Becoming proficient at digital marketing is a huge part of setting your business up for success. However, the digital world presents a few hurdles, including the development of AI, the rapid evolution of technology, shifting trends, and increased competition. It is essential to get ahead and ensure you are prepared to tackle these digital marketing challenges.
Digital marketing requires a certain level of technology proficiency, knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and Search Generative Experience (SGE), as well as social media literacy, data analytics, and email marketing. To achieve success in digital marketing, it is essential to approach it as deliberately as you can. Using tools like data analytics and customer feedback, you can craft stories and set up plans to tackle digital marketing. To stand out from the crowd, let people know you have experience. Prove you are a voice of authority in your market. Show them that you are a trustworthy company.
There are a few components to keep in mind:
Knowing how to optimize your digital marketing is key. With the continued development of AI, such as SGE, SEO is being pushed to its limits. This means your business must be as accurate and as customer-friendly as possible. Businesses that master a smooth user experience become more visible. It is also important that your keywords and facts are in order. Be clear and accurate, using your keywords regularly in all customer communications. Be ready to consistently update information and engage in learning related to technology development.
Taking full advantage of email and social media can be a game-changer. Email serves as a reliable means of communication and marketing. Social media can be a way to get your messages out there. Social media is also a wonderful tool that you can use to tell your company's story and show the world what you are all about.
Overall, the underlying theme of effective digital marketing is to be cohesive and consistent. Stay on top of changing trends and be ready to use new technology to help you stay ahead of the competition.
There are so many ways you can use social media to connect and spread the word about your business. It is a treasure trove of possibilities; however, using it can sometimes be a stressful experience.
We recommend creating engaging content that is educational, entertaining, and valuable to your customers. Actively use video and photos to showcase what your company is all about. This can generate word-of-mouth referrals and build long-lasting connections. When using social media, always tell a story. Plan out your social media posts and determine your goals - like a 10% increase in LIKES or FOLLOWS. Setting goals for your posts will help you effectively use social media to grow your company and celebrate your team.
Some of the most popular social media platforms that are waiting to be utilized include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Facebook is the leader in self-declared platform use so far in 2025, according to Datareportal. Each social media platform has its own unique demographics and marketing approaches. Knowing social media trends and demographics is important for success in digital marketing.
Get out there and share your company's story!
Want help with marketing ideas like this one or would you like us to train your people? Contact Poole Communications at 573-221-3635
©2025 Poole Communications
Email marketing can be a fantastic way for you to connect with your customers. Using an email newsletter can be a valuable tool for promoting brand awareness and keeping your customers and stakeholders informed about your company's latest developments. This type of email can also be used to engage with your customers, helping you establish your expertise in your field, build trust, keep people informed, and foster loyalty.
In addition to all of this, newsletters provide one of the most effective marketing tools: positive word of mouth. A well-crafted newsletter can spark positive conversations about your business. Not enough businesses make an effort to keep in contact with their clients. Some may have a customer or client list they never use! Newsletters can be a highly effective tool for gathering data about your customers and their needs, so don't forget to utilize newsletters and your client lists to truly connect.
Knowing how to start a newsletter can be hard. However, it doesn't have to be! Here are some tips for what is needed to build a successful newsletter:
There are a lot of fantastic ideas you can use for newsletter content. You can write a blog, do a promotion, or update your readers about company news. The range of possibilities is endless! The goal is to engage with your customers and leave a positive mark. Coming up with ideas can be difficult, but there are plenty of options you can try.
Enjoy this list of ideas that you can use in your newsletter:
Take advantage of the opportunities that a newsletter presents!
Want to give it a try? Constant Contact is a reliable sending tool that you can use for your newsletter - and it's simple to use! You can try it for free to see if it is a good fit for you. Click this link to get started. Alternatively, platforms like Substack can be very useful tools for managing newsletters and email marketing.
Looking for more tips for your newsletter or want us to help you get started? Contact Poole Communications at 573-221-3635... or email us at info@poolecommunications.com.
Newsletters are not the only thing email is used for. Email is a very dependable method of communication in a business setting. Therefore, it is essential to know how to write a clear, concise, and friendly email. If you have to use an attachment, make sure the attachment is an easy-to-view file, like a JPEG, PNG, or PDF. Files like Microsoft PowerPoint or Word Documents are not easy to read when looking at an email.
Be sure your email provides contact information. Having a branded signature on each of your emails can help link to your number and your company's website. Most email services provide the option to pre-make a signature that you can use with every message! Take advantage of that feature. At the same time, make sure your email messages are clear and easy to understand. There's nothing more frustrating than miscommunication, so being certain to get a good tone and message across in your emails is vital to getting things done.
Finally, don't forget the subject line. It can be easy to press send without a subject, but subject lines can be used to help convey what an email is about. It can also be used to highlight if a message is urgent or not. Using a subject helps get your emails read.
©2025 Poole Communications
Websites are the foundations of your digital brand. A well-designed website can attract many customers and boost your company on search engines like Google. A poorly designed website can cause you to lose customers. When putting together or updating a website, it is good to think about what you can do to boost your page to the top of Google Searches.
There are three main factors to consider for every website, known as Core Web Vitals:
These Core Web Vitals can make or break the success of your website. Things to consider when trying to focus on these three questions include how you might make your website more mobile-friendly, clean, interactive, personalized, and accessible. All of these things contribute to the website's ability to run smoothly and work well.
When putting together or updating a website, it is important to remember that websites are commonly accessed by mobile devices. Over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. Designing a website that prioritizes responsiveness and mobile-friendliness is much easier than trying to cram desktop web pages onto a cell phone. In addition, trying not to clutter your website with too many elements makes the website easier to read, navigate, and decreases loading time.
Adding interactions and personalization can make viewers of your website more likely to return and stay on your web pages longer. This can include integrating things like polls or quizzes, or even trying out AI-powered tools that can assist with and tailor the user experience. Another huge factor is making your website more accessible by using tools like keyboard navigation, alternative text on images, and incorporating high-contrast colors in the website's design.
Overall, a website can become more successful by:
Focusing on these things will help boost your website on Google and other search engines. It is important to be intentional about how you approach your website — it is the digital face of your brand!
Need a little help to get started? Contact Poole Communications at 573-221-3635... or email us at info@poolecommunications.com.
©2025 Poole Communications
When most people think of ADA compliance, it's easy to fall into the trap that meeting ADA standards only means prepping your physical location to accommodate disabilities reasonably. However, most companies overlook the importance of preparing their digital platforms for ADA compliance. Websites need to be reasonably accommodated to be accessible by law. The best and most recommended way to stay up to date with online accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG is the standard for web compatibility and covers a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible for various disabilities and devices.
Of course, there is a large amount of information out there about the best practices for creating or adapting a website to meet this standard. To break it down, WCAG can be highlighted into four sections.
Your website is a step closer to following WCAG if it is:
This means that your website must be able to adapt to people with disabilities. If a website is perceivable, it might offer alternative text, audio assistance or alternatives, have high contrast colors, and mark what language is used in the website's header code. If it is operable, it will have a clear hierarchy with a header and easy-to-navigate menus. If the content is understandable, it might avoid using long, unnecessary words. If it is robust, then your website will be able to work on any device it needs to.
All of these factors make a world of a difference when it comes to making your website just a little more usable for people with disabilities. People often design websites as visual pieces, but they must also be functional and usable by all sorts of people. Making a website too complex or confusing can vastly change how accessible it is. In addition, a website that is not accessible is far less likely to be boosted by search engines and is less likely to be seen as often. This only adds to the urgency of setting your website up to be ADA compliant.
As a note, there is a new ruling under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires web content for state and local governments to meet specific standards of WCAG by a certain deadline, depending on population. The first deadline is in April 2026. Check out this fact sheet for more information.
Further details on these deadlines:
Need a little help making your website ADA compliant, or would you like us to train your people? Contact Poole Communications at 573-221-3635... or email us at info@poolecommunications.com.
©2025 Poole Communications
When businesses create a social media page, they may believe the hard part is over. Actually, it is just beginning. Once a social media page is created, the real work of increasing social media engagement begins.
Use Images
One thing we have learned over and over again at Poole Communications is that social media users like images. A post containing a photo or image will be seen by more users than one that does not. Post a video to your Facebook or Twitter page, and you may be surprised to see how many more people respond to your post. We are becoming a visual society. A picture or video is always more likely to catch the eye than just a text. Free picture sharing sites such as Pixabay and Pexels make it easy to find stock photos to make your posts appealing to the eye.
Live Video
Live video is another way to rapidly increase social media engagement. We would strongly caution businesses to be prepared when doing live video though. Once you say something “live” it is out there, and there is no taking it back. Live video definitely has its advantages though; it gives you an instantaneous connection to your social media followers. You can answer their questions and engage with them. Special events, a product unveiling, or a new food item are all reasons to try a live video. The effects may be far reaching and last longer than just the minute or two your video goes live.
Get Personal
Another way of increasing social media engagement is to personalize your business page. Give a virtual tour of your office. Introduce your employees using their pictures a short description of their educational background and job duties. Celebrate work anniversaries with a post. Introduce a new product by having an employee showing its uses in a video. Social media is about being “social.” People do still want to feel connected to other people. Introducing your staff adds a personal touch to your social media pages. We have learned from our own experience it also leads to much higher engagement.
Remember Reviews
Reviews are another way to see your engagement improve on your social media pages. Ask past customers to share their opinions. Invite them to review your business and their experience. This will allow potential customers to learn more about you through the experience of others.
Ask Questions
We have seen an increase of engagement on company pages when a product or gift card is given away. Who doesn’t like free things? If there is information you want to elicit from your social media followers, think about a question that is pertinent to your business when you conduct the giveaway. For example, a restaurant may ask followers what their favorite dish is. This helps them to see what is popular and what new dishes they may want to introduce. While your engagement increases, so will your knowledge base.
Don’t forget there is also power in likes and comments. To see engagement increase, businesses must be involved. Like comments made on your page. Comment back to a potential customer when they ask a question about a product. This is vital to keeping up your engagement and increasing your brand awareness.
Visit our Insights and pick up some quick tips for your business. Subscribe to our newsletter to be sent regular tools and tips.
1. Know Your Audience
- What time they check Facebook, what content they’re interested in.
- Target those specific people who ‘liked’ your page.
Knowing your audience will help your business tremendously down the road. It’s not enough to have a great product these days. You need to find those people who are your target audience and know what they want to see, their interests, likes and dislikes.
2. Engage with Your Audience
- Make posts specifically to your target group.
Once you’ve figured out their likes and dislikes, it’s time to put your knowledge to work.
Think about it - a follower is more likely to like or share a post if it is relevant to them or if they find it to be something they can stand behind.
3. Provide Great Customer Service
Once you have figured out your target market and how to get their attention, you need to keep it! Keep up on your social media; it shouldn’t be on autopilot for too long. Notice when someone comments on a post of yours or better yet, shares your post. Respond to your audience; people like to know that who they’re following is responsive and actually cares about them.
In short, nobody likes to be ignored. If people comment on your post or have questions, acknowledge them! It’s easy to become automated with managing your Facebook, but don’t forget that Customer Satisfaction still rules and will go further than any boosted post ever will.
4. Customization
You can schedule when your FB status is posted weeks and months in advance, specifically to better fit your customers' schedules. When you go to make a status update there is a drop down box next to the "Post" button that gives you an option to schedule your posting. Use this free trick to optimize your social media!
5. Boost
You can also use the “Boost” button, which places your posts higher in the News Feed, so there’s a better chance your audience will see them. Although there is a charge to boost, but you can choose your own budget. The more you put towards your budget, the higher your boost.
Stay focused and use Facebook's free platform to your advantage!
Here are some quick tips to get your press release published.
1. Make sure it's news worthy - if it's not it won't get published.
2. Take the time to develop a catchy headline that will attract attention.
3. Write in a concise, news-style with the most important information first and the least important information last. When editors cut an article, they cut from the bottom.
4. Find a photo that complements your release. It is much more likely to be printed with a photo.
5. Include your complete contact information: name, title, business, address, phone, email, website. The media needs to be able to get in touch with you to do a larger story if they have time and space. Make it easy for them.
6. Find the right person to send the press release to. You can usually find this on the media's website.
7. Send that person an email with the press release in the email and attach a PDF or WORD document of the release too.
8. Realize that you may have to send the press release more than once. Editors are busy people and your release will only be publicized if there is space or time. This week might be too full of news to print your release, but next week might be great.
If you need help writing and sending press releases, give Poole Communications a call at 800-900-3635. We'd be happy to help.
We’re so excited for the opportunity to present a workshop at the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce on May 29! The topic up for discussion is how to Make the Most of Social Media.
We know that Social Media can be a real headache. Especially for business owners who need to focus on business, but know that social media can be an integral part of business growth.
This workshop will give you the information you need to effectively manage your social media without eating up your time. You’ll learn how to use social media more effectively, best practices in social media and how to make it manageable. Plus, we’ll talk about content management, how to determine which networks and platforms are most beneficial for you, and when it’s time to hire someone to help you out.
The workshop will be from 10 a.m. to noon on May 29, at the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce.
Fish Where the Fish Are
Spend your advertising dollars where the market is. The same concept can apply to social media. Use the platform the reaches your specific audience! If you’re customers aren’t using Twitter, but ARE using Facebook, put your time and effort there!
Also, browse our blog for more great marketing tips!
Do you want more tips?
Comment below and let us know what topics are really giving you troubles, or topics you'd just like to know more about!
