The must-have tools for paid search success

Paid search marketers look to technology to provide them with a competitive advantage.

AdWords is host to a range of increasingly sophisticated features, but there are also numerous third-party tools that add extra insight. Below, we review some of the essential tools to achieve PPC success.

The paid search industry is set to develop significantly through 2018, both in its array of options for advertisers and in its level of sophistication as a marketing channel. The pace of innovation is only accelerating, and technology is freeing search specialists to spend more time on strategy, rather than repetitive tasks.

Google continues to add new machine learning algorithms to AdWords that improve the efficacy of paid search efforts, which is undoubtedly a welcome development. This technology ultimately becomes something of an equalizer, however, given that everyone has access to these same tools.

It is at the intersection of people and technology that brands can thrive in PPC marketing. Better training and more enlightened strategy can help get the most out of Google’s AdWords and AdWords Editor, but there are further tools that can add a competitive edge.

The below are technologies that can save time, uncover insights, add scale to data analysis, or a combination of all three.

Keyword research tools

Identifying the right keywords to add to your paid search account is, of course, a fundamental component of a successful campaign.

Google will suggest a number of relevant queries within the Keyword Planner tool, but it does have some inherent limitations. The list of keywords provided within this tool is far from comprehensive and, given the potential rewards on offer, sophisticated marketers would be well advised to look for a third-party solution.

A recent post by Wil Reynolds at Seer Interactive brought to light just how important it is to build an extensive list of target keywords, as consumers are searching in multifaceted ways, across devices and territories. According to Ahrefs, 85% of all searches contain three or more words and although the shorter keywords tend to have higher search volumes, the long tail contains a huge amount of value too.

Add in growing trends like the adoption of voice search and the picture becomes more complex still. In essence, it is necessary to research beyond Google Keyword Planner to uncover these opportunities.

Keywordtool.io takes an initial keyword suggestion as its stimulus and uses this to come up up to 750 suggested queries to target. This is achieved in part through the use of Google Autocomplete to pull in a range of related terms that customers typically search for. A Pro licence for this tool starts at $48 per month.

Ubersuggest is another long-standing keyword tool that search marketers use to find new, sometimes unexpected, opportunities to communicate with customers via search. It groups together suggested keywords based on their lexical similarity and they can be exported to Excel.

This tool also allows marketers to add in negative keywords to increase the relevance of their results.

We have written about the benefits of Google Trends for SEO, but the same logic applies to PPC. Google Trends can be a fantastic resource for paid search, as it allows marketers to identify peaks in demand. This insight can be used to target terms as their popularity rises, allowing brands to attract clicks for a lower cost.

Google Trends has been updated recently and includes a host of new features, so it is worth revisiting for marketers that may not have found it robust enough in its past iterations.

Answer the Public is another great tool for understanding longer, informational queries that relate to a brand’s products or services. It creates a visual representation of the most common questions related to a head term, such as ‘flights to paris’ in the example below:

As the role of paid search evolves into more of a full-funnel channel that covers informational queries as well as transactional terms, tools like this one will prove invaluable. The insights it reveals can be used to tailor ad copy, and the list of questions can be exported and uploaded to AdWords to see if there is a sizeable opportunity to target these questions directly.

For marketers that want to investigate linguistic trends within their keyword set, it’s a great idea to use an Ngram viewer. There are plenty of options available, but this tool is free and effective.

Competitor analysis tools

AdWords Auction Insights is an essential tool for competitor analysis, as it reveals the impression share for different sites across keyword sets, along with average positions and the rate of overlap between rival sites.

This should be viewed as the starting point for competitor analysis, however. There are other technologies that provide a wider range of metrics for this task, including Spyfu and SEMrush.

Spyfu’s AdWords History provides a very helpful view of competitor strategies over time. This reveals what their ad strategies have been, but also how frequently they are changed. As such, it is a helpful blend of qualitative and quantitative research that shows not just how brands are positioning their offering, but also how much they have been willing to pay to get it in front of their audience.

A basic licence for Spyfu starts at $33 per month.

SEMrush is a great tool for competitor analysis, both for paid search and its organic counterpart. This software shows the keywords that a domain ranks against for paid search and calculates the estimated traffic the site has received as a result.

The Product Listing Ads features are particularly useful, as they provide insight into a competitor’s best-performing ads and their core areas of focus for Google Shopping.

It is also easy to compare desktop data to mobile data through SEMrush, a feature that has become increasingly powerful as the shift towards mobile traffic continues.

A licence for SEMrush starts at $99.95 per month.

Used in tandem with AdWords Auction Insights, these tools create a fuller picture of competitor activities.

Landing page optimization tools

It is essential to optimize the full search experience, from ad copy and keyword targeting, right through to conversion. It is therefore the responsibility of PPC managers to ensure that the on-site experience matches up to the consumer’s expectations.

A variety of tools can help achieve this aim, requiring minimal changes to a page’s source code to run split tests on landing page content and layout. In fact, most of these require no coding skills and allow PPC marketers to make changes that affect only their channel’s customers. The main site experience remains untouched, but paid search visitors will see a tailored landing page based on their intent.

Unbounce has over 100 responsive templates and the dynamic keyword insertion feature is incredibly useful. The latter adapts the content on a page based on the ad a user clicked, helping to tie together the user journey based on user expectations.

Brand monitoring tools

Branded keywords should be a consistent revenue driver for any company. Although there is no room to be complacent, even when people are already searching for your brand’s name, these queries tend to provide a sustainable and cost-effective source of PPC traffic.

Unless, of course, the competition tries to steal some of that traffic. Google does have some legislation to protect brands, but this has proved insufficient to stop companies bidding on their rivals’ brand terms. When this does occur, it also drives up the cost-per-click for branded keywords.

Brandverity provides some further protection for advertisers through automated alerts that are triggered when a competitor encroaches on their branded terms.

This coverage includes Shopping ads, mobile apps, and global search engines.

Custom AdWords scripts

Although not a specific tool, it is worth mentioning the additional benefits that custom scripts can bring to AdWords performance. These scripts provide extra functionality for everything from more flexible bidding schedules, to stock price-based bid adjustments and third-party data integrations.

This fantastic list from Koozai is a comprehensive resource, as is this one from Free Adwords Scripts. PPC agency Brainlabs also provides a useful list of scripts on their website that is typically updated with a new addition every few months.

Using the tools listed above can add an extra dimension to PPC campaigns and lead to the essential competitive edge that drives growth. As the industry continues to evolve at a rapid rate, these tools should prove more valuable than ever.

from https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/01/31/the-must-have-tools-for-paid-search-success/

source https://kateninablog.tumblr.com/post/170362433229

The future of visual search and what it means for SEO companies

The human brain has evolved to instantly recognize images.

Visual identification is a natural ability made possible through a wonder of nerves, neurons, and synapses. We can look at a picture, and in 13 milliseconds or less, know exactly what we’re seeing.

But creating technology that can understand images as quickly and effectively as the human mind is a huge undertaking.

Visual search therefore requires machine learning tools that can quickly process images, but these tools must also be able to identify specific objects within the image, then generate visually similar results.

Yet thanks to the vast resources at the disposal of companies like Google, visual search is finally becoming viable. How, then, will SEO evolve as visual search develops?

Here’s a more interesting question: how soon until SEO companies have to master visual search optimization?

Visual search isn’t likely to replace text-based search engines altogether. For now, visual search is most useful in the world of sales and retail. However, the future of visual search could still disrupt the SEO industry as we know it.

What is visual search?

If you have more than partial vision, you’re able to look across a room and identify objects as you see them. For instance, at your desk you can identify your monitor, your keyboard, your pens, and the sandwich you forgot to put in the fridge.

Your mind is able to identify these objects based on visual cues alone. Visual search does the same thing, but with a given image on a computer. However, it’s important to note that visual search is not the same as image search.

Image search is when a user inputs a word into a search engine and the search engine spits out related images. Even then, the search engine isn’t recognizing images, just the structured data associated with the image files.

Visual search uses an image as a query instead of text (reverse image search is a form of visual search). It identifies objects within the image and then searches for images related to those objects. For instance, based on an image of a desk, you’d be able to use visual search to shop for a desk identical or similar to the one in the image.

While this sounds incredible, the technology surrounding visual search is still limited at best. This is because machine learning must recreate the mind’s image processing before it can effectively produce a viable visual search application. It isn’t enough for the machine to identify an image. It must also be able to recognize a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and patterns the way the human mind does.

The technology surrounding visual search is still limited at best

However, it’s difficult to recreate image processing in a machine when we barely understand our own image processing system. It’s for this reason that visual search programming is progressing so slowly.

Visual search as it stands: Where we are

Today’s engineers have been using machine learning technology to jumpstart the neural networks of visual search engines for improved image processing. One of the most recent examples of these developments is Google Lens.

Google Lens is an app that allows your smartphone to work as a visual search engine. Announced at Google’s 2017 I/O conference, the app works by analyzing the pictures that you take and giving you information about that image.

For instance, by taking a photo of an Abbey Road album your phone can tell you more about the Beatles and when the album came out. By taking a photo of an ice cream shop your phone can tell you its name, deliver reviews, and tell you if your friends have been there.

All of this information stems from Google’s vast stores of data, algorithms, and knowledge graphs, which are then incorporated into the the neural networks of the Lens product. However, the complexity of visual search involves more than just an understanding of the neural networks.

The mind’s image processing touches on more than just identification. It also draws conclusions that are incredibly complex. And it’s this complexity, known as the “black box problem”, that engineers struggle to recreate in visual search engines.

Rather than waiting explicitly on scientists to understand the human mind, DeepMind — a Google-owned company — has been taking steps toward programming the visual search engine based on cognitive psychology rather than relying solely on neural networks.

However, Google isn’t the only company with developing visual search technology. Pinterest launched its own Lens product in March 2017 to provide features such as Shop the Look and Pincodes. Those using Pinterest can take a photo of a person or place through the app and then have the photo analyzed for clothing or homeware options for shopping. 

What makes Pinterest Lens and Google Lens different is that Pinterest offers more versatile options for users. Google is a search engine for users to gather information. Pinterest is a website and app for shopping, recipes, design ideas, and recreational searching.

Unlike Google, which has to operate on multiple fronts, Pinterest is able to focus solely on the development of its visual search engine. As a result, Pinterest could very well become the leading contender in visual search technology.

Nevertheless, other retailers are beginning to catch on and pick up the pace with their own technology. The fashion retailer ASOS also released a visual search tool on its website in August 2017.

The use of visual search in retail helps reduce what’s been called the Discovery Problem. The Discovery Problem is when shoppers have so many options to choose from on a retailer’s website that they simply stop shopping. Visual search reduces the number of choices and helps shoppers find what they want more effectively.

The future of visual search: Where we’ll go from here

It’s safe to assume that the future of visual search engines will be retail-dominated. For now, it’s easier to search for information with words.

Users don’t need to take a photo of an Abbey Road album to learn more about the Beatles when they can use just as many keystrokes to type ‘Abbey Road’ into a search engine. However, users do need to take a photo of a specific pair of sneakers to convey to a search engine exactly what they’re looking to buy.

Searching for a pair of red shoes using Pinterest Lens

As a result, visual search engines are convenient, but they’re not ultimately necessary for every industry to succeed. Services, for instance, may be more likely to rely on textual search engines, whereas sales may be more likely to rely on visual search engines.

That being said, with 69% of young consumers showing an interest in making purchases based on visual-oriented searches alone, the future of visual search engines is most likely to be a shopper’s paradise in the right retailer’s hands.

What visual search means for SEO

Search engines are already capable of indexing images and videos and ranking them accordingly. Video SEO and image SEO have been around for years, ever since video and image content became popular with websites like YouTube and Facebook.

Yet despite this surge in video and image content, SEO still meets the needs of those looking to rank higher on search engines. Factors such as creating SEO-friendly alt text, image sitemaps, SEO-friendly image titles, and original image content can put your website’s images a step above the competition.

However, the see-snap-buy behavior of visual search can make image SEO more of a challenge. This is because the user no longer has to type, but can instead take a photo of a product and then search for the product on a retailer’s website.

Currently, SEO has been functioning alongside visual search via alt-tagging, image optimization, schema markup, and metadata. Schema markup and metadata are especially important for SEO in visual search. This is because, with such minimal text used in the future of visual search, this data may be one of the only sources of textual information for search engines to crawl.

Meticulously cataloging images with microdata may be tedious, but the enhanced description that microdata provides when paired with an optimized image should help that image rank higher in visual search.

Metadata is just as important. In both text-based searches and visual-based searches, metadata strengthens the marketer’s ability to drive online traffic to their website and products. Metadata hides in the HTML of both web pages and images, but it’s what search engines use to find relevant information.

Marking up your images with relevant metadata is essential for image SEO

For this reason, to optimize for image search, it’s essential to use metadata for your website’s images and not just the website itself.

Both microdata and metadata will continue to play an important role in the SEO industry even as visual search engines develop and revolutionize the online experience. However, additional existing SEO techniques will need to advance and improve to adapt to the future of visual search.

The future of SEO and visual search

To assume visual search engines are unlikely to change the future of the SEO industry is to be short-sighted. Yet it’s just as unlikely that text-based search will be made obsolete and replaced by a world of visual-based technology.

However, just because text-based search engines won’t be going anywhere doesn’t mean they won’t be made to share the spotlight. As visual search engines develop and improve, they’ll likely become just as popular and used as text-based engines. It’s for this reason that existing SEO techniques will need to be fine-tuned for the industry to remain up-to-date and relevant.

But how can SEO stay relevant as see-snap-buy behavior becomes not just something used on retail websites, but in most places online? As mentioned before, SEO companies can still utilize image-based SEO techniques to keep up with visual search engines.

Like text-based search engines, visual search relies on algorithms to match content for online users. The SEO industry can use this to its advantage and focus on structured data and optimization to make images easier to process for visual applications.

Additional techniques can help impove image indexing by visual search engines. Some of these techniques include:

• Setting up image badges to run through structured data tests
• Creating alternative attributes for images with target keywords
• Submitting images to image sitemaps
• Optimizing images for mobile use

Visual search engines are bound to revolutionize the retail industry and the way we use technology. However, text-based search engines will continue to have an established place in industries that are better suited to them.

The future of SEO is undoubtedly set for rapid change. The only question is which existing strategies will be reinforced in the visual search revolution and which will be outdated.

from https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/01/31/the-future-of-visual-search-and-what-it-means-for-seo-companies/

source https://kateninablog.tumblr.com/post/170362432954

8 CRO Quick Wins for Ecommerce Sites

How well does your ecommerce website convert?

On average, ecommerce sites in the United States convert at about a 3% rate.

If you’re hovering somewhere around that number, you might think your website is already optimized for high conversions.

Even if you think you’re doing well, there’s always room for improvement.

In fact, some of the top performing websites, such as the Google Play Store, have a conversion rate close to 30%.

Companies such as the Dollar Shave Club have roughly a 20% conversion rate.

Do you still think 3% is sufficient?

I don’t.

If you have an ecommerce website, you need to constantly make improvements that add credibility to your website. This will help you get more conversions.

For the most part, these changes won’t cost you much money but will bring a massive return.

You could double or even triple your conversion rates in just a few months by implementing some of these conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategies.

Those of you who don’t know how to optimize your ecommerce site for conversions are in luck.

I’m an expert in this space and have plenty of experience consulting businesses about their CRO.

I’ve come up with a list of the top eight ways for ecommerce sites to increase their conversions.

Here’s how you can get started right away.

1. Simplify the checkout process

How long does it take for someone to complete a purchase once they’re done browsing on your website?

Studies show 27% of shoppers abandon their carts on an ecommerce website because the checkout process is too long and complicated:

On average, the number of steps to check out on an ecommerce website is 5.42.

If you’re somewhere in that average range, nearly 30% of your prospective customers think your checkout process is too long.

Think about how much money you’re leaving on the table.

The more steps a customer has to take to complete the checkout, the more likely they’ll abandon the cart.

It gives them too many reasons to back out.

Don’t give them an excuse. Finalize your sale.

Get back to the basics, and narrow down the information you actually need from the customer:

• shipping information
• payment information
• email address to send a receipt.

That’s really it.

You don’t need to know their favorite color or who referred them to your website.

While additional insight may be beneficial to your marketing department, you still have plenty to work with from just those few pieces of information.

Based on the shipping location, you know where the customer lives. You have their name from their payment information. And you have a way to contact them via email.

Now you can send them a confirmation email as part of an actionable drip campaign to try to cross-sell and upsell products based on the customer’s current order or location.

You can even personalize that message since you know the customer’s name.

Don’t force your customers to fill out a form that’s longer than paperwork at the doctor’s office.

Simplify your checkout process and only ask for essential information needed to complete the sale.

2. Highlight items that are on sale

Most online shoppers—86% of them— say it’s important for them to compare prices from different sellers before making a purchase.

It’s no secret price is an important factor when it comes to a purchase decision.

That’s why you shouldn’t hide your discounted items.

Take a look at how Macy’s highlights markdowns on their homepage:

The website is absolutely plastered with buzz words like:

• free
• X% off
• markdowns
• sale

That’s why they are able to get higher conversions than their competitors.

Customers love to get a deal.

Buying something that’s on sale makes your customers feel better about spending money.

All too often I see companies try to hide their sale items.

They would rather sell items listed at a full price.

That’s a big mistake.

Instead, highlight discounted products and services.

You can always try to cross-sell or upsell to those customers later by enticing them to buy something else through other marketing efforts.

3. Display multiple pictures of the product for sale

You shouldn’t be selling anything based on just a description.

Your customers want to see exactly what they’re purchasing.

Make sure your images are high quality and portray the item in question accurately.

Here’s a great example from Lululemon to show you what I’m talking about:

There are six different pictures of just one pair of shorts.

They show the product from different angles and even zoom in on some of the top features like a pocket that’s designed to keep a cell phone secure.

Pictures are much more reliable in relating information about a product than a written description of it.

You can apply the same concept to your ecommerce site.

Sure, it may take you a little bit more time to set up each product.

You’ll have to take more pictures and include additional images on your website.

But I’m sure you’ll notice a positive impact in terms of your conversions after you implement this strategy.

4. Provide live chat support for customers who are shopping

Even if your website is very informative, some customers may still have questions while they’re shopping.

You should set up a live chat option for your site visitors to communicate with a customer service representative.

Imagine someone wants to buy something, but they don’t—simply because they have a question and don’t have a way to get an answer.

Try to offer an online shopping experience they would get inside a physical store, with a sales associate available to assist them.

Look at how Apple does it. They offer a live chat for shoppers on their website, and it looks like this:

They make it super easy for customers to get all their questions answered online.

This is especially important if your company sells products that may need some extra explanation.

Realize not all of your prospective and current customers may be experts in your industry.

Although your product descriptions may be accurate, it’s possible there’s some terminology the customer doesn’t understand.

Rather than forcing them to pick up the phone or do outside research, offer them a live chat. Receiving this type of help can be the deciding factor that leads to a conversion for this customer.

5. Offer multiple payment options

Imagine this.

Someone wants to buy something on your website, but they can’t because you don’t accept their preferred payment method.

This should never be the reason for you to miss out on conversions.

While I realize some credit card companies may charge you higher rates than others, it doesn’t mean you should restrict payment options for your customers.

Try to accommodate as many people as possible.

While I’m not suggesting you need to accept cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, you should be accepting every major credit card, e.g.:

• Visa
• MasterCard
• American Express
• Discover

You should even offer alternative payment options such as:

• PayPal
• Apple Pay
• Venmo

Here’s an example from American Eagle:

They accept nine different payment methods on their ecommerce site.

You need to offer as many options as possible for your customers.

It all comes down to convenience.

Some companies may just accept MasterCard and Visa.

They figure those are popular options, so everyone must have one, right?

But here’s the thing: you don’t know everyone’s financial situation.

While someone may have a Visa, it could already have a high balance on it, forcing them to use a different payment method.

Others may want to use their American Express card or Discover card because they get better rewards there.

And some people may not want to use a credit card at all if they have a sufficient PayPal balance.

The more options you offer, the greater the chance you’ll appeal to a wider audience.

Don’t assume everyone wants to pay with the cards you accept if that selection is limited.

Assume people will find a similar product elsewhere, where their preferred payment option is accepted, which will crush your conversion rates.

6. Have clear CTA buttons

Make sure your call-to-action buttons are clear.

They should be bold, standing out from other content on your website.

You can even put a box around the CTAs, clearly separating them from other text on each page.

Take a look at how The North Face does this on their website:

It’s clear which buttons on their homepage will direct customers to the right page.

Even though they have lots of different options, their website isn’t cluttered, and it’s organized in a professional way.

This makes navigation easy.

Now their customers can find what they’re looking for faster and start adding items to their carts.

Look at how the CTA button changes when a customer views an item:

Now the button is even more apparent because it’s red.

It stands out, so it’s clear what the customer should do.

Don’t hide your CTA buttons.

It should be easy for customers to navigate and add items to their carts.

Big, bold, clear, and colorful call-to-action buttons can help improve your conversion rates.

7. Include user reviews

Consider this: 88% of shoppers say they trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.

That means nearly 90% of people trust a stranger’s opinion online as if it were coming from their spouses, best friends, or family members.

Furthermore, 39% of people say they read product reviews on a regular basis, and only 12% of customers say they don’t check online reviews.

Basically, this means customers want to see what their peers have to say.

Encourage customers to review products they’ve purchased, and display those reviews on your website.

Take a look at how Johnston & Murphy does this on their ecommerce site:

More reviews means more credibility.

Obviously, you’re going to say only great things about the products you’re selling.

But other customers will be truthful about their experiences.

That’s why consumers trust these ratings and reviews.

Customers share personal stories about the uses of the products they purchased and the reasons for recommending them (or not).

Notice I also highlighted the chat option on the Johnston & Murphy website—a topic I covered earlier.

Don’t be upset if not all your reviews are absolutely perfect.

You’ll get some negative comments.

It happens.

Those negative remarks can actually help you. It shows shoppers your reviews are legitimate.

Hopefully, the positive ratings will largely outweigh the negative ones.

This will help you get more shoppers to convert and complete the purchase process.

8. Add a video demonstration

If your products are unique, include video demonstrations showing how to use them.

Here’s an example from the Training Masks website:

They have workout videos to show people how to use their product to train harder and smarter.

Since this product isn’t something you see every day, the majority of the population may not know how it works.

But don’t think you can’t use videos even if you’re selling something simple.

For example, everyone knows how to use a piece of luggage, right?

Well, that doesn’t stop Thule from including a video demonstration on their website:

The video shows all the hidden compartments of the bag.

It also shows customers how they can adjust the handles and straps and utilize other features.

In addition, you can include a video demonstration highlighting the features that set your product apart from similar products.

Even if you’re selling something simple, like a shirt, a video can show customers the item’s versatility for different occasions, scenarios, or weather conditions.

You just have to get creative.

Conclusion

Your ecommerce site should be making more money.

Don’t settle for average.

Take steps to improve your conversion rates.

You can make subtle changes or additions to your site that will get more people to make purchases.

Start by simplifying the checkout process. You’ll get higher conversions with fewer steps.

Emphasize items that are on sale or discounted.

Include multiple photos of each product from different angles.

Allow your customers to chat online with customer service representatives to answer any questions they might have while shopping.

This will give your customers the same feeling they get whenever they are shopping inside a brick-and-mortar store.

Don’t restrict payment options. Offer as many payment methods as possible to appeal to a wider audience of prospective shoppers.

Your CTA buttons need to be big, bold, and clear.

When placed in proper locations, these buttons can help you get more conversions.

Make sure you include customer reviews for all your products.

These recommendations can encourage others to make a purchase.

Create videos showing detailed explanations of how your products work.

This is the perfect chance for you to highlight the unique features of your product.

These tips are easy to implement, and they won’t cost you much money at all.

Trust me, they work.

You can start applying some of these elements to your website right away.

What have you done to increase conversion rates on your ecommerce site?

from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quicksprout/~3/BGGFtBrPh3s/

source https://kateninablog.tumblr.com/post/170349168654

The Ultimate Guide to Generation Z Marketing

Businesses need to look toward the future to survive and thrive.

I’m sure you’ve got an effective strategy in place that targets Millennials or Baby Boomers.

But it’s time to shift your focus to a younger generation.

The term Generation Z describes people born after Millennials.

They may also be referred to as:

• Post-Millennials
• Homeland Generation
• iGeneration

Although there isn’t an exact date range, it typically refers to anyone born after the mid to late 1990s.

That means the oldest members of this generation are in college or just graduating.

The reason why this information is so important is because they are starting to enter the workforce.

With a steady annual salary, Gen Z will now have more buying power.

Extra money in their pockets means marketing experts need to target this group.

There’s a big opportunity here for increased and sustainable growth for your company, regardless of the industry.

That’s why Generation Z marketing made my list of the top marketing trends for 2018.

If you’ve never targeted Gen Z before and you’re not sure how to get started, I can help you out.

I’ve used research-backed data to identify some of the top characteristics and habits of this generation.

I’ll also explain in detail how you can use this information to your advantage as a marketer.

Here’s what you need to know.

Understand the key differences between Generation Z and Millennials

First, you need to be able to distinguish the difference between Gen Z and Millennials.

While on the surface these two groups may have some similarities, they needed to be targeted differently from a marketing perspective.

For example, look at how much younger an average Gen Z person was when they got their first smartphone compared to Millennials:

It’s no secret that our world is trending in a mobile direction. Marketers need to accommodate the needs of mobile users.

But Gen Z are the first group to have a smartphone throughout their entire teenage years.

This means they are reliant on these devices more than anyone else, including Millennials.

Generation Z are impatient, and their attention span reflects this.

The average attention span of a Millennial is 12 seconds, but it’s only 8 seconds for Gen Z.

That’s why they use more digital platforms simultaneously.

Millennials typically use three screens at the same time, while generation Z bounces between five screens at the same time.

Gen Z also doesn’t care about customer loyalty programs the same way Millennials do.

I’ll go into greater detail about this concept later on.

Generation Z also embraces influencer marketing more than Millennials do:

Their engagement with YouTube creators shows how much they value the opinions of regular people as opposed to celebrities.

Your company may want to consider working with more micro-influencers on social media to promote your brand.

Learn how to market your business on Snapchat

If you want to target Gen Z, you can’t afford to ignore Snapchat anymore.

About 71% of Gen Z use Snapchat on a daily basis.

Furthermore, 51% of this group use it about 11 times per day.

Take a look at some of the top companies that promote sponsored content on Snapchat’s discover page:

I’m sure you recognize these logos.

The fact that these major companies have already identified and adapted to this trend should show you how the market has shifted to this platform.

You can use Snapchat for brand exposure.

As we saw earlier, Gen Z don’t have a long attention span.

Just seeing your company’s logo could be enough to remind them of your brand.

In addition to using sponsored ads, your company should also have an account.

Add pictures and videos to your story on a daily basis.

Here’s an example.

Sour Patch Kids came up with a Snapchat campaign after partnering with Logan Paul, a YouTube personality.

The campaign delivered:

• 120,000 new followers
• 26,000 screenshots
• 583,000 impressions on the first day
• 6.8 million impressions for the last story of the week

Once you gain those initial followers, continue to promote your brand using Snapchat as a platform.

Use Instagram stories

One of the reasons why Instagram stories are so popular is because of their similarity to Snapchat.

Instagram realized how successful the idea of “disappearing content” was and added it to their platform.

You can add photos and videos to your Instagram story, and they will disappear after 24 hours.

In less than two years, Instagram stories have blown Snapchat out of the water:

Use your Instagram story to share exclusive content with your followers.

Even if you’re not posting a picture or video on your Instagram profile each day, you should at least be utilizing your story.

As I said earlier, Gen Z love micro-influencers.

Try to get those influencers to take over your account.

Alternatively, you can ask them to promote your brand on their personal stories.

Take your followers behind the scenes of your daily operations.

Showcase your production facilities, and introduce your staff.

This connects with people and shows them the human side of your company.

The marketing opportunities are endless with Instagram stories.

You just need to get creative and think outside the box to gain exposure.

Encourage entrepreneurship

Part of being a great marketer means you need to understand how your target audience thinks.

Generation Z have an entrepreneurial spirit.

In fact, 72% of teens in the United States say they want to start their own business one day.

If this group follows through with their goals, it will drastically change the future of our country’s workforce.

That’s because 61% of this group want to start a business directly out of college.

But Gen Z don’t value education as much as other generations do.

Only 64% of Generation Z plan to pursue a college degree compared to 71% of Millennials—a seven-percent difference.

It’s possible they don’t think they need college education to be successful.

This might be based on the rising cost of college tuition.

These numbers are rising higher than the country’s inflation rate.

The high costs could have an impact on Gen Z’s attitude towards higher education.

But with so many resources available on the Internet, Gen Z feel like they don’t need college to be successful or start their own business.

What does this mean for your company?

Try to come up with clever ways to engage those entrepreneurial minds.

Consider partnering with successful entrepreneurs who didn’t go to college as brand ambassadors for your company.

You could also try to create a value proposition that speaks to young entrepreneurs.

Generation Z has an influence on purchases their parents make

Market products and services to Generation Z even if they are not consumed by teens.

Here’s a graph to show you what I mean:

Most marketers wouldn’t think to pitch a family vacation, cell phone, or car to an 11-year-old.

But research shows that Generation Z has an influence on household purchases.

This generation is resourceful.

They may be more likely to research products and read reviews than their parents.

Just because they may not have the personal funds or resources to buy home furnishings or a plane ticket doesn’t mean your company can’t target these kids.

Their opinions may be the deciding factor between a purchase from your company or your competitor.

Facebook shouldn’t be your top priority

Facebook always tends to be the king in terms of social media marketing platforms.

But Generation Z don’t feel the same way about Facebook as other generations.

In fact, Facebook lost over 25% of users between the ages of 13 and 17 on their platform over a three-year stretch.

Don’t get me wrong.

I’m not saying you need to abandon your Facebook marketing strategy.

As you can see from this graph, the growth rate is rising for every other age group.

There’s still a ton of users out there for you.

But with that said, this shouldn’t be your primary strategy if you’re targeting just Generation Z.

Campaigns solely designed for Gen Z should be used on other social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube.

Generation Z want to make a positive impact on the world

Your company needs to be conscious of the environment, planet, and society.

According to a recent study, 60% of Gen Z want to positively change the future of our world.

Only 39% of Millennials feel the same way.

Furthermore, about 25% of teens today are already involved in volunteer work.

This is great news for the future of our world.

It seems like every time you turn on the TV or read the paper, all you hear is negative stories.

But Gen Z want to make a difference:

Take a look at these numbers.

To stay engaged with this group, your company needs to do its part as well.

Talk about any positive impact you are making in the community.

Are you working with charities?

Do your employees volunteer?

Come up with a mission that contributes to the greater good of the society.

Embrace it.

TOMS Shoes is a great example of this marketing strategy.

For every pair of shoes bought on their website, TOMS donates a pair of shoes to a child in need.

It’s a powerful campaign that speaks to generations who care about the future of our world.

Quality is more important than brand loyalty

Does this sound like your current marketing strategy?

Acquire new customers for as cheap as possible and retain them through customer loyalty programs.

It’s not a bad idea, and it’s probably been working for a while.

Once a customer becomes loyal to your brand, they’ll continue to support you for years to come.

They may start buying different product lines within your company, spend more money with each purchase, and even be willing to pay for more expensive products.

But you may not have as much luck with this strategy if you’re targeting Generation Z.

Look at how Gen Z view brand loyalty compared to Millennials:

This means you may have to put more effort into your current retention strategies for Gen Z.

Find ways to make them loyal.

There’s another way to interpret this information.

You could save your marketing dollars and not dump money on loyalty reward programs for Gen Z.

This decision is totally up to you.

It depends on your current retention and acquisition rates.

One of the best ways to retain Gen Z customers is through meaningful interactions.

A recent study showed that 44% of Gen Z are interested in contributing ideas to products and designs for their favorite brands.

Take advantage of this.

Use surveys, interviews, and focus groups with your customers to come up with new ideas.

If your customers contributed to the design, they are more likely to feel a connection with your brand and stay loyal.

Another statistic of interest is that 61% of Generation Z consumers are drawn to new brands.

Startup companies need to start targeting this generation right away in an effort to build brand loyalty.

Upload content to your YouTube channel

Generation Z love YouTube.

I discussed this earlier when I talked about micro-influencers.

I also showed you the success that Sour Patch Kids had using a YouTube creator in one of their marketing campaigns.

On average, Gen Z watch two to four hours of YouTube content each day.

They enjoy this much more than cable TV, which only accounts for about 30 minutes of their daily video consumption.

So if you’re relying on TV commercials to reach Gen Z, you’re wasting your money.

Instead, you need to increase your YouTube presence.

I love using YouTube as a promotional channel because it’s so easy to repurpose those videos.

It’s easy to add YouTube videos to your website or emails and incorporate them into your overall content marketing strategy.

Focus on their love of video games

Sixty-six percent of kids between the ages of 6 and 11 say that gaming is their primary source of entertainment.

Furthermore, Gen Z own more video game systems than every other generation.

But your company doesn’t make video games.

You may not even be in the technology or entertainment industry.

What does this mean for you?

Get creative.

That’s the fun part of marketing.

Come up with clever ways to use this information to your advantage.

For example, you could try to use product placement in video games.

You could also partner with specific games or gaming systems.

Sponsor an event or release of a new game.

If you sell certain electronics, advertise them for video game usage.

Things like microphones, headsets, routers, Wi-Fi extenders are all important to young gamers.

Conclusion

Right now, Generation Z are still an untapped market.

While companies have started targeting this group, there is still a huge opportunity for your brand to get a piece of the action.

You just need to understand how this new generation behaves, thinks, and consumes.

Don’t approach them the same way you have Millennials. As we saw, these two groups are different.

Use Snapchat and Instagram story to promote your brand.

Recognize that Generation Z value entrepreneurship and want to have a positive impact on the world.

They even have an influence over purchases made by their parents.

Gen Z are less active on Facebook, and they care about the quality of interactions with companies more than brand loyalty.

They love watching content on YouTube and playing video games.

If you follow this guide, your company can benefit from a new income stream.

What marketing platforms are you using to target Generation Z?

from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quicksprout/~3/rcvoi0P5yYo/

source https://kateninablog.tumblr.com/post/170293998299

A beginner’s guide to using negative keywords in PPC

Let’s set the scene. You’ve signed up to Google Adwords, entered your payment details, maybe even created a few ads and got to grips with the different types of matches for keywords.

You may even have gone ahead and sent your ads live. Easy enough. But you are fully aware that it doesn’t end there.

PPC can be an expensive hobby and you’re determined that your PPC campaign will become a valuable marketing channel rather than a resented, money-burning pastime.

In order to make the most of your PPC investment, you are going to have to make use of both common sense and data to constantly tailor your ads. You want to hone in on specific buyer personas which, as a byproduct (or whichever way round you want to view it), rid your campaign of wasted clicks.

You can do this by assessing quality score, A/B testing ad formats, revisiting your keywords and adding nice features such as call out extensions.

But as the title suggests, we’re here to talk about negative keywords. In this article we will walk through the basics of negative keywords in order to get you up and running. There’s loads of more detailed PPC tips on Search Engine Watch, so if you’re after pro tips we suggest using the handy search bar!

What are negative keywords?

One of the steps in creating your adverts is to assign the types of search terms that you want your adverts to appear for. Hopefully you have been specific about your keywords, focusing on user intent and relevance.

As you would imagine, negative keywords are almost the complete opposite of your target keywords. They help you give guidelines to Google, dictating the types of search terms for which you do not want to appear.

When would you use negative keywords?

Google defines negative keywords as “A type of keyword that prevents your ad from being triggered by a certain word or phrase. Your ads aren’t shown to anyone who is searching for that phrase. This is also known as a negative match.”

A common example of negative keyword use is ‘cheap’ (Google use ‘free’ as an example). Let’s say you make bespoke furniture or high-end watches; it makes sense that you would not want to pay for clicks from searchers looking for cheaper alternatives.

You also need to banish ambiguity. In her ultimate guide to AdWords keyword match types and negatives, Lisa Raehsler used a good example of ‘blueberry muffins’ in that the user intent could be for both recipes and bakeries – two very different user intents.

In such a situation you would then add ‘recipes’ or ‘bakeries’, whichever suits you, to your negative keywords.

Where do I enter negative keywords?

You may already have noticed the negative keywords tab when you were busy adding keywords for either a campaign or ad group – the tab is right next to the ‘keywords’ tab!

You can either enter Campaign level negative keywords which will apply the negative keyword across your whole campaign or alternatively you can also define them for specific ad groups depending on the complexity of your campaign. Simply select the ad group that you want to add your negative keywords to.

Note that, like keywords, you are able to define whether each negative keyword is exact, broad or phrase match. Amanda DiSilvestro explains more about these different types of keyword matches in her common PPC mistakes piece.

Finding negative keywords

If your campaign has already been running for a while, we would still not advise diving straight into your search terms tab. If you’ve ever read about the concept of ‘anchoring’ you would understand why – ever been asked to describe something without using a particular word, but all you can think about is that word? Same idea.

The data on search terms for which your website is appearing is not going anywhere, so why not take the time to use your own industry knowledge? Brainstorm the types of businesses, products or services that yours could be mistaken for and the search terms which would be used to describe them.

You are likely to uncover some negative keywords that haven’t been used by searchers yet – remember that if it shows up in your search terms, then you’ll have paid for it! After completing your brainstorming you can then use the search terms tab to identify further negative keywords.

SEO can play its part too. The worlds of SEO and Google Adwords can often come to blows, as teams compete for sought-after budgets and are inevitably looking to position their channel as the most effective.

We’re all on the same team, though, right? There is considerable overlap between the two, and PPC and SEO teams can actually work together, sharing data to benefit both campaigns.

If you are already collecting and analyzing data for your SEO campaign, it is advisable to dip into this data. It may well unearth potential negative keywords that your website is appearing for in organic search which have not yet found its way into your Adwords data.

Kill two birds with one stone by adding these negative keywords to your AdWords campaign or ad group and reassess your SEO strategy to hone in on that perfect buyer persona!

Keep checking in

If you don’t need to make adjustments to your campaign after setting it up, then I would suggest quitting your job and becoming a PPC guru!

Your campaign set-up may be top-notch, but things change: new data appears, different search terms develop and competitors change tactics. The knock-on effect is that you should keep checking in on your AdWords campaign (and negative keywords) regularly. If you don’t, you are either braver or sillier than I am (probably both).

Don’t waste your hard-earned cash by missing opportunities to maximize your investment; or, in the case of negative keywords, allow Google to charge you for clicks via search terms that are irrelevant to you and your business.

from https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/01/29/a-beginners-guide-to-using-negative-keywords-in-ppc/

source https://kateninablog.tumblr.com/post/170275918279

9 Ways to Get Your Startup Funded

Don’t let money stop you from pursuing your dreams.

If you want to start your own business but don’t have the funding, you can still get it off the ground in a number of ways.

As an entrepreneur myself, I admire anyone who wants to create a company.

It’s not easy.

In fact, only half of small businesses in the United States will survive through their fifth year of operation.

Furthermore, just 30% of those businesses make it through ten years.

Based on this information, it’s clear that failure is more frequent than success when it comes to startup companies.

So I commend you for wanting to pursue this path.

While running a startup may be difficult, it’s also extremely rewarding.

You’ll learn a lot along the way. There are plenty of things I wish I knew before starting my first company.

But getting your startup off the ground is the first step.

Like with most aspects of business, you’ll need some money to do this.

If you’ve never been through this process before, it may seem intimidating.

Not sure where to start?

There’s no one right answer.

In fact, you can get money from multiple sources.

I’ve outlined 9 ways for you to get your startup funded.

I’ll let you decide which ones are best for your startup company.

1. Create a detailed business plan

Before you do anything else, you need to have a clear understanding of how you plan to operate your business.

A business plan will increase your chances of securing funds:

Companies that have a business plan also have higher growth rates.

Here’s why.

First of all, it’ll be hard for you to raise money from anyone without a business plan.

Different types of investors, which we’ll discuss shortly, will need to see financial projections before they even consider giving you a dime.

This plan will also set you up for success.

Once you get into the daily grind of your business operations, you’ll always have your plan as a reference to remind you how to proceed.

You may forget some ideas a year or two down the road if you don’t have everything in writing.

Your business plan should have a clear description of your business.

Who are you?

What do you do?

It should also include a market analysis.

This will discuss information and research about your competitors as well as your target market.

You’ll also want to outline the organizational structure of your company.

Have clearly defined roles for managers and other positions within your organization.

Arguably the most important part of a business plan is the financials.

Do your best to include financial projections for the next three to five years:

Make sure your projections are realistic.

As you can see from the example above, this company doesn’t project profitability until the third year of operation.

That’s okay.

You don’t need to turn a profit on your first day or even your first year.

Just try your best to accurately predict your finances.

This section of the business plan will help you secure funding from other sources on our list as well.

2. Visit your local bank

Go to the banks you use for your personal banking needs.

I recommend starting there because you already have a relationship with those companies.

Set up an appointment with a loan officer.

Show up to your meeting prepared.

Dress professionally. Bring your business plan.

Explain to the loan officer how much money you need and what it will be used for.

Depending on your situation, you may qualify for loans for certain aspects of your business, such as equipment.

If the bank denies your small business loan application, you could also try to get a personal line of credit from that institution.

You can use that line of credit to fund your initial business expenses.

Don’t quit after your first appointment.

You could try other banks and financial institutions if your first stop is unsuccessful.

3. Seek help from friends and family

In the United States, friends and family are second on the list for top startup funding sources.

These are the people who love you and trust you.

Most importantly, they believe in you and your potential.

Don’t be afraid to ask your loved ones for a loan.

Plus, unlike with a bank, you’ll likely be able to get some money from your friends and family without having to pay any interest.

Who knows, if you’re lucky, you might even get funds as a gift.

So talk to your parents, siblings, grandparents, or even your rich uncle.

Just know there are some risks associated with this approach as well.

You definitely don’t want to take a loan your friends gave you in good faith and lose it.

That could put both of you in a very uncomfortable situation.

With that said, I’ve talked to some entrepreneurs who said this had the opposite effect on them.

Loans from their family contributed to their success because they had extra motivation to not lose the investment.

They didn’t want to let their loved ones down.

4. Venture capitalists (VCs)

You can also secure funds from venture capitalists.

VC firms invest in the early stages of your company in exchange for an equity share.

If you decide to take this route, be prepared to give away a portion of your business.

That’s not always a bad thing.

If VCs have some skin in the game, they may be able to provide you with other resources that can contribute to the success of the company.

But just understand that smart VCs will only structure these deals if they are in their favor.

They don’t want to make a return on their investment in 30 years.

VCs want to make their money back, plus some, as soon as possible.

The likelihood of you receiving VC funding largely depends on your industry.

As you can see from this data, venture capital firms are typically drawn to startups within software and technology sectors.

So if your startup company is a local pizza shop, you probably won’t have luck with VCs.

5. Angel investors

Although these terms are often used interchangeably, angel investors differ from VCs.

While angel investors can take an equity share of your startup in exchange for their investment, their funding can also be exchanged for convertible debt.

It’s not uncommon for these investors to be entrepreneurs or former entrepreneurs themselves.

Although money is their motivation, they are more likely to be genuinely interested in your business as well as the growth and development of particular industries.

If you find the right angel investor, you may benefit from their expert advice and management skills.

It’s more common for angel investors to supply funding to businesses when they are still in the early stages, whereas VCs typically look to get involved a little bit later.

Unlike a VC firm that has a committee and advisors working together, an angel investor may make a decision on their own.

They may simply like your plan, trust your goals, and believe that your business will be successful.

That’s why it’s important for you to be able to articulate your business plan well.

A short meeting over coffee or lunch with an angel investor might be all it takes to get them on board to fund your startup.

6. Crowdfunding

Take advantage of the resources available to you online.

You can use crowdfunding websites to raise capital.

While most people think of Kickstarter when it comes to these platforms, there are some alternative websites you can consider as well.

Here are a few popular choices for startup companies:

• AngelList
• CircleUp
• CrowdFunder
• Fundable

All of these sites operate in more or less the same way.

Some put you in a pool of professional investors, while others let you raise money from anyone.

If your project is promoted properly, you can raise a ton of money.

Here’s an example to show you what I’m talking about.

In 2012, a company called Oculus Rift launched a campaign on Kickstarter with a goal of $250,000.

The company aimed to produce virtual reality headsets.

They ended up raising $2.4 million dollars, which was nearly ten times their goal.

It’s safe to say that funding was successful.

The money led to rapid success and growth of the company.

Just two years later, Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion.

It just goes to show crowdfunding isn’t just for college students or small side projects.

There’s real money to be found out there.

You just need to look for it.

Here’s a look at some of the other top crowdfunded startups in terms of capital raised:

But just because you secure millions in funding doesn’t mean your company will automatically be successful.

Pebble Watches raised over $10 million in 2012, which largely exceeded their $100,000 goal.

But a highly competitive space made it difficult for this company to stand the test of time.

In 2016, Pebble announced they were ceasing daily operations. They stopped producing watches and honoring warranties.

The company folded.

7. Dip into your personal savings

You could also consider funding the startup company on your own.

If you’ve got money saved up for a down payment on a house or some other big purchase, you could use it to launch your business instead.

It’s risky because you won’t have any money to fall back on if your business is unsuccessful.

But if you’re willing to bet on yourself, there are plenty of positive factors to this route.

First of all, you won’t have to give up any equity in your company.

You get to keep all the profits instead of sharing them with investors.

You also won’t have to pay any interest on a line of credit or bank loan.

If you pay for everything yourself, you won’t be letting down friends or family members who may have loaned you money.

This isn’t an option for everyone.

But if you have an extra $20,000 in the bank, consider using it if your startup costs are low.

8. Look for a strategic partner

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Two heads are better than one.”

Getting a strategic partner for your startup company can help accelerate the development of your business.

In fact, over 80% of companies say partnerships are essential to their growth.

Your partner has a bank account as well.

Between the two of you, you might have enough money saved to get your startup off the ground.

If not, it’s another person to help you secure funding through the other methods I’ve outlined in this post.

Partners also reduce your liability. You won’t be on the hook for as much if things go south.

On a flip side, you’ll only get half the profits.

You may get even less if you give away equity to other investors.

Make sure you find someone you can trust.

While your strategic partner may be able to bring new ideas and solutions to the table, there can also be conflicts and disagreements.

9. Try to minimize initial business costs

Reevaluate your startup costs.

You may not need to raise as much money as you initially thought.

Make the money you already have last as long as possible.

Instead of paying for an office, you could work from your home or a shared office space.

Pay for goods and services as you go instead of paying upfront for large quantities of products.

Use cost-effective materials.

Think outside the box.

And while this may not work for every startup, you can also barter.

Instead of paying for certain products or services, offer your own services in return.

This may be successful if you’re working with other startup companies in a similar to yours situation.

Just do your best to keep costs as low as possible.

Conclusion

Starting a new business is exciting.

But it’s not cheap.

Not everyone has enough money to get their startup company off the ground.

If you can’t fund your business on your own, try getting a loan or line of credit from your local bank.

You could always ask your friends and family for help.

Venture capitalists, angel investors, strategic partners, and crowdfunding platforms are also great options to consider.

It’s important that you always start with a strong business plan.

Come up with realistic financial projections.

This will make it easier for you to get money from investors.

You also need to keep all your costs as low as possible to make your funds last until you can get a steady income stream.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be on the right path toward raising money for your company.

Good luck!

What strategies are you using to secure funding for your startup company?

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source https://kateninablog.tumblr.com/post/170182272989