Tag Archive for: Digital Advertising

How Pinterest Expects to Increase Revenue by $200 Million This Year

Pinterest is quite new to the world of advertising. 2017 marks the third full year that Pinterest has offered their Promoted Pins to advertisers. Such pins allow advertisers to promote their products and services alongside of a user’s normal featured pins.

Revenues On The Rise

These sponsored pins began in 2015, and generated $100 million in revenue by the end of the year. Last year, Pinterest was able to capture a total of $300 million in revenue, according to recode.

The trend isn’t stopping there. In its current fiscal year, it has been reported by recode that Pinterest is on track to bring in at least 200 million additional dollars by the end of this year.

So how is Pinterest driving all of this incredible advertising success you may ask? The answer lies in the company’s recent ventures into digital innovation.

Pinterest Sections

A recent article by Techcrunch released information on a brand new Pinterest feature called Sections.

This new tool will give users the ability to divide and categorize their board into several sub-groups that all coincide with the main board topic. For example, if the main board were titled “Entrees”, then sub-groups could include titles like “Vegetarian”, “Casseroles”, or “Seafood”.

According to Pinterest CEO and co-founder Ben Silbermann, “It’s been a really popular feature request for years.”

Sections is still making its way through the beta testing process. The new feature has not been released to all users yet, but will hopefully be appearing to the masses soon!

Ad Targeting

As Pinterest’s consumer base continues to grow, now up to an estimated 200+ million users, the company is searching for ways in which it can utilize this incredible resource.

Last year, Pinterest purchased a startup mobile ad-tech company called URX. Jack Chou, Pinterest’s head of product, explained the buyout by saying, “We can now accelerate our efforts with the URX team, who are leaders in mobile content understanding, recommendations, monetization and discovery.”

These efforts have materialized into 5,000 interest categories that advertisers can now use to help properly position their products in front of the perfect Pinterest users. For instance, many consumers are interested in the outdoors, but what about those specifically interested in hiking across the Appalachians?

Much like the new Sections feature, these interest categories will enable Pinterest users to refine their account into exactly what they want. This provides an enormous benefit to digital marketers and advertisers as they are able to easily reach out to the most specific area of their target audience.

Pin Collective

Pinterest has also been continually promoting their service called Pin Collective to advertisers. Pin Collective is described by Pinterest as, “an external network of world-class content creators including photographers, designers, illustrators, art directors and more who are experts in creating content for Pinterest.”

Pinterest has come together with Popular Pays to build this platform. Pin Collective provides advertisers with the best of the best to ensure the creation of flawless ads.

Adidas and essie are two companies that have experienced this service first-hand. Essie utilized Pin Collective to get an edge on the nude nails trend. The results were very impressive. The top pin of the Pin Collective campaign was saved 4 times more than any previous Pinterest campaign launched by essie.

Ending Thoughts

There is no slowing down for Pinterest. The platform continues to outdo itself every year with better ideas and innovations, both for their users and their advertisers. Here at Onimod Global, we can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

5 Simple Ways to See if Your AdWords Account is in Trouble

Google AdWords is the most common form of digital advertising. The use of its search, display, and shopping networks have an incredible impact on consumers who are conducting daily searches online.

Unfortunately, even the best digital marketing tools can come with potential problems and limitations. Keep reading to find out which pitfalls are most important to avoid inside of Google AdWords.

AdWords Audit

The following are key areas inside of AdWords that, when left unchecked, can create serious problems:

  • Wasted Money: In the case of effective ad spend, less is more. Although it may seem smart to have a campaign filled with keywords and 10 slightly different ads, this can actually lead to huge losses. Entrepreneur reports that on average, only 12% of keywords in any given AdWords account are responsible for all conversions produced. That means that 88% of those keywords are a total waste of money.
  • Bad Landing Page: More than half of all Google ads redirect the user to the site’s homepage. This is not necessarily a bad strategy, especially if you are only concerned about brand awareness and simply driving people to your site so that they can get a feel for your business. However, if the primary objective is to produce conversions or leads, then the homepage isn’t going to be enough. For this type of ad, you should use a specific landing page that clearly states the message you wish to deliver to consumers, and a simplified way for them to actually convert.
  • Disorganization and Poor Management: The structure of your AdWords account is also incredibly important. If you don’t properly title and organize campaigns, then it is going to be incredibly difficult for you to keep track of what ads are running and why. Also, if no one is regularly updating the account, then errors are sure to follow. The more time spent inside of the Google AdWords platform, the better.

Get it Right, The First Time

Try to avoid all of the aforementioned problems by starting your AdWords account off on the right foot with these strategies:

  • Keyword Research: Since you want to choose your keywords carefully, make sure that there is some logic behind your choices. The best way to do this is to look at old data. Find out what worked well, and what did not in previous campaigns. If you are starting from scratch, you may want to use a trial-and-error approach. Experiment with different keywords until you can clearly identify which are the most successful.
  • Extensions: Adding short sitelink and callout extensions to your ad can greatly increase its value to a consumer. Providing users with easy access to popular pages, or your business’ phone number makes the process much more efficient. Such efficiency and convenience is a huge concern of consumers today, so give them what they want with a simple extension.

Updates From Onimod

Our team of experts is constantly watching current events in digital marketing. We produce several blog posts each and every week to keep our readers up to speed on the latest in the industry.

CLICK HERE to take a look at the Onimod Global blog today!

3 Digital Marketing Trends to Prepare for in the Near Future

In a recent article from Forbes, there are some important trends in the digital marketing industry that marketers should be aware of. The digital world is always evolving: consumer patterns change, new platforms emerge, etc. Therefore, organizations must be prepared to adapt. The three key trends that Forbes focuses on in the article are social marketing, the talent gap, and video marketing.

Social Marketing:
If utilized correctly, social marketing campaigns can be very successful. Advertising on Facebook for example can turn a low cost investment into a high return on investment (ROI). According to the Forbes article, research has shown that “social users appeal more to offers and discounts, so even a simple 10% off to promote a product or service will greatly increase visibility.” Forbes also points out that the strategy is to “always find new mediums gaining popularity, as conventional outlets like news sites should be avoided.”

The Talent Gap:
According to the article, “the talent gap in digital marketing is the root cause of unsuccessful campaigns.” Not understanding the data, wasting money on ad spend, and not properly managing accounts are frequent problems in today’s industry. Many “traditional advertisers” don’t possess the same skill set and thinking process as the younger generation of digital marketers. Ultimately, it’s essential for organizations to find individuals who consistently deliver high ROI in a digitally dominated world.

Video Marketing:
Viral videos have a ton of power in today’s digital world, yet it’s very challenging to gain popularity online. Millions of users are streaming YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites daily. Forbes point of advice from video marketing is that “it’s not the big budgets that win, it’s the great ideas that create buzz.” If marketers can capitalize on this hot trend in video traffic, there will be high rewards.

Contact Us: For more information regarding digital marketing expertise, visit the Onimod Global Website. We provide weekly news updates on the latest in the world of digital marketing. Enjoy!

The Top 3 Skills Needed on an Elite Digital Marketing Team

Digital marketing is a fast growing field of employment. Every year there is more and more of a demand for experienced digital marketing experts. Our article “Why Digital Marketing is a Major Career Opportunity” highlights some of the biggest reasons as to why this industry is booming.

While hard work and determination can certainly increase an individual’s chances of success in digital marketing, there are some natural skills that all of the top performers possess.

Video Content Production

Consumers are tuning out advertisements more and more everyday. Overall screen time is continuing to rise, but people are paying less attention to advertisements and what they are saying.

One new way to boost engagement rates with ads is to use video. Videos make the process much easier on the consumer because they smoothly deliver the message through visuals, rather than some kind of long winded text.

Videos also have the added benefit of being absorbed quicker. Images can be seen much faster than words can be read. This gives the advertiser a little more time to get their message across, before the audience moves on.

Professional Copywriting

Even with videos, the content has to be solid in order to get the right message across to the consumer. This message comes from a qualified copywriter.

Content is the centerpiece of every advertising campaign. It is essential that every commercial, blog post, and Google Search ad is focused around the same marketing strategy. Driving home the same big idea to every potential customer is how you tell the world about your business, and why others should do business with you.

An article by Forbes recommends that agencies look for writers that can produce quality material over a wide variety of subjects. In some instances, companies will only require technical writers, but it is better for you as an applicant to have multiple writing specialties in your wheelhouse as you search for jobs in digital marketing.

Social Media Management

Once the copy has been created, there needs to be a way to spread the word. According to the Pew Research Center, oughly 70% of the U.S. population uses social media. This includes all age groups and demographics, generating endless possibilities for marketers.

Facebook leads the pack in terms of engagement rates and audience size with over 175 million daily users according to Business Insider. Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram round out the list of major social platforms to utilize in digital marketing.

A deep understanding of each of these platforms is invaluable. One important aspect to consider is that the interfaces and services offered by these social media leaders are constantly changing. The best way to maintain current working knowledge within these platforms is to utilize them in every day marketing activities.

Why Digital Marketing is a Major Career Opportunity

With Digital Marketing being the heaviest advertising route used by most organizations today, the career opportunities are flourishing. Whether through digital marketing agencies or companies hiring “in house,” there are plenty of jobs to be filled. Many individuals from the older generations are unfamiliar with concepts like SEO, SEM, Social Media Marketing, Website Development, and other parts of the digital world. Listed below are some reasons as to why digital marketing continues to be a “hot” field for many years to come.

1. Heavy Demand:
It’s no surprise that the demand for digital marketing experts is increasing at a rapid rate. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, “It is anticipated that there would be around 150,000 digital marketing jobs at the end of 2020 and not enough professionals to fulfill them. there will also be a rise in demand for digital marketing professionals by about 38% this year.” Therefore, learning the appropriate digital marketing skills will provide you with a huge competitive advantage in the job hunt.

2. Always Changing:
Digital marketing is an ever changing industry. Web, mobile, and other digital technologies are changing at an extremely fast pace. So why is this a reason to pursue a digital marketing career? Most people aren’t comfortable with or afraid of a field that always adapts, so they decide to stay away from it. It’s essential to understand and stay on top of the current trends in digital marketing to outsmart competitors. See how a client of ours (Theory) utilizes digital marketing to maintain a competitive advantage in the bar industry in Chicago. CLICK HERE to view the case study.

3. Field for Everyone:
The entire landscape of digital marketing consists of numerous skill sets, making it applicable for all sorts of jobs. Many digital marketing organizations not only consist of SEO/SEM strategists, they include graphic designers, business development executives, content writers, social media specialists, and other opportunities. Ultimately, digital marketing is a versatile industry, meaning it requires a mixture of these numerous skills. Passionate about social media, being creative, or writing? Then the digital marketing industry may be for you.

4. Great Opportunity for Advancement:
In addition to the great job outlook for digital marketing careers, the opportunity for advancement in the field is also promising. Entry level positions out of college typically consist of digital marketing strategists, social media specialists, SEO/SEM strategists, etc. If you’re able to catch on quick and continually learn more about the digital marketing world then advancement to an upper level position is highly feasible. Digital marketing managers, director of digital, or a VP of marketing for example are all respectable and reachable advancement opportunities.

Contact Us: For more information regarding digital marketing, visit the Onimod Global Website. We provide weekly news updates on the latest in the world of digital marketing. Enjoy!

4 Digital Marketing Trends to Follow

The world of digital marketing is ever-changing. Constant updates, innovations, emerging technology, it all makes it a bit difficult to keep up. Here is a quick highlight of current trends to pay attention to within the coming months.

Best Advertising Platforms

It comes as no surprise that Google is the premier digital advertising channel. A report by Craig Smith states that Google earns 77% of total search revenue generated in the United States. This is not to mention the other ad variations that can be created on Google’s AdWords platform.

The second largest advertiser in command is Facebook. The social media platform recently boasted its audience of 2 billion users. This immense amount of people creates the perfect kind of market for nearly any and every business. The Facebook Ads Manager also allows for very precise targeting, which only appeals to advertisers even more. Low conversion costs and high ROIs combine with these aforementioned factors to create the ultimate advertising experience.

Benefits of Native Advertising

These two strategies are limitless in their potential. Consumers have become a bit blind when it comes to obvious banner ads. However, when an ad appears to be part of the site itself, users are much more likely to engage with it. In fact, HubSpot records that these native ads are viewed 53% more than traditional banner ads.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that users don’t trust banner ads because they typically view them as possible spam tactics. Simply put, the more natural your ad looks, the better.

The Age of Mobile

Your ads are in serious trouble if they are not optimized for mobile devices. More searches are being conducted on mobile than on desktop, which includes both browsing and actual purchases. A seamless user experience is key. Without it, 53% of these users will abandon their search, according to DoubleClick by Google.

Various platforms are changing to integrate their processes into one easy action. Facebook now allows you to generate a form within your ad that will never even take the consumer off site to complete. This is exactly the kind of interaction that individuals are looking for as they make the shift toward mobile.

Influence of Social Media

If you can get a consumer to stop and take a look at your product, they are much more likely to convert. This means pulling out all the stops. In general, it is better to create content that contains an image or gif if possible. It also helps to use hashtags or mention other noteworthy people or brands in your posts to seem more legitimate and trustworthy.

The other major component to social media marketing is reviews. Consumers trust what others have to say about a product or services. These opinions weigh in heavily on the buyer’s decision making process. A trustworthy review translates to affect 84% of consumers, according to a survey by BrightLocal. This makes it imperative to include reviews in your social media.

What is Onimod Global?

This article is written for those trying to gain a deeper understanding of who we are and what we do. Onimod Global is a Chicago based Digital Marketing & Consulting firm that strives to work with your company on an ongoing basis to adapt and stay ahead of your competition in an ever-changing digital marketplace. Onimod is much more than a simple digital marketing company. We pride ourselves on being versed in a wide variety of online marketing channels as well as offering customized reporting capabilities to every single one of our clients. We are not a cookie-cutter company. We are not one-size-fits all. We are Onimod Global.

 

Google Partner:

If you have ever browsed the Onimod Global homepage, you will notice a few different things. For one, we pride ourselves on being a Google Partner. This partnership allows us to have access to specific Google representatives that keep us updated on any and all Google-related news. These representatives also provide unique assistance with any issues that may arise when using Google products. What this partnership also means is that the company contains employees who are certified experts in all areas of Google such as Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and more.

 

Digital Synergy:

Another focal point displayed on the Onimod Global homepage is our Digital Synergy service. Digital Synergy is our cross-channel digital marketing expertise, advanced analytical analysis and experience in constructing and executing successful digital campaigns. Digital Synergy ensures your brand meets the consumer when and where they need them. This type of all-encompassing service provides a business with the opportunity to integrate and implement all of their digital marketing strategies and goals into one single work plan that we provide. Rather than creating several fragmented campaigns across several advertising platforms with several different administrators, Onimod Global handles them all, making it easier to maintain and report on results.

 

Other Services:

In addition to Digital Synergy, Onimod also offers a variety of other services including SEO, SEM, Social Media content development and maintenance, Website design and development, Graphic Design, Email Marketing, and Analytics Reporting. A myriad of advertising platforms are used alongside of these many services. Here at Onimod we frequently utilize Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google tools, and more to increase brand awareness and traffic. We make it simple for the client to pick and choose which services they would and would not like to implement. This also allows for a more unique and customized experience for the customer. Each of our clients greatly appreciate the ability to create a custom digital marketing strategy because it gives them the freedom to tailor their digital needs to be most effective and beneficial to their business.

 

Contact Us:

If you or someone you know is interested in working with us here at Onimod Global to improve upon your digital marketing strategies and techniques, please reach out by visiting our website to fill out a quick and easy contact form!

Google vs Bing: Which Ad Platform is Better?

When weighing out your options for SEM and how to most effectively spend ad dollar, analyzing the benefits of using Google AdWords and Bing Ads is a great starting point. The common assumption is that Google AdWords dominates, yet utilizing Bing Ads can be very advantageous depending on numerous factors. Let’s evaluate the strengths of each advertising platform.

Google AdWords Strengths

1. Amount of Search Volume
: It’s no secret that Google is the king of search engine traffic. Therefore, this means a higher potential for customers, leads, and conversions for whatever you are advertising.
2Advanced Features: Especially with the recent launch of an upgraded AdWords platform, Google’s program has more advanced features to offer than Bing. Working with optimization, targeting, ad extensions, and management settings Google gives advertisers a much more advanced interface.
3. Easier Talking Point: Because of how known Google and their Adwords platform is, many businesses will quickly jump on the AdWords “bandwagon.” AdWords is more commonly known in the digital advertising world and Bing tends to be overlooked as a result of this.

Bing Ads Strengths

1. Better Value: Advertising on Bing in most cases is about half the cost as Google Adwords. Less people also advertise on Bing’s platform, so the price of keywords is significantly lower. Ultimately, this leads to cheaper conversions and a better use of ad dollar for organizations.
2. Audiences: Although the search volume of Bing isn’t any competition for Google, the quality of clicks tends to be better. In some cases Google AdWords will “eat up” ad dollar through meaningless clicks. If utilized correctly, you would be surprised at how many relevant clicks and conversions can come through Bing.
3. Customer Service: Being an extremely large organization, Google has much more customer service issues to worry about compared to Bing. Not to knock Google’s customer service department but because of Bing’s smaller organizational size, they have a greater ability to spend more time with customer problems and fulfill more specific needs.

Micro-Wins: The Key to AdWords Success

There are plenty of articles out there claiming to have some sort of quick fix or tip to exponentially boost your AdWords campaigns. In certain case studies these hints may have actually been incredibly successful, but that doesn’t mean the same goes for every advertiser or every business. In reality, micro-wins are much more valuable and much more attainable by most digital marketers.

 

What Are Micro-Wins?

Micro-wins are a series of tiny improvements over a long course of time, sort of like a theory of evolution on an AdWords campaign. These changes may not look like much in the beginning, but when compiled together at the end of a year, they make a very large impact.

 

Exploration

Hundreds upon hundreds of trial and error attempts are the secret to achieving these micro-wins. It’s best to begin by trying a myriad of strategies, so as not to limit your campaign based on what you think you already know. Experiment, it’s okay to fail! This is how you determine what works and what definitely does not.

 

Refinement

Once you can see where the biggest potential lies, start trimming off the fat. Take away all of the failed experiments, and all the money they’re draining, and leave those that still hold some potential for the future.

 

Optimization

Start experimenting again. Weed out the best of the best in terms of advertisements by thinking outside of normal limitations. Do not be afraid to try something new because you can always change it later on if needed. Once completed, you’ll be left with only the highest achieving and most successful ads.