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The QR Code Comeback

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 20:53:46 GMT

QR codes were meant to be one of the big advancements in marketing around the early 2010’s. They were everywhere. You couldn’t turn a corner without seeing one. The biggest downfall ? O ur phones weren’t ready for them. Imagine walking down the street when a bus stops beside you for 5 seconds. By the time you see the bus, notice the QR code, f ind your cell phone AND scroll through your many apps to find the QR code scanner app… it ’s too late. The bus already drove off and you’ ve been left feeling disappointed and disgruntled that you missed out on a cool, interactive opportunity .

I think it’s safe to say we’ve come a long way since then. Not only are our phones smarter with built-in QR code scanning technology, but the usage of them has drastically improved too. Kerigan Marketing found that as of March 2021, an estimated 60-65% of people use QR codes on a daily basis for payment services, marketing purposes and other industry verticals. Below are a few trending examples of QR code marketing strategies:

5 Ways to Use QR Codes in Marketing

Restaurant and Service Menus
Coupons and Loyalty Programs
Events
Social Media Accounts and Interactions
Video and Digital Content

1. Restaurant and Service Menus

A week ago, I visited a local café that uses QR codes to gives guests a limited contact experience. The QR code was specific to my table which allowed me to order my food, pay and tip all in one location.

2. Coupons and Loyalty Programs

Fixtures Close Up mentions how Target uses in-app coupon codes scannable as you walk through the store. Starbucks uses a rewards program through a scannable QR code. Both help build brand loyalty by keeping their customers coming back for more deals through their app.

3. Events

This one has been around longer than 2019, but I thought it was worth mentioning how useful QR codes can be for any type of event. They can be used for attendance, check-in/registration, access to “printed” materials, and for tracking purposes . As marketers, we know it’s crucial to track any campaign metrics to identify its success e s and areas for improvement .

4. Social Media Accounts and Interactions

Snapchat, in 2016, released a promo campaign through Netflix to unlock filters on Snapchat for the return of Gilmore G irls . According to Adweek , 10,000 coffee cups were printed with the QR code for the Snapchat filters. They reported that more than 500,000 people saw the filter and it resulted in 880,000 impressions.

5. Video and Digital Content

One unique way Burger King used a QR code was by creating an “interactive” experience with viewers. The QR code was a floating icon that you had 15 seconds to capture as it bounced around the screen for a downloadable coupon . Marketing Dive reported that Chick-fil-A boosted downloads by 14% through digital QR code signage and a s teakhouse chain saw a 27% redemption rate for scannable mobile coupons.

The times have changed, and as marketers, we know that it’s important to keep up. QR codes can be effective in a wide variety of markets. Consider how your next campaign could benefit from this strategy too.

What the "Death of the Cookie" means for you

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 16:26:12 GMT

If you've been orbiting the digital marketing world for long, you'll know all about Google's plans to abandon the third-party cookie by 2022. The rules for cookies have already started to change thanks to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Visit any website, and you'll get a "do you accept this cookie" pop-up. The fight for privacy and owning your data on the internet is just beginning. But what does it mean for marketers?

First, this only affects third-party cookies. Websites that track abandoned shopping carts or where you have chosen to log in will still be active and working. ( x ) Those effective ads that follow you around to remind you to come back and buy? They are here to stay!

Second, even though we're losing access to visitors’ individual data, Google already has a plan in place to target ads effectively. Google created the Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) for this very purpose. The goal of the FLoC is to "provide an effective replacement signal for third-party cookies." ( x ) Any Google device or product you use will still file away your internet habits for advertising purposes; it will just be less precise. The idea is to shift people from individuals into broader categories. Those categories are what marketers will be targeting moving forward. If you're looking up how to replace a car battery on YouTube, you'll most likely be shifted into the "repairs vehicles" category and served ads accordingly. If we've learned anything from Facebook's targeting practices, it's that they can get very granular with those categories.

The main takeaway from the loss of the cookie is that marketers everywhere will have to be more strategic about their targeting plans. Utilizing advertising avenues that never relied on cookies is a great place to start. Paid search, emails, and social media are just a few areas of focus that generate clicks and customers while not relying on cookies. Leveraging traditional media alongside digital will also be vital to help grow your audience and brand awareness. As always, you can reach out to our digital marketing team of experts to help you navigate the change.

The cookie might be dead, but personalized digital marketing is still alive and well.

Swipe up for Snapchat

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 16:36:23 GMT

Although 2020 saw the rise in popularity of Tik Tok, there is another platform that marketers should focus on, especially if they are looking to hit a younger demographic. Snapchat remains one of the most popular social media apps for people under the age of 25. Snapchat was the originator of Stories, before Facebook and Instagram picked them up, and pioneered the idea of temporary interactions in the social media world. Before Snapchat, social media platforms were focused on permanence and timelines, and Snapchat decided it was time to freshen things up.

Snapchat statistics

About 249 million people use Snapchat every day*
Snapchat reaches 75% of millennials and Gen Z*
Snapchat estimates the average daily user accesses the Snapchat camera more than 20 times per day**

Building Snapchat ads

If you’ve ever done any Facebook/Instagram advertising, the options are fairly similar. You first choose your campaign goal: brand awareness, web traffic, video views, lead generation, conversions and more. Next you set your budget. Snapchat offers affordable advertising with a $5 per day minimum budget. After you set your location, you can select your demographic targeting. One perk of Snapchat’s demographic options is that you can select an age range from 13-50+.

Also similar to Facebook, Snapchat has a large variety of audience targeting to choose from. But unlike Facebook, Snapchat is very transparent where the data is coming from. Data sources include Comscore, Placed, Experian, Datalogix and more, and are listed right next to the audience selection. Snapchat’s audience include various lifestyles, specific film/tv interests, specific food/beverage consumers, sports preferences, shopping habits, TV network and daypart viewers, and so much more! The opportunities for targeting are endless, and any brand can easily find audiences that fit their target market.

Ad Formats

Snapchat offers many ad formats, but the content that works best on Snapchat is video-driven storytelling. You can easily upload images that will be converted into a video if you do not have a video to use. You can also create filters to represent your brand in a fun way. Finally, a somewhat new offering are collection ads, which allow advertisers to showcase multiple products with thumbnail-sized images at the bottom of the ad.

If your company isn’t utilizing Snapchat, it may be time to give it a try. If you are looking for help creating and managing Snapchat or any other social campaigns, our in-house team of experts is happy to help.

* https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/

** https://www.oberlo.com/blog/snapchat-statistics

Listen up! It's time to run streaming audio

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 16:17:08 GMT

Programmatic advertising has been on the rise for years thanks to its ability to adapt to what marketers need in reaching their ideal customer through display advertising. Now there is an additional programmatic advertising solution that allows you to find your next prospective customer on-the-go through Streaming Audio . Here are a few basic things to know:

What is streaming audio?

You have most likely experienced a streaming audio ad yourself. Streaming audio, also referred to as programmatic audio, is a digital advertising format for audio content like digital radio, podcasts, and music streaming services. Streaming radio ad spots are entered into a programmatic auction system and purchased if a listener matches the desired audience parameters. Listeners are exposed to a 15- or 30- second streaming audio ad on their mobile browser, desktop browser, or in-app while listening to a streaming audio service like Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, Triton, Targetspot, etc. Within some of these platforms, display banner ad components can be included for additional exposure.

What makes steaming audio stand apart?

First, streaming audio service users have increased significantly thanks partly to 2020’s global pandemic. According to Pandora, “three in four Americans have changed their routine due to the pandemic” – and their media habits have changed along the way. More people are working remotely, creating home gyms, taking part in virtual classroom learning, and dining out less due to capacity restrictions, leaving people to spend more time at home. “In May 2020, 70% of audio listening was happening in home vs almost 50% at the beginning of 2020, with a 16% spike on digital devices.”

Second, with streaming audio, you are not only able to target your streaming audio campaign to a specific audience, but you are also able to measure the results of your ads and optimize the campaign in real-time. In addition to being able to attract a specific demographic, you can also send potential customers to your website when a display ad is placed alongside your streaming audio spot.

Lastly, one of the greatest benefits of streaming audio ads is the guaranteed exposure. For example, if a user is on Spotify and an audio ad comes on, that user becomes your captive audience as commercial breaks are unskippable, meaning your full 15- or 30-second message gets played in its entirety for almost every impression. The same goes for online radio and podcasts, leaving the advertiser confident that every ad is gaining optimal exposure.

What makes a good streaming audio creative?

Ultimately, like programmatic display and OTT, listeners respond to clear open communication from an advertiser. Pandora, one of the leaders in streaming audio services, reports that best practice for effective streaming audio creative is a message focused “20% on what you say and the remaining 80% is how you say it.” Creating an informative and relevant message while being personal, optimistic and/or empathetic will lend you best results. When you add in the flexibility that streaming audio offers with adjusting your messaging in real-time, streaming audio makes it easy for your brand to remain relevant in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

With more and more people plugging into digital audio each year, now is the time to include streaming audio in your programmatic campaign buy. By adding streaming audio, you will reach your audience with relevant, contextual ads that keep listeners engaged, while building loyalty to your brand.

Facebook live: The good, the bad and the ugly

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 16:00:42 GMT

Social media has made it easier to connect with your customer base in an inexpensive way. It has become common practice for businesses to set up scheduled posts to maintain an active account and display their product or services weekly. However, as it usually does, the game has been modified through Facebook Live.

Facebook Liveis the ability to broadcast to your Facebook audience a live video feed from a camera source and let them see whatever it is you are currently doing. It is extremely popular with direct marketing companies (Lularoe anyone?). In broad terms, it gives you the opportunity to be a star in your very own TV show!

The Good:

Facebook Live allows you to do special events that allow your customers and clients to feel like they are a part of the behind-the-scenes action in your company. It also allows you to communicate directly, albeit slightly delayed, with customers who are watching. Some businesses like to announce upcoming special sales or events via Facebook Live to make their followers feel like they are getting priority information, and who doesn’t like to feel special?

The Bad:
With Facebook Live you are only streaming to a very select audience. Its reach is limited to the number of followers you have, and the engagement from shares that you may receive. Do not be discouraged if you only have 10 of your 500 followers watching you live with no additional shares. You also need to be aware of your sound quality. There is no point in having a live stream going if it is going to be the equivalent of a silent film. Bad sound quality, or shaky video for that matter, will quickly tank your Live.

The Ugly:

On the same vein as being a live TV show, what you say is out there forever. There is no editing power on a live video, so make sure you prepare what you will be saying. Also, be aware of your surroundings! Remember to have a clean background behind you, good lighting and no one running around underdressed! We’ve all seen the video of the online business meeting where a woman took her phone with her to the restroom. Don’t be the restroom woman!

The best practice for Facebook Lives is to plan ahead, prepare your talking points in advance, clean the area you’ll be presenting from, schedule posts leading up to the live to let your followers know and have fun. Results will vary from business to business, but it’s always fun to be your own star.

Battle of the tech giants: how Apple is disrupting Facebook ads

Tue, 29 Dec 2020 15:49:56 GMT

Advertising on Facebook has grown in prominence in the digital and mobile advertising space for both local business and large corporations. With its growing usage, Facebook has become a regular in the news, facing much scrutiny for its utilization of data collected on users to optimize mobile advertising delivery. New announcements from Apple with the unveiling of iOS 14 has created noise around the Facebook Advertising platform which will not only affect advertising on Facebook, but also the Facebook owned social media platform Instagram.

Originally announced to take place in September as soon as the iOS 14 update became available, but now delayed until 2021, Apple has created a privacy feature which will require apps to ask users for permission to track or access their device. In 2021 iPhone owners with the update will be given a notification stating, “’x-company’ would like permission to track you across websites and apps owned by other companies to deliver personalized ads to you”. This affects all companies that use and collect data to deliver advertising, but this is especially detrimental to Facebook’s advertising platform, with the company claiming that the update “may render Audience Network so ineffective on iOS 14 that it may not make sense to offer it on iOS 14.”

With users not opting in to sharing data, the effectiveness of targeting users on Facebook will be severely crippled and will likely cause a shift in mobile ad spending in 2021. Facebook said that in testing it saw greater than a 50% drop in revenue as a result in the data loss from Apple. It is important to note that this change will only affect iPhone users with the update, leaving iPhones that aren’t updated and Android devices still open to normal tracking for the time being. However, with a trend towards greater protection of online consumer privacy it is becoming a priority for businesses to begin building their own internal databases of customer information to continue successfully marketing online.

Phase 3 Digital is working proactively to help mitigate the effects of what is being termed “death of the cookie” by helping brands to build first-party data at a rapid pace. Methodology for accomplishing such means is done through mutual exchanges in which consumers voluntarily share their data with brands, which can in exchange be utilized to continue providing customized messaging, such as building email lists for brands and hosting sweepstakes. Looking forward, with the coming changes brands will be able to further trust brand equity and overall relationships with their customers as the ever-changing online landscape further revolutionizes.

We will continue to monitor the developing situation and keep our clients apprised of any changes, while closely monitoring all campaigns!

2020 by the numbers

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 15:50:13 GMT

2020 is a number that has created a meaning all its own. 2020 is now a number that means so much to every person, at the same time holding a meaning unique for everyone. We’ve curated the most need-to-know or just interesting to know findings from 2020 in a marketer’s world.

WordStream outlines the top 10 online marketing and advertising stories. These stories include the shift in consumer and business habits as it pertains to the pandemic, social and political issues. Adoption of online resources was pretty much forced. Not being able to dine at your favorite restaurant, not feeling safe at the grocery store, not being able to visit a doctor or your bank, for example, all resulted in the need to download apps, use telemedicine and do a lot of what normally would be done in-person, now online.

Speaking of apps, app downloads climbed 33% with massive organic demand for non-gaming apps.

Fast numbers from Falcon.io:

Facebook’s analytics department reported a 50% surge in messaging during first ‘stay in place’ orders in March 2020
WhatsApp saw a 40% lift in usage

TikTok global downloads grew 5% February to March, adding over 12 million unique US-based visitors

70% of Instagram users view stories daily, with 62% becoming more interested in a product or brand after seeing it featured in a story

62% of consumers want companies to advocate for the issues they’re passionate about

33% of consumers would intentionally buy more from a brand that voiced a controversial opinion congruent with their beliefs

Lockdown measures have accelerated the shift to e-commerce by 5 years, and social commerce is rising along with that wave.

Instagram expanded shopping features

Facebook launched Facebook Shops in September 2020, poised to be a new Amazon

TikTok launched a “shop now” button

Snapchat was in e-commerce early but has since offered augmented reality and filters for people to try on makeup and clothes before they buyvia the platform

2020 global commerce is $89.4 billion, with the US comprising $26.9 billion of that. Forecasted to cross $600 billion by 2027.

So, what brands were people resonating with? Check out YouTube’s ads leaderboard that showcases the top 10 ads that people chose to watch on YouTube this year in the US.

Video is its own category, and 2020 solidified its space even further. Download white papers from Comscore for key findings such as:

In March 2020 the amount of average daily OTT households increased by nearly 6 million

Local and national TV viewing spiked in March regardless of shelter-in-place orders, most likely due to the increase of news programming consumption

Smart TVs fastest growing streaming segment grew 45% in April year-over-year

Reach of ad-supported services outpaced that of non-ad-supported services by 4%

OTT content viewing has become mainstream media behavior on the U.S. with almost 70 million homes using OTT and an average of 102 hours of OTT content viewed in a month’s time

3 marketing and advertising industry leaders sum up 2020 in one word. Watch it HERE .

2020 has forced a progression and acceptance of online platform and device usage that will carry into 2021. Businesses who were planted in the online space succeeded. Those who did not have an online presence, who could not communicate effectively with their customers online, or who could not provide their products or services in a remote way, felt the most hardship.

As marketers we will work with your business to improve your online health and messaging, as your customer’s habits continue to shift and they engage with you digitally.

Resources:

https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/12/14/top-digital-marketing-stories-2020

https://www.appsflyer.com/blog/top-5-trends-app-marketing/

https://www.falcon.io/

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/video/youtube-leaderboard-year-end-2020/

https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2020/State-of-OTT

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/future-of-marketing/management-and-culture/sum-up-2020/

“Dreams” and Ocean Spray: A case study

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:42:35 GMT

Commuting from his trailer via longboard to his job at a potato plant while drinking Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice and singing Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” Nathan Apodaca of Idaho Falls had no idea that he was filming the most successful advertisement in the history of Ocean Spray.

The joy-filled, 22-second clip , originally posted to the increasingly popular video sharing app Tik Tok, has garnered 73 million views on the app alone, with Apodaca himself amassing over 6 million followers in the 3 months since he went viral.

So, what turned this video into a powerhouse that nearly doubled the Ocean Spray stock price and skyrocketed “Dreams” up to No. 1 on the iTunes charts 33 years after its release?

Humanity is arguably the main reason for the overwhelming success of Apodaca’s video-turned-ad. It isn’t as though he began this journey as an influencer, or someone with a significant number of followers. In his words, he just likes juice and needed to get to work.

2020 has proven to connect us humans together with a gritty thread, often finding more commonalities in the struggles than successes. Apodaca had been dealing with water and electricity outages in his trailer, and his truck broke down (thus, the skateboard) in the weeks leading up to his virality. Posting the video a couple minutes before his shift, he almost considered taking it down since phones were not allowed on the plant floor.

Luckily, he did not. And by his second break of the day, the clip already had 2 million views.

Now, no one can necessarily plan on going viral. And perhaps that’s why this video turned into the beast of a marketing opportunity that it did. It was real, it was relatable, and it was human – everything a lot of advertiser’s couldn’t seem to get right in the COVID-19 era.

But the success of this Tik-Tok-turned-advertisement would have never, not in a million years, be something Ocean Spray itself would have created organically. Marketing expert Mark Schaefer concludes that this is what executives at Ocean Spray would have likely said to an agency that created the same video:

1. That person does not represent our core values or targeted consumer base

2. Legal won’t approve of this video because he is engaging in risky behavior – he’s not wearing a helmet. What if people try this stunt and sue us?

3. He’s drinking right out of the bottle, which is off-brand

4. You can hardly see the product or logo

The video ended up working overtime in Ocean Spray’s favor because Apodaca was in control of the messaging. This time, Ocean Spray didn’t get to tell anyone who they were. We were told who Ocean Spray is by Nathan Apodaca – and oh, what an uplifting message it was.

COVID-19 has changed many things. But one huge takeaway is that people are struggling, and they no longer appreciate advertisements trying to sell them an extravagant product. Polished, perfect, branded ad tactics are beginning to fail, and human-centric tactics are becoming increasingly effective, if not necessary, in bringing people and products together.

Unknowingly to him, Apodaca has started something. His video now serves as the base for Tik Tok’s ad campaigns, where he is joined by fellow Tik-Tokers and Mick Fleetwood himself in ads promoting creativity and personality . This can only be the beginning of a new era of user-generated content – one in which brands must surrender some sort of control to those they sell to.

3 digital marketing opportunities to prepare for in 2021

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 21:32:14 GMT

The days are shorter, there’s a chill in the air, and holiday lights are dotting the night sky. Normally this season is a time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished this year, the good times we’ve had and the memories we’ve made. But this year is different. I can almost hear the record scratch as we turn the corner into 2021. So instead of reflecting on the year (see ya, 2020!), let’s leap into 2021 ready to take on new customers and refine our digital marketing strategy.

Consumer habits have permanently changed as the result of the pandemic. Here are three things to prepare for as we look ahead to the coming year:

Know your target customer. Their online behaviors have shifted this year. Make sure your website is relevant and meeting their evolving mobile commerce needs. According to U.S. census data, e-commerce sales increased 37% in Q3 of this year over the same period in 2019. In 2021, 54% of all retail e-commerce transactions are projected to occur on a mobile device.

Is your website up to the task? Make sure your mobile shopping experience is fast, secure and includes large, easy-to-click links, product information and reviews.

Increase engagement with your customer. It is exceedingly important to cultivate direct relationships with your customers, especially as the death of the cookie nears. Connect with them more personally through email and social. These low-cost tools drive high customer engagement and brand loyalty.

Email marketing has been around for decades but remains a strong medium today. In 2021, plan to produce more personalized, conversational email marketing that closely addresses your customers’ needs. And grow those email databases! Capitalize on promotions to cultivate email addresses and preferences from both loyal and prospective customers.

On the social side, Instagram has recently enhanced their search capabilities and expanded Reels, making 2021 the year to expand your stock of short, conversational videos that can be used across marketing channels. Which brings us to our last key opportunity…

Capitalize on the rapid growth of streaming video. People are spending more time at home in front of screens, and streaming video consumption will continue to grow in 2021. In a survey conducted by Verizon Media , 60% of advertisers that are currently spending on CTV plan on increasing their buys in the first half of 2021 , a strong indication that this medium is proving to be effective.

Streaming media—live and recorded—offers advertisers the opportunity to connect authentically with potential customers at a moment when they are truly engaged with that device. In addition, advanced targeting capabilities create efficiencies for advertisers while improving relevancy for the consumer.

Now is the perfect time to streamline your marketing efforts and drive new customers, and at Phase 3 Digital, we will help you cut through the minutiae and execute solutions that make sense for your business. Contact us for help as you look ahead and plan for the coming year.

And helloooo, 2021! We’re so happy you’re here. And, boy, do we have a story to tell you.

Three strategies to revitalize nonprofit marketing

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 14:29:25 GMT

Since many nonprofit event fund raisers have been forced to be postponed due to the COVID pandemic, fundraising has become more difficult.

Most nonprofit organizations are now having to rely on their digital marketing strategies more than ever. Here are some digital strategies that could help revitalize your fundraising goals.

1.) Revisit Your Social Media Presence:

Social Media is a great and efficient way to fundraise since many of your donors most likely engage heavily with social media content. Post regular updates of your organization to boost your brand and be sure to take advantage of the Donate button available to you on Facebook.

Make a plan to post footage from speakers, photos and visuals that inspire. Remember, the most engaging type of Facebook posts are videos.

Another way to engage your audience is by asking positive questions of what inspires them. You can virtually go live and share video of sponsors or speakers answering questions of what your cause means to them.
Research individuals that might agree with your efforts and consider contacting them to see if they are willing to link a post to your organization.

2.) Engage Your Email Audience:

Email marketing is an inexpensive way to attract potential donors and sponsors. Weekly newsletters will engage your audience regularly on donation opportunities available.

Set up an automatic email for new subscribers that will educate them on your organizations’ cause and thank them for joining.

Construct a similar automatic email system for new donors as well, thanking them and showing them how to share with others.

3.) Reevaluate Your Website:

Inspire your audience and regain momentum with your mission statement front and center, giving critical information about your branding and how to participate.

Engage your audience with updated news, educational content, and membership information.

Make sure to have video on your website when possible. Video is personal and inspires emotions and empathy.

While gathering raffle tickets, eating buffet meals and bidding on items during an in-person event is not what it used to be, revitalizing your marketing strategy might be the best way to pick up momentum on your organizational goals.

5 Tips for using Google Ads Keyword Planner

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 17:46:07 GMT

Google Ads Keyword Planner is a tool that everyone should be using when researching which keywords to bid on. Bidding on the right keywords is crucial to getting your ad in front of the right customers, and this is your go-to resource! It’s easy to use and provides a lot of valuable insight. Google rolled out new Keyword Planner features earlier this year, and they are extremely beneficial in helping build more successful keyword lists and finding the best high-value keywords. Using this tool will set you up for a more successful Google Ads campaign!

1. Balance keywords by volume and bid – Be sure to use the top of bid low range and high range columns to make sure you’re including a mix a both inexpensive and higher cost keywords. You want to include more low-cost keywords, and be selective about choosing which high-cost keywords you include. Those are likely going to be the most desired keywords, so pick and choose which are most important to your business to spend money on. Also keep an eye on keyword volume and make sure to include both high and low-volume keywords. Obviously, high-volume keywords give you the potential for more clicks, but low-volume keywords may drive more relevant people to your site because they are longer and more specific. Make sure you put in your specific location target so you are getting the most accurate volume and bid number for your specific geo-target.

2. Use negative keywords – A new feature in keyword planner allows you to exclude keywords for something you don’t offer. After you have entered your keywords you will see an option to ‘add filter.’ Chose ‘keyword’ and then change the drop down to ‘does not contain’ and type in your keyword. So, if you are building a keyword list for a plumbing company and want a keyword list that contains ‘water heaters’ but you don’t sell tankless, you could easily filter out any mention of tankless water heaters.

3. Take advantage of Google’s “broaden your search” feature – Another newish feature that you should be using in the keyword planner called ‘broaden your search’ lists keyword suggestions after you enter in your keywords in the search box. Directly under the search box once you’ve entered your keyword(s) you will see ‘broaden your search’ with keyword suggestions. This is a great way to expand your keyword list with suggestions given by Google. You can easily add them to your keyword searches simply by clicking on them.

4. Use the Refine Keywords column – This new feature is critical to refining your keyword list! Google lets you filter by brand or non-brand keywords, as well as other relevant options to get right to the core keywords that you want to focus on. There aren’t just brand and non-brand refining options. Going back to our water heater example, energy source and tank size would be a few additional options. So, if you don’t sell 60-gallon water heaters you just have to uncheck that keyword box and you won’t include any keywords in your list that mention that specific size.

5. Use the Grouped Ideas feature – This feature is in the ‘grouped ideas’ tab of keyword planner. It breaks keywords down by topic and gives you another helpful way to carve out your keyword list. It may even give you ideas of ad groups that you want to build out that you hadn’t thought of.

Contact us today if you want help managing your Google Ads campaigns. Our in-house team of Google Ads certified experts are here to help!

Hulu Self-Service Ads: A Small Business Dream or Fools Gold

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 18:02:40 GMT

Examining a new platform as it unfolds

"BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR SMALL BIZ" - claims the tycoon streaming service, Hulu, as they introduce a self-service advertising solution for streaming TV.

But as the by RSVP-Beta-only testing goes on, this is juicy opening to direct inventory on one of the most popular streaming services is becoming more of a tease. Announced as early as May of 2020 and followed with a plethora of emails, social and digital advertisements promoting the self-service solution, it seems even today the chances of actually getting to use the platform are slim to none. No agencies are allowed at this time to partake in the direct-buy service and its seemingly impossible to get an invite to participate after a SMB were to RSVP. Still, this is poised to be a huge hunter-gatherer of ad dollars and agencies must be informed...while we practice patience, and small business owners must also be informed, as they are Hulu’s first choice of prey.

What We Know

· Hulu is currently operating a self-serve ad tool called Hulu Ad Manager that allows small to medium sized businesses to buy OTT inventory

directly.

· The self-serve advertising platform is in private Beta, not widely available.

· Businesses must RSVP to get on a waitlist to be able to use the platform.

· Hulu is limiting Beta usage for small to medium size businesses.

· Hulu Ad Manager is not available at this time for agencies.

· The platform allows you to select location by zip, state, city or DMA (can exclude by zip)

· The platform targeting allows by gender and age

· The platform allows interest targeting

· The platform asks if you want to set specific genres of content for your ad to show such as: action, anime, arts and culture, comedy,

classics, documentaries, family, kids, lifestyle, music, news and information, reality and game shows, science fiction, drama, business,

animation and cartoons, horror suspense, wellness, etc.

· The platform allows you to select what types of devices your ads can show on which include: TV, mobile or computer

· The platform allows you to upload your video ads.

· The platform takes credit cards and spaces out charges for your order.

· There is no invoicing.

· The minimum budget is $500 per campaign.

· There is limited reporting on performance.

· There is a support contact with functions of using the platform.

At a time when buying ads on OTT seems to be growing increasingly complex, this is a simplified solution to buying streaming video inventory. Not to mention the ever-growing popularity of streaming video in every demographic.

When you really think about what platforms offer self-service ad buying that is “easy” enough for any average Joe or business owner to start operating, the options are relatively low. This puts Hulu in the playing field of Google, Bing, and of course Facebook, among others. But business owners be wary, these are not non-profit platforms. According to Statista , Hulu ad revenue exceeded 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. They will gladly take your money and find ways to make it easier than ever for you to pay it to them. Not saying there isn’t a value of return, of course. They make a great case, and it’s hardly even necessary that they do, they simply have the eyeballs. We know people are online, we know masses are on social and we know that people watch Hulu.

So what’s to be weary of?

Currently they do not offer a strategic planner . If you’ve never placed ads online before, this is not the place to start. There are several options for geographic targeting, but which is best for your company and your region? There are several options for content genres but are you choosing what you like to watch or what your customer likes to watch? What if your customer base could be watching any type of programming? Should you just upload your TV spot or make a new video? If so, how should the video be different? Taking the time to understand your product, your customer and your goals is not something you’re going to get help with.

Optimization. Currently the platform is a buy it and forget it. You have one shot at placing your order and if you want to change a targeting option, you’ll have to place another buy. There’s no going in and changing it mid-flight.

Budget. Currently the minimum order is only $500. What a deal! But wait, what does $500 get you? Once you go through your order and select all of your desired targeting criteria, the dashboard will calculate your CPM. (That’s pretty handy!) But in their demonstration of the platform during their Small Business Expo keynote, the CPM came in at $32 (with a $10,000 budget). That seams pretty reasonable to the industry. But what if it came in higher? You’d have to remove a precious targeting selection to broaden that exact person you’re looking for in order to reduce the CPM down (welcome to our world). Let’s stick with $32 CPM and play that out. For $500 you’re looking at just over 15,500 impressions. How many unique viewers is that? Are some viewers seeing the ad multiple times? Is that enough to for you to get your brand known? Enough to move the needle in sales?

That brings us to our last caution: reporting. Right now the reporting is limited. There’s no conversion data options and as policy they don’t share a list of shows where your ads appeared. You can see what genres your ads appeared in and if you reach out to them, they can share what kind of shows are within each genre.

Now, now. Let’s not be too hard on Hulu, and let’s work on patience. Beta is, after all, a time for testing and finding weakness/opportunity. Wisely they will be mindful of their bread, the viewers, and keeping their video watching experience enjoyable. With such a huge outreach to join the Beta program, they’ve had to significantly limit and cherry-pick what small to medium sized businesses can try out their platform. They’ve held webinars to gain even more feedback, questions, concerns, requests to further fine-tune their platform. They’ve also built out case studies and they are all phenomenal and very hopeful (of course).

Interested? RSVP and hopefully you’ll get a call back. If so, let us know how it goes.

3 ways to engage your audience through contest marketing

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 20:40:00 GMT

Now more than ever, brands across all industries are trying to remain relevant to their customers. With the digital space becoming filled with brands promotions, it can be difficult to find ways to stand out amongst your competitors. Luckily, contest marketing is an easy way for your brand to remain top-of-mind while engaging with an audience.

Contest marketing is a powerful tool that uses social competition to drive brand awareness, increase user engagement, and create new and relevant leads. If your brand isn’t taking advantage of contest marketing, it is time to start!

Here are three examples of contest marketing that your brand can utilize right now.

1. Giveaway: Who doesn’t love free things?! As simple as it sounds, giveaways are a contest marketing option in which participants enter for a chance to win a prize. With tons of participants entering to win, this is a simple way to increase website traffic and grow your audience (and email!) database.

2. Quiz or Trivia: A fun way to engage with your audience and educate them about a certain topic. There are several options with quizzes, from personality to educational and anything in-between. The options are endless!

3. Photo Contest: Allow your audience to share more about themselves by submitting photos relevant to the contest, and by allowing the participants to vote. This is a simple way to increase engagement and reach by getting participants excited, and thus sharing their entries with family and friends.

Want to utilize contest marketing and promotions but don’t know where to start? Phase 3 Digital has the expertise and creativity needed to start up your contest, placing engaging contesting in front of your target audience.

Adjusting your strategy during COVID-19

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 18:29:14 GMT

With the pandemic taking over so much of our attention during this time, it can be harder than ever to communicate messaging to your audience.

There are many questions your consumers and followers may have about your business . These m ay very well be more important than the sale you are trying to draw attention to . F or instance , the basics: What are your business hours? Did they remain the same? Is your business taking precautions to keep your consumers healthy?

During this time, it is important to engage with your audience on a personal level , rather than just driving traffic. Your consumers are spending far more time online , so now is the time to reevaluate your strategy . You should look deeply at who your audience is to hone in on your target audience . Along with immediate information about your business, some content you may want to consider is a letter or blog from your CEO. Tips to remain healthy out in public with trustworthy sources, virtual contests, or videos of you in your business can reassure the public that you care about them.

Remaining sensitive to your audience is key to keeping your consumers with you during this time. Using dialog like “Don’t miss it” or “Call now” might not sit well these days, especially to certain consumers going through hard times. It might be best to use minimal urgency, and maximum empathy.

Now more than ever, it’s important to be engaging your audience with your brand personality , as well as with empathy. What consumers need is communication, especially right now, when they may not be able to communicate with your business in person. Let your consumers know you care about them as people, not just as paying customers or clients.

Need help adjusting your business’ messaging in the era of COVID-19? At Phase 3 Digital, we can help you create a time sensitive strategy for your digital advertising, so you can continue to create a relationship with consumers no matter how distanced you may be.

13 overused phrases amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and what to replace them with

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 15:34:43 GMT

We’ve all heard it time and time again... the exact same COVID-19 ad, just a different advertiser. There are several phrases that have been overused in advertising during the pandemic. Sean Haney, a digital marketer for a software company , made a video to show just how similar all these ads sound.

Here are 13 phrases that are overused in the pandemic advertising world:

· In these challenging, unprecedented, trying, uncertain, etc. times

· Family

· Doors are closed

· Comfort and safety of your home

· Distance between us has grown

· We'll get through this

· We can still stay connected

· Together

· Essential employees/heroes

· We are here/We promise to be here

· Things are crazy right now

· For ## Years/Since 19##

· Through thick and thin

According to a study from Morning Consult , only 10% of consumers would like advertisers to actually address the situation or show concern during their current advertising. Here are some topics to cover in your ads to mix up your advertising and better connect with your customers:

· Service adjustments

· Business updates

· What are you doing to help your community?

· How are you keeping your employees/shoppers safe?

· Current Offers/Sales

· Online shopping options

· Alternative ways to connect with your business

So, next time you’re creating messaging, whether it be social media ads, television ads, or anything in-between, keep in mind that consumers aren’t looking for another empathetic ad. Rather, they want to know how your business is evolving to meet their needs!

3 Ways To Build Your Email Database

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 13:39:07 GMT

It took a global pandemic, but businesses everywhere are starting to see the importance of having an email database that they own. Filled with current, potential, or future customers, a wholly owned email database is the best way to keep in touch! It's a chance to keep people updated about your current promotions in a place where they have time to explore your products.

But how do you get that list? Here are three easy tips to get you started.

1. Start having your customers opt-in to your email list! To be CAN-SPAM compliant your customers must choose to be part of any marketing or promotion emails. How do you do that? Easy! Add an opt-in option to your order form or contracts. Most order forms make it super simple to collect that data and export it to your preferred email service provider.

2. Contests! That's right, you've got to give to get. Take your best service or product and give it away! Have the option of opting into your email promotion list as a part of the entry form. Bonus: anyone who enters is a 'hot lead.' Not sure how to set up a contest? No worries, Phase 3 Digital can help with that!

3. Give away free advice! Chances are if you own a business, you're an expert in your field. Put together an eBook of tips or free advice and offer it to anyone who wants it. Remember, eBooks in PDF form don't have to be long, a page or two works! Anyone interested just has to give you their email address as well as an option to opt-in to your email list. This is doubly beneficial. Not only are you growing your database, but you're showing potential customers that you have expert knowledge of your field!

Bonus: Lean on social media! Whether you're paying for ads or just doing organic posts, social media is a great way to build your credibility and entice people to sign up for your list. Ask us about Facebook's lead generating options!

The most important part of any email list acquisition is that it has to be voluntary. Don't trick people into signing up. They'll only cause problems later. The key is to get people to sign up who are genuinely interested in what you and your company have to say.

Why marketing and advertising is now more important than ever

Fri, 15 May 2020 17:37:05 GMT

As an independent business owner, marketing and advertising is usually the last thing you want to talk about. The hassle that can arise when dealing with sales reps, the confusion of what’s necessary vs. what is just the latest fad, or having to deal with marketing decisions after dealing with employees, purchase orders, billing, inventory and now this virus. It’s enough to make anyone throw up their arms in frustration and say, “I give”.

But, let’s not be too hasty. For those of you who made it through the bust of 2008, you came out stronger than you went in. Businesses became leaner and developed innovative ways to make a profit and keep the doors open. With COVID-19, our normal way of doing business has been disrupted. However, if you look hard enough, this maybe an opportunity in disguise. No, it’s not rainbows and unicorns, but if you are able to adjust and develop new ways to conduct business, just like in 2008, the strong not only survive, but continue to get stronger.

People are still in need of services.

Our daily routines are now different. We get up and “commute” a few feet to the coffee maker, sitting down in front of a computer to start the day. With kids and pets in the background, we type away at our keyboards working from home. Because of all this time spent online, we are contributing to an ever-growing database of personal preferences, habits and behaviors each time we interact with our phone, computer or connected TV. We still need, groceries, plumbers, cleaning supplies, oil changes, dog groomers and with the extra time on our hands, we are open to researching businesses that offer curbside pickup, mobile services or delivery because of how our lives have been disrupted.

Where is your audience now?

Due to self-quarantine, social distancing and the new work from home policies mandated by many companies, your audience is now firmly planted in front of the TV, computer, tablet or phone. There is no more wasted time on commuting. Most business must be done over the phone or video conferencing. This type of forced isolation makes us seek out connections. Connections to friends and family, to the community we live in. When this captive audience looks for information or seeks escapism, they turn to a screen. Because of this viewership for TV is skyrocketing and the amount of people streaming content is higher than ever before. Your audience is never more than a few feet away from a screen with your potential message.

The Opportunity.

Increased viewership, increased streaming, and more time in front of screens are all opportunities. Never has there been a bigger pool of qualified customers consuming content. If your business can provide a “No-Touch” service, then you have a message to send. Marrying these new opportunities with technology allows for your businesses to identify consumers who are in need and in market for products and services. You have a captive audience that needs products and services, tell them you are open for business.

Contact Phase 3 today if you would like help finding the best opportunities for your business during this unprecedented time.

How to leverage device graphing for display, video, and OTT/CTV

Tue, 12 May 2020 21:39:03 GMT

Ever wonder how you ordered that Jimmy John’s sandwich on your phone and then saw an ad telling you to order another Jimmy John’s sandwich later on your laptop after you’d finished eating the Jimmy John’s sandwich you’d ordered off your phone? Well wonder no more! We’re about to unravel that mystery for you, and that mystery goes by the name “Device Graphing!”

What’s “Device Graphing?” Other than a digital marketer’s best friend, it’s essentially the technology that allows us to track a user’s behavior across multiple internet-connected devices, opening up a whole world of both targeting and conversion tracking capabilities. But how does it work? Well first, thanks for teeing me up with all these questions I’m super prepared to answer. Second, we employ a couple different forms of what we call “device attribution” to identify a single user to whom we can append multiple devices. And now you should brace yourself as we’re about to take a deep dive into my favorite place in the universe – the weeds!

The first form of device attribution we employ is called “probabilistic attribution”. Probabilistic attribution is conducted through data that’s relatively subjective. Think in terms of search behavior, browsing activity, social activity, etc. We analyze this activity on the devices we’ve flagged as belonging to the user we’ve identified as being within our target audience (usually through a mechanism like shared IP address across devices), and we look for patterns to emerge that indicate we’ve honed in on our targeted user.

The second form of device attribution we employ is called “deterministic attribution”. Deterministic attribution is conducted through a far more precise set of data, allowing us to uniquely identify a user as an individual. A good example here would be a login credential for an app or website. For instance, if a user is logged into Google on their phone, laptop, desktop, and tablet, they’re doing so with the same login credential, and thus we are able to make a highly accurate determination that these devices belong to that individual user. When we combine both forms of attribution, we achieve near-certainty that we are targeting ads to and tracking the behavior of the precise user we’ve identified as being in-market for our advertiser’s product or services.

This technology blows the door open not just for how we can precisely target a user, but it also provides a wide array of conversion tracking capabilities when employed effectively. We can track whether a user has been exposed to a display ad on their mobile phone and later goes to the advertiser’s website on their desktop; we can track whether a user clicked on a pre-roll video ad in a web browser on their laptop and later signed up for an advertiser’s e-newsletter on their phone; we can track whether someone exposed to an OTT ad on a Connected TV device purchased the product they saw advertised online at a later date; and when we include geodata in the mix, we can even track whether a user that saw an ad on any device (including a Connected TV device!) later went to the advertiser’s physical location after having been exposed to their ad. The possibilities are endless!

If you aren’t currently employing device-graphing concepts for targeting and conversion tracking in your Display, Pre-roll Video, and/or OTT campaigns, you should work with your provider to start implementing that technology today. And, of course, we at Phase 3 Digital are on standby to employ all these very same concepts to your business’ benefit if you’re looking for a partner in the space. Contact us today if you’d like to learn more!

7 things to keep in mind to build a great banner ad

Tue, 05 May 2020 21:08:34 GMT

Are you looking to boost your online traffic? A great way to do this is banner advertising and looking at the message your banner is telling. With the daily static noise around us you may find yourself asking: what do I need to do to create a web banner ad that people will want to click on? There are some basic design guidelines to keep in mind when creating effective banner ads. But first, it’s good to have a base understanding of what banner design is.

Web banner design is among the top 10 forms of marketing used in today’s online world and can come in all shapes and sizes. With the ability to target individuals based on demographics, interests, geographic locations, etc., you can deliver display ads to websites your client visits. Web banner design is all about creating an eye-catching message that gathers the most clicks. It’s all about driving traffic!

Using banner ads can be an affordable approach, as well as a measurable and effective way to market an advertisers brand or product! They are a visual way of introducing a brand to an individual and pulling them in with an intriguing message or offer! So, what do I need to do to create a web banner ad that people will want to click on? It has been found that if you include these seven key things, you will have the tools needed for an effective display campaign.

1.) Start by using the most effective standard banner sizes. According to Google AdSense, the most successful standard banners are:
a. 728x90px - Leaderboard
b. 300x600px - Half Page
c. 300x250px - Medium Rectangle
d. 336x280px - Large Rectangle
Build out multiple banner sizes, to reach users on multiple devices and sites.

2.) Keep your message simple. Have you heard of the KISS principle? The K.I.S.S principle is an acronym for “Keep it simple, Silly.” Fun fact, this is a design principle that was noted by the U.S. Navy in the 1960s, stating that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated. So, when in doubt leave it out!

3.) Along with keeping it simple, remember to maintain hierarchy. There are three basic elements to include in your banner ad, first of which is your company logo. Second, you need the value - this is the message you want users to receive. If you have an attractive offer, include it! And last but not least, include a call to action. This is typically in the form of text or a button that invites a user to click on the ad. Examples include “Learn More” “Get Started” or “Order Now."

4.) Ensure your text is readable. When building out banner ads the best practice is to keep text to around 10-12 words max. You only have seconds to grab a user’s attention. The more they have to read the more likely it’s not going to grab their attention. When it comes to the font, leave out thinly weighted cursive/script fonts and keep your text size no smaller than 10 pt font (unless there’s a disclaimer or copyright notice).

5.) Be consistent with your branding. Keep in mind the banner ads you are building are linking through to your landing page. Make sure each carry out the same branding to ensure users they are linking through to the right website.

6.) Did you know color speaks its own language that words can’t replicate? Color influences our daily choices and emotions. Knowing the audience you want to target and picking the right color to target that audience can be effective. Here are a list of a few emotions and moods that colors give off.

a. Red – Ambition, energy, confidence, bold, passionate
b. Pink – Sensitive, intuitive, love, care, respect
c. Orange – Freedom, social, warmth, motivation, impulse, friendly
d. Yellow – Optimism, energetic, fun, logical, attentive
e. Green – Growth, nature, equilibrium, rebirth, wealth, positivity, stable
f. Navy – Responsible, integrity, trust, peace, order
g. Blue – Ambition, perspective, aware, open
h. Purple – Fantasy, creativity, distinguished, modesty, deep, luxury
i. Black – Strength, power, professional, accuracy
j. Grey – Balance, neutral, timeless, practical, solid
k. Brown – Honest, simplicity, warmth
l. White – Simplicity, purity, neutral, clean, minimalism

Colors and fonts combined together can be a valuable tool to influence users. Choose colors that complement each other and don’t conflict. According to a survey done by Small Business Trends , 93% of buyers said they focus on visual appearance, and close to 85% claim color is the primary reason they make a purchase!

7.) Optimize size and format. Keeping your file size as small as possible is ideal. You want your ad to load fast on a page before viewers scroll down and miss your message. You also want to build them out in the most common ad formats to ensure your ad can run anywhere: JPEG, GIF, PNG or HTML5.

Bonus tip: During these challenging times of uncertainty it can be easy to pull your advertising campaigns. We’ve never been in this situation before so there are many unknowns. If you can keep your advertising running, do so but switch your message to a heart beat campaign. This can be a simple campaign that is heartwarming, encouraging and gives a sense of comfort by letting users know you’re open and that you are here for them now and will be once we return to a sense of normal. If you’re not open, this can be a great opportunity to keep your brand front and center.

The surge in connected TV offers opportunity for advertisers

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 19:59:45 GMT

Connected TV ad spending is rapidly rising. A recent study by eMarketer predicts that CTV ad spend in the U.S. will surpass $14 billion by 2023, up from almost $7 billion in 2019. By 2023, connected TV will account for 7% of total digital ad spending and almost 5% of total media ad spending.

This growth in ad spend is no surprise, as market penetration for connected TV is expected to exceed 60% in 2020.

So what is Connected TV?

Connected TV is any television that is connected to the internet, either with built-in internet access (Smart TVs) or via over-the-top (OTT) streaming devices such as Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire. Connected TV allows viewers to consume video content on their TVs, beyond scheduled programming offered over-the-air on broadcast or cable television.

What does the growth in Connected TV mean for me as a marketer?

Connected televisions offer a data-driven platform for serving video ads to an engaged and valuable audience. According to research by Adobe , close to three-quarters of millennials and gen Xers use streaming services, and 90% of U.S. consumers have binge-watched video content.

Connected TV is an efficient, strategic complement to traditional media and digital marketing campaigns. With connected TVs, advertisers can target consumers based on location, demographics, interests, and within contextually relevant content.

Working with an agency like Phase 3 Digital allows you as an advertiser to buy targeted inventory across connected televisions. Reach potential customers at the right time, on the right devices, with relevant content at the right frequency.

Digital Advertising Updates

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 21:58:11 GMT

The digital advertising space is constantly innovating and restructuring. In the digital sphere, it is essential to keep up with these changes, new technologies and trends developing. Here are a few updates to get the gears turning in the digital marketing space.

Facebook Ad Limits

Facebook has recently announced that it will place a cap on the number of ads a page can run simultaneously. The company stated “We’re implementing ad limits because very high ad volume can hinder an advertiser’s performance. With too many ads running at the same time, fewer ads exit the learning phase and more budget is spent before the delivery system can optimize and ad’s performance”. The changes are to take place at the end of March in 2020 and the company has begun a slow transition to notify users of the upcoming changes. Although affecting a small number of businesses who have a high volume of Facebook ads, it is a prime example of how quickly a digital advertising strategy can undergo changes that could affect your digital strategy.

Instagram Influencing

Instagram has recently announced that it is introducing policies banning influencers from promoting certain categories of goods such as tobacco products, vaping products and firearms. The company will additionally be banning branded content promoting dietary supplements and alcohol. The company has in the past announced similar banning of products but was loose with enforcement. This go around they are building and integrating new tools to step up their security. Instagram is notorious for introducing restrictions that can affect your digital strategy, but in hindsight the platform acknowledges the importance of doing what it can to assist its financial backbone… advertising funds from businesses!

Google BERT

Google is a prime example of tech companies who are continuously updating and innovating. With billions of searches every day the company is dedicated to increasing ease of usage for the end consumer. In fact, 15% of searches each day on Google are unique searches never used before. Therefore, Google attempts to optimize the listings to provide users the most relevant desired content. This of course goes hand in hand with a business’s Google Ads and SEO strategy.

So what’s the news? With a growing prevalence of voice assisted technologies such as Alexa and Siri, Google has been diligently working on a feature which integrates voice with context in search queries in a project known as Google BERT. BERT is an acronym for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, if you were curious. To consider what this means, picture how your search behavior differs when typing versus speaking to a voice assisted device. The word patterns used when speaking versus typing can vary significantly. Additionally, rather than Google querying results based simply on the words used in searches this will provide the algorithms a better understanding of the purpose of the word within context. For example, when searching for “2020 traveler from USA to Asia immunizations”, the algorithms will begin to recognize that the preposition “to” isn’t just a word to search for, but the positioning of it is important to the final result of the search results. With the integration of the technologies, Google algorithms will have the ability to better understand the intent behind consumers searches and deliver content that is relevant. In the future this will lead to diminishment of targeting strategies based on irrelevant keywords which businesses are using to generate additional web traffic. The goal of Google is to better understand search intent to deliver better search results, and as stated before, provide relevant content to users. Optimization of this technology could have large implications on the future of search engines and your SEO strategy as voice assisted devices become increasingly integrated with our lives.

Pandora Voice Ads

Speaking of voice technology, the music streaming platform Pandora has announced testing of a new ad feature in which listeners of the app will respond to ads through speech and generate the next message based on the response of listeners. If you’re familiar with the term programmatic, consider this a live voice integrated programmatic feature. For instance, an ad asking if you’re hungry will play and based on the response the ad will follow up with a differed ad or response. Beware though, people might think you’re crazy randomly saying yes aloud at the gym with your headphones in every six minutes. In the wake of this Pandora has placed parameters to continue playing music if users don’t respond within a few seconds of the questions. Pandora has advertisers on board to conduct the testing of the new ad feature including Doritos, Ashley HomeStores, Unilever, Wendy’s, Turner Broadcasting, Comcast and Nestlé. Similar testing on interactive voice ads has been done by Spotify and Amazon. Overall the trend of voice technologies is another creative trend by marketers to deliver relevant ads to consumers.

The HERO system for social media video success!

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 19:32:13 GMT

Social video methods to improve traffic and virality

As a social media user, most of us have run into great video content that we just can’t help but share with our friends. What separates social media that is readily shareable from that which is quickly scrolled past? There’s a simple formula that can ensure you create consistent video content for social media that will always have the opportunity to go viral and make a major mark for your clients and your brand!

The Hero System:

Hook - The first 3 to 5 seconds are the most crucial part of your video as that’s the window in which most users decide whether to scroll or stay put. Strong visuals are the best option to hold an audience with extremely strong headlines serving as a more-than-serviceable second option. If a headline is used, it must be very large (i.e. it must fill most of the frame) and elicit an emotional reaction from the viewer.
Empathy – Any type of content, no matter how raw or unedited, can spur feelings of empathy if properly positioned. People want to see themselves in the videos they watch – and THAT is why they will share. Think of the Dove videos from years past or the “ It’s not a frog ” video that captivated viewers and has garnered over 135 million shares.
Response –For someone to feel compelled enough to respond to your video by sharing, commenting, or reacting, they need to feel an emotional connection to your content. Humor, perspective, and storytelling are all fantastic mechanisms to achieve this response through. Keep in mind, though, your audience has a limited attention span (more on that in the next point), so keeping your content relatively short is advantageous when looking to maximize engagement.
Overdeliver – People are inundated with content, and audience attention spans have shrunk commensurately. If you want to stand out, you need to crush it on an editorial level. On a scale of 1-10, the value you provide needs to be 7+. Do not tease with your content, deliver! “Overdelivering” does not necessarily mean longer content, but it should necessarily mean your video cuts to the chase and proposes its value proposition to the user quickly and clearly.. Go the extra mile to ensure your video provokes a person’s emotion and delivers on its value proposition..

Basic anatomy of good social video content:

Headline or hook shot – this should be the most stunning part of your video content or the most alluring headline you can muster.
The most shareable piece of information. Do not bury the lede! Having it right up front after the introduction is critical in keeping the viewer in place. This is where your best content goes.
The next most shareable piece of information.
The body of information – this is where the details come in.
One final additional layer of value – remember, we are overdelivering!
Keep the length of a social media video as short as possible. Attention spans are easy to stretch in today’s world.
Ensure the video works without sound when it starts as most videos start playing silently in social media! Visual appeal is central.
Format all videos in a 1x1 or full portrait mode to ensure it is as large as possible on the small screens of your viewers, as most use mobile phones to access social media.

By following the simple rules of video social media success, you can increase the likelihood that your videos and your brand will become a valuable part of any news feed!

Instagram landing pages: find the missing link

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 13:45:44 GMT

As a business owner, you know your social media presence is important. And in recent years, Instagram has emerged as one of the most widely-used social media platforms in the U.S. Make the most out of your Instagram presence through the use of links.

Adding links to your Instagram stories:

If you have more than 10,000 followers or are a verified account, you can use the swipe-up link feature on Instagram stories. We’ll talk about getting verified in just a bit, but let’s start with swipe up. To add a link to your story, do the following:

1. Find the link icon in your Story tool (looks like a chain)

2. Click the link icon

3. Copy the link to your device’s clipboard

4. Paste the link into the story

5. Click “Done” in the top right corner

6. Publish your story

7. View your story to verify the link works

It’s that easy! Instagram also allows you to link to your IGTV videos by using the same process, but instead clicking the “IGTV” button in the URL tool.

Becoming a verified profile on Instagram:

To request a verified badge on Instagram, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the account you want to get verified

2. Go to your profile and tap the menu in the top right section of your profile

3. Tap settings > Account > Request Verification

4. Enter your full name and provide a copy of your government-issued photo ID

For more information on qualifications and how to request a verified badge, click here .

What if I don’t have a verified Instagram account?

With an unverified business page, you still have the opportunity to place a single link on your profile to direct people to your site. Make the most of that link by creating a landing page that gives people quick information. Make the landing page simple, yet effective, through the use of forms, links, or testimonials.

Forms: Create a lead generation form to get information from current or prospective customers interested in your product or service.
Links: If you offer a variety of products and services, set up a page that has multiple call-to-action buttons linking to various products and services. In turn, you’ll make it easier for customers to find exactly what they are looking for.
Testimonials: Brag a bit! Take reviews from Google, Facebook, Yelp, etc. and compile the best 3 to 5, followed by a call-to-action button or lead form to make sure you get the customer engaged with your site and capture the sale.

5 tips to improve your website's SEO

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 15:11:25 GMT

It’s no surprise that the digital world has become a huge part of life. Whether it is ecommerce, education, dating, or financials, everything is online. With this comes new websites being built daily. It can be easy to imagine that website development is as simple as adding the basic title, text and images necessary to call out a business. However, when it comes to having a successful website, there are a lot more steps that need to be executed in order for a website to perform well. The idea behind your website’s success is what we refer to as SEO (search engine optimization). This is the process of your ranking your website in search engines, which determines the quality and quantity of users that come to the site.

SEO can seem overwhelming when you aren’t sure where to start. Lucky for you, we have made it quite simple with 5 easy tips on how to improve your SEO and get more users to your site.

Stay up to date- There are new and exciting things coming out daily which can make it hard to keep up. It is important however, when owning a website that you stay up to date on the newest and greatest so that you are not falling short of current content.

Implement Keywords- Keywords are words and phrases that are used to help users easily find your website. Google will scan for websites that match up to certain keywords that are searched and if you have those keywords listed throughout your website you have a better chance of being seen when users make a search. You should also be using alt tags on all of your photos. Alt tags should describe the image and search engines use that when their bots crawl your pages. This practice should also be used so that visually impaired people will be able to navigate your website.

Have a Responsive Website- When you take a look around, how many people are using a mobile phone? Exactly. People use their mobile phones constantly, not just for talking but also for browsing the web. By making sure your website will fit to a variety of screen sizes, your SEO will increase due to more people being able to access the website in various ways.

Add Internal and External Links- Links are an important way for users, and search engines to acknowledge the legitimacy of a website. For instance, if you are making a reference it is important to use a hyperlink that will take the user to the source of that reference. It is also a good idea to use internal links within your website to direct a user’s click to another page of your website.

Reputation Management- With the web being so massive, there are a lot of people who like to share their opinion on various sites. With this comes the duty to behave in a professional way that will not give users a bad taste about your site or service. Bad reviews or posts lead to bad SEO. If you receive a negative review, make sure to respond in a timely manner.

5 tips to becoming an Instagram Story pro

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 14:08:25 GMT

Instagram Stories are here to stay. While initially thought to be a passing phase, the data shows that Stories isn’t going anywhere. Facebook released stats showing that over 500 million Instagram users watch Instagram stories every day. This means, on average, half of your follower count is checking their story feed daily. Instagram stories provide a new way for marketers to reach potential clients and customers. The 24-hour time clock urges those who watch stories to interact and engage before time runs out — making it a prime target for advertisers.

Adding a new element to your social media strategy can be daunting. Instagram Stories are practically a new platform, with new pitfalls and quirks. But don't worry! We've put together a mini-guide to get you started.

5 tips to becoming an Instagram Story pro:

● "Some" is better than "none" — Start by posting once a week to get a feel for what inspires your followers, and then build those kinds of posts into your overall social media strategy. The analytics for Stories only last 14 days, so don't forget to set reminders for yourself to check the performance of recent posts.

● Hashtags — Always add in a relevant hashtag! Hashtags expand reach past your own followers list. Anyone who follows the hashtag will see your Story appear in their feed, which gets it in front of more eyes. If applicable, add in a broad but specific location tag (think city level, not neighborhood or state level).

● Don't forget your call-to-action — not all Instagram accounts can link directly from their Stories to a site, but that doesn't mean you should omit the CTA. Be sure to give everyone who views your story a reason to click through to your account and follow. Ask yourself, "What will make them want to see more from me?"

● Two or more slides — Instagram Stories are precisely that: a story! If you're only doing one slide, there is likely room to expand your storytelling. Try to hit at least three slides on average. If possible, create a narrative. Keep them "turning the page."

● Make sure your dimensions are correct — an Instagram Story is designed for images or videos that are 1080x1920 pixels. If you can't make your images fit those dimensions, try using a third-party app like Unfold or Canva to lay out your pictures and text better.

With Stories, practice makes perfect. Try videos, still photos, or add in some gifs. Be daring! Instagram Stories, much like your Instagram feed, need to be tailored to your base and those customers you're trying to attract. They may only stay up for 24 hours, but you'll be surprised by the impact they have!

Measuring campaign success with Google Analytics – Part 2

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 14:40:51 GMT

As we mentioned in our previous blog , you must be utilizing Google Analytics to judge the full performance of a digital campaign. With Google Analytics you can assess your overall web traffic and compare pre-advertising months to current advertising months to gauge campaign success. There are also a few other metrics that are important to determine the effectiveness of your campaigns. They are: Traffic Sources, Bounce Rate, Conversions and Behavior Flow.

Traffic Sources – You will find this metric under Acquisition > All Traffic > Source/Medium. This section will show you all campaign traffic sources and metrics such as users, sessions, bounce rate and session duration for each source. Make sure your digital advertising agency is using UTM codes so that you can easily understand each source in the table.
Bounce Rate – This metric can be found in the behavior column in multiple places in Google Analytics, but you can find overall bounce rate for acquisition sources under Acquisition > Overview. This metric tells you the number of users who enter your website, then leave after viewing only one page. An average bounce rate is between 40-55%. If you are seeing higher bounce rates than that, talk to your web team or your marketing agency about ways to improve landing page effectiveness.
Conversions – Google Analytics allows you to track multiple types of conversions. A conversion occurs when the user takes an action that you have set up as a goal in Google Analytics. Some examples are: purchase, newsletter sign-up, phone call or download. You can set up goals under Conversions > Goals > Overview > Set Up Goals and then click + New Goal. If you have a digital campaign running with a specific conversion goal, you will definitely want to set this metric up and track it.
Behavior Flow – This metric can be found by going to Behavior > Behavior Flow. It allows you to follow a user’s journey from the time they arrive on your website to the time they leave. The data is displayed in a flowchart, and you can use this data to improve your website by seeing where users are dropping off.

Google Analytics can seem like a daunting platform, but knowing which metrics to focus on can be helpful. Phase 3 Digital can answer any of your Google Analytics questions and always uses these metrics when judging the success of our campaigns.

Measuring campaign success with Google Analytics

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 20:16:04 GMT

When running a campaign with Phase 3 Digital, you will receive reports at a minimum of once a month. Those reports are great and generally can tell you a good story about your campaign. However, it’s only a portion of the story. To judge the full performance of a campaign, you will also need to have Google Analytics installed for your web site.

Why? Because Google Analytics can show you much more than just the “vanity metrics” that are associated with a digital report. Instead, you’ll be able to see the total result of your campaign, including all the influence your digital advertising had on overall traffic to your website.

Most people do not click on ads. We’ve been conditioned not to. However, all of us are influenced by ads. How many times have you seen a message online and then later gone to the advertiser’s website to find out more? It happens all the time!

This is where your advertisers will get the most bang for their buck when it comes to impressions. But how do we measure that? Google Analytics, of course!

By comparing pre-advertising months to current advertising months, you’ll have a much better idea of how your advertising is performing beyond direct click-thru traffic. In addition, this is a great way to measure other forms of media advertising, such as TV and radio.

If Google Analytics sound intimidating, there’s no need to fret. Our Phase 3 Digital team will be happy to help walk you through set-up and give you an overview of how to use it. It’s one of the many services we’ll provide as part of our partnership.

3 things to include in every marketing email

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 16:08:09 GMT

If you're not cultivating an opt-in email list, you're leaving money on the table. In the world of marketing, an email campaign is one of the most efficient and effective tools available. Delivered directly to a potential customer’s inbox, an email offers a straightforward way to place your message in front of an already interested audience.

But not all emails are created equal, and inboxes are filling up every day with advertisements. There are many obvious factors to consider when constructing an email campaign. Is your subject eye-catching enough? Is your content relevant? Are your subscribers going to gain anything from reading your email? It's a lot to think about!

We've put together a list of things you might not have thought about to make sure your emails get the response you want:

Attach a UTM code to all of your links. The Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) is the best way to track how each of your emails is received and where people are clicking. When you're first starting, try using a different UTM campaign name for each link you add to your email. It’s an extra step, but the information is valuable! You can tell which images, text, and buttons are doing the best with a quick glance at your stats and adjust your strategy accordingly for your next email send. You’ll need to have Google Analytics installed on your website in order to view this data.
Vary your text and graphic images. Most people only skim their non-personal emails. You've got about 2 seconds to catch their eye and make them want to click. Write a compelling headline that's easy to read (don’t use an illegible font). But also consider adding text over any images you use. Not everyone is going to take the time to read a plain-text headline, but you can grab users’ attention with a catchy image. Always keep a healthy mix of text and images to give your message maximum exposure.
Don't forget the unsubscribe button. It might seem counterintuitive. You've worked hard to build your email list, why would you want to make it easy for subscribers to opt-out? The answer is simple: you don't want those people in your list! If they want out, let them out. People receiving emails they don't like tend to mark them as junk or report them to their Email Service Providers. This hurts your domain's reputation and affects who will see your email the next time you send one. Add an unsubscribe link to the top and bottom of your email. Make sure they're working every time you send an email.

Cultivating your opt-in email list is smart business in today’s marketing world. Adding in these elements can help maximize your return on every email sent.

5 tips to building a successful contest promotion

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 20:06:11 GMT

Did you know that running a promotional contest can benefit your brand? They can help your business generate leads, increase brand exposure and engagement, and they are rich source of data to reach your customers that want to learn more.

What is needed to build a successful promotional contest? The first thing you need to do is to set a goal for the contest. Do you want to grow your subscriber list, increase your social engagement or generate more sales? Next, decide what prize you want to give away, and make sure that it aligns with the promotional theme. After you have the goal of your contest set and a prize in mind, here are 5 tips to create an engaging sweepstakes, photo or video contest.

1. Time frame - Make sure you are not running a contest for too long. Think about your own expectations. If you were to enter a contest would you want to wait months to know if you won two tickets to a game? Probably not. In this fast-paced world we live in you would most likely forget that you even entered. Best practice is to run your contest for 1-2 weeks. Larger prizes (over $600) have a little more wiggle room to run between 4 and 8 weeks.

2. Include social engagement - Use the power of social media and build yourself a larger social following! Include a Facebook ‘Like’ option within the contest.

3. Ask lead generating questions - While you have a client’s attention, take a moment to ask them a question that could help your marketing strategy. Best practice is to include 1 to 2 questions max. These questions can range from “Are you in the market to purchase a grill in the next 6 months?” to “Have you inquired about landscaping services in the past 6 months?” Once you have those leads, this can be a great tool to help you build your next promotion!

4. Creative is important - Work with your marketing team to build an eye-catching contest that is inviting! Include your brand logo, colors and images to keep it consistent and showcase your prize.

5. Consider adding on additional marketing tactics - By adding additional marketing tactics you can extend your reach and increase engagement. Consider adding a commercial spot that can be used on radio, linear TV, OTT or as video pre-roll. Another great addition is Facebook Ads or boosted posts to extend your presence on Facebook to reach potential customers.

Now that you have five tips for building your next contest, you are well on your way to building your client base, increasing engagement and gathering a rich source of data! Happy contesting!

Bump up your marketing strategy with YouTube’s Bumper Ads

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 15:30:02 GMT

Did you know people are watching YouTube? Like a whole bunch of them. Almost 2 billion every month , watching 1 billion hours of video every day , in fact. If that surprises you, I’m curious how your router’s signal can penetrate that rock you’re living under. Also, how did you even get to this blog? I have so many questions.

Anyway, what we as non-rock-dwelling digital marketers know is that, when an inordinate amount of people are spending an inordinate amount of time on a platform, advertising opportunity abounds. And YouTube and Google have recently been touting the success of a particular YouTube ad format. No, I’m not talking about YouTube’s recent move to “Ad pods” that show two skippable pre-roll ads consecutively, the online response to which has been… tepid (I’d cite a source here, but most of the online commentary is predictably NSFW). I’m talking about YouTube’s :06 Bumper Ads.

YouTube Bumper Ads were first rolled out in 2016, but they seem to have become a point of emphasis over at YouTube HQ this year. For instance, they dedicated an entire segment of this year’s Google Marketing Live Keynote to Bumper Ads. And they’re rolling out a tool that will easily create a sequence of six-second clips from your existing longer form content called the Bumper Machine . According to Debbie Weinstein, Google’s Vice President of YouTube and Video Global Solutions, the Bumper Machine will scan a longer ad for “key elements”, like a voice-over or a tight focus on human beings or logos or products, and then wrap things up nicely with a “final call to action in the last two to three seconds of the video.”

So why all the hullabaloo about Bumper Ads? Well, for the best reason of all, of course: because they work! Compared against a 30-second TrueView ad, Ipsos found that a video ad sequence of three :06 Bumper Ads led to 107% higher ad recall and 134% higher purchase intent . And, in a study of 122 Bumper Ad campaigns, Google found that 70% drove a significant lift in brand awareness, with an average lift of 9%. Additionally, 9 out of 10 drove ad recall globally, with an average lift of over 30%.

As attention spans shorten and the online ad space becomes increasingly cluttered, cutting through the noise has never been more challenging. YouTube’s recent emphasis on Bumper Ads and the creation of the Bumper Machine goes to show one thing: they’re paying close attention to our industry’s trends and are responding accordingly. Are you?

Google unveils new ad formats this week at Google Marketing Live

Fri, 17 May 2019 17:27:35 GMT

Google unveiled a series of new ad formats this week at Google Marketing Live, with an increased focus on measurement and actionable insights.

Consumers are routinely interacting with small screens and voice services. Digital assistants have become a mainstream tool, and more of those assistants are designed with small-screen displays. So it’s no surprise that Google is focused on creating a richer digital ad experience across voice and mobile devices.

Google is addressing the evolution of voice and creating ad experiences that render natively across all Google properties. This week they introduced Discover Ads, which will be packaged into a single toolset within Google Ads. Discover Ads will feature swipeable images and will display in the YouTube home feed and other Google channels.

Gallery Ads will display at the top of Google search results, and will feature 4-8 images with 70-character captions. Gallery Ads will serve as a more interactive ad format within search, and will also have deep linking capabilities to track campaigns across both web and apps.

Re-cutting video from television into shorter, web-based clips can be costly for advertisers. Google tested and created a tool to cut long-form video into 6-second ads optimized for mobile viewing. The tool, Bumper Machine, uses machine learning to optimize messaging, and will offer basic editing tools within the Google Ads platform.

Woven throughout the event, Google executives expressed an increased focus in measurability while protecting consumer privacy. Advertisers will have access to more actionable insights and a better understanding of the entire customer journey across marketing channels. At the same time, Google promises to give consumers more control over their data.

For the full Google Marketing Live Keynote, click here .

These new ad formats will be available later this year, and Phase 3 Digital Agency will continue to keep you up-to-date on the latest, tested ad units.

4 tips and strategies for Facebook Ads

Mon, 06 May 2019 18:51:18 GMT

As a Facebook consumer, as most of us are, what do you tend to respond to the most when you scroll through your feed? Puppies? Kids? Funny videos? Sales? Info-graphics? Quotes? When you see an ad, how often do you engage with it? If we are being honest, unless the ad is tailored to us specifically or is extremely unique, often we will scroll past without blinking an eye.

When placing Facebook ads, without keeping these consumer tendencies in mind, it may be tempting to use an image that is intended to sell, sell, sell, or to include as much information about your brand, product, or service as possible. However, as most of us can admit, those Facebook ad practices really don’t connect with us as a user. Here are a few things to consider that will help you connect with your audience next time you place a Facebook ad:

Target Your Demographic

First and foremost, you are targeting humans. Humans respond to other humans and things they can relate to. Showing people enjoying your products or services will get the attention of viewers. Appealing to the senses with your imagery will also encourage engagement. Looking more specifically at who you are targeting such as age, gender, location, income level and what they tend to respond to on Facebook will help you create a more valuable ad. If you sell kids’ toys a mom will look at an ad for kids’ toys differently than a college student would. A mom would also look differently at an ad for kids’ toys than their own kid might. Kids would want to know that it’s fun, while a mom may look for safety aspects or the price of the toy.

Color

Try to use colors within a photo or graphic that ties back to your brand. Subtle things such as the color of a shirt and background colors or not-so-subtle aspects like text color can connect that image/message back to your brand for your viewer.

Adding Value

The word “FREE” stands out to everyone. Giving your viewer something free just for seeing the ad is a great way to get engagement. Offering a free quote or percentage-off coupon adds value for the consumer. Contests are another way to provide value-added incentive. Giving viewers a chance to win something for free by clicking on an ad and typing their email will keep you on their mind for awhile with hopes to win something. It is also a great lead generator for you!

Unique

Creating something eye catching, weird, different, or odd will most definitely create the double-take effect. Making people go back to your ad wondering what the heck they just saw and where it came from can be an effective strategy for Facebook ads. The news feed ad saturation levels are rising constantly so you must make yourself stand out from the crowd as much as possible in order to get the engagement you are looking for. However, although this strategy can be effective, you must consider your brand image and what kind of impression you want to leave on the viewer.

So next time you go to create your Facebook ads, try out these few best practice tips and strategies!

When to post on social media for business

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 19:38:56 GMT

So you’ve created and organized all the content you want to post on your social media platforms for your business. It’s one-hundred percent on-brand, cohesive, and sure to prompt followers to take action and convert non-followers into your company’s newest loyal fans. Great! But… what days and times are the best for getting those posts the highest amount of engagement?

There’s nothing worse than coming up with stellar content, then posting it at an inopportune time, resulting in a lower than desired number of comments, likes and shares. After careful research, no matter what the business sells or who the audience is, we at Phase 3 have determined the best time for any business account to post to obtain total viral status:

There isn’t one.

Yep. Despite what a quick google search might reveal, there’s not a single silver bullet approach to the perfect time to post on any social platform. That doesn’t mean that one can post whenever they feel like it, though! Those search results might give a user some rather specific times and days that help give one an idea of when to post, but they are not times to live and breathe by.

Consider your own business’s followers: they all possibly have differing work schedules from one another, maybe live in different time zones, and consequently, all live different lives with variations in their social media activity. As a social audience grows for a business account, their unique habits are discoverable, therefore enabling the page admin to find the optimal time to post!

Narrowing down when YOUR following is online and engaged is going be the first step to finding those perfect “posting sweet spots.” It’s significantly easier than one may think! Facebook and Instagram both have beneficial insight features that show business account users their page’s actionable data.

FINDING YOUR INSTAGRAM ANALYTICS

If you have a business account, you can easily access your pages’ Instagram analytics. From the ≣ button at the top right corner of your Instagram profile, a sidebar on the right will appear. Click next on Insights . Insights will take you to a plethora of useful information, such as what days in the week posts have had the most actions take place on, profile visits, how many accounts have been reached and so much more! From the Insights page, click on the Audience tab on the far right of the menu bar.

From here, scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says Followers . This is going to show when your following is most active. Tap on the bar graph to reveal specific numbers. One can also tab between Hours , which shows follower activity info for individual days in 3 hour increments and Days, showing which days of the week the followers are most active!

FINDING YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE ANALYTICS

From your Facebook Business account page, click on the Insights tab on the menu bar. From here, head on down to posts on the left-hand side menu. You’ll be able to see data from a recent one-week period of time that shows when your fans are online down to the hour. It’s quite easy!

By diving deep into the personalized analytics of your pages, you’re able to quickly see what times might be the most ideal, leading your business to social media success! Feel free to experiment with posting within these windows of time to see EXACTLY when your posts will receive the highest amount of engagement. Don’t let another great post of yours escape the view of audience!

Don’t forget about the TEXT…

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 15:53:45 GMT

The web is filled with advertisements anxious to get your attention. I am not going to pretend that the medium ad in the lower corner of my screen right now is not going to earn my click - because those shoes are a bargain at that price! But having a well-thought-out placement schedule for your ads is not the only examination that needs to be done when building your campaign. In order to make your ad work for you, you must consider the whole design.

A digital ad’s job is to excite the user and lure them to click. And we know, branding and quality visuals are the first key to getting your ad noticed by a consumer. But let’s put the well-thought-out color scheme and first-rate, high-quality images aside for just a second. After you grab the attention with your visuals and awesome branding, how do you convey the message?

I like to ask myself: how important is the command? Text on an ad has to be short, to the point and not too revealing, if we want it to be effective. People are more likely to click on the ad if the headline text has a good call to action, all within 20 characters or less. Sometimes your long website link is better left on your website and not on your ad. You want them to click to find out more so don’t reveal all in one glance. You can get that click by simply telling them to “Get this Deal” or “Buy Now”.

Stick to your branding, but don’t stick to one overall design. Ads typically don’t stay stationary on any page and you don’t want to just have one-size ads, so take the time to liven up the visuals and move around the text with the different sizes.

Keywords are a must in your text. Include them. If you sell the best women’s wedge boots on the planet, then you definitely want to include wedge boots in your headline.

Don’t forget to give yourself that pat on the back! You have free shipping? Do you have services, products or bargains that make you the best in the land? Glorify it! Let them know by using those quality visuals and bold text.

Make sure your website matches your promotion. Don’t lead them on to believe you have the greatest deals on women’s leather boots just for the consumer to find out you have only one of those in stock and not even in the most common size.

We all know that people are mostly visual, living in this vibrantly wide-screened world. While it may seem to make sense to focus on advertising that is right-in-your-face, just remember that one of the reasons I have "modern street style" wedge booties in my online cart is because of the text in that ad that did its job.

Integration, the best marketing practice of 2019 and beyond for local businesses

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:55:17 GMT

By: Landon Bretz - Phase 3 Digital Victoria, TX

Technology is rapidly evolving, but that should not be news to any of us. Before long, rather than writing this blog I’ll be able to say, “Hey Alexa, write me a blog post on integrated marketing” and then whoom wazzam, a masterfully crafted piece of content will instantly be brought to life.

I’m not here to preach about technology, but I will say that as with anything else access to technology has two sides, a good and a bad one. In the realm of business, the new availability of digital marketing channels, in addition to the time-tested traditional methods of marketing, has corporations more than ever conducting marketing research and testing new methods on how to create the optimal advertising strategy. That sounds great if you’re a multi-million-dollar global company, but what about smaller local businesses that lack the money, time and resources to research and gamble on advertising methods?

It is only human to become curious and want to try new things. Facebook ads might be the better option than a half page ad in the newspaper, so of course you are going to venture out in your advertising strategies. With so much noise about the newest silver bullet advertising methods, it would be almost unhuman to not want to try out some of these methods.

In fact, in our last blog we dove deeper into the idea that if the advertising method doesn’t make more dollars for businesses then it doesn’t make sense . We are human and will want to venture into potential new opportunities, learning that some are effective and others not.

One basic principle when taking on new advertising opportunities is to simply integrate your marketing communications.

Just as you wouldn’t present yourself to everyone as a Real Estate Broker and then pose online as a Firefighter, a business wouldn’t want to position itself as a family owned and operated company on its TV commercials and then act like a corporate robot on its social media platforms. The messaging wouldn’t be consistent, and therefore could drive away potential customers that were attracted to the idea of getting family owned business type service.

It is also important to align sales campaigns across platforms for maximum ROI. Be consistent, timely and relevant in your messaging, regardless of platform.

When deciding which platforms to advertise on, consider how you are going to align your messaging and creative concepts to get the highest ROI out of your advertising and reach your campaigns goals. Ready to start running pre-roll ads on YouTube and Hulu to add to your arsenal of TV and radio advertising? Sit down and consider if the marketing channels and advertising strategies you’re planning to pursue are going to help you best achieve your goals.

Take time to also consider how you can convey the same messaging and creative across the marketing channels. If you need some creative insights and ideas to help you get your next marketing campaign running, consult one of our Phase 3 team members and we will guide you to successfully integrating your marketing.

If it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 15:46:53 GMT

By: Valerie Hamilton Green - Phase 3 Digital Victoria, TX

The digital landscape seems like a jungle, with new creatures popping out at every turn. When the “jungle” was first discovered, it was enough to have a website (most of which looked startlingly like a phone book ad), but now that the Internet has progressed, just having a website is no longer enough. That’s where the poachers come in.

What I mean by poacher is the people who are after the sale -- digital specialists that want to sell you OTT, display ads, targeted display ads, retargeted display ads, paid search ads, and the list goes on and on. But here’s the part that separates the poachers from the true resource salespeople: a true resource salesperson will help you place what’s going to WORK for your business.

I had a client tell me once, “If it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense (cents).” Ironically, he was a coin and vintage money dealer, and the phrase has continually stuck with me. I apply it to every meeting, every pitch and every analysis I do with clients. Sometimes, it’s good to tell a client “No” because if it’s not going to make them dollars, it’s not going to make sense.

With the digital jungle that’s ever expanding, a good resourceful salesperson will sit down with Mr. or Ms. Client and take a look at their current web presence. Most businesses now have a website and at least one active social media platform. Our job as digital specialists is to look at the website and figure out what the benefit to the client’s customer would be. If the website allows the customer to set up an appointment with the client, then that’s a benefit. If the website allows the customer to set up a wish-list that’s saved into the client’s database, or if the website offers “special pricing” that can’t be found anywhere else, then all of that is a benefit to the client’s customers.

THAT is what we as digital specialists should be promoting with our digital plans. If the client's website is set up to show you the phone number, the physical address, the mailing address and it plays the theme song from Friends when you load it... well, then we need to not talk about advertising it and we need to talk to you about some of the other digital services we do.

Not every client NEEDS to have their 30-second commercial airing on YouTube, because odds are, that 30-second commercial isn’t going to be watched past the first 5 to 6 seconds. Not every client NEEDS to have “those ads that follow you around when you’re looking at other stuff” because if their website doesn’t have any viewable product with product information, then why would the customer want to go back to it? Our job (and we’re pretty good at it too) is to help clients navigate through the digital jungle, go around the poachers, and arrive at a reasonable, sound and solid destination – where the clients’ digital dollars make sense.

Just because it’s new and shiny doesn’t make it effective and right for you the client. You the client may not need “those cool ads that stalk you across the Internet,” and as much as we hate to do it, we the resourceful digital specialists of Phase 3 Digital will tell you “No” if we have to…. Because if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.

Voice search: SEO strategies for 2019

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 19:25:43 GMT

Digital Assistants have arrived, and they’re here to stay. The emergence of home assistants by big-name players like Amazon, Apple, and Google along with voice search functions built within smartphones has made it easier than ever for consumers to find information on the internet.

SEARCH BEHAVIOR EVOLVES

What started as a fad based on the fascination with new technology has turned into a much-used resource for consumers. According to a BrightLocal Study, 58% of consumers have used voice search to find local business information in the last year, and 46% of those consumers look for info daily.

Consumers are no longer apprehensive about using voice commands; they have become comfortable seeking verbal guidance for full inquiries and local business information.

SEO: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

This shift in search behavior is critical to note for businesses and digital marketers who’ve spent time and dollars on SEO strategies aimed at increasing website traffic. Plans utilizing keywords and short phrases are adept at filtering search results for keyboard searches but don’t quite match up with the way people speak into voice search devices. It’s essential moving forward that marketers evolve their SEO strategy to include optimization for voice search in addition to keyboard search results.

So how does this future strategy look? Digital assistants are engineered to process information in the same manner that we speak. For example, one would say “Alexa, where is the nearest kid’s shoe store?” instead of “kid’s shoe store.” SEO strategies need to evolve to include more conversational searches, including long-tail keywords. Because we speak more conversationally into voice search, our use of “keywords” will inherently be more long-tail. Using keyword phrases that are three to five words in length as opposed to one to three will match up with voice search behaviors better than the shorter keywords. This strategy also provides another level of competitive advantage for small businesses in particular. Because a local clothing retailer may not be able to compete with big-box retailers in search, using more specific long-tail keyword phrases will help them stand out in local voice results.

WEBSITE EFFICIENCY

Additionally, an efficient HTTPS website helps a business prepare for voice search. Page speed plays a role in voice search returns, with the average voice search page loading in 4.6 seconds. Optimizing your website for efficient load times is vital. Consider doing an internal audit of your site and more specifically, the content flow. Is it easy to read with short, concise answers? According to Google, the average voice search result is written at a 9th-grade level. Ensure that the content on your website is easily obtainable by voice search and formatted for a straightforward relay.

Now that we've all learned some tips to improve our SEO in 2019, its time for lunch! "Alexa, ask restaurant finder to find great tacos in Madison."

Go with the flow - streaming video success

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 22:39:44 GMT

The recent emergence of live video streaming has changed the content marketing game. Going live allows a company to broadcast its personality in a more authentic manner than purely produced videos can capture.

The unique benefits of live video are increasingly demonstrated. Recent studies have shown that live video is more appealing to brand audiences, and over 80% would rather watch a brand’s live video rather than read web or text copy, while an even higher percentage prefer live video from a brand over social media posts.

To take advantage of this medium, here are eight ideas for showcasing your marketing message in a live video setting:

1. Q&A Session

2. Behind-The-Scenes Tours

3. Product Unboxings and Demos

4. Interviews

5. How-To Videos

6. Announcements

7. Event Coverage

8. Contests & Challenges

While going live is still a relatively new marketing tactic, live video marketing is undoubtedly driving content marketing into the future. Use any of the ideas above as a starting point to try live video marketing for your business, or contact Phase 3 Digital for production assistance.

Think less like a marketer and more like a consumer

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 14:45:29 GMT

We must remember that in marketing, whether it’s traditional or digital, consumer behavior needs to guide our every decision. Sometimes as marketers we get caught up in what we want our potential target audience to do, when in all actuality we should be putting campaigns together that focus on how our target audience finds information, the time it takes them to make certain decisions, what or who influences them, and where do they spend time.

Here are some marketing tips to consider for your business when trying to think more like a consumer!

Think about how your customer plans and researches information before making a decision. This decision-making process will completely differ depending on the industry. For example, when someone is considering building a new home there is a much longer purchase cycle before they contact a builder. They must budget and financially plan, do their research, search for design ideas, ask friends and family for referrals, read reviews, browse building company websites, etc.

Much of this planning is done online where we can collect that data in order to target the customer along the way. For this type of decision, it is vital that a company in this industry stays top of mind from the beginning to the point where they are ready to pick up the phone.

Every touchpoint they make with their marketing message will influence that consumer’s decision as they work their way down the purchase funnel. The payoff of their online advertising campaign might not have immediate results depending on where that consumer is in the buying cycle, but it will pay off over time!

Now that you have thought about how your customer researches information and how long it takes them to make a decision, the next thing to consider is who and what influences them.

Everyone is a consumer. The best way to think like a consumer is to ask yourself or ask friends what they would do before making a purchase. For example, if you are a plumbing company, ask yourself what you would do if you were going to find a company to provide a service for your home. If you didn’t already have a trusted plumber, most people might start by thinking of companies that come top of mind, asking their family or friends for recommendations (in person or on social media), they might go straight to a Google search to look for local companies and check out their website, and they might read online reviews before they ever call a plumber.

Knowing that, as a plumbing company, you want to make sure you are top of mind (brand awareness), you create loyal customers, you show up in a search result, you have a means to drive people to your website and you have positive reviews. All of this can be accomplished with a consistent marketing strategy both traditional and digital.

The final step to thinking more like a consumer and less like a marketer, is to consider where your target audience spends time. Today’s consumers are all over the place! We jump from platform-to-platform and device-to-device all day long.

The way we consume and find information has expanded from traditional forms of media to consumption on the web, in social media, apps, and streaming video and TV. This means that, as marketers, we must make sure we deliver our messaging using a multi-pronged marketing approach that reaches consumers at every step of the purchase funnel.

Not all videos are created equally

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 23:14:04 GMT

We work with a number of television advertisers who are dabbling in digital marketing for the first time. When the subject of ONLINE VIDEO comes up, it's common for those advertisers to assume their TV commercial can translate directly to online video. Although we've seen success with the same video playing on both platforms, we always encourage advertisers to create one specifically for the internet. Here's why:

1 - Online videos are sometimes skippable.

Although not all online videos can be skipped, many of them can. Advertisers need to be aware of this and create a video that will get the message across in the first five seconds.

2 - Viewers don't want to watch your ad.

With television, commercials are part of the experience. It's assumed that there will be commercials, and those continue to be very effective within that medium. However, in the digital space viewers can get annoyed with traditional 30-second commercial spots. So give them something that will make them smile.

3 - Attention spans are low.

This seems obvious, but think about how many times you click, tap, or scroll every minute. There's always something on the internet vying for our attention.

What you can do:

1 - Create shorter segments.

We are a huge fan of the 10-second pre-roll. If you can't say everything in 10 seconds, then create multiple ads.

2 - Be bold. Be creative. Get to the point.

Have fun with your video. Don't be afraid to do something that you wouldn't typically do on TV. If you're running a special, sale, or event, that should be the very first thing mentioned in the ad.

3 - Create a call-to-action

There's nothing wrong with a branding campaign, but a good call-to-action will ALWAYS get you more clicks. If your goal is website traffic, then give them a legit reason to go to the website.

5 tips for writing social media

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Writing for social media as a business is much more difficult than posting to your personal accounts. There is strategy involved and best practices to adhere to that you have to take into account.

Here are five tips to always keep in mind when you sit down to compose your social media posts.

Keep your post length in mind

Shorter posts have been proven to perform better, in general. Facebook posts can be slightly longer than what you write for Twitter and Instagram, but you want to be direct with your message. You don’t want anyone to have to click the “see more” button to finished reading your post.

Make sure your voice is consistent and is conveyed through your post copy

Your posts should have a consistent voice, even if there are multiple people splitting up the job of posting. Decide if you want your business’s voice to come across as informal or more professional and business-like. Your voice will help convey your business’s personality. Ideally, users will immediately recognize your brand based on the voice you portray when scrolling through their feeds. Feel free to be casual and make jokes, if that is the direction you decide to go. There is nothing wrong with inserting humor!

Be personal

Remember, social media is about being social . Interact with users in an informal way and make sure to use first person words when posting, such as “I” or “we.” Respond to comments and make sure you are tagging other businesses in your posts.

Edit, and then edit some more

Even though social media allows you to be less formal than when composing an email to a colleague, you still must be professional. Make sure your posts are free from spelling and grammar errors. People are going to be much more hesitant to work with you if your social media posts include typos.

Include visual elements

Studies have shown that including an image or video with your post will significantly increase engagement levels. A great photo or short video will grab a user’s attention as they are scrolling through their newsfeed. Furthermore, if you have engaging visual content, it’s more likely to be shared with friends and go viral.

Why responsive web design is important

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

US adults will spend an average of 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2018, an annual increase of more than 11 minutes. By 2019, mobile will surpass TV as the medium attracting the most minutes in the US (eMarketer)

Mobile devices have been dominating over desktop since 2015, and now according to google, have reached a staggering 57% all of website traffic. It is no surprise that having a responsive website is more important than ever.

What is responsive web design?

Responsive web design is designed to respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation.

What are some of the benefits of responsive web design?

1. Improved Site Usability = Lower Bounce Rates = Higher Conversions

If users can’t easily navigate your website, it’s unlikely they will stick around. Good usability scores lead to repeat visitors and increased conversions.

2. Faster Page Load Times

Every website should be optimized to load as quickly as possible. Google’s message over the years has been that fast-loading sites are favored in search results.

3. Improve SEO

Google has officially recommended responsive web design and takes that into consideration when determining the rank of your website in search engine results. If your website isn't responsive, it will be placed lower on the results page whereas it will show up higher if it passes the mobile-friendly test.

4. Easier Maintenance

Having a responsive site vs maintaining a mobile and desktop version of your site eliminates time spent updating two versions of a website.

5. More Social Sharing

Responsive content paired with responsive social media buttons makes it easy to share links which will help increase your credibility and can then lead to more traffic and more conversions.

In short, your website may look great on a desktop screen but that may not be true when your site is viewed on a smartphone or a tablet. When the design is responsive, the website will look good (and readable) on all screens. Responsive web design has become a necessity for anyone with a digital presence.

OTT making gains at a rapid clip

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

OTT isn’t on its way anymore – it’s arrived. And if you aren’t leveraging OTT to broadcast your video messaging, you’re missing out.

OTT by the Numbers

Not convinced that OTT’s here to stay? Let’s take a look at some OTT usage stats courtesy our friends at comScore’s State of OTT 2018 :

59.5 million homes in the United States used OTT in April 2018, up 17% Y.O.Y.
OTT services have a reach of 63.5% amongst homes with Wi-Fi, also up 17% Y.O.Y.
The average home viewed 54 hours of OTT content in April 2018, up 10% Y.O.Y.
… which was spread across 16.4 average viewing days, also up 10% Y.O.Y.

Clearly, OTT has penetrated the market in a major way, and its ubiquity promises to only become more pronounced as virtually every device being made provides access to OTT streaming services.

Who’s Watching This Stuff?

You might be wondering at this point, who’s watching all this OTT content? Well, to not put too fine a point on it, almost everyone. But that’s kind of vague, and you’re here because you’re not just into marketing, you’re into digital marketing. That means your love of data (probably) trumps your love of subjectively interpreted generalities, so to satisfy your insatiable hunger for metrics, here are some numbers (woo!), once again courtesy comScore’s State of OTT 2018 :

In the 18 – 34 demo, 79% are streamers

21% are Heavy Streamers
27% are Medium Streamers
31% are Light Streamers

In the 35 – 44 demo, 78% are streamers

17% are Heavy Streamers
24% are Medium Streamers
37% are Light Streamers

In the 45 – 54 demo, 65% are streamers

12% are Heavy Streamers

19% are Medium Streamers

34% are Light Streamers

In the 55-64 demo, 56% are streamers

9% are Heavy Streamers
15% are Medium Streamers
32% are Light Streamers

In the 65+ demo, 44% are streamers

7% are Heavy Streamers
12% are Medium Streamers
25% are Light Streamers

comScore defines Heavy Streamers as the top 20 percent of OTT households based on duration.

comScore defines Medium Streamers as the next 30 percent of OTT households (after Heavy Streamers) based on duration.

comScore defines Light Streamers as the bottom 50 percent of OTT households based on duration.

Unsurprisingly, the highest adoption rates are among millennials, Gen X’ers, and we’ll even toss some elder Gen Z’ers in the mix for good measure. Equally unsurprisingly, we see the 65+ crowd clocking in with the lowest adoption rates (though I’d argue 44% is nothing to shake a stick at). What that means is, regardless of who your target demographic may be, there’s a captive audience just waiting to have your messaging delivered via OTT platforms.

A look at digital advertising spending

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

As the end of 2018 nears, agencies and marketers are anxious to see which shifts are made and what figures will be revealed in the advertising industry. All eyes are on digital to see how much advertising dollars will shift to non-traditional platforms, what the advances are in new placement opportunity (particularly video and mobile inventory) and most stimulating, where are digital advertising dollars landing and who is playing.

Why is spending on digital advertising going up?

Digital has been stealing ad dollars for some time now. A few major factors:

Newspaper decline
The rise in streaming content (and how popular its convenience is)
The shift in where consumers are spending their time.

The trend is a classic case of follow the eyeballs .

What do the numbers look like?

North America is shaping up to be the top advertising market in 2018 with a 37.0% share of worldwide total media, according to eMarketer, with an estimated $107 billion dollars going to digital advertising alone. That estimate may be a little aggressive, as a survey from a statista.com source reports digital ad spend in the US is projected to amount to $117.53 billion dollars in 2020. Regardless, overall digital ad spend worldwide claims staggering amounts of ad budgets and, revealed just this month, Amazon is projected to bring in $4.61 billion in ad revenue on their platform alone worldwide (which makes up only 4.1% of US digital ad spending).

Where/who are the advertising dollars going to?

The behemoths of digital ad revenue generation are Facebook and Google Amazon has been revealed as the 3rd largest digital ad seller in the US, surpassing Oath and Microsoft. This is a huge shift in industry leaders as Amazon successfully doubled its revenue this year to earn the 3rd position. Amazon plans to extend the huge growth spurt and increase more than 50% per year through at least 2020.

Who are the big-spenders?

Looking comparatively between markets, retail is by far claiming the largest piece of the overall digital ad spending pie. Automotive and Financial Services are revealing themselves as aggressive digital ad spenders.

It is also worth noting that B-to-B marketing is also following the digital ad spending path. Coming in just behind in-person trade shows, conferences and events, digital advertising is finding its place with B-to-B marketers. A few factors play a part in the mind-shift of B-to-B marketers utilizing non-traditional media:

Ability to measure and understand who their digital audience is
Ability to measure how they are reaching them
Ability to execute with often much less costs
Ability to focus on, and generate qualified leads (through platforms such as paid search on Google and Bing)
Ability to scale brand awareness

What to watch

OTT platforms , which have a small but growing share of the market, deserve the attention of marketers and offers opportunity for advertisers to dominate the space in its seemingly infant stage. This year, Roku’s U.S. ad revenues will surpass $293 million, up 93% over 2017 and Hulu’s U.S. ad revenues will increase by more than 13% to reach $1.12 billion, according to Forbes.

Facebook is projected to gain the most from digital holiday ad spending. According to Reveal's holiday ad spending report , businesses reported that two-thirds of their ad spending will go to digital channels, and of those companies, 42% will focus on Facebook, and another 18% on Facebook-owned Instagram. With Instagram rolling out Shopping in Stories , e-commerce brands stand to set huge records in online purchases.

To compare: social media spending will be more than one-third (36%) of holiday ad budgets; followed by email marketing at 15%; TV at 15%; print at 14%; search engine marketing at 7%; radio at 3%; and digital display ads also at 3%.

4 myths about programmatic advertising

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

We live in a remarkable world for digital marketing. The ads you see are specifically targeted to you based on your behavior online. This type of marketing has come to life with the help of programmatic advertising. Advertisers are able to pick their audience based on their interests and behaviors. Agencies are then able to take a client’s marketing wishes and buy inventory that is specifically targeted for their audience.

As a business owner, if you understand the ins and outs of programmatic advertising, it can help you better reach a loyal and engaged audience. That’s why we’re breaking down four common misconceptions about programmatic advertising.

Myth #1: Programmatic inventory is low quality inventory

Historically, programmatic meant remnant inventory. The evolution of programmatic advertising has led to a format that allows advertisers to build a custom audience based on interests and behaviors, no matter where your customers are! Exchanges have evolved to be able to reach people through cross-platform device targeting, including display, mobile, video, premium placements and now through TV.

Myth #2: Programmatic advertising is a ‘set it and forget it’ approach

This couldn’t be further from the truth! When setting up a programmatic campaign, there are a lot of moving pieces. You must consider the audience you want to target and behaviors they may take part in, such as what keywords they could search that will help lead them to you. Once this is set, campaigns should be optimized regularly to ensure that you are still reaching the right audience.

Myth #3: Creative messaging isn’t a factor in the campaign’s overall success

Creative messaging is a very important factor. You want to make sure your message catches an individual’s attention with a simple and clear approach. Even if they don’t click on the ad in that moment, you want the creative to be memorable; they are inclined to search for you later. With programmatic campaigns, you have the ability to set up multiple campaigns that have unique creative that is specific to the audience you are trying to target for each campaign.

Myth #4: Domains are more important than the audience

Do not get too hung up on the domains that your ads are delivered on. Programmatic advertising is more about reaching the desired audience. There are trillions of websites on the internet, so don’t get caught up on only showing up on premium sites and lose the opportunity to reach your ideal customer, just because they visit a website you aren’t familiar with.

5 reasons why your business should be using Google AdWords

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 20:40:59 GMT

When it comes to marketing your business, there are a plethora of options that you can choose from. You can use social media ads, email marketing, retargeting or online video, to name a few. There is also pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, where an advertiser only pays when someone clicks on their ad. Google AdWords is by far the most popular PPC ad system and is one of the most effective methods of online advertising, used by small, medium and large businesses!

Still not sure if AdWords is for you? Here are 5 reasons why your business should be using AdWords:

1.) AdWords is measurable

Google AdWords includes a lot of advanced metrics to determine how your campaign is performing. Some of the top metrics include: cost per conversion, click-through rate and conversion rate. Conversions will tell you if you’re making money on the campaign and accomplishing your goal, while your click rate provides insight into your ad copy and how well you are communicating with a potential customer.

2.) AdWords results are fast

While SEO is very important and something you should definitely invest in, it can take months to see results from working on your organic search ranking. With AdWords, you will see impressions and clicks as soon as you turn the campaign on.

3.) AdWords works hand-in-hand with other digital campaigns

AdWords can get your business in the top search results so that you drive more people to your website. If you use a tactic such as retargeting alongside your AdWords campaign, you can “follow” people who clicked to your site with display ads. You can track visitors to your website by placing a simple piece of code on your website.

4.) Utilize the purchase funnel

There are three main stages of the sales funnel: the top, middle and bottom. AdWords can be used to target consumers at both the middle and bottom stages of the sales funnel. At the middle of the funnel, you can capture consumers that are already interested in the product but still want to learn more. At the bottom of the funnel, consumers are ready to buy, so you want to appear at the top of search results by having a strong promotional message.

5.) AdWords is more than just text ads

AdWords has multiple ad formats including in-video ads on YouTube, product shopping ads, app promotion ads, call-only ads and more! AdWords has a solution for whatever you are looking to promote!

Tips to make your Instagram profile more effective

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 20:31:04 GMT

Social media is an important part of reaching, engaging, and informing our audience. While Facebook and Twitter reign supreme in many communities, Instagram now has 800 million users and outperforms even Facebook when it comes to engagement. The utilization of photos and video via Instagram can be an ideal way to market your business. Let’s go over how to effectively use Instagram.

Below are some tips to make your Instagram profile more effective.

Photos

Convey your brand in the best possible light. Think about what a person scrolling through IG would want to see or would stop for.

Track Traffic

Instagram provides insights for each post you make. Those insights include:

Likes and comments
Accounts reached
Impressions

Tools such as CrowdTangle allow you to dive deeper into analytics. You can pull reports for any time period and view metrics such as:

Video views, followers, interactions, and post counts
You can also follow/track other pages to compare metrics

Make sure that you have converted your Instagram account to a business profile in order to access these metrics.

Tagging

Tagging allows you to promote a post, indicate who was involved and where you’re located. Those particular pages might be inclined to follow after seeing you post, and will most likely share the post, building more traffic to your brand.

Bio Link

Create a landing page that introduces a user to your product. Design this page to connect with them.

#Hashtags

You can search/follow something on Instagram by using hashtags. Generally, 3-4 hashtags per post is optimal.

Happy Medium: Photos and Video

Videos stand out more than photos. A video will need less text, while an image does require explanation.

Awareness and Conversation

Awareness: Promote your Instagram Page

Consideration: Users begin to view your page

Conversion: Follows, Likes, and Comments, creating conversation with your audience

How to build your brand on social media

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 18:56:02 GMT

Having an active presence on social media is crucial today for businesses. Social media allows the opportunity to build your brand while reaching a large audience. With the amount of time that people now spend on their social accounts, it is no surprise that 71% of consumers who have a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others. Here are some pointers on how to build your brand on social media!

Develop a Voice

Translate your company culture into your social media presence. This intangible entity is what makes your brand unique! Always make sure this voice is authentic to your brand, according to a study done by Sprout Social, the top behavior (86% of consumers) want from brands on social is for them to be honest.

Be Consistent

As the saying goes, Consistency is Key! Ensure that your social media platforms are being posted to regularly. You will more than likely lose the attention of your audience if you are not consistent. Regular posts are important because it keeps your brand in front of your audience and provides them with up to date information. Also, sharing relevant content consistently is an important component to consider. Streamlining your social media content allows for your company not only to showcase their expertise, but also provides your audience with relevant information directly correlated to your brand.

Utilize the right networks

It is better to be excellent in 2-3 platforms rather than try to manage too many accounts. With so many different options of social media platforms to use nowadays it can be overwhelming to find the best ‘fit’ for your business. The importance of choosing the right networks to use is due to having your message and brand overall reach the right people at the right time. Each social media platform has it’s own key demographics. Exploring the demographic data available correlated with each platform is an important step when deciding which platform is worth your company’s social media efforts. To find insightful information on demographic data for social media platforms, look here .

Be Engaging

While it is always important to provide as much valuable content for your consumers as possible, try to share this in the most effective way possible. Engage by responding to comments/messages, providing shareable and visual content, and allowing for a two-way-relationship on the platform. Social media allows for your company to interact with their audience directly!

If you feel like you are too busy to keep up with social media on top of running your business, contact Phase 3 Digital today, we offer various Social Media Management services!

What’s the difference between a mobile website and an app?

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 18:48:54 GMT

Now more than ever there are higher rates of consumer activity on mobile applications and responsive, mobile-friendly websites. Many are aware of the rise of mobile apps, but it might be helpful to break down some basic benefits and differences between websites and apps. Some key variances between apps and websites include:

Direct Communication

While most business owners know what an app is, they may not feel the need to develop one because they already have a website. This common misconception has prevented companies of all sizes from truly capitalizing on the direct interactive elements found in mobile apps. With an app, you can directly send push notifications to users’ phones with updates and alerts for participating consumers. You can also incorporate engaging promotional content to garner prospective information. With so many websites and digital advertisements out there today, consumers are looking for a one-on-one interactive experience with a brand, and apps allow for that direct connection.

Personalized Experience

Mobile apps can be curated to suit specific kinds of consumers, whereas websites are a unanimous digital platform designed to provide basic information and contact process for web visitors to seek service. With an app, businesses can program customized options for unique consumer experiences.

Advanced Capabilities

Since apps are in a perpetual state of development, their fundamental design platforms are capable of incorporating highly advanced widgets and device capabilities. On an app, location services, camera integration, and live video features make the consumer experience completely personalized and even collaborative.

Having a high-functioning, optimized website design is as important as ever, and developing a mobile app in conjunction with your website will only add depth to your customer interactions. Plus, apps can be a truly fun user experience to learn more about your company. The more ways your business connects with consumers digitally, the better!

Email continues to excel at driving customer retention

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 18:42:55 GMT

Targeted email is not new or flashy, but consistently produces strong engagement rates of 10-20% across most industries.

Effective for both business-to-business and business-to-consumer messaging, targeted email sends an advertiser’s message to a database of qualified email recipients. Email allows the user to interact with that message at their own pace, which improves overall follow-through.

Here is a quick list of questions we are often asked as we’re helping clients build their targeted email campaigns:

What targeting options are available?

Advertisers can send messages to the appropriate audience based on their interests, geography, buying activity and other demographic information. All recipients have opted-in to receive marketing email, and we tailor the message to meet the specific needs of that consumer, making the message relevant.

How often do you scrub your databases to make sure recipient data is current?

We select industry-leading data partners who scrub the databases daily.

What creative options are available?

Emails can be deployed as static images with a single click-through, or they can be HTML ads with multiple links. Creative can employ animated GIFs, which add further vibrancy to your message.

I already do direct mail. Do I need targeted email?

Targeted email can serve as a complement to an advertiser’s direct mail efforts by communicating their message both in print and digitally via the customer’s inbox. It can also stand alone, giving the advertiser the ability to target prospective customers in a more targeted and cost-effective way.

What if I already have an email list?

Targeted email campaigns extend that marketing message to an entirely new set of recipients, expanding the advertiser’s reach even further.

Still not sure if targeted email marketing is right for you? Contact info@p3da.com for more information.

Tips for designing an effective mobile website

Wed, 25 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Having a responsive website is imperative, since mobile web browsing has overtaken desktop usage. But when your website appears completely different on a desktop than it does on a small phone screen, it’s hard to shift from catering the design for the desktop to making sure your website is designed for mobile first.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating a mobile website.

1. Keep your navigation short. Reorganize your menu so that you have as few items as possible. With the small screen size you have limited real estate above the fold, so you don’t want users having to scroll down very much when going through your navigation. You also want to make sure you are using clear and conventional icons to convey information to your users. For example, use an intuitive symbol like the plus sign to inform users that they can tap to display more options.

2. Link your contact information. Mobile websites allow users to conveniently tap to call or tap to get directions directly from your site. Use that opportunity to your benefit to increase the chance that your visitors will interact with your business.

3. Make sure your site is fast. Mobile users have a very small attention span and have been found to be less patient when waiting for sites to load than desktop users. When designing your site, make sure you keep it as basic as possible to ensure that mobile users don’t leave your site while waiting for it to load.

4. Your design should be simple. Mobile users are more easily distracted, since they generally visit mobile sites with a purpose and want to move on as fast as they can. People searching on their phones are also more likely to be in an environment with a lot of distractions and do not have the patience for complicated sites.

5. Keep your content short and put more focus on visuals. It is always a good idea to include a lot of visuals on any website, but the importance of them increases for mobile visitors. More visuals will help to keep your content short, and you can communicate better with people who are on a small device with images, graphics and videos.

Need help making sure your website is designed for mobile? Contact us for a free website analysis of your business.

Yes, social media drives leads

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 22:43:14 GMT

If you haven’t started using Facebook and Instagram to drive leads, it’s time to hop on the bus and start believing.

We find that our smaller local advertisers depend on direct response or return on their advertising efforts. Some are not at a point to run larger reaching branding campaigns. Instead, they drive highly targeted advertising with strong and urgent promotional messaging.

With goals to drive leads and foot traffic into their stores, they tend to gravitate towards tactics like paid search. It’s the low hanging fruit of someone already actively searching for their products or service, and advertisers want to be found when their potential customers search on Google or Bing. However, with advanced tracking and ad development options provided by Facebook and Instagram, social media advertising is now at the forefront for direct response campaigns.

If you haven’t started using Facebook and Instagram to drive leads, it’s time to hop on the bus and start believing. When building an ad campaign through Facebook, advertisers are asked about their specific goals and offers, matching strategies for ad delivery and call-to-action options to meet those goals.

Advertisers don’t have to have an e-commerce site to win with Facebook users. They can have people sign up, book, call, and now advertisers can ask people to give their information for something in return. Yes, Facebook has created a wonderful new ad type appropriately named Lead Ads.

Lead Ads on Facebook help advertisers collect contact information from people interested in becoming their customer or receiving whatever it is the advertiser is offering. Automotive dealers can schedule test drives, retailers can offer coupons or elicit quote requests, and consultants can offer newsletter or educational downloads, all directly through Facebook. When clicked, Lead Ads open a customized form providing a quick and seamless opportunity to gather customer information.

We all know the more clicks, and the more pages to load, the less likely the user will complete the action advertisers have tried so tirelessly to achieve. Unlike many website forms, Lead Ad forms are mobile-friendly and easy to complete on-the-go, making it easy for the customer.

Why wait for your customers to search for you, especially when people are so busy and easily distracted, when you can remind them to contact you through social media advertising instead?

People spend an average of 50 minutes every day on Facebook’s properties* and it’s one of the surest ways you’ll reach your customer. Drill down targeting by demos, interests and even occupation, then deliver your message with inspirational visual elements (imagery or video is much more appealing than a 3 line text ad) and elicit measurable direct response, all through Facebook.

If you think you might be getting a bit caught up in being at the top of search results and measuring lead form submissions from your website, take a swing with Facebook Lead Ads.

*Adweek 2017

http://www.adweek.com/digital/mediakix-time-spent-social-media-infographic/

Going mobile! 5 key digital advertising tactics

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 22:35:15 GMT

ere are a few top strategies that can be used to connect with potential new customers in the mobile space.

Digital content is being consumed on mobile devices at ever-increasing rates. Today’s global on-the-go culture demonstrates that phones and tablets are the primary tools for not only connecting people, but also conducting research, shopping and navigating day to day activities. Therefore, digital advertising tactics need to mirror the same behaviors as the exponentially growing mobile consumer audience. Here are a few top strategies that can be used to connect with potential new customers in the mobile space:

1. Create meaningful content. It always starts at square one, and content still reigns king. If a company’s advertising message does not resonate with the consumer’s interests, meet a need, or address a pain point, then it will be overlooked, skipped or worse- seen as a nuisance. Instead, provide marketing content that provides meaningful value to your target audience.

2. Find your audience where they are spending their time. Getting the attention of ideal viewers can be a challenge, so placing video and display creative in the most visited online places is critical. Social media platforms experience high traffic rates, and running ads in those spaces can lead to very fruitful leads. The social media world provides opportunities to boost a business’ voice to highly targeted audiences and form meaningful relationships with those consumers.

3. Utilize cross-platform advertising. Ensure that ads are compatible in all digital formats and across multiple devices. Display sizes and streaming videos must be able to scale to any size screen, and perform seamlessly in a responsive web environment. Equally important, consider the brevity and immediacy of the call-to-action to ensure that fast-paced mobile web browsers will want to engage with that content.

4. Video provides optimal value. Capitalize on the time and attention of target audience members with video collateral that will play to multiple senses. Imagery and audio content that clips along in order to keep viewers engaged will result in the message not only being seen, but being fully consumed. Keep it short, simple, and fun for maximum watch-ability.

5. Always consider the user experience . Reverse into the role of your audience, and recognize the behaviors of desired consumers. By taking the perspective of the viewer, marketers can better optimize their messaging and strategy in order to make a measurable impact on the desired audience. Constantly question, test, and re-test tactics to ensure consistently positive results.

3 design tips to make your online web ads more effective

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 22:32:36 GMT

Here are some tips to make the most of your online web ads.

At Phase 3 Digital, our targeted approach to online display advertising lets little to no impressions go to waste. Your ads will be shown to the audience that we create regardless of where they are located, what device they are on, or where they are on the web. With placements on desktop, mobile, app, video, and social media, we can give you access to ad space across 98% of the web, allowing you to focus on the prospect, not the publisher. So how can the design of your web ads allow for those impressions to be valuable to your target audience? In this blog post, we will discuss 3 ways to optimize your online web ad design to get more clicks, create a valuable impression, and drive Return on Influence and Return on Investment.

1) Create the Right Balance

Online display advertising drives website traffic and creates brand awareness. Your web ad designs should have 3 main components: your logo, a headline and a call to action.

The company’s logo is one of the most important elements when it comes to branding your business and creating top-of -mind awareness. Therefore, when creating your web ads, it is important that the logo be visually dominant. You don’t want to take away from the headline, but you want to make sure the logo is large enough to create a memorable impression of your brand.
The headline is the element you want your target audience’s eye to go to first. A strong headline should showcase your product or service and provide the viewer with some sort of value proposition that grabs the users’ attention.
The call-to-action on your display ad is what is going to make your target audience click on your ad. It often takes shape of a button or is designated in an area with a contrasting color that draws the attention of the eye. Examples of call to action statements include: "Learn More," "Get Started” or “Shop Now.”

2) Don’t Get Crazy with Your Text

Common display ad sizes include 300x250, 728x90, 300x600 and 320x50. What do all of these ad sizes have in common? There isn’t an unlimited amount of space for text. If an ad has too much text, it means the size of the font will need to be smaller in order to fit in the space of the ad. A consumer is not going to strain their eyes trying to read an online web ad. When It comes to your headline and call to action statement, it’s important that you keep it simple. Today’s consumer has a very short attention span and we are constantly bombarded with advertising messages, many of which are on mobile devices. Your ad’s messaging has to be short & sweet, easily readable, and contain an effective call-to-action to maximize performance.

3) Create High Quality & Visually Appealing Ads

As consumers, we are constantly put in front of an advertising message on all platforms and devices. However, unless that ad captures our attention, we tend to ignore it. With the targeting we are able to accomplish with digital advertising, we know our ad is relevant to that target audience but we still need consumers to take notice. Here are few web ad design best practices to capture attention:

Use quality photos and relevant graphics
Have a defined frame. This can be accomplished with images that extend to the edges of the box or created with a border.
Use appropriate colors or images that pop. Depending on your messaging and target audience, try to use colors that evoke similar emotions.
Use animation. Just be careful not to distract the user from the message.
Be consistent with your brand. Your ads should reflect the landing page you are sending people to.

Tips to make your Instagram profile more effective

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 22:06:42 GMT

Instagram has more than 400 million users that share 80 million posts daily, making it a pretty compelling platform for advertisers.

Social media is an important part of reaching, engaging, and informing our audience. While Facebook and Twitter reign supreme in many communities, Instagram now has over 400 million users and outperforms even Facebook when it comes to engagement. The utilization of photos and video via Instagram can be an ideal way to market your business. Let’s go over how to effectively use Instagram.

Below are some tips to make your Instagram profile more effective.

Photos

Convey your brand in the best possible light. Think about what a person scrolling through IG would want to see or would stop for.

Track Traffic

Instagram provides insights for each post you make. Those insights include:

Likes and comments
Accounts reached
Impressions

Tools such as CrowdTangle allow you to dive deeper into analytics. You can pull reports for any time period and view metrics such as:

Video views, followers, interactions, and post counts
You can also follow/track other pages to compare metrics

Make sure that you have converted your Instagram account to a business profile in order to access these metrics.

Tagging

Bio link

Create a landing page that introduces a user to your product. Design this page to connect with them.

#Hashtags

You can search/follow something on Instagram by using hashtags. Generally, 3-4 hashtags per post is optimal.

Happy Medium: Photos and Video

Videos stand out more than photos. A video will need less text, while an image does require explanation.

Awareness and Conversation

Awareness: Promote your Instagram Page

Consideration: Users begin to view your page

Conversion: Follows, Likes, and Comments, creating conversation with your audience

How to build your brand on social media

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 21:58:38 GMT

Having an active presence on social media is crucial today for businesses.

Develop a Voice

Be Consistent

Utilize the right networks

Be Engaging

If you feel like you are too busy to keep up with social media on top of running your business, contact Phase 3 Digital today, we offer various Social Media Management services!

What is SEO?

Sat, 09 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

In this blog entry we break down the basics of SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization is the process of achieving free, organic search results in Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search portals. Well-executed SEO drives site traffic to a website from general web searches.

Search engines such as Google send crawlers out to millions and millions of websites to read data and store it, in order to materialize the site later when a consumer looks for information matching that data.

While there isn’t an exact formula for making it to the top of the search engine results page (SERP), marketers and web designers alike should be focused on these key SEO factors:

Focus on your customer. In the most general sense, create the best web experience for your customer. What’s best for your customer inherently yields quality SEO.

Consistently produce robust, quality content. The quantity of links on your domain matters—make sure you are balancing quantity with trusted, keyword-friendly content.

Be relevant. The number of websites that link back to your site affect your page rank, though not all links are created equal. You want to be organically connected to websites that have influence in your content category.

Make sure your content loads quickly and securely.

Drive audience via other marketing channels. The more visitors to your website, the more relevant search engines will see you.

Understand how people are searching for your content or product offerings. Utilize common keywords at the page and domain levels.

None of these factors works exclusively. Even if your website has a solid foundation, SEO must be cultivated over time. Search Engine Land has a great Periodic Table of SEO , which visually breaks down the many contributing factors to organic search optimization.

Questions? Contact one of the experts at Phase 3 Digital Agency for a free SEO or other digital analysis of your business.

2 years of Facebook Live & how your brand should take advantage

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook Live broadcasted videos have doubled year over year since the feature launched in 2016. April 6, 2018 marks two years since the access of Facebook’s live-streaming feature was given to users.

According to a recent article from Marketing Land , “In the last two years, there have been 3.5 billion total Facebook Live broadcasts and more than 150 billion reactions to Live video. According to Facebook, hundreds of millions of people have used the feature, and nearly 2 billion Facebook users have watched Live videos.”

https://marketingland.com/facebook-live-broadcasts-have-doubled-yoy-since-the-livestreaming-feature-launched-in-2016-237808

How to use Facebook Live for your brand:

Broadcast Events

Facebook live videos are perfect for creating interest and attendance in events such as fairs, weekend sales events and on-going theater shows.

Product Demonstrations

Go for the sell and show off how to use your products and all the reasons it is superior in its class. Show viewers how the remote-controlled car works, how the lawn mower corners, how to best apply the makeup or how much your pet will love the ride-along bike cart. It’s your own “As Seen on Facebook Live” opportunity!

Host Training Seminars

Perfect if a common objective of yours is to “download our whitepaper” or “sign up for our seminar.” Give an introduction of a training seminar as a tease to attend an event or further explore your website.

Host Q&As or AMAs (Ask Me Anything)

This might be offering the chance for diners to ask the chef about how their favorite meal or martini is concocted, or the ability for home buyers and sellers to ask a real estate agent about the selling and buying process.

Showcase Your Culture

Do something fun, like a blind soda pop challenge, interview the employee of the month about the best part of working with the company, or take viewers along as your company volunteers in a local charity event.

Host Tours or Test Drives

Tour your store to entice customers to visit or take them with you on a test drive in new vehicle inventory. Viewers can ask questions in real-time about the vehicle specifications. You might even be tempted to host your own car karaoke or trivia and give away gas gift cards.

Promote New Product Releases or Unique Offers

A great way to create time-sensitive sale messaging. Be the first to give a run-down on all the Black Friday specials to come.

Benefits for a brand to use Facebook Live videos:

Adds credibility and trustworthiness to your brand
Personalizes your brand
Platform to deliver relevant and useful information
Create content that invites customers to engage with your brand
Allows the ability to partake in engagement with your audience (2-way communication so you can answer questions or address concerns)
Earn up to six times the interaction of regular videos (according to Facebook stats)

And, although Facebook’s algorithm is constantly changing, Facebook live videos are favored to appear more frequently and timely in users’ feeds.

Something to keep in mind about Facebook Live videos: They are live. So anything that is said or that happens cannot be edited out. If you anticipate any amount of risk that could be detrimental to your brand or reason for publishing a Live video, it might be best to pre-record. While there’s nothing like creating immediacy and authenticity from raw live video, pre-produced video provides the best in quality and professionalism for a brand. Pre-produced video gives control over audio quality, music incorporation, meaningful and well executed message delivery and the ability to give more information in a timely manner to viewers with graphic overlays or cuts to different physical locations.

Live videos on Facebook has become part of the experience and it is best to be active and familiar with the platform now. Only time will tell if Facebook decides to implement pre-roll or mid-roll video ads into this native content!

https://marketingland.com/facebooks-pre-roll-ad-test-will-run-watch-not-news-feed-229520

What is OTT? Market trends and why OTT matters

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

You have probably heard the term OTT, the current buzzword in digital marketing. OTT, or over-the-top refers to video distribution via the internet. Specifically, all of those TV shows and movies you’re watching on an internet-enabled (connected) smart TV, streaming stick like Roku, Amazon Fire or AppleTV, game console or other device are delivered over-the-top.

Market trends

More than 56 million Americans have cut the cord on cable, according to a recent study by eMarketer. More consumers have turned to OTT delivery for their on-demand video viewing habits. In fact, by 2021, eMarketer predicts that 73.1% of U.S. internet users will use an OTT video service at least once per month.

While OTT streaming has seen an unprecedented rise in viewers over the last few years, ad technology in that ecosystem has somewhat lagged, until now.

What OTT means to you as a marketer

OTT ad inventory is available across all supported devices, giving you the ability to advertise in full episodes of popular TV shows.

Ad technology around OTT allows you to deliver a targeted message to the right household. Behavioral traits like gender, age, income and viewing preferences can be gathered at the household level. While you cannot target to an individual user as you can with targeted display, OTT advertising offers comparable efficiencies with your advertising dollar.

Ads delivered via OTT are non-skippable and 100% viewable on screen. And, since they run in real-time before, during or after video content, completion rates for those ads often exceed 90%.

As OTT services continue to evolve, so too will your ability as a marketer to align your brand with engaging video content across a growing audience.

There is no silver bullet to marketing

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:12:45 GMT

As our corporate digital specialist always says, “there is no silver bullet approach to marketing.” This means the days of putting all your marketing dollars into one advertising platform just isn’t going to cut it. Consumers these days are all over the place! In any given day, a consumer may watch the morning news, listen to the radio on the way to work, check their email, login to their multiple social media accounts (multiple times a day), stream their favorite music while at the office, surf the internet, watch a YouTube video and stream their favorite show on Netflix. With all that activity, having an integrated marketing strategy is MUST. Each component in your marketing mix is like a puzzle piece, all fitting together to achieve desirable results for your business.

With marketing shifting, you will find the most optimum results for your business by utilizing an online and offline integrated marketing approach. So what does an online integrated marketing approach look like for your business?

Social Media

You see and hear about social media all the time as a consumer and business owner. Most likely your business already has some sort of social media presence. In fact, the use of social media is becoming more and more prominent in all aspects of our lives. Where YOUR customer spends time is where we suggest you to spend time and money. Focusing in these areas will help with your overall marketing success:

Social Media Management

Be consistent and post frequently.
Focus on engagement! Always strive for those likes, comments and shares.
Humanize your brand. Tell stories, ask questions, share photos, create a contest and connect with people.
Sell less. It’s called “social” media for a reason. Do you want to listen to someone who is only trying to sell you something or would you rather have an engaging conversation? Engaging, duh! (Nothing wrong with a good product recommendation every once in a while though!)
Have a strategy, set goals and measure results. Make social media make common sense and dollars and cents!

Social Media Paid Advertising

We all know Facebook in particular has made it more and more difficult for a business to organically appear in someone’s news feed. So pay to play! Boost posts and create ads! Send a message to your target audience where they spend time.

Websites & Apps

As modern consumers, we research, shop, pay bills, download games and more all through our desktop, laptop, tablet or smart phone. Therefore, as advertisers, we need to be able to reach that audience. With the targeting information we are able to collect from online activity and advertising products such as targeted display or in-app display, we are able follow your business’s target audience wherever they are online. This specifically targeted approach to online display ads lets little to no impressions go to waste. Your ads will be shown to the audience regardless of where they are located, what device they are on, or where they are on the web. With access to desktop, mobile, app, and video inventory, this form of advertising can give you access to ad space across 98% of the web, allowing you to focus on the prospect, not the publisher .

What do consumers do when they need an answer to a question? Google it of course! As a business owner you can consider two main forms of search engine marketing: paid search & content marketing.

Paid Search

Having a pay-per-click campaign in your marketing mix will help you show up in relevant search results and help drive website traffic.

Content Marketing

Having a solid content marketing strategy is important to your search ranking but also allows you to become an expert in your industry. Providing original and useful content to your consumers will only help encourage them to do business with you.

If you aren’t collecting emails as a business owner you are missing a huge area of opportunity for your business. Email is one of the most powerful and personal ways to connect with your customers. Utilizing email marketing is a cost effective advertising solution that helps you reach your customers in a place they visit everyday – their inbox.

With targeted email marketing, you can rent an email list of individuals that fit your target audience and send a relevant email message. This form of marketing helps you reach new customers outside of your existing customer base!

Location-based targeting: What to know

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:04:00 GMT

For most businesses considering digital advertising, the main draw is reaching potential customers via advanced targeting strategies. Moving beyond the use of primary demographics such as age, into qualitative identifiers such as location, household income, and interests is appealing because advertisers can reach the customer prospects with the highest propensity to buy. Location-based technologies offer a significant advantage, but how do they work and what are their limitations?

Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting utilizes a user’s location as the basis for delivering ad messaging. Most current advertising solutions use this technology, including display, targeted email, native ads, and even social media ads. A heating/cooling company that has a specified service area and is looking to reach potential customers during winter or summer months could add geo-targeting as a parameter for their digital campaign. In that scenario, they would deliver ads only to those users who live in the area that they serve.

Geo-Fencing

Geo-fencing is similar to geo-targeting in that it targets a user’s location, but it offers a more granular approach using GPS technology to build a virtual fence. When a mobile device enters that fence (amongst other criteria such as having location services turned-on and applicable apps running) that user becomes part of the pool of recipients for the advertiser’s messaging. An auto dealer who is looking to deliver ad messaging to auto intenders who have visited their lot, a competitor’s lot, or even a local auto show, could build a fence around those locations and deliver ads to users after they have entered the areas. Geo-fencing is most effective when blended with other display tactics, such as retargeting, to reach the highest quantity of qualified users.

Beacons

A beacon is a small object placed in a physical location that utilizes Bluetooth technology to detect users who enter the area. Once identified, the advertiser serves ad messaging to the user. Beacons are only able to pick up users who have their Bluetooth turned on and aren’t designed to gather any other information regarding the user, such as demographics. Much like geo-fencing, beacons also require having the location services turned on and applicable apps open, actively or running in the background. A sports arena looking to offer a dining/drink coupon or discount code could utilize beacons as a means to capture people who have a high likelihood of buying in the moment.

Original Post: https://www.p3da.com/location-based-targeting-what-to-know

Facebook is changing – how should your business change with it?

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 16:47:28 GMT

To the relief of many of its users, Facebook announced a change to how it’s going to show posts, photos and videos in the news feed. The overhaul of the system is being made to prioritize content from friends and family over that of businesses, brands and publishers. But what does that mean for your business?

Let’s get the most important thing out of the way: this doesn’t mean that the era of Facebook advertising is over. On the contrary, when users spend shorter, yet more engaged sessions Facebook's platform, it can make it much more valuable to appear on it. But it’s going to take some more work – a simple ad saying “hey, we’re Business X, we’re kinda cool” will probably be dropped from people’s newsfeed in favor of cousin Bobby’s cat memes.

One of the main focuses going forward is going to be meaningful engagement. Get your audience talking to you and each other. Continue to post things that prompt discussion, things that are worth sharing. And don’t be shy either – users can still manually select ‘See First’ on your page, and you’re not wrong to invite them to do so. With an engaged audience that’s looking at your posts, you’re more than able to beat the system.

Finally, there’s the paid advertising route. New algorithms mean new tactics; it’s no longer as easy to drive lots of traffic through a simple $5 boosted post. It’s time to dive into Facebook’s ad system and create the perfect post for the right audience. Be bold, be creative. Facebook in 2018 is all about meaningful engagement, and that should be the end goal of social media all along.

Originally Published at www.p3da.com : https://www.p3da.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-google-chromes-new-ad-blocking-feature

What you need to know about Google Chrome’s new ad-blocking feature

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 16:45:19 GMT

In today’s world, it seems how we use the digital realm is constantly changing. There is always an update here or an algorithm change there, and Google is no expectation with the release of their new ad- blocking feature. Last week, Google launched their new and improved version of Chrome that now features a built-in ad blocker. That’s right. Google now has the ability to remove disruptive ads from websites. Naturally, this leads website publishers and advertisers to question what ads will be allowed and what ones will now be flagged.

To start, Google’s new ad blocker will be operating under the Better Ad Standards , as defined by the Coalition of Better Ads . The Coalition of Better Ads consists of a group of powerhouse companies (like Google) that have gathered to offer specific guidelines for improving advertising to consumers.

For publishers and advertisers alike, this simply means that you either meet the standards or your ads will now be flagged as “annoying” and then subsequently blocked.

That being said, you may now be wondering just what exactly Google’s ad blocker classifies as “annoying.” Well, lucky for us, the Coalition for Better Ads has clearly laid out the following as the types of ads consumers themselves find the most “annoying” and the ones Google’s new ad-blocker will be removing from sites:

Desktop web experiences:

• Pop-up ads

• Auto-playing video ads with sound

• Prestitial ads with countdown

• Large sticky ads

Mobile web experiences:

• Pop-up ads

• Prestitial ads

• Ad density higher than 30%

• Flashing animated ads

• Autoplaying video ads with sound

• Postitial ads with countdown

• Full-screen scroll-over ads

• Large sticky ads

With those types of advertisements in mind, let’s dive into just how the ad-blocker will work for both publishers and advertisers.

For publishers specifically, if your ads fall into any of the categories listed above, Google’s ad blocker will report the violations via their Ad Experience Report. This report will include descriptions along with screenshots and video of ads that are found to be “annoying” on a site. The site owners then will have the option to address the violations and resubmit their website for review.

Seems simple, right? Well there is one catch. Google’s ad block will only be taking samples of webpages, so when a site is resubmitted for review, new violations could be found! We highly recommend that publishers become proactive about what ads are being shown on their site, otherwise there is potential to fall into a never-ending cycle of violation reports and website reviews, and nobody wants that!

Now what about advertisers? If you are distributing ads that fall into the categories above, your challenge now becomes figuring out of to reach your target audience without those features. We recommend that you refocus on the consumer themselves. Instead of relying on flashing lights, sticky ads, countdowns and other features to capture your audience, put yourself in the consumer’s metaphorical shoes. What are they looking for? What are their interests? What is their demographic? Where do a majority of them live? Shop? Spend time? All these questions will help you find just want they want in an ad. The more questions you can answer the better success your ads will have, and without all the gaudy features!

In the end, if publishers and advertisers follow the guidelines, Google’s new ad blocker will not only be non-issue, but it will ultimately improve your consumer’s experience.

Sources:
https://www.betterads.org/coalition-for-better-ads-to-introduce-better-ads-experience-program/
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ad-experience-unverified?hl=en
https://www.betterads.org/standards/

Originally Published at p3da.com: https://www.p3da.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-google-chromes-new-ad-blocking-feature

Yelp changes its review policy: what you need to know

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Just a few weeks ago, Yelp made a statement that discussed why businesses should not work with review solicitation companies or solicit reviews in any way from mailing list subscribers, customers, friends or family. They state that if a business shows any indication of organized review solicitation, they will demote their business page in Yelp search results.*

The reason for this strict policy is because Yelp is noticing many instances of businesses that are falsely inflating their rating by soliciting positive reviews, which interferes with the natural flow of reviews.

To get the most out of Yelp, here are some tips that will help you achieve a better Yelp listing, without being penalized.

1.) Claim your business on Yelp. If your business is not yet claimed on Yelp, this is the first step that you need to take to improve your Yelp page. If you are unsure if your business is claimed, find your business page and look for a blue check mark next to your business name with the word ‘claimed’ next to it. If your business it not claimed, you will see the word ‘unclaimed’ next to your business’ name. You can claim your listing by clicking on the word ‘unclaimed,’ login or create a business user account, and verify that you are owner of the business by initiating a call from Yelp with a verification code that you enter online.

2.) Respond to Reviews: Ideally, you should respond to a negative review within 24 hours. Yelp’s Data Science team claims that Yelp users are 33% more likely to upgrade their review if you respond with a personalized message within a day.** If you receive a negative review, make sure that you compose your response after you have taken a few breaths and are not hastily responding with emotions high. Don’t be defensive, keep your response short and sweet, sincerely apologize for the mistake that caused them to be upset and reassure them that the issue has been resolved or will be addressed.

3.) Make sure your business is easy to find: Verify that your name, address, phone number and website are correct and that your business is listed in the appropriate category.

4.) Display approved Yelp branding: You can get free Yelp signage such as a window cling that reads “People Love Us on Yelp” if you’ve earned it, or request a “Find Us on Yelp” sticker by clicking here . Using tools like these isn’t directly asking for a review but instead, they remind customers that they can leave a review, as sometimes when people have a positive experience, they don’t always think to share it. You can also embed positive Yelp reviews on your website.

* https://www.yelpblog.com/2017/11/businesses-not-work-review-solicitation-companies

** https://www.yelpblog.com/2017/03/responding-reviews-within-24-hours-boosts-upgrade-probability

How Facebook's news feed ranks your posts

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

On any given day, Facebook users have the potential to be exposed to hundreds if not thousands of different content posts and ads. So how does Facebook decide what to show its users?

Facebook aims to connect its users with the most relevant content to them. They assess what matters most to the user, and prioritize that content within their news feed. Facebook employs algorithms to determine relevancy of content so that each user gets served the appropriate content.

What the heck is an algorithm?

An algorithm is a mathematical set of rules for solving a problem. In this case, Facebook mathematically looks at all available content from friends and pages the user follows. They then look at signals to define how relevant each post may be, including who posted the story or how old it is.

From there, Facebook makes predictions on whether the user will react or engage with the post, largely based on previous interactions. They assign a relevancy score to determine how each post will be ordered in the user’s news feed.

So what can I do to stay relevant in Facebook’s news feed?

In order to ensure your posts are seen in users’ news feeds, adopt a customer-first approach to messaging. Be sure to both inform and entertain through your Facebook posts, and focus on developing a deeper relationship with your followers.

Vary your posts, and post frequently. Include photos, videos and links as much as possible. Links can drive meaningful audiences to your website.

Connect with your audience in a deeper, more meaningful way in order to enjoy better organic ranking within your followers’ news feeds.

Which ads are most effective

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In the world of digital advertising, there are literally hundreds - if not thousands - of options you can use to reach a potential customer. Do you want to serve a pre-roll video ad on Youtube? Get competitive on Google? Do you want to touch base with them on Facebook? Maybe you want to do all of these things! Truth is, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the options digital advertising contains. It’s a field that’s growing quickly, and every new option sounds flashier and more advantageous than the last. But which ads are most effective?

It’s an important question to go back to, sometimes multiple times during your advertising campaigns. The first step is to determine what effect you want this ad to have! Advertising isn’t there for the sake of advertising; it’s there to serve your business purposes. Whether you’re trying to increase newsletter signups, make the public aware of a new service you offer, or to convince people that your prices are better than your competitors’, your ads should tie into this in order to be effective.

We’ve found the most effective advertising campaigns are those that tie the core messages to both the delivery vehicle and the creative means. For example, let’s say you’re trying to sell more pizzas to a young, urban audience. An effective campaign might start with some research – What do young urbanites do? What do they like? Let’s say we learn that they love cat videos and spend all day on Instagram – a series of Instagram ads with cats eating pizza might be just the trick to engage them right meow!

Then in order to track the effectiveness, we look at the campaign’s result. Look at Google Analytics, advertising dashboards; follow the consumer from the ad served to the pepperoni pizza they order. And once you get significant data, start looking at how effective they are. Which ads are driving traffic? Is the traffic converting to more pizza orders? Maybe people who click on the ads with Mr Whiskers are more likely to order multiple pizzas – that would mean Mr Whiskers might need more screentime!

In the end, we need to conclude that there’s no magic formula for an effective online ad. There’s just solid marketing fundamentals with new tools, new platforms and amazing possibilities.

Digital Marketing: An efficient way to spend your ad dollars

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The world of online advertising has opened up possibilities for reaching the ideal customer that extend beyond what was previously available with traditional media such as TV and print. A multi-media approach is most advantageous for reaching consumers throughout the entire purchase funnel, but digital advertising can reach the customers most aligned with your product when they are doing research, and subsequently when they are ready to take action.

Many business owners utilizing digital marketing appreciate the ability to target their ideal customer and send them specific, highly trackable messaging. Asking a consumer to join an email list, click through to learn more, or even click to make a purchase, are all calls to action that can be measured and then used as indicators of success for the campaign. As we learn more about how users engage with digital advertising, we know that the metrics don’t mirror the success of a campaign fully; consumers take action in a multitude of ways much like with television ads. Still, the idea that they can glean tangible results from digital campaigns is extremely valuable to business owners. If they can market to only the people most likely to purchase their product, then they will be using their advertising dollars most efficiently.

How does a business owner begin implementing a data-driven marketing strategy? Understanding their ideal customer and laying out their campaign goal(s) is the first step. Deciding what benchmarks they will use to measure the success of the campaign is also crucial. Do they need to increase foot traffic by 10%? Will 25 new members to their email database be deemed a success? Once these framework pieces are in place, the last step is picking a solution that matches their goals. Whether this is an internal employee running the campaign or an external digital marketing partner, the likelihood of a successful campaign worth the investment increases exponentially.

Creating usable content to brand your business

Fri, 18 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

There are many actions one can take to increase leads. One of those actions is to create content, through words, diagrams, photographs, or videos. Having different types of content is essential for any business, as it positions you as an expert in your industry. But how do you create content that is usable and how does it create leads?

What is content usability? Content usability is when you focus on distributing information that the viewer can read easily, while ensuring that color and layout are visually appealing. Content usability entices people to view the information you are providing them.

Tips to help you start creating usable written content

Be Consistent:

If viewers are looking at your material and there are too many bolded or italicized words for no reason they will become confused. A confused viewer will leave your content page a whole lot earlier. Keep fonts and formatting identical throughout the written work.

Don’t Needlessly Underline Text:

Underlining text has been reserved for hyperlinks on the web. If you are trying to make that word or phrases seem more significant within the content, underlining is not the correct solution. Make content more exhilarating by finding a different phrase to emphasize your point.

Tips for creating usable photographs

Symmetry:

Viewers will find your photographs more appealing if you use symmetry. A picture is symmetrical when the lines within the photo are straight and evenly centered.

Guide/Lead Lines:

Guiding lines or lead lines are lines the photographer purposely makes in order to draw the viewer’s attention towards a specific part of the picture. If using lead lines make sure the lines included do not take away from the central idea of the photograph.

Tips for creating usable videos

Appearance:

How does the video look? Make sure the viewer can identify the video screen when it first starts playing. Is the content something that fits your business’s brand? Think about the meaning of the video and how it represents your business. Is the video sized accurately, or does the placement look off compared to the rest of the content? These attributes are important when deciding if the video is usable.

Delivery:

Does the video buffer when someone tries to view it, or does it play immediately? The viewer will become uninterested if he or she must wait for either the video or sound to sync up.

Content can be a powerful instrument. Make sure your message is not lost in a sea of misunderstanding, along with your brand or business. Provide valuable content to your users for repeated web traffic.

The next time you think about publishing content make sure it is usable not only for the business’s sake but for the viewers as well.

Social media: A key brand building block

Fri, 16 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A primary business goal is always to strive for growth in the ever-changing market economy, and what better way to grow than to invest in marketing to enhance your business’ brand awareness? Better yet, why not invest in the fastest growing, and most profitable marketing sector? Digital marketing.

Digital marketing reaches the largest audiences because viewers attention is predominantly focused on the internet. People today are constantly surfing the web researching, shopping, emailing, and certainly maintaining an active presence on social media. We stay connected with our friends, family, community, and even our favorite brands and companies on social media.

Social media provides an environment in which people can interact with businesses unlike ever before. For better or worse, the public can broadcast their reviews of companies, products, services, and so much more for all to see and read. And likewise, businesses can respond to their active customers and engage with potential new clientele in an immediate fashion. This type of connectivity provides significant, and perhaps unmatched opportunities for companies to grow their brand and foster positive relationships with their customers. Here are a few concepts to keep in mind as your business ventures into the social media space:

Chose your channels wisely : The number of platforms and profiles available to market to your audiences on can be overwhelming, but play to your strengths and don’t spread your efforts out too thin. Establish clear outcomes and viewer demos for optimal social media success.
Master your bandwidth : On a related note: when selecting Facebook vs. Twitter or Instagram vs. Snapchat, be sure that you have the ability to constantly monitor, navigate and know the various best practices of each platform. Demonstrate social media savviness and avoid a #fail for your business’ presence.
Stimulate Shares: The key to successful social media activity for any business is to encourage engagement with your content. Generate simple, eye-catching, and most-importantly shareable posts that truly resonate with your ideal viewers.
Be Consistent: In order to grow your business’s brand using social media, a regular flow of familiar, yet interesting material is imperative.
- Increase recognition by incorporating your logo or alternative branding imagery into every piece of content

Multiply your audience by posting regularly at alternating times, with fresh subject matter
Plan ahead! Reduce stress and manage your time by organizing a social media posting calendar, but be flexible enough to align with trending topics and popular news.

Lights, camera, action! Tips and tricks for video marketing SUCCESS

Wed, 17 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Videos are on the rise as a preferred media of choice by many consumers, and they are likewise gaining popularity with marketers who can leverage the affordable medium to inform and entertain prospective new customers.

Video provides a rich media experience that audiences enjoy viewing, while also telling a multilayered story that can begin the relationship-building process.

The value of video marketing is vast, with the ability to reach innumerable audience members who will retain a much higher proportion of the visual and auditory messaging, as compared to written text. Video also offers dynamic ways to tell your story on a variety of platforms across the entire globe! From pre-roll ads before a popular YouTube music video plays, to mid-roll commercial breaks during an on-demand primetime television show, and even interstitial ads on the latest app or smartphone game. You can even convert videos to flash and run video ads as standard display.

The options and capabilities of video advertising are seemingly endless and provide a robust medium for capturing the attention of your viewing public. Video is prime marketing content, and thus receives the best accessibility and placement on the internet. The highest search engine rankings are awarded to videos, especially by Google (which owns YouTube) and is positioned in front of the largest audiences.

Ready to start filming? Here are a few key takeaways to keep in mind as you embark on your marketing video production:

S hort – keep the video message brief and succinct

U seful – provide value to your audience

C lickable – promote interaction with the content to find out more

C ustom – ensure your video is edited specifically for online audiences

E ngaging – entice viewers to watch from beginning to end

S hareable – encourage your audience to share the video with their networks

S tatistics – Optimize your videos based on performance measurements

The power of native advertising

Fri, 05 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A company is always trying to think up new and exciting ways to get and keep the audience’s attention. Native advertising is the perfect solution for this conundrum.

There are many benefits of writing native advertising. Some of these benefits include pulling a higher click-through rate because the articles are relevant to what is already on the page. Your audience is more enticed to click on a native article. Engagement is another huge benefit of using native advertising. Companies are able to reach out to their audience in a way that will not feel overbearing so the person reading the content will stay and interact longer with the site.

In case these benefits did not completely convince you on why your company should be using native advertising here is a statistic that might change your mind. According to a Business Insider (BI) headline, “Native ads will drive 74% of all revenue by 2021.”

The future is native advertising, why not look forward to it and give the people what they want; native articles.

Frightened by the thought of using native articles? Here is some useful information for when your company wants to pursue writing a native article. You may be asking yourself what even is a native article?

Native articles are content that is considered educational, humorous, inspirational, historical, or biographical. This may seem like native articles need a lot of information in them but one way to think of a native article is as an article that can last on a website for months at a time.

In order to make creating a native article incredibly easy here are some items that should not be included if it is to be considered a true native article.

Items to Not Include:

Do not use a daily news story
Do not make it an opinion or commentary piece
Do not have an article that is considered self-promoting
Do not have an article that is slandering competitors
Do not have anything stating a specific sales event
It should never be offensive or pornographic

The point of a true native article is to give out information that will keep people interested and for a client to be able to spend a long time without ever changing the article. A native article is written in a way that keeps people intrigued and that is easy for them to understand.

Some Ways Native Articles Do This is by:

Using a list-style article
Cite at least one or two sources
Be accurate
Tell a story; don’t just list off facts or the reader will get bored and move onto a more stimulating article instead
When writing a native article start with the climax, make the story sound exciting because it is and the reader will spend more time on your content

When writing a native article there are certain requirements. Most native articles are 500 to 700 words long, the use of third-person narrative is preferred, and when writing the article use the inverted pyramid style.

Now that you understand more about the importance of native advertising hopefully these helpful hints will give your business the confidence to try writing a native article.

Are you visible?

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Becoming a reliable search engine result for customers.

It’s Friday night, and your family wants pizza. No particular brand is family favorite, but your daughter likes thick crust, your son wants a vegetable-only option and you want delivery. How do you decide? Most likely, you'll turn to the internet. In the millisecond after you’ve entered “pizza delivery in my town” into the search box, Google returns the relevant search results, with the most appropriate on top to make it easier for you to make a purchasing decision. “Paul’s Pizza Pub offers thick-crust pizza with mushrooms and onions, and they will deliver it in 30 minutes? I’ll take it!”

As a consumer, the how and why of which search results come up on top is not as important as being able to get to the products and services you want. But as a business owner, you need understand how search engines operate and how you can become a reliable search result so that potential customers—who do a lot more research than pizza consumers—find you before a competitor.

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is “the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine” (Oxford Living Dictionaries, 2017). There are two main focus areas of SEO: Onsite and Offsite.

Onsite SEO

Onsite SEO refers to what is happening in the back end of your website. When you built your company’s website, you turned to a website developer or marketing company. In mapping out the plan for your website, you discussed what it would look like and what content you wanted to include. Both of these things are critical to the user experience. Did you also talk about what would be done to the back end to make your site attractive to search engines? Did you discuss the framework, tags and descriptions that would ensure search engines could easily scroll your content to help you become a top result in search? If you did, then you are ahead of many business owners. If not, now’s the time!

The criteria list search engines use for ranking websites is lengthy. Two examples include adding alternative text tags to your images so that search engines easily identify them and giving each page within your site a unique title so that multiple pages that show up in search don’t confuse users. If both of these tactics sound like another language, you’re not alone. The world of onsite SEO uses technology and terms that most of us are not familiar navigating. But whoever builds and manages your website should be concerned with both the front-end user experience of the site and the back-end functionality to get the most out of your efforts. If working to develop your onsite SEO isn’t in their wheelhouse, then finding another source to help you focus on it should be a priority.

Offsite SEO

Once you’ve finished optimizing your website, it’s time to make sure you are visible elsewhere online. Offsite SEO refers to improving your search rank wherever your business is listed other than your website, such as directory and review sites or social media channels. Maybe someone is on Yelp reading local reviews about wedding vendors, or their go-to directory could be Yellowpages.com. Perhaps it starts with Google and moves to Google Maps or Google My Business. All of these websites classify as online directories. There are more than 300 of them, and they all play a significant role in whether your business will come up on top in a search listing.

Google relies on these directories, especially its own, to feed it information about your business and your competitors. After a consumer enters a search word or phrase, it looks to see whether you are listed, claimed and have accurate contact information across your listings. If so, it deems you a reliable search result and moves your website and directory listings closer to the top of the results list. Each directory follows its own set of rules and timelines and requires some degree of hoop jumping to become listed and claimed. But once done, you should start to see improvement in your search ranking.

Working to improve your search ranking is not something you do once, check off your to-do list and move on. It should be considered an operational function of your business because your potential customers are doing the majority of their searching for products and services online. Taking the time to “clean your digital house” is worth the time and investment. Although you won't move to the number one spot in search rankings overnight, you will see your rankings improve and inevitably turn some new leads to your website and business.

Are some social media sites too outdated to be useful to campaigns anymore?

Fri, 07 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

More than likely, you have a few social media sites that are your go-to when creating campaigns for your clients.

These are some of the most popular social media sites that are used to create successful campaigns:

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Snapchat
Pinterest
Tumblr

What about some of the more outdated social media sites? Are the sites we used to know truly gone or can we somehow integrate them into our current campaigns and keep our clients happy?

Social media sites are ever-changing and sometimes don’t keep up with the current need or want of the client. Here are a few social media sites you may have forgotten or not even heard of before.

Friendster
MySpace
Orkut
Yahoo Buzz!
Google+
Ello
Foursquare
Meerkat

Have all of these social media platforms been pushed aside by bigger, more well-known sites or have some evolved?

The answer is both, some sites have died out but others found a way to compete with the social media giants. Social media sites have had to keep evolving over time in order to keep up with the more popular sites. One example of a site that has died out is Meerkat.

Meerkat was released in February 2015, but was shut down on October 4, 2016. It had originally started out as an app used for live-streaming videos. Unfortunately, Meerkat was unable to continue in the direction of live-streaming because it could not compete with other forms of live-streaming such as Periscope and Facebook Live. Even though not all of these social media sites have lived long enough to become relevant to our clients outside of the social media giants, not everything about them is completely gone.

Another example to take note of is the social media app Foursquare. You probably remember people using this app to try to be ‘Mayor’ of your block or a certain location. Although Foursquare itself did not continue to grow into something more, it is still around today.

The concept of Foursquare has been used in many other apps such as Pokémon Go. Instead of shutting down completely, Foursquare found a way to license the technology they used for location. This in turn helped them to stay alive.

While some social media sites are no longer useful to our clients, the main point is social media sites; even old ones can still be relevant. Social media is changing so quickly that we need to be prepared for anything. Some of the most popular sites like Facebook, and Twitter may not always be as relevant as they are today.

Some social media sites are too outdated to be considered useful in our line of work anymore. Although some social media sites may not always be at the forefront of our minds, their technology can still be used to influence some of the next big sites. In order to better assist our clients, we as our company’s representatives need to be aware of different types of social media, even the ones that are no longer considered popular. Some of the sites that are no longer popular are now the backbone of the technology we have today.

Some of the technology that came out of the outdated social media sites is still incredibly useful and has paved the way for new sites that our clients frequently use.

Our job should be to continually evaluate not only the most well-known sites but also keep our eyes on less popular, potentially even underutilized sites that might have an especially unique opportunity for our clients.

The importance of the landing page

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

For every online marketing campaign we look at the unique needs of each client. We strategize over targeting options, which form of online advertising to use, the creative message and how to best execute the overall strategy. Here at Phase 3 Digital, in order to get those bottom line results, we don’t just focus on the targeting, the medium or the message. We focus on conversion and how we can turn your online traffic into leads for your business. How do we do this? We ensure your online advertising is going to a landing page set up for visitor-to-leads-conversion. In this post, we will discuss landing page best practices and common mistakes.

Landing Page Best Practices

Be sure that your landing page is mobile friendly. Remember, over 50% of users are on their mobile phones.

If you're running an online advertising campaign, you probably have some amazing creative with a strong call to action. Be sure when people are clicking through your ad, you are sending them to a landing page with a matching headline and similar look and feel

Keep your main call to action above the fold so it’s the first thing people see.

When capturing leads with a form, keep the amount of form fields to a minimum. Try to only ask for the bare minimum of information you need.

Use testimonials and video. Both of these ensure trust and increase engagement.

Install Google Analytics and be sure to watch the inbound traffic coming to your website. Use that data to make adjustments to your landing page if necessary.

Common Mistakes Made with Landing Pages

Don’t send people to a home page or a landing page that doesn’t directly address the reason that they clicked on your ad in the first place.

Don’t have multiple call to actions or too much content. Keep your landing page clean in design and make the call to action clear

Don’t ask for too much information. You will deter people away if they have to provide too much information.

Tips for running a successful online contest

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

There are many benefits of running social media contests. They help your business build awareness, increase engagement and are a rich source of data. To reap these benefits, you must make sure that the contest is run properly and effectively. Below are some tips that will help you make the most out of your contests.

The first step when building a contest is to determine a goal. Do you want to grow your subscriber list, increase social engagement or generate more sales? Maybe you want to do all three. Whatever your goal may be, make sure your goal is S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely).

Setting a goal will help you to determine the type of contest that you want to run. Sweepstakes contests are the easiest for users to enter but photo or video contests with fan votes are always great for engagement.

Make sure you have clear contest rules. The rules should include a description of how the winner will be selected. You should also be sure to include an eligibility section where you specify age and residency restrictions. It’s also important to include the contest entry period, explain how to enter, and let your fans know how their personal information will be used. In addition, know the laws for your area or consult someone from your legal team to be sure you have included everything that you need.

You should create a contest hashtag that reflects your contest and also promotes your business and brand. A hashtag will tie your contest across various social networks but keep in mind that on Twitter and Facebook there is such a thing as too many hashtags. We recommend having only 2 hashtags on those platforms but on Instagram, more is better.

Your contest should have nice, eye-catching images that reflect your brand. Include your logo and use resources such as Canva or Photoshop to create professional looking artwork.

Limit the amount of information you collect from the entrants. A good rule of thumb is to limit the form fields to three or less. Decide what the most important pieces of information to collect are that will be beneficial to your marketing efforts. The more form fields you have, the less likely people will be to enter your contest.

Lastly, don’t forget to promote your contest! One great paid option is to use Facebook advertising because you can tailor the ads to your specific target audience and can spend as little to as much as you want.

6 strategies to strengthen your business' online reputation

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Conduct a Google search of your business. Do the results cause you to beam with pride or cower in embarrassment? Your digital footprint contains information that can be helpful – or harmful to your reputation.

The Importance of a Strong Online Reputation

Whether your customers are CEOs, prospective customers, or employees, your online reputation has a direct impact on how your business will be judged. If you are selling your business services, customers will turn to services such as Yelp, Yahoo! Local, and Angie's List to learn more about your interactions with previous customers.

Strengthening Your Online Reputation

Now that you are aware of the importance of your online reputation, it is time to take action. Here are 6 things you can do to strengthen your online reputation.

1. Assess the current state of your online reputation. Google is the preferred search engine of approximately 93% of internet users. It is a good idea to begin your search with Google. To get accurate results, sign out of your Google account. Type your business name (and different variations of the name) into the search box. Review the results. Are they negative, positive, relevant or irrelevant? Is your basic business information presented consistently and accurately? The results of this step will help you formulate a plan of action.

2. Define your goals. Do you want to establish a reputation as an industry leader? Do you have some inventory you’d like to move? Would you like more diners to come to your Sunday brunch? Getting clear about your goals will help you develop a winning strategy.

3. Create new content. Now that you know exactly what you want to accomplish, you can publish new content that reflects your new aspirations.

. Publish content on a business blog

. Become a guest author for blogs in your industry

. Post positive content on your social media channels

. Upload videos that you have developed to YouTube

. Author eBooks and authoritative articles

. Publish content on your website

4. Clean up your social media accounts. Review your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media accounts. Remove any pictures, memes, comments and posts that are damaging to your reputation. After you remove offending information, optimize your social media profiles with quality content.

5. Pay attention to your customers. Regularly review what people are saying about your business at websites like Yelp, Yellow Pages, Angie’s List, Foursquare, City Search, Superpage and more. Are you seeing positive reviews? Reach out and thank your customer! Seeing something negative? Reach out and find a way to resolve your customer’s problem, and turn things around to reflect your business positively. What a great way to increase your fan base, too!

6. Get help from a professional online management company. Phase 3 Digital can help sort all this out for your business. We can ensure that your company’s presence is displayed correctly and consistently across the internet, and alert you to anything – positive or negative – that needs your attention.

Negative or inaccurate information does not have to mess with your online reputation. By taking corrective actions, you will be able to see improvements in less than 3 months!

5 reasons why you should be event targeting

Sat, 25 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

What is event targeting?

It is a precise time-based geo-targeting strategy that allows advertisers to target an audience based on a geo-fence. Simply put: “tag” users in a specific location as you would tag users who visit your website, and deliver digital banner ads to their mobile devices as they browse the web and apps.

Event advertising isn’t new. Some traditional advertisings examples are:

Vinyl banners at sporting venues or concerts
Digital reader board ads
Booth space at exhibits, games and concerts
Flyers and handouts

Imagine you want to set up a sales booth at a home show or sponsor the local sports team with arena signage. It’s a great way to get in front of a specific audience and connect your name with other recognizable brands. But when the audience leaves the home show or event, will they remember they saw you? What if you didn’t have enough time to speak with all the people walking by your booth or what if people left without making a purchase decision with you? With event targeting you can continue to deliver your messaging to them for weeks after the event!

Advertisers can reach an audience that exhibits huge intent for related products or services that are planning and ready to buy. Very little impressions are wasted on a non-relevant audience by utilizing targeting methods based on events people have attended.

Here are 5 ways event targeting can be a benefit to your marketing strategy:

Leverage premium real estate.
Access the ad space that is in their hands at the event! People constantly access their phones at events. Taking selfies, researching products, checking next event times and weather forecast (for instance at sporting events) are just a few reasons people hop on their phones while attending an event or show. An ad in their hand is just as likely to be seen as a digital billboard on the event screen, show booth, flyer or hanging vinyl ad if not more likely to be seen and absorbed.

More affordable to reach your coveted audience.
Booth space is expensive. Sponsored signage involves contracts and ridged design space. Event targeting with a digital campaign allows you to pay for measured impressions and allows you to design multiple ad sizes and messaging. A smaller local advertiser can reach a premium audience without breaking the bank over a weekend event.

Get around exclusivity.
Just because your competitor is there, doesn’t mean you missed out. You don’t have to be an exclusive sponsor and commit to something months in advance. Event targeting campaigns can be developed quickly and allow businesses to compete and win customers.

Be in two places at once.
What if two shows are going on at the same time in different locations? With event targeting, you can be in both. If they are too expensive to have a physical presence in and staff, or if one is too small to invest in, business can still reach people who attend the show.

Get more time with your audience
The ability to target the audience after the event is really the icing on the cake. Expand your impact by extending your view time with the audience. Make an impression on their memories. Attendees gain awareness of products by visiting shows and are in a consideration phase. Event targeting can seal the deal for you by keeping you top of mind and sharing why they should choose you.

Still need ideas on when to utilize event targeting? Here are some events and venues to consider in your market:

Conferences, conventions & tradeshows
Sporting events, fitness competitions, school teams
Concerts & tours
Performing arts: opera, theatre, musicals
Festivals: music, renaissance
Fairs: state fairs, carnivals, Oktoberfest, craft fairs
Community & cultural events
Fundraisers & benefits
Parades
Venues: amusement parks, speedways, even hotels

3 reasons to rethink your video marketing strategy

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Video marketing is often an overlooked method for creating a competitive advantage as an SMB. Video production and associated costs can feel like barriers to executing an effective video marketing strategy. Luckily, efficient video marketing resources are more accessible than ever. Here is why you need to rethink your video marketing strategy today:

Improve your organic SEO rankings. YouTube ranks as the second largest search engine behind Google. Video content is an essential component to your SEO strategy and offers an additional opportunity to add relevant keywords through naming your videos. As you build your library, you can also create a sitemap for videos—another opportunity for search engines to crawl your site and boost your rankings.

Position yourself as an industry leader. Harness the power of video to position yourself as the authority in your field. As a local mechanic, create a video tutorial on how to prepare your vehicle for winter. If you are a flower shop owner, demonstrate how to arrange the perfect bouquet. Create video testimonials with your favorite clients. Capitalize on the video via YouTube and on your own website.

Engage your audience. Video produces higher social engagement rates than photos, blogs and other static communication. Use the power of video through your social media channels to improve brand affinity across a wide audience.

The right digital agency will help you define your goals and take advantage of the multi-channel benefits to video marketing.

Your analytics are talking, but are you listening?

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Your business’ analytics are of the utmost importance in today’s social media and digital age, especially when it comes to your marketing strategy. Analytics can tell us a great deal about your online presence, what you’re doing well, and where we can focus our expertise.

Check out the list below to see some of the data that analytics can provide.

Demographics:

· Who’s visiting your website and social pages?

· Are they male or female?

· How old are they?

Traffic:

· Where are people coming to your site from?

· Are people coming through a social network?

· Are they doing an organic or direct search?

· Are they being referred to your site through Google or Bing?

· Where are they geographically?

As a business owner, it’s critical to know how your online content is consumed. We will show you how many different pages people are viewing, the average amount of time they’re spending at pages on your website or mobile app, as well as find out what process they go through to complete a purchase or sign up for an email newsletter. With analytics, we’ll determine where people may be getting stuck in the process and make improvements to create a well-rounded user experience.

All of these things are important so that we can see how we’re measuring up to the key performance indicators and goals we set up with you. With the knowledge and understanding we gain from using analytics, we’re able to better serve you and your consumers and offer a better overall brand experience, often leading to returning business.

Analytics and your marketing go hand-in-hand, and understanding analytics will lead to a more efficient marketing strategy. Why not start with what the numbers tell you, and help build a better overall business strategy with these tools!

Creating a social media strategy for your business

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

So you have a Facebook account for your business. Great! What is your social media strategy?

This is often a hard question for business owners to answer. We often ask it when meeting with business owners who are starting to dabble in the world of social media. Here are some common answers we hear:

· I want to promote my business to get new leads

· I want more brand awareness

· I think it is important for search

· I don't really have a strategy, I just post when I have time

· I just know I need one for my business

In truth, those are all valid answers. They just aren't great strategies on their own. The most important thing for a business owner to remember is that social media is not a selling tool. We can't tell you how many businesses use their Facebook or Twitter accounts to do nothing but post about upcoming sales. Social media is about long-term ROI, not short-term ROI. It’s about being social, building relationships, engagement and interesting content.

Think of a social media channel as a way to have a conversation with your customer. Do you think a customer only wants to hear about an upcoming sale? Would you go out of your way to have a conversation with a friend that only talks about business? You would probably get bored of your conversations and eventually talk to them less and less. Social media is the same way!

To come up with a social media strategy, you need to first commit to posting regularly. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat or any other form of social media, you should be posting at least 3-7 days a week (if not more depending on the channel). When it comes to Facebook especially, it’s a lot harder for a business’s posts to show up in their followers news feed. Sure you have 1,000 people who like your page, but maybe only 10% of those likes are seeing your posts. This means you have to work hard to engage with your followers. The more engagement you have, the larger your reach.

Our Tips for Creating a Social Media Strategy

· Start by choosing one media channel to take on for your business. Put your focus into growing the account, engaging customers and posting regularly. Then, if and when you have time for another channel, focus on both. Go from there! ACTIVITY is what is important and what helps drive engagement.

· Each social media platform has its OWN social media strategy. Try not to cross post your content. Why would anyone follow your business on multiple channels if it’s the same content? If you do, be sure to adjust the messaging and style of the post to fit that particular social media channel. For example, if you are posting on Instagram, be sure to include your #hashtags and make it about the photography. If you are posting on Twitter, make it short, sweet and interesting. Overall, just make sure it’s engaging!

· Create a posting calendar. This tip is perfect for busy business owners. Take a few hours and try to plan out some posts. Creating a calendar can help you keep on track and brainstorm fun ideas. You can even pre-schedule your posts through out the month.

· Take pictures & videos. This is something that business owners and managers don’t always think about in their day-to-day routine. Take pictures of your staff members, team photos, pictures of jobs you are working on, the office, work vans, videos of what you do, etc! The things that are normal everyday tasks can be some of your most interesting content.

· Provide tips and tricks. You are the experts, so help others by providing helpful information. If you have a blog, share that content too!

· Create a contest. Creating a contest on your social media pages is the perfect way to drive engagement! People LOVE anything free. Plus, the interaction with your page’s contest will help your future posts land in more news feeds as they engage with your brand! Now, these contests can be really simple! They don’t have to be large prizes that are going to cost you a ton of money, think small. For example, a $25 gift card, a low-priced retail item, sports memorabilia, or gift basket.

· Get your business involved in the community . If your business participates in any community events or projects, share it! It’s great exposure for you and the community.

· Partner with other businesses or nonprofits. If you are doing a promotion or contest, partner with another brand. Post content that involves both of your pages to increase the reach of your posts!

· Hire a social media manager. If you find that you just don’t have time to manage your social media, find someone who does.

If you want your business to be successful with social media, you need to have a solid strategy in place.

At Phase 3 Digital, we have first hand seen how a brand’s strong social media presence can convert to sales. Don’t underestimate the power of social media. It’s word of mouth on steroids! With time, effort and a solid strategy in place, your business can experience the same!

Tips for responding to online reviews

Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Reputation management for your brand is one of the most important pieces of running your business. Most likely, your business is being discussed online so having online reviews, especially positive ones, are beneficial for your company. Whether the review is positive or negative, it’s important to respond.

Here are some tips for responding to online reviews:

Respond ASAP. A timely response can demonstrate how attentive and receptive you are to your customer’s feedback.

Say thank you . Show your appreciation for the time that the customer took to write the review and let them know that you care.

Make lemonade out of those review lemons. A negative review isn’t worth responding to if it was posted by someone whose language and opinions are irrational, and you’re probably better off ignoring it. But you should respond to legitimate concerns and negative reviews by genuine customers. Keep your response positive and professional and establish an authentic human relationship. You have a chance to remedy the situation and maybe even improve your standing with the customer.

Respond privately to resolve the issue. If you prefer to take the conversation off of the public review site, you can send a short message to the reviewer. In that message you should introduce yourself, thank them for their feedback, apologize for the fact that their experience didn’t satisfy them and summarize what you understand to be their concerns. You can offer to rectify their concern, whether that be working to improve a procedure or offering them some sort of incentive to return to your business.

Learn and move on: A good businessperson will learn from the reviews, improve their business if they think it’s necessary and then move on. Don’t forget that you should always encourage happy customers to leave reviews!

Do you have any tips for responding to online reviews? Email us at info@p3da.com .

5 benefits of social media for small business owners

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Popular social platforms have become marketing giants, offering businesses valuable data about their customers and a (mostly) free way to reach them. The jury has spoken: social media for business is no longer optional.

Because it appeared quickly, social media has developed a reputation by some for being a passing marketing interest, and therefore, an unprofitable one. The statics, however, paint a different picture. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites. And according to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media – but 85% of participants aren’t sure what social media tools are best to use.

Many people use social media for personal reasons, but now if you are not using it for business reasons you’re quickly falling behind. You will be surprised how using social media can reach into other parts of your marketing strategy. Here are 5 benefits of social media for small business owners:

1. The ability to engage with customers: Social media is a communication channel like email or phone calls. It’s not just about blasting your company’s sales pitch on social, it’s a two-way channel where you have the opportunity to enrich relationships with your customers.

Even if you are not on social media, most of your customers expect you to be. Over 67% of consumers now go to social media for customer service. Every customer interaction you have on social media is an opportunity to publicly demonstrate your customer service level and enrich your relationship with your customers.

2. Keep your competitors close : With social media monitoring, you can gain key information about your competitors. This kind of intel will allow you to make strategic business decisions to stay ahead of them.

3. Increase brand awareness and loyalty: Your social media networks are just new channels for your brand’s voice and content. When you have a presence on social media, you make it easier for your customers to find and connect with you. By connecting with your customers on social, you are more likely to increase customer retention and brand loyalty.

With every profile being unique, businesses can give brands a personality on social networks. How they interact, the look and feel of the profile, all encompass the general characteristics of the brand. For many businesses, your social profile may be more important than your website. Remember, every opportunity you have to syndicate your content and increase your visibility is valuable.

4. Sharing content has never been easier: In the past, marketers faced the challenge of ensuring their content reached customers in the shortest possible time. Every post you make on a social media platform is an opportunity for customers to interact and possibly convert.

When you build a following, you’ll simultaneously have access to new customers, recent customers, and old customers, and you’ll be able to interact with all of them. Every blog post, image, video, or comment you share is a chance for someone to react, and every reaction could lead to a site visit and eventually a conversion. Not every interaction with your brand results in a conversion, but every positive interaction increases the likelihood of an eventual conversion. Even if your click-through rates are low, the sheer number of opportunities you have on social media is significant.

5. Better search engine rankings: SEO is the best way to capture relevant traffic from search engines, but the requirements for success are always changing. It’s no longer enough to regularly update your blog, ensure optimized titled tags and meta descriptions, and distribute links pointing back to your site. Google and other search engines may be calculating their rankings using social media presence as a significant factor, because of the fact that strong brands almost always use social media. As such, being active on social media could act as a “brand signal” to search engines that your brand is legitimate, credible, and trustworthy. That means, if you want to rank for a given set of keywords, having a strong social media presence could be almost mandatory.

The longer you wait, the more you have to lose. Social media marketing, when done right, can lead to more customers, more traffic, and more conversions, and it’s here to stay.

Are you ready to start reaping the benefits of social media for your business? Phase 3 Digital can help manage your social media, engage with customers and monitor your success. Email us at info@p3da.com for a free social media consultation.

Creating an effective email campaignCreating an effective email campaign

Wed, 14 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Email is one of the originals in digital media. With almost endless social channels and digital ad formats, it is easy to overlook the tried and true. However, email remains one of the most cost effective ways to reach new audiences and build brand loyalty.

Here are some quick tips and tricks for creating an effective email campaign:

Consider the length of your subject line. Keep the subject line short so that it displays in its entirety, even on mobile devices. Studies show that subject lines under 50 characters have the highest open rates.

Localize your subject line. Add relevancy to your message by including a city name or other local identifier. Localizing your message will also help to establish credibility and trust with your audience.

Create value for your recipients. What will you offer that will motivate them to open, click and act on your email?

Focus your message. Include a simple yet strong call to action. You’ve created a strong subject line and captured your audience’s attention. Now make sure your message is received quickly, clearly and high within the body of your email.

Avoid spam filters. Limit the symbols (including numbers) that you use in your subject line, as these can trigger spam filters. Additionally, avoid all-capitalization in your subject and anything that may sound deceitful (ex. Congrats, you’ve won!).

Think mobile. Nearly half of all emails are opened on a mobile device. Optimize your emails to display on small screen sizes.

Don’t forget the landing page. Where are you sending your recipients? Your landing page should be an extension of the email, with a clear call to action and mobile-friendly display.

What are your best email marketing tips? Email us at info@p3da.com . We’d love to hear from you.

10 Reasons You Should Love Blogging

support@phase3team.com (Rick Garrett) — Mon, 23 May 2016 14:02:45 GMT

Blog posts are a great way to get recognized within your community and share your voice. Here are the top 10 reasons you should love writing blog posts.

Anyone can make one:
For better or worse, anyone can write a blog post about anything they want. Everyone has a voice and the best voices will rise to the top.

The writer can show their personality:
In blog posts, the writer has more leeway to add in their voice and personality than other types of writing.

Blogs are a great form of mass communication:
You can help people, learn new things, entertain your audience—the possibilities are endless and amazing. Blogging opens up all of these to a very wide audience.

You can make money:
Get the right blog going and you can make a lot of money through advertising and sponsored posts.

It allows people to craft better thoughts:
Instead of reading haphazard, uneducated Facebook statuses, it’s much better to see people’s thought process in a well-written blog post.

You can establish a community:
Blogging allows you to connect with other individuals who share the same interests. Sharing ideas and opinions within your community helps establish yourself as a thought leader.

Good for SEO:
Keeping content on your site fresh and relevant, you can use your blog to boost the search engine ranking (SEO) of your site and your business.

It brings people back to your site:
If your blog is strong enough and updated regularly, people will come back looking for more and bring traffic back to your site as well.

It’s free:
It costs you a grand total of zero dollars to post to the blog, so if you have something to say, there’s nothing to stop you.

You can establish yourself as a thought leader:
A blog is a great place for your original thoughts, and it can be a wonderful way to show off your individuality. If people like your ideas, you can become a thought leader in your industry!

What else do you love about blogs? Let me know!

How long does SEO take to start working?

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Working in a digital agency, there is perhaps no question we get asked more than, “How long will it take me to be number one for all of my keywords?”

The answer is far from simple, and honestly the question itself is a part of the problem. I’ll explain why.

Back in the day, a typical SEO strategy involved pinpointing keywords that were the most important to your business and got your website the most traffic. That means you’d figure out about 10 or so keywords that were your “hot ticket keywords” and would bring in the most traffic.

When someone comes to us and says “I only care about this one keyword and I need to be number one for it,” We can tell that they’re stuck in the good ol’ days of "black hat" SEO. That keyword strategy doesn’t work anymore. If you’re focusing on a small group of general, popular keywords, you’re probably not being found by the majority of people searching for you.

Today's SEO is driven much more by natural language search, meaning people are performing searches that are more like normal questions than just a few keywords. A lot of this is due to people using voice recognition tools like Siri to perform their searches. People are also using more detail in their searches to find what they’re looking for more quickly. These keywords, called “long tail keywords,” are much easier to rank well for because they are not as competitive. Traffic for these keywords will also convert at a higher rate because the people performing these searches know exactly what they want.

When it comes to ranking, you don’t want to rank for a few top keywords. Instead, you want to focus on a larger number of long-tail keywords that are growing and changing.

The Real Question You Should Be Asking Your Agency Is…

“How long is it going to take for my SEO strategy to start getting me a return?”

and the answer is…..

We don’t know for sure, and…it depends. That’s a little frustrating isn’t it? But it’s the truth. There are multiple factors that influence how quickly your SEO strategy starts working. It can depend on how long you've had your domain, whether or not other SEO work has been done, how much content is housed on your site, and a number of other things. For more ranking factors, click here .

Most agencies will tell you that it can take up to 6 months to start seeing results. While that is mostly accurate, keep in mind that this is when you might start seeing results. SEO results will grow and fluctuate over time. At some point you’ll also see your results level off. At that point you’re probably trying to maintain results, rather than increase them.

So before you decide that you’re not getting the results to justify your SEO costs, give it a little more time. If you can’t budget for 6 months or more of SEO, you might be better off putting your budget somewhere else.

SEO is a long term marketing tactic, and should never be seen as a way to generate sales quickly or jumpstart a business. However, if you enter the SEO world wisely and make the proper long term investment, it’s a tactic with one of the best ROIs you’ll find.

3 fast ways to get traffic to your new site3 fast ways to get traffic to your new site

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

What do you do when you have a new website and need to get traffic to it?

When we’re looking at long term traffic – content marketing and SEO will typically offer you the biggest return on your investment. Both tactics tend to yield a positive ROI over time, as long as you’re executing them correctly.

However, there is one disadvantage of using these digital strategies if you’re look for fast results; they do take a while to set up and therefore you’ll be waiting some time before you start seeing your ROI. Search engine optimization in particular takes time to gain momentum. However, an effective SEO strategy will provide you consistent, long term, extremely valuable traffic.

If you’re looking to get traffic to your new website yesterday , you’ll want to keep reading to find out three proven strategies to gain momentum quickly.

1. Boost Your Social Media Audience. Building your social media audience can be tricky, but if you do it correctly, it can be a fast and effective way to grow your audience.

Why social media you ask? That’s easy. You can engage with your audience more directly. You can use content on social media to start attracting a new audience. You can also utilize ads on social channels to funnel traffic to your site directly if you choose.

The most important takeaway is that you are actively engaging with your audience and introducing them to your brand. This in turn will lead those people to visit your site over and over again.

2. Utilize Paid Advertisements. Paid advertising ( search engine marketing ) tends to be a turn-off for some, but when you’re looking for a quick ROI and immediate visibility it’s one of the best options.

You'll pay upfront for a guaranteed stream of traffic to your website. This sounds great, right? It is great if you need fast results, but once you take away that budget your traffic will come to a screeching halt if you're not utilizing other marketing tactics.

Compare this with something like social marketing where your audience sticks around or SEO where you’re consistently visible to your audience without paying directly for that traffic.

Paid advertising can be a great strategy, but it’s not something that has the same growth potential as other strategies.

3. Guest Posting. Guest posting means writing and publishing an article on someone else’s website or blog. It’s an effective way to connect with new readers and get your brand out there.

By asking the host blogger to include a link to your own blog in the post somewhere, you’re building valuable backlinks. Over time, these backlinks will raise the value of your blog to search engines, thus making your website and content easier to find via Google and other search engines.

Allowing other bloggers to guest post on your own site from time to time is also a great idea. If someone has allowed you to post a blog on their site, it seems only right for you to allow them the same courtesy. This allows you to develop relationships in the digital world.

If any of these digital marketing ideas sound appealing to you, but you need some help moving forward, give Phase 3 Digital!

Voice search strategies

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Search engine optimization is always changing, and one of the newest changes is the increasing popularity of voice search. It has now become a necessity for business to optimize for voice search in our fast-paced society where consumers are constantly on the go with their smartphones and tablets.

Voice Searches on the rise

Voice search was originally more of a novelty, it was not very accurate and often frustrating to use, but with the technology becoming far more accurate, its popularity is on the rise. Google presented data stating that 20 percent of searches on its mobile app and on Android devices are voice searches. With many new devices such as Amazon’s Echo, the number of voice searches likely has and will continue to increase.

How to optimize your business for voice search

One of the first things every business should be doing is making sure their website is mobile friendly. Most voice searches are happening on mobile devices. You don’t want a potential customer to use voice search, find your site and then leave because it is not mobile friendly. Mobile users need sites that are easy to navigate, without having to “pinch-in or out.”

A big step to helping create a “voice search ready” site is to optimize the content of the pages for common words or phrases that users would naturally speech-search. For example, someone may say “where is the best pet groomer in Seattle?”. You would want to optimize your site to include “Best pet groomer in Seattle.”

Another great way to add natural language to your site is by adding a Q&A page. You can include questions and phrases that people will actually speak rather than type. Sites such as answerthepublic.com or questionsamurai.com can help you come up with key words or phrases to add you your site.

Lastly, use your analytics. Google’s Search Console Report will show you what queries are driving people to your site. Using analytics will help you understand how many people are visiting your site, as well as what type of devices they are using. As of now you cannot see if someone is using a voice search, but as it gains popularity that may change.

Staying up to date on SEO is important for all businesses and it only takes a few small steps to start getting your business’s website ready for the increase in voice searches.