the art of digital marketing: the definitive guide to ......chapter 2: search engine optimization an...
TRANSCRIPT
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CONTENTSCoverTitlePageCopyrightPrefaceChapter1:AnIntroductiontoDigitalMarketing
WhatMakesThisBookDifferent?StartwiththeCustomerandWorkBackwardWhatArethe3iPrinciples?
Chapter2:SearchEngineOptimizationAnIntroductionSearchEngineResultPages:PositioningSearchBehaviorStage1:GoalsStage2:On-PageOptimizationStage3:Off-PageOptimizationStage4:AnalyzeSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?
Chapter3:PayPerClickAnIntroductionStage1:GoalsStage2:SetupStage3:ManageStage4:AnalyzeSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?
Chapter4:DigitalDisplayAdvertisingAnIntroductionDisplayAdvertising:AnIndustryOverviewStage1:DefineStage2:FormatStage3:Configure
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Stage4:AnalyzeSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?
Chapter5:EmailMarketingAnIntroductionStage1:Data—EmailMarketingProcessStage2:DesignandContentStage3:DeliveryStage4:DiscoverySo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?
Chapter6:SocialMediaMarketing(Part1)AnIntroductionStage1:GoalsStage2:ChannelsSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?
Chapter7:SocialMediaMarketing(Part2)AnIntroductionStage3:ImplementationStage4:AnalyzeLawsandGuidelinesSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?
Chapter8:MobileMarketingAnIntroductionStage1:OpportunityStage2:OptimizeStage3:AdvertiseStage4:AnalyzeSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?
Chapter9:AnalyticsAnIntroductionStage1:GoalsStage2:SetupStage3:MonitorStage4:Analyze
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So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Chapter10:StrategyandPlanning
AnIntroductionStage1:ApproachStage2:AudienceStage3:ActivitiesStage4:AnalysisSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?
ConclusionAcknowledgmentsGlossaryAdditionalResourcesAbouttheDigitalMarketingInstituteAbouttheAuthorIndexEndUserLicenseAgreement
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TheArtofDigitalMarketing
TheDefinitiveGuidetoCreatingStrategic,TargetedandMeasurableOnlineCampaignsIanDodson
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Coverimage:©Shutterstock/MaglaraCoverdesign:TheDigitalMarketingInstituteCopyright©DigitalMarketingInstituteLtd.Allrightsreserved.
PublishedbyJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,Hoboken,NewJersey.PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada.
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,scanning,orotherwise,exceptaspermittedunderSection107or108ofthe1976UnitedStatesCopyrightAct,withouteitherthepriorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher,orauthorizationthroughpaymentoftheappropriateper-copyfeetotheCopyrightClearanceCenter,222RosewoodDrive,Danvers,MA01923,(978)750-8400,fax(978)646-8600,oronthewebatwww.copyright.com.RequeststothePublisherforpermissionshouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment,JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,(201)748-6011,fax(201)748-6008,oronlineatwww.wiley.com/go/permissions.LimitofLiability/DisclaimerofWarranty:Whilethepublisherandauthorhaveusedtheirbesteffortsinpreparingthisbook,theymakenorepresentationsorwarrantieswithrespecttotheaccuracyorcompletenessofthecontentsofthisbookandspecificallydisclaimanyimpliedwarrantiesofmerchantabilityorfitnessforaparticularpurpose.Nowarrantymaybecreatedorextendedbysalesrepresentativesorwrittensalesmaterials.Theadviceandstrategiescontainedhereinmaynotbesuitableforyoursituation.Youshouldconsultwithaprofessionalwhereappropriate.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorshallbeliablefordamagesarisingherefrom.
Forgeneralinformationaboutourotherproductsandservices,pleasecontactourCustomerCareDepartmentwithintheUnitedStatesat(800)762-2974,outsidetheUnitedStatesat(317)572-3993orfax(317)572-4002.Wileypublishesinavarietyofprintandelectronicformatsandbyprint-on-demand.Somematerialincludedwithstandardprintversionsofthisbookmaynotbeincludedine-booksorinprint-on-demand.IfthisbookreferstomediasuchasaCDorDVDthatisnotincludedintheversionyoupurchased,youmaydownloadthismaterialathttp://booksupport.wiley.com.FormoreinformationaboutWileyproducts,visitwww.wiley.com.
Names:Dodson,Ian,author.Title:Theartofdigitalmarketing:TheDefinitiveGuidetoCreatingStrategic,Targeted,andMeasurableOnlineCampaigns/IanDodson.
Description:1|Hoboken:Wiley,2016.|Includesindex.Identifiers:LCCN2016004206(print)|LCCN2016010091(ebook)|ISBN9781119265702(hardback)|ISBN9781119265719(ebk)|ISBN9781119265726(ebk)
Subjects:LCSH:Internetmarketing.|Strategicplanning.|BISAC:BUSINESS&ECONOMICS/Marketing/General.Classification:LCCHF5415.1265.D632016(print)|LCCHF5415.1265(ebook)|DDC658.8/72—dc23
LCrecordavailableathttp://lccn.loc.gov/2016004206
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PREFACETheDigitalMarketingInstituteistheglobalcertificationstandardindigitaleducationforlearners,educators,andtheindustry.Oursistheworld'smostwidelytaughtdigitalmarketingcertificationprogram,andtherearemoregraduatescertifiedbyusthanbyanyotherindustrybody.Ourmissionistoestablishaseriesofglobalprofessionalstandardstowhichbothemployersandprofessionalscansubscribe.ThatiswhywefoundedtheDigitalStandardsAuthority,anindustry-basedworkinggroupthatdefinesandvalidatesDigitalMarketingInstitutecourses.TheDSAvalidatesourdevelopmentofinternationallyrecognizedandrespectedstandardsthatsupportdigitalmarketingeducationbyensuringconsistencyinourindustry-certifiedtraining.
Digitaltechnologyhastransformedthewayweliveandworkandhasimpactedeveryindustryfromretailtohealthcare.Nowmorethanever,organizationsandtheiremployeesfacethechallengeofdevelopingandmaintainingtheirbusinessoperationsandcustomerengagementinaconstantlyevolvingdigitalspace.Inarecentsurvey,only37percentofAmericanemployerssaidthattheythoughtthatrecentcollegegraduatesarepreparedtostaycurrentonnewtechnologies.1Theincreasingdigitalskillsgapandconsequentneedfortrainingisunmistakable,andsomethingthatwearededicatedtoaddressing.
Ourgoalistoempowerprofessionalswiththedigitalskillsandknowledgeneededtotakecontroloftheircareersandmaximizetheirpotential.Weachievethisthroughourcourses,whicharedesignedanddevelopedbyindustryexperts.Thismeansthatallofourcoursecontentisinformedbyindustrybestpractices,currenttrends,andinnovativeinsightsthathelpourstudentscultivateacompetitiveedgewithinanin-demandindustry.
Theprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketing,withwhichthistextbookaligns,isourkeystonecertification.Composedof10modules,itprovidesanintroductiontothekeydigitalspecialties:everythingfrommobileandsocialmediamarketingtoSEOandanalytics.Webelieveinequippingindividualswithessentialskillsthatendure,andknowledgethattheycaneasilyimplement,regardlessoftheirroles,sizeoftheircompanies,orscopeoftheirindustries.Wespecializeintransferable,flexiblelearning,whichisreflectedintheDigitalMarketingInstitute'sonlinestudyoptions.Ourcoursecontentisavailableonline24hoursaday,7daysaweek,andstudentscanaccessitwhetherthey'reathomeontheirlaptopsoronmobiledevicesontheirwaytowork.
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Wewanttomakelearningsimple,accessible,andconvenient.That'swhywedevelopedthistextbook.It'sanall-inclusiveintroductoryguidethatwillteachyoueverythingyouneedtoknowtokickstartyourdigitalmarketingcareer.Youcanreaditchronologicallyorprioritizethechaptersthatinterestyoumost;likeourcourses,thisbookwascreatedtoallowyoutostudyduringyourowntimeandatyourownpace,andyoucanalwaysreferbacktoitwheneveryouneedto!
TheArtofDigitalMarketinghasbeendesignedtointegratewiththeprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketingtoproduceacomprehensivelearningexperience.Eachchapterrelatestoamoduleinthecourseandthebookprovidescompletecoverageofthecoursesyllabusandcontainsonlythemostessentialpointsoflearningthatwillbestprepareyoutopassyourexamandgainaninternationallyrecognizedandrespecteddigitalmarketingcertification.
BoththeprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketingandTheArtofDigitalMarketingaregiventheirstructurefromtheDigitalMarketingInstitute'siterativeprocess,whichfocusesonmonitoring,analyzing,andenhancingyourdigitalmarketingactivitiesbasedontheirresults.Thatmeanswiththehelpofthistextbook(andbytheendofthecourse,ifyouaretakingit),youwillbeabletodesign,develop,andexecuteafullyoptimizeddigitalmarketingstrategythatincorporatesallofthekeydigitalchannels.
TheprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketingisatthecoreoftheDigitalMarketingInstitute'scertificationroadmap,whichisshowninFigure0.1.
Figure0.1TheDigitalMarketingInstitute'sCertificationRoadmap
Thisprovidesaframeworkwithwhichourstudentscanmaptheirpersonalandprofessionaldevelopment.Whetheryouchooseaprofessionaldiplomaindigitalselling,decidetocapyourstudieswithourmastersindigitalmarketing,orsimplyusethistextasanintroductoryguide,we'retheretohelpyoubuildandexpandyourcareer.
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Notes
1.HartResearchAssociates,FallingShort:CollegeLearningandCareerSuccess,accessedDecember17,2015,https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2015employerstudentsurvey.pdf
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CHAPTER1ANINTRODUCTIONTODIGITALMARKETINGHaveyouexperimentedwithdigitalmarketingdrivenbyguilt,pressure,oranovereagerboss?Haveyoufoundyoureffortsdisjointed—frustrating—hit-or-miss?Giventhesheervolumeofinformationavailableondigitalmarketing,justfindingwheretostartcanbechallenging.Andevenwhenyougetstarted,howdoyouproceedinawaythatensuresyouarenotwastingyourtime,effort,orbudget?
Thisbookprovidesyouwithaframeworkforapplyingyourdigitalmarketingskillsinastructuredanditerativefashion.Youhavenowtakenthefirststeptowardsdigitalmarketingmastery,andprettysoonyouwillbeabletousetheseskillstoproducemeasureableresultsandultimately,areturnoninvestment.Whatmorecouldyouaskfor?
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WhatMakesThisBookDifferent?Notonlyisthisbookafountainofknowledge,jam-packedwithalltheinformationyouneedtostartyourdigitalmarketingjourney,butourpracticalapproachtolearningwillhelpyoutograspthekeyconceptsandprovideyouwiththeskillsrequiredtoexcelinthedigitalindustry.
Furthermore,thisbookfollowsastructuredmethodologyunderpinnedbyDMI's3iprinciples.Theseprinciplesaretheframeworkrequiredforeffectivedigitalmarketingandtheyillustratetheneedforatotallydifferentapproachtotraditionalmarketing.
Thismethodologyisdescribedthroughoutthe10chaptersofthisbook,eachofwhichcoversonespecificchannelinthedigitalmarketingrepertoire.Attheendofeachchapteryouwillbegivenaspecificactionplan,andbyworkingthroughtheseplansyoucancreateacomprehensive,structured,andsuccessfuldigitalmarketingstrategy.
StartwiththeCustomerandWorkBackwardSuccessfuldigitalcampaignssharearangeofcharacteristics,butcampaignsthatfailallhaveonethingincommon:Theydon'tacknowledgetheempoweredandinformedconsumer.
PeoplePowerItistemptingtodescribetheevolutionoftheInternetintermsofnamessuchasFacebook,Lycos,Google,eBay,PayPal,Amazon,Apple,Samsung,Netflix,andYahoo!,asifthewholestoryofthewebisthestoryofbrands,companies,andtechnologies.ThetrueevolutionoftheInternetischronicledbythestoryoftheempoweredindividual.YouandIowntheInternet,andtheevolutionoftheInternetisourstory.
TheshiftfromYahoo!toGoogle10yearsagowasnotaresultofGoogle'smarketing—asuserswemadetheleapbecausewegainedmorecontroloverhowwesearchedforinformation.Thee-commercesiteeBayallowedustosellanythingtoanyoneforanypriceatanytime.Facebookallowedustostayintouchwithpeopleallovertheworldwheneverandhoweverwelike.Allthegreatleapsforwardindigitaltechnologieshavebeencharacterizedbyonething—theyhavegivenyouandmemorecontroloverourlives.
TheInternetisfundamentallydifferentfromallothercommunicationchannelsbecausewecanlearnsomuchaboutourcustomers.Wecanidentify
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theirhabits,theirtechnologies,andtheirpreferences.Thefreedomthattheweboffershasfundamentallyalteredthecompany/customerrelationship,upendingitandputtingtheempoweredcustomerinthedriver'sseat.
Withtheseadvancesincommunicationandwebtechnology,thewallshavefallennotonlybetweenacompanyanditscustomerbutbetweenfellowcustomers,whocanpubliclysharetheirexperiences—thegood,thebad,andtheugly!
MarketResearchversusMarketRealityTheprimarychallengeforanybusiness,nomatterhowlargeorsmall,isquitesimple—howtogetitsproductorserviceintothehandsofthecustomer.
Howthecompanywillachievethisisinformedbymarketresearch,gutinstinct,polls,surveys,andresearchaboutexistinghabitsandactivities.However,whenconductingmarketresearch,especiallysurveys,weneedtotakeonekeyfactorintoaccount—peoplelie!
TheInternetenablesustolearnfrommarketrealitybylookingatwhatpeopleactuallydoonline.Wecanusesociallisteningtoolstoresearchcustomers'activitiesandpreferencesbasedontheironlinehabitsandtocomplementourmarketresearch,asshowninFigure1.1.Byaccessingthismarketreality,ourproductisbettertargetedandourchancesofasuccessfulgo-to-marketstrategyaregreater.
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Figure1.1MarketResearchversusMarketReality
Let'sMakeThisReal!Let'simaginethatyourunacrèche—anurseryschool—inNewYorkandyouwishtocreateanonlinepresenceforyourcustomerstolocateyouandengagewithyou—andwitheachother.ItmaybetemptingtocallthiswebsiteCrecheworld.com.
However,asimplecheckusingGoogle'sKeywordPlannertoolwouldshowthatinthepastsixmonthsthenumberofuniquesearchesforcrècheinNewYorkCitywasdwarfedbysearchesforchildcarebyafactorof10!Soyoumaythinkofyourbusinessasacrèche,butyourcustomerscallitchildcare.
Eventhisearlyinthewebsiteplanningprocesswehavegonetothecustomers,lookedatwhattheyareactuallydoing,andchangedourproductappropriately.Marketrealityprovidesasounderbasisthanmarketresearchformakingcrucialbusinessdecisionssuchaswebsitenaming.
Similarlisteningtoolsexistforalldigitalchannels,andineachsectionofthisbookyouwillbeintroducedtothemosteffectivetoolsforunderstandingyourcustomers'actualonlineactivities.
Youmayask—doesthatmeanthatmarketresearchisredundant?Ofcoursenot.Wehavedifferentiatedbetweenthesetwoactivitiesinordertohighlighttheextentoftheshifttoconsumercontrol.Asmartapproachistocombinethebestofbothoftheseactivitiesintoasinglecohesivestrategy,usingonetovalidateandsupporttheother.
WhatArethe3iPrinciples?The3iPrinciples—Initiate,Iterate,andIntegrate—formthefoundationforallDMIMethodologiesandarekeytoanysuccessfulmarketingstrategy.
Principle1:InitiateOurgreatestchallengeasmarketersisshuttingup!Digitaltrulyisfordummies,inthesensethateveryquestionyoumayhaveaboutbudget,resources,strategy,andchannelsisansweredbytheconsumer—ifonlywewouldlisten!
Theinitiateprincipleofdigitalmarketingstatesthatthecustomeristhestartingandfinishingpointforalldigitalactivities.Theanswertoallquestionsis“letthecustomerdecide.”
Manypeoplearetooquicktojumpintomanagingdigitalchannels.Theyset
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upblogs,websites,andsocialmediaprofilesandstartpublishingnonspecificcontentaboutthemselves,theircompanies,andtheirproducts.Theyfailtorealizethatdigitalchannelsarenotbroadcastchannelsinthetraditionalsenseoftheterm.
Infact,theyareinteractionchannelsthatfacilitateatwo-wayconversation.Bytakingthetimetofindoutwhatyourcustomersaredoingonline,yourdigitalactivitieswillbecomeradicallymoreeffective.
Yourcustomersarespeakingonline.Areyoulistening?
Principle2:IterateWithinminutesofpublishinganad,wecanseewhattheclick-throughrates,responserates,andconversionratesare.Moreimportantly,thecontentordesignoftheadcanbechangedalimitlessnumberoftimesinresponsetouseractions.Thisabilitytopublish,trackresponse,andtweakaccordinglyisthegreateststrengthoftheInternetandproducesthesecondofour3iprinciples—iterate.
Thisprincipleemphasizestheimportanceoftweakingadigitalmarketingcampaigninresponsetouserinteraction.Eachdigitalmarketingchannelismosteffectivewhenyouapplyaniterativeprocess,andthemoreiterationsofthecampaignyouapply,themoreeffectiveeachbecomes.
Therearesomekeyimplicationsofthisiterativeprocess.
Tobeginwith,thefirstpublishedideaisnotnecessarilythebest.Themythicaladvertisingmogulwhodevisesakillercampaignisathingofthepast.Why?Becauseyourcustomersarebetteratdescribingwhattheywantthananyadvertiseris.Remainopentowhatyourcustomersaredoingintheirinteractionswithyourcampaignandbepreparedtochangeit.Yourcampaigncan,andwill,improveoveritslifetime.
Next,thelengthoftheiterationdependsonthechannel.Forexample,ifyousendaweeklyemailnewsletteryouwillreviewopenratesandclick-throughrateswithinadayortwoofsendingyournewsletter.Youwillthenapplythoseinsightstoyournextcampaignintermsofwhatdidanddidnotresonatewithcustomers.Soyouriterativeloopforyourspecificemailmarketingcampaignwilltypicallybeaweeklong.
Principle3:IntegrateIntegrationasaprincipleiscrucialtoeffectivedigitalmarketing.Itworksatthreelevels:
1. Integrateyoureffortsacrossdigitalchannels.Integrationacrossdigital
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channelsisaboutusinginformationgleanedthroughonechanneltoimprovetheeffectivenessofanotherdigitalchannel.Itcanbeassimpleassharinginformationlearnedthroughsearchengineoptimizationwithyouremailmarketingteam.Takeourcrècheversuschildcareexample:WhenincludingNewYorkparentsinanemailmarketingcampaignforacrèche,usingkeywordslikechildcarewillhelptoimproveyouropenrates.Thus,sharinginsightslearnedthroughonechannelcandrasticallyimprovetheeffectivenessofanother.
2. Integrateyourdigitalandtraditionalmarketingefforts.Integrationofdigitalandtraditionalmarketinginvolvesusinginformationgatheredfromyourdigitalmarketingeffortsandintegratingitintoyourtraditionalmarketingstrategy.Forexample,whenwritingthescriptforaradioadyoushouldusethesamekeywordsthatresonatewithcustomersusingsearchengines.Anyopportunitytolearnfromyourcustomerscanbesharedacrossallchannelstoimprovetheeffectivenessofallofyourcommunicationsandmarketingcampaigns.
3. Integrateyourreportingsources.Companieswhoengagewithdigitalmarketingobtainanabundanceofdataabouttheircustomers.However,itisimportanttogatherdatainawaythatallowsyoutomakegoodbusinessdecisions.Anintegratedviewofyourcustomersisagoodplacetostart.Luckily,alotoftheworkcanbedoneforyoubyusingatoolsuchasGoogleAnalytics.Forexample,thistoolcanprovideyouwithdetailedinformationonthesourceofthetrafficcomingtoyourwebsite.Whatpercentageofyoursitevisitorscomefromemailversuspaidsearchadvertising?Whichvisitorsconvertmorequickly?Whereshouldyoubeincreasingyourdigitalbudgetandwhereshouldyoubereducingit?Makingbusinessdecisionsbasedonthetruevalueofyourdigitalmarketingisacrucialstepinimplementingandjustifyingyourdigitalmarketingstrategy.
Solet'staketheleaptogether!Let'sdiscoverwhatdigitalchannelscandoforus,and—moreimportantly—forourcustomers.
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CHAPTER2SEARCHENGINEOPTIMIZATION
AnIntroductionWhoevercontrolsthedoortotheInternet,controlstheInternet.AndnowsearchengineshavebecomethedefaultentrypointtotheInternet.Westartwithasimplesearchbytypingafewwordsintoasearchengine,oftenoblivioustoexactlywhathappensbehindthescenes.WhenwesearchinGoogle,forexample,wearenotactuallysearchingtheInternet;wearesearchingGoogle'sindexoftheInternet,thatis,thelistofthesitesthatithasfoundonline.Sothechallengeforeffectivesearchengineoptimization(SEO)involvesunderstandinghowsearchenginesworkandhowtoplaybytheirrules.
FormaldefinitionofSEO:Theprocessofrefiningyourwebsiteusingbothon-pageandoff-pagepracticessothatitwillbeindexedandrankedsuccessfullybysearchengines.
InformaldefinitionofSEO:SmellniceforGoogle!
Googleisnotacheapdate.Youhavetomakesomeeffort:takeashower,washyourhair,shave,andputonaspritzofaftershaveandsomedeodorant.Optimizingawebsitesothatitisfoundandindexedbysearchenginesrequiresaconsiderableamountofgroomingandthischapterwillshowyouwhattodoandhowtodoit.
TheProcessInthischapteryouwillexplorethefourkeystagesoftheSEOprocess,asshowninFigure2.1.
1. Goals.Fromtheoutset,it'simportanttobeawareofthebenefitsofSEO.TheywillserveaskeydriversasyounavigatethedevelopmentofyourSEOstrategy.Youmustdecideuponandsetupclear,realisticgoalsandtargetsforyourSEOcampaign.Thebenefitsofspendingtimedevelopinggoalsfaroutweightherisksofwalkingtheplankblindfoldedintothecompetitiveworldofsearchmarketing.Justoneerrorcouldresultinasix-monthsearchenginepenalization—withSEO,ignorancecertainlyisnotbliss!
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2. On-pageoptimization.Thisdealswiththegranular,technicaloptimizationofthevariouselementsonyourwebsite.Itinvolvesensuringsearchenginescaneasilyread,understand,crawlthrough,andnavigatethepagesofyoursitetoindexitcorrectly.
3. Off-pageoptimization.Thisreferstotechniquesusedtoinfluencewebsitepositioninorganicsearchresultsthatcannotbemanagedbyon-pageoptimizationofyoursite.It'salong-term,iterativeprocessfocusedongainingwebsiteauthority,asdeterminedbywhatotherwebsitessayaboutyou.Toputitsimply,it'saboutbuildingadigitalfootprintandearningonlinecredibility.
4. Analyze.Thisstageisverymuchacyclicalprocess.You'renowlookingatthedatacomingback,analyzingit,anddecidingupontheadjustmentsneededgoingforward.Thiswillhelpyoutweakyourgoalsaccordinglyasyouimplementadditionalgoalsandchanges.
Figure2.1Four-StageSEOProcess
KeyTermsandConceptsThischaptercoversthekeyconceptsandterminologyusedwithinthefieldofSEOthatwillequipyouwiththetechnicalknow-how,understanding,andinsighttobuildandmaintainaneffectiveSEOstrategy.Uponcompletionofthischapteryouwill:
UnderstandthemeaningofSEO.
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Understandorganicsearchlistings.
Understandpay-per-click(PPC)listings.
UnderstandthemechanicsofSEO.
RecognizeandutilizethethreemaindriversofSEO.
Understandon-pageandoff-pageoptimization.
Searchengineoptimizationistheprocessofrefiningyourwebsite,usingbothon-pageandoff-pagepractices,sothatitwillbeindexedandrankedsuccessfullybysearchengines.WithSEO,thebestandmostcost-effectivewaytoincreaseyourwebsitetrafficistohaveahighpositioninorganicsearchlistings.Organicsearchlistingsrefertothewebsitesthatappearinsearchresultsbasedontheirrelevancetothesearchtermtheuserhastyped.
SearchEngineResultPages:PositioningHaveyouevertriedsearchingforyourfantasticnewwebsite,onlytofindithasbeenlostinthedepthsofcyberspaceandistrailingbehindhundredsofothersites?Thisallcomesdowntosearchengineresultspage(SERP)positioning!AfterreadingthissectionyouwillknowhowtosaveyoursitefromsocialSiberiaby:
IdentifyingandunderstandingthefeaturesofaSERP.
AppreciatingtheimportanceofaSERP.
ImplementingyourknowledgetoachieveahighSERPlisting.
ASERPisthewebpagethatasearchengine,suchasGoogleorYahoo!,returnsthatliststheresultsofauser'ssearch.ASERPisdividedintocoresections.Atthetopyou'llalwaysfindpaidlistings.AsyoucanseeinFigure2.2,thesearemarkedwithyellowflagsthatclearlyhighlighttheseentriesasads.
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Figure2.2GoogleSearchEngineResultsPageSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Butwhataboutthelistingsthatliebeneaththeadvertising?Theseareorganicsearchresults,orthelistingsthatarefeaturedonaSERPbecauseoftheirrelevancetothesearchtermsthatauserhasenteredintoasearchengine.
It'softensaidthatthebestplacetohideadeadbodyisonthesecondpageofsearchengineresults,whichiswhyitisessentialtoensureyourlistingisashighaspossibleonthefirstSERP.Ninety-onepercentofsearcherswillnotclickpastthefirstresultspage,soit'stimetoadoptacompetitivemind-setandstrivetoachieveatop-threeorganiclisting.Youroverallgoalistoreachthenumber-oneposition!
OrganicversusPaidListingsListingsthataredisplayedonthefirstpageofsearchengineresultsyieldthehighestsearchtraffic—thehigherthelisting,themoreclicksitwillreceive.Generally,paidlistingswillgarnera30percentclick-throughrate(CTR),withorganiclistingsmakinguptheremaining70percent.Whilethesestatisticscanvarydependingonthemarket,generallythisruleofthumbiswidelyapplicable.Itisimportanttonotethataslistingpositionsgetlower,click-throughsdrasticallydecrease.Approximately67percentofclick-throughsonpageoneofaSERPoccurinthefirstfiveresults.Alowlistingwillultimatelyaffectyouroverallconversionrate,soonceagain,it'simportanttostriveforthetopthreepositions.
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Customerscanseekinformationusingavarietyofdifferentsearchpractices,whichiswhyfocusingsolelyontext-basedsearchescanhinderyourSERPpositioningandcustomerreach.Let'sbuildonwhatwe'vejustlearnedandtakealookatthedifferentwaysyoucanoptimizeyourSERPlistings.
Location-BasedSearchSearchenginestakeintoaccountthelocationofthepersonsearchingtodeliverthemostapplicablesearchresults.Forexample,withGoogle'sMyBusinessyoucansubmityourbusinessfordisplayonalocation-basedsearch,sowhenJohnSmithsearchesforItalianrestaurantsinTokyo,yourchancesofappearinginhisSERPareincreased.Besuretocompleteallelementsoftheformbyprovidingacategory,description,pictures,videos,andsoontocatchuserattention.Googleoperatesafive-starratingscheme,socustomersshouldbeencouragedtoreviewandrateyourbusiness.
Whilelistingswithhigherreviewscoresandadditionalmaterial,likethoseinFigure2.3,won'tnecessarilyincreaseSERPpositioning,theymostcertainlywillyieldahigherCTRthanthosewithoutthesecharacteristics.
Figure2.3LocationBasedSearchSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwith
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permission.
KnowledgeGraphListingGoogle'sKnowledgeGraphtriestounderstandsearchers'intentwhileanticipatingtheirendgoals.Ittriestohelppeoplediscoverkeyinformationaboutaparticularbusinessthattheymaynothavebeenabletodiscoverthroughanorganiclisting.
Forexample,ifausersearchesforinformationonrestaurantsinNewYorkCity,KnowledgeGraphwilldisplaybothavarietyofimagesatthetopoftheSERPandapanelontherightwithalistofkeyinformation,acompanydescription,reviews,relatedsearches,andsoon.Itfeedsoninformationfromrelatedwebsites,popularsearches,Googlelocallistings,andothersources.
DataHighlighterDataHighlighterisaGoogleSearchConsole(GSC)toolthatisveryvaluablewhenitcomestorefiningyourSERPlisting.Withyourmouse,yousimplyhighlightthevariousdatafields(title,description,image,etc.)onyourpage.ThisinturnallowsGoogletodisplayyourwebsitedatainnew,moreattractivewaysbothinSERPsandontheKnowledgeGraph.WhileyoucannotstipulatewhatdatawilldisplayinaSERP,throughGoogleSearchConsole,youcandemotelinkstoyoursitethatdecreaseitschancesofbeinglisted.
SearchBehaviorBynowyoushouldhaveastronggraspofthekeyterminology,mechanics,andpracticesassociatedwithSEOandSERPpositioning.So,let'scombinethisknowledgeanduseittounderstandmoreaboutourcustomersandtoanalyzetheironlinesearchbehavior.Bytheendofthissection,youwill:
KnowwhothethreekeyplayersinsearchmarketingareandwhattheirimpactonyourSEOstrategyis.
UnderstandsearchbehaviorandDMI's5PCustomerSearchInsightsModel.
Knowwhatkeysnippetsofinformationcanbeobtainedfromeachofthe5Ps.
Beabletoleveragethevalueofthe5PsinyourSEOstrategy.
Appreciatetheimportanceofrelevancyforcustomeracquisition.
Whatisonlinesearchbehavior?Everytimeuserssearch,theyrevealacertain
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amountofinformationaboutthemselves.Whenthisinformationisgathered,itcanbeclassifiedintodifferentsearchbehaviorcategoriestoanalyzecustomerneeds.Fromthiscategorization,youcandevelopaneffectiveSEOcontentstrategy.Insearchengineoptimizationtherearethreekeyplayers:
1. Thesearcher.Thegoalistohavepeoplesearchingforyourproductorservice.Morespecifically,youwantsearcherstolookforthekeywordsyouareusing.Youwanttounderstandaperson'severysearchbehaviorinordertotargetasearcherappropriately.
2. Thewebsiteowner.Yourgoalasthewebsiteownershouldbetoaligntheoptimizationofyourwebsitewithcustomersearchbehaviorfindings.Thecompetitiveintentionhereistooutrank,outperform,andoutbidyourcompetitors.
3. Thesearchengine.Ultimately,yourgoalistoensuresearchengineshaveindexedyourwebsite,sotheycanunderstandwhatyoursiteisabout.Thisiscrucial.Ifasearchenginecan'tunderstandyoursite,itwon'tdisplayit.
Eachoftheseplayersisviewedasastepping-stoneontheroutetoreachingandengagingwithcustomers.Youmustsuccessfullyaddresseachcomponenttoreachyourendgoal,whetherthatisaclick-throughtoyoursite,acontactinquiry,asale,orsomethingelse.
Understandingyourcustomersisthecornerstoneofeverysuccessfulbusiness,whichiswhysearchmarketingissuchanimportantmediumforgatheringcustomerinsight.Witheverysearch,usersleavesmallcrumbsofpersonalinformationbehind.SobyusingDMI's5PCustomerSearchInsightsModel,yougetagreaterunderstandingofcustomersthanyoueverimagined!Let'stakealookatthe5Ps:
1. Person.Informationaboutthesearchercanincludeage,sex,religion,language,andsocioeconomicgroup.
2. Place.Youcandiscoverthecountryorcityacustomerisinandwhetherthelocationisclassifiedasurbanorrural.
3. Product.Youcanlearnwhichparticulartopic,interest,orsubjectareaofaproductsearchersareresearchingandtheneedorthepainbeingaddressed.
4. Priority.Thesearchqueryprovidesanindicationofcustomers'purchasingtimeframes;thatis,howurgentlytheyneedtheproductorserviceandthewindowforengagement.
5. Purchase.Mostimportantly,youcanfindouthowandwhereuserswanttobuyandwhatstagetheyareatintheconsumerpurchasemodel.
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Toexpanduponthis,let'slookatFigure2.4andapplythe5PmodeltothesearchqueryAlaskaromanticweddingvenueDecember2020.
1. Person.Here,youcouldmakeaneducatedguessastotheageandgenderoftheuser.Buttobecertain,thisdatacanbeobtainedusinganimportanttoolyou'llbecomeveryfamiliarwith,knownasGoogleAnalytics(GA).GAgiveshighlydetailedinformation(inthiscasedemographicdata),andcanprovidekeypersoninformation.
2. Place.Fromthesearchquerywecanseethesearcher'stargetedplaceisAlaska.ButbyusingGAyoucanalsoseewherethispersonislocated.
3. Priority.ThepriorityisverymuchDecember2020andthesearcher'spurchasingtimeframeandurgencyhavealsobeenidentified.
4. Product.Theproducttheuserislookingforisaweddingvenue.
5. Purchase.Thepurchaseinthiscaseisgoingtobedirect.It'snotsomethingthattheuserwillbookonline.
Figure2.4The5PModel
Ultimately,thekeytoallthiscanbesummedupinoneword:relevancy.Themostrelevantsearchresultswillalwaysbedisplayedtousers,somakesuretofocusthethreekeyplayersofSEOtowardseachofthe5Pstoensurethatyourwebsiteisastrongcontenderagainstcompetitors.
Customersearchbehaviorissomethingyoumusttakeintoaccountinallaspectsofonlineoptimization.Itshouldinfluenceyourdecisionsoneverydetail,fromchoosingkeywordstocreatingcontentforyoursite.Youneedto
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understandwhoyourcustomersare,whattheironlinehabitsare,andhowtosolvetheirconsumerpaininordertoconvertthemfromwebsitevisitorsintoloyalcustomers.Withabetterunderstandingofyourcustomer'sonlinehabitsandbehaviors,let'snowusethisinformationtoinformstage1oftheSEOiterativeprocess—whatyourgoalsandoutcomesforthesearchengineoptimizationofyoursiteshouldbe.
Stage1:GoalsAswithallaspectsofdigitalmarketing,theimportanceofdefiningandsettingtangible,measurablegoalscannotbeemphasizedenough.Goalswillhelpyoucreateplans,directyourday-to-daytasks,and,ofcourse,motivateyoutoriseaboveyourcompetitors.
Let'sstartwithstageoneoftheSEOprocess,whichishighlightedinFigure2.5.Getreadytobeanexpertin:
Analyzingtheunderlyingneedsofyourbusiness
Convertingtheseneedsintowell-definedgoals
Assigningkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)tothesegoals—toassessifyou'reontherighttracktoachievingthem
Figure2.5FocusonthefirststageintheSEOprocess
Whileaddressingconsumerpainisimportant,youcan'tforgettoaddressyourown.Ifyouassesstheneedsofyourbusiness,itwillcreateabeneficialripple
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effectonthethreekeyplayersofSEO:thesearcher,thesearchengine,andyou,thewebsiteowner.Youneedtoidentifythebusinesspain,viewthispainasagoal,createastrategytoachievethegoal,andassignKPIstothestrategytomonitoryourprogressinsolvingthepain.It'sverymuchacyclicalprocess.Let'susetheexampleofasportsfootwearretailer:
Businesspain:Adeclineinonlineorders
Goal:Conversions
Strategy:Increasewebsitevisitorsthroughon-pageoptimization(keywords,blog,etc.)
KPIs:Sales,onlineinquiries
Inthisexample,thesearcherbenefitsthroughanenhanceduserexperienceandrelevantcontent,thesearchenginebenefitsthroughbeingabletoeasilyunderstandandindexyoursite,andyou,thewebsiteowner,benefitsthroughachievingyourgoals.
Goalsvarydependingonthenatureofthebusiness.Typesofgoalsincludeengagement,visibility,andthemostcommongoal,conversions.Everybusinessisdifferentinregardstowhatitclassifiesasaconversion.Ononewebpageauserwatchingavideomightbeconsideredaconversion.Onanotheritcouldbeanonlineinquiry.Afteryou'vedecidedwhatyourgoalsare,youcantrackyourprogresstowardsachievingyourgoalsbycreatingKPIs.YoucandefineandmonitorgoalsandKPIs,thenanalyzethisdatatoadjustyourstrategyusingtheGAreportingtool.We'llshowyouhowtodothislater.
FollowingaresomeexamplesofsometypicalgoalsandKPIs.
TypesofGoals TypesofKPIs
Engagement
Conversions
Visibility
Reputation
Credibilityandstatus
Marketleadership
Competitiveadvantage
Organictraffic
Visitornumbers
Click-throughrates
Downloads
Onlineinquiries
Sales
Websiteengagementandthelike
Stayingmotivatedinachievingyourgoalswillbedifficultifyou'reoblivious
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tothebenefitsfromyourefforts.TheultimategoalofSEOistoachievethatnumber-onerankingonSERPsforyourwebsite.Butwhatarethebenefits?
IncreasedorganicCTRs.OrganicCTRisthepercentageofclicksyourwebsitelistinggenerates,basedonthenumberoforganicimpressionsserved.OrganicimpressionsarethenumberoftimesapagefromyourwebsitedisplaysinSERPsandisviewedbyauser,notincludingpaidlistings.Anumber-onepositionwillincreaseyourorganicCTR,whichinturnreducesyouradvertisingspendandultimatelyleadstoconversions.
Increasedengagement.Youwantuserstoengagewithyourbrandatdifferentstagesofthebuyingprocess,visityourwebsite,andstaythere!Likeadogtoabone,anumber-onerankingwillluresearcherstoyoursite.Increasedengagementmeansusersexploringandspendinglongerperiodsoftimeonyoursite.
Enhancedreputation.Toplistingsyieldbothonlineandprofessionalcredibility,status,andreputation.
Marketleadershipandcompetitiveadvantage.Outshiningyourcompetitorsisvital,sostriveforanumber-onelistingtoavailyourselfofthisadvantage.
Increasedconversions.Whateveryouconsideraconversion,thisiswhatit'sallabout.They'veclickedontoyoursite,spenttimenavigatingit,andhadapleasantbrowsingexperience.Great!Butnowit'sabouttransformingthesefactorsintoconversions.Ahighsearch-enginelistingwilldothisforyou.
Takesometimenowtoassesstotheneedsofyourbusiness,andfromthisdeviseyourowngoalsandthecorrespondingKPIs.YoushouldbereferringbacktoyourgoalsandupdatingthemasyouprogressthrougheachstageoftheSEOprocess.Goalsettingisanotherongoingprocessthatwillcontinuallychange,dependingonthesuccessesorfailuresofthestrategiesyouimplement.Justkeepremindingyourselfofthebenefitsofyourhardworkandtheresultswillspeakforthemselves.
Stage2:On-PageOptimizationWithyourgoalsinplaceandtheiraccompanyingKPIsassigned,thetimehascometomovetothesecondstageoftheSEOprocess:On-pageoptimization,whichishighlightedinFigure2.6.Atthestartofthischapter,webrieflydiscussedthemechanicsofthisprocess.Nowwecanexploreitfurther.
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Figure2.6FocusonthesecondstageintheSEOprocess
KeywordResearchKeywordresearchisoftenthefirststepinthisprocess.Keywordshaveaverystrongimpactontheotherelementsofon-pageoptimization,sothelevelofresearchyouconductwilldetermineifyoursiteisazerooraherointermsofsearchvolume!
Afterjustalittlemorereadingyouwill:
Understandthetermskeyword,long-tailkeyword,andkeywordresearch.
Knowhowtoconductbothonlineandofflinekeywordresearch.
Beawareoftheimportanceofkeyword-richcontentandtheneedforhigh-qualitycontent.
Beabletoidentifykeywordresearchtools,theactionstheyperform,andthedatatheyprovide.
KeyTerms
So,whatexactlyisakeyword?It'sasignificantwordorphrasethatrelatestothecontentonyourwebsite.Forexample,ifyou'reafreelancephotographer,relevantkeywordsforyoursitecouldbephotographeroraffordableweddingphotographer.KeywordsarevitalinensuringyoursitedisplaysinSERPs.Theyshouldbesubtlyincorporatedintothecontentandmetadataofyourwebpagesinawaythatreadsnaturally.
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Asearchtermisacommonlyusedphrasethatuserstypeintosearchenginestofindyou.Traditionallyuserstypedintwotofourwords,butwithever-increasingdigitalliteracyrates,muchlongersearchtermsarenowbeingused.Youmustbeabletoknowwhatcustomersaresearchingforandchooseyourkeywordsbasedonthat.WhilegenericsearchtermssuchashotelsinPariswillgivetonsofsearchresults,theylackrelevance.
Usersnowunderstandthatthemorespecifictheirsearchterms,themoreaccurateandrelevanttheirsearchresultswillbe.Thisiswherelong-tailkeywordscomein.Thesearethree-orfour-wordkeywordphraseswithlow-volumesearchqueriesthatareworthrankinghighly.Why?Becausesearchersusinglong-tailkeywordsareusuallyclosertothepointofpurchase.Althoughlong-tailkeywordsarequitespecific,theyhavelowercompetitionandbringmuchhigherqualifiedtraffictoyourwebsite.
Havingcoveredtheterminology,it'snowtimetodoyourhomeworkanddiscoverthekeywordsthatpeopleusewhensearchingforinformationontheproductorserviceyouprovide.Thisisknownaskeywordresearch.Itmeansfindingthesearchtermsyourcustomersmostfrequentlyuse.Therearetwotypesofkeywordresearch—onlineandoffline.Typically,digitalmarketerswillfocussolelyononlinemethodsofkeywordresearch,disregardingtheabundanceofexcellentkeywordsthatcanbederivedfromofflineresearch.Butwhyshouldyoubotherwithkeywordresearchatall?Besidesthefactthatitwillincreaseyourrankingandimpressions,italsohelpssearchenginesbetterrecognizetheintentbehindusers'searchtermsandbringthemthemostrelevantresults—whichkeepsallthreekeyplayershappy.
Let'stakealookatsomekeytoolsandpracticesthatwillassistyouinyourkeywordresearchefforts.
OfflineKeywordResearch
Brainstorming.Youreallycan'tbeatsittingdownwithyourteamtobrainstormkeywordideas.Thebestpeopletoreportonthecommonjargonbeingusedinyourindustryareyourcolleagues.Theyarethepeoplewhointeractwithyourcustomers,hearingandseeingthewordsandphrasestheyusewhenreferringtoyourproductsandservices.Somethingassimpleasnotingdowncommoncustomerqueriescanbeahugebonusforkeywordresearch.Usingkeywordscomposedofindustryjargoncanbetricky,sobeverycareful.Let'susetheexampleofanITsolutionscompany.Thestandard,industry-acceptedtermfortheserviceprovidedismanagedITsolutions,andassuch,thecompanywillwanttodisplayinSERPswiththiskeyword.Theproblemhereisthatcustomersdon'tusethisterm,andsearchforoutsourcedITservicesinstead.The
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lessonhereisthatyoushouldalwaysselectthekeywordsandsearchtermsthatyourcustomersareactuallyusing.
Marketingcollateral.Opentheofficestoreroomandgatheryourcompany'sleaflets,brochures,posters,andthelike.Thecontentherecanbeparticularlyusefulforgeneratinglowsearchvolumekeywordsthatareworthincluding.Inaddition,goingonestepfurtherandsourcingcompetitormarketingmaterialisanexcellentcompetitorkeywordresearchmethod.
Customersurveys.Qualitativeresearch-basedcustomersurveysareanothermethodofestablishingthephraseologyandcolloquialjargonyourcustomerbaseisusing.
Listeningtocustomers.Substantialamountsofkeyworddatacanbeobtainedbysimplylisteningtoyourcustomers.Briefeveryoneinyourcompanyontheimportanceoflisteningtothewordsyourcustomersareusing.Collatingthesewordsintoalistwillsavealotoftimeandmoneywhenconductingyourkeywordresearch.
OnlineKeywordResearch
Inthisstageoftheprocess,generallywe'retalkingabouttheuseofkeytoolsthatallowyoutoperformfilteredkeywordresearchusingthefollowingcriteria:customdateranges,queryvolume,historicaltrends,levelsofdata,andrelatedphrasesbycityorcountry.Withsuchawidevarietyofonlinekeywordresearchtoolsavailableforfreeorforafee,thewebisyouroyster!Researchingandtestingthecountlesstoolsavailablethatworkbestforyouistimewellspent.Tokick-startyourefforts,thetopfourhighlyregardedresearchtoolsintheindustryfollow:
1. GoogleAutocomplete.Thistoolisprobablytheeasiestonlinekeywordresearchtooltouse,anddefinitelytheplacetostart.It'sparticularlygoodforlong-tailkeywordresearch;yousimplybegintypingintotheGooglesearchbox.Onceyoustart,you'llseethatitwilltrytofinishyoursentenceautomatically,basedonthemostpopularsearchtermsentered.Asyounowknow,Googlescansyourbrowserhistorytodeliverthemostrelevantsearchresults.Ifyou'reusingGoogleAutocorrectforkeywordresearch,makesuretoclearyoursearchhistory,cache,cookies,andtemporaryfiles—clearitall!Thatwayitwon'tconsideryourprevioussearcheswhensuggestingsearchterms,thusprovidingfreshdata.
2. GoogleAdWordsKeywordPlanner.ThisisatoolbuiltintotheGoogleAdWordsplatform.UndertheToolssection,you'llfindKeywordPlanner.Theresearchandanalyticalfunctionalitiesareendless!Afteryou've
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enteredaparticularkeywordorsearchtermandchosenthelocationyou'retargeting,clickonGetIdeas.TheKeywordPlannerwillreturnareportdetailingthetoplistingscontainingthatkeywordorsearchterm,plusothersuggestedkeywords.Inthelistingyouwillnoticetwotabs,oneforadgroupideasandanotherforkeywordideas.Atthisstageoftheprocessfocusonthelatter.TheadgroupideastabconcernsPPCadcampaignsandrightnowwe'refocusingonhowtousethistoolfororganicoptimization.
Thelistingwillrevealcopiousamountsofinformation.ForthisSEOexercise,however,theonlytwodataelementsworthfocusingoninFigure2.7aresearchtermandaveragemonthlysearches.Startbylookingatthesearchtermanditscorrespondingsearchvolume.Baseyourkeywordselectiononrelativelyhighsearchvolumesthatareactuallyapplicable.Youwantkeywordswithlowenoughcompetitionsothatyoucangetthatall-importantpage-onelisting.Again,don'tdisregardlong-tailkeywords.Theyusesearchtermswithlesscompetitionandbringmorerelevanttraffictoyourwebsite.
3. GoogleTrends.Aswithallaspectsofdigitalmarketing,popularkeywordsareeverchanging,soit'simportanttokeepinformedandstayaheadofthecurve.GoogleTrendsisagreattoolforanalyzingtheriseandfallofkeywordtrends.It'simportanttobeawareoftrendingterminologyandphrasessoyou'renottargetingoutdatedkeywords.Thistoolcanalsoshowhowsearchtermsaretrendingagainsteachotherandifthereareanynewtrendsyoushouldbeconsidering.
4. SEMrush.SEMrushisusedwidelybysearchmarketersintheindustry.It'sanexcellenttoolforanalyzingyourcompetitors,thekeywordsthey'retargeting,andwhattypeofestimatedtrafficvolumesthey'regetting.OutperformingyourcompetitorsisoneofyourprimarySEOgoals,andtodothatyouneedtoassesstheirperformanceincomparisontoyourown.
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Figure2.7KeywordIdeasinGoogleAdWordsKeywordPlannerSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
OnceyouhavechosenasolidlistofkeywordsthatallowyoutorankhighlyinSERPs,it'stimetoincorporatethosekeywordsintoyourwebsite.Searchenginesencouragetheuseofkeywordssotheycandisplaythemostrelevantwebsitesonthefirstpageofauser'ssearch.
AWordofWarning
Sobyrepeatingarelevantkeyword50timesononepage,yourwebsitewillranknumberone,right?Wrong!Backintheday,searchmarketersthoughtitclevertotrycheatingsearchenginealgorithmsthroughavarietyofdisallowedkeywordpractices,suchaskeywordstuffing.Thisinvolvedoveruseofthetoprankingkeywordsintheirwebsitecontentinordertorankhighly.TheGooglegodsarenowsmarterthaneverandthesekindsofforbiddenSEOactivitieswon'tbetolerated.WebsitesfoundtobeviolatingtheruleswillbeseverelypenalizedandcouldberemovedfromSERPsentirely.Nowadays,searchmarketersarewiserandtimeshavechanged.Keyworddensity,orhowmanytimesakeywordorphraseappearsonawebpage,isoneaspectofSEOthatisnolongerimportant.Keywordsshouldonlybeusedtoaccompanyhigh-quality,relevantcontent.
Whentheresearchisdoneandtheoptimumkeywordshavebeenselected,youmustthendecidewheretoplacethem.Youshouldincludeyourtargetkeywordinthetitletag,inthemetadescription,andinthebodycopyofthewebpage(thesemechanicswillbecoveredinthenextsection).
Again,keywordsshouldbeusedincombinationwithsuitablecontent.Whenwritingforyoursite,alwaysfocusonboththeenduserandthesearchengine.Thecontentshouldberelevant,withkeywordsinsertedintosentencesnaturally,sousersdon'trealizetheyarereadingSEO-optimizedcontent.Mostimportantly,nevercompromisethequalityofyourcontentforkeywordoptimization.Thepenaltiescertainlyaren'tworththerisk.
TheOn-PageOptimizationProcessBynow,youshouldhavecarefullyconductedyourkeywordresearchandchosenyouroptimalkeywordsbasedonthisresearch.Thenextstepistoincorporatethesekeywordsintotheon-pageoptimizationofyoursite.
Youraimistoachieveahighfirst-pagerankingandpushyourcompetitorsintothebarrenwastelandsofpagetwoandbeyond!Uponcompletionofthissection,youwill:
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Knowtheoptimalcontentstructureandhierarchyforon-pageSEO.
Recognizeandappreciatetheimportanceofeachon-pagemechanic.
Learnhowtoconducton-pageoptimization.
Knowaboutthekeyon-pageSEOtools.
Knowhowtocreatemultiregionalandmultilingualversionsofyourwebsite.
StyleandStructure
Withon-pageoptimization,thefirstthingyoumustbeconsciousofisthestructureofyoursite.Youshouldmakesurethereisahierarchyamongwebpagesandthatthestructureflowsthroughoutyourwebsite,asshowninFigure2.8.Thinkofitasaparentandchildrelationship.Everywebsiteshouldhaveamenunavigationbar,withthemenubarlinksactingastheparents.Thesubpagesflowingfromtheseparentpagesaretheirchildren,andifthesesubpageshavefurthersubpages,theyarethechildren'schildren.
Figure2.8TypicalSiteStructure
Theexampleheredetailsthehierarchalstructureofatypicale-commercewebsite.Asyoucansee,theWomen'spageisachildoftheHomepagebutalsoaparentoftheClothing,Shoes,andAccessoriespages.Gotthat?Thenumberoflevelsyoursitehasdependsonthenatureofyourbusiness.Ifyourcontentisburiedtoodeepitcanbedifficultforbothusersandsearchenginestoreachit,whichiswhyideallywebsitesshouldhavenomorethanthreeorfourlevels.Remember,alwaystrytokeepthethreekeyplayershappy.Auser-friendlysitewillbeappreciatedbythecustomer,whichwillpleasethe
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searchenginethatwillultimatelyincreaseyourrankinginSERPs.
Utilizingstructureandbreakingupyourcontentusingbulletpoints,headings,images,andthelikeiswherealotofwebsitesfail.Ifyouhaveapage-onelistingbutitlooksdifficulttoread,yourcustomerswillbouncefasterthanyoucansaykeywordcannibalization.Bouncingisthetermusedtodescribetheactivityofuserswhoenterawebsite,don'tinteractwithit,andexitbackouttotheSERPorclosethewindowentirely.Googleconsidersbounceratesindeterminingyourranking,whichiswhywebsitestructureissoimportant.Highbounceratescanleadtosearchenginesviewingaparticularwebsiteasabadmatchforthesearchtermused,andtheycouldpotentiallydemoteyourwebsiteasaresult.Gettingpeopleontothewebsiteisthefirststep,butkeepingthemthereisthenext.Socreatestructureonyoursiteandallowthecustomertoseeavisuallypleasingsitethatusesavarietyofmedia.
Up-to-DateContent
Searchenginesandusersareverysimilar,inthatbothfavorwebsiteswithunique,relevant,andup-to-datecontent.Useyourselfasanexample:Ifyouweresearchingforon-pageoptimizationarticlesandtheSERPreturnedlistingsfromthisyearandfiveyearsago,whichlinkwouldyouclickfirst?
Maintainingup-to-datecontentisn'tjustabouttextonthepage—photos,videos,slides,andimagesareallexamplesofdifferentformsofmediayoucanusetokeepyourcontentfreshandattractivetothereader.Youstillneedtextonthepageforsearchenginestounderstandyourcontent,butrememberthatyou'rewritingprimarilyforyourcustomers,tokeepthemonyoursite.Startanalyzingusermediahabits.If,forexample,youdiscoverahighvolumeofactivityassociatedwithuserswatchingvideos,startthinkingaboutembeddingvideosintoyourwebsitetobuildanextralevelofinteraction.
OptimizingtheTechnicalMechanicsofYourPageWhenyou'vedecideduponthehierarchyandstructureofyoursite,youthenneedtooptimizethetechnicalmechanicsofyourpageandinsertthekeywordsintothem.Theyarelistedhereintheorderinwhichtheywouldnormallyappearonyourwebsitesothatyoucangetabettervisualizationoftheprocess—fromthetopofyourpagetothebottom.
URLs
InsertyourchosenkeywordsintotheURLsofeachwebpageonyoursite.Thisisanindicatorthatsearchengineslookfor.MakingsureyourURLsareoptimizedinthiswayisextremelyimportant.Thatmeanseliminatingthestringofnumbersandthe&=%?symbolsfromtheURLsandreplacingthem
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witheasilyreadablekeywords,toassistbothyourusersandsearchengines.Hyphensordashesaretheonlysymbolsthatshouldbeusedaswordseparators.Foryearsindustryexpertsencouragedtheuseofunderscores;however,Googlehasstatedthatthisisnotrecommended,asunderscoresmakeitmoredifficultforalgorithmstoidentifywhatthepageisabout.
TakethesetwoURLs:
1. digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/courses/type/postgraduate-diploma-in-digital-marketing/
2. http://www.abcdefhgj.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=43
YoucanseewhichURLisprettyanddescriptiveandwhichfelloutoftheuglytree.YourURLsneedtobedescriptiveinordertoinformyouruserswhatthey'relinkingto.Ifthesecondlinkwasemailedorsharedonsocialmedia,userswouldhavenoideawherethey'rebeingtakenorwhatthepageisabout.InthefirstURL,thelinkdestinationisclearlydescribed,thehierarchyisvisible,andthekeywordsareprominentandseparatedbydashes.
PageNames
“What'sinaname?Thatwhichwecallarose,byanyothernamewouldsmellassweet.”WhileJulietmayhavebeenontosomethinghere,shecertainlywasn'treferringtowebpages.Keywordinsertionherecanbetricky,butyoumustnameyourwebpagesappropriatelytoensurethey'rerelevanttothepagecontent.Pagenamesactaslabelsthathelpusdistinguishcontentandcreatemeaning.Theyusuallyhaveoneortwowords,andforthatreasonit'snotalwayspossibletooptimizethemintermsofkeywords.Ontheplusside,thisisnottotallynecessary.Namingthesepageswithrelevanceisthesolutionhere.Asusersandsearchenginesgodeeperintothewebsite,pagesshouldgetmorespecifictothekeywordsyou'retargeting.Again,it'saboutcreatingauser-friendlyandinformativebrowsingexperience.
MetaTags
Awebpageismadeupofhypertextmarkuplanguage(HTML).WithintheHTMLarespecialtags,knownasmetatags.Metatagsdon'taffectthewebpagelayout,butratherprovideimportantinformationaboutthepage'scontent,whichisusedbysearchenginestoindexyoursite.Byright-clickingonapageandselectingSourceCode,youcanseetheHTMLandmetatagsofthatparticularpage.Nowadays,higherrankingsaregivenforrelevance,userexperience,andpopularitythanformetatagoptimization.Intheindustry,thistopicisaboneofcontention,andviewsonwhichmetatagscarryhigher
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importancevarygreatly.MetatagsareanexcellentadditionstoyourSEOtoolbox—justbecarefulnottowasteyourtimeonextraneoustagsthataddnoSEOvalueandtakeupcodingspace!We'veoutlinedthemostimportantmetatags,whichwillassistyouron-pageoptimization,below:
Titletag.Althoughtechnicallynotametatag,thistagwilldisplaythefirstpartofyoursearchengineresultslisting.TitletagshelpensureyourlistingsonSERPssaytherightthingsaboutyourbusiness,contributetoclick-throughrates,andhelpsearchenginesdeterminewhatthepageisabout.Haveyouevernoticedthenameofawebpageinthetabofyourbrowser?That'sthetitletag.MostcontentmanagementsystemssuchasWordPressfacilitatethecreationoftitletags.Again,thinkaboutyourkeywordsforeachpageandincorporatethisinformationintothetitle.Whenpossible,frontloadyourkeyword—thismeansputtingthekeywordasclosetothebeginningofthetitleaspossible.Searchenginesregardindividualityhighly,sobesureeverypageonyourwebsitehasauniquetitleandremoveanyduplicatetitles.Generally,titlesshouldhavebetween50and60charactersintotal.Googleindexesthewholetitleregardlessofcharacterlength,buttheproblemisthatitalsotruncatestitlesthataretoolong—andthismeanspartofthetitleiscutoff.Notpayingattentiontoyourtitle'scharactercountcouldresultinthemostimportantpieceofinformationinyourtitlebeingleftoutorshortened.
Descriptiontag.Whileitmaynotcontributetoyourwebsiteranking,thistagdoesmakeupthesecondpartofyourlisting.Generally,youshouldaimforbetween150and160characters.Utilizeyourdescriptiontagasasalespitch.Getyourkeywordinthere,butalsoincludeacalltoaction,benefit,anduniquesellingpoint.Thatwayyou'retellingpeoplewhytheyshouldvisityourwebsite,purchasefromyou,ormakeaqueryaboutyourproductorservices.Snappyandinformativedescriptiontagswillengageyourusersandpleasethesearchengines.
BreadcrumbNavigation
Thisallowstheusertoreturntoprevioussectionsonthewebsitewithouthavingtousethemainnavigationbartodoso.Asusersgothrougheachpage,theyleaveabreadcrumbthatisdisplayedonthetopofeachpage—asshowninFigure2.9—allowingthemfindtheirwayhome!Sointhecaseofthisparticularpage,youcouldreturntothe“BlogPosts”pageveryquicklybyusingbreadcrumbnavigation.It'ssomethingyoushoulddefinitelyconsider.Thenameofyourpageiswhatwillappearonyourbreadcrumbnavigationgraphic,soagain,ensurepagenamesaredescriptive.
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Figure2.9ExampleofBreadcrumbNavigation
On-PageHeadings
Yourpagesshouldbedividedintoheadingstofacilitatestructureandguideboththeusersandsearchenginesreadingyourcontent.HeadingsrangefromH1toH6andindicatethemostimportantpartsofyourpage'scontentandhowthecontentisinterconnected.YourprimaryheadingshouldbeanH1heading;itssubheadingwillbeclassifiedasH2;thesubheadingofH2willbeclassifiedasH3,andsoonandsoforth.InFigure2.10,“ProfessionalDiplomainDigitalMarketing”isthemainheading,orH1,ofthispage.“CourseOverview,”thesubheadingofH1,isH2.BygoingintothesourcecodeofawebsiteandsearchingforH1,youcanseetheheadingsofawebpage.Howmanyheadingsyouwantdependsonhowyouwishtostructureyourcontent,althoughtheyusuallydon'tgopastH3.TryandgetkeywordsintoyourH1s.Fromtheusers'perspective,whentheyclickontoyourpagetheywillclearlyseethatthisisthepagetheyshouldbeon.Searchengineslookatheadingstoo,togetanindicationaboutthepage'scontentandwhatthekeywordsare.
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Figure2.10On-pageHeadings
FirstParagraph
UnderH1liesyourfirstparagraph,andideallyyourchosenkeywordsshouldbewithinthefirstlineoftext.Usersscanthefirstfewwordsoneverypage,whichdeterminewhetherornottheywillbounce.Sobesmartwithyourfirstlineandincorporatethosekeywordsinanaturalmanner.
BodyofText
Theindustry-acceptedstandardforwordcountsvaries,buttherecommendationforgeneralwebpagesrelatedtotheproductorserviceyouprovideisatleast300words.Articles,whitepapers,andcasestudiesshouldhave1,000wordsminimum.Blogs,ontheotherhand,areadifferentstory.Withblogs,youshouldbeaimingforbetween1,500and2,500words.Researchhasshownthatarticlescontaining2,500wordsgarnerhigherrankingsthanarticleswithfewerwords.Withalltheseguidelines,youshouldalwaysbearinmindthatbothsearchenginesandusersareseekingrelevant,freshcontentthatisinformativeandprovidessolutions.Writingjustforthepurposesofreachingyourwordcountisnotadvised.Youalsoshouldn'twritemorecontentjusttobeabletoinsertahighnumberofkeywords.Keyword
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densityisnowoutdatedandseenasSEOmalpractice.Helpthesearchenginestounderstandwhatyourcontentisaboutbyinsertingkeywordsonceortwiceintothebodyoftextanditsheading,butprimarilyfocusondeliveringasolidpieceofrelevantwriting.Boldingkeywordsinyourwebpagecontentinthebeliefthatdoingsowillincreaserankingisacommonmisconception.DoingsoisperceivedbyGoogleaskeywordstuffingandistakenveryseriously.Mostimportantly,foruserexperience,boldedkeywordtextlooksunprofessionalanddoesnotreadnaturally.Ifyou'reusinglong-tailkeywords,wherepossibletrytokeepthephrasetogetheronthepage.
AnchorText
Interlinkedcontentshouldbepresentthroughoutyoursite,allowingusersandsearchenginestoadvancetothenextpageofyoursitewithease.Thiscanbedonewithanchortext.Anchortextisahyperlinkshownasclickabletextwithinyourcontent.It'sveryimportantthatallpagesareaccessibleviaalinksomewhereonyoursite,soensureyourlinksarebuiltintothecontentthatnavigatespeoplethroughyoursite.Yourgoalistofindabalancebetweenfacilitatinganexcellentuserexperienceandhavingasitethatisoptimizedforsearchengines.Nowadaysanchortextismoredescriptiveandcontainsyourtargetedkeywordsorphrases.Forexample,analternativetothetraditionalclickhereanchortextcouldbeclickhereformoreinformationonourprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketing.Bybeingdescriptive,usersknowwherethey'regoing,andthesearchengineistakingthosekeywordsintoaccountwhenitindexesthepageandfollowsthelinkthrough.
ImagesandAltText
Alttextstandsforalternativetext,anditactsasanalternativetotheimageitdescribes.Itspurposeistodescribetheimagebothforuserswithaccessibilitydifficultiesandsearchengines.Userswhoarevisuallyimpairedmightusesoftwaretohelpthemreadyourwebsite;inthiscase,theuserwon'tnecessarilybeabletoseetheimageonthescreen.Providingalttextcanallowthesesoftwareprogramstoreadaloudthedescriptivealttext,creatingamorepositiveuserexperience.Searchenginesalsousealttexttodeterminewhattheimageisabout,whichcanimproveyourrankingandalsohelpswithimagesbeingfoundinimageSERPs.Besuccinctanddescriptivewithyouralttext;themaximumshouldbefourtosixwords.Whenpossible,insertkeywordsintothefilenamesofyourimages(beforeyouuploadthem),thealttext,andtheimagecaption.
SocialSharing
Buildyourpagetobeeasilyshareablebyyourwebsitevisitors.Thishelps
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withbuildingadigitalfootprint,bygettingpeopletalkingaboutyourbrandonsocialmedia.Moreimportantly,byprovidingeasilyshareablelinksyou'rebringingpeoplebackintoyourwebsite.Searchenginesaretakingsocialsharingintoaccounttoo.
SiteMap
ThefinalelementyoumusthaveonyoursiteisanHTMLsitemap.Asitemapisapageonawebsitethatprovidesamapofthewebsite'sstructure.Thesitemapisintheformoftextlinkstoalltheotherpagesonthesite.Itallowssearchenginestocrawlthrough,index,andrankyourwebsite.Sitemapsshouldlinktoeverypageonthewebsiteandeverypageshouldlinktoit.You'llfindthey'renormallylinkedinthefooterofawebsite,andoncecreatedcanbesubmittedforindexingthroughGoogleSearchConsole.
TheTechnicalAspectsofSEONowthatyouknowhowtofullyoptimizetheon-pageelementsofyourwebsite,let'sventuredeeperintothetechnicalaspectsofSEOthatneedyourconsideration,soyoucanpreventunforeseenissuesdowntheline.Anybodywhohasworkedonalatenightessayorreportknowshowuncooperativetechnologycanbesometimes—butfearnot,soonyouwill:
Understandtheimportanceofbrowsercompatibilityandresponsivewebsites.
Beawareofstructureddatamarkupandschemamarkuplanguage.
Knowhowtofixandcustomizecommontechnicalpageerrors.
Recognizetheimportanceofsecurewebsitestoenhanceuserexperienceandsiteranking.
Compatibility
Whenassessingthetechnicalelementsofyoursite,startbycheckingyourwebsite'scross-browsercompatibilitywithChrome,InternetExplorer,Safari,andFirefox.YoucanuseGoogleAnalyticstoseethevolumeoftrafficcominginfromparticularbrowsers.Browsercompatibilityisanessentialelementofagooduserexperience,sodon'tletyourcustomersbounceoversomethingassimpleasthis!Therearetonsoftoolsavailabletohelpwiththis;BrowserStackisthemosthighlyregardedintheindustry.Otherwise,compatibilitycanbeachievedmanuallybyinstallingthesewebbrowsersontoyourcomputer.
Google'salgorithmhasshiftedtoincludegreaterrankingemphasisonmobile
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friendliness.Assuch,responsivewebsiteshavebecomewidelyexpectedbyusersandsearchengines.GoogleisgivingmuchgreaterSERPpreferencetowebsitesthatarecompatiblewithmobilewhenusersaresearchingonmobile.Generallyspeaking,searchengineshaveapreferenceforresponsivewebsites.Thesearewebsitesdesignedtorespondtothedifferentsizesofscreensthatcustomersareusing.Responsivesitescontractandexpandtothescreendimensionsofthedevicessearchersareusing—whethertheyaresmartphones,tablets,orcomputerscreens.Althoughresponsivesitescansometimesinflictslowerspeedandloadingtimesonyoursite,theprosfaroutweighthecons.
Analternativetoaresponsivewebsitewouldbeamobile-specificwebsite,whereinyouchoosetobuildanentirelyseparatemobilewebsitewithitsownuniqueURLs.Thesesitesjustincludethevitalpiecesofinformation,content,and(mostimportant!)call-to-actionbuttons.Searchenginesanduserstendtofavorresponsivewebsitesastheycontainexactlywhatisdisplayedonthedesktopversionofthesiteanddonotcreatethelimitationsonbrowsingfortheuserthatmobile-specificsitesdo.Google'sMobile-FriendlyTest,asshowninFigure2.11,isagreattoolthatdeterminesifyoursiteisdeemedmobilefriendlybysearchengines.Typeinyourwebsite'sURLandthetoolwilltellyouifyoursiteiscompatible.Ifnot,itdoesgivehelpfulindicationsastowhyyoursitefailedthetestandprovidestipsonhowtofixtheproblem.
Figure2.11On-pageheadings
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Source:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
StructuredDataMarkup
Structureddatamarkupisthenexttechnicalelementofyoursiteinneedofoptimization.Itreferstothecontentonyoursitethatisformattedinaneasilyreadablewayforsearchengines.SchemamarkuplanguageistheresultofacollaborationbetweenGoogle,Bing,Yahoo!,andYandexthatallowsyoutoeasilyimplementstructureddatamarkupintoyourwebsiteto:
Increasesearchresultaccuracy.
RefinethewayyourlistingappearsinSERPs.
Enhancethewayinformationisdisplayed.
Basically,itenablesyoutobetterexplainthecontentofyourwebsitetosearchengines.If,forexample,you'rewritingablogaboutbass,howisthesearchenginetoknowifyou'rereferringtotheguitarorthefish?Schemamarkupallowsyouexplainthesethingstosearchengines.Haveyoueverseenacompany'supcomingeventorreviewsdisplayedinSERPs?That'sbecausethecompanyhasmarkeduptheircontent,sothatsearchengineswillacknowledgethesearelistingsofeventsandreviewsandincludetheminsearchresultsandintheKnowledgeGraph.Inthenextsection,we'llcovertheultimatetoolforschemamarkup,Google'sDataHighlighter.Schemamarkup'sinfluenceliesinitsabilitytomakeyourlistingsstandoutfromthecrowd,increaseyourclick-throughrates,andhelpyourcustomersdiscovermoreinformation.
Houston,WeHaveaProblem
Whencreatingorredevelopingawebsite,changescanbemadethatinadvertentlycontributetoaninterrupteduserexperience.ChangingtheURLofapageorremovingitfromyoursiteentirelywillleaveusersandsearchengineswithsomethingcalleda404errorpage.Thisisanindicationtousersthattheyhaveclickedonapagethathasbeenmovedornolongerexists—otherwiseknownasabrokenlink.Atallcosts,trytoavoid404errorsonyoursite.Usersandsearchenginesseverelyresent404sandtheconsequencesofthemvaryfromdemotedrankingstolostconversions.Shouldyoursiteeverdelivera404error,it'sbestpracticetolimitthedamagetouserexperiencebycustomizingyour404page.Trytoreduceuserannoyancebymakinglightofthesituation,asthecartoonshowninFigure2.12does.Replacethestandard404errortextwithsomethingnovel,suchas“Oops,we'vegotaproblem.”Choosesomethingthattiesinwithyourbrand'stoneofvoiceandpersonality.Youshouldalsoprovidenavigationlinkoptionstootherareasofthesitesoas
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nottoalienatecustomersandmakethemmorelikelytobounce.
Figure2.12Customized404ErrorPageSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
A301redirectisapermanentredirectfromoneURLtoanother,andisanothermethodoflimitingthenegativeimpactthat404errorscreate.ShouldyouwishtochangetheURLofapagethathasalreadybeenindexed,301redirectsaretheanswer.Youneedtomakesurethatyou'reredirectingtothemostrelevantpageonyourwebsite.Redirectscanbecarriedoutintwoways:
1. Domainlevel.Userstypeinwww.example.comandthe301redirectsthemtowww.myexample.com.
2. IndividualURLs.Userstypeinwww.example.com/how-to-do-seoandthe301redirectsthemtowww.example.com/a-guide-to-seo.
Thefinaltechnicalelementworthconsideringforyourwebsiteisasecurecertificate,knownasanSSLcertificate.Thesearesmalldatafilesthatyoupurchaseandinstallonyourwebserver,creatingsecureconnectionsbetweenthewebserverandthebrowser.YoucanrecognizewebsiteswithSSLcertificatesbylookingattheirURLsintheaddressbarofyourbrowser;theURLbeginswithHTTPSandisaccompaniedbyapadlocksymbol.SSLcertificatesaretheultimatecertificationthatthewebsiteissecureandarespecificallyrecommendedforwebsitesthatinvolvetheexchangeofsensitive,personal,andfinancialinformation.Althoughnotacriticalrankingfactor,GooglehasstatedthatitconsidersHTTPSwhendeterminingranking.EverythinginSEOisaboutgettinganedgeoveryourcompetitors,sothesearecertainlyworthconsidering.
SiteMapsandGoogleSearchConsoleNowthatwe'velookedatthetechnicalelementsofSEO,we'regoingto
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exploreatoolthatwillgreatlyassistwithyouron-pageoptimization.FormerlyknownasWebmasterTools,ithassincebeenrebrandedasGoogleSearchConsole(GSC).ProbablyoneofthemostunderusedtoolsthatGoogleprovides,ithelpswebsiteownersseehowGooglecrawls,understands,andindexesyoursite.Useittohelpfindthetechnicalissuesthatmaybehurtinguserexperience,orworse,yourranking!ThissectionwillnavigateyouthroughthevariouselementsandtoolswithinGSCthatyouneedtoknowinordertohaveafullyoptimizedwebsite.SogetreadytobecomeaGoogleSearchConsoleexpertandalsoto:
KnowthevariousformsofsitemapsandtheirimportanceforSEO.
Understandwhatismeantbyrobots.txtandcanonicalization.
Beawareofandknowhowtousethefunctions,reports,andtoolswithinGoogleSearchConsole.
Sitemaps
Youprobablyknowthatasitemapissimplyalistofeverypageonawebsite;thatis,itprovidesamapofthesite'sstructure.Themajorityofpeoplewillneveruseyoursitemap,relyingonbreadcrumbandmenubarnavigationinstead.Regardlessofthisfact,searchenginesrelyheavilyonsitemapstoeasilycrawlyoursiteandindexitappropriately.Let'snowtakealookatthetwotypesofsitemapsyoucan,andshould,haveonyoursite:
1. HTMLsitemap.AnHTMLsitemapisthetextversionofasitemapandshowstextlinkstoallthewebsite'spages,asillustratedinFigure2.13.They'reeasilyreadablebyhumansandexcellentforinternallinking,accessibility,andnavigationpurposes.Whenpossible,alwaysincludeeverypageofyoursiteinthesitemap.Forwebsitesthatprovidealargevarietyofproductsitmaynotbefeasibletolisteveryproductpageinthesitemap.Inthisinstance,acategoryandsubcategorylistingisokay,asshowninFigure2.13.Whensearchenginesvisitthispagetheywillbeabletoeasilyaccessallthecontentonyoursite.Alwaysremembersearchengineswanttoindexyoursite,butit'syourjobtomakesuretheycanactuallyfindthepages!
2. XMLsitemap.Figure2.14showsasitemapwrittenusingextensiblemarkuplanguage(XML),whichdisplaysinacodingformat.ItfollowsthesamerulesastheHTMLversionofasitemapbutispreferredbysearchengines,whichfindthelanguageeasiertounderstand.YouneedtosubmityourXMLsitemaptoGoogleSearchConsole,andindoingso,itallowsGoogletoinformyouofanymajorissuesonyoursite.
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Figure2.13HTMLSitemap
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Figure2.14XMLSitemap
Beextravigilantwiththecreationofasitemap;alwayscheckforminormistakes,suchasamissinghomepagelink.Commonerrorslikethisonehappenohsofrequently,soensureeverypageyouwantindexedisonthatsitemap.Thereareavarietyoffreetoolsonlinethatwillgeneratewhateverversionofsitemapyourequire.Thetoolsarenormallyautomated,sothateverytimeapageisaddedorremovedthesitemapwillautomaticallyreflectthesechanges.Includeyoursitemapinyour404errorpagesandinthefooterofyoursite,andremember—whileGoogledoesruletheroostwithsearchvolume,don'tignoreBing.Itgeneratesalargevolumeofsearches,sosubmityoursitemapthereaswell.
Robots:HelpingYouHide
Whileit'sgreatthatsitemapsmakeindexingeasier,whatiftherearecertainpagesyoudon'twanttoshowupinSERPs?Robots.txtfilesarethesolution.Thesearefilesortagsthatallowyoutodictatewhetherornotapageshouldbeindexedbysearchengines.Take,forexample,theloginpageforawebsitepoweredbyWordPress.Thereisnobenefittouserexperienceinhavingthispageindexed,andfurthermore,itcouldalsoposeasecurityrisk.Assuch,theownerofthissitecaninsertarobots.txtfileintohersitesothispagewillnotdisplayinSERPs.Robots.txtisalsousefulforadvertisementlandingpagesthatyoumaynotwantindexedforfearofcontentduplicationthatcouldincurpenalties.
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Whenyoursitemapshavebeencreated,thenextstepistocreateaGSCaccount,register,andverifyyourwebsiteonit.Thiscanbedoneinavarietyofways,includinguploadinganHTMLfileonyourwebserverandaddingametatagonyourhomepage.Onceverified,GooglewillstartpullingdataintoyourGSCaccount.Crawlissues,indexingfrequency,searchterms,ranking,click-throughs,andpenalizationareallareasthatwillbeanalyzedandreportedon.WithinyourGSCdashboardyou'llfindanareatosubmityourXMLsitemapaswell,somakesureyoudothis!
GSCToolReports
OutofthemultitudeoffeaturesofGSC,thetoolreportsaredefinitelyoneofitsfinest.Foreachtoolitoffers,extremelydetailedinformationcanbederivedandcomparedinavarietyofdifferentways.Youcanfilterdatabycountry,mobileversusdesktopversustablets,andsoon.Let'stakealookatsomeofthekeytoolsandreportsthatwillbebeneficialtoyou:
Thecrawlerrorreportisparticularlyusefulformonitoringyourwebsite'stechnicalperformance.ItprovidesinformationabouttheURLsthatGooglecan'taccess—mostcommonlydueto404errors.Afterreviewingandfixingyourcrawlerrors,makesurethey'reremovedbymarkingthemasfixed.Thatwaywhenyouloginyou'llknowtheerrorsshownarenewandneedaction.Crawlingerrorsareflaggingissuesthatsearchenginesarehavingwithaccessingyourwebpages,whichcouldbehurtingyourranking—sobesuretokeepaneyeonthisreportandalwaysaimtohavenoerrorsdisplayedinit.
Theinboundlinksreportwillbeparticularlyusefulduringtheoff-pageoptimizationofyoursite,butit'salsoveryusefulattheon-pageoptimizationstage.Thisparticularreportwilltellyouwhichwebsitesarelinkingtoyours,howmanylinksthesewebsitesaregenerating,andthemostpopularpagesonyoursitethatarebeinglinkedto.Itwillalsotellyoutheanchortextbeingusedtolinktoyoursite.
Thepagespeedreportisagreat,addictivetoolforawakeningthecompetitiveSEObeastwithinyou!Itworksbygradingyoursiteonascaleof0to100,takingvariousfactorslikeserverresponsetime,compressionfiles,andimagesizeintoaccount.Thereportwilldetailwhichfixesareabsolutelynecessary,whichareworthconsidering,andtheareasinwhichyoudon'thaveanyproblems.Aimfor85/100andhigher.Resultsdisplayedingreenmeanyou'reabovethe85mark,orangesignifiesyou'rebelow85(atapproximately60–70/100),whiletheredindicatesyouhavebigproblemsthatneedyourattention.Studieshaveshownthatforeveryone-seconddelayonyourwebsite,conversionscandecreaseby7percent!Userswillnotwaitaroundforapagetoload,soastrongfocusontheareasthatwillimproveyourspeed
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isvital.
TheHTMLimprovementstoolisaninvaluablereportforflaggingissueswithawebsite'smetadata,suchasmetatagsthataretoolong,tooshort,duplicated,ormissing.Mostimportantly,italsoshowsissueswithcanonicalization.ThistermappliestoindividualwebpagesthatcanbeaccessedfrommultipleURLs,causingduplicatecontent—searchengineshatethis!Forexample,ifusersofaclothingwebsitecouldaccessapageforredshoesbyvisitingwww.example.com/red-shoes,www.example.com/new/red-shoes,andwww.example.com/ladies/shoes/red,thesearchenginewillseethesethreepagescontainingthesamecontentbutbeunabletodecidewhichURLtodisplayinSERPs.Thiscausesacanonicalizationerror.Usingcanonicallinks,youcanredirecttwooftheseURLstotheonepageyoudowantGoogletoindex,therebysolvingtheproblemandminimizingtheriskofbeingpenalized.Althoughtheremaystillbemultiplepageswithduplicatecontent,canonicallinkshelplimittheGooglegods'canonicalanxiety!
Google'sDataHighlighterisaneasyalternativetousingschemamicrodatamarkup.BuiltintoGSC,it'sapoint-and-clicktoolthatallowsyoutomarkupthedatayourself,toprovidebetterSERPsnippets.DataHighlighterisaneasywayoftellingGoogleaboutthestructureddataonyourwebpagesandisespeciallyusefulforwebsiteownerswhomaynothavemicrodataorcodingexperience.Youcanmarkupawidevarietyofthings,suchasevents,articles,localbusinesses,andproducts.Youcanhighlightthingssuchasaproduct'snameanditsreviews,theimagery,theauthoranddateofanarticle,andthecontactdetailsforalocalbusiness.Haveyoueverseenanupcomingevent'stimeandlocationlistedinaGoogleSERP?WithDataHighlighteryoucandothistoo,makingyoureventeasierforuserstodiscoverandallowingyoustandoutfromcompetitors!
Stage3:Off-PageOptimizationWiththeon-pageelementofyourwebsitecovered,it'snowtimetomoveintostage3oftheSEOprocess,ashighlightedinFigure2.15—off-pageoptimization.
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Figure2.15FocusontheThirdStageintheSEOProcess
Incomparisontoon-pageSEO,off-pageSEOrequiresanentirelydifferentskillset.Here,youcanleavethetechnicalitiesbehindandfocusonbeingopportunistic,proactive,andcompetitive.Inotherwords,channelthatinnerhustler!Thepurposeofoff-pageSEOistoimproveyourwebsiteranking,basedontheamountandqualityoflinkscomingintoyoursite.Getreadytoembraceyourinnerextrovertandalsoto:
Knowthekeyoff-pagetechniquesyoucanapplytoimprovewebsiteranking.
Appreciatethevariousformsoflinksandbeabletodistinguishamongthem.
Learnaboutcontentmarketinganditsinfluenceonoff-pageoptimization.
Recognizethepotentialfactorswithinlinkbuildingthatcancauseproblemsandpenalization.
Let'stakealookatthefourmainoff-pagetechniquesyoucanusetomaximizeyoursite'sSERPranking.
LinkFormatsThefirstthingyouneedtounderstandaboutlinksisthattheyhavetwoelements:
1. Linktextreferstothetextthatappearsonthepage.
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2. ThelinkURListhedestinationtowhichthatlinktextwilltaketheuser.
Internallinksdefinelinkingwithinyourownwebsitecontentfromonepagetoanother.ConsiderthemavitalelementoftheSEOprocess.Theyhelpspiderscrawlyourwebsiteandreachpagestheywouldn'tnecessarilyfind,builddigitalfootprints,enhanceuserexperience,andcontributetoranking.TakealookatFigure2.16foranexampleofinternallinkingfromDMI.
Figure2.16InternalLinking
Thelinksallnavigateinternallytoareasofthewebsiteitself,andtheanchortextisdescriptive—pleasingallthreekeyplayers.Customersknowexactlywherethey'regoing,searchenginescanusethelinkandanchortexttounderstandthepagecontent,andyou,thewebsiteowner,benefitfromhigherranking.
Aninboundlinkisonethatcomesfromanotherwebsiteanddirectsausertoyourwebsite.Itisconsideredadeterminingfactorinyoursite'sranking.Searchenginesbelievemoreinwhatotherssayaboutyouthanwhatyousayaboutyourself,andtheymeasurethisthroughinboundlinks.Thinkofthemasvotesofconfidenceandpopularity—themoreasitehas,themoreauthorityandcredibilityitwillgain.ThismakestheirlinksmoreimportantandconsideredworthyofhigherrankingsinSERPs.
Therearefourdifferentlinkformatsyouneedtoneedtoknowabout.Choosethemwisely—youroff-pageSEOcouldbehelpedorhindereddependingontheformatyouuse.
1. Uninformativelink.Alinkthatsayssomethinglikeclickhereisanuninformativelink.Don'tbeafraidtousethesewordsinalink;theyare,
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afterall,adefinitivecalltoaction.Justtrybemoredescriptive,sothatbothcustomersandsearchenginesknowwherethey'rebeinglinkedto.
2. URLlink.Alinksuchaswww.vidalsassoon.comisaURLlink.Don'tjustlinktothehomepage,findthemostrelevantpageandlinktothat.
3. Topiclink.Alinksuchashaircareisatopiclink;it'sagoodwayoflinkingtositesthatcontainthesamesubjectmatterasthepagetheuserison.
4. Keywordlink.Alinkwithkeywords,suchashairstylingwithVidalSassoon,isakeywordlink.ThisisanexcellentwayofinsertingkeywordsintoyouranchortextforanSEOboost.
LinkBuildingOnceahailedoff-pagestrategycontributinggreatlytowardsranking,itsinfluenceisdwindling.Searchenginesarebeginningtofocusmoreuponuserexperiencethanthequantityofquality,inboundlinks.Regardlessofthisfact,asolidlink-buildingstrategywillstillpositivelyaffectyourranking,butthiswillbeentirelydependentonyourlevelofcommitmentandgoodjudgment.Startdevelopingastrategybyaskingyourselfsomeofthefollowingquestions:
AmIgoingtoaskbloggersforlinks,andifso,howwillIdoit?
AmIgoingtocreatevaluable,relevantcontentandwaitforinboundlinkstocomenaturally?
WillIcreatemyownlinksandwherewillIdoit?
WillIreachouttomycustomersandaskthemtolinktomywebsite?
Whileinboundlinksaregreat,thereissomewhatofaqualitycastesystem,withsomegivenhigherpriorityandstatusthanothers.It'simportantthatyoufocusonbuildinghigh-qualityinboundlinkssothatyoudon'twasteyourtimegatheringlinksthataren'tinfluentialandcontributenothingtoyouroff-pageSEO.Takealookatthefollowingsuggestedtechniquesyoucanusetodevelopyourownstrategy:
Evergreencontent.Thisiscontentthatwillbeforeverrelevantandfresh.Obviouslyifyou'rewritingaboutthelatestindustryfad,thatwon'tbepossible,butkeepingitevergreenissomethingyoushouldalwaysaimfor.Evergreencontentisofanextremelyhighquality,wellresearched,andwillbeusedasaresourcebyothers.Itnaturallydevelopsinboundlinksandhelpsyourdomainbecomeauthoritative.
Influentialblogsorsocialmedia.Linksfromthesesitescarrygreat
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authorityandarewidelysoughtafter.Whilecreatingoriginal,quality,entertainingcontentwillhelpyougetlinksonthesesites,rememberthatpopularblogsgethundredsoflinkrequestsdaily.Increaseyourchancesofgettingthatlinkbymakingyourselfknownintheindustryandbefriendingtheinfluencers.Bynetworkingindiscussionforumsandrelevantsites,blogs,andsocialmedia,youcanbuildrapportwithlike-mindedpeopleinyourindustry,makingyourlinkrequeststandoutfromtherest.Whynotconsiderguestblogging?Thisiswhenyoucreatecontentforpublicationonsomeoneelse'sblog,whichincludesinboundlinksbacktoyourownsite.Asalways,onlyincludelinkswhenappropriateandbeneficialtotheuserexperience.It'sagreatwayofcreatingapublicperceptionthatyouareathoughtleader,helpsranking,andincreaseswebsitetraffic.
Locallinks.Ifyou'rerunningalocalbusiness,linksfromotherlocalandrelevantbusinesses,organizations,charities,socialevents,andmediaorganizationsareimperative.Ifyou'reaphotographer,youcouldaskforlinksfromflorists,weddingplanners,andweddingfairorganizers.Seekoutthosewhohaveauthorityandstandinginyourindustry.BesuretogetyourselfonlocallistingsitessuchasGoogleMyBusiness,TripAdvisor,andYelp.Theywillletsearchenginesknowkeyinformationaboutyourbusiness,suchasproximitytothesearcher,whichwilldetermineyoursite'spositioninginSERPs.
Authoritativewebsites.Thesearethecrèmedelacrème.Alinkfromanauthoritativewebsiteisthegoldennuggetofoff-pageSEO,sofindoutwhoisauthoritativewithinyourindustryandchasethatlinkforallit'sworth!Governmentwebsitesareautomaticallyhighauthoritybutnormallyhavepoliciesaboutnotlinkingtothird-partywebsites.Contactcompaniesyou'veusedbefore,offeringawell-writtentestimonialtobefeaturedontheirpages.They'llbenefitfromthepositivereviewandyou'llgetaninboundlink!
However,beawarethatlinkingcanbeeitherone-wayorreciprocal.Aone-waylinkiswhensomebodylinkstoyou,whereasareciprocallinkiswhenyoulinktoeachother.Whenlinking,thinkaboutthepagesthatyou'relinkingto.Acommonproblemwithlinkbuildingoccurswhensomeonedecidestolinktoyoursite.Henaturallylinkstoahomepagewithoutspendingthetimetofindthemostrelevantpage.Youshouldalwaysbebuildinglinksintothecoresectionsofyourwebsite,notjustthehomepage.Controlthelinkasmuchaspossiblebydoingtheworkforthewebsiteyou'rerequestingthelinkfrom.ProvideakeywordlinkcontainingtheURLofthepageyouwantlinkedtowiththeanchortextyouwantused.Bylinkingtothemostrelevantpage,the
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digitalfootprintfromallyourwebpageswillexpand—ultimatelyincreasingyouroveralldomainauthority.
Asiflinkbuildingwasn'tchallengingenough,youneedtobeawareofthefollowingfactorsthatmaycauseproblemswithyourlinkbuildingstrategies:
Flashcontent.Flashisanoldermethodofcreatingmovementinawebsite.Shouldflashcontentcontainlinks,searchenginesmaynotbeabletoseeorreadit.Aflashlinkisawastedlink,sobesuretoflaganyinboundlinkslikethistothewebsiteowners.ItcouldbethedifferencebetweenapageoneandpagetwoSERPlisting.
Brokersorsellers.Withe-capitalismcomesopportunists—somegood,somebad.Ofthebadvarietyarelink-buildingbrokersorsellers.Approachthesecompanieswithstrongcaution!Whileweshouldn'tgeneralize,outsourcingthisprocessusuallyresultsinaonestepforward,tenstepsbackscenario.Here,inboundlinksgeneratedtendtocomefromextremelylow-qualitywebsitesthatareirrelevanttoyourcontent.Youwillfindthatalotoflink-buildingsellersoperatelinkfarms—agroupofwebsitessetupsolelyforlinkingtooneanother.AlgorithmsunderstandtheseSEOmalpracticesandpenalizeforlow-qualitylinks.Asuddensurgeofinboundlinkswilltriggersuspicion,andshouldyoubefoundtohavelinksthatarenotorganicallybuilt,youwillsuffertherankingconsequences!
Brokenlinks.Alwayscheckforandreplacebrokeninboundlinks.Awebsite'slinktoyoufromlastyearcouldnowbebroken,costingyouvaluablerankingandconversions.Remember,pagesyouhavedeletedthathaven'tbeenredirectedwillresultinbrokenlinks.Ifyouhappentostumbleacrossthebrokenlinkofacompetitoronahigh-authoritysite,usethistoyouradvantage.Makethewebsiteownerawareoftheissueandprovideherwithanotherrelevantlinkfromyoursite!
Damaginglinks.Notalllinksaregood,andthosethataren'tcanaffectyourranking.Websitesthatareconsideredspammybysearchengineswillconsiderinboundlinksfromthesesitesasunnaturalandcouldpenalizeyouasaresult.Luckily,adisavowtoolwithinGSCallowsyoutosubmitalistoflinksyouwouldlikeGoogletoignore.Shouldyoudiscoverdamaginglinks,thistoolwillhelpclawbacksomeoftherankingyoumayhavelostasaresult.
ContentMarketingThenextphaseofyourlinkbuildingstrategyiscontentmarketing.Thisinvolvescreatingandsharingvaluable,informative,andentertainingcontent
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withtheaimofattractingcustomersontoyoursite—inordertodrivesalesandconversions.It'smoreaboutshowingcustomersthatyouhaveanexpertiseandpassionforwhatyoudothantryingtoselltothem.Articles,casestudies,whitepapers,infographics,andvideosareamongthepopularmediaused—sostartthinkingabouthowyoucaninform,educateandsolveproblemsforyourcustomers.Havinganarticlerecognizedandsharedwillhelpbuildcredibilitywithinyourindustry,increasingrankingandyourdomainauthority.Aimtobeanexpertinyourniche,sothatpeoplewillimmediatelythinkofyoursiteandlinktoitwhenthattopicarises.Forcontentmarketingthesamerulesapply.Makesuretoon-pageoptimizeyourcontentfully—withkeywords,metatags,headings,andsoon.
SocialSharingThefourthelementofoff-pageoptimizationinvolvesgettingpeopletoshareyourcontentacrosstheirsocialmedianetworks—inotherwords,socialsharing.Youprobablywillhavealreadyseensocial-sharingbuttonswhilesurfingtheweb.Thesearethesmalliconsonsocialmediaplatformsthatallowuserstoeasilysharecontentfromtheirownsocialmediaaccounts.
Wheneverpossible,supporteverypieceofcontentyoucreatewithsocial-sharingbuttons.Theyfacilitatefreeadvertisingforyoursite,increaseyourdigitalfootprint,andgeneratebrandawarenessatthehandsofyourcustomers.You'veputyourblood,sweat,andtearsintocreatingcompellingcontentthatentertainsandinformsthereader.What'sthepointindoingthatifyourcustomerscan'tshareit?ConvenientlyplacedTwitter,Facebook,andLinkedInsharebuttonsshouldbepositionedthroughoutyoursitetoallowcustomerstoshareyourcontentquicklyandeasilyacrosstheirnetworks.Algorithmsareplacingincreasinglymoreemphasisonpopularityasarankingfactor,tohelpthemdistinguishbetweenqualitycontentandpoorcontent.Assuch,searchenginesarenowtakingsocialendorsementsintoaccount.Aswithinboundlinks,themoresharesyouget,thebetter!Theidealscenarioistohavemanyindividualsiteslinkingtoyou,ratherthanhavingfewwebsitesgeneratinglotsoflinks.
Off-pageSEOisnottoodissimilartonetworking.Youneedtomixintherightcircles,bereadytojumpatopportunities,andtrytoengageinconversationwiththattopdogbeforeyourcompetitordoes.Ultimatelyyou'retryingtooptimizeyoursitetoincreaseranking,butalsotryaimingbeyondthat.Aimtobecomethattop-dogauthoritativesitethatpeoplewillspendcountlesshourschasingforlinks.Itdoesinvolveworkingfromthegroundup,butthebenefitsareworththeeffort!
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Stage4:AnalyzeWe'venowreachedthefinalstretch,andbythisstageyourwebsiteshouldbefullyoptimized,yieldinglotsoforganictrafficwithconversionstomatch!RememberinthefirststageoftheSEOprocessyousetwell-definedgoals?Nowisthetimetoanalyzeandreviewyourperformanceagainstthesegoalssothatwhenyoustartthisprocessagain,informedchangescanbemadetothem.Thisisstage4oftheprocess,ashighlightedinFigure2.17.
Figure2.17FocusontheFourthStageintheSEOProcess
Prepareforabigdoseofdéjàvuandtheskillsto:
Knowtheanalyticstoolsthatallowyoutrackandmeasuresearchtraffic.
BeabletoidentifytheKPIsofSEOandmeasuresuccessagainstthem.
Usespecificcriteriatomeasureyourwebsite'sperformance.
Beawareofthekeyfeatures,tools,andreportsinGAthathelpwithSEOperformanceanalysis.
UnderstandthelawsandguidelinesassociatedwithSEO.
Atthisstageyouneedtobeawareofthevolumeoftrafficcomingintoyoursite,whereit'scomingfrom,whattheusersaredoingthere,whatkeywordsorcontentisbringingthemin,andwhatpagesaredrivingorexpellingconversions.Luckily,therearetonsofanalyticstoolstohelpanswerallthesequestions—MozandHubSpotaregreat,butGoogleAnalyticsisdefinitelythe
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mosthighlyregarded.It'sfree,hasahugevarietyofhighlydetaileddata,andiseasytodigest.
BeforeyoucanstartusingatoollikeGA,takealookatthefollowingcriteriaagainstwhichyou'llneedtomeasureyourwebsite'sperformance.Answerthesequestionsandyou'llbeguidingyourselfintherightdirectiontowardsimprovingyourSEOeffortsandunderstandingyourcustomers:
Canyourwebsitebefound?Howvisibleisit?
WhatpositionareyouinSERPs?
Isyouron-pagetechnicalSEOcomplete?
Whichsitesrankaboveyours?
Howmanywebpagesareindexed?
Whichtrafficiscominginviageneralkeywordsandwhichviamoretargetedkeywords?
Howmanyconversionscomefromeachkeyword?
RecordingyourperformanceistheonlywayofratingyourownSEOactivities,socompileallthisdataandcreateareportonyourfindings.IntheearlydaysofanewSEOproject,analyzeyouractivitiesweeklyorbiweekly.Oncethingsstartfallingintoplaceyoucanstartlookingatperformanceonamonthlybasis.Don'tbecomecomplacent—competitorsarealwayslurkingaroundthecorner,waitingtopounceonyourposition.
Onceyouhavecompiledadetailedcriteriareportofyourfindings,youcanthenmeasureyourSEOsuccessesorfailures,usingthesethreeKPIs:
1. Position.WhereareyourankinginSERPs?ThisKPIissignificantbecauseitshowstheeffectivenessoftheSEOmeasuresyou'veappliedtogetgoodsearchpositioning,basedonrelevantsearchterms.YourpositioncanbegaugedbyusingSEOtoolslikeGoogleSearchConsoleandMoz.
2. Traffic.Whattrafficiscomingin,whereisitcomingfrom,andwhatcontentisbeingvisited?ThisKPImeasuresthesearchvolumesachievedforrelevanttermsandisthebasisforcalculatingconversions.UseGAtoreviewtrafficsourcereports,visitornumbers,andthevolumeoftrafficachievedbasedonthekeywordsselected.
3. Conversion.IsyourorganicSEOcreatingconversions?ThisisanotherimportantKPIbecauseitrelatesthevolumeandrelevanceofyoursearchtrafficwithsomepredefinedobjectives.UsingGA,youcanfindconversioninformationtomeasuregoalsachieved,sales,leads,andinboundcalls.
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WithinatypicaldashboardpageinGA,goalandeventtrackingareamongthemostimportantfeatures.Ensureyouhavetheseenabled,asthesearethetoolsthatwillallowyoutoseewherethetrafficiscomingfromandwhetherornotyou'regettingconversions.Eventsaredistinguishedbyuserengagementssuchasvideoviews,documentdownloads,socialshares,andthelike.Goalsareactionslikenewslettersign-ups,web-formsubmissions,purchases,andsoon.
AnOngoingProcessAswithallaspectsofSEO,analysisandreviewisanongoingprocess.Dedicationandcommitmentwillbringyoufar—sobyregularlycarryingoutthesethreeeasytasks,youcanboostyoursite'sSEOperformanceaheadofyourcompetitors:
1. Maintainaweeklyormonthlycalendarmeasuringyourwebsiteperformanceagainstyourbaseline.
2. It'simportanttobeabletoassociatepeaksintraffictocertainmarketingactivities.InGApeopleforgettorecordothermarketing,PR,orcompetitionsthey'redoingoffline.Suddenlytheyseeaspikeintraffic,forgettingthey'vebeencarryingoutotheractivitiesthatarethereasonforthespike.
3. AssesstheimpactofyourSEOactivities,spotanytrendsresultingfromthem,andidentifyanyremedialactionneeded.
Customerretentionisthekeytoconversion,sobounceratesshouldbeminimizedatallcosts.IfyourGAdashboardshowsahighbouncerate,don'tpanic—investigate!Findwhichpages,keywords,andtrafficsourcesarecausingthebouncerateandmaketheappropriatechanges.Withthatsaid,abounceisn'talwaysabadthing.ASERPwilldisplaytheappropriatepageforsomeonelookingforyouropeningtimes.Theuserwillvisitit,checktheinformation,andleave.Thiswillbeclassifiedasabounce,sospendtimegettingtoknowandunderstandyourGAdashboard—ifyoudon't,youcouldenduptryingtofixsomethingthatisn'tbroken.
LawandOrder:SEOWithcyberattacksandidentitytheftoccurringeveryminute,dataprotectionissomethingthathasbecomewidelyexpectedbycustomers,searchengines,andgoverningauthorities.Youneedtobeawareofthegoverninglawsandregulationswithinyourterritory,notonlytoprotectcustomersbutalsotoprotectyourownwebsiteandreputation.Nobodywillvisitorbuyfromasiteknowntobeunsafe.
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Cookiesaredatafilesstoredonusers'browsersthattracksnippetsoftheironlinebehavior.They'regreatforgainingabetterinsightintouserhabitsandleveragingthisdatatoenhanceuserexperience.WithSEO,youarelegallyobligatedtonotifyusersthatyoursiteusescookies.Beforthrightaboutit;userswillappreciatethehonesty.Plagiarismisn'tjustsomethingyoucangetcaughtforinyourschoolwork—itisalegaloffense!Doyourutmosttosteerclearofanyandallcopyrightissues.Makesureyouhavethelicensingrightstoborrowimages,creditallcontentthat'snotyourown,andwherepossible,createyourown!
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?That'sit!We'vecomefullcircleintheSEOprocess—youcangobacktothestartofthechapterandbegintheprocessalloveragain!Nowwiththeknowledge,skills,andabilitytofullyoptimizeyoursite,gokickthosecompetitorsfarintopagetwoofSERPs.Asyoudo,rememberthesetips:
UsetheDMI's5PCustomerSearchModeltounderstandcustomerbehaviorandensureyourcontentisrelevant.
Whenitcomestoselectingyourkeywords,themoreresearchthebetter!
Rememberthatsearchengineshaveapreferenceforresponsivewebsites,soadaptyoursiteaccordingly.
Customizeyour404errorpagetolimitthedamagetouserexperience—standoutfromthecrowd!
Makeconnectionswiththerightpeopletooptimizeyourlink-buildingstrategy.
Finally,beawarethattherulesofSEOchangefrequently—stayaheadofthecurveandeducateyourselfbyreadingindustry-leadingarticlesandblogs.
Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonSEOasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
Exercises
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Exercise1YouareasmartphoneretailoutletsellingtotheU.S.marketandwanttoresearchtargetsearchtermsforyouriPhone7accessoriespage.
SetupanaccountinGoogleAdWords.
UnderTools,clickKeywordPlannerandSearchforNewKeywords.
SelectAdGroupsIdeas.
Typeinfivekeywordsorphrases;forexample,iPhone7accessories,orsomethingsimilar.
ChooseyourtargetcountryandclickGetIdeas.
VisittheKeywordIdeastab.
Notehowmanyaveragemonthlysearcheshavebeencompletedforyourchosenkeywordsorsearchterms.
Exercise2Gotoawebsitethatyouvisitregularlyandaccessthesourcecodeofthepage.(RightclickonthepagetextandselectViewSourceCode.)CompleteasearchinthesourcecodebypressingCtrlF.
DoesthewebpageincludeanH1?
IstheH1themainpageheadline?
DoestheH1includeacoremessagefortheuser?
IsthereanysignthattheH1isoptimizedforsearching(arethereanykeywordsincludedinit)?
IsthesiteusingtheadditionalheadingsH2throughH6?Isitcreatingcorrectpageandcontentstructure?
Exercise3Usingthesamepageasinthepreviousexercise,completethefollowing:
1. Searchforthetitle.Itshouldbeplacednearthetopofthepage(<title>titletext</title>).Thisisthemetatitleforthepage.
Isthetargetkeywordincludedinthetitle?
Isthetitleunder60characters?
2. Searchforthedescription.Itshouldbeplacednearthetopofthepage(<meta-name=“description”content=“descriptiontext”/>).Thisisthe
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metadescriptionforthepage.
Isthereadescriptionvisible?
Isthetargetkeywordincluded?
Isitunder160characters?
Exercise4Createapieceofsearch-optimizedcontentforyourwebsitethatwillassistyourcustomersduringtheirresearchstage(togeneratebrandawareness).Thiscontentcantakeanyform—forexample,text,infographic,video,oraudio—butmusthaveatextelementthatcanbeoptimized.Researchyourkeywordsandoptimizeallkeyon-pageelements.
Exercise5Visitwww.opensiteexplorer.org.EntertheURLforyourwebsiteandclicksearch.Notethedomainauthorityandpageauthority.NowclickCompareLinkMetrics(ontheleft).EntertheURLforacompetitor'swebsiteandscrolltothedomainauthoritysection.
Whoscoresthebestdomainandpageauthority?
Whichsitehasthebestqualitylinks(checkMozRankandMozTrust)?
Whichsitehasthemostfollowedlinkingrootdomains?
ActionPlan:SearchEngineOptimizationDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforSearchEngineOptimization
ObjectivesPositioning,engagement,conversions,competitiveadvantage
ActionItemsOnpage:Keywordresearch,contentupdates,metadata,UX
Offpage:Linkbaiting,cross-linking,directorylisting,guestblogging,searchenginesubmission
Frequency
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Onpage:Dailyandweeklycontentupdateswithrelevantkeywords
Offpage:Weeklyandmonthlyactionsandreview(outreachandinboundlinks)
MeasurementToolsandKPIsAnalytics,WebmasterTools,Moz:Position,rank,click-throughrate,visitors,conversions,websiteperformance
Diagnostics:Error404pages,blockedrobots.txt,faultybacklinks
Spend
Media Content People Systemsx x
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CHAPTER3PAYPERCLICK
AnIntroductionAppearinginthenumber-onepositionofaSERPisnoeasyfeat,butwhatifyouweretoldthatSEOwasnottheonlywaytoachievethismammothaccomplishment?Searchmarketing,inparticularpay-per-click(PPC)advertising,isanotherlucrativeoptionavailabletoyou.ThedifferencebetweenSEOandPPC,however,isinthename—youhavegottopayforPPC!
HaveyouevernoticedthosethreelistingsatthetopofaSERPwithayellowadiconbesidethem,almostunfairlypushingdownorganicsearchlistings?ThosearetheproductofPPC-savvydigitalmarketers,reapingthebenefitsofhighclick-throughrates(CTRs)bypayingalittleextra.
FormaldefinitionofPPC:Therevenuemodeladoptedbysearchengineswherebytheadvertiserpaysonlywhenauserclicksonanad.
InformaldefinitionofPPC:Afairerplayingfieldforbigandsmalladvertisersalike.
ProcessJustlikeSEO,PPChasitsownfour-stageiterativeprocess,whichyoucanseeinFigure3.1.Withthisformofadvertisingeverycentcounts,andwiththeaddedelementofexpenditureyouneedtomaintainanastuteattentiontodetailsoastonotspendyourbudgetfrivolously.Takealookateachofthesefourstagessoyouknowexactlywhatisinstoreforyouinthischapter!
1. Setyourgoals.BeforebeginningandinvestinginyourPPCjourney,youfirstneedtolearnaboutthebenefitsPPCcanbringtoyourbusiness.WiththisknowledgeyoucanthendefineexactlywhatyourgoalswillbeandhowtoalignKPIswiththem.
2. Setupyouraccount.Inthisstageyouwillbeguidedstep-by-stepthrougheveryelementinvolvedinsettingupyourveryownGoogleAdWordsaccount,fromcreatingPPCcampaignstoassigningbudgets—youwilllearnitall!
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3. Manageyourcampaigns.Thisstagedetailswhathappensafteryourcampaignshavebeenlaunchedandhowbesttomanagethem.ThefinerdetailsoftheAdWordsinterfacewillalsobeexploredtohelpyoudiscoverthevarietyofoptionsyoucanimplementtoyieldahigherreturnoninvestment(ROI).
4. Analyzeyourresults.ThefinalstageinthePPCprocessisallaboutmeasuringyoursuccessthroughKPIs,tools,andreports.Byusingthisdatayouwillbeabletobetteroptimizeyourcampaignsforthenextiteration,whileconsideringtherelevantdataprotectionandprivacyissuesassociatedwithPPC.
Figure3.1Four-StagePPCProcess
KeyTermsandConceptsNotonlywillthischapterdemonstratehowtoimplementandmanagesearchadvertisingcampaigns,itwillultimatelyequipyouwiththetechnicalunderstandingandskillsneededtobecomeamasterinbuildinganeffectivePPCstrategy!YourPPCapprenticeshipstartshere,andbytheendofthischapteryouwill:
Understandthekeyconcepts,benefits,andgoalsassociatedwithPPCadvertising.
KnowhowtocreateanAdWordsaccount,assignaccesslevels,andimplementacoherentcampaignarchitecture.
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Appreciatetheimportanceofadrankandqualityscoreandhowtocalculatethem.
Beabletochoosetheoptimalkeywordsforyourads,whichcanbedeliveredandscheduledinlinewithyourbiddingstrategy.
Learntheoptimalwayofcraftingadcopyandlandingpagesforyourcampaignsandhowtoremarkettousers.
ConfigureyourAdWordsdashboardtosuityourbusiness.
SegmentdatathroughavarietyofreportingtoolswithintheAdWordsinterface.
AlignyourbiddingstrategieswithKPIs.
Stage1:GoalsAswithSEO,theimportanceofdefiningandsettinggoalsforpaidsearchcannotbestressedenough.Withacoregraspofthebasics,let'sdelvedeeperandbeginstage1ofPPC'sowniterativeprocess,whichishighlightedinFigure3.2.Bytheendofthissection,youwillhavedeveloped:
AnappreciationofthebenefitsPPCmarketingcanbring.
Anunderstandingofadrankandqualityscoreandhowtocalculateboth.
TheabilitytochooseandsetpaidsearchcampaigngoalsandKPIs.
Figure3.2FocusontheFirstStageinthePPCProcess
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Goals:What'sthePoint?Goalsettingcanbealaborioustask,sobeforediscussinghowexactlythisshouldbedone,takealookatthekeybenefitsofpaidsearchtoseewhytheeffortisworthwhile!
Relevance.Deliveringanswerstothemultitudeofquestionssearchedforonadailybasisisnotfeasiblypossibleandfortunatelyisn'tnecessaryeither.Therelationshipbetweenusers,searchengines,andmarketershastakenastrangeturn.Peoplenowviewsearchenginesasproblemsolvers,withwemarketersactingasagonyauntswhoproviderelevantsolutionstotheirqueriesattheprecisemomenttheyask.Paidsearchisallaboutrelevancy—itallowsustoreachtherightpeople(thosewhoareinterested),findsearchqueriesrelatedtoourbusinesses,andlookforwaystosolvecustomerpain.
Timing.Paidsearchletsusreachusersatexactlytherighttime,whichisessential.Youneedtobeastuteinunderstandingusersearchintentionsandyoualsoneedtobeabletomatchtheirsearchqueriestospecifictimesoftheday.Forexample,matchinga24-hourlocksmithwithsomeonesearchingforhowdoIfixabrokenlockat9:00P.M.wouldprovideanexcellentanswerforthatuserwhileincreasingconversionpotentialdramatically.
Self-qualifyingusers.WhenauserenterssearchqueriesthataskquestionssuchasIneedananswer,Ihaveaproblem,orI'mlookingforaproductandyourbrandcananswerthosequeries,thenyouhaveaqualifiedvisitor.Traditionally,findingandtargetingthesecustomerswasatrickyfeat.WithPPC,however,userscanbebroughtdirectlytoyoursitewithminimaleffortonyourpart.
Costeffectiveness.Thoseofyouwhoarefrugal-mindedmarketerscantakesolaceinknowingthatyourbudgetwillbehitonlywhenauserclicksyourad.Althoughanot-for-meverdictfromusersisnotideal,thereisstillalotofbenefittothislostconversion.Evenifusersdon'tclickthead,itwillstillhaveincreasedbrandawareness,andyoudidn'thavetopayonecentforit.Tomaximizethisfrugality,besureyouradactuallydeliverswhatitpromises.Usersaresmartandwillquicklyexityoursiteiftheydiscoveryoucan'toffertheservicetheyrequire—meaningthemoneyyoupaidforthatclickwillbewasted.
Control.Ultimately,thepowertocontroleveryaspectofyouradcampaignisthebiggestbenefitpaidsearchcanoffer.Youcanmakedecisionssuchas:
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Howmuchtospendandbid
Whatyouwishtoshowforthecampaign
Howoftenandatwhattimesofthedayyouradappears
TheNot-So-SecretFormulaTheGoogleAdWordsrankingformuladecideswhereyouradisdisplayedinaSERP.Yourgoalasanadvertiseristoappearfirst—oratleastwithinthetopthreeadresultsdisplayedatthetopofthepage.Todothis,youreallyneedtotakealookatFigure3.3andunderstandthetwokeycomponentsoftherankingformula,whichunderpineverythingtodowithyourcampaign.Sositup,straponyourthinkingcap,andstarttakingnotes!
1. Costperclick(CPC).Uncannilysimilartoanauction,youplaceabidonthemaximumamountofmoneyyouarewillingtopaywhensomeoneclicksonyourad.
2. Qualityscore.Witheverykeywordyoucreate,arelevancy/qualityscoreof1to10isassigned—1beingthehighest.Thisscoreisthenmultipliedbyyourmaximumcost-per-clickbidtocalculateyourranking—it'seasy!Achievingahigherrankingwillcostalotlesswithhigherqualityscoresbecausethetwoaremultipliedtogether.Let'spretend10advertisersarebiddingonthekeywordredshoes.Everyadvertiserbiddingintheauctionisplacedonascaleof1to10,dependingonhowmanyadpositionsareavailableonthepage.Withinasplitsecond,thescoresofeachbidderarecalculatedandtheiradrankingisdetermined.
Figure3.3GoogleAdWordsRankingFormula
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Therearealsoanumberofotherfactorstoconsiderthatcontributetowardsyourqualityscore,suchas:
CTR.AnadvertiserwhohistoricallyhasaCTRof4percentwillbegivenahigherqualityscorethanacompetitorwithaCTRof2percent.AhighCTRindicatesthattheadvertiser'scampaignsarerelevanttousersearchqueriesandtheadvertiserisrewardedasaresult.
Landingpage.Thesearestand-alonewebpagesdedicatedtospecificproductsorservicesthatyouwantyourcustomerstofocusonexclusively.Qualityscoreswillalsobebumpedifusersarebroughttoarelevant,fast-loadinglandingpagethatreferencesthesearchqueriestheyentered.
Adcopy.Adsshouldcontainthesearchtermenteredanddirectuserstoarelevantlandingpageinordertoachievehigherqualityscores.
Accountperformance.WithGoogle,hardworknevergoesunnoticed.IfyourAdWordsaccountanditscampaignshavebeenperformingwelloveraperiodoftime,Googlewillviewyouasaverystrongadvertiserthatworkshardtoproviderelevantresultstoyourconsumers—andrewardyouasaresult.
Allthisinformationisgreat,butwhatifyouhaveneverrunanAdWordscampaignbefore,andGooglehasnocampaignhistoryonwhichtobaseyourqualityscore?Inthiscase,itprimarilycomesdowntothesearchqueryenteredandthekeywordsyouchoose.Googlewilllookathowthatparticularkeywordhasperformedovertimeandonthatbasisassignaqualityscore.Adcopiesandlandingpageswillstillbeconsidered,sodon'tforgetaboutthose!
HowtoSetGoalsNowthatyou'vebeenenlightenedaboutthepowersthatPPCpossesses,takealookatthesefourstepsforsettinggoals.TheflowchartshowninFigure3.4comesfromAvinashKaushik,ananalyticsguruatGoogle.Theprocessinvolvesinitiallyfocusingonbroadbusinessobjectives,assigninggoalstoeachobjective,andidentifyingtheassociatedKPIsinordertoconvertthebroadobjectivesintoveryspecificcampaignobjectives.
1. Defineyourbusinessobjectives.Ifyouhaven'tdefinedanybusinessobjectives,nowisthetimetodecidewhattheyare.Theymayentailgeneratingmorerevenue,increasingbrandawareness,orretainingexistingcustomers.Onceyourobjectivesaredefined,youneedtomapthemontoatimeframe:Areyoutryingtoachieveaparticularobjectivethismonth,thisquarter,orthisyear?
2. Developgoals.Nextyouneedtodevelopgoalsforeachbusiness
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objective.Forexample,ifyourbusinessobjectiveistoincreasebrandawareness,youmaydecidethecorrespondinggoalistoincreasetraffictoyoursite.
3. IdentifyyourKPIs.Withyourbusinessobjectivessetandtheircorrespondinggoalsassigned,youcanthenstartidentifyingKPIstotrackyoursuccess.Brochuredownloads,CTRs,anduniquevisitorsareexamplesofKPIsthatcouldbeusedtomeasureyourgoalofincreasingwebsitetraffic.
4. Identifyyourtargets.Thefinalstepinvolvesidentifyingtargets.Thesearenumericalvaluesyouhavepredeterminedasindicatorsofsuccessorfailure.Forexample,byQ2youwant250,000visitorstoyoursite.
Figure3.4AvinashKaushik'sDUMBObjectives
Whendefiningobjectives,thedumberthebetter!Inhisblog“Occam'sRazor,”Avinashdefinesitas:
Doable
Understandable
Manageable
Beneficial
Don'tfoolyourself.Sayingyouwanttoincreaserevenueby$300,000amonthwhenyouknowyouhaveonlyevermade$100,000amonthisnotrealistic.Setyourselfachievablegoalsthatcontributetothevalueofyourbusiness.Ifyourgoalistodriveonlinesales,don'tstrivetocreatemorebrand
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awarenessifyouholdthelargestmarketshare.
BusinessgoalsfeedintoKPIs,sohittingandexceedingyourKPIswilleventuallycontributetoachievingyourgoalsandultimatelycontributetothesuccessofyourbusiness.ThetypeofKPIuseddependsonthetypeofcampaign,whichcanbebrokendownintothefollowingthreeareas:
1. Directresponse.Theseareessentiallysales-focusedcampaigns.Theyrequirehardconversionssuchasapurchase,sale,orlead.ThemainKPIsyoushouldbeconcernedwithherearetheconversionrate,costperconversion,andefficiencyingeneratingconversions.
2. Brandingandawarenesscampaigns.Fromabrandingpointofview,thefocusinthesecampaignswouldveertowardsprominenceinSERPsandtheCTRresponsetothecampaign.HerethethreekeyKPIsworthyourattentionwouldbeyouraveragepositioninSERPs,CTR,andCPC.
3. Engagementcampaigns.Theancientmantraqualityoverquantityisdemonstratedinitspurestforminengagementcampaigns.Thesecampaignsarenotaboutvolumeoftrafficorquantityofconversions,butratheraboutdrivinguserengagementwithyourbrandandgainingqualitytraffic.WhenassessingCTRsforthesecampaignslookattherateatwhichpeopleareresponding,userinterestinyourproductorservice,andtheamountoftimespentonthesite.
Well-definedgoalswillhelpyoutokeepontrackasweprogressontostage2ofthePPCprocess.MakeyourgoalsasDUMBaspossibleandsuccesswon'tbefarbehind!
Stage2:Setup
PartOneThePPCwheelsarenowinmotion,andhavingdefinedsometangiblegoals,thefunpartcanbegin.Let'screatesomecampaigns!AsyoucanseeinFigure3.5,setupisthesecondstageoftheprocess.Withsomanydetailedyetvitalelementsrequiredtocompletethesetup,wehavedividedthisstageoftheprocessintwoparts.Uponcompletionofthissection,yourmasteryofPPCsetupwillbehalfcompletewithacoreknowledgeof:
GoogleAdWordsaccountcreationandaccesslevels
Campaignsetupandarchitecture
PPCtargetingandlocation
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Figure3.5FocusontheSecondStageinthePPCProcess
CreatingaGoogleAdWordsAccount
Googlewantsafairplayingfieldforeverybody—bothbigadvertisersandsmall,technerdsandtechnophobes.Designedtopleasethemasses,navigatingtheGoogleAdWordsinterfaceiseasyandefficient,solet'ssetitup!
DoyouhaveaGoogleaccount?ThoseofyouwithGmailwillhaveautomaticallybeenassignedone.Ifyoudon'thaveone,signupforGmail—it'stheeasiestwaytogetaGoogleaccount,whichisrequiredtocreateanAdWordsaccount.Thesetupconsistsoffoureasysteps.StartbyenteringyouremailaddressandwebsiteURL.Thenextstepthrowsyoustraightinthedeependbyaskingyoutocreatealivecampaign.Atthisstageyouarenotyetreadytocreateacampaign,solet'sgothroughthestepsandfillinthebareminimum.Youcanreturntothisstepatalaterstage.
AsyoucanseefromFigure3.6,thereareaseriesoffieldsyouneedtocomplete,solet'sgothrougheachofthem:
Budget.Forthissetup,enteraspendof$0.01—itwillbeunlikelytorun.Budgetsarealwayssetatadailylevel.Calculatedailybudgetsbydividingyourmonthlybudgetby30.4.
Locations.Choosethecountriesandregionsyouwanttotargethere.
Networks.Fornow,selectSearchNetwork.Therearetechnicallytwoandahalfnetworks.TheSearchNetworkisusedforGoogleSearchandthe
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DisplayNetworkisusedforallofGoogle'spartnerwebsites,suchasGmail,YouTube,Blogger,andsoon.TheextrahalfanetworkcomesfromGooglesearchpartners,whichyoucanoptinoroutof.ItisusedtodisplayinsearchenginespoweredbyGoogle—Ask.comandeBay,forexample.Wewillcomebacktotheseareaslaterinthechapter.
Keywords.Asitsaysonthetin,enterthekeywordsyoucreatedinChapter2.Otherwise,addinonesamplekeywordandcomebacktothissectionlater.
Bid.Enter$0.01forthetimebeing.Thisfieldisaskingyoutosetyourmaximumbid.Budgetsvaryfrombusinesstobusiness,butarecommendedmaximumbidof$1.50willsuffice.GoogleAdWordswillletyouknowifyourbidistoohighortoolow,allowingyoutothenadjustyourmaximumbidaccordingly.
Textad.Completetheadcopyaccordingtotheoutlinedcharacterlimitsandrestrictions—youcanrevisitthissectionagain.Wewillcoveritingreaterdetaillaterinthechapter.
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Figure3.6SecondStepofGoogleAdWordsSetupSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Bills,Bills,Bills.Whenyouaredone,hitSaveandContinue.Thebillingsectioncomesnext.Youwillhavetoenterinapaymentmethodoryourcampaignswon'trun.Fortaxandpaymenttypepurposes,besuretoselectthecountryyouarebasedinasyourbillingcountry.Youthenneedtodecidehowyouwanttopay:
Automaticpayments.Thisoptionworksbyautomaticallytakingmoneyoutofyouraccountwhenyoureachacertainthreshold,orafter30days—whichevercomesfirst.Thebenefitofthispaymentmethodliesinitsabilitytokeepcampaignsrunningifyouforgetordon'thavethetimetoaddmoneytoyouraccount.Justmakesureyoumonitoryourbudgetcloselytoavoidoverspends.
Manualpayments.Ifhavingtotalfiscalcontrolfloatsyourboat,thisisthe
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paymentmethodforyou.Here,youmanuallyaddyourbudgetupfrontandGooglewilldeductfromiteverytimesomebodyclicksonyourad.Whenthebudgetrunsdry,youradswillstop.
Thefinalandmostimportantstepisselectingyourtimezone.Onceset,itcan'tbechanged.Thehourofdayreportsthataregeneratedforyouradcampaignswillbesetaccordingtothetimezoneyouselect,sobesuretopicktherightone.
UserAccess.Withyouraccountsetup,youmaynowdecidetoletsomepeopleinonthePPCaction.Todothis,youwillneedtoassigndifferentuseraccesslevels—ofwhichtherearefour.Clickthelittlegearicononthetopright-handcornerofthepageandfromthereselectAccountSettings.TakealookatthetableinFigure3.7,whichhighlightsallthefeaturesandlimitationsofeachaccesslevel.
Figure3.7GoogleAdWordsAccountAccessLevelsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
CampaignArchitecture
Establishingawell-structured,consistentarchitectureattheverybeginningofanycampaignisoftheutmostimportance!Notdoingsowillmakeit
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agonizinglydifficulttofixwhenyoustartaddingmorecampaigns,ads,andkeywords.Believeitornot,apoorlystructuredaccountcanactuallyimpactyourqualityscore,whichmeansforeveryclickonyourad,youarepayingmore.TakealookatFigure3.8,whichshowshowyourAdWordsaccountshouldbestructured.
Toplevel.Campaignsappearatthetoplevelandallbudgetingisdonehere.Youcanconfigurelanguage,targetlocations,andsetyourdailyspendheretoo.
Middlelevel.Withineachcampaignyouhaveadgroups.Thesehouseallthekeywordsandadsthatyouaregoingtotargetuserswith,andtheyshouldalwaysbedefinedbyasingletheme.Forexample,you'ddefineoneadgroupforredshoesandanotherforblueshoes.
Bottomlevel.Thekeywordswithintheadgroupshouldspecificallyrelatetothetheme.Forexample,theredshoesadgroupshouldhavekeywordslikenewredshoes,cheapredshoes,redshoesonline,andsoon.Use10to20keywordsinanadgroup.
Figure3.8GoogleAdWordsAccountStructureModel
Onlyonespecificdomainperadgroupispermitted.Thismeansifyouhavethedomainwww.example.comassignedtooneadgroup,youcannotalsoassignwww.example.co.uktothesameadgroup.Youwillhavetocreateaseparateadgroupifyouwishtodothat.Youcan,however,havedifferentlandingpagesfromadomainwithinanadgroup—forexample,www.example.com/blogandwww.example.com/choose.
CampaignSetup
Let'snowtakealookathowtocreateacampaignwithintheGoogleAdWordsinterface.AsyoucanseefromFigure3.9,thetabsavailableare
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Home,Campaigns,Opportunities,Reports,andTools.Clickthered+Campaignbuttontoopenadrop-downmenuthatwillprovideyouwitharangeofdifferentoptionsforcreatingcampaigns.IfyouplantoeverrunaDisplaycampaign,makesureyourDisplayandSearchcampaignsrunindependentlyofeachothersothatyoucanmonitortheperformanceofeachoneseparately.Inthischapter,however,wearegoingtofocusontheSearchNetwork—soclickthatoption.
Figure3.9SpecifyingtheGoogleAdWordsCampaignTypeSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Youwillthenbebroughttothecampaignsetupscreen,asseeninFigure3.10,whereyoushouldenteryourcampaignname.Campaignsandadgroupsneedtofollowaveryconsistentnamingconventioninordertoadheretoaccount
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structurebestpractices.Foryourownsanity,ignorethegenericsuggestionsinFigure3.10anddon'tnamethemCampaign#1andAdGroup#1.Makesureeverythingisnamedinawaythatmakeswhatyouarelookingforeasytofind.
Figure3.10GoogleAdWordsCampaignSetupSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
NextyouneedtochoosewhetheryouwantyourcampaigntohaveStandardorAllfeatures.YoucanalsochoosetoincorporateaCTA(calltoaction)buttonontheadwithoptionstocallyourbusiness,downloadyourapp,andsoon.Fornow,clickonStandard.ThenextscreenwillaskyoutochoosebetweentheGoogleSearchandtheSearchPartnersnetworks.Ifyoudon'thavebudgetlimitationsandwanttogetasmuchvisibilityandCTRaspossible,chooseboth.Therecommendationistostartwithboth.Youcanthencarryoutaperformancereviewlateranddecidewhich,ifeither,shouldberemoved.
Targeting
Didyouknowyoucanchoosethedeviceyouwanttotarget?Yourcampaignsshouldberunninginlinewiththetypesofdevicesyouwanttoreach.Inthetargetingsectionyouwillnoticeyouhavebeenautomaticallyoptedinto
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targetalldevices.Afteracampaignhasbeencreated,youcanamendthisandoptoutofanyspecificdevicesyoudon'twanttoappearon.Thiscouldproveusefulforthosewhohaveyettooptimizetheirwebsitesformobile,forexample.Youcan'toptoutfromappearingondesktopsortablets.Whenstartingoff,tryinitiallyoptingintoalldevices;runareportondevicesatalaterstagetoseehowtheyperform.
TargetingbylocationisoneofthebestandmostdetailedfeaturesAdWordshastooffer.Itcanbedoneintwoways:
1. IPaddresstargeting.SelectingthisoptionwilldirectGoogletolookattheIPaddressofuserstoseewheretheyarebased.SoifyouaretargetingBoston,Massachusetts,thenuserswithanIPaddressinthatareawillbeserved,whereasusersinPhoenix,Arizona,willnot.
2. Queryparsing.ThisoptiondirectsGoogletofocusonwhatwastypedinusers'searchqueries.Iftheytypealocationintotheirsearchqueriesthentheadcanalsocomeup.Forexample,ifthecampaignistargetingBostonandauserbasedinPhoenixincludesthewordBostoninhersearchquery,thiswilloverridetheIPaddresstargetingandshowtheuserinPhoenixthead.
AsyoucanseeinFigure3.11,therearethreeoptionsforyoutotargetyourcampaignsbylocation:
1. Allcountriesandterritories.Really,thereisnoreasonwhyanyoneshouldevertargetallcountriesandterritories.Ifyouwanttotargetyourcampaignsglobally,createseparatecampaignsforeachcountry.Noonemarketisthesame.Consumerbehaviors,buyinghabits,product/servicerequirements,anddevicepreferencesvarygreatlyfromcountrytocountry.Forexample,consumersinAfricaareextremelymobile-savvyandprefermobileoverusingadesktop.Bearingthisinmind,mobileusagereportsinAfricawouldbevastlydifferentincomparisontothesamereportonUKconsumers—meaningaone-for-allcampaignwouldnotfit.Insummary,donottickthatbox!
2. Yourcountry.Thenextoptionwillpresentyouwiththecountryyousetyourtimezoneto,inthisexample—TheUnitedStates.
3. Letmechoose.Thisiswhereitgetsreallydetailed.EitherenterthecityorcountryyouwanttotargetorhitAdvancedSearchbesidethetextbox.Hereyouwillbepresentedwiththefollowingfourtargetoptions:
i. Search.Thisissimplyanothermethodofenteringyourtargetcityorcountry,asbefore.
ii. Radiustargeting.Hereyoucantypeinalocationandtargetaspecific
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radiusaroundit.Ifyourbusinessreliesonfoottraffic,thisfeaturecanbeusedtotargetcustomerswithinacertainradiusofyourbusiness.Similarly,ifyoujusthaveonestoreinonelocationanddon'twanttotargetanentirecountry,youcanjusttargetaradiusaroundthatparticularstoretoacquiremorequalifiedcustomers.Thedefaultissetto20miles,butthatcanbechanged.Bearinmindthatthelocationyouenterinthesearchboxwillbeseenasthecentralpointoftheradius.Sowhendecidingonacentrallocation,makesureyourradiusiscoveringlandandnotthesea,becauseforthemostpartourfishyfriendsdon'thaveInternetaccess.
iii. Locationgroups.Hereyoucantargetmultiplelocationsforaparticularcampaign.Forexample,youmaywanttotarget20milesaroundoneregionand5milesaroundanother.Usethisoptiontogrouptheseregionstogetherintoonesuperlocationgroup.
iv. Bulklocations.Whileitisnotrecommended,ifyouwanttotargetmultiplecountries,usethisoption.
Figure3.11GoogleAdWordsCampaignSetupSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Thefinalelementwithinthetargetingsetupistochooseandcustomizeyourlanguage.Bydefault,thecampaignwillbesettotargetthelanguageinwhichyouraccountwassetup.Youcanalsotargetotherlanguages,butbeawarethatthelanguageyoutargetmightnotbethelanguagetheuserissearchingin.Forexample,ifausersearchesinArabicbuthislanguageonGoogleissettoEnglish,youwon'tbetargetinghim.YoushouldalsobeawarethatwhentargetingotherlanguagesAdWordsdoesnottranslateyourads.IfyouchoosetotargetArabicspeakersandyouradisinEnglish,theseuserswillstillseeanadinEnglish.
Partoneofthesetuphasnowreachedanend,butbeforeyoudecompressit'stimetogoback,review,andedittheelementsofyourcampaignthatwereglossedover.Youneedtobefullypreparedforwhatparttwohasinstore!
PartTwoBynow,youraccounthasbeensetupandyouraccesslevels,targeting,andlocationhaveallbeendefined.Withoutfurtherado,allowthissectionteachyouhowtogetyourAdWordsaccountofftheground,soyoucanbeginsomeseriouslystellarPPCadvertisingby:
Decidingupontheappropriatebidstrategyforyourbusiness.
Beingawareofthevariousoptionstodeliverandscheduleyourads.
Knowinghowtousetheoptimaltoolsforkeywordselection.
Masteringtheskillofchoosingbetweenkeywordmatchtypes.
BidStrategy
Let'skickoffbychoosingabiddingstrategy.Asyou'vejustbeenintroducedtotheenticingworldofGoogleAdWords,fornowsticktoeitherofthetwooptionslistedbelow.WhenyouhavebecomeatruePPCJedi,youcanthenbegintonavigatethemoreadvancedoptions.
1. Manualbidding.Thisoptionallowsyoutocontrolallbiddingandessentiallyworksthesameasthesettingforyourpaymentmethod.Eventhoughitdoesgiveyoumorecontrol,italsomeansyouhavetologinmoreoftentomanageyourcampaign.
2. Automaticbidding.Here,youarepassingsomeofthecontroltoGoogle—whichisgreatforthebusyexecutivebutproblematicforthecontrolfreak.Ahappymediumbetweenthesetwoliesintheabilitytosetaso-calledceilingbid.ThisiswhenyoutellAdWordsthemaximumbidyouarewillingtopaywithoutbiddingmorethanthatamount.Itwillthenautomaticallyadjustyourbid—doingtheworkforyou!
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Whichbidstrategyareyougoingtouse?
Afterthisdecisionhasbeenmade,youneedtosetyourdefaultbid.Alwaysbidbetween$1.50and$2.00,becauseonceyouhavegonethroughthecampaigncreationprocess,thesystemwilltellyouifyouarebelowtheminimumpriceitcoststodisplayinthetopthreeresultsofpage1,orattheveryleast,onpage1itself.
Nextup:settingyourdailybudget.Youcanfigurethisoutbydetermininghowmuchyouaregoingtospendanddividingitbythenumberofdaystheadwillrun.Youshouldnotethatonceyourcampaigngoeslive,AdWordscanoverspendonyourdailybudgetbyupto20percent.Similarly,therearedayswhenitwillspendalittleless.Whateverthecasemaybe,restassureditwillrarelyspendmorethan30timesyourdailybudgetina30-dayperiod.Andifthissituationdoesarise,Googlewillcredityouthecostoftheoverage,meaningyougetallthoseclicksforfree!Thisisbecausesearchisbasedondemand,andsosearchvolumescanvarygreatly.Asaresult,dailybudgetsareneverreallysetinstone.
Delivery
Howquicklyyouwantyouradtobeservedisdependentonthedeliverymethodyouselect,andtherearetwooptionstochoosefrom:
1. Standarddelivery.Ifyourbudgetislimitedorhasyettobedetermined,thisistheoptionforyou,showninthemiddleofFigure3.12.Itwillspaceouthowoftenyouradsaredisplayed,givingyouafairlyevendelivery.Forexample,ifinspreadingyourbudgetevenlyGoogleestimatesthatitwillonlyshowyouradforapproximately40to50percentofallsearchespertainingtoyourproduct/service,itwillonlyshowyouradineverysecondsearch.Whenthetimecomestooptimizeyourcampaigns,thisoptionwillgiveyouagoodideaofwhattimesofthedayyouradperformswell.Youshouldalwayssetyourdeliverytostandardandmonitorperformance;ifyoufindthatyouarenothittingyourdailybudget,youcanmoveontothenextoption—accelerateddelivery.
2. Accelerateddelivery.Ifyourbudgetisinanywaylimited,steerclearofthisoption!Hereyouradwillbedisplayedeachandeverytimesomeonesearches—inlinewiththeadrankformula,ofcourse.Soifyourqualityscoreandbidaregoodenough,youradwilldisplaywhensomeonesearches.Ifyourqualityscoreandadrankasawholearetoolow,theadwillnotdisplay—evenifit'ssettoaccelerateddelivery.There'snocheatinginAdWords:Qualityscoreandadrankprinciplesoverrideeverything!Whilethisdeliverymethodcertainlygivesyoumorebangforyourbuck,youshouldbecautious.Ifyouradissettoaccelerateddelivery
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andyouhavealimitedbudget,itcouldbedrainedentirelyinjustafewhours!
Figure3.12GoogleAdWordsDeliveryMethodSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
AdScheduling
Youhavealreadydecidedwhereandhowoftenyouradisgoingtoshow,nowlet'sdeterminewhen.Firstly,chooseyourstartandenddate.Ifyouwanttheadtorunfortheforeseeablefuture,simplyleavetheenddateout,asshowninFigure3.13.Ifyourcampaignisnotstartingforanotherfewweeks,thisfeatureisreallyusefulbecauseyoucanleavethecampaignenabledanditwillautomaticallykickintogearwhenthestartdatearrives.Ifyouhaveafixedenddateandyouradisconcerningatime-sensitiveoffer,thenyoushouldsetanenddateforthecampaign.
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Figure3.13GoogleAdWordsAdSchedulingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Adschedulingisparticularlyusefulforbusinesseswithfixedopeninghoursthatmayonlywishtoshowduringthehoursthey'reopen.Orifyourbudgetisverylimited,andyouknowfrompreviouscampaignsthatmostsalesoccuratspecifictimes,youcansetyourcampaigntoshowduringthosehours.
AdRotation
Whenitcomestocreatingyourcampaign,youwillseethatthebestpracticeforadcopydictatesthatyouhavetwotothreeadsperadgroup.Thissettingdetermineshowtheadsthatyoucreatearerotatedwithinthatadgroup.Therearefouroptions:
1. Optimizeforclicks
2. Optimizeforconversions
3. Rotateevenly
4. Rotateindefinitely
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Thedefaultistooptimizeforclicks,whichshowstheadthatismostlikelytogettheclick.IfyouhaveaKPIforconversions,thenthissettingwon'treallysuityourcampaign.Instead,youmayconsiderchoosingtheOptimizeforConversionsoption,butinordertooptimizetherotation,previouscampaignperformanceisrequired.Ifyouarecreatingabrand-newcampaign,youwillwanttochoosetheRotateEvenlyoption.Thatgiveseveryadafairchancetodetermineitsplacement.Finally,theRotateIndefinitelyoptionshowslowerperformingadsproportionatelywithhigherperformingads.Thisoneisn'treallyagreatchoice,sosteerclear.
Tostart,trychoosingRotateEvenly.LetitrotatefortwoweeksandthenswitchtoeitherOptimizeforClicksorOptimizeforConversions,basedonwhatyourKPIis.Neverletitrotateevenlyfor90days,it'ssimplytoolongtohaveeachadrotatingevenly.Approximatelytwoweeksistheoptimumtimeframeforacampaigntoreallyfinditsfeet.
KeywordSelection
Yourcampaignisnowsetupandthenextelementinvolvesselectingyourkeywords.Thisisthestartingpointforeverycampaignandisprobablythemostimportantpart,becauseitdecideswhichkeywordsyouradswillbeshownfor.Don'tforgetthatallyourqualityscoresareassignedtothekeyword;keywordselectionisimportantbecauseyouradcopy,landingpage,bids,andthelikearegoingtobedefinedbythekeywordsyouchoose.It'sallaboutdecidingwhichkeywordsaremostlikelytogeneratethehighestreturn,andwhicharethemostappropriateintermsofyourproductorserviceoffering.Ifyoudon'tchoosetherightkeywords,youradwillbeshownforthewrongsearchterms,youwillbeirrelevanttoyourusers,andyouwillbespendingmoneyonanaudiencethatisnotgoingtoconvert.
KeywordResearchTools
PPCkeywordresearchcanbetoughifyouarenotequippedwiththetoolsforthetask.Luckily,thetwotoolslistedbelowwillserveasyourvirtualhammerandchisel,allowingyoutouncoverthehiddenkeywordgemsthatliewithinthedigitallandscape.
1. GoogleTrends.GoogleTrendsallowsyoutoseehistoricalsearchtrendsforaparticularkeywordorcategory.Whileitdoesnotgivespecificsearchvolumes,itdoesgiveaniceoverviewofhowpopularparticularsearchtermsorcategorieshavebeenovertheyearsandisgreatforcampaignresearch,planning,andinsight.
ProbablyoneofthebestreasonstouseGoogleTrendsisforcompetitiveresearch.Forexample,byenteringSamsung,HTC,andApple,youcan
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seewhichisthemostpopularbrandjustbylookingatthepeaksandtroughsinthesearchterms.Youcanalsoidentifyiftherearetrendsinthetimeofyearwhencompetitorsaremoreorlesspopularthanyou.ThegreatthingaboutGoogleTrendsisitincludesnewsstorieswhenrelevant.SoifGoogleNewshaspickedupanewsstoryaboutSamsungandthere'sapeakinsearchvolumesforSamsungasaresult,itwilladdalittleannotationinformingyouwhichnewsstorycausedthatpeakinsearchvolumes.
Ifyouareunsureoftheparticularsearchtermthatyouarelookingfor,clickAllCategoriesinsteadandtakealookatacategory(forexample,foodandbeverages).
Youcanbreaktrendsdownbycountrytoo,asshowninFigure3.14.Thiscouldproveparticularlyusefulifyouwanttoidentifyyourcompetitorsinothercountries,andalsoifyouwanttoseethelevelofinterestincertainkeywordsversusthecountryyouoperatein.
SpottingtrendsbasedonspecifictimesoftheyearisincrediblyusefulandluckilyGoogleTrendsfacilitatesthis,too.So,ifyouwanttoanalyzetrendsduringtheholidayseasonoverthelastfouryears,youcanchangenotonlythedaterangebutalsotheplatformatwhichitislooking.Whetherit'sweb,imagesearch,ornewssearch,GoogleTrendshasyoucovered!
2. KeywordPlanner.Thisisanimmediatetoshort-termtool,providingyouwithsearchvolumesonspecifickeywords,overthepast12months.UnlikeGoogleTrends,itwillsuggestnewkeywordsforyou.Italsohasatrafficestimatorwhichwilltellyouhowmuchtrafficyoushouldgetifyoubidandspendacertainamount.
AsyoucanseeinFigure3.15,theexecutivehastypedindigitalmarketingcourseandlearndigitalmarketingtoseewhichkeywordswouldbegoodtotargetforacampaignadvertisingdigitalmarketingcourses.Afterinsertingyoursearchterm,youwillfindalistofkeywordsuggestionsunderthe‘Keywordideas'tab.EventhoughKeywordPlannerwillsuggestadgroupsforyou,youshouldstilluseyourbestjudgmentinstructuringthoseadgroupsandfollowthenamingconventionyoucreatedforyourcampaign.KeywordPlanneralsogivesyousuggestionsfornewkeywords,asuggestedbid,andthetotalsearchvolumeforthekeyword—greatforcalculatinghowmuchitwouldcostyouperclick.
KeywordPlanneralsoshowsyouthelevelofcompetition,orhowmanypeoplearebiddingonthosekeywords,bystatingwhetheritishigh,
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medium,orlow.Ifthecompetitionishigh,thebidwillbehigherbecausethere'salotmoreadvertisersvyingforthattopspot.Onceyouhavereviewedallkeywordsyoucanthenaddthemtoaplan.Whenyouhavereviewedallthekeywordswithintheadgroup,youcanthenclickAddAlltoPlan.KeywordPlannerwillthengiveyouaverytop-lineestimateofhowmuchyoumightspendperday,butTrafficEstimatorwillgiveyouamuchmoredetailedcost.Afterthisyouhaveacoupleofoptions.YoucaneitherdownloadallyourkeywordsfromthedifferentadgroupsintoanExcelspreadsheetoryoucanadvanceontoTrafficEstimator.
ClicktheblueReviewForecastbuttononthebottomrighttoaccessTrafficEstimator.Thistoolisgreatforseeingthedifferencesintrafficandimpressionsthatyoucouldget,basedondailybudgets.Tryplayingaroundwiththebidsandbudgetstoseewhatlevelswouldincuranincreaseinclicks.Asyoucansee,it'salovelyinterface!Notonlydoesittellyouonaveragehowmanyclicksyouwillgetperday,butitalsotellsyouwhatyourtotalimpressions,totaldailycosts,andaveragepositionwillbe.Whatcan'titdo?
Figure3.14GoogleTrendsbyCountryOptionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure3.15GoogleAdWordsKeywordPlannerSearchSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
KeywordMatchTypes
Withyourkeywordswellandtrulychosen,youcannowdecideuponthematchtypesthatyouaregoingtouse.Whenbiddingonakeyword,youneedtochooseakeywordmatchtypethattellsGoogleAdWordshowpreciselyyouwantittomatchyouradtothekeywordsearches.
Youmayrememberthatqualityscoreisassignedtothekeyword,butthequalityscoreisdefinedbasedonthesearchquery.Yourkeywordandsearchqueryaretwoverydifferentthings,andthat'salldowntothematchtypethatyouuse.Itdefineswhatsearchqueriesandkeywordswilltriggeryourad.Whilethismayseemconfusingatfirst,don'tfret!Let'sgothrougheachofthefivematchtypes,usingtheexampleofausersearchingforcheaphotelsinSeattle,asinFigure3.16,soyoucanhaveasolidunderstandingofwhatthisisallabout.
1. Exactmatch.Thisisthemostspecificmatchtype,andinorderfortheadtoshowforthekeywordcheaphotelsinSeattle,theuserneedstowriteexactlythat.YoucanchooseExactMatchbytypingtwosquarebracketsoneithersideofthekeyword;forexample,[cheaphotelsinSeattle].Bydoingso,itmeanstheadwillonlyshowwhenausertypesincheaphotelsinSeattle.Nothingless,nothingmore.
2. Phrasematch.Thismatchtypeisofthebroadervariety,inthatyoucancapturealotmoresocialquerieswhileremainingrelativelytargeted.It's
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chosenbytypinginvertedcommasoneithersideofthekeyword;forexample,‘cheaphotels.’ThegoodthingaboutPhraseMatchisthatyouradwillstillshowiftheusertypeswordsbeforeorafterthekeywordyou'veplacedwithintheinvertedcommas.Forexample,ifausersearchesforcheaphotelsinSeattle,theadwillstillshow,becausethewordsinSeattlecomeafteryourkeyword.Similarly,ifthesameusersearchesforverycheaphotels,theadwillstillshowbecausethewordverycamebeforeyourtargetedkeyword.IftheuserentersawordinbetweenyourPhraseMatchkeyword,suchascheapSeattlehotels,theadwillnotshow.There'snopiggyinthemiddlewiththismatchtype!
3. Modifiedbroadmatch.Whenstartinganewcampaign,thisisprobablythebestmatchtypetochoose.Thetargetingisbroader,butyouareabletodefinethewordswithinasearchquerythattheusertypesin.Tochoosethismatchtype,typeaplussigninfrontofthewordsthattheusermustincludeinthesearchqueryforyouradtoshow;forexample,+hotelsnear+Seattle.YoumaynoticethereareonlyplussignsinfrontofhotelsandSeattle.Thismeansthatthosewordsmustbeincludedintheusersearchqueryforyouradtoappear.Thisalsomeansthewordnear,whichliesbetweenthosewords,isn'tsetinstone.Iftheusertypesin,at,oronyouradwillstillshow.Whenstartingout,youneedtobealittlebroadwithyourkeywordssothatyoucanidentifywhichkeywordsworkandwhichdon't.Onceyouhavedonethis,youcanswitchtoExactMatchandmakeyourtargetingfarstronger.
4. Broadmatch.Considerthismatchtypeasagiantfishingnettrawlingthroughadigitalocean,catchingalmosteverysearchtermregardlessofrelevance.Thistypecouldberecipefordisasterifyourbudgetislimited,becauseithasthebroadestreach.YoucanchooseBroadMatchbysimplytypinginthekeywordwithnothingbeforeorafterit.Youradcanshowformisspellings,variations,anditerationsofyourkeyword.Forexample,ifyourkeywordisumbrella,youradcouldshowforpatiofurniturebecauseumbrellasaremildlyrelatedtopatiofurniture.Thisisthepointatwhichyourqualityscorewillstarttosufferbecauseyouarenotbeingrelevanttotheusersyouaretargeting.
5. Negativematch.Alsoknownasnegativekeywords,thismatchtypeisagreatwaytopreventyouradfromshowingforcertainsearchqueries.Forexample,ifatwo-starhoteldoesnotwanttodisplayinthesearchresultsforfive-starhotels,itcanuseaNegativeMatchkeywordtoexcludesearchqueriesforfive-starhotels.TherearethreeNegativeMatchtypes:NegativeExact,NegativeBroad,andNegativePhrase.InordertochooseNegativeMatch,simplyplaceaminussigninfrontofthekeyword.For
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example,-[fivestarhotels]isNegativeExact,‘-fivestarhotels’isNegativePhrase,and-fivestarhotelsisNegativeBroad.CurrentlythereisnonegativevariationforModifiedBroadMatch.
Figure3.16KeywordMatchTypes
Gotallthat?Great!ThisconcludesyourPPCsetupandwiththat,wecannowprogresstothenextstepofstage2,theprocessbehindthecampaign.
ProcessWithyouraccountandcampaignsfullysetup,nowseemsliketherighttimetotakethenextstepwithinstage2(seeFigure3.5):exploringtheprocessesbehindthecampaignandtakingalookathowadcopyinfluencesthesuccessofallsearchmarketingadvertising.Thissectionisatoughie,soyourfullattentionisrequiredinorderto:
Learnhowtocomposeadcopyandthebestpractices,rules,andpoliciesthatgovernit.
Beabletousedynamickeywordinsertionandadextensionsaspartofyourcampaigns.
Appreciatethebestpracticesfordesigningalandingpage.
AlignbiddingstrategieswithyourKPIs.
Integrateremarketingintoyoursearchmarketingstrategy.
AdCopyComposition
Let'skickoffthissectionbylearninghowexactlytocomposetheadcopythatwillbeservedtousers.ThefolksoveratGoogleAdWordsareextremelystrictwithcharactercountforeachlineofyouradcopy,sotakenoteofthesecharacterlimits,becauseyouwillneedtosticktothem!Adtitlesor
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descriptionlineswithevenonecharacteroverthelimitwillnotbeallowed,soyou'llneedtogetcreative!
TakealookattheadshowninFigure3.17.ItisfromtheDigitalMarketingInstituteandshowsadherencetothesecharactercountlimits.Goldstarforus!Adtitles(orheadlines)havea25-characterlimit,includingspaces.TheDisplayURLlineistechnicallygrantedupto255characters;however,only35ofthosewillbedisplayed.It'sbestpracticetokeepyourDisplayURLlineshortandsweet.Useittoshowusersyourwebsiteaddress;forexample,www.example.com.YoucanthenassignadifferentdestinationURL,whichwillnavigatetheusertothespecificlandingpagetheadrefersto;forexample,www.example.com/sale.Ifyouchoosetodothis,youmustmakesurethedisplayURLanddestinationURLareonthesamedomain(inthisexamplewww.example.com).Andfinally,DescriptionLines1and2areallowedupto35characterseach,includingspaces.
Figure3.17DMIGoogleAdWordsAdSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
WheredoIstart?Whencraftingyouradcopy,startbythinkingaboutwhatyourcustomerswouldliketoseeiftheyenteredasearchtermthattriggersyourad.Fromhere,youcanthenfolloweachofthesebestpracticestocreateeye-catchingadvertisementsthatwillhaveyouruser'shandstwitchingtoclick!
Makeitunique.Youradshouldhaveareallycompellingmessagewithauniquesellingpoint(USP)tosuit.Givetheuserareasontoclickyouradandsomethingthatdifferentiatesyoufromyourcompetitors.TryGooglingthesearchtermyouwantyouradtoshowfor,thenseewhatyourcompetitorsaresayingintheiradcopytogetideas.Forexample,do
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youofferfreedeliveryorhave24-hourcustomerservice?Ifso,sayit!
Flauntyourpromotionsandoffers.Ifthereisasenseofurgencyassociatedwithyourcampaign,putitinthead.GooglehasareallycoolfeaturecalledCountdownAds,whichwillcountdown,inrealtime,thenumberofdays,hours,andminutesleftuntiltheofferexpires.Thisisgreatwaytoencourageuserstoclickthrough.
Includekeywords.Don'tforgetthatkeywordscontributetoyourqualityscore,somakesureyougetthemintoyouradcopy.Furthermore,yourkeywordwillalsobehighlightedinboldifusersenteritaspartoftheirsearchterms.Whatbetterreasontoputyourkeywordintoadcopythanthat?
Highlightacalltoaction.Telluserswhattodoandalsomakeitobviouswhatisexpectedofthemoncetheyclickontoyoursite.Doyouwantthemtofindoutmore,purchasesomething,orsignupforyournewsletter?
Matchyouradtolandingpage.Whatyousayinyouradshouldrelateexactlytothelandingpageusersarebroughttooncetheyclickyourad.Inotherwords,don'tadvertiseapplesandbringtheusertoapageaboutoranges!
SticktotheRules!
Besidesthecharacter-limitrestrictions,youshouldalsobeawareofthefollowingrules:
Therearerestrictionsonspecialcharacters(!?*#),excessivepunctuation,andcapitalization.
Thewordclickisforbiddeninadcopy.Thatmeansyoucannothaveacalltoactionsayingclickhereformore.
Theuseoftrademarktermsinadcopyisrestrictedwithoutpriorauthorizationfromthetrademarkowner.
Youcannotmisleadormisrepresenttheserviceorproductthatyouareoffering.
Luckily,Googleenforcestheserulesasyoucreatethead,meaningyouwillknowinstantlywhetheryouradadherestothem!
CreatingtheAd
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InyourAdWordsdashboard,clicktheCampaignstabatthetop,thenselectAdsunderneathandclickthebigred+Adbuttonnearthebottomofthescreen.YouwillbepresentedwiththescreenshowninFigure3.18.
Figure3.18CreatingyourGoogleAdWordsAdSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Youwillbeforcedtochooseanadgroupbeforebeingabletosubmityouradcopy,somakesureyoudosobeforecompletingthisstep.Simplyfillinallthefieldsandyouarereadytogo!
Youshouldcreatetwotothreeadsperadgroup,usingdifferentadcopyforeach.Bydoingthisyoucantestdifferenttypesofmessagingandcallstoaction,andevendifferentlandingpages,toseewhichonesuserspreferandwhichonesgivethehighestROI.Evenifyoufindthatoneadthatworksincrediblywell,neverstoptesting.Trynewiterationsofthatonegreatadandkeeptestinguntilyoufindonethatperformsevenbetter!
DynamicKeywordInsertion
Thisisagreattechniqueforeye-catchingadcopy.Dynamickeywordinsertionputsindividualkeywordsfromyouradgroupintoyouradtext.Theresultisanextremelyrelevantadtotheuser,anditsavesyoutimeyoumightspendcreatingmultipleadsforeachkeywordthatyouarebiddingon.Tousethisfeatureyoumustuseaspecialcodeinthefollowingformat:{KeyWord:Chocolate}.Asyoucansee,yourbracketsmustbeofthecurlyvarietyforthefeaturetowork.TakealookattheexampleinFigure3.19,whichshowshowit'sdone.
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Figure3.19DynamicKeywordInsertionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
AdExtensions
Adextensionstakeupmoreroomonthesearchengineresultspageandalsoprovidearicher,morerelevantexperiencefortheuser.Extensionsaregreatforenhancingyourbrandperceptionandencouraginguserstoconvertinwhateverwaymakesmostsensetothem,whetherthat'sin-store,overthephone,online,orbyapp.TakealookattheexamplesinFigure3.20ofhowadextensionscanbeusedeffectively.
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Figure3.20GoogleAdWordsAdwithAdExtensionsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
InFigure3.20youcanseeexamplesofthreedifferentadextensionsbeingusedbyEmiratesAirline:anenhancedsitelink,acall-out,andareview.Enhancedsitelinksarethefourlinksatthebottomofthead,whichareessentiallyfourmorepaidsearchadsthatdeep-linkintodifferentsectionsoftheEmiratessite.Doyouseehowmuchspaceit'stakinguponthatSERP?Itispushingdownbothcompetitoradsandorganicresults,meaningit'sahighlyimpactfulad.
Call-outextensionsaretheadditional,unclickablepiecesofinformationaboutyourbusinessthatgobelowyourad.Theyaregreatforallowingyoushowextrainformationthatwouldotherwisebelostduetocharactercountrestrictions.Inthisexample,thecall-outextensionisSpaciousseats·30kg+baggageallowance·Gourmetcuisine·140+destinations.
ThefinalelementofthisadisEmirate'sreviewextension.Theseextensionsaregreattohaveandcanenticeuserstoclick.ThisextensionisbeingusedtodisplaythetextEmirateshas3,338,233followersonGoogle+.Youcanalsoclickthistext,andthelinkwillbringyoutothelandingpagethatprovesthattheyactuallydo!
CheckoutFigure3.21foranexampleofaclick-to-callextensionbeingusedbyanAdWordsmanagementcompany.ThisextensionallowsuserstocallyoudirectlyfromtheircellphonesbyclickingtheCallbutton.
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Figure3.21GoogleAdWordsClick-to-CallExtensionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
YoucanevendrivecustomerstodownloadyourappdirectlytotheircellphonesthroughtheappdownloadextensionshowninFigure3.22.Thebestfeatureofthisextensionisthatitisdeviceresponsive,meaninganiOSappwillautomaticallydownloadforiPhoneuserswhileAndroidwilldownloadforthoseusingdevicespoweredbythatOS.Prettynifty,right?
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Figure3.22GoogleAdWordsAppDownloadExtensionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Theseareonlysomeoftheadextensionsthatareavailabletoyou.CreateyourownbygoingtotheAdExtensionstabandclickingView:SitelinksExtensions,asshowninFigure3.23.
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Figure3.23HowtoCreateanAdExtensionwithinGoogleAdWordsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
LandingPages
Didyouknowyouhaveeightsecondstoimpressuserswhoclickonyourlandingpage?Ifthecontentdoesnotmatchtheadcopyinthesearchquerytheysearchedfor,youcanbetyourbottomdollartheywillvanishfasterthanLindsayLohan'smusiccareer.
Usersshouldbeablebothtofindwhattheyarelookingforandconvertwithinthreeclicksofenteringyoursite.Iftheycan't,youarenotprovidingtheidealexperience.Getyouracttogether!Thebestlandingpagesshould:
Providerelevant,useful,andoriginalcontent.
Betransparentandpromotetrust—cantheyfindyourContactUspage?
Beeasytonavigate.
Fulfillthepromiseofyouradcopy.
Haveavisibleandprominentproductorservicetitleandimage.
Containclearcallstoaction.
Haveminimalclickstoconversion—lessthanthreeistheruleofthumb!
Bidding
Let'snowtakealookatthethreedifferentwaysthatyoucansetyourbidsandgetyourcampaignsperformingattheoptimallevel:
1. YourfirstoptionistosetbidsfromtheAdGroupviewintheAdGroupstab.AsyoucanseeinFigure3.24,theadgroupsappearontheleftwhile
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theircorrespondingbidsarelistedontheright.ThesebidsaresettothedefaultmaximumCPC,buttheycanbechangedbyhoveringyourmouseoverthebidandclickingonthebox.
2. Thesecondwaytosetyourbidisbysimplyclickingintotheadgroupitself,fromyouradgroupoverview.YouwillthenbebroughttothescreenshowninFigure3.25.SimplyclickonEdittochangeyourdefaultbidforthatparticularadgroup.
3. Thefinalmethodofsettingyourbidsisatthekeywordlevel.Ifyoufindthataspecifickeywordisoutperformingorunderperformingothers,youcanincreaseordecreasethatbidbyclickingtheKeywordstab,hoveringoverthebid,andclickingonit.
Figure3.24SettingBidsfromAdGroupOverviewSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure3.25SettingBidsfromWithinanAdGroupSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
It'simportanttonotethatkeywordbidswilloverrideadgrouplevelbidsiftheyarehigher.Forexample,let'spretendyouhaveabidof$1.75onanadgroupcalledRestaurants,butdecidetochangethebidononekeywordwithintheadgroupto$2.00.Ifthefollowingweekyoudecidetoreduceyouradgroupbidto$1.50,yourkeywordbidof$2.00willoverridetheadgrouplevelbidandremainthesame.Ifyouwantthatkeywordbidtobethesameasitsadgroupbid,youwillhavetochangeitmanuallyusingmethod3listedabove.
Don'tbidblind.Whendevisingabidbudgetingstrategy,it'svitalthatyoubidbasedonprioritiesandKPIs.Applyingablanketbidacrossalladgroupsandleavingthemtorunisbadpracticeandeconomicallyinsane!LookatyourperformanceinlinewithyourKPIsandsetyourbidsbasedonthat.IfyourKPIistodrivesales,thenincreasebidsonthekeywordsandadgroupsthatdrivethemostsales.
Analyzingyourad'saveragepositionshouldalsobeakeyfactorinformingyourbidstrategy.If,forexample,youwanttoincreaseconversionsonaparticularkeywordbutalreadyhaveanaveragepositionofone,thereisnopointinincreasingyourbidbecauseyoucannotgohigherthananumber-oneposition!
GoogleDisplayNetwork(GDN)
GDNconsistsofwebsitesthatallowGoogletoplaceadsonitssitethroughaplatformcalledAdSense.Whenauserclicksanad,thepublisherandGooglemakemoney.Userscanbetargetedthroughstandardtextads,imageads,andvideoads.TocheckoutyouradvertisingoptionsonGDN,clicktheToolstabonyourAdWordsdashboard.It'sagreatwaytoplaceadsonwebsitesthatarerelevanttowhatyouaresellingandthatyouknowyourtargetaudienceisvisiting.
Remarketing
Rememberthattimeyouvisitedawebsite,onlytoseeanadexactlyrelatedtothatpageyouwerelookingatashortwhilelater?That'sremarketing!Ifusershavebeentoyoursitebefore,youcantargetthemastheyarebrowsingotherwebsitesandmobileapps,orevenastheyaresearchingonGoogle.Somecallitcyberstalking,whileothersviewitasacleverwayofreachingconsumerswhohavealreadyvisitedyoursite.Takealookatthefivedifferentwaysyoucanremarkettousers:
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1. Standardremarketing.AspastvisitorsbrowseGDNwebsitesanduseGDNapps,youradswillbeshowntothemalongtheway.
2. Dynamicremarketing.AspastvisitorsbrowseGDNwebsitesanduseGDNapps,adswithproductsandservicestheyviewedonyourwebsitewillbeshowntothem.
3. Remarketingformobileapps.Aspeoplewhohaveusedyourmobileappormobilewebsiteuseothermobileappsorbrowseothermobilewebsites,theywillbeshownyourads.
4. Remarketinglistsforsearchads.Aspastvisitorsdofollow-upsearchesforwhattheyneedonGoogleafterleavingyourwebsite,youradswillappearinthesearchresults.
5. Videoremarketing.WhenpeoplewhohaveinteractedwithyourvideosoryourYouTubechanneluseYouTubeandbrowseGDNvideos,websites,andapps,theywillseeyourads.
Let'sexplainthebenefitofremarketingbytakingtheexampleofthreedifferentuserswhohavevisitedwww.example.com.
Ifyouareunabletoobtainanyinformationaboutthem,howcanyouplaceavalueonthem?Takealookatthesethreescenariosanddecidewhichtwohavethemostvalue:
1. User1hasvisitedthesitebefore,navigatedasfarasthebasketpage,andthenbounced.
2. User2hasgoneasfarasenteringtheirpaymentdetailsbeforebouncingoff.
3. User3bounced30secondsafterreachingtheAboutUspage.
Users1and2arethemostvaluableandlikelytoconvert,justincaseyouarestillscratchingyourheadfortheanswer.
Youcankickoffyourownremarketingcampaignsimplybyinsertingapieceofcodebetweenthe<body></body>tagsoneverypageofyoursite.GetyourcodefromtheCampaignssectionoftheAdWordsdashboard.SelectSharedLibraryfromthemenuontheleftandclickAudiencesunderneathit.
NewAdWordsaccountownerswillbeaskedtosetupremarketing;onceyouhavecompletedtherequiredfields,yourcodeisreadytogo!Youcaneitherexportthecodeyourself,orifyourskillsdon'tstretchthatfaryet,emailitdirectlytosomeoneelse,suchasawebdeveloper.
Whenyourcodehasbeeninsertedontoyoursite,youwillseetheAudiencessectionofyourAdWordsdashboard.Youshouldpayparticularattentionto
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theMembershipDurationsectionofthispage,whichindicatestheamountoftimeuserswillberemarketedtobeforetheyareremovedfromthelist.Thedefaultissetto30days,butitcanstretchtoaslongas180daysontheSearchNetworkand540daysonGDN.Yourmembershipdurationshouldbeamendedbasedonyourknowledgeofhowlongittakesuserstoconvert.TheListSizefieldwilltellyouhowmanyusersareonyourremarketinglist,dividedbySearchNetworkandGDN.
Beselective.Becauseeveryuserandthatuser'sonlinebehaviorisunique,youwon'tneedtoremarkettoeachpersonwhohasvisitedyoursite.Forexample,remarketingtoauserwhoreachedthebasketpageonyoursiteshouldhaveahigherpriorityoverremarketingtosomeonewhohasalreadypurchasedsomething.Thisiswherecustomaudiencescomein!
Tocreateacustomremarketinglist,clickthered+RemarketingListbutton.Enterinadescriptivenameforthelistandthendecidewhetheritisforawebsiteorapp.IntheWhotoAddtoYourListfield,youcanselectfromarangeofoptionsfortheuserstobetargeted.Betterstill,byclickingthe+Rulesbutton,youcanremarkettoanyonebasedonpresetrules.Rulesallowyoutospecifywhomyoutargetandtogetquitespecificwiththemessageyouserve.Theyarealsogreatforexcludingpeoplewhohavealreadycompletedavaluableactiononyoursite,suchasapurchase.Whenyouhavesetyourmembershipdurationbasedonhowlongyouthinkittakesausertoconvert,clickSave.
BeforeyougocreatingadcopyworthyofaPulitzerPrize,remarketingtotherightpeople,andturningyourbiddingstrategyintoacashcow,youneedtoknowhowtomanageyourcampaign!Stickaround—wearegoingtocoverthatinthenextsection.
Stage3:ManageIfyourfriendsareimpressedbyyournewfoundabilitiesfromstages1and2ofthePPCprocess,thenwhatyoulearnfromthisnextsectionwilldefinitelybowlthemover!Stage3,highlightedinFigure3.26,isaboutwhathappensafteryourcampaignhaslaunchedandyouaremanagingiteffectivelyonanongoingbasis.Prettysoon,youwillbeabletotellyourfriendsallabout:
ThefunctionsofeachofthefivemaintabswithintheAdWordsinterface.
HowtoimplementconversiontrackingaspartofyouroverallPPCstrategy.
Thereportsthatcanbepulledandwheretofindthem.
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Figure3.26FocusontheThirdStageinthePPCProcess
NavigatingtheInterfaceOnceyourcampaignhasbeencreated,youwillneedtoreportonandanalyzeitsperformance—whichcanbedonethroughthevarietyoftoolsAdWordshastooffer.Thetrickypart,however,ischoosingwhichtabsandsectionsoftheinterfacearemostrelevanttoyou,becauseeachbusinessisunique.Fastenyourseatbelt,thisguidedtouroftheAdWordsinterfacewillhelpyoudecideandlocatethetabsandsectionsyourbusinessneeds.
Thesearethefivemaintabsthatyouwillnavigatethroughwhenyoustarttoreport.
TheHometabisgreatwayofgettingaquicksnapshotofhowyouraccountisperformingandtellingyouwhatthetopchangeshavebeenoverthelastweek.
TheReportstabiswhereyouwillclicktogetamorevibrantvisualrepresentationofhowyourcampaignsareperforming.Youcanpickandchoosewhichdatapointsyouwantdisplayedanddisplaytheminatable,alinechart,abarchart,orapiechart.
TheCampaigns,Opportunities,andToolstabsaremuchmeatier,solet'slookattheminmoredetailnow.
1. Campaignstab
Allyourcampaignmanagementwillberunfromthissectionandthe
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screenshowninFigure3.27willalsobethedefaultscreenwhenyoulogin.Let'snowseewhateachofthesubtabswithintheCampaignssectioncandoforyou.
Adgroups,ads,keywords,andadextensions.Thesetabswillshowyoutheperformanceoftheseparticularareasofyourcampaignforthedaterangeyouset.Setyourdaterangebyclickingthedaterangeoptioninthetoprightcornerofthescreen.Youcanchooseanywherefromtheprevious7daystotheprevious30days,andyoucanalsodefinethedaterangebyquarterorbyhalfyear.
Settings.Ifyouwanttomodifythesettingsforallyourcampaignsatonce,thisisthetabforyou!Hereyoucanchangethestartandenddatesofyourcampaignsandalsoeditthesettingsforyourlocation,budgets,language,adrotation,andadscheduling!
Dimensions.Hereyoucanreallydrilldownintotheperformanceofyourcampaignsandlookatthetimesanddaysoftheweekwhenyouradsareperformingbest.Italsoallowsyoutomonitorwhichgeographiclocationsarethetopperformers—perfectforreportingoncampaignsthatspanseveralcountries.Notonlythis,youcanalsoseethebestperformingURLs,whichcouldproveusefulinseeingwhichlandingpagesaregeneratingthemostconversions!Finally,theDimensionstabwillletyouidentifythebiggestchangesinyourCPCoverthelastweekandwherethechangeshavecomefrom.Prettycool,right?
2. Opportunitiestab
Forbeginnersandseasonedprofessionalsalike,theOpportunitiestabgivesveryinformativeoptimizationtipsandideas—justliketheonesshowninFigure3.28.
Thesetipsgetverydetailed,advisingyouonbudgetspendsandhowtoachievemoreclicks.Theyareallbasedonalgorithmcalculations,meaningtheyareapredictionofsortsandthereforesubjecttofluctuation.ThebestfeatureoftheOpportunitiestabisthatthetipsareupdatedinrealtime,meaningyoucouldgettotallydifferentsuggestionseachweek.
3. Toolstab
TheToolstabiswhereyouwillfindtheKeywordPlanner,DisplayPlanner,andmostimportantly,ConversionTrackingtools.Thelatterlooksatthepost-clicksuccessofyourcampaign,movingpastsearchengineanalysisandfocusingonwhatusersaredoingwhentheyenter
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yourwebsite.Ultimately,conversiontrackingholdsPPCaccountableforthemoneyit'sspending,allowingyouassesswhetherornotyourinvestmentisgettingareturn—evenifthatreturnissimplydrivingvideoviews.
Don'tbeundertheillusionthatconversiontrackingisonlyforbusinessesthatseekonlinepurchasesorhardconversions,suchasleads.It'sforbrandingandawarenesstoo!Forexample,ifauserspendingacertainamountoftimeonyoursiteaddsvaluetoyourbusiness,thenit'saconversion.
Conversiontrackingcanbedoneintwoways:
a. ByplacingaGoogleAdWordsconversiontrackingcodeonapageorelementofyoursitethatyouuseasanindicatorofsuccessforyourbusiness—forexample,athank-youpageorafind-out-morebuttononyoursite.
b. BycreatinggoalsandtransactionsinGoogleAnalytics(GA)andimportingthemintoAdWordsoncetheaccountsarelinked.
Figure3.27GoogleAdWordsCampaignsTabSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure3.28GoogleAdWordsOpportunitiesTabSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
WhichToolShouldIChoose?Therecommendationwouldbeoption2above,usingGA.BycreatingtheconversioninGA,youeliminatetheneedtocreateanotheroneinGoogleAdWords.Evenmoreimportantly,option2isfarmoreefficientforcomparisonpurposes.IfyoucreateaGoogleAdWordsconversiontrackingcode,thatconversionisspecifictoAdWordsandwillonlytellyouhowmanyconversionsyourAdWordscampaigngeneratedforthatparticulargoal.
However,byimportingaGAgoalortransaction,itwillallowyoutoseeyourPPCcampaignperformanceincomparisontootherchannels.Forexample,youcanseehowmanygoalsandtransactionsyourPPCcampaigngeneratedincomparisontoyourorganicsearch,display,oremailcampaigns.
Thedecisionastowhichoptionyouchooseisyourstomake,solet'slookathowbothconversion-trackingtechniquescanbeimplemented!
Conversiontracking:GoogleAdWordsstyle.Ifyoudodecidetoignoretherecommendation(howdareyou!)andgodowntheAdWordsroute,startbyclickingtheToolstabandselectConversionsfromthedrop-downmenu.Ifyouhavenotcreatedconversiontrackingbefore,youwillneedtoclickthered+Conversionbuttontobegin.Regardlessofwhichoptionyouchoose,youwillstillcreateallofyourconversionshere.
Nextyouneedtoselectthesourceoftheconversionsyouwanttotrack,as
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showninFigure3.29.UsuallyyouwillbeselectingtheWebsiteoption,solet'sjustfocusonthatonefornow.
Figure3.29GoogleAdWordsConversionTrackingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
HitSelectunderneaththeWebsiteoptionandtheprocessofcreatingaconversiontrackingcodewillbegin!Youwillneedtocompleteeachofthefields:
Name.Chooseonethatiseasilyrecognizable.
Value.Assignavalueonlyifyoufeelyouneedto.
Count.DecidehowyouwantAdWordstocountyourconversions.TheEveryoptionwillcounteverysingleconversionfromeveryvisit.TheUniqueoptionwillcountonlyoneconversionperuser—idealforleadgeneration.
Conversionwindow.Hereyouchoosehowlongyouwanttheconversiontobecounted.Thedefaultsettingis30days.
Category.Simplychoosethecategorythatbestdescribestheconversionaction.
Optimization.HereyoucanoptinoroutofincludingdatafromthisconversionintheConversionsforOptimizationsectionoftheAdWordsinterface.Keepitticked,it'sgoodtohave!
Whenyouaredone,hitSaveandContinuetobebroughttoyourveryownconversiontrackingcodeasshowninFigure3.30.Amomentousoccasionforfirsttimers—relishit.Justlikethattimeyouinsertedaremarketingcodeonto
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yoursite,stickthisonebetweenthe<body></body>tagsoftheappropriatewebpagetoo.Assoonasthatpageloadsorthedesignatedbuttonisclicked,theconversionwillberecordedforyou.
Figure3.30ConversionTrackingCodeGenerationSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Conversiontracking:GAstyle.Beforeimportinggoalsortransactions,youneedtotellGAtorecognizewhenaclickorconversionhascomefromaPPCcampaign.Todothis,youmusthavebothaGAandaGoogleAdWordsaccountthatarelinkedtogether.Don'tworry,youwilllearnhowtosetupaGAaccountinChapter9!Whenitissetup,youcanlinkthetwoaccountsbyclickingthecogsymbolatthetoprightofthescreenandselectingAccountSettings.
Whenthisisdone,hittheToolstab,selectConversions,andclickGAfromthemenuontheleft.Ifyouhavevalidgoalsortransactionsthathave
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convertedviaGoogleAdWordsinthelastsevendays,thenyoucanimportthosegoalsandtransactionsbyclickingthe+Conversionbutton.
YouareprogressingquicklyandyourPPCmasteryhasalmostcomefullcircle.Let'snowmoveontothefinalstageoftheiterativeprocesstoseehowyoucanreallyanalyzeandreportonyourcampaigns!
Stage4:AnalyzeBelieveitornot,wearenowatthefinalstageofthePPCprocess,ashighlightedinFigure3.31.Thismeansonlyonething—it'stimetoanalyzeandreportonthesuccesses(orfailures)ofyourPPCcampaigns!Prettysoonyouwill:
KnowhowtousePPCreportstobetteroptimizePPCcampaigns.
Appreciatetheimportanceofsegmentingdata.
LearnhowtoconfigurethecolumnswithinanAdWordsinterface.
RecognizethemainKPIsthatindicatetheperformanceofPPCcampaigns.
UnderstandhowtolinkGoogleAdWordsandGA.
Beabletofindyourqualityscore.
Figure3.31FocusontheFourthStageinthePPCprocess
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KeyPerformanceReportsWithsuchanabundanceofdataavailable,howareyoutoknowwheretostartyouranalysis?Tryonthesekeyperformancereportsforsize:
KeywordPerformanceReport
Areportthatshouldbepulledbiweekly,youcandownloaditwithintheCampaignstab.ClickKeywords,selectwhichmetricsyouwanttocompare,andhitthelittledownwardsarrowbuttonbesidethesearchbox.Afterchoosingwhichformattodownloadthereportin,trydownloadingmultiplereportsandcombiningthemintoonesuperreport.Thiswayyoucangetareallydetailed,handpickedreportofyourcampaign'sperformance.
AdPerformanceReport
Notonlydoesthisreportallowyouseetheperformanceofeachindividualadforthedaterangeyouset,butitalsoshowshowyourkeywordgroupsareperformingagainsteachother—bothofwhicharegreatforinformingdecisionsonyourbidstrategy.Youcandownloadthisinthesamewayasakeywordperformancereport;justmakesuretosetthedatarangeatthetoprightcornerofthescreenfirst.Trypullingthisreportbiweekly.
CampaignPerformanceReport
Greatforaquickupdate,thisonegivesyouahigh-leveloverviewofhowtheaccountisperforming.Hasitdippedinperformancecomparedtolastweekorarethereanytrendsyoushouldbeawareof?Downloadthisreportonceaweektofindout.
DimensionsReport
Thereporting,insights,andlevelofdatathatadimensionsreportprovidesisthecherryonthecake.Justliketheotherreports,clickthedownloadbuttonandyoucanexportallthisdatainwhateverformatyouwish.Whenyouhaveselectedaview,takesometimetoexploretheplethoraofoptionsavailable,allofwhichproviderichlevelsofdata.
Byselectingthetimeview,youcanassessperformancebydayoftheweek,andthisdataisinvaluableformappingyourcustomer'sjourney.Toshowhowbeneficialthisreportcanbe,let'susetheexampleofaretailcompany.Intermsofperformance,itknowsnoteveryhourofthedayiscreatedequally.SaleslagduringthemiddleofthenightbutFridaysaregreatbecausetheytendtobepaydays.Thecompanyalsoknowsmiddayisusuallygoodfordesktopconversionsbecauseusersaresittingattheirdesks,whereasmore
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mobileconversionshappenintheeveningwhenusersarerelaxingathome.Theretailcompanycanusethisdatatotracktheircustomers'movementsandcustomizehowtheyaretargeted.
DataSegmentationIfin-depthdatasoothesyoursoul,youcouldalsotrysegmentingyourreports.If,forexample,youhavemultipleconversiontypesandwanttoseehowyourkeywordsperformagainstleadgenerationversuspurchases,youmaywanttosegmentthembyconversiontype.Doingthiswilltellyoutheconversiontypeofeachindividualkeyword.
Youmightalsowanttosegmentyourreportsbytimeofday,searchterm,ordevice.Youcansegmentanyofthatdataandaddasmanysegmentsasyoulike.Justbearinmindthatthemoresegmentsyouadd,thebiggertheExcelfileandthemoredatayouwillhavetomanipulate.Tryjustonetotwosegmentsperdownload,thenyoucanstartmergingreportstogether.
ReceivingYourReportsNextyouneedtodecidehowyouaregoingtoreceivethereport.WithintheReportstab,clickthelittlecalendariconandselectwhowillbeemailedthereport.Hereyoucanalsoschedulehowfrequentlythesereportsaresent.Shouldyouchoosetosaveareport,youwillneedtogiveitaneasilyidentifiablename,andwhenyouhavedonethatitwillforevermorebeavailabletoyouwithintheCampaignstab,fromtheSharedLibrarysectionofthemenuontheleft.
Columns—SupportingYourReportsColumnsarethemostimportantandrelevantwayofgeneratingricherinsightswhenreporting,inanysectionoftheinterface.Youcanchangethemtoalterthevieworpresentationofthedata.Totheleftofthedownloadbuttonliestheoptiontochangeyourcolumns.Toaddorremoveacolumn,clicktheColumnsoptionandselectModifyColumns.Youwillthenbeabletodrag,drop,andrearrangecolumnstoyourheart'scontent,asshowninFigure3.32.
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Figure3.32ColumnModificationwithinGoogleAdWordsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Thetypesofcolumnsthatarepresenteddependsontheviewandtabthatyouarein,butgenerallyyouwillalwaysbeabletoselectattributes,performance,social,Gmail,andYouTubemetrics.IfyouhaveGAandGoogleAdWordslinked,youwillalsobeabletoseeallofyourGAmetrics.
HowtoLinkAdWordsandGoogleAnalytics
Withoutadoubt,GAisthebesttoolforanalyzingtheperformanceofanycampaign.GAsetupwillbecoveredingreaterdetailinChapter9,butyoushouldknowhowtouseitinthecontextofPPCtoo.Asyounowknow,inordertoimportgoalsandtransactionsfromGAintoAdWords,bothplatformsneedtobelinked—solet'sdothatnow.Forthistowork,youneedtohavethesameemailaddressregisteredtobothaccounts.YoumustalsohavethesameadminaccessinAdWordsasinGA.Tostart,clicktheToolstabinAdWords,selectGoogleAnalytics,andyourGAaccountwillautomaticallybepresentedtoyou.Allthat'slefttodonowisselecttheviewthatyouwanttolinkandhitsave.Easy!
KPIsWithaclearerunderstandingofthereportsthatcanbepulledfromAdWords,
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let'snowlookattheKPIsyoushouldbereviewingandoptimizingonacontinualbasisinthecontextofyourPPCcampaigns.YoushouldmakesuretodevelopachievableKPIsthatwillcontributetotheoverallsuccessofyourbusiness.Forexample,ifyourgoalistogeneratemorerevenuethendon'tfocusonengagementmetrics.Instead,focusonhard-conversionmetrics,salesmetrics,andROI.
IfsomethingisperformingreallywellagainstyourKPIs,increaseyourbids,ifyoucanaffordtodoso.Ontheflipside,youshouldalsotakebudgetsoutofotherareasthatarenotperformingsowellandreinvestthemintotheareasthatare.It'sallaprocess—defineyourKPIs,analyzetheperformanceagainstthoseKPIs,makethenecessarychanges,andreanalyzetheperformancebasedonthechangesthatyouhavemade.
IsGoogleAdWordsWorkingforMe?WhenmeasuringtheimpactofGoogleAdWords,paystrongattentiontoeachofthefollowingKPIs,whichwillhelpdetermineifAdWordsishelpingorhinderingyourbusiness.
CTR.ThisKPImeasurestherelevancyofyourcampaigns;forexample,howrelevantyouradsandlandingpagesaretothekeywordtheuserhassearchedfor.
Conversionrate.UsethisKPItomeasurethesuccessofyourcampaignsandwhethertheyarecontributingtotheoverallsuccessofyourbusiness.
AverageCPC.Needtomeasuretheefficiencyofyourcampaigns?ThisistheKPIforyou.Itconsidersyourqualityscoreandwhetherornotyouaregettingthemostvalueperclick.
Qualityscore.ProbablyoneofthemostimportantKPIs,thisonewillessentiallyaffectyourCPCandhaveaknock-oneffectonconversions.Tofindoutwhatyourscoreis,selecttheCampaignstabatthetopofthepage,clicktheKeywordstab,hitColumns,andthenselectModifyColumns.ClicktheAttributesoptionandfromthereyoucanaddthequality-scorecolumnontoyourdashboard,asshowninFigure3.33.
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Figure3.33HowtoAddtheQualityScoreColumnSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Alternatively,youcanviewyourqualityscorebyhoveringoverthelittlespeechbubbleunderneaththeStatuscolumnwithintheKeywordstab,asshowninFigure3.34.Thiswillgiveabreakdownandrankingofyourqualityscore.
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Figure3.34QualityScoreViewwithinKeywordsTabSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Witharock-solidunderstandingofhowtoreportandanalyzethesuccessofyourAdWordscampaigns,let'scompletethisPPCprocessbylookingatthelawsandguidelinesyouneedtoabideby.
LawsandGuidelinesWehavenowreachedthefinalstopaboardthisPPCtrain,andbeforeitturnsaroundtobeginthejourneyalloveragain—whynotjumpoffandexploretheterrainoflawsandguidelines?Keyattractionsinclude:
Thecookiepoliciesanddataprotectionguidelinesthatmustbeadheredto
ThePPIpolicyandDigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct
Theimportanceofabidingbytrademarkrulesandregulations
DataProtection
Oneofthemostimportantareassurroundingsearchmarketingisdataprotection.Itisyourjobtoensurethatanydatacollectedisusedfairlyandlawfully,andforlimited,specificallystatedpurposes.Rememberallthosetimesyousawawebsite'scookiepolicywhenyoufirstclickedin?Every
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websitemustdothistobeinlinewithcookielegislationdirectives.Thesedirectivesstatethatyoumustalwaysbeupfrontandclearwithyourusersaboutwhatyouintendtousetheirdatafor.Thisuseshouldbeinlinewiththeirdataprotectionrights,andtheirdatashouldbekeptsafeandsecureandnevertransferredoutsidethecountryyouareusingitinwithoutadequateprotection.
Privacy
WhenrunningyourPPCcampaigns,makesurethatyoudonotcollectanypersonalinformationaboutusers,suchastheirnamesandaddresses.ThisisrelatedtothePersonallyIdentifiableInformation(PII)policy,whichGooglequitestrictlyenforces.
Copyright
TheDigitalMillenniumCopyrightActprovidesaprocessforacopyrightownertogivenotificationtoanonlineserviceproviderconcerningcopyrightinfringement.GoogleAdWords'trademarkpolicyisbaseduponthisact.ItstipulatesthattrademarkswithinadcopycannotbeusedunlessthetrademarkownerhassentGooglethenecessaryformgrantingpermissiontotheadvertiser.Ifyouarefoundtobeinbreachofthisrule,youcouldfacestiffpenalties.
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Fromstartingoffwithwell-definedgoalstosettingupyourAdWordsaccount,navigatingtheinterface,anddevelopingbidstrategiesinlinewithyourKPIs,youarenowPPCroyalty—butbeforeyougohereareafewmorejewelsforyourcrown:
Setachievable,well-defined,DUMBgoals!
SavetimeandtearsbycarefullystructuringyourAdWordsaccountattheverybeginningofyourcampaign.
Choosethedevicesyouwant(ordon'twant)totargetcarefully.
Ensureyourlandingpagefulfillsthepromiseofyourwonderfuladcopy!
Getsavvy—alwayssetyourbidsaccordingtoyourKPIs,pastperformance,andyourad'saverageposition.
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Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonPPCasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
Exercises
Exercise1UsingyourGoogleAdWordsaccount,createanewcampaignbyfollowingthestepsbelow:
1. Chooseyourcampaignnameandnetworks.
2. Configureyourlanguageandlocationtargeting.
3. Setyourdailybudgetandmaximumbid.
4. Defineyouradrotationanddeliveryoptions.
5. Setastartandenddate.
6. Decideonyouradschedulingpreferences.
Exercise2Smith-WyerisacreditinsurancecompanybasedinNewYorkCity,offeringbonding,guarantees,andcollectionservices.Theirbusinessisdecliningandthey'vehiredyoutorunaGoogleAdWordscampaignadvertisingtheirservices.
UsingtheGoogleKeywordPlanner,identifyatleast20appropriatetargetkeywordsthatdeliverontheabovebrief.Lookatqueryvolumesandsuggestedbidstoestimatecompetitionforyourkeywordsofchoiceandstructurethemintosensibleadgroupswithasimilartheme.
Exercise3Changeyourdailybudgetforyourcampaignusingthetwomethodsbelow:
1. Withincampaignsettings
2. Fromthecampaignstab
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Exercise4LinkaGoogleAdWordsandGAaccount,ensuringyouhavemetthefollowingprerequisites:
1. TheemailaddressisthesameonbothGoogleAdWordsandGA.
2. TheemailaddresshasanadministrativeaccesslevelonGoogleAdWords.
3. TheemailaddresshasaneditorhigheraccesslevelonGA.
Exercise5InGoogleAdWords,createaGoogleAdWordsremarketingcodewithintheAudiencessectionofthesharedlibrary.Setthemembershipdurationto30days.
ActionPlan:PayPerClickDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforPPC
ObjectivesConversions,leads,sales,traffic,visibility,brandawareness
ActionItemsandFrequencyKeywordresearch:Quarterly
Targeting:Monthly
Scheduling:Weekly
Biddingandbudgeting:Weekly/monthly
Trackingandreporting:Daily/weekly
MeasurementToolsandKPIsAdWords:Conversions,click-assistedconversions,clicks,CTR,impressions,searchimpressionshare
Spend
Media Content People Systemsx x x
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CHAPTER4DIGITALDISPLAYADVERTISING
AnIntroductionYouknowthoseadsthatfollowyouaroundtheInternet?Theonesthatsomehowknowexactlywhatyouhavebeensearchingfor?Yourcomputerisnotpsychic—youaresimplyexperiencingremarketing,oneofthetoolsofdigitaldisplayadvertising(DDA).
Asadigitalmarketer,youcancreateonlineadsjustasyouwouldforanofflinecampaign.Theseonlineads(ordisplaybanners)containcopy,logos,images,maps,andvideo—anythingthatwillhookusersastheybrowse.Thenyoucancalloncertainpublisherstopickthemostrelevantwebsites,socialmediachannels,anddevicesforyouradstoappearon.
YoulearnedinChapter2thatSEOisallaboutdrivingtraffictoyoursite.Justasyoushouldoptimizeyoursitesothatitshowshigherinsearchresults,youshouldalsooptimizetheadsthatdirectuserstoit—byincludingahyperlinkedcalltoaction,forexample.Makessense,right?
Definition
FormaldefinitionofDDA:Aformofdigitalmarketingthatusesdisplayadsappearingonwebpagesasameansofcommunicatingrelevantcommercialmessagestoaspecificaudiencebasedontheirprofiles.
InformaldefinitionofDDA:Youronscreenpickupline!
ProcessIntheopeningsectionsofthischapteryouwillbeprovidedwithanoverviewoftheDDAindustry,thekeyterminologyinvolved,andthebenefitsandchallengesthatfacedisplayadvertisers.ThenwewillcoverindetailthefourkeystagesoftheDDAiterativeprocess,asshowninFigure4.1:
1. Define.Thisstagestartsbyhelpingyoutoidentifyandsegmentyourcustomersbasedondemographicslikeage,location,andinterests.Youwilllearnhowtofindtherightpublisherforyouradsandhowtosetdisplaycampaignobjectivesinlinewithyouroverallgoals.
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2. Format.Thisstagewillintroducearangeofcreativeadformats,amongwhichyoucanchoosethemostappropriate,accordingtoyourtargetaudienceandbudget.Onceyouhavelookedatformats,youwilllearnaboutthemediachannelsavailabletoyouandhowyoucancreatecompellingadcopyacrossthesechannels.
3. Configure.Youcanmaximizeyourcampaign'spotentialbyusingtargetingtoolslikeGoogleDisplayPlannerandassigningKPIstohelpyoutrackyourcampaignonanongoingbasis.Onceyougolive,youcan'thidefromtheeyesofthepublic—soitisbesttoironoutanybumpsearlyon.
4. Analyze.Thefinalstageiswhenyoumeasurethesuccessofyourcampaignusinganalytics.Thenyoucanenhanceandoptimizeyouradsasnecessarybeforegettingreadytorelaunch.
Figure4.1Four-StageDDAprocess
KeyTermsandConceptsItisthischapter'saimtoequipyouwiththeknowledgeandconfidenceyouneedtolaunchyourowndisplaycampaign.Whenyouhavecompletedthischapteryouwillbeableto:
RecognizetheimportanceofDDAonagloballevelandbeawareofitsbenefitsandchallenges.
Knowhowtoselectthemostappropriateaudienceforyouradsandthe
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websitesonwhichtheyappear.
Appreciatethevariouscreativeadformatsavailableandhowyoucanoptimizethespaceyoubuy.
Understanddifferenttargeting,tracking,andmeasuringtoolsthathelpyoutoanalyzeyourcampaign.
Befamiliarwiththemechanicsofdisplayadvertising,itsassociatedterminology,andthelawstowhichitmustadhere.
DisplayAdvertising:AnIndustryOverviewBeforeyoudiveintothemechanicsofdisplayads,let'stakeastepbackandlookatthebigpictureandtheprocesswesawinFigure4.1.ThissectionwillfirstfocusontheDDAindustryfromaglobalperspective,thenexplorethemechanicsbehindDDAandsomeofthebenefitsandchallengesitpresents.
ItcannotbedeniedthatDDAisaprettyawesomebrandingtool.Eventhoughitmaynotgeneraterevenueinthesamewayasanemailmarketingcampaign,itcaninfluenceauser'sfuturebuyingbehavior.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstandthatasadigitalmarketer,youshould:
Allocateyourbudgetacrossdifferentmedia.
Beawareofonlineconsumptionandofsocialmediausageinparticular.
Appreciatetheimportanceofmobileindisplayadvertising.
AdSpend:OfflineandOnlineTheamountyouspendonadvertisingvariesacrossarangeofmedia.Forinstance,theglobalspendforTV,outdoor,andonlineadvertisingincreasedin2013,whereasformatssuchasradioandnewspaperssuffered.
However,advertisersarestillwillingtoforkoutforTV,eventhoughviewerscaneasilyfast-forwardpastadsorchangechannels.Lessisspentonnewspapersandmagazines,whicharelosingouttodisplayadvertising—manypublishersnowselladvertisingspaceinthephysicalnewspaperandofferdisplaybannersaspartofthedeal.
Thebiggestspendingsuccessstoryhasbeenonline—thatincludesdisplay,email,GoogleAdWords,mobile,andsocial.TraditionaladvertisingspendintheUnitedStateshasleveledout,whereasonlinespendisgrowingrapidly.Andthistrendwillnotgooutoffashionanytimesoon.
Unliketheone-waynatureoftraditionaladvertising,digitalcanengageusersinadialogandbeusedtocommunicatewiththeminamorefluidway.Still,
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asadigitalmarketeryouneedtobesmartintermsofwhatmediayouuseandnotkickofflineformatsentirelytothecurb.Outdooradscandrivepotentialcustomersonline—whereyoucanengagethemwithdisplay,social,andemail.Offlineandonlineformatsareinextricablylinked,soyoushouldutilizebothwhendevelopingyourmarketingstrategy.Andsincethereisnothingworsethanseeinganadofflineandgoingonlinetofindthatthepromotionhasended,youmustkeepaconsistentmessageacrossbothformats.
TheMovetoOnlineSohowhasthisloveaffairwithonlinecomeabout?Thinkaboutit.Withincreasedaccessibility,therearemoreandmoreusersonline.Infact…
Ofhouseholdswithchildren,98percenthaveadeviceforonlineaccess—forhouseholdswithnochildren,it's76percent.
Whileonoursmartphones,87percentofusmultitaskonothermedia.
Onaverage,adultshaveaccesstofourdevicesforonlineaccessathome.
Thatmeansmorepeopleareusingemail,morepeopleareloggingontosocialmedia,andmorepeopleareresearchingonlinebeforebuyingoffline.Morepeoplearebuyingonlinetoo,thankstothesurgeinpopularityofonlinepaymentsystemssuchasPayPal.BusinessesareinvestinginGoogleAdWords,SEO,andorganicsearchtoconnectwiththesemultiscreeninguserswhereitmattersmost.
Whenpeopledogoonline,Googleistheirfavoriteplacetovisit.Therunners-upinourpopularitycontestareFacebook,Twitter,andYouTube;furtherdown,AmazonandWikipediagetanodofapproval.
Americanusersaccesssocialmediasitesatleastonceaday,soitcomesasnosurprisethattheseplatformsareamongthemostpopularsites.
Facebookisthesocialsiteusedmostoften—anditsvastnetworkcombinedwithcomprehensivetargetingandbudgettoolsmakeitanadvertiser'splayground.TwitterandLinkedInhaveasmallerreachbuttheycanstillbeprettyeffective.
Differentsocialadvertisingplatforms(andhowwecantargetouraudiencewithinthem)willbefurtherexploredinthe“DisplayAdsonSocialMedia”section.
GoingMobileWhetherwearewaitingforthetrain,prolongingourlunchbreaks,orrelaxing
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athome,wearegluedtoourmobilesmostofthetime.TherearenowmoremobiledevicesintheUnitedStatesthantherearepeople,andmarketersneedtorecognizeandexploitthisopportunitybyadvertisingonmobiletechnologies.
Advertisersshouldtargetmobileusersthatsearchforlocalinformationwithgeographicallyrelevant,mobile-optimizedads.Oncetheyhavefinishedsearchingontheirphones,oneintwoofthemwillgoontobuythroughtheirphones,too.
Sowhatisinthepipelineforthedisplayindustry?Therearelotsofopportunitiesfromtechnologiessuchasretargeting,remarketing,andreal-timebidding.Advertisersshouldalsofocusonproducingadsformobiledevices,creatingricheradformatsandincorporatingsnappyvideosintotheiradsthatuserswillwanttowatch.
TechnologyandMechanicsHavingprovidedanoverviewofthedisplayindustryandthedirectioninwhichitisheaded,let'sfocusonthenutsandboltsoftheDDAprocess.
SoonyouwillbeabletoholdyourowninaDDAconversationatyournextdigitaldinnerparty,asyouwill:
BefamiliarwithessentialDDAterminology.
Knowthestakeholdersindisplayadvertising.
Understandthemechanicsandthetechnologyinvolved.
DisplayAds:KeyTerms
Adclick Occurswhenauserclicksafterseeinganad.Adimpression
Thenumberoftimesanadisseen(notnecessarilyinteractedwithorclickedon).
Aduniqueuser
Auserwhoseesanadfromagivendeviceforthefirsttime.
Click Thenumberofclicksonahyperlink.Cookie AtextfileorInternettagthatawebsiteplacesonauser'shard
drivetorememberdataaboutthatuser,suchassearchhistory.HTML Hypertextmarkuplanguageisthesetofcommands—orcode—
usedbywebbrowserstointerpretanddisplaypagecontenttousers;itisthelanguagethatpeopleusetobuildwebsites.
Keyword Thetermorphrasethattriggersyouradtoappearandtarget
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potentialcustomers.Forexample,ifyouownabakery,youmightusefreshcookiesasakeywordinAdWords—itthentriggersGooglealgorithmstomatchthatphrase.
Pageimpression
Thenumberoftimesthatauserviewsacertainpagewithinawebsite.
Richmedia
Interactivemedia(includingtext,graphics,animation,video,andaudio)usedtopromoteproductsandservicesondigitalcomputer-basedsystems.
Visit Thenumberoftimesthatauservisitsawebsite—eachnewvisitoccurswhenthereisatleast30minutesbetweenrequestsfornewcontent.
HowDisplayAdvertisingWorks
Nowthatyouknowhowtotalkthetalk,let'swalkyouthroughthedisplayprocess.ThekeystakeholdersinvolvedaredetailedbelowandinFigure4.2.
1. Createad.Itstartswhenadvertiserscreatethead,choosingaformatinlinewithyourbudget.Forexample,ifyouwanttoadvertiseonTheNewYorkTimeswebsite,youneedtobearinmindthatthiswillcostmoreduetotheheavytrafficonthatsite.
Next,youdesigntheadwithanengagingcalltoactionandabalancebetweentextandimagery.Whentheadisready,youcanchooseyourpublisher—byworkingwithagenciesorbyusingaGoogletoolcalledDoubleClick,whichallowsyoutosearchforsuitablepublishers.TheGoogleDisplayNetworkisprobablythemostwell-knownpublisher.ItincludesthefullsuiteofGoogleproductsanditspartners(e.g.,YouTube).
2. Publishad.Onceyouhaveidentifiedyourpublisherandadheredtoitsformatspecifications,thepublisherplacesyouradonsitesbasedonyourtargetaudienceandbudget.Sosayyouwantyouradtobeacross10ofthemostprolificwebsitesandtargetedatpeoplewhohavebrowsedforshoesinthepastweek—therewillbeacostforthat.Inadditiontochoosingthesitesonwhichyouwantyouradtoshow,youcanalsodecidethetimeofdayandacrosswhatplatformsordevicesthatitshouldappear.
Anagencycanalsoplayapartinthisstageoftheprocess;advertisinghousessuchasOgilvyandW+Kmatchyouradswiththepeopleyouwanttoreachandcanoftenhelpyouwithdesign,too.
3. Servead.WebsitesarecrucialstakeholdersintheDDAprocess,asthey
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enableuserstoseeyourads.TherearemillionsofwebsitesacrosstheGDNandbeyond,includingTheNewYorkTimes,Facebook,andLinkedIn—thesitesonwhichyouwantyouradstoappear.Thesewebsiteshostyouradthroughtheiradvertisingbannerspaces.Adimpressionsoccurduetoanyofthefollowingvariables:
Youradmatchestheenduser'ssearch.
Youholdatenancyagreement,anarrangementinwhichyouoccupyaparticularspaceandyouradappearsthereirrespectiveoftheuser'ssearchhistory.
Youendupbiddingagainstanadvertiserwhoispayingthesameamountforthesametiming—inthiscase,youradrotateswiththeirs,likeacarousel.
4. Clickad.Ultimately,consumersarewhatmakethedisplayadvertisingworldwork.Theyseeyouradandyouwantthemtotakeactionasaresult(likebuy,subscribe,orjustfallinlovewithyou).Thatiswhysomuchisspentonadvertising.It'salsowhyeverymessageyousendshouldallowtheusertotakethisaction.Buteventhoughyouwantconsumerstoconvertinsomeway,youshouldrememberthatdisplayadvertisingisnotreallyaboutrevenuegeneration;it'sprimarilyusedasabrandingtool.SoeventhoughCTRsmaybelow,youradsarestillhavinganimpact.Thoseusersaresmitten.
5. Trackad.Onceusersinteractwiththead,theresponsibilityisonyoutomonitortheadonanongoingbasis.Ifyouhavespaceonapublisher'swebsiteforamonth,youshouldcontinuallyrefineyouradsforthebestresults.Ifyourcalltoactionisweak,youshouldchangeit.Ifyouradisunderperforming,youshouldpimpitup.Whateverittakes!
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Figure4.2KeystakeholdersinDDA
DisplayTechnology
DDAdependsonsomeprettyslicktechnologytomakeitallrunsmoothly.Forexample,youcanusereal-timebidding—anauctionprocessthatmatchesyouwithadimpressionsandwithendusersasaresult(thepublisheractsasamedium).Basically,itallowsthemostrelevantpersontoseeyourad.
MobilehasfastbecomethestarletofDDA,andeveryonewantstopleaseher.SoyounolongercreatedisplayadsforPCs;insteadyoutargetthemtoappearonsmaller-screenedlaptopsandmobiledevices.Andsincemostwebsitesarenowmobile-responsive,youradswillbedisplayedinthebestpossiblelight,whateverdevicetheuserison.
BenefitsandChallengesofDisplayNowthatyouunderstandwhatdrivesdisplayadvertising,thekeypeoplebehindthewheel,andalittlemoreaboutthejourney,let'sexplorethebenefitsandchallengesthatyoumayfacedowntheDDAroad.
BenefitsInfluence.Someformsoftraditionalmediasimplyraiseawareness,butresearchhasshownthatDDAactuallyinfluencesbuyingbehavior.Itletsusreachamassaudiencewithamessagethatsticks.Targeting.TargetingtoolsprovideadvertiserswithabetterROI,lesswaste,andmorefocus.WithtoolssuchasAdChoicesontheGDN,youknowthatyouradsarereachingaspecificaudience.Control.Youcancontrolwhereyouradwillappear,whowillseeit,andhowtheycaninteractwithit.Ultimatelyyouwantyouradstogenerateclicks.Failingthat,yourootforinteractions,orforconversionsbetweenonlineandofflineresponses.Integration.CreatematchesmadeinheavenbyintegratingdisplayandsocialmediawithTV,radio,andprint.Butalwaysremembertomaintainaconsistentmessageacrossallchannels.Segmentation.Youneedtocreateadsthatsatisfydifferentneedsandwants.Segmentationallowsyoutocozyuptoyourdifferentcustomergroupsandgettoknowtheirbehaviorthroughhowtheyinteractwithyourads,whatmakesthemtick,andwhatmakesthemclick.ChallengesBannerblindness.Withtheaverageuserbeingservedmorethan1,700banneradspermonth,youcanappreciatewhyhemightdismissyourads.
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Lowclick-throughrates.CTRsondisplayadscanbeaslowas0.1percent.Oneinathousandmaynotseemlikemuch,butifyouapplyittoonebillionusersonFacebook,itbecomesaprettybigtargetaudience.Also,thatoneinathousandcouldhaveabrandingimpactonanother990people—throughsharingtheadacrossherownnetwork.
Stage1:DefineWecan'tstartplanningcreativeadformatsordesigningclevercallstoactionuntilweunderstandthepeoplewearetargetingandhowbesttotargetthem.Stage1oftheiterativeprocess—define,ashighlightedinFigure4.3—willturnyouintoadisplayninjainnotime,adeptat:
Understandinghowdisplayadvertisingworks.
Knowingyouraudienceandfindingpublisherstohelpyouconnectwithit.
SettingSMARTcampaignobjectivesthatworkwithinyourbudget.
Figure4.3FocusontheFirstStageintheDDAProcess
FindingtheAudienceFromtheoutsetofyourdisplaycampaign,youshouldaskyourselfwhothepeopleinyourtargetaudienceare—theirgender,age,location,andlikesanddislikes.Youcanthensegmentthisaudience(whichisfarmorehumanethan
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itsounds)!
Usersleaveatrailonline;forinstance,astheybrowsesitesorengagewithemailmarketing.Theirclickstellyouwhotheyare,wheretheylive,andwhattheirinterestsare.Youmaynotknowhowtheytaketheircoffeejustyet,butyoudoknowthattheyareinterestedinyourbrand.Andsoyoushouldavoidscaringthemawaywithtoomanycallstoaction;afewdetailsnowwillbeenoughtoengagethemlater.Patience,grasshopper.
Ifauserdecidestoregisterforupdates,great—thisimpliestheirintenttobuy.Youcanalsocollectdatafromtheregistrationformanduseittoshape,augment,andtailoryourdigitalmarketingstrategy.Forinstance,youcancreatepersonas,personalities,andpreferences,suchasDebbieinFigure4.4.
Figure4.4DebbieDigitalCustomerPersona
Debbiecanbesegmentedaccordingtoherage,maritalstatus,herhobbies,andthefactthatsheearnsasteadyincome.Onceyouhavedevelopedherpersona,itbecomeseasiertopredictherpersonality,herpreferences,andherbuyingbehavior.Thenyoucanmeetherneedsandrequirementswithyourmarketingstrategy.Thanks,Debbie!
ResearchingPublishersNowthatyouhavedefinedyourtargetaudience,youneedtomatchthis
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audiencewiththemostappropriatepublisherforyourads.
Backtotheuser'strail.Sayausersearchesforadventureholidays.Nowthatyouknowwhatheisinterestedin,youcanshowyouradsonthemostrelevantsites.Ultimately,youarelookingforapublisherthatfacilitatestargetingbasedonsegmentslikedemographics,location,andinterests.YoushouldaskpotentialpublishersfortestimonialsandKPIs,plusexamplesofworktheyhavedoneacrossPCs,mobiledevices,andsocialmedia.Googleoffersarangeoftoolstohelpyouchoosethebestpublisherforyourdisplayadvertising—forexample,theAdWordsDisplayPlanner.
Onceyouhavefoundapublisher,youneedtofollowcertainadspecificationsandformats(likesizeanddownloadspeed)tomakeitahappyrelationship.TheexampleinFigure4.5isa300x250expandingad.InthiscasetheadvertiserneededtosatisfycertaincriteriabeforeMSNwouldpublishit.
Figure4.5MSNAdSpecificationSource:MSN.
SettingObjectivesAsadigitalmarketer,youcanusedisplaytohelpyou:
Buildyourbranding.Buildingonthesuccessofyourexistingbrand.
Raiseawareness.Utilizingonlineadvertisinginadditiontoofflinetointroduceanewproduct.
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Engagecustomers.Offeringpeoplenewwaystointeractwithyourbrand.
Encouragedirectresponse.Gatheringdatawhenusersfilloutforms,entercompetitions,orrequestquotes.
Connectonsocialmedia.Enablingyourfollowerstoactasbrandadvocatesastheyengageincustomer-to-customer(C2C)advertising.
Generateleads.Creatingsubsequentemailmarketingcampaignsasatargetedformofrevenuegeneration.
Increaseconversions/sales.Drivingsaleslaterinthecampaignprocesswhenyourdisplaybrandingtooliscombinedwithotherdigitalmarketingelements.
Sohowcanyouachievethesegoals?YoucanstartwithsomeSMARTobjectives…
Specific.Createanumericgoal;forinstance,toachieve100salesbyJune17.
Measured.Putsystemsinplacetoaccuratelytrackyourprogresstowardsthisgoal.
Actionable.Takecertainactionstoinfluencetheoutcome.
Realistic.Setachievablegoals—forinstance,thereisnopointinshootingyourselfinthefootbyaimingfora50percentCTRwithyourdisplayads.
Timed.Youhaveadeadlinebywhichyouwanttoachieveyourgoals.
Stage2:FormatYouhavenowgotthelowdownontargetaudiences,publishers,andhowbesttosetyourobjectivesandfeelreadytostartadvertisingonline.Butwhatformatsshouldyouradsappearin?Goodquestion..
Timeforstage2oftheiterativeprocess,ashighlightedinFigure4.6.Let'sstartingbydivingintothecreativespacetohelpyou:
Understandthedifferentdimensionsavailable.
Knowhowtomaximizeadspace.
Realizethebenefitsofadvertisingonsocialmedia.
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Figure4.6FocusontheSecondStageintheDDAProcess
AdFormatsJustlikehowyouweretaughtinkindergartenthatboysandgirlscomeinallshapesandsizes,sodoadformats.AndinordertobestutilizeDDA,youneedtobeawareofeachone.
TypesofDisplayAds
ThemostcommonlyusedadformatsarelistednextandarealsoshowninFigure4.7.
Leaderboardsaregenerallyatthetopofthepage,andbecausetheyarethefirstmessagesthatpeoplesee,oftenperformbest.
Mid-placementunitsorMPUsareexpandable,dynamicadsinthemiddleofthepage.Theycanmoveupordown,areoftenanimated,andseehigherCTRsthanmostotherformats.
Skyscrapersandwideskyscrapersaretheareastotheleftandrightofthehomepage.
Islandsaresmallandnicheareasthatholdstaticads.Andnomanisoneeither.
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Figure4.7MostCommonlyUsedAdFormats
Roadblocks,takeovers,andin-tandemads.Aroadblockisacombinationoftwoormoreadsforthesamecampaign,onthesamepage,withthesamemessage.
IntheroadblockshowninFigure4.8,thereareadsfortheproductwithintheleaderboardbanner,theMPU,andbothskyscrapers.Alloftheadssharethesamekeymessagebutthedesignhasbeenchangedforeachad—withavariationincolorwithintheMPU.Thisisalsoanexampleofahomepagetakeover(HPTO).Everywhereyoulookonthescreen,youseecontentrelatedtotheproduct.Bearinmind,thisoptionisprettyexpensive.Roadblocksareoftenusedinaffiliationprogramsbetweenadvertisers;forexample,ifNewstalkradiostation(seeninFigure4.8)weretoteamupwithacoffeechain.
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Figure4.8RoadblockAdFormatSource:TheJournal.ie.
TheadsinFigures4.9and4.10areexamplesofin-tandemads:twoormoreadsonthesamepagethatinteract.Someoftheseadsmaybeanimated,asshownbythecoupleinFigures4.9and4.10,butultimatelytheyaredesignedtoworkinparallel,sothatonecarriesonemessage,theothercarriesasimilarone,andtheyworkintandem.Aptlynamed,don'tyouthink?
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Figure4.9FirstFrameofanAnimatedLeaderboardSource:TheJournal.ie.
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Figure4.10SecondFrameofanAnimatedLeaderboardSource:TheJournal.ie.
CreativeAdFormats
Nowthatyouknowwhatadspaceslooklike,howcanyouoptimizethem?Well,youcanstartbygettingcreativewiththefollowingadformats:
Animated.Theseadstypicallyconsistofthreeslidesonacarousel.LookingbackattheanimatedleaderboardinFigures4.9and4.10,thefirstviewoftheadinFigure4.9asks,“Whatcanyougetfor€1?,”thenextshowninFigure4.10startswith“SkySportsfor€1,”andthenextmightsimplybe“SwitchtoUPC.”Threeisthemagicnumberhere—anymoreframeswillconfusetheenduser.
Static.Thesestrongandsimpleadsareoftenusedbypowerful,blue-chipcompaniesthatonlyneedtosay,forexample:“InternetExplorer10.Downloadhere.”Thismessagewillcarryalotofweightwithinaverysmallarea.
HPTO.Asyounowknow,thisisanaddisplayinwhichmostofapublisher'swebpageisreplacedwithadvertisingcontent.Evenifithasnoeffectonusers'buyingbehaviorthereandthen,theywillrememberitthenexttimetheybrowse.
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Floating.Thefloaterstemporarilyinterruptnavigation—soifusersmovetheircursorsoveradisplayad,afloatingadcomesup.Theymighttemptpeopletostartinteractingwithyouradsinnewways,butmakesurethatyoudonotdisrupttheuser'sexperiencesomuchastohaveanegativeinfluenceonyourbrand.
Expandableads.Thesedynamicadsdifferfromthefloatingkindinthatpeoplechoosetoclickandexpandthem,ratherthantheadappearingoutofnowhere.Youcanuseexpandableadstoencourageinteractionwithyourbrandeveniftheuserdoesnotclickthrough.Youhavetheoptiontoincludevideos,competitions,emailsubscriptionforms,socialmediabuttons,andalinkbacktoyourwebsite.Usuallyyouwillnotbechargedextrafortakingoverthisspacebecauseyouwillhavestucktothepublisher'sspecifications—youhavejustbeencleverwithoptimizingthespaceprovided.
Richmedia.Theseadsenablevideostreamingandareprettyeffective—becauseasmentionedearlier,oneintwouserswillinteractwithvideosindisplayads.Ifyoucangetairtimeofupto30secondswithyouraudienceyouwillhaveearnedsomeseriousdisplayadvertisingkudos.
Filmstrips.Filmstripsconsistoffivedifferentsegments(maybethreeofwhichcontainvideo);theusercanexploreallsegmentsbyscrolling,hovering,orclickingonthecreative.Theyprovideacontent-richexperience,andsincetheydonotinterruptthehomepage,peoplecaninteractwiththemwhenevertheywant.Filmstripsofferadvertisersapowerfulbrandingcanvas,becauseevenifpeopledonotwatchyourvideosyouarepromotingyourbrandtheentiretime.
DisplayAdsonSocialMedia
Advertisingonsocialmediaisbecomingincreasinglypopularthankstothesizeoftheaudienceavailable.Let'sstartbylookingatYouTubeandthetypesofformatsitoffersinFigure4.11.
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Figure4.11YouTubeAdFormatsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Alloftheseadscomeatadifferentcost.Theygenerateadifferentnumberofimpressionsandclicksandhavedifferentimplicationsforyourbrand.
YouTubeadsallowuserstoskipthemafter5or10seconds,andtheadsaretargetedinlinewiththeuser'sbrowsinghistory.
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Facebookisapowerfuladvertisingtoolbecauseyoucanseewhatyouraudiencelikes,shares,andcommentson.Soanyadthatusersseeontheright-handsideofaFacebookstreamistargetedspecificallyatthem.Youcansegmentyouraudienceaccordingtodemographic,location,interests,behaviors,connections,andsoon.
Facebookadswillvarydependingonwhereyouwantyouradtoappearandtheresultsyouareafter.Youradscanappearwithinthenewsfeed(ondesktopormobile)ordowntheright-handside.Youcandecideonthetypeofadyouwillusedependingonyourobjective.Forexample,youcanusephoto,video,ortextforpagepost-engagementandlinksforwebsiteconversions.
AdvertisingonTwittercanhelpyoutoreachusersonmobiledevices,since65percentofTwitter'sadrevenueisfrommobiletabletsorsmartphones.Adsappearaswhatarecalledpromotedtweets—soifuserssearchforStarbucks,promotedtweetsfromStarbuckswillappearintheirfeeds.
TwitterusessimilartargetingasFacebook(location,interests,followers,etc.)toensurethatpromotedtweetsaredirectedtothemostrelevantusers.Youradcanbediscoveredbytheaudienceofyourchoice,andyouonlypaywhenpeoplefollowyouraccount,retweetyourmessage,ortakeactionasaresultofyourad.
SocialadswithinLinkedInarealsoextremelytargeted,butinaslightlydifferentway,asshowninFigure4.12.
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Figure4.12LinkedInAdTargetingSource:LinkedIn.
InLinkedInyoudonotreallytargetbydemographicsorinterests.Insteadyoutargetbyjobtitle—salesmanager,marketingdirector,andsoon.Youcanalsotargetpeoplebycompanyorbygroup;forexample,agroupwithintheMBAAssociation.Youcanevenseehowbigyourtargetaudienceisandhowmanypeoplecanpotentiallyseeyourads(shownontheright-handsideofthefigure).Thisisawholedifferentballgamefromguessinghowmanypeoplemightseeyourbillboard.Anditcanbeveryeffective,too—infact,60percentofLinkedInusershaveclickedonadsonthesite.
PinterestandInstagramhavesmallersubscriberbases,buttheystillofferagreatwayofengaginguserswithimagery.WithInstagram,youcantakeadvantageofFacebook'sinsights,too.
Sonowyouhavecoveredthetypeofadsavailable,howadvertiserscancapitalizeonthem,andthesocialplatformsthatyoucanuse.Feelfreetochoosethebestmixofformatstosuityourowncompany'sobjectivesandbudget.
AllocatingBudgetsNowit'stimetotalkmoney!
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Toplanyourcampaignspend,youneedtoconsiderthefollowingfactors:yourtargetaudience(howmuchitwilltaketoreachthem),thepublisher'spricepoints(whetheryoucanaffordthebigonesorifyoushouldgolocal),location(becausewebsitesinprolificareassuchasNewYorkCitywillcostmore),competition(whetheryouwillbeinvolvedinreal-timebidding,competingforadvertisingspace),andfinally,thecostofthecreative(takingintoaccountroundsofamendsandspecialformatslikeexpandingads).
Integratedcampaignsrequireavarietyofmedia,soyoushouldspreadyourbudgetstrategicallyacrossthespectrum.Forexample,CocaColautilizesdisplay,print,TV,outdoor,andexperientialadvertising(whichmeansgivingpeopleabrand-enhancingexperience,eveniftheydonotengagedirectlywithyourproduct)initsadvertisingcampaigns.
Thecoststhatyouneedtotakeintoconsiderationinclude:
Costpermille(CPM):Thisisthemostcommonwaytobecharged;youpayforeverythousandtimesthatyouradappearsinapageimpression—irrespectiveofwhethertheenduserengageswithitorevenseesit.
Costperclick(CPC):Youarechargedwhenauserclicksyourad.Withdisplay'slowCTRsthisstructurewillnotdrainyourbudget,andsinceitisbasedonuniqueIPaddressesyourcompetitorscannotrackupcostswithclickseither.
Costperlead(CPL):Sayyouhaveasmartbannerthatopensout—youarechargedfordisplayingitandalsoifausersubmitsitssubscriptionform.Everyactioncostsyou.
Costperacquisition(CPA):Ifyouspend$100onadvertising,youcanconvert10customersataCPAof$10.Youcouldincludeacalltoactiontoemailyouataspecificaddress—thenyoucanworkoutfromthenumberofemailsthecostyouincurredtoacquirethosecustomers.
Tenancy/sponsorship:Youhaveexclusiveownershipofapositionforasetperiodoftime.Youarechargedafixedamount,irrespectiveoffactorssuchasCPM.
Marketersuseasetformulatocalculatecosts:
#adimpressions×CPM1,000
So1millionpageimpressionsat$5CPMwillcost$5,000.
Let'stryoutacoupleofquickexercisesusingthisformula…
Howmuchwoulditcosttobuy200,000pageimpressionsonCNBCat$5
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CPM?
Youhave$6,000tospendandwanttorunacampaignonCNN.com.IftheyworkoffaCPMrateof$4,howmanyimpressionswillyougetforyourbudget?
Youwanttorunadisplaycampaignonablindsitethatcharges$1.60CPM.Howmanypageimpressionswillabudgetof$3,000getyou?
Didyougetthroughthoseokay?Thisformulaisanimportantonetorememberbecauseitallowsyoutoworkoutthecostofyouradvertising—whichinturncanhelpyoutoshapeyourdisplaycampaigns.
MediaandFormatOptionsNowthatyouknowthecostsinvolvedindigitaldisplaymediaandhowtocalculatethesecosts,wheredoyougotobuy?Well,thereareafewoptions:
Youcangodirect;forexample,byadvertisingdirectlyonCNN.
YoucanusevaluenetworksliketheGDN.Theymakeiteasierforyoutoallocateyourbudgetandplaceyourads.
Youcanseektheexpertiseofdigitaladagencies.Sincegoingdirectorevenusingvaluenetworkscanquicklydrainthebudgetofnovices,theseguyscanhelpyoutogetyourmoney'sworth.AdRollisapopularoneatthemoment—theyspecializeinretargeting.
Googleowns33percentofallonlineadvertisingrevenueandcanofferadvertisersarangeofdigitalmediaformats.Theseinclude:
Search.TextadsshownonGoogleaboveortotherightofsearchresults.
Mobile.TextadsonGooglemobilesearchresults.TextanddisplayadsservedontheGDN.
GDNtext.TextadsshownontheGoogleDisplayNetwork,whichconsistsofmillionsofwebsitesthatallowadsontheirsites.
GDNdisplay.DisplayadsservedontheGDN.
YouTube.VideoordisplayadsonYouTube.
AdCopyWhencreatingyourads,youshouldinclude:
Aclearcalltoaction(CTA).
Astrongdesignthatfitsthatparticularadformat.
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Copythatisinkeepingwiththepublisher,thetargetaudience,andyourkeywordresearch.
Yourbranddisplayedprominently.
Direct,concise,andurgentlanguage.
Onceyouhavealltheseelementsinplace,youneedtocheckifyouradsareworking.
Splittestingmayjustbecomeyournewfavoritehobby—itsavesyoutimebypublishingmultipleversionsofanadcampaignandmonitoringthebest-performingversion.YoushouldusewhichevercampaigndeliversthebestROIgoingforward,carryingelementsofthatcampaignovertoyourcreativeiterativeprocess.UsuallysplittestingwillofferahigherROIbecauseyouhavedoneyourresearch,yourcontentismoretargeted,andauserwillbemorelikelytointeract/convert.
Therearesixpartsofadisplayadthatyoushouldalwayssplittest:
1. Content
2. Offer
3. Pricing
4. Creative
5. Calltoaction
6. Bannersize
Soifyouwanttotestcallstoaction,onetestcouldsupplyaphonenumberasacalltoaction,whileanothercouldbeabuttonthattheusercanclicktolearnmore.
ThedisplayadsinFigure4.13containverysubtledifferences.Thecalltoaction(forexample,“LearnMore”)andthecopymaybethesame,butthecreativeisdifferent.Youcouldrunbothonthesamedayforthesameaudienceandwhicheverperformsbetteristheoneyouwouldchoosegoingforward.ThisiscalledA/Btesting.Advertiserscanaddmoretestsiftheyhavetheresourcesandreportingcapabilities—forinstance,Googleusesasmanyas10tests(A/B/C/D/E,etc.)withsomeoftheirownproducts.
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Figure4.13A/BTesting
Stage3:ConfigureBynowyouwillbefamiliarwithstages1and2ofouriterativeprocess.Right?!Solet'smoveontostage3—whichhasbeenhighlightedinFigure4.14.
Figure4.14FocusontheThirdStageintheDDAProcess
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Inthissectionyouwilllearnhowtocapitalizeoneachstageofyourintegratedmarketingcampaign,soyoucanlinkonlineandofflineactivitieswithaconsistentandeffectivemessagethatengagescustomers.Beforelong,you'llbeadisplayninja,adeptat:
Targetingwell-writtenadstoappearonthemostappropriatemedia.
Trackingandmeasuringyouradsbeforeoptimizingthemforbetterresults.
Schedulingyourcommunicationseffectivelysotheyhavemaximumimpact.
TargetingNowthatyouknowwhatyouradswilllooklikeandhowtomakesurethebest-performingonesarepicked,youneedtomakethemappearattherighttime,intherightplace,totherightpeople.Becauseadsarenolongergeneric—theyareincrediblytargeted.SowhenyouseeanadonLinkedIn,thatadisaimedspecificallyatyou.Itisrelevanttoyourbrowsinghistory,yoursearches,andyourpatternsofbehavior.ItmayremindyouofBigBrother'sall-seeingeye,butthatishowtheprocessworks!
SeesomeofthewaysbelowthatyoucantargetcustomersusingtheGDN.
Targetingoption
Howitworks
Contextual(automaticplacements)
GoogleevaluatesallthekeywordsinaDisplayadgroupandplacesyouradsonwebsitesthatmatchthistheme.
Managedplacements
Youselectthespecificsiteswhereyouwantyouradstorun.
Topics Targetsyouradtowebsitesthatincludecontentabouttopicsyouselect.
Interestcategories
Targetsyouradstouserswithspecificinterestsbasedonwebsitestheyvisit.
Remarketing Showsadstopeoplewhopreviouslyvisitedyoursite.Auto-optimization(DCO)
Googleautomaticallyoptimizesbothtargetingandbiddingtofindadditionalconversions.AlsoknownasDisplayCampaignOptimizer.
Inferreddemographics
Targetsyouradstousersbasedongenderandage.
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Thefirstformoftargetingdescribedhereiscontextualtargeting:Usingrelevanttermsandkeywordstotrytofindadsthatwillmatchtheadvertisertotheenduser.Advertiserscanalsoapplybehavioraltargeting,whichis(you'veguessedit!)basedonpeople'sbehavior—whattheysearchfor,whatcookiestheyleaveonwebsites,andsoon.
RemarketingisaGoogletoolthattakesfulladvantageoftheGDN.Forexample,whenusersvisitBooking.comtheydropanInternettagonthatsiteevenaftertheyleave.Thoseusersmaythenbefollowedbyholiday-relatedads.Youcanshowadstopeoplewhohavealreadyvisitedyourwebsite,browsedyourproducts,searchedforyouviamobile,andwatchedyourvideos.Beforetheseusersgotdistracted,theyexpressedaninterestinwhatyouhavetooffer—soyouneedtocatchthemandhookthemwithyouradswhentheyaremostlikelytobuy.Andyouarenotchargedforthistracking—you'reonlychargedwhenauniqueuserclicksthroughorseesthead.
Retargetingusesthesameideabutitdrillsrightdownintoauser'sbuyingbehaviorandisthusfarmorespecific.ItisalsousedbypublishersotherthanGoogle.Retargetingfocusesonthepeoplethathavealmostboughtandtriestoclosethatsale.Inshort,itconvertswindowshoppersintobuyers.
Whenusingthesetargetingoptions,youshouldavoiddiscouragingpotentialcustomersbystalkingthemwithyourads.Instead,youshouldapplyadfrequencycapping—inwhichyoulimitthenumberoftimesthatyouradshowstoauniqueuserwithinagivenperiodoftime.
TrackingYouradsarelive,therightpeopleareseeingthem,andyou'vegotthatwarmandfuzzyfeeling.However,youstillneedtotrackyourcampaignsandmonitoryourROItomakesurethatyourlittlegemsareworkingashardastheycan.
Thewayinwhichanad'simpactismeasuredhasevolved.YounolongerhavetousethebluntinstrumentofaCTR,becauseafterall,thereismoretobusinessthanclicks!Advertisersalsotakethefollowingmetricsintoaccount:
Interactionrate.Thenumberoftimesthatauserinteractswithanaddividedbyitsimpressions.At2.48percentonaverage,interactionratesaremuchhigherthanCTRsandaremoreinlinewithaPPCoraGoogleAdWordscampaign.
Videocompletion/conversionrate.Thenumberoftimesthatauserconvertsandwatchesafullvideo,suchasa30-secondvideothatplaystotheend.Since50percentofuserswouldprefertowatchembeddedvideosinsteadofclickingadisplayad,advertisersshouldgetthatcamerarolling.
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Expansiontime.Theaveragetimethatanadisviewedinanexpandedstate.Displayadsarebecomingmoreplayfulandlessstatic.Ifuserschoosenottoclickonthead,theycanexpandittowatchvideostreamsandinteractwithitsembeddedmaterial,suchasgamesandcompetitions.
Averagedisplaytime.Theaveragetimethatarichmediaadisdisplayedtoauser.Itshouldbequiteshort—soifanadhasvideo,ideallyitwillbedisplayedforfewerthan30seconds.
Youshouldapplyalltherelevantmetricsyoucantosuityourbusinessobjectives.Inthisway,youcanovercomethechallengesofdisplayadvertisingandstarttoseemoreofitsbenefits.Remembertotakeadvantageofthevarietyofreportingsourcesavailabletoyou,including:
Publishers/agencies.Theycanuseanalyticstotellyouaboutyourperformance.
Sales.Youcancheckiftheyhaveincreasedsincethecampaignstarted.
Adnetworks.LargemediaoutletsliketheGDN.
Analytics.ThoseinternallyandthosereportedbyGoogle(GoogleAnalytics,AdSense,andDoubleClick).
Offlinereports.Sinceonlineandofflinearelinked,anyincreaseinperformanceoffline(purchases,phonecalls,couponredemption,etc.)canindicatethelevelofsuccessofonlineactivities.
GoingLiveThroughoutthecampaign,youshoulduseasystematicprocessforyourcommunicationsanddecidehowfrequentlyyouwanttosendthem.Youcansetacleartimeframeorschedulesothatyoucanseeclearlywhatadsarerunning,wheretheywillappear,whentheywillappearandanyfollow-upsneeded,whothetargetmarketis,andthecostinvolved.
Stage4:AnalyzeNottosoundlikeabrokenrecordbutremember—successfuldigitaldisplayadvertisingisaniterativeprocess.Itinvolvestrackingandoptimizingallaspectsofthecampaign,allowingyoutomaximizeeffectivenessandROIandhelpingyoutoachieveyourbusinessgoals.Andthatiswhytheanalysisprocesswithinstage4(highlightedinFigure4.15)issoimportant.
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Figure4.15FocusontheFourthStageintheDDAProcess
MeasureYouneedtocontinuallymeasureyourmessageandyourcreativeswithpublisherstocreateacultureoftesting.ThisismadeeasierifyoufirstsetoutKPIssuchas:
Click-throughrates
Interactivityrates
Expansionrates
Bouncerates
Pageviews
Averagetimeonpage
Directtrafficsources
Conversions
AnothermethodofanalyzingsuccessismeasuringyourROI.Awisemanoncesaid,“Showmethemoney,”andasamarketer,youwanttoseethatyourhardworkhaspaidoff—literally.SohowdoyoucalculateyourROI?Checkouttheexamplebelow…
Sayyouwanttoconvert15newcustomers.
Yourbudgetis$1,750forthemediaandyouhaveadesignbudgetof
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$650.
Yourmediabudgetgetsyou150,000adimpressionswithanestimatedCTRof2percent(althoughitwillusuallybealotlower).
Thewebsitethathostsyouradgets3,000uniquevisitorsandyouareaimingfora10percentconversionrate(again,normallythisislower).Thisresultsin300inquiries.Yourpublishertellsyouthat20percentofthesewillbequalityleads,soyouget60salesleads.
Andsinceyourpublisheralsotellsyouthatusuallyoneinfoursalesleadsresultsinaconversion,thatis60/4=15newcustomers.
Nowyouhavemetyourbusinessobjective,butyoualsowanttocheckyourROI.Soifeachnewcustomerbuysaproductworth$100,yourROIis15×100=$1,500.
Boom!Youhaveofficiallybeenshownthemoney.
Inadditiontohardmetricssuchasconversions(whicharetheultimategoal),youcanusesoftmetricssuchas:
Pageoradimpressionstodeterminewhetheryourcampaignisdelivering;ifyouhaveamillionadimpressionsbutnothinghashappened,somethingisfundamentallywrong.
CTRstomeasurewhichcreativeismostengaging.
Uniqueusersandimpressionstoassessyourreachandcoverage.
Analyticscanbealittleconfusing—buttherearegreattoolsoutthere,suchasGoogleAnalytics,thatcanclearthingsup.Itoffersreal-lifetrackingcapabilitiessothatyoucantraceeverycentyouspendandyoucancustomizeitwithyourowndigitalmarketingactivities.Forinstance,Figure4.16showsanexampleofpaidsearch,organicsearch,anddisplay.
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Figure4.16ConversionsPerChannelGroupinginGoogleAnalyticsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
WithintheAnalyticsdashboardyoucancreateyourowngoalsandobjectives.Youcanalsotailorhowyouwantyourreportstolook,howspecificyouwantthemtobe,andwhetheryouwanttousefunnelvisualizationtoidentifythedifferentdatasourcesfeedingthem,asillustratedbyFigure4.17.Thisgivesyouend-to-endvisibilityoftheusersthatengagewithyouradbeforeconverting.
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Figure4.17GoogleAnalyticsReportwithFunnelVisualizationSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Yourownfunnelvisualizationprocessmightbedifferent.Youmightwantittorunfromlefttorightinsteadoffromtoptobottom.AndthatisthebeautyofGoogleAnalytics—youcanaugmentandcustomizeyouranalyticsinwhateverwayyoulike.
Nowthatyouhavecoveredthemeasurementandanalysiswithinstage4,youcanoptimizeyouradsforevenbetterresults.Thisinturnbringsyoubacktothestartoftheiterativeprocess,duringwhichyoucanpreparetolaunchyournewandimproveddisplaycampaign.
LawsandGuidelinesRightnowyourheadisprobablyswimmingwithalltheinsandoutsofthedisplaycampaignprocess.Andyouprobablywantustostoptalkingsoyoucanstartadvertising,right?Easy,tiger—firstthereareafewlegalconsiderationsyoushouldknowabout.
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Lawsandguidelineswilldifferacrossalllocations,andsomemaybemorestringentthanothers.Butstill,whenitcomestodisplayadvertisingtherearesomeuniversalrestrictions(themostobviousexampleofwhichrelatestoalcohol).Whereveryoulive,youneedtobeawareofthatparticularregion'slawsandguidelines.
MaintainingPrivacy
Withinthearenaofdisplayadvertising,onemajorconsiderationisprivacy,andadvertisersneedtoadheretoprivacypoliciesatalltimes.Forinstance,mostwebsitesnowincludestrictcookiepolicies,anditismandatoryfordigitalmarketerstodisplaythesepolicies.IfyouaregoingtojointhegameofInternettagyouneedtobetransparentinyouractions.Withintheprivacyarenaliesthewholeareaofdataprotection,too.Youmustfollowwhateverlegislationappliestoyourareaintermsofstoring,using,anddestroyingtheinformationyouhavegatheredthroughyourmarketingactivities.
CreativeCopyright
“Borrowing”creativesfromGoogleImagestouseinyouradsisanabsoluteno-no.Instead,advertiserscansourceimagesfromlibrariessuchasiStockorShutterstock,whichallowyoutobuyacopyrightforpromotionalpurposes.Insomecasesyoucancontactthephotographerorartistandrequestcopyrightthroughthem—sometimesyouwillpay,sometimesyoumightcatchaluckybreak.Butyoushouldneverassumethatjustbecausesomethingisfreefordownloadthattherewillbenorepercussions.
Accessibility
Whoareyouallowingtoseeyourads?Andareyouadheringtotheprivacylawsofthosethatareaccessingthem?Allovertheworld,thereareadvertisingstandardsbureausinplacetoprotectnotonlytheconsumerbutalsotheadvertiser.IntheUnitedStates,forexample,youshouldconsulttheAmericanAdvertisingFederation(AAF)ifyouplanonadvertisingtransnationallyorglobally.Theywilltellyouwhatyoucanandcannotdo.
Havingcoveredthelegalbit—thatconcludesthischapterondigitaldisplayadvertising.
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Herearesomefinalpearlsofwisdom:
Keepthingssimple.Withyourmessage,withyourcreatives—clear,succinctadsaremorelikelytograbattention.
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Useyourpublishers.Theyhavetheexpertiseandinsightsthatcanmakeahugedifferencetoyourcampaigns.
Tryouttools.UseAdWordsPlanner,DoubleClick,andotherGoogletoolstohelpyouplan,manage,andoptimizeyourdisplaycampaigns.
Besmart.SetSMARTobjectivesinlinewithyouronlineandofflinetargets.
Thinklaterally.DonotjustfocusonCTRs,whichareaprettybluntmeasurementofsuccess.UsetheotherKPIsthathavebeencovered,likeadimpressionsandinteractionrates,togetasenseofhowyouradsaredoing.
Knowyouraudience.Onceyouhavecreatedsegments,youcanbuildpersonas,predictbehavior,andmeetpreferences.
Stayontrack.Measureyourcampaignsonanongoing,iterativebasis—linkingtoanalyticsandtestingforsuccesswheneverpossible.
Getcreative.Attheendoftheday,afteralltheplanningandtestingandanalyzing,youwantcustomerstolikeyourad.Anditisthecreativeonesthatwillhelpyoustandout.
Nowgoforthandputyourselfondisplay!
www.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonDDAasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
Exercises
Exercise1Thinkaboutyourownbusiness,ortakeasanexampleabusinessthatyouareinterestedin.Listallofthepotentialprimaryandsecondarytargetaudiencetypestheremightbeforthatbrandandaddinterestsforeach.Writedownwhattheirinterestsmighttellyouabouttheironlinehabits.
Exercise2Youhavebeengivenabudgetof€25Ktorunadisplayadvertising
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campaign.YouhavebeentoldtoadvertiseonPC,mobile,andtablets.Aftersomeresearch,yourealizethemajorityofyourtargetaudienceusesAndroidsmartphones.Deviseabudgetplanandapportionbudgettoeachoftheaboveelementsaccordingly.
Exercise3Youarenowworkingwithasmallerbudgetof€5K—€10Kforyourdisplayadvertisingcampaign.ThelikesofaHPTOarenotfeasibleatthisstage.Whatarethealternativeoptionsandstrategiesyoucanundertakefordisplayadvertising?
Exercise4ItisQ1ofanewyearandyouhavebeenrewardedwithasizabledigitalmarketingbudget.Displayadvertisingistopofyouragenda.UsingSMARTprinciples,setoutfiveobjectivesthatyouwanttoachieveforthequarterandyear.Outlineaplanforhowyouwillgoaboutachievingeachobjective.
Exercise5Developasocialmediadisplayadvertisingcampaignaimedatthefollowingaudience:
Females24–35yearsold.
Workingprofessionals.
Peoplelookingtogetmarried.
Peoplewholiveprimarilyinthecapitalcityofyourcountry.
Peoplewhohaveaninterestinsports.
ActionPlan:DigitalDisplayAdvertisingDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforDDA
ObjectivesReach,frequency,awareness,branduplift,influence,conversion,click
ActionItemsandFrequencyBudgeting:Percampaign
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Mediapurchase:Percampaign
Creative:Percampaign
Targeting:Weekly
Tracking:Daily
Optimization:Weekly
MeasurementToolsandKPIsAd-servingsoftware:Impressionsserved,flightmanagement,CTR
Social-listeningsoftware:Brandmentions
Webanalytics:Campaignclicks,brandsearchincreases,conversions
Spend
Media Content People Systemsx x x
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CHAPTER5EMAILMARKETING
AnIntroductionInaconstantlyevolvingdigitallandscape,toolsandplatformscomeandgo.Email,however,hasremainedasteadfastanddependablechannelwith3.2billionemailaccountsworldwide.That'sthreetimesmorethanthenumberofFacebookandTwitteraccountscombined,andifoptimizedcorrectly,anemailmarketingcampaigncanbeall-powerful,drivingbetterreturnsoninvestmentandhigherlevelsofengagement.Thefactthatyoucandispensewithprintingflyers,savetrees,andbeanemailmarketingpro?Well,thosearejustaddedbonuses!
DefinitionLikemanyofthespecialtieswithindigitalmarketing,thekeytoapowerfulemailmarketingstrategyisstructure.
Formaldefinitionofemailmarketing:Astructured,systematicprocessthatisoneofthemostsuccessfulchannelsfordeliveringhighlyrelevantmarketingcommunicationstotargetedsubscribers.
Informaldefinitionofemailmarketing:Instantinboxgratification!
ProcessSowhatmakesemailmarketingsovaluable,besidesitsabilitytoestablishbrandvisibilityintheeyesthatmattermost(thoseofyourcustomers,justincaseyouweren'tsure!)?Likeeveryotherdigitalmarketingspecialty,thesuccessofemailisbaseduponarigorous,consistentprocess.TheDigitalMarketingInstitute's3iprinciplesunderpinageneralmethodologythatincorporateseveryfieldofdigitalmarketing,andemailisnoexception.
Initiate.Startwiththecustomerandworktowardsafullyoptimizedemailmarketingcampaign.Whoareyourtargetsubscribers?Whatkindofemailcontentwillbestsuittheirpreferencesandneeds?
Iterate.Measureandanalyzetheperformanceofyouremailmarketingcampaign.Areyourtargetsubscribersopeningyouremailsandengagingwiththem?Aretheyignoringthem?Youcanusethisinformationtolearn
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fromyourmistakes,repeatyoursuccesses,andcontinuallyimprovetheexecutionofyourcampaign.
Integrate.Incorporateyouremailmarketingcampaignintoyouroveralldigitalmarketingandofflinemarketingefforts.
Beforewestartexploringemailmarketingindeeperdetail,takealookatFigure5.1andthelistthatfollowsforthefourvitalstepsthatcompriseaneffectiveemailmarketingprocess:
1. Data.Thefirststepinanyemailmarketingcampaignshouldalwaysbethecreationofasubscriberlist.Thisisacompilationofemailcontactswhohaveconsentedtoreceiveyourcommunications(they'veoptedin).Youcancreateasmanylistsasyouneedinordertosegmentyoursubscriberssothatyoucantargetthemwithrelevant,personalizedcontentthattheywillactuallycareabout.
2. Design.Thisstepinvolvesdecidingwhichcontentyoushouldincludeinyouremailandthedesignprinciplesyoumustfollow,toensurethatyouremailendsupinasubscriber'sinbox,readytoengageandexcitethem.
3. Delivery.Thisstepisallaboutthedeliveryofyourmarketingemails.Youwilllearnhowtheyaremanagedthroughanemailserviceprovider(ESP),whichfacilitateseverythingfromemailstyleandlayouttoscheduling.Step3coverswhathappenstoanemailafterithasbeensentanddelivered.Youwilllearnhowtoutilizetestingtodecidewhatyouremailshouldlooklikeandwhenyoushouldsendittoguaranteethebestpossibleopenrates.
4. Discovery.Analysisandreportingarefundamentalwhenrevisingandrefiningyourdigitalpractices.Leveraginganalyticstoolswillallowyoutotrackeverycentspentonyouremailmarketingandletyoutrackopenrates,totalopens,anduniqueopens.YouwillbeabletotrackROIthroughCTRs,unsubscribes,andbouncerates.Analyticstoolsareagatewaytohighlydetailed,clinicaldatathatwillenableyoutotailoryouremailmarketingstrategy,takingintoaccountbothyoursuccessesandfailures.
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Figure5.1Four-StageEmailMarketingProcess
KeyTermsandConceptsEvenifyouhaven'tcarriedoutanyemailmarketingactivities(yet!),it'sverylikelythatyouwillfeelquitecomfortablewiththeconceptofemail.Mostuserswillhavemorethanoneemailaccount,beitbusinessorpersonal,andarefamiliarwithavarietyofemailclients—fromGmailtoYahoo!Mail.Ithasalreadybeenmentionedthatemailmarketingishighlystructuredandprocess-driven,whichmeanseverythingyouneedtoknowwillbeeasytolearnandsimpletoimplement.It'sjustaboutfollowingtheprocess!Bytheendofthischapter,youwillfeelconfidentinyourabilityto:
Understandandharnessthedirectinfluenceofemailmarketingonaglobalbasis.
Collectandcollatesubscriberdatasoyoucanmaximizeyouraudiencetargeting.
Craftacompellingandcontagious(inagoodway)marketingemail,fromsubjectlinetoimageryandtextformatting.
Optimizethedeliveryofyouremailsbyavoidingspamfilters,embracingsplittesting,andschedulingefficiently.
Describeandreplicatetheanatomyofaneffectiveemailmarketingcampaign.
Identifytheemailmarketingmetricsthatmatterandincorporatetheminto
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yourreporting.
Stage1:Data—EmailMarketingProcessBeforeyoulearnmoreaboutthedetailsofacquiringdataandsubscribermanagement,youfirstneedtoknowaboutspamanditsintrinsicrelationshiptothedatayouuseaspartofanemailmarketingcampaign.Thisispartofstage1oftheprocessshowninFigure5.2anditwillinvolvebeingawareof:
Theformaldefinitionofspam:Whatitisandwhatitentailsforyouasamarketer.
Examplesofwhatemailsubscribersperceiveasspamandthecriteriaonwhichtheybasetheirdecisions.
Methodstoavoidtriggeringspamfiltersandescapingthedamningjudgment:spam!
Figure5.2FocusontheFirstStageintheEmailMarketingProcess
Spam,SpammitySpamJustlikethequestionablycolored,unidentifiableprecookedmeatinacan,thereceiptofunsolicitedemailcommunicationscanbegross!Unsolicitedemailmeansthatauserdidn'task,oroptin,toreceivetheemail.Spamcanalsoapplytobulkemail,atermthatappliestothesameunsolicitedemailbeingsentouttohundredsofthousandsofuserswhohavenotoptedintoreceiveit.Thisisapracticethatcanresultinblacklisting,whichmeansthatthesenderis
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addedtoalistofnaughtyemailsendersthatemailclientscanblockandkeepawayfromtheirusers'inboxes.Blacklisting,inessence,meansthedeathofanemailmarketingcampaignandcanbeincrediblydamagingtoabrandaswell.
ExamplesofSpamSpamisinsidious.Atfirstaspamemailcanlookentirelyinoffensive;say,asimpleinquiryaboutwhetherornotyouareinterestedineyedropsmanufacturedinChina.Thedifferenceliesinwhetherornotyouhaveexpressedapreviousinterestinbuyingeyedrops.Didyoufillinacontactformonawebsite?Didyougiveyouremailaddresstosomeonebecauseyouhadtheintentionofbuyingeyedrops?Didyouoptin?Abulkemailexampleofspamcouldincludeanewsletteronthetopicofflyfishingthatyouhaveneversubscribedto,whichisonlyagoodthing(nottomentionamassivecoincidence)ifyouhappentolikeflyfishing.
SpamReallyIsintheEyeoftheBeholderWhatemailsubscribersconsidertobespamreallyboilsdowntopersonalpreference.Recipientscanauditthecontentsoftheirinbox,whichincludeyourmarketingemail,andcanchoosetosendyourmessagetotheirjunkmailfoldersbasedonarangeofcriteria.Oneofthemainreasonsyouremailcouldbemarkedasspamisbecauseasubscriberisunfamiliarwithyou,yourbusiness,oryourbrand.Sometimesusersforgetthattheyhaveoptedintoreceivemarketingmessages:Theycouldhavesubscribedtotoomanysites'emaillists,ortheycouldhavesubscribedtoolongagotorememberwhattheysubscribedto.Anotherkeyreasonhastodowithrelevancy:Theycouldhaveoptedininitially,butiftheyviewthecontentoffollow-upemailsasirrelevantorunrelatedtothereasontheyoptedin,they'remorelikelytoregardthemasspam.
Oftenthesearefactorsoverwhichanemailmarketerhaslimitedcontrol.Butthereareanumberofactionsthatyoucantaketomakesureyouareabidingbythebestpracticestolimitthelikelihoodofbeingconsideredaspammer.
FiveWaystoAvoidtheDamningJudgment:Spam!
AvoidSpamFilters
Emailclientsaredesignedwithanincrediblefocusonprotectingtheirusersfromdisruptive,annoyingspam,andoneofthemethodsusedisbuilt-inspamfilters,whichauditemailmessagesbasedonanumberoffactors.Sometimesemailmarketingmessagescanfallvictimtospamfilterseveniftherecipient
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hasoptedin,soit'simportanttobeawareofthecriteriathesefiltersusetomaketheirjudgmentsandavoidthemwhencraftingyouremailmessages.
Imageandtextimbalance.Usingtoomanyimagescancauseanimbalancethatcantriggerspamfilters.Avoidcreatingorusingdesignsthatsimplyhavetextoverlaidonanimage,asaspamfilterwillonlydetecttheimageandnotthetextbuiltintoit.
Toomuchformatting.Thisincludestheuseofexcessivecapitalsandcapitalization,boldtext,andirregularfontsizes.
Attachments.Trynottouseattachments;includeallnecessaryinformationwithinthebodyoftheemail,asattachmentscantriggerspamfilters.Youshouldalsouseyouremailtodirecttraffictoyourwebsite,orsocialmedia,orsomewherewhereyoucangenerateahigherROI,asthismethodservesasamuchmorevaluablecalltoactionthanaskingtherecipienttodownloadandreadanattachment.
Obsceneterms.Thisdoesn'trefertoprofaneorscandalouslanguage(althoughthat'snotrecommendedeither)buttheuseofincentivizingtermslikesalesoffers,crazydeals,freemoney,oranythingelsethatmightsoundsuspicioustoaspamfilter.
SaveSubscriberListsfromSpam
Didyouknowthatyouareonlyallowedtosendamarketingemailtoindividualswhohavebeenactivesubscribersinthe12monthspriortothatemail?Whetherornottheyhavebeenactivemayseemlikeahardthingtoquantify,butessentiallyitmeansthatifanindividualhasopened,clicked,orengagedwithanemailinanywaywithinthis12-monthwindowtheycanbecountedasvalidsubscriptions.Marketersmayalsosendanemailiftheyhaveobtainedanindividual'scontactdetails—duringthecourseofasale,forexample—overthepast12monthsandhavetoldhimthepurposeofgatheringhiscontactdetails.
Butwhatdoesthatmean?AgoodexamplewouldbeifyouvisitedAmazon.com,boughtaKindle,filledinacontactform,andweresignedupforanemailnewsletterasaresult.Upuntilveryrecentlytheboxthatsignedyouupforthatemailnewsletterwouldhavebeenautomaticallycheckedaspartofthecontactform.Nowyouhavetomakeaconsciousdecisiontotickthatboxyourself,sothatyoucandemonstrateyouknowexactlywhatyouaresigningupforbesidespurchasingtheKindle.
Ifasaleisbeingmadeoverthephoneinstead,youcantellcustomers,“I'llneedyouremailaddresstosendyouareceipt,butcouldIalsosendyouournewslettertokeepyouupdatedonourlatestproducts?”Iftheysayokay,then
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youcanclassifythemassubscriptions!
Ifyouhaveasubscriberlistandyouaren'tsureifindividualshavesubscribedorbeenactiveoverthelast12months,thenneverassumethattheyarehappytoreceiveemailsfromyou.Targetthemwithanopt-inemailtobecertainandmakesuretheoptiontounsubscribeexistsoneveryemailyousend,toavoidanypotentialuncertainty.
StayRelevanttoStopSpam
Asamarketer,youcanonlysendanemailifitsmessagerelatestosimilarproductsandservicesthattherecipienthaspreviouslyshownaninterestin.Thisisveryimportantbecauseifyouarepartofacompanythatsellskitchenware,suchasplatesandcups,itmeansyoucantargetyoursubscriberswithemailsfortextiles(suchasnapkinsandplacemats)thattheycanuseinakitchen.However,youcan'tstarttryingtosellthemcarsallofasudden(whichwould,quitefrankly,beabitofabizarreproductrangeanyway).
Thekeyistonevermixyourmarketingmessages:Everyonelikestoknowwheretheystand!Ensurethatyouremailsareclearandconsistent,avoidanythingthatcouldcauseconfusion,steerclearoftoomanycallstoaction,andkeepthingssimplefortherecipient.
Don'tConcealYourIdentity
Leavethattocomicbooksuperheroesandvigilantesandremember:Marketerscannotsendanemailiftheidentityofthesenderhasbeendisguisedorobscured.Thismeanswhenyouarecarryingoutanemailmarketingcampaign,recipientsneedtobeabletoidentifytheemailsender,soevenifyouarejustemailingtothankthemforsigninguptoyournewsletter,youneedtoremindrecipientswhoisemailingthemandwhy.
Transparencyiskey,anditalsoextendstoprovidinganemailaddressatwhichyou,thesender,maybecontacted.Usingavalidemailaddressratherthanaso-callednoreplyisimportantfortworeasons.Firstly,itshowsasubscriberthatthesenderistangibleandreputable,andnotarobotthatcan'tbecontactedsendingoutspam.Secondly,itprovidesasubscriberwithanemailaddresstowhichtheycansendanopt-outrequest.
Asamarketer,youalwaysneedtobeawareoftheneedforyouremailmessagestohaveahumancontext,notonlysoyoucanstayrelevantandrelatetoyoursubscribers,butalsosoyoudon'thavetoworryaboutbeingblacklistedortriggeringaspamfilter.
Don'tBuyorShareLists
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Ifyouareabusinessthatsellsofficesuppliesandyouaretargetedbyanindividualofferingtosellyoutheemailaddressesofeverylawfirminthecountry,keepinmindthatwhilethatindividualmayhavetherighttousethosesubscriptions,youdonot.Soregardlessofhowtemptingitis,neverbuysubscriberlists,becauseitcouldlandyouinalotoftrouble.Similarly,youshouldnotsharelistseither.Whywouldyoushareasubscriberlistwithsomeonewhenyouhaveinvestedalotoftimeandeffortintonurturingthatdatabase?Ifindoubt,alwaysthinkaboutwhetherornotyouarebeingtransparentwiththerecipientsofanymarketingemail:Willtheyknowwhoiscontactingthemandhowthesendergottheircontactdetails?
SubscriberManagementBeforestartinganyemailmarketingcampaign,thefirstareathatyoushouldfocusonissubscribermanagement.Thisisthefirststageintheiterativeprocessforemail,anditisprimarilyconcernedwithdata.Toputitinalmostoffensivelysimpleterms:Withoutemailaddressesyoucannotconductanemailmarketingcampaign!Thismeansyouneedtoknow:
Howtoacquiresubscribersandminefordatatoheightencustomerinsight.
Howtosegmentthatdatatotargetsubscribersefficientlyandmaximizeopenrates.
Howtoupdateandmaintainyoursubscriberlistsonaregularbasisforeffectivecampaigntargeting.
DataCollection
WhenyoufirstengagewithanESP,itwillaskyoutoimportyoursubscriberlist,whichisadatabaseofemailaddressestowhichyoucansendyourmarketingemails.Thereareavarietyofmethodsthatyoucanimplementtogaintheconsentofyourtargetaudiencetomarkettothemviaemail:Thisisalsoknownasgainingtheopt-inofyoursubscribers.Obviously,themoresubscribersyouwin,thebetter,butitisimperativethattheyareofahighquality.Forexample,wouldyouratheracquire10,000subscriberswhohavea0percentinteractionratewithyouremails,orwouldyouprefer1,000individualswhoopenyouremailsandclickthroughtoyourwebsitetobrowseyourproductsorservices?Let'sworkontheassumptionthatyouchosethelatteroption(andwehopeyoudid!),becauseit'simportanttorememberthattheendgoalisnottomindlesslyaccumulatemassesofemailaddresses.It'saboutbuildingalistofsubscriberswhoarelikelytoengagewithyouremailmarketingmessages.
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Tosafeguardthequalityofyoursubscriberlist,youneedtopaycloseattentiontothemethodsthroughwhichyoucollectsubscriberdata.
OfflineMethodsforDataCollectionPrintedmaterials.Thesecanincludebusinesscards,leaflets,flyers,andpackaging.Youcanalsothinkofinnovativewaystointegrateofflinewithonlinemethods;forexample,byusingQRcodesonprintedmaterialsthatwilltakeuserstoanonlinesign-upformontheirsmartphones.
Events.Youcancollectemailaddressesatofflineeventssuchastradeshows,exhibitions,andconferencesandimportthemintoyoursubscriberlist.
Customertouchpoints.Ifyouareservingcustomersinabrick-and-mortarstore,thisisaperfectopportunitytoaskfortheiremailaddressessothatyoucansendthememailupdatesonyourproducts.Similarly,ifyouhaveatelesalesorcustomerservicedepartmentinyourcompanyyoucouldcreateaKPImeasuringthoseteamstorewardtheindividualswhoacquirethemostemailaddresses.
OnlineMethodsforDataCollectionWebsitesign-upforms.Theseareasimple,nonintrusivewaytocollectemailaddresses.Theycanbeattachedtoaparticularcalltoaction,suchassigningupforanewsletter,andcanbefeaturedonanypageofawebsite.It'sbesttohavethiscontactformonsecondaryandtertiarypagesaswellasonthehomepage,asit'slikelythatsubscriptionswillincreaseasusersbrowsedeeperintoyourwebsiteandbecomemoreinterestedinandfamiliarwithyourbrand.YoushouldalsoincludecontactformsonkeylandingpagesincludingtheContactUsandAboutUspagesofyourwebsite.Ifusersarevisitingthesepagestheyarelookingforinformationandwillbemoreinclinedtosignupforanewsletterorreceiveusefulemails.
Socialmedia.YoucanusesocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook,Twitter,andLinkedIntopromoteoffersthatrequireuserstosubmittheiremailaddresses.Youcanalsoruncompetitionsonsocialmediatoacquireemailaddresses;forexample,enteringthefirst100peoplethatsubscribeonaparticulardateintoadrawingtowinaniPad(youcanadaptthetermsofthecompetitiontosuityourbusiness).
Customertouchpoints.Aswithofflinecustomerinteractions,thereareopportunitiesforyoutoacquireemailaddressesatvariousstagesintheonlinecustomerjourney.Youcouldincludepop-upwindowsintheonlinebuyingprocessandencourageonlinecustomerservicerepstoaskfor
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emailaddressesviasocialmediaorinstantchat.
TheAnatomyofanEffectiveWebSign-UpForm
EasytoFindIthasalreadybeenmentionedthatwebsign-uporcontactformssuchastheoneshowninFigure5.3shouldbeoneverypageofyourwebsitetoincreasethelikelihoodofcapturingemailaddresses.Lessthan10percentofsign-upsarecapturedonthehomepage,somakesureallyourwebpagesfeatureasign-upformthat'seasytoidentifyandsee.
Figure5.3DMIWebSign-UpForm
NonintrusiveIncorporateasign-upformthatdoesn'tinterferewithusers'browsing
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experience.Agiantpop-upthattakesovertheentirewebpageanddemandstheircontactdetailsprobablywon'tperformaswellasasmallsign-upformthatsitsneatlyonthepageanddoesn'tinterrupttheuser'sactivity.
SeekOnlyRelevantInformationIfyouuseasign-upformwithcountlessfieldsandtrytoaskyoursubscribersfortoomuchinformation,there'sagreaterchancethattheywillabandonfillingintheformaltogether.Streamlinetheactionthatyoursubscribersneedtotake:Askforrelevantinformationonly,andkeeptheformshortandsimpletomakeitaseasyaspossibletocomplete.
DataCollectionExample:Okabashi
Okabashiisacompanythatsellsshoes,primarilyflip-flops,aroundthesummerseason.Itdecidedtousealeadgenerationtooltomaximizethenumberofemailaddressesitwascapturing.
Whenenduserscameontothehomepageandstartedexploringthewebsitefurther,apop-upappearedthatallowedthemtofillintheircontactdetailsiftheychoseto(seeFigure5.4).Aswithanyeffectivesign-upform,thispop-upwasnonintrusive(asapop-up,userscouldclicktoexititimmediately)andappearedwhenauserhaddrilleddownintothewebsiteandindicatedaninterestinthebrand.
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Figure5.4OkabashiWeb-SignUpFormSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofOkabashi.
Forevery100uniquevisitorstoOkabashi'shomepage,theautomaticsign-upformgenerated3uniqueemailsign-ups.Afterauserhadbrowsedthroughafurtherfivepages,thesign-upformpoppedupagain(asshowninFigure5.5),and9outofevery100uniquevisitorsfilledouttheform.
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Figure5.5SuccessiveOkabashiWebSign-UpFormSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofOkabashi.
Okabashiservesastheperfectexampleofthesuccessyoucanachievebyutilizingawebsign-upformthatiseasytofind,nonintrusive,andseekingonlyrelevantinformation.
DataSegmentation
Afteryouhaveaccumulatedyoursubscriberdata,itisessentialthatyouknowhowtooptimizeyouruseofthatdata:Thetruevalueliesnotinthedataitself,butinwhatyoudowithit.Marketersachieveoptimizationthroughaprocessknownassegmentation,whichistheactofdividingyoursubscriberlistintosegmentsanddefiningthosesegmentsinaccordancewithyoursubscribers'attributes,likes,dislikes,andrequirements.ThinkofitasaVenndiagram.
AVenndiagram,likesegmentation,allowsyoutocreatedistinctsets,orsegments,ofdatabasedonbothdifferentandsharedcharacteristics.Simply
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put,segmentationallowsyoutopersonalizeyouremailcommunicationsbasedonthesespecificcharacteristicsofyourtargetaudience.
It'simportanttorememberthatwhenyouaresegmentingyourtargetaudienceyoushouldcreateclearlyidentifiablesegments,orgroupsofsubscriberswithsimilardefiningfeatures.Thesefeaturescouldinclude:
Demographics.Demographicsreferstothegender,education,culture,orageofyoursubscribers;inotherwords,theemailcontentyoutargetateenageaudiencewithmightnotbeapplicabletoolderrecipients.
Geography.Equallyimportantisthelocationofyoursubscribers.Ifyouaretheownerofabrick-and-mortarstoreinVancouverandyouremailmarketingcampaigniscenteredonanin-storepromotion,youwon'twanttotargetusersonyouremaillistwhoarebasedinEngland.
History.Don'tforgettoharnessthehistoryyouhavebuiltupamongthosesubscriberswhoarealsocustomers.Youarealreadyfamiliarwiththeirbuyinghabits—youknowwhentheybuy,howtheybuy,andwhytheybuyparticularproducts.Thiskindofinsightisinvaluablebecauseyoucanuseittoanticipatewhattheymightwanttobuynext!Soif,forexample,acustomerboughtpaperfromyourofficesuppliesstore,youcouldanticipatefuturepurchasessuchasink,toner,andpensandusethatknowledgetoinformyournextmarketingemailtothem.
Relationship.Yourrelationshipwithyoursubscribersmatters.Itissomethingincrediblyvaluable.Somethingprofound.Ifnurturedandcaredforproperly,itcanresultinthosethreelittlewordsthatmakeamarketer'sinsidesflutter:returnoninvestment.Let'sputitintocontext.Woulditmakemoresensetosendanemailannouncingpriceincreasestosomeonewhohaspurchasedconsistentlyfromyouforthepastfiveyears,ortohavethatbethefirstcommunicationyousendtoabrandnewacquisition?Navigateyourrelationshipwithconsiderationandtact,andyouwillbeabletouseittoyouremailmarketingadvantage.
Customerlifecycle.Youwillhaveasubscriberlistofindividualswhoareallatverydifferentstagesinthecustomerlifecycle.Whethertheyhaveyettomakeapurchaseoraredormantcustomerswhohaven'tpurchasedinyears,thisinformationcanprovideyouwithanunderstandingofhowyoushouldbecommunicatingwiththem.Inthecaseofthedormantcustomersegment,forexample,youcoulduseatargetcampaignfilledwithspecialoffersandincentivestore-engagethatsegment.
Dynamicsegmentation.Closelyrelatedtotheideaoftailoringmarketingemailsbasedonbuyinghistoryandthecustomerlifecycle,istheconceptofdynamicsegmentation.Thistypeofsegmentationisbasedon
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informationgatheredthroughoutthecustomerlifecycle.
AnAverageCustomerLifeCycle
1. Acustomersubscribestoyournewsletterafterpurchasingonline.Shehasalreadypurchasedsomething,whichisgreat,butwhatcanyoudotofosterthatall-importantsenseofcustomerloyaltyandencouragehertopurchaseagain?
2. Acoupleofmonthslateryoutargetherwithanemail,whichsheclickson.Shealsoclicksthroughthelinkswithintheemail,whichtakesherbacktoyourwebsite,demonstratingacontinuedinterestinthebrand.
3. Afterthat,shevisitsyourwebsiteanddemonstrateshercurrentinterestsbybrowsingdifferentproductpages,indicatingaprobabilitythatshewillbuyagain.
4. AfewmonthsafterthatshehighlightsthequalityofherengagementbysharingyourproductonFacebook,demonstratinghercustomeradvocacyandgrowingyourbrandforyou.
5. Alittlewhileafterthat,shelikesandsharesyourupdatesonFacebook,positioningherselfasabrandambassadorandboostingyourreachintocommunitiesandnetworksthatyoumightneverhavehadaccesstobefore.
Insightscanbedrawnfromeveryoneoftheseinteractions.Unlikeatraditional,orstatic,subscriberlist,dynamiclistsevolveasthesedifferentactionsaretaken.Linkactivityinparticularhelpstoprovidedetailsonhowsubscribersinteractwithyouremailintermsofwhatandhowoftentheyclick,andthisinformsthedevelopmentofadynamicsubscriberlist.Dynamiclistsareespeciallyusefulforinteractingwithcustomers,allowingyoutoautomaticallyincludenewcustomersonemailnewslettersandexcludeoldones,andforbuildinglistsbasedontheparticularinterestsofyoursubscribers,allowingyoutoensurethatyouaremarketingtothemasefficientlyandeffectivelyaspossible.
DynamicSegmentationExample:DigitalMarketingInstitute
Figure5.6illustratesaDigitalMarketingInstituteemailmarketingcampaignannouncingthelaunchofthemastersindigitalmarketing.
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Figure5.6DynamicSegmentationby“SpecificLinkClicked”CriteriaSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.
Youcanseehowmanysubscribersarecontainedwithintheparticularsegmentshownandwhatactionstheytook.Inthisinstance,thatactionwasclickingalinkthattookrecipientstoaregistrationpageforthemasterscourseontheDigitalMarketingInstitutewebsite.Beingabletocapturethesesubscribersandtheirspecificactivities,andusethatinformationinfutureemailmarketingcampaigns,isthesinglemostadvantageousaspectofdynamicsegmentation.
DataManagement
Evenafteryouhaveaccumulatedandsegmentedyourdata,andusedtheresultstothebenefitofyouremailmarketingcampaigns,thestorydoesn'tendthere;there'slifeintheolddatayet!
Youshouldlooktoenrichandrefineyourdataallthetime,inkeepingwiththeestablishedemailmarketingprincipleofqualityoverquantity.Thefinalpartofstep1ofthisiterativeemailprocessisassuringthequalityofyoursubscriberdatabasebymaintainingitregularly.
Cleanolddataregularly.Sohowdoyouknowifyourdataisold?Ifyousendoutanemailto1,000subscribersandithasabouncerateof1percent,youwillknowthatyouremailwasn'tdeliveredto10ofyoursubscribersandthattheiremailaddressesneedtobecleaned.Thiscouldinvolvecheckingforspellingmistakesorcheckingtoseeifthesubscriberhaschangedjobs(ifit'saworkemailaddress).Ifyouhaveanyadditional
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contactdetailsforthosesubscribers,allyouhavetodoiscallthemandaskfortheirmostup-to-dateemailaddresses.
Applysegmentationconsistently.Youshouldviewsegmentationasanongoingactivity,andanessentialelementofdatamanagement,asyoucanupdateandrefineyoursubscriberlistsbasedonyoursubscribers'behaviorandclicks.
Qualitynotquantity.Asmallnumberofhigh-qualityinteractionswillalwaysbemorevaluablethanalargenumberoflow-qualityinteractions,duetotheenhancedinsightsyoucangainfromtheseinteractions.Morethananythingelse,it'simportantthatyoureallyknowyourcustomers.
Everyiterationoftheemailmarketingprocessprovidesanampleopportunitytoimprovethequalityofyourdata.Allyouhavetodonowisapplyyournewfoundknowledgefromthissectiontostartmanagingyoursubscriberlistslikeapro!
Stage2:DesignandContentIfthischapterisdoingitsjobright,youshouldnowbeconfidentofyourabilitytoacquireemailaddresses,segmentyoursubscriberlists,andmanageyourdata.Onceyouknowwhomyou'regoingtotargetyouremailmarketingcampaignto,thenextfundamentalstageoftheiterativeprocessisdesign,whichishighlightedinFigure5.7.Ultimately,yourmaingoalatthisstageistoencourageinteraction:toinviteasmanyusersaspossibletoopenyouremailandengagewithit.Youcanachievethisthroughacombinationofoptimizedcontentandappealingdesign.Inordertomasterthedesignphaseofyouremailmarketingprocessyouwillneedto:
Identifyandunderstandtheemailclientsonwhichyoucanhostyouremails.
Understandwhatcontentyoushouldincorporateintoyouremail.
Knowwhenitisappropriatetoincorporateimagesandattachments.
Appreciatethepotentialrisksthataccompanyanyemailmarketingcampaign.
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Figure5.7FocusontheSecondStageintheEmailMarketingProcess
EmailInteractionProcessDependingontheconsumptionchannel,beitawebsite,asocialmediaplatform,oranemail,usersapplypersonalpreferencestothemessagestheyexpecttoreceiveandhowtheyexpecttoreceivethem.Thismeansthatmarketershavearesponsibilitytoapproachthesendingofcommunicationswithacertainpropriety.Youcansegmenttheseconsumptionchannelsintodifferentcommunicationzones,whichshouldhelpyoutodistinguishhowyoushouldconductyourself—thinkofitasonlinefinishingschool!
Awebsiteisapubliczone.Anyonecanaccessitandsothere'salackofpersonalization,whichcreatesdistancebetweenthewebsiteandtheuser,makingitmoredifficulttotargetindividuals.
Asocialnetworkisasocialzone.Usersarepartofacommunity,whichfacilitatescommunicationbetweenthemarketerandthetargetaudience;there'sacloserconnectiontousersbutnotallofthemsubscribetoreceivingmarketingmessages.
Anemailisapersonalzone.Anemailaccountisauser'spersonalassetandtheclosestlinkthatamarketercanhavetoitstargetaudience.However,becauseit'saprivatespacemarketershavetoremembertobetactfulintheirapproachandnotpresentthemselvesandtheirmessageinaninvasiveordisruptiveway.
Thecloseryoumovetousers,themoreyouneedtoaccommodatetheir
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preferences.It'sjustgoodmanners!Withthisinmind,it'shelpfultorememberthatusersoftencarryoutasimpleprioritizationexercisewithintheirinboxwhenengagingwithemails.Imagineyouhavecomebacktoworkafteratwo-weekvacationandyouhaveaterrifying500unreademailsinyourinbox;howdoyougetthroughthem?Whatdoyoudo?Youwouldstartbydistinguishingbetweenworkemails,personalemails,andgeneralemails.Thenyoucouldbreakthoseemailsdownintovaryinglevelsofimportancebytakingintoaccountthefollowingcriteria:
Senderfamiliarity
Timeofday
Location
Workpriorities
Personalpriorities
Whenscanningafullinbox,mostuserswillstartbylookingtoseewhosentamessage,sofamiliaritywiththesenderisalwaysanincrediblyimportantfactor.Thentheymightlookatthesubjectlinetogainanunderstandingofwhattheemailisabout.Finally,theywouldlookatthemessagepreviewtoacquireslightlymoreinsightintothemessagebeforechoosingwhetherornottocommittoopeningtheemail.
Withinsomegeographiestherecansometimesbeculturalandgenderbiaseswithregardtothedisplayedsendername,soit'simperativethatyoureallyknowyourtargetaudiencesandtakeadvantageofyourknowledgeoftheirpreferencessothatyouusethemostappropriatesendername.
Youshouldalwayspersonalizethesendername,too.Groundingyouremailinahuman,personalcontextisthebestmethodofguaranteeingengagement.Trynottousereplyaddressessuchassales@orinfo@;personalizationisasimple,effectivemethodtoimproveopenrates.
EmailOpenRates:ARiskyBusiness?
Evenifsubscribershaveoptedintoreceivingyourmarketingmessages,therearestillrisksthataccompanymarketingdirectlytotheirpersonalcommunicationzones—theirinboxes.Somethingstowatchoutforare:
Relevanceofthemessage.Youhavetoensurethatyouremailismeaningfultotherecipients.Ifitdoesn'tinterest,engage,orentertainthem,theyarelikelytounsubscribe.Besuretousesegmentationtoensureyouremailsareasrelevanttotheiraudienceaspossible.
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Frequencyofsending.Althoughappropriatefrequencywithrespecttosendingemailswillvarybasedonyourindustryandbusiness,besurenottosaturatesubscriberinboxes,asthiscouldinfuriateusers.Agoodruleofthumbistostartbysendingnomorethantwoemailsaweek,perhapsonTuesdaysandThursdayswhenopenratesaretraditionallyhigher.Fromthereyoucandefinehowoftenyoushouldbetargetingusers.
Interruptionfactor.Ifyouaregoingtointerruptsubscribersduringtraditionalworkhoursonaweekday,youneedtobecertainthatyouarenotinterruptingthemwithanemailthathasnorelevancetothem.
(Email)ClientConfidentialAnemailclient,alsoknownasamailuseragent(MUA),isacomputerprogramthatallowsusersaccessandmanagetheiremail.So,whatemailclientsarerecipientsusing?CommonexamplesincludeOutlook,Hotmail,Yahoo!,andGmail;someareverymuchwork-orientedandsomearemorelikelytobeadoptedforpersonaluse.
Take,forexample,Microsoft'sOutlookemailclient.There'sataskpaneontheleftwithvariousfolders,andtheinboxwiththesendername,subjectline,andashortsummaryoftheemailcopy.There'salsoapreviewoftheemailontherightthatdisplayscommandssuchasReply,ReplyAll,andForward,aswellastheemailcopyitself.Thelinebetweentheemailsummaryandoverallpreviewcanbeadjusted,andthattruncatedviewisimportanttobearinmindwhenyouarecraftingsubjectlines;keepthemconciseanddirect.
Don'tforgetthatwhenyouaredesigninganemail,youarenotjustdesigningitforitsdisplayonanemailclient;youshoulddesignitforthedeviceonwhichitwillbeviewedaswell,beitasmartphone,tablet,laptop,ordesktop.Leavenoscreenunturned!Backin2010alotoftheMUAmarketsharewasownedbyOutlook,whichwastheemailclientofchoiceforoverhalfofallusers.Fiveyearslaterthedataisdramaticallydifferent,astheAppleiPhonenowdominatesemail-clientmarketsharewith26percentandtheAppleiPadisthethirdmostpopularemailclient.Outlookisnowfourth.Thismeansthat,withtherisingprevalenceofsmartphonesandtablets,youhavetofosteracultureoftestingtoensurethatyourmarketingemailsdisplayonbothvariousemailclientsandvariousmobiledevices.
CompellingEmailCopyThereisnomoreimportantmethodforincreasingopenratesthanemailcopythatreallyinterestsandengagesitsreader.Herethesubjectlineiskey;it's
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youremail'svaluestatement,itspickupline.Youhaveasmallhandfulofwordswithwhichtosealthedealandsecureanopen(nopressure!),sothefirsttwoorthreewordsarecrucial.Makesurethatyoursubjectlineisrelevanttotherecipient,ratherthanyou,thesender.Ifyouaretargetingasegmentthatisengagingstronglywithyouandyourbrand,perhapsyoucouldgoforaslightlyhardersellandincorporatekeywordssuchas10percentofforbuyonegetonefree.Ifyouaretargetinganewlist,youmightwanttobealittlemoresubtle.Subjectlinesareindustry-dependenttoo,sowhatyoumightuseinthetravelindustry(pricingdiscounts,forexample)mightnotworkaswellifyouaretargetingtheeducationsector.Toaccommodatealloftheselittlepermutations,testingisessential.IfyouuseanESPsuchasMailChimp,youcansplittestyoursubjectlineswithasmallsubsetofrecipientstoseewhichkeywordsworkbestbeforesendingoutyouremailstotherestofyourrecipients.Forexample,ifyouhaveanemaildatabaseof1,000andyouwanttoascertainthatyouaresendingthebestpossibleemailtothem,youcantake100recipientsoutofthat1,000,splitthemintogroupsAandB,andtestopenratesbasedondifferentsubjectlinestoseewhichvariationwillgiveyouthebestROI.
Ifsenderandsubjectlineareall-importantelementstoimproveopenrates,thentheemailcopyitselfisessentialtoguaranteeingengagement.So,whatarethekeyfeaturesofemailcopythataffectengagement?
Relevance.Aswiththesubjectline,youmustmakesurethatyouremailiscomposedofrelevantmessagingthatistargetedataspecificaudience.Youneedtoknowwhatyoursegmentswantanddon'twant;harnessthatknowledgetotheadvantageofyouremailmarketingcampaign.
Callstoaction.Includeclearandspecificcallstoactionthattakeadvantageofrelevantmessagingandgenerateclick-throughsthatmeetyouroverallobjectives,betheysocialsharingoravisittoaproductpage.
Personalization.Afteryouhavegottentoknowyouremaillistandhaveaccumulatedalittlemoredata,youcanstartusingpersonalizationtogeneratemoreemailengagement.
Structure.Awell-structuredemailisessentialforeaseofconsumption.Useclearheadingstointroducenewparagraphsandbulletpointstobreakupinformation,andmakethemessageeasilydigestible.Tryboldtexttohighlightkeypointswhereappropriate,andincludeabalanceoftextandappropriateimagery.Youcanalsoincludehyperlinksthatlinktoadditionalinformationratherthangeneratingatext-heavyemailorusingattachments.
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TheAnatomyofaPoorlyDesignedEmail
Fartootext-heavy
Includesanattachment
Noparagraphsorheadings
Nocallstoaction
TheAnatomyofaWell-DesignedEmailHeadingsandparagraphsthatbreakupthetextandletthereaderscanthecopy
Aconcise,directsubjectline
Asuccinctcalltoactionandsocial-sharingbuttons
Abalanceoftextandimagery
SeeFigure5.8foranexampleofaparagonofgooddesign.
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Figure5.8AWellDesignedEmailfromCookSmartsSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCookSmarts.
ImageryIsEverythingAlthoughthereisnothingmoreengagingthanabeautifulimage,maintainingabalanceoftextandimageryinyouremailcopyisparamounttothatemail'ssuccess.Imagesshouldsupport,ratherthancontain,youremail'smessage.
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Alwaysmakesurethatthekeypointsandcallstoactionyouwanttoconveytoarecipientareinthetext.Alotofemailclientsdon'tautomaticallydisplayimages,sousershavetorightclicktodownloadthepictures;ifthemainCTAinyouremailisincludedinanimagethereisnoguaranteethatthattheywillhavebotheredtodownloadthatimage.Besidesmaintainingthisbalance,anotherelementyoushouldconsiderinyouremailsisalternativetext.Whenuploadingimagesintoyouremail,thereisafieldforalternativetextthatyoucanfillin.Thismeansthatifyouremailisdeliveredwiththeimagesturnedoff,thealternativetextwillstilldisplayandtheimage'smessagebeconveyed.Soifyouhaveanimagethatreads50percentoffyournextskiholidayandtheimageisturnedoff,thealternativetextwillstilldisplay(asinFigure5.9),andratherthaninstantlydeletingtheemail,arecipientmightstillengagewiththeoffer.
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Figure5.9EmailwithImagesTurnedOffDisplayingAlternativeText
WhenMobileandEmailCombineAccordingtoRadicati'smobilestatisticsreport2014-2018,bytheendof2018,worldwidemobileemailusersareexpectedtototalover2.2billion.Bythattime80percentofemailusersareexpectedtoaccesstheiremailaccountsviamobiledevices,soitisveryapparentthattheunityofmobileandemailisonanincreasinglysteeppath,andthatmobileisbecomingthenumber-onedeviceforemailopens.Butwhatdoesthismeanforyou?Essentially,youneedtoachievemobileintegrationforyouremailmarketingcampaignanddesignemailsthatareoptimizedequallyforviewingontabletsanddesktops.IfyouuseanESPsuchasMailChimp,youcanuseamobiletemplatetosimulatehowyouremailwillberenderedonthisdevice.Whatyouaretryingtoachievethroughoptimizingyourcampaignformobileisincreasedengagement,regardlessofscreensize.
Ateverystageoftheemaildesignprocess,thinkabouthowtheemailwilllookonalldevices.PCscreensareoftenapproximately23inches,whiletabletsare10inchesandmobilesscreensaverage7inches.Ifyouhaveaverytext-heavymessagethatyoucreatedwithdesktopusersinmind,lookatitonamobiledevice.Seehowlongittakestoread,andhowmuchyouhavetoscroll,pinch,andzoom.Youcanthenreducetheamountoftextandincreaseyouruseofimagery.Ifyouhaveusedfivecallstoactioninadesktop-friendlyemail,limitthattotwoforamobile,knowingthatit'sthatlittlebitmorecumbersometoclickthroughonamobiledevice.
Throughtesting,it'spossibletoensuredeliverabilityacrossabroadrangeofemailclientsanddevices.ESPsallowyoutoviewanemailinbrowserssuchasInternetExplorer,Firefox,andGoogleChrome.Don'tforgettoseehowyouremaillooksonmobile,andcheckspam-filterresults.Itisvaluableinsightssuchasthesethatwillenableyoutodevelopanemailthatgetsdelivered,opened,andread—thegoldenegginanyemailmarketingcampaign!
Stage3:DeliveryWearemovingintothenextstepinourprocess,asshowninFigure5.10.Youhaveaconsummatelysegmentedsubscriberlist.Animpeccablydesignedemailthatisoptimizedforeveryemailclientandmobiledeviceimaginable.Youarepoisedtosendwhatcouldbethegreatestmarketingemailevercreated.Nowallyouneedistoguaranteeisitssafedelivery,whichwon'tbeaproblemassoonasthekeycomponentsofthedeliverystagearecoveredand
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youareableto:
Recognizethekeycharacteristicsofemailserviceproviders.
Identifywhensubscribersaremostlikelytoopenemails.
Personalizethedesignofanemailandwhenitissenttoaccommodatesubscriberpreferences.
Figure5.10FocusontheThirdStageintheEmailMarketingProcess
ESPsESPshavebeenaconstanttouchpointthroughouttheemailmarketingprocess.Ifyouarebrandnewtoemailmarketing,joinafewdifferentservicestoidentifytheESPthatbestsuitsyourrequirements.AlotofESPsofferafreesubscription,soitwon'tcostyouanythingtotesttheirfeaturesandmakeaninformeddecision.OthernotablebenefitstousinganESPinclude:
Securitybenefits.WithanESP,youdon'thavetoworryaboutconstantlyupdatingyouremailsoftware,astheproviderwilltakeaproactiveandreactiveapproachtoupdatingitsownsoftware,whichwilldramaticallyreducetheriskofasecuritybreach.SendingyouremailsthroughanESPalsomeansyouaresendingthemthroughanalreadyapprovedserver,whichassuredeliverysuccess.
Easytoaccess.MostESPscanbeaccessedanytime,anywhere.AslongasyouhaveanInternetconnection,youwillhavetheflexibilitytosendanemailcampaignwheneveryouneedto.
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Attractivetemplates.Ifyoudon'thaveanin-housegraphicdesignerandcan'taffordtooutsourcedesignwork,ESPsprovideyouwithavarietyofprofessionallypredesignedtemplatesthatyoucancustomizetosuityouraestheticpreferences.
Insights.ESPsofferenhancedreportingfeaturesthatallowyoutobothtestandmeasurethesuccessofyouremailmarketingcampaigns,soyoucanrefinethemeverytime.
LetMeCheckMyScheduleWhenitcomesthesuccessofyouremailmarketingcampaign,likemostthingsinlife,timingiseverything.Whatyoureallyneedtoknowisthis:Whenarepeoplemostlikelytoopenmyemail?
Therecommendedtimeframeisbetweenthehoursof5:00A.M.and9:00P.M.WhynottheDollyParton-popularized9to5?Becauseifyoutargetyoursubscribersbetweenthehoursof9:00A.M.and5:00P.M.,youarecompletelyneglectingtheevening,atimethatpeoplecatchupwiththeiremailsafterabusydayintheoffice.Whethertheyareontheircommutehome,relaxingbeforedinner,orreadingbeforebed,theeveningcanbeaprimetimeforschedulingifyouwanttoincreasethoseopenrates!
ForB2B(business-to-business)marketing,theoptimumtimestosendareTuesdaythroughThursdaybetween10:00A.M.and12:00P.M.andafterlunchbetween2:00P.M.and4:00P.M.Therationalebehindthesetimeframesissimple.Thinkaboutwhenyouaremostlikelytocheckyouremails(theonesthatdon'tpertaintoworkandrequireyourimmediateattention!).OnMondaysyouaretryingtoacclimatetobeingbackatworkaftertheweekend.OnFridaysyouareprobablytryingtogetthroughworkinanticipationoftheweekend.Earlymorningsareadifficulttimetogainanyone'sattention(especiallyprecaffeine)andanytimeafter4:00isjusttooclosetotheendoftheworkingday.
ForB2C(business-to-consumer)marketing,ontheotherhand,optimalsendtimesvarydramaticallyacrossindustriesbutwillbemoreinlinewitheveningopenrates,becausealotofpeoplecannotaccesstheirpersonalemailsduringtheday.Butifopenratesvaryacrossindustriesandlocations,whatshouldyoudotoacquirethoseopens?Testit.Ifyouaretargetingsegmentsof100peopleandyoufindoutthat10areopeningatacertaintimeand90areopeningatanothertime,thenyoucanusethebehaviorofthat90percenttoshapeyoursubsequentcampaigns.
Stage4:Discovery
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Nowtheonlystepstandingbetweenyouandsupremeemailmarketingsuccessisthereportingandanalysisstep,highlightedinFigure5.11.Beingabletoevaluateyouremailmarketingactivityfromdesigntodeliveryiscriticaltoiteratingitssuccess.Youcanusereportingtoidentifyandaddressbothissuesandopportunitiesinyouremailmarketingprocess,andcrownyourselfananalyticswizardwhenyouknowhowto:
RecognizekeyreportingfeaturesinESPs.
IdentifyKPIsforemailmarketing.
Understandandmeasurekeyemailmarketingmetrics.
Figure5.11FocusontheFourthStageintheEmailMarketingProcess
ReportingandAnalysisInordertomeasuretheeffectivenessofemailmarketing,youfirstneedtodefineyourgoals.Whyareyoucreatingthismarketingemail?Whatareyoutryingtoachieve?Thesequestionsmightseemlikethoserelatedtoanexistentialcrisis,buttherealityisthis:Ifyouwanttoknowthedatayouneedtoreporton,youneedtochoosetheemailmarketingmetricsthatbestalignwithyourgoals.Commonemailmarketingmetricsinclude:
Openrate.Thepercentageofrecipientswhohaveopenedorviewedyouremail.
Totalopens.Thetotalnumberoftimesrecipientshaveopenedyouremail(thisincludesrecipientswhohaveopeneditmorethanonce).
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Uniqueopens.Thetotalnumberofopensfromoriginal,orunique,subscribers.Ifyoutarget1,000people,youcanonlyhave1,000uniqueopens.
Clicktoopenrate.Thenumberofuniqueclicksdividedbythenumberofuniqueopensexpressedasapercentage.
WhyareopenmetricsimportantKPIs?Theyprovideinformationonthequalityofyoursubscriberlist,therelevanceofyourmessagecontent,andtheeffectivenessofyoursubjectline.Inshort—ifyouhaveexcitedandengagedyoursubscribers,theywillhaveopenedyouremail!
Click-throughrate.Thepercentageofsubscribersthatopenedyouremailandclickedonalinkwithinthatemail.
Uniqueclicks.Thetotalnumberofuniqueuserswhoclickedonalink.
Totalclicks.Thetotalnumberofclicksfromusers(includingthoseeagerbeaverswhoclickedmorethanonce!).
WhyareclickmetricsimportantKPIs?Theymeasureandvalidatetherelevanceofthemessagecontentaswellasthequalityofthesegmentationandtargeting.Forexample,ifalinktoablogpostonacertaintopicdidparticularlywell,youcouldusethatinsighttohelpdeterminewhatkindofcontentyoursubscribersaremostinterestedin!
Unsubscribes.Thetotalnumberofsubscriberswhohaveoptedout,orunsubscribed,andnolongerwanttoreceiveyouremails.Thismetricisusuallyagoodindicatorofwhetheryou'retargetingtherightaudience.
Bouncerate.ThepercentageofemailsthatcouldnotbedeliveredtosubscribersandweresentbacktoyourESP.
Hardbounces.Messagesthatarepermanentlyrejectedduetoaninvalidemailaddressorbecausetherecipient'sserverhasblockedyourserver.
Softbounces.Messagesthataretemporarilyrejectedbecausetherecipient'sinboxisfull,theserverisn'tworking,ortheemailexceedsthesizelimitsetbytherecipientorESP.
Althoughit'seasytogetcarriedawaybyhighopenratesandlowbounces,don'tforgetthatit'sthequalityofinteractionsratherthanthequantitythatmatterswhenyouaremeasuringyouremailmarketingsuccess.Thistiesinwiththevalueofsettinggoalsagainstwhichyoucanmeasureyourcampaigns.Areyouremailsdrivingtraffictoyourwebsite?Aretheygeneratingconversions?Aretheyachievingwhatyouwantthemto?
PortraitofanEmailMarketingCampaign
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Sonowthatyouknowabouttheemailmarketingmetricsthatmatter,howcanyouaccessthemonyourESP?Figure5.12outlinestheperformanceofaJulynewsletterthatwassenttoover17,000uniquesubscribersacross55lists(justincasetheimportanceofsegmentationhasn'tbeenemphasizedenough!).
Figure5.12NewsletterPerformanceReportwithinanESPSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.
Thegraphshowsdatafora24-hourperiod,soyoucanseethatthemajorityofuniqueopenshappenedinthefirsthour.Theaverageemailwillhavealifecycleofapproximately36hours,dependentonindustry.Thismeansit'simportantthatthebiggestupliftininteractionshappenswithinthefirstfewhoursafterdelivery.
Onthisgraphwecanalsoseethattherewere2,934uniqueopens,but4,804totalopens,whichindicatesthatsomesubscriberswereopeningtheemailmorethanonce.Thatprovidesanopenrateof16.76percent,whichisaroundtheglobalindustryaverage(between16and20percent).The219bouncesmeanthattheemailaddressesprovidedeitherdon'texist,containmisspellingsoranotheranomaly.Inrelationtotheoverallsubscriberlist,219bouncesisanincrediblylowfigure,equatingtoa1.24percentbouncerate.Similarly,only0.3percentunsubscribed,avery
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smallnumberthatcanberemovedfromyournextcampaign,andonlyonemarkedtheemailasspam!Notabadreturnonasubscriberlistofover17,000.
Theshareofrecipientswhoopenedtheemailandclickedalinkwas12.61percent—that's370peoplewhocanbecategorizedashotleads.Youemailedthem,theyinteractedwiththecontent,andtheyclickedthrough.Remember,thequalityofinteractionsshouldbeyourrealtargetfocus,notthequantity!
Havingsaidthat,ahugenumberofsubscribershavenotyetopenedtheemail.Themoretimezonesyoursubscriberlistcovers,thelongeritmighttakeforrecipientstoopenanemail.Withalittlebitofluck,thenot-openedfiguremightdropalittlebitandtheopenratecouldincreaseto20percent,whichwouldbeincrediblypositive,astheclickrateissohigh.
Sowhataresubscribersclickingon?
InFigure5.13,wecanseeadashboardoverviewofalllinkactivity,whichisparticularlyusefulwhenitcomestothinkingaboutwhatcontentyoushouldincludeinyouremail.Themostpopularlinkclickedonwithinthisparticularemailwastoaproductpageadvertisingadiplomainsocialmediamarketing.Withthiskindofinsightyoucandecidetofurthertargetthesesubscribers,eitherwithafollowupemailorphonecallaboutthesocialmediadiploma.Whateverthecasemaybe,it'simportanttoincludeaclear,concisecalltoaction.
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Figure5.13LinkActivityOverviewwithinanESPSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.
Asmostofusplayoutthetiniestdetailsofourlivesonsocialmedia,itshouldcomeasnosurprisethatsocialsharesandforwardsareintegraltodiscoveringwhatcontentyoursubscribersareconsumingandwhattheywant.
AswecanseeinFigure5.14,atotaloffourpeoplesharedtheJulynewsletter,withtwomentionsonTwitter,oneFacebooklike,andoneforwardoftheemailitself.Withsocialsharing,youcanextendyourreachandgetaccesstopreviouslyunreachableaudiences.Evenasmallnumberofsharescanhaveapositive,extensiveknock-oneffect.
Figure5.14SocialSharingandForwardswithinanESPSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.
Thisemailmarketingcampaignhasenjoyedclicks,socialshares,andopensandit'sstillonlybeen24hourssincedelivery.Thankfully,intheemailmarketinglandscapeyouhavethebenefitofbeingabletosplittesttoimproveyourchancesofsuccess!Ithasbeenmentionedbefore,butit'simportanttoemphasizethepowerofsplittesting.Nomatterhowbigorsmallyouremaillist,takeasmallsegmentofthemandsplitthemintoAandBcategories.Testtwodifferentversionsofyouremailoneach,and
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runwithwhicheverperformsthebest!Elementsthatyoucantargetforsplittestinginclude:
Sendername.Willyoutestafemalenameagainstamalename?Orperhapsacompanynameagainstanindividual?
Subjectline.Willyouhighlightoneparticulararticleinyournewsletter?Ormaybefocusonapercentagediscountforoneofyourproducts?
Splittestingisthebestwaytoguaranteerelevantandtargetedcontenttoaudiencesegments,andultimately,betterengagementwiththem.
Splittestingcanrevealasignificantlevelofdifferencebetweenalternativeemailmarketingcampaignsandgreatlyimproveemailmarketingsuccess.Figure5.15showsAandBresultsforanemailthatwaspartofapre-Christmascampaign.Oneaudiencesegmentwastargetedwithonepromotion,anothersegmentwastargetedwithanother.Usingsplittests,versionBwascrownedthewinner,astheESPcanestimatetheadditionalnumberofopensandclicksanemailcanyield.
Figure5.15SplitTestingReportwithinanESPSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.
LawsandGuidelinesNowthatyouhavecomefullcircleandexploredeverykeycomponentofaneffectiveemailmarketingprocess,theonlythingstandingbetweenyouand
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emailmarketingmasteryisafirmunderstandingofthelawsandguidelinesthatgovernit.
Theselawsandguidelinesarestrictinsomelocationsandnotsostrictinothers.Regardless,youneedtobeawarethattherearelaws,guidelines,andconventionsthatpertaintoemailmarketinginyourregion,andissuestoconsider,particularlyregardingdataprotection.Dataprotectionlawsinformwhatisconsideredspam;rememberthatspamisintheeyeofthebeholder,andthedefinitionwilldiffergreatlyacrossgeographies.
It'simportanttobeawareoflocalprivacyregulationstoo;commoncharacteristicsofelectronicprivacyregulationsinclude:
Providingtheoptiontooptoutofmarketingemails.
Tellingsubscriberswhytheirinformationhasbeencollected.
Ensuringthatmarketingemailsareonlyaboutrelevantproductsandservicesandusingemailaddressesonlyforthepurposeforwhichtheywereoriginallycollected.
Rememberingthatopt-insareonlyvalidfor12months.
KeygoverningbodiesthatyoucanconsultincludetheInformationCommissioner'sOfficefortheUnitedKingdomandtheFederalTradeCommissionfortheUnitedStates.TheFTCisresponsibleforenforcingtheCAN-SPAMActof2003,whichsetsthenationalstandardforthesendingofcommercialandmarketingemailsandrequestscomplianceinanumberofareas,fromsendingbehaviortocontent.
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Enoughtosafeguardyourstatusasanemailmarketingsuperstar!Ifindoubt,takecomfortinthefactthatyouarealreadyutilizingemaileverysingleday.Thismeansyouarealreadycognizantofyoursubscribersandtheiremailexperience,whetheryouknowitornot!Andjustincaseyouneedareminderofhowtoensurethatexperienceisthebestpossible:
Keepitclean—makesureyoursubscriberdataisuptodateandsegmentedonaregularbasis.
Delightandexcite—engageyourtargetaudiencethroughthecreationofcaptivatingcontentandusepersonalization!
Avoidthespamcan—bemindfulofyouruseofformatting,language,attachments,andimagery.
RememberthatyourESPisthemostimportantweaponinyourarsenal—
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itcanhelpyouwitheverythingfromdesigntoscheduling.
Test,test,test…Splittestcontent!Testengagement!Analyticsareeverything;ifthere'ssomethingyoucanmeasure,doit,andenhanceyouremail'seffectiveness!
Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonemailmarketingasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
Exercise
Exercise1SetupafreeaccountonanESP.Importyourcontactsandbegintobuildyouremaildatabases.Rateyourendusersintermsofopenrates,interaction,andCTRs.
Exercise2Createanemailmarketingcampaignusingsplittesting.Sendyouremailtoaselectnumberofemailaddresses.Fromheretestsubjectlines,content,andsenderdetails.Usingthisinformation,decidewhichsplitisperformingbetterandwhy.
Exercise3Youhaveadatabaseof1,000subscribersthatyouinheritedfromyourpredecessor.Youconductanemailmarketingcampaignandnotonlyisthebouncerate50percent,butmanymoreunsubscribealso.Takethestepsnecessarytocleanyourdata.
Exercise4Youhave1,000B2Bcustomersand1,000B2Ccustomers.YouneedtoschedulethebesttimetoemailthemontheESP.
Whattimeareyougoingtotargetyouraudiences?
Howwillyoucarryoutyourscheduling?
Exercise5
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Youremaillistisperformingquitewellbutyouneedtosegmentyouraudiencebasedontheirlinkinteractivity.Howwillyoudothiswithyourcurrentdatabaseandwhatdoesthismeanforyourlist?
ActionPlan:EmailMarketingDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforEmailMarketing
ObjectivesPenetration,interaction,advocacy,conversion,inform
ActionItemsandFrequencyDatacollection:Updatedaily
Cleaning:Monthly
Segmentation:Ongoingandpercampaign
Newslettercreation:Dependentonpublicationschedule
Triggeremails:Dependentonpublicationscheduleanddatacollection
Trackingandmonitoring:Weekly/monthly
MeasurementToolsandKPIsEmailmarketingsystem:Listsize,openrate,CTR,unsubscriberate,bouncerate
Analytics:Conversions,sessions,newversusreturningusers,comparingemails,demographics,on-sitebehavior,devices
Combination:Listgrowthversuswebsitevisitors,sitesemographicsversuslistdemographics,forecasting
Spend
Media Content People Systemsx x x
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CHAPTER6SOCIALMEDIAMARKETING(PART1)
AnIntroductionFindmeonFacebook.FollowmeonTwitter.Checkoutmyblog.Tenyearsagothesephrasesmeantnothing,yetnowtheyarepartofeverydayspeak.Moreandmorepeopleareconnectingthroughsocialmedia—tostayintouchwithfriends,todate,ortointeractwithbrandsandbusinesses.Whichisgreatnewsfordigitalmarketerslikeyou.
Thisisnotimetobeawallflower.Becauseinordertosurviveandthrive,youwillneedtobeactiveonthemainplatforms,competinginanonlinepopularitycontestwithothercompanies.
Welcometosocialmediamarketing(SMM).
FormaldefinitionofSMM:AformofInternetmarketingutilizingsocialnetworkingsitesasmarketingtools,therebygainingtraffic,brandexposure,andinteractionwithcustomersthroughsocialmedia.
InformaldefinitionofSMM:Flirtingwithyourbiggestfans!
ProcessThischapterbeginswithanoverviewoftheSMMlandscapebeforeexploringthegoalsitcanhelpyouachieveandthechannelsyoucanuse.InChapter7youwillseehowtoimplementandanalyzeyoursocialmediacampaigns.
ThefourstageswithintheiterativeprocessareshowninFigure6.1;thefirsttwoaredescribedhere:
1. Goals.Thechapterkicksoffbyexplainingsocialmediaformatsandhowyoucanchoosethebestonestoachieveyourobjectives.YouwillalsolearnhowtoformaneffectiveSMMstrategybysettinggoals—becauseeventhoughsocialmediaisreactive,yourstrategystillneedstobebuiltslowlysothatitcanimprovegraduallyovertime.Abitofforesightnowwillworkwondersdowntheline!
2. Channels.Thisstagewillcoverthedifferentchannelsinwhichsocialmarketinglikestoswim—includingtheusualsuspects,suchasFacebook,LinkedIn,Twitter,Google+,YouTube,andblogs.Itwillhelpyouto
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identifywhichofthesechannelswillincreasecustomerreachandshowyouhowtoimproveyourprofilesastheygrow.
Figure6.1Four-StageSMMProcess
AsSMMissuchabigtopic,stages3and4willbecoveredinthenextchaptertoavoidaninformationoverload!
KeyTermsandConceptsSocialmediamarketingisanamazingwayforbusinessestokeepsolidrelationshipswithexistingcustomersandtowoonewones.ThischapterwillhelpyoutoplayCupidby:
Understandingtheconceptsandmechanicsofsocialmediaandhowyoucanusethemtoyouradvantage.
DiscoveringhowtosetupengagingFacebookandTwitterbusinessprofiles.
CreatingaprofessionalLinkedInprofileandparticipatinginLinkedIngroupstoexpandyournetwork.
RunningeffectiveGoogle+,YouTube,andbloggingaccounts.
Socialmediagivesyouthepowertodirectyourbusiness'sonlinelife.Whetherthatlifeislongandhappydependsonwhatchannelyouposttoandhowyoumanageyourprofiles—inshort,howyoumaximizeyoursocial
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mediamarketing.
Thischapterwillhelpyoubecomeasocialmediabutterflyandstartswithanoverviewoftheworldinwhichyoucanfly.
Stage1:GoalsInordertomeetyoursocialmediagoals,youneedtounderstandthegamefirst.ThisisthefirststepoftheprocessandishighlightedinFigure6.2.Thissectionwillactasapre-matchpeptalk,equippingyouwitheverythingyouneedtohelpyou:
Distinguishbetweenearned,owned,andpaidmedia.
Recognizethemostcommonformsofsocialmedia.
Graspwhatmakessocialmediamarketingeffectiveandtheimplicationsforbusinesses.
IdentifydifferentSMMgoalsandexplainhowtosetyourown.
Figure6.2FocusontheFirstStageintheSMMProcess
MediaTypes:Earned,Owned,andPaidBeforegettingintohowyoucanpromoteyourselfonsocialmedia,let'slookattheoptionsthatareavailable.Youcanchoosetopostcontentthroughthe
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followingmediatypes:
Earnedmediaisfreepublicity,generatedbyfansandcustomersinresponsetocontenttheylike(yourkudosformakingthemhappy).
Ownedmediaincludescommunicationsthatabrandcreatesandcontrolsviaitsownplatform(youblowyourowntrumpet).
Paidmediaisanypaidactivitythatdrivestraffictoownedmediaproperties(youpayupfortheshoutout).
Whateveroptionyouchoose,rememberthattherewillbehiddencostsinvolved.Anengagingprofilerequiresgreatcopy,multimediaassetslikephotosandvideos(whichyoumaywanttotakeyourself),andasolidstrategy.Andsincethereisnopointhavingtheworld'sgreatestprofileifnooneknowsyouexist,youwillhavetoforkoutforsomekindofadvertisingtoreachsociallytuned-inaudiences.
Findingandtrainingtherightstaff,compilingdigitalassets,andadvertisingyourbusinesstakestimeandmoney—sobearthatinmindwhensettingoutyourshort-andlong-termgoals.
FormsofSocialMediaSocialmediacomesinallshapesandsizes.FacebookandTwitteraretwoofthebigboysbutbloggingplatformssuchasWordPress,reviewsitessuchasTripAdvisor,andPodcastplatformssuchasPodOmaticcanalsobeclassifiedassocialmediachannels.AndletusnotforgetYouTube,Vimeo,Flickr,andInstagram,whichhavesurgedinpopularitythankstopeople'sloveofcapturingmomentsandsharingthemwithfriends.
Whatevertheformat,rememberthatsocialmedianeversleeps.Smartphoneshavecompletelyrevolutionizedhowpeopleconnectwithoneanother—sobusinessescannowreachconsumersonthemove,24hoursaday.Managingthiscanbeafull-timejobinitself,butonethatcanreapunlimitedrewards.
StakeholdersofSMMThethreekeyplayerswithinsocialmediaareusers,advertisers,andsocialplatforms.Andtheyhavequiteaninterdependentrelationship—userswanttohaveaplacetoengageandcandosoonsocialplatforms.Theseinturnneedtobepaidfor,sinceserverspaceandstaffdonotcomeforfree!Theadvertisercoversthesecostsandalsousestheplatformtoreachusers.TherelationshipisshowninFigure6.3.
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Figure6.3TheThreeKeyPlayerswithinSocialMedia
Thewayinwhichusersinteractwithwebsiteshaschangedconsiderably.Initiallytheyvisitedsitesandlittleelsehappened.Thenso-calledtransactionalexperiencesappearedanduserswereabletobuyonline.ThelikesofeBayintroducedadialoguebetweenusersandadvertisersforthefirsttimeandmarkedthebeginningoftheinteractiveprocess.
Todaythisdialoguehasexpandedintoafull-blownconversationbetweenusersandadvertisersaroundtheworld.Thecontinualcommunicationhasalloweduserstotellbusinesseswhattheywant(throughuser-generatedcontent)andforbusinessestostandoutfromthecrowdwithoriginalandengagingprofiles.
TryingItOnforSizeSocialmediamarketingmaynotbeforeveryone.Beforejumpingheadfirstintothesocialmediarabbithole,considerwhetherSMMwillfityourbusiness,andifso,whichchannel(orchannels)youshoulduse.
Herearethemainconsiderationsyoushouldtakeintoaccount:
Targetmarket.Doesyouridealaudienceusesocialmedia?Iftheanswerishell,no!thenthereisnopointinwastingtimeandmoney.
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Publicreach.Socialmediablursthelinesbetweenpersonalandpubliccontent.Userscanrateandslateyourbusinessveryquicklyandvisibly,sojustmakesureyouhavenothingtobeashamedof.Yourreputationandcredibilityareintheirhands.Also,sinceyouhavegreateraccesstoauser'sinterestsandbehaviors,youneedtobecarefulabouthowyouusethisdata.
Instantcommunication.Whensocialmediastrategiesareputinplace,communicatinginatraditionalwaybecomesathingofthepast.Yourinteractionswithconsumersarenolongermonitored,controlled,orcarefullymanaged,astheprocessismuchfaster.Thisdoesgiveyourbrandamorehuman,approachablefeelbutitalsomeansslip-upscanhappeneasily.Sobecarefulifyourcontentmanagerisinabadmood!
Ongoingnature.Socialmediaisnotasix-weekcampaign—ithasacalendarwithnoendpoint.Thatcanbequiteascarythought,butbycontinuallyadjustinggoalsandtweakingobjectives,theprocessbecomesfarlessintimidating.Deepbreaths.
GoingforGoldOnceuponatime…youdecidedwhomyouwantedtoreachandthoughtofagreatwaytotellthosepeopleyouexist—socialmedia.Nextyoucreatedaprofilesoamazingthatusersstartedtoconsideryourbrandandsomeevenbecamecustomers.Youmadethetransactionprocesssoseamless,customerskeptcomingbackandtoldalltheirfriends.Andyoualllivedhappilyeverafter!
Forafairytaleendinglikethisyouwillneedtogetsomespecificgoalsinplace.Thesemayinclude:
Businessgoalslikeleadgeneration,sales,andcostreduction.
Customerservicegoalslikeconsumersatisfactionandthechanceofreferrals/repeatbusiness.
Productgoals,suchasresearch,design,andenhancement.
Communicationgoalstobuildyourbrandpersonalityandreputation(withaneffectivecrisismanagementstrategyinplace).
Marketinggoals,suchasbranding,awareness,andengagement.
Onceyouhavesetoutyourgoals,youcanexplorethebestchannelstohelpyouachievethem.Thenextsectionwillcoverthesedifferentchannelsindetailandhowyoucanusethemtoenhanceyourbusinessonline.
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Stage2:ChannelsHavingtouchedonthevariousformsofSMM,whetheritisrightforyourbusiness,andthegoalsitcanhelpyouachieve,let'smoveontostage2oftheiterativeprocess,whichishighlightedinFigure6.4—channels.StartingwithacloselookatFacebook,youwilllearnhowto:
UnderstandthedifferencesbetweenpersonalprofilesandbusinessFacebookpages.
Effectivelycreateandpromoteawell-maintainedFacebookpage.
Generateengagementwithcompellingpostsanduseinsightstoseewhatworksbest.
Figure6.4FocusontheSecondStageintheSMMProcess
FacebookTheFacebookplatformhasexplodedoverthepast10yearsasasocialandmarketingtoolformillionsofpeoplearoundtheworld.With1.4billionactiveusers—ofwhom1.25billionlogonviamobile—theopportunityfordigitalmarketersishuge.Userscanbereached24hoursaday,sevendaysaweek.Facebookisoneofthebestplatformswithwhichtoengagepeople.
Youareprobablyalreadyfamiliarwithpersonalprofiles,wherefriendrequestsaremadeandacceptedordeclined.Thisisaprettytimeconsuming
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(andoftenheartbreaking)wayoftryingtoconnectwithyouraudience.Userscanignoreyourrequests,soyoudonothavetheinstantconnectivityyoucrave.Also,personalprofilesarenotoptimizedforsearchengines(i.e.,theydonotshowupinGooglesearches).Thisisgreatforindividualuserswhowanttheirprivacyprotected,butnotsogreatforbrandstryingtogrowtheironlinepresence.
Instead,mostbrandscreateabusinesspagefromapersonalaccount.Thesepages:
Canhaveunlimitedlikesorconnections,andtakejustoneclickoftheLikebuttonforaFacebookusertoconnect.
Areoptimizedforsearchengines(becausetheopensettingsplacethepageinthepublicrealm).
Includealargeamountofanalytics,suchastheages,genders,andlocationsofanaudienceandhowoftenitinteractswithcertainposts.Youcanalsotrackyourpage'sperformanceandthepostsonit—thatis,howmanypeoplethepagereachesandwhetheritisengagingusers.
Withbusinesspages,itiseasiertotweakcontenttobettersuityouraudience—whichiswhysmartbrandsgoforthemoverpersonalprofiles.
FacebookusesanalgorithmcalledEdgeRanktoorganizeabusinesspage'scontent.Itlooksatfriends(or“liked”organizations)onthepagetofeedthemostrelevantcontentforeachuserintoonecontinuousstream.ThisstreamiscalledNewsFeed—anditisthemostimportantpieceofrealestateyoucangetyoureagermittson.
Youmaybeundertheassumptionthatpage“likes”meannothing.Ifso,youhavebeensadlymisinformed!SinceEdgeRankpromotespoststhathavebeenpublishedandlikedbyfriendsoverothertypesofcontent,each“like”meansyourpostshaveagreaterchanceofconnectingwiththepeopleyouwant.
However,noteveryonewhohasconnectedwithyouwillseeeachpostyoupublishonherNewsFeed.Sohowcanyoubecomemorevisibletoyourfollowers?Goodquestion.Readontofindout…
CreatingYourBusinessPage
Startbyconsideringyouridentity.Askyourself:
AmIalocalbusinessoraplace?
AmIabrandoraproduct?
AmIanartist,aband,orapublicfigure?
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Youranswerswillhelpyoupickthemostrelevantoptionavailable.Next,youneedtomakeyourpagescream,“Lookatme!”—inthemostprofessionalwaypossible,ofcourse.
Somekeypointstobearinmindwhencreatingyourpage:
Includeyourbusinessdetails.Thereisnopointinhavingamillionfriendsifnoneofthemknowhowtocontactyou.
Uploadaneye-catchingcoverphotoinadditiontoasuitableprofilepicture.Remember,yourprofilepicturewillappearbesideyourbusinessname,sochooseonethatrepresentsyouwell—poorlylitselfieswillnotcutit.
Keepthetoneandstyleofyourbrandconsistentthroughoutthepage.
Updateyourpagewithentertainingandinformativecontentregularlytokeepusersengaged.Eventhoughpeoplemay“like”yourpage,gettingthemtocomebackandinteractwithitisawholedifferentstory.TheupdatesthatfansseeintheirNewsFeedshouldmakethemwanttotakeacloserlook.
AddyourpagetoyourFacebookfavorites—itwillbeeasiertofindonceyouloginandyouwillalsobenotifiedwheneverusersinteractwithyourpage,meaningyouwillhavemoreopportunitiestoconnectwiththem.
Makesureyouhaveatleasttwoadministratorstomanageyourpageeffectively.Thisminimizestheriskofthepagegoingdownorbeinghacked—forgottenpasswordswillbelessofaworry,too.
MakingYourPageEngaging
Asmarketers,itismassivelyimportanttoonlypostengagingcontentonFacebook,alwaysbearinginmindthatimpactiskey.Yourcustomersdonotwanttohearwhatyouhadforbreakfast(unlessofcourse,itisrelatedtoyourbusiness!).
Inorderforyourposttogaintraction,itmustberelevant,interesting,andeasilyunderstood.Convolutedandcomplicatedpostswillnotencouragepeopleto“like”orsharewhatyouhavetosay.Andthosebuttonsarewhatcanhelpyougrowyourfanbasefromhundredstothousandsandbeyond.
Youcanoptimizeeachpostbyaskingwhethertheuserwill:
Finditinterestingorfunny.
Clickontheposttofindoutmore.
Shareitwiththeirfriends.
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Ifyouthinkyourpostwillnothaveanyoftheaboveeffects,itprobablyneedswork.
Intheory,Facebookoffersunlimitedspaceforposts;howeveraccordingtoresearchcarriedoutbyJeffBullas,Facebookpostswithnomorethan40charactersreceive86percentmoreengagementthanpostswithahighercharactercount.Whilewritingalongparagraphiseasier,andwhittlingdowndescriptionsto40charactersorfewermeanshavingtogetmoreinventive,thestatisticsdon'tlie.Aswithallonlinecontent,thegoldenruleistokeepitshortandsimple.Useaconversationaltoneandtrytoevokearesponsewithyourposts—inthiswayyoucanencouragetwo-wayinteractionswithusers.
Sometipstobearinmind:
Paintapicture.Emotiveimageryisagreatwayofcatchingpeople'sattention.
Try,tryagain.Okay,soyoumaynotgetitrightfirsttime…orthesecond…oreventhethird!Butkeepgoing.Changeoneortwothingsatatimeuntilyoufindastylethatworks.
Quality,notquantity.Avoidpublishinghundredsofdullanddrearypostseveryweek.Insteadscalebackonthenumberandonlypostcontentwhenitservesapurpose.
Staypositive.NoonelikesaNegativeNancy!Useanupbeattoneandmakeyourpageaplacewherepeoplewillfeelgoodaboutthemselves.
Makethemlaugh.Throwinalittlehumorwherepossible—awittystatusorafunnypicturecangoaverylongway.
Getthecamerarolling.VideohasemergedasthenewpowertoolintheworldofFacebook.ClipsplayautomaticallyinNewsFeeds,whichimmediatelyhookspeoplein.Engagingvideosgetsharedbypersonalandbusinesspagesalike,withthepotentialtoreachamassiveglobalaudience.
Staybalanced.Eventhoughtheaimofyourcontentwillmostlikelybetodriverevenue,youwillrisklosingusers'interestifyouconstantlygoforthehardsell.Instead,sweetenthemupandearntheirtrustbysharingcontentthatintereststhem,evenifitdoesnotdirectlyrelatetoyourbusiness.Aneffectivepagemeansstrikingabalancebetweenviralcontentandbusiness-ledposts.Sobyallmeans,includeyourdealsandofferstodriverevenue,butmixitupwithentertaining,educational,andengagingcontenttoencourageinteraction.
UsingAnalytics
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Youcouldbepostingthecleverestcontentintheworld,butwithoutknowinghowtoanalyzeit,itbecomesasusefulasawaterproofteabag.
Studyingapost'sreachcanreveallotsofinterestingdataaboutitsactivity,suchas:
Diditgoto15,000peopleorjust1,000?
Howmanyofyourfansdiditreach?Whenarethesefansonline?
Isthepost'ssuccessduetopaidreachororganicreach?
Bytheway,organicreachishowwellyourpostsperformbythemselves,withoutpayingforanyadvertising,whilepaidreachisboostedadvertisingforyourposts.Sponsoredpostswillreachaudiencesthatcurrentlyaren'tfansaswellasyourownfollowers,sowhenapostisperformingwell,youmightwanttopayforboostingitsreach.ThiswillincreasethelikelihoodofyourpostbeingseenonFacebook,whilegeneratingmorelikesforyourpage.
Analyticscanhelpyouwhenyou'rewritingyourcontentandwhenyou'redecidingonthebesttimeofdaytopostitformaximumtraction.Youcanlearnwhichtopicsarehottoadjustfuturecontentaccordingly.Also,sincethereisnosuchthingasbadpress,youcanevenusenegativefeedback(iffanshideyourposts,reportthemasspam,orarepromptedtounlikeyourpage)tolearnfromyourmistakes.Weallmakethem,afterall.
AboutSocialPlug-Ins
NotonlycanyouconnectwithyouraudienceontheFacebookplatform,youcanalsousesocialplug-instoencouragetheseconnectionstosharetheirexperiencesacrosstheweb.Theplug-insappearondifferentwebsitesbuttheinformationinthemcomesdirectlyfromFacebook.
Forexample:
TheLikebuttonallowsuserssharepagesandcontentfromyourwebsitebacktotheirFacebookprofileinoneclick.
TheSendbuttonallowsuserssendcontentprivatelyfromyoursitetotheirfriends.
EmbeddedPostsallowyoueasilyinsertpublicpostsonyoursite.
TheembeddedvideoplayerletsyouaddFacebookvideostoyoursite.
Thepageplug-inletsyouembedcomponentsfromyourFacebookpagerightintoyourwebsite.
Thecommentsplug-inallowsuserscommentonyourwebsite'scontentusingtheirownFacebookaccounts.
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TheFollowbuttonallowsuserssubscribetothepublicupdatesofotherusersorcompaniesonFacebook.
FacebookFeatures
Youcanencouragelikes,shares,andcommentsonyourFacebookpageandbeyondbyofferingyourfansincentives.
Apopularwayofdoingthisistorunacontestinwhichyouaskyourfansandtheirfriendsto“like”apostandcommentonit,beforeenteringthemintoacontesttowinaprize.Theprizecanbeanything,fromaweekendawaytoanoveltyhat.Usuallyitissomethingprettyawesome,sothepostandyourpagegetalotoftraction.Itshouldalsoberelevanttoyourindustry,soifyouareadogwalker,offeringaniPadmightbeabitofastretch.
TherearesomeconsiderationsaroundrunningcontestsonFacebook:
Facebookdoesnotwanttobeliableforanyofyourtermsandconditions.Somakesurethatyouutilizeitstoolsfortherightreasonsandthatyourcompetitionsarefair.
Stickto“like”and“comment”asyourcallstoaction,meaningyouaskpeopleto“like”yourpageandtocommentonthecompetitionpost.Newlyenforcedcompany-pagepoliciesnowstatethatyoucannotaskfanstoshareacontestpostwiththeirfriends.Ifinbreachofthisrule,yourcontestcouldbecancelledandyoumayevenriskhavingyourpagebesuspended.Besttobehaveyourselfandstayinsidethelines.
Managethecontestcarefully,makingitinteresting,shareable,andengagingforyouraudience.Usersarebombardedwithalotofsalesymessages.Howcanyoumakeyoursstandout?Hereareafewtips:
Offeraprizethatuserswillactuallywant.
Includeaneye-catchingimageandsnappycopy,withaveryclearcalltoaction.
Promoteyourcontestdailyuntilyourdeadline.
Considerboostingyourposttoincreaseyourreach.
AnotherwaytoattractfansonFacebookisthroughutilizingitsOffersandEventsfeatures.
CreatinganofferisdonethroughastatusupdatebyclickingtheOffer/Event+button.Startbygivingitatitle,whichcanonlycontain25characters.Thendescribeyourparticularofferin90charactersorfewerandmakesuretoincludeacalltoaction.
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Ifyourofferisanonlinepurchase,useanonlineredemptionlink.Facebookwillthenemailtheindividualuserwhoclaimsyouroffer.Userscanredeemin-storeoffersbysimplywalkingintoyourstorewithaprintoutofthee-mail,orasavedversionontheirphone.Simple!
Eventsareagreatwayofincreasingbrandawarenessandtheycanbeeasilycustomized.TakeforexampleaneventpageforaKodalineconcertinFigure6.5,whichhasahugecoverimageofthebandattachedtotheevent.
Figure6.5FacebookEventPageSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Sinceusersshareeventswithfriendsandconnections,alloftheimagerygetspassedalongtoo—whichmeansgreatadvertisingforyourcompany.
YoucanapplywhatyouhavelearnedfromcreatinganeffectiveFacebookpage(howtomaximizeitsreachwithengagingcontentandhowtoanalyzeyourresults)toothersocialmediachannels,whichwillbecoveredintheupcomingsections.Staytuned….
TwitterIntroducingTwitter,anotherkeyplayerintheworldofsocialmedia,whichquicklygrabsaholdofusers'attentionandencouragesthemtoshareandengagewithcontent.
SoonyouwillbeabletoholdyourowninthechirpingworldofTwitter,once
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youknowhowto:
SetupaTwitterbusinessaccount.
Recognizethebestwaysofinteractingwithotherusers.
EffectivelypromoteyourTwitterprofile,utilizingfeatureslikesocialplug-insandlists.
ABird's-EyeView
AlthoughTwitter'slogoisacutelittlebluebird,theplatformisaninformation-sharingpowerhouseandpacksapowerfulpunchintermsofmicrobloggingandconnectingwithotherusers.
LikeFacebook,Twitterisamobileplatformthatisconstantlyconnected.Ithasover280millionactiveusersaroundtheworld—80percentofwhomareloggingonviatheirsmartphones.Nottooshabbyforalittlebird,right?
Theaveragenumberoffollowersperuseris208,andwithover500milliontweetssenteveryday,theplatformisbuzzingwithactivityallthetime.
CreatingYourAccount
Privateaccountsmeanthatauser'stweetsareprotectedfromGoogleandotherusersareunabletoretweetthem.Soasabusinessseekingpromotionandpublicity,youdefinitelywanttogoforthepublicoption.
Afewmorethingstobearinmindwhengettingsetup:
Yourusernameislimitedto15characters,withnospaces,hyphens,oranyothercharactersallowed.
YourAboutMesectionmustbeunder160characters.Sofeelfreetoshowoff,butkeepitshort'n'sweet.
Youmustincludeaprofileimageandabackgroundpicture.AswithFacebook,makesureyoursnapsareofagoodqualityandrelevanttoyourcompany.
Registeryouraccountasquicklyasyoucan.TheearlyTwitterbirdcatchestheworm,afterall!
WhencreatingyourTwitterhandle(thenamethatappearsalongsideyouraccount),lettherebenoconfusion.Itwouldbesuchawastetogotoallthetroubleofsettingupanamazingaccount,onlytohavepeopleforgetthenamebecauseyourhandleistoocomplicated.
Yourhandleshouldbe:
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Relevant
Short
Registeredearly
Unique
Memorable
On-brand
Forexample,takeManchesterUnited'shandle—@ManUtd.Itdoesexactlywhatissaysonthetin—itisjustashortenedversionoftheaccountnameitself.Loyalfansandglorysupportersalikewilleasilyrememberthatone.
Ready,Set,Tweet!
Onceyouhaveregisteredanaccountthatlooksgreatandhasamemorablehandle,youcanstarttweeting.Tweetsareshortmessagesof140charactersorfewer.TakealookatthefamousexampleinFigure6.6.
Figure6.6World-FamousTweetbyComedianEllenDeGeneresSource:Twitter.
Seehowapicturereallycanpaintathousandwords?Ithadover3million
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retweetsandisaperfectexampleofhowpowerfulsocialmediacontentcanbe.ThetweetshowninFigure6.7,fromthepopularmarketingblogMashable,includesalotofcontent—call-to-actionbuttons,pictures,andkeyinformation—butitiswellorganizedandeasytodigest.Watchandlearn.
Figure6.7EffectiveTweetfromMashableSource:Twitter.
Twittercanbeaveryseriousforumbutitcanalsohelpyourbrandtoletloosealittleandhavesomefun.Ifindoubtaboutwhattotweet,thinkbacktowhatworksbestforFacebookandthendothesameonTwitter.Yourcontentshouldbeshort,snappy,andveryvisual.TrackSocialbelievetheidealTwittercharactercountisbetween70and100characters.AccordingtoSalesforce's‘StrategiesforEffectiveTweeting’,postswithasmallernumberofcharactersthan100havea17percenthigherengagementratethanthose
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thatdonot.Ifapostseemsweak,donotpublishjustforthesakeofit.Holdbackandrevisititatalatertime—maybetheninspirationwillcomeandyoucantweakittomakeitstronger.Ifindoubt,leaveitout!
Moreoftenthannot,alinktosomethingelsewillbecontainedinatweetandthiswillcounttowardsthecharacterlimit.Ahandywaytosidestepthisistomakeuseofspace-savingtoolssuchasGoo.glorBitly,betterknownasURLshorteners.
Forexample,thiscouldbethelinkyouwanttotweet:
http://www.example.com/blog/page/category/year/month/day/article/id=1A2B3C
Bitofamouthful,right?ByenteringitintoBitlyitgetscondensedtosomethinglikethis:
http://bit.ly/8FapX
That'smorelikeit!Everycharacterispreciousinatweet,soifalinkof20characterscanbeincludedinsteadofonewith87characters,youhavemoreroomforacatchylineofcopy.
LikeFacebookposts,tweetsarepublishedfromusers'accountsandappearchronologicallyonaNewsFeed.Adsarealsocontainedwithinthisstreamandarecalledpromotedtweets.
Thisiswheremarketerscanshineasthetweetstheysponsorappeardirectlyintotheuser'sstream.
Twittercards,suchastheoneshowninFigure6.8,arelarge,interactivepiecesofmediawithintheNewsFeed.Themessagemuststillbe140charactersorfewerbutitcanalsoinclude:
Animage.
Aheadline.
ACTAbutton,whichinthiscaseis“readmore.”
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Figure6.8TwitterCardSource:Twitter.
Userscanretweetandfavoritethispieceofcontentinthesamewayasordinarytweets,soitwillseemorganicanddoesnotimmediatelystandoutaspaidcontent.
AnothergreatinnovationfromTwitterisadoptingacarousel-stylemethodfordisplayingadswithinthefeed,asseeninFigure6.9.
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Figure6.9TwitterCarouselAdSource:Twitter.
TheseadsaresimilartoTwittercards,buttheyrunalongsideoneanother.TheyareareallyeffectivewayofdisplayingmultiplepaidcontentpostswithoutbreakingawayfromtheNewsFeed.
Remember,thereisnopointinhavingawittyandprettyaccountifnooneknowsitexists—especiallyifyouhavepaidforcertaintweets!Whenpromotingyourprofile,seizeeveryopportunitypossible.Youcanpublicizeit:
Atevents
Innewsletters
Ontelevisionandradio
Insocialads
Inyouremailsignature
Onwebinars/talks/slides
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Onbusinesscardsandposters
Duringanyofflineconversations
KeyFeatures
Twitterhasafewgreattoolstohelpyoustayaheadofthesocialmediagame:
Twitterlists.ThishandyfeatureallowsyoutosegmentaudiencesandorganizefollowerswithinapoolofTwitteraccounts.
Forexample,youmightwanttocompilealistofspeakersforanevent.Attendeescanthenaccessthepubliclistandfollowthespeakers,instantlymakingtheeventmoreinteractiveandconnected.Orifyouworkinthedigitalspace,yourlistmightconsistofthetopcompaniesthattech-savvyuserswouldbeinterestedin.Happyusers=loyalfollowers!
YoucancreateaTwitterListinfoursimplesteps:
1. ClickListsfromyourprofilepageorfromthedrop-downmenuunderyourprofilepiconthetopright-handside.
2. ClicktheCreateNewListbutton.
3. Enterthenameofyourlistandashortdescriptionbeforechoosingwhetheryouwantittobeprivate(onlyaccessibletoyou)orpublic(anyonecansubscribetoit).
4. ClickSaveList.
Socialplug-ins.LikeFacebook,Twitteruseslotsofthesetotemptvisitorsintosharingcontentfromdifferentwebsites.
Theplug-insinclude:
TheShareaLinkbutton.
TheFollowbutton.
TheHashtagbutton.
TheMentionbutton.
Oncetheyhavefoundtheirwayontoacompany'swebsite,peoplecantweetdirectlyandsharecontentthroughTwitter.
Advancedsearch.Manybusinessesusethisfeaturetosearchforbusinessestheywishtofollow.Bydoingsotheycankeepaneyeoncompetition,stayup-to-datewithindustrystandards,andbecomeinvolvedinrelevantconversations.Itisprettysimpletouse—justtypeTwitteradvancedsearchintoGoogleandoffyougo!
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Geolocationservices.Theseallowuserstoselectivelyaddlocations,suchascitiesandneighborhoods,totheirtweets.Itisacoolwayofinformingfollowerswhereintheworldyouaretweetingfromandmeansyoucansharemorethanjustalinkorstatusupdate.
Multimediaelements.Imagesandvideocanalsobeaddedtotweets—anditgetsbetter.VideocannowberecordedwithinTwitteritself!Justgrabyourphone,hitrecord,andgetreadyforyourclose-up.
ToTweetorNottoTweet…
JustaswithFacebook,postingregularlytoaTwitteraccountmaynotsuiteverybusiness.However,itdoeshavesomekeyadvantages:
Itenablesone-to-oneconversationstotakeplacelikeneverbefore.
Itisaverypublicforumthatmaybequicktoteardownindividualsandbusinessesbutisevenquickertobuildthemup.
Theall-powerfulhashtag(whichgroupstweetsintoonecollectivespace)hasbeenresponsibleforbringingattentiontotheworld'sgreatesttravestiesanditsbiggestaccomplishments.Itgivesyouinstantaccesstotheglobalstage—ifyoulikethatkindofthing.
EvenifyouareatotalTwitternewbie,werecommendthatyouatleastgiveitatry.Becausesoonenough,youareboundtodiscoverjusthowrewardingalittlebluebirdcanbe.
LinkedInNowthatyouhaveaclearunderstandingofhowFacebookandTwitteroperate,let'smoveontoLinkedIn.Itisaplatformwhoseaimisto“connecttheworld'sprofessionalsandenablethemtobemoreproductiveandsuccessful.”
Thissectionwillequipyouwithalltheknow-howyouneedto:
CreateanengagingLinkedInprofile.
Usetheplatformeffectivelybyparticipatingingroupsandengagingwithothercompanies'pages.
Advertisejobvacanciesandcareeropportunitiesinyourorganization.
AboutLinkedIn
Believeitornot,LinkedInisayearolderthanFacebook—itwasbornbackin2003.Andithasgrownquiteabitoverthepast13years,with347millionactiveusersandtwonewsign-upseverysecond.Theplatformhasamassive
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reach,acrossmorethan200countriesandterritories.
SowhousesLinkedIn?Welllotsofpeople,really—morethan3millioncompanieshaveLinkedIncompanypagesand94percentofrecruitersuseittovetprospectiveemployeesandtheirrésumés.Althoughitisinessenceasocialnetworkingplatform,ithasamoreprofessional,industry-focusedapproachthanthelikesofFacebookorTwitter.
CreatingYourProfile
Youcanboostyourcompany'scredibilitybyencouragingallemployeestosetupaprofessionalLinkedInprofile.Ithumanizesyourbrand,andbyshowingofftheindividualskilledworkersinvolvedinitsday-to-dayrunning,ithelpspeopletogettoknowyoubetter.
Whencreatingyourownprofile,youneedtofillinsectionsaboutyourworkhistory,education,andrelevanteducationtogivepeopleatasteofwhoyouare.ThenextstepistowriteaLinkedInsummary,whichwillappearabovealloftheothersectionsandiswhatmostpeoplewillseefirst.Thisistheareawhereuserscanreallysellthemselves,andtodothateffectively,sentencesshouldbeSMART,asshowninFigure6.10.
Figure6.10SMARTCriteriaSource:TheSMARTacronymwasfirstcoinedbyGeorgeT.DoranandwasinspiredbyPeterF.Drucker'sThePracticeofManagement,publishedin1954.
Trytoavoidtheuseoffluffylanguage,suchas“I'magreatleader.”Insteadsay,“I'magreatteamleader.Ihaveledateamof15peoplewhohaverisenintheranksandachievedsalesupliftofover20percent.”Suchaspecificandmeasurablestatementwillbefarmoreattractivetoprospectiveemployersand
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clientsalike.
Richlinks,images,presentations,andevenvideoscanbecontainedwithineveryLinkedInprofile.Eachsectioncanbelinkedbacktoareferenceorcanincludeanimageorvideo.Thesemakeprofilescomealive,andifmanagedeffectively,canreallyhelpyoutostandoutfromthecrowd.
WithLinkedIn,thereisnoplacetohide—yourskills,thatis.Theyaredisplayedprominentlyinyourprofileonceyou,yourfriends,andyourcolleaguesaddthem.Andsinceitisonlypolitetopayitforward,youcanendorseyourconnectionsinreturn.Simplygototheirprofiles,seewhichskillsyouwanttoendorse,andthenclick(youguessedit)Endorse.Norocketsciencerequired.
Anotherwayyoucanboostcredibilityisbyincludingpersonalrecommendations.TheruleofthumbwhenitcomestoLinkedInrecommendationsisthatbothusersmustbeconnected.Onewillsendarecommendationtoanotherthroughtheplatform,whichwillautomaticallybeaddedtotheirLinkedInprofileafterithasbeenapproved.
Whenbuildingyourprofile,takethetimetoutilizeyourconnections—becausethemoreskillsendorsedandtestimonialsreceived,thejuicieryourprofilewillbe.Also,makesuretoupdateskillsandendorsementsasyouincreaseyourconnectionssoyouareseeninthemostprofessionallightpossible.
BuildingYourNetwork
LinkedIncanbeaverylonelyplaceifyouarenotengagingandconnectingwithothers.Taketheleapandapproachasmanypeopleaspossible,including:
Emailcontacts
Alumni
Colleagues
Friends
Family
Thisisnotimetoplaycoy.Youshouldfollowasmanycontactsandinfluencerswithinyourmarketplaceasyoucan.ThereareleadersacrossawholerangeofindustriesonLinkedIn,includingRichardBransonandBarackObama,whobothwriteforthesiteregularly.
ByfollowingspecificcompaniesandpublicationssuchasBusinessInsider,youwillbenotifiedinyourLinkedInstreamwhenevertheypostnewcontent
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—thatwayyoucanstayup-to-dateandnotmissanythingimportant.
Youcanchaseallthepeopleyoulike,buthowdoyouletotherpeopletofindyou?ConnectivityplaysamassiverolewithinLinkedIncommunitiesandsoyouneedtoputyourselfoutthere.HavingavanityURLmakesiteasierforpeopletofindyou.HereiswhatthelinktoyourprofilemightlooklikewithoutavanityURL:
LinkedIn.com/pub/doug-digital/234123ABCDEF
Notexactlysnappy,isit?
TogetavanityURL,clickunderneathyourprofilepictureandyourpublicURLwillappear.Youcanthenshortenittosomethinglikethis:
LinkedIn.com/in/Doug-Digital
Muchbetter!
JustlikeFacebookandTwitter,LinkedInplacessocialplug-insonvariouswebsitessothatuserscaneasilysharecontentwhenoutsidetheplatform.Togetstarted,gotodeveloper.linkedin.com/plugins.
GroupsandPages
LinkedIngroupsareprobablythemostsocialaspectoftheplatform,astheyarewheremostdiscussionstakeplace.
Byparticipatinginthesegroups,youcanmaintainanactivediscussionwithpeersandcolleagues,asseeninFigure6.11—youmayevenbeseenasanindustrythoughtleader.
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Figure6.11LinkedInGroupDiscussionsTabSource:LinkedIn.
CompanypagesaresimilartoFacebookbusinesspages;whileLinkedInprofilepagesrepresentindividuals,itscompanypagesallowfanstoconnectwithbrands.
Sowhatdoesittaketostartacompanypage?Firstofall,morethanfivepeoplewithinyourcompanymusthaveaLinkedInprofilethatstatesthattheyworkforyou.Youcanthenuseyourcompany'semailaddresstoapplyforaLinkedIncompanypage.
Next,itistimetopopulateyourpagewithasmuchrelevantdetailaspossible,suchas:
Yourlocation
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YourURL
Howmanyemployeesyouhave
Themainindustryyourcompanyisin
Theyearitwasfounded
Whetheritisaprivatelyheldorpublicliabilitycompany
Finally,addyourlogoandbrandingtothepage.Itisareallyvisualwayforpeopletoseewhatyourcompanyisabout.AnexampleofaLinkedincompanypageisshowninFigure6.12.
Figure6.12LinkedInCompanyPageHomeTabSource:LinkedIn.
Companypagescanalsocontainvideos,images,employeetestimonials,andemployerinformation—allofwhichplayapartinsellingyourbusinessasagreatplacetowork!Subpagesofcompanypagesarecalledshowcasepages.Theyaredesignedtogrowaspecificcommunityaroundaparticularproductordivisionofabusiness.
AnothertypeofLinkedInpagethatoffersbrandingopportunitiesisthecareerpage,seenasatabinFigure6.12.
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WhenrecruitingyourownstaffitisusefultohaveaLinkedIncareerpage,asyoucanshowcaseyourpersonality,highlightavailablejobs,andincludesomeofyouremployees(plustheirtestimonials,ifyoulike).However,ifyoudonothaveaLinkedInrecruiteraccount,thisoptionisprettyexpensive(around$6,000perpersoneveryyear).
IsLinkedInRightforYou?
Mostlikely,yes.LinkedInletsyoushowcaseyourstrengthswhileconnectingwithlike-mindedbusinessownersandindustryleadersoutsideofyoureverydaylife.Thereisalwaysmorewecanlearn—andLinkedInisagreatplacetodoit.
Bothpersonalandcompanypagescanbebrilliantmarketingtoolsforyourbusiness,aslongastheyaremanagedinaneffectiveandengagingmanner.Aswithallofthechannelsthatthischapterhasdiscussed,yougetoutofitwhatyouputin!
Google+Younowknowhowtoutilizesomeofthebiggestsocialmedianetworkstohelpgrowbothyouronlinepresenceandyourbusiness.Keepfocusedonstage2oftheprocess,it'simportanttomaster!
NextupisanintroductiontoaplatformmanagedbyoneofthebiggestInternetcompaniesintheworld—Google.YouwillgainakeyunderstandingofGoogle+sothatyoucan:
KnowwhatCirclesareandhowyoucanusethemtoconnectwithotherusers.
UnderstandthebenefitsthatHangoutscanhaveforyourbusiness.
CreateanengagingGoogle+businesspageandtrackitsresults.
AboutGoogle+
Google+isasocialnetworkingservicewith1billionregisteredusersand540activemonthlyusers.ItcombineslotsofGoogle'sproducts,includingYouTube,Gmail,Blogger,Maps,Android,andGoogleMyBusiness.IfyouhaveaGmailaccount,youalreadyhaveaGoogle+account,whichmaycomeasasurprisetoyou!
Youraccountcanbeaspublicorasprivateasyouwant.Youcanchoosetodisplayorhideyouremail,addorremoveyourphonenumber,andevenlimitwhocanseecertainpostsandphotos.
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GoogleCircles
Thesearegroupsofpeoplethatuserssharecontentwithorfollow.
Therearefamilycircles,aclose-friendscircle,acolleaguescircle,andanewsandupdatescircle(tonamejustafew).AsyoucanseeinFigure6.13,thesegroupscanbeeditedandsharedeasilybyjustdragginganddroppingthemtoyourchosenlocations.
Figure6.13GoogleCirclesSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Withinthesecircles,userscansegmentsharedposts—soifsomeonewantstokeepaphotoofafamilyvacationprivateamongfamilymembers,theycansharethephotoonGoogle+butonlyletthoseintheirfamilycircletoviewit.Google+offersareallytargetedwayofsharingcontentyoucareaboutwithonlycertainpeople,asopposedtosharingitwiththeentireplanet.
Inthisway,itisalotlesspublicthanTwitterorFacebook,whichmayormaynotappealtoyou.However,justlikethoseguys,Google+allowsuserstousesocialplug-instosharecontentinamorepublicway.Theseplug-insareimportedintoawebsite,andpeoplecan+1yourcontent(whichisGooglelingofor“like”).WhenusingGooglePlus,yourfirstsentencemustbeaverygrippingteaser,whichmeansitshouldbe60charactersorfewer.
GoogleHangouts
OneofthebestfeaturesinGoogle+isitsHangoutsfeature.Thisissimilarto
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livevideoconferencingorSkypebutitbringsinGoogleChat.ThereisalsoHangoutsonAir,meaningliveGoogleChatcanbehostedandthenbroadcastonYouTube—greatifyouwanttoshareaninstructionalvideoaboutyourproduct.
Manybrandshavedonethisalready.Rovio(thebrandbehindAngryBirds)didaliveHangoutwithalloftheirdeveloperstoshowhowtheybuiltthegameandthedifferenttoolsandcharactersthatareinvolved.PeoplewereabletoaskquestionsthroughTwitterorGoogle+,whichwerethenansweredliveonlineaspeoplewatchedviaYouTube.
Thatisaboutasinteractiveasitgets,right?Lettingyourcustomersasklivequestionsandhavingthemansweredbyrelevantpeopleinrealtime,allonline,allthroughGoogle+.
GettingStarted
YoucancreateaGoogle+pageforyourbusinessbygoingtohttps://business.google.com/create
Remember,youwillneedaGmailaccountfirst—visitwww.google.comtosignupforone.YoucanthencreatecirclesandbuildcommunitiesbyconnectingthroughyouremailandwithotherpeopleonGoogle+.
IfunsurehowtomakeGoogle+workforyourbrand,takealeafoutofCadbury'sbook.Theyuseitto:
CreatecommunitiesaroundparticularCadburyproducts,forexample,bygivingtipsonusingCadburychocolateinbaking.
PromotenewadsonGoogle+andcreatecommunitiesaroundallthehype.
BroadcastliveproductdemonstrationsviaHangouts;forexample,theCadburyCremeEggBakehangoutwithEricLanlard,whichgotahugenumberofviewsandalotoftractiononYouTube.
Youcoulddothesametocreateabuzzaboutyourownproduct,orevenaboutanupcomingevent.
Google+Analytics
Google+isconnectedtoeverythingelseintheworldofGoogle,soyoucaninstantlyseetheoriginofallyoursocialtraffic.
OnGoogleAnalyticsyoucanseesocialreportsforyourwebsite,whichmeansyoucanmeasurehowGoogle+hascontributedtosocialsharingandconversations.ThisisareallycooltoolthatiscompletelyuniquetoGoogle+.
ThatisthelowdownonGoogle+.Althoughmaybelessknownorusedthan
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otherchannels,itisasimpleyeteffectiveandhighlyvisualmarketingtoolwithamassiveglobalreach.Itisnotonetobeignored.
Acrossallofthesesocialmediachannels,theimportanceofvideohasremainedconsistent.Videooffersbrandsanewwayofconnectingwithfollowers.Comingup,youwillseehowyoucanmaximizeyourreachonthebigdaddyofvideoplatforms—YouTube.
YouTubeVideohasmorepowerthananyotherformofmediawhenitcomestoengagingusers.Inthevideo-sharingworld,theYouTubeplatformremainsking.
Discoverwhatitmeanstosay“lights,camera,action”toyourbusinessandgetreadyto:
UnderstandhowYouTubeworksandwhatsomeofitskeyfeaturesare.
Effectivelysetupandpromoteyourownchannel.
Knowthetypesofvideoyoucanuseandhowtopromotethemacrosstheweb.
AboutYouTube
ThefollowingstatsfromYouTubearetrulymindboggling:
YouTubenowhasmorethanabillionuniqueuserseverysinglemonth.
YouTubenowclaimsover400hoursofcontentuploadedeverysingleminute.
Thenumberofhourspeoplespendwatchingvideos(akawatchtime)onYouTubeisup60percenty/y.
MorevideoisuploadedtoYouTubeinonemonththanthethreemajorU.S.televisionnetworkshavecreatedin60years!
YouTubeislocalizedin74countries,across61languages.
SoifyouwerethinkingthatYouTubewasjustabunchofcatvideos,thinkagain!
SettingUpYourChannel
IfyoualreadyhaveaGoogleaccount,youautomaticallyhaveaccesstoaYouTubeaccount—youjustneedtolinkthetwo.YouTubechannelsshouldlookclearanduncomplicated,andcoverphotosactasgreatbrandingforyourchannelinthesamewaytheydoforothersocialmediaplatforms.
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Onceyouhavesetupanaccount,youcanaccessfeaturesandbuttonssuchasLike,Subscribe,WatchLater,andWatchHistory.
ThereareawidevarietyoffeatureswithinYouTube,allmakingitpossibletointeractwithdifferentcommunitiesacrossthesiteandtohearwhattheyaresayingaboutbrands,competition,andtheindustryingeneral.Theseinclude:
Comments.YouhavetheoptiontohaveacommentssectionenabledforeveryvideouploadedontoYouTube.Peoplecanalsogiveavideoathumbs-uporathumbs-down,whichwasuniquetoYouTubeforalongtime,astheonlysitethatletusersnotlikecontentonline.BeawarethattheThumbsDownbuttonleavesyourbrandvulnerableandcouldnegativelyaffectyourbusiness.
Subscribebutton.ThiscanbeplaceddirectlyintoaYouTubevideoandisagreatwayofencouragingengagement.
TypesofVideo
Screenrecordingsareprettypopularwithbrands.Thesearecapturedbyusinglow-costtoolssuchasCamtasiaStudioorScreenFlow,andsuchrecordingsareperfectforproductdemonstrations.
Awebinarisanothergreatwayforbusinessestointeractwithaudiences.Itmightbea20-minutevideoshowcasingaproductorasnappypiecewithfiveusefultipsandtricks.Therearelotsofwebinartoolsoutthere.Sogetcreating,getrecording,andgetbroadcastinglivetoyoursubscribers.YoucanthenstoreyourwebinaronyourYouTubechannelforpeopletowatchlater.
Ifyouprefertostreamyourcontentlive,youcanuseHangoutsOnAir(introducedintheprevioussection).AfterYouTubeusershavewatcheditliveitisautomaticallyrecordedanduploadedtoYouTubeforpeopletowatchaftertheevent.ThemostpopulartypesofvideoonYouTubearecomputerscreenrecording,webinars,livevideo,andrecordedvideo.
CreatingandSharingContent
YouTubecontentcanbecreatedinmanydifferentways.YoucanbringinthebiggunsbyusingprofessionaltoolslikeFinalCutandPowerDirector.However,theserequireskill,training,andresources(particularlytimeandmoney)—andeventhoughtheoutcomeishigh-qualityvideosthatlookreallyprofessional,thesevideosonlymakeupasmallportionofcontentonYouTube.
Ifyouarejuststartingoutanddonothaveaverygenerousfairygodmotheroraccesstohigh-qualityrecordingequipment,youwillprobablywanttoconsiderotheroptions—forinstance,flashtoolslikeAnimototocompile
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images,videos,andmusic.Andofcourse,youcanalwaysfilmvideosfromyourtrustyphone;infact,asmartphonevideoisthemostpopularformatonYouTube.
Mobilejournalism(mojo)isthenewbuzzwordwhenitcomestocreatingcontent.Longgonearethedaysofshakyhandheldvideos(unlessthatisthestyleyouwant!).
Asmartphonelensisprobablyjustasgoodasthatofsomeprofessionalcameras.Also,freeeditingtools(suchasiMovieontheiPhoneorYouTubeEditor)canbeusedtoeditfootagequicklyandeasily.Makingthemostoutofthesefreetoolswhenstartingoutisagreatwayofkeepingcoststoaminimum.Therearelotsofmobilevideo,audiorecording,andeditingtoolsavailableforbothiPhoneandAndroid—simplyfindoutwhichoneworksbestforyou.
Onceyourcontentislive,thereareacoupleofwaysitcanbesharedfromYouTubetoothersocialplatforms.UserscanclicktheSharebuttonwhenwatchingyourvideo,andthatwillproduceadirectlink.Alternatively,theycanclicktheEmbedbuttontogenerateapieceofHTMLcode,whichcanthenbeimportedintoawebsite,ascanbeseeninFigure6.14.TheYouTubevideowillsitliveonthewebpageandvisitorscanplayitwithouthavingtoleavethesite.
Figure6.14HowtoEmbedaYouTubeVideoSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofYouTube.
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Keepyoureyesandearsopentoseeifanyoneisvlogging(videoblogging)aboutyourbusiness—thenyoucansharetheirvideos,too.SimplytypeyourproductorserviceintoYouTubeSearchtoseeifyouhavemadeitintothegrapevine.Aswithallsocialmediachannels,youshouldembraceeveryopportunityyoucantosharethefactthatpeoplearetalkingaboutyou!
MakingItWorkforYou
Theworldofvideosharingcanseemprettyoverwhelmingtothosewhohaveneverdabbledinitbefore—sohereareafewpearlsofwisdomtoremember:
Promoteyourbusinesschanneltoyourcustomersbyembeddingvideosacrossyourwebsite.Showthemyouaretechandmediasavvy.
SubscribetorelevantYouTubechannels.Itisagoodwayofkeepingtabsonthecompetition.
Postregularandengagingvideoupdates.Three-yearoldcontentwillnotcutit.
Shareproductdemonstrations,includinghelpfulhintsandtips.Becausesharingiscaring.
Nowthatyouknowhowtocreateprofilesandchannelsacrossthemajorsocialmediaplatforms,let'stakealookattheworldofblogging.
BlogsTherearemillionsofweblogs(blogs)onlinerightnowthatcoverawiderangeofsubjects—fromtraveltobakingtotheglamorousworldofstainremoval,thisisanintegralchannelofstage2.
Whateveryourbusiness,youcanbenefitgreatlybycreatingablog.Thissectionwillhelpyougetstartedby:
RecognizingthatblogsprovidestrongSEObenefitsandgivecredibilitytoyourbusiness.
Understandingbestbloggingpractices.
Seeinghowblogscanbesharedonsocialmediaplatformstoincreaseawareness.
BlogsinBrief
Ablogisapieceofcontenthostedandsharedonawebsite.Itshouldbeupdatedregularlytoincludethelatestnews,trends,andevents.Blogsgivebusinessescredibility,aswellasavoiceinthemarket,andwell-writtenblogswillkeepvisitorscomingtoawebsiteevenwhenothercontentoroffershave
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notchanged.
ThemostpopularbloggingplatformisWordPress—itisusedaroundtheworldandisknownforitssafety,easeofuse,andcustomizableoptions.AnotherplatformthathasreallycaughtonisTumblr.Thismicrobloggingplatformandsocialnetworkingwebsiteallowsuserstoposttext,photos,quotes,links,music,andvideos—allfromtheirbrowsers.
BestPractices
Therearemanydifferentstylesofblogging—somepeoplepreferonethatischattyandinformal,othersonethatisdownrightnuts.Bloggingisaveryopenandcreativeformofsocialmedia,however,certainguidelinesshouldbefollowedtoensureyourcontentisengagingandprofessional:
Yourpostsshouldbeanywherefrom1,000to2,500wordslong.Theactuallengthwillbedependentontopicandaudience,butanyfewerthan1,000mayfallshortofGoogle'salgorithmandreduceyourchancesofshowingupinthefirstpagesofsearchresults.
Includeatleastonetotwoimagesperposttomaketheposteye-catching.
Askopenquestionsattheendofeachposttoencourageengagement.
Packapunch—yourcontentshouldbeeasytoconsumeandorganizedwiththehelpoflists,bulletpoints,andheaders.
Keepaconversationaltoneandavoidindustryjargonatallcosts.
Includelinkswithinyourposts:Backlinkingtoaparticularresourceisagreatwayofaddingcredibilitytoyourblog.
Beconsistentandmakesureyourcontentisstrong,allofthetime.Onceyoubuildmomentum,keepgoing—postregularlyanddon'tleaveweeksbetweenposts.
Addrelevanttagsandkeywordstoyourpoststooptimizethemforsearchengines.Ifyourpostsareaboutmobilemarketing,makesuretoaddsometagsaroundmobile!
Forinspiration,checkoutthepopularbloggingwebsiteBuzzFeed.Mostofitsarticlesutilizelisticles,whichareliststhatgrabyourattentionrightaway.Theheadlinesoftheselistsmightbe“37waystoembarrassyourdog”or“15epiccatfails.”Givenheadlineslikethese,peopleexpectreallyfunnyandengagingcontent—andtheygetittoo,makingBuzzFeedoneofthemostvisitedwebsitesoutthere.
Business/CommunityBlogging
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Thisisareallyeffectivewayofensuringthatyourbusinessstaysontopoftheindustry.Youcancontributetoacommunitythatisinterestedinaparticulartopic,allowingyoutobecomeasourceofgreatcontentforpeopleinthatindustry.Inotherwords,youcanshowoff.
Onceyouhavestartedblogging,youcangaintractionbyaskingforyourblogtobehostedbyanother,morepopularblogthatisrelevanttoyouraudience.Indoingthis,youcanshowcaseyourbloggingskillsandgetoffthegroundmorequicklythanifyouweretoflysolo.
PromotingYourBlog
Bloggingisapowerfulwayofkeepingyourbrandinfrontofexistingconnections,butitalsohelpsyoutoreachnewaudiencesaroundtheworld.YoushouldspreadthewordaboutyourblogonYouTube,LinkedIn,Facebook,Twitter,InstagramandGoogle+,makinguseofthesewonderfullyconnectedsocialmediaplatformsthathavebeendiscussedintheprevioussections.
Allofthiscross-platformsharingwillincreaseyourblog'svisibilityonline,whichinturnwillincreasemarketability.Anddigitalmarketersloveabitofmarketability.Remembertoaddyourblog'sRSSfeedtoyourTwitter,Facebook,andLinkedInaccounts.DoingsomeansthateverytimeyoupostanewblogandhitPublish,thenewentrywillautomaticallyfilterouttothesesites—youcanchoosetowriteyourowndescriptiontoo.
Justaswithallthechannelscoveredsofar,socialplug-insareahandywayofencouragingpeopletoshareyourcontentacrossthewebwhenusersarenotonyoursite.TheWordPressplug-inDisqus,whichenablespeopletopromotetheirblogsontheirLinkedIn,Facebook,andTwitterprofiles,isapowerfultoolwhenitcomestospreadingthewordaboutnewposts.
Doesbloggingrequiretime?Yes.Doesitrequireeffort?Definitely.Butitisalsoagreatwayforcompaniestogettheirmessageoutintothepublicsphereandtoconnectwithanewaudience.It'sachannelthatneedsdedicationandpatiencetobuildup,butitiscertainlysomethingworthdoing.
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Bynowyouwillhaveaprettygoodideaofhowyoucanusesocialmediatoyourcompany'sadvantage.Herearesomefinaltipstohelpyouonyourway:
Varyallofyourcontentbykeepingitfunny,engaging,andinformative.
Bequicktorespondtousers'queriesandinteractions.
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Beprofessional,butknowthatlettingyourhairdownonceinawhileisallowedandevenencouraged!
Rememberthathardworkalwayspaysoff.Responsiveandeffectivesocialmediaplatformswillreallygrowyourbusinessifyouputthetimein.
Nowthatyouhaveemergedfromyourcocoonandbecomeasocialmediabutterfly,getreadytospringintoaction.Startsettingupthosecompanyprofilestoday!
Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonSMMasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
Exercises
Exercise1Youareafour-starboutiquehotellocatedinasuburbofChicago.Yourmaintargetmarketiscouples(aged30to45)andsmallweddings(upto70guests).Weddingsareanewventureforyourbusiness.
Usingthebusinessabove:
1. Setupyoursocialmediagoalsunderthefollowingcategories:
Customerservicegoals
Productgoals
Communicationgoals
Marketinggoals
2. Listthesocialmediachannelsyouwillusetomarketthebusiness.
Note:Whendecidingwhatchannelstouse,considerthetargetmarket(gender,age,location)andthetypeofproductsandservicesyouareoffering.
Exercise2LogintoFacebookandsetupabusinesspageforthehotelinexercise1.
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Completethefollowing:
FillinAboutUsdetails.
Addaprofilepicture.
Setupapreferredaudiencepage.
Exercise3Usingthebusinesspagecreatedabove,choosefivecompetitorpagesandaddthemtoPagestoWatchinyourFacebookpageInsights.
Record:
Whichpageisatthetopofthelist?
Whatpostsworkedwellforthem?
Whataretheimages/videoused?
Whataretheengagementlevels?
Whatcanyoulearnfromthisinformation?
Exercise4LogintoTwitterandopenTwitterAnalytics.
Howmanytweetimpressionshaveyoureceivedoverthepast28days?
Howmanymentionsandtweetslinkedtoyouinthepast28days?
Whatisthetoptweetforthecurrentmonth?
Whohasbeenmostengagedwithyou?
Arethecorrectpeopleconnectedwithyouandareyourfollowersbasedoninterests,location,andgender?
Exercise5Youbrieflymetapotentialclientatanetworkingeventbutonlymanagedtogethisfirstname(Conor)andhisjobtitle(ProductSpecialist).YouwouldliketoconnectwithhimbycarryingoutanadvancedsearchforhimonLinkedIn.
Takenoteofadditionalsearchareasthatareavailableinpremiumaccounts.
Refineyoursearchuntilyouhavelocatedthisperson.
Draftapersonalizedconnectionrequest(itcanbecompletedby
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visitingConor'sprofileandclickingConnect).
NOTE:TheactionplanforsocialmediamarketingcanbefoundattheendofChapter7.
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CHAPTER7SOCIALMEDIAMARKETING(PART2)
AnIntroductionFromacustomer'spointofview,socialmediaisanawesomewaytoconnectwithpeopleshealreadyknows—andtoconnectwithpeopleorbusinessesshewantstoknow.Asadigitalmarketer,youneedtousethiscuriositytodriveyourbusinesswithoutapproachingcustomersinanobtrusiveway.Whilesocialmediaisaplaygroundwherepeoplecanflitbetweendiscussionsandencountergreatdealsandoffersontheirownterms,yourjobistodelivercontentthatyourtargetaudiencewantstoreceive,whichwillbeofgreatbenefittothem—andevenbetterbenefittoyou.
Implementinganeffectivesocialmediastrategyforyourbusinessisimperativetothesuccessofasocialmediacampaign,andtheonlywaytobuildandsustainrelationshipswithcustomersistolistentothem.
ProcessChapter6gaveyouthelowdownonthefirsttwostagesoftheSMMiterativeprocess,asshowninFigure7.1.Thischapterwillkeepthewheelspinningsothatyouwillhavecompleteknowledgeofthethirdandfourthstages:
3.Implementation.BeingengagedwithyourcustomersonsocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook,Twitter,andLinkedInwillkeepcustomersinterested,butdon'tjustbethebestfriend—bethementorwhowillknowwhatyouraudiencewantsinadvance,byplanningandschedulingcontent.Inthisstageyouwilllearnhowtosetappropriategoalsforyourchosensocialmediaplatformsandtocreateandmanageyourcampaignsinlinewithyourbudgetandproposedtimeline.
4.Analysis.Whilesomefriendshipscometoanaturalend,yoursocialmediacampaignneverstopsturning.Butasatruefriendshipblossomswithunderstandingandtrust,yourcampaigncannotsucceedwithoutconstantanalysis.Thisstageguidesyouthroughtheanalysisandmeasurementservicesthateachmajorplatformoffers,inordertotracktheeffectivenessofyoursocialmediacampaigns.
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Figure7.1Four-StageSMMProcess
KeyTermsandConceptsThischapterwillteachyoutounderstandwhyimplementingsocialmediastrategieswillbetterequipyoutoreachachievablegoals,andhowyouwillbenefitfromtheanalysistoolsthateachsocialmediaplatformoffers.UponcompletionofSMMpart2,youwill:
Mastertheintricaciesofeachsocialmediaplatforms'analysisfeatures.
Beadeptatschedulingappropriatecontentforeachsocialmediaplatform.
Learnhowtosetsuitablegoalsforyourchosensocialmediaplatform.
Createandmanageyoursocialmediacampaignstobudgetandschedule.
BeawareofprivacyanddataprotectionissuesassociatedwithSMM.
IfFacebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,andalloftheothersocialmediaplatformswereinhighschool,eachwouldbeamemberofacompletelydifferentclique.Yourroleasadigitalmarketeristobeasocialbutterflywhounderstandswhatdriveseachnetwork,whyitworks,andhowtokeepthemembersofeachnetworkengaged.
Stage3:Implementation
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YouhavelearnedthebasicelementsofSMM,nowlet'sputthemintouse.Theimplementationstage—stage3oftheiterativeprocess—ishighlightedinFigure7.2andiswhenyoutailoryourcampaignaroundhowyoufitinthemarket.
Figure7.2FocusontheThirdStageintheSMMProcess
Inthissectionyouwilllearn:
Howtounderstandwhereyourpositionisinthemarket.
Thedifferentwaystolistentoyouraudience.
Thatcarefulconsiderationmustbegiventoyourcampaign.
Socceristhenumber-onesportintheworldbecauseofonething:goals.Onceaworld-classstrikershootsthatballtothebackofthenet,it'savictory.Asoccergamewithoutanygoalsisagamenotworthwatching;likewise,inthesportofdigitalmarketing,themoregoalsthebetter.
Weidentifiedbusinessandmarketinggoalsforsocialmediainthepreviouschapter,andwelookedatthesocialmediachannelsthatmostbusinessesuse.Sonowit'stimetochannelyourinnerdigitalmarketingstriker:Usesocialmediaplatformstoyouradvantage,listentoyouraudience,andscoresomephenomenalcampaigngoals!
UnderstandingYourFit
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Asoccerplayerdoesnotplayagamewearingakitthatistwosizestoosmall.WhenpreparinganSMMplan,youneedtotakesometimetoconsiderwhereyoufitinthemarket.
Wheredoesyouraudiencehangout?Knowingwhatsocialmediachannelsareconsistentwithyouraudienceisveryimportant.Isitoneparticularchannel,suchasFacebook,orisitamixtureofvariousplatforms?
Whattoneandstyleofconversationshouldyouuse?Whilealight,funtonewouldsuitateenageaudience,itwouldnotbeappropriateforcorporateengagement.
Whowillspeakonbehalfofyourorganization?Decidingwhowilltakethereinsandbethecompany'smouthpieceisnotadecisiontobemadelightly,asresponsibilityandaccountabilityforimagemanagementwillliewiththatperson.
Whatisthekeydemographicforyourproductandhowcanyoureachit?AlloftheWquestionshavetobeasked:Whoarethepeopleinit?Whatdotheydo?Whatdotheylike?Whatistheiragegroup?Wheredotheylive?
Howwillyourespondtonegativefeedbackorcomments?Socialmediacommunicationshouldengageyouraudience,andwhiletheaimisalwaystopleasethecustomer,fromtimetotimeyoumightgetanegativereaction.Ifthishappens,don'tgetdownhearted;negativefeedbackcanbeakeylearningtool.Thatsaid,youwillhavetodealwithit.Themosteffectivesolutionistorespondpubliclyandtaketheconversationofflineasquicklyaspossibletodiscussanyissuesone-to-onewiththecustomer.
ResourcesAsoccerteamismadeupof11players,butifallofthoseplayersarestrikers,whowilldefendthegoal?Youmayhaveawesomeideasforyoursocialmediastrategy,butyouneedtoevaluatewhatresourcesyouhaveinordertomakesurethateveryaspectofyourstrategywillbecovered.
PeopleandSkills
ThepeopleassignedtotheSMMstrategyneedtobemadeaccountableforshaping,developing,anddrivingthestrategy.Wheninitiatingyourstrategy,figureoutwhethercurrentteammemberspossesstheabilitiestoseeyourplanthrough,orwhethertraining,up-skilling,orhiringnewstaffmembersisnecessary.
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Inthesamewaythatnotallsoccerplayersarestrikers,SMMteammembersplaydifferentpositions.Youwillneedpeoplewhocantakeonmanagementduties,peoplewhocanengagewithcustomersonaone-to-onebasis,peopletotakecontrolofIT,andpeopletooverseefinances.
Budget
AnSMMstrategyisacyclicalprocessandbudgetiscertainlysomethingthatneedstobereviewedfrequently.Checkinganalyticsisessential;ifyoufindthattheinitialprojectionforyourbudgetistoohighortoolow,actionwillhavetobetaken.
ListeningLaunchingyourSMMstrategycanbenerve-racking.Infact,it'squitelikethestartofanewrelationship.Whenyouinitiateyourstrategy,rememberthis:Beagoodfirstdate.
Agooddateisonewholistens.Listeningtoyourcustomersisreallyimportant,becauseyoucanlearnsomuchfromthem.Thefactorstobeawareofwhenlisteningare:
Whatchannelstouse.
Whattoneandstyletoadopt.
Whetheryouaregettingdifferentkindsofresponsesfromdifferentdemographics.
Whoaretheinfluencersofyourtargetaudienceandcanyouleveragethem?
Bylisteningtoyouraudience,youfindoutalotaboutyourcompetitorstoo—thereisnohidingonsocialmedia!Checkouthowyourtargetaudiencereactsandengageswithyourcompetitors'socialmediastrategiesandlearnfromtheirsuccesses(andfailures).
InfluencersThere'sareasonwhythetownmayorholdspublicforums:Agoodmayorwantstokeepallofhisorhertownsfolkhappy—andwantstostayinpower.Whenyouidentifykeyinfluencersandlistentothem,theycanhelpyou,andinreturnyoucangivethemtheproducttheywant.
EngagewithHappyCustomers
Customerswhohavehadapositiveexperiencewithyourbrandalreadylikeyourbrand.Whentheytalkaboutyoupositively,lookafterthem.Likewhat
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theysay,commentonpositivefeedback,andwhenpossible,rewardthem.
EngagewithUnhappyCustomers
Whileit'seasytojustignorecomplaintsonsocialmedia,don't!Ifyousolveanunhappycustomer'sproblemandwinhisfavor,thereisgreatpotentialforthatcustomertobecomeabigadvocateofyourbrand.
FindandEngagewithNewCustomers
Identifypotentialcustomerswhohavecomplainedaboutacompetitororserviceandapproachthemwithasolutiontotheirissues.
Thereasonyoulistenistofindoutwhatexactlythecustomerwants—thenyoucanfigureoutexactlywhattodeliver.Therearetwomainwaysoflistening:Beingreactiveorbeingproactive.
BeingReactiveTwitteruserAlexaBurrowssentaseeminglyrandomtweetlamentingtheendofherholidayandjokinglyaskedairlinecompanyJetBlueforawelcomehomeparade.JetBlue'sSMMteamwaslisteningandhadtheexceedinglycleverideatoarrangeawelcomehomeparty.How'sthatforservice?Whenyoureplydirectlytosocialmediauserswhotagyouinposts,youbuildaudiencetrust.Sobyaddressingandsolvingtheirproblems,youopenthedoortogainingloyalcustomers.
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Figure7.3AnExampleofReactiveTweetingfromJetBlueSource:Twitter.
BeingProactiveBeingproactivemeansworkingwithforesight.Duringyoursearchfornewcustomers,lookforwaystoconvincethemthatyouhavethebestservice.WestJet,anotherairline,startedanincrediblecampaignoffline.TheysetupastallataboardinggateandaskedpassengerswaitingfortheirflightwhattheywouldlikeforChristmas.Whentheylanded,wrappedgiftsappearedontheluggagecarousel—allofthepresentsthatthepassengershadwishedfor.Toseethecampaignforyourself,typeWestJetChristmasMiracleintoYouTube(don'tforgetyourhankie!).
LuckilyforWestJet,theyhavetheresources(nottomentionthefinances)toarrangesuchaneffectiveproactivelisteningploy,butevenifyourbudgetdoesnotstretchtocampaignslikethis,youcancertainlytakeinspirationfromit.
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ToolsInthesamewaythatyoucanGoogleanyquestionandfindtheanswerinamatterofmilliseconds,oneofthegreatbeautiesofthedigitalworldisthatthereareanumberoftoolsyoucanemploytohelpyoulistentoyouraudienceandfindoutwhattheyaresayingaboutyou.Topsy,Klout,Mention,andGoogleAlertsaresomeofthebestlisteningtoolsonthemarket.
ContentPlanningYoushouldletyourdatedothetalkingoverthatfirstcupofcoffee.Bylisteningtotheirlikesanddislikes,you'llhavealltheinformationneededtoreallywoothemthenexttimeyoumeet!Thesamegoesforpayingattentiontopeopleinyouraudience:Byreallylisteningtothemyoucangainalotofimportantinsights,suchaswhattheythinkofyourproductandwhatneedsimprovement.This,inturn,willhelpyoufigureoutwhattypeofcontenttopostonyoursocialmediaplatforms.Andonceyouhavethatfiguredout,youcanbegintoformulateyourcontentplanfollowingeachofthesefourstages:
1. Planitout.AsyoulearnedinSMMpart1,schedulingisveryimportant.Createaformalscheduleandsticktoitascloselyasyoucan.Carefullyconsiderhowoftenyoucanpostoneachsocialmediaplatformandalwaystrackeachpost.
2. Integrate.Yoursocialmediaplandoesnotstandapartfromyouroverallmarketingcampaign—ithastobelinkedtoeveryotheraspectofthecampaign.
3. Manage.Usetools,suchasHootsuite,SocialOomph,andSendible,toschedulesocialmediapostsandupdates.Usingtoolslikethesewillalsoallowyoutomonitorthelevelofengagementeachpostattractsandhowmanypostsisenough(ortoomuch).
4. Adapt.Sometimesyouspillredwinealloveryourmother-in-law'swhitedressandsometimesyouforgettoscheduleatweet—buthey,thesethingshappen.Inunforeseencircumstances,youneedtobepreparedtotakeownershipoftheproblem,assessyoursituation,andcomeupwithawaytorectifythemissedopportunity.
Whencreatingyourcontentplan,keepthesequestionsinmind:
Whatisthepurposeofmysocialmediaactivity?
WhoexactlydoIwantto“like”mypage?
Whatcontentwillmyaudiencefindvaluable?
ShouldIcreateacontentcalendar?
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HowoftenshouldIpost?
Andmostimportantly:
Whatcontentwillmyaudienceengagewith?
B2BversusB2CContent
Inthecontextofsocialmediacontent,thinkpeople-to-peopleratherthanbusiness-to-business.Don'taimyourcontentatafacelesscompany,wheninrealityyouaredealingdirectlywithaperson.
Inthesamevein,thinkofthemarketasacommunityanddelivercontentthatwillinterestandengageitsmembers.Shortandsnappyvideotestimonialsarefantasticformsofcontent.Nontypicalsuccessstoriesworkreallywellforthistypeofapplication.Forexample,insteadofpostingavideobasedonayoung,privilegedHarvardgradmakingmillionsofdollars,usean80-year-oldgrandmotherinstead!
Infographicsarealsoapowerfulmethodofcompressingalotofinformationintoonepost—informationthatyouknowwillbothinterestthepeopleinyouraudienceand(hopefully)encouragethemtoshare.Takenoteofthefollowingfactorswhenplanningyourcontentforeachbusinessapproach:
B2B B2CB2B?ThinkP2P ProductorserviceupdatesCommunity CommunityEducation PhotosIndustryupdates EntertainmentTestimonials CustomerstoriesShortvideos EventsInfographics OffersordealsCustomerPOV Shortvideos
InfographicsCustomerPOV
ContentScheduling
Thebestwaytoprepareyourcontentistobreakitdownintoaschedule.TakethechartinFigure7.4asanexample.
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Figure7.4FacebookandTwitterPostSchedulingChart
Thereareanumberofconsiderationsforschedulingcontent.Thinkaboutwhichnetwork(s)topostto,whattoneofvoiceworksbestforeach,andwhattimeofdayisbesttoreachyourtargetaudience.Don't‘contentburst’—itisbetterpracticetostaggeryourupdatessoasnottooverwhelmyourcustomerswithaflurryofposts.
PlatformSpecificity
ThereisnomonogamyinSMM!Youhavegottoknowandloveeachplatform—andtheneachofthemwillloveyouback.Differentplatformshavedifferentneedsandrestrictions.Twitterpostshavealimitof140characters,Instagramismosteffectivewhenusingmultiplehashtags,andcertaintimesofthedayarebetterforpostingcertaintypesofcontent.TakeaquicklookatFigure7.5,whichshowsapostmapforFacebookandTwitterandlaysoutthebesttimestopublishcertaintypesofcontent.
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Figure7.5BestTimestoPublishbyContent
Postschedulingofcourse,isnotacut-and-dryprocess,soit'salwaysagoodideatouseyourschedulingtooltoreviewwhattimesandtypesofpostsworkbestforyouraudienceoneachnetwork.
ActionPlan
InorderforanySMMcampaigntobesuccessful,youmustacknowledgetheconstraintsthatyourbusinesshasinrelationtothetimeframeavailable:Don'tsetadeadlineunlessyouknowyoucandeliver.Examinetheresourcesyouhaveatyourdisposal—forexample,certainpartsoftheplanmayrequireparticularskillsets;doyouhaveastaffmemberwhocanperformthosetasks?YoucanthinkabouttheactionsrequiredtoimplementtheplanonceyouhaveconsideredtheothercriteriainFigure7.6.
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Figure7.6FactorsAffectinganSMMActionPlan
MarketingGoals
Yourgoalswilldifferaccordingtowhichmarketingrouteyoutake.Businessgoalsshouldbesetforleadgeneration,sales,orcostreduction.Forcustomerservice,yourgoalsmaybeaboutsatisfactionratings,referrals,orrepeatbusiness.Ifyouarethinkingintermsofyourproduct,perhapsyourgoalswillrelatetoproductresearch,design,orenhancement.Whenyouthinkaboutcommunication,thinkaboutbrandpersonalityandreputationmanagement.Nomatterwhatmarketingroadyoudecidetogodown,alwayskeepbranding,awareness,engagement,responserate,leadgeneration,andconversionintheforefrontofyourmind.
Onceyousetyourmarketinggoals,thenextstepistochoosethespecificKPIsforeachgoal.WithrespecttoFacebook,forexample,decidewhatyourKPIsareforleadgeneration—anddothesameforTwitter,LinkedIn,andthelike.
SocialKPIswillbedeterminedbyengagementandadvertising.Forexample,withrespecttoengagementindicatorsyoumaylookatelementssuchasreachandfollows;foradvertisingindicators,impressionsandclicksmayprovethemostimportant.TakealookatthecomprehensivelistofengagementandadvertisingKPIsbelow.
Engagementindicators Advertisingindicators
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Reach ImpressionsFollows ClicksTrending CPCLikes,shares,comments ConversionsRT(retweet),favorites,replies ConversionsDirectmessages RegistrationsClick-throughonposts RSVPsCompetitionentries AppinstallsOfferredemptions Conversions
QualityScaleofInteraction
Justasadatelaughingatyourjokesdoesn'tguaranteeagoodbyekiss,forsocialmedia,there'sabigdifferencebetweensomebodylikingaFacebookpostandgettingherinvolvedintheconversation.AsshowninFigure7.7,theLikefeatureonFacebookisthelowestlevelofinteractionafteractuallyviewingthepost,andeventhoughthefeatureisnotonallsocialmediaplatforms,it'sstillagoodwaytogaugethequalityscaleofinteraction.
Figure7.7QualityScaleofSocialMediaInteraction
Theultimategoalofpostingsomethingonsocialmediaisthatyouraudiencewillseeit,engagewithit,andspreadtheword.Eachchannelisuniqueandeachhasdifferentqualitiesthatyouneedtounderstand.Aswecontinue
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throughthechapter,let'sexamineeachoneinmoredetail.
FacebookStrategyandAdvertisingIfsocialmediaplatformswerehighschoolstereotypes,Facebookwouldbethehomecomingqueen.
Withover1billionusers,Facebookrulesthesocialmediaroost.ButFacebookismorethanjustaprettyface;itisanextremelyeffectiveadvertisingtoolandoneofthechannelsusedforstage3ofourprocess,highlightedinFigure7.8.ThissectionwillburrowdeepdowntothecoreofFacebookadvertisingandattheconclusionyouwill:
BefamiliarwithallofthedifferenttypesofadsyoucanrunfromFacebook.
Learntheskillsrequiredtosegmentandtargetdifferentaudiences.
UnderstandthemechanicsofcreatingasuccessfulFacebookad.
Figure7.8FocusontheThirdStageintheSMMProcess
Evenifyouwouldprefertohangoutunderthebleachers,whenyouareinbusinessyouhavetobeinwiththein-crowd—otherwise,yousimplyfallbehind.Facebookisanincredibletoolfordeliveringmessagestoyouraudience:Youarenotrestrictedincharactercount,unlikeonTwitter,soyoucanpostalotofinformationinonego.
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FacebookPageStrategyThegoalofhavingaFacebookpageistoincreaseinteractions.Why?BecausethemoreinteractionsyourFacebookpagehas,thecheaperyouradswillbe.WhenFacebookcanactuallyseethetypeofpeoplethatareinteractingandengagingwithyourposts,theydon'thavetotargettherightkindofpeopleonyourbehalf.
IncreasingYourEngagementLevel
SohowcanyougrowyourFacebookprofiletoattractmorecustomers?
Postconsistentlyandregularly.Scheduleyourpostsforwhenthemajorityofyouraudienceisonline.
Useacalendartoplanahead.Planningyourpostsensuresthey'reinlinewithyourmarketingcommunicationgoals.
Targetyourposts.Segmentyouraudienceintodemographicgroupsandadjustyourmessagingaccording.Yourpostswillonlybeshowntothosefanswhomatchaspecifictargetingcriteria.
Useimageryandvideos.Facebookaudiencesloveimages,andwiththeautoplayfeature,morevideosarenowbeingconsumedonFacebookthanYouTube.
HowtoPostConsistentlyandRegularly
TakealookatFigure7.9.Thereissomuchthatyoucandowithonesmalltextbox—addimages,showavideo,createanoffer,andevenshowemotion.
Figure7.9FacebookPostingFacility
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Source:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Byclickingthelittlearrowbesidethebluepostbutton,youcanschedulepoststoguaranteethatasteadystreamofcontentisbeingpublished.Besuretodedicatesometimetoorganizescheduling,andreturnatanothertimetorespondtoanyinteractions.
SelectYourAudienceCarefully
ThereallycoolthingaboutFacebookisbeingabletodirectyourpoststoaveryspecificdemographic.Ifyouwantedtoletthecheerleadersknowtherewasabiggamecomingup,youwouldnotannounceittotheentireschool!ThesamegoesforselectinganaudienceonFacebook.Ifyouarepromotingaproductgearedtowardswomenintheir30s,youcanselectthatdemographicspecifically.
Youcanbeverypreciseaboutwhomyouchoosetoviewaparticularpost.Youcannarrowitrightdownto:
Gender
Relationshipstatus
Educationalstatus
Age
Location
Language
Interests
Say,forexample,yourbusinessisrelatedtowellnessandyouarereleasingaproductrelatedtomen'shealth.Byspecificallyaimingthepostadvertisingtheproducttoyourmalecustomers,yougostraighttothetargetaudience.
HaveaHeart!
Whenposting,usethefeaturesthatallowyoutoaddemotionsandverbstodescribehowyouarefeeling.Facebookhasaddedthisoptionforareason:Peoplerespondtoemotionandtheyappreciateapersonaltouch.Stayingwiththepersonaltheme,itisagoodideatopublishbehind-the-scenesphotographsofyourcompany.Ithelpscustomersrelatetothecompanyonadeeperlevel.
ThisoptionshowsjusthowincredibleFacebookisasadigitalmarketingtool.Companiesdonothavetobefacelessinstitutionsanymore:Lettingcustomersinonthepeoplebehindthecompanybringsthemclosertothebrand.
WhenthePriceIsRight
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Whileit'struethatFacebookisafantastictoolforbusinessestogetnewclientsandgeneraterevenue,itisgettinghardertoreachyouraudienceforanumberofreasons.
UsersbegantocomplainthattheirNewsFeedswerebecomingcloggedupwithpromotionalcontentandFacebooklistened.OverthepastfewyearsFacebookhasreducedthenumberofpeoplewhoactuallyseeapost,eveniftheyarefansofyourpage.
Facebookdidnotjustchangeitsalgorithmforthegoodofitsusers—itsawafinancialbenefitforitself.
Rightnow,becauseofupdatestoFacebook'sEdgeRankalgorithm,ordinaryuserswillseelesspromotionalcontentontheirnewsfeeds.Infact,only8percentofpeoplewho“like”yourpagewillseeapost.Thatisanextremelylowpercentage,butthereisasolution—adaptandpay.TogetanysignificantimpactoutofFacebook,youneedtospendmoneywithFacebook.
BoostingYourPostTherearemanydifferentwaystoadvertiseonFacebook,butlet'sstartwithboosting—themechanismthatallowsyoutosellwithoutselling.
BoostingapostistheeasiestformofFacebookadvertisingandit'sanextremelyusefulonetouseduringanimportantpromotion.ItisagoodwaytointroduceyourselftoFacebookAdsandtolearnhowitworks.
Theprocessissimple;followthesethreesteps:
1. ClicktheBoostPostbuttonunderthetextbox.
2. Choosewhichaudienceyouwanttotarget.
3. Choosehowmuchyouwanttospendandhowmanydaysyouwanttoboostthepostfor.
It'sworthbeingstrategicaboutwhichpostsyouboost.Viewyourposthistorytoseethetypesofpostspeopleinteractwith,howmanypeopleviewvideoposts,andwhichtypeofpostsgetthemostshares.Popularpoststhathaven'tbeenboostedgiveagoodindicationofhowwellthattypeofpostwoulddoifitweretobeboosted.WhenyouarestartingoutandfamiliarizingyourselfwithFacebookadvertising,boostatleastonceaweek.ThiswillletFacebookknowthatyouareaspenderratherthansomeonewhousestheplatformforfree.
FacebookAdsBoostingmaybetheeasiestwaytobringattentiontoyourFacebookpage,
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buttherearemultipleotheradvertisingroutestotakeandallofthemserveaspecificpurpose.TheadinFigure7.10isdesignedtoencouragepeopletoclickthroughtothewebsite.PayattentiontothewordSponsoredinthetopleft-handcorner.ThiswordappearsoneveryFacebookadsothatpeoplewillknowthattheposthasbeenpaidfor.TheadinFigure7.11isavideoad—seethatlittleplaybuttonontheimage?Thisisagoodwaytoprovideyourtargetaudiencewitheducationalcontent—ideasthattheycanshare.
Figure7.10ClickstoWebsiteFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
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Figure7.11VideoViewsFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
TheadinFigure7.12isanadwithaUseAppbutton(bottomright)thatencouragespeopletoinstallanapp.Figure7.13isanexampleofaneventad—whichisaninterestingadtype,asitlivesonlinebutgivesyouthechancetomeetyourcustomersinperson.Andfinally,Figure7.14illustratesanothertypeofad—theoffer.Thisisapopulartypeofad,asitprovidessomethingusefultothecustomeranditenablesyoutocollectusefulinformation,suchasemailaddresses.
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Figure7.12AppInstallsFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
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Figure7.13EventResponseFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
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Figure7.14OfferClaimsFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
AdsManager
TheAdsManagerfunctionallowsyoutosetupanytypeofadyouchoose.Beforeyoucanuseit,however,youneedtocreatethead,sothatyoucanregisteryourcreditcarddetails.Therewillcomeastagewhenyoumayhavemultipleadsrunningatthesametime—andhereiswherePowerEditorcomesin.PowerEditoristhemostconvenientplaceformanagingyourads,allowingyoutomanagealladsinoneplaceandtomakechangesveryeasily.Beaware,however,thatPowerEditorcanonlybeusedwiththeGoogleChromebrowser.
AudienceInsights
AudienceInsightshelpsyoutodefinethesizeofyourtargetmarketandtotargetadsmorespecificallytoyouraudience.Narrowdownyouraudiencebychoosingfromarangeofoptions,includinginterestsandbehaviors,age,gender,location,workinformation,relationshipstatus,andfamily.Checkout
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theBehaviorsfeatureofAudienceInsights,whichallowsyoutospecificallychoosepeoplewhohavealreadyspentmoneyonFacebook.Italsoallowsyoutosegregatehigher-than-averagespendsonFacebook—prettynifty,right?
Thefirststepistochooseyouraudience,asshowninFigure7.15.
Figure7.15ChooseyourAudienceforFacebookInsightsSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Next,defineyouraudienceattributes.Youwillseefromyourdemographicswhatkindofpeoplearealreadyonyourpage.InFigure7.16youcanseethat49percentofusersarefemaleandthat25percentofthosewomenareinthe25-to-34agecohort.
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Figure7.16FacebookUserDemographicsSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Thenifyouwanttogetreallyspecific,youneedtotargetyouraudienceaccordingtolifestyle.Forexample,ifyouareinthebusinessofpensions,youmightwanttotargettheRaisin'Grandkidslifestylegroup,asseeninFigure7.17.
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Figure7.17FacebookInsightsLifestyleReportSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Objectives
Whenyoufirstcreateanad,Facebookwilldisplayalistofobjectivesforyoutochoosefrom,asillustratedinFigure7.18.
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Figure7.18ChoosinganObjectiveforaFacebookAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Choosingwhichobjectiveisbestdiffersfrombusinesstobusiness.Ifyoursoleobjectiveistoincreasethenumberofclientsyouhave,comparevarioustypesofadstodiscoverwhicharegivingyouthemaximumROI.ThebestwaytodothatistousePowerEditor,whichallowsyoutomonitormultipletypesofadsallatonceandcomparetheROIsofeach.Whenyouhavediscoveredthebestwaytomakemorethanyouarespending,you'llknowwhichobjectiveisbestforyou.
Audience
Afteryouhavedecidedonyourobjective,thenextstepisdecidingwhomtotarget.Onceyouchoosethespecifics—age,location,gender,educationlevel,andinterests—takenoteofthespeedometerontheright.
Makesurethatthepinissmackbanginthemiddleofthespeedometer,asinFigure7.19—ifitistoofartotheright,yourreachwillbetoobroad;toofartotheleftandyourreachwillbetoospecific.Theaimistohaveanevenlydefinedaudience.Youwillhavetotestdifferentthingstocenterthepin,suchaschangingthelevelofeducationoraddingmoreintereststomakesurethat
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pinishittingthe12o'clockmark.
Figure7.19FacebookSpeedometerAdTargetingGaugeSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
AdvancedTraining
Facebook'scustomtargetingfunctionallowsyoutoreachahighlyspecificaudience.Thecatchis,youmusthaveanemaildatabase.Byuploadingemailaddressesfromyourdatabase,Facebookwillbeabletorunanadcampaignthatwillappearrightinfrontofthosepeople.Notonlythat,Facebookgivesyoutheoptionofdisplayingyouradtothosewhomatchthelikesandinterestsofthoseonyouremaillist,andthiscanbedonewhetherthey“like”yourpageornot.
AnotherfantasticfeatureistheFacebookpixel,whichremarketstopeoplewhomayhavevisitedyourwebsitebecauseofaFacebookadbutwhodidnot
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fulfillyourcalltoaction(CTA).Installingthepixelwillassistinbringingvisitorsbacktoyourwebsiteandinfindingnewcustomerswhofityourtargetaudiencespecifications.Alwaysperformsplittestingwithyouradstoworkoutwhichoneisgettingabetterresponse.RunatleasttwoadsatthesametimeanduseacombinationofmultipleimagesandvariousCTAbuttonstodocomparisonssoyoucanseewhatisandisnotworking.
WritingtheAd
Onceyouhavelockeddownthetypeofadyouwishtocreateandtheaudienceyouwishtotarget,it'stimetowriteyourad.Writingyouradfollowsthesamerulesasanytypeofadvertising—aneye-catchingheadlineandcompellingtext—buttherearelimits.Theheadlinecanbeupto25charactersandthetextupto90characters.Ifyouarestuckforideas,“like”thepagesofyourcompetitors.Bydoingso,theiradswillappearinyourrightcolumnandonyourcellphone.Payattentiontothreadsthatarebeingrunoftenbecausetheyaremostlikelytobeperformingwell,meaningthecopyiswellwrittenandengaging.
BudgetSetting
Todefineyourad,decideonthedailybudgetandthemaximumbudgetperinteraction,page“like,”andlinkclick.Fromthis,setascheduletodeterminehowlongthecampaignisgoingtolast.Beforerunningacampaignoveralongperiodoftime,testitbyrunningitforaweektoseewhatworks.Edit,modify,andimproveituntilyouaresureitisprimedandreadytogo.
ReportsandInsights
TheReportsandInsightsfunctionnotonlydetailsyourresults,butalsotrackshowwellyouradperformed.YoucansetascheduleinFacebooktoreceivereportswithyouradresultsviaemailataspecifictimesothatyouneverforgettomonitoradperformance.
Places
Ifyourbusinessisaphysicallocation,registeritonFacebookPlacessothatyourcustomerscancheckin.Eachcheck-inismarkedasavisitonyourFacebookpage,anduserscantagphotos,statusupdates,videos,andsoonfromyourlocation.
FacebookGroupsAsidefromadvertising,FacebookGroupsistheonlyotherelementofFacebookwhereyoucangenerateanincomefromyourclientbase,asadsare
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notyetlimited.Betterstill,it'sfree!
Groupscanbeclosed(usersmustsubmitarequesttojoin),secret(userscanonlybeinvitedtojoin),orpublic(opentoeveryonewhowishestojoin).Facebookgroupsareusefulforanumberofreasons:Youcandevelopanetworkoflike-mindedusers,collaboratewithindustrypeers,orjustbepartofacommunitythatislinkedtoyourbusinessandlistentowhatisgoingon.Tryjoininganumberofgroupstofigureoutwhatisdrivingdiscussionandthencreateyourownbasedonyourfindings.
AppsThebenefitofaddingappstoyourFacebookpageisessentiallytomakeitamirrorforyourwebsite.AnexampleofausefulappisanHTMLtab.Thiscanbeusedforamenuifyourunarestaurantorapricelistforaservicesuchasahairsalon.Itisalsopossibletosettabsforwebinars,forsellingproducts,foranopt-inpage(wherepeoplecansignupforfreegifts),oraContactUsform.
Ingeneral,youcandoanythingthatyoucandoonyourwebpageonyourFacebookpagebyusingthird-partyapps.Tonamethreeexamples,youcanhostaYouTubechannelusingProbistorCueler,runcontestsusingWoobox,orhostawebpagewithinyourpageusingThunderpenny.
AbusinessthatdoesnotpossessaFacebookpageisatahugedisadvantage.AbusinessthatdoesnotusetheadvertisingmechanicsofitsFacebookpageshouldnotbeinbusiness!Socialmediaadvertisingmaybearelativelynewformat,butitisextremelyimportant.Facebookisthetopdogatthemoment,butthatdoesnotmeanthatitshouldbetheonlyone.Aslongastherearesocialmediaplatforms,thereareopportunitiestopromoteyourbusiness.Let'smoveontothenextsectionandseewhatLinkedIncandoforyou.
LinkedInAdvertisingIfFacebookisSocialMediaHighSchool'squeenbee,LinkedInisthatwhizkidwhomadeamilliondollarsbeforesheevengraduated.
LinkedInisdifferentfromothersocialmediaplatformsbecausetheaudienceitattractsisalreadyaspecifictarget:theworkforce.
TheaverageuseronLinkedInearnsover$100,000,makingitthemostimportantsocialmediaplatformforthecorporateworld.Whywouldn'tyouadvertiseonthisplatform?
InthissectionwewillnavigatethroughthewaysyoucanuseLinkedIntopromoteyourbusiness,andbytheendofityouwill:
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Beadeptatjoiningandcreatinggroups.
Knowthebestpracticestoensurestrongengagementwithingroups.
UnderstandthebestwaystosearchforajobonLinkedInandtofindyournexthire.
MasterthemechanicsofcreatingthevarioustypesofadvertisementsonLinkedIn.
Ifyouhaveabusinessthatthrivesonindustrydiscussion,youcannotneglectLinkedIn.WhileitmaynotbeasfunasFacebookorTwitter,itisextremelyusefulformakingvitalconnectionswithotherleadersinyourindustry.HavingapresenceonLinkedInnotonlyprovesyouareseriousinandaboutyourindustry,butalsocouldattractthenextbrightsparktojoinyourteam.
LinkedInGroupsLinkedIngroupsareverysimilartoFacebookgroups:Youcanjointhosethatalreadyexistoryoucancreateyourown.TherearetwotypesofLinkedIngroups:private(yousubmitarequesttojoinorareinvitedtojoin)andpublic(anyonecanjoin).ThediscussionsthattakeplaceinLinkedIngroupsareledbythoseintheindustry,andthebestdiscussionsarethosethatreallyengagethegroup.Somegroupsallowyoutopostpromotionsortorunadvertisementsforjobswhenyouarehiring.Andwhenyoumastertheartofengagingdiscussion,youcanpostthesepromotionsseamlesslyinyourgroup.
LeaderofthePack
Byparticipatingingroupdiscussionsregularlyanddeliveringqualityinput,yougrowyourpositionasatopcontributor.Thishighlevelofengagementindiscussionsisthebest—andfastest—waytogrowyournumberofconnectionsonLinkedIn.
Sohowcanyouconnectwithgroupcolleagueswhohavesimilarinterests?LinkedInConnect.Toconnectwithlike-mindedLinkedInusers,simplytypeinthekeywordsforthetypeofgroupyouareinterestedin,andwhenthelistappearsitwillshowwhichgroupsyoubelongtoandwhichofyourcontactsalsobelong.Thenjustjoinadiscussion,becomeknowninthegroup,andworkyourdigitalmarketingmagic.
Creatingagroupisalsosimple.JustnavigatetotheCreateaGroupbutton,asshownatthebottomofFigure7.20.Whenyouclickonit,namethegroup,decideonthegrouptype(publicorprivate),giveasummaryofwhatthegroupisabout,andinsertalinktoyourwebsite.
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Figure7.20HowtoCreateaLinkedInGroupSource:LinkedIn.
GroupAccess
Dependingonwhetheryouwantanexclusive,invitation-onlygrouporonethatwillacceptanyonewhoisinterested,setthegrouptoeitherpublicorprivate.Youcanalsosetmembershippoliciesandyoucanpreapprovemembersbyemailaddressoremaildomain.
Promote
WhenyouarestartingoutinaLinkedIngroup,getinvolved,learntheinsandouts,andgetthegeneraldiscussiongoing.Onlywhenyouhavegotintothediscussionflowshouldyoupromoteyourpost.Again,it'sveryeasytodo.AtthebottomoftheStartaDiscussionboxshowninFigure7.21,youcanchoosethetypeofdiscussion(general,job,orpromotion)—justselectthePromotionbuttonwhenyouwishtopromote!Createthetitleanddetailsaroundthat.
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Figure7.21StartaLinkedInDiscussionandChooseDiscussionTypeSource:LinkedIn.
Searching
Tosearchforcompanies,jobs,orgroups,usethelargesearchfieldontheverytopofaLinkedInpage,illustratedinFigure7.22.Tolookspecificallyforpeople,usetheadvancedsearchfunction,whichistotherightofthemagnifyingglassicon.
Best-PracticeTipsforSearchingforPeopleonLinkedIn
ThebeautyofLinkedInisthatyoucanreallyhitthebull's-eyewhensearchingforpeople.Thewaytodothisistousequotationmarkstogetspecificresultsaboutaspecifictypeofperson.Forexample,ifyouarelookingforasocialmediamanager,searchfor“socialmediamanager.”Typeorbetweentermsifyouarelookingformultiplesynonymsforskillsorjobtitles.
TakealookatFigure7.23toseeexactlyhowitworks.AsyoucanseeintheTitletextbox,thetitlesocialmediamanagerisenclosedinquotationmarkswiththewordORwrittenafterit(afterthatissomethinglike“communitymanager”or“digitalmarketingmanager,”alsoenclosedinquotationmarks).
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Figure7.23StrategiesforLinkedInAdvancedSearchSource:LinkedIn.
Youcanalsoexcludeclassesofpeoplefromajobsearch.Ifyoudon'twanttrainees,forexample,justtypetheword“not.”Thatwayyoucanfilterresultsandcomeupwithonlythekindofpeoplethatyouarelookingfor.
Figure7.22LinkedInSearchFieldandAdvancedSearchFunctionSource:LinkedIn.
LinkedInPremium
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ALinkedInpremiumaccounthasextrafeaturesforbusinessprofessionals.Forone,youhaveaccesstomoreprofileswhenyousearch(youcanonlyseeupto100profilesonafreeaccount).Inaddition,youcanseewhohasviewedyourprofileinsightsoverthepast90days,saveimportantprofiles,andaddnotestoprofilesusingtheprofileorganizer.
ThereareevenhigherlevelsaboveLinkedInPremium:WiththeLinkedInRecruiterandLinkedInSalesNavigatoroptions,youcanseethefullprofilesofanybodyontheLinkedInnetwork,regardlessofwhetherthey'reaconnection.
UsingLinkedIntoSearchforaJobOneofthemainpurposesofLinkedInistosearchforandapplyforjobs.Basedonauser'sprofile,LinkedInwillsuggestthemostappropriatejobstoeachmemberandwillalertmembersaboutnew,relevantjobsbyemail.IfyouhaveaLinkedInpremiumaccount,yourapplicationcanbeflaggedasafeaturedapplicant,sothatyouwillstandout.Premiummemberscanalsogetinsightsaboutjobrolesbeforetheyevensubmitajobapplication.BusinessescanadvertisejobsonLinkedInandreceiveapplicationsthroughbothtraditionalCVsandtheirLinkedInprofiles.
Tolookforajob,typethejobtitlebykeywordorcompanynameandthenfillintherestoftheinformation,suchasthelocationinwhichyouwouldliketoworkandthesizeofthecompanyandtheindustryyouareinterestedin.ClickFinishandLinkedIncanworkfromthere.
UsingLinkedIntoFindYourNextHireAsseeninFigure7.24,LinkedInguaranteesatleast10applicantsforeveryjobthatyoupost,anditwillmanagethejobapplicationprocessandgiveyouarankingofeachapplicationbasedontheapplicant'sprofileversusthejobdescription.Yourjobadwillalsobepromotedonappropriatecandidates'newsfeedsandbyemailupdate.
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Figure7.24PostingaJobonLinkedInSource:LinkedIn.
TopostajobonLinkedIn,firstchooseyourcompanybytypingitintothetextboxandselectingitfromthelist.Next,chooseajobtitlesothatLinkedIncanbettermatchyourjobwithpotentialapplicants.Writeyourjobdescriptionanddetailsandchoosewhetheryouprefertoreceiveapplicationsdirectlyviaemailoratyourcompany'scareersite.
LinkedInAdvertisingLinkedInadsenableyoutotargetLinkedInmembersbasedonanumberofdemographiccriteria:location,age,gender,company,education,industry,jobtitle,andevenaspecificjobfunction.
Whendecidingonthecostofthead,youaregiventwooptionstobidforyourads:costperclick(CPC)orcostperthousandimpressions(CPM).Beforeyougainexperience,becarefulwhenchoosingwhichoptionyouwant.ManypeoplethinkthatchoosingtopayforCPMisthebetteroptionbecauseitlookscheaper;however,bearinmindthatanimpressionisdefinedaseverytimetheadisshown.So,evenifyouchoosetopay$2per1000impressions,thesamepersonmightseetheadmultipletimes—inwhichcasemanyoftheseimpressionswillnotresultinanyactionbeingtaken.UntilyougetreallygoodatyouradsuseCPC,becauseatleastthenyouknowthatyouaregettingclicks.CPMbecomesmuchmorevaluablewhenyouknowhowtowriteanadthatgetspeopletoclick.Whendecidingonasuggestedbidrange,gotothehigherendofthescale.Why?BecauseLinkedInthenknowsyouare
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serious.TheSuggestBidRangefieldhelpsyoutochooseanumberbasedoncompetingbidsfromotheradvertisers.Bybiddingahighernumber,notonlywillyououtbideverybodyelse,youwillgetpreferentialtreatmentfromLinkedIn—andyoustillwon'tactuallypaythehighestprice.
SponsoredContent
LinkedInsupportsmultipleadvertisingformats,includingsponsoredupdatesonyourcompany'sLinkedInpage,whichissimilartoFacebookboostedposts,soratherthancreatinganad,youmaysponsorcontentinstead.Simplychoosewhichpieceofcontentyouwishtopromoteandtheaudienceyouwouldliketotarget,asshowninFigure7.25.Decideonhowmuchyouwouldliketopaypercampaign,checkout,payup,andyouradisreadytogo!
BestPracticesforaStrongAd
Youradwillhavealotofcompetition—sohowdoyoumakeitstandoutfromthecrowd?Ensurethatyourheadlines,copy,andimagesareasclearandattractiveastheycanbe.Looktoyourmaincompetitionforideas:Drawinspirationfromthepicturestheyuse,andthetitlesandtextthattheywrite.
Headline.Chooseastrong,catchytitle.
Copy.Splittestyouradtotargetdifferentdemographicsanddeterminewhichadworksbest.AlwaysincludeaCTAandletpeopleknowexactlywhattheyneedtodo.Bytellingyouraudiencetodosomethingspecific,youimmediatelygetahigherturnaroundrateofpeopletakingthataction.
Image.Chooseanimagethatmeanssomethingtoyouraudience:aperson,oranexampleofyourproduct,forinstance.Youonlyhave50pixelssquared,sotrytomakeitstandout.
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Figure7.25SponsoringContentonLinkedInSource:LinkedIn.
SponsoredInMailCampaigns
LinkedIngivesyoutheopportunitytosenddirectemails,orInMails,towhomeveryouwant—eveniftheyarenotyourconnections.Thiscanbeverypowerful,especiallyifyouwanttotargetaparticularaudienceinalocalizedmarket.WithintheInMail,therewillbeaclickableiconthatgivestheemailrecipienttheopportunitytofollowthroughonaCTA,whichalwaysimprovesconversionrates.YoushouldnotethatsponsoredInMailcampaignsarenotavailablethroughthenormalself-serviceadvertisingplatform,toavailyourselfoftheserviceyouneedtocontactLinkedIn'smarketingsolutionsarea.
LinkedInKPIs
Choosespecificindicatorsforeachofyourmarketingcommunicationgoals:Foradvertisingindicators,usethenumberofimpressions,numberofclicks,CPC,click-throughrate(CTR),andnumberofleadsorcontactsgained.KeepacloseeyeonyourCPMandCPC.YourpersonalLinkedInaccountprovidesinformationonprofileengagementandconnections.Growthofthecompanypageandthenumberoffollowersissomethingyoucanalsomonitor,alongwiththecompanypageengagementwithposts.
AdvertisingIndicators AccountIndicators
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Impressions YourPersonalLinkedInAccountClicks CompanyPageGrowthinFollowersCost-Per-Click(CPC) CompanyPageEngagementwithPostsClick-Through-Rate(CTR) Leads(contacts)
WhileFacebookmaybethetopdogwhenitcomestoSMM,LinkedInisthesmartdog.Therearenodisadvantagestoadvertisingonthisplatform;whendonerightitcanmakeyourbusinessstandoutamongstyourpeersandpotentialhires,whichcanonlybeagoodthing.
TwitterIfTwitterwereinhighschoolitwouldnotbepartofanyclique.Withitsstrictcharacterlimitations,Twitteristhesmartwisecrackerwhocandeliverawittyone-liner.ItisnotaspopularasFacebook,butstill,almosteveryonewantstohangoutwithit.Justbecausebusinessesaren'tridingonitscoattailsaswithLinkedIn,Twitterisdefinitelysomethingthatisworthyourwhiletospendtime,resources,andmoneyon.
ThissectionwilltunnelthroughhowadvertisingonTwitterisofbenefittoyourbusiness,andwhenwereachthelightattheend,youwill:
BeanexpertatcreatingallthreedifferenttypesofTwitterads.
Knowhowtoanalyzetheactivitydashboardandmeasurewhatworksbestforyou.
Beabletochoosethebesttypeoftweettopromote.
TwitterAdvertisingTherearethreemainpromotionsyoucandoonTwitter:Promoteatrendrelatingtoyourbusinessorevent,promoteyouraccounttogetmorefollowers,andpromoteatweettogetengagementsoraspecificCTA.
TakealookatFigure7.26:Itshowsapromotedtrendwiththehashtag#ILoveCoffee.Itisobviousthatitispromotedduetotheyellowarrowicon.Figure7.27suggestsacertainTwitteraccounttofollow.Figure7.28isanexampleofapromotedtweet,whichadvertisesalanguageschool.Itisquiteeasytopromoteatrendoraccount,butpromotedtweetsandTwittercardstakealittlemoreeffort.Solet'stakeacloserlook.
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Figure7.26LinkedInPromotedTrendSource:Twitter.
Figure7.27UsersTwitterRecommendsthatYouFollowSource:Twitter.
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Figure7.28PromotedTweetforaLanguageSchoolSource:Twitter.
ThepromotedtweetinFigure7.28hasalargeimageandaclearlydefinedlinktothewebsite,butnoCTA;thetweetitselfwouldhaveappearedonthetweetstreamofmembersofthetargetaudience.ForthistypeofTwitterad,theadvertiserischargedbyTwitteronacost-per-engagementbasis,soifTwitterusersinteractwiththissponsoredtweet—byfavoriting,replying,orretweeting,thepromoterpays.
CreatingtheAd
Thefirstthingyouareaskedtodowhencreatinganadistodecideonanameforyourcampaign.Next,choosetoeithercomposeatweet,asshowninFigure7.29,orselectatweetthatyouhavealreadywritten(usuallyonethathasreceivedthemostorganicengagements).
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Figure7.29CreatingaTwitterAdSource:Twitter.
Next,selectthelocationandafterthatselectadditionaltargetingcriteria:keywords,followers,interests,tailoredaudiences,andTVtargeting.Giventhein-the-momentnatureofTwitter,TVtargetingisveryinteresting.ItallowsyoutospecificallytargetaTVprogramonaparticularnight,onaparticularchannel,andtorunyouradonlyduringthattime.AnybodywhoisdiscussingorengagingwiththatTVprogramwillthereforeseethattweetintheirstreams.
CreatingaTwitterCard
ThemostpopularformofpromotedtweetistheTwittercard,whichfeaturesaCTAtoencourageappinstalls,websitesvisits,leadgeneration,andsoforth.Thisisthebestwaytocollectemailaddresses,growfollowers,orincreaseengagementwithaparticulartweet.
CreatingaTwittercardisareallystraightforwardprocess,asillustratedbyFigure7.30.InsertyourwebsiteURL,addanimage(800×320pixels),typeinyourheadline,andchoosefromthevarietyofCTAs,suchasreadmore,shopnow,viewnow,visitnow,booknow,learnmore,playnow,betnow,donate,apply,quote,orbook.
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Figure7.30CreatingaTwitterAdSource:Twitter.
GetideasforhowtodoTwittercardswellbyobservingTwittercardsthatappearinyourownstream.Theyaresuchasnappywayofgettingattention,andastheyarenotyetbeingoverused,theyareseriouslyeffectivewaystoadvertiseyourbrand.
TweetActivityDashboardAsmentionedearlierinthesection,youcanchooseapreviouslypublishedtweettouseasyourpromotion.ChoosewhichtweetisworthpromotingbylookingattheTwitterActivityDashboard,whichgivesyoualotofusefulinformation,suchashowmanyprofilevisitsyourpagehad,howmanynew
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followersyougained,andhowmanytweetslinkedbacktoyou.ThegraphsinFigure7.31measureandclearlylayoutengagementrate,retweets,replies,linkclicks,andfavorites,sothatyoucananalyzeexactlywhatinformationthatyouneed.
Figure7.31TwitterActivityDashboardSource:Twitter.
TwitterKPIsIfyouarelookingatadvertisingindicators,theKPIsyoushouldmonitorareimpressions,clicks,CPC,costperengagement,andconversions.IntermsofyouraccountKPIs,observethingssuchashowmanyrepliesyougot,howmanymentions,andhowmanyfollowsorunfollows.CheckouttheselistsofthemostimportantKPIsforadvertisingandforaccounts:
AdvertisingKPIs AccountKPIsImpressions Replies
Clicks MentionsCPC Follows/unfollowsCostperengagement TweetsConversions Retweets
ClicksonaTweetDirectmessageFavorites
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Trending
Twitteristheepitomeofsocietytoday.Itisfastpaced,ithasitsfingeronthepulse,anditboreseasily.WhenyoulearntheknackofproducingsnappyTwitteradsthatyouraudiencewillbehappytoclickorengagewith,youareontoawinningstrategy.WehavelookedatFacebook,LinkedIn,andTwitterinsomedepthnow,andwhileitmayseemlikekeepingupwiththeKardashiansismoremanageablethankeepingupwiththeseplatforms,don'tflakeoutonusjustyet!Thereareevenmoresocialmediaplatformswithadvertisingabilitiesthatcouldbeofmajoradvantagetoyou.Let'scarryontothenextsectionandcheckthemout.
AdditionalPlatformsAtthisstageweknowthatsocialmediaisaveritableBreakfastClub.Facebookisthemostpopular,LinkedInisthesmartone,andTwitteristheclassclown.Itdoesn'tstopthere,however;therearemanymoreplatformsoutthere,allwithdistinctidentitiesthatyoumayusetoyourdigitalmarketingadvantage.Let'swanderdownthepathofsocialmediadiscoveryandattheendofit,youwill:
BefamiliarwiththeadvertisingmechanismsofferedbyYouTube,Instagram,Pinterest,andSnapchat.
Understandwhichplatformsbestsuityourindustryandaudience.
YouTubeYouTubeneedsnointroduction—alongwithFacebookitisoneInternetsuccessstorythateveryonehasheardof.IfFacebookisthehomecomingqueen,YouTubeisitsdateattheprom!Asthewayweconsumeinformationevolves,peoplearebecomingaccustomedtousingvideoratherthantext—soifyouarenotalreadyonthevideobandwagon,youshouldbe.YouTubeisownedbyGoogleanditusestheGoogleAdWordsplatform,soinordertouseitsuccessfully,youwillneedtoberegisteredwithGoogleandcomfortablewithGoogleAdWords.
Therearethreemaintypesofadsavailable:thosethatappearinsearchresults,thosethatappearbeforevideos,andthosethatappearalongsidevideos.Takealookattheseimagestogetanideaofwheretheadswouldbeplaced.
Option1:InSearchResults
NotethehighlightedvideosinFigure7.32.Theseareadsthatappearfirst
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becauseanadvertiserhaspaidforthemtoappearbeforeorganicsearchresults.
Figure7.32InSearchYouTubeAdSource:YouTube.
Option2:BeforeVideos(RollingAd)
ThistypeofadisshowninFigure7.33andplaysbeforeachosenvideo,particularlyifthatvideohasahighnumberofviews.Therewillnormallybeacountdownoffivesecondsbeforetheviewercanstoptherollingad.
Figure7.33BeforeVideoYouTubeAdSource:YouTube.
Option3:BesideVideos
AsshowninFigure7.34,ratherthanhavingyouradplaybeforeavideo,youcanplaceitontheright-handsideofthevideo.
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Figure7.34BesideVideoYouTubeAdSource:YouTube.
EachadhasitsownbenefitsbuttheonlywaytofigureoutwhichmethodworksbestforyouandwhatwillbringthebestROIistotestandtestagain!
PinterestPinterestisanimage-drivensocialnetworkingsitewithover72millionactiveusers—andgrowing.Infact,itisthefastest-growingsocialnetworkplatform.Ithasafemale-dominateduserbase,soalthoughthemaleuserbaseisgrowing,itisdefinitelyworthconsideringifyouraudienceisprimarilyfemale.Interestingly,80percentofPinterestusagetakesplaceviacellphone.Itisalsoapopularplatformamongstpeopleintheir40sandover,becauseunlikeFacebookitismoreaboutsharingideasthanrevealingpersonalinformation.Inthiswayitisverygoodfordrivingtargetedtraffic.Ifthatisn'tenough,thisreasonmightconvinceyoutoadoptPinterestintoyoursocialmediacampaign—outofalltheothersocialmediasitesthatarebeingused,Pinteresthasthehighestratioofbuyers.
Let'sthinkofPinterestasthehomecomingqueen'sbestfriend—thenice,organizedonewhodecoratedthegymfortheprom.Pinterestisahobbyandideasplatform,whichcancertainlybeusedtobusinessadvantage.Infact,thereisaconversionfunctiononPinteresttoturnaregularPinterestaccountintoabusinessaccount.(Ifyoudon'talreadyhaveanaccount,youcangostraighttosettingupabusinessaccount.)
PinterestAnalytics
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APinterestbusinessaccount'sanalyticspagedisplaystheaveragedailyimpressions,averageviewers,andaveragemonthlyviews.Italsogivesabreakdownofeachpinyouputup:Howmanyimpressionsitgot,thenumberofre-pins,thenumberofpeoplewhoclicked,andhowmanypeoplelikedit.
SigningUpforaPinterestBusinessAccount
Thisprocess,whichisshowninFigure7.35,startsontheleft-handsideofthepage,intheHelpPeopleDiscoverbox,withtheInstallPinItbutton(whenanimagehasaPinItoption,anyonecanpinthatimagetoaboardontheirPinterestaccounts).Next,itasksyoutoSpreadtheWordbyinstallingtheFollowMebutton.ThenyouneedtoverifyyourwebsitetoTrackWhatWorkssoyoucanstarttotrackhowmanyclicksyouaregettingdirectlyfromPinterestusers.Todothis,youwillreceiveapieceofcodetoinsertintoyourwebsite.
Figure7.35PinterestBusinessAccountSet-UpSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofPinterest.
Soyouhavegotthepinsbutwheretopinthem?Onaboardofcourse!OneofthenicethingsaboutPinterestisthatitharksbacktothegoodolddaysofpinningapostcardorshoppinglisttoacorkboardinyourkitchen.WithPinterest,however,youdon'thavetoplaceyourbathroomconversionideaswithyourinspirationsforweddingdresses—youcancreateavarietyof
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differentboardsbasedarounddifferenttopics.Asfarasyourbusinessaccountinconcerned,keepitsimpletobeginwith—butsetupatleastthreeboards,oneaboutyourbusiness,oneabouthumor,oneaboutyournicheingeneralandwhat'sgoingoninyourbusiness.Keepinmindthatthehighestnumberofpoststhataresharedrelatetocats,followedbypostsaboutdogs.Soifyoucanrelateyourbusinesstocatsordogsinacleverway,doit!Guaranteedengagement.
PinterestAds
Pinteresthasrecentlylauncheditsadvertisingcampaigntoallowpeopletospendmoneyandpromotetheirpins.
Becausetheinitiativeissonew,youwillbeaskedtojointhewaitlistbeforeyoucanbegintoadvertise.Gettingonthelistisagoodthing:Anythinglikethisthat'sstillinitsinfancyprovidesagreatopportunitytostrikewhiletheironishotandgetaheadbeforeeveryoneelse.
Onceyoujointhewaitlistyouwillbeaskedhowmuchyouwanttospendonmarketingeachmonth,butthereareonlytwooptions:lessthan$20,000ormorethan$20,000.Itmightseemcrazy,butchoosethemorethan$20,000option,becausePinterestwillapproveyouraccountmuchsooner.Youdon'thavetospendthatmuchbutyoucanbegintoexperimentwithdifferentadvertisingmethodstoseewhichonesworkbest.Don'tforgetthecats.
InstagramInstagramisownedbyFacebook—it'sFacebook'slittlehipstersister!Itreallyisgearedtoyoung,trendypeopleforwhomtheircellphonesareextralimbs,soit'snosurprisethatitisprimarilycellphone–based—thescreeninFigure7.36isbeingviewedfromacellphone.Amongthe300millionactivemonthlyusers,theaverageuserusesInstagramtoshowcasehisbeautifullife;businessesarenowusingInstagramtodisplayproductsfortheseusersonlineorin-storepurchases.
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Figure7.36InstagramPostViewedfromaCellPhoneSource:Instagram.
Engagementissoughtwithmultiplehashtagsthatarerelevanttoyourbrandandthosethatarebeingsearchedforalot,soitisaverygoodwaytoraisebrandawarenessandtobuildcustomerloyalty.
Instagram'sadformatisrelativelynewandyouwillneedtousethePowerEditortooltocreateanysortofad.AdsfollowthesamestructureasFacebookorTwittersponsoredposts,inthattheyappearonusers'Instagram
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feedandaremarkedwiththesponsoredtag.Carouseladsarealsoanoption—theyfollowthesamestructureasaregularsponsoredpostbutmultipleimageswillrollby.
SnapchatSnapchatisaimedatayoungaudience,from13-to18-year-olds,andthereareover100millionmonthlyactiveusers,whichisahugenumberconsideredhowtargetedthedemographicis.Ifyouaretargetingpeopleinthisagecohortyoushouldstronglyconsiderthisplatform.Nomatterwhatyourcompanyorbusinessdoes,everyteenagergrowsup.BytargetingmembersoftheSnapchatgenerationearly,theymaybecomelonger-termcustomers.
TheuniqueaspectofSnapchatisthatyoucanshareaphotowithsomebodyelseanditdisappearswithin10secondsorso.Nowifthissoundsasthoughadvertisingopportunitiesareextremelylimited,thenewlyintroducedMyStorypagehasincreasedSnapchat'suseandhasmadeitfarmoreaccessibleforbrands.TheMyStoryfeatureallowsuserstocreateanarrative24hourslongbystitchingtogetheravastrangeofdisappearingphotosandvideos.It'salotofwork,buttheSnapchataudiencefullyembracesit.
AdvertisingwithSnapchatiscurrentlyonlyavailableforlarge-budget,single-daytakeoverads,butitisworthtakingalookattheTacoBellaccounttogetanideaofwhatcanbedonewithSnapchatadvertising.Withover200,000friendsonSnapchatandaspioneersinusing“MyStory”toadvertise,thefast-foodcompanyknowwhatit'sdoinganditdoesitverywell.
Comparedwiththemaincastmembers—Facebook,Twitter,andLinkedIn—socialmediaplatformsYouTube,Pinterest,InstagramandSnapchatarestillsupportingcharacters.Butsupportingcharactersoftendriveastoryline.Inthesameway,decidingwhichplatformstoutilizedependsonyouroverallstrategyandchoosingachannelthatisrelevanttoyouraudience.
Stage4:AnalyzeAvitalaspectofrunningasocialmediacampaignistomeasurehowit'sprogressing.Inthesamewaythatasportsteamwouldnevergettothetopofitsleaguewithouttrainingandevaluatingitsgameplan,asocialmediacampaignisuselesswithoutconstantanalysis.Youhavegottoflexthosedigitalmarketingmusclesandtotrackinformationthatwilltellyouwhatisworking,whatneedstobetweaked,andwhatshouldbestopped.
Analysisisstage4oftheprocess,asillustratedinFigure7.37.Whenyoucrossthefinishlineofthissectionyouwill:
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Knowhowtousetheanalyticsfeaturesofmajorsocialmediaplatformstoyouradvantage.
UnderstandtheimportanceofGoogleAnalyticswhentrackingaconversionpath.
Figure7.37FocusontheFourthStageintheSMMProcess
WhatGetsMeasured,GetsDoneEachsocialmediacampaignshouldfollowtheseguidelines:
Setmeasurablegoals.Choosegoalsthataresmart,specific,measurable,andattainable.
Trackyourgoals.Iteratethem,enhancethem,andimprovethemovertime.
Useanalyticstoolsforeachplatformtoinformyouroptimizationandenhancement.Haveyourstructureinplace,evenbeforeyougetstarted,soyouknowhowyouaregoingtomeasureyouroutcomesfromtheget-go.
Let'stakealookatthedifferentmeasurementtoolsavailablethroughdifferentsocialmediaplatforms.
FacebookInsightsFacebookdoesnotwantyoutositbackandenjoythereturnsofFacebook
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advertising;likeanygoodmentor,itwantstokeepitsapprenticesontheirtoes.ThatiswhyFacebookInsightscontinuestoexpandandgetmoreelaborateeveryfewmonths.Yes,ittakeswork,butit'sworthitinthelongrunbecauseoftheincredibleamountofusefulinformationyoucantakefromit.WhenyouclickintotheInsightssectionfromyourFacebookpageyoucanseeseventabs,eachofwhichoffersdifferentpiecesofinformation.ThetabsarecalledOverview,Likes,Reach,PageViews,Posts,Videos,andPeople.
1. Overview,whichisshowninFigure7.38,revealshowmany“likes”yougotinthelastweek,howwidelyyourposthasbeendistributed,andwhatthelevelofengagementhasbeenwithyourpage.
2. Likesshowsyouthetotalpagelikes,howmanylikesyourpagegainedandlosteachday(asshowninFigure7.39),andalsoshowsyouwhereyourlikesarecomingfrom(asshowninFigure7.40).
3. Reach,asshowninFigure7.41,showsyouhowmanypeopleyourpostshavereachedorganicallyandbyexactlyhowmuchyourreachwillincreasewhenyouspendmoney.Thisisessentialforreallyunderstandingtheimpactofspendingmoneyonspecificads.
4. PageViews,showninFigure7.42,tellsyouhowmanypeoplehavevisitedyourpageandwherespecificallytheyhavevisited.Isityourtimeline?Yourphotostab?Thepricelist?Yourinfotab?
5. Postsletsyouknowtheengagementyouaregettingoveranumberofdays.TakealookatthebottomoftheexampleinFigure7.43.Notethetimeframe,whichrunsfrommidnighttomidnightovera24-hourperiod.Thisishowyouwillknowwheremostofyouraudienceisbased.Thefigureshowsmuchlessengagementfrom1:00A.M.untilabout7:00A.M.,andengagementdrasticallyincreasesbetween6:00A.M.and10:00P.M.AsubtabofthePoststabcalledPostTypesalsogivesabreakdownofeverysinglepostpublishedonyourpage,includingtheaveragereachofyourstatuses,ofyourphotos,andofstatuseswithlinks,aswellasthelevelofengagement.
6. Videosallowsyoutoseeoverallviewsbasedonadaterangeyoucancustomize,asshowninFigure7.44.Youcanalsoswitchbetweenviewbreakdowns—organicversuspaid,auto-playedversusclicked-to-play,anduniqueversusrepeat—byclickingonthedrop-downboxatthetopright-handsideofthepage.AsshowninFigure7.45,youcanseethenumberoftimesyourpage'svideoswereviewedfor30secondsormore.Also,intheTopVideossectionofthepageyoucanidentifyyourpage'sbestperformingvideosbasedonreach,views,oraveragecompletionoveradesireddaterange.
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7. Peopledeliversabreakdownofthetypeofpeoplethatengagedwithyourposts.InFigure7.46,youcanseethat93percentoffansarefemale,7percentaremale,and42percentofallfansarebetweentheagesof25and34.Thiskindofinformationiscriticalfordecidingwhattypeofpoststopublishandwhomtotarget.
Figure7.38FacebookInsightsOverviewTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
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Figure7.39NetLikeswithinFacebookInsightsLikesTab
Figure7.40LikeAttributionwithinFacebookInsightsLikesTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
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Figure7.41FacebookInsightsReachTab
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Figure7.42FacebookInsightsPageViewsTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Figure7.43FacebookInsightsPostsTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
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Figure7.44ViewsbyDateRangewithinFacebookInsightsVideosTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Figure7.4530-secondViewReportwithinFacebookInsightsVideoTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
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Figure7.46FacebookInsightsPeopleTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.
Yes,thereisahugemineofinformationtobeuncoveredwithyourvirtualhammerandchisel,butjustasyoucannotenteraminewithoutahardhatandflashlight,youmustknowwhatyouarelookingforbeforeyougointoInsights.Bepreparedwiththespecificoutcomesthatyouwantfromit,suchasaudienceinformationandideasonhowtoimproveyourpostsandincome.
FacebookInsightscanmeasurenumerousimportantfactorsincludinghowyourpageisperforming,ifitisgainingfansand“likes,”ifyourpostsarereachingtherightpeople,iftheyareengagingwithyourpage,andthetypeofcontentyouraudienceprefers.IfyouhaveaFacebookpageyousimplymustusetheInsightstool.Ignoreitatyourperil!Youmayenduppostingthewrongkindofcontentatthewrongtimetothewrongaudience.Couldyouhandletheshame?
LinkedInAnalyticsWhileitmaynotbeascomprehensiveasFacebookInsights,LinkedInAnalyticsoffersvaluableinformationonanumberofdifferentaspectsofyourcampaign.TakealookatFigure7.47foranexampleofacompany'sanalyticspage;itgivesadetailedoverviewofhoweverypostisperforming,thenumberofimpressions,clicks,andinteractions,aswellasthepercentageof
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engagement.
Figure7.47LinkedInAnalyticsOverviewPageSource:LinkedIn.
Ifthatlevelofinsighthasnotsatisfiedyourappetitefordata,youcanlookevendeeperintospecificpoststoseethereach(uniqueimpressions)andengagement(clicks,“likes,”comments,shares,followersacquired,andengagementpercentage),asshowninFigure7.48.
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Figure7.48AnalyticsReportforSpecificPostwithinLinkedInSource:LinkedIn.
AswithFacebook,youcanalsoseeyouraudiencedemographicsonLinkedIn,withtheaddedbonusofbeingabletochoosethetypeofdemographicyouaremeasuring.Youcandothisbyclickingthedrop-downmenuontheright,whichissettoSeniorityinFigure7.49.Hereyoucanseewhatthelevelofseniorityofthejobsheldbyyouraudiencemembersis—inthisexample34.2percentareseniorlevel,24.9percententrylevel,18.8percentmanagers,6.8percentdirectors,and5.5percentowners.Otheroptionsfromthisaudiencedemographicdrop-downmenuincludecompany,industrytype,companysize,function,andemployeetype.Awealthofinformationrightatyourfingertips—useit!
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Figure7.49LinkedInDemographicDrop-DownMenuSource:LinkedIn.
YoucanalsotrackyourfollowersthroughLinkedInAnalytics.Youcanfindouthowmanyfollowersyourcompanypagehas,ifthereisatrend,ifyournumbersaregrowing(asinFigure7.50),oriftheyhaveleveledoff.Youshouldlookatyourfollowers'demographicstomakesurethattheyarerepresentativeofyourtargetaudience.Ifnot,yourmethodswillneedtweakingtoreachthepeopleyouwanttotarget.
Figure7.50LinkedInFollowerTrendsSource:LinkedIn.
Notonlythat,youcanmeasurehowwellyouareperformingagainstyourcompetitors.Ifyouprovidedetailsaboutyourprimarycompetitors,LinkedInwillcompareyourcompanywiththemintermsofthenumberoffollowerseachcompanyhas,asshowninFigure7.51.
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Figure7.51LinkedInCompetitorComparisonSource:LinkedIn.
TheinformationyoucangatherfromLinkedInAnalyticsiscrucialtothesuccessofyourLinkedInpage.Withit,youcanmonitor,test,tweak,andperfect.
TwitterAnalyticsTheActivityDashboardiswhereallTwittermonitoringhappens.AsyoucanseeinFigure7.52,it'swhereyoutrackthenumberoftweets,impressions,profilevisits,mentions,andfollowersthatlinkbacktoyouraccount.Youcantrackimpressionsdailyandseehowtheymoveupordowndependingonthetypeoftweetyousentandwhetheryouspentmoneyonitornot.Usethistooltolookatwhetheryournumberoffollowersisincreasing,decreasing,orstayingstatic,andfigureoutwhy.
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Figure7.52TwitterAnalyticsTweetActivityDashboardSource:Twitter.
TwitterAnalyticsletsyouseeifyourfollowers'demographicsarerepresentativeofyourtargetaudience.Italsotellsyouwhatcontenttypesyouraudiencemembersprefer,whetherthatisastandardtweetoratweetwithphotos,videos,orlinks.Detailedanalysisonengagementintheformoftweets,retweets,replies,favorites,andlinkclicksareeasilyobtainable.Youcanevenseebothwhattimeofdayyourfollowersaremostactiveandthetimesthatdeliverthebestimpressionsforyourtweets.
Google+InsightsWhileGoogle+istheseriousolderbrotherinthesocialmediafamily,itisanadvantageouschanneltoutilizeifyouhavealocalbusinessorabusinessthatisphysicalinanyform.YourrankingonGoogleSearchandGoogleMapsdependsonit.
ThefunctionofGoogle+Insightsistokeepaneyeon:
Visibility.Howmanyviewsyouaregetting(showninFigure7.53)?
Engagement.Howmanyactionsofengagementhavetakenplaceoverthepast30days(showninFigure7.54)?
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Audience.Howmanynewfollowershaveyougotandwherearetheycomingfrom(showninFigure7.55)?
Figure7.53VisibilityTabofGoogle+InsightsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure7.54EngagementTabofGoogle+InsightsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure7.55AudienceTabofGoogle+InsightsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
IntheexampleshowninFigure7.55,mostfollowerscomefromtheUnitedStates,and57percentofthosearefemaleand43percentmale.
ThetypesofmetricsavailableinGooglePlusareverysimilartotheothersocialmediaplatforms.YoucanseehowyourGoogle+followersaregrowingovertime,ifthedemographicsofyourfollowersarerepresentativeofyourtargetaudience,howyourpostsareperforming,andwhichtypesofpostsyouraudienceprefers.Afterdeterminingthatinformation,youcanthenlookathowyourGoogle+audiencemembersbehavewhentheylandonyourwebsiteandwhattheconversionrateis.
YouTubeAnalytics
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YoucangainaplethoraofreallyusefulinformationfromYouTube,thankstoitsassociationwithGoogleAdWords.Thedashboardgivesyoutabsfordataoverviewaswellasreportsonrealtime,earnings,estimatedearnings,adperformance,demographics,playbacklocations,trafficsources,devices,audienceretention,engagementreports,subscribers,likes,dislikesandfavorites.Thelistisexhaustiveandcanappearoverwhelmingatfirst.Butonceyouarefamiliarwithhowitworks,youcanpluckawealthofinformationleft,right,andcenter!TonavigateYouTubeAnalytics,workyourwaydownthemenuontheleftandgothrougheachsectiononebyone.
Justbyglancingatthedemographicssection,asshowninFigure7.56,youcanseeyourfollowers'gender,location,agegroup,andnumberofviews.Unlessyouknowexactlywhattolookfor,youcanbecomelostinYouTubeAnalytics,soplanaheadbeforeyoustarttrawlingthroughit.
Figure7.56DemographicsSectionofYoutubeAnalyticsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
GoogleAnalyticsSocialmediaplatformanalyticsarenothingincomparisontoGoogle
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Analytics,thequeenofallthingsdata.Itallowsyoutomeasuretrafficsources,andfromthat,figureoutthetopconversionpath.Thebottomlineis,youhavetoknowwhereyourvisitorsarecomingfromtogetmoreleadsandgeneratemoreincomeforyourbusiness.Let'stakealookatFacebook,LinkedIn,andTwitteronGoogleAnalyticstogetabetterideaofhowyoucantrackaconversionpath.
TakenoteofthespecificvisitsfromFacebookandthenumberofpeoplewhothenconvertedintoaspecificactionfromFigure7.57.Thisishugelybeneficialinformation,aswhenyouknowhowtouseAnalyticsyoucangivethosepeopleaconversionvalue.Forexample,ifyougiveeachleadgeneratedavalueof$10,and94ofthesegavetheiremailaddresses,thetotalconversionvalueis$940.Ifyoucouldtakeout173conversions,basedonthevalueassigned,thatgivesthema$940conversionvalue.
Figure7.57GAFacebookConversionsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
LookingatFigure7.58andthesame173conversionsonLinkedIn,youwillseethatthetotalconversionwasapproximately50percentontopofthat,amountingto$1,535.
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Figure7.58GALinkedInConversionsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
WhileFacebookandLinkedInwereclearlysuccessful,Figure7.59showsthatTwitteronlyhas40conversionswithatotalconversionvalueof$50.
Figure7.59GATwitterConversionsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Onceyoucheckwhatthetotalspendwas,GoogleAnalyticscantellyouwhatthespecificgoalflowis.Fromthis,youcanseewherethesourceofthetrafficis,howmanyofthosepeoplewentontotheContactUspage,andhowmanyofthosepeoplewentfurtheragainandtookaspecificaction.
SocialMediaKPIs
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UsingthechartinFigure7.60isagoodwayoftrackingoverallperformanceandtheKPIforeachobjective.Beforeyoustartalongyoursocialmediaadventures,youshouldknowwhatKPIstokeeptrackof.SuccessfulSMMisaniterativeprocessthatinvolvestrackingandoptimizingallaspectsofyouractivities.
Figure7.60GATwitterConversions
Neglectingtomonitoryoursocialmediajourneyislikegoingforawalkwhileit'ssnowingandexpectingtofollowyourfootstepsback.Nogoodwillcomeofthat!So,asyouaresettingupyouroverallstrategyandplanningyouradvertisingcampaign,makesuretosetupameasurementsystem.TheprocessofiterationallowsyoutomaximizetheeffectivenessandROIofyouractivitiesovertime,helpingyoutoultimatelyachieveyourbusinessgoals.
LawsandGuidelinesTheclockisstriking12onsocialmediapart2'siterativejourney,butbeforewepreparetostartthecyclealloveragain,let'staketimetolearnsomeimportantinformationonlawsconcerningsocialmedia.
Whenyoucompletethissectionyouwill:
Beawarethatcertainlawsapplytoallsocialnetworks.
Understandtheonlywaytohavecompletecontrolofthedataaboutyourconsumersisviaaforumotherthansocialmedia.
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DataProtectionandPrivacySocialmediaisaninternationalgame,soalongwithbeinguptospeedonthelawsinyourowncountryyoumustalsobeawareoflawsworldwide.Thereisnoneedtovisityourlocallawlibrary—therearevariouswebsitestohelpyouwiththis,suchaswww.dlapiperdataprotection.com.
Dosomeresearchondataprotectionlawssothatyouknowtherulesthatcovercollectingpeople'sdata.Forinstance,youcanonlyusepersonaldataincertainways,andyoumustdisposeofitafteracertainnumberofyears.Itisveryimportanttorememberthatyoucanonlyusethiskindofinformationforthepurposesforwhichyoucollectedit.
CopyrightIssuesCopyrightbecomesmorerelevantwhenyouareusingwebsiteslikePinterestandInstagram.Ifyouarejustrandomlysharingpeople'sphotographsorimages,beawareofwhatyoucandoandwhatyoucan'tdowhenitcomestocopyrightedimages.
OrganizationalPolicyDocumentsDespitebeingabletofreelygatherinformation,youdonotownanyofthesesocialmediapages.Theyarethepropertyofthecompanythatownsthesocialnetwork,suchasFacebookandTwitter.Haveaback-upstrategyinplacesothatyoucanownasmuchdataaboutyourconsumersasyoucan.Getasmanypeopleaspossibleoffsocialmediaandintoaforumthatyoucanmanageandthatyouhave100percentownershipof,likeanemaildirectorydatabase.
SocialmediaistheNewYorkCityoftheInternet—itnever,eversleeps.Youhavethepowertokeepupwiththebestofthembyusingallofthefeaturesandtoolsavailabletoeachplatform.Butbemindfulthatifyoudonotobeytheguidelinesthatareputforthforareason,youruntheriskofyoursocialmediaplanbeingstoppedinitstracks.
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Goforth,socialbutterfly,anddelightthemasseswithyourengagingcontentacrosstheplethoraofplatformsavailabletoyou.Andifyouareeverinneedofanothersocialmediarevamp,justremember:
It'sateameffort—assignmemberswithdifferentstrengthstoyourSMMteamandconsiderup-skillingifnecessary.
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Listentoyourcustomersandproveitbybeingreactive.
Scheduleyourcontent—don'toverwhelmyouraudience!
Focusonqualityratherthanquantitywhenitcomestoyoursocialmediainteractions.
Socialplatformsareconstantlyevolving—keepup-to-dateandaheadofthegame!
Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonSMMasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
Exercises
Exercise1Youareanew24-hourgymopeninginManhattanandyourmaintargetmarketisworkingprofessionals(ages25to40)whoeitherliveintheareaorarevisitingforbusiness.Corporatepackagesareanewventureforthegym.
CreateacontentscheduleforyourFacebookpageforthenextsevendays.Considerthetypeofpoststhatwouldbeinterestingandengagingtoyourpotentialcustomers.
Note:Theremustbeasplitoverallinto70percentyourowncontent,20percentsharedcontent,and10percentorlessselling.
Exercise2LogintoyourbusinesspageonFacebookandgotohttps://www.facebook.com/ads/audience_insights.Createanaudiencebasedonyourgym'stargetmarketandexaminethedata.Whatdoesthedatatellyouaboutyouraudienceinregardsto:
Gendersplit
Ageprofile
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Relationshipstatus
Jobtitles
Interests
Exercise3UnderManageAdsinLinkedIn,clickonCreateaNewCampaignandcreateanadthatwilldrawpeopletoyourwebsite.Nameyourcampaign,chooseyouradtext,anduploadanimage.Nowsetupasecondvariantsoyoucansplittestdifferentwording,images,orbothandpreviewyourad.Thenchooseatargetmarketforyourgymbasedonthecriteriaabove.(Rememberyoualsowanttotargetcorporateclientsinthearea.)Chooseyourbudget.
Exercise4Asoftomorrow,youwillbewaivingyourgymjoin-upfeefortheentiremonth.GotoTwitterAdsandcreateanewfollowerscampaign.Customizethestartandenddatesandcomposeanewtweetforyourad—remembertoincludethebenefitsandaCTA.
Selectyourtargetedaudience.
Addtargetedfollowers.
Addbyinterest.
Chooseyourbudget.
Exercise5Ifyoudon'talreadyhaveanInstagramaccount,downloadtheappandsetoneup.Thenvisithttp://iconosquare.comandclickSignInwithInstagram.
ClickonAnalyticsandexportyouranalysisreportforthemonth.
Recordthefollowing:
Numberof“likes”
Yourmostlikedimagesforthemonth
Yourengagementscores
Followergrowth
Your10mostengagedfollowers
UsetheinformationtoshapeyourInstagramactivityandcompareitwith
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yournextmonthlyreport.
ActionPlan:SMMDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforSMM
ObjectivesReach,engagement,advocacy,conversion
ActionItemsContentcreating(blogposts,ebooks,whitepapers,infographics,GIFs,video)
Socialposting(createdcontent,curatedcontent,images,video,links,offers)
Engaging(CTAs,comments,questions,polls,surveys)
Promoting(promotedsocialposts,ads,competitions,productpromotions,events)
Communitybuilding(conversation,customerservice,comments,suggestions)
MeasurementToolsandKPIsSocialmediainsightsandanalytics:Shares,comments,clicks,goals,socialreferraltraffictowebsite,sitecontenttraffic,conversions
Spend
Media Content People Systemsx X x x
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CHAPTER8MOBILEMARKETING
AnIntroductionPeoplehavegrownprettyfondoftheirphones.Theirlittledevicesofmetal,plastic,andglassarelikephantomlimbsandtheypanicifthey(gasp!)forgetit,evenforafewhours.Thisaddictionmeansthatconsumershavebecomeusedtohavingtheirmobiledeviceswiththemconstantly.Sowhatopportunitydoesthisposeformarketers?Rightyouare.Abigone.
Thischapterwillfocusonthemobilemarketingindustry,andhowyou,thedigitalmarketer,cangetupcloseandpersonalwithyourcustomers.
TheMobileMarketingAssociation'sformaldefinitionofmobilemarketing:“Asetofpracticesthatenablesorganizationstocommunicatewithandengagewiththeiraudiencesinaninteractiveandrelevantmannerthroughandwithanymobiledeviceornetwork.”
Informaldefinitionofmobilemarketing:Makingyourmovethroughmobile!
ProcessEffectivemobilemarketingisacycleofdiscovery.Sinceitisarelativelynewchannel,thereisnorealrulebooktofollow—soyouwillneedtoexperimentwithandaugmentyourstrategyasyougoalong.However,asseeninFigure8.1,aprocessdoesexistforeffectivemobilemarketing.
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Figure8.1Four-StepMobileMarketingProcess
Thischapterwilladdressthefourmainstagesofmobilemarketing'siterativeprocess:
1. Opportunity.Chapter8beginsbydiscussinghowmobileusehastakenoffandwhythispresentssuchagreatopportunityfordigitalmarketers.Youwillcometounderstandthesheersizeandscaleofthemobilemarketinguniverseandwhyanever-increasingamountofattentionisbeingpaidtoit.Onceyouhaveseenwhatmakesmobilesuchabigdeal,youwilldiscoverafewchallengesthatitmaythrowyourway.
2. Optimize.Thisstagewillexplaintheupsanddownsofmobilesitesandapps.Itwillincludeconsiderationsfordevisingyourmobilestrategyandshowyouhowtocreateamobile-optimizedwebsite.Youwilllearnaboutappdevelopmenttoo—thetypesofappsthatyoucancreateforvariousplatforms,howyougoaboutcreatinganapp,andthebenefitsofbuildinganappversusamobilesite.
3. Advertise.MobileadvertisinghasexplodedfasterthanapackofMentosinaDietCoke.Inthisstage,youwilllearnthemanynewwaysinwhichyoucanreachcustomersontheirpreciousdevices.
4. Analyze.Aswithalladvertisingcampaigns,youshoulduseanalyticstotrackthesuccessofyoursbeforeoptimizingthemfortopresults.Thefinalstagewillcoverhowtodosofromamobilemarketingperspective,becauseoneofthegreatthingsaboutmobilemarketingisthatitisimmenselymeasurable.
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KeyTermsandConceptsThischapterwillhelpyoudeveloptheskillsyouneedtoharnessnewtechnologiesandaccessanincreasinglymobileaudience.Youcanbeinwiththecoolskids,wellequippedtolaunchyourownmobilemarketingcampaign.Specifically,youwilllearnto:
Appreciatetheopportunitiesandchallengesofmobilemarketingwhenbuildingyourmobilestrategy.
Understandthevariouswaysinwhichyoucanoptimizeyourcontentformobile,beitthroughthecreationofmobilesitesorapps.
UtilizearangeoftechnologiesfromBluetoothtoQRcodestoenhancethemobileUX(userexperience).
Createeffectivemobileadvertisingcampaignsthatareinlinewithyourobjectivesandbudget.
Recognizetheimportanceofanalyticsintherealmofmobilemarketing.
Keepupwiththemobilemarketingcurvebybeingawareofemergingtrendsandofthelawsyouneedtofollow.
Nowthatyouhavegottenatasteofwhatwillbecoveredinthischapter,let'sjumptothemaincourse—startingwithanoverviewofthemobilemarketingindustryandtheopportunitiesthatitallowsdigitalmarketers.
Stage1:OpportunityMobilemarketingiscenteredonthefactthatmobilenowovershadowsthedesktopworld.AshighlightedinFigure8.2,thefirststepinthemobilemarketingprocessisallaboutunderstandingthemassiveopportunitiesinthisarea.Tracingthemovetomobilewillhelpyouto:
Understandtheopportunitiesthatthischangehasmeantfordigitalmarketers.
Realizethekeycharacteristicsandbenefitsofmobile.
Beawareofmobilemarketing'schallenges.
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Figure8.2FocusontheFirstStepintheMobileMarketingProcess
AMobileIndustryFromthefirstMotorolarightthroughtotheadventoftheiPhone,themobilephonehashadanumberoffacelifts.Originallyitcoulddolittleotherthansendandreceivecalls.ThenSMSappeared.Thengames.Thenbuilt-incameras.Andsoon,untilgraduallyconsumershadpersonalorganizers,entertainment,andeducationinonedevice.Mobilephonescontinuetochangetoday,andsincehavingthenewestversionofamobilephoneisastatussymbol,consumersarewillingtopaybigmoneyforthelatestdevice.
Backin2014,mobileInternetusagetrumpeddesktopInternetusageforthefirsttime.Therewasanexplosioninthemobilemarket,whichcontinuestoincreasetoday—forinstance,therearemoreAndroidactivationseverydaythantherearebabiesbeingborn!Thepastfourorfiveyearsinparticularhaveseenthegreatestincreaseintheuseofmobilephonesanddata.Peoplearenowsharingeveryaspectoftheirdailylivesonsocialmedia.Andtheyareusingphonesmoreforcreating,storing,andsharingdatathantheyareformakingphonecalls—thereasonmobilephoneswereinventedinthefirstplace.
Figure8.3showshowthismobileboomseemslikelytocontinue:
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Figure8.3SmartphoneSubscriptionsPerRegion2015-2021Source:Ericsson.
Nowadays,peopleprefertoexperienceeventsthroughtheirscreensratherthanwitnessingthemwiththeirowneyes.Youwillprobablybefamiliarwiththesamethinghappeningataconcert,oranymassevent—everyonehastheirphonesoutandarepayingattentiontothescreensinfrontofthem,wheninfacttheyshouldputthemawayandabsorbwhatishappening.Still,peoplearedriventorecordtheseevents,tosavethem,andtoshowthemtofriends.Thisisnowpossiblewithincreaseddataspeeds,storagecapacity,andconnectivity.Inshort,mobileencouragespeopletocapture,store,andsharetherealworlddigitally.
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OpportunitiesAsadigitalmarketer,ifyouwanttoreachthewidestaudiencethesmartphoneisyournewbestfriend—becauseithelpsyoutoreachamassaudienceinanincrediblyeasyway.
Forexample,CitigrouphavefoundthatwhileTVtook13yearstoreachanaudienceof50millionusers,anentitylikeFacebooktookonly3.5years…andAngryBirdstookjust35days!
Thesheersizeofthemobileaudienceandthespeedwithwhichyoucanreachitisincredible.Youinstantlyhaveamarketplaceandanecosystemthatisglobal,withdevicesinthehandsofeverybodythatyouwanttoreach,andevenadistributionmechanismthatfacilitatesreachingthem.
Thekeybenefitsofmobileinclude:
Personalconnection.Gonearethedaysofso-calledbrochurewebsitesthatcontainedmerelyabrand'slogo,contactdetails,andlocation.Withmobile,youcanbecomeasocialmediabutterflyandcreateengagingadsthatbegtobenoticed—whateveryouchoose,youcanconnectwithusersontheirpersonaldevicestoformdeeperrelationships.
Access/Immediacy.People'sphonesarealwayswiththem,andunlikenewspaperstheydonotthrowthemaway.Generally,theirphonesarealwayson,too—sowhenyousendanotification,itwillbenoticed.Howquicklywillitbeseen?Well,37percentof18-to24-year-oldswillseeitwithinanhour,and55percentofthoseaged25to40yearswillseeitwithinthreehours.Well,wewouldn'twanttomissanything!
Onaverage,peoplechecktheirphones150timesaday,whichroughlyworksout(dependingontheirsleeppatterns)toevery6.5minutes.Theyinteractwiththeirphonesmorethanwithanyothertechnology,whichmeansyourmessagewillbeseenprettyquicklyoncesent.
Distribution.YouhaveseenhowfastanappsuchastheoneforAngryBirdscanreachaglobalaudience.ThatislargelyduetoappstoressuchastheiOSAppStoreandGooglePlay,whichletyoureachmillionsofconsumersinstantly.
SeamlessUX.Thankstoadvancesindigitalwalletsandbuilt-inpaymentmechanisms,userscanbrowse,select,andpurchasewithafewtouches.Andifyoucanprovidethemwithaseamless,interactiveexperience,howcouldtheynotfallforyourcharms?
Cross-Platformcapabilities.Youcanusemobiletoactivatestaticmedia,suchasprintads—moreonthatinthesectiononproximitymarketing.
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ChallengesAlthoughmobilemarketingcomeswithahostofopportunities,itdoeshaveitschallengestoo.Forinstance,smartphoneshavetiltedthebalanceofpowerfromthecompanytotheconsumer.Inthepastwhenconsumershadbadexperiencesinrestaurantstheyraisedthematterwithmanagementthereandthen.Ortheymightpostastronglywordedletteratalaterdate.NowtheycaninstantlycomplaintotheworldviaFacebookorTwitter.
Consumershaveadigitalvoicethattheycanletlooseatanytime.Sowhatdoesthatmeanforbrands?Well,theyneedtorespondimmediately—whichiswhymanyhavesocialmediateamsdedicatedtotrackingwhatconsumersaresayingviamobile.
Also,thepersonalnatureofmobilehasforcedbrandstorethinktheirdeliveryofcontent.Theyneedtoditchtheirstaticwebsitesinfavorofamoreimmersiveexperiencethatisoptimizedformobile,withinteractivefeaturessuchasclick-to-callbuttons.
Mobilemarketingisstillsomewhatuncharteredterritory,throughwhichyouwillneedtogingerlyfindyourway—andtheupcomingsectionswillhelpyougetofftothebeststart.Nextup,learnhowtooptimizeyourmobilesite.
Stage2:OptimizeNowthatyouhaveexploredstage1oftheiterativeprocess—becomingfamiliarwiththeopportunitiesandchallengesofmobilemarketing—let'slookatthewaysinwhichyoucanoptimizeyourcontentforamobileaudience.
Instage2,whichishighlightedinFigure8.4,youwilldiscoverallthefactorstoconsiderwhencreatingamobile-optimizedsitesothatyouwill:
Understandthedifferencesbetweenadaptiveandresponsivesites.
Learnthefundamentalsofaneffectivemobilesite.
Appreciatethebenefitsandchallengesofmobilesites,apps,andwebapps.
Beconfidentinplanningyourownmobile-optimizedsite.
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Figure8.4FocusontheSecondStageintheMobileMarketingProcess
Mobile-OptimizedWebsitesBasicallythisisanexistingsitethatusestechnologiessuchasJavaScripttooptimizecontentformobiledevices.
Sincepeoplearebrowsingmoreontheirmobilesthanondesktops,youneedtoengagewiththemonsmallerscreens.Showingthedesktopversionofyoursitewillnotcutit.Why?Becauseusersdonothavesuperhumaneyesight.Ifyourcontentistoosmall,theywillgetfrustratedwithallthepinchingandzoominginvolved,whichcouldmakethemrunstraightintothewelcoming,mobile-optimizedarmsofyourcompetitors.Afterall,57percentofpeoplewillnotrecommendabusinesswithapoorlydesignedmobilewebsite,while40percenthaveturnedtoacompetitorsiteafterabadmobileexperience,accordingtoCompuware's2011report“Whatuserswantfrommobile.”
Sohowcanyoumaketheseusershappy?Startbyknowingyouraudienceandwhethertheyare:
Desktopusers.Theirscreenswillbebiggerandtheywillbeabletoreadtextfromfartheraway.
Tabletusers.Theyareprobablydualscreening,thatis,watchingTVastheybrowseontheirtablets.
Mobileusers.Theyareonthegoandwanttocompletetasksquickly.
Becausewhenitcomestomobilemarketing,contextiskey.
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ChangesinMobileMarketing
Tenyearsago,itwaseasypeasy.Monitorswereacertainsizeandhadacertainresolution—andyoujusthadtomakesurethatyourimportantcontentfitontothatscreen.Nowcontentisseenfromavarietyofdevices,suchassmartphones,tablets,andlaptops—evenTVsandotherappliancesnowhavefullyfeaturedwebbrowsers.
Atfirstcompaniestriedtocopewiththisdeviceoverloadbycreatingdifferentversionsoftheirwebsites—thebasiconefordesktopandthemobileversion.Withtwosetsofcontenttomanageontwodifferentwebsites,thisgavecontentmanagerseverywhereatotalbrainache.Also,themobileuserwasseeingasubstandardversionofthesite,whichhadthebareessentialsandalinktothedesktopversion,butwasusuallylefttorotwithouteverbeingupdated.
Soundsprettygrim,right?Itwas.Luckily,timeshavechangedandthenewstandardpracticeistohaveasingledestinationforallcontent.Whetherusersbrowsefrommobiledevicesortheirdesktopstheyreachthesameplace,buttheyseecontentinadifferentwaydependingonthedevicetheyareusing.
Thisismadepossiblebyusingadaptiveorresponsivemobilesites.Foradaptivesites,differentversionsofasiteareservedtodifferentdevicesbasedoncommonscreensizesandresolutions.Theserverrecognizeswhether,forinstance,theuserisbrowsingfromadesktopwithChromeorfromaniPhonewithSafariandpresentstherelevantversionofthewebsite.Inotherwords,theversionofthesitechangesbasedonthewidthofthebrowsingdevice;certainpiecesofcontentarehiddenifnecessary.
Figure8.5showstwoversionsoftheTripAdvisorsite.Firstlyitshowsthemobile-adaptivesiteasviewedfromadesktop—withabigwebbannerimageandasearchboxthattakesupthefullwidthofthepage.Butthesiteonamobileisverydifferent.
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Figure8.5MobileAdaptiveWebsiteViewedfromDesktopandMobileSource:TripAdvisor.
TripAdvisorusedmetricsandanalyticstoseehowpeopleinteractedwithitssiteandrecognizedthatmobileusersbehavedifferentlyfromdesktopusers.Inthisinstance,themobileuserhasbeendroppedintoaforeigncityandmaywanttofindthenearesthotelorrestaurant.Andbecausethatuser'sphonehasGPS,TripAdvisorcansendbacksearchresultsbasedonhislocationwithouttheuserhavingtobotherwithtypingaddresses.Prettyslick,right?
AdaptivesitessuchasthisonenormallyhavealinklabeledsomethinglikeVisittheDesktopSite,forthosewhowantamoredetailedbrowsingexperienceandtodotheirownresearch,asopposedtocompletingquicktasks.Thecontentdiffersbetweendesktopandmobileversions.
Butinaresponsiveapproachexactlythesamecontentisusedallthetime—itisjustordereddifferentlydependingonthebrowsingdevice.Andthisapproachistheonethat80to90percentofbusinessesshouldbeusing.
CharacteristicsofanEffectiveMobileSite
Whencreatingamobilestrategyforyourownwebsite,youshould:
Prioritizecontentovernavigation.Saygoodbyetobouncingbackandforthbetweenpages.Nowbrowsingiseasierwithone-pagescrollablewebsitesthathavebecomefashionableformobileanddesktopalike.Inthedesktopversion,userscanclickonnavigationlinkstojumptotheareasthatinterestthemmost,ratherthanbeingdirectedtoanentirelynew
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pageandwaitingforthecontentofthatpagetodownload.
Createlargetaptargets.People'sthumbsaresimplytoobigtobethumpingonhyperlinkedtext—especiallyifthereareafewlinkswithinaparagraphoftext.Makesurethatthetargetisbigenough,withenoughspacearoundit,soasnottosenduserstothewrongplace.
Removeunnecessarycontent.Becauseoflittleannoyances,suchasdataspeedsandscreenrealestate,removesuperfluousinformationfromyoursite.Beruthless!
Provideforquicktasks.Followingonfromthepointabove,rememberthatusersonlywanttheinformationtheyneed,notanessayaboutyourhipcompanyculture.Makeiteasyforthemtodowhattheywant—ifyouareahotel,forexample,showthemyournumberandlocation.
Considerdownloadspeedandpowerusage.Thisisbecominglessofaconcernwithpowerful4Gnetworks,butitisstillimportant.Websitesshouldloadquicklyontousers'mobiledevicessothattheyarenottemptedtovisityourcompetitorsinstead.Largeimages,multipleanimations,andvideosthatplayautomaticallyrundownbatteries—whichcoulddeterusersfromhangingaroundorfromcomingback.
Knowyourlimits.Itisnotpossibletostorecookiesthattraceauser'sbrowsingbehavioronmobiledevicesasyoucanwithdesktops.Soitishardtodeterminehowmanytimesauservisitsasite,whatshelastsearchedfor,orherlogininformationandtotailorcontentbasedonthatinformation.
Understandinteractions(touchversusclick).Withmoresearcheshappeningonmobiledevices,theclickisbecomingredundant.Usersdonothavetheluxuryofamouse.Theyjusthavetheirthumbsandtheirfingers.Whichiswhytouchdesignissoimportant.
TouchDesign:TheFundamentals
WhenAppleproducedthefirstiPhone,theymeasuredpeople'sfingertipstofindthemostcommonsizeoftouchpointthattheycoulduse—itwasfoundtobe44×44pixels.
Thismeansthatcontrolslikebuttons,menus,andnavigationalitemsneedtobeplacedatleastthisfarapart.Ifthesecontrolsareanyclosertogether,usersarelikelytotapthewrongareaandbecomefrustrated.
Touchdesignhasledtoothermethodsofinteractingwithmobile,too.Userscanpointandtaporpressandholdtorevealthings,theycanslidetomovethroughagalleryortothenextpageinanarticle,theycanswipetogettothe
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bottomofthepagequickly,theycanpinchandstretchtoexpanddetails,andtheycantwistandturnelementsonapage.Sowherepossible,youshouldtakeadvantageofthesestandardtouchgesturesonyourmobilesite.
PhoneIntegration:TheFundamentals
Mobilesitesallowtheintegrationofcontentwithmobilefeaturesandfunctions,including:
GPS.Youcaninformtheserverthatyouareinteractingwithinagivenlocation,therebylettingusersknowthattheyarefiveminutesawayfromyourbusiness.
Keyboardchoices.Fillinginformscanbefrustratingeveninthedesktopworld,anditcangetmoreannoyingstillwiththesmallkeyboardofamobile.Tryofferingdifferentkeyboardchoicesfortheuser:Ifyouwantaphonenumber,showthenumberpadinthesamefieldastheformratherthanmakinguserschangekeyboardsthemselves.
SMS.Onceyouhaveusers'numbers,youcansendanSMSoraskthemtosignupforanSMSservice.
Click-to-call/Auto-detectnumbers.AndroidandiPhonedeviceswilldetectnumbersonanywebpageandmakethemclickable.Sousersdonotneedtofranticallysearchforapenandpaper—theycansimplypushthebuttonthatsaysCallNowtogetthrough.
AutoCorrect.AvoidthemistakesthatAutoCorrectcanbring(especiallywhenauserisfillinginpersonaldetails)bydisablingthisfeatureonanykeyboardonyourmobilesite.
VisitDesktopoption.Remember,responsivewebsiteshaveexactlythesamecontentformobileanddesktopversionsofasitebutadaptiveonesdonot.Soifusinganadaptivesite,givetheusertheoptiontovisityourdesktopsite.
Figure8.6showsanexampleofadesktopwebsite;besideitisthemoreactionablemobilesite.ThenumberprovidedonthemobilesiteisclickableandthecompanycanleveragetheGPSofusers'phonestoknowwheretheyarebeforedirectingthemtotheclosestcenter.
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Figure8.6DesktopWebsiteversusMobileWebsiteSource:Snap.ie.
AdvantagesofMobileSites
Theadvantagesofhavingamobile-optimizedwebsiteversusanapp(itsadvantageswillbecoveredinmoredetailinthenextsection)are:
Immediacy.Mobilesitesareinstantlyavailable.UserstypesearchtermsintoGoogle,clickonaresult,andaredirectedtoawebsiteimmediately.Incontrast,usershavetosearchforanappinanappstore,downloadit(andmaybeenterapasswordfirst),waitforittodownload,andthengobacktotheirhomescreenstoopenit.Itisnottheshortestnorsweetestofprocesses.
Compatibility.ItmakesnodifferencewhetheryouaresendingalinkouttopeoplewithiPhones,Androids,BlackBerrys,orWindowsPhones:Yourmobile-optimizedsitewillworkacrossalldevicesandondesktopstoo.
Easilyupgraded.Mobilesitescanbeupdatedinstantly.Ifyoumakeachangetoyourmobilesite,thenextpersonwhovisitsyoursitewillseethatchange.Anyupdatestoappsmustbebundledtogetheranduploadedtoappstores.Youmightneedtowaitforareviewoftheupdatedapp,whichcouldtakeweeks.Thentheuserneedstoreplacetheexistingappwiththeupgradedversioninorderforanychangestoappear.
Easilyfound.Youcansimplyincludethewebaddressforyourmobilesiteonallofyourbrochuresandmaterialsandpeoplewillunderstandthatis
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wheretheyneedtogo,fromanydevice.Addressescanalsobeeasilysharedbetweenusersviasocialmedia.Thismeansthatmobilesitesgenerallyhaveabroaderreachthanapps.Longerlifecycle.Mobilesitescannotbedeleted,whereasappscanbedissedanddismissedquiteeasily.
Cost/time-effective.Mobilesitesaregenerallyeasierandcheapertocreatethanapps,whichareveryspecialized.ThisisbecausemobilesitesarebuiltwithlanguagessuchasHTML,JavaScript,andCSSthatarealreadyusedinthedesktopworld.Nottomentionthefactthattherearemorewebdesignersouttherethanthereareappdevelopers.
Supportandsustainability.Therearearangeofcontentmanagementsystemsorfreeplatforms,suchasWordPress,thatyoucanuseforyourwebsite.Oncethecorestructureofyoursiteisbuilt,itisprettyeasytomanageityourselfintermsofchangingadimagesorupdatingdetails.However,thesamecannotbesaidforapps,sinceanyupdatesneedtobereviewedbytheappstores.
AdvantagesofApps
Mobilesitesarenotperfect.Hereareafewadvantagesthatappshaveoverthem:
UninterruptedInternetaccessnotrequired.Thisisamajorconsiderationif,forexample,youarebuildingatourismapptobeusedbytravelerswhowanttoavoiddata-roamingcharges.Travelerswouldbechargedtobrowseamobilesitebutnottoaccessyourapp,oncetheyhavedownloadedit.
Betterphoneintegration.Generallyappscanleverageaphone'sfeatures(suchasitsGPSandcamera)betterthanamobilesitecan.
Platform-specific.Appsareusuallybuiltforaspecificpurpose,whereasmobilesiteswillfunctionthesameacrossplatforms.Asitewillusearecognizableinterfaceandthesamenavigationacrossanydevice.Whichcanbegoodorbad,dependingonwhatyouwant.
Itboilsdowntothis—mobilesitesarebuiltforawiderangeofuses.Businessesusuallyusethemforprovidinginformationinone-waycontexts.Whereasbusinessesinthedigitalspacegenerallyendupusingapps,becauseatsomepointtheyarelimitedbywhatthemobilesitecando.
AppsversusWebApps
Beforeyougodecidingwhetheryouwouldpreferamobile-optimizedsiteor
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anapp,allowustointroducethehumblewebapp—whichislikeahalfwayhousebetweenthetwoformats.
AwebappusesthesamecoreHTMLfunctionsasamobilesiteandalltheactivitytakesplacewithinamobiledevice'sbrowser(e.g.,Safari).Butyoucandocleverthingstoawebappwithsomeniftycode—forinstance,userscansaveyoursitetotheirhomescreenswithabookmark.Thesitewillthenberepresentedbyaniconthatwillallowuserstolaunchthesite,withouttheaddressbaratthetopandthenavigationbaratthebottom.Itbecomesanativeappthathappenstoliveontheweb(anddoesnotrequireapprovalfromanappstoretoexist).
Bearinmind,webappsdocomewithcertainchallenges:
Fragmentation.DifferentbrowsersacrossdifferentdeviceswilltreatHTML5indifferentways,whichcanleadtoinconsistenciesandadisrupteduserexperience.
Onlineonly.Sincewebappsliveonline,theyrelyonconnectivity.
Lessintegration.HTML5isstilllargelyadesktoplanguagedespiteitsmanyenhancements,soawebappwillbelessintegratedwithaphone'sfunctionalityandfeaturesthananativeappwouldbe.
Visibility/distribution.Thisisamajordisadvantage.Usersunderstandwhenabusinesssays,“Downloadourapp.”Theyknowwheretheyneedtogoandwhattheyshoulddo.Butitishardertosay,“Visitourmobilesite.Hitthebuttonatthebottomofyourbrowser,whichwillallowyoutosaveoursiteasabookmarkonyourhomescreensoyoucanfinditeasilyinthefuture.”Bitofamouthful,right?Also,itiseasytodiscoverthemostpopularappsviachartsinappstores;thereisnoequivalentforthetopmobilesitesthatpeoplebrowse.
Revenueoptions.Youcanputapriceonyournativeappandsellitinappstores.Peoplewillpayforitanddownloadit—andeventhoughAppleorGooglewillkeepapieceofthatrevenue,asthedeveloperoftheapporthecompanythatownsit,yougetpaidwhenyougetnoticed.Soyoucansaygoodbyetothatextrapocketmoneyifyouchooseawebapp.
GettingStarted
Luckily,intheHTMLworldandinthemobile-sitesspacethereisalotofhelpavailable.Webstandardsarewellorganized,andtheHTML,CSS,andJavaScriptusedtobuildmobilesitesandwebappshavebeenaroundforalongtime—soyoucantakeyourpickoftheexperts.
Ifyouareplanninganewwebsite,considerstartingoutwithanopenandfree
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contentmanagementsystem,suchasWordPress.Youcanaccessanentireecosystemofpeoplewhohavebuiltspecialtythemes—soifyouownabakery,youcansearchforbakerythemesandinstallthethemesyoulike.Youcanthendownloadthemasapackageandcustomizethesiteswithtextandimagestosuityourbusiness.Usuallycustomsitescomeatafee,buttheyarerelativelycheap—andmanyaremobile-responsivetoo.
Developingyoursitefromscratch?FollowthesitedevelopmentprocessinFigure8.7anditwillbeapieceofcake:
1. Justifywhyyouarechangingyoursiteinthefirstplaceandwhyitneedstobemobileresponsiveoradaptive.
2. Builditwiththeaidofexperienceddevelopers.Seewhomyourcompetitorsareusingandfindoutwhatthosedeveloperscandoforyou.Ifitmeansholdingauditions,sobeit.
3. Golivewithyoursite—thentest,test,test.Makesureitcanbeaccessedfromallthemainbrowsers:Chrome,Safari,InternetExplorer,andFirefox.
4. Promoteyourwebsite.Thisisnotimetobeshy—letpeopleknowthatyouhavehadamakeover.Telltheminthefooterofyouremails,inanyprintedmaterial,andduringanyPRopportunities.
5. MeasureresultsusingGoogleAnalytics,whichyoucanintegratewithyourwebsite.Thisisareallyimportantone,asyoucanlearnalotabouthowusersgettoyoursiteandwhattheydooncetheyarrive.
6. UpdateyoursitebasedonwhatyouhavelearnedinStep5.Youcanseewherethehotcontentofyourwebsiteis;maybeyouwanttocreatemorelikeit.Ifpartofyoursiteisavirtualtumbleweed,changeit.
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Figure8.7TheSiteDevelopmentProcess
Itissoimportanttoutilizeanalyticsinyourmobilemarketing.StartbyclickingtheAudiencetabinGoogleAnalyticsandselectingthedevicessection.Hereyouwillseewhichdevicespeopleareusingforbrowsing,whatpercentageofusersarecomingfromphones,andeventheoperatingsystemstheyareusing.YoucanthenusethisdatatoprioritizemobileUXoveryourdesktopsite.
FiveTake-awayTips
Bearthesetipsinmindbeforeyoutaketheleapintomobile:
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1. Designfromtheconsumer'sperspective.Youneedtounderstandwhatuserswanttodowhentheyvisityoursite—aretheysimplydoingresearch,oraretheylookingtobuyorwanttocontactyou?Cutthroughtheclutterandmakeiteasyforthemtotakeaction,wherevertheyareandwhatevertheyaredoing.
2. Targetthemostpopulardevices.Thisismucheasierifyoupaycloseattentiontoyouranalytics.Forexample,byfocusingonprovidinganexceptionalUXoniOSdevices,youwillstillcatertoover90percentofyourvisitors.
3. Enhancetheexperience.Itisreallyimportanttousemobile-specificHTMLforabetterUX.Makesuretointegrateyoursiteorappwithasmanymobile-devicefeaturesaspossible.Thesefeaturesincludeclicktocall,GPS,andautomaticdetectionofnumbersanddates.Providealinktoyourdesktopsitewhenapplicabletoo.
4. Putusers'needsfirst.Considerwhattheywanttoseeupfront.Onceyouhavethatfiguredout,youcanfocusonmakingyoursiteresponsiveoradaptive,planningyourSEOstrategy,draftingyourcontent,andsoon.
5. Thinkliketheconsumer.TakeapagefromTripAdvisor'sexperience.Itwasonlyafteritunderstoodusers'interactionswithitssiteusingdifferentdevicesthatitcouldappreciatethatitsmobileuserswereactingdifferentlyfromitsdesktopusers;atthatpointitadaptedthesite'scontentaccordingly.SoforgettheramblingintroductoryparagraphfromyourCEOandgiveconsumerswhattheywant.
Nowthatyouknowmanyoftheconsiderationsinvolvedincreatingmobilesites,let'stakeatriptotheappworldandexplorethetimeswhenanappisnecessarytowoomobileusers.
AppDevelopmentBynowyouwillappreciatethewaysinwhichyoucanreachcustomersonmobiledevices—throughthecreationofresponsiveoradaptivesitesandthedevelopmentofapps.
Let'scontinuewithstage2oftheiterativeprocess(seeFigure8.4)anddescribehowtodevelopappsby:
Understandingtheappmarketplaceandtheplatformsavailable.
Recognizingthefundamentalsofaneffectiveapp.
Learningthestepstotakewhendevelopinganapp.
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An'AppyMarketplace
UnlessyouhavebeenlivingonMarsforthepastfewyears,youwillknowwhatanappis—astheOxfordDictionarydescribesit;‘aself-containedprogramorpieceofsoftwaredesignedtofulfillaparticularpurpose’.Appsarebundledupandsenttoappstores,suchasGooglePlayandtheiOSAppStore,fromwhichuserscandownloadthemtotheirmobiledevices.Prettymucheverythingthatlivesonyourphoneisanapp,includingthefeaturethatmakesphonecallsandsendsmessages,thecamera,andtheGPS.
Peopleuseappsinnearlyeveryaspectoftheirlives—eating,drinking,sleeping,working,relaxing,traveling,shopping,andevendating.Soitshouldcomeasnosurprisethatappdevelopmenthasbecomeamajorpartofmobilemarketing.
Thesizeoftoday'smobileappmarketisstaggering.Forinstance,Statistahasreportedthatthereareover1.5millionappsontheiOSAppStore(with100billiondownloadsandcounting).WhentheiOSstorewaslaunchedin2008,therewereonly28appsavailable—prettybiggrowthspurt,right?
AhandfuloftheseappsbelongtoApple,butmainlytheyhavebeencreatedbythirdparties,bundledtogether,andenteredintotheAppStoreecosystem.Theseownersanddevelopersputapriceontheirappsandearnmoneyfromthem(theAppStoretakesarounda30percentcommissionbuttherestbelongstotheownersordevelopers).Andtherecanbebigbucksinittoo—forinstance,Applehasgivendevelopersover$25billionandAngryBirdsearnsmorethan$1millionadayinrevenue!
TheotherbigplayerintheappmarketisGooglePlay;liketheiOSAppStore,ithasahugenumberofapps(1.8millionaccordingtoStatista)anddownloads(over50billion).Thesearethetwoplatformsfromwhichyouwillmostlikelylaunchyourapps.Theybothinvolvedifferentconsiderationsandcosts;ApplechargesayearlyfeeandGoogleaone-offpayment.Theyalsohavedifferentsubmissionguidelines,developeragreements,andregistrationprocessesthatyoushouldchewover(notliterally)beforelaunch.FortheiOSAppStore,Applereviewseveryappthatgetssubmitted,andtheprocesscantakeweeks.GooglePlayhasnosuchapprovalprocessandyourappswillbeavailableforuserstodownloadwithinafewhoursofsubmission.
Oncepatiencehasdictatedwhatplatformyouwanttouse,youthenhavetodecidewhatkindofappyouwilldevelop—weborhybrid.Thesectiononmobile-optimizedwebsitesmentionedthatthewebappislikeahalfwayhousebetweenthemobilesiteandthenativeapp.Ahybridappislikeahalfwayhousebetweenthenativeappandthewebapp!Basically,ahybridappusesstandardHTML5technologiesbutiswrappedintheshellofanapp
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topersuadetheappstoresthatitisanativeapp.AndsinceAppledoesnotliketobeconfused,itwillmostlikelyrejectappslikethis.ItiseasiertogetawaywithhybridappsonGooglePlay,whichhasfewerrestrictions.
Forthosewhohavelesscashtoflash,ahybridappcanbeahappymediumbetweenamobilesiteandanapp.Thegoodnewsisthathybridappsarebuiltwithwebtechnology(sotherearelotsofdeveloperswhocancreatethemandpackagethemforappstores),andmostcasualuserswillnotevenknowthedifference!Ah,blissfulignorance….
Thereisnothingwrongwithtestingthewaterlikethis—creatingamobile-responsivesite,addingsomekeyhookstomakeitmorelikeawebapp,wrappingittomakeitahybridapp,andputtingitoutintothemarketplaceforawhiletounderstandhowpeopleareusingit.Ifyoufindlimitationsthatyouthinkanativeappcanaddress,thatwillbeyourgreenlightfornativeappdevelopment.
AppDevelopment:TheFundamentals
Sowhatmakesappssogreat,anyway?Goodquestion!
Needsfulfillment.Appshaveaclearutilityvalue.Theyarebuiltaroundaspecificneedandtheysatisfythatneedlikeicecreamonasummer'sday.
Integration.Appscanintegratewithadevice'sfunctionalitybetterthanamobilesitecan.Forinstance,theycanusefeatureslikethecamera,GPS,andspeakertoprovideagreatUX.
Simplicity.Generallyappsarewelldesignedandeasytouse.Somehaveacoupleofintroductoryscreenstoexplainhowtheywork,buttheusercannormallyrelyonintuitionalone.
Interactivity.Appscanprocessinformationveryquicklyandhaveafastresponsetime.Sotoday'simpatient,on-the-gousercanbeloggedinautomatically(withouthavingtore-enterdetails)andaccessdatasuchastopscores,savedbookings,andloyaltypoints.
Accessibility.Aboveall,appsdonotrelyonanInternetconnectiontowork—souserscanplayAngryBirdsonanairplaneorreadebooksfromthecomfortoftheirouthouses.
Security.Foranythingthatusessecureinformation,suchasloginencryptionsore-commerce,nativeappsoffermuchstrongerfeaturesthanwebapps,hybridapps,orevenmobilesites.
GettingStarted
Aswithcreatingamobilesite,themostimportantconsiderationin
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developinganappistounderstandthemembersofyouraudience.Whatdotheywant?Whatdotheyexpectyourapptodo?Howcanitenhancethefunctionalityoftheirphones?Willitmakethemprettier?Andsoon.
Appshavethepowertocompletelyrevolutionizeanindustry—forinstance,thetaxiindustry.CompanieslikeHailoandUberrecognizedanold-fashionedproblemandcameupwithaverysimpleandmodernsolution.Theappsareincrediblyintuitiveandeasytouse—theyalsobenefitboththeuser(thepersonwishingtobookthetaxi)andtheprovider(thetaxidriver).
AnotherkeyexampleofanindustrygamechangerisAirbnb.Setupbyacoupleofguystomakeextracashfromrentingouttheirfreespace,thisapphastransformedthetravel-sharingeconomy.Userseverywherecanbecometemporarylandlordsandearnmoneywhileonholidaysoftheirown.LikeHailoandUber,theAirbnbappleveragesGPSfunctionalityandallowsuserstobookandpayeasily.Theopportunitiesintheappworldareendlessandpotentiallyverylucrative—soyoutoocanbeanindustrygamechanger!
Havingintroducedthestepsfordevelopingamobilesiteinthesectiononmobile-optimizedwebsites,let'sreturntothesitedevelopmentprocess(seeFigure8.7)andapplythesestepstodevelopinganapp.
1. Justify.Startbyaskingyourselfwhythisappisneeded—andyoushouldhaveabetterreasonthan:“Umm…becausemycompetitorshaveone?”Yourappshouldfulfillaspecificpurposethatwillmakeuserswanttointeractwithit.Alotofpeoplehavegreatideasforanapp,buteventhoughtheideaisimportant,itisnotenough.Theremustbeamarket,acontext,andaneedtobesatisfied.Isitasocialapp?Agamingapp?Autility?Remember,thebestappsouttherearenottryingtoofferalotofthingstopleaseeveryone—rather,theydoonethinganddoitverywell.
Onceyouknowwhatyourappcando,youcandecidewhetheritwillbesoldorfreeofcharge(andifyoucanearnrevenuethroughadvertisinginstead).Thiswillinformwhatplatformstouse—ifyouareinitforthemoney,launchontheAppStore(sincethatiswherethemostsaleslie).
2. Build.Next,youneedtobuildtheappwiththehelpofadeveloper.Howmuchwillthiscost?Well,thatreallydependsonthefunctionalityoftheapp.Doesithaveprocessingfeatures?Willpeopleneedtologin?Doesithaveapaymentfunction?Remember,yougetwhatyoupayfor—cuttingcornersnowmaymeanashoddyUXlater.
Itiseasytofindandauditiondevelopers.Allyouneedtodoisfindanappthatyoulikeontheappstores,seewhodevelopedit,accessalistofotherappsthatthedevelopercreatedandapproachthemifyoulikewhatyousee.Youshouldexplaintothemwhatmakesyourappbetterthan
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slicedbread(orevenanappthatslicesbread)andwhattechnologiesitrequires.Thedeveloperwillmostlikelybefamiliarwithwhatyouwantalreadybecauselet'sfaceit—theyhaveprobablydoneitorsimilarbefore.
3. Golive.MakesurethatyouunderstandtheappsubmissionprocessandthetimeframethatcanbeinvolvedingettingitapprovedbytheAppStore.Itcouldproveriskysubmittinganapponeweekbeforeyourlaunchdeadline,desperatelyhopingthatitpassestheApplereviewprocessintime!Instead,trysubmittinganearlierversionoftheapptogetthoseimportantboxesticked.
4. Promote.Evenaftercomingupwiththeidea,designingordevelopingtheapp,andsubmittingit,thereisstillalotofworktobedone.Therearejustsomanycompetingappsavailable—andthisiswherepromotioncomesin.Howcanyougetthewordouttherethatyourappexists?Andhowcanyouconvincepeopletodownloadit?
Thinkofrelevantpromotionalactivitiestoraiseinterestbeforeyourlaunch.Useappstorebadgesonyourwebsiteandallofyourmarketingmaterials.Considercreatingalandingpagetogatheremailaddressesfrompeoplewhowanttheapponthefirstdayofrelease.Preparinglikethiswillhelpyourapptoriseinthechartsveryquickly.
5. Measure.Thereisnopointinlosingyourvoicescreamingaboutyourappifyouforgettofollowuponyouractivity.Appstoreswilltellyouhowmanypeopledownloadedtheapp,butifyoubuildinmetrics(suchasGoogleMobileAnalyticsorFlurry)youcangetdetailedactivityreports—onhowmanytimestheappwasopened,howlongtheaverageuserspentontheapp,thekeypageshevisited,howheinteractedwithit,andsoon.Itmaybeoneoftheonlytimesinyourlifewhenyoustarttolovetests!
6. Update.Takingthesemeasurementsandanalyticsintoaccount,youcanconsiderupdatesforfutureversionsofyourapp.Generallyyouwillhavetoupdateyourappeveryyearanyway,asbothGoogleandApplechangetheiroperatingsystemsaroundSeptemberorOctoberandyoumayneedtotalkwithyourdeveloperstomakesurethatyourappisstillworking.
Apple'siOSupgradescanresultinmassivechangestothelookandfeeloftheoperatingsystem.ThismeansthatolderiOSversionscanappearoldfashioned.Soremember,launchinganappisnotaone-timething.Youneedtocontinuallyupdateandoptimizeaspartoftheiterativemobilemarketingprocess.
Speakingofwhich,youhavenowcompletedstages1and2ofthe
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mobilemarketingprocess.Congratulations!Nowlet'smoveontostage3:Advertise.
Stage3:AdvertiseHavinganawesomemobile-optimizedsiteorappmeansnothingifnooneknowsyouexist.
Stage3ofmobilemarketing'siterativeprocess,highlightedinFigure8.8,focusesonadvertisingsoyouwill:
Understandhowmobileadvertisingcanhelpyoutoachieveyourgoals.
Discoverthevariousmobileadformatsavailableandtheplacesinwhichyouradscanappear.
Learnstepsandtipsforlaunchingyourowncampaign.
Figure8.8FocusontheThirdStageintheMobileMarketingProcess
AboutMobileAdvertisingRightnowthemobile-advertisingindustryisdominatedbyglobalbrandsandthebigboysinfast-movingconsumergoods(FMCGs).Theyusemobileadvertisingasjustonepartoftheirmediamix—theyalsoadvertiseacrossradio,TV,andprint.Andalthoughmobilespendhasgrownalotoverthepastfewyears,itistinycomparedtohowmuchthesebrandsspendonothermedia.Consideringhowmanypeopleareonmobilearoundtheworld,the
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amountspentonmobileadvertisingreallyshouldbehigher.
Sowhythereluctancetoforkout?Well,unliketraditionalmedia,everythingismeasurablewithmobileadvertising.Andthiscanbesomewhatofacurse.Becauseatthegranularlevelthatmobileallows,theresultsmayseemsmallcomparedtotheoften-inflatedprojectionsofothermedia.Plusyoucanseeexactlyhowmuchitcoststoserveanadtoauser.Incontrast,ifyouplaceanewspaperadonpage4,youjustdividethecirculationofthenewspaperbythecostoftheadtoworkoutthecostperview.
However,thatcostperviewmaynotbeentirelyaccurate,becausetobehonest,noteverybodywillnoticethatnewspaperad.Thereadermightstartfromthebackandneverevengettopage4.Soyourbeautifullycraftedadmaynotevenbeseen.
Therearedefiniteadvantagestousingmobileovertraditionalformatsifyouarewillingtoinvest.Mobileadvertisingcanhelpyoutoachieve:
Businessgoals,suchasleadgenerationanddrivingsales.
Productgoals,suchasprovidinginformationaboutanewproductorincreasingdownloads/upgradesifyouhaveadigitalproduct.
Communicationgoals,suchasengaginganewaudience,showingoffyourpersonality,andgettingpeopletointeractwithyourbrand.Forinstance,bigbrandsarenowreachingouttoayoungermarket,membersofwhichpaylessattentiontotraditionalmediaandspendmostoftheirtimeonmobiledevices.
Marketinggoals,suchasbranding,awareness,andengagement.
MobileAdFormats
Hatetobreakittoyou,butsizedoesmatter—atleast,itdoeswhenitcomestochoosingmobileadformats!Thestandardmobilebanneradformatisonly300×50pixelsor320×50pixels.EvenwithiPads,youstillhaveaveryasmallspaceinwhichtogetyourmessageacross.SeeFigure8.9forthemostcommonmobileadformats.
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Figure8.9MostCommonMobileAdFormats
Ifyoudomanagetoengagetheuser'sattentionwithaneye-catchingad(throughyourmessaging,design,ortheinclusionofacompetition),youcantakeoverherbrowsingexperienceinawaythatisnotpossiblewithdesktopads.Iftheuserclicksonyourexpandablemobilead,asshowninFigure8.10,itwilltakeovertheentirespaceofthatuser'sphone.
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Figure8.10ExpandableMobileBannerAds
Whatevertheformat,yourmobileadshoulddriveuserstotakesomeformofaction:forinstance,asimplehotelbannerthatexpandswhenclickedtoshowfunctionalbuttonswithclearCTAs.Theusercanthenbookaroom,earnrewards,orclicktocallwithinaUXassmoothasMorganFreeman'svoice.
Mobileadsalsooffergreatopportunitiesforvideo,asseeninFigure8.11.Withdesktopadvertising,videoadsaregenerallymutedbydefault,whereasamobilevideobannerexpandswhenclickedandthevideoplaysimmediately—takingovertheuser'sphoneortabletspeakersandprovidingamoreimmersiveexperience.Prettynifty,huh?
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Figure8.11InteractiveMobileVideoAds
Youcanevenremovetheuserfromhisoriginalbrowsingexperienceentirelyandbringhimtoaseparatemicrosite,whereyoucanwoohimfurtherwithproductnews.Sothatishowyourmobileadscouldlook.Butwheredoyouwantthemtoappear?Therearemanywaystoadvertiseonmobile,asoutlinednext.
MobileSearch
AccordingtoGoogle,therearemoredailysearchesfrommobiledevicesthanfromdesktopsinover10countries(includingtheUnitedStatesandJapan).AndtheCTRonmobileadsinthefirstposition(27.3percent)wasmuchhigherthanondesktopads(19.3percent).
Youcouldbesittingprettyatthetopby:
Makingsurethatyouhaveamobile-optimizedresponse,beitanadaptiveorresponsivemobilesite.
Lettingusersdownloadyourapp(ifyouhaveone)directlyfromyourmobileadontotheirphones.
Includingaclick-to-callbutton—allowinguserstocontactyouinamoreimmediatewaythantheycouldonadesktop.
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Truthbetold,gettingyourmobileadstostandoutistricky,becauseyouaredealingwithamuchsmallerscreen.Ondesktops,searchresultsmightshowthreeorfouradsatthetopofthepageanddowntheright-handside.Butwithmobile,onlyoneortwoadscanprecedeorganicsearchresults.Itislikelythatyouradwillbebelowthefold,makingitevenhardertosee.
However,withsomecreativethinking—suchasusingthephone'sfunctionalitytogetuserstointeractwithyourad—mobilesearchcanbeagreatwayofconnectingwithyouraudience.
In-AppAds
Theseadsarecontainedindownloadedappsandarewhatallowmanydeveloperstomonetizethefreeappsthattheyproduce.Theyaremoretargetedthanmobilesearch,becauseadvertiserscandecideinwhichtypesofappstheywouldliketheiradstostar.
Within-appadvertising,yourcontentisdirectedatpeoplewhoarealreadypredisposedtoyourbrandorproduct—take,forexample,thecinemalistingspageofanentertainmentapp,whichmightincludeabannerforaspecificfilm.Userscanclicktheadtowatchatrailer,whichmightthendrivethemtobuyticketsforthatfilminsteadoftheotheroptionslisted.Theadisperfectlyplacedinsidearelevantapp—soyoucanseehowin-appadsuselessofascattershotapproachthanmobilesearchorevenmobileadsonsites.
However,in-appadsarenotalwaystargetedinthecleverestway.Forinstance,ifanadforlastminute.comsuddenlyappearsinAngryBirds,itwouldnotberelevanttotheapp'susers(mainlychildrenandteenagers).Sobecarefulwhenselectingtheappsinwhichyouwantyouradstoappear—becausethemostpopularonesmaynotbethebestfit.
MobileSites
Asyouknowbynow,thestandardmobilebanneradformatisreallysmall.Thismeansthatcreatingabrandimpressionorgettingamessageacrossisprettytricky.Mobileadsrarelyjumpoutandtheyareeasyfortheusertoignore.Thatisperhapswhymobileadvertisingismoreaccessibleforestablishedbrands—theyhaveabiggerbudgettospendontheseadsandonotherformats,too.
Butbymakingyouradsinteractive,suchasincludingvideooraction-drivenbuttons,youhaveabetterchanceofengagingusersonmobilesites.
BrandedApps
Theteacher'spetofmobileadvertisingisthebrandedapp,wherebytheapp
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itselfisjustonelargepieceofmarketingforthebrand.Ifyougetitright,itprovidesamuchmoreimmersiveexperiencefortheuser.Itshouldbeentertaining,funny,educational,orinformative—inshort,itshouldbeanappthatuserswillwanttodownloadandkeepontheirhomescreens.
Generally,brandedappsaresponsoredbyaparticularbrand.Forinstance,theycouldbecreatedonthebackofasportingormusicevent.Youhaveprobablyseenpoweredbyorbroughttoyouinanad'sstrapline—thesameapproachisusedforbrandedapps.
Brandedappscanhelpyouengagecustomersforlonger.Theycanalsomakeyourbrandlookgreat—nowyouwillbeseenaship,young,andtrendyratherthandatedandoverthehill.
Forexample,theCarlingiPintwasoneofthefirstbrandedapps,releasedbackin2009.Itusedthephone'saccelerometerandsomecleverfluidmechanicstopouravirtualpintbeforeallowingusersto“drinkit”bytippingtheirphones.TheappwentviralanditssuccessfedintoCarling'soverallcampaign.
Theothertypeofsuccessfulappisabrandedgame.AnexampleofthisistheHeinekenappthatletsrugbyfanspracticetheirvirtualcatchingandkickingskillsonthego.Thebrandingmaybesecondarytotheuser,whoisjustenjoyingthegame,butitwillsinkinovertimeasapositivereflectionofHeineken.
MobileNetworks
Thereareliterallyhundredsofnetworksonwhichyoucanadvertise;theoneyouchoosewillbedeterminedbyyourbudget.Apple'siAdplatform,forinstance,requiresaminimumbudgetofamere$1million!Otherconsiderationsinclude:
Localversusinternationalreach.Advertisingwithinaspecificareawillusuallybemuchcheaper.
Cross-mediacoordination.Someadvertisingnetworkswillofferdesktopaswellasmobilesolutions—theymightdoradio,print,andoutdoortoo.
Servicelevel.Whenyouuseaself-servicemobileadvertisingnetwork,suchasGoogle'sAdMob,youcanuploadyourownassetsandgraphics,setyourbudget,andpickwhereyouwantyouradstoappear.Oryoucantakealoadoffandletanagencytakecareofeverythinginstead.
Reachandscope.Decidewhetheryouwantthewholeworldorjustyourgrannytoseeyourads.
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WiFi
Oneneglecteddigitalareaisad-fundedWiFi.Usershaveallthesedevicesthattheytakeeverywhereandtheyareconstantlylookingforconnectivity—beitincoffeeshops,hotels,ortrains.Usually,theloginpagewilllookforausernameandapassword;sometimesthereisnologinpageatall.
Thisisamissedopportunity,particularlyifyouareasmallbusinesslikeacoffeeshop.IfyouhaveWiFiavailableforcustomers,usetheloginpageasabrandingopportunity—getpeopletosignupforyourloyaltyplan,tellthemaboutspecialoffersordiscounts,informthemaboutupcomingevents,andsoon.Thisisaneasywaytodrivetradeandcanbemuchmorecosteffectivethanothermobileadvertisingstrategies.
GettingStarted
Justaswithbuildingmobilesitesorapps,creatingamobileadvertisingstrategyismadeeasierbyusingthesitedevelopmentprocessintroducedearlier(seeFigure8.7):
1. Justify.Whyareyouchoosingmobileadvertising?Whatvaluewillitbring?Determinewhatyourpotentialcustomerswillgetoutofitandalsowhatgoalsitcanachieveforyourbusiness.
2. Build.Next,buildyourcampaign—withthehelpofanagencyifyouhavethebudget.Itwillputtogetheralloftheassetsandeverythingyouneed.
3. Golive.Whenyouarereadytorolloutyourcampaign,sendittoasmanyplacesaspossible.Themorethemerrierandallthat…
4. (Cross)promote.Ifpossible,drivethecampaignfromdifferentmedia—thatwillhelpyoutoseewhichchannelisthemostsuccessful.
5. Measure.Testtheeffectivenessofyourmobileadcampaignsusingdataandanalytics.
6. Update.Onceyouhaveanideaofwhatworksandwhatshouldtakeahike,youcanupdateyourcampaignaccordingly.
Anoteontheabove.Alltoooftenbusinesses—particularlysmallercompanies—initiallytrymobileadvertisingwithalimitedbudgetandscope.Thenifitdoesnotachieveinstantstardom,theygiveup.Butitisreallyimportanttotrythistypeofadvertisingtimeandtimeagain,goingbacktoyouroldfriendsplittestingtofigureoutwhatformatworksbest.Giveyourselfabitofleewayintermsoftimeandbudgettofindwhatsuitsyourbusiness.
MobileAdvertising:KeyTips
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Considerthedestinationofyourcampaign.Wherewillyousendpeople?Areyouaskingthemtodownloadanapporareyoudirectingthemtoyourmobilesite?Andwhatdoyouwantthemtodoasaresultofyourad—clickandmakeaphonecall,watchavideo,orvisitaspecificlandingpage?Therearemanywaystoconnectwithusers,sotrytogetthisclearinyourheadearlyon.
Considertheresponsemechanism.Ratherthanallowinguserstojustclickyourad,takeadvantageoftheirphones'functionality.Youradcanexpandandallowtheusertocallfromit,towatchavideostraightaway,todownloadanapp,tosendaprepopulatedtweet,orto“like”youonFacebook.Therearemanymoreopportunitiesforpeopletointeractwithyourmobileadthansimplyclicking.
A/Btestyouradtypes.Thisisprettyeasytodointhedigitalspaceandgenerallyformobileads,too.Trydifferentadtypestoseewhatsuitsyouasacompanyandtheaudiencethatyouwanttoreach.Youwillbefamiliarwithtraditionalbanneradsalready;othertypesinclude:
Appwalls.Whereyouradappearsamongmanyotheradsfordifferentapps(usefulfordevelopers).
Discoveryads.Whenyouradisembeddedinthemiddleofothercontent.
Interstitialads.Whenyouradappearstousersbeforetheycangettothearticleorothercontenttheywanttoabsorbinawebsite.
Retargeting.Chapter4introducedtheconceptofretargeting:Torecap,itiswhenyouradfollowsauseraroundtheInternetbasedontheirpreviousinteractionswithyourbrandorproduct.Thoseusersaremoreinclinedtoclickonyouradbecausetheyhavealreadyexpressedaninterestinwhatyouoffer.
Althoughthisstrategyhasbeenwidelyadoptedinthedesktopenvironment,ithasyettobedonewellinmobile.However,progresshasbeenmade,asinthecaseofsmartappbanners.Whentheuservisitsacertainwebsite,abannerdropsdowntoannouncethatthereisanappavailablewiththesamecontentasthewebsite.ItincludesaCTA,suchasdownloadorview,andiftheuseralreadyhastheappinstalled,itknowsthisandsimplysaysopen.Nottooshabby.
Testforsuccess.InadditiontoA/Btestingyouradtypes,testthecreativesusedwithinthem.Seewhatwordingandimagesresonatewithcustomersandremembertofollowthrough!Aftereachtriptoyouranalyticsreports,youshouldupdateandrelaunchyouradsaccordingly.Becausewhenit
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comestomobileadvertising,onesizedefinitelydoesnotfitall.Andsincemobileisoftenabigbrands'game,youneedtodowhateveryoucantomaximizetheimpactofyourmobileadsandsqueezemoreoutofyourbudget.
Comingupisanotherwayinwhichyoucanadvertiseviamobile—proximitymarketing.
ProximityMarketingHavingcoveredkeywaystoreachusersontheirmobiles,let'scontinuewithstage3(seeFigure8.8)andanewareathattechnologyhasbroughttomobileadvertising.
Learnhowproximitymarketingcanhelpyougetclosertocustomersby:
Understandingwhatproximitymarketingisandhowitworks.
Discoveringhowyoucanutilizetechnologytoreachcustomersnearyou.
Knowingthebestpracticesforleveragingthistechnology.
AboutProximityMarketing
Proximitymarketinginvolvessendingtherightcontenttotherightplaceattherighttime.Itisalotmorevaluablethantheshotgunapproachofmobilebanneradsandisgenerallycheaper,simpler,andmoremanageable.Withproximitymarketing,youcantargetcontenttowirelessdevicesbasedontheirlocations,forinstance:
Acellularphoneinaparticularcell.Whenuserstravelabroadandroamawayfromtheirhomenetwork,theygetanotificationfromthelocaloperatorthatinformsthemofrelevantcosts.Andyouhavetheopportunitytosendthemawelcomemessageofyourown!
ABluetoothorWiFidevicewithinrangeofatransmitter.Thisgoesbacktothedaysbeforedataplanswereavailable,whentheonlywaytosendfreeandaccessiblecontenttomobileuserswasthroughBluetooth.Ashoppingcenter,forexample,knewwhenpeoplehadwalkedinwiththeirBluetoothdevicesswitchedonandcouldaskthemtooptintoreceivemessages.Thiswasabitofahaphazardapproachatthetime;however,theuseofbeaconshasbroughtittotheforefrontagain.
AnNFC-enabledphone.Thisrevolvesaroundtheuserbeingwithinverycloseproximity(lessthanafoot)ofcertainmedia.NFC,ornearfieldcommunication,canreadcontentfromalittlechipphysicallyplacedsomewhere(suchasinabusshelter).Youcanputachiponyourproduct
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oradvertisingmaterialanduseittocleverlylaunchlocalizedcontent—suchassendinganotificationtotheuser'sphonethatyourstoreisonlyafewfeetaway.Again,thisismoretargetedthangeneralmobileadvertisingbecauseitisbasedontheuserbeingnearsomething.
AdvancesinProximityMarketing
BluetoothproximitymarketingwasseenasadyingtechnologyuntilApplegaveitanewleaseonlifein2013.TheybroughtforwardatechnologycallediBeacon,whichissimplyavariationofBluetoothlow-energytechnology.Around140companiesworldwideareusingiBeaconnowandmorebigbrandsarejumpingonboardtoo.
iBeaconprovidesatailored,real-worldexperiencethatleverageswhatacompanyisalreadydoinginitsexistingapp.Howdoesitwork?Well,asmallchip,whichcostsjust$5to$10andlastsaroundtwoyears,isusedtobroadcastauserIDtotheapp.
Forexample,ifuserswalkintoMacy'sandhavetheMacy'sapp,thechipwillpushofferstotheirphonesbasedonwheretheyare.Ifthatuserisamanstandinginfrontofshoes,hewillseeoffersrelatedtomen'sshoesandnotwomen'sshoes.Thisisaverypowerfulformofadvertisingasusersarealreadypredisposedtoyourbrand(becausetheyhavedownloadedyourappandareinyourstore)andyouareservingthemtherightpieceofinformationattherighttime.
However,becarefulabouthowyouuseiBeacon.Technologyallowsyoutodoreallycoolthings,butasPeterParker'sunclewiselysaid:“Withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility.”Sodonotstalkyourpotentialcustomersorscarethemawaywithmessagesateverystep—afterall,youdonotwantthemturningofftheirBluetoothdevices,orworse,deletingyourapp!Instead,actasaguidethatcanhelpthemthroughtheirshoppingprocessandgivethemtheinformationtheyneed.Gentlydoesit.
AnotherareainproximitymarketingisQRcodes—thosesmall,square,black-and-whitebarcodesthatcanbereadbyyourphone'scamera.Foradvertisers,theyareconvenientandcosteffective;infact,theyareusuallyfree.Youcanjustgotoawebsitelikewww.qrme.comandtypeintheURLyouwouldlikethecodetolinkto,anditwillgenerateaQRcodethatyoucandownloadanduseonpromotionalmaterial.QRcodesareabigdealintheFarEast;however,theyareusedlessinEuropeandtheUnitedStates,possiblybecausemanybrandsdidnotusethemeffectivelywhentheyfirstcameout.
IfyoudodecidetouseQRcodes,bearthesetipsinmind…
Do
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Directuserstoamobile-optimizedlandingpage.
Includemobilecouponstoengagethem.
Buildalistofmobilephoneusers.
Linktomobilemedialikeapps,videos,podcastsorPDFs.
Don'tMakethecodetoosmallorsofarawaythatitwillnotscan.
PresentthecodeinplaceswithnoInternet,forexample,subwaystations.
Senduserstoyourhomepage.
Remember,itrequiresabitofeffortforuserstotakeouttheirphones,opentheQRreaderorcameraapp,holditsteady,focus,andwaitforthebrowsertoopenandlaunch.ItmightbeeasiertojusttypeinaURL.Soratherthansendingthemtoyourhomepage,givethemcontentthattheywerenotexpecting.Youhavepiquedtheirinterest.Usethat.
Psst…forexamplesofwhatnottodo(orjustforagiggleonaMondaymorning),checkoutwww.qrcodefails.wordpress.com.
Nowthatyouknowhowtouselocalizedmobileadvertising,let'smoveontothelastpartofstage3intheiterativeprocess—SMSmarketing.
SMSMarketingThereisanotherareaofmobileadvertisingthatisoftenoverlookedbecauseithasbeenwithusforsolong.However,instage3(seeFigure8.8)youwilllearnhowSMSmarketingcanbeakeypartofyourmobileadvertisingmix.
LearnhowtomakeSMSworkinyourfavorby:
UnderstandingthemainconsiderationsinSMScampaigns.
Findingtherightsuppliertohelpyouwithyourmessaging.
TakingthenecessarystepsintheSMScampaignprocess.
SMS:HighsandLows
AlthoughSMSmarketingmaybeoverlookedinfavorofcooler,shiniertechnologies,itdoeshavemanyadvantages.Forinstance,itis:
Targeted.Youcansendamessagedirectlytophonenumbersthatyouhavegatheredpersonally.
Relevant.Thepeopleseeingyourmessagearemorelikelytobeinterestedinwhatyouoffer.
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Timely.Youcanadvertisepromotionsorspecialoffersatthemostappropriatetime,suchastheweekbeforeChristmas.
Personalized.Thiscanbeveryeffective,especiallyintermsoflocalizedmarketing.
Visible.SMSseesahugeopenrateof99percent.
Accessible.Comparedtosmartphones,apps,andmobilesites,eventheoldestphonescanreceiveSMSandcanbeaccessedbyanyone.
IfyoudecidetouseSMSwithinyourwidermobilecampaign,thereareafewconsiderationstotakeintoaccount.Forinstance,doyouhaveadatabaseofphonenumbersandpermissionfromthesepeopletobecontacted?AndwillyouneedanSMSprovider?
Ifyouhaveasmalldatabase,youmightbetemptedtosendmessagesfromyourownphone;however,youwillnotbeabletoseeifpeopleopenyourtextorevenseeit.UsinganSMSprovidermeansyoucanmeasureyourcampaignswithanalyticsandletsyourmessagestandoutwithtargeted,specifickeywordsandyourownshortcodeorphonenumber.Forinstance,yourmessagemightread:“ToreceivespecialdealsonconcertsandeventsfromCircleCityTickets,textTICKETSto12345.”ThekeywordinthiscaseisTICKETSandtheshortcodeis12345.TheSMSprovidercanpickoutthosepeoplewhorespondedtothatparticularnumberandplacethemintoarelevantbucket—sofuturemessagesaresenttotherightpeopleattherighttime.
Remember,awell-craftedSMSmarketingmessageisconcise,targeted,relevant,andcontextsensitive.Itcanhaveareallyhighimpact,suchasdrivingpeoplethroughthedoorofyourrestaurantorstorefasterthanyoucansay,“You'vegotmail!”
Unfortunately,itisnotallsunshineandlollipopswithSMSmarketing.Itdoescomewithitsownchallenges,suchas:
Strictregulations.BecauseSMShasbeenaroundforsolong,itisthemostregulatedareaofmobileadvertising.Messagesmustberelevant,targeted,andspecific—andthefinescanbehugeifyouabuseyourpower.Also,sincemobilemarketingispermission-based,youneedtoknowhowyougotthatmobilenumberinthefirstplace.Thecustomermustoptintoreceivemessages(forinstance,viaanonlinecompetitionoraregistrationform)andyoumustkeeprecordsasproof.
Limitedspace.Messagesarenormallylimitedto160characters,soitcanbehardtogetyourmessageacross(unlessyouareanexperttweeter,inwhichcaseyouwillhavelotstospare!).Agoodwaytocombateating
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intoyourSMScreditswithmultiplemessagesistoincludeaCTAthattakestheusertoyourmobile-responsivewebsite.
Opt-outrequirement.Allowinguserstooptoutisanecessityandyouwillneedtouseupsomeofyourprecious160charactersbysaying,“TextSTOP”toacertainnumber.Thismeansyouhaveevenlessspaceinwhichtoengageusers,butitismandatory.Ifyoucontinuetextingsomebodywhohasalreadyoptedout,youcouldbeinbigtrouble.
Anticipatingresponse.Evenwithacrystalball,itcanbeveryhardtoseewhatreactionyourcampaignwillget.Forinstance,ifyouhave20itemstogiveawayandyousendapromotionalSMSto10,000people,youcouldendupannoyingthose9,980peoplewhodonotgetafreebie.
Tostayaboveboardandtorunamoreeffectivecampaign,usinganSMSsupplierishighlyrecommended.Thiswillensurethatyourcampaignislegalandmeasured,withalltherecordstoproveit.Ifyoudoengageasupplier,youneedtodeterminethefollowing:
Isitamanagedorself-serviceproduct?
Canyoudoitallonline?
CanyouchangethesenderIDsothatyourSMSdoesnotjustappearfromanunknownnumber,butfromyourbrand?
Canyouscheduletextsbasedoncountrydialingcodes?Ifyouhaveaglobaldatabaseandwanttoavoidsendingmessagesataninappropriatetime,thisisvital.
DoestheSMSprovidersupportshortcodes?Andifso…
Canyougroupphonenumbersbycategoryandtargetaudience?
Whataretheupfrontandongoingcosts?
GettingStarted
DecidedtorunanSMScampaign?Great.SeeFigure8.12forafewstepstosetyouintherightdirection…
1. Providerselection.Justaswithchoosingadeveloperforyourappormobilesite,findingtherightproviderisreallyimportant.Makesuretoaskaboutongoingcostsinadditiontothecostofsettingup.Generallyyouwillpayanupfrontfee,thenbuyabundleofSMScreditsbeforeanycampaign.
2. Subscriberlist.Aspreviouslymentioned,youneedbothtounderstandwhereyoursubscriberlistcomesfromanddocumentthesesources.
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3. Landingpage.IfincludingaCTAorURLattheendofyourSMS,makesurethatthelandingpagetowhichyouaredirectingusersisoptimizedformobile.
4. Messagecampaign.Donotkeepsendingthesamemessagetimeandtimeagain,justbecauseyouhappentohaveasaleon.Splittestandvaryyourcampaignmessagingtoseewhatworks.
5. Reviewandmeasure.Justaswithyourmobilesites,apps,andanyotheradvertisingyoumightdo,usemetricsandanalyticstomeasurethesuccessofyourcampaign.Understandwhatdrivescustomerstoyourdoorandupdateasnecessary.
Figure8.12SMSCampaignDevelopmentProcess
Forfurtherinspiration,checkoutthesetipsfortheperfectSMSmessage.
Segmentyouraudienceandsendappropriatemessagestoeachcustomer.
Keepyourtextshortandsweet.
HaveastrongCTA.
Grabtheirattentioninthefirstcoupleofwords.
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Tellyouraudiencewhoyouare—assignyourcompanyasyoursenderID.
Don'tforgettoprovideanopt-outoption.
Thatconcludesstage3ofourmobilemarketingiterativeprocess.Thenextsectionwillfocusonusinganalyticstotrackyourcampaign'ssuccess.
Stage4:AnalyzeOurmodelmaynotlookatanalyticsuntilthefourthstageoftheiterativeprocess(seeninFigure8.13),butinfactdatashouldbepartofeverystepofyourmobilemarketingcampaign.
Figure8.13FocusontheFourthStageoftheMobileMarketingProcess
Thissectionwillremindyouoftheimportanceofanalysis,soyoucan:
Appreciatethatmetricsshouldbeappliedtoamobilemarketingstrategy.
Understandwhatananalyticspackagelookslikeandhowitcanbeusedinyourowncampaign.
MobileAnalyticsAnalyticsarekindoflikeBrusselssprouts—youknowtheyaregoodforyoubutyoucannothelpbeingalittleafraidofthem.Andneitherishalfasbadasyouimaginedonceyougetusedtoit!
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Sowhatdoestheworldofanalyticsinvolve?Well,itisallaboutusingthemostrelevantmetrics,andmeasuringacampaign'seffectivenessandoptimizingitbasedontheresults.
Metricsareespeciallyinvaluableinmobilemarketing,becauseusersareonpersonaldevices.TheyarenotsharingthemastheywouldaPCatworkoralaptopathomethatthewholefamilycanaccess.Sowhetheryouareusingmobilesites,apps,mobilesearch,proximitymarketing,orSMSaspartofyourstrategy,youarecommunicatingwithasingleuser.Youcanseeexactlywhatsheisdoingandhowyoucanconnectwithher.
Regardlessoftheanalyticspackageyougofor,youcanfollowyourcampaignacrossdifferentdevices.Forinstance,intheAudiencetabofGoogleAnalytics,showninFigure8.14,youcanseehowyourwebsiteperformsonvariousdevicesbyclickingontheMobilecategoryontheleftandselectingDevices.
Figure8.14SeeHowYourWebsitePerformsonVariousDeviceswithintheAudienceTabofGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Youthengetalistofthedevicesthatpeopleareusingmostfrequentlytogettoyoursite,asseeninFigure8.15.
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Figure8.15MobileDeviceInformationwithinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Thisinformationcanfeedintoyourmobilesitestrategyintermsofhowyoucatertousers,howyouaccommodatewhattheyliketodoonyoursite,whetheryoubuildamobileapp,whatplatformsyoutarget,andsoon.Youcanalsocheckthebouncerateforuserscomingfrommobiledevicesasopposedtodesktops—ifitisalothigher,maybeyouneedtofocusmoreonyourmobilestrategyandonmakingyoursiteresponsive.
Inshort,bytakingfulladvantageofthemetricsandanalyticsatyourdisposal,youcanrunmoreinformed—andmoresuccessful—mobilemarketingcampaigns.Simpleasthat.
EmergingTrendsBynowyouwillbefamiliarwitheachstageofmobilemarketing'siterativeprocess;however,wemuststillfinishstage4(seeFigure8.13).Nowit'stimetotakeastepbackandlookatthefutureoftheindustrysothatyoucan:
Beawareofcurrenttrendsinthemobilemarketplace.
Findoutwaysinwhichyoucancapitalizeonthesetrends.
CurrentTrendsWithinthearenaofmobilemarketing,thereareafewtrendsemergingofwhichyoushouldbeaware:
M-commerce.Mobilecommerceincludesmobilewallets,NFCchips,andcouponsthatcanbescanned.Thesetechnologiesmightnotbewidelyadoptedjustyet,butmoreandmorecompaniesarecompetingwithinthe
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m-commercespaceandofferingnewwaysforconsumerstopaybymobile.
Geolocation.Thisisreallycrucial,giventheimportanceofcontextinmobilemarketing.Whenyouknowwherecustomersare,whattheyaresearchingfor,andhowtheyareusingapps,youradvertisingcanbemoreinformedandtargetedtotheirneeds—forinstance,withtheuseofiBeacon.
Showrooming.Thisreferstousersinphysicalstorescheckingonlinetoseewhatacertainproductmightcostelsewhere.SmartbrandslikeApplehaverealizedthataslongastheygettheseusers'business,itdoesnotmatteriftheybuyin-storeoronline.Apple'sstrategyistousethephysicalstoreasashowroom,andthecompanyevenoffersconsumersdevicesonwhichtheycanbrowse.Itisallaboutgainingtheuser'sloyalty—sodonotmakethesamemistakeasthebookstoresthattriedtopreventcustomersfromcheckingpricesonAmazon.Peoplenowhaveconnectivityintheirpocketsandtheyaregoingtouseit.Thatiswhybrick-and-mortarretailersneedto:
Offersomethingthatmakesconsumersbuyinthephysicalstore.Understandthatevenifconsumersdon'tbuyfromthephysicalstore,theymaybuyfromyouonline.
Wearablecomputing.SlicktechnologieslikeGoogleGlassandApplewatchesarenotexactlycommonplacerightnow,buttheyarecertainlygainingtraction.Forinstance,theimmersiveOculusRifthasalreadymeanthugebenefitsforgaming…whatimpactcouldsuchtechnologieshaveonmarketing?Moreover,mobilehealthisarapidlyexpandingarearightnow,givenallthefitnesstrackersoutthere.Thesetrackerscantellwhatpeoplearedoing,wheretheyare,andsoon—andthisdatacouldinformpurchasingandmarketingdecisionsasaresult.Thisisoneareaonwhichyoushoulddefinitelykeepaneyeformarketingopportunities.
Bynowyoushouldhaveamuchclearerideaofwhatmobilemarketingisabout.Andnowthatyouhaveseenthetrendsthatareemergingwithintheindustry,let'smoveontothelawsandguidelinestowhichyouwillneedtoadhere.
LawsandGuidelinesHavingcoveredtheopportunitiesthatmobileoffersdigitalmarketers,thewaysinwhichyoucanadvertise,theimportanceofanalytics,andthecurrenttrends,thischapterwillconcludebyaddressingafewlawsandguidelines.
Inparticular,thissectionwillhelpyouto:
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Understandthemobilemarketinglawsthatapplytoyourcountry.
Realizethefundamentalareasoflegislation,providinglinkstomoreinformation.
Remembersomekeypointsforyourmobilemarketingstrategy.
LayingDowntheLawInmanyrespects,mobileisrelativelynew—sotherearenotalotoflawsorguidelinesinplacethatrelatetoit.Infact,themobilemarketingindustrychangessoquicklythatrulesareoftencraftedasitmovesalong.
Still,mobiledoeshavetoadheretocertainstandardssuchas:
Dataprotectionandprivacy.Theselawswilldifferdependingonwhatcountryyouarein,butwww.dlapiperdataprotection.comandwww.heatmap.forrestertools.comallowyoutoviewlegislationbylocation.
Copyright.Itisveryeasytocopyandpastedigitalcontent.Avoidtemptationandaskforpermission,givecreditwherecreditisdue,payforcontent,orelsecreateandcopyrightyourown.Tostayinformedaboutupdatesincopyrightlegislation,gotowww.copyright-watch.org.
Cookiepolicies.Asinthedesktopworld,therearelawsrelatingtotheinformationthatyougatherandretainaboutpeople'sbrowsinghabits.Asmentionedinthesectionabouteffectivemobilesites,thereislessofanopportunitytodothisonmobiledevices(becauseyouhavelimitedaccesstolocalstorage,whichisusuallydictatedbythephone'soperatingsystem);however,evenifyouareonlystoringalittlebitofinformationabouttheuser,youneedtomakethisknowntotheuser.Becausenoteveryoneisafanofcookies.Youcanfindoutmoreviawww.cookielaw.org/faq.
Accessibility.Thenicethingaboutmobileisthatoperatingsystemsusuallycaterreallywelltopeoplewithdisabilities,intermsofaccessingcontent.Andinmostinstances,theoperatingsystemwilltakecareofmostofthisforyouwithfeaturesthatallowtexttobespokenandimagestobedescribed,navigationassistanceforthevisuallyimpaired,andsoon.Learnmoreaboutaccessibilityissuesatwww.w3.org/WAI/mobile.
Thankstothelackoflawsrelatingtomobile,manybodiesliketheMobileMarketingAssociation(MMA)havetakenituponthemselvestoenforceself-imposedguidelines.Theypromotebestpracticesintheindustryintheabsenceoflawsorformalstandards:Withinthemobilemarketingecosystemthereisahugepushtowardsself-regulation.
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Asadigitalmarketer,youtooshouldoperatebythiscodeandrefertotheMMAwheneveryouneedguidance.Itisallaboutbeingresponsibleintermsofwhatyoudowithusers'data,respectingtheirprivacy,andmanagingorstoringcontentinthemostsensitivewaypossible.
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Hopefullythischapterhasshownyounewwaysinwhichyoucanreachcustomers—throughthemediumofmobile.Rememberthesekeytruthswhendevisingyourmobilestrategyandyouwillbeontoawinner:
Thereisonlyoneweb.Sincethereisnosuchthingasseparatedesktopwebsandmobilewebs,everythingshouldberesponsive.Regardlessofwhetherauserisusingadesktop,atablet,aphone,oraTV,contentendsupinthesameplaceandyoushoulduseresponsivetechnologiestoprovidethebestUXpossible.
Keepintouch.Becausesomanyofyourcustomerswillcomefrommobiledevices,youshouldmakeuseoftouchdesign.Thislendsitselftodesktoptoo,becausenowadayscontentisgenerallybigger,cleaner,andeasiertouse.
Contextiskey.Ithasfinallybeenunderstoodthatmobileusersareabsorbinginformationinahurry,whiletheyareonthego.Thatinturnhasledtoimprovementsinthedesktopexperience,withwebsitesthatuseone-pagescrolling,whichprovideconciseinformationwithafocusoncleanlayoutanddesign.
Dataisgolden.Everythingismeasurableandyoushoulduseyourdata/analyticstoinformanycommercial,marketing,andbusinessdecisionsthatyoumake.
Goodluck,mobilemarketers!Mayyourcontentnowshinefromeveryscreen.
Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonmobilemarketingasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
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Exercises
Exercise1UsingGoogleAnalytics,lookatthedataavailableforyourcurrentwebsiteandrecord:
Whatpercentageofusersiscomingfrommobile?
Whatisthemobilebouncerateversusdesktopbouncerate?
Whatarethemostcommonmobiledevicesbeingused?
Areyourmobilevisitorsusingphonesortablets?
Whattimeareusersaccessingyoursite?
Howlongdoyourmobilevisitorsspendonyoursite?
Exercise2Youhavedevelopedanewmobileappthatallowsuserstodownloadgluten-freerecipes.Youmustdecideontherevenuemodelforyourapp,takingthefollowingintoconsideration:
Whichwouldworkbestforyourcustomers?
Whichwouldyieldmorerevenue?
Exercise3SetupanaccountonGoogle'sAdMobPlatform(www.google.com/admob).TryoutthevarioustoolsthatareavailableforbanneradsandAdWords.Choosethechannelthatsuitsyourbusinessbest.Setasmallbudget,choosechannels,golive,andtesttheresponse.
Exercise4CreateacustomQRcodeathttp://goqr.meandmakeitlinktoatrackablepagethatisnotyourhomepage.Trackthenumberofpeoplewhouseit.PutdifferentQRcodesondifferentmediatoidentifymedia(e.g.,leaflets,printads,outdoorads,etc.)thatworkbestforactivations.
Exercise5YouarethemanagerofGroarkie'sGadgets,alocalelectricalstorethatisrunningaweekendclearancespecial.Youwanttosendamessagetocustomerswhohavepreviouslypurchasedfromyourstore.Craftan
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engagingSMSusingtheguidelinesbelow:
Asinglemessagewithfewerthan160characters.
Includesanopt-outmechanism,whichwilleatintoyourcharactercount(e.g.,textStopto53153).
Relevantandspecific.
IncludesaCTA(e.g.,SalenowonorSave20percentthisweekend).
Measurable(e.g.,responsesgotoaURL—foronlinecampaigns—orhaveauniquecode—forphysicalcampaigns—soyouknowwhatpercentageofcustomersisgettingthrough).
ActionPlan:MobileMarketingDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforMobileMarketing
ObjectivesReach,interaction,advocacy,conversion
ActionItemsandFrequencyMobileoptimizedwebsite:Ongoing
APPS:Ongoing
SMSmarketing:Percampaign
Mobileadvertising:Percampaign
Proximitymarketing:Percampaign
MeasurementToolsandKPIsAveragerevenueperuser(ARPU):
APRU=TotalrevenuegeneratedwithinagiventimeframeTotal#ofactiveuserswithinagiventimeframe
Costperinstall(CPI):
CPI=Adspend#ofnewinstallsdirectlytiedtoadcampaign
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Costperloyaluser(CPLU):
CPLU=Adspend#ofnewloyalusersinresponsetoads
Engagement:Sessionlengthandinterval,appscreenspersession,conversionratesforevents,interactions,opt-ins,andopt-outs
Retention:
Aggregateretention=#ofmonthlyactiveusers#ofinstalls
Retentionforagiventimeperiod=#ofusersretainedatendoftimeperiod#ofinstallsatstartoftimeperiod
Spend
Media Content People Systemsx x x X
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CHAPTER9ANALYTICS
AnIntroductionGenerallyperceivedascomplex,dry,andscarilyoverwhelming,analyticsdoesnothavethemostexcitingreputation.Whilstitmightgiveyousweatypalms,aracingheart,andkeepyouupallnightpantingbreathlessly,it'sforallthewrongreasons.
Solet'slookinsteadatwhatissexy.Success.Slickmarketing.Competitiveadvantage.Profit.
Andhowarethesegloriousthingsachieved?Withkillerinsights,cluesdugoutofthedatalikeroughdiamonds,andwisdompolishedintopreciseactions.Knowledgeispower,afterall,andanalyticsreallybringstheheatinthatdepartment!Sowhilststatsmightnotappearsexy,whatcanbedonewiththemis,andthisistheseductivebeautyofanalytics.
However,thisbeautyissomewhatburied.It'sourjobtoseebeyondanalytics'intimidatingexteriorandfocusondiggingouttheinternalwisdom.Becauseiftheinnerworkingsofanalyticscanbeunderstood,andthepoweroftheinsightsgainedcanbeoptimizedtomeetspecificneeds,thenawholeworldofknowledge-basedclaritywillopenup,achievingthosesexyitemsoutlinedabove!
Formaldefinitionofanalytics:Theprocessofmeasuring,collecting,analyzing,andreportingthebehaviorofvisitorsonawebsite,inordertounderstandandoptimizewebusage.
Informaldefinitionofanalytics:What'sthestorybehindthestats?(Andit'sanever-endingone.)
Theonlineworldshiftsconstantly,soanalyticscontinuallymonitorsandevaluateswebsitetraffic,foreverasking:Whatisworking,whatisn't,why,andwhatarewedoingaboutit?
It'samyththatanalyticsisjustaboutdata—it'sactuallymoreaboutreadingbetweenthelinestointerpretthatdata.Thechallengeistocustomizeeachreportforspecificneeds,thendigoutinsightsthathelptooptimizethesite,understandtheusers,andmeetbusinessaims.
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ProcessInthischapter,youwillexplorethefourkeystagesoftheongoinganalyticsprocess,asshowninFigure9.1.
1. Goals.Theprocessbeginsbysettinggoalsforboththebusinessandthewebsite,thenspecifyinghowanalyticswillbeusedtohelpmeasurethosegoals.Analyticsisaboutthewho,what,when,howmany,andwhy:Thisisthestageatwhichthosequestionsaredefined,therationalebehindthemexplored,andtheanswerstothemdiscovered.
2. Setup.Herethegroundworkislaidforansweringthequestionsaskedwhensettingyourgoalsandformeetingthosegoals—bysettingupaGoogleAnalytics(GA)accountandconfiguringitasneeded.AsolidworkingknowledgeofGAandrelatedtoolsisrequiredforthis.OncethestructureandutilityofGAisunderstood,aswellaswhatlevelsofaccessandpermissionsarerequired,thentheinterfaceandreportingongoalscanbeorganized.
3. Monitor.Thisstageinvolvestop-levelmonitoringofaudiences,trafficsources,andcampaigns,aswellasacritiqueofsiteperformance.Havingstatisticalcontextfromthepreviousstages,thegoalsfromstage1cannowberefinedfurtheraspreparationfordivingintoevendeeperanalysis.
4. Analyze.Thisstageisincrediblydatarich!Itisboththebeginningandtheendofthecycle,thestageatwhichin-depthanalysisisperformed,targetedinsightsdeveloped,businessgoalsandstrategytweaked,andthereportingprocessstartedanew.ThisisthestageforstudyingtowhatextentKPIsandgoalsweremet,foransweringwhyorwhynottheywere,andformakinginformeddecisionstoimproveweakareasandtocapitalizeonstrongones.
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Figure9.1Four-StageAnalyticsProcess
KeyTermsandConceptsThischapterwillteachyouhowtomeasure,monitor,andoptimizeyourdigitalmarketingactivityusinganalytics.Here'swhatyouwillunderstanduponcompletion:
Whybusinessesshouldadoptaformalanalyticsprogram.
Whichtoolsareavailabletomeasureandmonitoronlinetraffic.
Howtobuildstandard,scheduled,andcustomizedreports.
Howtosetupaccounts,profiles,permissions,andtrackingcodes.
HowtouseGAtoprofileaudiencesandassesstechnicalperformance.
Howtomeasureengagementandconversionbytrackingactivities.
TherelationshipbetweenbusinessKPIsandanalyticsgoals.
Stage1:GoalsWelcometostage1oftheanalyticsprocess,whichishighlightedinFigure9.2andwhereyouwilllearnhowtosetgoalsforbothyourbusinessandwebsite,andinturn,definehowGoogleAnalytics(GA)willbeusedtohelpmeasurethosegoals.
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Figure9.2FocusontheFirstStageintheAnalyticsProcess
Asmartdigitalmarketingstrategyprovidesyouwiththeopportunitytoachievevisibilityinyourbrandandtoexcitepotentialcustomers.Beingabletoanalyzeyouronlineactivity,fromcreatingcontentrightthroughtoservingads,iscriticaltoiteratingitssuccess.
However,digitalprofessionalscansometimesfindtheeffectivenessoftheirmarketingdifficulttomeasure,especiallyifthere'sanunderlyinguncertaintyaboutitsrolewithinyouroveralldigitalmarketingstrategy.
Ifyouwanttobeasuccessfuldigitalmarketer,youneedtogetexistential:Beforeyoustartanalyzingyouronlineactivities,askyourselfonesimplequestion—whatareyoutryingtofindout?It'simportanttorememberthatinordertomeasureyoursuccess,metricsshouldalwaysbealignedwithyourgoals.YouneedtostartbydefiningyourobjectivesinusingGA,someofwhichcouldincludeanalyzingdatainorderto:
Findoutwhoyourtargetaudienceis.
Increasebrandawarenessandadvocacy.
Drivewebsitetraffic.
Discoverwhichareasofyoursitearecausinghighbouncerates.
Increaseleadgenerationandnurturing.
Improvecustomerretention.
Enhanceupselling.
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Increasesales.
Averycommonreasonwhymanydigitalmarketingstrategiesfailisalsoanincrediblysimpleone—afailuretoanalyzethedata.Itmightnotseemlikesomethingworthspendingtimeon,butifyougiveyourselfthechancetoreallythinkaboutandidentifyyourgoalsandoverarchingstrategyyouwillbeabletomakemuchmoreinformeddecisionsabouthowtousedatatoincreaseyourdigitalmarketingefforts.
KeyConceptsBeforebeginning,let'sgetfamiliarwithsomeofthekeyconceptsthatwillbecoveredinthischapter.
Dimensionsandmetrics.Dimensionsdescribedata,whereasmetricsmeasuredata.Forexample,usersisadimension,anditsmeasurementmetricisthenumberoflogged-inusers.Studyingbothiswhatcreatesinsight.
Cookies.Cookiesarefilesexchangedbetweenawebbrowserandaserverthatdifferentiateusers.Theytrackrepeatviewsversusuniqueusers(differentvisitors)withoutcollectingpersonaldata(nonames,etc.).Cookieslast60days,meaningoneuserwouldbecountedasuniqueforthistimeperiod.
Dataprotection.Allanalyticsserviceshavetocomplywithdataprotectionguidelines,whichmeansnotcollectingpersonaldata.Payattentiontolocalregulations,becausenoteverycountryoperatesinthesameway.
KeyTermsNextweintroducesomekeyterms.
Session.Agroupofinteractionsthattakeplaceduringagiventimeframe.Forexample,severaldifferentpageviewsbythesameuniqueuserinthesamewindowoftimewouldbecountedasonesession.
Users.Thenumberofnonduplicatedusers.Iftheuserclearshiscookies,hewillbecountedagain.
Pagespersession.Theaveragenumberofpageviewsthatapersoncompletedbeforeexitingthesite.
Averagesessionduration.Theaverageamountoftimetheuserspentonthesite.ThisisreportedinminutesinGA,andinsecondsinGoogleAdWords.
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Percentageofnewsessions.Anestimateofthepercentageoffirst-timevisits.
Conversion.Acompletedactivitythatcontributestothesuccessofthebusiness.Thiscouldberepresentedbyarangeofdifferentthings;forexample,asale,orsigningupforanewsletter.
Goal.Adefinedconversion,allowingmeasurementofthenumberoftimesthatconversionwascompleted.Therecanbemanydifferentgoals,andtheyareputinplacetotrackperformance.
Conversionrate.Therateatwhichusersactuallycompletedthegoalorthetransactiononyoursite.
Transaction.Differentfromagoal,thisisarevenuemetric.Ane-commercetrackingfunctioncanbeinstalledtotracktransactions.
Annotations.Notes(publicorprivate)manuallyaddedtodatathatprovidecontext;forexample,elaboratingonaspikeintrafficbyaddingdetailsaboutarelatedofflinemarketingactivity.
Stage2:SetupTokickoffouranalyticsmodule,let'sexaminetheworld'smostwidelyusedanalyticstool:GoogleAnalytics.GAhasbeenreferencedthroughoutthiscourse,specificallytyinginwiththeSEO,PPC,andsocialmediamodules,solet'sdiveintoanexaminationofhowitworks.
Thissectionisconcernedwiththesecondstageintheanalyticsprocess(highlightedinFigure9.3),orsettingupaGAaccount.Onceyouhavefinishedityouwillunderstand:
ThebenefitsofGAcomparedtoothertools.
ThestructureofGAanditsvaryingaccesslevels.
HowtosetupaGAaccountandnavigateitsinterface.
Whichtypesofreportscanbepulled.
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Figure9.3FocusontheSecondStageintheAnalyticsProcess
GAOverviewGAoperatesaconstantsystemofcollection,measurement,andanalysisofwebsitedata.
Technicallyspeaking,thisworksinthefollowingway:
1. WhensettingupGA,acodeisprovidedthatmustbeinsertedintoyourwebsite.
2. Whenthatwebpageisdisplayedtoauser,theanalyticscodedropscookies.
3. Cookies(whichtrackusers)aredropped,anddataiscommunicatedbacktoGA.
4. ThisdataisprocessedintheGAbackendthenpresentedintheinterface.
WhyGA?
Thereareotheranalyticstoolsonthemarket,butGAperksaredifficulttobeat:
Free.
Industrystandard,usedby98percentofbrands.
Simpletouseformoste-commerceplatformsandwebsites.
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Highlycustomizableforspecificbusiness/campaignneeds.
IntegratesnicelywithotherGoogleproducts(e.g.,AdWordsandWebmaster).
Extensiveonlinesupportandtutorials.
FreeversusPaid
ThereisalsoapaidversionofGA,calledUniversalAnalytics,whichoffersgreaterfunctionalityandmorein-depthreporting.Itisusedmostlybylargerglobalbrands—thefreeversionofGA,however,ismorethansufficientformostmarketers.
GAAccountStructure
Tosetuptheaccountproperly,it'simportanttofirstunderstandthatGAisstructuredintothreesections:Account,PropertyandView,asshowninFigure9.4.
1. AccountreferstotheactualGAaccount;forexample,thebusinessorbrand.
2. Propertyreferstoeachindividualwebsite,andbusinessescanaddmorethanone.
3. Viewreferstothefilterthatisappliedtothedata.Forexample,afilterthatexcludesinternaltrafficcanbeapplied.
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Figure9.4GAThree-SectionStructureSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
GAAccessLevels
GAprovidesfourlevelsofuseraccess,which,foradministrativeandsecurityreasons,isveryuseful.Forexample,inlargecompanies,itmaybeproblematictohaveseveralhundredpeopleaccessingandeditingthesamedata!Thelevelsofaccessare:
1. ManagedUser.Administrativelevel;candoabsolutelyeverything.
2. Edit.Administrativelevelfunctionswithouttheabilitytoaddordeleteusers.ThisistheminimumlevelofaccessrequiredtolinkGAwithGoogleAdWords.
3. Collaborate.Caneditsharedassetsandreadandanalyzeallreports.
4. ReadandAnalyze.Canmakenochanges,justobservations.
GAAccountSetup
Nowthestructureandthetiersofaccessareunderstood,let'ssetupanaccount.
1. Typeinwww.google.com/analytics.
2. Clickonthesign-upbuttontoenteryourdetails.YouwillneedaGoogleaccount,suchasGmailorAdWords,toregister.
3. NameyouraccountinthefieldshowninFigure9.5.Thisisyou,orthe
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brand/businessyourepresent.
4. Addproperties.AddtheURLsofthesitesyouwishtotrack.
5. Setanyviewsrequired;forexample,onethatexcludesinternaltraffic.Thesefiltersarecoveredindetaillater,butessentiallytheViewfunctionenablesreportstobeorganizedintodifferentsets.Thesesetscanbenamedforconvenienceandtailoredforcertainusers.
6. Setyourtimezonecorrectly,asshowninFigure9.6.Oncesetitcan'tbechanged,andyourdatawillbeskewedifitiswrong!
7. Getyourtrackingcode.ThisfacilitatesthetrackingofthesiteandisshowninFigure9.7.Insomeinstancesitmayneedcustomizing.Forexample,ifyoursiteacceptstransactionsyouwillneedtosetupaspeciale-commercecode.
8. Addyourtrackingcodetoyourwebsite.Thisshouldbeinsertedimmediatelybeforetheclosingheadertag,atthetopofthepage.Remember,thelowerdownthecodeisinserted,thelongerittakestoload—whichcouldmeanhitsarenotrecordedcorrectly.
9. Adjustaccountsettings.CustomizetheGAinterfacetomeetyourneeds,usingtheAdmintab(seebelow).
Figure9.5GASetup
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Source:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.6SettingGATimeZoneSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.7GATrackingCodeSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
GANavigation
Havingsetupyouraccount,let'snowlookathowtonavigatearoundit.First,youwillbepresentedwithapageshowingthesetabs:Home,Reporting,Customization,andAdmin.
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Home.Thisistheviewyouwillbepresentedwithuponlog-in.Itdisplaystheaccount,withthepropertiesandviewslistedbeneath.Ifyouhavegotmultipleaccounts,properties,orviews,itispossibletoflagspecificonestocreateamorecustomizedview.
Admin.Thistabconfiguresdifferentsettingsforeachindividualproperty,suchassettingthedefaultpage,excludingURLqueryparameters,makinge-commercesiteselections,settingsessiontime-outlength,andsettingupsitesearch.YoucanalsoimportmediaspendsandaddPPCdata.
Customization.Thistabiswhereyouwillfindanycustomreportsoncetheyhavebeenconfigured.
Reporting.Thisisessentiallythemainmenu,containingdashboards,shortcuts,intelligenceevents,andallthestandardreports.ThedefaultreportshownisAudience,whichprovidesawebsiteoverview.
UnderReportingyoucanalsosetIntelligenceEvents.Thesearealertsthatcanbedesignedtogooutinrealtime,tospecificGAusers,inordertoflageventsthatarerelevanttothebusiness.Forexample,youmaywanttosetanITalertshouldthesitestoploading.
Gainingareturnfromanalyticsrequiresongoingmonitoring,analysis,andenhancement,butunderstandingthesetup,functionality,andstructuringofGAisthefirststepinthisprocess.Stage3willnowapplythisknowledgeandexploreGAatamuchdeeperlevel.
Stage3:MonitorNowthatyouunderstandhowtosetupGA,it'stimetolookatthedifferenttypesofreportsavailableandhowthesecanhelpimproveyourwebsite.
Thissectionaddressesstage3oftheanalyticsprocess—monitoringaudiencedata,asshowninFigure9.8—andexplainshowGAcanshowwhositeusersareandhowtheybehave.
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Figure9.8FocusontheThirdStageintheAnalyticsProcess
Bytheendofthissectionyouwill:
Understandhowanalyticshelpsuslearnaboutaudiences.
Recognizetheuserjourneythatanalyticstoolscantrack.
Appreciatethewidermarketingandbusinessimplicationsofonlineaudienceanalytics.
AudienceOverviewWhenloggingintotheReportingtab,thedefaultviewwillbeAudience,asshowninFigure9.9.Let'sexploresomeoftheinformationavailablehere,thereasonsforanalyzingit,andthetypeofinsightsitcanproduce.
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Figure9.9AudienceOverviewSectionofGAReportingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Demographics
Demographicsanalyticsisaboutunderstandingwhousersaresotheycanbebettertargeted.AgeandgenderareprominentfiltersontheGAdashboardandthedatarevealshoweachdemographicbehaves.Insightscanbedrawnthathavehugeimplications;forexample,noticingthatfemalesconvertmoreoftenthanmales,asinFigure9.10,mightmeananadjustmentintargetingisneeded.
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Figure9.10DemographicsSectionofGAReportingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Geo
Locationdatashowswhichcountriesthesiteisaccessedfromandbyhowmanypeople,asshowninFigure9.11.Ithelpsensureanappropriatemarketingstrategyandcanhighlightnewopportunities;forexample,growingtrafficfromacurrentlyuntargetedcountry.
Figure9.11GeoSectionofGAReportingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Languagedatacanbeveryrevealing;forexample,learningthatmostoftheaudiencearenonnativespeakersofthewebsitelanguagewouldnecessitatesomestrategyadaption!
BehaviorHavingidentifiedwaystoseewhousersare,thenextstepistolookathowtheybehaveandwhatthismeans.Thisrequirestrackinguserswithcookies,ascoveredintheprevioussection.
UserJourney
Mappingtheuserjourneyisaboutunderstandingwhichusersreturn(asshowninFigure9.12),whattheydoonthesite,andhowengagedtheyare.
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Figure9.12UserJourneyInformationinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Understandingwhoconvertswhen,andwhy,meansthewebsitecanbecomemoreoptimized,thesalesfunnelmorelucrative,thecopymorerelevant,andthebudgetspentmoreefficiently.
Ultimately,itisaboutdefiningwhatnewuserswantversusthosewhoarereturningandusingthatknowledgetoguideeachsubtlytoasale.
Forexample,yourreportmightshowthatreturningusersareregisteringformoreinformationbeforeeventuallyconverting.Inthiscase,itmightbeidealtolaunchanemailcampaigntargetingonlyreturningusersandspeeduptheprocessbysellinghigherupinthesalesfunnel.Theyarealreadyquitelikelytopurchase,sothiswouldbeanefficientwaytocapitalizeontargetedleads.
Technology
Behavioralsohighlightstechnicalissues.Thisisusefulfortworeasons—itimprovesuserexperienceandensuresthesiteoperatesproperly—bothofwhichimproveconversions!
Audienceswillquicklyloseinterestifthesitedoesnotprovidethemwithabeneficialuserexperience,soitvitalthatuserbehaviorismonitoredacrossarangeofdevices,toensurethatengagementisfairlyconsistent.See,forexample,theengagementacrossdifferentscreenresolutionsinFigure9.13.Ultimatelyensuringconsistencyamongtheseresolutionswillimpactconversionrates.
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Figure9.13TechnologyInformationinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Itisimportantthatthesiteoperatesproperlyondifferentbrowsers;analyticscantrackuserbehaviorondifferentbrowserstomonitorthis.Forexample,ahighbouncerateorlowengagementamongSafari,butnotChrome,usersmaymeanthewebsiteisnotdisplayingcorrectly.
Mobile
Thereisnodisputingtheenormous,growingimportanceofmobile.Userswantspecificanswersimmediately,andtheywon'twastetimeonsitesthatdonotprovidethem!Itisthereforeimportantthatthemobilesiteisoptimized,andthatuserscaneasilynavigatetowhattheyneed.
Data(suchasthevolumeandengagementofmobiletraffic)canbeanalyzedtoensurethisisthecase.Bearinmindthatthefastnatureofon-the-gomobilebrowsingmakesbounceratesnaturallyhigher,andon-sitetimesnaturallylower,asseeninFigure9.14.Thisistobeexpected,butifusersleaveinstantlyorCTAconversionsarepitiful,thenperhapsthesiteneedsimprovement!TheCTAcouldbestronger,forexample,withaclick-to-callbuttonorreorganizationofinformation.
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Figure9.14SessionsbyDeviceCategoryinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
OfflineImplications
Onlineuserdatacanpowerfullyinformofflinemarketingtoo.Websitestatsdetailwhoaudiencemembersareandhowlikelytheyaretoconvertsopreciselythatitcouldleadtoarealshiftinwiderstrategy.Sometimesitcanevenuncoveraudiencesthebusinesswaspreviouslyunawareof!
Byunderstandingwhousersareandhowtheybehave,apicturebeginstoemergeofthewebsitechangesthatarerequired—bothtechnicalandwithrespecttocontent.Theaimistousethisknowledgetomakethesiteastargetedaspossible,andasthenextfewsectionsexplain,tounderstandandapplyanalyticsinawaythatisrelevanttothebusinesscontext!
AcquisitionHavinglookedathowtodeterminewhousersareandhowtheybehave,thissectionnowfocusesonwheretheycomefrom.
Thissectionisaboutmeasuring,reportingon,andcomparingthevalueofdifferentwebsiteandcampaigntrafficsources.ItprovidesanoverviewofthevariouschannelreportsGAcanproduceandhowtogoaboutsettingtheseup.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:
Whyacquisitionreportingisimportantandwhatitentails.
ThedifferentchannelsthatGAcanreporton.
HowtointegrateGoogleAdWordsandthebenefitsandrationalefordoingso.
HowtousetheGoogleURLBuilderandsetupcustomtrackingofonline
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campaigns.
AcquisitionReporting
Acquisitionreportinginvolvesthemeasurementandevaluationoftrafficsources,andtherearenumerouswaysthiscanbedoneinGA.Theabundanceofdataandreportingoptionscanseemoverwhelming,soremembertofocusondevelopingandusingonlyrelevantreports.CustomizingGA,CustomChannels,interpretingdata,andmediumandsourcearecoverednext.
CustomizingGAGAishighlycustomizable,andCustomChannels(usedtotrackpersonalizedchannelsasrequired)canbeaddedeasilyundertheAdmintab.Similarly,thereisacomprehensiveAdvancedSearchtoollocatedinthetopright-handcorner.Thiscanbeusedtofiltertraffictypes,amongothervariables,withasimpledrop-downmenu.
CustomChannelsOverviewTobegin,simplyclickintoAcquisitionandthenOverviewwithinGAtoproduceatop-levelbreakdownofthedifferenttraffic-drivingchannels,displayedinthebasicchartsseeninFigure9.15.Theaimistounderstandwhichchannelsbringnotjustthehighestvolumeoftraffic,butcrucially,themostvaluable,engaged,andhigh-convertingtraffic.
InterpretingDataChanneldatasuchasbouncerate,totalsessions,andconversionscanbeexamined,andareasfordevelopmenthighlighted.Animportantanalysisisthenumberofgoalsthateachchanneldelivers;forexample,iforganicsearchachievesahighvolumeofgoals,maybepaidsearchshouldexpand.
Justremembertoavoidassumptions—insteaddrawconclusionsthatmakesensetothebusinessinquestionandprioritizerelevantchannels!
MediumandSourceReportscanbeorganizedandviewedbymedium(thechannel)andsource(thespecificplatform),asshowninFigure9.16.Forexample,youmightsearchforthemediumorganicsearchandthesourceGoogle.Similarly,themediummightbedisplayandthesourcetheNewYorkTimes.
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Figure9.16GAReportbySource/MediumSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.15GACustomChannelsOverviewSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
ImportantTrafficChannels
Thefollowingarekeytrafficsourcesthatoftenyieldveryinterestingdata!Shouldyouencounteranotprovidednotification,fearnot!DatafromusersloggedintoanyGoogleaccount(suchasYouTube,Gmail,etc.)isnotpassedon,andthisisGoogle'snotificationthatsomedatacan'tbeprovided.
OrganicSearchOrganicsearchcandriveveryhighvolumesofvaluabletraffic,astheuser
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willalreadybeawareofthebrandandreadytoengagewithit.TrafficwillbemostlyfromGoogle,butwillalsoincludesourcessuchasBingandYahoo,despitetheirsmallshare.Insomecontexts(suchasmarketswheresourcesotherthanGooglehaveabiggershare)thiscanbeveryusefuldatathatcanleadtochangesinstrategy;forexample,ifBingtraffichadalowerbouncerateassociatedwithit.
GoogleWebmasterToolsBylinkingWebmasterToolswithGA,alotmoredatabecomesavailable.AscanbeseeninFigure9.17,theoptionslistedunderSearchEngineOptimizationwillleadtothesimpleWebmasterToolsset-upprocess.Oncetheaccountsarelinked,itispossibletoseealltheorganicsearchkeywordsdrivingtraffic,thevolumeoftraffictheydrive,andhowthesekeywordsrank.
Knowingwhichkeywordsdo,anddonot,delivertrafficandconversionsisveryhelpful.KeywordsthatperformwellcouldinformanSEOstrategy,increaseorganictraffic,andbeusedinAdWords.Itisalsousefultoseewhichlandingpagesperformbestandwhichcouldbeoptimizedtoincreaserankings,achievehigherclick-throughs,andultimatelygetmoretraffic.
Figure9.17TheSearchEngineOptimizationSectionwithinAcquisitionLeadstotheProcessofLinkingWebmasterToolswithGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
ReferralTraffic
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Thismeanstrafficthatcomesfromanotherwebsite;forexample,whenauserfollowsalink.ClickonReferralstoviewthesitesthatarereferringthetrafficandtocomparedatabetweendifferentreferrers.
UsingtheaveragesdisplayedinthetopbarinFigure9.18,itispossibletogaugethequalityofthattraffic;forexample,toevaluatehowengagedusersare,howlongtheystay,andwhethertheyconvert.TheinsightsgainedherecoulddirectawiderSEOstrategy.If,forexample,yoursitewasdrawinginalotoftrafficfromaparticularchannel,youcouldcapitalizeonthatbyaddingapermanentbacklink.
Figure9.18ReferralTrafficInformationwithinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Social
Itcanbetemptingtothinkofsocialchannelsastheirownentities,separatefromthewebsite.Itmightbesaid,forinstance,thatFacebookengagesusersonapage,aidsbrandawareness,anddrivessometraffictothesite—whichisgreat.However,itwouldbemuchwisertotreatitasanextensionofthesalesfunnel,anduseitasastartingpointintheconversionprocess!GAthereforemonitorsmuchmorethansocial-mediatrafficvolumes;italsoreportsonthequalityofthattraffic(asshowninFigure9.19)andtowhatextentspecificallygoalsandconversionsareachieved.
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Figure9.19SocialReferralInformationwithinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Campaigns
Alongwithtrackingchannels,itisalsoimportanttoreportonthetrafficperformanceofindividualcampaigns.Again,metricssuchasbouncerate,sessions,pagespersession,andaveragesessiondurationareallincrediblyusefulinevaluatingandjustifyingcampaigns.
AdWords
TherealmagicofAdWordsandGAisinlinkingthemtocombinetheirdata,asshowninFigure9.20.
WhyLinkAdWordsandGA?Onceyouyou'reyourAdWordsandGAaccounts,aspecific,richlydetailedAdWordsreportisproducedinGA,detailingclicks,costs,pagespersession,conversionrate,andgoalcompletions.SeeinghowtrafficengageshelpstojustifytheCPC,andthemostvaluablecampaignscanthenbeidentifiedandprioritized.
Don'tworryifthedatadisplayedinGAandAdWordsdoesnotmatchexactly;a20percentdiscrepancyisactuallynormal.Thisisbecauseeachrecordsthingslikebackclicksanddoubleclicksdifferently,andoccasionallytheGAcodecanbeslowtoload.
HowtoLinkAdWordsandAnalytics
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Inordertolinkthesetwoplatforms,thesameemailaddressisrequired,andaminimumofEditorAdminaccessisnecessaryineachinterface.FromtheGAAdmintabnavigatetoProperty,selecttheAdWordslinkingsection,namethelinkgroup,andthentickthedesiredlinkview.
DayPartingThisrevealswhichtimesdeliverthebestvalueforclick-throughs,engagement,andreachingparticularAdWordsgoals.TrafficvaluedependsentirelyontheKPIsandgoalsinplace;maybetheaimissiteengagement,orperhapsit'shardconversion.Eitherway,progresscanbereportedhourly,asshowninFigure9.21,showingwhentoinvestorreduceeffort,andwhentoincreaseordecreasebids.
Figure9.20ProcessofLinkingGoogleAdWordsandGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure9.21DayPartingReportwithinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
GoogleURLBuilder
TheGoogleURLBuildertagseachelementwithinacampaign,sothatanalyticsdatacanbeorganizedveryspecificallyandlaterpulledintorelevantreports,asFigure9.22shows.ThebuildercreatesaURLforeachcampaigncomponent,categorizingeverythingtotrackcampaignsveryprecisely.
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Figure9.22GoogleURLBuilderSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
AdWordsdataisautomaticallytaggedanddoesnotneedtheURLBuilder.Itisnecessaryforallothercampaigns,however,ortrafficwillsimplybeclassifiedasreferraltraffic,andinsightswilllacksignificance.ThekeywiththeURLBuilderistouseaconsistentnamingconvention,sothatelementsaretaggedappropriatelyandpulledintoreportswhenrequired.
Asanexample,whenfillingoutURLBuilderfieldsforthecampaign,youcouldaddthefollowing:
WebsiteURL(e.g.,www.external-website-campaign.com).
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Source(e.g.,theNewYorkTimes).
Medium(e.g.,display).
Term(e.g.,optionalkeyword).
Content(useawordthatwilldifferentiateamongsimilarcampaignads).
CampaignName(e.g.,September2025).
UponhittingSubmit,alongURLisproducedthattellsGAthesource,medium,name,term,andcontenttags—andjustlikethat,campaigndatawillnowbecollectedandorganizedcorrectly!
Dependingonthebusinessneedsofeachcampaign,therearebothbasicandcomplexwaystotrackandanalyzetraffic.Crucially,therearealsonumerouswaystointerpretthedata,andyoushouldensurethereportingorganizationisspot-onbeforemakingwildassumptions!
BehaviorHavingestablishedvariouswaystomonitortrafficandsegmentaudiences,let'snowexamineon-sitebehavior.Applyingwhatwe'velearnedfromtheprevioustwosections,it'stimetostarttomappingtheuserjourneyatamoreintricatelevel.
Thissectionisveryimportantandsoithasbeendividedintotwoparts—thefirstisfocusedonusinganalyticstooptimizewebsitecontentbyunderstandingtheuserjourney;thesecondexplorestwoparticularlyusefulbehavioraltoolsinmoredetail.
UsingAnalyticstoUnderstandtheUserJourney
Wewillfirstexplorehowusersbehaveonandinteractwithdifferentpages,andhowthisbehaviorandinteractioncanbeinterpreted.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:
Thevarioustypesofbehavioralreportingandthecharacteristicsofeach.
Thedepthofinsightthatbehavioralreportscanprovide.
Theimportanceofusingavarietyofanalyticalmetrics,reports,tools,andapproachestoreallytellthefullstory.
BehaviorReportingUserjourney.Whenviewingthedataitispossibletoseeusers'movementthroughoutthesitealmostthreeorfourlevelsdeep.ThisisviewedthroughtheBehaviorFlowtabshowninFigure9.23.Itshowsushow
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usersengagewiththesite;specifically,whatpagetheyinitiallyentered,wheretheyvisitednext,whentheydroppedoff,andwheretheywentafterwards.
In-pageanalytics.Thisisessentiallyaheatmapofthesitethatshowshowusersengagewithspecificpages;virtuallyanythingcanbeanalyzed,asshowninFigure9.24.Werecommendthatyousortthetop-performingpagesbyvariousmetrics;youcandothissimplybyclickingoneachoftheindividualheadings.
Sitespeed.ThisisanimportantissueforSEOandalsouserexperience—bothfactorsthatinfluencethegoalconversionrateandSERPranking.Users'perceptionsonwebsitesareformedveryquickly,andgettinganegativereactioncancostabusinessalot!Justaone-seconddelayinpageloadtimescanresultina7percentreductioninconversions.Forabusinessearning$100,000perday,thisequatestoover$2.5millioninlostrevenueinayear—notcool.
Sitespeedcanbeanalyzedbybrowser,country,orevenbypage,asshowninFigure9.25.Bycombiningthiswithotherdata,suchastechnologyreports,itispossibletoreallyassesssiteperformanceandisolateissues.
PageSpeedInsightstool.GAcanevenscoreindividualpagesfrom0to100andprovidesuggestionsforimprovementinahandypop-up—asshowninFigure9.26.Youcantakeactiononthesesuggestionsandthenmonitorhowsuccessfulthefixesare.
AdSense.Ifthesiterunsadsfromthisprogram,theirperformancecanbeviewedhere.
Experiments.ThisoptionallowsforA/Btestingofdifferentelementsofthesite,suchasmovingbuttonsaround,tryingdifferentoptimizationideas,andassessingconversionsbasedondifferentsettings.
AnalyzingBehaviorBenchmarks.Areoccurringlessoninthischapteristhatanalysismustbedonewithinthecontextofthebusinessanditsgoals.Forinstance,noteverywebsiterequireslongsessions—somemayhaveashortsalesfunnelandaspeedyconversionaim.Inthiscontext,alongerengagementperiodcouldactuallybeanindicationthatsomethingiswrong;forexample,thatuserscannotnavigatethesiteeasily.
Combiningreports.Toavoidmakingassumptions,itisimportanttoassessdataacrossallrelevantreports.Usingseveralreportstoanalyzeyourdatawillgiveyouaricherstoryandconveyamorerealisticideaofwhatis
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goingon.
Combiningmetrics.Similarly,it'simportanttolookatmultiplemetricsinrelationtoeachothertopaintthefullpicture.
Theuserjourney.Thekey,onceuserjourneyshavebeenmappedandreportscompared,istoworkbackwardstounderstandwhyconsumersareleavingthesiteornotconverting.Ifthereisahighexitrateincertainplaces,thenthenextstepistouseappropriatereportstotrytodeterminewhy.
Figure9.23BehaviorFlowTabinGABehaviorSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.24In-PageAnalyticsinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure9.25SiteSpeedbyPageinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.26GooglePageSpeedInsightsToolSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
UsingSiteSearchandEventReporting
Havingestablishedwhyitisimportanttounderstandtheuserjourneyandthevariousmetricsformonitoringandanalyzingit,we'renowgoingtoexaminetwoveryusefulbehavioralreports:SiteSearchandEventReporting.These
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aredetailedtoolstofurtherunderstanduserbehaviorandtheywillnowbeexploredfully.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:
HowtopulltheSiteSearchreportandtherichbenefitsfromdoingso.
Whateventtaggingis,howtosetitup,andwhyitisuseful.
SiteSearchUsingthistool,showninFigure9.27,itispossibletoseewhatusershavebeenlookingfor—andmoreimportantly,whattheywereunabletofind.Thisisveryactionabledata,asittellsusspecificallywherethewebsiteisfallingshort—bothintermsofuserexperienceandcontent.
Forexample,theruleofthumbisthatusersshouldfindcontentwithinthreeclicks,sothesitemightneedreorganizingtoaccomplishthis.Orperhapsnewcontentcouldbeaddedtofulfillapreviouslyunknownneed.Theseimprovementsshouldpositivelyimpactgoalconversionrates,especiallysinceuserssearchingthesitearetypicallymoreengaged.
Toaccesssitesearchdata,simplyimportuserqueriesfromundertheAdmintab.
EventReportingIfyouneedtotrackengagementatamorein-depthlevel,suchasbrochuredownloadsorvideoplayback,thenEventReporting,showninFigure9.28,istheanswer!Thisistheidealwaytotrackusersthroughveryprecisesteps,especiallythosethatleavethesite.EventReportingisalsoverygoalorientated,asitallowsyoutoassignacustomvaluetoeachevent.
Forexample,whilestandardreportingmayshowhowmanypeoplevisitedapagecontainingavideo,EventReportingindicateshowmanypeoplearepressingplay,pause,oreventurningdownthevolumeofthevideo.Itispossibletolearnatwhatpointtheyclickaway,andtrackthepercentageofdirectconversionsthevideoproduces.Thisdataisgreatforassessingthingsqualitatively,togetanideaofwhatpeoplethinkorfeelaboutthevideo,andhowitmightbeimproved.AnexplanationofhowtouseEventReportingfollows.
Combiningreports.TherealbeautyofEventReportingdatacomesfrommergingandanalyzingitwithstandardreporting,sothatyougetalotmoreinsightintothestory.Forexample,standardreportingmightshowthatoneparticularpagehasahighbouncerate;butbytrackingeverysingleelementonthatpage(asinFigure9.29)theexactmomentauserexited(andwhy)canbepinpointedandanalyzed.
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Setup.Thisisdoneusinganevent-trackinggeneratorcalledtheGAConfigurationTool(gotowww.GAconfig.com).Fillouttherequiredfields,ensuringthatthenamingconventionyouuseisconsistent.Itwillproduceapieceofcodetobeattachedtowhateverrequiresmonitoring;forexample,aDownloadbutton.Dependingonyourtechnicalabilities,adeveloper'sassistancemaybeneededtoattachthecode—nowisthetimetocozyuptoyourITdepartment!
Actions,labels,andcategories.TherearethreecomponentstonamingeventsinEventReporting:actions,labels,andcategories.Touseavideoexampleasanexample,thetrackingcouldbenamedasfollows:
1. Action:Videoplayback
2. Label:Productvideo
3. Category:Facecream
Thiseventcanbetrackedinmanyways.Forexample,theeventcouldbetrackedwiththeactionnamedsocialshareinstead,withtheaimofseeinghowmanypeoplearesharingthevideoinsteadofwatchingit.Bycomparingallthisdata,interestingin-depthanalysiscanbecarriedouttoseehowusersarebehavinginrelationtoveryspecificelements.
Figure9.29CombiningEventReportingandStandardReportinginGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure9.28EventReportinginGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.27SiteSearchReportinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Therearelotsofwaystomonitorandunderstandusers,buttheimportantthingistouseamixtureofthemall,sothatconclusionsareinformedandbalanced.Itisnotenoughtorelyononereport,onetool,oronebasicassumption!Instead,aimforawell-roundedapproach,usingseveralreports,datasets,andmethodstotellacompletestoryandproducedeeperinsights.
Stage4:AnalyzeHavingtouchedonconversionsintheprevioussections,thissectionnowlooksinsomedetailatwhatitmeanstouseanalyticsinthecontextofspecificgoals.ThissectiondealswiththehighlightedstageinFigure9.30—stage4of
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theanalyticsprocess—atwhichmarketingeffortsareevaluatedwithregardtohowtheydeliveronconversionKPIs.
Figure9.30FocusontheFourthStageintheAnalyticsProcess
Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:
Whyconversiongoalsareimportant.
ThedifferenttypesofconversionreportingpossibleinGA.
Whatthesalesfunnelisandhowitrelatestomeetingcertaingoals.
Howtosetdifferentgoalsandthevariouscharacteristicsofgoals.
WhatIsaConversion?
It'sthecompletionofasiteactivitythatrepresentssuccesstoyourbusiness—asale,forexample.Measuresofsuccesswillvarywildlyamongdifferentbusinessesandmarkets,soonceagainbearinmindthatcontextisabsolutelyeverythinginanalyticsandsettinggoals.
Todecidewhatyourconversiongoalsshouldbe,simplyconsiderwhatyourwebsiteistryingtoachieveinordertomeetyourbusinessobjectives.Itmightbeatransaction,itmightbeclickingonalink,oritmightberegisteringforanemailnewsletter.
TheSalesFunnel
Thisreferstothegroupofclearlydefinedstepsthatleadtoparticular
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conversions;analyzingthemcanhelpinmeasuringtheconversionprocess.Thereportsshowwhereusershaveenteredintoeachstepinthefunnel,wheretheyleave,andthepercentageofusersthatgoallthewaythroughit.Creatingasalesfunnelisstraightforwardandcanbeaddedtoanygoalatanytime—butitisbestsuitedtoeventsandURLdestinationgoals.Figure9.31showsasalesfunnelthatwascreatedforaURLdestinationgoal.
Figure9.31SalesFunnelReportinGAforURLDestinationGoalSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
ConversionReporting
TherearefoursectionstotheConversionsreportinGA:e-commerce,goals,multichannelfunnels,andattribution.Thefirsttwoarediscussednext;thelattertwowillbediscussedlaterinthischapter.
E-commerce
Thissectionisforsales-focusedsiteswithspecifictransactions.
Thereportsheregointoquitesomedetail,allowingustolookatproductssold,thevolumesinvolved,andrevenuesgenerated—forexample,Figure9.32showsproductperformancecomparisons.Thedetailcanalsoextendtothevalueofproductsinbasketsperproductacrossalluserscomparedtothe
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valueofproductsactuallypurchased.
Figure9.32ProductPerformanceComparisonReportinGAeCommerceSectionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Thistypeofdataisperfectforjustifyinginvestmentanddemonstratingthevalueofupsellmarketing!It'salsousefulwhendecidinghowlongacampaignshouldrunfor,becausethedatashowshowlonguserstaketomakepurchasedecisionsandhowlongtheyneedtocompletetransactions.
GoalsOverview
Figure9.33showsamultistepconversionprocesswithintheGoalssectionofGA.Thissubtabisextremelyimportantforhighlightinganyweakpointsintheconversionjourney.Therearefourmaintypesofgoals:
1. URLdestinationgoal.Thisisaspecificpageshowninresponsetoapositiveuserevent;forexample,athank-youpagebeingdisplayedaftersomeonesignsupforanemailnewsletter.InFigure9.34thenameofsuchapageissetasContactUsFormPageandtherequestURLhasbeenentered.Youcanassignavaluetothegoalandeasilycheckthatitissetupcorrectly.
2. Timeonsite.ShowninFigure9.35,thisisveryusefulforcontent-drivengoals;forexample,ifyouwishtoencouragelengthierengagementwithyourblog.Thegoalsetherecouldberelatedtoengagement(youdesirethatmoretimebespentonasitegenerally)ormicroconversions(howlongittakesforausertoconvertspecifically).
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3. Pagespersession.ShowninFigure9.36,thisissimilartotimeonsite;however,youmustselectawholenumberforyourgoal,regardlesswhatthecurrentaverageis.Alwaysaimaboveit,sothereisatargettoreachfor.
4. EventTrackingreport.Rememberwecoveredthisearlierinthesectionaboutbehavior?Simplyfollowtheon-screenpromptsshowninFigure9.37tosetitupandgetagreatinsightintoyourcustomer'sactions.
Figure9.33Multi-StepConversionProcessinGoalsSectionofGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
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Figure9.34URLDestinationGoalinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.35TimeonSiteGoalinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwith
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permission.
Figure9.36PagesPerSessionGoalinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.37EventGoalinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
SettingGoals
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GoalsarevisibleattheViewlevel,andupto20canbesetforeverynewviewthatisadded(althoughtheycanalsobeaddedundertheAdmintab).Youcanopttoseteitheracustomorstandardgoal,andbothcanbesetupverysimplybyfollowingtheprompts(showninFigure9.38).
Figure9.38GoalSetupinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Remember,goaldatacannotbetrackedretrospectively;itcanonlybetrackedforwardfromthedateitisset.
GoalsareabrilliantwaytooptimizeanalyticsforthemeasurementofspecificKPIs,helpingthesitemeetrelevantbusinessaims.Thisfunctionofreportingisreallyversatile,anditsapplicationacrossseveralreportswillnowbeexamined.
AttributionHavingestablishedtheimportanceofgoals,let'snowlookatassigningvaluestothechannelsthathelpachievethem.Thissectionwillensureyou:
Understandthenonlinearnatureofconversions.
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Understandthebenefitsofassigningavaluetoeachchannel.
Recognizethedifferentmodelsforassigningvalue,andwhenthesemightberequired.
Attributionreporting.ThefirstreportundertheConversionstabismultichannelfunnels,whichlooksatthepathsuserstakewhenthey'rejourneyingtoconversion.LookatFigure9.39forexamplesofthesepaths.
Figure9.39ChannelGroupingPathsinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Whyassignvalues?Thewayusersmakepurchasingdecisionsisnotalwaysstraightforward,andtheymayarriveatconversionsbymanydifferentmeans!Assuch,it'simportanttounderstandtheroleeachchannelplays,asseeninFigure9.40,sothatagivenchannelcanbeoptimizedproperlyandanyexpenditurejustified.
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Figure9.40AttributionReportinginGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Assigningvaluesallowscredittobegiventochannelsthathelpedsecureaconversion,sothattheinfluentialstepsinthesalesfunnelcanbediscovered.Websitescanthenbeadaptedtoinfluenceuserswhereitresonates!
Attributionmodels.Thesemodelsassignavaluetoeachchannelthatplayedaroleinthepurchasingpath,andtheyprovidevaryingframeworksforassessingandevaluatingeachchannel.
Themodelthatisusedtoevaluatethechannel'srolewillvarydependingonthebusinesscontext.Forexample,ane-commercesitemightwishtovaluethesearchactivityveryhighly,regardlessofhowmuchtrafficitdrives,simplybecausesearchingishugelyinfluentialinpurchasingdecisions.Modelsinclude:
Lastclick.Favorsthelastchannel,becauseitistheonethatreferredtheconvertinguser.
Firstclick.Championstheveryfirstchannel—theintroducer—forinspiringthepurchase.
Linear.Assignsequalvaluetoeverychannelthatplayedarole.
Timedecay.SeeninFigure9.41,thismodelassignsanincreasingvaluetoeachchannelastheusergetsclosertoconversion;forexample,thefirstchannelmightbeawarded10percent;thesecond,20percent;thethird,30percent,andsoon.
Position-based.Assignsavaluetothefirstandlastinteractiononly.
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Figure9.41TimeDecayAttributionModelinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Attributionvalueswillbedictatedbydifferentcontexts,KPIs,andproducts,nowexaminedinmoredetailinthenextsection,whichlooksatcustomizingGA.
CustomizationHavingexaminedthestandardGAreports,let'snowaddresshowtocustomizethemsothatsetsofdatatailoredtoaparticularbusinesscontextcanbedeveloped.Thiswillshowyouhowtomonitorcustomreportsasdefinedbyyourgoalsinaveryspecificway.
Onceyouhavereadthissectionyouwillknow:
Whyandwhentocustomizereports.
HowtosetupcustomreportsusingtheViewsandAdvancedSegmentsfilters.
ThebenefitsandlimitationsofViewsandAdvancedSegments.
WhyUseCustomization?
Segmentationhelpsustomakeinformeddecisionsbecauseitletsusmakecomparisonsacrossareasthatmattertothebusiness'sneedsandgoals.Customizedreports,suchasthoseshowninFigure9.42,reallydrivethis—promotingassessmentofspecificdatawiththemostrelevanceandleadingtoclearandactionableinsights.
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Figure9.42ListofCustomizedReportsinaGAAccountSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
ViewsandAdvancedSegments
Therearethreewaystoproducecustomsetsofdatausingthesefilters:
1. Drilldown.Drillingdowniswhenyoucombinetwodifferentreportsinordertocomparerelevantdata.Thisisrelativelyself-explanatory;anexamplewouldbecomparingthebehaviorofconvertingfemaleswithconvertingmalesinordertoseehowtoimproveuserexperienceforeachgender.
2. Views.Viewsprovideapermanentsubsetoffiltereddata.Thisdataisalreadyavailableinstandardreports,butsettingupaviewsimplymeansyoucanaccessitquicklyandeasilyinyourdashboard,allowingyoutoconcentrateonthemetricsthatmatter.
AnewviewiscreatedthroughtheAdmintabthatsitsabovetheproperty.SimplyselectCreateaNewViewandfilloutthefilternameinthefield,asshowninFigure9.43.
Viewsarecommonlyusedtodisplayvarioustimezonesaroundtheworld(asshownatthebottomofFigure9.44),sobesuretoselecttherightone,asyourtimezonesettingcan'tbechangedlater.Anothercommonuseistoexcludeinternaltrafficortofocusononecampaign;forexample,filteringforPPCtrafficonly.
Beverycarefulwithhowyoufilterandbesuretoretainonedefaultviewthatincludesallthetraffic—youcanonlyapply25filters,andthey
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cannotberemoved!Wehaveallexperiencedthatstomach-churningsenseofdoomafterrealizingthatimportantinformationhasfallenvictimtoaccidentaldeletion!Alsorememberthatyoucannotfilterdataretrospectively:Itwillbesortedonlyfromthedayyouappliedtheview.
3. AdvancedSegments.Thisisaflexiblewayoforganizingreports,andallowssegmentstobeaddedandremovedasrequired,anddatatobesegmentedandviewedinarangeofdirectlyapplicableways.
TheAdvancedSegmentsfiltercanbeappliedtoanystandardreportintheformofsubsetsandcanalsobeaddedalongthetopofthescreen,asshowninFigure9.45.TheGAinterfacedisplaysanoverviewofthesesegmentsandprovidescomparisonsbetweenthem.
Togiveanexample,ademographicsegmentcouldbeappliedtoacquisitionreportstocomparesitetrafficcomingfromtheUK,theUnitedStates,andCanada.Richinsightscanbedrawnfromcomparingdatainthisway;inthisexampleyoumightnotice,forinstance,thatwhiletrafficvolumesaresimilaracrosscountries,conversionsintheUKarelower,whichwouldsuggestthatagreaterfocusonUKaudiencesisneeded.
Figure9.43CreatingaNewViewinGA
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Source:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.44SpecifyingTimeZoneforaNewViewinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
Figure9.45CreatingAdvancedSegmentsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
YoucansetupAdvancedSegmentsintwodifferentways:
1. Selectanexistingpredefinedsegment.
2. Createanewuniquesegment.
Defaultsegmentsincludeawiderangeofvariables,rangingfrom,forexample,conditionalcircumstances(suchasanyonewhohaspurchasedinthe
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last30days)tobasicoradvanceddemographics.Customsegmentscanincludevirtuallyanythingandanynumberofconditions.Justexperimenttocreatethemostusefulsetofreports!
Beawarethatsegmentsareparticulartothepersonwhosetthemup,sonooneelsewillbeabletoviewthemunlesstheyarespecificallyshared.Inthecaseofacompanyaccount,forwhichmanypeoplewillneedaccesstothesegment,thebestsolutionistocreateaviewandapplyafilterinstead.
TakeadvantageofthefactthatthereportingoptionsinGAarenumerousandgloriouslyvaried;thekeyistogetcreativewiththesegmentsyoubuildandthedatayoucompare,allwhilekeepingitrelevantandaimingforgoal-focusedinsights.
KPIsHavingsofarlaidoutasolidworkingknowledgeofanalyticsandanunderstandingofthedepthsofreportingavailable,thisfinalsectionwillexplainhowtoensurethateverythingisappliedproperly.
Thisiswhereinsightsarereviewed,appliedtoaspecificcontext,andusedtomeetprecisebusinessaims.However,theactualprocessofsettingandusingkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)isongoingandtakessomethingfromeachstage.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:
WhyKPIsareavitalelementinanycampaign.
WhyanalyticsisimportantforsettingandachievingKPIs.
Eachstageofthefour-stepKPIiterativeprocess:settingbusinessgoals,definingKPIs,analyzingresults,andmakinginformeddecisions.
WhyKPIs?
We'veestablishedthatbusinesssuccessrequirestargetedgoals,focusedactions,andcontinualevaluation.KPIs,asasetofspecifictargets,areincrediblyimportantinfacilitatingthisforthefollowingreasons:
KPIsencourageprecisemonitoringofacampaignbefore,during,andafteritrunsbecausetheyprovideanumericaltargettoaimfor,afiguretocontinuallybenchmarkagainst.
Byanalyzingtowhatextentthesenumericaltargetsareorweremetandusinganalyticstoanswerwhy,aseriesofactionableinsightscanbeproduced.
TheseinsightsisolatewhatisworkingtoachieveKPIbenchmarksandthereforejustifyexpensesanddecisions.Theinsightsgainedalso
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highlightnecessarymarketingandbusinesschangesandhelpsmarketersmakesmarterchoicestogetthere.
AnalyticsandKPIs
TryingtoreachKPIswilldictateanalyticsreporting,becauserelevantinsightsareneededtounderstandwhatisworkingandwhy.Forexample,iftheaimistomaximizeaconvertingpageandthereisaspecificKPItomeetforthat,thenanalyticsreportingwouldbetweakedtotrackthisatthelevelofdetailrequired,andusedasabasisforinformedchanges.
Inshort,KPIsarehardnumericaltargets,andanalyticsanswerhowtheycanbereached.
TheFour-StepKPIIterativeProcess
OptimizinganalyticstodefineandmeetKPIsisaniterative,ongoing,four-stepprocess:
1. Definebusinessandwebsiteobjectives.
2. DevelopKPIsbasedontheseobjectives.
3. AnalyzemarketingactivityusingGA.
4. Makeinformeddecisions.
Let'slookateachofthesestepsindetail.
Definebusinessandwebsiteobjectives.Therearethreelayersofdetailhere:businessobjectives,businessgoals,andwebsitegoals.
Thefirststepistodefinewiderbusinessobjectives,suchasanincreaseinrevenue.Next,setamoredetailedgoaltoachievethisobjective,suchasanincreaseinthevolumeofsales.Finally,goalsaresetforhowthewebsitemighthelpfacilitatethis,suchasanincreaseinconversions.
DevelopKPIsfromtheseobjectives.Thesebasicgoalsarethenclarifiedintohardertargets,usinginsightsanddatafromanalyticsreporting.Aspecificnumericalvalueisassignedtoeachobjective,andKPIsaredeveloped.
Continuingwiththepreviousexample:
Businessobjective:Increasedrevenue—anextra$1,000permonthistheaim.
Businessgoal:Increasedsalesvolume—anextra$1,000is100moresalespermonth.
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Websitegoal:Increasedconversions—anextra100salesequals100newconversions.
ThespecificKPIsinthisinstancewouldbeconversionCPAandconversionrate.Theaimistoincreaseengagementandamountoftimespentonsiteandtolowerthebouncerate.
AnalyzeyourmarketingactivityusingGA.Havingsettargets,thenextstepistouseanalyticstoreportonthem.Thisstageoftheprocessdealswithhowandwhy—understandingwhatisandisn'tworkingwithinthecontextofyourKPIs.
WhileKPIsdealwiththemacroconversion(thesale),analyticsdelvesintothefinerdetailsandexaminesthemicroconversions(thestepsthatleadtothesale).Microconversionsaretippingpointsalongtheuserjourney,suchaswatchingaproductvideoorfillingoutacontactform.Relevantanalyticsreportshelpdecipherwhichmicroconversionsleadtoamacroconversion(sale),andcrucially,why.Thisiswhenanalyticsbecomesverypowerful,becauseifmarketersunderstandthestepsthatuserstakebeforetheyconvert(andlikewise,theonestheytakebeforetheydon't),thenthewebsitecanbeoptimizedandsuccessesreplicated.
Makeinformeddecisions.Usingthisrichknowledge,informeddecisionsarethenmadetoachievetheKPIs.Actionistakenbasedonthefindings,usinganalyticstotweakstrategy.
Forexample,thesitecouldremarkettouserswhoconvertedpreviously,oritcouldtargetindividualswhohaveperformedcertainmicroconversions.Byunderstandingmicroconversionsandtheuserjourney,thesitefocuscanbeadaptedatspecificpointsalongthesalesfunnel,promotingelementsthatleadtoconversionandimprovingthosethatdonot.Overall,relativelysimplechangescanbemadebasedonthisinformation,withoutalteringmediaspendorAdWordsinvestment.
Ofcourse,thesechangesshouldbecontinuallyanalyzed,assessingwhethertheyhelptomeetKPIsornot,aspartofanongoingprocessofrefinement.
ItisimportanttouserelevantanalyticsreportstohelpachieveKPIs—tounderstandwhatneedsachieving,whatisworking,whatisnotworking,andhowitcanbefixed!
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?InthischapterwehavelookedattheimportanceofGA,howandwhyitshouldbesetup,thetypesofreportingavailable,andthedifferentmethods
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fordrawingperceptiveconclusions.RememberthatpracticemakesperfectandkeepafewtipsinmindforyournextGAjourney:
Don'tpanic—fearnotthemind-bogglingarrayofreports,datasets,andcustomizationoptions.Sticktowhatisrelevantanduseonlythereportsthatmeansomethingtothecontext.
Usereportswisely!Contrast,compare,andgetcreativewiththesegmentsandthemeasurementmetrics.
Alwaysdevelopinsightswithaviewtoachievingthebusinessaims.
Keepaskingwhy!Thisishowwegetthesexypayoffssuchasprofit,competitiveadvantage,andslickmarketing.
Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonanalyticsasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
Exercises
Exercise1YouwouldliketobeabletoviewperformanceinGAforjustyourPPCtraffic.CreateanewviewfromtheAdmintabinGAandapplyafiltertothisviewthatincludestrafficfromthemedium,CPC.TheviewwillshowyouonlyCPC,otherwiseknownasPPCtraffic.Givethisviewameaningfulname.
Exercise2Yourunarestaurantthattakesbookingsbothoverthephoneandonline.Youronlinebookingprocessfinisheswithuserslandingonabookingconfirmationpage,whichyouwouldliketousetotrackthenumberofbookingscomingthroughyoursite.TherequestURLofthispageisbookingconfirmed.
CreateaURLdestinationgoalinyourdefaultprofileforthisonlinebooking,andcreateafunnelforthestepsprecedingthegoalcompletionasshownbelow:
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1. Choosedateandtime:/choosedate.
2. Selectnumberofpeople:/tablesize.
3. Enterpaymentoptions:/payment.
4. Thankyou/bookingconfirmation:/bookingconfirmed.
Exercise3Duetobudgetconstraints,yourGoogleAdWordsbudgethasbeenreducedthisyear.Asaresultyouhavetofindwaystoreducespendwithoutimpactingperformance.
UsingtheGoogleAdWordsreportsunderChannels,findthefollowing:
1. Poorestperformingkeywords.
2. Poorestperformingcampaigns.
3. Poorestperformingtimeofday.
Usethetotalnumberofgoalcompletionsasthemetricforperformancemeasurement.
Exercise4Youarethewebsitemanagerforanonlinefashionretailer.Despiteseeingthesamevolumeofsessionscomingthroughyoursite,yourpurchaseshavedecreasedsignificantlyoverthelastquarter.
Tounderstandwhythisishappening,youneedtolookatwhereusersareleavingthesite.Analyzethefollowingreports:
1. LookatTopExitPages(underBehavior)toseewhereusersaremostoftenleavingthesite.
2. ViewtheFunnelVisualizationreportunderConversionstoseewhereusersaredroppingoffonthepathtopurchasing.
Basedonthisdatadecidewhatactiontotakeandexplainyourdecision.
Exercise5YourmanagerhasaskedyoutoreportonhourlywebsitesalesperformanceatyourweeklyFridaymorningsalesmeetings.
1. Createanhour-of-daycustomreportinGA.
2. ScheduleittobeemailedtoyouontheThursdayofeveryweeksoyoucanprepareinadvanceofyourmeeting.
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ActionPlan:AnalyticsDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforAnalytics
ObjectivesConversions,leads,sales,traffic,visibility,brandawareness
ActionItemsandFrequencyKeywordresearch:Quarterly
Targeting:Monthly
Scheduling:Weekly
Biddingandbudgeting:Weekly/monthly
Trackingandreporting:Daily/weekly
MeasurementToolsandKPIsAnalytics:e-Commercetransactions,goalcompletions,trafficshare,AdWordssessions,pageviews,newversus.returningvisitors
Spend
Media Content People Systemsx x x
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CHAPTER10STRATEGYANDPLANNING
AnIntroductionLet'smakeadigitalmarketingcake.Youhavealltheingredientslinedupandreadytogo,nowlet'sputthemallintothestrategybowlandmixittogetherwithyourplanningspoon.Aftersometimebakingintheoven,youwillhaveasuccessfulcampaign!
Asuccessfuldigitalmarketingcampaignisonethatusesthemostappropriatechannelstoachievethemaximumimpact—thischapterwillguideyouthroughtheprocess.
Youwillbeabletorecognizethemostsuitablechannelsforaparticularcampaign,howtocostandresourceyourplanappropriately,andhowtosetandalignbusinessobjectiveswithtightimplementationplansandwell-consideredtacticalsolutions.
Formaldefinitionofstrategyandplanning:Theprocessofintegratingdigitalmarketingactivitieswithaplan,buyingforit,andexecutingasuccessfuldigitalmarketingcampaign.
Informaldefinitionofstrategyandplanning:Composingyourdigitalmarketingmasterpiece.
ProcessThischapterwillgiveyoufullknowledgeofthefourstagesofthestrategyandplanningprocessshowninFigure10.1:
1. Approach.Beforeyoubegintoplanadigitalmarketingcampaign,youhavetostepbackandlookatthebigpicture,spotgaps,andfindwaystofillthem.Yourcampaignshouldbeanamazingcouturegown—notadressmadefromitchymaterialthatthedressmakerforgottotakepinsoutof!
2. Audience.Yourcampaignwillnotbeasuccessunlesstherightpeopleseeit.Thissectionwillteachyouhowtoidentifyyourtargetaudiencemembersandhowtoefficientlycommunicateyourmessagetothem.
3. Activities.Planninginvolvessettingspecificobjectives—here'swhereyou
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willlearntorecognizedifferenttypesofactionplansandhowtousethem.
4. Analysis.Yourdigitalmarketingplanwillnothaveadefinitivebeginning,middle,andend—it'saniterativeprocessthatyouwillneedtokeepacloseeyeon.Thissectionwillexplainthetoolsusedtoanalyzedatasothatyoucanmonitorwhatisworking,whatisnot,andhowtomakeanynecessaryadjustments.
Figure10.1Four-StepStrategyandPlanningProcess
KeyTermsandConceptsThefocusofthischapteristoarmyouwiththecompletesetofskillsyouneedtocreateanawesomedigitalmarketingcampaign.Whenyoureachtheendofthischapter,youwillbeableto:
Understandandimplementthe3iprinciples.
Gatheressentialinformationonthemostimportantelementsofthecampaign:themarket,yourcompetitors,andyouraudience.
Defineandsegmentyourtargetaudience.
Recognizetheexactobjectivesforyourspecificbusinessplan.
Knowwhichdigitaltoolstouseforeverytypeofbusinessplan.
Separateyourbudgetandidentifythemostusefulresourcestospendmoneyon.
Manageandmonitoryourcampaignwiththesuitabledigitaltoolsfortheentireiterativeprocess.
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Asadigitalmarketer,youneedtobeanexpertoneveryelementofacampaignfromSEOtoanalytics—butonlyadigitalmarketingmaestrocanbringthemalltogether.Thatiswherestrategyandplanningcomein;sowhenthecurtainclosesonthischapter,youwillbeadigitalmarketingMozart!
Stage1:ApproachIt'sallcomingtogether;you'vemasteredeverydigitalmarketingtoolyouneedtogetstartedonyourdigitalmarketingjourney.But—andthisisabigbut(andIcannotlie)—youcannotjumpintothedeependandexpecttofloatalongnicelyincalmwaters.Therearesharksintheocean—andtheybite!
Themostimportantthingtorememberaboutthestrategyandplanningprocessisthatyoumustalwaysbeprepared,sowhenitcomestoplanningadigitalmarketingcampaignyoushouldnevertaketheplungeunprepared.Testthewatersfirst—strategicplanningiseverything.Thisisalldowntostage1oftheprocess,ashighlightedinFigure10.2.
Figure10.2FocusontheFirstStageintheStrategyandPlanningProcess
Navigatethissectionwiselyandyouwillbeequippedto:
Structurethecampaignaroundaspeciallytailoredframework
Identifyandimplementthekey3iprinciples
Haveacompleteunderstandingofyourcapabilities.
StructurethePlan—BeforeYouPaintthePicture,FrameIt
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ImagineifVanGogh'sStarryNightwasdisplayedwithaframemadefromdrypastastuckontocardboard.Yes,thepaintingwouldstillbebeautiful,butnoonewouldtakeitseriously—andpictureframesmadeoutofcardboardtendtofallapartprettyquickly.
Thefirstelementmakingupstage1oftheiterativeprocessisfiguringoutacohesivestructuretoyourdigitalmarketingplansothatyoucanquicklyassessyouractivitiesandcapabilities.
Thebiggestadvantagetodigitalmarketingovertraditionalmarketingisthatyoudonothavetocommittoasetbudgetorsticktooneparticularchannel.Intraditionalmarketing,everythingmustbedecidedallatonce,whereasyourdigitalmarketingstrategyandplanismorefluidandcanevolveoverthecourseofthecampaign.
Therearefourmainfactorstokeepinmindatthestartofyourplanningprocess:
1. Structure.Digitalmarketinggivesyouthepowertotestthewaters,sostartsmall.Useavailablefundswiselyandcarryoutasmalltestcampaignwithanequallysmallbudget:Youdon'thavetocommittoanythingunlessyoucanbesurethatitworks.
2. Budget.Again,it'sbesttostartsmallandperformsmalltests.Whenyouseethataparticularmethodisworking,increasethebudget.Onlythenwillyouhaveagoodideaofhowmuchabiggercampaignwillcostyouovertime.
3. Calendar.Yourcalendarshouldbetotallyorganic,withnospecificendpoint.Thisrollingcalendarapproachcanhelpyoutrackthesuccessofeachtest.
4. Personnel.UnlessyouareOztheGreatandPowerful(oryourbudgetandtimeconstraintslimityourplantoaone-personteam),youcannotdoeverything,sothisisthetimetochooseyourteammembers.Forthosewhomustgoitalone,selectchannelsthatcanbemanagedbasedonyourspecificskillsetandtheamountoftimeyoucandedicatetothecampaign.
Whetheracampaignisrunentirelybyonepersonorateam,itshouldbetailoredtotheskillsofthoseinvolved,tothebudget,andtowhatyouseeisactuallyworkingfromthetestsyouruninthisearlystage.
TheCustomerIsAlways…FirstSoyouhaveasolidframeworkbutyoudon'thaveyourworkofart.Don'tworry—thatcomesingoodtime.
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Abrilliantplaniswastediftherightpeopledon'tengagewithit.Despitebeingregardedasoneoftheworld'sbestartists,VanGoghonlysoldonepainting.Couldthatbebecausehedidn'tquiteknowwhomhewassellingto?
Toreallymakethemostofwhatyouhavegot,youmuststartwiththecustomerandworkouttowardsyourdigitalstrategy.Hereiswherethe3iprinciplescomeintoplay.
1. Initiate.Thinkaboutyourcustomers:Figureoutwhattheyarelookingforbylookingattheironlinebehavior.
2. Iterate.Continuouslycarryoutsmalltestsandtrynewapproachestodeterminewhatmethodworksbestforyouraudience.
3. Integrate.Uselotsofdifferentchannelscoherently.Thismayincludetraditional(offline)marketingmethods,asmixingbothonlineandofflinemethodswillgetyouthebestimpact.Butofcourse,youhavetoknowyouraudiencetoknowifusingbothwillbenecessary.
GettingtoKnowYou
Gatheringinformationoncustomersdoesnotrequireanyonetolurkaroundcornerswithanotepadandpenwhilewearingatrenchcoat,trilbyhat,andshades.Withthatsaid,therearewaystoresearchcustomerswithoutthemknowingwhat'sgoingon(asseeninFigure10.3).
Figure10.3CombiningTraditionalandDigitalResearchStrategies
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Soundominous?It'snot!Sociallisteningissimplytheactoftuningintoaconversationtogetabettergriponwhatpeoplearemostinterestedoruninterestedin.Forexample,youcouldfollowaspecificpageonFacebookoraparticularTwitterhashtag.
Foramoretransparentwayofgatheringaudienceinformation,polls,questionnaires,andsurveysaregoodwaysofgettingtoknowcustomers'likesordislikesaboutaparticulartopicortheirfeelingsaboutaproduct.
Onabiggerscale,focusgroupscanbesetuptogatherinformationinamoredetailedwaythanpollsorsurveys,whichprovidebroaderresults.
PerhapstheeasiestwaystogetbasicinformationonaudiencesisthroughtheanalyticfeaturesfoundonwebsitesandsocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebookandTwitter.Mostemailmarketingtoolsalsohaveanalyticspackages.
AreWeThereYet?
Youhavethoughtabouttheframeworkandgatheredinformationonyouraudience,nowit'stimetoclearlyplanoutyourmarketingstrategy.Yourplanshouldincludeallthesectionslistedbelow.Takeamomenttosoakintheheadlines:allwillbecoveredingreaterdetailinthecomingsections.
DigitalMarketingPlan:StructureAdigitalmarketingplanshouldincludethefollowingelements:
Situationanalysis
Informationgathering
Audiencedefinition
Businessobjectives
Digitaltools
Actionplan
Budget
Measurement
Iterationandmanagement
SituationAnalysis:TimetoEmbraceYourInnerSocratesYoudon'texactlyhavetobeadeepthinkertobeadigitalmarketer,butyoushouldaskthesequestions—andknowtheanswers!
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Takeadeepbreath:
WhereamInow?
HowdoImeasureuptocompetitors?
HoweffectivehaveIbeensofar?
Whataremymainstrengthsandweaknesses?
Howsuccessfulhavepreviousactivitiesbeen?
Situationanalysisisallaboutassessingthecampaigninitsnakedform,andyouhavegottopokeandprodituntilitstruthisrevealed.Likethemostchallengingofjigsawpuzzles,yourcampaignwillbemissingsomepieces,sothisisthetimetospotthegapsandfillthemin.
Whetherthismeanscuttingthecampaignintoanewshapethatfitsorchangingthelookofthegamecompletely,it'simportantthatthesegapsarefillednow.
Anumberoffactorsshouldbeconsideredwheninthisdeepthinkingmode:
Yourcustomer.
Yourspecificsectorintheindustry.
Howyourcompanymeasuresuptoyourcompetitors.
Industrytrends.
Takinginformationfrompastexperiences,knowingyourstrengthsandweaknesses,seeingwhatworkedandwhatdidnot,anddecidingwhatchannelsyouaregoingtouseareallessential.
Thinkofsituationanalysisasthefoundationofyourentirecampaign—youdonotwanttostartanunstablegameofdigitalmarketingJenga!
AgreatwaytokeeptrackofallofthesefactorsistocreateaframeworksimilartotheoneoutlinedinFigure10.4,whichwilllayoutyourstrengthsandpotentialweaknesses.
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Figure10.4SituationAnalysisChart
Completeachartlikethisonebytickingtheboxesyouthinkwillprovidethebestratingofyourdigitalmarketingcapabilities.Theaimistohaveaquickandhandysnapshotofwhereyouare,thegapsthatmayneedtobefilled,andwhereyourstrengthslie.
Assessingyouractivitiesisanothercriticalelementinanalyzingyoursituation.Again,itishelpfultocreateaframeworklikeFigure10.5tooutlinehoweffectiveyouractivedigitalmarketingchannelshaveworkedpreviously.
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Figure10.5PreviousActivityAnalysisChart
Byanalyzingyoursituationfromthestart,youcandiscoverthebestroutetotaketowardsyourdigitalmarketingcampaigngoals.
Nowthatyouhavemasteredthebasicelementsneededtosecurethefoundationofyourcampaign,youcanmoveontothenextstepoftheiterativeprocess:audience.
Stage2:AudienceWouldn'titbethecraziestthingifyousawglassesorcontactlensesbeingadvertisedinthewaitingroomofalasereye-surgeryclinic?Itjustwouldn'tmakeanysense.
Thepointis,beingpreparedisthefoundationfordevelopingadigitalmarketingcampaignthatwillnotonlydowell,butwillthrive.
Nowit'stimetogetyourfeetwetandmoveontostage2oftheiterativeprocess,ashighlightedinFigure10.6.Thegoalistolearnwhatliesbehindthescenesandhowtopullthestrings;paycloseattentionasyouweavethroughthissectionsoyoucan:
Learnthebesttoolstousetogatherasmuchbackgroundinformationasyoucan.
Mastertheartofcreatingacustomerprofile.
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Understandthatnotallaudiencesareequal,andknowhowtohitthesweetspot.
Figure10.6FocusontheSecondStageintheStrategyandPlanningProcess
InformationGathering—What'sEverybodyUpTo?So,youknowwhereyoustandintermsofyourcapabilitiesandactivitytrackrecord,butwhatabouteveryoneelse?Yes,theInternetisauniverseofinformation.Decidingwheretobeginmayseemdaunting,butthestartpointisobvious.
Google.
MillionsofpeopleuseGoogleeverydayforallsortsofreasons,beitforgeneralinformationorforresearch,soitactuallymakesalotofsensethatwhenplanningcampaigns,digitalmarketersshouldstartheretoo.
AquickGooglesearchgivesyouessentialinformationinstantly.
Let'simagineaVitaminWaterbusinessintheCanadianmarket.ThefirstthingadigitalmarketerwilldoisGooglethewordsvitaminwater,andvoila—beholdthetop-rankingsites.Thisinformsyouaboutyourcompetitors,whichisakeystepintheinformation-gatheringprocess.
Oncecompetitorshavebeenidentified,everyaspectoftheircampaignsmustbenoted.
Howgoodtheyareatwhattheyaredoing?
Whataretheirprices?
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Whataretheirdeliveryoptions?
Whatistheirrangeofproducts?
Howwelldotheyarticulatethevalueoftheirgoods?
Withthisinformationgathered,youwillhaveexcellentinsightintohowyourbusinesscompares.
GoogleToolsWhileyoushouldkeepinformationonyourcompetitorsclose,keepinformationonthemarketplacecloser.Googlecomesupwiththegoodsinthisrespecttoo.
GoogleAnalytics.Keeptabsonwhoisvisitingyourwebsite,wheretheyarecomingfrom,howtheyfoundit,andwhattheyarespecificallysearchingfor.
Googlealerts.Setupalertsaboutspecificsubjectstokeepacloseeyeonyourmarketplace—forexample,everytimeacompetitorismentioned—thatwillcomestraighttoyouremailinbox.
GoogleAdWordsKeywordPlanner.Seeexactlyhowconsumerssearch,whatwordstheyusetosearch,andwhattermstheyuse,aswellasgettingideasforkeywordsthatmayproveusefultoyourcampaign.
GoogleTrends.Allowingyoutosearchforacertainsubjectovertime,thistoolgivesinsightintowhetherasearchtopicisgaininginpopularityorifthetopicisindecline.
BuildingaCustomerProfileWhenpeoplegoonline,theyexpecttofindexactlytheinformationtheyneed.
Iftheycan'tfinditonthefirstgo,theywillfinditelsewhere.
ThatisthenatureoftheInternet,andassuch,beingvagueisneveranoption.Youhavetoengageyouraudiencefromthemomenttheyenterthatsearchterm.
Knowingwhatyouraudienceneedsisvital,andonceyouknowwhattheyneed,youcanprovideit!Evenbetter—bydiscoveringessentialinformationandbuildingaudienceprofilesyoucangoonestepfurtherandknowwhatyouraudiencewantsbeforetheyevenknowit
Inordertocraftaneffectivedigitalmarketingplan,youhavetogettoknoweveryaspectofyouraudiencemembers,includingbutnotrestrictedto:
Age
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Gender
Wheretheywork
Wheretheylive
Iftheyhavechildren
Theirmaritalstatus
Whattheirhobbiesare
Whattheirparticularpreferencesandneedsare
Onceyouhavereachedtheircore,youcanstarttothinkaboutwhatyourtargetaudience'sonlinebehaviorsentail.
Let'sreturntoourexampleoftheVitaminWatercompanyandthinkaboutitstargetaudience.Toprofilethatimaginaryperson—thecustomerpersona—let'simagineDebbieDigitalisahealthconscious,30-year-old,singlefemale,livinginCanada.Ta-da!Youhavethebasicinformationabouther.
Nextstep—let'scontemplateheronlineactivities.
ShelogsintoFacebookmultipletimesaday.
SheusesGoogletodoherInternetsearches.
Shereceivesemailsintoherinboxatworkthatshechecksoften.
Shelooksatwebsitesonlinetotrytofindoutmoreinformationabouthealthyliving.
Sowhatchannelsarethemostappropriatetoutilize?Yes,DebbieDigitalusesFacebook,butshemaynotusethissocialmediaplatformtoresearchVitaminWater.Inthiscontext,theproductwouldbebetterplacedinaGooglesearchranking—giventhatitismorelikelyshewouldfirstGoogleVitaminWatertoseewhereshecouldbuyit.
Thisisveryusefulinformation.Butweneedmore,more!Suchas,wheredoesshehangout,wheredoesshegotolooktoforinformation,andwhatareherambitionsandmotivationsbeyondtheobviousinformation—someofthegoldnuggetsofintelligenceseeninFigure10.7.
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Figure10.7DebbieDigitalCustomerPersona
Let'sdigevendeeper.Let'sfindtherealDebbie—oratleastsomeonewhorepresentssomeonelikeher.RememberbackinthesectioncalledGettingtoKnowYouinthischapter,whenwementionedpolls,surveys,questionnaires,andfocusgroups?AfocusgroupinthiscasewouldbeanexcellentwaytoprofileDebbieproperly.
AudienceRankingJustwhenyouthoughtthecorehadbeenreached,there'smore.Believeitornot,wecandelveevendeeperintoouraudience—fornotallaudiencesareequallyimportant.
It'snotasharshasitsounds—it'sjustamatterofgettingtothenucleusofyourspecifiedaudiencesothatyouarehittingthedigitalmarketingbull's-eyefromtheverybeginningofyourcampaign.
Nowthatyou'vedefinedyouraudience,thenextstepistorankthem.Rankingyouraudienceallowsyouto:
Prioritizeyourtargetaudience.
Focusyouractivities.
Alignyourbudget.
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Allocateresources.
Twoimportantfactorsshouldbeconsideredwhenrankingmembersofyouraudience,asseeninFigure10.8.Theyare;valuetothebusiness,andhoweasyorhardtheyaretoreach:
1. Valuetothebusiness.Howmuchcantheybuy,howoftencantheybuy,whatisthelikelyexpenditureyoucangetfromtheminatotalyear,andsoon.
2. Accessibility.Evenifapersonseemslikeavaluablememberofyouraudience,mighthebehardtogetto?Thebottomlineis,ifheisnotactiveonline,youcan'treachhim.
Figure10.8ExamplesofAudienceRanking
Additionalconsiderationsinclude:
Whattheyareinterestedin,whattheyaretryingtodoonline,andhowdoyourespond?
Whyaretheyonline?Whataretheylookingfor;howdotheygetthere,whatdevicesdotheyuse;andwhen,where,andwhydotheyusethosedevices?
Howcantheirproblemsbesolved?
Youcan'tsendthesamemessagetoeverysingleaudiencemember—itjustwon'twork.Thecontentyoucreatemustbecarefullyconsideredandbasedontheinterestsofeachaudiencegroup.
HittingtheSweetSpot
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IfWillyWonkawereadigitalmarketer,hewouldhavebeensupersuccessful.Hisbusinesswascandyandchocolateandallthetreatskidscan'tresist.Willy'sprimarytargetaudiencewouldmostdefinitelyhavebeenchildren.Withthisinmind,itisnotsurprisingthatthepriorityaudienceisknownasthesweet-spotcustomer.
Sweet-spotcustomersaretheeasiestpeopletosellto.Notonlydotheyreallywantwhatyouhave,buttheyalsorespondverywelltowhatyouhaveonoffer,sotheyshouldmakeuptheaudiencethatyouspendmosttimetryingtoengage,sellto,andinfluenceonline.
UnlessyouareluckyenoughtobeasrichasWillyWonka,youmustconcentrateonthemostimportantaudienceinthefirstinstance.Prioritizingmeansthatyoucan:
Focusontheactivitiesthatmakemostsensetothatparticularaudience.
Alignyourbudgetupwiththespecifictacticsthatwillworkeffectivelywiththeaudience.
Allocateyoureffortwithyourresources.
Fromhere,youareontheroadtosuccessfullyengagingwithyourtargetaudience.
MultiscreeningHaveyoueverlookedaroundonafamily-filmnighttoseeyoursisterwatchingavideoonhermobilephoneandyourmothersearchingforholidaydestinationsonhertablet,allwhileyourbrotherusestheTVscreentoplayvideogames?Can'twejustsitdown,relax,andreadagoodbook?No!Userdevicehabitshavenowshiftedfromasinglefocustoarelativelynew,all-consuminghabitknownasmultiscreening.
Thisistheactofviewingcontentonnumerousdevices,suchasyourcellphoneandTV,withonedevicetriggeringspecificbehaviorontheother(forexample,searchingforanewpairofshoesonyourcellphonebutthenmovingtoyourlaptoptopayforit).
Wearenolongermono-channelbeings:Insteadwejumpfromchanneltochannel,receivingmessagesandsoakingininformation.Asadigitalmarketer,youhavegottogetagoodfeelingofhowpeoplearemovingamongdevicesandwhytheyareusingthosedevices.
WeknowthatDebbieDigitalusesTwitterbuthowdoessheuseit?Issheonherdesktop?Hersmartphone?Hertablet?Ifsheisusinghersmartphone,issheusingitwhileshewatchesTV?
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UsingSocialMediaintheBusinessEnvironmentIntermsofB2B,Eurostathassomegreatinsightsintopeople'suseofsocialmediainthebusinessenvironment,ascanbeseeninFigure10.9.Thetopreasonforusingsocialmediaistodevelopabrandimageandmarkettheirproduct,butitisalsoaveryusefultoolforobtainingcustomerfeedbackandopinions.Tryingoutdifferentideasandobservinghowpeoplerespondisagoodwaytogettoknowthetargetaudience.
Figure10.9PercentageofEnterprisesUsingSocialMediabyPurposeofUseSource:Eurostat.EU-28,2013.
Thesizeofabusinessalsodetermineswhatsocialmediaplatformituses—differentlysizedbusinessesusevarioussocialmediachannelsfordifferentreasons.IfyouareplanningonengagingwithanaudienceinaB2Benvironment,it'simportanttounderstandyouraudiencedeeplyinthisrespect.
HereComesGoogle!Weknowthatwebsiteanalyticsprovidesextensiveinformationoncustomersandthatinformationcanbebroadenedtogetadeepunderstandingofyourtargetaudience.WhenyoucanseeexactlywhatpeopletypeintoGoogleSearchandhowtheygottoyou,youcanbegintodevelopaplantosatisfyyouraudiences'need.Forinstance,ifsomeonesearchesforVitaminWaterflavors,youcanattractherandincreaseherinterestinyoursitebyofferingarangeofdifferentflavors.
Diggingdeeperintosearchtermsgiveslotsoffoodforthought.CheckoutFigure10.10toseeallthatcanbediscovered.
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Figure10.105PFramework
The5Pframework,whichisshowninFigure10.11,isagreatbasetoworkfrom:itletsyoubreakdownusefulinformationtobetterunderstandyourtargetaudiences'motivationsandneedsinordertoeventuallymarketbacktothem.
Figure10.11FurtherInsightsintothe5PFramework
Understandinganddefiningyouraudienceisalwayscriticalindigitalmarketing.PutyourselfinDebbieDigital'sshoes:Ifyoucan'tfindexactlytherightinformationasaconsumer,youwillsimplygoelsewhere.Thedigital
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worldistheconsumers'oyster—makeyourproductyourtargetaudience'spearl.
Nowthatyouhavelearnedthemosteffectivewaytogatherinformationtocreateaprofilebasedonyourtargetaudience,youcanbegintoformanefficient,compelling,andsuccessfulplan.
Stage3:ActivitiesBynowyouknowyoursweet-spotcustomerssowellthatyoucouldtalktothemforanentirelong-haulflightonabudgetairline.Youcouldchallengeyourcompetitortoagameofgolfandnotbreakasweat.YoucanreciteyourstrengthsandweaknesseslikeabrightkindergartenstudentrecitesherABCs.
Themomenthascome—youarereadytoplanandimplementstage3,whichishighlightedinFigure10.12.
Figure10.12FocusontheThirdStageintheStrategyandPlanningProcess
Thissectionencompassesstage3oftheiterativeprocess—planning—andbytheendofityouwillbeconfidentenoughto:
Determineyourcompetitiveadvantageandutilizeyourvalueproposition.
TakeaSMARTapproachtoyourentireplan.
Segmentyourbudgetandsuccessfullydecidewherebesttospendresources.
Recognizeandrundifferenttypesofactionplans.
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GainingtheCompetitiveEdgeRockydidn'tgettobethenumber-onechampionfighterbychance.Theonlywaytooutdoyourcompetitorsistobebetterthanthem.Attheplanningstageyoumustobservecompetitors'tactics—thisisessentialbecauseyouneedtoseeif,andmoreimportantly,how,youcanoutdothem.
Iftheyrankhighlyinsearchengineresults,howcanyougetaroundthem?
Istheresomethingyourproductcandoandtheirscan't?
Canyouusethatdifferencetoyouradvantage?
Youneedtoconsiderwhatwillgiveyouacompetitiveadvantage.Thebestgradeschoolteachersalwayssaythis,andit'strue:It'sgoodtobedifferent!
ByreturningtoourVitaminWaterexample,younowknowthatcustomersarelookingfordifferentflavors.Ifyourcompetitorsfailtodeliveronthatfront,thiswouldbeagoodwayforyoutooutdothemandgainacompetitiveadvantage.Byconcentratingonaparticularareainwhichyourcompetitorsfalldown,youhavetheopportunitytorankhigherinsearch.
Engagementwithyouraudiencebeforeanyofyourcompetitorscandoitisthegoal,soyoumust:
Defineyouraudience.
Thoroughlyresearchyourcompetitors.
Discoverwhatyoucanofferthatyourcompetitorscan't—andbethebestatit.
DefiningYourValuePropositionBeingthego-tobusinessforaproductorservicebecauseyoufillanicheisahighlyvaluableassettohave.Thatiswhatavaluepropositionis,anditcanbedefinedinmanyways.
Onewayistobethebusinesswiththelowestcosts.Let'stakeareal-lifeexample:SouthwestAirlinesisAmerica'slow-costdarling.ItsvaluepropositionisthatitoffersthecheapestflightstoprettymuchanydestinationacrosstheUnitedStates.Itshookisthatithaslowerfaresthaneveryoneofitscompetitors.
SouthwestAirlinesclearlyhasanimpeccablevalueproposition.Itisoutdoingitscompetitors,andbecauseit'sresolvingcustomerpain(expensiveairfare),theyaredoingsomethingdifferent—anddoingitwell.
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Anotherexampleofavaluepropositionisaninnovativeproduct—havingsomethingthatwillsolvearealproblemthateverybodyneedsasolutionto.
Andyetanotherwaytoofferavaluepropositionisthroughyourdistributionnetwork.Let'sobserveanotherreal-lifeexample.Coca-Colaiswithoutadoubthugelysuccessful.Itcan'tbedeniedthatthebrandhasbeenmarketedextremelywell,butinrealitywhatreallydifferentiatesCokefromitscompetitorsisitscolossaldistributionnetwork.
Goanywhereintheworld—NewYorkCity,asmalltowninIreland,ortheSouthAmericanmetropolisofSãoPaulo—andwhatwillyoufind?ACokemachine.
Coca-Cola'sdistributionnetworkissovastandcompletethatitgivesthecompanyanextremelylargeadvantage.
Whenyouhavesomethingthatcustomerswantandneed,somethingthatyourcompetitorscan'tdeliveraswellasyoucan,thenextimportantthingtodoistocommunicatethatfacteffectively.Notjustonyourwebsite,butineverysingleaspectofyourmarketingplan.Ouronlineattentionspansareveryshort,andassuch,yourmessagehastobesharpandimmediate—whilebeingclearaboutwhatyouofferandwhatmakesyoubetter.
SettingObjectivesAttheendofitall,adigitalmarketingplanisdesignedtoexpandyourbusiness,soyouhavegottohavebusinessobjectives.Settingobjectivesaspartofyourdigitalmarketingplanprovides:
Structure
Definedtargets
AccountabilityforROI
Abasisformeasurementandanalysis
Youcanemploymanyspecifictacticstohelpyourbusinessgrow.Searchpositionisimportantforbuildingbrandawareness,asisdigitaladvertising.Thesechannelsallowyoutobeseenbyanewaudience,andtheycanhelpextendyourreach.
Let'sassumetheVitaminWaterbusinessisonpagetwoofSERPs.Obviously,tobuildbrandawarenessthebusinesshasgottoappearonpageone,preferablyinthetopthreesearchresults.If,forexample,yourbusinessobjectiveistoincreasesales,settingtargetsisagreatidea.Assumingyoualreadypossessasoliddatabase,yourtargetcouldbetoemailprioritycustomersanewsletteronceamonth.Andtobeevenmoreeffective,sendout
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adifferentversionofthatemailtodifferentsegmentsofyourtargetaudience.
Don'tbevagueaboutanyaspectofyourbusinessobjectives:Putnumbersagainstthem.Definethepercentageincreaseinsalesyouwant,forexample,andtheperiodoftimeinwhichyouwanttoachievethatgoal.
BeingSmart
There'snothingmoredemotivatingthansettingtargetsthatareunattainable.It'sworsethantrainingforamarathonanddiscoveringthatyouhavemiscalculatedthedistanceandthere'salongwaytogo.
Let'susethemnemonicintroducedinChapter6toremindyouhowtosetobjectives—beSMART,asshowninFigure10.13.
Figure10.13SMARTcriteria(DoranandDrucker)
Thekeytosettingtargetsthatworkistoberealistic.Bydoingsomeresearchandlookingatanyhistoricinformationyouhave,youcansetatargettoaimtowards.Pickaspecific,measurabletarget—suchassalesgrowthinthepreviousyear—andthensetatargettoimproveuponthat.
Ifthisisyourfirstcampaign,looktosomethinglikeGoogleKeywordPlanneranddecidewhatshareofthemarketyoucanreasonablyhopefor.Whetheryouareimprovingonpastactivitiesorplanningabrandnewcampaign,bespecificandbaseyourtargetsonsomethingthatcanrealisticallybeachieved.
KnowingYourFocus
Therearedifferenttypesofobjectives,andwhenyouplanyourcampaignyouhavetodecidewhichoneyouneedtohomeinon.Whatexactlydoyouwant
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toachievewithyourdigitalmarketingcampaign?Keyobjectivesinclude:
Businessobjectivesfocusongeneratingacertainnumberofsalesorlevelofrevenueoverayear.
Audienceobjectivesfocusonaddingnewaudiencesormakinganexistingonemoreawareofyourproduct.
Productobjectivesfocusonlaunchingtestproductsornewproducts.
Brandobjectivesfocusonbuildingbrandawareness,sopeopleknowwhoyouare.
Marketingobjectivesfocusonbuildingawarenessofyourbrandindifferentmarkets.
ChannelSuitabilityYourchoiceofchannelswillbebasedonunderstandingaparticularaudience.YoushouldselectthechannelsusingtheDMI3iframework,whichwillhelpyoudeterminehoweffectiveeachislikelytobeinengagingyourtargetaudience.
B2CCustomerProfile B2BCustomerProfileDebbieDigital DougDigital33yearsold 27yearsoldStay-at-homemom MarketingManagerMarried,onechild,oneontheway Single,nochildrenSmartphone,Facebookuse Smartphone,LinkedIn,TwitteruserTimepoor TimepoorTightbudgetduetolargehouseholdexpenditure
Maybeahigh-valueprospect
Readilyaccessiblethroughdigitalchannels
Readilyaccessiblethroughdigitalchannels
Lookatthetableabove.WhatweunderstandaboutDebbieDigital'sonlinehabitsdeterminesthechannelsyouwilluseandthekindofinformationshewillbeprovidedwithonceyouengagewithher.
DougDigitalwillbecompletelydifferentfromDebbie—differentagegroup,differentonlinehabits,abiggerbudget—soyouwillengagewithhiminadifferentway.
Budget
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Aswithdigitalmarketingobjectives,therearemanydifferenttypesofcosts—andyouneedtobeabletodistinguishamongallofthesedifferentvarietiessothatyoucanallocateyourbudgetanddecidewhatkindofresourcesyouneedtospendmoneyon.Takealookatthevarietyofcosttypeslistedbelow:
Mediaspend.Third-partycosts,suchasAdWordsordisplayadvertising.
Digitalmedia.Thetext,visuals,andgraphicsthatwillmakeupthecontentforyourwebsiteandsocialmediachannels.Youwillhavetodecidewhetheryourbudgetallowsyoutouseyourowntimeandskillorwhetheryou'llhavetooutsourcethecontentcreation.Ifyouplanoncreatingthecontentyourself,youwillhavetocountyourtimeasacost.
Peoplecosts.Theamountyouwillhavetospendoninternaland/orexternalstaff.
Systems.Forexample,thecostofupgradingtoaprofessionalversionofahostingservicesuchasLinkedIn'sSlideShare,orthecostofhostingasiteinaforeignmarket.
Asmentionedattheverybeginningofthischapter,thebeautifulthingaboutdigitalmarketingisthatintheonlineworld,testingisanoption.
BeforeinvestingahugechunkofyourbudgettowardssomethinglikePPCadvertising,runalittletesttolearnhowmuchthechannelmaycostforthedurationofacompletecampaign.Usethistestasthebarometer,andthensetyourbudgetbasedonthetest;ifyoucontinuewiththatchannel,youcancalculatehowmuchofyourbudgetyouwillneedtosetasideforit.
AdBudgetEstimation
Eachadvertisingchannelhasbudget-estimationtools.Thesetoolswillallowyoutoestimatebudgetbasedonthemechanismforpayment:
PPC.GoogleAdWords,Facebookadvertising,somebanneradvertising.
CPM.Digitaldisplay,LinkedIn.
Costperengagement.Twitteradvertising.
ContentContentistheprettybowonyourdigitalmarketingcampaigngiftbox.Notonlydoesittieeverythingtogether,itshouldlookgoodtoo.That'swhyyouhavetobestrategicwhenbuildingitintoyouractionplan.Thecontentyoupublishonyourwebsiteorthroughsocialmediamustengageyouraudience
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immediatelyandovertime.
It'seasiertoexplainwhenputintocontext,solet'slookatanexample.SayyourproductisavineyardhotelinCaliforniathatyouwishtorentoutforweddings.Wine+wedding=awinningformula,right?
Thefirstthingtodo,ofcourse,istoresearchkeywordstoseewhatpeoplelookfor.Thetypesofresultsthatarelikelytobefoundwillbewhatthesearcherwantsintermsoflocation,hoteltype,andnumberofrooms.Soattheverybeginningofyourcampaign,youmustdecidewhatcontentwillworkbestforthetargetaudience.
Planitsothatthecontentwillrunoveraspecifiedtimeperiod,andensureyoudecideuponthetypeofcontentthatwillbecreated,whowillwriteit,andwhen.Detailedplanningisessentialforensuringacoherent,constantstreamofcontentonyourwebsitetosatisfytheneedsofyourcustomerandincreaseyoursearchranking.
ToolsItispossibletoproduceKPIstoillustrateandvisualizelotsofdifferentinformationfromdifferentsourcesbyusingGoogle'sSocialReferralstool,whichcoverseverythinginoneplace,asseeninFigure10.14.Thisnotonlysavestimebutitgivesyouaclearideaofwhatplatformmaybeworkingbetterandwhatyoumayneedtoworkon.
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Figure10.14GoogleSocialReferralsToolSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.
ThereisalsoafeaturethatcanbuilddashboardswithkeyinformationaboutyourwebsitebasedonyouractivityinGA.
CalendarsItishighlyusefultocreateacalendarthatenablesyoutomapoutyourcampaignonaweek-to-weekormonthlybasis.
LookathowthetestperiodforaproductlaunchismappedoutinFigure10.15.Obviously,youwillbemonitoringprogressthroughoutthemonth,butdecisionsonhowtoproceedshouldonlybemadeafterthecampaignhasbeengiventimetogainsometraction.
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Figure10.15CampaignCalendar
TheenddateforthisparticularplanistheendofMay,butsomeplansneverstop:Ifyourplanisoptimizingyourwebsiteforsearch,forinstance,thentheworkwouldbeongoing.
Subsequentactionsorfollow-upswilldependonwhetherornotyouhaveastricttimelineorbudgetthatneedstobereviewed,andhowwellachannelworkedforthecampaign.Itcouldbeexpandedorimprovedon—oritcouldbedropped.
ManychannelscanbeseenonthecalendarinFigure10.15includingYouTube,Facebook,TwitterandLinkedIn.TheaudiencetotargetviaLinkedIninthisparticularcampaignwillbemarketinganddigitalprofessionals.
ThemessagethatwillcomefromLinkedInisthatyouareofferingfreeresourcessuchasbrochuresandcontentthatfromyourpointofviewwillamplifyyourmessage.Obviouslyyourobjectiveisproductpurchase,butyourKPIcouldbethatyouwantacertainnumberofresourcestobedownloadeddirectlyasaresultofthecampaign.
Planningtakestimeandeffort,butallthatworkisworthitwhenyouachieveyourgoals.However,yourdigitalmarketingcampaigndoesnotendwhenthosegoalsaremet;itisaniterativeprocessthatneedsconstantmonitoring.Nowthatyouhavelearnedthestepstotakeinplanningyourcampaign,youcanmoveontothelaststageoftheiterativeprocess:analysis.
Stage4:AnalysisYourdigitalmarketingcampaignislikeacommittedrelationship—youhavetokeeponworkingonit.
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Youshouldalwaysbekeepinganeyeonwhatisworkingforyouandcapitalizingonwhat'ssuccessful.
Sojustlikethetimeyourpartner'sugly,misshapenshirtmysteriouslywentmissing,youshouldgetridoftheideasthatyoutestedbutjustdidn'twork.Andnobodyneedstoknowaboutit.
Analysisisanongoingelementofyourdigitalmarketingcampaignthatallowsyoutokeeptrackofandmaximizeyouronlineactivities,whilelearningwhatyouraudiencewantsfromwhatitdoes.
Wehavereachedthefinalhurdleofthestrategyandplanningprocess—stage4—whichyoucanseehighlightedinFigure10.16!Sositupstraight,paycloseattention,andgetreadytobeableto:
Recognizethebenefitsofmonitoringandanalysis.
KnowtheimportanceofcalculatingROI.
Understandtheimportanceofkeepingtheiterativeprocessinmotion.
Figure10.16FocusontheFourthStageintheStrategyandPlanningProcess
KeeptheWheelSpinningStrategyandplanningis,ofcourse,aniterativeprocess,butthetoolsyouuseforeachchanneldrivethewheel.
Asarecap,checkoutthedifferenttoolsthatcanbeadoptedtotrackspecificobjectives:
Searchoptimization.GAandAdWordsKeywordPlanner.
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Searchmarketing.AdWordsandGA.
Socialmediamarketing.Listeningtools,insights,andanalytics.
Mobilemarketing.Mobileanalytics.
Emailmarketing.ESPreportingandanalytics.
Digitaldisplay.Publisherreportingandanalytics.
FocusonGoogleAnalytics
GAislikeaguardianangelwhenitcomestoanalyzingyourcampaign.Usedfrequently,itisthemostusefultoolfor:
Keepingtrackofwhereyouraudiencememberscomefrom.
Howoftentheycome.
Howtheymovethroughthesite.
Howengagedtheyare.
Howlongtheyspendonanyparticularpage.
Whatthemostpopulartopicsare.
Whenyoucheckinonanalyticsregularly,aconstantinfluxofbeneficialinformationwillflowyourway.
ReturnonInvestment
TherearemanywaystocalculateROI.Let'sreturntothetrustyexampleofVitaminWater.
TheobjectiveoftheVitaminWatercompanyistoincreasethepercentageofsearchresultspointingtotheirwebsite.
Thecompanyestimatesthat25,000uniquesearchesaremadepermonththroughGoogleforaparticular,relevantsearchterm:lemonflavorVitaminWater.Soitsaimnowistoattract10percentofthosesearchestoitswebsite—2,500visitors.
Outofthose,theaimistoconvert2percentofthosevisitors—50inquiries—sothattheybecomeleads.
If50percentofthoseinquiriesqualifyasgood-qualityleads,25inquiriesbecomesales—aconversionrateofoneinfour.Sointhiscase,fournewcustomerscomeatacostof$8,000.Gotallthat?Good!
TheWheelThatNeverStopsTurning
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Strategyandplanningisanever-endingcircle—seeFigure10.17!Youplanthings,youpublish,youtrack,youtweak,andyoustartalloveragain.
Figure10.17TheIterativeProcess
Maximizewhatworksandditchwhatdoesnot.Mostimportantly,learnfromwhatyouranalyticsrevealandyourmasteryofunderstandingaudienceswillbeunyielding!
Beforeconcluding,let'stakeanexample:Facebook.
Examineyourmostpopularpostsandtakeclosenoteofwhoisengagingwiththoseposts—rememberthattheymaynot“like”thepostorshareit.Trackwhatkindsofpostsgetthemostcomments,asopposedtothepoststhatpeoplelikebutdonotinteractwith.Then,youcantweakthewayyoupost.Publish,learn,track,tweak…andultimatelymaximizewhatworks.
So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Fromfiguringouthisplaceinthemarketandunderstandingheraudiencetoimplementingthebesttoolsforcarryingoutaspecificplan—adigitalmarketingmaestrohasgoteveryfacetofthestrategyandplanningprocesscovered.Butjustincase,hereareafewnotestokeepyouintune:
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Keepyourfriendsclose,butyourenemiescloser—researchyourcompetitorsthoroughly.
Understandthatnotallcustomersarecreatedequalandconcentrateonyoursweet-spotcustomers.
CalculateROIregularlytohighlighttheareasthatareworkingandtheareasthatneedimprovement.
Evaluateyourowncapabilitiesandplanaccordingly.
ThinkofthisprocessasamajesticFerriswheel—itpausesfromtimetotime,butonlysomorecustomerscangeton.Itcontinuestoturnroundandround,delightingthosewhohaveboarded.Nowthatyouhavelearnedallthereistoknowaboutstrategyandplanning,youcandeviseyourownentertainingandcompellingdigitalmarketingride,improvingonitaftereachiteration!
Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonstrategyandplanningasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.
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CONCLUSIONAtthefirst-everlecturegivenbytheDMIinDublin,IrelandinJanuary2009,asinglephrasewasdisplayedinlargetext.Itwasanattempttoexplainthetransformationthatdigitalhaswroughtinourlives.Thatphrasewas“Startwiththecustomerandworkbackwards.”
Thishasbeenthefundamentalchangethathasdirectlyimpactedbothpeopleandbusinessesduringthedigitalrevolution.Andtheimplicationofthischangeisjustasimportantnowasitwasatwhenthisrevolutionbegan.Thischangehasresultedintheneedforanewbreedofprofessionals—peoplewhorecognizethepoweroftheindividualandwhounderstandandappreciatehowdigitalworksandhowtoworkwithittoimplementmarketingstrategiescenteredonthecustomer.
Theobjectiveofthisbookhasbeentoenlightenyouaboutthecoreconceptsofdigitalmarketing,toprovideinspiration,andtoprovokeyoutotakethoseconceptsandalchemizethemintopracticalapplication.Youshouldfeelempoweredbythepracticalskillsgainedthroughtheexercises,actionplans,andadditionalresources;andyoushouldfeelreadytoapplytheseskillstoproducemeasureableresults.
Inrecentyearswehaveseenasteadydeclineinconsumers'trustincompanies,whichhasbeendrivenbyalackofcontact,aninabilityto“talktosomeone,”andanemphasisonprocessoverpeople.Thereisagapinthemarket—andyouarenowequippedtofillit.Youhavetheknowledgeandskillstobridgethegapbetweencustomerandcompany.Customersdesperatelywanttobelistenedto,andwecandoitefficiently,comprehensively,andpreciselythroughthedigitalchannelsyouhaveencounteredinthelast10chapters.Asadigitalmarketingvirtuoso,youcantalktoyourcustomersviatheircellphones,excitetheirimaginationwithdigitaldisplaymasterpieces,delveintotheirpsychesthroughSEOresearch,andintriguethemwithemailmarketingthatspeakstotheirownparticularinterests.
Theroadtoacustomer'shearthasneverbeensosmooth.Butasweknow,heartschange.Thisfluctuationisintegraltohumannatureandwemustembracethisfactanduseittoouradvantage—byanalyzingthemarketandconstantlyadaptingtothedynamicnatureofthecustomer.Changeisatthecoreofdigitalmarketing,andundoubtedlyoneofthemostchallengingthingsaboutdigitalmarketingistherateatwhichtoolsandplatformsadapt.However,witheverychangecomesevenmorepossibility,andwhiledigital
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canbeoneofthemostchallengingindustriestoworkin,itisalsooneofthemostexciting.Wemustembracethisrealityandseizeeveryopportunitytobeindustryleaders,innovators—andactiveandinformedconsumersourselves.
Ofcoursethenewworldofdigitalmarketingandtheempoweredconsumercanbeintimidating.Butlikemanythingsinlife,it'sallaboutperspective.Everydaywewitnessconsumersonsocialmediaeviscerateacompanyforshoddyproducts—butifweusethiscommunicationtoouradvantagebybeingresponsivethroughsocialmediaorevenbypredictingconsumerattitudesthroughmarketrealityinsights,wecanbetheanswertothedetachedcorporationsthatconsumersknowandhate.
Peopleconstantlyask,“Whatwillthenextbigthingindigitalbe?”Therearesomanypossibilities—itcouldbeanapp,atechnology,aplatform,oraservice.Buttheonethingweknowforsureisthatitwillbecharacterizedbyanincreaseinconsumerclout.Becausethat'swhat'simportanttous.Wehaveitnow.Andwearenotgoingtogiveitup.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTSNoneofthiswouldhavebeenpossiblewithoutthefollowingpeople.Eternalgratitudeto:
AnthonyQuigley,mycofounderoftheDMIandpartnerincrimeforthepasteightyears,forhisenduringenergyandenthusiasmforour“littleproject.”
KenFitzpatrick,CEOoftheDMI,forbringingourideastofruition,makingitallreal,andbringingthemuch-neededadultsupervision.
TheProductteamattheDigitalMarketingInstitute,whohavecreatedthemostwidelytaughtdigitalmarketingcertificationprograms,doingsowithskill,talent,anddedication.Thisbookwouldnotexistwithoutthem.KudosandthanksgototheProductteam(pastandpresent,in-houseandexternal.)ManagedbyPaulGroarke,theyinclude:ConorTyrrell,SophieSmith,NiamhHealy,DeirdreWyer,ClaireMonahan,andGarryCleere.
ThewholegangattheDigitalMarketingInstitutewhobringtheirtalentandenergytobearonouractivities,onadailybasis.
Theconstellationofdigitalmarketingpractitionerswhohaveinformed,taught,andvalidatedtheDMIprogramsovertheyears.Thisbookisanexpressionofalloftheirexpertknowledgeandhardwonexperience.
ThemanythousandsofstudentswhohavetakenDigitalMarketingInstitutecoursesthroughtheyearsandareaconstantsourceofchallenge,inspiration,andencouragement.Youkeepusonthestraightandnarrow.
—IanDodson
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GLOSSARYad Amarketingcommunicationsmessageconveyedtothe
consumer.adclick Aclickonanadimpressionservedintheperiodbeing
measured.adimpressionarrival
Auserarrivingatasitewhohasbeenexposedtoanadservedonbehalfofthatsite.
adimpression
Aninstanceofaconsumerbeingexposedtoanonlinead.
adnetwork Asystemthataggregatesadinventoryfrompublishersandoperatorstoefficientlymatchtheinventorywithadvertiserdemand.ExamplesincludeGoogleSearchNetwork(whichincludesGoogleSearchandothersearchsites)andGoogleDisplayNetwork(whichincludesacollectionofwebsitestermeddisplaypartnersthathavepartneredwithGoogle,aswellasYouTubeandspecificGooglepropertiesthatdisplayGoogleAdWordsads).Adscanappearbesideorabovesearchresultsforkeywordsthatanadvertiserchooses.Seealsonetwork.
adspace Theareawithinamobileappormobilewebsitededicatedtodisplayingads.
aduniqueuser
Auniquedevice(e.g.,acomputer,PDA,ormobilephone)thathasmadearequestforanadimpressionservedintheperiodbeingmeasured.
adunit Anadvertisingvehicle(e.g.,amobilebanner)thatincludescreativeassetsinsideamobileadspace.
advertiser Anorganizationthatwantstogetitsmessagetotherightaudience,efficientlyandeffectively.
alttext Adescriptionofagraphicinawebsite.analytics Thetechnologyandmeasurementsystemsusedtounderstand
whatisworkinginadigitalmarketingcampaignandwhatisnotbasedondatacollectedduringthecampaign.
analyticstool Asoftwareandwebapplicationthatcanhelpindicatewhetheractivitybeingundertakenbyabusinessishavinganimpactonitsgoals.Seealsoinsightstool.
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appmonetization
Makingmoneyfromamobileappthroughadvertising,appdownloadpromotion,orothermethods.
app Anabbreviationforapplication.Anappistypicallyasmall,specializedprogramthatisdownloadedontoamobiledevice.Appscanbedownloadedfromanappstore,whichisacentralizedrepositoryofmobileapplications.AppstoresincludeApple'sAppStore,AndroidMarketplace,BlackberryWorld,andGoogle'sPlayStore.
averageposition
Thepositionatwhichanadappearsonasearchresultspage(thepagethatasearchenginereturnswithresultsrelevanttosearchtermsenteredbyauser).
averagevisitduration
Theaveragedurationofasession.
bannerad Amobileadunitthatemployssimplecreativeassetsandhyperlinks.
blog Awebsitewithregularentriesofcommentary,descriptionsofevents,andotherembeddedmultimediacontentsuchasgraphics,videos,andpresentations.
bouncerate Thepercentageofsingle-pagevisits(i.e.,visitsinwhichauserleftasitefromtheentrypage).
campaignandadgroups
Advertisingonsocialmediaplatformsisgenerallyorganizedintocampaignsandadgroups.Abusinesswilltypicallystartwithonecampaign,whichhasitsownbudgetandtargetingpreferences,andthenaddmorecampaignsasitexpandsitsadvertising.
canvasapplication
Anapplicationthatisnotloadedupinthecontextof,orvisuallyconnectedwith,aFacebookbusinesspage.Instead,theapplicationisconsumedelsewhereonFacebook(e.g.,inanappdirectory).
channel Forthepurposesofthisbook,achannel(orplatform)isatermusedtodescribeanindividualsocialnetwork.Forexample,Facebookisaplatformorchannelonwhichbusinessescanconnectwithfansviaabusinesspage.Seealsoplatform.
click Toselectsomethingbyclickingonit.Forexample,acustomermayseeabusiness'sadandclickonittolearnmoreortodobusinesswiththatcompany.
CTR Anabbreviationforclick-throughrate.CTRisthenumberof
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clicksabusiness'sadreceivesdividedbythenumberoftimesitsadisshown(impressions).
click-to-call Aservicewithinanadthatenablesamobileusertoinitiateamobilephonecallbyclickingwithinamobilead.
completeddownload
Afile(typicallyaudioorvideo)transfer,especiallyfromtheInternettoauser'sdevice,inwhichthepercentageofthefiletransferredisgreaterthan95percent.Theuserdownloadsthefileforuseoffline.
conversion Activitiescarriedoutbyauserthatfulfillstheintendedpurposeofthewebpage;forexample,downloads,fillinginforms,purchases,contacts,andnewslettersubscriptions.
conversiontracking
Aformoftrackingthatgivesadvertisersinsightintohowconsumersareinteractingwiththeirbrandsthroughoutthemarketingfunnel.Advertisersdothisbydefiningtraceableeventsonmobilewebsitesorwithinappstoassessconsumerengagementortheimpactofdirect-responsecampaigns.
cookie Atextfileplacedonawebuser'sharddrivebyawebsitetorememberdataaboutthewebsite'suser.
CPC Anabbreviationforcostperclick.UnderaCPCpricingarrangement,advertiserspayonlywhenauserclicksontheirads.
CPM Anabbreviationforcostpermilleorcostperthousand.UnderaCPMpricingarrangement,advertiserspayforevery1,000impressionsoftheirads.
CPAmobilecampaign
Acost-per-acquisitioncampaign.ACPAmobilecampaigninvolvesanadvertisingmodelunderwhichtheadvertiserpaysforeachspecifiedactionlinkedtotheadvertisement;inaCPAcampaign,thespecifiedactionistypicallyregistrationforanonlineapplication.
CPDmobilecampaign
Acost-per-downloadcampaign.ACPDmobilecampaigninvolvesanadvertisingmodelunderwhichtheadvertiserpaysforeachspecifiedactionlinkedtotheadvertisement;inaCPDcampaign,thespecifiedactionistypicallythedownloadingofanapplicationorotherfile.
digitaldisplayadvertising
Aformofdigitalmarketingthatusesdisplayadsappearingonwebpagesasameansofcommunicatingrelevantcommercialmessagestoaspecificaudiencebasedontheprofileofitsmembers.
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directmarketing
Achannel-agnosticformofadvertisingthatallowsbusinessesandnonprofitorganizationstocommunicatedirectlywithcustomersviaadvertisingtechniquessuchasmobilemessaging,email,interactiveconsumerwebsites,onlinedisplayads,fliers,catalogdistribution,promotionalletters,andoutdooradvertising.
emailmarketing
Aformofpermission-baseddirectmarketing,whichuseselectronicmailasameansofcommunicatingrelevantcommercialmessagestoaspecificaudiencebasedontheprofileofitsmembers.
entrypage Thefirstpageviewedbyawebsitevisitor.exitpage Thelastpageviewedbyawebsitevisitor.filter Arulethatlimitsorshapestheresultsthatarereturnedfrom
ananalyticsdatabasewhenaninformationqueryissubmittedtoit.
Flashimpressions
ThetotalnumberofrequestsmadeforpagesthatincludeFlash-basedcontentbyusersofthatsiteintheperiodbeingmeasured.
followers Nonmutualconnectionstowhichdataandupdatesareascribed.
forum Awebsitethatallowstheexchangeofideasandotherinformationamongusers;usuallyitismonitoredbyamoderator.
friends Userssocialnetworkswhoaremutuallyconnectedandwhotypicallyexchangedataandupdates.
funnels Thepathwayvisitorsfollowonawebsitetowardsaconversionpoint.
geofencing Atechnologythatallowsanadvertisertoselectageographicpointusinglatitudeandlongitudeinformationandtherebycreateavirtualfencearoundagivenradiusofthatpoint.Forexample,anadvertisercouldselectageographicpointrepresentingthelocationofabankbranchinordertodeliveraspecificadtoanyonewhocomeswithina200-meterradius.AdsdeliveredthroughgeofencingtypicallyyieldhigherconversionsandbetterROIforadvertisers.
geographicalIPanalysis
Awayofestablishingthepercentageofusersbycountryforagivenmetric,suchasuniqueusers.
hashtag Aclickablekeywordthatsumsupthecontentofatweetor
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statusupdate.AhashtagisadominantfeatureofbothTwitterandInstagram.
HTML Anabbreviationforhypertextmarkuplanguage,whichisthesetofcommandsusedbywebbrowserstointerpretanddisplaypagecontenttousers.
HTML5 Anemergingstandardmarkuplanguageforpresentingandstructuringinformationontheweb,includingthemobileweb.MostmodernmobileanddesktopbrowserssupportHTML5.
impression Anadbeingdisplayedonitsassociatedplatform.in-appad Anadthatappearsinamobileapp.Formatsincludestandard
banners,video,andrich-mediaads.inboundlink Inboundlinksfromrelatedpagesarethesourceoftrustand
pagerank.Alsocalledin-linkandincominglink.indexedpage Apageonasitethathasbeenindexed.insightstool Asoftwareandwebapplicationthatcanhelpindicate
whetheractivitybeingundertakenbyabusinessishavinganimpactonitsgoals.Seealsoanalyticstool.
instantmessage
Amessagesentbetweentwoconnectionsinrealtimethroughasocialmedianetworkoremailplatform.Facebook,Google+,Skype,andWhatsAppallsupportinstantmessaging.
interstitialad Amobileadunitthatappearsbetweentwoviewsonamobilewebsiteormobileapp.Thewordinterstitialderivesfrominterstice,whichmeansasmallspacebetweenthings,especiallywhenpartofaseriesofuniformspacesandparts(thinkofapicketfence,whichhasinterstitialspacesbetweenslats).
inventory Availableadvertisingspaceonallmobilechannels,includingvideo,in-app,SMS,audio,andmobileweb.
keyword Asearchtermorphrase.Thekeywordsthatadvertiserschoosearethosethatcauseanadtoappearwhenenteredbyusers.Seealsokeyphrase.
keyworddensity
Thepercentageofwordsonawebpagethatarekeywords.
keywordresearch
Theprocessanadvertiserusestodeterminewhichkeywordsareappropriatefortargeting.
keyword Inappropriatelyhighkeyworddensity.Alsocalledkeyword
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spam stuffing.keyphrase Asearchphrase.Thekeywordsthatadvertiserschooseare
thosethatcauseanadtoappearwhenenteredbyusers.Seealsokeyword.
landingpage Thepagethatuserslandonwhentheyclickonalinkinasearchengineresultpage.
linkbuilding Theprocessofactivelycultivatingincominglinkstoasite.
linkpopularity
Ameasureofthepopularityofasitebaseduponthenumberandqualityofsitesthatlinktoit.
listening Theactofmonitoringkeywords,topics,individuals,andgroupsforthepurposeofeitherengagementorresearch.
location-basedadvertising
Amobileadunitbeingdeliveredtomobileusersbasedonspecificgeographiccoordinates(e.g.,latitude/longitude,DMA,etc.).
metatag AstatementintheHTMLthatmakesupawebpagethatprovidesimportantinformationaboutthepage'scontent.Theinformationprovidedisusedbysearchenginestoindexasite.
mobileadserver
Ascalable,high-performancesystemmadeupofhardwareandsoftwarethatreliablydeliversmobileadunitsacrossallmobilechannels.
mobilemarketing
Marketingusingmobiledevicesinordertodisseminatepromotionaloradvertisingmessagestotargetedcustomersthroughubiquitouswirelessnetworks.
MRAIDad Anacronymformobilerichmediaadinterfacedefinitions,whichisaspecificationwrittenbytheInteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IAB).
naturalsearchresults
Searchengineresultsthatarenotsponsoredorpaidfor.
NFC Anabbreviationfornearfieldcommunication,asetofstandardsforsmartphonesandothermobiledevicesthatallowsthemtocommunicateovershortdistances(typicallylessthan4centimeters,or1.75inches).
network Asystemthataggregatesadinventoryfrompublishersandoperatorstoefficientlymatchtheinventorywithadvertiserdemand.ExamplesincludeGoogleSearchNetwork(whichincludesGoogleSearchandothersearchsites)andGoogle
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DisplayNetwork(whichincludesacollectionofwebsitestermeddisplaypartnersthathavepartneredwithGoogle,aswellasYouTubeandspecificGooglepropertiesthatdisplayGoogleAdWordsads).Adscanappearbesideorabovesearchresultsforkeywordsthatanadvertiserchooses.Seealsoadnetwork.
nofollow Acommandfoundineithertheheadsectionofawebpageorwithinindividuallinkcodethatinstructsrobotseithernottofollowanylinksonthepageornottofollowaspecificlink.
pageapplication
AnapplicationthatisloadedaspartofaFacebookbusinesspagetoprovidemorefunctionalitytothepage.Pageapplicationsincludecompetitions,inquiryforms,storefronts,embeddedwebsites,andmore.Pageapplicationssitunderneaththecoverphoto.
pageimpression
Arequestforapageofasite'scontentmadebyauserofthatsite;advertisersarechargedperperiodbeingmeasured.
pageviews Thetotalnumberofpagesviewed.Repeatedviewsofasinglepagearecounted.
pagespervisit
Theaveragenumberofpagesviewedduringavisittoasite.Repeatedviewsofasinglepagearecounted.
paidsearch Searchengineresultsthataresponsoredorpaidforinsomeway.
percentageofnewvisits
Thepercentageofvisitstoasitethatcamefrompeoplewhohadnevervisitedasitebefore.
permission-basedmarketing
Marketingeffortsinwhichrecipientsofthemarketinghaveoptedinorgiventheirpermissiontothemarketertosendtheminformation.
planofaction Aclearroadmapforcarryingoutallthetacticsnecessaryforyouremailstrategy.Itspecifiesthestaff,timeframe,andbudgetorotherresourcesthatarerequiredforeachtactic.Theplancoordinatestheseelementsinchronologicalorderwherenecessary.
platform Forthepurposesofthisbook,aplatform(orchannel)isatermusedtodescribeanindividualsocialnetwork.Forexample,Facebookisaplatformorchannelonwhichbusinessescanconnectwithfansviaabusinesspage.Seealsochannel.
qualityscore Ameasureofrelevanceappliedtoanad,keyword,or
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webpage.real-timebidding
Technologythatallowsadvertiserstobidoneachadimpressionasitisserved.Servingisbasedonbehavioraltargetingviacookies.Advertisersbuyanaudience,notaplacement.Adplacementsareauctionedtothemarketplaceandthehighestbidder'sadisshown.
reciprocallink
Alinkallowingtwositestolinktoeachother.
remarketing Asystemthatallowsanadvertisertocontinuetoshowadstopeoplewhohavevisitedamobilewebsite.
remnantinventory
Advertisingspacethatapublisheroroperatorisunabletoselldirectlythroughitssalesforce.Itistypicallysoldatadiscountedpricethroughanintermediary.
richmedia Abroadrangeofinteractiveandengagingadformats,includingexpandablebannersandembeddedaudioandvideo.
robots.txt Afileintherootdirectoryofawebsiteusedtorestrictandcontrolthebehaviorofsearchenginespiders.
scheduling Theactofpreschedulingyouractivityonasocialmediachannel.ActionsonFacebook,Twitter,andLinkedIncanbescheduledinadvanceinordertosavetime.
searchenginemarketing
Advertisingonasearchengineinordertodrivetraffictoawebsite.Advertiserspayonlywhenauserclicksonitsad.
Segmentation Distinguishingamongdifferentgroupsofsubscribersbasedonwhatisknown(e.g.,demographics,age,orgender)orwhatcanbelearnedaboutthem(e.g.,interestsandpreferences).
SEO Anabbreviationforsearchengineoptimization,ortheprocessofimprovingthevisibilityofawebsiteorawebpageinasearchengine'snatural,orunpaid(organic),searchresults.
sitemap Apageorstructuredgroupofpagesonawebsitethatlinktoeverypageaccessibletousers.
smartphone Amobilephonebuiltonamobilecomputingplatformthathasmoreadvancedcomputingandconnectivitycapabilitiesthanafeaturephone.Advancedcapabilitiesorelementscanincludeportablemediaplayers,low-endcompactdigitalcameras,pocketvideocamera,andGPSnavigationunits.
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SMS Anabbreviationforshortmessageservice.Thetermisgenerallyusedtodescribetextmessagessenttoamobiledevice.TheoriginalSMSspecificationlimitedmessagesto160charactersinlength.IfmultimediaelementsareassociatedwithanSMSmessage,it'sreferredtoasanMMS.
socialbookmark
Aformofsocialmediainwhichusers'bookmarksareaggregatedforpublicaccess.
socialmedia AcatchalltermusedtodescribethetoolsandtechnologiesthatfacilitatesocialinteractionovertheInternet.
socialmediamarketing
Theprocessofgainingtrafficorattentionthroughengagementonsocialmediasites.
socialnetwork
Aweb-basedplatformthatallowsuserstoconstructapersonalorprofessionalprofilefromwhichtheycansharenewsanddataandconnectandcommunicatewithotherusers.
spider Aspecializedbot(webrobot)usedbysearchenginestofindandaddwebpagestotheirindexes.Alsoknowaswebcrawler.
strategy Thegeneralapproachbusinessestaketoachieveobjectives(forexample,increasingwidgetsalesthroughsalescalls,adirectmailcampaign,andsalesincentives).
tactics Thespecificactions,decisions,andresourcesrequiredtoimplementpredefinedstrategies.
targeting Theactofchannelingmarketingeffortsandresourcestospecificmarketsegmentsdefinedbydemographic,contextual,andbehavioraltraitsthathavethehighestpayoffpotential.
textlink AplainHTMLlinkthatdoesnotincludegraphicorspecialcodesuchasFlashorJavascript.
tweet AmessagesentfromTwitter,amicrobloggingservicethatenablesuserstosendandreadtext-basedmessagesofupto140characters.
uniqueuser Auniquedevice(e.g.,acomputerormobilephone)makingrequestsforsitecontentintheperiodbeingmeasured.
uniqueuserduration
Theaveragelengthofallvisits(ofmorethanonepageimpression)peruniqueusermadeintheperiodbeingmeasured.
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uniquevisitors
Thenumberofunduplicated(countedonlyonce)visitorstoawebsiteoverthecourseofaspecifiedtimeperiod.
URL Anabbreviationforuniformresourcelocator;alsoknowasawebaddress.
videointerstitial
Aninterstitialmobileadunitthatdisplaysavideobetweenviewswithinamobileapporbetweenpageswithinamobilewebsite.
visit Thetotalnumberoftimesthatauser(adevice)hasengagedinasingleburstofactivitywithlessthan30minutesbetweenrequestsforcontent.Anewvisitoccurswhenthegapbetweenrequestsforcontentisatleast30minutes.
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ADDITIONALRESOURCESGotowww.artofdmi.comforselectcasestudiesandinsightfulDMIblogpostsasadditionalsupportmaterialforeachchapter.Toaccessthecasesyouwillneedtoenterapassword,whichisthefirstwordinthesecondparagraphofChapter7.
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ABOUTTHEDIGITALMARKETINGINSTITUTETheDigitalMarketingInstituteistheglobalstandardindigitalmarketingeducationcertification.Todateover10,000peopleinfivecontinentshavegraduatedwithaDMIqualification—makingitthemostwidelytaughtdigitalmarketingqualificationintheworld.Wehavetrainedmoregraduatestoasingledigitalmarketingstandardthananyothercertificationbody.TheDigitalMarketingInstituteworkswithglobaldigitalexpertsandleaderstodefinetheskillsandqualificationsrequiredbytoday'sdigitalmarketingprofessionals,certifyinggraduatesatdiploma,postgraduate,andmasterslevels.
Eightypercentofourpostgraduatestudentsnowworkindigital.Thatmighthavesomethingtodowiththefactthatourcoursesaretaughtbyleading,expertpractitionerscurrentlyworkinginthedigitalmarketingfield.Yourlearningwillbeshapedbytheirpracticalexperiencesandcasestudies,soyou'llbenefitfromrealindustryadviceandtipsaboutbestpractices.
GainUp-to-DateIndustryKnowledgeOurspecialistproductteamworkscloselywithleadingindustrysubjectmatterexpertstocraft,review,andupdateyourcoursematerialonacontinualbasis.Theirjobistoensureyougaintheup-to-dateknowledgeneededtothriveinarapidlygrowingandever-changingindustry.That'swhytheyworkhardtokeepyoursyllabuscontentfresh,structured,andbrandnew.
BenefitfromFlexibleStudyOptionsYourcoursecontentisavailableanytime,fromanywhereintheworld.Whetheryouarestudyingathomeoronatabletonyourwaytowork,youcanenjoy24-houraccesstoprerecordedlectures,notes,practicalexercises,webinars,andasupportiveclassnetwork.Neverfearmissingaclassagain.
EnjoyanIndustry-ValidatedSyllabusIt'sourmissiontoensurethatyoulearnthemostup-to-date,valuable,andsought-afterindustryskills.That'swhywebringtogethertheworld'sleadingdigitalbrandsandagenciestoreviewandapproveyoursyllabuscontent.WeworkwithcompaniessuchasFacebook,Twitter,andGoogletodefineasyllabusthatwillenhanceorkickstartyourdigitalcareer.
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EarnanInternationallyRecognizedAccreditationUponcompletionyou'llreceiveanacademicallyaccreditedandgloballyrecognizedqualification.Coursecontentissetagainsttheexamination,meaningeverystudent,whereveryouare,iscertifiedtothesamestandard.
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ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
IanDodsonisCo-founderandDirectoroftheDigitalMarketingInstitute.TheInstitutehasdefinedasetofqualificationsforthedigitalmarketingindustrythatarenowthemostwidelytaughtglobalcertifications,availableinover70countriesworldwide.
IanchairstheDigitalStandardsAuthority,whichconsistsofrepresentativesfrommajordigitalcompaniesandagencies,whocontributetoandvalidatetheDMIframeworkofqualifications.Thesequalificationsactasaneducationalandprofessionalpathwayforstudents,educators,andemployers.
Passionateaboutstudent-centricoutcomesandanadvocateofeducationanddigitalliteracy,Ianbelievesdigitaltechnologiesareenablingtoolsforraisingeconomicandsocialstandardsglobally.
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INDEX
AAAS(AmericanAdvertisingAssociation)
A/BTesting
action-orientedverb
ad
animatedleaderboard
banner
carousel
discovery
dynamic
filmstrip
halfbanner
in-app
in-tandem
interstitial
island
leaderboard
leaderboardbanner
mobilebanner
mobilevideobanner
roadblock
sky-scraper
smartappbanner
smartbanner
socialMediaDisplay
takeover
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video
AdChoices
adextensions
AdRoll
AdSense
AdvertisingAssociation(AAS)
advertisinghouses
advertisingindicators,socialmedia
AdWords
AdWordsAccountAccessLevels
AdWordsAppDownloadExtension
AdwordsAutomaticpayments
AdwordsCampaignArchitecture
AdwordsCampaignPerformanceReport
AdwordsCampaignsetup
AdwordsCampaignstab
AdWordsClick-to-CallExtension
AdwordsColumnModification
AdwordsConversiontracking
Adwordsconversionwindow
AdWordsdashboard
Adwordsdeliverymethods
Adwordsdimensionstab
AdWordsDisplayPlanner
AdwordsHometab
AdWordsinterface
Adwordskeywordideastab
AdwordsKeywordPlanner
AdWordsKeywordPlanner
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Adwordslanguages
Adwordsmanualbidding
Adwordsmaximumbid
AdwordsqualityScoreColumn
AdWordsRankingFormula
Adwordssharedlibrary
AdwordsStandarddelivery
AdWordsToolsTab
agencies
aggregateretention
Airbnb
alttext
Amazon
AmericanAdvertisingAssociation
Android
AndroidMarketplace
AngryBirds
Animoto
app
best
branded
free
hybrid
mostpopular
native
appactivityreports
appdevelopment
Apple
Appleappreviewprocess
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AppleiPad
AppleiPhone
Apple'siAdplatform
Apple'siOSupgrades
Applewatch
appstores
appsubmissionprocess
appwalls
ARPU(Averagerevenueperuser)
artist
Ask.com
attachments
auction
audience,young
authoritativewebsites
AutoCorrect
autoplay
averageCPC
averageCustomerLifeCycle
Averagerevenueperuser(ARPU)
averagesessionduration
AvinashKaushik
awarenesscampaigns
Bbacklink,permanent
bannerblindness
bannersize
beingreactive
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bestperformingvideos
biddingstrategies
bids
blanket
ceiling
competing
default
grouplevel
billingcountry
Bing
BlackberryWorld
blacklisting
Blogger
bloggingplatforms
blogs
Bluetooth
bluntmeasurement
boldingkeywords
Booking.com
bounce-rate
high
brackets
brandingtool
brainstorming
brandawareness
brandedgame
Branson,Richard
breadcrumbnavigation
brochuredownloads
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browserhistory
browsers
BrowserStack
budgetEstimation
Bullas,Jeff
business
local
small
businesscards
BusinessInsider
businesspain
business-to-consumer(B2C)
busshelter
button
click-to-call
CTA
social-sharing
BuzzFeed
CCadbury
calendar
CampaignCalendar
CamtasiaStudio
canonicalization
canonicallinks
CAN-SPAMAct
capitalization
Carling
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cats
Christmas
Chrome
Citigroup
clicked-to-play
clickstoconversion
click-throughrate.SeeCTRs
click-to-call
CNBC
CNN
CocaCola
code
e-commerce
short
coffeechain
coffeeshops
colloquialjargon
company'scareersite
company'semailaddress
Compuware
connectivity
consumerpain
contactforms
content
educational
evergreen
flash
user-generated
viral
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contentburst
contentduplication
contentmanagementsystems
free
content-richexperience
contentscheduling
contest
conversions
defined
hard
conversion-trackingtechniques
cookiepolicy
cookies
CookSmarts
copyrightlegislation
Costperacquisition(CPA)
Costperclick.SeeCPC
Cost-Per-Click
Cost-per-engagement
Costperinstall(CPI)
Costperlead(CPL)
Costperloyaluser(CPLU)
Costpermille.SeeCPM
CountdownAds
countrydialingcodes
CPA(Costperacquisition)
CPAmobilecampaign
CPC(Costperclick)
CPDmobilecampaign
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CPL(Costperlead)
CPLU(Costperloyaluser)
CPM(Costpermille)
crawlerrors
CreativeCopyright
CSS
CTA
CTRsondisplayads
Cueler
customerpain
customers
dormant
longer-term
qualified
sweet-spot
CustomerSearchInsightsModel
customerservicerepresentatives
customer-to-customer(C2C)
customertouchpoints
DdataCollection
datamanagement
dataprotection
data-roamingcharges
dataSegmentation
DCO(DisplayCampaignOptimizer)
demotedranking
descriptionlines
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descriptiontag
Digital,Debbie
Digital,Doug
digitalfootprint
DigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct
DigitalStandardsAuthority
digitalwallets
disabilities
disallowedkeywordpractices
DisplayCampaignOptimizer(DCO)
distributionnetwork
domainlevel
Doran,GeorgeT.
DoubleClick
Drucker,PeterF.
DUMBobjectives
dynamickeywordinsertion
dynamiclist
dynamicsegmentation
dynamicsubscriberlists
EeBay
e-commerce
EdgeRank
EllenDeGeneres
emailInteractionProcess
emailmarketingmetrics
emailmobileintegration
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emailOpenRates
emailsignature
emailtemplates
EmiratesAirline
emotions
employeetestimonials
endorsements
social
Engagementcampaigns
Enhancedsitelinks
Ericsson
ESPs
Eurostat
excessivecapitals
excessivepunctuation
expansiontime
FFacebookAdsManager
FacebookEmbeddedPosts
FacebookGroups
FacebookInsights
FacebookNetLikes
FacebookPageStrategy
Facebookpixel
FacebookPlaces
FacebookSpeedometer
fast-movingconsumergoods(FMCGs)
FederalTradeCommission
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female-dominateduserbase
FinalCut
Firefox
fitnesstrackers
flashlink
Flickr
FMCGs(fast-movingconsumergoods)
footer
freepublicity
frequencycapping
FTC(FederalTradeCommission)
GGA,linkingAdWordswith
GAAccessLevels
GAAccountSetup
GAAccountStructure
GAAcquisitionReporting
GAAdmintab
GAAdvancedSearch
GAAdvancedSegments
GAassigningvalues
GAAttributionReporting
GAAudienceTab
GABehaviorReporting
GAChannelGroupingPaths
GAConfigurationTool
GAConversionsreport
GACustomChannels
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GACustomChannelsOverview
GAcustomizedreports
GADefaultsegments
GADeviceCategory
GAeCommerceSection
GAEventGoal
GAEventReporting
GAfirstclickattribution
GAfunnelvisualization
GAGeoSection
GAGoalssection
GAin-PageAnalytics
GAlanguagedata
GAmanagedUser
GAmultistepconversionprocess
GAreferraltrafficInformation
GASiteSearchReport
GASiteSpeedbyPage
GASocialReferralInformation
GAStandardReporting
GATechnologyInformation
GATimeDecayAttribution
GATimeonSite
GAURLDestinationGoal
GAUserJourneyIinformation
GDN(GoogleDisplayNetwork)
GDNapps
GDNautomaticplacements
GDNdisplay
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GDNtext
genderbias
genericsearchterms
geolocation
GIFs
Gmail
Goo.gl
Google+
EngagementTab
Google+,familycircles
Google+Insights
GoogleAdMob
GoogleAlerts
GoogleAutocomplete
GoogleCircles
GoogleDataHighlighter
GoogleDisplayNetwork.SeeGDN
GoogleDisplayPlanner
GoogleGlass
GoogleHangouts
GoogleKeywordPlanner
GoogleKnowledgeGraph
GoogleMaps
GoogleMobile-FriendlyTest
GooglePageSpeedInsightsTool
Googlepartnerwebsites
GoogleSearchConsole.SeeGSC
GoogleSearchNetwork
Googlesearchpartners
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GoogleSocialReferralsTool
GoogleTrends
GoogleURLBuilder
Governmentwebsites
GPS
GSC(GoogleSearchConsole)
GSCDataHighlighter
GSCinboundlinksreport
guestblogging
HHailo
hardbounces
headings
Heineken
highexitrates
highvalueprospect
hiring
historicalsearchtrends
Hootsuite
Hotmail
HPTO(homepagetakeover)
HTML5
HubSpot
IIAB(InteractiveAdvertisingBureau)
iBeacon
Iconosquare
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images
copyrighted
profile
imageSERPs
inboundlinks
broken
infographics
instructionalvideo
integratedcampaigns
InteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IAB)
interlinkedcontent
invertedcommas
IPaddresstargeting
JJavaScript
Jenga
JetBlue
Journal.ie
Kkeyperformanceindicators.SeeKPIs
keyword
long-tail
negative
keyworddensity
keywordmatchtypes
KeywordPlannerTrafficEstimator
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keywordresearchtools
keywordstuffing
keywordsuggestions
keywordtrends
Klout
Llanguage
extensiblemarkup(XML)
hypertextmarkup(HTML)
schemamarkup
Lanlard,Eric
laws
leaflets
link
one-way
topic
uninformative
link-buildingbrokers
LinkedInAdvancedSearch
LinkedInAdvertising
LinkedInAnalytics
LinkedInCareerPage
LinkedInCompanyPage
LinkedInConnect
LinkedInFeaturedApplicant
LinkedInFollowerTrends
LinkedIngroupmembershippolicies
LinkedInGroups
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LinkedInKPIs
LinkedInMarketingSolutions
LinkedInPersonalAccount
LinkedInPremium
LinkedinRecommendations
LinkedInRecruiteraccount
LinkedInSponsoredUpdates
LinkedIntopcontributor
linkformats
links
broken
internal
low-quality
linksinternal
locallinks
localstorage
location-basedsearch
loginencryptions
low-energychnologies
low-volumesearchqueries
Mmacroconversion
Macy's
MailChimp
mailuseragent(MUA)
managedplacements
ManchesterUnited
maritalstatus
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marketreality
marketresearch
Mashable
match
bad
broad
exact
modifiedbroad
negative
phrase
matchtype,best
M-commerce
menunavigationbar
messages,welcome
messaging
instant
relevant
metrics
hard
soft
microblogging
microbloggingplatform
microconversions
Mid-placementunits(MPUs)
misspellings
MMA(MobileMarketingAssociation)
MMS
MobileAnalytics
mobilecommerce
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mobileconversions
mobilefriendliness
mobilejournalism
MobileMarketingAssociation(MMA)
mobilesearch
mobilewallets
Moz
MSN
MUA(mailuseragent)
myStory
Nname
female
male
namingconvention
navigationassistance
negativefeedback
NewsFeed
Newstalkradiostation
NewYorkCity
NewYorkTimes
NFC
numericaltargets
OObama,Barack
obsceneterms
OculusRift
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offlineperformance
offlinereports
Ogilvy
Okabashi
one-pagescrolling
one-to-oneconversation
onlinepaymentsystems
on-pageheadings
opt-inemail
opt-ins
opt-outrequirement
OrganizationalPolicyDocuments
Outlook
Ppage
basket
career
login
product
showcase
pagenames
PageSpeedInsightstool
Paris
PayPal
PCscreensize
performance,technical
permanentsubset
personalemails
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PersonallyIdentifiableInformation(PII)
PII(PersonallyIdentifiableInformation)
PinterestAds
PinterestAnalytics
PinterestBusinessAccount
plagiarism
platformspecificity
Podcastplatforms
PodOmatic
polls
positiveuserevent
posthistory
postscheduling
PowerDirector
PowerEditor
PPCkeywordresearch
PR
previousactivityanalysis
pricelist
privacy
proactive
Probist
productdemonstrations
live
products,self-service
promotions
providerselection
proximitymarketing
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QQRcodes
custom
QualityScore
queryparsing
questionnaires
questions
live
open
RRadicati
real-timebidding
reciprocallink
redirect
regulations
remarketing
dynamic
mobileapp
standard
remarketinglists
custom
reputationmanagement
retargeting
retweets
revenuemetric
robots.txt
ROI
higher
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Rovio
RSSfeed
SSafari
Salesforce
salesfunnel
Samsung
ScreenFlow
screenrecording
self-qualifyingusers
self-regulation
SEMrush
senderID
Sendible
SEOmalpractices
SERPs(searchengineresultspage)
showrooming
Shutterstock
sign,minus
sign-upform
site
adaptive
competitor
custom
mobile-adaptive
mobile-optimized
mobileresponsive
mobile-responsive
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responsive
sitedevelopmentprocess
sitemap
situationanalysis
Skype
SMARTobjectives
SMSCampaignDevelopmentProcess
SMSmarketing
SMSsupplier
Snapchat
Snap.ie
sociallistening
sociallisteningtools
socialmediacontent
socialmediaKPIs
socialmediapostscheduling
SocialOomph
socialplug-ins
Softbounces
sourcecode
SouthwestAirlines
spamfilters
triggering
specialcharacters
spellingmistakes
splittest
SponsoredInMailCampaigns
SSLcertificates
StakeholdersinDDA
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StakeholdersofSMM
staticmedia
structureddatamarkup
sweetspotcustomer
TTacoBell
tag
sponsored
title
tags,meta
taptargets
tenancyagreement
text
alternative
anchor
boldedkeyword
textoverlaid
thumbsdown
Thunderpenny
timezones
Topsy
touchdesign
TrackSocial
traffic
higherqualified
internal
targeted
TripAdvisor
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Tumblr
TV
TweetActivityDashboard
tweets
prepopulated
promoted
sponsored
Twitter,idealcharactercountfor
TwitterAccountKPIs
TwitterActivityDashboard
TwitterAdvertising
TwitterAnalytics
Twitterbusinessaccount
Twittercards
TwitterKPIs
TwitterPrivateaccounts
UUber
unhappyCustomers
uniquesellingpoint(USP)
UniversalAnalytics
unsolicitedemail
unsubscribes
upselling
up-skilling
URLs
destination
vanity
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URLshorteners
userexperience(UX)
disrupted
userjourney
users
logged-in
nonduplicated
unique
USP(uniquesellingpoint)
Vvalueproposition
videoblogging(vlogging)
videoplayback
videoremarketing
videos
short
smartphone
Vimeo
Wwearablecomputing
webapps
webinars
weblogs(blogs)
WebmasterTools
websign-upform
website
brochure
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e-commerce
embedded
individual
mobile-optimized
mobile-responsive
responsive
scrollable
weddings
well-craftedSMS
WestJet
WiFi
ad-funded
WiFidevice
Wikipedia
Woobox
WordPress
wordseparators
wrappedgifts
XXMLSitemap
YYahoo
Yandex
Yelp
youngermarket
YouTube
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YouTubeads
YouTubeAnalytics
YoutubeAnalyticsDemographicsSection
YouTubeEditor
YouTubeSearch
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