5 ways to see the future using predictive analytics
You don’t need to be clairvoyant to see the future. By harnessing your customer data and predictive analytics, you have all the tools you need right in front of you. The good news is, you don’t need to be a statistician or regression analyst to use predictive analytics either. With the help of your team, a few simple metric tools, or your local Orlando marketing agency, you can predict hundreds of business outcomes and behaviors that will inform your marketing efforts, so you and your team can work smarter, not harder. With so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down the key metrics you want to predict. To begin, take a look at your sales or conversion funnel. Most industries have benchmarks for each step of the funnel. By comparing your demand generation movement, sign up rates, conversion rates, and retention rates to those averages, you can see where you’re doing well and where you could use some help. This quick needs assessment will help you focus your efforts and decide which data to hone in on first. As a rule, the following five metrics are a great place to start no matter how your business is performing. 1. Predictive analytics and customer lifetime value Using the data from your conversion or sales rate and retention rate, you can predict the average lifespan, and thus the lifetime monetary value, of each customer or sale. As you invest in campaigns that turn prospects into customers, you can balance that return on investment (ROI) against what you predict those customers’ lifetime value will be. If you’re spending tons of money to acquire new customers, but their expected lifetime value is below that figure, it’s time to take a new approach. 2. Churn, funnel efficiency, and cart abandonment Although we often try to optimize for our sales, sometimes it is just as effective to optimize around our losses. If you can predict the risk of your customers defecting to your competition or leaving your site before they complete the sale, you can plan to close that gap through other initiatives. Your churn rate, funnel efficiency, and cart abandonment are all easily forecasted using simple analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics and will help you understand what types of retention or conversion initiatives will be most profitable. 3. Purchase intent In that vein, you can close your anticipated business gaps by predicting who will buy your product and who won’t. Using behavioral cues that signal the seriousness of a shopper will help you spend more time, energy, and resources on customers who are more likely to convert. For example, if your company offers a free trial for business software, try targeted marketing campaigns aimed at those who signed up with a business email address rather than those who signed up with a personal or “junk” address. By using predictive analytics to determine what behaviors correlate with purchases, you can aim your marketing efforts accordingly. 4. Getting pricing right: Predictive analytics can also reveal pricing trends or price elasticity, which is one of the most important keys to success. Combining big data market behavior with your customers’ reaction to various promotions can help you tweak your pricing to maximize gains throughout the year so that you aren’t leaving money on the table. 5. Internal forecasting: Last, but certainly not least, you can also use predictive analytics to help set your annual business goals. By forecasting demand, your revenue run rate, and periods of growth, you can prepare for and strive toward measurable outcomes that will catapult your company forward. This type of forecasting also helps you understand if your goals are too high or too low so your team understands the impact of their work. See, we told you that you could see the future. Big data is the future … and so are the insights it provides.
Engagement, impressions, and social media analytics, oh my.
Go ahead, #AMA about impressions and social media analytics: we have the skinny on the ROI of your KPIs, and we’re not even newsjacking or clickbaiting your RSS feed to tell you about it. We know, we know, the social media jargon can get a little overwhelming (some might even say annoying). Instead of embracing the wealth of information we have about our customers, we sometimes shy away from media analytics because it’s easy to get confused or misled by the myriad of abbreviations and trendy marketing terms associated with data analysis. But any good marketer will tell you that we don’t need code words to make our data more glamorous because it’s one of the most powerful and sexy marketing tools we have in our arsenal. Social media analytics KPI’s To help you feel more comfortable telling the difference between everything from engagement to impressions and social media analytics, we’re breaking down the top three key performance indicators (KPI’s) and analytics terms you need to know as a social media marketer. Understanding reach: Your brand’s reach is one of the most simple, straightforward media analytics metrics to capture. It represents your network or the total audience your brand interacts with. Reach is made up of your followers, users, and subscribers. When analysts talk about reach, they often use it as a proxy for how recognizable your brand is, how popular your company is within the marketplace, or how likely customers are to switch to (and stay with) your brand compared to your competitors because reach represents how loyal and proud customers are to follow and interact with your brand. Not to be confused with impressions: Unfortunately, people often confuse reach with impressions. If reach represents your self-identified audience as a whole, your impressions represent the actual number of times a single piece of content (a post, tweet, or picture) is seen by users. Impressions aren’t always limited to your audience – or reach – because additional impressions occur through sharing, digital ads, or promoted content. The number of impressions, or times your content is seen, is often used to help calculate the return on investment (ROI) of a certain campaign or marketing initiative. For a deep dive into impressions, click here to read our blog on actual versus potential impressions. But none of it matters without engagement: Your brand might have an incredible reach, and your posts might be getting thousands of impressions, but if your engagement metric is low, chances are your content isn’t working. Engagement describes how often your viewers interact with your content via likes, shares, comments, tweets, or reposts. It tells you how relevant your posts are to your viewers and helps you discover what they enjoy reading or seeing in their newsfeeds. The more people that interact with your posts, the greater their engagement is. This is one of the most important social media analytics metrics because it reveals whether your social media is breaking through the clutter and reaching your target audience in a meaningful way or just getting lost in the sea of posts. Now that you understand the basics, you should feel more confident digging into your data to understand what your customers need from you to trust and interact with your brand on the internet. Social media marketing is one of the most powerful and ubiquitous marketing channels and we’re here to help you use it to its fullest potential.
The REAL difference between potential vs. actual impressions
Understanding the difference between actual and potential Twitter impressions can seem confusing to those who don’t consider themselves media analytics experts, but don’t worry! It’s much more simple than you think, and very similar to understanding the difference between paid advertisements and public relations when assessing the value of your Orlando marketing agency. To help guide your media analytics spend, we have broken down the difference between each category, as well as when, and how to use them. What is an actual impression: An actual impression is the equivalent of paid media. It represents the actual number of times your tweet (or ad) is seen by your prospective audience. When you send content into the Twitterverse, your actual impressions track the exact number of people who have seen your post. We liken this to your paid advertising initiatives because when you buy media, you often know exactly how long your advertisement will run, how many people will see it, and the scope of your campaign. Actual impressions represent that same raw data. When and how to use actual impressions: Tracking your actual impressions can give you a clear understanding of week-over-week or year-over-year growth. It can unlock your ROI based on the number of people who have seen your content versus sales coming in, and is the general foundation of your media analytics dashboard. Actual impressions are a critical KPI that shows how far your content is going. What is a potential impression: Potential impressions align best with public relations mentions because they represent what “could” or “might” happen. Potential as a KPI reveals your brand’s influence or clout. When a publicist secures a product mention on your favorite blogger’s site, there is no guarantee that every single one of the blogger’s followers will read the article and notice your product placement, but the potential is there. Similarly, if a celebrity or tastemaker shares your posts, your content’s potential to influence new prospects has increased exponentially based on their pool of followers. When and how to use potential impressions: Tracking potential impressions is critical if you are partnering with other brands, engaging with other accounts, and encouraging the viral spread of your content. The impact is a little less straightforward than actual impressions because the figure represents total potential views, rather than what has historically taken place. Any media analytics expert will tell you that tracking both actual and potential impressions blends nicely; depending on the type of campaigns you’re running and the information you want to learn about your customers. Our team can help you dig into which is right for your brand and tailor a campaign around your needs.
7 content marketing influencers you need to follow right now
Every morning, we recommend starting your day by centering yourself in your industry. Go ahead, grab a cup of coffee, skim your inbox to make sure there are no emergencies, and then set aside 30-45 minutes to read a few posts from the best industry blogs and content marketing influencers. Like watching the news or staying informed of current events, reading up on the latest trends in content marketing will help you stay fresh, inform you of upcoming trends, and provide inspiration for your next marketing campaign. To help get you started, we’ve curated seven (sometimes surprising) blogs from content marketing influencers that you shouldn’t miss. 1. For the Content Marketing Influencers: Marketo Marketo’s blog is filled with industry-leading experts providing insight into everything from the most savvy landing page trends, to inbound marketing tips, to thought leadership, and everything in between. In addition to Marketo’s own marketing automation software, their posts highlight tips, tricks, and tools to power and streamline your marketing department. Why we love this blog: Each post has actionable, tested insights into the marketing world that provide tangible ideas and suggestions on how to improve your bottom line. URL: http://blog.marketo.com/ 2. For Growth Hackers: Conversion XL We had the pleasure of listening to Peep Laja speak at the BeHave Online Conversion conference in Austin, Texas and have been fans ever since. Peep’s no-frills, down-and-dirty framing of what makes digital marketing work is as entertaining as it is useful. He cuts through the marketing jargon and helps you prioritize which growth levels to push on your site without getting overwhelmed in what can feel like a never-ending optimization list. Why we love this blog: Peep has a proven track record of success and translates his knowledge into heavy-hitting “must-do’s” while delighting and entertaining his audience. URL: http://conversionxl.com/blog 3. Aspiring Marketing Influencers: Kim Garst Imitation is the highest form of flattery, which is why we love reading (and trying to imitate) Kim Garst’s blog. As one of Forbes most recognized content marketing influencers, we hope to harness a fraction of her experience into insights and ideas of our own. Kim’s posts focus on the evolution of social media and how to take advantage of upcoming trends in this space. Why we love this blog: Kim’s blog keeps you informed of critical social marketing changes in everything from Google’s ad words campaigns to Facebook’s newest acquisitions and what to do about it. You’ll never miss a beat again. URL: http://kimgarst.com/blog/ 4. For Social Media Junkies: HootSuite One part marketing blog, one part BuzzFeed post, HootSuite’s content marketing site is filled with fun facts and tips on transforming your social marketing campaigns. This is a great, lighthearted site to start your day and inspire ideas about how you can start thinking outside the box. Although HootSuite tends to focus on social media trends, there is a ton of great information about other marketing disciplines and digital insights. Why we love this blog: It’s fun! And useful. It’s a great way to ease into your day and spark a little humor and curiosity before getting down to business. URL: https://blog.hootsuite.com 5. For Inbound Marketing Fanatics: HubSpot Whether you’ve heard of HubSpot thanks to their longstanding reputation as inbound marketing leaders, or Dan Lyon’s recent satire Disrupted, a tell-all novel about his time working at the organization, the bottom line is: you’ve probably heard of them. Love them or hate them, HubSpot knows their stuff. They understand what engages audiences, how to peak users’ interest, and drive traffic. Trust us on this one. Why we love this blog: HubSpot consistently provides content that can have a profound impact on your success as a marketer. The clean, easy-to-read, educational material is always on point and timely no matter what your functional role is. URL: https://blog.hubspot.com/ 6. For Surprising Big Data Insights: OKTrends Although it isn’t a traditional marketing blog, we love OKTrends (brought to you by none other than the OKCupid online dating site). The reason we include this blog in our daily lineup is because almost every post discusses how big data and analysis fuel the site’s success. It inspires us to think about where we can look for data trends, how we can creatively tackle segmentation problems, and pose new questions about what our customers say and what they actually do. Why we love this blog: It keeps us thinking about data in a non-traditional way and reminds us to continuously ask “why” no matter what our customers are doing. We include this as a compliment to more traditional analytics and industry blogs so we don’t get stuck inside the marketing box. URL: http://oktrends.okcupid.com 7. For a Little Inspiration: BizWomen In addition to our local Business Journal branch, we recently discovered the BizWomen arm of this renowned news and community site. Subscribe to your local Business Journal and stay plugged into your local community to understand how competition is evolving and how industry trends are impacting your local market, while keeping up with upcoming partnership opportunities. For a little extra inspiration, tack on the BizWomen blog. You’ll see posts about national entrepreneurs, start-ups, and innovative projects from women all over the nation. It might just inspire you to work on your freelancing or start that Kickstarter campaign you’ve been talking about for years. Why we love this blog: Every once in a while it helps to see someone else succeeding to know your dreams can become a reality. Draw inspiration from these high powered women and industry experts to fuel your own passions. URL: http://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen Knowledge is power, which is why we love starting our day with this ritual. Aside from keeping your content marketing process sharp, it’ll give you a wealth of information to power brainstorming sessions, spark networking conversations, and make informed decisions about your brand and business. Even if you don’t have time to do this every morning, making reading content marketing influencers part of your regular routine frees up time outside your day-to-day work to think
WTF is cross-device tracking? And what you need to know about it
Cross-device tracking is a popular marketing term used to describe our ability to observe customers’ behavior as they navigate between devices. Here’s how it works in real life. For example, you might hear about a new product while you’re watching television. Because you’re already surfing Facebook on your tablet, you might simply search for the product in Facebook or Google. That’s one touch point. On Monday morning, you might need a little break (and some retail therapy) during work and revisit that site from your smartphone. That’s two touch points. You see a promotional offering, so you enter your email. That’s three. Then it’s back to the grind until you get home, shift through your email again, and complete the purchase – promo code and all – from your desktop computer. That’s four. At minimum. Unless you enter your email and log in each time you visit that site, chances are that this company thinks you are a new user every time you visit. This makes it difficult for them to know what type of information you need at any given time. During the discovery phase, you may simply want general product information. Eventually, you may want to see social proof of how other customers liked your product, promo codes, and deep benefit descriptions. Knowing what customers are really looking for allows you or your digital marketing agency to better meet your prospects needs. If you’re new to the cross-device debate, here is everything you need to know about why it’s important and what we can and cannot do for our customers. What exactly is cross-device tracking: Right now, cross device tracking is somewhat limited. As we mentioned above, unless a customer logs in on each device, which they usually don’t because there’s no intrinsic value in logging in until they’re ready to make a purchase, your digital marketing agency will be somewhat blind about cross-device behavior. Right now, companies use a combination of website cookies from past logins and IP address mapping to make rough estimates about who is doing what, where, and when. In other words, that’s a lot of guess work. Customers that surf the web on a private browser or clear their cache and delete or restrict their cookies, complicate this issue even further. Why do businesses care about tracking: Although it may seem like a lot of work to crack the cross-device question, businesses know there is huge value in understanding this piece of user behavior. When you consider companies such as Amazon or Netflix that recognize their customers across devices and applications, the value becomes a little clearer. These companies are able to carefully select and serve content based on their customers’ behavior. Usually, we see this in the form of product recommendations, suggested automatic reorders, and highly tailored promotional offerings that drive sales. A good digital marketing agency can also parse out the type of content a customer needs on a certain device. For example, most big-ticket purchases, such as a cruise or vacation, may start with some research and discovery on a mobile device or tablet, but the sale itself almost always happens on a desktop computer. Conversely, close to 40% of small retail goods are sold via a mobile device or app. The customer experience is not a one device fits all model, and your marketing shouldn’t be either. Are there any solutions out there: Aside from Amazon and Netflix, two companies that notoriously nail cross-device tracking are Google and Facebook. Because these brands allow and encourage users to stay logged in on a variety of devices, they are able to track customer exit and entry points to and from their sites. That means they know where you’re going when you leave (see, that advertisement for a new gym in town really did work!), and where you’re coming from. This success is compounded because many other sites use Facebook or Google as a single sign on entry point to log in or register for their sites, expanding these social media giants’ visibility even further. Recently, Adobe also announced the arrival of an up-and-coming cross-device co-op. The premise hinges on a variety of companies sharing data about their existing customers to close this gap. The good news for customers is that no co-op participants will receive additional private or personal data. That is to say, if your customer entered an email address and phone number on one site, but visited a second site and only provided their name, neither company will receive that additional information. Instead of sharing data, the co-op will simply provide insight into how customers are migrating between devices so marketers can do their job better. Although many details of the co-op are still private, Adobe worked with the Forum for Future Privacy to ensure customers were fully protected as they built this information exchange. How will this impact my business: If done right, successful cross-device tracking will allow marketers to cut back on advertising clutter, and encourage every advertising agency to get crisper about what they release in the market. Long-term, it could mean fewer advertisements and the emergence of more relevant, tailored content. In the short-term, it enables businesses to begin targeting content to their customers’ expectations, which will also improve the customer experience. Cross-device tracking is still a relatively new marketing discipline, but you and your content marketing agency will undoubtedly find new ways to harness this potential as more products like Adobe’s cross-device co-op make it easier to serve your customers the right information at the right time.
Adobe announces co-op for the Adobe Marketing Cloud
Unless you work for Google or Facebook, one of your biggest pain points is probably distinguishing which channels are performing best. When attributing conversion credit across your online channels, you or your digital marketing agency analysts may use a variety of methods to determine who gets the win. Do you use the last touch model, giving credit to the desktop site where your customer closed their transaction? Do you try to spread allocation evenly across all devices and channels in case your customer realized they wanted to purchase while surfing your social media sites from their iPad? Do you think that first touch introductory email promotion is more valuable? Or do you just feel like giving up? We feel your pain. Until now, Google and Facebook have enjoyed a tight premium on solving this problem. Because these social media platforms use single sign on technology that allows customers to travel between devices while easily logging in (and subsequently staying logged in) to a variety of connected applications and sites. Because these platforms also log their users’ name and personal data rather than simply assigning them a number or unique identifier, it’s easy for these organizations to track their users’ exact behavior across all devices and channels. Every time a customer visits a site – regardless of device or whether or not they feel inclined to enter their login information again – Google and Facebook can easily track their behavior. Of course, companies are eager to get in on this premium information, and happily pay a premium price for it. Without a partnership with Google or Facebook, companies had to attempt to cobble together a picture using user cookies, cross referenced with their IP address, cross referenced by any login information that user deigned to provide. In other words, an incomplete picture. Last week, Adobe announced they’d be making a huge stride toward closing this knowledge gap in the new Adobe Marketing Cloud. Enter the first cross-device co-op. What is Adobe Marketing Cloud’s cross device co-op: Adobe Marketing Cloud’s cross-device co-op will allow companies both big and small to submit a variety of customer data to a highly secured “cryptographically hashed login ID and HTTP header” that will at once log, aggregate, and encrypt all customer data. Don’t let the tech speak fool you, the bottom line is that companies will be able to see when their customers are switching between devices and how they are behaving on each. The trick is that the picture becomes clearer as more companies (and thus their user data) join the co-op, but no company will receive an unfair benefit because marketers will only be able to access information about their existing customers rather than new or potential users. The co-op also protects all user information so only their cross-device behavior is available, while new information (such as email address, mailing information, or cross-site log in information) remains securely off limits to co-op participants. Adobe worked with the Future of Privacy Forum to ensure the co-op structure met all current privacy regulations and expectations while still providing real value to co-op members. Although the cross-device co-op won’t debut for several months and Adobe hasn’t released specifics for co-op participants yet, it could revolutionize our ability to tailor marketing content in more meaningful ways. This announcement heralds one of the biggest digital marketing breakthroughs we’ve seen in years … and with Adobe’s name and reputation of excellence stamped on the project, we expect great things. How do you benefit from Adobe Marketing Cloud’s new co-op: You may be asking yourself how you receive value from the co-op if you don’t receive customer information? The answer lies in using your newfound understanding of what your customers are doing on which device to provide more tailored content. We recommend partnering with a digital marketing agency or content marketing agency to craft specific campaigns that speak to your customers’ needs depending on what device they are on. Serving the right information at the right time can help prepare your prospects to make an informed and confident purchase decision. This moves potential customers to point of sale more quickly and ensures they are choosing the right product for their needs, which boosts retention and lifetime value. If you don’t have an advertising agency by the time Adobe Marketing Cloud’s cross-device co-op goes live, take time to carefully unpack each channel’s behavior before launching new advertising campaigns into market. Supplement this information with user testing and market research to ensure you understand the ways your customers are moving in and out of the purchase journey. The co-op will help. You will make the content relevant. The co-op will not provide a new bevy of customer data that was previously off limits or give you insight into other brands that they engage with, instead, it will help you understand your existing customers’ psychology and create a deeper bond by speaking to them directly. The co-op will support the ever-growing emphasis on individualized marketing content and highly personalized targeting and advertising efforts. We believe Adobe’s co-op will be the first of many efforts to break down our blind spots and serve our customers better without invading their privacy. Marketing is a delicate balance between advertising products and educating consumers so their needs are met in new and unique ways. Tools that allow us to understand how customers prefer to interact with brands helps us accomplish this goal. The results give us a new opportunity to discover customer needs they never knew they even had and bring them closer to brands in more meaningful ways.
Will customers embrace the new sponsored Instagram ads?
When Instagram first debuted, people flocked to the quick and easy, transactional photo sharing application. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, users’ photos were truly worth a thousand words. With no elaborate profiles or deeper agenda beyond documenting and sharing photos, Instagram was a class all its own. Pithy captions, profile links, and subtle calls to action have since become the norm; but the heart of Instagram has remained a personal photo sharing experience. One of the biggest differentiators for Instagram was that were no sponsored Instagram ads. Ever. At that time, 100% of all content was user generated. Then in 2012, Facebook purchased Instagram (for a cool, one billion dollars). Although Facebook’s advertisement model has worked well and continues to be one of the most lucrative social platforms for advertisers, the social media giant realized they could not map the Facebook experience directly onto Instagram. Today, that may be changing. Here’s a brief history of sponsored Instagram ads, previous advertising strategies, and what’s on the horizon. Why sponsored Instagram ads worked in the past: When Instagram went live, their digital marketing strategy was somewhat unclear. But like many great ideas, it was only a matter of time before someone found a way to monetize this experience. Unlike Facebook, which only serves approximately 10% – 20% of all content to any given user, Instagram users see every piece of content that hits their feed. This presented a unique opportunity for marketers because users were used to seeing content that was completely relevant to their tastes. To protect this experience, Facebook very carefully introduced sponsored Instagram ads into the mix and monitored everything from conceptualization to implementation for each and every sponsored Instagram advertisement. Brands (via their digital marketing agency) were able to subtly advertise products, destinations, and services by adding links to their photos and profiles without disrupting the social ecosystem because user engagement was so high. They used a precise algorithm to serve highly personalized and targeted ads (that looked exactly like user content) to individuals who shared a variety of success indicators with a given brand. Facebook imposed strict guidelines on what sponsored Instagram ads could show, the type of verbiage that was appropriate, and how prospects were targeted. The results were phenomenal. Many users did not choose to opt out of ads (or even realize they were receiving ads) and began to engage with new brands in deeper and meaningful ways. Instagram and Facebook had cracked the future of digital marketing for every business and digital marketing agency in the world. Talk about a game changer. How it will continue to work in the future: But things are changing. Instagram is now taking their advertising techniques one step farther. They will soon use a new API to connect popular social media marketing agency platforms, such as Salesforce and Brand Networks, to their users’ Instagram feeds. This means that every digital marketing agency and content marketing agency will be able to create and serve their own content to the Instagram network. While this may seem like a pool of untapped potential for your advertising agency, it’s unclear how the Instagram user base will respond. Instagram advertising will no longer be a highly-curated experience as agencies begin uploading (flooding) advertisements into their user feeds. Despite the risk, the rewards seem to outweigh any immediate concerns. Instagram will enjoy a more traditional pay-to-play advertising model while your social media marketing agency will now be able to move campaigns to market more quickly. Smaller companies that could not afford to participate in Instagram’s previous advertising model will now have an opportunity to get in on the action, and larger companies will receive even more advertising perks. It goes without saying what Instagram stands to gain … But just in case: the results, according to eMarkter forecasts, is an increase in ad revenue from $600 million to $2.8 billion by 2017. What these changes mean for your business: If you’re working with an advertising agency or content marketing agency, they have probably already begun thinking about how to leverage this new experience for your business. And if you don’t have an agency yet, now is a good time to get one. Instagram advertising is poised for success before the market becomes saturated with advertisements. Being an early entrant into the new Instagram advertising structure gives you a unique opportunity to participate in the system and reap the benefits before users grow tired of receiving ads. It’s hard to say how long this current Instagram marketing trend will last (after all, users may become less engaged with the ads – or worse – less engaged with the platform entirely if their feeds are flooded with content that does not interest them). For now, however, Instagram still represents nothing but opportunity, so it’s a great time to get in on the action. What it means for your customers: As marketers, we’re naturally excited about this opportunity, but we also hope both Instagram and our advertising peers step up their game to ensure that all content that does go into the Insta-world still meets the same standards their user base has grown to love and expect. In many ways, Instagram is both the final frontier for strictly user-generated content (which we love!), and the first step toward right-for-me, highly-targeted, 100% customized content. The tipping point will be in the balance of how these ads are crafted and whether our desire to advertise wins out over our desire to engage our audiences. We know, we’re getting deep (see above). But we genuinely look forward to seeing how this new API system fares and how customers embrace these changes. If we have anything to say in it, these changes reaffirm our commitment to superlative content marketing and highly-engaging campaigns that delight and surprise users at every stage in the customer journey.
Why you need to know the 6 ways Google’s RankBrain will impact SEO
Because Google never likes to miss an opportunity to keep your favorite SEO marketer and digital marketing agency on their toes, they recently announced that close to 15% of their search queries is answered by a robust artificial intelligence (AI) called RankBrain. RankBrain’s primary function is to more accurately sort through search requests – especially those that are difficult to interpret – and understand what and, more importantly, why people are searching. Cracking these questions allows the search giant to yield better, more focused results. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Wait, what about the Hummingbird algorithm? I just got used to THAT update!” … Don’t worry. The RankBrain AI is only responsible for tackling more complex queries that don’t have clear SEO keyword mapping. The Hummingbird SEO ranking methodology is still very much in play, so no SEO company is off the hook – or out of work just yet. That isn’t to say that RankBrain won’t have a significant impact on search engine marketing itself, it simply means the old rules still apply too. Here are our top six predictions on how Google’s new artificial intelligence could change the game of SEO. 1. Keyword stuffing is out: Keyword stuffing and link loading have always been a dangerous game, even in Google’s earliest days. With RankBrain, any attempts at black hat SEO strategy may become even more obsolete. Because RankBrain’s primary function is to break down difficult queries, it also has the ability to interpret “difficult” – or vague – search result content. The AI will be able to categorize content relevance more accurately to reveal query matches that were previously disconnected. This allows Google to hone in on better, more straightforward search results and eliminate any attempts at faking those rankings. Vague and wordy content simply won’t fly. 2. Pay to play paid search is in: More accurate search results also means that the average advertising agency may abandon the pay-per-impression search model all together. Although this may seem like a radical statement, the potential is there. The less-expensive “spray and pray” model won’t be as effective if all content – from advertisements to search results – becomes more aligned with searchers’ expectations. Instead, the pay-per-click model will likely emerge as the favored (or even exclusive) paid search strategy. Because each click would represent a more engaged or qualified user, the price of this model will likely go up as well. Google will need to balance current paid search pricing with the emergence of better results to avoid advertising monopoly and give the little guys an equal opportunity to afford and participate in the new search order. 3. RankBrain offers a better user experience: RankBrain will, without question, will lead to a better user experience. Google already has an excellent reputation for search results, but a more intelligent AI will only improve that reputation. Users can expect better results, more accurate information, easier access to information and knowledge, and a less frustrating browsing experience. RankBrain may do for Google what Google did for AskJeeves just a few decades ago. And, we just can’t wait. 4. Computer generated content (may be) king: Have you ever noticed how marketers like to crown someone or something king? Every time a new marketing trend hits, the debate continues: is content still king? And the answer is most certainly yes, with one minor exception. As search engine marketing becomes more accurate, the quality of information will need to improve as well. Computer generated content may be a way for SEO agencies to supplement their traditional content creation to ensure they have a healthy mix of content that is interesting and personalized. We still believe in that human touch, but after all, you can’t compete with a computer when it comes to fact checking. Computer generated content can also close gaps around queries that currently don’t have content thanks to RankBrain’s ability to understand what users are actually looking for. 5. SEO marketers bringing their A-game: SEO marketers will need to bring their A-Game if they hope to compete against artificial intelligence. The role of a strong content marketing agency will become even more important as the need for truly meaningful, relevant content emerges against a deluge of new content loaded with facts and figures. To ensure human generated content continues to rank and remain relevant, SEO agencies will need to raise the bar and generate more engaging content than ever before. Our bet is on the emergence of photo, video, and rich media assets to complement strict copy-based content. As consumers’ attention span decreases and appetite for information increases, this hybrid content approach may become a win-win situation. 6. Not just the what, but the why: What makes RankBrain so fascinating is that it’s main goal is not only to understand what users are searching for, but why they are searching in the first place. Although Google has given no indication that they would share this information with your digital marketing agency, we suspect that learnings from this initiative will find a way into the market as Google finds secure ways to do so without violating their users’ privacy. As marketers, this prospect excites us more than any other because that “why” holds the key to brand loyalty, sales, retention, and advocacy. Sometimes SEO marketing doesn’t seem as glamorous or sexy as traditional marketing, but we’re here to tell you this is one of the coolest breakthroughs we’ve seen in search history. How we search and discover information, brands, and connections is not only the heart of marketing, but the heart of most modern human interactions. To see how we utilize SEO in its fullest potential to market brands like yours more strategically and efficiently, check out our SEO services.
The future of SEO: It’s Google’s world, we’re just living in it
Google’s done it again – changed their effing SEO rules. If you were a digital marketer just three years ago, you’ll likely remember the Google Pirate released the first of many algorithm changes that impacted how web bots crawl, index, and rank every site on the web. Just as marketers were getting comfortable with Pirate, the Hummingbird update hit. And then there was the Panda and Penguin updates. Don’t forget about the Pigeon update. And that’s only to name a few. This February, Google launched a unique (but happily less disruptive) update targeting how they treat AdWords paid displays within search results. Despite its seemingly innocuous impact, this small update may have a huge influence on the future of search engine optimization. Here’s the low down: What changed: Google changed their paid advertising display on desktop search results to remove right-rail advertisements completely and only allow for four paid search results to populate before organic rankings take over. This may seem like a relatively small change (and a good one for the customer and small business owner who doesn’t have a massive media budget), but the impact is critical. This update dramatically decreases the clutter people see when searching and allows customers to focus on the top earned – rather than paid – results. It goes without saying that this limits the amount of skew that occurs from paid advertisers. We know it’s great when you have excess marketing budget, but the internet – and search engine optimization – has never been about the pay-to-play model. That’s why this update helps keep search results pure. But, that also means your SEO game needs to be on point. If you’re in the PPC (pay-per-click) business, your life just got a lot more difficult. If you’re in the SEO game, now’s the time to make your mark. What does that mean for SEO? Reducing the amount of ads and streamlining the results means that securing a top organic search ranking is even more important than ever. All eyes will now be laser focused on a consolidated list of results, with more opportunity for organically ranked companies to appear above the fold. As a search marketer, front and center has always been important, but now there is more clean real estate in this space, which means competition is about to get fierce. So, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Digital marketers who haven’t invested as much time or energy into SEO efforts (favoring the easier, direct PPC route) will have to start getting serious about their search engine optimization strategy. In a few months, many of these companies will have started diverting resources into their organic search campaigns. This means that companies who already have a strong search foundation should get ready to take their efforts to the next level. While other companies scramble to catch up, savvy SEO marketers will have begun optimizing their sites even further in an effort to get ahead of the curve. How to get ahead: At this point, you’re probably asking yourself: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?! Content marketing: Take time to understand the keywords you want to focus on. Get specific and remember that being the number one spot with a critical few is better than falling just below the fold on 20 general terms. Once you’ve narrowed down your terms, start generating content. Get the blog posts fired up, get your internal links ready to go, and refresh your site content. Just know that any changes you make today will take a few months to be indexed, so don’t wait too long before moving. Non-branded keyword landing pages: Another great way to bolster SEO ranking is to create landing pages that target non-branded keywords. Apply the same principle you did when narrowing down your content marketing keywords. Then, hone in on how to build mini-pages that can link back to your main site while promoting these niche words. The specificity will help boost your ranking on key phrases, while the tailored content will help drive user engagement as an added bonus. A win-win situation. Spread the word: Now more than ever before, it’s important that other websites are linking to your content. Blog or write about topics relevant to your brand to help drive this inactive forward and then reach out to other industry influencers and tastemakers in hopes of getting an endorsement. Of course, it helps when you have something to exchange, so don’t be afraid to spotlight partners on your site or via social media. The only things certain in life are death, taxes, and change … so you should expect plenty more changes to how search engine optimization continues to evolve. Staying on top of the trends makes each subsequent update a little easier to digest than scrambling to catch up after three or four have passed. It’s an investment that ensures your content is seen by the right audience and that the work you put into your website and brand is put to good use. After all, if no one can find your content, they won’t be able to convert, and they’ll never become your customers. For more information on how we help elevate brands like yours through digital marketing, click here.
The top digital marketing trends for 2016 that you need to know
With the first quarter of 2016 well underway, the biggest digital marketing trends of the year are beginning to emerge. Don’t wait while the competition tackles the biggest bets of the season: bring you – and your company – up to speed on this year’s most critical digital marketing trends. Although many of the tried and true trends from years past are still making the cut, 2016 brings new breakthroughs in customization and data mining that take our top digital marketing trends to the next level. Content marketing Are you surprised to see this at the top of the list (again)? We weren’t. The amount of money companies are willing to spend on content creation has been steadily increasing over the past five years. It’s also ranked as having the highest predicted impact on commercial marketing in 2016 according to Smart Insights. Whether you choose to create new content in-house or leverage a local Florida digital marketing agency like ours, it’s important that all your content is crisp, clear, and speaks directly to your target audience. It’s time to get painfully focused on your top customers – the rest will follow in a halo effect of unbeatable brand value. Mobile marketing Census studies show that more than 60% of consumers are willing to make a major purchase on a mobile device. In years past, the hurdle was getting customers to purchase big ticket items online. Now, we’ve reached a pivotal point where people are not only willing to purchase online, but they’re willing to do it from their mobile phones. This means businesses must invest in responsive websites, mobile friendly e-commerce platforms, and streamlined trial and purchase flows. If your website is still stuck in 1999, the quickest (and most effective) way to bring your site up to speed is to work in partnership with a digital marketing agency. Due to the importance of good user interface and information architecture, we don’t recommend beginners go the DIY route. Splurge here and prepare for the future with a clean, easy-to-use mobile-ready site. SEO enhancements As competition heats up, SEO will become even more critical as a competitive advantage. Google has (again) changed their search results pages sending many search marketers into a flurry of activity. Earlier this month, Google removed text ads from the right rail of their search results and will now show four paid ads before users see organic search results (with a maximum of four ads per search query). That means showing up in that number-one organic search slot is even more important than EVER if you hope to compete with paid advertisers. Understanding how internal linking, tagging, and content marketing play a part in search rankings is a great place to start. Simple but effective enhancements can easily be done on your own, so we recommend starting there and then partnering with a digital marketing agency if you need a little extra fire power. Personalized marketing Personalized marketing has the power to disarm prospects and add new value to your existing (and hopefully repeating) customer base. Receiving personalized emails, custom product recommendations, or promotions and offers based on behavioral triggers are one of the most powerful ways to engage your audience. It’s no secret that people like feeling as if you’re talking directly to them or tailoring an experience to their needs. Even though yes, we admit, it’s kinda creepy. However! This speaks to the fundamental marketing psychology principle that people are more likely to convert if the experience has greater perceived value to them – and the best way to boost someone’s perceived value is to speak to them (rather than at them) and anticipate their needs. Using data to look for trends in your customer base and creating a marketing plan around these behaviors is one way to do it. Layering in “right for me” product selectors, quizzes, or bundles is another easy way to get close. Leveraging big data Knowledge is power. Which is why big data is such a powerful tool. While the data itself isn’t a trend per se, using it to craft better website content and create meaningful digital marketing experiences is. Partnering with a digital marketing agency or third party data management tool can give you the detailed insight into your customers that you crave and need to succeed. The sheer volume of information we have about our customers and people like them is staggering – the trick is using it to make a best-in-class marketing experience. Digital specialists are best positioned to achieve this goal and help you understand the levers you need to pull to enhance your customer experience. Retargeting Retargeting is the marriage between personalized marketing and big data. Dropping cookies onto your customer experience to both track trends and serve them content based on what they were previously looking for is invaluable and one of the biggest conversion drivers to combat cart abandonment or close large scale purchases. Retargeting allows you to remind your prospects why they want to move forward in the purchase experience or show them new products and experiences your brand has to offer. Amazon owns this experience. Well, there you have it. Now hire us already, geez.