Category Archives: Small Business Marketing

An Insight into Facebook PPC Ads for Better Facebook Advertising Management

Facebook Marketing, PPC, Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing, , , ,

Facebook arketingWritten by our guest blogger Sarmista Aun

Facebook PPC ads are a great tool for brand promotion but Facebook advertising management is not easy. You have to be a Facebook deciphering expert to effectively utilize PPC ads.

Social media is a great place for business promotion and there is no doubt that Facebook is the best platform of them all. In fact, it’s one of the three biggest PPC players in the world. It’s true that social media analytics tools don’t provide enough data but once you examine the paid Facebook ads, you can learn a lot of valuable things.

To understand the various aspects of Facebook PPC and its analysis, I am going to use SEMrush Facebook statistics and other resources.

Domains Vs. Apps Vs. Groups – Instead of consumer products and services, advertisers like to endorse groups and apps on the world’s biggest social media. Out of 100%, 58% of ads are about domains, 39% are about groups and 3% are about apps. That means 42% of total ads don’t even let you leave Facebook. The PPC publishers consider it as a semi closed platform and prefer to give ads that have the ability to keep users inside the social media site. In fact, though the group ads are only 39%, they receive 56% of total clicks. So, if you want to provide Facebook advertising management as a service, tell your clients that they must create a fan page before starting the ad campaign.

Countries – 50% of the total pay per click ads are given by ten countries. USA, UK and Germany are ranked at number 1, 2 and 3 which is quite predictable but the surprising thing is that Indonesia and Philippines also figure in top 10.

However, according to Alexa stats, India is the second country, not UK. Other ad data experts say that UK consumes 6.1% of the total ad market and the reason is the difference between financial conditions. India may have a population of one billion but UK has a far better economy and steady growth. Therefore, more and more marketers in UK are focusing on Facebook PPC ads.

Top advertisers by domains – Some of the top advertisement agencies are Adobe AdLens and Kenshoo. On the other hand, the biggest independent advertiser is Samsung as they maintain 5.8 percent of the top 20 expenditure for ads. It’s a sensible move considering their current battle with Apple. The last member of the top advertiser list is AirBnB.

Top Advertising Apps – Facebook users are primarily Gen-Y audience and they don’t want serious content. They are mainly gamers and gamblers. That is why, you will find that the top 20 advertisement apps are games and the only exception is the app. The most popular games belong to either poker or casino segment. If US government ever decides to legalize online gambling, the social media giant will make millions of dollars every day.

How some brands accommodate PPC – Let’s take a look at some of the major retail brands. Walmart is highly active on the world’s biggest social media network and they have given more or less 6500 ads in the last 3 months.

On the other hand, Amazon doesn’t spend a single penny for FB PPC. It seems that they don’t consider the gamers and gamblers as their potential customers. Besides, the brand is so popular all over the world that they don’t need to tell people what they sell.

EBay follows a completely different strategy. Their Facebook ad management team targets India, Thailand and Russia based customers and gives ad for consumers in those countries but they seldom spend anything to attract USA customers.

The aforementioned data proves one thing. Facebook may offer Pay per Click and Pay Per View ad options but it’s not a core ad service as AdWords. It’s not a sales tool. Marketers use it for branding and general recognition but not for increasing sales.

Trends – When the world’s leading social media site launched its share in the US stock exchange, the outcome was dissatisfactory. Some investors even thought that the social media giant cheated them as the stock price hit rock bottom soon after the launch. The bad effect of share prices also affected the number of ads and mainly USA based advertisers stayed away from the social media giant.

Facebook is here to stay no matter how their share performs in the stock exchange. The company is ruling the PPC market and when it comes to brand enhancement, they have no competition.

 

Author: Sarmista Aun is a pay per click campaign specialist. She provides expert guidance on social media advertising and each metric of a PPC campaign. She is a professional blogger and has written numerous articles on internet marketing, social media and web design.

What is Facebook Graph Search? What’s New for Marketers?

Facebook Marketing, PPC, Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Facebook GraphThe Digital Age has brought about whole new ways of doing things that would’ve never been possible before the Internet. As with most technological advances, the advent of the World Wide Web and social media websites has had a profound impact on the way people do business. No longer are the old advertising methods of billboards and newspapers considered the best marketing a company can get, and even in areas such as social media marketing, there is still constant evolution. The latest progression in this arena is the new Graph Search on Facebook, and marketers who don’t know about it soon will.

What is Facebook Graph Search?

The Graph Search on Facebook is the newest way for people to find things that they’re interested in. Everyone has seen the normal “search” function at the top of each Facebook page, but the Graph goes far beyond this. The Graph Search allows people to find things by using their common language. If a person wants to find restaurants that their friends have visited, they could simply type in “Restaurants my friends have eaten at.” This new feature, of course, goes much further.

The connections that people can make through Graph Search are all encompassing. A search of “friends who work at my company and enjoy hiking,” for instance, would immediately search a person’s network and return exactly what the user is looking for. Anyone who has ever marketed on Facebook knows what type of potential this could have. Instead of hoping that a fan will share a business’s, band’s or anything other Facebook page or post with their friends, these entities can now easily be found by their fans’ connections without said fan having to do anything.

The Repercussions of Graph Search

There’s no doubt that the Graph Search will have an effect on the marketing world, but most fail to realize just how big of an effect. Advertising Age, for instance, released a review entitled “How Facebook’s Graph Search Will Dethrone Google Search.” Facebook obviously has the edge on the aforementioned search terms (ie. bands my friends like), but the fireworks really start when Facebook cannot make sense of a specific search term.

Whenever a person enters a search term that Graph Search cannot process, it automatically provides search results from Bing, one of Google’s fiercest competitors. Experts expect that advertising dollars will slowly start to leave Google and go to Facebook, and this is especially expected in lifestyle and local arenas since those are the things people will often be looking for when using the Graph (ie. local services, restaurants and things to do).

How does Graph Search stack up in Social Media Marketing?

Many marketers may find it hard to look past their current social media marketing techniques and move on to Facebook Graph. This is understandable, but the feeling will eventually subside when they begin to realize how Graph Search stacks up against other marketing methods. A promoted post, for instance, may be slightly targeted, but it’s still going to show to many people who just don’t care while the price remains the same.

Facebook pay per click (PPC) ads are another way of advertising that Graph Search has a distinct advantage over. PPC ads are great since Facebook will only charge a person when their ad actually gets clicked. Anyone who has used this method of advertising, however, knows that the company with the deepest pockets gets the best marketing. PPC ads end up going to the highest bidder. For companies who are focusing on popular keywords and are facing off against larger companies, the bids of these clickable ads can quickly push them out of the market. When it comes to a promoted post or PPC ad, Graph Search is cheaper (free) and more targeted.

Facebook has been on the forefront of advancements in the business world numerous times over the past few years. It seems as if with their new Graph Search, they will likely continue this tradition. Every business owner, micropreneur, entrepreneur and anyone else who has a need to market will definitely need to promote their venture in as many ways as possible. As the Graph Search grows in size and popularity, however, the use of pay per click ads will likely start to show diminishing returns so get on the graph while its climbing!

Peter Marino always stays on top of the latest trends in the digital marketing world and is available for social media marketing and management.

Who are You Following on Twitter? 6 Creative Tweeters You Should Be Following

Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Twitter Marketing

Who do you follow on Twitter?

Twitter may be a social networking site, but it also is a resource for professional creative types who want to grow a business or build a brand. If, for example, you are designing a site for an e-commerce client, your goal is to develop a design that attracts leads. Your design lures in visitors, and the client can learn even more about its customers using various software tools. Think of Twitter as your tool for learning all you can about the latest and greatest in Web and graphic design and user experience.

Check out and follow the Twitter accounts of 6 of the best Social Media zealots and user experience experts:

Terra Walker Mrkulić @TerraIncognita

Social media manager, Red Sox fan and foodie, Terra offers her followers live support at LivePerson.com and somehow manages to be light and witty while responding to tweets that come in from customers and venders around the clock. She is an extremely attentive and creative social media guru. #keepitup!

Tim Van Damme @maxvoltar

Tim Van Damme is the creative mastermind behind photo app Instagram’s interface. Van Damme is “responsible for mobile design for both Android and iOS,” according to theindustry.cc. Catch up with Van Damme’s witty, inspirational Tweets and industry discussions by following him on Twitter.

Jason Santa Maria @jasonsantamaria

Brooklyn-based graphic designer Jason Santa Maria is featured in “Insites The Book” as one of 20 of the biggest names in the Web design industry. As he describes on his website, he has held myriad titles including “the founder and principal of the design studio Mighty,” “creative director for Typekit,” and “creative director for A List Apart.” He recently started a new venture, called “Editorially.”

Joshua Porter @bokardo

Director of UX at HubSpot, Joshua Porter shares insider secrets about interface design and social interaction on his blog Bokardo. Porter also serves the user experience community with his blog 52 Weeks of UX: A discourse on the process of designing for real people. Follow his Twitter and never miss a Bokardo posts on topics such as “What it’s really like working with Steve Jobs” and “Everything you need to know about SaaS.”

Alex Morris @aexmo

The self-proclaimed “obsessive tinkerer” Alex Morris is the user experience director for Mark Boulton Design. Morris has written a custom e-commerce platform and released a plethora of iOS applications. As described by CreativeBloq.com, “his very honest and opinionated Twitter feed” contains extensive Web design knowledge.

Paul Boag @boagworld

Paul Boag is the founder of Web design agency Headscape and host for Web design podcast BoagWorld.com. This talented user experience strategist engages followers on his Twitter feed by Tweeting about industry insights and creating dialogue with other Web design and digital leaders.

Using People In Your Web Design – Make It Look Professional Rather Than Awkward

HTML5, SEO, Small Business Marketing, Web Design,

SEO Expert Peter MarinoFor a business there are many requirements that a website has to fulfill  but one of the most important is that it should look professional. You want your website to reflect your organization in only the best light and make it look like you are capable, resourceful and skilled in everything that you involve yourself with. If you have a website that looks sub-par, or that doesn’t have a professional edge to it, then people will instead think that you either lacked the skills and resources, or that you aren’t bothered about doing jobs to the best of your ability. If your website looks like a child made it, then who is going to want to entrust you to handle their finances, or sell them computer parts? What’s to say they won’t be just as shoddy?

 

With this in mind, using images of real people in your web design is a risky move and one that can go either way. While having people on your site can inspire confidence if it looks professionally done (the assumption would be that you hired professional models and photographers), it can also end up being unintentionally funny if they end up looking awkward or it’s obvious you took the pictures yourself. So how can you ensure that you get the human element right and make your site look corporate and impressive rather than like a fun day out with your friends?

 

Use the Right Services

The first thing to do is to outsource. You may be tempted to try and do this yourself, but unless you are professionally trained in taking and editing great photos and you have a model friend it won’t look right. Your web design company should be able to handle it for you, but if they can’t make sure you find someone who can.

 

The Models

You also need to make sure that you find the right models to demo your products or services for you. This means finding people who are attractive because this will make your company look more desirable and successful, and it means dressing them in a ‘power dressing’ kind of way. Look for diversity in your models too and you will make your business appeal to a wider audience.

 

Additionally you also need to ensure that your models are good actors – if they are even a little bit self conscious it will come across, so ensure they have experience behind a camera before pointing one at them.

 

Setting

The setting of your photos is equally important. If you have a professional looking work environment that says what you want to say about your business then it’s fine to use that as long as you have the right lighting. Otherwise, see if you can rent somewhere else or speak with your designers.

 

Editing

The way you edit your pictures can also have a big impact on how effective they are. This is again something best left to the pros, who will be able to enhance the lighting and contrast to give the images that glossy magazine-style feel, and who can use airbrushing to remove any blemishes or mistakes.

 

Author: Vadim Kirichenko is the brains behind today’s guest post. He likes sharing his views on online marketing and SEO. He says a good advertisement is the one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself. He also says that a good web design is nothing more than creative way of attracting people to your website.