Marketing personalization has long been trending, but if we’ve seen anything trend significantly upward during the last year, it is that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer an option for brands looking to make their mark with communities.
Google’s recent announcement that the ad platform will no longer provide the same level of interest-based tracking as it has for so long is a major indicator that marketing is shifting away from generic presumptions in terms of targeting. A transitive property approach to ad and content targeting has long been held; if User A likes X, and User A and User B both like Y, then User B must also like X. Now, it seems, we are facing a significant shift away from this model and marketing personalization trends upwards in all facets of communications.
Marketing Personalization Is Nothing New
For years, marketers have attempted to build the most detailed user profiles and customer personas they could using tools like email clients and CRMs, or whatever else they had at their disposal. As ad platforms – like Google’s – became more sophisticated, some of the manual work that went into targeting was diminished. Over time, for many marketers, the targeting process was largely left on autopilot, relying heavily on the advancement of technology to effectively target ads based on data minutiae, like cookies. Though with increased use, and the scattering of user behaviors and preferences, this targeting mechanism has had an inverse impact on end-user demand as it compares to data supply. People don’t want their data used for broad match ad targeting, and companies like Google and Apple are listening and taking action.
Sweeping reforms are underway both in the worlds of hardware and software. Much of that has to do with privacy. Though the data is there, its power is being given back to its creators: the individual. The question now, it seems, is how brands and marketers can respond to the increased restrictions (if you want to call it that) on public data use. The answer rests in tailored data collection processes and personalized marketing efforts.
How Marketers Should React
First and foremost, marketers need to accept that for a long time, we’ve enjoyed access to data that was never really ours to use. While it was our great pleasure to leverage it into successful campaigns, that should never have stopped us from continuing efforts to build our own data funnels and audience personas. So, if you haven’t been doing that while also using the data afforded to us through ad channels, here are the steps you should start taking immediately in order to avoid backsteps in your efforts to grow.
You’ll want to start by auditing your existing data collection processes. If you’ve relied on ad platforms to handle the data side of your marketing efforts (even if only in part) then an audit is going to be crucial to regaining control of your data. Once done, you’ll want to analyze any and all historical data related to customers, visitors, and those that have engaged with your content in order to start developing a series of updated audience personas. From there, the process of marketing personalization can begin in the form of content and segmented communications.
As I mentioned, not all visitors are created the same. As such, you’re going to need to start creating content campaigns that are geared towards the specific tastes and preferences exhibited by your audience in your historical analysis. Yes, this means more work. But it also leads to more loyalty, higher levels of engagement, and a significant improvement in your ROI with a direct correlation between the degree to which you connect with your audience and the results of their engagement or conversion.
None of this is easy, nor should it be. We have talked a lot about personalization for a long time, but we have increasingly let the tech do the work. Now, as demand has outpaced what the technology can offer (and tech companies are responding in kind) we need to get back to the process of manually analyzing our audience, identifying how best to engage with them with tailored offers and communications, and personalize the process for a greater brand loyalty moving forward.
Daily Minute Master Series – March 24, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
Subscribe to t2’s Newsletter, ‘The Marketing Rundown’ and Stay Up-to-Date
Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
Facebook Outlines its Evolving Efforts to Combat Misinformation Ahead of New Investigation
Ahead of this week’s House Energy and Commerce Committee investigation into how social platforms are tackling misinformation, Facebook has provided an overview of its evolving efforts to better protect users and reduce the distribution of false reports on its platforms.
For the full white paper click here
Twitter Tests Improvements to Tweets With Photos & Video
Twitter confirms it’s testing long requested updates to publishing tweets with photos, and working on YouTube integration for a better video experience. With these tests Twitter is working on ways to address several of the most widespread complaints from users. When it comes to posting photos on Twitter, users express dissatisfaction with how images are cropped in the timeline, and the extent to which photos are compressed when uploaded. To address those issues Twitter is testing changes to the photo publishing process which includes the option for 4K image uploads.
For the full article click here
17 Black Hat Techniques That Can Harm an SEO Campaign
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Ignoring These 4 Marketing Trends Could Cost You in the Long Run
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Conversational Marketing Is The New Direct Marketing
Marketing has changed drastically over the last decade, fueled by the evolution of technology and the demands of more discerning, sophisticated and impatient consumers. Yet, despite consumers’ evolving preferences for how they access products, services and information, I would argue that most brands lag behind their customers’ desires and needs — they continue to rely on high-frequency, one-way communications while striving to instill urgency to drive conversions.
For the full article click here
Gen Z Marketing Isn’t Easy. Logitech’s Allying With TikTok Stars To Make It Work
Gen Z, loosely defined as those born after 1996, continues to grow as a dominant customer demographic that brands are dashing to win over. Presently, the group accounts for 40% of the United States consumer population and commands upwards of $143 billion in spending power. However, those tasked with marketing to this lucrative group are finding that the usual approaches may no longer be as effective.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – March 23, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
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Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
Facebook’s Looking to Launch Audio-Only Rooms to Hook Into the Social Audio Trend
Yes, Facebook’s Clubhouse clone is coming, and it could be here very soon, according to a new discovery in the back-end code of the app. As you would expect, with the sudden rise of audio social, Facebook has also been working on its own live audio meeting rooms feature, which would enable Facebook users to create audio broadcasts that users can tune into, and participate in, within the app. This is actually not a major stretch for Facebook to create, as it already has its video Rooms feature that it added in May last year, which enables users to create private video chats that others can drop into. Building a public, audio-only version of the same is technically something of a step back, reducing the data load by shutting off video, while also making them open to all users.
For the full white paper click here
Instagram Tests New Labels to Show When a Feed Post is Re-Shared to Stories
You know what Instagram doesn’t like? People sharing their regular feed posts to Stories. Well, maybe it’s not so much that Instagram doesn’t like this as it is that some users have complained about it, and now it’s testing a few different approaches to try and stop people from re-posting their regular, static updates to their Stories as well. Instagram’s latest experiment on this front sees new labels added to Stories posts that have been re-posted from a users’ main feed.
For the full article click here
Facebook Update Will Target Specific Groups and Individuals
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How Long Does SEO Take?
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Three Marketing Analytics Trends are Driving Performance in 2021
The rapid shift to digital has impacted customers’ expectations of companies and evolved their behaviors. Personalization, trust and valuable interactions are the cornerstones of customer experience — 84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. As businesses accelerate their digital transformations to keep up with the changing landscape, marketers have the opportunity to deepen relationships with their customers and humanize engagements.
For the full article click here
Efficacy Versus Embellishment: The Next Era In Marketing Messaging
As human beings, we are drawn to showmanship in every form. From captivating performers like Beyoncé to mesmerizing architectural feats like the Golden Gate Bridge, there is something truly human about trying to do something bigger, if not better, than anyone has ever done before. There is much debate about the role that the news media has played in our current state of affairs, but some say it’s reminiscent of 19th-century yellow journalism — which we clearly survived. We’ve come to expect hyperbole at every turn, and the question is whether we can simply decide to filter out the noise to arrive at the truth.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – March 22, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
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Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
Facebook is Reportedly Working on a Kids Version of Instagram
As reported by BuzzFeed, according to an internal company communication, Instagram is now working on “a version of Instagram that allows people under the age of 13 to safely use Instagram for the first time”.
For the full white paper click here
Facebook Previews Next Gen Digital Control for AR, Which Responds to Muscle Commands
As Facebook looks to the next stage of digital connection, which includes the development of its own AR-enabled glasses, it’s also working on new control tools that will enable people to interact more seamlessly with these overlays and options. Such controls are a key part of the experience – in order to make best use of AR overlays, you need to be able to interact with them easily, without disrupting your everyday tasks. Voice commands are one option, while other research has focused on eye-based controls, with varying results. But Facebook’s research has actually pointed them to the wrist being the key control point for such interactions.
For the full article click here
YouTube Begins the Roll-Out of its TikTok-Like ‘Shorts’ Option in the US
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Twitter Tests New Option to View YouTube Clips In-Stream
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YouTube Adds Real-Time Subscriber Counts in Channel Dashboards
YouTube is updating Studio dashboards with real-time channel subscriber counts, removing the need for creators to use third-party tools to access that data.
For the full article click here
How Paid Search Incrementality Impacts SEO (Does 1+1=3?)
SEO and SEM together can produce better results than using one or the other. Read on to learn more about paid search incrementality and see it in action.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – March 19, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
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Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
Facebook Ups its Enforcement Around Rule Violations in Groups
Facebook has announced some new, harsher rules for group interactions, which will see the reach of some groups restricted, and some groups banned outright, due to repeated rule violations on the platform. First off, on political groups – back in September, in the lead-up to the US Election, Facebook announced that it was removing civic and political groups from its group recommendations in the US, along with newly created groups, in an effort to reduce the impact of divisive content and misinformation.
For the full white paper click here
Twitter’s Working on a Dedicated Tab for Spaces
As Twitter continues to develop its new audio Spaces tool, in order to tap into the latest social engagement trend, it’s now looking at how it improves Spaces discovery, and maximizes awareness of in-progress conversations.
For the full article click here
TikTok Adds New Auto-Reply Message Option for Business Accounts
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LinkedIn Launches ‘Do Business Where Business is Done’ Campaign to Highlight Relevant Content
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YouTube Rolls Out Copyright Checks Tool, Which Analyzes Your Video Prior to Upload, to More Users
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5 Key SEO Tactics for Growing Organic Traffic
Starting with the impact in mind when growing organic traffic makes it easier to prioritize SEO objectives and tactics. Read about 5 of them here.
For the full article click here
Daily Minute Master Series – March 18, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
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Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
Clubhouse Closes in on 13 Million Downloads on the One Year Anniversary of the App
You may have only heard about it recently, but Clubhouse actually celebrates its one-year anniversary this week. The audio social app, which has seen a sudden rise in popularity as people seek out new ways to socialize amid the pandemic, is still in invite-only mode, and is still only available on iOS (for now). But even so, according to new data from app analytics provider App Annie, Clubhouse is fast closing in on 13 million total downloads, with almost a third of them occurring in the US.
For the full white paper click here
Instagram Adds New Tools to Protect Younger Users, New Safety Guide for Parents
Instagram is upping its efforts to stamp out predatory behavior in the app with a new range of features designed to protect younger users from ill-intentioned adults. First off, and most significantly, Instagram is now implementing new restrictions that will prevent adults from sending messages to any users under the age of 18 who don’t follow them.
For the full article click here
Facebook Shares Details of Coming Newsletter Platform to Attract Top Creators
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Google Predicts These 4 Pandemic Changes Are Permanent
Companies have changed the way they do business since the pandemic. In a new report, Google forecasts which of those changes are here to stay.
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Google: Possible Quality Issue if Copied Content Outranks Original
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21 Low-Cost Marketing Tips
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Daily Minute Master Series – March 17, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
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Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
Twitter Launches ‘Brand Bracket’ to Identify the Best Tweeting Business Handle
With the annual March Madness college basketball tournament set to get underway this week, Twitter Marketing has launched its own variation, with its ‘Brand Bracket’, designed to determine the best tweeting business on the platform.
For the full white paper click here
Facebook Launches New Tools to Help Boost the Global COVID-19 Vaccination Effort
Facebook is launching a new push to help promote the global COVID-19 vaccination effort, in order to maximize take-up where possible, and move us closer to a return to normal life. Which, after more than a year of restrictions, now seems like a strange thought – imagine going to sit in a crowd at a sporting event, or catching a plane overseas. The idea itself seems somewhat foreign to consider, but soon, ideally, that will be an option once again.
For the full article click here
LinkedIn Provides New Worksheets to Help Map Out Your On-Platform Ad Campaigns
For the full article click here
Your Essential Guide to Google My Business (GMB)
When you’re looking for a product, service or answer to a question, your first thought is usually, “Let me Google this.” That’s why your presence on Google is critical and where having a consistent Google My Business presence is essential.
For the full article click here
How to Increase Your Ecommerce Organic Traffic by 400% with Automation
Learn a process that can help you generate more qualified organic traffic for your ecommerce site and convert more sales.
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Should Your Small Business Hire a Marketing Agency or Build a Marketing Team?
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Daily Minute Master Series – March 16, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
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Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
Can Facebook Work Out How to Slow the Momentum of TikTok?
Honestly, after years of seeing Facebook run the tables in social, and improve on many of the best innovations of other apps, it’s kind of refreshing to see them on the back foot, and working to keep up with the competition for a change.
For the full white paper click here
Would Identity Verification Improve Social Media Safety, and Reduce Instances of Trolling and Abuse?
As social platforms and regulatory authorities have weighed various considerations in how to combat issues with online abuse and coordinated manipulation, a proposal that’s repeatedly been raised is personal identity verification, and the possibility of making this a mandatory element in creating a social media account.
For the full article click here
Clubhouse Launches Creator Accelerator Program to Help Support Broadcasters in the App
For the full article click here
3 Link Building Best Practices for Outreach in Times of Crisis
Link building outreach during this pandemic and other times of crisis requires a thoughtful, strategic approach. Here are a few tips for doing it well.
For the full article click here
5 Common Reasons Google Isn’t Indexing a Page (& How To Fix It)
Wondering why you’re losing traffic? Here are the 5 most common issues that prevent Google from indexing your webpage, broken out by site size.
For the full article click here
CPG Marketing In A World Without Product Sampling
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Daily Minute Master Series – March 15, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
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Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
Snapchat Shares New Research into How Gen Z Will Shape Future Market Trends
Snapchat has published a new report, in partnership with Oxford Economics, which examines the role that Gen Z will play in driving the post-pandemic recovery, and how this generation will become a key focus for marketers moving forward. The team from Oxford interviewed people across six markets – Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US – and supplemented its own survey data with various other sources to get a better handle on the rising influence of Gen Z.
For the full white paper click here
Twitter is Testing a New, Full-Image Display in Tweet Timelines, Support for 4K Images
Twitter is testing a new way to display images in tweet timelines, which would see full images shown in tweets, as opposed to cropped previews.
For the full article click here
Three Tried-And-True Digital Marketing Methods For 2021 And Beyond
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Instagram Launches Revised Instagram Lite App in 170 Regions
For the full article click here
Optimizing PPC Automation with the Magic Wheel
Human-guided automation is the future, and knowing how to manage and optimize automated PPC campaigns is key. Here’s a guide on how to do it right.
For the full article click here
Marketing And CX Transformation: How Customer Centricity Creates Value
For the full article click here
Why Marketing Personalization is the Future of Communications
/by Corey PadveenMarketing personalization has long been trending, but if we’ve seen anything trend significantly upward during the last year, it is that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer an option for brands looking to make their mark with communities.
Google’s recent announcement that the ad platform will no longer provide the same level of interest-based tracking as it has for so long is a major indicator that marketing is shifting away from generic presumptions in terms of targeting. A transitive property approach to ad and content targeting has long been held; if User A likes X, and User A and User B both like Y, then User B must also like X. Now, it seems, we are facing a significant shift away from this model and marketing personalization trends upwards in all facets of communications.
Marketing Personalization Is Nothing New
For years, marketers have attempted to build the most detailed user profiles and customer personas they could using tools like email clients and CRMs, or whatever else they had at their disposal. As ad platforms – like Google’s – became more sophisticated, some of the manual work that went into targeting was diminished. Over time, for many marketers, the targeting process was largely left on autopilot, relying heavily on the advancement of technology to effectively target ads based on data minutiae, like cookies. Though with increased use, and the scattering of user behaviors and preferences, this targeting mechanism has had an inverse impact on end-user demand as it compares to data supply. People don’t want their data used for broad match ad targeting, and companies like Google and Apple are listening and taking action.
Sweeping reforms are underway both in the worlds of hardware and software. Much of that has to do with privacy. Though the data is there, its power is being given back to its creators: the individual. The question now, it seems, is how brands and marketers can respond to the increased restrictions (if you want to call it that) on public data use. The answer rests in tailored data collection processes and personalized marketing efforts.
How Marketers Should React
First and foremost, marketers need to accept that for a long time, we’ve enjoyed access to data that was never really ours to use. While it was our great pleasure to leverage it into successful campaigns, that should never have stopped us from continuing efforts to build our own data funnels and audience personas. So, if you haven’t been doing that while also using the data afforded to us through ad channels, here are the steps you should start taking immediately in order to avoid backsteps in your efforts to grow.
You’ll want to start by auditing your existing data collection processes. If you’ve relied on ad platforms to handle the data side of your marketing efforts (even if only in part) then an audit is going to be crucial to regaining control of your data. Once done, you’ll want to analyze any and all historical data related to customers, visitors, and those that have engaged with your content in order to start developing a series of updated audience personas. From there, the process of marketing personalization can begin in the form of content and segmented communications.
As I mentioned, not all visitors are created the same. As such, you’re going to need to start creating content campaigns that are geared towards the specific tastes and preferences exhibited by your audience in your historical analysis. Yes, this means more work. But it also leads to more loyalty, higher levels of engagement, and a significant improvement in your ROI with a direct correlation between the degree to which you connect with your audience and the results of their engagement or conversion.
None of this is easy, nor should it be. We have talked a lot about personalization for a long time, but we have increasingly let the tech do the work. Now, as demand has outpaced what the technology can offer (and tech companies are responding in kind) we need to get back to the process of manually analyzing our audience, identifying how best to engage with them with tailored offers and communications, and personalize the process for a greater brand loyalty moving forward.
Daily Minute Master Series – March 12, 2021
/by Corey PadveenThe Marketing Rundown
Subscribe to t2’s Newsletter, ‘The Marketing Rundown’ and Stay Up-to-Date
Everything you need to know about media, marketing, and digital news from the week all together in one place.
News & Updates
10 Truths About Marketing After the Pandemic
It’s safe to say that 2020 was a year like no other and that 2021 will certainly not revert back to the old normal. So, as marketers think about building brands during this year and beyond, what should we take away from the pandemic? What can we do to help companies grow faster? And how is marketing being redefined in the age of Covid-19?
For the full white paper click here
TikTok Adds New Comment Review Option, Providing More Control for Creators
TikTok has added a new option which gives creators more control over the comments that appear on their clips, with the capacity to filter all comments as they come through, and approve or deny as you see fit.
For the full article click here
Facebook Outlines the Future of AR, and Plans for the Next Stage of Computing
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How To Use Content Marketing To Build Brand Trust
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YouTube Looks to Provide More Tools to Tap into the Rise of Connected TV Viewing
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Google May See Web Pages As Duplicates if URLs Too Similar
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