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Many manufacturers are wondering how to set a reasonable marketing budget that will produce results, particularly as they shift more marketing resources towards online marketing. I recently hosted a webinar, Marketing Budgets for Manufacturers, to guide manufacturing companies in setting overall marketing budgets, and how much to allocate to increasingly important digital marketing.

Could a new website derail your digital marketing results? We've seen digital marketing results plummet when a new website is launched. Even if you have the most eye-catching, user friendly design and amazing content, you can destroy your website traffic if you haven't taken the right steps when transitioning to the new site.

How can credit unions reach more millennials online? It's something just about every credit union wants to figure out, but the pace of technology and a growing list of marketing platforms makes it difficult to keep up.

It's a challenge we consistently hear from credit union marketing professionals we speak with. They struggle to fully measure the results of their digital marketing efforts, despite pressure to justify their marketing budgets.

You've no doubt heard about the controversy over Facebook's use of customer data. For marketers, Facebook has developed excellent targeting capabilities that can produce an impressive ROI. But if Facebook is in hot water over improper data handling, what does it mean for advertisers? If you currently advertise on Facebook, or have considered trying it, we want to update you on how you may be impacted.

We've been partnering with security alarm companies for over eight years, and within the last few years we've come to the realization that using their customer data to personalize digital marketing efforts can yield impressive results. When security companies are proactive in gathering data, they are much farther ahead in the potential marketing results they can achieve.

There is no single tool that can handle all of your digital marketing needs. There are several platforms that come close, particularly marketing automation systems, but you'll still need to supplement that system with some additional programs to round out your digital marketing toolkit. One way to go is to hire a marketing agency that already has all of the systems needed at their disposal, but when you're starting out or if you've only contracted out a portion of your marketing efforts to an agency, you can take advantage of some very effective low-or-no-cost DIY tools.

On several occasions, I have had the privilege of speaking to credit union or bankers groups and marketing professionals on the topic of unlocking YOUR digital marketing formula. I emphasize "your" because everyone shouldn't use the same digital tactics. What works for one business may not work for another. We preach this message to our clients, including our many bank and credit union clients. Despite being in the same industry, the location of these financial institutions and what they're ultimately trying to achieve can vary. To figure out the right formula, we need to break down who your specific customer is, what THEIR goals are, and how you can help them achieve those goals. (See the theme starting to develop? This is about them, not about you.) We kicked off a past workshop session by showing some industry trends (who doesn't love to take a peek at what everyone else is doing?). With marketing expenses representing around 7 to 12% of total revenue, investing in the wrong strategies is a costly mistake.

One of the most important elements of a successful content strategy is consistency. If you aren't frequently publishing fresh content that resonates with your target personas, you aren't likely to be discovered by potential customers online.

The most cost effective way to increase recurring monthly revenue (RMR) for your security alarm company, for both residential and commercial accounts, is right under your nose.