Social media has recent roots in the overall timeline of our technological advancements. Facebook is a great example of a successful social medium that swept the world. In fact, as of December of 2017, the active number of Facebook users was 2.2 billion. (The term “active” is anyone who has logged onto his or her page in the last 30 days.) In just the United States alone, there were 214 million users, making it the most popular social network in the world.

Recently there has been a movement by many consumers to install software that blocks ads. These “ad blockers” are utilized to automatically remove unsolicited online advertisements. Some of the ads that get blocked include web banners, embedded audio and video, and pop-up windows. But, is this a good thing? Ad blocking disrupts those who earn their livelihoods from the online marketing industry. This field includes editors, publishers, journalists, columnist and content creators.

Brand marketers of today are fortunate to have the advancements of digital programmatic technology to get their message to those who are ready to hear it. There is one group of marketers that encounter a special set of unique speedbumps to overcome, though. If you happen to be a franchise owner, you have most likely encountered difficulty with your digital marketing plan. This is very common, as franchise marketing presents more challenges than the traditional route.

Have you’ve ever heard the phrase, “If you’re standing still, you’re moving backwards?” This applies to many aspects of life, including mobile brand experiences. The two most crucial elements to customer satisfaction are Speed and Relevance. Validated by recent research, it was revealed that there is a third component which advertisers must take into account: In the world of mobile marketing, “neutral” experiences are not really neutral … they are more negative than anything else.

According to a new analysis, it takes an average of 22 seconds for a mobile landing page to fully load.1 But, 53% of searchers will abandon the mobile site if it takes longer than three seconds to load.2 This is somewhat of a dilemma! In fact, as a page’s load time increases, the likelihood of a bounce also increases substantially. As a page’s load time is extended from one second to anything higher, the bounce rate increases accordingly:

The automotive industry has made huge strides over the past decade. This growth can be attributed to multiple factors, including the technological innovations, the emergence of autonomous vehicles, the ever-so-popular ride-sharing platforms, and new businesses such as Tesla, who has made the retail process more seamless. All of the reasons that they have prospered are the exact reasons why all businesses would prosper. These concepts are not exclusive to the auto industry, but let’s use them as an example.

One of the many ways to help your potential customers realize your value is for them to read the online digital reviews that provide peer-to-peer recommendations. This is evidenced by the fact that 84% of people trust online reviews just as much as they trust personal recommendations. Also, 90% of customers will form an opinion of a business after reading less than 10 reviews, and 74% of consumers have indicated that positive reviews have a great impact on the trust they have in a local business.

Genius Monkey has once again been published on Forbes.com! This informative article covers the subject of “blocklisting,” and the best way to use it. The article is called Advertising Solutions Aren’t Always Black and White. It addresses the concerns of today’s brands, computer systems and networks constantly being bombarded with malicious content, unwanted bots and malware, and how no site is immune to these attempts. The two methods of protection against these unwanted invasions involve “blacklisting” and “whitelisting.

Search has become a huge asset for consumers. Each day more and more people are discovering how helpful it can be to search out the advantages of purchasing one brand over another; from refrigerators to new homes. But, when they search, no matter how high your product is placed on the results page, you must be there, on every screen, so that when the consumer needs you, you are able to deliver.

Your targeted audience is a cornucopia of different ages, groups and personalities. Here are a few indicators of that fact: Close to 5 billion videos are viewed on video-share sites every day 86% of millennial fathers turn to video for parenting advice The current number of cord-cutters has increased more than 33% over the last year Millennials make up 34% of our nation’s work force More than 16 million millennials are now mothers In order to really capture the attention of your targeted audience, it takes more than just desire and good intentions.