Top 5 Must-Reads: Weekly Round-Up 11.13.2015

We find it, so you don’t have to.

From staying relevant with local audiences on social media to making the most of your mobile advertising investment,  here is a quick round-up of the best marketing, advertising and local business related content you may have missed this week:

 

1. 25 Holiday Email Subject Lines That Shine (Vertical Response)

According to this article, the day after Halloween officially marks the start of the holiday shopping season. Whether you personally agree or not, this sentiment is definitely true when it comes to the mindset of consumers. We like to be prepared, so we’ve put together a collection of holiday marketing resources. However, this post takes it one step further and breaks it all the way down to the exact subject lines you could be using for your holiday email marketing efforts. 

 

2. Mobile Coupons Effective Way to Link Mobile Ad to In-store Purchase (eMarketer)

With all of the mobile advertising talk going around, you may be wondering how to translate the mobile activity of your customers into in-store sales for your business. This article demonstrates how linking your mobile ads to a coupon can help. 

 

3.  Local Relevance is the Future of Facebook for National Brands (Social Media Insider)

Did you know that 45% of online Americans currently keep in touch with local businesses by following them on Facebook? While this post aims to help national brands get in touch with their local audiences, it also helps small businesses by suggesting the importance of maintaining this relationship with your local communities and establishing a positive local presence for your brand on social media. Learn more here. 

 

4.  83% of Customers Not Getting Response to Social Media Inquiries (Media Post – Research Brief)

On our own blog, we recently called out the importance of responding to your customers’ social media messages (pleased or dissatisfied), and how a positive interaction on social can lead to a strong customer relationship, potentially creating a brand advocate for life. Unfortunately, it seems many businesses aren’t taking that advice. This post explores why social should be treated as the critical communication channel that it is. 

BONUS: Give yourself (or your team) time to respond to these inquiries by pre-scheduling your content through the use of a content calendar. Learn more with these four tools from Social Media Examiner here. 

 

5.  5 Things Small Business Owners Should Know About #SEO Friendly Web Design  (Search Engine Journal)

As we’ve mentioned before, tackling search engine optimization (SEO) can seem like a daunting task. This post makes it a little easier by breaking down the five things you need to know about  SEO as a small business owner. 

 

Want to see more of Cox Media’s content from this week?

Is Your Website Optimized for Holiday Shopping Success [Blog Post]

Addressing Several TV Advertising Myths & Opening the Door to Local Business [Blog Post]

Marketing Health Check [Assessment]