Tag Archives: advertising

Everything You Need To Know About YouTube Advertising

Advertising No Comments
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With 2.56 billion active users worldwide, YouTube is the second largest search engine and the second most popular social media platform. The popularity of this platform lends to its success in marketing strategies. Online video advertising is a great way to reach your audience through what they are choosing to watch and encourage them to take action. According to YouTube, viewers are twice as likely to buy something they’ve seen on the platform and they are four times as likely to use YouTube to research brands, products, and services. In fact, over 70% of viewers have stated that YouTube increases their awareness of brands. When executed well through relatable content and storytelling, YouTube ads can be a great ally in your marketing.

Here’s how it works: Somewhere in the world, a creator starts a channel and starts building an audience. They decide to monetize their channel by allowing targeted ads to be placed on their videos. Advertisers set up campaigns and, if the viewers of the creator’s channel are in their target audience (determined by Google search histories), their ads are displayed with the creator’s videos. Viewers watch the creator’s videos and engage with the advertisements, allowing them to connect with content and brands relevant to their interests.

So how do you get started with YouTube ads? First things first, you need to create a YouTube channel. This will be the hub for your advertisements as well as any additional content you want to produce. Next, create video ads! The format of the advertisement will change depending on the type of ad you are using, but it’s good to have a variety of options to choose from. After you have your video(s) ready, create a campaign and set up your target audience, objective, metrics, and budget. Finally, keep track of your results and adjust accordingly. Checking your analytics and performance is important for understanding what is and is not working in your campaign, allowing you to optimize your advertisements for more reach and more results.

In terms of the ad formats themselves, there are a few different options to choose from: TrueView In-Stream Skippable, TrueView Discovery, Non-Skippable In-Stream, Bumper, and Overlay. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks, and an advertisement that works well in one format may not work for another.

TrueView In-Stream Skippable ads are the standard and most affordable option. Length can vary from as short as 12 seconds to as long as 3 minutes. They typically play at the beginning of a video (though they can appear mid- or post-video) and the viewer has the option to skip it after five seconds. Because they are skippable, you only pay for the ad if the viewer watches at least 30 seconds of a longer video, an entire short video, or if they interact with the call-to-action button. These ads include a banner ad, call-to-action overlay, headline, and call-to-action button. They can also be customized with different calls-to-action, which helps with A:B testing and optimizations.

TrueView Discovery ads (also known as in-display ads) are displayed on the YouTube homepage, with search results, or as a related video on watch pages. These link to an existing video on your YouTube channel, so there are no length restrictions. Their main purpose is to increase brand awareness and drive traffic to your channel. These ads include a video thumbnail, headline, two descriptions, and an ad tag.

Non-Skippable In-Stream ads are, as the name suggests, unable to be skipped and are played before, during, or after a video that is at least 10 minutes long. There is a 5-second countdown to the start of the ad and the advertisement itself can be up to 20 seconds long. These ads are charged on a pay-per-click basis and include a banner, call-to-action overlay, headline, and call-to-action button. They are best for brand awareness; the key is to make sure it’s valuable to the viewer since they cannot be skipped.

Like Non-Skippable In-Stream ads, Bumper ads are not able to be skipped. However, these are much shorter in length and are the shortest type available, with a maximum limit of 6 seconds. Bumper ads are played at the start of a video and include a banner, call-to-action overlay, headline, and call-to-action button. Because of their short duration, these ads are best used to promote your brand, services, or products.

The last ad format option is Overlay ads. These ads are non-intrusive, hovering at the bottom of a video while it plays. They pop up after the video starts playing and can be formatted as a text ad or an image ad. Viewers have the option to click on the ad and go to the landing page associated with it, or they can close the ad by clicking an “X” in the top right corner of the ad. These ads are charged on a pay-per-click basis and include a headline, description, and call-to-action button.

Regardless of which ad type you choose, there are best practices to follow to ensure you are making the most of your ad spend. First of all, with video advertising, videos between 15-60 seconds long are ideal, with 30 seconds having the best view-through rate. The important thing, in any case, is to hook your audience in the first 7 seconds to keep them interested in the full advertisement. Secondly, use these advertisements to increase your brand awareness and show your brand in action. Who are you? What do you do? What products or services do you offer? Why choose your brand? Answer these questions with your ads. Thirdly, include a call-to-action that directs your audience to engage with the ad. Do you want them to visit your website? Book an appointment? Request a quote? Whatever the desired action is, choose a clear and concise call-to-action and tell your audience what you want them to do. Finally, use remarketing, retargeting, and optimization strategies to continually improve your targeting, keywords, bids, and advertisements overall.

If you need help with setting up or managing your ads, or if you have any questions about advertising, reach out to us today for more information!

The Future of Immersive & Experiential Marketing: Augmented & Virtual Realities

Marketing No Comments
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Imagine this: You’re scrolling through Instagram and an advertisement from your favorite clothing company pops up. You start exploring products and decide to try on a new pair of jeans. Selecting the pair you want to try, you move into the virtual fitting room and step back to view how the jeans fit. You decide you like them and place an order. All of this without leaving the comfort of your home.

This is immersive and experiential marketing at its finest: integrating new technologies and trends to stay ahead of the marketing crowd. Digital marketing is highly competitive, so delivering consistent messaging that engages your customers is crucial! Stand out from the rest through implementing augmented and virtual realities in your marketing efforts.

Augmented reality (AR) is the use of technology to augment or enhance a person’s perception of their physical environment. This is done by overlaying a digital experience over the top of a physical one. Think Pokemon GO! If you turn on AR, then when you go to catch a Pokemon, the Pokemon will be overlaid on whatever is shown in your rear-facing camera.

Virtual reality, on the other hand, is a completely immersive digital experience. By putting on a headset, the display replaces your physical environment rather than integrating the two. This has become very popular in the video game industry, but it is also used in healthcare, construction, and more!

Using AR and VR in marketing is an emerging strategy with a plethora of benefits. Not only are you more likely to be noticed as a leading brand in the industry, you have a greater opportunity to reach a larger audience, collect demographic and preferential data on your audience, personalize your marketing message, and boost interest in your products or services. Furthermore, you will be adding value to your efforts by providing your customers with a clearer idea of what they are investing in, allowing them to accurately visualize the product before purchasing.

Both AR and VR provide unique experiences for your customers, whether it’s testing out a product before purchasing or getting to experience the behind the scenes aspects of your business – and this is what customers want! 61% of consumers prefer companies that offer AR, and 68% spend more time with the products if AR is available. Get your customers invested in the process, get quality feedback from them, and get them to come to you through these experiences. 

If you need help with your marketing strategy or have any questions about new and emerging trends, reach out to us today for more information.

Get a Head Start On Your 2023 Marketing Plan

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2023 may seem far off, but in regards to creating a yearly marketing plan, it is best to get started right away. You may have reflected on current or past campaigns that have gone live for your 2022 marketing strategy. While it is nice to celebrate current accomplishments and successful campaigns within the last year, it is in your best interest to start planning your marketing strategies and get a jumpstart for 2023. As you begin planning for a new year in relation to your marketing team, certain aspects or goals can change year over year. Setting a budget based on needs such as outsourcing vs. in-house, advertising, professional photography, video, and social media is important to figure out early. In your planning process, you may realize it could be time to reassess priorities such as increasing your social media presence, outsourcing a professional for a specific marketing niche, or refreshing your branding photography in order to elevate your brand. 

Understanding the bigger picture and your long-term business goals provides an excellent foundation for your 2023 marketing objectives. According to Hubspot, strategic and tactical planning is defined as, “lying out the long-term, broad goals that a business or individual wants to achieve… while tactical planning outlines the short-term steps and actions that should be taken to achieve the goals described in the strategic plan”. How you prioritize your strategic and tactical goals will determine how the rest of your 2022 will go, and allow you to be more prepared to meet those goals as we move into 2023. 

At this point of the year, you will want to start working on your strategic plan for 2023 and then narrow down your tactical goals to review and revise on a frequent basis. While focusing on small goals in the interim does not immediately show an impact, they feed into and support your big-picture strategic goals and can impact your organization at a high level in order to see impactful changes. Utilizing both strategic and tactical planning along with a solid marketing plan will give you the tools to be well-equipped to grow your business in 2023. 

If you need help with your marketing strategy or have any questions about planning, reach out to us today for more information.

The Increasing Popularity of Micro-Influencers

Advertising Blog Branding Marketing No Comments
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Building a strategy around micro-influencers has been increasingly popular in recent years. The entire influencer market is growing from $1.7 billion in 2016 to an expected $16.4 billion this year.

Micro-influencers are gaining popularity and allow businesses to target up-and-coming creators with smaller, more niche audiences compared to larger creators. This has a big impact on your marketing plan and how you want to focus your target audience. 

It is always exciting to land a big influencer partnership to showcase your product or service to different audiences and prove it is the best among competitors. Consider going deeper and adding micro-influencers with a few thousand followers related to your business category into your influencer marketing strategy.

If you need help with your marketing strategy or have any questions about micro-influencer marketing, reach out to us today for more information.

Advantages of Audio Streaming

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The podcast industry has grown significantly throughout the past few years. In 2022, Google reported over 2 million podcasts registered on Google. While podcasts have been gaining popularity, the market is not yet extremely saturated such as other websites like Youtube. Listed below are some of the hottest podcasting trends to look out for. 

Podcast Marketing 

Advertising during a podcast for products or brands is an important step for cutting through the noise and getting through to consumers. Shifting from radio to podcasts, consumers are actually more tolerant of advertising during podcasts. Because podcasts are so unique to each individual consumer and their interests, they understand that brand deals and sponsorships fuel the content that they enjoy. 

Live Streaming  

Live recordings are a great way to interact with your audience and boost engagement. Some ways to boost engagement through live streaming include Q&A sessions, debates, events, interviews, discussions, and many more. 

Streaming around targeted topics that audiences can react to in real-time. This is a great way to show audiences that you or your business is looking for feedback while meeting users interests. By 2027, the video streaming market size is projected to reach $184.3 billion. 

Audiobooks

Audiobooks are on the rise as you can conveniently listen to your favorite authors, and discover new favorites on the go. According to Pew Research, 1 in 5 Americans listens to audiobooks.    

Audiobooks present a great opportunity for content creators and businesses to reach a broader audience and promote up-and-coming authors.

If you need help with your audio strategy or have any questions, reach out to us today for more information.