Online Marketing Solutions | Ashford Davis - San Antonio, TX » Online Marketing

A Long Overdue Update

Ashleigh — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:32:32 +0000

It goes without saying that this update is long overdue. It always seems when my plate gets full, my social ramblings completely drop off the map. And, sadly, I should be better than that.

So where have I been, and what have I been doing?

Almost a year ago I began contract work with the online marketing team at Rackspace Hosting. Shortly after that (February 2011), I was officially brought onto the team – an opportunity that was both unexpected and a blessing.

To say that I have learned a lot would not give justice to the tremendous team I joined. In a year, I have grown leaps and bounds as a marketer, strategizer (clearly I am not above making up words, though), and team member. Most importantly, it’s been wonderful to receive affirmation for my ideas and instincts as a marketer.

I have continued to run Ashford Davis – scaling back my client roster to a select few, and taking on occasional consulting and web design/development projects. I think the main reason my blogging activity dropped off was because I still am not sure how to transition my company…and more importantly, my company’s website.

Moving toward a new year, it’s time to begin sharing and collaborating more with the online community. I anticipate rolling back the website to a blog-focused format, with portfolio work as a sub-item. I’m exciting about the opportunity to flex my writing muscles again, and to more aggressively put my thoughts onto paper – an exercise that can be extremely rewarding (albeit challenging).

So to anyone out there, feel free to put my feet to the fire. Breaking bad habits can be tough.

UTSA Lecture – Fall 2010

Ashleigh — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:00:06 +0000

The pace at which technology continues to emerge is astounding. That being said, it has become all the more important for businesses to have an Internet (and mobile) presence to reach and interact with current and prospective customers.

I am speaking again this morning to Dr. Utecht’s Advertising students at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The lecture will be a 30,000 foot view of online marketing. While I won’t have the time to get into the nitty-gritty and specific technological apps, I will provide a lot of information that is unfamiliar territory for most students. With the rate at which online marketing opportunities evolve, it’s nearly impossible for academia to stay up to date with the latest tools and technologies, so I’m always happy to share my real-world experiences.

The online environment is exciting and cutting-edge, but marketing does still have important fundamentals. Advertisers should by no means drop everything they are doing in favor of the “next big online trend.” Different mediums work for different clients, and your budget will dictate what you can and cannot do.

There are numerous online resources that provide much more detail than time will afford me today. I’ve included various online marketing resources as well as my lecture slides.

Online Sales Promotion Lecture Slides (PDF)

Snapshot of my RSS Reader
Search Engine Land
Search Engine Watch
Social Media Today
PR Squared
Web Marketing Today
HubSpot’s Inbound Internet Marketing Blog
Understanding Google Maps & Local Search

Local Resources/Groups to learn more:
Social Media Club, San Antonio
BMPR

Students: Additional questions or comments about today’s lecture are more than welcome. I anticipate time to run short, so if I was unable to get to you, don’t hesitate to post a comment. Your feedback helps me to tailor my future lectures.

Marketing Excellence Award Winner

Ashleigh — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:37:42 +0000

This year just continues to get even better with recognition for my first year of work. I must admit, the first 18 months of Ashford Davis have been nothing short of stressful and exciting at the same time. When I first launched my company I was convinced I’d lost my mind – an upstart in the middle of a recession? To add to that, my sister came to me to help her launch Maihar Design – two upstarts in the middle of a recession.

Last night I was announced the winner of the San Antonio chapter of the American Marketing Association’s Marketing Excellence Award for the ‘Under $25,000′ category. My entry was the work I’ve completed for Maihar Design during the course of the first year of operations.

Having been selected a finalist was really all the honor I expected – and I was thrilled with that recognition. To have my name called, though, in a room full of incredible marketing professionals was out-of-this-world exciting.

Thanks so much to the judges who encourage me with the honor, and for all the professionals from whom I continue to learn. The local community and online community is gracious and always willing to share ideas and experiences. It’s from these groups that I continue to educate myself and push forward with achievements.

Here’s to many more years!

Redbox Email Marketing Done Right

Ashleigh — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:00:57 +0000

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m sort of a sucker for email marketing. Let me rephrase – I’m a sucker for email marketing that’s done right. Perhaps it’s the marketer in me, but I really love an email marketing program that effectively mines the data in the company’s system to speak effectively to current customers.

Gaining a customer takes time and energy. However, once you have that customer, speaking to them effectively with valuable messages can mean a phenomenal return on your investment. The hard part is over – you won them! So why not keep those customers by offering them incentives and value that appeals to their personal interests?

Case in point: I am a new convert to RedBox. For one reason or another, my husband and I rarely make it to the movies. Personally, I prefer watching at home with a bottle of wine, the absence of a backseat neighbor kicking my chair and the ability to pause the movie on my way to the restroom. Consequently, we have missed quite a few movies as they’ve headed from the theatre to DVD.

For the past few weekends, we have now been making our Friday night a “RedBox” night with a two-movie marathon. Quick reservation on the computer, followed by a short 2-minute drive to the RedBox and our movie date night is set.

After registering my RedBox account and agreeing to receive promotional offers, I received my first email from RedBox and was overjoyed at their datamining ability; this email came a few days after I’d rented Sherlock Holmes:

Clearly RedBox has partnered with Warner Brothers to offer discounts to valued customers – genius! This is not only an example of phenomenal email marketing, but a prime example of synergy that can be created through strategic partnerships.

Of course, this partnership did come after a heated lawsuit in which Warner Brothers successfully passed restrictions prohibiting RedBox from releasing movies in their kiosks the same day the DVDs became available for purchase. While RedBox dropped the lawsuit, I believe they have won with the partnership for discounted DVD purchases.

At the end of the day, customers want value. RedBox continues to offer conveniently located kiosks and valuable discounts on the movies customers love.

PetSMART Email Marketing

Ashleigh — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:00:27 +0000

Pet owners are notorious for spoiling their four-legged children. I am no exception to that rule – my little kitties follow me everywhere and keep me company in the office all day. PetSmart understands the owner-pet bond, and capitalizes on this relationship with seasonal events such as Halloween costume contests and photos with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.

The seasonal timeliness even extends to birthdays….yes, pets have birthdays, too! Imagine my excitement when I opened an email today with the following:

Now, little Elena has no clue it’s her birthday and she surely wouldn’t be upset if she didn’t get a gift this year. However, PetSmart knows I am a responsible pet owner, and surely I need more cat food, litter, litter deodorizer or hairball paste. Ellie’s birthday is simply one more opportunity for PetSmart to reach out to me and to get me in the store.

PetSmart understands the power of communication and the power of customer databases. They regularly distribute promotional coupons and incentives to encourage repeat customer purchases. It’s these databases that allow them to target customers based on historical purchase patterns.

How are you talking to your customers? How could you be using your database more effectively? Are you capturing data via your website, or only relying on traditional forms of communication? It might be a good opportunity to re-evaluate your current communication strategy in favor of a more efficient means of reaching out to your consumers.

Guest Lecture: UTSA Undergraduate Advertising

Ashleigh — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:05:34 +0000

I am always thrilled when I have the opportunity to speak to people about what I do, and how the Internet plays a critical role in the services I offer my clients.

Today I will be speaking to Dr. Utecht’s Advertising students at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The lecture will be a 30,000 foot view of online marketing and advertising. While I won’t be able to delve into the nitty-gritty, I will provide a lot of information that is unfamiliar territory for most students. With the rate at which online marketing opportunities evolve, it’s nearly impossible for academia to stay up to date with the latest tools and technologies.

While the online environment is exciting and cutting-edge, marketing does have important fundamentals and advertisers should by no means drop everything they are doing in favor of the “next big online trend.” Different mediums work for different clients, and your budget will dictate what you can and cannot do.

There are numerous online resources that provide much more detail than time will afford me today. I’ve included various online marketing resources as well as my lecture slides.

Online Sales Promotion Lecture Slides (PDF)

Snapshot of my RSS Reader
Search Engine Land
Search Engine Watch
Social Media Today
PR Squared
Web Marketing Today
HubSpot’s Inbound Internet Marketing Blog
Understanding Google Maps & Local Search

Google Introduces Real-Time Search

Ashleigh — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:30:47 +0000

The Internet seems to always be buzzing about something Google has launched or modified. This week, however, is a very interesting step for the way in which search engines index information. According to Google fellow Amit Singhal, updates every minute are not enough – Google must begin indexing every second to keep up with the pace at which new data is published on the Internet.

Over the course of this week, you will begin to slowly see new feeds – both news and Twitter results – filtering into your search results. The example given was a search for “Obama.” Within your typical static search results is a scrolling bar which features the latest, real time news about the subject of interest.

Google already has a partnership with Twitter to include indexed Tweets from users, and is expected to develop similar agreements for Facebook and MySpace.

So what does this mean for the savvy Internet user, or the occasional user? Ultimately, it means to most timely information at the tip of your fingertips. Google’s goal is to always offer the most comprehensive, relevant and timely data possible. This “latest results” section will include more than just microblogging and social media updates; it will also include new websites as they are created real time – offering an opportunity for broader exposure and rapid indexing for websites across the board.

Local Visibility is Key in the Online Market

Ashleigh — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:00:30 +0000

The days when a yellow pages listing was adequate to market your business are gone. Today, potential customers search for services via the Internet, allowing them to choose the best value among hundreds of similar business. In order to capture engaged audiences, local Internet marketing techniques are essential to the visibility of your company. Leading tactics such as directory listing maintenance, geo-local optimization and backlinks with keyword-rich anchored text all work to enhance your visibility and brand recognition.

So how does one start with establishing an online presence in an era when every competitor is fighting for top rankings?

Online directories set the standard
In the past, customers referenced yellow pages for local services. Today’s yellow pages are primarily online which enables businesses to advertise more efficiently while reaching a wide demographic of customers. The most visible companies maintain dozens of accurate directory listings, providing potential customers the ability to find information within seconds. Many of these directories also give customers the opportunity to submit testimonials, a very effective means of establishing a reputation for quality and value. Closely monitoring and managing these accounts is critical.

The power of keywords in a geographically-defined page
Google and other search engines pull pages that achieve the highest relevancy for keywords. Geo-local pages optimized for specific locations are critical to achieving a high rank on Google. Once these local pages are developed with specific keywords and services, you are on your way to driving more traffic to your site, and increasing the potential for customer conversions.

Maintaining visibility as competition grows
While local marketing may seem relatively straightforward, the complexity arises as competitors enter the marketplace and employ local Internet marketing tactics. A website with fresh content, keyword-rich backlinks, search popularity and social media interest all play a role in your page ranking. Managing and maintaining the campaign is vital to ensure your visibility does not decrease as the Internet evolves and search engines continue to adapt SEO best practices.