Tag - digital advertising

Are You Advertising During The Super Bowl?

I grew up in Syracuse, New York which is known for two things: snow and Syracuse University sports. While most people are familiar with the longtime Syracuse basketball head coach, Jim Boeheim, but my favorite thing about Syracuse University is football. It is the home of the legendary number 44 for Jim Brown, Floyd Little, and Ernie Davis. Growing...

Are You Considering a New Digital Provider?

Update: Facebook shuttered Jobs on Facebook (February 2023) and Instant Articles (April 2023) Are you an ad agency considering or perhaps re-evaluating how to manage all your digital advertising for clients? Whether you are a one-person agency, a startup, or a team of seasoned professionals, everyone reaches the point where they can not efficiently do it all on their own....

OTT & On-Site Visit Tracking: Two Great Strategies Come Together

In my last blog OTT/Connected TV AND On-Site Visit Tracking has ARRIVED, I referenced the Jetsons and Saturday morning cartoons, which I know showed my age. If you are old enough to have experienced Saturday morning cartoons and the Jetsons, you may also recognize this next reference as well! During those Saturday morning cartoon marathons, we also had awesome...

Are you maximizing your Pay-Per-Click campaigns? Responsive, Dynamic and Call Ads bring more possibilities than ever.

Pay-Per-Click Ads, Google Ads (formerly Ad Words), Paid Search Ads, it all means the same thing. Not only do these types of ads have a lot of names, but they also have a lot of new options to consider.  If you are currently offering these ads to your clients, or maybe just thinking about offering these types of ads,...

What do I need to know about CTV/OTT?

Point Blank… Streaming services are here to stay.  The percentage of people that subscribe to streaming services is increasing every year.  This year is no different.  As the traditional pay TV service percentage decreases, streaming takes the lead.   As an awareness channel, has CTV/OTT hit critical mass in terms of audience scale? According to Media Post 76% of U.S. Households have...

What are the most common objections to using digital advertising?

More and more companies are including digital advertising as a critical component to their marketing strategies. However, there are still some companies out there who have not yet jumped in, or maybe have jumped in and didn’t like the results. We know how important digital is and how big of an impact it can make for small and medium sized...

What digital products work best when Targeting a Hispanic Audience?

All of them. That’s right, you have more flexibility and targeting options than ever before to reach Hispanic consumers with digital ads. Want to try Social Mirror™? Check out this comprehensive (and not even complete!) list of possible behavioral categories to choose from! The same exhaustive list can also be used to target with Display Ads, Native Ads, Online Audio...

OTT/Video Pre-Roll/Linear TV…What’s The Difference?

Video ads keeping getting more popular with advertisers and brands are seeing the value. 85% of brands use video marketing in 2020, which is up from 63% in 2017. According to the iab, nearly 3 in 4 buyers are planning to increase their digital video ad spend in the next 12 months, and nearly two-thirds of digital budgets are allocated...

What to expect for advertising budgets and products in 2021?

2020 has come to end.  How can we possibly know what to expect to happen in 2021?!   I’m no psychic and don’t claim to be.  But, I did attend a webinar that Borrell Associates hosted last month, and here are some of my key takeaways from their study.   Retail sales in 2020 have out performed the last 4 years.  Now, that...

Are Social Mirror Ads Working for Businesses?

The answer to that is a resounding YES! If you are not familiar with what Social Mirror Ads are, first have a look at my last blog and explore more details here. In a nutshell, Social Mirror ads mimic the look and feel of top social media platforms. However, the ads appear not on the social platforms, but on...

Are your digital political ads ready to go?

If you are talking to any clients or prospects about running digital ads for political, especially on Facebook or Instagram, it is time to close the sale and start executing. Facebook has released some new information about political advertising, and the restrictions are tighter than ever.  I’m highlighting Facebook as a product because political ads on the platform are so...

How To Get Conversions With Your Digital Ad Campaign

When is the last time you were immediately compelled to take action on a digital ad? You saw something and BAM! A need you maybe were not even aware of suddenly became so apparent and obvious that you had no other choice but to act, and act now? That is the ultimate goal of a digital campaign. To speak so...

What are the Most Effective Digital Ads?

A few years ago, I was watching the Super Bowl and the most ridiculous commercial came on. It was a woman that was overly in love with her son and throughout the commercial she was being dragged in a laundry basket behind a car, played a two faced janitor at his school while he was eating lunch, popped up...

Financial Businesses to Spend Big Bucks on Local Digital Ads in 2020

‘Tis the season, but not the season you might think I’m talking about. It’s resolution season; the time of year where people reflect on the past year and come up with a, “New Year, New You” resolution. Some of the most common resolutions that people make are to lose weight, exercise, spend more time with family, get organized, etc.....

Top Digital Advertising Trends for 2020

Anywhere you look, you’re going to see trends for the new year, trends for the new decade, and all sorts of news about the “visionary” year of 2020.  Looking ahead, here are a few key things to watch out for as you plan and finalize your marketing budgets. Instagram Ads – We all know Instagram as Facebook’s little brother.  But,...

Why Linking A Client’s Google My Business Results To Digital Campaigns Is So Important

I saw a meme the other day that said “Imagine if trees gave off Wi-Fi signals. We would be planting so many trees and we’d probably save the planet too. Too bad they only produce the oxygen we breathe”. Now I’m not here to be mother nature or the planet police, but there is no denying that as a...

Digital Advertising Trends

Election season is basically upon us, and we know that every election year, there are so many changes within the economy.  What businesses are going to spend what, and where are they going to spend it? Before we look at 2020, let’s take a quick look at how 2019 digital ad spending will most likely end.  Here’s a quick chart...

Do Your Potential Customers Think Digital Advertising is Creepy?

Even when we’re adults and out on our own, we still call our moms for everything, especially when we don’t feel well. Just last night I called my mom to tell her I had a sore throat and a headache. She gave the typical mom answer and said “gargle with warm salt water and go to bed early and...

8 Things To Know About Digital Advertising

There’s a lot to know about Digital.  In fact, there’s a TON of information out there.   However, it doesn’t need to be complicated. What is Digital Advertising?  This is when you buy advertising space across websites, mobile apps, and even social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, where audiences are targeted with the help of specific information about their online...

Voice Search is Here: Is Your Business Ready for It?

When Apple’s Siri first came out back in 2011 the technology was a novelty.  It was cool to test out and sometimes provided informative results, but often the results were laughable.  Not many people predicted voice search would become a major digital trend of the future.  Voice search is defined as a speech recognition technology that allows users to search by saying...

Digital is Not Scary: How to Help Traditional Sellers Wrap Their Heads Around Digital

I get it. It’s scary to learn a completely new product that you’re unfamiliar with and be expected to go out to your clients and pitch them another product that’s going to get their “doors-a-swingin’, and their registers-a-ringin’”. I’m here to tell you to come on in-the water is warm! When I first started pitching digital, I thought I was never going to...

Who starts a company on April Fool’s Day anyways?

Founded on April 1, 2014 who knew what a wild and fun ride it would turn into for these digital fools, uh… I mean founders Todd Schumacher, Leslye Schumacher, Gary Rozynek and Megan Malone. Their passion for the most comprehensive training for our markets and agencies paired with the most advanced digital solutions has made this team rise to the top in the digital...

Can I Daypart My Digital Ads?

Yes, but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should! Let’s start with what is dayparting? It is a tactic by which you schedule ads for certain times, that could mean either certain times of the day or certain days within the week, in the hopes of reaching prospects at the most opportune time of the day. Can you do this? Yes, but...

The Steps For A Productive Digital Advertising Client Meeting

When going into a digital client needs analysis meeting it can be hard to determine where to start. There are so many products and options to consider it can be daunting to everyone involved. To avoid overwhelming clients with all the different possibilities, it is helpful to do your homework and research first. Prepping for the meeting: Use K-meta.com and...

What Are Top Digital Advertising Industries For 2019? (Example)

As 2019 approaches, it’s imperative that we understand what’s working and continue to add fuel to the fire. Following up to our last blog about preparing for next year, we wanted to share with you some of the top industries spending money in Digital Marketng. Breweries. Breweries are popping up all over the country. Their individual spin on some classic...

Do Video Ads Work For Small Businesses?

Video.  Is it worth the investment to have a video created and include it in your digital marketing?  The answer is yes. In almost every aspect of Digital Marketing, we have seen not only an increase in using video, but an increase in the interaction with digital ads created by businesses. (photo credit: Ad Week) According to SingleGrain: 70% of consumers say...

Are teenagers leaving Facebook? Should that impact your Ad Spend?

My 14-year-old son refers to Facebook as “Snapchat for Old People” yet he still knows every time I post something on Facebook. Teenagers would like us to believe that Snapchat is life, but is that actually true, and more importantly does it matter for your advertising dollars? According to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey, today, roughly half (51%) of...

Digital Ad Spend Surpasses 50% of Total Ad Spending in the U.S.

Earlier this year, eMarketer, Marketing-Interactive, and CNBC  all predicted that digital ad spend would surpass 50% of advertising dollars in the U.S.  Turns out they were right. Currently, according to MAGNA, digital ad spend in the U.S. will surpass 51%, 51.5% to be exact.  That equates to about $160 billion dollars!  That’s a lot of money! Leading the digital ad spend...

Is couponing effective on Mobile?

Short answer: no. In fact, it is not just mobile, we have yet to find a digital product that works effectively for coupons. What is the problem with digital coupons on mobile? The main reason digital coupons on mobile fail is that they are just too complicated for most people. Think about how the ads are served. You are on...

IRS Contributes 3rd Party Income Data to Facebook (Example)

As we know, Facebook has been under scrutiny when it comes to their targeting capabilities and what they can/cannot do. Earlier this year, we learned that Facebook was removing many 3rd party categories from their targeting offerings and that they would take effect October 1st, 2018 (link here: https://vicimediainc.com/why-i-love-facebook-collection-ads/). This impacted many categories, including automotive, charitable donations, financial, job role,...

How Does Back to School Impact Automotive Advertising?

They’re making a list and checking it twice. But, it’s not to see who’s naughty or nice. Parents are checking to make sure that a car is now on their Back-to-School list. According to Nielsen Scarborough 22% of households with a child in college are also planning on buying a new or used car during the upcoming year. What does...

How To Be A Digital Marketing Guru

Because you are reading this, it is likely that you and your team have now completed your digital training. (if you haven’t, click here and get on board!  You make the effort to keep up to date on all things digital through ongoing education and weekly webinars. You know your stuff and you have put it into action! You...

Are you asking: “How did you hear about us?” (Example)

Please stop. No one will say they heard about you from your digital ad. Most people will say they heard about your business on radio or on TV, even if you are not running on radio or TV!  You don’t have to stop asking, but definitely stop making decisions about your advertising dollars based on the answer to that...

I don’t have time to meet. Can you just send me your presentation?

If you are in sales, you have heard this statement. Probably many times and in different ways: “Just send me your notes.” “Just email me the pricing.” “Just forward your pitch.” All too often when we hear this, we jump to it and start drafting long emails with lots of notes and attaching presentation materials. We give it all away and then follow...

How To Do A Video Ad Campaign

In today’s fast paced world video is climbing up the marketing ladder, and it is not just for the big dogs anymore, everyone is playing. 87% of online marketers are using video content and it continues to grow! Recent statistics show that one-third of online activity is spent watching video and half of all video content online is viewed...

Does my behavior online influence the ads I see?

Absolutely, and it is awesome. One of the main ways we are targeted with online ads is based on our online behavior. Actions we take online and what we demonstrate an interest in puts us into targeting categories. In a way we are virtually raising our hands and saying, “I’m over here and I’m attracted to what you are...

Are you interested in FREE MONEY that can be used on digital?

I find this statistic shocking: “Roughly half of the nearly $70 billion allocated to fund co-op advertising programs goes unused every year.” However, according to estimates from LSA, Borrell Associates and others that is exactly what is happening. So it is not that co-op money is less available as some might believe, it is more that the uses of...

How are small and medium-sized businesses spending their ad dollars this year?

Looking at total ad spend alone; the short answer is “similar to last year.” However, when broken down product by product, we learn that even though half of Small and Medium Businesses are not increasing their overall ad dollars by much, they are adjusting how they are allocating those ad dollars, and more money is moving to digital media. According...

Digital Advertising continues to grow year over year!

  2017 saw record growth in Digital Advertising dollars throughout the United States.  According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, those dollars are actually $40.1 BILLION.  And, that’s just for the first half of 2017. $40.1 billion represents a 23% increase over the same time period in 2016.  What can we take from that?  Businesses are spending money on digital advertising, and...

What are small business marketing resolutions for 2018?

As this year closes and a new one begins, small business owners are seeking strategies that can help them remain competitive and relevant.  They are analyzing past tactics and campaigns and determining where and how to spend their marketing dollars. Digital is absolutely a significant part of marketing budgets and in a multifaceted landscape, Small Business Owners are looking for...

How long does a digital campaign need to run to work? (Example)

One of the core challenges advertisers face is determining how long a digital marketing campaign should last. Digital, like many other mediums, requires frequency. If the campaign is too short, you reduce the probability of your customers seeing your message, and grasping it enough to take some action. So what is the ideal time for a campaign? We believe it is...

What Are The Best Digital Advertising Products For Local Political Campaigns?

According to Ad Age, there is a broad trend being played out across the advertising landscape. Using data to target audience segments and make smarter media buys in digital. Political numbers absolutely reflect that as digital is replacing traditional ad spend in this vertical. Politicians are assigning ad budgets for digital. And, online digital advertising is not covered by the...

Digital Ad Reports Are Great But What About The Big Picture?

I receive a lot of digital ads. I’m targeted as much as the next consumer, and the most intriguing digital messages and offers absolutely shine through the clutter enough for me to open my wallet and become a customer. In fact, I made a purchase because of a digital ad just this morning. In this case, I was served...

The best digital campaigns are expertly mixed, just like your favorite cocktail

When creating a digital marketing strategy, it is easy to become enamored with products that are at the bottom of the sales funnel.  It would be easy to think, “I’m going to focus only on Pay Per Click/Search Engine paid ads, Retargeting and SEO because they will help me drive the most conversions.” This way of thinking is not...

Native advertising is one of the hottest areas of online advertising

Digital ad spending is steadily rising, and no area is intensifying faster than native advertising.   Native ads come in many forms, but all share the common goal of not “looking” like an ad.  Native ads match the look, feel and visual context of the website where they are seen. They can run across all devices or be specified mobile only,...

How often do IP addresses change? (Example)

Household IP targeting is the perfect product to use when you need to target one-on-one to specific households and reach a very niche audience. This product works through a patented technology of matching IP addresses to a database of names and physical street addresses and displaying your display or video ads only to those households (or businesses). It works...

Warmer Weather = Digital Opportunity

Now is the time to market to consumers thinking about home repairs! The IAB’s Digital Influence on Home Improvement Plans analysis showed that 22% of consumers who were working on home improvement projects were influenced by ads on mobile, social media and desktop. That is a huge opportunity for advertisers looking to showcase how they might meet all the home improvement...

Why digital advertising in 2017?

Digital advertising allows you to craft an extremely targeted and measurable campaign. If you are not already implementing digital into your overall marketing plan, it’s time to explore the possibilities! Don’t make the mistake of thinking that digital is only for large corporations. Digital is affordable and allows small and medium sized businesses a solid chance to compete for targeted...

2017 Planning: Marketing Budgets Have Gone Up (Again!)

Not every small business has the luxury of having a full-time Marketing Director on payroll, leaving those without a lot of marketing experience scratching their heads when planning for 2017.  With the pressure to have every dollar spent promoting the business coming back as a positive return on investment it can be tricky to balance how much to spend...