Social Media Advertising
Article | July 14, 2022
Just like with any small business, advertising an Etsy shop can seem like an overwhelming task. There are so many options, learning marketing strategies on your own is time-consuming, and many advertising methods can get expensive fast. But don’t worry! This article is a complete guide that will break down all of the different ways you can start advertising or promoting your Etsy Shop cheaply or for free. How Does Etsy Marketing Work? Advertising an Etsy shop can be very different from advertising other online businesses. For example, you don’t need to have your own website to run an Etsy shop. This is convenient in many ways, but it also limits your ability to use traditional advertising methods. Ad platforms like Facebook Ads Manager are a great way to get exposure, but without a custom domain, you’re advertising Etsy instead of your shop.
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Retargeting
Article | July 20, 2022
Mobile media usage in the US will reach 4 hours 29 minutes per day in 2022, according to Statista. In a mobile-first world, advertisers are understanding and adapting to the changing habits of your target demographic. They are switching to using 6-second video ads to address the decreasing individual ad session times.
Let us look at how 6-second ads are changing the game:
6-second ads increased ad recall by 11%, ROI by 12%, and video completion rate by 271% (Adaptly Campaign)
There was an incremental lift across several key metrics, such as conversion rate, average purchase value, and click-through rate (Adaptly Campaign)
6-second ads quickly communicate the message and grab people’s attention
They allow break-through with meaningful placements and influence buying decisions
Netmarble’s Lineage2 Revolution Video Ad Campaign Broke Records
Netmarble enlisted the assistance of Wisebirds, a Facebook Marketing Partner, to promote and drive downloads for its new mobile game. Wisebirds ran a test with 6-second, 15-second, and 30-second ads for a mobile ad campaign. The 6-second ad performed the best. Netmarble’s video ad campaign for the Lineage2 Revolution game broke records as the massively multiplayer online role-playing game with the most downloads in the App Store and Google Play in five Southeast Asian countries. The campaign highlighted the importance of delivering short, impactful messages to drive results efficiently and at a lower cost.
“In terms of branding, 6 second videos showed the best performance in all branding effectiveness measurements. We found that exposing short videos repeatedly and leaving a strong impression on the audience produced an unforgettable branding message.” – Dong Gyeong Kim, Senior Campaign Manager, Wisebirds
“In terms of branding, 6 second videos showed the best performance in all branding effectiveness measurements. We found that exposing short videos repeatedly and leaving a strong impression on the audience produced an unforgettable branding message.” – Dong Gyeong Kim, Senior Campaign Manager, Wisebirds
Tips to Create an Impressive 6-second Video Ad
Keep your ad narrative short. Create a solid punch line and figure out how to express it with the tools at hand.
Don’t treat the time constraint as a hindrance but as a creative challenge to deliver a great customer experience.
Ensure that your ad transformations are effective.
Keep your ad simple, relatable, and visually appealing and make all the elements work together.
Put 6-second Video Ads to the Test and Learn
Advertisers like you must experiment and learn how to capture viewers' attention quickly and deliver memorable key messages using 6-second video ads. Shorter video ads could be a great solution to address the dip in individual ad view session times and the viewers’ lowered attention spans.
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Display Advertising
Article | July 8, 2022
Are you new to audience campaigns, or looking to expand your existing presence on the Microsoft Audience Network? Using Facebook Import, it’s now easier than ever to get audience campaigns up and running by importing from Facebook Ads. Now rolling out to all advertisers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany, this new feature is designed to save you time and maximize ROI by seamlessly bringing over your campaigns from the Facebook Audience Network into the Microsoft Audience Network. Facebook Import can be used as a standalone tool, as well as a powerful complement to any existing Google Import strategy.
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Retargeting
Article | June 13, 2022
What is retargeting and why do you need it? Well, because it’s easier than ever to lose a sale online.
Think of it like this: you successfully drive a potential customer to your site with great content or social media engagement.
But then their phone rings. Or they have to take a quick meeting. Their child calls their name. They look up at the TV and forget to return. Or one of a million other potential distractions in our fast-paced world get in the way.
They could be lost forever. Or — you could use retargeting to get them back to your site.
That’s what we’ll cover in the sections that follow. You’ll learn what retargeting entails, why your business should be using it, which platforms to do it on, and best practices to maximize ROI.
Let’s get started.
Quick Takeaways
Only 2% of web users convert on their first visit to a website.
Retargeted web visitors convert at a 70% higher rate.
Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social platforms are effective places to use retargeting.
Retargeting ads are most effective when they incentivize, are personalized, and/or leverage high-value content.
What is retargeting?
So what exactly is retargeting? In short, it’s the process of monitoring the behavior of your web visitors so you can drive them back to your site later.
It’s done by adding code to your website that tracks user actions by placing cookies in their browsers. You can then use that information to show them targeted ads when they’re elsewhere on the internet.
Those requests you get to “accept all cookies” when you visit a new website? It’s retargeting in action. Brands are asking your permission to track what you’re doing so they can show you ads that are relevant to you.
Today 87% of marketers use site retargeting to attract potential customers back to their website. Given that only 2% (!) of web visitors convert on their first visit to any site, it’s a smart strategy for brands to capture low-hanging fruit in their web traffic and avoid losing prospects who will likely convert with a little bit of encouragement.
Let’s look at 3 reasons why retargeting should be part of your digital marketing strategy and the benefits your brand will experience from doing it.
Why Retargeting Needs to Be Part of Your Strategy
Consumers actually like retargeted ads
The consensus view of retargeted ads has always been tainted with a little bit of uncertainty about their use of individual consumer data. And there’s no doubt about it — consumers do worry about their online privacy.
At the same time, however, they are also more aware than ever that brands are using their information to advertise to them and target their buying preferences. And they still browse and buy online at a rapidly increasing rate.
Here’s what it comes down to: retargeting doesn’t turn consumers off as long as it’s done ethically (AKA you’re only retargeting people when it actually makes sense and they’ve agreed to your privacy policy).
In fact, recent research has found that 25% of consumers say they actually enjoy seeing retargeted ads. And while a quarter of consumers may not seem encouraging, actual consumer behavior suggests that number is quite a bit higher.
Here’s what the numbers tell us:
Retargeted ads earn a click-through rate 10x higher than regular display ads
Retargeted website visitors are 70% more likely to convert
3 out of 4 consumers notice retargeted ads when they see them
It’s helpful to think about this in the context of your own life, too. We all see ads for products and brands we’ve briefly visited without buying from. But rather than get annoyed, our interest is usually sparked again. We may click on the ad to look at it again and rethink whatever reasoning we had before for not buying. We may follow the brand on social media for updates.
Retargeting is a massive opportunity for brands to cut down on lost sales by reminding consumers why they were interested in the first place and incentivizing them to come back and make a purchase.
Where to Retarget
Google and YouTube
Google and YouTube are the two most visited websites in the world, with a casual combined 85 billion monthly views (nbd). You can target ads on these massive platforms with Google Ads on the Google Display Network.
Most consumers are doing their brand and product research using Google search. What better place, then, to have your ads displayed to convince users to choose you?
Facebook and Instagram
Ads on the two platforms are both run under Facebook Ads Manager. You add the Facebook Pixel to your website’s code. When users take an action on your site (for example, adding to cart or making a purchase) the pixel is triggered and they’ll see retargeted ads on both Facebook and Instagram.
Learn more about the Facebook Pixel here.
TikTok
TikTok has exploded onto the scene over the past two years. It’s easy to assume this platform might be best for targeting younger audiences, but the truth is there are tons of audiences on TikTok that encompass a range of ages and interest areas.
For example #MomTok — moms sharing tips, stories, and advice — is one of the most active corners of the app. #BusinessTok, #FitnessTok, and #BookTok are some of the other most popular hashtag-driven interest groups on the app. These are only a few examples. In other words: retargeting on TikTok is for every type of audience.
You can get started at TikTok for Business.
LinkedIn
For B2B companies or brands targeting a more corporate or professional audience, LinkedIn could be an ideal platform for your retargeting efforts. You can add the LinkedIn Insight Tag to your website to begin tracking your visitors and serving them ads on the LinkedIn platform.
3 Retargeting Best Practices
Incentivize
The thing about web visitors you retarget is that they have shown interest in your brand already, but for some reason they weren’t motivated to make a purchase (or maybe they did but haven’t been back to make another one).
The way to convince them? Offering incentives. Consider this: you see a pair of shoes you love. You almost buy them but you think “Well, they’re just a little too pricey. I’m going to pass.”
A few days later you see those shoes you love, except they’re being offered at a discount. Your main argument for not buying the shoes is gone. You’re much more likely to go back and make the purchase.
Incentivizing your retargeting audiences is worthwhile because you eliminate one of the biggest roadblocks to purchase: concerns about price.
Personalize
Like all other kinds of online experiences, consumers want their retargeted ads to be personalized to their preferences. Nearly 80% of consumers say personally relevant ad content from brands increases their purchase intent.
Adding simple phrases that are unique to a person’s experience with your brand (i.e. “You left this item in your cart!” or “Based on your previous purchase, we think you’d love this!”) can be what makes your ad stand out to your audience.
Leverage Content
Content drives more organic traffic than any other method of digital marketing. That said, targeted ads are the highest-converting of all methods. Why not combine the two for maximum ROI?
Consider the types of content your web visitors interact with and/or what content created by your brand would be most relevant to them. Promote it through your ads, emphasizing how it can help users solve problems, learn something new, or accomplish an important goal.
Content that can be effectively marketed through retargeting ads include:
Blog articles
How-to guides
Checklists
Webinars and video demos
Ebooks and whitepapers
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