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Category: MarketingNews

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  • Create a Marketing Strategy That’s Not Annoying, Says Bombora VP

    Create a Marketing Strategy That’s Not Annoying, Says Bombora VP

    “It’s really about customer experience,” says Nirosha Methananda, VP of Marketing at Bombora. “I think that is something fundamental to marketing. I feel like we have gone down this path of almost over automating and having to constantly pounce on people without necessarily being conscious and mindful of what their experience is on the other end. From my experience, it’s leading to me switching off and ignoring messages. I’m sure I’m not the only one. That’s basically why I’m passionate about creating a marketing strategy that’s not annoying.”

    Nirosha Methananda, Vice President of Marketing at Bombora, discusses the challenges of marketing without annoying your potential customers by bombarding them with marketing messages in an interview with Logan Lyles on the B2B Growth Podcast:

    Marketing Is Really About the Customer Experience

    As a B2B marketer, I get marketed to a lot. It’s something that I have increasingly noticed and I’m probably not the only one. That’s just becoming part of the experience in terms of being inundated with different messaging and different calls and this, that, and the other. Use this, do this, buy this, whatever it is. It’s really not a great experience. It doesn’t necessarily provide value. Marketers are so busy as it is, and I know that is applicable across the board with everyone we are marketing to. Being able to cut through the noise and having an understanding of all these different things is very challenging. 

    Having on top of it being inundated with this constant flow of messaging like meet me, meet me, meet me, is not very helpful. That’s one of the things that I’m passionate about. It’s really about customer experience. I think that is something fundamental to marketing. I feel like we have gone down this path of almost over automating and having to constantly pounce on people without necessarily being conscious and mindful of what their experience is on the other end. From my experience, it’s leading to me switching off and ignoring messages. I’m sure I’m not the only one. 

    Create a Marketing Strategy That’s Not Annoying

    It also leads to this annoyance and irritation which leads to distrust of brands and that’s not great for this industry. From a customer perspective those bad experiences, unfortunately, more than good experiences, they stay with you for longer and you remember that. Another thing that we don’t necessarily think of is that it’s wasteful. It’s wasteful of time and it’s wasteful of money especially for marketing and sales where money is a precious resource. It’s not something to be wasted. That’s basically why I’m passionate about creating a marketing strategy that’s not annoying.

    As an example, our Intent Event was our first flagship event that we did last year. It was a closed event so we did have limited numbers and we were limited as to what we could do with promotion. What we did was try to have mindfulness around what we were sending out and ensuring that it was helpful. Making sure that the recipients, the people that we invited, were given all the relevant information, but there was brevity in the communication as well as encouraging them to participate without forcing them to be there. 

    There was certainly some urgency around some of our communication but it wasn’t you need to attend this and this is why you must attend this. It was more about being a bit more subtle in presenting them the idea and the concept of what it was, why it would help them, and exactly the information that they needed. What that meant was not sending out multiple emails, being very controlled around it, really thinking about what the experience was before the event, to during the event, to after the event. We were really focused on the customer and making sure that all of the content and communication was educational and helpful.

    Create a Marketing Strategy That’s Not Annoying, Says Bombora VP Nirosha Methananda
  • B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Ultimately Conversion

    B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Ultimately Conversion

    “We co-create content with (B2B Influencers) in concert with brand messaging,” says TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden. “So now instead of people just ignoring the press release we actually have storytelling happening with these different voices. You have this intersection of one or two or three or four influencers talking about this topic and those audiences intersect and cross. Your customer is hearing this credible message not only from the brand but also from people that they trust in different channels. That all adds up to yes. That all adds up to nurture and ultimately conversion.”

    Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Marketing, discusses how B2B influencer marketing can be a highly effective force in driving leads and conversions for companies. Lee was interviewed by Tim Washer at the 2019 Content Marketing World Conference & Expo:

    Influencer Marketing Is Powerful Because Of Influence Itself

    Influencer marketing is powerful because of influence itself, not about the people. Influence has always been a factor in being persuasive and being effective as a communicator, as a marketer, and really being able to tap into the dynamics of that. The psychology and sociology of that is something that is everlasting, it’s evergreen. While there are trends in terms of tactics that come and go, there’s this consumerization of B2B. B2C influencers are misbehaving and have fake followers, etc. and some of that’s leaking over into B2B. But I think that’ll reconcile a little bit and kind of clean itself out. In the future brands are going to be looking at influence as a really key component of their holistic marketing strategy internally and externally.

    A lot of people when they think of influencer marketing they think of a Kardashian or some people think of something like Baddiewinkle, a 90-year-old woman who wears hip-hop clothes and now has her own makeup line on Sephora versus someone like Tamara McCleary interviewing an executive at Dell about the right IT infrastructure for doing edge computing. That’s really what it’s about in B2B.

    B2B Influencers Actually Have To Have The Main Expertise

    One of the big differences between B2B and B2C influencers is that in B2B you actually have to have the main expertise. You actually have to be knowledgeable and have a depth of that expertise in what it is that you’re influential about. It’s also important to have a network for distribution and a place to publish your content. It’s great to have a personality and that’s less common in B2B, where you have charisma. Well, lack of personality is a form of personality I suppose. 

    The good thing is that we’ve figured out ways to coach folks that have that domain expertise and an active following but they’re not necessarily used to being social. We are coaching them in how to activate themselves and to pull out the best of what they have to share in a way that’s very promotable. Many of them start to open up a little bit after we show them how to do it.

    B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Conversion

    In the planning stages (with a client looking to promote something) we’ll look at the topics that are important around the announcement and how it affects customers and how customers will think of that news and how it’ll affect or change their lives. Those topics are then what we want to be influential about. We’ll use those keywords or topics to search our network using influencer marketing software to find who is influential around those topics, who’s publishing content, who self-identifies around that topic, and whose audience is actually activated around that topic. We find those people who have trusted voices with an active community and we invite them to collaborate on content and give their opinion about the announcement. 

    We co-create content with them in concert with brand messaging. So now instead of people just ignoring the press release we actually have storytelling happening with these different voices. You have this intersection of one or two or three or four influencers talking about this topic and those audiences intersect and cross. They intersect across channels too. Your customer is hearing this credible message not only from the brand but also from people that they trust in different channels. That all adds up to yes. That all adds up to nurture and ultimately conversion.

    B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Conversion – TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden
  • eCommerce Email Marketing: Why Do You Need It?

    eCommerce Email Marketing: Why Do You Need It?

    eCommerce email marketing is one of the earliest forms of internet advertising, and studies show that it’s still just as effective today. Social media advertising may be new, flashy, and appealing to younger audiences, but when choosing between an eCommerce email marketing agency and a social media marketing agency, there are a few other factors to consider. Emails have been a tried and true method of marketing for a long time and are trusted by many generations of consumers. While social media allows for more creative expression in terms of graphics, gifs, and video—as well as the interactive nature of comments—social platforms like Instagram are quickly becoming oversaturated with ads. Not all of these ads are trustworthy or legitimate, and it’s not infrequent for scam ads to appear on social feeds.

    Partially due to the increasing scams and oversaturation of ads on social media, eCommerce email marketing is many consumers’ preferred form of advertising. While you do want to use marketing mediums that fit your team members’ expertise, your consumers are the ones who are ultimately exposed to the finished product. Moreover, if you or your team members are struggling considerably with writing creative email copy, it may be worthwhile to invest in an eCommerce email marketing agency. But why is email marketing such a preferred advertising method by employees and consumers alike? What makes it superior?

    What is the Difference Between eCommerce Email Marketing and E-Marketing?

    Before exploring the ways in which eCommerce email marketing can improve your business, it’s essential to understand what eCommerce email marketing does. Any company can use email marketing—that is, sending product information or ads for new products via email. It’s becoming increasingly rarer for a store to have a physical shop without an online shop, but those stores that do can still make sure of email marketing. If you have a business, you can send out marketing emails. Similarly, if you have an online store, you can send out eCommerce marketing emails. This means that a non-profit can use email marketing but not eCommerce email marketing. E-Marketing, on the other hand, refers to any online marketing medium, including social media platforms and email. eCommerce email marketing can include general emails about upcoming sales in an online shop or emails that are tailored to a shopper and the items in their cart.

    Consumer Control

    Unlike social media marketing, email marketing allows consumers more control over the advertisements, coupons, and deals that they receive. Because consumers are required to subscribe to your company’s mailing list or newsletter in order to receive emails from you, consumers are less likely to receive emails from brands that they don’t know and trust. Any scam emails are directed to spam, and consumers have the freedom to unsubscribe from a mailing list in order to stop receiving product information.

    More Trustworthy

    While it may seem counterintuitive to allow consumers to stop receiving product information from your company, it is imperative to win their trust. In fact, 77% of consumers prefer to receive marketing information via email. It makes sense that emails are the most trustworthy. We’re already using our email addresses for work and networking so it feels professional whereas social media ads are fun, but a little too casual to be legitimate. Email marketing feels trustworthy and professional, but how can it work for your business? How do you ensure that your emails are being opened and your content consumed?

    High Open Rates and ROI

    It’s more likely than you think that consumers will open your marketing emails. According to Forbes, 65% of small businesses report that between 11 and 50% of their marketing emails are opened. It’s easy to track open rates using tools like Cirrus Insight. Even if a customer doesn’t open your email as soon as they receive it, there is a potential that they may do so later. Social media posts, on the other hand, disappear as soon as someone refreshes their feed—meaning they might never even see it. It’s also hard to beat the price and return on investment of marketing emails.

    Forbes tells us that you earn $42 for every dollar you spend, and most email marketing campaigns cost very little. You might find that your open and click-through rates become even higher when you put effort into the design and layout of your emails. As long as you don’t flood your consumers’ inboxes (40% of small businesses send marketing emails weekly while 30% send them at least once a month), your clients are sure to appreciate a thoughtfully made email with memorable colors and graphics. Cleverly worded subject lines that include slang and emojis are especially popular with more “hip” brands like skincare lines and fashion companies.

    Conclusion

    Even with the rise of social media, eCommerce email marketing is still a trustworthy form of marketing—and, in fact, one that is usually preferred by consumers. The return on investment and ease of content creation makes email marketing a no-brainer for your next campaign.

  • Conversational Marketing Closes the Gap Between B2C and B2B, Says Drift Marketing VP

    Conversational Marketing Closes the Gap Between B2C and B2B, Says Drift Marketing VP

    Conversational marketing is a whole new way of thinking about marketing and sales, says Dave Gerhardt, VP of Marketing at Drift. “We go to our jobs in B2B and none of the tools that we use match how we actually buy as real people,” he says. “That’s the most exciting thing to me about conversational marketing. It’s really closing the gap between B2C and B2B. We just call it B2P, marketing to people.”

    Dave Gerhardt, VP of Marketing at Drift, was recently interviewed on the B2B Growth podcast by John Rougeux who is VP of Marketing at Skyfii. Gerhardt discusses conversational marketing as a new B2B product category and how it is changing marketing from reaching out to you later to a conversation that is happening now:

    Conversational Marketing is About Connecting You Now

    Conversational marketing is a whole new way of thinking about marketing and sales. The traditional way of doing marketing and sales is all about later. Come to my website and fill out this form and somebody is going to reach out to you later, when it’s convenient for them. The big shift that is happening in marketing and business over the last five to ten years is customers have all the power today. You can’t make people wait. Information is free now.

    I can find anything I want to know about a company without ever having to go to your website. It’s crazy to think that you are going to force people to go to your website, fill out a form, wait three days to hear back from your sales team, and then get a demo. Conversational is all about connecting you now with the people who are ready to buy now while they are live on your website.

    B2P – Marketing to People

    It’s not about buyers. It’s not about sellers. It’s not about sales. It’s not about marketing. It’s about people. That’s how people all communicate online today. I pressed one button in my car and I got a list. I ordered something from Amazon while I was here this morning to send back to my house and it’s going to be there tomorrow when I get home. There are countless examples of that. That is how we all behave online in our real lives today.

    But then something happens weird happens. We go to our jobs in B2B and none of the tools that we use match how we actually buy as real people. That’s the most exciting thing to me about conversational marketing. It’s really closing the gap between B2C and B2B. We just call it B2P, marketing to people.

    What Ties Our Products Together is Conversation

    We have an email product and we have a landing page product. Black and white versions of those people would say everybody has email, everybody has landing pages. The thing that ties those together is conversation. That forces us to think about what is conversational email? What is conversational landing pages? What is conversational whatever? That one word forces our product team to think about how can we change this? If our fundamental stance as a company is that the internet should be one conversation, then how does that weave into everything that we build?

    Ultimately what we care about is that email becomes a conversation. Meaning, the way that marketers have had to use email the last decade is a one-way channel. Email is meant to be a two-way channel. Marketers have been using it as, “John come to my webinar.” What happens if you actually respond to that email? Most of the time you can’t because it’s donotreply@ or it just goes to some inbox where nobody is answering it. That is a terrible experience. Our belief is that if you reply, “Hey actually I can’t make it. Can you reregister my colleague?” That should get handled. We are thinking of that from an evolution standpoint.

    The same thing with landing pages. Most landing pages today are static. You go to the landing page, put a bunch of info in and you are gone. What if that was a real-time conversation on the page? That one topic has to weave itself into everything we do from a product perspective.

    >> Listen to the complete interview with Drift Marketing VP Dave Gerhardt on the B2B Growth podcast.

  • Ecommerce, Search, Social… and Conversational Space?

    Ecommerce, Search, Social… and Conversational Space?

    “When I look at the conversational space I think it’s going to have as much impact as ecommerce or search or social,” says LivePerson CEO Rob Locascio. “The conversational space is going to be just as big. I think you’ll see one day that there will be a trillion dollar company in this space and I want it to be us. The things we’re investing in right now and setting up for will allow us to do that. That’s what’s important.”

    Rob Locascio, CEO of LivePerson, predicts that the AI-driven conversational space will ultimately have as much impact and be as big an industry as ecommerce, search, or social. Locascio was interviewed by Jim Cramer on CNBC:

    Ecommerce, Search, Social… and Conversational Space?

    When I look at the conversational space I think it’s going to have as much impact as ecommerce or search or social. The ability to talk to a machine and have a natural conversation, it’s in the collective consciousness of people. We all believe the Alexa type situation should happen with every company. 

    We do that with Delta and T-Mobile and all these big brands. What we’re looking at now is how do we take that to the world? LiveIntent is proprietary technology to look at the intent that a consumer is having with the brand. In terms of I want to buy something, we have a way to analyze that and then use machine learning algorithms to then scale those conversations. That’s what this is about. 

    Healthcare Companies Defending Themselves From Amazon Via AI

    In Q4 we signed a couple healthcare companies. They want to talk about defending themselves from Amazon because Amazon said they want to go into healthcare. The way they think they can do that is scaling the conversations they are having with their customers and creating a totally different experience. You go to a doctor, you have an experience with them, you capture that on a messaging platform and an AI will help you with whatever is wrong with you. You want to process a bill instead of calling and being put on hold, you do that through a conversational experience. 

    They want to game change it. The only way they’re going to defend themselves is to get into the conversational space. That’s what they see and we’re the company they’re trusting to scale their operations with the conversational platform.

    Conversational Space Is Going To Be As Big As Search and Social

    The conversational space is going to be as big as search and social. I think you’ll see one day that there will be a trillion dollar company in this space and I want it to be us. The things we’re investing in right now and setting up for will allow us to do that. That’s what’s important. The Amazon’s and the Facebook’s and Apple’s, they’re in the space. Jeff Bezos made a big bet obviously in Alexa to say this is the way it’s going to be. 

    It can’t just be Amazon and Alexa. It has to be other companies getting access to that technology and that’s what we are providing. Who else is providing it? We’re one of the largest companies in the world to do this. Even though we’re not big tech, we are large enough to go ahead and go after them. We are large enough to go ahead and define a space and win it.

  • How AI is Influencing Digital Marketing

    How AI is Influencing Digital Marketing

    The world of digital marketing is gradually changing thanks to chatbots, virtual assistants, and other AI technologies. While some marketers continue to insist that robots cannot replace people, others stay up with the latest developments in AI and understand what changes will soon be made to digital marketing. In fact, more than 50% of marketers feel that using artificial intelligence in their data strategy is crucial.

    Platforms like Get Cash, for example, employ AI to match borrowers with approved lenders within a 24-hour period. Even if your credit is less-than-perfect, you can apply on the internet for the finest short-term loan offer ranging from $100 to $5,000. AI is to blame for the loan requests being processed more quickly than in most banks and lending institutions.

    However, let’s get back to the topic of how AI is influencing marketing. AI enables businesses to make choices that result in more creative and specialized advertising. That’s not all, though. Here are a few more ways that AI is having an impact on marketing. These are ways that businesses cannot afford to ignore. 

    Voice Search Is Growing

    It’s no surprise that many people are switching to hands-free data entry while traveling. As the world becomes more mobile, all kinds of changes to our lifestyle can be expected. According to recent research, technology has improved to the point where many algorithms can now accurately distinguish human speech about 95% of the time.

    According to the most recent research, the voice search functionality of their smart speakers will be used by up to 33.2 million US consumers this year. 

    In 2018, Nielsen found that one in every four Wi-Fi-enabled homes in America had a smart speaker. Therefore, companies will need to modify their SEO and marketing tactics in response to the growing popularity of voice search.

    Additional Applications for Augmented and Virtual Reality

    Although VR and AR have been around for quite a while, they are still seen as new. Although AR is currently more often used for video games these technologies are increasingly being employed for marketing. More and more businesses are realizing the potential of AR and VR as effective marketing tools.

    Consider the augmented reality furniture app that allows you to test furniture, acoustic panels, or other amenities in your home before purchasing it. This is a great illustration of how AR can be both practical and entertaining. Additionally, some clothing companies have joined the virtual reality revolution. They design apps that let consumers try various outfit combinations without leaving their houses.

    In order to avoid missing out on this fantastic opportunity, it is necessary to start investigating how to incorporate VR and AR into your marketing strategies immediately.

    The Use of Chatbots for Marketing Is Growing

    Chatbots facilitate marketing, which is why their acceptance is expected to increase. These AI innovations are perfect for handling the early stages of the marketing process. For instance, they are great at gathering contact information and information for a sales call, responding to typical customer service inquiries, or providing guidance on common technical issues. Up to a certain point, these chatbots assist in automating client communication before directing them to a person for assistance.

    Chatbots may significantly improve the marketing process. Because most of this process is automated, you and your team will be able to perform more marketing duties and close more business as a result.

    Chatbots on Facebook Messenger have also made great strides. Businesses can now offer an in-app shopping experience thanks to them. Customers can browse and even make purchases inside the chatbot with the right configuration. Therefore, it makes sense that more businesses are attempting to incorporate chatbots into their marketing plan.

    More Individualized Advertising

    The Facebook team started a project named Rosetta a few years ago. The initiative intends to improve the caliber of material that Facebook users see in their news feeds. Rosetta employs AI to improve user experience by determining users’ wants and maximizing their Facebook interactions.

    Fundamental changes are occurring in traditional marketing procedures. These changes range from improved engagement to greater client loyalty and strong conversions. The quantity and variety of user data available today, including usage of social networks, purchase history, and personal preferences, pave the way for effective personalization.

    However, businesses ought to do more than merely gather data; they ought to combine and analyze it in order to develop campaigns that directly cater to the needs of the people. This may be difficult, but the payoff is substantial.

    The benefits of AI in digital marketing are hard to dispute. Marketing organizations can now employ emerging technology to enhance their tactics as they become more widely accessible. 

  • Adobe CEO: Pandemic Was Inflection Point For Everything Being Digital

    Adobe CEO: Pandemic Was Inflection Point For Everything Being Digital

    “What the pandemic and the current health situation has done is that it has created yet another inflection point for everything being digital,” says Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen. “The importance of digital in the marketplace is going to be sustainable for decades. You’re not going to put the genie back in the bottle as it relates to engaging digitally and creating content digitally.”

    Shantanu Narayen, Chairman and CEO of Adobe, discusses how the pandemic has created another “inflection point” in the move toward digital transformation:

    Digital Transformation Is A $120 Billion Opportunity

    It was a good quarter all around. All of our businesses performed exceedingly well. On the Creative Cloud and the Document Cloud, not only did we have a great acquisition. in other words, new customers adopting the platform, but we really focused on engagement and demonstrating the value of our products to our customers. Even our retention levels came back to pre-COVID levels which we believe is a really good sign.

    What’s happening in the world is the businesses that we’re in, namely creativity and enabling people to tell their story, what’s happening with documents and accelerating document productivity, and what’s happening associated with every single enterprise needing to engage with their customers digitally, when you add all of this up we think it’s over a $120 billion of an addressable market opportunity for Adobe.

    Pandemic Was Inflection Point For Everything Being Digital

    What the pandemic and the current health situation has done is that it has created yet another inflection point for everything being digital. What we will have to continue to monitor is what happens in the spending environment. But as it relates to the overall need for the kinds of solutions that Adobe provides as well as the importance of digital in the marketplace I think that’s going to be sustainable for decades. You’re not going to put the genie back in the bottle as it relates to engaging digitally and creating content digitally.

    We believe that we’re in this third phase of what is happening in the enterprise. Traditionally, businesses first focused on automating the back office, and then they focused on automating the front office for knowledge workers. It’s absolutely clear that the biggest imperative that exists in the enterprise today is how do you engage with customers? This is a category that we call Customer Experience Management.

    Customer Insight Is Key To Your Digital Transformation

    If you’re an enterprise today and you’re thinking about digital transformation, what’s top of that stack in terms of where you have to invest is to make sure that you have insight into what your customers are doing. How are they engaging with you? What’s the profile? How do you deliver the personalized experience?

    We really believe that what you’re seeing in the enterprise spend environment is that the companies that are focused on this next generation of delivering customer engagement, the customer experiences, and the insight associated with how to take the most advantage of that data, they’re going to be the secular winners moving forward.

    Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen: Pandemic Was Inflection Point For Everything Being Digital
  • 5 Benefits of Google Ads That No One Else Can Match

    5 Benefits of Google Ads That No One Else Can Match

    The competition in digital marketing is intense. A new advertising solution appears every day as businesses understand that dipping their toes in the PPC waters is one of the most reliable methods to stay competitive. The alternatives are endless for someone new to digital marketing, whether it be a social media platform or a brand-new advertising network.

    Why Google Ads?

    Google was one of the first businesses to provide “Adwords,” a digital advertising solution. With the use of its search engine and affiliate websites, this platform was established in 2000 to assist companies in reaching online markets.

    This network, now known as “Google Ads,” has grown over time to become one of the best digital advertising platforms. For this reason, more than 1.2 million companies use Google Ads to sell their goods and services.

    By the way, did you know that every dollar spent on Google Ads generates $8 in revenue?

    Google Ads visitors are 50% more likely to make a purchase than other website visitors. Furthermore, Google is the network where people are four times more likely to click ads than any other network.

    Here are Google Ads’ most important benefits.

    1. The Largest Reach

    Although numerous platforms have a wide audience, none have as much as Google Ads. This platform processes around 40,000 search requests every second, or about 3.5 billion searches every day. Given these details, don’t you believe your company may benefit from part of this potential exposure to raise brand recognition and improve ROI?

    Understanding two of Google Ads’ networks can also help you better understand their scope. Using this platform, you may advertise on the Search and Display networks, two of the most potent networks in the world. Both have a ton of promise; the distinction lies in what you can do with each.

    Your advertising may be displayed in text format via the Search Network after being triggered by the keywords of your choice. On the other hand, Google also provides the Display Network, where you may display your advertising in aesthetically appealing formats by utilizing resources like images and videos. This way, you can completely cover all of your bases.

    2. Numerous Targeting Alternatives

    One of the most crucial considerations when using digital advertising is targeting. In contrast to other platforms, Google puts a high priority on targeting. As a result, it offers a wide variety of targeting choices for creating unique campaigns.

    Keyword targeting is one of these choices. It relates to the capability of using various keyword types and match types that enable you to target every stage of the marketing funnel. Additionally, there are numerous demographic parameters to take into account, such as age, language, region, and more.

    Ad scheduling is a further helpful choice that enables you to choose the most effective time for your adverts to appear. Not to be overlooked is the “devices option,” which is perfect for adjusting which devices and at what times you want your adverts to show.

    3. Much Quicker Than SEO

    Through a method called search engine optimization, or SEO, you can make your website’s setup more relevant to search queries and raise its SERP rating. However, even if SEO is crucial to the success of your digital efforts, it won’t be enough to help you achieve your objectives because of one critical variable: time. In contrast to search engine optimization, Google Ads PPC is the best way to instantly start showing up in searches relating to what you have to offer.

    4. Granular Measurement 

    Understanding the results of your advertising efforts requires measurement. Because of this, dashboards must be precise and understandable.

    Google has changed from providing measurement dashboards that merely display common conversions like impressions or clicks to providing granular analytics that enable you to see how users engage with your advertisements and website since it recognizes the significance of this element.

    5. Easy to Handle

    Managing one or more accounts on other sites could be difficult and time-consuming. One of the key benefits of Google Ads is the free resources you will have access to for managing your campaigns in all areas, including performance management, bidding, optimization, and more.

    Furthermore, most of these solutions are automated, saving you a lot of time. 

    Get the Help You Deserve

    Conveniently, you can either learn to use Google Ads PPC or hire someone to do it for you. The tricky issue is that you’d also need to take care of things like SEO, in-depth account analysis, reporting, conversion tracking, and more; therefore, it may be a good idea to hire an agency to assist you with this.

  • How to Start an Online Business Selling Digital Products

    How to Start an Online Business Selling Digital Products

    A digital product is a type of product that you can create, market, distribute, and sell digitally. This product only exists digitally, and you cannot touch it.

    Our lives are affected today by digital platforms and content taking over today. The demand for digital content keeps rising. For instance, the global digital content creation market size is expected to touch over $16 billion by 2025. This means a business that invests in digital products has a chance to thrive.

    There is a lot involved in making a hustle out of a digital product like eBooks, tickets, podcasts, manuals, or tutorials. It all begins by having the basic knowledge to run a successful online business. Here is a guide on starting an online business selling digital products.

    Register your Business

    The first step to starting an online business is registering it with the relevant authorities. You want to ensure your business is legitimate and recognized. You can register your business as an LLC and get the proper certification and copyright for your digital products.

    The cost of registering an LLC may vary depending on your state. For instance, in Delaware, it costs about $415. This cost includes a state filing fee, name reservation, and adding a registered agent. When you register your business as an LLC, you can reap the benefits of a partnership and a sole proprietorship.

    An LLC allows you to reduce personal liability to your business while gaining flexibility in operation and taxation. The process of registering an LLC is not that long compared to other types of business. You should also learn more about the benefits of an LLC for different types of business before deciding the best type of business to register.

    Define Your Image and Brand

    If you are selling digital products online, you will need a brand image that can sell your products and battle the stiff competition in the online market. Your brand is like an overall vibe of the business. It will need to be iconic enough in case you do expand enough to have more products or even a business delivery fleet.

    You want to ensure everything in your business, right from the business name to the design, conveys a consistent idea and visual image of your business.

    When working on your brand, you should focus on the logo, color scheme, page layout, typography, photos and graphics. These elements should work together in portraying your brand image out there.

    Build a Responsive Website

    A website is a must-have if you want to sell digital products. As soon as you’ve validated your business idea, you should proceed to build your website. A website is like your storefront for selling digital products.

    It is not that difficult to build a website nowadays. You can create your website in just hours without coding skills using any of the best website builders. You can also hire a website designer to design your website who will also help you choose the best host server that will keep you online round the clock.

    When designing a website to sell digital products like courses, written content, and podcasts, you should ensure it has all the required functionalities. Here is what you should do:

    • Incorporate forms so visitors can subscribe and join your list.
    • Build customized landing pages that can educate your audience to learn more about your products and services.
    • Design your website to accept payments so it is easy to sell online.
    • Optimize your website for mobile and make it responsive to most visitors who access your services using their smartphones and tablets.

    Build an Audience to Sell to

    For a physical store, this will sound like building a customer base. If you are selling digital products like a coding course, you want to first build an audience that needs your product. At this point, you want to make use of your greatest asset, the email list.

    Everyone on your email list is interested in your brand, which means they trust you. There is a high probability that they will buy from you if only you market your products and services. Add people to your email list and begin marketing your brand to them. Send emails with information on your products and services. This is called list building.

    You can give people freebies in exchange for their contact information. For instance, if you are selling a course, you can give a short coaching session to everyone that subscribes to your email list. Freebies can act as your lead magnet. It can attract leads to your business and help you grow your business.

    Optimize Your Website for Conversions

    You are already selling your digital products to your customers at this stage of the business. What remains is finding ways to increase your sales. If you want to increase your sales, you should optimize your site leveraging SEO to convert most visitors to customers.

    To optimize your website, you should look at the data on your site. What do the numbers say about your most trafficked pages? You should also identify the pages on your website that most people rarely visit, and once they do, they leave the page fast.

    You want to ensure you can hold your visitors for long so you can get the chance to convince them into buying your products and services. Focus on removing the things that don’t work on your site and improve those that work to optimize your website sales funnel.

    You should focus more on how you can sell your digital products on the website. Therefore, make it clear that your website aims to attract people willing and able to buy your products and services.

    Make sure you can send every visitor to your landing page, and you persuade them to buy. To achieve this, ensure you have a call to action on one very single page of your website. Go straight to the point and tell your visitors what you want them to do.

    You can then reward them accordingly for taking action you asked for.

    Final Thoughts                                     

    Suppose you are out to start a business selling digital products, now is the right time to start. Register your business and get a copyright for your products. Build a website, brand, and audience for your products and services.

    Start your business today by following the five steps listed here and turning your fantastic idea into an income-generating business.

  • No Ads In WhatsApp for the Foreseeable Future

    No Ads In WhatsApp for the Foreseeable Future

    WhatsApp users can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now, with the latest report indicating WhatsApp is not bringing ads to the platform.

    There have been rumors and threats of ads in WhatsApp for years, even leading WhatsApp’s founders to leave Facebook at great financial loss to themselves. Despite the rumors and the obvious appeal for Facebook, sources told TheStreet that Zuckerberg and company have no intention of bringing ads to WhatsApp at this time.

    That’s not to say there won’t be some efforts to monetize the platform. WhatsApp cost Facebook a small fortune, a fortune it has yet to repay. The company is looking at a number of options, including building on WhatsApp’s business services, charging a monthly subscription, and charging for businesses to integrate WhatsApp into their sites and services.

    Ultimately, Facebook needs to start making money off of WhatsApp, meaning that some changes are bound to happen sooner rather than later. At least ads don’t seem to be coming to the platform…at least not yet.

  • Google Ad Manager Is Back Up After an Outage

    Google Ad Manager Is Back Up After an Outage

    Google had a major outage with its Google Ad Manager late Thursday evening, before fixing it more than two hours later.

    Google posted the following message on its Google Ads Status Dashboard a little after 8:00 pm Eastern Time:

    We’re investigating reports of an issue with Google Ad Manager. We will provide more information shortly. The affected users are able to access Google Ad Manager, but are seeing error messages, high latency, and/or other unexpected behavior.

    Ad Manager is not delivering ads for the affected users.

    A little more than two hours later, the company posted the following:

    The problem with Google Ad Manager has been resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support.

    Ad serving has now been restored for the affected users.

  • A Guide to YouTube Advertising

    A Guide to YouTube Advertising

    YouTube is a compelling opportunity for businesses in their digital marketing and advertising strategies. One of the reasons advertising on YouTube can be advantageous is because it’s the second-most popular website in the world, with two billion visitors a month.

    YouTube is owned by Google, so when you advertise on the video-based search engine, you’re working in the Google Ads network.

    The following is a guide to advertising on YouTube and the basics of what you need to know to get started.

    Types of Ads

    There are a few main types of YouTube ads that are available. These include:

    In-Stream, Skippable Ads

    These ads are what you see playing before a video or during it, which is technically pre-roll or mid-roll. The key feature of in-stream, skippable ads is that a viewer can opt to skip them after the initial five seconds.

    If you’re the advertiser, you pay when viewers choose to keep watching past the first five seconds. Your ad has to be at least 12 seconds long, and you pay once someone watches the first 30 seconds or the whole thing. You’ll also pay if they interact with your ad via a click—it’s whichever comes first that advertisers pay for.

    Non-Skippable Ads That Are In-Stream

    Around 76% of people on YouTube report automatically skipping ads. This leads advertisers to run ads pre-roll or mid-roll with no skip button. If you want a lift in brand awareness and you think your creative will hold the attention of your audience for a full 15 seconds, you might use these ads.

    With non-skippable ads, the advertiser pays per impression.

    There’s also a sub-category of these non-skippable ads—bumper ads. These are six seconds long, and they’re the same as the non-skippable in-stream ad in that you pay for impressions. They’re best for awareness and reach campaigns.

    Discovery Ads

    In-stream ads are like commercials on traditional TV, but discovery ads are more like what you see when you’re using Google to search for something.

    A discovery ad will show up with organic search results.

    A discovery ad includes three text lines and a thumbnail. When someone clicks on your ad, they’re directed to your YouTube channel or video page.

    Non-Video Ads

    If you don’t have the budget for video, YouTube also offers non-video ads.

    There are display ads that will show up on the right sidebar, and they include text and an image, as well as a link to your website and a CTA.

    In-video overlay ads are something that will show up as floating on top of video content from channels that are monetized.

    Creating a Campaign

    If you want to advertise on YouTube, the first thing you need to do is log into your Google Ads account and choose New Campaign.

    From there, you can choose your campaign goal, such as website traffic, leads, sales, or brand awareness and reach.

    You then choose your campaign type.

    Once you’ve chosen your type, you can choose your bid strategy, which will primarily be driven by your campaign type, and you’ll enter your budget. You can set up your budget by day, or you can do it as the total you’ll spend on the campaigns.

    Targeting Your Audience

    You’ll need buyer personas to target your audience, so if you haven’t already created them, it’s a good idea to do so.

    Demographics include things like household income, parental status, age, and gender. YouTube also goes more in-depth, so you can target groups like students, new parents, or new homeowners, just as a few examples.

    Interests are how you can target people based on their previous behavior.

    You can also use remarketing, so you’re targeting audiences that have already had an interaction with your business on your website, with your other videos, or using your app.

    Ad Specs

    If you’re using skippable or non-skippable stream video ads, then you have to upload them as a regular YouTube video first. The ad technical specs, like your dimensions and ad image sizes, should be the same as they would be for any other YouTube video.

    The exception to this is with Discovery ads. These have to be a maximum file size of 1 GB. Discovery ads need to have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or 4:3, but YouTube can automatically adapt the file.

    The minimum length for skippable ads is 12 seconds. The maximum length for skippable ads is three minutes, and for YouTube kids, the limit is 60 seconds.

    Non-skippable ads can’t be more than 15 seconds long, and bumper ads have to be no more than six seconds long.

    The Pros of YouTube Advertising

    YouTube advertising is cost-effective. You can choose exactly what you’re willing to pay, and you’re only paying when someone takes a certain action that you determine.

    An upside of YouTube ads is also that it’s very targeted. You can get extremely detailed as you’re targeting the audience you want to reach.

    People tend to feel more connected to brands after watching a video. There’s the chance to better understand the company and see how a service or product works, and there are faces that can represent the brand in a video ad. You can also be the face of your brand, so you’re able to foster a strong connection with your audience.

    The YouTube ad metrics are easy to measure, and you’ll have access to a lot of insight as far as what works and what you could improve.

    The results can occur quickly since there are billions of monthly users. You’re simply getting your ads in front of a potentially huge pool of people, boosting your clicks, traffic, and sales.

    Video has a powerful emotional impact, making it one of the most effective approaches to advertising.

    The Downsides of YouTube Advertising

    As with anything, YouTube advertising does have a few downsides that marketers need to think about and consider too.

    People don’t love ads in their videos. While they might end up watching some of them if they get their attention, overall, they feel they’re intrusive.  If someone feels like your ad is intrusive and not offering them value, it might evoke negative emotions.

    You’re also still going to need an advertising budget, and you may not be able to afford much here, depending on what yours is.

    Best Practices

    If you think YouTube advertising could be right for your brand, there are certain things you should do when creating your ads.

    ·   Create an ad that’s immediately going to hook people. Maybe you choose a good song for the background, or you immediately work to evoke strong emotion.

    ·   Branding should ideally occur in your first five seconds and also throughout your ad if you’re working at the top of the funnel. If you’re creating ads for audiences that are further down your funnel, then you might be able to add branding later in your video, and that’ll increase your watch times while viewers are engaging with the story of your ad.

    ·   You want to have a story for your ad because this is how you’re going to be able to get an emotional response.

    ·   Make sure people know what step you want them to take next with your ad. You need a goal to measure how successful your ads are.

    ·   Answer a few questions when you’re creating an ad. Think about who the people you’re targeting are, what video content they already engage with online, and what aspects of that can be used and integrated with your own brand story.

    ·   Consider the context where your ad is going to appear. To understand this, get familiar with the type of video content your targeted audience is already engaging with and consuming.

    ·   One interesting way you can target your audience is to show your ad to people who have already searched for terms relevant to your business.

    ·   Use cards to encourage people to buy. A YouTube card is something that a viewer can click to expand. You can make the appearance of a card timed so that the users who are engaged with the video are the ones who will see it. You can feature products in the video using cards to drive purchases.

    ·   Use an end screen that drives subscribers to wherever you want them to go. For example, maybe you encourage them to subscribe to your channel to get future updates.

    ·   Use negative remarketing. For example, if you want to show an ad that’s only going to be for new users, you can exclude people who have previously interacted with you in some way.

    ·   Use closed captioning and, if relevant, transcriptions in other languages.

    Overall, YouTube is a powerful place to run your brand ads. Your paid advertising can work hand-in-hand with your organic social media strategy on YouTube. You do have to remember that these ads can get expensive and complex if you’re not working in a targeted way. You want to know your audience and let the preferences of the people you’re targeting guide the creative process to create your ads for YouTube.

  • Amazon’s Advertising Unit the Latest to Suffer a Headcount Freeze

    Amazon’s Advertising Unit the Latest to Suffer a Headcount Freeze

    Amazon’s advertising unit is freezing its headcount as the company deals with economic headwinds impacting the industry.

    Amazon delivered weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter guidance, an indication the company is struggling with the economic uncertainties and challenges facing the tech industry at large.

    According to Bloomberg, by way of Business Insider, Amazon will continue to fill existing roles but will not create any new jobs within the advertising unit. Amazon did not confirm the news, only telling Bloomberg there were a “significant number of open roles” available.

    “We have many different businesses at various stages of evolution, and we expect to keep adjusting our hiring strategies in each of these businesses at various junctures,” the spokesperson added.

    The move to freeze advertising headcount is especially significant since the unit is one of the company’s fastest-growing divisions and is in third place behind Google and Meta. The measure is evidence of the steps Amazon’s execs are willing to take in order to cut costs and increase profitability.

  • Microsoft Advertising Adds Target Impression Share Automated Bids

    Microsoft Advertising Adds Target Impression Share Automated Bids

    Microsoft has released its August product updates, including Target Impression Share automated bidding.

    Manually managing a search campaign can be a tedious process, especially when trying to stay at the top of the results. Microsoft’s August update aims to help address that with Target Impression Share automated bidding.

    “A new addition to our suite of automated bidding strategiesOpens in new window is the exciting new Target Impression Share strategy, now available in Microsoft Advertising online and Editor,” writes Kevin Salat, Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft Advertising. “With this strategy, you set your budget, where you want your ads to appear, and your Target Impression Share, and Microsoft Advertising automatically sets your bids.”

    Microsoft is a distant second to Google in search market share. Nonetheless, rolling out features that continue to make it easier for customers to use its services can only help it gain ground.

  • How the Ecommerce Theme You Choose Helps to Deliver the Best Brand Experience

    How the Ecommerce Theme You Choose Helps to Deliver the Best Brand Experience

    Ecommerce is a lucrative market for many businesses. By now, nearly every retail brand has either started or is working on launching an ecommerce store.

    Global ecommerce revenue is projected to reach 5.4 trillion US dollars by 2022. Therefore, more and more retailers have jumped into the ecommerce space to make more money. With increasing competition, however, it has become crucial for ecommerce businesses to deliver the best brand experience for improved customer retention and brand loyalty.

    The choice of your website’s ecommerce theme plays a vital role in preparing an UX-friendly digital destination that helps to acquire more customers.

    What is an ecommerce theme?

    An ecommerce theme is a pre-built design that you can select for your online store. It helps to deliver the best user experience to your customers.

    Why is the choice of your ecommerce theme significant?

    Around 40% of site visitors will stop interacting with your site if the layout is unattractive. Selecting the right ecommerce theme for your online store helps your customers to do business with you with ease.

    What features should you look for in your ecommerce theme?

    The features that you should have in your site depends on the kind of website that you are looking to build.

    That having been said, here are the top features you should look for in every ecommerce theme:

    Responsive Design

    A responsive website is mobile-friendly. Having a responsive site design ensures that your website’s look and functionality stays the same irrespective of the browsing device. It doesn’t matter whether the visitor is visiting your store using a mobile device or a desktop, they will be able to complete the purchase easily.

    A responsive design also has a positive impact on Google rankings, because Google and other search engines consider site design, user experience, and mobile browsing experience before ranking a website.

    Hence, a responsive website has more chances of ranking higher in the search results as compared to a non-responsive site. Besides, a responsive site is easy to maintain and cost-effective.

    Speed

    Faster loading websites naturally offer a more smooth user experience. Google and other search engines now consider site speed in their ranking algorithm.

    The recent Page Experience update from Google takes into account Core Web Vitals as a key ranking algorithm factor. Core Web Vitals comprises metrics such as LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FCP (First Contentful Paint), and FID (First Input Delay), which collectively measure the real world user experience. Sites that pass the Core Web Vitals test have the best chances of being placed higher in the search results.

    You can use the Page Speed Insights tool to check the page speed score of a website. The higher the score, the better would be the UX and organic rankings.

    Therefore, before selecting a theme, you should conduct some research on the theme loading speed. Sometimes, fancy elements and design don’t matter much when compared to simple site design with a high speed.

    Ease of Use

    You should always select an ecommerce theme with a simple and easy to use navigation.

    For example, your theme should have a search bar, because often visitors are looking to search for a particular product to complete the purchase. If your site doesn’t have a visible search bar, then it might lead to poor conversions and a high bounce rate.

    Opt for a theme that has nicely designed “breadcrumb navigation” and prominent category and subcategory links. Besides, the CTAs should be large and clear. There are maximum chances of conversions when the CTAs are placed higher in the page leading to more clicks.

    Security

    Website security is crucial for a good user experience. Google takes website security very seriously. Make sure your ecommerce site offers good security.

    Opt for an SSL certificate and pick a trustworthy web host. Ensure, your ecommerce theme does not have any vulnerabilities that makes it easier for hackers to steal customer data.

    Support for integrations and widgets

    Most of the time, you will realize that it is much easier to install a widget or an app to add an additional feature to your online shop.

    You can find essential apps and plugins in the respective directories of your ecommerce platform. Plugins are powerful because they let you add beneficial functionalities to your store without the need to hire a developer. You can easily search and install a plugin of your choice to add different functionalities to improve UX and SEO.

    Hence, you should see whether your chosen theme is compatible with the plugins you plan to use. You should select an ecommerce theme that offers the support for maximum plugins, apps, and widgets.

    Final thoughts

    Building and managing your ecommerce business is challenging nowadays. The choice of your ecommerce theme decides the future of your online business.

    An SEO friendly store layout helps to acquire relevant organic traffic to your site. Besides, an UX-friendly theme keeps customers happy as it improves conversion and retention, which are significant to boost your online revenue.

    You should have a brilliant online marketing strategy, powered by a robust ecommerce theme to drive more qualified traffic to your site.

  • Reasons Small Businesses Shouldn’t Ignore Digital Marketing

    Reasons Small Businesses Shouldn’t Ignore Digital Marketing

    Most small businesses focus on getting their first customers when starting out. As such, most rely on traditional marketing methods, such as coupon mailers, outdoor advertising, and print ads, to reach out to the local audience. While these marketing methods can work for brick-and-mortar businesses, they are ineffective for businesses that need a global audience.

    Fortunately, digitization has made it possible for small businesses to reach out to prospects online in the global marketplace. Businesses shouldn’t overlook the importance of digital marketing, regardless of their size. Besides learning various effective digital marketing methods, small businesses should keep tabs on digital marketing trends to remain competitive. Below are a few reasons small businesses shouldn’t overlook digital marketing strategies.

    1.  Target Online Customers

    Unlike before, modern shoppers begin their search for brands, products, and services online. In the current digital age, prospects expect businesses to have a strong social media presence and a website. There’s a lot that potential customers look for before reaching out to brands for business. For instance, parents might want to know how to transfer a car title from parent to child before buying car insurance.

    Small businesses should leverage this opportunity to reach such customers. Your website should be mobile responsive, reflect your brand image, and have solid reviews. Most online customers start by reading reviews to learn what other customers say about your business. For instance, 87% of online customers check online reviews before reaching out to local businesses.

    2.  Learn What Your Competitors are Doing

    Small businesses should pay attention to their competitors for business success. Digital marketing methods can help businesses monitor and learn from their competitors. For instance, regardless of your niche, if your competitors have a better-performing web presence, you can begin by evaluating their content strategy. Do they use blogs or visual content?

    Conducting thorough competitor research is the best way to learn about your competitors. Identify their preferred platforms, focus keywords, influencers, and other important pointers. Excellent tools for competitor research include:

    • Ahrefs – Best for discovering competitor’s linked content
    • SEMrush – Best for finding ranking keywords
    • BuzzSumo – Used to track performing content types
    • Moz – Keyword ranking platform
    • Google Alerts – Used to track competitor mentions

    You should also explore other consumer insights tools to boost your content marketing strategy.

    3.  Improve Accessibility to Customers

    You should strive to position your small business in front of potential customers, which is majorly the online space. As mentioned, modern customers start searching for products online. Businesses without an online presence miss many opportunities and cannot compete equally, especially if competitors have a strong online presence.

    Small businesses should leverage digital marketing to position their brands in front of prospects. Besides creating a strong website, digital marketers should learn search engine optimization to outrank competitors on Google searches. Keywords (both long and short tail) are important, and you should understand how to use them to rank your website.

    An online presence creates an environment where customers can reach out day and night. Prospects and customers can send emails, schedule appointments, and purchase products or services anytime. You can also visit WebmastersHall to learn more about improving your digital marketing efforts for enhanced accessibility to customers.

    Endnote

    Digital marketing is beneficial to small businesses in many ways. Unlike other marketing strategies, digital marketing is affordable, making it suitable for small businesses with limited marketing budgets. Businesses that haven’t ventured into the digital space miss a lot of customers and business opportunities.

  • Best Email Marketing Services for Businesses in 2022

    Best Email Marketing Services for Businesses in 2022

    Email marketing is still alive and remains one of the top most effective customer engagement tools for businesses – if you do it right, of course. Email marketing has proven to consistently deliver an overall better ROI as compared to other marketing schemes. Additionally, it is a brilliant means of building your brand community and consistently engaging your customers in a more convenient way.

    However, you need to have the right email marketing infrastructure in place to adequately reach new customers and loyal subscribers and build better relationships that generate more leads and consequently increase sales. These platforms even come with email analytics and optimization features that enable you to improve your email marketing campaigns and increase your conversion rates. Luckily, there are multiple email marketing platforms to choose from. To help you navigate the market, we outline some of the top email marketing platforms for businesses:

    1.    Constant Contact

    Constant Contact is undoubtedly the top email marketing platform for startups and small businesses. It’s also the fastest-growing email marketing provider worldwide, while it remains beginner-friendly and easy to use. Using Constant Contact, you can conveniently manage your contacts, email lists, email templates, marketing calendar, and more. Your account comes with unlimited email access for easy tracking and subsequent reporting. It also has built-in capability for social media sharing, list segmentation, a free image library, integration for Facebook ads, and a powerful Shopify eCommerce integration.

    Constant Contact’s Plus Package comes with additional features such as powerful email automation, online donations, drip campaigns, subject line A/B testing, coupons and surveys, and polls, which will help you broadcast targeted emails to maximize your open rate.

    2.      HubSpot

    HubSpot is also a popular marketing platform with all the necessary tools to accelerate your business growth. Email marketing, however, is just one feature of their CRM plan, which also comes with other tools such as the meeting scheduler, live chat and bots, form builder, and landing page builder. For instance, you could set up your landing page with a simple signup form that will enable you to capture new users’ email addresses in your CRM. However, the real utility of HubSpot email marketing is the CRM’s ability to log your contacts automatically and record all your business interactions to help you create and send deeply personalized emails.

    3.      Moosend

    Moosend is one of the most affordable email marketing platforms for startups and small businesses. Its offering comes with powerful email marketing automation features, email-building tools, landing pages, and more. Using Moosend, you can easily and quickly customize your email newsletter that matches your brand in a few minutes by utilizing their numerous pre-built email templates.

    The good thing about Moosend is that email marketing automation features are available across all plans. They also allow you access to their automation workflow designer, who will help you personalize your newsletter for new subscribers. More importantly, Moosend uses detailed analytics of important email metrics, including email opens, bounces, clicks, custom event tracking, product views, purchases, and even demographics data.

    Endnote

    Despite the common belief that email marketing is dead, it remains a crucial tool for businesses of all types and sizes. This is mainly because it’s a cost-effective means to quickly reach a mass audience and generate leads more efficiently while also sharing crucial market information and trends. Additionally, email marketing software is typically easy to use, enabling you to create customers for life through personalized connections to your client base.

  • TikTok May Launch Live Shopping in the US for Holiday Season

    TikTok May Launch Live Shopping in the US for Holiday Season

    TikTok may be preparing for a major launch, reportedly bringing “TikTok Shop” to the US in time for the holiday shopping season.

    Already one of the biggest social media platforms, TikTok is looking to expand into shopping. According to The Financial Times, via Engadget, the company is planning to outsource technology to launch its TikTok Shop for the US market.

    According to the report, the company will work with “large brands,” using technology sourced from TalkShopLive. The format will be similar to Douyin, TikTok’s sister app in China.

    Read more: Hotel Marketers Are Turning to TikTok…and You Should Too

    When FT contacted TikTok for comment, the company neither confirmed nor denied the rumor.

    “When it comes to market expansion for TikTok Shop we are always guided by demand and are constantly exploring new and different options for how we can best serve our community, creators and merchants in markets around the world,” the company told the FT. “These efforts include exploring partnerships which further support a seamless ecommerce experience for merchants, which is an important part of our ecosystem.”

    One potential hurdle for the company is the privacy implications. TikTok is already under fire for sending user data to China, despite previous claims that US user data was handled by a US-based security team.

    It’s a safe bet legislators and regulators will not be thrilled with the idea of TikTok gaining access to users’ financial and shopping data.

  • Roku Enables Nielsen Four-Screen Measurement

    Roku Enables Nielsen Four-Screen Measurement

    Roku has enabled Nielsen four-screen measurement across traditional TV, connected TV, mobile, and desktop.

    Nielsen ratings are the gold standard for gauging the popularity of TV shows. Nielsen’s Four-Screen Ad Deduplication is a major step forward in its Nielsen One plans. Nielsen One is slated for release in December 2022 and will be a cross-media measurement platform.

    “Marketers are increasingly investing in CTV to follow consumers. However, brands want consistent measurement across screens,” said Kim Gilberti, SVP, Product Management, Nielsen. “Marketers can now better evaluate CTV inventory’s unique reach and frequency in conjunction with their entire Roku buy in a comparable and comprehensive manner, and advertisers can reduce waste and help ensure that relevant ads are delivered to the right audiences across devices. This release brings us one step closer to providing comparable and deduplicated metrics across screens with Nielsen ONE.”

    “We believe that all TV ads will be accountable and measurable,” said Asaf Davidov, Head of Ad Measurement and Research, Roku. “Our direct consumer relationship, our scale, and our tech all make us uniquely positioned to work with Nielsen to make measurement simpler and more accurate as marketers shift spend to TV streaming.”

  • YouTube Makes a Play to Poach TikTok Creators

    YouTube Makes a Play to Poach TikTok Creators

    YouTube is ponying up cash in an effort to convince TikTok creators to jump ship to its platform.

    TikTok has made countless careers, with creators capitalizing on the platform’s short-form videos to gain fame. Unfortunately, the platform is notorious for paying its creators a paltry amount, compared to competitors, less than a nickel per thousand views, according to the MIT Technology Review.

    YouTube clearly sees an opportunity and has announced plans to split revenue with creators for YouTube Shorts. Creators will receive 45%, while the record labels behind the music that is often featured in such videos will receive the remaining amount.

    “​​It’s a really big moment for creators,” Amjad Hanif, YouTube’s vice president of product management, told The Washington Post. “When we launched the partner program 15 years ago, it was the first of its kind and kicked off the creator economy. This brings all the goodness and benefits creators have felt from revenue sharing and brings it over to short form as well.”

    While the 45% revenue split is generating a ton of excitement within the creator community, YouTube has yet to reveal how much that will amount to.

  • TikTok Bans Political Fundraising

    TikTok Bans Political Fundraising

    TikTok has announced its intention to ban political fundraising on its social media platform.

    TikTok is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms and has had an oversized impact on all other platforms. As a result, when it makes a change, the effects can be felt across the industry. Its latest policy is sure to have ripple effects, with the company banning political fundraising.

    The company announced the change in a blog post:

    TikTok has long prohibited political advertising, including both paid ads on the platform and creators being paid directly to make branded content. We currently do that by prohibiting political content in an ad, and we’re also now applying restrictions at an account level. This means accounts belonging to politicians and political parties will automatically have their access to advertising features turned off, which will help us more consistently enforce our existing policy.

    The company does allow for exceptions in situations for the public good.

    We recognize that there will be occasions where governments may need access to our ads services, such as to support public health and safety and access to information, like advertising COVID-19 booster campaigns. We will continue to allow government organizations to advertise in limited circumstances, and they will be required to be working with a TikTok representative.

    Additionally, we will be prohibiting these accounts from accessing other monetization features. Specifically, they will not have access to features like gifting, tipping, and e-commerce, and will be ineligible for our Creator Fund. These changes, along with our existing ban on political advertising, mean that accounts belonging to governments, politicians, and political parties will largely not be able to give or receive money through TikTok’s monetization features, or spend money promoting their content.

    The move is a bold one and sure to draw praise and criticism.