Category: General

A grand opening is more than cutting a ribbon — it’s your brand’s first opportunity to make a lasting impression. Whether you’re opening a new store, clinic, restaurant, or branch location, a well-executed launch sets the tone for future success.

At Fuel Marketing, we believe a strong grand opening isn’t just about one day — it’s about building momentum, connecting with your audience, and laying the groundwork for long-term brand loyalty.

Think Beyond the Balloons

Too often, businesses throw together a grand opening at the last minute — a few balloons, a discount sign, and a soft opening. But to really move the needle, your launch should function as a mini-campaign that drives awareness, foot traffic and excitement across multiple channels.

Here’s how:

1. Plan a Phased Rollout

The most effective grand openings follow a three-part framework:

• Pre-Launch: Tease your opening through social media, email, local influencer outreach, and press pitching. Use geotargeted digital ads to start building awareness before doors open.
• Event Day: Host a celebration that’s on-brand and interactive. Think giveaways, food trucks, ribbon cuttings, music, product demos — all of it wrapped in strong visuals for social sharing.
• Post-Launch: Keep the momentum going. Share a photo recap, thank attendees, and offer a bounce-back promotion to get them back in the door.

2. Include a Dose of Community Activation

You don’t need a massive budget to create community connection — just intention. Incorporating small elements of community activation, such as partnering with a nearby business, inviting a local nonprofit, or spotlighting neighborhood vendors, can elevate your event and reinforce your role as a locally invested brand.

Even a simple photo wall, family activity, or community-focused giveaway can help your opening feel less like a sales push and more like a celebration.

3. Build in Promotion

A great event only works if people know about it. We recommend:

• Paid social media and Google ads to target your local area
• Press releases to local media and community calendar listings
• Influencer partnerships for sneak peeks or event-day content
• Direct mail for nearby households

Your promotional plan should span before, during, and after the event to maximize exposure and engagement.

4. Make the Offer Matter

Give people a compelling reason to attend — and return. That might be:

• A free gift for the first 100 guests
• Enter-to-win giveaways
• Exclusive discounts or loyalty program sign-ups
• A branded freebie they’ll use (and remember you for)

And don’t forget to collect emails or other contact info so you can re-engage post-event.

A successful grand opening isn’t just about foot traffic on day one — it’s about setting the stage for long-term visibility and brand credibility. When executed with thoughtful promotion, an engaging experience, and a light layer of community integration, a grand opening can be one of the most powerful tools in your marketing playbook.

At Fuel Marketing, we help brands launch with purpose, energy, and strategy — turning openings into ongoing momentum. Let’s make yours unforgettable. Contact us today!

Converting website visitors into customers–whether through a purchase, newsletter subscription, or consultation booking– is the ultimate goal of any business. A well-optimized lead generation landing page serves as the crucial link between interest and action. Here’s how Fuel Marketing designs high-converting landing pages that don’t just attract visitors but also turn them into loyal customers.  

1. Define a Clear Goal

Before designing your landing page, define its purpose. Do you want to generate leads, promote a product, or encourage sign-ups? A well-defined goal ensures a streamlined, conversion-driven landing page structure.

2. Compelling Headlines & Engaging Copy

Your headline is the first thing visitors see, so make it attention-grabbing and relevant. Follow up with persuasive copy that clearly communicates the value of your offer. Keep it simple, benefits-driven, and free of jargon.

3. Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)

Your CTA is the driving force of your landing page. Use action-oriented language like “Get Started Today,” “Claim Your Free Trial,” or “Download Now.” Make sure it stands out visually with contrasting colors and strategic placement as well as clickable buttons.

4. Minimalist Design & Visual Appeal

A cluttered landing page can overwhelm visitors and drive them away. Use a clean layout with high-quality images or videos to keep users engaged and focused on your offer.

5. Mobile Optimization

With a significant portion of web traffic coming from mobile devices, ensure your landing page is responsive and loads quickly. A seamless mobile experience can significantly impact lead generation and conversions.

6. Fast Loading Speeds

A slow-loading page can result in high bounce rates. Optimize images, reduce unnecessary scripts, and leverage caching to ensure your landing page loads in under three seconds.

9. Simplified Forms

If your goal is lead generation, keep forms short and to the point. Only ask for essential information to reduce friction and encourage submissions.

A well-crafted landing page is a powerful tool for turning website visitors into customers. By focusing on clear messaging, strategic design, and continuous optimization, you can create landing pages that don’t just attract clicks but drive meaningful results. Implement these best practices and watch your conversion rates soar!

The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and social media remains at the forefront of how people connect, share, and consume content. The latest Pew Research studies, including a November 2024 report on overall social media usage and a December 2024 report on teens and social media, highlight significant trends that marketers, businesses, and individuals should consider as they navigate the online world.

Broad Social Media Trends for 2024

Social media plays a vital role in how Americans connect, stay informed, share ideas, and find entertainment. Here are the key trends and patterns shaping today’s digital landscape. Pew Research has identified broad shifts in social media behavior across all demographics:

• Overall social media usage remains high: As of November 2024, 72% of U.S. adults use social media, a slight increase from 69% in 2021. However, platform preferences continue to shift.
• YouTube leads among all age groups: 85% of U.S. adults report using YouTube, making it the most widely used platform across generations.
• Facebook still holds strong among older users: While its popularity has declined among teens, 68% of U.S. adults still use Facebook, particularly those aged 30 and above.
• TikTok’s growing influence: 38% of U.S. adults use TikTok, up from 21% in 2021, with a notable increase among users aged 30-49.
• Reddit’s niche but dedicated user base: 21% of U.S. adults report using Reddit, with engagement highest among young adults aged 18-29.
• Declining engagement on X (formerly Twitter): Only 20% of U.S. adults report using X, reflecting a downward trend in engagement over recent years.

Other key trends shaping the social media landscape include:

• Rise of AI-driven content: AI-generated visuals, chatbots, and content curation are becoming integral to social media experiences.
• Video remains king: Short-form videos continue to dominate engagement, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts leading the way.
• Growing importance of private communities: Users are increasingly shifting from public feeds to private groups and messaging apps for more personal interactions.
• Social commerce expansion: More brands are integrating shopping experiences directly within social platforms, streamlining the path from discovery to purchase.

Teen Social Media Usage in 2024

Beyond broad-based social media usage, Pew Research’s latest study on teen social media usage provides additional insights:

• YouTube remains dominant: 90% of U.S. teens use YouTube, though this is slightly down from 95% in 2022.
• TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are highly popular: Around 60% of teens use TikTok and Instagram, while 55% use Snapchat.
• Decline in Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) usage: Facebook is now used by only 32% of teens, down from 71% in 2014-15. X usage has also dropped to 17%, compared to 33% a decade ago.
• Daily usage patterns: 73% of teens visit YouTube daily, with 15% saying they use it “almost constantly.” TikTok follows closely, with 60% of teens using it daily, and 16% describing their use as “almost constant.”
• Increasing online presence: Nearly half of teens (49%) report being online “almost constantly,” a sharp increase from 24% a decade ago.

What This Means for Marketers and Businesses

Understanding these trends can help businesses and content creators optimize their strategies. If your audience includes teens, platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram should be a priority. Additionally, leveraging video content and engaging with audiences through direct messaging or exclusive communities could enhance engagement and brand loyalty.

For brands targeting broader demographics, YouTube and Facebook remain essential, while TikTok and Reddit are becoming increasingly valuable for reaching younger and middle-aged adults. As the social media landscape continues to evolve, staying informed about user behavior—especially among different age groups—will be key to building effective digital marketing strategies. Also, watch out for new platforms, such as Substack and Bluesky. There may be future advertising opportunities utilizing these platforms as they are gaining traction.

Ready to Elevate Your Social Media Strategy?

Fuel Marketing can help you craft a data-driven social media strategy tailored to your audience. Contact us today to get started and make the most of these trends!

As 2024 comes to a close, businesses are turning their attention to 2025 with fresh goals. The new year presents an opportunity to refine strategies and discover emerging trends. This blog will dive into the possibilities that marketing in 2025 holds and provide actionable tips to help your campaigns thrive.

Social commerce is blurring the lines between social media and e-commerce

Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest are now offering in-app shopping. This allows consumers to buy products directly from their social feeds, enhancing the browsing-to-purchase experience. Brands should now be creating engaging, shoppable content and using posts to improve conversions. Collaborating with influencers and using user-generated content can help expand reach, build credibility, and connect with new audiences.

The Continued Rise of Influencer Marketing

Goldman Sachs projects that the creator economy will potentially grow to $480 billion by 2027. We have to agree that influencer marketing is going to continue to rise in popularity with brands. Creators have the ability to create tight knit communities, add personality to a brand, and create consumer trust and loyalty. 

AI in Marketing

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a necessity for modern marketing. AI (Artificial Intelligence), AR (Augmented Reality), and VR (Virtual Reality), are all becoming more popular in industries beyond just gaming. Retail brands and their consumers are finding these technological advancements to be helpful tools when buying and selling. Brands such as IKEA and Sephora are already using AR to enhance consumer experiences in stores and online. Sephora offers a virtual makeup try on to help customers decide on products. Similarly, IKEA allows consumers to view furniture pieces in their own spaces by using AR. Early adoption of these tools can help brands stand out going into 2025.

Tapping into New Year’s Resolutions

The start of the year is synonymous with goal setting. Businesses can tap into this mindset by aligning their campaigns with popular resolutions, such a s fitness, financial wellness, or self-improvement. Launching limited-time offers that cater to New Year’s resolutions, like discounted gym memberships or productivity tools can be extremely effective in the beginning of 2025. By using motivational messaging to encourage customers to take the first step toward their goals, consumers are more likely to pay attention to a particular brand.

Looking Ahead

As we head into 2025, businesses have the opportunity to refine their marketing strategies by embracing emerging trends and technologies. It is important to stay aware of all advancements through the year and leverage data-driven strategies to maximize ROI. By monitoring key metrics like customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and conversion rates, brands can refine their campaigns and better meet audience needs. These strategies will help you stay ahead and drive better results in all of your new year campaigns. To get started, contact Fuel Marketing today!

The holiday season is here and it is one of the most exciting yet challenging times of the year for advertisers. Almost every brand is looking for attention during this time of year, but breaking through the noise to capture consumers’ interest requires an understanding of the challenges and strategy. Fuel Marketing can help you stand out this festive season with effective advertising with the tips in this blog.

Planning early to secure prime advertising spaces and optimal times for your target market can be extremely beneficial because these quickly get snatched up by the competition. An early start can also allow for testing and optimization. Retargeting strategies and email marketing are great for reaching out to the audience familiar with your brand. Incorporate countdowns or limited-time offers to create urgency.

Using themes and colors that resonate with the holidays is beneficial but it is important to stay true to your brand guidelines to still be recognizable. Content that creates nostalgia and gift-giving is often high-performing. The challenge is that holiday-themed content can easily become too generic and lost in the sea of holiday content. It is important to personalize your holiday messages based on customer data. Tailor ads for segments within your audience, showcasing what matters most to them, whether it’s family time, experiences, or unique gifts. With mobile devices quickly becoming highly used for holiday shopping, ensure your ads are mobile-optimized. Include location-based targeting for people shopping near your physical stores.

Influencer partnerships can drive engagement any time of the year, but during the holiday season, ads featuring influencers can sometimes feel insincere due to the sheer volume of promotions. To combat this, consider working with micro-influencers whose reviews and testimonials directly align with your brand to create trust, showing that your brand is valued.

The holiday season is a perfect time to run a charity-based campaign. This can highly enhance brand loyalty. Make sure the giving-back aspect is genuine, and choose a cause that aligns with your brand’s values. 

Holiday advertising can be challenging but rewarding. At Fuel Marketing, we specialize in crafting strategies that navigate the holiday rush, allowing your brand to shine when it matters most. By preparing early, staying true to your message, and reaching your audience with relevant, meaningful content, you can make this holiday season a memorable one for your customers—and a successful one for your brand.

Happy holidays and happy advertising!

Color is a powerful tool that can make or break any ad campaign. In this blog we will be diving into the world of color and how strategic palette choices can elevate your ads!

The Emotional Palette

When consumers see an ad, the different color choices used can trigger different emotional responses, which can then influence decision-making. Here’s a quick look at how various colors resonate emotionally:

• Red: Red grabs attention and stimulates excitement and urgency. It’s no wonder that clearance sales and fast-food chains frequently use red to provoke quick decisions and low prices.
• Blue: Blue is noticeably a favorite among financial institutions and tech companies. It fosters a sense of reliability and security, making it a great choice for brands looking to build long-term customer relationships. It also evokes a feeling of relaxation which is why it is popular among spas and wellness brands.
• Yellow: Bright, cheerful, and attention-grabbing, yellow is often associated with happiness. It is commonly used in lifestyle and children’s products packaging to evoke joy.
• Green: Sustainability, wellness, and organic products often use green as it is associated with nature, health, and healing. Green can also evoke feelings of relaxation and serenity, making it ideal for health and wellness campaigns.
• Black: Black exudes luxury, elegance, and sophistication. High-end brands often use black to convey exclusivity and timelessness. It’s a strong sleek statement color.
• Purple: Purple, like black, conveys a sense of luxury, creativity, and mystery. A color historically associated with royalty and spirituality makes it a great choice for brands that want to stand out as unique or visionary.

Strategic Color Use

In marketing colors aren’t just picked based on aesthetics but also based on strategy. Here’s how we approach color selection in ad design:

1. Understanding the Audience: Different colors resonate differently across age groups, cultures, and genders. A company’s target audience directly aligns with the choices made in a company’s color palette. For example, younger audiences might respond more to bold, vibrant colors, while older consumers might prefer more subdued tones.
2. Aligning with Brand Identity: Companies’  brand guides often choose colors that create a cohesive look with their predominant logo colors to reinforce brand recognition while allowing for diversity in campaign colors.
3. Driving Action: Certain colors can drive specific actions. For example, a red “Buy Now” button is more likely to encourage immediate action than a green one. Color choices not only catch the eye but also compel the viewer to take the desired action.
4. Testing and Refining: It is important to remember color psychology isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Different color combinations resonate with different target audiences in different ways. It is important to address all the reasons behind choosing colors for your brand and campaign before setting them into action.

Color Your Campaigns for Success

In the world of advertising, color is a silent but powerful communicator. By understanding the psychological impact of different colors and strategically applying this knowledge, companies can drive sales, build brand loyalty, or create emotional connections. The right color choice can be the difference between a good ad and a great one. Looking to enhance your brand’s impact? Contact Fuel Marketing today to see how our expertise in color psychology and design can elevate your advertising strategy.

In 2024, the average consumer owns at least 2 or 3 devices and the average U.S. household has about 7.3 screens between televisions, smartphones, computers and tablets. In order to reach these consumers, you need your website to look great and function across all screen sizes and devices. Responsive Web Design (RWD) is an approach that will guarantee your website to adapt and look great on all the different devices that your audience uses. But besides having your website “look good”, why does Responsive Web Design Matter? 

Why Responsive Design Matters

1. User Experience (UX) If you’ve ever used a website where you had to keep zooming in, scroll horizontally, or deal with a broken layout, you probably didn’t stay on that website too long. A website like this can be frustrating to navigate, leading to high bounce rates. In other words, when your screen doesn’t adapt, customers are likely to leave your site in search of a better experience. Responsive design ensures that no matter what device is being used, your site is easy to navigate while also staying aesthetically pleasing.
2. SEO Benefits Search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly websites. In fact, Google’s mobile-first indexing means that the mobile version of your website is considered the primary version. This is no surprise since 63% of Google’s organic search traffic in the US originates from mobile devices. Implementing responsive design is guaranteed to help improve your site ranking, driving more organic traffic to your business.
3. Cost Efficiency Creating and maintaining a separate mobile site than your desktop site can be costly and time-consuming. With responsive design, you have one website that works across all devices, reducing the need for multiple versions. 

Tips for Designing a Responsive Website

1. Understand the Viewport When creating a responsive website, you need to first understand how the viewport works. On a desktop device, the viewport size is just the browser’s window size (which can be expanded or shrunk at any time). On a mobile device, the viewport is generally just the size of the device you’re using. Since the viewport can change size depending on device or personal preference, you’ll need to add specific tags to your website’s code. 
2. Use Flexible Layouts and Images: Implement fluid grids and flexible images that adapt to different screen sizes. This allows your website to look seamless on anything from smartphones to smart TVs.
3. Prioritize Content Hierarchy On smaller screens, users should still be able to access the most important information easily. Condensing your site to include the most essential elements while not getting too cluttered will encourage users to stay on your web page. 
4. Mobile-First Approach Consider designing the web page on your mobile site before you start developing it for your larger devices. Designing for mobile first will force you to prioritize only the most important content and features, ensuring that those elements of your site are easily accessible to users on smaller screens. 

Conclusion

In today’s digital world, responsive web design is no longer just an option; it’s a necessity. By ensuring your website looks and functions well on all devices, you will enhance your customer’s experience, improve your SEO ranking, and save time and money on web page development.To create a website that’s truly ready for anything, consider partnering with experts. Contact Fuel Marketing to build a responsive website tailored to your needs. With our expertise, you can achieve a site that not only looks great but also drives results.

The business world is ever-evolving and fast-paced. The success of your business – whether it be a start-up or an established corporation – relies heavily on marketing. Reaching target audiences, standing out from the competition, making a lasting impact, and keeping up with industry changes is a full-time job in itself. A full-service marketing agency can be a key factor in helping a brand flourish.

Broad Range of Services

When hiring a full-service agency, you unlock every aspect of marketing. From marketing research to brand management and everything in between, a full-service agency can assist with it all. Most of these types of agencies will offer creative services, media buying, public relations, digital, traditional advertising, social media, and website development. From the initial stages of strategic planning to production, a multidisciplinary agency has the expertise to help a business reach its goals.

Consistency and Cohesion

Target audiences are reached through many different marketing channels and strategies. It is vital for the longevity of a brand to keep content consistent across all platforms to resonate effectively with the target audience. Outsourcing to different agencies can create discrepancies and force the business to spend more time and effort into making sure the presence of a brand stays consistent. With a full-service agency, the team is working together and has expertise in all marketing channels. With this expertise and experience, a company’s appearance will always be cohesive.

Expertise

An agency’s employees, skilled in all forms of marketing, have a deep understanding of consumer behavior across all platforms. This is essential when creating cross-functional campaigns. An in-house marketing team can quickly become costly and time-consuming when updates to media platforms and trends happen. A company will have to spend time and money to train their employees on these updates, whereas a full-service agency has a wealth of knowledge and the time to be trained consistently on technology and marketing updates as well as the ability to adjust to a business’ needs at a moment’s notice.

Creativity

Having an in-house team can be beneficial as they know your brand in and out; however, having the same set of people working on your content can result in a loss of new creative ideas. A full-service agency has a team of many different types of people who can always give fresh ideas that keep up with creative trends.

An agency with knowledge and experience in all marketing channels helps businesses with all aspects of their marketing needs while being the most financially efficient. They are able to keep up with the latest trends, focus on all forms of advertising, try new tactics and strategies, and assist in long and short-term marketing goals.

Searching for a full-service marketing agency? FUEL Marketing has 20 years of experience in brand management, design, media buying and more. Contact us to learn how we can make your brand a powerhouse!

Are statistics the new secret weapon?

During a recent interview, one of our agency partners was posed with a question about the integration of statistics by FUEL’s team into our client strategies. This prompted us to contemplate the frequency and significance of statistics within the realm of marketing.

It’s essential to harness both critical-marketing-expertise and statistical know-how… your new secret weapon in advertising. Marketers should have an excellent grasp of statistics, measurements, and methodologies to craft effective, compelling campaigns. Every aspect of advertising should be driven by data, from the ad messaging to the optimization-roadmap. Utilizing statistics gives marketing recommendations credibility, helps define target audiences, and improves the likelihood of success.

Why should the entire agency have these capabilities?

Media buying is one branch of an agency that uses an immense amount of data including demographics, behavioral analysis and customer sentiment data. When advertising to the public, marketers receive a massive influx of data in return. Key metrics, or KPIs, that help evaluate the performance of an ad include an ad’s traffic, bounce rate, click through rate, and conversion rate. These metrics are constantly fluctuating, and marketers must question what is causing the ebb and flow. Having a big picture view of competitors, market changes, and other outside influences can help identify what is triggering the changes.

Evaluating statistics and implementing findings is a daily task for social and digital marketers. For effective social or digital ads, it is vital to understand how to fully optimize each ad. Tracking the demographic and the frequency rate helps to define the ideal target audience. These audiences can be found by tracking clicks per platform, ages, gender as well as new or returning users.

Statistics in Practice

A statistical analysis of who is buying, when they buy, how many times they buy, and how much money they spend is also crucial to success. Analyzing consumer behavior enables better forecasting and provides a layer of information that will ensure success. On digital platforms, lookalike audiences can be created by using current client data to find people who have similar behavior patterns and are likely to purchase or engage with your brand. Messaging can then be tailored to this more statistically valid group of interested parties.

“A/B testing” is a buzz-term in marketing, and is a method marketers use to compare two versions of ads to determine which performs better. If you have the luxury of time and budget, it’s important to do A/B testing on nearly all your campaigns. This tried-and-true method provides the stats and knowledge to create better content and rationale. Marketers learn what images or layout works best, what colors inspire action, when headlines capture more attention, what CTA drives clicks, and more. One out of eight A/B tests results in a change in ads, and about 60 percent of agencies surveyed state that this testing plays a big role in improving conversion rates.*

Our media team is constantly analyzing and interpreting statistics to determine how to optimize campaigns for clients. Data is an elemental piece of marketing that is required for success. At FUEL, we live by the words of the groundbreaking statistician W. Edwards Deming, “In God we trust. All others must bring data.” For more information, contact us.

* enterpriseappstoday.com/stats/a-b-testing-statistics.html

Marketing terminology can be challenging to understand, but knowing the true definition of marketing metrics and terms is crucial for developing successful marketing campaigns and ensuring that you are meeting intended business objectives. Key marketing measurement terms and metrics include KPIs, impressions, reach, frequency, CTR and CPC. This crash course marketing metrics guide will help prepare you to ask the right questions and make better decisions in your next meeting.

What is a KPI?

Everything starts with KPIs or Key Performance Indicators. This is the metric that measures the performance of your company and the effectiveness of your marketing. KPIs can look different for every business. KPIs can also vary based on the objective of the campaigns. Here’s a quick introduction and explanation of some of the primary KPIs that are used in marketing.

Impressions

In plain English, an impression is the total number of times an ad has been seen on a platform. This is a valuable metric for all campaigns but will be the most useful for campaigns that focus on spreading brand awareness.

Reach

Slightly different from impressions, reach is the total number of unique people that have seen an ad. This might seem the same as impressions, but impressions can be higher than reach because one person can see the ad more than one time. For example, if someone sees an ad three times, the ad will have an impression count of three, but a reach of one. By expanding the reach of your audience, the number of impressions will likely increase.

Frequency

Calculated by dividing the number of impressions by the reach, frequency is the number of times a person is exposed to an advertisement. This metric is helpful because increasing the frequency of an ad increases the likelihood they will make a purchase or remember your company/offering. As a rule of thumb, an ad is most effective when it reaches a frequency of three.

Click Through Rate (CTR)

A useful ratio to understand, CTR is the number of clicks divided by the number of impressions. A “good” CTR will depend on the type of campaign, promotion, and platform, but remember that the higher the CTR, the more successful your campaign will be.

Cost Per Click (CPC)

Also known as Pay-Per-Click (PPC), Cost-Per-Click (CPC), is used to determine the cost of showing your ads. It is the total advertising cost divided by the number of clicks an ad received. Your goal CPC will be determined by the price of your product or service.

Measuring key performance indicators is vital to the success of your advertising, because these stats will help you see areas for improvement as well as opportunities for continued success and growth. Understanding what these metrics mean and the power they hold will help you make data-driven decisions and will improve the performance of your campaigns in the short and long term.

In 2022, consumers and clients alike are demanding more from the businesses they choose to support, emphasizing ethical and sustainable practices along with transparency in their businesses’ environmental and social impacts. 

As these values become increasingly important to driving business, adapting your business model and pivoting strategy towards being environmentally conscious can be essential to the continued success of your business.

One way businesses are leaning into social responsibility and expanding their services towards sustainability is through cause marketing. This Earth Day, let’s dive into cause-related marketing and explore why it is effective and how it could benefit your business.

Sustainable support

Cause marketing is a partnership between a for-profit corporation and a nonprofit organization, such as a charity or foundation. This mutually beneficial agreement helps both parties: businesses are not only able to generate new traffic through these campaigns, but also establish brand loyalty and increase customer retention. For nonprofits, the partnership can increase cause awareness and support of their organization. 

Some examples of successful cause-marketing campaigns include:

• Ben and Jerry’s multiple impactful collaborations with nonprofits and general ethical causes, including increasing voting knowledge and ability in low-income areas
• Walgreens and Red-Nose Day, to raise money for children in poverty
• Warby Parker and VisionSpring, to bring glasses and provide vision tests to impoverished areas

New collaborations

Though these collaborations have the potential to benefit both parties, it is a delicate balance.

Businesses will need to go “all in” on these efforts and do more than give money to good causes. Customers will want to see real action, including marketing campaigns emphasizing the importance of the non-profit’s message, while showing company-wide immersion in backing a non-profit’s ethical and sustainable values.

As generational changes shift to emphasizing ethics, sustainability, and humanity, businesses will benefit by incorporating strategies to keep up with the changes. Cause marketing is an effective solution that, if done correctly, can promise growth and customer retention for your business as well as awareness of the nonprofit. Practicing being ethically conscious and working this into your business model, as well as supporting causes close to the heart, matters to customers, and gives them and you a sense of purpose.

Relevancy is king. In a digital world, people are receiving a constant influx of information, whether from advertising or social media. As stores of information, products, photos, videos, advertisements, and content build, they crowd every media platform. However, web and digital programmers have come up with a solution to quell the waves: the media algorithm.

What is the algorithm?

Algorithms sort content by relevance rather than “publish time”, gradually “learning” what content users prefer to see and serving them media based on this system. Tim Clarke of SEOblog summarized the process when he said, “In 2022, everything will be algorithm-driven and brands should provide a user experience that customers want, or their content will be less relevant.”

To media consumers this algorithm can be a relief–no longer seeing content that doesn’t apply to you can help reduce the constant information overload and can surround you with people, advertisers, and media who reflect your interests.

However, as a marketer this algorithm can seem daunting. How is it possible to get exposure for your ads if the algorithm can filter them out? How can you reach your target audience?

Marketers, it is possible. In fact, it may give you an increased ability to reach, and more importantly, convert your potential consumers. Take a look at what you can do to increase impressions and get conversions despite the algorithm.

1. Know your audience. To ensure content makes it through the algorithm filter, cater to the target audience’s tastes using copy, graphics, and stylistic elements. Make your content fit their lifestyle and stand out more than competitors. To do this, know your customers inside and out, using extensive market research to know exactly what content appeals to them most.
2. Less is more. To contrast with the information and content overload, focus on simplicity in content creation. We’ve written another post about the importance of simple content in media HERE.
3. Publish native video content. Showcase your product in the form of video. Videos are favored by the algorithm. They captivate the audience and allow for more product information in less time.
4. Post on time. According to a Sprout Social article on social media marketing with algorithms, there are optimized hours during the day when your participants are more active, depending on your target audience. These are the best times to post your content.
5. Post quality content. This is summarized well in an article by HubSpot called 5 Social Media Algorithms Marketers Need to Know About in 2022 “…this means picking relevant topics, writing delightful copy, and posting compelling images and videos.” High quality, relevant content makes all the difference in appeasing the algorithm and getting engagement for your posts.

Catering to the algorithm may seem difficult at first, but these guidelines help deliver the most relevant content possible to your specific target group of consumers. Follow these tips to use algorithmic content selection to your advantage and increase your brand engagement on social media and algorithm-based platforms. For additional assistance, contact us!

Here at FUEL Marketing, we believe that now, more than ever, is a great time for advertisers to branch out and try new mediums. A media mix, or often known as a marketing mix, is the blend of communication tactics that an advertising agency will deploy to effectively market their clients’ products or services.

Why is now the perfect time to consider adding more advertising avenues? In recent months, the marketing world has seen many changes, including Facebook’s iOS update, current global events, and what could be considered digital fatigue. Then, add the new news of the biggest social platforms, Facebook and Instagram, being scrutinized further by congress …well, 2021 keeps throwing curveballs!  However, we’ve always led by asking our clientele, why put all your (marketing) eggs in one basket? With so many growing opportunities and emerging platforms, as well as tried-and-true advertising methods, there are many reasons why a media mix is a (really) good thing.

Diversify Your Campaign

Having a diverse marketing mix allows a brand to test campaigns and see better results, preventing the potential bad habit of relying on just one technique to reach their target audience. If a brand is only using one advertising channel to advertise their products, there is no other method to help reach people. Having a media mix will help increase and balance the ROI and will help deploy the most effective tactics.

Lift Your Messaging

Give your campaigns a lift! Lift mediums, which are support media or channels that will accentuate CTA digital methods, help provide consumer excitement and better campaign results. For example, an e-commerce social ad competes with many other digital messages; however, with a “lift” you’ll notice CTR (click-thru rate) stats will increase by including a well-placed billboard or audio campaign at the same time. With a more robust budget, another ad channel to consider is OTT (over-the-top) digital video placement, which is TV or film content consumers watch online or on digital networks/platforms. OTT allows commercial placement to reach an individual consumer exactly as desired. A potential consumer will then watch a digital video/television commercial and then see a logo/message on a local billboard, creating a better recall to then take action when a “Buy Now” social ad appears in their feed.

Grow Your Reach and Exposure

By deploying new tactics and multiple ad channels, your campaigns will gain more reach, impressions, and overall brand exposure. It’s been said that it takes the average consumer seeing an ad over seven times before they are poised to take action or convert. So, why not make that conversion happen quicker and reach that customer through multiple channels or platforms?

With an advertising strategy that’s methodical and optimized correctly, a media mix can help elevate your company to the next level.

Contact FUEL Marketing below to get started!

Take advantage of engaged audiences

Summertime=screen time! With school out of session, more people, especially children, their parents, those that don’t go away for summer vacations, and other seasonal workers, are on their phones and consuming more media than they normally would. It’s a great time to take advantage of these engaged audiences and capture those conversions. Whether it’s through social media and digital ads, tv commercials, billboards, or other mediums, your ads and marketing efforts are sure to reach audiences that are otherwise preoccupied during other times of the year.

Build up excitement and momentum

Another benefit of summer advertising is that your company can build up excitement and momentum for the festive seasons like back-to-school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. It’s important for marketers not to break momentum and maintain consistency. You’ve built a strong marketing strategy, so why not keep that moving instead of starting from scratch when the cooler months come? Don’t lose out on connecting with audiences you worked hard to build and retain.

Steal the spotlight

Don’t be afraid to steal the spotlight. Some of your competitors may stop their marketing efforts during the summer months. Use this to your advantage and ramp up your company’s marketing efforts. This will allow your business the potential to dominate your given industry when others are going dark.

Try something new

Last but not least, your audience’s behavior changes during the summer. Use this change to try something new and take creative risks. If it’s successful, add it to your repertoire, if not, no sweat. Many people schedule home improvement projects while the weather is nice, so take advantage of sales and promotions that would benefit those folks. The warm weather also inspires consumers to get out-and-about. Capture that foot traffic with creative signage and eye-catching visual displays. Also, don’t forget to consider the holiday shopping behavior of your audiences. It’s beneficial to run promotions that correlate with exciting life events and major holidays, like graduations, Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. 

With FUEL Marketing’s assistance, you can be confident that your business is on its way to reaching its fullest potential. Our main goal is to find and implement marketing strategies that work for you and your budget, regardless of the season. If you’re ready to retain a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency, contact [email protected] or learn more about us–and start adding a team of experts to your company today. 

Most companies consider it sound business practice to outsource critical functions such as accounting, legal services, financial consulting and sales. So, why not outsource advertising, marketing and public relations?

If you want to grow your business, plus save time and money, it’s time to hire a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency. Based on your goals, you’ll discover the true value of harnessing the power of experts to create and implement a customized marketing communication strategy—a strategy that will propel your business forward.

So, how do you find the best firm for your needs? Ideally, the firm you select will be your agency and partner for many years. Your agency should help your business grow. And, in turn, the agency should be growing too. Therefore, look for a firm that has a history of long client and long staff tenure.

While there are many beneficial reasons for hiring a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency, here are the top three reasons:

1. Team of Specialists

When you work with an agency, you’ll be assigned a team of experts to work with your company including account strategists, media buyers (traditional and digital), graphic designers, content creators, social media specialists, PR specialists, audio and video producers and web designers/developers. These marketing experts provide expertise that most businesses normally would not be able to afford. In most cases hiring an agency is less than a salary and benefit package associated with hiring just one internal marketing person.

2. Time and Cost Savings

Hiring an agency can save time and money. Rather than coordinating numerous projects with multiple vendors, using an agency allows all projects to flow through a single point of contact, usually the account executive/coordinator. The benefit to you is that you only need to manage one relationship. Consequently, since agencies book advertising for numerous clients, they are able to leverage their media relationships and secure deep discounts. Experienced media buyers also negotiate package deals, added value opportunities and complimentary media placements. They are experts at analyzing media options and finding the best media mix to reach your target audience and maximize your ROI. Additionally, your team of experts are the first to know of new media vehicles and proactively provide targeted opportunities throughout the year.

3. New Ideas

Some companies are concerned that an outside advertising, marketing and PR firm will not know how to market their products/services as well as the company itself. However, ad agencies have experience in a variety of industries and are often able to provide a fresh perspective as well as an unbiased opinion. Also, an agency can even help refresh your brand image by developing a new company logo, tagline and a style guide. Agencies can also help refresh your website. They have experienced web designers and developers that can update your website’s design, content and perform search engine optimization which will improve your organic search results.

All these reasons support the fact that agencies are advantageous to growing your business. If you’re ready to retain a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency, contact [email protected] or learn more about us–and start adding a team of experts to your company today.

Your website is your brand online and providing a great user experience on your website is a major key to success. Current research studies show that it takes .05 seconds for visitors to decide whether they will stay or leave your website. Here are a few elements that help ensure that visitors not only stay on your website, but also engage with it.

1. Design

Does it really matter what a website looks like? Yes, it does. For example, cluttering with multiple headlines, boxes, offers and heavy text will confuse your target audience and they will navigate away from your website. This is why hiring a professional designer is important. A designer will guide you in determining the best message, images, colors and fonts–as well as the best use of white space and symmetry for your website. But that’s not all that a designer does. In addition to an overall design, an expert designer will make certain that it’s mobile friendly. Increasingly, customers use their mobile devices as part of their shopping and decision-making processes. Consider that the design of your website should adapt easily to various screen sizes and have all the information shoppers or visitors are searching for when they access your site via mobile devices. Keep the design simple and make the content shareable. This includes an easy-to-see click-to-call phone number, address (linked to mapping) and menu.

2. User Engagement

Your website should provide optimal user engagement. Informational architecture (IA) has a large role to play in this. The primary objective of IA is to structure the website content in a way that is easy for users to find what they need, without investing a large amount of time and effort. The interaction design focuses on context, content and users. To create a strong IA for your website (new or existing), follow these steps:

• Learn what the customer needs
• Audit the content of your existing website and update it
• Effectively group and classify your website content
• Develop the hierarchy of your website for easy navigation
• Use wireframing for the development of your website.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A website can have a great look, excellent layout and well-written content, but if users are not able to find your website through an online search, it will be ineffective. This is where SEO enters into the picture. Once you create and launch your website, work with a website expert to immediately optimize it for search. SEO techniques involve a carefully-devised strategy, including analysis of search patterns and behavior of the target users.

SEO will need to be continuously reviewed and updated, so spend the time and money necessary to ensure your content appears near the top of search engines. That means focusing on many SEO factors including:

• Consistently creating valuable content and sharing the content so others can potentially link to it.
• Using great headlines that attract attention and encourage user engagement.
• Knowing how to use keywords effectively and choosing the right keywords based on your business.
• Correct use of H1/ H2 tags, meta descriptions, images alt attributes, links and other content techniques.
• Continually optimizing the speed and performance of your website.

In conclusion, remember your website serves as your brand and ultimately your business online. The website will be available every hour and every day for your business. That’s why it’s important to invest the time and resources to make it the best it can be. To learn more about creating a successful website, contact [email protected] today.

The importance of staying true to your marketing message cannot be overestimated. Many companies overlook this important tenant in the rush to acquire new customers. However, being authentic and consistent is the key to not only targeting new customers, but also maintaining them. If you consistently deliver outstanding products and services over time, while being aware of trends, your customers will stay with you, because they know they can count on you.

Understanding Your Audience and Brand

You may assume that what you offer has universal appeal and that the target audience is everyone. That’s not true. Your products and services have a target audience that can be defined. The goal is to find ways to identify these people so you can create marketing campaigns that speak to them directly.

One of the challenges that most companies face is that they are too close to their own brands. This is why it’s important to seek the assistance of a skilled advertising, marketing and PR agency.

By seeing your brand through new eyes, an agency can identify potential weaknesses and aspects that consumers may find offensive or even difficult to understand. Taking this important step allows companies to create marketing messages and campaigns that fully address any possible brand concerns, before they occur.

Consistent Brand Messaging

In advertising, marketing and PR, “messaging” refers to how your brand is communicated (while also adhering to your style guide and product positioning) via various media. For a brand to having staying power and remain a focal point in customers minds, true and consistent messaging is essential.

Being true to your brand does not does not mean communicating the same thing on every media channel. It’s okay to communicate different topics and use different creative layouts, but certain design or communications guidelines must remain the same so that your customers instantly recognize your brand when they see your ads or marketing messages. Remember, it’s important that the quantity of output does not override your ability to provide consistent, quality content. For example, do not use social media just because you have a Facebook page. It must play a role in your marketing plan.

Choosing the Best Media Channels to Reach Customers

What’s the best way to reach your target audience? Start by thinking about how your target audience gets information. Do they use social media, streaming movies, television, radio, newspapers, websites or online searches? Or a mix of some or all of these?

Again, there is no absolute answer on the best channels to use to reach a target audience. It depends on your goal. For example, a local business, looking for a local audience, does not need a nationwide online search campaign to reach its local target audience. Instead, it’s probably best to create a campaign that’s geotargeted locally, which could include a local online search campaign and/or even a local newspaper ad, to garner the most favorable results.

In the end, your overall goal is for your message to be part of the information stream that your target audience uses. The added benefit of being true and consistent with your messaging is that your brand remains top of mind for the products or services you provide. To learn more about creating an authentic brand for your company, learn more about FUEL Marketing or contact us at [email protected] today.

Marketing in the educational arena can be competitive and complex. So how can you determine the most effective marketing strategy and approach? Your school, college, university or educational organization can attain marketing success by following some key tactics.

1. Review your marketing strategy often

Regardless of your budget, it’s important to schedule time during pivotal points in the year to review and refine your marketing plan. Not only will this help provide a focused approach (to capture candidates and fill open spaces), but it will also ensure future students see your organization’s name and marketing campaign throughout the year. After all, candidate recruitment is a year-round process.

2. Use a multi-medium marketing approach

Print is not a dead medium (especially in the realm of education), but make certain your organization is utilizing a multi-medium approach by being featured in such mediums as broadcast, digital and social—plus direct mail and outdoor (when relevant) too. And, don’t forget promotional items like pens and water bottles. These items are essential to distribute at events. Continuing to keep your name top of mind, in as many mediums as possible, is an excellent investment in your organization’s future and success.

3. Become a top page Google search result

When parents and prospective students are conducting online research for educational providers, it’s critical to be a top result. It’s well-known that Google is one of the most important search engines; and, Google paid advertising is an effective way to help drive traffic to your organization’s website.

Because there is a large amount of competition in Google paid advertising, it’s important to be fully informed when creating your Google advertising campaign. For this reason, it’s a good idea to work with marketing agency experts who are experienced in search engine marketing, otherwise it can become very costly.

4. Engage in social media and share testimonials

Prospective candidates expect your organization to have a strong social media presence across key channels such as Twitter, Facebook and/or YouTube, either through posts or paid advertising. Facebook, YouTube and your website are excellent channels to share positive reviews and testimonials from past parents, teachers and students to help showcase your organization’s success. In addition to testimonials, include awards and any recent testing results on your Facebook page and/or website too. These are all great validations of your educational excellence, which can be incredibly influential in acquiring new candidates and keeping your organization’s name top of mind.

To learn more about how to improve your educational organization’s marketing strategy now, email us at [email protected].

As we look forward to celebrating Utah’s special July holiday, Pioneer Day, it seems the perfect time to focus on what matters most—supporting Utah.  We’ve all seen messaging asking us to “Shop Small” or “Buy Local”. However, rather than simply promoting “buying local” for a day, week or month of the year, we are suggesting the importance of a larger role—being stewards of our local community. 

“By choosing local every day, we can make choices that have a dramatic impact on our local communities, economies and environments. While it may not be possible to buy everything, we need or use from local independent businesses, we are advocating that people choose local to maximize the impact of their daily actions and purchasing decisions,” said Donna Foster of FUEL Marketing.

Money Spent Locally Stays Local

Many studies have shown that money spent at a locally-owned business stays in the local economy and continues to strengthen the economic base of the community. True local businesses bank locally, use local accountants and marketing agencies, advertise in local publications, purchase inventory from local manufacturers and use local service providers.

A statewide Utah economic study finds that adding just a tenth more of your spending into the local economy would dramatically boost Utah’s economy by $1.3 billion per year (money that currently leaves the state by national companies in nightly deposits). Another staggering positive statistic reveals that locally-owned businesses return 53 percent of their revenue into the local economy through profits, labor, reinvestment and charitable giving, compared to the 13.6 percent of return that we receive from the national chains. In fact, local businesses return over four times more to the Utah economy than chain retailers.

“One of the greatest things an individual can do to support the local community is to patronize its locally-owned businesses. Compared to national competitors, local independent businesses recycle more money back into the local economy and give greater support to a community’s civic needs,” said Brad Plowman of FUEL Marketing. “As a local business owner, we see that local businesses, like FUEL Marketing and many of our clients, are better positioned to respond to the special needs of the community, and we are more tied to the community’s future.”

Since 2003, FUEL Marketing has been an independent advertising, marketing and public relations firm located in the Salt Lake City community, and committed to growing its state’s workforce and economy. For more information and to learn more about on how you can support local businesses, contact [email protected].