Digital Agency Blog: Spoken by Speak Creative - Page 2

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Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Increase Engagement with 2 Google Analytics Reports

How do you objectively gauge how engaging your website's content is? Marketers don't have time or space for guesswork. Analyzing data to influence your future marketing decisions is key to an effective marketing strategy that isn't just a shot in the dark. In this blog, we're highlighting two reports that will give you the insight you need to assess engagement and plan for improvements. In case you're wondering, we'll be focusing on instructions that use Google&#... Read More
Kristin Cales Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Featured Strategy

Friday, September 9, 2022

Tackling Budget Barriers: 7 Steps To Go From Woes to Whoas

With the economy being... the economy, and inflation and other factors threatening budget cuts for organizations across all industries in the coming year, you've surely had your budget on the brain when making major marketing decisions.  If you've ever found yourself wanting to do more with your website and digital marketing strategy but are feeling held up by budget limitations, you’re not alone. Budgets serve a good and necessary purpose, but sometimes they leave us feel... Read More
Megan Jones Friday, September 9, 2022
Featured Strategy

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Everything You Need To Know About Domains

A domain is simply an address to indicate a specific web page on the Internet. Let’s take this example: you purchased a house with the address of 3200 Awesome Place in the city of Oz. Domain Registrant - The Home Owner Domains have to be purchased, and they are registered where they are purchased and paid for. You have a Domain Registrant, much like a house has a Home Owner. This person pays the mortgage to keep the house, just like a Domain Registrant has to pay for the domain yearly t... Read More
Digital Marketing Team Thursday, September 8, 2022
Development Featured

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

5 Pieces of Website Data That Tell a Fuller Story

We live in the day of big data. Each day, tons and tons of data are being scraped all around us. While we may not appreciate some data collection, other forms of data collection are incredibly beneficial to our ability to market businesses and organizations to the right audiences. If you’ve ever jumped into Google Analytics, you’ve probably experienced the deer-in-headlights feeling of being faced with the amount of data available and being unsure of what exactly t... Read More
Digital Marketing Team Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Featured Strategy

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

How to Write Captions for Social Media that Engage Your Audience

If social media managers had a dollar for every time they couldn’t think of a caption for their social posts — well, they could retire. Coming up with the perfect line to capture the product or service you’re offering, amplify your brand’s voice, and engage with your audience is no easy feat. However, there are a few tactics you can always rely on to write a great caption, even when you get writer's block. In this blog, we’ll discuss different strategies you ... Read More
Maggie Dye Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Featured Social

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Building a Brand, Building a Digital Community

Where it once was enough to amass a large following and call it a day, in the era of micro-influencers and a greater desire than ever for human connection following the Covid-19 pandemic, for many brands and influencers, cultivating a small but loyal community that is actively engaged in what you do is where engagement really counts.  Companies sell products and services to consumers all day, every day, but the truly special organizations, the ones that keep you coming back for more or ... Read More
Madelyn Bomar Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Development Featured

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Speak's Top 5 Picks for Nonprofit Web Designs That Drive Traffic, Donations, and Better Engagement

Having an effective and compelling website is a vital first step in any nonprofit’s marketing strategy. However, this can feel like a tall order for many nonprofits who must leverage their complex needs within a framework that relies on a tight budget often driven by grants and external funding.  Speak has been working with nonprofit organizations across the nation for more than twenty years, so we’re more than a little familiar with the many moving parts that go into t... Read More
Digital Marketing Team Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Design Featured

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Making the Switch from Universal Analytics to GA4: Everything You Need to Know

After months of hints, press, and warnings from Google in your inbox to switch over before it’s too late, GA4 – Google’s new long-awaited data and analytics software – has finally arrived!  Google has touted GA4 as “the future of analytics.” A pretty bold declaration! We’ve spent the last several months switching our clients’ analytics over to the new software and have been getting to know the ins and outs of this promising new tracki... Read More
Claire Grace Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Featured Strategy

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Why You Should Consider Dark Mode for Your Next Web Design Project

Who turned off the lights? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but our screens have been looking darker lately. Dark mode (also called black mode, dark theme, night mode, or lights-out mode) is an increasingly popular stylistic theme for websites and apps, and it's the reason why you may have noticed black backgrounds popping up everywhere. As dark mode design continues to grow in popularity (especially following the implementation of optional dark mode for Apple iOS, Facebook, ... Read More
Claire Grace Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Design Featured

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Creating Company Swag Your Clients and Employees Will Actually Want

Speak has been in the biz for over 20 years, so we’ve seen our fair share of branded swag. Employee swag, client gifts, and outreach gifts featuring a company’s logo and/or branding are all relatively common for organizations to dole out. But often, these gifts earn the reputation of being poorly made, unuseful, or boring.  As a growing company ourselves, we’ve learned the ins and outs of branded gifts and freebies, and, as an agency that specializes in branding and ma... Read More
Claire Grace Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Featured Ideas

Thursday, July 21, 2022

9 Things I've Learned in 9 Weeks as an Intern at Speak Creative

Speak welcomed four interns this summer, with two of us in Nashville and two representing the 901. Kevin was brought onto the Web Development team, Micah joined the Platforms team, London spent her summer as a Brand Strategy intern with the Audience Growth team, and I joined the powerhouse that is the Speak Agency Marketing team.  We spent our summers doing very different things, but I’m sure we’d all agree that we learned a lot. As I round out my time at Speak, I’m hi... Read More
Destiny Welch Thursday, July 21, 2022
Featured Showcase

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Content-First vs Design-First Approach

There are typically two design strategies that are considered when going through a website redesign. A design-first approach prioritizes the creative elements that are desired over the assets that will live on the site. Meanwhile, a content-first approach takes the assets you plan to have and builds the design around them. Both methods can lead to a polished website when it’s all said and done, but is there an approach that is more efficient? Speak has utilized both strategies during r... Read More
Adam Kalwas Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Design Featured Strategy

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

What you need to know about ADA Compliance Online

What is ADA Compliance for your website? Online accessibility is a topic that many organizations are eager to tackle, but it’s easy to get wrapped up in the details of it all. Making your website ADA Compliant means that it passes a number of tests for accessibility, and allows differently-abled users to access your content with ease. The criteria for these tests are called Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and they cover a number of technical details like: Color contrast for i... Read More
Matt Roberts Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Featured Ideas

Friday, July 8, 2022

Recapping Speak Halftime 2022

It doesn’t seem possible that we’re already halfway through 2022, but here we are. In many ways it feels like it was just weeks ago that our team met up for Speak Week in January to set our yearly goals. And yet, we’re forging into Quarter 3, with many of our goals and intentions for the year completed or well underway.   Every year, our team spends a day in the summer participating in what we like to call Halftime – a day dedicated to checking in on the goa... Read More
Claire Grace Friday, July 8, 2022
Featured Showcase

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

10 Quick Ways You Can (And Should!) Tidy Up Your Website and Marketing Presence Right Now

Although you may not have spring cleaning on the brain right now, a little seasonal cleanup can benefit more than just your home. When it comes to your online presence – your website and digital marketing channels – it’s important to check in on things often to ensure your marketing effort is tidy and running smoothly. Your website and digital marketing efforts are the online foundation to your business. If you don’t take time to frequently wipe the dust off t... Read More
Amy Dunbar Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Featured Strategy

Friday, June 24, 2022

9 SEO Myths to Leave Behind in Your Digital Marketing Efforts in 2022

It’s no myth that the internet and the world of digital marketing is a constantly evolving minefield. What worked two years ago, or even ten months ago, might not work today as our online habits change and new patterns are tracked.  It's 2022, and as Speak’s resident SEO expert, I’m putting on my best Sherlock Holmes hat and uncovering some common SEO myths that aren't applicable to websites any longer. Some are old ways of thinking that, while once true, are s... Read More
Allison Brown Friday, June 24, 2022
Featured Strategy

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

How to Market Your Podcast

Over a third of people in the U.S. say they listen to podcasts – an impressive feat for a media form that didn’t come about until 2004. Podcasting came following a boom in amateur radio broadcasting. It took off quickly on a personal level, with people deep diving into their niche interests in audio-form. Just a year after its zenith, big companies began to recognize the opportunity that podcasting could present as a means of thought leadership, recognition, and building a mo... Read More
Claire Grace Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Featured Strategy

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Boosting Your Search Rankings With UX Design

It’s tougher than ever for new businesses to compete with more established businesses, and even established businesses have more competition than ever before. A good website with top-notch UX is vital for organizations to connect with their audience. A good website alone isn’t enough to get noticed, organizations also need to focus on SEO to make it easier for people to find their business. In the past, SEO strategies were almost exclusively focused on using the right keywords a... Read More
Allison Brown Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Featured Strategy

Friday, June 10, 2022

How To Expand Your Nonprofit's Marketing Budget with Free Advertising From Google

If you’re a member of a nonprofit, there’s one statement that is true: Budgets are limited. No matter your industry, we understand that nonprofits regularly track every expense, and squeezing marketing dollars out of your total revenue can seem almost impossible. However, we also know that digital marketing is the biggest way to measure your ROI. Luckily, there's a way to stretch your marketing dollars further than you ever thought possible. We’re talking Google Grants.... Read More
Kindra Svendsen Friday, June 10, 2022
Featured Strategy

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

And For That Reason I’m IN!: Digital Marketing Lessons We Can Take Away from Shark Tank

If you have an interest in business development, entrepreneurship, and/or marketing, chances are, you’ve tuned into ABC’s Shark Tank at some point in the last decade. For years Shark Tank has captivated viewers as they showcase entrepreneurs vying for an opportunity to grow their business with the help of an investing “Shark.” Entering as small start-ups with some early success, businesses share their heartwarming stories of humble beginnings, noble causes, false star... Read More
Megan Jones Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Featured Ideas

Monday, June 6, 2022

Higher Ed: Does Your Website Actually Appeal to What Users (i.e., Potential Students and Parents) are Looking For?

It’s no longer news that the data reports enrollment across all colleges and universities is down. In fact, in fall 2020, enrollment across all colleges was down 2.5% and by fall 2021, it had fallen to 2.7%.  Many colleges and universities are going back to the drawing board to identify ways they might be able to get numbers back up. As many students reconsider the traditional move post-high school to pursue higher education of some kind, colleges and universities are taking steps... Read More
Claire Grace Monday, June 6, 2022
Strategy

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

4 Common Misconceptions That May Be Costing You Social Media Success

Posting on social media takes time and effort. If you’re anything like me, it takes way more time than I ever expect that it will. When we spend time crafting social posts, we want them to be successful, to perform well. When they don’t, it can often be difficult to to understand why.  With so much information (and misinformation) swirling around the internet, it’s hard for people to know for sure what best practices are in regards to social media. And, with the con... Read More
Claire Grace Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Featured Social

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Speak Creative is Named a 2022 Best in Business Award Finalist

Speak Creative has been named one of the Nashville Business Journal’s Best in Business for the second year in a row.   The Nashville Best in Business Awards are given annually by the Nashville Business Journal to recognize businesses in the local community who have shown innovation, tenacity, and a creative approach to overcoming challenges.  Speak was first nominated for the award by the public, then was scored by a panel of judges based on company culture, business ... Read More
Claire Grace Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Featured Showcase

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Web Design 101: Types of Movement

When starting a new website project, one of the most common design requests I hear is, “We want our website to have a lot of movement.” Movement is attention-grabbing and adds a certain level of sophistication to a site, so it makes sense that it is desired by organizations that are going through a website redesign. However, there is a level of complexity to this request. There are several different types of movement, and not all are appropriate for every site.  As a desig... Read More
Corinne Mizzell Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Design Featured

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

3 Tips for Easy Content Generation

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: social media marketing is vital in your marketing efforts. Where Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like were once simply a means for brands to connect with a portion of their audience that also followed them on social media, now it can be, and often is, the place that many people discover and make the decision to invest in new brands.  Posting on social media as a brand or organization is more important than ever before, and ... Read More
Digital Marketing Team Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Featured Social

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How to Choose and Optimize Images for Your Website

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How to Leverage UGC for your Marketing Plan: Getting the Most Out of Feedback/Reviews

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How to Manage and Protect Your Domain

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5 Quick and Easy Ways to Create QR Codes (And How to Use Them In Your Marketing!)

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5 Reasons You're Not Seeing Your Google Ads 

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