How to Turn Your Brand's Facebook into a Marketing Goldmine
This bundle includes everything you need to grow your business through the world's largest social network. January 9, 2020 2 min read Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you'll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. Facebook is one of the most important ad platforms in the world today. With more than 2.4 billion monthly active users, Facebook's community is a near-infinite fountain for marketers. Of course, you still have to know how to reach, engage with, and convert new audiences into valuable buyers of your goods or services. Not sure where to start? The Ultimate Facebook Marketing Certification Bundle can help you out. With seven courses and 30 hours of training, this extensive bundle will help you learn the basics of Facebook marketing and how to promote your brand, regardless of your business size. You'll learn how to use the Facebook Pixel and utilize retargeting to reach as many people on Facebook and Instagram with your ads as possible. You'll understand how to create effortless sales funnels and how to write compelling ad copy that will get people to click on your ads and grow your business. You'll even get a crash course in using live streaming through Facebook Video and Instagram Live to market your offerings. It's a comprehensive plan for building your business through social media. Sold separately, these courses would cost $1,400 but you can get them all in The Ultimate Facebook Marketing Certification Bundle for just $29.
6 Tools You Need to Boost Sales on Social Media
Social media channels are great for building brand recognition, improving your reputation, and increasing awareness of your products or services. But social selling, the term used for actually closing a sale on social media, takes a little extra effort. Research by Sprout Social found that among B2B marketers surveyed: 44% have generated leads through LinkedIn. 39% have generated leads through Facebook. 30% generate leads through Twitter. With the right tools and strategy, 89% of top-performing salespeople report that social networking sites are an important part of closing deals. These tools can help a salesperson convert a follower to a customer on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Nimble Nimble is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that powers up your social media channels for better social selling. The tool can be used to organize leads and keep track of your social media interactions, as well as emails and sales calls. Nimble syncs conversations across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more to show your sales team the complete communication history with an individual: from emails and messages to notes and calendar events. Use your social media channels to expand leads and initiate conversations. Once a lead becomes warmer, Nimble can help you move the conversation from a social media platform to in-person, eventually closing a sale. LinkedIn Sales Navigator LinkedIn Sales Navigator is one of the more popular social selling tools, and for good reason. Companies that use Sales Navigator see a 5% increase in win rates with 35% larger deals. It's the perfect match for a social media platform where users are already in business mode. Unlike sites like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is designed for professional networking. Sales Navigator makes it easy for your sales team to find, contact and build relationships with prospects, referrals and customers. Get lead recommendations, see key insights from your outreach efforts and personalize your outreach starting from LinkedIn's customizable templates. Sales Navigator can be expensive, however, with plans starting at $64.99/month and increasing from there. StoreYa If you're seeking to boost sales without much extra effort from your sales team, consider importing your existing online store to your social media channels. StoreYa lets you create a Facebook shop from scratch or import your existing store on Shopify, Magneto, Etsy or another e-commerce site to Facebook. You can collect payments directly and experiment with their native marketing tools, such as the group deal or scratch card games. It's relatively affordable, at $9.99/month. Like2Buy Curalate's Like2Buy makes your Instagram feed instantly shoppable, and it's beloved by influencers everywhere. Adding a Like2Buy link in your Instagram bio takes users to a storefront where products from your images have been tagged. Your followers can browse your content as well as influencer content or user-generated content, all in your gallery. Like2Buy is one of the more sophisticated selling tools on Instagram, with many big companies like Williams Sonoma and Nordstrom using it. IFTTT IFTTT stands for If This Then That. It's an elegant, simple integration that can make the lives of your sales employees that much easier. "The tool allows you to connect the technology apps and devices you use regularly to automate processes that not only improve your sales processes but also help you keep in touch with friends, stay healthy, improve productivity and more," writes Hatchbuck. Track conversations on sites like Twitter, Reddit and Facebook. Create alerts to help you find new leads, follow up with clients and stay on track with your to-do list. IFTTT is productivity, time management and relationship building, all in one. Native buy buttons There are a few benefits to using each platform's native "buy now" capability. First and foremost, these tools don't require added setup or a second subscription. When you use each social media platform's built-in sales tool, you gain access to the data and insights each platform is collecting on your followers. And, when you use a social media channel's e-commerce tool, your business gets added visibility and SEO benefits. Pinterest is one of the best platforms for converting a shopper to a customer. Pinterest's Rich Pins and Buyable Pins show each customer the price and availability of a product within the platform. Sales are free for the merchant, and mobile-optimized. Shopify reports that these tools have led to an average order value that's $50 higher than other social media platforms. Instagram introduced Shoppable Posts to compete with tools like Like2Buy. Their in-app purchase option lets businesses tag products on their feed; these tags display the price and lead directly to a product catalog. Then, users can tap through to shop your feed and go to the website for purchase. Unlike Like2Buy, there's no email capture, but Instagram's insights feature shows merchants information like click-through-rate and where users tapped for more product details. For more sales tips Published on: Jan 9, 2020
Facebook defies China headwinds with new ad sales push
By Paresh Dave and Katie Paul SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc <FB.O> is setting up a new engineering team in Singapore to focus on its lucrative China advertising business, according to three people familiar with the effort, even as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg ramps up criticism of a country that blocks the social network. The team at Facebook's Asia-Pacific headquarters is tasked with developing better ad-buying tools for Chinese customers who have to work around internet restrictions in China known as the "great firewall," the sources said. One of the people described it as Facebook's first significant attempt at developing regionally localized ads tools outside of its Silicon Valley headquarters, where China-related engineering work previously took place. Facebook confirmed the creation of the new team, describing it as having an "Asia-first" mission and consisting of both product and "business integrity" sub-teams. Its existence has not previously been reported. A spokeswoman said the team would serve "Asia as well as our global advertisers." Facebook sells more than $5 billion a year worth of ad space to Chinese businesses and government agencies looking to promote their messages abroad, analysts estimate. That makes China Facebook's biggest country for revenue after the United States, which delivered $24.1 billion in advertising sales in 2018. Zuckerberg once hoped Facebook could find a way to operate its social network in China, making a high-profile visit to the country in 2016 and vowing to learn Mandarin. Product managers went on "knowledge-exchange" trips to China, swapping expertise on app features and advertising tools with counterparts at companies like Tencent and Alibaba, one source said. The company's China dreams were ultimately dashed by ever-more-restrictive Chinese government internet policies, compounded by political and business tensions associated with the U.S.-China trade war. But Facebook remains eager to expand its China ad business, which boasts customers in industries including fashion, social media and gaming. With Beijing aware its businesses must operate beyond the "great firewall" to grow, Facebook is positioning itself as the conduit for them to reach global audiences. "Facebook is committed to becoming the best marketing platform for Chinese companies going abroad," Facebook wrote in Chinese on local social network WeChat in November. NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH Bytedance, the parent company of social media sensation TikTok, used Facebook's advertising tools to do exactly that. In late 2018, the company surged app-install ads on Facebook's ad network, becoming its biggest Chinese customer as it grew TikTok's footprint, a former Facebook employee said. It cut back drastically in 2019, to nearly nothing, according to previously unreported data from research company Sensor Tower. One source said TikTok calculated it had reached most people likely to use the app, so it shifted to building an ads business to compete against Facebook's. Graphic: Bytedance slows ad blitz on Facebook png, click https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/FACEBOOK-CHINA/0H001QXRVB3F/eikon.png A TikTok spokesman confirmed the trend, saying the company "significantly scaled back spending and refined its ad strategy, resulting in an increased return on investment and stickiness among new users." Now looking to smaller Chinese companies to grow sales, Facebook must ease access to its advertising tools and reassure customers worried about the political dynamics. "Small advertisers are wary of advertising with Facebook because Facebook is banned in China," one of the people said, adding that second- and third-tier cities with smaller businesses are key targets for the next phase of growth. The new Singapore team was seeded in the spring with a handful of senior engineers who moved from Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters, according to LinkedIn profiles and the people familiar with the move. One source described the team as being in the "tens" of people, with Hao Xu, a nearly 9-year veteran of Facebook who previously worked in the Growth unit, managing the effort, according to his LinkedIn profile. Facebook is betting proximity to regional competitors and sales staff will lead to better ads features, the person said. In addition to China, Facebook does significant business in Asian countries including Vietnam, India and Thailand that have various types of internet restrictions. Story continues The company also wants its engineering outpost to spot emerging trends, having determined the world's most interesting consumer technologies are being built in Asia, largely in China, one of the people said. TWO FACES ON CHINA Even while courting Chinese advertisers, Zuckerberg took an increasingly confrontational approach with Beijing in 2019, coinciding with scrutiny of Chinese apps in Washington and new pressures over U.S. antitrust investigations into Facebook. In March, he pledged not to build data centers in countries with "a track record of violating human rights like privacy or freedom of expression." By October, he specifically named China, saying "we could never come to agreement on what it would take for us to operate there." He also drew indignation on Chinese social media after accusing TikTok, which has emerged as a major U.S. rival, of censoring political protest, a charge the startup denies. But Facebook's China sales operations have forged ahead. In the last year Facebook has taken at least a dozen big Chinese clients on trips to India and the Middle East, and showed them data on local consumers to encourage them to market more in those regions rather than just in the United States, one of the people said. Raggy Lau, who runs Chinese small ad agency STERRY that works with 30 startups, told Reuters he expects to increase spend on Facebook in 2020 as bigger clients vie for its users. The new engineering team, meanwhile, will aim to ease access for Chinese advertisers and improve fraud detection systems, one of the people said. Facebook requires people buying ads to have one of its signature social media profiles. Clients in China can access barred overseas sites like Facebook through virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow internet users to change their browsing location to a different country. But some Chinese businesses are concerned about creating profiles in the face of censorship rules, so building a workaround that could eliminate the need for a VPN has emerged as a key priority. Greg Paull, principal at advertising consultancy R3, said his Chinese clients use brand spokespeople and online shops differently than Western clients. Facebook could also develop e-commerce tools for Chinese advertisers to organize influencers and set up storefronts, he said. (Reporting by Paresh Dave and Katie Paul; Additional reporting by Josh Horwitz and Yingzhi Yang; editing by Jonathan Weber and Edward Tobin)
4 Business Benefits Of Google Analytics
Google Analytics doesn’t just provide you with website insights, it’s incredibly valuable to the commercial success of your business. From marketing campaign optimisation through to budget allocation, let’s take a look at how Google Analytics can benefit your business. As the name suggests, this course is designed for beginners but may have valuable information for users of all levels. The course starts by introducing you to the best metrics to use to answer specific questions before delving into specific reports and tools that Google Analytics offers. From there, you’ll learn how to use GA to find conversion opportunities, analyze marketing campaigns, and better understand user behavior. It’s a crash course in how to think like an analyst in order to make smarter, more data-driven business insights. After six and a half hours of training, you’ll be ready to use GA to effectively grow a business.
Fishbat Shares 3 Google Analytics Tips That Can Help Improve Your Marketing Strategy
NEW YORK, July 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Creating an effective marketing strategy takes time, effort, and planning. Tailoring the marketing strategy to the business or product requires multiple different components and is specific to each case. Below are three Google analytic tips that can help improve your marketing strategy. Utilize the information availableUsing Google Analytics can be extremely beneficial for improving a marketing strategy, especially because offered within are statistics for the major areas a company should keep their attention focused on. Audience reach, interaction and investment are three areas that are all monitored through analytics. Using the details shared by Google Analytics can help you improve the next marketing strategy for your business. Audience Reach: Utilize the information available and find out who your audience is. These audience reports share detailed reports and findings about the audience your business is attracting. Dive into patron demographics and an overall overview of who your clientele is turning out to be. This can be useful when determining the most profitable audience to market towards within the next marketing strategy plan. Knowing who your targeted audience is can allow you to modify a marketing plan and rake in the most customers as possible. Interaction: View the custom report provided by Google and gain access to every single user flow/action. See how an audience is responding to you and your content, and how they interact with it online. While also being able to view the demographics of devices, using Google analytics as a source can document every movement they make while on the site and report it back to you. Based on this information, marketers such as Carola Jain, can make crucial changes to your next marketing plan. Determine what is successful for your business and where to make changes to improve areas which turn out to be less successful than anticipated. Investment: What source(s) brought the entire audience to your business? Google Analytics can see every piece of information regarding a user once they enter the site. See what web page they came from, whether it be a social media page or just from a search engine itself. Business owners, such as Carola Jain, can see complete details on how to invest in those sources and promote a growth in audience numbers. Investing money into an advertisement that attracted a large percentage of your audience may be the next step you may take after allowing google analytics to assist you in improving your marketing strategy. ABOUT FISHBAT: fishbat is a full-service digital marketing firm that takes a holistic business approach to their clients' digital marketing programs. The fishbat team understands the importance of business principles just as well as the nuances of the latest digital technologies. Fishbat NYC internet marketing firm offers every digital marketing service available from digital marketing research and planning to brand development to website and asset creation through social media management and search engine optimization programs - all custom calibrated for both B2B and B2C businesses. View original content:http://www.Prnewswire.Com/news-releases/fishbat-shares-3-google-analytics-tips-that-can-help-improve-your-marketing-strategy-300894218.Html
The Skills Needed For That New Marketing Job: Data Analytics
Of all the skills needed to land that coveted marketing job, your ability to analyze data is one of the most important. Modern employers are looking for marketers that can find, visualize, and take advantage of the patterns and trends in customer data, and there’s a severe shortage of data analysts across all industries. That makes this an optimal time to polish up your portfolio with some truly stunning examples of your analytics prowess. Don’t have any examples? It’s time to make some. Like so many other fields in the 21st century, marketing jobs have seen a complete shake-up of expected skill sets for candidates as new technology becomes available. Today, you’ll need to demonstrate not only the usual qualities expected of marketers—creativity, flexibility, and excellent time management—but also the ability to use consumer data to identify trends, visualize those trends, and use those trends to build successful strategies. In speaking with the founders of nine different startups, HubSpot picked out some key data-related skills employers are looking for when hiring for marketing jobs. Here are just a few examples of the things you’ll want to have on your resume the next time you apply for a new position: Working successfully with data across multiple platforms, such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite, HubSpot, and Salesforce Using data to measure individual, departmental, and organizational goals Tracking data when testing different creative approaches, then using it to choose the most effective ones One startup founder interviewed by HubSpot said that the number of “plug and play” digital tools has made it impossible for him to believe people applying for modern-day marketing jobs wouldn’t have at least foundational data analytics skills. That speaks not only to the urgent need for marketers to update our resumes with these skills, but also to something the American Marketing Association’s Vikas Mittel touched on back in 2017: that just having marketing dashboards, along with the basic understanding of what they do, is not really enough. Mittel says the value of these dashboards lives in marketers’ ability to read them critically and comprehensively to drive strategy. On a practical level, this means you should be prepared to defend any marketing decision you make based on insights you’ve drawn from your organization’s dashboard. In doing so, you should be able to point to specific visualizations of the data to address questions or concerns your colleagues might have. Having examples to demonstrate these skills in interviews is an excellent way to help you stand out from your competitors for marketing jobs. How to Add Data Analytics to Your Resume If you’re feeling a bit behind on your skill set after reading all that, don’t worry—having the data analytics skills needed for your next marketing job isn’t as far away as it seems! In as few as 8 weeks, Level from Northeastern University can get your resume where it needs to be for your promotion or career change with data analytics programs at the introductory and intermediate levels. For more information or to apply, go to leveledu.Com.
Trying to Promote Your Local Business? 4 Easy Facebook Video Ad Ideas
There’s a lot of marketing advice out there for online businesses. Whether you’re a retail business trying to drive sales online, a SaaS company trying to get leads or anything in between, there are plenty of articles, webinars and videos to get you pointed in the right direction.
But if you’re running a local business? Well, you kind of get the short end of the stick.
A lot of the marketing advice you see online really works best for online businesses with a national or worldwide presence. Local businesses, on the other hand, have much more specific needs and challenges. If you happen to be running a local business, you know exactly what I mean. Marketing as a local business online can be rough.
Fortunately, there are some proven ways to market your local business online. One of the best ways to do this is using video ads on Facebook.
Now, if you’re trying to market a local business, video advertising might seem a bit overwhelming. You probably don’t have a massive budget to work with or a dedicated marketing team to script, film and edit videos for your business. But, even without all those things, you can still make Facebook video ads work for you…if you know the right way to approach things.
In this article, we’re going to talk about 4 types of Facebook video ads that are relatively affordable and easy to create. More importantly, they are the exact sort of content that will help put your local business on the map!
1. Brand Story Ads
Local businesses have an intimate, neighborly feeling that chains like Wal-Mart or Wendy’s simply cannot hope to replicate. People buy into that feeling, which comes with a sense of community and exclusivity (“this is our store/restaurant/plumber/etc”).
Local businesses thrive because they meet needs in the local community. As a result, they feel like a part of the community—supporting local businesses feels like supporting the community.
This is a great angle to use in your online marketing. Local love to hear about why and how people in their community started a business, so creating a brand story video ad is a great way to get people to engage with your business.
If you’re not sure what your local business’s brand story is, here are a few questions to get you thinking:
Why did you decide to start your company?
What are your goals and passions?
How did you get started? What challenges did you overcome?
Who has your business helped in the local community?
What makes you different from the competition? Are your products hand-made? Do you offer a guarantee on your services that no one else can match? Do you have “behind-the-scenes” content that you can share?
With this sort of video, your goal isn’t so much to drive new customers to your door as it is to build awareness. If you do it right, people will come to check out your company, but even if they don’t show up in droves, you’re still making them aware of who you are and what you do.
For example, check out this brand awareness-building video.
As people become more familiar with your business (or if you’re already a household name), you can focus instead on content that makes people feel like you’re all on the same team.
As a quick example, here’s another video from the same business that focuses more on this angle.
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Unlike the first video, the appeal in this ad is more focused on logic than emotion. It helps explain why people should buy at their store—and not just because they’re local.
As a rule of thumb, brand story videos should be fairly short and to the point (30-60 seconds). Your goal is to build awareness and generate interest. You don’t have to explain every detail of your business or make every argument for why people should buy from you. If you build enough interest, they will come.
2. Testimonial Ads
What’s the best way to feel “local”? Feature local places, events and most importantly, people!
Testimonial ads are a particularly great choice for local business. Why? Because if you can get people in the community to review your business, it proves that you are actually a good, trustworthy business.
After all, unlike online reviews, testimonial ads for local businesses come from people in your community. If those people lie, they’ve got a lot more to lose than some random person on the internet.
Now, a good testimonial ad doesn’t have to be incredibly professional. In fact, because you’re a local business, sometimes lower production value can actually make your business seem more real and approachable.
In this video, the business does a great job of balancing professionalism with a feeling of authenticity.
In contrast to the brand story ad we mentioned earlier, though, testimonial ads aren’t a great way to build awareness for your business. They really only work if people already know about your business and need a little more convincing.
Combining a testimonial ad with a brand story ad can be a solid one-two punch combo, though. You start by running your brand story ad on Facebook and then create an audience based on people who have watched your ad for a certain amount of time. Then, you target those people with your testimonial ad.
Since they already know about your business, your testimonial will help your potential customers get even more interested in your business. All of a sudden, your company isn’t just a name anymore—it’s something they need to check out.
Testimonial ads are great, but they can get tiresome if you try to stuff too much content into one ad. In general, you want to keep them to 45-60 seconds. If you have more content than will fit in that time frame, create more ads.
3. FAQ Ads
One big challenge that chains often struggle with is a feeling of disconnectedness. No matter how important their question is, your average Joe can’t ask Jeff Bezos for help. The bigger the business, the more far off and aloof it seems.
Local businesses, on the other hand, feel very open and accessible. They might not be able to get the help they need from Amazon, but they can give your business a call and talk to a real person right away.
One easy way to help promote these sorts of feelings is to run FAQ ads. People always have questions, so answering those questions in a video ad makes your business seem in touch with and invested in its customers.
To make things even better, who asks questions? People who are thinking about making a purchase. If your video ad makes buying from you easy and comfortable, they’re probably going to choose you over a distant and disconnected competitor.
If you’re doing a good job of interacting with your customers, you should already have a fairly good idea of what questions to cover in this kind of video, but if you’re looking for ideas, you can often find them in the comments on your social media ads and posts.
How-to videos, FAQ videos and other video ads that help answer people’s questions are an ideal way to build trust with your potential customers. As with testimonial ads, these sorts of ads are best for customers who are already aware of your business and what it does. But, for those customers, this sort of ad can tip them from considering to buying very quickly.
4. Event Ads
Finally, another key advantage local businesses have over their global competitors is the ability to connect with the community through local events. Whether you sponsor an event yourself or participate in a larger event with other businesses, events are a great marketing opportunity—one that is particularly well-suited to Facebook video ads.
Before the event, you can piggyback off of announcing the event to talk about something relevant to your business (and your customers). During the event, you can snag a ton of footage that you can use after the event in ads showing how connected you are to the community.
For example, you might run an ad featuring a group of runners you sponsored at a local 5k that talks about how your business is committed to supporting the community (see the brand story ad above). Alternatively, you could include footage of your booth at a local event and talk about how your business has been an important part of the community for years.
In any case, a good event ad should be short, sweet and to the point (< 60 seconds). It’s not your job to get people to attend the event. Instead, the goal is to use people’s natural interest in local events to build awareness for your business and promote a sense of community.
Conclusion
While the big chains might have more resources than you do, they can’t connect with their customers the way a local business can. It feels good to support a local business—especially one that feels like a real part of the community.
As a local business, this is where you can really shine. Video advertising might seem intimidating, but you don’t have to match the production value of a big chain. Local customers don’t care about how polished their ad is. Instead, they want to feel like you’re a real, likeable, local business that they feel connected to.
Author: Jake Baadsgaard
Jacob Baadsgaard is the CEO of Disruptive Advertising. He is a passionate digital marketer and entrepreneur with 7 years of enterprise digital marketing experience. He personally managed over 40 million dollars in annual marketing budget and consulted many of the Inc. 100 companies while at Adobe, including groups like: GE,… View full profile ›
02
Senators create bogus Facebook group to show how easy it is to spread fake news
Two Democratic senators recently created a fictitious group to prove just how easy it is to target specific people with fake news.
Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota built a group on Facebook and named it "Americans for Disclosure Solutions" which has the acronym ADS. The senators then paid Facebook to show ads to journalists and staffers on the Hill. The news was first reported by Axios.
According to data provided to CNBC by Senator Warner's office, $20 was enough to reach 1,369 Hill staffers in under 24 hours. An additional $20 allowed the fake Facebook group to target 1,407 Washington, D.C.-based journalists, a spokesperson for the Senator's office explained.
"That's a pretty good ROI – you can see why this would be so appealing to the Russians, and anybody else who is trying to target Americans in order to sow division and discord," a spokesperson in Senator Warner's office told CNBC. "There are no existing policies in place to prevent running nefarious ads on Facebook. Despite registering ADS on Facebook as a "Political Organization," we were able to run an ad campaign without providing basic information necessary to ensure compliance with federal, state or local election laws, such as campaign contact information, candidate ID, etc."
"Online political advertising represents an enormous marketplace, and today there is almost no transparency. The Russians realized this, and took advantage in 2016 to spread disinformation and misinformation in an organized effort to divide and distract us," Senator Warner said. "Our bipartisan Honest Ads Act extends transparency and disclosure to political ads in the digital space. At the end of the day, it is not too much to ask that our most innovative digital companies work with us by exercising additional judgment and providing some transparency."
The Senators were making a point: They could easily create a group and spread any narrative without having to prove who they were or what they stood for. This is what Russian-linked operatives were allegedly doing ahead of and during the U.S. presidential campaign, and why Facebook, Google and Twitter representatives testified on Capitol Hill this week. The House Intelligence Committee recently published several of the ads that Russian-controlled groups were posting.
Facebook was not immediately available for comment.
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YouTube and Facebook are learning it’s not so easy to make shows people want to watch
As soon as Netflix hit it big with House of Cards, and Amazon followed suit with a breakout hit, Transparent, one tech giant after another started seeing dollar signs. Yahoo tried, and other legacy platforms like Facebook and YouTube likewise wanted a bite at the apple — the apple being the engagement and user stickiness that comes when you have a slate of original shows and programming that people want to watch.
When you do have that, users stick around on your platform longer, or at least that’s the idea. So executives started handing out checks, and the great content race began, until, one by one, companies started finding out that you can spend the money, but the hits don’t automatically follow.
We got a sense of that very reality in action this week via headlines out of YouTube and Facebook. Both companies have certainly dipped their toe in the original programming waters, with the former’s slate of YouTube Originals including a generally well-regarded first season of Cobra Kai, a sequel to the Karate Kid. Facebook, meanwhile, has started funding shows that include high-profile acting talent. Examples include Sorry For Your Loss, a drama starring Elizabeth Olsen about a grieving widow moving on with her life after the death of her husband — and which had all the production values, top-notch acting and quality writing that made this something you could have easily seen end up on a traditional cable network.
Here’s where we are, though. Both Netflix and to a lesser extent Amazon are still the examples that other tech giants look to when they try to get into this game. But at least for YouTube and Facebook, they’re now in the process of changing up their original content strategy in a big way.
For YouTube, it’s reportedly going to shift focus away from making people pay to watch its original shows. Rather than put them all under the company’s $12-per-month Premium subscription service, the company in the short term is going to have its originals include a mix of subscription- and ad-supported series. A YouTube representative told Variety as much — indeed, that its original shows and films may eventually be free for everyone to watch and include ads.
“As we look to 2019, we will continue to invest in scripted programming and shift to make our YouTube Originals ad-supported to meet the growing demand of a more global fanbase,” that statement reads. “This next phase of our originals strategy will expand the audience of our YouTube Original creators and provide advertisers with incredible content that reaches the YouTube generation.”
Facebook, meanwhile, is changing up its strategy in a different way. As kids shy away from the social media service that continues to lose the cachet now more readily inherent in services like Instagram, Facebook is likewise reportedly moving up the demographic scale in regards to its original programming. Said another way — Facebook will be making more programming for oldsters.
“Facebook’s YouTube competitor is pivoting to older audiences as teens tune out and publishers balk,” a CNBC headline on Monday blared.
Already, Facebook has spent more than $1 billion buying original shows and content like Sorry For Your Loss, as well as Queen America, a drama about the pageant world starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. That’s according to Variety, which also notes that about 50 million users in the US are viewing Facebook Watch content each month (Watch being the branded Facebook feature that its original shows fall under). The social media giant has said it’s trying to change the fact that its service still doesn’t have widespread name recognition.
All that said, it’s good to see YouTube and Facebook aren’t giving up on these efforts. It might sound corny to note, but it really is true that the winner here is me and you when companies like these tech giants dive into original programming, given that we have an abundance of content to watch and be entertained by.
Important Marketing Trends You Need to Embrace in 2020
Driving organic traffic to a website is one of the biggest challenges modern entrepreneurs face. The online search ecosystem changes at a rapid pace and keeping up with these changes can be difficult. Staying "in the know" regarding marketing trends is crucial when trying to create a competitive edge for your business.
Google is responsible for approximately 94 percent of all organic traffic. Failing to keep an eye on the changes this search engine juggernaut is making to its algorithms will come back to haunt you. Here are some of the most important marketing trends you need to embrace in the coming year.
The BERT Algorithm Upgrade
Google crawls millions of websites in an attempt to answer search queries consumers input into its system. This search engine uses a very sophisticated algorithm to both crawl websites and ranks them based on the content they contain. While most marketing professionals and tech-savvy entrepreneurs are familiar with Google's algorithm, many of them fail to realize it has undergone a significant update recently. The Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) helps Google understand search queries better.
In short, BERT provides guidance when it comes to interpreting nuances of the written word. So, what does this mean for business owners and marketing professionals? Basically, this algorithm update will force entrepreneurs to focus less on keywords and more on creating custom content for their target audience. Google will use BERT to better understand the content on your website and how it relates to a consumer's query.
The Power of the Featured Snippet
Answering consumer questions quickly and correctly is the basic mission statement of Google. When questions are asked in Google Search, a featured snippet will usually pop-up. This snippet is a block of text that appears above the search results. Getting your website in this coveted spot will require you to adopt a new approach to how you devise content.
When trying to land in the featured snippet spot, you need to answer the questions consumers have about industry-related topics. There are four basic types of featured snippets:
· Videos from YouTube
· Paragraphs of text
· Tables
· Numbered or bulleted lists
Approximately 99 percent of the featured snippets you see on a Google search engine result page will be websites who rank on the first page for the keyword. This is why anticipating the needs of your audience and writing content to meet these needs is so crucial to your continued search engine success in 2020.
Multi-Channel Marketing
The journey consumers take to reach your website vary based on several factors. Your main goal should be providing a comprehensive and consistent multi-channel marketing experience for consumers. Engaging with your audience on social media, via email and on their mobile devices is a wise idea. By creating a multi-channel marketing strategy, you can grow the size of your sales funnel. This will also help you to increase the number of valuable leads you generate via your online marketing efforts.
Information is Power
Now that you know more about the marketing trends set to take the world by storm in 2020, it is time to take action. If you want to find out more about BERT and how Google is shaking things up this year, be sure to read this article.
Published on: Jan 9, 2020
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
02
Will Instagram Be the Most Important Social Marketing Channel in 2020?
What does the future of Instagram look like in 2020? Will it become the most important social channel, or will it lose out to emerging social channels? How will the latest updates impact the Instagram 2020 trends for marketing? Let’s find out.
Instagram (IG) has seen an explosion in growth, with over a billion active users on the platform. Here are a few of the latest features from Instagram that showcase how Instagram caters to users' expectations of privacy, safety, fresh content, and seamless experiences.
CONTENT THAT CONNECTS: WHY INFLUENCER MARKETING IS THE FUTURE OF GEN Z ENGAGEMENT
Gen Z is a business opportunity you can’t afford to miss. As 40% of the population commanding upwards of $40 billion in spending power, modern marketers need to build compelling strategies to engage with Gen Z.
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Instagram Reels: According to a TechCrunch report, Instagram launched Reels (Cenas) in Brazil. It is a video-music remix feature for users to make short video clips (just like TikTok), which can be shared on Stories. The music for these videos, remixes, or memes can be added from a huge available catalog.
Giving users more control over the data they share with third-party services. According to Instagram Press (October 2019), "you’ll have the option to remove any third-party services you no longer want connected to your Instagram account. When you remove a third-party service, they will no longer have access to new data on your account."
Removing like counts: Instagram began testing how removing like counts impacted users and marketers’ perception of content; in July 2019, for seven countries. IG has started experimenting with the removal of like counts in the U.S. too; according to Wired.
Reducing inauthentic activity on Instagram. In November, IG began purging fake engagement (likes, follows, and comments) from accounts that used third-party apps to boost popularity.
Instagram Threads – a camera first messaging app. Instagram launched Threads in October this year where users can share their everyday moments, Stories, visual messages (photos, videos, etc.) with their Close Friends and a select list of people in a dedicated, private space.
Landscape videos for IGTV. While IGTV is yet to gain traction, Instagram started supporting landscape videos (in addition to vertical) for a better experience for both viewers and content creators.
@shop account was launched for small businesses and creators to help users discover emerging brands based on their interests in various categories like fashion, beauty, home decor, etc.
New designs for the Explore tab. IG updated the Explore tab for users to be able to discover relevant content tailored to their interests, bring in more immersive shopping and IGTV experiences, and personalized Stories recommendations.
Instagram Checkout was introduced to enable convenient in-app shopping experiences for a product users liked on a brand's shopping post.
But, what does all this mean for marketers?
How will these changes impact marketing trends on Instagram in 2020?
Let's dive deeper.
Learn More: Social Media Trends 2019: Are Instagram and Pinterest the New Social Media Darlings for Marketers?
6 Instagram 2020 Marketing Trends
The future of Instagram in 2020 is bright. Instagram can anticipate users’ needs and expectations and deliver exactly what users are looking for – be it privacy, authentic content, or seamless experiences. IG users are not going anywhere. Instagram in 2020, therefore, presents a tremendous opportunity for marketers.
1.Resurgence of influencer marketing
It is yet to be seen how the purge of fake accounts has impacted the offenders. But user and advertiser trust in influencers has declined. Even though most influencers, are a victim of bots and fake accounts. However, businesses as well as users are now looking for fresh and organic content.
Instagram 2020 will see influencer marketing go organic. Users will ‘trust’ their peers or micro-influencers to make a purchase decision. Micro or nano-influencers will be a safer bet for businesses, as they will be able to offer fresh, authentic content to a targeted audience at much lower costs.
Another ironical trend to watch out for is the rising popularity of virtual influencers on Instagram. Popular brands like KFC, Yoox, Balmain have created virtual influencers to promote their products and surprisingly they have 3X more engagement than real influencers, according to HypeAuditor. There could be many reasons for the rise of virtual influencers. Firstly, users are tired of fake content and since they ‘already know’ these influencers are virtual they tend to ‘believe’ them more. Secondly, as it’s a novel concept it has attracted attention. Lastly, advertisers find an initial cost of design and creation of virtual influencers with low recurring costs as attractive.
Instagram 2020: Virtual Influencers have higher engagement rates. Source: HypeAuditor
2.Quality content for quality engagement
Hiding likes is an experiment that will make higher value engagement imperative for marketers. This will push content creators to craft content that drives active engagement like comments and shares, instead of mere likes. The focus will now be on fresh, genuine content and authentic followers (for influencers). Moreover, comments and discussions will serve as social proof, which is absolutely crucial to capture the interest of prospective customers.
Also, giving users control over third party-apps and weeding out companies selling inauthentic engagement will help build user confidence in the platform, brands, and content creators. Quality content will drive deeper meaningful connections – a win-win for users and marketers alike.
3. User-Generated Content will gain prominence
Instagram monitors and anticipates competition well and doesn’t shy away from ‘adapting’ to the hottest trends. From ‘Stories’ to ‘Reels’, Instagram has been proactive in replicating and integrating what’s popular in the space.
The popularity of TikTok has reshaped the social media marketing strategy for many brands. With the launch of Reels will result in user-generated marketing content gaining more traction on Instagram. You can expect brands to launch contests or invite users and loyal customers to be creative with video content and share it to promote their products.
4. Stories offer a huge promotional opportunity
The updated Explore tab will personalize the Instagram 2020 experience for users. This will show content (images and Stories) which best fit user preferences. Insta Stories offer huge promotional opportunities for marketers as they can showcase product offerings in alignment with users’ interests. According to SocialMediaToday, 77% of marketers plan to use Instagram Stories in the future.
The Threads feature for now is private to users, but once it gains in popularity, we can expect personalized ads on Threads as well.
Instagram story trends graphic
Stories are the Future of Instagram 2020. Source: SocialMediaToday
Learn More: How to Market on Social Media: Genius Pinterest and Instagram Marketing Tips for 2019
5. The convergence of content and shopping experiences will boost conversions
Instagram has merged the content and shopping experiences to make product discovery and on-platform buying convenient and seamless for users.
“When you go to Explore, you’ll now see a newly designed navigation bar, which features shortcuts to IGTV and Shopping followed by topic channels tailored to your interests, such as Food, Art and Travel. “IGTV” and “Shop” shortcuts are pinned to the front of the bar, making it easier to find products and videos from brands and creators you love,” - Instagram Press.
@shop accounts are a great way to combine content and product catalogs to organically reach out to interested buyers. Also, Instagram Shoppable posts can be featured in Explore to create immersive shopping experiences in the app and boost reach and engagement. With the Checkout feature, users don’t have to worry about leaving the app or filling in personal details (needs to be done once) to complete their purchase. Converging content and shopping experiences will eventually boost conversions, motivate impulse buyers, and in turn improve your return on Instagram investment.
6. IGTV for long-form video content
IGTV hasn’t been as popular as the platform’s other features, but it is being updated to better fit both users’ need for immersive experiences and creators’ demand of horizontal (landscape) format. It is yet to be seen if this helps IGTV gain more users but one thing is certain: Videos are and will remain a significant part of Instagram experiences.
We will see a healthy mix of snackable short videos in Reels, advertising videos with Stories, and long-form content for in-depth, compelling content.
Learn More: Ad Spend on Instagram Stories Has Grown by 70% Over Q3 2019, Reports Socialbakers
What Is the Future of Instagram in 2020?
Instagram may witness competition from the likes of TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, etc. but with more than a billion active users, over 25 million businesses, and expected revenue of 14 billion dollars, the future of Instagram for marketing looks bright.
This is mainly due to Instagram’s ability to anticipate users’ needs, prioritize their trust, keep abreast of competition, and leverage current trends.
We think Instagram 2020 will still be marketers’ favorite platforms to reach out to their audiences and create amazing shopping experiences.
What is your Instagram 2020 strategy? Tell us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook; we’re always listening!
03
How to Effectively Use Marketing Content in the Mid-Funnel
“Content is king” used to be a popular phrase. But as it began to die out from marketing seminars and blogs, content—ironically—became more important than ever.
This especially applies to sales. Most people familiar with acquisition know there must always be a start to the customer journey and the all-important end (the sale). However, placing your reliance on these two points alone is a sure-fire way to decrease conversions.
This approach forgets the all-important mid-funnel. it may just look like the path from A to B, but what goes on between the intrigue and conversion stages can make or break a company. That is why it is important to harness the potential of content in this often-overlooked gap in the consumer sales funnel.
So, how can you use content more effectively in the mid-funnel?
Clearly Define the Mid-Funnel
The mid-funnel is the area of your sales process where leads have been generated, identified with means of contact, and qualified as worth chasing. The content in the mid-funnel is what bridges the gap between the top-funnel introductions and intrigue and the conversion at the bottom of the funnel.
In B2B marketing, the mid-funnel is arguably the most important space for businesses. The sales cycles in B2B are more complex than B2C, which are more focused on customer-relationship management. Prospects of B2B products and services require nurturing, proving that you are a knowledgeable in the required sector, but also trustworthy.
The goal is to create content for this mid-funnel phase that helps leads evaluate your brand, separating your company from your competitors in the same space, always with the aim of guiding prospects through the funnel to conversion.
Every piece of content should be persuasive, educational and highly targeted. Unlike top-funnel content that casts a wide net for a broader reach among your target audience, mid-funnel content is tailored to address specific issues of segmented groups.
Types of Mid-Funnel Content
Newsletters: This isn’t a generic newsletter that features a little of everything for everyone. Instead, those leads in the mid-funnel should be put into segmented lists. They should then be targeted with emails crafted to their needs and interests. For example, if you offer digital asset management and sales enablement software, identify which prospects are interested in which product, then send them newsletters only related to that service.
eBooks: These are long-form digital booklets that are usually heavily data-led and centered around a specific topic. This type of material can be great for generating top-funnel leads. More importantly, it can demonstrate your company’s knowledge on a particular subject, checking the box of helping prospects evaluate your brand and educating them.
Case Studies: A case study is as effective as a positive review or testimonial. Prospects are able to see for themselves the process of your work and the ROI achieved for businesses in a similar industry to them.
Other articles you might enjoy:
Increase the Credibility and Value of Your Sales Reps
The middle of the funnel is a high-pressure environment for the sales team. Reps must increase conversions at each stage of the customer journey to hit their targets, and because of this their focus is usually on selling and ultimately the bottom line.
This, however, can mean they’re busy chasing the sale instead of delivering value, which for B2C may be excusable, but in B2B, where nurturing is key, this approach could see prospects swiftly drop out.
Great mid-funnel content—like thought leadership pieces from senior managers—helps sales reps to continually deliver value and boosts their credibility. Ensure your sales team and marketing team are working together closely. The sales team can provide feedback on which material has been effective in converting mid-funnel leads into bottom-funnel customers.
Training is also key. If your sales reps are not fully informed on what it is you offer, how can you expect them to effectively answer the queries of leads or even sell the features of your product? Provide training for every new recruit on your products and services—especially how they may benefit different targets.
This level of knowledge will increase the credibility of your sales team, building trust with consumers.
Demonstrate You Understand Your Customers’ Needs
Another challenge sales reps face mid-funnel is the ability to connect with their prospects. Often, potential customers are weighing their options and “shopping around,” and reps are competing against competitors to seal the deal.
Effective mid-funnel content helps reps fend off rivals when it demonstrates that the rep, and your business, understand the prospect. The reps need to demonstrate that they know the problems consumers face in their industry and they can relate to them; carefully constructed content then enables reps to sell your product as the solution.
This is why case studies are popular mid-funnel pieces of content. Sales reps are armed with fully-formed examples of the product in use within different sectors. They can either explain the gist of the case study over the phone to prospects or simply send out the case study to the relevant contacts.
Vary Your Content
To connect with prospects mid-funnel, you also need to vary your content to prevent your communication from getting stale. Remember that B2B conversions can be a long process; there will definitely be more than one interaction with prospects. Generic and repetitive content at this stage can feel impersonal and turn customers away.
Evergreen content—like “top 10” and “how to” stories—is works as the occasional placeholder, but ideally, you should be as specific and relevant to the needs and goals of the prospect as possible. For example, instead of creating “top 10 ways to market your business,” why not create, “10 marketing strategies for finance start-ups?”
The first title is generic and could apply to any business, yet the tips will only be relevant to a handful. The second title lays out that it is providing marketing strategies specifically chosen to benefit a finance start-up. It is less likely to feature influencer marketing and big budget campaigns and more likely to focus on thought leadership pieces and getting comments featured in start-up publications.
Make sure your content covers all the different personas and verticals you target. Change up the layouts and formats depending on the different devices and screens a prospect may be viewing. Experiment with different media types. A video Q&A about your service may work better than an eBook on some verticals, whereas a text-heavy whitepaper will be preferred by others.
Use Technology to Help Distribute and Review Content
Finally, technology can support how you distribute content mid-funnel. It can help determine which pieces are your most effective and which are unsuccessful.
In Gartner’s CMO Spend Survey 2018-2019, 34% of CMOs selected ‘Martech acquisition and use’ as the most important area of spend when asked, “what are the most vital capabilities supporting marketing strategy delivery over the next 18 months?”
Sales Enablement Software can help you understand if your messaging is getting people to engage with the content your reps are sharing by tracking open rates and click-through rates. It can give your reps the ability to tailor content specifically to their prospects and craft a highly personalized, dynamic customer journey.
This type of software also provides the feedback and analytics you need to see who is interested in what you’re sharing. It helps you to reach invisible decision makers and gives your content/marketing team an idea of what’s most effective for your strategy moving forward.
How Facebook’s Ad In Teen Vogue Came Back To Haunt It
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How Facebook’s ad in Teen Vogue came back to haunt it
It’s hard to control the narrative, even when you’re Facebook
By Casey Newton@CaseyNewton Jan 9, 2020, 6:00am EST Share this story
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Today Facebook appeared at a Congressional hearing about synthetic and manipulated media, and so it was only fitting that the day was consumed by confusion over whether the company had placed a flattering article in Teen Vogue to manipulate the media.
“How Facebook Is Helping Ensure the Integrity of the 2020 Election,” a 2,000-word question-and-answer session with five women working at Facebook to protect it from election interference, appeared this morning on the website of Condé Nast’s popular portal for young people. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg called it a “great piece.”
Unusually for an American publication, the article appeared without a byline. More unusually, after the article appeared and raised questions among some reporters, it was slapped with a “sponsored content” label. Then Teen Vogue removed the sponsored content label, and then Teen Vogue pulled the article from its website altogether.
Facebook initially insisted that the article had been an act of journalism rather than sponsored content, and that the sponcon label had been applied by an overzealous copyeditor. Teen Vogue’s only comment on the subject was a reply to a reader who, on Twitter, had asked “What is this?”, to which someone with the magazine’s Twitter credentials responded “literally idk.”
Then that tweet got deleted.
Hours later, The Daily Beast’s Max Tani got a statement from the magazine:
Teen Vogue statement: "We made a series of errors labeling this piece, and we apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We don’t take our audience’s trust for granted, and ultimately decided that the piece should be taken down entirely to avoid further confusion."
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) January 8, 2020
Regrettably, the statement caused further confusion. (Condé Nast didn’t respond to my request for comment.)
In the grand conclusion to the day’s events, Facebook itself reversed course and revealed that ... The sponcon was sponcon after all! “We had a paid partnership with Teen Vogue related to their women’s summit, which included sponsored content. Our team understood this story was purely editorial, but there was a misunderstanding.”
On one hand, of course, all of this is very silly. Sponsored or not, the Teen Vogue piece didn’t break a lot of new ground on the old platforms-and-democracy beat. The world will survive this exchange having been scrubbed from the web:
Q: Why did encouraging voting become common practice of for-profit media platforms, particularly Facebook?
Facebook is about shared experiences, and the chance to use your voice. So is voting.
On the other, there are a few lessons to be drawn here.
One, Teen Vogue clearly did not hold up whatever its end of the bargain with Facebook had been. People would have rolled their eyes at a properly disclosed paid advertorial, but publications have survived worse.
Two, Facebook probably erred by commissioning sponsored content about platform integrity. The thing about your integrity efforts is that you want to promote them with, you know, integrity. Slipping them into online magazines as articles with a small-font disclosure that the thing was bought and paid for undermines the very credibility you were hoping to bolster. Especially if the magazine screws up and forgets to disclose!
The whole reason you run sponsored content is control: you script the questions and edit the answers to your liking. But sometimes what looks like control is only an illusion. Today Facebook learned that the hard way.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
Trending down: Researchers discovered serious security vulnerabilities in TikTok that would have allowed hackers to manipulate user data and reveal personal information. The company fixed the flaws less than a month after they were discovered.
Governing
⭐ Just three days after Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, the president’s reelection campaign began running hundreds of Facebook ads praising him for ordering the killing. As of Tuesday, Facebook had taken down a few dozen of the ads, some of which appeared to violate the site’s policy against using fake buttons in ads. Alex Kantrowitz at BuzzFeed has the story:
“Thanks to the swift actions of our Commander-in-Chief, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani is no longer a threat to the United States, or to the world,’’ read one ad. “Take the Official Trump Military Survey TODAY to let me know what you think of my leadership as Commander-in-Chief.”
The survey, meant to collect contact information for future outreach, contained questions like “Do you stand by President Trump in his decision to take out the very dangerous Iranian terrorist leader, Qassem Soleimani?” At the end, it asks respondents for their name, zip code, email, and phone number. Those who provided their phone number, according to a footnote, consented to receive texts, automated calls, and phone calls from the president’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee.
Trump’s threats against Iran on Twitter are the latest example of the president seemingly promoting violence, in violation of Twitter’s rules. The rules, notably, don’t apply to politicians unless they threaten individuals or incite hatred against particular nationalities, which is why Trump’s remarks have gone unpunished. (Emily Birnbaum / The Hill)
Twitter suspended an account impersonating a New York Post reporter after it sent out a series of fake stories promoting pro-Iranian regime propaganda and attacking adversaries of the Islamic Republic. (Adam Rawnsley / The Daily Beast)
A misinformation campaign that states the bushfires in Australia are the result of arson — not climate change — is circulating on social media. (Brian Kahn / Gizmodo)
Kuwait’s state news agency said its Twitter account was hacked and used to spread false information about US troops withdrawing from the country. It’s unclear who may be responsible for a hack. (Colin Lecher / The Verge)
How a misleading video of former vice president Joe Biden spread around the internet, from verified accounts on Twitter, to 4chan, Facebook and Reddit. (Nick Corasaniti / The New York Times)
One of the people who helped draft the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) wrote an op-ed about why the law might not be as effective as people think. Without proper enforcement, she says, the regulation is “largely toothless.” (Mary Stone Ross / Fast Company)
TikTok updated its content guidelines to spell out categories of videos that aren’t allowed on its platform. The new categories include videos that glorify terrorism, show illegal drug use, feature violent, graphic or dangerous content or seek to peddle misinformation that’s designed to deceive the public in an election. (Tony Romm and Drew Harwell / The Washington Post)
Amazon-owned home security camera company Ring fired employees for watching customer videos, according to a letter the company wrote to Senators. The news highlights a risk across many different tech companies: employees may abuse access granted as part of their jobs to look at customer data or information. (Joseph Cox / Vice)
Industry
⭐ Misinformation surrounding the new Star Wars movie shows how much power online communities now have to control the cultural conversation. Ryan Broderick at BuzzFeed explains:
The misinformation and anger inside the Star Wars fandom is what happens after decades of corporatization and anonymous decentralized networking. It is a glimpse of a future in which anxieties over the motives of the megacorporations that drive our culture — down to our very mythologies — set off conflicts between warring information tribes who inhabit their own artificial narratives. What began with small but vocal insurgent online communities like 4chan or the alt-right has now come for the mainstream.
Except there is no “mainstream” culture — just as there is no central Star Wars fandom anymore. Today, popular culture is just Gamergates of varying size.
Twitter announced that it’s going to allow users to limit replies directly from the compose screen. It’s part of a new setting called “conversation participants” that the company announced at CES. (Dieter Bohn / The Verge)
Paul Zimmer, a disgraced TikTok star who left social media nearly two years ago, is trying to reinvent himself online with an entirely new identity. Zimmer went dark in 2017 after fans accused him of soliciting gifts in exchange for shout outs that never actually materialized. (Sarah Manavis / The New Statesman)
Twitch hasn’t become the advertising powerhouse that Amazon hoped it would be. The steaming company brought in about $230 million in ad revenue in 2018, and was on track to bring in about $300 million last year, which was far short of an internal goal of between $500 million and $600 million that year. (Priya Anand / The Information)
And finally...
On TikTok, LGBTQ youth role play as future President Pence’s conversion therapy campers. This Joseph Longo piece is honestly more nihilistic than funny, but if you like your comedy pitch-dark you might enjoy these incredibly charming queer youth.
These days, the coolest place to be on TikTok is a conversion-therapy camp run by Vice President Mike Pence. At Camp Pence, everything is free — from the electric full-body “massage chairs” to the signature bleach drinks. But most importantly, it’s invite-only. Because to get into Camp Pence, you have to identify as a queer youth facing discrimination for your identity. (Per Snopes, Pence infamously supported using federal funds to treat people “seeking to change their sexual behavior” during his 2000 congressional run, which many have interpreted as support for conversion therapy.)
I need a drink.
Talk to us
Send us tips, comments, questions, and your favorite Teen Vogue articles: casey@theverge.Com and zoe@theverge.Com.
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How To Spot Deceptive Drug Injury Ads Like The Ones Facebook Just Disabled
Some ads can be more than misleading – they can put your health at risk.
Last year, ads paid for by law firms and legal referral companies started cropping up on Facebook. Typically, they linked Truvada and other HIV-prevention drugs with severe bone and kidney damage.
But like a lawsuit, these assertions do not always reflect the consensus of the medical community. They also do not take into account the benefit of the drug or how often the side effects occur.
On Dec. 30, Facebook said it disabled some of the ads after more than 50 LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS groups signed an open letter to Facebook condemning them for “scaring away at-risk HIV negative people from the leading drug that blocks HIV infections.”
Based on our research involving televised drug injury ads, advocacy groups are right to raise the alarm about how these ads might affect important health decisions.
Although drug injury ads are selling legal services, that’s rarely obvious, making it harder for consumers to invoke their usual skepticism toward medical information from lawyers.
Here are a few deceptive tactics we noticed in the Facebook Truvada ads, which you can also spot in drug injury advertisements more broadly.
Ads in disguise
Advertisements in this genre sometimes masquerade as other types of content, like public service announcements or local news. For example, a series of identical Truvada-related ads sponsored by “Lawsuit Watch” and “Advocate Alliance Group” prominently featured video from a local news story.
This clever but ultimately misleading tactic is known within the marketing literature as an “Omega strategy,” in which the advertiser tries to “redefine the sales interaction” to disguise its pitch. It’s like when insurance companies offer to “assess your personal risk,” when they’re really just trying to sell you insurance.
An example of Facebook ads about HIV-prevention drug Truvada. Screenshot by author of Facebook ad bank
An example of Facebook ads about HIV-prevention drug Truvada. Screenshot by author of Facebook ad bank
Similarly, these legal advertisers appear to be educating patients but their true goal is to sign you up for a lawsuit – and most likely sell your name to a lawyer looking for clients.
What makes the ad even more complex to process is that embeds actual local news footage, which mostly consists of reporting allegations from a lawsuit.
By using news broadcasters to deliver their claims, the advertiser enhances the message’s credibility, which makes it less likely that consumers will critically analyze the content.
Who sponsored this?
Drug injury ads can also mislead when the sponsors are not clearly identifiable as for-profit legal referral businesses.
For example, some Truvada-related ads that Facebook removed were sponsored by “A Case for Women,” whose name suggests an advocacy organization. The Facebook page for this entity does little to clear up this misapprehension. It’s only when you track down its website that you get a whiff of legalese, with references to a “free consult” and the advice to “take action (legal or otherwise)” for “life-changing financial compensation.” Even then, the information is presented in the name of “Women Empowerment,” along with inspirational pictures and blog posts.
READ: What Trump’s PrEP deal means for the spread of HIV
The same kind of confusion can arise from ad sponsors with names like “Lawsuit Watch” and “Advocate Alliance Group.”
It’s not obvious that this ad sponsor is a legal referral agency soliciting consumers to sue drug manufacturers. Facebook ad bank
It’s not obvious that this ad sponsor is a legal referral agency soliciting consumers to sue drug manufacturers. Facebook ad bank
Consumers are misled when advertisers do not clearly disclose their status as law firms or for-profit legal referral businesses. In one experiment for a study published last year, we showed consumers different versions of drug injury TV ads. Around 25% of consumers did not recognize drug injury advertising as such when the sponsor was not clearly revealed, compared with 15% when an attorney was prominently featured. By contrast, only 2% of consumers misidentified the source of a pharmaceutical ad.
This confusion appears to alter how consumers process information found in the ads. Those who were shown the more deceptive drug injury ad perceived the featured drug to be riskier, expressed a greater reluctance to take the drug and were more likely to question their doctor about the medication.
When you’re dealing with medication that prevents a life-threatening virus like HIV, transparency is essential.
Attention-getting claims
Drug injury advertisements also commonly include stark language and imagery like “consumer alert,” “medical alert” or “warning.” This language is used to capture a viewer’s attention. We have found that drug injury advertisements with more graphic descriptions of side effects inflate perceptions of risk.
These ads characterize Truvada as dangerous. Facebook ad bank
These ads characterize Truvada as dangerous. Facebook ad bank
Language of this sort can be found in the Facebook ads about Truvada. Some ads are framed as a “Truvada NRTIs Drug Alert,” claiming that “the manufacturers had a safer drug & kept it secret all while they kept selling the dangerous one.”
But as the authors of the open letter to Facebook point out, characterizing this particular drug as unsafe is not accurate, particularly when compared with the obvious harm of HIV infection.
Moreover, framing ads in this way is not necessary. Advertisers could instead state they are looking for individuals who have experienced the listed side effects without portraying the ad as an “alert” that the drug is “dangerous.”
Better regulation
These types of ads have been almost entirely unregulated until recently.
The Federal Trade Commission, which regulates advertising, declined to act for many years. But in September, the agency issued a letter to seven law firms and legal referral companies warning them that their advertising is deceptive, suggesting it may be finally changing its tune.
And although states regulate legal advertising through attorney ethics rules, our past research found no examples in which a lawyer was disciplined for misleading drug injury ads.
The last line of defense, then, is Facebook itself, through its ad policies. Beyond blocking misleading ads, our research suggests that clear disclaimers can help to reduce – but not eliminate – consumer confusion.
Ultimately, it’s up to federal and state regulators to treat drug injury advertisements as a matter of public health and require advertisers to present medical information in a way that helps, rather than misleads, consumers.
The Conversation
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
“Warts And All”: Facebook Will Continue To Allow Politicians To Lie In Their Ads
Jan. 10, 2020, 10:25 a.M.
Plus: YouTube would radicalize even without its algorithm, Reddit bans fakes both deep and cheap, and Facebook will let you dial down political ads.
The growing stream of reporting on and data about fake news, misinformation, partisan content, and news literacy is hard to keep up with. This weekly roundup offers the highlights of what you might have missed.
Facebook’s announcement this week that it’s banning deepfakes ahead of the 2020 election didn’t exactly leave people cheering, especially since it also repeated that it will continue to allow politicians and political campaigns to lie on the platform (a decision “largely supported” by the Trump campaign and “decried” by many Democrats, in The New York Times’ phrasing).
“People should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all,” Facebook said in a blog post.
Federal Election Commissioner Ellen Weintraub:
But this shouldn’t be framed as a partisan issue, argued Alex Stamos, the former chief security officer at Facebook who is now at Stanford.
Facebook is also adding a feature that lets people choose to see fewer political ads. From the company’s blog post:
Seeing fewer political and social issue ads is a common request we hear from people. That’s why we plan to add a new control that will allow people to see fewer political and social issue ads on Facebook and Instagram. This feature builds on other controls in Ad Preferences we’ve released in the past, like allowing people to see fewer ads about certain topics or remove interests.
Meanwhile, in the week that Facebook banned deepfakes — but not the much more common “cheapfakes” or other kinds of manipulated media — Reddit banned both. The updated rule language:
Do not impersonate an individual or entity in a misleading or deceptive manner.
Reddit does not allow content that impersonates individuals or entities in a misleading or deceptive manner. This not only includes using a Reddit account to impersonate someone, but also encompasses things such as domains that mimic others, as well as deepfakes or other manipulated content presented to mislead, or falsely attributed to an individual or entity. While we permit satire and parody, we will always take into account the context of any particular content.
TikTok also clarified some of its content moderation rules this week.
Also this week, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism released a report surveying 233 “media leaders” from 32 countries. They believe that, of the platforms, Twitter is doing the best job of combatting misinformation, and Facebook is doing the worst. Still, even Twitter had only 41 percent of respondents saying the job they were doing was “average” or better:
Becca Lewis, who researches media manipulation and political digital media at Stanford and Data & Society, argues in FFWD (a Medium publication about online video) that “YouTube could remove its recommendation algorithm entirely tomorrow and it would still be one of the largest sources of far-right propaganda and radicalization online.”
“When we focus only on the algorithm, we miss two incredibly important aspects of YouTube that play a critical role in far-right propaganda: celebrity culture and community,” Lewis writes. From her article:
When a more extreme creator appears alongside a more mainstream creator, it can amplify their arguments and drive new audiences to their channel (this is particularly helped along when a creator gets an endorsement from an influencer whom audiences trust). Stefan Molyneux, for example, got significant exposure to new audiences through his appearances on the popular channels of Joe Rogan and Dave Rubin.
Importantly, this means the exchange of ideas, and the movement of influential creators, is not just one-way. It doesn’t just drive people to more extremist content; it also amplifies and disseminates xenophobia, sexism, and racism in mainstream discourse. For example, as Madeline Peltz has exhaustively documented, Fox News host Tucker Carlson has frequently promoted, defended, and repeated the talking points of extremist YouTube creators to his nightly audience of millions.
Additionally, my research has indicated that users don’t always just stumble upon more and more extremist content — in fact, audiences often demand this kind of content from their preferred creators. If an already-radicalized audience asks for more radical content from a creator, and that audience is collectively paying the creator through their viewership, creators have an incentive to meet that need…
All of this indicates that metaphor of the “rabbit hole” may itself be misleading: it reinforces the sense that white supremacist and xenophobic ideas live at the fringe, dark corners of YouTube, when in fact they are incredibly popular and espoused by highly visible, well-followed personalities, as well as their audiences.
This bundle includes everything you need to grow your business through the world's largest social network. January 9, 2020 2 min read Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you'll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. Facebook is one of the most important ad platforms in the world today. With more than 2.4 billion monthly active users, Facebook's community is a near-infinite fountain for marketers. Of course, you still have to know how to reach, engage with, and convert new audiences into valuable buyers of your goods or services. Not sure where to start? The Ultimate Facebook Marketing Certification Bundle can help you out. With seven courses and 30 hours of training, this extensive bundle will help you learn the basics of Facebook marketing and how to promote your brand, regardless of your business size. You'll learn how to use the Facebook Pixel and utilize retargeting to reach as many people on Facebook and Instagram with your ads as possible. You'll understand how to create effortless sales funnels and how to write compelling ad copy that will get people to click on your ads and grow your business. You'll even get a crash course in using live streaming through Facebook Video and Instagram Live to market your offerings. It's a comprehensive plan for building your business through social media. Sold separately, these courses would cost $1,400 but you can get them all in The Ultimate Facebook Marketing Certification Bundle for just $29.
6 Tools You Need to Boost Sales on Social Media
Social media channels are great for building brand recognition, improving your reputation, and increasing awareness of your products or services. But social selling, the term used for actually closing a sale on social media, takes a little extra effort. Research by Sprout Social found that among B2B marketers surveyed: 44% have generated leads through LinkedIn. 39% have generated leads through Facebook. 30% generate leads through Twitter. With the right tools and strategy, 89% of top-performing salespeople report that social networking sites are an important part of closing deals. These tools can help a salesperson convert a follower to a customer on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Nimble Nimble is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that powers up your social media channels for better social selling. The tool can be used to organize leads and keep track of your social media interactions, as well as emails and sales calls. Nimble syncs conversations across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more to show your sales team the complete communication history with an individual: from emails and messages to notes and calendar events. Use your social media channels to expand leads and initiate conversations. Once a lead becomes warmer, Nimble can help you move the conversation from a social media platform to in-person, eventually closing a sale. LinkedIn Sales Navigator LinkedIn Sales Navigator is one of the more popular social selling tools, and for good reason. Companies that use Sales Navigator see a 5% increase in win rates with 35% larger deals. It's the perfect match for a social media platform where users are already in business mode. Unlike sites like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is designed for professional networking. Sales Navigator makes it easy for your sales team to find, contact and build relationships with prospects, referrals and customers. Get lead recommendations, see key insights from your outreach efforts and personalize your outreach starting from LinkedIn's customizable templates. Sales Navigator can be expensive, however, with plans starting at $64.99/month and increasing from there. StoreYa If you're seeking to boost sales without much extra effort from your sales team, consider importing your existing online store to your social media channels. StoreYa lets you create a Facebook shop from scratch or import your existing store on Shopify, Magneto, Etsy or another e-commerce site to Facebook. You can collect payments directly and experiment with their native marketing tools, such as the group deal or scratch card games. It's relatively affordable, at $9.99/month. Like2Buy Curalate's Like2Buy makes your Instagram feed instantly shoppable, and it's beloved by influencers everywhere. Adding a Like2Buy link in your Instagram bio takes users to a storefront where products from your images have been tagged. Your followers can browse your content as well as influencer content or user-generated content, all in your gallery. Like2Buy is one of the more sophisticated selling tools on Instagram, with many big companies like Williams Sonoma and Nordstrom using it. IFTTT IFTTT stands for If This Then That. It's an elegant, simple integration that can make the lives of your sales employees that much easier. "The tool allows you to connect the technology apps and devices you use regularly to automate processes that not only improve your sales processes but also help you keep in touch with friends, stay healthy, improve productivity and more," writes Hatchbuck. Track conversations on sites like Twitter, Reddit and Facebook. Create alerts to help you find new leads, follow up with clients and stay on track with your to-do list. IFTTT is productivity, time management and relationship building, all in one. Native buy buttons There are a few benefits to using each platform's native "buy now" capability. First and foremost, these tools don't require added setup or a second subscription. When you use each social media platform's built-in sales tool, you gain access to the data and insights each platform is collecting on your followers. And, when you use a social media channel's e-commerce tool, your business gets added visibility and SEO benefits. Pinterest is one of the best platforms for converting a shopper to a customer. Pinterest's Rich Pins and Buyable Pins show each customer the price and availability of a product within the platform. Sales are free for the merchant, and mobile-optimized. Shopify reports that these tools have led to an average order value that's $50 higher than other social media platforms. Instagram introduced Shoppable Posts to compete with tools like Like2Buy. Their in-app purchase option lets businesses tag products on their feed; these tags display the price and lead directly to a product catalog. Then, users can tap through to shop your feed and go to the website for purchase. Unlike Like2Buy, there's no email capture, but Instagram's insights feature shows merchants information like click-through-rate and where users tapped for more product details. For more sales tips Published on: Jan 9, 2020
Facebook defies China headwinds with new ad sales push
By Paresh Dave and Katie Paul SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc <FB.O> is setting up a new engineering team in Singapore to focus on its lucrative China advertising business, according to three people familiar with the effort, even as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg ramps up criticism of a country that blocks the social network. The team at Facebook's Asia-Pacific headquarters is tasked with developing better ad-buying tools for Chinese customers who have to work around internet restrictions in China known as the "great firewall," the sources said. One of the people described it as Facebook's first significant attempt at developing regionally localized ads tools outside of its Silicon Valley headquarters, where China-related engineering work previously took place. Facebook confirmed the creation of the new team, describing it as having an "Asia-first" mission and consisting of both product and "business integrity" sub-teams. Its existence has not previously been reported. A spokeswoman said the team would serve "Asia as well as our global advertisers." Facebook sells more than $5 billion a year worth of ad space to Chinese businesses and government agencies looking to promote their messages abroad, analysts estimate. That makes China Facebook's biggest country for revenue after the United States, which delivered $24.1 billion in advertising sales in 2018. Zuckerberg once hoped Facebook could find a way to operate its social network in China, making a high-profile visit to the country in 2016 and vowing to learn Mandarin. Product managers went on "knowledge-exchange" trips to China, swapping expertise on app features and advertising tools with counterparts at companies like Tencent and Alibaba, one source said. The company's China dreams were ultimately dashed by ever-more-restrictive Chinese government internet policies, compounded by political and business tensions associated with the U.S.-China trade war. But Facebook remains eager to expand its China ad business, which boasts customers in industries including fashion, social media and gaming. With Beijing aware its businesses must operate beyond the "great firewall" to grow, Facebook is positioning itself as the conduit for them to reach global audiences. "Facebook is committed to becoming the best marketing platform for Chinese companies going abroad," Facebook wrote in Chinese on local social network WeChat in November. NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH Bytedance, the parent company of social media sensation TikTok, used Facebook's advertising tools to do exactly that. In late 2018, the company surged app-install ads on Facebook's ad network, becoming its biggest Chinese customer as it grew TikTok's footprint, a former Facebook employee said. It cut back drastically in 2019, to nearly nothing, according to previously unreported data from research company Sensor Tower. One source said TikTok calculated it had reached most people likely to use the app, so it shifted to building an ads business to compete against Facebook's. Graphic: Bytedance slows ad blitz on Facebook png, click https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/FACEBOOK-CHINA/0H001QXRVB3F/eikon.png A TikTok spokesman confirmed the trend, saying the company "significantly scaled back spending and refined its ad strategy, resulting in an increased return on investment and stickiness among new users." Now looking to smaller Chinese companies to grow sales, Facebook must ease access to its advertising tools and reassure customers worried about the political dynamics. "Small advertisers are wary of advertising with Facebook because Facebook is banned in China," one of the people said, adding that second- and third-tier cities with smaller businesses are key targets for the next phase of growth. The new Singapore team was seeded in the spring with a handful of senior engineers who moved from Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters, according to LinkedIn profiles and the people familiar with the move. One source described the team as being in the "tens" of people, with Hao Xu, a nearly 9-year veteran of Facebook who previously worked in the Growth unit, managing the effort, according to his LinkedIn profile. Facebook is betting proximity to regional competitors and sales staff will lead to better ads features, the person said. In addition to China, Facebook does significant business in Asian countries including Vietnam, India and Thailand that have various types of internet restrictions. Story continues The company also wants its engineering outpost to spot emerging trends, having determined the world's most interesting consumer technologies are being built in Asia, largely in China, one of the people said. TWO FACES ON CHINA Even while courting Chinese advertisers, Zuckerberg took an increasingly confrontational approach with Beijing in 2019, coinciding with scrutiny of Chinese apps in Washington and new pressures over U.S. antitrust investigations into Facebook. In March, he pledged not to build data centers in countries with "a track record of violating human rights like privacy or freedom of expression." By October, he specifically named China, saying "we could never come to agreement on what it would take for us to operate there." He also drew indignation on Chinese social media after accusing TikTok, which has emerged as a major U.S. rival, of censoring political protest, a charge the startup denies. But Facebook's China sales operations have forged ahead. In the last year Facebook has taken at least a dozen big Chinese clients on trips to India and the Middle East, and showed them data on local consumers to encourage them to market more in those regions rather than just in the United States, one of the people said. Raggy Lau, who runs Chinese small ad agency STERRY that works with 30 startups, told Reuters he expects to increase spend on Facebook in 2020 as bigger clients vie for its users. The new engineering team, meanwhile, will aim to ease access for Chinese advertisers and improve fraud detection systems, one of the people said. Facebook requires people buying ads to have one of its signature social media profiles. Clients in China can access barred overseas sites like Facebook through virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow internet users to change their browsing location to a different country. But some Chinese businesses are concerned about creating profiles in the face of censorship rules, so building a workaround that could eliminate the need for a VPN has emerged as a key priority. Greg Paull, principal at advertising consultancy R3, said his Chinese clients use brand spokespeople and online shops differently than Western clients. Facebook could also develop e-commerce tools for Chinese advertisers to organize influencers and set up storefronts, he said. (Reporting by Paresh Dave and Katie Paul; Additional reporting by Josh Horwitz and Yingzhi Yang; editing by Jonathan Weber and Edward Tobin)
4 Business Benefits Of Google Analytics
Google Analytics doesn’t just provide you with website insights, it’s incredibly valuable to the commercial success of your business. From marketing campaign optimisation through to budget allocation, let’s take a look at how Google Analytics can benefit your business. As the name suggests, this course is designed for beginners but may have valuable information for users of all levels. The course starts by introducing you to the best metrics to use to answer specific questions before delving into specific reports and tools that Google Analytics offers. From there, you’ll learn how to use GA to find conversion opportunities, analyze marketing campaigns, and better understand user behavior. It’s a crash course in how to think like an analyst in order to make smarter, more data-driven business insights. After six and a half hours of training, you’ll be ready to use GA to effectively grow a business.
Fishbat Shares 3 Google Analytics Tips That Can Help Improve Your Marketing Strategy
NEW YORK, July 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Creating an effective marketing strategy takes time, effort, and planning. Tailoring the marketing strategy to the business or product requires multiple different components and is specific to each case. Below are three Google analytic tips that can help improve your marketing strategy. Utilize the information availableUsing Google Analytics can be extremely beneficial for improving a marketing strategy, especially because offered within are statistics for the major areas a company should keep their attention focused on. Audience reach, interaction and investment are three areas that are all monitored through analytics. Using the details shared by Google Analytics can help you improve the next marketing strategy for your business. Audience Reach: Utilize the information available and find out who your audience is. These audience reports share detailed reports and findings about the audience your business is attracting. Dive into patron demographics and an overall overview of who your clientele is turning out to be. This can be useful when determining the most profitable audience to market towards within the next marketing strategy plan. Knowing who your targeted audience is can allow you to modify a marketing plan and rake in the most customers as possible. Interaction: View the custom report provided by Google and gain access to every single user flow/action. See how an audience is responding to you and your content, and how they interact with it online. While also being able to view the demographics of devices, using Google analytics as a source can document every movement they make while on the site and report it back to you. Based on this information, marketers such as Carola Jain, can make crucial changes to your next marketing plan. Determine what is successful for your business and where to make changes to improve areas which turn out to be less successful than anticipated. Investment: What source(s) brought the entire audience to your business? Google Analytics can see every piece of information regarding a user once they enter the site. See what web page they came from, whether it be a social media page or just from a search engine itself. Business owners, such as Carola Jain, can see complete details on how to invest in those sources and promote a growth in audience numbers. Investing money into an advertisement that attracted a large percentage of your audience may be the next step you may take after allowing google analytics to assist you in improving your marketing strategy. ABOUT FISHBAT: fishbat is a full-service digital marketing firm that takes a holistic business approach to their clients' digital marketing programs. The fishbat team understands the importance of business principles just as well as the nuances of the latest digital technologies. Fishbat NYC internet marketing firm offers every digital marketing service available from digital marketing research and planning to brand development to website and asset creation through social media management and search engine optimization programs - all custom calibrated for both B2B and B2C businesses. View original content:http://www.Prnewswire.Com/news-releases/fishbat-shares-3-google-analytics-tips-that-can-help-improve-your-marketing-strategy-300894218.Html
The Skills Needed For That New Marketing Job: Data Analytics
Of all the skills needed to land that coveted marketing job, your ability to analyze data is one of the most important. Modern employers are looking for marketers that can find, visualize, and take advantage of the patterns and trends in customer data, and there’s a severe shortage of data analysts across all industries. That makes this an optimal time to polish up your portfolio with some truly stunning examples of your analytics prowess. Don’t have any examples? It’s time to make some. Like so many other fields in the 21st century, marketing jobs have seen a complete shake-up of expected skill sets for candidates as new technology becomes available. Today, you’ll need to demonstrate not only the usual qualities expected of marketers—creativity, flexibility, and excellent time management—but also the ability to use consumer data to identify trends, visualize those trends, and use those trends to build successful strategies. In speaking with the founders of nine different startups, HubSpot picked out some key data-related skills employers are looking for when hiring for marketing jobs. Here are just a few examples of the things you’ll want to have on your resume the next time you apply for a new position: Working successfully with data across multiple platforms, such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite, HubSpot, and Salesforce Using data to measure individual, departmental, and organizational goals Tracking data when testing different creative approaches, then using it to choose the most effective ones One startup founder interviewed by HubSpot said that the number of “plug and play” digital tools has made it impossible for him to believe people applying for modern-day marketing jobs wouldn’t have at least foundational data analytics skills. That speaks not only to the urgent need for marketers to update our resumes with these skills, but also to something the American Marketing Association’s Vikas Mittel touched on back in 2017: that just having marketing dashboards, along with the basic understanding of what they do, is not really enough. Mittel says the value of these dashboards lives in marketers’ ability to read them critically and comprehensively to drive strategy. On a practical level, this means you should be prepared to defend any marketing decision you make based on insights you’ve drawn from your organization’s dashboard. In doing so, you should be able to point to specific visualizations of the data to address questions or concerns your colleagues might have. Having examples to demonstrate these skills in interviews is an excellent way to help you stand out from your competitors for marketing jobs. How to Add Data Analytics to Your Resume If you’re feeling a bit behind on your skill set after reading all that, don’t worry—having the data analytics skills needed for your next marketing job isn’t as far away as it seems! In as few as 8 weeks, Level from Northeastern University can get your resume where it needs to be for your promotion or career change with data analytics programs at the introductory and intermediate levels. For more information or to apply, go to leveledu.Com.
Trying to Promote Your Local Business? 4 Easy Facebook Video Ad Ideas
There’s a lot of marketing advice out there for online businesses. Whether you’re a retail business trying to drive sales online, a SaaS company trying to get leads or anything in between, there are plenty of articles, webinars and videos to get you pointed in the right direction.
But if you’re running a local business? Well, you kind of get the short end of the stick.
A lot of the marketing advice you see online really works best for online businesses with a national or worldwide presence. Local businesses, on the other hand, have much more specific needs and challenges. If you happen to be running a local business, you know exactly what I mean. Marketing as a local business online can be rough.
Fortunately, there are some proven ways to market your local business online. One of the best ways to do this is using video ads on Facebook.
Now, if you’re trying to market a local business, video advertising might seem a bit overwhelming. You probably don’t have a massive budget to work with or a dedicated marketing team to script, film and edit videos for your business. But, even without all those things, you can still make Facebook video ads work for you…if you know the right way to approach things.
In this article, we’re going to talk about 4 types of Facebook video ads that are relatively affordable and easy to create. More importantly, they are the exact sort of content that will help put your local business on the map!
1. Brand Story Ads
Local businesses have an intimate, neighborly feeling that chains like Wal-Mart or Wendy’s simply cannot hope to replicate. People buy into that feeling, which comes with a sense of community and exclusivity (“this is our store/restaurant/plumber/etc”).
Local businesses thrive because they meet needs in the local community. As a result, they feel like a part of the community—supporting local businesses feels like supporting the community.
This is a great angle to use in your online marketing. Local love to hear about why and how people in their community started a business, so creating a brand story video ad is a great way to get people to engage with your business.
If you’re not sure what your local business’s brand story is, here are a few questions to get you thinking:
Why did you decide to start your company?
What are your goals and passions?
How did you get started? What challenges did you overcome?
Who has your business helped in the local community?
What makes you different from the competition? Are your products hand-made? Do you offer a guarantee on your services that no one else can match? Do you have “behind-the-scenes” content that you can share?
With this sort of video, your goal isn’t so much to drive new customers to your door as it is to build awareness. If you do it right, people will come to check out your company, but even if they don’t show up in droves, you’re still making them aware of who you are and what you do.
For example, check out this brand awareness-building video.
As people become more familiar with your business (or if you’re already a household name), you can focus instead on content that makes people feel like you’re all on the same team.
As a quick example, here’s another video from the same business that focuses more on this angle.
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Posted by Your Superfoods on Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Unlike the first video, the appeal in this ad is more focused on logic than emotion. It helps explain why people should buy at their store—and not just because they’re local.
As a rule of thumb, brand story videos should be fairly short and to the point (30-60 seconds). Your goal is to build awareness and generate interest. You don’t have to explain every detail of your business or make every argument for why people should buy from you. If you build enough interest, they will come.
2. Testimonial Ads
What’s the best way to feel “local”? Feature local places, events and most importantly, people!
Testimonial ads are a particularly great choice for local business. Why? Because if you can get people in the community to review your business, it proves that you are actually a good, trustworthy business.
After all, unlike online reviews, testimonial ads for local businesses come from people in your community. If those people lie, they’ve got a lot more to lose than some random person on the internet.
Now, a good testimonial ad doesn’t have to be incredibly professional. In fact, because you’re a local business, sometimes lower production value can actually make your business seem more real and approachable.
In this video, the business does a great job of balancing professionalism with a feeling of authenticity.
In contrast to the brand story ad we mentioned earlier, though, testimonial ads aren’t a great way to build awareness for your business. They really only work if people already know about your business and need a little more convincing.
Combining a testimonial ad with a brand story ad can be a solid one-two punch combo, though. You start by running your brand story ad on Facebook and then create an audience based on people who have watched your ad for a certain amount of time. Then, you target those people with your testimonial ad.
Since they already know about your business, your testimonial will help your potential customers get even more interested in your business. All of a sudden, your company isn’t just a name anymore—it’s something they need to check out.
Testimonial ads are great, but they can get tiresome if you try to stuff too much content into one ad. In general, you want to keep them to 45-60 seconds. If you have more content than will fit in that time frame, create more ads.
3. FAQ Ads
One big challenge that chains often struggle with is a feeling of disconnectedness. No matter how important their question is, your average Joe can’t ask Jeff Bezos for help. The bigger the business, the more far off and aloof it seems.
Local businesses, on the other hand, feel very open and accessible. They might not be able to get the help they need from Amazon, but they can give your business a call and talk to a real person right away.
One easy way to help promote these sorts of feelings is to run FAQ ads. People always have questions, so answering those questions in a video ad makes your business seem in touch with and invested in its customers.
To make things even better, who asks questions? People who are thinking about making a purchase. If your video ad makes buying from you easy and comfortable, they’re probably going to choose you over a distant and disconnected competitor.
If you’re doing a good job of interacting with your customers, you should already have a fairly good idea of what questions to cover in this kind of video, but if you’re looking for ideas, you can often find them in the comments on your social media ads and posts.
How-to videos, FAQ videos and other video ads that help answer people’s questions are an ideal way to build trust with your potential customers. As with testimonial ads, these sorts of ads are best for customers who are already aware of your business and what it does. But, for those customers, this sort of ad can tip them from considering to buying very quickly.
4. Event Ads
Finally, another key advantage local businesses have over their global competitors is the ability to connect with the community through local events. Whether you sponsor an event yourself or participate in a larger event with other businesses, events are a great marketing opportunity—one that is particularly well-suited to Facebook video ads.
Before the event, you can piggyback off of announcing the event to talk about something relevant to your business (and your customers). During the event, you can snag a ton of footage that you can use after the event in ads showing how connected you are to the community.
For example, you might run an ad featuring a group of runners you sponsored at a local 5k that talks about how your business is committed to supporting the community (see the brand story ad above). Alternatively, you could include footage of your booth at a local event and talk about how your business has been an important part of the community for years.
In any case, a good event ad should be short, sweet and to the point (< 60 seconds). It’s not your job to get people to attend the event. Instead, the goal is to use people’s natural interest in local events to build awareness for your business and promote a sense of community.
Conclusion
While the big chains might have more resources than you do, they can’t connect with their customers the way a local business can. It feels good to support a local business—especially one that feels like a real part of the community.
As a local business, this is where you can really shine. Video advertising might seem intimidating, but you don’t have to match the production value of a big chain. Local customers don’t care about how polished their ad is. Instead, they want to feel like you’re a real, likeable, local business that they feel connected to.
Author: Jake Baadsgaard
Jacob Baadsgaard is the CEO of Disruptive Advertising. He is a passionate digital marketer and entrepreneur with 7 years of enterprise digital marketing experience. He personally managed over 40 million dollars in annual marketing budget and consulted many of the Inc. 100 companies while at Adobe, including groups like: GE,… View full profile ›
02
Senators create bogus Facebook group to show how easy it is to spread fake news
Two Democratic senators recently created a fictitious group to prove just how easy it is to target specific people with fake news.
Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota built a group on Facebook and named it "Americans for Disclosure Solutions" which has the acronym ADS. The senators then paid Facebook to show ads to journalists and staffers on the Hill. The news was first reported by Axios.
According to data provided to CNBC by Senator Warner's office, $20 was enough to reach 1,369 Hill staffers in under 24 hours. An additional $20 allowed the fake Facebook group to target 1,407 Washington, D.C.-based journalists, a spokesperson for the Senator's office explained.
"That's a pretty good ROI – you can see why this would be so appealing to the Russians, and anybody else who is trying to target Americans in order to sow division and discord," a spokesperson in Senator Warner's office told CNBC. "There are no existing policies in place to prevent running nefarious ads on Facebook. Despite registering ADS on Facebook as a "Political Organization," we were able to run an ad campaign without providing basic information necessary to ensure compliance with federal, state or local election laws, such as campaign contact information, candidate ID, etc."
"Online political advertising represents an enormous marketplace, and today there is almost no transparency. The Russians realized this, and took advantage in 2016 to spread disinformation and misinformation in an organized effort to divide and distract us," Senator Warner said. "Our bipartisan Honest Ads Act extends transparency and disclosure to political ads in the digital space. At the end of the day, it is not too much to ask that our most innovative digital companies work with us by exercising additional judgment and providing some transparency."
The Senators were making a point: They could easily create a group and spread any narrative without having to prove who they were or what they stood for. This is what Russian-linked operatives were allegedly doing ahead of and during the U.S. presidential campaign, and why Facebook, Google and Twitter representatives testified on Capitol Hill this week. The House Intelligence Committee recently published several of the ads that Russian-controlled groups were posting.
Facebook was not immediately available for comment.
03
YouTube and Facebook are learning it’s not so easy to make shows people want to watch
As soon as Netflix hit it big with House of Cards, and Amazon followed suit with a breakout hit, Transparent, one tech giant after another started seeing dollar signs. Yahoo tried, and other legacy platforms like Facebook and YouTube likewise wanted a bite at the apple — the apple being the engagement and user stickiness that comes when you have a slate of original shows and programming that people want to watch.
When you do have that, users stick around on your platform longer, or at least that’s the idea. So executives started handing out checks, and the great content race began, until, one by one, companies started finding out that you can spend the money, but the hits don’t automatically follow.
We got a sense of that very reality in action this week via headlines out of YouTube and Facebook. Both companies have certainly dipped their toe in the original programming waters, with the former’s slate of YouTube Originals including a generally well-regarded first season of Cobra Kai, a sequel to the Karate Kid. Facebook, meanwhile, has started funding shows that include high-profile acting talent. Examples include Sorry For Your Loss, a drama starring Elizabeth Olsen about a grieving widow moving on with her life after the death of her husband — and which had all the production values, top-notch acting and quality writing that made this something you could have easily seen end up on a traditional cable network.
Here’s where we are, though. Both Netflix and to a lesser extent Amazon are still the examples that other tech giants look to when they try to get into this game. But at least for YouTube and Facebook, they’re now in the process of changing up their original content strategy in a big way.
For YouTube, it’s reportedly going to shift focus away from making people pay to watch its original shows. Rather than put them all under the company’s $12-per-month Premium subscription service, the company in the short term is going to have its originals include a mix of subscription- and ad-supported series. A YouTube representative told Variety as much — indeed, that its original shows and films may eventually be free for everyone to watch and include ads.
“As we look to 2019, we will continue to invest in scripted programming and shift to make our YouTube Originals ad-supported to meet the growing demand of a more global fanbase,” that statement reads. “This next phase of our originals strategy will expand the audience of our YouTube Original creators and provide advertisers with incredible content that reaches the YouTube generation.”
Facebook, meanwhile, is changing up its strategy in a different way. As kids shy away from the social media service that continues to lose the cachet now more readily inherent in services like Instagram, Facebook is likewise reportedly moving up the demographic scale in regards to its original programming. Said another way — Facebook will be making more programming for oldsters.
“Facebook’s YouTube competitor is pivoting to older audiences as teens tune out and publishers balk,” a CNBC headline on Monday blared.
Already, Facebook has spent more than $1 billion buying original shows and content like Sorry For Your Loss, as well as Queen America, a drama about the pageant world starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. That’s according to Variety, which also notes that about 50 million users in the US are viewing Facebook Watch content each month (Watch being the branded Facebook feature that its original shows fall under). The social media giant has said it’s trying to change the fact that its service still doesn’t have widespread name recognition.
All that said, it’s good to see YouTube and Facebook aren’t giving up on these efforts. It might sound corny to note, but it really is true that the winner here is me and you when companies like these tech giants dive into original programming, given that we have an abundance of content to watch and be entertained by.
Important Marketing Trends You Need to Embrace in 2020
Driving organic traffic to a website is one of the biggest challenges modern entrepreneurs face. The online search ecosystem changes at a rapid pace and keeping up with these changes can be difficult. Staying "in the know" regarding marketing trends is crucial when trying to create a competitive edge for your business.
Google is responsible for approximately 94 percent of all organic traffic. Failing to keep an eye on the changes this search engine juggernaut is making to its algorithms will come back to haunt you. Here are some of the most important marketing trends you need to embrace in the coming year.
The BERT Algorithm Upgrade
Google crawls millions of websites in an attempt to answer search queries consumers input into its system. This search engine uses a very sophisticated algorithm to both crawl websites and ranks them based on the content they contain. While most marketing professionals and tech-savvy entrepreneurs are familiar with Google's algorithm, many of them fail to realize it has undergone a significant update recently. The Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) helps Google understand search queries better.
In short, BERT provides guidance when it comes to interpreting nuances of the written word. So, what does this mean for business owners and marketing professionals? Basically, this algorithm update will force entrepreneurs to focus less on keywords and more on creating custom content for their target audience. Google will use BERT to better understand the content on your website and how it relates to a consumer's query.
The Power of the Featured Snippet
Answering consumer questions quickly and correctly is the basic mission statement of Google. When questions are asked in Google Search, a featured snippet will usually pop-up. This snippet is a block of text that appears above the search results. Getting your website in this coveted spot will require you to adopt a new approach to how you devise content.
When trying to land in the featured snippet spot, you need to answer the questions consumers have about industry-related topics. There are four basic types of featured snippets:
· Videos from YouTube
· Paragraphs of text
· Tables
· Numbered or bulleted lists
Approximately 99 percent of the featured snippets you see on a Google search engine result page will be websites who rank on the first page for the keyword. This is why anticipating the needs of your audience and writing content to meet these needs is so crucial to your continued search engine success in 2020.
Multi-Channel Marketing
The journey consumers take to reach your website vary based on several factors. Your main goal should be providing a comprehensive and consistent multi-channel marketing experience for consumers. Engaging with your audience on social media, via email and on their mobile devices is a wise idea. By creating a multi-channel marketing strategy, you can grow the size of your sales funnel. This will also help you to increase the number of valuable leads you generate via your online marketing efforts.
Information is Power
Now that you know more about the marketing trends set to take the world by storm in 2020, it is time to take action. If you want to find out more about BERT and how Google is shaking things up this year, be sure to read this article.
Published on: Jan 9, 2020
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
02
Will Instagram Be the Most Important Social Marketing Channel in 2020?
What does the future of Instagram look like in 2020? Will it become the most important social channel, or will it lose out to emerging social channels? How will the latest updates impact the Instagram 2020 trends for marketing? Let’s find out.
Instagram (IG) has seen an explosion in growth, with over a billion active users on the platform. Here are a few of the latest features from Instagram that showcase how Instagram caters to users' expectations of privacy, safety, fresh content, and seamless experiences.
CONTENT THAT CONNECTS: WHY INFLUENCER MARKETING IS THE FUTURE OF GEN Z ENGAGEMENT
Gen Z is a business opportunity you can’t afford to miss. As 40% of the population commanding upwards of $40 billion in spending power, modern marketers need to build compelling strategies to engage with Gen Z.
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Instagram Reels: According to a TechCrunch report, Instagram launched Reels (Cenas) in Brazil. It is a video-music remix feature for users to make short video clips (just like TikTok), which can be shared on Stories. The music for these videos, remixes, or memes can be added from a huge available catalog.
Giving users more control over the data they share with third-party services. According to Instagram Press (October 2019), "you’ll have the option to remove any third-party services you no longer want connected to your Instagram account. When you remove a third-party service, they will no longer have access to new data on your account."
Removing like counts: Instagram began testing how removing like counts impacted users and marketers’ perception of content; in July 2019, for seven countries. IG has started experimenting with the removal of like counts in the U.S. too; according to Wired.
Reducing inauthentic activity on Instagram. In November, IG began purging fake engagement (likes, follows, and comments) from accounts that used third-party apps to boost popularity.
Instagram Threads – a camera first messaging app. Instagram launched Threads in October this year where users can share their everyday moments, Stories, visual messages (photos, videos, etc.) with their Close Friends and a select list of people in a dedicated, private space.
Landscape videos for IGTV. While IGTV is yet to gain traction, Instagram started supporting landscape videos (in addition to vertical) for a better experience for both viewers and content creators.
@shop account was launched for small businesses and creators to help users discover emerging brands based on their interests in various categories like fashion, beauty, home decor, etc.
New designs for the Explore tab. IG updated the Explore tab for users to be able to discover relevant content tailored to their interests, bring in more immersive shopping and IGTV experiences, and personalized Stories recommendations.
Instagram Checkout was introduced to enable convenient in-app shopping experiences for a product users liked on a brand's shopping post.
But, what does all this mean for marketers?
How will these changes impact marketing trends on Instagram in 2020?
Let's dive deeper.
Learn More: Social Media Trends 2019: Are Instagram and Pinterest the New Social Media Darlings for Marketers?
6 Instagram 2020 Marketing Trends
The future of Instagram in 2020 is bright. Instagram can anticipate users’ needs and expectations and deliver exactly what users are looking for – be it privacy, authentic content, or seamless experiences. IG users are not going anywhere. Instagram in 2020, therefore, presents a tremendous opportunity for marketers.
1.Resurgence of influencer marketing
It is yet to be seen how the purge of fake accounts has impacted the offenders. But user and advertiser trust in influencers has declined. Even though most influencers, are a victim of bots and fake accounts. However, businesses as well as users are now looking for fresh and organic content.
Instagram 2020 will see influencer marketing go organic. Users will ‘trust’ their peers or micro-influencers to make a purchase decision. Micro or nano-influencers will be a safer bet for businesses, as they will be able to offer fresh, authentic content to a targeted audience at much lower costs.
Another ironical trend to watch out for is the rising popularity of virtual influencers on Instagram. Popular brands like KFC, Yoox, Balmain have created virtual influencers to promote their products and surprisingly they have 3X more engagement than real influencers, according to HypeAuditor. There could be many reasons for the rise of virtual influencers. Firstly, users are tired of fake content and since they ‘already know’ these influencers are virtual they tend to ‘believe’ them more. Secondly, as it’s a novel concept it has attracted attention. Lastly, advertisers find an initial cost of design and creation of virtual influencers with low recurring costs as attractive.
Instagram 2020: Virtual Influencers have higher engagement rates. Source: HypeAuditor
2.Quality content for quality engagement
Hiding likes is an experiment that will make higher value engagement imperative for marketers. This will push content creators to craft content that drives active engagement like comments and shares, instead of mere likes. The focus will now be on fresh, genuine content and authentic followers (for influencers). Moreover, comments and discussions will serve as social proof, which is absolutely crucial to capture the interest of prospective customers.
Also, giving users control over third party-apps and weeding out companies selling inauthentic engagement will help build user confidence in the platform, brands, and content creators. Quality content will drive deeper meaningful connections – a win-win for users and marketers alike.
3. User-Generated Content will gain prominence
Instagram monitors and anticipates competition well and doesn’t shy away from ‘adapting’ to the hottest trends. From ‘Stories’ to ‘Reels’, Instagram has been proactive in replicating and integrating what’s popular in the space.
The popularity of TikTok has reshaped the social media marketing strategy for many brands. With the launch of Reels will result in user-generated marketing content gaining more traction on Instagram. You can expect brands to launch contests or invite users and loyal customers to be creative with video content and share it to promote their products.
4. Stories offer a huge promotional opportunity
The updated Explore tab will personalize the Instagram 2020 experience for users. This will show content (images and Stories) which best fit user preferences. Insta Stories offer huge promotional opportunities for marketers as they can showcase product offerings in alignment with users’ interests. According to SocialMediaToday, 77% of marketers plan to use Instagram Stories in the future.
The Threads feature for now is private to users, but once it gains in popularity, we can expect personalized ads on Threads as well.
Instagram story trends graphic
Stories are the Future of Instagram 2020. Source: SocialMediaToday
Learn More: How to Market on Social Media: Genius Pinterest and Instagram Marketing Tips for 2019
5. The convergence of content and shopping experiences will boost conversions
Instagram has merged the content and shopping experiences to make product discovery and on-platform buying convenient and seamless for users.
“When you go to Explore, you’ll now see a newly designed navigation bar, which features shortcuts to IGTV and Shopping followed by topic channels tailored to your interests, such as Food, Art and Travel. “IGTV” and “Shop” shortcuts are pinned to the front of the bar, making it easier to find products and videos from brands and creators you love,” - Instagram Press.
@shop accounts are a great way to combine content and product catalogs to organically reach out to interested buyers. Also, Instagram Shoppable posts can be featured in Explore to create immersive shopping experiences in the app and boost reach and engagement. With the Checkout feature, users don’t have to worry about leaving the app or filling in personal details (needs to be done once) to complete their purchase. Converging content and shopping experiences will eventually boost conversions, motivate impulse buyers, and in turn improve your return on Instagram investment.
6. IGTV for long-form video content
IGTV hasn’t been as popular as the platform’s other features, but it is being updated to better fit both users’ need for immersive experiences and creators’ demand of horizontal (landscape) format. It is yet to be seen if this helps IGTV gain more users but one thing is certain: Videos are and will remain a significant part of Instagram experiences.
We will see a healthy mix of snackable short videos in Reels, advertising videos with Stories, and long-form content for in-depth, compelling content.
Learn More: Ad Spend on Instagram Stories Has Grown by 70% Over Q3 2019, Reports Socialbakers
What Is the Future of Instagram in 2020?
Instagram may witness competition from the likes of TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, etc. but with more than a billion active users, over 25 million businesses, and expected revenue of 14 billion dollars, the future of Instagram for marketing looks bright.
This is mainly due to Instagram’s ability to anticipate users’ needs, prioritize their trust, keep abreast of competition, and leverage current trends.
We think Instagram 2020 will still be marketers’ favorite platforms to reach out to their audiences and create amazing shopping experiences.
What is your Instagram 2020 strategy? Tell us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook; we’re always listening!
03
How to Effectively Use Marketing Content in the Mid-Funnel
“Content is king” used to be a popular phrase. But as it began to die out from marketing seminars and blogs, content—ironically—became more important than ever.
This especially applies to sales. Most people familiar with acquisition know there must always be a start to the customer journey and the all-important end (the sale). However, placing your reliance on these two points alone is a sure-fire way to decrease conversions.
This approach forgets the all-important mid-funnel. it may just look like the path from A to B, but what goes on between the intrigue and conversion stages can make or break a company. That is why it is important to harness the potential of content in this often-overlooked gap in the consumer sales funnel.
So, how can you use content more effectively in the mid-funnel?
Clearly Define the Mid-Funnel
The mid-funnel is the area of your sales process where leads have been generated, identified with means of contact, and qualified as worth chasing. The content in the mid-funnel is what bridges the gap between the top-funnel introductions and intrigue and the conversion at the bottom of the funnel.
In B2B marketing, the mid-funnel is arguably the most important space for businesses. The sales cycles in B2B are more complex than B2C, which are more focused on customer-relationship management. Prospects of B2B products and services require nurturing, proving that you are a knowledgeable in the required sector, but also trustworthy.
The goal is to create content for this mid-funnel phase that helps leads evaluate your brand, separating your company from your competitors in the same space, always with the aim of guiding prospects through the funnel to conversion.
Every piece of content should be persuasive, educational and highly targeted. Unlike top-funnel content that casts a wide net for a broader reach among your target audience, mid-funnel content is tailored to address specific issues of segmented groups.
Types of Mid-Funnel Content
Newsletters: This isn’t a generic newsletter that features a little of everything for everyone. Instead, those leads in the mid-funnel should be put into segmented lists. They should then be targeted with emails crafted to their needs and interests. For example, if you offer digital asset management and sales enablement software, identify which prospects are interested in which product, then send them newsletters only related to that service.
eBooks: These are long-form digital booklets that are usually heavily data-led and centered around a specific topic. This type of material can be great for generating top-funnel leads. More importantly, it can demonstrate your company’s knowledge on a particular subject, checking the box of helping prospects evaluate your brand and educating them.
Case Studies: A case study is as effective as a positive review or testimonial. Prospects are able to see for themselves the process of your work and the ROI achieved for businesses in a similar industry to them.
Other articles you might enjoy:
Increase the Credibility and Value of Your Sales Reps
The middle of the funnel is a high-pressure environment for the sales team. Reps must increase conversions at each stage of the customer journey to hit their targets, and because of this their focus is usually on selling and ultimately the bottom line.
This, however, can mean they’re busy chasing the sale instead of delivering value, which for B2C may be excusable, but in B2B, where nurturing is key, this approach could see prospects swiftly drop out.
Great mid-funnel content—like thought leadership pieces from senior managers—helps sales reps to continually deliver value and boosts their credibility. Ensure your sales team and marketing team are working together closely. The sales team can provide feedback on which material has been effective in converting mid-funnel leads into bottom-funnel customers.
Training is also key. If your sales reps are not fully informed on what it is you offer, how can you expect them to effectively answer the queries of leads or even sell the features of your product? Provide training for every new recruit on your products and services—especially how they may benefit different targets.
This level of knowledge will increase the credibility of your sales team, building trust with consumers.
Demonstrate You Understand Your Customers’ Needs
Another challenge sales reps face mid-funnel is the ability to connect with their prospects. Often, potential customers are weighing their options and “shopping around,” and reps are competing against competitors to seal the deal.
Effective mid-funnel content helps reps fend off rivals when it demonstrates that the rep, and your business, understand the prospect. The reps need to demonstrate that they know the problems consumers face in their industry and they can relate to them; carefully constructed content then enables reps to sell your product as the solution.
This is why case studies are popular mid-funnel pieces of content. Sales reps are armed with fully-formed examples of the product in use within different sectors. They can either explain the gist of the case study over the phone to prospects or simply send out the case study to the relevant contacts.
Vary Your Content
To connect with prospects mid-funnel, you also need to vary your content to prevent your communication from getting stale. Remember that B2B conversions can be a long process; there will definitely be more than one interaction with prospects. Generic and repetitive content at this stage can feel impersonal and turn customers away.
Evergreen content—like “top 10” and “how to” stories—is works as the occasional placeholder, but ideally, you should be as specific and relevant to the needs and goals of the prospect as possible. For example, instead of creating “top 10 ways to market your business,” why not create, “10 marketing strategies for finance start-ups?”
The first title is generic and could apply to any business, yet the tips will only be relevant to a handful. The second title lays out that it is providing marketing strategies specifically chosen to benefit a finance start-up. It is less likely to feature influencer marketing and big budget campaigns and more likely to focus on thought leadership pieces and getting comments featured in start-up publications.
Make sure your content covers all the different personas and verticals you target. Change up the layouts and formats depending on the different devices and screens a prospect may be viewing. Experiment with different media types. A video Q&A about your service may work better than an eBook on some verticals, whereas a text-heavy whitepaper will be preferred by others.
Use Technology to Help Distribute and Review Content
Finally, technology can support how you distribute content mid-funnel. It can help determine which pieces are your most effective and which are unsuccessful.
In Gartner’s CMO Spend Survey 2018-2019, 34% of CMOs selected ‘Martech acquisition and use’ as the most important area of spend when asked, “what are the most vital capabilities supporting marketing strategy delivery over the next 18 months?”
Sales Enablement Software can help you understand if your messaging is getting people to engage with the content your reps are sharing by tracking open rates and click-through rates. It can give your reps the ability to tailor content specifically to their prospects and craft a highly personalized, dynamic customer journey.
This type of software also provides the feedback and analytics you need to see who is interested in what you’re sharing. It helps you to reach invisible decision makers and gives your content/marketing team an idea of what’s most effective for your strategy moving forward.
How Facebook’s Ad In Teen Vogue Came Back To Haunt It
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How Facebook’s ad in Teen Vogue came back to haunt it
It’s hard to control the narrative, even when you’re Facebook
By Casey Newton@CaseyNewton Jan 9, 2020, 6:00am EST Share this story
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Today Facebook appeared at a Congressional hearing about synthetic and manipulated media, and so it was only fitting that the day was consumed by confusion over whether the company had placed a flattering article in Teen Vogue to manipulate the media.
“How Facebook Is Helping Ensure the Integrity of the 2020 Election,” a 2,000-word question-and-answer session with five women working at Facebook to protect it from election interference, appeared this morning on the website of Condé Nast’s popular portal for young people. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg called it a “great piece.”
Unusually for an American publication, the article appeared without a byline. More unusually, after the article appeared and raised questions among some reporters, it was slapped with a “sponsored content” label. Then Teen Vogue removed the sponsored content label, and then Teen Vogue pulled the article from its website altogether.
Facebook initially insisted that the article had been an act of journalism rather than sponsored content, and that the sponcon label had been applied by an overzealous copyeditor. Teen Vogue’s only comment on the subject was a reply to a reader who, on Twitter, had asked “What is this?”, to which someone with the magazine’s Twitter credentials responded “literally idk.”
Then that tweet got deleted.
Hours later, The Daily Beast’s Max Tani got a statement from the magazine:
Teen Vogue statement: "We made a series of errors labeling this piece, and we apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We don’t take our audience’s trust for granted, and ultimately decided that the piece should be taken down entirely to avoid further confusion."
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) January 8, 2020
Regrettably, the statement caused further confusion. (Condé Nast didn’t respond to my request for comment.)
In the grand conclusion to the day’s events, Facebook itself reversed course and revealed that ... The sponcon was sponcon after all! “We had a paid partnership with Teen Vogue related to their women’s summit, which included sponsored content. Our team understood this story was purely editorial, but there was a misunderstanding.”
On one hand, of course, all of this is very silly. Sponsored or not, the Teen Vogue piece didn’t break a lot of new ground on the old platforms-and-democracy beat. The world will survive this exchange having been scrubbed from the web:
Q: Why did encouraging voting become common practice of for-profit media platforms, particularly Facebook?
Facebook is about shared experiences, and the chance to use your voice. So is voting.
On the other, there are a few lessons to be drawn here.
One, Teen Vogue clearly did not hold up whatever its end of the bargain with Facebook had been. People would have rolled their eyes at a properly disclosed paid advertorial, but publications have survived worse.
Two, Facebook probably erred by commissioning sponsored content about platform integrity. The thing about your integrity efforts is that you want to promote them with, you know, integrity. Slipping them into online magazines as articles with a small-font disclosure that the thing was bought and paid for undermines the very credibility you were hoping to bolster. Especially if the magazine screws up and forgets to disclose!
The whole reason you run sponsored content is control: you script the questions and edit the answers to your liking. But sometimes what looks like control is only an illusion. Today Facebook learned that the hard way.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
Trending down: Researchers discovered serious security vulnerabilities in TikTok that would have allowed hackers to manipulate user data and reveal personal information. The company fixed the flaws less than a month after they were discovered.
Governing
⭐ Just three days after Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, the president’s reelection campaign began running hundreds of Facebook ads praising him for ordering the killing. As of Tuesday, Facebook had taken down a few dozen of the ads, some of which appeared to violate the site’s policy against using fake buttons in ads. Alex Kantrowitz at BuzzFeed has the story:
“Thanks to the swift actions of our Commander-in-Chief, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani is no longer a threat to the United States, or to the world,’’ read one ad. “Take the Official Trump Military Survey TODAY to let me know what you think of my leadership as Commander-in-Chief.”
The survey, meant to collect contact information for future outreach, contained questions like “Do you stand by President Trump in his decision to take out the very dangerous Iranian terrorist leader, Qassem Soleimani?” At the end, it asks respondents for their name, zip code, email, and phone number. Those who provided their phone number, according to a footnote, consented to receive texts, automated calls, and phone calls from the president’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee.
Trump’s threats against Iran on Twitter are the latest example of the president seemingly promoting violence, in violation of Twitter’s rules. The rules, notably, don’t apply to politicians unless they threaten individuals or incite hatred against particular nationalities, which is why Trump’s remarks have gone unpunished. (Emily Birnbaum / The Hill)
Twitter suspended an account impersonating a New York Post reporter after it sent out a series of fake stories promoting pro-Iranian regime propaganda and attacking adversaries of the Islamic Republic. (Adam Rawnsley / The Daily Beast)
A misinformation campaign that states the bushfires in Australia are the result of arson — not climate change — is circulating on social media. (Brian Kahn / Gizmodo)
Kuwait’s state news agency said its Twitter account was hacked and used to spread false information about US troops withdrawing from the country. It’s unclear who may be responsible for a hack. (Colin Lecher / The Verge)
How a misleading video of former vice president Joe Biden spread around the internet, from verified accounts on Twitter, to 4chan, Facebook and Reddit. (Nick Corasaniti / The New York Times)
One of the people who helped draft the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) wrote an op-ed about why the law might not be as effective as people think. Without proper enforcement, she says, the regulation is “largely toothless.” (Mary Stone Ross / Fast Company)
TikTok updated its content guidelines to spell out categories of videos that aren’t allowed on its platform. The new categories include videos that glorify terrorism, show illegal drug use, feature violent, graphic or dangerous content or seek to peddle misinformation that’s designed to deceive the public in an election. (Tony Romm and Drew Harwell / The Washington Post)
Amazon-owned home security camera company Ring fired employees for watching customer videos, according to a letter the company wrote to Senators. The news highlights a risk across many different tech companies: employees may abuse access granted as part of their jobs to look at customer data or information. (Joseph Cox / Vice)
Industry
⭐ Misinformation surrounding the new Star Wars movie shows how much power online communities now have to control the cultural conversation. Ryan Broderick at BuzzFeed explains:
The misinformation and anger inside the Star Wars fandom is what happens after decades of corporatization and anonymous decentralized networking. It is a glimpse of a future in which anxieties over the motives of the megacorporations that drive our culture — down to our very mythologies — set off conflicts between warring information tribes who inhabit their own artificial narratives. What began with small but vocal insurgent online communities like 4chan or the alt-right has now come for the mainstream.
Except there is no “mainstream” culture — just as there is no central Star Wars fandom anymore. Today, popular culture is just Gamergates of varying size.
Twitter announced that it’s going to allow users to limit replies directly from the compose screen. It’s part of a new setting called “conversation participants” that the company announced at CES. (Dieter Bohn / The Verge)
Paul Zimmer, a disgraced TikTok star who left social media nearly two years ago, is trying to reinvent himself online with an entirely new identity. Zimmer went dark in 2017 after fans accused him of soliciting gifts in exchange for shout outs that never actually materialized. (Sarah Manavis / The New Statesman)
Twitch hasn’t become the advertising powerhouse that Amazon hoped it would be. The steaming company brought in about $230 million in ad revenue in 2018, and was on track to bring in about $300 million last year, which was far short of an internal goal of between $500 million and $600 million that year. (Priya Anand / The Information)
And finally...
On TikTok, LGBTQ youth role play as future President Pence’s conversion therapy campers. This Joseph Longo piece is honestly more nihilistic than funny, but if you like your comedy pitch-dark you might enjoy these incredibly charming queer youth.
These days, the coolest place to be on TikTok is a conversion-therapy camp run by Vice President Mike Pence. At Camp Pence, everything is free — from the electric full-body “massage chairs” to the signature bleach drinks. But most importantly, it’s invite-only. Because to get into Camp Pence, you have to identify as a queer youth facing discrimination for your identity. (Per Snopes, Pence infamously supported using federal funds to treat people “seeking to change their sexual behavior” during his 2000 congressional run, which many have interpreted as support for conversion therapy.)
I need a drink.
Talk to us
Send us tips, comments, questions, and your favorite Teen Vogue articles: casey@theverge.Com and zoe@theverge.Com.
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How To Spot Deceptive Drug Injury Ads Like The Ones Facebook Just Disabled
Some ads can be more than misleading – they can put your health at risk.
Last year, ads paid for by law firms and legal referral companies started cropping up on Facebook. Typically, they linked Truvada and other HIV-prevention drugs with severe bone and kidney damage.
But like a lawsuit, these assertions do not always reflect the consensus of the medical community. They also do not take into account the benefit of the drug or how often the side effects occur.
On Dec. 30, Facebook said it disabled some of the ads after more than 50 LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS groups signed an open letter to Facebook condemning them for “scaring away at-risk HIV negative people from the leading drug that blocks HIV infections.”
Based on our research involving televised drug injury ads, advocacy groups are right to raise the alarm about how these ads might affect important health decisions.
Although drug injury ads are selling legal services, that’s rarely obvious, making it harder for consumers to invoke their usual skepticism toward medical information from lawyers.
Here are a few deceptive tactics we noticed in the Facebook Truvada ads, which you can also spot in drug injury advertisements more broadly.
Ads in disguise
Advertisements in this genre sometimes masquerade as other types of content, like public service announcements or local news. For example, a series of identical Truvada-related ads sponsored by “Lawsuit Watch” and “Advocate Alliance Group” prominently featured video from a local news story.
This clever but ultimately misleading tactic is known within the marketing literature as an “Omega strategy,” in which the advertiser tries to “redefine the sales interaction” to disguise its pitch. It’s like when insurance companies offer to “assess your personal risk,” when they’re really just trying to sell you insurance.
An example of Facebook ads about HIV-prevention drug Truvada. Screenshot by author of Facebook ad bank
An example of Facebook ads about HIV-prevention drug Truvada. Screenshot by author of Facebook ad bank
Similarly, these legal advertisers appear to be educating patients but their true goal is to sign you up for a lawsuit – and most likely sell your name to a lawyer looking for clients.
What makes the ad even more complex to process is that embeds actual local news footage, which mostly consists of reporting allegations from a lawsuit.
By using news broadcasters to deliver their claims, the advertiser enhances the message’s credibility, which makes it less likely that consumers will critically analyze the content.
Who sponsored this?
Drug injury ads can also mislead when the sponsors are not clearly identifiable as for-profit legal referral businesses.
For example, some Truvada-related ads that Facebook removed were sponsored by “A Case for Women,” whose name suggests an advocacy organization. The Facebook page for this entity does little to clear up this misapprehension. It’s only when you track down its website that you get a whiff of legalese, with references to a “free consult” and the advice to “take action (legal or otherwise)” for “life-changing financial compensation.” Even then, the information is presented in the name of “Women Empowerment,” along with inspirational pictures and blog posts.
READ: What Trump’s PrEP deal means for the spread of HIV
The same kind of confusion can arise from ad sponsors with names like “Lawsuit Watch” and “Advocate Alliance Group.”
It’s not obvious that this ad sponsor is a legal referral agency soliciting consumers to sue drug manufacturers. Facebook ad bank
It’s not obvious that this ad sponsor is a legal referral agency soliciting consumers to sue drug manufacturers. Facebook ad bank
Consumers are misled when advertisers do not clearly disclose their status as law firms or for-profit legal referral businesses. In one experiment for a study published last year, we showed consumers different versions of drug injury TV ads. Around 25% of consumers did not recognize drug injury advertising as such when the sponsor was not clearly revealed, compared with 15% when an attorney was prominently featured. By contrast, only 2% of consumers misidentified the source of a pharmaceutical ad.
This confusion appears to alter how consumers process information found in the ads. Those who were shown the more deceptive drug injury ad perceived the featured drug to be riskier, expressed a greater reluctance to take the drug and were more likely to question their doctor about the medication.
When you’re dealing with medication that prevents a life-threatening virus like HIV, transparency is essential.
Attention-getting claims
Drug injury advertisements also commonly include stark language and imagery like “consumer alert,” “medical alert” or “warning.” This language is used to capture a viewer’s attention. We have found that drug injury advertisements with more graphic descriptions of side effects inflate perceptions of risk.
These ads characterize Truvada as dangerous. Facebook ad bank
These ads characterize Truvada as dangerous. Facebook ad bank
Language of this sort can be found in the Facebook ads about Truvada. Some ads are framed as a “Truvada NRTIs Drug Alert,” claiming that “the manufacturers had a safer drug & kept it secret all while they kept selling the dangerous one.”
But as the authors of the open letter to Facebook point out, characterizing this particular drug as unsafe is not accurate, particularly when compared with the obvious harm of HIV infection.
Moreover, framing ads in this way is not necessary. Advertisers could instead state they are looking for individuals who have experienced the listed side effects without portraying the ad as an “alert” that the drug is “dangerous.”
Better regulation
These types of ads have been almost entirely unregulated until recently.
The Federal Trade Commission, which regulates advertising, declined to act for many years. But in September, the agency issued a letter to seven law firms and legal referral companies warning them that their advertising is deceptive, suggesting it may be finally changing its tune.
And although states regulate legal advertising through attorney ethics rules, our past research found no examples in which a lawyer was disciplined for misleading drug injury ads.
The last line of defense, then, is Facebook itself, through its ad policies. Beyond blocking misleading ads, our research suggests that clear disclaimers can help to reduce – but not eliminate – consumer confusion.
Ultimately, it’s up to federal and state regulators to treat drug injury advertisements as a matter of public health and require advertisers to present medical information in a way that helps, rather than misleads, consumers.
The Conversation
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
“Warts And All”: Facebook Will Continue To Allow Politicians To Lie In Their Ads
Jan. 10, 2020, 10:25 a.M.
Plus: YouTube would radicalize even without its algorithm, Reddit bans fakes both deep and cheap, and Facebook will let you dial down political ads.
The growing stream of reporting on and data about fake news, misinformation, partisan content, and news literacy is hard to keep up with. This weekly roundup offers the highlights of what you might have missed.
Facebook’s announcement this week that it’s banning deepfakes ahead of the 2020 election didn’t exactly leave people cheering, especially since it also repeated that it will continue to allow politicians and political campaigns to lie on the platform (a decision “largely supported” by the Trump campaign and “decried” by many Democrats, in The New York Times’ phrasing).
“People should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all,” Facebook said in a blog post.
Federal Election Commissioner Ellen Weintraub:
But this shouldn’t be framed as a partisan issue, argued Alex Stamos, the former chief security officer at Facebook who is now at Stanford.
Facebook is also adding a feature that lets people choose to see fewer political ads. From the company’s blog post:
Seeing fewer political and social issue ads is a common request we hear from people. That’s why we plan to add a new control that will allow people to see fewer political and social issue ads on Facebook and Instagram. This feature builds on other controls in Ad Preferences we’ve released in the past, like allowing people to see fewer ads about certain topics or remove interests.
Meanwhile, in the week that Facebook banned deepfakes — but not the much more common “cheapfakes” or other kinds of manipulated media — Reddit banned both. The updated rule language:
Do not impersonate an individual or entity in a misleading or deceptive manner.
Reddit does not allow content that impersonates individuals or entities in a misleading or deceptive manner. This not only includes using a Reddit account to impersonate someone, but also encompasses things such as domains that mimic others, as well as deepfakes or other manipulated content presented to mislead, or falsely attributed to an individual or entity. While we permit satire and parody, we will always take into account the context of any particular content.
TikTok also clarified some of its content moderation rules this week.
Also this week, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism released a report surveying 233 “media leaders” from 32 countries. They believe that, of the platforms, Twitter is doing the best job of combatting misinformation, and Facebook is doing the worst. Still, even Twitter had only 41 percent of respondents saying the job they were doing was “average” or better:
Becca Lewis, who researches media manipulation and political digital media at Stanford and Data & Society, argues in FFWD (a Medium publication about online video) that “YouTube could remove its recommendation algorithm entirely tomorrow and it would still be one of the largest sources of far-right propaganda and radicalization online.”
“When we focus only on the algorithm, we miss two incredibly important aspects of YouTube that play a critical role in far-right propaganda: celebrity culture and community,” Lewis writes. From her article:
When a more extreme creator appears alongside a more mainstream creator, it can amplify their arguments and drive new audiences to their channel (this is particularly helped along when a creator gets an endorsement from an influencer whom audiences trust). Stefan Molyneux, for example, got significant exposure to new audiences through his appearances on the popular channels of Joe Rogan and Dave Rubin.
Importantly, this means the exchange of ideas, and the movement of influential creators, is not just one-way. It doesn’t just drive people to more extremist content; it also amplifies and disseminates xenophobia, sexism, and racism in mainstream discourse. For example, as Madeline Peltz has exhaustively documented, Fox News host Tucker Carlson has frequently promoted, defended, and repeated the talking points of extremist YouTube creators to his nightly audience of millions.
Additionally, my research has indicated that users don’t always just stumble upon more and more extremist content — in fact, audiences often demand this kind of content from their preferred creators. If an already-radicalized audience asks for more radical content from a creator, and that audience is collectively paying the creator through their viewership, creators have an incentive to meet that need…
All of this indicates that metaphor of the “rabbit hole” may itself be misleading: it reinforces the sense that white supremacist and xenophobic ideas live at the fringe, dark corners of YouTube, when in fact they are incredibly popular and espoused by highly visible, well-followed personalities, as well as their audiences.
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