On a Positive Note

While the last two posts may have seemed a bit on the jaded side, I do want to take the time that some brands decided to use their influence for good and not evil. One of those brands is Dove. I'm not just a lover of Dove's products (this is not a commercial post by the way), but I like the Dove Ad Makeover Campaign they did.

Click the link for the case study.

I saw their ads on TV and on YouTube videos, and I felt like what they were trying to do was boost women's and men's self esteems and outlook on themselves and their lives. Kind of a back track on what social media seems to have done to us.

We need to learn to reconnect with ourselves, our friends, our family, or spouses, and get back to what is real and what is actually healthy.

Says the women ranting on a blog post on a computer, while listening to iTunes and talking on Discord.

End rant.

Digital Marketing and Social Media Emotional Impact

In my previous post, I touched on how social media affects our mood, our self-esteem, or self-worth, and our values in our lives. Social media has been under controversy for a while for this issue, by being the leading causes in suicide, because a lot of people rely on the need for approval in their lives. Thank you inadequate feelings... But that is the human existence, and only really emotionally stable and full people can evade this epidemic.

Studies have been done with the impact of social media on mental health in individuals and in couple's relationships. Millennial's are accused of not being able to interact and hold conversations with live people in front of them. And have other social cue's problems. Clarissa Silva, a Huffpost contributor, wrote:

"For us to accept these behaviors with disregard for how it impacts us emotionally is what the core of what I call, The Millennial Virus, is. What is it doing to our sense of self? Are we becoming more narcissistic? Are we becoming more insecure? Is technology driving dating, sex and emotion? Are dating patterns just an extension of how we behave on social networks?" - "Social Media's Impact of Self-Esteem"

Silva makes a good point. So what does this have to do with digital marketing? Well, the "Millennial Virus", as Silva would say, also drives us to have a need for acceptance in almost everything we do. So how does that help marketing? Marketers use customer's emotional insecurities to help drive them to buy products?

According to Larry Alton, of Adweek Daily Pro,:

"From a marketing perspective, it’s not your job to change how society thinks and acts. It’s up to you to elevate your brand in a way that leverages the way society thinks and acts. In today’s age, that means tapping into the human desire for approval in your approach to social media marketing." - "How the Human Need for Approval Drives Social Marketing Strategies."

And who said that it was just millennial's who were becoming more manipulative?

One of the three ways that Alton says that you can accomplish this in your marketing strategy is to share your product reviews. Lead with it. This also jumps on the bandwagon deal. BUT EVERYONE IS DOING IT appeal. You should also connect with social influencers. Find YouTubers who can advertise for you, name drop, whatever you need. You want the people who are following them to want to use the products they are using. Social influencers are the new celebrities. And lastly,

"Prioritize shares: Marketer Leslie Nuccio makes the bold claim that going viral—or getting social media shares—is better than closing a sale. Her point is that word-of-mouth marketing on social media ultimately produces more long-term value than an isolated sale. When you share content, your goal shouldn’t be to make a sale at that very moment. While it’s great if somebody clicks a link and purchases a product from your website, you’ll get more value if you’re focused on driving word of mouth and building your brand through shares." - "How the Human Need for Approval Drives Social Marketing Strategies."

So there you have it. Marketing has become the manipulative boyfriend that your mother always warned you about. Congratulations social media. We are all a little more shady after all now.


References:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/social-medias-impact-on-self-esteem_us_58ade038e4b0d818c4f0a4e4
http://www.adweek.com/digital/larry-alton-guest-post-human-need-for-approval/

Social Media and Self Esteem: Intro

You're reading this blog right now, but what were you doing before this? Scrolling on Facebook? Instagram? Snapchatting? Tumblr, Reddit, Twitter?  Social media is everywhere. And you're on it. Don't deny.

We scroll when we're bored, while we eat, while we socialize, and even before we sleep. All of this interaction with social media seems like a good thing. It feels like you are more involved with the people you are "following" or are "friends" with, but in reality, we are depriving ourselves of actual social interaction and conversation. Humans thrive off of interaction with other humans, but when that interaction is only happening virtually, rather than physically the mind and body begin to suffer.

Studies have shown that people who spend more time on social media are more likely to be depressed or have low self esteem. Discontent with ones life might be impacted by seeing only the positives from another person's life on your feed. It's hard to remember that majority of the time, you are looking at a rose colored lens version of someone's life, and not the reality. In the reality, life is much more complicated, but most people don't share the down's, they just share the ups, and if you are going through a down time, then it can make that time seem that much more down.

Certifications Galore

Now that you've decided what you would like to do, you need to stand out. How do you do that? Normally with experience or internships, but you can also get certifications in tools and software to show companies you are knowledgeable of their strategies without the experience under your belt.

1. Hub Spot Certification: The Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certification is free, as well as the course to study for the certification. However, the platform itself is not free with a $200 annual fee.

2. Google Analytics: Google Analytics certification is free. There are online materials you must look at that will provide you with tools for exam success. The exam is 70 questions and you have 90 minutes to complete with an 80% or higher for certification. The certification lasts for 1 year.  If you do not pass the first time, Google will let you retake the exam after a 7 day wait period. 

3. Google Adwords: Just like Google Analytics, Google Adwords certification is free. You study the material provided, and take the exam. If you do not pass, you have to wait 7 days to retake the exam. Click here to learn more or take the exam. 

Top Careers in Digital Marketing

Because digital marketing is such a fast growing industry, there are many opportunities, but this also means there are many job titles and umbrellas that those job titles can cover. What should you focus on? Which job title will take you where you want to be?

The following list is comprised of top digital marketing positions based off of multiple websites and their job descriptions.

Digital Marketing Manager: While this may not be an entry level position, it is definitely within reach for those with over 3 years’ experience in digital marketing. Digital Marketing Managers lead digital marketing groups and work with the VP’s of those companies on a regular basis.

Search Engine Optimizer: SEO is one of the biggest buzz words in digital marketing. If you are passionate about SEO tools and have stayed up to date on multiple news trends. It is good to be familiar with Google Analytics, Google Adwords, as well as be current with The Moz.

Content Marketing Manager: If you like running blogs, looking at and creating content for Social Media Advertising, or like email marketing, this job may be for you. Depending on the company, the average experience is 1-3 years. Certifications are a plus. Writers welcome.

Search Engine Marketer: “The responsibilities of a search engine marketer include targeting the number of leads and clicks from the given marketing budget, analysis, keyword research, bid management, split testing the ad campaigns, and ad copywriting.” – (http://www.digitalvidya.com/blog/top-8-digital-marketing-job-opportunities/)

Inbound Marketing Manager: Are you good at planning and strategizing, but not an expert on execution? Inbound Marketing may be for you. Where content marketing is focused on creating results and implementing strategies, the Inbound Marketing Manager will be in charge of coming up with the game plan.


In the next post, I will review certifications needed for these career paths.

Resources:
http://www.digitalvidya.com/blog/top-8-digital-marketing-job-opportunities/
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/demand-digital-marketing-skills-2015?utm_campaign=Blog%20Link&utm_source=Website&utm_medium=Blog&utm_content=The%20Most%20In-Demand%20Digital%20Marketing%20Skills%20for%202015
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/4-big-benefits-digital-marketing-career

:You've Got the Degree: Now What?

Congratulations! If you're reading this article, maybe you've just graduated with your degree in Digital Marketing. Maybe you're reading this and wondering if Digital Marketing is for you. What are your career options? Do you need certifications? If so, in what?

Digital Marketing is a fast-growing industry with more and more opportunities every day. Businesses that have been on this track are gearing up for the next level of digital marketing, while some businesses are just getting started. You can either help grow an already established digital industry for a company, or you can help kick start it. 

In the next few posts, I will be exploring the different career opportunities that a person can pursue in this industry and what certifications are needed for each of those careers. 

Non-Profits for the Win!

According to M+R, non-profits should engage in digital marketing, the question is how do non-profits do so? Well if you're anything like me, your first thought was, "Who is M+R?" and "Why are they telling non-profits what to do?

M+R (see their "About Page" by clicking the link) is like the mothership of non-profit campaigns. They lead the way by example and help major non-profits advertise and campaign efficiently.

Now, back to business, according M+R digital marketing is rising at an exponential rate for non-profits.

http://www.business2community.com/non-profit-marketing/digital-ads-nonprofits-match-01840520#qb6xWRKvuLSOlppE.97

Overall, digital marketing has grown in 2015-2016 by 69%, and large non-profits alone by 76%.  

So for those smaller non-profits, how can they get going with digital marketing and do so efficiently and in a worthy way of the funds they are raising?

According to Business 2 Community, they can learn to re-target potential donors/visitors who might have donated or were on the fence. Just like with any kind of e-commerce site, visitors are always re-targeted if a purchase is not made. Why not use this to your advantage as a non-profit organization? 

Another thing that can be done is rebranding high value content. Are you putting out high quality blogs or updates on your organization that is knowledgeable and valuable to the visitor and supporter? Can they easily see what they are investing in? 

Make sure you are campaigning new and upcoming events. Use social media to tap into new leads and new faces. If you aren't advertising online about your events, chances are the turnout will not be as large as you might be hoping for just by WOM alone.

While email targeting might be something your non-profit is used to, you need to figure out, is it really working?  While email marketing may work for some non-profits, if you are not getting the results you want, it might be time to think about social media marketing as a new way to market to your visitors. Social media marketing is growing quickly, and Facebook and Twitter have plenty of options for those with small budgets.

Finally, don't diss on display advertising. When it is affordable in the non-profit budget, display advertising can reach new potential visitors in places you wouldn't normally reach them at even in social media marketing. 

Also, don't forget about Google's Adwords non-profit campaign of up to $10,000 in kind words advertsing. 

References: 

http://www.mrss.com/work/

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2017/03/28/nonprofits-digital-strategy-organization-rank/

http://associationsnow.com/2017/05/new-study-offers-lessons-nonprofit-fundraising-marketing/

http://www.business2community.com/non-profit-marketing/digital-ads-nonprofits-match-01840520#qb6xWRKvuLSOlppE.97

Digital Marketing is Not Just for Businesses

While most of the focus of this blog has been on businesses as a whole, and how advertising, digital advertising in particular, affects its business and its marketing strategies. Despite this, there are others that could benefit from digital marketing; non-profits just to begin with.

Are non-profits utilizing digital marketing? Yes and no. There is definitely substantial growth in non-profits that are benefiting larger non-profits, but what about the smaller non-profits? The ones with less support or who are newer to the game? Should they not advertise?

Google thinks they should. According to an article published on Edge Radio by Paul Briand, Google is sending an executive to educate non-profits in the Portsmouth area to new ways of advertising, specifically by using Google Adwords.

"[Jonathan]Day said the first purpose is to train local nonprofit organizations on the effective use of AdWords, Google’s advertising service for businesses that want top line exposure in search results. The second is to give these nonprofits an opportunity to qualify for the Ad Grants program that provides $10,000 a month in in-kind AdWords advertising every month." - Paul Briand

Google wants non-profits in on the digital marketing game, and are trying to help non-profits in any way they can.

References: http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20170529/google-executive-to-train-nonprofits-on-ad-grants

Advertising on Porn: Is it a Good Idea or Not?

As you can see from previous posts, Eat24 has had quite the success from their humble beginnings advertising on porn, but is this strategy for everyone?

Many people oppose the porn industry, saying it is degrading and exploits women, but for those who don't mind stepping over into the grey area that is the porn industry, there are definitely opportunities to be had. 

Talk Marketing to Me

Have I gotten your attention?

In 2013, a company that is incredibly well-known today, was just getting started. That company is Eat24. Eat 24 is an online food delivery service, and before it was bought by Yelp in 2015, they were just like any other start-up company; advertising starved and limited budget.

To try and work around this Eat24 tried to think outside the box. A lot of their clients for food delivery that were the most vocal about talking about Eat24 on social media, were porn stars.

"It makes perfect sense when you think about it. They enjoy a life without pants and are constantly working up a huge appetite. Eat24 and porn stars are a match made in sexy heaven!" - blog.eat24.com/how-to-advertise-on-a-porn-site

Originally, Eat24 had taken to common digital media campaigns with Facebook, Google, etc., but found that it took a large portion of their budget, but with little success rate, so they had to regroup and try and find a way around that.

Because a lot of their clients that were in the porn industry gave them such glowing reviews, Eat24 began to wonder if maybe this was the marketing haven they had been searching for. The porn industry has not had the best repertoire for many obvious reasons, and many of the advertisements that are featured on these sites are for male enhancement pills/tips, tips on how to please a woman, and finding hot local women. So how does a food delivery service make its way into this territory without looking like a male at a bachelorette passion party? Research.

"We decided to seriously look into it and what we found was boobs. A lot of them. But, we also found an advertising gold mine. We always assumed that a lot of people love porn, but when you look at the numbers, the proof is in the hot tub full of pudding. A whopping 30% of ALL web traffic is dedicated to adult sites. In fact, by the time you’re done reading this sentence, about 197,806 people have looked at porn on the Internet (including you. We see that incognito tab)." - blog.eat24.com/how-to-advertise-on-a-porn-site

That's a lot of bang for your buck, if you ask me.

blog.eat24.com/how-to-advertise-on-a-porn-site

blog.eat24.com/how-to-advertise-on-a-porn-site

Out of the top 100 sites in the U.S., porn was featured more times than was originally expected. Not only that, but the cost per impression was 1/10th... Yes, you heard that right 1/10th of the original cost of advertising on Facebook, Google, or Twitter.

So Eat24 went to the drawing board and created the ads that you saw at the beginning of this article, and more.

They found that placing their ads next to a video, rather than on the homepage, gave them 5 times the amount of clicks. Not only that, but they were able to push through 3 times the amount of impressions than their Facebook and Twitter ads!

Now that's results.

Resources: https://blog.eat24.com/how-to-advertise-on-a-porn-website/

And Now For Something Completely Different!

While researching a topic to analyze for this week's posts, I had a random thought. Can Google Analytics work for marketing content on sites that are a bit taboo? Let's just say.... porn sites?

Meme: knowyourmeme.com

I know. I just said it. The BIG ONE (pun intended). 

Porn. 

Digital Marketing has its limits, and that limit is money. Some places haven't been able to move forward to focus their marketing on just digital, so their budget may be cumbersome to deal with. There is also so much content and not enough ideal retail space for that content for everyone to be seen. So what are companies to do? Pay extremely high rates to get those ideal spaces. So what does that mean for startup companies or companies with small budgets? It means you either get less than ideal real estate, or you are on not as popular websites, which means you are not getting your ideal traffic. 

Just 4 years ago, the companies on the internet were claiming space for their own. Memes were a part of the culture and YouTube was in full swing. But porn, porn was on this before the game even started.

Meme: Overly Suave IT Guy

Porn is there, you know you have watched it. And afterwards, it's snack-time, "Am I right? Or am I right?" The market was there... and Eat24 decided to tap that. I mean the audience market. What were you thinking?