If you aren’t utilizing video in your content marketing strategy, you’re missing out in big ways.  

Facebook’s algorithm is heavily pushing video content. This means not only is it being viewed by the consumers you’re trying to reach, but it’s also being measured and recorded so you can see exactly how it’s performing.

Most business owners don’t know much about SEO, but they do know that it has something to do with being the top result when someone searches online for something related to your industry. For years business owners have been told that the only way to be successful is attaining that top ranking, and yet it’s always felt so out of reach.

The bottom line is that it’s felt out of reach because, in most situations, it is. For many small to medium-sized businesses, the budget necessary to compete with the big players in their industry means they aren’t going to be able to attain that ranking in a way that provides value.

One of the biggest obstacles to any company’s marketing efforts is often something as simple as knowing your target audience. As a business owner you may think you know exactly who your audience is, but when the numbers aren’t adding up it may be time to reassess.

There’s a reason Facebook ads have become one of the biggest ways for brands to advertise in today’s market. There has never before been an advertising medium that allows you to target ads towards such a specific audience. Facebook Pixel can be instrumental in helping you discover just who your audience is while helping you place your message before those people in your group who are most likely to convert from lead to sale.

At its most basic level, a Facebook pixel is a code you put on your website to help see how visitors interact with your page. You can then use that data to enhance your Facebook advertising. It also helps you optimize ads by collecting data and using this data to build custom audiences. This lets you market to qualified leads by reaching people who have already visited your website. The insights provided by the pixel data include things like:

In a world of constant communication via the internet, it’s not enough anymore to just have a website. Your website is a window into your practice that lets consumers see why they should pick you over everyone else. It’s a chance to connect and close the deal by bringing what you have to offer front and center on a potential client’s phone or computer screen. If you’ve been wondering how your website stacks up to the competition or if it’s time for an update, ask yourself these questions:

 Do you find yourself wondering if the time you’re spending on your practice’s social media presence is actually growing your business or translating to profits?

Many small business owners find navigating the waters of social media marketing to be confusing and figuring out if it all pays off can be a mystery for some. At Dog Star Media, we believe that if you’re only using social media to converse and not to convert, you’re wasting your time.

So, what’s the difference? To start with, let’s look at the conversion cycle and watch how conversation and conversion are used together to drive business and create meaningful connections.

If you aren’t utilizing video in your content marketing strategy, you’re missing out in big ways.  

Facebook’s algorithm is putting a lot of push on video content. This means that not only is it being viewed by the consumers you’re trying to reach, it’s also being measured and recorded so you can see exactly how it’s performing.

65% of Fortune 500 Companies report that phone calls are their highest quality source of leads. When a new customer calls your practice, do you know exactly where they got your number from and when?

Many business owners aren’t even aware that this kind of precise tracking is available and is actually one of the most affordable services we offer at Dog Star Media. As a business owner, you have one goal in mind for your marketing and advertising campaigns, and that’s to increase sales. So, how can you find out which of your campaigns and marketing tactics are resulting in these phone calls and new clients?

Phone call tracking is not only affordable, but it’s imperative for helping you see clear results connected to each of your marketing efforts. It may sound complicated, but it’s actually incredibly simple once you know the basics.

I recently took part in a customer focus testing of a web application. A group of people were brought in to a small room with a laptop and asked to go through a series of tasks related to the web application that was being developed. The test was being videotaped; based upon the results of the test the application was going to be either revised or released.

Are you spending thousands of dollars trying to rank at the top of high profile search pages, but finding that the traffic that does get driven to your site doesn’t stay there long?

The problem with paid search is that it’s incredibly expensive and the traffic that it brings in has low conversion rates. Most consumers are looking for information from respected and reliable sources. That’s why content, not keywords, is so important.

Reaching new prospective patients and connecting with them can be the biggest problems boutique dental and medical practices and fee-for-service practices face in marketing their practice.  This is why Dog Star Media focuses on content marketing.  Content marketing creates and shares relevant content out to a targeted, interested audience to build new relationships and keep existing relationships renewed and strong.

If you are used to spending large and uncertain amounts of marketing dollars each month on search engine ad words or social media ads, Dog Star Media recommends you consider a content-based strategy. In the hands of an expert, boosting, or content promotion, on Facebook delivers a remarkably high value with shockingly low costs. However, to make the most of content promotion, a business has to make the leap from the old way of marketing online to the new way of marketing online.

People are spending more and more time on mobile devices, about 3 hours per day. It’s important to know that search is NOT a natural point of entry on mobile devices. When people get to your site via their mobile device, it’s harder for them to fill out forms. It takes about 40% longer to complete a form via a mobile device than it does on a desktop. As you can see, there are many hurdles a customer must overcome to contact you through your website form.

Congratulations to Mayli Davis, MD on the launch of her new web site!   Dr. Davis’ new responsive, content managed web site is already generating an increase in traffic through organic searches and converting more visitors to phone calls in only a few weeks.  Why such a fast result?

So, Google’s updated algorithm is in place.You’ve been warned for the last two months that this was coming. The market has shifted so much in it use of mobile devices that the undisputed leader in search has begun to prioritize quality and accessibility on mobile devices.In other words, sites that do not pass a mobile quality check will be downgraded in mobile search.

It’s that time of year when most doctors and dentists initiate their marketing plans in earnest. Every year, I see trends in buying that are influenced by the same factors.

The fastest moving and most developing opportunities for marketing are occurring on social media.  And, if you don’t have a social media strategy that is positively affecting multiple marketing objectives, you are losing ground to those that do. The hub of the best marketing opportunities are on Facebook because of its extreme ability to target specific audiences and deliver interesting content. 

Design trends for 2015 center around organization, and improving user experience. Clear messages that cut to the point but are not pushy and in your face engage users and keep them on your website. Look for these trends as you browse the internet this year and see if they effect your experience on websites. You may not even notice. The best design is always something that is simple and just works, without having to think about it. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Steve Jobs

When someone sees a Parallax web site for the first time, the reaction is always the same: they want one for their business. In January, Charlie Patric, our Art Director wrote a blog about design trends for 2014. Parallax web sites topped the list and since then, all but a handful of designs selected by our clients have been parallax sites.