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Tag: Digital Marketing

  • 7 Ways Realtors Can Use Digital Marketing to Boost Sales

    7 Ways Realtors Can Use Digital Marketing to Boost Sales

    Real estate is a competitive field, and success relies on staying ahead of the game. In today’s digital age, technology is making it easier than ever before for realtors to reach potential buyers and to network with peers in the industry. With so many effective digital marketing strategies available to them, there’s no excuse for not taking full advantage of this convenient platform.

    In this blog post, we’ll detail 7 innovative ways that realtors can use digital marketing to promote listings online, unlocking superior results for buyers and sellers alike.

    1- Mobile Friendly and Fast Loading Website

    A website is a crucial tool for real estate agents as it provides a platform to showcase their listings, provide information about their services, and connect with potential clients. A website is the hub of all digital marketing strategies and it should be fast loading, easy to navigate and mobile friendly as well. Availability of website builders make it easier for real estate business owners to create professional looking websites with zero coding skills and expertise.

    2- Search Engine Optimization

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy that helps improve the visibility of a website in search engine results. By optimizing their website for relevant keywords and phrases, realtors can increase their visibility to potential clients searching for properties online.

    Some of the ways SEO can help realtors increase sales include:

    • Improving Local Rankings
    • Driving Organic Traffic
    • Targeting Home Buyers and Sellers
    • Building Trust and Credibility
    • Generating Quality Leads

    However, one should use the right keywords to appear in relevant search results. For instance, if you are offering services in Jackson MS, you should optimize your website for keywords like best realtors in Jackson, MS and so on to drive more local visitors and generate more leads.

    3- Leverage Landing Pages 

    Landing pages are designed to capture leads and generate conversions. They should be used to offer prospects information about properties, services, and other real estate related topics and drive them toward making a purchase decision. Realtors can create landing pages that feature top listings or highlight the latest market updates. Landing pages can be used to collect contact information from prospects and segment them for future marketing campaigns. Landing pages should be well designed, visually appealing, and user-friendly. They can also be integrated with email marketing platforms and social media channels for greater reach. With the right strategy in place, landing pages can help Realtors generate more leads and close more sales. 

    4- Create Engaging Content 

    Content is king in digital marketing, and Realtors should make sure they are producing engaging content that resonates with their target audience. Their content should be informative and entertaining, while also providing valuable insight into the real estate industry. Realtors can blog about current market trends, share tips on buying or selling a home, offer their expertise in the local market and more. Creating engaging content can help Realtors gain visibility, build trust with prospects, and generate leads that could lead to sales. 

    5- Utilize Email Marketing 

    Email campaigns are an effective way for realtors to reach prospective clients, stay top-of-mind, and offer relevant content to their database of contacts. Emails should be personalized and sent with a frequency that does not overwhelm prospects yet keeps them informed about the latest listings and offers. Realtors can craft emails that feature new property listings, open houses, and other real estate related events. They should also ensure their email content is relevant to their target audience and offers valuable information and resources. By utilizing email marketing, Realtors can stay connected with potential buyers and sellers and increase their chances of closing sales. 

    6- Make Use of Social Media Platforms 

    Social media has become an effective way for realtors to reach out to potential buyers and sellers. They should create profiles on the major social media platforms and share content that is relevant to their target audience. Realtors can post updates about listings and open houses, promote blog posts, share industry news, and interact with prospects to build relationships. Social media can also be used to showcase properties in a visually appealing way and generate more interest from potential buyers.  By leveraging social media, Realtors can increase their reach and boost sales. 

    7- Track & Analyze Results 

    Last but not least, Realtors should track and analyze their digital marketing efforts to ensure they are producing desired results. They should monitor website traffic and conversion rates, review email open and click-through rates, measure social media engagement, and analyze the performance of their campaigns to determine what is working and what needs to be improved. Tracking and analyzing results can help Realtors make informed decisions about their marketing strategies and optimize them for better results.

    Conclusion

    Digital marketing offers realtors and real estate agents a wide range of opportunities to reach potential clients and boost sales. From social media platforms to websites, email campaigns, and search engine optimization, agents can leverage technology to showcase their properties and connect with potential buyers. By staying up-to-date on the latest digital marketing trends and techniques, realtors can differentiate themselves from their competition, establish a strong online presence, and ultimately close more deals.

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • Lyft Media Launches to Help Brands Engage With Travelers

    Lyft Media Launches to Help Brands Engage With Travelers

    Lyft — the popular ride-sharing service — has launched Lyft Media, a media and advertising platform.

    Lyft is one of the leading ride-sharing services and sees an opportunity to expand its own advertising business and help partner brands reach more consumers. As the pandemic wanes, people are traveling more, opening the door to increased opportunity.

    “Our vision is to build the world’s largest transportation media network, delivering value to advertisers while also elevating the platform experience for riders and drivers,” reads the company’s blog. “Over the past two years, we’ve been growing our media business and are excited to share more details about our products, new partnerships, and future plans.”

    The company’s plan revolve around four advertising channels: Lyft Halo, Lyft Tablet, Lyft Bikes, and Lyft Skins.

    Lyft Halo

    Lyft Halo consists of rooftop-mounted screens that can display digital advertising. The concept is built around Lyft’s 2019 acquisition of Halo Cars.

    Rather than generalized ads, Lyft Halo will display ads specifically tuned to the time of day and vehicle’s location, maximizing possible engagement. Brands will be able to track the performance of their ads, thanks to Lyfts attribution partners.

    Lyft Tablets

    Lyft Tablets are in-vehicle tablets that provide passengers with a way to monitor the progress of their journey, control the vehicle’s music, pay and tip the driver, and engage with partner branding.

    In the company’s pilot program, “1 in 4 engaged with the tablet during their ride, and 98% rated the experience as positive or neutral. And for drivers, tips increased by an average of 28% per ride while using the tablet in Q4 2021.”

    Lyft Bikes

    Lyft Bikes provide an easy way for customers to rent a bike rather than a traditional vehicle. Lyft is installing display panels at the bike stations, providing partners yet another way to engage with consumers.

    The company already has 3,000 stations, 45,000 bikes, and serves 36 million rides annually, providing a significant opportunity to advertisers.

    Lyft Skins

    Lyft Skins provides a way for brands to interact with consumers via the Lyft App itself. DoorDash, Starbucks, HBO Max, Marriott, and Google are just a few of the brands that have already benefited from this channel, and the company is bringing more companies and brands onboard.

    Lyft is clearly looking to capitalize on its position in the ride-sharing market to become a digital platform that provides value to consumers and brands alike.

  • 3 Digital Marketing Methods Every Business Needs

    3 Digital Marketing Methods Every Business Needs

    As a business owner in the 21st century, it’s important to take advantage of the tools and technology available when engaging with your customer base. Not only will this help you reach wider audiences and maximize your revenue,  but it will also help you to stay competitive and current.

    One of the great things about digital marketing is it can be done from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection and a laptop. Check out these options for travel laptops.

    As marketing methods such as print advertising and direct mail have begun to be phased out and a greater number of people consume content online a traditional approach alone will no longer cut it. If you are reluctant to embrace the digital age, or don’t know where to begin, this article has outlined three digital marketing strategies to help you connect with your customers and capture the attention of new ones.

    Content Marketing

    Content marketing is a type of marketing strategy that focuses on creating and sharing valuable, relevant  and consistent material in order to stimulate interest and attract and retain customers. By distributing high-quality material such as blogs, emails, videos, podcasts, articles and eBooks, a business can engage with its customer base while indirectly generating interest for its brand.

    Well-written content which is relevant and informative can reveal more to your customers about your business, its values and ethos as well as the products and services you offer. Content marketing can even help you present yourself as an authority in your field.

    Coca-Cola’s ‘Share a Coke’ campaign is a good example of content marketing that used personalization to increase customer engagement. By establishing stronger relationships with your potential customer base you can also help build brand awareness and loyalty.

    SEO

    Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process of improving your website to increase the quality and quantity of traffic to it. As a result, it will rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). As your business becomes more visible online, you will improve your chances of attracting more customers and increasing your revenue. 

    As well as more potential clicks to your webpage, SEO is also beneficial when it comes to establishing the credibility of your business, as sites that rank more highly on SERPs are considered to be of higher quality and seen as more trustworthy than those that rank lower. Strategies to boost SEO include keyword optimization, building backlinks and removal of zombie pages. 

    Email Marketing 

    By building a relationship with your email subscribers through relevant and personalized content, you have a low cost way to deliver targeted messages to an already engaged audience. This is also advantageous for gauging feedback on ways to improve your service, better meet customer needs and develop new products.

    Email marketing can also help you to nurture leads by sending personalized messages in set intervals designed to convert readers into paying customers.

    By implementing the digital marketing methods mentioned in this article you can help your business reach a wider audience while retaining and nurturing the valuable customer base you already have.

  • 5 Digital Marketing Mistakes Beginners Keep Making

    5 Digital Marketing Mistakes Beginners Keep Making

    From the local grocery shop to conglomerates – every business needs digital marketing. And the beginning is the most difficult part.

    People new to digital marketing often find themselves stunned by its size and complexity. That is why we are going to talk about the most common digital marketing mistakes beginners make.

    Let’s jump right into it!

    1.   Not using social media

    Everyone is on social media today. In the last decade, social media has become the most influential channel for digital marketing – both for new brands and for well-established ones.

    So, why do beginners fail to utilize this powerful tool?

    The short answer is that people new to social media don’t understand the power of following through. For example, brands new to Instagram start out great. They create a nice tone of voice, followed by pleasant aesthetics. They gain some traction, and boom – radio silence for days, even weeks, making the brand lose its chance to promote itself.

    The key to preventing this from happening is planning your content upfront and posting consistently.

    2.   Overlooking cybersecurity

    Since virtually everything online is automated, we often overlook things like cybersecurity.

    Now, when it comes to digital marketing, you will probably deal with a lot of different platforms at the same time. The larger your brand is, the more work needs to be done cybersecurity-wise.

    Losing access to your accounts (e.g., Instagram or WordPress) can set you back to square one.

    But, it’s not all that bad. You just need to take a proactive stance toward cybersecurity. Here’s where you can start:

    ●          Sync your accounts whenever possible.

    ●          Use 2FA (2-factor authentication).

    ●          Get a VPN to help you browse the web safely.

    ●          Triple-check the links you open to avoid phishing and other scams.

    ●          Make sure you have a clear list of people who have access to your brand’s accounts, and keep it as short as possible.

    3.  Trying too hard

    Contrary to the not-following-through concept, we have tried-too-hard as another common mistake in digital marketing. While we can’t exactly put a definition on trying too hard, we can outline what it means in terms of digital marketing.

    Brands often try to stay relevant by using memes and writing witty copy based on current events. This may sound great at first, but it leads brands (especially new ones) into risky territory. If your brand isn’t about memes and news, you should steer clear of these methods as marketing strategies.

    One more trap beginners often fall into is posting about the product/service they’re offering exclusively. If your digital presence revolves entirely around your product, you won’t provide actual value for your followers. Add a human touch to your posts, share a story, a testimonial, or some kind of interactive content.

    4.   Failing to keep track of stats

    Reaping rewards from your ad campaigns feels great. But the real power lies in documenting both failure and success.

    Most digital marketing work revolves around trial and error and the concept of A/B testing. This means you should write down the results so you can repeat what works and avoid what doesn’t.

    You will feel the full effect of well-done documentation a few years down the line, but it will certainly be worth it.

    5.   Not taking breaks

    Lastly, we need to talk about the exhaustion and fatigue that digital marketers face all the time. As you probably know, digital marketers are the modern-day jack of all traders. Trends change almost daily, new platforms emerge every year, and all this can lead to burnout faster than you can say “conversion”.

    The cure to digital burnout is time away from your laptop and work. Plan a time of the day when you can disconnect from the world. Meditate (you can find guided meditations on YouTube or on apps like Yours App), go for a walk, cook a three-course meal, or play with your pet.

    The stress that digital marketing brings is rarely sudden. It’s rather a cumulative effect of all the small things you have to do and keep track of on a daily basis.

    It’s ok to make mistakes

    Every beginning is difficult, but there’s no need to be discouraged by possible bumps along the way.

    It’s good to talk about the most frequent mistakes beginners keep making. The world of digital marketing looks intimidating as is, and it’s expected for newbies to make mistakes. Hopefully, this article will help you prevent some of them!

    Just remember to stay safe and to take breaks. Good luck!

  • Three KPIs You Should Be Using To Measure Your Digital Campaigns’ Success

    Three KPIs You Should Be Using To Measure Your Digital Campaigns’ Success

    One of the trickiest aspects of digital marketing is measuring campaign success. You want to understand your return on investment (ROI), and you don’t want to just track vanity metrics. With all that in mind, tracking the right key performance indicators (KPIs) allows you to accurately measure success

    Does your boss want you to “raise brand awareness” with your upcoming digital campaign? That’s not a very specific goal. Instead, you could choose to measure how long visitors spend on your website after clicking on your ad. Are you supposed to “sell more product”? Instead, you could choose that you want to get 500 clicks on your call-to-action button and convert 2% of those clicks into purchases. 

    As you plan your digital campaigns, ask yourself: Am I measuring outcomes in a way that’s meaningful to my company’s bottom line? Are my measurements accurate? For example, you might know that your banner ad got 75 clicks. But if you don’t know how many clicks converted or how much you spent on each click, “75” doesn’t mean much. So, consider using the following key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure your success. 

    Conversions

    The most obvious KPI is conversions. How many units did you sell? How many people signed up for your course? You can measure conversions a couple different ways. One is tracking when visitors become leads. An example would be when someone visits your website from an ad and then gives you their email address in exchange for a coupon code. You can also measure conversions from lead to customer. This, for example, is when someone from your email list purchases one of your products.

    These measurements can be tracked based on digital consumer behavior (like signing up for an email list). There are also opportunities to measure conversions from digital marketing campaigns in retail stores. For example, some grocery and drugstores use a product called Cooler Screens, which are smart screens built into the doors of the cooler sections. The screens have identity-blind sensors that track customer presence and interaction with the coolers. The ads on the screens change depending on the context (a hot day? A sale on name-brand sodas?). Using this kind of technology, digital marketers can match location, inventory, sales, and customer interaction to discover how ads impact buyer behavior. Similar technology will likely be used for many different industries in the near future, giving digital marketers even richer data. As you plan your digital campaigns, explore whether your industry offers unique placement opportunities that provide more point-of-sale conversion data.

    Conversion Rate

    It’s not enough to know how many conversions you have — you also need to know your conversion rate. This allows you to plan your digital marketing spend. 

    Here’s an example: You have $3,000 to spend on a Facebook ad, which you guesstimate will get your ad in front of about 2,100 people. Your ads typically have an 8% click rate. This particular ad leads to a landing page with a 6% conversion rate, based on your last campaign. Based on your revenue goals, you want to land 20 new customers and 10 returning customers from the ad. You do the math: 2100 ad views x .08 click rate x .06 conversion rate = 10 total customers. 

    Because this is far short of the 30 customers you need, you have a few options. You could try new creative on your landing page. You could tweak the target audiences for your ad. You could look at other past campaigns and see if you have better luck with YouTube pre-roll ads or Instagram story ads. Or, you could adjust your budget. 

    Because you understand conversion rate, you’re able to design a successful campaign based on what’s important to your bottom line. 

    Cost Per Customer

    Cost per customer is a vital measurement of digital marketing success. In the previous example, you adjusted your campaign based on conversion rates. Now, you want to look at how much each customer cost you. If you went with your original plan of spending $3000 and getting 10 customers, that means you’re spending $100 per customer. That might make sense if you’re selling a car or a college education, but not if you’re selling a $40 pair of sunglasses. 

    It’s important to have solid benchmarks to go with your cost per customer data. This allows you to discern whether you’re targeting people who would have bought your product anyway. Going back to the retail digital screens example, you can run A/B tests between stores. This can tell you if your ad makes a difference in sales. Or, if you’re running a seven-day banner ad, you can compare sales with the same seven days the previous year. That way, you have more context about the specific impact of your digital marketing.

    Other KPIs Can Also Help Reach Your Goals

    The KPIs listed above are generally considered lagging indicators, meaning they show how your campaign did. You can use them to guide your next campaign or make adjustments mid-campaign. Leading indicators (such as followers on social media) are used more for predicting the trajectory of a campaign or business goal. 

    There are many more KPIs and marketing performance metrics you could be tracking, but these three are a good starting point. Once you’ve run a campaign tracking these KPIs, you can make adjustments to design even better digital campaigns, each time around. 

  • Microsoft Advertising Can Now Import Facebook Ads

    Microsoft Advertising Can Now Import Facebook Ads

    Microsoft has announced its Advertising platform can now import Facebook Ads.

    Many companies live or die by their online advertising. Especially in the wake of the pandemic, many small businesses have increasingly shifted to online sales, making their advertising more important than ever.

    For companies looking to expand their advertising reach, recreating a successful campaign on another platform can be a time-consuming proposition. Microsoft is hoping to make it easier, releasing Facebook Import to help companies import their Facebook ad campaigns into the Microsoft Audience Network.

    Are you new to audience campaigns, or looking to expand your existing presence on the Microsoft Audience Network? Using Facebook Import, it’s now easier than ever to get audience campaigns up and running by importing from Facebook Ads. Now rolling out to all advertisers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany, this new feature is designed to save you time and maximize ROI by seamlessly bringing over your campaigns from the Facebook Audience Network into the Microsoft Audience Network. Facebook Import can be used as a standalone tool, as well as a powerful complement to any existing Google Import strategy.

    The new feature can be accessed via the Import menu in the Microsoft Advertising dashboard.

  • How Digital Marketing is Changing

    How Digital Marketing is Changing

    It’s no secret that marketing has changed considerably in recent years.

    All types of businesses — from brick-and-mortar stores to large tech companies — have begun using digital marketing to promote their products and services, get their ads seen, and make sure their website lands higher on search engine results pages.

    In the relatively brief amount of time since digital marketing became the norm, things have changed at a dizzying pace. Recent developments have demonstrated that digital marketing numbers are not what companies once thought they were. Nowadays, it’s clear that digital marketers need to go further than cultivating a large number of clicks, many of which may or not be from real people.

    Listed below are the top marketing trends your business needs to consider.

    Ad Clicks, Marketing Fraud, and the Bottom Line

    In the past few years, there have been some high-profile lawsuits related to marketing fraud. For example, Uber won a case against Austin-based marketers Phunware for fraudulent advertisements.

    As it turns out, even some of the largest and most respected marketing companies have been pointing to clicks as “proof” of business growth and revenue. And yet, companies such as Airbnb have discovered that they don’t lose all that much when they stop paying marketers for advertisements. Business owners everywhere are realizing that they need to pay closer attention to whether paid ads are actually making any difference to the bottom line.

    Choosing SEO-Friendly Content Instead of Paid Ads

    Digital marketing services should go far beyond placing online ads. Producing relevant content that is optimized for search engines will help your business website land on Google or other search engine results pages.

    Website copy optimized for SEO makes a huge difference to a company’s level of exposure. Working with competent SEO professionals should lead to more people visiting your site. People rarely click ads, but they do tend to click through on Google searches. If you incorporate the right keywords and frequently post blogs and web pages that are properly optimized, SEO content could do a lot more for your business than paid advertisements.

    Finding the Right Demographic

    Just because your marketing company offers your business an expanded reach doesn’t mean that the right people are seeing your advertisements. Companies are starting to realize that their digital marketing needs to reach the right people.

    Marketing expenses need to be quantifiable. Large numbers of engagements, as it turns out, don’t mean much. It simply isn’t enough to switch over from traditional marketing to digital marketing. Today, it’s imperative you make sure that your advertisements, website copy, and other methods of marketing are actually making a difference to your revenue.

    An Increasing Trend Away From Outsourcing

    In the recent past, marketing has traditionally been outsourced to agencies that provide the service for you. Nowadays, however, a lot of businesses are choosing to retain a greater degree of control and reduce expenses by keeping their marketing and advertising in-house.

    New professional-level digital tools are being released every day. There are fewer and fewer reasons to pay someone else to do your marketing. This is especially true for a large tech business with plenty of data at its disposal. If your company is doing well, you might want to think about starting an in-house marketing division. Putting more resources into marketing your own business will actually save you some money in the long run.

    An Ever-Increasing Emphasis on Social Media

    Marketing must include social media, now more than ever. While few companies are seeing significant returns on their social media efforts, there is so much potential in utilizing social channels. You can use a variety of methods to improve your social media presence. Share posts, reply to comments, and make use of the analytics available on each social media site.

    Track the number of shares and reposts from leads and influencers. Track the number of engagements. With social media, you can even do research into your target demographics. You can easily find out where they are and how you can best sell your product or service to them. Since a lot of this can be done on-site, be careful to avoid paying someone else too much to do what you could do yourself.

    Greater Access = Greater Opportunity

    Marketing has changed immensely in the age of the internet and it continues to evolve. No longer is it sufficient for your company to make a transition to digital marketing. The numbers provided by many of these companies don’t represent growth for your business.

    The number of clicks per ad, as well as engagements with ads, social media posts, and website pages need to be quantified and turned into real revenue, not merely collected and treasured as theoretical vanity numbers. Pay attention to sales conversions. Do your best to cut down on the costs of marketing while doing your best to market your business in the best way possible. These efforts in tandem will lead to the growth of your company.

  • EU Investigating Google’s Ad Business

    EU Investigating Google’s Ad Business

    On the heels of reports the EU was preparing to investigate Google’s ad business, the EU Commission has opened a formal investigation.

    Google has been facing investigations, antitrust inquiries and lawsuits with increasing frequency. The company recently settled with the French Competition Authority over how it operates its ad platform, and committed to making significant changes.

    The EU is now opening an even broader investigation, aimed at determining whether Google has used its position to favor its own ad tech services over competitors.

    “Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetise their online services,” Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said. “Google collects data to be used for targeted advertising purposes, it sells advertising space and also acts as an online advertising intermediary. So Google is present at almost all levels of the supply chain for online display advertising. We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack. A level playing field is of the essence for everyone in the supply chain. Fair competition is important – both for advertisers to reach consumers on publishers’ sites and for publishers to sell their space to advertisers, to generate revenues and funding for content. We will also be looking at Google’s policies on user tracking to make sure they are in line with fair competition.“

    The EU’s investigation could be one of the biggest challenges the company faces, and could have profound repercussions for how it conducts its ad business. The fact that Google recently settled the French investigation, and did not dispute the facts of the case, may make it harder for the company to get ahead of the EU’s investigation.

  • Target CEO Says Digital Performance Up 50%

    Target CEO Says Digital Performance Up 50%

    “Our digital performance was up 50 percent,” says Target CEO Brian Cornell. “As we gain greater clarity around the consumer, the economy, the state of the vaccine, we feel that the consumer continues to respond to our in-store experience and the ease and convenience of shopping with some of our same-day services like pickup, drive-up, and ship. Same-day fulfillment services now represent over half of our digital channel.”

    Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, discusses their massive Q1 results in an interview on CNBC:

    Digital Performance Up 50 Percent

    We’ve had a string of really solid results going back to 2017 but this quarter may be one of the highlights. Our team executed throughout the quarter. We had a great performance from our store teams with a store comp of 18%. Our digital performance was up 50%. It was really a team effort. We had great supply chain support with our merchants and marketers all coming together to support the results which speak for themselves.

    We are benefitting from investments we’ve been making for years now. Our investment in our store experience, our curated Home Brand and national brand mix, and then the fulfillment services that we offer. That combined with the investment in our team, I think we are seeing continued strength. We feel really good sitting here right now about our outlook, not just for the second quarter but for the full year.

    We’ve Connected With The Consumer

    As we gain greater clarity around the consumer, the economy, the state of the vaccine, we feel that the consumer continues to respond to our in-store experience and the ease and convenience of shopping with some of our same-day services like pickup, drive-up, and ship. They really connect with our curation of Great Home Brand, national brands, and the service our team provides each and every day.

    We are feeling very confident about our position today. I look at the proof point from Q1, we picked up another billion dollars in market share on top of the $9 billion of share last year. That’s just a sign that we’ve connected with the consumer, we’re building relevance, and we’re providing what they need and what they want throughout the year.

    Newness Is A Huge Trend In Our Business

    When you see the combination of stores comping up at 18%, which to me is just a highlight number, and categories like apparel growing again by over 60%, that combination of store traffic and category mix really benefited us throughout the quarter. We are seeing a resilient consumer. They’re clearly shopping our stores and when they’re there they are attracted to anything that’s new.

    Newness has certainly been a trend throughout our business in the first quarter and I think that’s going to continue. That great combination of store traffic and store comps and the continued movement of same-day fulfillment services which now represent over half of our digital channel. We really like that transaction. It looks and feels more like a store transaction which from a profitability standpoint certainly is beneficial for us.

    Target CEO Brian Cornell Says Digital Performance Up 50%
  • GroupM: Stimulus Money Will Help US Ad Industry Grow 15% in 2021

    GroupM: Stimulus Money Will Help US Ad Industry Grow 15% in 2021

    GroupM has revised its outlook on the US ad industry, expecting it to grow 15% in 2021, thanks in large part to stimulus spending.

    2020 was a difficult year for advertisers, as the global pandemic impacted all sectors of the economy. GroupM had previously predicted a 12% growth in the industry in 2021.

    The company is now predicting a 15% increase, thanks to increased spending as a result of the latest stimulus package. Even more significantly, this represents a 6% increase over 2019 levels, indicating the industry will fully rebound from the pandemic in 2021.

    Our upgrade of expectations is primarily a reflection of the healthier-than-expected recovery of the economy from the depths of the pandemic paired with the significant impact of fiscal stimulus the federal government is providing to consumers. Digital advertising is the primary beneficiary of trends impacting the economy, both because new small businesses are forming at a record pace (even if collectively they may be losing share of activity within the economy) and because large businesses are increasingly focused on e-commerce, with spending shifts to digital media generally aligning with this trend.

    GroupM originally factored the vaccine rollout into its projections, but the Georgia Senate races made the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 a reality, adding to the recovery.

    GroupM’s report is welcome news for the advertising industry, and the economy at large.

  • Kroger CEO: Customers That Engage Digitally Spend Twice As Much

    Kroger CEO: Customers That Engage Digitally Spend Twice As Much

    “Customers that engage with us from a digital standpoint also continue to enjoy coming into the store,” says Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen. “They also spend about twice as much with us. When you look at those things together I really feel optimistic about the future. We’re continuing to make progress on the things that matter on a seamless experience… digital, fresh, and friendly.”

    Rodney McMullen, CEO of Kroger, says that customers who engage digitally come in more often and spend twice as much on average as non-digital customers:

    Seamless Experience of Digital, Fresh, and Friendly

    Every day our associates are taking care of our customers. We’re continuing to make progress on the things that matter on a seamless experience… digital, fresh, and friendly. When you look at the things behind the numbers continuing strong trends. If you look at the things that we’re doing it sets us up well for the fourth quarter and sets us to continue to gain share in 2021 as well.

    One of the things that our customers are telling us is they’ve learned how to cook, they enjoy cooking, and they enjoy the time together as a family. Also, I think the economy continually will continue to be a little bit soft which will cause people to eat at home more as well. Both of those things will continue to provide support (for increased sales).

    Customers That Engage Digitally Spend Twice As Much

    Obviously, we’re anxious for the vaccine to get here and to get widespread use of it just like everyone else is. We were making great progress in gaining share even before COVID 19 started and we expect once things get back to normal we’ll be able to continue to gain share as well. We can’t wait until a vaccine gets out there and it gets widespread usage.

    I really believe our teams will continue to take care of our customers and the seamless experience will tie it all together. What we find are customers that engage with us from a digital standpoint also continue to enjoy coming into the store. They also spend about twice as much with us. When you look at those things together I really feel optimistic about the future.

    Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen: Customers That Engage Digitally Spend Twice As Much
  • Facebook Tests Search Ads for Businesses in North America

    Facebook Tests Search Ads for Businesses in North America

    Facebook will once again try to channel some of Google’s search success with its new and improved Search Ad feature. However, the ads will only be seen by users in North America.

    The new Search Ads will work the same way as conventional search engines. The user will type what they are looking for in the search bar and the platform will show the results. And similar to Google, the promoted results will be at the top of the list.

    Facebook’s product manager, Zoheb Hajiyani revealed that this new feature is just a trial run, and only a select number of eCommerce, retail, and automotive companies in Canada and the US have access to it. He also explained that they are only conducting “a small test to place ads in Facebook search results.” The company will then assess the value of these ads before deciding whether it will be beneficial to expand it.

    The new Search ads will be composed of a headline, an image, copy, and a link to external websites. While the format is more complicated than Google’s text ads, Hajiyani admitted that they’re still improving the feature’s design.

    Facebook also hasn’t commented on whether the search triggers are based on phrases or branded or non-branded keywords. But the company will reportedly tag the ads with a “Sponsored” label. It will also provide users with the same controls and transparency settings that will determine what ads they will see.

    Users won’t be able to opt out of these ads though. While they can “hide” ads they don’t want to see, much like how it’s done with News Feed advertisements, it won’t stop different ads from appearing on their wall later.

    This is not Facebook’s first foray into monetizing the search feature. It previously launched a “sponsored results” feature in 2012 but shut down the project the following year when it was discovered that many advertisers were taking advantage of loopholes in the system.

    If account holders take a shine to the new Search Ads, it could lead to a new and significant revenue stream for the company. It will also pit Facebook directly against Google’s paid-search ads.

    At the moment, Facebook needs something to energize its growth. Most of the company’s profit comes from ads. Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild saw its profits peak at 59 percent in the third quarter of 2016 and 49 percent in 2017. However, this year’s revenue only grew by 33 percent.

    [Featured image via Pixabay]

  • Snapchat’s Story Sharing Has Stopped Growing, Leaked Metrics Reveal Scope of the Problem

    Snapchat’s Story Sharing Has Stopped Growing, Leaked Metrics Reveal Scope of the Problem

    It appears that Snapchat users are not really snapping up on the cool features recently introduced on the messaging app. Leaked data point out that subscribers are not enthusiastically making use of some of its features like the Snap Map and Discover section. What’s even more troubling is that based on the leaked metrics, the messaging app’s Stories feature seems to be heading towards zero growth territory.

    Image result for daily beast snapchat decline

    The mobile messaging business is an intensely competitive segment where players need to fight tooth and nail in order to survive. Even the popular photo and video-focused messaging platform Snapchat is feeling the heat and has introduced what it thought to be cool new features last year as a way to boost usage and lure in new users.

    Snap Maps Usage Declining

    However, it seems that those added features did not do what they were supposed to. For instance, daily users of Snap Maps, the feature which lets you share your location, has been steadily declining since it launched.

    Image result for daily beast snapchat decline

    [Graphic via DailyBeast.com]

    When it launched in June of 2017, Snap Maps posted a substantial number of daily users which were tallied to be more than 30 million. According to leaked company figures, however, the daily number of users by September was significantly lower at only 19 million, around 11 percent of Snapchat’s 178 million daily users.

    Snapchat Discover Usage is Also in Decline

    Meanwhile, the figure for Snapchat Discover section is not very encouraging either. In fact, its decline in usage should probably cause a lot of worry among publishers.

    Launched back in 2015, the Discover section is Snapchat’s content hub where big news organizations such as BuzzFeed, Daily Mail, The New York Times and Vogue provide magazine-style content specifically formatted for the platform. In return, these publishers hope to tap a significant portion of Snapchat’s more than 178 million users.

    Image result for daily beast snapchat decline

    [Graphic via DailyBeast.com]

    The figure, however, is less than hopeful. In fact, the Edition section only peaked at 38 million daily users last July, a minuscule 21% of an overall number of users. Eventually, it settled to around 34 million users or 19% of the total user base. The leaked data contained statistic during the period of April to mid-September of 2017.

    Stories Growth Nearing Zero

    Meanwhile, figures for another Snapchat feature Stories is very disheartening. Back in the second quarter of 2016, the feature enjoyed a higher usage rate with 17.2 percent of Snapchat subscribers using feature daily.

    In the leaked data, however, only 2.9 percent still use the feature. Well, it is possible that rival Instagram’s own Stories feature, which was launched later, might have stolen its thunder. Nevertheless, there is no escaping from the figures; Snapchat Stories is facing a dead end.

    Messaging Function Develops Core, Loyal Users

    But despite those negative figures, there is one aspect that could be good news for Snapchat. According to the leak data, users are 64 percent more likely to send a snap to friends that to post stories.

    In fact, daily Snaps view rose from 3.9 to 4.6 billion during the period, which translates to an outstanding 17.9 percent growth during the period. This is surprising since user growth was in a steady state of decline during the same period.

    Image result for daily beast snapchat decline

    [Graphic via DailyBeast.com]

    Despite declining user growth, users on average sent 34 messages daily. What this suggests is that the messaging app has finally succeeded in developing a loyal group of core users.

    Does this mean that the Stories feature could be on its way out? At the moment, Snapchat declined to comment on the leaked data.

    [Featured image via Snapchat]

  • How Much Should You Pay a Social Media Influencer to Promote Your Brand?

    How Much Should You Pay a Social Media Influencer to Promote Your Brand?

    Some companies and marketers might still be wary about working with social media influencers, but there’s no denying it’s one of the most powerful marketing tactics today.

    The power of influence marketing stems from consumers’ eroding trust in brands. These days, the majority believe and rely on word-of-mouth reviews and recommendations. One Nielsen study revealed that this type of recommendation surpasses other types of advertising. As a matter of fact, 83% of Americans were found to trust endorsements from people they know while 66% believe in the opinions that fellow consumers posted online.

    Image result for social media influencer trust

    Graphic via Smart Insights

    One of the main hurdles companies face when they decide to go with an influencer marketing campaign is how much to pay an influencer. Hiring the services of an influencer can range from several hundred dollars to millions. Plus, there are other factors to consider, like exclusivity, rate of engagement, and number of followers.

    While there’s no rigid pricing structure behind influencer payments, there are some basic guidelines that companies can refer to.

    Types of Influencers

    There are several types of social media influencers, and their reputation and influence play a major role in how much they’re worth. Based on the numbers, there are five tiers or levels of social media influencers.

    The first tier, or the icon tier, is typically composed of big name celebrities like pop singer Katy Perry or soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. These influencers usually have 5 million or more followers.

    The next tier, the trailblazers, are populated by well-known people like chef Guy Fieri and motivational speaker Tony Robbins. Their followers likely range from 2 to 2.8 million.

    The next three tiers are dubbed the Influencer (800K+ followers), the Micro Influencer (221K+ followers, and the Super Micro Influencer (50K+ followers).

    Surprisingly, it would appear that celebrity endorsers are not always the best choice when it comes to influencer marketing. Despite their status and their millions of followers, posts shared by tier 1 influencers actually had less organic engagement. That means their followers were not as active to like, share, or comment on their posts.

    Meanwhile, tier 2 and tier 3 influencers are shown to be more popular on social media and provide the highest rate of engagement. About 28% of people who see content from a Trailblazer will comment, like, or share the post, while tier 5, or super-micro influencers, have an engagement rate of only 10.25%.

    Ballpark Figures Based on Platform

    How much a social media influencer charges per post depends on several factors like number of views and impression and whether a post includes a product image or video. However, two key factors that also affect cost are the influencer’s average number of followers and the platform they will be using.

    Image result for blog icon 200x200Bloggers: For bloggers, their rates would depend on the site traffic and the monthly impressions the blog gets. For instance:

    • 10,000 to 50,000 monthly impressions: $175 to $250 per post
    • 50,000 to 100,000 monthly impressions: $250 to $500 per post

    The price goes up as the monthly impressions get higher. A blogger can charge as high as $1,000 to $5,000 per post if they can hit over 500,000 monthly impressions.

    Image result for instagram 200x200Instagram: Influencers using this platform usually charge based on the number of followers.

    • Less than 10,000 followers: $93 to $137 per post
    • 10,000 to 50,000 followers: $133 to $185 per post

    Some social media agencies typical starting rate for Instagram influencers is $1,000 per 100,000 followers. The rate is then adjusted based on factors like the client’s budget, length of campaign, and engagement rate. Companies should also expect to pay more if they’re working with a talent agency instead of dealing directly with an influencer.

    Image result for snapchat 250x250Snapchat: Rates here would depend on the amount of views the post accumulates during its 24-hour lifespan. Companies that use Snapchat campaigns the following rates:

    • 1,000 to 5,000 views: $500 per campaign
    • 5,000 to 10,000 views: $1,000 to $3,000 per campaign

    For views 50,000 and higher, the company can expect to shell out anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000.

    Related imageYouTube: Vloggers or influencers on this platform reportedly earn the highest. This is due to the content taking longer to create and demands the most technical prowess. The posts also have the highest reach, as they can be searchable permanently. Brands that are considering working with vloggers can expect the following rates:

    • 50,000 to 100,000 subscribers: $500 to $1,000 per video
    • 100,000 to 500,000 subscribers: $1,000 to $3,000 per video
    • Over 500,000 subscribers: $3,000 to $5,000 or higher per video

    Endorsement deals on YouTube also depend on several factors, like how many talking points the influencer would give or whether there’s an additional link in the video. The format, how many seconds the video will run, and the industry the clip is aimed at also affects the price.

    Social media influencers can be an important part of your marketing campaign. The right influencer can do wonders for a brand. Luckily, the rates of social media influencers are pretty flexible, so it’s possible that you don’t have to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for an influencer campaign.

    [Featured Image via robkardahian Instagram]

  • Top 5 Tools Digital Marketers Should Use for Making Video Explainers

    Top 5 Tools Digital Marketers Should Use for Making Video Explainers

    Video explainers are all the rage now, thanks to sites like Buzzfeed and Tasty.

    The format started to come into its own in 2016 and hasn’t shown any signs of stopping. As a matter of fact, all signs point to videos becoming an even more vital tool in social media marketing. This is due to how easy video creation is nowadays and the benefits it provides businesses.

    Video Explainers Simplified

    Video explainers are quite different from other marketing videos. An explainer video is short and uses attractive visuals to immediately grab the viewer’s attention. It’s informal, educational, and explains an idea in a straightforward, compelling, and engaging manner.

    Benefits of Using Video Explainers

    Explainer videos have shaped up to be effective marketing tools and provide businesses with various benefits. One such benefit is its ability to explain a business idea in as little as 90 seconds. If properly designed, the video’s call-to-action can lead the audience in the direction you want.

    Animated video explainers also target the consumer’s auditive and visual senses, making them more engaging and leaving a stronger recall on the brain. Aside from being informative, these videos are also great educational tools, thus making it easier to turn complex ideas into simple concepts.

    Companies who use explainer video also find that they can build brand awareness and trust more effortlessly. Developing characters that your target audience can relate to also create a strong connection with prospective clients. After all, people are more inclined to be interested and trusting if they empathize with a character.

    Probably the best benefit of using video explainers is that videos are mobile-friendly and highly visible. Startups and established companies alike either offer a mobile app as one of their main products or have developed one that links to their marketing strategy. And with most people on the go all day, mobile devices are the perfect place to showcase content. Utilizing video content also gives your company access to YouTube, the world’s second largest search engine.

    Top 5 Tools for Making Video Explainers

    Animoto

    Animoto is a user-friendly video creator that’s perfect for both regular people who want to create awesome family videos and marketers who need the right explainer for their business. The platform’s marketing video builder is relatively new and doesn’t really have a wide selection of templates. But the ease that one can add extra media or do a voice-over more than makes up for it. Users also have total control over how text from the videos can be optimized, as well as the creation of split screens and video collages.

    Biteable

    Those new to video making would do well to check out Biteable. The online video creator is so easy to use that even beginners will be able to create a memorable animation, infographic videos, slideshows, animated logos, presentations, and ads. Users can utilize any one of Biteable’s templates or choose from the hundreds of photos, live action videos, and different styles of animated scenes. Users can also add their own content, text, photos, and sound to make the video explainer more unique.

    Kizoa

    A movie maker and video editor in one, Kizoa is mostly used for making personal videos but has loads of features that would also help you create compelling explainers. Users can either start from scratch or take advantage of the hundreds of templates that the platform offers. There are also hundreds of animations, effects, and animated texts that can be used. The program also has ready to use GIFs, although users can also make their own with Kizoa’s GIF-creator.

    6 Tools to Help You Create Video for Your Business | Social Media Today

     

    Powtoon

    Social media marketers simply love this animated video tool. Powtoon enables companies to create professional-looking videos in minutes using its drag-and-drop design. The platform’s striking and colorful designs can be customized to fit a company’s needs.

    Renderforest

    Renderforest is another great tool for making video explainers. The animated video maker can also create logo animations and slideshows. The program is free and users can create and export any number of high-quality videos. The platform also offers hundreds of customizable templates, allowing companies to design event invitations, presentations, promotional videos, testimonials and more efficiently and swiftly.  

    [Featured image via videoexplainers.com]

  • Blockchain: How Will it Impact Digital Marketing?

    Blockchain: How Will it Impact Digital Marketing?

    The marketing industry generates billions of dollars every year. After all, every company needs ads and various marketing strategies in order to reach their target consumers.

    Forrester, a leading market research company, even said that by 2021, digital marketing costs will reach $120 billion. Unfortunately, about half of ad traffic is created by bots. It’s a decidedly dishonest practice, especially when you consider how much money companies put out just to reach prospective clients. But this practice might soon come to an end once businesses have a greater capacity to focus on specific customers.

    Related image

    Graphic via Techspot.com

    It’s a good thing then that digital marketing is very dynamic and open to change. It easily adapts to new technology and the shifting perceptions of customers. At the moment, there’s one tech advancement that has the potential to change digital marketing (and the world) like never before – the blockchain.

    What is Blockchain?

    Blockchain might seem too technical for most people to fully grasp, but it’s a fairly simple concept. The technology is essentially a public ledger that stores and distributes data. More importantly, everyone that uses blockchain can see and share all its data and by doing so, each user plays a role in keeping it updated and transparent.

    The system works by keeping data stored in a chain-like pattern and the transaction history is stored in “blocks.” Information stored in a blockchain can only be added to. It can’t be changed or copied. If someone were to attempt to change the history or hack the system, the ledger would have to be updated on all the users’ computers. Considering the number of users in a blockchain, this would be almost impossible to do, making the service very secure.

    How Will it Impact Digital Marketing?

    Blockchain is often linked to cryptocurrency. It’s decentralized nature, the freedom it offers, and heightened cybersecurity features makes it perfect storage for virtual money. However, blockchain also has a major impact on digital marketing.

    It Will Take Out the Middleman

    There’s always a middleman in digital marketing which means businesses only get half the value of what they have paid. Blockchain can do away with these intermediaries and help create better value for marketing campaigns.

    Related image            Related image

    Graphic via Linkedin.com

    With a blockchain, companies can forego the ad buy process and just target their prospective customers directly by paying them to view the ads. Businesses can use “microcurrencies” that customers can avail of once they’ve proven that they have watched the ad. The Brave browser has already started this, using their Basic Attention Token (BAT) to ensure that companies only pay for the ads that have been viewed by a real person.

    Trust is Built With Transparency

    One concern that companies have with online advertising is that it’s virtually impossible to know if the stats provided are accurate. There’s no way to check if the counted site clicks or followers are real customers, or even real people, for that matter. After all, ad companies can hire “clickers” or use bots to boost ad stats so distributors can charge higher fees.

    Blockchain will definitely have a significant impact here. Since the system is encrypted and transparent, companies can easily check if those viewing their ads are part of their target audience or not.

    Improves Accountability

    There’s nothing more disheartening than spending your hard earned cash on a counterfeit product. Blockchain can lessen the odds of this happening by improving merchants’ accountability in every step of the supply chain.

    Blockchain’s vaunted digital ledger system enables transparency that cannot be tampered with. Customers can check details like where the product came from, if it’s legit or fake, whether it’s bought from a physical store or an online action. Simply put, blockchain empowers the customer and improves their buying experience.

    There’s no question that the idea behind blockchain is a powerful one. The technology has the potential to impact cryptocurrency, digital marketing, and customer experience. The system is still in its infancy but is expected to see significant growth in the coming year.  

  • Should You Outsource Digital Marketing for Your Business?

    Should You Outsource Digital Marketing for Your Business?

    For most companies, digital marketing is essential to growing and retaining their customer base. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses are in the dark when it comes to implementing and managing this type of marketing strategy. As a matter of fact, an informal poll conducted by Smart Insights revealed that half of the businesses that use digital marketing don’t have a working marketing plan to go on.

    But before you hash out the details on when and where to launch your digital campaigns, you’ll first need to figure out who will get the job done for you. There are two approaches to tackling this problem: go in-house or outsource.

    The Case for In-House Digital Marketing

    A lot of companies take advantage of the abundant resources, current online technology and available information on strategies and techniques to manage an in-house digital marketing group. After all, there are several advantages to going this route, most important of which is saving money. Hiring a third-party marketing agency can be relatively expensive considering you’ll need to cover their costs as well as their “markups”. Another advantage would be having a dedicated team who knows the company’s specific goals and are working on a documented digital marketing plan. 

    However, one major problem that an in-house team often encounters is the steep learning curve employees without the relevant skill set face. More often than not, this would cause a slower ramp-up time for marketing campaigns. It’s also a sad fact that more than half of in-house digital marketers are ineffective because they learned about the system on-the-job, and did not undergo any official training.

    Choosing to Outsource Digital Marketing

    Outsourcing your digital marketing needs can be very beneficial, particularly if this task is not your forte. Tapping the services of a digital marketing group can give you several advantages, like having a team of experts readily available. This means that you won’t have to worry about a marketer going on a vacation or taking a sick leave. Your marketing needs will always come first, regardless of whether there’s a holiday or not.

    One big advantage of using a digital marketing agency is the insight it can give your business. Employers are often so consumed by the day-to-day running of the company that they don’t have time to understand the business more deeply, like studying what brings prospective clients to the site or how to optimize the company’s online presence. An unbiased set of eyes will give you a new outlook on how to handle your marketing needs. These marketing experts are also likely to be more up-to-date on the latest techniques and strategies being utilized in digital marketing circles.

    Perhaps the most important benefit outsourcing your digital needs give is that you get to focus on what’s crucial to your company. Businesses who opt to outsource do so in order to keep the marketing process separate from the company’s core operations. By being distinct, the marketers have more freedom to develop and execute winning marketing strategies and keep up with changing business needs.

    Graphic via Quartsoft.com

    Should You Outsource Your Digital Marketing Needs?

    Before you make a decision on whether to outsource your digital marketing needs, take the time to determine what you really need in terms of marketing. You should also consider the following when you begin your search for an outside marketing agency:

    • Your Company’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Knowing what your KPIs are will help narrow down what you need help with and what the marketing agency can do for you. KPIs will influence the strategy the agency will suggest, as conversions, traffic, cost and revenue per lead are key KPIs for businesses. Which means this is the first question any reputable digital marketing company would ask. Consider it a red flag if the agency doesn’t inquire about it. Conversely, you should also ask digital marketing specialists what they think about your KPIs and how to optimize it. A good company would help you pinpoint weaknesses in your current marketing strategy and introduce new ideas and strategies to help you get the best results for your business.
    • The Digital Agency’s Track Record: Don’t take recommendations at face value. Do your due diligence and check the marketing company’s track record. Ask what types of clients they have handled before and their success record. Most agencies would have case studies and a portfolio on hand. But bear in mind that some clients do ask for non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). However, agencies that can’t provide a single client to show or refer should not be taken seriously.

    While there are other factors to consider, the bottom line is that outsourcing your digital marketing needs would depend on what you actually need. If you want to hit targets consistently and predictably then maybe an in-house team is the way to go. But if you want to focus all your energy on the core aspects of your business, then a digital marketing agency can save you time and offer more flexiblity.

  • 5 SEO Trends Digital Marketers Should Not Ignore in 2017

    5 SEO Trends Digital Marketers Should Not Ignore in 2017

    Anyone who has worked in the SEO field for a while would surely know that there is no fixed rule in the game. To consistently outperform your rival, it is necessary to master the trends as they come or be swept away into oblivion.

    For 2017, here are the top 5 trends in SEO that will give your brand more visibility online:

    Smarter AIs Could Change Algorithms

    One of the major factors that could affect SEO in 2017 is, of course, the latest advancements in artificial intelligence technology. Everyone should expect the way search engines work to change as smarter AIs join the game.

    Google users should expect changes on how the popular search engine does the work for them. In late 2016, Google RankBrain was unleashed, paving the way for the search engine to learn how people use the facility.

    The latest Hummingbird extension boasts of an algorithmic machine learning technology with the end goal of improving the search experience for users. According to Forbes, RankBrain enabled Google to learn how people use phrases in their queries and, with the information, update the search engine’s algorithm accordingly. Of course, this means that content providers must relearn things if necessary and adapt to the changing search landscape. The previous update left many webmasters grumbling when they found out that their articles hardly make it to the coveted “Top Stories” section anymore.

    The rising popularity of digital assistants, such as Siri and Cortana, is also changing the way people make searches online. This means that with the increasing use of these intelligent digital assistants, advanced forms of conversational queries will increase, opening up another segment that companies could target.

    AMP Gets Amped

    While desktop computing won’t exactly disappear, search engine use is projected to see the most growth in the mobile segment. The Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project protocol anticipates this trend and is in place to make content optimized for mobile browsing.

    Pages running on AMP get loaded on mobiles devices four times faster than regular ones. In fact, Google favors AMP content. Since last February, Google has been marking AMP sites with a lightning bolt icon and featuring them more prominently in search results.

    Going AMP would also benefit users in the long run. Pages load faster because it uses 8 times less data compared to a regular page. And of course, everyone knows that loading speed is a big factor in viewer retention.

    Branding Goes Personal

    Some industry watchers predict that personal branding is the way to go to be successful with your online campaign. Of course, that is not saying that you should do away with the corporate brand, but there are advantages when people within an organization tell their own stories. Think of personal branding as a way to complement a company’s SEO efforts and how it reaches out to its online customers.

    Nowadays, corporations have to deal with being perceived by consumers as manipulative and greedy. Therefore, engaging consumers on a personal level is seen as the solution to diffuse this consumer wariness. By providing a personal identity that corporations naturally lack, personal branding makes it easier for consumers to trust the brand.

    In addition, posting on a personal level amplifies the reach of a company. For instance, if a CEO of a company has three personal accounts on social media for this purpose, he is multiplying his corporate exposure as all of these accounts can grow their own follower base independently. In addition, these separate accounts can be used to target different segments of the market, which could result in a more customized posting that could potentially increase engagement.

    UEO Meets SEO

    Another important trend to watch out for is the rising importance of UEO in SEO. In fact, there are indications that user experience optimization (UEO) is going to become more important in SEO rankings.

    Google is now giving hints that it may give more weight to user experience in its search result. One such hint is that the search engine giant seems to favor pages that load quickly with its preference for AMP content.

    If the trend continues, the next step would be for Google to favor pages that offer a more enjoyable user experience. One metric that could come into play is the length of time a visitor stays on a page– staying a long time usually means that the visitor enjoys the content. While user experience has been an important metric in ranking pages for some time now, it looks like it’s going to become even more important in future versions of the search algorithm. The bottom line is that webmasters should post quality content in well-designed sites that most people will enjoy.

    Content Gets Denser

    Speaking of content, there is another trend that experts are predicting– the rise of denser content. According to Smart Insights, there was a time when tons of brief but “fluffy” content-wise posts sufficed, which was eventually replaced by lengthy, seemingly complicated content to rank in SEO. However, those two extremes are now being replaced by what is referred to as Dense Content.

    Simply put, Dense Content is when one offers tons of information using the smallest space possible. Of course, this presents an entirely new challenge which would definitely involve some spark of creativity and the flair for creating stunning visuals. But of course, the challenge is what makes SEO very interesting.

    [Featured Image by Pixabay]

  • How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Startup

    How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Startup

    Launching a startup is exciting for entrepreneurs, especially in this day and age where technology has made doing business easier and more efficient than ever before. Technology has opened up a ton of marketing methods that allow you to sell your products and services and build your brand. These days, a startup may be able to bypass traditional marketing tactics via print and TV but most will need to utilize a digital marketing strategy to reel in and retain customers.

    If you have noticed the term “digital marketing” being used more often recently, it’s because this is the engine that drives today’s businesses, big and small. Digital marketing uses digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, but also mobile phones and other digital mediums to reach customers. According to Google, companies that use digital marketing strategies have 2.8 times better revenue growth expectancy than those that don’t. This is because customers rely heavily on the internet when it comes to making purchasing decisions.

    With all the opportunities that exist online, startups should be asking the following questions: what are the digital marketing activities that require low investment but let you reap maximum benefits, and how can you create a digital marketing plan for your startup? Here are some useful insights to help you in creating a digital marketing strategy that will bring you closer to your goals.  

    Establish Brand & Web Presence

    Image result for brand

    In creating a digital marketing plan, it is crucial to define a category for your product or service and map out its key benefits. Ask yourself this, “who is my customer and what exactly should they buy from me?” This is a necessary step in order to structure the right look and feel for your brand, from the name, logo, URL address, and others. You can then apply it to your digital marketing strategies.

    Next is to establish your web presence. At least 80 percent of consumers use the internet to make their search for information more convenient. Create not just a functional website for your brand but also one that is accessible in multiple platforms including smartphones, tablets, and Smart devices.

    Blog, Digital PR & SEO Marketing

    Part of digital marketing is promoting brands and services through one or more forms of electronic media. This means you will need a rich blog site, a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter account at a minimum. Some businesses even create an Instagram account. These channels allow you to regularly communicate with your customers. Whatever it is you share on your profile, your followers will see, increasing brand visibility and retention.

    Blogging should also be part of your plan. Around 53% of marketers say that blog content creation is their top inbound marketing priority. Why not, when it is one of the best ways to increase traffic to your site. To further support your web presence and social media activities, you will need to plan out your digital public relation efforts, which include techniques like crowdsourcing. This will allow you to monitor your online reputation.

    Digital marketing won’t be complete without incorporating search-engine optimization (SEO) and link building strategies. The main goal is to top the rankings in the search results when a customer types in keywords associated to your business. Early-stage companies should start with the on-page optimization of their site. Combine it with a strong social media presence, an engaging company blog, and strategic keywords and you’re looking at a plan that has a high potential for success.

    Online Advertising for Greater Exposure

    Image result for your ad here

    Lastly, your digital marketing plan should include the development of an effective online advertising program. Startups can take advantage of Google AdWords since it’s cost effective, flexible, and results-oriented. It is also highly-scalable, as it allows you to measure traffic to your site. You will know in real time what is or is not working for your online business. Thus, you will be able to find immediate solutions to improve your results.

    Technological advancement has enabled more consumers to rely on handheld devices, web searches, and other online tools to make purchasing decisions. In today’s startup industry, you need to be competitive for your brand to be a hit. Get into the trend with digital marketing solutions. If you are not the strongest marketer, you can hire a professional outside of your organization.