What Mobile Devices Does Your Target Audience Prefer?

When appealing to your target audience with digital marketing, it matters to recognize which devices they tend to use the most. Between Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers, the three largest demographics of consumers, are into tech and use it… a lot.

Smartphones
Smartphones are the biggest players in the digital marketing world. When it comes to effective online advertising, SEO, web design, and social media marketing, much of the efforts revolve around smartphones.

The biggest players here are none other than iPhone and Android. Android wins with Millennials by one percent; 54 percent of Millennials prefer to use Android, while 53 percent of Millennials love their iPhones.

For Generation X, Android wins by a large percentage here; 55 percent of this generation likes Android while only 38 percent of their fellow Xers like iPhone.

As for Baby Boomers, they have the largest winning percentage for Android at 50 percent; only 24 percent of them like iPhone.

What about the other people not accounted for? Well 20 percent of Millennials prefer Windows Phone and five percent like other smartphones. Nine percent of Xers like Windows and six percent like other smartphones. Finally, eight percent of Boomers like Windows, while 8 percent like other smartphones.

Tablets
iPads have a very nice grip on Millennials over Android tablets; 33 percent of Millennials prefer to use iPads vs. 20 percent of their peers who choose Android tablets.

For Generation X, the iPad loses just slightly to Android; 28 percent of Xers like to use iPads and 31 percent use Android.

Baby Boomers like Android tablets much more than iPads; 37 percent of them use Android tablets over 21 percent use iPads.

Does your business need help understanding its target audience? Does your business need help figuring out who that target audience is? Then email Integraphix - a Chicago marketing agency with over 25 years of experience in marketing.

3 Myths About Marketing That Are Costing You Sales

Myths are everywhere. They even exist in marketing. Some myths are 100 percent made up, while others were once rooted in truth. Regardless of their origins, if a myth is no longer valid, it can be harming your business.

Here are three myths about marketing that can be harming your bottom-line.

1. Not understand how in-person sales work. When doing sales in-person, or at all, really, you need to establish a connection. However, not every company has realized just how mIn the past, salespeople were the gatekeepers of information for companies; consumers could not research a product or service and obtain the info they needed without talking to a salesman. However, with the internet, people can find any info they want, whenever they want.
uch technology has changed that aspect of sales.

Don't get us wrong, salespeople are still very, very important to the success of a company. It is just that their purpose has shifted a little. Now, salespeople are who consumers call when they need answers beyond what they've found online. Today, salespeople need to be great at developing relationships, creating trust, and being able to key in on consumer needs.

2. Believing that the more communication, the better. Just like everything in life, moderation is key; yes, you want communication but too much can be overwhelming for consumers, sometimes. Due to the rise in popularity of things like blogs and social media, companies can publish so much more information than ever before.

You want good, reliable content for your clients and customers but you don't want to say too much, otherwise they get overwhelmed and a boomerang effect occurs. If it is not relevant and helpful information, then you don't need to publish it.

3. Not utilizing a marketing mix. Having great content marketing is essential for business in 2015 but it really only works if people know to look for your products or services. If you create a marketing mix, you can create a beautiful blend of content creation and great branding. This will drive demand for your products and services.

Unfortunately, too many companies want that "silver bullet" or "magic potion" that will fix everything in one go. This results in those companies ditching the marketing mix.

Do you know of any marketing myths that companies still believe in? Let us know! Email Integraphix - a Chicago marketing company.

20 Tips on How to Write Emails that Get Opened, Read, and Shared for Email Marketing

Email marketing doesn't have to be a waste for your business, it can be an asset. If done correctly. Here are 20 quick and easy tips about how to improve your email marketing. Let's dive in.

1. Make it personal. Don't write as if you are writing to several hundred or even thousands of people; write as if you are writing to one person. 
2. Make it count. Only email when you have something valuable to share. 
3. Be trustworthy. People should know what to expect from your emails and be able to trust the info inside it. 
4. Don't be creepy or weird. Use some personalization but don't use too much information or say things that could be taken as awkward. 
5. Make it rewarding. Give people a reason of benefit when they read your emails. The reader should feel some benefit of your emails. 
6. Give an incentive. Promise something good to readers. Let them know your email has something that will improve their lives. 
7. Use numbers. Specifically, digits. Such as the title of our blog post. It stops wandering eyes and intrigues people. 
8. Pique their curiosity. Use words that draw interest and make people say, "Hmm?" But don't use clickbait. 
9. Don't always go for clever. Not everyone understand clever things and people have different senses of humor; if you are unsure about using a clever remark or not, especially in the subject line, go for simple, instead. 
10. Study up. See what great email campaigns look like and model after them. 
11. Don't use pointless language. Sure, throw in some stats and facts in the emails but don't be unnecessary about it and say meaningless things. 
12. Try new things. Don't always send the same email. Change things up now and then. Of course, stay within your branding. 
13. Write quickly. This actually encourages you to write enthusiastically and readers will read it enthusiastically. 
14. Short & sweet. Shorter emails are going to be read by more people and are likely to be shared. Concise emails that give the good info are emails worth sending. 
15. Ask questions. Ask your readers questions to generate interest and conversation. You like conversation, right? 
16. Use pronouns like "you". It adds that personal touch. 
17. Be natural. Don't use rigid tones and words, be natural and type the way you would naturally speak. 
18. Don't be dull. Who likes reading something that puts them to sleep? No one, that's who. 
19. Talk about the benefits of your product or service. It is very likely that your product or service won't sell itself; highlight the reasons why your readers should care and how it improves lives. 
20. Know how to write. Need it be said? Surprisingly, yes. 

Email marketing can be a real asset for your business. Does your business need help improving its email marketing? Then email Integraphix, a Chicago marketing company with over 25 years of marketing experience, including email. 

Meerkat vs. Periscope. Which is Better?

So over the past month, we have all been hearing about Meerkat. Meerkat this! Meerkat that! Then two weeks ago, Twitter-owned Periscope made a splash onto the live-streaming app scene. In that very short amount of time, Meerkat has seen its success take a huge hit. Meerkat was inching closer to breaking into the top 100 downloaded apps from the App Store but once Periscope came out, it plummeted to the 500s and Periscope is in the top 10.

Both apps allow users to live-stream what they are seeing. Both apps post to a user's followers within the app and connect to a user's Twitter account. Both allow for viewers to leave comments and interact.

However, the question is still very much in the air, "Which app is better?"

Well, there is some serious evidence that Periscope is already winning the war. One of the differences is that with Meerkat, you only see video streams from people you follow on there; with Periscope, you can also see streams from anyone via the People button, whether you follow them or not. Don't worry, it doesn't get overwhelming or annoying. It's quite nice, actually.

For more reasons, it seems that Periscope is the winner between the two apps. Here are some reasons why, according to our Chicago marketing company team.

• The User Interface. Once you launch the app, you can immediately see three "featured" videos. From there, you can also see a list of videos from people you follow and via the People button, you can see videos from people you don't follow. You can add more people to your list of those you follow, too. 
• On Meerkat, when you launch the app, if there is no one streaming, then you can't watch any streams. The only thing you can do is start your own stream or schedule a stream. Well, there is one thing you can also do, you can see who the most popular streamers are. That's it. 
• The GPS location. If you so choose, you can enable GPS to connect with your Periscope streams. People can also see which direction you're pointing in the stream, too. While some may feel this is TMI, it can be cool. Don't want you location to be known? Don't enable the GPS. 
• Meerkat doesn't have GPS. 
• You can do private broadcasts. On Periscope, you can choose to only have certain people see your broadcast, instead of everyone who follows you on the app (and Twitter). So, if you want to have a live-stream that only your friends and/or family can see, you can do that. 
• On Meerkat, everyone that follows you can see every stream you do. 
• You can save streams. For a period of 24 hours, your streams can be saved on Periscope for people to view after your stream ends; viewers can't interact or comment but they can still view it. After the 24 hour period, your saved stream disappears. 
• You can't actually save your streams on Meerkat. You can "save" them by saving them to your camera roll. Also, if you use the #Katch hashtag, then you can publish your stream to YouTube. Both are viable options but are difficult and not actually saving your stream for later viewership like with Periscope. 

So it seems that Periscope is definitely winning the battle between the two apps. Decide for yourself. For more comments, email Integraphix, a Chicago digital marketing agency and chat with us! 

10 Great Blogging Tips for Beginners

As a Chicago marketing company, we frequently get questions about how to blog or when we recommend to clients they should start blogging, they say, "I have no idea how to do that." And comments of the like. There is a lot to know about blogging but there are some basics that can get you into a blogging-ready state. This blog is courtesy of our marketing copywriting team.

Write about something you love
Pick a theme or core topic idea that will be the generator of your content; each blog post will surround this topic. What is your blog about? Is it about cooking? What about pets? Or maybe it's about woodworking? Just make sure your blog has an overall theme that filters every blog topic and that this overall theme is you. Why does a central theme matter? We'll, if your blog is all over the place, then readers won't know what they will find on your blog, which overwhelms and confuses people and they will likely not come back to your blog.

Obviously, our Chicago marketing agency always has blogs that filter out of our love for marketing; we write about advertising, copywriting, marketing trends and news, etc.

If you are writing your blog for your business, then your overall theme is sort of decided for you. Make sure you stick to that and write topics that work within that theme. If your business is about hardwood flooring, then write under than umbrella.

Remember, this topic has to fuel you enough for you to be motivated to write about it a few times a week, if not several times a week.

Do something different
Chances are that your blog is not the only blog that will talk about that particular theme. If your blog is about cooking, then do something that will help your blog stand out, like "meals that can be made in 30 minutes or less" or "meals for people on a sugar-less diet". This can help you really stand out and find some very dedicated readers.

You can also do things like reader submissions. For example, if you are doing that cooking blog, maybe encourage your readers to send in their own recipes and discuss them on your blog; you can even take this a step further and have them submit recipes for a specific dish & then you pick a winner! Maybe that dish is "Best gluten free baked ziti!"

Be conversational 
Write the way you talk. Now, if you talk with a lot of slang, incorrect grammar, etc. then step it up a bit but still remain conversational. This is something the copywriting team at our Chicago creative marketing agency tries to do. You can still be professional and an authority in your industry even if you write blogs that carry a conversational tone instead of formal, stiff, and jargon-stuffed. In fact, one could argue that the conversational yet professional blog is a better sign of an expert; when you truly understand something, you can explain it to anyone, even someone who knows nothing about the topic.

When you write with a conversational tone, it is much easier to let your personality shine through, which is what will attract readers and help them connect with you.

As we mentioned, be watchful for your grammar; people can be forgiving if you use a comma where you use a semicolon but if you misuse "they're" "there" and "their" or even "you're" and "your" then you will catch flack for that.

Have great content
Write about things that people will find interesting. "How do I know if other people will find it interesting?" You ask. Well, is the content obvious? Or does it have tips and info in it that many people do not know?

Think about this, if you were to write a blog about, "5 Games for Teachers to Play with Students at Recess" and then write about hopscotch, swings, tag, man on sand, and football, then people will be bored. Take it up a notch! Do games that are more fun, less known, or invent some games!

Use good images 
Every blog needs to have images. This is a big mistake our copywriters see with other blogs: no images. Or bad images. If you are not good with photography, take a night class and step it up. Also, you can use things like Canva and create cool graphics for your posts, also use stock photos (but watch out for the blatantly cheesy ones).

Don't post blogs without an image. Blog posts with an image get more readers and shares than posts without them; they can have a chance of being shared by as much as 7x more.

Use formatting
The formatting of your posts should be a big concern. Now, you can have text positioned to the left or centered but our writers like posts with copy to the left. When you write with centered text, it can look like poetry.

Use headers and bold them. Also, bold important words and phrases that you want the reader to see.

Research
Make sure to study up on bigger blogs; see what they are writing about, how they write, what images they use. Take notes. Look at what you like about the blogs and what you don't like about the blogs. If you see some big blogs and get discouraged about how your blog can ever be that good, don't quit, keep going! Your blog will improve. Remember, not every blog starts out as a masterpiece.

Also, research the topic you're writing about. While you will surely know info about the topic you're writing about, some research can help you find out new bits of information and some cool statistics.

Fake it til ya make it
Lie? No. But be confident! If you sound like you are an expert in your field, people will buy it and they will trust you. Don't give out false info because you think it's right but carry yourself (in your blog) with some chutzpah!

Do good things! 
There are a lot of bad blogs on the internet and not just ones that have bad spelling/formatting. There are lots of bad blogs because they are just so the person can complain and rant. You will stumble upon these blogs when searching for good ones to model after, don't fall prey to these blogs! Yes, some of them have lots of followers, that is not a sign of a good blog.

Make some friends
This can be a toughy but is definitely worth it. When someone talks to you and leaves comments, then respond to them! They will appreciate it when you respond and be impressed if you do, too.

Does your blog need some help? Do you need help getting one started? Then email Integraphix and see how our Chicago copywriting team can help your business get a good blog!

7 Trends That Will Change Content Marketing

Well, we are a few months into 2015 and we have already been seeing some wonderful trends in the content marketing world. There are 7 trends that our Chicago marketing company has observed and can't wait to see how they affect things.

1. Live marketing. Remember during the Super Bowl in 2013 when the stadium went dark and all those brands posted tweets and posts about it and creatively tied their brand into it all? That is a wonderful example of live marketing. Brands have done it with many other events and situations and it is wonderful. Our social media marketing team and other social media teams around the country see it, too. Consumers certainly have a field day with it, seeing how brands can work pop culture. Of course, this can be a slippery slope; if brands fail to see something is a "touchy" subject/one of controversy, then they can be bit, hard. 
2. Participation marketing. This is a two-fold structure; the first part is when brands invite their audience to help create the content- crowdsourcing, the second part is engagement. Some brands have allowed their fans/followers to "unlock" certain perks, deals, etc. when they retweeted certain tweets. This drives engagement from their audience and gets people talking. Many brands use hashtags on social media to filter conversations and drive awareness. This is a big trend in digital marketing. 
3. Personalized content marketing. As the way to create and deliver more personalized content becomes more mainstream/easier, we will see more brands doing this. It helps build customer relationships and makes consumers feel more loved, which makes them more brand loyal. For example, Travelocity has posted ads of their mascot holding a sign with a traveler's name and it linked to their favorite destination. 
4. Social media and video stars become assets. Brands all over the world are starting to use stars from YouTube, Vine, and other social media. Stars like Michelle Phan and Bethany Mota are getting endorsement deals from various companies (though, not together); Vine stars Robby Ayala and Zach King have been featured in a TV ad for HP. They connect well with Millennials and so their influence is heavy with a demographic many marketers have trouble with. 
5. Videos will be more about the message and less about the time length. We have seen a big swing in trends with video. In the past, a big emphasis was put on how long a video was; however, with the success of Instagram video and Vine, we now see it's okay to have very brief video formats. Consumers like videos as short as 6 seconds and as long as 7 minutes, as long as the content is worth it, it is great to watch. YouTube for business and social media for business are two, awesome formats for businesses to use. 
6. Content will be curated live & via signals. What people are talking about on social media, from what they are doing, what they are thinking, etc. can be used by brands to create content that matches the messages. Budweiser had a hashtag #FriendsAreWaiting to promote responsible drinking and connected with Twitter users who were talking about drinking, going to bars, and partying. 
7. Content will be aimed at conversion. No more content that is purely informational and aimed at one, niche area. Content will start to be connected to many parts of the purchase funnel. Content will be used to drive sales and also build brand awareness; this is a trend in web design, too. 

There are many more amazing trends on the horizon. Is your brand eager to connect with more consumers and in a more meaningful way? Then email Integraphix about improving your creative marketing efforts. 

Which Music Streaming Services Attracts the Most Millennials?

Appealing and drawing in consumers can be a tough gig for services for music streaming sites; music streaming services are abundant and it can be hard to know which one is the most successful, especially when you consider demographics such as millennials. This demographic is famous for its purchase power, influence, ability to change their minds, and adaptability. That's what makes this demographic so wonderful, yet challenging, for marketing agencies to market to, including our Chicago marketing company.

Pay attention, brands, as this information is pertinent knowledge if you plan on airing radio advertisements, or any digital advertisements that have to do with music, really. 

Pandora Radio is the winner of the major music streaming services: Pandora, Spotify, iTunes Radio, iHeartRadio, and Beats Music. Pandora Radio has a total of 250 million users listening every month, the second place finishers is Spotify, with 60 million users. iTunes, iHeart, and Beats all finish behind Pandora and Spotify.

When it comes to Millennials, Pandora has 34.6 million of this demographic tuning in. Spotify has a far distant market share of 15.8 million Millennials, iHeart Radio has 9.6 million, iTunes Radio has 8.6 million, and Beats Music has a low 3.0 million.

This means that brands that are considering internet radio ads as a way to appeal to Millennials, they need to air on Pandora and even Spotify. However, if budgets restrain airing ads on one of the services, the data points to which one is the better choice. As a Chicago internet marketing agency, we have indeed seen great ROI for many brands that air Millennial-targeted ads on Pandora.

In addition to knowing where the target market is, it is important to know the purchase consideration within the services from the consumers; these numbers indicate the purchase consideration for both the music aired and the services/products featured in ads.

• Pandora - 41% of listeners
• Spotify- 15.3%
• iHeart - 12%
• iTunes - 15%
• Beats - 1.5%

Is your business considering airing ads over music streaming services? Then email Integraphix - a Chicago creative marketing company - and see how our creative teams can help your business appeal to your target market!