You know the saying about taking a walk in another person’s shoes? If you’re in the business of providing health insurance plans, your marketing efforts need to start by donning more than just a new pair of shoes. To really understand how people find their way to your company, and also understand their experience once they’re there, you need a … Read More
Google Ads Updates 2020
We wanted to take a moment to share noteworthy 2020 updates, beta programs, and features you may have missed from 2019 within the Google Ads platform, specifically for paid search and display, that might affect the way you achieve your marketing goals. Lead Form Extensions Are Still in Beta and Have Some Critical Limitations This feature was rolled out in … Read More
Storytelling in Health Insurance Marketing: Three Ways to Boost Brand Awareness
The Proven Power of Authentic Storytelling Health insurance marketing teams certainly have their work cut out for them during open enrollment. They face wild competition and market fluctuations while trying to reach, educate, and convert during a short three-month period. To truly have an impact during open enrollment, health insurance companies can employ a strategy anchored on authentic storytelling that … Read More
Five Things Your Marketing Team Can Do Now to Best Prepare for the Post-Pandemic Economy
Since early March 2020, much of American enterprise has been at a near-standstill. While there is no on-off switch to the national economy, there is an indication that the “dimmer” is slowly moving its way to “on,” with governors in several states laying out plans for a phased lifting of restrictions based on the guidance of their health officials. We … Read More
Three Ways to Maximize Brand Awareness During a Recession
The Digital Marketing landscape is rapidly changing under the economic pressure of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Agencies and Brands have needed to be agile to stay ahead of shifts and trends that could have a significant impact on client goals. From our work to help some of the leading health, wellness, and lifestyle brands across the country navigate these uncertain times, … Read More
Does Your Business Need Facebook Brand Lift?
Likes feel great, but are they good for the bottom line? While likes and shares are usually guaranteed to boost your mood, it’s difficult to gauge whether those types of social media engagement are boosting sales. Enter Facebook Brand Lift, which reports on metrics such as brand awareness and ad recall in an effort to cut through the clutter and … Read More
Integrating Billboard Advertising with Digital-First Marketing Campaigns
Billboards may be one of the oldest forms of advertising, but their time in the sun is far from over. With brands facing increasingly fierce competition for eyeballs on desktop and mobile screens, there’s a case for integrating Out of Home (OOH) advertising with digital marketing campaigns now more than ever. Rohan Oza, arguably one of the most successful modern … Read More
Health, Wellness, and Lifestyle Marketing for 2020 and Beyond
Rise above the silos to craft winning strategies It wasn’t too long ago that the healthcare, wellness, and lifestyle industries were viewed as mostly siloed spaces without much crossover. Now that narrative has shifted, and the consumers expect the integration of health, wellness, and lifestyle as they seek a more holistic view of wellbeing. For those in health, wellness, and … Read More
5 Things Social Media Managers Should Look for in a Planning Tool
Pick a tool, any tool One of my tasks as Director of Earned/Owned media at Parallel Path is to oversee social media scheduling for our clients. Juggling a number of accounts across different editorial calendars is never straightforward, but I’ve discovered a few efficiencies and tools that help make my job that much easier – and my clients’ social engagement … Read More
What I Learned From Baked Beans
Many years ago, the agency I was working for at the time got invited to a new business pitch from Bush’s Baked Beans (of Duke the dog fame). It was a great opportunity for us, but it was highly competitive. My team and I had been through this drill many times before, so we girded ourselves for the typical pitch … Read More
More Consumers Are Cutting the Cord on Cable. What Does it Mean for Your Brand?
Each year, more and more people opt out of traditional TV services like cable and satellite. As Fortune.com reported, “After companies from cable giant Comcast to satellite TV titan AT&T, which owns DirecTV, reported their fourth quarter results, the total number of pay TV subscribers dropped 3.4% from a year earlier, the highest rate of decline since the trend of … Read More
Digital Marketing, Millennials, and Your Brand
Key Strategies to Use When Marketing to Millennials Millennials (aka people born between 1981 and 1996) are a unique generation. When compared to earlier and later generations, reaching them through digital marketing is an entirely different ballgame. They demand authenticity, they’re quick and efficient online researchers, they operate with skepticism, and they’re keenly aware of traditional marketing tricks and … Read More
CMOs: You Probably Don’t Need Most of Your In-house Staff
Your In-House Digital Marketing Staff Can Hold Back Your Campaign While it may seem logical to hire an in-house team for your digital marketing efforts; most CMOs are surprised and disappointed when confronted with the ongoing time and expense it takes to recruit and maintain a successful department. What’s more, once their interests are tethered to in-house staffs, CMOs … Read More
Marketing Isn’t Buying Tools
Successful Marketing Is About Strategy, Not Just Tools These days, there’s a lot of buzz about marketing automation software and other technologies that seem a little too good to be true. If you read half the blog posts about modern marketing tools, you’d start to believe you can magically solve your challenges by paying X amount of dollars for … Read More
What Successful CMOs Want in Their Marketing Agencies?
When it comes to selecting a marketing agency, successful CMOs want partners – not vendors. This means more than just having expertise with all modern digital marketing channels; it means providing a tailored, results-oriented commitment to a client’s objectives. What Do CMOs Really Want? If you ask elite CMOs what their dream digital agency would look like, most would describe … Read More
There Are No Digital Marketing Experts
In the digital marketing world, there is no shortage of consultants, agencies and prospective employees who can dazzle you with best practices and channel-specific expertise. In reality, however, most of these so-called experts are largely operating from the same knowledge base. So what should you look for in an agency? One comprised of savvy marketers who incorporate tried-and-true principles that … Read More
Digital Authenticity: What Does it Mean? And, Why Is it Important?
Successful marketing campaigns are about creating connections that promote action and positive word of mouth. To effectively engage modern consumers, businesses need to establish trust by taking a consistent, authentic approach to their digital marketing efforts. What Is Digital Authenticity? From a digital marketer’s perspective, authenticity means being original and genuine, while maintaining a consistent voice, perspective and image throughout … Read More
Your Brand Needs Help. Can You Get Away With A Brand Refresh?
How long has it been since your company really looked at its brand and brand positioning? If not recently, it’s probably about time. With rapidly changing competitive landscapes, it’s critical to be properly branded and positioned relative to your competition. But do you need to start over completely or simply rejuvenate your existing brand identify? A Rebrand or a Refresh? … Read More
How Digital Agencies Have Evolved into Marketing Agencies
These days, the best digital marketing agencies have embraced the fact that “digital” is such a huge part of marketing that the term “digital marketing” is almost redundant. As they recognize the need for integrated, multi-channel marketing campaigns that require diverse expertise, clients are demanding more. And if they aren’t they should be. From Digital to Full-service Just 15 years … Read More
If KOLs Aren’t Part of Your Marketing Strategy, You Need To Read This
Although it’s not really a new concept, Key Opinion Leader (KOL) marketing is gaining importance in today’s information-saturated digital world, where more and more consumers rely on endorsements to help filter through the endless avalanche of content before making buying decisions. If you aren’t targeting key opinion leaders with your marketing campaign, here’s why you should. Why They Matter In … Read More