Digital Marketing can seem overwhelming. In our new Ask an Expert series, our own experts share their knowledge on digital marketing tactics, break down different strategies, and debunk common misconceptions to help businesses of all sizes become more comfortable in the digital marketing world. To kick off this series, we talked to Ryan Moffat, Regional Vice President of Sales for Lee Enterprises. Ryan has a lot of knowledge to share from his nine months with Lee Enterprises and over 20 years in advertising. Read his thoughts on digital marketing below and check back next week for answers from our next expert!
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love it when my team and my customers grow and achieve their goals.
What Amplified products do your customers see the most success with?
Trick question! Various products are more or less successful based on what the goal of each is in the consumer journey. Strategy drives success – the products are just tactics to be leveraged according to the strategy.
What product is the most rewarding to sell?
My teams don’t sell products as stand-alone. We leverage data, critical thinking, and experience to find the correct mix of products that help the client achieve the highest Return On Ad Spend – or Cost Per Conversion/Acquisition depending on the campaign type.
Tell us about your most fulfilling client experience.
I’ve been working in the online media space exclusively for close to 10 years and in advertising for over 20… it’s difficult to pick the most fulfilling client experience. The ones that do come to mind have two defining characteristics – collaboration and transparency. When the client and agency work together as a team functioning together with shared objectives, everyone wins.
What is one digital marketing solution that you think every business needs?
A website with the user experience designed in a way that leads the consumer to get what they want from the visit.
What is a common misconception about digital marketing?
That it is too complicated. In many instances, this is a myth perpetuated by digital marketing companies who like to keep things in a black box so they can control information…..look for an agency that espouses transparency.
What is your advice for businesses that are just starting to explore digital marketing solutions?
Define the primary goal of your website, and make sure it’s built to support that goal. Most SMB websites should be designed for lead generation, getting people to come to a physical location to make a purchase, eCommerce, or education. Once you’re OK with the website, start marketing by leveraging a few digital tactics that are designed to achieve the lowest cost per acquisition on that goal. From there, max out those tactics before moving to additional tactics that are more powerful reaching consumers at different stages in the consumer journey. Don’t chase the shiny object – cover the fundamentals first and then add budget to the next most logical tactic that fits your goals.
What is your prediction for the next big digital trend?
Gaming is big now, but growth has accelerated during the pandemic, and as the population that prefers digital entertainment in traditional forms such as streaming video ages out and Generation Z grows in influence, gaming will grow exponentially. Try this – give a 10-year-old a tablet with video content and gaming content. Which will they choose? My bet is on gaming at least 80% of the time. Don’t feel compelled to run out and try to figure out how to advertise in the gaming space. Chances are your target audience is still consuming a lot of streaming video and will be for a long time. Remember, cover the fundamentals first.
Learn more about Ryan Moffat by connecting with him on LinkedIn. Come back next Friday for more expert opinions from our Ask an Expert series. Does your business need digital marketing help? Let our team of experts guide you on your marketing journey. Reach out today!