Manage Your Business Remotely in Times of Uncertainty from Google

This is the first time in many years that we didn’t get the opportunity to host the Annual Grow With Google Small Business Week Seminars at Demand Quest. It’s an event that we generally love to host because we get to meet new small business owners and marketers, we get to learn about best practices from Google, and we get to see former students. While we were unable to host, we still want to share Google’s talk so here’s how to Manage Your Business Remotely in Times of Uncertainty from Google

 

You can also find it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSVCXlJbjVg&feature=youtu.be

If you have any questions about how to restructure your campaigns during these uncertain times, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to talk about what’s going on and how to stay relevant during Covid. You can reach me at rachael @ demandquest.com

May Digital Marketing Newsletter

We’re still waiting for summer here in Minnesota and have been paying attention to Google’s big marketing updates; you can catch up on their announcements here: https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/marketinglive Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on and what we’re reading for fun:

Game of Thrones: 
Disappointed in the ending? Most people seem to be. Check out this John Hughes-type alternate ending; it made me laugh: http://bit.ly/2QiARjO

PPC – Google Ads: 
Key Takeaways from the Google Marketing Live Talks including shopping campaigns & discovery campaigns: http://bit.ly/2WkvMgw
3 Most Common eCommerce Advertising Mistakes (and how to stay away from them): http://bit.ly/2WfaroJ
Performance Planner now live in Google Ads: Shows predicted impact of campaign changes on conversions, clicks, more: https://selnd.com/2HNrCo8
10 Visual AdWords Reports You Could Be Using: http://bit.ly/30zHeUR

Social Media:
The Beginners Guide to Marketing Automation: http://bit.ly/2EvtW2e
Does Vertical Video Make a Difference? http://bit.ly/2VHEst0
Instagram’s Explore Page Now Includes Stories: http://bit.ly/2QibAWQ
Facebook curb the hate (or tries to): https://engt.co/2YLzWf0
Speaking of hate – Facebook introduces ‘one strike’ policy to combat abuse of its live-streaming service: https://tcrn.ch/2YFd6W8
Facebook feeds may be getting another update – stories and posts together?  https://tcrn.ch/2wfG5DT
Plan Like the Pros: How to Create a Storyboard for Instagram Stories (+ Free Template): http://bit.ly/2HwmKoa

Search Engine Optimization: 
Image SEO: Optimizing images for search engines: http://bit.ly/2EsA1w6
Top Three Things A Developer Can Do For Search Rankings Don’t Include Links: http://bit.ly/30F3WLk​
12 reasons your SEO traffic is plateauing and how to fix it: http://bit.ly/2X0yd51
7 Proven SEO Reporting Best Practices That Boost Client Retention: http://bit.ly/2WX09Xg

Local Search: 
Step up your favicon game. Google is making a minor tweak to its search design: http://bit.ly/2X32u2X
Google My Business Suggests Positive Reviews to Share as Posts: http://bit.ly/30HHDoj

What else we’re reading: 
Fake pictures of faces are getting much harder to detect: http://bit.ly/2VWzxt1
Can you spot the real face versus the computer generated face? We passed with 90% but think we’ll do even better after we read the tutorial. Check out the test: http://www.whichfaceisreal.com/
Speaking of fakes, can you tell when you’re reading a fake review on Amazon? Or on any site? Run it through here: https://www.fakespot.com/
Random good news? You can now take your Amazon returns to Kohls: https://tcrn.ch/2YJqWHc
And finally, who doesn’t want more 🙃 emojis to communicate? Here’s an 🥳 Emoji Keyboard so you can include even more: 😮 http://bit.ly/2M32Sxg 🚀🥳 🎶♻️😁

Our spring digital marketing classes are closed for the semester. If you’re interested in Custom Training or Google Ads Audits, please let us know!  Join us online: Twitter/DQ — Facebook — Instagram — LinkedIn Student Alumni Group

Digital Marketing Newsletter April 2019

There’s always a lot going on in the digital marketing world! This fall, we’re saying good-bye to Google+, hello to conversational AI (we now have a Google Home in our house – a little scary), yes to updating our Google Data Studio templates and another good-bye to Google Adwords (it’s now just Google Ads).;

Online Advertising (Search & Social):

SEO:

Google Analytics & Data Studio:

Digital Marketing Newsletter March 2019

We’re hunkered down against the April MN snow/hail storm-blizzard catching up on what’s new in digital marketing. Here’s what we’re reading while we wait for the storm to pass and the snow to melt:

PPC: 
Avoid the 8 most common pitfalls of automated bidding- we’ve never been huge fans of automated bidding, here’s how you can use it wisely: https://selnd.com/2Ubr92U
Are Dynamic Ad Varieties A Waste Of Your Time? https://selnd.com/2IgZM6e
Winning on Amazon: Here are 3 strategies that can help: https://mklnd.com/2Ks77BL
1,100+ Kids YouTube Channels to Exclude From Your Video Campaigns: http://bit.ly/2UcqoH5

Social Media – Facebook is taking transparency seriously. Here are some of their updates: 
Facebook launches searchable transparency library of all active ads (including Donald Trumps election ads): https://tcrn.ch/2uVZ45M
Facebook shows users when a Custom Audience list was uploaded: https://mklnd.com/2Z53jtx
Facebook to replace Exclude Categories with new brand safety ad filters: https://mklnd.com/2Itk9MW
Remove, Reduce, Inform: FB’s New Steps to Manage Problematic Content on their platforms including Facebook/Instagram: http://bit.ly/2X5Sp58

Search Engine Optimization: 
How to Approach Technical SEO in a New Light: http://bit.ly/2UudCsp
How To Boost the SEO of Your Organization’s LinkedIn Page: http://bit.ly/2USYKTK

Google Analytics – GTM – Data Studio: 
Year In Review Template For Google Data Studio from our own DQ instructor Jeff Sauer of Jeffalytics: http://bit.ly/2VFadU3
How to calculate Conversion Rates in Google Data Studio: http://bit.ly/2UHpBlV
Here’s how to use Google Tag Manager’s new Trigger Groups – This update offers a new way to manage how often, and under what circumstances, a tag will fire in GTM: https://selnd.com/2UtgeXq
How to Export Data from Google Analytics and Search Console (without 3rd Party Software): http://bit.ly/2UthE4c

What else we’re reading: 
How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Magician and Google Design Ethicist: http://bit.ly/2P7tBXG

Also, our spring digital marketing classes are starting in less then a week and there’s still time to save! Sign up today and get 10% off your registration with promo code SPRINGSAVINGS. Quick reminder ] that most of our classes will only be offered in spring 2019. Don’t miss out!

Search Engine Optimization (Spring 2019 only)
Learn how to optimize your website to get to the top of search engines organically.
April 17 & 24

Jeff Sauer’s Google Marketing Platform Series (Spring 2019 only)
Whether you’re new to Google Analytics or looking to dig deep into GTM or Data Studio, this will be Jeff’s only training session with us this year so be sure to join us!
Intro to Google Analytics – May 1
Google Tag Manager – May 8
Google Data Studio – May 15

Social Media Advertising
Learn how to create and optimize social media advertising campaigns on the platforms that will perform best for your company.
Apri 18 & 25

Google Ads (AdWords) Complete Series (Spring 2019 only)
From set-up to optimization plus all that’s new in AdWords (which is a lot), learn how to improve your ROI and get better results from your ads.
May 2, 9, & 16

If you’ve thought about learning new skills or refreshing your current digital marketingskills, spring 2019 is the time to do it!
Here’s a screenshot of where to enter promo code SPRINGSAVINGS.
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Spring digital marketing class registration is now open!

We’ve got some big changes coming to DemandQuest but we know how people value our digital marketing classes so we’re offering one special session this spring with all of our most popular classes! Join us for Google Tag ManagerGoogle Data StudioSocial Media AdvertisingSEOGoogle Ad(Word)s, and Google Analytics. Out instructors have been doing a ton of custom training and have booked out most of 2019 so this will likely be our only session of public classes for 2019.

Search Engine Optimization (Spring 2019 only)
April 17 & 24

Jeff Sauer’s Google Marketing Platform Series (Spring 2019 only)
Intro to Google Analytics – May 1
Google Tag Manager – May 8
Google Data Studio – May 15

Social Media Advertising 
Apri 18 & 25

Google Ads (AdWords) Complete Series (Spring 2019 only)
May 2, 9, & 16

If you’ve thought about refreshing your digital marketing skills, spring 2019 is the time to do it! We’ve been teaching in Minneapolis since 2011 and pride ourselves on having hands-on instruction from industry experts. We don’t rent out conference rooms in hotels to we can teach surface level digital marketing, we dig deep so that you leave with actual knowledge you can apply to your digital marketing strategy immediately. We hope to see you this spring! If custom training is a better fit for you and your company, you can find out more here: Executive Training.

Students: What to Expect/Bring to Class

The main classroom at Demand Quest, used for public classes and custom training.

We’re excited to have online advertisers and marketers, business owners and anyone who wants to learn digital marketing as students at DemandQuest. Our goal is to help people actually learn how to use digital marketing tools. We want you to be able to walk out of class and actually implement the new digital marketing tools that you learned and see results right away.

Here’s what to expect when you attend class here.

What to bring to class:

  • A Laptop – not required but we recommend it so that you can follow along in your own accounts during class)
  • Goals – what do you want to get out of your class? Having even an idea of a goal will help you get the most out of your digital marketing training
  • A willingness to learn – we cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time so get ready to dig in

What we will provide:

  • Wi-Fi
  • Syllabus so you can follow along with the instructor
  • Resources via email – we used to print out books with information and links to tools but we know that digital marketing changes daily so we craft up-to-date resource emails with valid links to useful tools that you’ll get a day or two after class. We also know how annoying it is to try and copy a URL from a piece of paper – we’ll send you a link and save you time and frustration
  • Tables and chairs
  • Power – strips that is – we have power strips to plug in your chargers (just don’t forget them)
  • Elevator and Handicap-accessible restrooms
  • Coffee (a must have)
  • Occasionally, Beer (they say it helps creative juices flow)
  • Light refreshments – we don’t believe in vending machines
  • Free Parking – you may not find a spot in the main lot behind our building but there are usually spots in the second lot across the street or on the street within a block or two of our building (see below for options)

We’re located at 2112 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 (Parking Map Link). You can reach us at 612-460-8770.

Refund policy: We understand that life happens and things come up. We will offer a full refund when you give us 24 hours notice and partial refund if you miss the class and ask for a refund within 5 days of the class.

Certifications: We don’t offer certifications from our school but we do help students get ready for some outside certifications such as Google Ads and Google Analytics. These tests are taken outside of class time and while our students currently have a 97% pass rate, we don’t guarantee that you’ll pass; you may have to study!

We’re excited to have you in class! We have a 5-star rating on Google and Facebook and 68% of our students return for an additional class! We’re proud to offer the best training in SEO, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Data Studio (we’re a Google Premier Partner so we teach a lot of Google classes), Social Media Advertising, Small Business Digital Marketing and lots more.