Author: Alli

Cheers to National Intern Day!  Today, we celebrate our fantastic Marketing Intern, Taylor Welch.

Taylor is a senior at the University of Houston pursuing a Bachelor’s in Retail and Consumer Science.

During her internship, Taylor has been expanding her organic social media marketing knowledge alongside our Director of Social Media, Alli Stout.

Get to know Taylor with these interesting tidbits:

She enjoys practicing yoga and embarking on nature hikes.

Having worked as a Starbucks barista in the past, she crafts a mean cup of coffee.

Jeff Miller, Owner & Partner of Miller Mays & Associates, LLC, graciously shares his invaluable experience working with us!

Thank you to Jeff and his exceptional team for entrusting us with their business, year after year, and for consistently achieving outstanding results together.

Are you interested in sharing a client testimonial? Let’s connect!

Crescere Digital has launched a new and improved website for High Meadow Development!

For nearly five decades, the Frey family has been developing land in the woods of North Harris and Montgomery County Texas. And now the third generation is carrying on the family’s legacy with a new generation of the finest acreage communities.  

This project was a team effort. With a new generation of ownership, High Meadow Development wanted a fresh, clean and modern look to showcase the company’s new direction, growth, innovation, and generations of success.

Crescere Digital worked hands-on with the client to create a brand refresh with a new modernized version of the company logo. 

Our program team designed and programmed a high-quality, contemporary website. Users can query about the individual communities by exploring the “Discover our Communities” section on the website and view all there is to know about creating their desired luxury lifestyle. 

Our marketing team captured photography for website content and has since been developing High Meadow Development’s online platforms through paid digital marketing & organic social media strategy. 

Check out the website at highmeadowtx.com.

What is your brand’s personality?

Your brand voice serves as a guide of what to say & how to say it. How you approach your brand voice can increase brand recognition & enhance customer experience.

Now let’s break it down! 

Construct your brand voice by determining the core company values, target audience, tone, and consistency across communication platforms.

Core Company Values

Your company’s mission statement reflects who you are as a business. 

Authenticity is key & will guide your company to establish characteristics that represent your brand. 

Target Audience

Who are you talking to? 

You should know your audience better than anyone – how to communicate & connect is crucial to building trust between consumer and brand.

Building a strong relationship takes time but remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Brand Tone

What mood or emotion does your brand convey?

If you need more clarification, check out this list of tones and see what stands out.

• Humor 
• Bold
• Edgy
• Professional
• Casual
• Intelligent

Consistency Across Platforms

Don’t confuse your audience!

Consistency establishes trust. All writing should say the same thing from the website, social media posts, and email marketing campaigns.

Let’s establish your brand voice together! Connect with our experienced marketing team by visiting crescere-digital.com/connect.

SOURCE: HUBSPOT.COM

Crescere Digital recently launched a new user-friendly & modern website for Gary Rogers Homes. 

Gary Rogers Homes builds custom homes along the Texas Gulf Coast. 

Working directly with Gary, our technical & marketing teams created an approachable website design that showcases Gary’s passion for his company and the quality home buyers should expect when building with Gary Rogers Homes. 

Are you interested in updating your company’s current website? Let’s connect and see what our team of professionals can do for you! 

Our team had the privilege of attending the 20th Annual Greater Houston Builders Association Product Expo!

This members-only event was a fantastic opportunity to network with custom builders, developers, and remodelers.

GHBA is the voice of Houston’s residential construction industry, serving members and the community through education and advocating professionalism and quality housing. The association interacts with the government, community and general public to enhance its members’ business climate and provide quality obtainable housing to the community it serves. 

Crescere Digital is honored to be a member of such an uplifting organization. We appreciate each event that connects us with the GHBA community!

The Crescere Digital team hit the road and traveled to Dallas last Thursday, July 14th, for the Texas Star Awards presented by the Texas Association of Builders.

The Texas Star Awards has been around for 29 years. In 1992, the Texas Association of Builders launched the Texas Star Awards — the only statewide tribute to excellence in the home building industry. In 2005, this outstanding awards program expanded to include projects throughout the Southwest. 

We are ecstatic to share that Crescere Digital was named a finalist for the Best Developer Website for DelBelloLakes.com & Best Digital Marketing Campaign for Del Bello Lakes! 

We are honored to have been recognized as a finalist for these prestigious awards within the industry! 

Also, we are pleased to share that our client, Del Bello Lakes, a Shea Homes residential development in the greater Houston area, took home the award for the Best Overall Community, 51-299 Acres!!

It was a very successful weekend for our team & we look forward to doing it again next year.

Let’s talk about email marketing and why your company should consider this digital marketing strategy.

Email marketing uses email to promote your company’s products and services. This digital marketing strategy is a form of direct marketing and can be a highly effective way to communicate with customers. Approximately 3.9 billion people worldwide use email every day for communication. Before social media marketing, email marketing was the way to reach audiences online.

I am sure you are familiar with newsletters and promotional emails in your inbox from various businesses and subscription services. Have you noted which ones you engage with and which ones get deleted? 

Forbes Communication Council has predicted what will and what won’t become of email marketing in 2022, let’s take a look at what we should expect.

What Will Happen 

Email Marketing Will Continue To Grow

Email experienced a bit of a renaissance over the past two years, as marketers turned to the time-tested channel when their entire marketing strategies were disrupted by the pandemic. 

While digital marketing overall took on a larger role for many companies as offline marketing channels were dramatically impacted, not every channel could easily absorb a higher budget allocation and maintain performance and a positive return on investment. It’s not always as simple as adding more budget to a search engine marketing campaign, social media, display, or digital video advertising. Increasing budgets in these channels typically involve expanding keyword lists and social target audiences or placing display/video ads that didn’t make the cut in your original strategy. However, email marketing can increase campaign volume while continuing to deliver results with either increased email frequency or by expanding to use third parties in your email program.

As 2022 continues, there is no reason to expect this trend to change. Email has once again proven its value and, even with a brighter spotlight on it in recent years, it did not fail to step up. While we all hope the world gets back to a new normal that resembles pre-pandemic times, marketers have now shifted their focus heavily toward digital options, accelerating a trend that was already established since the inception of the internet. So, while marketing budgets will certainly be allocated toward traditional channels as they become viable again, we can expect digital channels like email to maintain the growth it was already experiencing. Successful marketers put their efforts and budgets toward what works, and email continues to justify its place as an ROI champion.

Marketers Will Focus On Better Metrics

The launch of Apple’s iOS 15 and the Mail Privacy Protection feature has been well documented since mid-2021. However, it appears to not be having quite as significant an impact on email open rate tracking as was anticipated. Still, the metric has been deprioritized by many marketers, but this is actually great news for email marketers.

While there are strong arguments for tracking email engagement metrics other than just conversions — especially where longer-term customer relationships are part of a company’s business strategy — at the end of the day, marketers still need to deliver clicks and conversions. Those are the metrics that not only prove the channel’s ultimate value but also shape where marketing budgets are allocated.

When marketers spend more time analyzing and optimizing data that is actually directly connected to desired audience actions (leads, sales, etc.) they naturally create more effective campaigns. Real results continue to drive home email’s value to senior executives, which leads to more attention and budget to keep the channel growing and evolving. It’s a virtuous circle that starts with marketers keeping their eyes on the prize.

What Won’t Happen

New Privacy Regulation Won’t Dramatically Impact Email

First off, we can definitely expect more privacy regulation at the state level in 2022. We’ve been seeing more states pass laws in recent years — like the two-part California Consumer Privacy Act — and that isn’t likely to slow down. We may even see something specific at the federal level, although it’s unlikely we’ll see sweeping data privacy legislation. Regardless, marketers will be impacted by these new laws, and email won’t be excluded. However, email marketing is uniquely positioned to weather the storm of many types of data privacy regulation, due in part to the fact that it relies on arguably the most valuable piece of first-party data: the email address.

While various marketing channels may be disrupted by a renewed focus on behavioral targeting or the use of various types of third-party data, email marketing is less likely to be as heavily impacted. It also helps that email marketing already has the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 in place, which created a very specific set of guidelines for email marketers to follow in their campaigns. With that law in place for so long, email marketers already have plenty of experience in operating within a set of rules and regulations and doing it successfully, whereas, for other channels, this is somewhat new territory to navigate.

Email Inboxing Won’t Get Any Easier

I’m not sure anyone would predict that deliverability would get easier, but just in case you might be thinking that I’m here to tell you it won’t. Between the constantly intensifying battle for attention in the inbox (Statista predicted that daily emails sent would grow from 306 billion in 2020 to 320 billion in 2021) and constant improvements in spam filters by the major email providers, getting your message into a recipient’s inbox will only become more challenging in 2022.

Achieving high email campaign deliverability is a never-ending project. If you think you have it dialed in and stop optimizing, you are almost certain to see your deliverability drop over time. So, despite all the well-deserved focus on conversions, don’t ignore deliverability in your email program strategy.

Source: Forbes Communications Council

Essentially, we are all competing for attention in our inboxes, so how can your company stand out? According to engine mailer, some popular email marketing trends to consider for 2022 are personalization, mobile optimization, crisp designs, and interactivity. 

We can anticipate what consumers will respond to, but it is important to listen to your target audience and adapt. 

Are you interested in constructing an email marketing strategy for your business or is your current email marketing strategy not delivering exceptional results? Crescere Digital is here to help, let’s connect! 

1. Parallax Animation: Parallax animation gives websites a sophisticated look and is popular in new website designs.Parallax animation works by separating background and foreground elements. The images closer to the viewer, the foreground, move faster than those further away in the background. This effect occurs when users start scrolling down a page, and the background images change at a slower rate. It makes the foreground images appear as if they’re floating on top of the background, providing a sense of depth.

Parallax animation is a great option when trying to figure out how to create a homepage. The visual interest engages the viewer and entices them into scrolling deeper into your website.

2. Neumorphism: Neumorphism is a trend in modern web design that moves away from the popular flat design of the last few years. Neumorphism focuses on minimalist but realistic design of user interfaces. In flat design, UI elements float in space, casting shadows on the things below them. In designs using the Neumorphism trend, the UI elements extrude from the background images. The look is similar to paper embossing or debossing.

Subtle shadows and gradients combine to create a trendy look. Neumorphism offers a fresh and sharp look for websites in 2022.

3. Comfortable Colors: For the last several years, trends in web design have focused on bright, high-contrast designs. In 2022, designers will shift to more of the middle ground between extreme light and dark. Softer color pallets offer a break to the eyes from the bright white of typical website designs. Comfortable color schemes utilize warm and natural greens and brown or light pinks and pastel blues.

4. Dark Mode and Low Light UX: Another modern web design trend is dark mode and low light UX. This trend gravitates away from the traditional white and bright designs of the past few years.

Many mobile and desktop operating systems added dark mode options, so users could optimize their screens for viewing in low-light environments. The trend is moving into website designs, especially for web-based products like streaming services that people will most likely view in low-light environments. For example, Netflix has a black background because a white and bright interface would be blinding in a dark room.

5. 3D Colors: A slight gradient and shading can go a long way. Using shades to create depth on backgrounds and images helps these elements jump off the page. If you were trying to paint a picture of an apple, you wouldn’t use only one shade of red. The apple would look flat and unrealistic. You’d mix different shades of red to give the illusion of the curves of the apple.

6. Minimalism: Minimalism is a classic yet trendy approach to web design that remains popular.

The minimalist design aesthetic combines beauty and function. Every design choice from images and fonts serves a purpose. The goal is to trim out any extraneous design flourishes until you’re left with the essentials.

Common characteristics of minimalism in modern web design include:

• User-friendly and intuitive navigation.
• Simplified color schemes of three or fewer colors.
• Creative and bold use of typography as a design element.
• Avoiding the use of overly animated transitions.
• Simple, flat backgrounds instead of heavily textured backgrounds.

Minimalism is a common design choice for a one-page website because the clean aesthetic matches the brevity of the content.

7. Hand-Drawn Elements: Hand-drawn elements add visual interest to web design while also making them more unique. Stock photography is often too generic. People can tell the photos are not authentic. Introducing hand-drawn elements to your web designs helps distinguish your site and brand. Hand-drawing is a skill utilized by graphic artists and designers, evoking creativity and inspiration. Drawings are often used by creative professionals or agencies, but you might even see them on top eCommerce sites.

Drawings and sketches can explain complex concepts and processes, such as how to make a product.

8. Illustrations: Similar to hand-drawn sketches, illustrations are another popular web design trend. Illustrations have a more modern and crisp look than imagery in the hand-drawn style. In both cases, the goal is to avoid the use of stock photography. Stock images can easily make your website look exactly like your competitors or any other website. It’s hard to stand out when the imagery of your site isn’t unique. Using illustrations in place of photos allows you to customize your imagery to fit your brand better. Even if you use stock illustrations instead of paying to have custom images made, you can recolor the images to match your brand’s color palette.

9. Merging Illustrations and Photos: Another imagery trend is to create hybrid images featuring illustration elements with actual photos. This technique is perfect for homepage hero sections as it offers a unique perspective and is incredibly eye-catching. The method is excellent for pointing out specific product features because you can use the illustration elements to highlight features and benefits.

10. Accessibility: Accessibility in web design is about making sure everyone can access and use your website. While accessibility makes the list of trends for 2022, it’s been around and is here to stay. It’s simply something web designers discuss more now than they have in the past.

Disabilities affecting access to websites include:

• auditory
• cognitive
• neurological
• physical
• speech
• visual

About one-third of the world’s population has one or more of these disabilities, making it crucial for web designs to think about accessibility when creating a website.

In addition to making websites more accessible to the public, many accessibility features have the added benefit of improving a site’s search engine optimization. For example, adding functional alt tags for images allows visually impaired visitors to get a description of the images while also helping search engines process the content of your image.

Other ways to incorporate accessibility into modern web design include:

• Using suitable color contrast between backgrounds and text to improve readability.
• Adding labels with instructions to form fields instead of placeholder text.
• Focus indicators for when people are using keyboard navigation.

11. Virtual Reality: Virtual reality is one of the hottest new eCommerce trends. More people are shopping online than ever before, but for some items, especially furniture, it’s hard to tell what the thing will look like in person. Will it fit in my room? Will it match my other furniture? Virtual reality solves this problem by giving people a virtual preview of what an item would look like in their space.

The virtual reality trend isn’t limited to furniture. Clothing and accessories retailers are even incorporating virtual try-on experiences into their web designs. For example, Warby Parker has a virtual try-on feature for people to try different glasses frames.

12. White Space: White space continues to be a top web design trend. White space is a bit of a misnomer because the space doesn’t have to be white. The design concept refers to leaving blank space around design elements. So the “whitespace” is typically the background color of your site.

White space is beneficial in design because it helps the website feel less cluttered and overwhelming. White space can also help draw viewers’ attention to a particular element.

13. Chatbots: Chatbots are increasingly common in web designs. Chatbots increase website conversions by offering a quick answer to visitors’ questions and adding a way to collect information.

The conversational nature of chatbots makes it easy for visitors to ask questions about finding products or making returns, for example. You can program your chatbot to answer your most frequently asked questions. If a visitor asks a question the bot can’t answer, it will connect them with a live agent or collect the visitor’s contact information so someone can follow up to answer the question. Anything that makes sites easier to navigate and visitors more likely to convert is a design trend worth considering.

Benefits of using a chatbot include:

• Increased customer engagement
• Better customer service
• High conversion rates
• More channels for lead generation
• Decreased support costs

14. Video as a Design Element: Video is exploding in popularity in 2022. Video plays a central role in all social media, especially on newer platforms like TikTok. As people watch more videos in their social feeds, the trend bleeds into web design. Video backgrounds give websites a modern, cutting-edge feel. Explanatory videos help people understand a company or product better. Quality content is the backbone of good design. Your web designs should plan for text, image, and video content to create the best experience.

The most important of our web design tips is to keep it simple. Don’t try to incorporate every trend on this list. You’ll end up with a busy and cluttered website. For visual examples click here.

Source: Nexcess

A quality website design is crucial for a business to thrive. Your company’s website should give an exceptional first impression to accurately represent your business and credibility. Are you interested in optimizing your company’s online presence? Let’s connect and see what Crescere Digital can do for you!

Congratulations to two members of the Crescere Digital team, Ryan and Chris, for completing their Google Ads Certification and earning their Google Partner badge for the third year in a row!

This certification demonstrates their latest Google Ads expertise. ​​Google gives this badge to agencies that have employees certified in AdWords, who manage large ad spends, and continuously meet Google’s standards to maintain partner status.

Do you know the benefits of being in the Google Partnership program? By joining the Google Partners program, you get access to the training, support, and resources to set your clients up to succeed and help your company grow and stand out in the industry.

At Crescere Digital, we know how to create engaging and dynamic ads to attract the right buyers. Most importantly, we provide regular and transparent reporting to show you exactly how your digital marketing budget is working.

Are you interested in using Google Ads for your business? Contact us to find out how Crescere Digital can help.

Source: Google Partners