Welcome back for more marketing updates with Motion Ave. Not even the short Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp outage can stop us from bringing you the best news of the week!
New Chat Sticker Comes To Instagram
This new addition to the Instagram stickers will allow users to enter a group chat directly from one of your Stories. You’ll be in control of who is allowed in (or not)! There aren’t any immediate applications in marketing- but it’s a great choice for friends who want to start a group conversation on Insta because their moms and grandparents have taken over Facebook.
An ambitious marketer could use this facility in combination with the recent enhanced ad features to provide unparalleled, if labor-intensive, customer service. What do you think?
Twitter Realizes Search Results Should Contain Information
Thanks to a recent update, Twitter user searches will now get you more than a name. Now when you search for a user on the platform, you’ll get more information like recent tweets, mutual follows, and trends to decide if it’s worth following that profile.
Opening A New App Is Hard: Snapchat Brings Us Another Game, “Bitmoji Tennis”
Snapchat’s new multiplayer gaming platform is taking off- needless to say, the platform is thrilled that another user impulse can be indulged without clicking away. They’ve now added “Bitmoji Tennis,” where Snapchat users can compete with friends and randos, with game modes including solo training, one-on-one match challenges, and group challenges. Profanity-laced temper tantrums and public scandals will be available later as premium content.
WhatsApp Grudgingly Acknowledges Facebook Exists, Instantly Also Becomes A Social Network
The popular Facebook property WhatsApp is giving its parent company a little PDA: a new feature finally lets you share your Whatsapp status on Facebook. Also, the long-awaited fingerprint authentication could finally become a reality on the platform, along with the QR mode that will allow you to easily add contacts by scanning a simple code. These new features make us wonder: is Whatsapp still just a messaging platform, or is it essentially a social media annex of Facebook where more chatting goes on?
We’re back with more marketing news! This week Google, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube gave us plenty to talk about!
Google Tries Social Media Again With Google My Business
Remember Google+? Yeah, most people don’t. The “Facebook for people too old for Facebook” went away last year due to massive security gaps and a general lack of interest, but that doesn’t mean Google still doesn’t want the remaining sliver of that sweet social media marketing pie. New features on Google My Business won’t create a new social platform, but they’ll bring the ability for brands to take social-like actions, such as integrating discounts, stickers, and more customizable images into their Google search presence.
It’s Still Instagram, but More And Faster And Alive
In the days of the dinosaurs, before CGI, most cartoons were made with “stop motion”- showing a lot of pictures, each slightly different, very quickly to make things appear to move and change. Instagram is bringing the quirky fun of stop-motion without the tedium to Stories: stop motion story mode. Take several shots of an object, and Instagram will bring them together to create a stop motion video, ready to be used in your account.
Never, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever Read The Comments. Hey, Stop!
It’s hard to deny that YouTube has created a bustling marketplace of ideas in the comments section of its videos, where millions of users from around the world come together to share positive, healthy, mutually supportive messages of love and well-composed insights.
To help YouTubers remain focused on the extremely important content of their videos and not be distracted by the verbal delights of the comment page, the platform is migrating comments to behind a button, that you’ll have to click to open the scroll. Now you’ll have a few more precious seconds to think about whether you need to share your carefully-worded viewpoints on making 6-figure salaries working from home, just like your cousin.
We Found Another Use For Google Cardboard: Looking At 3D
3D technology comes to Google Ads with its new ad display format, “Swirl”. Marketers can now integrate 3D assets into interactive ads, allowing for more immersive online product experiences than ever, and more people walking down the street waving their hands in the air for no apparent reason.
C’mon Guys, Twitter Lists Is Awesome, Just Give It A Chance
Lists are a great way to curate your feed and have an overall more organized and intentional Twitter experience, so it’s no surprise that very few people know about or use it. To bring customizable timelines to the forefront, Twitter’s new positioning of Lists would make it possible from a single swipe, instead of buried behind multiple taps. We know how tiring that can be.
News, news and more news today with marketing updates from Motion Ave! Find out the latest trends this week on Spotify, Amazon, and more!
Maybe They Won’t Go Premium Now
Spotify’s the biggest music streaming service in the world, and many of its members get their music free- a proven business model, but one that can benefit hugely from targeting, which hasn’t been Spotify’s style until now. Spotify now allows advertisers to target ads based on podcast listening patterns- but for now, just podcasts. Don’t worry, no one’s going to judge you for still listening to Kanye.
Remember how exciting Amazon’s social network was, and how users flocked to the platform with photos of hand towel unboxing? Yeah, us either. “Spark” has gone forever, failing to overtake Instagram in shopping porn innovation. Amazon will have to accept that, for now, it can’t be all things in all areas of members’ online experience- yet.
When you’re buying a $1,500 stereo, it’d be crazy not to get a hand-woven aboriginal art throw blanket to go with it, right? Pinterest finally gets it. This new option allows Pinterest to offer relevant products based on the image the user is viewing. For example, if you are looking for a room design pin, Pinterest will suggest images of objects that usually appear in this context, lamps, furniture and any other decorative element.
Facebook Invents Time Travel Updates Its Post Comments Ranking
Have you noticed that your post comments sometimes don’t appear in chronological order? Blame- or thank- Facebook’s new comment ranking algorithm. The platform is preparing an update to improve relevance by ranking comments based on their likelihood to “generate greater engagement.” We suspect this will lead to some pretty funny-looking “conversations” in the comment threads for a while.
Want to know more? Stay tuned to our networks to receive the most current updates on the marketing industry and our latest and greatest digital marketing tips and strategies!
Marketing Updates With Motion Ave June 20th, 2019Edgar Guillen
…we’re back with marketing updates in a week full of controversy and cool new features! Want to know more? Read on!
#DeleteBreakupFacebook
A chant has been spreading across Big Tech regulation advocates: break up Facebook. Among those calling for the dismantling of the technology giant is Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes.
It seems like Facebook’s many missteps in the past year, and a growing concern about the social harm caused by the platform, have finally taken their toll. Politicians have finally entered the fray, branding Facebook a dangerous monopoly in the “attention economy” and a threat to democracy, journalism, bee populations in the southern hemisphere, and waistlines.
What do you think? Should Facebook be split into several independent corporations, governing Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger each separately from the social media platform? Would Facebook’s past sins have been avoidable with more competition and regulation?
Hold me closer, Tony Danza. Back in dinosaur times, our parents would read the lyrics to songs on these things called “liner notes” on the big, plastic plates that held less music than the cheapest thumb drive on Amazon. Instagram has made adding music to Instagram Stories an even better experience with a new feature: the Lyrics Sticker. This new option displays the lyrics of the song playing in your Story over the video.
Twitter has made retweeting a lot more functional with one easy addition: the ability to attach not only words but also photos, GIFs and videos. Speechless? Make the most of this option to express your someone else’s vitally important thoughts!
We recently reported on the super-convenient feature letting you make in-app purchases on Instagram. Now there’s a catalog so you can navigate through the different products you can find across the app and buy instantly. This curated shop account showcases product posts of brands and creators that are of interest to the community.
It’s time for your weekly marketing news report with Motion Avenue!
This week, Google and its I/O Conference were filled with announcements about future releases soon and not-so-soon. Not to be outdone, Facebook demands our continued excitement with EVEN MORE CHANGE! Let’s get to the latest updates.
Google Announces Everything will be AI
At the I/O conference, Google showcased a variety of AI-powered products it will launch in the short- to mid-term, as well as yet another Android phone! There were actually some meaningfully new announcements about Google’s continued AI development, including more responsible algorithm development and Project Euphonia, which seeks to assist people with speech impairments.
Don’t worry, Facebook will fix the thing you’re angry at! Wait, you want more of something? OK. The social media giant has declared that it will redesign its app to emphasize two user favorites: Events and Groups. By “emphasize,” they mean “generally have fewer other features.” The streamlined design and user experience is intended to put “communities data at the center.”
Instagram has invested a lot of effort into same-page shopping, but somehow, every photo on the platform doesn’t include an option to purchase. Instagram is handing influencers the shop keys, now: the “shop from creators” option will allow creators to tag a product on their photos so their followers can buy it on the spot!
This also means we can continue hearing theories about influencer markets for at least the next two years- but by then, we’ll all be too old for them anyway.
The Facebook experience might start emphasizing fewer features, but Messenger is at the other end of its lifecycle, and still has room to pile on features for people to love and hate. Messenger is getting an update with Project LightSpeed, which seeks to launch Messenger with full features, at less than 30 MB, with a watch together option, which will allow you and your friends to watch videos at the same time in the chat.
Welcome to your digest of the most relevant marketing news of the week! This week, even Mark Zuckerberg gave us something to talk about. Learn more below!
Instagram to Hide its True Feelings?
Invisible likes now could be a reality. According to sources, Instagram would be testing a new feature to hide the number of a post’s likes from followers. The idea is to encourage audiences to focus on the content an account shares, and not on the likes of a publication.
In his New Year’s resolution, Mark Zuckerberg decided that in 2019 he wanted to address issues related to technology and its place in society, and to reboot Farmville with “corn-focused microtransactions.” One of those statements is (probably) true. As evidence, Zuckerburg’s new podcast “Tech and Society”. Do you think this will begin to mend the reputation of the technology giant? Is it a purely cynical public relations move, or do you think “Tech and Society” has the potential to start meaningful conversations about issues that platforms like Facebook represent?
“Alexa, Watch Your Back.” Facebook Developing AI Digital Voice Assistant
Facebook has confirmed that is working on an artificial intelligence-based digital voice assistant. This new technology would focus specifically on their AR/VR products including Portal and Oculus. Currently, Facebook expressly states that this project, which is still in early development, is not intended to compete directly with smart speakers like Alexa or Google Assistant. However, they said it while the assistant wasn’t listening, so who knows what it’ll ultimately do?
Miss Vine? Wow, really? Well, good news..? It’ll be back soon! The video app has been rebooted and would now return with a brand new name: Byte. Although It’s still a short-form video app, Byte now promises to be less alienating to older audiences almost everyone. And not sell children’s personal information.
Today, Google Ads (formerly known as Google Adwords) is one of marketers’ most essential tools, allowing you to create a variety of ads that can appear on Google and other sites such as Youtube and Blogger.
Just think about it: every second, Google process over 40,000 search queries, That’s a LOT of chances for a high-performing ad to be seen- millions a day, if you invest and optimize. It’s an opportunity you definitely can’t pass up!
To make the most of this space, you need to know the basics. Adwords recently updated its interface to offer even greater benefit to its advertisers with a new ad experience.
If you’re new to the world of digital advertising and want to start learning how to run campaigns on Google, this guide is for you. Read on!
How does Google Ads work?
Google Ads is an advertising platform that displays your ads on the search results page and other partner sites to attract leads and customers who are interested in your product.
Your goal will always be to appear at the top of the results page- however, whether this happens depends on several factors.
What does Google take in consideration to position your ad?
Bidding Strategy
One of the most important features of Google Ads is its bidding system. In order to advertise on this platform and be eligible to appear on Google’s search results page, it’s necessary to bid on certain search terms or keywords. Although it seems like a simple process, carrying it out can be quite tricky, as it requires choosing a bidding strategy.
Google Ads offers you several bid strategy options. Depending on your target KPIs- clicks, impressions, conversions, views, and the type of campaign you want to launch- you can select from several strategies:
For conversions:
Target CPA (cost-per-acquisition)
Target ROAS (return-on-ad-spend)
Maximize Conversions
Enhanced cost-per-click (ECPC)
For clicks:
Maximize Clicks
Manual CPC bidding
For Impressions:
Target Search Page Location
Target Outranking Share
Cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM)
Cost-per-thousand viewable impressions (vCPM)
For views:
Cost-per-view (CPV)
In each bid type, you can specify a maximum bid amount, maximum payment per click on your ad, and make these rates adjustable depending on the campaign’s performance.
Quality Score
The quality score is how Google rates the quality and relevance of your ad. Relevance of landing pages, keywords, CTAs and expected click-through rates are taken into account when making this estimate.
Remember, the higher the quality of your ad and its content, the lower the cost of your bid and the better your positioning will be. The best thing you can do is to be consistent, use relevant and VERY specific keywords, and display them in both your search engine ads and landing pages. The idea is to be as specific as possible about what the user will get so, so they’ll click on your ad faster.
Ad Rank
The ad rank dictates the position your ad will have in search engines. This positioning is determined by the quality score, and your maximum bid per click.
Keep in mind that this value may change. Your ad rank will be recalculated every time your ad enters an auction, in which Google decides which ads with the relevant keyword will appear on the page, and in what order.
Source: Google
With each new query to the search engine, there’s a new auction and probably a new ranking.
Now that you know the basics of how Google Ads works, let’s move on to the good stuff: the types of campaigns you can create.
Google Ads Campaign Types
Currently, AdWords has a good variety of campaign options to choose from, each built around an advertising goal based on the actions you want your customers to take.
Google Ads goals include:
Sales
Leads
Website traffic
Product & brand consideration
Brand Awareness & reach
App promotion
Once you have an idea of what your goal is, you can select the type of campaign you want to launch. Google Ads offers you the following options.
Search Network Campaigns
The search network campaign allows your ad to appear in the search results page when potential customers search for terms related to your keywords:
These campaigns focus on getting a person to take action, whether it’s clicking on the ad or making a call to your company. They are a good choice if your goals are making sales (great for retargeting), gaining new leads, or driving traffic to your website.
Display Network Campaigns
In this campaign, ads can be displayed on several advertising-supported websites- not on the Google results page.
This campaign allows you to attract the attention of customers before they even do a search for your product. Your ad can appear in different places depending on your targeting criteria, such as keywords, topic, placement, and remarketing.
The goals for these campaigns are quite varied: sales, leads, website traffic, brand and product consideration, and brand awareness and reach. The selection will always depend on the actions you want users to take.
Shopping Campaign
If you’re a retailer, this is for you. Shopping campaigns allow you to create ads to promote your products, bring traffic to your website and attract more qualified leads. These ads will also be displayed on Google and all over the web.
Here you can see more specifically where Google Ads will place your ads:
Google Shopping (in select countries)
Google Search, next to search results (separate from text ads) and Google Images
Google Search Partner websites, including YouTube in some countries (if your campaign is set to include search partners)
The Google Display Network (for local catalog ads only)
In this case, Google uses your Merchant Center product data to decide where and when to display your ads. For example, once a user makes a query in the search engine, Google uses the data from the Merchant Center to display the most relevant product for the potential customer.
If your goals are to make sales, drive traffic to your website or win new leads for your retail business, this is the type of campaign you want.
Video Campaigns
The great thing about video campaigns is that you can create more creative ads that engage better with your audience. The ads generally appear before, after or in the middle of a Youtube video. They can also be shown on Google partner sites (Google Display Network).
Usually, these ads cannot include text, still images, or other ad formats such as bumper ads (6 seconds ads that appear at the beginning of a Youtube video). Video campaigns are ideal for creating brand awareness and consideration, winning leads, and bringing traffic to your website.
App campaign
This type of campaign works for people or businesses that want to promote their apps. With this campaign, ads are positioned in Google’s properties: Google search, YouTube, Google Play and all partner sites in Google Display Network.
Source: Google
Google creates ads with various formats based on the text and language you propose. Once the platform creates the ads, it will display those that have performed better.
How do you always create high-performing ads? Try different options to see what works best- different bid levels, geographic segmentation, and image sizes. Find the combination that brings you the greatest benefits.
As you can see, campaign types determine where your ads will appear. This variety of options allows you to engage with new customers in different ways and on a variety of sites. However, none of this would be possible without bidding on the right keyword. Let’s quickly delve into keywords- and their counterparts, negative keywords.
Keywords And Negative Keywords
A keyword is a word or group of words, that Google uses to match your ads with the queries people do on the search engine. The more relevant and specific the keywords you bid on, the more likely you’ll appear on the results page and be at the top.
Once a term used by a user matches your keywords, your ad enters the Google auction mentioned above. Here, your keywords play a very important role, as they determine your quality score which directly influences the ad rank of your ad.
The more relevant your keyword, the better your quality score and ad rank. How do you make your ad focus specifically on relevant keywords to your audience? A good strategy is negative keywords.
Google Ads gives you the option to exclude certain terms, known as negative keywords, that are related to your keywords, but are in fact relevant to a different audience or product.
For example, if you are a retailer specialising in orthopedic sneakers, you may want to add as a negative keyword terms such as “running shoes.” Why? While your orthopedic sneakers are running shoes, people searching with the term “running shoes” are less likely to be interested in your specific product- making your keyword a lot less relevant to them, and a lot more likely to lower your overall quality score for appearing to an excessively broad audience.
You want your ad to be as targeted and relevant as possible: excluding words with a large audience is an important strategy. To learn more about how to use negative keywords effectively, watch this Google Ads video:
Keywords are the key to a successful campaign. Choosing them carefully is mandatory when creating new ads. Always look for terms that your audience uses in search engines, and which are related to your industry and product.
We’ve covered the basics of Google Ads! You’re ready to start creating ads and try all the features this tool has for you. Want to explore the full power of Google Ads? Contact us– we’re ready to answer all your questions, and even build your new ad campaign from scratch!
Having a strong customer relationship is more important than ever. Advancing technologies and new communication channels have made consumers very aware of their options- and a highly personalized experience is now the expected norm when interacting with brands.
It’s not enough to offer a fantastic product or excellent service; customers now expect immediate answers and personalized interactions. Brands capable of making this happen will connect with their customers and create long-lasting relationships.
How do you build these strong relationships? Here are seven useful tips to incorporate into your digital marketing strategy:
1. Listen to your customers
To connect with your customers, first, understand what they’re thinking and talking about. What are their pain points, complaints, and needs?
By using social listening (link: SproutSocial) you can understand and analyze the conversations and trends around your brand and industry, and use those insights to deliver real value to your customers.
You’ll create content that’s relevant to your audience; in turn, they’ll identify with you, and feel you value their interests.
2. Respond quickly to the conversation
According to The Social Habit, 42% of online consumers expect a response to their inquiry within 60 minutes- if not, they’ll often express their discomfort by complaining across social media.
Conversely, an immediate answer will delight your customers, increasing the likelihood of building a loyal relationship.
Chatbots are very helpful for this, giving brands 24/7 two-way communication with their audiences through instant messaging. It’s a great, cost-effective way to deliver fantastic customer service and build stronger relationships with your audience.
Thanks to analytics, marketers can see consumer behavior, purchase preferences, habits, and more- ingredients for customizing our responses to them.
Using previously gathered data from past interactions allows you to tailor not only your responses to consumers but outgoing messaging (i.e. marketing) as well: for example, if a person bought a skirt on your website, you can send them an email with suggestions of the perfect heels to match.
This kind of personalization helps you to build a connection with the customer and make them feel valued.
4. Be authentic
In a previous post, we mentioned how essential an authentic voice is. The future of marketing is more transparent and personal, and brands need to follow suit in their communication style.
Authentic communication works because people relate to your brand and perceive you as reliable and trustworthy, making even initial connections stronger.
The key to being authentic is showing your human side and personality, consistency, and maintaining your core identity (i.e. staying genuine) at all times.
Showing appreciation builds customer relationships that last longer.
A simple way is by rewarding loyal or active customers with contests and competitions with the opportunity to win an attractive prize. Contests on Instagram are very common; in addition to strengthening relationships with long-time customers, you generate buzz and brand awareness in new audiences.
Another proven winner is a loyalty discount program, where customers earn points when buying your products and services, redeemable for rewards.
Of these, the former is best suited for business models expecting few, high-value interactions with consumers, such as durable goods or expensive items such as fine jewelry. The latter is best suited for models based on frequent repeat engagement, such as affordable fashion, food, or recurring services.
6. Ask for feedback
Whether customers have positive or negative feedback, asking for it is invaluable- it makes you aware of weaknesses in your service you may not have known existed. When given the right means to express their feedback, customers often provide the solutions to the very problems they complain about.
Another critical benefit of frequently soliciting feedback is emotional- even if a problem can’t or won’t be solved, giving consumers a voice and allowing them to feel heard improves their perception of your brand. Remember, negative feedback is as valuable- or more- as positive.
7. Exceed expectations with an outstanding experience
“Under promise and over deliver.” Always look for ways to go the extra mile and impress your customers so they keep coming back.
Some easy but valuable ways to exceed expectations is to deliver a product before the date you promised, offer incredible discounts and promotions to long-time customers, and provide additional support (such as product service check-ins) even though your customers didn’t ask for it.
Conclusion:
Building connections with your customers must be an essential part of your digital marketing strategy. You will win the affection of your customers, and also it will keep your brand ahead of your competitors.
At Motion Ave, we understand the importance of taking care of our customers, and we can help you build strong connections with your customers as well. If you need a hand, just let us know.
What are other ways you build stronger relationships with your customers? What’s the best thing a brand has done to earn your respect? Comment below and tell us your story!
Todos queremos tener siempre el diseño más innovador y refrescante, pero para lograrlo debemos entrenar nuestro ojo, y nuestra mente, de manera constante.
So, you’ve decided to start advertising on Facebook: you set up a few campaigns and start them running. You’re seeing some results, but they’re not what you expected. You think to yourself, “Facebook advertising doesn’t seem that complicated, so what am I doing wrong?”’
