Is artificial intelligence a friend or foe to business owners? Explore how businesses can harness the power of A.I. to foster growth and success in today's dynamic landscape.

As a digital marketing agency, Spin Markket works with a wide range of small to medium businesses across the US and has recently been selected out of 60,000 other digital marketing agencies to be one of 20 for a new Customer Advisory Council. The Customer Advisory Council works with companies developing digital marketing platforms and services for small and medium businesses. Members of the Council evaluate and provide recommendations on improving customer service as well as assisting with research and development of digital platforms. The hand-selected elite group of 20 agencies recently traveled to Canada for 3 days of meetings with Digital Development Teams and to provide their thoughts and feedback on the digital platforms. The group will continue to meet quarterly as they review platform changes based on the recommendation along with testing new digital platforms to be launched. Spin Markket is a digital marketing agency providing over 250 digital marketing products, website design, graphic design, digital marketing, strategic planning, photo and video, podcast production and marketing, analytic data tracking, and a real-time business app dashboard for tracking. Be watching for new digital platforms announcements that transform not only digital marketing for businesses but also new products that streamline internal business systems. For more information contact Spin Markket at info@spinmarkket.com, 515-302-8026, and visit us at www.spinmarkket.com. REPRINTED FROM FORT DODGE MESSENGER

In comparison to traditional hiring, outsourcing your marketing needs offers a number of advantages. You gain access to highly skilled marketing professionals fast, at a fraction of the cost, meaning you have the talent you need to succeed in your marketing goals without having to deal with posting a position through HR and sorting through a ton of resumes (we won't even get started on how the pandemic flipped everything on its head). With a marketing agency that specializes in digital marketing, your company stands to gain big time. Marketing is one of the most critical areas to invest in when it comes to growing a business—yet many struggle to find the time and resources to locate and develop their talent, let alone execute an effective marketing strategy. It can be beneficial to outsource part or all of your marketing functions, as it can reduce overhead expenses and allow you to quickly scale your marketing efforts. Working with a digital agency also grants you access to the latest tools and industry knowledge that would normally be out of reach. If your interest has been piqued, check out these five reasons why outsourcing your marketing efforts may be the best investment you’ll ever make. Get a Leg up on Competitors through Expert Knowledge You have high ambitions for your marketing strategy, but do you lack the time and resources to make it work? It's also possible your company offers innovative products, but you might not know the best way to reach your target audience. A successful marketing strategy depends on long-term planning, concise storytelling, and expert knowledge. As an example, let's consider the owner of a contracting business. Even if the individual has extensive knowledge of their industry, they may lack the skills and resources necessary to market their services in a way that builds brand awareness and attracts potential clients. That’s where Spin Markket + Digital comes in. When you outsource your marketing efforts, you place your business in the hands of marketers who have dedicated their careers to helping businesses like yours succeed—and who possess the expertise and talented team to make it happen. You can rely on a marketing agency to take your visions and make them a reality, from creating a brand identity and redesigning your website to writing a content marketing plan and securing media coverage. Don’t Let Constraints Limit Your Growth Rather than sacrificing your vision, outsourcing your marketing efforts allows you to leverage experts who can help bring your ideas to life. It is not uncommon for business leaders to have their own strategies in mind, but lack the time or resources needed to execute them successfully. Even the best marketing strategy won't bring results if it isn't prioritized and executed consistently. Outsourcing some of your marketing functions—if not all!—can help accelerate your company's growth. At Spin Markket + Digital, we do the dirty work so you don’t have to. Our team can take care of the day-to-day marketing activities you are too swamped for, so you can spend more time focused on what matters most—growing your business and increasing your bottom line. The Benefits Outweigh the Costs Many companies are reluctant to outsource their marketing because of the costs involved. Understandable. Outsourced marketing is another additional expense for your company, right? Successful companies and business owners, however, view marketing not as an expense, but as an investment that leads to growth. While it is true that hiring an outside agency may incur costs, the overhead is considerably lower. A major benefit of outsourcing marketing is gaining access to a whole team of marketing experts right away, and for much less than hiring and training a full-time employee. You also save on costs related to ongoing professional development, cost of training and turnover, and on licenses for the latest programs and technology. Additionally, outsourcing your marketing initiatives to an external agency gives your business the flexibility to increase marketing efforts as new opportunities arise, which means when you grow, we grow with you. Gain Access to a Different Perspective As the saying goes “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Right now, you could be missing out on revenue opportunities without even realizing it. Hiring an outside marketing agency is undoubtedly a big decision for any business. However, if you choose the right team, it can deliver even better results for your company. In the digital age, things are constantly changing, and in order for your business to succeed, it must stay ahead of the curve with the insights of seasoned marketing professionals. One less tangible, but equally valuable benefit of outsourcing marketing is that you can tap into other perspectives that you might not have access to within your organization. Bringing in a team of unbiased experts to help spearhead marketing initiatives like branding, content creation, and graphic design can lead to new, creative ideas, knowledge sharing, and ultimately more sales! Craft Marketing Projects with a Dedicated Team As a business owner or a marketing director, you wear many hats and can get caught up in the weeds of different business-related tasks and responsibilities on a given day. When it comes to a specific marketing project that will require considerable time, resources, and/or experience, such as a website redesign, or a media relations campaign, outsourcing is an excellent choice. Since our team is completely separate from your business’s day-to-day responsibilities, we can hyperfocus on a specific project with ease. There are many different marketing niches to explore in the world of marketing. When you partner with an outside marketing agency like Spin Markket + Digital, you can benefit from our teams' diverse capabilities and range of skill sets to achieve the best results. Our Team at Spin Market + Digital Goes beyond Social Media and Digital Marketing Using the latest digital marketing strategies, software, and platforms, we get your business noticed online. Our team at Spin Markket + Digital is your full-service marketing partner in Iowa. We review how your business currently looks online. From there we discuss your business goals, projections, and revenue expectations to design your digital strategic plan. With our services and dashboards to assist you in reviewing your digital marketing, we take you from ordinary to extraordinary. Contact us online today or give us a call at 515-302-8026 to get started.

Thank you Jodie and the entire team at the children's dental center.

A Passionate Marketing Agency Owner means ensuring your client’s needs are met by educating, building a relationship, and getting involved. Passionate Marketing Agency Owner with Cheryl O'Hern - Podcast We bring Cheryl O’Hern, Founder of Spin Markket + Digital, on the podcast this week to discuss what it means to be an agency owner. Chery is the definition of a passionate marketing agency owner; she is dedicated to her clients and the local businesses they serve. In this episode, Cheryl and George explore what it means to build a connection with your client, why it’s crucial to the success of the working relationship, educating on what you as their marketing guru deliver, and when they will hear the cha-ching! As a Digital Marketing Specialist, Cheryl develops innovative campaigns across a wide range of businesses that create the EXPERIENCE to engage the targeted audiences’ hearts and minds. By utilizing data that evaluates the behaviors, interests, diversity, and the EXPERIENCE to the right market at the right time, she can ultimately drive the results her clients are reaching for. Cheryl is known as an envelope pusher with Kickstarter marketing in a freshly brewed social and digital world. She ventured out as a small business owner after years in the corporate circle in 2012 with Spin Markket. With a background in various fortune 500 businesses and marketing platforms, she can bring a wide knowledge base of experiences for her clients. Several of her campaigns have garnered national attention and notice from the industries they represent and media giants.

As per recent statistics, over 4.32 billion people were using mobile devices to access the internet as of August 2022, accounting for 92.1% of all active mobile internet users. Not only this, but the contribution of mobile devices to overall website traffic was estimated at 62.06%. These figures echo the dominance of mobile devices over the Internet and Internet traffic. Hence, having a basic website is no longer sufficient in today's mobile-dominated industry. Today's businesses need mobile-responsive websites that can adjust to a variety of devices and screen sizes and offer clients a seamless experience whenever and wherever they access them. These mobile-friendly websites considerably help businesses perform better. This article outlines the top five ways that a website can be mobile-responsive and optimized to to help prove business results. Continue on to read more! Top Five Tips to Optimize Your Website for Mobile Users Increase the Number of Website Visitors An unresponsive website deteriorates the overall browsing experience for consumers. The images on such websites frequently include exaggerations or distortions. This may irritate customers, who might then visit competing websites that are mobile-friendly. To retain website visitors, it would be ideal to design optimized mobile-responsive websites that are easy to navigate and browse through. Due to the website's design being compatible with mobile devices, you do not need to zoom in or scroll from left to right on these websites. Consequently, a mobile-responsive website improves the overall mobile browsing experience and increases website traffic. Cost Effective If you need to construct, scale, or upgrade your website, you can do it all in one place with a mobile-responsive web design, which lowers costs and saves time. Additionally, responsive UI websites cost less to maintain. In particular, using the mobile responsive option allows you to develop and maintain only one website, which is less expensive than creating and maintaining two. Therefore, doing so can save you a lot of money. Improves your SEO Rankings Nearly 57% of users say they will only recommend a business if it has a properly designed and responsive mobile website. When it comes to determining its search results, Google typically gives responsive sites the edge over non-responsive sites. Additionally, with a responsive website, you reduce the likelihood of on-page SEO errors, thereby improving Google's ability to crawl your website. A crucial factor in how Google ranks its search results is the time a person spends on the website. When a user accesses your mobile site and then leaves right away, your bounce rate increases, and your site's performance suffers. An analogous aspect of search ranking is how quickly a page loads. There may be less traffic and perhaps unfavorable reviews if customers have a slow browsing experience, which would be detrimental to the SEO. Therefore, to improve the user experience and related SEO results, it is crucial to have a mobile-responsive website. Augments User Experience No matter who your target audience is or what industry your content falls into, flexibility, user-friendliness, and a fast loading time are the essential attributes that make users appreciate your website. The user experience is significantly improved by the inclusion of these features on mobile-responsive websites. Responsive websites usually load more quickly across all platforms. The overall user experience is improved by responsive fluid grids that are devoid of auxiliary elements, fluid responsive graphics in high resolution, improved breakpoint utilization, motion graphics, SVGs, minimal design, and a readable typeface. Generally, all of these elements contribute to increased website traffic and lead conversion. Improves Leads and Conversion Rates If a website is user-friendly, expert, responsive, and aesthetically pleasing, it will attract more visitors. 67% to 75% of consumers cite a website's aesthetics and usability as reasons why it is successful. Maintaining customer satisfaction is crucial for the success of your business strategy, and responsive web design improves the user experience. Due to enhanced UI, every visitor to your website, whether they are browsing, making a purchase, or looking for content, will have a pleasant experience. They are more likely to visit the website again in the future as a result. A small investment in flexible web design can typically increase traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, and profitability. Reduces Maintenance Efforts When mobile browsing first took off, the common strategy was to have separate desktop and mobile websites. However, having two websites doubled the burden of updates and maintenance. Consequently, the idea to invest in a responsive website design emerged. It sparked the creation of a single website that is accessible across all platforms. This development significantly reduced maintenance efforts and costs. Decreases Bounce Rates Users may leave your website prematurely if they are unable to access the layout, the content, or both in an adequate manner. They will instead go to a different website that correctly shows both content and design. As a result, the bounce rate on your website will increase. Google might also think that the pages on your website don't adequately address user needs or concerns. As a result, it could hurt your website's Google ranking for a specific search keyword. However, user experience and website traffic are likely to increase when the company's experts turn your static website into a responsive one. It is because a mobile-responsive website will enhance the user's experience of viewing the design and content of the website. As a result, the bounce rate will drop and your company's website's rating on a particular Google search query will rise. Wrapping Up The use of mobile devices is on the rise. Mobile internet users are increasing. Today, mobile devices are used for all types of work, from personal to professional. As a result, mobile has become an unavoidable part of human life. Businesses need to understand this growing trend to sustain global competition. One of the best ways to address this trend is to create mobile-responsive and optimized business websites that users can easily access via their mobile devices. An investment in developing mobile-responsive sites is considered beneficial because it positively influences customer experience, conversion rates, SEO rankings, and overall business profits. Therefore, businesses must utilize this technology development to stay competitive. If you need expert guidance on developing mobile-responsive websites and digital marketing, head over to Spin Markket + Digital. Contact us today for more information!

"Views are higher than the industry standards. We are trying to build awareness of childcare, so you really can not get any better than that." - Elizabeth Stanek, Executive Director of Linking Families & Communities

Today we'll be talking about all things employment. Finding the right employees is harder than ever. Discussion includes marketing, training, what your competition is doing, interview ideas, keeping the good ones, and more. Brought to you by Main Street Fort Dodge, Alpha Media Fort Dodge, North Central Iowa SBDC, Spin Markket + Digital, Iowa Central Community College

To be blunt, it’s easy to waste a large percentage of your advertising budget in Google Ads (aka Google AdWords). Google has designed the Google Ads platform with advertising professionals and analysts in mind and therefore choosing the correct setup for your campaign’s goals is often tricky. That is to say, one seemingly innocuous setting can throw off an entire campaign. Today we will explain how to avoid one of the most common and costly mistakes businesses make with Google Ads. Targeting Both Search & Display Networks With the Same Ad Campaign First, it’s important to point out why so many businesses make this mistake. Google encourages advertisers to set up campaigns that target both the Search Network and the Display Network. The first option when creating a new campaign is to target both networks and Google provides “advice” that this is the “Best opportunity to reach the most customers.” Sure, targeting both networks will give you more reach, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. The key to advertising is getting your product or service in front of the right audience, not just the biggest. A car dealership wouldn’t be well served buying ads on a popular children’s show nor would a toy company do well advertising on late-night comedy shows. They’re both reaching a lot of people but not the right people. Unfortunately, Google’s default advice to use both Search and Display networks in this example is self-serving. The reality is that Google makes money when businesses spend more in advertising so it’s in their best interest to encourage businesses to expand reach (aka, expand budgets) regardless of whether or not the ad spend is profitable or effective. Smart ad strategy is about getting the most for your dollar, Google is in the business of making money not giving free strategy advice which undercuts their revenue. Remember this whenever reading Google’s advice or talking to one of their reps. Alright, let’s get back to why targeting both the search and the display network is such a bad idea. Search vs. Display 101 When you think of Google Ads, you probably think of the ads that show up when you search in Google.com. Those ads are on the Search Network. Makes sense, right? The Search Network gives advertisers the opportunity to display ads at the precise time when prospects are searching for their products or services. You can think of the Search Network like the old Yellowpages. Prospects used to “search” in the Yellowpages when they were about to make a purchase and businesses could prominently advertise their products and services. Now, most prospects use Google.com to search and the Search Network is the new Yellowpages. However, the Display Network has nothing to do with searching on Google.com! Display Network ads are displayed on other websites across the internet that are trying to make money from Google AdSense. Any website can add AdSense ads to their website and then advertisers can use the Display Network to target those webpages. According to Google, almost 3 million websites use AdSense, which gives you an idea of the enormous size and reach of the Display Network. Again, the key difference is that when you target the Display Network, you’re not targeting prospects searching for your products or services; You’re interrupting people as they visit one of the nearly 3 million websites in the Display Network. That’s why display advertising is sometimes referred to as “Interruption Marketing”. That leads us to the first key takeaway in this article. Takeaway #1: Each Network Requires Different Ads When a prospect is searching in Google.com for a product or service, then there is an immediate need. For example, if someone searches for a “math tutor in NYC” it’s obvious that this person is seeking to hire a math tutor in NYC. Why else would anyone search that phrase in Google? With that in mind, your ad copy for the Search Network should precisely match the keyword searched so that you’re presenting the best option. If the keyword searched was “math tutor in NYC,” then the ad should mention that you are a math tutor in NYC and encourage the prospect to contact you. Pretty straightforward, right? Now let’s switch gears and consider someone surfing around online and reading an article about how to study for the math section of the SAT. This person is clearly interested in learning more about math, but it’s not 100% clear if she wants or needs a math tutor. There is no indication of an immediate need like there is in the Search Network. See the difference? In this case, to be effective, your Display Network ads may need to make the case for why a tutor is the best option to ace the math section of the SAT. As you can see from these two examples, your ad copy for the Search Network will almost always need to be different than your ad copy for the Display Network. If you try to use one campaign for both networks, then it’s impossible to match your ad copy to the network. That’s one reason why it’s never a good idea to target both networks in a single campaign. Next, we can take this concept of matching ad copy a step further. Takeaway #2: Each Network Requires Different Targeting With a basic Search campaign, your primary targeting option is to use keywords. When you target a keyword, your ad will be displayed whenever a prospect customer searches for that particular keyword. With a basic Display campaign, you have many more options. First, you have contextual targeting. In the Display Network example above, I assumed the ads were targeting a contextually relevant article about how to study for the math section of the SAT. This is the most basic targeting option which relies on Google to match your keywords and ads to relevant webpages across the over 2 million websites. Another option in Google Ads is behavioral targeting. Behavioral targeting is a method of displaying your ads to prospects who appear to be interested in your product or service based on their internet browsing history. For example, if I visit a lot of test preparation and tutoring related websites, over time Google learns that I’m interested in this topic and will place me into the audience group called “Test Preparation & Tutoring.” That allows advertisers to then target prospects who based on their browsing history appear to be a good fit for their products or services. And yet another option is demographic targeting. With demographic targeting, you can select male or female, parents, and different age ranges to laser target your ideal customers. Once you understand contextual, behavioral, and demographic targeting, you need to match your ad copy to the targeting options you select. When you create separate Search and Display campaigns you then have the ability to perfectly match your ad copy to your target audience, ultimately leading to better ad performance. Want Help with Google Ads? Contact us at Spin Markket + Digital today and we can discuss digital marketing strategies that work for your business (even if everyone is telling you something else..)

One marketing campaign that every business can use it email. But as simple as putting together an email campaign would appear there are some best practices that you should consider. Here are a few tips and a "Best Practices Email Checklist" to help you put together a successful email campaign. Types of Campaigns There are four types of email campaigns you’ll be sending to your clients. Whether it’s informative content or a call-to-action, you want your email to have a purpose. Newsletters to keep your client's customers updated on their business. Drip campaigns to improve engagement with clients. Sales campaigns to notify your client's customers about timely deals and promotions. Holiday/event emails to improve brand recognition with your client and inform their customer base of local events. Steps to Create Your First Campaign Step 1: Pick a purpose; acquisition, adoption, or upsell. Step 2: Create or choose from existing content. Step 3: Set the time “delay” Step 4: Set your campaign configurations, if desired. Step 5: Set your automations by market, if desired Step 6: Preview and test your campaign Step 7: Publish Spin Markket + Digital - 515-302-8026

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, there was a phrase many were using in marketing meeting. The phrase was “digital first.” It was a reminder to make sure there was a digital component or alternative to a marketing campaign. Now, that phrase has gone from first to only: You must be “digital only” for the near future. We’ve been forced to think and act digitally all of the time. No big meetings. No trade shows. No events. No in-person presentations. No normal marketing for now. This has caught most of country flat-footed. You’d think everyone was digitally oriented, but using email and Zoom doesn’t mean you have a digital marketing strategy.  Even retail was only 15% digital going into the crisis despite all you’ve read and seen — just 15 % of the total. that’s means 85% for the most part stopped in mid-March. Here are some ideas businesses are finding helpful in this crisis: Websites not built on ease-of-use platforms (such as WordPress) are difficult and expensive to change out and update on the fly in a crisis. You need a CMS that has user experience at the center of its core in a crisis Website notification bars are helpful in communicating temporary, ever-changing emergency information. These notification bars can be used for any information that needs to be communicated quickly in the future from disasters to changes in hours of operation. E-commerce solutions need to be built into your site. You need a stable and safe way to accept orders and donations electronically. Many organizations that didn’t have retail as part of their revenue stream will need e-commerce. We’ve heard of nonprofits selling support T-shirt and items to generate revenue instead of donations. Video is a critically important way to communicate in a crisis. Video messages help communicate quickly, but just like a Zoom meeting have the human touch and communicate emotionally Organizations need infographics and content to fill social media channels especially when there is little going on in the organization in terms of activity, events and daily interactions Crisis communications is different than regular communications. We’ve all changed in one way or another and messaging needs to change as well. Some are already awakening to the new reality. Some are still in the shock phase of crisis communications. It is going to be different marketing world in this age of COVID-19. It will not end on one specific day. If you just go dark during this time, how much harder will it be to come out on the other side?