The 360 Blog

Millennials have been accused of ruining everything from dinner dates to golf. While it may be laughable to consider their influence on things like napkins and mayonnaise, what is absolutely true is that this largest living adult generation is shifting the economy towards one based more on sharing than consuming. Because of this shift, services are a more significant component of the global economy, having increased more than 200 percent in the last 20 years. Now more than 46 percent of the US gross domestic product (GDP) comes from services, outperforming not only goods, but also business investments, government spending and net exports. And the importance of services to the economy is only projected to further increase.

Apple Watch. Nintendo Switch. TikTok. Square payment reader. Dollar Shave Club. iPad. Casper Mattresses. Impossible Whopper. Peloton. Amazon Echo. Disney Plus. 

It’s impossible to ignore the success of these products and services. Together, they represent the most successful product launches of the decade. But for every phenomenal success, there are thousands of product failures each year. Here are eight reasons a new product might fail:

Wondering what business practices lead to organizational success? Would you be surprised to learn that in-depth analysis of over 160 companies using more than 200 management tools and techniques, such as logistic management systems and intranets, found that there was no correlation between individual tools and techniques and superior business performance? So what did the researchers at Harvard Business Review discover?

Once there is sufficient data of the ads’ effectiveness, changes can be made to the advertising program. Ads that perform poorly with respect to awareness, cost efficiency or sales may be discontinued. Ads with tepid results may be tweaked so that they get better results, and advertisements that do particularly well may become the basis for entire advertising  programs. 

Today is Positive Thinking Day, a time to focus on what you can do to have a more positive worldview. Author Norman Vincent Peale, whose seminal text, The Power of Positive Thinking, helped launch the positive thinking movement, believed that if you could change your thoughts, you could change the world. So how do you go about it? Here are 10 suggestions on how to celebrate Positive Thinking Day and how to get into the habit of thinking positively:

Over the summer, 360 PSG raised money to buy school supplies for Hamlin Park Academy.  We were able to fill 20 backpacks with supplies like notebooks, crayons and glue sticks. And the teachers got supplies too, like paper towels and sanitizer. #Buffalove

Imagine getting a job offer after acing your very first job interview, straight out of college. That’s what happened for designer Crystal Srock, back in 2012, when she landed a job as a graphic designer and front-end developer at 360 PSG. Prior to securing her job at 360 PSG, Crystal attended Daemen, where she got her BFA in graphic design, as well as some work experience.

When designing an ad campaign, one of the major considerations is deciding on what color palette (or color scheme) to use. It might be tempting to just pick colors based on personal preference, but a smart business owner knows that there’s too much hinging on creating an engaging, user friendly website to make such an important choice that way. 

The execution of an advertising program consists of pretesting copy and then actually carrying out the campaign. Marketing professionals spend significant time comparing and evaluating different potential campaigns to find the most effective option. This evaluation is done both pre- and post–launch to help fine tune the small differences that can have large results when it comes to generating leads and making sales.

Countless scams lurk in the shadows of the web. While they present themselves in many forms, each one uses deception as a means of getting what it needs from its victims. Even with the constant advancement of the internet and technology, the scams simply evolve and adapt. If you don’t see some of them coming, it might be too late by the time you realize what’s happened. Knowledge is always your best line of defense. Equip your brain with the proper tools, and scams don’t stand a chance. Here are five trending scams that you should be aware of.

Today is National Give Something Away Day—and 360 PSG is giving away some free advice as to why YOU should give stuff away too, specifically content. It might seem counterintuitive to give anything away, especially when you’re in the business of selling. But giving away content helps potential customers make connections between what they care about and how your company can meet their needs. Free content is an important part of the marketing funnel because it helps convert potential customers into paying customers. In fact, most qualified leads are generated because of free content. 

When you have an amazing product or a great service, you need to let people know about it⁠—by advertising. But what steps are actually involved in creating a comprehensive advertising plan? There are three main components to the process: developing, executing and evaluating. Through a series of blogs, we are going to explore each of the three components, and break them down, hopefully demystifying the process a bit. We’ll start with developing the advertising program, which itself has six major facets: identifying the target audience, specifying advertising objectives, setting the advertising budget, designing the advertisement, choosing the medium, and scheduling the advertising.

Understanding the motivations and habits of online consumers is crucial to securing their business. The people who do their shopping online tend to be better educated, younger and more affluent than the general US population. Their purchases also represent a disproportionate share of online shopping sales. In fact, nearly seventy percent of online sales can be attributed to just one-fifth of online consumers, according to a white paper released by professional services network KPMG. So it’s important for retailers and service providers to understand what and why people are buying online.

Businesses that don’t use e-commerce are soon going to be considered members of the Stone Age. Today’s economy is vastly different than in years past—and for that matter, months past. Companies are constantly adapting to change in order to stay relevant, and one of the most notable changes as of late has been assembling e-commerce storefronts. From expanding your customer base to reducing expenses, adding e-commerce to a website will essentially give your businesses limitless opportunities. And in a world where human interaction might be changing forever, e-commerce is undoubtedly the way to go.

While the word “generic” may have a bad connotation, it simply means “characteristic of a group or class.” So when we talk about generic business strategies, what we mean is a business strategy that is applicable to any business, regardless of the product or service involved. There are three major approaches to developing a strategy that will help you achieve a competitive business advantage, and we’ll be exploring all of them in this article.

Pete Williams could probably sell you the Brooklyn Bridge if he put his mind to it—but he won’t. Unless, of course, you actually need a bridge. Then he’ll find you the very best bridge out there. It might end up being the Brooklyn Bridge. But it could also be the Golden Gate Bridge or even the Ponte Vecchio. It would all depend on just what kind of bridge would best suit your needs.

Teamwork makes the dream work at 360 PSG. We always say in order to get everything done effectively and efficiently, we all have to wear multiple hats. And no one wears more hats than Office Manager and Billing Assistant Jen Becker. 

In today’s internet-driven world, we often talk about the “rise of social media,” and how social media marketing has usurped traditional media advertising. In fact, the average company will direct 45 percent of its entire marketing budget to online advertising, with search engine marketing (SEM) and online display taking the lion’s share. However, it would be a mistake to discount traditional media entirely. The truth is, the two work far better together than they do on their own. Here are five major differences between traditional and social media, and when to use each.

Are you missing out on 33 percent of your search engine marketing opportunities? If you’re only relying on Google AdWords, then you’re failing to reach one-third of your customers. That’s because Bing is responsible for 25.3 percent of all search queries and Yahoo accounts for an additional 11.3 percent. When you use Bing Ads—now known as Microsoft Advertising—you’ll reach more potential customers than if you only use one platform. There are other benefits to using Microsoft Advertising as well. Here are five reasons why Bing needs to be part of your online marketing strategy.

Social Media Manager Lily McGrath wears multiple hats at 360 PSG, ranging from client outreach to graphic design. Add in the fact that she’s the Mother of Ferrets and has a 70-lb punching bag in her driveway, and you have one of 360's most fascinating employees.

In today’s day and age, everyone has some sort of agenda. Whether we’re searching on the internet for something in particular or simply doing mindless browsing, our brains are always on a mission, even if we aren’t aware of it. So when clicking on a link after running a search, we decide almost right away if the page is worth our time or not, thus highlighting the importance of a well-crafted landing page.