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21 of the Best Examples of Mobile Website Design

Responsive Design
August 18, 2021/by
21 of the Best Examples of Mobile Website Design Now more than ever, businesses are focusing on creating delightful mobile website experiences. Google has been heavily favoring mobile-friendly websites since 2015 when it updated its ranking algorithm, then started indexing mobile sites in March 2018, and has conducted mobile-first indexing since 2019. This is crucial, as there have been more search queries on mobile devices than on desktop for several years now. Going forward, Google will only continue to raise the bar for what it considers to be mobile-friendly (including page load time) in its algorithm updates. So, if you haven't been focusing on improving your mobile experience, you should start now or see your search ranking fall off. To help inspire any mobile website design changes you'll be making, here's a list of 21 companies who really nailed their mobile web experience. 1. Shutterfly Why it works: Shutterfly's mobile website is easily navigable, highly visual, and intuitive for new visitors and experienced customers. Shutterfly is an online service that allows users to create photo books, personalized cards, stationery, and other similar products. Because more and more people are taking photos and then accessing them using their smartphones, Shutterfly recognized the need to create a great mobile experience for their customers. Shutterfly accomplishes two key goals on their mobile website. First, it's easy for users to find out information about their offerings. Second, this information is complemented by beautiful imagery. When you arrive on the mobile site, you'll...
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Lead Generation: A Beginner’s Guide to Generating Business Leads the Inbound Way

Lead Generation
August 18, 2021/by
Lead Generation: A Beginner's Guide to Generating Business Leads the Inbound Way Let’s set the stage: I’m about to dig into the best darn pile of spaghetti and meatballs I’ve ever seen. Just as I twist my fork in the pasta, spear a mouth-watering meatball, and go in for my first savory bite...the phone rings. "May I speak to Lindsay Kow-low-witch?" asks the telemarketer on the other end. "This is an important message regarding your oven preferences." This frustrating interruption is why we’re here to discuss inbound lead generation — a solution that can save your business or organization from being that annoying, disruptive cold caller that is ruined by spaghetti night. Let's start with defining a lead, and then we'll cover what online lead generation is, why you need lead generation, how you qualify someone as a lead, how to label lead types — such as sales qualified leads, how you generate leads, and why inbound lead generation is much more effective than simply buying leads. What is a lead? A lead is any person who indicates interest in a company's product or service in some way, shape, or form. Leads typically hear from a business or organization after opening communication (by submitting personal information for an offer, trial, or subscription) … instead of getting a random cold call from someone who purchased their contact information. Let's say you take an online survey to learn more about how to take care of your car. A day or...
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The Simple 2-Step Process for Calculating Your Market Size

Business Growth
August 17, 2021/by
The Simple 2-Step Process for Calculating Your Market Size When most businesses forecast their revenue goals, they first calculate their total addressable market, which is the total market demand for their industry’s products or services. Put simply, it’s the maximum amount of revenue a business could generate if they captured their entire market. However, unless you're a monopoly, you most likely can’t capture the total addressable market for your products or services. Even if you only have one competitor, it would still be extremely difficult to convince an entire market to only buy your products or services. That’s why it’s crucial to calculate the maximum amount of revenue you can possibly generate by selling your products or services to the customers who would realistically benefit from buying your solutions. This amount of potential revenue is called your market size or serviceable addressable market, and you can use it to accurately measure your business’ potential for growth. Market Size Example Let's walk through an example to explore how you'd determine market size.  A Startup Wine Company Let's say you wanted to start your wine company. Here's how you would calculate market size: First, you'd want to determine how many liquor stores are in the United States — this helps you figure out the total market to which you could theoretically sell your product.  After your research you determine there are 50,000 liquor stores in the United States. Of that total list, you only want to sell to the New...
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14 Examples of Experiential Marketing Campaigns That’ll Give You Serious Event Envy

Brand Experience
August 17, 2021/by
14 Examples of Experiential Marketing Campaigns That'll Give You Serious Event Envy Work events are really hit or miss. Let's be honest: How many times have you found yourself anxiously fidgeting with a paper napkin in the corner of a stuffy networking happy hour? Here's the thing: It's not the event itself that prevents you from coming back the following year. It's the experience you remember having. In this blog post, we'll look at some of the best experiences brands have ever offered their customers. I have a big problem with generic trade shows and industry conferences. That's why I was not only relieved, but surprised and delighted, when I attended a holiday party that featured a live, interactive version of an arcade game. An entire room had been curated to look like a video game setting, and people were dressed up as characters from it. There was a giant, real-life scoreboard, boppy electronic music, and best of all, there was no tedious small talk. It wasn't just another tired work event ... it was an experience. And in our line of work, that sort of thing has a name: experiential marketing. While a surprising number of people haven't heard of the concept, it's kind of a big deal -- there's an entire three-day summit dedicated to it, and 65% of brands that use it say that it positively correlates with sales. But what is it, exactly? And how has it been used effectively? We found 14 of the coolest...
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How to Strikethrough Text in Google Docs [FAQ]

Google Docs
August 13, 2021/by
How to Strikethrough Text in Google Docs Strikethrough text is like body language in your writing. It allows you to convey subtext or your true opinion about something, without explicitly expressing it: If the guest post pitch doesn’t have a draft attached, I will put in the extra effort to permanently delete it from my inbox probably won’t respond. It's also a great way to copyedit your content and the content of your peers, collaborate in a document, remind yourself of changes that had to be made (or need to be made) in a document, teach someone else who's working in the document, and more. Below, we'll cover the simple steps involved in adding a strikethrough in your Google Doc manually as well as with an available shortcut. How to Strikethrough on Google Docs To leverage one of writing’s most popular tools on Google Docs, follow the instructions below: 1. Highlight the text you want to strikethrough. 2. Click the “Format” section in the header. 3. Hover over the “Text” button. 4. Select the “Strikethrough” button. Strikethrough Shortcut on Google Docs If you want to strikethrough text in a more efficient way, use the keyboard shortcut for it: On Mac, highlight your text and ⌘ + Shift + X. On PC, highlight your text and press Alt + Shift + 5. Strikethrough Your Text In Google Docs Striking through your text in Google Docs is easy — there's even a shortcut available to...
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The Quick & Easy Guide to Fixing 504 Gateway Timeout Errors

Technical SEO
August 13, 2021/by
The Quick & Easy Guide to Fixing 504 Gateway Timeout Errors If you've ever visited a website that served you an error page, you know how frustrating it is. One of the worst things you can do as a brand is not meet your audience's needs and expectations. If your website visitors see an error page when they're looking for help or information, they could get frustrated and lose trust in your brand, permanently damaging your reputation. The 504 Gateway Timeout Error is one type of error that can hurt the user experience in this way. To help you avoid losing brand sentiment and consumer trust, we’ve fleshed out exactly what this error means and what its most common causes and solutions are. Here's how a 504 Gateway Timeout Error might appear in your user's browser: Image Source 504 Errors Wording The screenshot above depicts how a 504 Gateway Timeout Error appears in one server. Below are some other common ways a 504 error might appear, depending on the server, operating system, or browser you're using. In Google Chrome, a 504 error will appear as HTTP ERROR 504. This code will appear below a message that reads something like: “This site can’t be reached. _____ took too long to respond.” Image Source In Windows-based programs, a 504 error will appear as ERROR 504, HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT, or “The request was timed out waiting for a gateway message.” Here's how it may appear when using...
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How to Start a Cover Letter to Impress Employers [+ 14 Examples]

Cover Letter
August 12, 2021/by
How to Start a Cover Letter to Impress Employers According to Career Builder, 40% of recruiters look for a cover letter when they're considering job applicants. But if you had to flip through a hundred cover letters a day, and each one began, "To whom it may concern, I am applying for the digital marketing position at your company ...", how important would you rank them? Your cover letter is an opportunity to showcase your personality, display your interest in the job, and include relevant information that otherwise wouldn't be surfaced in your application. An ideal cover letter leaves the hiring manager with a positive and memorable impression of you, something a resume alone won't always do. To help you overcome writer's block and hook your reader right away, take a look at some sharp opening sentences you can use for inspiration. Read on to find out 14 ways to grab an employer's attention with an exceptional cover letter introduction. Featured Resource: 5 Free Cover Letter Templates Download the Templates Start off your cover letter (and finish it) with a bang with 5 Free Cover Letter Templates. The templates are professional and completely customizable to help you get your dream job.  How to Start a Cover Letter 1. Start with humor. Employers are humans too, and they'll often appreciate a good joke, pun, or funny opening line as much as the next person. If done tastefully and respectfully, starting your cover letter off with a joke can be...
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Goals vs Objectives: The Simple Breakdown

Goal Setting
August 12, 2021/by
Goals vs Objectives: The Simple Breakdown Terminology is everything. Marketing, Sales, Product, Service — virtually every function in a business relies on some common terminology to do their best work. One area where alignment on terminology is essential is goal setting. Whether you use the OKR model, the KPI framework, the Golden Circle, or another methodology, everyone in the company should understand the difference between a goal and an objective. Without this shared knowledge, teams could risk wasting time on irrelevant activities, at best, or working against a common purpose, at worst. "Goals" and "Objectives" often seem like two interchangeable phrases on the surface. "We have ambitious goals for 2019," you might tell your marketing team, following up with, "Our objectives are aggressive but entirely possible." To make your strategy crystal clear and gain alignment, it's vital that your employees are up-to-date on the two most-used terms when outlining your quarterly and yearly strategy. Here, we'll explain the difference between goals and objectives and discuss some of the most effective goal-setting frameworks used by marketing professionals today. You’ll also find measurement tactics to track your progress. By the end of this post, you can wave goodbye to ambiguity when it comes to your long-term and short-term marketing plans. Goals are undoubtedly critical to your business's success. Ultimately, your company's goals should align with your vision and mission in order for employees to best guide their own actions and decisions. For instance, let's say this year your leadership...
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The Beginner’s Guide to Product Photography [Tutorial + Examples]

Ecommerce
August 11, 2021/by
The Beginner's Guide to Product Photography If a picture is worth a thousand words, a stunning product picture is worth a thousand website visits. Although I don't have data to back up that statement (yet), product photography can be extremely valuable to your ecommerce website strategy. To reach your target audience members whoprefer buying online, you also need to give your audience clear, eye-catching photos of your products. But product photography isn't as simple as pointing and shooting. Even the most basic products need the correct equipment, lighting, and space to produce beautiful images that sell shoppers right from the purchase page. 6 Product Photography Tips (and Examples) for Taking Pictures That Sell Here are the tips, examples, and supplies you'll need to effectively photograph and market your products in a way that makes your visitors and prospects want to convert. 1. Don't be afraid to use your smartphone's camera. This is the part where I'm supposed to convince you to invest in a high-end, 50-megapixel (MP) camera with a 100-millimeter screw-on lens. But I'm not going to do that. If you already own a camera that fits this description, take advantage of it. But for many types of products, it's completely acceptable to shoot product photos on a smartphone. Newer smartphones boast powerful camera lenses and settings that allow you to optimize your shots for the different types of light and environments you might shoot in. If you need more convincing, just check out Apple's...
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