Digital Age

You need to be doing digital marketing to support your business, and there is more to it than posting on Facebook. When hiring a professional, ask these questions to ensure you are getting someone who knows what they’re doing:

Perhaps nothing has made friends – potential customers, users and consumers – more accessible to small business owners and entrepreneurs than Facebook. In fact, more than six in 10 Arkansas small business owners described Facebook as “important” to running their businesses.

As we approach the heaviest shopping period of the year, retailers should be thinking about leveraging their in-store experiences to encourage shopper sharing on social media.

Influencers can increase purchase intent by 5.2x. A single positive recommendation from an influencer can trump your most engaging post.

Many businesses have come to rely on Facebook advertising to drive awareness and sales as almost everyone is on Facebook, the targeting is precise and the cost is affordable.

Have you recently received a lot of emails from companies notifying you of changes to their privacy policies? It’s because a European law — which includes the strictest data privacy rules ever written — the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect on May 25, 2018.

Universities around the world are offering their courses online for free or partially free. Over the past five years, almost 800 universities have created more than 8,000 of these massive open online courses (MOOCs). Universities with offerings include Stanford, Duke, Rice and Harvard, to name a few.

Social media “stories” are immersive mobile media experiences that are tappable, swipeable, rich content videos and images with text and graphic overlays delivered in quick bursts. Snapchat started it. Instagram copied it (and stole many of Snapchat’s users) and then Facebook implemented it.

We’ve had the honor to interview some of the greatest professionals from across the state for The Arkansas 100 Podcast, including some incredible women making a big difference in their communities.

There are many reasons to love podcasts. They’re portable, convenient and can be a great source of knowledge. Here are three great marketing podcasts to put on your list:

Fayetteville-based startup Engine has raised $1 million in venture capital to fund its innovative, cloud-based eCommerce software platform.

Increased cybersecurity attacks dominated headlines in 2017 and it’s a threat that will continue to loom over businesses across the globe and in Arkansas.

When most people think of video games, they think of millennials and younger people; they don’t think of people 50 and older. Yet one in three Americans age 50-plus plays video games regularly. Most of these gamers play for fun and the opportunity to stay connected with loved ones through online game communities.

In any job, it’s important to make sure you have the right tools on hand to effectively share your message with co-workers, clients or the public. Take your company communication to the next level (beyond the traditional PowerPoint presentation) with these innovative, user-friendly programs:

Noble Impact, a group dedicated to providing relevant, purpose-driven experiences to students, will be one of the first to occupy the newly opened Little Rock Tech Park.

2016 was a year for the books when it came to digital trends. We were introduced to the power of virtual reality, and Facebook Live launched not only for businesses but also for personal accounts.

What’s product adoption? It’s the successful retention of onboarded users, a framework even large enterprises can use.

Facebook has partnered with Arkansas to donate 500 virtual reality kits to 250 educational programs throughout the state. The Facebook TechStart Program aims to connect students in public high schools to technology through teaching tools.

Last year truly exhibited the power of video. Who hasn’t seen the viral success of videos like “Chewbacca Mask Mom” or Tasty videos? These are perfect examples of how good content gets watched and shared. It’s vital for businesses to incorporate video into their marketing strategies.

Bentonville-based company RevUnit has developed a unique approach when it comes to solving businesses’ problems. Their team takes concepts and turns them into tangible digital products.

It’s a fact: User-generated content and social media mentions make your company more visible on search engines like Google.

Influencer marketing is exploding, but many might wonder about its long-term value. Can that blog post, tweet or Instagram actually translate into sales? The answer is yes.

For marketers, the holiday season already is upon us as we prepare to launch campaigns for Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas. Influencer marketing is simpler than other marketing strategies, but there is some heavy lifting when it comes to creating, managing and analyzing the campaign. It’s important to have a plan before you launch your influencer campaign for the holidays. Follow this four-step plan to ensure a successful return from the busiest season of the year.

Consumer behavior is unpredictable in today’s day and age. SpotRight, the Little Rock-based data insight company, was created to make sense of that behavior. The company’s tech gurus developed software platforms that analyze social media trends to gain insights, develop personas and better understand people.

North Little Rock Police Department Officer Tommy Norman became a social media sensation from his community policing efforts, showcased through Instagram.

Facebook Live is taking the marketing world by storm. The relatively new platform is letting brands connect with their fans, friends and followers by sharing real-time video of what they’re seeing and doing.

Stephanie McCratic, CEO and founder of Acorn: An Influence Company, has built her business on knowing how to best curate content from influencers and how to pick the right influencers for your audience.

Snapchat is used eight billion times daily. The app allows users to send pictures, video or texts that are deleted after viewing. Users can add filters, text and graphics, then add photos and videos to “My Story” where “snaps” can be viewed for 24 hours. “Memories” have recently been introduced where users can post past pictures to their story at any time.

Most people research online during the purchasing life cycle. This means your website is often where consumers first learn about your business and decide whether they want to do business with you. Make a strong impression with a website that communicates your expertise, trustworthiness, reliability and transparency.

There is no industry standard for how long you should wait between website redesigns. However, there are key questions you should answer before considering an update. Here are a few:

• Does your site look bad and function poorly on mobile devices?
• Does your site lack professionally produced content and images?
• Does your site load slowly?
• Has your company, brand, service or product changed?
• Do your competitors’ sites meet users’ needs better than your site?