[INFOGRAPHIC] It’s All About the Images

Ever heard the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words"? It turns out when it comes to marketing campaigns, this really is the case. Articles that contain images have 94 percent more views than articles without images. If you haven’t hopped on the photo bandwagon yet, you might want to look into it.

Check out this infographic from MDG Advertising for some more eye-opening stats about using photos in your marketing.

Infographic by MDG Advertising

To get a few more tips on how to make your campaigns stand out, check out these great campaigns.

Three Ways Interns Contribute to Your Marketing Team

When you think about interns, there’s probably a very distinct stereotype that runs through your mind: a college student holding the boss’s coffee with a facial expression that is a mixture of uncertainty about the future and panic about their next task.

This may come as a surprise to some, but interns can contribute more than just coffee and doughnuts. In fact, they can help effectively grow your business.

They Have Fresh Ideas

As young college students, interns have a perspective that your current marketing team may not. They see things from a different point of view — partly because they approach problems from a position of inexperience. But inexperience doesn’t necessarily mean naivete. A person who’s unfamiliar with your company’s day-to-day might be exactly what you need to gain insight into what may not be working for you.

They Understand Social Media

To interns, social media is like a second language that they’ve known since the MySpace days. Although the username vballgurl94 might not indicate she knows what she’s doing, your intern's daily experience with Twitter, Instagram and Facebook will be hugely beneficial to your marketing team. Updating a business’s social media presence is an extension of the very thing they do for fun.

They Can Be Your Newest Full-Time Employees

Nearly 69 percent of companies with 100 or more employees offer full time jobs to their interns. By hiring an intern, you have the opportunity to find the talent your business needs by “test-driving” them to see their potential. Good interns turn out to be the best full-time employees because they already have experience and familiarity with your company, and they have the drive and energy to push your company in the right direction.

Have interns helped improve your marketing? Let us know in the comments!

What Marketers Can Learn from Shark Week

As the temperature continues to rise, more and more people are looking for ways to beat the heat this summer. Cue one of America’s favorite TV marathons of the year: Shark Week.

Last year, Discovery Channel aired a fake documentary, which created a lot of negative buzz. Nearly one year later, people are still talking about it. We’ve got to admit, it’s impressive that they generated so much buzz that its ripple effect has lasted almost a year.

We might not be able to replicate that, but there are a couple other things we can learn about marketing from Shark Week.

Listen to Feedback… And Then Use It

Like Shark Week 2014, not every risk taken is 100 percent successful or unsuccessful.  A lot of times, there’s a gray area where you’ll find both positive and negative buzz afterward. That’s when it’s most important to listen to consumers and learn from both sides. What went right? What didn’t?

Keep track of what your customers are saying about you so you can tailor your message to better connect with them. Not sure how to do that? Allow us to introduce automated surveys. At the end of every call, a recorded voice poses questions to callers, who reply using their phone keypads. This information will help you figure out areas of improvement so you’ll always see smiles on your customers’ faces.

Stay Up to Date with Current Events

In the last few years, thanks to #hashtags and social media crazes, Shark Week has become an annual pop culture event. Many brands have sunk their teeth into the phenomenon and have joined the hype that surrounds Shark Week. You can even get a shark-themed ice cream cup!

Of course brands know they’ll get a few extra eyes on their ads by including Shark Week themes. But the main reason they use sharky marketing is that they want to show consumers they’re up-to-date. If you’re using old news and outdated campaign slogans, people will think of your brand as old and outdated. Using current events portrays that your company is just as new-age and relevant as your ads.

Now for some fun — what's been your favorite Shark Week show? Tweet your answer to @855callbright!

[INFOGRAPHIC] The Race for Social Media Engagement

How you take advantage of your social media platforms can make or break your company’s marketing strategy. Automakers are known for their 30 second television spots or their fast paced radio announcements, but what has become even more important is creativity and innovative marketing campaigns used on social media websites.

This infographic highlights how the most popular automakers take advantage of social media to effectively reel in consumers.

For more tips on how to upsell your dealership with social media marketing tactics, check out this article.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Your Customers Are Living in a Mobile World

Open your eyes. Check your phone. Brush your teeth.

Sound like your morning routine? If you’re between the ages of 18 and 44, you share this ritual with 80 percent of your peers (at least when it comes to checking your smartphone as soon as you wake up — we can’t speak to the toothbrushing part).

As the below infographic by DK New Media shows, your customers, like you, are living in a mobile world.

What are you doing to make your business mobile friendly?

How Real Estate Offices Can Use Social Media

With tweets and status updates running our world, social media is the prime place for business and networking. We know that online real estate marketing can be downright brutal, so here are some tips you can use to make the most of your social media accounts.

Bring in Customers

It’s true. The times of newspaper ads and yard signs are slowly being consumed by Internet traffic and screenshots.  Keep up!  While in-person connections are still a vital part of the process, using social media can really seal the deal.

About 82 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds use social media, and that’s your primary target market. You have to find a way to connect with them organically so they don’t feel pressured to make a decision. Once you connect with them, start cultivating a relationship.

Build Relationships

The real estate industry is second overall in terms of inbound engagement (give yourself a pat on the back for that one). That’s huge! People are begging realtors to get in touch with them; however, realtors don’t seem to take advantage of this opportunity.

Real estate is ranked 13th in responding to online messages. Do we see an issue with these two rankings? An easy way to practically improve social media usage is to stay organized. Set deadlines for social media and blog posts each month, then stick with them. By simply incorporating social media updates into your daily routine, clients will stay interested and connected with your agency.

Be Creative

Whether it’s taking photographs or creating designs, staying afloat in the social media world means you’ve gotta get crafty. Facebook has an 87 percent action rate with posts that include a photo.  If you have a new listing, post a picture of the house and prompt a question. This will boost engagement and show your audience you care enough to interact with them.

Social media is the prime place to get new clients and keep up with the competition, so hopefully now you see how this tool can benefit your agency immensely.  To continue growing your client list, learn how to get leads to call you.

What the NBA Finals Can Teach Us About Marketing

Our hometown Houston Rockets might be out, but that doesn't mean we're not enjoying watching the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors duke it out in the NBA Finals.

Watching the Cavaliers' LeBron James drive to the hoop and the Warriors' Stephen Curry hit long 3-pointers got us thinking about some things we can learn from these two juggernaut squads. Here are a few tips you can take from them to make sure you're set up for success.

It Takes More Than a Superstar

LeBron James is as big a superstar as they come, but even he needs good teammates to give the team a chance to win. With players such as J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson playing their respective roles, the Cavaliers are in the finals for the first time in eight years and are trying to give the city of Cleveland its first major championship in more than half a century.

Just as you wouldn't ask Thompson — the Cavaliers' second best rebounder — to take 3-point shots (he didn't attempt even one this year), you wouldn't ask one of your marketing team members to produce every aspect of a campaign. When creating a campaign, let the graphic designer, the writer and the web developer each do their respective jobs. They'll produce a better campaign as a team, playing to each other's strengths, rather than if a single employee took on all the work.

Focus on Your Forte

The Warriors' Stephen Curry broke the record for most 3-pointers made in a single season and also led the 2014-15 season in number of 3-pointers attempted. Why did he take more than 620 3-point shots, you ask? We're pretty sure it's because he knows he can hit them; hence that whole record-breaking-3-point-shots-made-thing.

If you do something really well, keep doing it. Don't kick out your most successful ideas just because it's time to try something new. When you strike gold with a campaign, ad or promotion, keep it running so you can generate a greater return than you would on less-loved campaigns. If Stephen Curry won't stop shooting threes, you shouldn't either.

...But Don't Be Afraid to Take Risks

As we mentioned, you'll get a large return if you keep doing what's always worked. But at the same time, risks can still have a big payoff. Just take a look at the coaches in the finals. Cleveland coach David Blatt had never played or coached in the NBA, and Golden State coach Steve Kerr didn't have any coaching experience going into his rookie coaching season in the NBA. The teams took risks hiring newbies, but so far it looks like it's paid off.

Whether it's making the most of a modest budget or doing something out of the ordinary, taking risks when it comes to marketing campaigns can sometimes not only generate buzz but also a healthy return on investment. If your campaigns are getting a little stale, maybe it's time for a brainstorming session with your team. Some of the craziest ideas can turn into great campaigns.

If you're more interested in sports with wheels, learn about how "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" can apply to your call tracking needs in our post "How to Make Sure Wins on the Track Turn into Wins in the Showroom."