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Introduction

In today’s digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to stay ahead of the competition and reach their target audience. Amidst this digital revolution, the value of digital marketing costs has become increasingly apparent. From enhancing brand visibility to driving conversions, digital marketing offers a myriad of benefits for businesses of all sizes.

However, with the plethora of options available, navigating the world of digital marketing can be daunting. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the costs and considerations of digital marketing, helping you make informed decisions to maximize your ROI and propel your business to success.

The Value of Digital Marketing Costs

In an era where consumers spend a significant portion of their time online, investing in digital marketing is no longer a luxury but a necessity for businesses looking to thrive in the digital age. With the ability to target specific audiences, track performance metrics in real-time, and adapt strategies on the fly, digital marketing offers unparalleled flexibility and precision compared to traditional marketing channels.

Whether you’re a small startup or a multinational corporation, allocating resources to digital marketing can yield significant returns in terms of brand awareness, lead generation, and revenue growth.

Evaluating the Benefits of Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

While some businesses may opt to handle their digital marketing efforts in-house, many recognize the value of partnering with a reputable digital marketing agency. By enlisting the expertise of seasoned professionals, businesses can leverage industry insights, cutting-edge technologies, and proven strategies to achieve their marketing objectives more efficiently and effectively.

From developing comprehensive marketing strategies to executing targeted campaigns across various channels, a digital marketing agency can provide invaluable support and guidance to help businesses maximize their online presence and drive tangible results.

Factors to Consider When Determining How Much to Pay a Digital Marketer

When it comes to hiring a digital marketer, determining the appropriate compensation can be challenging, given the wide range of factors at play. Factors such as experience, expertise, geographic location, and scope of work all influence the cost of hiring a digital marketer.

While some may charge an hourly rate, others may prefer a retainer or project-based fee structure. It’s essential for businesses to conduct thorough research, assess their budget and requirements, and negotiate terms that align with their goals and expectations.

Understanding the Cost of Digital Marketing Services in Canada

The cost of digital marketing services in Canada can vary significantly depending on various factors, including the size and scope of the project, the level of expertise required, and the competitiveness of the industry. The BDC has a great article on costs vs revenue vs market here. While some businesses may opt for budget-friendly options, others may invest more heavily in comprehensive, results-driven strategies.

Regardless of the budget, it’s crucial for businesses to prioritize quality and value when selecting digital marketing services. By partnering with reputable agencies or freelancers who demonstrate a track record of success and a deep understanding of the Canadian market, businesses can ensure that their digital marketing investments yield meaningful results and drive sustainable growth.

Conclusion

In an increasingly digital world, the value of digital marketing cannot be overstated. From enhancing brand visibility to driving conversions, digital marketing offers businesses unparalleled opportunities to connect with their target audience and achieve their marketing objectives.

By carefully evaluating digital marketing costs, businesses can make informed decisions that maximize their ROI and propel their success in the digital age. Whether through in-house efforts or by partnering with a trusted digital marketing agency, investing in digital marketing is essential for staying competitive and driving long-term growth.

The post Why The Value Of Digital Marketing Costs are More Important Now first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

TikTok is a platform where short videos are published. Similar to any other social media platform, the option to share, comment, and like is available. Due to the short nature of the videos, users are gravitated towards scrolling through the feed, spending hours on the application. It capitalizes on short attention spans and allows for quick and memorable consumption.

So, is TikTok for you? Let’s find out!

Understanding TikTok

TikTok has every collective you can imagine. Whether you are a gainer, an influencer, a makeup artist, or a dancer, there is a place and audience for you. The creators are the heart of TikTok, and are the reason it is able to survive. Creators create short videos for users to watch and engage with. Users can also message you directly.

Creating content is easy. You add videos and sound, filters and captions, and then you publish. While it sounds easy, there are several tips to ensuring your content will be well received.

1. Follow the Trends: When you keep up with the trends, you can ensure that your content is relevant to the times. Doing the ‘Whip and Nae Nae’ is not your best move.
2. Collaborate with Brands or Other Creators: Many small businesses are utilizing TikTok, so partner up. This will get your content seen by a greater audience.
3. Get Inspired: Watch other TikToks and get inspired. When you see what other businesses are doing, you can feel more confident and prepared.
4. Show Who You Are: Be authentic on TikTok. It is a place to be fun, transparent, and show your true colours. If Dentists and Financial Advisors can make everything fun, so can you!
5. Post Often: You can’t just be a one hit wonder, people will get bored. Post often, and ensure that you are consistent.

TikTok is an exciting platform that has high levels of engagement. By understanding more of the application, you can make a well informed decision if it is for you.

Is Your Audience on TikTok?

To be honest, it is hard to say, because every collective has been on TikTok. From doctors and dentists, to accountants and financial advisors, to dancers and singers, to artists, every group has been seen on TikTok. Small businesses use TikTok, and in fact, a couple professional cleaning businesses have gone viral. People are willing to give anything a change on TikTok, you have to grab the audience’s attention.

There are some clear demographics that utilize it more than others. On a global scale, 57% of users are female, while the other 43% are male. Over 60% of all users are between the ages of 10 and 29. If your business caters to male seniors, this platform may not be for you. The younger generations, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the ones utilizing this application.

TikTok is young, and has been adopted at a high rate by Gen Z. With that said, TikTok is built to allow you to experiment. Check to see if your competition is using it, and look to see if they get engagement, if they do, you could always try integrating TikTok marketing into your digital strategy.

Do You Have Time to be a Creator?

To be honest, if you want to take on TikTok Marketing, you shouldn’t outsource it if you don’t have to. This will ensure that you maintain authenticity, and that you generate content that you see fit. TikTok is about creativity, and that requires you to be present.

The key to TikTok is time. It can take up to a couple hours to make one video. This is because there are a variety of things that you need to think about before you can post it.

1. Come up with an idea (Be inspired by others, or come up with your own)
2. Schedule time to record all the components of your TikTok
3. Record your TikTok
4. Edit the video (Trim your video and combine them and add sound, filters, and captions)
5. Post Your Video

Some ideas will take longer. If you are doing a trendy dance, you will need to learn it first, and if you are looking to combine many clips, you will need to take more time editing. Regardless, it is important to know that you can commit to creating and engaging with TikTok, otherwise your efforts may fall flat.

Conclusion: TikTok Marketing & You

At Octopus & Son, we believe that a great marketing strategy utilizes a variety of social media platforms to create a uniform message for consumers to engage with. From blogging and Instagram to Facebook or TikTok Marketing, each platform offers different benefits that can change the trajectory and success of your marketing strategy. This is why we encourage everyone to look into their target audience and see what platforms should be utilized.,

If you want to learn more about what platforms can be utilized for your business, and if TikTok should be used for your business, please reach out. Through target market analysis and a deep understanding of every platform, we will be able to recommend the right platform for you.

The post Is TikTok Marketing Worth Your Valuable Time? first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

Barriers

Barriers can be perceived or can have reason to back them. Regardless, the barriers are valued and need to be acknowledged. These barriers can be due to knowledge, skills, infrastructure, culture, socioeconomics and so much more. With that said, when you understand the barriers, you can better know your audience, and cater to what they need.

Everyone has barriers. Once you figure them out, you can build a marketing campaign and a business model that caters to them. For example, if your target audience is low income single mothers, you need to ensure that your product is affordable, because finances will be their main barrier. Or, if your target audience is Apple users, you need to ensure that the marketing is optimized for apply products, and that the service or product is compatible with Apple.

Barriers will help direct your marketing strategy and can ensure that you find success.

Values

Values are one of the most important parts of a marketing strategy. By ensuring that values either align or complement each other, you can ensure that the audience you attract is fruitful.

A perfect example of value alignment is with Nike. Nike values the hardworking and the ‘go-getter’ spirit. Their marketing embodies to just do it, and it really aligns with the values of their consumers. They have done an impeccable job in attracting their audience, knowing their audience, and aligning with their audience.

Even if you aren’t a large company, it is imperative that you understand the values of the audience. This ensures that your marketing fosters loyalty and creates a sense of understanding. When the audience feels understood, they are more likely to engage with the business.

Audience Centric Marketing

Your audience is the most important party when it comes to marketing. While you may have personal preferences, it is integral that you analyze the audience and cater your efforts towards their barriers and values.

Audience centric marketing is successful because it creates understanding and fosters loyalty. This is what you want as a business, and what you need for long term success.

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Defining who your audience is, is integral for the success of your marketing efforts. This means you need to understand the barriers and values of your audience. This will help you generate appropriate content, and provoke the right response form your audience.

Octopus & Son has extensive experience in audience realization. If you want to learn more, or need help understanding your audience, reach out to us.

The post What are Your Audiences Values & Barriers, and why you Should to Know Them! first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

This blog is to help you become more audience focused, so let’s dive in.

A Void

When you market without focusing on your audience, you may as well be marketing to a void. This means that your marketing has little purpose and will likely gain little to no traction. With that said, marketing to a void can be done accidentally.

When it comes to developing a marketing strategy, it can be easy to focus on what you want opposed to what your audience wants. This leads to a marketing strategy that isn’t focus on the audience, and results in little interaction. 

By choosing an audience, and focusing all marketing efforts towards that audience, you can ensure success.

Knowing your Audience Means Knowing how to Help Them

A truly successful business is able to identify the needs of their audience, and cater their marketing towards those needs. This understanding builds an organic relationship with customers and results in a positive response. By either catering to a need, or uncovering a need, you can fund success in your marketing efforts.

The best way to think about this is with the ‘bite situation.’ Businesses must ask themselves if what they are providing to their customers is a shark bite solution or a bug bite solution. A shark bite solution is something that is clearly needed. It alleviates a struggle or solves a need. Without the product, they will still have a need. This is contrasted by the bug bite solution. A bug bite solution uncovers a need. Similar to being bitten by a bug, you can survive without any remedies. However, should there be a bug bite solution, many individuals will feel like they need the remedy to the bug bite. This is integral to understand when grasping an understanding of your audience’s needs.

Matching Values and Overcoming Barriers

As a business, you need to understand the values and barriers of your audience. This ensures that you have an all encompassing understanding of the audience.

Values are one of the most important things to understand when creating audience focused marketing. This is because the integration of values ensures that you are doing more than surface level marketing. This can be done by supporting a cause, believing in core values, or encouraging certain qualities of your audience.

When you integrate values in your marketing, you can help your audience feel comfortable and feel like they are understood. This reduces one of the largest barriers that consumers face. Consumers need to feel understood or valued to make a purchase.

By getting on the same page as your audience, you can ensure successful marking, and be better equipped to handle the next quarter.

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Your audience should be the focus of your marketing strategies. Regardless of what your preferences are, your audience is the most important. They are the most impactful group on your business as they have the ability to generate awareness and make purchases. By being focused on your audience, you can reduce their barriers.

We know the value of the audience, and want to help you cater a marketing strategy to them. If you want to learn more about your audience, contact us.

The post Why Your Audience Strategy is Your Most Important Focus first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

The world may never be the same after the pandemic. Everyone has realized the potential of the internet, and how a virtual community is as important as the in-person ones. Now it is time to understand the ‘new’ normal, and adopt it. Everything has changed since the pandemic swept the globe, and it will remain changed.

Let’s dive into more about what the ‘new’ normal means for you.

What Does the New Normal Mean for Your Audience?

The new normal is the circumstances that prevail after a crisis. This is different from the situation that existed prior, but must be widely accepted. The pandemic was the crisis, and as we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, it becomes clear that what we are experiencing now is our ‘new’ normal. 

Prior to the pandemic delivery and online shops were usually an additive to a brick and mortar location. WIth that said, we have seen immense growth in delivery services and online stores. People have realized that they no longer need to be in a store to have the shopping experience. The new normal includes masks, social distancing, and respect for boundaries.

Our new normal exposes everyone’s willingness to accept risk, and thus everyone needs to adapt and understand.

Does Your Messaging Need to Adapt?

Adaptation is crucial for surviving the new normal. In fact, if you operate in the same capacity that you did prior to the pandemic, you will likely struggle to succeed and grow. Consumers are reacting to the new normal in different ways and you need to be prepared to adjust with their comfort levels.

Adaptation is important because it allows you to persevere through challenging times, and be versatile during tumultuous ones. The new normal is reality, and thus your business needs to respond.

How Does Your Story change and how can you tell it?

Over the last 2 years, your story in marketing has had to evolve constantly. Prior to the pandemic, you likely shared your strength and growth. You had a brand that had its core values, and you revolved the story from there. Once the pandemic hit, you had to use the ‘COVID Narrative.’ This narrative was widely used by all businesses, and it saturated the marketing that consumers saw. Now, it’s time to shift again. The pandemic is a reality, but it is time to market beyond that. Consumers no longer want to hear about the pandemic, but want to hear about perseverance, growth, and togetherness.

Your story needs to change with the times. This new normal is no exception.

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The world is a rapidly changing place that we all have the privilege to live in. While COVID-19 may be nearing an end, more global disruptions are bound to occur. By being quick to adapt and understand the new normal, you can find longevity and success.

Here at Octopus & Son, we want to help you adapt to the ‘new’ normal. Our team is ready to help, so reach out.

The post What Does the ‘New Normal’ Mean for Your Marketing? first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

We want you to succeed in your marketing efforts, so let’s dive in!

How Brand Awareness Supports all Other Marketing

Brand awareness is one of the most important things if you want to have long term success and growth. This is because it is the extent to which consumers recognize your brand. In fact, the greater the brand awareness, the better known your brand is. This usually leads to greater sales.

Consistent messaging is important and very effective in promoting brand awareness. When the branding and messaging is the same across all platforms, it becomes more recognized. Whether a consumer sees the marketing on Facebook or TikTok, they realize that it is the same brand. Additionally, when they click to visit the website, it is consistent again.

By creating a seamless customer experience with consistent messaging, you can ensure that you are recognized regardless of which platform the consumer finds you on.

Consistency

Consistency is important because it ensures that there are core values and messages displayed. Additionally, it ensures that the audience isn’t confused and that everyone who discovered you has the same impression. Your worst nightmare in branding is for your audience members to get a different message or vibe pending on where they discovered your brand.

When creating your messaging and content, it is imperative that you define what you want shared beforehand. This will ensure that the messaging is consistent, leading to the greatest experience.

How Familiarity Becomes Loyalty

Most relationships require some form of loyalty and loyalty is built on the foundations of trust. When a customer trusts your brand or your company, they are more likely to be loyal. This is why consistency is key in all your messaging.

Trust is built on belief; the belief that you are honest and trustworthy. Consistent messaging ensures that you are what you say you are on every platform. Whether your customer is on the website, or they have sound you on social media, they get the same message. This fosters loyalty because your loyal customers can see that you behave the same on all platforms, and thus are who you said you were.

Loyalty can take your company to the next level. By ensuring that you embody consistency, you can create loyalty.

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Consistency is key. A successful marketing strategy has consistent messaging and branding on all platforms. By ensuring that there is consistency, you can foster brand awareness and nurse loyalty amongst your audience.

Octopus & Son knows the intricacies of marketing and can ensure all messaging is consistent. Want to learn more? Reach out. We are always happy to help and see how Octopus & Son can help you grow forwards.

The post How Does Consistent Marketing Help Your Brand? first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

As a business, you have the opportunity to display your values honesty in your marketing. Not only does it allow you to display your support, it also allows you to build personal connections and show selfless tendencies.

There are many things to consider when integrating your values into your marketing strategy, so let’s take a moment to learn more.

Support vs Action

Support and action are two different things, and it is imperative that you distinguish this prior to the deployment of a marketing strategy. Showing support does not demand action, but it is preferred.

When you choose to support a value, you must be consistent. In recent years, many companies have been caught showing support, but then investing in companies that act against their values. This is why it is integral to show support in all capacities, and that means partnering with companies and individuals that have the same values.

When you show support, you are being transparent and vulnerable with your values. It allows you to attract certain audience members, and enables you to stand for the greater good. Regardless what value you choose to support, be sure to integrate it in your marketing and be clear with your intention and support.

The Marketing Ploy

We all know what a marketing ploy is. It is a strategy that encourages purchasing and engagement. There is a fine line between success and failure when businesses attempt to combine value-based marketing with a marketing ploy.

Businesses can be quick to jump onto a social cause and attempt value-based campaigns. However, the initial momentum usually peters off, leaving empty promises and unfulfilled passion. Other times, businesses associate themselves with a social change for the ‘clout’ and support. This is why on June 1st, every business suddenly has a pride rainbow integrated into their logo. While this seems great, it forces us to ask how they support the cause the other 11 months of the year. Pride month isn’t the only time this is seen, but it is the most widely known instance. It fools consumers to think that the business supports LGBTQ+ rights actively, while in reality, the rainbow is only for marketing and awareness.

This is why it is important to integrate your values into your marketing year round. Instead of using your values as a marketing ploy, use them to create brand awareness and a greater reputation.

Words vs Action

Actions will always speak louder than words. While you can say your support for a value or cause, it is important that you back this with actions. Not only do your actions show commitment, they build trust with your audience. It displays your honesty and reliability, and thus creates loyalty.

Differentiation is hard to come by in marketing. Often, the same words are used, and the message is uniform across all businesses. Actions help you differentiate yourself from others, and allow you to be better than your competitors.

Your actions are more important than your words. It allows you to find success in value-based marketing, and streets you clear of using social causes as a marketing ploy.

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At Octopus & Son, we believe in honest and transparent marketing. We recommend you steer clear of marketing ploys, and show your audience your core values. By doing so, you can foster relations founded in trust.

Marketing your values can be a great asset, and when utilized correctly, can create loyalty. Reach out to us if you want to learn more about how to integrate your values in your marketing strategy.

The post How to Honestly Market Your Values? (and avoid the wrong kind of attention) first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

Marketing is one of your greatest assets for business development and lead generation, however, if you are unable to meet each other halfway, the marketing strategy unravels. This is why communication, setting expectations, and understanding what not to do is important.

Let’s look into how you can help form a successful marketing relationship.

What Communication Really Means (trusting who you’ve hired)

Communication is the foundation of any relationship. Whether it be a friendship or partnership, communication allows trust to be built, and progress to be made. This allows struggles and needs to be communicated and addressed. It ensures that information is getting from one place to another. By doing this clearly, you can ensure that your marketing is fruitful.

There are two parts of communication; communicating, and listening. Active listening is imperative to good communication. While once can say something, it falls short if there is no one to listen to. Active listening requires full engagement and understanding. By asking questions and staying engaged, communication becomes more effective.

Communication requires both parties to be willing to communicate and to listen. Without one of these parts, communication fails.

Setting Expectations

There are two types of expectations that need to be established at the beginning of any marketing relationship. The first is expectations of each other and the second is expectations of the marketing strategy. By airing these expectations, you can expect a positive experience in a marketing relationship.

It is important to establish expectations of each other. This should include time to respond, communication preferences, meeting expectations, deadlines, and more. Often times a strategy is reliant on a timeline, and understanding deadlines is integral for the deployment of the marketing strategy.

You also need to establish expectations for the marketing strategy. This is usually determined by the goals and objectives that you have outlined. Some may expect their marketing strategy to educate, while others may expect it to generate leads. Regardless, it is important that you communicate these expectations to your marketing team. This will allow them to generate content with respect to the expectations.

Undesirable Traits

Sometimes, a relationship doesn’t work out. This is often rooted in the lack of communication or failure to execute expectations. However, there are a couple key things to consider when building a 2-way relationship with a marketing team.

You must understand that the expertise you bring to a relationship and the expertise the marketing team brings to a relationship, are meant to complement each other and build from one another. By failing  to acknowledge this, it becomes increasingly difficult to build a 2-way relationship.

Another trait that can create challenges is a disregard for each other. At the end of the day, you both need to respect each other’s decisions, needs, and expertise. Without this, you are unable to build a working relationship that is functional. Each party of a relationship needs to have respect to build the foundations, without it, the relationship unravels.

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A successful marketing relationship is founded when all parties set clear expectations and communicate effectively. By having transparency, the relationship is able to flourish and lead to desirable outcomes.

Octopus & Son has worked with a variety of clients, and is ready to help you. If you want to learn more about forming a relationship with Octopus & Son, reach out.

The post How to build a Healthy two-way Partnership With Your Marketing Agency first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

The post Why Brand Awareness is Your Greatest KPI This Quarter first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.

Social media platforms allow you to communicate with your customers on a more personal level, which allows you to foster a relationship. This allows overall business awareness to drastically increase, leading to the development of a more reputable business.

Many companies outsource their social media management, but there is opportunity in doing it in-house. By displaying the benefits of managing your businesses social media, we hope to show opportunity for you and your company.

You’re the Brand’s Greatest Resource

There are millions of social media users, which is why it can be your greatest asset. Social media has potential due to the habitual nature it has. Consumers regularly use it, with allows for consistent interactions and exposere.

Social media is affordable and ensures that content is seen by the appropriate audience. It has the ability to build your brand and a recognizable presence. With social media, you can easily alter the voice you portray as you get to know your audience. Additionally, social media is accessible to a wider audience.

Social media can be your greatest asset because it is easy and simple to use. It is a part of marketing that you can take advantage of without fear.

More Than Posting

Oftentimes, we find ourselves scrolling social media, consuming hours of content with a limited purpose. While this has been seen as a negative for the general user, it is advantageous to you as a business.

When managing your businesses social media, you need to understand that there is more to it than posting. You need to consume conete (like, comment, share) and you need to be active for your audience. This will ensure that when they reach out, you will be right there for them.

Social media goes beyond positing. Every relationship fostered needs to go two easy, and that starts with you being present.

Scope of Work

Scope of work will always be important. It is easy to get overwhelmed, over engaged, or overcommitted when managing social media. This is why it is integral to develop a scope prior to starting.

By having a scope, you are proving to have control over all factors. It is critical during the lifetime of a project because it allows you to manage cost, labour, and time. This will ensure that you are getting the greatest return on your investment.

By having a scope, you are following a path of success.

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Here at Octopus & Son, we firmly believe that the capabilities of a marketing strategy greatly increase with your involvement. This is why we lead through education, and offer a variety of services. By creating an all encompassing strategy, you will be able to engage with your audience easily.

Whether you decide to utilize our social media services or not, please reach out. We offer design, writing, and more. Utilize Octopus & Son in the new quarter to create the best marketing strategy for your audience.

The post Should you be Doing Your own Social Media Marketing? first appeared on Octopus & Son Social Media Inc. | Calgary Digital Marketing.