Signals from the Field

We regularly update the following post with the latest information pertaining to Digital Marketing Budgets.

Last update: November 2022 

A report came out recently about how small & medium-sized businesses (SMBs) intended to invest their digital marketing dollars in the coming year. When asked which marketing channel they intend to increase investments, 49% said their websites.

When QR codes started popping up everywhere, they seemed like a great idea. After all, smartphones were becoming more pervasive by the second, and the little scannable black and white boxes in the windows of small businesses seemed logical, useful, and even a little exciting. They were meant to be the bridge between offline and online marketing. But a bridge is only worth having if people use it to cross over.

Earlier this year WebStrategies conducted proprietary research focused around how consumers living in the Richmond, VA area interact with the internet and how they shop for products and services. The purpose of the survey was to gain a deeper understanding of how consumers use various media resources when they are shopping for products and services, and share this information with the local business community so they can better serve their customers.

Over the last 11 years in the marketing space, we've identified two over-arching reasons why some marketing plans don't work. The first is a failure to adequately measure the lead and lag metrics of a campaign. The lead metrics are those actions that might ultimately lead to a qualified prospect or a sale. The lag metrics are the bottom line - leads generated, sales made, email signups, etc. You get the idea. The second reason is a failure to understand what is important to the customer. Think about it - how can you effectively communicate and motivate a buyer to consider you if you don't know what's important to him/her.

Hey Central VA - we love our city and we're a creative, talented and unique group of people - don't you think? And, we're into technology - we embrace the internet and the digital world. Now, you can be part of a study that will help us all get more from the internet.

How to win the hide & seek game with your buyers

A report came out recently about how small & medium sized business (SMBs) owners intend to invest their digital marketing dollars in 2015. When asked which marketing channel they intend to increase investments, 49% said their websites, 6 percentage points ahead of any other digital marketing channel.