San Pedro Lunch & Learn 10/24/18. Network & Learn How To Maximize Your Holiday Promotions & Emails

Register Here http://bit.ly/HolidayPromo2018

Join my Holiday Digital Marketing Tips Lunch & Learn with @ConstantContact at The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce Wednesday 10/24. Lunch is catered and only  $15 for member or $20 for Non- Members. Come network and learn how to make the most of your marketing efforts using  National Holidays from #Halloween #Thanksgiving #BlackFriday #ShopSmall #CyberMonday #GivingTuesdays & more. Learn about events, hashtags, social media pages, digital tools  & audiences you can use to enhance email marketing lists.  It’s not too late to pump up your reach and increase your revenue to surpass your 2018 marketing goals. Register here: http://bit.ly/HolidayPromo2018.

If you cannot make the event, you can always email Tailor-Made Advertising with your questions on how to maximize your marketing efforts at liz@adteamla.com or call us at 310-791-6300.  Don’t expect different results from just what you did last year. Mix it up and get better results in today’s hot market.

Liz Harsch is a media planner and trainer for small business owners with Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities and MWD and County outreach partners, APICS plus many Chambers of Commerce since 2008.  She owns Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, California and provides marketing,  training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. She can be reached at her Torrance, CA office at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also see her upcoming training workshops calendar at http://adteamla.com/facebook.

Are you ready to rock your 4th Quarter? Join my FREE #WebinarWednesday at 10am on 9/19

Join my #WebinarWednesday on 9/19 at 10am PST on 4th Quarter Marketing Slam Dunk-FREE Marketing Checklist.  You only have 3 months left to reach your 2018 marketing goals, so and let’s rock it! I will share my 4th Quarter Marketing Checklist to use your marketing tools to maximize your sales, promotions, events & fundraising. Register here: Register Here http://bit.ly/4thQtrSlam

Does Font Matter For Best Marketing Results?

 

 

 

 

 

 Does the font selection  in your digital or traditional ads or newsletters make a difference for your results?

Whether you are running digital ads on Facebook or creating a blog or newsletter, your font and typeset decisions can greatly affect your marketing results.  According to the Neilsen Norman Group who has been studying consumer behavior for decades, font really does matter.  Their recommendations are clear on the variables you need to consider when it comes to type and font as well as general preferences for consumers.

• Serif (font with tails, like the word MATTERS above) and Sans Serif fonts (without tails like the word FONT above) both perform well in general if the font size is the same size on the comparison.  However Serif font is considered more traditional (and that will be attached to your brand) while San Serif fonts tend to generate a feeling of a more modern or casual company. In a smaller font, Sans Serif will perform better on readability if the font is compact (letters closer together)or small.
• The size of your font makes a big difference based on the age of the recipient. While it may look hip to have more white space by using a smaller font, 20-20 vision is a small percentage of the market out there. So it’s important to understand that making your font smaller can leave some of your target market unable to read the message you are trying to convey. Also remember that on a mobile phone, your art will be reduced to fit on the screen and that means that often, your font will go from 18 points to 9-point font (which is a lot harder to read for many consumers). Your font will be reduced less if you have a mobile responsive template, but you still need to mind the point size based on the target market you want to read your message.
• We have about 8 seconds to get our messages to consumers using digital advertising before they move on to the next ad or content. That means that the reading speed of your message is critical to your success. So, make it easy to differentiate your letters with more spacing between them and more contrast with the image behind the words. While it may look better to overlay your message on a photo, the contrast between the photo and the font makes a big difference on reading speed and readability, particularly when a customer is reading your ad on a mobile phone which is going to reduce the type in order to fit the image it on a 3” screen.
• Colors and brightness make a difference based on the age of your target market. A 40-year old’s retina receives 50% of the light that is received by the retina of a 20-year-old. This means that you are limiting your reach to younger people if you decide to use a lower contrast font color (like gray) over a color that offers less contrast (blue instead of yellow). If your target market is younger, it may be a good look, however if your market is older, they will not be able to process your message as quickly or read it easily.
• Readability is increased when you add a space between your lines of type. It helps consumers read faster and separate the message more easily from the background. The faster your readers process your message the more time you have with them to get your point across.
• Consumers find fonts that emulate handwriting or Gothic Fonts to be harder to read, particularly in a smaller font size. Avoid them unless they are critical to your branding and if so, make sure the font size is large enough and that the letting (space between letters) is enough to differentiate the letters in a quick read.

For more help navigating your email and digital marketing or social media marketing efforts, contact us for a private review of your strategy or call 310-791-6300.

Liz Harsch is a media planner and trainer for small business owners with Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities and MWD and County outreach partners, APICS plus many Chambers of Commerce since 2008.  She owns Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, California and provides marketing,  training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. She can be reached at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also view her workshop schedule here.

 

Data Regulation Is Here —Your Ad And Email Results Are Affected

Did you know that on May 25th the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into affect? Data Regulation is here and coming soon to US!  Businesses, large and small, are in the midst of preparing for compliance with the European Union’s (EU) new data privacy laws. Here’s a brief summary of what that means:

The GDPR is very broad in scope and can apply to businesses both in and outside of the EU. Businesses that don’t comply with the GDPR could face heavy fines. It was passed by the European lawmakers to create a harmonized data privacy law across all the EU member states. Its purpose is to:

• support privacy as a fundamental human right;
• require companies that handle personal data to be accountable for managing that data appropriately; and
• give individuals rights over how their personal data is processed or otherwise used.

What Defines personal data?

GDPR defines personal data as “any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.”

In addition to the kinds of information you might think about – name, address, email address, financial information, contact information, identification numbers, etc., personal data can in some cases be information related to your digital life, like an IP address, geolocation, browsing history, cookies, or other digital identifiers.  It can also mean information about a person, including their physical, mental, social, economic or cultural identities.

In short, if information can be traced back to or related in some way to an identifiable person, it is highly likely to be personal data. You can find out more about the GDPR here.

GDPR provides rights to individuals

There are several rights an individual may exercise under the GDPR, including:

• Right of access: Individuals can ask for a copy of the personal data retained about them and an explanation of how it is being used.
• Right to rectification: Individuals have the right to correct, revise or remove any of the personal data retained about them at any time.
• Right to be forgotten: Individuals can ask to delete their personal data.
• Right to restrict processing: If an individual believes, for example, that their personal data is inaccurate or collected unlawfully, the individual may request limited use of their personal data.
• Right of portability: Individuals have the right to receive their personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
• Right to object: Where an individual decides that they no longer wish to allow their personal data to be included in analytics or to receive direct marketing emails or other personalized (targeted) marketing content at any time, the individual may opt out of use of their data for these purposes.

Note that these rights are not absolute, and limitations/exceptions may apply in some cases. (Note: you should consult your own legal counsel to determine if you are subject to the requirements of GDPR.)

If you are using an Email Marketing tool, it likely is compliant with much of the new GDPR. You may want to use a custom template to meet their double opt-in requirements and to create a record of your subscriber’s express consent. You can find templates already in your Constant Contact account. If you need a Constant Contact account, try one free or get a paid account using this link.

For more help navigating your email and digital marketing or social media marketing efforts, contact us for a private review of your strategy or call 310-791-6300.

Liz Harsch is a media planner and trainer for small business owners with Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities and MWD and County outreach partners, APICS plus many Chambers of Commerce since 2008.  She owns Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, California and provides marketing,  training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. She can be reached at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also view her workshop schedule here.

Digital Media Audiences & Advertising

What do we know that has changed in digital media audiences for 2018? There are many numbers being crunched but here are 10 facts you may want to consider when it comes to your 2018 Marketing Plan.

1. Facebook still offers the most digital advertising choices when it comes to targeting your market and reach people where they hang out while at the same time letting you determine the action you want users to make.
2. Facebook is an aging market with many younger users (under 20) limiting their time on the platform while graying Americans are increasing in number there and are learning to navigate it to keep in touch with relatives and friends.
3. Instagram has moved from a completely younger market to a market that is reaching a wider spread of Americans under 35. However, Facebook still has the numbers and since Facebook owns Instagram you can buy ads there on both.
4. Snapchat is the preferred platform for users that are younger than 25.
5. Stats show that digital advertising for social media continues to climb and the platforms are getting more sophisticated in terms of targeting the viewer.  Facebook by far received the lions share of digital marketing money on social media.
6. Pinterest still is the most Direct Response Social Media platform & delivers twice the average purchase price. 97% of Pinterest Users have purchased from a pin.
7. Youtube still offers the most potential as a platform for Corporate America as it is still untapped by over 88% of American companies who could have a 24/7 station.
8. Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram now have Buy Now platforms that allow you to go directly from an ad to a shopping cart or landing page for a one click purchase.
9. Facebook has added advertising options that allow Facebook ads to optimize based on a click to a landing page including prioritizing clicks of visitors who linger.
10. Facebook and Instagram offer lead ads as part of their advertising platforms enabling companies to get more measurable results—even if they are not retail.
11. Google Adwords, continue to be unrivaled in terms of keyword search and delivering people actively making a purchasing decision. So if you are not using search in your advertising plan you are missing people who are purchasing now.

For more information on what you can do to enhance your digital marketing plan, contact us at Tailor-Made Advertising and request our media planning worksheet to review some options for your marketing goals.

Liz Harsch is a media planner and trainer for small business owners with Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities and MWD and County outreach partners, APICS plus many Chambers of Commerce since 2008.  She owns Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, California and provides marketing,  training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. She can be reached at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also view her workshop schedule here.