Paid Digital Ads: Do They Still Work in 2020?

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Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

As a small business owner, if you’ve ever received an email or notification from Google, Facebook, or another online platform with free advertising credit, you might already be familiar with paid digital advertising. These companies are looking to have you spend money with them to advertise your business to users on their platforms.

Utilizing this free credit may seem tempting—although in many cases you need to spend a certain amount to access the “free” credit for the ads—but is it still worth the effort in 2020?

What are paid digital ads?

First, let’s cover what exactly falls under the term “paid digital ads”.

In short, these are online advertisements that you get to target certain users, based on certain characteristics or behaviors, and pay the platform to show these ads. 

Some examples of paid digital ads are:

• Google display or search ads

• Video ads on YouTube

• Facebook/Instagram promoted posts

• LinkedIn ads

• Promoted Pinterest pins

Typically, for ads on social media platforms, the more money you put behind a promoted post, the more impressions, or instances of the ad being viewed by a user, the ad will get. You have the option to narrow down which users this ad will show to through targeting. You can target users by some of the following characteristics:

• If they have visited your website previously

• The kind of content they’re interested in on the platform

• Demographics like location, age, gender, etc.

For paid ads on Google, however, you have the option to show your ads on Google search engine results pages, YouTube, or other websites within the Google Display Network. For display and YouTube ads, like social media ads, you will typically pay for impressions. 

For search ads, however, you have some options on how you’d like to pay, but most often you will pay for each click on your ad. That’s why these types of ads are also referred to as pay-per-click (PPC). 

PPC allows you to choose which search queries entered into Google you’d like your ad to appear for. The highest bidder will show first. Clicks will cost anywhere from 2 cents to 50 dollars; it all depends on how competitive your industry and search terms are.

When should you use paid digital advertising?

Because paid ads usually have an immediate effect, they can help you get results very quickly. Many companies see great success by using paid advertising in the following instances:

• When they are launching a new product

• When they are launching a new service

• When the company is new and needs to gain more awareness

Think of it this way: anytime you’d like to quickly enter a new market or catch the attention of a new type of audience, you might consider paid digital advertising. However, it has its pros and cons.

How effective is paid digital advertising?

In the short term, paid ads can be very effective in driving website traffic and revenue. You might see a great return on investment right away. However, it’s a good idea to look at other marketing tactics to set yourself up for the long term as well. Paid advertising won’t work as a primary driver in the long run.

Keep in mind that this type of advertising won’t work for all types of audiences either. Take Gen Z, for example. This generation has grown up constantly surrounded by advertisements, making it easy for them to ignore them.

A recent behavior study by Backlinko showed that only 19% of users clicked on an ad on Google’s search results pages. This number is highly dependent on the type of search performed, however, and doesn’t mean that your users won’t ever click on your ad.

Keep these things in mind when building your overall marketing strategy. You shouldn’t rely solely on digital ads to bring in traffic. Utilize other tactics for the most long-term success. 

What are some tips for paid digital advertising in 2020?

When it comes to digital ads, the possibilities are endless. However, depending on what type of industry you’re in, certain types of ads might perform better than others.

My first recommendation is to use video as much as possible in your ads. Video ads have the highest click-through rate (CTR) of all digital ad types, at 1.84%. If you’re promoting a new product, advertise a demo video of the product in action. If you’re a service-based B2B company, take a testimonial video of one of your happy customers talking about how much your service helped their business.

When choosing which platform to launch your digital ads, it’s important to understand not only which platforms your target audience spends time on, but how they use it. For example, if you’re demoing a new hair product on Instagram for your ad, remember that the best-performing posts on Instagram are high-quality and visually pleasing.

Another good strategy is to promote your blog content in your ads. Run some search ads that direct more traffic to your blog posts. This increase in traffic is good for your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), which can help produce more results long-term.

Most importantly, when building your digital advertising strategy, keep in mind that users will click on things that they believe can help them. Whether it’s a cool new product or a service that fulfills their search intent, content that aims to be helpful will always win.

Step-by-Step Guide: Boost Your Website Conversions Using eBooks

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Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

Before I became interested in digital marketing, I thought “ebooks” were just digital versions of actual books that I could download to my iPad or Kindle. I never imagined that one day, I would be creating my own ebooks to help businesses convert website visitors into leads. 

eBooks are very powerful tools that businesses of all sizes and industries can use to engage with a wider audience and boost website conversion rates. They can help you get new leads and better understand how you can better serve your customer base.

Why eBooks?

You might be thinking that there is no way you would ever have time to create an ebook. In truth, some lead-generating ebook campaigns take a long time to fully execute.

However, think of it this way: once your ebook is finished and live on your website, in most situations, it’s there for good. You can get leads coming from it even months after it’s launched! So although it may be a time investment, you will continue to see benefits from this project long-term. Also, creating an ebook is easier than you might think!

Create Your First Lead-Generating eBook, Step by Step

1. Pick a theme.

Start by asking yourself the same question you should ask before you write any piece of content: What do your customers want to know? You want to pick a topic that you not only feel comfortable writing quite a bit about, but that answers a question or questions that your target audience might ask themselves and would want to know more about.

Keep your goals in mind as well. Your ebook should be written based on the stage of your customer journey that you’re trying to grow. For example, if you’re targeting people that don’t already buy from you and may not know about your services and offerings, you should write about something more general and less about your business. However, if you want to recapture previous customers or keep current customers engaged, you can write about how to use a new feature or product that you offer.

No matter what your end goal is, your ebook should aim to create value and essentially give your readers something “for free”. After all, they will be giving you their email address, so make sure to reward them.

2. Write about it.

It’s time to get writing! When you begin, don’t worry about sounding perfect—just focus on getting the important information down. You can always go back and better organize your thoughts once you have the main ideas out there. 

If you’re struggling to get started, I will let you in on a little secret: there is absolutely no rule that says you aren’t allowed to repurpose content that you’ve already written before. If you have a number of blog posts that relate to the subject matter of your ebook, feel free to incorporate them and make any necessary tweaks, updates, and additions. 

Make sure the content of your ebook flows nicely and in a way that makes sense. What I like to do is start with an outline, then fill in each section on a separate page. If you follow this order, you can use your basic outline as your ebook’s table of contents.

Once you’re done writing, read your entire ebook. Then read it again. Ask someone else to read it. Sleep on it, then read it one more time. Resolve any spelling or grammatical errors as they come up. You also want to make sure your ebook is effectively conveying the information that you’re looking to share with your readers. Does it create value? Is it something that your readers will be glad they downloaded?

3. Add visuals.

Sometimes, people get really intimidated by walls of text. You want to make sure that your ebook caters to all types of readers (or non-readers). Great ebooks have plenty of visual aids and other images to help break up your text. 

If you’re citing a study or statistic in your content, think about adding a graph from that study to give the full picture. If you’re explaining a process, would a visualization of that process help you convey how it all works?

Think about incorporating images in your layout that relate to your subject matter but add to the overall design and look of your pages. I love using the website Unsplash for free stock images. You can also do a search on Pixabay for free photos and illustrations.

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

4. Design your book.

Make your ebook more visually appealing by adding your content to a template. If you’re not a designer, you can look at websites like Canva for easy-to-use design tools or templates. 

Start with your cover page and table of contents. Then comes your main content and any sources used. At the end, don’t forget to add your acknowledgements and a page that briefly talks about your business and what you offer. 

This page should include some contact information and a link to your business’ website so that readers know where to go to learn more about you. This is just in case your ebook is sent to others from someone else that was on your website.

5. Add it to your website.

Create a page on your website that includes a preview of your ebook and what readers can expect. If there is no information on exactly what reading this book will help them accomplish, visitors will be less likely to want to hand over their information to download it. 

This page should also include a form that asks for an email address or phone number from visitors in order to gain access to your ebook. Be sure to store the submissions somewhere or add the email addresses to your newsletter list (as long as you get permission from the user in the form).

6. Promote it!

All that’s left now is to promote your ebook. Share a link to your ebook’s landing page on your social media accounts and newsletters. Track the number of page views versus submissions to see how well your page converts. Also, be sure to follow up on those leads!

8 Digital Marketing Trends and Predictions for a Post-Pandemic World

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Photo by Kseniia Ilinykh on Unsplash

As more states lift stay-at-home orders and restrictions, businesses across all industries are starting to open their doors once again. For businesses that rely on in-person services and settings, the customer experience will likely be very different.

Leveraging more digital marketing tactics is becoming exceedingly crucial for small businesses this summer, as our country recovers physically, socially, and economically from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are eight digital marketing trends that will be hugely important for small businesses this summer. Although adapting all of these strategies may not be the answer for you, it’s worth it to spend some time considering which of these tactics will work best for your business.

Video marketing is essential.

If you’re not incorporating video in your digital marketing efforts, make this summer the time you start. Videos are an easy way to convey information and are proven to perform better on social media. For example, a 2019 study by quintly reports that videos receive 49% higher interactions on Instagram.

When people are hanging out on social media, their attention span may not always be able to carry them through a long text or blog post. A video is more likely to grab their attention and keep them around longer to see what your business has to say.

Plus, with video sharing platforms like TikTok on the rise, adopting a video strategy can help you reach a wider audience on new platforms. You can even repurpose or cross-post these videos to duplicate your efforts.

Authenticity is king.

As younger generations—who have been bombarded with ads their entire lives—enter the workforce and start making more purchasing decisions, we’re seeing consumers flock to brands that are more genuine in their messaging.

Making a shift to more authenticity in your marketing will pay off for your small business, especially if you cater to a younger audience. We already know that this shift has been paying off for brands on Instagram, but how else can you adopt this strategy?

One way to start is to think of your brand’s social media presence as that of an easygoing friend. Stay professional, but don’t obsess over every single picture or creating the perfect sentence. Focus on making connections and building relationships.

AI is the future.

Yes, I’m talking about artificial intelligence! AI is more commonly used in marketing than you might think. AI is present in the algorithms that show related products or videos on YouTube, Google, and eCommerce websites.

How can your business implement AI in its marketing efforts? One word: personalization. Even something as simple as personalizing the marketing emails that you send to your customers can go a long way. 

If you have a widely used website, chatbots might be a good idea. Chatbots are website add-ons that allow customers to ask questions 24/7. The application automatically performs tasks or answers questions according to keywords your website visitors use. This is a great way to improve your customer experiences and convert more sales in a more automated way.

Photo by Kevin Bhagat on Unsplash

Social proof pays off.

I think a lot of small businesses still underutilize the power of social proof in their marketing. As a refresher, social proof is the psychological phenomenon that people will adopt the same behavior that they see from their friends and peers. 

Social proof exists in forms like customer reviews, influencer marketing, and earned media. Even word-of-mouth marketing is an example of social proof in action. 

Make sure to respond to reviews (good and bad), share customer testimonials, and send a “thank you” to customers that refer your business to their friends and family. You’ll see that these simple changes require very minimal effort but can make a huge difference in customer acquisition.

Corporate social responsibility creates stronger relationships.

It’s impossible to ignore everything that is happening in the world, and we’ve seen how big companies taking a stand has paid off in creating stronger advocates for their brand. We also know that younger generations value social responsibility. As stated in Deloitte’s Global Millennial Survey:

Millennials and Gen Zs start and stop relationships with companies for very personal reasons, often related to a company’s positive or negative impact on society.

Even something as simple as a strong statement of support can go a long way. For example, in Reebok’s response to the recent protests against police brutality across the nation, they even stated “We’re not asking you to buy our shoes. We are asking you to walk in someone else’s.”

If you haven’t already, and if you’re financially able, make this the summer your business gives back. Choose a cause that aligns with your brand’s mission statement and get involved.

PPC is out; SEO is in.

When was the last time you clicked on a Google search or display ad? Unless the content of the ad included information you were looking for, or an unbelievable promotion that you couldn’t pass up, it’s unlikely that you have clicked on one of these ads in a while. 

It has become increasingly easy for internet users to tune out pay-per-click (PPC) ads, whether it be through the use of technology or just being able to ignore them. As consumers see more and more of them, interruptive digital ads just don’t do it anymore.

Search engine optimization (SEO) however, which aims to rank your website first on search engines organically, won’t be going anywhere. In fact, over 55% of marketers surveyed by HubSpot for their 2020 State of Marketing Report say that SEO is either “very important” or “extremely important” to their overall marketing strategy.

Focusing on your small business’s SEO efforts will help you bring more traffic to your website over time. Plus, this traffic will be more prepared to make a purchase from you.

Content marketing isn’t going anywhere.

Along the same vein of SEO is content marketing. Creating content that aims to help your target audience answer their questions will create trust, boost website traffic, and ultimately help you build stronger customer relationships. 

It’s obvious that people won’t stop using the internet as a resource for helpful information, and the more your business aims to be helpful, the more success you will see from your marketing efforts. Start with your small business’s blog. Blogs don’t need to be updated constantly to be effective. Focus on quality over quantity, and you’ll see your traffic (and quality of customers) improve.

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

Less foot traffic doesn’t have to mean less sales.

This summer, it’s likely that people will still be practicing social distancing, at least until a vaccine for the coronavirus becomes widely available. If your business relies on foot traffic and in-person interaction to make sales, it’s time to get creative. How can you bring these important interactions to the digital world instead?

Look to new digital methods that aim to attract more of this “foot traffic” to your website instead of your brick-and-mortar location. It can be any of the aforementioned techniques, or something new like a virtual event. 

As far as other customer experiences, what are some things you can implement on your website that will make their lives easier? If you’re offering something like a speedy online reservation or checkout system and your competitor isn’t, which business do you think your customer is more likely to want to support? 

Summer 2020 will be very different from summers that we’ve seen in the past. In order to adapt, small businesses will need to adopt more digital strategies for customer acquisition, engagement, and retention. I may not have a crystal ball to see exactly which trends will excel and which will flop, so make sure to stay agile in implementing these efforts!

[Free Template] How Your Small Business Can Implement Email Drip Campaigns

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Photo by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash

When someone gives you their email address, are you adding them to your general newsletter list, or putting them into a campaign based on their relationship with your brand? How are you converting them into loyal customers?

If you’re not sure, or are just adding them to your general email list, keep reading. We’ll introduce one way to further solidify your brand’s relationship with that customer or potential customer, also known as a prospect.

We’ve already discussed some best practices on building, segmenting, and nurturing your small business’ email lists. One way to nurture your prospects is to implement an email drip campaign.

What is a drip campaign?

A drip campaign is a timed series of automated emails sent to a prospective customer that are designed to convert them into customers. Think of it like slowly “dripping” information to them to gradually warm the lead up to your brand by creating trust. Rather than being salesy or assumptive right off the bat, they are designed to inform, educate, and bring value.

If the thought of “automated emails” sounds out of your budget, consider this: automated trigger emails have the potential to drive 24x more revenue than “batch and blast” emails, according to BounceX. This is because these emails are more tailored to the experience of that particular customer. 

You should consider a drip campaign for your small business if you want to get the most out of your email marketing strategy. When done right, these types of campaigns are an easy way to boost email engagement, website traffic, and, ultimately, sales.

If you don’t currently use an email platform with automated capability, do some research on pricing. Platforms like Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Drip are affordable options with this capability. If you still feel these are out of budget, you can do a manual drip campaign by keeping track of who is getting the emails you’re sending and when.

How do I implement a drip campaign?

Here are the questions you should answer to create your first drip campaign.

1. What is the goal? Are you trying to promote a new product, service, or event? Do you want to re-engage with previous customers? Do you want to win over new customers? As always, make sure this goal is specific, measurable, and attainable. 

2. How will you get the emails? A better question is: what will you give your prospects in return for their email address? This could be from a free content offer on your website, a giveaway on your social media, or from a sign-up sheet at an event. You can also develop a drip campaign that is designed to turn your blog subscribers into customers.

3. How many emails will you send, and how often? You don’t want to send each email too often, as that can come off as spammy. A good place to start is to send an email once a week. You will also need to decide how many emails are in your drip campaign. This number might become more clear once you write the content, but shoot for a number between 4 and 10 to start.

4. What will your emails say? Keeping in mind that your goal is to develop a relationship with the prospect, write your emails as if they were coming directly from you (or one of your salespeople). Scroll to the bottom of this post for a free template to get some ideas. Also, make sure every email you write has a call-to-action that you’d like the recipient to do so that you can answer...

5. How will you remove people from the campaign? One reason you want a call-to-action in every email is so you can understand which recipients you have won over. These people should be removed from your drip campaign once this has been determined. That way, you’re not continuing to send them emails asking them to take an action that they’ve already taken, such as testing out your new product.

Free Template: Sample Customer Re-Engagement Campaign

Here is a sample re-engagement drip campaign that you can repurpose for your small business! Check out the diagram below to see the workflow of this email series.

Email #1: Warm Introduction

Subject: Thank you again for your support!

Hi [Previous Customer],

I just wanted to take the time to reintroduce myself. My name is Maria and I am the owner of Maria’s Events & Gifts. 

I wanted to thank you for shopping with us this past [month]. As a small business, each and every purchase helps us to continue supporting and thriving in the [city/town] community. 

I hope you continue to think of Maria’s Events & Gifts for your event needs. And with Mother’s Day quickly approaching, we just added some very unique and creative gifts to both our retail and online stores.

Please feel free to give us a call at [phone number], or visit our website at [website] to view our newest gifts and supplies. 

Take care!

Maria

Email #2: Cool Resource

Subject: Here’s a little something extra for you!

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

Hi [Previous Customer],

I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the spring weather! 

Since my last email, we added a new post to our blog that I think you might find helpful in your gift search. We’ve listed the top 10 most unique gifts this spring, and they’re great for the whole family!

My personal favorite is this new board game called “The Chameleon”. My friends and I had a blast playing it the other night. 

Anyway, I hope you have a fabulous weekend. As always, please give us a call at [phone number], or check out our other blog posts and products on our website!

Best wishes, 

Maria

Email #3: Case Study / Testimonial

Subject: Don’t just take it from me...

Hey there [Previous Customer],

Do you have any big events planned for this summer? I’m sure you’ve made the connection, but Maria’s Events & Gifts offers affordable event planning services too!

I started Maria’s Events & Gifts in 2014, with the mission to provide our community with affordable event planning services so that they could focus on the most important part: spending quality time with their family and friends. Event planning is my passion, and I would love to share what I’ve learned with you!

I could go on and on about what we can offer, but I thought you might want to hear from one of our previous customers. Here is a little testimonial from our dear customer Rhonda:

“I wanted to plan a fabulous retirement party for my mother, but I was on a tight budget. I was so glad to have found Maria at Maria’s Events & Gifts! What I loved was that Maria was just as dedicated to staying under budget as I was, but she had some amazing ideas to make my mom’s party an absolute bash!”

If you’re planning an event, please give us a call at [phone number], or fill out the contact form on our website at [website]. Let’s make it an event to remember!

All the best,

Maria

Email #4: Special Offer

Subject: A gift just for you!

Hi [Previous Customer]!

I hope you have been enjoying the emails I’ve been sending over the past few weeks!

As a thank you for your time, I’m giving you a special offer: 30% off any regular-priced gift in our store. You can use this on our website by entering the code, or come visit us in the store and show us this email to redeem your offer.

Code: THX30

Whether you have an event to plan or attend, I hope you keep Maria’s Events & Gifts in mind for your supplies, planning, and gifts. 

Please always feel free to reach out to us at [phone number]. 

Thanks again, and have a great weekend!

Maria

Five Marketing Strategies to Help You Reach and Engage with Your Gen Z Audience

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Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

Generation Z, defined by Statistica as those born in 1997 or later, is the largest generation in the US, making up over 90 million of the population. This group is on track to become the most financially influential generation ever. 

Gen Z already has an estimated purchasing power of $44 billion per year, which means now is the time for small businesses to adjust to this group’s behaviors and values in their marketing strategies.

However, it’s important to understand what makes Gen Z-ers unique. As the first generation that was born into this digital age, Gen Z is excellent at shutting out the more traditional, disruptive advertisements that offer them no value or personalized experience.

In general, this group of consumers seem to be much more responsive to:

• Genuine reviews from experts or influencers

• Personalized ads and experiences

• New, interesting, and up-to-date content

• Corporate social responsibility

• Connectedness (both in-person and digitally)

With this in mind, here are some strategies that your small business can utilize to help you reach a Gen Z audience.

Influencer Marketing

According to a report by Morning Consult, nearly 75% of Gen Z-ers follow at least one influencer on social media. An influencer is loosely defined as anyone with a large following that can, obviously, influence the decisions of that following. 

Have you ever seen a YouTube makeup artist do a special unboxing or demo video of a package of product sent to them by a major brand? What about an Instagram post spotlighting a product with the hashtag “#ad” in the caption? These are examples of influencer marketing. 

As a small business, you might think that influencer marketing is way out of your budget; this simply isn’t true. You can identify micro-influencers who have a smaller following of people more related to your industry or product to create ads that are much more organic and appealing to your Gen Z audience, who appreciate more personalized and genuine content anyway.

Personalized Communication

Speaking of personalization, this is something to keep in mind when creating content for Gen Z consumers. According to Mobile Marketer, Gen Z prefers to see online ads and communication based on their browsing history.

This might open up the idea of remarketing through Google Ads or another platform, but remember that this generation has been looking at online ads almost their entire life already and have gotten really good at ignoring them.

To cater to Gen Z’s personalization preference, use it as much as possible in email marketing and other communications. Rather than send a newsletter with a list of new products, send a coupon code for a recently viewed item, or spotlight an item related to one that was already purchased. 

Video Marketing

What do YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok all have in common? They’re not only three of the most popular social media platforms for Gen Z users, they are primarily video-sharing platforms. Video is a great way to not only grab the attention of your Gen Z audience, but also quickly and effectively communicate with them before they move on to the next thing.

Your small business doesn’t need expensive equipment to start creating video content, either. Even a video shot on a smartphone can get your message across—just make sure you have some sort of tripod or stand to hold it in place.

Create videos that explain your product or service, show customer testimonials, or that simply tell a great story. Don’t be shy—get in front of the camera and tell people how your business can help them.

Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash

Social Responsibility

Experts report that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is huge for both Millennials and Gen Z. As Sarah Cavill writes for Digital Media Solutions:

Gen Z, in particular, looks at the world with a side-eye stemming from having grown up amid recessions, fractured politics and often unexpected job transitions for their Gen X parents, leading to decreased trust in businesses.

If you’re looking for more ways to appeal to potential Gen Z customers, consider implementing a CSR program for your small business that aligns with your vision. Choose a cause that you or your staff are passionate about, and find ways to contribute and/or bring awareness to that cause that incorporates your mission, products, customers, and employees. 

Still not sure where to start? Your cause could be as simple as sourcing your materials or supplies from other local or sustainable businesses. What are other changes you can make to your business model that support this cause? Are there any hands-on opportunities to volunteer with your staff? Is there a way to donate a portion of your sales to this cause?

Once you have that sorted out, make sure to communicate this with your customer base in a variety of ways. Make it clear to all potential customers—not just the Gen Z-ers— that by supporting your business, they are also supporting this cause.

Social Media Marketing

Unsurprisingly, out of all the other generations, Gen Z spends the most time on social media—two hours and 55 minutes each day, on average. This makes social media a great way to reach this age group. However, keep in mind that they’re not logging on to social media with the intention to connect with brands, but to connect with friends, peers, or just for entertainment. This means that your small business’ approach on social media should be less purchase-driven and more focused on one or more of the previously mentioned strategies.

If we know anything about Generation Z, it’s that they can see right past the forced, synthetic messaging that comes with traditional marketing tactics. As children of the digital age, they have the ability to ignore so many types of advertising. One thing to keep in mind when marketing to this very influential age group is to be as genuine, personable, and non-disruptive as possible.