What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art and science of enhancing a website’s visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results. This is achieved through a combination of on-page and off-page strategies.

Key Components of SEO:

• Keyword Research: Identifying and targeting specific search terms that your audience uses.
• On-Page SEO: Ensuring that your website’s content, meta tags, URL structure, and more are optimized for relevant keywords.
• Off-Page SEO: Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites and managing a clean link profile.
• Technical SEO: Optimizing the backend of your website, such as site speed, mobile optimization, and schema markup.

Benefits of SEO:

• Sustainable long-term growth
• Cost-effective in comparison to paid strategies
• Builds trust and credibility

What is SEM?

Search Engine Marketing (SEM), on the other hand, encompasses a broader scope than SEO. It involves promoting websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) primarily through paid advertising.

Key Components of SEM:

• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Ads that appear at the top or bottom of SERPs. You pay only when someone clicks on your ad.
• Display Ads: Visual ads that appear on partner websites.
• Retargeting/Remarketing: Ads targeted towards users who have previously interacted with your website or brand.
• Keyword Bidding: Competing with other businesses for ad placements based on keyword searches.

Benefits of SEM:

• Immediate visibility in SERPs
• Precise targeting options
• Performance is easily measurable

SEO vs. SEM: Which is Right for Your Business?

1. Budget Considerations: SEO requires a long-term approach and patience for substantial ROI. SEM, while requiring a budget for ad spend, offers quick returns.
2. Competitive Markets: In highly competitive niches, SEM can provide a foothold, while SEO can be more challenging.
3. Brand Awareness vs. Quick Conversions: SEO builds brand trust and organic credibility over time. SEM offers immediate visibility and quick conversions.

SEO and SEM in Harmony

Rather than viewing SEO and SEM as competing strategies, the most effective digital campaigns often combine both. SEO lays a strong foundation of organic visibility and trust, while SEM offers immediate results and targets niche audiences. By understanding the unique strengths of each and integrating them effectively, businesses can optimize their online presence and achieve sustainable growth.

Looking to Navigate the SEO vs. SEM Battlefield? Don’t go it alone. With our team by your side, you’re equipped with the expertise & resources to dominate both arenas. Let us optimize your journey to online success, call us today at 904-355-1766, or contact us at support@madmenmarketinginc.com!

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Costing anywhere from $10 million to $13 million in production cost on an annual basis, families have a tradition of remaining glued to the TV as they watch wondrous floats followed by dizzying dancers and famous musical artists take spotlight after spotlight.

However, up until this year — when Peacock officially grabbed at the opportunity to be the one and only streaming platform to feature the parade — the event only aired on broadcast television, leaving marketers wondering whether it was worth the cost of sponsorship in a world that has been increasingly concerned with digital consumerism.

Our take on it? Absolutely, it still pays off. Here’s what to keep in mind:

The “Why”

Let’s face it: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is here to stay.

Most would agree that simply partaking in the parade is an honor, offering companies the opportunity to showcase their commitment to American ideals and unity. And what better way to boost your brand reputation than to contribute to a national sense of holiday joy?

But warm and fuzzy sentiments aside, the reason a company might choose to participate as a sponsor of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is simple: for the sheer amount of views they’ll amass.

This year, “NBC’s coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade drew a total of 25.4 million total viewers and a 6.4 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic on Thursday across the live broadcast and encore immediately after,” according to Deadline.

What’s more, with holiday shopping on the horizon for most households, even an ephemeral appearance of your brand’s logo on a float may be all it takes to plant a spending seed in the mind of your potential customers.

The “How Much”

As large companies generate considerable returns on their investment following the Thanksgiving Day Parade, it makes sense that many would clamor to purchase ad space while the renowned parade airs live.

“In 2019, the network generated an estimated $49.2 million in ad revenue from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, while The National Dog Show brought in $11.7 million and the prime-time NFL game … yielded $72.1 million,” as reported by AdWeek. “That’s close to $133 million in ad revenue for the three events.”

And comparing that to the aforementioned $13 million production price tag? Well, yeah, let’s just say that’s not bad at all.

That being said, for those looking to skip the traditional commercial ads and actually be recognized in one of the nation’s most beloved and non-controversial events of all time, businesses may also opt to sponsor the balloons themselves.

In fact, according to CBS News, brand new parade balloons cost sponsors approximately $200,000 each, or nearly $90,000 should they sponsor a returning balloon.

The Bottom Line

Okay, so maybe your business isn’t quite ready to tackle the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hold onto it as a big audacious goal of your own.

And if you’re ready to embark upon the journey that will carry you into the right direction of growth, Mad Men Marketing can help you get there!

After all, here at Mad Men Marketing, we are rooted in the belief that brands should interact with their customers, not interrupt them. And what better way to grow than to have measurable goals and research experts at your fingertips? From traditional marketing expertise to digital strategy, social media engagement and more, our team is ready and waiting to reach new heights of gratitude and success.

So, if you’re ready to learn more, contact Mad Men Marketing today by calling (904) 355-1766!

The post Parsing Through the Costs of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

I think everyone knows what streaming TV is, but in the very basic terms, it is the digital distribution of any video content that is consumed on TV screens. Some popular platforms are Disney+, Netflix, Prime and for this article, Hulu.

I am focusing on Hulu because they are the first service to offer local insertions in their programming. This is huge for local advertisers! According to Nielsen, adults 18-34 traditional TV ratings have declined 69% since 2017. So in 4 short years, 70% of adults under 35 years of age, are no longer watching traditional, local news station content over the air, or through traditional cable service providers. I for one have been a huge fan of “Only Murders in the Building” on Hulu, and when a platform has successful content such as this, it increases usage in large numbers. As an example, I am now watching the Hulu platform almost daily at some point, whereas before the show, I did not.

So why is this important? Because like me, Hulu viewership is up in a big way.  As Hulu puts it, we are starting to see GENERATION STREAM come to maturity and they consume their content almost exclusively on a streaming service. In fact, Hulu’s research points that ads on their platforms are 151% more engaging than linear TV. There are many reasons for this, but their limited content breaks and non-traditional approach to breaks in general, makes for a better user experience.

The new Hulu self-service option to buying and inserting ads locally in their programming, for as little as $500, is something I hope local companies will take advantage of!

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At the end of the day, the name of the game is value, and what you can bring to the table will ultimately determine your level of success.  Offering a superior value guarantees satisfaction which earns loyalty (Day, 1994).  Marketing in contemporary America now favors the cultivation of relationships, proving once and for all that it is, and always has been, all about the people.

The post Marketing Evolved appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

Fortunately, Mad Men Marketing is ahead of the curve.  Not only did we become the first in our market to begin using Rentrak, (a wonderful little tool that lets us target the appropriate media buy to your target audience) but we also offer customizable research delivery and custom-tailored case studies.

Why case studies, you may ask?  They explore CAUSATION to underlying principles which allows us to tweek our approach.  It is empirical research that investigates real-life phenomena.  So while every other agency is out there telling you to “trust them”, we do not remain static in our approach like so many others.  We are not so overzealous to think we get it right all the time.  NO!  We are dynamic.  We will get you results, quantify them, and show them to you.  We will constantly refine and improve our approach, guaranteeing the highest level of efficiency possible.  

In 1985 Michael Porter attempted to improve upon Ricardo's comparative advantage and suggested his own theory of competitive advantage.  This emphasizes production, efficiencies, and the acquisition of attributes that can be utilized to outpace the competition.  Think of Mad Men Marketing as your Swiss Army Knife or the ace up your sleeve because we are delivering our clients comparables, measurables, and demonstrating causative reasons for market change utilizing a number of inputs.  

In short, when you perform research, and you can deliver the goods to your client, you're allowing them to track progress….no matter how small it may be.  This keeps clients abreast of changing market conditions and keeps them competitive in their industry.  

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My generation has been plagued by a job force that is often underqualified and overpaid, but by virtue of being the first to arrive on the scene, are able to enjoy lucrative jobs that offer healthcare, dental, retirement, etc…  In an effort to appear less cynical, I will offer up my own mother as an example.  She had no education other than high school.  She was a computer analyst or some such thing for the Illinois Department of Corrections for 25 years.  The funny thing about this  is that she lacks computer skills.  My mother enjoyed a paycheck of around 42,000/year and retired at the age of 48.

In contrast to her success, I know multiple people with master's degrees that can't claim a salary that high with that kind of job security.  Having a post-baccalaureate degree has become relatively cliché and doesn't yield the financial stability that it once did.  I've known law school graduates that have had to tend bar for 3 years before procuring a job.  I even had a professor with a PhD from Ohio State tell me that she currently makes 53,000/year as a professor at a university and went up against 198 other applicants with backgrounds from Yale, Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford.  The only other job offer she received was from a school in St. Louis which offered a laughable 38,000/year.  Until the present job climate changes for the better, I will harbor a great deal of contempt for the hiring practices of old, and the longevity of the baby boomers.

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So what does this say about our perceptions of other experiences in the world?  For one, this clearly means that initially, our eyes have the ability to see things without our brain having the ability to perceive what the image is telling us (especially if what is encountered is unfamiliar) – and once we are able to make a perception, it is difficult for our brain to unlearn this new found impression.  Are things always what they seem, or can we repurpose what was once perceived as a jumbled mess, into useful information once we understand it?

As a psychology major, sensation and perception were my two favorite subjects of study.  They were my main focus once I really delved into my program (as well as conditioning and learning).  All topics that have become ever more relevant as I explore the field of advertising and human relations.  Perception is the key.  You've heard the saying 'you never get a second chance at a first impression', but what influences that first “impression”?  What is the impression based upon? Well, it's primarily based on how we have perceived a situation; how the interaction has impressed itself upon our brain through our eyes, ears, nose, skin, and mouth I suppose… (might as well include all senses here).  Or can it be something else entirely?  Would you be willing to admit that preconceived notions have an overwhelming effect on how we perceive our world around us, enabling or disabling our impressions of what we experience?  Deep, isn't it…?

So, what does this mean for our industry?  Well, it means everything.  The way people perceive certain interactions affects the consumer, the client, the agency, the vendors… and the list goes on!  If you see a billboard, and the image does not immediately appeal to you, do you even bother reading what it has to say?  Sure you saw the sign, but did it make its impression?  A bad one maybe… but that's it.  What about those hilarious commercials we see on TV, the ones you can't, for the life of you, remember what they were advertising… All your brain received from that visual stimulation was “funny”.  Lest we forget to mention the most important of all…  human interaction.  Email is taking over, and have you noticed how the written word can seem so much more biting than the spoken word…  Why is that?

You can't control how things are going to be perceived, that's the brain's job.  But, you do have the ability to control your responses, decide the relevance of your perception, the context and respond accordingly…  And, when working in this industry, the goal is to please the client and catch the consumer, it's best to understand that you have perceptual influence, and knowing how to influence perception is the key determining factor in the road to success.

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1.   Those salesmen that approach you at a big dealership are likely new to the trade or at least new to the dealership.  Veteran sales personnel make a great deal of their sales on repeat business and new people take walk-ups.  Statistics show that 33% of people who purchase a car will go back to the last place they bought if they were reasonably satisfied.  Don't be intimidated by those that approach you.  Some of them may be just as nervous as you.

2.   The purchase of a brand new automobile does NOT make the dealership a ton of money.  The sale of a new car will often only fetch a profit of 1,000-1,500 dollars.  The money is made in USED car sales and in AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE (which segues beautifully into my next point).

3.   The service side is the backbone of any auto dealership.  Right now, there is a big problem in the industry and all of the oil changes and brake jobs are getting lost to quick lube businesses and tire centers.  Part of the reason?  Tire centers and quick lube businesses ADVERTISE their ability to make auto repairs whereas dealerships tend to advertise only the inventory they currently have, which would make your commercial obsolete fairly quickly.

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I know there is some shock value to what I said. America’s military and its personnel has often been an off-limits, taboo thing to discuss. Rest assured, steps are being taken to further the training in economic responsibility throughout the military. A great deal of money has been spent to ensure that programs like Lean Logic, Six Sigma, and Airspeed are incorporated into training. However, that’s also the problem. You can’t afford to send every service member to a class; usually the mandatory number is 10 percent of a given command. I was one of those people that were sent to these classes (because I reflected well upon the command). Instead of sending them all to class, material is printed off of the computer and disseminated. Everyone gathers in their chairs and spends one hour reading aloud to one another, pretending to be interested in the material. It’s one of the great fallacies that America’s military receives some kind of world-class training because I’ve been in multiple commands and it’s all handled in this fashion. Again, this is a prime example of wasted labor and wasted time. People don’t understand that in the military, it’s very similar to a regular 9 to 5 job. It’s a very good living. I wish I still got paid so well. For an 18 year old with no discernible skill set, it’s a fantastic opportunity to make 18,000 to 42,000 dollars per year depending on whether or not you qualify for BAH. What does one have to do to make such an impressive leap in pay? Simply get married or have a child, and a lot of them do just that. It’s a flaw in the system and it’s often exploited.

The post The Price of Freedom (part 2 of 2) appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

Let us assume that you're an aspiring clothing designer. It would be in your best interest to design locally, while manufacturing your garments in a poorer country where they will be happy to receive the work, and have the skilled labor to carry out your order. These less developed nations have a comparative advantage in the manufacture of textiles. Once you receive your high quality shipment of fashionable clothing, you can market your product, set up a distribution center, and sell your product. As you can see, the goal doesn't need to be made in America, it needs to be SOLD in America.

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