When Hiring Content Creators
We all know by now that content marketing has become the top way to generate more leads, keep reader’s attention, improve loyalty and trust. The list goes on and on. Actually, a stat by demand metric research shows that 86% of businesses use B2C content marketing. As they should, it costs 62% less and the benefits are great (as mentioned above). This being said, there are a lot of content creators out there now so how do you know which one(s) to choose for your brand and its campaigns? There are a lot of things that you should look out for but we’ll list those that we feel are the most important.
We all know by now that content marketing has become the top way to generate more leads, keep reader’s attention, improve loyalty and trust. The list goes on and on. Actually, a stat by demand metric research shows that 86% of businesses use B2C content marketing. As they should, it costs 62% less and the benefits are great (as mentioned above). This being said, there are a lot of content creators out there now so how do you know which one(s) to choose for your brand and its campaigns? There are a lot of things that you should look out for but we’ll list those that we feel are the most important.
1. Drive. Hiring a content creator is no different than hiring anyone else on your team. You want someone with good work ethic. You want someone who’s excited about creating content. They will be good storytellers to create emotional content.
2. Expertise. Are they experts in their field? If so, they can help your brand by creating the content that is best to engage your consumers.
3. Alignment. This one is very important. You want a content creator who aligns with your brand mission. You want their personality, values, and ethics to be similar to that of your brand. This will ensure a smooth collaboration.
4. Good communication skills. This one goes without saying really. You definitely want a creator you can easily communicate with. Are they personable? Do they have a positive mindset? If they’re not friendly and easy to talk to it’s probably not going to work out. You want someone that you can easily communicate your ideas with and are comfortable speaking with.
5. Metrics. What do their metrics look like? What’s their engagement? How consistent are they posting?
6. Unique & authentic style. A unique creator style will always attract audiences. You want someone who’s going to demand attention with their uniqueness. That being said, they must be an authentic personality. People will see right through it if they’re not. You want someone who will be able to bridge that gap of trust with your consumers. Their more likely to trust the recommendations of someone who is a “regular Joe” if their an personality is genuine.
We hope that this list of traits will help you find the best content creators for your brand. We’ve worked with so many different types of creators over the years. Some were fantastic and others, well, let’s just say we probably won’t work with them anytime soon. All the amazing creators we’ve worked with have had every single one of these characteristics listed above. It’s crucial in order to have a successful and fruitful relationship that will excel your brand’s success as a team. We can find the perfect creators to help you craft your brands message. Ask us how!
Types of UGC
While our company deals a lot with still and video content, there are many types of user generated content out there. UGC or UCC can be defined as any form of content created by a user that is organic, original and published somewhere online. It comes in many forms and it can come from anyone: customers, loyalists, employees, creators and/or just regular people with a social media account. Here are the types of UGC out there:
While our company deals a lot with still and video content (inclusive of audio), there are many types of user generated content out there. UGC or UCC can be defined as any form of content created by a user that is organic, original and published somewhere online. It comes in many forms and it can come from anyone: customers, loyalists, employees, creators and/or just regular people with a social media account. Here are the types of UGC out there:
1. Video: this is our main area of expertise
2. Images: we also specialize in this
3. Social media: this includes any video, photo or even text
4. Testimonials: this is usually in the form of a vlog or video
5. Reviews: this typically is in text form on sites, such as Yelp or Trip Advisor
6. Live stream/podcasts: usually vocal or video
7. Blogs: text content but can also be a vlog
8. Q&A Forums: text content here as well
UGC is so influential on purchasing motivations and is inherently authentic. It creates trust between consumer and brand. Aside from this, it increases confidence in purchases, improves customer feedback, is far more interesting than produced content, and it encourages engagement and influences consumers on which products to purchase. On the professional side, it can help stretch your brands budget. To see a good example of a UGC campaign check out the work we recently did for Duracell holiday. If you haven’t dipped your toes in the sourced content water yet, what are you waiting for? Give us a shout!
Social Media Advertising
At this point, you should know the benefits of social media marketing. There are billions of people on social media platforms. That’s billions of potential customers just waiting to be tapped into. Your brand can use data from users to target a certain customer demographic when using social media ads and track ROI directly. Here are some tips to get the best bang for your buck on social media ads.
At this point, you should know the benefits of social media marketing. There are billions of people on social media platforms. That’s billions of potential customers just waiting to be tapped into. Your brand can use data from users to target a certain customer demographic when using social media ads and track ROI directly. Here are some tips to get the best bang for your buck on social media ads.
Know your audience. Who is your target audience? This is important to know and chances are if you’re brand is on social media, you already know which channels are relevant for you. Here is a quick breakdown of who hangs out where in terms of social media channels.
Facebook tends to be more boomers as well as the age range from 25-34
YouTube is age 18-35 with emphasis on video content (that should be a no brainer).
Instagram is age 18-34 and Millennial dominant.
Twitter age 25-49 that is dominated by the educated and the wealthy.
LinkedIn is age 46-55 and predominantly for working professionals.
TikTok age 10-19 and predominantly female.
SnapChat ages 13-17, 25-34 but dominated by teens.
Know your objective. It’s important to know what your social ad objective are.
Are you looking to increase your brand awareness?
Are you trying to increase your reach?
Are you trying to tap into new audiences?
Are you looking for more engagement?
Looking to generate more leads?
Use organic posts to inform. Use current posts to see what it is that your followers like to see. Which ones got high engagement? Which one got a lot of likes?
Measure results. Use the insights from your advertisements. Who is seeing them? How is the response? Which ones did the best and look at the times they went out. This can help you make real time adjustments. This will also show which ones are not working.
Social media can be a great tool for your brand. Not only can it generate new business, it can help you understand your audience as well.
Holiday Advertising 2022
We’ve recently been looking into current consumer trends, such as Found Content: Recession Proofing Costs. In this article we talk about how consumers are now spending more on essentials and less on luxury in the wake of economic downturns. It is important that brands are not being insensitive with their messaging in regards to their audiences’ financial positions. This is especially true for luxury item brands. Yesterday, we posted the 2023 consumer trends from a GWI Report that shows consumers are beginning to exhibit even more particularity with their budgets going into the new year. Consumers’ top three reasons to decide to buy from a brand right now are quality at 53%, cost at 36% and trust at 32%.
We’ve recently been looking into current consumer trends, such as Found Content: Recession Proofing Costs. In this article we talk about how consumers are now spending more on essentials and less on luxury in the wake of economic downturns. It is important that brands are not being insensitive with their messaging in regards to their audiences’ financial positions. This is especially true for luxury item brands. Yesterday, we posted the 2023 consumer trends from a GWI Report that shows consumers are beginning to exhibit even more particularity with their budgets going into the new year. Consumers’ top three reasons to decide to buy from a brand right now are quality at 53%, cost at 36% and trust at 32%. It’s certain that consumers are spending more frugally do to their economic hardships. That being said, in the wake of the pandemic, most consumers are still opting to spend on travel and in person experiences, despite economic situations. These luxury experiences will not be seeing any dip any time soon as everyone is ready to experience the world again. This is important to know for brands as they should focus on in person engagements for their audiences’ in order to connect with them. Another trend that is a consequence of the pandemic is that of online shopping. This trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere either and it’s crucial that brands have an omnichannel UX for their consumers where they can get immediate attention (consumers are short on time) across any and all channels. Brands would do well to invest in their digital spend to improve their e-commerce and digital advertising. Keeping the pandemic and economy in mind, it shouldn’t need to be said that whatever brands do they need to make sure that they can shift gears easily. We now know that nothing is certain and that it’s important to be able to change your strategies quickly and without difficulty. Going with the flow is a trend of the future that everyone should get on board with. Happy Holidays and we hope this helps your brand understand consumer trends going into 2023.
History of User Generated Content
Did you know that the first massive user generated content composition was the Oxford English Dictionary? Yep, that’s right! It was composed solely of contributions aggregate by the public in 1857. To look back throughout the history of UGC in the media however, one would have to go all the way back to 1840 with the first U.S. patent for photography. Because if you think about it, this was when the rise of photography and film began. You can’t have user generated content without users having access to cameras and although, it won’t become publicly available until much later this was the when the birth of UGC would be.
Did you know that the first massive user-generated content composition was the Oxford English Dictionary? Yep, that’s right! It was composed solely of contributions aggregated by the public in 1857. To look back throughout the history of UGC in the media however, one would have to go all the way back to 1840 with the first U.S. patent for photography. Because if you think about it, this was when the rise of photography and film began. You can’t have user-generated content without users having access to cameras and although, it won’t become publicly available until much later this was the when the birth of UGC would be. After this, in 1990 there were several electronic bulletin board systems based on UGC, which would then later be converted to websites with the creation of the internet. For example, IMDB, Flickr, and Wikipedia are a few. These sites were basically informational and still images. Later, video content would be publicly popularized with sites such as YouTube in 2005. Also in 2005, BBC set up a UGC content team in response to a London bombing that bolstered “citizen journalism.” A year later in 2006, CNN started a similar campaign called iReport. This was the same year that Time magazine published “Person of the Year: You” that hailed to the rise of user-generated content due to YouTube and other up and coming social media platforms, such as MySpace. This is quite a brief history but it gives an idea on how far user-generated content has come since its inception. Now, we have influencer marketing and customer reviews. Literally, UGC is everywhere. Advertising now harnesses it because it has great ROI for campaigns, higher conversion rates and it builds overall trust between consumers and brands. With the technological advancements happening everywhere, UGC isn’t going anywhere and it’s just getting started. It’s our specialty!
Neuromarketing
Well, we really went down the rabbit hole on this one. This topic has so many ins and outs that we could write an infinite number of articles about on the different aspects. Let’s start by defining what neuromarketing actually is. You can probably guess, it combines neuroscience and marketing techniques. Neuromarketing studies the neurological responses, including brainwave activity, eye tracking and skin changes to certain marketing stimuli in order to better understand consumer behaviors. It’s fairly new and has only been around since the early 2000’s. Once considered controversial, it is now starting to be viewed as promising, since scientifically it has improved greatly over the past five years and it can be used to test product design, UX testing, A/B testing, CTA, images in ads, rebrand campaigns etc. let’s jump into some of the techniques used to track and what insight each offers to brands and advertisers.
Well, we really went down the rabbit hole on this one. This topic has so many ins and outs that we could write an infinite number of articles about on the different aspects. Let’s start by defining what neuromarketing actually is. You can probably guess, it combines neuroscience and marketing techniques. Neuromarketing studies the neurological responses, including brainwave activity, eye tracking and skin changes to certain marketing stimuli in order to better understand consumer behaviors. It’s fairly new and has only been around since the early 2000’s. Once considered controversial, it is now starting to be viewed as promising, since scientifically it has improved greatly over the past five years and it can be used to test product design, UX testing, A/B testing, CTA, images in ads, rebrand campaigns etc. let’s jump into some of the techniques used to track and what insight each offers to brands and advertisers.
First, let’s talk about the technique of fMRI or functional magnetic resonance imaging. Here’s how it works. It detects changes in blood oxygenation and flow in response to neural activity and can produce activation area maps that show which parts of the brain are being used for particular processes. It can give insight into emotional responses, levels of engagement and brand recall. Although fascinating, it can be a costly and more invasive method of neuromarketing research.
The second method is through the use of an EEG also known as electroencephalogram. Say that ten times fast. The way this test works is through little metal disks attached with thin wires that detect small electrical charges as a result from activity in the brain. It’s like a light-weight mesh, metal hat worn that detects abnormalities in brain waves in response to marketing stimuli. It then prints out a graph and will shows the level of engagement and brand recall for consumers. It can be used to improve ads and branding but is also expensive. It’s not as precise at fMRI but slightly less invasive. The last four methods are much less costly and easy to administer.
Eye tracking. There are two tests that can be done through eye tracking methods. The first is the gaze. It shows exactly where consumers gaze goes and will tell what grabs their attention, what confuses them and the speed of recognition. This can be used to improve designs, ads and packaging. The second type of eye tracking is called pupillometry. This measures pupil dilatation and can show each level of engagement. It’s uses are the same as tracking gaze. It’s quite inexpensive and easy to do. The downfall is that it doesn’t measure emotional responses.
The next technique is tracking biometrics. This is the skin changes we were talking about in the definition of neuromarketing. It tracks the galvanic skin response or skin conductance. You’re probably asking yourself the same thing we were when we heard this term. What in the world is this? GSR is the variation of the electrical conductance of the skin in response to skin secretion and this is how it works. There are electrodes that are placed on the fingers that apply a low, undetectable and constant voltage to the skin. They measure how the conductance varies, which is connected to internal temperature aroused by emotional responses. Biometrics also measures heart rate and respiration. Therefore, biometrics solely focuses on monitoring emotional responses. This tells advertisers and brands whether a positive or negative emotion is occurring as well as their level of engagement.
Lastly, facial coding identifies facial expressions to denote a general emotional response, such as happiness, surprise, confusion, etc. This method really speaks for itself and is inexpensive as well. As one can see this is a fascinating field of marketing science that can be very beneficial to advertisers and brands. It can provide insight at a much higher level to expose consumer preference and tendency. The data is more reliable because the test subjects cannot provide false information and it can reveal subconscious revelations that maybe not even the consumers are aware of. We find this science quite fascinating! We would love to see what it would tell us about the emotional response of found content campaigns. Although we find it alluring, many people have concerns. Some see it as a manipulative pseudoscience that can provide no new information. That being said, we feel that it could be extremely useful to marketers, advertisers and brands if used in ethical ways.
Staying Focused at Work During the Holidays
The holiday season is a time of year when we’re all enjoying parties, gift exchanges, travelling and shopping. It can be difficult to stay focused at work until your holiday vacation actually begins. It’s very easy to get overloaded in your personal & professional life. In fact, a study done by Ladders found that 50% of U.S. employees start losing focus at work in mid-December. Here are some tips on things you can do to combat that FOMO at work during the holidays so you can finish your professional year out strong.
The holiday season is a time of year when we’re all enjoying parties, gift exchanges, travelling and shopping. It can be difficult to stay focused at work until your holiday vacation actually begins. It’s very easy to get overloaded in your personal & professional life. In fact, a study done by Ladders found that 50% of U.S. employees start losing focus at work in mid-December. Here are some tips on things you can do to combat that FOMO at work during the holidays so you can finish your professional year out strong.
1. Get your day started with a workout: This might be our number one. There’s nothing like that energized feeling you get after your morning workout. It’s a great mood booster. If you find yourself having a hard time getting started with this one, lay your clothes out the night before and only commit to doing 2 minutes to start. Chances are you’ll do more than 2 once you get going.
2. Minimize distractions & don’t multitask: Break your time into blocks for focused attention on one task at a time. If you try to do too many things at once your work quality will suffer. You may think that you’re getting more done but studies have shown that multitasking actually reduces your productivity by 40%, according to Psychology Today. Also, it’s important to reduce distractions when you’re trying to focus your attention on one task. Put your phone where you can’t see it. Don’t think about personal life obligations while you’re working.
3. Make lists: We love lists! We have a To Do list, a holiday gift list, a wish list, a social media list. Every time we have an idea we right down immediately on one of those lists located in our Notes on our iPhone. When it comes to work, prioritize your tasks and see which ones can wait until the New Year.
4. Know your holiday schedule and communicate it: Most of us have a lot of commitments during the holidays. It’s important to know your schedule and communicate it to your co-workers and superiors in order to get the time you need without getting bogged down with unexpected work tasks at the wrong time. Also, let your boss know that you can’t work overtime during the season and take early days when you can. Most employers are understanding as long as you communicate with them your expectations in advance.
5. Take some time off: If you have some time left to take at the end of the year, take it! Go spend some time with friends and family doing something fun and festive. This will help you stay motivated in the office if you’re feeling refreshed from a few days of festivities here and there.
6. Get end of year projects done early: Be aware of the end of year projects so you can get a head start on them. Try to get them done early so that when it comes time to take those days off you’re not stressed out and panicking to get everything done at the office. Aside from this, start your personal tasks earlier as well. Bake those cookies early. Get the shopping started in advance. This way you’re also not feeling a sense of overwhelming anxiety at work spilling over from your to do list in your personal life!
It’s important to remember what the holidays are all about. It’s about a time of joy spent with loved ones. It’s a time to do kinder things for those who may be in need. Once we leave the office we leave our work there so we can fully enjoy this time of year and the nostalgia that it can bring. That being said, as we wind down the year, we always find this is a good time to reflect on the past year behind us. What went well this year? What didn’t go well? What can we do better? But, once we leave the office, we leave our business there so we can fully enjoy the season.
Found Content: Recession Proofing Costs
Americans feel terribly about the state of the economy right now. We can’t say we disagree. Just this week we wrote an article on holiday consumer spending trends during times of financial distress this season. Advertising agencies and brands are not immune to the economic hardships that we are all currently facing. Everyone is navigating budget cuts for advertising spend. This is yet another reason how found content in your marketing and advertising strategies can help recession proof your brand’s budget this year. The cost effectiveness of UGC makes for a good plan to combat these budget cuts and rising cost of production.
Americans feel terribly about the state of the economy right now. We can’t say we disagree. Just this week we wrote an article on holiday consumer spending trends during times of financial distress this season. Advertising agencies and brands are not immune to the economic hardships that we are all currently facing. Everyone is navigating budget cuts for advertising spend. This is yet another reason how found content in your marketing and advertising strategies can help recession proof your brand’s budget this year. The cost effectiveness of UGC makes for a good plan to combat these budget cuts and rising cost of production.
Let’s break it down for you. Most produced commercials can cost anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000. But, depending on the resources used, it can hike up to $50,000-$100,000. That’s seriously a lot of dough for something that’s going to last a roughly 60 seconds! UGC campaigns can run anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000. Starting costs are much lower for UGC campaigns than a produced one. Even the highest amount that you could possibly pay is way under top dollar production shoots. Of course, there will be editing costs and some others associated with them in post, but it still won’t rack up to what a production team would cost you, plus actors, plus post. You get the idea.
There is also evidence that the ROI on found content campaigns is very high in comparison to money spent, according to case studies conducted by Pixlee. So, not only do you spend less of your budget, you see higher returns. This means higher engagement, high click through rates, high return to site visitors, more credibility. We could go on for a while. We love found content. If you think that your brand would benefits from found content campaigns, please don’t hesitate to reach out this holiday season and let’s get a conversation started. Happy Holidays!
Found Content in Holiday Marketing & Advertising
We recently read an interesting article from AdAge about the state of holiday marketing this year and according to them, “promotional tops emotional.” Honestly, it makes sense with the state of the economy being what it is right now. The financial uncertainty during these times makes for a more discretionary consumer. That being said, we firmly believe that you don’t have to remove one to use the other. Why not use promotional and emotional messaging? You can have your cake and eat it to.
We recently read an interesting article from AdAge about the state of holiday marketing this year and according to them, “promotional tops emotional.” Honestly, it makes sense with the state of the economy being what it is right now. The financial uncertainty during these times makes for a more discretionary consumer. That being said, we firmly believe that you don’t have to remove one to use the other. Why not use promotional and emotional messaging? You can have your cake and eat it to.
This is where incorporating user generated content and/or real-life situational moments into your marketing strategy comes in. Think – a bunch of friends enjoying a Friendsgiving around a dining room table. Nothing says holidays like emotional connections. It’s that time of year we foster our relationships with family and friends. We get nostalgic. We find kindness in our hearts to help others in need. Found content in your campaigns is one of the best ways to achieve this emotional bond with your consumers and gain their trust. Mix that in with some good promotional discounts and you’ve got yourself a customer for life!
Another reason to adopt found content into your marketing and advertising campaigns this season is your brand budget. Brands are not immune to the economic downturns and find themselves in financial uncertainty as well. Using real moment content campaign costs significantly less than traditional advertising.
Now you see how promotional and emotional advertising working in unison to not only increase revenue, but close the gap between your brand and your customers. It’s time to create a marketing and advertising strategy that includes found content.
Friday Feature 10/7/22
We’re taking you to the sunny beaches of your living room. Wait what? That’s right! You heard us. This surf video went viral back in March of 2020 of Sailah Nicol and her brother surfing on the rug in their living room. Their father is pro surfer, Yadin Nicol who is also featured in this video pulling the rug up into a wave. This video is probably up there with one our favorites that we’ve licensed over our years here at Locomotive. Head over to Instagram and show her page some love and support with a follow.
We’re taking you to the sunny beaches of your living room. Wait what? That’s right! You heard us. This surf video went viral back in March of 2020 of Sailah Nicol and her brother surfing on the rug in their living room. Their father is pro surfer, Yadin Nicol who is also featured in this video pulling the rug up into a wave. This video is probably up there with one our favorites that we’ve licensed over our years here at Locomotive. Head over to Instagram and show the families page some love and support with a follow.
Psychology of Advertising
An average person can be exposed to over 6,000 advertisements per day! This number is staggering but not surprising it today’s digital world. There are psychological principles that advertisers can use to improve sales.
An average person can be exposed to over 6,000 advertisements per day! This number is staggering but not surprising it today’s digital world. There are psychological principles that advertisers can use to improve sales.
1. Reciprocity. This psychological phenomenon is held fast in the fact that we are instinctively hard-wired to automatically feel indebted to someone when we receive a gift from them. in business, this can be giving your audience something for free and in return they may sign up or purchase more. For example, maybe you get a first-class trial for free. You love the class so you end up buying the membership.
2. Consensus. This is where others put their trust in a brand because others have demonstrated proof of trust in them already. This is where customer reviews come in handy.
3. Liking. This can be ingrained with physical traits, similarity, association or contact with the brand in a positive experience. You will need to know your audience. What are their wants and their likes? Once you know this you can reflect it back to them in advertising messages.
4. Scarcity. This is an effective tool that makes something seem like it won’t be around for long at all. Say a promotion with a deadline, such as, “for limited time only.” This creates a sense of urgency and leads to irrational, emotional decision making.
5. FOMO. Or fear of missing out. This is a two-part process. First, the user feels like they’re missing out. Two, they follow up with compulsive behavior to maintain the connection.
6. Authority. Establish authority as an expert in your field. People tend to trust those in charge, such as credible source, thought leaders and experts.
This list is far from extensive and the psychological principles that can be utilized in advertising are vast. The two fields go together like peanut butter and jelly. To read more on what types of techniques your brand can use to benefit from psychology in your advertising and marketing campaigns visit:
· Crobox (techniques)
· Relevance (examples)
· USC (overall information)
Friday Feature
This week we turn to a producer and director, Christin Baker. She is co-founder of tellofilms.com and proud creator of lesbian content. We worked with her on a Rapinoe spot many moons ago now. It’s our pleasure to showcase her talent. She was great to work with. To read more on the amazing work she produces, visit her IMDb page.
This week we turn to a producer and director, Christin Baker. She is co-founder of tellofilms.com and proud creator of lesbian content. We worked with her on a Rapinoe spot many moons ago now. It’s our pleasure to showcase her talent. She was great to work with. To read more on the amazing work she produces, visit her IMDb page.
Brief History of Advertising
It all started with newspaper. Someone wanted to place an ad in the paper so they reached out to an agent who represented newspapers. They compiled lists of papers and placed ads in them on behalf of brands who wanted to advertise. Newspapers would negotiate with the agent who would get on the list. The agent also contracted with the newspaper for large amounts of space at discounted rates. They would then resell these spaces to advertisers at a marked-up rate….
It all started with newspaper. Someone wanted to place an ad in the paper so they reached out to an agent who represented newspapers. They compiled lists of papers and placed ads in them on behalf of brands who wanted to advertise. Newspapers would negotiate with the agent who would get on the list. The agent also contracted with the newspaper for large amounts of space at discounted rates. They would then resell these spaces to advertisers at a marked-up rate. They worked on commission from the media outlets for the advertising that he gathered for them. The first agency was created in Philadelphia in 1841 by Volney Palmer, who was brought by Francis Ayer. Francis published an annual publication listing newspapers from which agencies sought business, their rates and their circulation. As the industry grew brokers began to offer more than just ad placement services and branched out into research, promotions and marketing strategy. They worked on behalf of the advertisers rather than the publishers. This conflict of interest in payment led to the later shift of fees over commissions. Ad agencies became the experts in the mid 19th century. During the 20thCentury ad agencies grew and became more creative with elaborate “brand personalities” and drama in the 50’s and 60’s. It was in this era that agencies became global giants from mergers, such as Ogilvy, WPP and Omnicom. By the 1980’s measuring results became increasingly important from clients and have continued to get more sophisticated. Information brought to you by The SAGE Handbook of Advertising.
Customer Retention Strategies
Almost 65% of a business comes from repeat customers. That’s a big chunk of revenue. It’s also cheaper to retain customers than it is to get new ones. Customer satisfaction is greatly linked to retention numbers but there are some strategies to consider on top of this.
Almost 65% of a business comes from repeat customers. That’s a big chunk of revenue. It’s also cheaper to retain customers than it is to get new ones. Customer satisfaction is greatly linked to retention numbers but there are some strategies to consider on top of this.
1. Offer a loyalty program. I don’t know about you but we love loyalty programs! We love those little stamp cards to fill up so we can get something for free. This may not be the type of service that your brand can offer but think of some fun ways to start a loyalty program for your die-hard customers. They’ll appreciate being appreciated and WOM will increase even more.
2. Build trust. We’ll say it again for those in the back. UGC builds trust with your audience. This will begin a good relationship with them that can be fostered for a lifetime.
3. Personalize their experience. Use data to understand where they are on social media. Shout them out personally. Answer their messages and tags directly. No one wants to get a cookie cutter bounce back response.
4. Ask for their feedback. I personally always fill out the little survey for a chance to win something. Sometimes I actually just do it because I had a not so great experience in hopes that someone will actually take it seriously. I do this more for the brands that I love.
5. Referral programs. Offer incentives for referrals. Again, who doesn’t like to get something for free. All they have to do is put in a little work and share with family and friends. Most will go the extra mile to try to help you to help themselves. This is a BIG one. Your brand will expand while offering a loyalty to those that are already your customers.
There are so many ways to improve customer retention rates. These are but a few but it’s a good place to get started. A happy audience is crucial. Happy audience means word of mouth referrals will increase and so will your reputation and revenue.
Ad Fatigue
We all know what fatigue is and many of experience it often but what in the world is advertising fatigue? Think about it like this. You know that new song that you love and can’t get enough? Yea that one. Then, your favorite radio station plays it over and over and over and over. You get the idea. Now, it’s become you’re least favorite song. You’re sick of hearing it. This is what ad fatigue is except that it’s for advertisements that we’ve seen one too many freakin’ times! What’s the first thing we do when that once favorite, now annoying song comes on the radio? We change the channel. Same thing applies here for ads or your audience will become “blind” to them. As an advertiser how do you know if your ad is causing ad fatigue? Here are a couple of signs.
We all know what fatigue is and many of experience it often but what in the world is advertising fatigue? Think about it like this. You know that new song that you love and can’t get enough? Yea that one. Then, your favorite radio station plays it over and over and over and over. You get the idea. Now, it’s become your least favorite song. You’re sick of hearing it. This is what ad fatigue is except that it’s for advertisements that we’ve seen one too many freakin’ times! What’s the first thing we do when that once favorite, now annoying song comes on the radio? We change the channel. Same thing applies here for ads or your audience will become “blind” to them. As an advertiser how do you know if your ad is causing ad fatigue? Here are a couple of signs.
1. Drops in CTR
2. Increasing ad frequency
3. Increasing cost per click
4. Decrease click through rate
Once you see these factors come into play it’s not too late to fix it. These are early warning signs and can be fixed before the problem becomes a real problem. Here are some ways to decrease ad fatigue for your audience once it’s identified.
1. Use new images or colors to freshen things up.
2. Exclude audiences that have already engaged
3. Decrease frequency
4. Use multiple ad sets and put them into rotation. A good example would be the Oreo campaign we sourced content for. 2 were long and they created shorter version of them. They rotated them out often.
Don’t be a brand whose audience suffers from ad fatigue. It’s not fun for either party. Keep your ads fresh and dynamic to ensure excitement from your consumers. This list is just a few ways that your brand can dodge ad fatigue so make sure to dive in deeper to understanding how to combat it.
Business Podcasts for Advertisers
Did you know that listening to podcasts can stimulate multiple parts of your brain, such as an adrenaline rush or releasing endorphins? (UC Berkley, 2016). Podcasts have been quite the popular topic recently and we know that we listen to one every morning. It’s a great way to learn, cut down on screen time and support small businesses. Whether you’re looking to learn something specific, meditate or just be entertained, there is something out there for everyone. This short will comprise of our top 3 recommended advertising podcasts.
Did you know that listening to podcasts can stimulate multiple parts of your brain, such as an adrenaline rush or releasing endorphins? (UC Berkley, 2016). Podcasts have been quite the popular topic recently and we know that we listen to one every morning. It’s a great way to learn, cut down on screen time and support small businesses. Whether you’re looking to learn something specific, meditate or just be entertained, there is something out there for everyone. This short will comprise of our top 3 recommended advertising podcasts.
1. Yeah, That’s Probably and Ad. This podcast hosted by Adweek talks about everything from marketing and media to tech and creative.
2. The Glint Standard. Dives into issues of branding, business development and advertising. Advice from starting and running their agency.
3. The Science of Advertising Show. Coming at you from Australia this show chats about current ads and why the influence human behavior.
There are an insanely large number of podcasts out there today for the advertising world. We could go on with many more but decided three is enough to get you started if you were looking for something new to listen to in your field. However, for more in-depth lists of advertising podcasts visit PlayerFM or Feedspot. Happy listening.
How to Develop Good KPI’s for Ad Campaigns
Measuring your ad campaign metrics are crucial for your campaigns in order to see what is working and what may need to be adjusted. There is no one size fits all to determine what KPI’s your brand should be using. It will depend on the overall goals of the brand and what the goal is for the campaign. Here are some steps to take when determining what KPI’s to use for your campaign efforts.
Measuring your ad campaign metrics are crucial for your campaigns in order to see what is working and what may need to be adjusted. There is no one size fits all to determine what KPI’s your brand should be using. It will depend on the overall goals of the brand and what the goal is for the campaign. Here are some steps to take when determining what KPI’s to use for your campaign efforts.
Look at business goals and objectives. Is your business goal to increase brand awareness or is it to market a new product or service?
Set SMART marketing goals for the campaign.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely
Write out your KPI’s. Once the SMART goals have been set up, create your list and write it down. Make it clear and concise for your employees to understand.
Decide how you will measure. This will also depend on what your goals are. Let’s say you want to increase leads. Therefore, to measure the effectiveness of this campaign you would measure new subscriptions.
You can see why a brand can’t use industry standard KPI’s due to the personalized nature of business goals. Using KPI’s will assist your brand in tracking the progress of marketing campaigns. Just a few common KPI’s that are tracked would be ROI, cost per acquisition, customer lifetime value and conversion rates. These are only just a few of many. Focus on crucial metrics between 2-4 KPI’s per campaign as to not get overwhelmed with too much data.
And as always, we suggest using some User-Generated Content! The ROI is always much higher. Real people trust real people!
Friday Feature
This is our first Friday content creator feature. We thought it about time to switch it up a bit from our Friday fun favorite campaigns. If you loved it, don’t worry. It’s not gone. Just taking a break for a while. This week’s creator shout out goes to Vibe Salon in Atlanta. We recently worked with them on one of our campaigns helping source content for an Oreo spot. If you live in the Atlanta area you should check them out! It was a pleasure working with them and it seems they do amazing things with hair! Have a great weekend all!
Evergreen Content
We just wrote about topical content, which touched on evergreen content slightly. So, what is evergreen content? If topical content is on current events or things that are trending, then evergreen content is just the opposite. It’s really stated in the name, evergreen. Like the evergreen trees, evergreen content lives over the long periods of time and is not time sensitive. If topical to evergreen content creation ratio is 1:4, then what are some key reasons to create so much more evergreen content over topical content?
We just wrote about topical content, which touched on evergreen content slightly. So, what is evergreen content? If topical content is on current events or things that are trending, then evergreen content is just the opposite. It’s really stated in the name, evergreen. Like the evergreen trees, evergreen content lives over the long periods of time and is not time sensitive. If topical to evergreen content creation ratio is 1:4, then what are some key reasons to create so much more evergreen content over topical content? Well, first it will continually drive traffic to your sites, it will improve your SEO and position your brand as an industry leader. Some common examples of evergreen content are tips, FAQ’s, tutorials/guides, testimonials/case studies, check lists, common mistakes to avoid, resources for your industry (books, podcasts, experts), definitions of terms and phrases, history of your industry, etc. These things don’t go out of style or change very often. Pretty sure you get the idea by now. So now, let’s get into the nitty gritty with the pros and cons of evergreen content.
PROS:
1. Brand authority: just as topical content can do, it also will increase your brand’s authority by showing that it cares about your audience through content that lasts over time and isn’t fleeting.
2. SEO increase: if the evergreen content is on your website it will increase its SEO over time. This is something that topical content cannot do because it is short-lived and although it may also stay on your site, it will not increase traffic once that topic has gone out of style, so to speak. Evergreen content is relevant long after trends come and go and therefore, will improve your SEO in the long run.
3. Ideal for entry level: evergreen content is fairly easy to produce for how-to guides, resources etc. It can require little time to write, create and get out into the world.
4. Stands the test of time: like the evergreen tree, hence the name, this type of content stays relevant for long periods of time. You can add small changes to it, if needed over time, to keep it up to date with the newest information periodically.
CONS:
1. You can run out of ideas: unlike topical content that stays fresh all the time, evergreen content is something that lasts. This can make it difficult to come up with new ideas down the road.
2. Success will be slower: topical content creates short drives in traffic due to the trending nature of it whereas, evergreen content traffic is slow and steady. But remember, who won the race, the tortious or the hare? This will require a little patience from your brand in the beginning.
3. Expert content is often too narrow: if writing advanced content, a few things can happen here. 1. It’s perfect for advanced and intermediate. 2. It’s too basic and not advanced enough. 3. It’s too advanced. No one, not even the advanced audience understands. This is a tight window of getting the porridge just right, so to speak. So, content creators must be careful here. While evergreen content is great for beginner audiences, it can be tough to cater to the advanced group.
Now, you can see how evergreen content is crucial to your brand’s success over the long haul. As we said in our previous article on topical content a mix of both is necessary to creating both short- and long-term interests. Both have a place in your marketing and advertising strategies. Very few brands operate solely on one type of content and omit the other, even news channels. If you set a schedule for topical refreshes in your evergreen content strategy and consider doing so every week. No matter what type of content you are creating you now have a quick go to guide on how to mix up your topical and evergreen content strategies. Happy creating!
Friday Favorite 9/23/2022
This week’s favorite is a tribute to Serena Williams and her recent retirement. She is a role model for women and athletes all over the world! She leaves behind a legacy of a changed world because she refused to become the status quo. She remained true to herself despite all of the odds. The Nike ad coined with the tagline, “She didn’t change who she was-and that changed everything, for all of us,” was created by advertising company, Wieden+Kennedy Portland.
This week’s favorite is a tribute to Serena Williams and her recent retirement. She is a role model for women and athletes all over the world! She leaves behind a legacy of a changed world because she refused to become the status quo. She remained true to herself despite all of the odds. The Nike ad coined with the tagline, “She didn’t change who she was-and that changed everything, for all of us,” was created by advertising company, Wieden+Kennedy Portland. Unfortunately, her final three set tennis matches were losses. However, those that know who she is and what she has done for women in sport will not even remember that ten years from now. What they will remember is how she represented her home city of Compton with pride, even when nay sayers talked down on it. They will remember how she held her head high with pride when people mocked her body physique as she rocked her stellar muscles and curvature. She combated racism early in her childhood career, stared it in the face and never backed down from who she was on and off the court. Her and her sister took a non-traditional path for their tennis careers and she still made it to the top. She has been listed as Forbes highest paid female athlete. She has battled injuries, her own sister on the court, had children and all the while managed to become one of the best female athletes to ever play any sport in the world!