Customer reviews are one of the most important factors in a customer’s decision-making process. In fact, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. And when it comes to trusting a business, 72% of people say that positive reviews make them more likely to use a business (Source).
Given the impact that customer reviews have on businesses, it’s not surprising that businesses go to great lengths to increase the number of positive reviews they have. But what many businesses don’t realize is that Google is the most trusted source for customer reviews— even more so than review sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor.
In the past, businesses could get by with a traditional marketing strategy that consisted of print ads, television commercials, and radio spots. But in today’s digital world, that’s no longer the case. If you want your business to succeed, you need to have a comprehensive digital marketing strategy in place. Here’s a look at why that is and what components should be included in your digital marketing strategy.
This Thanksgiving, we at Core and More Technologies are grateful for all the wonderful people we work with. Every day, we get to work on projects that excite us while helping businesses achieve their goals. We are so lucky to be surrounded by talented and passionate individuals who make our team stronger every day. Thank you to each and every one of you for making Core and More Technologies an enjoyable place to work!
At Core and More Technologies, we utilize the powerful reporting platform that is Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) to analyze, interpret, and display all of our data. This allows us to gain a deep understanding of our marketing efforts and make informed decisions that help us grow our client’s businesses.
Connect to multiple data sources: With Looker Studio, you can connect to multiple data sources such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, and more. This allows you to see all of your data in one place so you can get a complete picture of your marketing efforts.
Create custom reports: Looker Studio allows you to create custom reports that are tailored to your specific needs. You can choose which data sources to include in your report, as well as which metrics and dimensions you want to be displayed. This makes it easy to get the information you need without being overwhelmed by data that isn’t relevant to your business.
Share reports with others: Once you’ve created a report in Looker Studio, you can easily share it with others in your organization. This makes it easy for everyone to stay on the same page and make sure that everyone has access to the most up-to-date information.
It’s no secret that consumers today have noticeably shorter attention spans. In fact, a study by Microsoft found that the average person’s attention span has decreased from 12 seconds in the year 2000 to 8 seconds in 2015. This isn’t surprising, really. With so much information available at our fingertips, it’s hard to focus on anything for very long, which is particularly relevant when it comes to consumer purchasing decisions. When it comes to making a purchase, consumers are looking for information that is quick and easy to digest. Written reviews just don’t fit that bill.
That’s not to say that written reviews are no longer useful. They can still be a valuable source of information for consumers. But it’s important to keep in mind that they aren’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to making a purchase decision. There are other sources of information out there that are just as useful – and maybe even more so.
Digital marketing is and has been an essential component for companies and businesses who are looking to take advantage of the growing population of online shoppers, researchers, and practitioners. There are plenty of routes you can take, from SEO and PPC to social media marketing! Regardless of what you choose, the Core and More Technologies team is here to help. Founded in 2010, we have achieved key industry distinctions including Google Partner status and Microsoft Advertising Partner status, while repeatedly being honored as one of the top U.S.-based digital marketing agencies in the market.
Andrew Young, CEO of Core and More Technologies and Matt Fraser, Chief Strategy Officer at Digital Web Solutions (DWS) sat down for an Ecoffee conversation about the awesome potential of Google Local Service Ads when it comes to creating powerful and cost-effective digital marketing strategies for local businesses. We at Core and More Technologies are grateful for the leading role that DWS has taken in bringing together top talent from around the industry to discuss key topics relating to the digital world as a whole.
As two experienced digital marketing executives, Andrew and Matt are well-positioned to discuss the merits of Google Local Service Ads. In their recent conversation, the two men detailed how these ads can provide an effective and cost-efficient way for local businesses to reach new customers and how this can be better accomplished in combination with other channels such as traditional cost per click (Google Ads aka SEM aka PPC) and organic optimizations (SEO).
Fraser and Young agreed that Local Service Ads are a powerful tool that every local business should be using to boost their digital marketing efforts. By taking advantage of this cost-effective and highly effective form of advertising, businesses can quickly expand their reach and bring in new leads and customers. For reference, Andrew had also written a very detailed blog post on the subject early in 2021 that remains highly relevant today:
ASBURY PARK, N.J. July 8, 2022 – Core and More Technologies (CMT) is a leading digital marketing company that is always looking for innovative ways to improve their services. The latest example of this is their new Employee Certification Program. This program is designed to give employees the skills they need to be successful in their roles and to provide them with an opportunity to advance their careers. The program will also help CMT maintain its position as a leading digital marketing company by ensuring that its employees are up-to-date on the latest industry trends. This is yet another example of CMT’s commitment to being an employee-centric company and investing in the development of its workforce.
“At Core and More Technologies, we believe that employee growth leads to corporate excellence. That’s why we offer all of our employees the opportunity to expand their knowledge and put the latest and greatest tools to work for our clients”, said Andrew Young, CEO of Core and More Technologies. “We meet on a weekly basis to establish goals, review progress, and discuss any challenges. Employees can choose their curriculums and certification goals themselves. Whether it is Google, Facebook, or any other certification program, the company covers all costs and the learning takes place during work hours. This commitment to employee education helps us maintain our place as an industry leader.”
As a part of the program, CMT has also established a ‘certification champion’ competition. The employee with the most new certifications will receive an award, a bonus, and a dedicated blog post in recognition of their achievement. The awards will occur on a annual basis.
As depicted below, a number of CMT employees already have their certifications – which is a big part of the reason why we are already a Google Partner in excellent standing.
As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve, it is essential that all marketing professionals stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices. The ongoing commitment to training and certification offered by CMT ensures that our employees are always at the forefront of the industry. In addition to employee growth, this commitment also helps to maintain corporate excellence and ensure that we remain an industry leader. Through continued education, we can provide our clients with the best possible service and help them stay ahead of the competition.
Before we dive into this article, it should be noted that it is part of an ongoing series of posts that we have been creating along the lines of SEO from both a technical and promotional standpoint ->
When choosing a digital strategy, companies often need to decide between investing in paid ads or building content and backlinks to naturally generate rankings via search engines (aka organic rankings through SEO (search engine optimization)).
There are pros and cons to each. Organic is a natural way to put content on the web and as we all know, content is king. Once organic rankings are achieved, great things happen as further defined within this article. Paid ads, on the other hand, can be more expensive at the outset, but you can position your ads almost instantly against highly competitive terms that it would take months to gain visibility on organically. So, while it will take much longer to gain visibility through SEO, you are at the same time building up the relevance of your site domain which means that you’ll be in a solid position to dominate for the long haul. It becomes a toss-up of: which is the best choice?
So, you’re ready to take it up a notch by investing more time, energy, or both in your social media efforts?
Good news: it’s never too late to start!
Many businesses tend to feel daunted by the prospect of social media, especially for older generations who haven’t grown up with social handles.
Whether you’re thinking of tackling this endeavor or looking to hire a social media manager, it’s crucial to know the basics about the primary social media channels and how they can best suit your industry.
We’ll explore the five primary social media channels you should know about and what they’re best used for when it comes to marketing campaigns.
Let’s run through the list!