stephani nunez
November 16, 2021
8 Ways That Brands Can Utilize TikTok in Their Marketing
I hate to admit, but I’m among the former, and it wasn’t until just recently that I began looking at it from a brand perspective (as opposed to lamenting the fact that everyone can sing and dance except me).
Aside from its clear youth appeal, TikTok provides a growing range of ad options, and is taking extra measures to educate its users on how to safely use the platform.
Are you thinking about adding TikTok into your digital marketing mix? Then read on to learn more about the short video app.
What is TikTok?
TikTok, similar to Vine before is, is all about short videos.
Most of the app's former Musical.ly users simply uploaded videos of themselves lip-synching to music videos, while the more talented, enthusiastic, and technically proficient members uploaded videos of original content. The latter cohort went on to become influencers on the platform.
multiple clips together for up to 60 seconds of total recording. Users are also able to upload longer videos which have been recorded outside the app itself.
There's also a live-streaming option and a range of filters and tools to help improve your video presentation.
The app is attuned to modern usage trends, and caters to an audience looking for a new and exciting way to connect. And clearly, based on the download stats, it's hitting the right notes with users.
How Can Brands & Marketers Make the Most of TikTok?
Using TikTok for marketing is actually much simpler than you'd think.
There are currently three key options for brands looking to utilize TikTok for promotion:
- Create your brands' own channel and upload videos relevant to your business
- Utilize influencers to open your content to a much broader (but well-targeted) audience
- Pay to advertise utilizing TikTok’s new campaign options (though, personally, I’d recommend holding off on this until the market is a bit more established)
We’re full of fun and creative ideas for marketing on TikTok. Here are a few that we hope you can use or draw inspiration from:
- In a world where consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of ads, the raw, unedited videos on TikTok can be a great way to showcase people using your brand in their everyday lives.
- TikTok videos can also be a great place to showcase business behind the scenes or in-the-moment content - for example:
- Human Resources can make trainings more interactive by going live on TikTok to conduct their sessions
- Landing pages can have you popping on to drive traffic to lead magnets
- With such a young demographic, TikTok can be great for higher ed marketers and students within colleges and universities. There’s already a lot of content to be found on campus - sports, BTS, dance marathons, these all do well.
- Boutiques can use TikTok for the ever-popular try-on videos - you can film a whole seasons worth of sales in a fun sped up video and you can even add your own hype music
- Of course, larger clothing brands also see almost immediate success as well. Last fall, Guess was the first brand TikTok collaborated with in the US for its #inmydenim campaign
- Does your product require assembly? User-friendly step by step videos can be produced on TikTok, and even linked to on your packaging.
- Restaurants also have significant opportunities. Chipotle was the first major chain to jump onto the platform, and it recently launched its second major TikTok campaign with the #GuacDance challenge, which encouraged fans to show off their avocado-themed dance moves inspired by Dr. Jean’s “Guacamole Song.”
- #HashtagChallenges are great because they prompt engagement. They’re simple to join in and fun. If you’re not yet a well-established brand, you can also consider using influencers to help kickstart your challenge campaign.
As a marketer - but also as someone who is heavily influenced by marketing AND as someone that regularly writes on social media trends, I like to test new marketing channels and ideas. Generally, if there's something that's growing fast, I'll do a 1-3-month test before writing or publicly speaking on it.
In my time with TikTok thus far, I've seen promise, and an opportunity to connect with audiences in new, fun and engaging ways.
It still has a way to go yet before it becomes a key channel, but it may well be worth considering for your 2020 campaigns.
Written by: Lucy Rendler-Kaplan See full article here
November 12, 2021
6 Marketing Trends to Prepare For in 2022
6 Marketing Trends to Prepare For in 2022
Marketers face a landscape disrupted by a pandemic, new business models, new applications of tech, and the fallout of regulatory changes.
You can't go through something like a yearlong (and counting) global pandemic and not expect some things to change. Then again, marketers and change aren't exactly strangers. Marketing professionals have always lived in a world where consumers' preferences are constantly evolving and they are forced to adapt. In the past year, marketers have done so in spades, rolling with the abrupt suspension of in-person events, a massive shift toward digital marketing, and -- for many -- reduced budgets.
As the economic recovery gains momentum, many marketers will likely find themselves with more dollars to spend. But how and where should they spend them? Will people be yearning for a return to the old normal or continue to embrace the habits they developed over the past year? What messaging will resonate and which channels will reach the post-pandemic consumer?
As the marketing gaze turns futureward, here are some trends to look for in 2022.
1. The Future of Events Will Be Hybrid
When the pandemic forced closures and social distancing requirements, marketers faced the cancellation of all manner of in-person events, from store grand openings to big-ticket concert series. In their place, virtual events became a mainstay for engaging with customers and leads. Increased spending on social media and other digital platforms helped make these events successful. Now consumers -- and the marketers who pitch to them -- face two warring impulses. The urge to gather again is strong, for sure. But having experienced the immediacy of live events from the comfort of their couches, many consumers are happy to keep things virtual. To cater to both audiences, you'll need to craft hybrid events. In-person events will have a strong digital component, and technologies like AR and VR can create an immersive experience for those who prefer not to venture out.
2. Content Alignment Will Never Be More Important
Any company that wants to own its industry will need to align its PR, thought leadership, and SEO. Consider this thought leadership Venn diagram, which shows the importance of overlapping visibility, credibility, and authority. If you can align these things, you can easily stand out in your industry.
That means you need to have some source content on your website and other things you own like social or sister sites. Once you get a solid base of authority on different topics, then work to gain added credibility by adding the PR element, where others are quoting or mentioning your content. Finally, make sure that people are linking to your content under certain topics that you can own ... which hints at my next point.
3. Marketing Companies Will Take More Ownership
I'm seeing more sales and marketing companies take ownership in the products or services they help sell. This shift makes sense to me, because if you are able to sell somebody's product and bring in significant revenue, you will ultimately increase the value of that company. If you have an ownership stake, you'll be even more motivated to knock it out of the park. It's hugely beneficial on both sides.
If you are in marketing and sales, start looking first at what products and services will benefit from your services. Then identify which of those companies will allow you to put performance metrics in place to gain some ownership as you meet those goals. For example, TechCrunch recently reported on an outsourced CMO firm that created its own venture firm to invest in companies that can benefit from the firm's resources.
4. Engaging Nonprofits Will Be a Big Part of Marketing Plans
More and more, consumers are looking to support companies that have a mission or give back in some way. This trend is only going to increase, and a well-rounded marketing plan should take part in this development by partnering with nonprofits. This partnership opportunity has the potential to not only grow your business, but also align you with philanthropic missions that are important to you.
Expanding your brand and reach while engaging in advocacy for a nonprofit is a win-win. However, your marketing plan shouldn't end at simply expressing support for a charitable organization. It should include effective goals such as product placement, affiliate marketing, percentage of sales donations, or corporate sponsorship. According to nonprofit executive coach Mallory Erickson, these types of partnerships can help you reach a new audience around the globe.
5. A.I. Will Make Influencer Marketing Easier and More Results-Driven
The death of influencer marketing, while often predicted, has yet to occur. Valued at $9.7 billion in 2020, the market is estimated to reach $15 billion by 2022, with a near majority of marketers reporting they budget more than 20 percent of their spend on influencer content. Not that influencer marketing hasn't changed over the years -- the recent shift toward micro-influencers and their more highly engaged audiences being one example.
The next shift will be the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence. You can leverage the technology for everything from influencer identification (A.I. can watch and assess millions of influencer videos in ways a human can't) to performance influencer marketing. In this model, powered by predictive A.I., you pay only for the conversions and sales influencers produce. ROI is practically assured.
6. Marketers Will Find Alternatives to Third-Party Cookies
With Google's recent announcement, another predicted death -- that of the third-party cookie -- has been postponed (until 2023). But while the delay means that marketers' need to wean themselves from 3P-cookies-based targeting strategies has become slightly less urgent, it is no less critical. Consumers are demanding greater privacy protections and control over their data, and marketers will need to adjust.
You could begin by increasing your efforts to gather and fully exploit first-party data -- after all, first-party cookies aren't going anywhere. Or you can use tools like Google's Privacy Sandbox or FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) to achieve personalization and consumer targeting without intruding on user privacy. Regardless, CRM tools, surveys, and interactive content will become increasingly instrumental to marketing success.
As brands vie for consumer attention in these still uncertain times, marketers will find themselves in a familiar role: change agent. By taking these six trends into account, you'll be able to stay ahead of the curve.
Written by: JOHN HALL, CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, CALENDAR
@JOHNHALL InC.com View article hereMarch 24, 2020
Coronavirus and the marketing industry: what happens next?
Coronavirus is at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the moment. We’re officially living in the midst of a pandemic, and almost everyone has been affected. Whether you’re self-isolating, working from home, or are anxious about what the future might hold, the chances are that coronavirus has already affected you in some way, shape or form.
We don’t really want to contribute to the negative literature on the topic - of which there is a lot. The facts are pretty bleak, however, in the wake of the crisis it seems that people have been turning to social media for a sense of community.
The million dollar question is how long will all of this go on for and how will it affect the marketing sector? Here, we are taking a deep dive into how coronavirus might affect marketing in the next few weeks and months.
Traditional marketing forms take a hit
While the UK government is yet to call for a nationwide lockdown, as we’ve seen in other countries, the advice to stay inside and limit all unnecessary outings is likely to lead to a notable decrease in out of home ad spend, with brands opting to focus on online, digital ads instead.
TV has also been affected, with many businesses cutting TV ad spend as a precautionary measure. This is so much so that ITV, which acts as a kind of benchmark for the British TV ad market as a whole, estimates that they will see a 10% decrease in revenue due to coronavirus .
This is also on top of the fact that large sporting events and tournaments have already been cancelled, and sponsorship deals have been cut, resulting in a TV ad market that is naturally in a decline.
However, some are predicting otherwise. TV tends to see a spike during times of bad weather or other periods where people are more likely to stay indoors, and thus, some TV executives are predicting huge increases in ad spend as consumers are forced to stay at home.
Online marketing may increase
We’re predicting that there will be a huge increase in digital ad spend over the next few months as consumers will naturally be spending more time online, especially choosing to shop online versus leaving the house. These predictions are supported by research from Dentsu Aegis Network, who found that of 155 clients and client leaders surveyed, 14% said they were moving budget online, from offline media.
Additionally, as people travel less and work from home more, we also expect to see mobile and social opportunities increase. Research by Global Web Index found that we are seeing a huge increase in people checking social media across all age demographics; 27% among Gen Z, 30% among Millennials, 29% among Gen X and 15% among Boomers. This may be not least because people are free from the watchful eye of their manager and are able to check their phones more regularly, but also because 4 in 10 of us are checking the news more frequently!
Social media ad spend is set to increase
Due to increased use of social media, spend across the social platforms is likely to increase.
With more people on their phones, looking for engaging content to keep them busy as they try to tackle the emotional burden of self isolation, social media will become a daily routine that people need to keep them grounded, give them a sense of community and regular updates on the global crises.
It’s therefore thought that social media spending will rise by 22.2% as a result of coronavirus, as consumer-led brands harness the power of social media to engage their audience. We have already seen a huge jump in influencer marketing engagement, with a recent study finding a 76% increase in daily accumulated likes on Instagram #ad posts over the past two weeks.
What content do people need in the midst of coronavirus?
As content creators, providers or facilitators, we have a unique responsibility to be conscious of the content that we publish at this time. Consumers need support from the brands they love, and social media provides a great vehicle to deliver that.
People are turning to their most trusted brands to lead the way and deliver content that shows true consideration for the consumer. At a time when studios may not be accessible for producing branded content, brands should consider working with a vetted network of content creators, in order to ensure that your brand message is creatively translated to your target audience by a trusted partner.
Content centred around mental health and keeping healthy will naturally be of interest to consumers at this time. Equally as important is content that keeps us busy, optimistic and excited about the world as we collectively navigate through this topsy-turvy time.
If you have concerns about where your marketing budget is going, or want to discuss how coronavirus might affect your marketing strategy then get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
By Ben Jeffries - Open Mic
To view full article click here
January 23, 2019
8 Reasons to Hire a Virtual Marketing Agency
Running business operations requires much effort and time. It could leave you exhausted and at times, you end up with little or no enthusiasm. To avoid burning out just when you badly need results, you need to outsource some of the critical functions. Presently, everyone has embraced digital technology, and if your entity is not in line, you may end up lagging behind in your line of business. However, computer-driven media does not necessarily mean ditching the old platforms such as print media. Nonetheless, marketing can take many forms, but it is the digital ones that have a high potential for results.
As the name suggests, virtual marketing agencies do not operate from a brick and mortar office. Every professional hired by the entity works remotely, but they are all interconnected online. If one has got internet linked via back office software, the workflow does not get interrupted. However, from time to time, the team needs to, and they do indeed meet up to map out their clients’ strategies. Their meeting place can be anywhere from your boardroom to a coffee break at an eatery.
Remain relevant
Whether you have any marketing background or not, you don’t need to be told that you must carry out intensive industry research. Launching a campaign of any magnitude without studying consumer behavior can have a severe backlash. You must understand the industry. Take for instance the print magazine that people used to love. Most of them have now stopped publishing hard copies and have moved their publications online. If you are in this sector, it would be detrimental to continue churning out volumes of papers and taking them to newsstands. Few people will buy them, but there are millions of readers online. Marketing agencies know about these developments and can guide you on the right strategies to adopt.
Does this leave you feeling scared of losing out in the competition? If so, there are compelling reasons for you to hire a virtual marketing agency.
You tap into the endless creativity
Virtual marketers can be a weird lot. If you have never met them, you should walk into their offices one day. They are the type of guys that come to work dressed in rugged jeans and t-shirts. You hardly see creatives adorning in suits and ties. However, you should not mistake this for a fun club since these are some of the most talented people you could ever meet. Their diversity regarding education and work experience makes them the go-to persons. Furthermore, their technological know-how and innovation in solving problems are second to none. Their teams come fully equipped with:
- Creative directors
- Skilled graphic designers
- Copywriters
- Media buyers
- Media planners
- Office assistants
Competitor evaluation
Virtual marketing agencies have an in-depth knowledge of the market where businesses operate. They know the approaches that work as well as those that do not. Following an intensive interaction with different clients, they can quickly adopt strategies that can easily turn around your fortunes. Take for instance campaigns that target millennials. Placing print ads for such a group might result in their getting ignored. However, buying media on online social platforms will get the attention of these youngsters. Only an outsourced agency can evaluate and know this. The marketers will:
- Help identify where your target audience hangs out
- Determine the most appealing content
- Streamline your campaigns on social media
- They research on keywords, analytics and search management
No staffing headaches
To succeed in your marketing efforts, you must be consistent. An employee who suddenly falls ill when you are running a crucial campaign can ruin everything. That person who takes leave of absence for unavoidable circumstances could be the best that you have. For example, he or she might be the only one who understands how to curate content and optimize blogs. Besides, the timing of their leave could coincide with an important festive season when you had hoped to cash in on consumer spending. With a marketing agency, such worries do not exist.
- No need to carry out recruitment, the agency hires its team
- Agencies have their way of dealing with staffing issues
- If one of their employees falls sick or goes on leave, that becomes none of your concerns
- With a virtual agency by your side, none of the matters affecting employees can bring your campaigns to a halt. You expect them to deliver come rain or shine
Data analysis, monitoring and research
Following the emergence of internet platforms, there is a high potential for gathering data and analyzing it to your advantage. An in-house team may not be of much help here. However, digital marketing agencies go out of their way to study and gather market information. They finance or procure data on consumer behavior. Out of the results, they identify trends that help in understanding why people opt for product B as compared to C or the other way around. With such feedback, virtual marketing agencies, can restructure your web content and ensure that prospective clients visit and engage your company by buying your product or service.
- All you need is develop key performance indicators and share them with the marketers
- They then figure out performance against your measures
- Agencies identify metrics that they can monitor in different channels
- They provide you with reports on a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis
No training needed
Agencies come fully equipped with a team of content writers, web developers, marketers, media monitors, graphic designers, SEO professionals, you name it. If you were to hire all these yourself, it could end up being a huge gamble or counterproductive. Moreover, such people may take time to fit into your organization’s culture. This is not the case with an outsourced marketing agency. They come fully loaded with a skilled team that is passionate about what they do. You do not need to take them for seminars or hire people to train them. On the contrary, they are always ready and raring to go; all you need is to give them a little shove by way of a briefing.
- You save money that could have gone to staff training
- The company saves time that could have gone towards arranging for seminars
- There is no need to invest in software
The aspect of an outside perspective
Employees working inside an organization may not have a wide knowledge of what goes on outside. On the other hand, someone could be having brilliant ideas but holds them for fear of making his or her bosses look bad. Marketing agencies consist of people who brainstorm consistently and come up with solutions on how best to achieve results. They approach your problems from the outside view; a consumer’s eye. It might be difficult for you to ‘step out’ of your organization for a while and look at it from the other side. Virtual marketers are your best bet.
- You eliminate bias and promote out-of-the-box thinking
- People no longer remain frozen in the notion that they can keep doing things the same way as before
- An outsider sees things differently since they do not know you or any of your employees
Helps you focus your energy where needed
Running successful online marketing campaigns requires hiring an experienced and deeply motivated team. Plus, you need to re-focus your attention towards ensuring that the new hires understand what you do on a day-to-day basis. All this takes time and you could spend much money on in-house training. Your efforts could result in strained resources and reduced profits. Why not let a virtual agency take the burden? The resources you could have spent can go a long way towards growing other aspects of your business. With an outsourced marketer, you only must appraise them on your needs, objectives and timelines. You need not train or manage anyone.
- Running a business requires your commitment, time, and energy
- Agencies have all the time to run marketing aspects on your behalf since that is their area of specialization.
- They take time to understand your business and deploy measures for the right marketing tactics
Reduces costs significantly
When faced with the prospect of outsourcing or grooming an in-house team, many organizations make comparisons and opt for the latter. However, you eventually realize that a virtual agency is less costly. Do you know why? Part of the reason is that these agencies do not have physical offices. Their employees work from home most of the time. They can even meet at a coffee house and develop a strategy in no time. As a result, they charge you a retainer or commission that is much lower than what you would have paid your internal team. Another cost aspect is that you need not subscribe to marketing tools available online. Most agencies already have them.
- Virtual agents do not have to work from an office
- They pay no rent for use of premises
- No need for them to buy furniture or office equipment
- Every team member works from the comfort of their home or wherever they feel most productive
- Part of their cost comes from internet subscriptions or online coordination tools
- They pass these benefits over to their clients through reduced fees
In a nutshell
Many companies prefer to hire in-house marketers, and with good reasons. Part of this stems from the fact that insiders know the brand better than others. Besides, they live, breath and eat the organization’s culture which makes it hard for outsiders to match these aspects. However, having an external point of view helps expand your vision. The level of expertise found in virtual marketers is unmatchable. These are people drawn from the best pool of professionals in the industry. They bring with them unrestricted passion and the desire for results.
At the same time, outsourced agencies are more in touch with reality. They view your business from an outsider’s point of view and with no bias. Ordinarily, your in-house team may feel constrained by the fear of making you feel disappointed. Also, every so often, an employee will fall sick or take leave, and you cannot deny them this. It will be a massive setback if the person who goes away is the one you highly depend on to drive the advertising strategy.
Agencies have their unique way of procuring data from their peers or carrying out their research. They use an array of tools that would be expensive if you were doing it alone. Fortunately, they can leverage this by offering you up to date statistics that are measured and found to work. Hiring your team also means that you must take them through training and induction. Virtual marketers need none of this as they come fully equipped and only need a briefing on your expectations.
Running a business requires focus with no room for distraction. In-house marketers can divert your attention, and by the time you come around, you will have lost much ground to competitors. Agencies take and bear the burden for you. Someone else receives the beating and fights to get you ahead. In the meantime, you are more than happy to concentrate on your area of specialization. You only begin to see results trickling in as if by magic.
Every organization worries about cost minimization versus revenue maximization. Here, a virtual marketing agency is your best bet. Outsourcing your marketing work can significantly reduce your running costs. Since these professionals save money by way of not having a physical office, they pass these benefits to your company.
Lastly, by their position in the market, virtual agencies are more in touch with reality than you. They keep up with the current trends and are also on the lookout for emerging ones. Reputable agencies will tell you what strategies can work well in the present. They bring new perspectives into things you were doing before but yielding little or no results. They can determine where to find your audience and target it correctly. In the end, your brand remains relevant.
Article shared from Social Link
October 10, 2018
5 Ecommerce Secrets the 'Experts' Aren't Willing to Share With You
The days of everyone buying the items they need from a brick-and-mortar shop just down the street are long gone. Instead, ecommerce has continued to grow into an impressive juggernaut, experiencing 24.8 percent worldwide growth in 2017, with Amazon alone recording a net revenue of $177.87 billion.
The days of everyone buying the items they need from a brick-and-mortar shop just down the street are long gone. Instead, ecommerce has continued to grow into an impressive juggernaut, experiencing 24.8 percent worldwide growth in 2017, with Amazon alone recording a net revenue of $177.87 billion.
1. Build a pre-launch audience.
Far too many entrepreneurs make the mistake of setting up their store and only beginning their marketing after launch. The problem, however, is that digital marketing efforts often require a bit of time before they start delivering the desired sales results. In the meantime, you'll be paying web hosting fees and other expenses without the sales revenue to cover it.
Instead, you need to start your marketing early by building a pre-launch audience. We see this happen all the time with Kickstarter campaigns that collect funding and build buzz before the project is ready.
Even if you aren't creating a completely new or original product, you still need to spread the word. Social media contests, product giveaways and email list sign-ups can all help you build an audience so your store can make sales on opening day.
2. Focus on the customer lifetime value.
Converting customers is hard. In fact, most estimates put the average conversion ratearound 1 to 3 percent. Because of this, you need to make every sale count. You won't be in business long if your average customer only spends a few dollars.
To succeed in this area, you need to focus on the customer lifetime value (CLV), rather than just the initial sale. Naturally, this requires that you deliver a quality customer experience for that initial sale. But, it also means you need to do some follow-up.
One of the best ways to do this is through email marketing. A quality email campaign allows you to follow up with customers about their initial purchase, while also reaching out for holidays and other special shopping seasons. Increasing your CLV will lower your cost per conversion and help you generate lasting sales results.
3. Leverage the power of remarketing.
Most ecommerce professionals invest a fair amount of their budget into marketing, with the goal of getting new customers to visit their site and make a purchase.
But, what about the people you've already convinced? If you aren't targeting them through remarketing campaigns, you could be missing out on a significant profit.
Repeat customers aren't only more likely to buy from you again in the future -- they also tend to spend more money. Studies have found that repeat customers have a 60 to 70 percent chance of making another purchase in the future -- numbers that far outperform ecommerce's typical conversion rate.
Make sure your Facebook and AdWords campaigns specifically target those who have already visited your site to ensure a stronger marketing ROI.
4. Let your customers do the talking.
Building a strong brand identity is an absolute must because it allows you to form an emotional connection with your target audience. When you're able to cultivate strong relationships with your most passionate customers, you can then leverage their enthusiasm to spread word of mouth for your store.
As studies have consistently found, few marketing methods are more trusted or effective.
The thing is, your customers won't always do this word of mouth marketing on their own. You often need to provide some extra motivation. Don't be afraid to reach out to your top customers with personalized messages asking for a testimonial, or simply to get their input on your products and services. Use social media contests to build enthusiasm and spread the word.
The more you do to personalize these interactions, the more likely your customers are to become true "brand ambassadors" who drive new business to your store.
5. If you choose to do dropshipping, don't botch it.
Dropshipping -- the process of having your product sent directly from the manufacturer to the consumer -- has simplified sales for many ecommerce professionals. However, it isn't without its own potential pitfalls.
The most common issues I've seen with dropshipping include slow shipping times, no tracking numbers for your customers and low-quality products.
All of these can completely kill your reputation with your customers. Because of this, it is essential that you perform a quality check of your supplier's products before you begin dropshipping. This way you can have confidence that your products live up to your brand promise.
For shipping, select a quality fulfillment company that offers a trackable courier solution. This way, customers won't have to endure lengthy delays, and they'll always know when their order will arrive.
Building a successful ecommerce brand isn't always easy. I should know -- I've seen my fair share of startups fail after their initial success. But, by incorporating this knowledge that I've gained from my past efforts, I've since been able to launch several successful stores and generate real, lasting revenue -- so can you.
Written by: Steve Tan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
