Differences Between Digital Advertising and Marketing

Differences Between Digital Advertising and Marketing

Digital advertising and digital marketing are two misunderstood terms, and many people think the terms are interchangeable. However, while they share some similarities, they are distinct in their approach and purpose. Here, we explore the differences between digital advertising and digital marketing services.

 

What is Digital Advertising?

First, digital advertising refers to promoting products or services using digital channels such as websites, search engines, social media, email, and mobile apps. Digital advertising involves using various ad formats, such as banner ads, text ads, video ads, and sponsored content. The main objective of digital advertising is to increase brand awareness, generate leads, and drive sales.

Breaking Down the Different Types of Digital Advertising:

  1. Search Advertising: This type of digital advertising involves placing ads on search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. These ads appear at the top of search engine results pages and display based on specific keywords.
  2. Display Advertising: This type of digital advertising involves placing banner ads, video ads, and other visual content on websites, social media platforms, and mobile apps. (For more information, check out this article comparing Search Ads and Display Ads.)
  3. Social Media Advertising: This type of digital advertising involves placing ads on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Social media ads can take various forms, such as sponsored posts, promoted tweets, and sponsored stories.
  4. Video Advertising: This type of digital advertising involves placing ads on video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion.
Jemully Online Advertising
Jemully Online Advertising

What is Digital Marketing?

Then, we turn our attention to digital marketing. Digital marketing is a broader term that encompasses various digital channels, sometimes including digital advertising, but not always. Digital marketing involves using multiple online channels to promote products or services, build brand awareness, and engage with customers. The main objective of digital marketing is to create a robust online presence that drives awareness and supports conversions.

Breaking Down Digital Marketing

  1. Content Marketing: This type of digital marketing involves creating and sharing valuable content such as blog posts, videos, infographics, and ebooks to attract and retain a clearly defined audience.
  2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): This type of digital marketing involves optimizing a website’s content and structure to rank higher in search engine results pages.
  3. Email Marketing: This type of digital marketing involves sending targeted and personalized emails to a list of subscribers to promote products or services, build customer loyalty, and drive sales.
  4. Social Media Marketing: This type of digital marketing involves using social media platforms to build a community, engage with customers, and promote products or services.
Jemully Brand Awareness
Jemully Brand Awareness

Key Differences Between Digital Advertising and Digital Marketing

  1. Objectives: Digital advertising primarily generates leads, increases brand awareness, and drives sales. Digital marketing, on the other hand, is focused on building brand awareness, engaging with customers, and driving conversions.
  2. Channels: Digital advertising mainly focuses on promoting products or services through various ad formats on digital channels such as search engines, social media, and websites. Digital marketing, on the other hand, uses multiple digital channels such as social media, email, search engines, and content marketing to engage with customers and promote products or services.
  3. Tactics: Digital advertising relies on paid media, such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and display advertising, to promote products or services. Digital marketing, on the other hand, relies on various tactics such as SEO, content marketing, and social media marketing to build brand awareness, engage with customers, and drive conversions.
  4. Strategy: Digital advertising generally focuses on short-term goals such as generating leads and driving sales. Digital marketing, on the other hand, is focused on long-term goals such as building brand awareness, establishing a solid online presence, and building customer loyalty.
In conclusion, while digital advertising and digital marketing share some similarities, they are distinct in their approach, purpose, and tactics.
Kit Mullins Author
Kit Mullins
About the Author

Kit Mullins, co-owner of Jemully Media, LLC, has been a leader in digital marketing for more than twenty years. A writer, designer, and developer, Kit enjoys travel, photography, and Bible study. With six kids and fifteen grandkids, she has no choice but to find ways to be creative.

4 Tips to Ensure Your Business is Visible Online

4 Tips to Ensure Your Business is Visible Online

The scope of possibilities that the internet affords new small business owners as well as established small business owners has never—nor will ever—be replicated. However, along with the vast possibliities, you face a high level of competition to make your business visible online. This competition extends well beyond your locale as you compete against brands from across the country for visibility.

For your company’s website and associated social media channels to be as achieve a good page rank in the search engine results, we recommend the following four tips to increase your opportunities for success and growth.

 

1 – Strengthen Your Marketing Strategies

First and foremost, identify your business goals. Then, take the time to put together a cohesive advertising and marketing strategy to achieve one or two key brand goals. As you develop your marketing strategy, do not shrink back from ambitions goals. Yet, keep your goals within the range of what is attainable. Small successes   along the way lead to long term gains.

To get you started, here a few simple tips to include as elements in your strategy. These elements work together to improve your online company’s marketing strategies:

  • Identify your key target market
  • Determine a set budget for each marketing and advertising strategy
  • Utilize innovative apps and software programs to save you time
  • Define your key roles of each employee to carry out the strategy
  • Maximize your reach on social media through paid advertising campaigns

 

2 – Optimize Your SEO. Watch Your Metrics. 

Next, boost your brands’ visibility online through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and monitor the SEO metrics. SEO efforts are a necessary factor for your website to achieve a good page rank. These efforts take time to show results in your SEO metrics, but are well worth the effort if you create web pages that are well written, well designed, and technically sound. The higher your web page appears on the search engine results pages, the more likely a potential customer or client will discover the products and services you provide.

In addition, another important SEO (search engine optimization) tactic worthy of your attention is to develop quality backlinks to your company’s website. One way to ensure an ever-growing number of backlinks is to deliver content marketing as one of your marketing strategies. This practice increases the likelihood of users returning to your website frequently, resulting in more time on your site and a an increased domain authority.

Jemully Regular Content Updates
Jemully Regular Content Updates

3 – Automatically Arrange Regular New Content Uploads 

Regardless of the size of your small business, regular content updates that provide answers for your potential customers is advantageous. When Google returns search results, Google’s desire is to provide their searchers with content that is helpful. Therefore, if you invest in publishing fresh content for your site regularly, Google will find your site fits their business goals.

As a reminder, with all of this discussion about online visibility, it goes without saying that you need a good internet provider that delivers reliable service. Choose your internet provider wisely and stay informed of key phrases that will help you understand their services. It helps to familiarize yourself with techy terms such as latency, ping, and jitter when choosing an internet provider.

Now, back to the other marketing tips to help with your online visibility. In regards to social media, just as with your content updates on your website, we recommend that you post fresh content regularly. You may outsource this time-consuming step to an agency, or manage the social media channels for your business yourself. If you choose the latter, invest in social media applications such as Hootsuite. With Hootsuite you schedule social posts and upload content to keep your customers and clients engaged. Regular posting plus engagement builds brand loyalty.

 

4 – Hone and Develop Your Company Voice

Finally, as part of your marketing strategy, ensure that your business has a well-defined brand voice. Not sure what that is? Brand voice is defined as the distinct personality your brand takes on in all communications. Brand voice serves to portray your business in a certain way to your customers. As a defining characteristic of your marketing strategy, it allows you to connect with a specific audience that wants or needs what your company has to offer.

Connection to your audience and engagement is at the heart of an online company’s success. Even if you are positive of your products’ or services’ superiority over the output of your industry rivals, you will struggle if you fail to engage with new and potential customers alike.

To cultivate a loyal customer base and, furthermore, to entice new customers to your business, make sure your unique selling point clearly emphasizes your brand’s voice.

Is Your Home an Optimal Work Environment?

Is Your Home an Optimal Work Environment?

Is Your Home an Optimal Work Environment? The answer to this question depends on your opinion of remote working. Some people prefer the structure, discipline, and collaboration of working in an office with others. But, if you have the self-discipline and enjoy the flexibility that remote work affords, your home may be the workplace of choice.

 

What does an optimal work environment look like?

The answer to this question is a personal one that depends on your personality, work style, and work preferences. One option many remote workers strive for is to mirror what you typically associate with the office. This mirroring includes a dedicated workplace, a desk, and the tools you need to complete tasks. For example, a computer, printer, whiteboard, and file storage. Others prefer the freedom to be more mobile to work from the couch, the kitchen table, or the patio. 

Some employers are more concerned over your productivity than your working location. In such cases as these, you may have the freedom to travel and work from a remote vacation spot. A working vacation has its unique pros and cons that require its own set of disciplines. The option to adapt your workspace to your unique desires is one of the reasons that working from home appeals to so many employees.

 

Your Working Space

Some people thrive in the stressful, fast-paced environment that some work cultures offer. The employee who thrives on input and working with others derives energy from others. However, those who tend to be more introverted may view the organized chaos of some workplace environments as stressful. Introverts might not be able to imagine anything worse – which could be why they opted for a home environment in the first place. It might be that countering the stress of the job with a calming and quiet environment can help to focus and increase productivity.

 

Jemully Media optimal home work environment
Jemully Media optimal home work environment

Other Ways to Optimize Your Home Working Environment

In addition to a calm and quiet work environment, you have more flexibility in your work location. If you are setting up your remote work location for the first time, you might consider these tips for good communication. For those who work in front of a computer screen for long hours each day, your eyes can suffer damage. If you are concerned about your eye strain, position your workstation near a window, where you can periodically look outside and give your eyes a rest. This practice relieves tension in your eyes and increases productivity. “Paradoxically, staring out the window can increase productivity. It can take us momentarily away from our work’s hectic pace and immediate pressure and allow a different form of knowledge to emerge.”

 

The Tools at Your Disposal

Whether or not you believe a worker is only as good as their tools, it can be good to have the best available. This is less of a concern in an office as you work with means provided to you by the company. This is different for those who work in a home environment, especially those who are contract workers. When you are responsible for providing your equipment, working with the best tools can increase productivity. Quality tools benefit you and those you work for.

First, some tools worth investing in are subscriptions to cloud services, an ergonomic chair, a standing desk, and a reliable laptop. When it comes to connectivity, check your area for the best and most reliable Internet service. For example, those who live in the San Diego, California area might look into fiber internet near San Diego that allows you to work as efficiently and unencumbered as possible.

 

Self-Control, Structure, and Distractions

Not only does everyone have different styles of working by themselves, but their jobs also demand different structures. While one person might have a more typical 9-5 routine, an hour in the middle of the day for lunch. During work time, they are required to stay at their desk and complete their tasks. Others might have more flexibility of movement within. the office and more flexibility in their schedules.

This flexibility can undoubtedly be a blessing – allowing you to work as you prefer, finish your tasks quickly, and spend the rest of the day as you desire. Many choose to use the flex time with family, exercising, or running errands. However, to make the most of the potential that comes from a remote working environment, you need to have an element of self-control. This self-control can allow you to apply your personalized structure to the day, overcome the inevitable distractions around your home, and create a routine that works well for you.

What Can Complement Your Digital Marketing?

What Can Complement Your Digital Marketing?

As a business owner, you likely have a detailed digital marketing plan and have poured most of your energies and efforts into developing this. In that case, you might have yet to consider other types of marketing that compliment your digital campaigns.

Here, we examine three complementary marketing efforts – billboards, flyering, and events –  that support your digital strategies and incorporate offline advertising to support your digital campaigns in 2023.

 

Billboards

Most of your customers use the internet and likely interact with your digital marketing campaigns. However, some customers use social media sparingly and might not see the campaigns you are putting out. Also, studies show that people have a short attention span when they browse the internet. In fact, new research indicates that potential customers remember a piece of marketing they have spotted when they are out and about. Billboards are highly effective forms of advertising. This type of advertising reinforces the digital marketing that flows through their feeds on social media. In addition to digital marketing, consider using billboard advertising to convey your message and get people interested in your business. Billboard advertising benefits those trying to market their business within a local community. For example, one method to consider is posters and advertisements on Nashville billboards. These grab the attention of thousands of people who walk and drive past each day.

 

Flyering

Next, we focus on another form of offline advertising to support your digital marketing – business flyers or flyering. Flyers can be posters, mail-outs, or hand-outs. Typically, flyers are typically colorful 8.5″x11″ promotional pieces that grab the readers’ attention. They can be mailed out to a mailing list developed by your business or mailing lists can be purchased to target specific zip codes within a city. Flyers catch people’s attention in their own homes, where they might have more time to look at the products and services that you offer. Also, you can use flyers to direct them to your website or further information online. In addition to these benefits, potential customers see your offers, as you place flyers directly into their hands. Many cafes and restaurants might also be happy to stock your flyers for you and spread the word about your company.

Jemully flyer poster
Jemully flyer poster

Events

Lastly, consider hosting events to bring attention to your business and drive traffic. Events give you an opportunity to raise awareness of your business. Likewise, you stand before your participates to share your knowledge and showcase products. Some business owners prefer to offer free events. But, you may opt for a ticketed event.  Next, consider the venue. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Choose from an online event, one on your business premises, or select an event location such as a meeting room or conference center. When you run an event, make sure that you have enough flyers and business cards on send digitally or hand to give out to those who may be interested in what your company produces and sells.

Finally, in developing a marketing strategy, it is wise to use multiple channels that incorporate both marketing (brand awareness and engagement) and paid advertising campaigns. In addition to digital marketing, consider investing in billboard marketing, flyering, and other types of offline marketing that can draw customers into your business and ensure that people know that your business exists. Reach your widest audience by expanding your marketing footprint to compliment your digital strategies. 

Essential Tips When Setting Up Remote Workers for the First Time

4 Essential Tips When Setting Up Remote Workers for the First Time

A situation rarely touches every industry and all businesses, but that’s precisely what the COVID-19 pandemic did. It’s true that, in the early days and months, many businesses shuttered, and employees transitioned to an online work environment. And while situations have improved and many workers are now back in the office, many companies now see the value in remote working and are adopting it permanently.

If you own a business that has yet to dip its toes in a remote environment and are ready to make the transition, there are ways to make things smoother. Here are four essential tips when setting up remote workers for the first time.

Provide Staff with the Needed Hardware and Software

The leading equipment staff will need to be productive in a home office is a computer or laptop loaded with the necessary software. They need access to all the same programs, tools, files, and data as they would in the office. You want a streamlined experience wherein remote workers can do their job without obstacles and barriers.

While some employees may already have a personal computer at home, they shouldn’t use it for work-related purposes. Using personal devices can compromise digital security and privacy that the business is careful to adhere to.

Communicate Your Expectations Clearly

Just because your staff is working from home doesn’t mean you have to alter your expectations. You need to discuss with them what you expect regarding their work hours, the tasks they will do, how to communicate with other employees and departments, whom to contact when they need assistance and more. You should offer the same training to employees in the office and those who work from home.

Regularly Check In with Remote Workers

Because you want to create a collaborative environment wherein everyone is on the same page and communicates with each other, it’s also wise to check in regularly with remote staff. Many managers choose to hold daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly video meetings so everyone gets a chance to chat, discuss challenges and obstacles, compare progress on projects and tasks, and more. You don’t want staff to feel disconnected, so this is a great way to prevent that.

Outsource IT Services – Cut Back on Downtime

Downtime is something every business tries to avoid, as it results in a loss of revenue. What happens when your employees are located offsite, so you can’t be there physically to troubleshoot? It is wise to outsource your IT solutions to a professional company. The professionals will look after all digital security issues, computer networking, streamlining processes, and monitoring. A professional company that manages your IT frees your employees to focus on their jobs, not the technical end.

A Remote Workforce Can Be a Wonderful Thing

Remote employees offer businesses many advantages, which is why so many companies choose to go this route. For example, many remote workers seek the flexibility of work location. This flexibility promotes positive mental health through job satisfaction and increased productivity. Knowing how to set up a remote workforce and ensure things get off to a good start is essential.

The Benefits of Tools for Graphic Design

The Benefits of Tools for Graphic Design

The world of design changed dramatically in the last few years. Back then, designers had to work for weeks and even months to have their designs printed on T-shirts, posters, and other printables. While today, you only need a smartphone and the internet to develop digital strategies that print onto anything. The tools for graphic design also took to a modern turn. An artist used to need only a pen, paper, and a few coloring materials to create unique designs. Nowadays, a computer set-up, the internet, and design software are necessary to produce striking designs.

The demands of the modern design industry now require more than just pure creativity and skill. Artists must also be adept at using graphic design tools that will stand out in their fields. Only those who have learned to take advantage of the different tools for graphic design will help hone their skills and successfully conquer the diverse challenges of being a modern designer.

Let us take a look at how tools that graphic designers use help build a successful career in the field of design.

 

The Evolution of Graphic Design

One of the earliest pieces of evidence of the existence of humanity is the colorful cave paintings from hundreds of decades ago. Those paintings depicted what life was like back then, and the characters consisted of humans, animals, and their surroundings. During the early civilizations, Egyptians used hieroglyphics for communication, and the graphics mostly contained icons of the sun, the pyramids, animals, etc. Even then, it was clear how humans respond well to visuals.

It was in the 20th century when images for communication started to become universal. Graphic signs use point directions, relay messages, and connect people with brands. Media growth is primarily the reason for the emergence of graphic design. Brands felt the need to stand out and knew that having stunning graphics to present their products is the way to go.

Moving on to recent years, graphic design has become an integral part of visual communication. It can be seen across platforms, both online and offline. It became such a rewarding career for artists and other visually-minded individuals.

As the design industry developed, the tools for graphic design also became more advanced. These tools are what designers use to highlight their skills, impress new clients, and build successful careers as modern designers.

 

Benefits of Tools for Graphic Design

jemully graphic design tools

1 – Saves money

Since the demand for graphic designers is high, you pay for professionals who will use their expertise in things like color selection and experienced know-how in areas like the psychology behind font selection to do the design work for your brand. This could set you back thousands of dollars in a year if you hire more people to be a part of your design or marketing team. Concerning this problem, a more innovative solution is to provide your existing graphic designer/s with the best tools for graphic design.

Most of these tools are much cheaper compared to paying for a full-time designer. Even if you are on a tight budget, you can find design software that is perfect for your needs. Removal.AI, for example, allows you to pay for only the number of images you need to remove backgrounds. It relieves you of the burden of paying a professional for a job that only takes a few seconds to complete when using the software.

2 – Saves Time

One of the most critical resources of a designer is time. There is only so much you can do in the number of hours you will work. Being limited with time can affect the output quality of your designs. You must also choose between spending more time on the design process or doing other vital tasks, like creating marketing campaigns.

With design tools, you can save more time since the design process reduces the time in half or even more. It gives you plenty of time to manage other aspects of your business without worrying about compromising the quality of your designs.

3 – Increases productivity

Creating any graphic design requires time, effort, and flexibility. This could mean a designer is limited by how much he can do in a certain period when completing designs. For this reason, tools for graphic design reduce time in the design process. Most of these tools utilize prefabricated templates that allow you to customize the design according to project specifications. All you need to do is choose the template that reflects your industry and then personalize it to fit your brand.

Good design software also has functionalities that are more than bringing good design to the table. Some software gives you access to analytics, allowing you to check your performance. As you monitor your design and modifications, you spend your time and resources wisely.

4 – High-Quality Visuals

Professional graphic designers design the top tools that graphic designers use. They are considered experts in the graphic design industry, so they know very well how important it is to produce the highest quality of visuals. Thus every tool is made with careful consideration of the final output.

With different tools for graphic design, there is more allowance for design innovation. It will be easier for them to experiment with new techniques using different design features. The beginner-friendly features also ensure that even design newbies can create stunning visuals without stressing too much about the process.

5 – Helps Streamline Design Workflow

The beauty of design tools is that they allow you to work better and not more complicated. It will enable you to see the flaws of your workflows so you can make smarter decisions and increase the overall efficiency of the design process. The most helpful thing about using design tools is that they let you automate repeatable steps, dramatically improving productivity. It also allows you to work on the more complicated tasks rather than get bottlenecks in doing repetitive actions.
You will feel more energized to create even better designs when you can improve your workflow. Every design becomes an adventure because you get to break down a formerly long design process and work out solutions to help you produce the best designs.in 

10 Tools That MANY Graphic Designers Use

Since you are now aware of the benefits that graphic design tools can bring, it is time to start using them. Here is a list of graphic design tools that professional graphic designers use in creating noteworthy designs:

1 – Kittl.com

kittlIt used to be that only the most talented graphic artists can create stunning designs. When you have Kittl, you can create unique designs in minutes, even if you need to gain the skills and talent of a good designer. Kittl has plenty of design tools and access to hundreds of design assets, like illustrations, icons, and textures, that you can use to make mind-blowing designs.

Some of Kittl’s best features include advanced text editing that you can use to transform texts, magic recoloring that lets you choose trendy color palettes for your designs, and ready-to-use design templates that you can customize to fit both personal and commercial projects.

Billed annually for only $10 a month, you can access all premium templates, unlimited vector exports, and 1GB of upload space when you subscribe to a Pro plan. The expert plan at $24 a month and the Business plan at $79 a month, both billed annually, are the most cost-effective choices for professionals and experts that need more premium features and bigger upload space.

2 – Removal.AI

removal.aiThe background removal process is one of the most time-consuming parts of using images for design. Yes, anyone can do it using almost all kinds of design editing software, but it would take a lot of time and effort. Instead of wasting precious time, you can use Removal.AI to automate this tedious process. Aside from the superb image removal feature, this tool also works as a powerful image editing software. After removing their backgrounds, its built-in photo editor will let you enhance your photos further.

With Removal.AI, you can choose how many background removal credits you pay for a month. The more credits you pay, the lesser the cost for each image becomes. 40 photos per month credit, for example, will cost $5.99 or $0.15 per image. On the other hand, five hundred images per month credit will cost only $63.99 or $0.13 per image.

3 – Renderforest.com

Most brands are doing social media marketing because it is one of the most effective ways to increase engagement. Renderforest is one of the best tools for creating social media content, and it helps you create stunning visuals that can quickly drive engagement. From YouTube intros to mockup generators, logo makers, and even website builders, Renderforest has something for everyone. Whether you’re a professional creative or a beginner looking to make your mark on the web, Renderforest makes it easier than ever before to get the job done quickly and beautifully.

With a wide range of easy-to-use templates, you can create stunning visuals without worrying about coding or design experience. The drag-and-drop editor makes it simple to customize your design and play with fonts, colors, and images until you find what you want. Plus, you can access a library of royalty-free stock photos and videos to make your project stand out from the competition.

What makes it so valuable is that there are plenty of social media templates to choose from. They categorize by industry, which is also helpful.

You can choose the Lite, Pro, and Business plans at $9.99, $19.99, and $29.99, respectively. All plans offer attractive features and differ mainly in the amount of storage, video quality, and support.

4 – Designstripe.com

designstripeIt is a bit daunting to design illustrations from scratch. After all, you need to mind not only each design element’s meaning but also the output’s quality and aesthetics. Good thing that Designstripe has plenty of illustration templates that are perfect for any design project. Aside from illustrations, you can also use Designstripe to create attractive mockups for your products, apps, and website.

Although it gives users free and unlimited access to freestyles, you can only fully appreciate Designstripe when you subscribe to the Pro plan at $20 monthly. With this plan, you can enjoy unlimited access to free and premium styles, full-scene customization options, and multi-format downloads.

5 – Drawkit.com

What makes Drawkit a little bit better than other illustrations creators is that it has plenty of illustration types. Aside from the simple illustrations, there are sections for 2D and 3D illustrations. You can also choose from hundreds of icons and animation templates that you can use to create exciting designs.

Drawkit offers two subscription plans, the Pro plan at $79 a year and the Pro-Lifetime at a one-time payment of $295. Both plans give you unlimited access to all content plus early access to new content. The only difference is that the Pro-Lifetime gives you lifetime access, which means you can enjoy all premium illustrations and mockup templates forever.

6 – Easil.com

Creating on-brand marketing materials is a common task for designers, and Easil is a great tool for such a task with its innovative drag-and-drop editor. With minimal effort, you can start any design using premade templates and use your brand kit to create branded images and graphics. It’s flexible locking permissions, and design workflow lets you define which design elements can be edited by other team members. Aside from the 30-day free trial account, Easil offers the Easil Plus plan at $7.50 per user per month and the Easil Edge at $59 per user per month. Both plans give access to Easil’s innovative design tools, access premium templates, and the additional Edge Design Guarantee for the Edge plan. You may also contact the team for a tailored package with a dedicated account manager.

7 – Flexitive.com

Omnichannel design production is necessary for brands that delve into online marketing efforts. It is the only way to have a wider reach and ensure that target customers are well-informed about the brand, no matter what platform they are using.

Since it is time-consuming to create different design variations for every platform, Flexitive allows you to automate the process and help with omnichannel design production and distribution. With its Dynamic Design Production (DDP), you can quickly generate design variations that will work across platforms.

Flexitive has two plans that are perfect for any design team size. The Teams plan at $59 per user per month is ideal for small teams creating omnichannel designs for any platform. It has 100GB of cloud storage space per user, access to the design library, a responsive drag-and-drop design editor, and much more. For more prominent organizations that need design production automation, the Enterprise plan at $89 per user per month is the most suitable option. Each user will have 200GB of cloud storage space, access to global shared libraries, and other cool perks.

8 – Pixelied.com

You don’t need to hire a new designer when you want to create graphics for your business as long as you have Pixelied. This tool has a full suite of image editing tools that will help you instantly create stunning designs. Because of its easy-to-use online graphic editor, you do not need advanced design skills to make it work. It also has a vast library of professional templates you can personalize for branded content.
Pixelied has one of the most affordable subscriptions for online tools for graphic design. The Pro plan is only $4.9 monthly, while the Pro+ is only $8.25 monthly. Both come with many premium perks, like AI image generation credits, BG remover, access to premium content, priority customer support, and more.

9 – Adobe Illustrator

As a leading organization for photo editing solutions, we must mention Adobe before ending this list of graphic design tools. Adobe Illustrator sets the bar high with its powerful features for creating illustrations, logos, infographics, icons, and more.

The monthly plan costs $31.49 a month, but you can avail of the discount when you pay annually at only $20.99 per month. However, one of the downsides of using this tool is that newbies will have to deal with a steep learning curve. It is mainly suited for advanced users.

10 – Creasquare Creative Studio

Creasquare Creative Studio is an all-in-one creative design tool for creating stunning visuals. It offers a comprehensive suite of advanced and intuitive features that allow users to create eye-catching designs in no time easily. With Creasquare, you can turn your ideas into reality with just a few clicks.

Users love Creasquare Creative Studio because it allows them to easily create stunning visuals with access to an extensive library of professional templates, stock images, and illustrations. It’s incredibly intuitive for beginners but powerful enough for experienced designers. Plus, it’s available on both the web and mobile devices.

Creasquare also offers a range of features designed to help professionals achieve their creative goals. It includes an AI-powered background removal tool, vector drawing capabilities, and a range of filters and effects. Additionally, users can collaborate with others in real-time on projects, allowing teams to work together seamlessly from anywhere.

Conclusion

It is only with modern tools for graphic design that designers can create superb designs that improve the overall user experience and interface. These design tools are more than just a means to create innovative designs. They also ensure that designers work smartly by providing ways to improve their workflows and increase productivity.
The tools for graphic design also help standardize design practices to help brands deliver consistent designs across their marketing strategies. By being familiar with ground-breaking tools, you can enjoy numerous and lasting benefits as a designer.

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About the Author

Name:  Jenn Pereira
Email:  jennpereira13@gmail.com

Most Effective SEO Strategies for HVAC Contractors

Most Effective SEO Strategies for HVAC Contractors

If you are an HVAC contractor, you should not follow the most traditional SEO techniques and strategies to rank your business. SEO for HVAC requires some strategies that work specifically for your industry. Here are some of the best unique strategies to help HVAC contractors.

 

SEO for HVAC UTILIZES A Diverse Backlink Portfolio

First, it is important to understand, SEO is evolving. Therefore, some of the traditional approaches to SEO may not be the most effective path for the HVAC industry. For example, some of those early methods attempted to trick search engines by stuffing related keywords into the content of the page. This practice is no longer acceptable. Search engines will block your efforts and occasionally block the whole website if you adopt those types of practices today.. So, now you need to use various types of links to leave random footprints that are untraceable by the search engine’s algorithm. This method is known as link diversity.

With link diversification, page rank eliminates roadblocks. As you run an HVAC enterprise, do not risk losing the rank in SERPs. It can have a strong negative impact on your business and make you lose a significant consumer base. Therefore, you cannot build your links based on specific keywords that are easily traceable by search engines, and in this case, you also have one good option to hire an SEO Agency that can help you to build your online presence and optimize your website to boost traffic and ranking

There are many forms of diversified links that you can adopt for your website. Some may directly affect your pages; some will take an indirect approach. All of them will provide you with a shield of randomness that will make the pattern unrecognizable and prevent your website from being penalized.

 

Youtube SEO for HVAC Companies

As an HVAC contractor, your ultimate target is to reach more potential customers. Over the last two decades, video content has been increasingly important. Correspondingly, the number of people on YouTube is ever higher, and recent stats show over two billion users log in to Youtube monthly. This audience is worthy of your marketing attention.

To understand a video, Google relies on the text. Hence, for your video to appear in the search results, you must carefully produce the text of the video and make it SEO-friendly. 

What should you consider while creating  your Youtube SEO and to maximize the number of views? Here are some key points:

  • Closed captions – Instead of Youtube ASR captions, upload high-quality closed captions.
  • Descriptions – Choose an accurate description of your content while considering the terms and phrases that your consumers will use to search.
  • Keywords – Include your keywords in all the possible fields.
  • Translate – For global use, translate your content with subtitles.
  • Transcripts – Add the audio transcript to your video, which will likely contain relevant keywords to boost your SEO ranking.
  • Monitor Activity – Closely monitor your viewers’ activity to boost your ranking
Jemully SEO Search

Advanced Technical SEO

Advanced technical SEO enables your website to be easily understood by search engines. It also allows search engines to crawl, index, and render web pages. Enterprise businesses thrive when there are more consumers. And with advanced technical SEO, web pages are more likely to climb higher in the search results. Technical SEO promotes the organic growth of your website.

To boost your advanced technical SEO, you can follow the following steps:

  • Sitemap XML and JSON format
  • Schema.org markup
  • .htacess file configuration for SE index
  • SSL end-to-end user encryption
  • 4XX and 5XX Error fixation
  • 301 and 302 redirection

Target Local Searches with Local Landing Pages and Listing

If you have an enterprise business that reaches across the country or expands internationally, we recommend adopting local SEO practices to target your consumers regionally. For a company at the enterprise level, consider the needs of the local consumers and provide them with a solid solution.

Local landing pages and listings are valuable tools that assist your site in appearing in local searches. Landing pages targeted to a local audience bring engagement to your website from every location where you are conducting business. Furthermore, you can quickly adapt the variation of your SEO strategy for each locality and provide your consumers with the optimum solution.

Remember, even a local business is your competitor if you run an enterprise. If you want your business to prosper, start from a small locality to achieve the optimum benefit.

 

Measure SEO Performance

Top-notch SEO strategies provide you with some of the benefits you seek. To achieve your desired outcome, monitor your data and rank. Keep track of where you are soaring and failing.

SEO is ever-changing. Some strategies are that work today become less effective as search algorithms change. It is wise to keep an eye on the variables. Here is a list of a few things that can give you a good idea to measure your SEO performance:

  • Organic Session (number of unique visitors, have to set cookies to restore session data)
  • KW ranking shifting (top-ranking/LSI/branded or non-branded etc.)
  • Leads/Conversion (Add to Cart conversion/checkout etc.)
  • Page Load time
  • Crawl errors
  • And many other KPI indicators such as CPR, CPV, CTR, ROI on the project, Bounce Rate, Exit page Ratio, Page Speed, Heat Map (unorthodox somewhat), and Social Share.

As your business grows, grow the techniques you use to measure your SEO performance. A small dip in one location’s rank can seriously affect your overall ranking. So, please keep them in check all the time.

Content Ideas for Your Law Firm’s Website

Content Ideas for Your Law Firm's Website

Are you looking for ideas to build your law firm’s website authority and strengthen your SEO? Or, perhaps you want to build a new website for your firm. A solid website is a key, foundational piece to your digital marketing plan. So, you are thinking along the right lines. Get your website beefed up so it can serve as an anchor to your other marketing efforts. Investing in your website sets your firm apart from the rest.

As you look at your website, one of the first things to consider is whether or not you have all the “static” pages your site needs. That term “static,” when used to describe website pages, might seem unfamiliar, but these pages are something you see all the time. These are pages whose names are displayed on the tabs that appear across the top of most websites. A “Home Page” is a static page. An “About Us” page is a static page. The same is true for “Contact Us,” “Site Map,” or any of several other possible pages, including “Gallery” pages. These pages are called “static” because they change very seldom.

As you probably guessed, there are pages on websites that are not static. Any news articles one posts on a website is not static content. Rather, content that is timely and that educates or inspires or entertains your website visitors is normally grouped under the rubric of “blogging.” Blogposts help you attract visitors to your website. Static content tells them what kind of website they have found. Static pages identify the main features, not just of the website, but of your company as well.

 

SUGGESTED PAGES FOR your LAW FIRM’s WEBSITE

So, when we talk about “static pages,” we’re talking about the core content that describes your firm and relates its history and identifies its values. With law practices, the static pages explain your areas of practice and tell about each attorney.  If you would like to know if your law firm has covered all the bases on your static pages, here is a list of more than fourteen static web pages you may want to consider (NOTE: the Communication Disclaimer and Privacy Policy may not help your SEO, but the other pages listed below will help ).

  • Home Page
  • About Your Firm (History)
  • A page highlighting each attorney
    • Bio
    • Education
    • Areas of Practice
    • Awards
    • Associations
    • Interests
    • Community Involvement
  • Areas of Practice
    • Each area is defined to help the potential client
    • List of your attorneys who practice this area of law
  • FAQs
  • List of Clients (example: Corporate Law clients)
  • Blog (individual blogposts themselves are not “static” content, but the page where they live is itself a static page)
  • Videos
  • Testimonials from Clients
  • Giving Back
  • Contact Page with a location map
  • Areas We Serve
  • Achievements and Memberships
  • Specialty Features
    • Secure Client Portal
    • Financing
    • Pay Online
    • Live Chat
  • Communication Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
Jemully - Law Firm Website Clients

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR LAW FIRM’S WEBSITE, DON’T FORGET THE SEO

We would be remiss to visit with you about the pages of your law firm’s website without some discussion of search engine optimization (SEO). Without SEO it will be much more difficult for your website to be found by your potential clients.

We are strong advocates of the strategy that your website should be the hub of your online presence, and the focal point of the digital marketing efforts for your law practice. To establish your hub, we recommend, in addition to the foundational static pages of your site mentioned above, the creation of good, shareable content that is written with keyword value and customer education in mind. This content is best served to your audience in the form of blog articles.

Blogging, sometimes called inbound marketing or content marketing, is a key tactic that many of the most successful websites employ. Blogging for the purpose of marketing takes planning, organization, and time to make a significant impact on your website traffic; you won’t jump to the top of the search page results in a short period of time because it is a building process. It is an investment in the future of your firm that pays good benefits in the long run in terms of new clients and profits.

GOOGLE’S VIEW OF WEBSITE CONTENT

As we reflect on the SEO building process, we acknowledge the need to satisfy Google’s demand for quality content. Google places value on websites that provide answers to the questions Google searchers ask. More importantly, Google wants a website to be viewed as helpful to their searchers. For this reason, it is always important that you are writing your content to serve your customers, not to satisfy Google. Because, in serving your customers, you actually are satisfying Google.

Therefore, we recommend that your firm develop a strategy that incorporates a plan to produce a variety of informative, and even entertaining, content for potential clients. The list of topics for such articles can be pulled from the questions your own clients frequently ask. We suggest that you put together helpful articles, guides, news, and even eBooks that engage your audience of potential clients and will also draw Google’s much-wanted attention to your website over time. And, if you need help with compiling a list of questions, we can give you a hand by doing some research to determine common questions that are queried on Google.

Kit Mullins Author
Kit Mullins
About the Author

Kit Mullins, co-owner of Jemully Media, LLC, has been a leader in digital marketing for more than twenty years. A writer, designer, and developer, Kit enjoys travel, photography, and Bible study. With six kids and fifteen grandkids, she has no choice but to find ways to be creative.

A Brief Historical Overview of Facebook with a Timeline

A Brief Historical Overview of Facebook with a Timeline

The History of Facebook – An Overview

 A quick look at the history of Facebook (the largest social platform in the world), gives us a good idea of the platform’s great influence. The social networking site known today as Facebook was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, along with Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. Today, it boasts more than 2.8 billion monthly active users, making it the largest social media platform in the world. From its humble beginnings, Facebook is now a global giant with worldwide influence.

 

2004-2005: The Origins of Facebook

Zuckerberg as a sophomore at Harvard
Zuckerberg as a sophomore at Harvard

Initially, Zuckerberg, then a sophomore at Harvard, created Facebook as a social network for students at Harvard University. He wanted a platform that would allow students to connect with one another, share information and experiences, and create a virtual campus community. In February 2004, he launched the first version of Facebook, then called Thefacebook.com.

Quickly, the early version of Facebook, available only to Harvard students, gained popularity and was expanded to other Ivy League schools. In the following months, Facebook expanded to yet other colleges and universities, allowing students from around the country to join the network.

 

2006-2008: The Newsfeed

As Facebook continued to grow, it started attracting the attention of venture capitalists and investors. In 2006, Facebook received its first investment from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, which helped the company expand its operations and reach more users.

In 2007, Facebook introduced its first major feature, the News Feed. Subsequently, this allowed users to see updates from their friends in real-time, making the platform more engaging and interactive. In the same year, Facebook also introduced the platform’s first advertising program, which allowed advertisers to reach the site’s growing user base.

 

2009-2010: global growth

By 2009, Facebook had become one of the largest social networks in the world, with over 200 million active users. In 2010, the company launched its first official mobile app, making it even easier for users to stay connected with their friends and family while on the go.

 

2011-2015: The Rise of Mobile and the IPO

Jemully IPO FacebookAs smartphones became more widespread, the popularity of mobile apps also grew.  To capture the audience, Facebook adapted to the changing landscape by putting more focus on mobile. In 2012, the company went public, charting one of the largest initial public offerings (IPOs) in history.

In 2013, Facebook acquired the popular photo-sharing app Instagram for $1 billion. As a result, this helped Facebook expand its reach and allowed the company to tap into the growing popularity of photo sharing.

In 2014, Facebook introduced a new feature called Facebook Paper, which was a news-reading app that allowed users to personalize their news feeds and discover new content. Unfortunately, Facebook Paper didn’t gain the popularity that Facebook had hoped for, and the company eventually discontinued the app.

 

2015-Present: The Rise of Virtual Reality  

Jemully Oculus VR Headset Facebook
Oculus VR Headset Facebook

In recent years, Facebook has continued to evolve and expand, introducing new features and services to meet the changing needs of its users. In 2016, Facebook embraced the big trend known as virtual reality (VR), with the company launching its Oculus VR headset in 2016.

 

THE FIGHT AGAINST MISINFORMATION

Unsurprisingly, it’s not been all rosey for Facebook. As the platform grew, the company faced increasing criticism and scrutiny over issues such as data privacy, misinformation, and the spread of fake news. In 2018, the Cambridge Analytica scandal came to light, revealing that the data of millions of Facebook users had been improperly collected and used for political purposes.

In response to these concerns, Facebook has made a number of changes and improvements, including increased transparency and the introduction of new features that help users identify and report misinformation. Despite these efforts, the company continues to face criticism over issues such as privacy and misinformation, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for Facebook.

Want more? Here are a few other sources that provide additional information on the history of Facebook: Britannica, Wikipedia, and This Day in History.

TIMELINE

Here is a detailed historical timeline of Facebook from its beginnings until now:

2003
2003
Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard, creates Facemash, a website that allows students to compare and rate the attractiveness of their classmates.
2004
2004
Zuckerberg launches Thefacebook.com, a social networking site exclusively for Harvard students.
2005
2005
Thefacebook.com expands to other universities and changes its name to Facebook.
2006
2006

Facebook introduces the News Feed, which shows updates from friends on a user’s homepage.

2007
2007
Facebook launches the Facebook Platform, which allows third-party developers to create apps for the site.
2008
2008
Facebook surpasses MySpace as the most popular social networking site in the United States.
2010
2010
The movie The Social Network, which tells the story of Facebook’s founding, appears in theaters.
2012
2012
Facebook goes public in one of the largest IPOs in history, valued at $104 billion.
2013
2013
Facebook reaches 1 billion active users.
2014
2014
Facebook acquires WhatsApp, a popular messaging app, for $19 billion.
2015
2015
Facebook introduces live video streaming and the Reactions feature, which allows users to express emotions beyond just “liking” a post.
2016
2016
Facebook launches Facebook Marketplace, a feature that allows users to buy and sell items directly on the platform.
2018
2018
The Cambridge Analytica scandal breaks, revealing that a data analytics firm obtained and misused the personal data of millions of Facebook users.
2019
2019
Facebook reaches a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, agreeing to pay a $5 billion fine and implement new privacy measures.
2020
2020
Facebook faces criticism for its handling of misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. presidential election.
2021
2021
Facebook rebrands as Meta and announces plans to focus on virtual reality and the metaverse.

This timeline highlights some of the major events in Facebook’s history, from its humble beginnings as a college social network to its current focus on the metaverse and virtual reality. Along the way, Facebook has faced numerous challenges and controversies, but it remains one of the most influential and widely used social platforms in the world.

our facebook experience

Our team of marketers at Jemully Media has used Facebook and its business tools for more than 12 years to help our business clients stay in touch with their fans and followers. Jemully has taken team members to Facebook training events at the Facebook offices in Austin, Texas, in order to be better equipped to serve our clients. Good and/or bad, Facebook remains an important social media platform for most businesses with customer engagement and link-building for SEO. One of the questions we are often asked by clients is which is more important to a marketer: Likes or Follows? Both are important and represent a different set of data.

Lively Little Ghost Town: Thurber, Texas

Lively Little Ghost Town: Thurber, Texas

Restaurant Reviews: Smokestack Restaurant, Thurber, Texas; New York Hill Restaurant, Thurber, Texas.

THURBER, TEXAS – There’s more here than meets the eye. If you count memories, anyway.

Today we serve up a two-fer. Two restaurant reviews in one blog post. Both restaurants lie in the same town. Now, will we strain belief when we say that the town is a ghost town?

Thurber, Texas: Where the Echoes Remain

According to most sources, Thurber, Texas, does carry the rep of being a for-real ghost town. Yes, there’s a little bit of human activity here, as the two restaurants attest. And then there’s the museum, known as the “W.K. Gordon Center for the Industrial History of Texas.” It occupies a structure that looks like a former schoolhouse.

But that’s pretty much it. The ghost-town label is deserved. All three of these landmark facilities in Thurber are visible to anyone passing through the locale lying just to the left and right of Interstate 20, at the 367 exit.

Population… 5?

The employees who staff these three facilities live in Mingus, which is about a mile north of Thurber. Or they live somewhere farther away and commute here. The population of Thurber, Texas, itself gets cited variously as 5, 8, or 10, depending on the source. Thurber amounts to hardly more than a strip of windy two-lane road that straddles the interstate.

While dining here at the Smokestack on one visit, I had the liver and onions. Not usual fare for me, nor usual fare in most eateries, for that matter. But this being Thurber, I opted for it, thinking it would have been a popular dish back in the town’s heyday.

A Savory Repast

The main dish came with brown gravy and was topped with sauteed onions. Mine came also with sides of sliced peaches, cottage cheese, and a yeast roll. My dining companion had the wood-smoked pork chop with white cheddar mac-and-cheese, broccoli-and-cauliflower, and a yeast roll as well.

Smokestack Restaurant Interior
Smokestack Restaurant Interior
Smokestack Restaurant Grilled Porkchop Meal
Smokestack Restaurant Grilled Porkchop Meal
Smoke Stack Restaurant liver and onions Meal
Smoke Stack Restaurant liver and onions Meal

The entrées were excellent. All the food here was especially good. Fresh, flavorful, and served with courtesy and alacrity, the dining here stands as some of the best we’ve encountered.

Thurber, Texas, Backstory

Here’s a squib printed in the Smokestack’s menu, under the heading “A Little History”:

“Welcome to beautiful downtown Thurber, Texas, pop. 5 and home to the Smokestack Restaurant since 1971. Thurber, once populated by more than 10,000, is known for its coal mining and brick production. This building was the company mercantile building and is one of the only remaining buildings original to Thurber. They sold everything from cribs to coffins and the three biggest sellers were beer, macaroni, and oysters. We hope you enjoy the food, atmosphere, and especially the history.”

Find them online at Facebook.com/ThurberSmokestack.

Then to New York Hill

On another visit, we took in the New York Hill Restaurant, which is situated on the south side of I-20 (the Smokestack lies on the north side), about halfway up New York Hill. Here, we had the special of the house, aka the New York Strip Steak, which came with baked potato and a roll. For the steak, we were given a nice cut—savory and satisfying.

Read about this one at ThurberNewYorkHill.com.

I liked New York Hill better for its atmosphere (although that is a close competition) and I liked the Smokestack better for its food.

New York Hill Restaurant Interior
New York Hill Restaurant Interior

Overlooked Museum with an Overlook

Thurber’s W.K. Gordon Museum, which, like the nearby restaurant, perches on New York Hill overlooking I-20, is an under appreciated attraction. Maybe that’s what you get when you put your museum in a ghost town. At any rate, we share these words from a webpage maintained by Tarleton State University (based in Stephenville, Texas), which manages the W.K. Gordon Museum: “The mission of the W.K. Gordon Museum and Research Center is to provide educational resources on the industrial history of Thurber and greater Texas, and to preserve, document and interpret that history and its impact on the people of Texas. “Thurber was one of the most important mine sites in Texas, a major manufacturer of paving bricks, and located near the oil field that helped make Texas a worldwide giant in petroleum production.”

Thurber, Texas: a True “Company” Town

And we close with this, also from Tarleton’s website: “The entire town of Thurber—every nail, shingle, and doorknob—was owned by the Texas and Pacific Coal Company. Residents lived in company houses, shopped at company stores, drank at company saloons, attended company schools, and worshipped in company-owned church buildings. “Many people traveled from around the world—including Italy, Poland, Ireland, and Russia—to live and work in Thurber. This immigrant influence helped create the unique environment of the community.”
Thurber, Texas
Thurber, Texas - Photo credit: By Wlovin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

For more from TSU, see the TSU website.

Finally, a couple more sources, because Thurber has quite a history—one worth exploring:

Thurber, Texas Wikipedia page.

And Texas Coop Power carried a well written article on the ghost town.