DATA + CREATIVE = HOME RUN

In our last blog we talked about reading data and how to interpret it for our marketing efforts. Using our partner “Swings-N-Things” as an example, we used data to set up our advertising efforts. We went over how to read and analyze the different data sets, organized information to create a better look at how we should go about strategy, and made practical sense of obscure numbers to lead us to a plan of action. It gave us a healthy start, but now it’s time for the right side of the marketing brain to be the clean-up hitter. We’ve got everything set, bases loaded; now it’s time to hit that homerun! With the right balance of creative know-how, you can’t miss.

Okay, before we get ahead of ourselves let’s talk about the ways that you can use creative power so that you don’t end up striking out.

Storytelling – Chances are, if you’re doing it correctly, that your targeted users are going to see your ad more than just once. Most of the time when you see ads online you see the same redundant ads, don’t be like those people. Your marketing mix should complement itself rather than perpetuate itself.  Your different channels should use an array of messaging while adhering to the same theme This helps your ads tell a cohesive story with your business as the star. Now, it doesn’t have to be Goldie Locks and Three Bears but it does need to be something the users can digest. Maybe that’s explaining the benefits of your company through different ads or promotions, or maybe that means enforcing yourself as an industry leader by recapping your businesses’ long running history of success. Using the same ad over and over again lulls your audience to sleep and definitely doesn’t set you up for that home run you’re looking for.

Graphics- Visual representation is huge! That’s what draws users’ eyes in and pulls them into your message. So how do your graphics look in your ad? Are they grainy pictures that were shot on your flip phone from 2009? You should be using up-to-date images that are correctly scaled and sized to fit perfectly on that mobile screen it’ll be displayed on. Social media can be quite tricky these days with various dimensions needed for different platforms, but luckily we have the internet. You also want to make sure that your graphics are in-line with your brand image. Using your branded colors and images/logos give it that extra push to reinforce who you are and why they should do business with you specifically. It shouldn’t be a guessing game.

Emotion –The strongest creative ads connect with its target on an emotional level.  When we can visualize ourselves in a situation, it helps to create a perceived benefit. When we look at Swings-N-Things, getting the most elicit response out of parents and driving action takes specific fic things that they can connect with. So instead of having something that reads: “Come into Swings-N-Things this weekend, we’re open.” It’s best to capture the attention by truly connecting with the users.  For ads targeted to mothers you can say something that connects a mother, her child and family. “Bring the kids into Swings-N-Things this weekend, fun for the whole family.”  Or for ads targeted to father you could say: “It’s time for batting practice! Bring the kids into our batting cages at Swings N Things. Open from 10 am to 8 pm this summer.” Can you tell the difference? The latter copy striker that connection that we’re looking for.

Use data gets the bases loaded but creative allows you to hit a grand slam. At WDD we use both analytical part of our brain and the creative to deliver the best results for our clients.  Visit us at wddonline.com/agency to meet our starting lineup.

3 Ways to Turn Data into Revenue

Do you know where to look for data? Right now, it’s everywhere. Companies are using data right now as I type to create better decisions and taking actions that have been proven to work. Since this data is so accessible why aren’t you using it to grow your business? And how do you turn all of this data into action? Furthermore, how do you turn your data into revenue? 

Data is a small four letter word that carries so much weight. It’s commonly referred to as a body of facts. So it could be facts about how people are reaching your site, seen through Google Analytics, or the demographics of your followers on Twitter. Data is everywhere and can virtually be anything. It’s a limitless supply of information. The creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee stated, “It’s difficult to imagine the power that you’re going to have when so many different sorts of data are available.” With the access to so much data, you as a business have been given so much power. Let’s look at ways to leverage it to your advantage.

Getting a Glimpse of Your Customer

Do you know who your true customers are? If you could describe your typical customers’ profile, what would you say? If you’re not exactly sure or if you’re just guessing, good news your data can help. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter Instagram etc. all include analytics that can tell you exactly who your audience is. Let’s take Facebook as our example.
Facebook’s out-of-the-box data analytics (what they call “Insights”) give you a glimpse of those who like your page. For this, we’ll take a look at our partners at Swings-N-Things in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. When we look at who likes their page we see that their largest audience is women aged from 25 to 34 years old -, 65% of their collective fan base. So what does this tell you? It tells you that you need to cater your message to reach these women. For Swings -N -Things, our primary message is to focus on mothers who are seeking an outlet of play for their children, based on the park’s offerings. So that’s what our strategy is for this client. We use the data given to us to create the strategy that makes the most sense. 

Proactive Data Analytics 

Another tool that we use to turn the power of data into revenue is Google Analytics (GA). Now varying from Facebook’s “Insights”, Google’s analytics gives you so much more data that it can be a little overwhelming. Once you are able to read and understand the data, it leads you to understand your customers’ actions better. For example, where are your users coming from? Do they come from your social media accounts, Ad Words or simply through organic search?  Or you can use the data from Google Analytics to find the reason why your bounce rate on your homepage is so high. When you’re able to proactively read this data, it gives you the insight to make accurate decisions. Things such as the behavior flow, give you a perfect look into the movement of activity on your site. You can see where you have the most users dropping from your site. From there you can make the inference of what you need to do to keep them on board.  This is isn’t something that you can use leave at the bottom of your list. You need to be proactive when looking at this data. That’s how you turn data into revenue.

Social Media Data for Optimizing Ads


Now, we talked about looking at our Facebook “Insights” and Google Analytics. Next we’ll talk about using this data to create social media ads that will connect and convert. Continuing with our current example, Swings-N-Things, let’s venture into how we would optimize our ads with the data that we have access to. When you go into creating an ad, if you’re not familiar, the first thing you’ll need to do is to select a targeted audience. We know already that we want to make sure we target women aging from 24-35 years old. If we look at where most of users from G.A. come from we see that it’s Cleveland, Ohio. So to optimize this ad, we’ll target Facebook users who live in Cleveland, Ohio and surrounding areas, based on their current organic reach. Next, we move to our detailed targeting section. This is a place to specify which users you want to target that have these said interests. Switching back to our G.A. screen we can see the affinity categories that fit our users the best. It looks like we have movie lovers, TV lovers, shoppers, news junkies and travel buffs. So to translate that to our ad, we’ll enter movies, maybe some area malls and local news stations. This is gives us that holistic view of what our typical users looks like. From there you’ll go ahead and add your budget, schedule and creative components.
Yes, we used data to create the ad, but remember we need to still be proactive with this data. The great thing about online advertising is that you can go in and view how your ad is preforming in real time; see the data associated with your ad, and make proper adjustments. It’s best to check on your ad at least once a day or maybe even twice, that way you get the most out of what you are spending.


Hopefully this taught you a little of what data can do for you if you use it correctly. At WDD, data is one of our key components when building a strategy. From seeing where our clients lie and how we can reach them better to focusing on areas to improve on sites to keep the users there longer, data helps. But remember, data is useless unless you take action. Let’s use the power of data to increase your revenue.

Say “Cheese”: Photographing Your Park or Attraction

A great picture is a powerful way to tell a story and portray an emotion.  Having a portfolio of strong images can be the most important tool in your marketing toolbox and yet the majority of amusement parks and attractions are astoundingly bereft of quality images.

To resolve this issue, it only takes a bit of knowledge, planning and creativity.  Note that I did not say that you need a big, expensive photography budget.

Here are 5 Keys to Getting Great Photography.

1.       Have A Plan

2.       Don’t Try and “Grab Some Nice Snapshots”

3.       Use Models

4.       Empty Rooms Don’t Sell Fun

5.       Clean Up Your Images

Frequently Asked Questions About Email Marketing

We receive lots of questions about email marketing so we thought we'd address some of the most common in this post. Let’s get started.

Is it better to rent / buy a list or to create it myself?

It is absolutely, positively better to create the list yourself. No one ever opts in to having their email address sold over and over again. Lists that are bought or rented are typically of poor quality and dozens of other companies have probably purchased or rented that list. Plus, the owners of those email addresses did not give permission for them to be sold or transferred to any other company. Building your own list ensures that you have obtained the email addresses legitimately. It means you can confirm that opt-in procedures have been followed and that the people on your list really do want to receive marketing messages from you. In no case is buying or renting a list better than creating your own.

When is the best time to send an email newsletter?

This question is bandied about quite often and it’s difficult to settle on an answer that is accepted industry-wide. According to MailChimp’s Email Genome Project open rates peak between 3 PM and 4 PM and that mid-week mailings see the most opens. However, the better answer is: it depends on your campaign. The best way to determine the ideal time for you is to survey your subscribers and ask them what time of day they would most like to receive emails. Give them a few different time periods to choose from and use their responses to schedule future mailings.

What is considered a good open rate and a good click through rate?

The answer to this question will depend on the specifics of your campaign but there are some studies that can provide some insight. According to a 2012 report by Silverpop, the median unique open rate in the US was 14.7%. The same study reports that the average click through rate (CTR) in the US was 5.4%. These rates can vary tremendously by industry. For the travel and leisure industry, for example, the median unique open rate was 13.2% and the median CTR was only 1.8%.

What are some quick tips on how to comply with the CAN-SPAM act?

1. Don’t use misleading, deceptive or false information in any part of your email message (subject, from, etc.)
2. Include your company’s physical address in every email you send.
3. Include an easy to find unsubscribe link and honor unsubscribe requests promptly.
4. Use a reputable Email Service Provider (ESP).

When / how can I acquire my customer’s email addresses?

There are several opportunities during the sales process when you can obtain list sign-ups. The first, yet sometimes least obvious way to get an address is to ask for it during the sales process (or registration process). Be sure that you have a newsletter sign up on your website. That is often the first place people look when they want to opt-in to your marketing messages. Social media is another great way to build your email list. Give your “fans” and “followers” a way to sign up for your newsletter on Facebook and Twitter. Regardless of how you obtain the addresses, be sure to employ a confirmed opt-in procedure (sometimes referred to as “double opt-in”) so that you can ensure that each subscriber does indeed wish to be on the list.

If you would like additional information about email marketing or just about anything else digital visit our website at http://www.wddonline.com

New Year, New Look

The New Year always brings a sense of renewal.  It’s a great time to step back and take a look at the past year and determine what you can do to make the upcoming year even better.  

With that in mind, take this opportunity to look at your online presence.  Your website, mobile website and even social media pages like Facebook or YouTube.  When it comes to technology, time moves very quickly.  What was an amazing website five years ago, may no longer function correctly or be the masterpiece it once was.

If you have a dynamic, vibrant business, a stagnant, out-dated web presence will not serve you well.  Use the arrival of the New Year as an opportunity to review your online presence.  Go through your website page by page.  Take a look at your website on iPhones, iPads and Android phones.  Is your brand represented the way you’d like it to be?  If not, start making an effort to improve.  Even small improvements over time can lead to great improvements.

In business, there is no standing still – you’re either moving forward or falling behind.  Now is the time to do what it takes to keep your business moving in the right direction this year.