We're back with our second episode of "Ask the Experts," our new video blog series where we sit down with CMG Local Solutions' digital marketing experts to ask them some of the questions we hear from advertisers around the country every day.  

In this episode, we talk about setting and measuring objectives for digital marketing campaigns. It's short, but packs a big punch (of information, of course). Take a look. 

Though the text of your call-to-action phrase is very important, getting the design just right is also crucial for marketers looking to increase conversions. It might not seem like details such as color, page placement and font could directly influence consumer behavior, but marketers who take a little bit of time to do some design testing and research can enhance the effectiveness of their call-to-action and actually boost conversions.

1. Inspire Action With Color

Research reported on by the Better Business Bureau found that color can have a huge effect on conversions, with one study finding that bold colors like orange and red can actually increase conversion rates by over 32 and 20 percent, respectively. Of course, practicality is important here, and obviously, you shouldn't go crazy turning your entire website red and orange in an effort to boost consumer action. Something you might want to do, however, is look for ways to add orange or red accents to your design, and use complementary colors to make sure calls-to-action stand out.

Marketers across industries and specialties share the same goal: to promote their businesses and products in a way that resonates with their target market. However, the way you approach this goal may vary depending on your unique skills and professional philosophy. Though there are plenty of subcategories, there are five major types of marketers — which type are you?

Which Type of Marketer Are You?

Look at the following questions. Which one feels the most true about yourself? Though several of them might ring true, which one stands out more than the others?

A. Are you always experimenting with new marketing techniques?

B. Are you addicted to social media?

C. Do you prefer to stick to your proven marketing formula?

D. Are you a pro at pinching pennies without sacrificing quality?

E. Do you love the challenge of nationwide, multifaceted campaigns?

The Cox Media Group (CMG) Local Solutions team is proud to announce we've placed second for the 2015 Google AdWords Premier SMB Partner Award for Highest Customer Satisfaction. This award was based on the feedback of our small- and medium-sized business customers in our markets across the country. 

"We're honored to be recognized with Google AdWords' Premier SMB Partner Award for Highest Customer Satisfaction," said Jesse McCambridge, CMG's Sr. Director of Digital Solutions. "Our relentless focus on marketing excellence, customer service and delivering results for our advertising customers is represented with this award. We would like to thank our valued clients and our dedicated team of digital marketing experts that have made this possible."

Conventional wisdom says that social media best practices, such as posting frequently, boosting interaction and using advanced audience reach tactics like A/B split testing, are essential for engaging your audience and growing your brand. But recent data indicates that perhaps this formula is not as cut-and-dried as marketers once thought. As more research is conducted regarding consumer habits, it's becoming clear that the social landscape is fairly complex and that post timing, post frequency and overall trends can change drastically depending on the brand and channel involved.

When to Post

Although most marketers agree that posting multiple times a day to your social networking accounts is essential, when you post may actually be just as important as what you post. A report from Microsoft Enterprise shows that the best days and times to post vary by social media platform. For example, Thursday and Friday are the best days to post to Facebook, while Monday through Friday is best for Twitter. Facebook users are most active between 1 and 3 p.m., while the best posting times for Twitter are noon, 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the time zone where the greatest percentage of your users are based.

The call-to-action is a huge component of many different digital marketing strategies. Considering the long, winding path consumers can take to an online conversion, CTAs have tremendous utility: They can make tangible progress on the consumer path to purchase, sending traffic further down the funnel.

But effective CTAs aren't just growing on trees. Too often, marketers write them as an afterthought. But calls-to-action are a very specific piece of content targeting a very specific goal. As such, they need to be carefully developed and placed in a position where they can thrive. Here are some simple mistakes that undercut calls-to-action, as well as some basic solutions.

Many consumers look to Facebook for information about businesses, but many of those businesses see a Facebook page as secondary to their other marketing efforts. When customers log onto Facebook for information about your business or to talk to you directly, they can feel ignored or overlooked when they don't find what they're looking for.

Holiday shopping season is upon us. With it comes the pressure to increase conversions and boost sales across digital channels. One popular trend that has been gaining traction in recent months is the idea of seizing upon "micro-moments" — that instant when customers pull out their smartphone to find out more information about a product or business with an immediate desire to make a purchasing decision. Harnessing holiday shopping micro-moments could be the key to really making an impact on your small business's bottom line this gift-giving season.

If your website includes a call-to-action (CTA), you're in the minority. According to Entrepreneur.com, some 70 percent of small businesses don't include a CTA at all. But if you're in the business of making money online, your CTA is an integral part of your strategy. Likewise, if you've done any experimentation, you know that not all CTAs are alike. There are thousands of possible calls to action, and while wording, placement and design all matter, it might surprise you to know what it takes to tip past bounce to conversion.

Unpacking the Call-to-Action

To start, let's look at maximizing your potential for success. According to MarketingLand, there are three key ingredients in any CTA:

Weatherproof Your Business

Today's retailers can take advantage of weather reporting that's becoming increasingly more precise to help make business decisions, particularly those involving the sale of winter-related products in real time. If you know that a bad weather day is coming, you can plan your special offers accordingly.