The Digital Marketing World

Social media marketing is one of the most intriguing and challenging subjects.  We see how businesses, big or small, all use a form of social media marketing, whether they have a Facebook page, an Instagram page, or a blog. All of these different methods play a role in social media marketing. The more you have out there, the more you remind your audience that you exist. There is a lot of competition and we need to keep finding various ways of meeting consumer needs. With evolving technology, we find that many people spend a big portion of their time on their smart devices. Though traditional media is not dead, the marketing sector must keep creating. It is easy to simply post a picture on a social media site for marketing purposes, but is that enough? The challenging portion to this is keeping your audience engaged and interested. The great part about this is that there are resources available to you at no cost to help maintain and attract. I found Google Analytics to be a helpful tool. Of course, if you want more fancy options, you opt to pay for those services, but you don't always have to. Google Analytics keeps track of your progress and provides you with data so that you can make improvements to your site. Consumers now days like to be involved and share their use of services or products. Creating communities and allowing your audience to participate in your business improvements and endeavors will result in greater success. This is a great way of engaging your audience and letting them know that you listened and you delivered.    

Another important factor is the developing and maintaining of an effective website. With any product or service, it is always important to identify who you are trying to serve, your target audience. Designing a website takes a lot of work, but it is important to keep your consumers in mind. You want to keep the site simple and easy to navigate. There is nothing worst than having an overwhelming site where you just don't know where to look or how to search for things with quick results, that easily turns people away. You want a site that is easily readable and can be operated on different platforms. Most importantly, the design should correspond with the site's objectives and target market (Roberts & Zahay, 2013). While digital marketing keeps evolving, we have to keep in mind that things may change in the next five to ten years. I don't think digital marketing will be leaving us any time soon. The collection of data and tracking behavior has served us well. It allows companies to analyze and deliver emotional content that will connect with their audience. The use of social media has allowed consumers to engage and provide feedback, which evolves into customer loyalty. You want to keep doing what works for your target audience and your business, it is a team effort.

References:
Roberts, M.L. & Zahay, D. (2013). Internet marketing: Integrating online and offline strategies. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

The Power of NYX Cosmetics' Website

The NYX Cosmetics website is one of those sites you just cannot get enough of. It is full of style, trends, and things that make me feel like, I need those products. I do not even contour, but I need that contour palette. Get me? The site definitely follows the AIDA hierarchy: 

Attention - Interest - Desire - Action. 

Their site is very easy to use, offers suggestions and allows you to interact. If I am looking for a specific beauty product, their drop-down menu and headings make it easier to find. Their category labels are to the point. Looking for products for your lips? Face? Eyes, or more? Just click on that button and it will provide you with all products related to that heading. Not too sure about the product and want to test it first? Click on their store locator button and it will give you the nearest stores to you or simply type in your zip code. The NYX Cosmetics website follows good website design principles. From the several search options to their use of color to their readable fonts. Are you mostly on the go and check sites from your smartphone? The NYX Cosmetics website is just as easy on your mobile device. You get the same mobility navigating through their site whether you are on a desktop or a smartphone. 

The NYX Cosmetics site has a section called "Looks," now this is the only portion, so far, that I have found difficulty loading. It is a section that shows their NYX community by sharing pictures and trending looks provided by people who voluntarily share their beauty look using NYX products on social media. It is a great way to allow their customers and fans to interact with their site and keep their momentum going. However, the looks are scattered. You go from simple, to extravagant, to colorful, back to simple, and it just keeps going around and around. I suggest placing these looks into categories. For example, simple look, evening look, beach look, and so forth. NYX Cosmetics, you will not go wrong with giving us your take on looks, using all of your beauty essentials and prompting us to "get the look."

Ad Formats: How Effective Are They?

Ever browse through different web pages and notice how different each site uses ads? Some sites have their pages full of various forms of ads, while others have very minimal. How effective are these ads in reaching consumers and why do some sites have more ads than others? There are many formats for online displays and ads, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) sets guidelines and standards that companies must follow when placing ads. It is as specific as setting dimensions for pop-ups, banners, skyscrapers, and much more. In order for ads to be successful, they must allow the consumer to interact. However, a very common theme before designing your ad is getting to know your audience. Understanding who your audience is and how they interact with your site is very important in delivering effective ads. Some of my favorite companies use what is called mobile rising stars. These are formats, introduced by IAB, that were developed by major advertising platform owners and advertising networks (Roberts & Zahay, 2013). These formats include: billboards; filmstrips; portraits; pushdowns; sidekicks; and sliders. These formats allow companies to be more creative and provide more interaction. The Disney website is a great example of how these ad formats are used. Their web page provides me with the same content whether I am looking at it through my laptop or my mobile device. They have incorporated filmstrips, which are scrollable horizontal ads, and their full page accommodates both landscape or portrait orientation. Disney has also made good use of incorporating short videos on their site and they all conform to IAB guidelines. Another great example is NYX Cosmetics. They also provide filmstrip ads and full page. The only thing they do not have are videos on their site, but their site is the same whether I am looking at it from my laptop or my mobile device. On the contrary, DSW can improve on their mobile site. Their online site gives me a wide banner and many rectangular ads; however, when I browse their site through my mobile device, all I get is a search and a drop down menu with categories. They do not have interactive or creative ads. Ads are very important because they draw us, the consumer, in. Whether it is something I was already searching for or something that simply drives my attention because it was placed in front of me, creative and interacting ads are necessary.

Roberts, M.L. & Zahay, D. (2013). Internet marketing: Integrating online and offline strategies. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Disney Is Bringing Back Tangled

Yes! Rapunzel and her long, golden hair are back in an all new Disney original series called Tangled: Before Ever After, set to come out in March. We have long waited for the comeback of Rapunzel and her squad, or at least I have. I am sure plenty of fans will be delighted that the story will continue in one way or another. I cannot wait for this series!! Can you read my excitement? Now, we all know at the end of the first movie, Eugene cut Rapunzel's long blond hair, in an effort to save her from Gothel. Remember? The vain woman who stole her as a baby so that she could remain young and beautiful? Alright, we are all caught up.  So, the big question is, how is her "magic hair that glows when she sings" back? See what I did there? We will have to stay tuned to have that mystery revealed. Great news is, we will have Mandy Moore as the voice of Rapunzel and Zachary Levi as the voice of Eugene aka Flynn Rider. Our magic duo will be back for the series. There is nothing I love more than to have an original cast back for a series or a sequel. I am positive the series will be full of adventure because if there is one thing Disney knows best is how to tell a story. The release date of Tangled: Before Ever After will be the Best Day Ever! Now, picture yourself running through a field of grass as you keep on yelling, "best day ever!"

NYX Cosmetics: E-mail Marketing Success

I sure am loving NYX Cosmetics, aren't you? Their e-mail marketing strategy has a way of keeping me engaged, aside from their rewards program. An e-mail from NYX Cosmetics is one I do not swipe left and delete. Once I see the sender is from NYX, I know they will not disappoint me. From their subject line to their email content, it is so catchy and sparkly. Not only do they show me what is on sale, but they also give me recommendations on other things I may like, based on this one email. I feel like they just get my style. Another thing I love from their email marketing is that I am not bombarded with two to three emails per day, every day of the week. That type of email marketing calls me to UNSUBSCRIBE, and believe me, I do! NYX Cosmetics complies with the CAN-SPAM act, you know, that law that requires them to meet a set of requirements to avoid phishing? Yes, that one! Their emails are entirely user friendly and give you all sorts of different methods to stay connected. Once you click on one of the photos, it directs you to their website and straight to the promo they had provided for you in their email. Pretty simple right? I think so. 

They recently sent me an email and the subject line read, "Everything you need for PERFECT brows!" From the moment you open the email, it provides you with their new brow pencils and to make it even better, they give you a "follow these simple steps to achieve full natural brows," with pictures and all. Once again, if you click on the picture, it directs you to the page featuring these brow pencils. NYX knows how to use the internet to their full advantage. Their email and website design correlates so nicely and they are easy on the eyes. I am sure they are making good use of their metrics to send me target and product specific emails. Their email marketing will keep producing results by following their target audience and continuing to recommend products, based on previous purchases and trending looks.    

DSW: Their Profitable Business Model

DSW, Inc, the Designer Shoe Warehouse, continues to fulfill the needs of shoeaholics everywhere! Their combination of designer shoes and low prices, makes them the ultimate winner. Their goal is to provide consumers with access to everything they could possibly want and that involves closeouts, special makeups and in-line products (Bell, 2016). It does not stop there, in an effort to reach the young parent demographic, DSW introduced their DSW Kids concept, making their stores a one-stop shop for dad, mom and kids. They are no stranger to the Merchant Model, providing goods and services from business to consumer. Their continued effort to bring good quality, low-priced shoes, to as many consumers possible has allowed them to cover about 70% of the U.S. population, by placing a DSW store within 20 miles of their home (Bell, 2016). If you can't see the value in that, I'm not sure what you are looking at. They also provide customers with a buy-online and pickup-in-store service, which has you dodging the shipping and handling fee most of us hate to pay, since that is practically the price of another item. This added option has made the company even more profitable.

DSW could also benefit from the Advertising Model. If you subscribe or create an account on their site, you will become a victim of their daily e-mail communication and promotions. They currently take advantage of the advertising model, but there is always room for improvement. As Roberts and Zahay (2013) mentioned, the more people you reach, the better chances of maintaining a website, or in this case, their business. Placing banner ads on major platforms such as Google or Facebook will definitely broaden their audience and target specific consumers based on customer demographics. In turn, the company will continue to profit from their marketing efforts. I would like to see a more personalized approach to their site. They could make use of a blog and provide daily inspirations or a "how to" section on how to pair different shoes with different styles. With the DSW rewards program, they obtain knowledge on past purchases made by the consumer. DSW can use that information to make e-mail suggestions on specific new items, rather than sending an e-mail with all their new styles. Take note DSW.

References:
Bell, J. (2016, October 3). How DSW is innovating to secure its future. Footwearnews. Retrieved from http://footwearnews.com/2016/business/retail/dsw-executives-plan-future-retail-innovation-ebuys-263835/

Roberts, M. L. & Zahay, D. (2013). Internet marketing: Integrating online and offline strategies. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

NYX Cosmetics: Creating Value

NYX Cosmetics knows how to engage consumers by use of social media. Their regular use of Instagram and Twitter allows their audience to connect with their brand. They sure know how to engage and use online technologies to create value for their customers, but an area they could make a little more of an effort is the use of offline technologies. Their line of cosmetics are great, especially when you know they are not being tested on animals, it makes you feel good about yourself for contributing to this company. They have a great rewards program, in-store, once you accumulate a certain amount of points, you get discounts AND you get $5 OFF on your birthday! Woohoo! Way to make me feel special, I mean, who doesn't like a lovely gesture. Their use of social media channels and interactive channels constantly remind us of their existence. For a brand that is growing, I don't see a lot of offline channel movement. They announce their grand openings on their sites and social media accounts, but they could spend a little on what some of us call "junk mail," a little goes a long way.