We have been on a journey the last few weeks to highlight each one of the 27 presentations that will be at Rocks Digital this year! You can visit this category to review all these posts and catch the ones you missed.

Breaking Down The Rocks Digital “Digital” Track

Today, I highlight the workshops that will help you create a brand’s story, energize your marketing strategy, and learn what’s new in digital marketing.

Search and Social are Hungry – Are You Feeding Them?

You are creating content, blogging and posting on social media for a reason! Hopefully it’s to get new customers. How do you get these new customers? You drive traffic to a website. How do you accomplish this? You feed search engines and social media what they want. In this workshop, conference organizer Lissa Duty will share the strategies she uses to drive site traffic by giving Google – and consumers – what they want. Meet Lissa.

Get All Your Digital Marketing Questions Answered

So you’ve attended a ton of sessions at Rocks Digital and learned a lot. One of the speakers said something that really connected with you. Want to know more about it? Then the Digital Marketing Clinic is for you. Guest experts Byron Ingraham, John Nosal, and Mike Stewart are making themselves available to you in this 90-minute workshop. This is your chance for one-on-one attention to ask questions about SEO, web design, local search and even Facebook ads. Attend this workshop and ignite your digital marketing strategies! Meet the Experts – Byron, John, and Mike.

Storytelling that Connects and Sells

Every person, brand and business has a story to tell! Crafting a story, a killer presentation, or a video that resonates is an art. In this workshop, UX Coach, storyteller and SxSW presenter J Schuh will share his insights, techniques and best practices for delivering engaging stories. Learn how to take consumer problems and craft storytelling solutions to keep your customers coming back for more! Meet J.

It’s Time You Join Us to ROCK Digital

Each one of these workshops will give you the hands-on techniques, tools, and tips to stay in front of the ever-changing digital landscape.

If you haven’t registered yet, take a quick glimpse at the conference agenda and then take action!

Use the promo code LOCALROCKS and save $75 off your one-day or two-day ticket!

Ignite your #DigitalMarketing Strategies at #RocksDigital 2017 #LocalSearchDay #SMDay
Click To Tweet

I’m ready to ROCK! What about you? Register now.

The post Digital Marketing Is Evolving – Are You? These Rocks Digital Workshops Are For You! appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Push marketing, pull marketing, inbound marketing! Do we really need another method to market better to prospective customers? Isn’t it all really just marketing, anyway? Let’s find out.

The short definition of push marketing is a method of putting products and services in front of a potential customer who has not expressed an interest. This can be perceived as interruptive to a consumer that isn’t interested.

Pull marketing is a method designed to draw potential customers to a brand through SEO and other non-intrusive methods. This method reminds me of inbound marketing, which I will explore in detail today.

What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is a method by which you attract prospective customers to learn about a brand’s or business’ products and services via content creation. This usually transpires in the form of articles, email newsletters, blog posts, guides, eBooks and other types of interaction that are organic in nature and are initiated by the consumer taking a specific action.

Inbound marketing allows the consumer to approach a business from their own turf, versus sales where the consumer is approached on the salesperson’s home turf.

To give credit where credit is due (and as a fun fact) the phrase “inbound marketing” was coined by the CEO of HubSpot, Brian Halligan, back in the ’90s. When Brian came up with this term the internet was certainly not what it is today. Social media was pretty much non-existent, though there was a site called Six Degrees created in 1997. (Looking back, it could be considered a social networking site.)

People were definitely not searching nonstop on Google, nor downloading free guides and eBooks on a whim, and inbound marketing was a totally different animal than it is today. The internet has made inbound marketing easier, more convenient, and something that any business on pretty much any budget can implement.

That’s right – any business can take advantage of online inbound marketing, and from just about any budget, so dive into the mechanics of inbound marketing starting with these helpful tips.

Inbound Marketing To-Do’s – 5 Points to Ponder

1. Find Your Audience

Hopefully you already know who your audience is and where to find them in the digital world, but if not, that is your first step. It doesn’t matter how amazing your content, newsletters, or blogs are if they are not being seen by the right people.

2. Build Their Trust

Inbound marketing is all about building trust, making your brand the thought leader in your industry, and creating brand fans. Your content should always focus on the consumer, their needs, and what they want. Show or tell them how your product or service solves a problem they have, or how it enhances their lives.

3. Include a Call to Action

Every piece of content, no matter what it is, should have a call to action in it. Yet that is not a guarantee of conversion. You have to be diligent in watching which call to action or which type of marketing makes people covert from content readers into brand customers.

4. Conversion is Key

The end goal for any strategy is conversion – and the same holds true for inbound marketing. If your audience isn’t converting into sales, then something needs to change. Find out what gets them to click the buy button, or to come into your store or office. Remember, consumers can be fickle. They may like videos today, and prefer something totally opposite tomorrow. You should constantly be paying attention to the results of every content marketing campaign.

5. Who is the Best Person to Handle Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing isn’t the job of one person, but of a team working together seamlessly to create a process that converts interested prospects into customers. From the content writer to the graphic artist, from the web developer to the sales guy responding to a “request a demo” form – everyone involved in the conversion process is a member of the team.

Inbound Marketing Centers Around Building Relationships

Each person involved in the creative process needs to understand what it takes to convert the prospect into a customer. It will take time to build trust, loyalty – and to make you their go-to business for your product or service. It’s a slow, subtle, but extremely effective method for bringing in sales for any business. And it usually results in not just a short-term score, but in long-term sales.

Are you ready to dominate inbound marketing in this digital world?

#InboundMarketing Points to Ponder by @WellsDianaK #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

What are your biggest inbound marketing success stories? We would love to hear them!

The post Inbound Marketing is Doable for Any Business, on Any Budget appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Mobile devices have captured the attention of any business that needs customers – in other words, all of them! Search engine algorithms have been changed to adapt to mobile users, apps are heavy on the mobile side, and social media platforms are favoring mobile friendly websites, too. But what does all this mean for the computer? Am I one of the few consumers still using this perhaps outdated machine? When it comes to businesses, websites, apps, and social media, has the computer finally moved into extinction? Let’s take a look and find out.

Four Reasons Mobile and Computers Must Co-Exist

#1 Consumers Seek Instant Gratification but That May Not Mean Mobile

Consumers of all types want to find the answer to any question immediately. However, immediate does not always mean mobile. For me, “immediate” means from whatever device I happen to be using at that moment, which would be either a computer or a mobile device. This means that businesses should have the information consumers will be seeking in an easy-to-find format for both the desktop version of the website as well as the mobile one. The computer is still being used regularly by consumers, not as often as on mobile devices, but still more than enough to remember that many searches may start out on a desktop, then move to a mobile device – and vice versa.

#2 Buying Habits

If you are like me, you have gotten into the habit of searching or researching everything before you make a decision. Even something as simple as where to eat lunch now involves a search of restaurants nearby, menus, reviews, and costs. Many of these searches are usually done with smartphones because they are handy and with us nearly everywhere. In fact, over 90% of adults do keep their smartphone close by, within arm’s reach.

And of course, there is online shopping! When I buy something from from Amazon and that package arrives at my door it feels like Christmas, and somehow seems even more fun than shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. However, it is interesting that even though I may first find an item on my mobile device, I normally wait until I get to my computer before actually placing the order. And according to various surveys, I am not alone. The reasons for this anomaly vary, but some proclaim that a computer “feels” more secure for inputting payment information, or that it is just plain easier to see and navigate through the final buying process on a computer than on mobile. Despite these factors, mobile is still the first place consumers look to find what they want.

If you represent a brick-and-mortar business the same is true for you but in reverse. Consumers deciding where to go for their needs and wants may start on the computer or mobile device to find you, but once in your store, many will be using mobile to compare item features and prices with your competitors. But how many actually check a mobile device when making in-store purchases? How about 82 percent! That is indeed most of us.

#3 Apps and the Seamless Experience

When it comes to apps, it seems like mobile apps are all that matter, and with around 73% of smartphone users placing their favorite app on the home screen, there’s a good argument for that. However, with consumers still using and making purchases via the desktop environment. Make sure your apps can interact with the browser. So consumers can make the switch between mobile and desktop seamlessly.

#4 Size Matters

I believe that the main factor that ensures the existence of the computer for the future is simply the size of the screen and in some cases, because of the speed. Watching the latest cat videos or your favorite music video is definitely better on the large screen. As mobile devices increase their screen sizes that may change, but for now, watching videos (especially a how-to) via the computer provides a better experience for the user.

Mobile is on the rise, that can’t be denied, but there are still benefits to consumers that use a computer in lieu of a mobile device. This means that businesses need to make sure they balance their focus on various devices in order to capture their audience’s full attention.

Today I feel that I will always use my computer at least as much as my mobile device, but in some circles, I may be considered to be a dinosaur myself.

Has #Mobile Usage made the computer extinct? by @WellsDianaK #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

What do you think? Has the computer reached the point of extinction for you?

The post Has the Mobile Revolution Brought the Computer to the Brink of Extinction? appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Yes, Rocks Digital is the conference you can’t afford to miss and there are many reasons why, but here are the top 5!

Top Reasons You Need to ROCK Digital this Summer

#1 Everyone Needs to ROCK

Who doesn’t love a good time that’s also jam-packed with education, inspiration, and a little intrigue? Rocks Digital brings all of this to you with keynote presentations from the top influencers in the industry. They will analyze the past, share about the present… and predict what’s coming in the future.

#2 You Can’t ROCK What You Don’t Know

The simple fact is you have to get out of the house, away from the desk, and get involved in the world of digital marketing to be successful at it. Whether you are a business owner, brand manager, marketing manager or CEO, how can you really implement, instruct, or approve digital strategies if you don’t understand what is happening, why it is happening, and the best methods to win.

#3 Texas ROCKS

(Image captured in a break-out session at a prior event! Are you in the crowd?)

The weather may be a bit warm and the sidewalks might be steamy in late June, but the temperature is nice and cool inside the conference center. The only steam rising there is coming off your fingertips from taking notes and tweeting, plus those wheel-spinning moments happening in your mind!

#4 The Party? That Rocks Too!

(Yes, these are highlights from last year’s concert! You ready?)

You can’t have a ROCKing conference without some fun. From our networking breaks to the Social Media Day Tweetup after-event, we do bring the fun. Last year attendees enjoyed a private concert from none other than Sir Earl Toon of Kool & the Gang. So, what fun will we bring this year? Well, that’s a secret for now… but it will be FUN because we know how to ROCK good times for sure.

#5 We ROCK Digital the Best

(Checkout who appeared at Rocks Digital in 2016!)

The conference was originally founded in 2012, so we have experience in ROCKING digital marketing. With our co-founders – Lissa Duty, known as the Online Social Coach and Bernadette Coleman, the Queen of Local SEO – we have the best and the brightest leading the charge for our annual conference. With all of their connections, both professional and personal, they know the “Who’s Who” of digital marketing and bring them, their knowledge, and their expertise to the conference each year.

Now that you know why you must attend Rocks Digital 2017, don’t keep it to yourself! Bring the whole team and receive a corporate discount for companies that register with more than 5 employees. Don’t miss this opportunity for yourself, or for an entire company – Register now!

Are you seeking even more perks and promotion? Attending Rocks Digital as a sponsor could meet your needs, offering visibility that extends beyond the conference for the rest of the year. Sponsorship opportunities from Logo to Platinum are ready for your inspection. There is limited availability for some levels of sponsorship to be a Rocks Digital Sponsor for 2017!

I’m Going to ROCK at the 2017 #RocksDigital #Marketing #Conference! Join me.
Click To Tweet

How many Rocks Digital Marketing Conferences have you attended, or will this be your first time? Share with us in the comments below and let’s connect!

The post We’re ROCKING Digital in Texas this Summer: Here’s Why You Need to ROCK with Us! appeared first on Rocks Digital.

When you search for anything online your eyes will most likely be led to those little stars telling you the kind of online reviews that a business has been given. It is an automatic response for most people when it comes to search and it applies to restaurants, airlines, products, services, and anything else you can imagine.

Online Reviews about Your Business Matter to Your Future Customers and to Your Future Success

If you don’t believe it, let’s look at some of the statistics listed in an infographic from WebsiteBuilder.org.

Do Customers Trust Online Reviews?

The facts don’t lie. No matter how fantastic you make your product’s description, most consumers are going to turn to reviews before making a buying decision. In fact, positive reviews will boost your sales by 18%. And, if you are looking for conversions, then look no further than user-generated content (UGC), which is customers talking about your products or services. UGC will up your conversion rate by 133%.

The Effect of Positive and Negative Online Reviews on Your Bottom Line

Every business wants those 5 stars after their name and there is a good reason to aim for that. Those little stars mean a lot of business for you. In fact, each star will increase your bottom line by up to 9%, and those positive reviews will also earn you trust and more clicks.

Negative reviews have a major impact as well because almost a quarter of consumers will not buy from a business that has just one negative review, and that number jumps as the number of negative reviews increases.

Thinking About Giving Your Business a Boost with Fake Online Reviews – Think Again!

The enormous impact of positive reviews can make the idea of creating fake reviews very tempting; however, if you give in to the temptation it will backfire on you. Review sites are always on the lookout for fake reviews and consumers are pretty good at picking them out too. A fake positive review can cause as much damage to a business’ reputation as a legitimate negative review.

Industries Most Affected by Online Reviews

Reviews affect some industries more than others, and those include:

• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Medical offices
• Hospitals
• Hair salons

No one wants a bad meal, hotel, hair or medical care, so consumers look to prior customers to find out what to expect.

Don’t Forget About Social Media Reviews

You should never forget about the power of social media when it comes to the reputation of your business. We have all seen both the horror stories and the positive experiences with businesses in our social media feed at some point.

It is interesting to note that over half of all consumers will use Facebook as a place to learn about a brand they are considering. It is also interesting that when a negative review has been placed on social media, a third of consumers deleted that negative review when the business responded. That sends a powerful message about your business and brand.

Positive #Reviews Bring #Success to Your #Business by @WellsDianaK #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

How do you ensure customers will give a positive review?

The post Online Reviews – Like it or Not, Your Business Success Depends on Them appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Each year at Rocks Digital we like to like to look back at the posts that got our readers talking the most. For our long-time readers, join us in revisiting the posts that you like the most. To our new readers, welcome! We know you will gain important insights that you can implement as part of your 2017 digital marketing plan.

Here’s the Rocks Digital Top 15

1. Relationships on LinkedIn Take More Than Just a Click

The Rocks Digital publisher and resident LinkedIn expert, Lissa Duty, shared best practices on how to accept invitations and follow up with your connections on LinkedIn. This post had the most traffic, which tells us that our readers are on LinkedIn and want to learn how to leverage it for marketing. Getting the full benefit of LinkedIn takes more than just clicking “accept” and adding one more to your connections list. As with most things in life it is about quality, not quantity. You must take the time to build a real relationship with your connections. Keep reading to learn how to build quality LinkedIn relationships.

2. Sell Those Domain Names You’ve Been Parking on in 7 Easy Steps

It is not uncommon for businesses to have some unused domain names in their possession, but the question may be what to do with them. Domain names are virtual real estate and there is always someone looking for a better location – which may be the domain you are not using. By using the 7 steps outlined by Bill Hartzer you can get rid of extra domain names and create some extra income at the same time. Just click to read more.

3. It is Time to AMP Your Website!

Did you learn about AMP when it came on the scene in early 2016? If not, then this informative interview of Beth Kahlich by Laurie Shook will tell you everything you need to know to get started. Learn what AMP is, how it works, and why it matters to you and your website when you read about it here.

Congrats @LissaDuty, @BHartzer and @BethKahlich on Making the #RocksDigital Top 15 #Website #SEO
Click To Tweet

4. Improve Visibility on Google with These Local Search and SEO Hacks

Google is always adjusting and making changes to its algorithms to make searches more detailed and specific. A recent change in the last year meant the 6-pack was reduced to just 3 and visibility became a little more challenging. Bernadette Coleman helps businesses meet that challenge and stay visible with her list of local search and SEO hacks. To find out what they are, click here.

5. Get More Done with the Best Marketing Automation Tools

Ruth Cole shared the latest tools that help businesses become more effective with the time spent on marketing. These tools help with everything from templates for landing pages, SEO tools, to auto-schedulers for social media posts. Keep reading to find out which tools she recommends and how easy it can be to automate your marketing.

6. How To: Link Building Right with Tactical SEO

Link building needs to be strategic and thoughtful. Gareth Simpson walks us through the tactical SEO that you can achieve by building the right links. You will learn what the skyscraper technique is and how to get it, how blog commenting and writing guest blogs can build effective links, and about links from citations and directories. Learn about all this and more when you continue reading.

Congrats @BernieColeman, @SimpsonGareth and @GlasshatTech on Making the #RocksDigital Top 15 #SEO
Click To Tweet

7. RSS Feeds – Why Your Social Media Needs Them

When you RSS feed content to your social media channels you are able to share your content quickly and easily to multiple channels all at one time. It is also a way to set yourself up as a valuable resource in your niche market. If you have never utilized RSS feeds, Lissa Duty shows you how quick and easy it is to set them up on your social media sites. Read on to learn more and learn how to set them up!

8. Artificial Intelligence – Is it Taking Over Marketing?

When you were a kid did you dream of flying cars and pushing a button to have a full gourmet meal pop out of a box in a matter of seconds, just like on the cartoon show “The Jetsons”? While flying cars aren’t here just yet, artificial intelligence is taking over many tasks humans used to do for themselves via somewhat simple things like auto-correct, as well as more futuristic things like Siri and Echo. But what does AI mean for the future of marketing? How many marketing jobs done by humans will soon be taken over by AI? Laura Darkstar shares her predictions and views in this thought provoking article. Read more to see where AI is heading.

9. Are You Doing Customer Service Right on Social Media?

Social media has created a space where customers can say whatever they want (good and bad) about a business, and their network of friends, family, and business connections will see it. This means a business’s response to reviews and comments made about them on social media can make or break their reputation. Continue reading this article to learn the right way to respond and create customers for life, from Veleisa Burrell.

Congrats @LauraDarkstar and @veleisap on Making the #RocksDigital Top 15 #SocialMedia #Marketing
Click To Tweet

10. Your Business is not a Game but Gamification Definitely Applies

We may not all be on an Xbox every spare minute or chasing Pokémon, however, I bet at some point in time you have played a game on your phone while waiting on a client or at a doctor’s appointment. It has become so common that gamification is an important marketing tactic to employ for your business. Caz Gaddis breaks it down and explains how to incorporate it in various marketing plans by using Yu-kai Chou’s 8 Core Drives of Gamification. Continue reading to learn more.

11. Is Your Email Marketing Campaign Working?

When you send out an email marketing campaign you want it to work, but sometimes it is hard to tell if it is working or not. In this article, Thea Millard gives you 5 simple ways to tell when your email campaign is not working so you can take steps to adjust it. Want to know these 5 steps? Just click here.

12. Knowing How to Sell to the Right Person is Sales Strategy 101

John Carroll shares his sales expertise and what to do – and what not to do – when you are selling to the decision makers. It is important to think like them and put yourself in their place. What problem do they need you to solve? It is also important that you do your homework and then follow up consistently. For more tips read the full article here.

Congrats @CazGaddis, @Thea_Millard and @TresCoach on Making the #RocksDigital Top 15 #Business
Click To Tweet

13. Dlvr.it Easy to Social Media with RSS Feeds

RSS feeds were a popular topic in 2016 and this post proves it with a “How to” on the RSS Feed tool dlvr.it. Lissa Duty comes to the RSS feed rescue again and breaks down how to get started using dlvr.it. The step-by-step instructions she shares (along with numerous screenshots) will help even the technologically challenged get their RSS feeds running through dlvr.it in no time. Continue reading to learn how to get your social media automated today.

14. How to Get Your Audience to Show Up for Your Live Streaming Event

No one wants to start live streaming without an audience. Making sure you have that audience requires planning and preparation. Patty Farmer shares 7 ways to make sure people show up for your next live streaming event. Be sure to read this post before your next live stream!

15. Make Sure Your Website is Effective with CTAs

A Call to Action (CTA) is a phrase that is frequently used in marketing and sales. A CTA is that statement that takes people from thinking about doing something to actually doing it. It is also a critical part of an effective website. Harley Rubin gives you some actionable steps you can take to make sure your website is making your visitors click the “buy” button. Click now to learn more! (Yes, that is a CTA!)

Congrats @PattyFarmer and @HDRubin on Making the #RocksDigital Top 15 #Business #Marketing
Click To Tweet

These posts are just a taste of the need-to-know info featured on Rocks Digital in 2016.

You can access the blog archives by category or search in the sidebar. We have something on almost every topic you might want to learn about.

• Local Search and SEO
• Social Media
• Mobile and Web
• Branding and Marketing
• Business Development

Our articles are written by talented and knowledgeable contributors that we appreciate every day! Meet some of them here. And be sure to keep up with all the posts in 2017 by subscribing to our digital digest!

Here’s to a happy and profitable new year!

The #RocksDigital Top 15 by @WellsDianaK #SEO #DigitalMarketing #SocialMedia & More
Click To Tweet

Do you have a favorite Rocks Digital post from 2016 that wasn’t on this list? Share the link below and tell us why it was your favorite.

Save

Save

The post We ROCKED Digital in 2016: Here’s the Highlights with This Top 15 appeared first on Rocks Digital.