Zubair Qureshi

Urtasker, a global eCommerce consulting agency organized a one-day workshop for journalists at National Press Club (NPC) as part of their initiative to impart marketable digital skills to create successful freelancers and entrepreneurs along with their day jobs.

Urtasker professionals including Nawazish Tawab, Natasha Kadri, Hassaan, and Osama Pirzada conducted the workshop and discussed the need for the media to have an in-depth understanding of emerging trends in the digital era. They emphasized that with the digital shift challenging old norms, it has become a necessity for the media to acquire skills to keep pace with emerging technologies. The workshop explored different digital marketing technologies and methodologies, including SEO, Social Media, SEM, Email Marketing, eCommerce, and Content Marketing that form the basis of current digital entrepreneurship. Nawazish and Natasha briefly explained the terms and details.

“Innovative trends in journalism are transforming traditional journalistic practices. New techniques of story-telling have now enhanced reporting styles with digital media platforms. Using these skills, the media can play an important role in creating a more digitally literate population”, President NPC Anwar Raza said.

Secretary NPC Khalil Raja said, “We are happy to see initiatives like these by Urtasker aimed at ensuring the journalist community plays an active role in ensuring the digital future of Pakistan”.

An MoU between Urtasker & National Press Club Islamabad was also signed by Osama Pirzada, Director HR Urtasker, and Khalil Raja Secretary NPC to work together for the creation of a positive learning environment where the journalists could get benefit by discovering the contemporary trends in digital marketing and eCommerce.

Journalists reporting on various beats including business and IT from print, electronic and digital mediums were part of the workshop.

Famous journalist Ammar Masood distributed certificates among journalists after the successful completion of the workshop jointly organized by Urtasker and National Press Club Islamabad.

 

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has been one of the most significant technological innovations in the digital revolution. It is a vital tool in many sectors, including marketing and eCommerce. It improves user experience and relationships with businesses and increases sales. Ann Marie Puig, a global business consultant and efficiency expert, discusses how AI is positively changing eCommerce results.

Puig claims that AI has evolved from a science-fiction concept to become a reality. It can process online purchases, suggest series to watch, answer questions and recommend goods and services. Machine learning is what allows AI to learn the preferences and tastes of its users.

AI is the key to eCommerces growth in recent years, adds Puig. According to different reports, six out of ten people shop online. The average spend of buyers increased nine points last year compared with 2020.

In recent years, AI has been a key driver of eCommerce. This data shows that online businesses should use AI to improve their websites.

First, improved customer service is clearly the benefit. AI is a major improvement in customer service. It analyzes data to develop predictive services that allow eCommerce to anticipate customer needs and queries. Chatbots are computer programs that can interact with customers to answer questions, make payments, and guide them. Puig adds that voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant allow customers to purchase products by simply using their voice.

Improved user loyalty is possible through AI. It analyzes consumption patterns individually, but also on a larger scale. eCommerce can now segment its customer base and create unique campaigns according to their preferences. Businesses can personalize their customer experience to improve user experience and increase customer loyalty.

Better logistics and inventory management can also be enhanced. Puig explains, AI can be used in eCommerce for logistics and inventory management. These are two areas in which speed is critical to increasing business performance. AI predicts and analyzes consumer behavior and creates strategies based on it. This information allows businesses to better manage inventory, which in turn saves time and money.

It improves image recognition. Pinterest and AliExpress regularly use AIs image recognition capabilities for identifying the visual characteristics of a product that a customer is searching for. They also offer similar products. These platforms allow users to quickly compare photos of an item with other products in their catalog, which increases sales.

Since the beginnings of Computer Science, it has been proven that computers can solve problems based on the intelligence of humans. AI is now very accessible to the majority of people thanks to the development of specific theoretical and practical models.

We are all connected to technology today, whether were at home or at work. AI algorithms are constantly interacting with this technological world we live in. Software and cloud computing are behind every device that is connected to the Internet. They use AI techniques to simplify our lives. All industries, to some degree, now require AI to run many of their applications.

Puig concludes by explaining that AI can also be a great friend, since it can automate non-stop processes, greatly optimizing business performance. It can be used in email marketing to create eye-catching subject lines and personalize email bodies. To generate original content for the companys blog, based upon keywords, or in programmatic advertising platforms that automatically purchase advertising space based the target audiences.

About Ann Marie Puig

Ann Marie Puig is a business consultancy expert. She is bilingual in Spanish and English, and provides reliable and expert business consultancy services based on years of experience. She is extremely knowledgeable in current technology, eCommerce and a variety of industries. As a result, her clients are able to trust her to offer a more personal service. When shes not active consulting for a business, she dedicates her time to her family and her community.

This news content may be integrated into any legitimate news gathering and publishing effort. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.

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Are you struggling to achieve success with your email marketing strategy? Are you making mistakes that result in a lack of conversions for mobile users?

The team from Reach Mail share the most common mobile email marketing mistakes in this infographic.

Here’s a quick summary:

• Not creating an integrated strategy
• Unoptimised images
• Sending time
• Demographics
• Mobile platforms
• Call to action
• Poor website

Check out the infographic for more.

A version of this post was first published on the Red Website Design blog.

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Debate simmers as to when the first true podcast was created (many point to the Carl Malamud-created and 1993-launched Internet Talk Radio as the first), but the format is certainly twenty-plus years old, and without question a medium that has been particularly popular in recent years — seemingly everyone and their mother racing to create audio media. According to information collected by Gartner, over 155 million Americans consistently listened to a podcast in 2020.

Some of these shows come from individuals chasing passions, while others exist so that companies can create targeted marketing content, but all face the same challenge: growing their audience. In spite of already massive and increasing appetite, it’s one of the biggest hurdles creators and producers face. Podcasting collaboration platform CoHost released data this year showing their most pressing challenges. Among the biggest:

• Achieving stable, regular growth (85%).

• Getting discovered by those interested in listening to their content (83%).

• Comprehending the manner in which their show is (or isn’t) growing (58%).

Not far behind on the worry index was consistently coming up with ideas for content, but clearly, growth is the most critical task. From that same CoHost research: when presented with the statement, “Growing my show’s audience is one of the hardest things about podcasting” 55% strongly agreed and 36% agreed.

Without question, then, forming a solid growth strategy is an existential matter.

A few ways to do just that:

Related: 4 Reasons Why Business Owners Need a Podcast

1. Create a Trailer

If you don’t have a trailer for your show (typically a short and sweet summary of why you exist), make one. There’s no need to wax too eloquently or stick to your normal podcasting format, just take a few minutes to speak directly to potential listeners. Give them the elevator pitch about why you formed the show, what they can expect and why they should subscribe.

2. Work on SEO

Search engine optimization isn’t reserved for text-driven content — it works for multi-media as well, including podcasting — and there are many ways you can boost your show’s organic search results, such as:

• Creating a website for the podcast.

• Utilizing keywords in episode titles and show descriptions.

• Promoting on social media (see tip 4).

• Including transcripts and show notes.

3. Find Two-Way Guest Opportunities

Guest podcasting is a powerful way to help others find you, and there are two ways to go about it. The first is to find guests, and it’s best to seek out those who have clout and are respected by the kind of people you’re trying to attract. The second option is to go on other shows yourself. Guest-starring in this way puts you in the spotlight and gives you an instant boost of authority.

Related: How I Got Myself on 75 Podcasts in the Past Year

4. Wield Social Media

You can grow awareness of a podcast exponentially by posting, interacting and sharing content on social media. Start by looking for the platforms most heavily used by your target audience. Common examples:

• LinkedIn: Great for business podcasts.

• Facebook: Excellent for topical podcasts.

• Twitter: Good for shows with active listeners.

• YouTube: One of the best ways to duplicate audio content on an SEO-friendly platform.

As you come up with social posts, avoid being blandly promotional — mix things up by pulling quotes from individual shows, making related points and linking to a podcast to boost interest and appeal.

5. Use Email Lists

Email lists give you a direct link to individuals who have opted in to hear something, and marketing in this way is a great way for businesses to promote their podcasts. They can use their own lists to inform followers of fresh content, and perhaps ask them to share and rate it.

And individual podcasters can also utilize email marketing; if they don’t have their own lists, they can tap into those of others that cater to a similar demographic.

6. Pay Your Way

There are many paid options for promotion. For instance, you can boost a social media post and target it toward potential listeners, and do similar PPC investing for Google searches. You can also pay other shows directly to put ads in their content.

7. Be Creative

Finally, be willing to think outside of the box. The ideas listed above are infinitely flexible — adaptable to whatever situation you find yourself in. And you are also free to think beyond them — to use them as a springboard to come up with other unique ways to promote your show. Don’t be afraid to take risks.

Related: Podcasting for Profit: How to Turn Your Podcast Into a Full-Time Job

Crafting a Strategy

It can be hard to utilize every tip listed above. While they are useful, trying to embrace them all simultaneously can be overwhelming, and often ineffective. Instead, create a strategy that implements different techniques at various points of your growth arc. Consider starting with SEO and a good trailer, then gradually incorporate other ideas like guest posts and social media. Whenever you feel things are getting stagnant, tap into that creativity (and perhaps a little bit of your income, too) to spice things up.

If you can take the time to develop a strong, insightful podcast growth strategy, it can give your show fresh momentum, and has the potential to send it into the stratosphere.

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[author: Noreen Fishman]

Acquiring new clients is so important to law firms that it can be easy to overlook those they already have! The fact is that most firms already have a base of people that are engaged with their business and interested in their services. Marketing to them is simply a way of working smarter, not harder. An effective legal blogging strategy can help you to connect with this audience on a deeper level – here’s how. 

Legal Blogging Tips for Client Retention and Loyalty

Publish Top Quality Posts Consistently 

The most important thing when it comes to legal blogging is to post regularly. Once in a while is not enough. If you want to be viewed as a real thought leader in your space, you need to develop truly helpful and interesting content on a consistent basis. Creating a schedule can help with this. The more content you can offer to your readers, the more value you’ll provide – and the more they will come to rely on your content for their needs. If you panic a little bit at the word “consistent”, don’t: you can repurpose other content, or keep some posts short and sweet (but focused on key insights or statistics). 

Take Advantage of Client Data

If you leverage digital platforms regularly, you should have a lot of information at your fingertips. Taking the insights from a variety of channels and analyzing that information will provide valuable knowledge that can inform your strategy. Start by building out client persona groups and analyzing each group across your digital channels. Follow the user analytics to get a regular stream of data about how your content is resonating and what can be improved. Think of each client touchpoint as a way to better understand your audience. 

Keep a Client Communication Calendar

It’s unlikely that your clients are taking the time to proactively reach out to you, so you should make a point of contacting them. We suggest building a communication calendar that will allow you to manage client engagement opportunities throughout the marketing and sales process. The execution of this calendar can be simple: a chart that keeps track of various client communication touchpoints will suffice, as long as you track the last time a client interacted with your firm. 

Use Social Media for Community Building

Social media provides excellent opportunities for client engagement. Use social media to promote your latest legal blogging content, including everything from quick tips and videos to in-depth white papers. It’s important to both talk and listen on social media. Things like contests, asking direct questions, conducting surveys, and then sharing the results are all tactics that can help to strengthen relationships online. Look into community-building techniques like Facebook and LinkedIn groups, as well as forum channels such as Reddit. Remember, your goal is to nurture relationships and engage with your audience. Use the 80/20 rule: 80% of what you post should provide value to the client, and only 20% should promote your firm or services. 

To gain a more in-depth understanding of social media strategy, check out this free eBook: Advanced Social Media Strategies for Law Firms.

Align Content to the Client Lifecycle

It’s an essential part of content marketing to build content around each stage of the client journey. For example, in the awareness stage, you’ll want to focus on PR, advertising, and email outreach. For the consideration stage, focus more on reviews or webinars and events. For the loyalty stage, look at email newsletters and a group on social media. 

Develop a Resource Center

Focus on ways to address your clients’ pain points. If you make it easy for visitors to find information, then your firm will be one of the first places they turn to when they need answers. Consolidate your content into one location. You can link to your blog as well as other insights, all under the umbrella of a “Knowledge Center” or similar category. Readily sharing educational information will position you as a thought leader and deepen relationships with your clients.

Send Engaging Onboarding Emails

The first time someone engages with your firm provides a unique opportunity. Those first interactions are an important milestone in what you want to become a longer, productive relationship. Send communications that set the foundation for your ongoing relationship. Provide links where people can find more information when they need it. 

Announce Improvements with Content

Any time you take an action based on client feedback, or to make clients’ lives easier, you should create a blog about it. This builds trust and lets your clients know you’re listening to them and constantly trying to improve. Plus, sharing updates is an easy way to develop content when you’re short on ideas. 

Takeaway: 

Creating and publishing regular legal blogging content can help you to achieve several goals. It’s a great way to improve relationships and retain your client base. Blogging is also key for SEO and other digital marketing efforts. Developing an effective blog strategy – and making the time to implement it – can be a significant effort. 

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Cynthia Price
Contributor

Cynthia Price is the SVP of marketing at Litmus. Her team grows and supports the Litmus and email community through content marketing, demand generation and events. She has been in the email marketing industry for over 10 years and was previously VP of Marketing at Emma, an email service provider.

Early 2020 saw commerce transform as people transitioned to online shopping by necessity. But the trend had already begun; the pandemic merely accelerated it.

The acceleration is real: E-commerce is expected to generate over $7 trillion by 2025, contributing to more than 24% of total global retail sales.

For retailers, such growth means that customer relationship management (CRM) data, and email, will play even larger roles in the buyer journey. Brands understand the importance of building relationships with their customers. These connections grow awareness and increase the bottom line. Creating and expanding those connections, however, relies on gathering actionable data to develop personalized email strategies that engage customers.

There’s no magic solution for personalizing individual shopper or subscriber experiences. What separates the most effective companies from their competition is how marketing teams focus their efforts and put the data to work to deliver exceptional brand experiences.

Your CRM data contains a wealth of information for recommending products to complement past purchases or add-on items.

Spotlight best sellers

What elevates one product over another? Sometimes it’s the style or color, or something an influencer highlights on social media. Want to shine a light on your most purchased products? First, examine the data to identify them — these might be the most sold products overall or the top category performers. Then, showcase them in your emails.

This approach works well for customers who are looking for something popular. Infuse your email copy with inspirational messages to improve product discoverability and pique interest by recommending cart additions and telling your customers what’s “hot.”

This messaging style can also be used to create a sense of urgency with phrases like “Almost gone!” or “Only a few left!” Use your data feed to highlight only available items and verify pricing for accuracy.

Showcase your most viewed products

Want a quick solution for adding value to your communications? Mine your data to discover your most viewed products. You can even break down that data more granularly by layering shopper data. This strategy sparks interest, attracts more subscribers to your site and improves the purchase potential of their products.

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Growing your business goes hand in hand with scaling your email channel. But sending email at scale is no small feat, especially considering that campaigns are more complex than ever.

Email recipients expect highly personalized experiences, and because 320 billion emails were sent and received each day in 2021, delivering on those expectations is vital to standing out. Simply sending more emails to a growing list won’t cut it.

Instead, you need to get strategic about what, when, and how you send email. You need to be able to build various email types quickly. And you need to get personal by showing customers they’re more than just an email address.

I’ll share some strategies and tools to accomplish those tasks in a moment. But first let’s take a quick look at the challenges of email marketing at scale.

Challenges of Email Marketing at Scale

1. Resource and coding requirements

Anyone familiar with the technical side of email knows the struggles with HTML and the employing of developers to help you navigate that infamously finicky code.

Unfortunately, that means every change, iteration, and dash of personalization requires their help, meaning more time, money, and resources spent—a far cry from a scalable setup.

2. Ease of testing

To ensure every email is engaging and provides the best subscriber experience possible, testing is essential—especially when you consider that nearly 50% of all emails are opened on a mobile device. But when you’re coding emails in HTML, that critical step becomes a time-consuming process. And if there are major changes, you’ll be forced to start the waterfall process of email production all over again.

3. Efficient collaboration

As your business grows, your team grows; and so, too, will the number of your email stakeholders. That complicates your email approval workflow, especially when review rounds happen in multiple disparate channels such as Slack, or via long email chains—all of which leads to more mistakes, redo’s, and miscommunications.

Scaling Email Marketing the Smart Way: Two Strategies

So, how can you address the cited challenges while still giving a growing email list the personalization and complexity it deserves?

1. Understand the bigger picture

By zooming out on both your customers’ needs and your company’s activity, you can avoid the costly, time-consuming missteps that only compound with a growing list.

First, map your customer journey. Always necessary but often overlooked, outlining the ideal path consumers take when interacting with your brand helps you avoid the misstep of overwhelming subscribers (Read: spamming them).

Start by pinpointing the stages in which various emails make sense. Then, take stock of the team members and sending systems involved at each stage to identify overlaps, rule out unnecessary steps, and cover any gaps with well-timed messages.

While you’re at it, from your zoomed-out vantage point identify operational inefficiencies, then address them. Note the bottlenecks and redundancies that arise throughout your email production workflow. Once you’ve identified any deficits, consider which tools, tactics, and team members could be used to counter them.

And speaking of tactics…

2. Ensure your processes are scalable

There’s a lot you can do now to guarantee the success of your email marketing strategy at any list size. That means taking growth into account early so the processes and technologies you have at play are set to scale with you.

Do you plan on expanding into new locales in the next five years, or digging deeper into personalization via dynamic content? No matter your focus, future-proofing your email production processes is paramount.

As I touched on earlier, reducing your dependency on developers is a gamechanger for scaling email; and in 2022 it’s easier than ever! Consider which no-code solutions can guarantee trouble-free email so your team can spend more time iterating on content and less time troubleshooting.

Implementing an established, trusted framework for testing, feedback, and approvals is another must-do for those looking to cut down on time while keeping the user experience at the forefront.

Then, make your martech decisions accordingly. Choosing the right email production solution means you can avoid the time sinks and technical dilemmas that slow down businesses. From speeding up creation and automating personalization with a flexible modular design system to streamlining collaboration via in-platform commenting, a best-in-class platform will help you optimize each step of the email workflow.

* * *

Scaling your email channel requires a comprehensive approach.

Email is hard enough to get right as it is. So when scaling, ensure you have the right processes, people, and platforms in place. Because less time spent manually coding, building, and troubleshooting means more time for the things that matter: innovating, iterating, and individualizing email content.

More Resources on Email Marketing at Scale

Building Your Email Newsletter Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

How to Turbo-Boost Email Reply Rates by Personalizing at Scale: Adithya Murali on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]

Four Ways to Empower Your Email Marketing Strategy With AI

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Deepak Chopra once said, “All great changes are preceded by chaos.” When we look at our local communities and businesses, this quote certainly rings true. While change is the only constant in our world today, one can’t help but believe we are on the precipice of even greater change.

Before we get into a few “must-do” digital items, let me stress the most critical single element. Now is the time in which local businesses must build or upgrade their websites without hesitation. Many businesses have been forced to shut their doors over the past few years; don’t be another tragedy that could have been avoided. Don’t let precious time go to waste. View this time as a gift, be proactive and seize this opportunity. Here are some simple things local businesses can do to use this opportunity and become more relevant.

First, don’t fall for the hype that everything is being done online. Prior to covid, over 90% of retail was transacted within the walls of brick and mortar. The past couple of years have accelerated the online shopping trend, but still, more than 75% (and growing again) of all commerce is transacted in retail locations. Don’t be fooled; there is still a significant shift afoot towards digital purchases and the current trends will continue. Know the patterns in your area and alter course as appropriate to assure better store traffic and results.

Secondly, assure consumers can find you both physically and digitally. Make sure you are active on social media and everyone knows your operating hours. Check to see how your listing shows on Google Maps. When people drive or walk by, it is imperative your windows and facade are inviting. The front of your store are the eyes into the soul of your business; be sure it is attractive. How does your store show up in the digital search word world? Google a few of your key products or services and see where your business shows up or how far down the list you must scroll to find them.

Thirdly, when online, be consistent and respond to all emails and social media contacts quickly. Once you have your social media presence, check it several times each day. While we are discussing online, to avoid stagnation, be sure to rotate pictures and the visual appearance often — after all, pictures are worth a thousand words.

Fourth, and maybe most important, is customer service. Good customer experiences equate to return visits from locals and provide great word of mouth from tourists and visitors. In addition to over-the-top customer service, make sure the inside of the business is warm and inviting. Are shoppers able to easily find what they might be looking for? Make sure it is easy to get around the store; cluttered aisles are one of the biggest detriments to pleasant shopping experiences. Remember, uniqueness provides an ambiance that attracts repeat customers.

Fifth, you must seek ways to communicate beyond your customer’s visit. Utilize in-store and digital promotions, drawings, contests, raffles and games. You will be amazed how many people drop their business card into a box for a chance of winning something, regardless of how small a winning gift or prize may be. If you are a restaurant, have a method to entice customers back. It’s amazing how easy and effective a simple punch card can be at drawing diners to return repeatedly.

Always think of multiple visits. Few businesses can survive with their customers visiting their location once. The most successful businesses rely upon their customers frequently returning. Repeat customers ultimately determine whether a business has the sustainability needed to survive over the long haul. There are so many inexpensive digital tools making this possible, there is no excuse for not being up to date in this marketing arena.

Start with email marketing through newsletters or e-blast immediately. While email is only one way to communicate, it is still one of the most effective ways to reach those brand or business loyalists. While I would view social media as a necessary evil, utilize it where you have large communities of people residing in your target area. Many media companies have great tools such as contests, surveys and promotional software to get you started. There is no simple solution or one size fits all. The passive will die or go out of business; being aggressive when promoting or marketing your business is a must.

John Newby, of Pineville, Mo., is a nationally recognized publisher, community, business and media consultant, and speaker. He authors “Building Main Street, not Wall Street,” a column appearing in 50-plus communities. He is the founder of Truly-Local, dedicated to assisting communities create excitement, energy, and combining synergies with local media to become more vibrant and competitive. His email is [email protected] The opinions expressed are those of the author.

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Do you have an online business that is struggling when it comes to marketing and gaining brand awareness? Do you want to know how you can instantly improve your digital marketing strategy?

As a business in this day and age, digital marketing is a must and something you can’t not have. Digital marketing can range from everything such as email marketing, social media marketing, push notifications, and so much more, making it one of the best ways to reach people these days.

There are many benefits of making use of digital marketing for your business. However, you need to know how to use them effectively and efficiently to gain the benefits. So, here are a few ways to instantly improve your digital marketing strategy.

Hire a Consultant or Expert

Hiring an expert to improve your digital marketing strategy can be beneficial for numerous reasons. One reason is that they can help you improve your SEO or search engine optimization. This is the process of ensuring that your website appears as high as possible in search results.

An expert will have the knowledge and experience to ensure your website is properly optimized, helping you reach more potential customers. They can also help you create a more effective and targeted advertising campaign. By targeting your ads to specific demographics, you can ensure your message reaches the right people.

Hiring an expert can also save you time and money while helping you achieve better results from your digital marketing efforts. For instance, by working with an expert such as Figment Agency, you can measure and assess your results. And by regularly tracking your progress, you can adjust your strategy as necessary and ensure you are on track to reach your goals.

Improve Your Customer Service

Customer service is one of the basic things every business should offer with a high standard and quality. The quality of your customer service will determine how well people perceive your business and whether or not you become successful. By having good quality customer service, people are more likely to return to your business even if they have had some concerns or if something has gone wrong.

Check Your Competition

The next thing you should be doing to improve your digital marketing strategy is checking out what the competition is doing, what kind of digital marketing strategies they use, and how they effectively reach their target audience.

It is important to note that when looking at your competition and seeing how they do things, don’t copy them word-for-word or make your content exactly like theirs. Instead, take inspiration from their successful content. Your competition can give insight into what kind of content or digital marketing works well for your business type and target audience.

Set Long Term Goals

Goals and core setting is a major part of digital marketing and digital marketing strategies. Setting goals cannot only encourage you to achieve these goals but it can also help you to monitor and track your progress along the way.

It will help you to determine whether or not your digital marketing strategy is effective or if you need to try out something different in order to effectively reach your target audience.

Be Engaging and Unique

Last but not least the final thing you need to do is make sure that you are engaging and unique. digital marketing is all about being entertaining and engaging and you need to make sure that you are actively applying this to your content and your digital marketing.

If you are not engaging or posting unique content people will be less likely to interact with your content or be interested in it.

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_ Eight Local Black-Owned Businesses will Receive More Than $15,000 in Mix of Digital and In-Stadium Exposure in Advance of June 25 Match at Audi Field _

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 19, 2021) – D.C. United have announced that the club have established a local business recognition program, which will provide local businesses brand visibility and exposure through both D.C. United’s digital platform and Audi Field digital and physical signage. 

The first effort within the new program will award eight local black-owned businesses with more than $15,000 of advertising value. This features inclusion in the D.C. United email marketing platform, messaging and promotion across club-owned social media properties, physical and videoboard matchday stadium signage at Audi Field, as well as the opportunity to participate in experiential marketing during D.C. United’s match on June 25 at Audi Field against Nashville SC with kickoff at 5 p.m. EST. 

“We believe soccer – and sport as a whole – stands alone in its unique ability to unify and foster community,” said Danita Johnson, D.C. United President of Business Operations. “We’re excited to be able to use our digital platform and matchday experience at Audi Field to support and amplify the work and offerings of the local businesses in our region starting with several black-owned businesses.” 

The local black-owned businesses that will be the first recipients of D.C. United’s new Local Business Recognition Program are listed below: 

To learn more about the D.C. United Local Business Recognition Program visit here or to get into touch with the D.C. United Community Relations team please contact them here.

One of the founding clubs of Major League Soccer in 1996, D.C. United are among the most decorated teams in the United States with 13 domestic and international trophies.

D.C. United have called the District home for the past 26 seasons and play their home games at Audi Field in the Buzzard Point neighborhood of Southwest, Washington, D.C, which opened in 2018. In addition to D.C. United games, the 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium hosts over 100 events year-round, including the District’s premier arts, culinary, and music festival, Unite the District Fest. Audi Field will soon be home to America’s number one sportsbook through a partnership with FanDuel Group. 

The Black-and-Red have won the MLS Cup four times (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004), the Supporters’ Shield four times (1997, 1999, 2006 and 2007) and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup three times (1996, 2008 and 2013).    

For more information and club updates, please visit www.dcunited.com and find us on social media @DCUnited.

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