How Has Social Media Impacted The Corona Virus?

Posted on March 19, 2020 | by Brian J Wallace
Marketing, Social Media

Going from an Epidemic to a Pandemic, the Coronavirus is sweeping news headlines and social media across the world. What started as an unknown illness at the beginning of 2020 has turned into a global pandemic with many companies, schools, and organizations taking action to prevent the spread of the disease. While there have been disease outbreaks such as the Avian flu, Swine flu, and others, no disease has been quite like the coronavirus. If you’ve been on social media within the last month you have most likely seen news updates, company updates, and memes all revolving around the virus. It is clear that social media has played a key role in the panic and news updates involving the virus.

How have companies addressed it?

Many companies have used social media as their biggest communication platform to address the virus. Companies such as Planet Fitness, Comfort Inn, and multiple restaurant chains are using social media to address the extra safety measures they are taking in order to prevent the spread of the virus and keep everything sanitary. Many companies have taken extra safety measures with their employees by having them work remotely from home, with some businesses even closing temporarily to prevent the spread of the virus. Companies now have to make the tough choice of losing profit and business by taking costly safety measures to stay safe or risk losing the trust of the public and employees by not taking proper safety measures. This can be clearly seen on social media as companies who are posting in regards to the virus are getting mixed reactions from those who believe the virus is being blown out of proportion, to those who don’t think some companies are taking safety seriously enough. It seems that there will be backlash regardless of which stance the company takes regarding the virus. Now, Public Relations workers are being challenged with the tough tasks of deciding how their company will handle the coronavirus.

How have people addressed it?

Social media has also been the biggest communication platform for personal reactions and opinions regarding the coronavirus. While many have used it to share news articles and updates regarding the virus, some have shared and created fake news which has helped play into the panic involving the virus, and exaggerates its symptoms. This has resulted in many people taking unnecessary actions such as stockpiling toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and other cleaning supplies creating a shortage across the country. Some people have also reacted very poorly to the virus regarding school and business closing announcements on social media with some students going as far as rioting. According to the New York Post on March 11th after classes were suspended at the University of Dayton in Ohio due to the coronavirus, many students began rioting at the campus with over “1,000 students gathered on Lowes Street starting around 11 p.m., throwing objects and bottles in the street and at police, and jumping on cars,” the school said in a statement. Other events such as concerts, music festivals and sports events have also been canceled with many fans angrily reacting on social media. On the bright side, not all social media involving the coronavirus has been negative. Some users have taken to social media in a more humorous approach regarding the virus posting funny memes as well as many celebrating the discounted prices of cruise lines and flights. Some users have also offered to help anyone with coronavirus and shared ways on how to prevent the coronavirus such as proper handwashing techniques, and ways to stay safe.

Misinformation and false posts

While social media can be a great source of information and news regarding the coronavirus, it can also be misinformative, overexaggerated or completely false. When reading articles make sure that it is accurate by using fact-checkers and your own judgment. A great free fact-checker that you can use is factcheck.org. This fact-checker can help you find false or partially false information to help you find reputable sources as well as avoid using inaccurate information and articles. Another important thing is to make sure of is that the article or news is from a trusted and credible news source before you share it yourself. A helpful tip is to look for news articles that come from sites that end in .edu or .gov as they are always credible sources from the government or universities. Facebook has also been tightening its grip on false news and information articles to stop the spread of panic and misinformation. Facebook now flags false articles and posts with their own fact-checkers but that doesn’t mean that it is able to detect all misinformation and fake news. Keep this in mind as you scroll through your newsfeed what measures businesses are taking to keep everyone safe and also be aware of the information that everyone else is posting in social media so you can make the best judgment calls regarding the virus.

Is Facebook Trying to Take Over Pinterest?

Posted on March 5, 2020 | by Brian J Wallace
Marketing, Social Media

In a world where it feels like everyone is “taking a break from social media” or doing a “social media detox” (Cough, cough, we’re looking at you Ariana Grande…) Pinterest seems to be the one that is never in the spotlight. In the midst of all the drama, you don’t see Pinterest having any scandals or having to partake in congressional hearings. It prides itself on being a platform where users can connect with themselves versus connecting with others. It gives you free rein to create your ideal vision of your true future self. There are many users who utilize Pinterest as a search engine to plan a party, build a shopping list, or revamp their wardrobe. In the eyes of a marketer, this means that the typical user who is navigating Pinterest is in “discovery mode”. They are looking for content to consume and are susceptible to suggestions as well as well-placed ads.

While Pinterest is often viewed as the “little sister” of social media, it’s actually the fourth most popular social media platform in America. Right now, it outranks Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter, and WhatsApp. As of September 2018, 250 million people use Pinterest every month and that included 77.4 million people in America alone. Last year, Pinterest added more American users than Facebook and Twitter combined!

Let’s break down the user demographic a bit more for you:

Pinterest reaches 83% of American women ages 25-54
50% of the new sign-ups last year were men
80% of new sign-ups are from outside the U.S.
80% of Pinterest users are on mobile devices
98% of users go out and try the ideas they find on Pinterest
59% of Millennials have discovered products on Pinterest (which puts them ahead of Instagram in terms of product discovery. Impressive considered Instagram has 4 times as many users)

This spike in users has caught Facebook’s attention. So much so that Facebook decided to launch its own version of Pinterest to try and compete with the competition. The day before Valentine’s Day, Facebook announced the release of Hobbi in select countries including Colombia, Belgium, Spain, and Ukraine. Hobbi’s describes itself as an application that allows you to “organize your photos into visual collections and see the progress you’re making over time”. Facebook is holding their cards close to their chest but we’ve already seen this limited release affect Pinterest. The day Facebook announced the limited release of Hobbi, Pinterest’s shares fell 3% while Facebook’s shares rose 4%.

We’re excited to see how this newly developed social media networking site evolves over the next few months. We know we’ll be following this closely and quickly developing a strategy to help you utilize it to grow your business and generate leads. We know that you’ve got bigger things to worry about than to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in social media. That’s why you have us. To get started with our cutting-edge social media program, give us a call at 321-255-0900.

5 Reasons To Hire A Marketing Agency VS An In-House Team

Posted on February 21, 2020 | by Brian J Wallace
Content Writing, Email Marketing, Graphic Design, IT Services, Marketing, Pay Per Click, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Website Design

Should you hire a Marketing Agency or build an in-house team?

In today’s digital landscape, there is no shortage of marketing options for businesses. From freelancers and marketing agencies to hiring your own in-house team, companies have more choices than ever before, specifically when it comes to online marketing. As your business grows, you will need to consider how your marketing will be handled, including whether to hire new employees and build an internal marketing team or empower your brand through a Marketing Agency.

While each has its own advantages, a full-service Marketing Agency provides substantial value to large, medium, and even small businesses. They strive to build cohesive and effective brands, put organizations in front of their customers and audience, and drive sales through awareness.

5 Reasons to Hire A Marketing Agency

Name: The AD Leaf Marketing Firm
Address: Melbourne, Florida, FL, 32935, US
Telephone: 321-255-0900

1. Unparalleled Experience

Why piece together individual talents when you can hire an experienced Marketing Agency to handle everything for you? One of the major advantages of hiring a Marketing Agency is a professional experience. In fact, a good agency will have specific knowledge in a wide range of industries and markets, along with experience facing a diverse range of scenarios and challenges never encountered by many newer business owners. Having a knowledgeable and experienced staff at your side can produce immediate results for owners, helping to quickly get your marketing efforts off the ground.

2. Broader Skillsets

It can be difficult to locate suitable in-house employees with branding and marketing skills such as SEO and graphic design. By hiring a Marketing Agency, you’ll not only have the necessary tools to achieve your vision for success but a suite of creative services at your fingertips.

For example, a full-service Marketing Agency can assist clients in everything from rebranding their company image and website, developing their print and direct mail campaigns, and creating a social strategy to boost SEO and PPC campaigns. With a Marketing Agency, a client may choose to utilize one service or all them–whereas, with an in-house team, businesses are limited in what they can achieve.

3. Fresh Perspective & Inspiration

Another major advantage of hiring a Marketing Agency is a new perspective. A marketing team can help inject new life into marketing efforts, helping to identify unseen opportunities and enhance current campaigns. One example is social media marketing. With more companies looking to broaden their social reach through sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, a Marketing Agency can significantly enhance a brand’s approach to social media, including how they’re perceived by their audience.

4. Speed, Efficiency, and Consistency

As an up-and-coming business owner, you’ll be forced to wear several hats when getting your business off the ground. Generally speaking, this will almost include tackling aspects of the business you’re unfamiliar with, such as branding and digital marketing. With only so much time in the day, it’s important your marketing approach doesn’t suffer from time restraints or inexperience. Hiring a Marketing Agency can easily solve this dilemma.

5. More Affordable Than Hiring In-House

The cost of hiring and maintaining a team of in-house marketers can be very expensive. For smaller businesses, this expense may be too much to afford.
One of the more surprising benefits of hiring a Marketing Agency is cost-effectiveness. Along with providing a plethora of knowledge, experience, and skillset, a Marketing Agency is almost always more affordable compared to hiring a full-time marketing team. For example, after hiring a marketing manager, web designer, graphic designer, content writer, and social media manager, the total cost can reach upwards of multiple six figures a year! And that’s not even including the cost of employee benefits.

Marketing is the heart and soul of any business. At The AD Leaf ®, we’ve spent the last 25 years working with a diverse range of clients — from healthcare and technology to governmental, law enforcement and consumer goods — to perfect our approach to marketing, advertising, and branding. From strategic creative direction to engaging digital marketing, our extensive marketing team is here to handle every aspect of your business.

Want to enhance your content marketing? Looking to take your social media to the next step? Contact the team at The AD Leaf ® Marketing Firm and learn how you can grow with us today!

“Loretta”: Kicking Ads & Taking Names

Posted on February 12, 2020 | by Brian J Wallace
Content Writing, Marketing, Pay Per Click, Social Media

We’ve all seen it.

The tear-jerker ad released by Google during this year’s Super Bowl commercial ad space.

This ad by Google depicts the voice of an elderly gentleman using Google to remind himself about his late wife, Loretta. This ad was also inspired by a real person, a Google employee’s grandfather. As the commercial begins, it avoids much of what Super Bowl ads are known for. Comedic humor. Celebrity faces. Nostalgic flashbacks. With so many of these pop-culture references and heavy emphasis on humor, each company and advertising agency has one of the most competitive niche ad spaces to fight over. And with a 5 million dollar price tag for a 30-second commercial space, the competition and drive to stand out becomes even more daunting.

To be fair, there were so many ads that were incredibly well-done and clear in their communication. From the Cheetos commercial with MC Hammer dancing in those…pants, to the dog that was the survivor of heart cancer, to the loveable Ellen ad showcasing life before Alexa, the lineup was chock-full of heavy hitters in the marketing space. Then there’s this Loretta ad that had us holding back tears and smiling without even trying.

The commercial opens with slow typing on a familiar Google search browser. The typing was the immediate initial stand-out element. It was slow, more intentional. Before a male voice could be heard I knew this was going to be potentially an elderly person behind the keyboard. Then the words “How to not forget” are seen, typed into the search bar. The stringed music begins to play, creating a somber ambiance. As the commercial continues, you can feel both sadness, but not mourning; a relatable “human-ess” but also a hope for one’s own life.

Then we hear an elderly man asking Google Assistant to help him remember different aspects of his wife, Loretta. It takes a moment to realize, but the more you watch you begin to realize that Loretta is the man’s wife, and she is unfortunately no longer with him. The commercial is of an obviously kind and warm widower who is using Google to help him remember things of a woman he loves but is no longer there with him.

As you continue to watch you see slideshow and videos that are obviously taken from a real individual from a real marriage and a real life. This is so important because if this was done any other way, an ad like this (which is already a big risk due to the nature of the ad) could be seen as insensitive, manipulative, and morbidly crass. But as you watch you see over and over pictures and videos of a real couple, happy and in love. Google is right there, helping this man remember Loretta’s favorite foods, how she liked going to Alaska, and how she hated his mustache he grew one time. Heart-warming doesn’t even begin to describe all the feels we feel watching this!

“Remember, don’t miss me too much, and get out of the dang house.”

Here we see that she truly is gone, but we also see a beautiful snippet of her relationship towards him, not just his towards her. It alludes to a moment he had with his wife, probably one of the last. Google helps with the heart-string tugging here by including the last little note from Loretta that said, “…and get out of the dang house’ helping the viewers navigate this sad topic with life and humor. The commercial ends with us hearing a human voice, the voice of the widower, and a door opening as he leaves the house with his dog, ending on a beautiful, real note.

Google’s “Loretta” ad embarks on a risky balancing act of sadness and joy, life and loss…and does it beautifully. Check out these stats from the data-driven video marketing agency, Unruly:

“Loretta” earned an EQ score of 6.5 thanks in large part to its large emotional impact. Nearly half (49%) of viewers had an intense emotional reaction to the ad. It was a 58% more intense reaction than the average U.S. ad and the highest of any of the 40 Super Bowl ads tested by Unruly. According to the company, “Loretta” was nearly twice as likely to make viewers smile, almost four times more heart-warming and 12 times more sad than the average U.S. ad.
The emotional reaction also seemed to translate to brand impact, leading to the highest brand favorability of any of the Super Bowl ads Unruly. Nearly half (49%) of all viewers reported a favorable view of the brand, compared to a U.S. average of 37%. What’s more—46% of viewers also reported purchase intent, with 47% saying they were willing to find out more about the brand.

“The Super Bowl is traditionally the chance for advertisers to bring home the laughs, yet two of the top three ads leaned heavily on more serious emotions. Google’s ‘Loretta’ ad had the highest score for sadness in the top 10 and both Google and New York Life Insurance had some of the highest scores for warmth at 32% and 26%, respectively,”
The data and the results shine a burning spotlight on one (there are obviously many more) glaringly important fact when it comes to marketing: In order to win big, you must risk big.

When I say risk, I mean to dare to take the road that others aren’t taking. Google did it perfectly in this ad because they counted on seeing the same trend of humor and nostalgic ads, all clamoring for a spot as top dog (Speaking of the dog, the other ad in the top 3 tier was about the dog who had heart surgery!). Google specifically and deliberately swam against the proverbial current by taking not the humorous and nostalgic road which is always a safe choice that “works”, but by daring to forge a new path by sewing themselves into your lives through appealing to something that binds every person together: Love. Google was making a simple and yet incredibly effective claim that we need Google for the most important things in our lives.

In order to win big, you must risk big. Sure, you can spend too much money on a 30-second ad space to create something brilliant, funny, and feel-good. Most of the ads we viewed and analyzed were indeed incredibly well thought out. But what about making something memorable? By appealing to different emotions than the typical niche space of the Super Bowl ad space, Google dared to be an outlier.

This is why Google’s Loretta is brilliant marketing. It perfectly goes against the trend by taking big risks in appealing to unusual emotions, while implying that we need Google for life’s most beautiful things.

And won.

Is your business ready to take the road less traveled and make something not only great but memorable? Consider partnering with us at The AD Leaf ® and let’s start kicking ads and taking names together. Call 321-255-0900 today.

How TikTok is Taking Over and What This Means for Digital Marketing

Posted on January 29, 2020 | by Brian J Wallace
Marketing, Social Media

Social media is constantly changing with new platforms coming in and rising in popularity every year. TikTok is one of these new social media platforms, and it’s one of the most popular networks of 2019. TikTok is currently the world’s most downloaded app, and its popularity is only expected to grow. For those of you still in the dark about this new social platform, TikTok is a video sharing app that allows its users to share 15-second videos that could be funny, artistic, musical in nature, dancing, and more. The app originally gained popularity with high schoolers and middle schoolers. It was originally founded in China, but in 2017 it made its way to the U.S. bringing major changes to the social networking world as well as pop culture. In 2018, TikTok broke records by achieving 100 million downloads just within the first half of the year.

With every new social platform that gains popularity, digital marketers have to consider the possibility of marketing on that platform. The quicker marketers utilize platforms such as TikTok, the faster they can get ahead of the competition and potentially gain popularity for their company or companies on that network. Some companies like Chipotle have already hopped on the TikTok train by creating “challenges” on the platform for their customers to do. One of these challenges was having people dance for free guacamole in honor of National Avocado Day. To get the free guacamole, customers had to post a video of them dancing on the app with the hashtag #GuacDance. Chipotle was the first restaurant chain to partner with TikTok in the U.S. Its first challenge was in May of 2019, and it resulted in Chipotle’s highest digital sales day. Stephanie Purdue, vp of brand marketing for Chipotle, says about the company’s arrival on Tik Tok, “Our digital sales have grown significantly — we’re up 99% versus last year — and they now represent about 18% of our sales. Half of our customer base is Gen-Z and millennial, so it’s important for us to show up where they are. We really like being in unexpected and uncluttered spaces, and we felt like TikTok was one of them.” Chipotle plans to continue pursuing the market on this platform, and it also plans to significantly increase its digital marketing budget in the hopes of reaching more and more social networking users.

Starting TikTok with your company can help to maintain consistent communication with your customers which can help your company reap social and financial benefits. Almost half of all Gen-Zers are online for more than 10 hours a day which means leaving popular social networks like TikTok out of your marketing plan could be preventing you from reaching an audience that could be an important part of your consumer market. TikTok may not work for all companies depending on what demographic you are trying to reach, but understanding the platforms your customers follow is an essential part of business strategy and digital marketing. Breaking into the market on those platforms can allow greater communication between customers and the company and increase social growth overall.

If you are trying to figure out which social media platforms are best for you, we, at the Ad Leaf, can help. We are proud to say we know all the ins and outs of the digital marketing world. We make it our priority to find the best social networks to fit your business and to fit your customers. Let us help you navigate the difficult world of digital marketing. To schedule your consultation today, please call us at (321) 255-0900.

Is Your Video Worth More Than A Thousand Words?

Posted on January 20, 2020 | by Brian J Wallace
Marketing, Social Media

Everyone is familiar with the old saying “A picture is worth 1000 words.” While that is obvious, it raises the question how many words is a video worth then? A video can accomplish many things that a picture cannot on social media, especially with marketing. A video can provide more information as well as portray a message much more effectively than a picture can. Videos also get more than double the reach and views and tend to be remembered much easier than a picture would. According to Wyzowl.com around 100 million hours of video are watched each day on Facebook. With that being said, In 2020 it is crucial to use videos with your social media platforms. How are videos being implemented across social media? Let’s take a look at five major social platforms where video content is making a splash.

On Facebook

Of the 84 percent of marketers who have published video content on Facebook, 85 percent found it to be an effective strategy. The reason is that videos are engaging and are extremely easy to access on this platform. On Facebook, videos that are posted on your newsfeed automatically play as you scroll through your feed which is very convenient for users. The ability to share videos with just one click has made many videos go viral and be seen by many users very quickly. Facebook also has utilized the Facebook live option for videos that are happening in the moment allowing users to engage with the video creator as they are filming the video and streaming onto Facebook. For videos under 10 seconds, the Facebook stories option has been very successful for getting views as well as an additional way to post videos. Videos over 10 seconds tend to get the most engagement and views when viewed as a post. Another important thing to take into consideration when posting a video on Facebook is that 85% of users watch videos with the volume off. When people view videos their main focus is the imagery, not the sound. Going forward when creating videos use powerful visuals or footage that doesn’t rely upon sound to get the message across. Facebook ads containing videos also have revolutionized advertising on Facebook allowing marketers to see specific video analytics such as viewer demographics, views, and reach that cannot be obtained from an advertisement using a picture.

On Instagram

Over the past few years, Instagram has become much more video-friendly. According to wyzowl.com “Of the 51 percent of marketers who have used Instagram video, 88 percent found it to be an effective strategy.” This is even higher than Facebook which is the leading social media platform. This because while Facebook’s core focus is a combination of captions, pictures, and videos, Instagram places most of the emphasis on pictures and video. Videos under 60 seconds are the best with this platform. Short videos under 10 seconds can be featured on Instagram stories while videos under 60 seconds can be seen in your news feed. For videos longer than one minute, Instagram TV is the best method of posting and allows users to see a preview of the video as well as the whole video. Instagram TV also allows the content creator to see specific insights into video analytics such as views, and dropoff rates throughout the video. Similar to Facebook, Instagram live videos have gained popularity allowing users to watch and engage with the video as it is streaming live.

On Twitter

While Twitter is mainly used for quick tweets and messages, videos also have a strong presence on the platform. On Twitter, a video Tweet is six times more likely to be retweeted than a photo Tweet. Videos that get the most engagement and views on Twitter are ones that are brief but give a small explanation of the video or a preview into what the video is about in the caption. According to Nielsen, “Twitter video is two times more memorable than other premium platforms.” This can be attributed to the fact that Twitter doesn’t allow videos longer than 140 seconds to be posted. Of the 45 percent of marketers surveyed who have published video content on Twitter, 71 percent have found it to be an effective strategy. While this number isn’t as high as Facebook and Instagram, videos are still the best way to market on Twitter.

On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the quickest growing social media platforms but it is usually not associated with pictures or videos like other social media platforms. However, video popularity is on the rise for this platform with videos being an effective way to promote businesses as well as business professionals. Videos on LinkedIn are commonly used to highlight business successes, events or promote new technology, products, etc. Time limits are much less specific on LinkedIn with a 10-minute video limit. 57% of LinkedIn engagement is via the mobile app which means attention spans will be much less than being viewed on a desktop. Shorter videos with subtitles tend to do best on this platform as they are most likely viewed with the sound off. When posting videos on LinkedIn always make sure that the video is professional and relevant. Uninformative or off-topic videos are not seen as business-relevant which will lead to fewer views and engagement.

On Pinterest

While videos aren’t as common on Pinterest compared to other social media platforms, they are very useful in driving users to your website. In order to post videos on Pinterest you will need a Pinterest business account instead of a personal account. When video pins are posted they don’t automatically play, however, when they are clicked on the video plays. One thing that Pinterest does that other social media platforms haven’t been able to achieve as well is driving traffic from videos directly to the website. This is an effective marketing tool that is especially useful for users looking to sell products or services that can be ordered online. Another advantage that users have with video pins is the thumbnail option which allows users to see the image that shows on the pin before it is watched. Pinterest video pins must be 4 – 30 seconds in length with a recommended time of 6 – 20 seconds to get the most views and engagements. Keywords have also allowed videos to be targeted to specific audience demographics and interests allowing for more relevant and targeted views on video pins.

While a picture is worth 1000 words, a video is worth much more in the world of social media. We know the best practices and rules for crafting the perfect videos for social media to boost your business. Give us a call to get started! (321)-255-0900.

Facebook Ads: 4 Best Practices

Posted on December 11, 2019 | by Brian J Wallace
Marketing, Social Media

Working in social media marketing, there are so many constantly changing variables to keep track of. For some, this is why they love marketing. For others, this is a point of frustration. Personally, I love the ever-changing landscape that is social media marketing. Daily it feels like there is something new to discover and (inevitably) some new challenge to conquer.

A brand standard is non-negotiable. This is a concrete value or practice within your brand or agency. For example: Daily we show up here at The AD Leaf ® at 8:00 am. This is a company-wide standard.

A best practice could be the different routes we all take to get here at that set time. One day it may be that I take US 1. A colleague of mine may take a different road depending on traffic. The start of the workday is set. But the way to get to work may change depending on a plethora of variables. This is what the best practice is like.

This changing landscape is something to keep up with as we mentioned above. How do best practices fit within creating Facebook ads? Below are 4 best practices that we perform (at least for now) when creating Facebook ads. Contemplate these for taking your ad strategy to the next level.

#1 Your Facebook ad must be visual.

2020 marketing predictions show that social media is only going to become more…well, social. This means that there are going to be more image-based interactions, especially within branding and product search with areas such as eCommerce. In order for you to keep up with the times, your Facebook ad must be visually compelling. Having a visually engaging Facebook will cause the Facebook algorithm to treat your ad more favorably. Have you heard of the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Unfortunately, the Facebook algorithm (and honestly, the majority of the social media niche) didn’t get this memo. To stand out and be memorable, you have to have a visually compelling image. This will cause Facebook to not only treat your ad more favorably, but your ad will also be more likely remembered and shared across platforms.

#2 Your Facebook ad must be relevant.

The success of your Facebook ad strategy hinges greatly on not only the visual potency of the ad but also the relevance of the ad. How relevant is the ad with your target audience? This is huge. You wouldn’t want to create an ad for artic snow parkas and marketing it all the way down south in Palm Bay, Florida! Not only that, but you want to place the ad before not only the right audience but the right intentions of your audience. This is critical, as you are spending time and money and need to ensure the ad you are running gets in front of the right people with the right intentions.

#3 Your Facebook ad must be enticing.

What makes your ad different than any other? Why should your viewer click on your ad to view more? Why should they visit your website? These are great questions to create a great, enticing ad. You should compose it in a way that is believable. For example, saying something like “Get a free roof today!” isn’t believable to me. I would read that and think it was a scam. But if a company was upfront with me I would trust them more and be more willing to click on their ad. If it read something like this I would definitely stop to find out more: “Did you know that going solar can get you a new roof in the process? Contact us today to learn how this happens at no cost to you!” When I read that, I see how this could be possible, and I don’t feel trapped by the transparency of the ad.

#4 Your Facebook ad must have a clear call-to-action.

As stated above with the second free roof example, I ended it with “contact us today to learn how!” Your ad needs to cause your viewer to finally do something with your ad. Imagine this process as a link in a chain: each one builds upon one another for a specific and intended outcome. I saw a huge increase in getting leads when I pushed past my personal apprehension to asking the viewer to do something with the ad. When I began saying things like “Go here to get 20% off” or “Click the link below to get a FREE quote” I started seeing great conversion rates. It’s always helpful to create a sense of urgency with your call-to-action. What problem are you solving for the audience? In our scenario, we are providing a service by making it known to new homeowners that they have a way to get a free roof when getting solar panels installed. So what problem are you solving with your clients? Let that be the motivator for creating a great call-to-action.

Great! We hope that these Facebook best practices will help create the links in the chain creating greater conversion rates for your Facebook ads! These are great best practices to help take your Facebook ad strategy to the next level. Looking to take your brand to the next level? We at The AD Leaf ® would love to work with you by creating cutting edge, smart marketing campaigns to help you and your business prosper. Call us today to begin.

Digital Marketing Trends To Look For In 2020

Posted on November 27, 2019 | by Brian J Wallace
Content Writing, Marketing, Pay Per Click, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media

Digital Marketing in Melbourne FL Trends For 2020

As we approach the end of the year, it’s a great time to look ahead at where we’re going and the marketing trends we’re likely to see more of in 2020. Just in the last decade, Digital Marketing in Melbourne FL has evolved so much on a strategic level so let’s dive into some more detail of the specific trends to look out for.

Technology continues to advance at a very rapid pace, so of course, some of these trends will be focused around technology. However, there’s also a pushback against the increased digitization and automation of interactions between brands and consumers, and a desire to make marketing more human again.

While technologies such as AI and data-driven marketing will certainly be big trends for 2020, the overarching focus will be on people, not technology.

Here is a list of the top 8 Digital Marketing in Melbourne FL we’re likely to see:

Customer Experience

2020 is predicted to be the year of the customer. There are massive shifts in beliefs about what marketing actually is. It’s no longer about trying to convince people to buy from or work with your company, it’s moved towards providing fantastic customer experiences that will keep people coming back for more and bringing their friends and family next time. In a sense, when you focus on building a positive business culture and providing a great service to your customers, the marketing seems to almost take care of itself.

The growth of online content has also given consumers much more power than 10 years ago. They are no longer a passive party when it comes to learning about products. They’re going out and doing their own research about your products/services, not waiting to be force-fed information.

This means you have to offer them something more than information.

Customer Experience has become a pretty popular word recently and this is not because it is some quick to leave trend. 73% of people say that customer experience is an important factor in their buying decisions, but currently, only 49% of US consumers say that today’s companies provide a good experience.

What exactly makes a great Customer Experience? Efficiency, convenience, knowledgeable and friendly service, and easy payment options are what people value most in their customer experience. But aspects more traditionally considered as marketing’s domain are cited too: up-to-date technology, personalization, and easy mobile experience, brand image, and design all add up to the overall customer experience.

Strategic Marketing Transformation

When you’re reading about up-and-coming trends in an article like this, it’s all too easy to think that being successful in marketing can be simplified to following a list of best practices and making sure you’re using the latest techniques and technology.

The business of marketing is becoming increasingly complex. For companies to succeed in 2020, they’ll have to think beyond what they’re doing and link everything back to the why of the business as a whole. Your marketing goals and objectives must align with the overall goals of your business.

Strategic marketing transformation is the term used to describe the process when a business operating without a strategic marketing plan evolves by changing its fundamental business processes and procedures.

Undergoing a marketing transformation can help companies to improve customer service and experience, boost brand awareness and reputation, and ultimately increase revenue and profits.

Businesses achieve these benefits through a combination of data collection, using modern technology, building customer relationships and engaging with customers online, publishing quality content, and improving their online presence. All of these things are part of the underlying strategy that influences every department and employee in the company, not just the marketers.

Your strategic marketing plan defines goals and determines which Digital Marketing in Melbourne FL tactics you will employ to reach your customers including content marketing, SEO, email marketing, social media, advertising, and offline marketing. It then lays out a plan for how every part of the organization will be involved in these tactics.

To put it simply, the marketing strategy is no longer only the responsibility of the chief marketer or CMO. Strategic marketing transformation recognizes this and ensures that the brand, company reputation, customer relationships, and customer experience as a whole are considered in every business activity.

Personalization

Increased data collection and advancements in technology have already had a huge impact on the level of personalization that is possible and on what consumers expect from their interactions with brands.

Today’s consumers are flooded with marketing messages from multiple channels to the point where they have started to tune them out. Traditional advertising is losing its effectiveness, so what’s the answer? Personalized marketing messages that forge a real connection between the brand and the target market.

80% of consumers now say that they’d be more likely to do business with a brand that provides a personalized experience.

For example, in the 2002 movie Minority Report, the character John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, is bombarded by a series of personalized ads calling him by name as he walks through the city. This was obviously complete science fiction at the time, but not quite two decades later, reality has almost caught up with the marketing future of Stephen Spielberg’s imagination.

Marketing personalization is no longer limited to automatically changing the name of the person you’re addressing in your email newsletters. Improvements in technology such as AI combined with increased data collection and insights from social media and other sources have made it possible and easy to hyper-personalize everything from content to design to product recommendations and everything in-between.

SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) Position Zero & Featured Snippets

SEO will continue to be an important aspect of Digital Marketing in Melbourne FL as we move into 2020, but we’re now seeing one of the most major shifts in the SEO industry in the last decade.

With the growth of mobile and voice search, people are changing the way they use search engines like Google. Being number one in the search engine result pages or SERPS is no longer necessarily the primary goal your business should be aiming for.

You’ve probably noticed your own search and browsing behavior has changed in the last few years due to Google changes and the fact that you’re looking for the fastest information when you’re on the move.

Featured snippets and other “on SERP” information means that you don’t need to click through to a website to get the information you’re looking for anymore – it’s right there on the Google search results page.

This on-SERP information may appear in various places, but the most sought after position is right at the top of the page, before the organic listings. This position has been dubbed “position zero”. As it’s often the only information that a searcher will view, it’s highly coveted. Over 60% of search results returned by Google are now position zero search results.

Brands are still trying to figure out how to achieve position zero as it requires different SEO techniques than those employed for a normal listing in the SERPs. If you can be the first in your industry to get there, you’ll have a huge advantage over your competitors. So expect to see more SEO companies offering this service over the next year, and pay attention to the latest best practices for optimizing your content.

AI/automation

Will 2020 be the year of the rise of the robots? Maybe! Just hopefully not the type from iRobot or Terminator!

AI is one of the major technologies behind voice search and smart assistants. It’s also made chatbots possible, which are now popping up on more websites than ever before.

AI technology and automation are helping to take some of the grunt work out of marketing so brands can concentrate on strategy and crafting a fantastic customer experience.

Remember, the human aspect of marketing is still important (and really more important than ever before), so the idea is to use this technology to enhance your marketing efforts, not replace the real people behind them.

Big data, supported by AI and predictive analytics, is also helping brands to learn more about their audience and customers. It’s enabling hyper-personalization of customer experiences and marketing messages at scale.

Voice Search

Voice search shows no sign of slowing down and will continue to be a major influence on how brands create content and market themselves online.

We’re not quite at the commonly cited prediction that 50% of searches will be driven by voice in 2020 (we’re currently sitting at about 20% according to Google), but this statistic is probably not that far in the future. The smart speaker business is booming, with around a quarter of US households now owning a Google Home, Amazon Echo, or another smart speaker.

Consumers are also expecting to use voice search more in the near future – 61% of those aged 25–64 who already use a voice device intend to use it more in the future according to research by PwC.

Voice search brings with it new challenges but also exciting opportunities. Tequila brand Patròn is an example of a company that’s seen huge success from using branded skills. Smart speaker users can ask their digital assistant to “ask Patròn for a cocktail recipe.” This not only helps to increase brand awareness and visibility, but it also enables users to buy the product directly from the recipe results.

Even if your brand isn’t ready for smart speaker advertising, it’s important that your content is optimized for voice search. Voice searchers use search differently. They use longer, more conversational queries, so slanting your content to serve these queries, as well as answering questions directly, can help to make it more visible to voice searches. This has the added bonus of making your content more likely to be picked up as a featured snippet or found on position zero on Google.

Focus on Customer Retention and Loyalty / Customer Advocacy

A huge part of providing a great customer experience is making sure that CX is ongoing and focused on keeping your existing customers, rather than just attracting new ones.

Recurring customers are more valuable than new customers. It costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep a new one, so it’s definitely worth putting in the effort to keep your customers happy.

Loyal customers also help to increase the reputation and awareness of your brand as they’ll talk about your company and products with their friends and family. Happy customers make great (and free!) brand ambassadors and influencers.

Many of the above-mentioned trends and technology can be helpful for increasing customer retention rates. Personalization, for example, is certainly expected from your existing customers if not your new ones, and it gets easier to personalize communications the more interactions someone has with your brand.

Be Ready for 2020

Now is the time to start planning your 2020 marketing strategy if you haven’t already. Make sure you start the New Year with a clear plan of your goals and how you’re going to achieve them.

We can’t really call it a trend, but it goes without saying that content marketing will continue to dominate the digital marketing landscape in 2020. Most of these trends rely on content in some way. To have success in them you’ll need to have a solid base of quality content across all your marketing channels.

If you are ready to get more traffic to your site with quality content that’s consistently published, contact The AD Leaf ® Marketing Firm by filling out the form or giving us a call today! Get ahead of the curve to generate more traffic and leads for your business by taking advantage of all Digital Marketing in Melbourne FL trends.

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