CONTENTSCoverTitlePageCopyrightPrefaceChapter1:AnIntroductiontoDigitalMarketing

WhatMakesThisBookDifferent?StartwiththeCustomerandWorkBackwardWhatArethe3iPrinciples?

Chapter2:SearchEngineOptimizationAnIntroductionSearchEngineResultPages:PositioningSearchBehaviorStage1:GoalsStage2:On-PageOptimizationStage3:Off-PageOptimizationStage4:AnalyzeSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?

Chapter3:PayPerClickAnIntroductionStage1:GoalsStage2:SetupStage3:ManageStage4:AnalyzeSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?

Chapter4:DigitalDisplayAdvertisingAnIntroductionDisplayAdvertising:AnIndustryOverviewStage1:DefineStage2:FormatStage3:Configure

Stage4:AnalyzeSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?

Chapter5:EmailMarketingAnIntroductionStage1:Data—EmailMarketingProcessStage2:DesignandContentStage3:DeliveryStage4:DiscoverySo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?

Chapter6:SocialMediaMarketing(Part1)AnIntroductionStage1:GoalsStage2:ChannelsSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?

Chapter7:SocialMediaMarketing(Part2)AnIntroductionStage3:ImplementationStage4:AnalyzeLawsandGuidelinesSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?

Chapter8:MobileMarketingAnIntroductionStage1:OpportunityStage2:OptimizeStage3:AdvertiseStage4:AnalyzeSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?

Chapter9:AnalyticsAnIntroductionStage1:GoalsStage2:SetupStage3:MonitorStage4:Analyze

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Chapter10:StrategyandPlanning

AnIntroductionStage1:ApproachStage2:AudienceStage3:ActivitiesStage4:AnalysisSo,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?

ConclusionAcknowledgmentsGlossaryAdditionalResourcesAbouttheDigitalMarketingInstituteAbouttheAuthorIndexEndUserLicenseAgreement

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TheArtofDigitalMarketing

TheDefinitiveGuidetoCreatingStrategic,TargetedandMeasurableOnlineCampaignsIanDodson

Coverimage:©Shutterstock/MaglaraCoverdesign:TheDigitalMarketingInstituteCopyright©DigitalMarketingInstituteLtd.Allrightsreserved.

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Names:Dodson,Ian,author.Title:Theartofdigitalmarketing:TheDefinitiveGuidetoCreatingStrategic,Targeted,andMeasurableOnlineCampaigns/IanDodson.

Description:1|Hoboken:Wiley,2016.|Includesindex.Identifiers:LCCN2016004206(print)|LCCN2016010091(ebook)|ISBN9781119265702(hardback)|ISBN9781119265719(ebk)|ISBN9781119265726(ebk)

Subjects:LCSH:Internetmarketing.|Strategicplanning.|BISAC:BUSINESS&ECONOMICS/Marketing/General.Classification:LCCHF5415.1265.D632016(print)|LCCHF5415.1265(ebook)|DDC658.8/72—dc23

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PREFACETheDigitalMarketingInstituteistheglobalcertificationstandardindigitaleducationforlearners,educators,andtheindustry.Oursistheworld'smostwidelytaughtdigitalmarketingcertificationprogram,andtherearemoregraduatescertifiedbyusthanbyanyotherindustrybody.Ourmissionistoestablishaseriesofglobalprofessionalstandardstowhichbothemployersandprofessionalscansubscribe.ThatiswhywefoundedtheDigitalStandardsAuthority,anindustry-basedworkinggroupthatdefinesandvalidatesDigitalMarketingInstitutecourses.TheDSAvalidatesourdevelopmentofinternationallyrecognizedandrespectedstandardsthatsupportdigitalmarketingeducationbyensuringconsistencyinourindustry-certifiedtraining.

Digitaltechnologyhastransformedthewayweliveandworkandhasimpactedeveryindustryfromretailtohealthcare.Nowmorethanever,organizationsandtheiremployeesfacethechallengeofdevelopingandmaintainingtheirbusinessoperationsandcustomerengagementinaconstantlyevolvingdigitalspace.Inarecentsurvey,only37percentofAmericanemployerssaidthattheythoughtthatrecentcollegegraduatesarepreparedtostaycurrentonnewtechnologies.1Theincreasingdigitalskillsgapandconsequentneedfortrainingisunmistakable,andsomethingthatwearededicatedtoaddressing.

Ourgoalistoempowerprofessionalswiththedigitalskillsandknowledgeneededtotakecontroloftheircareersandmaximizetheirpotential.Weachievethisthroughourcourses,whicharedesignedanddevelopedbyindustryexperts.Thismeansthatallofourcoursecontentisinformedbyindustrybestpractices,currenttrends,andinnovativeinsightsthathelpourstudentscultivateacompetitiveedgewithinanin-demandindustry.

Theprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketing,withwhichthistextbookaligns,isourkeystonecertification.Composedof10modules,itprovidesanintroductiontothekeydigitalspecialties:everythingfrommobileandsocialmediamarketingtoSEOandanalytics.Webelieveinequippingindividualswithessentialskillsthatendure,andknowledgethattheycaneasilyimplement,regardlessoftheirroles,sizeoftheircompanies,orscopeoftheirindustries.Wespecializeintransferable,flexiblelearning,whichisreflectedintheDigitalMarketingInstitute'sonlinestudyoptions.Ourcoursecontentisavailableonline24hoursaday,7daysaweek,andstudentscanaccessitwhetherthey'reathomeontheirlaptopsoronmobiledevicesontheirwaytowork.

Wewanttomakelearningsimple,accessible,andconvenient.That'swhywedevelopedthistextbook.It'sanall-inclusiveintroductoryguidethatwillteachyoueverythingyouneedtoknowtokickstartyourdigitalmarketingcareer.Youcanreaditchronologicallyorprioritizethechaptersthatinterestyoumost;likeourcourses,thisbookwascreatedtoallowyoutostudyduringyourowntimeandatyourownpace,andyoucanalwaysreferbacktoitwheneveryouneedto!

TheArtofDigitalMarketinghasbeendesignedtointegratewiththeprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketingtoproduceacomprehensivelearningexperience.Eachchapterrelatestoamoduleinthecourseandthebookprovidescompletecoverageofthecoursesyllabusandcontainsonlythemostessentialpointsoflearningthatwillbestprepareyoutopassyourexamandgainaninternationallyrecognizedandrespecteddigitalmarketingcertification.

BoththeprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketingandTheArtofDigitalMarketingaregiventheirstructurefromtheDigitalMarketingInstitute'siterativeprocess,whichfocusesonmonitoring,analyzing,andenhancingyourdigitalmarketingactivitiesbasedontheirresults.Thatmeanswiththehelpofthistextbook(andbytheendofthecourse,ifyouaretakingit),youwillbeabletodesign,develop,andexecuteafullyoptimizeddigitalmarketingstrategythatincorporatesallofthekeydigitalchannels.

TheprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketingisatthecoreoftheDigitalMarketingInstitute'scertificationroadmap,whichisshowninFigure0.1.

Figure0.1TheDigitalMarketingInstitute'sCertificationRoadmap

Thisprovidesaframeworkwithwhichourstudentscanmaptheirpersonalandprofessionaldevelopment.Whetheryouchooseaprofessionaldiplomaindigitalselling,decidetocapyourstudieswithourmastersindigitalmarketing,orsimplyusethistextasanintroductoryguide,we'retheretohelpyoubuildandexpandyourcareer.

Notes

1.HartResearchAssociates,FallingShort:CollegeLearningandCareerSuccess,accessedDecember17,2015,https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2015employerstudentsurvey.pdf

CHAPTER1ANINTRODUCTIONTODIGITALMARKETINGHaveyouexperimentedwithdigitalmarketingdrivenbyguilt,pressure,oranovereagerboss?Haveyoufoundyoureffortsdisjointed—frustrating—hit-or-miss?Giventhesheervolumeofinformationavailableondigitalmarketing,justfindingwheretostartcanbechallenging.Andevenwhenyougetstarted,howdoyouproceedinawaythatensuresyouarenotwastingyourtime,effort,orbudget?

Thisbookprovidesyouwithaframeworkforapplyingyourdigitalmarketingskillsinastructuredanditerativefashion.Youhavenowtakenthefirststeptowardsdigitalmarketingmastery,andprettysoonyouwillbeabletousetheseskillstoproducemeasureableresultsandultimately,areturnoninvestment.Whatmorecouldyouaskfor?

WhatMakesThisBookDifferent?Notonlyisthisbookafountainofknowledge,jam-packedwithalltheinformationyouneedtostartyourdigitalmarketingjourney,butourpracticalapproachtolearningwillhelpyoutograspthekeyconceptsandprovideyouwiththeskillsrequiredtoexcelinthedigitalindustry.

Furthermore,thisbookfollowsastructuredmethodologyunderpinnedbyDMI's3iprinciples.Theseprinciplesaretheframeworkrequiredforeffectivedigitalmarketingandtheyillustratetheneedforatotallydifferentapproachtotraditionalmarketing.

Thismethodologyisdescribedthroughoutthe10chaptersofthisbook,eachofwhichcoversonespecificchannelinthedigitalmarketingrepertoire.Attheendofeachchapteryouwillbegivenaspecificactionplan,andbyworkingthroughtheseplansyoucancreateacomprehensive,structured,andsuccessfuldigitalmarketingstrategy.

StartwiththeCustomerandWorkBackwardSuccessfuldigitalcampaignssharearangeofcharacteristics,butcampaignsthatfailallhaveonethingincommon:Theydon'tacknowledgetheempoweredandinformedconsumer.

PeoplePowerItistemptingtodescribetheevolutionoftheInternetintermsofnamessuchasFacebook,Lycos,Google,eBay,PayPal,Amazon,Apple,Samsung,Netflix,andYahoo!,asifthewholestoryofthewebisthestoryofbrands,companies,andtechnologies.ThetrueevolutionoftheInternetischronicledbythestoryoftheempoweredindividual.YouandIowntheInternet,andtheevolutionoftheInternetisourstory.

TheshiftfromYahoo!toGoogle10yearsagowasnotaresultofGoogle'smarketing—asuserswemadetheleapbecausewegainedmorecontroloverhowwesearchedforinformation.Thee-commercesiteeBayallowedustosellanythingtoanyoneforanypriceatanytime.Facebookallowedustostayintouchwithpeopleallovertheworldwheneverandhoweverwelike.Allthegreatleapsforwardindigitaltechnologieshavebeencharacterizedbyonething—theyhavegivenyouandmemorecontroloverourlives.

TheInternetisfundamentallydifferentfromallothercommunicationchannelsbecausewecanlearnsomuchaboutourcustomers.Wecanidentify

theirhabits,theirtechnologies,andtheirpreferences.Thefreedomthattheweboffershasfundamentallyalteredthecompany/customerrelationship,upendingitandputtingtheempoweredcustomerinthedriver'sseat.

Withtheseadvancesincommunicationandwebtechnology,thewallshavefallennotonlybetweenacompanyanditscustomerbutbetweenfellowcustomers,whocanpubliclysharetheirexperiences—thegood,thebad,andtheugly!

MarketResearchversusMarketRealityTheprimarychallengeforanybusiness,nomatterhowlargeorsmall,isquitesimple—howtogetitsproductorserviceintothehandsofthecustomer.

Howthecompanywillachievethisisinformedbymarketresearch,gutinstinct,polls,surveys,andresearchaboutexistinghabitsandactivities.However,whenconductingmarketresearch,especiallysurveys,weneedtotakeonekeyfactorintoaccount—peoplelie!

TheInternetenablesustolearnfrommarketrealitybylookingatwhatpeopleactuallydoonline.Wecanusesociallisteningtoolstoresearchcustomers'activitiesandpreferencesbasedontheironlinehabitsandtocomplementourmarketresearch,asshowninFigure1.1.Byaccessingthismarketreality,ourproductisbettertargetedandourchancesofasuccessfulgo-to-marketstrategyaregreater.

Figure1.1MarketResearchversusMarketReality

Let'sMakeThisReal!Let'simaginethatyourunacrèche—anurseryschool—inNewYorkandyouwishtocreateanonlinepresenceforyourcustomerstolocateyouandengagewithyou—andwitheachother.ItmaybetemptingtocallthiswebsiteCrecheworld.com.

However,asimplecheckusingGoogle'sKeywordPlannertoolwouldshowthatinthepastsixmonthsthenumberofuniquesearchesforcrècheinNewYorkCitywasdwarfedbysearchesforchildcarebyafactorof10!Soyoumaythinkofyourbusinessasacrèche,butyourcustomerscallitchildcare.

Eventhisearlyinthewebsiteplanningprocesswehavegonetothecustomers,lookedatwhattheyareactuallydoing,andchangedourproductappropriately.Marketrealityprovidesasounderbasisthanmarketresearchformakingcrucialbusinessdecisionssuchaswebsitenaming.

Similarlisteningtoolsexistforalldigitalchannels,andineachsectionofthisbookyouwillbeintroducedtothemosteffectivetoolsforunderstandingyourcustomers'actualonlineactivities.

Youmayask—doesthatmeanthatmarketresearchisredundant?Ofcoursenot.Wehavedifferentiatedbetweenthesetwoactivitiesinordertohighlighttheextentoftheshifttoconsumercontrol.Asmartapproachistocombinethebestofbothoftheseactivitiesintoasinglecohesivestrategy,usingonetovalidateandsupporttheother.

WhatArethe3iPrinciples?The3iPrinciples—Initiate,Iterate,andIntegrate—formthefoundationforallDMIMethodologiesandarekeytoanysuccessfulmarketingstrategy.

Principle1:InitiateOurgreatestchallengeasmarketersisshuttingup!Digitaltrulyisfordummies,inthesensethateveryquestionyoumayhaveaboutbudget,resources,strategy,andchannelsisansweredbytheconsumer—ifonlywewouldlisten!

Theinitiateprincipleofdigitalmarketingstatesthatthecustomeristhestartingandfinishingpointforalldigitalactivities.Theanswertoallquestionsis“letthecustomerdecide.”

Manypeoplearetooquicktojumpintomanagingdigitalchannels.Theyset

upblogs,websites,andsocialmediaprofilesandstartpublishingnonspecificcontentaboutthemselves,theircompanies,andtheirproducts.Theyfailtorealizethatdigitalchannelsarenotbroadcastchannelsinthetraditionalsenseoftheterm.

Infact,theyareinteractionchannelsthatfacilitateatwo-wayconversation.Bytakingthetimetofindoutwhatyourcustomersaredoingonline,yourdigitalactivitieswillbecomeradicallymoreeffective.

Yourcustomersarespeakingonline.Areyoulistening?

Principle2:IterateWithinminutesofpublishinganad,wecanseewhattheclick-throughrates,responserates,andconversionratesare.Moreimportantly,thecontentordesignoftheadcanbechangedalimitlessnumberoftimesinresponsetouseractions.Thisabilitytopublish,trackresponse,andtweakaccordinglyisthegreateststrengthoftheInternetandproducesthesecondofour3iprinciples—iterate.

Thisprincipleemphasizestheimportanceoftweakingadigitalmarketingcampaigninresponsetouserinteraction.Eachdigitalmarketingchannelismosteffectivewhenyouapplyaniterativeprocess,andthemoreiterationsofthecampaignyouapply,themoreeffectiveeachbecomes.

Therearesomekeyimplicationsofthisiterativeprocess.

Tobeginwith,thefirstpublishedideaisnotnecessarilythebest.Themythicaladvertisingmogulwhodevisesakillercampaignisathingofthepast.Why?Becauseyourcustomersarebetteratdescribingwhattheywantthananyadvertiseris.Remainopentowhatyourcustomersaredoingintheirinteractionswithyourcampaignandbepreparedtochangeit.Yourcampaigncan,andwill,improveoveritslifetime.

Next,thelengthoftheiterationdependsonthechannel.Forexample,ifyousendaweeklyemailnewsletteryouwillreviewopenratesandclick-throughrateswithinadayortwoofsendingyournewsletter.Youwillthenapplythoseinsightstoyournextcampaignintermsofwhatdidanddidnotresonatewithcustomers.Soyouriterativeloopforyourspecificemailmarketingcampaignwilltypicallybeaweeklong.

Principle3:IntegrateIntegrationasaprincipleiscrucialtoeffectivedigitalmarketing.Itworksatthreelevels:

1. Integrateyoureffortsacrossdigitalchannels.Integrationacrossdigital

channelsisaboutusinginformationgleanedthroughonechanneltoimprovetheeffectivenessofanotherdigitalchannel.Itcanbeassimpleassharinginformationlearnedthroughsearchengineoptimizationwithyouremailmarketingteam.Takeourcrècheversuschildcareexample:WhenincludingNewYorkparentsinanemailmarketingcampaignforacrèche,usingkeywordslikechildcarewillhelptoimproveyouropenrates.Thus,sharinginsightslearnedthroughonechannelcandrasticallyimprovetheeffectivenessofanother.

2. Integrateyourdigitalandtraditionalmarketingefforts.Integrationofdigitalandtraditionalmarketinginvolvesusinginformationgatheredfromyourdigitalmarketingeffortsandintegratingitintoyourtraditionalmarketingstrategy.Forexample,whenwritingthescriptforaradioadyoushouldusethesamekeywordsthatresonatewithcustomersusingsearchengines.Anyopportunitytolearnfromyourcustomerscanbesharedacrossallchannelstoimprovetheeffectivenessofallofyourcommunicationsandmarketingcampaigns.

3. Integrateyourreportingsources.Companieswhoengagewithdigitalmarketingobtainanabundanceofdataabouttheircustomers.However,itisimportanttogatherdatainawaythatallowsyoutomakegoodbusinessdecisions.Anintegratedviewofyourcustomersisagoodplacetostart.Luckily,alotoftheworkcanbedoneforyoubyusingatoolsuchasGoogleAnalytics.Forexample,thistoolcanprovideyouwithdetailedinformationonthesourceofthetrafficcomingtoyourwebsite.Whatpercentageofyoursitevisitorscomefromemailversuspaidsearchadvertising?Whichvisitorsconvertmorequickly?Whereshouldyoubeincreasingyourdigitalbudgetandwhereshouldyoubereducingit?Makingbusinessdecisionsbasedonthetruevalueofyourdigitalmarketingisacrucialstepinimplementingandjustifyingyourdigitalmarketingstrategy.

Solet'staketheleaptogether!Let'sdiscoverwhatdigitalchannelscandoforus,and—moreimportantly—forourcustomers.

CHAPTER2SEARCHENGINEOPTIMIZATION

AnIntroductionWhoevercontrolsthedoortotheInternet,controlstheInternet.AndnowsearchengineshavebecomethedefaultentrypointtotheInternet.Westartwithasimplesearchbytypingafewwordsintoasearchengine,oftenoblivioustoexactlywhathappensbehindthescenes.WhenwesearchinGoogle,forexample,wearenotactuallysearchingtheInternet;wearesearchingGoogle'sindexoftheInternet,thatis,thelistofthesitesthatithasfoundonline.Sothechallengeforeffectivesearchengineoptimization(SEO)involvesunderstandinghowsearchenginesworkandhowtoplaybytheirrules.

FormaldefinitionofSEO:Theprocessofrefiningyourwebsiteusingbothon-pageandoff-pagepracticessothatitwillbeindexedandrankedsuccessfullybysearchengines.

InformaldefinitionofSEO:SmellniceforGoogle!

Googleisnotacheapdate.Youhavetomakesomeeffort:takeashower,washyourhair,shave,andputonaspritzofaftershaveandsomedeodorant.Optimizingawebsitesothatitisfoundandindexedbysearchenginesrequiresaconsiderableamountofgroomingandthischapterwillshowyouwhattodoandhowtodoit.

TheProcessInthischapteryouwillexplorethefourkeystagesoftheSEOprocess,asshowninFigure2.1.

1. Goals.Fromtheoutset,it'simportanttobeawareofthebenefitsofSEO.TheywillserveaskeydriversasyounavigatethedevelopmentofyourSEOstrategy.Youmustdecideuponandsetupclear,realisticgoalsandtargetsforyourSEOcampaign.Thebenefitsofspendingtimedevelopinggoalsfaroutweightherisksofwalkingtheplankblindfoldedintothecompetitiveworldofsearchmarketing.Justoneerrorcouldresultinasix-monthsearchenginepenalization—withSEO,ignorancecertainlyisnotbliss!

2. On-pageoptimization.Thisdealswiththegranular,technicaloptimizationofthevariouselementsonyourwebsite.Itinvolvesensuringsearchenginescaneasilyread,understand,crawlthrough,andnavigatethepagesofyoursitetoindexitcorrectly.

3. Off-pageoptimization.Thisreferstotechniquesusedtoinfluencewebsitepositioninorganicsearchresultsthatcannotbemanagedbyon-pageoptimizationofyoursite.It'salong-term,iterativeprocessfocusedongainingwebsiteauthority,asdeterminedbywhatotherwebsitessayaboutyou.Toputitsimply,it'saboutbuildingadigitalfootprintandearningonlinecredibility.

4. Analyze.Thisstageisverymuchacyclicalprocess.You'renowlookingatthedatacomingback,analyzingit,anddecidingupontheadjustmentsneededgoingforward.Thiswillhelpyoutweakyourgoalsaccordinglyasyouimplementadditionalgoalsandchanges.

Figure2.1Four-StageSEOProcess

KeyTermsandConceptsThischaptercoversthekeyconceptsandterminologyusedwithinthefieldofSEOthatwillequipyouwiththetechnicalknow-how,understanding,andinsighttobuildandmaintainaneffectiveSEOstrategy.Uponcompletionofthischapteryouwill:

UnderstandthemeaningofSEO.

Understandorganicsearchlistings.

Understandpay-per-click(PPC)listings.

UnderstandthemechanicsofSEO.

RecognizeandutilizethethreemaindriversofSEO.

Understandon-pageandoff-pageoptimization.

Searchengineoptimizationistheprocessofrefiningyourwebsite,usingbothon-pageandoff-pagepractices,sothatitwillbeindexedandrankedsuccessfullybysearchengines.WithSEO,thebestandmostcost-effectivewaytoincreaseyourwebsitetrafficistohaveahighpositioninorganicsearchlistings.Organicsearchlistingsrefertothewebsitesthatappearinsearchresultsbasedontheirrelevancetothesearchtermtheuserhastyped.

SearchEngineResultPages:PositioningHaveyouevertriedsearchingforyourfantasticnewwebsite,onlytofindithasbeenlostinthedepthsofcyberspaceandistrailingbehindhundredsofothersites?Thisallcomesdowntosearchengineresultspage(SERP)positioning!AfterreadingthissectionyouwillknowhowtosaveyoursitefromsocialSiberiaby:

IdentifyingandunderstandingthefeaturesofaSERP.

AppreciatingtheimportanceofaSERP.

ImplementingyourknowledgetoachieveahighSERPlisting.

ASERPisthewebpagethatasearchengine,suchasGoogleorYahoo!,returnsthatliststheresultsofauser'ssearch.ASERPisdividedintocoresections.Atthetopyou'llalwaysfindpaidlistings.AsyoucanseeinFigure2.2,thesearemarkedwithyellowflagsthatclearlyhighlighttheseentriesasads.

Figure2.2GoogleSearchEngineResultsPageSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Butwhataboutthelistingsthatliebeneaththeadvertising?Theseareorganicsearchresults,orthelistingsthatarefeaturedonaSERPbecauseoftheirrelevancetothesearchtermsthatauserhasenteredintoasearchengine.

It'softensaidthatthebestplacetohideadeadbodyisonthesecondpageofsearchengineresults,whichiswhyitisessentialtoensureyourlistingisashighaspossibleonthefirstSERP.Ninety-onepercentofsearcherswillnotclickpastthefirstresultspage,soit'stimetoadoptacompetitivemind-setandstrivetoachieveatop-threeorganiclisting.Youroverallgoalistoreachthenumber-oneposition!

OrganicversusPaidListingsListingsthataredisplayedonthefirstpageofsearchengineresultsyieldthehighestsearchtraffic—thehigherthelisting,themoreclicksitwillreceive.Generally,paidlistingswillgarnera30percentclick-throughrate(CTR),withorganiclistingsmakinguptheremaining70percent.Whilethesestatisticscanvarydependingonthemarket,generallythisruleofthumbiswidelyapplicable.Itisimportanttonotethataslistingpositionsgetlower,click-throughsdrasticallydecrease.Approximately67percentofclick-throughsonpageoneofaSERPoccurinthefirstfiveresults.Alowlistingwillultimatelyaffectyouroverallconversionrate,soonceagain,it'simportanttostriveforthetopthreepositions.

Customerscanseekinformationusingavarietyofdifferentsearchpractices,whichiswhyfocusingsolelyontext-basedsearchescanhinderyourSERPpositioningandcustomerreach.Let'sbuildonwhatwe'vejustlearnedandtakealookatthedifferentwaysyoucanoptimizeyourSERPlistings.

Location-BasedSearchSearchenginestakeintoaccountthelocationofthepersonsearchingtodeliverthemostapplicablesearchresults.Forexample,withGoogle'sMyBusinessyoucansubmityourbusinessfordisplayonalocation-basedsearch,sowhenJohnSmithsearchesforItalianrestaurantsinTokyo,yourchancesofappearinginhisSERPareincreased.Besuretocompleteallelementsoftheformbyprovidingacategory,description,pictures,videos,andsoontocatchuserattention.Googleoperatesafive-starratingscheme,socustomersshouldbeencouragedtoreviewandrateyourbusiness.

Whilelistingswithhigherreviewscoresandadditionalmaterial,likethoseinFigure2.3,won'tnecessarilyincreaseSERPpositioning,theymostcertainlywillyieldahigherCTRthanthosewithoutthesecharacteristics.

Figure2.3LocationBasedSearchSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwith

permission.

KnowledgeGraphListingGoogle'sKnowledgeGraphtriestounderstandsearchers'intentwhileanticipatingtheirendgoals.Ittriestohelppeoplediscoverkeyinformationaboutaparticularbusinessthattheymaynothavebeenabletodiscoverthroughanorganiclisting.

Forexample,ifausersearchesforinformationonrestaurantsinNewYorkCity,KnowledgeGraphwilldisplaybothavarietyofimagesatthetopoftheSERPandapanelontherightwithalistofkeyinformation,acompanydescription,reviews,relatedsearches,andsoon.Itfeedsoninformationfromrelatedwebsites,popularsearches,Googlelocallistings,andothersources.

DataHighlighterDataHighlighterisaGoogleSearchConsole(GSC)toolthatisveryvaluablewhenitcomestorefiningyourSERPlisting.Withyourmouse,yousimplyhighlightthevariousdatafields(title,description,image,etc.)onyourpage.ThisinturnallowsGoogletodisplayyourwebsitedatainnew,moreattractivewaysbothinSERPsandontheKnowledgeGraph.WhileyoucannotstipulatewhatdatawilldisplayinaSERP,throughGoogleSearchConsole,youcandemotelinkstoyoursitethatdecreaseitschancesofbeinglisted.

SearchBehaviorBynowyoushouldhaveastronggraspofthekeyterminology,mechanics,andpracticesassociatedwithSEOandSERPpositioning.So,let'scombinethisknowledgeanduseittounderstandmoreaboutourcustomersandtoanalyzetheironlinesearchbehavior.Bytheendofthissection,youwill:

KnowwhothethreekeyplayersinsearchmarketingareandwhattheirimpactonyourSEOstrategyis.

UnderstandsearchbehaviorandDMI's5PCustomerSearchInsightsModel.

Knowwhatkeysnippetsofinformationcanbeobtainedfromeachofthe5Ps.

Beabletoleveragethevalueofthe5PsinyourSEOstrategy.

Appreciatetheimportanceofrelevancyforcustomeracquisition.

Whatisonlinesearchbehavior?Everytimeuserssearch,theyrevealacertain

amountofinformationaboutthemselves.Whenthisinformationisgathered,itcanbeclassifiedintodifferentsearchbehaviorcategoriestoanalyzecustomerneeds.Fromthiscategorization,youcandevelopaneffectiveSEOcontentstrategy.Insearchengineoptimizationtherearethreekeyplayers:

1. Thesearcher.Thegoalistohavepeoplesearchingforyourproductorservice.Morespecifically,youwantsearcherstolookforthekeywordsyouareusing.Youwanttounderstandaperson'severysearchbehaviorinordertotargetasearcherappropriately.

2. Thewebsiteowner.Yourgoalasthewebsiteownershouldbetoaligntheoptimizationofyourwebsitewithcustomersearchbehaviorfindings.Thecompetitiveintentionhereistooutrank,outperform,andoutbidyourcompetitors.

3. Thesearchengine.Ultimately,yourgoalistoensuresearchengineshaveindexedyourwebsite,sotheycanunderstandwhatyoursiteisabout.Thisiscrucial.Ifasearchenginecan'tunderstandyoursite,itwon'tdisplayit.

Eachoftheseplayersisviewedasastepping-stoneontheroutetoreachingandengagingwithcustomers.Youmustsuccessfullyaddresseachcomponenttoreachyourendgoal,whetherthatisaclick-throughtoyoursite,acontactinquiry,asale,orsomethingelse.

Understandingyourcustomersisthecornerstoneofeverysuccessfulbusiness,whichiswhysearchmarketingissuchanimportantmediumforgatheringcustomerinsight.Witheverysearch,usersleavesmallcrumbsofpersonalinformationbehind.SobyusingDMI's5PCustomerSearchInsightsModel,yougetagreaterunderstandingofcustomersthanyoueverimagined!Let'stakealookatthe5Ps:

1. Person.Informationaboutthesearchercanincludeage,sex,religion,language,andsocioeconomicgroup.

2. Place.Youcandiscoverthecountryorcityacustomerisinandwhetherthelocationisclassifiedasurbanorrural.

3. Product.Youcanlearnwhichparticulartopic,interest,orsubjectareaofaproductsearchersareresearchingandtheneedorthepainbeingaddressed.

4. Priority.Thesearchqueryprovidesanindicationofcustomers'purchasingtimeframes;thatis,howurgentlytheyneedtheproductorserviceandthewindowforengagement.

5. Purchase.Mostimportantly,youcanfindouthowandwhereuserswanttobuyandwhatstagetheyareatintheconsumerpurchasemodel.

Toexpanduponthis,let'slookatFigure2.4andapplythe5PmodeltothesearchqueryAlaskaromanticweddingvenueDecember2020.

1. Person.Here,youcouldmakeaneducatedguessastotheageandgenderoftheuser.Buttobecertain,thisdatacanbeobtainedusinganimportanttoolyou'llbecomeveryfamiliarwith,knownasGoogleAnalytics(GA).GAgiveshighlydetailedinformation(inthiscasedemographicdata),andcanprovidekeypersoninformation.

2. Place.Fromthesearchquerywecanseethesearcher'stargetedplaceisAlaska.ButbyusingGAyoucanalsoseewherethispersonislocated.

3. Priority.ThepriorityisverymuchDecember2020andthesearcher'spurchasingtimeframeandurgencyhavealsobeenidentified.

4. Product.Theproducttheuserislookingforisaweddingvenue.

5. Purchase.Thepurchaseinthiscaseisgoingtobedirect.It'snotsomethingthattheuserwillbookonline.

Figure2.4The5PModel

Ultimately,thekeytoallthiscanbesummedupinoneword:relevancy.Themostrelevantsearchresultswillalwaysbedisplayedtousers,somakesuretofocusthethreekeyplayersofSEOtowardseachofthe5Pstoensurethatyourwebsiteisastrongcontenderagainstcompetitors.

Customersearchbehaviorissomethingyoumusttakeintoaccountinallaspectsofonlineoptimization.Itshouldinfluenceyourdecisionsoneverydetail,fromchoosingkeywordstocreatingcontentforyoursite.Youneedto

understandwhoyourcustomersare,whattheironlinehabitsare,andhowtosolvetheirconsumerpaininordertoconvertthemfromwebsitevisitorsintoloyalcustomers.Withabetterunderstandingofyourcustomer'sonlinehabitsandbehaviors,let'snowusethisinformationtoinformstage1oftheSEOiterativeprocess—whatyourgoalsandoutcomesforthesearchengineoptimizationofyoursiteshouldbe.

Stage1:GoalsAswithallaspectsofdigitalmarketing,theimportanceofdefiningandsettingtangible,measurablegoalscannotbeemphasizedenough.Goalswillhelpyoucreateplans,directyourday-to-daytasks,and,ofcourse,motivateyoutoriseaboveyourcompetitors.

Let'sstartwithstageoneoftheSEOprocess,whichishighlightedinFigure2.5.Getreadytobeanexpertin:

Analyzingtheunderlyingneedsofyourbusiness

Convertingtheseneedsintowell-definedgoals

Assigningkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)tothesegoals—toassessifyou'reontherighttracktoachievingthem

Figure2.5FocusonthefirststageintheSEOprocess

Whileaddressingconsumerpainisimportant,youcan'tforgettoaddressyourown.Ifyouassesstheneedsofyourbusiness,itwillcreateabeneficialripple

effectonthethreekeyplayersofSEO:thesearcher,thesearchengine,andyou,thewebsiteowner.Youneedtoidentifythebusinesspain,viewthispainasagoal,createastrategytoachievethegoal,andassignKPIstothestrategytomonitoryourprogressinsolvingthepain.It'sverymuchacyclicalprocess.Let'susetheexampleofasportsfootwearretailer:

Businesspain:Adeclineinonlineorders

Goal:Conversions

Strategy:Increasewebsitevisitorsthroughon-pageoptimization(keywords,blog,etc.)

KPIs:Sales,onlineinquiries

Inthisexample,thesearcherbenefitsthroughanenhanceduserexperienceandrelevantcontent,thesearchenginebenefitsthroughbeingabletoeasilyunderstandandindexyoursite,andyou,thewebsiteowner,benefitsthroughachievingyourgoals.

Goalsvarydependingonthenatureofthebusiness.Typesofgoalsincludeengagement,visibility,andthemostcommongoal,conversions.Everybusinessisdifferentinregardstowhatitclassifiesasaconversion.Ononewebpageauserwatchingavideomightbeconsideredaconversion.Onanotheritcouldbeanonlineinquiry.Afteryou'vedecidedwhatyourgoalsare,youcantrackyourprogresstowardsachievingyourgoalsbycreatingKPIs.YoucandefineandmonitorgoalsandKPIs,thenanalyzethisdatatoadjustyourstrategyusingtheGAreportingtool.We'llshowyouhowtodothislater.

FollowingaresomeexamplesofsometypicalgoalsandKPIs.

TypesofGoals TypesofKPIs

Engagement

Conversions

Visibility

Reputation

Credibilityandstatus

Marketleadership

Competitiveadvantage

Organictraffic

Visitornumbers

Click-throughrates

Downloads

Onlineinquiries

Sales

Websiteengagementandthelike

Stayingmotivatedinachievingyourgoalswillbedifficultifyou'reoblivious

tothebenefitsfromyourefforts.TheultimategoalofSEOistoachievethatnumber-onerankingonSERPsforyourwebsite.Butwhatarethebenefits?

IncreasedorganicCTRs.OrganicCTRisthepercentageofclicksyourwebsitelistinggenerates,basedonthenumberoforganicimpressionsserved.OrganicimpressionsarethenumberoftimesapagefromyourwebsitedisplaysinSERPsandisviewedbyauser,notincludingpaidlistings.Anumber-onepositionwillincreaseyourorganicCTR,whichinturnreducesyouradvertisingspendandultimatelyleadstoconversions.

Increasedengagement.Youwantuserstoengagewithyourbrandatdifferentstagesofthebuyingprocess,visityourwebsite,andstaythere!Likeadogtoabone,anumber-onerankingwillluresearcherstoyoursite.Increasedengagementmeansusersexploringandspendinglongerperiodsoftimeonyoursite.

Enhancedreputation.Toplistingsyieldbothonlineandprofessionalcredibility,status,andreputation.

Marketleadershipandcompetitiveadvantage.Outshiningyourcompetitorsisvital,sostriveforanumber-onelistingtoavailyourselfofthisadvantage.

Increasedconversions.Whateveryouconsideraconversion,thisiswhatit'sallabout.They'veclickedontoyoursite,spenttimenavigatingit,andhadapleasantbrowsingexperience.Great!Butnowit'sabouttransformingthesefactorsintoconversions.Ahighsearch-enginelistingwilldothisforyou.

Takesometimenowtoassesstotheneedsofyourbusiness,andfromthisdeviseyourowngoalsandthecorrespondingKPIs.YoushouldbereferringbacktoyourgoalsandupdatingthemasyouprogressthrougheachstageoftheSEOprocess.Goalsettingisanotherongoingprocessthatwillcontinuallychange,dependingonthesuccessesorfailuresofthestrategiesyouimplement.Justkeepremindingyourselfofthebenefitsofyourhardworkandtheresultswillspeakforthemselves.

Stage2:On-PageOptimizationWithyourgoalsinplaceandtheiraccompanyingKPIsassigned,thetimehascometomovetothesecondstageoftheSEOprocess:On-pageoptimization,whichishighlightedinFigure2.6.Atthestartofthischapter,webrieflydiscussedthemechanicsofthisprocess.Nowwecanexploreitfurther.

Figure2.6FocusonthesecondstageintheSEOprocess

KeywordResearchKeywordresearchisoftenthefirststepinthisprocess.Keywordshaveaverystrongimpactontheotherelementsofon-pageoptimization,sothelevelofresearchyouconductwilldetermineifyoursiteisazerooraherointermsofsearchvolume!

Afterjustalittlemorereadingyouwill:

Understandthetermskeyword,long-tailkeyword,andkeywordresearch.

Knowhowtoconductbothonlineandofflinekeywordresearch.

Beawareoftheimportanceofkeyword-richcontentandtheneedforhigh-qualitycontent.

Beabletoidentifykeywordresearchtools,theactionstheyperform,andthedatatheyprovide.

KeyTerms

So,whatexactlyisakeyword?It'sasignificantwordorphrasethatrelatestothecontentonyourwebsite.Forexample,ifyou'reafreelancephotographer,relevantkeywordsforyoursitecouldbephotographeroraffordableweddingphotographer.KeywordsarevitalinensuringyoursitedisplaysinSERPs.Theyshouldbesubtlyincorporatedintothecontentandmetadataofyourwebpagesinawaythatreadsnaturally.

Asearchtermisacommonlyusedphrasethatuserstypeintosearchenginestofindyou.Traditionallyuserstypedintwotofourwords,butwithever-increasingdigitalliteracyrates,muchlongersearchtermsarenowbeingused.Youmustbeabletoknowwhatcustomersaresearchingforandchooseyourkeywordsbasedonthat.WhilegenericsearchtermssuchashotelsinPariswillgivetonsofsearchresults,theylackrelevance.

Usersnowunderstandthatthemorespecifictheirsearchterms,themoreaccurateandrelevanttheirsearchresultswillbe.Thisiswherelong-tailkeywordscomein.Thesearethree-orfour-wordkeywordphraseswithlow-volumesearchqueriesthatareworthrankinghighly.Why?Becausesearchersusinglong-tailkeywordsareusuallyclosertothepointofpurchase.Althoughlong-tailkeywordsarequitespecific,theyhavelowercompetitionandbringmuchhigherqualifiedtraffictoyourwebsite.

Havingcoveredtheterminology,it'snowtimetodoyourhomeworkanddiscoverthekeywordsthatpeopleusewhensearchingforinformationontheproductorserviceyouprovide.Thisisknownaskeywordresearch.Itmeansfindingthesearchtermsyourcustomersmostfrequentlyuse.Therearetwotypesofkeywordresearch—onlineandoffline.Typically,digitalmarketerswillfocussolelyononlinemethodsofkeywordresearch,disregardingtheabundanceofexcellentkeywordsthatcanbederivedfromofflineresearch.Butwhyshouldyoubotherwithkeywordresearchatall?Besidesthefactthatitwillincreaseyourrankingandimpressions,italsohelpssearchenginesbetterrecognizetheintentbehindusers'searchtermsandbringthemthemostrelevantresults—whichkeepsallthreekeyplayershappy.

Let'stakealookatsomekeytoolsandpracticesthatwillassistyouinyourkeywordresearchefforts.

OfflineKeywordResearch

Brainstorming.Youreallycan'tbeatsittingdownwithyourteamtobrainstormkeywordideas.Thebestpeopletoreportonthecommonjargonbeingusedinyourindustryareyourcolleagues.Theyarethepeoplewhointeractwithyourcustomers,hearingandseeingthewordsandphrasestheyusewhenreferringtoyourproductsandservices.Somethingassimpleasnotingdowncommoncustomerqueriescanbeahugebonusforkeywordresearch.Usingkeywordscomposedofindustryjargoncanbetricky,sobeverycareful.Let'susetheexampleofanITsolutionscompany.Thestandard,industry-acceptedtermfortheserviceprovidedismanagedITsolutions,andassuch,thecompanywillwanttodisplayinSERPswiththiskeyword.Theproblemhereisthatcustomersdon'tusethisterm,andsearchforoutsourcedITservicesinstead.The

lessonhereisthatyoushouldalwaysselectthekeywordsandsearchtermsthatyourcustomersareactuallyusing.

Marketingcollateral.Opentheofficestoreroomandgatheryourcompany'sleaflets,brochures,posters,andthelike.Thecontentherecanbeparticularlyusefulforgeneratinglowsearchvolumekeywordsthatareworthincluding.Inaddition,goingonestepfurtherandsourcingcompetitormarketingmaterialisanexcellentcompetitorkeywordresearchmethod.

Customersurveys.Qualitativeresearch-basedcustomersurveysareanothermethodofestablishingthephraseologyandcolloquialjargonyourcustomerbaseisusing.

Listeningtocustomers.Substantialamountsofkeyworddatacanbeobtainedbysimplylisteningtoyourcustomers.Briefeveryoneinyourcompanyontheimportanceoflisteningtothewordsyourcustomersareusing.Collatingthesewordsintoalistwillsavealotoftimeandmoneywhenconductingyourkeywordresearch.

OnlineKeywordResearch

Inthisstageoftheprocess,generallywe'retalkingabouttheuseofkeytoolsthatallowyoutoperformfilteredkeywordresearchusingthefollowingcriteria:customdateranges,queryvolume,historicaltrends,levelsofdata,andrelatedphrasesbycityorcountry.Withsuchawidevarietyofonlinekeywordresearchtoolsavailableforfreeorforafee,thewebisyouroyster!Researchingandtestingthecountlesstoolsavailablethatworkbestforyouistimewellspent.Tokick-startyourefforts,thetopfourhighlyregardedresearchtoolsintheindustryfollow:

1. GoogleAutocomplete.Thistoolisprobablytheeasiestonlinekeywordresearchtooltouse,anddefinitelytheplacetostart.It'sparticularlygoodforlong-tailkeywordresearch;yousimplybegintypingintotheGooglesearchbox.Onceyoustart,you'llseethatitwilltrytofinishyoursentenceautomatically,basedonthemostpopularsearchtermsentered.Asyounowknow,Googlescansyourbrowserhistorytodeliverthemostrelevantsearchresults.Ifyou'reusingGoogleAutocorrectforkeywordresearch,makesuretoclearyoursearchhistory,cache,cookies,andtemporaryfiles—clearitall!Thatwayitwon'tconsideryourprevioussearcheswhensuggestingsearchterms,thusprovidingfreshdata.

2. GoogleAdWordsKeywordPlanner.ThisisatoolbuiltintotheGoogleAdWordsplatform.UndertheToolssection,you'llfindKeywordPlanner.Theresearchandanalyticalfunctionalitiesareendless!Afteryou've

enteredaparticularkeywordorsearchtermandchosenthelocationyou'retargeting,clickonGetIdeas.TheKeywordPlannerwillreturnareportdetailingthetoplistingscontainingthatkeywordorsearchterm,plusothersuggestedkeywords.Inthelistingyouwillnoticetwotabs,oneforadgroupideasandanotherforkeywordideas.Atthisstageoftheprocessfocusonthelatter.TheadgroupideastabconcernsPPCadcampaignsandrightnowwe'refocusingonhowtousethistoolfororganicoptimization.

Thelistingwillrevealcopiousamountsofinformation.ForthisSEOexercise,however,theonlytwodataelementsworthfocusingoninFigure2.7aresearchtermandaveragemonthlysearches.Startbylookingatthesearchtermanditscorrespondingsearchvolume.Baseyourkeywordselectiononrelativelyhighsearchvolumesthatareactuallyapplicable.Youwantkeywordswithlowenoughcompetitionsothatyoucangetthatall-importantpage-onelisting.Again,don'tdisregardlong-tailkeywords.Theyusesearchtermswithlesscompetitionandbringmorerelevanttraffictoyourwebsite.

3. GoogleTrends.Aswithallaspectsofdigitalmarketing,popularkeywordsareeverchanging,soit'simportanttokeepinformedandstayaheadofthecurve.GoogleTrendsisagreattoolforanalyzingtheriseandfallofkeywordtrends.It'simportanttobeawareoftrendingterminologyandphrasessoyou'renottargetingoutdatedkeywords.Thistoolcanalsoshowhowsearchtermsaretrendingagainsteachotherandifthereareanynewtrendsyoushouldbeconsidering.

4. SEMrush.SEMrushisusedwidelybysearchmarketersintheindustry.It'sanexcellenttoolforanalyzingyourcompetitors,thekeywordsthey'retargeting,andwhattypeofestimatedtrafficvolumesthey'regetting.OutperformingyourcompetitorsisoneofyourprimarySEOgoals,andtodothatyouneedtoassesstheirperformanceincomparisontoyourown.

Figure2.7KeywordIdeasinGoogleAdWordsKeywordPlannerSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

OnceyouhavechosenasolidlistofkeywordsthatallowyoutorankhighlyinSERPs,it'stimetoincorporatethosekeywordsintoyourwebsite.Searchenginesencouragetheuseofkeywordssotheycandisplaythemostrelevantwebsitesonthefirstpageofauser'ssearch.

AWordofWarning

Sobyrepeatingarelevantkeyword50timesononepage,yourwebsitewillranknumberone,right?Wrong!Backintheday,searchmarketersthoughtitclevertotrycheatingsearchenginealgorithmsthroughavarietyofdisallowedkeywordpractices,suchaskeywordstuffing.Thisinvolvedoveruseofthetoprankingkeywordsintheirwebsitecontentinordertorankhighly.TheGooglegodsarenowsmarterthaneverandthesekindsofforbiddenSEOactivitieswon'tbetolerated.WebsitesfoundtobeviolatingtheruleswillbeseverelypenalizedandcouldberemovedfromSERPsentirely.Nowadays,searchmarketersarewiserandtimeshavechanged.Keyworddensity,orhowmanytimesakeywordorphraseappearsonawebpage,isoneaspectofSEOthatisnolongerimportant.Keywordsshouldonlybeusedtoaccompanyhigh-quality,relevantcontent.

Whentheresearchisdoneandtheoptimumkeywordshavebeenselected,youmustthendecidewheretoplacethem.Youshouldincludeyourtargetkeywordinthetitletag,inthemetadescription,andinthebodycopyofthewebpage(thesemechanicswillbecoveredinthenextsection).

Again,keywordsshouldbeusedincombinationwithsuitablecontent.Whenwritingforyoursite,alwaysfocusonboththeenduserandthesearchengine.Thecontentshouldberelevant,withkeywordsinsertedintosentencesnaturally,sousersdon'trealizetheyarereadingSEO-optimizedcontent.Mostimportantly,nevercompromisethequalityofyourcontentforkeywordoptimization.Thepenaltiescertainlyaren'tworththerisk.

TheOn-PageOptimizationProcessBynow,youshouldhavecarefullyconductedyourkeywordresearchandchosenyouroptimalkeywordsbasedonthisresearch.Thenextstepistoincorporatethesekeywordsintotheon-pageoptimizationofyoursite.

Youraimistoachieveahighfirst-pagerankingandpushyourcompetitorsintothebarrenwastelandsofpagetwoandbeyond!Uponcompletionofthissection,youwill:

Knowtheoptimalcontentstructureandhierarchyforon-pageSEO.

Recognizeandappreciatetheimportanceofeachon-pagemechanic.

Learnhowtoconducton-pageoptimization.

Knowaboutthekeyon-pageSEOtools.

Knowhowtocreatemultiregionalandmultilingualversionsofyourwebsite.

StyleandStructure

Withon-pageoptimization,thefirstthingyoumustbeconsciousofisthestructureofyoursite.Youshouldmakesurethereisahierarchyamongwebpagesandthatthestructureflowsthroughoutyourwebsite,asshowninFigure2.8.Thinkofitasaparentandchildrelationship.Everywebsiteshouldhaveamenunavigationbar,withthemenubarlinksactingastheparents.Thesubpagesflowingfromtheseparentpagesaretheirchildren,andifthesesubpageshavefurthersubpages,theyarethechildren'schildren.

Figure2.8TypicalSiteStructure

Theexampleheredetailsthehierarchalstructureofatypicale-commercewebsite.Asyoucansee,theWomen'spageisachildoftheHomepagebutalsoaparentoftheClothing,Shoes,andAccessoriespages.Gotthat?Thenumberoflevelsyoursitehasdependsonthenatureofyourbusiness.Ifyourcontentisburiedtoodeepitcanbedifficultforbothusersandsearchenginestoreachit,whichiswhyideallywebsitesshouldhavenomorethanthreeorfourlevels.Remember,alwaystrytokeepthethreekeyplayershappy.Auser-friendlysitewillbeappreciatedbythecustomer,whichwillpleasethe

searchenginethatwillultimatelyincreaseyourrankinginSERPs.

Utilizingstructureandbreakingupyourcontentusingbulletpoints,headings,images,andthelikeiswherealotofwebsitesfail.Ifyouhaveapage-onelistingbutitlooksdifficulttoread,yourcustomerswillbouncefasterthanyoucansaykeywordcannibalization.Bouncingisthetermusedtodescribetheactivityofuserswhoenterawebsite,don'tinteractwithit,andexitbackouttotheSERPorclosethewindowentirely.Googleconsidersbounceratesindeterminingyourranking,whichiswhywebsitestructureissoimportant.Highbounceratescanleadtosearchenginesviewingaparticularwebsiteasabadmatchforthesearchtermused,andtheycouldpotentiallydemoteyourwebsiteasaresult.Gettingpeopleontothewebsiteisthefirststep,butkeepingthemthereisthenext.Socreatestructureonyoursiteandallowthecustomertoseeavisuallypleasingsitethatusesavarietyofmedia.

Up-to-DateContent

Searchenginesandusersareverysimilar,inthatbothfavorwebsiteswithunique,relevant,andup-to-datecontent.Useyourselfasanexample:Ifyouweresearchingforon-pageoptimizationarticlesandtheSERPreturnedlistingsfromthisyearandfiveyearsago,whichlinkwouldyouclickfirst?

Maintainingup-to-datecontentisn'tjustabouttextonthepage—photos,videos,slides,andimagesareallexamplesofdifferentformsofmediayoucanusetokeepyourcontentfreshandattractivetothereader.Youstillneedtextonthepageforsearchenginestounderstandyourcontent,butrememberthatyou'rewritingprimarilyforyourcustomers,tokeepthemonyoursite.Startanalyzingusermediahabits.If,forexample,youdiscoverahighvolumeofactivityassociatedwithuserswatchingvideos,startthinkingaboutembeddingvideosintoyourwebsitetobuildanextralevelofinteraction.

OptimizingtheTechnicalMechanicsofYourPageWhenyou'vedecideduponthehierarchyandstructureofyoursite,youthenneedtooptimizethetechnicalmechanicsofyourpageandinsertthekeywordsintothem.Theyarelistedhereintheorderinwhichtheywouldnormallyappearonyourwebsitesothatyoucangetabettervisualizationoftheprocess—fromthetopofyourpagetothebottom.

URLs

InsertyourchosenkeywordsintotheURLsofeachwebpageonyoursite.Thisisanindicatorthatsearchengineslookfor.MakingsureyourURLsareoptimizedinthiswayisextremelyimportant.Thatmeanseliminatingthestringofnumbersandthe&=%?symbolsfromtheURLsandreplacingthem

witheasilyreadablekeywords,toassistbothyourusersandsearchengines.Hyphensordashesaretheonlysymbolsthatshouldbeusedaswordseparators.Foryearsindustryexpertsencouragedtheuseofunderscores;however,Googlehasstatedthatthisisnotrecommended,asunderscoresmakeitmoredifficultforalgorithmstoidentifywhatthepageisabout.

TakethesetwoURLs:

1. digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/courses/type/postgraduate-diploma-in-digital-marketing/

2. http://www.abcdefhgj.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=43

YoucanseewhichURLisprettyanddescriptiveandwhichfelloutoftheuglytree.YourURLsneedtobedescriptiveinordertoinformyouruserswhatthey'relinkingto.Ifthesecondlinkwasemailedorsharedonsocialmedia,userswouldhavenoideawherethey'rebeingtakenorwhatthepageisabout.InthefirstURL,thelinkdestinationisclearlydescribed,thehierarchyisvisible,andthekeywordsareprominentandseparatedbydashes.

PageNames

“What'sinaname?Thatwhichwecallarose,byanyothernamewouldsmellassweet.”WhileJulietmayhavebeenontosomethinghere,shecertainlywasn'treferringtowebpages.Keywordinsertionherecanbetricky,butyoumustnameyourwebpagesappropriatelytoensurethey'rerelevanttothepagecontent.Pagenamesactaslabelsthathelpusdistinguishcontentandcreatemeaning.Theyusuallyhaveoneortwowords,andforthatreasonit'snotalwayspossibletooptimizethemintermsofkeywords.Ontheplusside,thisisnottotallynecessary.Namingthesepageswithrelevanceisthesolutionhere.Asusersandsearchenginesgodeeperintothewebsite,pagesshouldgetmorespecifictothekeywordsyou'retargeting.Again,it'saboutcreatingauser-friendlyandinformativebrowsingexperience.

MetaTags

Awebpageismadeupofhypertextmarkuplanguage(HTML).WithintheHTMLarespecialtags,knownasmetatags.Metatagsdon'taffectthewebpagelayout,butratherprovideimportantinformationaboutthepage'scontent,whichisusedbysearchenginestoindexyoursite.Byright-clickingonapageandselectingSourceCode,youcanseetheHTMLandmetatagsofthatparticularpage.Nowadays,higherrankingsaregivenforrelevance,userexperience,andpopularitythanformetatagoptimization.Intheindustry,thistopicisaboneofcontention,andviewsonwhichmetatagscarryhigher

importancevarygreatly.MetatagsareanexcellentadditionstoyourSEOtoolbox—justbecarefulnottowasteyourtimeonextraneoustagsthataddnoSEOvalueandtakeupcodingspace!We'veoutlinedthemostimportantmetatags,whichwillassistyouron-pageoptimization,below:

Titletag.Althoughtechnicallynotametatag,thistagwilldisplaythefirstpartofyoursearchengineresultslisting.TitletagshelpensureyourlistingsonSERPssaytherightthingsaboutyourbusiness,contributetoclick-throughrates,andhelpsearchenginesdeterminewhatthepageisabout.Haveyouevernoticedthenameofawebpageinthetabofyourbrowser?That'sthetitletag.MostcontentmanagementsystemssuchasWordPressfacilitatethecreationoftitletags.Again,thinkaboutyourkeywordsforeachpageandincorporatethisinformationintothetitle.Whenpossible,frontloadyourkeyword—thismeansputtingthekeywordasclosetothebeginningofthetitleaspossible.Searchenginesregardindividualityhighly,sobesureeverypageonyourwebsitehasauniquetitleandremoveanyduplicatetitles.Generally,titlesshouldhavebetween50and60charactersintotal.Googleindexesthewholetitleregardlessofcharacterlength,buttheproblemisthatitalsotruncatestitlesthataretoolong—andthismeanspartofthetitleiscutoff.Notpayingattentiontoyourtitle'scharactercountcouldresultinthemostimportantpieceofinformationinyourtitlebeingleftoutorshortened.

Descriptiontag.Whileitmaynotcontributetoyourwebsiteranking,thistagdoesmakeupthesecondpartofyourlisting.Generally,youshouldaimforbetween150and160characters.Utilizeyourdescriptiontagasasalespitch.Getyourkeywordinthere,butalsoincludeacalltoaction,benefit,anduniquesellingpoint.Thatwayyou'retellingpeoplewhytheyshouldvisityourwebsite,purchasefromyou,ormakeaqueryaboutyourproductorservices.Snappyandinformativedescriptiontagswillengageyourusersandpleasethesearchengines.

BreadcrumbNavigation

Thisallowstheusertoreturntoprevioussectionsonthewebsitewithouthavingtousethemainnavigationbartodoso.Asusersgothrougheachpage,theyleaveabreadcrumbthatisdisplayedonthetopofeachpage—asshowninFigure2.9—allowingthemfindtheirwayhome!Sointhecaseofthisparticularpage,youcouldreturntothe“BlogPosts”pageveryquicklybyusingbreadcrumbnavigation.It'ssomethingyoushoulddefinitelyconsider.Thenameofyourpageiswhatwillappearonyourbreadcrumbnavigationgraphic,soagain,ensurepagenamesaredescriptive.

Figure2.9ExampleofBreadcrumbNavigation

On-PageHeadings

Yourpagesshouldbedividedintoheadingstofacilitatestructureandguideboththeusersandsearchenginesreadingyourcontent.HeadingsrangefromH1toH6andindicatethemostimportantpartsofyourpage'scontentandhowthecontentisinterconnected.YourprimaryheadingshouldbeanH1heading;itssubheadingwillbeclassifiedasH2;thesubheadingofH2willbeclassifiedasH3,andsoonandsoforth.InFigure2.10,“ProfessionalDiplomainDigitalMarketing”isthemainheading,orH1,ofthispage.“CourseOverview,”thesubheadingofH1,isH2.BygoingintothesourcecodeofawebsiteandsearchingforH1,youcanseetheheadingsofawebpage.Howmanyheadingsyouwantdependsonhowyouwishtostructureyourcontent,althoughtheyusuallydon'tgopastH3.TryandgetkeywordsintoyourH1s.Fromtheusers'perspective,whentheyclickontoyourpagetheywillclearlyseethatthisisthepagetheyshouldbeon.Searchengineslookatheadingstoo,togetanindicationaboutthepage'scontentandwhatthekeywordsare.

Figure2.10On-pageHeadings

FirstParagraph

UnderH1liesyourfirstparagraph,andideallyyourchosenkeywordsshouldbewithinthefirstlineoftext.Usersscanthefirstfewwordsoneverypage,whichdeterminewhetherornottheywillbounce.Sobesmartwithyourfirstlineandincorporatethosekeywordsinanaturalmanner.

BodyofText

Theindustry-acceptedstandardforwordcountsvaries,buttherecommendationforgeneralwebpagesrelatedtotheproductorserviceyouprovideisatleast300words.Articles,whitepapers,andcasestudiesshouldhave1,000wordsminimum.Blogs,ontheotherhand,areadifferentstory.Withblogs,youshouldbeaimingforbetween1,500and2,500words.Researchhasshownthatarticlescontaining2,500wordsgarnerhigherrankingsthanarticleswithfewerwords.Withalltheseguidelines,youshouldalwaysbearinmindthatbothsearchenginesandusersareseekingrelevant,freshcontentthatisinformativeandprovidessolutions.Writingjustforthepurposesofreachingyourwordcountisnotadvised.Youalsoshouldn'twritemorecontentjusttobeabletoinsertahighnumberofkeywords.Keyword

densityisnowoutdatedandseenasSEOmalpractice.Helpthesearchenginestounderstandwhatyourcontentisaboutbyinsertingkeywordsonceortwiceintothebodyoftextanditsheading,butprimarilyfocusondeliveringasolidpieceofrelevantwriting.Boldingkeywordsinyourwebpagecontentinthebeliefthatdoingsowillincreaserankingisacommonmisconception.DoingsoisperceivedbyGoogleaskeywordstuffingandistakenveryseriously.Mostimportantly,foruserexperience,boldedkeywordtextlooksunprofessionalanddoesnotreadnaturally.Ifyou'reusinglong-tailkeywords,wherepossibletrytokeepthephrasetogetheronthepage.

AnchorText

Interlinkedcontentshouldbepresentthroughoutyoursite,allowingusersandsearchenginestoadvancetothenextpageofyoursitewithease.Thiscanbedonewithanchortext.Anchortextisahyperlinkshownasclickabletextwithinyourcontent.It'sveryimportantthatallpagesareaccessibleviaalinksomewhereonyoursite,soensureyourlinksarebuiltintothecontentthatnavigatespeoplethroughyoursite.Yourgoalistofindabalancebetweenfacilitatinganexcellentuserexperienceandhavingasitethatisoptimizedforsearchengines.Nowadaysanchortextismoredescriptiveandcontainsyourtargetedkeywordsorphrases.Forexample,analternativetothetraditionalclickhereanchortextcouldbeclickhereformoreinformationonourprofessionaldiplomaindigitalmarketing.Bybeingdescriptive,usersknowwherethey'regoing,andthesearchengineistakingthosekeywordsintoaccountwhenitindexesthepageandfollowsthelinkthrough.

ImagesandAltText

Alttextstandsforalternativetext,anditactsasanalternativetotheimageitdescribes.Itspurposeistodescribetheimagebothforuserswithaccessibilitydifficultiesandsearchengines.Userswhoarevisuallyimpairedmightusesoftwaretohelpthemreadyourwebsite;inthiscase,theuserwon'tnecessarilybeabletoseetheimageonthescreen.Providingalttextcanallowthesesoftwareprogramstoreadaloudthedescriptivealttext,creatingamorepositiveuserexperience.Searchenginesalsousealttexttodeterminewhattheimageisabout,whichcanimproveyourrankingandalsohelpswithimagesbeingfoundinimageSERPs.Besuccinctanddescriptivewithyouralttext;themaximumshouldbefourtosixwords.Whenpossible,insertkeywordsintothefilenamesofyourimages(beforeyouuploadthem),thealttext,andtheimagecaption.

SocialSharing

Buildyourpagetobeeasilyshareablebyyourwebsitevisitors.Thishelps

withbuildingadigitalfootprint,bygettingpeopletalkingaboutyourbrandonsocialmedia.Moreimportantly,byprovidingeasilyshareablelinksyou'rebringingpeoplebackintoyourwebsite.Searchenginesaretakingsocialsharingintoaccounttoo.

SiteMap

ThefinalelementyoumusthaveonyoursiteisanHTMLsitemap.Asitemapisapageonawebsitethatprovidesamapofthewebsite'sstructure.Thesitemapisintheformoftextlinkstoalltheotherpagesonthesite.Itallowssearchenginestocrawlthrough,index,andrankyourwebsite.Sitemapsshouldlinktoeverypageonthewebsiteandeverypageshouldlinktoit.You'llfindthey'renormallylinkedinthefooterofawebsite,andoncecreatedcanbesubmittedforindexingthroughGoogleSearchConsole.

TheTechnicalAspectsofSEONowthatyouknowhowtofullyoptimizetheon-pageelementsofyourwebsite,let'sventuredeeperintothetechnicalaspectsofSEOthatneedyourconsideration,soyoucanpreventunforeseenissuesdowntheline.Anybodywhohasworkedonalatenightessayorreportknowshowuncooperativetechnologycanbesometimes—butfearnot,soonyouwill:

Understandtheimportanceofbrowsercompatibilityandresponsivewebsites.

Beawareofstructureddatamarkupandschemamarkuplanguage.

Knowhowtofixandcustomizecommontechnicalpageerrors.

Recognizetheimportanceofsecurewebsitestoenhanceuserexperienceandsiteranking.

Compatibility

Whenassessingthetechnicalelementsofyoursite,startbycheckingyourwebsite'scross-browsercompatibilitywithChrome,InternetExplorer,Safari,andFirefox.YoucanuseGoogleAnalyticstoseethevolumeoftrafficcominginfromparticularbrowsers.Browsercompatibilityisanessentialelementofagooduserexperience,sodon'tletyourcustomersbounceoversomethingassimpleasthis!Therearetonsoftoolsavailabletohelpwiththis;BrowserStackisthemosthighlyregardedintheindustry.Otherwise,compatibilitycanbeachievedmanuallybyinstallingthesewebbrowsersontoyourcomputer.

Google'salgorithmhasshiftedtoincludegreaterrankingemphasisonmobile

friendliness.Assuch,responsivewebsiteshavebecomewidelyexpectedbyusersandsearchengines.GoogleisgivingmuchgreaterSERPpreferencetowebsitesthatarecompatiblewithmobilewhenusersaresearchingonmobile.Generallyspeaking,searchengineshaveapreferenceforresponsivewebsites.Thesearewebsitesdesignedtorespondtothedifferentsizesofscreensthatcustomersareusing.Responsivesitescontractandexpandtothescreendimensionsofthedevicessearchersareusing—whethertheyaresmartphones,tablets,orcomputerscreens.Althoughresponsivesitescansometimesinflictslowerspeedandloadingtimesonyoursite,theprosfaroutweighthecons.

Analternativetoaresponsivewebsitewouldbeamobile-specificwebsite,whereinyouchoosetobuildanentirelyseparatemobilewebsitewithitsownuniqueURLs.Thesesitesjustincludethevitalpiecesofinformation,content,and(mostimportant!)call-to-actionbuttons.Searchenginesanduserstendtofavorresponsivewebsitesastheycontainexactlywhatisdisplayedonthedesktopversionofthesiteanddonotcreatethelimitationsonbrowsingfortheuserthatmobile-specificsitesdo.Google'sMobile-FriendlyTest,asshowninFigure2.11,isagreattoolthatdeterminesifyoursiteisdeemedmobilefriendlybysearchengines.Typeinyourwebsite'sURLandthetoolwilltellyouifyoursiteiscompatible.Ifnot,itdoesgivehelpfulindicationsastowhyyoursitefailedthetestandprovidestipsonhowtofixtheproblem.

Figure2.11On-pageheadings

Source:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

StructuredDataMarkup

Structureddatamarkupisthenexttechnicalelementofyoursiteinneedofoptimization.Itreferstothecontentonyoursitethatisformattedinaneasilyreadablewayforsearchengines.SchemamarkuplanguageistheresultofacollaborationbetweenGoogle,Bing,Yahoo!,andYandexthatallowsyoutoeasilyimplementstructureddatamarkupintoyourwebsiteto:

Increasesearchresultaccuracy.

RefinethewayyourlistingappearsinSERPs.

Enhancethewayinformationisdisplayed.

Basically,itenablesyoutobetterexplainthecontentofyourwebsitetosearchengines.If,forexample,you'rewritingablogaboutbass,howisthesearchenginetoknowifyou'rereferringtotheguitarorthefish?Schemamarkupallowsyouexplainthesethingstosearchengines.Haveyoueverseenacompany'supcomingeventorreviewsdisplayedinSERPs?That'sbecausethecompanyhasmarkeduptheircontent,sothatsearchengineswillacknowledgethesearelistingsofeventsandreviewsandincludetheminsearchresultsandintheKnowledgeGraph.Inthenextsection,we'llcovertheultimatetoolforschemamarkup,Google'sDataHighlighter.Schemamarkup'sinfluenceliesinitsabilitytomakeyourlistingsstandoutfromthecrowd,increaseyourclick-throughrates,andhelpyourcustomersdiscovermoreinformation.

Houston,WeHaveaProblem

Whencreatingorredevelopingawebsite,changescanbemadethatinadvertentlycontributetoaninterrupteduserexperience.ChangingtheURLofapageorremovingitfromyoursiteentirelywillleaveusersandsearchengineswithsomethingcalleda404errorpage.Thisisanindicationtousersthattheyhaveclickedonapagethathasbeenmovedornolongerexists—otherwiseknownasabrokenlink.Atallcosts,trytoavoid404errorsonyoursite.Usersandsearchenginesseverelyresent404sandtheconsequencesofthemvaryfromdemotedrankingstolostconversions.Shouldyoursiteeverdelivera404error,it'sbestpracticetolimitthedamagetouserexperiencebycustomizingyour404page.Trytoreduceuserannoyancebymakinglightofthesituation,asthecartoonshowninFigure2.12does.Replacethestandard404errortextwithsomethingnovel,suchas“Oops,we'vegotaproblem.”Choosesomethingthattiesinwithyourbrand'stoneofvoiceandpersonality.Youshouldalsoprovidenavigationlinkoptionstootherareasofthesitesoas

nottoalienatecustomersandmakethemmorelikelytobounce.

Figure2.12Customized404ErrorPageSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

A301redirectisapermanentredirectfromoneURLtoanother,andisanothermethodoflimitingthenegativeimpactthat404errorscreate.ShouldyouwishtochangetheURLofapagethathasalreadybeenindexed,301redirectsaretheanswer.Youneedtomakesurethatyou'reredirectingtothemostrelevantpageonyourwebsite.Redirectscanbecarriedoutintwoways:

1. Domainlevel.Userstypeinwww.example.comandthe301redirectsthemtowww.myexample.com.

2. IndividualURLs.Userstypeinwww.example.com/how-to-do-seoandthe301redirectsthemtowww.example.com/a-guide-to-seo.

Thefinaltechnicalelementworthconsideringforyourwebsiteisasecurecertificate,knownasanSSLcertificate.Thesearesmalldatafilesthatyoupurchaseandinstallonyourwebserver,creatingsecureconnectionsbetweenthewebserverandthebrowser.YoucanrecognizewebsiteswithSSLcertificatesbylookingattheirURLsintheaddressbarofyourbrowser;theURLbeginswithHTTPSandisaccompaniedbyapadlocksymbol.SSLcertificatesaretheultimatecertificationthatthewebsiteissecureandarespecificallyrecommendedforwebsitesthatinvolvetheexchangeofsensitive,personal,andfinancialinformation.Althoughnotacriticalrankingfactor,GooglehasstatedthatitconsidersHTTPSwhendeterminingranking.EverythinginSEOisaboutgettinganedgeoveryourcompetitors,sothesearecertainlyworthconsidering.

SiteMapsandGoogleSearchConsoleNowthatwe'velookedatthetechnicalelementsofSEO,we'regoingto

exploreatoolthatwillgreatlyassistwithyouron-pageoptimization.FormerlyknownasWebmasterTools,ithassincebeenrebrandedasGoogleSearchConsole(GSC).ProbablyoneofthemostunderusedtoolsthatGoogleprovides,ithelpswebsiteownersseehowGooglecrawls,understands,andindexesyoursite.Useittohelpfindthetechnicalissuesthatmaybehurtinguserexperience,orworse,yourranking!ThissectionwillnavigateyouthroughthevariouselementsandtoolswithinGSCthatyouneedtoknowinordertohaveafullyoptimizedwebsite.SogetreadytobecomeaGoogleSearchConsoleexpertandalsoto:

KnowthevariousformsofsitemapsandtheirimportanceforSEO.

Understandwhatismeantbyrobots.txtandcanonicalization.

Beawareofandknowhowtousethefunctions,reports,andtoolswithinGoogleSearchConsole.

Sitemaps

Youprobablyknowthatasitemapissimplyalistofeverypageonawebsite;thatis,itprovidesamapofthesite'sstructure.Themajorityofpeoplewillneveruseyoursitemap,relyingonbreadcrumbandmenubarnavigationinstead.Regardlessofthisfact,searchenginesrelyheavilyonsitemapstoeasilycrawlyoursiteandindexitappropriately.Let'snowtakealookatthetwotypesofsitemapsyoucan,andshould,haveonyoursite:

1. HTMLsitemap.AnHTMLsitemapisthetextversionofasitemapandshowstextlinkstoallthewebsite'spages,asillustratedinFigure2.13.They'reeasilyreadablebyhumansandexcellentforinternallinking,accessibility,andnavigationpurposes.Whenpossible,alwaysincludeeverypageofyoursiteinthesitemap.Forwebsitesthatprovidealargevarietyofproductsitmaynotbefeasibletolisteveryproductpageinthesitemap.Inthisinstance,acategoryandsubcategorylistingisokay,asshowninFigure2.13.Whensearchenginesvisitthispagetheywillbeabletoeasilyaccessallthecontentonyoursite.Alwaysremembersearchengineswanttoindexyoursite,butit'syourjobtomakesuretheycanactuallyfindthepages!

2. XMLsitemap.Figure2.14showsasitemapwrittenusingextensiblemarkuplanguage(XML),whichdisplaysinacodingformat.ItfollowsthesamerulesastheHTMLversionofasitemapbutispreferredbysearchengines,whichfindthelanguageeasiertounderstand.YouneedtosubmityourXMLsitemaptoGoogleSearchConsole,andindoingso,itallowsGoogletoinformyouofanymajorissuesonyoursite.

Figure2.13HTMLSitemap

Figure2.14XMLSitemap

Beextravigilantwiththecreationofasitemap;alwayscheckforminormistakes,suchasamissinghomepagelink.Commonerrorslikethisonehappenohsofrequently,soensureeverypageyouwantindexedisonthatsitemap.Thereareavarietyoffreetoolsonlinethatwillgeneratewhateverversionofsitemapyourequire.Thetoolsarenormallyautomated,sothateverytimeapageisaddedorremovedthesitemapwillautomaticallyreflectthesechanges.Includeyoursitemapinyour404errorpagesandinthefooterofyoursite,andremember—whileGoogledoesruletheroostwithsearchvolume,don'tignoreBing.Itgeneratesalargevolumeofsearches,sosubmityoursitemapthereaswell.

Robots:HelpingYouHide

Whileit'sgreatthatsitemapsmakeindexingeasier,whatiftherearecertainpagesyoudon'twanttoshowupinSERPs?Robots.txtfilesarethesolution.Thesearefilesortagsthatallowyoutodictatewhetherornotapageshouldbeindexedbysearchengines.Take,forexample,theloginpageforawebsitepoweredbyWordPress.Thereisnobenefittouserexperienceinhavingthispageindexed,andfurthermore,itcouldalsoposeasecurityrisk.Assuch,theownerofthissitecaninsertarobots.txtfileintohersitesothispagewillnotdisplayinSERPs.Robots.txtisalsousefulforadvertisementlandingpagesthatyoumaynotwantindexedforfearofcontentduplicationthatcouldincurpenalties.

Whenyoursitemapshavebeencreated,thenextstepistocreateaGSCaccount,register,andverifyyourwebsiteonit.Thiscanbedoneinavarietyofways,includinguploadinganHTMLfileonyourwebserverandaddingametatagonyourhomepage.Onceverified,GooglewillstartpullingdataintoyourGSCaccount.Crawlissues,indexingfrequency,searchterms,ranking,click-throughs,andpenalizationareallareasthatwillbeanalyzedandreportedon.WithinyourGSCdashboardyou'llfindanareatosubmityourXMLsitemapaswell,somakesureyoudothis!

GSCToolReports

OutofthemultitudeoffeaturesofGSC,thetoolreportsaredefinitelyoneofitsfinest.Foreachtoolitoffers,extremelydetailedinformationcanbederivedandcomparedinavarietyofdifferentways.Youcanfilterdatabycountry,mobileversusdesktopversustablets,andsoon.Let'stakealookatsomeofthekeytoolsandreportsthatwillbebeneficialtoyou:

Thecrawlerrorreportisparticularlyusefulformonitoringyourwebsite'stechnicalperformance.ItprovidesinformationabouttheURLsthatGooglecan'taccess—mostcommonlydueto404errors.Afterreviewingandfixingyourcrawlerrors,makesurethey'reremovedbymarkingthemasfixed.Thatwaywhenyouloginyou'llknowtheerrorsshownarenewandneedaction.Crawlingerrorsareflaggingissuesthatsearchenginesarehavingwithaccessingyourwebpages,whichcouldbehurtingyourranking—sobesuretokeepaneyeonthisreportandalwaysaimtohavenoerrorsdisplayedinit.

Theinboundlinksreportwillbeparticularlyusefulduringtheoff-pageoptimizationofyoursite,butit'salsoveryusefulattheon-pageoptimizationstage.Thisparticularreportwilltellyouwhichwebsitesarelinkingtoyours,howmanylinksthesewebsitesaregenerating,andthemostpopularpagesonyoursitethatarebeinglinkedto.Itwillalsotellyoutheanchortextbeingusedtolinktoyoursite.

Thepagespeedreportisagreat,addictivetoolforawakeningthecompetitiveSEObeastwithinyou!Itworksbygradingyoursiteonascaleof0to100,takingvariousfactorslikeserverresponsetime,compressionfiles,andimagesizeintoaccount.Thereportwilldetailwhichfixesareabsolutelynecessary,whichareworthconsidering,andtheareasinwhichyoudon'thaveanyproblems.Aimfor85/100andhigher.Resultsdisplayedingreenmeanyou'reabovethe85mark,orangesignifiesyou'rebelow85(atapproximately60–70/100),whiletheredindicatesyouhavebigproblemsthatneedyourattention.Studieshaveshownthatforeveryone-seconddelayonyourwebsite,conversionscandecreaseby7percent!Userswillnotwaitaroundforapagetoload,soastrongfocusontheareasthatwillimproveyourspeed

isvital.

TheHTMLimprovementstoolisaninvaluablereportforflaggingissueswithawebsite'smetadata,suchasmetatagsthataretoolong,tooshort,duplicated,ormissing.Mostimportantly,italsoshowsissueswithcanonicalization.ThistermappliestoindividualwebpagesthatcanbeaccessedfrommultipleURLs,causingduplicatecontent—searchengineshatethis!Forexample,ifusersofaclothingwebsitecouldaccessapageforredshoesbyvisitingwww.example.com/red-shoes,www.example.com/new/red-shoes,andwww.example.com/ladies/shoes/red,thesearchenginewillseethesethreepagescontainingthesamecontentbutbeunabletodecidewhichURLtodisplayinSERPs.Thiscausesacanonicalizationerror.Usingcanonicallinks,youcanredirecttwooftheseURLstotheonepageyoudowantGoogletoindex,therebysolvingtheproblemandminimizingtheriskofbeingpenalized.Althoughtheremaystillbemultiplepageswithduplicatecontent,canonicallinkshelplimittheGooglegods'canonicalanxiety!

Google'sDataHighlighterisaneasyalternativetousingschemamicrodatamarkup.BuiltintoGSC,it'sapoint-and-clicktoolthatallowsyoutomarkupthedatayourself,toprovidebetterSERPsnippets.DataHighlighterisaneasywayoftellingGoogleaboutthestructureddataonyourwebpagesandisespeciallyusefulforwebsiteownerswhomaynothavemicrodataorcodingexperience.Youcanmarkupawidevarietyofthings,suchasevents,articles,localbusinesses,andproducts.Youcanhighlightthingssuchasaproduct'snameanditsreviews,theimagery,theauthoranddateofanarticle,andthecontactdetailsforalocalbusiness.Haveyoueverseenanupcomingevent'stimeandlocationlistedinaGoogleSERP?WithDataHighlighteryoucandothistoo,makingyoureventeasierforuserstodiscoverandallowingyoustandoutfromcompetitors!

Stage3:Off-PageOptimizationWiththeon-pageelementofyourwebsitecovered,it'snowtimetomoveintostage3oftheSEOprocess,ashighlightedinFigure2.15—off-pageoptimization.

Figure2.15FocusontheThirdStageintheSEOProcess

Incomparisontoon-pageSEO,off-pageSEOrequiresanentirelydifferentskillset.Here,youcanleavethetechnicalitiesbehindandfocusonbeingopportunistic,proactive,andcompetitive.Inotherwords,channelthatinnerhustler!Thepurposeofoff-pageSEOistoimproveyourwebsiteranking,basedontheamountandqualityoflinkscomingintoyoursite.Getreadytoembraceyourinnerextrovertandalsoto:

Knowthekeyoff-pagetechniquesyoucanapplytoimprovewebsiteranking.

Appreciatethevariousformsoflinksandbeabletodistinguishamongthem.

Learnaboutcontentmarketinganditsinfluenceonoff-pageoptimization.

Recognizethepotentialfactorswithinlinkbuildingthatcancauseproblemsandpenalization.

Let'stakealookatthefourmainoff-pagetechniquesyoucanusetomaximizeyoursite'sSERPranking.

LinkFormatsThefirstthingyouneedtounderstandaboutlinksisthattheyhavetwoelements:

1. Linktextreferstothetextthatappearsonthepage.

2. ThelinkURListhedestinationtowhichthatlinktextwilltaketheuser.

Internallinksdefinelinkingwithinyourownwebsitecontentfromonepagetoanother.ConsiderthemavitalelementoftheSEOprocess.Theyhelpspiderscrawlyourwebsiteandreachpagestheywouldn'tnecessarilyfind,builddigitalfootprints,enhanceuserexperience,andcontributetoranking.TakealookatFigure2.16foranexampleofinternallinkingfromDMI.

Figure2.16InternalLinking

Thelinksallnavigateinternallytoareasofthewebsiteitself,andtheanchortextisdescriptive—pleasingallthreekeyplayers.Customersknowexactlywherethey'regoing,searchenginescanusethelinkandanchortexttounderstandthepagecontent,andyou,thewebsiteowner,benefitfromhigherranking.

Aninboundlinkisonethatcomesfromanotherwebsiteanddirectsausertoyourwebsite.Itisconsideredadeterminingfactorinyoursite'sranking.Searchenginesbelievemoreinwhatotherssayaboutyouthanwhatyousayaboutyourself,andtheymeasurethisthroughinboundlinks.Thinkofthemasvotesofconfidenceandpopularity—themoreasitehas,themoreauthorityandcredibilityitwillgain.ThismakestheirlinksmoreimportantandconsideredworthyofhigherrankingsinSERPs.

Therearefourdifferentlinkformatsyouneedtoneedtoknowabout.Choosethemwisely—youroff-pageSEOcouldbehelpedorhindereddependingontheformatyouuse.

1. Uninformativelink.Alinkthatsayssomethinglikeclickhereisanuninformativelink.Don'tbeafraidtousethesewordsinalink;theyare,

afterall,adefinitivecalltoaction.Justtrybemoredescriptive,sothatbothcustomersandsearchenginesknowwherethey'rebeinglinkedto.

2. URLlink.Alinksuchaswww.vidalsassoon.comisaURLlink.Don'tjustlinktothehomepage,findthemostrelevantpageandlinktothat.

3. Topiclink.Alinksuchashaircareisatopiclink;it'sagoodwayoflinkingtositesthatcontainthesamesubjectmatterasthepagetheuserison.

4. Keywordlink.Alinkwithkeywords,suchashairstylingwithVidalSassoon,isakeywordlink.ThisisanexcellentwayofinsertingkeywordsintoyouranchortextforanSEOboost.

LinkBuildingOnceahailedoff-pagestrategycontributinggreatlytowardsranking,itsinfluenceisdwindling.Searchenginesarebeginningtofocusmoreuponuserexperiencethanthequantityofquality,inboundlinks.Regardlessofthisfact,asolidlink-buildingstrategywillstillpositivelyaffectyourranking,butthiswillbeentirelydependentonyourlevelofcommitmentandgoodjudgment.Startdevelopingastrategybyaskingyourselfsomeofthefollowingquestions:

AmIgoingtoaskbloggersforlinks,andifso,howwillIdoit?

AmIgoingtocreatevaluable,relevantcontentandwaitforinboundlinkstocomenaturally?

WillIcreatemyownlinksandwherewillIdoit?

WillIreachouttomycustomersandaskthemtolinktomywebsite?

Whileinboundlinksaregreat,thereissomewhatofaqualitycastesystem,withsomegivenhigherpriorityandstatusthanothers.It'simportantthatyoufocusonbuildinghigh-qualityinboundlinkssothatyoudon'twasteyourtimegatheringlinksthataren'tinfluentialandcontributenothingtoyouroff-pageSEO.Takealookatthefollowingsuggestedtechniquesyoucanusetodevelopyourownstrategy:

Evergreencontent.Thisiscontentthatwillbeforeverrelevantandfresh.Obviouslyifyou'rewritingaboutthelatestindustryfad,thatwon'tbepossible,butkeepingitevergreenissomethingyoushouldalwaysaimfor.Evergreencontentisofanextremelyhighquality,wellresearched,andwillbeusedasaresourcebyothers.Itnaturallydevelopsinboundlinksandhelpsyourdomainbecomeauthoritative.

Influentialblogsorsocialmedia.Linksfromthesesitescarrygreat

authorityandarewidelysoughtafter.Whilecreatingoriginal,quality,entertainingcontentwillhelpyougetlinksonthesesites,rememberthatpopularblogsgethundredsoflinkrequestsdaily.Increaseyourchancesofgettingthatlinkbymakingyourselfknownintheindustryandbefriendingtheinfluencers.Bynetworkingindiscussionforumsandrelevantsites,blogs,andsocialmedia,youcanbuildrapportwithlike-mindedpeopleinyourindustry,makingyourlinkrequeststandoutfromtherest.Whynotconsiderguestblogging?Thisiswhenyoucreatecontentforpublicationonsomeoneelse'sblog,whichincludesinboundlinksbacktoyourownsite.Asalways,onlyincludelinkswhenappropriateandbeneficialtotheuserexperience.It'sagreatwayofcreatingapublicperceptionthatyouareathoughtleader,helpsranking,andincreaseswebsitetraffic.

Locallinks.Ifyou'rerunningalocalbusiness,linksfromotherlocalandrelevantbusinesses,organizations,charities,socialevents,andmediaorganizationsareimperative.Ifyou'reaphotographer,youcouldaskforlinksfromflorists,weddingplanners,andweddingfairorganizers.Seekoutthosewhohaveauthorityandstandinginyourindustry.BesuretogetyourselfonlocallistingsitessuchasGoogleMyBusiness,TripAdvisor,andYelp.Theywillletsearchenginesknowkeyinformationaboutyourbusiness,suchasproximitytothesearcher,whichwilldetermineyoursite'spositioninginSERPs.

Authoritativewebsites.Thesearethecrèmedelacrème.Alinkfromanauthoritativewebsiteisthegoldennuggetofoff-pageSEO,sofindoutwhoisauthoritativewithinyourindustryandchasethatlinkforallit'sworth!Governmentwebsitesareautomaticallyhighauthoritybutnormallyhavepoliciesaboutnotlinkingtothird-partywebsites.Contactcompaniesyou'veusedbefore,offeringawell-writtentestimonialtobefeaturedontheirpages.They'llbenefitfromthepositivereviewandyou'llgetaninboundlink!

However,beawarethatlinkingcanbeeitherone-wayorreciprocal.Aone-waylinkiswhensomebodylinkstoyou,whereasareciprocallinkiswhenyoulinktoeachother.Whenlinking,thinkaboutthepagesthatyou'relinkingto.Acommonproblemwithlinkbuildingoccurswhensomeonedecidestolinktoyoursite.Henaturallylinkstoahomepagewithoutspendingthetimetofindthemostrelevantpage.Youshouldalwaysbebuildinglinksintothecoresectionsofyourwebsite,notjustthehomepage.Controlthelinkasmuchaspossiblebydoingtheworkforthewebsiteyou'rerequestingthelinkfrom.ProvideakeywordlinkcontainingtheURLofthepageyouwantlinkedtowiththeanchortextyouwantused.Bylinkingtothemostrelevantpage,the

digitalfootprintfromallyourwebpageswillexpand—ultimatelyincreasingyouroveralldomainauthority.

Asiflinkbuildingwasn'tchallengingenough,youneedtobeawareofthefollowingfactorsthatmaycauseproblemswithyourlinkbuildingstrategies:

Flashcontent.Flashisanoldermethodofcreatingmovementinawebsite.Shouldflashcontentcontainlinks,searchenginesmaynotbeabletoseeorreadit.Aflashlinkisawastedlink,sobesuretoflaganyinboundlinkslikethistothewebsiteowners.ItcouldbethedifferencebetweenapageoneandpagetwoSERPlisting.

Brokersorsellers.Withe-capitalismcomesopportunists—somegood,somebad.Ofthebadvarietyarelink-buildingbrokersorsellers.Approachthesecompanieswithstrongcaution!Whileweshouldn'tgeneralize,outsourcingthisprocessusuallyresultsinaonestepforward,tenstepsbackscenario.Here,inboundlinksgeneratedtendtocomefromextremelylow-qualitywebsitesthatareirrelevanttoyourcontent.Youwillfindthatalotoflink-buildingsellersoperatelinkfarms—agroupofwebsitessetupsolelyforlinkingtooneanother.AlgorithmsunderstandtheseSEOmalpracticesandpenalizeforlow-qualitylinks.Asuddensurgeofinboundlinkswilltriggersuspicion,andshouldyoubefoundtohavelinksthatarenotorganicallybuilt,youwillsuffertherankingconsequences!

Brokenlinks.Alwayscheckforandreplacebrokeninboundlinks.Awebsite'slinktoyoufromlastyearcouldnowbebroken,costingyouvaluablerankingandconversions.Remember,pagesyouhavedeletedthathaven'tbeenredirectedwillresultinbrokenlinks.Ifyouhappentostumbleacrossthebrokenlinkofacompetitoronahigh-authoritysite,usethistoyouradvantage.Makethewebsiteownerawareoftheissueandprovideherwithanotherrelevantlinkfromyoursite!

Damaginglinks.Notalllinksaregood,andthosethataren'tcanaffectyourranking.Websitesthatareconsideredspammybysearchengineswillconsiderinboundlinksfromthesesitesasunnaturalandcouldpenalizeyouasaresult.Luckily,adisavowtoolwithinGSCallowsyoutosubmitalistoflinksyouwouldlikeGoogletoignore.Shouldyoudiscoverdamaginglinks,thistoolwillhelpclawbacksomeoftherankingyoumayhavelostasaresult.

ContentMarketingThenextphaseofyourlinkbuildingstrategyiscontentmarketing.Thisinvolvescreatingandsharingvaluable,informative,andentertainingcontent

withtheaimofattractingcustomersontoyoursite—inordertodrivesalesandconversions.It'smoreaboutshowingcustomersthatyouhaveanexpertiseandpassionforwhatyoudothantryingtoselltothem.Articles,casestudies,whitepapers,infographics,andvideosareamongthepopularmediaused—sostartthinkingabouthowyoucaninform,educateandsolveproblemsforyourcustomers.Havinganarticlerecognizedandsharedwillhelpbuildcredibilitywithinyourindustry,increasingrankingandyourdomainauthority.Aimtobeanexpertinyourniche,sothatpeoplewillimmediatelythinkofyoursiteandlinktoitwhenthattopicarises.Forcontentmarketingthesamerulesapply.Makesuretoon-pageoptimizeyourcontentfully—withkeywords,metatags,headings,andsoon.

SocialSharingThefourthelementofoff-pageoptimizationinvolvesgettingpeopletoshareyourcontentacrosstheirsocialmedianetworks—inotherwords,socialsharing.Youprobablywillhavealreadyseensocial-sharingbuttonswhilesurfingtheweb.Thesearethesmalliconsonsocialmediaplatformsthatallowuserstoeasilysharecontentfromtheirownsocialmediaaccounts.

Wheneverpossible,supporteverypieceofcontentyoucreatewithsocial-sharingbuttons.Theyfacilitatefreeadvertisingforyoursite,increaseyourdigitalfootprint,andgeneratebrandawarenessatthehandsofyourcustomers.You'veputyourblood,sweat,andtearsintocreatingcompellingcontentthatentertainsandinformsthereader.What'sthepointindoingthatifyourcustomerscan'tshareit?ConvenientlyplacedTwitter,Facebook,andLinkedInsharebuttonsshouldbepositionedthroughoutyoursitetoallowcustomerstoshareyourcontentquicklyandeasilyacrosstheirnetworks.Algorithmsareplacingincreasinglymoreemphasisonpopularityasarankingfactor,tohelpthemdistinguishbetweenqualitycontentandpoorcontent.Assuch,searchenginesarenowtakingsocialendorsementsintoaccount.Aswithinboundlinks,themoresharesyouget,thebetter!Theidealscenarioistohavemanyindividualsiteslinkingtoyou,ratherthanhavingfewwebsitesgeneratinglotsoflinks.

Off-pageSEOisnottoodissimilartonetworking.Youneedtomixintherightcircles,bereadytojumpatopportunities,andtrytoengageinconversationwiththattopdogbeforeyourcompetitordoes.Ultimatelyyou'retryingtooptimizeyoursitetoincreaseranking,butalsotryaimingbeyondthat.Aimtobecomethattop-dogauthoritativesitethatpeoplewillspendcountlesshourschasingforlinks.Itdoesinvolveworkingfromthegroundup,butthebenefitsareworththeeffort!

Stage4:AnalyzeWe'venowreachedthefinalstretch,andbythisstageyourwebsiteshouldbefullyoptimized,yieldinglotsoforganictrafficwithconversionstomatch!RememberinthefirststageoftheSEOprocessyousetwell-definedgoals?Nowisthetimetoanalyzeandreviewyourperformanceagainstthesegoalssothatwhenyoustartthisprocessagain,informedchangescanbemadetothem.Thisisstage4oftheprocess,ashighlightedinFigure2.17.

Figure2.17FocusontheFourthStageintheSEOProcess

Prepareforabigdoseofdéjàvuandtheskillsto:

Knowtheanalyticstoolsthatallowyoutrackandmeasuresearchtraffic.

BeabletoidentifytheKPIsofSEOandmeasuresuccessagainstthem.

Usespecificcriteriatomeasureyourwebsite'sperformance.

Beawareofthekeyfeatures,tools,andreportsinGAthathelpwithSEOperformanceanalysis.

UnderstandthelawsandguidelinesassociatedwithSEO.

Atthisstageyouneedtobeawareofthevolumeoftrafficcomingintoyoursite,whereit'scomingfrom,whattheusersaredoingthere,whatkeywordsorcontentisbringingthemin,andwhatpagesaredrivingorexpellingconversions.Luckily,therearetonsofanalyticstoolstohelpanswerallthesequestions—MozandHubSpotaregreat,butGoogleAnalyticsisdefinitelythe

mosthighlyregarded.It'sfree,hasahugevarietyofhighlydetaileddata,andiseasytodigest.

BeforeyoucanstartusingatoollikeGA,takealookatthefollowingcriteriaagainstwhichyou'llneedtomeasureyourwebsite'sperformance.Answerthesequestionsandyou'llbeguidingyourselfintherightdirectiontowardsimprovingyourSEOeffortsandunderstandingyourcustomers:

Canyourwebsitebefound?Howvisibleisit?

WhatpositionareyouinSERPs?

Isyouron-pagetechnicalSEOcomplete?

Whichsitesrankaboveyours?

Howmanywebpagesareindexed?

Whichtrafficiscominginviageneralkeywordsandwhichviamoretargetedkeywords?

Howmanyconversionscomefromeachkeyword?

RecordingyourperformanceistheonlywayofratingyourownSEOactivities,socompileallthisdataandcreateareportonyourfindings.IntheearlydaysofanewSEOproject,analyzeyouractivitiesweeklyorbiweekly.Oncethingsstartfallingintoplaceyoucanstartlookingatperformanceonamonthlybasis.Don'tbecomecomplacent—competitorsarealwayslurkingaroundthecorner,waitingtopounceonyourposition.

Onceyouhavecompiledadetailedcriteriareportofyourfindings,youcanthenmeasureyourSEOsuccessesorfailures,usingthesethreeKPIs:

1. Position.WhereareyourankinginSERPs?ThisKPIissignificantbecauseitshowstheeffectivenessoftheSEOmeasuresyou'veappliedtogetgoodsearchpositioning,basedonrelevantsearchterms.YourpositioncanbegaugedbyusingSEOtoolslikeGoogleSearchConsoleandMoz.

2. Traffic.Whattrafficiscomingin,whereisitcomingfrom,andwhatcontentisbeingvisited?ThisKPImeasuresthesearchvolumesachievedforrelevanttermsandisthebasisforcalculatingconversions.UseGAtoreviewtrafficsourcereports,visitornumbers,andthevolumeoftrafficachievedbasedonthekeywordsselected.

3. Conversion.IsyourorganicSEOcreatingconversions?ThisisanotherimportantKPIbecauseitrelatesthevolumeandrelevanceofyoursearchtrafficwithsomepredefinedobjectives.UsingGA,youcanfindconversioninformationtomeasuregoalsachieved,sales,leads,andinboundcalls.

WithinatypicaldashboardpageinGA,goalandeventtrackingareamongthemostimportantfeatures.Ensureyouhavetheseenabled,asthesearethetoolsthatwillallowyoutoseewherethetrafficiscomingfromandwhetherornotyou'regettingconversions.Eventsaredistinguishedbyuserengagementssuchasvideoviews,documentdownloads,socialshares,andthelike.Goalsareactionslikenewslettersign-ups,web-formsubmissions,purchases,andsoon.

AnOngoingProcessAswithallaspectsofSEO,analysisandreviewisanongoingprocess.Dedicationandcommitmentwillbringyoufar—sobyregularlycarryingoutthesethreeeasytasks,youcanboostyoursite'sSEOperformanceaheadofyourcompetitors:

1. Maintainaweeklyormonthlycalendarmeasuringyourwebsiteperformanceagainstyourbaseline.

2. It'simportanttobeabletoassociatepeaksintraffictocertainmarketingactivities.InGApeopleforgettorecordothermarketing,PR,orcompetitionsthey'redoingoffline.Suddenlytheyseeaspikeintraffic,forgettingthey'vebeencarryingoutotheractivitiesthatarethereasonforthespike.

3. AssesstheimpactofyourSEOactivities,spotanytrendsresultingfromthem,andidentifyanyremedialactionneeded.

Customerretentionisthekeytoconversion,sobounceratesshouldbeminimizedatallcosts.IfyourGAdashboardshowsahighbouncerate,don'tpanic—investigate!Findwhichpages,keywords,andtrafficsourcesarecausingthebouncerateandmaketheappropriatechanges.Withthatsaid,abounceisn'talwaysabadthing.ASERPwilldisplaytheappropriatepageforsomeonelookingforyouropeningtimes.Theuserwillvisitit,checktheinformation,andleave.Thiswillbeclassifiedasabounce,sospendtimegettingtoknowandunderstandyourGAdashboard—ifyoudon't,youcouldenduptryingtofixsomethingthatisn'tbroken.

LawandOrder:SEOWithcyberattacksandidentitytheftoccurringeveryminute,dataprotectionissomethingthathasbecomewidelyexpectedbycustomers,searchengines,andgoverningauthorities.Youneedtobeawareofthegoverninglawsandregulationswithinyourterritory,notonlytoprotectcustomersbutalsotoprotectyourownwebsiteandreputation.Nobodywillvisitorbuyfromasiteknowntobeunsafe.

Cookiesaredatafilesstoredonusers'browsersthattracksnippetsoftheironlinebehavior.They'regreatforgainingabetterinsightintouserhabitsandleveragingthisdatatoenhanceuserexperience.WithSEO,youarelegallyobligatedtonotifyusersthatyoursiteusescookies.Beforthrightaboutit;userswillappreciatethehonesty.Plagiarismisn'tjustsomethingyoucangetcaughtforinyourschoolwork—itisalegaloffense!Doyourutmosttosteerclearofanyandallcopyrightissues.Makesureyouhavethelicensingrightstoborrowimages,creditallcontentthat'snotyourown,andwherepossible,createyourown!

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?That'sit!We'vecomefullcircleintheSEOprocess—youcangobacktothestartofthechapterandbegintheprocessalloveragain!Nowwiththeknowledge,skills,andabilitytofullyoptimizeyoursite,gokickthosecompetitorsfarintopagetwoofSERPs.Asyoudo,rememberthesetips:

UsetheDMI's5PCustomerSearchModeltounderstandcustomerbehaviorandensureyourcontentisrelevant.

Whenitcomestoselectingyourkeywords,themoreresearchthebetter!

Rememberthatsearchengineshaveapreferenceforresponsivewebsites,soadaptyoursiteaccordingly.

Customizeyour404errorpagetolimitthedamagetouserexperience—standoutfromthecrowd!

Makeconnectionswiththerightpeopletooptimizeyourlink-buildingstrategy.

Finally,beawarethattherulesofSEOchangefrequently—stayaheadofthecurveandeducateyourselfbyreadingindustry-leadingarticlesandblogs.

Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonSEOasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

Exercises

Exercise1YouareasmartphoneretailoutletsellingtotheU.S.marketandwanttoresearchtargetsearchtermsforyouriPhone7accessoriespage.

SetupanaccountinGoogleAdWords.

UnderTools,clickKeywordPlannerandSearchforNewKeywords.

SelectAdGroupsIdeas.

Typeinfivekeywordsorphrases;forexample,iPhone7accessories,orsomethingsimilar.

ChooseyourtargetcountryandclickGetIdeas.

VisittheKeywordIdeastab.

Notehowmanyaveragemonthlysearcheshavebeencompletedforyourchosenkeywordsorsearchterms.

Exercise2Gotoawebsitethatyouvisitregularlyandaccessthesourcecodeofthepage.(RightclickonthepagetextandselectViewSourceCode.)CompleteasearchinthesourcecodebypressingCtrlF.

DoesthewebpageincludeanH1?

IstheH1themainpageheadline?

DoestheH1includeacoremessagefortheuser?

IsthereanysignthattheH1isoptimizedforsearching(arethereanykeywordsincludedinit)?

IsthesiteusingtheadditionalheadingsH2throughH6?Isitcreatingcorrectpageandcontentstructure?

Exercise3Usingthesamepageasinthepreviousexercise,completethefollowing:

1. Searchforthetitle.Itshouldbeplacednearthetopofthepage(<title>titletext</title>).Thisisthemetatitleforthepage.

Isthetargetkeywordincludedinthetitle?

Isthetitleunder60characters?

2. Searchforthedescription.Itshouldbeplacednearthetopofthepage(<meta-name=“description”content=“descriptiontext”/>).Thisisthe

metadescriptionforthepage.

Isthereadescriptionvisible?

Isthetargetkeywordincluded?

Isitunder160characters?

Exercise4Createapieceofsearch-optimizedcontentforyourwebsitethatwillassistyourcustomersduringtheirresearchstage(togeneratebrandawareness).Thiscontentcantakeanyform—forexample,text,infographic,video,oraudio—butmusthaveatextelementthatcanbeoptimized.Researchyourkeywordsandoptimizeallkeyon-pageelements.

Exercise5Visitwww.opensiteexplorer.org.EntertheURLforyourwebsiteandclicksearch.Notethedomainauthorityandpageauthority.NowclickCompareLinkMetrics(ontheleft).EntertheURLforacompetitor'swebsiteandscrolltothedomainauthoritysection.

Whoscoresthebestdomainandpageauthority?

Whichsitehasthebestqualitylinks(checkMozRankandMozTrust)?

Whichsitehasthemostfollowedlinkingrootdomains?

ActionPlan:SearchEngineOptimizationDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforSearchEngineOptimization

ObjectivesPositioning,engagement,conversions,competitiveadvantage

ActionItemsOnpage:Keywordresearch,contentupdates,metadata,UX

Offpage:Linkbaiting,cross-linking,directorylisting,guestblogging,searchenginesubmission

Frequency

Onpage:Dailyandweeklycontentupdateswithrelevantkeywords

Offpage:Weeklyandmonthlyactionsandreview(outreachandinboundlinks)

MeasurementToolsandKPIsAnalytics,WebmasterTools,Moz:Position,rank,click-throughrate,visitors,conversions,websiteperformance

Diagnostics:Error404pages,blockedrobots.txt,faultybacklinks

Spend

Media Content People Systemsx x

CHAPTER3PAYPERCLICK

AnIntroductionAppearinginthenumber-onepositionofaSERPisnoeasyfeat,butwhatifyouweretoldthatSEOwasnottheonlywaytoachievethismammothaccomplishment?Searchmarketing,inparticularpay-per-click(PPC)advertising,isanotherlucrativeoptionavailabletoyou.ThedifferencebetweenSEOandPPC,however,isinthename—youhavegottopayforPPC!

HaveyouevernoticedthosethreelistingsatthetopofaSERPwithayellowadiconbesidethem,almostunfairlypushingdownorganicsearchlistings?ThosearetheproductofPPC-savvydigitalmarketers,reapingthebenefitsofhighclick-throughrates(CTRs)bypayingalittleextra.

FormaldefinitionofPPC:Therevenuemodeladoptedbysearchengineswherebytheadvertiserpaysonlywhenauserclicksonanad.

InformaldefinitionofPPC:Afairerplayingfieldforbigandsmalladvertisersalike.

ProcessJustlikeSEO,PPChasitsownfour-stageiterativeprocess,whichyoucanseeinFigure3.1.Withthisformofadvertisingeverycentcounts,andwiththeaddedelementofexpenditureyouneedtomaintainanastuteattentiontodetailsoastonotspendyourbudgetfrivolously.Takealookateachofthesefourstagessoyouknowexactlywhatisinstoreforyouinthischapter!

1. Setyourgoals.BeforebeginningandinvestinginyourPPCjourney,youfirstneedtolearnaboutthebenefitsPPCcanbringtoyourbusiness.WiththisknowledgeyoucanthendefineexactlywhatyourgoalswillbeandhowtoalignKPIswiththem.

2. Setupyouraccount.Inthisstageyouwillbeguidedstep-by-stepthrougheveryelementinvolvedinsettingupyourveryownGoogleAdWordsaccount,fromcreatingPPCcampaignstoassigningbudgets—youwilllearnitall!

3. Manageyourcampaigns.Thisstagedetailswhathappensafteryourcampaignshavebeenlaunchedandhowbesttomanagethem.ThefinerdetailsoftheAdWordsinterfacewillalsobeexploredtohelpyoudiscoverthevarietyofoptionsyoucanimplementtoyieldahigherreturnoninvestment(ROI).

4. Analyzeyourresults.ThefinalstageinthePPCprocessisallaboutmeasuringyoursuccessthroughKPIs,tools,andreports.Byusingthisdatayouwillbeabletobetteroptimizeyourcampaignsforthenextiteration,whileconsideringtherelevantdataprotectionandprivacyissuesassociatedwithPPC.

Figure3.1Four-StagePPCProcess

KeyTermsandConceptsNotonlywillthischapterdemonstratehowtoimplementandmanagesearchadvertisingcampaigns,itwillultimatelyequipyouwiththetechnicalunderstandingandskillsneededtobecomeamasterinbuildinganeffectivePPCstrategy!YourPPCapprenticeshipstartshere,andbytheendofthischapteryouwill:

Understandthekeyconcepts,benefits,andgoalsassociatedwithPPCadvertising.

KnowhowtocreateanAdWordsaccount,assignaccesslevels,andimplementacoherentcampaignarchitecture.

Appreciatetheimportanceofadrankandqualityscoreandhowtocalculatethem.

Beabletochoosetheoptimalkeywordsforyourads,whichcanbedeliveredandscheduledinlinewithyourbiddingstrategy.

Learntheoptimalwayofcraftingadcopyandlandingpagesforyourcampaignsandhowtoremarkettousers.

ConfigureyourAdWordsdashboardtosuityourbusiness.

SegmentdatathroughavarietyofreportingtoolswithintheAdWordsinterface.

AlignyourbiddingstrategieswithKPIs.

Stage1:GoalsAswithSEO,theimportanceofdefiningandsettinggoalsforpaidsearchcannotbestressedenough.Withacoregraspofthebasics,let'sdelvedeeperandbeginstage1ofPPC'sowniterativeprocess,whichishighlightedinFigure3.2.Bytheendofthissection,youwillhavedeveloped:

AnappreciationofthebenefitsPPCmarketingcanbring.

Anunderstandingofadrankandqualityscoreandhowtocalculateboth.

TheabilitytochooseandsetpaidsearchcampaigngoalsandKPIs.

Figure3.2FocusontheFirstStageinthePPCProcess

Goals:What'sthePoint?Goalsettingcanbealaborioustask,sobeforediscussinghowexactlythisshouldbedone,takealookatthekeybenefitsofpaidsearchtoseewhytheeffortisworthwhile!

Relevance.Deliveringanswerstothemultitudeofquestionssearchedforonadailybasisisnotfeasiblypossibleandfortunatelyisn'tnecessaryeither.Therelationshipbetweenusers,searchengines,andmarketershastakenastrangeturn.Peoplenowviewsearchenginesasproblemsolvers,withwemarketersactingasagonyauntswhoproviderelevantsolutionstotheirqueriesattheprecisemomenttheyask.Paidsearchisallaboutrelevancy—itallowsustoreachtherightpeople(thosewhoareinterested),findsearchqueriesrelatedtoourbusinesses,andlookforwaystosolvecustomerpain.

Timing.Paidsearchletsusreachusersatexactlytherighttime,whichisessential.Youneedtobeastuteinunderstandingusersearchintentionsandyoualsoneedtobeabletomatchtheirsearchqueriestospecifictimesoftheday.Forexample,matchinga24-hourlocksmithwithsomeonesearchingforhowdoIfixabrokenlockat9:00P.M.wouldprovideanexcellentanswerforthatuserwhileincreasingconversionpotentialdramatically.

Self-qualifyingusers.WhenauserenterssearchqueriesthataskquestionssuchasIneedananswer,Ihaveaproblem,orI'mlookingforaproductandyourbrandcananswerthosequeries,thenyouhaveaqualifiedvisitor.Traditionally,findingandtargetingthesecustomerswasatrickyfeat.WithPPC,however,userscanbebroughtdirectlytoyoursitewithminimaleffortonyourpart.

Costeffectiveness.Thoseofyouwhoarefrugal-mindedmarketerscantakesolaceinknowingthatyourbudgetwillbehitonlywhenauserclicksyourad.Althoughanot-for-meverdictfromusersisnotideal,thereisstillalotofbenefittothislostconversion.Evenifusersdon'tclickthead,itwillstillhaveincreasedbrandawareness,andyoudidn'thavetopayonecentforit.Tomaximizethisfrugality,besureyouradactuallydeliverswhatitpromises.Usersaresmartandwillquicklyexityoursiteiftheydiscoveryoucan'toffertheservicetheyrequire—meaningthemoneyyoupaidforthatclickwillbewasted.

Control.Ultimately,thepowertocontroleveryaspectofyouradcampaignisthebiggestbenefitpaidsearchcanoffer.Youcanmakedecisionssuchas:

Howmuchtospendandbid

Whatyouwishtoshowforthecampaign

Howoftenandatwhattimesofthedayyouradappears

TheNot-So-SecretFormulaTheGoogleAdWordsrankingformuladecideswhereyouradisdisplayedinaSERP.Yourgoalasanadvertiseristoappearfirst—oratleastwithinthetopthreeadresultsdisplayedatthetopofthepage.Todothis,youreallyneedtotakealookatFigure3.3andunderstandthetwokeycomponentsoftherankingformula,whichunderpineverythingtodowithyourcampaign.Sositup,straponyourthinkingcap,andstarttakingnotes!

1. Costperclick(CPC).Uncannilysimilartoanauction,youplaceabidonthemaximumamountofmoneyyouarewillingtopaywhensomeoneclicksonyourad.

2. Qualityscore.Witheverykeywordyoucreate,arelevancy/qualityscoreof1to10isassigned—1beingthehighest.Thisscoreisthenmultipliedbyyourmaximumcost-per-clickbidtocalculateyourranking—it'seasy!Achievingahigherrankingwillcostalotlesswithhigherqualityscoresbecausethetwoaremultipliedtogether.Let'spretend10advertisersarebiddingonthekeywordredshoes.Everyadvertiserbiddingintheauctionisplacedonascaleof1to10,dependingonhowmanyadpositionsareavailableonthepage.Withinasplitsecond,thescoresofeachbidderarecalculatedandtheiradrankingisdetermined.

Figure3.3GoogleAdWordsRankingFormula

Therearealsoanumberofotherfactorstoconsiderthatcontributetowardsyourqualityscore,suchas:

CTR.AnadvertiserwhohistoricallyhasaCTRof4percentwillbegivenahigherqualityscorethanacompetitorwithaCTRof2percent.AhighCTRindicatesthattheadvertiser'scampaignsarerelevanttousersearchqueriesandtheadvertiserisrewardedasaresult.

Landingpage.Thesearestand-alonewebpagesdedicatedtospecificproductsorservicesthatyouwantyourcustomerstofocusonexclusively.Qualityscoreswillalsobebumpedifusersarebroughttoarelevant,fast-loadinglandingpagethatreferencesthesearchqueriestheyentered.

Adcopy.Adsshouldcontainthesearchtermenteredanddirectuserstoarelevantlandingpageinordertoachievehigherqualityscores.

Accountperformance.WithGoogle,hardworknevergoesunnoticed.IfyourAdWordsaccountanditscampaignshavebeenperformingwelloveraperiodoftime,Googlewillviewyouasaverystrongadvertiserthatworkshardtoproviderelevantresultstoyourconsumers—andrewardyouasaresult.

Allthisinformationisgreat,butwhatifyouhaveneverrunanAdWordscampaignbefore,andGooglehasnocampaignhistoryonwhichtobaseyourqualityscore?Inthiscase,itprimarilycomesdowntothesearchqueryenteredandthekeywordsyouchoose.Googlewilllookathowthatparticularkeywordhasperformedovertimeandonthatbasisassignaqualityscore.Adcopiesandlandingpageswillstillbeconsidered,sodon'tforgetaboutthose!

HowtoSetGoalsNowthatyou'vebeenenlightenedaboutthepowersthatPPCpossesses,takealookatthesefourstepsforsettinggoals.TheflowchartshowninFigure3.4comesfromAvinashKaushik,ananalyticsguruatGoogle.Theprocessinvolvesinitiallyfocusingonbroadbusinessobjectives,assigninggoalstoeachobjective,andidentifyingtheassociatedKPIsinordertoconvertthebroadobjectivesintoveryspecificcampaignobjectives.

1. Defineyourbusinessobjectives.Ifyouhaven'tdefinedanybusinessobjectives,nowisthetimetodecidewhattheyare.Theymayentailgeneratingmorerevenue,increasingbrandawareness,orretainingexistingcustomers.Onceyourobjectivesaredefined,youneedtomapthemontoatimeframe:Areyoutryingtoachieveaparticularobjectivethismonth,thisquarter,orthisyear?

2. Developgoals.Nextyouneedtodevelopgoalsforeachbusiness

objective.Forexample,ifyourbusinessobjectiveistoincreasebrandawareness,youmaydecidethecorrespondinggoalistoincreasetraffictoyoursite.

3. IdentifyyourKPIs.Withyourbusinessobjectivessetandtheircorrespondinggoalsassigned,youcanthenstartidentifyingKPIstotrackyoursuccess.Brochuredownloads,CTRs,anduniquevisitorsareexamplesofKPIsthatcouldbeusedtomeasureyourgoalofincreasingwebsitetraffic.

4. Identifyyourtargets.Thefinalstepinvolvesidentifyingtargets.Thesearenumericalvaluesyouhavepredeterminedasindicatorsofsuccessorfailure.Forexample,byQ2youwant250,000visitorstoyoursite.

Figure3.4AvinashKaushik'sDUMBObjectives

Whendefiningobjectives,thedumberthebetter!Inhisblog“Occam'sRazor,”Avinashdefinesitas:

Doable

Understandable

Manageable

Beneficial

Don'tfoolyourself.Sayingyouwanttoincreaserevenueby$300,000amonthwhenyouknowyouhaveonlyevermade$100,000amonthisnotrealistic.Setyourselfachievablegoalsthatcontributetothevalueofyourbusiness.Ifyourgoalistodriveonlinesales,don'tstrivetocreatemorebrand

awarenessifyouholdthelargestmarketshare.

BusinessgoalsfeedintoKPIs,sohittingandexceedingyourKPIswilleventuallycontributetoachievingyourgoalsandultimatelycontributetothesuccessofyourbusiness.ThetypeofKPIuseddependsonthetypeofcampaign,whichcanbebrokendownintothefollowingthreeareas:

1. Directresponse.Theseareessentiallysales-focusedcampaigns.Theyrequirehardconversionssuchasapurchase,sale,orlead.ThemainKPIsyoushouldbeconcernedwithherearetheconversionrate,costperconversion,andefficiencyingeneratingconversions.

2. Brandingandawarenesscampaigns.Fromabrandingpointofview,thefocusinthesecampaignswouldveertowardsprominenceinSERPsandtheCTRresponsetothecampaign.HerethethreekeyKPIsworthyourattentionwouldbeyouraveragepositioninSERPs,CTR,andCPC.

3. Engagementcampaigns.Theancientmantraqualityoverquantityisdemonstratedinitspurestforminengagementcampaigns.Thesecampaignsarenotaboutvolumeoftrafficorquantityofconversions,butratheraboutdrivinguserengagementwithyourbrandandgainingqualitytraffic.WhenassessingCTRsforthesecampaignslookattherateatwhichpeopleareresponding,userinterestinyourproductorservice,andtheamountoftimespentonthesite.

Well-definedgoalswillhelpyoutokeepontrackasweprogressontostage2ofthePPCprocess.MakeyourgoalsasDUMBaspossibleandsuccesswon'tbefarbehind!

Stage2:Setup

PartOneThePPCwheelsarenowinmotion,andhavingdefinedsometangiblegoals,thefunpartcanbegin.Let'screatesomecampaigns!AsyoucanseeinFigure3.5,setupisthesecondstageoftheprocess.Withsomanydetailedyetvitalelementsrequiredtocompletethesetup,wehavedividedthisstageoftheprocessintwoparts.Uponcompletionofthissection,yourmasteryofPPCsetupwillbehalfcompletewithacoreknowledgeof:

GoogleAdWordsaccountcreationandaccesslevels

Campaignsetupandarchitecture

PPCtargetingandlocation

Figure3.5FocusontheSecondStageinthePPCProcess

CreatingaGoogleAdWordsAccount

Googlewantsafairplayingfieldforeverybody—bothbigadvertisersandsmall,technerdsandtechnophobes.Designedtopleasethemasses,navigatingtheGoogleAdWordsinterfaceiseasyandefficient,solet'ssetitup!

DoyouhaveaGoogleaccount?ThoseofyouwithGmailwillhaveautomaticallybeenassignedone.Ifyoudon'thaveone,signupforGmail—it'stheeasiestwaytogetaGoogleaccount,whichisrequiredtocreateanAdWordsaccount.Thesetupconsistsoffoureasysteps.StartbyenteringyouremailaddressandwebsiteURL.Thenextstepthrowsyoustraightinthedeependbyaskingyoutocreatealivecampaign.Atthisstageyouarenotyetreadytocreateacampaign,solet'sgothroughthestepsandfillinthebareminimum.Youcanreturntothisstepatalaterstage.

AsyoucanseefromFigure3.6,thereareaseriesoffieldsyouneedtocomplete,solet'sgothrougheachofthem:

Budget.Forthissetup,enteraspendof$0.01—itwillbeunlikelytorun.Budgetsarealwayssetatadailylevel.Calculatedailybudgetsbydividingyourmonthlybudgetby30.4.

Locations.Choosethecountriesandregionsyouwanttotargethere.

Networks.Fornow,selectSearchNetwork.Therearetechnicallytwoandahalfnetworks.TheSearchNetworkisusedforGoogleSearchandthe

DisplayNetworkisusedforallofGoogle'spartnerwebsites,suchasGmail,YouTube,Blogger,andsoon.TheextrahalfanetworkcomesfromGooglesearchpartners,whichyoucanoptinoroutof.ItisusedtodisplayinsearchenginespoweredbyGoogle—Ask.comandeBay,forexample.Wewillcomebacktotheseareaslaterinthechapter.

Keywords.Asitsaysonthetin,enterthekeywordsyoucreatedinChapter2.Otherwise,addinonesamplekeywordandcomebacktothissectionlater.

Bid.Enter$0.01forthetimebeing.Thisfieldisaskingyoutosetyourmaximumbid.Budgetsvaryfrombusinesstobusiness,butarecommendedmaximumbidof$1.50willsuffice.GoogleAdWordswillletyouknowifyourbidistoohighortoolow,allowingyoutothenadjustyourmaximumbidaccordingly.

Textad.Completetheadcopyaccordingtotheoutlinedcharacterlimitsandrestrictions—youcanrevisitthissectionagain.Wewillcoveritingreaterdetaillaterinthechapter.

Figure3.6SecondStepofGoogleAdWordsSetupSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Bills,Bills,Bills.Whenyouaredone,hitSaveandContinue.Thebillingsectioncomesnext.Youwillhavetoenterinapaymentmethodoryourcampaignswon'trun.Fortaxandpaymenttypepurposes,besuretoselectthecountryyouarebasedinasyourbillingcountry.Youthenneedtodecidehowyouwanttopay:

Automaticpayments.Thisoptionworksbyautomaticallytakingmoneyoutofyouraccountwhenyoureachacertainthreshold,orafter30days—whichevercomesfirst.Thebenefitofthispaymentmethodliesinitsabilitytokeepcampaignsrunningifyouforgetordon'thavethetimetoaddmoneytoyouraccount.Justmakesureyoumonitoryourbudgetcloselytoavoidoverspends.

Manualpayments.Ifhavingtotalfiscalcontrolfloatsyourboat,thisisthe

paymentmethodforyou.Here,youmanuallyaddyourbudgetupfrontandGooglewilldeductfromiteverytimesomebodyclicksonyourad.Whenthebudgetrunsdry,youradswillstop.

Thefinalandmostimportantstepisselectingyourtimezone.Onceset,itcan'tbechanged.Thehourofdayreportsthataregeneratedforyouradcampaignswillbesetaccordingtothetimezoneyouselect,sobesuretopicktherightone.

UserAccess.Withyouraccountsetup,youmaynowdecidetoletsomepeopleinonthePPCaction.Todothis,youwillneedtoassigndifferentuseraccesslevels—ofwhichtherearefour.Clickthelittlegearicononthetopright-handcornerofthepageandfromthereselectAccountSettings.TakealookatthetableinFigure3.7,whichhighlightsallthefeaturesandlimitationsofeachaccesslevel.

Figure3.7GoogleAdWordsAccountAccessLevelsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

CampaignArchitecture

Establishingawell-structured,consistentarchitectureattheverybeginningofanycampaignisoftheutmostimportance!Notdoingsowillmakeit

agonizinglydifficulttofixwhenyoustartaddingmorecampaigns,ads,andkeywords.Believeitornot,apoorlystructuredaccountcanactuallyimpactyourqualityscore,whichmeansforeveryclickonyourad,youarepayingmore.TakealookatFigure3.8,whichshowshowyourAdWordsaccountshouldbestructured.

Toplevel.Campaignsappearatthetoplevelandallbudgetingisdonehere.Youcanconfigurelanguage,targetlocations,andsetyourdailyspendheretoo.

Middlelevel.Withineachcampaignyouhaveadgroups.Thesehouseallthekeywordsandadsthatyouaregoingtotargetuserswith,andtheyshouldalwaysbedefinedbyasingletheme.Forexample,you'ddefineoneadgroupforredshoesandanotherforblueshoes.

Bottomlevel.Thekeywordswithintheadgroupshouldspecificallyrelatetothetheme.Forexample,theredshoesadgroupshouldhavekeywordslikenewredshoes,cheapredshoes,redshoesonline,andsoon.Use10to20keywordsinanadgroup.

Figure3.8GoogleAdWordsAccountStructureModel

Onlyonespecificdomainperadgroupispermitted.Thismeansifyouhavethedomainwww.example.comassignedtooneadgroup,youcannotalsoassignwww.example.co.uktothesameadgroup.Youwillhavetocreateaseparateadgroupifyouwishtodothat.Youcan,however,havedifferentlandingpagesfromadomainwithinanadgroup—forexample,www.example.com/blogandwww.example.com/choose.

CampaignSetup

Let'snowtakealookathowtocreateacampaignwithintheGoogleAdWordsinterface.AsyoucanseefromFigure3.9,thetabsavailableare

Home,Campaigns,Opportunities,Reports,andTools.Clickthered+Campaignbuttontoopenadrop-downmenuthatwillprovideyouwitharangeofdifferentoptionsforcreatingcampaigns.IfyouplantoeverrunaDisplaycampaign,makesureyourDisplayandSearchcampaignsrunindependentlyofeachothersothatyoucanmonitortheperformanceofeachoneseparately.Inthischapter,however,wearegoingtofocusontheSearchNetwork—soclickthatoption.

Figure3.9SpecifyingtheGoogleAdWordsCampaignTypeSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Youwillthenbebroughttothecampaignsetupscreen,asseeninFigure3.10,whereyoushouldenteryourcampaignname.Campaignsandadgroupsneedtofollowaveryconsistentnamingconventioninordertoadheretoaccount

structurebestpractices.Foryourownsanity,ignorethegenericsuggestionsinFigure3.10anddon'tnamethemCampaign#1andAdGroup#1.Makesureeverythingisnamedinawaythatmakeswhatyouarelookingforeasytofind.

Figure3.10GoogleAdWordsCampaignSetupSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

NextyouneedtochoosewhetheryouwantyourcampaigntohaveStandardorAllfeatures.YoucanalsochoosetoincorporateaCTA(calltoaction)buttonontheadwithoptionstocallyourbusiness,downloadyourapp,andsoon.Fornow,clickonStandard.ThenextscreenwillaskyoutochoosebetweentheGoogleSearchandtheSearchPartnersnetworks.Ifyoudon'thavebudgetlimitationsandwanttogetasmuchvisibilityandCTRaspossible,chooseboth.Therecommendationistostartwithboth.Youcanthencarryoutaperformancereviewlateranddecidewhich,ifeither,shouldberemoved.

Targeting

Didyouknowyoucanchoosethedeviceyouwanttotarget?Yourcampaignsshouldberunninginlinewiththetypesofdevicesyouwanttoreach.Inthetargetingsectionyouwillnoticeyouhavebeenautomaticallyoptedinto

targetalldevices.Afteracampaignhasbeencreated,youcanamendthisandoptoutofanyspecificdevicesyoudon'twanttoappearon.Thiscouldproveusefulforthosewhohaveyettooptimizetheirwebsitesformobile,forexample.Youcan'toptoutfromappearingondesktopsortablets.Whenstartingoff,tryinitiallyoptingintoalldevices;runareportondevicesatalaterstagetoseehowtheyperform.

TargetingbylocationisoneofthebestandmostdetailedfeaturesAdWordshastooffer.Itcanbedoneintwoways:

1. IPaddresstargeting.SelectingthisoptionwilldirectGoogletolookattheIPaddressofuserstoseewheretheyarebased.SoifyouaretargetingBoston,Massachusetts,thenuserswithanIPaddressinthatareawillbeserved,whereasusersinPhoenix,Arizona,willnot.

2. Queryparsing.ThisoptiondirectsGoogletofocusonwhatwastypedinusers'searchqueries.Iftheytypealocationintotheirsearchqueriesthentheadcanalsocomeup.Forexample,ifthecampaignistargetingBostonandauserbasedinPhoenixincludesthewordBostoninhersearchquery,thiswilloverridetheIPaddresstargetingandshowtheuserinPhoenixthead.

AsyoucanseeinFigure3.11,therearethreeoptionsforyoutotargetyourcampaignsbylocation:

1. Allcountriesandterritories.Really,thereisnoreasonwhyanyoneshouldevertargetallcountriesandterritories.Ifyouwanttotargetyourcampaignsglobally,createseparatecampaignsforeachcountry.Noonemarketisthesame.Consumerbehaviors,buyinghabits,product/servicerequirements,anddevicepreferencesvarygreatlyfromcountrytocountry.Forexample,consumersinAfricaareextremelymobile-savvyandprefermobileoverusingadesktop.Bearingthisinmind,mobileusagereportsinAfricawouldbevastlydifferentincomparisontothesamereportonUKconsumers—meaningaone-for-allcampaignwouldnotfit.Insummary,donottickthatbox!

2. Yourcountry.Thenextoptionwillpresentyouwiththecountryyousetyourtimezoneto,inthisexample—TheUnitedStates.

3. Letmechoose.Thisiswhereitgetsreallydetailed.EitherenterthecityorcountryyouwanttotargetorhitAdvancedSearchbesidethetextbox.Hereyouwillbepresentedwiththefollowingfourtargetoptions:

i. Search.Thisissimplyanothermethodofenteringyourtargetcityorcountry,asbefore.

ii. Radiustargeting.Hereyoucantypeinalocationandtargetaspecific

radiusaroundit.Ifyourbusinessreliesonfoottraffic,thisfeaturecanbeusedtotargetcustomerswithinacertainradiusofyourbusiness.Similarly,ifyoujusthaveonestoreinonelocationanddon'twanttotargetanentirecountry,youcanjusttargetaradiusaroundthatparticularstoretoacquiremorequalifiedcustomers.Thedefaultissetto20miles,butthatcanbechanged.Bearinmindthatthelocationyouenterinthesearchboxwillbeseenasthecentralpointoftheradius.Sowhendecidingonacentrallocation,makesureyourradiusiscoveringlandandnotthesea,becauseforthemostpartourfishyfriendsdon'thaveInternetaccess.

iii. Locationgroups.Hereyoucantargetmultiplelocationsforaparticularcampaign.Forexample,youmaywanttotarget20milesaroundoneregionand5milesaroundanother.Usethisoptiontogrouptheseregionstogetherintoonesuperlocationgroup.

iv. Bulklocations.Whileitisnotrecommended,ifyouwanttotargetmultiplecountries,usethisoption.

Figure3.11GoogleAdWordsCampaignSetupSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Thefinalelementwithinthetargetingsetupistochooseandcustomizeyourlanguage.Bydefault,thecampaignwillbesettotargetthelanguageinwhichyouraccountwassetup.Youcanalsotargetotherlanguages,butbeawarethatthelanguageyoutargetmightnotbethelanguagetheuserissearchingin.Forexample,ifausersearchesinArabicbuthislanguageonGoogleissettoEnglish,youwon'tbetargetinghim.YoushouldalsobeawarethatwhentargetingotherlanguagesAdWordsdoesnottranslateyourads.IfyouchoosetotargetArabicspeakersandyouradisinEnglish,theseuserswillstillseeanadinEnglish.

Partoneofthesetuphasnowreachedanend,butbeforeyoudecompressit'stimetogoback,review,andedittheelementsofyourcampaignthatwereglossedover.Youneedtobefullypreparedforwhatparttwohasinstore!

PartTwoBynow,youraccounthasbeensetupandyouraccesslevels,targeting,andlocationhaveallbeendefined.Withoutfurtherado,allowthissectionteachyouhowtogetyourAdWordsaccountofftheground,soyoucanbeginsomeseriouslystellarPPCadvertisingby:

Decidingupontheappropriatebidstrategyforyourbusiness.

Beingawareofthevariousoptionstodeliverandscheduleyourads.

Knowinghowtousetheoptimaltoolsforkeywordselection.

Masteringtheskillofchoosingbetweenkeywordmatchtypes.

BidStrategy

Let'skickoffbychoosingabiddingstrategy.Asyou'vejustbeenintroducedtotheenticingworldofGoogleAdWords,fornowsticktoeitherofthetwooptionslistedbelow.WhenyouhavebecomeatruePPCJedi,youcanthenbegintonavigatethemoreadvancedoptions.

1. Manualbidding.Thisoptionallowsyoutocontrolallbiddingandessentiallyworksthesameasthesettingforyourpaymentmethod.Eventhoughitdoesgiveyoumorecontrol,italsomeansyouhavetologinmoreoftentomanageyourcampaign.

2. Automaticbidding.Here,youarepassingsomeofthecontroltoGoogle—whichisgreatforthebusyexecutivebutproblematicforthecontrolfreak.Ahappymediumbetweenthesetwoliesintheabilitytosetaso-calledceilingbid.ThisiswhenyoutellAdWordsthemaximumbidyouarewillingtopaywithoutbiddingmorethanthatamount.Itwillthenautomaticallyadjustyourbid—doingtheworkforyou!

Whichbidstrategyareyougoingtouse?

Afterthisdecisionhasbeenmade,youneedtosetyourdefaultbid.Alwaysbidbetween$1.50and$2.00,becauseonceyouhavegonethroughthecampaigncreationprocess,thesystemwilltellyouifyouarebelowtheminimumpriceitcoststodisplayinthetopthreeresultsofpage1,orattheveryleast,onpage1itself.

Nextup:settingyourdailybudget.Youcanfigurethisoutbydetermininghowmuchyouaregoingtospendanddividingitbythenumberofdaystheadwillrun.Youshouldnotethatonceyourcampaigngoeslive,AdWordscanoverspendonyourdailybudgetbyupto20percent.Similarly,therearedayswhenitwillspendalittleless.Whateverthecasemaybe,restassureditwillrarelyspendmorethan30timesyourdailybudgetina30-dayperiod.Andifthissituationdoesarise,Googlewillcredityouthecostoftheoverage,meaningyougetallthoseclicksforfree!Thisisbecausesearchisbasedondemand,andsosearchvolumescanvarygreatly.Asaresult,dailybudgetsareneverreallysetinstone.

Delivery

Howquicklyyouwantyouradtobeservedisdependentonthedeliverymethodyouselect,andtherearetwooptionstochoosefrom:

1. Standarddelivery.Ifyourbudgetislimitedorhasyettobedetermined,thisistheoptionforyou,showninthemiddleofFigure3.12.Itwillspaceouthowoftenyouradsaredisplayed,givingyouafairlyevendelivery.Forexample,ifinspreadingyourbudgetevenlyGoogleestimatesthatitwillonlyshowyouradforapproximately40to50percentofallsearchespertainingtoyourproduct/service,itwillonlyshowyouradineverysecondsearch.Whenthetimecomestooptimizeyourcampaigns,thisoptionwillgiveyouagoodideaofwhattimesofthedayyouradperformswell.Youshouldalwayssetyourdeliverytostandardandmonitorperformance;ifyoufindthatyouarenothittingyourdailybudget,youcanmoveontothenextoption—accelerateddelivery.

2. Accelerateddelivery.Ifyourbudgetisinanywaylimited,steerclearofthisoption!Hereyouradwillbedisplayedeachandeverytimesomeonesearches—inlinewiththeadrankformula,ofcourse.Soifyourqualityscoreandbidaregoodenough,youradwilldisplaywhensomeonesearches.Ifyourqualityscoreandadrankasawholearetoolow,theadwillnotdisplay—evenifit'ssettoaccelerateddelivery.There'snocheatinginAdWords:Qualityscoreandadrankprinciplesoverrideeverything!Whilethisdeliverymethodcertainlygivesyoumorebangforyourbuck,youshouldbecautious.Ifyouradissettoaccelerateddelivery

andyouhavealimitedbudget,itcouldbedrainedentirelyinjustafewhours!

Figure3.12GoogleAdWordsDeliveryMethodSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

AdScheduling

Youhavealreadydecidedwhereandhowoftenyouradisgoingtoshow,nowlet'sdeterminewhen.Firstly,chooseyourstartandenddate.Ifyouwanttheadtorunfortheforeseeablefuture,simplyleavetheenddateout,asshowninFigure3.13.Ifyourcampaignisnotstartingforanotherfewweeks,thisfeatureisreallyusefulbecauseyoucanleavethecampaignenabledanditwillautomaticallykickintogearwhenthestartdatearrives.Ifyouhaveafixedenddateandyouradisconcerningatime-sensitiveoffer,thenyoushouldsetanenddateforthecampaign.

Figure3.13GoogleAdWordsAdSchedulingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Adschedulingisparticularlyusefulforbusinesseswithfixedopeninghoursthatmayonlywishtoshowduringthehoursthey'reopen.Orifyourbudgetisverylimited,andyouknowfrompreviouscampaignsthatmostsalesoccuratspecifictimes,youcansetyourcampaigntoshowduringthosehours.

AdRotation

Whenitcomestocreatingyourcampaign,youwillseethatthebestpracticeforadcopydictatesthatyouhavetwotothreeadsperadgroup.Thissettingdetermineshowtheadsthatyoucreatearerotatedwithinthatadgroup.Therearefouroptions:

1. Optimizeforclicks

2. Optimizeforconversions

3. Rotateevenly

4. Rotateindefinitely

Thedefaultistooptimizeforclicks,whichshowstheadthatismostlikelytogettheclick.IfyouhaveaKPIforconversions,thenthissettingwon'treallysuityourcampaign.Instead,youmayconsiderchoosingtheOptimizeforConversionsoption,butinordertooptimizetherotation,previouscampaignperformanceisrequired.Ifyouarecreatingabrand-newcampaign,youwillwanttochoosetheRotateEvenlyoption.Thatgiveseveryadafairchancetodetermineitsplacement.Finally,theRotateIndefinitelyoptionshowslowerperformingadsproportionatelywithhigherperformingads.Thisoneisn'treallyagreatchoice,sosteerclear.

Tostart,trychoosingRotateEvenly.LetitrotatefortwoweeksandthenswitchtoeitherOptimizeforClicksorOptimizeforConversions,basedonwhatyourKPIis.Neverletitrotateevenlyfor90days,it'ssimplytoolongtohaveeachadrotatingevenly.Approximatelytwoweeksistheoptimumtimeframeforacampaigntoreallyfinditsfeet.

KeywordSelection

Yourcampaignisnowsetupandthenextelementinvolvesselectingyourkeywords.Thisisthestartingpointforeverycampaignandisprobablythemostimportantpart,becauseitdecideswhichkeywordsyouradswillbeshownfor.Don'tforgetthatallyourqualityscoresareassignedtothekeyword;keywordselectionisimportantbecauseyouradcopy,landingpage,bids,andthelikearegoingtobedefinedbythekeywordsyouchoose.It'sallaboutdecidingwhichkeywordsaremostlikelytogeneratethehighestreturn,andwhicharethemostappropriateintermsofyourproductorserviceoffering.Ifyoudon'tchoosetherightkeywords,youradwillbeshownforthewrongsearchterms,youwillbeirrelevanttoyourusers,andyouwillbespendingmoneyonanaudiencethatisnotgoingtoconvert.

KeywordResearchTools

PPCkeywordresearchcanbetoughifyouarenotequippedwiththetoolsforthetask.Luckily,thetwotoolslistedbelowwillserveasyourvirtualhammerandchisel,allowingyoutouncoverthehiddenkeywordgemsthatliewithinthedigitallandscape.

1. GoogleTrends.GoogleTrendsallowsyoutoseehistoricalsearchtrendsforaparticularkeywordorcategory.Whileitdoesnotgivespecificsearchvolumes,itdoesgiveaniceoverviewofhowpopularparticularsearchtermsorcategorieshavebeenovertheyearsandisgreatforcampaignresearch,planning,andinsight.

ProbablyoneofthebestreasonstouseGoogleTrendsisforcompetitiveresearch.Forexample,byenteringSamsung,HTC,andApple,youcan

seewhichisthemostpopularbrandjustbylookingatthepeaksandtroughsinthesearchterms.Youcanalsoidentifyiftherearetrendsinthetimeofyearwhencompetitorsaremoreorlesspopularthanyou.ThegreatthingaboutGoogleTrendsisitincludesnewsstorieswhenrelevant.SoifGoogleNewshaspickedupanewsstoryaboutSamsungandthere'sapeakinsearchvolumesforSamsungasaresult,itwilladdalittleannotationinformingyouwhichnewsstorycausedthatpeakinsearchvolumes.

Ifyouareunsureoftheparticularsearchtermthatyouarelookingfor,clickAllCategoriesinsteadandtakealookatacategory(forexample,foodandbeverages).

Youcanbreaktrendsdownbycountrytoo,asshowninFigure3.14.Thiscouldproveparticularlyusefulifyouwanttoidentifyyourcompetitorsinothercountries,andalsoifyouwanttoseethelevelofinterestincertainkeywordsversusthecountryyouoperatein.

SpottingtrendsbasedonspecifictimesoftheyearisincrediblyusefulandluckilyGoogleTrendsfacilitatesthis,too.So,ifyouwanttoanalyzetrendsduringtheholidayseasonoverthelastfouryears,youcanchangenotonlythedaterangebutalsotheplatformatwhichitislooking.Whetherit'sweb,imagesearch,ornewssearch,GoogleTrendshasyoucovered!

2. KeywordPlanner.Thisisanimmediatetoshort-termtool,providingyouwithsearchvolumesonspecifickeywords,overthepast12months.UnlikeGoogleTrends,itwillsuggestnewkeywordsforyou.Italsohasatrafficestimatorwhichwilltellyouhowmuchtrafficyoushouldgetifyoubidandspendacertainamount.

AsyoucanseeinFigure3.15,theexecutivehastypedindigitalmarketingcourseandlearndigitalmarketingtoseewhichkeywordswouldbegoodtotargetforacampaignadvertisingdigitalmarketingcourses.Afterinsertingyoursearchterm,youwillfindalistofkeywordsuggestionsunderthe‘Keywordideas'tab.EventhoughKeywordPlannerwillsuggestadgroupsforyou,youshouldstilluseyourbestjudgmentinstructuringthoseadgroupsandfollowthenamingconventionyoucreatedforyourcampaign.KeywordPlanneralsogivesyousuggestionsfornewkeywords,asuggestedbid,andthetotalsearchvolumeforthekeyword—greatforcalculatinghowmuchitwouldcostyouperclick.

KeywordPlanneralsoshowsyouthelevelofcompetition,orhowmanypeoplearebiddingonthosekeywords,bystatingwhetheritishigh,

medium,orlow.Ifthecompetitionishigh,thebidwillbehigherbecausethere'salotmoreadvertisersvyingforthattopspot.Onceyouhavereviewedallkeywordsyoucanthenaddthemtoaplan.Whenyouhavereviewedallthekeywordswithintheadgroup,youcanthenclickAddAlltoPlan.KeywordPlannerwillthengiveyouaverytop-lineestimateofhowmuchyoumightspendperday,butTrafficEstimatorwillgiveyouamuchmoredetailedcost.Afterthisyouhaveacoupleofoptions.YoucaneitherdownloadallyourkeywordsfromthedifferentadgroupsintoanExcelspreadsheetoryoucanadvanceontoTrafficEstimator.

ClicktheblueReviewForecastbuttononthebottomrighttoaccessTrafficEstimator.Thistoolisgreatforseeingthedifferencesintrafficandimpressionsthatyoucouldget,basedondailybudgets.Tryplayingaroundwiththebidsandbudgetstoseewhatlevelswouldincuranincreaseinclicks.Asyoucansee,it'salovelyinterface!Notonlydoesittellyouonaveragehowmanyclicksyouwillgetperday,butitalsotellsyouwhatyourtotalimpressions,totaldailycosts,andaveragepositionwillbe.Whatcan'titdo?

Figure3.14GoogleTrendsbyCountryOptionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure3.15GoogleAdWordsKeywordPlannerSearchSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

KeywordMatchTypes

Withyourkeywordswellandtrulychosen,youcannowdecideuponthematchtypesthatyouaregoingtouse.Whenbiddingonakeyword,youneedtochooseakeywordmatchtypethattellsGoogleAdWordshowpreciselyyouwantittomatchyouradtothekeywordsearches.

Youmayrememberthatqualityscoreisassignedtothekeyword,butthequalityscoreisdefinedbasedonthesearchquery.Yourkeywordandsearchqueryaretwoverydifferentthings,andthat'salldowntothematchtypethatyouuse.Itdefineswhatsearchqueriesandkeywordswilltriggeryourad.Whilethismayseemconfusingatfirst,don'tfret!Let'sgothrougheachofthefivematchtypes,usingtheexampleofausersearchingforcheaphotelsinSeattle,asinFigure3.16,soyoucanhaveasolidunderstandingofwhatthisisallabout.

1. Exactmatch.Thisisthemostspecificmatchtype,andinorderfortheadtoshowforthekeywordcheaphotelsinSeattle,theuserneedstowriteexactlythat.YoucanchooseExactMatchbytypingtwosquarebracketsoneithersideofthekeyword;forexample,[cheaphotelsinSeattle].Bydoingso,itmeanstheadwillonlyshowwhenausertypesincheaphotelsinSeattle.Nothingless,nothingmore.

2. Phrasematch.Thismatchtypeisofthebroadervariety,inthatyoucancapturealotmoresocialquerieswhileremainingrelativelytargeted.It's

chosenbytypinginvertedcommasoneithersideofthekeyword;forexample,‘cheaphotels.’ThegoodthingaboutPhraseMatchisthatyouradwillstillshowiftheusertypeswordsbeforeorafterthekeywordyou'veplacedwithintheinvertedcommas.Forexample,ifausersearchesforcheaphotelsinSeattle,theadwillstillshow,becausethewordsinSeattlecomeafteryourkeyword.Similarly,ifthesameusersearchesforverycheaphotels,theadwillstillshowbecausethewordverycamebeforeyourtargetedkeyword.IftheuserentersawordinbetweenyourPhraseMatchkeyword,suchascheapSeattlehotels,theadwillnotshow.There'snopiggyinthemiddlewiththismatchtype!

3. Modifiedbroadmatch.Whenstartinganewcampaign,thisisprobablythebestmatchtypetochoose.Thetargetingisbroader,butyouareabletodefinethewordswithinasearchquerythattheusertypesin.Tochoosethismatchtype,typeaplussigninfrontofthewordsthattheusermustincludeinthesearchqueryforyouradtoshow;forexample,+hotelsnear+Seattle.YoumaynoticethereareonlyplussignsinfrontofhotelsandSeattle.Thismeansthatthosewordsmustbeincludedintheusersearchqueryforyouradtoappear.Thisalsomeansthewordnear,whichliesbetweenthosewords,isn'tsetinstone.Iftheusertypesin,at,oronyouradwillstillshow.Whenstartingout,youneedtobealittlebroadwithyourkeywordssothatyoucanidentifywhichkeywordsworkandwhichdon't.Onceyouhavedonethis,youcanswitchtoExactMatchandmakeyourtargetingfarstronger.

4. Broadmatch.Considerthismatchtypeasagiantfishingnettrawlingthroughadigitalocean,catchingalmosteverysearchtermregardlessofrelevance.Thistypecouldberecipefordisasterifyourbudgetislimited,becauseithasthebroadestreach.YoucanchooseBroadMatchbysimplytypinginthekeywordwithnothingbeforeorafterit.Youradcanshowformisspellings,variations,anditerationsofyourkeyword.Forexample,ifyourkeywordisumbrella,youradcouldshowforpatiofurniturebecauseumbrellasaremildlyrelatedtopatiofurniture.Thisisthepointatwhichyourqualityscorewillstarttosufferbecauseyouarenotbeingrelevanttotheusersyouaretargeting.

5. Negativematch.Alsoknownasnegativekeywords,thismatchtypeisagreatwaytopreventyouradfromshowingforcertainsearchqueries.Forexample,ifatwo-starhoteldoesnotwanttodisplayinthesearchresultsforfive-starhotels,itcanuseaNegativeMatchkeywordtoexcludesearchqueriesforfive-starhotels.TherearethreeNegativeMatchtypes:NegativeExact,NegativeBroad,andNegativePhrase.InordertochooseNegativeMatch,simplyplaceaminussigninfrontofthekeyword.For

example,-[fivestarhotels]isNegativeExact,‘-fivestarhotels’isNegativePhrase,and-fivestarhotelsisNegativeBroad.CurrentlythereisnonegativevariationforModifiedBroadMatch.

Figure3.16KeywordMatchTypes

Gotallthat?Great!ThisconcludesyourPPCsetupandwiththat,wecannowprogresstothenextstepofstage2,theprocessbehindthecampaign.

ProcessWithyouraccountandcampaignsfullysetup,nowseemsliketherighttimetotakethenextstepwithinstage2(seeFigure3.5):exploringtheprocessesbehindthecampaignandtakingalookathowadcopyinfluencesthesuccessofallsearchmarketingadvertising.Thissectionisatoughie,soyourfullattentionisrequiredinorderto:

Learnhowtocomposeadcopyandthebestpractices,rules,andpoliciesthatgovernit.

Beabletousedynamickeywordinsertionandadextensionsaspartofyourcampaigns.

Appreciatethebestpracticesfordesigningalandingpage.

AlignbiddingstrategieswithyourKPIs.

Integrateremarketingintoyoursearchmarketingstrategy.

AdCopyComposition

Let'skickoffthissectionbylearninghowexactlytocomposetheadcopythatwillbeservedtousers.ThefolksoveratGoogleAdWordsareextremelystrictwithcharactercountforeachlineofyouradcopy,sotakenoteofthesecharacterlimits,becauseyouwillneedtosticktothem!Adtitlesor

descriptionlineswithevenonecharacteroverthelimitwillnotbeallowed,soyou'llneedtogetcreative!

TakealookattheadshowninFigure3.17.ItisfromtheDigitalMarketingInstituteandshowsadherencetothesecharactercountlimits.Goldstarforus!Adtitles(orheadlines)havea25-characterlimit,includingspaces.TheDisplayURLlineistechnicallygrantedupto255characters;however,only35ofthosewillbedisplayed.It'sbestpracticetokeepyourDisplayURLlineshortandsweet.Useittoshowusersyourwebsiteaddress;forexample,www.example.com.YoucanthenassignadifferentdestinationURL,whichwillnavigatetheusertothespecificlandingpagetheadrefersto;forexample,www.example.com/sale.Ifyouchoosetodothis,youmustmakesurethedisplayURLanddestinationURLareonthesamedomain(inthisexamplewww.example.com).Andfinally,DescriptionLines1and2areallowedupto35characterseach,includingspaces.

Figure3.17DMIGoogleAdWordsAdSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

WheredoIstart?Whencraftingyouradcopy,startbythinkingaboutwhatyourcustomerswouldliketoseeiftheyenteredasearchtermthattriggersyourad.Fromhere,youcanthenfolloweachofthesebestpracticestocreateeye-catchingadvertisementsthatwillhaveyouruser'shandstwitchingtoclick!

Makeitunique.Youradshouldhaveareallycompellingmessagewithauniquesellingpoint(USP)tosuit.Givetheuserareasontoclickyouradandsomethingthatdifferentiatesyoufromyourcompetitors.TryGooglingthesearchtermyouwantyouradtoshowfor,thenseewhatyourcompetitorsaresayingintheiradcopytogetideas.Forexample,do

youofferfreedeliveryorhave24-hourcustomerservice?Ifso,sayit!

Flauntyourpromotionsandoffers.Ifthereisasenseofurgencyassociatedwithyourcampaign,putitinthead.GooglehasareallycoolfeaturecalledCountdownAds,whichwillcountdown,inrealtime,thenumberofdays,hours,andminutesleftuntiltheofferexpires.Thisisgreatwaytoencourageuserstoclickthrough.

Includekeywords.Don'tforgetthatkeywordscontributetoyourqualityscore,somakesureyougetthemintoyouradcopy.Furthermore,yourkeywordwillalsobehighlightedinboldifusersenteritaspartoftheirsearchterms.Whatbetterreasontoputyourkeywordintoadcopythanthat?

Highlightacalltoaction.Telluserswhattodoandalsomakeitobviouswhatisexpectedofthemoncetheyclickontoyoursite.Doyouwantthemtofindoutmore,purchasesomething,orsignupforyournewsletter?

Matchyouradtolandingpage.Whatyousayinyouradshouldrelateexactlytothelandingpageusersarebroughttooncetheyclickyourad.Inotherwords,don'tadvertiseapplesandbringtheusertoapageaboutoranges!

SticktotheRules!

Besidesthecharacter-limitrestrictions,youshouldalsobeawareofthefollowingrules:

Therearerestrictionsonspecialcharacters(!?*#),excessivepunctuation,andcapitalization.

Thewordclickisforbiddeninadcopy.Thatmeansyoucannothaveacalltoactionsayingclickhereformore.

Theuseoftrademarktermsinadcopyisrestrictedwithoutpriorauthorizationfromthetrademarkowner.

Youcannotmisleadormisrepresenttheserviceorproductthatyouareoffering.

Luckily,Googleenforcestheserulesasyoucreatethead,meaningyouwillknowinstantlywhetheryouradadherestothem!

CreatingtheAd

InyourAdWordsdashboard,clicktheCampaignstabatthetop,thenselectAdsunderneathandclickthebigred+Adbuttonnearthebottomofthescreen.YouwillbepresentedwiththescreenshowninFigure3.18.

Figure3.18CreatingyourGoogleAdWordsAdSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Youwillbeforcedtochooseanadgroupbeforebeingabletosubmityouradcopy,somakesureyoudosobeforecompletingthisstep.Simplyfillinallthefieldsandyouarereadytogo!

Youshouldcreatetwotothreeadsperadgroup,usingdifferentadcopyforeach.Bydoingthisyoucantestdifferenttypesofmessagingandcallstoaction,andevendifferentlandingpages,toseewhichonesuserspreferandwhichonesgivethehighestROI.Evenifyoufindthatoneadthatworksincrediblywell,neverstoptesting.Trynewiterationsofthatonegreatadandkeeptestinguntilyoufindonethatperformsevenbetter!

DynamicKeywordInsertion

Thisisagreattechniqueforeye-catchingadcopy.Dynamickeywordinsertionputsindividualkeywordsfromyouradgroupintoyouradtext.Theresultisanextremelyrelevantadtotheuser,anditsavesyoutimeyoumightspendcreatingmultipleadsforeachkeywordthatyouarebiddingon.Tousethisfeatureyoumustuseaspecialcodeinthefollowingformat:{KeyWord:Chocolate}.Asyoucansee,yourbracketsmustbeofthecurlyvarietyforthefeaturetowork.TakealookattheexampleinFigure3.19,whichshowshowit'sdone.

Figure3.19DynamicKeywordInsertionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

AdExtensions

Adextensionstakeupmoreroomonthesearchengineresultspageandalsoprovidearicher,morerelevantexperiencefortheuser.Extensionsaregreatforenhancingyourbrandperceptionandencouraginguserstoconvertinwhateverwaymakesmostsensetothem,whetherthat'sin-store,overthephone,online,orbyapp.TakealookattheexamplesinFigure3.20ofhowadextensionscanbeusedeffectively.

Figure3.20GoogleAdWordsAdwithAdExtensionsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

InFigure3.20youcanseeexamplesofthreedifferentadextensionsbeingusedbyEmiratesAirline:anenhancedsitelink,acall-out,andareview.Enhancedsitelinksarethefourlinksatthebottomofthead,whichareessentiallyfourmorepaidsearchadsthatdeep-linkintodifferentsectionsoftheEmiratessite.Doyouseehowmuchspaceit'stakinguponthatSERP?Itispushingdownbothcompetitoradsandorganicresults,meaningit'sahighlyimpactfulad.

Call-outextensionsaretheadditional,unclickablepiecesofinformationaboutyourbusinessthatgobelowyourad.Theyaregreatforallowingyoushowextrainformationthatwouldotherwisebelostduetocharactercountrestrictions.Inthisexample,thecall-outextensionisSpaciousseats·30kg+baggageallowance·Gourmetcuisine·140+destinations.

ThefinalelementofthisadisEmirate'sreviewextension.Theseextensionsaregreattohaveandcanenticeuserstoclick.ThisextensionisbeingusedtodisplaythetextEmirateshas3,338,233followersonGoogle+.Youcanalsoclickthistext,andthelinkwillbringyoutothelandingpagethatprovesthattheyactuallydo!

CheckoutFigure3.21foranexampleofaclick-to-callextensionbeingusedbyanAdWordsmanagementcompany.ThisextensionallowsuserstocallyoudirectlyfromtheircellphonesbyclickingtheCallbutton.

Figure3.21GoogleAdWordsClick-to-CallExtensionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

YoucanevendrivecustomerstodownloadyourappdirectlytotheircellphonesthroughtheappdownloadextensionshowninFigure3.22.Thebestfeatureofthisextensionisthatitisdeviceresponsive,meaninganiOSappwillautomaticallydownloadforiPhoneuserswhileAndroidwilldownloadforthoseusingdevicespoweredbythatOS.Prettynifty,right?

Figure3.22GoogleAdWordsAppDownloadExtensionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Theseareonlysomeoftheadextensionsthatareavailabletoyou.CreateyourownbygoingtotheAdExtensionstabandclickingView:SitelinksExtensions,asshowninFigure3.23.

Figure3.23HowtoCreateanAdExtensionwithinGoogleAdWordsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

LandingPages

Didyouknowyouhaveeightsecondstoimpressuserswhoclickonyourlandingpage?Ifthecontentdoesnotmatchtheadcopyinthesearchquerytheysearchedfor,youcanbetyourbottomdollartheywillvanishfasterthanLindsayLohan'smusiccareer.

Usersshouldbeablebothtofindwhattheyarelookingforandconvertwithinthreeclicksofenteringyoursite.Iftheycan't,youarenotprovidingtheidealexperience.Getyouracttogether!Thebestlandingpagesshould:

Providerelevant,useful,andoriginalcontent.

Betransparentandpromotetrust—cantheyfindyourContactUspage?

Beeasytonavigate.

Fulfillthepromiseofyouradcopy.

Haveavisibleandprominentproductorservicetitleandimage.

Containclearcallstoaction.

Haveminimalclickstoconversion—lessthanthreeistheruleofthumb!

Bidding

Let'snowtakealookatthethreedifferentwaysthatyoucansetyourbidsandgetyourcampaignsperformingattheoptimallevel:

1. YourfirstoptionistosetbidsfromtheAdGroupviewintheAdGroupstab.AsyoucanseeinFigure3.24,theadgroupsappearontheleftwhile

theircorrespondingbidsarelistedontheright.ThesebidsaresettothedefaultmaximumCPC,buttheycanbechangedbyhoveringyourmouseoverthebidandclickingonthebox.

2. Thesecondwaytosetyourbidisbysimplyclickingintotheadgroupitself,fromyouradgroupoverview.YouwillthenbebroughttothescreenshowninFigure3.25.SimplyclickonEdittochangeyourdefaultbidforthatparticularadgroup.

3. Thefinalmethodofsettingyourbidsisatthekeywordlevel.Ifyoufindthataspecifickeywordisoutperformingorunderperformingothers,youcanincreaseordecreasethatbidbyclickingtheKeywordstab,hoveringoverthebid,andclickingonit.

Figure3.24SettingBidsfromAdGroupOverviewSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure3.25SettingBidsfromWithinanAdGroupSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

It'simportanttonotethatkeywordbidswilloverrideadgrouplevelbidsiftheyarehigher.Forexample,let'spretendyouhaveabidof$1.75onanadgroupcalledRestaurants,butdecidetochangethebidononekeywordwithintheadgroupto$2.00.Ifthefollowingweekyoudecidetoreduceyouradgroupbidto$1.50,yourkeywordbidof$2.00willoverridetheadgrouplevelbidandremainthesame.Ifyouwantthatkeywordbidtobethesameasitsadgroupbid,youwillhavetochangeitmanuallyusingmethod3listedabove.

Don'tbidblind.Whendevisingabidbudgetingstrategy,it'svitalthatyoubidbasedonprioritiesandKPIs.Applyingablanketbidacrossalladgroupsandleavingthemtorunisbadpracticeandeconomicallyinsane!LookatyourperformanceinlinewithyourKPIsandsetyourbidsbasedonthat.IfyourKPIistodrivesales,thenincreasebidsonthekeywordsandadgroupsthatdrivethemostsales.

Analyzingyourad'saveragepositionshouldalsobeakeyfactorinformingyourbidstrategy.If,forexample,youwanttoincreaseconversionsonaparticularkeywordbutalreadyhaveanaveragepositionofone,thereisnopointinincreasingyourbidbecauseyoucannotgohigherthananumber-oneposition!

GoogleDisplayNetwork(GDN)

GDNconsistsofwebsitesthatallowGoogletoplaceadsonitssitethroughaplatformcalledAdSense.Whenauserclicksanad,thepublisherandGooglemakemoney.Userscanbetargetedthroughstandardtextads,imageads,andvideoads.TocheckoutyouradvertisingoptionsonGDN,clicktheToolstabonyourAdWordsdashboard.It'sagreatwaytoplaceadsonwebsitesthatarerelevanttowhatyouaresellingandthatyouknowyourtargetaudienceisvisiting.

Remarketing

Rememberthattimeyouvisitedawebsite,onlytoseeanadexactlyrelatedtothatpageyouwerelookingatashortwhilelater?That'sremarketing!Ifusershavebeentoyoursitebefore,youcantargetthemastheyarebrowsingotherwebsitesandmobileapps,orevenastheyaresearchingonGoogle.Somecallitcyberstalking,whileothersviewitasacleverwayofreachingconsumerswhohavealreadyvisitedyoursite.Takealookatthefivedifferentwaysyoucanremarkettousers:

1. Standardremarketing.AspastvisitorsbrowseGDNwebsitesanduseGDNapps,youradswillbeshowntothemalongtheway.

2. Dynamicremarketing.AspastvisitorsbrowseGDNwebsitesanduseGDNapps,adswithproductsandservicestheyviewedonyourwebsitewillbeshowntothem.

3. Remarketingformobileapps.Aspeoplewhohaveusedyourmobileappormobilewebsiteuseothermobileappsorbrowseothermobilewebsites,theywillbeshownyourads.

4. Remarketinglistsforsearchads.Aspastvisitorsdofollow-upsearchesforwhattheyneedonGoogleafterleavingyourwebsite,youradswillappearinthesearchresults.

5. Videoremarketing.WhenpeoplewhohaveinteractedwithyourvideosoryourYouTubechanneluseYouTubeandbrowseGDNvideos,websites,andapps,theywillseeyourads.

Let'sexplainthebenefitofremarketingbytakingtheexampleofthreedifferentuserswhohavevisitedwww.example.com.

Ifyouareunabletoobtainanyinformationaboutthem,howcanyouplaceavalueonthem?Takealookatthesethreescenariosanddecidewhichtwohavethemostvalue:

1. User1hasvisitedthesitebefore,navigatedasfarasthebasketpage,andthenbounced.

2. User2hasgoneasfarasenteringtheirpaymentdetailsbeforebouncingoff.

3. User3bounced30secondsafterreachingtheAboutUspage.

Users1and2arethemostvaluableandlikelytoconvert,justincaseyouarestillscratchingyourheadfortheanswer.

Youcankickoffyourownremarketingcampaignsimplybyinsertingapieceofcodebetweenthe<body></body>tagsoneverypageofyoursite.GetyourcodefromtheCampaignssectionoftheAdWordsdashboard.SelectSharedLibraryfromthemenuontheleftandclickAudiencesunderneathit.

NewAdWordsaccountownerswillbeaskedtosetupremarketing;onceyouhavecompletedtherequiredfields,yourcodeisreadytogo!Youcaneitherexportthecodeyourself,orifyourskillsdon'tstretchthatfaryet,emailitdirectlytosomeoneelse,suchasawebdeveloper.

Whenyourcodehasbeeninsertedontoyoursite,youwillseetheAudiencessectionofyourAdWordsdashboard.Youshouldpayparticularattentionto

theMembershipDurationsectionofthispage,whichindicatestheamountoftimeuserswillberemarketedtobeforetheyareremovedfromthelist.Thedefaultissetto30days,butitcanstretchtoaslongas180daysontheSearchNetworkand540daysonGDN.Yourmembershipdurationshouldbeamendedbasedonyourknowledgeofhowlongittakesuserstoconvert.TheListSizefieldwilltellyouhowmanyusersareonyourremarketinglist,dividedbySearchNetworkandGDN.

Beselective.Becauseeveryuserandthatuser'sonlinebehaviorisunique,youwon'tneedtoremarkettoeachpersonwhohasvisitedyoursite.Forexample,remarketingtoauserwhoreachedthebasketpageonyoursiteshouldhaveahigherpriorityoverremarketingtosomeonewhohasalreadypurchasedsomething.Thisiswherecustomaudiencescomein!

Tocreateacustomremarketinglist,clickthered+RemarketingListbutton.Enterinadescriptivenameforthelistandthendecidewhetheritisforawebsiteorapp.IntheWhotoAddtoYourListfield,youcanselectfromarangeofoptionsfortheuserstobetargeted.Betterstill,byclickingthe+Rulesbutton,youcanremarkettoanyonebasedonpresetrules.Rulesallowyoutospecifywhomyoutargetandtogetquitespecificwiththemessageyouserve.Theyarealsogreatforexcludingpeoplewhohavealreadycompletedavaluableactiononyoursite,suchasapurchase.Whenyouhavesetyourmembershipdurationbasedonhowlongyouthinkittakesausertoconvert,clickSave.

BeforeyougocreatingadcopyworthyofaPulitzerPrize,remarketingtotherightpeople,andturningyourbiddingstrategyintoacashcow,youneedtoknowhowtomanageyourcampaign!Stickaround—wearegoingtocoverthatinthenextsection.

Stage3:ManageIfyourfriendsareimpressedbyyournewfoundabilitiesfromstages1and2ofthePPCprocess,thenwhatyoulearnfromthisnextsectionwilldefinitelybowlthemover!Stage3,highlightedinFigure3.26,isaboutwhathappensafteryourcampaignhaslaunchedandyouaremanagingiteffectivelyonanongoingbasis.Prettysoon,youwillbeabletotellyourfriendsallabout:

ThefunctionsofeachofthefivemaintabswithintheAdWordsinterface.

HowtoimplementconversiontrackingaspartofyouroverallPPCstrategy.

Thereportsthatcanbepulledandwheretofindthem.

Figure3.26FocusontheThirdStageinthePPCProcess

NavigatingtheInterfaceOnceyourcampaignhasbeencreated,youwillneedtoreportonandanalyzeitsperformance—whichcanbedonethroughthevarietyoftoolsAdWordshastooffer.Thetrickypart,however,ischoosingwhichtabsandsectionsoftheinterfacearemostrelevanttoyou,becauseeachbusinessisunique.Fastenyourseatbelt,thisguidedtouroftheAdWordsinterfacewillhelpyoudecideandlocatethetabsandsectionsyourbusinessneeds.

Thesearethefivemaintabsthatyouwillnavigatethroughwhenyoustarttoreport.

TheHometabisgreatwayofgettingaquicksnapshotofhowyouraccountisperformingandtellingyouwhatthetopchangeshavebeenoverthelastweek.

TheReportstabiswhereyouwillclicktogetamorevibrantvisualrepresentationofhowyourcampaignsareperforming.Youcanpickandchoosewhichdatapointsyouwantdisplayedanddisplaytheminatable,alinechart,abarchart,orapiechart.

TheCampaigns,Opportunities,andToolstabsaremuchmeatier,solet'slookattheminmoredetailnow.

1. Campaignstab

Allyourcampaignmanagementwillberunfromthissectionandthe

screenshowninFigure3.27willalsobethedefaultscreenwhenyoulogin.Let'snowseewhateachofthesubtabswithintheCampaignssectioncandoforyou.

Adgroups,ads,keywords,andadextensions.Thesetabswillshowyoutheperformanceoftheseparticularareasofyourcampaignforthedaterangeyouset.Setyourdaterangebyclickingthedaterangeoptioninthetoprightcornerofthescreen.Youcanchooseanywherefromtheprevious7daystotheprevious30days,andyoucanalsodefinethedaterangebyquarterorbyhalfyear.

Settings.Ifyouwanttomodifythesettingsforallyourcampaignsatonce,thisisthetabforyou!Hereyoucanchangethestartandenddatesofyourcampaignsandalsoeditthesettingsforyourlocation,budgets,language,adrotation,andadscheduling!

Dimensions.Hereyoucanreallydrilldownintotheperformanceofyourcampaignsandlookatthetimesanddaysoftheweekwhenyouradsareperformingbest.Italsoallowsyoutomonitorwhichgeographiclocationsarethetopperformers—perfectforreportingoncampaignsthatspanseveralcountries.Notonlythis,youcanalsoseethebestperformingURLs,whichcouldproveusefulinseeingwhichlandingpagesaregeneratingthemostconversions!Finally,theDimensionstabwillletyouidentifythebiggestchangesinyourCPCoverthelastweekandwherethechangeshavecomefrom.Prettycool,right?

2. Opportunitiestab

Forbeginnersandseasonedprofessionalsalike,theOpportunitiestabgivesveryinformativeoptimizationtipsandideas—justliketheonesshowninFigure3.28.

Thesetipsgetverydetailed,advisingyouonbudgetspendsandhowtoachievemoreclicks.Theyareallbasedonalgorithmcalculations,meaningtheyareapredictionofsortsandthereforesubjecttofluctuation.ThebestfeatureoftheOpportunitiestabisthatthetipsareupdatedinrealtime,meaningyoucouldgettotallydifferentsuggestionseachweek.

3. Toolstab

TheToolstabiswhereyouwillfindtheKeywordPlanner,DisplayPlanner,andmostimportantly,ConversionTrackingtools.Thelatterlooksatthepost-clicksuccessofyourcampaign,movingpastsearchengineanalysisandfocusingonwhatusersaredoingwhentheyenter

yourwebsite.Ultimately,conversiontrackingholdsPPCaccountableforthemoneyit'sspending,allowingyouassesswhetherornotyourinvestmentisgettingareturn—evenifthatreturnissimplydrivingvideoviews.

Don'tbeundertheillusionthatconversiontrackingisonlyforbusinessesthatseekonlinepurchasesorhardconversions,suchasleads.It'sforbrandingandawarenesstoo!Forexample,ifauserspendingacertainamountoftimeonyoursiteaddsvaluetoyourbusiness,thenit'saconversion.

Conversiontrackingcanbedoneintwoways:

a. ByplacingaGoogleAdWordsconversiontrackingcodeonapageorelementofyoursitethatyouuseasanindicatorofsuccessforyourbusiness—forexample,athank-youpageorafind-out-morebuttononyoursite.

b. BycreatinggoalsandtransactionsinGoogleAnalytics(GA)andimportingthemintoAdWordsoncetheaccountsarelinked.

Figure3.27GoogleAdWordsCampaignsTabSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure3.28GoogleAdWordsOpportunitiesTabSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

WhichToolShouldIChoose?Therecommendationwouldbeoption2above,usingGA.BycreatingtheconversioninGA,youeliminatetheneedtocreateanotheroneinGoogleAdWords.Evenmoreimportantly,option2isfarmoreefficientforcomparisonpurposes.IfyoucreateaGoogleAdWordsconversiontrackingcode,thatconversionisspecifictoAdWordsandwillonlytellyouhowmanyconversionsyourAdWordscampaigngeneratedforthatparticulargoal.

However,byimportingaGAgoalortransaction,itwillallowyoutoseeyourPPCcampaignperformanceincomparisontootherchannels.Forexample,youcanseehowmanygoalsandtransactionsyourPPCcampaigngeneratedincomparisontoyourorganicsearch,display,oremailcampaigns.

Thedecisionastowhichoptionyouchooseisyourstomake,solet'slookathowbothconversion-trackingtechniquescanbeimplemented!

Conversiontracking:GoogleAdWordsstyle.Ifyoudodecidetoignoretherecommendation(howdareyou!)andgodowntheAdWordsroute,startbyclickingtheToolstabandselectConversionsfromthedrop-downmenu.Ifyouhavenotcreatedconversiontrackingbefore,youwillneedtoclickthered+Conversionbuttontobegin.Regardlessofwhichoptionyouchoose,youwillstillcreateallofyourconversionshere.

Nextyouneedtoselectthesourceoftheconversionsyouwanttotrack,as

showninFigure3.29.UsuallyyouwillbeselectingtheWebsiteoption,solet'sjustfocusonthatonefornow.

Figure3.29GoogleAdWordsConversionTrackingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

HitSelectunderneaththeWebsiteoptionandtheprocessofcreatingaconversiontrackingcodewillbegin!Youwillneedtocompleteeachofthefields:

Name.Chooseonethatiseasilyrecognizable.

Value.Assignavalueonlyifyoufeelyouneedto.

Count.DecidehowyouwantAdWordstocountyourconversions.TheEveryoptionwillcounteverysingleconversionfromeveryvisit.TheUniqueoptionwillcountonlyoneconversionperuser—idealforleadgeneration.

Conversionwindow.Hereyouchoosehowlongyouwanttheconversiontobecounted.Thedefaultsettingis30days.

Category.Simplychoosethecategorythatbestdescribestheconversionaction.

Optimization.HereyoucanoptinoroutofincludingdatafromthisconversionintheConversionsforOptimizationsectionoftheAdWordsinterface.Keepitticked,it'sgoodtohave!

Whenyouaredone,hitSaveandContinuetobebroughttoyourveryownconversiontrackingcodeasshowninFigure3.30.Amomentousoccasionforfirsttimers—relishit.Justlikethattimeyouinsertedaremarketingcodeonto

yoursite,stickthisonebetweenthe<body></body>tagsoftheappropriatewebpagetoo.Assoonasthatpageloadsorthedesignatedbuttonisclicked,theconversionwillberecordedforyou.

Figure3.30ConversionTrackingCodeGenerationSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Conversiontracking:GAstyle.Beforeimportinggoalsortransactions,youneedtotellGAtorecognizewhenaclickorconversionhascomefromaPPCcampaign.Todothis,youmusthavebothaGAandaGoogleAdWordsaccountthatarelinkedtogether.Don'tworry,youwilllearnhowtosetupaGAaccountinChapter9!Whenitissetup,youcanlinkthetwoaccountsbyclickingthecogsymbolatthetoprightofthescreenandselectingAccountSettings.

Whenthisisdone,hittheToolstab,selectConversions,andclickGAfromthemenuontheleft.Ifyouhavevalidgoalsortransactionsthathave

convertedviaGoogleAdWordsinthelastsevendays,thenyoucanimportthosegoalsandtransactionsbyclickingthe+Conversionbutton.

YouareprogressingquicklyandyourPPCmasteryhasalmostcomefullcircle.Let'snowmoveontothefinalstageoftheiterativeprocesstoseehowyoucanreallyanalyzeandreportonyourcampaigns!

Stage4:AnalyzeBelieveitornot,wearenowatthefinalstageofthePPCprocess,ashighlightedinFigure3.31.Thismeansonlyonething—it'stimetoanalyzeandreportonthesuccesses(orfailures)ofyourPPCcampaigns!Prettysoonyouwill:

KnowhowtousePPCreportstobetteroptimizePPCcampaigns.

Appreciatetheimportanceofsegmentingdata.

LearnhowtoconfigurethecolumnswithinanAdWordsinterface.

RecognizethemainKPIsthatindicatetheperformanceofPPCcampaigns.

UnderstandhowtolinkGoogleAdWordsandGA.

Beabletofindyourqualityscore.

Figure3.31FocusontheFourthStageinthePPCprocess

KeyPerformanceReportsWithsuchanabundanceofdataavailable,howareyoutoknowwheretostartyouranalysis?Tryonthesekeyperformancereportsforsize:

KeywordPerformanceReport

Areportthatshouldbepulledbiweekly,youcandownloaditwithintheCampaignstab.ClickKeywords,selectwhichmetricsyouwanttocompare,andhitthelittledownwardsarrowbuttonbesidethesearchbox.Afterchoosingwhichformattodownloadthereportin,trydownloadingmultiplereportsandcombiningthemintoonesuperreport.Thiswayyoucangetareallydetailed,handpickedreportofyourcampaign'sperformance.

AdPerformanceReport

Notonlydoesthisreportallowyouseetheperformanceofeachindividualadforthedaterangeyouset,butitalsoshowshowyourkeywordgroupsareperformingagainsteachother—bothofwhicharegreatforinformingdecisionsonyourbidstrategy.Youcandownloadthisinthesamewayasakeywordperformancereport;justmakesuretosetthedatarangeatthetoprightcornerofthescreenfirst.Trypullingthisreportbiweekly.

CampaignPerformanceReport

Greatforaquickupdate,thisonegivesyouahigh-leveloverviewofhowtheaccountisperforming.Hasitdippedinperformancecomparedtolastweekorarethereanytrendsyoushouldbeawareof?Downloadthisreportonceaweektofindout.

DimensionsReport

Thereporting,insights,andlevelofdatathatadimensionsreportprovidesisthecherryonthecake.Justliketheotherreports,clickthedownloadbuttonandyoucanexportallthisdatainwhateverformatyouwish.Whenyouhaveselectedaview,takesometimetoexploretheplethoraofoptionsavailable,allofwhichproviderichlevelsofdata.

Byselectingthetimeview,youcanassessperformancebydayoftheweek,andthisdataisinvaluableformappingyourcustomer'sjourney.Toshowhowbeneficialthisreportcanbe,let'susetheexampleofaretailcompany.Intermsofperformance,itknowsnoteveryhourofthedayiscreatedequally.SaleslagduringthemiddleofthenightbutFridaysaregreatbecausetheytendtobepaydays.Thecompanyalsoknowsmiddayisusuallygoodfordesktopconversionsbecauseusersaresittingattheirdesks,whereasmore

mobileconversionshappenintheeveningwhenusersarerelaxingathome.Theretailcompanycanusethisdatatotracktheircustomers'movementsandcustomizehowtheyaretargeted.

DataSegmentationIfin-depthdatasoothesyoursoul,youcouldalsotrysegmentingyourreports.If,forexample,youhavemultipleconversiontypesandwanttoseehowyourkeywordsperformagainstleadgenerationversuspurchases,youmaywanttosegmentthembyconversiontype.Doingthiswilltellyoutheconversiontypeofeachindividualkeyword.

Youmightalsowanttosegmentyourreportsbytimeofday,searchterm,ordevice.Youcansegmentanyofthatdataandaddasmanysegmentsasyoulike.Justbearinmindthatthemoresegmentsyouadd,thebiggertheExcelfileandthemoredatayouwillhavetomanipulate.Tryjustonetotwosegmentsperdownload,thenyoucanstartmergingreportstogether.

ReceivingYourReportsNextyouneedtodecidehowyouaregoingtoreceivethereport.WithintheReportstab,clickthelittlecalendariconandselectwhowillbeemailedthereport.Hereyoucanalsoschedulehowfrequentlythesereportsaresent.Shouldyouchoosetosaveareport,youwillneedtogiveitaneasilyidentifiablename,andwhenyouhavedonethatitwillforevermorebeavailabletoyouwithintheCampaignstab,fromtheSharedLibrarysectionofthemenuontheleft.

Columns—SupportingYourReportsColumnsarethemostimportantandrelevantwayofgeneratingricherinsightswhenreporting,inanysectionoftheinterface.Youcanchangethemtoalterthevieworpresentationofthedata.Totheleftofthedownloadbuttonliestheoptiontochangeyourcolumns.Toaddorremoveacolumn,clicktheColumnsoptionandselectModifyColumns.Youwillthenbeabletodrag,drop,andrearrangecolumnstoyourheart'scontent,asshowninFigure3.32.

Figure3.32ColumnModificationwithinGoogleAdWordsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Thetypesofcolumnsthatarepresenteddependsontheviewandtabthatyouarein,butgenerallyyouwillalwaysbeabletoselectattributes,performance,social,Gmail,andYouTubemetrics.IfyouhaveGAandGoogleAdWordslinked,youwillalsobeabletoseeallofyourGAmetrics.

HowtoLinkAdWordsandGoogleAnalytics

Withoutadoubt,GAisthebesttoolforanalyzingtheperformanceofanycampaign.GAsetupwillbecoveredingreaterdetailinChapter9,butyoushouldknowhowtouseitinthecontextofPPCtoo.Asyounowknow,inordertoimportgoalsandtransactionsfromGAintoAdWords,bothplatformsneedtobelinked—solet'sdothatnow.Forthistowork,youneedtohavethesameemailaddressregisteredtobothaccounts.YoumustalsohavethesameadminaccessinAdWordsasinGA.Tostart,clicktheToolstabinAdWords,selectGoogleAnalytics,andyourGAaccountwillautomaticallybepresentedtoyou.Allthat'slefttodonowisselecttheviewthatyouwanttolinkandhitsave.Easy!

KPIsWithaclearerunderstandingofthereportsthatcanbepulledfromAdWords,

let'snowlookattheKPIsyoushouldbereviewingandoptimizingonacontinualbasisinthecontextofyourPPCcampaigns.YoushouldmakesuretodevelopachievableKPIsthatwillcontributetotheoverallsuccessofyourbusiness.Forexample,ifyourgoalistogeneratemorerevenuethendon'tfocusonengagementmetrics.Instead,focusonhard-conversionmetrics,salesmetrics,andROI.

IfsomethingisperformingreallywellagainstyourKPIs,increaseyourbids,ifyoucanaffordtodoso.Ontheflipside,youshouldalsotakebudgetsoutofotherareasthatarenotperformingsowellandreinvestthemintotheareasthatare.It'sallaprocess—defineyourKPIs,analyzetheperformanceagainstthoseKPIs,makethenecessarychanges,andreanalyzetheperformancebasedonthechangesthatyouhavemade.

IsGoogleAdWordsWorkingforMe?WhenmeasuringtheimpactofGoogleAdWords,paystrongattentiontoeachofthefollowingKPIs,whichwillhelpdetermineifAdWordsishelpingorhinderingyourbusiness.

CTR.ThisKPImeasurestherelevancyofyourcampaigns;forexample,howrelevantyouradsandlandingpagesaretothekeywordtheuserhassearchedfor.

Conversionrate.UsethisKPItomeasurethesuccessofyourcampaignsandwhethertheyarecontributingtotheoverallsuccessofyourbusiness.

AverageCPC.Needtomeasuretheefficiencyofyourcampaigns?ThisistheKPIforyou.Itconsidersyourqualityscoreandwhetherornotyouaregettingthemostvalueperclick.

Qualityscore.ProbablyoneofthemostimportantKPIs,thisonewillessentiallyaffectyourCPCandhaveaknock-oneffectonconversions.Tofindoutwhatyourscoreis,selecttheCampaignstabatthetopofthepage,clicktheKeywordstab,hitColumns,andthenselectModifyColumns.ClicktheAttributesoptionandfromthereyoucanaddthequality-scorecolumnontoyourdashboard,asshowninFigure3.33.

Figure3.33HowtoAddtheQualityScoreColumnSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Alternatively,youcanviewyourqualityscorebyhoveringoverthelittlespeechbubbleunderneaththeStatuscolumnwithintheKeywordstab,asshowninFigure3.34.Thiswillgiveabreakdownandrankingofyourqualityscore.

Figure3.34QualityScoreViewwithinKeywordsTabSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Witharock-solidunderstandingofhowtoreportandanalyzethesuccessofyourAdWordscampaigns,let'scompletethisPPCprocessbylookingatthelawsandguidelinesyouneedtoabideby.

LawsandGuidelinesWehavenowreachedthefinalstopaboardthisPPCtrain,andbeforeitturnsaroundtobeginthejourneyalloveragain—whynotjumpoffandexploretheterrainoflawsandguidelines?Keyattractionsinclude:

Thecookiepoliciesanddataprotectionguidelinesthatmustbeadheredto

ThePPIpolicyandDigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct

Theimportanceofabidingbytrademarkrulesandregulations

DataProtection

Oneofthemostimportantareassurroundingsearchmarketingisdataprotection.Itisyourjobtoensurethatanydatacollectedisusedfairlyandlawfully,andforlimited,specificallystatedpurposes.Rememberallthosetimesyousawawebsite'scookiepolicywhenyoufirstclickedin?Every

websitemustdothistobeinlinewithcookielegislationdirectives.Thesedirectivesstatethatyoumustalwaysbeupfrontandclearwithyourusersaboutwhatyouintendtousetheirdatafor.Thisuseshouldbeinlinewiththeirdataprotectionrights,andtheirdatashouldbekeptsafeandsecureandnevertransferredoutsidethecountryyouareusingitinwithoutadequateprotection.

Privacy

WhenrunningyourPPCcampaigns,makesurethatyoudonotcollectanypersonalinformationaboutusers,suchastheirnamesandaddresses.ThisisrelatedtothePersonallyIdentifiableInformation(PII)policy,whichGooglequitestrictlyenforces.

Copyright

TheDigitalMillenniumCopyrightActprovidesaprocessforacopyrightownertogivenotificationtoanonlineserviceproviderconcerningcopyrightinfringement.GoogleAdWords'trademarkpolicyisbaseduponthisact.ItstipulatesthattrademarkswithinadcopycannotbeusedunlessthetrademarkownerhassentGooglethenecessaryformgrantingpermissiontotheadvertiser.Ifyouarefoundtobeinbreachofthisrule,youcouldfacestiffpenalties.

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Fromstartingoffwithwell-definedgoalstosettingupyourAdWordsaccount,navigatingtheinterface,anddevelopingbidstrategiesinlinewithyourKPIs,youarenowPPCroyalty—butbeforeyougohereareafewmorejewelsforyourcrown:

Setachievable,well-defined,DUMBgoals!

SavetimeandtearsbycarefullystructuringyourAdWordsaccountattheverybeginningofyourcampaign.

Choosethedevicesyouwant(ordon'twant)totargetcarefully.

Ensureyourlandingpagefulfillsthepromiseofyourwonderfuladcopy!

Getsavvy—alwayssetyourbidsaccordingtoyourKPIs,pastperformance,andyourad'saverageposition.

Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonPPCasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

Exercises

Exercise1UsingyourGoogleAdWordsaccount,createanewcampaignbyfollowingthestepsbelow:

1. Chooseyourcampaignnameandnetworks.

2. Configureyourlanguageandlocationtargeting.

3. Setyourdailybudgetandmaximumbid.

4. Defineyouradrotationanddeliveryoptions.

5. Setastartandenddate.

6. Decideonyouradschedulingpreferences.

Exercise2Smith-WyerisacreditinsurancecompanybasedinNewYorkCity,offeringbonding,guarantees,andcollectionservices.Theirbusinessisdecliningandthey'vehiredyoutorunaGoogleAdWordscampaignadvertisingtheirservices.

UsingtheGoogleKeywordPlanner,identifyatleast20appropriatetargetkeywordsthatdeliverontheabovebrief.Lookatqueryvolumesandsuggestedbidstoestimatecompetitionforyourkeywordsofchoiceandstructurethemintosensibleadgroupswithasimilartheme.

Exercise3Changeyourdailybudgetforyourcampaignusingthetwomethodsbelow:

1. Withincampaignsettings

2. Fromthecampaignstab

Exercise4LinkaGoogleAdWordsandGAaccount,ensuringyouhavemetthefollowingprerequisites:

1. TheemailaddressisthesameonbothGoogleAdWordsandGA.

2. TheemailaddresshasanadministrativeaccesslevelonGoogleAdWords.

3. TheemailaddresshasaneditorhigheraccesslevelonGA.

Exercise5InGoogleAdWords,createaGoogleAdWordsremarketingcodewithintheAudiencessectionofthesharedlibrary.Setthemembershipdurationto30days.

ActionPlan:PayPerClickDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforPPC

ObjectivesConversions,leads,sales,traffic,visibility,brandawareness

ActionItemsandFrequencyKeywordresearch:Quarterly

Targeting:Monthly

Scheduling:Weekly

Biddingandbudgeting:Weekly/monthly

Trackingandreporting:Daily/weekly

MeasurementToolsandKPIsAdWords:Conversions,click-assistedconversions,clicks,CTR,impressions,searchimpressionshare

Spend

Media Content People Systemsx x x

CHAPTER4DIGITALDISPLAYADVERTISING

AnIntroductionYouknowthoseadsthatfollowyouaroundtheInternet?Theonesthatsomehowknowexactlywhatyouhavebeensearchingfor?Yourcomputerisnotpsychic—youaresimplyexperiencingremarketing,oneofthetoolsofdigitaldisplayadvertising(DDA).

Asadigitalmarketer,youcancreateonlineadsjustasyouwouldforanofflinecampaign.Theseonlineads(ordisplaybanners)containcopy,logos,images,maps,andvideo—anythingthatwillhookusersastheybrowse.Thenyoucancalloncertainpublisherstopickthemostrelevantwebsites,socialmediachannels,anddevicesforyouradstoappearon.

YoulearnedinChapter2thatSEOisallaboutdrivingtraffictoyoursite.Justasyoushouldoptimizeyoursitesothatitshowshigherinsearchresults,youshouldalsooptimizetheadsthatdirectuserstoit—byincludingahyperlinkedcalltoaction,forexample.Makessense,right?

Definition

FormaldefinitionofDDA:Aformofdigitalmarketingthatusesdisplayadsappearingonwebpagesasameansofcommunicatingrelevantcommercialmessagestoaspecificaudiencebasedontheirprofiles.

InformaldefinitionofDDA:Youronscreenpickupline!

ProcessIntheopeningsectionsofthischapteryouwillbeprovidedwithanoverviewoftheDDAindustry,thekeyterminologyinvolved,andthebenefitsandchallengesthatfacedisplayadvertisers.ThenwewillcoverindetailthefourkeystagesoftheDDAiterativeprocess,asshowninFigure4.1:

1. Define.Thisstagestartsbyhelpingyoutoidentifyandsegmentyourcustomersbasedondemographicslikeage,location,andinterests.Youwilllearnhowtofindtherightpublisherforyouradsandhowtosetdisplaycampaignobjectivesinlinewithyouroverallgoals.

2. Format.Thisstagewillintroducearangeofcreativeadformats,amongwhichyoucanchoosethemostappropriate,accordingtoyourtargetaudienceandbudget.Onceyouhavelookedatformats,youwilllearnaboutthemediachannelsavailabletoyouandhowyoucancreatecompellingadcopyacrossthesechannels.

3. Configure.Youcanmaximizeyourcampaign'spotentialbyusingtargetingtoolslikeGoogleDisplayPlannerandassigningKPIstohelpyoutrackyourcampaignonanongoingbasis.Onceyougolive,youcan'thidefromtheeyesofthepublic—soitisbesttoironoutanybumpsearlyon.

4. Analyze.Thefinalstageiswhenyoumeasurethesuccessofyourcampaignusinganalytics.Thenyoucanenhanceandoptimizeyouradsasnecessarybeforegettingreadytorelaunch.

Figure4.1Four-StageDDAprocess

KeyTermsandConceptsItisthischapter'saimtoequipyouwiththeknowledgeandconfidenceyouneedtolaunchyourowndisplaycampaign.Whenyouhavecompletedthischapteryouwillbeableto:

RecognizetheimportanceofDDAonagloballevelandbeawareofitsbenefitsandchallenges.

Knowhowtoselectthemostappropriateaudienceforyouradsandthe

websitesonwhichtheyappear.

Appreciatethevariouscreativeadformatsavailableandhowyoucanoptimizethespaceyoubuy.

Understanddifferenttargeting,tracking,andmeasuringtoolsthathelpyoutoanalyzeyourcampaign.

Befamiliarwiththemechanicsofdisplayadvertising,itsassociatedterminology,andthelawstowhichitmustadhere.

DisplayAdvertising:AnIndustryOverviewBeforeyoudiveintothemechanicsofdisplayads,let'stakeastepbackandlookatthebigpictureandtheprocesswesawinFigure4.1.ThissectionwillfirstfocusontheDDAindustryfromaglobalperspective,thenexplorethemechanicsbehindDDAandsomeofthebenefitsandchallengesitpresents.

ItcannotbedeniedthatDDAisaprettyawesomebrandingtool.Eventhoughitmaynotgeneraterevenueinthesamewayasanemailmarketingcampaign,itcaninfluenceauser'sfuturebuyingbehavior.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstandthatasadigitalmarketer,youshould:

Allocateyourbudgetacrossdifferentmedia.

Beawareofonlineconsumptionandofsocialmediausageinparticular.

Appreciatetheimportanceofmobileindisplayadvertising.

AdSpend:OfflineandOnlineTheamountyouspendonadvertisingvariesacrossarangeofmedia.Forinstance,theglobalspendforTV,outdoor,andonlineadvertisingincreasedin2013,whereasformatssuchasradioandnewspaperssuffered.

However,advertisersarestillwillingtoforkoutforTV,eventhoughviewerscaneasilyfast-forwardpastadsorchangechannels.Lessisspentonnewspapersandmagazines,whicharelosingouttodisplayadvertising—manypublishersnowselladvertisingspaceinthephysicalnewspaperandofferdisplaybannersaspartofthedeal.

Thebiggestspendingsuccessstoryhasbeenonline—thatincludesdisplay,email,GoogleAdWords,mobile,andsocial.TraditionaladvertisingspendintheUnitedStateshasleveledout,whereasonlinespendisgrowingrapidly.Andthistrendwillnotgooutoffashionanytimesoon.

Unliketheone-waynatureoftraditionaladvertising,digitalcanengageusersinadialogandbeusedtocommunicatewiththeminamorefluidway.Still,

asadigitalmarketeryouneedtobesmartintermsofwhatmediayouuseandnotkickofflineformatsentirelytothecurb.Outdooradscandrivepotentialcustomersonline—whereyoucanengagethemwithdisplay,social,andemail.Offlineandonlineformatsareinextricablylinked,soyoushouldutilizebothwhendevelopingyourmarketingstrategy.Andsincethereisnothingworsethanseeinganadofflineandgoingonlinetofindthatthepromotionhasended,youmustkeepaconsistentmessageacrossbothformats.

TheMovetoOnlineSohowhasthisloveaffairwithonlinecomeabout?Thinkaboutit.Withincreasedaccessibility,therearemoreandmoreusersonline.Infact…

Ofhouseholdswithchildren,98percenthaveadeviceforonlineaccess—forhouseholdswithnochildren,it's76percent.

Whileonoursmartphones,87percentofusmultitaskonothermedia.

Onaverage,adultshaveaccesstofourdevicesforonlineaccessathome.

Thatmeansmorepeopleareusingemail,morepeopleareloggingontosocialmedia,andmorepeopleareresearchingonlinebeforebuyingoffline.Morepeoplearebuyingonlinetoo,thankstothesurgeinpopularityofonlinepaymentsystemssuchasPayPal.BusinessesareinvestinginGoogleAdWords,SEO,andorganicsearchtoconnectwiththesemultiscreeninguserswhereitmattersmost.

Whenpeopledogoonline,Googleistheirfavoriteplacetovisit.Therunners-upinourpopularitycontestareFacebook,Twitter,andYouTube;furtherdown,AmazonandWikipediagetanodofapproval.

Americanusersaccesssocialmediasitesatleastonceaday,soitcomesasnosurprisethattheseplatformsareamongthemostpopularsites.

Facebookisthesocialsiteusedmostoften—anditsvastnetworkcombinedwithcomprehensivetargetingandbudgettoolsmakeitanadvertiser'splayground.TwitterandLinkedInhaveasmallerreachbuttheycanstillbeprettyeffective.

Differentsocialadvertisingplatforms(andhowwecantargetouraudiencewithinthem)willbefurtherexploredinthe“DisplayAdsonSocialMedia”section.

GoingMobileWhetherwearewaitingforthetrain,prolongingourlunchbreaks,orrelaxing

athome,wearegluedtoourmobilesmostofthetime.TherearenowmoremobiledevicesintheUnitedStatesthantherearepeople,andmarketersneedtorecognizeandexploitthisopportunitybyadvertisingonmobiletechnologies.

Advertisersshouldtargetmobileusersthatsearchforlocalinformationwithgeographicallyrelevant,mobile-optimizedads.Oncetheyhavefinishedsearchingontheirphones,oneintwoofthemwillgoontobuythroughtheirphones,too.

Sowhatisinthepipelineforthedisplayindustry?Therearelotsofopportunitiesfromtechnologiessuchasretargeting,remarketing,andreal-timebidding.Advertisersshouldalsofocusonproducingadsformobiledevices,creatingricheradformatsandincorporatingsnappyvideosintotheiradsthatuserswillwanttowatch.

TechnologyandMechanicsHavingprovidedanoverviewofthedisplayindustryandthedirectioninwhichitisheaded,let'sfocusonthenutsandboltsoftheDDAprocess.

SoonyouwillbeabletoholdyourowninaDDAconversationatyournextdigitaldinnerparty,asyouwill:

BefamiliarwithessentialDDAterminology.

Knowthestakeholdersindisplayadvertising.

Understandthemechanicsandthetechnologyinvolved.

DisplayAds:KeyTerms

Adclick Occurswhenauserclicksafterseeinganad.Adimpression

Thenumberoftimesanadisseen(notnecessarilyinteractedwithorclickedon).

Aduniqueuser

Auserwhoseesanadfromagivendeviceforthefirsttime.

Click Thenumberofclicksonahyperlink.Cookie AtextfileorInternettagthatawebsiteplacesonauser'shard

drivetorememberdataaboutthatuser,suchassearchhistory.HTML Hypertextmarkuplanguageisthesetofcommands—orcode—

usedbywebbrowserstointerpretanddisplaypagecontenttousers;itisthelanguagethatpeopleusetobuildwebsites.

Keyword Thetermorphrasethattriggersyouradtoappearandtarget

potentialcustomers.Forexample,ifyouownabakery,youmightusefreshcookiesasakeywordinAdWords—itthentriggersGooglealgorithmstomatchthatphrase.

Pageimpression

Thenumberoftimesthatauserviewsacertainpagewithinawebsite.

Richmedia

Interactivemedia(includingtext,graphics,animation,video,andaudio)usedtopromoteproductsandservicesondigitalcomputer-basedsystems.

Visit Thenumberoftimesthatauservisitsawebsite—eachnewvisitoccurswhenthereisatleast30minutesbetweenrequestsfornewcontent.

HowDisplayAdvertisingWorks

Nowthatyouknowhowtotalkthetalk,let'swalkyouthroughthedisplayprocess.ThekeystakeholdersinvolvedaredetailedbelowandinFigure4.2.

1. Createad.Itstartswhenadvertiserscreatethead,choosingaformatinlinewithyourbudget.Forexample,ifyouwanttoadvertiseonTheNewYorkTimeswebsite,youneedtobearinmindthatthiswillcostmoreduetotheheavytrafficonthatsite.

Next,youdesigntheadwithanengagingcalltoactionandabalancebetweentextandimagery.Whentheadisready,youcanchooseyourpublisher—byworkingwithagenciesorbyusingaGoogletoolcalledDoubleClick,whichallowsyoutosearchforsuitablepublishers.TheGoogleDisplayNetworkisprobablythemostwell-knownpublisher.ItincludesthefullsuiteofGoogleproductsanditspartners(e.g.,YouTube).

2. Publishad.Onceyouhaveidentifiedyourpublisherandadheredtoitsformatspecifications,thepublisherplacesyouradonsitesbasedonyourtargetaudienceandbudget.Sosayyouwantyouradtobeacross10ofthemostprolificwebsitesandtargetedatpeoplewhohavebrowsedforshoesinthepastweek—therewillbeacostforthat.Inadditiontochoosingthesitesonwhichyouwantyouradtoshow,youcanalsodecidethetimeofdayandacrosswhatplatformsordevicesthatitshouldappear.

Anagencycanalsoplayapartinthisstageoftheprocess;advertisinghousessuchasOgilvyandW+Kmatchyouradswiththepeopleyouwanttoreachandcanoftenhelpyouwithdesign,too.

3. Servead.WebsitesarecrucialstakeholdersintheDDAprocess,asthey

enableuserstoseeyourads.TherearemillionsofwebsitesacrosstheGDNandbeyond,includingTheNewYorkTimes,Facebook,andLinkedIn—thesitesonwhichyouwantyouradstoappear.Thesewebsiteshostyouradthroughtheiradvertisingbannerspaces.Adimpressionsoccurduetoanyofthefollowingvariables:

Youradmatchestheenduser'ssearch.

Youholdatenancyagreement,anarrangementinwhichyouoccupyaparticularspaceandyouradappearsthereirrespectiveoftheuser'ssearchhistory.

Youendupbiddingagainstanadvertiserwhoispayingthesameamountforthesametiming—inthiscase,youradrotateswiththeirs,likeacarousel.

4. Clickad.Ultimately,consumersarewhatmakethedisplayadvertisingworldwork.Theyseeyouradandyouwantthemtotakeactionasaresult(likebuy,subscribe,orjustfallinlovewithyou).Thatiswhysomuchisspentonadvertising.It'salsowhyeverymessageyousendshouldallowtheusertotakethisaction.Buteventhoughyouwantconsumerstoconvertinsomeway,youshouldrememberthatdisplayadvertisingisnotreallyaboutrevenuegeneration;it'sprimarilyusedasabrandingtool.SoeventhoughCTRsmaybelow,youradsarestillhavinganimpact.Thoseusersaresmitten.

5. Trackad.Onceusersinteractwiththead,theresponsibilityisonyoutomonitortheadonanongoingbasis.Ifyouhavespaceonapublisher'swebsiteforamonth,youshouldcontinuallyrefineyouradsforthebestresults.Ifyourcalltoactionisweak,youshouldchangeit.Ifyouradisunderperforming,youshouldpimpitup.Whateverittakes!

Figure4.2KeystakeholdersinDDA

DisplayTechnology

DDAdependsonsomeprettyslicktechnologytomakeitallrunsmoothly.Forexample,youcanusereal-timebidding—anauctionprocessthatmatchesyouwithadimpressionsandwithendusersasaresult(thepublisheractsasamedium).Basically,itallowsthemostrelevantpersontoseeyourad.

MobilehasfastbecomethestarletofDDA,andeveryonewantstopleaseher.SoyounolongercreatedisplayadsforPCs;insteadyoutargetthemtoappearonsmaller-screenedlaptopsandmobiledevices.Andsincemostwebsitesarenowmobile-responsive,youradswillbedisplayedinthebestpossiblelight,whateverdevicetheuserison.

BenefitsandChallengesofDisplayNowthatyouunderstandwhatdrivesdisplayadvertising,thekeypeoplebehindthewheel,andalittlemoreaboutthejourney,let'sexplorethebenefitsandchallengesthatyoumayfacedowntheDDAroad.

BenefitsInfluence.Someformsoftraditionalmediasimplyraiseawareness,butresearchhasshownthatDDAactuallyinfluencesbuyingbehavior.Itletsusreachamassaudiencewithamessagethatsticks.Targeting.TargetingtoolsprovideadvertiserswithabetterROI,lesswaste,andmorefocus.WithtoolssuchasAdChoicesontheGDN,youknowthatyouradsarereachingaspecificaudience.Control.Youcancontrolwhereyouradwillappear,whowillseeit,andhowtheycaninteractwithit.Ultimatelyyouwantyouradstogenerateclicks.Failingthat,yourootforinteractions,orforconversionsbetweenonlineandofflineresponses.Integration.CreatematchesmadeinheavenbyintegratingdisplayandsocialmediawithTV,radio,andprint.Butalwaysremembertomaintainaconsistentmessageacrossallchannels.Segmentation.Youneedtocreateadsthatsatisfydifferentneedsandwants.Segmentationallowsyoutocozyuptoyourdifferentcustomergroupsandgettoknowtheirbehaviorthroughhowtheyinteractwithyourads,whatmakesthemtick,andwhatmakesthemclick.ChallengesBannerblindness.Withtheaverageuserbeingservedmorethan1,700banneradspermonth,youcanappreciatewhyhemightdismissyourads.

Lowclick-throughrates.CTRsondisplayadscanbeaslowas0.1percent.Oneinathousandmaynotseemlikemuch,butifyouapplyittoonebillionusersonFacebook,itbecomesaprettybigtargetaudience.Also,thatoneinathousandcouldhaveabrandingimpactonanother990people—throughsharingtheadacrossherownnetwork.

Stage1:DefineWecan'tstartplanningcreativeadformatsordesigningclevercallstoactionuntilweunderstandthepeoplewearetargetingandhowbesttotargetthem.Stage1oftheiterativeprocess—define,ashighlightedinFigure4.3—willturnyouintoadisplayninjainnotime,adeptat:

Understandinghowdisplayadvertisingworks.

Knowingyouraudienceandfindingpublisherstohelpyouconnectwithit.

SettingSMARTcampaignobjectivesthatworkwithinyourbudget.

Figure4.3FocusontheFirstStageintheDDAProcess

FindingtheAudienceFromtheoutsetofyourdisplaycampaign,youshouldaskyourselfwhothepeopleinyourtargetaudienceare—theirgender,age,location,andlikesanddislikes.Youcanthensegmentthisaudience(whichisfarmorehumanethan

itsounds)!

Usersleaveatrailonline;forinstance,astheybrowsesitesorengagewithemailmarketing.Theirclickstellyouwhotheyare,wheretheylive,andwhattheirinterestsare.Youmaynotknowhowtheytaketheircoffeejustyet,butyoudoknowthattheyareinterestedinyourbrand.Andsoyoushouldavoidscaringthemawaywithtoomanycallstoaction;afewdetailsnowwillbeenoughtoengagethemlater.Patience,grasshopper.

Ifauserdecidestoregisterforupdates,great—thisimpliestheirintenttobuy.Youcanalsocollectdatafromtheregistrationformanduseittoshape,augment,andtailoryourdigitalmarketingstrategy.Forinstance,youcancreatepersonas,personalities,andpreferences,suchasDebbieinFigure4.4.

Figure4.4DebbieDigitalCustomerPersona

Debbiecanbesegmentedaccordingtoherage,maritalstatus,herhobbies,andthefactthatsheearnsasteadyincome.Onceyouhavedevelopedherpersona,itbecomeseasiertopredictherpersonality,herpreferences,andherbuyingbehavior.Thenyoucanmeetherneedsandrequirementswithyourmarketingstrategy.Thanks,Debbie!

ResearchingPublishersNowthatyouhavedefinedyourtargetaudience,youneedtomatchthis

audiencewiththemostappropriatepublisherforyourads.

Backtotheuser'strail.Sayausersearchesforadventureholidays.Nowthatyouknowwhatheisinterestedin,youcanshowyouradsonthemostrelevantsites.Ultimately,youarelookingforapublisherthatfacilitatestargetingbasedonsegmentslikedemographics,location,andinterests.YoushouldaskpotentialpublishersfortestimonialsandKPIs,plusexamplesofworktheyhavedoneacrossPCs,mobiledevices,andsocialmedia.Googleoffersarangeoftoolstohelpyouchoosethebestpublisherforyourdisplayadvertising—forexample,theAdWordsDisplayPlanner.

Onceyouhavefoundapublisher,youneedtofollowcertainadspecificationsandformats(likesizeanddownloadspeed)tomakeitahappyrelationship.TheexampleinFigure4.5isa300x250expandingad.InthiscasetheadvertiserneededtosatisfycertaincriteriabeforeMSNwouldpublishit.

Figure4.5MSNAdSpecificationSource:MSN.

SettingObjectivesAsadigitalmarketer,youcanusedisplaytohelpyou:

Buildyourbranding.Buildingonthesuccessofyourexistingbrand.

Raiseawareness.Utilizingonlineadvertisinginadditiontoofflinetointroduceanewproduct.

Engagecustomers.Offeringpeoplenewwaystointeractwithyourbrand.

Encouragedirectresponse.Gatheringdatawhenusersfilloutforms,entercompetitions,orrequestquotes.

Connectonsocialmedia.Enablingyourfollowerstoactasbrandadvocatesastheyengageincustomer-to-customer(C2C)advertising.

Generateleads.Creatingsubsequentemailmarketingcampaignsasatargetedformofrevenuegeneration.

Increaseconversions/sales.Drivingsaleslaterinthecampaignprocesswhenyourdisplaybrandingtooliscombinedwithotherdigitalmarketingelements.

Sohowcanyouachievethesegoals?YoucanstartwithsomeSMARTobjectives…

Specific.Createanumericgoal;forinstance,toachieve100salesbyJune17.

Measured.Putsystemsinplacetoaccuratelytrackyourprogresstowardsthisgoal.

Actionable.Takecertainactionstoinfluencetheoutcome.

Realistic.Setachievablegoals—forinstance,thereisnopointinshootingyourselfinthefootbyaimingfora50percentCTRwithyourdisplayads.

Timed.Youhaveadeadlinebywhichyouwanttoachieveyourgoals.

Stage2:FormatYouhavenowgotthelowdownontargetaudiences,publishers,andhowbesttosetyourobjectivesandfeelreadytostartadvertisingonline.Butwhatformatsshouldyouradsappearin?Goodquestion..

Timeforstage2oftheiterativeprocess,ashighlightedinFigure4.6.Let'sstartingbydivingintothecreativespacetohelpyou:

Understandthedifferentdimensionsavailable.

Knowhowtomaximizeadspace.

Realizethebenefitsofadvertisingonsocialmedia.

Figure4.6FocusontheSecondStageintheDDAProcess

AdFormatsJustlikehowyouweretaughtinkindergartenthatboysandgirlscomeinallshapesandsizes,sodoadformats.AndinordertobestutilizeDDA,youneedtobeawareofeachone.

TypesofDisplayAds

ThemostcommonlyusedadformatsarelistednextandarealsoshowninFigure4.7.

Leaderboardsaregenerallyatthetopofthepage,andbecausetheyarethefirstmessagesthatpeoplesee,oftenperformbest.

Mid-placementunitsorMPUsareexpandable,dynamicadsinthemiddleofthepage.Theycanmoveupordown,areoftenanimated,andseehigherCTRsthanmostotherformats.

Skyscrapersandwideskyscrapersaretheareastotheleftandrightofthehomepage.

Islandsaresmallandnicheareasthatholdstaticads.Andnomanisoneeither.

Figure4.7MostCommonlyUsedAdFormats

Roadblocks,takeovers,andin-tandemads.Aroadblockisacombinationoftwoormoreadsforthesamecampaign,onthesamepage,withthesamemessage.

IntheroadblockshowninFigure4.8,thereareadsfortheproductwithintheleaderboardbanner,theMPU,andbothskyscrapers.Alloftheadssharethesamekeymessagebutthedesignhasbeenchangedforeachad—withavariationincolorwithintheMPU.Thisisalsoanexampleofahomepagetakeover(HPTO).Everywhereyoulookonthescreen,youseecontentrelatedtotheproduct.Bearinmind,thisoptionisprettyexpensive.Roadblocksareoftenusedinaffiliationprogramsbetweenadvertisers;forexample,ifNewstalkradiostation(seeninFigure4.8)weretoteamupwithacoffeechain.

Figure4.8RoadblockAdFormatSource:TheJournal.ie.

TheadsinFigures4.9and4.10areexamplesofin-tandemads:twoormoreadsonthesamepagethatinteract.Someoftheseadsmaybeanimated,asshownbythecoupleinFigures4.9and4.10,butultimatelytheyaredesignedtoworkinparallel,sothatonecarriesonemessage,theothercarriesasimilarone,andtheyworkintandem.Aptlynamed,don'tyouthink?

Figure4.9FirstFrameofanAnimatedLeaderboardSource:TheJournal.ie.

Figure4.10SecondFrameofanAnimatedLeaderboardSource:TheJournal.ie.

CreativeAdFormats

Nowthatyouknowwhatadspaceslooklike,howcanyouoptimizethem?Well,youcanstartbygettingcreativewiththefollowingadformats:

Animated.Theseadstypicallyconsistofthreeslidesonacarousel.LookingbackattheanimatedleaderboardinFigures4.9and4.10,thefirstviewoftheadinFigure4.9asks,“Whatcanyougetfor€1?,”thenextshowninFigure4.10startswith“SkySportsfor€1,”andthenextmightsimplybe“SwitchtoUPC.”Threeisthemagicnumberhere—anymoreframeswillconfusetheenduser.

Static.Thesestrongandsimpleadsareoftenusedbypowerful,blue-chipcompaniesthatonlyneedtosay,forexample:“InternetExplorer10.Downloadhere.”Thismessagewillcarryalotofweightwithinaverysmallarea.

HPTO.Asyounowknow,thisisanaddisplayinwhichmostofapublisher'swebpageisreplacedwithadvertisingcontent.Evenifithasnoeffectonusers'buyingbehaviorthereandthen,theywillrememberitthenexttimetheybrowse.

Floating.Thefloaterstemporarilyinterruptnavigation—soifusersmovetheircursorsoveradisplayad,afloatingadcomesup.Theymighttemptpeopletostartinteractingwithyouradsinnewways,butmakesurethatyoudonotdisrupttheuser'sexperiencesomuchastohaveanegativeinfluenceonyourbrand.

Expandableads.Thesedynamicadsdifferfromthefloatingkindinthatpeoplechoosetoclickandexpandthem,ratherthantheadappearingoutofnowhere.Youcanuseexpandableadstoencourageinteractionwithyourbrandeveniftheuserdoesnotclickthrough.Youhavetheoptiontoincludevideos,competitions,emailsubscriptionforms,socialmediabuttons,andalinkbacktoyourwebsite.Usuallyyouwillnotbechargedextrafortakingoverthisspacebecauseyouwillhavestucktothepublisher'sspecifications—youhavejustbeencleverwithoptimizingthespaceprovided.

Richmedia.Theseadsenablevideostreamingandareprettyeffective—becauseasmentionedearlier,oneintwouserswillinteractwithvideosindisplayads.Ifyoucangetairtimeofupto30secondswithyouraudienceyouwillhaveearnedsomeseriousdisplayadvertisingkudos.

Filmstrips.Filmstripsconsistoffivedifferentsegments(maybethreeofwhichcontainvideo);theusercanexploreallsegmentsbyscrolling,hovering,orclickingonthecreative.Theyprovideacontent-richexperience,andsincetheydonotinterruptthehomepage,peoplecaninteractwiththemwhenevertheywant.Filmstripsofferadvertisersapowerfulbrandingcanvas,becauseevenifpeopledonotwatchyourvideosyouarepromotingyourbrandtheentiretime.

DisplayAdsonSocialMedia

Advertisingonsocialmediaisbecomingincreasinglypopularthankstothesizeoftheaudienceavailable.Let'sstartbylookingatYouTubeandthetypesofformatsitoffersinFigure4.11.

Figure4.11YouTubeAdFormatsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Alloftheseadscomeatadifferentcost.Theygenerateadifferentnumberofimpressionsandclicksandhavedifferentimplicationsforyourbrand.

YouTubeadsallowuserstoskipthemafter5or10seconds,andtheadsaretargetedinlinewiththeuser'sbrowsinghistory.

Facebookisapowerfuladvertisingtoolbecauseyoucanseewhatyouraudiencelikes,shares,andcommentson.Soanyadthatusersseeontheright-handsideofaFacebookstreamistargetedspecificallyatthem.Youcansegmentyouraudienceaccordingtodemographic,location,interests,behaviors,connections,andsoon.

Facebookadswillvarydependingonwhereyouwantyouradtoappearandtheresultsyouareafter.Youradscanappearwithinthenewsfeed(ondesktopormobile)ordowntheright-handside.Youcandecideonthetypeofadyouwillusedependingonyourobjective.Forexample,youcanusephoto,video,ortextforpagepost-engagementandlinksforwebsiteconversions.

AdvertisingonTwittercanhelpyoutoreachusersonmobiledevices,since65percentofTwitter'sadrevenueisfrommobiletabletsorsmartphones.Adsappearaswhatarecalledpromotedtweets—soifuserssearchforStarbucks,promotedtweetsfromStarbuckswillappearintheirfeeds.

TwitterusessimilartargetingasFacebook(location,interests,followers,etc.)toensurethatpromotedtweetsaredirectedtothemostrelevantusers.Youradcanbediscoveredbytheaudienceofyourchoice,andyouonlypaywhenpeoplefollowyouraccount,retweetyourmessage,ortakeactionasaresultofyourad.

SocialadswithinLinkedInarealsoextremelytargeted,butinaslightlydifferentway,asshowninFigure4.12.

Figure4.12LinkedInAdTargetingSource:LinkedIn.

InLinkedInyoudonotreallytargetbydemographicsorinterests.Insteadyoutargetbyjobtitle—salesmanager,marketingdirector,andsoon.Youcanalsotargetpeoplebycompanyorbygroup;forexample,agroupwithintheMBAAssociation.Youcanevenseehowbigyourtargetaudienceisandhowmanypeoplecanpotentiallyseeyourads(shownontheright-handsideofthefigure).Thisisawholedifferentballgamefromguessinghowmanypeoplemightseeyourbillboard.Anditcanbeveryeffective,too—infact,60percentofLinkedInusershaveclickedonadsonthesite.

PinterestandInstagramhavesmallersubscriberbases,buttheystillofferagreatwayofengaginguserswithimagery.WithInstagram,youcantakeadvantageofFacebook'sinsights,too.

Sonowyouhavecoveredthetypeofadsavailable,howadvertiserscancapitalizeonthem,andthesocialplatformsthatyoucanuse.Feelfreetochoosethebestmixofformatstosuityourowncompany'sobjectivesandbudget.

AllocatingBudgetsNowit'stimetotalkmoney!

Toplanyourcampaignspend,youneedtoconsiderthefollowingfactors:yourtargetaudience(howmuchitwilltaketoreachthem),thepublisher'spricepoints(whetheryoucanaffordthebigonesorifyoushouldgolocal),location(becausewebsitesinprolificareassuchasNewYorkCitywillcostmore),competition(whetheryouwillbeinvolvedinreal-timebidding,competingforadvertisingspace),andfinally,thecostofthecreative(takingintoaccountroundsofamendsandspecialformatslikeexpandingads).

Integratedcampaignsrequireavarietyofmedia,soyoushouldspreadyourbudgetstrategicallyacrossthespectrum.Forexample,CocaColautilizesdisplay,print,TV,outdoor,andexperientialadvertising(whichmeansgivingpeopleabrand-enhancingexperience,eveniftheydonotengagedirectlywithyourproduct)initsadvertisingcampaigns.

Thecoststhatyouneedtotakeintoconsiderationinclude:

Costpermille(CPM):Thisisthemostcommonwaytobecharged;youpayforeverythousandtimesthatyouradappearsinapageimpression—irrespectiveofwhethertheenduserengageswithitorevenseesit.

Costperclick(CPC):Youarechargedwhenauserclicksyourad.Withdisplay'slowCTRsthisstructurewillnotdrainyourbudget,andsinceitisbasedonuniqueIPaddressesyourcompetitorscannotrackupcostswithclickseither.

Costperlead(CPL):Sayyouhaveasmartbannerthatopensout—youarechargedfordisplayingitandalsoifausersubmitsitssubscriptionform.Everyactioncostsyou.

Costperacquisition(CPA):Ifyouspend$100onadvertising,youcanconvert10customersataCPAof$10.Youcouldincludeacalltoactiontoemailyouataspecificaddress—thenyoucanworkoutfromthenumberofemailsthecostyouincurredtoacquirethosecustomers.

Tenancy/sponsorship:Youhaveexclusiveownershipofapositionforasetperiodoftime.Youarechargedafixedamount,irrespectiveoffactorssuchasCPM.

Marketersuseasetformulatocalculatecosts:

#adimpressions×CPM1,000

So1millionpageimpressionsat$5CPMwillcost$5,000.

Let'stryoutacoupleofquickexercisesusingthisformula…

Howmuchwoulditcosttobuy200,000pageimpressionsonCNBCat$5

CPM?

Youhave$6,000tospendandwanttorunacampaignonCNN.com.IftheyworkoffaCPMrateof$4,howmanyimpressionswillyougetforyourbudget?

Youwanttorunadisplaycampaignonablindsitethatcharges$1.60CPM.Howmanypageimpressionswillabudgetof$3,000getyou?

Didyougetthroughthoseokay?Thisformulaisanimportantonetorememberbecauseitallowsyoutoworkoutthecostofyouradvertising—whichinturncanhelpyoutoshapeyourdisplaycampaigns.

MediaandFormatOptionsNowthatyouknowthecostsinvolvedindigitaldisplaymediaandhowtocalculatethesecosts,wheredoyougotobuy?Well,thereareafewoptions:

Youcangodirect;forexample,byadvertisingdirectlyonCNN.

YoucanusevaluenetworksliketheGDN.Theymakeiteasierforyoutoallocateyourbudgetandplaceyourads.

Youcanseektheexpertiseofdigitaladagencies.Sincegoingdirectorevenusingvaluenetworkscanquicklydrainthebudgetofnovices,theseguyscanhelpyoutogetyourmoney'sworth.AdRollisapopularoneatthemoment—theyspecializeinretargeting.

Googleowns33percentofallonlineadvertisingrevenueandcanofferadvertisersarangeofdigitalmediaformats.Theseinclude:

Search.TextadsshownonGoogleaboveortotherightofsearchresults.

Mobile.TextadsonGooglemobilesearchresults.TextanddisplayadsservedontheGDN.

GDNtext.TextadsshownontheGoogleDisplayNetwork,whichconsistsofmillionsofwebsitesthatallowadsontheirsites.

GDNdisplay.DisplayadsservedontheGDN.

YouTube.VideoordisplayadsonYouTube.

AdCopyWhencreatingyourads,youshouldinclude:

Aclearcalltoaction(CTA).

Astrongdesignthatfitsthatparticularadformat.

Copythatisinkeepingwiththepublisher,thetargetaudience,andyourkeywordresearch.

Yourbranddisplayedprominently.

Direct,concise,andurgentlanguage.

Onceyouhavealltheseelementsinplace,youneedtocheckifyouradsareworking.

Splittestingmayjustbecomeyournewfavoritehobby—itsavesyoutimebypublishingmultipleversionsofanadcampaignandmonitoringthebest-performingversion.YoushouldusewhichevercampaigndeliversthebestROIgoingforward,carryingelementsofthatcampaignovertoyourcreativeiterativeprocess.UsuallysplittestingwillofferahigherROIbecauseyouhavedoneyourresearch,yourcontentismoretargeted,andauserwillbemorelikelytointeract/convert.

Therearesixpartsofadisplayadthatyoushouldalwayssplittest:

1. Content

2. Offer

3. Pricing

4. Creative

5. Calltoaction

6. Bannersize

Soifyouwanttotestcallstoaction,onetestcouldsupplyaphonenumberasacalltoaction,whileanothercouldbeabuttonthattheusercanclicktolearnmore.

ThedisplayadsinFigure4.13containverysubtledifferences.Thecalltoaction(forexample,“LearnMore”)andthecopymaybethesame,butthecreativeisdifferent.Youcouldrunbothonthesamedayforthesameaudienceandwhicheverperformsbetteristheoneyouwouldchoosegoingforward.ThisiscalledA/Btesting.Advertiserscanaddmoretestsiftheyhavetheresourcesandreportingcapabilities—forinstance,Googleusesasmanyas10tests(A/B/C/D/E,etc.)withsomeoftheirownproducts.

Figure4.13A/BTesting

Stage3:ConfigureBynowyouwillbefamiliarwithstages1and2ofouriterativeprocess.Right?!Solet'smoveontostage3—whichhasbeenhighlightedinFigure4.14.

Figure4.14FocusontheThirdStageintheDDAProcess

Inthissectionyouwilllearnhowtocapitalizeoneachstageofyourintegratedmarketingcampaign,soyoucanlinkonlineandofflineactivitieswithaconsistentandeffectivemessagethatengagescustomers.Beforelong,you'llbeadisplayninja,adeptat:

Targetingwell-writtenadstoappearonthemostappropriatemedia.

Trackingandmeasuringyouradsbeforeoptimizingthemforbetterresults.

Schedulingyourcommunicationseffectivelysotheyhavemaximumimpact.

TargetingNowthatyouknowwhatyouradswilllooklikeandhowtomakesurethebest-performingonesarepicked,youneedtomakethemappearattherighttime,intherightplace,totherightpeople.Becauseadsarenolongergeneric—theyareincrediblytargeted.SowhenyouseeanadonLinkedIn,thatadisaimedspecificallyatyou.Itisrelevanttoyourbrowsinghistory,yoursearches,andyourpatternsofbehavior.ItmayremindyouofBigBrother'sall-seeingeye,butthatishowtheprocessworks!

SeesomeofthewaysbelowthatyoucantargetcustomersusingtheGDN.

Targetingoption

Howitworks

Contextual(automaticplacements)

GoogleevaluatesallthekeywordsinaDisplayadgroupandplacesyouradsonwebsitesthatmatchthistheme.

Managedplacements

Youselectthespecificsiteswhereyouwantyouradstorun.

Topics Targetsyouradtowebsitesthatincludecontentabouttopicsyouselect.

Interestcategories

Targetsyouradstouserswithspecificinterestsbasedonwebsitestheyvisit.

Remarketing Showsadstopeoplewhopreviouslyvisitedyoursite.Auto-optimization(DCO)

Googleautomaticallyoptimizesbothtargetingandbiddingtofindadditionalconversions.AlsoknownasDisplayCampaignOptimizer.

Inferreddemographics

Targetsyouradstousersbasedongenderandage.

Thefirstformoftargetingdescribedhereiscontextualtargeting:Usingrelevanttermsandkeywordstotrytofindadsthatwillmatchtheadvertisertotheenduser.Advertiserscanalsoapplybehavioraltargeting,whichis(you'veguessedit!)basedonpeople'sbehavior—whattheysearchfor,whatcookiestheyleaveonwebsites,andsoon.

RemarketingisaGoogletoolthattakesfulladvantageoftheGDN.Forexample,whenusersvisitBooking.comtheydropanInternettagonthatsiteevenaftertheyleave.Thoseusersmaythenbefollowedbyholiday-relatedads.Youcanshowadstopeoplewhohavealreadyvisitedyourwebsite,browsedyourproducts,searchedforyouviamobile,andwatchedyourvideos.Beforetheseusersgotdistracted,theyexpressedaninterestinwhatyouhavetooffer—soyouneedtocatchthemandhookthemwithyouradswhentheyaremostlikelytobuy.Andyouarenotchargedforthistracking—you'reonlychargedwhenauniqueuserclicksthroughorseesthead.

Retargetingusesthesameideabutitdrillsrightdownintoauser'sbuyingbehaviorandisthusfarmorespecific.ItisalsousedbypublishersotherthanGoogle.Retargetingfocusesonthepeoplethathavealmostboughtandtriestoclosethatsale.Inshort,itconvertswindowshoppersintobuyers.

Whenusingthesetargetingoptions,youshouldavoiddiscouragingpotentialcustomersbystalkingthemwithyourads.Instead,youshouldapplyadfrequencycapping—inwhichyoulimitthenumberoftimesthatyouradshowstoauniqueuserwithinagivenperiodoftime.

TrackingYouradsarelive,therightpeopleareseeingthem,andyou'vegotthatwarmandfuzzyfeeling.However,youstillneedtotrackyourcampaignsandmonitoryourROItomakesurethatyourlittlegemsareworkingashardastheycan.

Thewayinwhichanad'simpactismeasuredhasevolved.YounolongerhavetousethebluntinstrumentofaCTR,becauseafterall,thereismoretobusinessthanclicks!Advertisersalsotakethefollowingmetricsintoaccount:

Interactionrate.Thenumberoftimesthatauserinteractswithanaddividedbyitsimpressions.At2.48percentonaverage,interactionratesaremuchhigherthanCTRsandaremoreinlinewithaPPCoraGoogleAdWordscampaign.

Videocompletion/conversionrate.Thenumberoftimesthatauserconvertsandwatchesafullvideo,suchasa30-secondvideothatplaystotheend.Since50percentofuserswouldprefertowatchembeddedvideosinsteadofclickingadisplayad,advertisersshouldgetthatcamerarolling.

Expansiontime.Theaveragetimethatanadisviewedinanexpandedstate.Displayadsarebecomingmoreplayfulandlessstatic.Ifuserschoosenottoclickonthead,theycanexpandittowatchvideostreamsandinteractwithitsembeddedmaterial,suchasgamesandcompetitions.

Averagedisplaytime.Theaveragetimethatarichmediaadisdisplayedtoauser.Itshouldbequiteshort—soifanadhasvideo,ideallyitwillbedisplayedforfewerthan30seconds.

Youshouldapplyalltherelevantmetricsyoucantosuityourbusinessobjectives.Inthisway,youcanovercomethechallengesofdisplayadvertisingandstarttoseemoreofitsbenefits.Remembertotakeadvantageofthevarietyofreportingsourcesavailabletoyou,including:

Publishers/agencies.Theycanuseanalyticstotellyouaboutyourperformance.

Sales.Youcancheckiftheyhaveincreasedsincethecampaignstarted.

Adnetworks.LargemediaoutletsliketheGDN.

Analytics.ThoseinternallyandthosereportedbyGoogle(GoogleAnalytics,AdSense,andDoubleClick).

Offlinereports.Sinceonlineandofflinearelinked,anyincreaseinperformanceoffline(purchases,phonecalls,couponredemption,etc.)canindicatethelevelofsuccessofonlineactivities.

GoingLiveThroughoutthecampaign,youshoulduseasystematicprocessforyourcommunicationsanddecidehowfrequentlyyouwanttosendthem.Youcansetacleartimeframeorschedulesothatyoucanseeclearlywhatadsarerunning,wheretheywillappear,whentheywillappearandanyfollow-upsneeded,whothetargetmarketis,andthecostinvolved.

Stage4:AnalyzeNottosoundlikeabrokenrecordbutremember—successfuldigitaldisplayadvertisingisaniterativeprocess.Itinvolvestrackingandoptimizingallaspectsofthecampaign,allowingyoutomaximizeeffectivenessandROIandhelpingyoutoachieveyourbusinessgoals.Andthatiswhytheanalysisprocesswithinstage4(highlightedinFigure4.15)issoimportant.

Figure4.15FocusontheFourthStageintheDDAProcess

MeasureYouneedtocontinuallymeasureyourmessageandyourcreativeswithpublisherstocreateacultureoftesting.ThisismadeeasierifyoufirstsetoutKPIssuchas:

Click-throughrates

Interactivityrates

Expansionrates

Bouncerates

Pageviews

Averagetimeonpage

Directtrafficsources

Conversions

AnothermethodofanalyzingsuccessismeasuringyourROI.Awisemanoncesaid,“Showmethemoney,”andasamarketer,youwanttoseethatyourhardworkhaspaidoff—literally.SohowdoyoucalculateyourROI?Checkouttheexamplebelow…

Sayyouwanttoconvert15newcustomers.

Yourbudgetis$1,750forthemediaandyouhaveadesignbudgetof

$650.

Yourmediabudgetgetsyou150,000adimpressionswithanestimatedCTRof2percent(althoughitwillusuallybealotlower).

Thewebsitethathostsyouradgets3,000uniquevisitorsandyouareaimingfora10percentconversionrate(again,normallythisislower).Thisresultsin300inquiries.Yourpublishertellsyouthat20percentofthesewillbequalityleads,soyouget60salesleads.

Andsinceyourpublisheralsotellsyouthatusuallyoneinfoursalesleadsresultsinaconversion,thatis60/4=15newcustomers.

Nowyouhavemetyourbusinessobjective,butyoualsowanttocheckyourROI.Soifeachnewcustomerbuysaproductworth$100,yourROIis15×100=$1,500.

Boom!Youhaveofficiallybeenshownthemoney.

Inadditiontohardmetricssuchasconversions(whicharetheultimategoal),youcanusesoftmetricssuchas:

Pageoradimpressionstodeterminewhetheryourcampaignisdelivering;ifyouhaveamillionadimpressionsbutnothinghashappened,somethingisfundamentallywrong.

CTRstomeasurewhichcreativeismostengaging.

Uniqueusersandimpressionstoassessyourreachandcoverage.

Analyticscanbealittleconfusing—buttherearegreattoolsoutthere,suchasGoogleAnalytics,thatcanclearthingsup.Itoffersreal-lifetrackingcapabilitiessothatyoucantraceeverycentyouspendandyoucancustomizeitwithyourowndigitalmarketingactivities.Forinstance,Figure4.16showsanexampleofpaidsearch,organicsearch,anddisplay.

Figure4.16ConversionsPerChannelGroupinginGoogleAnalyticsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

WithintheAnalyticsdashboardyoucancreateyourowngoalsandobjectives.Youcanalsotailorhowyouwantyourreportstolook,howspecificyouwantthemtobe,andwhetheryouwanttousefunnelvisualizationtoidentifythedifferentdatasourcesfeedingthem,asillustratedbyFigure4.17.Thisgivesyouend-to-endvisibilityoftheusersthatengagewithyouradbeforeconverting.

Figure4.17GoogleAnalyticsReportwithFunnelVisualizationSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Yourownfunnelvisualizationprocessmightbedifferent.Youmightwantittorunfromlefttorightinsteadoffromtoptobottom.AndthatisthebeautyofGoogleAnalytics—youcanaugmentandcustomizeyouranalyticsinwhateverwayyoulike.

Nowthatyouhavecoveredthemeasurementandanalysiswithinstage4,youcanoptimizeyouradsforevenbetterresults.Thisinturnbringsyoubacktothestartoftheiterativeprocess,duringwhichyoucanpreparetolaunchyournewandimproveddisplaycampaign.

LawsandGuidelinesRightnowyourheadisprobablyswimmingwithalltheinsandoutsofthedisplaycampaignprocess.Andyouprobablywantustostoptalkingsoyoucanstartadvertising,right?Easy,tiger—firstthereareafewlegalconsiderationsyoushouldknowabout.

Lawsandguidelineswilldifferacrossalllocations,andsomemaybemorestringentthanothers.Butstill,whenitcomestodisplayadvertisingtherearesomeuniversalrestrictions(themostobviousexampleofwhichrelatestoalcohol).Whereveryoulive,youneedtobeawareofthatparticularregion'slawsandguidelines.

MaintainingPrivacy

Withinthearenaofdisplayadvertising,onemajorconsiderationisprivacy,andadvertisersneedtoadheretoprivacypoliciesatalltimes.Forinstance,mostwebsitesnowincludestrictcookiepolicies,anditismandatoryfordigitalmarketerstodisplaythesepolicies.IfyouaregoingtojointhegameofInternettagyouneedtobetransparentinyouractions.Withintheprivacyarenaliesthewholeareaofdataprotection,too.Youmustfollowwhateverlegislationappliestoyourareaintermsofstoring,using,anddestroyingtheinformationyouhavegatheredthroughyourmarketingactivities.

CreativeCopyright

“Borrowing”creativesfromGoogleImagestouseinyouradsisanabsoluteno-no.Instead,advertiserscansourceimagesfromlibrariessuchasiStockorShutterstock,whichallowyoutobuyacopyrightforpromotionalpurposes.Insomecasesyoucancontactthephotographerorartistandrequestcopyrightthroughthem—sometimesyouwillpay,sometimesyoumightcatchaluckybreak.Butyoushouldneverassumethatjustbecausesomethingisfreefordownloadthattherewillbenorepercussions.

Accessibility

Whoareyouallowingtoseeyourads?Andareyouadheringtotheprivacylawsofthosethatareaccessingthem?Allovertheworld,thereareadvertisingstandardsbureausinplacetoprotectnotonlytheconsumerbutalsotheadvertiser.IntheUnitedStates,forexample,youshouldconsulttheAmericanAdvertisingFederation(AAF)ifyouplanonadvertisingtransnationallyorglobally.Theywilltellyouwhatyoucanandcannotdo.

Havingcoveredthelegalbit—thatconcludesthischapterondigitaldisplayadvertising.

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Herearesomefinalpearlsofwisdom:

Keepthingssimple.Withyourmessage,withyourcreatives—clear,succinctadsaremorelikelytograbattention.

Useyourpublishers.Theyhavetheexpertiseandinsightsthatcanmakeahugedifferencetoyourcampaigns.

Tryouttools.UseAdWordsPlanner,DoubleClick,andotherGoogletoolstohelpyouplan,manage,andoptimizeyourdisplaycampaigns.

Besmart.SetSMARTobjectivesinlinewithyouronlineandofflinetargets.

Thinklaterally.DonotjustfocusonCTRs,whichareaprettybluntmeasurementofsuccess.UsetheotherKPIsthathavebeencovered,likeadimpressionsandinteractionrates,togetasenseofhowyouradsaredoing.

Knowyouraudience.Onceyouhavecreatedsegments,youcanbuildpersonas,predictbehavior,andmeetpreferences.

Stayontrack.Measureyourcampaignsonanongoing,iterativebasis—linkingtoanalyticsandtestingforsuccesswheneverpossible.

Getcreative.Attheendoftheday,afteralltheplanningandtestingandanalyzing,youwantcustomerstolikeyourad.Anditisthecreativeonesthatwillhelpyoustandout.

Nowgoforthandputyourselfondisplay!

www.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonDDAasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

Exercises

Exercise1Thinkaboutyourownbusiness,ortakeasanexampleabusinessthatyouareinterestedin.Listallofthepotentialprimaryandsecondarytargetaudiencetypestheremightbeforthatbrandandaddinterestsforeach.Writedownwhattheirinterestsmighttellyouabouttheironlinehabits.

Exercise2Youhavebeengivenabudgetof€25Ktorunadisplayadvertising

campaign.YouhavebeentoldtoadvertiseonPC,mobile,andtablets.Aftersomeresearch,yourealizethemajorityofyourtargetaudienceusesAndroidsmartphones.Deviseabudgetplanandapportionbudgettoeachoftheaboveelementsaccordingly.

Exercise3Youarenowworkingwithasmallerbudgetof€5K—€10Kforyourdisplayadvertisingcampaign.ThelikesofaHPTOarenotfeasibleatthisstage.Whatarethealternativeoptionsandstrategiesyoucanundertakefordisplayadvertising?

Exercise4ItisQ1ofanewyearandyouhavebeenrewardedwithasizabledigitalmarketingbudget.Displayadvertisingistopofyouragenda.UsingSMARTprinciples,setoutfiveobjectivesthatyouwanttoachieveforthequarterandyear.Outlineaplanforhowyouwillgoaboutachievingeachobjective.

Exercise5Developasocialmediadisplayadvertisingcampaignaimedatthefollowingaudience:

Females24–35yearsold.

Workingprofessionals.

Peoplelookingtogetmarried.

Peoplewholiveprimarilyinthecapitalcityofyourcountry.

Peoplewhohaveaninterestinsports.

ActionPlan:DigitalDisplayAdvertisingDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforDDA

ObjectivesReach,frequency,awareness,branduplift,influence,conversion,click

ActionItemsandFrequencyBudgeting:Percampaign

Mediapurchase:Percampaign

Creative:Percampaign

Targeting:Weekly

Tracking:Daily

Optimization:Weekly

MeasurementToolsandKPIsAd-servingsoftware:Impressionsserved,flightmanagement,CTR

Social-listeningsoftware:Brandmentions

Webanalytics:Campaignclicks,brandsearchincreases,conversions

Spend

Media Content People Systemsx x x

CHAPTER5EMAILMARKETING

AnIntroductionInaconstantlyevolvingdigitallandscape,toolsandplatformscomeandgo.Email,however,hasremainedasteadfastanddependablechannelwith3.2billionemailaccountsworldwide.That'sthreetimesmorethanthenumberofFacebookandTwitteraccountscombined,andifoptimizedcorrectly,anemailmarketingcampaigncanbeall-powerful,drivingbetterreturnsoninvestmentandhigherlevelsofengagement.Thefactthatyoucandispensewithprintingflyers,savetrees,andbeanemailmarketingpro?Well,thosearejustaddedbonuses!

DefinitionLikemanyofthespecialtieswithindigitalmarketing,thekeytoapowerfulemailmarketingstrategyisstructure.

Formaldefinitionofemailmarketing:Astructured,systematicprocessthatisoneofthemostsuccessfulchannelsfordeliveringhighlyrelevantmarketingcommunicationstotargetedsubscribers.

Informaldefinitionofemailmarketing:Instantinboxgratification!

ProcessSowhatmakesemailmarketingsovaluable,besidesitsabilitytoestablishbrandvisibilityintheeyesthatmattermost(thoseofyourcustomers,justincaseyouweren'tsure!)?Likeeveryotherdigitalmarketingspecialty,thesuccessofemailisbaseduponarigorous,consistentprocess.TheDigitalMarketingInstitute's3iprinciplesunderpinageneralmethodologythatincorporateseveryfieldofdigitalmarketing,andemailisnoexception.

Initiate.Startwiththecustomerandworktowardsafullyoptimizedemailmarketingcampaign.Whoareyourtargetsubscribers?Whatkindofemailcontentwillbestsuittheirpreferencesandneeds?

Iterate.Measureandanalyzetheperformanceofyouremailmarketingcampaign.Areyourtargetsubscribersopeningyouremailsandengagingwiththem?Aretheyignoringthem?Youcanusethisinformationtolearn

fromyourmistakes,repeatyoursuccesses,andcontinuallyimprovetheexecutionofyourcampaign.

Integrate.Incorporateyouremailmarketingcampaignintoyouroveralldigitalmarketingandofflinemarketingefforts.

Beforewestartexploringemailmarketingindeeperdetail,takealookatFigure5.1andthelistthatfollowsforthefourvitalstepsthatcompriseaneffectiveemailmarketingprocess:

1. Data.Thefirststepinanyemailmarketingcampaignshouldalwaysbethecreationofasubscriberlist.Thisisacompilationofemailcontactswhohaveconsentedtoreceiveyourcommunications(they'veoptedin).Youcancreateasmanylistsasyouneedinordertosegmentyoursubscriberssothatyoucantargetthemwithrelevant,personalizedcontentthattheywillactuallycareabout.

2. Design.Thisstepinvolvesdecidingwhichcontentyoushouldincludeinyouremailandthedesignprinciplesyoumustfollow,toensurethatyouremailendsupinasubscriber'sinbox,readytoengageandexcitethem.

3. Delivery.Thisstepisallaboutthedeliveryofyourmarketingemails.Youwilllearnhowtheyaremanagedthroughanemailserviceprovider(ESP),whichfacilitateseverythingfromemailstyleandlayouttoscheduling.Step3coverswhathappenstoanemailafterithasbeensentanddelivered.Youwilllearnhowtoutilizetestingtodecidewhatyouremailshouldlooklikeandwhenyoushouldsendittoguaranteethebestpossibleopenrates.

4. Discovery.Analysisandreportingarefundamentalwhenrevisingandrefiningyourdigitalpractices.Leveraginganalyticstoolswillallowyoutotrackeverycentspentonyouremailmarketingandletyoutrackopenrates,totalopens,anduniqueopens.YouwillbeabletotrackROIthroughCTRs,unsubscribes,andbouncerates.Analyticstoolsareagatewaytohighlydetailed,clinicaldatathatwillenableyoutotailoryouremailmarketingstrategy,takingintoaccountbothyoursuccessesandfailures.

Figure5.1Four-StageEmailMarketingProcess

KeyTermsandConceptsEvenifyouhaven'tcarriedoutanyemailmarketingactivities(yet!),it'sverylikelythatyouwillfeelquitecomfortablewiththeconceptofemail.Mostuserswillhavemorethanoneemailaccount,beitbusinessorpersonal,andarefamiliarwithavarietyofemailclients—fromGmailtoYahoo!Mail.Ithasalreadybeenmentionedthatemailmarketingishighlystructuredandprocess-driven,whichmeanseverythingyouneedtoknowwillbeeasytolearnandsimpletoimplement.It'sjustaboutfollowingtheprocess!Bytheendofthischapter,youwillfeelconfidentinyourabilityto:

Understandandharnessthedirectinfluenceofemailmarketingonaglobalbasis.

Collectandcollatesubscriberdatasoyoucanmaximizeyouraudiencetargeting.

Craftacompellingandcontagious(inagoodway)marketingemail,fromsubjectlinetoimageryandtextformatting.

Optimizethedeliveryofyouremailsbyavoidingspamfilters,embracingsplittesting,andschedulingefficiently.

Describeandreplicatetheanatomyofaneffectiveemailmarketingcampaign.

Identifytheemailmarketingmetricsthatmatterandincorporatetheminto

yourreporting.

Stage1:Data—EmailMarketingProcessBeforeyoulearnmoreaboutthedetailsofacquiringdataandsubscribermanagement,youfirstneedtoknowaboutspamanditsintrinsicrelationshiptothedatayouuseaspartofanemailmarketingcampaign.Thisispartofstage1oftheprocessshowninFigure5.2anditwillinvolvebeingawareof:

Theformaldefinitionofspam:Whatitisandwhatitentailsforyouasamarketer.

Examplesofwhatemailsubscribersperceiveasspamandthecriteriaonwhichtheybasetheirdecisions.

Methodstoavoidtriggeringspamfiltersandescapingthedamningjudgment:spam!

Figure5.2FocusontheFirstStageintheEmailMarketingProcess

Spam,SpammitySpamJustlikethequestionablycolored,unidentifiableprecookedmeatinacan,thereceiptofunsolicitedemailcommunicationscanbegross!Unsolicitedemailmeansthatauserdidn'task,oroptin,toreceivetheemail.Spamcanalsoapplytobulkemail,atermthatappliestothesameunsolicitedemailbeingsentouttohundredsofthousandsofuserswhohavenotoptedintoreceiveit.Thisisapracticethatcanresultinblacklisting,whichmeansthatthesenderis

addedtoalistofnaughtyemailsendersthatemailclientscanblockandkeepawayfromtheirusers'inboxes.Blacklisting,inessence,meansthedeathofanemailmarketingcampaignandcanbeincrediblydamagingtoabrandaswell.

ExamplesofSpamSpamisinsidious.Atfirstaspamemailcanlookentirelyinoffensive;say,asimpleinquiryaboutwhetherornotyouareinterestedineyedropsmanufacturedinChina.Thedifferenceliesinwhetherornotyouhaveexpressedapreviousinterestinbuyingeyedrops.Didyoufillinacontactformonawebsite?Didyougiveyouremailaddresstosomeonebecauseyouhadtheintentionofbuyingeyedrops?Didyouoptin?Abulkemailexampleofspamcouldincludeanewsletteronthetopicofflyfishingthatyouhaveneversubscribedto,whichisonlyagoodthing(nottomentionamassivecoincidence)ifyouhappentolikeflyfishing.

SpamReallyIsintheEyeoftheBeholderWhatemailsubscribersconsidertobespamreallyboilsdowntopersonalpreference.Recipientscanauditthecontentsoftheirinbox,whichincludeyourmarketingemail,andcanchoosetosendyourmessagetotheirjunkmailfoldersbasedonarangeofcriteria.Oneofthemainreasonsyouremailcouldbemarkedasspamisbecauseasubscriberisunfamiliarwithyou,yourbusiness,oryourbrand.Sometimesusersforgetthattheyhaveoptedintoreceivemarketingmessages:Theycouldhavesubscribedtotoomanysites'emaillists,ortheycouldhavesubscribedtoolongagotorememberwhattheysubscribedto.Anotherkeyreasonhastodowithrelevancy:Theycouldhaveoptedininitially,butiftheyviewthecontentoffollow-upemailsasirrelevantorunrelatedtothereasontheyoptedin,they'remorelikelytoregardthemasspam.

Oftenthesearefactorsoverwhichanemailmarketerhaslimitedcontrol.Butthereareanumberofactionsthatyoucantaketomakesureyouareabidingbythebestpracticestolimitthelikelihoodofbeingconsideredaspammer.

FiveWaystoAvoidtheDamningJudgment:Spam!

AvoidSpamFilters

Emailclientsaredesignedwithanincrediblefocusonprotectingtheirusersfromdisruptive,annoyingspam,andoneofthemethodsusedisbuilt-inspamfilters,whichauditemailmessagesbasedonanumberoffactors.Sometimesemailmarketingmessagescanfallvictimtospamfilterseveniftherecipient

hasoptedin,soit'simportanttobeawareofthecriteriathesefiltersusetomaketheirjudgmentsandavoidthemwhencraftingyouremailmessages.

Imageandtextimbalance.Usingtoomanyimagescancauseanimbalancethatcantriggerspamfilters.Avoidcreatingorusingdesignsthatsimplyhavetextoverlaidonanimage,asaspamfilterwillonlydetecttheimageandnotthetextbuiltintoit.

Toomuchformatting.Thisincludestheuseofexcessivecapitalsandcapitalization,boldtext,andirregularfontsizes.

Attachments.Trynottouseattachments;includeallnecessaryinformationwithinthebodyoftheemail,asattachmentscantriggerspamfilters.Youshouldalsouseyouremailtodirecttraffictoyourwebsite,orsocialmedia,orsomewherewhereyoucangenerateahigherROI,asthismethodservesasamuchmorevaluablecalltoactionthanaskingtherecipienttodownloadandreadanattachment.

Obsceneterms.Thisdoesn'trefertoprofaneorscandalouslanguage(althoughthat'snotrecommendedeither)buttheuseofincentivizingtermslikesalesoffers,crazydeals,freemoney,oranythingelsethatmightsoundsuspicioustoaspamfilter.

SaveSubscriberListsfromSpam

Didyouknowthatyouareonlyallowedtosendamarketingemailtoindividualswhohavebeenactivesubscribersinthe12monthspriortothatemail?Whetherornottheyhavebeenactivemayseemlikeahardthingtoquantify,butessentiallyitmeansthatifanindividualhasopened,clicked,orengagedwithanemailinanywaywithinthis12-monthwindowtheycanbecountedasvalidsubscriptions.Marketersmayalsosendanemailiftheyhaveobtainedanindividual'scontactdetails—duringthecourseofasale,forexample—overthepast12monthsandhavetoldhimthepurposeofgatheringhiscontactdetails.

Butwhatdoesthatmean?AgoodexamplewouldbeifyouvisitedAmazon.com,boughtaKindle,filledinacontactform,andweresignedupforanemailnewsletterasaresult.Upuntilveryrecentlytheboxthatsignedyouupforthatemailnewsletterwouldhavebeenautomaticallycheckedaspartofthecontactform.Nowyouhavetomakeaconsciousdecisiontotickthatboxyourself,sothatyoucandemonstrateyouknowexactlywhatyouaresigningupforbesidespurchasingtheKindle.

Ifasaleisbeingmadeoverthephoneinstead,youcantellcustomers,“I'llneedyouremailaddresstosendyouareceipt,butcouldIalsosendyouournewslettertokeepyouupdatedonourlatestproducts?”Iftheysayokay,then

youcanclassifythemassubscriptions!

Ifyouhaveasubscriberlistandyouaren'tsureifindividualshavesubscribedorbeenactiveoverthelast12months,thenneverassumethattheyarehappytoreceiveemailsfromyou.Targetthemwithanopt-inemailtobecertainandmakesuretheoptiontounsubscribeexistsoneveryemailyousend,toavoidanypotentialuncertainty.

StayRelevanttoStopSpam

Asamarketer,youcanonlysendanemailifitsmessagerelatestosimilarproductsandservicesthattherecipienthaspreviouslyshownaninterestin.Thisisveryimportantbecauseifyouarepartofacompanythatsellskitchenware,suchasplatesandcups,itmeansyoucantargetyoursubscriberswithemailsfortextiles(suchasnapkinsandplacemats)thattheycanuseinakitchen.However,youcan'tstarttryingtosellthemcarsallofasudden(whichwould,quitefrankly,beabitofabizarreproductrangeanyway).

Thekeyistonevermixyourmarketingmessages:Everyonelikestoknowwheretheystand!Ensurethatyouremailsareclearandconsistent,avoidanythingthatcouldcauseconfusion,steerclearoftoomanycallstoaction,andkeepthingssimplefortherecipient.

Don'tConcealYourIdentity

Leavethattocomicbooksuperheroesandvigilantesandremember:Marketerscannotsendanemailiftheidentityofthesenderhasbeendisguisedorobscured.Thismeanswhenyouarecarryingoutanemailmarketingcampaign,recipientsneedtobeabletoidentifytheemailsender,soevenifyouarejustemailingtothankthemforsigninguptoyournewsletter,youneedtoremindrecipientswhoisemailingthemandwhy.

Transparencyiskey,anditalsoextendstoprovidinganemailaddressatwhichyou,thesender,maybecontacted.Usingavalidemailaddressratherthanaso-callednoreplyisimportantfortworeasons.Firstly,itshowsasubscriberthatthesenderistangibleandreputable,andnotarobotthatcan'tbecontactedsendingoutspam.Secondly,itprovidesasubscriberwithanemailaddresstowhichtheycansendanopt-outrequest.

Asamarketer,youalwaysneedtobeawareoftheneedforyouremailmessagestohaveahumancontext,notonlysoyoucanstayrelevantandrelatetoyoursubscribers,butalsosoyoudon'thavetoworryaboutbeingblacklistedortriggeringaspamfilter.

Don'tBuyorShareLists

Ifyouareabusinessthatsellsofficesuppliesandyouaretargetedbyanindividualofferingtosellyoutheemailaddressesofeverylawfirminthecountry,keepinmindthatwhilethatindividualmayhavetherighttousethosesubscriptions,youdonot.Soregardlessofhowtemptingitis,neverbuysubscriberlists,becauseitcouldlandyouinalotoftrouble.Similarly,youshouldnotsharelistseither.Whywouldyoushareasubscriberlistwithsomeonewhenyouhaveinvestedalotoftimeandeffortintonurturingthatdatabase?Ifindoubt,alwaysthinkaboutwhetherornotyouarebeingtransparentwiththerecipientsofanymarketingemail:Willtheyknowwhoiscontactingthemandhowthesendergottheircontactdetails?

SubscriberManagementBeforestartinganyemailmarketingcampaign,thefirstareathatyoushouldfocusonissubscribermanagement.Thisisthefirststageintheiterativeprocessforemail,anditisprimarilyconcernedwithdata.Toputitinalmostoffensivelysimpleterms:Withoutemailaddressesyoucannotconductanemailmarketingcampaign!Thismeansyouneedtoknow:

Howtoacquiresubscribersandminefordatatoheightencustomerinsight.

Howtosegmentthatdatatotargetsubscribersefficientlyandmaximizeopenrates.

Howtoupdateandmaintainyoursubscriberlistsonaregularbasisforeffectivecampaigntargeting.

DataCollection

WhenyoufirstengagewithanESP,itwillaskyoutoimportyoursubscriberlist,whichisadatabaseofemailaddressestowhichyoucansendyourmarketingemails.Thereareavarietyofmethodsthatyoucanimplementtogaintheconsentofyourtargetaudiencetomarkettothemviaemail:Thisisalsoknownasgainingtheopt-inofyoursubscribers.Obviously,themoresubscribersyouwin,thebetter,butitisimperativethattheyareofahighquality.Forexample,wouldyouratheracquire10,000subscriberswhohavea0percentinteractionratewithyouremails,orwouldyouprefer1,000individualswhoopenyouremailsandclickthroughtoyourwebsitetobrowseyourproductsorservices?Let'sworkontheassumptionthatyouchosethelatteroption(andwehopeyoudid!),becauseit'simportanttorememberthattheendgoalisnottomindlesslyaccumulatemassesofemailaddresses.It'saboutbuildingalistofsubscriberswhoarelikelytoengagewithyouremailmarketingmessages.

Tosafeguardthequalityofyoursubscriberlist,youneedtopaycloseattentiontothemethodsthroughwhichyoucollectsubscriberdata.

OfflineMethodsforDataCollectionPrintedmaterials.Thesecanincludebusinesscards,leaflets,flyers,andpackaging.Youcanalsothinkofinnovativewaystointegrateofflinewithonlinemethods;forexample,byusingQRcodesonprintedmaterialsthatwilltakeuserstoanonlinesign-upformontheirsmartphones.

Events.Youcancollectemailaddressesatofflineeventssuchastradeshows,exhibitions,andconferencesandimportthemintoyoursubscriberlist.

Customertouchpoints.Ifyouareservingcustomersinabrick-and-mortarstore,thisisaperfectopportunitytoaskfortheiremailaddressessothatyoucansendthememailupdatesonyourproducts.Similarly,ifyouhaveatelesalesorcustomerservicedepartmentinyourcompanyyoucouldcreateaKPImeasuringthoseteamstorewardtheindividualswhoacquirethemostemailaddresses.

OnlineMethodsforDataCollectionWebsitesign-upforms.Theseareasimple,nonintrusivewaytocollectemailaddresses.Theycanbeattachedtoaparticularcalltoaction,suchassigningupforanewsletter,andcanbefeaturedonanypageofawebsite.It'sbesttohavethiscontactformonsecondaryandtertiarypagesaswellasonthehomepage,asit'slikelythatsubscriptionswillincreaseasusersbrowsedeeperintoyourwebsiteandbecomemoreinterestedinandfamiliarwithyourbrand.YoushouldalsoincludecontactformsonkeylandingpagesincludingtheContactUsandAboutUspagesofyourwebsite.Ifusersarevisitingthesepagestheyarelookingforinformationandwillbemoreinclinedtosignupforanewsletterorreceiveusefulemails.

Socialmedia.YoucanusesocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook,Twitter,andLinkedIntopromoteoffersthatrequireuserstosubmittheiremailaddresses.Youcanalsoruncompetitionsonsocialmediatoacquireemailaddresses;forexample,enteringthefirst100peoplethatsubscribeonaparticulardateintoadrawingtowinaniPad(youcanadaptthetermsofthecompetitiontosuityourbusiness).

Customertouchpoints.Aswithofflinecustomerinteractions,thereareopportunitiesforyoutoacquireemailaddressesatvariousstagesintheonlinecustomerjourney.Youcouldincludepop-upwindowsintheonlinebuyingprocessandencourageonlinecustomerservicerepstoaskfor

emailaddressesviasocialmediaorinstantchat.

TheAnatomyofanEffectiveWebSign-UpForm

EasytoFindIthasalreadybeenmentionedthatwebsign-uporcontactformssuchastheoneshowninFigure5.3shouldbeoneverypageofyourwebsitetoincreasethelikelihoodofcapturingemailaddresses.Lessthan10percentofsign-upsarecapturedonthehomepage,somakesureallyourwebpagesfeatureasign-upformthat'seasytoidentifyandsee.

Figure5.3DMIWebSign-UpForm

NonintrusiveIncorporateasign-upformthatdoesn'tinterferewithusers'browsing

experience.Agiantpop-upthattakesovertheentirewebpageanddemandstheircontactdetailsprobablywon'tperformaswellasasmallsign-upformthatsitsneatlyonthepageanddoesn'tinterrupttheuser'sactivity.

SeekOnlyRelevantInformationIfyouuseasign-upformwithcountlessfieldsandtrytoaskyoursubscribersfortoomuchinformation,there'sagreaterchancethattheywillabandonfillingintheformaltogether.Streamlinetheactionthatyoursubscribersneedtotake:Askforrelevantinformationonly,andkeeptheformshortandsimpletomakeitaseasyaspossibletocomplete.

DataCollectionExample:Okabashi

Okabashiisacompanythatsellsshoes,primarilyflip-flops,aroundthesummerseason.Itdecidedtousealeadgenerationtooltomaximizethenumberofemailaddressesitwascapturing.

Whenenduserscameontothehomepageandstartedexploringthewebsitefurther,apop-upappearedthatallowedthemtofillintheircontactdetailsiftheychoseto(seeFigure5.4).Aswithanyeffectivesign-upform,thispop-upwasnonintrusive(asapop-up,userscouldclicktoexititimmediately)andappearedwhenauserhaddrilleddownintothewebsiteandindicatedaninterestinthebrand.

Figure5.4OkabashiWeb-SignUpFormSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofOkabashi.

Forevery100uniquevisitorstoOkabashi'shomepage,theautomaticsign-upformgenerated3uniqueemailsign-ups.Afterauserhadbrowsedthroughafurtherfivepages,thesign-upformpoppedupagain(asshowninFigure5.5),and9outofevery100uniquevisitorsfilledouttheform.

Figure5.5SuccessiveOkabashiWebSign-UpFormSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofOkabashi.

Okabashiservesastheperfectexampleofthesuccessyoucanachievebyutilizingawebsign-upformthatiseasytofind,nonintrusive,andseekingonlyrelevantinformation.

DataSegmentation

Afteryouhaveaccumulatedyoursubscriberdata,itisessentialthatyouknowhowtooptimizeyouruseofthatdata:Thetruevalueliesnotinthedataitself,butinwhatyoudowithit.Marketersachieveoptimizationthroughaprocessknownassegmentation,whichistheactofdividingyoursubscriberlistintosegmentsanddefiningthosesegmentsinaccordancewithyoursubscribers'attributes,likes,dislikes,andrequirements.ThinkofitasaVenndiagram.

AVenndiagram,likesegmentation,allowsyoutocreatedistinctsets,orsegments,ofdatabasedonbothdifferentandsharedcharacteristics.Simply

put,segmentationallowsyoutopersonalizeyouremailcommunicationsbasedonthesespecificcharacteristicsofyourtargetaudience.

It'simportanttorememberthatwhenyouaresegmentingyourtargetaudienceyoushouldcreateclearlyidentifiablesegments,orgroupsofsubscriberswithsimilardefiningfeatures.Thesefeaturescouldinclude:

Demographics.Demographicsreferstothegender,education,culture,orageofyoursubscribers;inotherwords,theemailcontentyoutargetateenageaudiencewithmightnotbeapplicabletoolderrecipients.

Geography.Equallyimportantisthelocationofyoursubscribers.Ifyouaretheownerofabrick-and-mortarstoreinVancouverandyouremailmarketingcampaigniscenteredonanin-storepromotion,youwon'twanttotargetusersonyouremaillistwhoarebasedinEngland.

History.Don'tforgettoharnessthehistoryyouhavebuiltupamongthosesubscriberswhoarealsocustomers.Youarealreadyfamiliarwiththeirbuyinghabits—youknowwhentheybuy,howtheybuy,andwhytheybuyparticularproducts.Thiskindofinsightisinvaluablebecauseyoucanuseittoanticipatewhattheymightwanttobuynext!Soif,forexample,acustomerboughtpaperfromyourofficesuppliesstore,youcouldanticipatefuturepurchasessuchasink,toner,andpensandusethatknowledgetoinformyournextmarketingemailtothem.

Relationship.Yourrelationshipwithyoursubscribersmatters.Itissomethingincrediblyvaluable.Somethingprofound.Ifnurturedandcaredforproperly,itcanresultinthosethreelittlewordsthatmakeamarketer'sinsidesflutter:returnoninvestment.Let'sputitintocontext.Woulditmakemoresensetosendanemailannouncingpriceincreasestosomeonewhohaspurchasedconsistentlyfromyouforthepastfiveyears,ortohavethatbethefirstcommunicationyousendtoabrandnewacquisition?Navigateyourrelationshipwithconsiderationandtact,andyouwillbeabletouseittoyouremailmarketingadvantage.

Customerlifecycle.Youwillhaveasubscriberlistofindividualswhoareallatverydifferentstagesinthecustomerlifecycle.Whethertheyhaveyettomakeapurchaseoraredormantcustomerswhohaven'tpurchasedinyears,thisinformationcanprovideyouwithanunderstandingofhowyoushouldbecommunicatingwiththem.Inthecaseofthedormantcustomersegment,forexample,youcoulduseatargetcampaignfilledwithspecialoffersandincentivestore-engagethatsegment.

Dynamicsegmentation.Closelyrelatedtotheideaoftailoringmarketingemailsbasedonbuyinghistoryandthecustomerlifecycle,istheconceptofdynamicsegmentation.Thistypeofsegmentationisbasedon

informationgatheredthroughoutthecustomerlifecycle.

AnAverageCustomerLifeCycle

1. Acustomersubscribestoyournewsletterafterpurchasingonline.Shehasalreadypurchasedsomething,whichisgreat,butwhatcanyoudotofosterthatall-importantsenseofcustomerloyaltyandencouragehertopurchaseagain?

2. Acoupleofmonthslateryoutargetherwithanemail,whichsheclickson.Shealsoclicksthroughthelinkswithintheemail,whichtakesherbacktoyourwebsite,demonstratingacontinuedinterestinthebrand.

3. Afterthat,shevisitsyourwebsiteanddemonstrateshercurrentinterestsbybrowsingdifferentproductpages,indicatingaprobabilitythatshewillbuyagain.

4. AfewmonthsafterthatshehighlightsthequalityofherengagementbysharingyourproductonFacebook,demonstratinghercustomeradvocacyandgrowingyourbrandforyou.

5. Alittlewhileafterthat,shelikesandsharesyourupdatesonFacebook,positioningherselfasabrandambassadorandboostingyourreachintocommunitiesandnetworksthatyoumightneverhavehadaccesstobefore.

Insightscanbedrawnfromeveryoneoftheseinteractions.Unlikeatraditional,orstatic,subscriberlist,dynamiclistsevolveasthesedifferentactionsaretaken.Linkactivityinparticularhelpstoprovidedetailsonhowsubscribersinteractwithyouremailintermsofwhatandhowoftentheyclick,andthisinformsthedevelopmentofadynamicsubscriberlist.Dynamiclistsareespeciallyusefulforinteractingwithcustomers,allowingyoutoautomaticallyincludenewcustomersonemailnewslettersandexcludeoldones,andforbuildinglistsbasedontheparticularinterestsofyoursubscribers,allowingyoutoensurethatyouaremarketingtothemasefficientlyandeffectivelyaspossible.

DynamicSegmentationExample:DigitalMarketingInstitute

Figure5.6illustratesaDigitalMarketingInstituteemailmarketingcampaignannouncingthelaunchofthemastersindigitalmarketing.

Figure5.6DynamicSegmentationby“SpecificLinkClicked”CriteriaSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.

Youcanseehowmanysubscribersarecontainedwithintheparticularsegmentshownandwhatactionstheytook.Inthisinstance,thatactionwasclickingalinkthattookrecipientstoaregistrationpageforthemasterscourseontheDigitalMarketingInstitutewebsite.Beingabletocapturethesesubscribersandtheirspecificactivities,andusethatinformationinfutureemailmarketingcampaigns,isthesinglemostadvantageousaspectofdynamicsegmentation.

DataManagement

Evenafteryouhaveaccumulatedandsegmentedyourdata,andusedtheresultstothebenefitofyouremailmarketingcampaigns,thestorydoesn'tendthere;there'slifeintheolddatayet!

Youshouldlooktoenrichandrefineyourdataallthetime,inkeepingwiththeestablishedemailmarketingprincipleofqualityoverquantity.Thefinalpartofstep1ofthisiterativeemailprocessisassuringthequalityofyoursubscriberdatabasebymaintainingitregularly.

Cleanolddataregularly.Sohowdoyouknowifyourdataisold?Ifyousendoutanemailto1,000subscribersandithasabouncerateof1percent,youwillknowthatyouremailwasn'tdeliveredto10ofyoursubscribersandthattheiremailaddressesneedtobecleaned.Thiscouldinvolvecheckingforspellingmistakesorcheckingtoseeifthesubscriberhaschangedjobs(ifit'saworkemailaddress).Ifyouhaveanyadditional

contactdetailsforthosesubscribers,allyouhavetodoiscallthemandaskfortheirmostup-to-dateemailaddresses.

Applysegmentationconsistently.Youshouldviewsegmentationasanongoingactivity,andanessentialelementofdatamanagement,asyoucanupdateandrefineyoursubscriberlistsbasedonyoursubscribers'behaviorandclicks.

Qualitynotquantity.Asmallnumberofhigh-qualityinteractionswillalwaysbemorevaluablethanalargenumberoflow-qualityinteractions,duetotheenhancedinsightsyoucangainfromtheseinteractions.Morethananythingelse,it'simportantthatyoureallyknowyourcustomers.

Everyiterationoftheemailmarketingprocessprovidesanampleopportunitytoimprovethequalityofyourdata.Allyouhavetodonowisapplyyournewfoundknowledgefromthissectiontostartmanagingyoursubscriberlistslikeapro!

Stage2:DesignandContentIfthischapterisdoingitsjobright,youshouldnowbeconfidentofyourabilitytoacquireemailaddresses,segmentyoursubscriberlists,andmanageyourdata.Onceyouknowwhomyou'regoingtotargetyouremailmarketingcampaignto,thenextfundamentalstageoftheiterativeprocessisdesign,whichishighlightedinFigure5.7.Ultimately,yourmaingoalatthisstageistoencourageinteraction:toinviteasmanyusersaspossibletoopenyouremailandengagewithit.Youcanachievethisthroughacombinationofoptimizedcontentandappealingdesign.Inordertomasterthedesignphaseofyouremailmarketingprocessyouwillneedto:

Identifyandunderstandtheemailclientsonwhichyoucanhostyouremails.

Understandwhatcontentyoushouldincorporateintoyouremail.

Knowwhenitisappropriatetoincorporateimagesandattachments.

Appreciatethepotentialrisksthataccompanyanyemailmarketingcampaign.

Figure5.7FocusontheSecondStageintheEmailMarketingProcess

EmailInteractionProcessDependingontheconsumptionchannel,beitawebsite,asocialmediaplatform,oranemail,usersapplypersonalpreferencestothemessagestheyexpecttoreceiveandhowtheyexpecttoreceivethem.Thismeansthatmarketershavearesponsibilitytoapproachthesendingofcommunicationswithacertainpropriety.Youcansegmenttheseconsumptionchannelsintodifferentcommunicationzones,whichshouldhelpyoutodistinguishhowyoushouldconductyourself—thinkofitasonlinefinishingschool!

Awebsiteisapubliczone.Anyonecanaccessitandsothere'salackofpersonalization,whichcreatesdistancebetweenthewebsiteandtheuser,makingitmoredifficulttotargetindividuals.

Asocialnetworkisasocialzone.Usersarepartofacommunity,whichfacilitatescommunicationbetweenthemarketerandthetargetaudience;there'sacloserconnectiontousersbutnotallofthemsubscribetoreceivingmarketingmessages.

Anemailisapersonalzone.Anemailaccountisauser'spersonalassetandtheclosestlinkthatamarketercanhavetoitstargetaudience.However,becauseit'saprivatespacemarketershavetoremembertobetactfulintheirapproachandnotpresentthemselvesandtheirmessageinaninvasiveordisruptiveway.

Thecloseryoumovetousers,themoreyouneedtoaccommodatetheir

preferences.It'sjustgoodmanners!Withthisinmind,it'shelpfultorememberthatusersoftencarryoutasimpleprioritizationexercisewithintheirinboxwhenengagingwithemails.Imagineyouhavecomebacktoworkafteratwo-weekvacationandyouhaveaterrifying500unreademailsinyourinbox;howdoyougetthroughthem?Whatdoyoudo?Youwouldstartbydistinguishingbetweenworkemails,personalemails,andgeneralemails.Thenyoucouldbreakthoseemailsdownintovaryinglevelsofimportancebytakingintoaccountthefollowingcriteria:

Senderfamiliarity

Timeofday

Location

Workpriorities

Personalpriorities

Whenscanningafullinbox,mostuserswillstartbylookingtoseewhosentamessage,sofamiliaritywiththesenderisalwaysanincrediblyimportantfactor.Thentheymightlookatthesubjectlinetogainanunderstandingofwhattheemailisabout.Finally,theywouldlookatthemessagepreviewtoacquireslightlymoreinsightintothemessagebeforechoosingwhetherornottocommittoopeningtheemail.

Withinsomegeographiestherecansometimesbeculturalandgenderbiaseswithregardtothedisplayedsendername,soit'simperativethatyoureallyknowyourtargetaudiencesandtakeadvantageofyourknowledgeoftheirpreferencessothatyouusethemostappropriatesendername.

Youshouldalwayspersonalizethesendername,too.Groundingyouremailinahuman,personalcontextisthebestmethodofguaranteeingengagement.Trynottousereplyaddressessuchassales@orinfo@;personalizationisasimple,effectivemethodtoimproveopenrates.

EmailOpenRates:ARiskyBusiness?

Evenifsubscribershaveoptedintoreceivingyourmarketingmessages,therearestillrisksthataccompanymarketingdirectlytotheirpersonalcommunicationzones—theirinboxes.Somethingstowatchoutforare:

Relevanceofthemessage.Youhavetoensurethatyouremailismeaningfultotherecipients.Ifitdoesn'tinterest,engage,orentertainthem,theyarelikelytounsubscribe.Besuretousesegmentationtoensureyouremailsareasrelevanttotheiraudienceaspossible.

Frequencyofsending.Althoughappropriatefrequencywithrespecttosendingemailswillvarybasedonyourindustryandbusiness,besurenottosaturatesubscriberinboxes,asthiscouldinfuriateusers.Agoodruleofthumbistostartbysendingnomorethantwoemailsaweek,perhapsonTuesdaysandThursdayswhenopenratesaretraditionallyhigher.Fromthereyoucandefinehowoftenyoushouldbetargetingusers.

Interruptionfactor.Ifyouaregoingtointerruptsubscribersduringtraditionalworkhoursonaweekday,youneedtobecertainthatyouarenotinterruptingthemwithanemailthathasnorelevancetothem.

(Email)ClientConfidentialAnemailclient,alsoknownasamailuseragent(MUA),isacomputerprogramthatallowsusersaccessandmanagetheiremail.So,whatemailclientsarerecipientsusing?CommonexamplesincludeOutlook,Hotmail,Yahoo!,andGmail;someareverymuchwork-orientedandsomearemorelikelytobeadoptedforpersonaluse.

Take,forexample,Microsoft'sOutlookemailclient.There'sataskpaneontheleftwithvariousfolders,andtheinboxwiththesendername,subjectline,andashortsummaryoftheemailcopy.There'salsoapreviewoftheemailontherightthatdisplayscommandssuchasReply,ReplyAll,andForward,aswellastheemailcopyitself.Thelinebetweentheemailsummaryandoverallpreviewcanbeadjusted,andthattruncatedviewisimportanttobearinmindwhenyouarecraftingsubjectlines;keepthemconciseanddirect.

Don'tforgetthatwhenyouaredesigninganemail,youarenotjustdesigningitforitsdisplayonanemailclient;youshoulddesignitforthedeviceonwhichitwillbeviewedaswell,beitasmartphone,tablet,laptop,ordesktop.Leavenoscreenunturned!Backin2010alotoftheMUAmarketsharewasownedbyOutlook,whichwastheemailclientofchoiceforoverhalfofallusers.Fiveyearslaterthedataisdramaticallydifferent,astheAppleiPhonenowdominatesemail-clientmarketsharewith26percentandtheAppleiPadisthethirdmostpopularemailclient.Outlookisnowfourth.Thismeansthat,withtherisingprevalenceofsmartphonesandtablets,youhavetofosteracultureoftestingtoensurethatyourmarketingemailsdisplayonbothvariousemailclientsandvariousmobiledevices.

CompellingEmailCopyThereisnomoreimportantmethodforincreasingopenratesthanemailcopythatreallyinterestsandengagesitsreader.Herethesubjectlineiskey;it's

youremail'svaluestatement,itspickupline.Youhaveasmallhandfulofwordswithwhichtosealthedealandsecureanopen(nopressure!),sothefirsttwoorthreewordsarecrucial.Makesurethatyoursubjectlineisrelevanttotherecipient,ratherthanyou,thesender.Ifyouaretargetingasegmentthatisengagingstronglywithyouandyourbrand,perhapsyoucouldgoforaslightlyhardersellandincorporatekeywordssuchas10percentofforbuyonegetonefree.Ifyouaretargetinganewlist,youmightwanttobealittlemoresubtle.Subjectlinesareindustry-dependenttoo,sowhatyoumightuseinthetravelindustry(pricingdiscounts,forexample)mightnotworkaswellifyouaretargetingtheeducationsector.Toaccommodatealloftheselittlepermutations,testingisessential.IfyouuseanESPsuchasMailChimp,youcansplittestyoursubjectlineswithasmallsubsetofrecipientstoseewhichkeywordsworkbestbeforesendingoutyouremailstotherestofyourrecipients.Forexample,ifyouhaveanemaildatabaseof1,000andyouwanttoascertainthatyouaresendingthebestpossibleemailtothem,youcantake100recipientsoutofthat1,000,splitthemintogroupsAandB,andtestopenratesbasedondifferentsubjectlinestoseewhichvariationwillgiveyouthebestROI.

Ifsenderandsubjectlineareall-importantelementstoimproveopenrates,thentheemailcopyitselfisessentialtoguaranteeingengagement.So,whatarethekeyfeaturesofemailcopythataffectengagement?

Relevance.Aswiththesubjectline,youmustmakesurethatyouremailiscomposedofrelevantmessagingthatistargetedataspecificaudience.Youneedtoknowwhatyoursegmentswantanddon'twant;harnessthatknowledgetotheadvantageofyouremailmarketingcampaign.

Callstoaction.Includeclearandspecificcallstoactionthattakeadvantageofrelevantmessagingandgenerateclick-throughsthatmeetyouroverallobjectives,betheysocialsharingoravisittoaproductpage.

Personalization.Afteryouhavegottentoknowyouremaillistandhaveaccumulatedalittlemoredata,youcanstartusingpersonalizationtogeneratemoreemailengagement.

Structure.Awell-structuredemailisessentialforeaseofconsumption.Useclearheadingstointroducenewparagraphsandbulletpointstobreakupinformation,andmakethemessageeasilydigestible.Tryboldtexttohighlightkeypointswhereappropriate,andincludeabalanceoftextandappropriateimagery.Youcanalsoincludehyperlinksthatlinktoadditionalinformationratherthangeneratingatext-heavyemailorusingattachments.

TheAnatomyofaPoorlyDesignedEmail

Fartootext-heavy

Includesanattachment

Noparagraphsorheadings

Nocallstoaction

TheAnatomyofaWell-DesignedEmailHeadingsandparagraphsthatbreakupthetextandletthereaderscanthecopy

Aconcise,directsubjectline

Asuccinctcalltoactionandsocial-sharingbuttons

Abalanceoftextandimagery

SeeFigure5.8foranexampleofaparagonofgooddesign.

Figure5.8AWellDesignedEmailfromCookSmartsSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCookSmarts.

ImageryIsEverythingAlthoughthereisnothingmoreengagingthanabeautifulimage,maintainingabalanceoftextandimageryinyouremailcopyisparamounttothatemail'ssuccess.Imagesshouldsupport,ratherthancontain,youremail'smessage.

Alwaysmakesurethatthekeypointsandcallstoactionyouwanttoconveytoarecipientareinthetext.Alotofemailclientsdon'tautomaticallydisplayimages,sousershavetorightclicktodownloadthepictures;ifthemainCTAinyouremailisincludedinanimagethereisnoguaranteethatthattheywillhavebotheredtodownloadthatimage.Besidesmaintainingthisbalance,anotherelementyoushouldconsiderinyouremailsisalternativetext.Whenuploadingimagesintoyouremail,thereisafieldforalternativetextthatyoucanfillin.Thismeansthatifyouremailisdeliveredwiththeimagesturnedoff,thealternativetextwillstilldisplayandtheimage'smessagebeconveyed.Soifyouhaveanimagethatreads50percentoffyournextskiholidayandtheimageisturnedoff,thealternativetextwillstilldisplay(asinFigure5.9),andratherthaninstantlydeletingtheemail,arecipientmightstillengagewiththeoffer.

Figure5.9EmailwithImagesTurnedOffDisplayingAlternativeText

WhenMobileandEmailCombineAccordingtoRadicati'smobilestatisticsreport2014-2018,bytheendof2018,worldwidemobileemailusersareexpectedtototalover2.2billion.Bythattime80percentofemailusersareexpectedtoaccesstheiremailaccountsviamobiledevices,soitisveryapparentthattheunityofmobileandemailisonanincreasinglysteeppath,andthatmobileisbecomingthenumber-onedeviceforemailopens.Butwhatdoesthismeanforyou?Essentially,youneedtoachievemobileintegrationforyouremailmarketingcampaignanddesignemailsthatareoptimizedequallyforviewingontabletsanddesktops.IfyouuseanESPsuchasMailChimp,youcanuseamobiletemplatetosimulatehowyouremailwillberenderedonthisdevice.Whatyouaretryingtoachievethroughoptimizingyourcampaignformobileisincreasedengagement,regardlessofscreensize.

Ateverystageoftheemaildesignprocess,thinkabouthowtheemailwilllookonalldevices.PCscreensareoftenapproximately23inches,whiletabletsare10inchesandmobilesscreensaverage7inches.Ifyouhaveaverytext-heavymessagethatyoucreatedwithdesktopusersinmind,lookatitonamobiledevice.Seehowlongittakestoread,andhowmuchyouhavetoscroll,pinch,andzoom.Youcanthenreducetheamountoftextandincreaseyouruseofimagery.Ifyouhaveusedfivecallstoactioninadesktop-friendlyemail,limitthattotwoforamobile,knowingthatit'sthatlittlebitmorecumbersometoclickthroughonamobiledevice.

Throughtesting,it'spossibletoensuredeliverabilityacrossabroadrangeofemailclientsanddevices.ESPsallowyoutoviewanemailinbrowserssuchasInternetExplorer,Firefox,andGoogleChrome.Don'tforgettoseehowyouremaillooksonmobile,andcheckspam-filterresults.Itisvaluableinsightssuchasthesethatwillenableyoutodevelopanemailthatgetsdelivered,opened,andread—thegoldenegginanyemailmarketingcampaign!

Stage3:DeliveryWearemovingintothenextstepinourprocess,asshowninFigure5.10.Youhaveaconsummatelysegmentedsubscriberlist.Animpeccablydesignedemailthatisoptimizedforeveryemailclientandmobiledeviceimaginable.Youarepoisedtosendwhatcouldbethegreatestmarketingemailevercreated.Nowallyouneedistoguaranteeisitssafedelivery,whichwon'tbeaproblemassoonasthekeycomponentsofthedeliverystagearecoveredand

youareableto:

Recognizethekeycharacteristicsofemailserviceproviders.

Identifywhensubscribersaremostlikelytoopenemails.

Personalizethedesignofanemailandwhenitissenttoaccommodatesubscriberpreferences.

Figure5.10FocusontheThirdStageintheEmailMarketingProcess

ESPsESPshavebeenaconstanttouchpointthroughouttheemailmarketingprocess.Ifyouarebrandnewtoemailmarketing,joinafewdifferentservicestoidentifytheESPthatbestsuitsyourrequirements.AlotofESPsofferafreesubscription,soitwon'tcostyouanythingtotesttheirfeaturesandmakeaninformeddecision.OthernotablebenefitstousinganESPinclude:

Securitybenefits.WithanESP,youdon'thavetoworryaboutconstantlyupdatingyouremailsoftware,astheproviderwilltakeaproactiveandreactiveapproachtoupdatingitsownsoftware,whichwilldramaticallyreducetheriskofasecuritybreach.SendingyouremailsthroughanESPalsomeansyouaresendingthemthroughanalreadyapprovedserver,whichassuredeliverysuccess.

Easytoaccess.MostESPscanbeaccessedanytime,anywhere.AslongasyouhaveanInternetconnection,youwillhavetheflexibilitytosendanemailcampaignwheneveryouneedto.

Attractivetemplates.Ifyoudon'thaveanin-housegraphicdesignerandcan'taffordtooutsourcedesignwork,ESPsprovideyouwithavarietyofprofessionallypredesignedtemplatesthatyoucancustomizetosuityouraestheticpreferences.

Insights.ESPsofferenhancedreportingfeaturesthatallowyoutobothtestandmeasurethesuccessofyouremailmarketingcampaigns,soyoucanrefinethemeverytime.

LetMeCheckMyScheduleWhenitcomesthesuccessofyouremailmarketingcampaign,likemostthingsinlife,timingiseverything.Whatyoureallyneedtoknowisthis:Whenarepeoplemostlikelytoopenmyemail?

Therecommendedtimeframeisbetweenthehoursof5:00A.M.and9:00P.M.WhynottheDollyParton-popularized9to5?Becauseifyoutargetyoursubscribersbetweenthehoursof9:00A.M.and5:00P.M.,youarecompletelyneglectingtheevening,atimethatpeoplecatchupwiththeiremailsafterabusydayintheoffice.Whethertheyareontheircommutehome,relaxingbeforedinner,orreadingbeforebed,theeveningcanbeaprimetimeforschedulingifyouwanttoincreasethoseopenrates!

ForB2B(business-to-business)marketing,theoptimumtimestosendareTuesdaythroughThursdaybetween10:00A.M.and12:00P.M.andafterlunchbetween2:00P.M.and4:00P.M.Therationalebehindthesetimeframesissimple.Thinkaboutwhenyouaremostlikelytocheckyouremails(theonesthatdon'tpertaintoworkandrequireyourimmediateattention!).OnMondaysyouaretryingtoacclimatetobeingbackatworkaftertheweekend.OnFridaysyouareprobablytryingtogetthroughworkinanticipationoftheweekend.Earlymorningsareadifficulttimetogainanyone'sattention(especiallyprecaffeine)andanytimeafter4:00isjusttooclosetotheendoftheworkingday.

ForB2C(business-to-consumer)marketing,ontheotherhand,optimalsendtimesvarydramaticallyacrossindustriesbutwillbemoreinlinewitheveningopenrates,becausealotofpeoplecannotaccesstheirpersonalemailsduringtheday.Butifopenratesvaryacrossindustriesandlocations,whatshouldyoudotoacquirethoseopens?Testit.Ifyouaretargetingsegmentsof100peopleandyoufindoutthat10areopeningatacertaintimeand90areopeningatanothertime,thenyoucanusethebehaviorofthat90percenttoshapeyoursubsequentcampaigns.

Stage4:Discovery

Nowtheonlystepstandingbetweenyouandsupremeemailmarketingsuccessisthereportingandanalysisstep,highlightedinFigure5.11.Beingabletoevaluateyouremailmarketingactivityfromdesigntodeliveryiscriticaltoiteratingitssuccess.Youcanusereportingtoidentifyandaddressbothissuesandopportunitiesinyouremailmarketingprocess,andcrownyourselfananalyticswizardwhenyouknowhowto:

RecognizekeyreportingfeaturesinESPs.

IdentifyKPIsforemailmarketing.

Understandandmeasurekeyemailmarketingmetrics.

Figure5.11FocusontheFourthStageintheEmailMarketingProcess

ReportingandAnalysisInordertomeasuretheeffectivenessofemailmarketing,youfirstneedtodefineyourgoals.Whyareyoucreatingthismarketingemail?Whatareyoutryingtoachieve?Thesequestionsmightseemlikethoserelatedtoanexistentialcrisis,buttherealityisthis:Ifyouwanttoknowthedatayouneedtoreporton,youneedtochoosetheemailmarketingmetricsthatbestalignwithyourgoals.Commonemailmarketingmetricsinclude:

Openrate.Thepercentageofrecipientswhohaveopenedorviewedyouremail.

Totalopens.Thetotalnumberoftimesrecipientshaveopenedyouremail(thisincludesrecipientswhohaveopeneditmorethanonce).

Uniqueopens.Thetotalnumberofopensfromoriginal,orunique,subscribers.Ifyoutarget1,000people,youcanonlyhave1,000uniqueopens.

Clicktoopenrate.Thenumberofuniqueclicksdividedbythenumberofuniqueopensexpressedasapercentage.

WhyareopenmetricsimportantKPIs?Theyprovideinformationonthequalityofyoursubscriberlist,therelevanceofyourmessagecontent,andtheeffectivenessofyoursubjectline.Inshort—ifyouhaveexcitedandengagedyoursubscribers,theywillhaveopenedyouremail!

Click-throughrate.Thepercentageofsubscribersthatopenedyouremailandclickedonalinkwithinthatemail.

Uniqueclicks.Thetotalnumberofuniqueuserswhoclickedonalink.

Totalclicks.Thetotalnumberofclicksfromusers(includingthoseeagerbeaverswhoclickedmorethanonce!).

WhyareclickmetricsimportantKPIs?Theymeasureandvalidatetherelevanceofthemessagecontentaswellasthequalityofthesegmentationandtargeting.Forexample,ifalinktoablogpostonacertaintopicdidparticularlywell,youcouldusethatinsighttohelpdeterminewhatkindofcontentyoursubscribersaremostinterestedin!

Unsubscribes.Thetotalnumberofsubscriberswhohaveoptedout,orunsubscribed,andnolongerwanttoreceiveyouremails.Thismetricisusuallyagoodindicatorofwhetheryou'retargetingtherightaudience.

Bouncerate.ThepercentageofemailsthatcouldnotbedeliveredtosubscribersandweresentbacktoyourESP.

Hardbounces.Messagesthatarepermanentlyrejectedduetoaninvalidemailaddressorbecausetherecipient'sserverhasblockedyourserver.

Softbounces.Messagesthataretemporarilyrejectedbecausetherecipient'sinboxisfull,theserverisn'tworking,ortheemailexceedsthesizelimitsetbytherecipientorESP.

Althoughit'seasytogetcarriedawaybyhighopenratesandlowbounces,don'tforgetthatit'sthequalityofinteractionsratherthanthequantitythatmatterswhenyouaremeasuringyouremailmarketingsuccess.Thistiesinwiththevalueofsettinggoalsagainstwhichyoucanmeasureyourcampaigns.Areyouremailsdrivingtraffictoyourwebsite?Aretheygeneratingconversions?Aretheyachievingwhatyouwantthemto?

PortraitofanEmailMarketingCampaign

Sonowthatyouknowabouttheemailmarketingmetricsthatmatter,howcanyouaccessthemonyourESP?Figure5.12outlinestheperformanceofaJulynewsletterthatwassenttoover17,000uniquesubscribersacross55lists(justincasetheimportanceofsegmentationhasn'tbeenemphasizedenough!).

Figure5.12NewsletterPerformanceReportwithinanESPSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.

Thegraphshowsdatafora24-hourperiod,soyoucanseethatthemajorityofuniqueopenshappenedinthefirsthour.Theaverageemailwillhavealifecycleofapproximately36hours,dependentonindustry.Thismeansit'simportantthatthebiggestupliftininteractionshappenswithinthefirstfewhoursafterdelivery.

Onthisgraphwecanalsoseethattherewere2,934uniqueopens,but4,804totalopens,whichindicatesthatsomesubscriberswereopeningtheemailmorethanonce.Thatprovidesanopenrateof16.76percent,whichisaroundtheglobalindustryaverage(between16and20percent).The219bouncesmeanthattheemailaddressesprovidedeitherdon'texist,containmisspellingsoranotheranomaly.Inrelationtotheoverallsubscriberlist,219bouncesisanincrediblylowfigure,equatingtoa1.24percentbouncerate.Similarly,only0.3percentunsubscribed,avery

smallnumberthatcanberemovedfromyournextcampaign,andonlyonemarkedtheemailasspam!Notabadreturnonasubscriberlistofover17,000.

Theshareofrecipientswhoopenedtheemailandclickedalinkwas12.61percent—that's370peoplewhocanbecategorizedashotleads.Youemailedthem,theyinteractedwiththecontent,andtheyclickedthrough.Remember,thequalityofinteractionsshouldbeyourrealtargetfocus,notthequantity!

Havingsaidthat,ahugenumberofsubscribershavenotyetopenedtheemail.Themoretimezonesyoursubscriberlistcovers,thelongeritmighttakeforrecipientstoopenanemail.Withalittlebitofluck,thenot-openedfiguremightdropalittlebitandtheopenratecouldincreaseto20percent,whichwouldbeincrediblypositive,astheclickrateissohigh.

Sowhataresubscribersclickingon?

InFigure5.13,wecanseeadashboardoverviewofalllinkactivity,whichisparticularlyusefulwhenitcomestothinkingaboutwhatcontentyoushouldincludeinyouremail.Themostpopularlinkclickedonwithinthisparticularemailwastoaproductpageadvertisingadiplomainsocialmediamarketing.Withthiskindofinsightyoucandecidetofurthertargetthesesubscribers,eitherwithafollowupemailorphonecallaboutthesocialmediadiploma.Whateverthecasemaybe,it'simportanttoincludeaclear,concisecalltoaction.

Figure5.13LinkActivityOverviewwithinanESPSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.

Asmostofusplayoutthetiniestdetailsofourlivesonsocialmedia,itshouldcomeasnosurprisethatsocialsharesandforwardsareintegraltodiscoveringwhatcontentyoursubscribersareconsumingandwhattheywant.

AswecanseeinFigure5.14,atotaloffourpeoplesharedtheJulynewsletter,withtwomentionsonTwitter,oneFacebooklike,andoneforwardoftheemailitself.Withsocialsharing,youcanextendyourreachandgetaccesstopreviouslyunreachableaudiences.Evenasmallnumberofsharescanhaveapositive,extensiveknock-oneffect.

Figure5.14SocialSharingandForwardswithinanESPSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.

Thisemailmarketingcampaignhasenjoyedclicks,socialshares,andopensandit'sstillonlybeen24hourssincedelivery.Thankfully,intheemailmarketinglandscapeyouhavethebenefitofbeingabletosplittesttoimproveyourchancesofsuccess!Ithasbeenmentionedbefore,butit'simportanttoemphasizethepowerofsplittesting.Nomatterhowbigorsmallyouremaillist,takeasmallsegmentofthemandsplitthemintoAandBcategories.Testtwodifferentversionsofyouremailoneach,and

runwithwhicheverperformsthebest!Elementsthatyoucantargetforsplittestinginclude:

Sendername.Willyoutestafemalenameagainstamalename?Orperhapsacompanynameagainstanindividual?

Subjectline.Willyouhighlightoneparticulararticleinyournewsletter?Ormaybefocusonapercentagediscountforoneofyourproducts?

Splittestingisthebestwaytoguaranteerelevantandtargetedcontenttoaudiencesegments,andultimately,betterengagementwiththem.

Splittestingcanrevealasignificantlevelofdifferencebetweenalternativeemailmarketingcampaignsandgreatlyimproveemailmarketingsuccess.Figure5.15showsAandBresultsforanemailthatwaspartofapre-Christmascampaign.Oneaudiencesegmentwastargetedwithonepromotion,anothersegmentwastargetedwithanother.Usingsplittests,versionBwascrownedthewinner,astheESPcanestimatetheadditionalnumberofopensandclicksanemailcanyield.

Figure5.15SplitTestingReportwithinanESPSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofCampaignMonitor.

LawsandGuidelinesNowthatyouhavecomefullcircleandexploredeverykeycomponentofaneffectiveemailmarketingprocess,theonlythingstandingbetweenyouand

emailmarketingmasteryisafirmunderstandingofthelawsandguidelinesthatgovernit.

Theselawsandguidelinesarestrictinsomelocationsandnotsostrictinothers.Regardless,youneedtobeawarethattherearelaws,guidelines,andconventionsthatpertaintoemailmarketinginyourregion,andissuestoconsider,particularlyregardingdataprotection.Dataprotectionlawsinformwhatisconsideredspam;rememberthatspamisintheeyeofthebeholder,andthedefinitionwilldiffergreatlyacrossgeographies.

It'simportanttobeawareoflocalprivacyregulationstoo;commoncharacteristicsofelectronicprivacyregulationsinclude:

Providingtheoptiontooptoutofmarketingemails.

Tellingsubscriberswhytheirinformationhasbeencollected.

Ensuringthatmarketingemailsareonlyaboutrelevantproductsandservicesandusingemailaddressesonlyforthepurposeforwhichtheywereoriginallycollected.

Rememberingthatopt-insareonlyvalidfor12months.

KeygoverningbodiesthatyoucanconsultincludetheInformationCommissioner'sOfficefortheUnitedKingdomandtheFederalTradeCommissionfortheUnitedStates.TheFTCisresponsibleforenforcingtheCAN-SPAMActof2003,whichsetsthenationalstandardforthesendingofcommercialandmarketingemailsandrequestscomplianceinanumberofareas,fromsendingbehaviortocontent.

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Enoughtosafeguardyourstatusasanemailmarketingsuperstar!Ifindoubt,takecomfortinthefactthatyouarealreadyutilizingemaileverysingleday.Thismeansyouarealreadycognizantofyoursubscribersandtheiremailexperience,whetheryouknowitornot!Andjustincaseyouneedareminderofhowtoensurethatexperienceisthebestpossible:

Keepitclean—makesureyoursubscriberdataisuptodateandsegmentedonaregularbasis.

Delightandexcite—engageyourtargetaudiencethroughthecreationofcaptivatingcontentandusepersonalization!

Avoidthespamcan—bemindfulofyouruseofformatting,language,attachments,andimagery.

RememberthatyourESPisthemostimportantweaponinyourarsenal—

itcanhelpyouwitheverythingfromdesigntoscheduling.

Test,test,test…Splittestcontent!Testengagement!Analyticsareeverything;ifthere'ssomethingyoucanmeasure,doit,andenhanceyouremail'seffectiveness!

Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonemailmarketingasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

Exercise

Exercise1SetupafreeaccountonanESP.Importyourcontactsandbegintobuildyouremaildatabases.Rateyourendusersintermsofopenrates,interaction,andCTRs.

Exercise2Createanemailmarketingcampaignusingsplittesting.Sendyouremailtoaselectnumberofemailaddresses.Fromheretestsubjectlines,content,andsenderdetails.Usingthisinformation,decidewhichsplitisperformingbetterandwhy.

Exercise3Youhaveadatabaseof1,000subscribersthatyouinheritedfromyourpredecessor.Youconductanemailmarketingcampaignandnotonlyisthebouncerate50percent,butmanymoreunsubscribealso.Takethestepsnecessarytocleanyourdata.

Exercise4Youhave1,000B2Bcustomersand1,000B2Ccustomers.YouneedtoschedulethebesttimetoemailthemontheESP.

Whattimeareyougoingtotargetyouraudiences?

Howwillyoucarryoutyourscheduling?

Exercise5

Youremaillistisperformingquitewellbutyouneedtosegmentyouraudiencebasedontheirlinkinteractivity.Howwillyoudothiswithyourcurrentdatabaseandwhatdoesthismeanforyourlist?

ActionPlan:EmailMarketingDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforEmailMarketing

ObjectivesPenetration,interaction,advocacy,conversion,inform

ActionItemsandFrequencyDatacollection:Updatedaily

Cleaning:Monthly

Segmentation:Ongoingandpercampaign

Newslettercreation:Dependentonpublicationschedule

Triggeremails:Dependentonpublicationscheduleanddatacollection

Trackingandmonitoring:Weekly/monthly

MeasurementToolsandKPIsEmailmarketingsystem:Listsize,openrate,CTR,unsubscriberate,bouncerate

Analytics:Conversions,sessions,newversusreturningusers,comparingemails,demographics,on-sitebehavior,devices

Combination:Listgrowthversuswebsitevisitors,sitesemographicsversuslistdemographics,forecasting

Spend

Media Content People Systemsx x x

CHAPTER6SOCIALMEDIAMARKETING(PART1)

AnIntroductionFindmeonFacebook.FollowmeonTwitter.Checkoutmyblog.Tenyearsagothesephrasesmeantnothing,yetnowtheyarepartofeverydayspeak.Moreandmorepeopleareconnectingthroughsocialmedia—tostayintouchwithfriends,todate,ortointeractwithbrandsandbusinesses.Whichisgreatnewsfordigitalmarketerslikeyou.

Thisisnotimetobeawallflower.Becauseinordertosurviveandthrive,youwillneedtobeactiveonthemainplatforms,competinginanonlinepopularitycontestwithothercompanies.

Welcometosocialmediamarketing(SMM).

FormaldefinitionofSMM:AformofInternetmarketingutilizingsocialnetworkingsitesasmarketingtools,therebygainingtraffic,brandexposure,andinteractionwithcustomersthroughsocialmedia.

InformaldefinitionofSMM:Flirtingwithyourbiggestfans!

ProcessThischapterbeginswithanoverviewoftheSMMlandscapebeforeexploringthegoalsitcanhelpyouachieveandthechannelsyoucanuse.InChapter7youwillseehowtoimplementandanalyzeyoursocialmediacampaigns.

ThefourstageswithintheiterativeprocessareshowninFigure6.1;thefirsttwoaredescribedhere:

1. Goals.Thechapterkicksoffbyexplainingsocialmediaformatsandhowyoucanchoosethebestonestoachieveyourobjectives.YouwillalsolearnhowtoformaneffectiveSMMstrategybysettinggoals—becauseeventhoughsocialmediaisreactive,yourstrategystillneedstobebuiltslowlysothatitcanimprovegraduallyovertime.Abitofforesightnowwillworkwondersdowntheline!

2. Channels.Thisstagewillcoverthedifferentchannelsinwhichsocialmarketinglikestoswim—includingtheusualsuspects,suchasFacebook,LinkedIn,Twitter,Google+,YouTube,andblogs.Itwillhelpyouto

identifywhichofthesechannelswillincreasecustomerreachandshowyouhowtoimproveyourprofilesastheygrow.

Figure6.1Four-StageSMMProcess

AsSMMissuchabigtopic,stages3and4willbecoveredinthenextchaptertoavoidaninformationoverload!

KeyTermsandConceptsSocialmediamarketingisanamazingwayforbusinessestokeepsolidrelationshipswithexistingcustomersandtowoonewones.ThischapterwillhelpyoutoplayCupidby:

Understandingtheconceptsandmechanicsofsocialmediaandhowyoucanusethemtoyouradvantage.

DiscoveringhowtosetupengagingFacebookandTwitterbusinessprofiles.

CreatingaprofessionalLinkedInprofileandparticipatinginLinkedIngroupstoexpandyournetwork.

RunningeffectiveGoogle+,YouTube,andbloggingaccounts.

Socialmediagivesyouthepowertodirectyourbusiness'sonlinelife.Whetherthatlifeislongandhappydependsonwhatchannelyouposttoandhowyoumanageyourprofiles—inshort,howyoumaximizeyoursocial

mediamarketing.

Thischapterwillhelpyoubecomeasocialmediabutterflyandstartswithanoverviewoftheworldinwhichyoucanfly.

Stage1:GoalsInordertomeetyoursocialmediagoals,youneedtounderstandthegamefirst.ThisisthefirststepoftheprocessandishighlightedinFigure6.2.Thissectionwillactasapre-matchpeptalk,equippingyouwitheverythingyouneedtohelpyou:

Distinguishbetweenearned,owned,andpaidmedia.

Recognizethemostcommonformsofsocialmedia.

Graspwhatmakessocialmediamarketingeffectiveandtheimplicationsforbusinesses.

IdentifydifferentSMMgoalsandexplainhowtosetyourown.

Figure6.2FocusontheFirstStageintheSMMProcess

MediaTypes:Earned,Owned,andPaidBeforegettingintohowyoucanpromoteyourselfonsocialmedia,let'slookattheoptionsthatareavailable.Youcanchoosetopostcontentthroughthe

followingmediatypes:

Earnedmediaisfreepublicity,generatedbyfansandcustomersinresponsetocontenttheylike(yourkudosformakingthemhappy).

Ownedmediaincludescommunicationsthatabrandcreatesandcontrolsviaitsownplatform(youblowyourowntrumpet).

Paidmediaisanypaidactivitythatdrivestraffictoownedmediaproperties(youpayupfortheshoutout).

Whateveroptionyouchoose,rememberthattherewillbehiddencostsinvolved.Anengagingprofilerequiresgreatcopy,multimediaassetslikephotosandvideos(whichyoumaywanttotakeyourself),andasolidstrategy.Andsincethereisnopointhavingtheworld'sgreatestprofileifnooneknowsyouexist,youwillhavetoforkoutforsomekindofadvertisingtoreachsociallytuned-inaudiences.

Findingandtrainingtherightstaff,compilingdigitalassets,andadvertisingyourbusinesstakestimeandmoney—sobearthatinmindwhensettingoutyourshort-andlong-termgoals.

FormsofSocialMediaSocialmediacomesinallshapesandsizes.FacebookandTwitteraretwoofthebigboysbutbloggingplatformssuchasWordPress,reviewsitessuchasTripAdvisor,andPodcastplatformssuchasPodOmaticcanalsobeclassifiedassocialmediachannels.AndletusnotforgetYouTube,Vimeo,Flickr,andInstagram,whichhavesurgedinpopularitythankstopeople'sloveofcapturingmomentsandsharingthemwithfriends.

Whatevertheformat,rememberthatsocialmedianeversleeps.Smartphoneshavecompletelyrevolutionizedhowpeopleconnectwithoneanother—sobusinessescannowreachconsumersonthemove,24hoursaday.Managingthiscanbeafull-timejobinitself,butonethatcanreapunlimitedrewards.

StakeholdersofSMMThethreekeyplayerswithinsocialmediaareusers,advertisers,andsocialplatforms.Andtheyhavequiteaninterdependentrelationship—userswanttohaveaplacetoengageandcandosoonsocialplatforms.Theseinturnneedtobepaidfor,sinceserverspaceandstaffdonotcomeforfree!Theadvertisercoversthesecostsandalsousestheplatformtoreachusers.TherelationshipisshowninFigure6.3.

Figure6.3TheThreeKeyPlayerswithinSocialMedia

Thewayinwhichusersinteractwithwebsiteshaschangedconsiderably.Initiallytheyvisitedsitesandlittleelsehappened.Thenso-calledtransactionalexperiencesappearedanduserswereabletobuyonline.ThelikesofeBayintroducedadialoguebetweenusersandadvertisersforthefirsttimeandmarkedthebeginningoftheinteractiveprocess.

Todaythisdialoguehasexpandedintoafull-blownconversationbetweenusersandadvertisersaroundtheworld.Thecontinualcommunicationhasalloweduserstotellbusinesseswhattheywant(throughuser-generatedcontent)andforbusinessestostandoutfromthecrowdwithoriginalandengagingprofiles.

TryingItOnforSizeSocialmediamarketingmaynotbeforeveryone.Beforejumpingheadfirstintothesocialmediarabbithole,considerwhetherSMMwillfityourbusiness,andifso,whichchannel(orchannels)youshoulduse.

Herearethemainconsiderationsyoushouldtakeintoaccount:

Targetmarket.Doesyouridealaudienceusesocialmedia?Iftheanswerishell,no!thenthereisnopointinwastingtimeandmoney.

Publicreach.Socialmediablursthelinesbetweenpersonalandpubliccontent.Userscanrateandslateyourbusinessveryquicklyandvisibly,sojustmakesureyouhavenothingtobeashamedof.Yourreputationandcredibilityareintheirhands.Also,sinceyouhavegreateraccesstoauser'sinterestsandbehaviors,youneedtobecarefulabouthowyouusethisdata.

Instantcommunication.Whensocialmediastrategiesareputinplace,communicatinginatraditionalwaybecomesathingofthepast.Yourinteractionswithconsumersarenolongermonitored,controlled,orcarefullymanaged,astheprocessismuchfaster.Thisdoesgiveyourbrandamorehuman,approachablefeelbutitalsomeansslip-upscanhappeneasily.Sobecarefulifyourcontentmanagerisinabadmood!

Ongoingnature.Socialmediaisnotasix-weekcampaign—ithasacalendarwithnoendpoint.Thatcanbequiteascarythought,butbycontinuallyadjustinggoalsandtweakingobjectives,theprocessbecomesfarlessintimidating.Deepbreaths.

GoingforGoldOnceuponatime…youdecidedwhomyouwantedtoreachandthoughtofagreatwaytotellthosepeopleyouexist—socialmedia.Nextyoucreatedaprofilesoamazingthatusersstartedtoconsideryourbrandandsomeevenbecamecustomers.Youmadethetransactionprocesssoseamless,customerskeptcomingbackandtoldalltheirfriends.Andyoualllivedhappilyeverafter!

Forafairytaleendinglikethisyouwillneedtogetsomespecificgoalsinplace.Thesemayinclude:

Businessgoalslikeleadgeneration,sales,andcostreduction.

Customerservicegoalslikeconsumersatisfactionandthechanceofreferrals/repeatbusiness.

Productgoals,suchasresearch,design,andenhancement.

Communicationgoalstobuildyourbrandpersonalityandreputation(withaneffectivecrisismanagementstrategyinplace).

Marketinggoals,suchasbranding,awareness,andengagement.

Onceyouhavesetoutyourgoals,youcanexplorethebestchannelstohelpyouachievethem.Thenextsectionwillcoverthesedifferentchannelsindetailandhowyoucanusethemtoenhanceyourbusinessonline.

Stage2:ChannelsHavingtouchedonthevariousformsofSMM,whetheritisrightforyourbusiness,andthegoalsitcanhelpyouachieve,let'smoveontostage2oftheiterativeprocess,whichishighlightedinFigure6.4—channels.StartingwithacloselookatFacebook,youwilllearnhowto:

UnderstandthedifferencesbetweenpersonalprofilesandbusinessFacebookpages.

Effectivelycreateandpromoteawell-maintainedFacebookpage.

Generateengagementwithcompellingpostsanduseinsightstoseewhatworksbest.

Figure6.4FocusontheSecondStageintheSMMProcess

FacebookTheFacebookplatformhasexplodedoverthepast10yearsasasocialandmarketingtoolformillionsofpeoplearoundtheworld.With1.4billionactiveusers—ofwhom1.25billionlogonviamobile—theopportunityfordigitalmarketersishuge.Userscanbereached24hoursaday,sevendaysaweek.Facebookisoneofthebestplatformswithwhichtoengagepeople.

Youareprobablyalreadyfamiliarwithpersonalprofiles,wherefriendrequestsaremadeandacceptedordeclined.Thisisaprettytimeconsuming

(andoftenheartbreaking)wayoftryingtoconnectwithyouraudience.Userscanignoreyourrequests,soyoudonothavetheinstantconnectivityyoucrave.Also,personalprofilesarenotoptimizedforsearchengines(i.e.,theydonotshowupinGooglesearches).Thisisgreatforindividualuserswhowanttheirprivacyprotected,butnotsogreatforbrandstryingtogrowtheironlinepresence.

Instead,mostbrandscreateabusinesspagefromapersonalaccount.Thesepages:

Canhaveunlimitedlikesorconnections,andtakejustoneclickoftheLikebuttonforaFacebookusertoconnect.

Areoptimizedforsearchengines(becausetheopensettingsplacethepageinthepublicrealm).

Includealargeamountofanalytics,suchastheages,genders,andlocationsofanaudienceandhowoftenitinteractswithcertainposts.Youcanalsotrackyourpage'sperformanceandthepostsonit—thatis,howmanypeoplethepagereachesandwhetheritisengagingusers.

Withbusinesspages,itiseasiertotweakcontenttobettersuityouraudience—whichiswhysmartbrandsgoforthemoverpersonalprofiles.

FacebookusesanalgorithmcalledEdgeRanktoorganizeabusinesspage'scontent.Itlooksatfriends(or“liked”organizations)onthepagetofeedthemostrelevantcontentforeachuserintoonecontinuousstream.ThisstreamiscalledNewsFeed—anditisthemostimportantpieceofrealestateyoucangetyoureagermittson.

Youmaybeundertheassumptionthatpage“likes”meannothing.Ifso,youhavebeensadlymisinformed!SinceEdgeRankpromotespoststhathavebeenpublishedandlikedbyfriendsoverothertypesofcontent,each“like”meansyourpostshaveagreaterchanceofconnectingwiththepeopleyouwant.

However,noteveryonewhohasconnectedwithyouwillseeeachpostyoupublishonherNewsFeed.Sohowcanyoubecomemorevisibletoyourfollowers?Goodquestion.Readontofindout…

CreatingYourBusinessPage

Startbyconsideringyouridentity.Askyourself:

AmIalocalbusinessoraplace?

AmIabrandoraproduct?

AmIanartist,aband,orapublicfigure?

Youranswerswillhelpyoupickthemostrelevantoptionavailable.Next,youneedtomakeyourpagescream,“Lookatme!”—inthemostprofessionalwaypossible,ofcourse.

Somekeypointstobearinmindwhencreatingyourpage:

Includeyourbusinessdetails.Thereisnopointinhavingamillionfriendsifnoneofthemknowhowtocontactyou.

Uploadaneye-catchingcoverphotoinadditiontoasuitableprofilepicture.Remember,yourprofilepicturewillappearbesideyourbusinessname,sochooseonethatrepresentsyouwell—poorlylitselfieswillnotcutit.

Keepthetoneandstyleofyourbrandconsistentthroughoutthepage.

Updateyourpagewithentertainingandinformativecontentregularlytokeepusersengaged.Eventhoughpeoplemay“like”yourpage,gettingthemtocomebackandinteractwithitisawholedifferentstory.TheupdatesthatfansseeintheirNewsFeedshouldmakethemwanttotakeacloserlook.

AddyourpagetoyourFacebookfavorites—itwillbeeasiertofindonceyouloginandyouwillalsobenotifiedwheneverusersinteractwithyourpage,meaningyouwillhavemoreopportunitiestoconnectwiththem.

Makesureyouhaveatleasttwoadministratorstomanageyourpageeffectively.Thisminimizestheriskofthepagegoingdownorbeinghacked—forgottenpasswordswillbelessofaworry,too.

MakingYourPageEngaging

Asmarketers,itismassivelyimportanttoonlypostengagingcontentonFacebook,alwaysbearinginmindthatimpactiskey.Yourcustomersdonotwanttohearwhatyouhadforbreakfast(unlessofcourse,itisrelatedtoyourbusiness!).

Inorderforyourposttogaintraction,itmustberelevant,interesting,andeasilyunderstood.Convolutedandcomplicatedpostswillnotencouragepeopleto“like”orsharewhatyouhavetosay.Andthosebuttonsarewhatcanhelpyougrowyourfanbasefromhundredstothousandsandbeyond.

Youcanoptimizeeachpostbyaskingwhethertheuserwill:

Finditinterestingorfunny.

Clickontheposttofindoutmore.

Shareitwiththeirfriends.

Ifyouthinkyourpostwillnothaveanyoftheaboveeffects,itprobablyneedswork.

Intheory,Facebookoffersunlimitedspaceforposts;howeveraccordingtoresearchcarriedoutbyJeffBullas,Facebookpostswithnomorethan40charactersreceive86percentmoreengagementthanpostswithahighercharactercount.Whilewritingalongparagraphiseasier,andwhittlingdowndescriptionsto40charactersorfewermeanshavingtogetmoreinventive,thestatisticsdon'tlie.Aswithallonlinecontent,thegoldenruleistokeepitshortandsimple.Useaconversationaltoneandtrytoevokearesponsewithyourposts—inthiswayyoucanencouragetwo-wayinteractionswithusers.

Sometipstobearinmind:

Paintapicture.Emotiveimageryisagreatwayofcatchingpeople'sattention.

Try,tryagain.Okay,soyoumaynotgetitrightfirsttime…orthesecond…oreventhethird!Butkeepgoing.Changeoneortwothingsatatimeuntilyoufindastylethatworks.

Quality,notquantity.Avoidpublishinghundredsofdullanddrearypostseveryweek.Insteadscalebackonthenumberandonlypostcontentwhenitservesapurpose.

Staypositive.NoonelikesaNegativeNancy!Useanupbeattoneandmakeyourpageaplacewherepeoplewillfeelgoodaboutthemselves.

Makethemlaugh.Throwinalittlehumorwherepossible—awittystatusorafunnypicturecangoaverylongway.

Getthecamerarolling.VideohasemergedasthenewpowertoolintheworldofFacebook.ClipsplayautomaticallyinNewsFeeds,whichimmediatelyhookspeoplein.Engagingvideosgetsharedbypersonalandbusinesspagesalike,withthepotentialtoreachamassiveglobalaudience.

Staybalanced.Eventhoughtheaimofyourcontentwillmostlikelybetodriverevenue,youwillrisklosingusers'interestifyouconstantlygoforthehardsell.Instead,sweetenthemupandearntheirtrustbysharingcontentthatintereststhem,evenifitdoesnotdirectlyrelatetoyourbusiness.Aneffectivepagemeansstrikingabalancebetweenviralcontentandbusiness-ledposts.Sobyallmeans,includeyourdealsandofferstodriverevenue,butmixitupwithentertaining,educational,andengagingcontenttoencourageinteraction.

UsingAnalytics

Youcouldbepostingthecleverestcontentintheworld,butwithoutknowinghowtoanalyzeit,itbecomesasusefulasawaterproofteabag.

Studyingapost'sreachcanreveallotsofinterestingdataaboutitsactivity,suchas:

Diditgoto15,000peopleorjust1,000?

Howmanyofyourfansdiditreach?Whenarethesefansonline?

Isthepost'ssuccessduetopaidreachororganicreach?

Bytheway,organicreachishowwellyourpostsperformbythemselves,withoutpayingforanyadvertising,whilepaidreachisboostedadvertisingforyourposts.Sponsoredpostswillreachaudiencesthatcurrentlyaren'tfansaswellasyourownfollowers,sowhenapostisperformingwell,youmightwanttopayforboostingitsreach.ThiswillincreasethelikelihoodofyourpostbeingseenonFacebook,whilegeneratingmorelikesforyourpage.

Analyticscanhelpyouwhenyou'rewritingyourcontentandwhenyou'redecidingonthebesttimeofdaytopostitformaximumtraction.Youcanlearnwhichtopicsarehottoadjustfuturecontentaccordingly.Also,sincethereisnosuchthingasbadpress,youcanevenusenegativefeedback(iffanshideyourposts,reportthemasspam,orarepromptedtounlikeyourpage)tolearnfromyourmistakes.Weallmakethem,afterall.

AboutSocialPlug-Ins

NotonlycanyouconnectwithyouraudienceontheFacebookplatform,youcanalsousesocialplug-instoencouragetheseconnectionstosharetheirexperiencesacrosstheweb.Theplug-insappearondifferentwebsitesbuttheinformationinthemcomesdirectlyfromFacebook.

Forexample:

TheLikebuttonallowsuserssharepagesandcontentfromyourwebsitebacktotheirFacebookprofileinoneclick.

TheSendbuttonallowsuserssendcontentprivatelyfromyoursitetotheirfriends.

EmbeddedPostsallowyoueasilyinsertpublicpostsonyoursite.

TheembeddedvideoplayerletsyouaddFacebookvideostoyoursite.

Thepageplug-inletsyouembedcomponentsfromyourFacebookpagerightintoyourwebsite.

Thecommentsplug-inallowsuserscommentonyourwebsite'scontentusingtheirownFacebookaccounts.

TheFollowbuttonallowsuserssubscribetothepublicupdatesofotherusersorcompaniesonFacebook.

FacebookFeatures

Youcanencouragelikes,shares,andcommentsonyourFacebookpageandbeyondbyofferingyourfansincentives.

Apopularwayofdoingthisistorunacontestinwhichyouaskyourfansandtheirfriendsto“like”apostandcommentonit,beforeenteringthemintoacontesttowinaprize.Theprizecanbeanything,fromaweekendawaytoanoveltyhat.Usuallyitissomethingprettyawesome,sothepostandyourpagegetalotoftraction.Itshouldalsoberelevanttoyourindustry,soifyouareadogwalker,offeringaniPadmightbeabitofastretch.

TherearesomeconsiderationsaroundrunningcontestsonFacebook:

Facebookdoesnotwanttobeliableforanyofyourtermsandconditions.Somakesurethatyouutilizeitstoolsfortherightreasonsandthatyourcompetitionsarefair.

Stickto“like”and“comment”asyourcallstoaction,meaningyouaskpeopleto“like”yourpageandtocommentonthecompetitionpost.Newlyenforcedcompany-pagepoliciesnowstatethatyoucannotaskfanstoshareacontestpostwiththeirfriends.Ifinbreachofthisrule,yourcontestcouldbecancelledandyoumayevenriskhavingyourpagebesuspended.Besttobehaveyourselfandstayinsidethelines.

Managethecontestcarefully,makingitinteresting,shareable,andengagingforyouraudience.Usersarebombardedwithalotofsalesymessages.Howcanyoumakeyoursstandout?Hereareafewtips:

Offeraprizethatuserswillactuallywant.

Includeaneye-catchingimageandsnappycopy,withaveryclearcalltoaction.

Promoteyourcontestdailyuntilyourdeadline.

Considerboostingyourposttoincreaseyourreach.

AnotherwaytoattractfansonFacebookisthroughutilizingitsOffersandEventsfeatures.

CreatinganofferisdonethroughastatusupdatebyclickingtheOffer/Event+button.Startbygivingitatitle,whichcanonlycontain25characters.Thendescribeyourparticularofferin90charactersorfewerandmakesuretoincludeacalltoaction.

Ifyourofferisanonlinepurchase,useanonlineredemptionlink.Facebookwillthenemailtheindividualuserwhoclaimsyouroffer.Userscanredeemin-storeoffersbysimplywalkingintoyourstorewithaprintoutofthee-mail,orasavedversionontheirphone.Simple!

Eventsareagreatwayofincreasingbrandawarenessandtheycanbeeasilycustomized.TakeforexampleaneventpageforaKodalineconcertinFigure6.5,whichhasahugecoverimageofthebandattachedtotheevent.

Figure6.5FacebookEventPageSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Sinceusersshareeventswithfriendsandconnections,alloftheimagerygetspassedalongtoo—whichmeansgreatadvertisingforyourcompany.

YoucanapplywhatyouhavelearnedfromcreatinganeffectiveFacebookpage(howtomaximizeitsreachwithengagingcontentandhowtoanalyzeyourresults)toothersocialmediachannels,whichwillbecoveredintheupcomingsections.Staytuned….

TwitterIntroducingTwitter,anotherkeyplayerintheworldofsocialmedia,whichquicklygrabsaholdofusers'attentionandencouragesthemtoshareandengagewithcontent.

SoonyouwillbeabletoholdyourowninthechirpingworldofTwitter,once

youknowhowto:

SetupaTwitterbusinessaccount.

Recognizethebestwaysofinteractingwithotherusers.

EffectivelypromoteyourTwitterprofile,utilizingfeatureslikesocialplug-insandlists.

ABird's-EyeView

AlthoughTwitter'slogoisacutelittlebluebird,theplatformisaninformation-sharingpowerhouseandpacksapowerfulpunchintermsofmicrobloggingandconnectingwithotherusers.

LikeFacebook,Twitterisamobileplatformthatisconstantlyconnected.Ithasover280millionactiveusersaroundtheworld—80percentofwhomareloggingonviatheirsmartphones.Nottooshabbyforalittlebird,right?

Theaveragenumberoffollowersperuseris208,andwithover500milliontweetssenteveryday,theplatformisbuzzingwithactivityallthetime.

CreatingYourAccount

Privateaccountsmeanthatauser'stweetsareprotectedfromGoogleandotherusersareunabletoretweetthem.Soasabusinessseekingpromotionandpublicity,youdefinitelywanttogoforthepublicoption.

Afewmorethingstobearinmindwhengettingsetup:

Yourusernameislimitedto15characters,withnospaces,hyphens,oranyothercharactersallowed.

YourAboutMesectionmustbeunder160characters.Sofeelfreetoshowoff,butkeepitshort'n'sweet.

Youmustincludeaprofileimageandabackgroundpicture.AswithFacebook,makesureyoursnapsareofagoodqualityandrelevanttoyourcompany.

Registeryouraccountasquicklyasyoucan.TheearlyTwitterbirdcatchestheworm,afterall!

WhencreatingyourTwitterhandle(thenamethatappearsalongsideyouraccount),lettherebenoconfusion.Itwouldbesuchawastetogotoallthetroubleofsettingupanamazingaccount,onlytohavepeopleforgetthenamebecauseyourhandleistoocomplicated.

Yourhandleshouldbe:

Relevant

Short

Registeredearly

Unique

Memorable

On-brand

Forexample,takeManchesterUnited'shandle—@ManUtd.Itdoesexactlywhatissaysonthetin—itisjustashortenedversionoftheaccountnameitself.Loyalfansandglorysupportersalikewilleasilyrememberthatone.

Ready,Set,Tweet!

Onceyouhaveregisteredanaccountthatlooksgreatandhasamemorablehandle,youcanstarttweeting.Tweetsareshortmessagesof140charactersorfewer.TakealookatthefamousexampleinFigure6.6.

Figure6.6World-FamousTweetbyComedianEllenDeGeneresSource:Twitter.

Seehowapicturereallycanpaintathousandwords?Ithadover3million

retweetsandisaperfectexampleofhowpowerfulsocialmediacontentcanbe.ThetweetshowninFigure6.7,fromthepopularmarketingblogMashable,includesalotofcontent—call-to-actionbuttons,pictures,andkeyinformation—butitiswellorganizedandeasytodigest.Watchandlearn.

Figure6.7EffectiveTweetfromMashableSource:Twitter.

Twittercanbeaveryseriousforumbutitcanalsohelpyourbrandtoletloosealittleandhavesomefun.Ifindoubtaboutwhattotweet,thinkbacktowhatworksbestforFacebookandthendothesameonTwitter.Yourcontentshouldbeshort,snappy,andveryvisual.TrackSocialbelievetheidealTwittercharactercountisbetween70and100characters.AccordingtoSalesforce's‘StrategiesforEffectiveTweeting’,postswithasmallernumberofcharactersthan100havea17percenthigherengagementratethanthose

thatdonot.Ifapostseemsweak,donotpublishjustforthesakeofit.Holdbackandrevisititatalatertime—maybetheninspirationwillcomeandyoucantweakittomakeitstronger.Ifindoubt,leaveitout!

Moreoftenthannot,alinktosomethingelsewillbecontainedinatweetandthiswillcounttowardsthecharacterlimit.Ahandywaytosidestepthisistomakeuseofspace-savingtoolssuchasGoo.glorBitly,betterknownasURLshorteners.

Forexample,thiscouldbethelinkyouwanttotweet:

http://www.example.com/blog/page/category/year/month/day/article/id=1A2B3C

Bitofamouthful,right?ByenteringitintoBitlyitgetscondensedtosomethinglikethis:

http://bit.ly/8FapX

That'smorelikeit!Everycharacterispreciousinatweet,soifalinkof20characterscanbeincludedinsteadofonewith87characters,youhavemoreroomforacatchylineofcopy.

LikeFacebookposts,tweetsarepublishedfromusers'accountsandappearchronologicallyonaNewsFeed.Adsarealsocontainedwithinthisstreamandarecalledpromotedtweets.

Thisiswheremarketerscanshineasthetweetstheysponsorappeardirectlyintotheuser'sstream.

Twittercards,suchastheoneshowninFigure6.8,arelarge,interactivepiecesofmediawithintheNewsFeed.Themessagemuststillbe140charactersorfewerbutitcanalsoinclude:

Animage.

Aheadline.

ACTAbutton,whichinthiscaseis“readmore.”

Figure6.8TwitterCardSource:Twitter.

Userscanretweetandfavoritethispieceofcontentinthesamewayasordinarytweets,soitwillseemorganicanddoesnotimmediatelystandoutaspaidcontent.

AnothergreatinnovationfromTwitterisadoptingacarousel-stylemethodfordisplayingadswithinthefeed,asseeninFigure6.9.

Figure6.9TwitterCarouselAdSource:Twitter.

TheseadsaresimilartoTwittercards,buttheyrunalongsideoneanother.TheyareareallyeffectivewayofdisplayingmultiplepaidcontentpostswithoutbreakingawayfromtheNewsFeed.

Remember,thereisnopointinhavingawittyandprettyaccountifnooneknowsitexists—especiallyifyouhavepaidforcertaintweets!Whenpromotingyourprofile,seizeeveryopportunitypossible.Youcanpublicizeit:

Atevents

Innewsletters

Ontelevisionandradio

Insocialads

Inyouremailsignature

Onwebinars/talks/slides

Onbusinesscardsandposters

Duringanyofflineconversations

KeyFeatures

Twitterhasafewgreattoolstohelpyoustayaheadofthesocialmediagame:

Twitterlists.ThishandyfeatureallowsyoutosegmentaudiencesandorganizefollowerswithinapoolofTwitteraccounts.

Forexample,youmightwanttocompilealistofspeakersforanevent.Attendeescanthenaccessthepubliclistandfollowthespeakers,instantlymakingtheeventmoreinteractiveandconnected.Orifyouworkinthedigitalspace,yourlistmightconsistofthetopcompaniesthattech-savvyuserswouldbeinterestedin.Happyusers=loyalfollowers!

YoucancreateaTwitterListinfoursimplesteps:

1. ClickListsfromyourprofilepageorfromthedrop-downmenuunderyourprofilepiconthetopright-handside.

2. ClicktheCreateNewListbutton.

3. Enterthenameofyourlistandashortdescriptionbeforechoosingwhetheryouwantittobeprivate(onlyaccessibletoyou)orpublic(anyonecansubscribetoit).

4. ClickSaveList.

Socialplug-ins.LikeFacebook,Twitteruseslotsofthesetotemptvisitorsintosharingcontentfromdifferentwebsites.

Theplug-insinclude:

TheShareaLinkbutton.

TheFollowbutton.

TheHashtagbutton.

TheMentionbutton.

Oncetheyhavefoundtheirwayontoacompany'swebsite,peoplecantweetdirectlyandsharecontentthroughTwitter.

Advancedsearch.Manybusinessesusethisfeaturetosearchforbusinessestheywishtofollow.Bydoingsotheycankeepaneyeoncompetition,stayup-to-datewithindustrystandards,andbecomeinvolvedinrelevantconversations.Itisprettysimpletouse—justtypeTwitteradvancedsearchintoGoogleandoffyougo!

Geolocationservices.Theseallowuserstoselectivelyaddlocations,suchascitiesandneighborhoods,totheirtweets.Itisacoolwayofinformingfollowerswhereintheworldyouaretweetingfromandmeansyoucansharemorethanjustalinkorstatusupdate.

Multimediaelements.Imagesandvideocanalsobeaddedtotweets—anditgetsbetter.VideocannowberecordedwithinTwitteritself!Justgrabyourphone,hitrecord,andgetreadyforyourclose-up.

ToTweetorNottoTweet…

JustaswithFacebook,postingregularlytoaTwitteraccountmaynotsuiteverybusiness.However,itdoeshavesomekeyadvantages:

Itenablesone-to-oneconversationstotakeplacelikeneverbefore.

Itisaverypublicforumthatmaybequicktoteardownindividualsandbusinessesbutisevenquickertobuildthemup.

Theall-powerfulhashtag(whichgroupstweetsintoonecollectivespace)hasbeenresponsibleforbringingattentiontotheworld'sgreatesttravestiesanditsbiggestaccomplishments.Itgivesyouinstantaccesstotheglobalstage—ifyoulikethatkindofthing.

EvenifyouareatotalTwitternewbie,werecommendthatyouatleastgiveitatry.Becausesoonenough,youareboundtodiscoverjusthowrewardingalittlebluebirdcanbe.

LinkedInNowthatyouhaveaclearunderstandingofhowFacebookandTwitteroperate,let'smoveontoLinkedIn.Itisaplatformwhoseaimisto“connecttheworld'sprofessionalsandenablethemtobemoreproductiveandsuccessful.”

Thissectionwillequipyouwithalltheknow-howyouneedto:

CreateanengagingLinkedInprofile.

Usetheplatformeffectivelybyparticipatingingroupsandengagingwithothercompanies'pages.

Advertisejobvacanciesandcareeropportunitiesinyourorganization.

AboutLinkedIn

Believeitornot,LinkedInisayearolderthanFacebook—itwasbornbackin2003.Andithasgrownquiteabitoverthepast13years,with347millionactiveusersandtwonewsign-upseverysecond.Theplatformhasamassive

reach,acrossmorethan200countriesandterritories.

SowhousesLinkedIn?Welllotsofpeople,really—morethan3millioncompanieshaveLinkedIncompanypagesand94percentofrecruitersuseittovetprospectiveemployeesandtheirrésumés.Althoughitisinessenceasocialnetworkingplatform,ithasamoreprofessional,industry-focusedapproachthanthelikesofFacebookorTwitter.

CreatingYourProfile

Youcanboostyourcompany'scredibilitybyencouragingallemployeestosetupaprofessionalLinkedInprofile.Ithumanizesyourbrand,andbyshowingofftheindividualskilledworkersinvolvedinitsday-to-dayrunning,ithelpspeopletogettoknowyoubetter.

Whencreatingyourownprofile,youneedtofillinsectionsaboutyourworkhistory,education,andrelevanteducationtogivepeopleatasteofwhoyouare.ThenextstepistowriteaLinkedInsummary,whichwillappearabovealloftheothersectionsandiswhatmostpeoplewillseefirst.Thisistheareawhereuserscanreallysellthemselves,andtodothateffectively,sentencesshouldbeSMART,asshowninFigure6.10.

Figure6.10SMARTCriteriaSource:TheSMARTacronymwasfirstcoinedbyGeorgeT.DoranandwasinspiredbyPeterF.Drucker'sThePracticeofManagement,publishedin1954.

Trytoavoidtheuseoffluffylanguage,suchas“I'magreatleader.”Insteadsay,“I'magreatteamleader.Ihaveledateamof15peoplewhohaverisenintheranksandachievedsalesupliftofover20percent.”Suchaspecificandmeasurablestatementwillbefarmoreattractivetoprospectiveemployersand

clientsalike.

Richlinks,images,presentations,andevenvideoscanbecontainedwithineveryLinkedInprofile.Eachsectioncanbelinkedbacktoareferenceorcanincludeanimageorvideo.Thesemakeprofilescomealive,andifmanagedeffectively,canreallyhelpyoutostandoutfromthecrowd.

WithLinkedIn,thereisnoplacetohide—yourskills,thatis.Theyaredisplayedprominentlyinyourprofileonceyou,yourfriends,andyourcolleaguesaddthem.Andsinceitisonlypolitetopayitforward,youcanendorseyourconnectionsinreturn.Simplygototheirprofiles,seewhichskillsyouwanttoendorse,andthenclick(youguessedit)Endorse.Norocketsciencerequired.

Anotherwayyoucanboostcredibilityisbyincludingpersonalrecommendations.TheruleofthumbwhenitcomestoLinkedInrecommendationsisthatbothusersmustbeconnected.Onewillsendarecommendationtoanotherthroughtheplatform,whichwillautomaticallybeaddedtotheirLinkedInprofileafterithasbeenapproved.

Whenbuildingyourprofile,takethetimetoutilizeyourconnections—becausethemoreskillsendorsedandtestimonialsreceived,thejuicieryourprofilewillbe.Also,makesuretoupdateskillsandendorsementsasyouincreaseyourconnectionssoyouareseeninthemostprofessionallightpossible.

BuildingYourNetwork

LinkedIncanbeaverylonelyplaceifyouarenotengagingandconnectingwithothers.Taketheleapandapproachasmanypeopleaspossible,including:

Emailcontacts

Alumni

Colleagues

Friends

Family

Thisisnotimetoplaycoy.Youshouldfollowasmanycontactsandinfluencerswithinyourmarketplaceasyoucan.ThereareleadersacrossawholerangeofindustriesonLinkedIn,includingRichardBransonandBarackObama,whobothwriteforthesiteregularly.

ByfollowingspecificcompaniesandpublicationssuchasBusinessInsider,youwillbenotifiedinyourLinkedInstreamwhenevertheypostnewcontent

—thatwayyoucanstayup-to-dateandnotmissanythingimportant.

Youcanchaseallthepeopleyoulike,buthowdoyouletotherpeopletofindyou?ConnectivityplaysamassiverolewithinLinkedIncommunitiesandsoyouneedtoputyourselfoutthere.HavingavanityURLmakesiteasierforpeopletofindyou.HereiswhatthelinktoyourprofilemightlooklikewithoutavanityURL:

LinkedIn.com/pub/doug-digital/234123ABCDEF

Notexactlysnappy,isit?

TogetavanityURL,clickunderneathyourprofilepictureandyourpublicURLwillappear.Youcanthenshortenittosomethinglikethis:

LinkedIn.com/in/Doug-Digital

Muchbetter!

JustlikeFacebookandTwitter,LinkedInplacessocialplug-insonvariouswebsitessothatuserscaneasilysharecontentwhenoutsidetheplatform.Togetstarted,gotodeveloper.linkedin.com/plugins.

GroupsandPages

LinkedIngroupsareprobablythemostsocialaspectoftheplatform,astheyarewheremostdiscussionstakeplace.

Byparticipatinginthesegroups,youcanmaintainanactivediscussionwithpeersandcolleagues,asseeninFigure6.11—youmayevenbeseenasanindustrythoughtleader.

Figure6.11LinkedInGroupDiscussionsTabSource:LinkedIn.

CompanypagesaresimilartoFacebookbusinesspages;whileLinkedInprofilepagesrepresentindividuals,itscompanypagesallowfanstoconnectwithbrands.

Sowhatdoesittaketostartacompanypage?Firstofall,morethanfivepeoplewithinyourcompanymusthaveaLinkedInprofilethatstatesthattheyworkforyou.Youcanthenuseyourcompany'semailaddresstoapplyforaLinkedIncompanypage.

Next,itistimetopopulateyourpagewithasmuchrelevantdetailaspossible,suchas:

Yourlocation

YourURL

Howmanyemployeesyouhave

Themainindustryyourcompanyisin

Theyearitwasfounded

Whetheritisaprivatelyheldorpublicliabilitycompany

Finally,addyourlogoandbrandingtothepage.Itisareallyvisualwayforpeopletoseewhatyourcompanyisabout.AnexampleofaLinkedincompanypageisshowninFigure6.12.

Figure6.12LinkedInCompanyPageHomeTabSource:LinkedIn.

Companypagescanalsocontainvideos,images,employeetestimonials,andemployerinformation—allofwhichplayapartinsellingyourbusinessasagreatplacetowork!Subpagesofcompanypagesarecalledshowcasepages.Theyaredesignedtogrowaspecificcommunityaroundaparticularproductordivisionofabusiness.

AnothertypeofLinkedInpagethatoffersbrandingopportunitiesisthecareerpage,seenasatabinFigure6.12.

WhenrecruitingyourownstaffitisusefultohaveaLinkedIncareerpage,asyoucanshowcaseyourpersonality,highlightavailablejobs,andincludesomeofyouremployees(plustheirtestimonials,ifyoulike).However,ifyoudonothaveaLinkedInrecruiteraccount,thisoptionisprettyexpensive(around$6,000perpersoneveryyear).

IsLinkedInRightforYou?

Mostlikely,yes.LinkedInletsyoushowcaseyourstrengthswhileconnectingwithlike-mindedbusinessownersandindustryleadersoutsideofyoureverydaylife.Thereisalwaysmorewecanlearn—andLinkedInisagreatplacetodoit.

Bothpersonalandcompanypagescanbebrilliantmarketingtoolsforyourbusiness,aslongastheyaremanagedinaneffectiveandengagingmanner.Aswithallofthechannelsthatthischapterhasdiscussed,yougetoutofitwhatyouputin!

Google+Younowknowhowtoutilizesomeofthebiggestsocialmedianetworkstohelpgrowbothyouronlinepresenceandyourbusiness.Keepfocusedonstage2oftheprocess,it'simportanttomaster!

NextupisanintroductiontoaplatformmanagedbyoneofthebiggestInternetcompaniesintheworld—Google.YouwillgainakeyunderstandingofGoogle+sothatyoucan:

KnowwhatCirclesareandhowyoucanusethemtoconnectwithotherusers.

UnderstandthebenefitsthatHangoutscanhaveforyourbusiness.

CreateanengagingGoogle+businesspageandtrackitsresults.

AboutGoogle+

Google+isasocialnetworkingservicewith1billionregisteredusersand540activemonthlyusers.ItcombineslotsofGoogle'sproducts,includingYouTube,Gmail,Blogger,Maps,Android,andGoogleMyBusiness.IfyouhaveaGmailaccount,youalreadyhaveaGoogle+account,whichmaycomeasasurprisetoyou!

Youraccountcanbeaspublicorasprivateasyouwant.Youcanchoosetodisplayorhideyouremail,addorremoveyourphonenumber,andevenlimitwhocanseecertainpostsandphotos.

GoogleCircles

Thesearegroupsofpeoplethatuserssharecontentwithorfollow.

Therearefamilycircles,aclose-friendscircle,acolleaguescircle,andanewsandupdatescircle(tonamejustafew).AsyoucanseeinFigure6.13,thesegroupscanbeeditedandsharedeasilybyjustdragginganddroppingthemtoyourchosenlocations.

Figure6.13GoogleCirclesSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Withinthesecircles,userscansegmentsharedposts—soifsomeonewantstokeepaphotoofafamilyvacationprivateamongfamilymembers,theycansharethephotoonGoogle+butonlyletthoseintheirfamilycircletoviewit.Google+offersareallytargetedwayofsharingcontentyoucareaboutwithonlycertainpeople,asopposedtosharingitwiththeentireplanet.

Inthisway,itisalotlesspublicthanTwitterorFacebook,whichmayormaynotappealtoyou.However,justlikethoseguys,Google+allowsuserstousesocialplug-instosharecontentinamorepublicway.Theseplug-insareimportedintoawebsite,andpeoplecan+1yourcontent(whichisGooglelingofor“like”).WhenusingGooglePlus,yourfirstsentencemustbeaverygrippingteaser,whichmeansitshouldbe60charactersorfewer.

GoogleHangouts

OneofthebestfeaturesinGoogle+isitsHangoutsfeature.Thisissimilarto

livevideoconferencingorSkypebutitbringsinGoogleChat.ThereisalsoHangoutsonAir,meaningliveGoogleChatcanbehostedandthenbroadcastonYouTube—greatifyouwanttoshareaninstructionalvideoaboutyourproduct.

Manybrandshavedonethisalready.Rovio(thebrandbehindAngryBirds)didaliveHangoutwithalloftheirdeveloperstoshowhowtheybuiltthegameandthedifferenttoolsandcharactersthatareinvolved.PeoplewereabletoaskquestionsthroughTwitterorGoogle+,whichwerethenansweredliveonlineaspeoplewatchedviaYouTube.

Thatisaboutasinteractiveasitgets,right?Lettingyourcustomersasklivequestionsandhavingthemansweredbyrelevantpeopleinrealtime,allonline,allthroughGoogle+.

GettingStarted

YoucancreateaGoogle+pageforyourbusinessbygoingtohttps://business.google.com/create

Remember,youwillneedaGmailaccountfirst—visitwww.google.comtosignupforone.YoucanthencreatecirclesandbuildcommunitiesbyconnectingthroughyouremailandwithotherpeopleonGoogle+.

IfunsurehowtomakeGoogle+workforyourbrand,takealeafoutofCadbury'sbook.Theyuseitto:

CreatecommunitiesaroundparticularCadburyproducts,forexample,bygivingtipsonusingCadburychocolateinbaking.

PromotenewadsonGoogle+andcreatecommunitiesaroundallthehype.

BroadcastliveproductdemonstrationsviaHangouts;forexample,theCadburyCremeEggBakehangoutwithEricLanlard,whichgotahugenumberofviewsandalotoftractiononYouTube.

Youcoulddothesametocreateabuzzaboutyourownproduct,orevenaboutanupcomingevent.

Google+Analytics

Google+isconnectedtoeverythingelseintheworldofGoogle,soyoucaninstantlyseetheoriginofallyoursocialtraffic.

OnGoogleAnalyticsyoucanseesocialreportsforyourwebsite,whichmeansyoucanmeasurehowGoogle+hascontributedtosocialsharingandconversations.ThisisareallycooltoolthatiscompletelyuniquetoGoogle+.

ThatisthelowdownonGoogle+.Althoughmaybelessknownorusedthan

otherchannels,itisasimpleyeteffectiveandhighlyvisualmarketingtoolwithamassiveglobalreach.Itisnotonetobeignored.

Acrossallofthesesocialmediachannels,theimportanceofvideohasremainedconsistent.Videooffersbrandsanewwayofconnectingwithfollowers.Comingup,youwillseehowyoucanmaximizeyourreachonthebigdaddyofvideoplatforms—YouTube.

YouTubeVideohasmorepowerthananyotherformofmediawhenitcomestoengagingusers.Inthevideo-sharingworld,theYouTubeplatformremainsking.

Discoverwhatitmeanstosay“lights,camera,action”toyourbusinessandgetreadyto:

UnderstandhowYouTubeworksandwhatsomeofitskeyfeaturesare.

Effectivelysetupandpromoteyourownchannel.

Knowthetypesofvideoyoucanuseandhowtopromotethemacrosstheweb.

AboutYouTube

ThefollowingstatsfromYouTubearetrulymindboggling:

YouTubenowhasmorethanabillionuniqueuserseverysinglemonth.

YouTubenowclaimsover400hoursofcontentuploadedeverysingleminute.

Thenumberofhourspeoplespendwatchingvideos(akawatchtime)onYouTubeisup60percenty/y.

MorevideoisuploadedtoYouTubeinonemonththanthethreemajorU.S.televisionnetworkshavecreatedin60years!

YouTubeislocalizedin74countries,across61languages.

SoifyouwerethinkingthatYouTubewasjustabunchofcatvideos,thinkagain!

SettingUpYourChannel

IfyoualreadyhaveaGoogleaccount,youautomaticallyhaveaccesstoaYouTubeaccount—youjustneedtolinkthetwo.YouTubechannelsshouldlookclearanduncomplicated,andcoverphotosactasgreatbrandingforyourchannelinthesamewaytheydoforothersocialmediaplatforms.

Onceyouhavesetupanaccount,youcanaccessfeaturesandbuttonssuchasLike,Subscribe,WatchLater,andWatchHistory.

ThereareawidevarietyoffeatureswithinYouTube,allmakingitpossibletointeractwithdifferentcommunitiesacrossthesiteandtohearwhattheyaresayingaboutbrands,competition,andtheindustryingeneral.Theseinclude:

Comments.YouhavetheoptiontohaveacommentssectionenabledforeveryvideouploadedontoYouTube.Peoplecanalsogiveavideoathumbs-uporathumbs-down,whichwasuniquetoYouTubeforalongtime,astheonlysitethatletusersnotlikecontentonline.BeawarethattheThumbsDownbuttonleavesyourbrandvulnerableandcouldnegativelyaffectyourbusiness.

Subscribebutton.ThiscanbeplaceddirectlyintoaYouTubevideoandisagreatwayofencouragingengagement.

TypesofVideo

Screenrecordingsareprettypopularwithbrands.Thesearecapturedbyusinglow-costtoolssuchasCamtasiaStudioorScreenFlow,andsuchrecordingsareperfectforproductdemonstrations.

Awebinarisanothergreatwayforbusinessestointeractwithaudiences.Itmightbea20-minutevideoshowcasingaproductorasnappypiecewithfiveusefultipsandtricks.Therearelotsofwebinartoolsoutthere.Sogetcreating,getrecording,andgetbroadcastinglivetoyoursubscribers.YoucanthenstoreyourwebinaronyourYouTubechannelforpeopletowatchlater.

Ifyouprefertostreamyourcontentlive,youcanuseHangoutsOnAir(introducedintheprevioussection).AfterYouTubeusershavewatcheditliveitisautomaticallyrecordedanduploadedtoYouTubeforpeopletowatchaftertheevent.ThemostpopulartypesofvideoonYouTubearecomputerscreenrecording,webinars,livevideo,andrecordedvideo.

CreatingandSharingContent

YouTubecontentcanbecreatedinmanydifferentways.YoucanbringinthebiggunsbyusingprofessionaltoolslikeFinalCutandPowerDirector.However,theserequireskill,training,andresources(particularlytimeandmoney)—andeventhoughtheoutcomeishigh-qualityvideosthatlookreallyprofessional,thesevideosonlymakeupasmallportionofcontentonYouTube.

Ifyouarejuststartingoutanddonothaveaverygenerousfairygodmotheroraccesstohigh-qualityrecordingequipment,youwillprobablywanttoconsiderotheroptions—forinstance,flashtoolslikeAnimototocompile

images,videos,andmusic.Andofcourse,youcanalwaysfilmvideosfromyourtrustyphone;infact,asmartphonevideoisthemostpopularformatonYouTube.

Mobilejournalism(mojo)isthenewbuzzwordwhenitcomestocreatingcontent.Longgonearethedaysofshakyhandheldvideos(unlessthatisthestyleyouwant!).

Asmartphonelensisprobablyjustasgoodasthatofsomeprofessionalcameras.Also,freeeditingtools(suchasiMovieontheiPhoneorYouTubeEditor)canbeusedtoeditfootagequicklyandeasily.Makingthemostoutofthesefreetoolswhenstartingoutisagreatwayofkeepingcoststoaminimum.Therearelotsofmobilevideo,audiorecording,andeditingtoolsavailableforbothiPhoneandAndroid—simplyfindoutwhichoneworksbestforyou.

Onceyourcontentislive,thereareacoupleofwaysitcanbesharedfromYouTubetoothersocialplatforms.UserscanclicktheSharebuttonwhenwatchingyourvideo,andthatwillproduceadirectlink.Alternatively,theycanclicktheEmbedbuttontogenerateapieceofHTMLcode,whichcanthenbeimportedintoawebsite,ascanbeseeninFigure6.14.TheYouTubevideowillsitliveonthewebpageandvisitorscanplayitwithouthavingtoleavethesite.

Figure6.14HowtoEmbedaYouTubeVideoSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofYouTube.

Keepyoureyesandearsopentoseeifanyoneisvlogging(videoblogging)aboutyourbusiness—thenyoucansharetheirvideos,too.SimplytypeyourproductorserviceintoYouTubeSearchtoseeifyouhavemadeitintothegrapevine.Aswithallsocialmediachannels,youshouldembraceeveryopportunityyoucantosharethefactthatpeoplearetalkingaboutyou!

MakingItWorkforYou

Theworldofvideosharingcanseemprettyoverwhelmingtothosewhohaveneverdabbledinitbefore—sohereareafewpearlsofwisdomtoremember:

Promoteyourbusinesschanneltoyourcustomersbyembeddingvideosacrossyourwebsite.Showthemyouaretechandmediasavvy.

SubscribetorelevantYouTubechannels.Itisagoodwayofkeepingtabsonthecompetition.

Postregularandengagingvideoupdates.Three-yearoldcontentwillnotcutit.

Shareproductdemonstrations,includinghelpfulhintsandtips.Becausesharingiscaring.

Nowthatyouknowhowtocreateprofilesandchannelsacrossthemajorsocialmediaplatforms,let'stakealookattheworldofblogging.

BlogsTherearemillionsofweblogs(blogs)onlinerightnowthatcoverawiderangeofsubjects—fromtraveltobakingtotheglamorousworldofstainremoval,thisisanintegralchannelofstage2.

Whateveryourbusiness,youcanbenefitgreatlybycreatingablog.Thissectionwillhelpyougetstartedby:

RecognizingthatblogsprovidestrongSEObenefitsandgivecredibilitytoyourbusiness.

Understandingbestbloggingpractices.

Seeinghowblogscanbesharedonsocialmediaplatformstoincreaseawareness.

BlogsinBrief

Ablogisapieceofcontenthostedandsharedonawebsite.Itshouldbeupdatedregularlytoincludethelatestnews,trends,andevents.Blogsgivebusinessescredibility,aswellasavoiceinthemarket,andwell-writtenblogswillkeepvisitorscomingtoawebsiteevenwhenothercontentoroffershave

notchanged.

ThemostpopularbloggingplatformisWordPress—itisusedaroundtheworldandisknownforitssafety,easeofuse,andcustomizableoptions.AnotherplatformthathasreallycaughtonisTumblr.Thismicrobloggingplatformandsocialnetworkingwebsiteallowsuserstoposttext,photos,quotes,links,music,andvideos—allfromtheirbrowsers.

BestPractices

Therearemanydifferentstylesofblogging—somepeoplepreferonethatischattyandinformal,othersonethatisdownrightnuts.Bloggingisaveryopenandcreativeformofsocialmedia,however,certainguidelinesshouldbefollowedtoensureyourcontentisengagingandprofessional:

Yourpostsshouldbeanywherefrom1,000to2,500wordslong.Theactuallengthwillbedependentontopicandaudience,butanyfewerthan1,000mayfallshortofGoogle'salgorithmandreduceyourchancesofshowingupinthefirstpagesofsearchresults.

Includeatleastonetotwoimagesperposttomaketheposteye-catching.

Askopenquestionsattheendofeachposttoencourageengagement.

Packapunch—yourcontentshouldbeeasytoconsumeandorganizedwiththehelpoflists,bulletpoints,andheaders.

Keepaconversationaltoneandavoidindustryjargonatallcosts.

Includelinkswithinyourposts:Backlinkingtoaparticularresourceisagreatwayofaddingcredibilitytoyourblog.

Beconsistentandmakesureyourcontentisstrong,allofthetime.Onceyoubuildmomentum,keepgoing—postregularlyanddon'tleaveweeksbetweenposts.

Addrelevanttagsandkeywordstoyourpoststooptimizethemforsearchengines.Ifyourpostsareaboutmobilemarketing,makesuretoaddsometagsaroundmobile!

Forinspiration,checkoutthepopularbloggingwebsiteBuzzFeed.Mostofitsarticlesutilizelisticles,whichareliststhatgrabyourattentionrightaway.Theheadlinesoftheselistsmightbe“37waystoembarrassyourdog”or“15epiccatfails.”Givenheadlineslikethese,peopleexpectreallyfunnyandengagingcontent—andtheygetittoo,makingBuzzFeedoneofthemostvisitedwebsitesoutthere.

Business/CommunityBlogging

Thisisareallyeffectivewayofensuringthatyourbusinessstaysontopoftheindustry.Youcancontributetoacommunitythatisinterestedinaparticulartopic,allowingyoutobecomeasourceofgreatcontentforpeopleinthatindustry.Inotherwords,youcanshowoff.

Onceyouhavestartedblogging,youcangaintractionbyaskingforyourblogtobehostedbyanother,morepopularblogthatisrelevanttoyouraudience.Indoingthis,youcanshowcaseyourbloggingskillsandgetoffthegroundmorequicklythanifyouweretoflysolo.

PromotingYourBlog

Bloggingisapowerfulwayofkeepingyourbrandinfrontofexistingconnections,butitalsohelpsyoutoreachnewaudiencesaroundtheworld.YoushouldspreadthewordaboutyourblogonYouTube,LinkedIn,Facebook,Twitter,InstagramandGoogle+,makinguseofthesewonderfullyconnectedsocialmediaplatformsthathavebeendiscussedintheprevioussections.

Allofthiscross-platformsharingwillincreaseyourblog'svisibilityonline,whichinturnwillincreasemarketability.Anddigitalmarketersloveabitofmarketability.Remembertoaddyourblog'sRSSfeedtoyourTwitter,Facebook,andLinkedInaccounts.DoingsomeansthateverytimeyoupostanewblogandhitPublish,thenewentrywillautomaticallyfilterouttothesesites—youcanchoosetowriteyourowndescriptiontoo.

Justaswithallthechannelscoveredsofar,socialplug-insareahandywayofencouragingpeopletoshareyourcontentacrossthewebwhenusersarenotonyoursite.TheWordPressplug-inDisqus,whichenablespeopletopromotetheirblogsontheirLinkedIn,Facebook,andTwitterprofiles,isapowerfultoolwhenitcomestospreadingthewordaboutnewposts.

Doesbloggingrequiretime?Yes.Doesitrequireeffort?Definitely.Butitisalsoagreatwayforcompaniestogettheirmessageoutintothepublicsphereandtoconnectwithanewaudience.It'sachannelthatneedsdedicationandpatiencetobuildup,butitiscertainlysomethingworthdoing.

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Bynowyouwillhaveaprettygoodideaofhowyoucanusesocialmediatoyourcompany'sadvantage.Herearesomefinaltipstohelpyouonyourway:

Varyallofyourcontentbykeepingitfunny,engaging,andinformative.

Bequicktorespondtousers'queriesandinteractions.

Beprofessional,butknowthatlettingyourhairdownonceinawhileisallowedandevenencouraged!

Rememberthathardworkalwayspaysoff.Responsiveandeffectivesocialmediaplatformswillreallygrowyourbusinessifyouputthetimein.

Nowthatyouhaveemergedfromyourcocoonandbecomeasocialmediabutterfly,getreadytospringintoaction.Startsettingupthosecompanyprofilestoday!

Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonSMMasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

Exercises

Exercise1Youareafour-starboutiquehotellocatedinasuburbofChicago.Yourmaintargetmarketiscouples(aged30to45)andsmallweddings(upto70guests).Weddingsareanewventureforyourbusiness.

Usingthebusinessabove:

1. Setupyoursocialmediagoalsunderthefollowingcategories:

Customerservicegoals

Productgoals

Communicationgoals

Marketinggoals

2. Listthesocialmediachannelsyouwillusetomarketthebusiness.

Note:Whendecidingwhatchannelstouse,considerthetargetmarket(gender,age,location)andthetypeofproductsandservicesyouareoffering.

Exercise2LogintoFacebookandsetupabusinesspageforthehotelinexercise1.

Completethefollowing:

FillinAboutUsdetails.

Addaprofilepicture.

Setupapreferredaudiencepage.

Exercise3Usingthebusinesspagecreatedabove,choosefivecompetitorpagesandaddthemtoPagestoWatchinyourFacebookpageInsights.

Record:

Whichpageisatthetopofthelist?

Whatpostsworkedwellforthem?

Whataretheimages/videoused?

Whataretheengagementlevels?

Whatcanyoulearnfromthisinformation?

Exercise4LogintoTwitterandopenTwitterAnalytics.

Howmanytweetimpressionshaveyoureceivedoverthepast28days?

Howmanymentionsandtweetslinkedtoyouinthepast28days?

Whatisthetoptweetforthecurrentmonth?

Whohasbeenmostengagedwithyou?

Arethecorrectpeopleconnectedwithyouandareyourfollowersbasedoninterests,location,andgender?

Exercise5Youbrieflymetapotentialclientatanetworkingeventbutonlymanagedtogethisfirstname(Conor)andhisjobtitle(ProductSpecialist).YouwouldliketoconnectwithhimbycarryingoutanadvancedsearchforhimonLinkedIn.

Takenoteofadditionalsearchareasthatareavailableinpremiumaccounts.

Refineyoursearchuntilyouhavelocatedthisperson.

Draftapersonalizedconnectionrequest(itcanbecompletedby

visitingConor'sprofileandclickingConnect).

NOTE:TheactionplanforsocialmediamarketingcanbefoundattheendofChapter7.

CHAPTER7SOCIALMEDIAMARKETING(PART2)

AnIntroductionFromacustomer'spointofview,socialmediaisanawesomewaytoconnectwithpeopleshealreadyknows—andtoconnectwithpeopleorbusinessesshewantstoknow.Asadigitalmarketer,youneedtousethiscuriositytodriveyourbusinesswithoutapproachingcustomersinanobtrusiveway.Whilesocialmediaisaplaygroundwherepeoplecanflitbetweendiscussionsandencountergreatdealsandoffersontheirownterms,yourjobistodelivercontentthatyourtargetaudiencewantstoreceive,whichwillbeofgreatbenefittothem—andevenbetterbenefittoyou.

Implementinganeffectivesocialmediastrategyforyourbusinessisimperativetothesuccessofasocialmediacampaign,andtheonlywaytobuildandsustainrelationshipswithcustomersistolistentothem.

ProcessChapter6gaveyouthelowdownonthefirsttwostagesoftheSMMiterativeprocess,asshowninFigure7.1.Thischapterwillkeepthewheelspinningsothatyouwillhavecompleteknowledgeofthethirdandfourthstages:

3.Implementation.BeingengagedwithyourcustomersonsocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook,Twitter,andLinkedInwillkeepcustomersinterested,butdon'tjustbethebestfriend—bethementorwhowillknowwhatyouraudiencewantsinadvance,byplanningandschedulingcontent.Inthisstageyouwilllearnhowtosetappropriategoalsforyourchosensocialmediaplatformsandtocreateandmanageyourcampaignsinlinewithyourbudgetandproposedtimeline.

4.Analysis.Whilesomefriendshipscometoanaturalend,yoursocialmediacampaignneverstopsturning.Butasatruefriendshipblossomswithunderstandingandtrust,yourcampaigncannotsucceedwithoutconstantanalysis.Thisstageguidesyouthroughtheanalysisandmeasurementservicesthateachmajorplatformoffers,inordertotracktheeffectivenessofyoursocialmediacampaigns.

Figure7.1Four-StageSMMProcess

KeyTermsandConceptsThischapterwillteachyoutounderstandwhyimplementingsocialmediastrategieswillbetterequipyoutoreachachievablegoals,andhowyouwillbenefitfromtheanalysistoolsthateachsocialmediaplatformoffers.UponcompletionofSMMpart2,youwill:

Mastertheintricaciesofeachsocialmediaplatforms'analysisfeatures.

Beadeptatschedulingappropriatecontentforeachsocialmediaplatform.

Learnhowtosetsuitablegoalsforyourchosensocialmediaplatform.

Createandmanageyoursocialmediacampaignstobudgetandschedule.

BeawareofprivacyanddataprotectionissuesassociatedwithSMM.

IfFacebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,andalloftheothersocialmediaplatformswereinhighschool,eachwouldbeamemberofacompletelydifferentclique.Yourroleasadigitalmarketeristobeasocialbutterflywhounderstandswhatdriveseachnetwork,whyitworks,andhowtokeepthemembersofeachnetworkengaged.

Stage3:Implementation

YouhavelearnedthebasicelementsofSMM,nowlet'sputthemintouse.Theimplementationstage—stage3oftheiterativeprocess—ishighlightedinFigure7.2andiswhenyoutailoryourcampaignaroundhowyoufitinthemarket.

Figure7.2FocusontheThirdStageintheSMMProcess

Inthissectionyouwilllearn:

Howtounderstandwhereyourpositionisinthemarket.

Thedifferentwaystolistentoyouraudience.

Thatcarefulconsiderationmustbegiventoyourcampaign.

Socceristhenumber-onesportintheworldbecauseofonething:goals.Onceaworld-classstrikershootsthatballtothebackofthenet,it'savictory.Asoccergamewithoutanygoalsisagamenotworthwatching;likewise,inthesportofdigitalmarketing,themoregoalsthebetter.

Weidentifiedbusinessandmarketinggoalsforsocialmediainthepreviouschapter,andwelookedatthesocialmediachannelsthatmostbusinessesuse.Sonowit'stimetochannelyourinnerdigitalmarketingstriker:Usesocialmediaplatformstoyouradvantage,listentoyouraudience,andscoresomephenomenalcampaigngoals!

UnderstandingYourFit

Asoccerplayerdoesnotplayagamewearingakitthatistwosizestoosmall.WhenpreparinganSMMplan,youneedtotakesometimetoconsiderwhereyoufitinthemarket.

Wheredoesyouraudiencehangout?Knowingwhatsocialmediachannelsareconsistentwithyouraudienceisveryimportant.Isitoneparticularchannel,suchasFacebook,orisitamixtureofvariousplatforms?

Whattoneandstyleofconversationshouldyouuse?Whilealight,funtonewouldsuitateenageaudience,itwouldnotbeappropriateforcorporateengagement.

Whowillspeakonbehalfofyourorganization?Decidingwhowilltakethereinsandbethecompany'smouthpieceisnotadecisiontobemadelightly,asresponsibilityandaccountabilityforimagemanagementwillliewiththatperson.

Whatisthekeydemographicforyourproductandhowcanyoureachit?AlloftheWquestionshavetobeasked:Whoarethepeopleinit?Whatdotheydo?Whatdotheylike?Whatistheiragegroup?Wheredotheylive?

Howwillyourespondtonegativefeedbackorcomments?Socialmediacommunicationshouldengageyouraudience,andwhiletheaimisalwaystopleasethecustomer,fromtimetotimeyoumightgetanegativereaction.Ifthishappens,don'tgetdownhearted;negativefeedbackcanbeakeylearningtool.Thatsaid,youwillhavetodealwithit.Themosteffectivesolutionistorespondpubliclyandtaketheconversationofflineasquicklyaspossibletodiscussanyissuesone-to-onewiththecustomer.

ResourcesAsoccerteamismadeupof11players,butifallofthoseplayersarestrikers,whowilldefendthegoal?Youmayhaveawesomeideasforyoursocialmediastrategy,butyouneedtoevaluatewhatresourcesyouhaveinordertomakesurethateveryaspectofyourstrategywillbecovered.

PeopleandSkills

ThepeopleassignedtotheSMMstrategyneedtobemadeaccountableforshaping,developing,anddrivingthestrategy.Wheninitiatingyourstrategy,figureoutwhethercurrentteammemberspossesstheabilitiestoseeyourplanthrough,orwhethertraining,up-skilling,orhiringnewstaffmembersisnecessary.

Inthesamewaythatnotallsoccerplayersarestrikers,SMMteammembersplaydifferentpositions.Youwillneedpeoplewhocantakeonmanagementduties,peoplewhocanengagewithcustomersonaone-to-onebasis,peopletotakecontrolofIT,andpeopletooverseefinances.

Budget

AnSMMstrategyisacyclicalprocessandbudgetiscertainlysomethingthatneedstobereviewedfrequently.Checkinganalyticsisessential;ifyoufindthattheinitialprojectionforyourbudgetistoohighortoolow,actionwillhavetobetaken.

ListeningLaunchingyourSMMstrategycanbenerve-racking.Infact,it'squitelikethestartofanewrelationship.Whenyouinitiateyourstrategy,rememberthis:Beagoodfirstdate.

Agooddateisonewholistens.Listeningtoyourcustomersisreallyimportant,becauseyoucanlearnsomuchfromthem.Thefactorstobeawareofwhenlisteningare:

Whatchannelstouse.

Whattoneandstyletoadopt.

Whetheryouaregettingdifferentkindsofresponsesfromdifferentdemographics.

Whoaretheinfluencersofyourtargetaudienceandcanyouleveragethem?

Bylisteningtoyouraudience,youfindoutalotaboutyourcompetitorstoo—thereisnohidingonsocialmedia!Checkouthowyourtargetaudiencereactsandengageswithyourcompetitors'socialmediastrategiesandlearnfromtheirsuccesses(andfailures).

InfluencersThere'sareasonwhythetownmayorholdspublicforums:Agoodmayorwantstokeepallofhisorhertownsfolkhappy—andwantstostayinpower.Whenyouidentifykeyinfluencersandlistentothem,theycanhelpyou,andinreturnyoucangivethemtheproducttheywant.

EngagewithHappyCustomers

Customerswhohavehadapositiveexperiencewithyourbrandalreadylikeyourbrand.Whentheytalkaboutyoupositively,lookafterthem.Likewhat

theysay,commentonpositivefeedback,andwhenpossible,rewardthem.

EngagewithUnhappyCustomers

Whileit'seasytojustignorecomplaintsonsocialmedia,don't!Ifyousolveanunhappycustomer'sproblemandwinhisfavor,thereisgreatpotentialforthatcustomertobecomeabigadvocateofyourbrand.

FindandEngagewithNewCustomers

Identifypotentialcustomerswhohavecomplainedaboutacompetitororserviceandapproachthemwithasolutiontotheirissues.

Thereasonyoulistenistofindoutwhatexactlythecustomerwants—thenyoucanfigureoutexactlywhattodeliver.Therearetwomainwaysoflistening:Beingreactiveorbeingproactive.

BeingReactiveTwitteruserAlexaBurrowssentaseeminglyrandomtweetlamentingtheendofherholidayandjokinglyaskedairlinecompanyJetBlueforawelcomehomeparade.JetBlue'sSMMteamwaslisteningandhadtheexceedinglycleverideatoarrangeawelcomehomeparty.How'sthatforservice?Whenyoureplydirectlytosocialmediauserswhotagyouinposts,youbuildaudiencetrust.Sobyaddressingandsolvingtheirproblems,youopenthedoortogainingloyalcustomers.

Figure7.3AnExampleofReactiveTweetingfromJetBlueSource:Twitter.

BeingProactiveBeingproactivemeansworkingwithforesight.Duringyoursearchfornewcustomers,lookforwaystoconvincethemthatyouhavethebestservice.WestJet,anotherairline,startedanincrediblecampaignoffline.TheysetupastallataboardinggateandaskedpassengerswaitingfortheirflightwhattheywouldlikeforChristmas.Whentheylanded,wrappedgiftsappearedontheluggagecarousel—allofthepresentsthatthepassengershadwishedfor.Toseethecampaignforyourself,typeWestJetChristmasMiracleintoYouTube(don'tforgetyourhankie!).

LuckilyforWestJet,theyhavetheresources(nottomentionthefinances)toarrangesuchaneffectiveproactivelisteningploy,butevenifyourbudgetdoesnotstretchtocampaignslikethis,youcancertainlytakeinspirationfromit.

ToolsInthesamewaythatyoucanGoogleanyquestionandfindtheanswerinamatterofmilliseconds,oneofthegreatbeautiesofthedigitalworldisthatthereareanumberoftoolsyoucanemploytohelpyoulistentoyouraudienceandfindoutwhattheyaresayingaboutyou.Topsy,Klout,Mention,andGoogleAlertsaresomeofthebestlisteningtoolsonthemarket.

ContentPlanningYoushouldletyourdatedothetalkingoverthatfirstcupofcoffee.Bylisteningtotheirlikesanddislikes,you'llhavealltheinformationneededtoreallywoothemthenexttimeyoumeet!Thesamegoesforpayingattentiontopeopleinyouraudience:Byreallylisteningtothemyoucangainalotofimportantinsights,suchaswhattheythinkofyourproductandwhatneedsimprovement.This,inturn,willhelpyoufigureoutwhattypeofcontenttopostonyoursocialmediaplatforms.Andonceyouhavethatfiguredout,youcanbegintoformulateyourcontentplanfollowingeachofthesefourstages:

1. Planitout.AsyoulearnedinSMMpart1,schedulingisveryimportant.Createaformalscheduleandsticktoitascloselyasyoucan.Carefullyconsiderhowoftenyoucanpostoneachsocialmediaplatformandalwaystrackeachpost.

2. Integrate.Yoursocialmediaplandoesnotstandapartfromyouroverallmarketingcampaign—ithastobelinkedtoeveryotheraspectofthecampaign.

3. Manage.Usetools,suchasHootsuite,SocialOomph,andSendible,toschedulesocialmediapostsandupdates.Usingtoolslikethesewillalsoallowyoutomonitorthelevelofengagementeachpostattractsandhowmanypostsisenough(ortoomuch).

4. Adapt.Sometimesyouspillredwinealloveryourmother-in-law'swhitedressandsometimesyouforgettoscheduleatweet—buthey,thesethingshappen.Inunforeseencircumstances,youneedtobepreparedtotakeownershipoftheproblem,assessyoursituation,andcomeupwithawaytorectifythemissedopportunity.

Whencreatingyourcontentplan,keepthesequestionsinmind:

Whatisthepurposeofmysocialmediaactivity?

WhoexactlydoIwantto“like”mypage?

Whatcontentwillmyaudiencefindvaluable?

ShouldIcreateacontentcalendar?

HowoftenshouldIpost?

Andmostimportantly:

Whatcontentwillmyaudienceengagewith?

B2BversusB2CContent

Inthecontextofsocialmediacontent,thinkpeople-to-peopleratherthanbusiness-to-business.Don'taimyourcontentatafacelesscompany,wheninrealityyouaredealingdirectlywithaperson.

Inthesamevein,thinkofthemarketasacommunityanddelivercontentthatwillinterestandengageitsmembers.Shortandsnappyvideotestimonialsarefantasticformsofcontent.Nontypicalsuccessstoriesworkreallywellforthistypeofapplication.Forexample,insteadofpostingavideobasedonayoung,privilegedHarvardgradmakingmillionsofdollars,usean80-year-oldgrandmotherinstead!

Infographicsarealsoapowerfulmethodofcompressingalotofinformationintoonepost—informationthatyouknowwillbothinterestthepeopleinyouraudienceand(hopefully)encouragethemtoshare.Takenoteofthefollowingfactorswhenplanningyourcontentforeachbusinessapproach:

B2B B2CB2B?ThinkP2P ProductorserviceupdatesCommunity CommunityEducation PhotosIndustryupdates EntertainmentTestimonials CustomerstoriesShortvideos EventsInfographics OffersordealsCustomerPOV Shortvideos

InfographicsCustomerPOV

ContentScheduling

Thebestwaytoprepareyourcontentistobreakitdownintoaschedule.TakethechartinFigure7.4asanexample.

Figure7.4FacebookandTwitterPostSchedulingChart

Thereareanumberofconsiderationsforschedulingcontent.Thinkaboutwhichnetwork(s)topostto,whattoneofvoiceworksbestforeach,andwhattimeofdayisbesttoreachyourtargetaudience.Don't‘contentburst’—itisbetterpracticetostaggeryourupdatessoasnottooverwhelmyourcustomerswithaflurryofposts.

PlatformSpecificity

ThereisnomonogamyinSMM!Youhavegottoknowandloveeachplatform—andtheneachofthemwillloveyouback.Differentplatformshavedifferentneedsandrestrictions.Twitterpostshavealimitof140characters,Instagramismosteffectivewhenusingmultiplehashtags,andcertaintimesofthedayarebetterforpostingcertaintypesofcontent.TakeaquicklookatFigure7.5,whichshowsapostmapforFacebookandTwitterandlaysoutthebesttimestopublishcertaintypesofcontent.

Figure7.5BestTimestoPublishbyContent

Postschedulingofcourse,isnotacut-and-dryprocess,soit'salwaysagoodideatouseyourschedulingtooltoreviewwhattimesandtypesofpostsworkbestforyouraudienceoneachnetwork.

ActionPlan

InorderforanySMMcampaigntobesuccessful,youmustacknowledgetheconstraintsthatyourbusinesshasinrelationtothetimeframeavailable:Don'tsetadeadlineunlessyouknowyoucandeliver.Examinetheresourcesyouhaveatyourdisposal—forexample,certainpartsoftheplanmayrequireparticularskillsets;doyouhaveastaffmemberwhocanperformthosetasks?YoucanthinkabouttheactionsrequiredtoimplementtheplanonceyouhaveconsideredtheothercriteriainFigure7.6.

Figure7.6FactorsAffectinganSMMActionPlan

MarketingGoals

Yourgoalswilldifferaccordingtowhichmarketingrouteyoutake.Businessgoalsshouldbesetforleadgeneration,sales,orcostreduction.Forcustomerservice,yourgoalsmaybeaboutsatisfactionratings,referrals,orrepeatbusiness.Ifyouarethinkingintermsofyourproduct,perhapsyourgoalswillrelatetoproductresearch,design,orenhancement.Whenyouthinkaboutcommunication,thinkaboutbrandpersonalityandreputationmanagement.Nomatterwhatmarketingroadyoudecidetogodown,alwayskeepbranding,awareness,engagement,responserate,leadgeneration,andconversionintheforefrontofyourmind.

Onceyousetyourmarketinggoals,thenextstepistochoosethespecificKPIsforeachgoal.WithrespecttoFacebook,forexample,decidewhatyourKPIsareforleadgeneration—anddothesameforTwitter,LinkedIn,andthelike.

SocialKPIswillbedeterminedbyengagementandadvertising.Forexample,withrespecttoengagementindicatorsyoumaylookatelementssuchasreachandfollows;foradvertisingindicators,impressionsandclicksmayprovethemostimportant.TakealookatthecomprehensivelistofengagementandadvertisingKPIsbelow.

Engagementindicators Advertisingindicators

Reach ImpressionsFollows ClicksTrending CPCLikes,shares,comments ConversionsRT(retweet),favorites,replies ConversionsDirectmessages RegistrationsClick-throughonposts RSVPsCompetitionentries AppinstallsOfferredemptions Conversions

QualityScaleofInteraction

Justasadatelaughingatyourjokesdoesn'tguaranteeagoodbyekiss,forsocialmedia,there'sabigdifferencebetweensomebodylikingaFacebookpostandgettingherinvolvedintheconversation.AsshowninFigure7.7,theLikefeatureonFacebookisthelowestlevelofinteractionafteractuallyviewingthepost,andeventhoughthefeatureisnotonallsocialmediaplatforms,it'sstillagoodwaytogaugethequalityscaleofinteraction.

Figure7.7QualityScaleofSocialMediaInteraction

Theultimategoalofpostingsomethingonsocialmediaisthatyouraudiencewillseeit,engagewithit,andspreadtheword.Eachchannelisuniqueandeachhasdifferentqualitiesthatyouneedtounderstand.Aswecontinue

throughthechapter,let'sexamineeachoneinmoredetail.

FacebookStrategyandAdvertisingIfsocialmediaplatformswerehighschoolstereotypes,Facebookwouldbethehomecomingqueen.

Withover1billionusers,Facebookrulesthesocialmediaroost.ButFacebookismorethanjustaprettyface;itisanextremelyeffectiveadvertisingtoolandoneofthechannelsusedforstage3ofourprocess,highlightedinFigure7.8.ThissectionwillburrowdeepdowntothecoreofFacebookadvertisingandattheconclusionyouwill:

BefamiliarwithallofthedifferenttypesofadsyoucanrunfromFacebook.

Learntheskillsrequiredtosegmentandtargetdifferentaudiences.

UnderstandthemechanicsofcreatingasuccessfulFacebookad.

Figure7.8FocusontheThirdStageintheSMMProcess

Evenifyouwouldprefertohangoutunderthebleachers,whenyouareinbusinessyouhavetobeinwiththein-crowd—otherwise,yousimplyfallbehind.Facebookisanincredibletoolfordeliveringmessagestoyouraudience:Youarenotrestrictedincharactercount,unlikeonTwitter,soyoucanpostalotofinformationinonego.

FacebookPageStrategyThegoalofhavingaFacebookpageistoincreaseinteractions.Why?BecausethemoreinteractionsyourFacebookpagehas,thecheaperyouradswillbe.WhenFacebookcanactuallyseethetypeofpeoplethatareinteractingandengagingwithyourposts,theydon'thavetotargettherightkindofpeopleonyourbehalf.

IncreasingYourEngagementLevel

SohowcanyougrowyourFacebookprofiletoattractmorecustomers?

Postconsistentlyandregularly.Scheduleyourpostsforwhenthemajorityofyouraudienceisonline.

Useacalendartoplanahead.Planningyourpostsensuresthey'reinlinewithyourmarketingcommunicationgoals.

Targetyourposts.Segmentyouraudienceintodemographicgroupsandadjustyourmessagingaccording.Yourpostswillonlybeshowntothosefanswhomatchaspecifictargetingcriteria.

Useimageryandvideos.Facebookaudiencesloveimages,andwiththeautoplayfeature,morevideosarenowbeingconsumedonFacebookthanYouTube.

HowtoPostConsistentlyandRegularly

TakealookatFigure7.9.Thereissomuchthatyoucandowithonesmalltextbox—addimages,showavideo,createanoffer,andevenshowemotion.

Figure7.9FacebookPostingFacility

Source:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Byclickingthelittlearrowbesidethebluepostbutton,youcanschedulepoststoguaranteethatasteadystreamofcontentisbeingpublished.Besuretodedicatesometimetoorganizescheduling,andreturnatanothertimetorespondtoanyinteractions.

SelectYourAudienceCarefully

ThereallycoolthingaboutFacebookisbeingabletodirectyourpoststoaveryspecificdemographic.Ifyouwantedtoletthecheerleadersknowtherewasabiggamecomingup,youwouldnotannounceittotheentireschool!ThesamegoesforselectinganaudienceonFacebook.Ifyouarepromotingaproductgearedtowardswomenintheir30s,youcanselectthatdemographicspecifically.

Youcanbeverypreciseaboutwhomyouchoosetoviewaparticularpost.Youcannarrowitrightdownto:

Gender

Relationshipstatus

Educationalstatus

Age

Location

Language

Interests

Say,forexample,yourbusinessisrelatedtowellnessandyouarereleasingaproductrelatedtomen'shealth.Byspecificallyaimingthepostadvertisingtheproducttoyourmalecustomers,yougostraighttothetargetaudience.

HaveaHeart!

Whenposting,usethefeaturesthatallowyoutoaddemotionsandverbstodescribehowyouarefeeling.Facebookhasaddedthisoptionforareason:Peoplerespondtoemotionandtheyappreciateapersonaltouch.Stayingwiththepersonaltheme,itisagoodideatopublishbehind-the-scenesphotographsofyourcompany.Ithelpscustomersrelatetothecompanyonadeeperlevel.

ThisoptionshowsjusthowincredibleFacebookisasadigitalmarketingtool.Companiesdonothavetobefacelessinstitutionsanymore:Lettingcustomersinonthepeoplebehindthecompanybringsthemclosertothebrand.

WhenthePriceIsRight

Whileit'struethatFacebookisafantastictoolforbusinessestogetnewclientsandgeneraterevenue,itisgettinghardertoreachyouraudienceforanumberofreasons.

UsersbegantocomplainthattheirNewsFeedswerebecomingcloggedupwithpromotionalcontentandFacebooklistened.OverthepastfewyearsFacebookhasreducedthenumberofpeoplewhoactuallyseeapost,eveniftheyarefansofyourpage.

Facebookdidnotjustchangeitsalgorithmforthegoodofitsusers—itsawafinancialbenefitforitself.

Rightnow,becauseofupdatestoFacebook'sEdgeRankalgorithm,ordinaryuserswillseelesspromotionalcontentontheirnewsfeeds.Infact,only8percentofpeoplewho“like”yourpagewillseeapost.Thatisanextremelylowpercentage,butthereisasolution—adaptandpay.TogetanysignificantimpactoutofFacebook,youneedtospendmoneywithFacebook.

BoostingYourPostTherearemanydifferentwaystoadvertiseonFacebook,butlet'sstartwithboosting—themechanismthatallowsyoutosellwithoutselling.

BoostingapostistheeasiestformofFacebookadvertisingandit'sanextremelyusefulonetouseduringanimportantpromotion.ItisagoodwaytointroduceyourselftoFacebookAdsandtolearnhowitworks.

Theprocessissimple;followthesethreesteps:

1. ClicktheBoostPostbuttonunderthetextbox.

2. Choosewhichaudienceyouwanttotarget.

3. Choosehowmuchyouwanttospendandhowmanydaysyouwanttoboostthepostfor.

It'sworthbeingstrategicaboutwhichpostsyouboost.Viewyourposthistorytoseethetypesofpostspeopleinteractwith,howmanypeopleviewvideoposts,andwhichtypeofpostsgetthemostshares.Popularpoststhathaven'tbeenboostedgiveagoodindicationofhowwellthattypeofpostwoulddoifitweretobeboosted.WhenyouarestartingoutandfamiliarizingyourselfwithFacebookadvertising,boostatleastonceaweek.ThiswillletFacebookknowthatyouareaspenderratherthansomeonewhousestheplatformforfree.

FacebookAdsBoostingmaybetheeasiestwaytobringattentiontoyourFacebookpage,

buttherearemultipleotheradvertisingroutestotakeandallofthemserveaspecificpurpose.TheadinFigure7.10isdesignedtoencouragepeopletoclickthroughtothewebsite.PayattentiontothewordSponsoredinthetopleft-handcorner.ThiswordappearsoneveryFacebookadsothatpeoplewillknowthattheposthasbeenpaidfor.TheadinFigure7.11isavideoad—seethatlittleplaybuttonontheimage?Thisisagoodwaytoprovideyourtargetaudiencewitheducationalcontent—ideasthattheycanshare.

Figure7.10ClickstoWebsiteFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.11VideoViewsFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

TheadinFigure7.12isanadwithaUseAppbutton(bottomright)thatencouragespeopletoinstallanapp.Figure7.13isanexampleofaneventad—whichisaninterestingadtype,asitlivesonlinebutgivesyouthechancetomeetyourcustomersinperson.Andfinally,Figure7.14illustratesanothertypeofad—theoffer.Thisisapopulartypeofad,asitprovidessomethingusefultothecustomeranditenablesyoutocollectusefulinformation,suchasemailaddresses.

Figure7.12AppInstallsFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.13EventResponseFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.14OfferClaimsFacebookDesktopAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

AdsManager

TheAdsManagerfunctionallowsyoutosetupanytypeofadyouchoose.Beforeyoucanuseit,however,youneedtocreatethead,sothatyoucanregisteryourcreditcarddetails.Therewillcomeastagewhenyoumayhavemultipleadsrunningatthesametime—andhereiswherePowerEditorcomesin.PowerEditoristhemostconvenientplaceformanagingyourads,allowingyoutomanagealladsinoneplaceandtomakechangesveryeasily.Beaware,however,thatPowerEditorcanonlybeusedwiththeGoogleChromebrowser.

AudienceInsights

AudienceInsightshelpsyoutodefinethesizeofyourtargetmarketandtotargetadsmorespecificallytoyouraudience.Narrowdownyouraudiencebychoosingfromarangeofoptions,includinginterestsandbehaviors,age,gender,location,workinformation,relationshipstatus,andfamily.Checkout

theBehaviorsfeatureofAudienceInsights,whichallowsyoutospecificallychoosepeoplewhohavealreadyspentmoneyonFacebook.Italsoallowsyoutosegregatehigher-than-averagespendsonFacebook—prettynifty,right?

Thefirststepistochooseyouraudience,asshowninFigure7.15.

Figure7.15ChooseyourAudienceforFacebookInsightsSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Next,defineyouraudienceattributes.Youwillseefromyourdemographicswhatkindofpeoplearealreadyonyourpage.InFigure7.16youcanseethat49percentofusersarefemaleandthat25percentofthosewomenareinthe25-to-34agecohort.

Figure7.16FacebookUserDemographicsSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Thenifyouwanttogetreallyspecific,youneedtotargetyouraudienceaccordingtolifestyle.Forexample,ifyouareinthebusinessofpensions,youmightwanttotargettheRaisin'Grandkidslifestylegroup,asseeninFigure7.17.

Figure7.17FacebookInsightsLifestyleReportSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Objectives

Whenyoufirstcreateanad,Facebookwilldisplayalistofobjectivesforyoutochoosefrom,asillustratedinFigure7.18.

Figure7.18ChoosinganObjectiveforaFacebookAdSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Choosingwhichobjectiveisbestdiffersfrombusinesstobusiness.Ifyoursoleobjectiveistoincreasethenumberofclientsyouhave,comparevarioustypesofadstodiscoverwhicharegivingyouthemaximumROI.ThebestwaytodothatistousePowerEditor,whichallowsyoutomonitormultipletypesofadsallatonceandcomparetheROIsofeach.Whenyouhavediscoveredthebestwaytomakemorethanyouarespending,you'llknowwhichobjectiveisbestforyou.

Audience

Afteryouhavedecidedonyourobjective,thenextstepisdecidingwhomtotarget.Onceyouchoosethespecifics—age,location,gender,educationlevel,andinterests—takenoteofthespeedometerontheright.

Makesurethatthepinissmackbanginthemiddleofthespeedometer,asinFigure7.19—ifitistoofartotheright,yourreachwillbetoobroad;toofartotheleftandyourreachwillbetoospecific.Theaimistohaveanevenlydefinedaudience.Youwillhavetotestdifferentthingstocenterthepin,suchaschangingthelevelofeducationoraddingmoreintereststomakesurethat

pinishittingthe12o'clockmark.

Figure7.19FacebookSpeedometerAdTargetingGaugeSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

AdvancedTraining

Facebook'scustomtargetingfunctionallowsyoutoreachahighlyspecificaudience.Thecatchis,youmusthaveanemaildatabase.Byuploadingemailaddressesfromyourdatabase,Facebookwillbeabletorunanadcampaignthatwillappearrightinfrontofthosepeople.Notonlythat,Facebookgivesyoutheoptionofdisplayingyouradtothosewhomatchthelikesandinterestsofthoseonyouremaillist,andthiscanbedonewhetherthey“like”yourpageornot.

AnotherfantasticfeatureistheFacebookpixel,whichremarketstopeoplewhomayhavevisitedyourwebsitebecauseofaFacebookadbutwhodidnot

fulfillyourcalltoaction(CTA).Installingthepixelwillassistinbringingvisitorsbacktoyourwebsiteandinfindingnewcustomerswhofityourtargetaudiencespecifications.Alwaysperformsplittestingwithyouradstoworkoutwhichoneisgettingabetterresponse.RunatleasttwoadsatthesametimeanduseacombinationofmultipleimagesandvariousCTAbuttonstodocomparisonssoyoucanseewhatisandisnotworking.

WritingtheAd

Onceyouhavelockeddownthetypeofadyouwishtocreateandtheaudienceyouwishtotarget,it'stimetowriteyourad.Writingyouradfollowsthesamerulesasanytypeofadvertising—aneye-catchingheadlineandcompellingtext—buttherearelimits.Theheadlinecanbeupto25charactersandthetextupto90characters.Ifyouarestuckforideas,“like”thepagesofyourcompetitors.Bydoingso,theiradswillappearinyourrightcolumnandonyourcellphone.Payattentiontothreadsthatarebeingrunoftenbecausetheyaremostlikelytobeperformingwell,meaningthecopyiswellwrittenandengaging.

BudgetSetting

Todefineyourad,decideonthedailybudgetandthemaximumbudgetperinteraction,page“like,”andlinkclick.Fromthis,setascheduletodeterminehowlongthecampaignisgoingtolast.Beforerunningacampaignoveralongperiodoftime,testitbyrunningitforaweektoseewhatworks.Edit,modify,andimproveituntilyouaresureitisprimedandreadytogo.

ReportsandInsights

TheReportsandInsightsfunctionnotonlydetailsyourresults,butalsotrackshowwellyouradperformed.YoucansetascheduleinFacebooktoreceivereportswithyouradresultsviaemailataspecifictimesothatyouneverforgettomonitoradperformance.

Places

Ifyourbusinessisaphysicallocation,registeritonFacebookPlacessothatyourcustomerscancheckin.Eachcheck-inismarkedasavisitonyourFacebookpage,anduserscantagphotos,statusupdates,videos,andsoonfromyourlocation.

FacebookGroupsAsidefromadvertising,FacebookGroupsistheonlyotherelementofFacebookwhereyoucangenerateanincomefromyourclientbase,asadsare

notyetlimited.Betterstill,it'sfree!

Groupscanbeclosed(usersmustsubmitarequesttojoin),secret(userscanonlybeinvitedtojoin),orpublic(opentoeveryonewhowishestojoin).Facebookgroupsareusefulforanumberofreasons:Youcandevelopanetworkoflike-mindedusers,collaboratewithindustrypeers,orjustbepartofacommunitythatislinkedtoyourbusinessandlistentowhatisgoingon.Tryjoininganumberofgroupstofigureoutwhatisdrivingdiscussionandthencreateyourownbasedonyourfindings.

AppsThebenefitofaddingappstoyourFacebookpageisessentiallytomakeitamirrorforyourwebsite.AnexampleofausefulappisanHTMLtab.Thiscanbeusedforamenuifyourunarestaurantorapricelistforaservicesuchasahairsalon.Itisalsopossibletosettabsforwebinars,forsellingproducts,foranopt-inpage(wherepeoplecansignupforfreegifts),oraContactUsform.

Ingeneral,youcandoanythingthatyoucandoonyourwebpageonyourFacebookpagebyusingthird-partyapps.Tonamethreeexamples,youcanhostaYouTubechannelusingProbistorCueler,runcontestsusingWoobox,orhostawebpagewithinyourpageusingThunderpenny.

AbusinessthatdoesnotpossessaFacebookpageisatahugedisadvantage.AbusinessthatdoesnotusetheadvertisingmechanicsofitsFacebookpageshouldnotbeinbusiness!Socialmediaadvertisingmaybearelativelynewformat,butitisextremelyimportant.Facebookisthetopdogatthemoment,butthatdoesnotmeanthatitshouldbetheonlyone.Aslongastherearesocialmediaplatforms,thereareopportunitiestopromoteyourbusiness.Let'smoveontothenextsectionandseewhatLinkedIncandoforyou.

LinkedInAdvertisingIfFacebookisSocialMediaHighSchool'squeenbee,LinkedInisthatwhizkidwhomadeamilliondollarsbeforesheevengraduated.

LinkedInisdifferentfromothersocialmediaplatformsbecausetheaudienceitattractsisalreadyaspecifictarget:theworkforce.

TheaverageuseronLinkedInearnsover$100,000,makingitthemostimportantsocialmediaplatformforthecorporateworld.Whywouldn'tyouadvertiseonthisplatform?

InthissectionwewillnavigatethroughthewaysyoucanuseLinkedIntopromoteyourbusiness,andbytheendofityouwill:

Beadeptatjoiningandcreatinggroups.

Knowthebestpracticestoensurestrongengagementwithingroups.

UnderstandthebestwaystosearchforajobonLinkedInandtofindyournexthire.

MasterthemechanicsofcreatingthevarioustypesofadvertisementsonLinkedIn.

Ifyouhaveabusinessthatthrivesonindustrydiscussion,youcannotneglectLinkedIn.WhileitmaynotbeasfunasFacebookorTwitter,itisextremelyusefulformakingvitalconnectionswithotherleadersinyourindustry.HavingapresenceonLinkedInnotonlyprovesyouareseriousinandaboutyourindustry,butalsocouldattractthenextbrightsparktojoinyourteam.

LinkedInGroupsLinkedIngroupsareverysimilartoFacebookgroups:Youcanjointhosethatalreadyexistoryoucancreateyourown.TherearetwotypesofLinkedIngroups:private(yousubmitarequesttojoinorareinvitedtojoin)andpublic(anyonecanjoin).ThediscussionsthattakeplaceinLinkedIngroupsareledbythoseintheindustry,andthebestdiscussionsarethosethatreallyengagethegroup.Somegroupsallowyoutopostpromotionsortorunadvertisementsforjobswhenyouarehiring.Andwhenyoumastertheartofengagingdiscussion,youcanpostthesepromotionsseamlesslyinyourgroup.

LeaderofthePack

Byparticipatingingroupdiscussionsregularlyanddeliveringqualityinput,yougrowyourpositionasatopcontributor.Thishighlevelofengagementindiscussionsisthebest—andfastest—waytogrowyournumberofconnectionsonLinkedIn.

Sohowcanyouconnectwithgroupcolleagueswhohavesimilarinterests?LinkedInConnect.Toconnectwithlike-mindedLinkedInusers,simplytypeinthekeywordsforthetypeofgroupyouareinterestedin,andwhenthelistappearsitwillshowwhichgroupsyoubelongtoandwhichofyourcontactsalsobelong.Thenjustjoinadiscussion,becomeknowninthegroup,andworkyourdigitalmarketingmagic.

Creatingagroupisalsosimple.JustnavigatetotheCreateaGroupbutton,asshownatthebottomofFigure7.20.Whenyouclickonit,namethegroup,decideonthegrouptype(publicorprivate),giveasummaryofwhatthegroupisabout,andinsertalinktoyourwebsite.

Figure7.20HowtoCreateaLinkedInGroupSource:LinkedIn.

GroupAccess

Dependingonwhetheryouwantanexclusive,invitation-onlygrouporonethatwillacceptanyonewhoisinterested,setthegrouptoeitherpublicorprivate.Youcanalsosetmembershippoliciesandyoucanpreapprovemembersbyemailaddressoremaildomain.

Promote

WhenyouarestartingoutinaLinkedIngroup,getinvolved,learntheinsandouts,andgetthegeneraldiscussiongoing.Onlywhenyouhavegotintothediscussionflowshouldyoupromoteyourpost.Again,it'sveryeasytodo.AtthebottomoftheStartaDiscussionboxshowninFigure7.21,youcanchoosethetypeofdiscussion(general,job,orpromotion)—justselectthePromotionbuttonwhenyouwishtopromote!Createthetitleanddetailsaroundthat.

Figure7.21StartaLinkedInDiscussionandChooseDiscussionTypeSource:LinkedIn.

Searching

Tosearchforcompanies,jobs,orgroups,usethelargesearchfieldontheverytopofaLinkedInpage,illustratedinFigure7.22.Tolookspecificallyforpeople,usetheadvancedsearchfunction,whichistotherightofthemagnifyingglassicon.

Best-PracticeTipsforSearchingforPeopleonLinkedIn

ThebeautyofLinkedInisthatyoucanreallyhitthebull's-eyewhensearchingforpeople.Thewaytodothisistousequotationmarkstogetspecificresultsaboutaspecifictypeofperson.Forexample,ifyouarelookingforasocialmediamanager,searchfor“socialmediamanager.”Typeorbetweentermsifyouarelookingformultiplesynonymsforskillsorjobtitles.

TakealookatFigure7.23toseeexactlyhowitworks.AsyoucanseeintheTitletextbox,thetitlesocialmediamanagerisenclosedinquotationmarkswiththewordORwrittenafterit(afterthatissomethinglike“communitymanager”or“digitalmarketingmanager,”alsoenclosedinquotationmarks).

Figure7.23StrategiesforLinkedInAdvancedSearchSource:LinkedIn.

Youcanalsoexcludeclassesofpeoplefromajobsearch.Ifyoudon'twanttrainees,forexample,justtypetheword“not.”Thatwayyoucanfilterresultsandcomeupwithonlythekindofpeoplethatyouarelookingfor.

Figure7.22LinkedInSearchFieldandAdvancedSearchFunctionSource:LinkedIn.

LinkedInPremium

ALinkedInpremiumaccounthasextrafeaturesforbusinessprofessionals.Forone,youhaveaccesstomoreprofileswhenyousearch(youcanonlyseeupto100profilesonafreeaccount).Inaddition,youcanseewhohasviewedyourprofileinsightsoverthepast90days,saveimportantprofiles,andaddnotestoprofilesusingtheprofileorganizer.

ThereareevenhigherlevelsaboveLinkedInPremium:WiththeLinkedInRecruiterandLinkedInSalesNavigatoroptions,youcanseethefullprofilesofanybodyontheLinkedInnetwork,regardlessofwhetherthey'reaconnection.

UsingLinkedIntoSearchforaJobOneofthemainpurposesofLinkedInistosearchforandapplyforjobs.Basedonauser'sprofile,LinkedInwillsuggestthemostappropriatejobstoeachmemberandwillalertmembersaboutnew,relevantjobsbyemail.IfyouhaveaLinkedInpremiumaccount,yourapplicationcanbeflaggedasafeaturedapplicant,sothatyouwillstandout.Premiummemberscanalsogetinsightsaboutjobrolesbeforetheyevensubmitajobapplication.BusinessescanadvertisejobsonLinkedInandreceiveapplicationsthroughbothtraditionalCVsandtheirLinkedInprofiles.

Tolookforajob,typethejobtitlebykeywordorcompanynameandthenfillintherestoftheinformation,suchasthelocationinwhichyouwouldliketoworkandthesizeofthecompanyandtheindustryyouareinterestedin.ClickFinishandLinkedIncanworkfromthere.

UsingLinkedIntoFindYourNextHireAsseeninFigure7.24,LinkedInguaranteesatleast10applicantsforeveryjobthatyoupost,anditwillmanagethejobapplicationprocessandgiveyouarankingofeachapplicationbasedontheapplicant'sprofileversusthejobdescription.Yourjobadwillalsobepromotedonappropriatecandidates'newsfeedsandbyemailupdate.

Figure7.24PostingaJobonLinkedInSource:LinkedIn.

TopostajobonLinkedIn,firstchooseyourcompanybytypingitintothetextboxandselectingitfromthelist.Next,chooseajobtitlesothatLinkedIncanbettermatchyourjobwithpotentialapplicants.Writeyourjobdescriptionanddetailsandchoosewhetheryouprefertoreceiveapplicationsdirectlyviaemailoratyourcompany'scareersite.

LinkedInAdvertisingLinkedInadsenableyoutotargetLinkedInmembersbasedonanumberofdemographiccriteria:location,age,gender,company,education,industry,jobtitle,andevenaspecificjobfunction.

Whendecidingonthecostofthead,youaregiventwooptionstobidforyourads:costperclick(CPC)orcostperthousandimpressions(CPM).Beforeyougainexperience,becarefulwhenchoosingwhichoptionyouwant.ManypeoplethinkthatchoosingtopayforCPMisthebetteroptionbecauseitlookscheaper;however,bearinmindthatanimpressionisdefinedaseverytimetheadisshown.So,evenifyouchoosetopay$2per1000impressions,thesamepersonmightseetheadmultipletimes—inwhichcasemanyoftheseimpressionswillnotresultinanyactionbeingtaken.UntilyougetreallygoodatyouradsuseCPC,becauseatleastthenyouknowthatyouaregettingclicks.CPMbecomesmuchmorevaluablewhenyouknowhowtowriteanadthatgetspeopletoclick.Whendecidingonasuggestedbidrange,gotothehigherendofthescale.Why?BecauseLinkedInthenknowsyouare

serious.TheSuggestBidRangefieldhelpsyoutochooseanumberbasedoncompetingbidsfromotheradvertisers.Bybiddingahighernumber,notonlywillyououtbideverybodyelse,youwillgetpreferentialtreatmentfromLinkedIn—andyoustillwon'tactuallypaythehighestprice.

SponsoredContent

LinkedInsupportsmultipleadvertisingformats,includingsponsoredupdatesonyourcompany'sLinkedInpage,whichissimilartoFacebookboostedposts,soratherthancreatinganad,youmaysponsorcontentinstead.Simplychoosewhichpieceofcontentyouwishtopromoteandtheaudienceyouwouldliketotarget,asshowninFigure7.25.Decideonhowmuchyouwouldliketopaypercampaign,checkout,payup,andyouradisreadytogo!

BestPracticesforaStrongAd

Youradwillhavealotofcompetition—sohowdoyoumakeitstandoutfromthecrowd?Ensurethatyourheadlines,copy,andimagesareasclearandattractiveastheycanbe.Looktoyourmaincompetitionforideas:Drawinspirationfromthepicturestheyuse,andthetitlesandtextthattheywrite.

Headline.Chooseastrong,catchytitle.

Copy.Splittestyouradtotargetdifferentdemographicsanddeterminewhichadworksbest.AlwaysincludeaCTAandletpeopleknowexactlywhattheyneedtodo.Bytellingyouraudiencetodosomethingspecific,youimmediatelygetahigherturnaroundrateofpeopletakingthataction.

Image.Chooseanimagethatmeanssomethingtoyouraudience:aperson,oranexampleofyourproduct,forinstance.Youonlyhave50pixelssquared,sotrytomakeitstandout.

Figure7.25SponsoringContentonLinkedInSource:LinkedIn.

SponsoredInMailCampaigns

LinkedIngivesyoutheopportunitytosenddirectemails,orInMails,towhomeveryouwant—eveniftheyarenotyourconnections.Thiscanbeverypowerful,especiallyifyouwanttotargetaparticularaudienceinalocalizedmarket.WithintheInMail,therewillbeaclickableiconthatgivestheemailrecipienttheopportunitytofollowthroughonaCTA,whichalwaysimprovesconversionrates.YoushouldnotethatsponsoredInMailcampaignsarenotavailablethroughthenormalself-serviceadvertisingplatform,toavailyourselfoftheserviceyouneedtocontactLinkedIn'smarketingsolutionsarea.

LinkedInKPIs

Choosespecificindicatorsforeachofyourmarketingcommunicationgoals:Foradvertisingindicators,usethenumberofimpressions,numberofclicks,CPC,click-throughrate(CTR),andnumberofleadsorcontactsgained.KeepacloseeyeonyourCPMandCPC.YourpersonalLinkedInaccountprovidesinformationonprofileengagementandconnections.Growthofthecompanypageandthenumberoffollowersissomethingyoucanalsomonitor,alongwiththecompanypageengagementwithposts.

AdvertisingIndicators AccountIndicators

Impressions YourPersonalLinkedInAccountClicks CompanyPageGrowthinFollowersCost-Per-Click(CPC) CompanyPageEngagementwithPostsClick-Through-Rate(CTR) Leads(contacts)

WhileFacebookmaybethetopdogwhenitcomestoSMM,LinkedInisthesmartdog.Therearenodisadvantagestoadvertisingonthisplatform;whendonerightitcanmakeyourbusinessstandoutamongstyourpeersandpotentialhires,whichcanonlybeagoodthing.

TwitterIfTwitterwereinhighschoolitwouldnotbepartofanyclique.Withitsstrictcharacterlimitations,Twitteristhesmartwisecrackerwhocandeliverawittyone-liner.ItisnotaspopularasFacebook,butstill,almosteveryonewantstohangoutwithit.Justbecausebusinessesaren'tridingonitscoattailsaswithLinkedIn,Twitterisdefinitelysomethingthatisworthyourwhiletospendtime,resources,andmoneyon.

ThissectionwilltunnelthroughhowadvertisingonTwitterisofbenefittoyourbusiness,andwhenwereachthelightattheend,youwill:

BeanexpertatcreatingallthreedifferenttypesofTwitterads.

Knowhowtoanalyzetheactivitydashboardandmeasurewhatworksbestforyou.

Beabletochoosethebesttypeoftweettopromote.

TwitterAdvertisingTherearethreemainpromotionsyoucandoonTwitter:Promoteatrendrelatingtoyourbusinessorevent,promoteyouraccounttogetmorefollowers,andpromoteatweettogetengagementsoraspecificCTA.

TakealookatFigure7.26:Itshowsapromotedtrendwiththehashtag#ILoveCoffee.Itisobviousthatitispromotedduetotheyellowarrowicon.Figure7.27suggestsacertainTwitteraccounttofollow.Figure7.28isanexampleofapromotedtweet,whichadvertisesalanguageschool.Itisquiteeasytopromoteatrendoraccount,butpromotedtweetsandTwittercardstakealittlemoreeffort.Solet'stakeacloserlook.

Figure7.26LinkedInPromotedTrendSource:Twitter.

Figure7.27UsersTwitterRecommendsthatYouFollowSource:Twitter.

Figure7.28PromotedTweetforaLanguageSchoolSource:Twitter.

ThepromotedtweetinFigure7.28hasalargeimageandaclearlydefinedlinktothewebsite,butnoCTA;thetweetitselfwouldhaveappearedonthetweetstreamofmembersofthetargetaudience.ForthistypeofTwitterad,theadvertiserischargedbyTwitteronacost-per-engagementbasis,soifTwitterusersinteractwiththissponsoredtweet—byfavoriting,replying,orretweeting,thepromoterpays.

CreatingtheAd

Thefirstthingyouareaskedtodowhencreatinganadistodecideonanameforyourcampaign.Next,choosetoeithercomposeatweet,asshowninFigure7.29,orselectatweetthatyouhavealreadywritten(usuallyonethathasreceivedthemostorganicengagements).

Figure7.29CreatingaTwitterAdSource:Twitter.

Next,selectthelocationandafterthatselectadditionaltargetingcriteria:keywords,followers,interests,tailoredaudiences,andTVtargeting.Giventhein-the-momentnatureofTwitter,TVtargetingisveryinteresting.ItallowsyoutospecificallytargetaTVprogramonaparticularnight,onaparticularchannel,andtorunyouradonlyduringthattime.AnybodywhoisdiscussingorengagingwiththatTVprogramwillthereforeseethattweetintheirstreams.

CreatingaTwitterCard

ThemostpopularformofpromotedtweetistheTwittercard,whichfeaturesaCTAtoencourageappinstalls,websitesvisits,leadgeneration,andsoforth.Thisisthebestwaytocollectemailaddresses,growfollowers,orincreaseengagementwithaparticulartweet.

CreatingaTwittercardisareallystraightforwardprocess,asillustratedbyFigure7.30.InsertyourwebsiteURL,addanimage(800×320pixels),typeinyourheadline,andchoosefromthevarietyofCTAs,suchasreadmore,shopnow,viewnow,visitnow,booknow,learnmore,playnow,betnow,donate,apply,quote,orbook.

Figure7.30CreatingaTwitterAdSource:Twitter.

GetideasforhowtodoTwittercardswellbyobservingTwittercardsthatappearinyourownstream.Theyaresuchasnappywayofgettingattention,andastheyarenotyetbeingoverused,theyareseriouslyeffectivewaystoadvertiseyourbrand.

TweetActivityDashboardAsmentionedearlierinthesection,youcanchooseapreviouslypublishedtweettouseasyourpromotion.ChoosewhichtweetisworthpromotingbylookingattheTwitterActivityDashboard,whichgivesyoualotofusefulinformation,suchashowmanyprofilevisitsyourpagehad,howmanynew

followersyougained,andhowmanytweetslinkedbacktoyou.ThegraphsinFigure7.31measureandclearlylayoutengagementrate,retweets,replies,linkclicks,andfavorites,sothatyoucananalyzeexactlywhatinformationthatyouneed.

Figure7.31TwitterActivityDashboardSource:Twitter.

TwitterKPIsIfyouarelookingatadvertisingindicators,theKPIsyoushouldmonitorareimpressions,clicks,CPC,costperengagement,andconversions.IntermsofyouraccountKPIs,observethingssuchashowmanyrepliesyougot,howmanymentions,andhowmanyfollowsorunfollows.CheckouttheselistsofthemostimportantKPIsforadvertisingandforaccounts:

AdvertisingKPIs AccountKPIsImpressions Replies

Clicks MentionsCPC Follows/unfollowsCostperengagement TweetsConversions Retweets

ClicksonaTweetDirectmessageFavorites

Trending

Twitteristheepitomeofsocietytoday.Itisfastpaced,ithasitsfingeronthepulse,anditboreseasily.WhenyoulearntheknackofproducingsnappyTwitteradsthatyouraudiencewillbehappytoclickorengagewith,youareontoawinningstrategy.WehavelookedatFacebook,LinkedIn,andTwitterinsomedepthnow,andwhileitmayseemlikekeepingupwiththeKardashiansismoremanageablethankeepingupwiththeseplatforms,don'tflakeoutonusjustyet!Thereareevenmoresocialmediaplatformswithadvertisingabilitiesthatcouldbeofmajoradvantagetoyou.Let'scarryontothenextsectionandcheckthemout.

AdditionalPlatformsAtthisstageweknowthatsocialmediaisaveritableBreakfastClub.Facebookisthemostpopular,LinkedInisthesmartone,andTwitteristheclassclown.Itdoesn'tstopthere,however;therearemanymoreplatformsoutthere,allwithdistinctidentitiesthatyoumayusetoyourdigitalmarketingadvantage.Let'swanderdownthepathofsocialmediadiscoveryandattheendofit,youwill:

BefamiliarwiththeadvertisingmechanismsofferedbyYouTube,Instagram,Pinterest,andSnapchat.

Understandwhichplatformsbestsuityourindustryandaudience.

YouTubeYouTubeneedsnointroduction—alongwithFacebookitisoneInternetsuccessstorythateveryonehasheardof.IfFacebookisthehomecomingqueen,YouTubeisitsdateattheprom!Asthewayweconsumeinformationevolves,peoplearebecomingaccustomedtousingvideoratherthantext—soifyouarenotalreadyonthevideobandwagon,youshouldbe.YouTubeisownedbyGoogleanditusestheGoogleAdWordsplatform,soinordertouseitsuccessfully,youwillneedtoberegisteredwithGoogleandcomfortablewithGoogleAdWords.

Therearethreemaintypesofadsavailable:thosethatappearinsearchresults,thosethatappearbeforevideos,andthosethatappearalongsidevideos.Takealookattheseimagestogetanideaofwheretheadswouldbeplaced.

Option1:InSearchResults

NotethehighlightedvideosinFigure7.32.Theseareadsthatappearfirst

becauseanadvertiserhaspaidforthemtoappearbeforeorganicsearchresults.

Figure7.32InSearchYouTubeAdSource:YouTube.

Option2:BeforeVideos(RollingAd)

ThistypeofadisshowninFigure7.33andplaysbeforeachosenvideo,particularlyifthatvideohasahighnumberofviews.Therewillnormallybeacountdownoffivesecondsbeforetheviewercanstoptherollingad.

Figure7.33BeforeVideoYouTubeAdSource:YouTube.

Option3:BesideVideos

AsshowninFigure7.34,ratherthanhavingyouradplaybeforeavideo,youcanplaceitontheright-handsideofthevideo.

Figure7.34BesideVideoYouTubeAdSource:YouTube.

EachadhasitsownbenefitsbuttheonlywaytofigureoutwhichmethodworksbestforyouandwhatwillbringthebestROIistotestandtestagain!

PinterestPinterestisanimage-drivensocialnetworkingsitewithover72millionactiveusers—andgrowing.Infact,itisthefastest-growingsocialnetworkplatform.Ithasafemale-dominateduserbase,soalthoughthemaleuserbaseisgrowing,itisdefinitelyworthconsideringifyouraudienceisprimarilyfemale.Interestingly,80percentofPinterestusagetakesplaceviacellphone.Itisalsoapopularplatformamongstpeopleintheir40sandover,becauseunlikeFacebookitismoreaboutsharingideasthanrevealingpersonalinformation.Inthiswayitisverygoodfordrivingtargetedtraffic.Ifthatisn'tenough,thisreasonmightconvinceyoutoadoptPinterestintoyoursocialmediacampaign—outofalltheothersocialmediasitesthatarebeingused,Pinteresthasthehighestratioofbuyers.

Let'sthinkofPinterestasthehomecomingqueen'sbestfriend—thenice,organizedonewhodecoratedthegymfortheprom.Pinterestisahobbyandideasplatform,whichcancertainlybeusedtobusinessadvantage.Infact,thereisaconversionfunctiononPinteresttoturnaregularPinterestaccountintoabusinessaccount.(Ifyoudon'talreadyhaveanaccount,youcangostraighttosettingupabusinessaccount.)

PinterestAnalytics

APinterestbusinessaccount'sanalyticspagedisplaystheaveragedailyimpressions,averageviewers,andaveragemonthlyviews.Italsogivesabreakdownofeachpinyouputup:Howmanyimpressionsitgot,thenumberofre-pins,thenumberofpeoplewhoclicked,andhowmanypeoplelikedit.

SigningUpforaPinterestBusinessAccount

Thisprocess,whichisshowninFigure7.35,startsontheleft-handsideofthepage,intheHelpPeopleDiscoverbox,withtheInstallPinItbutton(whenanimagehasaPinItoption,anyonecanpinthatimagetoaboardontheirPinterestaccounts).Next,itasksyoutoSpreadtheWordbyinstallingtheFollowMebutton.ThenyouneedtoverifyyourwebsitetoTrackWhatWorkssoyoucanstarttotrackhowmanyclicksyouaregettingdirectlyfromPinterestusers.Todothis,youwillreceiveapieceofcodetoinsertintoyourwebsite.

Figure7.35PinterestBusinessAccountSet-UpSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofPinterest.

Soyouhavegotthepinsbutwheretopinthem?Onaboardofcourse!OneofthenicethingsaboutPinterestisthatitharksbacktothegoodolddaysofpinningapostcardorshoppinglisttoacorkboardinyourkitchen.WithPinterest,however,youdon'thavetoplaceyourbathroomconversionideaswithyourinspirationsforweddingdresses—youcancreateavarietyof

differentboardsbasedarounddifferenttopics.Asfarasyourbusinessaccountinconcerned,keepitsimpletobeginwith—butsetupatleastthreeboards,oneaboutyourbusiness,oneabouthumor,oneaboutyournicheingeneralandwhat'sgoingoninyourbusiness.Keepinmindthatthehighestnumberofpoststhataresharedrelatetocats,followedbypostsaboutdogs.Soifyoucanrelateyourbusinesstocatsordogsinacleverway,doit!Guaranteedengagement.

PinterestAds

Pinteresthasrecentlylauncheditsadvertisingcampaigntoallowpeopletospendmoneyandpromotetheirpins.

Becausetheinitiativeissonew,youwillbeaskedtojointhewaitlistbeforeyoucanbegintoadvertise.Gettingonthelistisagoodthing:Anythinglikethisthat'sstillinitsinfancyprovidesagreatopportunitytostrikewhiletheironishotandgetaheadbeforeeveryoneelse.

Onceyoujointhewaitlistyouwillbeaskedhowmuchyouwanttospendonmarketingeachmonth,butthereareonlytwooptions:lessthan$20,000ormorethan$20,000.Itmightseemcrazy,butchoosethemorethan$20,000option,becausePinterestwillapproveyouraccountmuchsooner.Youdon'thavetospendthatmuchbutyoucanbegintoexperimentwithdifferentadvertisingmethodstoseewhichonesworkbest.Don'tforgetthecats.

InstagramInstagramisownedbyFacebook—it'sFacebook'slittlehipstersister!Itreallyisgearedtoyoung,trendypeopleforwhomtheircellphonesareextralimbs,soit'snosurprisethatitisprimarilycellphone–based—thescreeninFigure7.36isbeingviewedfromacellphone.Amongthe300millionactivemonthlyusers,theaverageuserusesInstagramtoshowcasehisbeautifullife;businessesarenowusingInstagramtodisplayproductsfortheseusersonlineorin-storepurchases.

Figure7.36InstagramPostViewedfromaCellPhoneSource:Instagram.

Engagementissoughtwithmultiplehashtagsthatarerelevanttoyourbrandandthosethatarebeingsearchedforalot,soitisaverygoodwaytoraisebrandawarenessandtobuildcustomerloyalty.

Instagram'sadformatisrelativelynewandyouwillneedtousethePowerEditortooltocreateanysortofad.AdsfollowthesamestructureasFacebookorTwittersponsoredposts,inthattheyappearonusers'Instagram

feedandaremarkedwiththesponsoredtag.Carouseladsarealsoanoption—theyfollowthesamestructureasaregularsponsoredpostbutmultipleimageswillrollby.

SnapchatSnapchatisaimedatayoungaudience,from13-to18-year-olds,andthereareover100millionmonthlyactiveusers,whichisahugenumberconsideredhowtargetedthedemographicis.Ifyouaretargetingpeopleinthisagecohortyoushouldstronglyconsiderthisplatform.Nomatterwhatyourcompanyorbusinessdoes,everyteenagergrowsup.BytargetingmembersoftheSnapchatgenerationearly,theymaybecomelonger-termcustomers.

TheuniqueaspectofSnapchatisthatyoucanshareaphotowithsomebodyelseanditdisappearswithin10secondsorso.Nowifthissoundsasthoughadvertisingopportunitiesareextremelylimited,thenewlyintroducedMyStorypagehasincreasedSnapchat'suseandhasmadeitfarmoreaccessibleforbrands.TheMyStoryfeatureallowsuserstocreateanarrative24hourslongbystitchingtogetheravastrangeofdisappearingphotosandvideos.It'salotofwork,buttheSnapchataudiencefullyembracesit.

AdvertisingwithSnapchatiscurrentlyonlyavailableforlarge-budget,single-daytakeoverads,butitisworthtakingalookattheTacoBellaccounttogetanideaofwhatcanbedonewithSnapchatadvertising.Withover200,000friendsonSnapchatandaspioneersinusing“MyStory”toadvertise,thefast-foodcompanyknowwhatit'sdoinganditdoesitverywell.

Comparedwiththemaincastmembers—Facebook,Twitter,andLinkedIn—socialmediaplatformsYouTube,Pinterest,InstagramandSnapchatarestillsupportingcharacters.Butsupportingcharactersoftendriveastoryline.Inthesameway,decidingwhichplatformstoutilizedependsonyouroverallstrategyandchoosingachannelthatisrelevanttoyouraudience.

Stage4:AnalyzeAvitalaspectofrunningasocialmediacampaignistomeasurehowit'sprogressing.Inthesamewaythatasportsteamwouldnevergettothetopofitsleaguewithouttrainingandevaluatingitsgameplan,asocialmediacampaignisuselesswithoutconstantanalysis.Youhavegottoflexthosedigitalmarketingmusclesandtotrackinformationthatwilltellyouwhatisworking,whatneedstobetweaked,andwhatshouldbestopped.

Analysisisstage4oftheprocess,asillustratedinFigure7.37.Whenyoucrossthefinishlineofthissectionyouwill:

Knowhowtousetheanalyticsfeaturesofmajorsocialmediaplatformstoyouradvantage.

UnderstandtheimportanceofGoogleAnalyticswhentrackingaconversionpath.

Figure7.37FocusontheFourthStageintheSMMProcess

WhatGetsMeasured,GetsDoneEachsocialmediacampaignshouldfollowtheseguidelines:

Setmeasurablegoals.Choosegoalsthataresmart,specific,measurable,andattainable.

Trackyourgoals.Iteratethem,enhancethem,andimprovethemovertime.

Useanalyticstoolsforeachplatformtoinformyouroptimizationandenhancement.Haveyourstructureinplace,evenbeforeyougetstarted,soyouknowhowyouaregoingtomeasureyouroutcomesfromtheget-go.

Let'stakealookatthedifferentmeasurementtoolsavailablethroughdifferentsocialmediaplatforms.

FacebookInsightsFacebookdoesnotwantyoutositbackandenjoythereturnsofFacebook

advertising;likeanygoodmentor,itwantstokeepitsapprenticesontheirtoes.ThatiswhyFacebookInsightscontinuestoexpandandgetmoreelaborateeveryfewmonths.Yes,ittakeswork,butit'sworthitinthelongrunbecauseoftheincredibleamountofusefulinformationyoucantakefromit.WhenyouclickintotheInsightssectionfromyourFacebookpageyoucanseeseventabs,eachofwhichoffersdifferentpiecesofinformation.ThetabsarecalledOverview,Likes,Reach,PageViews,Posts,Videos,andPeople.

1. Overview,whichisshowninFigure7.38,revealshowmany“likes”yougotinthelastweek,howwidelyyourposthasbeendistributed,andwhatthelevelofengagementhasbeenwithyourpage.

2. Likesshowsyouthetotalpagelikes,howmanylikesyourpagegainedandlosteachday(asshowninFigure7.39),andalsoshowsyouwhereyourlikesarecomingfrom(asshowninFigure7.40).

3. Reach,asshowninFigure7.41,showsyouhowmanypeopleyourpostshavereachedorganicallyandbyexactlyhowmuchyourreachwillincreasewhenyouspendmoney.Thisisessentialforreallyunderstandingtheimpactofspendingmoneyonspecificads.

4. PageViews,showninFigure7.42,tellsyouhowmanypeoplehavevisitedyourpageandwherespecificallytheyhavevisited.Isityourtimeline?Yourphotostab?Thepricelist?Yourinfotab?

5. Postsletsyouknowtheengagementyouaregettingoveranumberofdays.TakealookatthebottomoftheexampleinFigure7.43.Notethetimeframe,whichrunsfrommidnighttomidnightovera24-hourperiod.Thisishowyouwillknowwheremostofyouraudienceisbased.Thefigureshowsmuchlessengagementfrom1:00A.M.untilabout7:00A.M.,andengagementdrasticallyincreasesbetween6:00A.M.and10:00P.M.AsubtabofthePoststabcalledPostTypesalsogivesabreakdownofeverysinglepostpublishedonyourpage,includingtheaveragereachofyourstatuses,ofyourphotos,andofstatuseswithlinks,aswellasthelevelofengagement.

6. Videosallowsyoutoseeoverallviewsbasedonadaterangeyoucancustomize,asshowninFigure7.44.Youcanalsoswitchbetweenviewbreakdowns—organicversuspaid,auto-playedversusclicked-to-play,anduniqueversusrepeat—byclickingonthedrop-downboxatthetopright-handsideofthepage.AsshowninFigure7.45,youcanseethenumberoftimesyourpage'svideoswereviewedfor30secondsormore.Also,intheTopVideossectionofthepageyoucanidentifyyourpage'sbestperformingvideosbasedonreach,views,oraveragecompletionoveradesireddaterange.

7. Peopledeliversabreakdownofthetypeofpeoplethatengagedwithyourposts.InFigure7.46,youcanseethat93percentoffansarefemale,7percentaremale,and42percentofallfansarebetweentheagesof25and34.Thiskindofinformationiscriticalfordecidingwhattypeofpoststopublishandwhomtotarget.

Figure7.38FacebookInsightsOverviewTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.39NetLikeswithinFacebookInsightsLikesTab

Figure7.40LikeAttributionwithinFacebookInsightsLikesTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.41FacebookInsightsReachTab

Figure7.42FacebookInsightsPageViewsTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.43FacebookInsightsPostsTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.44ViewsbyDateRangewithinFacebookInsightsVideosTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.4530-secondViewReportwithinFacebookInsightsVideoTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Figure7.46FacebookInsightsPeopleTabSource:ScreenshotreproducedwithpermissionofFacebook.

Yes,thereisahugemineofinformationtobeuncoveredwithyourvirtualhammerandchisel,butjustasyoucannotenteraminewithoutahardhatandflashlight,youmustknowwhatyouarelookingforbeforeyougointoInsights.Bepreparedwiththespecificoutcomesthatyouwantfromit,suchasaudienceinformationandideasonhowtoimproveyourpostsandincome.

FacebookInsightscanmeasurenumerousimportantfactorsincludinghowyourpageisperforming,ifitisgainingfansand“likes,”ifyourpostsarereachingtherightpeople,iftheyareengagingwithyourpage,andthetypeofcontentyouraudienceprefers.IfyouhaveaFacebookpageyousimplymustusetheInsightstool.Ignoreitatyourperil!Youmayenduppostingthewrongkindofcontentatthewrongtimetothewrongaudience.Couldyouhandletheshame?

LinkedInAnalyticsWhileitmaynotbeascomprehensiveasFacebookInsights,LinkedInAnalyticsoffersvaluableinformationonanumberofdifferentaspectsofyourcampaign.TakealookatFigure7.47foranexampleofacompany'sanalyticspage;itgivesadetailedoverviewofhoweverypostisperforming,thenumberofimpressions,clicks,andinteractions,aswellasthepercentageof

engagement.

Figure7.47LinkedInAnalyticsOverviewPageSource:LinkedIn.

Ifthatlevelofinsighthasnotsatisfiedyourappetitefordata,youcanlookevendeeperintospecificpoststoseethereach(uniqueimpressions)andengagement(clicks,“likes,”comments,shares,followersacquired,andengagementpercentage),asshowninFigure7.48.

Figure7.48AnalyticsReportforSpecificPostwithinLinkedInSource:LinkedIn.

AswithFacebook,youcanalsoseeyouraudiencedemographicsonLinkedIn,withtheaddedbonusofbeingabletochoosethetypeofdemographicyouaremeasuring.Youcandothisbyclickingthedrop-downmenuontheright,whichissettoSeniorityinFigure7.49.Hereyoucanseewhatthelevelofseniorityofthejobsheldbyyouraudiencemembersis—inthisexample34.2percentareseniorlevel,24.9percententrylevel,18.8percentmanagers,6.8percentdirectors,and5.5percentowners.Otheroptionsfromthisaudiencedemographicdrop-downmenuincludecompany,industrytype,companysize,function,andemployeetype.Awealthofinformationrightatyourfingertips—useit!

Figure7.49LinkedInDemographicDrop-DownMenuSource:LinkedIn.

YoucanalsotrackyourfollowersthroughLinkedInAnalytics.Youcanfindouthowmanyfollowersyourcompanypagehas,ifthereisatrend,ifyournumbersaregrowing(asinFigure7.50),oriftheyhaveleveledoff.Youshouldlookatyourfollowers'demographicstomakesurethattheyarerepresentativeofyourtargetaudience.Ifnot,yourmethodswillneedtweakingtoreachthepeopleyouwanttotarget.

Figure7.50LinkedInFollowerTrendsSource:LinkedIn.

Notonlythat,youcanmeasurehowwellyouareperformingagainstyourcompetitors.Ifyouprovidedetailsaboutyourprimarycompetitors,LinkedInwillcompareyourcompanywiththemintermsofthenumberoffollowerseachcompanyhas,asshowninFigure7.51.

Figure7.51LinkedInCompetitorComparisonSource:LinkedIn.

TheinformationyoucangatherfromLinkedInAnalyticsiscrucialtothesuccessofyourLinkedInpage.Withit,youcanmonitor,test,tweak,andperfect.

TwitterAnalyticsTheActivityDashboardiswhereallTwittermonitoringhappens.AsyoucanseeinFigure7.52,it'swhereyoutrackthenumberoftweets,impressions,profilevisits,mentions,andfollowersthatlinkbacktoyouraccount.Youcantrackimpressionsdailyandseehowtheymoveupordowndependingonthetypeoftweetyousentandwhetheryouspentmoneyonitornot.Usethistooltolookatwhetheryournumberoffollowersisincreasing,decreasing,orstayingstatic,andfigureoutwhy.

Figure7.52TwitterAnalyticsTweetActivityDashboardSource:Twitter.

TwitterAnalyticsletsyouseeifyourfollowers'demographicsarerepresentativeofyourtargetaudience.Italsotellsyouwhatcontenttypesyouraudiencemembersprefer,whetherthatisastandardtweetoratweetwithphotos,videos,orlinks.Detailedanalysisonengagementintheformoftweets,retweets,replies,favorites,andlinkclicksareeasilyobtainable.Youcanevenseebothwhattimeofdayyourfollowersaremostactiveandthetimesthatdeliverthebestimpressionsforyourtweets.

Google+InsightsWhileGoogle+istheseriousolderbrotherinthesocialmediafamily,itisanadvantageouschanneltoutilizeifyouhavealocalbusinessorabusinessthatisphysicalinanyform.YourrankingonGoogleSearchandGoogleMapsdependsonit.

ThefunctionofGoogle+Insightsistokeepaneyeon:

Visibility.Howmanyviewsyouaregetting(showninFigure7.53)?

Engagement.Howmanyactionsofengagementhavetakenplaceoverthepast30days(showninFigure7.54)?

Audience.Howmanynewfollowershaveyougotandwherearetheycomingfrom(showninFigure7.55)?

Figure7.53VisibilityTabofGoogle+InsightsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure7.54EngagementTabofGoogle+InsightsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure7.55AudienceTabofGoogle+InsightsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

IntheexampleshowninFigure7.55,mostfollowerscomefromtheUnitedStates,and57percentofthosearefemaleand43percentmale.

ThetypesofmetricsavailableinGooglePlusareverysimilartotheothersocialmediaplatforms.YoucanseehowyourGoogle+followersaregrowingovertime,ifthedemographicsofyourfollowersarerepresentativeofyourtargetaudience,howyourpostsareperforming,andwhichtypesofpostsyouraudienceprefers.Afterdeterminingthatinformation,youcanthenlookathowyourGoogle+audiencemembersbehavewhentheylandonyourwebsiteandwhattheconversionrateis.

YouTubeAnalytics

YoucangainaplethoraofreallyusefulinformationfromYouTube,thankstoitsassociationwithGoogleAdWords.Thedashboardgivesyoutabsfordataoverviewaswellasreportsonrealtime,earnings,estimatedearnings,adperformance,demographics,playbacklocations,trafficsources,devices,audienceretention,engagementreports,subscribers,likes,dislikesandfavorites.Thelistisexhaustiveandcanappearoverwhelmingatfirst.Butonceyouarefamiliarwithhowitworks,youcanpluckawealthofinformationleft,right,andcenter!TonavigateYouTubeAnalytics,workyourwaydownthemenuontheleftandgothrougheachsectiononebyone.

Justbyglancingatthedemographicssection,asshowninFigure7.56,youcanseeyourfollowers'gender,location,agegroup,andnumberofviews.Unlessyouknowexactlywhattolookfor,youcanbecomelostinYouTubeAnalytics,soplanaheadbeforeyoustarttrawlingthroughit.

Figure7.56DemographicsSectionofYoutubeAnalyticsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

GoogleAnalyticsSocialmediaplatformanalyticsarenothingincomparisontoGoogle

Analytics,thequeenofallthingsdata.Itallowsyoutomeasuretrafficsources,andfromthat,figureoutthetopconversionpath.Thebottomlineis,youhavetoknowwhereyourvisitorsarecomingfromtogetmoreleadsandgeneratemoreincomeforyourbusiness.Let'stakealookatFacebook,LinkedIn,andTwitteronGoogleAnalyticstogetabetterideaofhowyoucantrackaconversionpath.

TakenoteofthespecificvisitsfromFacebookandthenumberofpeoplewhothenconvertedintoaspecificactionfromFigure7.57.Thisishugelybeneficialinformation,aswhenyouknowhowtouseAnalyticsyoucangivethosepeopleaconversionvalue.Forexample,ifyougiveeachleadgeneratedavalueof$10,and94ofthesegavetheiremailaddresses,thetotalconversionvalueis$940.Ifyoucouldtakeout173conversions,basedonthevalueassigned,thatgivesthema$940conversionvalue.

Figure7.57GAFacebookConversionsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

LookingatFigure7.58andthesame173conversionsonLinkedIn,youwillseethatthetotalconversionwasapproximately50percentontopofthat,amountingto$1,535.

Figure7.58GALinkedInConversionsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

WhileFacebookandLinkedInwereclearlysuccessful,Figure7.59showsthatTwitteronlyhas40conversionswithatotalconversionvalueof$50.

Figure7.59GATwitterConversionsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Onceyoucheckwhatthetotalspendwas,GoogleAnalyticscantellyouwhatthespecificgoalflowis.Fromthis,youcanseewherethesourceofthetrafficis,howmanyofthosepeoplewentontotheContactUspage,andhowmanyofthosepeoplewentfurtheragainandtookaspecificaction.

SocialMediaKPIs

UsingthechartinFigure7.60isagoodwayoftrackingoverallperformanceandtheKPIforeachobjective.Beforeyoustartalongyoursocialmediaadventures,youshouldknowwhatKPIstokeeptrackof.SuccessfulSMMisaniterativeprocessthatinvolvestrackingandoptimizingallaspectsofyouractivities.

Figure7.60GATwitterConversions

Neglectingtomonitoryoursocialmediajourneyislikegoingforawalkwhileit'ssnowingandexpectingtofollowyourfootstepsback.Nogoodwillcomeofthat!So,asyouaresettingupyouroverallstrategyandplanningyouradvertisingcampaign,makesuretosetupameasurementsystem.TheprocessofiterationallowsyoutomaximizetheeffectivenessandROIofyouractivitiesovertime,helpingyoutoultimatelyachieveyourbusinessgoals.

LawsandGuidelinesTheclockisstriking12onsocialmediapart2'siterativejourney,butbeforewepreparetostartthecyclealloveragain,let'staketimetolearnsomeimportantinformationonlawsconcerningsocialmedia.

Whenyoucompletethissectionyouwill:

Beawarethatcertainlawsapplytoallsocialnetworks.

Understandtheonlywaytohavecompletecontrolofthedataaboutyourconsumersisviaaforumotherthansocialmedia.

DataProtectionandPrivacySocialmediaisaninternationalgame,soalongwithbeinguptospeedonthelawsinyourowncountryyoumustalsobeawareoflawsworldwide.Thereisnoneedtovisityourlocallawlibrary—therearevariouswebsitestohelpyouwiththis,suchaswww.dlapiperdataprotection.com.

Dosomeresearchondataprotectionlawssothatyouknowtherulesthatcovercollectingpeople'sdata.Forinstance,youcanonlyusepersonaldataincertainways,andyoumustdisposeofitafteracertainnumberofyears.Itisveryimportanttorememberthatyoucanonlyusethiskindofinformationforthepurposesforwhichyoucollectedit.

CopyrightIssuesCopyrightbecomesmorerelevantwhenyouareusingwebsiteslikePinterestandInstagram.Ifyouarejustrandomlysharingpeople'sphotographsorimages,beawareofwhatyoucandoandwhatyoucan'tdowhenitcomestocopyrightedimages.

OrganizationalPolicyDocumentsDespitebeingabletofreelygatherinformation,youdonotownanyofthesesocialmediapages.Theyarethepropertyofthecompanythatownsthesocialnetwork,suchasFacebookandTwitter.Haveaback-upstrategyinplacesothatyoucanownasmuchdataaboutyourconsumersasyoucan.Getasmanypeopleaspossibleoffsocialmediaandintoaforumthatyoucanmanageandthatyouhave100percentownershipof,likeanemaildirectorydatabase.

SocialmediaistheNewYorkCityoftheInternet—itnever,eversleeps.Youhavethepowertokeepupwiththebestofthembyusingallofthefeaturesandtoolsavailabletoeachplatform.Butbemindfulthatifyoudonotobeytheguidelinesthatareputforthforareason,youruntheriskofyoursocialmediaplanbeingstoppedinitstracks.

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Goforth,socialbutterfly,anddelightthemasseswithyourengagingcontentacrosstheplethoraofplatformsavailabletoyou.Andifyouareeverinneedofanothersocialmediarevamp,justremember:

It'sateameffort—assignmemberswithdifferentstrengthstoyourSMMteamandconsiderup-skillingifnecessary.

Listentoyourcustomersandproveitbybeingreactive.

Scheduleyourcontent—don'toverwhelmyouraudience!

Focusonqualityratherthanquantitywhenitcomestoyoursocialmediainteractions.

Socialplatformsareconstantlyevolving—keepup-to-dateandaheadofthegame!

Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonSMMasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

Exercises

Exercise1Youareanew24-hourgymopeninginManhattanandyourmaintargetmarketisworkingprofessionals(ages25to40)whoeitherliveintheareaorarevisitingforbusiness.Corporatepackagesareanewventureforthegym.

CreateacontentscheduleforyourFacebookpageforthenextsevendays.Considerthetypeofpoststhatwouldbeinterestingandengagingtoyourpotentialcustomers.

Note:Theremustbeasplitoverallinto70percentyourowncontent,20percentsharedcontent,and10percentorlessselling.

Exercise2LogintoyourbusinesspageonFacebookandgotohttps://www.facebook.com/ads/audience_insights.Createanaudiencebasedonyourgym'stargetmarketandexaminethedata.Whatdoesthedatatellyouaboutyouraudienceinregardsto:

Gendersplit

Ageprofile

Relationshipstatus

Jobtitles

Interests

Exercise3UnderManageAdsinLinkedIn,clickonCreateaNewCampaignandcreateanadthatwilldrawpeopletoyourwebsite.Nameyourcampaign,chooseyouradtext,anduploadanimage.Nowsetupasecondvariantsoyoucansplittestdifferentwording,images,orbothandpreviewyourad.Thenchooseatargetmarketforyourgymbasedonthecriteriaabove.(Rememberyoualsowanttotargetcorporateclientsinthearea.)Chooseyourbudget.

Exercise4Asoftomorrow,youwillbewaivingyourgymjoin-upfeefortheentiremonth.GotoTwitterAdsandcreateanewfollowerscampaign.Customizethestartandenddatesandcomposeanewtweetforyourad—remembertoincludethebenefitsandaCTA.

Selectyourtargetedaudience.

Addtargetedfollowers.

Addbyinterest.

Chooseyourbudget.

Exercise5Ifyoudon'talreadyhaveanInstagramaccount,downloadtheappandsetoneup.Thenvisithttp://iconosquare.comandclickSignInwithInstagram.

ClickonAnalyticsandexportyouranalysisreportforthemonth.

Recordthefollowing:

Numberof“likes”

Yourmostlikedimagesforthemonth

Yourengagementscores

Followergrowth

Your10mostengagedfollowers

UsetheinformationtoshapeyourInstagramactivityandcompareitwith

yournextmonthlyreport.

ActionPlan:SMMDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforSMM

ObjectivesReach,engagement,advocacy,conversion

ActionItemsContentcreating(blogposts,ebooks,whitepapers,infographics,GIFs,video)

Socialposting(createdcontent,curatedcontent,images,video,links,offers)

Engaging(CTAs,comments,questions,polls,surveys)

Promoting(promotedsocialposts,ads,competitions,productpromotions,events)

Communitybuilding(conversation,customerservice,comments,suggestions)

MeasurementToolsandKPIsSocialmediainsightsandanalytics:Shares,comments,clicks,goals,socialreferraltraffictowebsite,sitecontenttraffic,conversions

Spend

Media Content People Systemsx X x x

CHAPTER8MOBILEMARKETING

AnIntroductionPeoplehavegrownprettyfondoftheirphones.Theirlittledevicesofmetal,plastic,andglassarelikephantomlimbsandtheypanicifthey(gasp!)forgetit,evenforafewhours.Thisaddictionmeansthatconsumershavebecomeusedtohavingtheirmobiledeviceswiththemconstantly.Sowhatopportunitydoesthisposeformarketers?Rightyouare.Abigone.

Thischapterwillfocusonthemobilemarketingindustry,andhowyou,thedigitalmarketer,cangetupcloseandpersonalwithyourcustomers.

TheMobileMarketingAssociation'sformaldefinitionofmobilemarketing:“Asetofpracticesthatenablesorganizationstocommunicatewithandengagewiththeiraudiencesinaninteractiveandrelevantmannerthroughandwithanymobiledeviceornetwork.”

Informaldefinitionofmobilemarketing:Makingyourmovethroughmobile!

ProcessEffectivemobilemarketingisacycleofdiscovery.Sinceitisarelativelynewchannel,thereisnorealrulebooktofollow—soyouwillneedtoexperimentwithandaugmentyourstrategyasyougoalong.However,asseeninFigure8.1,aprocessdoesexistforeffectivemobilemarketing.

Figure8.1Four-StepMobileMarketingProcess

Thischapterwilladdressthefourmainstagesofmobilemarketing'siterativeprocess:

1. Opportunity.Chapter8beginsbydiscussinghowmobileusehastakenoffandwhythispresentssuchagreatopportunityfordigitalmarketers.Youwillcometounderstandthesheersizeandscaleofthemobilemarketinguniverseandwhyanever-increasingamountofattentionisbeingpaidtoit.Onceyouhaveseenwhatmakesmobilesuchabigdeal,youwilldiscoverafewchallengesthatitmaythrowyourway.

2. Optimize.Thisstagewillexplaintheupsanddownsofmobilesitesandapps.Itwillincludeconsiderationsfordevisingyourmobilestrategyandshowyouhowtocreateamobile-optimizedwebsite.Youwilllearnaboutappdevelopmenttoo—thetypesofappsthatyoucancreateforvariousplatforms,howyougoaboutcreatinganapp,andthebenefitsofbuildinganappversusamobilesite.

3. Advertise.MobileadvertisinghasexplodedfasterthanapackofMentosinaDietCoke.Inthisstage,youwilllearnthemanynewwaysinwhichyoucanreachcustomersontheirpreciousdevices.

4. Analyze.Aswithalladvertisingcampaigns,youshoulduseanalyticstotrackthesuccessofyoursbeforeoptimizingthemfortopresults.Thefinalstagewillcoverhowtodosofromamobilemarketingperspective,becauseoneofthegreatthingsaboutmobilemarketingisthatitisimmenselymeasurable.

KeyTermsandConceptsThischapterwillhelpyoudeveloptheskillsyouneedtoharnessnewtechnologiesandaccessanincreasinglymobileaudience.Youcanbeinwiththecoolskids,wellequippedtolaunchyourownmobilemarketingcampaign.Specifically,youwilllearnto:

Appreciatetheopportunitiesandchallengesofmobilemarketingwhenbuildingyourmobilestrategy.

Understandthevariouswaysinwhichyoucanoptimizeyourcontentformobile,beitthroughthecreationofmobilesitesorapps.

UtilizearangeoftechnologiesfromBluetoothtoQRcodestoenhancethemobileUX(userexperience).

Createeffectivemobileadvertisingcampaignsthatareinlinewithyourobjectivesandbudget.

Recognizetheimportanceofanalyticsintherealmofmobilemarketing.

Keepupwiththemobilemarketingcurvebybeingawareofemergingtrendsandofthelawsyouneedtofollow.

Nowthatyouhavegottenatasteofwhatwillbecoveredinthischapter,let'sjumptothemaincourse—startingwithanoverviewofthemobilemarketingindustryandtheopportunitiesthatitallowsdigitalmarketers.

Stage1:OpportunityMobilemarketingiscenteredonthefactthatmobilenowovershadowsthedesktopworld.AshighlightedinFigure8.2,thefirststepinthemobilemarketingprocessisallaboutunderstandingthemassiveopportunitiesinthisarea.Tracingthemovetomobilewillhelpyouto:

Understandtheopportunitiesthatthischangehasmeantfordigitalmarketers.

Realizethekeycharacteristicsandbenefitsofmobile.

Beawareofmobilemarketing'schallenges.

Figure8.2FocusontheFirstStepintheMobileMarketingProcess

AMobileIndustryFromthefirstMotorolarightthroughtotheadventoftheiPhone,themobilephonehashadanumberoffacelifts.Originallyitcoulddolittleotherthansendandreceivecalls.ThenSMSappeared.Thengames.Thenbuilt-incameras.Andsoon,untilgraduallyconsumershadpersonalorganizers,entertainment,andeducationinonedevice.Mobilephonescontinuetochangetoday,andsincehavingthenewestversionofamobilephoneisastatussymbol,consumersarewillingtopaybigmoneyforthelatestdevice.

Backin2014,mobileInternetusagetrumpeddesktopInternetusageforthefirsttime.Therewasanexplosioninthemobilemarket,whichcontinuestoincreasetoday—forinstance,therearemoreAndroidactivationseverydaythantherearebabiesbeingborn!Thepastfourorfiveyearsinparticularhaveseenthegreatestincreaseintheuseofmobilephonesanddata.Peoplearenowsharingeveryaspectoftheirdailylivesonsocialmedia.Andtheyareusingphonesmoreforcreating,storing,andsharingdatathantheyareformakingphonecalls—thereasonmobilephoneswereinventedinthefirstplace.

Figure8.3showshowthismobileboomseemslikelytocontinue:

Figure8.3SmartphoneSubscriptionsPerRegion2015-2021Source:Ericsson.

Nowadays,peopleprefertoexperienceeventsthroughtheirscreensratherthanwitnessingthemwiththeirowneyes.Youwillprobablybefamiliarwiththesamethinghappeningataconcert,oranymassevent—everyonehastheirphonesoutandarepayingattentiontothescreensinfrontofthem,wheninfacttheyshouldputthemawayandabsorbwhatishappening.Still,peoplearedriventorecordtheseevents,tosavethem,andtoshowthemtofriends.Thisisnowpossiblewithincreaseddataspeeds,storagecapacity,andconnectivity.Inshort,mobileencouragespeopletocapture,store,andsharetherealworlddigitally.

OpportunitiesAsadigitalmarketer,ifyouwanttoreachthewidestaudiencethesmartphoneisyournewbestfriend—becauseithelpsyoutoreachamassaudienceinanincrediblyeasyway.

Forexample,CitigrouphavefoundthatwhileTVtook13yearstoreachanaudienceof50millionusers,anentitylikeFacebooktookonly3.5years…andAngryBirdstookjust35days!

Thesheersizeofthemobileaudienceandthespeedwithwhichyoucanreachitisincredible.Youinstantlyhaveamarketplaceandanecosystemthatisglobal,withdevicesinthehandsofeverybodythatyouwanttoreach,andevenadistributionmechanismthatfacilitatesreachingthem.

Thekeybenefitsofmobileinclude:

Personalconnection.Gonearethedaysofso-calledbrochurewebsitesthatcontainedmerelyabrand'slogo,contactdetails,andlocation.Withmobile,youcanbecomeasocialmediabutterflyandcreateengagingadsthatbegtobenoticed—whateveryouchoose,youcanconnectwithusersontheirpersonaldevicestoformdeeperrelationships.

Access/Immediacy.People'sphonesarealwayswiththem,andunlikenewspaperstheydonotthrowthemaway.Generally,theirphonesarealwayson,too—sowhenyousendanotification,itwillbenoticed.Howquicklywillitbeseen?Well,37percentof18-to24-year-oldswillseeitwithinanhour,and55percentofthoseaged25to40yearswillseeitwithinthreehours.Well,wewouldn'twanttomissanything!

Onaverage,peoplechecktheirphones150timesaday,whichroughlyworksout(dependingontheirsleeppatterns)toevery6.5minutes.Theyinteractwiththeirphonesmorethanwithanyothertechnology,whichmeansyourmessagewillbeseenprettyquicklyoncesent.

Distribution.YouhaveseenhowfastanappsuchastheoneforAngryBirdscanreachaglobalaudience.ThatislargelyduetoappstoressuchastheiOSAppStoreandGooglePlay,whichletyoureachmillionsofconsumersinstantly.

SeamlessUX.Thankstoadvancesindigitalwalletsandbuilt-inpaymentmechanisms,userscanbrowse,select,andpurchasewithafewtouches.Andifyoucanprovidethemwithaseamless,interactiveexperience,howcouldtheynotfallforyourcharms?

Cross-Platformcapabilities.Youcanusemobiletoactivatestaticmedia,suchasprintads—moreonthatinthesectiononproximitymarketing.

ChallengesAlthoughmobilemarketingcomeswithahostofopportunities,itdoeshaveitschallengestoo.Forinstance,smartphoneshavetiltedthebalanceofpowerfromthecompanytotheconsumer.Inthepastwhenconsumershadbadexperiencesinrestaurantstheyraisedthematterwithmanagementthereandthen.Ortheymightpostastronglywordedletteratalaterdate.NowtheycaninstantlycomplaintotheworldviaFacebookorTwitter.

Consumershaveadigitalvoicethattheycanletlooseatanytime.Sowhatdoesthatmeanforbrands?Well,theyneedtorespondimmediately—whichiswhymanyhavesocialmediateamsdedicatedtotrackingwhatconsumersaresayingviamobile.

Also,thepersonalnatureofmobilehasforcedbrandstorethinktheirdeliveryofcontent.Theyneedtoditchtheirstaticwebsitesinfavorofamoreimmersiveexperiencethatisoptimizedformobile,withinteractivefeaturessuchasclick-to-callbuttons.

Mobilemarketingisstillsomewhatuncharteredterritory,throughwhichyouwillneedtogingerlyfindyourway—andtheupcomingsectionswillhelpyougetofftothebeststart.Nextup,learnhowtooptimizeyourmobilesite.

Stage2:OptimizeNowthatyouhaveexploredstage1oftheiterativeprocess—becomingfamiliarwiththeopportunitiesandchallengesofmobilemarketing—let'slookatthewaysinwhichyoucanoptimizeyourcontentforamobileaudience.

Instage2,whichishighlightedinFigure8.4,youwilldiscoverallthefactorstoconsiderwhencreatingamobile-optimizedsitesothatyouwill:

Understandthedifferencesbetweenadaptiveandresponsivesites.

Learnthefundamentalsofaneffectivemobilesite.

Appreciatethebenefitsandchallengesofmobilesites,apps,andwebapps.

Beconfidentinplanningyourownmobile-optimizedsite.

Figure8.4FocusontheSecondStageintheMobileMarketingProcess

Mobile-OptimizedWebsitesBasicallythisisanexistingsitethatusestechnologiessuchasJavaScripttooptimizecontentformobiledevices.

Sincepeoplearebrowsingmoreontheirmobilesthanondesktops,youneedtoengagewiththemonsmallerscreens.Showingthedesktopversionofyoursitewillnotcutit.Why?Becauseusersdonothavesuperhumaneyesight.Ifyourcontentistoosmall,theywillgetfrustratedwithallthepinchingandzoominginvolved,whichcouldmakethemrunstraightintothewelcoming,mobile-optimizedarmsofyourcompetitors.Afterall,57percentofpeoplewillnotrecommendabusinesswithapoorlydesignedmobilewebsite,while40percenthaveturnedtoacompetitorsiteafterabadmobileexperience,accordingtoCompuware's2011report“Whatuserswantfrommobile.”

Sohowcanyoumaketheseusershappy?Startbyknowingyouraudienceandwhethertheyare:

Desktopusers.Theirscreenswillbebiggerandtheywillbeabletoreadtextfromfartheraway.

Tabletusers.Theyareprobablydualscreening,thatis,watchingTVastheybrowseontheirtablets.

Mobileusers.Theyareonthegoandwanttocompletetasksquickly.

Becausewhenitcomestomobilemarketing,contextiskey.

ChangesinMobileMarketing

Tenyearsago,itwaseasypeasy.Monitorswereacertainsizeandhadacertainresolution—andyoujusthadtomakesurethatyourimportantcontentfitontothatscreen.Nowcontentisseenfromavarietyofdevices,suchassmartphones,tablets,andlaptops—evenTVsandotherappliancesnowhavefullyfeaturedwebbrowsers.

Atfirstcompaniestriedtocopewiththisdeviceoverloadbycreatingdifferentversionsoftheirwebsites—thebasiconefordesktopandthemobileversion.Withtwosetsofcontenttomanageontwodifferentwebsites,thisgavecontentmanagerseverywhereatotalbrainache.Also,themobileuserwasseeingasubstandardversionofthesite,whichhadthebareessentialsandalinktothedesktopversion,butwasusuallylefttorotwithouteverbeingupdated.

Soundsprettygrim,right?Itwas.Luckily,timeshavechangedandthenewstandardpracticeistohaveasingledestinationforallcontent.Whetherusersbrowsefrommobiledevicesortheirdesktopstheyreachthesameplace,buttheyseecontentinadifferentwaydependingonthedevicetheyareusing.

Thisismadepossiblebyusingadaptiveorresponsivemobilesites.Foradaptivesites,differentversionsofasiteareservedtodifferentdevicesbasedoncommonscreensizesandresolutions.Theserverrecognizeswhether,forinstance,theuserisbrowsingfromadesktopwithChromeorfromaniPhonewithSafariandpresentstherelevantversionofthewebsite.Inotherwords,theversionofthesitechangesbasedonthewidthofthebrowsingdevice;certainpiecesofcontentarehiddenifnecessary.

Figure8.5showstwoversionsoftheTripAdvisorsite.Firstlyitshowsthemobile-adaptivesiteasviewedfromadesktop—withabigwebbannerimageandasearchboxthattakesupthefullwidthofthepage.Butthesiteonamobileisverydifferent.

Figure8.5MobileAdaptiveWebsiteViewedfromDesktopandMobileSource:TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisorusedmetricsandanalyticstoseehowpeopleinteractedwithitssiteandrecognizedthatmobileusersbehavedifferentlyfromdesktopusers.Inthisinstance,themobileuserhasbeendroppedintoaforeigncityandmaywanttofindthenearesthotelorrestaurant.Andbecausethatuser'sphonehasGPS,TripAdvisorcansendbacksearchresultsbasedonhislocationwithouttheuserhavingtobotherwithtypingaddresses.Prettyslick,right?

AdaptivesitessuchasthisonenormallyhavealinklabeledsomethinglikeVisittheDesktopSite,forthosewhowantamoredetailedbrowsingexperienceandtodotheirownresearch,asopposedtocompletingquicktasks.Thecontentdiffersbetweendesktopandmobileversions.

Butinaresponsiveapproachexactlythesamecontentisusedallthetime—itisjustordereddifferentlydependingonthebrowsingdevice.Andthisapproachistheonethat80to90percentofbusinessesshouldbeusing.

CharacteristicsofanEffectiveMobileSite

Whencreatingamobilestrategyforyourownwebsite,youshould:

Prioritizecontentovernavigation.Saygoodbyetobouncingbackandforthbetweenpages.Nowbrowsingiseasierwithone-pagescrollablewebsitesthathavebecomefashionableformobileanddesktopalike.Inthedesktopversion,userscanclickonnavigationlinkstojumptotheareasthatinterestthemmost,ratherthanbeingdirectedtoanentirelynew

pageandwaitingforthecontentofthatpagetodownload.

Createlargetaptargets.People'sthumbsaresimplytoobigtobethumpingonhyperlinkedtext—especiallyifthereareafewlinkswithinaparagraphoftext.Makesurethatthetargetisbigenough,withenoughspacearoundit,soasnottosenduserstothewrongplace.

Removeunnecessarycontent.Becauseoflittleannoyances,suchasdataspeedsandscreenrealestate,removesuperfluousinformationfromyoursite.Beruthless!

Provideforquicktasks.Followingonfromthepointabove,rememberthatusersonlywanttheinformationtheyneed,notanessayaboutyourhipcompanyculture.Makeiteasyforthemtodowhattheywant—ifyouareahotel,forexample,showthemyournumberandlocation.

Considerdownloadspeedandpowerusage.Thisisbecominglessofaconcernwithpowerful4Gnetworks,butitisstillimportant.Websitesshouldloadquicklyontousers'mobiledevicessothattheyarenottemptedtovisityourcompetitorsinstead.Largeimages,multipleanimations,andvideosthatplayautomaticallyrundownbatteries—whichcoulddeterusersfromhangingaroundorfromcomingback.

Knowyourlimits.Itisnotpossibletostorecookiesthattraceauser'sbrowsingbehavioronmobiledevicesasyoucanwithdesktops.Soitishardtodeterminehowmanytimesauservisitsasite,whatshelastsearchedfor,orherlogininformationandtotailorcontentbasedonthatinformation.

Understandinteractions(touchversusclick).Withmoresearcheshappeningonmobiledevices,theclickisbecomingredundant.Usersdonothavetheluxuryofamouse.Theyjusthavetheirthumbsandtheirfingers.Whichiswhytouchdesignissoimportant.

TouchDesign:TheFundamentals

WhenAppleproducedthefirstiPhone,theymeasuredpeople'sfingertipstofindthemostcommonsizeoftouchpointthattheycoulduse—itwasfoundtobe44×44pixels.

Thismeansthatcontrolslikebuttons,menus,andnavigationalitemsneedtobeplacedatleastthisfarapart.Ifthesecontrolsareanyclosertogether,usersarelikelytotapthewrongareaandbecomefrustrated.

Touchdesignhasledtoothermethodsofinteractingwithmobile,too.Userscanpointandtaporpressandholdtorevealthings,theycanslidetomovethroughagalleryortothenextpageinanarticle,theycanswipetogettothe

bottomofthepagequickly,theycanpinchandstretchtoexpanddetails,andtheycantwistandturnelementsonapage.Sowherepossible,youshouldtakeadvantageofthesestandardtouchgesturesonyourmobilesite.

PhoneIntegration:TheFundamentals

Mobilesitesallowtheintegrationofcontentwithmobilefeaturesandfunctions,including:

GPS.Youcaninformtheserverthatyouareinteractingwithinagivenlocation,therebylettingusersknowthattheyarefiveminutesawayfromyourbusiness.

Keyboardchoices.Fillinginformscanbefrustratingeveninthedesktopworld,anditcangetmoreannoyingstillwiththesmallkeyboardofamobile.Tryofferingdifferentkeyboardchoicesfortheuser:Ifyouwantaphonenumber,showthenumberpadinthesamefieldastheformratherthanmakinguserschangekeyboardsthemselves.

SMS.Onceyouhaveusers'numbers,youcansendanSMSoraskthemtosignupforanSMSservice.

Click-to-call/Auto-detectnumbers.AndroidandiPhonedeviceswilldetectnumbersonanywebpageandmakethemclickable.Sousersdonotneedtofranticallysearchforapenandpaper—theycansimplypushthebuttonthatsaysCallNowtogetthrough.

AutoCorrect.AvoidthemistakesthatAutoCorrectcanbring(especiallywhenauserisfillinginpersonaldetails)bydisablingthisfeatureonanykeyboardonyourmobilesite.

VisitDesktopoption.Remember,responsivewebsiteshaveexactlythesamecontentformobileanddesktopversionsofasitebutadaptiveonesdonot.Soifusinganadaptivesite,givetheusertheoptiontovisityourdesktopsite.

Figure8.6showsanexampleofadesktopwebsite;besideitisthemoreactionablemobilesite.ThenumberprovidedonthemobilesiteisclickableandthecompanycanleveragetheGPSofusers'phonestoknowwheretheyarebeforedirectingthemtotheclosestcenter.

Figure8.6DesktopWebsiteversusMobileWebsiteSource:Snap.ie.

AdvantagesofMobileSites

Theadvantagesofhavingamobile-optimizedwebsiteversusanapp(itsadvantageswillbecoveredinmoredetailinthenextsection)are:

Immediacy.Mobilesitesareinstantlyavailable.UserstypesearchtermsintoGoogle,clickonaresult,andaredirectedtoawebsiteimmediately.Incontrast,usershavetosearchforanappinanappstore,downloadit(andmaybeenterapasswordfirst),waitforittodownload,andthengobacktotheirhomescreenstoopenit.Itisnottheshortestnorsweetestofprocesses.

Compatibility.ItmakesnodifferencewhetheryouaresendingalinkouttopeoplewithiPhones,Androids,BlackBerrys,orWindowsPhones:Yourmobile-optimizedsitewillworkacrossalldevicesandondesktopstoo.

Easilyupgraded.Mobilesitescanbeupdatedinstantly.Ifyoumakeachangetoyourmobilesite,thenextpersonwhovisitsyoursitewillseethatchange.Anyupdatestoappsmustbebundledtogetheranduploadedtoappstores.Youmightneedtowaitforareviewoftheupdatedapp,whichcouldtakeweeks.Thentheuserneedstoreplacetheexistingappwiththeupgradedversioninorderforanychangestoappear.

Easilyfound.Youcansimplyincludethewebaddressforyourmobilesiteonallofyourbrochuresandmaterialsandpeoplewillunderstandthatis

wheretheyneedtogo,fromanydevice.Addressescanalsobeeasilysharedbetweenusersviasocialmedia.Thismeansthatmobilesitesgenerallyhaveabroaderreachthanapps.Longerlifecycle.Mobilesitescannotbedeleted,whereasappscanbedissedanddismissedquiteeasily.

Cost/time-effective.Mobilesitesaregenerallyeasierandcheapertocreatethanapps,whichareveryspecialized.ThisisbecausemobilesitesarebuiltwithlanguagessuchasHTML,JavaScript,andCSSthatarealreadyusedinthedesktopworld.Nottomentionthefactthattherearemorewebdesignersouttherethanthereareappdevelopers.

Supportandsustainability.Therearearangeofcontentmanagementsystemsorfreeplatforms,suchasWordPress,thatyoucanuseforyourwebsite.Oncethecorestructureofyoursiteisbuilt,itisprettyeasytomanageityourselfintermsofchangingadimagesorupdatingdetails.However,thesamecannotbesaidforapps,sinceanyupdatesneedtobereviewedbytheappstores.

AdvantagesofApps

Mobilesitesarenotperfect.Hereareafewadvantagesthatappshaveoverthem:

UninterruptedInternetaccessnotrequired.Thisisamajorconsiderationif,forexample,youarebuildingatourismapptobeusedbytravelerswhowanttoavoiddata-roamingcharges.Travelerswouldbechargedtobrowseamobilesitebutnottoaccessyourapp,oncetheyhavedownloadedit.

Betterphoneintegration.Generallyappscanleverageaphone'sfeatures(suchasitsGPSandcamera)betterthanamobilesitecan.

Platform-specific.Appsareusuallybuiltforaspecificpurpose,whereasmobilesiteswillfunctionthesameacrossplatforms.Asitewillusearecognizableinterfaceandthesamenavigationacrossanydevice.Whichcanbegoodorbad,dependingonwhatyouwant.

Itboilsdowntothis—mobilesitesarebuiltforawiderangeofuses.Businessesusuallyusethemforprovidinginformationinone-waycontexts.Whereasbusinessesinthedigitalspacegenerallyendupusingapps,becauseatsomepointtheyarelimitedbywhatthemobilesitecando.

AppsversusWebApps

Beforeyougodecidingwhetheryouwouldpreferamobile-optimizedsiteor

anapp,allowustointroducethehumblewebapp—whichislikeahalfwayhousebetweenthetwoformats.

AwebappusesthesamecoreHTMLfunctionsasamobilesiteandalltheactivitytakesplacewithinamobiledevice'sbrowser(e.g.,Safari).Butyoucandocleverthingstoawebappwithsomeniftycode—forinstance,userscansaveyoursitetotheirhomescreenswithabookmark.Thesitewillthenberepresentedbyaniconthatwillallowuserstolaunchthesite,withouttheaddressbaratthetopandthenavigationbaratthebottom.Itbecomesanativeappthathappenstoliveontheweb(anddoesnotrequireapprovalfromanappstoretoexist).

Bearinmind,webappsdocomewithcertainchallenges:

Fragmentation.DifferentbrowsersacrossdifferentdeviceswilltreatHTML5indifferentways,whichcanleadtoinconsistenciesandadisrupteduserexperience.

Onlineonly.Sincewebappsliveonline,theyrelyonconnectivity.

Lessintegration.HTML5isstilllargelyadesktoplanguagedespiteitsmanyenhancements,soawebappwillbelessintegratedwithaphone'sfunctionalityandfeaturesthananativeappwouldbe.

Visibility/distribution.Thisisamajordisadvantage.Usersunderstandwhenabusinesssays,“Downloadourapp.”Theyknowwheretheyneedtogoandwhattheyshoulddo.Butitishardertosay,“Visitourmobilesite.Hitthebuttonatthebottomofyourbrowser,whichwillallowyoutosaveoursiteasabookmarkonyourhomescreensoyoucanfinditeasilyinthefuture.”Bitofamouthful,right?Also,itiseasytodiscoverthemostpopularappsviachartsinappstores;thereisnoequivalentforthetopmobilesitesthatpeoplebrowse.

Revenueoptions.Youcanputapriceonyournativeappandsellitinappstores.Peoplewillpayforitanddownloadit—andeventhoughAppleorGooglewillkeepapieceofthatrevenue,asthedeveloperoftheapporthecompanythatownsit,yougetpaidwhenyougetnoticed.Soyoucansaygoodbyetothatextrapocketmoneyifyouchooseawebapp.

GettingStarted

Luckily,intheHTMLworldandinthemobile-sitesspacethereisalotofhelpavailable.Webstandardsarewellorganized,andtheHTML,CSS,andJavaScriptusedtobuildmobilesitesandwebappshavebeenaroundforalongtime—soyoucantakeyourpickoftheexperts.

Ifyouareplanninganewwebsite,considerstartingoutwithanopenandfree

contentmanagementsystem,suchasWordPress.Youcanaccessanentireecosystemofpeoplewhohavebuiltspecialtythemes—soifyouownabakery,youcansearchforbakerythemesandinstallthethemesyoulike.Youcanthendownloadthemasapackageandcustomizethesiteswithtextandimagestosuityourbusiness.Usuallycustomsitescomeatafee,buttheyarerelativelycheap—andmanyaremobile-responsivetoo.

Developingyoursitefromscratch?FollowthesitedevelopmentprocessinFigure8.7anditwillbeapieceofcake:

1. Justifywhyyouarechangingyoursiteinthefirstplaceandwhyitneedstobemobileresponsiveoradaptive.

2. Builditwiththeaidofexperienceddevelopers.Seewhomyourcompetitorsareusingandfindoutwhatthosedeveloperscandoforyou.Ifitmeansholdingauditions,sobeit.

3. Golivewithyoursite—thentest,test,test.Makesureitcanbeaccessedfromallthemainbrowsers:Chrome,Safari,InternetExplorer,andFirefox.

4. Promoteyourwebsite.Thisisnotimetobeshy—letpeopleknowthatyouhavehadamakeover.Telltheminthefooterofyouremails,inanyprintedmaterial,andduringanyPRopportunities.

5. MeasureresultsusingGoogleAnalytics,whichyoucanintegratewithyourwebsite.Thisisareallyimportantone,asyoucanlearnalotabouthowusersgettoyoursiteandwhattheydooncetheyarrive.

6. UpdateyoursitebasedonwhatyouhavelearnedinStep5.Youcanseewherethehotcontentofyourwebsiteis;maybeyouwanttocreatemorelikeit.Ifpartofyoursiteisavirtualtumbleweed,changeit.

Figure8.7TheSiteDevelopmentProcess

Itissoimportanttoutilizeanalyticsinyourmobilemarketing.StartbyclickingtheAudiencetabinGoogleAnalyticsandselectingthedevicessection.Hereyouwillseewhichdevicespeopleareusingforbrowsing,whatpercentageofusersarecomingfromphones,andeventheoperatingsystemstheyareusing.YoucanthenusethisdatatoprioritizemobileUXoveryourdesktopsite.

FiveTake-awayTips

Bearthesetipsinmindbeforeyoutaketheleapintomobile:

1. Designfromtheconsumer'sperspective.Youneedtounderstandwhatuserswanttodowhentheyvisityoursite—aretheysimplydoingresearch,oraretheylookingtobuyorwanttocontactyou?Cutthroughtheclutterandmakeiteasyforthemtotakeaction,wherevertheyareandwhatevertheyaredoing.

2. Targetthemostpopulardevices.Thisismucheasierifyoupaycloseattentiontoyouranalytics.Forexample,byfocusingonprovidinganexceptionalUXoniOSdevices,youwillstillcatertoover90percentofyourvisitors.

3. Enhancetheexperience.Itisreallyimportanttousemobile-specificHTMLforabetterUX.Makesuretointegrateyoursiteorappwithasmanymobile-devicefeaturesaspossible.Thesefeaturesincludeclicktocall,GPS,andautomaticdetectionofnumbersanddates.Providealinktoyourdesktopsitewhenapplicabletoo.

4. Putusers'needsfirst.Considerwhattheywanttoseeupfront.Onceyouhavethatfiguredout,youcanfocusonmakingyoursiteresponsiveoradaptive,planningyourSEOstrategy,draftingyourcontent,andsoon.

5. Thinkliketheconsumer.TakeapagefromTripAdvisor'sexperience.Itwasonlyafteritunderstoodusers'interactionswithitssiteusingdifferentdevicesthatitcouldappreciatethatitsmobileuserswereactingdifferentlyfromitsdesktopusers;atthatpointitadaptedthesite'scontentaccordingly.SoforgettheramblingintroductoryparagraphfromyourCEOandgiveconsumerswhattheywant.

Nowthatyouknowmanyoftheconsiderationsinvolvedincreatingmobilesites,let'stakeatriptotheappworldandexplorethetimeswhenanappisnecessarytowoomobileusers.

AppDevelopmentBynowyouwillappreciatethewaysinwhichyoucanreachcustomersonmobiledevices—throughthecreationofresponsiveoradaptivesitesandthedevelopmentofapps.

Let'scontinuewithstage2oftheiterativeprocess(seeFigure8.4)anddescribehowtodevelopappsby:

Understandingtheappmarketplaceandtheplatformsavailable.

Recognizingthefundamentalsofaneffectiveapp.

Learningthestepstotakewhendevelopinganapp.

An'AppyMarketplace

UnlessyouhavebeenlivingonMarsforthepastfewyears,youwillknowwhatanappis—astheOxfordDictionarydescribesit;‘aself-containedprogramorpieceofsoftwaredesignedtofulfillaparticularpurpose’.Appsarebundledupandsenttoappstores,suchasGooglePlayandtheiOSAppStore,fromwhichuserscandownloadthemtotheirmobiledevices.Prettymucheverythingthatlivesonyourphoneisanapp,includingthefeaturethatmakesphonecallsandsendsmessages,thecamera,andtheGPS.

Peopleuseappsinnearlyeveryaspectoftheirlives—eating,drinking,sleeping,working,relaxing,traveling,shopping,andevendating.Soitshouldcomeasnosurprisethatappdevelopmenthasbecomeamajorpartofmobilemarketing.

Thesizeoftoday'smobileappmarketisstaggering.Forinstance,Statistahasreportedthatthereareover1.5millionappsontheiOSAppStore(with100billiondownloadsandcounting).WhentheiOSstorewaslaunchedin2008,therewereonly28appsavailable—prettybiggrowthspurt,right?

AhandfuloftheseappsbelongtoApple,butmainlytheyhavebeencreatedbythirdparties,bundledtogether,andenteredintotheAppStoreecosystem.Theseownersanddevelopersputapriceontheirappsandearnmoneyfromthem(theAppStoretakesarounda30percentcommissionbuttherestbelongstotheownersordevelopers).Andtherecanbebigbucksinittoo—forinstance,Applehasgivendevelopersover$25billionandAngryBirdsearnsmorethan$1millionadayinrevenue!

TheotherbigplayerintheappmarketisGooglePlay;liketheiOSAppStore,ithasahugenumberofapps(1.8millionaccordingtoStatista)anddownloads(over50billion).Thesearethetwoplatformsfromwhichyouwillmostlikelylaunchyourapps.Theybothinvolvedifferentconsiderationsandcosts;ApplechargesayearlyfeeandGoogleaone-offpayment.Theyalsohavedifferentsubmissionguidelines,developeragreements,andregistrationprocessesthatyoushouldchewover(notliterally)beforelaunch.FortheiOSAppStore,Applereviewseveryappthatgetssubmitted,andtheprocesscantakeweeks.GooglePlayhasnosuchapprovalprocessandyourappswillbeavailableforuserstodownloadwithinafewhoursofsubmission.

Oncepatiencehasdictatedwhatplatformyouwanttouse,youthenhavetodecidewhatkindofappyouwilldevelop—weborhybrid.Thesectiononmobile-optimizedwebsitesmentionedthatthewebappislikeahalfwayhousebetweenthemobilesiteandthenativeapp.Ahybridappislikeahalfwayhousebetweenthenativeappandthewebapp!Basically,ahybridappusesstandardHTML5technologiesbutiswrappedintheshellofanapp

topersuadetheappstoresthatitisanativeapp.AndsinceAppledoesnotliketobeconfused,itwillmostlikelyrejectappslikethis.ItiseasiertogetawaywithhybridappsonGooglePlay,whichhasfewerrestrictions.

Forthosewhohavelesscashtoflash,ahybridappcanbeahappymediumbetweenamobilesiteandanapp.Thegoodnewsisthathybridappsarebuiltwithwebtechnology(sotherearelotsofdeveloperswhocancreatethemandpackagethemforappstores),andmostcasualuserswillnotevenknowthedifference!Ah,blissfulignorance….

Thereisnothingwrongwithtestingthewaterlikethis—creatingamobile-responsivesite,addingsomekeyhookstomakeitmorelikeawebapp,wrappingittomakeitahybridapp,andputtingitoutintothemarketplaceforawhiletounderstandhowpeopleareusingit.Ifyoufindlimitationsthatyouthinkanativeappcanaddress,thatwillbeyourgreenlightfornativeappdevelopment.

AppDevelopment:TheFundamentals

Sowhatmakesappssogreat,anyway?Goodquestion!

Needsfulfillment.Appshaveaclearutilityvalue.Theyarebuiltaroundaspecificneedandtheysatisfythatneedlikeicecreamonasummer'sday.

Integration.Appscanintegratewithadevice'sfunctionalitybetterthanamobilesitecan.Forinstance,theycanusefeatureslikethecamera,GPS,andspeakertoprovideagreatUX.

Simplicity.Generallyappsarewelldesignedandeasytouse.Somehaveacoupleofintroductoryscreenstoexplainhowtheywork,buttheusercannormallyrelyonintuitionalone.

Interactivity.Appscanprocessinformationveryquicklyandhaveafastresponsetime.Sotoday'simpatient,on-the-gousercanbeloggedinautomatically(withouthavingtore-enterdetails)andaccessdatasuchastopscores,savedbookings,andloyaltypoints.

Accessibility.Aboveall,appsdonotrelyonanInternetconnectiontowork—souserscanplayAngryBirdsonanairplaneorreadebooksfromthecomfortoftheirouthouses.

Security.Foranythingthatusessecureinformation,suchasloginencryptionsore-commerce,nativeappsoffermuchstrongerfeaturesthanwebapps,hybridapps,orevenmobilesites.

GettingStarted

Aswithcreatingamobilesite,themostimportantconsiderationin

developinganappistounderstandthemembersofyouraudience.Whatdotheywant?Whatdotheyexpectyourapptodo?Howcanitenhancethefunctionalityoftheirphones?Willitmakethemprettier?Andsoon.

Appshavethepowertocompletelyrevolutionizeanindustry—forinstance,thetaxiindustry.CompanieslikeHailoandUberrecognizedanold-fashionedproblemandcameupwithaverysimpleandmodernsolution.Theappsareincrediblyintuitiveandeasytouse—theyalsobenefitboththeuser(thepersonwishingtobookthetaxi)andtheprovider(thetaxidriver).

AnotherkeyexampleofanindustrygamechangerisAirbnb.Setupbyacoupleofguystomakeextracashfromrentingouttheirfreespace,thisapphastransformedthetravel-sharingeconomy.Userseverywherecanbecometemporarylandlordsandearnmoneywhileonholidaysoftheirown.LikeHailoandUber,theAirbnbappleveragesGPSfunctionalityandallowsuserstobookandpayeasily.Theopportunitiesintheappworldareendlessandpotentiallyverylucrative—soyoutoocanbeanindustrygamechanger!

Havingintroducedthestepsfordevelopingamobilesiteinthesectiononmobile-optimizedwebsites,let'sreturntothesitedevelopmentprocess(seeFigure8.7)andapplythesestepstodevelopinganapp.

1. Justify.Startbyaskingyourselfwhythisappisneeded—andyoushouldhaveabetterreasonthan:“Umm…becausemycompetitorshaveone?”Yourappshouldfulfillaspecificpurposethatwillmakeuserswanttointeractwithit.Alotofpeoplehavegreatideasforanapp,buteventhoughtheideaisimportant,itisnotenough.Theremustbeamarket,acontext,andaneedtobesatisfied.Isitasocialapp?Agamingapp?Autility?Remember,thebestappsouttherearenottryingtoofferalotofthingstopleaseeveryone—rather,theydoonethinganddoitverywell.

Onceyouknowwhatyourappcando,youcandecidewhetheritwillbesoldorfreeofcharge(andifyoucanearnrevenuethroughadvertisinginstead).Thiswillinformwhatplatformstouse—ifyouareinitforthemoney,launchontheAppStore(sincethatiswherethemostsaleslie).

2. Build.Next,youneedtobuildtheappwiththehelpofadeveloper.Howmuchwillthiscost?Well,thatreallydependsonthefunctionalityoftheapp.Doesithaveprocessingfeatures?Willpeopleneedtologin?Doesithaveapaymentfunction?Remember,yougetwhatyoupayfor—cuttingcornersnowmaymeanashoddyUXlater.

Itiseasytofindandauditiondevelopers.Allyouneedtodoisfindanappthatyoulikeontheappstores,seewhodevelopedit,accessalistofotherappsthatthedevelopercreatedandapproachthemifyoulikewhatyousee.Youshouldexplaintothemwhatmakesyourappbetterthan

slicedbread(orevenanappthatslicesbread)andwhattechnologiesitrequires.Thedeveloperwillmostlikelybefamiliarwithwhatyouwantalreadybecauselet'sfaceit—theyhaveprobablydoneitorsimilarbefore.

3. Golive.MakesurethatyouunderstandtheappsubmissionprocessandthetimeframethatcanbeinvolvedingettingitapprovedbytheAppStore.Itcouldproveriskysubmittinganapponeweekbeforeyourlaunchdeadline,desperatelyhopingthatitpassestheApplereviewprocessintime!Instead,trysubmittinganearlierversionoftheapptogetthoseimportantboxesticked.

4. Promote.Evenaftercomingupwiththeidea,designingordevelopingtheapp,andsubmittingit,thereisstillalotofworktobedone.Therearejustsomanycompetingappsavailable—andthisiswherepromotioncomesin.Howcanyougetthewordouttherethatyourappexists?Andhowcanyouconvincepeopletodownloadit?

Thinkofrelevantpromotionalactivitiestoraiseinterestbeforeyourlaunch.Useappstorebadgesonyourwebsiteandallofyourmarketingmaterials.Considercreatingalandingpagetogatheremailaddressesfrompeoplewhowanttheapponthefirstdayofrelease.Preparinglikethiswillhelpyourapptoriseinthechartsveryquickly.

5. Measure.Thereisnopointinlosingyourvoicescreamingaboutyourappifyouforgettofollowuponyouractivity.Appstoreswilltellyouhowmanypeopledownloadedtheapp,butifyoubuildinmetrics(suchasGoogleMobileAnalyticsorFlurry)youcangetdetailedactivityreports—onhowmanytimestheappwasopened,howlongtheaverageuserspentontheapp,thekeypageshevisited,howheinteractedwithit,andsoon.Itmaybeoneoftheonlytimesinyourlifewhenyoustarttolovetests!

6. Update.Takingthesemeasurementsandanalyticsintoaccount,youcanconsiderupdatesforfutureversionsofyourapp.Generallyyouwillhavetoupdateyourappeveryyearanyway,asbothGoogleandApplechangetheiroperatingsystemsaroundSeptemberorOctoberandyoumayneedtotalkwithyourdeveloperstomakesurethatyourappisstillworking.

Apple'siOSupgradescanresultinmassivechangestothelookandfeeloftheoperatingsystem.ThismeansthatolderiOSversionscanappearoldfashioned.Soremember,launchinganappisnotaone-timething.Youneedtocontinuallyupdateandoptimizeaspartoftheiterativemobilemarketingprocess.

Speakingofwhich,youhavenowcompletedstages1and2ofthe

mobilemarketingprocess.Congratulations!Nowlet'smoveontostage3:Advertise.

Stage3:AdvertiseHavinganawesomemobile-optimizedsiteorappmeansnothingifnooneknowsyouexist.

Stage3ofmobilemarketing'siterativeprocess,highlightedinFigure8.8,focusesonadvertisingsoyouwill:

Understandhowmobileadvertisingcanhelpyoutoachieveyourgoals.

Discoverthevariousmobileadformatsavailableandtheplacesinwhichyouradscanappear.

Learnstepsandtipsforlaunchingyourowncampaign.

Figure8.8FocusontheThirdStageintheMobileMarketingProcess

AboutMobileAdvertisingRightnowthemobile-advertisingindustryisdominatedbyglobalbrandsandthebigboysinfast-movingconsumergoods(FMCGs).Theyusemobileadvertisingasjustonepartoftheirmediamix—theyalsoadvertiseacrossradio,TV,andprint.Andalthoughmobilespendhasgrownalotoverthepastfewyears,itistinycomparedtohowmuchthesebrandsspendonothermedia.Consideringhowmanypeopleareonmobilearoundtheworld,the

amountspentonmobileadvertisingreallyshouldbehigher.

Sowhythereluctancetoforkout?Well,unliketraditionalmedia,everythingismeasurablewithmobileadvertising.Andthiscanbesomewhatofacurse.Becauseatthegranularlevelthatmobileallows,theresultsmayseemsmallcomparedtotheoften-inflatedprojectionsofothermedia.Plusyoucanseeexactlyhowmuchitcoststoserveanadtoauser.Incontrast,ifyouplaceanewspaperadonpage4,youjustdividethecirculationofthenewspaperbythecostoftheadtoworkoutthecostperview.

However,thatcostperviewmaynotbeentirelyaccurate,becausetobehonest,noteverybodywillnoticethatnewspaperad.Thereadermightstartfromthebackandneverevengettopage4.Soyourbeautifullycraftedadmaynotevenbeseen.

Therearedefiniteadvantagestousingmobileovertraditionalformatsifyouarewillingtoinvest.Mobileadvertisingcanhelpyoutoachieve:

Businessgoals,suchasleadgenerationanddrivingsales.

Productgoals,suchasprovidinginformationaboutanewproductorincreasingdownloads/upgradesifyouhaveadigitalproduct.

Communicationgoals,suchasengaginganewaudience,showingoffyourpersonality,andgettingpeopletointeractwithyourbrand.Forinstance,bigbrandsarenowreachingouttoayoungermarket,membersofwhichpaylessattentiontotraditionalmediaandspendmostoftheirtimeonmobiledevices.

Marketinggoals,suchasbranding,awareness,andengagement.

MobileAdFormats

Hatetobreakittoyou,butsizedoesmatter—atleast,itdoeswhenitcomestochoosingmobileadformats!Thestandardmobilebanneradformatisonly300×50pixelsor320×50pixels.EvenwithiPads,youstillhaveaveryasmallspaceinwhichtogetyourmessageacross.SeeFigure8.9forthemostcommonmobileadformats.

Figure8.9MostCommonMobileAdFormats

Ifyoudomanagetoengagetheuser'sattentionwithaneye-catchingad(throughyourmessaging,design,ortheinclusionofacompetition),youcantakeoverherbrowsingexperienceinawaythatisnotpossiblewithdesktopads.Iftheuserclicksonyourexpandablemobilead,asshowninFigure8.10,itwilltakeovertheentirespaceofthatuser'sphone.

Figure8.10ExpandableMobileBannerAds

Whatevertheformat,yourmobileadshoulddriveuserstotakesomeformofaction:forinstance,asimplehotelbannerthatexpandswhenclickedtoshowfunctionalbuttonswithclearCTAs.Theusercanthenbookaroom,earnrewards,orclicktocallwithinaUXassmoothasMorganFreeman'svoice.

Mobileadsalsooffergreatopportunitiesforvideo,asseeninFigure8.11.Withdesktopadvertising,videoadsaregenerallymutedbydefault,whereasamobilevideobannerexpandswhenclickedandthevideoplaysimmediately—takingovertheuser'sphoneortabletspeakersandprovidingamoreimmersiveexperience.Prettynifty,huh?

Figure8.11InteractiveMobileVideoAds

Youcanevenremovetheuserfromhisoriginalbrowsingexperienceentirelyandbringhimtoaseparatemicrosite,whereyoucanwoohimfurtherwithproductnews.Sothatishowyourmobileadscouldlook.Butwheredoyouwantthemtoappear?Therearemanywaystoadvertiseonmobile,asoutlinednext.

MobileSearch

AccordingtoGoogle,therearemoredailysearchesfrommobiledevicesthanfromdesktopsinover10countries(includingtheUnitedStatesandJapan).AndtheCTRonmobileadsinthefirstposition(27.3percent)wasmuchhigherthanondesktopads(19.3percent).

Youcouldbesittingprettyatthetopby:

Makingsurethatyouhaveamobile-optimizedresponse,beitanadaptiveorresponsivemobilesite.

Lettingusersdownloadyourapp(ifyouhaveone)directlyfromyourmobileadontotheirphones.

Includingaclick-to-callbutton—allowinguserstocontactyouinamoreimmediatewaythantheycouldonadesktop.

Truthbetold,gettingyourmobileadstostandoutistricky,becauseyouaredealingwithamuchsmallerscreen.Ondesktops,searchresultsmightshowthreeorfouradsatthetopofthepageanddowntheright-handside.Butwithmobile,onlyoneortwoadscanprecedeorganicsearchresults.Itislikelythatyouradwillbebelowthefold,makingitevenhardertosee.

However,withsomecreativethinking—suchasusingthephone'sfunctionalitytogetuserstointeractwithyourad—mobilesearchcanbeagreatwayofconnectingwithyouraudience.

In-AppAds

Theseadsarecontainedindownloadedappsandarewhatallowmanydeveloperstomonetizethefreeappsthattheyproduce.Theyaremoretargetedthanmobilesearch,becauseadvertiserscandecideinwhichtypesofappstheywouldliketheiradstostar.

Within-appadvertising,yourcontentisdirectedatpeoplewhoarealreadypredisposedtoyourbrandorproduct—take,forexample,thecinemalistingspageofanentertainmentapp,whichmightincludeabannerforaspecificfilm.Userscanclicktheadtowatchatrailer,whichmightthendrivethemtobuyticketsforthatfilminsteadoftheotheroptionslisted.Theadisperfectlyplacedinsidearelevantapp—soyoucanseehowin-appadsuselessofascattershotapproachthanmobilesearchorevenmobileadsonsites.

However,in-appadsarenotalwaystargetedinthecleverestway.Forinstance,ifanadforlastminute.comsuddenlyappearsinAngryBirds,itwouldnotberelevanttotheapp'susers(mainlychildrenandteenagers).Sobecarefulwhenselectingtheappsinwhichyouwantyouradstoappear—becausethemostpopularonesmaynotbethebestfit.

MobileSites

Asyouknowbynow,thestandardmobilebanneradformatisreallysmall.Thismeansthatcreatingabrandimpressionorgettingamessageacrossisprettytricky.Mobileadsrarelyjumpoutandtheyareeasyfortheusertoignore.Thatisperhapswhymobileadvertisingismoreaccessibleforestablishedbrands—theyhaveabiggerbudgettospendontheseadsandonotherformats,too.

Butbymakingyouradsinteractive,suchasincludingvideooraction-drivenbuttons,youhaveabetterchanceofengagingusersonmobilesites.

BrandedApps

Theteacher'spetofmobileadvertisingisthebrandedapp,wherebytheapp

itselfisjustonelargepieceofmarketingforthebrand.Ifyougetitright,itprovidesamuchmoreimmersiveexperiencefortheuser.Itshouldbeentertaining,funny,educational,orinformative—inshort,itshouldbeanappthatuserswillwanttodownloadandkeepontheirhomescreens.

Generally,brandedappsaresponsoredbyaparticularbrand.Forinstance,theycouldbecreatedonthebackofasportingormusicevent.Youhaveprobablyseenpoweredbyorbroughttoyouinanad'sstrapline—thesameapproachisusedforbrandedapps.

Brandedappscanhelpyouengagecustomersforlonger.Theycanalsomakeyourbrandlookgreat—nowyouwillbeseenaship,young,andtrendyratherthandatedandoverthehill.

Forexample,theCarlingiPintwasoneofthefirstbrandedapps,releasedbackin2009.Itusedthephone'saccelerometerandsomecleverfluidmechanicstopouravirtualpintbeforeallowingusersto“drinkit”bytippingtheirphones.TheappwentviralanditssuccessfedintoCarling'soverallcampaign.

Theothertypeofsuccessfulappisabrandedgame.AnexampleofthisistheHeinekenappthatletsrugbyfanspracticetheirvirtualcatchingandkickingskillsonthego.Thebrandingmaybesecondarytotheuser,whoisjustenjoyingthegame,butitwillsinkinovertimeasapositivereflectionofHeineken.

MobileNetworks

Thereareliterallyhundredsofnetworksonwhichyoucanadvertise;theoneyouchoosewillbedeterminedbyyourbudget.Apple'siAdplatform,forinstance,requiresaminimumbudgetofamere$1million!Otherconsiderationsinclude:

Localversusinternationalreach.Advertisingwithinaspecificareawillusuallybemuchcheaper.

Cross-mediacoordination.Someadvertisingnetworkswillofferdesktopaswellasmobilesolutions—theymightdoradio,print,andoutdoortoo.

Servicelevel.Whenyouuseaself-servicemobileadvertisingnetwork,suchasGoogle'sAdMob,youcanuploadyourownassetsandgraphics,setyourbudget,andpickwhereyouwantyouradstoappear.Oryoucantakealoadoffandletanagencytakecareofeverythinginstead.

Reachandscope.Decidewhetheryouwantthewholeworldorjustyourgrannytoseeyourads.

WiFi

Oneneglecteddigitalareaisad-fundedWiFi.Usershaveallthesedevicesthattheytakeeverywhereandtheyareconstantlylookingforconnectivity—beitincoffeeshops,hotels,ortrains.Usually,theloginpagewilllookforausernameandapassword;sometimesthereisnologinpageatall.

Thisisamissedopportunity,particularlyifyouareasmallbusinesslikeacoffeeshop.IfyouhaveWiFiavailableforcustomers,usetheloginpageasabrandingopportunity—getpeopletosignupforyourloyaltyplan,tellthemaboutspecialoffersordiscounts,informthemaboutupcomingevents,andsoon.Thisisaneasywaytodrivetradeandcanbemuchmorecosteffectivethanothermobileadvertisingstrategies.

GettingStarted

Justaswithbuildingmobilesitesorapps,creatingamobileadvertisingstrategyismadeeasierbyusingthesitedevelopmentprocessintroducedearlier(seeFigure8.7):

1. Justify.Whyareyouchoosingmobileadvertising?Whatvaluewillitbring?Determinewhatyourpotentialcustomerswillgetoutofitandalsowhatgoalsitcanachieveforyourbusiness.

2. Build.Next,buildyourcampaign—withthehelpofanagencyifyouhavethebudget.Itwillputtogetheralloftheassetsandeverythingyouneed.

3. Golive.Whenyouarereadytorolloutyourcampaign,sendittoasmanyplacesaspossible.Themorethemerrierandallthat…

4. (Cross)promote.Ifpossible,drivethecampaignfromdifferentmedia—thatwillhelpyoutoseewhichchannelisthemostsuccessful.

5. Measure.Testtheeffectivenessofyourmobileadcampaignsusingdataandanalytics.

6. Update.Onceyouhaveanideaofwhatworksandwhatshouldtakeahike,youcanupdateyourcampaignaccordingly.

Anoteontheabove.Alltoooftenbusinesses—particularlysmallercompanies—initiallytrymobileadvertisingwithalimitedbudgetandscope.Thenifitdoesnotachieveinstantstardom,theygiveup.Butitisreallyimportanttotrythistypeofadvertisingtimeandtimeagain,goingbacktoyouroldfriendsplittestingtofigureoutwhatformatworksbest.Giveyourselfabitofleewayintermsoftimeandbudgettofindwhatsuitsyourbusiness.

MobileAdvertising:KeyTips

Considerthedestinationofyourcampaign.Wherewillyousendpeople?Areyouaskingthemtodownloadanapporareyoudirectingthemtoyourmobilesite?Andwhatdoyouwantthemtodoasaresultofyourad—clickandmakeaphonecall,watchavideo,orvisitaspecificlandingpage?Therearemanywaystoconnectwithusers,sotrytogetthisclearinyourheadearlyon.

Considertheresponsemechanism.Ratherthanallowinguserstojustclickyourad,takeadvantageoftheirphones'functionality.Youradcanexpandandallowtheusertocallfromit,towatchavideostraightaway,todownloadanapp,tosendaprepopulatedtweet,orto“like”youonFacebook.Therearemanymoreopportunitiesforpeopletointeractwithyourmobileadthansimplyclicking.

A/Btestyouradtypes.Thisisprettyeasytodointhedigitalspaceandgenerallyformobileads,too.Trydifferentadtypestoseewhatsuitsyouasacompanyandtheaudiencethatyouwanttoreach.Youwillbefamiliarwithtraditionalbanneradsalready;othertypesinclude:

Appwalls.Whereyouradappearsamongmanyotheradsfordifferentapps(usefulfordevelopers).

Discoveryads.Whenyouradisembeddedinthemiddleofothercontent.

Interstitialads.Whenyouradappearstousersbeforetheycangettothearticleorothercontenttheywanttoabsorbinawebsite.

Retargeting.Chapter4introducedtheconceptofretargeting:Torecap,itiswhenyouradfollowsauseraroundtheInternetbasedontheirpreviousinteractionswithyourbrandorproduct.Thoseusersaremoreinclinedtoclickonyouradbecausetheyhavealreadyexpressedaninterestinwhatyouoffer.

Althoughthisstrategyhasbeenwidelyadoptedinthedesktopenvironment,ithasyettobedonewellinmobile.However,progresshasbeenmade,asinthecaseofsmartappbanners.Whentheuservisitsacertainwebsite,abannerdropsdowntoannouncethatthereisanappavailablewiththesamecontentasthewebsite.ItincludesaCTA,suchasdownloadorview,andiftheuseralreadyhastheappinstalled,itknowsthisandsimplysaysopen.Nottooshabby.

Testforsuccess.InadditiontoA/Btestingyouradtypes,testthecreativesusedwithinthem.Seewhatwordingandimagesresonatewithcustomersandremembertofollowthrough!Aftereachtriptoyouranalyticsreports,youshouldupdateandrelaunchyouradsaccordingly.Becausewhenit

comestomobileadvertising,onesizedefinitelydoesnotfitall.Andsincemobileisoftenabigbrands'game,youneedtodowhateveryoucantomaximizetheimpactofyourmobileadsandsqueezemoreoutofyourbudget.

Comingupisanotherwayinwhichyoucanadvertiseviamobile—proximitymarketing.

ProximityMarketingHavingcoveredkeywaystoreachusersontheirmobiles,let'scontinuewithstage3(seeFigure8.8)andanewareathattechnologyhasbroughttomobileadvertising.

Learnhowproximitymarketingcanhelpyougetclosertocustomersby:

Understandingwhatproximitymarketingisandhowitworks.

Discoveringhowyoucanutilizetechnologytoreachcustomersnearyou.

Knowingthebestpracticesforleveragingthistechnology.

AboutProximityMarketing

Proximitymarketinginvolvessendingtherightcontenttotherightplaceattherighttime.Itisalotmorevaluablethantheshotgunapproachofmobilebanneradsandisgenerallycheaper,simpler,andmoremanageable.Withproximitymarketing,youcantargetcontenttowirelessdevicesbasedontheirlocations,forinstance:

Acellularphoneinaparticularcell.Whenuserstravelabroadandroamawayfromtheirhomenetwork,theygetanotificationfromthelocaloperatorthatinformsthemofrelevantcosts.Andyouhavetheopportunitytosendthemawelcomemessageofyourown!

ABluetoothorWiFidevicewithinrangeofatransmitter.Thisgoesbacktothedaysbeforedataplanswereavailable,whentheonlywaytosendfreeandaccessiblecontenttomobileuserswasthroughBluetooth.Ashoppingcenter,forexample,knewwhenpeoplehadwalkedinwiththeirBluetoothdevicesswitchedonandcouldaskthemtooptintoreceivemessages.Thiswasabitofahaphazardapproachatthetime;however,theuseofbeaconshasbroughtittotheforefrontagain.

AnNFC-enabledphone.Thisrevolvesaroundtheuserbeingwithinverycloseproximity(lessthanafoot)ofcertainmedia.NFC,ornearfieldcommunication,canreadcontentfromalittlechipphysicallyplacedsomewhere(suchasinabusshelter).Youcanputachiponyourproduct

oradvertisingmaterialanduseittocleverlylaunchlocalizedcontent—suchassendinganotificationtotheuser'sphonethatyourstoreisonlyafewfeetaway.Again,thisismoretargetedthangeneralmobileadvertisingbecauseitisbasedontheuserbeingnearsomething.

AdvancesinProximityMarketing

BluetoothproximitymarketingwasseenasadyingtechnologyuntilApplegaveitanewleaseonlifein2013.TheybroughtforwardatechnologycallediBeacon,whichissimplyavariationofBluetoothlow-energytechnology.Around140companiesworldwideareusingiBeaconnowandmorebigbrandsarejumpingonboardtoo.

iBeaconprovidesatailored,real-worldexperiencethatleverageswhatacompanyisalreadydoinginitsexistingapp.Howdoesitwork?Well,asmallchip,whichcostsjust$5to$10andlastsaroundtwoyears,isusedtobroadcastauserIDtotheapp.

Forexample,ifuserswalkintoMacy'sandhavetheMacy'sapp,thechipwillpushofferstotheirphonesbasedonwheretheyare.Ifthatuserisamanstandinginfrontofshoes,hewillseeoffersrelatedtomen'sshoesandnotwomen'sshoes.Thisisaverypowerfulformofadvertisingasusersarealreadypredisposedtoyourbrand(becausetheyhavedownloadedyourappandareinyourstore)andyouareservingthemtherightpieceofinformationattherighttime.

However,becarefulabouthowyouuseiBeacon.Technologyallowsyoutodoreallycoolthings,butasPeterParker'sunclewiselysaid:“Withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility.”Sodonotstalkyourpotentialcustomersorscarethemawaywithmessagesateverystep—afterall,youdonotwantthemturningofftheirBluetoothdevices,orworse,deletingyourapp!Instead,actasaguidethatcanhelpthemthroughtheirshoppingprocessandgivethemtheinformationtheyneed.Gentlydoesit.

AnotherareainproximitymarketingisQRcodes—thosesmall,square,black-and-whitebarcodesthatcanbereadbyyourphone'scamera.Foradvertisers,theyareconvenientandcosteffective;infact,theyareusuallyfree.Youcanjustgotoawebsitelikewww.qrme.comandtypeintheURLyouwouldlikethecodetolinkto,anditwillgenerateaQRcodethatyoucandownloadanduseonpromotionalmaterial.QRcodesareabigdealintheFarEast;however,theyareusedlessinEuropeandtheUnitedStates,possiblybecausemanybrandsdidnotusethemeffectivelywhentheyfirstcameout.

IfyoudodecidetouseQRcodes,bearthesetipsinmind…

Do

Directuserstoamobile-optimizedlandingpage.

Includemobilecouponstoengagethem.

Buildalistofmobilephoneusers.

Linktomobilemedialikeapps,videos,podcastsorPDFs.

Don'tMakethecodetoosmallorsofarawaythatitwillnotscan.

PresentthecodeinplaceswithnoInternet,forexample,subwaystations.

Senduserstoyourhomepage.

Remember,itrequiresabitofeffortforuserstotakeouttheirphones,opentheQRreaderorcameraapp,holditsteady,focus,andwaitforthebrowsertoopenandlaunch.ItmightbeeasiertojusttypeinaURL.Soratherthansendingthemtoyourhomepage,givethemcontentthattheywerenotexpecting.Youhavepiquedtheirinterest.Usethat.

Psst…forexamplesofwhatnottodo(orjustforagiggleonaMondaymorning),checkoutwww.qrcodefails.wordpress.com.

Nowthatyouknowhowtouselocalizedmobileadvertising,let'smoveontothelastpartofstage3intheiterativeprocess—SMSmarketing.

SMSMarketingThereisanotherareaofmobileadvertisingthatisoftenoverlookedbecauseithasbeenwithusforsolong.However,instage3(seeFigure8.8)youwilllearnhowSMSmarketingcanbeakeypartofyourmobileadvertisingmix.

LearnhowtomakeSMSworkinyourfavorby:

UnderstandingthemainconsiderationsinSMScampaigns.

Findingtherightsuppliertohelpyouwithyourmessaging.

TakingthenecessarystepsintheSMScampaignprocess.

SMS:HighsandLows

AlthoughSMSmarketingmaybeoverlookedinfavorofcooler,shiniertechnologies,itdoeshavemanyadvantages.Forinstance,itis:

Targeted.Youcansendamessagedirectlytophonenumbersthatyouhavegatheredpersonally.

Relevant.Thepeopleseeingyourmessagearemorelikelytobeinterestedinwhatyouoffer.

Timely.Youcanadvertisepromotionsorspecialoffersatthemostappropriatetime,suchastheweekbeforeChristmas.

Personalized.Thiscanbeveryeffective,especiallyintermsoflocalizedmarketing.

Visible.SMSseesahugeopenrateof99percent.

Accessible.Comparedtosmartphones,apps,andmobilesites,eventheoldestphonescanreceiveSMSandcanbeaccessedbyanyone.

IfyoudecidetouseSMSwithinyourwidermobilecampaign,thereareafewconsiderationstotakeintoaccount.Forinstance,doyouhaveadatabaseofphonenumbersandpermissionfromthesepeopletobecontacted?AndwillyouneedanSMSprovider?

Ifyouhaveasmalldatabase,youmightbetemptedtosendmessagesfromyourownphone;however,youwillnotbeabletoseeifpeopleopenyourtextorevenseeit.UsinganSMSprovidermeansyoucanmeasureyourcampaignswithanalyticsandletsyourmessagestandoutwithtargeted,specifickeywordsandyourownshortcodeorphonenumber.Forinstance,yourmessagemightread:“ToreceivespecialdealsonconcertsandeventsfromCircleCityTickets,textTICKETSto12345.”ThekeywordinthiscaseisTICKETSandtheshortcodeis12345.TheSMSprovidercanpickoutthosepeoplewhorespondedtothatparticularnumberandplacethemintoarelevantbucket—sofuturemessagesaresenttotherightpeopleattherighttime.

Remember,awell-craftedSMSmarketingmessageisconcise,targeted,relevant,andcontextsensitive.Itcanhaveareallyhighimpact,suchasdrivingpeoplethroughthedoorofyourrestaurantorstorefasterthanyoucansay,“You'vegotmail!”

Unfortunately,itisnotallsunshineandlollipopswithSMSmarketing.Itdoescomewithitsownchallenges,suchas:

Strictregulations.BecauseSMShasbeenaroundforsolong,itisthemostregulatedareaofmobileadvertising.Messagesmustberelevant,targeted,andspecific—andthefinescanbehugeifyouabuseyourpower.Also,sincemobilemarketingispermission-based,youneedtoknowhowyougotthatmobilenumberinthefirstplace.Thecustomermustoptintoreceivemessages(forinstance,viaanonlinecompetitionoraregistrationform)andyoumustkeeprecordsasproof.

Limitedspace.Messagesarenormallylimitedto160characters,soitcanbehardtogetyourmessageacross(unlessyouareanexperttweeter,inwhichcaseyouwillhavelotstospare!).Agoodwaytocombateating

intoyourSMScreditswithmultiplemessagesistoincludeaCTAthattakestheusertoyourmobile-responsivewebsite.

Opt-outrequirement.Allowinguserstooptoutisanecessityandyouwillneedtouseupsomeofyourprecious160charactersbysaying,“TextSTOP”toacertainnumber.Thismeansyouhaveevenlessspaceinwhichtoengageusers,butitismandatory.Ifyoucontinuetextingsomebodywhohasalreadyoptedout,youcouldbeinbigtrouble.

Anticipatingresponse.Evenwithacrystalball,itcanbeveryhardtoseewhatreactionyourcampaignwillget.Forinstance,ifyouhave20itemstogiveawayandyousendapromotionalSMSto10,000people,youcouldendupannoyingthose9,980peoplewhodonotgetafreebie.

Tostayaboveboardandtorunamoreeffectivecampaign,usinganSMSsupplierishighlyrecommended.Thiswillensurethatyourcampaignislegalandmeasured,withalltherecordstoproveit.Ifyoudoengageasupplier,youneedtodeterminethefollowing:

Isitamanagedorself-serviceproduct?

Canyoudoitallonline?

CanyouchangethesenderIDsothatyourSMSdoesnotjustappearfromanunknownnumber,butfromyourbrand?

Canyouscheduletextsbasedoncountrydialingcodes?Ifyouhaveaglobaldatabaseandwanttoavoidsendingmessagesataninappropriatetime,thisisvital.

DoestheSMSprovidersupportshortcodes?Andifso…

Canyougroupphonenumbersbycategoryandtargetaudience?

Whataretheupfrontandongoingcosts?

GettingStarted

DecidedtorunanSMScampaign?Great.SeeFigure8.12forafewstepstosetyouintherightdirection…

1. Providerselection.Justaswithchoosingadeveloperforyourappormobilesite,findingtherightproviderisreallyimportant.Makesuretoaskaboutongoingcostsinadditiontothecostofsettingup.Generallyyouwillpayanupfrontfee,thenbuyabundleofSMScreditsbeforeanycampaign.

2. Subscriberlist.Aspreviouslymentioned,youneedbothtounderstandwhereyoursubscriberlistcomesfromanddocumentthesesources.

3. Landingpage.IfincludingaCTAorURLattheendofyourSMS,makesurethatthelandingpagetowhichyouaredirectingusersisoptimizedformobile.

4. Messagecampaign.Donotkeepsendingthesamemessagetimeandtimeagain,justbecauseyouhappentohaveasaleon.Splittestandvaryyourcampaignmessagingtoseewhatworks.

5. Reviewandmeasure.Justaswithyourmobilesites,apps,andanyotheradvertisingyoumightdo,usemetricsandanalyticstomeasurethesuccessofyourcampaign.Understandwhatdrivescustomerstoyourdoorandupdateasnecessary.

Figure8.12SMSCampaignDevelopmentProcess

Forfurtherinspiration,checkoutthesetipsfortheperfectSMSmessage.

Segmentyouraudienceandsendappropriatemessagestoeachcustomer.

Keepyourtextshortandsweet.

HaveastrongCTA.

Grabtheirattentioninthefirstcoupleofwords.

Tellyouraudiencewhoyouare—assignyourcompanyasyoursenderID.

Don'tforgettoprovideanopt-outoption.

Thatconcludesstage3ofourmobilemarketingiterativeprocess.Thenextsectionwillfocusonusinganalyticstotrackyourcampaign'ssuccess.

Stage4:AnalyzeOurmodelmaynotlookatanalyticsuntilthefourthstageoftheiterativeprocess(seeninFigure8.13),butinfactdatashouldbepartofeverystepofyourmobilemarketingcampaign.

Figure8.13FocusontheFourthStageoftheMobileMarketingProcess

Thissectionwillremindyouoftheimportanceofanalysis,soyoucan:

Appreciatethatmetricsshouldbeappliedtoamobilemarketingstrategy.

Understandwhatananalyticspackagelookslikeandhowitcanbeusedinyourowncampaign.

MobileAnalyticsAnalyticsarekindoflikeBrusselssprouts—youknowtheyaregoodforyoubutyoucannothelpbeingalittleafraidofthem.Andneitherishalfasbadasyouimaginedonceyougetusedtoit!

Sowhatdoestheworldofanalyticsinvolve?Well,itisallaboutusingthemostrelevantmetrics,andmeasuringacampaign'seffectivenessandoptimizingitbasedontheresults.

Metricsareespeciallyinvaluableinmobilemarketing,becauseusersareonpersonaldevices.TheyarenotsharingthemastheywouldaPCatworkoralaptopathomethatthewholefamilycanaccess.Sowhetheryouareusingmobilesites,apps,mobilesearch,proximitymarketing,orSMSaspartofyourstrategy,youarecommunicatingwithasingleuser.Youcanseeexactlywhatsheisdoingandhowyoucanconnectwithher.

Regardlessoftheanalyticspackageyougofor,youcanfollowyourcampaignacrossdifferentdevices.Forinstance,intheAudiencetabofGoogleAnalytics,showninFigure8.14,youcanseehowyourwebsiteperformsonvariousdevicesbyclickingontheMobilecategoryontheleftandselectingDevices.

Figure8.14SeeHowYourWebsitePerformsonVariousDeviceswithintheAudienceTabofGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Youthengetalistofthedevicesthatpeopleareusingmostfrequentlytogettoyoursite,asseeninFigure8.15.

Figure8.15MobileDeviceInformationwithinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Thisinformationcanfeedintoyourmobilesitestrategyintermsofhowyoucatertousers,howyouaccommodatewhattheyliketodoonyoursite,whetheryoubuildamobileapp,whatplatformsyoutarget,andsoon.Youcanalsocheckthebouncerateforuserscomingfrommobiledevicesasopposedtodesktops—ifitisalothigher,maybeyouneedtofocusmoreonyourmobilestrategyandonmakingyoursiteresponsive.

Inshort,bytakingfulladvantageofthemetricsandanalyticsatyourdisposal,youcanrunmoreinformed—andmoresuccessful—mobilemarketingcampaigns.Simpleasthat.

EmergingTrendsBynowyouwillbefamiliarwitheachstageofmobilemarketing'siterativeprocess;however,wemuststillfinishstage4(seeFigure8.13).Nowit'stimetotakeastepbackandlookatthefutureoftheindustrysothatyoucan:

Beawareofcurrenttrendsinthemobilemarketplace.

Findoutwaysinwhichyoucancapitalizeonthesetrends.

CurrentTrendsWithinthearenaofmobilemarketing,thereareafewtrendsemergingofwhichyoushouldbeaware:

M-commerce.Mobilecommerceincludesmobilewallets,NFCchips,andcouponsthatcanbescanned.Thesetechnologiesmightnotbewidelyadoptedjustyet,butmoreandmorecompaniesarecompetingwithinthe

m-commercespaceandofferingnewwaysforconsumerstopaybymobile.

Geolocation.Thisisreallycrucial,giventheimportanceofcontextinmobilemarketing.Whenyouknowwherecustomersare,whattheyaresearchingfor,andhowtheyareusingapps,youradvertisingcanbemoreinformedandtargetedtotheirneeds—forinstance,withtheuseofiBeacon.

Showrooming.Thisreferstousersinphysicalstorescheckingonlinetoseewhatacertainproductmightcostelsewhere.SmartbrandslikeApplehaverealizedthataslongastheygettheseusers'business,itdoesnotmatteriftheybuyin-storeoronline.Apple'sstrategyistousethephysicalstoreasashowroom,andthecompanyevenoffersconsumersdevicesonwhichtheycanbrowse.Itisallaboutgainingtheuser'sloyalty—sodonotmakethesamemistakeasthebookstoresthattriedtopreventcustomersfromcheckingpricesonAmazon.Peoplenowhaveconnectivityintheirpocketsandtheyaregoingtouseit.Thatiswhybrick-and-mortarretailersneedto:

Offersomethingthatmakesconsumersbuyinthephysicalstore.Understandthatevenifconsumersdon'tbuyfromthephysicalstore,theymaybuyfromyouonline.

Wearablecomputing.SlicktechnologieslikeGoogleGlassandApplewatchesarenotexactlycommonplacerightnow,buttheyarecertainlygainingtraction.Forinstance,theimmersiveOculusRifthasalreadymeanthugebenefitsforgaming…whatimpactcouldsuchtechnologieshaveonmarketing?Moreover,mobilehealthisarapidlyexpandingarearightnow,givenallthefitnesstrackersoutthere.Thesetrackerscantellwhatpeoplearedoing,wheretheyare,andsoon—andthisdatacouldinformpurchasingandmarketingdecisionsasaresult.Thisisoneareaonwhichyoushoulddefinitelykeepaneyeformarketingopportunities.

Bynowyoushouldhaveamuchclearerideaofwhatmobilemarketingisabout.Andnowthatyouhaveseenthetrendsthatareemergingwithintheindustry,let'smoveontothelawsandguidelinestowhichyouwillneedtoadhere.

LawsandGuidelinesHavingcoveredtheopportunitiesthatmobileoffersdigitalmarketers,thewaysinwhichyoucanadvertise,theimportanceofanalytics,andthecurrenttrends,thischapterwillconcludebyaddressingafewlawsandguidelines.

Inparticular,thissectionwillhelpyouto:

Understandthemobilemarketinglawsthatapplytoyourcountry.

Realizethefundamentalareasoflegislation,providinglinkstomoreinformation.

Remembersomekeypointsforyourmobilemarketingstrategy.

LayingDowntheLawInmanyrespects,mobileisrelativelynew—sotherearenotalotoflawsorguidelinesinplacethatrelatetoit.Infact,themobilemarketingindustrychangessoquicklythatrulesareoftencraftedasitmovesalong.

Still,mobiledoeshavetoadheretocertainstandardssuchas:

Dataprotectionandprivacy.Theselawswilldifferdependingonwhatcountryyouarein,butwww.dlapiperdataprotection.comandwww.heatmap.forrestertools.comallowyoutoviewlegislationbylocation.

Copyright.Itisveryeasytocopyandpastedigitalcontent.Avoidtemptationandaskforpermission,givecreditwherecreditisdue,payforcontent,orelsecreateandcopyrightyourown.Tostayinformedaboutupdatesincopyrightlegislation,gotowww.copyright-watch.org.

Cookiepolicies.Asinthedesktopworld,therearelawsrelatingtotheinformationthatyougatherandretainaboutpeople'sbrowsinghabits.Asmentionedinthesectionabouteffectivemobilesites,thereislessofanopportunitytodothisonmobiledevices(becauseyouhavelimitedaccesstolocalstorage,whichisusuallydictatedbythephone'soperatingsystem);however,evenifyouareonlystoringalittlebitofinformationabouttheuser,youneedtomakethisknowntotheuser.Becausenoteveryoneisafanofcookies.Youcanfindoutmoreviawww.cookielaw.org/faq.

Accessibility.Thenicethingaboutmobileisthatoperatingsystemsusuallycaterreallywelltopeoplewithdisabilities,intermsofaccessingcontent.Andinmostinstances,theoperatingsystemwilltakecareofmostofthisforyouwithfeaturesthatallowtexttobespokenandimagestobedescribed,navigationassistanceforthevisuallyimpaired,andsoon.Learnmoreaboutaccessibilityissuesatwww.w3.org/WAI/mobile.

Thankstothelackoflawsrelatingtomobile,manybodiesliketheMobileMarketingAssociation(MMA)havetakenituponthemselvestoenforceself-imposedguidelines.Theypromotebestpracticesintheindustryintheabsenceoflawsorformalstandards:Withinthemobilemarketingecosystemthereisahugepushtowardsself-regulation.

Asadigitalmarketer,youtooshouldoperatebythiscodeandrefertotheMMAwheneveryouneedguidance.Itisallaboutbeingresponsibleintermsofwhatyoudowithusers'data,respectingtheirprivacy,andmanagingorstoringcontentinthemostsensitivewaypossible.

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Hopefullythischapterhasshownyounewwaysinwhichyoucanreachcustomers—throughthemediumofmobile.Rememberthesekeytruthswhendevisingyourmobilestrategyandyouwillbeontoawinner:

Thereisonlyoneweb.Sincethereisnosuchthingasseparatedesktopwebsandmobilewebs,everythingshouldberesponsive.Regardlessofwhetherauserisusingadesktop,atablet,aphone,oraTV,contentendsupinthesameplaceandyoushoulduseresponsivetechnologiestoprovidethebestUXpossible.

Keepintouch.Becausesomanyofyourcustomerswillcomefrommobiledevices,youshouldmakeuseoftouchdesign.Thislendsitselftodesktoptoo,becausenowadayscontentisgenerallybigger,cleaner,andeasiertouse.

Contextiskey.Ithasfinallybeenunderstoodthatmobileusersareabsorbinginformationinahurry,whiletheyareonthego.Thatinturnhasledtoimprovementsinthedesktopexperience,withwebsitesthatuseone-pagescrolling,whichprovideconciseinformationwithafocusoncleanlayoutanddesign.

Dataisgolden.Everythingismeasurableandyoushoulduseyourdata/analyticstoinformanycommercial,marketing,andbusinessdecisionsthatyoumake.

Goodluck,mobilemarketers!Mayyourcontentnowshinefromeveryscreen.

Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonmobilemarketingasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

Exercises

Exercise1UsingGoogleAnalytics,lookatthedataavailableforyourcurrentwebsiteandrecord:

Whatpercentageofusersiscomingfrommobile?

Whatisthemobilebouncerateversusdesktopbouncerate?

Whatarethemostcommonmobiledevicesbeingused?

Areyourmobilevisitorsusingphonesortablets?

Whattimeareusersaccessingyoursite?

Howlongdoyourmobilevisitorsspendonyoursite?

Exercise2Youhavedevelopedanewmobileappthatallowsuserstodownloadgluten-freerecipes.Youmustdecideontherevenuemodelforyourapp,takingthefollowingintoconsideration:

Whichwouldworkbestforyourcustomers?

Whichwouldyieldmorerevenue?

Exercise3SetupanaccountonGoogle'sAdMobPlatform(www.google.com/admob).TryoutthevarioustoolsthatareavailableforbanneradsandAdWords.Choosethechannelthatsuitsyourbusinessbest.Setasmallbudget,choosechannels,golive,andtesttheresponse.

Exercise4CreateacustomQRcodeathttp://goqr.meandmakeitlinktoatrackablepagethatisnotyourhomepage.Trackthenumberofpeoplewhouseit.PutdifferentQRcodesondifferentmediatoidentifymedia(e.g.,leaflets,printads,outdoorads,etc.)thatworkbestforactivations.

Exercise5YouarethemanagerofGroarkie'sGadgets,alocalelectricalstorethatisrunningaweekendclearancespecial.Youwanttosendamessagetocustomerswhohavepreviouslypurchasedfromyourstore.Craftan

engagingSMSusingtheguidelinesbelow:

Asinglemessagewithfewerthan160characters.

Includesanopt-outmechanism,whichwilleatintoyourcharactercount(e.g.,textStopto53153).

Relevantandspecific.

IncludesaCTA(e.g.,SalenowonorSave20percentthisweekend).

Measurable(e.g.,responsesgotoaURL—foronlinecampaigns—orhaveauniquecode—forphysicalcampaigns—soyouknowwhatpercentageofcustomersisgettingthrough).

ActionPlan:MobileMarketingDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforMobileMarketing

ObjectivesReach,interaction,advocacy,conversion

ActionItemsandFrequencyMobileoptimizedwebsite:Ongoing

APPS:Ongoing

SMSmarketing:Percampaign

Mobileadvertising:Percampaign

Proximitymarketing:Percampaign

MeasurementToolsandKPIsAveragerevenueperuser(ARPU):

APRU=TotalrevenuegeneratedwithinagiventimeframeTotal#ofactiveuserswithinagiventimeframe

Costperinstall(CPI):

CPI=Adspend#ofnewinstallsdirectlytiedtoadcampaign

Costperloyaluser(CPLU):

CPLU=Adspend#ofnewloyalusersinresponsetoads

Engagement:Sessionlengthandinterval,appscreenspersession,conversionratesforevents,interactions,opt-ins,andopt-outs

Retention:

Aggregateretention=#ofmonthlyactiveusers#ofinstalls

Retentionforagiventimeperiod=#ofusersretainedatendoftimeperiod#ofinstallsatstartoftimeperiod

Spend

Media Content People Systemsx x x X

CHAPTER9ANALYTICS

AnIntroductionGenerallyperceivedascomplex,dry,andscarilyoverwhelming,analyticsdoesnothavethemostexcitingreputation.Whilstitmightgiveyousweatypalms,aracingheart,andkeepyouupallnightpantingbreathlessly,it'sforallthewrongreasons.

Solet'slookinsteadatwhatissexy.Success.Slickmarketing.Competitiveadvantage.Profit.

Andhowarethesegloriousthingsachieved?Withkillerinsights,cluesdugoutofthedatalikeroughdiamonds,andwisdompolishedintopreciseactions.Knowledgeispower,afterall,andanalyticsreallybringstheheatinthatdepartment!Sowhilststatsmightnotappearsexy,whatcanbedonewiththemis,andthisistheseductivebeautyofanalytics.

However,thisbeautyissomewhatburied.It'sourjobtoseebeyondanalytics'intimidatingexteriorandfocusondiggingouttheinternalwisdom.Becauseiftheinnerworkingsofanalyticscanbeunderstood,andthepoweroftheinsightsgainedcanbeoptimizedtomeetspecificneeds,thenawholeworldofknowledge-basedclaritywillopenup,achievingthosesexyitemsoutlinedabove!

Formaldefinitionofanalytics:Theprocessofmeasuring,collecting,analyzing,andreportingthebehaviorofvisitorsonawebsite,inordertounderstandandoptimizewebusage.

Informaldefinitionofanalytics:What'sthestorybehindthestats?(Andit'sanever-endingone.)

Theonlineworldshiftsconstantly,soanalyticscontinuallymonitorsandevaluateswebsitetraffic,foreverasking:Whatisworking,whatisn't,why,andwhatarewedoingaboutit?

It'samyththatanalyticsisjustaboutdata—it'sactuallymoreaboutreadingbetweenthelinestointerpretthatdata.Thechallengeistocustomizeeachreportforspecificneeds,thendigoutinsightsthathelptooptimizethesite,understandtheusers,andmeetbusinessaims.

ProcessInthischapter,youwillexplorethefourkeystagesoftheongoinganalyticsprocess,asshowninFigure9.1.

1. Goals.Theprocessbeginsbysettinggoalsforboththebusinessandthewebsite,thenspecifyinghowanalyticswillbeusedtohelpmeasurethosegoals.Analyticsisaboutthewho,what,when,howmany,andwhy:Thisisthestageatwhichthosequestionsaredefined,therationalebehindthemexplored,andtheanswerstothemdiscovered.

2. Setup.Herethegroundworkislaidforansweringthequestionsaskedwhensettingyourgoalsandformeetingthosegoals—bysettingupaGoogleAnalytics(GA)accountandconfiguringitasneeded.AsolidworkingknowledgeofGAandrelatedtoolsisrequiredforthis.OncethestructureandutilityofGAisunderstood,aswellaswhatlevelsofaccessandpermissionsarerequired,thentheinterfaceandreportingongoalscanbeorganized.

3. Monitor.Thisstageinvolvestop-levelmonitoringofaudiences,trafficsources,andcampaigns,aswellasacritiqueofsiteperformance.Havingstatisticalcontextfromthepreviousstages,thegoalsfromstage1cannowberefinedfurtheraspreparationfordivingintoevendeeperanalysis.

4. Analyze.Thisstageisincrediblydatarich!Itisboththebeginningandtheendofthecycle,thestageatwhichin-depthanalysisisperformed,targetedinsightsdeveloped,businessgoalsandstrategytweaked,andthereportingprocessstartedanew.ThisisthestageforstudyingtowhatextentKPIsandgoalsweremet,foransweringwhyorwhynottheywere,andformakinginformeddecisionstoimproveweakareasandtocapitalizeonstrongones.

Figure9.1Four-StageAnalyticsProcess

KeyTermsandConceptsThischapterwillteachyouhowtomeasure,monitor,andoptimizeyourdigitalmarketingactivityusinganalytics.Here'swhatyouwillunderstanduponcompletion:

Whybusinessesshouldadoptaformalanalyticsprogram.

Whichtoolsareavailabletomeasureandmonitoronlinetraffic.

Howtobuildstandard,scheduled,andcustomizedreports.

Howtosetupaccounts,profiles,permissions,andtrackingcodes.

HowtouseGAtoprofileaudiencesandassesstechnicalperformance.

Howtomeasureengagementandconversionbytrackingactivities.

TherelationshipbetweenbusinessKPIsandanalyticsgoals.

Stage1:GoalsWelcometostage1oftheanalyticsprocess,whichishighlightedinFigure9.2andwhereyouwilllearnhowtosetgoalsforbothyourbusinessandwebsite,andinturn,definehowGoogleAnalytics(GA)willbeusedtohelpmeasurethosegoals.

Figure9.2FocusontheFirstStageintheAnalyticsProcess

Asmartdigitalmarketingstrategyprovidesyouwiththeopportunitytoachievevisibilityinyourbrandandtoexcitepotentialcustomers.Beingabletoanalyzeyouronlineactivity,fromcreatingcontentrightthroughtoservingads,iscriticaltoiteratingitssuccess.

However,digitalprofessionalscansometimesfindtheeffectivenessoftheirmarketingdifficulttomeasure,especiallyifthere'sanunderlyinguncertaintyaboutitsrolewithinyouroveralldigitalmarketingstrategy.

Ifyouwanttobeasuccessfuldigitalmarketer,youneedtogetexistential:Beforeyoustartanalyzingyouronlineactivities,askyourselfonesimplequestion—whatareyoutryingtofindout?It'simportanttorememberthatinordertomeasureyoursuccess,metricsshouldalwaysbealignedwithyourgoals.YouneedtostartbydefiningyourobjectivesinusingGA,someofwhichcouldincludeanalyzingdatainorderto:

Findoutwhoyourtargetaudienceis.

Increasebrandawarenessandadvocacy.

Drivewebsitetraffic.

Discoverwhichareasofyoursitearecausinghighbouncerates.

Increaseleadgenerationandnurturing.

Improvecustomerretention.

Enhanceupselling.

Increasesales.

Averycommonreasonwhymanydigitalmarketingstrategiesfailisalsoanincrediblysimpleone—afailuretoanalyzethedata.Itmightnotseemlikesomethingworthspendingtimeon,butifyougiveyourselfthechancetoreallythinkaboutandidentifyyourgoalsandoverarchingstrategyyouwillbeabletomakemuchmoreinformeddecisionsabouthowtousedatatoincreaseyourdigitalmarketingefforts.

KeyConceptsBeforebeginning,let'sgetfamiliarwithsomeofthekeyconceptsthatwillbecoveredinthischapter.

Dimensionsandmetrics.Dimensionsdescribedata,whereasmetricsmeasuredata.Forexample,usersisadimension,anditsmeasurementmetricisthenumberoflogged-inusers.Studyingbothiswhatcreatesinsight.

Cookies.Cookiesarefilesexchangedbetweenawebbrowserandaserverthatdifferentiateusers.Theytrackrepeatviewsversusuniqueusers(differentvisitors)withoutcollectingpersonaldata(nonames,etc.).Cookieslast60days,meaningoneuserwouldbecountedasuniqueforthistimeperiod.

Dataprotection.Allanalyticsserviceshavetocomplywithdataprotectionguidelines,whichmeansnotcollectingpersonaldata.Payattentiontolocalregulations,becausenoteverycountryoperatesinthesameway.

KeyTermsNextweintroducesomekeyterms.

Session.Agroupofinteractionsthattakeplaceduringagiventimeframe.Forexample,severaldifferentpageviewsbythesameuniqueuserinthesamewindowoftimewouldbecountedasonesession.

Users.Thenumberofnonduplicatedusers.Iftheuserclearshiscookies,hewillbecountedagain.

Pagespersession.Theaveragenumberofpageviewsthatapersoncompletedbeforeexitingthesite.

Averagesessionduration.Theaverageamountoftimetheuserspentonthesite.ThisisreportedinminutesinGA,andinsecondsinGoogleAdWords.

Percentageofnewsessions.Anestimateofthepercentageoffirst-timevisits.

Conversion.Acompletedactivitythatcontributestothesuccessofthebusiness.Thiscouldberepresentedbyarangeofdifferentthings;forexample,asale,orsigningupforanewsletter.

Goal.Adefinedconversion,allowingmeasurementofthenumberoftimesthatconversionwascompleted.Therecanbemanydifferentgoals,andtheyareputinplacetotrackperformance.

Conversionrate.Therateatwhichusersactuallycompletedthegoalorthetransactiononyoursite.

Transaction.Differentfromagoal,thisisarevenuemetric.Ane-commercetrackingfunctioncanbeinstalledtotracktransactions.

Annotations.Notes(publicorprivate)manuallyaddedtodatathatprovidecontext;forexample,elaboratingonaspikeintrafficbyaddingdetailsaboutarelatedofflinemarketingactivity.

Stage2:SetupTokickoffouranalyticsmodule,let'sexaminetheworld'smostwidelyusedanalyticstool:GoogleAnalytics.GAhasbeenreferencedthroughoutthiscourse,specificallytyinginwiththeSEO,PPC,andsocialmediamodules,solet'sdiveintoanexaminationofhowitworks.

Thissectionisconcernedwiththesecondstageintheanalyticsprocess(highlightedinFigure9.3),orsettingupaGAaccount.Onceyouhavefinishedityouwillunderstand:

ThebenefitsofGAcomparedtoothertools.

ThestructureofGAanditsvaryingaccesslevels.

HowtosetupaGAaccountandnavigateitsinterface.

Whichtypesofreportscanbepulled.

Figure9.3FocusontheSecondStageintheAnalyticsProcess

GAOverviewGAoperatesaconstantsystemofcollection,measurement,andanalysisofwebsitedata.

Technicallyspeaking,thisworksinthefollowingway:

1. WhensettingupGA,acodeisprovidedthatmustbeinsertedintoyourwebsite.

2. Whenthatwebpageisdisplayedtoauser,theanalyticscodedropscookies.

3. Cookies(whichtrackusers)aredropped,anddataiscommunicatedbacktoGA.

4. ThisdataisprocessedintheGAbackendthenpresentedintheinterface.

WhyGA?

Thereareotheranalyticstoolsonthemarket,butGAperksaredifficulttobeat:

Free.

Industrystandard,usedby98percentofbrands.

Simpletouseformoste-commerceplatformsandwebsites.

Highlycustomizableforspecificbusiness/campaignneeds.

IntegratesnicelywithotherGoogleproducts(e.g.,AdWordsandWebmaster).

Extensiveonlinesupportandtutorials.

FreeversusPaid

ThereisalsoapaidversionofGA,calledUniversalAnalytics,whichoffersgreaterfunctionalityandmorein-depthreporting.Itisusedmostlybylargerglobalbrands—thefreeversionofGA,however,ismorethansufficientformostmarketers.

GAAccountStructure

Tosetuptheaccountproperly,it'simportanttofirstunderstandthatGAisstructuredintothreesections:Account,PropertyandView,asshowninFigure9.4.

1. AccountreferstotheactualGAaccount;forexample,thebusinessorbrand.

2. Propertyreferstoeachindividualwebsite,andbusinessescanaddmorethanone.

3. Viewreferstothefilterthatisappliedtothedata.Forexample,afilterthatexcludesinternaltrafficcanbeapplied.

Figure9.4GAThree-SectionStructureSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

GAAccessLevels

GAprovidesfourlevelsofuseraccess,which,foradministrativeandsecurityreasons,isveryuseful.Forexample,inlargecompanies,itmaybeproblematictohaveseveralhundredpeopleaccessingandeditingthesamedata!Thelevelsofaccessare:

1. ManagedUser.Administrativelevel;candoabsolutelyeverything.

2. Edit.Administrativelevelfunctionswithouttheabilitytoaddordeleteusers.ThisistheminimumlevelofaccessrequiredtolinkGAwithGoogleAdWords.

3. Collaborate.Caneditsharedassetsandreadandanalyzeallreports.

4. ReadandAnalyze.Canmakenochanges,justobservations.

GAAccountSetup

Nowthestructureandthetiersofaccessareunderstood,let'ssetupanaccount.

1. Typeinwww.google.com/analytics.

2. Clickonthesign-upbuttontoenteryourdetails.YouwillneedaGoogleaccount,suchasGmailorAdWords,toregister.

3. NameyouraccountinthefieldshowninFigure9.5.Thisisyou,orthe

brand/businessyourepresent.

4. Addproperties.AddtheURLsofthesitesyouwishtotrack.

5. Setanyviewsrequired;forexample,onethatexcludesinternaltraffic.Thesefiltersarecoveredindetaillater,butessentiallytheViewfunctionenablesreportstobeorganizedintodifferentsets.Thesesetscanbenamedforconvenienceandtailoredforcertainusers.

6. Setyourtimezonecorrectly,asshowninFigure9.6.Oncesetitcan'tbechanged,andyourdatawillbeskewedifitiswrong!

7. Getyourtrackingcode.ThisfacilitatesthetrackingofthesiteandisshowninFigure9.7.Insomeinstancesitmayneedcustomizing.Forexample,ifyoursiteacceptstransactionsyouwillneedtosetupaspeciale-commercecode.

8. Addyourtrackingcodetoyourwebsite.Thisshouldbeinsertedimmediatelybeforetheclosingheadertag,atthetopofthepage.Remember,thelowerdownthecodeisinserted,thelongerittakestoload—whichcouldmeanhitsarenotrecordedcorrectly.

9. Adjustaccountsettings.CustomizetheGAinterfacetomeetyourneeds,usingtheAdmintab(seebelow).

Figure9.5GASetup

Source:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.6SettingGATimeZoneSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.7GATrackingCodeSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

GANavigation

Havingsetupyouraccount,let'snowlookathowtonavigatearoundit.First,youwillbepresentedwithapageshowingthesetabs:Home,Reporting,Customization,andAdmin.

Home.Thisistheviewyouwillbepresentedwithuponlog-in.Itdisplaystheaccount,withthepropertiesandviewslistedbeneath.Ifyouhavegotmultipleaccounts,properties,orviews,itispossibletoflagspecificonestocreateamorecustomizedview.

Admin.Thistabconfiguresdifferentsettingsforeachindividualproperty,suchassettingthedefaultpage,excludingURLqueryparameters,makinge-commercesiteselections,settingsessiontime-outlength,andsettingupsitesearch.YoucanalsoimportmediaspendsandaddPPCdata.

Customization.Thistabiswhereyouwillfindanycustomreportsoncetheyhavebeenconfigured.

Reporting.Thisisessentiallythemainmenu,containingdashboards,shortcuts,intelligenceevents,andallthestandardreports.ThedefaultreportshownisAudience,whichprovidesawebsiteoverview.

UnderReportingyoucanalsosetIntelligenceEvents.Thesearealertsthatcanbedesignedtogooutinrealtime,tospecificGAusers,inordertoflageventsthatarerelevanttothebusiness.Forexample,youmaywanttosetanITalertshouldthesitestoploading.

Gainingareturnfromanalyticsrequiresongoingmonitoring,analysis,andenhancement,butunderstandingthesetup,functionality,andstructuringofGAisthefirststepinthisprocess.Stage3willnowapplythisknowledgeandexploreGAatamuchdeeperlevel.

Stage3:MonitorNowthatyouunderstandhowtosetupGA,it'stimetolookatthedifferenttypesofreportsavailableandhowthesecanhelpimproveyourwebsite.

Thissectionaddressesstage3oftheanalyticsprocess—monitoringaudiencedata,asshowninFigure9.8—andexplainshowGAcanshowwhositeusersareandhowtheybehave.

Figure9.8FocusontheThirdStageintheAnalyticsProcess

Bytheendofthissectionyouwill:

Understandhowanalyticshelpsuslearnaboutaudiences.

Recognizetheuserjourneythatanalyticstoolscantrack.

Appreciatethewidermarketingandbusinessimplicationsofonlineaudienceanalytics.

AudienceOverviewWhenloggingintotheReportingtab,thedefaultviewwillbeAudience,asshowninFigure9.9.Let'sexploresomeoftheinformationavailablehere,thereasonsforanalyzingit,andthetypeofinsightsitcanproduce.

Figure9.9AudienceOverviewSectionofGAReportingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Demographics

Demographicsanalyticsisaboutunderstandingwhousersaresotheycanbebettertargeted.AgeandgenderareprominentfiltersontheGAdashboardandthedatarevealshoweachdemographicbehaves.Insightscanbedrawnthathavehugeimplications;forexample,noticingthatfemalesconvertmoreoftenthanmales,asinFigure9.10,mightmeananadjustmentintargetingisneeded.

Figure9.10DemographicsSectionofGAReportingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Geo

Locationdatashowswhichcountriesthesiteisaccessedfromandbyhowmanypeople,asshowninFigure9.11.Ithelpsensureanappropriatemarketingstrategyandcanhighlightnewopportunities;forexample,growingtrafficfromacurrentlyuntargetedcountry.

Figure9.11GeoSectionofGAReportingSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Languagedatacanbeveryrevealing;forexample,learningthatmostoftheaudiencearenonnativespeakersofthewebsitelanguagewouldnecessitatesomestrategyadaption!

BehaviorHavingidentifiedwaystoseewhousersare,thenextstepistolookathowtheybehaveandwhatthismeans.Thisrequirestrackinguserswithcookies,ascoveredintheprevioussection.

UserJourney

Mappingtheuserjourneyisaboutunderstandingwhichusersreturn(asshowninFigure9.12),whattheydoonthesite,andhowengagedtheyare.

Figure9.12UserJourneyInformationinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Understandingwhoconvertswhen,andwhy,meansthewebsitecanbecomemoreoptimized,thesalesfunnelmorelucrative,thecopymorerelevant,andthebudgetspentmoreefficiently.

Ultimately,itisaboutdefiningwhatnewuserswantversusthosewhoarereturningandusingthatknowledgetoguideeachsubtlytoasale.

Forexample,yourreportmightshowthatreturningusersareregisteringformoreinformationbeforeeventuallyconverting.Inthiscase,itmightbeidealtolaunchanemailcampaigntargetingonlyreturningusersandspeeduptheprocessbysellinghigherupinthesalesfunnel.Theyarealreadyquitelikelytopurchase,sothiswouldbeanefficientwaytocapitalizeontargetedleads.

Technology

Behavioralsohighlightstechnicalissues.Thisisusefulfortworeasons—itimprovesuserexperienceandensuresthesiteoperatesproperly—bothofwhichimproveconversions!

Audienceswillquicklyloseinterestifthesitedoesnotprovidethemwithabeneficialuserexperience,soitvitalthatuserbehaviorismonitoredacrossarangeofdevices,toensurethatengagementisfairlyconsistent.See,forexample,theengagementacrossdifferentscreenresolutionsinFigure9.13.Ultimatelyensuringconsistencyamongtheseresolutionswillimpactconversionrates.

Figure9.13TechnologyInformationinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Itisimportantthatthesiteoperatesproperlyondifferentbrowsers;analyticscantrackuserbehaviorondifferentbrowserstomonitorthis.Forexample,ahighbouncerateorlowengagementamongSafari,butnotChrome,usersmaymeanthewebsiteisnotdisplayingcorrectly.

Mobile

Thereisnodisputingtheenormous,growingimportanceofmobile.Userswantspecificanswersimmediately,andtheywon'twastetimeonsitesthatdonotprovidethem!Itisthereforeimportantthatthemobilesiteisoptimized,andthatuserscaneasilynavigatetowhattheyneed.

Data(suchasthevolumeandengagementofmobiletraffic)canbeanalyzedtoensurethisisthecase.Bearinmindthatthefastnatureofon-the-gomobilebrowsingmakesbounceratesnaturallyhigher,andon-sitetimesnaturallylower,asseeninFigure9.14.Thisistobeexpected,butifusersleaveinstantlyorCTAconversionsarepitiful,thenperhapsthesiteneedsimprovement!TheCTAcouldbestronger,forexample,withaclick-to-callbuttonorreorganizationofinformation.

Figure9.14SessionsbyDeviceCategoryinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

OfflineImplications

Onlineuserdatacanpowerfullyinformofflinemarketingtoo.Websitestatsdetailwhoaudiencemembersareandhowlikelytheyaretoconvertsopreciselythatitcouldleadtoarealshiftinwiderstrategy.Sometimesitcanevenuncoveraudiencesthebusinesswaspreviouslyunawareof!

Byunderstandingwhousersareandhowtheybehave,apicturebeginstoemergeofthewebsitechangesthatarerequired—bothtechnicalandwithrespecttocontent.Theaimistousethisknowledgetomakethesiteastargetedaspossible,andasthenextfewsectionsexplain,tounderstandandapplyanalyticsinawaythatisrelevanttothebusinesscontext!

AcquisitionHavinglookedathowtodeterminewhousersareandhowtheybehave,thissectionnowfocusesonwheretheycomefrom.

Thissectionisaboutmeasuring,reportingon,andcomparingthevalueofdifferentwebsiteandcampaigntrafficsources.ItprovidesanoverviewofthevariouschannelreportsGAcanproduceandhowtogoaboutsettingtheseup.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:

Whyacquisitionreportingisimportantandwhatitentails.

ThedifferentchannelsthatGAcanreporton.

HowtointegrateGoogleAdWordsandthebenefitsandrationalefordoingso.

HowtousetheGoogleURLBuilderandsetupcustomtrackingofonline

campaigns.

AcquisitionReporting

Acquisitionreportinginvolvesthemeasurementandevaluationoftrafficsources,andtherearenumerouswaysthiscanbedoneinGA.Theabundanceofdataandreportingoptionscanseemoverwhelming,soremembertofocusondevelopingandusingonlyrelevantreports.CustomizingGA,CustomChannels,interpretingdata,andmediumandsourcearecoverednext.

CustomizingGAGAishighlycustomizable,andCustomChannels(usedtotrackpersonalizedchannelsasrequired)canbeaddedeasilyundertheAdmintab.Similarly,thereisacomprehensiveAdvancedSearchtoollocatedinthetopright-handcorner.Thiscanbeusedtofiltertraffictypes,amongothervariables,withasimpledrop-downmenu.

CustomChannelsOverviewTobegin,simplyclickintoAcquisitionandthenOverviewwithinGAtoproduceatop-levelbreakdownofthedifferenttraffic-drivingchannels,displayedinthebasicchartsseeninFigure9.15.Theaimistounderstandwhichchannelsbringnotjustthehighestvolumeoftraffic,butcrucially,themostvaluable,engaged,andhigh-convertingtraffic.

InterpretingDataChanneldatasuchasbouncerate,totalsessions,andconversionscanbeexamined,andareasfordevelopmenthighlighted.Animportantanalysisisthenumberofgoalsthateachchanneldelivers;forexample,iforganicsearchachievesahighvolumeofgoals,maybepaidsearchshouldexpand.

Justremembertoavoidassumptions—insteaddrawconclusionsthatmakesensetothebusinessinquestionandprioritizerelevantchannels!

MediumandSourceReportscanbeorganizedandviewedbymedium(thechannel)andsource(thespecificplatform),asshowninFigure9.16.Forexample,youmightsearchforthemediumorganicsearchandthesourceGoogle.Similarly,themediummightbedisplayandthesourcetheNewYorkTimes.

Figure9.16GAReportbySource/MediumSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.15GACustomChannelsOverviewSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

ImportantTrafficChannels

Thefollowingarekeytrafficsourcesthatoftenyieldveryinterestingdata!Shouldyouencounteranotprovidednotification,fearnot!DatafromusersloggedintoanyGoogleaccount(suchasYouTube,Gmail,etc.)isnotpassedon,andthisisGoogle'snotificationthatsomedatacan'tbeprovided.

OrganicSearchOrganicsearchcandriveveryhighvolumesofvaluabletraffic,astheuser

willalreadybeawareofthebrandandreadytoengagewithit.TrafficwillbemostlyfromGoogle,butwillalsoincludesourcessuchasBingandYahoo,despitetheirsmallshare.Insomecontexts(suchasmarketswheresourcesotherthanGooglehaveabiggershare)thiscanbeveryusefuldatathatcanleadtochangesinstrategy;forexample,ifBingtraffichadalowerbouncerateassociatedwithit.

GoogleWebmasterToolsBylinkingWebmasterToolswithGA,alotmoredatabecomesavailable.AscanbeseeninFigure9.17,theoptionslistedunderSearchEngineOptimizationwillleadtothesimpleWebmasterToolsset-upprocess.Oncetheaccountsarelinked,itispossibletoseealltheorganicsearchkeywordsdrivingtraffic,thevolumeoftraffictheydrive,andhowthesekeywordsrank.

Knowingwhichkeywordsdo,anddonot,delivertrafficandconversionsisveryhelpful.KeywordsthatperformwellcouldinformanSEOstrategy,increaseorganictraffic,andbeusedinAdWords.Itisalsousefultoseewhichlandingpagesperformbestandwhichcouldbeoptimizedtoincreaserankings,achievehigherclick-throughs,andultimatelygetmoretraffic.

Figure9.17TheSearchEngineOptimizationSectionwithinAcquisitionLeadstotheProcessofLinkingWebmasterToolswithGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

ReferralTraffic

Thismeanstrafficthatcomesfromanotherwebsite;forexample,whenauserfollowsalink.ClickonReferralstoviewthesitesthatarereferringthetrafficandtocomparedatabetweendifferentreferrers.

UsingtheaveragesdisplayedinthetopbarinFigure9.18,itispossibletogaugethequalityofthattraffic;forexample,toevaluatehowengagedusersare,howlongtheystay,andwhethertheyconvert.TheinsightsgainedherecoulddirectawiderSEOstrategy.If,forexample,yoursitewasdrawinginalotoftrafficfromaparticularchannel,youcouldcapitalizeonthatbyaddingapermanentbacklink.

Figure9.18ReferralTrafficInformationwithinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Social

Itcanbetemptingtothinkofsocialchannelsastheirownentities,separatefromthewebsite.Itmightbesaid,forinstance,thatFacebookengagesusersonapage,aidsbrandawareness,anddrivessometraffictothesite—whichisgreat.However,itwouldbemuchwisertotreatitasanextensionofthesalesfunnel,anduseitasastartingpointintheconversionprocess!GAthereforemonitorsmuchmorethansocial-mediatrafficvolumes;italsoreportsonthequalityofthattraffic(asshowninFigure9.19)andtowhatextentspecificallygoalsandconversionsareachieved.

Figure9.19SocialReferralInformationwithinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Campaigns

Alongwithtrackingchannels,itisalsoimportanttoreportonthetrafficperformanceofindividualcampaigns.Again,metricssuchasbouncerate,sessions,pagespersession,andaveragesessiondurationareallincrediblyusefulinevaluatingandjustifyingcampaigns.

AdWords

TherealmagicofAdWordsandGAisinlinkingthemtocombinetheirdata,asshowninFigure9.20.

WhyLinkAdWordsandGA?Onceyouyou'reyourAdWordsandGAaccounts,aspecific,richlydetailedAdWordsreportisproducedinGA,detailingclicks,costs,pagespersession,conversionrate,andgoalcompletions.SeeinghowtrafficengageshelpstojustifytheCPC,andthemostvaluablecampaignscanthenbeidentifiedandprioritized.

Don'tworryifthedatadisplayedinGAandAdWordsdoesnotmatchexactly;a20percentdiscrepancyisactuallynormal.Thisisbecauseeachrecordsthingslikebackclicksanddoubleclicksdifferently,andoccasionallytheGAcodecanbeslowtoload.

HowtoLinkAdWordsandAnalytics

Inordertolinkthesetwoplatforms,thesameemailaddressisrequired,andaminimumofEditorAdminaccessisnecessaryineachinterface.FromtheGAAdmintabnavigatetoProperty,selecttheAdWordslinkingsection,namethelinkgroup,andthentickthedesiredlinkview.

DayPartingThisrevealswhichtimesdeliverthebestvalueforclick-throughs,engagement,andreachingparticularAdWordsgoals.TrafficvaluedependsentirelyontheKPIsandgoalsinplace;maybetheaimissiteengagement,orperhapsit'shardconversion.Eitherway,progresscanbereportedhourly,asshowninFigure9.21,showingwhentoinvestorreduceeffort,andwhentoincreaseordecreasebids.

Figure9.20ProcessofLinkingGoogleAdWordsandGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.21DayPartingReportwithinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

GoogleURLBuilder

TheGoogleURLBuildertagseachelementwithinacampaign,sothatanalyticsdatacanbeorganizedveryspecificallyandlaterpulledintorelevantreports,asFigure9.22shows.ThebuildercreatesaURLforeachcampaigncomponent,categorizingeverythingtotrackcampaignsveryprecisely.

Figure9.22GoogleURLBuilderSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

AdWordsdataisautomaticallytaggedanddoesnotneedtheURLBuilder.Itisnecessaryforallothercampaigns,however,ortrafficwillsimplybeclassifiedasreferraltraffic,andinsightswilllacksignificance.ThekeywiththeURLBuilderistouseaconsistentnamingconvention,sothatelementsaretaggedappropriatelyandpulledintoreportswhenrequired.

Asanexample,whenfillingoutURLBuilderfieldsforthecampaign,youcouldaddthefollowing:

WebsiteURL(e.g.,www.external-website-campaign.com).

Source(e.g.,theNewYorkTimes).

Medium(e.g.,display).

Term(e.g.,optionalkeyword).

Content(useawordthatwilldifferentiateamongsimilarcampaignads).

CampaignName(e.g.,September2025).

UponhittingSubmit,alongURLisproducedthattellsGAthesource,medium,name,term,andcontenttags—andjustlikethat,campaigndatawillnowbecollectedandorganizedcorrectly!

Dependingonthebusinessneedsofeachcampaign,therearebothbasicandcomplexwaystotrackandanalyzetraffic.Crucially,therearealsonumerouswaystointerpretthedata,andyoushouldensurethereportingorganizationisspot-onbeforemakingwildassumptions!

BehaviorHavingestablishedvariouswaystomonitortrafficandsegmentaudiences,let'snowexamineon-sitebehavior.Applyingwhatwe'velearnedfromtheprevioustwosections,it'stimetostarttomappingtheuserjourneyatamoreintricatelevel.

Thissectionisveryimportantandsoithasbeendividedintotwoparts—thefirstisfocusedonusinganalyticstooptimizewebsitecontentbyunderstandingtheuserjourney;thesecondexplorestwoparticularlyusefulbehavioraltoolsinmoredetail.

UsingAnalyticstoUnderstandtheUserJourney

Wewillfirstexplorehowusersbehaveonandinteractwithdifferentpages,andhowthisbehaviorandinteractioncanbeinterpreted.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:

Thevarioustypesofbehavioralreportingandthecharacteristicsofeach.

Thedepthofinsightthatbehavioralreportscanprovide.

Theimportanceofusingavarietyofanalyticalmetrics,reports,tools,andapproachestoreallytellthefullstory.

BehaviorReportingUserjourney.Whenviewingthedataitispossibletoseeusers'movementthroughoutthesitealmostthreeorfourlevelsdeep.ThisisviewedthroughtheBehaviorFlowtabshowninFigure9.23.Itshowsushow

usersengagewiththesite;specifically,whatpagetheyinitiallyentered,wheretheyvisitednext,whentheydroppedoff,andwheretheywentafterwards.

In-pageanalytics.Thisisessentiallyaheatmapofthesitethatshowshowusersengagewithspecificpages;virtuallyanythingcanbeanalyzed,asshowninFigure9.24.Werecommendthatyousortthetop-performingpagesbyvariousmetrics;youcandothissimplybyclickingoneachoftheindividualheadings.

Sitespeed.ThisisanimportantissueforSEOandalsouserexperience—bothfactorsthatinfluencethegoalconversionrateandSERPranking.Users'perceptionsonwebsitesareformedveryquickly,andgettinganegativereactioncancostabusinessalot!Justaone-seconddelayinpageloadtimescanresultina7percentreductioninconversions.Forabusinessearning$100,000perday,thisequatestoover$2.5millioninlostrevenueinayear—notcool.

Sitespeedcanbeanalyzedbybrowser,country,orevenbypage,asshowninFigure9.25.Bycombiningthiswithotherdata,suchastechnologyreports,itispossibletoreallyassesssiteperformanceandisolateissues.

PageSpeedInsightstool.GAcanevenscoreindividualpagesfrom0to100andprovidesuggestionsforimprovementinahandypop-up—asshowninFigure9.26.Youcantakeactiononthesesuggestionsandthenmonitorhowsuccessfulthefixesare.

AdSense.Ifthesiterunsadsfromthisprogram,theirperformancecanbeviewedhere.

Experiments.ThisoptionallowsforA/Btestingofdifferentelementsofthesite,suchasmovingbuttonsaround,tryingdifferentoptimizationideas,andassessingconversionsbasedondifferentsettings.

AnalyzingBehaviorBenchmarks.Areoccurringlessoninthischapteristhatanalysismustbedonewithinthecontextofthebusinessanditsgoals.Forinstance,noteverywebsiterequireslongsessions—somemayhaveashortsalesfunnelandaspeedyconversionaim.Inthiscontext,alongerengagementperiodcouldactuallybeanindicationthatsomethingiswrong;forexample,thatuserscannotnavigatethesiteeasily.

Combiningreports.Toavoidmakingassumptions,itisimportanttoassessdataacrossallrelevantreports.Usingseveralreportstoanalyzeyourdatawillgiveyouaricherstoryandconveyamorerealisticideaofwhatis

goingon.

Combiningmetrics.Similarly,it'simportanttolookatmultiplemetricsinrelationtoeachothertopaintthefullpicture.

Theuserjourney.Thekey,onceuserjourneyshavebeenmappedandreportscompared,istoworkbackwardstounderstandwhyconsumersareleavingthesiteornotconverting.Ifthereisahighexitrateincertainplaces,thenthenextstepistouseappropriatereportstotrytodeterminewhy.

Figure9.23BehaviorFlowTabinGABehaviorSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.24In-PageAnalyticsinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.25SiteSpeedbyPageinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.26GooglePageSpeedInsightsToolSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

UsingSiteSearchandEventReporting

Havingestablishedwhyitisimportanttounderstandtheuserjourneyandthevariousmetricsformonitoringandanalyzingit,we'renowgoingtoexaminetwoveryusefulbehavioralreports:SiteSearchandEventReporting.These

aredetailedtoolstofurtherunderstanduserbehaviorandtheywillnowbeexploredfully.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:

HowtopulltheSiteSearchreportandtherichbenefitsfromdoingso.

Whateventtaggingis,howtosetitup,andwhyitisuseful.

SiteSearchUsingthistool,showninFigure9.27,itispossibletoseewhatusershavebeenlookingfor—andmoreimportantly,whattheywereunabletofind.Thisisveryactionabledata,asittellsusspecificallywherethewebsiteisfallingshort—bothintermsofuserexperienceandcontent.

Forexample,theruleofthumbisthatusersshouldfindcontentwithinthreeclicks,sothesitemightneedreorganizingtoaccomplishthis.Orperhapsnewcontentcouldbeaddedtofulfillapreviouslyunknownneed.Theseimprovementsshouldpositivelyimpactgoalconversionrates,especiallysinceuserssearchingthesitearetypicallymoreengaged.

Toaccesssitesearchdata,simplyimportuserqueriesfromundertheAdmintab.

EventReportingIfyouneedtotrackengagementatamorein-depthlevel,suchasbrochuredownloadsorvideoplayback,thenEventReporting,showninFigure9.28,istheanswer!Thisistheidealwaytotrackusersthroughveryprecisesteps,especiallythosethatleavethesite.EventReportingisalsoverygoalorientated,asitallowsyoutoassignacustomvaluetoeachevent.

Forexample,whilestandardreportingmayshowhowmanypeoplevisitedapagecontainingavideo,EventReportingindicateshowmanypeoplearepressingplay,pause,oreventurningdownthevolumeofthevideo.Itispossibletolearnatwhatpointtheyclickaway,andtrackthepercentageofdirectconversionsthevideoproduces.Thisdataisgreatforassessingthingsqualitatively,togetanideaofwhatpeoplethinkorfeelaboutthevideo,andhowitmightbeimproved.AnexplanationofhowtouseEventReportingfollows.

Combiningreports.TherealbeautyofEventReportingdatacomesfrommergingandanalyzingitwithstandardreporting,sothatyougetalotmoreinsightintothestory.Forexample,standardreportingmightshowthatoneparticularpagehasahighbouncerate;butbytrackingeverysingleelementonthatpage(asinFigure9.29)theexactmomentauserexited(andwhy)canbepinpointedandanalyzed.

Setup.Thisisdoneusinganevent-trackinggeneratorcalledtheGAConfigurationTool(gotowww.GAconfig.com).Fillouttherequiredfields,ensuringthatthenamingconventionyouuseisconsistent.Itwillproduceapieceofcodetobeattachedtowhateverrequiresmonitoring;forexample,aDownloadbutton.Dependingonyourtechnicalabilities,adeveloper'sassistancemaybeneededtoattachthecode—nowisthetimetocozyuptoyourITdepartment!

Actions,labels,andcategories.TherearethreecomponentstonamingeventsinEventReporting:actions,labels,andcategories.Touseavideoexampleasanexample,thetrackingcouldbenamedasfollows:

1. Action:Videoplayback

2. Label:Productvideo

3. Category:Facecream

Thiseventcanbetrackedinmanyways.Forexample,theeventcouldbetrackedwiththeactionnamedsocialshareinstead,withtheaimofseeinghowmanypeoplearesharingthevideoinsteadofwatchingit.Bycomparingallthisdata,interestingin-depthanalysiscanbecarriedouttoseehowusersarebehavinginrelationtoveryspecificelements.

Figure9.29CombiningEventReportingandStandardReportinginGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.28EventReportinginGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.27SiteSearchReportinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Therearelotsofwaystomonitorandunderstandusers,buttheimportantthingistouseamixtureofthemall,sothatconclusionsareinformedandbalanced.Itisnotenoughtorelyononereport,onetool,oronebasicassumption!Instead,aimforawell-roundedapproach,usingseveralreports,datasets,andmethodstotellacompletestoryandproducedeeperinsights.

Stage4:AnalyzeHavingtouchedonconversionsintheprevioussections,thissectionnowlooksinsomedetailatwhatitmeanstouseanalyticsinthecontextofspecificgoals.ThissectiondealswiththehighlightedstageinFigure9.30—stage4of

theanalyticsprocess—atwhichmarketingeffortsareevaluatedwithregardtohowtheydeliveronconversionKPIs.

Figure9.30FocusontheFourthStageintheAnalyticsProcess

Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:

Whyconversiongoalsareimportant.

ThedifferenttypesofconversionreportingpossibleinGA.

Whatthesalesfunnelisandhowitrelatestomeetingcertaingoals.

Howtosetdifferentgoalsandthevariouscharacteristicsofgoals.

WhatIsaConversion?

It'sthecompletionofasiteactivitythatrepresentssuccesstoyourbusiness—asale,forexample.Measuresofsuccesswillvarywildlyamongdifferentbusinessesandmarkets,soonceagainbearinmindthatcontextisabsolutelyeverythinginanalyticsandsettinggoals.

Todecidewhatyourconversiongoalsshouldbe,simplyconsiderwhatyourwebsiteistryingtoachieveinordertomeetyourbusinessobjectives.Itmightbeatransaction,itmightbeclickingonalink,oritmightberegisteringforanemailnewsletter.

TheSalesFunnel

Thisreferstothegroupofclearlydefinedstepsthatleadtoparticular

conversions;analyzingthemcanhelpinmeasuringtheconversionprocess.Thereportsshowwhereusershaveenteredintoeachstepinthefunnel,wheretheyleave,andthepercentageofusersthatgoallthewaythroughit.Creatingasalesfunnelisstraightforwardandcanbeaddedtoanygoalatanytime—butitisbestsuitedtoeventsandURLdestinationgoals.Figure9.31showsasalesfunnelthatwascreatedforaURLdestinationgoal.

Figure9.31SalesFunnelReportinGAforURLDestinationGoalSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

ConversionReporting

TherearefoursectionstotheConversionsreportinGA:e-commerce,goals,multichannelfunnels,andattribution.Thefirsttwoarediscussednext;thelattertwowillbediscussedlaterinthischapter.

E-commerce

Thissectionisforsales-focusedsiteswithspecifictransactions.

Thereportsheregointoquitesomedetail,allowingustolookatproductssold,thevolumesinvolved,andrevenuesgenerated—forexample,Figure9.32showsproductperformancecomparisons.Thedetailcanalsoextendtothevalueofproductsinbasketsperproductacrossalluserscomparedtothe

valueofproductsactuallypurchased.

Figure9.32ProductPerformanceComparisonReportinGAeCommerceSectionSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Thistypeofdataisperfectforjustifyinginvestmentanddemonstratingthevalueofupsellmarketing!It'salsousefulwhendecidinghowlongacampaignshouldrunfor,becausethedatashowshowlonguserstaketomakepurchasedecisionsandhowlongtheyneedtocompletetransactions.

GoalsOverview

Figure9.33showsamultistepconversionprocesswithintheGoalssectionofGA.Thissubtabisextremelyimportantforhighlightinganyweakpointsintheconversionjourney.Therearefourmaintypesofgoals:

1. URLdestinationgoal.Thisisaspecificpageshowninresponsetoapositiveuserevent;forexample,athank-youpagebeingdisplayedaftersomeonesignsupforanemailnewsletter.InFigure9.34thenameofsuchapageissetasContactUsFormPageandtherequestURLhasbeenentered.Youcanassignavaluetothegoalandeasilycheckthatitissetupcorrectly.

2. Timeonsite.ShowninFigure9.35,thisisveryusefulforcontent-drivengoals;forexample,ifyouwishtoencouragelengthierengagementwithyourblog.Thegoalsetherecouldberelatedtoengagement(youdesirethatmoretimebespentonasitegenerally)ormicroconversions(howlongittakesforausertoconvertspecifically).

3. Pagespersession.ShowninFigure9.36,thisissimilartotimeonsite;however,youmustselectawholenumberforyourgoal,regardlesswhatthecurrentaverageis.Alwaysaimaboveit,sothereisatargettoreachfor.

4. EventTrackingreport.Rememberwecoveredthisearlierinthesectionaboutbehavior?Simplyfollowtheon-screenpromptsshowninFigure9.37tosetitupandgetagreatinsightintoyourcustomer'sactions.

Figure9.33Multi-StepConversionProcessinGoalsSectionofGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.34URLDestinationGoalinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.35TimeonSiteGoalinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwith

permission.

Figure9.36PagesPerSessionGoalinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.37EventGoalinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

SettingGoals

GoalsarevisibleattheViewlevel,andupto20canbesetforeverynewviewthatisadded(althoughtheycanalsobeaddedundertheAdmintab).Youcanopttoseteitheracustomorstandardgoal,andbothcanbesetupverysimplybyfollowingtheprompts(showninFigure9.38).

Figure9.38GoalSetupinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Remember,goaldatacannotbetrackedretrospectively;itcanonlybetrackedforwardfromthedateitisset.

GoalsareabrilliantwaytooptimizeanalyticsforthemeasurementofspecificKPIs,helpingthesitemeetrelevantbusinessaims.Thisfunctionofreportingisreallyversatile,anditsapplicationacrossseveralreportswillnowbeexamined.

AttributionHavingestablishedtheimportanceofgoals,let'snowlookatassigningvaluestothechannelsthathelpachievethem.Thissectionwillensureyou:

Understandthenonlinearnatureofconversions.

Understandthebenefitsofassigningavaluetoeachchannel.

Recognizethedifferentmodelsforassigningvalue,andwhenthesemightberequired.

Attributionreporting.ThefirstreportundertheConversionstabismultichannelfunnels,whichlooksatthepathsuserstakewhenthey'rejourneyingtoconversion.LookatFigure9.39forexamplesofthesepaths.

Figure9.39ChannelGroupingPathsinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Whyassignvalues?Thewayusersmakepurchasingdecisionsisnotalwaysstraightforward,andtheymayarriveatconversionsbymanydifferentmeans!Assuch,it'simportanttounderstandtheroleeachchannelplays,asseeninFigure9.40,sothatagivenchannelcanbeoptimizedproperlyandanyexpenditurejustified.

Figure9.40AttributionReportinginGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Assigningvaluesallowscredittobegiventochannelsthathelpedsecureaconversion,sothattheinfluentialstepsinthesalesfunnelcanbediscovered.Websitescanthenbeadaptedtoinfluenceuserswhereitresonates!

Attributionmodels.Thesemodelsassignavaluetoeachchannelthatplayedaroleinthepurchasingpath,andtheyprovidevaryingframeworksforassessingandevaluatingeachchannel.

Themodelthatisusedtoevaluatethechannel'srolewillvarydependingonthebusinesscontext.Forexample,ane-commercesitemightwishtovaluethesearchactivityveryhighly,regardlessofhowmuchtrafficitdrives,simplybecausesearchingishugelyinfluentialinpurchasingdecisions.Modelsinclude:

Lastclick.Favorsthelastchannel,becauseitistheonethatreferredtheconvertinguser.

Firstclick.Championstheveryfirstchannel—theintroducer—forinspiringthepurchase.

Linear.Assignsequalvaluetoeverychannelthatplayedarole.

Timedecay.SeeninFigure9.41,thismodelassignsanincreasingvaluetoeachchannelastheusergetsclosertoconversion;forexample,thefirstchannelmightbeawarded10percent;thesecond,20percent;thethird,30percent,andsoon.

Position-based.Assignsavaluetothefirstandlastinteractiononly.

Figure9.41TimeDecayAttributionModelinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Attributionvalueswillbedictatedbydifferentcontexts,KPIs,andproducts,nowexaminedinmoredetailinthenextsection,whichlooksatcustomizingGA.

CustomizationHavingexaminedthestandardGAreports,let'snowaddresshowtocustomizethemsothatsetsofdatatailoredtoaparticularbusinesscontextcanbedeveloped.Thiswillshowyouhowtomonitorcustomreportsasdefinedbyyourgoalsinaveryspecificway.

Onceyouhavereadthissectionyouwillknow:

Whyandwhentocustomizereports.

HowtosetupcustomreportsusingtheViewsandAdvancedSegmentsfilters.

ThebenefitsandlimitationsofViewsandAdvancedSegments.

WhyUseCustomization?

Segmentationhelpsustomakeinformeddecisionsbecauseitletsusmakecomparisonsacrossareasthatmattertothebusiness'sneedsandgoals.Customizedreports,suchasthoseshowninFigure9.42,reallydrivethis—promotingassessmentofspecificdatawiththemostrelevanceandleadingtoclearandactionableinsights.

Figure9.42ListofCustomizedReportsinaGAAccountSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

ViewsandAdvancedSegments

Therearethreewaystoproducecustomsetsofdatausingthesefilters:

1. Drilldown.Drillingdowniswhenyoucombinetwodifferentreportsinordertocomparerelevantdata.Thisisrelativelyself-explanatory;anexamplewouldbecomparingthebehaviorofconvertingfemaleswithconvertingmalesinordertoseehowtoimproveuserexperienceforeachgender.

2. Views.Viewsprovideapermanentsubsetoffiltereddata.Thisdataisalreadyavailableinstandardreports,butsettingupaviewsimplymeansyoucanaccessitquicklyandeasilyinyourdashboard,allowingyoutoconcentrateonthemetricsthatmatter.

AnewviewiscreatedthroughtheAdmintabthatsitsabovetheproperty.SimplyselectCreateaNewViewandfilloutthefilternameinthefield,asshowninFigure9.43.

Viewsarecommonlyusedtodisplayvarioustimezonesaroundtheworld(asshownatthebottomofFigure9.44),sobesuretoselecttherightone,asyourtimezonesettingcan'tbechangedlater.Anothercommonuseistoexcludeinternaltrafficortofocusononecampaign;forexample,filteringforPPCtrafficonly.

Beverycarefulwithhowyoufilterandbesuretoretainonedefaultviewthatincludesallthetraffic—youcanonlyapply25filters,andthey

cannotberemoved!Wehaveallexperiencedthatstomach-churningsenseofdoomafterrealizingthatimportantinformationhasfallenvictimtoaccidentaldeletion!Alsorememberthatyoucannotfilterdataretrospectively:Itwillbesortedonlyfromthedayyouappliedtheview.

3. AdvancedSegments.Thisisaflexiblewayoforganizingreports,andallowssegmentstobeaddedandremovedasrequired,anddatatobesegmentedandviewedinarangeofdirectlyapplicableways.

TheAdvancedSegmentsfiltercanbeappliedtoanystandardreportintheformofsubsetsandcanalsobeaddedalongthetopofthescreen,asshowninFigure9.45.TheGAinterfacedisplaysanoverviewofthesesegmentsandprovidescomparisonsbetweenthem.

Togiveanexample,ademographicsegmentcouldbeappliedtoacquisitionreportstocomparesitetrafficcomingfromtheUK,theUnitedStates,andCanada.Richinsightscanbedrawnfromcomparingdatainthisway;inthisexampleyoumightnotice,forinstance,thatwhiletrafficvolumesaresimilaracrosscountries,conversionsintheUKarelower,whichwouldsuggestthatagreaterfocusonUKaudiencesisneeded.

Figure9.43CreatingaNewViewinGA

Source:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.44SpecifyingTimeZoneforaNewViewinGASource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

Figure9.45CreatingAdvancedSegmentsSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

YoucansetupAdvancedSegmentsintwodifferentways:

1. Selectanexistingpredefinedsegment.

2. Createanewuniquesegment.

Defaultsegmentsincludeawiderangeofvariables,rangingfrom,forexample,conditionalcircumstances(suchasanyonewhohaspurchasedinthe

last30days)tobasicoradvanceddemographics.Customsegmentscanincludevirtuallyanythingandanynumberofconditions.Justexperimenttocreatethemostusefulsetofreports!

Beawarethatsegmentsareparticulartothepersonwhosetthemup,sonooneelsewillbeabletoviewthemunlesstheyarespecificallyshared.Inthecaseofacompanyaccount,forwhichmanypeoplewillneedaccesstothesegment,thebestsolutionistocreateaviewandapplyafilterinstead.

TakeadvantageofthefactthatthereportingoptionsinGAarenumerousandgloriouslyvaried;thekeyistogetcreativewiththesegmentsyoubuildandthedatayoucompare,allwhilekeepingitrelevantandaimingforgoal-focusedinsights.

KPIsHavingsofarlaidoutasolidworkingknowledgeofanalyticsandanunderstandingofthedepthsofreportingavailable,thisfinalsectionwillexplainhowtoensurethateverythingisappliedproperly.

Thisiswhereinsightsarereviewed,appliedtoaspecificcontext,andusedtomeetprecisebusinessaims.However,theactualprocessofsettingandusingkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)isongoingandtakessomethingfromeachstage.Bytheendofthissection,youwillunderstand:

WhyKPIsareavitalelementinanycampaign.

WhyanalyticsisimportantforsettingandachievingKPIs.

Eachstageofthefour-stepKPIiterativeprocess:settingbusinessgoals,definingKPIs,analyzingresults,andmakinginformeddecisions.

WhyKPIs?

We'veestablishedthatbusinesssuccessrequirestargetedgoals,focusedactions,andcontinualevaluation.KPIs,asasetofspecifictargets,areincrediblyimportantinfacilitatingthisforthefollowingreasons:

KPIsencourageprecisemonitoringofacampaignbefore,during,andafteritrunsbecausetheyprovideanumericaltargettoaimfor,afiguretocontinuallybenchmarkagainst.

Byanalyzingtowhatextentthesenumericaltargetsareorweremetandusinganalyticstoanswerwhy,aseriesofactionableinsightscanbeproduced.

TheseinsightsisolatewhatisworkingtoachieveKPIbenchmarksandthereforejustifyexpensesanddecisions.Theinsightsgainedalso

highlightnecessarymarketingandbusinesschangesandhelpsmarketersmakesmarterchoicestogetthere.

AnalyticsandKPIs

TryingtoreachKPIswilldictateanalyticsreporting,becauserelevantinsightsareneededtounderstandwhatisworkingandwhy.Forexample,iftheaimistomaximizeaconvertingpageandthereisaspecificKPItomeetforthat,thenanalyticsreportingwouldbetweakedtotrackthisatthelevelofdetailrequired,andusedasabasisforinformedchanges.

Inshort,KPIsarehardnumericaltargets,andanalyticsanswerhowtheycanbereached.

TheFour-StepKPIIterativeProcess

OptimizinganalyticstodefineandmeetKPIsisaniterative,ongoing,four-stepprocess:

1. Definebusinessandwebsiteobjectives.

2. DevelopKPIsbasedontheseobjectives.

3. AnalyzemarketingactivityusingGA.

4. Makeinformeddecisions.

Let'slookateachofthesestepsindetail.

Definebusinessandwebsiteobjectives.Therearethreelayersofdetailhere:businessobjectives,businessgoals,andwebsitegoals.

Thefirststepistodefinewiderbusinessobjectives,suchasanincreaseinrevenue.Next,setamoredetailedgoaltoachievethisobjective,suchasanincreaseinthevolumeofsales.Finally,goalsaresetforhowthewebsitemighthelpfacilitatethis,suchasanincreaseinconversions.

DevelopKPIsfromtheseobjectives.Thesebasicgoalsarethenclarifiedintohardertargets,usinginsightsanddatafromanalyticsreporting.Aspecificnumericalvalueisassignedtoeachobjective,andKPIsaredeveloped.

Continuingwiththepreviousexample:

Businessobjective:Increasedrevenue—anextra$1,000permonthistheaim.

Businessgoal:Increasedsalesvolume—anextra$1,000is100moresalespermonth.

Websitegoal:Increasedconversions—anextra100salesequals100newconversions.

ThespecificKPIsinthisinstancewouldbeconversionCPAandconversionrate.Theaimistoincreaseengagementandamountoftimespentonsiteandtolowerthebouncerate.

AnalyzeyourmarketingactivityusingGA.Havingsettargets,thenextstepistouseanalyticstoreportonthem.Thisstageoftheprocessdealswithhowandwhy—understandingwhatisandisn'tworkingwithinthecontextofyourKPIs.

WhileKPIsdealwiththemacroconversion(thesale),analyticsdelvesintothefinerdetailsandexaminesthemicroconversions(thestepsthatleadtothesale).Microconversionsaretippingpointsalongtheuserjourney,suchaswatchingaproductvideoorfillingoutacontactform.Relevantanalyticsreportshelpdecipherwhichmicroconversionsleadtoamacroconversion(sale),andcrucially,why.Thisiswhenanalyticsbecomesverypowerful,becauseifmarketersunderstandthestepsthatuserstakebeforetheyconvert(andlikewise,theonestheytakebeforetheydon't),thenthewebsitecanbeoptimizedandsuccessesreplicated.

Makeinformeddecisions.Usingthisrichknowledge,informeddecisionsarethenmadetoachievetheKPIs.Actionistakenbasedonthefindings,usinganalyticstotweakstrategy.

Forexample,thesitecouldremarkettouserswhoconvertedpreviously,oritcouldtargetindividualswhohaveperformedcertainmicroconversions.Byunderstandingmicroconversionsandtheuserjourney,thesitefocuscanbeadaptedatspecificpointsalongthesalesfunnel,promotingelementsthatleadtoconversionandimprovingthosethatdonot.Overall,relativelysimplechangescanbemadebasedonthisinformation,withoutalteringmediaspendorAdWordsinvestment.

Ofcourse,thesechangesshouldbecontinuallyanalyzed,assessingwhethertheyhelptomeetKPIsornot,aspartofanongoingprocessofrefinement.

ItisimportanttouserelevantanalyticsreportstohelpachieveKPIs—tounderstandwhatneedsachieving,whatisworking,whatisnotworking,andhowitcanbefixed!

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?InthischapterwehavelookedattheimportanceofGA,howandwhyitshouldbesetup,thetypesofreportingavailable,andthedifferentmethods

fordrawingperceptiveconclusions.RememberthatpracticemakesperfectandkeepafewtipsinmindforyournextGAjourney:

Don'tpanic—fearnotthemind-bogglingarrayofreports,datasets,andcustomizationoptions.Sticktowhatisrelevantanduseonlythereportsthatmeansomethingtothecontext.

Usereportswisely!Contrast,compare,andgetcreativewiththesegmentsandthemeasurementmetrics.

Alwaysdevelopinsightswithaviewtoachievingthebusinessaims.

Keepaskingwhy!Thisishowwegetthesexypayoffssuchasprofit,competitiveadvantage,andslickmarketing.

Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonanalyticsasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

Exercises

Exercise1YouwouldliketobeabletoviewperformanceinGAforjustyourPPCtraffic.CreateanewviewfromtheAdmintabinGAandapplyafiltertothisviewthatincludestrafficfromthemedium,CPC.TheviewwillshowyouonlyCPC,otherwiseknownasPPCtraffic.Givethisviewameaningfulname.

Exercise2Yourunarestaurantthattakesbookingsbothoverthephoneandonline.Youronlinebookingprocessfinisheswithuserslandingonabookingconfirmationpage,whichyouwouldliketousetotrackthenumberofbookingscomingthroughyoursite.TherequestURLofthispageisbookingconfirmed.

CreateaURLdestinationgoalinyourdefaultprofileforthisonlinebooking,andcreateafunnelforthestepsprecedingthegoalcompletionasshownbelow:

1. Choosedateandtime:/choosedate.

2. Selectnumberofpeople:/tablesize.

3. Enterpaymentoptions:/payment.

4. Thankyou/bookingconfirmation:/bookingconfirmed.

Exercise3Duetobudgetconstraints,yourGoogleAdWordsbudgethasbeenreducedthisyear.Asaresultyouhavetofindwaystoreducespendwithoutimpactingperformance.

UsingtheGoogleAdWordsreportsunderChannels,findthefollowing:

1. Poorestperformingkeywords.

2. Poorestperformingcampaigns.

3. Poorestperformingtimeofday.

Usethetotalnumberofgoalcompletionsasthemetricforperformancemeasurement.

Exercise4Youarethewebsitemanagerforanonlinefashionretailer.Despiteseeingthesamevolumeofsessionscomingthroughyoursite,yourpurchaseshavedecreasedsignificantlyoverthelastquarter.

Tounderstandwhythisishappening,youneedtolookatwhereusersareleavingthesite.Analyzethefollowingreports:

1. LookatTopExitPages(underBehavior)toseewhereusersaremostoftenleavingthesite.

2. ViewtheFunnelVisualizationreportunderConversionstoseewhereusersaredroppingoffonthepathtopurchasing.

Basedonthisdatadecidewhatactiontotakeandexplainyourdecision.

Exercise5YourmanagerhasaskedyoutoreportonhourlywebsitesalesperformanceatyourweeklyFridaymorningsalesmeetings.

1. Createanhour-of-daycustomreportinGA.

2. ScheduleittobeemailedtoyouontheThursdayofeveryweeksoyoucanprepareinadvanceofyourmeeting.

ActionPlan:AnalyticsDigitalMarketingPlanningSchemeforAnalytics

ObjectivesConversions,leads,sales,traffic,visibility,brandawareness

ActionItemsandFrequencyKeywordresearch:Quarterly

Targeting:Monthly

Scheduling:Weekly

Biddingandbudgeting:Weekly/monthly

Trackingandreporting:Daily/weekly

MeasurementToolsandKPIsAnalytics:e-Commercetransactions,goalcompletions,trafficshare,AdWordssessions,pageviews,newversus.returningvisitors

Spend

Media Content People Systemsx x x

CHAPTER10STRATEGYANDPLANNING

AnIntroductionLet'smakeadigitalmarketingcake.Youhavealltheingredientslinedupandreadytogo,nowlet'sputthemallintothestrategybowlandmixittogetherwithyourplanningspoon.Aftersometimebakingintheoven,youwillhaveasuccessfulcampaign!

Asuccessfuldigitalmarketingcampaignisonethatusesthemostappropriatechannelstoachievethemaximumimpact—thischapterwillguideyouthroughtheprocess.

Youwillbeabletorecognizethemostsuitablechannelsforaparticularcampaign,howtocostandresourceyourplanappropriately,andhowtosetandalignbusinessobjectiveswithtightimplementationplansandwell-consideredtacticalsolutions.

Formaldefinitionofstrategyandplanning:Theprocessofintegratingdigitalmarketingactivitieswithaplan,buyingforit,andexecutingasuccessfuldigitalmarketingcampaign.

Informaldefinitionofstrategyandplanning:Composingyourdigitalmarketingmasterpiece.

ProcessThischapterwillgiveyoufullknowledgeofthefourstagesofthestrategyandplanningprocessshowninFigure10.1:

1. Approach.Beforeyoubegintoplanadigitalmarketingcampaign,youhavetostepbackandlookatthebigpicture,spotgaps,andfindwaystofillthem.Yourcampaignshouldbeanamazingcouturegown—notadressmadefromitchymaterialthatthedressmakerforgottotakepinsoutof!

2. Audience.Yourcampaignwillnotbeasuccessunlesstherightpeopleseeit.Thissectionwillteachyouhowtoidentifyyourtargetaudiencemembersandhowtoefficientlycommunicateyourmessagetothem.

3. Activities.Planninginvolvessettingspecificobjectives—here'swhereyou

willlearntorecognizedifferenttypesofactionplansandhowtousethem.

4. Analysis.Yourdigitalmarketingplanwillnothaveadefinitivebeginning,middle,andend—it'saniterativeprocessthatyouwillneedtokeepacloseeyeon.Thissectionwillexplainthetoolsusedtoanalyzedatasothatyoucanmonitorwhatisworking,whatisnot,andhowtomakeanynecessaryadjustments.

Figure10.1Four-StepStrategyandPlanningProcess

KeyTermsandConceptsThefocusofthischapteristoarmyouwiththecompletesetofskillsyouneedtocreateanawesomedigitalmarketingcampaign.Whenyoureachtheendofthischapter,youwillbeableto:

Understandandimplementthe3iprinciples.

Gatheressentialinformationonthemostimportantelementsofthecampaign:themarket,yourcompetitors,andyouraudience.

Defineandsegmentyourtargetaudience.

Recognizetheexactobjectivesforyourspecificbusinessplan.

Knowwhichdigitaltoolstouseforeverytypeofbusinessplan.

Separateyourbudgetandidentifythemostusefulresourcestospendmoneyon.

Manageandmonitoryourcampaignwiththesuitabledigitaltoolsfortheentireiterativeprocess.

Asadigitalmarketer,youneedtobeanexpertoneveryelementofacampaignfromSEOtoanalytics—butonlyadigitalmarketingmaestrocanbringthemalltogether.Thatiswherestrategyandplanningcomein;sowhenthecurtainclosesonthischapter,youwillbeadigitalmarketingMozart!

Stage1:ApproachIt'sallcomingtogether;you'vemasteredeverydigitalmarketingtoolyouneedtogetstartedonyourdigitalmarketingjourney.But—andthisisabigbut(andIcannotlie)—youcannotjumpintothedeependandexpecttofloatalongnicelyincalmwaters.Therearesharksintheocean—andtheybite!

Themostimportantthingtorememberaboutthestrategyandplanningprocessisthatyoumustalwaysbeprepared,sowhenitcomestoplanningadigitalmarketingcampaignyoushouldnevertaketheplungeunprepared.Testthewatersfirst—strategicplanningiseverything.Thisisalldowntostage1oftheprocess,ashighlightedinFigure10.2.

Figure10.2FocusontheFirstStageintheStrategyandPlanningProcess

Navigatethissectionwiselyandyouwillbeequippedto:

Structurethecampaignaroundaspeciallytailoredframework

Identifyandimplementthekey3iprinciples

Haveacompleteunderstandingofyourcapabilities.

StructurethePlan—BeforeYouPaintthePicture,FrameIt

ImagineifVanGogh'sStarryNightwasdisplayedwithaframemadefromdrypastastuckontocardboard.Yes,thepaintingwouldstillbebeautiful,butnoonewouldtakeitseriously—andpictureframesmadeoutofcardboardtendtofallapartprettyquickly.

Thefirstelementmakingupstage1oftheiterativeprocessisfiguringoutacohesivestructuretoyourdigitalmarketingplansothatyoucanquicklyassessyouractivitiesandcapabilities.

Thebiggestadvantagetodigitalmarketingovertraditionalmarketingisthatyoudonothavetocommittoasetbudgetorsticktooneparticularchannel.Intraditionalmarketing,everythingmustbedecidedallatonce,whereasyourdigitalmarketingstrategyandplanismorefluidandcanevolveoverthecourseofthecampaign.

Therearefourmainfactorstokeepinmindatthestartofyourplanningprocess:

1. Structure.Digitalmarketinggivesyouthepowertotestthewaters,sostartsmall.Useavailablefundswiselyandcarryoutasmalltestcampaignwithanequallysmallbudget:Youdon'thavetocommittoanythingunlessyoucanbesurethatitworks.

2. Budget.Again,it'sbesttostartsmallandperformsmalltests.Whenyouseethataparticularmethodisworking,increasethebudget.Onlythenwillyouhaveagoodideaofhowmuchabiggercampaignwillcostyouovertime.

3. Calendar.Yourcalendarshouldbetotallyorganic,withnospecificendpoint.Thisrollingcalendarapproachcanhelpyoutrackthesuccessofeachtest.

4. Personnel.UnlessyouareOztheGreatandPowerful(oryourbudgetandtimeconstraintslimityourplantoaone-personteam),youcannotdoeverything,sothisisthetimetochooseyourteammembers.Forthosewhomustgoitalone,selectchannelsthatcanbemanagedbasedonyourspecificskillsetandtheamountoftimeyoucandedicatetothecampaign.

Whetheracampaignisrunentirelybyonepersonorateam,itshouldbetailoredtotheskillsofthoseinvolved,tothebudget,andtowhatyouseeisactuallyworkingfromthetestsyouruninthisearlystage.

TheCustomerIsAlways…FirstSoyouhaveasolidframeworkbutyoudon'thaveyourworkofart.Don'tworry—thatcomesingoodtime.

Abrilliantplaniswastediftherightpeopledon'tengagewithit.Despitebeingregardedasoneoftheworld'sbestartists,VanGoghonlysoldonepainting.Couldthatbebecausehedidn'tquiteknowwhomhewassellingto?

Toreallymakethemostofwhatyouhavegot,youmuststartwiththecustomerandworkouttowardsyourdigitalstrategy.Hereiswherethe3iprinciplescomeintoplay.

1. Initiate.Thinkaboutyourcustomers:Figureoutwhattheyarelookingforbylookingattheironlinebehavior.

2. Iterate.Continuouslycarryoutsmalltestsandtrynewapproachestodeterminewhatmethodworksbestforyouraudience.

3. Integrate.Uselotsofdifferentchannelscoherently.Thismayincludetraditional(offline)marketingmethods,asmixingbothonlineandofflinemethodswillgetyouthebestimpact.Butofcourse,youhavetoknowyouraudiencetoknowifusingbothwillbenecessary.

GettingtoKnowYou

Gatheringinformationoncustomersdoesnotrequireanyonetolurkaroundcornerswithanotepadandpenwhilewearingatrenchcoat,trilbyhat,andshades.Withthatsaid,therearewaystoresearchcustomerswithoutthemknowingwhat'sgoingon(asseeninFigure10.3).

Figure10.3CombiningTraditionalandDigitalResearchStrategies

Soundominous?It'snot!Sociallisteningissimplytheactoftuningintoaconversationtogetabettergriponwhatpeoplearemostinterestedoruninterestedin.Forexample,youcouldfollowaspecificpageonFacebookoraparticularTwitterhashtag.

Foramoretransparentwayofgatheringaudienceinformation,polls,questionnaires,andsurveysaregoodwaysofgettingtoknowcustomers'likesordislikesaboutaparticulartopicortheirfeelingsaboutaproduct.

Onabiggerscale,focusgroupscanbesetuptogatherinformationinamoredetailedwaythanpollsorsurveys,whichprovidebroaderresults.

PerhapstheeasiestwaystogetbasicinformationonaudiencesisthroughtheanalyticfeaturesfoundonwebsitesandsocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebookandTwitter.Mostemailmarketingtoolsalsohaveanalyticspackages.

AreWeThereYet?

Youhavethoughtabouttheframeworkandgatheredinformationonyouraudience,nowit'stimetoclearlyplanoutyourmarketingstrategy.Yourplanshouldincludeallthesectionslistedbelow.Takeamomenttosoakintheheadlines:allwillbecoveredingreaterdetailinthecomingsections.

DigitalMarketingPlan:StructureAdigitalmarketingplanshouldincludethefollowingelements:

Situationanalysis

Informationgathering

Audiencedefinition

Businessobjectives

Digitaltools

Actionplan

Budget

Measurement

Iterationandmanagement

SituationAnalysis:TimetoEmbraceYourInnerSocratesYoudon'texactlyhavetobeadeepthinkertobeadigitalmarketer,butyoushouldaskthesequestions—andknowtheanswers!

Takeadeepbreath:

WhereamInow?

HowdoImeasureuptocompetitors?

HoweffectivehaveIbeensofar?

Whataremymainstrengthsandweaknesses?

Howsuccessfulhavepreviousactivitiesbeen?

Situationanalysisisallaboutassessingthecampaigninitsnakedform,andyouhavegottopokeandprodituntilitstruthisrevealed.Likethemostchallengingofjigsawpuzzles,yourcampaignwillbemissingsomepieces,sothisisthetimetospotthegapsandfillthemin.

Whetherthismeanscuttingthecampaignintoanewshapethatfitsorchangingthelookofthegamecompletely,it'simportantthatthesegapsarefillednow.

Anumberoffactorsshouldbeconsideredwheninthisdeepthinkingmode:

Yourcustomer.

Yourspecificsectorintheindustry.

Howyourcompanymeasuresuptoyourcompetitors.

Industrytrends.

Takinginformationfrompastexperiences,knowingyourstrengthsandweaknesses,seeingwhatworkedandwhatdidnot,anddecidingwhatchannelsyouaregoingtouseareallessential.

Thinkofsituationanalysisasthefoundationofyourentirecampaign—youdonotwanttostartanunstablegameofdigitalmarketingJenga!

AgreatwaytokeeptrackofallofthesefactorsistocreateaframeworksimilartotheoneoutlinedinFigure10.4,whichwilllayoutyourstrengthsandpotentialweaknesses.

Figure10.4SituationAnalysisChart

Completeachartlikethisonebytickingtheboxesyouthinkwillprovidethebestratingofyourdigitalmarketingcapabilities.Theaimistohaveaquickandhandysnapshotofwhereyouare,thegapsthatmayneedtobefilled,andwhereyourstrengthslie.

Assessingyouractivitiesisanothercriticalelementinanalyzingyoursituation.Again,itishelpfultocreateaframeworklikeFigure10.5tooutlinehoweffectiveyouractivedigitalmarketingchannelshaveworkedpreviously.

Figure10.5PreviousActivityAnalysisChart

Byanalyzingyoursituationfromthestart,youcandiscoverthebestroutetotaketowardsyourdigitalmarketingcampaigngoals.

Nowthatyouhavemasteredthebasicelementsneededtosecurethefoundationofyourcampaign,youcanmoveontothenextstepoftheiterativeprocess:audience.

Stage2:AudienceWouldn'titbethecraziestthingifyousawglassesorcontactlensesbeingadvertisedinthewaitingroomofalasereye-surgeryclinic?Itjustwouldn'tmakeanysense.

Thepointis,beingpreparedisthefoundationfordevelopingadigitalmarketingcampaignthatwillnotonlydowell,butwillthrive.

Nowit'stimetogetyourfeetwetandmoveontostage2oftheiterativeprocess,ashighlightedinFigure10.6.Thegoalistolearnwhatliesbehindthescenesandhowtopullthestrings;paycloseattentionasyouweavethroughthissectionsoyoucan:

Learnthebesttoolstousetogatherasmuchbackgroundinformationasyoucan.

Mastertheartofcreatingacustomerprofile.

Understandthatnotallaudiencesareequal,andknowhowtohitthesweetspot.

Figure10.6FocusontheSecondStageintheStrategyandPlanningProcess

InformationGathering—What'sEverybodyUpTo?So,youknowwhereyoustandintermsofyourcapabilitiesandactivitytrackrecord,butwhatabouteveryoneelse?Yes,theInternetisauniverseofinformation.Decidingwheretobeginmayseemdaunting,butthestartpointisobvious.

Google.

MillionsofpeopleuseGoogleeverydayforallsortsofreasons,beitforgeneralinformationorforresearch,soitactuallymakesalotofsensethatwhenplanningcampaigns,digitalmarketersshouldstartheretoo.

AquickGooglesearchgivesyouessentialinformationinstantly.

Let'simagineaVitaminWaterbusinessintheCanadianmarket.ThefirstthingadigitalmarketerwilldoisGooglethewordsvitaminwater,andvoila—beholdthetop-rankingsites.Thisinformsyouaboutyourcompetitors,whichisakeystepintheinformation-gatheringprocess.

Oncecompetitorshavebeenidentified,everyaspectoftheircampaignsmustbenoted.

Howgoodtheyareatwhattheyaredoing?

Whataretheirprices?

Whataretheirdeliveryoptions?

Whatistheirrangeofproducts?

Howwelldotheyarticulatethevalueoftheirgoods?

Withthisinformationgathered,youwillhaveexcellentinsightintohowyourbusinesscompares.

GoogleToolsWhileyoushouldkeepinformationonyourcompetitorsclose,keepinformationonthemarketplacecloser.Googlecomesupwiththegoodsinthisrespecttoo.

GoogleAnalytics.Keeptabsonwhoisvisitingyourwebsite,wheretheyarecomingfrom,howtheyfoundit,andwhattheyarespecificallysearchingfor.

Googlealerts.Setupalertsaboutspecificsubjectstokeepacloseeyeonyourmarketplace—forexample,everytimeacompetitorismentioned—thatwillcomestraighttoyouremailinbox.

GoogleAdWordsKeywordPlanner.Seeexactlyhowconsumerssearch,whatwordstheyusetosearch,andwhattermstheyuse,aswellasgettingideasforkeywordsthatmayproveusefultoyourcampaign.

GoogleTrends.Allowingyoutosearchforacertainsubjectovertime,thistoolgivesinsightintowhetherasearchtopicisgaininginpopularityorifthetopicisindecline.

BuildingaCustomerProfileWhenpeoplegoonline,theyexpecttofindexactlytheinformationtheyneed.

Iftheycan'tfinditonthefirstgo,theywillfinditelsewhere.

ThatisthenatureoftheInternet,andassuch,beingvagueisneveranoption.Youhavetoengageyouraudiencefromthemomenttheyenterthatsearchterm.

Knowingwhatyouraudienceneedsisvital,andonceyouknowwhattheyneed,youcanprovideit!Evenbetter—bydiscoveringessentialinformationandbuildingaudienceprofilesyoucangoonestepfurtherandknowwhatyouraudiencewantsbeforetheyevenknowit

Inordertocraftaneffectivedigitalmarketingplan,youhavetogettoknoweveryaspectofyouraudiencemembers,includingbutnotrestrictedto:

Age

Gender

Wheretheywork

Wheretheylive

Iftheyhavechildren

Theirmaritalstatus

Whattheirhobbiesare

Whattheirparticularpreferencesandneedsare

Onceyouhavereachedtheircore,youcanstarttothinkaboutwhatyourtargetaudience'sonlinebehaviorsentail.

Let'sreturntoourexampleoftheVitaminWatercompanyandthinkaboutitstargetaudience.Toprofilethatimaginaryperson—thecustomerpersona—let'simagineDebbieDigitalisahealthconscious,30-year-old,singlefemale,livinginCanada.Ta-da!Youhavethebasicinformationabouther.

Nextstep—let'scontemplateheronlineactivities.

ShelogsintoFacebookmultipletimesaday.

SheusesGoogletodoherInternetsearches.

Shereceivesemailsintoherinboxatworkthatshechecksoften.

Shelooksatwebsitesonlinetotrytofindoutmoreinformationabouthealthyliving.

Sowhatchannelsarethemostappropriatetoutilize?Yes,DebbieDigitalusesFacebook,butshemaynotusethissocialmediaplatformtoresearchVitaminWater.Inthiscontext,theproductwouldbebetterplacedinaGooglesearchranking—giventhatitismorelikelyshewouldfirstGoogleVitaminWatertoseewhereshecouldbuyit.

Thisisveryusefulinformation.Butweneedmore,more!Suchas,wheredoesshehangout,wheredoesshegotolooktoforinformation,andwhatareherambitionsandmotivationsbeyondtheobviousinformation—someofthegoldnuggetsofintelligenceseeninFigure10.7.

Figure10.7DebbieDigitalCustomerPersona

Let'sdigevendeeper.Let'sfindtherealDebbie—oratleastsomeonewhorepresentssomeonelikeher.RememberbackinthesectioncalledGettingtoKnowYouinthischapter,whenwementionedpolls,surveys,questionnaires,andfocusgroups?AfocusgroupinthiscasewouldbeanexcellentwaytoprofileDebbieproperly.

AudienceRankingJustwhenyouthoughtthecorehadbeenreached,there'smore.Believeitornot,wecandelveevendeeperintoouraudience—fornotallaudiencesareequallyimportant.

It'snotasharshasitsounds—it'sjustamatterofgettingtothenucleusofyourspecifiedaudiencesothatyouarehittingthedigitalmarketingbull's-eyefromtheverybeginningofyourcampaign.

Nowthatyou'vedefinedyouraudience,thenextstepistorankthem.Rankingyouraudienceallowsyouto:

Prioritizeyourtargetaudience.

Focusyouractivities.

Alignyourbudget.

Allocateresources.

Twoimportantfactorsshouldbeconsideredwhenrankingmembersofyouraudience,asseeninFigure10.8.Theyare;valuetothebusiness,andhoweasyorhardtheyaretoreach:

1. Valuetothebusiness.Howmuchcantheybuy,howoftencantheybuy,whatisthelikelyexpenditureyoucangetfromtheminatotalyear,andsoon.

2. Accessibility.Evenifapersonseemslikeavaluablememberofyouraudience,mighthebehardtogetto?Thebottomlineis,ifheisnotactiveonline,youcan'treachhim.

Figure10.8ExamplesofAudienceRanking

Additionalconsiderationsinclude:

Whattheyareinterestedin,whattheyaretryingtodoonline,andhowdoyourespond?

Whyaretheyonline?Whataretheylookingfor;howdotheygetthere,whatdevicesdotheyuse;andwhen,where,andwhydotheyusethosedevices?

Howcantheirproblemsbesolved?

Youcan'tsendthesamemessagetoeverysingleaudiencemember—itjustwon'twork.Thecontentyoucreatemustbecarefullyconsideredandbasedontheinterestsofeachaudiencegroup.

HittingtheSweetSpot

IfWillyWonkawereadigitalmarketer,hewouldhavebeensupersuccessful.Hisbusinesswascandyandchocolateandallthetreatskidscan'tresist.Willy'sprimarytargetaudiencewouldmostdefinitelyhavebeenchildren.Withthisinmind,itisnotsurprisingthatthepriorityaudienceisknownasthesweet-spotcustomer.

Sweet-spotcustomersaretheeasiestpeopletosellto.Notonlydotheyreallywantwhatyouhave,buttheyalsorespondverywelltowhatyouhaveonoffer,sotheyshouldmakeuptheaudiencethatyouspendmosttimetryingtoengage,sellto,andinfluenceonline.

UnlessyouareluckyenoughtobeasrichasWillyWonka,youmustconcentrateonthemostimportantaudienceinthefirstinstance.Prioritizingmeansthatyoucan:

Focusontheactivitiesthatmakemostsensetothatparticularaudience.

Alignyourbudgetupwiththespecifictacticsthatwillworkeffectivelywiththeaudience.

Allocateyoureffortwithyourresources.

Fromhere,youareontheroadtosuccessfullyengagingwithyourtargetaudience.

MultiscreeningHaveyoueverlookedaroundonafamily-filmnighttoseeyoursisterwatchingavideoonhermobilephoneandyourmothersearchingforholidaydestinationsonhertablet,allwhileyourbrotherusestheTVscreentoplayvideogames?Can'twejustsitdown,relax,andreadagoodbook?No!Userdevicehabitshavenowshiftedfromasinglefocustoarelativelynew,all-consuminghabitknownasmultiscreening.

Thisistheactofviewingcontentonnumerousdevices,suchasyourcellphoneandTV,withonedevicetriggeringspecificbehaviorontheother(forexample,searchingforanewpairofshoesonyourcellphonebutthenmovingtoyourlaptoptopayforit).

Wearenolongermono-channelbeings:Insteadwejumpfromchanneltochannel,receivingmessagesandsoakingininformation.Asadigitalmarketer,youhavegottogetagoodfeelingofhowpeoplearemovingamongdevicesandwhytheyareusingthosedevices.

WeknowthatDebbieDigitalusesTwitterbuthowdoessheuseit?Issheonherdesktop?Hersmartphone?Hertablet?Ifsheisusinghersmartphone,issheusingitwhileshewatchesTV?

UsingSocialMediaintheBusinessEnvironmentIntermsofB2B,Eurostathassomegreatinsightsintopeople'suseofsocialmediainthebusinessenvironment,ascanbeseeninFigure10.9.Thetopreasonforusingsocialmediaistodevelopabrandimageandmarkettheirproduct,butitisalsoaveryusefultoolforobtainingcustomerfeedbackandopinions.Tryingoutdifferentideasandobservinghowpeoplerespondisagoodwaytogettoknowthetargetaudience.

Figure10.9PercentageofEnterprisesUsingSocialMediabyPurposeofUseSource:Eurostat.EU-28,2013.

Thesizeofabusinessalsodetermineswhatsocialmediaplatformituses—differentlysizedbusinessesusevarioussocialmediachannelsfordifferentreasons.IfyouareplanningonengagingwithanaudienceinaB2Benvironment,it'simportanttounderstandyouraudiencedeeplyinthisrespect.

HereComesGoogle!Weknowthatwebsiteanalyticsprovidesextensiveinformationoncustomersandthatinformationcanbebroadenedtogetadeepunderstandingofyourtargetaudience.WhenyoucanseeexactlywhatpeopletypeintoGoogleSearchandhowtheygottoyou,youcanbegintodevelopaplantosatisfyyouraudiences'need.Forinstance,ifsomeonesearchesforVitaminWaterflavors,youcanattractherandincreaseherinterestinyoursitebyofferingarangeofdifferentflavors.

Diggingdeeperintosearchtermsgiveslotsoffoodforthought.CheckoutFigure10.10toseeallthatcanbediscovered.

Figure10.105PFramework

The5Pframework,whichisshowninFigure10.11,isagreatbasetoworkfrom:itletsyoubreakdownusefulinformationtobetterunderstandyourtargetaudiences'motivationsandneedsinordertoeventuallymarketbacktothem.

Figure10.11FurtherInsightsintothe5PFramework

Understandinganddefiningyouraudienceisalwayscriticalindigitalmarketing.PutyourselfinDebbieDigital'sshoes:Ifyoucan'tfindexactlytherightinformationasaconsumer,youwillsimplygoelsewhere.Thedigital

worldistheconsumers'oyster—makeyourproductyourtargetaudience'spearl.

Nowthatyouhavelearnedthemosteffectivewaytogatherinformationtocreateaprofilebasedonyourtargetaudience,youcanbegintoformanefficient,compelling,andsuccessfulplan.

Stage3:ActivitiesBynowyouknowyoursweet-spotcustomerssowellthatyoucouldtalktothemforanentirelong-haulflightonabudgetairline.Youcouldchallengeyourcompetitortoagameofgolfandnotbreakasweat.YoucanreciteyourstrengthsandweaknesseslikeabrightkindergartenstudentrecitesherABCs.

Themomenthascome—youarereadytoplanandimplementstage3,whichishighlightedinFigure10.12.

Figure10.12FocusontheThirdStageintheStrategyandPlanningProcess

Thissectionencompassesstage3oftheiterativeprocess—planning—andbytheendofityouwillbeconfidentenoughto:

Determineyourcompetitiveadvantageandutilizeyourvalueproposition.

TakeaSMARTapproachtoyourentireplan.

Segmentyourbudgetandsuccessfullydecidewherebesttospendresources.

Recognizeandrundifferenttypesofactionplans.

GainingtheCompetitiveEdgeRockydidn'tgettobethenumber-onechampionfighterbychance.Theonlywaytooutdoyourcompetitorsistobebetterthanthem.Attheplanningstageyoumustobservecompetitors'tactics—thisisessentialbecauseyouneedtoseeif,andmoreimportantly,how,youcanoutdothem.

Iftheyrankhighlyinsearchengineresults,howcanyougetaroundthem?

Istheresomethingyourproductcandoandtheirscan't?

Canyouusethatdifferencetoyouradvantage?

Youneedtoconsiderwhatwillgiveyouacompetitiveadvantage.Thebestgradeschoolteachersalwayssaythis,andit'strue:It'sgoodtobedifferent!

ByreturningtoourVitaminWaterexample,younowknowthatcustomersarelookingfordifferentflavors.Ifyourcompetitorsfailtodeliveronthatfront,thiswouldbeagoodwayforyoutooutdothemandgainacompetitiveadvantage.Byconcentratingonaparticularareainwhichyourcompetitorsfalldown,youhavetheopportunitytorankhigherinsearch.

Engagementwithyouraudiencebeforeanyofyourcompetitorscandoitisthegoal,soyoumust:

Defineyouraudience.

Thoroughlyresearchyourcompetitors.

Discoverwhatyoucanofferthatyourcompetitorscan't—andbethebestatit.

DefiningYourValuePropositionBeingthego-tobusinessforaproductorservicebecauseyoufillanicheisahighlyvaluableassettohave.Thatiswhatavaluepropositionis,anditcanbedefinedinmanyways.

Onewayistobethebusinesswiththelowestcosts.Let'stakeareal-lifeexample:SouthwestAirlinesisAmerica'slow-costdarling.ItsvaluepropositionisthatitoffersthecheapestflightstoprettymuchanydestinationacrosstheUnitedStates.Itshookisthatithaslowerfaresthaneveryoneofitscompetitors.

SouthwestAirlinesclearlyhasanimpeccablevalueproposition.Itisoutdoingitscompetitors,andbecauseit'sresolvingcustomerpain(expensiveairfare),theyaredoingsomethingdifferent—anddoingitwell.

Anotherexampleofavaluepropositionisaninnovativeproduct—havingsomethingthatwillsolvearealproblemthateverybodyneedsasolutionto.

Andyetanotherwaytoofferavaluepropositionisthroughyourdistributionnetwork.Let'sobserveanotherreal-lifeexample.Coca-Colaiswithoutadoubthugelysuccessful.Itcan'tbedeniedthatthebrandhasbeenmarketedextremelywell,butinrealitywhatreallydifferentiatesCokefromitscompetitorsisitscolossaldistributionnetwork.

Goanywhereintheworld—NewYorkCity,asmalltowninIreland,ortheSouthAmericanmetropolisofSãoPaulo—andwhatwillyoufind?ACokemachine.

Coca-Cola'sdistributionnetworkissovastandcompletethatitgivesthecompanyanextremelylargeadvantage.

Whenyouhavesomethingthatcustomerswantandneed,somethingthatyourcompetitorscan'tdeliveraswellasyoucan,thenextimportantthingtodoistocommunicatethatfacteffectively.Notjustonyourwebsite,butineverysingleaspectofyourmarketingplan.Ouronlineattentionspansareveryshort,andassuch,yourmessagehastobesharpandimmediate—whilebeingclearaboutwhatyouofferandwhatmakesyoubetter.

SettingObjectivesAttheendofitall,adigitalmarketingplanisdesignedtoexpandyourbusiness,soyouhavegottohavebusinessobjectives.Settingobjectivesaspartofyourdigitalmarketingplanprovides:

Structure

Definedtargets

AccountabilityforROI

Abasisformeasurementandanalysis

Youcanemploymanyspecifictacticstohelpyourbusinessgrow.Searchpositionisimportantforbuildingbrandawareness,asisdigitaladvertising.Thesechannelsallowyoutobeseenbyanewaudience,andtheycanhelpextendyourreach.

Let'sassumetheVitaminWaterbusinessisonpagetwoofSERPs.Obviously,tobuildbrandawarenessthebusinesshasgottoappearonpageone,preferablyinthetopthreesearchresults.If,forexample,yourbusinessobjectiveistoincreasesales,settingtargetsisagreatidea.Assumingyoualreadypossessasoliddatabase,yourtargetcouldbetoemailprioritycustomersanewsletteronceamonth.Andtobeevenmoreeffective,sendout

adifferentversionofthatemailtodifferentsegmentsofyourtargetaudience.

Don'tbevagueaboutanyaspectofyourbusinessobjectives:Putnumbersagainstthem.Definethepercentageincreaseinsalesyouwant,forexample,andtheperiodoftimeinwhichyouwanttoachievethatgoal.

BeingSmart

There'snothingmoredemotivatingthansettingtargetsthatareunattainable.It'sworsethantrainingforamarathonanddiscoveringthatyouhavemiscalculatedthedistanceandthere'salongwaytogo.

Let'susethemnemonicintroducedinChapter6toremindyouhowtosetobjectives—beSMART,asshowninFigure10.13.

Figure10.13SMARTcriteria(DoranandDrucker)

Thekeytosettingtargetsthatworkistoberealistic.Bydoingsomeresearchandlookingatanyhistoricinformationyouhave,youcansetatargettoaimtowards.Pickaspecific,measurabletarget—suchassalesgrowthinthepreviousyear—andthensetatargettoimproveuponthat.

Ifthisisyourfirstcampaign,looktosomethinglikeGoogleKeywordPlanneranddecidewhatshareofthemarketyoucanreasonablyhopefor.Whetheryouareimprovingonpastactivitiesorplanningabrandnewcampaign,bespecificandbaseyourtargetsonsomethingthatcanrealisticallybeachieved.

KnowingYourFocus

Therearedifferenttypesofobjectives,andwhenyouplanyourcampaignyouhavetodecidewhichoneyouneedtohomeinon.Whatexactlydoyouwant

toachievewithyourdigitalmarketingcampaign?Keyobjectivesinclude:

Businessobjectivesfocusongeneratingacertainnumberofsalesorlevelofrevenueoverayear.

Audienceobjectivesfocusonaddingnewaudiencesormakinganexistingonemoreawareofyourproduct.

Productobjectivesfocusonlaunchingtestproductsornewproducts.

Brandobjectivesfocusonbuildingbrandawareness,sopeopleknowwhoyouare.

Marketingobjectivesfocusonbuildingawarenessofyourbrandindifferentmarkets.

ChannelSuitabilityYourchoiceofchannelswillbebasedonunderstandingaparticularaudience.YoushouldselectthechannelsusingtheDMI3iframework,whichwillhelpyoudeterminehoweffectiveeachislikelytobeinengagingyourtargetaudience.

B2CCustomerProfile B2BCustomerProfileDebbieDigital DougDigital33yearsold 27yearsoldStay-at-homemom MarketingManagerMarried,onechild,oneontheway Single,nochildrenSmartphone,Facebookuse Smartphone,LinkedIn,TwitteruserTimepoor TimepoorTightbudgetduetolargehouseholdexpenditure

Maybeahigh-valueprospect

Readilyaccessiblethroughdigitalchannels

Readilyaccessiblethroughdigitalchannels

Lookatthetableabove.WhatweunderstandaboutDebbieDigital'sonlinehabitsdeterminesthechannelsyouwilluseandthekindofinformationshewillbeprovidedwithonceyouengagewithher.

DougDigitalwillbecompletelydifferentfromDebbie—differentagegroup,differentonlinehabits,abiggerbudget—soyouwillengagewithhiminadifferentway.

Budget

Aswithdigitalmarketingobjectives,therearemanydifferenttypesofcosts—andyouneedtobeabletodistinguishamongallofthesedifferentvarietiessothatyoucanallocateyourbudgetanddecidewhatkindofresourcesyouneedtospendmoneyon.Takealookatthevarietyofcosttypeslistedbelow:

Mediaspend.Third-partycosts,suchasAdWordsordisplayadvertising.

Digitalmedia.Thetext,visuals,andgraphicsthatwillmakeupthecontentforyourwebsiteandsocialmediachannels.Youwillhavetodecidewhetheryourbudgetallowsyoutouseyourowntimeandskillorwhetheryou'llhavetooutsourcethecontentcreation.Ifyouplanoncreatingthecontentyourself,youwillhavetocountyourtimeasacost.

Peoplecosts.Theamountyouwillhavetospendoninternaland/orexternalstaff.

Systems.Forexample,thecostofupgradingtoaprofessionalversionofahostingservicesuchasLinkedIn'sSlideShare,orthecostofhostingasiteinaforeignmarket.

Asmentionedattheverybeginningofthischapter,thebeautifulthingaboutdigitalmarketingisthatintheonlineworld,testingisanoption.

BeforeinvestingahugechunkofyourbudgettowardssomethinglikePPCadvertising,runalittletesttolearnhowmuchthechannelmaycostforthedurationofacompletecampaign.Usethistestasthebarometer,andthensetyourbudgetbasedonthetest;ifyoucontinuewiththatchannel,youcancalculatehowmuchofyourbudgetyouwillneedtosetasideforit.

AdBudgetEstimation

Eachadvertisingchannelhasbudget-estimationtools.Thesetoolswillallowyoutoestimatebudgetbasedonthemechanismforpayment:

PPC.GoogleAdWords,Facebookadvertising,somebanneradvertising.

CPM.Digitaldisplay,LinkedIn.

Costperengagement.Twitteradvertising.

ContentContentistheprettybowonyourdigitalmarketingcampaigngiftbox.Notonlydoesittieeverythingtogether,itshouldlookgoodtoo.That'swhyyouhavetobestrategicwhenbuildingitintoyouractionplan.Thecontentyoupublishonyourwebsiteorthroughsocialmediamustengageyouraudience

immediatelyandovertime.

It'seasiertoexplainwhenputintocontext,solet'slookatanexample.SayyourproductisavineyardhotelinCaliforniathatyouwishtorentoutforweddings.Wine+wedding=awinningformula,right?

Thefirstthingtodo,ofcourse,istoresearchkeywordstoseewhatpeoplelookfor.Thetypesofresultsthatarelikelytobefoundwillbewhatthesearcherwantsintermsoflocation,hoteltype,andnumberofrooms.Soattheverybeginningofyourcampaign,youmustdecidewhatcontentwillworkbestforthetargetaudience.

Planitsothatthecontentwillrunoveraspecifiedtimeperiod,andensureyoudecideuponthetypeofcontentthatwillbecreated,whowillwriteit,andwhen.Detailedplanningisessentialforensuringacoherent,constantstreamofcontentonyourwebsitetosatisfytheneedsofyourcustomerandincreaseyoursearchranking.

ToolsItispossibletoproduceKPIstoillustrateandvisualizelotsofdifferentinformationfromdifferentsourcesbyusingGoogle'sSocialReferralstool,whichcoverseverythinginoneplace,asseeninFigure10.14.Thisnotonlysavestimebutitgivesyouaclearideaofwhatplatformmaybeworkingbetterandwhatyoumayneedtoworkon.

Figure10.14GoogleSocialReferralsToolSource:GoogleandtheGooglelogoareregisteredtrademarksofGoogleInc.;usedwithpermission.

ThereisalsoafeaturethatcanbuilddashboardswithkeyinformationaboutyourwebsitebasedonyouractivityinGA.

CalendarsItishighlyusefultocreateacalendarthatenablesyoutomapoutyourcampaignonaweek-to-weekormonthlybasis.

LookathowthetestperiodforaproductlaunchismappedoutinFigure10.15.Obviously,youwillbemonitoringprogressthroughoutthemonth,butdecisionsonhowtoproceedshouldonlybemadeafterthecampaignhasbeengiventimetogainsometraction.

Figure10.15CampaignCalendar

TheenddateforthisparticularplanistheendofMay,butsomeplansneverstop:Ifyourplanisoptimizingyourwebsiteforsearch,forinstance,thentheworkwouldbeongoing.

Subsequentactionsorfollow-upswilldependonwhetherornotyouhaveastricttimelineorbudgetthatneedstobereviewed,andhowwellachannelworkedforthecampaign.Itcouldbeexpandedorimprovedon—oritcouldbedropped.

ManychannelscanbeseenonthecalendarinFigure10.15includingYouTube,Facebook,TwitterandLinkedIn.TheaudiencetotargetviaLinkedIninthisparticularcampaignwillbemarketinganddigitalprofessionals.

ThemessagethatwillcomefromLinkedInisthatyouareofferingfreeresourcessuchasbrochuresandcontentthatfromyourpointofviewwillamplifyyourmessage.Obviouslyyourobjectiveisproductpurchase,butyourKPIcouldbethatyouwantacertainnumberofresourcestobedownloadeddirectlyasaresultofthecampaign.

Planningtakestimeandeffort,butallthatworkisworthitwhenyouachieveyourgoals.However,yourdigitalmarketingcampaigndoesnotendwhenthosegoalsaremet;itisaniterativeprocessthatneedsconstantmonitoring.Nowthatyouhavelearnedthestepstotakeinplanningyourcampaign,youcanmoveontothelaststageoftheiterativeprocess:analysis.

Stage4:AnalysisYourdigitalmarketingcampaignislikeacommittedrelationship—youhavetokeeponworkingonit.

Youshouldalwaysbekeepinganeyeonwhatisworkingforyouandcapitalizingonwhat'ssuccessful.

Sojustlikethetimeyourpartner'sugly,misshapenshirtmysteriouslywentmissing,youshouldgetridoftheideasthatyoutestedbutjustdidn'twork.Andnobodyneedstoknowaboutit.

Analysisisanongoingelementofyourdigitalmarketingcampaignthatallowsyoutokeeptrackofandmaximizeyouronlineactivities,whilelearningwhatyouraudiencewantsfromwhatitdoes.

Wehavereachedthefinalhurdleofthestrategyandplanningprocess—stage4—whichyoucanseehighlightedinFigure10.16!Sositupstraight,paycloseattention,andgetreadytobeableto:

Recognizethebenefitsofmonitoringandanalysis.

KnowtheimportanceofcalculatingROI.

Understandtheimportanceofkeepingtheiterativeprocessinmotion.

Figure10.16FocusontheFourthStageintheStrategyandPlanningProcess

KeeptheWheelSpinningStrategyandplanningis,ofcourse,aniterativeprocess,butthetoolsyouuseforeachchanneldrivethewheel.

Asarecap,checkoutthedifferenttoolsthatcanbeadoptedtotrackspecificobjectives:

Searchoptimization.GAandAdWordsKeywordPlanner.

Searchmarketing.AdWordsandGA.

Socialmediamarketing.Listeningtools,insights,andanalytics.

Mobilemarketing.Mobileanalytics.

Emailmarketing.ESPreportingandanalytics.

Digitaldisplay.Publisherreportingandanalytics.

FocusonGoogleAnalytics

GAislikeaguardianangelwhenitcomestoanalyzingyourcampaign.Usedfrequently,itisthemostusefultoolfor:

Keepingtrackofwhereyouraudiencememberscomefrom.

Howoftentheycome.

Howtheymovethroughthesite.

Howengagedtheyare.

Howlongtheyspendonanyparticularpage.

Whatthemostpopulartopicsare.

Whenyoucheckinonanalyticsregularly,aconstantinfluxofbeneficialinformationwillflowyourway.

ReturnonInvestment

TherearemanywaystocalculateROI.Let'sreturntothetrustyexampleofVitaminWater.

TheobjectiveoftheVitaminWatercompanyistoincreasethepercentageofsearchresultspointingtotheirwebsite.

Thecompanyestimatesthat25,000uniquesearchesaremadepermonththroughGoogleforaparticular,relevantsearchterm:lemonflavorVitaminWater.Soitsaimnowistoattract10percentofthosesearchestoitswebsite—2,500visitors.

Outofthose,theaimistoconvert2percentofthosevisitors—50inquiries—sothattheybecomeleads.

If50percentofthoseinquiriesqualifyasgood-qualityleads,25inquiriesbecomesales—aconversionrateofoneinfour.Sointhiscase,fournewcustomerscomeatacostof$8,000.Gotallthat?Good!

TheWheelThatNeverStopsTurning

Strategyandplanningisanever-endingcircle—seeFigure10.17!Youplanthings,youpublish,youtrack,youtweak,andyoustartalloveragain.

Figure10.17TheIterativeProcess

Maximizewhatworksandditchwhatdoesnot.Mostimportantly,learnfromwhatyouranalyticsrevealandyourmasteryofunderstandingaudienceswillbeunyielding!

Beforeconcluding,let'stakeanexample:Facebook.

Examineyourmostpopularpostsandtakeclosenoteofwhoisengagingwiththoseposts—rememberthattheymaynot“like”thepostorshareit.Trackwhatkindsofpostsgetthemostcomments,asopposedtothepoststhatpeoplelikebutdonotinteractwith.Then,youcantweakthewayyoupost.Publish,learn,track,tweak…andultimatelymaximizewhatworks.

So,WhatHaveYouLearnedinThisChapter?Fromfiguringouthisplaceinthemarketandunderstandingheraudiencetoimplementingthebesttoolsforcarryingoutaspecificplan—adigitalmarketingmaestrohasgoteveryfacetofthestrategyandplanningprocesscovered.Butjustincase,hereareafewnotestokeepyouintune:

Keepyourfriendsclose,butyourenemiescloser—researchyourcompetitorsthoroughly.

Understandthatnotallcustomersarecreatedequalandconcentrateonyoursweet-spotcustomers.

CalculateROIregularlytohighlighttheareasthatareworkingandtheareasthatneedimprovement.

Evaluateyourowncapabilitiesandplanaccordingly.

ThinkofthisprocessasamajesticFerriswheel—itpausesfromtimetotime,butonlysomorecustomerscangeton.Itcontinuestoturnroundandround,delightingthosewhohaveboarded.Nowthatyouhavelearnedallthereistoknowaboutstrategyandplanning,youcandeviseyourownentertainingandcompellingdigitalmarketingride,improvingonitaftereachiteration!

Gotowww.artofdmi.comtoaccessthecasestudyonstrategyandplanningasadditionalsupportmaterialforthischapter.

CONCLUSIONAtthefirst-everlecturegivenbytheDMIinDublin,IrelandinJanuary2009,asinglephrasewasdisplayedinlargetext.Itwasanattempttoexplainthetransformationthatdigitalhaswroughtinourlives.Thatphrasewas“Startwiththecustomerandworkbackwards.”

Thishasbeenthefundamentalchangethathasdirectlyimpactedbothpeopleandbusinessesduringthedigitalrevolution.Andtheimplicationofthischangeisjustasimportantnowasitwasatwhenthisrevolutionbegan.Thischangehasresultedintheneedforanewbreedofprofessionals—peoplewhorecognizethepoweroftheindividualandwhounderstandandappreciatehowdigitalworksandhowtoworkwithittoimplementmarketingstrategiescenteredonthecustomer.

Theobjectiveofthisbookhasbeentoenlightenyouaboutthecoreconceptsofdigitalmarketing,toprovideinspiration,andtoprovokeyoutotakethoseconceptsandalchemizethemintopracticalapplication.Youshouldfeelempoweredbythepracticalskillsgainedthroughtheexercises,actionplans,andadditionalresources;andyoushouldfeelreadytoapplytheseskillstoproducemeasureableresults.

Inrecentyearswehaveseenasteadydeclineinconsumers'trustincompanies,whichhasbeendrivenbyalackofcontact,aninabilityto“talktosomeone,”andanemphasisonprocessoverpeople.Thereisagapinthemarket—andyouarenowequippedtofillit.Youhavetheknowledgeandskillstobridgethegapbetweencustomerandcompany.Customersdesperatelywanttobelistenedto,andwecandoitefficiently,comprehensively,andpreciselythroughthedigitalchannelsyouhaveencounteredinthelast10chapters.Asadigitalmarketingvirtuoso,youcantalktoyourcustomersviatheircellphones,excitetheirimaginationwithdigitaldisplaymasterpieces,delveintotheirpsychesthroughSEOresearch,andintriguethemwithemailmarketingthatspeakstotheirownparticularinterests.

Theroadtoacustomer'shearthasneverbeensosmooth.Butasweknow,heartschange.Thisfluctuationisintegraltohumannatureandwemustembracethisfactanduseittoouradvantage—byanalyzingthemarketandconstantlyadaptingtothedynamicnatureofthecustomer.Changeisatthecoreofdigitalmarketing,andundoubtedlyoneofthemostchallengingthingsaboutdigitalmarketingistherateatwhichtoolsandplatformsadapt.However,witheverychangecomesevenmorepossibility,andwhiledigital

canbeoneofthemostchallengingindustriestoworkin,itisalsooneofthemostexciting.Wemustembracethisrealityandseizeeveryopportunitytobeindustryleaders,innovators—andactiveandinformedconsumersourselves.

Ofcoursethenewworldofdigitalmarketingandtheempoweredconsumercanbeintimidating.Butlikemanythingsinlife,it'sallaboutperspective.Everydaywewitnessconsumersonsocialmediaeviscerateacompanyforshoddyproducts—butifweusethiscommunicationtoouradvantagebybeingresponsivethroughsocialmediaorevenbypredictingconsumerattitudesthroughmarketrealityinsights,wecanbetheanswertothedetachedcorporationsthatconsumersknowandhate.

Peopleconstantlyask,“Whatwillthenextbigthingindigitalbe?”Therearesomanypossibilities—itcouldbeanapp,atechnology,aplatform,oraservice.Buttheonethingweknowforsureisthatitwillbecharacterizedbyanincreaseinconsumerclout.Becausethat'swhat'simportanttous.Wehaveitnow.Andwearenotgoingtogiveitup.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSNoneofthiswouldhavebeenpossiblewithoutthefollowingpeople.Eternalgratitudeto:

AnthonyQuigley,mycofounderoftheDMIandpartnerincrimeforthepasteightyears,forhisenduringenergyandenthusiasmforour“littleproject.”

KenFitzpatrick,CEOoftheDMI,forbringingourideastofruition,makingitallreal,andbringingthemuch-neededadultsupervision.

TheProductteamattheDigitalMarketingInstitute,whohavecreatedthemostwidelytaughtdigitalmarketingcertificationprograms,doingsowithskill,talent,anddedication.Thisbookwouldnotexistwithoutthem.KudosandthanksgototheProductteam(pastandpresent,in-houseandexternal.)ManagedbyPaulGroarke,theyinclude:ConorTyrrell,SophieSmith,NiamhHealy,DeirdreWyer,ClaireMonahan,andGarryCleere.

ThewholegangattheDigitalMarketingInstitutewhobringtheirtalentandenergytobearonouractivities,onadailybasis.

Theconstellationofdigitalmarketingpractitionerswhohaveinformed,taught,andvalidatedtheDMIprogramsovertheyears.Thisbookisanexpressionofalloftheirexpertknowledgeandhardwonexperience.

ThemanythousandsofstudentswhohavetakenDigitalMarketingInstitutecoursesthroughtheyearsandareaconstantsourceofchallenge,inspiration,andencouragement.Youkeepusonthestraightandnarrow.

—IanDodson

GLOSSARYad Amarketingcommunicationsmessageconveyedtothe

consumer.adclick Aclickonanadimpressionservedintheperiodbeing

measured.adimpressionarrival

Auserarrivingatasitewhohasbeenexposedtoanadservedonbehalfofthatsite.

adimpression

Aninstanceofaconsumerbeingexposedtoanonlinead.

adnetwork Asystemthataggregatesadinventoryfrompublishersandoperatorstoefficientlymatchtheinventorywithadvertiserdemand.ExamplesincludeGoogleSearchNetwork(whichincludesGoogleSearchandothersearchsites)andGoogleDisplayNetwork(whichincludesacollectionofwebsitestermeddisplaypartnersthathavepartneredwithGoogle,aswellasYouTubeandspecificGooglepropertiesthatdisplayGoogleAdWordsads).Adscanappearbesideorabovesearchresultsforkeywordsthatanadvertiserchooses.Seealsonetwork.

adspace Theareawithinamobileappormobilewebsitededicatedtodisplayingads.

aduniqueuser

Auniquedevice(e.g.,acomputer,PDA,ormobilephone)thathasmadearequestforanadimpressionservedintheperiodbeingmeasured.

adunit Anadvertisingvehicle(e.g.,amobilebanner)thatincludescreativeassetsinsideamobileadspace.

advertiser Anorganizationthatwantstogetitsmessagetotherightaudience,efficientlyandeffectively.

alttext Adescriptionofagraphicinawebsite.analytics Thetechnologyandmeasurementsystemsusedtounderstand

whatisworkinginadigitalmarketingcampaignandwhatisnotbasedondatacollectedduringthecampaign.

analyticstool Asoftwareandwebapplicationthatcanhelpindicatewhetheractivitybeingundertakenbyabusinessishavinganimpactonitsgoals.Seealsoinsightstool.

appmonetization

Makingmoneyfromamobileappthroughadvertising,appdownloadpromotion,orothermethods.

app Anabbreviationforapplication.Anappistypicallyasmall,specializedprogramthatisdownloadedontoamobiledevice.Appscanbedownloadedfromanappstore,whichisacentralizedrepositoryofmobileapplications.AppstoresincludeApple'sAppStore,AndroidMarketplace,BlackberryWorld,andGoogle'sPlayStore.

averageposition

Thepositionatwhichanadappearsonasearchresultspage(thepagethatasearchenginereturnswithresultsrelevanttosearchtermsenteredbyauser).

averagevisitduration

Theaveragedurationofasession.

bannerad Amobileadunitthatemployssimplecreativeassetsandhyperlinks.

blog Awebsitewithregularentriesofcommentary,descriptionsofevents,andotherembeddedmultimediacontentsuchasgraphics,videos,andpresentations.

bouncerate Thepercentageofsingle-pagevisits(i.e.,visitsinwhichauserleftasitefromtheentrypage).

campaignandadgroups

Advertisingonsocialmediaplatformsisgenerallyorganizedintocampaignsandadgroups.Abusinesswilltypicallystartwithonecampaign,whichhasitsownbudgetandtargetingpreferences,andthenaddmorecampaignsasitexpandsitsadvertising.

canvasapplication

Anapplicationthatisnotloadedupinthecontextof,orvisuallyconnectedwith,aFacebookbusinesspage.Instead,theapplicationisconsumedelsewhereonFacebook(e.g.,inanappdirectory).

channel Forthepurposesofthisbook,achannel(orplatform)isatermusedtodescribeanindividualsocialnetwork.Forexample,Facebookisaplatformorchannelonwhichbusinessescanconnectwithfansviaabusinesspage.Seealsoplatform.

click Toselectsomethingbyclickingonit.Forexample,acustomermayseeabusiness'sadandclickonittolearnmoreortodobusinesswiththatcompany.

CTR Anabbreviationforclick-throughrate.CTRisthenumberof

clicksabusiness'sadreceivesdividedbythenumberoftimesitsadisshown(impressions).

click-to-call Aservicewithinanadthatenablesamobileusertoinitiateamobilephonecallbyclickingwithinamobilead.

completeddownload

Afile(typicallyaudioorvideo)transfer,especiallyfromtheInternettoauser'sdevice,inwhichthepercentageofthefiletransferredisgreaterthan95percent.Theuserdownloadsthefileforuseoffline.

conversion Activitiescarriedoutbyauserthatfulfillstheintendedpurposeofthewebpage;forexample,downloads,fillinginforms,purchases,contacts,andnewslettersubscriptions.

conversiontracking

Aformoftrackingthatgivesadvertisersinsightintohowconsumersareinteractingwiththeirbrandsthroughoutthemarketingfunnel.Advertisersdothisbydefiningtraceableeventsonmobilewebsitesorwithinappstoassessconsumerengagementortheimpactofdirect-responsecampaigns.

cookie Atextfileplacedonawebuser'sharddrivebyawebsitetorememberdataaboutthewebsite'suser.

CPC Anabbreviationforcostperclick.UnderaCPCpricingarrangement,advertiserspayonlywhenauserclicksontheirads.

CPM Anabbreviationforcostpermilleorcostperthousand.UnderaCPMpricingarrangement,advertiserspayforevery1,000impressionsoftheirads.

CPAmobilecampaign

Acost-per-acquisitioncampaign.ACPAmobilecampaigninvolvesanadvertisingmodelunderwhichtheadvertiserpaysforeachspecifiedactionlinkedtotheadvertisement;inaCPAcampaign,thespecifiedactionistypicallyregistrationforanonlineapplication.

CPDmobilecampaign

Acost-per-downloadcampaign.ACPDmobilecampaigninvolvesanadvertisingmodelunderwhichtheadvertiserpaysforeachspecifiedactionlinkedtotheadvertisement;inaCPDcampaign,thespecifiedactionistypicallythedownloadingofanapplicationorotherfile.

digitaldisplayadvertising

Aformofdigitalmarketingthatusesdisplayadsappearingonwebpagesasameansofcommunicatingrelevantcommercialmessagestoaspecificaudiencebasedontheprofileofitsmembers.

directmarketing

Achannel-agnosticformofadvertisingthatallowsbusinessesandnonprofitorganizationstocommunicatedirectlywithcustomersviaadvertisingtechniquessuchasmobilemessaging,email,interactiveconsumerwebsites,onlinedisplayads,fliers,catalogdistribution,promotionalletters,andoutdooradvertising.

emailmarketing

Aformofpermission-baseddirectmarketing,whichuseselectronicmailasameansofcommunicatingrelevantcommercialmessagestoaspecificaudiencebasedontheprofileofitsmembers.

entrypage Thefirstpageviewedbyawebsitevisitor.exitpage Thelastpageviewedbyawebsitevisitor.filter Arulethatlimitsorshapestheresultsthatarereturnedfrom

ananalyticsdatabasewhenaninformationqueryissubmittedtoit.

Flashimpressions

ThetotalnumberofrequestsmadeforpagesthatincludeFlash-basedcontentbyusersofthatsiteintheperiodbeingmeasured.

followers Nonmutualconnectionstowhichdataandupdatesareascribed.

forum Awebsitethatallowstheexchangeofideasandotherinformationamongusers;usuallyitismonitoredbyamoderator.

friends Userssocialnetworkswhoaremutuallyconnectedandwhotypicallyexchangedataandupdates.

funnels Thepathwayvisitorsfollowonawebsitetowardsaconversionpoint.

geofencing Atechnologythatallowsanadvertisertoselectageographicpointusinglatitudeandlongitudeinformationandtherebycreateavirtualfencearoundagivenradiusofthatpoint.Forexample,anadvertisercouldselectageographicpointrepresentingthelocationofabankbranchinordertodeliveraspecificadtoanyonewhocomeswithina200-meterradius.AdsdeliveredthroughgeofencingtypicallyyieldhigherconversionsandbetterROIforadvertisers.

geographicalIPanalysis

Awayofestablishingthepercentageofusersbycountryforagivenmetric,suchasuniqueusers.

hashtag Aclickablekeywordthatsumsupthecontentofatweetor

statusupdate.AhashtagisadominantfeatureofbothTwitterandInstagram.

HTML Anabbreviationforhypertextmarkuplanguage,whichisthesetofcommandsusedbywebbrowserstointerpretanddisplaypagecontenttousers.

HTML5 Anemergingstandardmarkuplanguageforpresentingandstructuringinformationontheweb,includingthemobileweb.MostmodernmobileanddesktopbrowserssupportHTML5.

impression Anadbeingdisplayedonitsassociatedplatform.in-appad Anadthatappearsinamobileapp.Formatsincludestandard

banners,video,andrich-mediaads.inboundlink Inboundlinksfromrelatedpagesarethesourceoftrustand

pagerank.Alsocalledin-linkandincominglink.indexedpage Apageonasitethathasbeenindexed.insightstool Asoftwareandwebapplicationthatcanhelpindicate

whetheractivitybeingundertakenbyabusinessishavinganimpactonitsgoals.Seealsoanalyticstool.

instantmessage

Amessagesentbetweentwoconnectionsinrealtimethroughasocialmedianetworkoremailplatform.Facebook,Google+,Skype,andWhatsAppallsupportinstantmessaging.

interstitialad Amobileadunitthatappearsbetweentwoviewsonamobilewebsiteormobileapp.Thewordinterstitialderivesfrominterstice,whichmeansasmallspacebetweenthings,especiallywhenpartofaseriesofuniformspacesandparts(thinkofapicketfence,whichhasinterstitialspacesbetweenslats).

inventory Availableadvertisingspaceonallmobilechannels,includingvideo,in-app,SMS,audio,andmobileweb.

keyword Asearchtermorphrase.Thekeywordsthatadvertiserschoosearethosethatcauseanadtoappearwhenenteredbyusers.Seealsokeyphrase.

keyworddensity

Thepercentageofwordsonawebpagethatarekeywords.

keywordresearch

Theprocessanadvertiserusestodeterminewhichkeywordsareappropriatefortargeting.

keyword Inappropriatelyhighkeyworddensity.Alsocalledkeyword

spam stuffing.keyphrase Asearchphrase.Thekeywordsthatadvertiserschooseare

thosethatcauseanadtoappearwhenenteredbyusers.Seealsokeyword.

landingpage Thepagethatuserslandonwhentheyclickonalinkinasearchengineresultpage.

linkbuilding Theprocessofactivelycultivatingincominglinkstoasite.

linkpopularity

Ameasureofthepopularityofasitebaseduponthenumberandqualityofsitesthatlinktoit.

listening Theactofmonitoringkeywords,topics,individuals,andgroupsforthepurposeofeitherengagementorresearch.

location-basedadvertising

Amobileadunitbeingdeliveredtomobileusersbasedonspecificgeographiccoordinates(e.g.,latitude/longitude,DMA,etc.).

metatag AstatementintheHTMLthatmakesupawebpagethatprovidesimportantinformationaboutthepage'scontent.Theinformationprovidedisusedbysearchenginestoindexasite.

mobileadserver

Ascalable,high-performancesystemmadeupofhardwareandsoftwarethatreliablydeliversmobileadunitsacrossallmobilechannels.

mobilemarketing

Marketingusingmobiledevicesinordertodisseminatepromotionaloradvertisingmessagestotargetedcustomersthroughubiquitouswirelessnetworks.

MRAIDad Anacronymformobilerichmediaadinterfacedefinitions,whichisaspecificationwrittenbytheInteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IAB).

naturalsearchresults

Searchengineresultsthatarenotsponsoredorpaidfor.

NFC Anabbreviationfornearfieldcommunication,asetofstandardsforsmartphonesandothermobiledevicesthatallowsthemtocommunicateovershortdistances(typicallylessthan4centimeters,or1.75inches).

network Asystemthataggregatesadinventoryfrompublishersandoperatorstoefficientlymatchtheinventorywithadvertiserdemand.ExamplesincludeGoogleSearchNetwork(whichincludesGoogleSearchandothersearchsites)andGoogle

DisplayNetwork(whichincludesacollectionofwebsitestermeddisplaypartnersthathavepartneredwithGoogle,aswellasYouTubeandspecificGooglepropertiesthatdisplayGoogleAdWordsads).Adscanappearbesideorabovesearchresultsforkeywordsthatanadvertiserchooses.Seealsoadnetwork.

nofollow Acommandfoundineithertheheadsectionofawebpageorwithinindividuallinkcodethatinstructsrobotseithernottofollowanylinksonthepageornottofollowaspecificlink.

pageapplication

AnapplicationthatisloadedaspartofaFacebookbusinesspagetoprovidemorefunctionalitytothepage.Pageapplicationsincludecompetitions,inquiryforms,storefronts,embeddedwebsites,andmore.Pageapplicationssitunderneaththecoverphoto.

pageimpression

Arequestforapageofasite'scontentmadebyauserofthatsite;advertisersarechargedperperiodbeingmeasured.

pageviews Thetotalnumberofpagesviewed.Repeatedviewsofasinglepagearecounted.

pagespervisit

Theaveragenumberofpagesviewedduringavisittoasite.Repeatedviewsofasinglepagearecounted.

paidsearch Searchengineresultsthataresponsoredorpaidforinsomeway.

percentageofnewvisits

Thepercentageofvisitstoasitethatcamefrompeoplewhohadnevervisitedasitebefore.

permission-basedmarketing

Marketingeffortsinwhichrecipientsofthemarketinghaveoptedinorgiventheirpermissiontothemarketertosendtheminformation.

planofaction Aclearroadmapforcarryingoutallthetacticsnecessaryforyouremailstrategy.Itspecifiesthestaff,timeframe,andbudgetorotherresourcesthatarerequiredforeachtactic.Theplancoordinatestheseelementsinchronologicalorderwherenecessary.

platform Forthepurposesofthisbook,aplatform(orchannel)isatermusedtodescribeanindividualsocialnetwork.Forexample,Facebookisaplatformorchannelonwhichbusinessescanconnectwithfansviaabusinesspage.Seealsochannel.

qualityscore Ameasureofrelevanceappliedtoanad,keyword,or

webpage.real-timebidding

Technologythatallowsadvertiserstobidoneachadimpressionasitisserved.Servingisbasedonbehavioraltargetingviacookies.Advertisersbuyanaudience,notaplacement.Adplacementsareauctionedtothemarketplaceandthehighestbidder'sadisshown.

reciprocallink

Alinkallowingtwositestolinktoeachother.

remarketing Asystemthatallowsanadvertisertocontinuetoshowadstopeoplewhohavevisitedamobilewebsite.

remnantinventory

Advertisingspacethatapublisheroroperatorisunabletoselldirectlythroughitssalesforce.Itistypicallysoldatadiscountedpricethroughanintermediary.

richmedia Abroadrangeofinteractiveandengagingadformats,includingexpandablebannersandembeddedaudioandvideo.

robots.txt Afileintherootdirectoryofawebsiteusedtorestrictandcontrolthebehaviorofsearchenginespiders.

scheduling Theactofpreschedulingyouractivityonasocialmediachannel.ActionsonFacebook,Twitter,andLinkedIncanbescheduledinadvanceinordertosavetime.

searchenginemarketing

Advertisingonasearchengineinordertodrivetraffictoawebsite.Advertiserspayonlywhenauserclicksonitsad.

Segmentation Distinguishingamongdifferentgroupsofsubscribersbasedonwhatisknown(e.g.,demographics,age,orgender)orwhatcanbelearnedaboutthem(e.g.,interestsandpreferences).

SEO Anabbreviationforsearchengineoptimization,ortheprocessofimprovingthevisibilityofawebsiteorawebpageinasearchengine'snatural,orunpaid(organic),searchresults.

sitemap Apageorstructuredgroupofpagesonawebsitethatlinktoeverypageaccessibletousers.

smartphone Amobilephonebuiltonamobilecomputingplatformthathasmoreadvancedcomputingandconnectivitycapabilitiesthanafeaturephone.Advancedcapabilitiesorelementscanincludeportablemediaplayers,low-endcompactdigitalcameras,pocketvideocamera,andGPSnavigationunits.

SMS Anabbreviationforshortmessageservice.Thetermisgenerallyusedtodescribetextmessagessenttoamobiledevice.TheoriginalSMSspecificationlimitedmessagesto160charactersinlength.IfmultimediaelementsareassociatedwithanSMSmessage,it'sreferredtoasanMMS.

socialbookmark

Aformofsocialmediainwhichusers'bookmarksareaggregatedforpublicaccess.

socialmedia AcatchalltermusedtodescribethetoolsandtechnologiesthatfacilitatesocialinteractionovertheInternet.

socialmediamarketing

Theprocessofgainingtrafficorattentionthroughengagementonsocialmediasites.

socialnetwork

Aweb-basedplatformthatallowsuserstoconstructapersonalorprofessionalprofilefromwhichtheycansharenewsanddataandconnectandcommunicatewithotherusers.

spider Aspecializedbot(webrobot)usedbysearchenginestofindandaddwebpagestotheirindexes.Alsoknowaswebcrawler.

strategy Thegeneralapproachbusinessestaketoachieveobjectives(forexample,increasingwidgetsalesthroughsalescalls,adirectmailcampaign,andsalesincentives).

tactics Thespecificactions,decisions,andresourcesrequiredtoimplementpredefinedstrategies.

targeting Theactofchannelingmarketingeffortsandresourcestospecificmarketsegmentsdefinedbydemographic,contextual,andbehavioraltraitsthathavethehighestpayoffpotential.

textlink AplainHTMLlinkthatdoesnotincludegraphicorspecialcodesuchasFlashorJavascript.

tweet AmessagesentfromTwitter,amicrobloggingservicethatenablesuserstosendandreadtext-basedmessagesofupto140characters.

uniqueuser Auniquedevice(e.g.,acomputerormobilephone)makingrequestsforsitecontentintheperiodbeingmeasured.

uniqueuserduration

Theaveragelengthofallvisits(ofmorethanonepageimpression)peruniqueusermadeintheperiodbeingmeasured.

uniquevisitors

Thenumberofunduplicated(countedonlyonce)visitorstoawebsiteoverthecourseofaspecifiedtimeperiod.

URL Anabbreviationforuniformresourcelocator;alsoknowasawebaddress.

videointerstitial

Aninterstitialmobileadunitthatdisplaysavideobetweenviewswithinamobileapporbetweenpageswithinamobilewebsite.

visit Thetotalnumberoftimesthatauser(adevice)hasengagedinasingleburstofactivitywithlessthan30minutesbetweenrequestsforcontent.Anewvisitoccurswhenthegapbetweenrequestsforcontentisatleast30minutes.

ADDITIONALRESOURCESGotowww.artofdmi.comforselectcasestudiesandinsightfulDMIblogpostsasadditionalsupportmaterialforeachchapter.Toaccessthecasesyouwillneedtoenterapassword,whichisthefirstwordinthesecondparagraphofChapter7.

ABOUTTHEDIGITALMARKETINGINSTITUTETheDigitalMarketingInstituteistheglobalstandardindigitalmarketingeducationcertification.Todateover10,000peopleinfivecontinentshavegraduatedwithaDMIqualification—makingitthemostwidelytaughtdigitalmarketingqualificationintheworld.Wehavetrainedmoregraduatestoasingledigitalmarketingstandardthananyothercertificationbody.TheDigitalMarketingInstituteworkswithglobaldigitalexpertsandleaderstodefinetheskillsandqualificationsrequiredbytoday'sdigitalmarketingprofessionals,certifyinggraduatesatdiploma,postgraduate,andmasterslevels.

Eightypercentofourpostgraduatestudentsnowworkindigital.Thatmighthavesomethingtodowiththefactthatourcoursesaretaughtbyleading,expertpractitionerscurrentlyworkinginthedigitalmarketingfield.Yourlearningwillbeshapedbytheirpracticalexperiencesandcasestudies,soyou'llbenefitfromrealindustryadviceandtipsaboutbestpractices.

GainUp-to-DateIndustryKnowledgeOurspecialistproductteamworkscloselywithleadingindustrysubjectmatterexpertstocraft,review,andupdateyourcoursematerialonacontinualbasis.Theirjobistoensureyougaintheup-to-dateknowledgeneededtothriveinarapidlygrowingandever-changingindustry.That'swhytheyworkhardtokeepyoursyllabuscontentfresh,structured,andbrandnew.

BenefitfromFlexibleStudyOptionsYourcoursecontentisavailableanytime,fromanywhereintheworld.Whetheryouarestudyingathomeoronatabletonyourwaytowork,youcanenjoy24-houraccesstoprerecordedlectures,notes,practicalexercises,webinars,andasupportiveclassnetwork.Neverfearmissingaclassagain.

EnjoyanIndustry-ValidatedSyllabusIt'sourmissiontoensurethatyoulearnthemostup-to-date,valuable,andsought-afterindustryskills.That'swhywebringtogethertheworld'sleadingdigitalbrandsandagenciestoreviewandapproveyoursyllabuscontent.WeworkwithcompaniessuchasFacebook,Twitter,andGoogletodefineasyllabusthatwillenhanceorkickstartyourdigitalcareer.

EarnanInternationallyRecognizedAccreditationUponcompletionyou'llreceiveanacademicallyaccreditedandgloballyrecognizedqualification.Coursecontentissetagainsttheexamination,meaningeverystudent,whereveryouare,iscertifiedtothesamestandard.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

IanDodsonisCo-founderandDirectoroftheDigitalMarketingInstitute.TheInstitutehasdefinedasetofqualificationsforthedigitalmarketingindustrythatarenowthemostwidelytaughtglobalcertifications,availableinover70countriesworldwide.

IanchairstheDigitalStandardsAuthority,whichconsistsofrepresentativesfrommajordigitalcompaniesandagencies,whocontributetoandvalidatetheDMIframeworkofqualifications.Thesequalificationsactasaneducationalandprofessionalpathwayforstudents,educators,andemployers.

Passionateaboutstudent-centricoutcomesandanadvocateofeducationanddigitalliteracy,Ianbelievesdigitaltechnologiesareenablingtoolsforraisingeconomicandsocialstandardsglobally.

INDEX

AAAS(AmericanAdvertisingAssociation)

A/BTesting

action-orientedverb

ad

animatedleaderboard

banner

carousel

discovery

dynamic

filmstrip

halfbanner

in-app

in-tandem

interstitial

island

leaderboard

leaderboardbanner

mobilebanner

mobilevideobanner

roadblock

sky-scraper

smartappbanner

smartbanner

socialMediaDisplay

takeover

video

AdChoices

adextensions

AdRoll

AdSense

AdvertisingAssociation(AAS)

advertisinghouses

advertisingindicators,socialmedia

AdWords

AdWordsAccountAccessLevels

AdWordsAppDownloadExtension

AdwordsAutomaticpayments

AdwordsCampaignArchitecture

AdwordsCampaignPerformanceReport

AdwordsCampaignsetup

AdwordsCampaignstab

AdWordsClick-to-CallExtension

AdwordsColumnModification

AdwordsConversiontracking

Adwordsconversionwindow

AdWordsdashboard

Adwordsdeliverymethods

Adwordsdimensionstab

AdWordsDisplayPlanner

AdwordsHometab

AdWordsinterface

Adwordskeywordideastab

AdwordsKeywordPlanner

AdWordsKeywordPlanner

Adwordslanguages

Adwordsmanualbidding

Adwordsmaximumbid

AdwordsqualityScoreColumn

AdWordsRankingFormula

Adwordssharedlibrary

AdwordsStandarddelivery

AdWordsToolsTab

agencies

aggregateretention

Airbnb

alttext

Amazon

AmericanAdvertisingAssociation

Android

AndroidMarketplace

AngryBirds

Animoto

app

best

branded

free

hybrid

mostpopular

native

appactivityreports

appdevelopment

Apple

Appleappreviewprocess

AppleiPad

AppleiPhone

Apple'siAdplatform

Apple'siOSupgrades

Applewatch

appstores

appsubmissionprocess

appwalls

ARPU(Averagerevenueperuser)

artist

Ask.com

attachments

auction

audience,young

authoritativewebsites

AutoCorrect

autoplay

averageCPC

averageCustomerLifeCycle

Averagerevenueperuser(ARPU)

averagesessionduration

AvinashKaushik

awarenesscampaigns

Bbacklink,permanent

bannerblindness

bannersize

beingreactive

bestperformingvideos

biddingstrategies

bids

blanket

ceiling

competing

default

grouplevel

billingcountry

Bing

BlackberryWorld

blacklisting

Blogger

bloggingplatforms

blogs

Bluetooth

bluntmeasurement

boldingkeywords

Booking.com

bounce-rate

high

brackets

brandingtool

brainstorming

brandawareness

brandedgame

Branson,Richard

breadcrumbnavigation

brochuredownloads

browserhistory

browsers

BrowserStack

budgetEstimation

Bullas,Jeff

business

local

small

businesscards

BusinessInsider

businesspain

business-to-consumer(B2C)

busshelter

button

click-to-call

CTA

social-sharing

BuzzFeed

CCadbury

calendar

CampaignCalendar

CamtasiaStudio

canonicalization

canonicallinks

CAN-SPAMAct

capitalization

Carling

cats

Christmas

Chrome

Citigroup

clicked-to-play

clickstoconversion

click-throughrate.SeeCTRs

click-to-call

CNBC

CNN

CocaCola

code

e-commerce

short

coffeechain

coffeeshops

colloquialjargon

company'scareersite

company'semailaddress

Compuware

connectivity

consumerpain

contactforms

content

educational

evergreen

flash

user-generated

viral

contentburst

contentduplication

contentmanagementsystems

free

content-richexperience

contentscheduling

contest

conversions

defined

hard

conversion-trackingtechniques

cookiepolicy

cookies

CookSmarts

copyrightlegislation

Costperacquisition(CPA)

Costperclick.SeeCPC

Cost-Per-Click

Cost-per-engagement

Costperinstall(CPI)

Costperlead(CPL)

Costperloyaluser(CPLU)

Costpermille.SeeCPM

CountdownAds

countrydialingcodes

CPA(Costperacquisition)

CPAmobilecampaign

CPC(Costperclick)

CPDmobilecampaign

CPL(Costperlead)

CPLU(Costperloyaluser)

CPM(Costpermille)

crawlerrors

CreativeCopyright

CSS

CTA

CTRsondisplayads

Cueler

customerpain

customers

dormant

longer-term

qualified

sweet-spot

CustomerSearchInsightsModel

customerservicerepresentatives

customer-to-customer(C2C)

customertouchpoints

DdataCollection

datamanagement

dataprotection

data-roamingcharges

dataSegmentation

DCO(DisplayCampaignOptimizer)

demotedranking

descriptionlines

descriptiontag

Digital,Debbie

Digital,Doug

digitalfootprint

DigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct

DigitalStandardsAuthority

digitalwallets

disabilities

disallowedkeywordpractices

DisplayCampaignOptimizer(DCO)

distributionnetwork

domainlevel

Doran,GeorgeT.

DoubleClick

Drucker,PeterF.

DUMBobjectives

dynamickeywordinsertion

dynamiclist

dynamicsegmentation

dynamicsubscriberlists

EeBay

e-commerce

EdgeRank

EllenDeGeneres

emailInteractionProcess

emailmarketingmetrics

emailmobileintegration

emailOpenRates

emailsignature

emailtemplates

EmiratesAirline

emotions

employeetestimonials

endorsements

social

Engagementcampaigns

Enhancedsitelinks

Ericsson

ESPs

Eurostat

excessivecapitals

excessivepunctuation

expansiontime

FFacebookAdsManager

FacebookEmbeddedPosts

FacebookGroups

FacebookInsights

FacebookNetLikes

FacebookPageStrategy

Facebookpixel

FacebookPlaces

FacebookSpeedometer

fast-movingconsumergoods(FMCGs)

FederalTradeCommission

female-dominateduserbase

FinalCut

Firefox

fitnesstrackers

flashlink

Flickr

FMCGs(fast-movingconsumergoods)

footer

freepublicity

frequencycapping

FTC(FederalTradeCommission)

GGA,linkingAdWordswith

GAAccessLevels

GAAccountSetup

GAAccountStructure

GAAcquisitionReporting

GAAdmintab

GAAdvancedSearch

GAAdvancedSegments

GAassigningvalues

GAAttributionReporting

GAAudienceTab

GABehaviorReporting

GAChannelGroupingPaths

GAConfigurationTool

GAConversionsreport

GACustomChannels

GACustomChannelsOverview

GAcustomizedreports

GADefaultsegments

GADeviceCategory

GAeCommerceSection

GAEventGoal

GAEventReporting

GAfirstclickattribution

GAfunnelvisualization

GAGeoSection

GAGoalssection

GAin-PageAnalytics

GAlanguagedata

GAmanagedUser

GAmultistepconversionprocess

GAreferraltrafficInformation

GASiteSearchReport

GASiteSpeedbyPage

GASocialReferralInformation

GAStandardReporting

GATechnologyInformation

GATimeDecayAttribution

GATimeonSite

GAURLDestinationGoal

GAUserJourneyIinformation

GDN(GoogleDisplayNetwork)

GDNapps

GDNautomaticplacements

GDNdisplay

GDNtext

genderbias

genericsearchterms

geolocation

GIFs

Gmail

Goo.gl

Google+

EngagementTab

Google+,familycircles

Google+Insights

GoogleAdMob

GoogleAlerts

GoogleAutocomplete

GoogleCircles

GoogleDataHighlighter

GoogleDisplayNetwork.SeeGDN

GoogleDisplayPlanner

GoogleGlass

GoogleHangouts

GoogleKeywordPlanner

GoogleKnowledgeGraph

GoogleMaps

GoogleMobile-FriendlyTest

GooglePageSpeedInsightsTool

Googlepartnerwebsites

GoogleSearchConsole.SeeGSC

GoogleSearchNetwork

Googlesearchpartners

GoogleSocialReferralsTool

GoogleTrends

GoogleURLBuilder

Governmentwebsites

GPS

GSC(GoogleSearchConsole)

GSCDataHighlighter

GSCinboundlinksreport

guestblogging

HHailo

hardbounces

headings

Heineken

highexitrates

highvalueprospect

hiring

historicalsearchtrends

Hootsuite

Hotmail

HPTO(homepagetakeover)

HTML5

HubSpot

IIAB(InteractiveAdvertisingBureau)

iBeacon

Iconosquare

images

copyrighted

profile

imageSERPs

inboundlinks

broken

infographics

Instagram

instructionalvideo

integratedcampaigns

InteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IAB)

interlinkedcontent

invertedcommas

IPaddresstargeting

JJavaScript

Jenga

JetBlue

Journal.ie

Kkeyperformanceindicators.SeeKPIs

keyword

long-tail

negative

keyworddensity

keywordmatchtypes

KeywordPlannerTrafficEstimator

keywordresearchtools

keywordstuffing

keywordsuggestions

keywordtrends

Klout

Llanguage

extensiblemarkup(XML)

hypertextmarkup(HTML)

schemamarkup

Lanlard,Eric

laws

leaflets

link

one-way

topic

uninformative

link-buildingbrokers

LinkedInAdvancedSearch

LinkedInAdvertising

LinkedInAnalytics

LinkedInCareerPage

LinkedInCompanyPage

LinkedInConnect

LinkedInFeaturedApplicant

LinkedInFollowerTrends

LinkedIngroupmembershippolicies

LinkedInGroups

LinkedInKPIs

LinkedInMarketingSolutions

LinkedInPersonalAccount

LinkedInPremium

LinkedinRecommendations

LinkedInRecruiteraccount

LinkedInSponsoredUpdates

LinkedIntopcontributor

linkformats

links

broken

internal

low-quality

linksinternal

locallinks

localstorage

location-basedsearch

loginencryptions

low-energychnologies

low-volumesearchqueries

Mmacroconversion

Macy's

MailChimp

mailuseragent(MUA)

managedplacements

ManchesterUnited

maritalstatus

marketreality

marketresearch

Mashable

match

bad

broad

exact

modifiedbroad

negative

phrase

matchtype,best

M-commerce

menunavigationbar

messages,welcome

messaging

instant

relevant

metrics

hard

soft

microblogging

microbloggingplatform

microconversions

Mid-placementunits(MPUs)

misspellings

MMA(MobileMarketingAssociation)

MMS

MobileAnalytics

mobilecommerce

mobileconversions

mobilefriendliness

mobilejournalism

MobileMarketingAssociation(MMA)

mobilesearch

mobilewallets

Moz

MSN

MUA(mailuseragent)

myStory

Nname

female

male

namingconvention

navigationassistance

negativefeedback

NewsFeed

Newstalkradiostation

NewYorkCity

NewYorkTimes

NFC

numericaltargets

OObama,Barack

obsceneterms

OculusRift

offlineperformance

offlinereports

Ogilvy

Okabashi

one-pagescrolling

one-to-oneconversation

onlinepaymentsystems

on-pageheadings

opt-inemail

opt-ins

opt-outrequirement

OrganizationalPolicyDocuments

Outlook

Ppage

basket

career

login

product

showcase

pagenames

PageSpeedInsightstool

Paris

PayPal

PCscreensize

performance,technical

permanentsubset

personalemails

PersonallyIdentifiableInformation(PII)

PII(PersonallyIdentifiableInformation)

Pinterest

PinterestAds

PinterestAnalytics

PinterestBusinessAccount

plagiarism

platformspecificity

Podcastplatforms

PodOmatic

polls

positiveuserevent

posthistory

postscheduling

PowerDirector

PowerEditor

PPCkeywordresearch

PR

previousactivityanalysis

pricelist

privacy

proactive

Probist

productdemonstrations

live

products,self-service

promotions

providerselection

proximitymarketing

QQRcodes

custom

QualityScore

queryparsing

questionnaires

questions

live

open

RRadicati

real-timebidding

reciprocallink

redirect

regulations

remarketing

dynamic

mobileapp

standard

remarketinglists

custom

reputationmanagement

retargeting

retweets

revenuemetric

robots.txt

ROI

higher

Rovio

RSSfeed

SSafari

Salesforce

salesfunnel

Samsung

ScreenFlow

screenrecording

self-qualifyingusers

self-regulation

SEMrush

senderID

Sendible

SEOmalpractices

SERPs(searchengineresultspage)

showrooming

Shutterstock

sign,minus

sign-upform

site

adaptive

competitor

custom

mobile-adaptive

mobile-optimized

mobileresponsive

mobile-responsive

responsive

sitedevelopmentprocess

sitemap

situationanalysis

Skype

SMARTobjectives

SMSCampaignDevelopmentProcess

SMSmarketing

SMSsupplier

Snapchat

Snap.ie

sociallistening

sociallisteningtools

socialmediacontent

socialmediaKPIs

socialmediapostscheduling

SocialOomph

socialplug-ins

Softbounces

sourcecode

SouthwestAirlines

spamfilters

triggering

specialcharacters

spellingmistakes

splittest

SponsoredInMailCampaigns

SSLcertificates

StakeholdersinDDA

StakeholdersofSMM

staticmedia

structureddatamarkup

sweetspotcustomer

TTacoBell

tag

sponsored

title

tags,meta

taptargets

tenancyagreement

text

alternative

anchor

boldedkeyword

textoverlaid

thumbsdown

Thunderpenny

timezones

Topsy

touchdesign

TrackSocial

traffic

higherqualified

internal

targeted

TripAdvisor

Tumblr

TV

TweetActivityDashboard

tweets

prepopulated

promoted

sponsored

Twitter,idealcharactercountfor

TwitterAccountKPIs

TwitterActivityDashboard

TwitterAdvertising

TwitterAnalytics

Twitterbusinessaccount

Twittercards

TwitterKPIs

TwitterPrivateaccounts

UUber

unhappyCustomers

uniquesellingpoint(USP)

UniversalAnalytics

unsolicitedemail

unsubscribes

upselling

up-skilling

URLs

destination

vanity

URLshorteners

userexperience(UX)

disrupted

userjourney

users

logged-in

nonduplicated

unique

USP(uniquesellingpoint)

Vvalueproposition

videoblogging(vlogging)

videoplayback

videoremarketing

videos

short

smartphone

Vimeo

Wwearablecomputing

webapps

webinars

weblogs(blogs)

WebmasterTools

websign-upform

website

brochure

e-commerce

embedded

individual

mobile-optimized

mobile-responsive

responsive

scrollable

weddings

well-craftedSMS

WestJet

WhatsApp

WiFi

ad-funded

WiFidevice

Wikipedia

Woobox

WordPress

wordseparators

wrappedgifts

XXMLSitemap

YYahoo

Yandex

Yelp

youngermarket

YouTube

YouTubeads

YouTubeAnalytics

YoutubeAnalyticsDemographicsSection

YouTubeEditor

YouTubeSearch

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