Northeastern Illinois University Skill Bootcamps

Join us for our virtual UI/UX Design Workshop next week!

We’ll cover the latest design strategies- including Figma Application Design and Persona Problem-Solving. RSVP to save your seat! http://bit.ly/3WekAgb

Our Digital Marketing Workshop is next week! 💻

This workshop is free to everyone who wants to attend, and will provide you with invaluable information to be successful in the Digital Marketing career field.

💺 Save your seat here: http://bit.ly/3H91IL7

Internet communication tools like social medial, email, and blogs are open to personal and professional purposes, like building a business online. Learn how we use internet communication tools, how social media plays a key role in sales, and what are the most common communication tools used by individuals and businesses, including emails, and blogs could be the main point for a marketing strategy success. So, tell us, which channels do you think are most important for a brand?

There are less than 10 days left in 2022 — before 2023 delivers new trends that digital marketers will need to learn, navigate and integrate.

Here are a few terms we think strategists will need to know in the new year:

1. Customer Experience — 73% of people say that customer experience is an important factor when making purchases. Expect this trend to grow even more important in 2023.

2. Conversational Marketing — Words like "sir" and "ma'am" aren't enough to make a sale, not anymore. Next year, marketing will become even more about the way you make customers feel before, during and after a sale.

3. Featured Snippets — Expansions in mobile and voice search mean that featured snippets (excerpts that appear at the top of search results) will drive even more impressions in 2023.

If only half of the U.S. population consider college to be necessary for success...

..The other half of Americans have probably already discovered bootcamps.

Flexible. Fast. Certified.

The right Digital Marketing Bootcamp can teach you the skills today's employers want, at a price that universities wish they could offer.

Connect with our Admissions team to reserve your spot in our next class: https://workforceinstitute.io/digital-marketing/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=is-dm-bootcamp-worth-it&utm_content=[mkt]is-dm-bootcamp-worth-it

Online ads are amazing. They allow you to reach hundreds of thousands of customers, for affordable per-click prices, in less than 24 hours.

Are online ads worth it?

Yes...

..As long as your website is ready to handle the traffic.

Here are 3 things you can do right now to prepare your website for paid search traffic:

1) Minimize navigational features to encourage users to click on your CTA buttons or links

2) Add enticing images of your products or services

3) Clearly identify how you will change customers' lives for the better, after they choose to partner with your company

Does your website take too long to load?

Ours did — before we compressed our image files.

Compressing your images reduces file sizes and allows them to load faster, without compromising picture quality.

Need a free tool to compress your images and speed up your site? We recommend TinyPNG: https://tinypng.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=tinypng&utm_content=[mkt]tinypng

Need a fast way to learn more about website optimization? We recommend our Digital Marketing Bootcamp: https://workforceinstitute.io/digital-marketing/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=digital%20marketing%20bootcamp&utm_content=[mkt]digital-marketing-bootcamp-page

Many UX experts use the same term to describe the first things you should change on your website:

"low hanging fruit".

Here are 4 low-hanging UX improvements you can make on your website RIGHT NOW:

1) Create clear calls to action that identify exactly what you want your customers to do next.

2) Use bold or italicized text to emphasize certain content to readers.

3) Use images with faces and smiles to make your brand more relatable.

4) Make sure that all of your website's links take users to the correct pages.

If everything on your website works perfectly, congratulations. You're in the minority.

For everyone else looking to improve their website without hiring an entire web team or an agency, we recommend one of our favorite web optimization tools: SEOquake.

This tool works as a Chrome browser plugin, and scans your website to provide SEO metrics for every page you visit.

Did we mention that it's entirely free?

Thank us later: https://www.seoquake.com/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=seoquake&utm_content=[mkt]seoquake

Every visitor to your website wants something. It might be information. It might be a downloadable resource. Maybe they want to make a purchase or contact someone at your company.

Is your website optimized to deliver the things customers want? Are purchases easy to make? Is your contact information easy to find? Do you make resources easily available?

There's only one way to find the answers to these questions:

User research.

No matter how busy you are, it's important to take time for user research. Get to know your website's users — what they hate, what they like, what they love — and create a website that delivers.

Not sure how to get started with your user research? Here are 3 easy questions to get you started:

1) How many clicks should it take my customers to find what they're looking for?

2) How do I want customers to feel when they visit my website or interact with my brand online?

3) What other resources can I offer my customers on my website to make their experience even better?

Imagine if there was a way you could listen to your brand as easily as you can listen to your favorite album.

Here's the good news: That tool exists, and it's free. It's called Google Alerts.

So why aren't you using it?

Google Alerts can help you:

Manage your online reputation

Identify interesting topics for new content

Create new cross-linking opportunities

Monitor alerts for your brand, products, or stakeholders

It only takes 5 seconds to learn more about your brand's online reputation: https://www.google.com/alerts?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=image-post-12-05&utm_content=[mkt]google-alerts

We're surrounded by design . The right design can mean the difference between a happy customer and lost sales — no matter what you're selling.

Whether you're designing an interface, a graphic, a landing page or an entire website, don't forget the main ingredient: usability.

Keep your designs usable, and watch the customers roll in.