why your organization, product, or service is the optimal choice above others on the market. It's usually obvious to every business what it is that they do, or what product or service they provide. However, some businesses haven't figured out why they do what they do, or why they sell certain products or services. A value proposition is important for marketing and selling to customers, but is also a key element in creating consistency within an organization or business.

Defining Your Value Proposition

According to marketing industry expert Neil Rackham, a value proposition should have four parts: capability, impact, proof, and cost.

Capability: Explain why your business is the most capable for the product or service you're providing. Are you the most experienced, the newest, the biggest, most efficient, or most personable? Be able to show why your expertise makes your company, product, or service the optimal choice.

Impact: How will your business, product, or service have a positive impact on your customers? Explain how you have the ability to fill a need or solve a problem better than others on the market.

Proof: Be able to prove how your business, product, or service will have a positive effect for your customers. Remember that numbers, facts, and figures are the best way to show, not just tell your customers that you are the most qualified choice for what they're looking for.

Cost: Pretty self-explanatory. Remember that transparency is always the best option for customer satisfaction. Hidden costs might bring in more revenue, but they will cost you customers in the long run.

Using Your Value Proposition

Once you have defined your value proposition, the next step is to implement it in your marketing and messaging. Be sure that you first implement it internally within your organization or business. It's especially important that salespeople or staff members that are regularly in contact with potential customers have a clear and consistent understanding of your value proposition. After you have established consistent messaging internally, make sure your value proposition is clear to potential customers through your marketing and sales collateral.

Epic Marketing welcomes Advanced Window Products

Nick — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:12:47 +0000

Epic Marketing is excited to announce that we will now be working with Advanced Window Products. Adanced Window Products is Utah's largest window replacement distributer and has a great reputation. We look forward to working with them as we move into 2012.

Cause Marketing for Local Businesses

Nick — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:56:05 +0000

During the holiday season, charitable giving is a common theme among many businesses and organizations – whether it's food bank donations, buying toys for needy children, donating to children's hospitals, etc. While people generally think about giving more around this time of year, that doesn't mean that businesses have to limit charity to just the holiday season. Cause marketing campaigns are a great way to not only give back to the community, but also show your corporate responsibility throughout the year.

Some of the most widely successful cause marketing campaigns have essentially become a brand themselves. Take, for example, the Susan G. Komen foundation and "pink" products. From pink blenders to pink cleats in the NFL, that color has almost immediate brand recognition for breast cancer awareness. The same can be said for the (RED) campaign for aids awareness that was adopted by Apple and Gap, among other companies. Even though your local businesses might not have the world-wide reach that these campaigns do, that doesn't mean you can't craft a successful cause marketing campaign of your own on a smaller scale.

A recent study shows that when choosing between similar products, 55% percent of consumers opt for the one with "added social benefit." Numbers like that show that cause marketing will give your products or services an extra advantage in the eyes of your consumers. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating your next cause marketing campaign.

1. Choose a cause that people can connect with

There are lots of worthwhile charitable organizations out there, but let's face it, some resonate with consumers more than others. Chances are local customers will be much more likely to help the cause for their local food bank or underprivileged kids rather than contributing funds to help save a bizarre rare species in the rainforest. Every community is different and each will have certain charities or organizations that people really care about. Do your research and find one that not only people can connect with, but also one that will provide the most good with your contributions.

2. Define your contribution

Once you've chosen a worthwhile cause to contribute to, next you need to define exactly what that contribution involves. Whether you're donating a certain percentage of proceeds, a dollar amount for every specific product sold, or material goods like pounds of food or school supplies, make sure it's quantifiable and easy for people to visualize. Those who are willing to give or participate in your cause generally like to know how they're personally contributing.

3. Get the word out

You won't have much success with your cause marketing campaign if people don't even know about it. Create awareness of your campaign through on-site displays and by incorporating it into your other marketing tactics. Social media is also a great, inexpensive way to create buzz about your cause marketing campaign. If your cause is community-based, contact your local news media to see if they'll pick up a story about what you're doing. Even after your campaign is over and your contributions have been raised, don't let the publicity stop there. Let people know about what you did or the lives you touched with the money or contributions they helped raise.

When was the last time your Company conducted a "Brand Audit"?

Nick — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:12:07 +0000

When was the last time your company had a brand audit? Epic Marketing often engages in this audit with new clients in order to better understand the position of the Company. After the audit is complete, we are then able to work with the company to strengthen and integrate the result of the brand audit.

Social Media: Not Just a Fad

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:56:54 +0000

As the new year approaches, we're starting to see a lot of year-end summaries and "best of" lists that wrap the happenings of 2011 in a nutshell. VideoInfographs does a good job illustrating how Social Media has impacted our way of life: the World of Social Media 2011.

This video provides some pretty powerful visuals that show 2011 as another year where social media has continued to expand in mind-blowing proportions. Major world events during 2011 have even been shaped through the use of social media, including the Arab Spring and Occupy movement, just to name a few. With the exponential growth of social media through the past several years, people and businesses alike are starting to see that social networks aren't just a passing fad; they really are transforming the way people live and do business.

Erik Qualman, social media guru and author of "Socialnomics," said, "We don't have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it."

Has your business capitalized on social media yet? To have a competitive edge, it's no longer enough to just have social media profiles – your business has to utilize them correctly for engagement and two-way communication. If you're still trying to figure out how to make social media work for your business, contact Epic Marketing. Our social media experts can help you come up with a customized social strategy.

Why Site Design Matters

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:06:25 +0000

If you're in the marketing industry, you're probably more than aware of why having a website is important. However, these days it's not enough to have a website just for the sake of having an online presence. To have a successful website, you have to pay attention to how visitors are using the information on your site, and also how it's designed.

Essentially, a website acts as a "home base" for any marketing campaign. An effective web design strategy is essential for more than just successful online marketing. Even if you are branching into print, TV, and radio outside of your online marketing strategy, your website design makes a big impact on everyone who comes in contact with your marketing tactics. Here are a few big reasons why you should be paying attention to effectiveness of your site design.

1. Credibility

Let's face it: when you come across a website that looks like it was built in 1997, you probably don't give it the time of day. In an age with shortened attention spans, aesthetic value means a lot in terms of credibility. When someone lands on your page, whether through a referral site, or are directed there through your other marketing strategies, you want to make sure that it interests them enough to stay and not click away immediately. Be careful with how many ads and links you put on your site, as too many can detract from the credibility of your site.

2. Ease of Use

Whether you are marketing a product, service, or simply information, it's important that your site design allows visitors to find what they're looking for easily. This principle is important for attracting new customers as well as keeping loyal ones. Depending on your industry, loyal customers probably use your site for information like locations, contact information, product information, or even menus and nutrition facts if you happened to be in the food industry. Because of its convenience, most people go to your website first to find information that they need rather than trying to contact you directly. Make sure that when they do that, they're able to find the information they need without having to search too long for it.

3. Conversions

While the term "site conversion" is typically one that is used strictly with online marketing, the concept goes a little bit deeper. When new visitors comes to your site through other channels than search marketing, how effective is your site in keeping them there and selling them the product, service, or information you offer? When someone hears about your business through word of mouth, advertisements, or other marketing materials you've created, how easy and enticing is for them to convert? If you're selling a product, how easy is it for visitors to purchase it through your site? If your business that provides services, how easy is it for visitors to find your phone number, or fill out a quick contact form if they reached your site outside of business hours?

Here at Epic Marketing, we specialize in effective web design for our clients in a variety of industries. Check out our web portfolio today or contact us to find out how we can help out with your website.

Create Buzz with Giveaways and Contests

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:34:46 +0000

It's safe to say that almost everyone likes free stuff. Even more, people like free stuff that they actually want. Giveaways and contests can be the key to aligning your marketing strategy with the self-interests of your customers or clients. Word of mouth and referrals can be one of the best marketing tools to bring in business, and giveaways are a great way to facilitate that. When planned and executed correctly, giveaways and contests can be a huge success for your business – but on the other hand, they can also be a big failure when done on a whim. Here are a few ideas for your business to consider when planning your next giveaway.

Put the Cost in Perspective

What is the dollar value of a referral or social media impression for your business? A mistake that many businesses make is basing their giveaways around less-than-ideal products just to save on costs. A new iPad or 50-inch flat screen TV certainly sounds more appealing than a $10 gift card or movie tickets. A giveaway for a much more in-demand product might cost more, but the buzz that it creates for your business usually ends up being more than worth your investment in the end.

Get the word out

Getting the word out to your customers and/or general public is one of the most critical elements to consider. Whether you are doing a customer appreciation promotion or trying to drive new business, you need to make sure that you carefully select the right ways to promote it. Some of the more common ways to get the word out about your giveaway would include, POP displays/in store signage, sending emails/flyers to people that you have already had contact with, and of course, social media.

Social media can be one of the least expensive ways to get the word out about your giveaway. Other than your prizes, the only major costs to your business are time and effort. If your business already has a strong social media following, it's a great way to get all your current followers to spread the word to their friends. Even when your campaign is based around social media, there are several different tactics you can use to get people to participate (liking your page, posting comments, becoming a "follower," etc). Some methods work better than others for certain audiences, so make sure you do some strategic planning to make sure your giveaway plan is the most convenient and appealing to your specific audience.

Take Advantage of Face-to-Face Communication

If one of the main goals of your giveaway or contest is to get referrals, make sure you take advantage of the face time you have with current customers/clients that come in to your business. People tend to be more willing to participate in filling out a survey, entry form, or referral card when asked face-to-face rather than over an email or phone call. Even if you are basing most of your giveaway around social media, you can still remind customers/clients to participate while they are at your place of business.

Why Tracking is Essential for Every Marketing Campaign

admin — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:16:37 +0000

The average American is exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day. From the time a person wakes up till the time they go to bed, they are bombarded with media messages almost everywhere they go. In a society that is becoming so cluttered with advertisements and marketing messages, how can businesses track which of their marketing tactics are working and those that aren't?

At Epic Marketing, we have a mantra that the only effective way to track your marketing campaign is to do it yourself. With how many marketing messages people are exposed to each day, they can rarely keep track of when, where, or how they were exposed to any of your marketing tactics. So instead of relying on your customers to tell you where they think they saw your marketing message, why not make it easy and find out yourself?

Call tracking is one of the most effective methods available to business who want to have precise records of the results of their marketing efforts. Not only can call tracking numbers help business determine which tactics or forms of media are most effective, but they also provide key performance data that is vital to your business. Cost per lead, conversion rations, and demographic information are all things that can be easily recorded with call tracking.

If phone calls aren't the only way your business gets customers, there are also several valuable tracking tools available for online traffic, too. Even if your business isn't selling a specific product on a website storefront, you still have options to get prospective customers without requiring them to call. Online contact forms are a popular method for websites because you can track exactly how that visitor came to your site, which pages they visited, and how many of those visitors filled out the contact forms. With Google Analytics, you can set up goals and funnels to track your web visitors. Using the new page overlay tool, you can even see exactly where your visitors are clicking on your site.

No matter what business your industry is in or how you connect with your customers, you can always find value in tracking your marketing efforts. You'll have a lot more transparency about how your money is being spent and how you can take your business to the next level.

Kirton McConkie talks about their experience with Epic Marketing

Nick — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:12:47 +0000

Kirton McConkie is the largest law firm in Utah and has been a great client of ours. Debrah Kirby their Marketing Director has been incredible to work with. We appriciate their relationship and the kind words that she says about their experience working with us.

What is Local Marketing?

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:30:29 +0000

In a world populated with huge conglomerates, big brands and a presence everywhere you turn, it's hard to stand out anymore. Even if your business is established with a proven track record and good quality products or services, sometimes the task can seem daunting.

So, how do you compete with them? It's simple – you don't! Unless you are a fast food chain, beverage distributor, big box retailer, or a company with a multi-million dollar marketing budget, you don't need to compete directly with the big guys and their mass marketing.

The fact is that for most small local businesses, the majority of your clients are within 10 minutes or 10 miles. So forget about mass marketing and focus on mass personalization. Tap the potential of your greatest profit opportunity: the customers that are in your backyard. Here's how: multimillion

Begin Your Campaign with a Plan in Mind

Small businesses need to be focused on how to create campaigns with measurable results that can show profitability. After all, the overall point of any marketing campaign is to increase business revenue. Setting benchmarks, or tracking current profitability numbers, before you launch any marketing campaign will be a key in tracking success. Tools like call tracking and simple customer surveys can give a lot of insight into which marketing tactics are producing the best results for your business.

Diversify your Marketing

When it comes to creating a marketing campaign, it's important to think outside the box. Your business may have relied on some regular forms of marketing in the past, but that doesn't always mean they're the most effective. Marketing tactics such as direct mail and zoned media advertising are both ways that businesses can target their local market. Online marketing tactics, like building a website, social media, and creating local business listings, are also essential to complement your other traditional marketing techniques.

Get Involved

In addition to local marketing, getting involved in your community can be just as beneficial to your business. One of the major components of marketing is increasing visibility. Local businesses have a great opportunity to do this through sponsorships, local associations, pro-bono work, and pitching to local news media outlets. By taking advantage of these opportunities, potential customers are not only exposed to your business, but also have a chance to see you in a different light and contributing to the community.

Google Places: A Game Changer for Small Businesses

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:22:04 +0000

Phone books used to be the go-to marketing technique for any small local business. In fact, phone books even shaped how people chose the name of their business.

Ok, so this FedEx commercial might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it wouldn't be funny if it weren't true to some extent. You've probably seen at least a few local businesses that have multiple A's at the beginning of their company name… all for the purpose of getting an "edge" in the phone book.

There has been a lot of buzz in the tech world, and even more recently in the news about how the relevancy of phone books is declining with the use of technology. Most people find them obsolete because of the convenience of smart phones and internet searches. But what does this mean for small local businesses?

Thanks to Google Places, small businesses have more of an opportunity than ever to get noticed by potential customers. Many small business owners have a misconception that unless they have the budget to invest in SEO to make their site reach the top organic search listings, then they won't have any luck with search traffic. In reality though, that's not always the case.

For example, let's say someone living in Draper, UT needed to call a plumber. If they did a quick Google search, they would see a results page that looks something like this:

Notice that even above the first organic search listing, there are seven local plumbing businesses that are shown near the top of the page. Not only can you see their name and URL, but you can also see their phone number and address at-a-glance.

With a little more time and effort, businesses can even optimize their own "places page" where they can add more business info, photos, and customers can leave reviews. One of the biggest benefits of using Google Places is that local listings get just as much, or possibly even more visibility than websites that are ranking organically.

So while phone book use may be declining, local businesses have nothing to worry about. Even if they lack in tech skills, there are plenty of online marketing companies who can help.

The Strength of a Good Brand

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:13:42 +0000

Small companies think of branding and tend to associate it with spending a lot of money on creative ads that don’t produce phone calls. Most of these companies don’t have the luxury of producing expensive and creative ads like Coke in hope that people choose their product the next time they are at the grocery store--but that doesn't mean branding isn't important.

The reality is that anytime your company is positioned in front of consumers, you are branding to some degree. Having a strong brand is important and does matter to consumers.

Case in point: Let's say you come across an ad in a magazine that's selling a 60-inch Sony plasma flat screen TV for $299 (ok…that will probably never happen, but we can all hope, right?). First, imagine if the company placing that ad was one you had never seen or heard of before. Would be you likely to even look into buying that TV or just consider it a hoax? Next, imagine if that ad was emblazoned with a royal blue and bright yellow logo. Chances are you'd actually rush to your nearest BestBuy to get your hands on one of those awesome flat screens.

What is the difference? Why would you be more likely to go there rather than the no-name store? Well, you probably associate BestBuy with reliable prices, warranties, and Geek Squad simply because of their marketing and that's what makes you more likely to buy from them.

Another common misconception is that branding is only useful for national or international companies that take up a large portion of the market share. Even family-owned and local business can benefit from successful branding because it creates a level of awareness and trust that attracts and keeps customers when they have a need for your product or service.

Branding is an extremely vital part of marketing. While it may not be your focus, it is certainly something that should be carefully thought out and considered when you are creating your company's marketing and advertising material.

Sales Minded Marketing Approach

Nick — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:52:22 +0000

Sales and marketing go hand in hand. Sure, there are a lot of different things that factor into what makes marketing effective, but at the very core is the question: How good is your marketing doing at selling your brand, your product, your services, and your ideas?

I can't tell you how many times we have heard someone say, "I have tried newspaper (or another form of advertising) and it doesn't work. Why are you recommending that we do it when it doesn't work?" We smile and say, "You may have tried it, but you haven't had us write the content. Let us show you how we can connect with your target audience and get them interested in talking to you about your services. We know how to sell your business to consumers." Very rarely are we disappointed with the results.

When we go through the process of reviewing and developing advertising content, we have a team of sales and design professionals who craft ads that raise your brand quality and sell, sell, sell. I'm not talking about cheesy ads that scream used car sales tactics. Every industry warrants its own unique approach and all of our work elevates the business from its previous state.

The value of top tier sales professionals in your business is incredibly valuable. If you have been in business for a while, you know what I am talking about. They are worth every penny that they make and your business would not reach its potential without them. When you look at your marketing this way, you'll invest more time, effort, and money to make the improvements that are desperately needed.

Rebranding for the Global Community

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:21:22 +0000

Chances are that before you even started reading this post, you could already distinguish what company the red and yellow sign is advertising in the picture to the left. But did you realize that even though the sign doesn't even show the words "McDonald's," you already made the connection? That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call the epitome of brand recognition. But McDonald's isn't the only company that has reached that status. Nike, Apple, Pepsi, and most recently Starbucks, have all gradually transitioned to a simplistic, non-alphanumeric logo.

So what does all this have to do with the flying cars next to the McDonald's sign? Well, it can be argued that McDonald's was the first company to stumble upon this trend through product placement in the 1997 film, "The Fifth Element".

The movie portrays a future reality with New York City as a galactic hub with both humans and alien species. The main challenge was to design a fictitious environment where English wasn't singled out as the dominant language. Because of that challenge, the designers of the McDonald's logo decided to strip it down to just the golden arches on a red background with no text. Despite some resistance from corporate, the company realized what a strong brand recognition this design had and started implementing their cleaner logo into their international brand strategy. From a logistical standpoint, this strategy was genius. One logo would be effective in any country, no matter the dominate language or alphabet. Logo design for TV and print advertisements, along with packaging, was simplified like never before.

While this type of brand recognition is the goal for almost any company, the shift only really works with strong brands that have almost ubiquitous popularity. However, with the outreach many companies are doing to reach a global audience, our bet is that we'll be seeing a lot more of these rebranding strategies in the near future.

Retain more business by implementing a solid follow up program

Nick — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:42:35 +0000

Epic 5 Step Follow-up Program

Developed For: Doctor’s offices
Purpose: To get people who miss their appointment to reschedule (if they don’t on their own).
Effective Results: By implementing this program you should decrease your patient “no show”/“fall out” rate by at least 20%.

Businesses work hard and spend a lot of money each month in marketing in order to get their phones to ring. It is important that your staff is doing everything that they can to get as many of these callers to enter into your program/buy your services.

Epic Marketing has worked with over 100 different businesses over the years and has seen many do a good job with capturing a high percentage of new leads, and others who do a poor job. We have developed a solid follow-up program that will help your business improve its percentages.

The purpose of this program is to help decrease the fall out from scheduled appointments. Every clinic is going to have some fall out, how much depends on the actions of your team.

There are a lot of different reasons why someone doesn’t show up for an appointment. Naturally we tend to believe that if someone didn’t show up for their appointment then that must mean that they are not interested. Not true. Others might say, “they will call back and reschedule when they have time...” not always true.

I would propose that the majority of these people that missed their appointment still need your services. Some will call back eventually, some you will lose to your competitors, and a few you will never get back. A solid follow-up program will help you get back a good amount of this fall out and will show your potential patients/new patients that you care about helping them.

If you truly care about every potential patient that was interested enough to make the initial call and appointment, then you should be interested in doing everything that you can to help them see the process through. You likely spend $50-500 for each phone call that comes into your office as a result of your marketing/advertising. It’s worth a little more effort, time and money to capture a larger percentage of the people that “fall out” and don’t show up for an appointment.

If you do the math on the value that each patient brings to your practice in revenue and profit, you will quickly see how important it is to make sure that your staff has the tools, training and incentives to make sure that follow-up is getting done.

Epic 5 Steps to Following Up

This follow-up program has proven to work and will make a positive difference in your new patient volume each month. These are good business practices and are meant for you to begin implementing immediately. If you need to tackle these in pieces in order to get started, then do it that way. Just get started right away. Samples of recommended phone scripts, letters, emails and email blasts are available to our clients upon request.

Same Day Call Back – 15% reschedule from a call to them on the same day.
Email Next Day – 10% reschedule from a follow-up email the next day.
Mail a letter at the end of the week – 5% reschedule by following up with a letter on Friday or within 5 days of a missed appointment.
Sales letter/email – 5% reschedule if you follow up in 15-20 days with an added incentive.
Quarterly email blasts/letters – 2% will respond to quarterly efforts to connect with them.

*Conversion percentages are estimates and will very from clinic to clinic.

Epic Marketing is awarded with a contract to help a national consulting firm

Nick — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:56:12 +0000

After considering several other marketing firms, this morning Epic Marketing was awarded the contract to help Norwest Corporation develop and roll out some new and exciting marketing elements. We look forward to working with such an amazing national consulting firm.

Norwest is an internationally-recognized leader in providing consulting expertise to the energy, mining, and natural resources industries. For over 30 years they have offered a wide range of services to energy and mining companies, electric power producers, financial institutions, governments, legal firms, and regulatory agencies.

Lessons learned from the Reebok FTC Settlement

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:22:23 +0000

Toning sneakers have been all the rage lately, and I'm sure you're more than familiar with their TV and print ads that seem to be advertising a lot more than just shoes… if you know what I mean. In fact, the FTC reports that sales for toning shoes hit $1 billion last year. Several major shoe brands have rolled out their own version of shoes that claim to "build muscle" "burn more calories," and "help you lose weight," but it's the Reebok EasyTone shoes that have been getting a lot of hype this week. And when I say hype, I'm referring to their $25 million settlement with the FTC for deceptive advertising.

As much as I'd like to think everyone could lose weight just by wearing different shoes, the truth is it most likely won't turn out that way only because of the shoes. Millions of consumers found out the hard way by purchasing the shoes, only to find out they didn't live up to the claim -- now Reebok is paying out $25 million to refund consumers who bought their shoes as a result of their questionable advertising. While this situation doesn't seem too positive for Reebok, there are some good lessons we can all learn from it.

1. Don't take advantage of your target market. There's a big difference between marketing toward your target audience and taking advantage of them. The weight loss industry is a prime example of this. Let's face it; with how many people who are looking for the fastest and most effortless way to lose weight, it's easy for advertisers to capitalize on them. That doesn't mean it's necessarily the right thing to do, though. If companies are at all interested in building brand power, they'll start with building trust, not with an easy target.

2. Live up to the claim. If your product or service doesn't live up to what your marketing says it will, sooner or later consumers will see through it. Not only will it reflect poorly on your brand and ruin trust, but it could end up costing you millions in lawsuits and settlements.

3. Don't ignore a PR crisis when you see one. With how much news attention this settlement is getting nationwide, it's surprising that Reebok hasn't come out with any of its own statements, other than one-line quotes released to major news publications. While Reebok says they are still standing behind their claims, it doesn't seem like they are taking action to make amends with their unsatisfied customers who have to go through the FTC for any sort of refund. When a company comes under fire, transparency will always be the best option, not just ignoring the problem.

Web Video for Utah Pain Treatment Center

Nick — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:57:00 +0000

We just finnised putting together a web video for Utah Pain Treatment Center. We had a long time patient of theirs "Bucky Dent" sit down and do testimonial for them. Click on the link below to see the finished product.

http://www.youtube.com/user/EpicClients#p/u/0/MYZooxU6Urg

Epic Marketing was selected to help a with the grand opening of a Utah location

Nick — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:42:54 +0000

Ryerson is a leading distributor and processor of metals in North America. Headquartered in Chicago, we operate service centers in cities across the United States and Canada, and serve an expanding international customer base in China, Ryerson China Limited. Ryerson offers an unparalleled range of products, leading processing and fabricating capabilities, a broad geographic reach, and an established commitment to superior service. October 19, 2010 will be the grand opening of their Salt Lake office.

MLB's Very Own "Bucky Dent"

Nick — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:13:45 +0000

Last week we had MLB legend Bucky Dent here with one of our Clients for a golf tournament. He is a friend of the agency and look forward to seeing him later this year in Florida.

Huge upside in keeping track of the data

Nick — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:24:59 +0000

Recently I have been working on my golf game and taking a different approach to see if it would help me lower my golf score. I downloaded a great golf app that keeps track of my golf scores and shots throughout the round. I then can look at all my statistics from the round (Fairways hit, Greens in Regulation, Putts per round ect). I looked up the Pros stats and compared them the PGA Tour avg stats are Driving Accuracy 60.92% farways hit, Greens in Regulation 63.36%, Putts per Round 28 putts with avg of 1.5 per hole. With this insight I have been able to lower my scores by 4 strokes in a matter of one month. Your company will have the ability to get the same kind of results if you track the data.

We work with businesses across the country. Part of what we do (and encourage our clients to do) is keeping good records of as much information as possible. I see first hand how, by focusing on the statistics they can improve their bottom line every single month. For example, I have a client that has received 167 unique callers this month for their marketing they had 45 consults (26% consults booked) and 23 new patients (56% closing ratio) into their treatment program. By focusing on this one aspect say next month we got a 10% increase in consults book with the same amount of phone calls. A 10% increase would give us 60 patient consults booked with the same closing ratio we see 33 new patients into the program. An increase of 10 new patient in one month and $25,000 extra to the bottom line.

Once you have the numbers, then you are able to improve the percentages with higher efficiency.

Mike Wood
Account Executive
Epic Marketing

Kart Racing at Miller Motorsports Park today

Nick — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:19:29 +0000

Team Kart RacingJust got back from a team ride at Miller Motorsports Park. 40 laps on the Kart track doing 40+ mph was awesome! Stay tuned for some good video footage of the event.

One Simple Way to Get Reviews on Your Google Places Listing

Luis Bonilla — Fri, 20 May 2011 20:26:08 +0000

Most local businesses have a Google Places listing that presents searchers with information such as their website, physical address, phone number, and so forth. Likewise, it displays reviews from people that have had experiences with you and your business. But what most business owners don't realize is that getting people to rate and review your Google Places listing can help in local search rankings.

There have been studies and surveys on the correlation between the number and type of reviews and rankings, like this one, as well as blog posts from reputable SEO sources that state similar sentiments, like this one. So, if reviews from customers can be influential for local rankings—not to mention help consumers make decisions online—then how do you go about getting them?

One simple way to get customer reviews on your Google Places listing is to provide them a link to your page in a 'thank you' email—making it simple for your clients. For example, try adding a line like this at the end of the email:

"We appreciate the opportunity to work with you and are happy to hear that you are satisfied with [product/service]. We would be most grateful if you would share your experience on our Google Places listing. Thank you in advance!"

Embedding the link to your Google Places listing in the email makes is very easy for the client to take action right then and there. Don't be unethical with your wording and obviously don't incentivize the reviews, as that is against Google's guidelines. Keeping the request succinct, honest, and appreciative will go a long way towards receiving reviews—especially if that is how you have been treating your clients from the git-go.

Also, I wouldn't worry about "burdening" or "pestering" your clients just because you asked them for a review. Most people that receive great service or products are delighted to share their experience. But I would recommend only asking them once, as multiple requests can get obnoxious and seem spammy.

How to get your ads to produce a better response

Nick — Thu, 19 May 2011 14:48:22 +0000

One of the many reasons why businesses choose to hire us is because of our ability to create ads that are more effective and better at accomplishing their goals. The difference between an average ad and one that we have created is often 2-3 times the response from consumers. Many of our clients want a highly targeted direct response ad that generates qualified phone calls, while others want ads that are clean, classy and focus more on branding their products and services.

Our ads are created with this process in mind, and each ad must pass an internal rating system with high marks required in each of the following categories, before they go to print. Three or more marketing professionals (design, content writing, sales) are involved in the creation and review of each ad that we produce. Keep in mind that the most effective ads are those that can connect with and draw in the intended demographic within 3 to 5 seconds.

Epic Ad Quality Process:

1. Design/layout
One of the first things that consumers notice on a subconscious level is the quality of the design and layout. Colors, style, and designs must be consistent with the business’s brand image while piquing the interest of its intended demographic. The design should aid in making the audience comfortable and confident in doing business with you.

2. Headline
The headline or information at the top of your ad is normally what is read first. Often it is the only thing that is glanced at while consumers are shuffling through ads. A carefully crafted headline needs to draw them into reading the rest of the ad.

3. Image selection
Far too often we see ads that have images that are not relevant or even distract from the message and demographic. Images used in ads need special attention and will often take considerable time to select. They need to be specifically relevant to the message and create an emotional connection with the consumer.

4. Call to action/offer
An effective ad needs to include some direction. What do you want consumers to do once they have looked at your ad? What have you included in your ad that generates a need for them to call you right away?

5. Unique Selling Position (USP)
What is your unique selling position? Your business needs to clearly communicate what separates you from your competition. Consumers need a reason to choose you over your competitors. Having a strong USP will help you win business that might otherwise be lost to your competition.

6. Content writing/sales position
The content of your ad needs to be written with your demographic in mind. It needs to inform and sell at the same time. The words must be carefully selected so that they entice, intrigue and motivate consumers to action. There are 2 main points to note here: 1. Persuasive sales content is one of the strongest keys, which if done properly, will double the response of your ads. 2. Demographic targeting – Your words and language should be written in a way that best connects with your demographic.

7. Message clarity
The message of your ad should be clear and have a targeted purpose, be uncluttered, and include only content that has a direct purpose. Businesses often make the mistake of including so many random things in their ads that they become confusing and distract from the purpose of getting consumers the right information.

8. Trust factors
It is important that your ad conveys trust and professionalism to consumers. Having a professional look-and-feel will help, but there are other things that your ad needs to have in order to instill trust and confidence. Adding reputable names of manufacturers or vendors that you utilize will help you inspire consumer trust. Having a website listed on your ad tells people that you are not a new or fly-by-night business. Your ad must not leave any doubt or looming questions about the legitimacy of your business.

The Emotional Sale of Advertising

Nick — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:17:16 +0000

People make emotionally based buying decisions... period. Let's discard the fact that emotionally based decisions can often cause you all kinds of problem in your marriage and keep focused on how it pertains to marketing. Emotions are conveyed through images, design layout, color and the words that are crafted to reach out and connect with consumers. As an advertiser you want your audience to see or hear your advertisements and think to themselves:

"This company looks or feels like the right fit
for me"
"I think this company understands what I need"
"I just feel good about this company"
"I need to call and look into this"

These are just a few things that should cross through a consumer's mind, prompting them to call your office after seeing one of your ads.

Designing a good ad takes time, experience and the talent of an exceptional graphic designer and sales person. Here at Epic Marketing, we have a good selection of all of these key ingredients. The next time you are putting together an ad for your company, keep these things in mind and let us help you be more effective at connecting with your customers.

Remember not to rush things either. The difference between a decent ad and a great ad in our experience, usually means at least twice as many customer phone calls.

Put a call tracking number on all of your ads

Nick — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:56:14 +0000

I am shocked at how many businesses don't have call tracking set up on their website and advertising. When asked why, they either say that they have never really thought about it or my favorite "the people that answer my phones ask everyone where they heard about us". My response is that you should be doing both. Listen, you are likely spending thousands of dollars on advertising (website, phone books, online, radio, print, etc) and you are kidding yourself if you think that the front desk is asking everyone and logging all of the important details that are collected from a call tracking service. Even if they are doing a good job, what about the phone calls that are missed in the evenings or on the weekends?

A good call tracking service will provide you with so much valuable information that allows you to make good calculated decisions about what is working well for you and what is not. The most critical piece of data that you will get is the cost per lead. You will see clearly how much money it cost you to get one lead for each of the phone numbers that you have embedded in your advertising This is an overview screenshot of one of our client's current performance this month. He has 5 call tracking numbers that are active.

Courtesy of CallStage (www.CallStage.com)

Call tracking is relatively inexpensive: $25 per phone number + a small minute charge on the calls that come in on those numbers, and no long term contracts. We have been using CallStage (www.callstage.com) for sometime now and they have been great to work with. Email will@callstage.com for more information or visit them online to see what other features come with your service...

If you care at all about your marketing, you need to start tracking the calls that come from all of the advertising that you are doing. We have some clients that have over 15 numbers activated and they save thousands of dollars a month from the decisions that we make from that data.

It's time to get a mobile website

Nick — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:19:47 +0000

If your company doesn’t have a mobile website you are missing out on business!

Let’s face it. Smartphones are a must have for nearly every consumer and business person. People are connected and hooked on getting information fast and at their fingertips. Every time I go to the movies, restaurants or observe passengers in my car, people are playing on their phones. They are texting, looking at their favorite apps and yes visiting websites.

You should already know that your business’s website is a critical element in generating sales. You have likely spent thousands of dollars building a quality website and continue to spend hundreds of dollars updating and keeping the site relevant to consumers.

Part of your job as a savvy business owner is to make sure that your company is making it as easy as possible for people to find, get the right information and contact you. I am constantly visiting websites on my phone and most websites look terrible with text fonts the size of a pin head. When you get on one of those sites, your time spent browsing is short. On the other hand, I am beginning to see mobile websites that look nice and display all of the important aspects of the website in a user-friendly fashion. Time spent browsing shifts to high and the likelihood of a sale increases dramatically.

Look at the following comparisons and let me know which websites you would continue using and which ones you would leave immediately.

What is a new client worth to you? I can assure you that you are missing out on a number of new clients each month if you don't have a mobile website. Mobile websites are affordable and can be up and running within a matter of days. Call us today for a custom quote and get your business more visible on mobile platforms.

The Importance of Persuasive Ad Copy

Nick — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:54:23 +0000

As we sit down with a new client, one of the things that we review is their advertising material. We show them examples of how persuasive Ad copy will help them get more phone calls/web traffic. We will use the pain treatment category for this blog example today (headlines, content, messaging). Keep in mind that each of the following headlines has been used in local newspapers across the country and one of them works significantly better than the rest... and we wrote it.

Can you guess which one generates the most phone calls (1-5)?

1. The Changing Faces of Chronic Pain
2. Experiencing Back Pain?
3. Drug FREE, Surgery FREE, Pain FREE
4. Back Pain Sufferers find New Hope in FDA Cleared Technology
5. I am 100% pain FREE and I feel fantastic

Advertising can be your friend or your archenemy. One of the elements that will determine the success of an ad campaign is the ad copy. You must carefully choose your words and what message is the most important to convey to your target audience. If it is done properly, your ad copy will connect with consumers in a way that causes them to act.

Mark Zuckerberg at BYU's Marriott Center: My Notes

Luis Bonilla — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:03:42 +0000

The founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, spoke today at the Marriott Center (Brigham Young University) and I was able to attend. It was a Q&A forum with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch asking the questions to Mark on a stage in the center of the arena.

Doors opened at 9:00am and it started at 11:00am. I was hanging with a rowdy crew that was able to score some reserved seating tickets, so I had a very good seat at the front and center. Right before Mark made his entrance there was a palpable buzz from the crowd.

I was trying to keep full attention to what was being said, but I also wanted to get some notes down on my iPhone to write something for a blog post. Here is what I was able to type and remember:

This is actually the first time Mark spoke to a college audience like this. It was a pretty full crowd at about three-fourths capacity (including the seats on the arena floor). He said he was pretty nervous, as he hadn't talked in front of a group like this, but I thought he spoke pretty well.
Mark said that he didn't originally create Facebook with a goal of making it a company and that the end result (of a company) pretty much just happened due to the overwhelming connections and success. (I know, I saw the movie.)
Facebook is stationed in Silicon Valley because he felt that being surrounded by good technology companies and resources would be helpful (to innovate and whatnot). He followed up with the thought that, if he had to do it over again, he might not have chosen Silicon Valley because you can pretty much start and establish a company from any location...and there are pluses and minuses to the current location. (And at this point, Senator Hatch suggested that Mark move to Utah…and Mark did an admirable job at deflecting that idea, saying his girlfriend wouldn't be in love with it. Funny moment.)Zuckerberg and Hatch: My great iPhone shot. (Caution: head in the way is closer than it appears.)
One of the main components, if not the main component, for a successful company comes from the actual people you employ and the idea of team, Mark said. If you only hire great people, then you won't need to build super large companies (and then threw out that Facebook has only 2,000 employees, but it has over 500 million users).
Although Mark dropped out of Harvard (and who'd blame him after Facebook started taking off?), he was enlisted as a double major in computer science and psychology. He went on to say that it's important to be aware and knowledgeable of the psychological and sociological aspects of technology (i.e., how people interact with technology and interact with others through technology).
He said that, for him, the most important things to have when starting a new company is love and faith in what you're doing. Without that, then you most likely will not be as successful.
One of the goals of Facebook is to have other entrepreneurs build apps that can be used on Facebook and that this process will enable Facebook to be better in the long run.
Facebook tries to keep a safe environment for all users with varied and high-level privacy controls; he believes that Facebook offers authentic experiences.
The basic goal of Facebook is to give people the opportunity to connect and share information like never before.
Businesses, due to the advent of Facebook and social media, will not be able to hide behind corporate veils anymore and will have to interact with its customers/consumers; it will be interesting how this evolves.
Mark mentioned an initiative called 'Peace on Facebook' at http://peace.facebook.com/ and how it shows stats on how different countries interact with each other (i.e., are Facebook friends), especially between countries that have a history of not "liking" each other.
If you wanted to work for Facebook, one of the items they look for in candidates is a passion for something; a passion for what you do and to demonstrate this outside of work life.
Regarding Facebook ads, he said at bare minimum, think of them as a way to use Facebook for free (and he said this with some humor). He also mentioned that no info is given or sold to advertisers and hopefully the ads are useful to users (at times) and will be more so over time.

It was a great experience listening to someone speak about how the company started, what it's doing now, and what he feels the future will be. Additionally, from a marketing point of view, I enjoyed the idea of businesses not being able to "hide" behind the "corporate veil" and that, to be successful, they will need to be more open and interact with people more.

Welp, that pretty much sums it up. I'm glad I got to go.

Zuckerberg and Hatch Say Goodbye: They're not really this pale. I promise.

Heritage Web Solutions (HIT Web Design) Clients: We Can Help

Luis Bonilla — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:32:21 +0000

Due to the recent shut down of HIT Web Design, formerly Heritage Web Solutions (reported by the Salt Lake Tribune and KSL), there are thousands of individuals and businesses that are left in need of web hosting and web design.

Epic Marketing can offer you a better website design and host your domain.

Also, as a former HIT client, you may not have received services or advice on what you need in order to get your website in front of your customers on search engines. We can help you with this aspect as well. We provide search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), and social media services in order to help get your traffic and business—we're not going to just provide you a website, but provide you with clients (backed up and visible with data and analytics).

Allow Epic Marketing to help you through this rough spot. We'll help you get through this situation and get your business back on track.

Billboard Advertising Tip

Nick — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:08:36 +0000

If your target audience is the elderly, don't advertise with billboards. When was the last time you saw an old person looking around while driving... seriously.

SEO and Full-Service Advertising: Overlapping the Goodness

Luis Bonilla — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:02:54 +0000

As many individuals who are searching for search engine optimization (SEO) services know, there are myriad choices to sift through. From sizable establishments to one-person operations, as well as services for thousands of dollars a month to a few dollars a week, people can get overwhelmed with all of the options and may risk contracting with an SEO service that will not bring the desired results.

As with any type of advertising commitment, it should be an investment that you can expect some sort of tangible returns on. Some SEO companies that I know of keep their process and resources pretty secretive, which makes it difficult for clients to trust.

Likewise, the reporting that they provide to clients offers little to no visibility into the value they are creating—or not creating. Simply emailing clients their keyword rankings each month does not mean anything for their business. So you're ranking #4 on Google for your keyword(s), so what? What does that mean? How much money does that represent to the bottom line? Does the SEO company even know?

How a Full-Service Ad Agency Can Help with SEO

The majority of online marketing services does not or cannot provide the requisite, indispensable return on investment (ROI) information in order for you to make good business decisions. Wouldn't it make more 'cents' to enlist a full-service advertising agency to manage your SEO campaign, as they most likely would have additional reporting tools and processes set up to demonstrate effectiveness? Yeah, I think so too.

Take Epic Marketing for example. We have knowledge and experience with all facets of advertising, including, but not limited to, media placement, TV and radio ads, print, public relations, and so forth. From all of these avenues of marketing, we have been able to build up extensive reporting mechanisms through various campaign tracking tools, including call tracking and organic search analytics, as well as a comprehensive, in-depth knowledge of numerous industries and their demographics.

This experience with other advertising mediums is valuable information when it comes to SEO, as it can provide data that is exclusive to a particular industry, demographic, and/or location and allow for better selections of higher converting keywords, better on-site optimization text (copy), and so on. So you're not just paying for higher rankings for keywords, you're actually paying for true online marketing and advertising proficiency.

What This Means for You

If you are looking for a company to fulfill your online marketing services—especially SEO—then you would be wise to seriously consider what a full-service advertising agency has to offer. More than likely (at least with Epic Marketing), your SEO campaign will benefit from both our expertise in the online marketing realm and our diverse advertising prowess.

Incorporating a formidable Internet marketing strategy takes time, the right people, and a strong familiarity with your particular industry. Don't merely be satisfied with ranking for a keyword here and there with no definitive ROI, take advantage of the all-inclusive services of an advertising agency (like, say, Epic Marketing). Your business' bottom line will thank you.ROI from SEO services is a cause for celebration...or at least some raised arms.

6 Creative Examples of Facebook Page Designs by Businesses

Claye Stokes — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:27:42 +0000

After giving our own Facebook Page design a minor overhaul, we gave our web team the task of finding business Facebook page designs that stand out.

Well, these guys make Tron look like childs play, and they're back from their journey into the interwebs, tracking down some of the most creative Facebook page designs we've seen. Enjoy!

Epic Marketing

Our latest creation, featuring the king - or actually, our favorite three. Who should we feature next time? The web guys are pushing for three storm troopers but we think we can do better...

Dos Equis Facebook Profile

The most interesting man in the world, proving that design doesn't always need to be flashy to be creative.

Dunkin Donuts

Great way to make even the profile image social, by using that space to highlight a "Fan of the week."

Team Coco

Curiously, a few members of the team here at Epic aren't fans of the tall, lanky Cheeto, but the rest of us have a plan to change the yellow hue of our Epic logo to orange so slowly over time that before the haters even realize it, they'll be sharing jokes from Coco's monoloque around the water cooler.

The Home Depot

Wondering what's up with the floating Home Depot apron? Check out the tiny thumbnail next to their posts that Facebook automatically generates. I see what they're doing...

Adidas

Nice combination of their logo and product placement in the thumbnail as well.

There isn't a lot of room for design customization on Facebook Pages, but there is never a limit on creativity - if you know of any good facebook page designs, please share in the comments and we'll highlight them next time!

Chiropractic Marketing: There is no "One-Size-Fits-All"

Claye Stokes — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:14:02 +0000

As we work with an increasing number of chiropractic practices, multidisciplinary practices, pain management centers, and other practices around the country, we are becoming very familiar with the chiropractic marketing and advertising tools that have been available to doctors for the past decade or so.

Most doctors are running a set of 'canned,' one-size-fits-all ads that worked once upon a time for one doctor, and are now being resold at a premium. Most "marketing" services are really only offering a handful of ads with no accountability, help in placing the ads, or customizing them for your area and the media outlets available to you.

"My area must be different, marketing just doesn't work for me..."

Those types of ads have mostly dried up in value, leading a lot of doctors to think that advertising doesn't work in their area or in newspaper/tv/radio/etc, when the problem is really that the ads don't connect to people in a new & effective way.

Sometimes they are placed in the wrong publications or media altogether - even if the message is persuasive, if it's in front of the wrong crowd then it won't generate any phone calls or patients.

Marketing Doesn't Come in One-Size-Fits-All

For some smaller practices, it may make sense to use generic marketing materials to get up on your feet but throwing generic ads in the local media and waiting for results doesn't cut it - that's no way to run a full size business.

Ads need to be created around your specific needs, and those ads need to be tracked & watched by someone who knows what metrics are important and which aren't. Then they need to be tweaked frequently to keep results coming in.

In marketing, it's dangerous to compare one area or the success of one ad to your marketing efforts. An ad that pulls 90 phone calls in a newspaper across the state isn't necessarily going to have the same effect in yours. There are a number of factors to take into consideration, besides competition, market saturation, public awareness, and demand.

That's where Epic comes in...

The Epic Marketing Approach

In contrast to the handful of ads available from medical marketers , we make up the marketing team for our clients and build an entire marketing campaign that is custom to your specific area, treatment, and needs.

The results have been incredible. Having a professional marketing team handling marketing is a giant step forward from the 'ad programs' and 'chiropractic ad collections' that have been used for so many years.

We plan, create ads, place them, and then report on the performance of our doctor's ads each month, and they enjoy looking at our detailed reporting, which gives us critical insights in making advertising decisions.

The difference between what the medical community has had to work with in the past and what we have to offer is enormous - we are focused on getting immediate results and measuring them so that everyone involved knows exactly how your advertising dollars are performing and we can make sure that we are trending in the right direction.

Image credits: http://cheezburger.com/TemplateView.aspx?ciid=2298882, http://morganlinton.com/why-there-is-no-one-size-fits-all-development-so...

Epic Laser Tag

admin — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:08:21 +0000

Hop in your DeLorean and join us in the future for a battle of lights and lasers. We work hard here at Epic Marketing and, every once in a while, we play hard.

Producteev Submissions Manager For Free With Drupal

admin — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:45 +0000

Our team just started using Producteev, a tool for managing tasks within teams. It works like an internal ticketing system with the ability to assign tasks to other members of the team. It integrates tightly with Google Apps (and GMail) while providing integration for mobile devices. Basically, it's sweet.

There are a lot of ways to add tasks to Producteev - via email, IM, the iPhone or Android app, or the web interface. One feature we wanted was the ability to add tasks via a web form. That way we can send the form out to our clients and have tasks added to our internal to-do lists. A big benefit is that you could build a form to capture specific information, then include that information in the Producteev task.

Turns out Producteev offers such functionality, which they call "Producteev Submissions." I inquired about how to use it or add it to our account and learned there was a cost associated with its use. Producteev Submissions starts at $100/mo. Not a justifiable add-on for a small company like us that is currently on Producteev's most basic plan for $20/mo.

I was a bit disappointed we couldn't just access the additional functionality as part of our plan, but then I remembered that you can add tasks via email. I could build my own form and have the contents of the form sent in as a task. Depending on how I create the form, I could even make the task correctly associate in Producteev with the person who sent it from my form, create a due date, add labels, etc. I decided to give it a try with Drupal and it worked beautifully. You don't need to use Drupal, but it provides a nice interface for quickly building forms using the webform module. So let's get into it.

1. Prerequisites

This tutorial assumes you have Drupal installed, along with the webform module. That should be all you need. If you're wondering from the screenshots, I am using the Rubik theme.

2. Build your form

Go to Create New Content... and select Webform.

Give your webform a name and save it. For my example I will build a simple web analysis request form (we provide a free web analysis to prospective clients). Once you've saved the form you will be asked to add components to your form.

We'll get to the secret sauce in a minute. For now, just go ahead and add different components to your Webform. My web analysis request form will include fields for client name, website URL, Due Date, Account rep, and Notes. When you're finished it should look something like this:

Notice I selected specific field types for date, email, and notes. Feel free to play around with the different field types.

3. Make it magic

Now we'll sprinkle a little of the special secret sauce onto our form to get it ready for our Producteev integration. Click edit on due date.

For default value, give yourself whatever period of time you decide you need to complete the task. I entered "+2 days." The person filling out the form can change the date if needed, but it's nice to give them a suggested default that will fit into your normal workflow. You may also want to enter "-0" under start year unless you have a time machine to complete tasks newly assigned for last year.

Add a field named "Subject" to your form and set its type to hidden. The default value for this field will become the subject of the email that gets sent into Producteev. It will be parsed out into the actual task. The Webform module allows you to insert variables from the form itself, which means we can fully customize the task that is sent in to Producteev. Check out their support documentation for how these tasks should be formatted. For my default value I'm going to use:

Analysis request for %value[client_name] #epic ##online %value[due_date] @sam

This is less complicated then it looks. You can insert any variable from the form with %value[field_key], replacing field_key with the actual field_key which you can find by clicking edit next to the field in question. Here I am inserting the client name and the due date using these variables. The actual task sent to Producteev might look something like this:

Analysis request for Bob's Widgets #epic ##online January 1, 2010 @sam

This tells Producteev to add a task with the name "Analysis request for Bob's Widgets" to the "epic" workspace, apply the label "online," give it a due date of January 1st 2010, and assign it to Sam. Got it? Cool - now remix it to fit your exact needs. You can even include a field in the form for a custom task name and use that instead of the hard-coded "Analysis Request for " part of the task.

4. Work in that Producteev Mojo

Now that our form is built, it's time to tell it to work with Producteev. In the upper right hand corner of the webform editor find the E-mails tab and click it.

For the "send to" address type in "task@producteev.com" and click add. For the email subject, choose component and set it to subject. Are you getting excited?

Under E-mail from name again select component and set it to Account Rep.

A little note here. Producteev knows where to send the task by looking at the "from" address on the email. So when you send yourself a task, it sees your email and adds it to your task list. With our form we are faking the from address to look like it is coming from someone else on your team. For this to work, that person will need to have a Producteev account and will need access to your workspace. If they enter an email address not associated with your workspace or Producteev the entry will be lost in the ether.

To counteract this, I added another recipient to my email form that just sends it to my inbox. That way I can conduct training with people who enter their details wrong. Once everyone is used to it, I will shut off the secondary email. Alternately you could create a multi-select field pre-filled with appropriate email addresses users can choose from (just be careful about making the form public facing), or you could just avoid the problem altogether and hard code a valid email address into your form (you would want to do this anyway if your form is public and non-Producteev users will be filling it out).

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

Under Email Template remove the first line that says "Submitted on %date." This is because Producteev will pretty much take the last date in the subject or content of the email and make it the due date. You want it to use the subject we gave it in the email, not erroneously use the "submitted on" date as the due date.

5. Test And Tweak

You're now ready to test your form. Go ahead and give it a try and watch how it lands in your Producteev interface. The subject becomes the task name and details, and all the stuff the user fills out in the form becomes a note on the task. Go back and perfect and tweak your form as needed. Get creative and look for the other ways you can integrate with Producteev's native functionality.

That's it!

Producteev's solution apparently includes additional functionality that is similar to a full CRM. If you're a bigger company and don't mind spending the extra cash, check out their native solution.

epic.cm URL Shortener

admin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:43:47 +0000

We've just launched a brand new URL shortener and made it free and accessible to everyone. If you're already familiar with URL shorteners like tr.im and bit.ly, then head on over to epic.cm and check it out. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read on.

A URL shortener acts as a middle-man for links, the benefit being you can send a nice, tidy, short link to someone rather than a big long annoying one. Both links go to the same place, the shortened URL is just more manageable and can be used with length-restricted services like twitter.

Here is an example. Instead of sending this link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=epic+marketing&hl=en&cd=1&ei=QTLsTN3sHo7SowSo5qiECg&sig2=-U-5O_9j_jFBs_zHfjn3Xg&sll=40.524671,-111.863823&sspn=0.308986,0.457306&ie=UTF8&view=map&cid=10790018251539692959&ved=0CHAQpQY&hq=epic+marketing&hnear=&ll=40.525951,-111.866806&spn=0.009656,0.014291&z=16&iwloc=A

... you can send this one:

http://epic.cm/lqW

See, isn't that nice?

To get started, simply copy a URL and paste it into the box at epic.cm and click "shorten." A new shortened URL will appear which you can then copy and paste wherever you want.

Note: epic.cm is currently in beta and should not be relied upon for any mission critical link shortening you may need.

Epic Street Ball

admin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:29:55 +0000

When we moved to our new offices several months ago, we made an NBA regulation size basketball court a top priority. Unfortunately we couldn't quite afford the olympic swimming pool AND the basketball court, so we had to settle for a mini hoop in a mini room. No big deal, six of us can fit in there pretty easily AND almost have room to move.

Picking An SEO Company: Practical Advice

admin — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:30:30 +0000

If you've been running a business very long, and especially if that business is on the Internet, you've surely received countless email promising "#1 rankings on Google - just $39.95!" We certainly get forwarded a lot of these emails by our clients asking "is this worth looking into?"

These deals can sound amazing, especially when comparing against real agencies (and their real agency prices). But, like most things, you get what you pay for. Here's why:

1. The devil is in the details

Sure, you might get #1 rankings for your website, but for what keywords? I've never seen one of these fly-by-night SEO companies provide a list of search phrases they will rank you on, and I've never heard of anyone ranking the client's website on valuable keywords. Anyone can rank for keyword phrases like "Billy Bob's Super Fun Time Airboat Rides and Gator Sanctuary" overnight. The more words, the more obscure, the easier it is to rank. What's hard, and not included in these amazing SEO offers, is work on real, valuable keywords that will bring you new clients.

2. Nobody controls Google

Nobody can guarantee #1 rankings on specific keywords. Period. The fact is nobody doing SEO is in charge of Google, and the algorithm in charge of website rankings is a closely guarded secret. Here is a quote directly from Google's guidelines on finding an SEO company:

"No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.

"Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever."

3. The work

Real, honest SEO work takes time, research, know-how, and hard work. You can rest assured that your $39.95 to "Jed's Super Awesome SEO Services!!1!" is not going into paying someone with real SEO skills to do the work required to really be a benefit to your site. Most companies have some automated spamming script that will place your links all over the web at the push of a button. These links are usually irrelevant, poor quality, and ultimately unhelpful. Some may even be damaging to the long term search engine success of your website.

4. Honesty

Beware of companies that are not up front about their processes and practices when it comes to SEO. If the explanation sounds like magic, they're probably selling you smoke and mirrors. Like David Blaine, when the smoke settles they'll be gone, and so will any potentially positive results of their work. They don't care - with an offer of $39.95 for #1 Rankings and a free Snuggie, the next sucker is already waiting to sign up.

5. Contracts

Many SEO companies require lengthy contracts to sign up. At Epic, we pride ourselves on doing work that is good enough that it justifies itself every single month. While a good SEO campaign can take a few months to really kick in and get going, the value should be clear in the first month. In most cases, we do not require contracts for online marketing. Even so, we have very low turnover because the work speaks for itself.

For more information, check out Google's page about Search Engine Optimization and what to look for in an SEO company.

Halloween 2010

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:01:37 +0000

And by popular vote, best Halloween costume for 2010 goes to Sam Garfield:

Epic Marketing Wasatch Crest Trail Biking

admin — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:47:10 +0000

Epic takes to the trails for a day of mountain biking fun.

Epic Shoot Off

admin — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:00:18 +0000

Donning a mishmash of creative garb, Epic Marketing headed for the hills for a good old fashioned shoot off. We practiced safety first and everyone made it out a live, making for a great teambuilding exercise and fun few hours away from the office.

Intro to Search Marketing [Podcast]

admin — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:20:30 +0000

SEO, PPC, LMNOP, what does it all mean? Find out in this short intro to search marketing webcast from Epic Marketing.

Common Medical Practice Marketing Mistakes

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:56:08 +0000

Here is the first of a series of videos recapping various topics covered during the Practice Perfect seminar held in June. During the seminar, Nick White (Owner of Epic Marketing) talked about many common marketing mistakes made by medical practices.

These tips will have a profound effect on your marketing if you choose to listen and react by calling Epic Marketing today - let's talk about what we can do, together, to improve your marketing and put it on track.

Click to learn more about Epic's medical marketing services

In this video, Nick White, Owner of Epic Marketing and guest presenter at our June conference talks asks these important questions:

Are you giving your marketing the appropriate amount of attention each month (your marketing should be the main source of added revenue every single month, whether it generates $10,000 or $120,000)?
How many of you don’t have a marketing plan?
How many of you try to cut too many corners (whether cost, design efficiency)?
How many of you take advice from the wrong people (family members, friends, media reps)? Are those people in a position to be giving you proper marketing advice?

The following topics are also addressed:

Proper marketing expectations
Marketing material
What a successful marketing campaign should look like
Failed advertising: was it the medium, or the ad content?

These marketing tips are especially relevant for anyone interested in chiropractic marketing, spinal decompression marketing, integrated practice marketing, and medical marketing in general.

Epic Golf Game

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:42:39 +0000

We took the team out to the golf course for a little R&R and team building. We had a great time together and put together this highlight reel to prove it. Turns out some of us are pretty good at golf. Some of us ... not so much.

Epic Marketing Race Day - Going The Distance

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:41:54 +0000

Epic Marketing knows competition. To prove it, we headed to the track to find out who would dominate in an all out battle royale. Our track cams were there to capture the action.

In the end, everyone showed their merit and tenacity in addition to having a great time. At Epic we work hard, we play hard, and we always come out on top.

Local SEO Keywords

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:40:34 +0000

The subject of choosing "SEO keywords" recently came up during a conversation with a spinal decompression clinic recently. The doctors and staff are very serious about achieving a strong online presence and they are making some great efforts to increase their online visibility through organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising with Google Adwords.

Today they sent a list of keywords that they would like to target for SEO, but the list didn't match the types of "local SEO keywords" that a local business or medical practice should be interested in.

They wanted to target the same keywords that they are targeting for their Adwords PPC campaign - here is the short version of the list: neck pain treatments, sciatica pain, treatment for bulging disc, degenerative disc, herniated disk, back treatment for herniated disk, treatment for herniated disc, herniated disc treatment, herniated disk pain.

This was my reply (location has been changed):

These are great keywords for Google Adwords because you can geotarget your campaigns (make your ads available only to users within a defined geographic region, like within 20 miles of San Diego).

Keywords for SEO are another beast though, I’ll try to explain as briefly and easily as possible what the most valuable SEO keywords for a local San Diego business would look like:

Google has over 1 trillion web pages to try to rank every time someone does a search for ‘back pain’ and similar keywords, with a goal of giving users the most useful website possible. For example, a local chiropractic website wouldn’t be a good fit for a keyword like ‘back pain’ – users in foreign countries and other regions wouldn’t be interested in your website, so Google’s algorithm makes sure that websites like Wikipedia, informational sites, and prominent online medical resources rank highest for broad keywords like that.

It’s also a waste of your money and time to try to rank organically for those keywords, because San Diego users make up only a tiny percentage of the global traffic that is searching for those keywords.

It is wiser for local businesses and locations to target SEO keywords that include a “local qualifier” (e.g. city or state), that targets your local target market exclusively, for example, “back pain San Diego” or “chiropractor in San Diego, CA.” San Diego users are more likely to search for local pain management and spine relief searches by including “San Diego” in the search term. Try searching for those terms and you will see your biggest online competition appearing high in search results – they are probably getting all kinds of business from those rankings.

I recommend using Google’s keyword tool (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal) to research keywords like “chiropractor San Diego,” “spinal decompression San Diego,” and similar keyword phrases to find which key terms get the most searches per month, and those are the ‘bread and butter’ keywords that you’ll want to rank for because they can get you the highest, and best qualified traffic possible.

To learn more about making your spinal decompression website or your chiropractic website rank well in search engines, call us today! (801) 947-5595.

Youtube Videos and SEO

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:45:50 +0000

I was recently asked how important Youtube videos are in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The client had been told by one of their "web guys" that Youtube videos have the most value in SEO.

While Youtube videos can a valuable part of an SEO campaign and in driving traffic and online exposure to a website, they are hardly the most valuable SEO technique.

Here was my email response:

Youtube videos can be very effective in SEO campaigns, but shouldn’t make up the only component in an SEO campaign. A website that is optimized well for search engines should include high-quality content on a well-built, search-engine-accessible website, and should be supported by inbound links from other websites. For example, a website with a Youtube video could potentially have errors that prevent search engines from finding the website, or a lack of links and valuable content on the website could prevent search engines from ever finding the content on a website.

Youtube videos can contain useful keywords and usage data that help a website rank well for certain keywords, but aside from helping a website rank, Youtube videos can be effective as content on the website, and can even attract high volumes of web traffic if the video itself is popular on Youtube.com, ranks high on search engines, or is embedded on popular websites or blogs.

A comprehensive survey completed periodically by SEOmoz ,an industry leading SEO training company, polls leading SEO experts’ opinions about the most important and critical factors in getting a website to rank well in search engines, and is useful in gauging the usefulness of Youtube videos in comparison to other on- and off-site SEO practices. Source: http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors.

Our experience validates the findings of that survey, and we model our SEO campaigns in the same way, giving the most effective SEO practices the highest priority in our campaigns. Some of the most effective SEO practices include link building (building links using keywords as ‘anchor text’ from external links), using the keyword in the page title tag and content, and building links and references from quality, trusted websites.

New Client in Lancaster, Ohio

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:08:36 +0000

Once again we have been fortunate to have been able to pick up 2 new clients in one day. Lancaster, Ohio is our newest client and will soon be the recipient of all of our expertise, resources and custom marketing program. The result it more calls, lower cost per lead, and better marketing material. Lets not forget all of the time and money saved on making sure their marketing dollars are spent wisely.

New Client in Seattle, Washington

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:52:11 +0000

Seattle is a place that I have always wanted to visit. I hear it is amazing. Well I guess the second best thing next to visiting, is picking up a new client in that area...

We have been hired to help work some magic with this practice. Their goal is to expand into several areas within Seattle, Washington. We will being with creating a new website and performing market research for the area. They will quickly see the success that we have brought to other practices across the country.

Hiring an advertising agency makes a lot of sense

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:29:52 +0000

Let's say... I am a business owner and I sell widgets. I just started this business and I don't have a rich family (I am now regretting the fact that I didn't throw more game at that incredibly average chick in my college math class, her family was loaded). I just have enough capital to start this business, hire a few employees, get into a physical location, and start building my big dream. I wear a lot of hats. I am the CEO, CFO, Sales Manager and in charge of all of the marketing. I really understand one thing well and that's widgets. Everything else I try to learn as I go. I read books, talk to friends and other business owners to try and get a grasp on everything.

My business begins to grow and we are now actually making money...

Let's look at where this business is and why it now is starting to make sense that I hire a full service advertising agency:

because marketing is more important now then ever and this is not your area of expertise
because you see the need for someone else to fill the marketing position in your business and you know that a dedicated employee is going to cost you between 35,000k-60,000k annually and this person still can't touch what you would get from us. Not to mention that you aren't hiring just one person from our firm, you are getting an entire team of marketing professionals.
because you see that it makes sense for you to spend time on other areas of your business instead of dabbling in the unknowns of marketing
because you are tired of every newspaper, radio, tv, direct mail sales rep telling you that they are the perfect fit for advertising your business. You begin to realize that you have been listening to these reps for years and at the end of the day, all they want is for you to spend your marketing budget with them (thinking...why did I ever look to them for marketing advice in the first place...)
because you want to improve your companies image with better creative and design work
because you want to take advantage of the sale and marketing experience that we have gathered over many years, working with businesses across the country
because you have always wanted to hire a utah advertising agency that is fun to work with and that gets the job done
because we don't have contracts and we earn our business month after month, knowing that you need to see an acceptable return our your investment with us
Because you know that an agency will do a better job handling your marketing, you just need to weigh the increase and costs associated vs. continuing to do it yourself.

The crazy thing is that a lot of businesses just need to get one or two more patients/sales each month as a result of our marketing to more then cover our services. Take a few minutes to evaluate where your business is and if you can connect with some of the things that we listed above. Marketing is our passion, it's our expertise, it's what we do better than anyone else... ask my mom.

Everyone has an Ad

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:32:29 +0000

I would like to address something that the Chiropractic community has been exposed to for years, and that is Chiropractors that have turned into marketing consultants. They find an ad that has given them some amount of success and then they sell it to a slew of struggling practices. We run into their work all over the country. Some are so bold as to ask for a % of your revenue just to run their Ad, while others demand a 5 year contract. Don't get me wrong, if they have something that they can sell, then great for them.

I only bring this up because it is important that business owners know the difference between what we do and what others are doing. Let me give you an example of one of our clients in the mid-west, let's call him Dr Smith.

When we met Dr Smith he was spending 20,000/mo in marketing, he was buying a newspaper ad from one guy and buying an infomercial from another guy. Dr Smith was referred to us by another client of ours and after a conversation or two he hired us. Yeah, he was paying 3 different people for marketing consulting...

Dr Smith wanted to see if we could actually out perform his other ads and we were up for the challenge... easy because we knew who we were up against. We implemented a tracking system that tracked the phone calls separate from each other to see which ads pulled the best cost per lead (CPL). At his request, we tracked this information for several month to see how everybody stacked up. The results are in and we came out on top with the lowest cost per lead (by a substantial margin). And that's not all, we also have the best customer service, and we handle all of the marketing for his practice. Not to mention now he doesn't have to pay $6500/mo in consulting/licensing fees from the other 2 companies.

What I am tying to point out is that we are a full marketing solution for your practice. Our fees our minimal and the results you will see make it a win win situation. No Contracts! We are a professional marketing agency that completely understands sales and marketing strategies. We are capable of give your practice what it needs to succeed. Don't try and "piece meal" a bunch of constants together when in the end, you just need us for you marketing.

New Client in Beaumont, Texas

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:56:53 +0000

We are pleased to announce another new client in Texas. This Client has been thinking about using our services for months and has finally signed up. We have found that some personalities "pull the trigger" quickly and are able to make big decisions on the spot. Others take a little time weighing things out. Either is fine, as long as the end result is that they give us a shot. We are in the business of proving our value every month and keeping clients for years...

First New Client of the New Year

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:50:13 +0000

Today we added our first client of 2010. This Client was a referral and we want to make sure we thank all of our clients for the support they give us. The greatest complement that we can get is a referral.

We are excited to begin building our new clients marketing campaign and already have the ball rolling. Their first Ad will be running in 3 weeks.

Happy New Year!

You Have 7 Seconds

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:08:47 +0000

Your website has about 7 seconds to make a first impression and keep your users on your website. How effective is your website at retaining first-time visitors?

That is the topic addressed in a Marketing Experiments web clinic today that demonstrated how one website achieved a 201% increase in conversions. In the web clinic, the presenter emphasized the principle that clarity trumps persuasion. Be clear and to the point, and users will be much more likely to convert than if you barrage them with endless 'salesy' talk.

The web clinic addressed three questions that users face when they arrive at a website, and the importance of answering those questions as clearly and effectively as possible:

Where am I?
What can I do here?
Why should I use this company?

1. Where Am I?

When users first land on your page, they are in the 'orientation phase.' In a couple seconds (or less), they decide whether the landing page is relevant to what they are looking for. If there is any clutter, a lack of a clear headline or theme on the website that could cause confusion, then the easiest way out is the back button.

You can reduce confusion by making the purpose of the website very clear in the logo, headline, and supporting text. Don't barrage them with 'sales talk' before they've had a chance to orient themselves and decide that you are a credible source of what they are looking for.

2. What can I do here?

Those users that haven't hit the back button now feel confident enough to stay on the page and determine its usefulness.

The purpose of the page could be to generate a phone call or email, a checkout, a sign-up, etc. This is important: don't leave the user's thought process unsupervised. Use the copy and web design to guide the user to what you would like them to do - explain the benefits, value, and reasons why it is worth it for them to commit to converting.

Why should I use this company?

Finally, tell users clearly and simply why they should use your company instead of continuing their online search in pursuit of another alternative. Make sure that your value proposition (Marketing Experiment's enhanced version of your USP, or Unique Selling Point) is clearly stated. Remember, clarity trumps persuasion.

Retailers Go Nuts for Social Media

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:59:27 +0000

There is not doubt that Social Media has transformed how people stay connected with each other. It may surprise you to learn, however, that on Black Friday Facebook was the second most visited site next to Google in the U.S. According to a survey (BDO Seidman) "Of those who reported, plans to use social media, 76% are focusing on Facebook, 50% on Twitter and 14% on MySpace and YouTube. 10% said they expected to utilize each of those media outlets."

We have been implementing and managing Social Media marketing campaigns for years and our clients get a phenomenal return on their investment. With this, begins an effective marketing strategy, and one can see why other forms of traditional media continue to struggle.

Things to Consider When Buying Radio

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:51:57 +0000

Too many business owners and office managers are making poor decisions about which radio stations they should be advertising with. They think that they should be on the stations that they listen to, or they should be on the most or highest rated station in the market. They even (as crazy as it sounds) end up buying from the station rep that they like the most and don't really consider much else. But why would they look any further? One of their reps has brought with them studies that show that their station is the "perfect fit for their demographic"... Sound ridiculous... it's true.

Here's the thing, business owners, office managers, or administrators really don't know any better. After all, they are not marketing professionals and they do the best they can with what they have.

Let me help shed a little on media buying (radio):

After you have decided that radio is the right advertising medium that your business is interested in doing, the next step is to contact an account executive at each one of the 40 or so radio station in your market area and begin your research. You will be given station rates, ratings, and demographic information (age, gender, income, etc) about each one.

First you will want to determine which stations best fit your demographic and give them special attention.

Then take the rates and ratings (which represent a certain number of people) and determine what the cost per rating point is. This help "level the playing field" and gives you a very accurate cost for reaching the same amount of people on each station.

You will also need to consider if your product/services cater to a group of people that may heavily sku to a specific type of music genre and factor that in. Example: I sell sporting good and hunting equipment... a country music formatted station may be more saturated with more of my consumers then other genres.

Finally, after you have narrowed it down to a few of the top candidates you will want to begin negotiating those stations to get more aggressive rates.

There you have it... almost. There are many other variables that can factor into making a decision about where to spend your radio budget but i am out of time...

New Client in Weston, Florida

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:17:32 +0000

Two in one day! I have to give it to our sales team for their hard work. We are very fortunate to have a great team here at Epic Marketing.

This Client was in the right place at the right time. We were able to connect with them on a personal level and give them the confidence that they needed to have in us. They are in a great location in Florida allowing us to hit their demographic with ease.

This is another success story proving that business owners understand that a well connected advertising agency in Utah can effectively service clients across the country.

New Client in Dayton, Ohio

admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:55:52 +0000

We are pleased to announce that we added our first client in Ohio. We are very excited about the possibilities with this very aggressive and business savvy client. He has the vision of a true business owner and administrator. This type of client is able to quickly see value, make good decisions, and reap the rewards from it.

This is going to be another great partnership and one that will last a long time.

Black Friday

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:34:43 +0000

Black Fridays shopping results show a 35% increase in sales online (according to KSL News). Consumers are becoming more and more comfortable shopping online. There is no doubt that most people look online for information about products or services they are interested in. With this much time that consumers are spending online, your business should be there too.

Epic Marketing has a team of specialists that are very good at designing, implementing and tracking custom online marketing campaigns.

Was Our Radio Campaign Successful?

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:09:37 +0000

The typical formula for tracking the "effectiveness" of a marketing campaign for most business owners is pretty simple. They run an Ad, in one or more avenues and hope that the phones ring. Once the phone rings they rely on office staff to hopefully ask how they heard of you or where they got your number. (tip: your office staff doesn't think this information is really that important and they likely give it little thought, if at all).

Often, it is not as easy as that. Example: We track the phone calls of our clients and these phone calls are recorded. We were reviewing the recorded calls from a specific number that was only on their print ad but after listening to the call, the caller said that she had heard them on the radio and then just received a mailer and so she called.

This is an example of how advertising works together to brand, create top of mind awareness and gets your phones to ring. If you are not putting special tracking numbers on your marketing material and analyzing the data regularly then you are wasting marketing money. This is just one reason why your business should have a competent advertising agency working to ensure that nothing is being missed and everything is being considered when you are determining whether or not a specific medium was successful.

New Client in Florida

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:48:12 +0000

Today we added one more client to our portfolio. This client is currently working with an advertising agency in FL and we convinced them that it's time to make a change. The funny thing is that it really wasn't that hard. I am amazed at how poor of a job some of our competitor are doing. Its a bitter sweet... Bitter, in that it puts a negative impression of agencies in the market. Sweet, in that those of use who know what we are doing and provide outstanding marketing service keep picking up new clients. I would hate to be apart of one of those crappy advertising agencies. Can I get an amen!

Latest Print Ad

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:29:48 +0000

Here is the latest print ad for Utah Cosmetic Surgery "Improving Utah One Person at a Time" (click to see large version):

New Client in Corte Madera, California

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:44:07 +0000

Today we added another Client to our quickly growing portfolio. This client is in a very unique place in his business and has been thinking about partnering with us for a couple of months. Sometimes people need to stewing over important decisions like this and that is alright by us. We are as patient as they come... patient might not exactly be the right word due to the fact that we were borderline harassing him every week for 2 months straight. It's a great day to be in the advertising business. By the way, he appreciated our harassment. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and our brand of grease is the perfect solution for every wheel on the market.

Top 5 reasons your businesses should be using Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:26:29 +0000

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is quickly taking a larger portion of the monthly advertising spend of companies of all sizes. Business owners know that if they want to stay in front of their consumers then they need to be spending some of their monthly budget online.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of people each month (in your area) that are searching online for your product/services. What is your business doing to get in front of these qualified consumers? Are you using Sponsored Links, Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Advertising, and/or Social Networking to increase phone calls?

Here are the Top 5 reasons your businesses should be using Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Call Epic Marketing today and receive a FREE consultation with one of our online specialists. Find out what works and what doesn’t. (Example yellowpages.com/ATT and most directories for that matter… do not work!)

Ways to Increase Revenue

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:39:13 +0000

Many business owners believe that the answer to their growth problems is that they need to simply get more leads from the advertising that they do. While this is one of the major ways to increase revenue, it is usually the most expensive in the long run.

If you want your business to take full advantage of all potential revenue sources, you should closely examine each of the following:

Increase Number of Leads
Increasing Conversion Ratios
Increase Customer Retention/Referrals
Increase Product/Service Costs

If you want your "boat" to pick up speed, you need to plug the holes that are slowing your businesses growth potential down.

Nick White
President, Epic Marketing

When Is Your Most Popular Month for Search?

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:21:56 +0000

You might be surprised at when users are searching for your services - find out by entering your keywords ('san diego dentist,' boston plumber, etc.') in the Google Adwords Keyword tool. Google just released a handy new tool that lets you find out when your customers are searching for you the most.

The tool gives us a lot of valuable information that can be used:

For keyword research - find keywords that users are using to search for your products and services. Then use those keywords on your website.
To gather competitive intelligence - how tough is your competition online? The keyword tool shows you a graph rating how highly your competitors are bidding on keywords for sponsored links - if the competition is high, it is probably for a reason (PPC works!). If it is low, it may be a great opportunity for you to be the first to jump in - and the clicks will be cheap!
To research market behavior, such as trends in when and how people are searching for you. Users search for "dermatology baton rouge" in February more than any other month - compare that to "dermatologist baton rouge," which gets the most searches in July. I'm no dermatology expert, but a good reason for that discrepancy may be that users are going online early in the year (Feb.) to research their options, learning about dermatology in general. In July, they tend to search for 'dermatologist,' which is more targeted - now they're not researching anymore, they're looking for a physician directly.

The new feature allows users to show/hide the following data:

Highest Volume Occurred in
Estimated Average Position
Estimated Average CPC (Cost Per Click)
Advertiser Competition
Search Volume Trends (shows a graph with volume trends for all 12 months of the year)
Local Search Volume (local means country)
Global Monthly Search Volume

This is a big step up from the previous 3 columns that the tool gave us: 1) Advertiser Competition, 2) Local Search Volume, and 3) Global Monthly Search Volume.

Writing Effective "Direct Response" Print Ads

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:13:24 +0000

There are many different types of ads that a business may want to put out in front of the public. One of the most common types of ads that we are seeing now is Ads that drive immediate traffic. Not many businesses can sit around for branding alone to generate revenue. They need new leads today.

Here are the things that your Ad must have if you want it to have any chance at all at making your phone ring:

Connecting Statement
Unique Selling Position
Reason to call you over your competitor
Quality Design Work/Brand Continuity
Compelling Offer
Offer Deadline/Limit
Company Information

Any good designer can put together a “pretty” ad. Here’s the thing, pretty ads alone don’t sell. Now, I’ll tell you what does sell. Having incredible salesmen who understand sound marketing techniques, who write your ad and a good designer who makes it look good.. and BOOM! That’s how we design print ads that drive traffic.

New Client in Richardson, Texas

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:58:15 +0000

Another one started with us today. We began working for a new client in Texas and he has all the potential in the world. He has a relatively small practice but with what we have been able to do with others in his field, he is going to be on the fast track to growing this business. I love the enthusiasm of a new client. I can't wait to see how he acts when we get his phones ringing off the hook.

Advertising Agencies

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:40:42 +0000

There are a lot of Advertising Agencies in Utah and across the country. What I have found over the years is that some do a little of this and a little of that but very few of these marketing firms do things the way we do. Half of our clients have worked with other utah advertising agencies, some of them have had several over the years. We hear it all. Some did a good job with creative, others did a good job in the beginning and after a few months stopped showing as much interest and energy, most did a mediocre job from the very beginning and so on.

I will give you the latest example of what I mean. We began working with Utah Spine Institute 4 Months ago. Prior to us they had been with 2 very well known Ad agencies here in Utah, the second of which they were with up until the time they hired us. We approached them with some very compelling data about their industry and then a little "song and dance" took place... and they hired us on the spot.

Our first ad ran and the phone calls started pouring in just as we had expected and i will never forget the Doctors statement because it was a little different than what we had ever heard before, he said "this is the first time I have ever had any confidence in an advertising agency...". These are the type of statements that we live for. We truly believe that what we have to offer our Clients is so much different then what they are use to from your typical advertising agencies and it shows.

Visit our client testimonial video for supporting statements from some of our clients.

Nick White
President, Epic Marketing

Tracking Phone Calls

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:41:45 +0000

I am amazed at how many businesses there are that don't use specific phone numbers to track their calls. These businesses spend a lot of money on advertising but they don't track the effectiveness of each advertising medium? They often leave it up to the receptionist who makes $10/hr and could really care less how many calls come in, let alone how they heard about the company and where they got the phone number to call.

Here are some reasons why your business really needs to get this dialed in:

You need to figure out what your cost per leads are
You need to figure out what your conversion ratios are
You need to know what advertising mediums are delivering acceptable returns
You need to review all of the tracking data that comes from these monthly reports (call duration, recorded calls, what times of the day/week/month deliver more, what cities have the heaviest volume, etc)
You need to examine all of this information and make adjustments to your campaign that will make your marketing campaign more effective

Another thing that you need to make sure you are using is vanity phone numbers (example 1 800 New 4 Pain). You only need to use these numbers on advertising mediums that are only seen or heard for a few seconds (TV, Radio, Billboards, Goodyear blimps, airplane banners, city buses, tee shirs, etc). They will increase the effectiveness of your campaign by at lease 20%.

TV Commercial Shoot

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:18:30 +0000

Today we shot a TV Commercial for Lexington Heights Dental. They do amazing work with Cosmetic Dentistry and are giving away a complete smile makeover valued at up to $10,000. Dr John Lohner and his staff are always looking for ways to give back to people in need and this is another example of that.

The contest will begin next week so if you or a loved one has some real "jacked up" teeth, make sure they enter to win. They can enter to win at www.lextingtonheightsdental.com.

Online Marketing Done Right!

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:54:26 +0000

I was at lunch today the a good friend talking to him about Online marketing and how there is a surge of business owners that are now using or very interested in this type of advertising. We talked about what makes a good Online marketing campaign and I explained the following:

There are 2 elements of online marketing that have to be done corretly for business to have success here:

First, they have to get people to their website
There is no doubt that most consumers are doing their "home work" and researching several businesses before they decide to call anyone. They enter the buying cycle, talk to friends about their needs (possible referral), try and recall (TV, Radio, Print, locations in the area, etc) what businesses they should look into and then... they open a web browser. They search for a few specific businesses if they can remember them and they start some generic searches like "furnaces California". That's right, they are searching online and looking at a hand full of different businesses that have what they are looking for. These consumers are clicking on sponsored links (PPC) and they are clicking on the top 5 or organic sites (SEO). If your business is there, then it will be seen by qualified buyers that are somewhere in the buying cycle. That's a great place to be.

Second, they have to have a website that is compelling enough to generate a phone call or email:
Businesses have to look at their website as the most important selling tool that their company has to offer (or close to it). Consumers make very quick decisions about a company based on what they see on their site. Let's say I am thinking about buying a motorcycle and i am not sure what exactly want and I google "motorcycles NY". Search results are displayed and I go into "auto pilot" clicking on what is right in front of me. If you pay attention to what you are doing, you will see that you are only on a website for maybe 5 seconds unless you are find something compelling to look at. Then if they do get you for more then 5 seconds and then if you start navigating around the site and you find that it isn't very user friendly, you're gone.

How Epic Makes It Work

Epic Marketing understands online marketing very well. We have a group of very talented interactive specialists that just get it. They also stay up to date with the latest changes in this industry so our clients are one step ahead of their competition. That combined with the best sales and marketing minds in the Western United States (actual pole still in-process) and you have a team that gets the job done very well.

Here's the thing, business owners spend a lot of money trying to create "top of mind awareness" for their business. They expect a few speratic phone calls as a result of a weeks worth of advertising and hope that they can become one of the companies that a buyer can "recall" when they enter the buying cycle but the fact is this that it's expensive.

I know this sounds a little like I am bashing traditional media but I am not. We do it all and it all has its place. What I am saying is that if Online marketing is done right, it will likely be your cheapest way to get new customers/patients. If your business isn't spending at least 20% of its marketing budget Online... then you are not doing it right.

To finish my story, the friend I was talking to, owns a taco cart in SLC and as a result of this conversation is now spending 10,000/mo in Online marketing...

Nick White
President, Epic Marketing

Mountain Biking

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:23:34 +0000

Last Friday Kyle and I took Gene Anderson (Air Design) up to Sundance resort for some outdoor fun. We hit the mountain at just the right time, the temperate and terrane were perfect for flying down the hill on our mountain bikes. We rocked the mountain without any spills or bike problems... it was awesome.

Robert Redford may be old and worthless to my generation but he sure knows a sweet spot when he sees one, Sundance is sweet!

-Nick White

New Client in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:21:46 +0000

After a lengthy conversation with both partners of the business, we have a new client in Tennessee. They have just recently added a new service to their practice and have had a difficult time getting leads. Solution: Hire a dynamic advertising agency in Utah that specialize in generating leads and improving brand awareness. Problem solved.

By the way, I have been to the small town of Murfreesboro and it's a great place. It's just outside of Nashville (another cool city).

Does your website have what it takes?

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:18:04 +0000

Every business has a website but most businesses are missing the point. What is the purpose of your website? Is it to show your friends how cool you are? Is it to provide information about your company? Is it designed as a tool to separate you from your competition and generate phone calls?

People want to check you out before they call your business. Many people spend hours of time every day online and they have become very proficient at it. They know their way around the web and they know what they like to see. The question becomes... do they see you online and if they do stumble upon your website, do they like what they see and connect with what they read? The fact is that people are clicking on your competitors websites trying to decide who they want to pursue. In many cases, your website only has about 4 sec to generate interest for the potential customer (do you know what your bounce rate is?).

Customers are typically getting to your website by either typing in the exact url (Marketingepic.com) because they saw/heard an advertisement for your business or they found it by clicking on some links to your website via Google or other search engine marketing (SEM) options. Either way you have them, now what are you going to say...

Here are a few things that must be carefully considered when thinking about building or redesigning your website:

Appealing Design-
Your website should appeal to the desired demographic. Marketing 101 teaches us (among other things) that men and women prefer specific colors, shapes and images. Your design needs to be current and cutting edge in order to keep it fresh. Does your site portray the feelings that you want to instill with your potential customers confidence, trust, good value, easy to navigate, etc?

Messaging-
Here is where most web design companies miss the mark. Pretty alone doesn't sell your business. Our agency recently began working for a business that was use to running ads in the newspaper. They never got a great ROI from the paper but we insisted that our content and our ad would deliver a good return. He trusted our recommendation and now he gets between 45-60 new calls each time we run our ad. You website is more then just a place for people to go to get more information about your company, it's a place for they to be sold and you don't have a lot of time to do it.

Our Agency have some of the best sales people around with over 45 (combined) years of professional sales experience working with our design team to create a website that looks good and sells your product/services.

Search Engine Friendly-
If you are not aware of just how many people are actively searching for your products/service each month you are missing a "gold mine". If i am thinking about LASIK and i live in Utah, there is a good chance that i have "Googled" - LASIK Utah. Then i begin to click on organic links to some of the top search results to see what I find. Soon i find one or two that seem like good options and maybe i call them for prices... You know how this goes, you do it too.

Companies spend thousands of dollars a month with SEO companies to help get them to show up at the top of the list of these type of searches. Why? Because they are very good qualified people that are actively searching for their products/services.

Our SEO analyst will ensure that your website is optimized which will position you closer to the top of these searches and save you money when you decide to be proactive about your online marketing efforts.

Call us for a free quote if you are looking to redesign or update your website. You will be surprised at just how affordable our services are.

-Nick White
President, Epic Marketing

New Client in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

How does an advertising agency in Utah keep getting clients out of state... simply put, we have got it dialed in. Today we signed on a new client that has two location in Wisconsin. This client is very detailed and does and great job running both of his locations. His main problem is getting the phone to ring on a modest marketing budget. That is where we come in. This partnership is a great fit.

New Client in Colorado Springs, Colorado

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:56:33 +0000

This morning we added another good client to the team. He is one of those accounts that were "good to go" from the beginning. He currently has a very strong business but he also sees the advantages of hiring a capable advertising agency. He is spending money in all areas of advertising and really wants us to manage all of his advertising efforts and lower the cost per lead. Perfect fit! Looks like he also wants a new logo and website... I say good call.

New Client in New Jersey, New York

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:10:02 +0000

After explaining to this prospect client, how an Advertising Agency in Utah can help a business in New Jersey. We signed him up as our newest client. He will be one of our most energetic clients that we have. I love the diversity of having clients all over the country. While I don't the "F" word in my daily vocabulary, I cant help but to chuckle each time our new colorful client rips on out. I love New York!

Online Marketing Case Study: Utah Cosmetic Surgery

admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:22:18 +0000

50% increase in Website-Driven Leads

We undertake every marketing campaign with only one goal: results.

Utah Cosmetic Surgery received 50% more inquiries in their inboxes in July than they did in May from the “Contact” and “Ask Sheri” forms on the www.utahcosmeticsurgery.com website.

How it Happened

The largest contributor to the increase website leads (form submissions) was the launch of a new website on May 20 that was much more user friendly and optimized to increase calls, conversions, and reduce the website bounce rate (a website’s bounce rate is the percentage of users who arrive at the home page and then leave the website without navigating to further pages). They have also seen a noticeable increase in phone calls and mentions of the website.

95% increase in Website Traffic (unique visitors)

As a result of the new search engine-friendly website, supported by targeted SEO, PPC, social media, and Facebook online advertising campaigns, www.utahcosmeticsurgery.com received a 95% increase in unique website visitors by July. As mentioned above in the highlights, this traffic is made up of highly relevant, quality visitors. We saw an 80% increase in local Utah visitors, and an 81% increase in highly relevant search traffic from Google.

About Utah Cosmetic Surgery

Utah Cosmetic Surgery provides plastic surgery including liposuction, tummy tucks, and breast augmentation in the Salt Lake City, Utah area, along with many other services and procedures. Dr. Haupt is a board-certified plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience as a reconstructive surgeon and wound care specialist at several area hospitals. Epic Marketing has handled Utah Cosmetic Surgery’s marketing and advertising (both on- and off-line) for just over a year. Some of our largest online marketing efforts for 2009 with Utah Cosmetic Surgery have included: Search Engine Marketing (source of relevant, quality search-based traffic)

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
PPC (Pay Per Click, also known as Sponsored Links)

Facebook Advertisements (local low-cost branding opportunity that has turned out to be surprisingly effective in lead generation) Social Media Marketing New website launch (opportunity for re-branding, and optimization for usability and lead conversion)

New Client in American Fork, Utah

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:47:29 +0000

We added another Utah client to the mix and we are really excited about this one. Not that new clients are painful, its just that this ones pretty cool. This guy has worked with 2 other Utah advertising agencies and has had less then a good experience with both of them. He is a little skeptical but liked what he heard and saw from us enough to fire his current marketing firm. He has high expectations and that's fine because we know his business very well and we are up to the challenge. Did I mention he likes golf... just another reason I like him.

Effective Communication

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:43:07 +0000

Communication must be introduced as the single most important skill a person can develop. Some people are born with a heightened ability and talent, while others have worked hard to develop this tremendous skill.

Communication has many areas that we could explore, but I would like to note how critical it is in the world of marketing.

We begin by identifying who we are trying to reach. This may be a very broad demographic (adults 25-54) or a niche market (college students). After we have identified who we are trying to connect with, we begin to envision a glimpse at life through their eyes. What does their average day look like, what do they like to do, what do they avoid, how do they communicate? Once we understand the behavior of
our target audience we are ready to find the most efficient ways to market to them.

The next step is to explore how to best create advertisements that our target consumer will see, hear, connect with and
respond to. Communicating with your customers on a level that they understand will increase interest and the sale of your products and services.

-Nick White
President, Epic Marketing