Education Center

Blogs

Short for “web log,” a blog is a powerful tool for creating corporate and product awareness. Ideally both entertaining and interactive, blogs should inspire third-party content (this enhances SEO opportunities and helps create “buzz” around a product or service) and should combine still images, videos and links to together like-minded blogs, creating a more complete experience for visitors.

Direct Response/Direct Response Advertising

Direct response advertising urges prospective customers to respond immediately and directly to the advertiser, through incentives placed in the advertisement. Common direct-response “devices” or “response mechanisms” include coupons, limited0-time offers and toll-free telephone numbers.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses electronic mail to communicate commercial or fundraising messages. The term usually refers to sending emails in order to enhance merchant/customer relationships, encourage customer loyalty and promote repeat business; sending emails in order to acquire new long-term customers; or sending advertisements via email (about a special sale or promotion, for instance) to attract spot-sales.

Logos

Logos are graphical elements designed to represent a commercial brand or trademark. Logos often take the form of symbols, or symbols combined with a unique logotype or uniquely set and arranged typeface designed specifically around a company or brand. Their purpose is to promote instant recognition of a commercial enterprise, organization, cause or individual.

Marketing

Marketing is the process through which companies advertise their products or services. The ultimate goal is to create value for customers and build strong customer relationships; in short, marketing is used to create customers, keep customers and satisfy customers.

Relationship Marketing

Relationship marking is a form of marketing developed from direct-response marketing campaigns that emphasizes customer retention and satisfaction, rather than focusing on point-of-sale transactions. The term “Relationship Marketing” suggests a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship between buyer and seller, transcending the routine purchase-exchange process.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines via “natural” or “algorithmic” search results (as opposed to search-engine marketing, which deals with paid inclusion). Typically, the sooner a site appears in a search list, the more visitors it will receive; SEO aims to bump a site up the list by managing keywords and other crucial metadata.

Social Media/Social Media Marketing

Social Media are media that encourage social integration. With the ultimate goal of turning monologues into dialogues, Social Media such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter allow users to chare feelings and visual elements on virtually any topic, and prompt readers to respond in time. The term “Social Media Marketing” describes the use of these social networks – including online communities, blogs or other collaborative online media — for the purpose of marketing, sales, public relations or customer service.

Taglines/Slogans

Taglines, or branding slogans, are memorable phrases that summarize the tone and premise of a product or service. They also reinforce a listener, customer or audience’s memory of a product or service. Crucial to the success of any marketing initiative, taglines are usually punchy — the best say a lot with a little.

USPs (Unique Selling Points)

Alternately known as Unique Selling Propositions, USPs are a company’s promise to do something better, faster, safer, cleaner, beefier, cheaper, etc., than the competition. While not always “unique,” USPs always reflect a business philosophy — and serve to set a company or product apart.