Yext PowerListings is a popular and award-winning online listing management service. After you enter your company details, they will propagate in various online local search platforms like apps, maps and social media. Yext has made arrangements with directories such as Apple Maps, Bing, Facebook, Yelp, Citysearch, DexKnows, etc.

The advantages of Yext are speed and consistency. Speed, because you can have your business listed across dozens of internet directories almost instantly. Consistency, because all of your listings will have the same information, plus they will all be updated at the same time should you make a change.

Disadvantages include a high price for what can be considered a rental arrangement. Yext’s best value is the “Complete Package” and it costs $499 per year. Once you leave, your listings revert back to what they were before you signed up. Here is a link to their plans.

Do You Need Directory Listings?

Listings in quality directories give you a higher ranking in Google’s search returns. Most people search in Google, not in the directories themselves. Organic and behavioral factors will influence your rankings more than these citations will. Having rich information about your products or services, good links, and more and better reviews than your competitors also plays a large role in determining Google rankings.

On some of the directory sites, Yext is just one way to update your info. On other sites, Yext is now the only way to update or add a listing. Today Yext may be the most popular service with exclusive directory agreements, but rest assured, competitors will arise. Directories won’t want to limit their sources to Yext alone, and will want to grow their data-assets by making arrangements with other sources, too.

Two Alternatives

1. You can use one of Yext’s competitors. Single Platform and Where 2 Get It are Yext’s biggest competitors. Yext offers a monitoring dashboard that the others don’t. I think most of you will probably never look at it.

2. You don’t need to pay for this service. If you spend the time to do it yourself, the listings will be there forever. Most of the directories are free; some charge a one-time fee of $5.

VIA’s Recommendation

With most things, you either have time or money. If you have money, Yext will save you a ton of time.

If driving people to your location isn’t important to your business, DIY is better. After your tech savvy staff member (assuming you have one) gets the hang of entering your listing, expect that employee to take about a half hour per listing. I always approach large, tedious projects by biting off a little at a time. If you post one listing a week, it won’t be long until you have conquered the most important ones.

Not all directories make sense for every business. We can help you look through the directories to see which ones make sense for you. Here is a link to a list of top citation sources.

Rich Media is a digital advertising term used to categorize ads that use video, audio, or other elements to interact with and engage the user. The ads use HTML5 programming and can expand, float, peel down, etc. Marketers often include multiple levels of content that will help achieve the client’s goal, whether it is to send simple brand messages or generate clicks.

There are many kinds of engaging rich media ads. Listed below are examples of common ad formats:

Expanding:

Starts as one size within a standard ad placement on a web page and then expands over the page content automatically or when a user interacts with it.

Push-Down:

Starts as one size on top of a publisher page, then expands like the expanding example only this pushes down the page content when a user interacts with it.

Floating:

Floats on top of a publisher’s web page (also known as an interstitial ad). Because it isn’t assigned to a fixed ad slot, it can be almost any shape or size, and you can place it anywhere over a publisher’s content. The ad usually disappears after about 15 seconds if the user doesn’t interact with it.

Digital ads are served directly to your target audience and are programmed by specifying a variety of criteria including geography, income, gender and even interests. Choosing your budget amount for each audience, you can target and test a variety of messages.

If you are considering buying digital advertising, we hope you find this helpful. For a broader survey of ad types, take a look at Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) 2015 Ad Unit Poster.

To maximize your company’s online ad exposure, look to VIA for rich media advertising solutions. Contact Julie for more information on rich media.

The Buying Power of Millennials

The First Digital Natives

Millennials are defined as people born between 1980 and 2000, and at 92 million, they are the biggest generation in history. The Enthusiast Networkdescribes them as “mobile-first” and “social-obsessed,” but it’s these behaviors that have given them such unique experiences and sets them apart from previous generations. They have been shown to put off huge commitments like marriage, children and buying a house, but studies show that millennials have less money to spend than Generation X and Baby Boomers. Lower employment levels, smaller incomes and student loan debt are contributing factors, according to Goldman Sachs’ infographic on millennials. However, these huge financial commitments won’t be put off forever, and as millennials move into their prime spending years, they will have a significant impact on the economy. Is your marketing ready for them?

Conquering the Digital Frontier

Growing up in the Digital Age has greatly influenced buying behaviors for millennials, and consequently, has reshaped how brands sell its products/services. Millennials are used to instant access to information, reviews and prices, so a smart business should make their website a priority. In 2013, we explained the benefits of responsive websites, and after Google’s announcement this year, they have become even more important. On April 21st, Google announced they will be ranking responsive websites higher. Your website’s search engine ranking is also vital to staying in front of your customers, especially for mobile-centric customers like millennials. SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing) are two marketing tools at your disposal to ensure you are staying top-of-mind during online searches.

After searching online, 38 percent of millennials use social media to talk about a service, product, or brand, according to a survey cited by Goldman Sachs. This behavior is why it’s important that your business has a presence on social media, especially Facebook. Instagram and Snapchat round out the top three platforms used by millennials. Many major social media platforms offer advertising opportunities, with Instagram joining the ranks this past summer. Your business can visually convey its message through images and videos tailored to millennials. The word-of-mouth nature of social media can help spread your message.

Traditional and Digital Media Mix