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Privacy Policy
COVID-19 Update for March 3, 2021
No. This is the worst decision that could be made for where we’re located. Not one day before this, Houston, our home, announced it’s the first major U.S. city to record all known strains of COVID-19. These variants from the UK, South Africa, and Brazil spread more easily. Further, the research is still out regarding whether the available vaccines are as effective against these variants.
Chow-Bryant’s Continuing Virus Response
In light of these facts, our plans have not changed. At Chow-Bryant, we will continue to put our health and the health of our clients first by:
We are as hopeful as everyone else that life can go back to normal soon. As a company that bases its decisions on facts and evidence, though, we are unwilling to potentially expose anyone to a deadly virus. One of our founders has already had several family members fall ill, and, further, lost someone last year to COVID-19. The speed at which a case can become severe or even deadly is extremely troubling. We urge everyone to exercise caution. As Dr. Fauci said at this time last year, “If you think you’re overreacting, you’re probably doing the right thing.”
How Every PPC Manager Can Help in The Coronavirus Pandemic
Every PPC Manager Must Filter Out Covid-19 Keywords
So you’re a PPC manager, you’re sheltered in place, you can work from home, and you want to help in the race to flatten the curve. FILTER YOUR GOOGLE ADS CAMPAIGNS FOR CORONAVIRUS-RELATED TERMS. This is a small thing on an individual level, but in aggregate this can make a huge change in the auctions for people who desperately need it. If you want to know why this will help, otherwise check out the list of suggested negative pandemic keywords.
Read moreTo Master Marketing, Play Dungeons & Dragons
If we’re being honest, all marketing boils down to stats and probability. Who will buy your product? You’re likely to use demographics and behavioral indicators–stats. Need to increase leads? Use data from previous successful campaigns to increase the probability of action. Hiring a new person for the team? You’re looking at stats again.
In my head, it all comes down to character sheets and gear. A tool–say your CRM–is gear. You and your campaign have character sheets. You’re stronger in some areas than others. Potential customers have character sheets in the form of targeting parameters. They, too, have strengths and weaknesses.
So why am I pushing Dungeons & Dragons to a bunch of professionals? For starters, you can gain a better understanding of stats and probability. But if you examine D&D more, there’s the opportunity to better understand how you affect the world around you.
Read moreUse the W5 to Communicate Marketing Goals
Communicating Marketing Goals is Tough to Do
Picture yourself in a meeting with a marketing agency. It’s that time in the meeting. The one everyone dreads. The one where everyone dances around the topic like desperate kids at prom.
“Let’s talk about your goals.”
As a long-time marketer, this is usually where my internal monologue goes nuts. Someone will talk about creative before anyone knows what we’re trying to do. Another team member agrees to a plan without knowing what the plan is. At this point, no one has mentioned any goals. They’re talking about what it will feel like to be successful, but they haven’t figured out how to get there.
It’s time we marketers stop trying to fancy things up and start leveling with you. We can’t make you happy if we don’t know what will make you happy.
There. I said it. Read more
Geotargeting Ads for Vague Locations
In digital marketing, we run campaigns with geotargeting for specific areas. It’s easy-as-pie to target places like New York City or a five-mile radius around Dodger Stadium. What becomes more difficult, though, is geotargeting vaguer “places.” Food truck service areas, land formations, and neighborhoods are pretty common requests. How can you make sure that you’re as accurate as possible when your location is variable? Research, of course!
Read more
How to Control Data Retention in Google Analytics for GDPR
Google’s New Data Retention Controls GDPR goes into effect on May 25, 2018. As of this writing, companies only have 44 days left to bring their marketing, data retention, data storage, and emergency response plans into compliance. At, Chow-Bryant, we’ve been working tirelessly to make sure all of our services are in compliance with GDPR. […]
How to Setup Event Tracking with Google Tag Manager
What is Event Tracking?
Event tracking is a form of conversion tracking that tracks user interactions with a website or app. You can think of an event as any user action that can be tracked and recorded independently of a simple page load. Some common events that marketers track include downloads, video plays, and button clicks. Most event tracking systems can be divided into three parts: event listeners, tags, and collection tools. There are a lot of event tracking, tag management, and analytics tools to choose from. I personally recommend Google Tag Manager because it’s the most cost-effective and accessible option for most brands. In this guide I’ll show you how to use GTM to start tracking events on your website.
Read more
Equifax and the Wrath of Forced Opt-Ins
Over the past decade, digital marketing pushed brands towards increasingly aggressive tactics. One such tactic was automatic opt-in. I used to just see these opt-ins for newsletters, but, more recently, I’m seeing this used for sales and add-ons. I assume these marketers want to get more active users, a more engaged audience, and more sales. But in my experience the ends don’t justify the means–in fact, this method isn’t even that effective. In 2017, marketers need to ask, “Is an automatic opt-in the best tactic for my clients?”
Read more
Prepping for Hurricane Harvey
We just completed our hurricane prep checklist. Our equipment and data is secure. As we find ourselves in the path of an approaching hurricane, we want to take a moment to inform you about our proactive measures to ensure everyone’s safety. As a result, we will be temporarily closing our business to prepare for the impending storm.
Just so you know, over the next 6 days, it is very likely Houston will flood. Hopefully, it won’t be anything too serious, but we have to prepare for the worst. During this time, Chow-Bryant recommends reaching us by email or social media. We will respond as quickly as the situation allows.
The decision to close our business temporarily was not made lightly. We understand the inconveniences this may cause, but your safety is our top priority. By taking this step, we are ensuring that our team members can focus on securing their homes and families while also enabling our customers and partners to take necessary precautions. Once the storm has passed and it is safe to do so, we will assess the situation and make a decision about reopening based on local authorities’ guidance and the overall safety of our team and community.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this temporary closure. Your safety is at the forefront of our minds as we navigate through this challenging situation. Our thoughts are with all those who may be affected by the hurricane, and we look forward to serving you again once it is safe to do so. Please stay safe, follow local authorities’ instructions, and take all necessary precautions to protect yourselves and your loved ones.
Writing for Web So You’re Noticed
When people write web copy, they often take an “If You Build It, They Will Come” approach to their website. There are two major problems to thinking like that:
Design Attracts New Visitors–Content Converts Them to Returning Visitors
A lot of people will tell you that a snazzy design or some kind of catchy name will fix these issues. While they do help, in my experience, a bigger factor is written content—you know, what many website owners think they should get from an unpaid, unproven intern.
Your written content is your customers’ first chance to find out what you do and what you’re all about. More importantly, perhaps, it’s also your best line of attack and defense in the never-ending War to Control Search Algorithms via SEO (another service you should vet and take seriously, but that’s another blog for another time.)
No lie, there are millions of websites that purport to teach people how to write effective, SEO-friendly copy. Of those, Heather Lloyd-Martin’s emails are the best I’ve found for effective advice on real-world websites. If she hasn’t run into it, it’s unlikely to be a real problem.
But for those of us who are pressed for time, I use the following rule:
Answers Two Questions on Every Page You Write
1.) Who Are You?
Have you ever been to a website that purports to be the best at something, but you have no idea who the company is or why they’re so great at that thing that they do? This means that the webpage(s) you saw failed to establish who it is that’s doing the talking. We accomplish it on the Chow-Bryant blog by associating an article with an author. Pretty easy, huh? If you don’t have the picture option, there are others. Pictures help. Stating experience helps. Doing both, though, is priceless. Even simple in-text links to your about page is a step in the right direction.
Speaking of, on a website, your about page needs to drive home who you are and why you—as a person or a company—are relevant to what you’re selling. If you can, use the rule of thumb for screen writing: State it three times. Be abundantly clear on who you are, why you’re interested in what you’re doing, and why you’re relevant to your field. If we don’t know who a website is about and why we should trust them by reading the about page, the copy has failed completely.
2.) Why Should I Care?
It’s not enough to tell people you sell things. You must also tell them what those things are and why they’re so needed. In digital marketing, we usually call this a USP, or unique selling proposition. Honestly, the name doesn’t matter. What matters is the substance. On average, people have an 8-second attention span, so the lengthy, wordy text of ads of yore just doesn’t work anymore. We read, but we read in blurbs and snippets. It’s best to get to the point—why people want what you’re selling—fast. Foot in the door tactics? Sweet Brown is right: https://media.giphy.com/media/10PcMWwtZSYk2k/giphy.gif