Digital marketing – Page 2

04/May/2018

Data and analytics have often been cited as a key factor in delivering more relevant content to audiences, but that may not be the case on YouTube, where a new study by Zefr has found that more basic content targeting methods are actually better at driving engagement and favourability with viewers.

Zefr worked with Magna and IPG Media Lab for the study, which took in the responses of over 3,000 people who consume ads on Youtube through three primary methods of targeting: content, demo and channel. The results are somewhat surprising as the power of content targeting may have previously been underplayed.

Content targeting is defined as a method for placing ads alongside content at video level, which means that ads served up are generally more relevant to the content that is being viewed. In contrast, demo targeting leverages demographic signals such as age and gender to determine reach, while channel targeting merely focuses on channels that are the most popular on YouTube.

Content targeting was found to be the most effective overall as it did a better job of capturing the interest of end users. The study noted that the method was particularly good at keeping users engaged for the entire run time and cutting down on the number that skip or click away elsewhere after a few seconds. This is because the ads were more relevant.

In terms of raw statistics, content targeting for ads resulted in a 34% higher completion rate for viewers on smartphones when compared to demo targeting. It also provided much better user experiences as content targeting was also deemed to be 33% less intrusive than the other methods studied.

“Because YouTube is an intent-based platform, aligning video ads with relevant content is a key for consumer experience, without the broad strokes targeting of channels and demographics,” a Zefr representative said. A failure to align content correctly can also annoy audiences, which can have a detrimental impact on engagement and brand reputations.

“The way advertisers operate on platforms like Facebook and YouTube is under more scrutiny than ever before,” Zefr Co-Chief Executive Rich Raddon said in a statement. “We’ve long been big believers in the power of content targeting at the video level and how it can help brands effectively reach consumers without relying on audience data or violating their privacy, but this study takes our information to a whole new level.”

While analytics may not need to be the foundation for successful campaigns on YouTube, the 2018 CMO Pulse Study has found that data is crucial for connecting the success of content efforts to the wider business. More than a third said that data and analytics need to be improved to empower CMOs to deliver better return on investment.

“Today’s marketers have more data and analytics than ever before, so it would seem they should be able to tie their efforts directly to the success of the company,” Korn Ferry Global Marketing Officers Practice Managing Director Caren Fleit said. “Unfortunately, many measure the effectiveness of initiatives only in terms of marketing metrics and miss the opportunity to connect it to overall business performance as measured in terms of sales and profit, among other factors.”

Aimee

30/Apr/2018

Brands would be willing to boost their spending on online video ads and other forms of content if they could access timely and consistent reporting systems with improved transparency that gave them a complete understanding of how their campaigns are performing.

That conclusion is the major takeaway from a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council member study titled “Engage at Every Stage: An Investigation of Video Activation,” which found that one-fifth of marketers are now spending less on ads, as they are not satisfied with the transparency of metrics and insights. Seven in ten brand leaders also admit that recent negative stories and headlines about online safety and advertising metrics have had a detrimental impact on their budgets.

The study found that 95% of marketers believe that digital media platforms must finally deliver reliable advertising measurements. The fact that just 3% agree on the “viewability” standards set out by the Media Rating Council highlights the scale of the task.

The lack of transparency has been a hot topic in the industry for a while now, as social giants, such as Facebook, continue to shift the goal posts and admit to making major errors in their recording of metrics. The unhappiness also stems from the fact that even though digital marketing and advertising can potentially have a positive effect on an enterprise’s growth and revenue, unreliable metrics remain a limiting factor.

“The frustration across the marketing ecosystem is palpable, and new headlines that breach trust and showcase systemic carelessness have inflamed the issue,” CMO Council marketing vice president, Liz Miller, said. “The industry as a whole must align on transparency and reliability. If we don’t live up to these expectations, we will see more accounts up for review and more orders being pulled. That’s not to say all is lost; there is still excitement about the next evolution in digital engagement, especially through online video content.”

Marketers are eager to glean more from their content investments and want the industry to deliver total transparency for reporting metrics, such as engagement, viewers and traffic. Almost half also want real-time access to intelligence, analytics and customer data, while a similar number want to know exactly how much they must spend to achieve specific performance outcomes.

ViralGains CEO Tod Loofbourrow added: “This research indicates that the timing is right for a massive revolution in digital video. Marketers can’t continue to judge success through superficial metrics like impressions when they are increasingly held accountable for driving meaningful, bottom-line results. Unfortunately, current industry solutions and standards are failing to facilitate this change on a number of levels—from antiquated definitions and measurements to massive breaches of data privacy.”

While there are growing concerns about transparency, 95% of the 233 senior marketing leaders surveyed said they would increase their investments in online video advertising in 2018, with a quarter planning to boost budgets by up to 25%. Loofbourrow concluded by saying that advanced technology and high-quality storytelling would enable marketers to generate the insights they need to drive more related messaging and improved results in the long term.

Aimee

23/Oct/2017

Last week saw the release of many digital marketing statistical studies. Here we provide a summary of the most important.

Advertising spending increases across all major social media channels

4C Insights has released data that shows advertising spending on Snapchat increased by 73% in the third quarter of 2017 and on Instagram by 55%. There was an increase in advertising expenditures on all social media channels, with an average quarterly increase of 31% on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest and Instagram.

More speciality retailers offer loyalty programs than brands

Astound Commerce reported that 60% of speciality retailers offered loyalty programs to their customers compared to 22% of global brands. Also, the survey noted that 75% of speciality retailers had a mobile app, while less than 25% of global brands offer one to their customers.

Majority of UK consumers plan to purchase Christmas gifts online

According to a survey by Salesforce, 56% of UK consumers expect to conduct more than half of their holiday shopping online. Frustration with experiences while shopping at brick-and-mortar retailers appeared to be the main reason for this finding. Due to the efforts of online retailers to provide content that is effective in informing consumers, 56% of those surveyed said they knew more about products they wished to buy than store employees.

Marketers worried about the impact of GDPR compliance

Research conducted by DMA found that 15% of business still have not developed a compliance plan for the GDPR that will take effect in May 2018. In addition, 65% of the respondents thought the GDPR would hinder their marketing efforts, with 45% saying they would be “very affected” and 22% saying they would be “extremely affected”.

Almost all UK consumers think marketing personalisation is inaccurate

A study by Sitecore and Vanson Bourne has reported that 98% of consumers in the UK believe that brands do not deliver personalised experiences that are relevant, and 66% think that brands are utilising outdated personal information in their marketing efforts. In addition, 42% of the brands surveyed said they didn’t have the capabilities to integrate the personal data they collect into their marketing efforts.

Residents of developed countries more suspicious of global brands

A survey of 70,000 people in 56 countries by Kantar TNS revealed that customers in the US and the UK are growing more suspicious of global brands. Over half of consumers in Nigeria and China said they trusted brands, while less than 25% of consumers in developed countries held the same sentiment.

Advertising spending on video ads overtakes spending on banner ads

The Internet Advertising Bureau UK has issued a report stating that in the first six months of 2017, advertising spending on video ads exceeded expenditure on banner ads. Total spending on digital advertising increased by 13.8% during the first half of 2017 to £5.56bn as compared to the same period last year. However, expenditures on online video ads increased by 46% to £699m, compared to a 2% increase in banner ads to £685m.

Consumers believe global brands should work to eliminate gender stereotypes

A survey by Choozle revealed that most consumers believe that brands have the responsibility to shatter gender stereotypes, with 37% saying that brands should not use them at all. Also, 36% of survey respondents said that they had a higher opinion of brands when they broke stereotypes, and 25% said they were more likely to make purchases from those businesses.

Aimee

02/May/2017

Building a new business can be a stressful undertaking, with owners struggling to get their brand heard in a marketplace that is all too often already very crowded. Without any brand equity, new companies have to do more to ensure their brand is seen at least as equal, if not more desirable than other options. Content marketing, therefore, should be a core focus area.

Gain credibility

It’s fair to say that many online audiences are becoming increasingly cynical, so it’s never been more important to establish brand credibility from the very beginning. Smart content marketing strategists can use campaigns to gain trust and credibility from readers by offering value in every piece of material published.

Create traffic

Start-up businesses are fighting obscurity, and it’s essential to let target audiences hear about new brands. However, whilst advertising is one way to do this, it can be expensive. Another tactic is to turn to search engines. Landing a website page or article in one of Google or Bing’s top results can help create a sustainable source of web traffic.

Content marketing is one of the best ways to support this endeavour. Through web and blog content, strategists can focus on long-tail keywords often used by target audiences. Over time, rankings will rise, leading to increased long-term exposure.

Contact list increases

Marketers understand that a single message rarely converts people into paying customers. Instead, it takes a stream of positive brand exposure. Initially, content marketers should look to create material that leaves audiences wanting more. People can then be prompted to sign up for newsletters to access gated content, which will likely result in an increase in leads.

Value proposition is explained

Content marketing also allows new firms to clearly set out their values from the very start. This is especially important if products and services cannot be explained in a single sentence. Instead of using promotional methods to introduce ideas and values, these can be conveyed via videos, whitepapers, blog posts and infographics.

Create the foundations for future digital marketing

Ultimately, a new business’s initial content efforts will help create the foundations for all digital marketing to come. Producing content should serve to create a backbone for a more fully fleshed out digital strategy. Core content principles can be used across strategies, including those for email marketing, social media and websites. Even better, with a little careful adapting, the same materials can be shared across multiple platforms.

Content marketing is extremely cost effective. For example, even starting a business blog, building a social media presence and creating gated content can be accomplished for little other than hard work. When new businesses are opening, it’s important that brands are able to insert themselves into their desired industry to talk alongside their competition without breaking the budget and putting themselves into serious debt. The digital era has allowed this and by harnessing the power of content marketing, many new firms can gain a presence similar to industry leaders that might have been around for decades before.

Annie

27/Jun/2016

New data has suggested that many strategists will be heavily focussing on digital marketing throughout 2016. In fact, it is likely to become one of the most important platforms for content creators, with many marketers already spending vast amounts of time and money on creating campaigns to boost engagement on digital posts, videos and other content. With the plethora of platforms that enable content to be spread across the globe, each having the potential to hit the lucrative ‘viral’ status, a lot of priority will be placed upon digital advertising.

The latest predictions for the remainder of the year come courtesy of Ignite Digital, the recruitment specialists. In a new study, it was revealed that two thirds of marketers have already created content campaigns with the aim of raising engagement and interaction levels. It’s been well reported for some time that content marketing has been seeing a noticeable shift towards highly engaging, interactive and creative mediums.

It was only in February 2016, that 29 per cent of Canadian-based marketers revealed their primary marketing focus this year would be on content marketing. This was 10 per cent above those who chose engagement on social media as their top priority, and 16 per cent more than those who mentioned search engine optimisation (SEO).

There are also some interesting findings in relation to just where campaigns are being run. For instance, social platforms have become big business for strategists over the past few years, with Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook taking the fore. In the study, it was shown that 83 per cent of content marketers are conducting campaigns on these platforms, engaging with both clients and customers through these portals. Meanwhile, 80 per cent of people are marketing via website development, far ahead of content marketing and email marketing, both of which scored 69 per cent.

It is also interesting to note that though there is a huge buzz around the potential for mobile applications, only 26 per cent of survey respondents are placing a priority on developing new apps. Instead, social media continues to be one of the most popular tools for boosting engagement, with almost two thirds of marketers saying they regularly monitor places like Facebook and Twitter, not only to connect with customers, but to identify the latest trends and developments.

For content creators wanting to put efforts into the right type of media, it’s important to note that blog-type articles and videos continue to be successful. They make up a notable contributing percentage of marketing activity, with 78 per cent of people saying that the personalisation and management of content remain a critical operation. There’s also a similarly weighted emphasis upon SEO and the value of social media for creating and running a successful and effective digital marketing campaign.

Ignite Digital’s data was published as part of the ‘Canadian Marketers 2016 Outlook Report’. It was revealed, overall, that 83 per cent of marketers aim to boost their campaigning efforts this year. In fact, 43 per cent of respondents said they believed company budget for content marketing would be higher than in previous years.

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