Gatsby Test

While many of us might not have any experience with IT marketing, many of us definitely have experience as parents. Parenting can be frustrating, challenging and incredibly rewarding all at the same time. If you look closely enough, IT marketing is a lot like being a parent.

Imagine the Disasters That Could Come Without It.

Effective IT marketing will nurture your business, mold it and help it grow to be a reflection of who you are. When you neglect your IT Marketing, you’re essentially neglecting both your chance for growth, the results of which could be disastrous for the success of your company. Imagine if the majority of parents failed to nurture their children to their fullest potential? Humanity, as we know it, would crumble!

There Must Be an Element of Trust.

It can be difficult to trust a marketing company with your livelihood. After all, you’ve been doing it yourself for years and may have had some success. At some point, however, it can be wise to take a step back and admit that trusting a professional with your marketing is the right decision for your business. It’s never easy for parents to leave their kids under other supervision – after all, they might let them burn down the house! But maybe, just maybe, they actually don’t burn down the house – and they start learning to be responsible human beings instead. Amazing! From an early age, children learn they must earn their parents trust, and work to keep it. When kids show their parents impressive results with their choices, a new type of bond is formed between parent and child. When you have the right IT Marketing department working for you, you’ll develop a level of trust in them that can give you a competitive edge, which may very well create the results your business needs for growth.

It Really Pays Off in the End.

So, you just brought this tiny baby home from the hospital. You’re filled with hopes and dreams for this fragile little person who needs your care and unconditional love and support to help him get through life. Fast forward eighteen years later… you’ve selflessly invested your time and hard-earned money for this moment. He has finally accomplished the first major milestone of his life: high school graduation. There you are, beaming with pride as you reflect on the last eighteen years. Over the years, you’ve taught your graduate about determination, positivity, learning from his mistakes, the importance of asking for help and most importantly, if at first you don’t succeed – never, never, never give up! (yes, that’s the song from Thomas and Friends). IT Marketing requires all of these attributes in order to really pay off and take your business to a whole new level. If you’re not seeing the results you want, you’ll have to try something you’ve never tried before… until you see the payoff you’ve so deeply sought.

TRIdigital Has Been Down This Road Many Times Before.

We hear it time and time again… “We’ve tried marketing, it doesn’t work!” Well, we’re here to tell you – marketing does work! If you’re ready to see your business nurtured in a way you’ve never seen before, let us show you how.  

“Hello? Ha! Voicemail. You know what to do. Just kidding. Sterling Archer, here. Mother? Hi, listen, I can’t really talk. I’m still at TRIdigital gathering intel. It’s just as you said it would be: full of quack jobs and marketers. They have yet to suspect me or my true intentions of wanting to intern here, but I have what I need to take back to ISIS. Although they mainly focus on managed IT service marketing, I’m sure Lana can mold this intel with those big hands of hers into valuable information. Ha ha ha! Mother, grab a pen. You’re going to want to jot down these marketing tips down. [Long Pause] [Computer voice: “The voice mailbox of…] Sterling Archer […is full. Goodbye.]”

Day 1 – Don’t Get Caught

“Hello? [Pause] …hold on! I am here. I am here! Do you have that pen with you? Apparently these guys are really big on being the best. Which is why I think I fit in so well here. Oh man! Whoo! I am awesome! They are never boring, definitely on the more creative side. They take their time with each client to discover their unique qualities and characteristics to bring out a story that cannot be duplicated. They asked me if I agreed with their techniques, and all I had to say was, “Do you not?” I was appointed the donut guy for a week, and we all know that’s how you get ants.” [Beep]

Day 12 – Marketing Tips Gathered: Segment Emails and Add Videos

“MOTHER! I can’t really talk right now, we’re having a council meeting. We are discussing this week’s best marketing practices. Establishing great email practices… joke’s on them, I have Cheryl do all my emails. Actually, get Cheryl and tell her to start taking notes. Tell her that we need to start personalizing to our subscribers. Our subscribers need to feel like it was made exclusively for them. We can do this by segmenting our email lists based off their varying pain points or interests. ADD VIDEOS, CHERYL. Emails with videos and GIFs capture more engagement than static emails. Also, make sure they are compatible to mobile devices. Are any of you writing this down? They’re also talking about how to add value into keeping in touch with prospects. Duh, read a book! The best marketers take the time to invest in showcasing their clients brand’s expertise for technology. I guess you gain power when you connect with people. OH AND…!” [BEEEEP]

Day 28 – Marketing Tips Gathered: Develop a Valuable Strategy

“Look Lana, I am really busy and I know Mother told you to call me because of the voicemails, but I am knee-deep in information. Obviously, marketing isn’t just financial values! I mean, read a book! Value can be customer value, seller value, vendor value, market brand value, and corporate value. Apparently, these sort of things should not be neglected. Their marketing strategy is helping so many businesses reach their goals and I got to be a part of this! They really focus their approach on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content that attracts and retains their client’s distinctive voice. We could probably get them to market for ISIS. Do we do that? I mean they have more field experience than Cyril. It’s impressive how they really get to know their clients on a personal level before they begin a mission. Maybe I should do that.” [Computer voice: The mailbox of…] ARrrRrrRrCHER [ …is full. Leave it.]

Day 42 – Over and Out!

“Lana, listen! [HORN BLARES] Ha ha ha! Wait! Oh, uhhhh, danger zone! I hear someone coming. It might be those large men who have been trying to take me boxing. I have a few more unstoppable marketing tips to give you, but you might just have to come down here and get them yourself, because I am running late. And this is another elaborate voicemail. Ha ha ha. Leave it!”

Summer is coming. (Yeah, we know: the expression is “Winter is Coming,” but that doesn’t really apply here, so we’re taking artistic license.) As it nears, we’ve noticed a few correlations between mistakes you might make in preparations for summer and mistakes you might make in your IT marketing efforts.

Selecting an Unappealing or Inappropriate Method of Expression.

As a professional company, your IT marketing has to be both fitting and attractive to your company. Before traipsing around in something that doesn’t exactly present you in the most positive light – ask friends or co-workers what they think before revealing your new look to the world. Regardless of how incredible you may think it makes you look, others may be put-off . . . or even repulsed . . . by the choice to which you’re forcibly subjecting them.

Not Staying Protected.

Your image is everything. If you’re not careful about what harm your indecision or lack of protection could cause, you might end up temporarily – or possibly permanently – damaging the way the world sees you. Make sure all your bases are covered when venturing into any risky territories, and protect yourself as needed. Don’t be a Kardashian.

Spending Too Much Money.

When you’re excited and having fun, it’s easy to discover your funds are quickly dwindling – or worse yet – have already been spent. Remember: there are many, many high-quality options to consider before shelling-out for the most expensive stuff you can find. Oftentimes, the most expensive option is definitely not the best or most effective. Once you’ve found a comfortable balance, you can still have a great deal of enjoyment with your efforts, and not spend unnecessary dollars.

TRIdigital Helps You Look Your Best for Summer and Every Season.

We’re pretty good at this. If you’re experiencing any of these problems, talk to us. We’ll make sure you’re ready to go, saving some cash, and are in swimsuit-shape for the summer.

In this day and age, using content to showcase your brand and attract customers is nothing short of a new concept. Content marketing drives the core of your marketing initiatives and – without knowing how to conquer it – your marketing efforts may go to waste. Here are four indispensable content marketing tips that you can use to bolster your marketing strategy.

Master Content Marketing by: Creating a Style Guide

This is not to say that you should be nit-picky about small grammatical things – rather, focus on being consistent throughout your content marketing. By having a consistent approach in the way you format blogs, layout email campaigns, or present information on your website, you can maintain a professional image that attracts more prospects.

Targeting the Right Audience

Your audience determines everything about your marketing strategy. Who are you wanting to target? What type of content would make them compelled to reach out to you? Make sure your content marketing strategy is aligned with your brand, but don’t forget to keep it as gripping and interesting as possible. To test the effectiveness of your content marketing tactics, put yourself in the shoes of your audience.

Quality Over Quantity

Content marketing is all about the quality of work you produce. Refrain from things like keyword-stuffing, overly “salesly” content, regurgitating information, or publishing poor content! It sounds easy enough, but you’d likely be surprised by how often mistakes like these are made every single day.

Making Your Content Readable

Remember: you’re not writing a thesis paper. Keep your content easy-to-read for the average consumer. This means cutting-out overly drawn-out, complex sentences that bog down your work. Instead, practice breaking up lengthy paragraphs with headings and subheadings, bullet points, statistics, images, charts, etc. Make reading less of a chore and more of a pleasure for your audience.

Tracking Your Results

Mastering content marketing won’t happen overnight. To learn which tactics yield the best results, you must learn from your past marketing efforts. Be sure to review old blogs, email campaigns, or landing pages to see what works and what doesn’t. To learn more content marketing tips to improve your business, contact TRIdigital today for a free consultation!

So, you’re interested in email marketing, are you? Well, that’s great – but do you know exactly how an email marketing strategy works? There are some pretty poignant do’s and don’ts when it pertains to your email efforts. We’ve built a checklist you can follow to make sure you’re avoiding the nasties of email marketing while getting the most out of your marketing efforts.

The Don’ts of Your Email Marketing Strategy

1. Sending your “welcome” message – and then falling off the map.

It’s always a good idea to send out some “soft-touch” emails to your lists to get them prepared for the meat of your email marketing. However, many people will completely stop sending emails after the first couple of campaigns, for fear of being a nuisance. Unfortunately, this leads you to lose valuable connection opportunities with your recipients.

2. Seeing an “unsubscribe” and freaking out.

I’m sure the first time you saw the “unsubscribe” numbers, you may have felt a twinge of hurt. How could they unsubscribe? You sent them relevant and exciting content! Maybe you should just throw up your hands and give up! Don’t!

3. Promoting too much or promoting too little.

Too many promotions are annoying, regardless of what you are promoting. No one likes to be inundated with spammy offers. However, if you never send relevant offers, you may not be taken seriously either. It’s a tricky balancing act.

4. Too much going on in one email.

Think about the worst emails you’ve ever received. What do they have in them that make them bad? Too many links, too many different pieces of content, landing pages, and offers can quickly overload your recipients and turn them off – fast! Too much information in emails leads the people on your list to put off reading your email, usually forgetting it altogether completely.

5. Creating a snooze-fest of an email.

Creating boring emails are probably the worst thing you can do when email marketing. None of your subscribers are going to read your emails if they are boring. They already get enough emails every day.

6. Forgetting about mobile devices.

Did you know that over 65% of emails are now opened on smart devices such as tablets or cell phones? Old fashioned three-column emails are not very effective at getting through to these mobile-savvy recipients. Chances are, your list isn’t able to read those emails. Guess where they’re going? Straight into the trash.

7. Neglecting to create a smart, workable email strategy.

Don’t just throw your emails together. You don’t want your emails to be confusing, hard to navigate, overwhelming, or poorly thought out. Having a weak – or non-existent – email marketing strategy can hurt your campaigns, your site visits, and even your reputation!

The Do’s of Your Email Marketing Strategy

1. Send out great content – Regularly!

Sending out great content on a regular basis helps build credibility and relationships with your recipients. Allow your list to get to know you by attaching interesting blogs or podcasts as well as regular, relevant offers.

2. Keep in mind your ideal clients will stay involved.

Don’t worry about people opting out of receiving your emails – people unsubscribe for a multitude of reasons. Don’t take it personally. If you have a hard time not feeling bad every time you see someone unsubscribe, it may help to turn off the unsubscribe notifications that keep tabs on who has clicked “unsubscribe.”

3. Balance publishing value and relevant offers perfectly.

For your email marketing strategy to be taken seriously, send a perfectly blended mix of quality content and relevant offers. Take a look at your calendar and plan it out accordingly.

4. Have a single, strong call to action to focus your emails.

One call to action. That’s all you need in any email marketing strategy. Whether you want them to read your latest blog post, check out your landing page, or take advantage of an excellent offer, keep your email focused on one thing, and one thing only. If you can’t avoid numerous links – say, a newsletter for instance – make sure each section is clearly marked to avoid confusion.

5. Use your unique voice to inject personality into your email marketing.

The reason your list is still subscribed is that they want to get to know you. Inject your personality into your email marketing strategy. Tell jokes. Engage your readers on your likes, dislikes, and passions. Tell stories, share opinions, show a bit of who you are in your emails. Like cats? Include a funny picture of a cat being silly or cute. Are you a Star Trek fan? Maybe insert an article about how much better Star Trek is than Star Wars. (Let’s face it – it’s SO much better!)

6. Add large clickable links in single-column emails.

One column. That’s all you need to make your email campaigns mobile friendly. Large, clickable buttons allow a quick, easy way for your consumers to navigate to where you want them to go.

7. Map out a detailed email marketing strategy before you hit send.

Plan out a detailed marketing strategy before you hit send on your email marketing. When will you be emailing your list? What will you be sending? What are your overall goals? What will your emails look like? These are all crucial things to consider when working on your email campaigns. By having a detailed plan, you’ll get higher open rates and click through. Now, who doesn’t love that?

We’re marketers. It’s what we do. Accordingly, we tend to find IT marketing correlations in everything – in our daily lives, on television shows, even in our favorite movies. Therefore, we figured we’d be doing a disservice to humanity if we didn’t analyze one of the most quotable films in history, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Let’s take a look at what we found.

IT Marketing Techniques Exist in the Conversation Between King Arthur and Dennis.

Early on in the film, Arthur takes the necessary measures in order to connect with his people and achieve his ultimate goal – to gather a court to accompany him to Camelot. In his pursuit, Arthur stops to speak with Dennis – a filth-monger – to make the necessary inquiries and to spread the word of his mission. Even though he was sovereign of all England, he stopped to connect with an old woman – er, man. In IT marketing, connecting with others to achieve one’s ultimate goal is paramount . . . even if they tell you “strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.”

We Found IT Marketing from the Verbal Attacks of the French Taunter.

When Arthur’s main objective switched from Camelot to the quest for the Holy Grail, he came across the castle of Frenchman, Guy de Lombard. Upon requesting assistance, he was met with retorts by Lombard’s rude guard who lied to him, insulted him, and generally acted dopey. Throughout the taunts, Arthur remained calm and dignified – even instructing his men to do the same. With IT Marketing, one must retain a distinct level of professionalism when dealing with potential clients, regardless of how poorly they might respond. After all, they might just be testing you! So if one ever threatens to “unclog their nose at you,” or refer to you as an “empty-headed animal food trough wiper,” just remember to take the high road.

There Were Aspects of IT Marketing on “Bring Out Your Dead” Day.

(*CLANK*) “Bring out your deeaaaad!!” This scene is all about negotiation: we aren’t privy to the relationship between the peasant and the old man he’s trying to have carted off, nor do we know his motive for wanting to do so. What we do know is that the peasant has a definite objective. The dead collector is prepared to take the old man on his cart – right up until the moment the old man begins to protest. The dead collector listens to the peasant’s pleas for assistance, and while he tries to refuse to help because the request is outside of his regular services, he still hears the intense need from his client. In the end, the dead collector finds a way to work with his new client, collects the ninepence, and agrees to meet with him again the following Thursday. Now, THAT’S marketing! Negotiated terms, a new client, and all are happy. (Well, the old man did “feel happy” until he was clubbed, anyway.)

 The Old Man from Scene 24.

“STOP! Who approacheth the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three – ‘ere the other side, he see!” One of the gravest challenges faced by Arthur and his men: the old man asks each traveler three questions. Get them right: cross the bridge. Get one wrong: get cast into The Gorge of Eternal Peril. In the process, Arthur loses two of his best men, but at the same time, he patiently observes how the old man’s questions are put forth. In IT marketing, sometimes we are expected to have answers that, quite frankly, we just might not have. How you respond, however, is critical. Sir Galahad and Sir Robin both panicked and, as a result, met harsh consequences. But when King Arthur was asked a question he didn’t have an answer for – rather than panic, he asked for clarification. His request for information was so specific, in fact, the old man was left without an answer, and cast into the gorge himself. “You have to know these things when you’re king, you know!”

The Biggest IT Marketing Correlation of All: The Black Knight.

Does this one actually need an explanation? Well, probably not. But without one, it’d be a pretty short section, so here goes: Arthur and Patsy wish to cross a (rather small) bridge, which is guarded by a Black Knight. Arthur is told he may not cross, but Arthur insists. Eventually, Arthur and the Black Knight do battle until the Knight is left with no arms and no legs. But does he give up? Never! After the loss of the first arm, the Black Knight continues to attack. Arthur lops off his other arm, but the Black Knight only switches tactics and begins kicking at him. Next goes one of his legs, which leads to an even less-effective attack method of hopping into Arthur and sort of bleeding on him. Finally, the last leg goes, and still – the Black Knight orders the fight to continue. (“I’ll bite your legs off!!”) The IT marketing correlation staring us in the face here: determination, determination, determination! Even when situation looks impossible, never give up! If you quit, you always lose – but if you refuse to give up, you might win! True, the Black Knight didn’t win in this particular instance, but hey – he received countless compliments from Arthur for his bravery!