If you are a Gmail user you’ve probably noticed Google’s highly relevant ads running in and around your emails. For example, if someone sends you some information about a new car they are thinking about buying there’s a good chance you’re going to see car related ads when you open this email. It’s a fact of life in the Google world – you don’t have to like these ads, but you might consider using them to market your business.

Think about it, these are some of the most highly targeted ads you buy. Someone sends a note to a friend talking about starting a business and wham, there’s your business opportunity right in the email.

Gmail ads are available to advertisers through the AdWords platform. You need to have an AdWords account and set-up a campaign. You can target Gmail through the “managed placements” network setting. You can do this as a Gmail only campaign or as part of a campaign that also runs ads on other sites.

To add Gmail simply add http://mail.google.com to the list of managed placement sites. The video below from Google’s Austin Lau explains this function.

Gmail Ads Explained on YouTube

Current Gmail users can already update their statuses through Gmail’s chat feature, but this feature is more similar to the traditional IM “away message.” But with this new social push, Gmail will offer a timeline-view of your friends’ status updates, more like Twitter and Facebook.

Those updates might come from both Gmail and third-party services — as Google owns YouTube and Picasa, which may likely be integrated into the stream. The huge question then is whether or not the new feature will include updates from Facebook and Twitter.

If so, the new features could be thought of more like a TweetDeck, which would provide an aggregate view of your friends’ social media activities along with the ability to push status updates to the services you use from inside of Gmail. If Google decides not to integrate Facebook or Twitter, it could be thought of as a major competitor as Gmail looks to covert its millions of e-mail users into adherents to a whole new breed of social media service.

Why use our Professional Resume Design Services?

In today’s marketplace it’s no secret that professionals need to do everything they can to stand out. After aiding many clients and associates, Vista Marketing Group has decided to add professional resume design to our long list of services! If your run-of-the-mill Microsoft Word resume just isn’t cutting it, then we encourage you to check out new design packages. We’ve listed several options to meet any budget, which include MS Word and PDF versions, and even an online listing, where you’ll be given your own URL to give out to employers.
Resume Design Pricing

Professionally Designed Resume (includes 2 versions, 3 revisions)

How our Resume Design Services work
We’ll take your MS Word, rtf, txt, or html document and import it into our Creative Suite applications. Your text will be fine-tuned and any misspellings will be corrected. Our design services team will then format your resume to create a unique, one-of-a-kind look, that stands out and gives you the competitive advantage among potential employers. Depending on which service you select, we will then email your high resolution digital files, in either PDF version, or PDF and MS Word versions. If you choose, we will also give you a unique URL web address, where your resume will be available online. This web address can be given to human resources, recruiters and colleagues. If you not satisfied with our finished product, we have a 100% MONEY BACK guarantee.

Ready to get started?

Upload your current Resume file (acceptable: html, rtf, txt, doc) 3MB Maximum

Problem: Our international client required a fresh look to their marketing collateral.
Approach: After talking about their business goals with Vista Marketing Group, a decision was made to strengthen their online presence and brand reinforcement.
Solution: Vista Marketing provided a professional brand image that reflected the culture of their company – showcasing strong values, hard work, and excellent service. Other marketing tactics were implemented, including discount coupons that can be found on the website and printed, which also works to serve their loyal customers as well as bring in new customers. Social networking strategies were also implemented to increase targeted web traffic and increase exposure.
Impact: Instant leads generated and a much stronger online presence. Sales collateral matches their image and conveys the client message.

Marketing is the most misunderstood work in business; ask 100 people what marketing is, and you’ll get 100 different answers. You get back: advertising, websites, good service, etc. It’s all of those things, but the essence of marketing is that it’s the movement of the business from one level of profitable revenue to the next.

Marketing is Growth!

Marketing has to be a driver of business growth, so if you’re doing a million in revenue one year, the next year you need to be doing a million and a half, and then you take it to 2 million and so on. You can’t stay where you are. You need a catalyst for growth. Accounting can’t drive growth, HR can’t drive growth, organizational structure can’t drive growth — these are all important structures, but marketing is the engine for growth. The only valid definition of marketing is the ability to take a company from one level of profitable revenue to a higher level of profitable revenue.

Now is the Time to Increase your Marketing

Right now your competitors are sleeping; they’re hiding in the bunker, they’re waiting for the dust to clear. And they’re leaving you a golden opportunity to grow your market share. Develop a strategy, implement, measure. Rinse and repeat.

Looking for help in getting started with your Marketing? Get free insight from our experts.

Even if you have never heard the term drip marketing you’ve probably been subjected to it.

So what is drip marketing? Drip marketing is a direct marketing strategy that involves sending out continuous promotional pieces over a period of time to a number of leads.

The phrase drip marketing comes from an agriculture and gardening technique called “drip irrigation”, which is the process of watering plants or crops using small amounts of water over long periods of time. However, you can also think of it as a big ice cream cone (we like that better) that drips as you’re holding it — reminding your potential buyers and clients of all your goodness.

Is this process effective and how can you begin planning your drip marketing campaign?

The method of drip marketing can help you avoid the sell-produce curve. An effective way to use drip marketing is to consistently do something each month to keep your name in front of your current clients and prospective clients (there are too many competitors out there not to). By doing this correctly, you diminish the sell-produce curve and will find that you will have a steady amount of business coming in the door.
The best thing about drip marketing is it requires a concise plan of action. By creating this plan and following it throughout the year, you help guarantee that you will be consistent with your marketing all year long. Consistency in branding is a must. Always carefully craft your message with the same underlying tone and deliver.

Developing a Monthly Plan of Action

It all sounds great, but where do you start? Here is a simple plan of action to get you well on your way to developing a more lucrative drip marketing campaign:

• Step 1: Develop your Plan (Plan something EVERY month)
• Step 2: Strategize the Execution of Your Plan
• Step 3: Decide who your target audient is.
• Step 4: Create consistency in your branding.

What methods are best used for your drip marketing campaign? There are many, but here are a few that will get you started:

• Email Newsletters
• Postcards
• Newsletters
• Promotional or Sales Brochures

Think of your drip marketing campaign as a way to nurture your current and potential clients, not sell to them. Your campaign should be insightful, but keep them aware of your products and services. With this in mind your campaign is sure to succeed.

Want to get a head start on your drip marketing campaign? Get in touch with Vista Marketing Group today!

Search Engine Marketing Tips for your Business

Ensure that you craft meaningful, search engine friendly copy

You wouldn’t print a brochure about your business that includes the words “awesome deal” 20 times on each page, would you? So why would you include those words 20 times on your Web site? Using the words “awesome deal” in the right place one time works well. In the wrong place 20 times, not so much. Before thinking about the other search engine optimization (SEO) methods, carefully draft the copy that appears on each page of your website. Then, take a look at each page and ask yourself what keywords would bring someone to that page and where best to place the keyword.

Use key words and keyphrases in your title and H1 tags

The title — the bar at the top of the browser — on every page of your website should include a concise list of keywords for your business, but not necessarily your business’ name. The title is generally what appears as the title in the search results, which is what searchers are likely to glance at first.

• Tip: Don’t forget to fill in the ALT tags on your images. Google only knows what an image is by reading its ALT tag. Writing a description in that alt tag area gives you another chance to let search engines know what a page’s content is about.

Your keywords should be heavily researched and well crafted. One small alteration can mean the difference in 10 visitors a month and 1,000.

Don’t write false or misleading copy in order to trick search engines

This is a ‘black hat’ trick and search engines could penalize you, plus you don’t want to mislead customers about what you offer. Sure, the words people use to search don’t necessarily reflect exactly what they’re searching for, but adding your competitor’s brand name to your tags just because it’s comparable to a brand name that you offer doesn’t make it right. You’re not just penalizing yourself with customers, you could be upsetting the secret (and always changing) code that Google uses to catch those who attempt such things.

Don’t overdo it

Adding extraneous words to your tags won’t get you anywhere. In fact, cluttered tags can actually hurt your search engine rankings. In the same way people immediately trash spam emails that have long, disorderly subject lines, search engines do the same if your titles, tags, URLs and Web pages have overtly extraneous information.

Don’t get too flashy

Sure, sites that use Flash animation can be fun to look at, but search engines don’t take notice (they read text), which makes it harder for your pages to be properly indexed, the process a search engine takes to record all the content appearing on each page of your site. Instead of creating an entire page in Flash, make the Flash presentation just one component of the page. That way, both your Flash talents and your search rankings win.

Have additional questions about Search Engine Marketing? Ask our SEM experts what you can do to enhance the visibility of your website today!

Article by Kira Bailey

Vista Marketing Group
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Problem: Custom Carolina Construction LLC wanted to focus their energy on providing excellent custom home building service, and wanted to leave the marketing to Vista Marketing Group.
Approach: After several discussions, innovative ideas were brought to light. The decision was made to strengthen online presence and brand reinforcement.
Solution: Vista Marketing provided a professional website that reflected the culture of their company – showcasing strong values, hard work, and excellent service. Other marketing tactics were implemented, including discount coupons that can be found on the website and printed, which also works to serve their loyal customers as well as bring in new customers. Social networking strategies were also implemented to increase targeted web traffic and increase exposure.
Impact: Instant leads generated just hours after launch of the site. Analytics report that the social media campaign is drawing in many new clients. Organic traffic from the search engine optimized website, should yield even greater results in the next few months, helping to further solidify their stronghold on the Ridgeland, Beaufort, Savannah and Charleston markets. 2-sided full-color glossy business cards were created for Custom Carolina Construction LLC to strengthen first impression brand impact. Screenprinted Tshirts were also created in tangent to help promote brand awareness and increase website visibility.

Problem: Our client, a custom home builder, needed a rendering for a new project. They preferred a ‘hand-drawn’ look to the architectural rendering.
Approach: We reviewed photos of the lot’s landscape and discussed the colors and materials to be used in the construction of the new home.
Solution: With only the AutoCad files on hand, Vista Marketing Group’s creative team put together an artsy but refined representation of the new home. The architectural rendering underwent several revisions via our digital proofing system, until the look matched the client’s expectations.
Impact: Once the project was finalized, a vector PDF was printed on 24×36″ display boards for the client’s open house.