Digital Marketing

Google Cuts Marketing Budgets by 50%, Freezes Hiring.

Key Points

• Budget cuts and hiring freezes across marketing and across Google.

• An internal document reveals Google is cutting its marketing budgets by as much as 50 % for the second half of 2020.

• The marketing budget cuts may be a way to combat reduced advertising earnings in the wake of coronavirus.

• The development comes in less than a week from where Google is scheduled to discuss Q1 2020 results on 28th April.

Google is doing what other big tech companies are or will be doing soon to mitigate the coronavirus impact – cutting marketing budgets. An email viewed by CNBC, sent to the marketing employees this week was about budget cuts and a new hiring freeze for full-time and contract employees.

The e-mail stated:

There are budget cuts and hiring freezes happening across marketing and across Google…We, along with the rest of marketing, have been asked to cut our budget by about half for H2.

In 2019, Google spent $18.46 bn which includes employee compensation. One important area that required advertising was Cloud, as it competes with Amazon and Microsoft by hiring more sales representatives.it is unclear how such areas will be affected that need wide consumer reach.

However, Google confirmed that some areas’ budgets are being cut but not every area will be impacted as it adjusts plans.

A company spokesperson said in an emailed statement to CNBC,

As we outlined last week, we are re-evaluating the pace of our investment plans for the remainder of 2020 and will focus on a select number of important marketing efforts….We continue to have a robust marketing budget, particularly in digital, in many business areas.

Sundar Pichai, CEO in his memo last week stated, 

The clear lesson from 2008 is that preparing early is key to weathering the storm and emerging in a position to continue long-term growth…We are reevaluating the pace of our investment plans for the remainder of 2020. That starts with taking a more critical look at the pace of hiring for the rest of the year.

…we continue to invest, but will be recalibrating the focus and pace of our investments in areas like data centers and machines, and non-business essential marketing and travel.

Sundar’s announcement emphasized that the company will not cut back in areas where consumers needed Google’s support for their growth and success. It will also continue with digital advertising which is in line with the stay at home audience.

Travel advertising  earnings plummets:

Recently, a search marketer who knows travel advertising well tweeted the collapse of travel-related advertising and one of the contributing factors to a negative impact on the earnings.

When nearly 10% of your business is as a performance marketing supplier to Expedia and Priceline, and they stop advertising, the knock on effects are strong: https://t.co/TKNFl3YgOs

— Martin MacDonald 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇸🇺🇸🇧🇧 (@searchmartin) April 23, 2020

Following the news, Google shares had dropped nearly 2%.

Snap’s Q1 2020 Report: Users and Revenue Increases, Ad Spend Declines

Snap Inc. the parent company of the popular social media platform Snapchat reported in its Q1 2020 earnings – strong gains in both users and revenues but a dip in advertiser spend despite the growing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

No Coronavirus Negative Impact on Earnings-Yet

The stock was up nearly 20 percent after the company reported a 44 percent (Y-o-Y) increase in its first-quarter revenue to $462 million. That was a far better performance than expected. The ad spend growth grew 58% in January and February, and fell to roughly 25% in March (when the pandemic grew rapidly), the gains from the first two months helping to end the quarter positively.

CFO Derek Andersen said during Snap’s earnings call,

“The economic environment has become challenging for many of our advertising partners.”

The company didn’t provide guidance for Q2 citing uncertainty related to the worldwide economic crisis but in an unusual step, provided revenue growth figures for the first week of April.  The advertiser mix on Snapchat contributed to the Q1 performance and continues to help in Q2. Snapchat has a few small business advertisers unlike Facebook and Instagram, however many large advertisers are ready to commit on a regular basis.

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel said in a statement,

“We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community and partners during this difficult time.” He added, “Snapchat is helping people stay close to their friends and family while they are separated physically, and I am proud of our team for overcoming the many challenges of working from home during this time while we continue to grow our business and support those who are impacted by COVID-19.”

Strong User Growth and increase in Engagement

Snapchat’s daily active user (DAV) base reached 229 million in the first quarter across all regions and on Android and iOS.This represents a 20 percent increase from last year.

Image Credit: Snapchat Earnings Slides

There is some concern over the divergence of Snapchat’s users’ growth. Snapchat added 2 million more users in North America- the most lucrative market but the majority of the growth was from the ‘Rest of the World’ category. Snapchat has witnessed significant growth in the Indian market since it revamped its Android app, a key contributor to the ‘Rest of the World’ category.

However, the key area of opportunity that Snap would prefer to boost growth in the US as it will get more 3.5x more revenue per user.

Image Credit: Snapchat Sides

Besides, the time spent on Snapchat has increased due to coronavirus. CEO Evan Spiegel reported that the average time spent in the last week of March vs. the last week of January was up more than 20%. On the other hand, markets like the U.K, France saw more than a 30% increase.

Mobile app tracker App Annie’s findings point out 54% growth in average time spent per user on Snapchat in South Korea from March1-14,2020, compared with Q4 2019. Italy marked a 36% increase and Japan was up 23%.

Image Credit: eMarketer

Additionally, this pandemic increased communication with friends and family on Snapchat, up more than 30% in the last week of march compared to the last week of January whereas in some other geographies there was an increase of more than 50%.

Games, TV, Chat, Calling are other highlighting points of group engagement.

Snapchatters watching Snap’s premium content hub ‘ Discover’ grew 35% Y-o-Y in Q1 2020 which represents the total time spent watching shows more than doubling this quarter. The company also mentioned hiring Hulu senior vice president of advertising sales Peter Naylor.

Chief business officer Jeremi Gorman said,

“As TV budgets migrate to digital, they move to places that carry the same advantages of linear, and we’ve been investing in those things for years. Peter is just the most recent investment in the strategy.”

Snap has also launched App Stories -brings its popular stories feature to the app. It also launched five new Snap games globally.  With the use of videoconferencing and live streaming to connect with friends and family, Snap has seen more than 30 times increase in the daily download of Snap camera, a desktop app that allows people to add lenses to whichever video service they use. Besides, it added more than 120 partner app integration with its Snap Kit,  and the numbers of Snapchatters using on a monthly basis is up 75% from the Q4 of 2019. 

Direct-Response advertising budgets make up half of the revenues.

Snap continues to double down on direct response advertisers especially in games, home entertainment, CPG, and eCommerce. Direct response advertising now accounts for more than half of Snap’s revenue.

Speigel noted,

“In the short-term, we’re shifting sales resources and pulling forward some investments in direct response to better serve the advertisers who are trying to reach our audience during this time. For example, we can help movie studios pivot to digital releases by supporting them with a suite of products designed to track titles over a dynamic and flexible release window. We’ve also seen many large brands doing a lot of important things to help their community and the broader world, and we’re helping these brands communicate their efforts to our audience in a thoughtful and approachable way that inspires others to make a positive impact.”

Snapchat recently worked with Universal on the promotion of the animated film ‘Trolls World Tour’ released digitally incorporating Trolls AR masks into Snap Camera add-on a feature that gained significant momentum as more people work from home. 

Snap has worked immensely hard over the past few years to build out measurement capabilities and ad products to interest the direct advertisers resulting in nearly double total ad revenues in two years.

So what has Snap done to get this?

Snap introduced conversion-optimized bidding- which allows advertisers to optimize toward their sales or app install gaols, conversion-tracking advertising pixels, and improved ad-targeting capabilities. This has attracted performance advertisers who already buy those types from other platforms.

Snap has focused on offering unique ad products like augmented reality platforms and easy self serve ad platform.

 Chief business officer Jeremi Gorman said,

“Advertisers are looking for a way to make a dollar go further. “We have efficient pricing, and we’re a great place to come to get ROAS for the audience they’re looking for.”

There is also something for Snap’s brand advertisers. The company has doubled the amount of money committed via upfronts in 2020 vs. 2019. Snap is using its creative services to help brands distribute their PSAs related to COVID-19, like the filter from Adidas encouraging people across the United Kingdom and Germany to stay at home that was viewed more than 14 million times.

Snap has a lot of potential and capacity to reach a young audience. Although things look gloomy for the remaining year of 2020, Snap appears more stable and an attractive platform for advertisers and partners. If Snap manages to expand its market appeal geographically, it will be well-positioned beyond COVID-19.

Project Agora Co-founds the New EMEA Video Advertising Platform- Union

Union, the joint venture of five leading technology providers has now launched a new video advertising platform in London for Europe, Middle East and Africa(EMEA) to help local content providers access to video ad spend from global brands who want to support local media at a time when trusted content is the need of the hour for their readers. At the same time, it enables international advertisers to activate video campaigns on the sites that really matter to their local audiences. 

Union empowers local publishers to cater to the premium inventory demand by global brands. With a total of over 300employees located in 34 cities, Union and its founding members – regional technology providers PlayAD, Project Agora, ShowHeroes, Video Intelligence and Viralize enjoy strategic relationships with thousands of local market websites across EMEA region providing video content, monetization and technology to publishers.

This strategic partnership helps Union bring a blend of pre-roll and out-stream video formats to the market for advertisers to target. This is achieved using a powerful combination of programmatic and contextual targeting to reach nearly 300 million users on relevant, brand safe and trusted publishers. Union’s publisher partners involve global brands like Marie Claire, Elle, Vanity Fair, and CNN, as well as leading local publishers such as Aller Media, Axel Springer, Stryia, Libero and Funke Media Group.

Steven Filler has been announced as Managing Director for Union and will lead the launch across EMEA focusing on London, Paris and Amsterdam agency buying hubs.

With 20+ years of experience in the digital industry, Filler has held major commercial roles across a range of leading companies including The Guardian, AOL, and upon his appointment, he said:

“The current global crisis has highlighted the continued importance of local quality media in providing the truth and guidance to readers, so that they can be informed citizens.  At the same time, advertisers demand more quality, brand safe video inventory and Union makes this possible through a single-entry point while also allowing brands to support the publishers that really matter to their local audiences.”

Odysseas Ntotsikas, founder of Project Agora, said:

“The launch of the Union is further reinforcing and expanding the reach of Project Agora’s mission to Keep the Open Web Open. Local Publishers so far unable to attract advertising budgets from international advertisers and trading desks can now see an uplift in such revenues by working with Project Agora, Union’s founding partner in Central, SE Europe and MEA. For local advertisers looking to advertise out of their home market there is now a unique opportunity to see their brand in the top local sites of every European market that people trust for their news and entertainment”.

11 Global Brands Create Epic Ads Entirely From Home During Covid-19.

Just weeks into global lockdown, advertising production has changed. It is now confined to homes with shoots canceled or postponed for the foreseeable future. Out of adversity, now comes creativity as advertisers are overcoming the hurdle of not being able to venture out with ads made remotely or entirely from home.

Video advertising isn’t stopped amidst the pandemic but is showcasing creativity in lockdown. 

We have handpicked the best ads produced remotely in the COVID- era from around the world.

1. Apple: Creativity goes on

Apple is one of the top names of all brands creating ads from home. The tech giant has captured how consumers are creative amid the COVID outbreak and are using its products for drawing pictures on the iPad, produce video content on Macbook or Facetime with near ones. The film is produced  in over two weeks starring many celebrities from their homes and ends with a line reading “Creativity Goes On.”

2. Women’s Aid: The Lockdown by Engine

Engine and Knucklehead created a campaign ‘The Lockdown’ – uses video shot during the daily excursions in London to capture the empty roads and emphasize that domestic abusers are no longer on the streets and are locked inside with their families. Women’s aid has set up a coronavirus advice page to help victims of domestic abuse.

3. IKEA: Making Home Count 

An absolute delight to watch the video advertisement and beautiful creative ad in coronavirus outbreak. Ikea Singapore released ‘Making Home Content’ –  a short ad made remotely by a team of creatives from TBWA to give thanks to those abiding the lockdown rules. It covers simple ‘joys’ like pets, cooking, and playtime with children and family, using the footage shot by the team who captured their lockdown lives.

4. Vodafone Italy: Importance of Connectivity

Vodafone Italy launched an ad campaign made remotely by the crew to demonstrate the importance of connectivity and raise funds for the Italian Red Cross during the pandemic. The ad features the strapline “Even when we can’t be close, we can be together”.

5.Honda Civic: #StayHome

The 35-second spot is the latest video ad made from home entirely for the Dubai region with Memac Ogilvy Dubai. A classic example of creative video advertising where it started like any other sheet metal commercial but with a twist. Honda uses a full-scale miniature car and the camera shots managed to trick the viewers for some time and feel like watching a real car. The ad ended on a hopeful note reading” Until we drive again” with the hashtag #Stayhome.

6.Porsche: Let it Not Tempt you

Another automobile ads made remotely is Porsche for Poland which created a film overnight with a series of graphics to encourage viewers to stay home despite the beautiful weather. It inspires Porsche owners to share photos of the parked cars on social media and comply with safety recommendations.

7.Nike: Play for the World

Next on ads made remotely is Nike’s inspiring campaign where it is paying a tribute to all the athletes who are training indoors due to quarantine. 

8. Birds Eye: So, What’s For Tea?

https://youtu.be/Fy4OULzv8QM

This creative video advertising ad was made to help families cope with the coronavirus crisis presenting life hacks like entertaining families that include coloring pages and word searches. Families can download the life hacks on the brand’s website or social media page.  

9.Ad Council: #StayHome, Save Lives

The Ad Council has joined hands with Google, the ANA, and other advertising, media, marketing trade associations, on a wide movement that pleads to the people of America to #StayHome Save Lives in order to slow the spread of coronavirus.

10. The BMW: Contactless Experience

The highly affected sector due to these unprecedented times is automotive. A unique and creative corona ad introduces the BMW India Contactless experience with a digital-purchase experience that gives the feel and benefits of a brick and mortar dealership at a click of a button and from the comfort of the home.

11. Audi: The Drive

Audi is offering a pleasant and innovative experience to house-bound Australians through the freedom of open roads. Audi Australia created a 4 hour long long-slow TV film, a masterpiece of creativity in lockdown for the viewers to experience the soothing nature of the road trip from the comfort of their home.

The creative ads in coronavirus pandemic show that it has not put a damper on the creativity of the people and will inspire audiences to StayHome, StaySafe to win over these tough times.

IAB GCC Report: Ramadan Budgets Shift Towards Performance based Ad Spends

Advertisers are changing their digital ad spend due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis affecting the businesses and the economy. The Dubai based Interactive Agency Bureau(IAB) that empowers GCC based media and marketing industries surveyed the marketing teams of nearly 30 Agencies and Clients between April 6 to  April 12, 2020, for the impact of COVID-19 on Advertising. 

Here are some  main points from the report:

The findings suggest a huge downturn with 48% of respondents expect less than 30% of budget cuts in April and 41% of respondents see a decline in ad-spending or paused post-June.

With the Holy month of Ramadan expected to begin within weeks, there are still 34% of respondents who are yet to take decisions on Ramadan budgets while 51% are unsure about the directions of second-half budgets in this unprecedented period. This suggests that the majority of marketers are in ‘wait-and-see’ mode.

The report also states that 59% of respondents are suggesting that they will significantly increase the ‘Performance-based’ ad spend. This indicates marketers are in favour of Performance media in the second half. 

Even though advertisers might be working on leaner budgets but are opportunistic to see 17% growth in Digital display in the second half. They also expect a rise in the audience and programmatic buying.

Lastly, 77% of respondents see COVID-19 will have a significant impact on the MENA advertising market than the 08/09 financial crisis.

Take a look at the pictorial images of findings and methodology from the report.

Image Credit:CampaignMe

Image Credit: CampaignMe

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Image Credit: CampaignMe

Image Credit: CampaignMe

Image Credit: CampaignMe

Image Credit: CampaignMe

Image Credit: CampaignMe

Image Credit: CampaignMe

There is a wave of optimism about the second half right now and are looking ahead of a post-pandemic world whenever it is possible. Definitely,  there is a pendulum swing in the minds of advertisers whether to decrease ad spend or pause it entirely to what we hope for a clear picture very soon.

Wait, You Don’t Have A Sales Funnel? Are You Even Serious About Marketing In 2020?

The marketing sales funnel describes how a prospective buyer will move from the awareness stage to the purchase stage and further to become a repeat loyal customer of a particular product/service. The sales funnel is also known as a revenue funnel or sales process. It is a buying process or consumer-focused marketing model that is typically divided into multiple steps, which can differ depending on the company sales model/ product/service.

 Why do we need a sales funnel?

A goal without a proper plan is but only a wish. So, it is imperative that your online business has a plan outlined termed ‘sales funnel’ to be able to convert your website visitors, to your final customers. Th

The sales funnel is a step-by-step marketing plan that aims to take a prospective customer from one stage to another until the purchase is made and further for repeat business.

 Wait, you don’t have a sales funnel? Then this is what may happen,

– No consistent, long-term success

– Even if a product sells itself, you cannot be assured the same quantum will continue.

– If you let potential customers at the top of the funnel slide away, you will miss opportunities that take a bit more nurturing.

– Without sales funnel how will you analyze the performance? How will you build a sales team? How will you ascertain the length of a sales cycle?  How will you continue to successfully sell in adverse market conditions? Are you selling with integrity?

– 80% of sales are made on the follow-up, and not the first time someone sees your offer or visits your website. How will you track them?

YES, every business can benefit from a well-thought sales funnel that is structured and strategized. So, if you are serious about marketing in 2020, you will need on!

 Identifying the stages in the Sales Funnel

Image Credits: Sam Oh

Our outlined four basic steps provide an understanding of what happens in a sales funnel and serves as a framework for the customer’s journey. It is important that you analyze your business, identify the areas for improvement at every stage, and chalk out a sales funnel to best suit the product/service.

 Step 1: Awareness

In the very first stage, marketing and branding are aimed at generating interest and building an audience through targeted marketing campaigns. This is done by creating content (video, blogging, podcasts) that addresses a customer’s pain point, or a need or a search. Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram ads are the fastest way to create awareness and reach your target audience to market your product/service. 78% of salespeople who use social media selling as a tool outsell their peers. Don’t just be seen, be visible, be heard on a mix of social media platforms!

Step 2: Lead Generation

Firstly, create a powerful landing page called the ‘squeeze page’ to solicit opt-in email addresses from prospective subscribers. Once the traffic (potential customer) begins to flow to your website, it is time to turn it into a lead magnet. A lead magnet is any type of incentive that a company offers to the potential buyer in exchange for his/her email address or any other contact information. At this stage, you want to be sure you have captured the details of the visitor who has come to your website in order to be able to communicate with him/her further. Lead magnets constitute digital, downloadable content, such as free reports, eBooks, whitepapers, how-to videos, and video courses. Giving away interesting valuable content free of cost attracts prospective customers and helps the company to build a larger customer base.

The lead magnet needs to be powerful since it is the first and lasting impression, that will influence and determine whether the lead will convert during the later stages of the funnel. Also, at this stage, the company can increase the generation of leads through blog posts, chatbots, and social media.

Generating organic SEO traffic is neither easy nor fast. If done correctly, in the long run, it will yield high quality and most targeted traffic. After all, people have come to your website for a reason. Target the reason, target the customer. Once you have tested this funnel, you can also use Google paid ads.

Step 3: Prospects

Once you are able to generate a significant number of leads, it’s time to work on converting them into customers. Studies suggest that only 2% of sales are actually closed after the first interaction, whether that is an advertisement, phone call, or webinar. Also, 20% who those who click the ‘Buy Now’ button do not complete the purchase. This means those leads are interested in your product but not totally convinced as yet to spend their money. It is the decision stage where customers may be ready to buy but considering two-three options. The key is to have active follow with such leads. Whether enticing them with a first-time offer or discount code or free shipping, special price incentive, there needs to be active and not obtrusive communication beginning with your customer at this stage. A follow-up email with a CTA (Call-To-Action) button is the most logical progression and an unobtrusive form of communication here. Testimonials, customer reviews, live demos, webinars, product comparisons, pricing pages, all add to convincing the customer who is already interested in what you are selling.

 Step 4: Sales

Once you have qualified your lead, now it is time to take action and seal the deal. At this stage in the sales funnel, the customer acts. He/she purchases your product/service and becomes your final consumer and an esteemed client. The few kinds of content to include at the action stage of the sales funnel include – Insider or customer success tips, training webinars, and follow-up email campaigns. Retargeting can also be used at this stage.

Once we have the above stages completed and a sale done, it is not the end. Loyal customer building is a continuous process. The art of upselling with a subscription service that provides clients with an improved product or service, follow up email campaigns, customer success tips, will help you to generate continual income. Additionally, after the customer has had a positive experience with your brand, they become a brand advocate by sharing those experiences through word-of-mouth marketing. Customer advocacy is your company’s customer service at its best.

Conclusion

Creating and optimizing a sales funnel is the work of digital marketing experts. Every little detail at every step in the funnel can impact conversions. So, start building on a sales funnel today.  In a competitive marketplace, if you are serious about marketing, you need to start building on a Sales Funnel now!

Rookie Mistakes To Avoid On Your First Attempt At Influencer Marketing

Who is an influencer?

An influencer is a person who holds the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her online audience. These people whether celebrities or millionaires, politicians or industrialists, tech experts or bloggers,  have an active following on social media platforms with whom they regularly interact.

What is Influencer marketing? Influencer marketing is when a company partners with an influencer/celebrity to increase its brand awareness or conversions among a specific target audience.

Why influencer marketing is gaining importance?

(Image Credits: Stevan McGrath)

In addition,

– In 2020, 7% of companies plan to invest a million dollars in influencer marketing.

– 89% of marketers believe ROI from influencer marketing is comparable or better than other marketing channels

What does Influencer marketing target?

– Lead generation

– Brand awareness

– Generate sales

Now that you are fully convinced to want to use influencer marketing; these are the important 

rookie mistakes to avoid on your first attempt at Influencer marketing:-

1. Not having a proper goal

An influencer marketing strategy needs to be well formulated. Before you conduct social media, outreach and start working with an influencer, have a clear vision of the campaign in question.

Start out with setting a scalable goal for the influencer campaign – is it to generate leads, is it to increase brand awareness or is it to improve sales. Then put in metrics to evaluate engagement, website visits, sales numbers or whatever is the goal.  Without a proper goal, you will never know what the real ROI of the influencer campaign is.

2. Selecting a quality and right-fit influencer

Different influencers attract different people. If you are a sports brand or selling health supplements, you may need an influencer who is an athlete. So, depending on your product and the audience that you want to tap in to, you will need to select the right-fit influencer.

Remember, the influencer is your company/brand face, so before you can start running your influencer marketing campaign, you need to have the right influencers. The influencer should believe in your brand/product and be able to engage his/her audience in the best way to convince them in the most effective and winning way.

3. Not wanting influencers to say it is a paid collaboration

Influencers can talk about your product or service but it is important that you check they are giving out the correct information about your product. As a company, you will prefer if an influencer sounds genuine while he is endorsing the product as if he/she is using your product /service. Of course, this may not be as easy. Most influencers are paid for their services and require to specify endorsements and sponsored content. There are legalities and rules for endorsements, to differentiate which posts are sponsored or act as an endorsement. Hiding your influencer relationship and not wanting to say it is a paid collaboration could your reputation in the long run. Today influencers are using #sponsoredpost, to show a paid collaboration.

 4. Selecting influencers basis number of followers

A million followers were becoming a trend on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. But how authentic are these numbers, how were they reached and how they will affect your target audience needs to be seen? It is important to see beyond just the number of followers and instead see how many are really active followers and how involved is your influencer in conversations with his active audience.

5. Quality over quantity

(Image Credits: Andrew Hutchinson)

Often companies select an influencer based on his/her follower count. But let that not be the only criteria. It is important that the influencer is able to engage with the audience, answer doubts or queries, and comment where necessary on behalf of the company. The success of your influencer campaign depends entirely on choosing a person who has a positive relationship with the audience, and who has higher engagement rates. The influencer should be able to engage with the audience and motivate them in the direction of attaining your company/brand goal. Choosing a micro-influencer or macro influencer entirely depends on the product/service and the influencer marketing goal. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a specialist over a generalist influencer.

6. Approaching influencers in the wrong way

The one thing to remember when you get an influencer is that you don’t own him/her. As a company, it is extremely important that you and the influencer understand and acknowledge each other’s roles and work towards the same goal. The influencer has his/her own style creativity so don’t impose upon them.  Collaborate and coordinate, try and trust, remind and remember. A successful influencer marketing strategy is a long-term relationship. Sometimes it is even suggested that once you have an influencer who promotes your business and gives the best result, use the approach the same influencer for your next campaign as they already understand your brand, and score high on reliability amongst their audience. Approach an influencer in the right manner giving them full power and authority to represent your product. 

7. Sticking to just one platform

Companies often make a mistake going with an influencer marketing campaign on their most preferred platform. Haven’t you heard, never put your eggs in one basket? Yes, influencer marketing draws from it. To achieve success run the influencer campaign, on different platforms to reach out to new and different groups of people. Also, maybe your company presence is stronger on one platform while the influencers’ strength lies in another. It’s best to try out combinations to maximize traffic through different social media accounts.

With Instagram becoming synonymous with influencer marketing, with over 1 billion users, a fast-growing network of influencers, and millions of sponsored posts each year, it does not mean you stop here.

(Image Credits: Mediakix)

Conclusion

Like every marketing strategy, influencer marketing is also based on trial and error. It is thereby important that you research the influencer background and tone of voice, what kind of products he/she endorses, is he/she promoting competitors’ products, ascertain the kind of engagement they get on their posts, check how quickly and efficiently the influencer posts responses. Ensure your influencer is not just a number game with a million followers, but can sufficiently and positively take action to reach the goals. Use actionable metrics and not just vanity metrics to continually measure the results whether they are the number of hits or page views or time spent on your website, or a number of downloads, etc resulting in leads, referrals, conversions, sales, and higher revenue. Actual sales and the average time on a page are paradigms of metrics that are truly valuable.

Advanced Lead Generation Strategies for the Real Estate Market

Launching a real estate project is only the first step. But how do you get buyers? Whether new construction or a resale, selling a unit in real estate is not the easiest task. But here we will take you through the steps which will help you decide what Advanced Lead Generation Strategies for the Real Estate Market to incorporate into the marketing strategy begin finding a potential customer.

So, what is lead generation in real estate?

Real estate lead generation is the very first step in the marketing process to stimulate interest in a real estate unit in order to find a prospective buyer and close the deal. The lead generation technique is an on-going systemized process on a continual basis that essentially creates a buzz.

The thumb rule for lead generation in real estate is, spend 20 percent of your time to generate a lead, and 80 percent of your time to convert the lead into a sale.

So, as a B2C marketer what are the best and most proven channels to drive leads to boost conversion rates in real estate? What are the advanced strategies for lead generation in real estate?

With HubSpot’s statistics saying that 54% more leads are generated by inbound tactics than by traditional paid marketing we begin by listing those first:

 1. Lead generation by website homepage

(Image Credits: Margot Whitney)

The landing of your website should have one primary purpose – get the email address of a potential buyer. Since this page is so specific it is also called a squeeze page. Keep the landing page simple and straight forward. This illustration clearly establishes firstly getting the email address and secondly directing the potential customer to the page on the website with the promised content.

2. An attractive website with inbuilt lead generation tools

Once you have a potential customer on your landing page, wouldn’t you want him/her to browse through your website? Real estate websites have to be visually appealing since customers are looking to fulfill their basic need for shelter – for a home. The real estate website must have actual site pictures, construction-in-progress images, finished products, and latest listings. The website can also include a blog page, testimonial page, social media links, etc.

– Also, the website can offer to sign up for a free ride to the construction site or free ride to an open house, etc and use that ‘Request Form’ as a tool to capture additional leads.

– Download a corporate brochure.

– Another way to generate leads is by providing free subscriptions. Free subscriptions to a community newsletter, webinar, etc.

– Webinars and seminars are used as a means to generate targeted leads by 52% of marketers. A real estate company can host a webinar and link it with their content.

– As per ReadyTalk, 30%–40% of webinar attendees become leads.

 3. Video marketing for lead generation

In the US,

– 73% of homeowners say they are more likely to list with a real estate agent who offers to create a video

– 0nly 4% of agents put their listings on YouTube.

– Videos not only attract 2-3 times as many visitors but also double the amount of time visitors spend on the website.

In addition,

– Videos are 236% more engaging than an image or written form of content.

– Facebook gets 8 billion video views on average per day.

Real estate videos may include

– A walkthrough

– Information on the amenities in the property

– Local Events where the developer/agent has participated

– Client interviews/Interviews with international architects and designers

 4. SEO to increase visibility and website visits

SEO plays a significant role in lead generation for real estate. Large real estate companies like Thapar Builder, Delhi and Panchshil Realty, Pune, have strong SEO to appear on Google’s first pages during a local search. SEO is again an ongoing process that includes elements like build links, Create Google My Business Profile, set up on-page SEO signals for near me search, manage online reviews, interact with social media users. More the traffic to your website more the lead generation.

5. Social Media

Social media may not be used directly to sell a property but it surely helps to build a relationship through involving opt-in pages, follow up emails, and retargeting

6. Retargeting the Audience

Beyond targeting your website visitor, there is an additional tool called Retargeting. Retargeting is used when a prospective buyer shows up on your landing page but acts no further. It may be a good idea to use retargeting ads for such visitors. Select a custom audience and design the ad with a specific purpose when using retargeting ads on Facebook or Google. Retargeting ads have a higher conversion rate than new customers.

7. Email Marketing

This is yet another tool for a lead generation used in the real estate industry. An informative email is valuable. Today an effective email may include

– Video in email: Research by Forrester has found that including videos in emails can boost click-through rates by 200–300%.

– CTA: An email with a CTA (i.e., call now, book your viewing today, etc.) helps to generate and nurture the lead.

8. Other traditional lead generation methods still prevalent in real estate

– Participating in community events helps to draw attention to your business, offers value to the neighborhood, and also a direct deal with a potential customer. At many community events, you can give away free gifts while requesting a potential customer while collecting his/her contact details. 

– Customer Service: If a potential customer has come to your office or construction site it is absolutely necessary that he/she is promptly provided with every detail on the project. Giving them a personalized tour of the office or site helps to build a rapport with the client.

Conclusion

Most people buy a home once in a lifetime. This means repeat sales are far in between. Thereby, each and every real estate lead is precious. These advanced lead generation strategies for the Real Estate Market will help you generate the lead, but remember to follow-up is the next step.

Digital Advertising v/s Digital Marketing: Know the Difference.

In this digital age, marketing is no more a choice but a prerequisite for businesses who are leaving no stone unturned to get their message across to the customers effectively and powerfully.

Then the question arises, in order to put forward the message in the right way to the right people, which one to go for? 

Marketing or Advertising?

Well, aren’t they both the same?  The answer is ‘No’.

There is a thin line of difference between them. This article will help you to understand it and justify the answer to the above question.

Know the basics-

Digital Advertising:

It is also called online advertising, web advertising or internet advertising

Digital advertising is defined as a form of marketing or advertising where businesses leverage internet technologies to deliver their promotional advertisements to customers.

In simple words, if you see an ad on the internet, it is called digital advertising.

There are three types of digital advertising:

1. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads: (Adwords search ads, bing ads, etc)

For example, the ads you see in search results.

                                Image Credit: Wordstream

2. Display ads : (Banners, video, mobile, pop-ups, etc)

For example, this ad by eBay is promoting its products. eBay is the biggest player in banner advertising and invests a lot of money in display advertising.

Image Credit: Bannernack

3. Social ads: (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc)

For example, A ‘suggested post’ on Facebook is a social ad.

Image Credit: Social Media Examiner

Digital Marketing:

Digital Marketing includes all the marketing efforts using the internet or digital technologies. Businesses leverage digital channels like emails, search engines, websites, social media, blog posts, logos, and everything else that is helpful in online promotion and connect with current and prospective customers.

There are six types of digital marketing:

1. Search engine optimization (SEO)
2. Social Media Marketing (SMM)
3. Content Marketing
4. Email and Mobile Marketing
5. Affiliate Marketing
6. Online advertising

The following infographic explains digital marketing in detail:

Image Credit: Smart insights

Now that we know the key processes in each segment, let’s look at the major differences –

• Digital Advertising is a part of Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing is a broader term whereas digital advertising is a part of it. This raises a question,

Is digital advertising necessary for your business?

Not really. Your business can survive without digital advertising. 

Why and How?

The definitions make it clear that digital advertising is a subset of digital marketing. When you start with a business idea, from that very moment you are involved in marketing and not advertising.

Product creation, Product Pricing, Packaging, Promotion, market segmentation, target audience are all a part of your business strategy and marketing mix.

  Image Credit: BBC UK

Digital advertising is part of the marketing mix. It comes into play when you use the internet to promote your product or service or to generate traffic. However, you can also choose from other tactics – a search engine, content management, social media, email marketing, etc to generate traffic.

It is not necessary to use digital advertising at the promotion stage to reach your target audience. 

For instance, DemandBase in one of the campaigns used white papers, infographics, Slideshare, and webinars to generate new leads. This helped the company to generate over $1 million in new revenue through content marketing resulting in 1700 new leads and connect with 125 webinar viewers.

You can run your business without digital advertising but not digital marketing. The purpose of all marketing techniques is to generate leads and generate traffic and so you can choose any tactic – SEO or PPC or both whichever helps to grow your business.

• Digital Advertising is an activity while digital marketing is a process: 

Digital marketing helps to build a strategy to market your business in the following way:

• Define your target audience,
• Ways to attract, engage, convert and retain the customers, 
• Evaluate existing and new digital channels like SEO, PPC, content marketing, etc
• Analysis and monitoring

In broader terms, digital marketing is a process that runs your entire business on the internet and it begins from the moment you start with the business idea.

       Image Credit: Abhiseo

The digital marketing process is continuous. It begins with the research phase and continues until the refining stage and the data from the refining stage is used again for the research to develop a new marketing strategy. It is a perpetual and never-ending process.

Digital advertising is an activity in the digital marketing process. It fits at Step 6: Promote- the purpose is to promote your primary digital identities (blog, website, app, product or anything else) via ads to relevant people in order to generate traffic. To do this, a digital advertiser will need inputs from a digital marketer on what to promote, who to promote, advertising budget, etc. An advertiser will accordingly create an ad to generate traffic.

• Digital advertising is tactics while digital marketing is strategic

A strategy is a long term and complex plan which involves decision-making at various levels while a tactic is a short-term plan or means to achieve the desired result. 

Digital advertising is tactical in nature as the promotion of a particular product or an offer to the target audience is momentary and short term. Subsequently, it can be easily replicated by competitors.

For instance, Facebook ads are short-lived. You might run an ad on Facebook to promote your product or an offer during Easter. Once you achieve the goal from the campaign, you will discontinue it and move on with another ad campaign or platform.

Whereas, digital marketing is strategic in nature that involves long term planning, projections, defined goals and objectives, budgets and resources to achieve the objectives.

For instance, Slack is a collaboration tool that allows teams to share files and communicate easily. They had an amazing rise at the launch with 15000 users in 2014 to over 500,000 in less than a year, and currently holds nearly one and a half millions of which are paid accounts.

Their strategy was clear from day one – focusing on the customer experience. They believe in selling solutions and not products. The company acknowledges to 8000 help desk tickets and up to 10,000 tweets every month.

This is what digital marketing plan does versus a digital advertising campaign that shows results instantly.

A digital ad campaign if fails will not impact the business overall but if digital marketing campaign fails it will affect the running of the business immensely.

• Digital advertising promotes the brand while digital marketing develops the brand image.

Digital Advertising promotes a brand, product or services. A compelling ad engages the customers, generates leads and creates brand awareness.

For instance, Typeform, a survey software company offers a freemium option with a condition that customers should include a thank-you page that includes its logo and message. It is a win-win situation that helps customers get to know the product for free and the brand gets free advertising. 

              Image Credit: ThinkIt Training Institute

Digital marketing builds a brand and brand image with a strategy in place. You plan the logo, design, taglines for your brand. You will develop a strategy on how your brand will be perceived by the target audience and what message your brand will convey to the target audience. It is a long term planning to build a robust brand image based on values and ethics that remain etched in the minds of the consumers.

• Digital Advertising is sales centred while digital marketing is audience psychology centred.

Digital marketing is not always sales-driven. The ultimate goal is to increase your ROI and sales but along with building a relationship with the target audience.

Let’s say you write a blog and publish it not only to increase traffic and revenue but build a relationship with your readers. This is what digital marketing does, it is based on audience psychology. To understand your target audience, their needs, and wants, it is essential to know audience psychology.

On the contrary, digital advertising focuses on a specific segment of the target audience that can be reached via ads. For instance, if you pay $50 for a $5 CPM slot, you are content as long as you get your 5000 impressions. In digital advertising, you are not much concerned about who sees it as long as the ad is performing and reaches out to the people.

Conclusion-

After reading this article, you may now have a clear idea about digital marketing and digital advertising. They are not the same and has an individual role to play.  Let’s have a short recap to have no doubts in mind.

15 Facebook Ad Copies For Your Next Ad Campaign! (Every Industry Could Take Some Inspiration)

As of October 2019 Survey by Hootsuite, Facebook’s potential advertising reach globally is 1.93 billion. 32% represent people over the age of 13.

                                                       Image Credit: Hootsuite

Statistics also reveal that the average user clicks 12 ads in 30 days, which shows people interaction with Facebook ads.

                                       Image Credit: Hootsuite

Facebook ads are piquing user’s interest. You will not only see visually appealing ads but also close to your interest. You will see ads of the brands or products which you might be thinking to buy or most interested in. This makes them compelling and engaging.

There is a lot of competition and only THE BEST Facebook ad examples get the 12 coveted clicks. In today’s article, we will take a look at some best Facebook ads I could find and list and examine what makes them effective. You can use them as a guide to comprehend what types of creative, copy and offers work the best to model the success of these campaigns and help to expand your customer base and generate desired returns.

15 Winning Facebook Ad examples 

1. Allbirds

                        Image Credit: Disruptive Advertising

• The animated character on the static shoe image grabs your attention.
• The testimonial in the form of a quote builds trust as people believe more in real testimonials or reviews than ad copies.
• It is eligible for returns if the gift isn’t comfortable or fit well.

2. Coschedule

          Image Credit: Social Media Examiner

• The colorful design of the ad captures the attention right from the start.
• Provides facts and data in the intro of the ad which establishes trust, targets the specific audience and provides the benefits of the product.
• The ad begins with a question, “ Ready to get organized?”- implies that they are promising a benefit to their target audience which might interest them to know more about your offer. The image of the editorial calendar explains how the product helps to achieve the promised benefits.

3. Best Buy

            Image Credit -Digital Marketer

• The best part of the ad is that it tells how you can use the product and not what product offers you.
• The video is attractive and compelling showing the unique quality of the product as well.

4.  James Allen Jewelry

         Image Credit: Disruptive Advertising

• An emotional and heart touching ad, connecting to the audience instantly.
• This video shows a man proposing to his girlfriend and imagining her showing off her ring to whoever she meets for the rest of her life.
• The joy and relief of having the ring on her hand outweigh the joy of saying yes.
• Well, in reality too an engagement ring is a very special piece of jewelry for a woman and this ad captures the emotion and moment very well.

5. FreshBooks

                         Image Credit: KlientBoost

• Straight and simple ad but with a powerful message. The start of the ad says ” FreshBooks makes online accounting easy so you can stay focused on running your business.” which defines their target audience clearly – people who spend more time on accounting than their business ie. small business owners.
• Well defined target audience, strong content, bright colors and relatable design are the USP of the ad. Research states people make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with products or people.
  

6. Shopify

                         Image Credit: Karola Karlson

• Shopify announces new product Shopify pay in this ad for its new and existing prospects.
• The image shows the product and the headline explains the benefit of the product – accelerated payment option.

7. Purple Carrot

                           Image Credit: Disruptive Advertising

• Purple Carrot is a boxed meal-kit and with the holiday season approaching they are making a broad emotional appeal which is effective in this case.
• The carousel ads of multiple meals help in conversions as it shows the various options provided by Purple Carrot. For example, if someone doesn’t like any dish, there are other options for them. Carousel ads help in building potential customers.

8. Ocean Basket Mediterrasian

• Facebook Canvas Ads recently renamed as Instant Experiences is used in this example extensively. It offers a unique visual experience to the audience.
• The upbeat music to each slide, engaging and high-quality video, and intriguing content to explain what the brand has to offer. As you keep progressing in the video, you can see more information on the final product and just in time you see a CTA in the end.
• The ad includes carousel advertising and a full spectrum of social media interface. The idea of the ad is to give the audience a glimpse of Ocean’s Basket Sushi as a feast of flavors and enticing the heart and mouth with the delicacies.

9.  The New York Times

                           Image Credit: Hubspot

• This ad by the New York Times is a classic example of photo ads. The ad with an intriguing illustration depicts the audience – millennials. The drawing is visually compelling and non-traditional that immediately draws attention. 
• If the main product to advertise is a reading article then the publisher needs to be creative with images and they should complement the written content.
• The goal of the ad is increasing the page’s likes and the call-to-action compels to read more about the article.

10. Boston Sports Club

                     Image Credit: Hubspot

• Bustle boosted a post that promotes one of its articles on Facebook. It is already posted organically on the page and paying to boost it can highly benefit the content that has mass appeal.
• Bustle’s boosted ad attracts many Bustle and Amazon followers. We are familiar with the Amazon Prime logo and color, but it’s a neon sign in the image and a high number of examples pique viewers’ interest.
• It is a brilliant ad that creates curiosity in the minds of the audience and compels them to click and learn more about the article.

11. Bustle

                                    Image Credit: Hubspot

• Bustle boosted a post that promotes one of its articles on Facebook. It is already posted organically on the page and paying to boost it can highly benefit the content that has mass appeal.
• Bustle’s boosted ad attracts many Bustle and Amazon followers. We are familiar with the Amazon Prime logo and color, but it’s a neon sign in the image and a high number of examples pique viewers’ interest.
• It is a brilliant ad that creates curiosity in the minds of the audience and compels them to click and learn more about the article.

12. GlobeIn

                             Image Credit: Design Pickle

• GlobeIn handmade crafts sourced from different regions and delivered at the doorstep. The highlighting point of the ad is the message on how the product will benefit consumers and the community.
• People support and invest in socially conscious businesses that contribute to the betterment of society. The ad capitalizes on the idea that when a customer purchases the product, it supports fair trade, ethical wages, and hardworking, labor class people.
• The ad shows the unique work of artisans and makes an emotional appeal that helps to engage the audience.

13. Hygge Bands

         Image Credit: ROI Overload

• This slideshow ad show multiple images of people wearing different Hygge bands on their runs. Slideshow ads can be a substitute for video ads if you are short on budget. 
• The ad makes good use of emoji and shows the product in use making it relevant and relatable to the audience.
• The ad has a good deal to offer ‘Buy 1, Get 3 free’ which is tempting and encourages buying behavior.
• Another highlighting factor is the lifetime warranty, PayPal payment, and quick shipping. This gives potential customers the confidence to try the product if they are not aware of the brand.

14. Grammarly

https://www.facebook.com/grammarly/videos/295947004582379/?t=0

• Simple, Subtle, heart-touching and engaging- these adjectives define the ad. Grammarly has used a fascinating story of a user and elegantly woven into the product. The story complements the product naturally.
• The goal of Grammarly is branding and they have used a  storytelling approach that has reached around 5 million people.
• Always end your ad with a CTA and here it is “Write the future”. The engagement rate of this ad was very good and as reported by AdEspress, the video-view rate increased by 33% and cost-wise they landed $0.02 video-views and a CPC of $1.87.

15. Project Repat

              Image Credit: Sprout Social

• It is not necessary to have a massive budget for your ad creative. Project Repat goal is the find interested buyers who are unaware of personalized T-shirt quilts.
• Initially, for the holiday campaign, they used lead ads to target specific groups and built a 1% lookalike audience based on emails collected from the response from lead ads. Later, they tried different formats and styles but what clicked is the ad creative featuring user-generated content that entices viewer attention and converts. 
• They retargeted the ad across social media platforms to a Custom audience from the website and another Custom audience who had engaged with its ads by viewing, clicking or liking them. 
• The result was phenomenal with 3.2x quilts sold during the holiday season.

The Essentials of a Great Facebook Ad

Although the essence behind each ad is different, the elements more or less the same. Some of the key elements are:

• Headline: Title of the Ad
• Text: It appears directly above or below the image and a viewer notices the first thing. Keep it short and concise. 
• Description: Only if needed, you should use more text in your ad to describe the product in depth.
• Media: Image or Video used in an ad which engages more audience.
• Call-to-action: An excellent way to ensure the audience takes action after viewing the ad.
• Ready for Your Next Facebook Ad Campaign? 

With various Facebook Ads examples, I hope it sheds some light and helps you determine your strategy to create an engaging Facebook campaign and connect with your audience. Hopefully, these ads gave you an idea or inspiration that you can implement in your next Ad campaign because when it comes to creativity sky is the limit.