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May 1, 2021
Will the New iOS 14.5 Privacy Feature Affect Your Digital Ads?
On Monday, April 26th, 2021, Apple released it’s new iOS version 14.5 that includes a major privacy feature, Application Tracking Transparency (ATT), that has some digital advertisers and platforms like Facebook concerned. The update allows iOS users to have better control over how their data is collected and tracked by allowing users to prohibit apps from tracking them across websites and other apps. Apps like Facebook and Google use this tracked data (cookies) to customize the content and ads you see. Remember that time you searched for a new sleeping bag and then when you logged into Facebook the next time all you saw were ads for sleeping bags? That is cookies in action.
Tracked data allows advertisers to know your behaviors, interests, hobbies, purchases, and beliefs, among other data. The concern is that without this additional data from cookies, advertisers will not know which ads suit you best, decreasing conversion rates. In addition, assisted metrics, like assisted revenue and assisted conversions, will no longer be reliable since a percentage of users will have no tracking data. If you use these metrics to measure awareness of your product on different channels, you will not have accurate data to use to assess your campaign.
So how are companies responding to the changes? Google will still have some insight into user behavior just based on Google Searches, Google Analytics, etc. But, because they will have limited visibility into user behavior on other sites, the privacy feature could have a negative effect on ads through Google’s Display Network. Facebook Ads, on the other hand, will be greatly affected by this privacy update. Facebook has not been quiet about their displeasure with this update. But, they have made changes to their ad platform in response to try to overcome some of the effects from the iOS changes, including limits on the number of tracked conversions and limits on Ad Manager accounts. A full list of changes to the platform can be found here.
Read more about the iOS updates, how it could affect advertisers, and suggestions on how to mitigate the effects here.
Tracked data allows advertisers to know your behaviors, interests, hobbies, purchases, and beliefs, among other data. The concern is that without this additional data from cookies, advertisers will not know which ads suit you best, decreasing conversion rates. In addition, assisted metrics, like assisted revenue and assisted conversions, will no longer be reliable since a percentage of users will have no tracking data. If you use these metrics to measure awareness of your product on different channels, you will not have accurate data to use to assess your campaign.
So how are companies responding to the changes? Google will still have some insight into user behavior just based on Google Searches, Google Analytics, etc. But, because they will have limited visibility into user behavior on other sites, the privacy feature could have a negative effect on ads through Google’s Display Network. Facebook Ads, on the other hand, will be greatly affected by this privacy update. Facebook has not been quiet about their displeasure with this update. But, they have made changes to their ad platform in response to try to overcome some of the effects from the iOS changes, including limits on the number of tracked conversions and limits on Ad Manager accounts. A full list of changes to the platform can be found here.
Read more about the iOS updates, how it could affect advertisers, and suggestions on how to mitigate the effects here.
May 2, 2021
5 Ways to Optimize Your Google Business Listing for Free Advertising
There is a source of free advertising that many companies may not be using to its full extent – Google Maps. Google.com is the most visited website in the entire world and while companies spend time and money making sure they improve their SEO and Google Search rankings, many local businesses may be missing out on the free advertising that comes your way via Google Maps. According to Google, some searches that include “near me” have increased by almost 400% in the past five years here in the United States. If your Google My Business (GMB) listing is not complete and verified, your business’ Google Maps listing will not be complete and you may be missing out on potential customers you never knew you might have.
A Google My Business listing allows your company to build trust and awareness with your local community. It can also help increase your traffic and conversion rates. When someone searches for your brand, product, or service, being in those top three results is critical. Research by Moz shows that 44% of local search clicks go to the top three results. A different study by Sistrix shows that the top three results account for 55.2% of click-throughs, so you need to do what you can to make sure your business is one of those top three results. These five tips will help you optimize your Google My Business listing, and therefore your Google Maps information, for maximum impact:
Google My Business and Google Maps are not going anywhere. Make sure your local small business is doing everything it can to bring in new customers! Read more about these tips and more in this article.
A Google My Business listing allows your company to build trust and awareness with your local community. It can also help increase your traffic and conversion rates. When someone searches for your brand, product, or service, being in those top three results is critical. Research by Moz shows that 44% of local search clicks go to the top three results. A different study by Sistrix shows that the top three results account for 55.2% of click-throughs, so you need to do what you can to make sure your business is one of those top three results. These five tips will help you optimize your Google My Business listing, and therefore your Google Maps information, for maximum impact:
- Take and post photos of your business inside and out. Go for quality, not quantity. And be sure to use embedded metadata and geotags on your photos for better results.
- Make regular posts about your business with special events, special discounts, team updates, etc. Regular postings signal to Google that you are still in business.
- Know how to answer requests for directions when customers call. What’s the best way to avoid traffic? Where’s the best parking?
- Verify all your business information on Google My Business is correct, up-to-date, and agrees with your website. Google gives higher priority to more complete listings.
- Grow your local followers by asking for positive reviews and go one step further and ask them to follow your Google My Business profile. It all helps get you into those top three spots.
Google My Business and Google Maps are not going anywhere. Make sure your local small business is doing everything it can to bring in new customers! Read more about these tips and more in this article.
May 3, 2021
How Small Business Entrepreneurs Are Using Social Media Marketing
Social Media Today recently published an infographic based on data from SkyNova showing how small businesses are using social media marketing techniques. Many small business entrepreneurs rely on themselves for social media support and have learned the ropes by trial and error. Some other interesting statistics from the study are:
So, what can you glean from all this data? There are a large number of small businesses who have no idea what they are doing when it comes to social media marketing. There is also a learning curve that some businesses just can’t take the time to climb. There is no one right way to do social media marketing. However, if small businesses don’t execute social media marketing campaigns well, there can be lasting repercussions from those failed campaigns, including negative customer experiences and bad brand reputations. Small businesses cannot afford for potential customers to have negative impressions of their business! You can see the infographic and read more here.
Paladin Worldwide Management is here to help small businesses avoid those negative customer experiences. We have the tools and knowhow to help your small business put together a successful social media marketing campaign to drive new customers to you. Contact us today to get started on your social media marketing plan!
- 89% of entrepreneurs rely on themselves for social media support.
- 70% of small business entrepreneurs use trial and error to learn how to do social media marketing.
- 53% of the respondents use Facebook as their primary platform, 27% Instagram, 16% Twitter, and just 3% on other platforms like Pinterest, TikTok, and Snapchat.
- 63% said they wanted to be on a platform they weren’t currently using, with TikTok being the most popular answer followed by Instagram and Twitter.
- The highest number of respondents felt advertising on Facebook brought the highest ROI.
- Small business owners targeting women were more than three times as likely to use Pinterest as those targeting men. Businesses targeting men were twice as likely to use Twitter.
- Those targeting older age groups are more likely to use Facebook while those targeting younger populations use Instagram.
- 58% of respondents spend money on social media marketing, with an average spending of $305 each month.
So, what can you glean from all this data? There are a large number of small businesses who have no idea what they are doing when it comes to social media marketing. There is also a learning curve that some businesses just can’t take the time to climb. There is no one right way to do social media marketing. However, if small businesses don’t execute social media marketing campaigns well, there can be lasting repercussions from those failed campaigns, including negative customer experiences and bad brand reputations. Small businesses cannot afford for potential customers to have negative impressions of their business! You can see the infographic and read more here.
Paladin Worldwide Management is here to help small businesses avoid those negative customer experiences. We have the tools and knowhow to help your small business put together a successful social media marketing campaign to drive new customers to you. Contact us today to get started on your social media marketing plan!
Check out last month's blogs here!