Social Media Image Sizes for 2021

THE BASICS

If pixels, aspect ratios, and resolutions have your head spinning, you're not alone.  Making sense of social media image terminology and best practices is confusing. 

Most local businesses don't have the luxury of handing off their marketing ideas to a graphics department to create.  You are the graphics department.

But you still want to make sure t...

When Moms are Planning Summer Activities

 It might seem early but moms are already in the middle of planning summer activities for their kids and families. 

In fact, we surveyed moms across the country and found that by the end of February, 38% are already done planning.  So if you haven't gotten your summer promotions finalized, you may have missed the boat. 

But all's not lost because 43% of mo...

Google My Business Posts No Longer Expiring

WHAT ARE GOOGLE MY BUSINESS POSTS?

Keeping your Google My Business profile updated and packed with fresh content is a smart move for local businesses. 

Not only does it help with your visibility to local families, but having an active profile gives your Google search ranking a serious boost. 

One of the valuable ways businesses can utilize the platf...

How Does Your Local Online Marketing Measure Up?

 TO PLAN OR NOT TO PLAN?

We often hear local businesses say they don't need to have a comprehensive marketing plan.

They're posting to social media and sending out emails.  They've got a website and a snappy logo and figure that ought to cover it.

They're partially right.  All of those things are important but the thing is, everything you do with y...

Facebook recently announced the rollout of their "New Page Experience" which means more changes for all of us to adjust to. 

They claim this update provides easier navigation, more "actionable insights" and better safety features among others. The biggest headline in this release is the announcement they'll be removing page likes which has caught some people off guard. 

So let's break this down.

WH...

WHAT IS CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE?

Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) is one of the most critical metrics for a business, yet only 32% of local businesses say they know how much a customer is worth to them according to our 2020 State of Local Online Marketing Report. 

So, what is Customer LTV? 

The LTV of a customer is simply, on average, how much a customer spends with you over their lifetime with your...

CUSTOMER JOURNEY

The typical customer journey is characterized by several stages:

1. Awareness – becoming aware of the need to solve a problem or desire to enhance/change their life in some way. 
2. Consideration – researching the options that exist to solve their problem
3. Decision – deciding which option they will use and making a purchase

Depending on your industry, the journey can vary in its ...

UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF THE 12-MONTH PLAN

Every new year should start off with a look back at the prior 12 months and a look forward to the year ahead.

How did we do last year?
And what do we want to achieve this year?

Those two simple questions are the start to set yourself up for success for your next 12 months.

Whether it's the beginning of a calendar year, the beginning of your fiscal year...

ARE YOU BEING THE VISIONARY?

How much time are you spending as the visionary for your business?

That person who sets the tone and makes goals for the future.

The one who communicates the big picture to your team and encourages them to work together to achieve it.

We asked local business owners how frequently they were allocating time to "being the visionary" and strategic thinking about their bus...

Here we go, a new year (thank goodness) and while things are still challenging for many of us, with hope on the horizon, we're laying out some of the top local digital marketing topics and trends we expect to see in 2021.  

1. PLAY OFFENSE NOT DEFENSE 👊

If 2020 taught us anything, it's that small businesses need to be flexible and agile in their strategies and operations to survive tough ti...