alphakey23, Author at Alpha Key Digital

Promote your Brand with Influencer Marketing

alphakey23 on March 6, 2023

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is when a business partners with an individual who has a significant presence on social media to market its services or products. Influencer marketing is a strategy to market on popular social media platforms.

Nowadays, hundreds of millions of people use social media daily. The people they follow have earned their trust. It’s a good idea for a business to reach out to influencers with many followers and high engagement rates.

Your products and services will be seen by as many people as possible by working with an influencer. Your conversion rates may be boosted as well.

Alpha Key Digital will help you devise a strong strategy allowing you to get the most out of your marketing campaign using an influencer.

Key Influencer Marketing Statistics to Drive Your Strategy in 2023

Fact: Influencer Marketing Industry Reached $16.4B in 2022

There’s no denying that influencer marketing is lucrative. The market grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $9.7 billion in 2020. In 2021, it soared to $13.8 billion, indicating steady growth. In 2022, the market expanded to a whopping $16.4 billion industry.

This growth is attributed to the increasing popularity of short video formats on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. Another aspect attributed to growth was the effects of the global pandemic on consumers, which catalyzed social media consumption. Finally, the optimization of data collection, which marketers used for social media ads, also added to growth over time.

How does influencer marketing work?

The ultimate goal of influencer marketing is to increase your brand’s exposure. Influencer marketing allows businesses to collaborate with influencers with a large following. The influencer will publish social media content promoting business services or products, build brand awareness, and attract potential customers.

Because followers trust the influencers, they follow you on social media. When they see your business advertised by the influencer, an automatic trust factor can boost your conversion rates.

Determining which influencers might suit your company is integral to any influencer strategy. For example, suppose you sell facial moisturizers. In that case, you should find an influencer with a strong success rate in promoting skincare products.

Generally, influencers receive a commission on all the services or products they sell. For example, they receive ten percent of revenues from the services or products they sell for your business.

How effective is influencer marketing?

There are significant benefits when businesses use influencer marketing. For example, businesses earn an average of $5.78 for every dollar they spend on influencer marketing (via Influencer Marketing Hub).

Advantages to consider:

Establishes credibility and trust. One of the reasons many businesses need help selling their services or products is that they need credibility to be established. You can quickly boost your credibility by partnering with an influencer that followers trust.
Cost-effective. Your business may generate a considerable return on your investment if you choose the right influencer. Another significant benefit is the cost-effectiveness of influencer marking use.
Quality leads are attracted with influencer campaigns. Your conversion rates may increase as a result.
Brand awareness gets a boost. Influencers can get your services and products in front of hundreds or thousands of people. Some influencers have millions of followers.

Creating an influencer marketing strategy

Alpha Key Digital will strategize with you with these critical steps:

1. First, your goals should be identified.

What goals does your business have?
How can you track your successes with influencer marketing?

2. Determine your audience. Next, you need to take a good look at your customers.

Who is your ideal customer?
Do you know what problems they have?
What social media platforms do they use?
Your business can reach your target market effectively by answering these questions.

3. Budget creation. Your budget determines how much your business can invest in an influencer.

4. Alpha Key will find the very best influencers. Finding the right influencer could take a long time if looking for one one your own.

Do you know whom you want to partner with?
Who are their followers?
Do you want to partner with a social media star?
Or do you want to partner with someone with a large following in a particular industry?

5. Track metrics and optimize your strategy accordingly. Finally, Alpha Key will track your metrics to measure brand awareness.

How successful is your influencer campaign?
Do you need to adjust to improve the campaign?

If you want to partner with social media influencers to grow your audience, there are several steps you can follow.

Alpha Key Digital will:

Find influencers aligning with your business and brand to build awareness.
Help you to understand that you should focus on something other than the number of followers they have. Alpha Key Digital is aware that if an influencer has a low engagement rate, your campaign may not do as well. Instead, paying attention to their relationship with their followers is a good idea.
Create an agreement. Creating a formal written agreement with an influencer helps avoid confusion and ensures each party knows its responsibilities.
Provide value. While you can pay influencers, you want to give them more value than just money. Alpha Key Digital’s work includes these types of considerations. For example, can you help them boost their exposure? Will this partnership be mutually beneficial?
Alpha Key Digital will research influencers for you before making contact. Looking for the right influencer is like searching for the right employee for your business. Alpha Key will take the time to review what they post and their blog posts, and assess partnerships they’ve had in the past to ensure they’re a good fit.

When we find a suitable influencer to promote your products and services, you will increase your foothold in your industry.

The Future of Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a formidable marketing tactic. Companies that leverage influencer marketing are likelier to succeed, especially if they can establish a healthy and long-term partnership. Also, 2023 will undoubtedly bring many changes to the influencer marketing industry.

Enhance your influencer marketing campaign!

Influencer marketing is a popular tactic for several reasons. Not only can it increase brand exposure quickly, but it’s also a cost-effective way to get your business in front of consumers likely to be interested in your product. However, you must identify influencers who are a good fit for the campaign to succeed. Otherwise, you may hurt your company’s reputation.

Once we have found the best influencer for your campaign, use our social media marketing tools to take your efforts for increased brand awareness to the next level. We will plan posts ahead of time with our organic social posting platform or run ads on Facebook and Instagram to maximize your reach. We can help you connect with your target audience, no matter your industry.

Allow us to take care of any of your digital needs. Alpha Key Digital specializes in advanced digital marketing techniques. From design to execution, to measurable branding, we can provide the clarity and confidence for the brand awareness campaign specific to your business needs.

TikTok: An essential part of social media

alphakey23 on December 30, 2022

TikTok has overtaken Facebook and Instagram as the number one social app for younger users.

Surpassing 1.5 billion downloads last year alone, even during the pandemic (2020) and enforced lockdowns, we saw a surge of 315 million downloads.

This meteoric user rise is primarily in the age group of 16 to 24. The brands recognizing this platform as a powerful sales tool by this age group are eBay, Zalora, Maybelline, Puma, and Kia. Reaching this valuable young audience on the TikTok platform has been beneficial.

TikTok concerns have come up because, by law, the Chinese government requires technology companies to provide information obtained on their networks.

By distancing itself from ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, the ties to the government of China have been severed. TikTok has addressed the security and privacy loopholes that remain a significant concern.

TikTok appointed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as the new CEO, replacing China’s Alex Zhu. By the end of the year, TikTok will offer transparency centers so that anyone concerned about privacy or security can access this information.

TikTok boasts over one billion active users and has snowballed to rank among the world’s largest social media platforms.

TikTok began as a video streaming app for generation Z. Today, TikTok has taken the advertising and marketing world by storm. This has changed how brands share and create content.

This article will show why TikTok social network should be essential to your social media marketing strategy. And we’ll outline how to promote your products best, connect with customers, and grow your business on TikTok.

Why should businesses consider using TikTok?

The statistics show that 47.4 percent of US TikTok users are under thirty years and more than fifty percent are teens. Any brand that targets a younger audience can find a gold mine with TikTok.

But even if your business targets something other than generation Z clients, you can still reap the benefits of establishing your brand on TikTok.

Remember that over fifty percent of TikTok users are thirty or older, which means that a potential audience for your business has yet to be tapped on TikTok.

The Benefits of TikTok for your Business

Brand awareness is increased. There are numerous ways that your brand is spread through TikTok. Alpha Key Digital can run various ads while implementing branded stickers and hashtags, placing your business and brand in the spotlight.
Promotes products. Your brand and products are promoted in a way that does not seem like marketing. Never pushy, Alpha Key can create videos that feel genuine and helpful.
Audience enlarged and engaged. TikTok has millions of users in over one hundred and forty countries. If you wish to reach an international audience and grow your customer base, TikTok is one of the best platforms.
New customers. Using TikTok, Alpha Key can create engaging content that feels personal and human. This authenticity will build strong relationships with your customers.

Three ways Alpha Key Digital will implement TikTok for your Business

Maintaining a presence on TikTok or any other social media app is not enough. The difference is that the experts at Alpha Key Digital will help to take advantage of the features and creative tools available on the app and get your business noticed. There are millions of users worldwide.

How to use TikTok as part of your Marketing Strategy

Alpha Key will Create relevant and unique videos

Your business and brand need to stand out in a sea of video content. Videos need to be relevant and attention-grabbing.

Alpha Key considers your brand values and voice. With the nature of the platform and the audience. Adapting to the current culture on TikTok assures you will not compromise your brand.
Alpha Key can quickly shoot videos. Shooting remote videos with ideas that are not only appropriate but good, as well as good lighting, is guaranteed.
Show the human side of your business. Take your audience behind the scenes at your place of business. Remote videos can highlight your employees or even the company pet.
Hop on trends and challenges. The beauty of TikTok is that you never run out of ideas for new videos. Alpha Key will access and research trending hashtags, music, and videos and join in. Remember, we will add a personal touch to make your brand stand out with TikTok hashtags.

Alpha Key can enhance your TikTok videos with the addition of music

Alpha Key can add a sound before or after recording your video and to previously recorded videos. Along with adding sounds to your videos, we can also access a bunch of video editing features from the recording screen.

Here’s a quick rundown of the features Alpha Key can add:

Video length: Choose the video length that bests suits your content–up to 10 minutes long.
Flip: Switch between your phone’s front and back cameras.
Speed: Adjust the frame speed of your videos to slow them down or speed them up.
Filters: Apply color or contrast filters to make your videos look more attractive.
Beautify: Access an array of beauty filters to modify facial features.
Timer: Stop recording automatically after a set time.
Effects: Add overlays, face transformation effects, background changers, voice changers, interactive effects, and more.
Templates: Drag and drop your photos and videos into these pre-made templates to quickly create eye-catching content.

Other video editing features include trimming your videos, joining several videos, applying effects and filters, and more.

Leverage TikTok’s content publishing features

Alpha Key can leverage the platform’s content publishing tools to ensure your videos get the attention they deserve.

Wrap Up

TikTok can be a goldmine for small businesses. Even the possible disadvantages can be turned around in your favor if you have the right strategy and know-how.

Pro tip: If you want to save yourself time and money, partner with Alpha Key Digital, we are upfront with our fees and discuss strategy products or services with you before tailoring your campaign.

Small companies have become very popular on TikTok, but they have much hard work behind them. You need the digital marketing experts at Alpha Key Digital to tailor the right TikTok campaign.

After that, the sky’s the limit.

The Importance of Instagram Marketing for Business

alphakey23 on November 25, 2022

Did you know there are over one billion active users each month on Instagram? These active users make Instagram the perfect channel for businesses to reach a massive audience. Studies show that users spend an average of 53 minutes per day on Instagram. Instagram is now the second most visited social network, only second to Facebook.

Ninety percent of Instagram users follow one or more favorite companies. Mostly because people enjoy being connected to their favorite brands through this network. This way, Instagram maintains your relationships with prospects, current customers, and a target audience.

Forty-six percent of Instagram users purchased from a brand either offline or online. Instagram’s opportunity for speeding up selling is a crucial point to consider.

So, a considerable advantage of Instagram marketing is that a company gains access to a vast audience. Users’ active interaction with brands they want to buy is a distinct advantage of marketing on Instagram. There are other benefits as well.

What is Instagram marketing for business?

Instagram marketing involves the promotion of a brand and is a type of social media marketing. This social media platform allows your brand to connect with a vast audience to increase brand awareness and boost sales.

Instagram marketing grows your brand’s awareness by increasing your audience, new leads, and sales. Instagram is the favorite social media channel among users between 16 to 34 years of age. Instagram has proven to be a highly effective marketing platform for entrepreneurs, creators, and brands.

Marketing strategies and types of content on Instagram include:

Organic content: Photos, Images and Videos, Instagram Reels, Stories, or Carousel Posts
Paid content: Instagram ads, including Stories ads, Shopping ads, and more
Influencer Marketing
Shopping Tools: Shop tab, Product tags and catalog, Live shopping, Instagram Checkout, Shopping ads

There are four ways Instagram can positively affect your business.

4 Benefits of Instagram for Business

Brand strengthening
Improved engagement rates
Increased sales
Audience growth opportunities

1. Brand strengthening

Brand awareness is greater because eighty-three percent of Instagram users discover new products or services due to Instagram marketing. Instagram also generates more trust when users see your brand on Instagram. The brands and businesses users do not see on the Instagram app are likely to be avoided by potential users.

2. Improved engagement

Maintaining customer relationships through social networks is one of the best ways to achieve this. Your brand gets direct feedback from your audience regarding your ads, photos, and videos through their comments and likes. User generated content through comments and likes also improves engagement.

You are able to notify customers of special offers, and garner interest with engaging content.

3. Increased sales

Instagram users are known to willingly make purchases. An enormous buying audience, estimated at eleven percent of social media users in the USA who shop and buy on Instagram.

With this information, Instagram offers a substantial collection of tools allowing users to easily shop on Instagram without leaving the site. Some of these tools are Instagram Story links, ads, and shopping tags, among others. The Instagram website has a complete list of these tools.

4. Audience growth opportunities

Precise targeting by Instagram boosts the overall reach of your business. Ads Manager can target your most suitable audience through demographic data, user behavior and interests, and more.

There are also retargeting options that can be gained through Instagram Ads Manager. Leads from other channels are funneled effectively, driving more qualified Instagram leads to your brand.

The Instagram analytics tool allows you to measure your performance.

Measurements and Tracking include the following:

Overall number of purchases
Ad performance
Cost of each purchase
Number of conversions
Total campaign spending, and more

In summary, Instagram marketing brings you a willing-to-buy audience while making your brand stronger, engaging users with your business.

Instagram marketing can provide outstanding outcomes for:

Awareness of your brand
Loyalty of customers
Lead acquisition and increased sales

A solid social media presence is key to building a reliable brand, standing out, and gaining traction with potential customers. Still, most consumers search for a brick-and-mortar business online before visiting for the first time.

A solid social media presence, though, requires consistent content creation and times to post, which can take much time. An Instagram presence is essential for small businesses.

An Alpha Key Digital marketing expert will provide an Instagram profile. Including branded hashtags, and social media marketing strategies to enhance your social media in real time. Social media aims to build engagement, create awareness of your brand, and tell memorable stories that genuinely help sell products.

Alpha Key Digital Provides Profile Optimization

A complete profile helps you to earn the trust of your Instagram followers. That includes a branded profile image, a descriptive bio, engaging Instagram story highlights, and a link to your website.

Alpha Key Digital Optimizes Keyword Research

Using the right keywords and phrases is essential to optimizing your Instagram presence. This is another place where professional help from Alpha Key Digital comes in handy. Our team knows the right Instagram hashtags to attract new followers and potential customers to your account. We provide highly specialized Instagram advertising as well.

Social media marketing is complicated and very competitive. Alpha Key Digital will create an Instagram business profile and add other channels to your marketing strategy.

Alpha Key Digital will get more qualified traffic on an Instagram feed that matter most to your business. Trust our proven track record to maximize your visibility online. Set your business up for long-term success.

An expert in digital marketing professional, we will get your company noticed. By implementing new strategies, the investment will pay off in the long run. Contact us for a consultation. Or call: (440) 796-9152; Email alex@alphakeydigital.com

Don’t Go It Alone: Hiring a Digital Marketing Expert

alphakey23 on October 24, 2022

Digital marketing is one area where your Return on Investment (ROI) will be better if you don’t do-it-yourself.

Marketing by small business owners usually has a hands-on approach, especially if the business is a new one. When a business owner relies on a marketing expert, their marketing ROI is improved. Along with saving time and energy, they can focus more on running their business.

Creating brand awareness for your target market through marketing is the lifeblood of your business. Marketing communicates your value proposition and generates sales leads. Hiring a marketing expert experienced in traditional and digital marketing can improve your bottom line.

Advantages of Hiring a Marketing Professional

Of course, as a business owner, you will always have the final say on marketing expenditures and campaigns. Leaving most of the work in the hands of your marketing professional is best.

Advantages Include:

Marketing can be very time-consuming.

You could learn all there is to know about creating a marketing plan and preparing effective marketing campaigns.

However, modern marketing is complex with a wide variety of skills and knowledge needed on many topics. Such as digital marketing and traditional marketing, affiliate marketing, email marketing campaigns, marketing and social media, and more, knowledge needed that can take years to learn. Taking the time to do your own marketing while your business is on the back burner is not ideal.

Expert marketing and an online marketing presence is crucial to your business’s long-term success.

Hiring a marketing expert saves money and time

Cost is the number one reason business owners do not hire a marketing expert thinking they can use social media and write posts themselves. Spending time on content, spending money on ads, and getting little to no return on investment has been the experience of many.

Hiring independent contractors rather than full-time employees is an excellent option if money is tight. This is a great idea for website production, a content marketer, or the consistent posting of blogs.

Hiring a marketing expert is a great learning opportunity.

A marketing expert will show you how to:

Acquire new customers
Use new marketing channels such as a mobile app
Expand social media relationships
Use your customer base for referrals

Tip: Hire an experienced marketing professional. They can track industry trends and offer insights into competitors.

Hiring an expert for social media marketing.

Social media presence is essential for small businesses. Your marketing expert will provide social media marketing strategies to enhance your social media. Social media aims to build engagement, create word-of-mouth awareness of your brand, and tell memorable stories that genuinely help sell products. Be aware that social media marketing is complicated and very competitive.

Creating and promoting excellent social platform through social media content is essential so potential customers can cut through the noise of daily ads and marketing messages. Getting your product or service ads noticed requires a dedicated and innovative expert digital marketer to get your brand noticed.

A digital marketing professional has the social and analytical skills to expertly identify your target customers and understanding your specific customer needs. A marketing professional will know ways to effectively use social media to attain customer attention and prompt them to act, and search engine optimization (SEO) to enhance your online presence.

Did you know? A digital marketing expert will help you understand your company’s voice, know your audience/customers, and create consistent messages.

Disdavantages of not hiring a digital marketing expert

If you decide not to hire a digital marketing professional, it can hurt your business in the following ways:

You may not be doing enough marketing. All companies have to market themselves to grow and survive. Businesses have to reach new propspects on a consistent basis.

If you do not hire a marketing expert you will be without the expertise necessary for essential elements. Like dedicated marketing, planning, implementation and analysis necessary to retain old customers and attract new ones.

You will waste money on ineffective marketing efforts. Wasting money on inefficient marketing is common. Marketing has become as much science as art, and experienced marketing professionals understand what is necessary to achieve a high ROI.

Marketing professionals are focused on marketing KPIs and are experts at analyzing data to determine what works and what does not work and then make adjustments. An expert marketing professional can detect problems and regroup quickly.

You may miss out on opportunities. New marketing methods and social media channels occur frequently, even if you have a marketing background. Suppose you aren’t dedicating a sizable chunk of your time to keeping up with trends and strategies.

In that case, you’re likely missing out on a platform or tactic that could bring you business. Marketing professionals stay on top of all the emerging marketing trends to make sure your company has the advantage of these changes.

If you are spending a great amount of time on marketing you are probably neglecting other aspects of your business. Like overseeing finances, managing employees, or forming strategic alliances and partnerships.

Improve your company’s bottom line with a marketing expert.

Drive more organic traffic to your website.

Results-Driven Website Design

Alpha Key Digital Marketing experts will deliver a beautiful website that wins customers every time.

Your customers will recognize your brand and love your eye-pleasing website that delivers. Alpha Key Digital professional website designs will optimize your brand in the best possible way. Your website will look great on all devices, and load extemely fast.

Alpha Key Digital will get more qualified traffic on the search terms that matter most to your business. We achieve measurable results by working on every variable that impacts SERPs. Trust our proven track record to maximize your visibility online. Set your business up for long-term success.

An expert in digital marketing professional, we will get your company noticed. By implementing new strategies, the investment will pay off in the long run. Contact us for a consultation to improve your ROI. Or call (440) 796-9152; Email alex@alphakeydigital.com

7 Reasons to use Video in your Social Media

alphakey23 on September 19, 2022

The ways we receive information and communication are constantly changing, especially on social media. By using multiple social media channels, content marketers are most successful. Any content posted across multiple channels is forty times more likely to get shared than any all-text content posting.

Video is increasingly becoming an essential portion of promotional programs. Approximately 65 percent of the time SMEs use videos. Large corporations consider them to be the most engaging method of communication for audiences.

Online videos will account for more than 82 percent of all consumer internet traffic in 2022. Here are seven reasons you should use them in your social media site.

1. Capture Interest

Hooking an audience by using videos on social media is a tool that works. They allow you to be brief and catch viewers’ Interest within seconds. These visual depictions are made by condensing the information into smaller snippets that are easy for the consumer to grasp.

Videos should provide long enough content to maintain Interest but short enough to leave users wanting more. Providing the video’s clear intention at the beginning keeps scrollers from moving on.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO Strategy)

Optimizing content for search engines is no different for videos and we know that SEOs work. Social media platforms and channels have become like search engines, so your content must be relevant. This SEO strategy will place you at the top of the “trending” and “popular” and trending hashtags lists. Organic search results are the unpaid results that appear on a search engine results page after search queries and aids in SEO.

This can be done by creating compelling headlines with descriptions of your video to ensure it will register in searches. Creating relevant hashtags on Twitter enhances searches too. For every hashtag, Twitter offers in-depth analytics and details key demographics, which helps you with search optimization. Complementary hashtags boost search results across YouTube, Facebook, and Facebook Instagram.

3. Tactical Marketing

You should have a goal for your video. Such as driving traffic to your site, sharing information, purchase of a product, or having users share your video.

Directing users to take the desired action can be accomplished by using internal links such as clicking “find out more here.” Videos on social media help to drive conversions. This is a viable social media strategy for your brand.

4. Use of Trending Topics

Giving your brand a voice by using videos allows them to move quickly. This allows your brand to take advantage of breaking news, consumer tips, or any other type of content that goes viral. The video content you deliver must be relevant to the audience.

Take advantage of your consumer demographics by utilizing popular hashtags that occur weekly. As a brand, you want to create conversations, and by linking your video to these trending topics is vital.

5. Share Breaking News

A study by Hootsuite found that nearly half of American adults interact with companies on at least one social media channel.

More than four out of every five Americans (83 percent) have a social media account
Nearly half of Americans (48 percent) have interacted with companies or institutions on at least one social media network
41 percent of Americans say it’s essential that the institutions they engage with have a solid social media presence

Americans who have a social media account:

28 percent would instead engage with a brand/organization on social media than visit a physical location
59 percent agree that customer service via social media has made it easier to resolve questions and concerns

Using videos on social media is an excellent way to share major breaking news stories. You can also provide insights into your brand that may be difficult to convey otherwise.

6. Increasing Exposure of your Logo and Brand

Your brand logo plays a prominent role in connecting the consumer with your company. Using your logo in videos gives you optimal exposure for your brand. The quality of your video is relevant as poor acoustics and visuals impact your credibility.

Poor video quality can leave users with a negative brand association. You can watermark your video with your logo and allow instant recognition of your brand.

7. Monitor Engagement

Track your videos to discern what works and what does not work. Tracking the progress of your videos will help in successful future video marketing. Social media channels give you analytic features so you can easily see views and shares. You should also pay attention to click thoughts to indicate how well your message is delivering.

Marketing

Marketers have plenty of options regarding how they use video content. YouTube is a great place to create videos. These are other options you can use:

Posting a story on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat is advantageous. This story disappears after a time. The advantage here is that they can be inexpensive to create and do not take a long time to make and you communicate directly to your audience.
Live video is compelling and has grown in recent years.
Another excellent way to directly interact with your customers is through the use of Webinars. You can answer questions and interact directly or even teach prominent aspects of your business.

About AlphaKey Digital

Allow AlphaKey Digital to take care of any of your digital needs. Alpha Key Digital specializes in advanced digital marketing techniques. From design to execution, we can provide the clarity and confidence your business needs.

Organic Search Vs. Paid Search

alphakey23 on April 26, 2022

If you have a question that needs to be answered or are looking for a product, then odds are you are going to Google it. Google has long stood as the most powerful search engine and continues to advance its technology. Millions of search results populate Google’s search results page, so how does it determine what to show first?

Within these results, you will see a mix of both organic search and paid search results. The difference between the two comes down to how they got there. Understanding the difference between organic and paid search results can help your website rank higher.

Organic search

Organic search results are the “natural” results that come up when you type a question or phrase into Google. Typically Google will show you a couple of paid search results before the organic ones. Google’s algorithm determines what it believes are the best results for what you are looking for. These results are determined by looking at title tags, meta descriptions, keywords and so much more.

Not only should your website have a lot of high-quality, relevant content, but you should also be optimizing it. There are many SEO, search engine optimization, techniques you can use in order to help your ranking. Ranking with SEO can be a long process, but working with an experienced digital marketing agency will help ensure you climb the list.

Paid Search

Paid search results are ads that businesses pay for in order to show up the highest in google search results. Rather than waiting for SEO to boost your website in the search results, you can simply pay to rank higher. You can tell a search result is paid for because there will be an “ad” icon next to the result. Google typically shows a couple of paid search results before going into the organic ones.

Companies spend a lot of money to ensure they are being seen. Google Adwords allows businesses to bid on keywords that are relevant to them. However, you cannot simply pay the highest amount to ensure you are seen. Much like organic search, Google still has an algorithm in place to ensure all search results are relevant.

Working with a digital marketing company that understands Google Adwords will not only increase your results but saves you money in the long run. It is so important to be doing constant maintenance on your ads because Google’s technology adds keywords that it thinks are relevant to your business. Sometimes this is beneficial, but sometimes it will add words that are not applicable that you are going to have to pay for.

If you are interested in optimizing your website or implementing Google Adwords, then contact Alpha Key Digital. Our team of experienced digital marketers will help your website rank higher resulting in more leads and sales for your business. Get in touch with us today!

4 Social Media Trends for 2022

alphakey23 on February 16, 2022

Social media has evolved over the past few years. It is no longer just a place to share vacation photos with friends, but it is now a powerful tool in digital marketing. Effectively using these platforms is essential in building brand awareness and increasing your audience. More and more big companies are shifting their focus from traditional marketing to social media marketing. Here are some trends that are going to dominate in 2022.

Tik Tok

Since the start of the pandemic, Tik Tok has grown at an exponential rate and now sits on top as being one of the most popular social media platforms with over 1 billion monthly active users. Many people were skeptical about the platform and thought it was just a fad that would only be dominated by young teens. However, the platform has broken into a more mature audience and established itself as an effective marketing tool.

Tik Tok has allowed brands to get away from their more traditional social media marketing tactics and show a more raw and real side of their brand. Many businesses have gained a large audience by showing behind the scenes of their company for example.

Instagram Reels

Following the popularity of Tik Tok, Instagram came out with a feature that mimics the video-sharing platform. Instagram’s reels have the potential to be a key tool for marketing success. Videos on Instagram are receiving more engagement than pictures. They offer a unique way to showcase your business.

When creating video content it is important to note that many consumers have a shortened attention span, so it is best to keep your content under 30 seconds. Consumers are also more drawn to content that does not feel like a typical ad, they want to be entertained with less staged and more authentic content.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing will continue to grow in 2022. Utilizing influencers in your social media strategy will help expand your audience and generate growth. It is important to find an influencer that aligns with your brand and has an established audience of their own.

That’s not to say that effective influencers must have hundreds of thousands of followers. We have seen a big increase in “micro-influencers” that have less of a following but stand out in niche markets.

Social Commerce

Social media platforms are making it easy to shop for products without ever leaving their app. Many users were already using social media as their main source for product discovery, so it makes sense to leverage that by creating a native space on social platforms to complete a purchase. We’ve seen this with Instagram’s Shoppable Stories, where you can click on a product’s sticker to purchase it without leaving the app. Utilizing tools like this along with influencer marketing can generate more sales with a broader audience.

Alpha Key Digital Podcast

alphakey23 on September 14, 2021

The first episode of the Alpha Key Digital podcast is out now! In this podcast we will talk about what is going on in the world and how digital marketing ties into it. In this first episode we talk about the music industry – specifically The Grateful Dead – and how they use different type of marketing to reach their fans. We will also take a dive into the first week of the NFL Season and discuss how athletes use social media to enhance their brand.

New episodes drop every Tuesday morning, so make sure to follow us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5YvEvgUGC6Rq9F4x7wToBS?si=MGScGi4-TA6wggYCSywVIg&dl_branch=1

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alpha-key-digital/id1585385770?i=1000534935723

Why Email Marketing Is Important

alphakey23 on August 6, 2021

Every so often a new fad comes up in the digital marketing world. Trends come and go (RIP Vine), and some things just stick. One of those things that stuck was the usage of email. Email is the only way to have direct communication that does not involve another platform., therefore, you have the most control over this marketing tactic. Emails have outlasted other communication techniques, and have always played a vital role.

You may think to yourself “Yeah but who reads emails for pleasure?”, well you would be surprised. For every $1 spent on digital marketing $42 is the average return (DMA, 2019 https://dma.org.uk/uploads/misc/marketers-email-tracker-2019.pdf). That is an insanely high return on your investment, and something that can be done cost efficiently.

It is estimated that by 2023 there will be about 4.3 billion email accounts. That is an insanely high amount of emails you will never achieve sending to, however even if you tap into .1% of the total emails is still over 4 million emails!

So you may think to yourself “Sure, there are a lot of emails, but why would they read my message?” This is a very valid question, and there are multiple solutions to this potential issue. These could range from something like making sure your subject line is relevant, make sure the topic is relevant, and that you are not spamming up peoples inboxes.

Many marketing professionals are capable of putting together successful email campaigns to potential clients, but many do not have the time to do so or do not have all of the resources a digital marketing agency may have.

At Alpha Key Digital, we are your one stop source for all of your digital marketing needs. We have significant experience with email marketing that has lead to success for our clients. We take the time to get to know your needs, know the proper messaging, and find the right clients for your business!

A discovery meeting is vital to the success of the email campaign, as this allows us to get to know you best. By getting to know you we are able to know the proper way to communicate with your clients.

If you are interested in learning more about email campaigns and would like to see some of the work we have done with our clients, please contact us today. We would be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss your email marketing needs!

10 Marketing Trends for 2021

alphakey23 on December 3, 2020

2020 has brought about a great deal of change for the world of marketing. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have become even more digital; services are going virtual and many employees are working remotely more than ever. These trends aren’t going anywhere, and the last several months have shaped what clients and consumers are looking for in this new normal. Read on to learn about the marketing trends you can expect to see in 2021.

1. Changes in social media use – Not surprisingly, social media use keeps growing, and it will become an even more integral part of a successful digital marketing strategy in the coming year. Specifically, using social media to engage with and retain clients will be crucial during the first few months of 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Because people are spending exponentially more time online, brands should increase their social media budgets to focus on reaching new audiences and interact with past customers.

2. New platforms for engagement – In addition to spending more time scrolling on their phones, people have begun using new and different social media platforms in 2020. Tik Tok has become one of the most popular apps over the last several months. The social video app has expanded its opportunities for brands to advertise. This gives advertisers the opportunity to increase brand awareness to a new group of potential customers.

3. Use of voice search – Although voice search is not part of Google’s algorithm for now, it often yields different results than a traditional Google search. 2021 will be key for coordinating SEO and voice search.

4. New and different visuals – It’s easy to tell when a website is outdated, so keeping up with visual trends remains important in 2021. Muted color palettes, minimalist-style pages, simple fonts and eye-catching illustrations are forecasted to be popular in the next year.

5. SEO remains crucial – Making sure that important data is kept current on the web is one of the most important things brands can do in the coming year – especially small businesses. Google can provide helpful information about the services you offer, business hours, and location. Keeping your listings updated allows potential customers to find you based on your address and lets them know changes in your promotions, blogs, or any other news you want to share at a glance.

6. Easy accessibility – The biggest reason customers are switching brand allegiance today is due to the availability of the goods or services they are shopping for. Keeping a large inventory and increasing the number of time-slots you can offer a service can help meet the demands of customers.

7. Quick communication – If, for whatever reason, you cannot keep up with consumer demand, it’s important to communicate that clearly to your audience. Set reasonable expectations to prevent angry customers and bad reviews. Increased communication also looks to be crucial during the first few months of 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and resources are limited for many businesses.

8. Increased interactive content – The use of interactive content has exploded in 2020, and trend forecasting shows that people will continue to heavily engage with it in 2021. Incorporating interactive aspects into your social media channels or website is a great way to grab your customers’ attention. Something as simple as a social media poll or as complicated can make a difference in audience engagement rates.

9. Customer retention is key – You may already know that retaining an existing customer costs a fraction of finding new ones. Focusing on retention will be more important than ever in 2021. Satisfied customers come back and spread the word about your business through recommendations and referrals.

10. Keeping employees motivated – With more employees working remotely, many are facing burnout. Keeping your associates energized, especially during the first half of 2021, is key in maintaining your brand’s success. Connected employees are more productive, work better with others, and provide customer satisfaction. Prioritizing the needs of your employees directly impacts the success of your business as a whole.

As strange and unpredictable 2020 has been, it gave us many insights into the marketing trends that are sure to be apparent in the new year. Incorporating these into your 2021 marketing plan is a great way to ensure success in the next several months. Contact us today so we can up your digital game!