If you are a business owner, you certainly know the importance of website data analytics and how they inform your marketing strategy. Being knowledgeable about the who, when, and where of your target audience is central to the growth of your business. And an integral part of getting the whole picture is understanding dark social and its implications on your business.
Is dark social as ominous as it sounds? Thankfully, no: “dark social” encompasses all the social media activity that traditional website analytics can’t track. Even if you have great traffic on your website and an active content sharing module, there is some traffic that you are not capturing because it is being shared via messenger apps or texts.
Dark social was brought into the spotlight after the launch of Apple’s iOS 14 update, which offers users the option to opt out of data tracking across apps. While many iPhone users were delighted at the prospect of having more privacy, marketers were left with significantly less information about their audience’s demographics.
This shift has made dark social more powerful than ever, in large part because it represents the more personal nature of how content is being shared. Being able to capture this method of content sharing is instrumental for business owners: What specifically sparks your audience to share your content with someone they know? This helps you better understand your audience and what aspects of your content are most engaging.
Despite the popularity of social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, the fact is that that is not how the majority of people share information with one another. In fact, 84% of website sharing now takes place via private channels such as email and instant messaging. All of that traffic is dark social, which means that only 16% of content consumption and sharing takes place in traditional social media settings that are tracked by website analytics. While the efforts being made to track Instagram and TikTok engagement are certainly valuable, they don’t tell the whole story of who is consuming your content.
The largest source of dark social content sharing is messenger apps. Here is a list of the most popular messenger apps, based on the number of users:
Based on this, it would benefit business owners to attempt to tap into this aspect of content sharing and open up new avenues of audience engagement.
Dark social doesn’t have to stay in the dark. There are many ways in which business owners can try to engage this aspect of their target audience.
For more information about dark social and its impact on your website’s traffic, check out this video on Youtube hosted by energyhill CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Ryan Lowe.
Developing a creative, high-traffic website can be complicated. Instead, relying on design and marketing experts can not only simplify the process but also save you time, money, and effort.
Contact us to learn how our award-winning marketing and design team can help your business grow.
If you're marketing a business in the age of technology, chances are you've heard the terms SEO and SEM. But what's the difference between SEO and SEM? And how can understanding and utilizing both of them help promote your business online?
SEO stands for “search engine optimization”, which essentially asks the question, “What are you doing on your website that helps search engines find you?”. It’s the strategy behind planning and creating organic content with relatable keywords and user-friendly designs to garner traffic for your site. A great SEO strategy will steadily build your brand's credibility and make it easier to rank on search engines, which will expose your business to the public on a greater scale.
SEM, on the other hand, stands for “search engine marketing.” In essence, business owners pay for their ads to appear at the top of the list of search engines. It's more of a “pay as you go” expense where business owners use their ad budget on platforms like Google or Facebook and pay per click/engagement. This is a great way to ensure that your targeted ad gets seen, but it's more likely to be successful on SEO-friendly websites.
Unlike SEM, you don't have to pay for good SEO. However, it will take a lot of time to build that plan and put it into action, so it may be better to hire professionals to create and push an effective plan. Ultimately, both SEO and SEM rely on keyword research, but they use different tactics to drive traffic and create results.
One common misconception regarding SEO and SEM is this idea that one can work better than the other. In fact, both tactics can be used in tandem and are actually stronger together. energyhill CEO and Co-founder, Dr. Ryan Lowe, says that SEO and SEM are like two pillars holding up one structure; they are both equally important and each play their own role in supporting your business.
The linchpin of an effective SEO and SEM strategy is to find the keywords that people are using on search engines when they search for the goods or services that your business provides. The idea is to put your business in their path and let people know how your business fulfills their needs. A sure-fire way to accomplish this is to be sure that 1.) your ad campaigns include related keywords and 2.) you have a plan to publish content on your website and social accounts routinely.
Enlisting the help of a marketing and design agency can help business owners benefit from these strategies. Professional content creators can help you optimize the perfect combination of calculated leads based on good website content (SEO) and good ad spending strategy (SEM) for your business.
For more information about SEO and SEM, check out these informative videos hosted by Dr. Ryan Lowe. He will take you through the nuts and bolts of SEO and SEM, how to create and use both strategies in marketing your business, and provide examples of successful campaign tactics used by the design team at energyhill.
Developing a SEO and SEM strategy can be a confusing and time-consuming process. Instead, relying on a marketing expert can not only simplify the process but save you wasted time, money, and effort. Contact us to learn how our award-winning marketing and design team can help your business grow.
As the capacities of technology evolve and the bustle of life press on, many adults are turning to online learning for its affordability and flexibility. Especially in 2020, many colleges are discovering a sudden increase in online enrollment due to social distancing and government ordinances during COVID-19. These factors are driving enrollment for adult learners.
The number of adult learners will only continue to grow from here on it becomes more mainstream.
Today, universities and other learning platforms must focus on how to retain their influx of adult students. Here are a few strategies to keep adult learners engaged and retain them after they’ve turned to online learning.
Online learning is typically cost-efficient. This is a result of no need for transportation — so saving on fuel usage and parking costs. Most importantly, tuition is also typically cheaper as online universities and courses don’t have as many staff members to pay.
What attracts many adult learners is the flexible financing options available to them. Options for monthly, annual, or per-credit financial payments provide adult learners with a sense of security and affordability. In summary, deliver flexible and accelerated learning options for adult learners to choose from and they’ll be more inclined to continue.
Adult learners have their own life with jobs, kids, socializing, and other time-consuming happenings. For this reason, immediate feedback and support keep adult learners tuned in to your educational platform. In the event that there are delayed responses or lack of responses in student services, it can be off-putting and discouraging for students.
Develop a strong, quick, and efficient service delivery platform for your students to be able to easily connect with advisors, administrators, and support staff. Create a one-stop gateway so online learners can effortlessly locate support services. The quality and availability of support is vital in retaining adult learners and keeping them motivated with their education.
Your website is essential to building the credibility of the brand and expanding on what you’re all about. Enhance your website for effortless navigation and clear branding messaging. In addition, detail what makes your institution different from others and highlight student services available for your adult learners.
Furthermore, consider how to make your website easy to locate by optimizing SEO. Students want engaging and easy-to-consume educational content that's sharable. A great way to illustrate education is by utilizing social media and other communication platforms as marketing tools to attract these students. For example, put quiz questions or short lessons onto your Instagram feed.
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Motivation plays a key role in encouraging students to actively engage in their education. Of course, this still applies to adult learners. Whenever possible, assess students to determine the type of learner the class consists of and how to effectively retain their interest.
Remember, adult learners differ significantly from younger students. They already have work and life experiences that influence their established ideals. In order to understand what adult students want from the course, use some assessment tools and gauge your audience.
While professors may be leaders in their professional field, some lack the necessary preparation needed to successfully instruct online courses. Before the course, provide proper training to faculty to ensure that the staff is proficient with any software required for class or necessary for student communication.
In addition, staff members should also reflect your brand’s message. Each staff member is critical in engaging and retaining adult learners. In order to build relationships, faculty should include an introductory video to help students navigate their courses and provide virtual office hours.
While building the class, include creative and challenging assignments to inspire adult learners. Again, once students are complete with the course, conduct surveys to determine what course material is working.
By the same token, design creative deliverables and convenient class structure to encourage active learning. In addition, include an open Q&A segment in your course for students to ask questions that are available to other students who may know the answer or have the same question themselves. This encourages online discussion and can save student time from waiting for the professor's response to an already answered inquiry.
At energyhill, we’re passionate about helping organizations of all sizes achieve their goals. We understand how the education industry is constantly shifting and evolving. To keep our partners in line with current trends, we’re regularly creating content and materials today that will be a boost to their brand tomorrow and the next day.
If you are looking for ways to improve your marketing strategies for your educational business, contact us today.
Remember that brief time in pancake history when IHOP changed its name to IHOb? Yes, it was a change that left the entire nation puzzled and somewhat feeling betrayed. However, this new identity was all too swift, as they went back to their old roots. And now, this change got us questioning, was this a brilliant IHOP marketing stunt or just luck?
IHOP received great exposure that put it on the spotlight. Otherwise, how else would they bring attention to their new menu addition - burgers? We can speculate that this IHOP campaign to put their burgers on the map worked. It got people lining outside their doors, including Food and Wine. Whatever the reason for this IHOP name change was, we sure are happy to see that the beloved International House of Pancakes would never turn their backs on pancakes - as they captioned on Instagram.
Getting these types of backlinks (e.g. Food & Wine) is ridiculously good for IHOP. When, if ever, would IHOP get this type of exposure? They wouldn't. This clever IHOP marketing stunt was a success that gave the chain restaurant online prominence.
With any major news comes major media coverage. And of course, this IHOP campaign was no exception. The media coverage for the IHOP name change illustrated their surprise as well as that of consumers. Fox News and NBC Right Now are some of the TV news stations that commented on this change. Sure enough people took this matter to Twitter where IHOP held a poll for users to guess the meaning of their new acronym.
We must admit that it was the best marketing stunt ever by a chain restaurant. Why? It's simple. Not only did this unexpected name change shake consumers to their core, it also brought plenty of press to the chain restaurant. The fine dining magazine Food & Wine, equally as surprised as the rest of us, featured the IHOP name change in an article about the restaurant's identity. This reflects the genius behind their marketing strategy because, again, when would IHOP get this type of exposure? It got people talking everywhere, on social media, on news channels, at work. Also, curious consumers and regulars now felt they had to go and try their burgers.
https://twitter.com/AntoniaMireles_/status/1012402427587416065
Listen to your Uncle Burger and burger a burger this 4th of July. pic.twitter.com/gdABIBd6kq
— IHOP (@IHOP) July 4, 2018
Do we still have burgers AND pancakes? pic.twitter.com/ANSsG6db66
— IHOP (@IHOP) June 28, 2018
Twitter is the platform of choice for people to take their opinions to. And surely consumers gave the world a piece of their mind, but did they take it too far? Did this new name call for a boycott?
YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR B IS FOR ME?
BOYCOTT.
— Jason Himself 🐘 (@JC0donuts) July 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/datonedumbnigga/status/1014467463428431872
We should also consider that luck played a role in the campaign. IHOP, a stamp for pancakes, has been around for decades. What better way to make national noise than to tease a brand change, while adding new menu items and increasing foot traffic to their restaurants? But how much more creative can one get to push a campaign for a menu item? Does that mean that other chain restaurants should pull the same strategy in exchange of exposure? We dare say no, this was just a one-time thing for IHOP and we do not think it will work for other restaurants. Think cry wolf. Our digital culture is quick to realize and adapt ... and even filter out future attempts. So, yes, maybe the stars aligned just right to bring the luck IHOP needed to pull this off. However, with smart campaigns, is luck even planned for?
Well done, IHOP! You kept us entertained, confused, and intrigued for a while, all to present your newest menu item and tease that you were changing your brand. At energyhill we were fascinated by this IHOP marketing stunt and think it was a smart move for the chain. As a marketing and advertising company, we understand strategies and always devise tactics to help businesses grow. Now, don't worry, we will not use the name change card, but we will use business strategies to push your business forward. Contact us to get more information and get the conversation started.
Engage with us on social and give us your thoughts on this brilliant campaign. It was a campaign right, IHOP?
Whether you’re building a business from the ground up or simply looking for ways to increase quality traffic to your website, Google advertising offers an effective solution that’s also surprisingly affordable. Here are the top 10 reasons to use AdWords in your marketing plan, if you haven’t already done so:
Unlike other advertising strategies, PPC lets you adjust your budget based on leads and profits.
With many forms of advertising, it’s hard to determine how many customers are actually being impacted. With Google advertising, you can easily view metrics to determine what ads and keywords are most effective and how much traffic is being driven to your page.
New ad formats mean businesses can engage with web searchers in different ways. For example, Google now allows advertisers to highlight their in-store promotions.
An increasing amount of research shows that paid search traffic converts better than organic traffic. If you’re not taking advantage of Google advertising, you might be missing out on valuable leads.
Google AdWords provides business owners with invaluable information about their target audiences, including the devices they use and what keywords they’re searching. As a result, companies can create more desirable products and services.
You don’t have to worry about spending money without seeing results. Google Advertising with AdWords allow you to choose a cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-acquisition (CPA), or even a cost-per-thousand (CPM) viewable impressions approach. If your head is spinning... no worries we can help.
With Google advertising, you can target specific geographic regions rather than advertising to everyone online.
Thanks to remarketing, your Google advertising campaigns can follow searchers around the web, offering more opportunities for them to buy your products. Also, utilizing some of Google's great features allows you to set how long to follow a searcher. Remind searchers... don't stalk them!
AdWords lets you showcase your content in a place where searchers are more likely to see it. Because searchers view first page results as the most authoritative, there’s value to appearing on page one of Google.
Reaching your target audience means utilizing all the advertising methods at your disposal. Remember, if you don’t advertise on Google, your competitors will almost certainly take advantage of the traffic you’re leaving behind.
Looking for a better online marketing strategy? Contact Energyhill to realize all your business goals without breaking your budget.
Generations Y and Z inhabit a unique position in the consumer marketplace because of one thing: the Internet. They cannot remember a time when the Internet or digital technologies did not exist. They are digital natives. But what does this familiarity and reliance on digital mean for Y and Z as consumers? In a recent study commissioned by Google and conducted by Ipsos, 200 Swedes, ranging in age from 13 to 34, were interviewed about their online habits. Of course, minor cultural differences do exist between Swedes and Americans. However, the conclusions made by this study are invaluable to understanding this very influential demographic, regardless of nationality.
Among European Union (EU) countries, Sweden has the highest Internet usage rate. Sweden was also an early adopter of broadband technology. This positions Swedes as people deeply committed to and familiar with the digital world.
Study respondents were primarily split into two groups, ages 13-24 and ages 25-34. According to the results, 13-24 year-old Swedes spend more time on their mobile devices than the other age group. A quarter of the 13-24 age group also states they spend three hours or more per day on social media sites. However, a commonality between the two age groups was YouTube. Both 13-24 and 25-34 year-old Swedes seek out entertainment and short, funny videos on YouTube. One main difference though is that 25-34 year-olds are more apt to watch the news and current event videos.
The data also indicates that watching a video that prominently features a particular brand causes both age groups to seek more information. The video could be posted by a person (i.e. a YouTuber or Vlogger) or the brand itself. In either case, more than a third of all young Swedes will seek additional information. However, when looking for recommendations, the 13-24 year-old age group is more likely to seek online personalities for reviews and input. This is good news for brands that are looking to increase their online video presence. It proves that straightforward video advertising can work, while also suggesting that investing in online personalities may net higher results.
While the expectations between Swedes and Americans may be different, there's no doubt that Generations Y and Z in both countries share similarities. The type of information available in this study can be a useful roadmap to global companies or American-based companies that are looking for more guidance on how to connect with this age group. For more information about how to improve your brand's online presence and connect with young consumers, please contact Energyhill today.
There are times in life and business when things come together for the good. It could be called destiny, karma, luck, sovereignty, or a plethora of descriptive phrases. Ryan and Gloria Lowe have found it. Maybe it found them. However it may be described, there is an “Aura” about this couple and their rising marketing and design business. Somehow they have found the opportunity to do what they love. Behind Energyhill’s aura of excellence is a story of the American dream.
Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life. - Confucius
The journey began in 2001 in Pittsburgh, PA. Ryan started building computers from scratch. It was a wonderful time with amazing technology surging on every front. Ryan was there in the middle of it all investing in a future enterprise loosely referred to as “RyTek.” Later, it evolved to “RyDesign”.
He drew his whole family into the process and a lengthy debate arose to choose the ideal domain name for the future. The final choices were Energyhill.com and (believe it or not) Energypuppy.com. Obviously, Energyhill won the vote.
As time passed, DESIGN emerged, and then MARKETING. Ryan was honing his skills and loving every minute of it. In 2002, Ryan was accepted at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. On scholarship for his strong personal portfolio of work and development of an innovative hub for students, Ryan began gathering the building blocks for the owned but dormant domain name of Energyhill.com.
Meanwhile, far away in Florida, a highly skilled designer was enrolled at the Art Institute of Tampa. It was there that Gloria began infusing her Dominican passion into her beautiful art and where she would meet her soulmate. Meanwhile, Ryan completed his Master’s degree at SCAD and was hired by the Art Institute and moved to Tampa. After Gloria completed her degree, she began working with Ryan on the side. As their professional relationship grew, so did their courtship and they married in 2008. After joining together, they realized what advantages they had as a couple that they didn’t have before. Their combined skills, knowledge, and experience exceeded the combination of the same as separate individuals. After a few years of contracting and outsourcing in the industry, they decided in 2013 to officially launch Energyhill.com. To better equip himself for a future enterprise, Ryan earned a doctorate in business from Argosy University in 2014.
When a team works well together as a unit, they are able to accomplish more than the individual members can do alone.
Gloria and Ryan found the sweet spot of collaborative design and business aptitude. They complement each other, work tirelessly, and put everything into their brand. The result is a design and marketing agency that is competitive with much larger companies. They deliver in every aspect to make others succeed and grow while at the same time establishing solid relationships with each of their clients.
Each client knows they can be trusted to deliver on time and with the highest quality, and every member of their staff is trained with this in mind. Energyhill is now established and entering its fifth year as an entity. With many years prior to that working with small and large businesses, Ryan and Gloria were positioned to hit the ground running.
Making others succeed is a pretty good formula for Ryan and Gloria; it’s what makes them successful. “Clients are part of us, and we are part of them,” they say. If the clients, who they call “partners” suffer, so do they. If they prosper, so do they. Thankfully, the latter is what happens with Energyhill.
It’s obvious that Ryan and Gloria and every one of their team at Energyhill LOVE what they do. Does this mean they never WORK a day in their lives? Hardly. The fact is they are TIRELESS workers, and they function as a TEAM. They are so passionate about design, advertising, and marketing, that it seems like they are not working. That’s the mystery of the Confucius quote, it’s about LOVING what you do.
By the way, they have three small children that require NO WORK, and are a JOY. Well, at least the second one 🙂
