Advertiser Platforms
Article | March 12, 2024
Where’s the nearest click and collect? What time does our local store close in light of the latest COVID-19 restrictions? Where can I order that toy car he/she wanted for Christmas?
Our bet is Google is your first port of call for an answer to any of these questions.
If it is, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s estimated that Google processes 5.8 billion user searches per day. And, even though there are other search engines out there, like Bing and Yahoo, it is by far the most popular.
So, with so many potential customers – because let’s face it, of those 5.8 billion there are bound to be a few thousand searching for your specific products or services - businesses simply cannot overlook advertising on Google. And even more so now thanks to restrictions on physical stores across the world being put back in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Nate Burke, CEO and founder of Diginius, an ecommerce solutions provider that specialises in digital marketing PPC management, explains how you can get the most out of your Google advertising activities.
The first round of lockdowns during the spring and early summer saw many businesses with physical outlets grind to almost a complete halt. Going digital was the only option for many in order to have some chance of survival.
This saw restaurants offering online order services, more retailers moving into ecommerce and professional services conducting remote meetings via video calls.
Despite some easing of restrictions, many have kept digital their focus. For example, video meetings such as Microsoft Teams, which grew by 894% between February to June in 2020, are now prevalent as the office’s new best friend. And restaurants for instance, have advanced their minimal contact table service, allowing customers to order and pay for food on their phones by scanning a QR code or downloading an app.
But now, with lockdown restrictions being re-enforced in Britain and many other parts of the world, businesses looking to maximise their sales and earnings ahead of the Christmas period, and before the New Year begins, can’t ignore the advertising opportunities available on Google.
PPC
PPC advertising is perhaps the most obvious opportunity. It’s the best way to guarantee that your brand is put in front of an audience and can help generate a spike in traffic and leads.
Paid Search identifies “buyers” immediately. People who have typed in and are clicking a specific keyword tends to already be in buying mode, even if only at the research stage of the journey, which is so powerful compared to the rest of the marketing mix
This is because searchers seek convenience. We have come to expect the first listing on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) to provide an answer to our query. If it doesn’t, we are more likely to change our search than scroll through pages and pages of results.
Therefore, getting your brand on that all-important first page is crucial for success on Google, which is exactly why paid advertising is beneficial. Not only can it promise a guaranteed spot here, if, the price is right for you, but it could also, potentially, provide you with the number one position.
As well as SERPs, ads can be created for the display network, utilising visual aids in the form of graphics and videos to attract leads on the Google Shopping network, which is particularly beneficial for ecommerce businesses looking to increase sales.
However, to ensure your ads are shown to people who will add value to your business, PPC activity must be strategically mapped out and effectively managed. Account set-up, keywords and bidding strategies must be considered, monitored and then adjusted to ensure your activity is effective and a return on your investment is achieved.
This requires dedicated personnel, time and budget – for both ad spend and management practices for either training, wages or outsourcing the task to an agency.
But, despite the capital required to get started, there are a number of ways to ensure you yield results that make it worthwhile. For example, remarketing can help minimise lost leads and maximise budget by targeting potential customers who have already shown an interest in your product or service.
Automation strategies are another. Bidding and ad copy can be altered automatically, depending on factors including the time of day, location and the user’s specific query wording, for instance. This lessens the chance of clicks from users with little intention of purchasing or submitting an enquiry, and, consequently, reduces wasted budget. Another common way to get more out of search advertising is to replicate campaigns across Microsoft Ads, where there is typically less competition, cheaper clicks, and a better return on investment, albeit lower search volumes.
Local strategy
One of the greatest benefits of the internet is its ability to connect businesses and customers no matter the physical distance between them. And, with lockdown enforcements, an online offering presents an opportunity to reach an even wider customer base than a shop or physical facility that is restricted by location.
However, the internet is a big, old place. It houses greater competition than what many businesses are used to in the physical realm and, as result, it’s easy to become lost, especially if you are in the early stages of establishing an online presence.
So, no matter whether you’re a retailer offering click and collect or running business as usual albeit remotely, keeping things local is your best bet for online success.
In fact, Google uses a Relevance, Distance and Prominence model to determine search results. Those most relevant, the closest in distance to the searcher and most prominent or popular are more likely to be ranked higher on results pages.
In order to maximise your chances of ranking highly for those searching for your products and services in your local area, you should make the most of tools, such as Google My Business and reviews.
As well as providing potential customers with vital business information, such as your address, contact details and COVID-adjusted opening hours, you can also instil trust and confidence in them by presenting a business that appears to be well established and organised. This is particularly important as those consumer sentiments have declined due to the pandemic.
So far, businesses have done well in adapting their processes to changing customer needs in such a short amount of time and under incredibly difficult circumstances at that.
With the coronavirus crisis far from over and many facing an online future, the only thing we can be certain of at this point is that businesses and retailers must act now to grasp opportunity. By utilising platforms such as Google and Microsoft, business owners are not simply making the best of a bad situation but are more so positioning their brand at the forefront of their chosen industry, gifting a significant advantage when markets reopen in their newly digital-focused form.
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Advertiser Platforms
Article | March 20, 2024
Netflix Takes an Unexpected Route
Popular streaming giant Netflix’s subscriber count plummeted for the first time in a decade. After it announced the loss of 200K subscribers in Q1 of 2022, its stocks dipped more than 35%. In addition, a shareholder recently sued the platform for violating securities law after its subscriber growth reached an all-time low and the stock value crashed, making the picture bleaker.
It’s not surprising that the platform had a change of heart about bringing advertising to its platform. The decision puts the platform in the same category as its competitors, HBO Max, Amazon’s Freevee, and Disney+, who want to offer cheaper, ad-enabled content to consumers. It also addresses the company’s issue of slow revenue growth.
“Those who have followed Netflix know that I’ve been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription, But as much as I’m a fan of that, I’m a bigger fan of consumer choice.”
co-CEO Reed Hastings
What Do Advertisers Think?
The advertising community had mixed reactions to the announcement. Long commercials are not an option on streaming platforms like Netflix. The ads run only for a few minutes every hour to retain the viewer experience. Despite this, advertisers are excited to target Netflix’s rich audience of over 200 million.
There is no clarity on who will sell the ads and how the campaigns will be managed. Only time will tell how Netflix’s move will affect its subscribers and the advertising market.
The company will keep ad-free tiers for subscribers who wish to enjoy high-quality ad-free content. It may change its subscription plans to offer low-cost plans with ads and minimize password sharing. There is no set timeline or regions decided for implementing these plans.
The company hopes that this “consumer choice” to choose a cheaper plan will revive its subscriber growth graph.
What Comes Next?
Though Netflix has done the unexpected, it is giving well-established ad-funded broadcasters and streaming platforms a reason to worry. As of now, the potential for a low-cost VOD service equipped with ads is huge for advertisers. Once the plans are introduced, new audience profiles will emerge. Advertisers will want to understand and target them. As an ad platform, Netflix’s performance will only be understood through testing and learning.
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Advertiser Platforms
Article | March 18, 2024
Mastering the art of efficient quoting with the guide to selecting and implementing quote management solutions helps propel your business into a new era of customer engagement and revenue growth.
1. Introduction to QMS
A quote management system is a pivotal process in today's competitive sales and customer service industry, offering a dynamic solution for organizations aiming for sales excellence. As a sophisticated sales quoting software, QMS enables teams to create, manage, and dispatch quotes efficiently and accurately, addressing the critical need for timely and precise client communication. Beyond mere quoting, it offers comprehensive functionalities, including integration with CRM and ERP systems, customization based on customer requirements, and lifecycle management of quotes. Automating the quoting process enhances accuracy, speeds up sales cycles, improves customer experiences, and fosters better sales management, making QMS an indispensable asset for achieving superior sales outcomes.
2. How to Choose the Right Quoting Software Tools
Selecting the ideal quote management tool is pivotal for enhancing your sales operations, ensuring precision and accelerating deal closures. Below are the best practices for selecting quotation management tools for businesses:
Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment:
Outline the existing quote creation, approval, and customer communication procedures.
Pinpoint areas prone to errors or inefficiencies
Scalability factor to accommodate future business expansion
Compile a checklist of key features:
Look for tools that integrate effortlessly with existing CRM and accounting systems.
Prioritize tools with intuitive and personalized interfaces to minimize training time.
Opt for features that automate repetitive tasks, enhancing efficiency.
Every tool below will have critical features they provide to shortlist them.
Analyze pricing and ROI:
Compare subscription fees versus one-time costs and assess scalability.
Measure potential time savings and conversion rate improvements against the tool's cost.
Consider additional expenses, such as training or add-on features.
Experience tools via demos and trials:
Request guided demos to witness the tool's capabilities.
Test the software within your operational context to gauge fit and effectiveness.
For this, every tool described has an image of the dashboard below to give a clearer idea of the tool interface.
5. Top Tools That Provide Quote Management Software
1. Paperless Parts
Paperless Parts, backed by OpenView, is a Series B SaaS company revolutionizing the digital era for custom part manufacturers. This cloud-based platform is engineered to augment revenue and expand business opportunities for manufacturers by leveraging patented technology and a proprietary geometry engine. By seamlessly integrating with ERP systems, Paperless Parts elevates the quoting process, enabling manufacturers to quickly identify manufacturability issues, generate quotes, and process orders across various production processes such as additive manufacturing, sheet-metal fabrication, and CNC machining.
The platform's distinct advantages include:
Speeding up the Quoting Process: Respond to requests 6x faster with fewer clicks.
Enhancing Profitability: Secure more business with rapid, consistent quotes.
Reducing Manual Labor: Focus estimators on high-value tasks, minimizing busy work.
Centralizing Data: Maintain all critical information on a unified, searchable platform.
Guaranteeing Security: Adherence to ITAR registration, with 100% US-based support and GovCloud hosting.
2. PandaDoc
PandaDoc is one of the best quoting software tools designed to empower businesses to close more deals with greater efficiency and less manual effort. The platform streamlines the quoting process by integrating seamlessly with product catalogs and enabling tailored pricing strategies, thus enhancing the quoting and buying experience. This software simplifies the creation of personalized quotes with features like drag-and-drop editing and direct CRM information import, ensuring each quote is uniquely suited to the prospect's needs.
Key features of PandaDoc include:
Speedy quote creation with drag-and-drop functionality eliminates the need for spreadsheets and manual calculations
Customizable pricing options for fast, complex quote generation
CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) tracking with powerful analytics for pipeline visibility
Same-day deal signing and secure online payment options
ESIGN and UETA compliance, HIPAA compliance, and SOC 2 Type II certification for security
3. FastSpring Interactive Quotes
One of the best quote management software companies, FastSpring has redefined online sales for SaaS, software, and digital product companies through its comprehensive go-to-market platform. The tool helps streamline the sales process by managing all payment needs, from checkout to taxes, enabling businesses to expand their reach globally. FastSpring IQ, the interactive quoting tool, accelerates deal closures by offering real-time analytics, eSignatures, payments, and CRM integrations, all within a modern, spreadsheet-free environment.
Features of FastSpring IQ include:
Configurable Quotes: Customizable quotes with intuitive design facilitate live demos or direct proposals to prospects
Variable Pricing: Flexible pricing options that cater to diverse customer needs
Deal Insights: Real-time notifications and analytics on client interactions with proposals
eSignatures: Streamlined approval processes with integrated electronic signatures
Integration: Seamless connectivity with CRM systems, consolidating pricing, quoting, and sales tools
Interactive Quotes: Eliminates the need for traditional, time-consuming sales documentation, offering a dynamic and engaging buyer experience
Real-time Analytics and Payments: Provides insights into client engagement while allowing immediate payment options, enhancing the sales cycle's efficiency
4. Zilliant
Zilliant empowers businesses to place pricing at the core of their strategy with its comprehensive suite of cloud-native CPQ, price management, and optimization, along with revenue intelligence applications. Leveraging advanced data science and a commitment to customer success, Zilliant offers unmatched ROI, swift value realization, and superior client satisfaction. The company specializes in navigating complex B2B pricing and sales puzzles — ensuring that its clients, spanning industries like manufacturing and distribution—achieve significant returns and confidently address their pricing and sales challenges.
Key offerings and features include:
Efficient Data Management: Streamlines the pricing process by consolidating and processing large volumes of data, enabling an agile response to market dynamics
Advanced Reporting: Offers deep insights through robust reporting tools, facilitating strategic pricing decisions
Time Efficiency: Reduces manual workload with automated and scalable price management solutions, accelerating proposal responses and price updates
Enhanced Security: Provides a secure, cloud-native platform, ensuring data integrity and reliability
Comprehensive Price Management: Addresses all facets of B2B pricing, including list, matrix, negotiated, and agreement-based pricing, through an intuitive interface
AI and Data Science: Utilizes cutting-edge AI models to identify growth opportunities and optimize pricing strategies for maximum impact
5. 360insights
360insights is a trailblazing partner engagement and business optimization powerhouse dedicated to transforming the complex dynamics of channel ecosystems for brands worldwide. By driving tangible growth through advanced SaaS-based platforms, 360insights facilitates the orchestration of intricate partner networks while optimizing promotional expenditures across various incentives. Serving a roster of over 300 globally recognized brands, the company leverages incentive management and ecosystem orchestration, complemented by a potent analytics engine, to foster the indirect business sector's expansion.
Key features of 360insights include:
Powerful Analytics: Delivers deep insights for informed decision-making and optimization of promotional strategies
Global Support: Offers support in over 74 countries, ensuring a wide-reaching impact
Platform Agnosticism: Ensures seamless integration with existing CRM, ERP, CPQ, eCommerce, or portals
Dynamic Product Bundling: Enables flexible product combinations to enhance sales without diluting margins
Enhanced Quote Efficiency: Reduces quote lead times through automated configurations and pricing
6. GetAccept
GetAccept's digital sales room is revolutionizing how revenue teams engage with buyers, from the initial opportunity to the final signature. This platform, among the top quote management software platforms, is designed to enhance win rates by offering a deeper understanding of and engagement with prospects. With its state-of-the-art configure, price, quote (CPQ) solution, GetAccept empowers sales teams to effortlessly create and dispatch professional, precise proposals, streamlining the sales cycle and enhancing efficiency. This tool integrates with business applications, making it a versatile addition to any tech stack and allowing for an error-free, time-saving, personalized quoting process.
Key features include:
Comprehensive Digital Sales Room: Increases win rates through better buyer engagement and understanding
Efficient CPQ Solution: Allows for quick creation of professional proposals with accurate quotes and pricing
Personalization: Tailors pricing tables to the buyer's specific needs, enhancing the customer experience
Time-saving and error-free: Automates the quote creation process, reducing manual data entry and associated errors
Seamless Integration: Compatible with over 500 integrations, including major CRMs, ensuring flexibility and ease of use
7. PracticeSuite
PracticeSuite, in the Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) solutions industry, empowers practice administrators and medical billers. This innovative system proactively safeguards against revenue leakage by alerting users to deviations from revenue cycle best practices, ensuring a 'pro-action' stance rather than reactive measures against financial loss.
Key features of PracticeSuite include:
Comprehensive RCM Tools: Streamlines revenue management from patient payments to final insurance reimbursement
Real-Time Transparency: Offers immediate insights into billing performance with up-to-the-minute dashboard reporting
Seamless Integration: Compatible with over 500 integrations, facilitating effortless connectivity with major CRM and ERP systems
Customer-Centric Updates: Prioritizes user feedback, with 100% of software updates reflecting client needs
8. Kaon High-Velocity Marketing Platform
Kaon Interactive provides solutions for complex sales and marketing challenges for B2B companies. Its interactive applications amplify customer engagement and understanding, simplifying the complexities that often overwhelm businesses. With its unique blend of technology, it transforms how businesses convey their value propositions across customer touchpoints. Its applications, built on an advanced technology platform, support real-time deployment across devices and platforms, both offline and online. This ensures marketing efficiency and proves to be an essential tool for sales success, regardless of product complexity or market volatility.
Key features of Kaon Interactive include:
Interactive Engagement: Elevates buyer interaction with customizable 3D product tours and applications
Comprehensive Digital Solutions: Offers a suite of applications for sales acceleration, marketing efficiency, and value differentiation
Agile Platform: Supports dynamic and real-time application updates to reflect evolving product portfolios and marketing stories
Seamless Integration: Ensures compatibility with over 500 integrations, facilitating incorporation into existing CRMs and marketing channels
9. Tacton CPQ
Tacton, a trailblazing SaaS provider, revolutionizes the sales process for manufacturers of complex products through its acclaimed Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software. Esteemed by Gartner as a leader in the CPQ Application Suites Magic Quadrant, Tacton provides unparalleled product configuration and visualization capabilities. Tacton stands at the forefront of CPQ solutions, which are distinguished by its dedication to customer success, continuous innovation, and global support network. For businesses seeking to transform their sales processes and accelerate revenue growth by selling complex products more effectively, Tacton offers a proven, advanced solution.
- Industry-Leading Sales Quoting and CPQ Software: Recognized for advanced configuration and visualization, simplifying complex product sales.
- Quote and Document Generation: Facilitates easy creation of accurate, branded quotes for complex services.
Automated Quoting: Streamlines quoting, enhancing speed and accuracy for B2B deals
Data-Driven Accuracy: Ensures quotes reflect the latest product options, prices, and terms using validated data
Rapid Quote Generation: Allows instant quote creation and modification, increasing sales rep productivity
Detail-Rich Early Quoting: Provides detailed offerings early in the sales process, including pricing adjustments
Flexible Quoting and Collaboration: Facilitates quote adjustment and collaboration with customers for streamlined buying
10. ProPricer
Cash Flow Pro from ProPricer offers a revolutionary approach to managing business finances, combining algorithm-driven cash flow forecasting with data-supported insights to enhance financial processes. This advanced tool, one of the best quoting software to save time, empowers organizations to unlock their full financial potential, facilitate data-driven decisions and foster sustainable success. With Cash Flow Pro, businesses can expect a suite of benefits designed to transform their financial management practices. ProPricer's proven performance in increasing productivity by 30% and its adoption by leading defense contractors and government agencies underline its indispensability in government procurement processes.
In parallel, the narrative around ProPricer highlights its efficacy in government proposal management software, emphasizing its capacity to streamline the cost proposal development process through:
Efficient Data Management: Consolidates historical pricing data for easy access, enhancing proposal accuracy
Advanced Reporting: Facilitates detailed data analysis and presentation, crucial for meeting specific government proposal standards
Time Efficiency: Reduces the time spent validating pricing formulas, allowing for quicker proposal submissions
Enhanced Security: Ensures the integrity of pricing structures and data through secure database management
6. Final Thoughts
The diverse ensemble of tools promises the trajectory of the future of advanced quote management systems. These platforms, distinguished by their individual functionalities and attributes, exemplify a collaborative effort to mechanize and optimize the sales procedure for enterprises spanning diverse sectors. With the ongoing challenges businesses face in selling intricate products and services, there will probably be a greater incorporation of intelligence and data analytics into these tools.
This integration would result in quote management solutions that are even more predictive and personalized. By undergoing this transformation, sales teams will be able to provide customized customer experiences with unparalleled effectiveness, thereby stimulating revenue expansion and nurturing enduring customer connections in the era of digitalization.
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Advertiser Platforms
Article | June 1, 2022
As a marketer, your goal is to create ads that stick in the minds of your audience. You devote extra time and resources to creating memorable graphics, engaging CTAs, and interesting copy that works. You also buy just the right ad spots. But, what happens when your potential customer scrolls right past your ad? Your costly video ad never creates a difference and your campaign fails. Combat this video ad fatigue with audio advertising to effectively influence your target demographic.
After the audio content boom driven by podcasts, audio advertising is rising and becoming marketers’ new favorite. Nielsen Catalina Solutions’ 12-month-long study of audio ads on Spotify versus video and display ads found that audio ads were up to 25% more effective than other ad formats.
Mostly, audio ads are delivered through podcasts. We’ll dive into this shortly. First let’s look at how audio advertising can influence the buying decisions of your target audience:
Audio Advertising: Superpowers Explained
Audio advertising uses a broad content category such as background scores, jingles, and branded content apart from audio ads. By fusing audio ads into audio experiences such as ad-supported music streaming or podcasts, marketers can position relevant products and services in front of customers. Here are more of its advantages:
Audio Ads Offer Immersive Experience
A study done by Lightwave and iHeartMedia showed that one of the biggest benefits of audio advertising was its ability to connect with the audience on a deeper level. Remembering catchy jingles is also a part of this connection. Audio ads communicate emotions, capture the attention of the listeners within seconds and engage them enough to paint a picture in their minds. They achieve this without a big budget or production crew. A strong script and an audio booth are all you need to create an immersive audio ad.
They Have a Greater Reach
Primarily, audio ads are delivered through podcasts because they can be easily categorized and are widely consumed. According to Statista, almost 60% of all U.S. consumers older than 12 listen to podcasts. Interestingly, 70% podcast listeners do not multi-task while listening to a podcast, so you are catering to alert listeners who might end up retaining your ad (Edison Research). Apart from podcasts, audio ads are also run in locations such as radio, music, and news streams.
They Are Insightful and Creative
Marketers can use 3D and 8D audio to create soundscapes that offer an immersive experience. Additionally, audio ads create a 1-to-1 relationship. With the help of programmatic advertising, they also collect many layers of data that provide buying insights. Integrating audio ads with voice assistants is a creative approach to entice customers while being interactive.
Nars Cosmetics UK used Spotify to offer its customers voice commerce. Upon hearing the ad on Spotify, they could order samples and set up delivery using their smart speakers.
Smart Speakers Are Changing the Game
Smart speakers are contributing to screen-less moments in American homes. This means your video ad campaigns won’t get the kind of response you expect, but your audio ads just might. The Edison Infinite Dial report found that there is an average of 2.3 smart speakers in each home in the U.S. This number shows that a wide range of people use voice search and will listen to audio ads as a result.
Summing It Up
Audio advertising drives engagement and conversion through immersive storytelling, catchy jingles, and longer ad retention. It can be a great addition to your digital marketing strategy and refine the way you influence your audience’s buying decisions.
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