Fluency Blog

Keep up on digital trends, news, goings-on, and on-going discussions in digital media.

What you – yes, you – can do to fight ad fraud

As we speak (or, uh, “read”?), someone is out there making you look bad. And by “you,” we mean digital advertisers (and yes, that includes your pals at Fluency), and by “someone,” we mean a global army of bots controlled by… …you guessed it (or you just read the title): ad fraudsters. Wait, how can ...

There’s a staffing problem in digital technology: How do we solve it?

Let’s face it: When it comes to finding, hiring, and retaining talent, this industry is dealing with major growing pains. As if keeping up with evolving technology wasn’t challenging enough, companies breaking into digital marketing are also having a hard time getting the right people for the job. According to Digiday, a recent survey of 400 ...

The truth about podcasting as a marketing tool

If you’re a business owner, you probably hear a lot about “content” these days – videos, blogs, articles, and so on. But there’s one kind of content you might be overlooking: podcasts. Despite what you might think, it’s not just a medium for true crime shows like “Serial.” It can also be a powerful tool ...

Do people actually click on native ads?

You never click on native ads, do you? If you’re a digital marketer, the answer is probably no – unless you’re curious about what the competition’s up to. As a consumer, you likely steer clear of them. So why would you expect other people to click on your native ads? It’s a fair question. But here’s a ...

The long and short of Content Marketing word count

It’s hard to find a simple, straight answer when it comes to the subject of ideal content length. “The longer, the better!” one side of the word count argument might say; “No!” the other would shout, “the shorter the better!” So who has it right? And what if they’re both wrong? Before we delve into this, let’s just ...

Failed campaigns: When to admit defeat

That’s the funny thing about digital marketing: there just aren’t any guarantees in this business. You can have a shrewd strategy. You can read every conceivable data point. And you can kill it in content. And even then, your campaign could still fail. So what do you do? For one, as the headline suggests, you admit ...

How to email your customers without spamming them

We admit email marketing doesn’t seem all that glamorous. More than likely, you associate it with the junk that ends up in your spam folder, day in and day out. So if you’re working with a limited budget and limited time, it’s understandable that you might turn up your nose at email. After all, it’s ...

What the Happy Meal can teach us about branding

As Clint Eastwood (playing Dirty Harry) once said, “a man’s got to know his limitations.” Switch out “man” with “brand” and “limitations” with “strengths,” and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what makes McDonald’s a marketer worth emulating. Case in point, the Big M’s revival of its classic Happy Meal toys. During the promotion, ...

What happens when THEY google YOU? A guide to personal branding

Let’s say a potential client types your name into Google. What would they see when they hit “Enter”? If you don’t have a strong personal brand, then it’s probably not a whole lot. This will be the case even if you’re a leader in your field, someone who commands respect among his or her colleagues. ...

Will Ad Blockers haunt digital marketers forever?

Ad blockers are to digital marketers what German U-boats were to Allied naval fleets – a hidden (and dangerous) nuisance that could derail otherwise perfect planning. Unlike U-boats, though, you can’t really blame folks for using them. This makes our perpetual conflict with ad blockers that much more difficult, because we know that users have ...

Is PPC really the best use of your advertising dollars?

There’s something undeniably attractive about billboard advertising. After all, the image of a big highway sign towering over the landscape is almost as iconic as Coca-Cola. But how much does it cost? As you might guess, it can be quite expensive. So, with a limited budget, you might think that PPC (pay-per-click) advertising is the ...

Here’s why ‘clickbait’ doesn’t have to be a dirty word

People use the word “clickbait” as if the practice they’re referring to – writing catchy headlines to generate traffic – is a bad thing. I’m here to take exception to that, because it isn’t. In fact, if done well, crafting “clickbait” headlines is an art unto itself. Here’s a couple of things to keep in ...